History of Kent County.

HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY

23

internal improvements in 1846. He died in 1875 at Ada, having been
a resident of this country for more than fifty-four years. All the
chronicals of the county bear testimony to the fine character of Rix
Robinson, to whom so much is due for its advancement. Pierre Constant, a Frenchman of the type of Marquette and LaSalle, is credited
with being the first trader to settle in Ottawa county and said to have
built a post there in 1810, and might be considered a pioneer of Kent
county as he did live for a time on the western border of the
county as now comprised.
In 1827 Louis Campau, with his family, came to the county and
settled on the present site of the city of Grand Rapids. He had
brought with him a supply of goods which he sold and traded to the
Indians for furs in competition with the American Fur Company. He
built his cabins near the river where he and his family lived, surrounded
by Indians, with only the missionaries as white companions until 1832,
when the first immigrant came in. This was Luther Lincoln, who did
the first plowing in the county, raising corn where Grandville now
stands, and who afterwards became postmaster at Grand Rapids.
Luther was an eccentric character, and moved many times from one
part of the county to another. He is also credited with being the
first white settler in Spencer township. The same year Richard Godfrey came to the village, if a few huts could be so termed. Godfrey,
in 1834, opened a trading post, which he successfully conducted for
many years. For several years prior to coming to the Rapids, he had
been Indian agent at Lowell, so must be considered one of Kent
county's earliest pioneers. Daniel Marsac also settled at Lowell in
1829, where he erected a good log building and established himself as
trader. Edward Robinson, a brother of Rix, came to Ada in 1830.
Joel Guild brought his family to Grand Rapids in 1833, at the instance
of Campau, and erected the first frame dwelling house on the site of the
City National Bank, now the Grand Rapids National Bank. It may
be said that the coming of this pioneer marked the date of the beginning of permanent settlement of the village.
The same year, 1833, Jonathan F. Chubb and family settled at the
foot of the Rapids, and in 1837 came to Grand Rapids and went into
business on Canal street, now Monroe. During the year 1833 many
came into the county, joining the few pioneers in the anticipations and
hopes which are the causes of new countries being opened up. The
same year came Myron Royce, Henry West, Hiram Jennison, Joseph
B. Copeland, William R. Goodwin, Eliphat Turner, Barney Burton,
Edward and Daniel Guild, James Vanderpool, Jacob Windsor. In
1834 James Clark, Ezekial Davis Lewis, Ezra and Porter Read, David
S. Leavitt, Robert M. Barr and several others came to Grand Rapids
and other parts of the country. In 1835, the Reverend Andreas
Viszoczosky, who succeeded Father Baraga took charge of the Grand
Rapids mission where he lived the following seventeen years and became known as one of the most energetic and esteemed citizens of
the growing village. In the same year, Lucius Lyon settled in Grand
Rapids, becoming one of Michigan's prominent men. In 1832, while
living in Detroit, he had been elected a delegate to congress from the