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.

492

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

which was not only the first of its kind in the township but is said to be
the pioneer of the county. The first store was opened by William
Houston, a New Yorker, in 1830; several hotels appeared within the
succeeding few years; Peter Van Every, Sr., settled at Franklin in 1837,
thence conducting several mills and a distillery over the line in Bloomfield township; Worthington & Pratt erected a grist mill in the village,
and in I85I Colonel Van Every established a steam flouring mill at that
point. But when, one after another, all the railroads passed it by,
Franklin ceased to even hope for better things, and is now little more
than a postoffice for the farmers of the neighborhood.
What was once known as the village of Southfield, or Southfield
Centre, which was located on both sides of the road running from the
quarter-post on the east line of section 20 to the Rouge river, is now
SCENE ON THE ROUGE RIVER
not even a postoffice. In I829 Archibald H. Green made the first settlement in the northern part of the old village, and in I833 the number of
families who had located there and in the vicinity warranted the establishment of the postoffice of Southfield, with John Thomas as postmaster. He also ran the tavern and near it several stores were soon
started. In 1837 Sabin's gristmill was built on the Rouge a few rods
west of the village, and was one of the first causes which brought business to Southfield. The following year a flour mill was erected in the
village; but neither these industries, nor any other causes, were sufficient
to start the Thomas settlement, or Southfield, on an up-grade.
GROVELAND TOWNSHIP
Groveland township was organized, in I835, from a part of Pontiac,
and until 1838 included also the present township of Holly. The first