USA > Michigan > Jackson County > Jackson > Jackson city directory and business advertiser. With a history from the first settlement of the city, and a general portrait of its business at the present time, for 1867-1868 > Part 5
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The jury in this cause, and the first jury in the county was as follows : Sanford Marsh, William Worth, George Woodworth, Orrin Gregory, David Riley, Aaron Eamon, Moses Bayn, Isaac Carier, Major D. Mills, Jeremiah Marvin, Edward Morrill and Martin Flint.
Chester Wall was the constable sworn to take charge of the jury.
The Court was held but two days, and there were but four causes on the docket-three civil and one criminal. Of these, the first was continued ; the second, plaintiff non-suited ; the third, judgment taken by default; and the fourth (criminal), disposed of as stated above.
In 1833, the county was organized with four townships. In 1836, an Act was passed organizing a number of other townships in this county, giving the boundaries and appointing places of meeting for choosing officers. The township of Hanover had its first meeting at the house of Amos Brown ; Concord, at the house of William Van Fossen ; East Portage, meeting at Hezekiah Rigg's ; West Portage, meeting at J. W. Davidson's ; Grass Lake, meeting at Ethan Allen's ; Leoni, meeting at Isaac Howe's; Na- poleon, meeting at Geo. L. Densmore's.
In 1837, an Act was passed organizing the township of Jackson. " All that part of the county of Jackson, described by the United States survey as townships two and three south of range one west be, and the same is hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Jackson, and the first township meeting therein shall be held at the house of Paul B. Ring." At the same time the township of Liberty was organized and the first meeting authorized to be held at the house of Solomon S. Kiff.
HISTORY OF JACKSON.
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Geo. B. Cooper was State Senator from Jackson county in 1836, He subsequently became State Treasurer.
In the " wild cat" times of 1837, there were two banks in Jack- son County : " The Bank of Jackson County," located at Jackson- burgh, and the " Bank of Sandstone," in the village of Sand- stone. Money was plenty and " times" were " good."
In 1838, the Detroit and St. Joseph R. R. Bank was commenced on the east side of the River, with William Ford, President, and A. B. Gibson, Cashier.
This year the first Baptist Church was erected. It was built upon the ground where the Hibbard House now stands. The edifice was used a number of years, when a new and more com- modious place of worship was obtained. The old building is now doing service as a barn in the rear of the Hotel above mentioned. The Methodists still occupied the School House.
The Court House and the County Clerk's Office were commenced early in 1837, Mr. A. B. Gibson being the Superintendent and having charge of the work. The money to pay for the County buildings was borrowed, the Legislature having passed, in the year 1836, an Act to Authorize the County of Jackson, through its Board of Supervisors, to borrow, on the credit of the County, on "interest not exceeding seven per cent. per annum, and for a term not less than five, nor more than ten years, a sum of money not exceeding $10,000." The Court House was located upon the south side of the public square, and the Clerk's office on the north side. Both buildings were of stone. David Porter had the con- tract for the stone work, and Lemuel House the wood work. The Clerk's office was pulled down a few years afterwards. The pub- lic square originally covered the ground occupied by the Durand block and the block opposite, embracing all of the four corner lots down to the alley next west of the Marble block. This ground was given to the village when the town site was first laid out, but as there were no specific restrictions, the east half of it was va- cated from time to time by the Circuit Court, and purchased by parties desiring the ground for business purposes.
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In 1837, while Mr. Gibson was Sheriff, the Jail was in a cham- ber of a wooden building, next east of the marble block. There were no desperate prisoners to hold, the most important one at
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that time being an insolvent debtor. The early annals of Jackson county are singularly clear of great crimes or misdemeanors.
Quite a number of roads had been laid out, running from Jack- son to different places, up to the period of 1836. The greater part of the freight which was brought to Jackson, from 1836 to 1842, was hauled by teams from Adrian, the railroad running from Toledo and Monroe to the latter place. This was the Erie and Kalama- zoo Railroad, incorporated in 1833 with a capital stock of $1,000,- 000. The design of the road was to connect the navagable waters of the Maumee and Kalamazoo rivers. The road commenced at Toledo, in Ohio, and passes through Sylvania, Blissfield, Palmyra and Adrian, and from thence it is to continue, on the most eligible route, to such point on the Kalamazoo river as may be deemed most proper and needful. Marshall was thought to be the point at which it would meet the Kalamazoo, making the road about 90 miles long. From Toledo to Adrian, a distance of 33 miles, the road was finished and went into operation on the first of October, 1836. It was surveyed through the remainder of the route in 1837.
The PALMYRA & JACKSONBURGH Railroad Company was incor- porated in 1836, with a capital stock of $300,000. The route was from Palmyra through Tecumseh, Clinton, Manchester and Sand- stone to Jackson. It was required to construct ten miles of the road in four years, and in ten years finish the whole route. It was surveyed, stock taken, and 12 miles, commencing at Palmyra, finished, and the remainder was expected to be completed by the spring of 1839. Its length is 46 miles. The State loaned $20,000 to this company to forward its construction. The history of this road is familiar to all our citizens. It is a branch of the M. S. & N. I. Railroad, which was NOT finished in 1839. Jackson had several other railroad projects at the time, but this was the most respectable one and the most likely of accomplishment.
In 1832, among those who came to Jacksonburgh to "look land," was a young man from Detroit-(his name unfortunately has slipped through the meshes of tradition and is lost.) Not being suited with the region about this place, he engaged Thomp- son to pilot him through the woods to Kalamazoo. They set out together on horseback for that remote point. Arriving at Kala-
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HISTORY OF JACKSON.
mazoo, he desired to go on to the rapids of Grand River, and employing an Indian guide, all three set out for the last named place. Reaching the Thornapple River at a point some miles north east of Yankee Springs, it was found necessary to swim the horses over, the stream being rapid and swollen. Not to soil his clothing, our hero reduced himself to a state of nature, and put- ting his clothing in a handkerchief, he secured it atop the horse's neck, presenting the appearance of a modern " waterfall." He. then mounted the steed, saying, " Leander swam the Hellespont, and I can swim this 'ere," and boldly plunged in. His companions waited upon the bank to see the result of the adventure before taking the chances. Not a skillful horseman, and more affected by the wet water than he expected, he began pulling his horse's head down under the tide. A wild struggle commenced, ending with a dismounted cavalier who, to save himself, struck out boldly for an old sycamore that reached out its friendly arms seeming, "to beckon him the way that he was going." He finally reached the shore, " sans coluttes," sans horse, sans everything. The horse put back for the place where he came in, and on reaching the bank, started at full speed for Kalamazoo, the young man's clothes still hanging to his neck. To capture the flying- steed, Thompson and the Indian immediately started in pursuit, leaving our " soli- tary horseman" a prey to bitter thoughts and biting musquitoes.
Fortunately, however, not far from the scene of this catastrophe was the Indian trading house of Rix Robinson. To this abode our hero made his way, much in the mood of our first parents when they were ejected from Eden. By dint of hallooing and dodging behind bushes, he at last aroused the inmates to a sense of his condition. Mr. Robinson was absent from home, but Mrs. R., appreciating the situation, finally brought out a pair of Rix's pants and a shirt, hung them upon some bushes and retired to the house, so that our hero could make his toilet. After dressing himself in the huge clothes of the noted trader which covered our spare "miserable" in their ample folds, and partaking of a "square meal," the young man pursued his journey to Grand Rapids, where he was soon after joined by his companions, who had suc- ceeded, after a long chase, in capturing the horse and his " equip- ments." F
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HISTORY OF JACKSON.
[In giving sketches of prominent or active settlers and facts connected or associated with their names, we do not confine our- selves to the exact chronological order, but begin with their arrival and carry our data through, if needs be, to the present day.]
William D. Thompson came here in May, 1831. To him belongs the credit of establishing the first shoe store in Jacksonburgh. It was in a building on the ground where Messrs. Boughton & Rodg- ers store now stands. In 1834, he erected the building next east of and adjoining Holmes' Saloon, into which he moved his " kit" and stock. After one other removal, to a building in the rear of Bronson's block, he sold out to Warren Fish in 1838, and became a partner of the late Geo. B. Cooper in the mercantile business. When the Central Road was opened for business at this place, he was appointed Freight Agent, remaining at this post until 1851, when desiring a change, after ten years of close application, he embarked in the banking business, with his old partner, Mr. Cooper-the firm being styled Cooper & Thompson. In 1857, the firm changed to Cooper, Thompson & Co., Mr. B. Newkirk enter- ing the firm as a partner. In 1865, the Jackson City Bank was organized, with Mr. Thompson, President ; Allen Bennett, Vice- President ; B. Newkirk, Cashier; G. R. Byrne, Teller. This bank is still among our most reliable monetary institutions. Mr. Thompson, one of the earliest settlers in this City, has occupied many prominent positions since his arrival, and has also contributed in various ways to its general prosperity. A Mr. Godfrey started a wagon repairing shop, and did a “ general busi- ness" in that line, in 1831-2. Mr. Hiram Thompson established himself about this time as a conveyancer and real estate agent, and became Register of Deeds for the County. Wm. E. Perrine, a gentleman that figures quite extensively in the first few years in Jacksonburgh chronicles, as merchant and business man, died in 1839. The name of W. E. Bothwell occurs among the prominent settlers of this period. Dr. Gorham also came in the fall of this year. Thos. L. Fitch, now a physician in Kalamazoo, then quite a young man, was in 1832, an inhabitant of Jacksonburgh. It is said that in 1832, the season became somewhat sickly from the dam of the saw-mill, the water becoming low and exposing the heretofore overflowed lands to the sun. The heavy timber along the river
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HISTORY OF JACKSON.
had been cleared away to a considerable extent, and the poisonous miasma was thus free to fill the atmosphere with its death des- troying vapors. Ague was beginning to become common. Mr. Lemuel Blackman, the father of the Blackmans so often mentioned in our early annals, died in 1835. He was one of the original proprietors of the village, and did much to encourage emigrants in locating here, giving away a number of village lots, and other- wise aiding and fostering the interests of early settlers. He was for two or three years " mine host" of the Blackman Inn. This tavern was upon the site of the old American House, now the Marion House, as we have elsewhere noted. It was a log building, but was well kept by Mr. Blackman, and a favorite resort with travelers and the different teamsters that run " expresses" from Detroit to the villages along the old St. Joseph trail, as far west as Kalamazoo and Niles. After the death of Mr. Lemuel Blackman,. the inn was kept by his son Russell for a few years. It was finally consumed by fire in the winter of 1837-8.
The first improvement upon the east side of the river was begun in 1834, when the work of building the dam for the water power commenced. This " improvement" consisted of two log huts near the east end of the dam, and were put up for the accommodation of workmen. Other dwellings, however, followed, till quite a settlement was started. The first house erected east of the village, this side of Grass Lake, was the old " Russ tavern," in 1833. In the notice of Messrs. Palmer, Shaver and others, will be found a sketch of the progress of " East side." After the grist mill of the Fords was located there in 1836, the growth of that part of Jack- son was more rapid. What is characteristic, however, of most vil- lages throughout the world, has been true of Jackson-the tendency of the people has been to gravitate westward in the expenditure of wealth in fine buildings-public and private, and in the creation of delightful grounds and lovely homes. The time is not far dis- tant when the western hills of Jackson will be filled from slope to slope with all that can make home the dearest spot on earth, and a city famous for its beauty and the wealth and taste of its people ..
Joshua Palmer came to Jackson in 1835. He tells us that the store occupied by Mr. Wakeman was the first building erected on the east side of the Grand River (except the log house built by Dr.
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Russ and a still smaller one that seems even to ante-date the Doc- tor's, put up by a Mr. Jenkins), and was built by Mr. William Ford. The store was first kept by Ford & Budington. The first furnace and machine shop was built on the east side in 1836, and went into operation the same year. The old building is the same now occupied by Vandercook & Lusk, with the exception of two additions since made. It was erected, started, and the business conducted by Clark, Monroe & Ganson. They manufactured plows and some small castings. The building now occupied by Mrs. White, immediately east of the railroad, on Main street, was raised in 1836 by C. P. Cowdin. The store now occupied as a re- "cess was built in 1836 by a person whose name we have not been able to gather.
In the Legislature of 1836 an act was passed allowing the build- ing of dams across certain rivers. Sec. 4 provides "That Daniel Coleman, Geo. B. Cooper and Jerry Ford, their heirs and assigns, be and are hereby authorized and empowered to build a dam across Grand River, on Section No. 3 of township No. 1 north of range No. 3 west. Said dam shall not exceed seven feet in height above the common low water mark, and shall contain a lock not less than 75 feet in length and 16 feet in width, for the passage of boats, canoes, rafts and other water craft. This was the incipient step in the enterprise of building Ford's Flouring Mill, which was erected during the same year, being completed in the fall.
Dan. R. Palmer came here in the spring of 1837. In 1840, in company with his brother, he commenced the blacksmithing bus- iness in a shop put up by Joshua Palmer on the site of the latter's present residence. James A. Dyer we have before spoken of. He remained in mercantile business until 1842; in 1844 was a clerk for Czar Jones, who kept a dry goods store in the stone building; was elected County Clerk in 1846-7; was appointed Postmaster in 1849 and held the office four years ; was Lt. Colonel of the " Rifle Reg- iment, 12th Brigade," in the State militia of 1838. In 1848 he built the Dyer & Derby block, then the largest in the city, con- taining four stores. This stood upon the present site of the First National Bank, Bumpus & Woodsum's, J. W. Glassford's, and Bridgman, Graves & Co.'s stores. In that block were three other stores besides his own, namely: Root & Berry, Merriman & Co.,
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Elijah Anderson & Co. Col. Dyer is still among us an honored and useful citizen.
B. F. Eggleston came here July 7th, 1836, and in 1849 he com- menced the merchant tailoring business in company with Wm. Aldrich-the firm being Eggleston & Aldrich-in a building on the site of Mr. Bailey's shoe store. In 1854 Mr. Eggleston pur- chased the store now occupied by Eggleston & Everard, and has continued in the business to the present time. Mr. Eggleston erected the house, corner of Mechanic and Franklin streets, now owned by S. W. Stowell. It was then considered a grand affair. Mr. Eggleston and Benj. Porter plowed the ground for Mechanic street in the summer of 1844. Mr. Eggleston has been promi- nently indentified with the business interests of the place since his arrival. He is a man of sterling worth and integrity, and much esteemed by his fellow-citizens.
Warren N. Buck came here in December, 1838, and brought a stock of goods to start a country store. He was obliged to wait for a store building to be erected. The store was built by James Merrill, completed in the winter of 1838, on the present site of the Novelty Mills. He formed a co-partnership with a Mr. Ford- the firm being Ford & Buck. Mr. Buck had the honor of being chosen Mayor of the city at the last spring election, which office he is filling with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. He is a public spirited man, with a kind and generous disposition.
In 1836 Silas W. Stowell moved to this place, and commenced the grocery business in a store on the south side of the Public Square. In 1838 he erected a building and commenced the gro- cery business near the Penitentiary, and the same year took the contract of building the West Wing and Keepers' House of the Prison. He also boarded the convicts for two years at a stated price per ration. The rations were cooked and served out to them in the Prison. In 1840 he, in company with Stephen Monroe, erected a machine shop and furnace on Main street. They con- ducted the business two years, and then sold to the Messrs. Ben- netts, who conducted the business successfully, and were succeeded by T. G. Bennett, who is now doing an extensive business in the same buildings. From 1854 up to 1863 Mr. Stowell was engaged
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in the mercantile business. In 1862 he built the store now occu- pied by Gregg & Pettengills, and has since contributed largely to the growth of the place by building dwelling houses in various parts of the city. He is a kind-hearted gentleman, and has a large circle of friends in our city.
Mr. Andrew Shaver came to Jacksonburgh in November, 1836. He joined Mr. Fifield in building the house afterwards known as the Grand River House, on the east side of the river. They kept the house merely for the accommodation of boarders. In 1837 Messrs. Bolton, Collar & Perrine owned this house, and Mr. Alonzo Bennett purchased an interest in it in the fall of this year. It was at that time in an unfinished state. The next year it was completed and opened as an hotel, the Messrs. Van Dorns being the first landlords.
On the fourth of July, 1836, a party of citizens raised a liberty pole nearly opposite the Grand River House, the butt end of the pole was placed in a hollow stump. It was intended to chink in around the pole and make it solid and strongly in its place, but it proved to be rotten. Daniel Chapins climbed to the top of the pole to adjust the rope, while performing this act, the " founda- tion" gave way, precipitating the pole and the luckless climber to the earth. Mr. Chapins died soon after from the effects of the injuries received by the fall, and this casualty threw a gloom over the little assemblage who had promise themselves a day of undis- turbed enjoyment.
The frame house now occupied by Mrs. Shaver, is another monu- ment of pioneer times. It is on Cooper street, and was built in the spring of 1839. Another frame dwelling was built at the same time by John Rodgers and William Barrett. Mr. D. R. Palmer erected the house now occupied by a Mr. Brown, corner of Cooper and Detroit streets, in 1839. At the same time Mr. Yale also built a house on the corner of Ford and Cooper streets, now occupied by a Mr. Ferris. It has since been enlarged. These were all upon the east side of the river.
Wm. P. Kassick came in September, 1839, and formed a co- partnership with Latham Kassick. They commenced a mercan- tile business in a wooden building just east of the R. R. on the north side of Main street. The following year they moved to
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the west side of the River in the old stone store rear of Durand block, where they continued several years, then moved into the store now occupied by Charles Beebe. From there they moved into the store corner of Mechanic and Main streets, the one now occupied by J. P. Claggett.
Chester Yale came in 1836, and soon after started a tin shop in the upper story of the building now occupied by Mrs. White. This was the first tin-shop in Jackson.
Mr. Myrick C. Hough, was also among the arrivals of 1837. He became a lawyer of some prominence. He built a house on the ground immediately west of Nichols' Mill, in 1838-9.
Alonzo Bennett arrived here in 1836. Soon after he came he obtained a situation in the County Register's Office with Mr. Baily. The next season he formed a copartnership with his brother, Allen Bennett, in merchandising in the " city building," corner of Main and Jackson streets-being successors to G. B. Cooper & Co., whose stock and trade they purchased. Mr. Bennett relates that in 1838 it was very sickly, fever and ague prevailing extensively. Among other articles in their line of trade they sold drugs and medicines, and greater than all other articles was the sale of Dr. Sappington's Pills, for which they were sole agents. It was the grand specific for the ague, and no family was safe without a quantity of them within reach, and so they became almost the cares and penates of the household. In 1842 Messrs. Bennett & Sackett formed a copartnership in the warehouse business near the Central Depot, Mr. Bennett having erected the building soon after the cars commenced running to this place. Part of this old warehouse " still lives," and now stands at the south end of the river bridge on Albany street, near the water mill. The old freight house was the original passenger house used before the new one was erected, and then removed to its present locality. In 1840 Mr. B., in company with Mr. Cooper, built the iron foundry. In 1844 he did some other building, and in 1853 the Metro- politan block was erected by his enterprise. In 1853 Mr. B. bought two stores where part of the Phoenix Bank stood, and to show how property stood in regard to price, he was unable to get any advance upon what he paid until 1858; this is true of all village property in that space of time. The first thing in the way
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of manufacturing, was the furnace of Monroe & Stowell. It afterwards purchased by the Bennett Brothers. In about 1840 a Mr. Fish, of Batavia, started a brewery on north Main street. This building was afterwards burned down, and the one occupied by Purney & Co., erected on its site.
Mr. Bennett has been an officer of the States Prison, and is and has ever been, one of our most energetic, prominent and valuable citizens.
Mr. Allen Bennett came a year after his brother, arriving here in May, 1837. He remained in business with his brother until 1839, when Allen removed to a store building which was on the site of the business place of Patton Morrison. In 1842 he formed a co-partnership with John Sumner in trade, to wit .: dry goods, etc., and removed to the stone block, then just completed, in the rear of Camp, Winters & Co.'s store. Mr. S. died in 1851, and Mr. B. soon after removed to the building where Frost & Westfall now are, and there continued until 1859. The old stone building spoken of in these pages was erected in 1839, by Joseph G. R. Blackwell. Mr. Blackwell came here from New York city with $10,000 worth of goods, but within two years "ran through" with all his means, and soon after went back to New York. In the year 1857 Mr. B., built on Luther street a cabinet shop, and carried on business with a partner, under the firm name of Hubbell & Co., for three years, when Mr. B. continued the business alone. Soon after he had commenced the business, a contract was made by the Prison authorities with Mr. Henry Gilbert, of Kalamazoo, and then he sold out to Mr. G., and turned the shop he had occupied into a sash, door and blind factory ; afterwards sold the building to Alon- zo Bennett for a foundry. In the meantime Allen Bennett had built a new sash and blind factory, 45 by 100 feet, 3 stories high, with an attic besides ; 75 horse power engine, and a first-rate factory of the kind. A large lumber yard is in connection with this factory. He is now building, adjoining it, a large, first-class flouring mill- four run of stone, capable of turning out 500 barrels of flour per diem. Mr. B. is also one of our most extensive wool buyers. The Bennett Block, now owned by Mr. B., was built by M. B. & J. W. Medbury, now residents of Milwaukee. He purchased it in 1851, and moved his store into it in 1852. In 1854 he built
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