History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan, Part 90

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, D.W. Ensign & co.
Number of Pages: 716

USA > Michigan > Clinton County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 90
USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 90

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).

The first grown person who died was Thomas Neal, whose death occurred in 1841. He was buried on William Russell's farm in Greenbush, and was the first one buried in the Greenbush cemetery (on seetion 8). The first marriage is supposed to have been that of Ann Morton and Stephen W. Downer, in 1841, at the house of the bride's father, Bishop Morton, on section 20, the ceremony being performed by Joel Bebee, J.P.

The pioneers were obliged to go to Ionia or De Witt for physicians, and when milling was necessary, to Ionia, Wa- cousta, or Shiawasseetown. When Lucius Morton made his first trip to mill after settling in Bingham, he had first to start on a tour of exploration among older settlers to buy or borrow some grain, and then, having found it, to undertake the wearisome journey to mill, upon which he was absent four days, during which his lodging at night was in the open air under his wagon. Mr. Morton's first cabin had the trough-roof common enough in those times, but, more aristocratic than his neighbors, whose windows and doors were blankets, he whittled with his jack-knife thin sticks for window-sash, and over them pasted greased paper to serve as lights. Morton one day wished to start l'or De Witt by a shorter way than usual, and with Runah Morton, Joel Bebee, and Sylvester Carter worked four days underbrushing a roadway. At the end of that time they

# By David Schwartz.

380

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

came to a swamp, and seeing no way to cross it, gave up the task of road-building, and Morton, to get around the swamp, which turned out to be less than half a mile across, made a journey of twenty-four hours by way of Shiawas- see. Working on the highways for the non-resident taxes was a boon to the pioneers, as it gave to many of them the only means of earning a subsistence while waiting for their crops to mature. It was not always, however, that they could get cash for their labor, and quite frequently county or town orders were doled out to them. These orders were good enough for taxes, but in trade they were current only at a discount of forty per cent. Still they were welcome, as being better than nothing.

Wheat was salable only at about fifty cents a bushel, and at that no money could be got for it short of Detroit. Hauling it that far for that price was far from profitable, and in some cases farmers preferred to feed it to their cattle. During Lucius Morton's first winter in the settlement he could give his cattle no grain or hay, for he neither had any nor could he buy any, and so during the season he cleared fifteen acres to provide browse or tree-tops for nine cows. In reply to the question, " Where did the people of the settlement go to church ?" he said, " Why, bless your soul, we didn't have any time to go to church ; we were too much pressed for time to stop for church. Neither snow, nor rain, nor Sunday made any difference in our ordinary pro- gramme. We were out chopping at all times and in all sea- sons, and begrudged even the night-time, which compelled us to desist from labor, we were so anxious to hurry for- ward."

Thomas Fisk, a resident of Greenbush, came occasionally into the Bingham settlement and held religious services. Fisk claimed to be a member of the Christian faith, but his followers were popularly known as Fiskites. He grew into disfavor in his own town, and was by reason of public prejudice against him compelled to seek a home elsewhere.

Among other early comers into the Morton neighborhood were Charles Simpson, William Silverwood, John Avery, and Samuel Gardner. In the year 1840 the extreme north- western corner of Bingham came to be known as Gardner's Corners, and for many years thereafter the Corners bad a reputation that reached far and wide. It was there that Samuel Gardner located a piece of land in 1839, and in February, 1840, he occupied the place as a permanent settler. He was located on the De Witt road, passing via the west town-line of town 7 (now Bingham) to Gratiot County, and in the year 1840 there was a good deal of travel over that road by land-seekers bound for Gratiot County. Travel naturally suggested a tavern, and during 1840 Mr. Gardner put up a log tavern upon the spot now occupied by one of his grandsons in the northwestern corner of section 6.

Mr. Gardner called his tavern the Gardner House, and the locality Gardner's Corners. At the time mentioned (1840) he had but few neighbors in Bingham. Lucius Morton, Benjamin Finkle, and Joel Bebee were living in the town east of him, but south of him, on the De Witt road, he knew of no one but William H. and Reuben Norris between Gardner's Corners and De Witt. Travel on that highway increased as time moved on, and in 1843,

to meet the demands of the occasion, Gardner replaced his log tavern with a more pretentious and commodious framed hotel. A portion of it he set apart as a store, and there- after, between selling goods and keeping tavern, drove a brisk trade. The Gardner House was, too, a place of popular resort for the pleasure-seekers and merry-makers of the adjoining country, and the many jolly dances and simi- lar festive gatherings that marked its busy era are still sub- jects of enjoyable remembrance among those who took part in them. The country belles in those days were inordi- nately fond of dancing opportunities, and although they did walk barefooted many miles to a Gardner Ilouse ball and carry their shoes to the ball-room door to save the wear of them, they enjoyed the hilarious reunions none the less nor missed one when they could help it.

Business at Gardner's tavern was during the briskest season of travel so great that upwards of sixty teams were kept there overnight, and the receipts of money before ten o'clock in the morning were more than a hundred dol- lars. Gardner kept the tavern until his death in 1867, and after that his widow carried it on until it was burned in 1872. During 1854, Mr. Gardner built at St. Johns the first tavern put up at the village, although he was hin - self at no time the landlord of it. In 1857 a post-office called Gardner's Corners was established at Gardner's Hotel, and Mr. Gardner given charge of it. Mail was re- ceived from St. Johns, the route being from the latter place to Maple Rapids. Mr. Gardner remained in charge of the office as postmaster until 1863, when it was abolished.

The following list of resident tax-payers in Bingham in 1840 shows very nearly who had been the settlers in the township prior to that time, and the sections on which they had located their homes :

Acres.

Silas Parks, section 3.

Joel Bebee, section 10 ....

Lucius Morton, section 10. 80

Joseph Russell, section 10.

Benjamin Finkle, section 10.

Reuben Norris, section 32. 40

William H. Norris, section 32 120

Levi Frost, section 35 ..

The resident tax-payers of the township in 1841 were :

Acres.

Silas Parks, section 3 ..

Benjamin Finkle, section I0.

Thomas Neal, section 10. 40

Lucius Morton, section 10. 80

Joel Bebce, section 10. 80

Reuben Norris, section 32.

William II. Norris, section 32.

W. C. Gardner, sections I and 6.

320

S. C. Vandeventer, section 35 80

The following-named persons were drawn as jurors in the township of Bingham in the year 1839 :

Enos Kinyan, William Swarthout, Charles Simpson, Joel Bebee, Nathan Lowe, Samuel Barber, Francis Faxon, Henry M. Sever, John Burnet, Charles Stevens, Sydney L. Smith, Benjamin Carpenter, Oliver Bebee, Grove Cooper, John Ferdon, Sylvester Carter, John Jessop, Allen Lounsbury.

Following is the list of jurors drawn for the year 1841 : Grand .- Horace Avery, Joel Bebee, John Avery, Herod Morton.

BINGHAM TOWNSIIIP.

Petit .- Moses Phillips, John Ferdon, J. I. Tinklepaugh, Marvin Greenwood.

The residents in Biogham in 1842 liable to do mili- tary duty were William C. Gardner, Samuel H. Gardner, Stephen W. Downer, William II. Norris, Reuben S. Nor- ris, C. Vandeventer, Joel Bebee.

The number of votes cast at the township election in 1845 was eleven, and they were cast by the following-named persons : Samuel H. Gardner, Joseph A. Sperry, John Avery, John Diekerson, William C. Gardner, John Avery, Jr., Reuben S. Norris, Christopher Vandeventer, Samuel Gardner, H. S. Harrison, Benjamin Finkle, William II. Norris, Bishop Morton.

Stephen W. Downer, famous for his successes as a bear- hunter and the hero of a desperate bear-fight, located on section 20 in 1841, and in 1849 exchanged his farm with C. A. Lamb, of Oakland County, for a place in the latter county. Lamb, who settled in Oakland in 1829, was a Baptist preacher, and during his fifteen years' residence in Bingham labored zealously in his ministerial calling. J. R. Hale settled in that neighborhood in 1846, and in 1847 was followed by his brother, Homer W. Hale. At that time the settlers in the vicinity were Lueius Morton, Ste- phen W. Downer, David Snow, Bishop Morton, George W. Estes. Later eame A. O. Iluntley and A. Warren. In 1847 the only settler in Bingham between H. W. Hale and William H. Norris was J. R. Hale.

Daniel Ridepour made a settlement in 1852 upon land in seetions 5 and 6, where he still lives. Some time after- wards Simeon Haynes, Patrick Whittlesey, Richard Moore, and J. H. Van Siee made settlements in the neighborhood. Ridenour had a number of adventures with bears, although none of them, as far as report goes, were of a dangerously exciting ebaracter. Hle was out after a cow in 1852, when his dog started and made chase for a bear. Ridenour joined the pursuit and eame to close quarters with Bruin, who turned and made a show as if for battle. Ridenour being unarmed retreated in tolerable haste, but still in good order, for William Silverwood's, and besought Silverwood to go with him that they might slay the brute together. Silver- wood admitted that the sport would be grand and that of course the vietors would be heroes, but however mueh he might wish to immortalize himself, he was warned that his lame back totally unfitted him for a bear-fight, and must therefore deeline to share in the honor. Ridenour smiled at the lame-back story, but he had to be content with it, and not feeling particularly ambitious to engage single- handed in the confliet, abandoned his purpose. Upon another occasion Ridenour was aroused from his 'midnight slumbers by a commotion indieative of the presence of a bear among the pigs. Rushing hastily forth, he found sure enough that an old bear and her two cubs were on the ground actively engaged in preparations for the removal of a promising porker. Ridenour seized a cudgel and boldly attacked the entire family. The old one and one of the cubs fled ingloriously into outer darkness, while the second cub took to a tree. Ridenour hurried into his house for a gun, but while he was gone the cub backed down the tree and was gone by the time his would-be slayer

returned, and thus in smoke ended the valiantly-directed efforts of the intrepid Ridenour.

John Avery, now living on section 3, located some land in Greenbush, on section 33, in 1838. To earn sufficient money to carry him eastward to his family, he eleared ten aeres for Marvin Greenwood, and in 1839 brought his fam- ily out. In 1840 he bought his present place of Silas Parks, but did not permanently oeenpy it until 1842. Avery's first mill journeys were made in a canoe, by way of the Maple River to Ionia; and when he wanted to reach a market-town he journeyed to Detroit, which place he reached at times by ox-team and at others on foot. In the winter of 1842 he eut out a road four rods wide and two miles in length, and assisted later in the foundation of the village of St. Johns, by hauling from the Rochester Colony mill the boards for the first frame house built in the vil- lage,-the Whittemore house, owned by Cornelius Vroo- man. Mr. Avery was esteemed a hunter and trapper of consummate skill, and carried on an active and profitable campaign against wolves and other wild animals, the sealps of the wolves yielding a handsome bounty.

Charles Simpson was a settler upon section 8 about the time of Avery's location, and made himself famous chiefly by reason of the fact that when he came in he brought two barrels of pork and two barrels of whisky. The former he peddled out to his neighbors. The latter he kept for his own use, and used so freely that by the time the supply was exhausted, he himself was nearly in the same condition.

Among other early settlers in that vicinity were the Davisons, Boughtons, Wykoffs, Krolls, Baleoms, Doyns, Shulters, Laphams, Tranehells, Williams, Hugus, and Warrens.

In the southern portion of Bingham the earliest settle- ment was made by William H. Norris in 1838, upon one hundred and twenty aeres in seetion 32, where he still lives. From a recently-published sketch of Mr. Norris' pioneer experiences is given the following :

" Ben Merrihew, of Olive, had built a shanty on a piece of land owned by him, and quite near to Mr. Norris, and being unoccupied the latter took possession of it until he could build upon his own. At this time he sold forty acres of his farm to his brother, R. S. (now deceased), and the two families lived together in the house which Mr. Norris immediately erected. During the latter part of fall and the early part of the winter following the logs were gotten together and hewn for the brother's house, and between Christmas and New Year they raised it. On the sanie day, while they were at work at the new house, the first one took fire, and for all they could do burned to the ground with all its contents, although, happily, it was so soon after their arrival that the better part of the household goods had not yet come from the former home in Washte- naw. At this critical juneture some hardships were endured which, even looked back upon through the softening screen of many years of plenty, bring with them no sensations of pleasure. Of course there was nothing to do but to finish the brother's house, and all occupy it until the burned spot could be covered by another home. In about two weeks from the time of the fire the father came from Superior

382

HISTORY OF CLINTON COUNTY, MICIIIGAN.

with the expected goods, together with some catables, put in with an especial reference to the late fire, all of which exactly fitted into the niche which hard circumstances bad chiseled. The rest of the winter was spent quite comfort- ably in spite of the uninviting outlook a little before, and in the spring enough land was stripped of trees and logs to allow of the sowing of two bushels of spring wheat on as many aeres; and a little later three acres of corn were planted, although the ground for this was not cleared of logs, but the corn was thrust into the soil wherever a spot could be found. One acre and a half of exceedingly rough- looking ground was given to a scattering of oats, and thus the new farm was eropped. In the following August the burned house was replaced, and soon after, harvest coming on, the erops were taken from the ground. A thrashing- floor was made of split plank, a flail prepared, and the yellow sheaves of wheat yielded up their golden treasure to the amount of twenty bushels of clean, plump kernels. The corn had eared splendidly, and two hundred bushels were securely cribbed ; but the oats had been sown so late that they could not ripen, and were cut and stacked for fodder. Thus diligent hands, aided by a kind Providence, managed to gather through the summer an encouraging plenty for the winter, and these things provided for, what if the home-nest was a little crude and frontier-looking ? It was comfortable and was home. To them " Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home" was true, and hunger was not to gnaw nor cold to pinch.

" After grain had been grown, harvested, and thrashed, the work of putting it into a condition from which it could be moulded into eatables was by no means accomplished, · for the milling in those days was a very important factor in this preparation. Mr. Norris had come into the place well provided with provisions, and not until August of the fol- lowing year did he have to perform the laborious task of going to mill. But at that time it must be done, and throw- ing ten bushels of wheat into a wagon, and hitehing on a yoke of oxen, he started off to find the mill at Delta, Eaton Co. Persons not familiar with pioneer life can but illy imagine what were the difficulties of team travel in those days of footpaths and tree-blockaded roads. To the mill at Delta he went until one was built at Rochester Colony in 1841 or 1842.

" Mr. Norris, as well as some others, was a religious man, and realizing the need of gospel services in a place so emi- nently calculated to breed a forgetfulness of God and the incalculable interests of the soul, he, with others, organ- ized a Methodist society in 1840, and they were soon shep- herded by the Rev. Lewis Coburn. Revs. Lapham and W. Jackson, respectively, followed him in the gospel work in those extreme early days of Bingham."

The next settler after Norris in the southern portion of the township was Levi Frost, who in 1838 made a home on section 35. While raising a barn.in 1844, Frost was crushed and killed by a falling log. Christopher Vande- venter married the widow and lived on the place. Ile was much given to hunting bears and wolves, and made a com- fortable living on the scalp-bounties he obtained.

The place now occupied by William HI. Krepps was first settled by Nathan Flint about 1840. Flint claimed to be

a physician, and did doctor a good many people effectively with roots and herbs, although he was looked upon by reg- ular practitioners as an impostor. Still he was gladly wel- comed by sick settlers, and he did some good service. While chopping, Dr. Flint was badly hurt by a falling tree. Dr. Hollister, of Victor, called to see him, and pronounced his left leg so badly shattered, and Flint himself so pros- trated, that it would be useless to attempt to set the leg, for the patient was bound to die. Nevertheless, Dr. Flint insisted that he would not die, and after nine days of suf- fering, finding no one to set his leg, he set it himself and finally recovered.

Moses D. Tabor settled in 1843 across the southern town-line, opposite section 34, when the only settler west of there was William H. Norris, and the only ones eastward were Levi Frost and Dr. Flint. Tabor lodged his family at J. W. Merrihew's while he was getting his cabin ready, and although Merrihew's cabin had but one room in it, the two families of nine persons managed to exist there, although with little comfort or convenience. When Tabor had got out logs for his cabin and was ready to raise it there came on a heavy snow-storm and buried his logs so that he could not well get at them. In this emergency he put up a shanty in the snow as best he could, and for the next two weeks his family lived without a pound of flour in the house, but got along instead on hulled corn. What neigh- bors he could reach were as badly off for flour as he was, and getting to mill was out of the question by reason of the impassable condition of the few roads.

William Faucett, who in 1848 made a settlement on sec- tion 34 (where he now lives), took a tract upon which not a stiek had been cut. In 1850, Ezekiel Lamphere lo- cated on section 35, about a half-mile north of Dr. Flint. Norman Williams came to section 35 in 1855. In the southern portion of the town the early settlers included also J. N. De Witt, O. M. Brooks, William Gigler, George Waldron, Carr, Richardson, Gillison, Newman, Barnes, Hicks, Atkinson, and Beach.

L. S. Conn joined the settlers in Bingham in 1847, and occupied a place on section 21, where a Mr. Halsinger had made a clearing of two or three acres. Mr. Conn's neigh- bors were Benjamin Brown on the west, and Asher Hath- away on the north, both within easy call. Although the surrounding neighborhood contained quite a number of settlers, settlements had not in that quarter more than fairly commenced.

South of Conn, and near the south line of the town, Joseph Sperry had been living on sections 33 and 34 since 1844. When he came in for a settlement he had to cut out a road from Laingsburg to his place. His nearest neighbor was Moses D. Tabor, in Olive, on the north town- line, where he had been living about a year. Christopher Vandeventer was on section 35, near where W. H. Krepps now lives. Sperry was the only one in the neighborhood boasting the possession of a wagon, and he was therefore the one who went to mill for all the neighbors,-the mill in question being at the Rochester Colony. The pay he got from those whom he thus served was daily labor on his place, for money was too searee to be paid out unless other means failed. Sperry was a cooper, and made a good many barrels,

JOHN AVERY.

MAS JOHN AVERY.

VIEW DE BARNS OPPOSITE RES.

RESIDENCE OF JOHN AVERY. BINGHAM, CLINTON CO. MICH.

383

BINGHAM TOWNSHIP.

which he marketed at De Witt, where also the settlers found their post-office as well as their church.

Sperry's eabin had a bark roof, but neither window nor door, and many a night Mrs. Sperry was left alone with her children to brave the terrors of loneliness, emphasized by · the presence of howling wolves. One night, while her hus- band was gone on a journey to the Colony mill, Mrs. Sperry was awakened by the pandemonium of what appeared to her to be an hundred wolves howling about her cabin. Terrified, she fled with her two small children into the darkness and made for the house of Christopher Vande- venter, nearly two miles distant, where she craved shelter, and remained until morning calmed her fears and enabled her to return home.

TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION AND CIVIL LIST.

Bingham was organized under act of Legislature ap- proved March 21, 1839, and included towns 7 and 8 north, in ranges 1 and 2 west, previously a portion of De Witt township. Towns 7 and 8 in range 1 were detached in 1840, and called Ovid and Duplain respectively. Town 8 in range 2 was set off Feb. 16. 1842, and named Green- bush. The name of Bingham was bestowed in honor of Governor K. S. Bingham.

The first town-meeting in Bingham was held, in accord- ance with the provisions of the organizing aet, at the hense of Joseph Sever, April 3, 1839. The record of the proceed- ings of that meeting has been lost, and nothing can, there- fore, be said touching the list of officers then elected. At a special meeting held at Grove Cooper's house April 27, 1839, it was voted to raise one hundred dollars to defray the expenses of the town for the ensuing year, that a pound should be established at Jehn Ferdon's barn free of ex- pense, and that no money should be raised for the support the poor.

Below is given a list of persons elected annually from 1840 to 1880 to the offices of supervisor, elerk, treasurer, and justice of the peace in the township of Bingham :

SUPERVISORS.

1840. R. E. Craven."

1864-65. George R. Ilunt.

1811. Lucius Morton.

1866. O. L. Spaulding.

1842-48. S. W. Downer.t

1867. W. S. Inzelle.

1849-52. G. W. Estes. 1868. George Serviss.

1853. W. Silverwood.

1869. George R. Ilnnt.

1854. G. W. Estes.

1870. Il. C. Smith.

1855. J. O. Palıner. 1871. George R. Ilnnt.

1856-58. W. Il. Moote.

1872. A. J. Baldwin.

1859-60. C. Kipp.

1873. O. W. Munger.

1861. T. Baker.

1874. J. M. Easton.

1862-63. II. M. Perrin.

1875-80. Josiah Upton.

CLERKS.

1840. S. Pearl .*

1844. W. C. Gardner.

184t. R. Morton.

1845. J. Avery, Jr.

1842. N. W. Aldrich.t

1846. W. C. Gardner.

1843. W. Il. Norris.

1847-48. J. M. Estes.

# Township divided. At the first election this year fifty-seven votes wero polled. At the special election the same year, after the division, twenty-five votes were enst, Thomas Fisk being chosen Supervisor; David Sevey, Clerk ; John Ferdon, Treasurer; and David Sovey, Marvin Green, and Joel Bebee, Justices of the Peace.

+ Greenbush detached. Nine votes cast at this year's election in Bingham.

1849-51. J. R. Ilale.

1866. A. O. IInnt.

1852. II. G. Tyler. 1867. W. S. Lazelle.

1853-54. William C. Gardner. 1868. I. 11. Cranson.

1855-57. William H. Conn.

IS69-71. A. J. Baldwin.

1858. R. Plumstead.

1872. M. J. Bassett.

1859-60. 11. M. Perrin.

1873. R. J. Woodruff.

1861-63. George R. IInnt. 1874-75. M. J. Bassett.

1864-65. W. S. Lazelle. 1876-80. W. M. Leland.

TREASURERS.

1840. S. L. Smith.#

1859-61. W. H. Cono.

1841. JI. Morton.

1862-63. S. Munt.

1842-43. L. Morton.t

1864-65. J. W. Ash.

1844-46. W. II. Norris.

1866-67. James Kipp.

1847-48. 11. Avery.

1868. 1. Gabrien.

1849. Isaac Wait. 1869. S. J. Wright.

1850. L. Morton. 1870-71. E. L. Smith.

1851. R. Wilcox.

1872. C. B. Andrews.

1852. N. Doty. 1873-74. 11. S. Ililton.

1853. C. A. Lamb.

1875-76. W. Il. Turoer.

1854-56. N. Doty.

1877-78. O. M. Brooks.

1857-58. C. A. Lamh.

1879-80. O. B. Swain.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.

t840. S. Pearl.# 1861. D. Sturgis.

IS4]. M. Greenwood.

1862. O. L. Spaulding.

1842. J. Bebce.t

1863. W. Sickels.

1843. S. Morton.

1864. George Serviss.

1844. C. Vandeventer.

1865. W. N. Willey.

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History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan, Part 90

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885 Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia, D.W. Ensign & co. Number of Pages: 716

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, D.W. Ensign & co.
Number of Pages: 716