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.

406

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

during his subsequent life one of the good and able men of the village
and the county. The post office at Rochester was first established in
I829, with George N. Shaw as postmaster. The mail was first brought
in on horseback, and afterward by stage, from Royal Oak. e
The first hotel was opened in I828 by John AM. Mack in the house
built by Mr. Shaw in the previous year.
PIONEERS OUTSIDE OF ROCIHESTER
A number of prominent citizens of the township settled outside of
both Rochester and Stony Creek, some of them moving to the former
when it was evident that it was going to be quite a place. About I819
George Postal, Sr., came from Ontario county, New York, with his
wife and seven children, and took a claim on section 20, along the Clinton river. There, in 1825, he erected a sawmill, and a number of years
afterward his son, Charles, built and operated a gristmill.
In the spring of 18I9 Dr. William Thompson located on section 8,
west of Rochester, but finally settled on section 2I, to the south (the
old Graham "squatter's" claim, of 1817). In I820 Doctor Thompson
built the first frame barn in the township.
Daniel LeRoy had settled in the spring of 189, but Levi did not
arrive until considerably later.
Roger Sprague, who was a man of middle age and an "Honorable"
when he moved his family from New York to section 27, about two
miles south of Rochester. He died in July, 1848, sincerely and generally mourned.
Others might be mentioned; but these are certainly representative,
and lack of space is the excuse for omitting a more extended list.
FIRST CORPORATION OFFICERS
The village of Rochester remained under the general government of
the township of Avon until April 12, I869, when the following officers
were elected of the new corporation: President, Jesse E. Wilson; trustees John H. Hutaf, William Newell, Daniel L. Jennings and George
W. Vandeventer; clerk, Marsden C. Burch; assessor, William J. Weir;
treasurer, Hugh D. Bitters; marshal, Herman Bennett. Mr. Burch was
also appointed city attorney.
On the Ist of February, 1847, Hosea S. Richardson and Isaac Adams
platted an addition east of the original, and subsequently Lysander
Woodward surveyed an addition on the southwest quarter of section
II (northwest quarter of the present village plat). Following is a good
description of this early Rochester: "The original plat is most eligibly
and beautifully located on a high plateau between the Clinton river on
the south and Paint creek on the north, the latter also winding its
sinuous way along the eastern side of the plat. The bluff sides of the
plat on the south show the former channel of Paint creek as in the
glacial days its much heavier floods undoubtedly cut its channel through
the moraine, seeking its present level. In this wearing-away process
it has left two or more conical mounds which, at first appearance, might