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.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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ings Bank and the farmers and householders of the surrounding country
also patronize it. The village and vicinity have an earnest and effective
newspaper organ in the South Lyon Herald, of which A. K. Pierce is
editor and proprietor; it was founded in 188I. A good union school
and several churches are added advantages to the place.
SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES
The organization of the public school system of South Lyon dates
from 1876, when the west half of district 3 was formed into a graded
school, with Horace Johns as principal and Miss Aggie Clark as assistant. In that year a large frame building was also erected for the accommodation of the hundred scholars then in attendance. The present
union school, (including high school department), is in charge of R. W.
McCook.
The Methodists, Presbyterians, Free Methodists and Catholics have
organizations at South Lyon and, as is quite apt to be the rule, the firstnamed were the pioneers in the local religious field. In January, 1833,
a few weeks after Eleazur E. Calkins and Levi Wilson had settled a
short distance northeast of what is now South Lyon, an old Methodist exhorter, Jesse Jessup, reached the dwelling of the former, having
walked from Plymouth to see them. It was Saturday night and the result
of their conference was that the following morning the half dozen families-a congregation of about twenty-within a radius of four or five
miles, listened to a simple exposition of the gospel and formed the first
religious society of the township. In 1842 the Methodists built their
first church, and in 1859 their second. Rev. S. Schofield is pastor of
the present society.
The First Presbyterian church of Lyon was organized on May 17,
I858, and a quotation from the records of the meeting held on that date
indicates the nature of the proceedings: "We, the undersigned, agree to
associate ourselves together for the purpose of forming a religious society to be called 'The First Presbyterian society of Lyon.' Joseph
l'lackwood, Ira M. Olds, David Dunlap, James S. Rodger, E. K. Knowlton, Josiah Fitzgerald, William Hannon, Robert Dunlap (first) and
J. Duncan." The trustees elected at this meeting were Robert Dunlap
(first) and Josiah Fitzgerald, one year; Joseph Blackwood and James
S. Rodger, two years, and William Hannon for three years. In March,
1859, a contract was let to one Adam Dean for the building of a church,
the contract figures being two thousand two hundred and sixty-four dollars. The edifice was dedicated in December of the same year, and continued in use until it was replaced by a newer and more modern building in I883. The various pastors who have served the church are: Rev.
Ira M. Olds; Rev. I. A. Clayton; Rev. Charles Dunlap; Rev. Maltby
Gelston; Rev. John Gourley; Rev. E. W. Childs; Rev. S. V. McKee;
Rev. James D. Spriggs; Rev. E. P. Clark; Rev. G. D. Sherman. The
present membership of the church is I69.
The Free Methodist church of South Lyon was organized in 1872
and the church, which they still occupy, built in I874. The present memlership of the church is IT, and J. J. Morrish is pastor of the congreAol. I-29