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

Bryant and John Simons, started on his journey of five hundred miles,
carrying a knapsack containing his surveying instruments and enough
other contents to weigh forty-five pounds. After sixteen days of travel
through mud and water, often knee deep, the three young men reached
Detroit river and crossed over to the city in a rowboat.
In Detroit Captain Parke had his first view of the Steamboat Hotel,
kept by Benjamin Woodworth, who was to figure considerably in Oakland county affairs, and also passed the store of Oliver Newberry, in
whose employ he was to meet Elisha Beach, a future citizen of Pontiac.
The travelers did not linger in the metropolis, at this time, but were
soon in the highway which led into the interior toward the northwest
and Oakland county. The last of the three small houses which they
passed before fairly striking the wilderness of southern Michigan, was
about nine miles from Detroit, and was occupied by Mrs. Chappel, more
familiarly known as Mother Handsome. Here they found shelter for
the night. About half a mile beyond, when they resumed their journey
in the morning, they reached the causeway built by the troops under
Colonel Leavenworth in I8I8. This was a little less than a mile in
length and pronounced by Captain Parke as "the worst ever built, as
no regard was paid to equalizing the size of the logs, the largest and the
smallest lying side by side.
BLOOMFIELD AND ROYAL OAK IN 1821
"At the angle of the road, twelve miles from Detroit, we passed the
Royal Oak tree, which had nothing remarkable in its appearance, but
was known as the point from which Horatio Ball had started the line
when surveying the road to Pontiac, known as the Ball line road. This
angle also was the point of intersection of Paint Creek road; a Mr.
Woodford lived about a mile beyond. A little south of the line between
the towns of Bloomfield and Royal Oak two families by the name of
Keyser and Thurber had settled. Reaching the beautiful table-land
where is now situated the village of Birmingham, we found four families: Elisha Hunter, his son, John W. Hunter, John Hamilton and
Elijah Willets-the latter, inn-keeper. Here I got my first glimpse of
the lovely land of Oakland county. Three-fourths of a mile this side of
Hunter's lived Dr. Swan and his son-in-law, Sidney Dole, who was
justice of the peace, register of deeds and county clerk. The next
house was that of Deacon Elijah Fish, and on the hill just south of
where now is Bloomfield Center, resided Amasa Bagley and his son-inlaw, William Morris, the latter being sheriff of the county.
"The next settler was a Mr. Ferguson, whose neighbors, if living,
may remember him from the remark he made after the nomination of
Austin E. Wing, as delegate to congress in 1824 or 1825. Ferguson
was a Whig, and, disputing with a Democrat who asserted Wing could
never be elected, replied: 'He will surely be elected, for the very
whippoorwills sing "vote for Wing, vote for Wing."' Well, Wing was
elected, took his seat in congress, and performed his duty nobly for
the young territory.
"Major Joseph Todd lived on the farm since known as the Elliott