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

life. The homestead taken up by this good man has ever remained
with his kinfolk, now being in the possession of his great grandson,
Alfred Walker.
Realizing the importance of education, arrangements were
made to organize a school, and Mr. Butts donated the land on
Lyon's Creek, which is the present school house site of district
No. 12. He with the aid of his two sons erected the first building
known as the Butts school house.
Two of the first school officers were Josephus Tuttle and Chalon
Lyon, the latter the grandfather of Robert Lyon, and one of the
very first settlers, having taken land from the government in
1837, during the presidency of Martin VanBuren. The deed,
written on parchment, is now in the possession of Mr. Lyon.
Among the first teachers were Mary Ann Bump and Bartley
Blaine, who because of hardships and handicaps were indeed
"soldiers of the interior."
While school and church activities constituted the earlier social
life, groups were continually forming to meet public needs and we
find the "paring bee" coming into existence to care for the fruits
of the first orchard, in possession of Merritt Johnson, who owned
the Otto Peterson home and adjoining lands. This was followed
by husking bees, quiltings, rag bees, singing and spelling schools
until today it seems we must have reached the zenith of civilization
We are today making history. Will it be that of which the
coming generations can be proud and through which it can
improve?
A nation is the sum of its communities, the future of which depends on the character of its citizens.
Are we teaching future citizens due respect for honest labor,
reasonable service for reasonable pay, and above all the Golden
Rule? Let us not forget that our duties lie with the world that is
and is to be.