History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan, Part 42

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

USA > Michigan > St Clair County > History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan > Part 42

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The first settlers on the River St. Clair, in what now comprises the township of Cottrell- ville, were Capt. Alexander Harrow, Cottrell, William Thorn, Pascal, Robertson, William Brown, Joseph Minne, and some others whose names I have forgotten.

It appears that the British were very liberal, in that day, in the distribution of wild lands to the officers of their army and navy, and Capt. Harrow, of the navy, located all the land on the river extending from the present site of Algonac to Belle River. After the United States Government came in possession of the Northwest Territory, embracing the State of Michigan, Congress passed an act limiting individuals to one section, and Capt. Harrow was compelled to make his selection in accordance with this act. The lands re-selected by him are now embraced in the township of Clay, and extend from Abram Smith's mill in Algonac to the mill of W. C. & W. S. Roberts, at Roberts' Landing.

Mr. Cottrell (his Christian name I never knew) and Capt. Harrow were the most prominent men of their day in the settlement along St. Clair River.

The original Mr. Cottrell, when a boy, was taken prisoner by the Indians in one of their raids on the Wyoming Valley during the French and Indian wars with the American Colonies. He was purchased from his captors by a Frenchman named Cot-ter-ell, and who brought the lad up as his own son, giving him his name. His sons were George, David, Henry and an- other son, who made his residence at or near Grosse Point, and whose first name I cannot re- call. The old Cottrell homestead, a few miles below Algonac village, is well known to all my readers.

Henry Cottrell was for many years Sheriff of St. Clair County; in fact he held that office as long as Michigan was a Territory, and, I believe, one term after she became a State. He was a very jovial companion, a good neighbor, energetic, industrious and prompt in the dis- charge of his official duties. I could relate many pleasing anecdotes of Sheriff Cottrell, but I will only give one: Cottrell was given an execution against my uncle, Charles Stewart, who declared the judgment was more than double the sum he owed, and refused to pay it. Under our Territorial laws we had imprisonment for debt, and Cottrell responded-"Stewart, I shall have to imprison you, then." " All right," said Uncle Charley, "now is your time; I am going into the lumber woods, and you will have hard work to find me." "Very well," said Cottrell, " You are willing to go to jail, I see; here, take this writ and go and deliver yourself up to the jailer!" Uncle took the writ and delivered himself to the keeper of the jail, where he remained for a few days, when he returned home.

Mr. David Cottrell was one of your sedate, candid, judicious sort of men; he possessed good natural abilities, once held the office of County Judge, and from the first election under our State government held the office of Justice of the Peace to the day of his death; he also was the people's favorite man for Supervisor, holding the office for many years.

As I have given a short account of the life and character of two prominent men of an adjoining town, I must not forget those of my own township. John R. Smith, Esq., now long deceased, was born in the State of Vermont, and at the breaking-out of the war with En- gland, was serving his county as Sheriff, or Under-Sheriff, and he was almost constantly in his saddle riding through and beyond his county on business.

On one occasion, his business led him to a little town on the banks of the River St. Law- rence; it was in the winter; the name of the town and the year in which the occurrence hap- pened I have forgotten, although I have heard the Squire relate it many times. I think, how- ever, it was in the winter of 1813. Both of the hostile armies had gone into winter quarters, and none expected a renewal of hostilities before the spring. It appears that the British offi- cers in command of a station on the Canada side of the river, having obtained an account of the situation of the town, and number of American troops, planned a night attack, hoping to surprise the Americans and capture the town with ease. For this purpose, selecting a dark night, he crossed his men over to the American shore a few miles above the town, and to pre-

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vent information of his intentions reaching the American officer, he seized and placed under guard all persons he thought capable of giving information of his approach. That night Mr. Smith had put up at a tavern near where the British landed, and being unwell went to bed at an early hour; the British made prisoners of the landlord and all in his house capable of giv- ing information, and put them under guard; they were about to send Mr. Smith off with the guard, but he being lame and ill, and the landlady pleading so hard for him, the officer judged him harmless and let him remain. As soon as Mr. Smith thought it safe, he went to the stable, mounted his horse, and being well acquainted with the neighborhood, took a circuitous route, put his horse at full speed and reached town in time to give the officer in command notice of the approach of the British. Immediately on this notice, the officer in command ordered his men under arms, with as little noise as possible, and placed them in a position to surprise the British on their approach. The British soon made their appearance, and before their lines were formed for the assault the Americans delivered their volley, which so surprised the British that they wheeled about and retreated as fast as possible until they reached the Canadian shore.

For this timely warning, Mr. Smith became a favorite of the American officers of the army, and the Colonel commanding the place he had relieved from surprise induced him to join his regiment as forage master and licensed trader with the soldiers-what they called their sutler. The name or number of the regiment I have forgotten, but it appears that in the spring follow- ing Mr. Smith procured a stock of supplies and joined that regiment and remained with it un- til disbanded at the city of Detroit in 1816. Among the discharged men of that regiment there were two experienced potters who wished to remain in the Territory, and they requested Mr. Smith to establish a pottery and give them employment.

Mr. Smith, on ascertaining that no brown earthenware had ever been manufactured in Michigan, and that the prospect for a ready sale was good, sought for a place to establish his pottery. He came up to the River St. Clair, found the old Laughton house on Strumness Island vacant, and leased it from David Laughton, one of the heirs, and in May, 1817, had his pottery in full operation, continuing the business until late in the fall of that year. In the winter of 1818, he was induced by my father to teach school on Harsen's Island. At that time there were only three families on Harsen's Island, but there were several scholars from over the river, altogether making a school of twelve scholars Mr. Smith taught school on Harsen's Island the next winter, and at the same time was carrying on trade with the Indians in company with Mr. David Laughton, occupying a house of Mr. Jacob Harsen's, a part of which was occupied as a school-room, the other half as an "Indian department." I remember there was a barrel of cider in the Indian department frozen so hard that no attempt had been made to use it. The boys got an iron rod, heated it red-hot, and thrust one end into the barrel, and by this means they drank up the teacher's cider; this was done in his absence, although we had good reason to believe he was acquainted with the operation.

I may be a year later than I ought in giving the time of Squire Smith's first appearance in St. Clair County; he was, however, the first person that was commissioned Justice of the Peace, residing on the River St. Clair, by Gov. Cass. Macomb County embraced all of the ter- ritory of St. Clair County, and the Governor's commission is dated the 17th day of March, A. D. 1818.

The next office bestowed on Esquire Smith, under our Terrritorial government, was his appointment to the office of Postmaster at Plainfield, St. Clair County, in the Territory of Michi- gan. He was the first Postmaster appointed in what is now the county of St. Clair; his com- mission was dated Washington, August 26, 1826, and signed by John McLean and William Dening, clerk. I should have stated that J. K. Smith, Esq., was appointed Special Commis- sioner by Gov. Cass for the county of St. Clair, in the Territory of Michigan, which appoint- ment is dated the 20th day of April, A. D. 1827.

Squire Smith was also made the first Customs Inspector on the American shore of St. Clair River, commencing the discharge of his duties in this office May 1, 1832. This office and that of Pathmaster he held until after 1841, how much longer the records do not show.

Mr. Smith married, and in 1819 established his residence on what was then considered the

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most pleasant location in the neighborhood-now a part of the Kendall farm, just above the present site of Algonac; this he designated " Point Office." Some years thereafter, he removed and settled on a tract of land now embraced within the limits of Algonac. When this village was surveyed, he made a large reservation, retaining possession of a number of the choicest lots in the plat, and most of them are held by his heirs to the present day.

When the Squire settled at Point Office and at Algonac, litigants from all parts of the county came before him to have their causes adjudicated, and his business exceeded that of the county court for many years. His popularity was very great, gained through his judicious judgments and straightforward, conscientious attention to duty and business. He held the office of Justice of the Peace from 1818 up to the day of his death, which occurred in April, 1855-thirty-seven years. It is a fact that up to his demise he could show a greater record of marriage services performed by him than any (if not all) Justices in St. Clair County.

He was the first Probate Judge elected by the people of this county. Well do I remember that election, for I then cast my first ballot, forty years ago! It was held at St. Clair (Palmer). and the whole number of electors assembled on that day did not exceed thirty. Squire Smith was opposed by an old Detroit lawyer named George McDougal. The lawyer received the French vote, but was defeated.

For many years before his death, the Squire was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and did much in his lifetime to spread the Gospel, and for the elevation and moral training of the community in which he lived. He never encouraged litigation. He died in 1855 in the Christian faith, surrounded by his family, loved and lamented by his children and. personal friends, and respected by the public.

The next one of the old pioneers of prominence was Dr. Harmon Chamberlain, who settled in St. Clair. I first saw him at Justice Smith's office in 1819; he was then a youthful looking man just from his studies. He lived with the Squire a short time, but soon moved to St. Clair, where he lived and died.

The Doctor was a great favorite with the old pioneers on the river. I make the record of his first arrival only; his memory is too fresh in the minds of the people for me to do more. His aged wife still lives in St. Clair.

Another old pioneer of our county is Judge Bunce. He is yet living, and can best give his own record. I think he came to the river in 1819, and the little vessel that was carrying his effects up to his present residence above Vicksburg or Marysville, came to anchor opposite my father's, on Harsen's Island. I was then a boy of fourteen years, and was sent to bring him ashore, and also took him bank to his vessel; on reaching deck, he gave me a finished two-bladed knife, an instrument rarely seen in those days. I seized the treasure and hurried ashore to ex- amine it; then I leaped and shouted in delight and was the happiest boy in the neighborhood that and for many days thereafter.

Capt. Henry Ainsworth settled in the township of Clay in 1820, and purchased the Bas- ney farm at Point aux Trembles. He was a well-informed, energetic man, and had he lived he would have been a valuable acquistion to our community. He died after a two years' residence, and his son, Henry, occupies the old farm.

Among the most active, industrious and prominent men in the early settlement of our town (now Clay) was Jacob Peer. He came to Michigan in 1821 with the intention of settling at or near Pontiac, but he fell in with Capt. Andrew Wesbrook and was induced by him to come up to the River St. Clair. Peer purchased Wesbrook's land (that had been given the latter by act of Congress to indemnify him for his Canadian losses during the war of 1812), selecting some 300 acres lying west of Point aux Trembles, bounded south and west by Lake St. Clair. It was almost wholly prairie land, and Mr. Peer in four years' time placed sixty acres under cultiva- tion. Prospectively he had one of the best stock farms in the country, but, unfortunately, the waters in our lakes had risen so high that in 1827 his farm was completely submerged; when strong westerly winds blew, the water was forced up to his door. Mr. Peer had to leave, a poor man again. He next selected lands lying north, adjoining the village of Algonac, and went to work with his usual vim to clear up another farm. When he died (in 1855) he left to his son, Jacob Peer (Jr.), what is now considered one of the very best farms in our township, and one

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having the largest orchard in the county. Mr. Peer has an apple orchard of thirty-five acres, each tree, in all the hundreds he owns, being thrifty and bearing fruit. The orchard alone is a source of considerable revenue to its proprietor.

Wever Stewart, came to our little village about the year 1828, and a few years after pur- chased lands of Mason and Luse, occupying them until his death. He was a quiet, easy sort of man; a kind and obliging neighbor, industrious, thrifty, and much respected by all who knew him; his wife and children are still residents of our town, and his son, Charles Stewart, is one of the prominent business men of Algonac.

Another of the early settlers at St. Clair County was Jacob Kendall, now deceased. He purchased a tract of land lying about a mile north of Algonac, in . 1825. He was a well- informed man; had read a great deal and up to the day of his death had held almost every office in his town except Constable. Mr. K. was considered one of our best citizens, and was respected by all who knew him ; his farm and residence, so pleasantly situated on the bank of the River St. Clair, is now owned by his son, John B. Kendall, Sheriff of the county. The next and last one of the old pioneers that I shall attempt to mention is John Swartout, now past the ninetieth year of his age. He came to Michigan about the year 1835, and made pur- chase of lands lying on the north line of the township of Clay. Mr. S. was a very energetic and industrious man, and to this day, notwithstanding his years, he is very useful about the farm; with the assistance of his sons, Martin and Abram, he soon cleared up a large farm and placed it in a good state of cultivation, which is now divided and owned by the sons mentioned. Mr. S. had two other sons, Dennis (who chose the profession of sailor) and Benjamin, who to-day is one of the successful business men of Algonac.

There were many other persons that came and settled in the southern portion of the county, at a very early date, who, after remaining a few years, sold out and removed to other parts; I could also mention the names of a number of early settlers in the northern part of our county, but as they have made their record better than I can describe it, I shall not make the attempt. The remaining part of my memoirs will treat of men and matters that came within my own knowledge, dating back to a very early day, with such incidents and anecdotes as I think will be of interest to the people of this county.

At the death of Mr. Harsen (the first), the old homestead on the Island fell to his son Francis, who, during the war of 1812, and for many years thereafter, held an appointment in the Indian Department at Detroit. At the close of the war, in 1815, he leased his farm to one Robert Little, a Canadian, and a most lawful British subject. By the lease, Harsen was to receive rent from the products of the farm, a part of which would be apples and cider. In the succeeding fall, Harsen came up and collected rent without difficulty; but in the fall of 1816 Little refused to pay rent to Harsen, who was astonished at such refusal and wished to know the reason. Little stated to Harsen that the Island was in his Britannic Majesty's dominion, and that no American citizen could, under present laws, hold lands under the British Govern- ment; that he had rendered important services to his government and was entitled to lands; that he was now in possession of the farm and should claim and hold it under British laws; he then drove Harsen from the premises. Harsen returned to Detroit and engaged a lawyer by the name of Whitney, and in the year 1817 commenced suit in the County Court of Macomb County, then embracing all that portion of the territory lying north and east of the present boundary of that county. Judge Clemens was the first Judge, and Robert Fulton, the first pur- chaser of the land upon which St. Clair City now stands, was Sheriff. There was some delay in the prosecution of this suit, it seems, for it was late in the fall of 1817 before the writ of ejectment was placed in the hands of Sheriff Fulton. On its receipt this officer proceeded to execute it; he called on Little and demanded the surrender of the premises. On this Little forcibly put the officer out of doors, and told him that he should procure arms and shoot any person attempting to oust him; he claimed that he was a subject of Great Britain and under the protection of that power; that no American court could interfere with or molest him. Fulton told the usurper that he would execute the writ if it took all the militia in the Terri- tory. Accordingly he called on Lieut. William Brown for assistance; Brown made a selection of six men, two of whom had been discharged from our army, and the next day crossed over to

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the island, landing at my father's residence; after procuring a small jug of whisky for his men, the party proceeded up to Harsen's farm, the owner joining them on the way. It appears that Little was on the lookout, and informed of the Sheriff's coming, and had prepared for the fight. He loaded the four guns in his house with coarse shot, and had a large five pail kettle over the fire filled with boiling water, and thus prepared he waited the assault. The assault- ing party, on their arrival, took possession of an outhouse, where they agreed upon a plan of attack, and fortified their courage by several nips from the contents of the little jug. It was agreed in council that Sheriff Fulton should first go to the outer door and in the name of the sovereign people of the United States demand a surrender of the premises, and, if refused, signal Lieut. Brown, who was to take the place by storm. Accordingly Sheriff Fulton proceeded to make the formal demand, followed, at a short distance, by Mr. Harsen, when Little fired on Harsen from a window, wounding him in the fleshy part of the leg. At the report of Little's gun, Brown ordered his men to surround the house and return the fire, which was done; the first shots shivered the door behind which Little stood, one bullet going past him and entering the bed on which his daughter was sitting. Little did not wait for another volley, but cried for quarter, and surrendered himself into the hands of the Yankees he so much hated.

Little had taken possession of the Harsen farm some months before my father arrived. He seemed to be annoyed at the presence of the hated Yankee, and sent his son down one morning to ask father what right he had to settle in British territory; father answered that he claimed none but lawful rights, and such as he could maintain.

. I am not in possession of the date when the county of St. Clair was first organized; but I remember that the township of Cottrellville once embraced all the territory of the township of Clay; the division was made in the month of May, 1828. The township of Cottrellville held two township meetings for the election of officers, previous to the division in 1828. The peo- ple of the township of Clay, looking forward to the time when a division would be made by common consent, called this township by the name of Plainfield, and the circumstances which caused the division are as follows: Capt. Samuel Ward, one of the early settlers in St. Clair County, was a prominent business man, a good and obliging neighbor, but a rabid politician. There was no compromising matters with the Captain when his resolutions were once formed. Previous to the election in 1828, the Captain made his selection of township officers, and on learning that the people of the south part of the township were opposed to his nominations, and would, if allowed to vote, defeat him, he opposed our vote, alleging that we belonged to the township of Plainfield and were not residents of Cottrellville. The people of Clay called a meeting at the office of J. K. Smith, Esq., for the purpose of taking into consideration the threats of Capt. Ward, and to determine how to act. At this meeting it was determined that, as we legally belonged to the township of Cottrellville, we would all go up and offer our votes, and if rejected, we would return to Mr. Smith's office and hold an election of our own. Ac- cordingly we were at an early hour at the polls and tendered our votes, which were rejected, upon which we returned and held our election, and before separating a petition was drawn up and signed by the electors, asking our Legislative Council to legalize our proceedings, and fix the boundary of our township. At this time Judge J. W. Bunce was our Representative in the Territorial Legislature, and he caused immediate action to be taken on our petition; the act was passed and approved May 28, 1828. Capt. Ward did not relish the division of his township, for at that day there were more voters in Clay than there were in Cottrellville, and in respect to numbers we were a small township before the division.

Judge Bunce was elected to represent us by scarcely a dissenting voice; but the prompt manner in which he took our petition in hand was offensive to Capt. Ward, who afterward be- came his most bitter opponent.

At a very early date, about the year 1820, there came to the city of Detroit a lawyer by the name of Alexander O'Keffe, who was liberally educated and a thoroughbred lawyer, but was extremely intemperate in his habits. His drinking sprees were frequent, sometimes lasting for weeks. He became acquainted with Judge Bunce, visiting him often, sometimes prolonging his visits for weeks, and through the Judge's influence he became Prosecuting Attorney for the county of St. Clair. O'Keffe, on one of his visits to Judge Bunce, expressed a wish to repre-

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sent St. Clair in our Legislative Council at its next sitting, and he stated that the Judge favored his election, which was doubted by the leading men of the county. In the following year, O' Keffe came up from Detroit to canvass the county, and made his first call on my father. He introduced his subject by stating that he had quit the use of intoxicating liquors; that he had determined on a thorough reformation, and was about to take up his abode permanently in St. Clair County. Relying on his reformation and ability, he had come to offer himself as a candi - date to represent our county in the Territorial Legislature. In reply my father said: "Coun- selor, I am glad to hear of your proposed reformation, and as to your abilities, no one doubts them. Come and make your home among us for one year, and give us proof of your reforma- tion, and there is not the least doubt that you will become a favorite among the people, who will certainly give you their hearty support; but to be candid, Counselor, I must insist on one year's reformation before I can give you my support." At this, O'Keffe became angry and said: "Sir, I wish you to know that I was educated at two of the best seminaries in England, and I was bred at the Irish bar; and, sir, I can write your Governor down." After this outburst of passion there was a pause. Mr. James Wolverton, who was present, remarked: " Counselor, you remind me of the story of the calf that sucked two cows." "Indeed." said O'Keffe, "and what of that, sir?" "Nothing in particular," said Wolverton, "only it is said the more he sucked the larger he grew." At this remark, O'Keffe smiled and became apparently good natured, when the three went into a calm discussion of the matter. My father and Wolverton tried to convince him that Bunce did not intend to support him, but on the other hand was seeking his own election. O'Keffe said: "It may be so, but if I thought there was such deception in professed friends, I would throw myself on the mercy of the Lord." From the first organization of our county up to the year 1830, O'Keffe practiced in our County Court, most of the time as Prosecuting Attorney. A soldier at Fort Gratiot had murdered a comrade, and was delivered over to the authorities for trial; at the time, Judge Sibley, of Detroit, was our Circuit Judge, and O'Keffe, Prosecuting Attorney. This was the first time I sat on a grand jury. The jury in this case found a true bill of indictment The bill was drawn up by O'Keffe while visiting Judge Bunce. In order to dress in the backwoods style of that day, O'Keffe procured a pair of buckskin pants, which he wore on visiting my father. I thought if he had had a little of my experience, he would not be so proud of his buckskin pants, for I had worn several pairs. When new and kept dry, they are rather pleasant things to wear; but when frequently wet they become stiff and rattle like a brass kettle. If wet on going to bed, my plan was to hang them up and mak- the legs as round as I could get them. After several wettings they become almost unmanageable. In instances of this kind I used to bring them to the barn and run them through the flax break, which would soften them and make them quite dry again, but in spite of me they would retain the sound of the brass kettle.

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History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan, Part 42

Author: Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co.
Number of Pages: 818