History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

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HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.

Samuel Dexter, whose name is so familiarly connected with the
history of Washtenaw county, platted the northeast quarter of
section 24, township of Saginaw, in 1835, and a year later sold his
interests here to Mackie, Oakley and Jennison, of New York.
Medor and Joseph Trombley settled at Portsmouth in 1835. Benwa Trombley arrived in the fall of that year. Leon and Louis
Trombley arrived in 1832; the former as Indian blacksmith. The
Trombleys were Frenchmen, and among the most energetic of the
early settlers. The grandfather of this family is said to have
visited the valley in 1795, for the purpose of trading with the
Chippewas.
Cromwell Barney located lands in the Lower Saginaw district
in 1837, and erected a log house on the site subsequently occupied
by Munger & Co's store.
Thomas Rogers settled at Portsmouth, in 1838, and moved
shortly after to the district known as Lower Saginaw, where he
operated a blacksmith shop. During the cholera epidemic of 1852,
this settler was one of the many which it claimed for a victim.
Louis Clawson came to the valley in 1839, with instructions
from the Government to make a survey of the territory extending
from the southern lines of Ogemaw and Iosco counties to the northern limits of Montmorency and Alpena.
Charles L. Richman settled at Saginaw City in 1836. He came
here with Norman Little and Gov. Mason, making the trip from
Detroit on board the " Gov. Marcy, ' which was the first steam-boat
that appeared upon the waters of the Saginaw.
Benjamin Cushway, a resident of Saginaw for the past 39 years,
quietly passed to his rest May 25, 1881, after an illness of about
eight weeks. He was able to be up one day, but was taken worse
about 5 o'clock next morning and died, as above stated, of paralysis
of the heart. Mr. Cushway was born in Detroit in 1809. He
learned the blacksmithing trade, and in 1832 was appointed by
Gen. Cass, then Territorial Governor of Michigan, as United States
blacksmith for the Chippewa Indians, with headquarters at Saginaw
City, a position which he held for 34 years. In 1834 he married
Adelaide Robison. Their home was in Fort Saginaw on the block
where the Taylor House now stands. In 1836 his headquarters
were moved to Bay City, then Lower Saginaw, where he remained
10 years. Returning to this city, he built a house where the Miller
block now stands, in which he lived several years. Since 1865 he
had not been engaged in active business. Three years ago his wife
died, and recently in conversation with a friend he expressed the
opinion that he would not last long. He had a wonderful memory,
and within the last two weeks before his death recounted many
of the trials and pleasures and the fate of early inhabitants of
Saginaw. Four children, Mrs. A. C. Andre, Frank, Alfonzo and
Charles Cushway still reside in this city.
Stephen Wolverton arrived at the mouth of the river, July 19,
1839, with authority to erect a light-house. He commenced the
work, which was completed by Capt. Levi Johnson.