History of Genesee county, Michigan. With illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers.

GENESE E.

THE township called Genesee received its name fiom the
pioneers, many of whom came from the " Genesee Country"
in Western New York, and a goodly number of them from
Genesee County. It was but natural that they should
desire to perpetuate the name of that fair country, whose
fertile soil and lovely scenery had already made it famous
throughout the country as a sort of modern Arcadia, where
to dwell was to enjoy the best things of life,-not alone in
a material, but also in an aesthetic sense. And it was also
fitting that this township, having so large an area of the
beautiful oak or timbered openings, thus resembling in its
primitive form that pleasant land, should also bear its
name.
Genesee is known in the minutes of the surveys as township 8 north, range 7 east, contains an area of about 22,614
acres, is centrally distant from Flint, the county-seat, six
miles, and adjoins the towns of Thetford on the north, Richfield on the east, Burton on the south, and Mount Morris
on the west. Its surface is comparatively level, though it
might properly be called lightly rolling in some parts, principally on the south and east side of the river. About onefourth of the surface was originally covered with pine, the
pinery generally following the course of the river and lying
principally on its south bank. The soil of the pine-land
was of a light, sandy nature. Tie rest of the town was
timbered with hard-wood, white-oak predominating, and in
the southwest part there was considerable timbered opening.
The soil in the parts of the town free from pine is of a
fine quality, and composed of a rich clayey loam, mixed
with some gravel and sand.
The town is well watered. Flint River, the principal
water-course, enters from Richfield, near the southeast corner of section 12, and pursues a somewhat tortuous course
through the town in a general southwest direction, passing
through some parts of sections 12, 13, 11, 10, 15, 16, 21,
28, 29, and 32, at the southwest corner of which it crosses
the line in the town of Burton. Its course is crooked and
its current generally sluggish. Near the southwest corner
of section 11 it is more rapid, and furnishes a very good
water-power, which has been utilized for many years.
The stream second in importance is Kearsley Creek,
which enters from Burton at the southwest corner of section 35, crosses sections 34, 33, and 32 till it reaches
Flint River, into which it discharges its waters a little south
and west of the centre of the latter section. The stream
is more rapid, and furnishes two mill-seats,-one on section 32, and one on section 34.
The third stream is Butternut Creek, coming from the
north, draining portions of the towns of Forest and Thetford. It enters near the northeast corner of section 1,
crosses it in a southerly direction, flows across the corner of
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section 12, turns to the west, and crosses section 11 till it
joins the Flint River, a little distance east of Geneseeville.
Stanley Creek, Bray Brook, and a half-dozen or more
lesser streams are tributaries of Flint River.
The town has eleven and one-half miles of railroad. The
main line of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railway crosses
sections 31, 30, 19, 18, and 7 in a north and northwest
course, and the Flint River Division, leaving the main line
at the junction near the cast quarter-stake of section 19,
running northeasterly, crosses sections 20, 16, 15, 10, 11,
12, and 1. Near the east quarter-stake of section 1 it
crosses the line into Richfield. The stations in this town
are Mount Morris on the main line, and Geneseeville on the
branch. Trains on the branch also stop at the junction and
Rogersville, where there is another station on the town-line
between Genesee and Richfield.
SETTLEMENT.
The first settlement in this town was begun in the summer of 1833. Regarding the identity of the first settler
there are conflicting statements which render the historian's
task somewhat unpleasant and emphatically a thankless one,
since, let the case be decided which way it may, there will
be dissent and dissatisfaction. In this case, therefore, it
seems to be best to give a brief statement of the facts as
presented by the different sides, and let the reader judge for
himself as to the real truth of the matter.
The honor is claimed for two persons, Luman Beach and
Addison Stewart. It is conceded that Mr. Stewart did not
settle in the town until the 1st of August, while it is claimed
by some that Beach was residing on his land as early as May
or June. Mrs. Stewart, who is still living in Flint, is positive that she was the first white woman to live along the
Saginaw trail north of Flint, while Mr. Lewis Buckingham
and wife and Mr. Isaac N. Robinson believe Beach and his
family to have been the first. The question of priority in
point of time does not involve any great difference, as will
be seen. To still more complicate the matter, the records
show that, while Stewart entered his land in June, the land
on which Beach settled was not purchased from the government until the 28th of September.
With this brief statement we will proceed to relate the
history of the settlement.
There were residing in the town of Mount Morris, in
Livingston Co., N. Y., four young men, who were, as young
men are generally supposed to be, anxious to improve their
circumstances. Their names were Lewis Buckingham, Isaac
N. Robinson, John Pratt, and Richard Marvin. They consulted together, and finally came to the conclusion that there
was no opportunity offered for them to better their fortunes
that promised better than that of coming to the West to
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