USA > Michigan > Clinton County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 80
USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 80
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337
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
parted their opinion to the surveyor-general, as may be in- ferred from the following extract from his report, made Nov. 13, 1815, and having reference to the Michigan sur- veys, viz. : "The country on the Indian boundary-line from the mouth of the Great Auglaize River [that is, the line established by the treaty of Detroit in 1807, and identical, or nearly so, with the principal meridian of the government surveys], and running thence for about fifty miles, is, with some few exceptions, low, wet land, with a very thick growth of underbrush, intermixed with very bad marshes, but generally very heavily timbered with beech, cotton wood, oak, ete .; thence, continuing north, and extending from the Indian boundary eastward, the number and extent of the swamps increases, with the addition of numbers of lakes from twenty chains to two and three miles across. Many of these lakes have extensive marshes adjoining their margins, sometimes thickly covered with a species of pine called tamarack, and other places covered with a coarse, high grass, and uniformly covered from six inches to three l'eet (and more at times) with water. The margins of these lakes are not the only places where swamps are found, for they are interspersed throughout the whole country and filled with water, as above stated, and varying in extent.
" The intermediate space between these swamps and lakes-which is probably near one-half of the country- is, with very few exceptions, a poor, barren, sandy land, on which scarcely any vegetation grows except very small, scrubby oaks. In many places that part which may be called dry land is composed of little, short sand-hills, form- ing a kind of deep basins, the bottoms of many of which are composed of marsh similar to the above described. The streams are generally narrow and very deep compared with their width, the shores and bottoms of which are, with very few exceptions, swampy beyond description, and it is with the utmost difficulty that a place can be found over which horses can be conveyed in safety.
" A circumstance peculiar to that country is exhibited in many of the marshes by their being thinly covered with a sward of grass, by walking on which evinces the exist- ence of water or a very thin mud immediately under their covering, which sinks from six to eighteen inches under the pressure of the foot at every step, and at the same time rises before and behind the person passing over it. The margins of many of the lakes and streams are in similar situation, and in many places are literally afloat. On ap- proaching the eastern part of the military land, towards the private claims on the straits and lake, the country does not contain so many swamps and lakes, but the extreme sterility and barrenness of the soil continue the same. Taking the country altogether, so far as it has been ex- plored, and to all appearances, together with information received concerning the balance, it is so bad that there would not be more than one acre out of a hundred, if there would be one out of a thousand, that would in any case admit of cultivation."
The tract of country surveyed for soldiers' bounty lands, and on the survey of which the above-mentioned report was based, did not include the territory of the present county of Clinton, but still the report itself was accepted
as a sweeping condemnation of the whole interior portion of the peninsula, and it was not doubted that the facts were strictly as set forth in the opinion of the surveyor- general. It was doubtless an honest expression of opinion on his part, for he of course based the report on the in- formation furnished him by his subordinates, who per- formed the work in the field; but how they could have been so deceived (if indeed they were so far deceived as to believe the disparaging statements which they made) is certainly a mystery. However it may have been brought about, the result was that Congress passed a law ( April 29, 1816) repealing so much of the act of 1812 as authorized the locating of soldiers' lands in Michigan, and, in lieu thereof, providing for the survey of one million five hun- dred thousand acres in Missouri; so that the brave men who had periled their lives for their country should not be wronged and insulted by the donation of lands of which, according to the surveyors' reports, not one aere in a hun- dred was fit for cultivation.
In 1822 the government established a military post at Saginaw, and several companies of United States troops were placed in garrison there. Soon afterwards the men of this garrison were attacked by disease, which continued to rage among them with such fatal effect that a large pro- portion of them perished. At last, after an occupation of about fourteen months, the troops were withdrawn and the post abandoned on the recommendation of the commandant, who reported to the authorities above him that it was in his opinion a great wrong to compel Christian men to re- main in a country which was wholly unfit to be occupied except by Indians, muskrats, and bull-frogs. This with- drawal of the troops, with the accompanying opinion of the commanding officer, was as effective as the surveyor- general's report had been in bringing the entire country to the north and west of Detroit into disrepute and contempt, and for years afterwards there were very few white men who thought of invading the terrible wilderness north and west of Pontiac.
In the " Fortnight in the Wilderness," written by the eminent French traveler Alexis de Tocqueville, describing a trip made by him and a friend from Detroit to Saginaw, in 1831, he narrates a conversation he had with Maj. Bid- dle, the United States land-agent at Detroit, as follows : " We presented ourselves to him as persons who, without having quite made up our minds to establish ourselves in the country, were interested to know the price and situation of government lands. Maj. Biddle, the officer, now under- stood perfectly what we wanted, and entered into a number of details, to which we eagerly listened. . .. We thanked Maj. Biddle for his advice, and asked him, with an air of indifference bordering on contempt, towards which side of his district the current of emigration had, up to the pre- sent time, least tended. 'This way,' he said, without at- taching more importance to his answer that we had seemed to do to our question, ' towards the northwest. About Pon- tiac and its neighborhood some pretty fair establishments have lately been commenced. But you must not think of fixing yourselves farther off; the country is covered by an almost impenetrable forest, which extends uninterruptedly towards the northwest, full of nothing but wild beasts and
43
338
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Indians. The government proposes to open a way through it, but the road is only just begun, and stops at Pontiac. I repeat, there is nothing to be thought of in that quarter.' We thanked Maj. Biddle for his good advice, and deter- mined to take it in a contrary sense. We were beside our- selves with joy at the prospect of at length finding a place which the torrent of European civilization had not yet in- vaded."
The next day (July 23, 1831) De Tocqueville and his companion started on horseback from Detroit, and reached Pontiac, the outpost of civilization, on their way to the northwestern wilderness. At Pontiac they stopped for the night at one of the two hotels of the place (probably the one then kept by Judge Amasa Bagley), where they were beset by the people, including the landlord, to induce them to buy land in, or in the vicinity of, the village,-never dreaming that it could be the travelers' intention to proceed farther into the wilderness. But they were determined to continue their explorations, and in the morning called for their horses, having first thanked the landlord for his valuable in- formation and wise counsels. "'But before fixing in your country, my dear landlord,' said M. de Tocqueville, ' we intend to visit Saginaw, and we wish to consult you on this point.' At the name of Saginaw a remarkable change came over his features. It scemed as if he had suddenly been snatched from real life and transported to a land of wonders. His eyes dilated, his mouth fell open, and the most complete astonishment pervaded his countenance. ' You want to go to Saginaw ?' exclaimed he. 'To Sagi- naw Bay ? Two foreign gentlemen, two rational men, who want to go to Saginaw Bay ! It is scarcely credible !' 'And why not ?' we replied. 'But are you well aware,' continued our host, ' what you undertake ? Do you know that Saginaw is the last inhabited spot towards the Pacific ? That between this place and Saginaw lies an uncleared wilderness ? Do you know that the forest is full of Indians and mosquitoes ? Have you no thought about the fever ? Will you be able to get on in the wilderness, and to find your way in the labyrinth of our forests ?' . . . 'Have you ever been in Saginaw ?' we resumed. ' I have been so un- lucky as to go thither five or six times,' he replied ; 'but I had a motive for doing it, and you do not appear to have any.' " But he did not succeed in dissuading the travelers from continuing on their tour. They pressed on to Sagi- naw, and returned from that place in safety, finding in the country through which they passed the untamed wilder- ness which they came to Michigan to see. The above extraet from De Tocqueville's narrative is given, somewhat at length, for the purpose of showing what, even at that late date, was the general opinion prevailing among the people as to the great wilderness which stretched away to the north and west from Pontiac, and the prospect which there then seemed to exist, of its early settlement.
The opinion which had been given by the surveyor-gen- eral in 1815, by the commandant of the post of Saginaw io 1823, and which had received confirmation from many other sources, had the effect to bring the Territory of Michi- gan into great disrepute, as a country wholly unfit for agriculture ; and this feeling was fostered by the Indian traders, who were thoroughly acquainted with the interior
country and its capabilities, but were only too willing to assist in perpetuating the delusion in order to postpone the evil day (as they regarded it) when their lucrative business should be ruined by the advance of white immigration and settlement. This is how and why there grew up the almost universal belief that the interior of Michigan was worthless for agricultural purposes; the home of every species of malarial disease, and a land of which the obvious destiny must be to continue in the possession of Indians and wild beasts. And the existence of this belief was the cause which for many years, deterred emigrants from seeking homes in the forest land of Clinton and other interior counties of the State.
The survey of land by the government does not always precede the making of settlements on them, though it gen- erally does, and such was the case in Clinton County, not more than one settler (if any) having located in the county prior to the survey of the lands on which he established bis home. In 1824 the principal meridian line was run by Joseph Wampler, deputy surveyor, to a point as far north as the centre of the county of Clinton, and in 1826 and 1827 the south half of the county was surveyed and laid off into the usual subdivisions; the laying out of the townships being done by Lucius Lyon, deputy surveyor. The north half of the county was surveyed in the year 1831, the township-lines being principally run by Robert Clark, Jr., but some of them being' laid off by C. W. Christmas. Both of these gentlemen were deputy United States sur- veyors. In addition to the four deputy surveyors above mentioned, there were several others employed on the sub- division-lines in Clinton County, among them being Hervey Parke, Orange Risdon, R. Thomas, Joel Wright, Austin Burt, and perhaps others. All of those who supervised the running of lines held the appointment of deputy United States surveyor.
The first settlement in the county was made at the place now known as Maple Rapids, by George Campau, who, as has already been mentioned, came there for the purpose of trading with the Indians. The trading-post at that point was established in 1826. John B. Cushway is believed to have preecded Campau in the proprietorship, but the former made but a temporary residence there, while Campau be- came a permanent settler and entered government land in that township (Essex) as early as 1832. About that time Hiram Benedict settled in the same township.
David Scott, who has generally but erroneously been mentioned as the first settler in the county, located on the Looking-Glass River, in the present township of De Witt, in 1833. He there opened a public-house which became a landmark in the early years, and was known far and wide through this part of the State by the simple appellation of " Scott's."
In the southwest corner of the county the first settle- ments were made by Anthony Niles and Stephen B. Gruger, from Oakland County, who, with two or three other families, settled in the township (now Eagle) in 1834.
The northwest corner township (Lebanon) received its first settlers in the family of Daniel Barker, who came there and located in 1834.
339
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.
In the northeast corner of the county a number of im- migrants from Western New York, composing what was known as the " Rochester Colony," located in the valley of the Maple River in the year 1836. This settlement, which has retained the above name until the present time, will be found mentioned at length in the history of the township of Duplain, in which it is situated. The earliest settlements in all the other parts of the county will also be similarly noticed in detail in the separate histories of the several townships.
The progress made in the settlement of the county during a period of about fifteen years from the date of the first land-entry, is shown by the following statement of the total valuation of real and personal estate in the different townships of the county in 1847, viz. :
Bath
$16,705
Bengal.
21,602
Bingham
20,358
Duplain.
23,923
Dallas,
26,111
De Witt
52,215
Eagle.
19,067
Essex ..
43,078
Greenbush
12,000
Lebanon.
24,204
Ovid
23,221
Olive ...
30,041
Riley
23,156
Vietor
23,321
Westphalia
26,769
Watertown.
42,403
Total
$158,175
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY.
The organization of Clinton County was effected in 1839, by an act of the Legislature (approved March 12th of that year) which provided " That the county of Clinton be and the same is hereby organized. .. . There shall be elected in the county of Clinton, on the first Monday of April next, all the several county officers to which, by law, the said county is entitled, and whose term of office shall severally expire at the time the same would have expired had they been elected on the first Monday and Tuesday of November last; said election shall be held in the several townships at the same place where by law such annual township-meeting is to be held." Under the provisions of this organizing act the election was held at the time ( April 1, 1839) and places designated, resulting in the election of the following-named officers for the county of Clinton, viz. : Sheriff, William F. Jenison; Clerk, Seth P. Marvin ; Register of Deeds, Milo H. Turner; Treasurer, John Gould; Judge of Probate, Iliram W. Stowell; Associate Judges, Hiram Wilcox, Joseph Sever ; County Commis- sioners, Calvin Marvin, Ephraim 11. Utley, Robert E. Craven.
The office of county commisioner was created in Mich- igan by a law passed in May, 1818, giving to each organized county a board of three of these officers, to be appointed by the Governor, and to receive a salary of thirty dollars each per annum. The office was discontinued by an act passed in April, 1827, and the powers before held by that board were given to a Board of Supervisors, composed of one supervisor from each township. The Board of Com- missioners was revived by a law passed by the Legislature in 1838; and this law being in force at the time of
the organization of Clinton County, there were included among its first officers the three gentlemen above named as composing its Board of County Commissioners, their powers and duties being the same as those which now pertain to the Board of Supervisors.
EARLY PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMISSIONERS AND SUPERVISORS.
The earliest public business of the county was that which came before the Board of Commissioners at their first meeting, which was held in the village of De Witt on the 10th of April, 1839. Ephraim H. Utley was chosen chairman and Seth P. Marvin (the county elerk) was made clerk of the board. Their first action was the appointment of the 21st of April, 1839, to meet the Board of Commis- sioners of Shiawassee for the purpose of making a settle- ment between the two counties. The board then adjourned to meet on the 10th of June, 1839, at the house of Ephraim H. Utley in the village of De Witt.
At the adjourned meeting of the board the following demands against the county were audited and ordered paid :
Wolf-certificate to No-wab-a-no ..
$8.00
Ash-ha-be ..
S.00
Alonzo D. Brewster
8.00
Alonzo Vaughn.
48.00
Account of David Watson .....
7.50
Timothy 11. Petit
7.50
John Berry.
5.00
E. Il. Utley ..
5.50
Seth P. Marvin.
9.50
The following is a copy of the abstract of the assessment- rolls of the several townships of Clinton County for the year 1839, as equalized by the board :
Towns. Number of Acres.
Amount nf Real Estate.
Amount of Per- Aggregate.
Ossowa
24,50L
$73,503
$1.105
$74,608
De Witt.
33,919
103,833
4,753
108,586
Watertown
55,690
169,817
3,130
172,947
Westphalia
14,529
43,587
150
43,737
Lebanon.
67,713
203,139
2,300
205,439
Bingham.
49,191
147,946
1,250
149,196
Total
245,543
$741,825
$12,688
$754,513
The following is the amount of tax levied in the several townships in the same year :
Town.
County. $146.57
State. $154.81
Road. $143.05
l'oor.
Total.
De Witt ....
162.96
205.05
216.89
821 93
.....
1,406.83
Watertown ...
314.46
353.54
377.07
1289.88
.....
2,334.95
Bingham
302.03
284,56
300.43
1418.51
.....
2,305,53
Lebanon ...
430.00
1377.79
436.20
1720.37
$:25
3,989.36
Westphalia.
100.40
82.23
93,57
326.19
...
614,39
Total.
$1575.68
$2455.74
$1578.97
$6319,93
$25
$11,055.32
The meeting that was called for the 21st of April, 1839, for the purpose of adjusting accounts between the two counties was not held until the 23d day of September of the same year, at which time the accounts were examined, and ou the 24th of December, 1840, the following state- meut was agreed upon as a basis of settlement :
" STATE OF MICHIGAN, )
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY. SS.
" It is hereby agreed and concluded by the undersigned, county commissioners of the counties of Shiawassee and Clinton on an adjustment and settlement of the accounts of the two counties, that the county of Clinton is justly in- debted to Shiawassee County in the sum of three hundred and five dollars and ninety-seven cents, as follows :
.....
$1,304.26
Ossowa
$259.83
sonal Property.
340
HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
To a preportion of the eontingent expense of the two counties up to Sept. 23, 1839, as per settlement. $202.91 To interest on $202.91 from Sept. 23, 1839, to Dec. 18, 1840,
1 year, 2 months, and 25 days. 17.56 To a proportion of expense in examining and arranging the books, papers, and accounts, ete. 56.00
To a proportion of a $10 counterfeit bill taken of Josiah Pieree, late treasurer, for taxes .. 4.50
To expenses of advertising and setting 50 descriptions of land disehurged by the county commissioners of Clinton County 25.00
$305.97
And it is hereby agreed that the county of Clinton shall be credited with the sum of fourteen dollars and eighty cents, to be deducted from the above sum of three hundred and five dollars and ninety-seven cents, the said sum of fourteen dollars and eighty cents being a proportion of the bounties on wolf-scalps allowed by the auditor-general, Feb. 12, 1840, by letter of that date.
" CALVIN MARVIN, " ROBERT E. CRAVEN, " Commissioners of Clinton County. " R. W. HOLLEY, " LEMUEL CASTLE, " Commissioners of Shiawassee County. " ISAAC CASTLE, " Treasurer of Shiawassee County. " Dated at Corunna, Dee. 24, 1840."
The following receipt shows the final settlement of the account :
" $291.17. Received of the county commissioner of the county of Clinton two hundred and ninety-one dollars and seventeen cents, being the balance due to Shiawassee County from the county of Clinton, a settlement of the contingent expenses of the counties up to Dee. 18, 1840.
" ISAAC CASTLE,
" Treasurer of Shiawassee County. " CORUNNA, Jan, 13, 1841."
In 1842 a law was passed abolishing the office of county commissioner and restoring the Board of Supervisors. The last meeting of the commissioners was held on the 16th of March, 1842, and on the 4th of July of the same year (the date designated by law) the supervisors met and resumed the powers they had relinquished to the commissioners four years before. There were present at this meeting the following-named supervisors, viz. :
De Witt .- Jesse F. Turner.
Eagle .- Oliver Doty.
Westphalia .- Anthony Kopp.
Riley .- Atwell Simmons.
Olive .- Daniel Ferguson, Jr.
Ovid .- Isaac V. Swarthout.
Bingham .- Stephen W. Downer.
Bengal .- Chauncey M. Stebbins.
Greenbush .- David Levy.
Duplain .- Robert E. Craven.
The townships of Watertown, Ossowa, and Lebanon were not represented.
From 1842 until the present time the Board of Super- visors have continued to exercise their functions as fiscal managers of the county.
WOLF-BOUNTIES.
The class of vouchers known as " wolf-certificates" were issued by the County Commissioners and Board of Super- visors to persons presenting proof of the killing of wolves and applying for the bounty awarded for such killing. Below is given a list of the names of persons to whom such certificates were issued by the commissioners and su- pervisors from 1839 to 1845, inclusive. Prior to Oct. 11, 1843, the bounty paid on each wolf was eight -dollars, but at that time it was raised to twelve dollars.
Amount of Certificate.
April 10, 1839.
No-wab-a-no ..
$8
Ash-ha bc ... 8
Alonzo D. Brewster 8
Alonzo Vaughu. 45
Oct. 7, 1839.
Alonzo Vaughn. 32
San-lo-de ..
S
. Shant eomagin. 8
Enoch Willis .. 8 Nathaniel Russell 8
Nov. 16, 1839.
Joshua Frink S
Feb. 3, 1840.
Nelson Daggett IG
George Pearsall,
David Cooper S
Joseph Russell .. 40
Elisha B. Isham
March 2, 1840.
Joshua Frink
8
Philemon Newman
S
Lncern Eldridge. S
April 8, 1840.
Stephen Willis.
8
Me-we-zan
8
Nelson Daggett 24
John Ferdon S Alonzo D. Brewster 10
John P. Miller. 16
Alonzo D. Brewster
8
July 8, 1840.
Lyman Webster.
16
Wa-ba-gun ish enm
8
Nelson Daggett 24
Joseph Russell. 8
Au-gun-gno-ung.
James Miller.
8
Oct. 5, 1840.
E-be-no-sha.
Dish-she-mony
8
Eneeh Willis 8
Oct. 12, 1840.
John Berry.
Thomas Russell S
Geurge F. Dutton S
Posba-ton and Bash-ke-ziek. S
Jan. 1, 1841.
William Drake ..
8
Pamase-quay.
8
William Drake,
Joseph Russell 8 Augustns Gillett S
Jun. 25, 1811. Joseph Russell.
8
July 5, 1841. Alonze D. Brewster. 80
Joseph Russell. 16
John Ferdou 16
James Stiles. S
Ora Stiles. S
Oct. 22, 1841.
William Drake. 8
341
COURTS AND OTHER COUNTY MATTERS.
Dec. 30, 1841.
Cornelius Drake. .$16
William Drake.
S
Joseph Russell
S
Coo-Cosh
8
John Avery.
S
James Stiles 8
Thomas Fisk
Augustus Gillett 8
Jan. 1, 1842.
Sally Avery .. S
March 14, 1842.
Willard N. Daggett. 8
Thomas Fisk S
Ora B. Stiles S
Ilosca Baker. 8
Lucius Nortou. S
Thomas Fisk 16
Jan. 5, 1843.
Lucius Morton. 24
J. W. Taylor
8
Seth Morton 8
Oet. 9, 1843.
Ilenry Brown 8
Jan. 2, 1844.
Robert G. McKee. 12
Minor R. Frink 12
Lneius Morton .. 24
David Olin 12
Oct. 18, 1844.
Cornelius N. Drake. 12
Willard N. Daggett
John A. Millard .. 2.1
Silas W. Rose. 12
llerod Morton. 12
John Ferdon. 12 Jobn I. Tinkelpaugh 12 Samuel M. Ramill 12
Lucius Morton. 21
Oct. 19, 18.14.
Ezra Thornton .. 21
Robert G. MeKec. 12
Jan. 1, 1845.
Daniel Fifield 12
Lucius Morton. 12
John Ferdon. 12 Jobn A. Millard 12
Elkauah Peek
William B. Bennett .. 12
Cortland Hill. 12
Henry S. Fisk 12
An Indian .. 12
Marvin L. Coots 12
ESTABLISHMENT OF COURTS IN CLINTON COUNTY.
TIIE CIRCUIT COURT.
By the aet under which Clinton County was organized it was provided " That the Circuit Court for the county of ('linton shall be held at the county-seat, in such place as the commissioners shall provide." The village of De Witt had been selected as the county-seat some years before, and in accordance with the provisions of this act the commission- ers decided upon the house of David Scott as the place for holding the court, the first term of which was held at his house on the 2d of October, 1840, the Hon. Hiram Wil- cox, associate justice, being present. The Hon. Charles W. Whipple and the Hon. Joseph Scaver not appearing, Judge Wilcox ordered the court adjourned to the 9th of October following. Court was called at the time appointed, and was adjourned to the 17th of December, when, the Hon. Charles W. Whipple not appearing, Judge Wilcox declared the court adjourned until the regular term, com- meneing on the 7th of May, 1841. On this day the IIon.
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