USA > Michigan > Grand Traverse County > Sprague's history of Grand Traverse and Leelanaw counties, Michigan embracing a concise review of their early settlement, industrial development and present conditions...to which will be appended...life sketches of well-known citizens of the county > Part 32
USA > Michigan > Leelanau County > Sprague's history of Grand Traverse and Leelanaw counties, Michigan embracing a concise review of their early settlement, industrial development and present conditions...to which will be appended...life sketches of well-known citizens of the county > Part 32
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The first class-meeting was held on the 19th of July, and the first class was organ- ized on the following Sunday. This first church organization for white people on Grand Traverse bay consisted of the follow- ing persons: Roxana Pratt, Eliza Merrill, Mary A. Wait, June Chandler, Myron Chandler, Peter Stewart and Joanna Stew- art. The next Sunday two others were added, Charles Avery and Catherine Mc- Cluskey. The same day on which the class was formed a Sunday school was organized, of which Jerome M. Pratt was superintend- ent. The teachers were Miss Louisa Col-
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burn (who was afterward Mrs. S. E. Wait) and Mr. Latham.
The congregation sometimes presented the scene of a curious mixture of races and classes of people, and an assortment of cos- tumes that to one having a keen sense of the ludicrous might have been sufficient to banish all thoughts of devotion. The United States revenue cutter "Michigan" sometimes anchored in the harbor and remained over Sunday, when some of the sailors and ma- rines would attend services in the church. Old Mission still had a considerable Indian population. One Indian used to attend, wearing a large silver ornament suspended from the cartilage of the nose. Another, Asa-bun, who was credited with having been seen eating a human heart torn from one of the victims who fell in the unfortunate at- tempt of the Americans to recapture Mack- inaw, in the war of 1812, was sometimes present. Another, the chief Aish-qua-gwon- a-ba, who was supposed to have a number of white scalps safely hidden away in a cer- tain old trunk, used to come, in warm weath- er, clad in only a shirt and breech-cloth, and sit through the service as stiff and sober as an old-time deacon.
At the annual conference of 1857 two circuits were formed on Grand Traverse bay -- Old Mission and Elk Rapids, and North- port and Traverse City. Mr. Latham was to supply the former and Rev. L. J. Griffin was appointed to the latter. On learning the relative situations of Northport and Traverse City-forty miles apart-Mr. Griffin wrote Mr. Latham, asking him to take Traverse City off his hands, which he consented to do. Mr. Griffin labored at Northport and Carp River, forming classes at those places,
and Mr. Latham at Old Mission, Traverse City and Elk Rapids.
The first quarterly meeting of the circuit of which Mr. Latham was now the regularly appointed pastor, was held at Old Mission, the presiding elder, Rev. H. Penfield, being present. J. M. Pratt had been appointed class leader and was the only official member on the circuit ; the quarterly conference there- fore consisted of only three-the presiding elder, the pastor and the class leader. It is said that in making out the official list Mr. Latham made the nominations, Mr. Pratt did the voting, and the presiding elder de- clared the result.
The first Methodist class in Traverse City was organized by Mr. Latham on the IIth day of April, 1858, consisting of Will- iam Fowle, Mrs. Goodale and five others. The meetings were held in the district school- house, which had recently been built on the ground now occupied by the Annex to Park Place Hotel. This was the beginning of the work of the Methodist Episcopal church in the Grand Traverse region.
SUNDAY SCHOOL ORGANIZED IN TRAVERSE CITY.
The first Sunday school in Traverse City was begun in June, 1853, in the little log schoolhouse to be hereafter described. It was under the supervision of Mr. Scofield, assisted by Mrs. Goodale. Mr. Lay encour- aged the enterprise by his presence and ap- proval, and Miss Scofield, afterwards Mrs. John Black, usually came with her brother, though all the teaching was done by Mr. Scofield and Mrs. Goodale. There was no necessity, however, for a numerous corps of
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teachers, as there were only eight pupils in the school. Only two of these had ever been in Sunday school before. There were no Sunday school books or papers or singing books -- nothing but the Bible. It is related that on one occasion the four persons assem- bled at the schoolhouse, and waited in vain for the children, who failed to appear. At length Mrs. Goodale, perhaps having a cor- rect suspicion of the cause of their absence, proposed that her companions should wait, while she should go out and look for them. She found them not far off, picking and eat- ing huckleberries, their hands and faces all stained with the purple juice, in which con- dition she managed to gather them into the schoolhouse. On questioning the children as to what the parents knew concerning their doings, it came out that the latter had all gone out for a boat ride.
At the approach of cold weather in the fall the Sunday school was closed. The next summer it was reopened, but lacking the sup- port of Mr. Lay and Mr. Scofield, neither of whom was in the settlement, it was soon abandoned. Sometime afterward Mr. Lay's mother sent eighty volumes of Sunday schools books to Traverse City.
The next attempt at Sunday school work was made in the fall of 1859, and proved successful. The sessions of the school were held in the new district schoolhouse. It does not appear that there was a regular superintendent, but Rev. W. W. Johnson, successor of Rev. D. R. Latham as pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Old
Mission and Traverse City, and presiding el- der of the newly formed Grand Traverse district, who preached in the schoolhouse every alternate Sunday morning, took charge of the school when present. The teachers were Mrs. Oscar Stevens, Mrs. Jacob Barns, Mrs. Hathaway, Mrs. Goodale, and, later, Miss Belle Hannah. At the opening session Mr. Johnson prayed, "Lord, send some one to help the women." To these. engaged in the work, it was a pleasing circumstance that among the children gathered into the school were all of the eight pupils who had constituted the classes in the log schoolhouse, five years before.
In 1860 the school was prosperous. Mr. E. L. Sprague was superintendent. In the spring of 1861, Mrs. Goodale and Miss Han- nah collected, in four hours time, partly from the men employed in the mill, about thirty dollars, for the purchase of books. That year the school took four Sunday school papers, published by four different denominations. Three were paid for by the school, and Mr. Sprague donated the fourth. As at that time the postage on papers had to be paid at the office of delivery, Dr. Goodale relieved the school of that item of expense by assuming it himself.
This Sunday school seems to have been truly non-sectarian and undenominational, members of several churches and persons not members of any church working har- moniously together. It was the parent of the several denominational Sunday schools that have since graced Traverse City.
CHAPTER XII.
FIRST SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY.
Mr. S. E. Wait undoubtedly taught the first school for white people in Grand Tra- verse county, in the winter of 1851-52, and it was a very select affair, of which the ac- count reads as follows :
"In November, 1851, five young men ar- rived at Old Mission, in the schooner 'Made- line,' with the intention of wintering in the vicinity. Three of them were brothers, nam- ed Fitzgerald. A fourth was called William Bryce. The name of the fifth, who was em- ployed by the others as cook, has been for- gotten. The five were all good sailors, and three of them had been masters of vessels during the past season, but all were deficient in education. None of them were even tol- erable readers, and one of the number was unable to write his name. An eager desire to learn was the occasion of their coming. Here in the wilderness they would be re- moved from the allurements that might dis- tract the attention in a popular port. It is probable, also, that diffidence arising from a consciousness of their own deficiencies made them unwilling to enter a public school, where their limited attainments would be dis- played in painful contrast with those of younger pupils.
"At Old Mission, the man who had been engaged as teacher failing to meet the con-
tract, S. E. Wait, then only nineteen years of age, was employed, at twenty dollars per month and board. Bryce and the Fitzger- alds were to pay the bill, the cook receiving his tuition in compensation for his services. The 'Madeline' was brought round to Bow- ers' Harbor, and securely anchored for the winter. The after-hold was converted into a kitchen and dining room, and the cabin used as a school room. Regular hours of study were observed, and the men volun- tarily submitted to strict school discipline. Out of school hours they had a plenty of ex- ercise in cutting wood and bringing it on board, to say nothing of the recreation of snowballing, in which they sometimes en- gaged with the delight of genuine school- boys. The bay that year did not freeze over till March. Previous to the freezing, the wood was brought on board in the yawl; af- terwards it was conveyed over the ice. Ex- cept by way of Old Mission, to which occa- sional visits were made, the party was en- tirely cut off from communication with the outside world.
"The progress of Mr. Wait's pupils in their studies was a credit to themselves and their youthful teacher. Their after history is not known, except that four of them were captains of vessels the following season."
CHAPTER XIII.
GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY ORGANIZED.
In 1840 that part of the state of Michi- gan embraced in towns 25, 26 and 27 north, of ranges 9, 10, II and 12 west, and town 28 of ranges 9 and 10 west, and all of the. penin- sula at the head of Grand Traverse bay, was laid off into a separate county, and designated as Omena county. No county government was provided, however, as there were few white people to make use of such a thing at this time.
An attempt was made to organize Grand Traverse county by the legislature by an act which passed that body and was ap- proved April 7, 1851, which reads as follows :
"The people of the state of Michigan en- act, That all that portion of territory in the county of Omena, included in the bounda- ries hereinafter described, be, and is hereby, set off and organized into a separate county by the name of Grand Traverse, to-wit: Beginning at a point on the east side of the east arm of Grand Traverse bay, where the township line between townships 27 and 28 north strikes said bay; thence running east to the range line between ranges 8 and 9; thence south to the township line between townships 24 and 25 north; thence west to the range line between ranges 12 and 13 west; thence north to the township line between townships 27 and 28 north;
then east to the west arm of Grand Traverse bay; then following the shore of said bay. to the place of beginning; and the seat of said county shall be at Boardman's Mills on the east fraction of section No. 3, in township 27 north of range II west, until otherwise provided.
"There shall be elected in the said county of Grand Traverse on the first Monday in August, 1851, the several county officers pro- vided by law for the other organized coun- ties of the state, who shall hold their offices until the general election to be held in the year 1852, and until their successors are elected and qualified.
"The election to be held in pursuance of the preceding section shall, in all respects, be conducted and held in the manner pre- scribed for holding elections for county and state officers."
This law was very incomplete, inasmuch as it made no provision for the organization of any townships, or the choosing of inspec- tors of election. Notwithstanding this de- fect an election was held at the house of Horace Boardman on the 4th of August, 1851, at which twenty-eight votes were cast and the following county officers elected : Sheriff, William H. Case; clerk and register, L. O. Schofield; judge of probate, George N.
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Smith; county judge, Joseph Dame; treasur- er, Horace Boardman ; prosecuting attorney, Orlin P. Hughson.
In the winter of 1851-52 an act to com- plete the organization of Grand Traverse county was passed by the legislature, which extended the boundary of the county so as to include all of the original unorganized coun- ty of Omeena. This act reads as follows : "That all that part of the county of Omeena which remained after the organiza- tion of the county of Grand Traverse, is here- by annexed to the county of Grand Traverse, and shall forever be and remain a part and parcel of said county.
"There shall be elected in the county of Grand Traverse, on the first Tuesday of May next, all the several officers to which, by law, the county is entitled, and said election shall, in all respects, be conducted and held in the manner prescribed by law for holding elec- tions for county and state officers. The can- vass of said election shall be held at the coun- ty seat of said county, the Monday next fol- lowing the election, and the officers so elected shall be qualified and enter upon the duties of their offices immediately, and shall con- tinue in office until their terms of office would have expired had they been elected at the last general election ; but this section shall not be so construed as to deprive any officer duly elected, and qualified to his office, or to au- thorize the election of any one to fill his place.
"All that part of the peninsula, in Grand Traverse bay, which lies north of the line between towns 27 and 28 north, shall be or- ganized into a separate township, by the name of Peninsula, and the first township meet- ing shall be held at the Old Mission.
"All that part of the county of Grand
Traverse not included in the township of Peninsula shall be erected into a separate township by the name of Traverse, and the first township meeting shall be held at the county seat.
"The counties of Antrim, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Wexford, Manistee and Leela- naw are hereby attached to Grand Traverse for judicial and municipal purpose.
"The county of Antrim shall be and re- main the township of Omeena, and the name of said township is hereby changed to An- trim, and the next township meeting therein shall be held at the house of Abraham S. Wadsworth.
"The county of Leelanaw is hereby erect- ed into a township by the name of Leelanaw, and the first township meeting therein shall be held at the house of Peter Dougherty.
"The counties of Kalkaska and Missau- kee are hereby attached to Antrim for town- ship purposes, and the county of Wexford to Traverse for township purposes."
In compliance with this act a special elec- tion was held May 9, 1853, at which seventy- one votes were cast, and the following coun- ty officers elected : Judge of Probate, George N. Smith; sheriff, Norman B. Cowles ; clerk and register, Thomas Cutler ; treasurer, Hos- mer R. Cowles ; prosecuting attorney, Robert Mclellan; surveyor, Abraham S. Wads- worth.
The first regular election was held No- vember 7, 1854. At this time the legislative representative district comprised, not only all of the territory mentioned above, but ex- tended north to Mackinaw, including the Beaver Islands. At this election Charles J. Strang, the Mormon leader of the Beavers, better known as "King Strang," was elected
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as representative. The county officers elected at this time and at the several elections since have been as follows :
1854-Judge of probate, Nicholas Bow- er ; sheriff, Henry L. Brown ; clerk and regis- ter, Thomas Cutler ; treasurer, W. M. Mc- Killip; prosecuting attorney, Solomon Case. Highest number of votes cast, 299.
1856-Judge of probate, Theophilas Woodruff; sheriff, William R. Stone; clerk and register, Theron Bostwick ; treasurer, A. W. Langworthy ; prosecuting attorney, Da- vid C. Goodale. Highest number of votes cast, 393.
1858-Judge of probate, Curtis Fowler; sheriff, Henry H. Noble; clerk and register, Theron Bostwick; treasurer, David C. Good- ale; prosecuting attorney, Charles H. Hol- den. Highest number of votes cast, 454.
1860-Judge of probate, Curtis Fowler; sheriff, W. E. Sykes ; clerk and register, The- ron Bostwick; treasurer, Morgan Bates; prosecuting attorney, C. H. Holden. High- est number of votes cast, 607. In May, 1862, Mr. Sykes resigned the office of sheriff and E. F. Dame was appointed to fill the vacancy.
1862-Judge of probate, Curtis Fowler; sheriff, E. F. Dame; clerk and register, James P. Brand; treasurer, Morgan Bates; prosecuting attorney, Charles H. Marsh.
1864-Judge of probate, Curtis Fowler; sheriff, A. P. Wheelock; clerk and register, Jesse Cram; treasurer, Morgan Bates ; prose- cuting attorney, C. H. Marsh.
1866-Judge of probate, Curtis Fowler; sheriff, Charles W. Day; clerk and register, Jesse Cram; treasurer, Morgan Bates ; prose- cuting attorney, E. C. Tuttle. Mr. Tuttle was succeeded by E. S. Pratt.
1868-Judge of probate, Curtis Fowler; sheriff, W. W. Bartlett; clerk and register, Jesse Cram ; treasurer, H. E. Steward ; prose- cuting attorney, Frederick Brown.
1870-Judge of probate, Curtis Fowler; sheriff, Birney J. Morgan ; clerk and register, Jesse Cram; treasurer, Henry E. Steward: prosecuting attorney, Edwin S. Pratt.
1872-Judge of probate, Charles T. Sco- field; sheriff, Birney J. Morgan; clerk and register, Jesse Cram; treasurer, Henry E. Steward; prosecuting attorney, Lovell H. Gage.
1874-Sheriff, Samuel K. Northam; clerk and register, J. B. Haviland; treasurer, John T. Beadle; prosecuting attorney, L. H. Gage.
1876-Judge of probate, Charles T. Sco- field; sheriff, Birney J. Morgan; clerk and register, Joseph B. Haviland ; treasurer, John T. Beadle; prosecuting attorney, L. H. Gage.
1878-Sheriff, Birney J. Morgan; clerk and register, Joseph B. Haviland; treasurer, John T. Beadle; prosecuting attorney, Seth C. Moffatt.
1880-Judge of probate, Henry D. Campbell; sheriff, John Verly ; clerk and reg- ister, Joseph B. Haviland; treasurer, Mal- com Winnie; prosecuting attorney, Lorin Roberts.
1882-Sheriff, John J. Dunn; clerk and register, Oscar P. Carver; treasurer, Mal- com Winnie; prosecuting attorney, Lorin Roberts.
1884-Judge of probate, Henry D. Campbell; sheriff, John J. Dunn; clerk and register, O. P. Carver; treasurer, John T. Beadle; prosecuting attorney, Thomas W. Browne.
1886-Sheriff, Birney J. Morgan; clerk
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and register, O. P. Carver; treasurer, E. H. Foster; prosecuting attorney, T. W. Browne.
1888-Judge of probate, H. D. Camp- bell; sheriff, A. S. Dobson; clerk and regis- ter, O. P. Carver ; treasurer, James H. Mon- roe; prosecuting attorney, L. Roberts.
1890-Sheriff, A. S. Dobson; clerk and register, Oscar P. Carver; treasurer, J. H. Monroe; prosecuting attorney, L. Roberts.
1892-Judge of probate, James H. Mon- roe; sheriff, Medad Vinton; clerk and regis- ter, J. L. Gibbs; treasurer, J. H. Newton; prosecuting attorney, W. H. Foster.
1894-Sheriff, Medad Vinton; clerk, J. L. Gibbs; register, E. O. Ladd; treasurer, J. H. Newton; prosecuting attorney, W. H. Foster.
1896-Judge of probate, J. H. Monroe; sheriff, Oscar Simpson ; clerk, J. L. Newton ; register, O. E. Ladd; treasurer, George W. Clyde; prosecuting attorney, John J. Twee- dle.
1898-Sheriff, Oscar Simpson ; clerk, J. L. Newton; register, O. C. Moffatt; treas- ney, Fred H. Pratt.
1900-Judge of probate, John H. Loran- ger ; sheriff, D. G. Chandler ; clerk, Robert E. Walter; register, O. C. Moffatt; treasurer, George W. Steward; prosecuting attorney, Fred H. Pratt.
1902-Sheriff, D. G. Chandler ; clerk, Robert E. Walter; register, Frank Wilson; treasurer, George W. Steward; prosecuting attorney, George H. Cross.
REPRESENTATIVES IN THE STATE LEGISLA- TURE.
As has already been stated, when Grand Traverse county was first organized the repre-
sentative district to which it was attached em- braced almost the entire portion of the north- western part of the lower peninsula north of Grand Haven. Since then, as the country has become more thickly populated, the terri- tory has been gradually cut down, until the legislature of 1901 gave Grand Traverse county a representative by itself. The coun- ty since its organization has been represent- ed in the lower house of the legislature as follows :
James J. Strang, Beaver Island, 1853-55; Perry Hannah, Traverse City, 1857; Philo Beers, Northport, 1859; Thomas J. Rams- dell, Manistee, 1861 ; John S. Dixon, Charle- voix, 1863; Abijah B. Dunlap, Leelanaw, 1865-67; William H. C. Mitchell, East Bay, 1869-71 ; Thomas A. Ferguson, Sherman, 1873-75 ; James Lee, Sutton's Bay, 1875-77; James L. Gibbs, Mayfield, 1877; Henry F. May, Cadillac, 1879; Seth C. Moffatt, Tra- verse City, 1881 ; Richard Knight, Atwood, 1883; David Vinton, Williamsburg, 1885; B. D. Ashton, Traverse City, 1887; J. S. Tinklepaugh, Kalkaska, 1889-91 ; George G. Covell, Traverse City, 1893-95; William H. Foster, Traverse City, 1897-99; E. W. Hast- ings, Traverse City, 1901 ; James H. Mon- roe, 1903.
STATE SENATORS.
When Grand Traverse county was or- ganized in 1853 it was embraced in a sena- torial district that extended on the west side of the state from the straits of Mackinaw south to the south line of Ottaway count, and Grand Traverse was represented in the state senate during the first eight years of its organization by senators chosen from Otta- wa county. The following is the list of men
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GRAND TRAVERSE AND
who have been sent to the senate from the district of which Grand Traverse has formed a part, from 1853 :
I. V. Harris, Ottawa, 1853; M. L. Hop- kins, Ottawa, 1855; Thomas W. Ferry, Ot- tawa, 1857; Henry Penoyer, Ottawa, 1859; Nelson Green, Muskegon, 1861; Charles Mears, Mason, 1863 ; James B. Walker, Ben- zonia, 1865; John W. Standish, Newaygo, 1867-69; Seth C. Moffatt, Leelanaw, 1871 ; William H. C. Mitchell, Grand Traverse, 1873-75; Fitch R. Williams, Antrim, 1877; George W. Bell, Cheboygan, 1879; Archi- bald Buttars, Charlevoix, 1881-83; William H. Frances, Benzie, 1885; Walter W. Bar- ton, Leelanaw, 1887; Roswell Leavitt, An- trim, 1889; Robert R. Wilkinson, Antrim, 1891; William Mears, Charlevoix, 1893; Clyde C. Chittenden, Wexford, 1895; George G. Covell, Grand Traverse, 1897; James W. Milliken, Grand Traverse, 1899; Ambrose E. Palmer, Kalkaska, 1901; Orra C. Moffatt, Grand Traverse, 1903.
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.
The following have represented Grand Traverse county in the congress of the Uni- ted States since 1853 :
George W. Peck, Lansing, 1855-57 ; De- wit C. Leach, Lansing, 1857-61 ; Rowland E. Trowbridge, Ottawa, 1861-63; Francis W. Kellogg, Ionia, 1863-65 ; Thomas W. Ferry, Ottawa, 1865-71; Wilder D. Foster, Grand Rapids, 1871; Jay A. Hubbell, Houghton, 1873-81; Edward Breitung, 1883-85; Seth C. Moffatt, Traverse City, 1885-89; William C. Stevenson, 1889-93; John Avery, 1893- 97; William S. Mesick, Mancelona, 1897-99; J. H. Darrah, 1899-1903.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. 1
The first meeting of the board of super- visors of the organized county of Grand Traverse was held on Wednesday, July 27, 1853, at the store of Cowles & Campbell, in the town of Peninsula. It was a special meeting called by the request of Robert Campbell, of Peninsula, John S. Barker, of Antrim, and S. G. Rice, of Leelanaw. At this meeting the following supervisors were pres- ent : Robert Campbell, Peninsula ; John S. Barker, Antrim; William McKillip, Tra- verse. At this meeting, on motion of John S. Barker, Willliam McKillip was elected chairman, and in the absence of the county clerk, Robert Campbell was elected clerk pro tem. Thereupon the board immediately ad- journed to meet the next day at the store of Hannah, Lay & Company, Traverse City. At this meeting Samuel G. Rice, supervisor of Leelanaw, put in his appearance, but even with this addition to their numbers, making a full board, no business was transacted and an adjournment was had until the next day. At this third attempt considerable business was transacted. A resolution was passed re- questing the Governor to appoint Robert Mc- Lellan circuit court commissioner. Orlin P. Hughson having escaped from the custody of the sheriff while under arrest, a reward was offered for his capture.
A proposition received from Hannah, Lay & Company offering to donate the grounds now occupied by the court-house and jail for county buildings, was accepted. Another proposition to advance six hundred dollars for the erection of a court-house and jail was received from the same firm and ac- cepted, and Robert Campbell, William Mc- Killip and Thomas Cutler were appointed a
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committee to spend the six hundred dollars in the erection of the building.
Even in these early days the fact had be- gun to impress itself upon some of our people that saw-dust in the streams was detrimental to the well being of the fish, a petition was presented to the board against the practice of throwing saw-dust into the bay. It was promptly tabled, however, and it was not un- til many years afterwards that the practice was made unlawful.
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