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 01O OAKLAND COUNTY

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WATER COURSES
The natural slope of the country is south and west, with fine natural
drainage afforded by the Clinton river and its tributaries. The series
of small lakes, extending from the northeast corner of section 3 to the
middle of section 20, and thence south to the township line, has the
main branch of the Clinton river as its outlet-that stream flowing
through Clarkston in its course southward. Sashabaw creek rises on
section 25 and flows west and south to the eastern part of section 35,
whence it leaves the township. The most important lakes, Deer and
Green's, are in the southwest part of the township, and, in connection
with Clinton river, produced the water power which laid the foundation
for the Holcomb and Clark improvements and the establishment of
Clarkston.
SETTLERS AT CLARKSTON AND ON TiHE "PLAINS"
The first white settlers were little more than squatters, mostly on
section 20, the site of the Clarkston of today. Linus Jacox, one of the
number, built a cedar-pole shanty on the southwest quarter of that section, planted a few potatoes among the trees, and then sold his claim to
Butler Holcomb for fifty dollars. James Cronk, another temporary settler, also sold out to Mr. Holcomb. In 1831 Marvin Greenwood and
Roswell Holcomb moved into the cabin built by Mr. Jacox and commenced making improvements for Butler Holcomb, the purchaser of
the property.
In the same year John W. Beardslee and wife came from Elmira,
New York, and settled on the northeast quarter of section 35, in the
Sashabaw plains. As stated by an old resident of the plains: "Mrs. B.
was truly a helpmate, for she built the first haystack in.the town, her
husband pitching the hay to her. It is also a fact that her son, Townsend, was the first white child born in Independence. Townsend raised
and was captain of Company D, Twenty-second Michigan Infantry in
the War of the Rebellion. He died from disease in the hospital at Nashville, Tennessee." Townsend Beardslee located on section 26, where he
built a log house eighteen feet square, in the early part of the winter of
1832. Other members of the family settled on the "plains," and formed
the nucleus of a colony of considerable proportions which was increased
within the following four years by the arrival of these: William Stevens,
northwest quarter of section 25, in I831; Peter Voorheis, Joseph Abbott.
Peter Gulich, Leander Taylor, Archibald Ayres and Gamalial Truesdell,
on sections 36, 25, 26 and 27, in 1832; Richard B. Bray on sections 20
and 27, in 1833 and I834, Cornelius Voorheis buying the various tracts
of land originally taken up by Mr. Bray; Joseph Tindall on section 29, in
1834, selling out to John Maybee; the Stewart brothers, Elisha and
Charles, on section 36, in the same year; John C. H. Woodhull on section 35 and Rev. Oliver Earl on section 36. in the year I835. Mr. Earl
was the pioneer minister in this section, having resided in Pontiac for
a year prior to his coming to Independence; in that village he had taught
one of the first schools. Mr. Earl was a circuit preacher of the Methodist church, and his territory covered a large area. Naturally he was a
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