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

LEROY TOWNSHIP AND ITS HISTORY

625

LEROY HISTORY.
Written in July, 1874, by NANCY MEACH, a Pioneer.
It may not be uninteresting to know some of the incidents of our
pioneer life in Michigan. We moved from the town of Brutus,
Cayuga county, N. Y., in the year 1832, a year memorable for the
scourge of Asiatic cholera and the Black Hawk War. We landed
in Detroit on the 17th of June. Detroit was at that time a poor
looking place, with clay walled houses with steep roofs. Many of
the inhabitants were French and Indian.
The first night after leaving Detroit we stayed on the Rouge,
and were very much annoyed by mosquitos. The lady of the
house was sick and did not give us a very flattering account of the
country. We came with our ox team and wagon. I got tired of
riding over rough roads and got out of the wagon and walked for
some time. While walking along alone I saw something cross
the road some distance ahead of me. Soon after I met two men
traveling and they asked me if I were alone. I replied that our
team was but a few rods behind. They said it was dangerous
for me to travel alone for a bear had just crossed the road.
Nothing further worthy of notice occurred until we reached
Cooper's Corners, a small place. Here some of the people had
packed up their goods ready for starting away if the Indians invaded the territory, as there were rumors that the Indians were
coming, killing the people and burning their houses. It turned
out that the rumor was false.
We lived in Plymouth the first year. Then we bought a farm
in Green Oak, Livingston county. The country was new and
there were but few settlers. It was in the oak openings.
The first year my husband trapped and caught five wolves not
over sixty rods from the house. My husband's brother lived with
us, and one time when my husband was gone, a wolf got
into the trap. I took an ax and my brother-in-law his gun,
and we went to the swamp where the wolf was. He shot but
did not wound the wolf. It was his last bullet. He then left me
to watch the animal while he went to the house to cast more bullets. I kept my eye on the wolf with ax in my hand, but he re