USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches > Part 19
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
Morrice was incorporated as a village in November, 1884, and the first election was held December Sth of that year, the whole
number of votes cast being twenty-three. The first officers of the village were: President, H. P. Halsted; clerk, J. W. Steadman ; treas- urer, D. J. Holmes; assessor, John A. Mor- rice; trustees, B. F. Rann, Seneca Gale, Daniel Waters, Thomas Jones, B. F. Grout, and Henry Horton. The running expenses of the village for the first year were two hundred and twenty-three dollars.
At that time the industries were a grist mill, two hotels, two elevators, a saw mill and a stave and heading mill. Charles Tyler was the first postmaster. Frederick Cum- mings, son of James Cummings, ex-treasurer of the county, was the first merchant. The building occupied by him as a store is still standing and is now used for residence pur- poses. In 1878 C. W. Sager built a hotel known as the Sager House, a well furnished and commodious hostelry.
As early as December 28, 1839, some mem- bers of the Presbyterian faith, including the Purdys, Morrices and other well known fam- ilies, met to organize a church society of that denomination. Meetings were held in the homes of members and in school houses after they were built, until 1878, when the first meeting house was built. Other churches, organized later, assisted in raising funds for building the church and for years used it jointly. The building cost four thou- sand five hundred dollars.
The Methodist church was organized in April, 1865. They have a prosperous soci- ety and a fine brick church edifice. In 1877 the Baptist society was organized. The Cath- olic society has a large and elegant church and a large membership.
The Morrice public schools are well con- ducted and work is carried on in a large
CORUNNA JOURNAL
MAIN STREET, PERRY
145
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY
and well appointed building, occupying a prominent place in the village. The Odd Fellows, Knights of Maccabees, Beard Post, Grand Army of the Republic, Modern Woodmen, and other fraternal societies have a good representation among Morrice citi- zens.
Morrice is a pretty little village nicely lo- cated for residence purposes and attractive to persons desiring a quiet home in town. The present village officers are: President, T. S. Martin; clerk, A. W. Blakeslee; treas- urer, C. L. Bartholf; trustees, W. H. Davis, W. A. Conley, H. J. Fuller, Williams Case ; assessor, A. L. Beard.
The village now has a good private bank ; first-class hotel; grist mill, with a capacity of fifty barrels daily; an elevator, handling an average of three carloads of grain and beans per week; saw mill, manufacturing about one hundred and fifty thousand dollars' worth of lumber annually ; can- ning factory, costing eight thousand dollars; apple dryer ; and lumber yard. The village is lighted by electricity and has over two miles of cement walks. Two rural mail routes lead out from the postoffice.
VILLAGE OF PERRY.
An interesting story is connected with the founding of the village of Perry. It is sit- uated on land settled by Horace Green and Dr. Roberts, who moved into the township and lived in a small shanty, erected during the winter, and situated on the site of the present Hotel Hicks. It was in the chamber of this shanty that the first school in Perry was taught by Miss Julia Green (Mrs. M. L. Stevens), seven pupils being enrolled. The early settlers, like all of their class, lived and
labored under great disadvantages, such as can hardly be realized by present inhabitants. Detroit was the principal trading place and the people were obliged to drive there with produce, etc., twenty-eight days being re- quired to make the trip and the expenses of such trip being about forty dollars.
W. P. Laing opened up the first store that was built in Perry, and was the first post- master. The first Sunday school was held in the Hinckly school house. Things moved slowly on in this manner until the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railroad went through, in 1876. Then it was that everything sprang into new life and the most of the little town that sprang up around "Perry Centre," a settlement about a mile south of the rail- road, moved down to the railroad crossing and Perry was the town.
With the building of the railroad, however, came a fight between the rival settlements of Perry and Morrice, which are only three miles apart. Isaac Gale, who owned con- siderable land about Morrice, was vice-presi- dent of the railroad and easily secured the location of a station at Morrice and endeav- ored to have that answer for both places. A majority of the inhabitants of the township were dissatisfied with this arrangement, how- ever, as it had been decided by vote that the station should be located at the crossing of the "Owosso and Mason state road." With this understanding, considerable , contribu- tions were made, Norman Green having given one thousand dollars and five acres of land 'for a station and yards for the rail- road. A mill was built and other business enterprises had been started, but the railroad company refused to receive or discharge freight at this point. A petition to. the com-
10
146
PAST AND PRESENT OF
pany had no effect, and finally the people appealed to the legislature. After much delay a hearing was given and the request of the people of Perry was favorably considered. The enterprising citizens donated ties for side tracks and contributed money for build- ing the station. From this time the village took on new life and business enterprises were established and residences built by people coming here to reside.
Two large grist mills were immediately erected near the railroad, the present mill being built by R. N. Parshall, now owner of the Owosso City Mills, afterward owned and operated by Dr. L. M. Marshall, who was the first doctor that practiced medicine in this vicinity. Dr. Marshall was very suc- cessful in both his medical profession and as a mill owner. He built the drug store now occupied by D. A. Blanchard and was the only druggist here for years. It was through his instrumentality that the suc- cessful growth of Perry village was due. The other mill was built by William Mc- Kellops and R. N. Parshall, this one being destroyed by fire about fourteen years ago, the present site being now occupied by the large hardware store of Colby & Dunning. These mills at that date were both running to their- full capacity and farmers for twenty and thirty miles around brought their grist here to be ground.
From this time on to the present the vil- lage has grown rapidly and is to-day one of the most enterprising villages in the state. Perry now has three churches. There is a Baptist, organized May 19, 1838 ; Congrega- tional, in December, 1879, and Methodist, with a history dating back to 1838-9. The public schools employ six teachers and rank
among the best in the county. A large brick building accommodates the school pop- ulation. There is one flouring mill, two large grain elevators, one pickling station ; more live stock is shipped from this place than any other market in the county, the local buyers shipping over twenty thousand dol- lars worth of live stock to eastern markets in one month; there are two and a half blocks of solid business places; five doctors ; one lawyer; two newspapers, the Perry Jour- nal and the Morrice News-Clipper, edited by Thad. H. Halsted. The Perry Glove & Mitten Company with Isaac W. Lamb, the original inventor of the Lamb knitting ma- chines, as president and superintendent, em- ploys over one hundred hands at the factory and gives employment to over two hundred women outside of the factory, as finishers. The weekly pay roll is about one thousand dollars. About one hundred and twenty thou- sand dollars worth of business was done in 1905. Their large new factory building, ad- joining the present one, is nearly completed, will be ready for occupancy soon and reports for future business are very encouraging.
Land has been purchased in the eastern part of town by a stock company for a new . race course, and will be in readiness for track meets, ball games, etc., at an early date. The village will soon be illuminated by electricity. It is also hoped the interurban electric line projected between Lansing and Owosso will pass through this village. The usual number of secret societies are to be found here. The Masons, Odd Fellows, Maccabees, and others have strong societies. A Young Men's Chris- tian Association has been successfully con- ducted for several years, and a public read- ing room maintained.
147
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY
Perry is steadily growing. The admirable location of the village, its clean, moral atmos- phere, excellent education facilities and op- portunities for business commend it to people of thought who are careful about their en- vironments. New residences are constantly being built and new families moving into the village. Although the last census gives Perry as having about eight hundred popula- tion, it is safe to say that within a year it will be increased to the one thousand mark.
Perry's advantages are fast becoming known and appreciated, and not many years will have elapsed before the whole scope of country surrounding the village will be thickly settled, and those who take hold and help in bringing about this change will be able to look on and enjoy life while the pleasant thought steals over them that they have been of some use to the world. Following are the officers of the village: President, Emery Davis; clerk, H. H. Hawley; treasurer, Will Barrett; council, H. P. Halstead, R. John- son, Henry Dunning ; assessor, Lyman Ben- nett.
RUSH TOWNSHIP
Though the settlement of township 8 north, of range 2 east, began in 1839, it was not set off from Owosso township or known by the name of Rush until 1850. Prior to that time progress had been made at a leisurely pace, but after its organization it developed rap- idly into one of the most prosperous town- ships in the county.
Rush, like the other northern townships, has a level surface and originally had an ex- tensive marsh in its central portion,-the cranberry marshes which the hunted Potta- wattamies made their last refuge in their
pathetic efforts to resist forcible extirpation. A dense growth of tamarack timber grew in this low land until by skilful drainage it was converted into fertile farm lands. On the surrounding higher ground, ash, beech, maple, elm and basswood were found in abun- dance, and a limited quantity of black wal- nut and butternut. The Shiawassee river flows through the southeastern portion of the township. The Saginaw division of the Michigan Central Railroad passes through the eastern part, having a station at Hen- derson.
The earliest settlement in Rush was made by Ransom White, who, in 1839, purchased ninety acres on section 26. He erected a log cabin and devoted some time to clearing, but after a few years he gave up his efforts to become an agriculturist, and removed to an- other part of Michigan.
The second arrival in the township was that of Avery Thomas, who came with his family in 1842. There being practically no roads at that time, Mr. Thomas embarked with his family, and their household goods, on scows, which were floated down the Shia- wassee to their destination. Mrs. Thomas died the year after their arrival, and hers was the earliest death in the township. Mr. Thomas married Mrs. Sarah A. Sampson the following year and this was the first marriage which took place in Rush.
Henry Rush, with his family, arrived in 1043 and entered one hundred and sixty acres on section 24. The first clearing was done by his son, Jacob Rush, the father soon after returning to Pennsylvania. He, how- ever, subsequently made his home here, and both father and son dicd in the township which bears the family name.
148
PAST AND PRESENT OF
Robert Irland was a settler of the year 1843, purchasing a farm on section 24, where he lived until his death, and where his widow and one son made their home for many years afterward. Jonas Robbins came from New Jersey about this time. He had an unhappy experience in getting settled, being directed to a piece of land which he supposed to be his, but which, after he had established him- self there, turned out to belong to another purchaser. In time he succeeded in locating upon his own land, on section 26, where he made a permanent home. William and Samuel Goss came to the southeastern part of the township in 1843, each purchasing one hundred acres of land. William remained there until his death, in 1863, but his brother returned to their former home in New York. Several settlers from Lenawee county came to the northern part of Rush at this time. Among them were Walter Graham and Silas Clark, who located on section 5, and R. A. Sutliff, on section 8.
Until the year 1850 the township could scarcely be called settled. Only a few of those who had located here had remained a sufficient length of time to accomplish more than a rude beginning at home making. One road through the northern part of the town- ship had been surveyed by Nelson Ferry, in January, 1845, but was not officially recorded until November 7, 1850. Whether any work had been done on this road does not appear. Another road was surveyed by Ezra Mason in April, 1850, and "Jobs for the chopping, causewaying, and ditching of the above road" were let by the commissioners of highways, May 15th. Small bands of Indians were still wandering aimlessly to and fro through the northern townships, occasionally making
trips to the older settlements for the purpose of selling baskets. Deer were abundant and wolves howled at night near the scattered cabins, while bears were dreaded visitors among the live stock.
The township was erected by a legislative act approved March 28, 1850, and, pursuant to the requirement of the organizing act, the first township meeting was held at the house of Henry Rush, on the 1st of April. It is recorded that only seven voters were present at this election. The officers chosen for the year were: Supervisor, Avery Thomas ; clerk, William Goss; treasurer, Robert Irland; (the same three citizens were elected justices of the peace) ; highway commissioners, William . Hurd, Jonas Robbins, Robert Irland; di- rectors of the poor, Henry Rush, Richard Freeman; school inspector, Avery Thomas ; constable, Jacob Rush.
After the organization of the township, settlements became more numerous. Michael Rourke came from Massachusetts in 1851, and purchased of William B. Hurd forty acres on section 26. A' log house and four acres of cleared land constituted the "im- provements" on this tract. Mr. Rourke, however, was not disheartened by the pros- pect of hardships, and remained until he had increased his farm to four or five times its original size.
William Sawyer and his son, William, Jr., natives of England, came to Rush in 1853, first purchasing forty acres on section 2, and some years later acquiring a much larger farm, on section 36. Richard Freeman, an- other Englishman, who has previously been mentioned as an early settler of New Haven, made a second start, in Rush, in 1854, pur- chasing a farm on section 25, which he im-
149
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY
proved and lived upon for many years. In the same year William Noonan and Pat- rick Rourke each located upon eighty acres on section 26, which in time they transformed into finely cultivated farms.
Curtis Devoe was another pioneer of 1854, having located on section 12. He remained upon this farm until his death, in 1877, when it passed into the possession of his son Theo- dore. George Sawyer, who had come with liis father and brother in 1853, purchased the original home, on section 2, of his brother, in 1871, when the latter removed to the southeastern part of the town.
Three former residents of the state of Ohio settled in Rush in 1854 and became per- manent residents. They were Samuel Shus- ter, who secured one hundred and sixty acres on section 15; Samuel Ayres, who lo- cated a tract of the same size on section 21; and William Hughes, who started in with eighty-eight acres on section 10.
Benjamin Washburn came from Ingham county to the township in this same year, which marked an increase in immigration, purchasing a farm near that of Curtis Devoe, on section 12. He remained on this farm until his death, in 1869, when Joseph Hoff- man became the owner. G. Whitfield Drown soon afterward settled on section 36, where he cleared a farm which he subsequently sold to John R. Bush.
Among others who came before 1855 and may therefore properly be called early set- tlers, were Samuel Wood, Daniel Whitman, and John Russell, who settled in the northern part of the township; Patrick and Michael Carmody and William Berger, who located on section 27; William Stearns, on section 24; Andrew Simons, on 25; Solomon Horn,
on 26; William Scott, on 30; and D. S. Center, on 36. In the year 1855 the num- ber of resident tax-payers was thirty-three.
The first school house in Rush was erected in the Goss neighborhood, on section 25, in 1850, and was known as the Goss school house. Miss Amanda Shepard was an early teacher of this school, but probably not the earliest. The second school house, built some years later, was located on section 6 and was called the Washburn school house. The first house in the village of Henderson was built in 1868, by John Henderson. The vil- lage is a station on the Saginaw division of the Michigan Central Railroad.
SCIOTA TOWNSHIP
The story of the first settlers of almost any township in Shiawassee county is certain to be a recital of hardships endured, of priva- tions suffered, and of hard labor which must have broken the health and shortened the lives of many. Touches of humor brighten most of the stories, for people with the requi- site courage for such undertakings usually know the wisdom of extracting amusement from their minor misfortunes, and possibly from those of their neighbors.
But the story of Sciota's first settler is only a brief tale of the speedy and sad end of plans for a new home. Samuel Car- penter was this pioneer. He came to' the township in the spring of 1836, and upon sec- tion 26 put up a rude shanty, in which he lived alone a few weeks, while making a small clearing. Some time in the summer he went to Detroit for the purpose of purchasing a number of oxen, having planned to pro- ceed with some vigor in his attempt to sub- due the wilderness. On the return journey,
-
150
PAST AND PRESENT OF
when he had reached a place about ten miles from his clearing, he fell from his wagon and was killed.
Just before Carpenter's death Dr. Peter Laing, William Laing and Mason Phelps came to the town and founded Laingsburg village. In the previous year Phelps and his twin brother, Milton Phelps, had located one hundred and twenty acres on section 26, on the Grand River trail. Mason Phelps was a son-in-law of Dr. Laing, and after assisting the latter in starting a tavern he moved to his own place, in December.
Among the settlers of that year, 1836, a prominent one was Henry Leach, the same who had settled where the village of Vernon now stands, in 1833, and who built the frame barn at the Williams trading post in 1835. Having located some land on section 9, in Sciota township, he built the body of a log house, with the help of Gideon M. Cross, who was in the neighborhood on a "land- looking" tour. Having completed the four walls of the house, they returned to Leach's place in Vernon.
In October, Cornelius Putnam arrived with his family, after a tedious journey by ox team from New York state. The last of the long journey was by a blazed-tree path, branching off from the Grand River trail. This they followed until they reached the cabin which Leach and Cross had "rolled up," and into it they moved, though it was without roof, floor, door or window. An inventory of their worldly possessions disclosed the fact that they were ready to begin pioneer life in Michigan with an ox team and wagon, one wagon load of household goods, one peck of potatoes and six cents in money. After liv- ing in this cabin three weeks Putnam moved
his family into a bark shanty which he had completed on his own place, in section 3. For nine weeks after coming to Sciota Mrs. Putnam saw the face of no white woman. One week her husband was absent earning provisions which he had no money to buy, and twenty-four hours of that time she and her children lived on nothing but rutabaga soup. After Putnam began to raise crops, going to market meant a trip to Detroit, where he could get seventy-five cents a bushel in cash for his wheat, or to Owosso, where he had to take half "trade." Most frequently he went to Detroit. For a time he had to go to Pontiac to mill, a distance of seventy miles.
A few weeks after the Putnam family were domiciled on their own place, Henry Leach came with his family. Having been suc- cessful in his venture at settling in Vernon, he was in prosperous circumstances and came well supplied with provisions and conven- iences for carrying on his work. Being of a generous disposition he reached a helping hand to his neighbors and materially light- ened their trials and privations. From the first he appears to have been a man of some prominence in the neighborhood. His settle- ment was made on what was known as the Colony road, which ran from the Grand River road to the Rochester colony in Clinton coun- ty. There was considerable travel on that thoroughfare and Leach's place, like many others along those early roads, became known as a place where a few travelers could be entertained over night. True he was ac- cused of selling whiskey to the Indians in such quantities that they sometimes would get villainously drunk and would howl about the neighborhood while the intoxication
151
SHIAWASSEE COUNTY
lasted. But he is also credited with break- ing up a notorious gang of counterfeiters, who were caught manufacturing Mexican dollars in a lonely cabin west of the Clinton county line. At all events Leach was an active citizen and a good neighbor during the years he spent in Sciota. In 1851 he again struck out for the frontier, this time going to California, where he became a ranch- man and where he was killed by an accident, while riding a horse.
Gideon M. Cross came to the township with Leach and lived with him until the spring of 1837, when he settled on a place of his own, in section 9. His location being on the Colony road, he also entertained trav- elers when opportunity offered. He was a shoemaker by trade and opened a shop in his house. By means of diligence in these two branches of industry he managed to keep his family in provisions while he cleared land and awaited his first crop. The first birth in Sciota was that of his son, Charles Cross, who was born March 5, 1837.
Among those who came into the Putnam neighborhood in the winter of 1836 were Franklin Herrick, Abram Lewis, and Daniel Dennison, to section 2, and S. B. Fuller to section 10, while early comers into the Leach settlement included Allen Smith and Reuben Rogers. In 1843 Godfrey Wert and Stephen McCarty came to the town, settling on the Grand River road. At that time a number of other settlers were located along this fam- ous old road, among them Mason Phelps, Moses Wallis, and Mitchell Blood, the tavern- keeper. In 1845 John Scoutten, of Ohio, lo- cated on a farm near Laingsburg and in the succeeding years many others moved into that neighborhood. By the year 1849 there
were thirty-four names in the list of tax- payers resident in the township.
Purchases of about fifteen hundred acres in the northwestern corner of Sciota were made at an early date by Ashbel Thompson, a lawyer of Philadelphia. About 1839 Thompson began making annual visits to the wilds of Michigan, for summer recrea- ton, being fond of hunting, fishing and forest rambling. During these visits he made his temporary home at the house of William Swarthout, in Ovid township, Clinton coun- ty, and became well known to the people of that vicinity, his visits being repeated for more than forty years.
In 1850 Thompson resolved that in order to sell his land he must clear it. To this end he engaged Barnet Putnam, a son of Cor- nelius Putnam, to clear and break some of the land for him. When he came the next year he found that Swarthout's barn con- tained a crop of wheat gathered from the 'land Putnam had cleared. When Mrs. Swarthout asked him what he wished done with the wheat, he replied, "Give it to the first poor preacher who comes along." And the first preacher to come along was made happy with the gift. Thompson sold four hundred acres, on sections 4 and 5, to Charles Balcom and James Hills in 1851, and the fol- lowing year they came on and occupied their purchases. Theirs were the pioneer settle- ments of the northwestern corner of the township.
During the summer of 1838 a smallpox epidemic broke out among the Chippewa In- dians, who still lingered about Sciota, which on account of its ravages spread great terror and demoralization among the redskins. No white person took the disease, but in the
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.