Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Part 95

Author: Beakes, Samuel W. (Samuel Willard), 1861-; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 886

USA > Michigan > Washtenaw County > Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan > Part 95

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).

The supervisors of the township have been : Stephen Mead 1836

Aaron Aber 1837

W. B. Bradford 1838

Stephen Mead 1839

Prince Bennett, Jr 1840

Lee L. Forsyth

1842

W. B. Bradford

1843

Lee L. Forsyth

1845-46

Christopher Howard 1847-51

J. Webster Childs 1852

Christopher Howard 1853

Aaron Childs 1854-56

Christopher Howard 1857

Aaron Childs 1858

Christopher Howard 1859

Aaron Childs 1860-63

J. Webster Childs 1864

Aaron Childs 1865-70

J. D. Olcott 1871-73

Aaron Childs 1874

J. D. Olcott 1875-78

William Dansingburg 1879-85

Jerry D. O'Brien 1886

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

William Dansingburg 1887-80

Walter L. Rogers 1800

William Dansingburg 1891-93

Samuel Bibbins

1893

William Dansingburg 1894

Elias B. Stone . 1894

Samuel S. Bibbins 1895-00

Walter R. Mason

190I

John Lawson

. 1902-04

Walter R. Mason

1905

BRIDGEWATER.

As has been stated, Bridgewater was originally part of the township of Dexter. In 1832 the two towns of Bridgewater and Dexter were organized into a township, by the name of Hixon, and on April 7, 1833. the first township meeting in Hixon was held at the house of Daniel Brooks. owned 50 years later by Mrs. C. T. Crane. Grove Parker presided over this election, with Howell B. Norton as justice of the peace and Lyman Downs as clerk, these men constituting the first board of election. This election resulted in the choice of George Howe as supervisor, Robert Heggie as clerk. Harvey Gilbert as collector and constable, Shove Minor, Levi D. Pratt and Jacob Gilbert as commissioners of highways, Thomas Gilbert as overseer of the poor, Oramel D. Skin- ner. James Stephens and William B. Pier as as- sessors and Eli R. Sales and John Lockerby as commissioners of schools. In 1836 the township of Hixon was separated into the two townships of Bridgewater and Manchester. George Howe gave the name of Bridgewater to the new town- ship and was elected its first supervisor. R. H. Heggie was elected the first town clerk, Norman L. Conklin treasurer, and H. B. Norton justice of the peace. In 1837, a year after the organiza- tion of Bridgewater, the township had a popula- tion of 923. Its inhabitants were in possession of 129 horses, 342 sheep, 1,273 hogs and 860 head of neat stock, and raised the preceding year 10,209 bushels of wheat, 42 bushels of rye. 9,997 bushels of buckwheat and 912 pounds of flax. To-day there are a number of inhabitants in Bridgewater whose flocks of sheep are in excess of the entire number of sheep in the township

in 1837. The Pottawatomies and the Sacs had trails along the River Raisin, and in 1832 a band of Indians appeared within the township. A number of settlers captured them and took them to Clinton, but nothing was done with them. In 1843 another band of Indians appeared within the township, returning from Malden. These two visits seem to be about all that the early settlers of Bridgewater saw of the Indians, but wolves proved troublesome and as early as 1834 a bounty of $4 per scalp of a full-grown wolf was voted. It was also determined that hogs weigh- ing upwards of 40 pounds should be free com- moners, but under that weight were obliged to wear a yoke. Horses and cattle were branded by their owners and the brand was duly regis- tered in the township records, which bore entries of this nature: "By request of Levi D. Pratt, of Bridgewater, a mark for his horses, cattle, sheep and hogs is to be a square crop on the end of two slits on the underside of the left ear of said animals." These marks were recognized in giving notice of estrays, of which the following example may be quoted: "Mr. R. Heggie, Sir : I have one stray steer that came in with my cattle about the first of July last. He is red and white, mostly white, with a half crop on the underside of the left ear and to all appearances a small three year old, may be four, long slim horns, one a little topped. Nathan Martin, Bridge- water, Nov. 27. 1833." "Mr. Conklin, Sir : I have one stray bull which came to my house about the middle of November, two years old. small size. a white spot on his forehead, about two-thirds of his tail white and both hind feet, with a slit in his right ear. William Baldwin, Dec. 18, 1834."

The Bridgewater town hall was erected in 1856. The first building committee, appointed in 1855, was composed of Daniel Le Baron, D. WV. Palmer, Norman Calhoun and W. H. Aulls, and a second committee, appointed in 1856, con- sisted of Norman Calhoun, Lewis Potts. Junius Short and Ransome Nradley, and with $550 this committee succeeded in building a hall and open- ing it in September. 1856. The town board en- tered the following record upon their minutes : "Voted that the town hall be opened for commer- cial and scientific lectures and 'for funerals." The

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

first district schoolhouse was built on section 28, in 1834, and was built by Norman L. Conklin. The first sawmill was erected by Jacob Gilbert on the River Raisin in 1834, but the first grist mill was not built until 1857. when William W. Aunin built and operated a mill. At one time a shoddy mill existed within the township. The German Lutherans erected the first church within the township, in 1855, with Rev. William Foltz as pastor.

Martha Miner, a domestic employed by Charles Gadd, and her lover. Niles N. James, were the parties in a tragedy in Bridgewater, July 27, 1879. At 5 o'clock in the morning. in Miss Miner's room in the Gadd house, two shots rang out and James was found dead and Miss Miner fatally injured. It was believed that James shot the girl first and then shot himself through the head, killing himself instantly. She died two or three days later. Another theory was that the girl shot her lover and then herself.

On November 10. 1898, Louis Bischoff. aged 21, was drowned in Joslyn lake. He was in a boat, with three companions, which was tipped over. All started to swim ashore and reached there safely. except Bischoff. The lake was dragged for his body and as his companions did not see him drowned it was though he might have dis- appeared. His body was found June 1, 1899.

The supervisors of Bridgewater have been :

N. L. Conklin 1835-38

Jacob Hovey 1839

Roswell Randall 1840

Thomas Havens 1841

George Lazelle 1842-46

N. L. Conklin 1847

George Lazelle 1848-49

N. L. Conklin 1850

Isaac Magoon 1851-52

George Lazelle 1853

Dan Le Baron

1854-55

N. L. Conklin 1856

Dan Le Baron 1857

Isaac Magoon 1858

Dan Le Baron 1859-66

N. L. Conklin

1867-68

Dan Le Baron

1869-70

George Lazelle 1871

Dan Le Baron 1872

James M. Kress . 1873-74

Dan Le Baron 1875-79

James M. Kress 1880

George Calhoun 1881

Erastus Walter 1882

Henry R. Palmer 1883

James M. Kress

1884-88

George Walter 1889-03

Archie G. Crane

1904

DEXTER.

The original township of Dexter comprised 10 towns within the present county of Washtenaw, four townships in Ingham county and eight in Jackson, and was as large as the whole county of Washtenaw is to-day. The first town meeting in this original township was held at the house of Judge Samuel W. Dexter on May 28, 1827, and the following township officers were elected : Supervisors, Rufus Crossman: clerk, Nathaniel Noble : assessors, Samuel Clements, Luther Boy- den, Jerome Loomis and George W. Peters; col- lector and constable, Alexander Laverty; com- missioners of highways, Israel Arms, Henry Warner and Richard C. Dillon; fence viewers, Cornelius Osterhaut, Silas Kingsley, Russell Parker, Samuel W. Dexter. Israel Arms, Samuel Clements, Richard C. Dillon and George W. Peters : pound masters. Palmer Force, Luther Boyden and James Popkins. In 1836 the town- ship was confined to its present limits with the election of Thomas Lee as supervisor and Amos Gray as clerk. As early as 1827. Cornelius Oster- haut and a Mr. Hull had built a sawmill on the site of the present Hudson mills, and Judge Dexter and Isaac Pomeroy built a sawmill on the site of the Dover mills in 1832. This latter gave place in 1846 to the Dover mills built by Daniel B. Sloan & Co., and purchased in 1861 by Thomas Burkett, who continued to own it for many years. The Hudson mills were built in 1844 by Adams & Peters and for a number of years passed into the hands of Thomas Burkett.

In 1834 a postoffice was established at North Lake and shortly afterwards another postoffice at Stirling, but both offices were soon abolished.

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

Some years later a postoffice was established called Base Lake postoffice, which was part of the time at Dover and part at Hudson, but which has since been discontinued. In 1837 the town- ship contained a population of 596, and had pro- duced during the year 8,854 bushels of wheat. 4.470 bushels of corn, 13.672 bushels of oats and 1,393 bushels of buckwheat. Its inhabitants owned 188 head of neat stock and 228 hogs. A Methodist church was organized in 1836 at North Lake, with the Rev. Charles Glenn as class leader, and with the following members : Mary A. Glenn, John Glenn, Jane Glenn, Isaac Glenn, Benjamin H. Glenn. John Doan, Ann Doan, Aaron Vedder. Catherine Vedder, Elijah Brown, Clarissah Brown, John Moore, Sarah Searls, James E. Crane, James H. Brown, Ann Johnson and Joseph Whitcomb. The society met at the house of John Glenn until 1846, when Charles and John Glenn built a small building, which was used for school and church purposes until 1866, when a new church edifice was erected. About 1834 or 1835 the Episcopalians had organized a congregation in the log schoolhouse, at what was then known as North Lake Corners, but an effort to erect a church building in the township failed. Previous to this Rev. C. G. Clark, a Presbyterian minister, preached every alternate Sunday at the house of Joseph Arnold for two or three years, from 1828. A Catholic church was completed about 1846. on Section 21, the first priest being the Rev. Father Cullen, and at that time was the only Catholic church between Ann Arbor and Jack- son. Among its leading members were John McGuerrin. John Harrington, Michael McCabe, Timothy Sullivan, John Doody, John Patrick, Michael Rabbitt, Patrick, Michael and James Lavey, and James McMahon. The Ebenezer Evangelical church held services from 1866 and organized a church in 1871, their new church building being dedicated November 19. 1871.

There are 20 lakes in the township, or partially within it, including Portage, Silver, Half Moon North lake, West lake and Four Mile lake. On the south end of Portage lake a great city was once platted, called the Saratoga of Michigan, and lithographs were issued advertising it by G. R. Lillibridge. A steamboat was launched on paper

to make a round trip of Portage, Base and Straw- berry lakes, a distance of 30 or 40 miles, an ob- servatory was built on Prospect hill, mineral springs with wonderful curing properties were advertised and extensive hotels were to be crowded to their utmost capacities. Edwin For- rest, the great tragedian, was supposed to have invested $30,000 in the new town. Saratoga city never contained but one house. The following advertisement of the Saratoga of Michigan ran in the Ann Arbor papers: "One hundred and twenty-five of the even numbered lots in the new village of Saratoga are now offered for sale at schedule prices at the office of the subscriber in the city of Detroit, having disposed of all the odd numbered lots in the village to Edwin Forrest, Esq., for the consideration of $15,000, to be ex- pended by him in building a splendid hotel to cost not less than $10,000, and other improvements to the amount of $5.000. The hotel will go into operation under the management and direction of the undersigned in the summer of 1838, by which time the railroads now being made will be com- pleted even from the cities of Albany and Boston, affording a direct line of communication from these cities to Saratoga of Michigan.

"The mineral springs will be in complete or- der and every exertion will be made by both proprietors to render this village equal in appear- ance to any of its size in the United States.

"The situation in point of scenic or picturesque beauty is unsurpassed by any other in the United States. Prospect hill is situated in the rear of the village, the plat of which is laid out from the foot of the hill down to the shores of Portage lake, which abounds in the greatest variety of fish, among which are pickerel, bass, rock bass, perch, sun fish, mulle muskalonge, etc. From the top of Prospect hill the view of the surrounding country is sublime, the eye surveying several beautiful navigable lakes, through some of which the River Huron winds its course.

"The neighborhood of Saratoga has been set- tled for a number of years by experienced and industrious . farmers, and not less than $75,000 of goods and wares for the use and consumption of the farmer and mechanic must have been dis- posed of to this neighborhood the last or present

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

year, there not being a trading house short of Dexter and Ann Arbor villages, whither the in- habitants have hitherto had to purchase their necessaries.

"The improvements about to be made are guarantees that nothing short of success can at- tend the man of business who locates himself in the new Saratoga, whether he be merchant or mechanic. Among the improvements of this sec- tion there are three sawmills in the immediate neighborhood of the village, one a half a mile, another a mile and a half, and the other nearly two miles, from each of which the lumber can be rafted or boated to the village. There are also brick yards and lime kilns in successful operation. There are likewise large quantities of suitable foundation stone for building purposes found in the neighborhood.

"Two state roads, the Wayne county and Kala- mazoo and the Monroe and Saginaw cross each other at the village of Saratoga.

"No better opportunity can be afforded the citi- zens of Detroit for providing themselves with a handsome and healthful site for a cottage to re- tire to with their families in the summer season, than does this village several lots having been already disposed of for that purpose; and it is the determination of the proprietors to sell to none but those who will build and whose object must be to cultivate a creditable society.

"For further particulars, price of lots, plats of village and other interesting matter, purchasers may apply at the office of the advertiser in the city of Detroit, agreeable to further notice, after the 20th of November instant.

"G. R. LILLIBRIDGE."

"References : Matthew Carey, James Ronald- son and John Binns, Esq., Philadelphia, and Stevens T. Mason, Andrew Mack and John Nor- vill, Esq., Detroit."

While there never has been a platted village within the township that was really settled, ham- lets early grew up known as Dover and Hudson. The surveyors in laying out the township blun- dered and the northern tier of sections contain only about three-fourths of their prescribed quota of land, while the western tier falls short from 50 to 65 acres a section.

The Huron has claimed its victims in Dexter. Emil Staebler's 7-year-old son, Ralph, was drowned in the Huron at Birkett's. Lewis Schoettle, while bathing at the Birkett bridge with thre companions after dark Sunday evening, August 9, 1896, was drowned in nine feet of water.

As noted above. Thomas M. Lee was the first supervisor. Among the other supervisors pre- vious to 1880 were: William A. Jones, who was first elected in 1844 and served in all 13 years, and Patrick Fleming, who served from 1869 to 1875. Since 1880 the supervisors have been :

James H. Lyman 1880-82

Richard McQuillan 1883-84

Charles Dwyer . 1885-88

Jacob Jedele 1889-92

Thomas McQuillan . 1893-95

John D. Clark 1896-99

Michael E. McGuire

. 1900-03

John P. Walsh

. 1904

FREEDOM.

Freedom township was organized by an act of the territorial legislature approved March 7, 1834. In the December preceding, 22 inhabitants, who were seeking to constitute a township, met at the house of Henry M. Griffin and on this oc- casion Alexander Peekins proposed that the name of the new township should be Freedom. Con- siderable interest was taken in the matter and a lively discussion followed, and finally a ballot was taken when it was found that the name Freedom had a large majority. The first township election was held April 7, 1834, at the house of Henry M. Griffin and Mr. Griffin was duly elected super- visor with David C. Raymond as township clerk. Settlers came in rapidly and were much annoyed by wolves, which frequented the township and did much damage. For instance, one night in 1834 the wolves destroyed 20 sheep belonging to James Raymond. Of the earlier settlers in Freedom James W. Hill, Levi Rogers and Dr. Morgan were at various times elected to the state legislature. The first religious services were held in the township by an exhorter named B. F. Bur- nett, at the home of James W. Wills. Rev.

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

Arunah Bennett was the first ordained preacher to hold services in the township, in June, 1834. Rev. Frederick Schmid preached at the house of William Schultz in 1835, and a Lutheran church was organized in 1843 with the Rev. Mr. Schmid as pastor. He was succeeded by the Rev. Mr. Wertbraht, the Rev. Mr. Klernigees, the Rev. Mr. Hildner, the Rev. Mr. G. J. Hildner, the Rev. John Neuman, the Rev. Mr. Kunzler and others. A fine church was erected in 1856. Two other Lutheran churches were also organized within the township. The members of the first Lutheran church were Jacob Raab, George Scherds, Mat- thew Alber. Adam Spathelf. Ernst Haarer, George Fuegel and George Schmirring. A Catholic church was built in 1839, two miles north of the present location of that church, and the first missionary priests were Rev. Mr. Kreutel and Rev. Mr. Bernick.

In 1837 the inhabitants of Freedom, who mum- bered at that time 795, possessed 70 horses, 1,030 hogs and 798 head of neat stock, and harvested 5,622 bushels of wheat, 5.137 bushels of corn and 7.485 bushels of oats.

William O'Neil, 60 years old, was struck by lightning in an open field in the afternoon of August 29, 1877 and instantly killed.

William Schniering, in shooting an old horse for a neighbor, shot himself November 9, 1897. His first shot took little effect on the horse. His second shot at the horse struck Schniering him- self below the eye killing him instantly. It was thought that the horse had thrown the pistol up at the moment Schniering was pulling the trigger.

From the organization of the township to 1880, the supervisors were: Henry M. Griffin, Reuben Williams, Mr. Stunburg, William Osius, Elias Haire, Jacob Breining and John G. Feldkamp. Before 1880 Mr. Feldkamp had served 10 years as supervisor. Since 1880 the supervisors have been :

John G. Feldkamp 1880-84

Jacob Breining 1885-92

Michael P. Alber 1893-96

Frank Dettling 1897-98

John Dresselhouse .1891-01

Frank Dettling . 1902-04 Frank Koebbe . 1905

LIMA.

The first township meeting in Lima was held in April, 1834, and was called to order by Russell Parker, John K. Bingham being chosen clerk, and Oliver L. Cooper judge of election. The following were elected as the first township officers : Supervisor, Russell Parker ; clerk, John K. Bingham; assessors, Elijah Cooper, Darius Pierce and Lemuel S. Scott ; constable and col- lector, Elias Easton ; commissioner of highways, Rodney Ackley, Samuel Cooper and John Davis; commissioners of common schools, Frederick S. Sheldon, Solomon Sutherland and Oliver S. Cooper ; directors of the poor, Samuel Clements and John Davis; inspectors of common schools, Samuel Bradley, Oliver L. Cooper, Darius Pierce, Elkanah Downer and Deacon G. Willits; pound- master, John Harford; fence viewers, Curtiss Hurd, Joseph P. Riggs and John K. Bingham. This meeting was held at the house of John Harford and the first act of the electors of the township was to pass a resolution that the town would pay a bounty on wolf scalps.

A postoffice was established in Lima, in 1832, and was first called Mill Creek, the name being afterwards changed to Lima. Asa Williams was the first postmaster, and a village was platted here in 1838 by W. A. Shaw, J. E. Freer and Abram Arnold. Previous to this quite a little settlement had grown up about Lima Center, which was thus described in the Michigan Ga- zeteer of 1837: "Lima Center, village and postoffice, Washtenaw county and township of Lima, pleasantly situated on a branch of Mill creek. Here are a number of mechanics, a physician, two stores. The ter- ritorial road from Ann Arbor to the mouth of the St. Joseph passes through it. This place is quite thriving and there are large quantities of hydraulic power that might be used to advantage in the vicinity. The distance to Ann Arbor is set at 14 miles, and 52 miles to Detroit." The first store in Lima Center was opened by Rufus and William A. Crossman, and the second store by John Bacon. It was the completion of the Michigan Central through Dexter to Jackson that side-tracked Lima Center and led to the decline of that hamlet and the building up of the thriv-

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PASTA AND. PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

-ing village of Chelsea on the west side of the railroad, and it was this fact that made it cer- tain that Lima would never become an incor- porated village.

The second village was platted in Lima by John K. Bingham and called New Jerusalem. The "New" has been dropped from the name and the hamlet Jerusalem still exists. Bingham built a sawmill here in 1832, and in 1860 Palmer Westfall erected a grist mill. The second school in the township was organized at Jerusalem. The first school had been held in the house of Samuel Clements in the winter of 1831, and was taught by Abram Yoeman and had between 15 and 20 scholars. The school at Lima Center was the third organization, but the first schoolhouse erected in the township was built at Lima Cen- ter in 1835.

The first inhabitant in Lima known to have suffered on account of his temperance proclivities was William C. Lemon, who attempted to erect his house in June, 1830, without supplying the neighbors who assisted him with the customary whisky. After the walls of the house had been set up to the first floor the neighbors asked for some whisky. Lemon offered them water and the first strike in the township of Lima was on. The strike lasted about a week, when General Asa Williams urged Lemon's neighbors to assist him in completing the house on the ground that they should not let his family suffer because of his temperance fanaticism.

The first religious services in Lima are be- lieved to have been held by Elder Carpenter, a Baptist minister, who held services and religious meetings at the house of Samuel Clements once every four weeks from 1831 to 1834. In the spring of 1832 Rev. E. H. Pilcher and Rev. E. C. Gavit, who was traveling the Methodist Epis- copal Ann Arbor circuit, preached every two weeks at the house of Rev. Arannah Bennett. In that fall Rev. William M. Sullivan and Luther D. Whitney continued these meetings. About this time a Baptist congregation met at New Jerusalem under the care of Rev. Mr. Danielson, who lived in Sharon. About 1835 a Congrega- tional church was started at Lima Center in charge of the Rev. H. H. Northrup, who was

The Presbyterians erected the first church on land donated by John Harford and Asa Williams. This church was never able to lift a mortgage upon it and the building was finally sold under the mortgage and passed into the hands of the township and was used as a town hall. A Methodist church was built at Lima Center in 1849. The first Christian minister who lived in the township was Rev. Arannah Bennett, a local elder of the M. E. church. He cultivated a large farm during the week and preached somewhere nearly every Sun- day. In the absence of a regular minister he held religious services among his neighbors and he was often called upon to travel many miles to hold funeral services. Dr. Hiram Downer, Dr. William H. Bassac and Dr. Samuel B. Bradley ministered to the sick in the early history of the township.

Lafayette Grange was organized in the town- ship in October, 1873, and has proven of great aid to the farmers who have cultivated at its meet- ings and at the meetings of the Lima Farmers' Club the faculty of expressing themselves in public. Lima, in 1837, had a population of 895. It boasted of one sawmill, two stores. 145 horses, 978 sheep. 1,182 hogs and 1,233 head of neat stock and there had been raised in the township during the preceding year 14,070 bushels of wheat, 6.402 bushels of corn, 21,293 bushels of oats, 1,231 bushels of buckwheat and 220 pounds of flax.

August Nottwang and John Vigand, two farm hands, were drowned in Four Mile lake Monday afternoon, August 19, 1901. They left their horse in the barn of Henry Heininger near the lake and rented a boat. As they did not return that evening search was made for them next morning. Their clothing was found on the banks of the lake and their boat bottom side up. The bodies were recovered Tuesday evening. It was thought that they went in swimming and were unable to get in their boat.

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Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Part 95

Author: Beakes, Samuel W. (Samuel Willard), 1861-; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 886

Author: Beakes, Samuel W. (Samuel Willard), 1861-; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 886