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.

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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

Presbyterian preacher named Ruggles held forth about once a year, but
that denomination held no regular meetings. The Baptists built a substantial brick church in I869. The Methodists and Baptists are still
well represented in the religious circles of the place.
WATERFORD OF TODAY
The Waterford of this day is a postoffice in the northwestern part
of the township, around which cluster a settlement of about three hundred people. It is a station on the Grand Trunk road and is located on
the Clinton river, eight miles northwest of Pontiac, its nearest banking
point. Waterford has two or three good general stores, which draw
their trade from the farmers and fruit growers of the surrounding district. Live stock is also raised to some extent. A modest flouring mill
is the only industry of the place.
DRAYTON PLAINS
The beautiful stretch of country northwest and south of the village
of Drayton Plains was settled at an early day; it is stated that about
1823 a man by the name of Foster, Jonathan Perry, and Harvey and
Austin Durfee, located on the site of the present village plat and postoffice. In 1835 Daniel Windiate came from England and settled just
west of the site of today. He formed a partnership with his son-inlaw, Thomas Whitfield, and the two built a dam and gristmill, in 1837,
and the Drayton Plains Hotel in 1839. They also put up a number of
residences. Mr. Windiate had operated the Drayton Mill in ol( I'ngland, and when he erected the one at this point he thus designated it.
The name Drayton soon spread to the "plains,' and the village also
adopted it long before the place was regularly platted in I86o. In that
year it was laid out by Lewis L. Dunlap. A small cluster of buildings
marks the location of the present postoffice of Drayton Plains, which is
of special interest only as being the site of the Michigan Bass Hatchery.
OLDn CLINTONV\IT LL
The first settler on the site of the old village of Clintonville, two
miles from Drayton Plains, was Samuel C. Munson, who came thither
as early as 1830, and built a gristmill and a sawmill on the Clinton river.
Israel and John Osmun arrived about 1836, the latter purchasing mill
property for his sons. They owned it until I844, when it was sold to
Dr. George H. Williams, who had settled at Waterford. There he
erected a gristmill and was engaged in building one at Clintonville at
the time of his death. In 1847 the village was laid out into lots, but,
although a few stores and houses were erected, the place never promised
to grow and had little trade aside from its mills. These are now almost
unrepresented, a small flouring mill being the sole survivor.