USA > Michigan > St Joseph County > History of St. Joseph county, Michigan, with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, palatial residences, public buildings, fine blocks, and important manufactories > Part 34
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FIRST POST-OFFICE
on the prairie, Captain Powers being the first postmaster. James Powers carried the mail twice a week to and from White Pigeon, and the captain had the profits of the office for transacting the business. It was a small affair, but answered its purpose. Judge Connor was the deputy, and transacted the business during Powers' incumbency, which continued until the fall of 1835, when he was succeeded by Dr. Mottram, who removed the office to his own house, and was succeeded in after years by his partner, Dr. Hyatt, who held the position until the office was transferred to Mendon.
THE FIRST BIRTH
in the township of a white child was that of John Foreman, -- now of Leoni- das,-who was born February 6, 1830. William Hazzard, Jr., was born in March following, on the 12th day of the month. The first white female child born in the township is said to be Clarissa Buel, the wife of Cyrus Buel, of Centreville. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Fletcher, and was born December 18, 1832.
THE FIRST MARRIAGE
in the township of white people was that of John Potter, of Green, Branch county, and Mary McKee, of Nottawa, or "Shearman," as the record reads. William Fletcher, town clerk of Sherman, granted the license December 25, 1830, and it is fair to presume that the merry Christmas time was made all the merrier by the wedding of the parties on that day.
THE FIRST DEATH
occurred suddenly in this township, as it did in Sturgis. The victim was Asahel Sawyer, who was killed by a falling tree in February, 1831. He was an intelligent, practical man, a machinist, farmer, business man, or schoolmaster, as occasioned required. He seemed to have a presentiment that he would be killed in the manner in which he did meet his death, and was fearful when in the woods, and that very fear precipitated his death. The tree he was engaged in cutting, in falling brought down two others with it, and he became frightened, and in his confusion ran directly into the dan- ger he could most easily have avoided had he kept his presence of mind. He was buried on the school section, on which the
FIRST CEMETERY
was afterwards laid out, in 1833 or thereabouts.
THE FIRST PHYSICIAN
who made his residence in Nottawa, outside of Centreville, was Dr. Mottram, who settled on the prairie in 1832. He was poor, not having even a horse to ride, and Judge Connor very generously furnished him with one the first summer. Dr. Mottram lived on the prairie while he remained in the county. He is now an eminent and wealthy physician of Kalamazoo. Dr. Merritt came after Mottram first located, and practiced a while, and Dr. McMillan used to ply his vocation in emergencies; but his chemical studies usually engrossed his attention, and he gave but little heed to his profession, passing his time almost exclusively among his retorts and crucibles, sand- baths and furnaces, with which his premises were supplied. Dr. Hyatt came later, and formed a co-partnership with Dr. Mottram, which continued some years, the latter removing to Mendon in 1859, where he now resides and fol- lows his profession. Dr. McMillan died in 1874, at the age of eighty-five years.
THE LEADING FARMERS.
Since the settlement of the township there have been Judge Connor, who enclosed his first purchase,-eighty acres,-the first year, and the next year (1831) had the largest area under cultivation of any one on the prairie ; Benjamin Sherman, who had seventy acres under cultivation in 1830, the first year of his coming ; John W. Fletcher, William Hazzard, Sr., William Hazzard, Jr. (succeeding to the paternal acres, and adding largely to them), the Johnsons, Glover Laird and his son Harry W., the Wakeman brothers (represented now by Hiram Wakeman), W. B. Langley, Samuel Kline, Henry Powers, and Russell Post. Fletcher, William Hazzard, Jr., Harry Laird, Kline, and Langley are residents at the present time on their original locations.
James Culbertson came to Nottawa in 1835, stopped about a week, became home-sick, and went back to Union county, Pa., where he remained about two weeks, becoming thoroughly disgusted with the rough mountainous country, which he was continually contrasting with the beautiful land he had just left; whereupon he took his family and returned to Nottawa, and buying the location of Richard Calvin, settled there and remained until his death. His son John occupies the old homestead, and James, another son, is a leading mint-producer in the township, having a fine farm on the bank of the St. Joseph. He has one of the best mint-distilleries in the county, and received one year, from the production of twenty-one acres, three thousand dollars. He has the first hydraulic cider-press erected in Michigan.
Colonel Isaac Wampole was a noted man among the early residents of . Nottawa, coming in 1833 from Pennsylvania and locating the present fine farm of W. B. Langley. He was an energetic, stirring man, and died very much respected.
Judge Connor was unmarried when he made Nottawa his home, but in 1835 married the widow of Ambrose S. Wicks (deceased), of New York, who survived her wedding day but seven months. The Judge mourned for his lost one until 1838, when he found consolation by marrying a daughter of Captain Powers, with whom he lived most happily nearly a generation, she passing to her rest in 1870. He is now seventy-four years of age, but a hale, hearty man notwithstanding, whose perceptions are clear and mind vigorous, as in younger days. He added farm to farm until his acreage was equal to any in the township, and more than the most of his neighbors. Since the death of his companion he has distributed his property among his children, and, as he quaintly puts it, " is living now on borrowed time." He is one of St. Joseph's worthiest citizens.
INCIDENTS.
During the excitement of the Black Hawk war, some of the settlers became very much alarmed, and loaded a few necessaries and their families into their wagons, and moved eastward as fast as their teams could travel. One day a man, driving across the prairie, broke the king-bolt to his wagon, and offered a new and good plow for another, that he might not be detained. The fording of the streams was never a pleasant task in high-water, and sometimes was positively dangerous.
Judge Connor relates an incident of a ford once attempted by him, which partook of neither of the above mentioned characteristics. It happened to him in the winter of 1829-30. He was going to White Pigeon with a team of steers, and Hog creek, which he had to cross, was frozen for about one- third of the breadth on either side, leaving an open space in the centre of the stream. The usual ford was made by going into the stream, and then ascend it about ten rods and go out on the opposite side, where the exit was favor- able. Connor ' stripped to the buff' and urged his cattle in, walking by their side, the ice cutting his skin badly, and the cold wind piercing his
93
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
' upper works' no less severely. The steers refused to make the exit, when he mounted one of them and began to belabor them a little, but it made matters worse and they bolted out on the side they came in on, and shook off the unlucky rider and ran into the woods. The judge put on his clothes and regained his cattle and his seating, and made the ford successfully at last.
The first theft committed in the settlement was at the expense of Judge Connor, and was as follows : In 1830, when Connor went to purchase his sec- ond lot, it was known he was to have the money for its purchase sent to him from the eastward ; and the day before he was to go to Monroe, he left his cabin alone during the day, as he had frequently done before. The nearest cabin to Connor's was Lane's about half a mile off. When Mr. Connor re- turned at night he found his trunk broken open, and his money gone, but fortunately not that which he was to enter his land with, that having been sent to him at Ypsilanti, which he received when he arrived there on his way to Monroe. But what he did have, twenty dollars, was a large sum to lose in those days, and besides it was every dime he had, and he had to work his passage to and from Monroe, with his friend John W. Fletcher, who paid the bills out and back.
Lane's reputation was not of the best when he came to the settlement, and it improved none after the burglary was committed.
A CHRISTMAS GATHERING
of the surviving pioneers of Nottawa was held in 1876 at Colonel " Jock " Engle'- by his express invitation, which stated " that the toughest specimen in his flock of turkeys would be sacrificed on the occasion," in order to carry out the " eternal fitness of things." There was a noted assembly of the old men and women, who had come to the prairie and vicinity in the days when the red man disputed their way ; among them, William Hazzard, aged seventy- eight years ; Judge William Connor, seventy-three ; John W. Fletcher, sev- enty ; Mrs. H. W. Hampson ( Fletcher's sister), sixty-three ; and H. A. Hecox, fifty years. Five of them came to Nottawa on the eve of Christ- mas, 1829, settled on land in sight of the house of their host, and resided thereon ever since.
Connor, Hazzard, Fletcher and Engle were present at the first political meeting held in the northeast part of the county, June, 1830, to recommend Amos Howe for justice of the peace, and these four are all who are living of the twenty-five who attended the meeting. Mr. Hazzard is the sole survivor of the first Methodist class organized north of White Pigeon, in western Michigan.
Judge Cross was present, a pioneer in Monroe county, in 1826. Hecox and his father ( now deceased), were both natives of Michigan, the grandfather coming to Grosse Isle, in the Detroit river, in 1797, where the father was born in 1800.
CIVIL ORGANIZATION.
Nottawa was originally included in the township of Sherman, the organi- zation of the latter being coincident with that of the county, October 29, 1829, and being one of the three original townships into which the county was first divided.
It was first set off into a separate township, July 28, 1830, and included the present township of Colon within its geographical limits.
The first movement for a new township was made in June, 1830, at Wil- liam Connor's cabin, and there were present at the meeting, William Con- nor, Amos Howe, Benjamin Sherman, Jonathan Engle, Senior and Junior, Dr. A. McMillan, George W. Dille, Russell Post, Henry Post, John Fore- man, John and Samuel Cuddy, - Gardiner, Hiram Gates, Hiram, James and Adney Hecox, Samuel McKee, William and John W. Fletcher, William Hazzard, Joseph Lane and Henry Powers, who agreed to call the new township Nottawa, and signed a petition to the legislature to that effect, recommending Amos Howe to Governor Cass as a proper person to ap- point as justice of the peace. William Connor and Asahel Sawyer were subsequently appointed a committee to get the act of legislature passed to carry the wishes of the people into effect.
The needed legislation was had, as before stated, in the following session of the legislature, and the first town-meeting directed to be held at the house of Henry Powers, Mr. Howe receiving the appointment of justice from Governor Cass, whose tenant he had previously been. The
FIRST TOWN-MEETING
was held April 4, 1831, and was organized by Amos Howe, justice of the peace, administering the oath of office to Benjamin Sherman, moderator, and William Connor, clerk, wherein they pledged themselves to perform the duties of judges of election, according to the best of their abilities, and en- deavor to prevent deceit and fraud or abuse in conducting the same. The
electors resolved to choose their officials by a separate ballot, and proceeded to elect the following list of
TOWN OFFICERS FOR 1831.
William Connor, supervisor; William Fletcher, town clerk ; Benjamin Sherman, George W. Dille, William Hazzard, assessors; Henry Powers, J. W. Fletcher, William Connor, commissioners of highways ; Hiram A. Hecox, constable and collector ; Russell Post, Amos Howe, J. W. Fletcher, William Connor, Samuel McKee, directors of the poor; William Fletcher, treasurer ; William Connor, Henry Powers, Benjamin Newman, William Fletcher, Amos Howe, Alex. McMillan, school commissioners and inspectors; Russell Post, pathmaster ; Russell Post, William Hazzard and John Fore- man, fence-viewers; William Hazzard, poundmaster; Jonathan Engle, over- seer of highways.
The electors prohibited stallions from running at large, under a penalty of ten dollars, and offered fifty cents bounty for wolf-scalps.
In September the town auditors allowed fifty-two dollars and fifty cents for township expenses.
The first roads laid out by Nottawa authority, were ordered August 31, 1831; the first beginning on the line between sections four and nine, run- ning southwest to the corner of sections nineteen and thirty, township six, range ten west, four miles. The second was from Shellhous' mill, on Swan creek, to Coldwater road, one mile; and the third was from the same mill, northwest, to Nottawa-seepe prairie, -- surveyed September 1; the fourth, from the north line of section fourteen, township six, range ten, to west line of section six, two and one-fourth miles: and the fifth, from west line of section six, township six, range ten, to corner of sections two and three.
The second town-meeting was held at the house of George W. Dille, April 2, 1832, and Benjamin Sherman was chosen supervisor, and Amos Howe, town clerk.
March 21, 1833, the boundaries of the township were changed, town- ship six, range nine being taken off, and, with township five, range nine, formed into the township of Colon, and township five, range ten, attached to Nottawa.
The third town-meeting was held at the school-house near Engle's, Mr. Connor being re-elected supervisor, and James H. Clowes, clerk, and the township divided into three road districts.
At a special town-meeting, June 1, 1833, Benjamin Sherman, William Connor and George W. Dille were appointed a committee to prevent Indian traders from selling whisky to the Indians.
June 28, 1831, the first school district (number one) was defined and bounded, and contained sections four and seven, township six, range nine, and sections one and twelve, and east half of sections two and eleven, town- ship six, range ten.
At the April meeting, 1834, twenty dollars were appropriated for the poor, and a lawful fence declared to be four and a half feet high, with four inches space between first four rails.
At the April meeting in 1836, the first justices of the peace were elected, and were Digby V. Bell, Benjamin Sherman, Elisha Strong and Luther B. Goodrich.
At the September election for delegates to the Ann Arbor convention, to act upon the Congressional conditions for the admission of Michigan into the Union, thirty-seven voted to accept, and fourteen to reject, the conditions.
In 1841 the strife waxed hot between the Mendonians and the Nottawas, and the former carried the scalps of the latter at their belt by a "scratch," Mark H. Wakeman being elected supervisor by a vote of ninety-four, over his competitor, Judge Connor, who received ninety-three votes. Sam Brown took the war-lock of Lentulus Huntley by a vote of ninety-four to ninety-one, and Samuel McKee performed the same feat for John W. Fletcher, ninety-four to ninety-three, and George W. Dille by the same vote smoked the pipe of peace with J. C. Goodrich.
In 1842 the clans rallied again, and victory perched upon the tufts of the Nottawas, who gave the Mendonian chief a severe defeat, Connor being chosen leader of the tribe by one hundred and eighteen votes to seventy-four for Wakeman. Samuel Brown was re-elected clerk, and Joseph Jewett, treasurer,-the latter a Mendonian.
Peace reigned in 1843, the Nottawas having everything their own way.
In 1844, township five, range ten, was set off and organized into a new township, called Wakeman, but changed the next year to Mendon, and Not- tawa shrunk to her present proportions. *
In 1846 the electors offered ten dollars bounty for wolf-scalps.
In 1849 they voted one hundred and seven against, and seventy-eight for, license to sell liquor.
99
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
In 1864 the electors voted at four different times to raise bounties for vol- unteers, the total amount appropriated being fourteen thousand six hundred and thirty-two dollars and fifty cents.
In August, 1864, after two trials, the township voted to raise fourteen thousand dollars to aid the Grand Rapids and Indiana railroad in its con- struction through the township, and subsequently increased the amount to fifteen thousand dollars.
On June 22, 1869, twenty-five thousand dollars were voted in aid of the Michigan Air Line railroad, now the Michigan Central Air Line.
OFFICIAL ROSTER.
Supervisors .- William Connor, 1831-33-37-40-42-43-53; Benjamin Sherman, 1832; James B. Dunkin, 1838; Samuel Brown, 1839 ; M. H. Wakeman, 1841 ; Charles H. Knox, 1844-49 ; N. E. Massey, 1845-46 ; Wil- liam McCormick, 1847-48, 1850-52-57 ; Cyrus Foreman, 1854 ; John Ruth- erford, 1855-56-61-66; Horatio N. Wilson, 1858; William G. Woodworth, 1859-60-67-69; Robert Alexander, 1870; William L. Worthington, 1871 ; George B. Mathewson, 1872; John McKercher, 1873-76.
Town Clerks .- William Fletcher, 1831 ; Amos Howe, 1832-34-48-51; James H. Clowes, 1833 ; Cyrus Ingerson, 1835; William Mottram, 1836; A. Bonham, 1836-37 ; J. C. Goodrich, 1838-39-44; Samuel Brown, 1840- 43; William McCormick, 1845-46; Lewis Harris, 1847; Hampden A. He- cox, 1852-54; Leonard Stillson, 1853; Isaac R. Belote, 1855-64; Oscar Waters, 1865-67 ; P. J. Eaton, 1866 ; L. A. Clapp, 1868-69; William En- nis, 1870-74; Charles R. Talbot, 1871 ; James Hill, 1872-73; Alfred A. Key, 1875 ; C. O. Gregory, 1876.
Justices of the Peace .- Amos Howe, 1830-36; L. B. Goodrich, 1836-44; Benjamin Sherman, 1836-46; Asher Bonham, 1837-48; John Pattee, 1838 -46; L. E. Thompson, 1839-47 ; George W. Dille, 1841-47 ; Samuel Chip- man, 1844-1869 ; Lewis Harris, 1845-53; John Rutherford, 1849-57 and 1873-77 ; Lentulus Huntley, 1854-1870 ; Chester Gurney, 1855-59 ; John S. Weeks, 1857-66 ; Samuel W. Platt, 1858-9 and 1870-77; Charles A. Palmer, 1868-77; W. G. Woodworth, one term, 1869; Rufus Currier, 1871-76; Charles E. Sabin, 1873-77; J. Eastman Johnson, 1875-77; J. W. Coffinberry, 1833-5 and 1844.
MARRIAGE RECORDS.
The register of the town clerk shows the first license issued by a Not- tawa clerk, to have been November 15, 1832, to Justin Cooper and Lovilla Hazzard ; December 12, he granted a permit to marry to George W. Dille and Miss Lydia Martin ; January 21, he consented to the nuptials of James Hecox and Miss Ida Shellhous; and January 26th, said Jacob Williamson might take a bale of dry goods, provided Miss Eliza was willing. In May, Mr. Clerk Clowes granted absolution to Ira Thurston and Amanda Fletcher ; and in November granted the same indulgence to Oscar B. Harmon and Eunice McMillen. On January 1, 1834, one John Wetherhogg was allowed to inflict his name upon Emeretta Trasel. In 1834, Esquire Howe, as the clerk, gave his permission to William Cline and Mary Shigs, James Powers and Diadema Ferris, and Joshua B. Cory and Melissa Harwood, to enter into the state of wedlock ; and to make his consent more binding, ratified the contract in the name of the people of the territory of Michigan.
Asher Bonham, as clerk, March 3, 1838, made the following entry on the township records : "I, Asher Bonham, clerk of the township of Nottawa, do hereby certify, that I have granted license to John R-, to embrace the rites of matrimony with Betsy A "
BRANDS AND MARKS.
Hiram A. Hecox, half-penny, underside of both ears.
William Hazzard, right ear split, and half-penny underside of left. J. W. Fletcher, square crop right ear, and left ear split. Amos Howe, square crop of left ear.
POPULATION.
In 1838, Nottawa township, then including Mendon, had a population of sev- en hundred and thirteen. In 1850 it had increased in Nottawa, as now limited, to one thousand one hundred and sixty-five. In 1870 it had gained seven hun- dred and three, standing at eighteen hundred and sixty-eight, divided among three hundred and seventy-two families, and with three hundred and eighty- seven dwellings. Nine hundred and fifty-nine were males and nine hundred and nine of the opposite sex. The State census of 1874 gives but fourteen additional population to that of 1870, placing it at one thousand eight hun- dred and eighty-two, increasing the males to nine hundred and seventy- five, and reducing the females to nine hundred and seven. Three hundred and eleven masculines were of the age reckoned fit to go to war, one hundred
and seventy-nine were exempt, being over forty-five and under seventy-five, and eight were between the three-quarter post and the last decade of the century. Three hundred and thirty-nine of the feminine gender were mar- riageable, two hundred and nine were under seventy-five, but beyond the age of forty-five, and twelve had passed the point of three score and fifteen. There were two hundred and thirty-eight boys and one hundred and seventy- one girls between ten and twenty-one, and four hundred and fifteen children of both sexes under ten years of age. The married men were three hundred and sixty-seven, and the single ones, who ought to have been mar- ried, were one hundred and eleven-and there were twenty widowed ones. There were three hundred and seventy-four married females, seven of whom were under eighteen years of age, and one hundred and eighteen yet looking for mates ; while sixty-eight were mourning for companions had and lost, two of them being under eighteen years of age.
THE POLITICAL SENTIMENT
of Nottawa may be seen by the tally-sheets of the presidential elections. In 1840 " Tippecanoe and Tyler too " had one hundred and fifty-nine and the "Kinderhook fox" one hundred and eleven votes. In 1844 Harry Clay re- ceived ninety-five votes, Polk ninety-five, and the " old Liberty guard" polled eleven votes. In 1848 "old Zach " Taylor had ninety-nine votes, Governor Cass one hundred and five, and the " free soilers " thirty-two. In 1852 General Scott polled eighty-one, General Pierce one hundred and four, and the Abolitionists "got away " with twenty votes. In 1856 Fremont Republicans cast one hundred and sixty to the Buchanan Democrats ninety- six. In 1860 Lincoln received two hundred and thirty-nine votes, and the Democracy cast one hundred and thirty-eight for the " Little Giant," S. A. Douglas. In 1864 the Republican vote fell off twenty-seven, standing at two hundred and twelve, but the Democratic vote remained unchanged, one hundred and thirty-eight. In 1868 the General of the army, Grant, re- ceived two hundred and eighty-three votes, and the General of the Potomac, McClellan, one hundred and fifty-five. In 1872 Grant received an indorse- ment of two hundred and fifty-six votes, the philosopher, Horace Greeley, ninety-six, and Charles O'Connor, the straight Democrat, twenty-two. In 1876, the present President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, re- ceived three hundred and ten votes, Mr. Tilden one hundred and forty-seven and Peter Cooper twenty-eight.
ASSESSMENTS AND TAXES.
The first tax paid by Nottawa as an independent sovereignty, amounted to fifty dollars, and was levied in 1831 by the county authorities for her own use, besides one-fifth of one per cent. on her assessment for county purposes. The assessment of property in 1834 amounted to thirty-six thousand six hun- dred and fifty-three dollars in the township, and the amount of county taxes was fifty-four dollars, and town taxes one hundred and fifty-two dollars.
In 1876 the assessment was fixed on real-estate by the supervisors at five hundred and eighty-one thousand three hundred and sixty-four dollars, and reduced to five hundred and forty-one thousand and forty dollars by the county equalizing board. The personal assessment was returned at one hun- dred and fifty-seven thousand four hundred and sixty-eight dollars, making a grand total of six hundred and ninety-eight thousand five hundred and eight dollars. On this amount the following taxes were levied : State and county, three thousand five hundred and sixty-eight dollars and twenty-eight cents, divided equally between the two departments; schools, seven thousand two hundred and fifty-five dollars and fifteen cents; township, two thousand six hundred and twenty-eight dollars and ninety-eight cents; charged back, ninety-six dollars and ninety-six cents; total thirteen thousand five hundred and forty-nine dollars and thirty-one cents. In 1870 the total taxes raised in the township were : State, one thousand seven hundred and sixty dollars and forty-nine cents ; county, three thousand two hundred and five dollars ; school, seven thousand and ninety-two dollars; cemetery, one thousand nine hundred dollars ; miscellaneous, one thousand five hundred and seventy-five dollars ; a grand total of fifteen thousand five hundred and thirty-two dollars and forty-nine cents, on an assessment of one million one hundred and forty- two thousand four hundred and forty dollars. In 1876 there were twenty- two thousand four hundred and seventy-four acres of land assessed.
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