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.

292

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

more and Davis, were adopted. It was further resolved that all bylaws be published in the Democratic Balance and Pontiac Advertiser
for three successive weeks; Francis Darrow was elected treasurer;
Theron W. Barber, marshal; and Origen D. Richardson, Olmsted Chamberlin and Asahel Fuller, assessors; and the president of the board appointed standing committees, consisting of two members each, on the
following: Streets and highways, accounts, taxation, nuisances, and
stoves,, chimneys and fires.
Trustee Allen did not appear to be sworn into office until May 27th,
when, at the meeting held in Mr. Bagley's house, President LeRoy resigned and Gideon 0. Whittemore was elected head of the village board.
As one means of guaranteeing a quorum, the trustees present at the
courthouse meeting of June 5th resolved to fine each member one dollar "who shall not attend any regular meeting without a reasonable
excuse." July I7th was a red-letter day, in that the village board passed
an ordinance "relative to fire buckets and to guard against fire."
The receipts and expenditures for the first current year of the corporation were as follows: Receipts, $863.77; expenditures, $697.47; balance in treasury, $I66.30.
The trustees elected May 7, 1838, were Charles W. Harbach, Willard
M. McConnell, M. LaMont Bagg, Seth Beach, Elkanah B. Comstock,
Abel H. Peck and Suel Wesson. The highest number of votes (I39)
was received by Mr. McConnell. In the following week Mr. Wesson
was elected president and Mr. Weeks, clerk; G. O. Whittemore, treasurer; Julius Dean, marshal; Samuel Sherwood, Horatio N. Howard
and James A. Weeks, assessors. At the meeting of May 22d, Mr. Weeks
reported that "a suitable fire engine for this village will cost from $500
to $750; that the rivet hose will cost 85 cents per foot, the 'sewed' hose
$i per foot, and that the terms on which they are purchased by the city
of Detroit are one-half down, the balance in six months."
At the meeting of the trustees held May 7, 1839, the report of the
treasurer indicated a balance on hand as follows: Non-resident tax unpaid, $o1.89; two certificates of canal bills, $39; cash; (Pontiac and Oakland county) $5; and current funds $3.66. Total balance in village treasury, $58.55. It cost $I,091.20 to "run the village" in 1838; leaving the
board in debt for 1838, $36.56. But on May 7, 1839, taking everything
into consideration, the village clerk figured a "balance in favor of corporation" of $I 9.95.
REAL ESTATE ITEM
An interesting real estate item taken from the record of the board
meeting of May 28, I839, is that the trustees agreed upon the following
prices at which village lots should be offered for sale: Nos. i, 2 and 3,
$I75, each; Nos. 4 and 5, $125 each; No. 6, $140; No. 7, $145; Nos. 8
and 9, $I75 each; No. IO, $150; No. 12, $I35. But it appears from the
July report that there were no bidders even at those prices.
In the fall of 1839 the Public Nuisance committee commenced to
stir up the community, the board of trustees declaring among other things
that Asher Buckland's "nine or ten pin alley" and "the tolling of the
bell in cases of death and at funerals" were placed in the list of public