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

HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

301

for a colt which had been given him, made the sum of
ninety-nine dollars and fifty cents. At this time he was
troubled with the California fever, but his capital was too
small, and he applied to Judge Ayres, then of West Unity,
for assistance, and the judge, with no security but Mr.
Loutsenhizer's word of honor, loaned him one hundred
dollars, Mr. Loutsenhizer agreeing to give the judge onethird of first year's earnings. April 5, in company with
others, he started for the land of gold, going overland with
a team, and making the trip in five months, and seeing the
hard times and excitement attending an overland trip to California at that time. His first year's earnings amounted to
twelve hundred and eight dollars, one-third of which he
gave the judge. In April, 1852, he returned to Ohio, and,

with the money thus earned, he made a start with which he
has made himself a competency, at this date owning a farm
of two hundred acres, one of the best in his town. Dec.
5, 1857, he was married to Miss Mary Jane Bachman,
daughter of George and Sarah Bachman, of Williams Co.,
Ohio, where they had moved from Seneca Co., N. Y., in
which county Miss Bachman was born.
In 1839, Mr. Loutsenhizer bought a farm in Williams
Co., Ohio, which he cleared and improved, selling the same
in.1861 and taking up his residence on another new farm
in Amboy, Hillsdale Co., Mich., where he has since resided.
In politics he is and has always been a Democrat, and has
several times been nominated by his party for supervisor,
always getting more than his party vote.

C A M DE N.

THE township of Camden was, in 1839, a part of the
town of Reading, and had before the organization of that
town formed a part of the town of Allen. A bill was
presented to the Legislature, in the session of 1839, to set
off the south part of Reading into a separate town. A
meeting was held, during the pendency of this bill, at the
house of Eason T. Chester, to select a name for the new
town. Among the names proposed were " Clarence,"
"Echo," and " Camden." After considerable discussion
the name of Camden, proposed by Mr. Chester, was settled
upon, and the representative was notified of the choice and
incorporated the name in the bill. This town was therefore named Camden, after the town of that name in Oneida
Co., N. Y. It is the southwest town of the county, and
contains an area of 26,927 acres, being sections 1 to 36
(except sections 30 and 31 and the south half of section
19) of town 8 south, of range 4 west, and sections 1 to 12
(except sections 6 and 7) of town 9 south, of range 4
west. The sections excepted lie in the town of Clear
Lake, Ind.
Camden is bounded north by Reading, east by Woodbridge and Amboy, south by Northwest, Williams Co., O.,
and west by Clear Lake, Steuben Co., Ind., and by California, Branch Co., Mich.
The surface of the town is generally level or slightly
rolling, rising into low hills in the central part along the
course of the streams, and being most level in the south
and east parts. In the northwest part of the town there
is considerable marshy land, the surface there being low as
compared to the water-courses. The hills rising highest
above the general surface are just north of Camden village,
and are of the kind known as clay knobs, and furnish a
good quality of clay for use in brick-making.
The soil is varied in its character, and consists of clayey,
gravelly, and sandy loam and muck. It is very irregular

in its distribution, all kinds of soil often appearing in a
piece of land but a few rods square, and is of a very fertile
nature. Originally the land was covered with dense forest,
except in the western part, where there were oak openings.
These openings were at first considered of but little value,
and were neglected for many years, but latterly they have
risen in the estimation of the people until they are now
looked upon as good lands for agricultural purposes.
The principal stream of this town is known as Little St.
Joseph River. It takes its rise in Clear Lake, Ind., of
which it is the outlet, and enters the town at its northwest
corner. It is soon joined by a branch which flows from
Turner's Lake, in the town of Reading, and passing through
two other small lakes enters Camden at the east line of section 6. It then pursues a southeast course, and passes into
Amboy near the north boundary of that town. It eventually flows into the Maumee River, and through that stream
enters Lake Erie at Toledo. In its course through this
town it is augmented by several tributary streams rising in
this and adjoining towns.
Another stream of considerable size, and which is also a
branch of the Little St. Joseph, is the outlet of Long Lake.
This lake, which is very irregular in form, very much resembling a large letter Z, lies across the State line, about
one-third of it being in Indiana. It covers an area of about
120 acres, has a gravelly bottom, and but little marsh about
its shores. The outlet is at its western extremity, and
curves eastward till it enters Camden in section 32 and
flows eastward three miles, when it takes a sudden turn
and runs south till it crosses the line into Ohio. These
streams are not rapid in their flow, but rather inclined to
be sluggish. Marsh Lake, covering an area of some 30
acres, lies in the north part of sections 4 and 5, South
Camden.
There are a few very small ponds in the town, most of