Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

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PIONEER HISTORY OF INGHAM COUNTY

In those days money was not easily to be got, but maple sugar
and black salts were always legal tender.
"We found Dr. Phelps fighting diseases subject to the flesh, but
I cannot call to mind who were fighting the diseases caused by the
devil. James Turner and H. H. Smith were the merchant princes
of Mason. John Child was the only printer, except in tax times,
when the printing offices multiplied. Those were the days when
printing offices walked off and drowned themselves, and type was
knocked into 'pi' in some unaccountable manner. I am glad
you have a county pioneer society, and hope the early history can
be preserved for future generations."
In telling of the early days of Vevay, Alvin Rolfe, in 1873,
gave the following data: "If I could wield the pen of a ready
writer I should like to use it in giving a short history of the township of Vevay. Being a pioneer and seeing now and then a piece
written by a pioneer, I am induced to tell some of my recollections.
"In 1834, my father, Benjamin Rolfe, and family, moved from
Thetford, Orange county, Vermont, to Genesee county, N. Y.
They stayed there until June, 1836, then moved to Michigan.
They started from Bethany on Thursday and reached Detroit
Sunday morning, coming on the boat Thomas Jefferson.
"It was the time of the great June freshet, which many will
remember. The country from Detroit to Ann Arbor was covered
with water. It took us from Monday morning until Friday night
to get to Saline, Washtenaw county, a distance of forty miles,
and which can be covered now in two hours.
"We came from Saline to Jackson, and stopped there until we
looked up land, which was in Vevay township, Ingham county.
"We went to the land office in Kalamazoo and took up the
land, paying $100 for 80 acres. We started from Jackson on Monday morning, cut our way to Vevay, fording Grand River. We
built a shanty on the place I now live on. This was the first blow
struck in this part of the town, July, 1836. Michigan at that
time was a territory. In the winter of 1837 it was admitted as a
State.
"The first time I went to Mason there was a small piece chopped
on the section line, where the Donnelley House now stands, by
E. B. Danforth. The next spring he sowed it to turnips, raising
the largest I ever saw. Our nearest saw and grist mill was at