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.

464

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

welcomed and where they remained until the men could throw together
a log cabin on the Thurston land for their shelter. Eight inmates
occupied the twelve-foot square house that winter, before the snow
melted another log cabin was erected for Vine Kingsley (a member of
the party), on land which he had purchased in section 33, and early in
the spring work was commenced for a frame dwelling which was soon
after occupied by the Thurston family.
In I836 quite a number of settlers arrived in the southern part of
the township, sections 28, 33 and 34 being especially favored. John
B. Seymour, a New Yorker, took up land on the south shore of the lake
which has since borne his name.
VILLAGE OF OAKWOOD
It was that year also (I836), which witnessed the coming of the first
settlers on the site of the village of Oakwood. In the summer Alexander
G. Huff, from Monroe county, New York, settled on his land in section
12, built a log house with two windows, and planted himself and family
on what became the principal part of the village plat. The settlement
extended over into Oxford township, the Campbell brothers locating on
the eastern side of the line about the time that Huff appeared on the
western, or Brandon side. As the former erected a number of houses
within the succeeding few years, the settlement took the name of Campbell's Corners. Small industries afterward sprung up, and in I854 a
steam sawmill was put in operation in Brandon township, this also being
Mr. Huff's enterprise. Unsuccessful attempts were made to start a
sawmill and a gristmill, and later a fairly prosperous foundry was established for the manufacture of plows, castings and general farm machinery; but not even the prospects ever seemed to be real bright for Oakland. All that is left of it is a straggling settlement, and what little
shipping it requires is done through Thomas, a station on the Michigan
Central, three miles northeast. Oxford, six miles southeast, is its nearest banking center.
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION
On the 3d of April, 1837, Brandon was separated from Pontiac
township, to which it had been attached for ten years, and became a civil
and political body. The first town meeting was held on that date, at
the house of John B. Seymour, and Oliver Draper was elected moderator and Enos Gage clerk. George B. Thurston was voted into office
as supervisor and Schuyler D. Johnson as the first regular township
clerk.
VILLAGE OF ORTONVILLE
Prior to the forties nearly all the settlers of Brandon township located
on the eastern and southern sections; the western districts developed
slowly, and before I848, aside from an occasional farm house, there
were no buildings at what is now Ortonville. In that year Amos Orton
built a dam across Kearsley creek, near the south line of section 7, and
erected a sawmill to work up the timber growing on sections 7 and 8.