The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922; / Clarence M. Burton, editor-in-chief, William Stocking, associate editor, Gordon K. Miller, associated editor. [Vol. 2]

CITY OF DETROIT

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Soulard and died in Chicago in 1892. He was married and had several children,
but neither wife nor children survived him.
Ruth Fessenden Hunt was the eldest daughter of Thomas Hunt and was living with her father in Fort Wayne, Ind., when she married Abraham Edwards
in June, 1805. She lived at various places with her husband, as is narrated in
his biography, and died at Kalamazoo. An interesting sketch of the pioneer life
of Mr. and Mrs. Hunt is in the Michigan Pioneer and Historical records, in
volume 12 on page 148.
Abigail Hunt was born at Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1797, before her
mother moved to Detroit. She moved with her father's family to Fort Wayne,
Detroit, Mackinac, Fort Wayne, a second time and Bellefontaine, where her
father died in 1808. She then returned to Massachusetts, and a home was made
for her with her grandfather, Samuel Wellington. She was living in Detroit,
with her brother, Henry Jackson Hunt, where she met Capt. Josiah Snelling,
who had come from Ohio with Hull's army at the time war was declared against
England in 1812.
Detroit was surrendered to the British General Brock on August 16 of that
year and just four days before that event, Captain Snelling and Abigail Hunt
were married. He had been previously married. Snelling was carried a prisoner
to Montreal, but was subsequently exchanged and was one of the principal witnesses in the military trial of Governor Hull. Snelling was promoted through
various military offices to that of colonel. He occupied numerous military posts
and built Fort Snelling, which was named for him or his wife, who was idolized
by the army. He died in 1828.
His widow then returned to Detroit and lived there for some years. In
1841, while living with her brother, John E. Hunt, she married Rev. J. E.
Chaplin. She died on September 7, 1878. At one time in her life she was a
large landowner in Detroit and among other properties she owned one-half
of the Van Dyke or Hamtramck Farm mentioned below.
Mary LeBaron Hunt was born at Fort Mackinac in 1803, but after her
father's death spent her time in Detroit, at the home of her brother, Henry
Jackson Hunt. She was educated in Cincinnati. She was twice married. Her
first husband was Captain Gleason, of the regular army. He lived but a short
time after their marriage. Her second husband was Tunis S. Wendell.
Mr. Wendell was for many years one of the successful business men of Detroit. He had a store on Jefferson Avenue, near the corner of Bates Street.
He was a stockholder and one of the directors in the Farmers and Mechanics'
Bank. He died in 1854 and Mrs. Wendell died at the home of her daughter,
Mrs. Alice Hunt Curtis, wife of George E. Curtis, in 1872.
Eliza Mitchell Hunt was the youngest child of Col. Thomas Hunt. She
was born in Detroit in 1804, and after the death of her father was reared in
the family of some of his relatives in Boston. She married James Glaston
Soulard and died in Galena, Ill., in 1894. She did not spend any considerable
portion of her life in this state. She had many children and left numerous
descendants.
Abraham Edwards was the eldest son of Aaron Edwards and was born at
Springfield, N. J., November 17, 1781. He studied medicine and was licensed
to practice in the fall of 1803, and in June of the following year was appointed
by President Jefferson, garrison surgeon and was sent to Fort Wayne, where,
as stated above, he met and married Ruth Fessenden Hunt, the daughter of