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

cents a cord. Teachers had to teach every other Saturday and
always boarded round the district. I once heard a school teacher
say that the children always wanted to sleep with the teacher, so
she had the pleasure of sleeping with a good share of the pupils in
the school, food, bad and indifferent. One thing I used to enjoy
in school was spelling down. We would choose sides and stand in
rows each side of the school house, and then proceed to find out who
was the best speller.
In the old Sanders' spelling book were several pages where
words were pronounced the same but with different meanings.
How we used to try to catch each other on those words! Often I
see words spelled wrong, making their meaning altogether different from that intended, and I think it is a pity Sanders spellers
with their abbreviations and definitions are not used now.
Just west of our school house is the Strickland cemetery. I am
sorry to say it is a disgrace, grown up to brush, and it ought to
shame any man in town enough to see that it is put in good shape.
Once in our Sunday school we appointed a cemetery committee
to put it in order. We thought we had the good work started,
but the men would not act, so there we are. Some would like to
move it, while others say the law is such it cannot be moved. It
is full of graves, and a good share of their relatives are gone, so
there is no one to take any interest in the matter.
I find that Joel B. Strickland took up his land from the government Dec. 10, 1836, on section 19, and John Strickland took up
land on the same date on section 20. Nathaniel Blaine owned
the land on the north side of the road going east. I remember
when I was a very little girl of Mr. Blaine's and Mr. Wells' people
stopping at my folks on their way from Lansing and being there
for supper. At that time Mr. and Mrs. Wells (Mrs. C. J. Rayner's
parents) kept the county house.
In the township of Alaiedon was laid out a city, appearing finely
on paper, and having a glorious, hoped for future before it. This
was the village of Jefferson wich was platted on section 29. The
entire section was purchased by Josiah Sabin July 14, 1836, and
about 1837-'38 the northwest quarter was purchased by George
Howe, from Manchester, Washtenaw county, Mich.
A company was formed of about four persons from the same
neighborhood, and the village was laid out in 1838. The plat was