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

HISTORY OF HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

331

State troops on the Canadian frontier. Among other settlers who came in during the winter of 1840-41 were
Orrin Cobb, Urias Hoyt, a Methodist preacher, Jacob
Sumner, and Chester Stoddart, the first supervisor of the
township.
Previous to 1838, John B. Norris, a resident of Canandaigua, N. Y., had purchased of the government the south
half of section 2 and north half of section 11. In the
fall of 1840, accompanied by his son, Joel B., he visited
his purchase, and erected a log cabin on section 2. This
house was occupied in May, 1841, by Jared B. Norris and
his wife. A few years later the father and sons, viz., John
B., Jared B., Joel B., James B., Jason B., and Jackson B.
Norris, all became residents of the township.
Calvin Young and sons, Francis D., Milton, Ebenezer,
Job, and Jeremiah, from Monroe Co., N. Y., settled upon
section 19 in 1842.
Other settlers of the years 1842 and 1843 were Dennis
D. Wright, Curtis and Obadiah Seeley, John Ashley,
Chauncey Ashley, Isaac P. Hoag, Robinson S. Lockwood,
a prominent township officer, and who built the first sawmill on section 10 about 1845, Lewis Sprague, who has
creditably served his townsmen in many official capacities,
Jeremiah I. Sabin, Horace Starkweather, and Silas P.
Thomas.
Cornelius Fuller and sons, Orson, Sidney, and David,
from Sodus, Wayne Co., N. Y., settled on the farm now
owned by David Hatch, in 1844.
The residents of 1850, other than those already named,
were as follows: William Goodwin, Rufus Wyllys, William
Bell, Daniel Campbell, Adolphus Randall, Danford Fish,
Thomas Finch, Samuel Purches, William Burgess, Merritt J. Chappell, Theodore P. Carbine, William Purches,
Truman Sampson, Edmond Van Vlack, Seth Tubbs, Chas.
S. Billings, Nelson Kellogg, Fernando C. Horton; Warren
Stevens, William Viqkers, Orlando H. Avery, Levi Weston,
Albert Weston, Lewis Beck, Levi Hill, Alanson Van Vlack,
Benona Samson, William H. Clark, Jonathan B. Abbott,
Mr. Brown, Daniel P. Whitney, Orrin Vanakin, William
Luke, S. W. Farr, Aaron Steele, John A. Beard, George
Lee, Mathew Fairfield, Simeon Steele, William Osborn,
Josiah Jenkins, Edwin Hungerford, Stephen and Elias
Hungerford, Henry Alverson, Walter Baker, Chauncey
Mayfield, Thomas Braman, Martin H. Roe, Cornelius
Acker, John Sanderson, and Peter Perry.
James A. Keech was married to Miss Sarah Clark in
the fall of 1838. This was the first marriage. Squire
Packer, of Litchfield, officiated. The first birth was that
of Erastus Phinney, son of Romanta, who was born in
1838. The first death was that of Eliza, daughter of Jacob Clark, who died of scarlet fever, in the spring of the
same year (1838).
CIVIL HISTORY.
By an act of the Legislature of the State of Michigan,
approved Jan. 28, 1840, Woodbridge was formed from
Fayette. Its original limits, and the place designated for
holding the first township-meeting, were by that act defined

as follows:
"All that portion of the county of Hillsdale, designated by the
United States survey as townships numbered 7, 8, and fractional

A,

township 9 south, of range 3 west, be set off into a separate township, and organized by the name of Woodbridge, and the first township-meeting therein shall be held at the house formerly occupied by
John McDermaid, in said township.
" This act shall not in any wise affect the collection of taxes assessed
in the county of Hillsdale for the year 1839, or in any township thereof;
but the same shall be collected as if this act had not passed.
"This act shall take effect, and be in force, on and after the first
Monday of April next.
" Approved Jan. 28, 1840."
The township derived its name from Gov. William
Woodbridge, for many years Territorial Secretary, and
during the years 1820-21 acting Governor of the Territory
of Michigan.
Cambria was set off as a separate township March 15,
1841, and the west half of Amboy, being the fractional
township of No. 9 south, range 3 west, March 28, 1850.
PROCEEDINGS OF TOWNSHIP-MEETINGS FOR THE YEARS
1840, 1841, AND 1842.
The township clerk for the years 1840 and 1841 neglected
his duty so far as recording the names of the township
officers elected and holding office during these years. He
even fails to inform us of his own name.
The following is the entire record of the proceedings of
the first township-meeting, copied verbatim:
"At a meeting of the electors of the town of Woodbridge, held at the house of Lorenzo Rice, Monday, the
6th day of April, 1840, Hiram V. Weaver was chosen
Moderator; Samuel Wheeler, Samuel Orr, Moses Willits,
Baron B. Willits, Inspectors; and Ira Mead, Clerk.
"Voted three dollars bounty on wolves.
"Voted three dollars bounty on Bears.
" Voted that hogs be free commoners.
"Voted that all boars found running at large shall be
altered at the risk of the owner.
" Voted that our next township-m'eeting be held at this
place."
The recorded proceedings of the township-meeting for
the year 1841 are as follows:
"At the annual township-meeting for the town of Woodbridge, held
at the house of Burton H. Lamphere, 1841. Voted that a bounty be
raised on bears of five dollars, to be paid the killer. Also five
dollars to the wolf. Voted that fifty dollars be raised for the payment
of the above bounty. Voted that one hundred and fifty dollars be
raised for the expenses of the township. Voted ten dollars for town
books and book-case. Voted that all swine run at large, except boars
over three months old, which if found at large, to be altered at the
risk of the owner. Adjourned to meet for next annual meeting at the
residence of Chester Stoddard.

(Signed)

" CHESTER STODDARD,
"HARVEY FISH,
"JACOB SUMNER,
"JACOB CLARK, Inspectors."

At the annual township election, held in the spring of
1842, the following-named officers were elected:
Supervisor, Chester Stoddard; Township Clerk, Burton
H. Lamphere; Treasurer, Jacob Sumner; Assessors, Urias
Hoyt, Luther Phinney; Inspectors of Schools, Jacob Sumner, Jared B. Norris, Urias Hoyt; Overseers of the Poor,
Dennis D. Wright, Lemuel Blount; Commissioners of
Highways, Jared B. Norris, John W. Johnson, John