Dorr Township (part 5 of 6)

His father, Alfred Nichols, was born in Suffield, Hartford Co., Conn., July 27, 1802, and is still living. In the year 1825 he emigrated to Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., and March 8, 1826, was married to Miss Angeline Lyon, who waji born in Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., Sept. 7, 1808, and died Oct. 21, 1873,

G. B. Nichols, who was the oldest of their family, during his boyhood attended the best schools his town and vicinity afforded, and while in his teens commenced teaching Eichool winters and working by the month, farming, sumoaers. In the spring of 1848 he entered the office of his uncle, Dr. Lester Sprague, an old and successful practitioner in Naples, and commenced reading medicine, continuing to teach winters to furnish the " sinews" to pursue his studies and enter college. He attended the se^ion of 1850-51 at Geneva Medical College, New York, and graduated at Castleton Medical College, Vermont, in November 1852, and from that time has practiced his profession.

After his graduation he returned and practiced with Dr. Sprague until 1858. On Dec. 21,tl853, he was married tct Miss Eunice M. Watkins, daughter of Bingham and Mary Watkins. She was born in Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., Nov. 1, 1832. She has ever since been the ^villing helper, noble woman, and &ithful wife.

In the spring of 1858, Dr. Nichols thought it best to seek a new field of labor, and started for the "West, driving his horse and sulky, and arrived at Martin, Allegan Co., Mich., in due time. He was in a strange land, poor in purse, but rich in energy, willing to work, and strong in confidence of success. Strangers extended the friendly hand, gave the cheery, heartfelt welcome, while the latchstring hung out from every door of all the nationalities that constituted the then sparse population of the town of Martin. Soon friendships and associations were formed, which grew warmer, stronger, and more dear and mature as succeeding years paspedf the recollections of which are freighted with pleasure and gratitude that his lot was cast among such.

Dr. Nichols has for over twenty-two years practiced medicine in Martin and its surrounding towns, and by his energy and untiring perseverance met with marked success, and now has an extensive and lucrative practice.

Dr. Nichols is and has been throughout his life a hard student, thus keeping up with the times and making himself proficient in the profession he loves.

He has always beeii an active Republican, preferring rather to work in the " ranks" than to hold a " commission." Gave his first vote, in 1848, for "Free-Soil," Van Buren, and Adams.

Walter Monteith

Among the early settlers of Allegan County there are few, if any, who have done more to advance the best interesfs of the county, its growth and prosperity, than Walter Monteith. Of Scotch descent and born in the town of Caledonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., he grew to manhood among the sturdy Scotsmen by whom that town was settled, and from them learned lessons of industry and sterling honesty which havefollowed him through life, making him one of that class from which the ranks of American pioneers have been recruited. His educational advantages were limited to the common schools of his day, while his knowledge of the world and its people have never been limited, but have expanded year by year. In the fall of 1835, Mr. Monteith, in company with his Isrother William, came to Michigan, stopping first in Hillsdale County, where they remained until the following July, working at whatever they could find to do. They then returned to New York. While in Hillsdale, Mr. Monteith cast his first vote', it being for town oflBces and he voting the Whig ticket. In the spring of 1837 the brothers again came West, driving through with a team. From Detroit they came to Kalamazoo, and from there to Plainwell. In the town of Martin their father had bought of the government section 32 ; to this land they followed an Indian trail from Gun Plain, no road having been cut through at that time. There were then but two families in the township, those of Mr. lilldred and Mr. White. On the farm now owned by W^alter the brothers built a log house, and at once commenced to improve and clear their land. They broke up and the same season sowed ten acres to wheat, which was their start in life. Their father afterwards gave each of his boys a quarter section, which was their only help. The first four years Mr. Monteith boarded himself part of the time, being impelled thereto by the low state of his finances. At that time the people of Martin went to Plainwell to vote, and to Kalamazoo and Plainwell for their supplies, while their nearest mill was at Pine Creek. The new farm Mr. Monteith then moved on to, has now bficomeone of the fine farms of Martin, and is the work and management of he who cut upon it the first tree, and who now in the evening of life sees around him cleared fields, fences, and buildings, and who has gained more than a competency, - the result, not of speculation, but of honest toil, good management,and adherence to the calling which he so well understands. His farm now consists of three hundred and thirty acres of land in Martin and a large tract in Nebraska.

In politics Mr. Monteith is a Republican ; he was the first assessor in the town, and one of the first road commissioners. He lias been fnr thirty-five years a member of the United Presbyterian Church, of which he was many years a trustee. He has always taken a deep interest in church matters, and has done his share towards building three churches. On the 14th day of March, 1840, Mr. Monteith was married to Miss Elizabeth McMartin, daughter of Duncan and Margaret (McArthur) McMartin. Their ancestors were born in Scotland, from whence they emigrated to Johnstown, N. Y., where Elizabeth was born, April 14, 1814.

William T. Monteith

Among the old and prominent families of Allegan County are the Monteiths, who settled in the town of Martin when there were but two families in the township. They are of Scotch origin. William, the grandfather of the present William T., was born in Stirling, in the lowlands of Scotland, June 4, 1743, and was one of a long line of Monteiths who trace their lineage back to the early days of Scotch history. He emigrated to America and settled in Broadalbin, Montgomery Co., N. Y., prior to the Revolution, in which war he took an active part. He took up and improved a farm in Broadalbin, where he was among the first settlers, and where he lived until his death, at the ripe old age of seventy-seven years. His fiimily consisted of five sons and two daughters, Thomas, the father of William T., being the youngest, and born March 10, 1792, oh the old homestead in Montgomery County, where he grew to manhood. In 1812 he married Miss Jane Allen, and a couple of years later moved into Caledonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., then an almost unbroken wilderness, where he bought from the government a tract of wild land, which he cleared and improved, and on which he resided until about 1840, when he sold out and moved into Martin township, where he had previously bought from the government and divided among his sons the entire section 32. He bought more land, which he cleared up and on which he lived until his death, which occurred Feb. 13, 1858. Mr. Monteith was a Scotch Presbyterian of the old school, and did much to advance the cause of religion in his vicinity. His wife still resides on section 32, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. There were born to them five sons and three daughters, of whom William T. was the oldest child.

He was born Aug. 7, 1813, in Broadalbin, but grew up on the farm in Caledonia. His education was such as could be obtained at the winter schools of his district. In the fall of 1835 he came to Michigan in company with his brother Walter, stopping during the winter in Hillsdale County, working at anything they could get to do. The following summer they returned to New York, where they remained until the next spring, when, as set forth in Walter's biography, they returned to Michigan, and settled on the land previously entered in Martin by their father. William helped his brother get started on his land, and then returned again to New York, where, on the 16th day of May, 1839, he was married to Miss Margery Sinclair, who was born in Caledonia, June 9, 1813. Her parents emigrated from Scotland. Soon after his marriage Mr. Monteith returned to Martin, and settled on the quarter-section where he still resides, and on which he intends to pass the remainder of his days. To the farm he has added until he now owns one of the fine large farms for which Martin is noted, the work of his own hands and management.

He is, and for forty years has been, a member and elder of the United Presbyterian Church, to the advancement of which he has ever done his share. He has also been prominent in Sabbath-schools, of which he has been superintendent for twenty-five years.

his township, which ofiSce he held four terms, justice of the peace sixteen years, town clerk one year, and road commissioner one term. By the old residents of the town he is spoken of as one who did much to help the new-comers in an early day, - not by words alone, but by efficient aid, enabling them to get a start in a new country, - and there are many who remember him with gratitude and affection. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Monteith the following children : Margaret Ann, July 9, 1841 ; Thomas W., Dec. 3, 1843 ; John L., Feb. 15, 1846 ; Jane, July 27, 1848 ; William H. and Margery L. (twins), Sept. 1, 1851 (William H. died Dec. 31, 1851); Elizabeth S., Nov. 26, 1855; and Eudora, born Dee. 30,1861.

Arthur Anderson

Among the enterprising farmers of Martin township, there are none who have done more to show that success depends upon energy, industry, and enterprise than Arthur Anderson, who was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Nov. 22, 1838. In 1852 his father, William Anderson, left his home in the lowlands of Scotland, where many generations of Andersons had lived and died, and in a sailing vessel embarked for the New World beyond the sea. They landed in Quebec, Canada, on the 24th day of May, 1852, and soon after came to Gun Plain township, in Allegan County, where the elder Mr. Anderson bought a farm, and on which Arthur grew to manhood, receiving a common-school education. He remained with his father until his marriage, March 28, 1865, to Miss Ann Robertson, daughter of John and Jannette (M'Donald) Robertson, who was born in Scotland (from whence her family emigrated in 1856), Dec. 30, 1846.

In 1865, Arthur bought of Mr. Patterson two hundred acres of land in Martin township, running in debt for the most of it. To this he has since added eighty acres, making a large farm, and one well adapted to stock-raising, which Mr. Anderson is now making a specialty. In 1873, wishing to improve his stock, he bought of the State Agricultural College a fine short-horned Durham, called Capt. Absolute, and numbered 13,599. The following year he purchased the Crown Prince, numbered 13,738. Previous to this he had purchased of E. L. Smith, of Kalamazoo, the Roan Beauty and Minnie Harris. In 1877 Mr. Anderson, wishing to still improve his herd of short-horns, bought of Isaac Runyan two very fine animals, known as May Flower and Sturgis Maid. Two years later, becoming more interested in the handling of blooded cattle, and believing that money expended in improving his herd was means well spent, he purchased Clement, numbered 11,519, of Richard Daugherty This animal was one of the finest ever brought into the State, he having taken the first premium at the Northern Ohio Fair when two years old, and after- ; wards sold for one thousand dollars. The same year he bought the Hampton Lad, numbered 23,388, sired by the second Duke of Oneida, who sold for twelve thousand dollars at the New York Mills' sale. Other fine animals have at different times been added to the herd, thereby keeping up the reputation of his stock, which has given Mr. Anderson many customers and ranks him among the successful breeders of fine stock. In politics Mr. Anderson is a Republican, and has filled the offices of drain commissioner and town treasurer, and is now president of the Martin Protection Society. He is, and has been since he was

Andrew Templeton

On the Cauldhame farm, in Ayrshire, Scotland, there has resided for generations the Templetons, one of the old and honored families of that historic land. On this farm generation after generation of the family have been born, have lived, and died. From time to time different members of the family on reaching manhood have left the old farm and emigrated to the New World beyond the sea, where they have become useful and influential members of society. Such an one was Andrew Templeton, of whom this brief sketch is written. He was born on the old farm Jan. 29, 1825, and remained there until he arrived at his majority, receiving a fair education. In 1852 he emigrated to America; Upon landing in New York City, Mr. Templeton went to Martin township, in Allegan County, where he had cousins living. In July, 1854, he bought of a Mr. Wolcott one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 19. It was all new, and Mr. Templeton at once commenced to improve his farm and erect buildings. That his efforts were crowned with success is shown by one of the finest farms in Martin, with a beautiful house and grounds and fine out-buildings. He was brought up in the United Presbyterian faith, with which church he united at an early age, and of which he remained an esteemed and consistent member until his death. In politics Mr. Templeton was a Republican, and was by that party elected to different offices, which he filled with credit and ability. He was a man of sterling worth, of fine business qualities, and one esteemed by all who knew him. He died March 25, 1873, mourned and regretted by many friends and acquaintances. On the 23d day of May, 1855, Mr. Templeton was joined in marriage to Miss Susan G. McFarlan, daughter of Alexander D. and Elizabeth (Allen) McFarlan. She was born in Broadalbin, Fulton Co., N. Y., July 3, 1829. Her parents were of Scotch descent, her father having been born in Scotland, from whence his parents emigrated when he was an infant. They settled in Broadalbin when that country was new, and where Mr. McFarlan lived and died.

Among the pioneers of America who left the old country to make for themselves and their posterity homes in a country where land was plenty and cheap, there came from the highlands of Scotland representatives of the McVean and Creighton families. Daniel McVean came with the British army during the Revolutionary war, he having enlisted on condition that at the close of the war he could return or remain, as he saw fit. He was a sergeant, but remained with the army only until he could honorably leave it. After the war he emigrated to Montgomery Co., N. Y., which was then new, and where he was among the first settlers. He bought three hundred acres of land, which he cleared and improved, and on which he died. His son Duncan was born on the old homestead, in Johnstown, where he remained until after his marriage to Miss Jennette Creighton, when he moved into Livingston Co., N. Y., where he was a pioneer. His wife's father, Daniel Creighton, came from Scotland soon after Daniel McVean, Sr., and also settled in Montgomery County. Duncan McVean bought one hundred and fifty acres of land in Livingston County, which he made into one of the fine farms of that county, and where he passed the remainder of his days. There were born to them seven children, of whom Duncan C. was the sixth. He was born in Caledonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., Nov. 29, 1826 ; remained with his father until he was twenty years old, receiving a common-school education, with one year at the Genesee Academy. In 1846, Mr. McVean came to Michigan, coming to Buffalo with a team and wagon. At Buffiilo he, with his team, took passage on a steamer for Detroit; then, following the old Territorial road, he came to Allegan County, arriving in Martin in September, where he bought of the government the southwest quarter of section 30, in partnership with his brothers John and Daniel C, whose interest he afterwards purchased. To this farm he has added, until he now owns three hundred and twenty acres of wellimproved land, one hundred acres of which he has chopped and cleared himself, and on which he has built a fine house and out-buildings, a view of which appears on another page of this work. In politics Mr. McVean is an ardent Republican, but not a politician ; in religion a Presbyterian, of which church he has been a member twenty-five years. In 1852, Mr. McVean was married to Mary Johnson, who died March 24, 1853. On the 29th day of November, 1855, he was again married, his choice being Miss Mary Davidson, who was born in Pavilion, Genesee Co., N. Y., Oct. 16, 1836, daughter of Robert and Mary (Simpson) Davidson, who emigrated from Scotland. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. McVean nine children, viz. : Franklin D., Daniel J., Mary A., Flora A., Elizabeth, Hugh D., Jennette F., Millard C. and Marion S., twins.

Natural Featukes

Monterey, which is designated on the United States survey as township No. 3 north, in range 13 west, is one of the most important townships of Allegan County, not only from the excellence of its -land, but from the wealth and intelligence of its citizens. It is bounded on the north by Salem, on the east by Hopkins, on the south by Allegan, and on the west by Heath. Its surface is remarkable for its varied aspect, the township containing numerous hills of moderate elevation and valleys of rich and luxuriant verdure. Some of these hills are sufiiciently high to afford an extended view of the surrounding landscape ; but it is only at a few points that the land is so rugged as to offer any obstacles to cultivation. There are some small bodies of water to be found in Monterey, but no large ones. The most important is Dumont Lake, a portion of which lies on sections 32 and 33, the remainder being in the township of Allegan. There are one or two smaller sheets, but they can hardly be dignified by the name of lakes. A creek of some importance flows from the northwest corner of the township, which has a fall rapid enough so that it might be utilized for mills or manufactories. The township is also well watered by numerous smaller streams.

The soil of Monterey is varied, the level land being composed of clay, sand, and gravel, with a large proportion of gravel also in the hills. There is occasionally a bit of swampy land, but much of this has since been made arable. This sodl is especially adapted to the growth of grain, of which it produces large crops. Wheat is the staple product of the township, some of the residents claiming precedence for Monterey, in this regard, over all the rest of the county. The enormous amount of 51 J bushels of wheat to the acre was produced on a small tract of land by one of its farmers, though this is of course very exceptional.

Monterey was formerly especially well supplied with timber, but the larger portion of this has been cut for market. It was composed of beech, oak, elm, basswood, pine, black walnut, and white and black ash, and there are considerable quantities of these kinds of timber still standing. A strip of pine-land is found on the western boundary of the township, and the northeast corner also has a limited amount.

The soil and climate of Monterey are well adapted to the culture of fruit, and fine orchards adorn nearly all the farms of the township. Apples are a staple crop, and peaches are grown with so much success as to warrant many farmers in devoting much time and labor to their growth. Grapes and cherries also find here a congenial soil.

Oeiginal Purchases Of Land

OEIGINAL PURCHASES OF LAND. Monterey was surveyed September, 1831, by Lucius Lyon, and the lands of the township were originally purchased from the government by the following individuals :

Brown. Section 13. - Bought from 1836 to 1847 by Daniel Wooden, S. Hubbard and Isaac Parker, Thomas Brown, E. T. Throop. Section 14. - Bought in 1836 by Hamilton White, S. Hubbard and I.

Priest, G. W. Secoucarte, F. H. Rider, G. C. Rush. Section 19. - Bought from 1836 to 1854 by Chandler HoUister, Ambrose Belden. Section 20. - Bought in 1836 by Chandler HoUister, Elias Beach. Section 21. - Bought in 1835 and 1836 by Nelson Sage, Justus Bond,

Gilblas Wilcox, Martin Loder, Hiram Hiokox, Benjamin Eager. Section 23. - Bought in 1836 by Charles Butler. Section 24. - Bought in 1836 by Chas. Butler, John Alury and

Horatio G. Wolcott. SeelioH 25. - Bought in 1836 by Charles Butler, Nelson Sage. Section 26. - Bought in 1836 by Samuel Wilcox, Charles Butler. Section 27. - Bought in 1835 and 1836 by Nelson Sage, James B.

March, D. A. MoMartin, Jesse Benjamin. Section 30. - Bought from 1836 to 1854 by Chandler HoUister, Willard Dodge, Frazier Luce. Section 31. - Bought from 1836 to 1854 by Peter Dumont and John

Robinson, Jr., Chester Wetmore, Chandler HoUister, Silas Hubbard, Wm. A. Stewart, Frazier Luce. Section 32. - Bought from 1836 to 1855 by Peter Dumont and John

Robinson, Milo Winslow and Amos Brownson, Osman D. Goodrich, Phineas Searl, James McCenly. Section 33. - Bought in 1835 and 1836 by Samuel Hubbard, C. C.

The year 1836 witnessed the first settlement of Monterey, the earliest pioneer to make a permanent location being Gil Bias Wilcox. He had removed from Rochester, N. Y., the same year, and after remaining a few days in Allegan repaired to the southwest quarter of section 22, in township 3 (now Monterey), which had been previously entered for him by John Swezy. Several choppers had been employed by Alexander L. Ely to clear a tract of land in the township, owned by him, who remained only during their term of labor, and did not become permanent settlers.

Mr. Wilcox had provided himself with a cloth tent, under which he obtained temporary shelter, devoting himself at once to the work of clearing some garden-ground and building a house, and repairing once a week to Allegan for provisions. At the expiration of a month he had completed a very comfortable log structure, to which his family, which had meanwhile remained in Allegan, was removed. A sufficient tract had also been cleared to- provide them with garden products.

Indians, wolves, bears, deer, etc., were of course abundant. There was not a road in the township, one which had been surveyed in 1832 not having been opened. Messrs. Wilcox and Swezy obtained a contract to open this road for a distance of six miles. The following summer Mr. Wilcox built a barn, the cost of which was liquidated by the sale of corn and potatoes he had raised. He was for a while diverted from his farming by the excitements of a boatman's life on the Kalamazoo River, but returnedere long and worked steadily to improve his land. He remained in Monterey until his removal to Trowbridge, where he now resides. The first birth in the township was that of a son of Mr. Wilcox (whom he named Elijah), an event which occurred on the 1st day of October, 1837. Another early birth occurred in the family of John Swezy. The first death in the township was that of one of the choppers employed by Alexander L. Ely, on section 34, the name of the individual having been Tanney or Penney, as nearly as can be recollected. His disease was similar to that known to modern science as diphtheria, though unfamiliar to the practitioners of that day. This was unquestionably the first death in the township.

The next pioneer who made Monterey his home was Henry Wilson. He came from Rochester, N. Y., in 1836, and took possession of 160 acres, which had been previously entered by his brother Horace, on section 15. He built a house and remained upon the place where he resided three years. He then moved to section 26, where he lived several years, and finally took up his residence in Heath, where he died. His brother, Horace Wilson, who has already been alluded to as having cleared the plat on which the village of Allegan is located, moved to the farm which Henry had vacated, and remained there a few years. He subsequently located upon section 26, but ultimately moved back to Allegan, where he died.

John Swezey was the third settler in Monterey. He entered 160 acres of land on section 22 (which he reached by following the Indian trail from Allegan) in 1836, but did not make a permanent location upon it until 1837, having, on his arrival in 1835 from Rochester, N. Y., his former home, taken up his residence in Allegan. After working for two years for Mr. Ely he built a house on his land and removed thither with his family.

The earliest preaching in the township occurred at his home in 1837, Rev. Bradley Granger having officiated on that occasion. Elders Tyler and Gage also preached occasionally in Monterey in the pioneer days. The foregoing facts are obtained from Messrs. Swezy and Wilcox.

From Akron, Ohio, came Leonard Ross in 1837, who located upon 80 acres on section 27, which he found entirely uncleared. Like others, while building his cabin and making his first clearing he had to depend on Allegan for supplies, which were so extravagant in price as to render it almost impossible to obtain more than the bare necessaries of life. Pork, the staple article of diet for the laboring-man, was 818 per hundred, salt cost the same sum per barrel, and other articles were proportionately high.

One of the earliest settlers was Noah Briggs, whose advent in Allegan occurred in 1836, he having been a former resident of Oswego, N. Y. Two years later he located upon 80 acres on section 15. His household goods had been shipped from his New York home by lake, and had been lost during a storm, so that when the family moved to Monterey they were almost destitute of the articles necessary for keeping house. Mr. Briggs and his family, however, struggled bravely with adverse circumstances, and soon made themselves a comfortable home. He increased his original 80 acres to 240, but ultimately removed to Kalamazoo County, where he died in 1875.

Nicholas Brown came from Wayne Co., N. Y., in 1838, and settled on 125 acres of uncleared land on section 12. Lemuel Wilcox, the father of Gil Bias Wilcox, came from Rochester, N. Y., in 1836, and made his temporary residence in Allegan. In 1837 he moved to Monterey with his family, where he had purchased 80 acres on section 21. His son, Samuel Wilcox, then a lad, was with him. In 1849 the latter bought 50 acres on section 36, but soon exchanged it for a tract on section 28, where he cleared up a farm. He afterwards removed to Monterey Centre, where he now resides.

Frederick S. Day, another Rochester pioneer, removed from that city in 1838 to Watson, Allegan Co., where he remained three years, after which he purchased 120 acres in Monterey, on section 21. On this land a small piece had been chopped, but the larger portion was still uncleared. No road had yet been opened, and the Indian trail, along which the whites had cut away the underbrush, was the main highway to Allegan.

Small bands of Indians frequently stopped at Mr. Day's residence on their way to Grand Rapids, where government money and supplies were apportioned to them, but they

From Chenango Co., N. Y., Hiram Sabin came to Allegan village in 1835, and the year following entered 80 acres on section 22, but did not then take up his residence upon it. He devoted his time principally to lumbering, but occasionally did some work on his place, until in 1843 he had a comfortable house and 12 acres under cultivation. In that year he married, and the very next day he repaired with his young wife to his farm and began life amid the forests of Monterey. His nearest neighbor was Harvey Kenyon, who had 53 acres upon section 15. Mr. Sabin had raised a bountiful crop of grain and vegetables the year before their advent, and the young couple was, therefore, better supplied than the average of new beginners iu the wilderness.

Another representative of Ohio is the venerable William Briggs, a brother of Noah Briggs, who located upon section 21 in 1845, where he had previously secured 80 acres. His brother's house affijrded him a shelter until he could build a residence on his own land, the lumber for which came from Peter Dumont, in Allegan. Afterwards he moved to section 21, near the centre of the township, where he now resides.

Joseph Tanner, another pioneer of 1845, located west of the centre, upon section 21. The following season he purchased the farm which had formerly belonged to Gil Bias Wilcox, on section 28, where he remained until his death, in 1872.

James McAlpine came from Wayne Co., N. Y., in 1845, and settled upon 80 acres on section 28, remaining with the family of Fluskey Atwell until he made his own land habitable. He chopped 20 acres the first year, which he speedily made productive. With Mr. McAlpine came his brother Willis, who assisted him in the improvement of his land and afterwards returned to his old homo in New York.

Ira Miller came with two sons to the township in 1847, having been a former resident of Ohio. On section 14 he purchased 160 acres of wild land. On section 15 lived Lewis Huttleston, his nearest neighbor, who afterwards removed to Kalamazoo County. Mr. Miller died at the residence of his son, Chandler F. Miller, on section 23. Another son, Madison Miller, resides upon section 15.

Among the most successful of the pioneers of Monterey is John M. Granger. He removed from Wayne Co., N. Y., in 1849, and, in connection with his brother, purchased 400 acres of Charles Howard, of Detroit, on sections 21, 22, and 28. Of this land Mr. Granger retained 120 acres, on which he now resides. The township at this time was being rapidly settled, and the work of the laborer was apparent in the fields of lofty corn and waving grain that had superseded the ancient monarchs of the forest.

John M. Granger's brother, Eli D. Granger, came soon afterwards, and located upon a portion of the original 400 acres. Mr. Granger was a graduate of the New York State Normal School, and a gentleman of scholarly attainments. He, however, adapted himself to the rugged life of a pioneer,

B. F. Granger, another brother, located, in 1852, upon section 26, where he owned 80 acres, which were purchased of William Knapp, of Allegan.

Christian Renzehousen emigrated from Ohio in 1852, and settled upon section 25, where he became the possessor of 70 acres of land. His original purchase was 160, which he divided with his brother, who has 90 acres. The latter, August Renzehousen, came two years later.

John Goodell, on his arrival from Cleveland, first settled in Trowbridge, but, in 1849, came to Monterey, where he secured 40 acres on section 10. To this he has added at various times, uutil he now has 220 acres in the immediate neighborhood. Mr. Goodell had no neighbor for a distance of sixteen miles north and for twenty miles west. Noah Briggs was near him on the south, and Thomas and Nicholas Brown had located on the east, two and a half miles away. Mr. Goodell removed to his present farm in 1858.

John Chase, a native of the State of New York, became a resident of Monterey in 1851, having purchased 80 acres on section 36. After making many improvements upon it he finally removed to Kansas. Mr. Chase was a publicspirited citizen, and very active in promoting the interests of the township.

Joseph Thorn, formerly of Ohio, purchased of Robert Weeks 160 acres on section 25. He was, for some time after his advent, a member of Horace Wilson's family, but finally removed to his own land, where he at present resides.

C. F. Kenyon, another native of the Buckeye State, purchased a farm of William Hoyer, which had previously been entered by Osman Smith on section 16, but boasted no other improvement than a log house. William Hoyer resided south of him, on section 21, and was his nearest neighbor. Mr. Kenyon still resides upon his original purchase.

The largest landed proprietor in Monterey is George T. Lay, who includes in his possessions 960 acres of land, his residence being located on section 25. Mr. Lay came from Pennsylvania in 1844, but remained for ten years in the village of Allegan, following the occupation of a boatman on the river. In 1851 he purchased 160 acres of land in Monterey, and employed a man to chop 100 acres, building a log house for his use. To this house Mr. Lay moved his family in 1854. Sylsbre Rumery and Horace Wilson were their nearest neighbors. At this time two-thirds of Monterey was still uncultivated. Mr. Lay is one of the few who mention any special bad behavior of the Indians beyond getting drunk. He says that when he was working on the river they would frequently board his raft and purloin whatever eatables or drinkables could be found. He passed through a varied experience with them, and was sometimes exposed to much danger from their violent tempers. Especially was this the case when they resolved to resent any fancied injury.

Christian Sebright and Henry Mentz were among the pioneers of 1854, each of whom purchased 80 acres of land, which they at once improved. Mr. Sebright died in

1872. Mr. Mentz, who still resides in the township, has during the larger portion of his life been a minister of the gospel, and officiated as pastor of the German Methodist Church in the township.

Hiram Bailey came in 1855 and located upon section 20, where he owns 80 acres, besides land on the adjoining section. He had previously been a resident of Rochester, N. Y., and had followed the occupation of a boatman.

Among other prominent settlers in the township during the years attached to their respective names may be mentioned the following : L. Huttleston in 1841 ; S. Squires and S. J. Reed in 1842 ; S. B. Guyot in 1849 ; J. Thome, C. Gibson, and J. H. White in 1851 ; M. Reed, J. G. Merrifield, Adam Knoblock, and G. Shank in 1853 ; C. Atwell and S. J. Stranahan in 1854 ; G. Huskinson, P. Feltenbarger, J. Pierce, A. Symonds, F. Webber, and H. Merrifield in 1856.

The earliest highway in the township was the one from Allegan to Grand Rapids, which passed through Monterey from north to south, angling slightly near the township-line of Allegan. It was originally surveyed by Pierce Barber, in 1832, and marked by blazed trees, but, not being cleared, the lines became so obliterated as to make a re-survey necessary. This was made by F. J. Littlejohn in 1841. The weather at the time this was done happened to be extremely cold ; the members of the surveying party sufiered severely, and on reaching a place of shelter at night one of them fell senseless upon the floor, while the remainder were rendered almost speechless by the cold. The same year a contract was awarded John H. Swezy for opening that portion of the road which passed through Monterey. The second road, which was surveyed soon after (probably by Mr. Littlejohn), began on the southeast corner of section 24, and ran west on section-lines through the township.

In 1842 the meagre population of the township determined to set apart a tract of ground for burial-purposes. A spot was accordingly selected on section 28, which was neatly fenced and improved so as be suitable for the purpose to which it was devoted.

The first interment occurred soon after, Lemuel Wilcox, one of the township's oldest residents, being the first to find a resting-place in the new cemetery. It has since been maintained as a burial-ground, and is adorned with many beautiful tablets and memorial stones. A cemetery located in Hopkins is also used by the residents of the eastern portion of the township.

Early Schools

EARLY SCHOOLS. The first school in Monterey, if the meagre information relating to the subject be correct, was established upon section 22, on land belonging to John Swezy. A log structure was erected, and school established in it, which was patronized by the few residents of the district, including the families of Messrs. Ross, Wilson, and Huttleston. Mr. Horace Wilson cut a road from his place to the schoolhouse to enable his children to reach it with ease. The

Histoky Of Allegan And Barky Counties, Michigan

The township is now divided into eight whole districts and one fractional one, of which the directors are Joseph Chamberlain, Fred. Miller, C. F. Miller, Frank Lay, Zopher Cornell, Josiah Feltenbarger, John W. Avery, F. P. Heath, and A. 0. Reed. There are 9 school buildings in the township and 359 scholars receiving instruction, 23 of whom are non-residents. The teachers arc paid an aggregate annual salary of $1430.20.

Montekey Centre

The hamlet of Monterey Centre is located on the four corners of sections 15, 16, 21, and 22, its geographical position being the exact centre of the township. It was first settled by Horace Wilson, who purchased in 1835 the southwest quarter of section 15. He made some improvement on the land and then disposed of it for a location on sections 26 and 27. He was followed by Justus W. Bond, who entered the northeast corner of section 21. He employed Eli Grifiith to do the first chopping, to whom he gave 40 acres of uncleared land as compensation for his services. Mr. Bond afterwards removed to California.

George W. Kibby became, in 1847, the owner of 80 acres, embracing the northwest corner of section 22, which he improved and on which he built a house. In 1860 he erected a hotel, the upper portion of which is now used as a public hall. Andrew Briggs located 40 acres on the southeast corner of section 16 in 1848, upon which he built an ashery. He subsequently removed to Allegan, where his death occurred in 1877.

The earliest store was opened by Andrew Briggs, on the corner of section 21.. After conducting it for a brief time he was succeeded by Dr. See. It subsequently passed under the control of Messrs. Ferguson and Moore, who were followed by Messrs. HolTmaster and Miller. After a few years one of the proprietors died, when the business was closed up. A store was next erected by Abram Berry, which he afterwards disposed of to Henry Guyot. The local lodge of Odd-Fellows purchased the building and converted it into a hall for the use of that organization.

In 1869 a store was built by Messrs. 0. R. Johnson & Co., which is at present occupied by F. B. Watkins, his stock embracing all goods suited to a country tiade. A store of a similar character is kept by Frank Hewitt, in which the post-office is located, Samuel A. Hewitt being postmaster. There is also a district school, presided over by W. F. Benson ; one blacksmith-shop, kept by Squire Bishop ; a wagon-shop, owned by John Frey ; and a bootand-shoe shop.

Geeman Methodist Chuiich

CHUKCHES. GEEMAN METHODIST CHUIICH. The earliest missionary of the German Methodist Church who labored in Monterey was Rev. G. Berthrams, whose advent occurred in 1856. His successor. Rev. Jacob Krebill, was instrumental in the organization of the first class in the township, his assistant at the time being Rev. H. Krill. These clergymen who had already inaugurated the good work were succeeded, by Rev. Nathaniel Myer, and later by

Rev. William Burns then became pastor, after which Rev. Henry Krill was recalled. In 1868 the charge was under the pastoral care of Rev. Conrad Wauas, who, during the second year of his pastorate, made strenuous efforts which resulted in the erection of a church edifice, the building committee, who labored assiduously in the enterprise, having been Christian Renzehousen, Peter Deudel, and August Renzehousen. The cost of the edifice was $1400, exclusive of much labor volunteered by members of the congregation.

Rev. Henry Mentz became the pastor afler the completion of the church, and remained in charge three years, when he was succeeded by Rev. G. C. Herzer, now the presiding elder of the district. Rev. Andrew Myer was then installed, and at the expiration of his term of service Rev. C. A. Militzer, of Allegan, the present pastor, began his labors.

Seventh-Day Adventist Church

The first meetings held with a view to introducing the faith of the Seventh-Day Adventists occurred in the winter of 1855, under the auspices of Elder M. E. Cornell. As a result of his labors a church was organized the following year with 35 members, Charles Jones and John Russ being installed as local elders. ^

In the summer of 1858 a small church edifice was erected, and in 1860, Elder Joseph Bates, who was one of the earliest to embrace the faith, located at Monterey as pastor of the little flock. He remained until his death, which occurred in 1872, John Russ, one of the local elders, having died the same year. The dimensions of the house of worship proving inadequate to the wants of the congregation, which had considerably increased in numbers, a new edifice was erected in 1862, io- which they at present worship. The membership numbers 71, Elder H. M. Kenyon being the pastor.

Methodist Episcopal Church

The Methodist Episcopal society in Monterey, which was formerly a part of Allegan charge, was made a separate one by the action of the Michigan Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held at Lansing in the fall of 1867. Rev. Joseph Wood was the first preacher in charge. During the year a house and lot at Monterey Centre were purchased for a parsonage at a cost of $600. It has since been improved, and its value increased.

The present church edifice on section 26 was erected during the pastorate of Rev. E. Hayes. It was completed in September, 1862, at a cost of $2700, being dedicated by Rev. E. B. Jocelyn, D.D., president of Albion College.

eminently a church-going people. Siuce its separation from the Allegan charge the church has been served by the following pastors : Kevs. Joseph Wood in 1867, H. Hurbert in 1868 and 1869, G. W. Cathorne in 1870, E. Hayes from 1871 to 1873, N. D. Marsh from 1874 to 1877, W. A. Bronson in 1877 and 1878, and B. A. Tanner (the present incumbent), installed in March, 1880.

Secket Societies

This lodge was organized under a dispensation in 1876, its first officers having been Ransom Harrington, W. M. ; Hiram Bailey, S. W. ; Samuel Goyt, J. W. Its present officers are Allen Mosher, W. M. ; Hiram Bailey, S. W. ; Aaron Krug, J. W. ; C. C. Lindsley, Sec. ; Philip Feltenbarger, Treas.

A lodge of this order was first established in Monterey in 1869 and organized in April of that ~year, the first officers under a dispensation having been Fayette S. Day, N. G. ; M. A. Powell, V. G. ; Daniel Loeb, Sec. ; Oliver Gordon, Fin. Sec. ; Joseph Hoofmaster, Treas.

LODGE No. 983, I. 0. OF 6. T. The charter for the organization of a lodge of Good Templars was granted June 12, 1876, its first officers having been Edward Eggleston, W. C. T. ; Libbie Marsh, W. V. T. ; N. D. Marsh, W. C. ; Orin L. Foster, Sec. ; Sarah Briggs, Assist. Sec. ; Hiram Sabin, Treas. Its present officers are Fred. Wilcox, W. C. ; Sarah Briggs, V. T. ; M. A. Powell, Sec. ; Amy Wilcox, Treas.

MONTEREY GRANGE, No. 247, PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY. Monterey Grange was organized by a dispensation granted Feb. 19, 1874, by S. F. Brown, Master of the Michigan State Grange, its first officers having been William M. White, W. Master ; B. F. Granger, W. Overseer ; M. V. B. McAlpine, W. Lecturer ; W. F. Benson, Sec. ; James McAlpine, Treas. ; F. J. Strong, Steward ; S. B. Guyot, Assistant Steward. Its present officers are Martin McAlpine, Master ; Samuel H. Wilcox, Overseer ; David Cornwell, Sec; W. F. Benson, Lecturer; Joseph Chamberlin, Treas. - Noah Briggs, Steward ; Earl Ross, Assistant Steward. The organization now embraces 150 members, and has since its inception been one of the most popular enterprises in the township.

Diamond Springs

DIAMOND SPRINGS. Diamond Springs is a small hamlet, located on the four corners of Salem, Overisel, Monterey, and Heath. It claimed some years ago considerable attention as the centre of a large milling business, but boasts at present only one establishment of this character, a saw- and grist-mill, owned by W. E. Sawyer, which enjoys some patronage from the residents of the northwest corner of the township. A store containing a general stock was formerly kept by J. Clark, but this has since been discontinued. The school building of the district embracing this portion of the township is located liere. The spot takes its name from a spring of clear, delicious water, which attracted the first settler to this locality.

Organization

" Be it enacted bj the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Michigan, That townships number three and four north, of range thirteen west, and township four north, of range fourteen west, in the County of Allegan, be and the same are hereby set off from the township of Allegan, and organized into a separate township, by the name of Monterey, and the first township-meeting therein to be held at the block meeting-house in said township."

This territory embraced Salem and Overisel, the former of which was organized as a separate township in 1855, and the latter attached to Fillmore, leaving the township of Monterey as it at present exists. On its organization several names were proposed, among them Wilson, in honor of Horace Wilson, one of the earliest pioneers. This not proving acceptable to the committee who were appointed to christen the new township, - consisting of Horace Wilson, Hiram Sabin, Sylsbre Rumery, John Chase, and Isaac Dexter, - Hiram Sabin suggested the name of Lynn, which was accepted, and Blessrs. John Chase and Sylsbre Rumery were appointed a committee to convey the intelligence to the county clerk, who was to forward the name to the Legislature. They were apprised of the existence of a township of Lynn in St. Clair, which precluded the use of that name. Burlington was then suggested, but proved amenable to the same objection. The clerk then informed the committee of the triumph of American arms in Mexico under Gens. Taylor and Worth, and the victory won on the field of Monterey. Mr. Rumery suggested that in honor of this event, the township be called Monterey, which met the approval of his colleague, and the name was adopted and confirmed by the Legislature.

Civil List'

The first township-meeting was held April 19, 1847, Isaac Dexter having been appointed moderator and John Chase clerk. Horace Wilson and Lemuel Ross were chosen as inspectors of election.

The following officers were elected: Supervisor, John Chase; Township Clerk, Noah Briggs; Treasurer, Frederick Day ; Justices of the Peace, James M. McAlpin, Horace Wilson, N. H. Brown, Gil Bias Wilcox ; Highway Commissioners, Gil Bias Wilcox, James M. McAlpin, George W. Kibby ; School Inspectors, John Chase, Henry Wilson; Directors of the Poor, Thurum Ross, Joseph Tanner ; Constables, George M. Kibby, Silas Reede, Harvey Kenyon, Horace Dexter.

George T. Lay

The subject of this sketch (George T. Lay) was born Oct. 28, 1822, near Lockport, Niagara Co., N. Y. His father, Abner Lay, emigrated to that place from Vermont when a young man, at which time that portion of the State was a dense wilderness. He afterwards took an active part in the war of 1812, being engaged in a number of battles along the lines near Buffalo and Black Rock. The settlers of that portion of the State were inclined to look great discredit upon the project of a canal from Albany to Buffalo, and hooted at the idea of raising the boats by a system of locks as fanaticism of the wildest character, many of the settlers along the line of survey declaring that they asked no longer lease of life than to be spared to see the idea in successful operation. The mother of George T. Lay, whose maiden name was Mehitable Talbot, was a native of Massachusetts, and was a lineal descendant of one of three Talbot brothers who were among the very earliest settlers of Massachusetts.

In the fall of 1832, Abner Lay purchased a tract of wild land in Erie Co., Pa., and contracted with certain parties to erect a cabin thereon, to be occupied liy liis I'auiily the following winter. A few weeks aCt.or liis return to New York, he fitted out a train composed of two yoke of oxen and a long sled loaded with necessary liou.schold goods and a limited supply of provision. There were to accompany this load six head of cattle, twenty sheep, a man to drive the oxen, and a boy fifteen years old to drive the cattle and sheep. That boy has since been a member of the Legislature of this State. George T. (then a lad of ten years) was directed to accompany this train to assist in driving the livestock to Pennsylvania, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, which journey he accomplished on foot in the dead of winter. The remainder of the family were to make the trip with a horse-team, and arrive in advance of the above-described train. However, on the day before that set for their departure, they met with an accident while returning from a visit to a near relative. The sleigh-tongue slipped from the neck-yoke, capsizing the sleigh and its contents, and seriously injuring the mother. The horses, being very spirited and badly frightened, immediately separated ; one of them, running some distance into the woods, was found the next day checked up, having tramped one acre of two-feet snow to a solid road-bed. The other ran a short distance and entered the hall of Muldo's hotel, where he was found apparently waiting for further orders. The above-named hotel enjoys the reputation of being the place where the abductors of William Morgan stopped to change horses at midnight, and it is said that Muldo's fancy team conveyed him from thence to the Niagara River.

On the arrival of the ox-train at the- new home, they found only the log body of the cabin, without a roof, and two feet of snow inside. The snow was shoveled out, a single board roof put on, a fire built in one end, and the first meal eaten in the house was composed of flour mixed with water, placed upon a board and turned up to the fire

Notwithstanding its primitive character, this meal was eaten with very evident relish. The next step was to cut a large hemlock-tree so as to lodge it in a similar one, which device formed a shelter for the stock until spring. After a week of suspense the horse-team appeared with the rest of the family to share their pioneer life, to the great delight of young George, who had begun to feel the pangs of homesickness. Eleven years later, at the age of twenty-one, he left the cleared and well-improved farm in Pennsylvania to seek his own fortune farther west. He landed first at Jack- son, Mich, (at that time the terminus of the Michigan Central Railroad), and with satchel in hand traveled on foot through different towns and counties, landing finally at Allegan in May, 1844. The best outlet Kalamazoo then had for her flour was by shipping in keel-boats to Allegan, transferring from boats above the dam to boats below, and thence down the river to Lake Michigan. Our hero shipped on board the keel-boat " Pioneer,'' and spent his first summer in Michigan sailing up and down the Kalamazoo River before a stiff white-ash breeze, or, more properly, a stiff white-ash pole manipulated by his own hands. He then engaged in the lumber trade, and for the succeeding nine years worked in all its branches, from taking it from the stump in the forest of Allegan County to retailing the lumber on the docks at the head of Lake Street, Chicago (now the site of large and valuable blocks of buildings), and found hard labor in all departments, except that of carrying home the money received for the lumber. About this time the failure uf the wildcat banks left Allegan without any currency that would pass for money.

Numerous saw-mills were in operation, and lumber became the fiat-money that kept Allegan alive through that financial crisis. During this time a certain head-sawyer found himself at the close of his week's labor with his pockets full of wildcat, yet without the means to buy even a pound of sugar, whereupon he loaded his broad shoulders with as much clear siding as he could carry, which he exchanged at the store for a supply of groceries, and for the balance due him received as change a 2 by 4 scantling. This system of exchange kept Allegan from bankruptcy until the finances of the county became settled.

After residing in Allegan for a few years, and exercising great economy, Mr. Lay became able to purchase by contract one hundred and sixty acres of land in the township of Monterey, on section 25. Instead of paying for his land immediately, he used what means he had in hiring , men to chop, and adding to this his own labor he succeeded in clearing up one hundred acres at once. The first and second crops from this paid for the land and cleared him from debt. He was married in Allegan, Oct. 5, 1851, to Mary E., daughter of Chester and Nancy Barber. She was born in Old Canaan, Conn., July 14, 1825, and at the age of nine, with her father's family, emigrated to Freedom, Portage Co., Ohio, afterwards to Allegan in 1844, and after their marriage remained there until the birth of their first child, which occurred May 27, 1853. At the time of its birth the father was at work on his present home in Monterey, preparing a place to move his family. On his return home, Saturday night, he found a little blueeyed daughter two days old waiting to welcome him. At the age of twenty this child was married to E. Brackett, and two years later a daughter was born to her in the same house and room where she was born. Mr. and Mrs. Brackett are now residents of Van Buren Co., Mich. His other three children are now residents of Monterey, and married as follows : Alta R. to J. C. Clemens, formerly of Iowa ; Frank B. to Belle M. Barclay, of Allegan ; and Ida E. to M. H. Lane, of New York. Mary E., the wife of George T. Lay, died Nov. 27, 1862. On the 5th of April, 1864, he was married to his present wife, who was the daughter of Daniel and Hannah Finch Stone, and was born Feb. 11, 1833, in Oswego Co., N. Y., and in 1834 removed with the family, by way of Erie Canal and Lake Erie, to Portage Co., Ohio, and in 1843, with her parents, brother James S. Stone, now a resident of Kewanee, 111., and sister Harriet, now Mrs. Stephen Gardner, and resident of this town, emigrated to Shiawassee Co., Mich., performing the journey in a covered wagon, and passing through what was then known as Maumee Swamp. She afterwards resided for some years in Erie-Co , Pa., and removed from there to Allegan Co., Mich., in 1856.

Mr. Lay's fine orchards and large productive fields have amassed to him wealth ; while his extensive dealin" in agricultural implements has made him very generally known throughout the county and adjoining towns.

Leonard Ross

Among the pioneers of Moritcrey meriting conspicuous mention is Leonard Ross, a native of the State of New York. He was the eldest in a family of six children of Huram and Nancy Bidwell Ross, the former of whom was born July 3, 1796, in Vermont, and died Aug. 8, 1866, in Monterey; the latter's birth occurred April 3, 1798, and her decease took place in January, 1858. The birth of their son Leonard occurred during their residence in Bangor, Franklin Co., N. Y., April 25, 1821. He remained at home during the early years of his life, and aided his father in the improvement of his land. In 1837 the latter gentleman determined to cast his fortunes with the Michigan pioneers, and purchased the south half of the southeast quarter of section 28, in Monterey, upon which his son, the subject of this biography, still resides.

The details of the journey from their Eastern home, the adventures they encountered, and the discouragements they met are too voluminous to come within the province of a brief sketch of this character. They were subjected, however, to all the privations common to pioneer life which are recounted in the pages of this volume, braved all dangers, were indifi'ercnt to obstacles, and ultimately arrived at their destination, where they were comfortably settled in a house erected by Mr. Ross and his son. On the 10th of August, 1848, Leonard Ross was married to Miss Laura Ann Tanner, daughter of Joseph and Lydia Kenyon Tanner, their daughter having been born in Granville, Washington Co., N. Y., Aug. 27, 1820, and was the oldest in a family of nine children. The father of Mrs. Ross claimed the same village as a birthplace in the year 1799, and died in Monterey at the age of seventy-three years. The mother, also a native of the Empire State, died Oct. 17, 1856, in her fifty-sixth year. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Ross has been cheered by the presence of seven children. Myron A. Ross was born June 23, 1849 and married April 20, 1873, to Miss Mida Jane Brewer; Mary M. was born July 26, 1851, and married in December of 1874 Nelson M. Bartlett; Harris Earl, whose birth occurred Oct. 23, 1853, and his marriage to Miss Orsa Goblie, Oct. 22, 1875 ; Seth Adelbert, who was born March 31, 1856, and married to Miss E. Barber, April 14, 1877 ; Emma Jane Ross, whose birth occurred May

16, 1858, and her marriage to Clifton Chamberlain, Deo. 22, 1874 ; Franklin J., born in 1860, who died in 1863 ; and Jesse A., born in 1862, and whose death, the result of diphtheria, also occurred in 1863. Mr. Ross was formerly a Democrat, but espoused the principles of the Republican party in 1860.

Both himself and wife were originally Baptists in faith, but have more recently connected themselves with the Seventh-Day Adventists, who have a flourishing society in Monterey.

JAMES McALPINE. The Empire State seems to have been the home not only but the permanent abiding-place of the McAlpine family previous to the arrival of the subject of the present biography in Michigan., His father, William McAlpine, was born in 1792, and died in 1867. His mother, Lydia, whose birth occurred about 1790, died in 1869, both having remained in their native State of New York all their lives.

Of their five children, James was born in Windham, Greene Co., N. Y., Sept. 6, 1820, and at the age of eleven years departed from th« paternal roof and sought employment abroad, his father receiving the proceeds of his labor. At the age of twenty he married Lucinda M. Granger, who was born Oct. 17, 1819, in Sodus, Wayne Co., N. Y., and was the sixth of a family of ten children. Her father. Noble Granger, was a native of the Bay State, as was also her mother, both bearing the family name of Granger, though not related.

James McAlpine after his marriage spent some time in agricultural pursuits in his native State, first in Ontario County, and later in Monroe County, where he cultivated farms on shares. In 1845 he came to Michigan on a prospecting-tour. Having been favorably impressed with the soil of Monterey, he purchased land in that township, and later returned for his wife and child. On their arrival in Michigan they found a hospitable welcome at the house of Flasky Atwell, a near neighbor, until a substantial frame house could be erected by Mr. McAlpine on his recent purchase, to which they removed Nov. 25, 1845.

After his arrival, thirty dollars was the cash balance remaining with which to engage in the work of improvement. However, Mr. McAlpine was equal to the emergency. Employment was found in the immediate vicinity, which enabled him to provide for the wants of the household, while the intervals were devoted to cultivating the land and securing crops which should afi'ord them a subsistence. By industry and excellent judgment this land was soon converted into the productive farm upon which he now resides. Mr. McAlpine's political convictions have caused him to affiliate with the Democratic party. He has devoted much time to the interests of the township, and held many important public trusts. Mr. and Mrs. McAlpine have had three children, the first of whom, Martin V. B., was born June 23, 1843; William Noble's birth occurred Nov. 23, 1849, and his death in October, 1853 ; Henry C. was born Feb. 24, 1856 ; he is still residing with his parents, while the elder son is married and located near them. These children have each been educated in. the faith of their parents, - that of the Methodist denomination.

Hiram Sabin

The progenitor of the Sabin family in Monterey was Ziba Sabin, who was born in the State of Massachusetts in 1784, and in July, 1809, married Miss Hannah Phillips, who was a native of the State of New York, where she was born in 1788. Mr. Sabin's death occurred in 1847, while his wife survived until 1868, and died in Monterey. A family of four children graced their home, - Hiram, whose brief biography is here traced ; Oliver, who is a resident of New York State ; and two daughters, Eunice and Clarissa, both residents of Allegan County. Hiram Sabin was born in Plymouth, Chenango Co., N. Y., Feb. 21, 1815, and during his early life assisted his father upon the farm. At the age of twenty he became ambitious for a wider, and at the same time more independent, field of usefulness, and departed for Michigan, reaching Allegan in November, 1835. Here he found a village projected, and aided in the first clearing of the ground upon which it was subsequently built. In March, 1836, he entered the land embraced in his present farm, described as the east half of northwest quarter of section 22. He began in 1839 the clearing of this tract, and in the winter of 1842-43 erected a house, to which, in February, 1843, he brought his wife, who was formerly Miss Deidamia, daughter of Josiah and Sarah Potter, natives of New Hampshire. Mrs. Sabin came to Michigan in 1837, having been attracted thither by the presence of her sister, Mrs. William Allen, who was a resident of Allegan. Mr. and Mrs. Sabin have four children : Sarah H. was born July 20, 1844, and is married to Noah Briggs, of Monterey; Martha D., whose birth occurred May 16, 1847, and is the wife of Morris Price, of Isabella Co., Mich.; Harlan I., born Oct. 15, 1851 ; and Hattie A. Sabin, born Aug. 27, 1859. The two latter remain at home with their parents. Mr. Sabin is an earnest Democrat in his political convictions, and has been all his life active in the public interests of the township. He has occupied in succession the various ofiices of road commissioner, township treasurer, and justice of the peace in Monterey, each of which positions he has filled with ability and credit.

Since their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Sabin have been devoted members of the Presbyterian Church, and have exemplified in their lives the teachings of the faith they espoused. He has always been a strong advocate of temperance and its principles. This rare unity and consistency of character have gained for them the affection and respect of all who know them.

Caleb F. Kenyon

The father of the gentleman who is the subject of this biography was Elijah Kenyon, who was born in Rhode Island in 1793, and died in 1875, reaching the good old age of eighty-two years. He married first Miss Hannah Calkins, of Vermont, who died, as nearly as can be determined, in 1824, and later Miss Mary Briggs. From the first marriage there were three children, one of whom was Caleb F. Kenyon, who was born in Vermont, Feb. 8, 1822. Six children blessed the latter union, and Mrs. Kenyon still sur.vives and resides in Monterey. Caleb F., early having a desire to fulfill the duties of a faithful son, remained with his father until twenty-one years of age, having accompanied him to Ohio in 1832. The two following years after having attained his majority he devoted to chopping and clearing land. He was married May 22, 1845, to Miss Jane Eggleston, daughter of Newell and Mary Eggleston, who was born July 12, 1828, in Ohio, and was the first in a family of seven children,- - two boys and five girls. Caleb and Jane were married in the village of Medina, Ohio. Her father died in 1871 ; the mother is still living, and resides at Battle Creek, Michigan.

conducted the business of a butcher for three years in the county of Cuyahoga, Ohio; and in the year 1850 he came with his family to Michigan, and purchased eighty acres of land on section 20, and later exchanged it for their attractive home. Coming into the country at an early day, they endured the many privations and hardships of a pioneer life, the entire township being nearly a wilderness. They have had seven children ; four of them died in infancy, and the survivors are Hiram, born April 27, 1846, and was married to Katie Johnson, of Allegan, Oct. 6, 1874, the latter of whom died Oct. 17, 1878 ; and Freeman, born April 6, 1850, and was married to Inez Pierce, the only child of Horace and Harriet Pierce, March 30, 1876, and' is now living opposite the homestead ; and Almeda, who was born April 29, 1857, and is now married to E. F. Ferris, and living at Grand Traverse. In politics Mr. Kenyou is a Republican. Tlicy are respected citizens, and by economy and patient industry have acquired a sufficient competency for their declining years.

Joseph Thorn

Joseph Thorn was born in Liberty, Trumbull Co., Ohio, May 16, 1830. His father died when he was but two months old. Joseph remained with his mother, on the farm, until he was twenty-one years of age, attending the district school winters. When he had attained his nineteenth year his time was given him by his stepfather. He subsequently attended the Kinsman Academy, in Trumbull Co., Ohio, for one term. The two years following he was employed by the month on a dairy-farm. He inherited from his father a tract of land of about fifty acres, located in Ohio ; this he traded July 4, 1851, for one hundred and sixty acres, the northeast quarter of section 25, in Monterey "township, Allegan Co., Mich. In the month of October following he visited Michigan, looked at his new possessions, and returned to Ohio, being but nine days absent from home. In November, 1852, he came to Monterey, Mich., and, boarding with- Horace Wilson, commenced chopping on his own place. He did not commence the clearing until 1854, which year he planted two acres of corn and twenty-four of wheat. In 1855 he harvested six hundred and ten bushels, as the yield of twenty-four acres, the seed being dragged in without plowing.

He married, Dec. 20, 1855, Mary Louisa Wilson, daughter of Horace Wilson, an early settler (who cleared the village plat in Allegan in 1836). Mr. Thorn had raised a log house the November previous, and soon after his marriage moved into it ; this remained his humble home until December, 1869, when he moved into his present residence. Mr. and Mrs. Thorn have had but one child, which is deceased. Mr. Thorn is a Republican in politics, " first, last, and always." Both himself and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is now, as he has always been, active in all the material interests of the town in which he lives.

This township, prominent as the seat of the first important settlement in the county of Allegan, derives its name from Otsego Co., N. Y., and embraces territory designated in the original survey as township No. 1 north, of range No. 12 west.

It is situated on the southern border of the county, east of the centre, is bounded on the south by Kalamazoo County, and for about a mile in the southwest corner by Van Buren County ; on the north, east, and west it is bounded by the townships of Watson, Gun Plain, and Trowbridge, respectively, in Allegan County.

Its surface is generally rolling, and originally that part north of the Kalamazoo River was covered with dense forests of beech, maple, oak, ash, whitewood, lynn, blackwalnut, and many other deciduous varieties. Along Pine Creek were many acres of handsome pines, while to the eastward of the same, and south of the Kalamazoo, was an extensive tract of oak-openings.

The Kalamazoo and Gun Rivers, Schnable Brook, and Pine Creek are its principal water-courses. The former river, in its course towards Lake Michigan, passes from east to west, bearing a little north, through the central part of the township. It has been, and ever will be, the most important natural feature of Otsego. Its descent and flow are rapid. High banks on either side keep it within its channel at the highest stage, and by means of dams and artificial channels at the village of Otsego excellent water-power privileges are secured, which are among the best in the State of Michigan. Gun River enters the township by crossing the east line of section 13, and after flowing one mile to the southwest empties into the Kalamazoo.

Schnable Brook comes in from Watson township, and, flowing to the southwest for a distance of some two miles, pours its waters into the Kalamazoo, near the centre of section 7. Pine Creek enters the township near the southwest corner, and, taking a northeasterly direction, empties into the Kalamazoo River on section 21.

The soil of Otsego is excellent. It is well adapted to grazing, and in the cultivation of fruit, corn, and cereals the inhabitants are very successful.

Early History Original Surveys

EARLY HISTORY. ORIGINAL SURVEYS. The first survey-party to visit this region was led by John MuUett, of Detroit, who, as deputy United States surveyor, ran out the east boundary-line of this township, as well as the lines of other townships' lying to east and north, in December, 1825, and January, 1826. The south line was traced by William Brookfleld, May 4, 1827 ; the north line by Lucius Lyon, Dec. 29, 1830; the west line by Lyon, Dec. 31, 1830; and on the 27th day of January, 1831, Mr. Lyon completed the government survey by finishing the subdivision of the township into sections. The following interesting description of this township as it appeared to him in January, 1831, will be of interest to present residents :

" The township of which the foregoing ar4' the field-notes is a fine tract of land for a new settlement. Three families have already located themselves within it, and more are coming in the spring. So that before the close of next summer this township will probably contain thirty families.

"Sections twenty-eight, thirty-one, and thirty-three contain some groves of valuable pine-timber, which is much needed in the oakopening country to the south and east.

"A Mr. Turner Aldrich is now erecting a saw-mill on Pine Creek, in the northwest quarter of section twenty-eight, and, it is understood, is designing to out off most of the pine before the land comes into market. In this, however, the inhabitants about here feel an interest in preventing the waste of this timber, and hope he will be disappointed by the early sale of the land.

" Mef^srs. Sherwood & Scott are also making preparations to erect a saw-mill and grist-mill on Pine Creek, near its mouth, on section twenty-one.

" There is also a mill-site on Gun Eiver, in section twenty-four and the south part of section thirteen ; and another good one on the Grrand Kapids of the Kalamazoo River, in the west part of section twentythree j and another in sections five and six, on a stream running southwest into the Kalamazoo River.

" Water-power is abundant. The soil of the land is generally good, the surface rolling, and in some places hilly. The timber is beech, sugar-maple, oak, ash, lynn, black-walnut, with iron-wood, and in some places briars and vines. Everything considered, this township may well be designated first-rate.

" Of its geology and mineralogy little can be said. No rock appears in sight in this township, though in many places there are deep ravines and favorable places for observation. A deep stratum of earth covers the whole. But if an opinion may be formed from the configuration of the surface and the character of the pebbles seen, the underlying rock is probably calcareous sand-rock. No metals are found, but several springs indicate the existence of iron-ore."

The public lands lying in Otsego were not placed upon the market until in September, 1832. On the 11th day of the latter month the first entries were made as follows: Giles Scott, east half of the southwest quarter of section 21 ; Hull Sherwood, west half of the southwest quarter of the same section ; and John B. Yeomans, a portion of section 33.

During the succeeding days of September, 1832, many other entries were placed on record. Following is a list of the earliest entries made on each section in the township, as obtained from the records, but it does not include all who purchased of the general government :

Section 6. - George Schnable, Union Co., Pa., July, 1834; Beers and Sherwood, New York City, August, 1835; A. and F. Bronson, New York City, April, 1836.

Section 23. - Horace 11. Comstock, Otsego Co., N. Y., September, 1832, the entire section, excejit Island No. 2, in the Kalamazoo Kiver, which was entered by Henry Booher, Aug. 18, 1851.

First And Subsequent Early Settlements

Among those men who traversed and looked over a large portion of this county prior to the first settlement were Giles Scott and the Sherwoods, of Rochester, N. Y., Samuel Foster, from Vermont, and Turner Aldrich, Jr., from Cattaraugus Co., N. Y.

They were here during the winter of 1829 and 1830, and explored the Kalamazoo River and its tributaries, looking for mtU-sites, and for pine tracts in their immediate vicinity ; likewise for good farming-lands. Of all the region examined, this locality suited them best. They returned to their homes early in the spring of 1830, and we may believe that during the intervening months all due preparations were made for the removal of themselves and families, and their permanent settlement in the then wild Territory of Michigan.

Giles Sci)tt,* the son-in-law of Hull Sherwood, Sr., seems to have eclipsed all others in his preparations, for we find that, accompanied by his wife and one or two small children, he arrived at the mouth of Pine Creek parly in the fall of 1830, and constructed a small log house, described by Lucius Lyon in January, 1831, as situated " on the bottom-lands, about ten chains back from the river." Edmund Sherwood, son of Hull, Sr., then a boy of fourteen years, came with Mr. Scott, and probably some other members of the Sherwood family. Their place of settlement was on the north part of the southwest quarter of section 21, and was held by right of pre-emption until the lands of this township came into the market, in September, 1832. Mr. Scott was a genial spirit among the early pioneers, an excellent fiddler, and many " hoe-doivus" were tripped o'er his puncheon floor by the lads and lasses of early times. He built a tavern at Pine Creek in 1836, over which he presided until his death.

Following Mr. Scott by but a few day,g came Turner Aldrich, Jr., from Lodi, Erie Co., N. Y. He was accompanied by two daughters as housekeepers, and besides household goods brought with him mill-irons, a saw, and all other fixtures necessary to construct and put into operation one of those primitive water-power saw-mills so common fifty his father having constructed and managed one of the very earliest saw-mills in Western New York (on Cattaraugus Creek), - and immediately began building a saw-millf

His was the first white family in the county excepting that of William Gay Butler, who located at Saugatuok in the spring of the same year. The only surviving member of Mr. Scott's family who came in with him is his daughter Rachel, then nearly four years old, afterwards married to William II. Carter, and now residing in the village of Otsego. As none of Mr. Butler's family are now living in the county, Mrs. Carter is its earliest surviving resident. - t This mill was burned in July, 1832, while being operated by Cyrenius Thompson and Charles Miles. (See history of Gun Plain.) It was immediately rebuilt by Mr. Aldrich, and was then operated by Orlando Weed prior to his removal to the Gun Plain settlement.

on Pine Creek, one mile from its mouth. It was completed in the spring of 1831, and probably cut the first lumber in all Western Michigan. Uri Baker, now a resident of Martin township, came in with Mr. Aldrich ; also Sloan Eaton, a Mr. Hill, and John B. Yeomans.

During the fall of 1831, Hull Sherwood moved in with the remainder of his numerous family. He came from Rochester, Monroe Co., N. Y., and was accompanied by his married sons Eber Sherwood, Hull Sherwood, Jr., and Royal Sherwood, with their families, Lebbeus Sherwood, an unmarried son, and a young man named J. McCormick, now a resident of Gun Plain township. The Sherwoods also settled near the mouth of Pine Creek, and, assisted by Mr. Scott, commenced building a dam and saw-mill at the mouth of-that creek. Their saw-mill was completed in the winter of 1831-32, and was followed in ISS-i by a gristmill,* of which J. Volentine was the master-mechanic.

For some two or three years the settlement at the mouth of Pine Creek was the most important one in the county, and a village known as New Rochester was platted by Hull Sherwood at a very early day. Here were established the first grist-mills, stores, shops, etc., and doubtless Mr. Sherwood secretly entertained the hope that some day the little hamlet might emulate, if it did not rival, its great namesake.

The next family to settle in the township, and the first on the site of the present village of Otsego, was that of Dr. Samuel Foster. Dr. Foster was a native of the State of Maine. Early in life he removed to Vermont, and there married Miss Pamelia Camp, of Barre. He was a regularly educated physician, and practiced his profession in Montgomery, Franklin Co., Vt., until his removal to the State of Michigan. He was accompanied here by his wife and the following-named children,'}' Samuel D., Gould C, Pamelia, Betsey, Benjamin W., George H., and Everissa, and by Norman Davis, a young unmarried man. Dr. Foster's youngest child, Albert R., the first child born in the village of Otsego, was ushered into this troublesome world during the year 1834. The trials and vexations experienced by Dr. Foster and his family in their removal to and settlement in Otsego were about the same as attended all Michigan pioneers of that date. They and their household goods, farming implements, etc., were conveyed on boats, vi& the Erie Canal and Lake Erie, to Detroit. In the latter city the doctor bought a yoke of oxen, some Indian ponies, and a wagon, and after all his goods and the younger members of the family were snugly arranged therein he started westward along the Territorial road. But very few white families,were seen after passing Ann Arbor. At Battle Creek a halt was made, while Mr. Foster and his party erected two log houses.J From there

* Oka Town and three other men went with four o.x-teams to Detroit to procure the iron and machinery for this mill, the trip requiring three weelts' time. This mill for several years supplied a wide extent of country. It was strongly built, and having since been repaired and enlarged, is still at work.

These children all grew to manhood and womanhood, married, and became beads of families, except Benjamin W., who was drowned, at the ago of thirteen years, in the Kalamazoo Eiver.

the journey was continued, vid Gull Prairie, to the forest home on the banks of the Kalamazoo, where all arrived safely in the fall of 1831. § Dr. Foster pre-empted a large portion of section 23, and built his first house on the south bank of the river, in rear of the Lutkins House.

After his settlement here he gave up the practice of medicine, devoting his time and energies principally to farming. In 1832 he was appointed the first justice of the peace and the first postmaster in the territory now comprising the county of Allegan. His house was the rallying-point for all important meetings of the early pioneers, and he was one of Otsego's most prominent citizens.

During the year 1832 the settlement thus commenced was still further increased by the arrival of Charles Miles, the first supervisor elected in the county, and a most prominent man at an early day in many other respects ; Martin W. Rowe, an early merchant, and the first constable and collector in the county ; Abijah Chichester, one of the first township officials ; A. L. Cotton, who came here first as one of Lyon's surveying-party, and afterwards married one of Hull Sherwood's daughters; John L. Shearer, who served as one of the first inspectors of election in 1833, and was afterwards prominent as an official in the township and county ; and Warren Caswell.

This was the year of the celebrated Sauk or Black-Hawk war, and the few white families then settled at Pine Creek, at the rapids || of the Kalamazoo, and in the Gun Plain neighborhood were kept in a fearful state of suspense and trepidation during the early summer, while awaiting the decision of the surrounding bands of Ottawa and Pottawattamie Indians whether they were for war as allies of Black Hawk, or for peace and the friends of the Michigan pioneers. At a council of several days' duration, held on Gun Plains, the Indians at last decided to remain quiet and peaceable, and thereafter no trouble was apprehended or experienced by the whites at their hands. Meantime, while the excitement was at its height, a worthless halfbreed named Pricket or Picket, then living near the mouth of Gun River, assured his white neighbors again and again that the Indians meant mischief, that they were bent on war, and advised the settlers to fly with their families from the country and avoid massacre. As it proved, he belied the dusky race with whom he was connected. His purpose was supposed to be to inaugurate a precipitate flight of the whites, and afterwards appropriate to himself such articles as they might leave behind.

§ There seems to be some discrepancy in the statement made by Mr. S. D. Foster concerning the date of his father's settlement here and the transcribed field-notes of Lucius Lyon's original survey and subdivisiOQ of the township. Under date of Jan. 27, 1831, Mr Lyon says: "In section twenty-three, opposite Foster's house, is a spring, and the river here is very rapid." Therefore, of the three queries, - viz., whether Mr. Foster built his house during Ms first visit to Michigan, whether he settled here In the fall t^ 18.S0, instead of 1831, or whether a mistake has been made in transcribing the original fieldnotes of Mr. Lyon, and that the date should be Jan, 27, 1832, instead of Jan. 27, 1831, - we cannot undertake to answer either. Mr. S. D. Foster avers that after their settlement Mr. Lyons and his surveyino"- party were here at work. This may be true, and yet Lyon may have been doing unfinished work in adjoining townships while making his headquarters here in the settlement.

In September of the same year the lands of this township were placed upon the market. The choicest tracts soon found purchasers, and from that time the population and importance of these heretofore outlying settlements rapidly increased. By an understanding with Horace H. Comstock, formerly a resident of Otsego Co., N. Y., the lands pre-empted by Dr. Foster were entered in the name of the former.

The event of 1833 was the organization of the township of Allegan and the election of township officers. The first meeting was held at the house of Samuel Foster, and, as the electors all resided in the present townships of Otsego and Gun Plain, the full proceedings of this and subsequent meetings held before the subdivision of Allegan into four townships will be found upon succeeding pages.

Among the settlers of 1834 was Oka Town, from Vermont. He was elected an assessor in th« spring of 1835, was appointed the first probate judge of Allegan County the same year, was chosen a justice of the peace in 1836, and a supervisor in 1837, and has since most worthily filled many other positions of trust and honor. And now, after forty-six years of continuous residence in the township, he still remains one of its most active and prominent citizens. Randall Crosby also settled here in 1834.

Dr. Lintsford B. Coats, the first practicing physician, and the first school-teacher to reside in the county, settled on the site of Otsego village in the fall of 1833, where he soon after erected the first framed house. He was thoroughly educated, was a successful physician, and most efficiently served both his township and county in many responsible civic positions.

Albert Eldred, from Vermont, Jeremy Lindsley, from Monroe Co., N. Y., who still resides upon the land purchased by him in October, 1834, and Orsamus Eaton, from the same place, also settled here in 1834. Mr. Eaton established the first store* at Pine Creek immediately after his settlement.

In 1835, Chester and Lester Buckley established the first store on the site of Otsego village. J. S. Higgins built a saw-mill on a branch of Pine Creek, some three miles from the river, where was sawed the lumberf to build the first framed house in Battle Creek. The first bridge over the Kalamazoo was completed at Pine Creek. Janus Hawks also settled at the latter place the same year, and the following year (1836) established himself in business there as a grocer.

The township of Otsego, including surveyed townships 1 to 4, inclusive, of range 12, was organized in the spring of 1836. The assessmentj was made in June, and the

* Previous to the coming of Mr. Eaton, Eber Slierwood had sold at the Creek some goods he had brought to Michigan when he came with his family, but, as he did not replenish his stock when exhausted, we do .not think he earned the title of merchant.

f Willard Higgins, son of J. S., then but twelve years of age, hauled this lumber, shingles, etc., brought back provisions on his return, and safely traversed roads which now would be considered impassable.

following table shows the names of all who were then assessed as resident tax-payers, also the number of acres owned and the value of real and personal estate possessed by each at that time.

estate, $77 ;. total value of real and personal estate, $477. Chester Buckley, in the village; value of real estate, $420; value of personal estate, $200; total value of real and personal estate, $620. L. B. Coats, acres, 30i; value of real estate, $222; value of personal estate, $70; total value of real and personal estate, $292. Timothy Coats, acres, 117; value of real estate, $468; value of personal estate, $100; total v.alue of real and personal estate, $568. Samuel Foster, in the village; value of real estate, $1500; value of personal estate, $345; total value of real and personal estate, $1845. S. D. Foster, acres, 80 ; value of real estate, $320 ; value of personal estate, $55; total value of real and personal estate, $375. Sloan Eaton, value of personal estate, $40. J. S. Higgins, value of real estate, $200; value of personal estate,

$55 ; total value of real and personal estate, $1055. Hull Sherwood, Jr., acres, 93 ; value of real estate, $440 ; value of personal estate, $135; total value of real and personal estate, $675. Eber Sherwood, acres, 359; value of real estate, $1486; value of personal estate, $230; total value of real and personal estate, $1716. Samuel Town, acres, 41 ; value of real estate, $200 ; value of personal estate, $90 ; total value of real and personal estate, $290. James Hawks, acres, 240 ; value of real estate, $960 ; value of personal estate, $100 ; total value of real and personal estate, $1060. M. W. Rowe, acres, 36; value of real estate, S130. Orsamus Eaton, acres, 80; value of real estate, $320; value of personal estate, $15; total value of real and personal estate, $336. Koyal Sherwood, acres, 120; value of real estate, $660; value of per- , sonal estate, $100 ; total value of real and personal estate, $660. A. L. Cotton, acres, 316 ; value of real estate, $1260 ; value of per- ^ sonal estate, $120 ; total value of real and personal estate, $1380. Abijah Chichester, acres, 76; value of real estate, $304; value of personal e8tate,.$70 ; total value of real and personal estate, $374. Sophia Sherwood, acres, 197; value of real estate, $788; va'lue of personal estate, $125; total value of real and personal estate, $913. Hull Sherwood, Sr., acres, 270; value of real estate, $1160; value of personal estate, $136; total value of real and personal estate $1295. Levin Adams, acres. 111 ; value of real estate, $444 ; value of personal estate, $190 ; total value of real and personal estate, $610. Edrio Atwater, value of personal estate, $75. Charles Miles, acres, 120 ; value of real estate, $480 ; value of personal estate, $250 ; total value of real and personal estate, $730. Norman Davis, value of personal estate, $60. James Kendall, value of personal estate, $15. Jeremy Lindsley, acres, 80 ; value of real estate, $320. Thomas James, acres, 71; value of real estate, $284. James Smith, Jr., acres, 240; value of real estate, $1760.. J. L. Shearer, acres, i; value of real estate, $50; value of personal estate, $200; total value of real and personal estate, $250. Sherwood A Co., acres, 140 ; value of real estate, $2560. H. J. Sherwood, administrator of Jackson's estate, acres, 60 - value of real estate, $300. '

Eakly Business Men

1836 (" there being no persons liable for the payment of such tax within the second quarter of said year") were Kowe & Eaton; time of commencing, August 1st; occupation, retail store. Eaton & Chichester; time of commencing, September 13th ; occupation, retail store. D. L. Case; time of commencing, September 13th ; occupation, retail store. The additional names reported for the last quarter of 1836 were J. S. Higgins ; time of commencement, October 14th ; business, inn-keeper. John Hawks ; time of commencing, October 10th ; business, grocer.

In 1838 those assessed for the same tax were Roswell Crane, inn-keeper ; time of commencing, Dec. 18, 1837. L. Buckley, merchant, Jan. 1, 1838. S. and S. D. Foster & Co., merchants, Jan. 1, 1838. H. and E. Sherwood & Co., merchants, Jan. 1, 1880. Turner Aldrich, business not specified, Jan. 1, 1880.

Village Of New Rochester, On Section 21

Watson, which at the time of its organization included the present towns of Watson, Hopkins, and Dorr, was set off in 1842. This considerably diminished the numbers of the old township, but its agricultural and manufacturing interests were rapidly developed, and in 1850, with 158 dwellings and 818 inhabitants, it took the first place, in point of numbers, among Allegan County townships. Three years later its tax-paying inhabitants were as follows :

History Of Allegan And Barky Counties, Michigan

The population had increased to 1429 in 1860. In 1874 there were 2118 inhabitants. With 700 voters, its present population will approximate 3500.