History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

194

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

The property assessed in 1828 consisted of horses and cattle of one
year old and upward, wagons, carts, clocks and watches, all assessed at
their actual value. Notes, bonds, money and stock in trade were all assessed similarly and indebtedness was deducted therefrom.
At the March session, 1830, the following, called by the officials "a
moderate cash valuation," was fixed by the board as the rates of assessment for that year: Stallions kept for stock purposes, $I50; other horses
(first, second and third rate), $75, $40 and $20 respectively; oxen for the
same rates, $50, $40 and $30 per yoke; cows, same grades, $I6, $I2 and
$8; hogs, over one year old, $1.50; sheep not valued.
In March, 1831, the job of completing the courthouse was let to John
W. Hunter and G. O. Whittemore; and at the same meeting in 1833 the
balance was paid to the contractors and the work accepted.
At the October session of 1831, Southfield township was first represented on the board, Henry S. Babcock being the supervisor. At the
March meeting, 1832, Gardner D. Williams, supervisor of Sagana township (Saginaw county) appeared, and at the October session of 1833
the following newly organized townships were represented by their first
supervisors: Royal Oak, Major Curtis; Novi, Samuel Hungerford;
Grand Blanc (Genesee county), Norman Davison.
The townships of 1833 showed up thus financially: Novi was assessed
at $85,94I, and yielded $526.22 in taxes; Royal Oak, $28,966 and
$I91.55 respectively, and Grand Blanc, $22,906 and $229.06.
Four new townships were represented in October, I834-Commerce,
by Harvey Dodge; West Bloomfield, by Terrel Benjamin; Lyon, by William Dutcher; and Mia (Lapeer county), by Oliver Bristol. At this
meeting, also, the bounty of five dollars for wolf scalps was repealed, and
one of three dollars, in conjunction with the state bounty of ten dollars,
offered. During the preceding seven years (since 1827) about three
hundred and seventy wolves had been killed in Oakland county.
The three Oakland county townships were assessed and taxed as follows: West Bloomfield, $40,971 and $226.44; Lyon, $34,364 and $247.I I;
Commerce, $16,436 and $90.49.
The six new townships of 1835 yielded the following, as to assessment of property and taxes: Avon, $89,209 and $516.87; Waterford,
$36,058 and $184.53; Highland, $23,238 and $149.99; Milford, $22,034
and $I57.37; Orion, $21,530 and $125.91; Groveland, $10,089 and $63.05.
In October, 1835, the new township of Waterford sent Isaac I. Voorheis as a member of the board of supervisors (he had represented Pontiac on the preceding board);,Milford, Abel Peck; Highland, R. Tenny;
Avon, William Price; Groveland, Nathan Herrick; and Orion, Jesse
Decker. In the following year only one township was created-White
Lake, with Alexander Galloway as supervisor.
The six new towns which were created in 1836 bore the following
proportion of assessment and taxes: Addison, $59,063 and $354.55; Brandon, $43,666 and $230.68; Oxford, $62,509 and $354.55; Independence,
$73,1I8 and $379.I6; Rose, $63,727 and $385.51; Springfield, $73,437
and $432.27.
In 1837 Addison township elected Lyman Boughton as its first supervisor; Brandon, G. P. Thurston; Independence, J. Clark, and Rose town