Illustrated historical atlas of the county of Wayne, Michigan / H. Belden & Co.

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HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY.

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blocks, while both the yard front and sidewalks are for extra carriage-way
fronting business blocks. There are also over 100 acres in from three to
ten acre out-lots between the railroads for residence and garden plats, and
tiers of bioks not subdivided, for sale cheap or for donation to manufacturing, religious, educational or benevolent improvements, when the proprietor
is well assured of their merit and permanency.
With such growth and prospects, the success of this suburb of Detroit
seems well assured.
HIISTORY OF GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP.
Greenfield Township is situated in the northeastern part of Wayne
County, and is bounded on the north by Oakland County, on the east by
Hamtramck Township, on the south by the city of Detroit and Springwells
Township, and on the west by Redford Township, and was originally a part
of Springwells Township.
There were few settlers in Greenfield Township previous to the year
1829; among those who settled here about this time we find Myron Otis, who
came to this State in 1829. He came from Scoharie, Otsego County, New
"York. His father, Asao H1. Otis, took up a tract of government land, in the
central part of the township, receiving his deed with the signature of President Jackson. I-e was a delegate to the convention for the adoption of a
State Constitution, in 1836, and was a member of the State Legislature
in 1850. The only man who settled previous to 1829, of whom we
have any definite record, was John Strong, an Englishman, who came
to this county, and settled in Greenfield Township, as early as 1826.
Among those who settled within a few years of that time are Job Chaffee,
who came from Rutland County, Vermont, in 1830; James Smith, who settled in 1831, and Harmon Snyder, who came from Otsego County, New
York; and about the same year came Rodman Stoddard, Thieodore Holden,
James and Joseph Messmore, and Luther Scoville. Previous to the organization of the township, land was taken up from the United States Government, by Carpenter Chaffee, Solomon Hyde, Amos Chaffee, John Kennedy,
James M. Reed, James Ward, Garry Bloss and Jacob Barger. At this time,
the whole township was a vast wilderness, each settler being obliged to cut
his way through the forest to his own land, there being no settlements beyond
a distance of ten miles from the city of Detroit, in the year 1832.
The territory now known as Greenfield Township was set apart from
Springwells Township, and Greenfield Township was organized in the year
1832, Carpenter Chaffee being the first Township Clerk. There are no villages in the township, the township post office being located at a hotel, on
the Detroit & Lansing Plank Road, known as the "Eight Mile House."
The land is nearly level, being very slightly rolling. The principal occupation of the inhabitants being agricultural pursuits. The present population
of the township is about 2,000; and it contains about 500 voters. The following is a list of the present officers of the township:
Supervisor-George F. Pillard.
Clerk-William nKnapp.
Treasurer-James F. Turner.
Justice of the Peace-John B. Price.
Commissioner of Highways-George F. Higgins.
Drain Commissioner-Patrick Whalen.
Superintendent of Schools-E. W. Cottrell.
School Inspector-John Sprague.
Constables-Joseph Black, William Hall, William Ford, Oliver M. Dicks.
HISTORY OF REDFORD TOWNSHIP.
The township of Redford is about in the center of Wayne County, from
east to west, and is bounded by Greenfield on the east, Dearborn on the
south, and Livonia on the west. It is on the northern side of the county,
and borders on Oakland County.
It was originally one of four townships which went to compose the town
known as Buckland, the other three being Greenfield, Livonia and Dearborn.
The first settlement of the town was made in 1818, by a man named Bell.
From that time till 1825 there were but few new comers; but about'this time
several new settlers came in, most of them from the State of New York.
Thomas Geldard, an Englishman, settled in the town in 1825; George Norris
came from Geneva, New York, in 1828, and settled in the western part of
the township; Benjamin and Joseph Green came from Ontario County, N. Y.,
in 1827; William Lyon came from New York in 1828; George Farrington
came in 1829, coming from Steuben County, New York; Noah Benedict came
from Ohio in 1831, and settled in Farmington; S. K. Burgess came from
Birmingham, Oakland County, Mich., in 1832; he came with his father,
Harmon Burgess. Among the other settlers who came about this time are
Lewis Cook, from New York; George Boyce, from England; Hiram Wilmaarth, Noah Peck, from New York; Ralph and Benjamin Bell.
The township was organized in 1833.
The Grand River road was opened through the township in 1833, previous to which time there were no roads except an Indian trail, known as

the Shiawassee trail, running through the township to Detroit. The road
from Farmington to Dearborn was opened previous to 1832. -
The first death in the township occurred in October, 1830, and the second, that of a Mrs. Pastor, wvho came from Vermont, in October, 1832. The
first marriage ceremony was performed in the western part of the township,
by Justice of the Peace Fox, in 1830.
Tradition says that the name of Redford was given to this township from
the fact that the River Rouge, whose name, being French, signifies "red,"
has a ford within the township limits. Other traditions say that it was suggested by the fact that the red men forded the Rouge there on their annual
pilgrimage to Maiden, Canada, where the Shiawassee tribe received a pension
from the British Government, for services rendered during the war of 1812.
At the time of the settlement of the township, this tribe, to the number of
about 300, made an annual trip from what is now Shiawassee County to
Detroit, and thence to Maiden, to receive this pension. There are several
villages in Redford Township, among which are Redford Center, Fisher Station, Duboisville, and Oak Post Office.
The principal business of the township is agriculture, although there is
one tile factory, one glue factory, and, also, one or two saw and grist-mills
inside the township limits. There are three churches in the township. The
present officers of the township are as follows:
Supervisor-John M. Lee.
Clerk-Charles D. Collins.
Treasurer-Hugh Hauk.
Superintendent of Schools-Emmett Minock.
Justices of the Peace-Alvin C. Pierce, George Morris, Flavius J. Smith,
and Edwin Sackett.
School Inspector-F. U. Nardin.
Drain Commissioner-Enos Beckel.
Highway Commissioner-Alfred Harris.
Constables-Henry Cronner and George H11. Lee.
HISTORY OF LIVONIA TOWNSHIP.
The township of Livonia is situated in the northwestern part of Wayne
County, and is bounded east by Redford Township, south by Nankin
Township, west by Plymouth Township, and north by the county line.
Among the first settlers in Livonia Township are Daniel Blue, who came
fromh Oneida County, New York, with his son, Alexander Blue, and settled
in the eastern part of the township in 1832; Alexander McKenney,

who came from Ireland, in June, 1832, and settled in Redford Township,
but soon afterward moved to Livonia Township. About this time came
Thomas Hammond, who came from New York; Joseph Morse, from Steuben
County, New York; Reuben Glass, Peter Mielden, George Ryder, Erastus
Everett, Nathan K.ingsley, Gilbert Martin, Solomon Lambert, who came in
1831 ~ James Gunning, Jamnes Grace, Nehemiah Weston, Gabriel Deane, John
Cahoon, Adolpmhus Brigham, Pardon Briggs and John G. Welsh.
The township of Livonia was organized in 1835, the following officers
being chosen at the first meeting of the citizens of the new town:
Register of Deeds-Theodore Williams.
Treasurer-David French.
Coroner-Benjamin Woodworth.
Clerk-Silas Joslin.
Inspectors of Election-A. Brigham, Silas Joslin, Thomas Harper.
In 1837, the township was divided, into school districts; Benjamin Stephens, Archelaus Harwood and Harvey Durfee being the first School Inspectors.,George Farrington was the first member of the Legislature from
this township, when the capitol of the State was at Detroit.
Among the other old settlers who have held important offices we find the
name of Alexander Blue, who held the office of Justice of the Peace for a
term of twenty-eight consecutive years.
The present town officers are as follows:
Supervisor-William T. Rattenbury.
Clerk-William T. Ewing.
Superintendent of Schools-Marvin Arnold.
School Inspector-Benjamin Passage.
Treasurer-Avery Chillson.
Drain Commissioner-Dougald Blue.
Highway Commissioner-Homer Moore.
Constables-John F. Creiger, Augustus Arnold and Charles Bentley.
The principal occupation of the inhabitants of the township is farming,
although there are at present four or five butter and cheese factories, and
one or two saw and grist mills inside the township limits.
HISTORY OF ]NANKIN TOWNSHIP.
The first settler in Nankin Township was a man by the name of Geo. M.
Johnson, who came to this part of the county in 1824, and built a log house
on the ground now occupied by Hammon Bros'. boot and shoe store, where
he furnished entertainment, liquid and solid, to the few travelers through
this section until the year 1826, when he sold out to a man by the name of
Simmons, who kept up the hotel business for three years. In a fit of drunkenness he killed his wife, for which he suffered the death penalty by hanging, in 1830. It is believed by many that this is the only instance of legal
hanging in the history of the State.
In 1831, Ezra Derby bought out the Simmons heirs and immediately began to make improvements. This was the only house in Wayne until in
1832, when a man by the name of Rulo moved in and built near George
Goldsmith's present residence. He was followed soon after by Street and
Krider, who have lived here ever since. About this date, the township became settled quite rapidly; and, in the northern part, many were already
making for themselves homes for the future, among whomn were Glode D.
and James F. Chubb, who settled here in 1826.
The earliest official record dates back to the year 1827, at which time all
that tract of country lying between Springwells and Ypsilanti was known
as Township No. 1, and called Bucklin. The first road in this township was
laid by Geo. M. Johnson and Harvey' Tuttle, Commissioners of Highways,
on the 11th day of July, 1827. The township of Nankin was formeddn the
year 1830, and embraced what is now known as Nankin and Livonia. The
first township meeting was convened at the -house of Henry Wells, and adjourned to the school house in Schwartzburgh, where, after passing sundry
unimportant resolutions, they adjourned to meet at the same place for the
next annual meeting. James F. Chubb was the first Town Clerk and G. D.
Chubb the second. The first Supervisor was Rev. Marcus Swift. He was
re-elected for several successive terms, and had the entire confidence of the
people in this locality. Mr. Swift came from Newx York in the year 1825,
and settled in the north part of the town. Being the first Minister of
the Gospel in these parts, his labors were arduous and but ill paid,
yet, with much to discourage him, he labored faithfully and efficiently in his
vocation. In 1833, the M. E. Church organized a conference and he took
charge of the Oakland circuit, which embraced 125 miles within its limits.
This circuit he made once in four weeks, preaching thirty-one times a month,
for which he received $120 per year.
The first Justice of the Peace in this township was James F. Chubb,
holding that office by virtue of a commission from Gov. Lewis Cass. While
Michigan remained a Territory, the office of Justice of the Peace was not
electiye, but was held by appointment. The first attempt at making a village of Wayne was in 1834, by Ezra Derby, who made the first plat and
called it Derby's Corners. The first school house in Wayne was built in
1832, by Ezra Derby and a man by the name of Parker. In this year, Win.
Hawley settled here, who was followed the next year by Kilborn and Perkins. Mr. Kilborn was the first blacksmith in this section, and is still liv

ing. The shop in which he worked was erected on what is now known as
the public square, by Ezra Derby, in 1833. In 1834, Mr. Derby built the
first mill in Wayne. This year was also made celebrated by the birth of the
first white child in Wayne-Miss Maria Krider-afterward wife of J. D.
Bunting.
In 1837, the first Quarterly Meeting of the M. E. Church was held in
Street & Krider's barn, Elder Hur, of Ohio, presiding. The first church
built in this place was dedicated by the Congregational Society in 1850.
Since that time, the Methodist, Universalist and Catholic societies have each
built commodious places of worship. The first wagon shop in Wayne was
built in 1853, by W. R. Corlett & Brother.
The village of Wayne was incorporated in 1869, and held its charter
election at the Union Hotel, April 12, 1869, H. N. Collins and C. T. Barnard
being Inspectors of Election and Win. M. Hastings, Clerk.
The first village officers were elected almost unanimously, as follows:
President-W. R. Corlett.
Recorder-Wmin. M. Hastings.
Treasurer-Ammon Brown.
Trustees-Jacob D. Bunting, Frederick Marker, Sr., Thomas Morrison,
Israel Bell, John J. Palmer.
The Council met and organized April 20, and appointed A. L. Chase,
Street Commissioner, and Stephen T. Curtis, Marshal.
The village lock-up was built the first year of its incorporation, and the
work of building sidewalks, street crossings, etc., begun.
The Union school building of Wayne was erected in 1870, at a cost of
$19,000, and furnished a little later, at a cost of $3,000. In the fall of
1871, it was ready for use and J. M. Boyd was engaged as Principal with
an annual salary of $1,000.
The last charter election of the village of Wayne was held on Monday,
March 20, 1876, and the following officers elected, viz.:
President-W. ItR. Corlett.
Recorder-George McGuire.
Treasurer-Jolhn S. Egeler.
Trustees-J. O'Connor, W. A. Pettingill, C. H. Cady, S. W. Walker, Jr.,
James R. Hosie.
W. R. Corlett being the first and last presiding officer of the Council.
This year, the village has put up street lamps on all the principal thoroughfares, and other improvements will follow as needed.

HISTOUY OF SPRINGWELLS TOWNSHIP.
This township derives its name from a few large springs that flow from
the foot of a hill near the site of old Fort Wayne. It wnas first settled by
the French, and dates its occupancy back to the first settlement of Detroit.
Like the neighboring township of Hamtramck, the records throw but little
light on its first Organization, and give the names of but few of the actual
American settlers who came within its boundaries prior to 1830.
Joseph Barron was undoubtedly the first Justice in the township, being
appointed by Governor Cass, while Michigan was yet a Territory. Later, he
held several other offices, and is believed to have been the first Supervisor.
Governor Woodbridge was also one of the early Supervisors, and, if we are
correctly informed, held the office two or three terms.
Since the township was first laid out, its boundaries have been several
times changed on the east and north, quite a portion having been added to
Detroit. Its present size is about 4x5o miles, and is joined on the north by
Greenfield, east by the city, south by Detroit River, and west by Dearborn
Township and River liouge.
The township is generally level, the predominating quality of soil being
clay. In the southeastern part, howevei-, may be found a small section of
sandy loam. It is well watered, having, besides the two rivers above mentioned, several fine creeks within its limits. The farms are generally small,
well tilled and for the mostn part devoted to market gaidening, dairy purposes, etc., and, on account of their proximity to the city, are exceedingly
valuable. Any one journeying in this direction on the principal thoroughfares radiating through the city will be struck with the village-like aspect
of the w-hole township.
Its population is about 5,500. Present officers are:
Supervisor-Conrad Clippert.
Town Clerk-August Sink.
Justices of the Peace-C. F. Campau, Samuel Ludlow, John Streater and
Leonard Sink.
HISTORY OF TAYLOR TOWNSHIP.
That division of Wayne County known as the township of Taylor was
formerly a part of Ecorce, which being very large, and the greater part of
its trade having centered at or near the river, those residing in the western
portion were greatly inconvenienced, by having to travel almost the entire
breadth of the township when public affairs demanded their attention.
Accordingly, in the winter of 1847, a petition was forwarded to the Legislature, setting forth the advisability of dividing the township. This resulted
in an act, approved March 16, which, from the lands lying west of a line
running east of Sections 3, 10, 15, 22, 27 and 34, constructed the township
of Taylor. It then had 150 inhabitants.
The first lot of land transferred in this part of the county was an eighty
acre piece, in Section 28, being purchased of the government by Peter
Coan, in 1830. Two years later, with the assistance of his brother
Edmund, he built him a house, and took up a permanent abode. Edmund
afterward moved into Brownstown, but Peter has tarried in the township ever
since, and may, therefore, be considered pre-eminently its pioneer. Then
came in rapid succession John Hayden-who afterward went West, however-George Brundrit, John Moat, James and William Sutliff. In 1850,
Augustus Coan, father of Peter, who had fought in the war of 1812, came
into the township. Among the other early settlers were W. N. Steward,Lucius Parmely, Josiah Johnson, Clark Wells, Isaac Combs, Joseph Clark,
and Elias Vreeland. Charles Freeman, who afterward became world-renowned as a pugilist, split rails for the latter gentleman, for some months.
After them came Elder Patteo, a man of God of the Methodist persuasion,
who preached the first sermon, and tied the initial matrimonial knot.
In accordance with the act by which the township was erected, the first
town meeting was held at the house of Richard Sutliff, on the 5th day of
April, 1847. The number of votes cast was forty-four, and the election
resulted in the choice of the following officers:
Supervisor.-Jared Sexton.
Clerk-Charles Steward.
Treasurer-W. W. Fletcher.
Justices-Jared Sexton, W. N. Steward.
Highway Commissioners-William Sutliff, William Shipman.
School inspectors-Chandler Wells, Jamies Silverwood.
Constables-O. Ri. Robbin, Chandler Wells.
Overseers of the Poor-Josiah Johnson, Samuel Brass.
The greater part of this township is very level and low, and in-former
years was covered to a considerable extenta with surface water. This, combined with the fact that large tracts were held by speculators, caused the
progression of the township to be somewhat slow, when compared with
others. But under the present excellent system of drainage, extensive sections, remarkable for their fertility, are being rendered easily available, and
Taylor will soon be, agriculturally, a prosperous town. Its educational
privileges are good, it having five school districts. Its nearest railroad

facilities are at Wyandotte, about four miles distant, where the major proportion of its produce finds a ready market.
SThe town has no properly called business centers, although the post
office with two stoies, a saw mill, and several dwellings pass by the
name of " Taylor Center." The population of the township is now about
900, of which 500 are natives and 400 foreigners; the latter being mostly
Germans. Its present officers are:
Supervisor-J. J. Vrooman.
Treasurer-Henry Fritz.
Clerk-R. H. Sutliff.
Superintendent of Schools-G. C. Putnam.
Drain Commissioner-Frederick. Racho.
Justices of the Peace-Peter Coan, G. C. Putnam, James Evens, John McPherson, V. N. Smith.
Constables-Peter Schloff, Joseph Boltz, John Brest.
HISTORY OF CANTON TOWNSHIP.
Canton is bounded on the north by the township of Plymouth, on the
east by Nankin, south by Van Buren, on the west by Superior Township.
The west line of Canton is the county line between Wayne County and
Wash tenaw County.
Canton was organized in 1833. It was formerly included in the township of Plymouth. The first election was held at the house of John Chaffee,
in 1833. Mr. James Safford was elected Supervisor; Amos Stevens, Justice
of the Peace; Thomas Hooker, Clerk. The first delegates to the county
convention were Amos Stevens, Moses Bradford, Pary Sheldon.
The first settlers were Amos Stevens, David Cady, William Smith, Pary
Sheldon, Childs Downer and brother, in the year 1825.
Among the present officers are:
Supervisor-John Huston.
Clerk-Mark Sines.
Treasurer-William Sales.
Justice-Samuel Joslin.
Canton is well supplied with living water. The Rouge River runs through
the center fromra west to east. It has several overflowing wells, which supply abundance of water to the farmers around. The soil in the northeast
is sandy, and also along the west line. The balance of the soil is mostly of
a clay loam, and very productive. The timber through the center portion is
elm, black ash and oak. The timber on the sandy soil consists of oak open

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