History of Hillsdale county. Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers.

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HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

1864. Bartlett Bump.
1865. Clinton A. Pease.
1866. John McLouth.
C. A. Pease.
1867. Henry Clement.
1868. Bartlett Bump.
1869. Clinton A. Pease.
1870. John McLouth.
1871. Lovell Hutchins.
1872. James R. Dillon.

1873. C. A. Pease.
Rev. E. M. Lewis.
1874. John McLouth.
Charles I. Wirts.
1875. William Yaxley, Sr.
1876. J. G. Lyon.
E. S. Brown.
1877. C. A. Pease.
Horace N. Barnes.

ASSESSORS.

1837. Alvah Foster.
Lyman Pease.
Thomas N. Bailey.
1838. Francis Hill.
Lyman Pease.
Thomas N. Bailey.
1839. Thomas N. Bailey.
Lyman Pease.
George W. Brearley.
1840. Thomas Fitasimmons.
Thomas N. Bailey.
Gideon S. Wells.
1841. Thomas Farmer.
Thomas N. Bailey.
John Humphrey.
1842. Lyman Pease.
Henry Clement.
1837. Emery Ferguson.
1838. Robert E. Ferguson.
1839. John Robins.
1839-40. Eli Eastman.
1841. John Bailey.
1842. No record.
1843-44. Zebulon Williams.
1845-46. Joshua Eaton.
1847-50. Eli Eastman.
1851. James O'Neil.
1852-53. Lafayette Church.
1854. Abram Stafford.
1855. Philo Hallock.
1856. Lorenzo Saunders.
1857. George H. Pease.
COMMISSIO

1843. Ebenezer Trumbull.
John Bailey.
1844. Ebenezer Trumbull.
Levi Treadwell.
1845. Horace N. Barnes.
Homer C. Davis.
1846. H. N. Barnes.
Benjamin A. Farnsworth.
1847. No record.
1848. D. W. Barber.
Henry Clement.
1849. Ebenezer Trumbull.
Albert B. Slocum.
1850-51. No record.
1852. Henry Clement.
H. N. Barnes.
COLLECTORS.
1840. Hiram Hatfield.
1841. Gershom Willmarth.

TREASURERS.
1858. Edmund Childs.
1859. R. Maynard.
1860-63. John Livermore.
1864-65. Leman Sweezy.
1866. Melvin M. Bailey.
1867. John Livermore.
1868. Judson A. Church.
1869-71. Leman Sweezy.
1872-73. Seth H. Haynes.
1874. J. M. Livermore.
1875-77. L. A. Sweezy.
)NERS OF HIGHWAYS.

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The officers for Wheatland for 1878 are: Supervisor,
Thomas Robins; Town Clerk, Francis G. Church; Treasurer, Benjamin F. Brisbin; Justices of the Peace, M. M.
Comstock, O. W. Haynes; Commissioner of Highways,
Nelson W. Giddings; Township Superintendent of Schools,
Daniel W. Barber; School Inspector, John M. Timms;
Drain Commissioner, Samuel H. Oaks; Constables, Matthew
Lewis, Myron G. Wood, Herbert H. Barron.
EARLY SCHOOLS.
School districts Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were formed at
a meeting of the township school inspectors, held May 27,
1837; district No. 7 was formed on the 6th of November
following; and No. 8 in the fall of 1838. The township
has been re-districted and changed several times since.
The apportionment of school-money for the districts in this
town for the year 1844 was $102.49.
During the year 1837 three log school-houses-the first
in the township-were built, one in what is now district
No. 5, near the residence of G. S. Wells, another on the
land now owned by Ira Carmichael, and the third near
Thomas N. Bailey's, in the southeast part of town. The
north building was erected in thirteen days, by Charles
Carmichael. He cut out the logs, split and prepared the
flooring, and completed his task, all for the sum of $70.
The first teacher in the Carmichael district was Mrs.
Nancy Herrington, wife of David Herrington, to whom she
had been married the previous winter. She taught a summer school, and in the following winter the services of
Daniel Bush were secured. He was paid $13 per month,
which was considered an extra price in those days. Mr.
Bush was afterwards ordained as a Methodist minister, and
began preaching on the Jonesville circuit. He is now
located in Grand Rapids.
The first school in what is now district No. 5 was taught
in the winter of 1837-38, by a man named Boodry. The
old log school-house in this district gave place to a frame
building, since moved away, and now used as a dwelling.
The third school-house on the site is the present fine brick
structure, which was built in 1870, by Richard W. Williams,
and cost about $1450. It stands 80 rods west of the spot
occupied by the original log edifice, and is one of four brick
school-houses which have been built in the township. It
is probably the best of them all.
The log school-house in the Bailey neighborhood was
built late in 1837, and was used also as a place in which to
hold religious and other meetings. It was finally removed,
and a frame building erected in its place.
In the Robins neighborhood, the first school was taught
about 1843, by Miss Mary Wells, a sister of Abel Wells,

1862. Horace N. Barnes.
1863. B. F. Tabor.
John W. Stewart.
C. N. Pease.
1864. Perry Knapp.
Isaac Gates.
Robert Cox.
1865. Robert Cox.
1866. Thomas Robins.
1867. John H. Havens.
Abram Stafford.

1868. Robert Cox.
Perry Knapp.
1869. Abram Stafford.
1870. Robert Cox.
1871. John Peck.
1872. A. Stafford.
1873. Robert Cox.
1874. A. H. Moore.
1875. Abram Stafford.
1876. Robert Cox.
1877. James Humphrey.

1837. Jyra Wilcox.
Eli Eastman.
Elias Alley.
1838. Eli Eastman.
Jyra Wilcox.
John Brearley.
1839. Jyra Wilcox.
Eli Eastman.
Lyman Pease.
1840. Same as previous year.
1841. Eli Eastman.
Lyman Pease.
Homer C. Davis.
1842. H. C. Davis.
Lyman Pease.
Edson Witherell.
1843. John Brown.
David P. Herrington.
Jacob Robins.
1844. Same.
1845. Phineas P. Randolph.
Jacob Robins.
Daniel Van Etten.

1846. Walter Culver.
Daniel Van Etten.
Phineas P. Randolph.
1847. Daniel W. Barber.
Walter Culver.
John Robins.
1848. Thomas Fitzsimmons.
1849. Jacob Robins.
1850. Minor Swick.
C. A. Pease.
1851. Henry Carmichael.
1852. Edmund Childs.
1853. Jacob Robins.
Henry Carmichael.
1854. Gideon S. Wells.
1855. Lorenzo Saunders.
Lyman Pease.
1856. Lyman Pease.
1857. Thomas Robins.
1858. Harding Hallook.
1859. William S. Humphrey.
1860. Robert E. Ferguson.
1861. Harding Hallock.