USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches > Part 21
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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
Beech and maple were the prevailing woods, though oak, ash, walnut and hickory were also found, and tamarack in the swamps. Rush Bed creek, the principal stream, rises on the south border of the town- ship and flows northward into Hazelton. Webb creek meanders through the southern tier of sections and joins the Shiawassee, which flows through the southwest corner. A large proportion of the lands of Venice was held by speculators during the earlier years of its settlement, and improvements were not made so rapidly as in some of the neighboring townships.
The earliest settlers to live in the town- ship was Zachariah Rogers Webb. He did not take possession of his land until 1835, although he had entered it the previous year and built a log house. He was a man of scholarly attainments and took an ardent in- terest in the Indians and in their language, of which he acquired some knowledge. In 1836 his house was destroyed by fire, after which he removed from the township. The land he located passed into other hands and later was owned by Eli Martin and J. W. Clark.
Joel B. Goss was the second settler of Venice, coming from the south in the spring of 1837. He purchased eighty acres on sec- tion 32, built a log house and began improve- ments. He, however, did not remain long a resident of the township, and after living in different parts of the county removed to
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Arkansas. Hiram Johnson, the third settler, came from Livingston county in 1837 and settled on section 29. In his family occurred the earliest birth, that of his daughter, Sarah, in 1838. William Placeway, a former resi- dent of Vermont, settled on section 30 in 1838, made a preliminary clearing and built a log house. In 1844 his farm was pur- chased by Andrew Lytle, who from that time was. a permanent resident of Venice.
Nelson Ferry, whose family were con- spicuous in the early educational matters of the township, was a pioneer from the Buck- eye state, in 1839, locating upon the farm formerly owned by J. B. Goss. He remained until 1842, when he removed to Caledonia, having effected an exchange of farms with Thomas McLaren. He died in Corunna in 1846. He was county surveyor while living in Venice, and is described as a man of marked ability in his profession.
Elnathan Brown, another pioneer from Ohio, came to the township in 1839, having purchased land on section 30. Mr. Brown was for some years the only hotel keeper in the township. His hotel being consumed by fire, he gave up that branch of his business and devoted the rest of his life to farming.
One of the most enterprising of the early settlers was Charles Wilkinson, who pur- chased a farm on section 7, in 1840. A log cabin was standing on his land when he ar- rived and there were nine acres cleared, to which he added seven the following year. His nearest neighbor was Truman Bunce, a pioneer of the same year, who became a citi- zen of influence in the township, taking a prominent part in its organization. Indians were then quite numerous and often called at the door to effect an exchange of venison
and other game for bread and potatoes. Cranberries were also an article of traffic with them.
Daniel I. Like, in 1840, settled on a farm of two hundred and eighty acres in section 33. He had achieved much progress in im- proving his land, when death suddenly ended his labors, in 1845. He was the first super- visor of the township.
In 1841 Palmer C. Card came to Venice from Burns township and purchased a farm. He remained for several years, but ulti- mately removed from the township. The fol- lowing year Neely Sawtell, from Oakland county, settled on the southeast quarter of section 17. Arriving in the spring, while the streams were full, he could not get his family domiciled on their own domain for two months on account of the depth of Rush Bed creek, which could not be forded and was, of course, not bridged. Mr. Sawtell re- mained in the township until 1866. He then removed to Vernon and died there the fol- lowing year.
Alonzo H. Owens removed from Grand Blanc to Venice in 1843, and secured forty acres of land on section 33, as remuneration for one year's service in the employ of Daniel Like. He built a board shanty on his land, out of lumber purchased with "lumber or- ders", which, owing to the scarcity of cur- rency, were legal tender at that time. After clearing some land and enlarging and im- proving his house he, in 1847, brought home a bride in the person of Catharine Davids, daughter of Captain John Davids of Cale- donia. He sold this land in 1852 and se- lected another site, on section 28, which he converted into a highly productive farm.
The progress of settlements in Venice up
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to the year 1844 is indicated by the fact that sixteen names then appeared in the list of resident tax payers. During this early period much suffering resulted from the prevalence of malarial fever. The physician who min- istered to the wants of the community was Dr. Harder, who lived at Newburg, in Shia- wassce township, no physician having settled in Venice at that time. Occasional religious services were held at the houses of the set- tlers, many people coming to the places of worship with ox teams. Elders Cosart and Stringham officiated on these occasions. The former was one of the earliest of Michigan pioneers in the work of the ministry. He purchased a farm on section 31, to which he retired to spend the remainder of his life, which ended in 1876.
Settlement in the township was not rapid until after the '40s. In 1844, one settler, Lewis W. Covell, located on section 17, and two years later Joseph Card made a home on section 31. About the former date B. S. Jones settled on section 29, and in 1845 L. S. and C. L. Cronkite, from New York, were among the arrivals in the same neighbor- hood.
Asahel Owen, a pioneer of 1848, located on section 31, and two years later, Samuel Martin, formerly of St. Lawrence county, New York, came to the township and ulti- mately settled on section 18. With him came six sons, five of whom remained residents of Venice for many years. Mr. Martin died in 1871, at the homestead which was afterward occupied by his son, John L. Martin.
John J. P. Gerardy left his native France in 1855 and the same year located in Ven- ice, on the northwest quarter of section 17. A small portion of the land had been cleared
and a log house built upon it. Mr. Gerardy made little improvement the first year, hav- ing become a victim to chills and fever im- mediately upon his arrival. His nearest neighbor was George Wren, who located in the same year. Among the other settlers, who came to Venice between the years 1840 and 1844 were Charles R. Yerkes, Alpha Carr, B. I. Buntley, G. W. Priest and Thomas McLaren.
The organization of Venice as a separate township was effected March 9, 1843, and the first township election was held at the house of Neely Sawtell, the first Monday of the following April.
The earliest school in the township was taught in 1840, at the house of Nelson Ferry, by his daughter Miss Frances Ferry. Later a frame school building, afterward familiarly known as "the old red school house" was erected on section 32, and Mr. Ferry pre- sided as teacher of the district. In the north- ern part of the township a school was opened in a barn belonging to Charles Wilkinson, and was taught by Miss Julia Card. The school house in the district, which was the second built in the township, was erected in 1850, the first teacher being Miss Celia Hawkins, who was afterward Mrs. James Wheeler, of Corunna.
The earliest road that traversed the town- ship was surveyed by Nelson Ferry, in 1840, and began at the northwest corner of section 31, running north two and one-half miles.
VERNON TOWNSHIP
The township of Vernon was in point of settlement the second of the townships in the county, having been entered by pioneers as early as 1833. It was then heavily timbered
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with oak, maple, beech, ash, walnut and maple, the last being especially thrifty in its growth and prolific in its yield of sap. The Shiawassee river flows across the southwest corner of the township and, following a sinu- ous course through Shiawassee township, re- turns again to Vernon to water sections 6 and 7. It is here fed by a considerable stream which rises in the south, and, flowing north through the center of the township, di- verges to the west and joins the river on sec- tion 7.
Vernon was the first town in the county through which a railroad was built and is now traversed by more lines of steel rails than any other, four roads forming an im- portant junction at Durand.
The first settler was Henry Leach, who came from Detroit in the summer of 1833 and, locating on section 6, at once began the work of underbrushing and clearing. No ground had yet been broken in Vernon and very little land had been entered. Jacob Wilkinson, in the same year, entered forty acres, also on section 6, and thus became the second settler. Hosea Baker, Swain, Tinkel- paugh and Smith had already located in Shiawassee, and these four, besides the Will- iams brothers at the Exchange, were the nearest neighbors the two Vernon settlers had in the first year or two. Leach remained three years, in which time he cleared twenty acres. The first birth in the township was that of his daughter, in 1836. In that year he removed with his family to Sciota, where he lived until 1851, when he went to Cali- fornia.
In 1835 Samuel N. Whitcomb, from Oak- land county, located on section 5, built a log house and commenced the labor of chopping.
After living there several years and making considerable improvement he traded his prop- erty to Cyrus R. Angel for land in Liv- ingston county, of which he then became a resident. Mr. Angel remained a resident · of Vernon until his death.
James Rutan, in the same year, became a settler on section 34. Two years later, when the first election of county officers was held, he was elected one of the two associate judges, Alfred L. Williams being the other. Together they presided at the first term of the circuit court, no circuit judge being present.
Joseph Parmenter emigrated from Monroe county, New York, and purchased fifty-four acres on section 6, in 1835. Vernon was yet a wilderness. After building a house the labor of chopping was commenced and, with the aid of his father, who had accompanied him, Mr. Parmenter cleared five acres the first year,-the clearing soon afterward being covered with crops. He was actively identi- fied with the interests of Vernon until 1849, when he removed to Shiawassee, where he resided the remainder of his life, on the farm now owned by his son, Amos Parmenter.
During 1836 Vernon received a large num- ber of new settlers, most of whom became permanent residents. Among them were John Smedley, who located on section 29, the farm now owned by his son Wallace Smed- ley; Noah Bovier, who located east of Mr. Smedley, on section 27; and Josiah Pierce, who came to the same neighborhood, and who was chosen the first county treasurer.
Another pioneer of that year was William K. Reed, formerly a resident of Tompkins county, New York, who'entered eighty acres on section 12. With him came his six sons,
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who aided in cutting the road from the Shia- wassee Exchange to their land. Mr. Reed resided upon this farm until his death, in March, 1868, when his son George W. be- came owner of the homestead. His other sons, Andrew, Abner, Rasselas, William and John, all remained resident of Vernon dur- ing the remainder of their lives.
Jabez Clark, from Oakland county, arrived in 1836 and entered forty acres on section 8. He remained with William K. Reed while erecting a house. Moses Wolfen, also from Oakland county, entered eighty acres on sec- tion 17, and built a log cabin, finding a tem- .porary abode meanwhile with John Reed. He continued to reside on this farm until near the end of his life, in 1871. Another immigrant from the same county, which sent so many pioneers to Shiawassee, was Henry Miller, a brother-in-law of Ephraim Wright, who had already settled in Shiawassee town- ship. Reuben West, a son-in-law of Moses Wolfen, settled on section 17, where he spent the rest of his life, enjoying the reputation of being one of the most thorough farmers in Vernon. His sons, Moses and Nelson, are well known residents of the same neigh- borhood. George Herrington was another settler of this prolific year. He purchased eighty acres on section 20. This land he cleared and cultivated and resided upon it until his death. His sons, Marvin and James, also lived in the same vicinity until their death, in recent years.
In 1837 Nathaniel Chalker, formerly of Seneca county, New York, purchased one hundred and thirty-six acres on section 3, and with his family settled there in that year. His sons, Calvin and Chandler, lived many years in the northern part of the township,
the latter being elected many times to the office of supervisor. Another son, Charles, was for a time a resident of Vernon, but later moved to Shiawassee township.
John K. Smith arrived in Vernon in Febru- ary, 1837, having formerly lived in Pontiac. He settled on section 25 and was assisted in the work of clearing by his two sons, Nathan M. and F. B. Smith, the latter of whom was killed in a battle of the war of the Rebellion. Ezekiel Van Wormer was an- other settler of 1837, locating on a hundred and twenty acres on section 15.
It has been mentioned that Henry Leach, the first settler in Vernon, removed to Sciota in 1836. His farm was purchased at that time by James Van Akin, from New York state, who with his family settled there and made quite extensive improvements. Ten years after coming to Vernon he built the first brick dwelling that was erected in the county, where the first log house in the town- ship had stood. This house still stands, in a picturesque spot shaded by old forest trees, directly west of the beautiful cemetery which is the pride of Vernon village, and at the edge of the high east bank of the Shiawas- see. After James Van Akin's death, in February, 1848, his son Henry occupied the place for a number of years. It is now the property of E. M. Hopkins.
In the spring of 1838 William Garrison purchased and settled on a farm on section S, where he lived until his death twenty years later. Four sons accompanied him, two of whom died on the farm; the other two be- came merchants in the village of Vernon. The earliest death in the township occurred in 1838, at the house of N. Whitcomb. It was that of a settler named Howell, who had
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been clearing land for Mr. Whitcomb. In 1839 Lewis Sayre settled on section 24. His sons, Charles and Daniel, afterward became owners of a saw mill on section 25, familiarly known to the people of the town.
From that date the settlements became so numerous that much space would be required to mention each separately. Among those who came in the '40s were the Sickles fam- ily, William Lovejoy, Marvin Wilcox, Daniel McCollum (who is still living, at Durand), Thomas Smith, Samuel Patchel, William Grumley, Caleb Conrad and Hampton Bent- ley. Edward Holmes and O. F. Perry, for many years residents on section 19, were two settlers whose sons are now well known business men of the township.
The township of Vernon was originally embraced in that of Shiawassee and was erected a separate township March 11, 1837. The first election was held at the house of William Reed, on the 3d of April, Ransom W. Holley being chosen supervisor. The earliest highway surveyed in Vernon was known as the Baldwin road and followed the south line of the township, running east and west.
VILLAGE OF VERNON
Vernon village, with a population of five hundred and fifty, is a very neat, clean, pros- perous and well kept, pretty village, pleas- antly located on the banks of the Shiawassee river, and was among one of the early set- tlements of this county. The early pioneers of this locality were an honest and sturdy class of people, who were mostly from New York state and who succeeded in making fine homes from what was once a very dense forest of heavy hardwood timber. Some of
them remain, and many of the second gen- eration are now enjoying the fruits of the labors of these worthy pioneers, among whom were such well known families as the Gar- risons, Reeds, Bryants, Parmenters, Gosses, Clarks, Hollys, Van Akins, Yerkes, Jones and others equally prominent.
As early as 1833 Vernon had attracted at- tention, Henry Leach being the first to pene- trate the attractive but unbroken forests and settle at this inviting spot. Other families came in time, but it was not until the building of the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad from Detroit to Grand Rapids, in 1856, that there were any great indications of a future vil- lage of importance. The coming of the rail- road was hailed with delight, and such well known residents as W. D. Garrison, Arthur Garrison, George Goss, and Edward Bryant, worked on the railroad's right of way, in clearing the heavy timber, and R. W. Holly built and gave the railroad the first station building used here.
The village struggled along in a small way till the year of 1871, when it had as- sumed a size large enough to be incorporated into a village. The first village election was held the second Monday in April, 1871, in the National Hotel building, now the Downey Hotel, with Joseph W. Yerkes and Thomas Winans as judges of election. The following were the first village officers: President, Russell E. Bell, who was a former engineer on the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad, and later village merchant and who died at Fowlerville, where he later resided. Trustees for two years,-Ephriam Jones, a foundryman, now residing in Chicago, and William W. Starkey, stave manufacturer, who died in Saginaw. William Larry, hard-
MAIN STREET, VERNON
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ware merchant, and Thomas J. Garner, hotel landlord, were the trustees for one year. Clerk, William S. Pinney, now a farmer in Genesee county; marshal, H. W. Randolph, now a carpenter in the village; treasurer, Mortimer D. Rhodes, a shoemaker and hard- ware merchant, now deceased; assessor, Benjamin P. Warner, a carpenter, deceased.
In the spring of 1872 a calamity befell the town in a disastrous conflagration, which burned the chief portion of Main street de- stroying twenty-two buildings. The fire was the work of an incendiary, but the culprit after his arrest and confession, escaped pun- ishment. The fire materially checked the gowth of Vernon, but in the same year the enterprising Garrisons erected the large double two-story brick block occupied by them so long.
For many years Vernon was the leading town in this part of the county, and people drove miles to market their produce and do their trading, years before Bancroft or Du- rand had sprung into existence. All the township elections were held here and the most of the township officers resided here, this being the center of population of the township.
When the main line of the Grand Trunk Railroad was built, in 1876, it was thought that certainly it would come to this village, and consequently no effort was made to bring it here, and when it went to the east of the town, and Bancroft and Durand sprung up as rival towns, Vernon lost much of its prestige as a trading point.
For many years the large paper trade from the paper mills at Shiawasseetown was shipped from here, and it also enjoyed their trade as well. In the early days there was
a large trade from the timber in this locality and there were saw mills, stave mills and large wood and timber yards here. W. D. & A. Garrison were the early pioneer mer- chants and owned a large general store, a · bank, grain elevator, creamery, large flouring mill and other industries. In 1893 the vil- lage gave six thousand dollars toward a box factory, and also had a table factory, but they were not successful and the village is dependent upon the fine farming community, -one which is as fine and as prosperous as any community in the state. Vernon enjoys a large trade in cattle and grain, and more especially a large sheep trade, as it is one of the largest centers in the state for this in- dustry,-from thirty thousand to fifty thous- and sheep being brought here each year and fed in this locality, and being then shipped to the market. In 1899 the frame school house was burned, and it was replaced by a four-room brick school house, erected at a cost of six thousand dollars. It is a twelve- grade school, employing four teachers.
The Greenwood Cemetery Association was organized in March, 1862, and the grounds laid out have in time become one of the most beautiful and well kept cemeteries in the state. Much time and money have been. ex- pended in the adornment of this burial spot. It has an especial interest from the antiquity of some of the memorial stones that mark the graves, especially notable being that of the earliest settler of Caledonia, Rev. Jolin F. Swain, whose life terminated at the be- ginning of his ministerial labor at Vernon, in 1845.
Vernon has one grain elevator, one flour- ing mill and two lines of railroad. There are also two proposed interurban electric
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lines. There are three churches and parson- ages,-the Congregational, Baptist, and Methodist Episcopal. The Methodist Epis- copal church was built in 1870 and is of brick; the others are frame buildings. The Congregational is an outgrowth of the or- ganization of a Presbyterian church, early in 1837. The change to the Congregational faith and form of church government occurred in 1851. The church is a prosperous and progressive organization. The Baptist church was organized in 1844, by Rev. John F. Swain, and continued under several pastors until 1864 when a church building was erected. The members of the Methodist faith worshiped with other denominations until 1868, when a church was organized by Rev. Mr. Church.
The Lodges are Independent Order of Odd . Fellows, Daughters of Rebekahs, Masonic, Eastern Star, Maccabees, Ladies of the Mac- cabees, Forresters, Woodmen, Loyal Guards and Gleaners. The Odd Fellows' lodge was organized May 29, 1866, and the Masonic lodge February 11, 1870.
The Vernon Argus, a weekly newspaper, is the successor to the Vernon Herald, which was established about 1880. Lucius E. Gould, the well known writer and historian, now deceased, was editor of the paper for several years. The present publisher is G. R. Hathaway.
Over two-thirds of the people own their own homes, the village finances are in good shape, and there is very little indebtedness against the village, making taxes very low. Two-thirds of the sidewalks are built from cement.
G. W. Lindsey is postmaster and the office has two rural mail routes. A. F. Westcott, of
Owosso, was one of the first postmasters, in the early '60s, and during the war of the Rebellion.
The present officers of the village are: President, Lyman W. Van Alstine; clerk, George Barrett; treasurer, Frank J. Davids ; . assessor, John H. DeHart; trustees, Milo A. Howard, William E. Crawford, John Rey- nolds, Frank D. Clark, William H. Cole, Frank Tilden.
VILLAGE OF DURAND
Durand is one of the youngest villages in Shiawassee county, but because of its loca- tion at the junction of the main line of the Grand Trunk, the Detroit & Milwaukee, and Cincinnati, Saginaw & Mackinaw divisions of the same system, and the Ann Arbor Railroads, it has grown in a comparatively short time to the second place in size and commercial importance.
A portion of the land on which the vil- lage of Durand is located was originally en- tered by Mary Miller, in 1836. Another portion was entered the same year by Wil- liam Young and still another by Dr. L. D. Jones. Some of this land passed into the hands of William H. Putnam, who had a portion of it platted, a pioneer plat having been made by James C. Brand. A church and school building had already been erected and some enterprise was being manifested. Mr. Brand built a steam saw mill and an ex- tensive business was done in the manufacture of staves and heading. The village at that time was called Vernon Center.
Properly speaking, the history of Durand should begin with the establishment of a postoffice and appointment of William H: Putnam as postmaster, May 8, 1876. The
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receipts of the postoffice for the first four and one-half months, or from the date of its establishment to October 1, 1876, were thirty seven dollars and sixty-nine cents.
The name of Durand was given the set- tlement in compliance with the suggestions of some of the residents that the postoffice be named in honor of George H. Durand, at that time congressman from the sixth dis- trict. The honor at that time might have been regarded as an equivocal one, but events have shown it to be more of a memorial to the late and honored Judge Durand than a tablet of brass or monument of marble.
The timetable of the only railroad of that year, the Detroit & Milwaukee, showed. Ver- non Center as a flag station. The railroad very soon changed the name of the siding to Durand. The main line of the Chicago & Grand Trunk was completed this same year, and Durand, becoming a junction point, as- sumed important airs. F. M. Pomeroy was the first agent for the railroads. The lumber industry was being developed and considera- ble business done, several stores had been established and Durand became quite a trad- ing point.
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