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

ALAIEDON TOWNSIIP AND ITS HISTORY

265

Childs lived in the path of the storm, and when the father saw it
coming he called to his boys to flee to the cellar. As Mr. Childs
started down the cellar stairs he slipped into his coat, getting one
sleeve on before the storm struck. The wind whipped his coat off
slick and clean just as he dropped the cellar door; cellars had trap
doors in those days. When all was quiet again he opened the
door and one of his boys exclaimed, "Why, pa, the house is gone,"
and so it was, scattered to the four winds of heaven. Mr. Childs
was often heard to remark that when he ordered the boys into the
cellar was the first time in their lives that they obeyed him without parleying.
DISTRICT NO. 4.
DATA PROCURED BY MISS MARGUERITE LINDSEY.
The record book of District No. 4 bears date of 1844, and the
clear, concise reports, written in unfading ink, with the good penmanship, perfect spelling, and well expressed reports, makes this
book of 76 years ago a valuable souvenir of those early days.
On March 22, 1844, a meeting was called by W. H. Child, township clerk, to be held at the home of Volbert Phillips, for the purpose of organizing fractional District No. 4, of Delhi and Alaiedon,
the meeting to be held on April 10.
At this meeting John Pierce was chosen chairman and W. H.
Child secretary. The officers elected were W. H. Child, director;
Elias Phillips, assessor, and John Pierce, moderator. On April
25 another meeting was held to arrange for raising a tax for the
purpose of building a school house. It was voted to buy one acre
of ground of John Pierce on which to erect the school house, and a
tax of $100 was levied to pay for the building and $20 to pay for
land and other expenses.
The first school census taken October 1, 1844, was as
follows: Nathan Child, James Child, William Child, Lemuel
Pierce, Phineas Pierce, Calvin Pierce, Matilda Pierce, James
Pierce, Almon Pierce, Lucinda Phillips. In 1854 the census list
had numbered sixteen names, and there was a noticeable increase
between then and 1865 when sixty-one names were recorded.
In 1854 we find that J. S. Wood and 0. B. Stillman were each