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

LANSING TOWNSHIP AND CITY, WITI HISTORY

603

JOHN BROAD.
One of nature's real noblemen, John Broad, was born in Cornwall, England, May 15, 1832. At the age of twenty he came to
America and lived in New York City one year, when he came to
Michigan and settled in Van Buren county. He took out his
naturalization papers in Paw Paw, 1855. He lived with an
English family whom he had met while on the boat coming to
America.
Porter Township was new and sparsely settled, and the pioneers
depended upon each other when in sickness or trouble. Mr.
Broad, though working by the day or month, could always be
relied upon to care for the sick, look after their household wants
and procure for them medical aid. Once when he was looking
after the affairs of a man who had been called back east, he stayed
there through a long hard winter, vaccinated the entire family
during a smallpox epidemic, cleared five acres of ground and had a
flourishing field of corn when the owner returned. Such deed
gained for him the title of "Good Samaritan."
In 1858 he came to Lansing, where for the rest of his days he
lived on Cedar street. In 1859 he married Mrs. Charlotte Sherman. He worked in the State Capitol until failing health, the
result of service in the Civil War, forced him to stop. He was an
active member of Lansing Lodge, No. 33, F. & A. M., a life member. He was also a member of Charles T. Foster Post G. A. R.
He fought valiantly for his adopted country. In 1861 he enlisted in Company G, Third Michigan Infantry, and assigned to
the second division of the Army of the Potomac.
At the battle of Fair Oaks, where Mr. Broad was killed,the
company lost its color bearer, Charles T. Foster, brother of Postmaster Seymour Foster, and after whom the local post was named,
and around his dead body were piled the bodies of a score of dead
and wounded of Company G, among them being that of Mr.
Broad. He tells the story as follows:
"Our quartermaster sergeant was sick and I had been helping in
his department when the call to fall in was given. It was about
noon and the rest had all hurried to the front before me. I had to