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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P'IONEER HISTORY OF' IN.GIIAtM COUNTY

as was their custom, on a knoll in the Rayner marsh, and telling
Okemos about his find was told by the Indian that he had hunted
all over the land for miles around here as long as 75 years before
that.
The only settlers of this district who now survive are: B. B.
Noyes, who still lives on his farm; Mr. and Mrs. Christopher
Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Wilson, in Detroit; Mr. and
Mrs. Wilson B. Hicks, in South Dakota; Mrs. Luke Aseltine, living with her son Charley, and Mrs. L. S. Bates, who is living at
the Masonic Home in Alma, Mich.
Several factories had their day, followilg the saw mill period,
namely, hoop, cheese box and wash board, but the most interesting of these (I might also add the most useful, perhaps) was
the wash board, as some were made of glass as well as wood. This
factory was finally Imoved to Saginaw, where it proved very successful. Those now living who were interested in that are Henry
Williams, of Mason; Aleck Bush, of Ann Arbor, and F. L. Wilson,
whom, as I have stated before, lives in Detroit.
It was amidst the surroundings already described that the lives
and education of Louise, Carrie and George Sipley, George and
Bertie Hawks, Everett and Florence Ames, Rosie, Alfred and
Lucy Aseltine, Emmett and Walter Ellison, Lula Noyes, Huldah
and Melissa I-Iawkins, Icy Johnson, Em1ily Camr, Robbie Almon,
Carl and Allie Wilson, Freddie Searl, Elina Palmer, Elmer Stroup
and Emma, Ella, Cassie amd Lelia Worden began, all of whose
names appear, as here given, uplon the first school register which
has been preserved, its date being 1872, The names of the
teachers who followed Mrs. Hawks according to this register were:
Dora Davis, IL. Jennie Ryan, Eva C, Bremer, Eliza Bolles, Kate
E. Phillips, Mame Norton, J. L. Fuller, Nellie Olds and A. E.
Williams.
Many exciting tales could doubtless be told of those early
days in the Wilson district school had we but have had them all
handed down to us, but meager as arc the facts hereinl delineated
they serve to show us at what cost and effort and with what wisdom and forethought the fathers and mothers of that day went
about their duties to their children; and we of this generation
should never allow their efforts to be made light of nor the work of
our schools to be belittled since the public school is an institution
second only to home in its possibilities for good.