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

822

PIONEER HISTORY OF INGrIAM COUNTY

bury, now Mrs. Leeman Case, her birth at this place occurring in
1841.
Some records indicate that Amaziah Stoughton, son of Dillicene
and Sophronia Stoughton, was the one to enjoy this distinction,
but this is an error as Mrs. Case was born three days prior to the
birth of Amaziah Stoughton.
The first death was that of Oswald Williams, father of the
Williams brothers, who died in 1842, while on a visit from New
York. At that time the nearest physician was at Dexter, Washtenaw county, and the nearest post office ten miles away. Goods
were packed from Detroit, Ann Arbor or Dexter on the backs of
Indian ponies.
George B. Fuller came to Williamston from Leoni, Jackson
county, December, 1844. No improvements whatever had been
made upon his place about two miles north of the Cedar river and
there was no traveled road by it.
The township of Williamston was originally organized as
Phelpstown, March 02, 1839, and included what are now the townships of Williamston and Locke. The first town meeting was held
at the house of David Phelps, after whom the town was named, on
the 15th day of April, 1839.
David Phelps was a resident of that part of the township now
constituting the township of Locke. The name of the township
was changed to Williamston by the act of the Legislature, February
17, 1857.
At that first town meeting Moses Park acted as moderator, and
David Phelps as clerk. Caleb Carr, Jefferson Pearce and Moses
Park were chosen as inspectors of election.
The total number of votes polled were 11, and as there were 22
offices to fill, it follows that the most of the offices were impartially
distributed, each person having two. The first ballot box used
at the town election in 1840 was a stand drawer covered with a
newspaper, which was lifted up and the ballots deposited underneath. There was no ballot box stuffing in those days. At the
general election in the fall of 1840 the box used was one made by
David J. Tower, from split basswood and divided into five compartments for the different votes. This box is still in a good
state of preservation and is the property of the Williams family.
I will here just mention the names of the supervisors of Williams