History of Oakland County, Michigan.

222

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

Captain Abel Peck came in the year 1831, and located on section 35, on the
farm now occupied by his daughter, the widow of Lyman Bennett.
John Hayes settled on section 36 the same year, on the place now owned by
Frank Heath. He was accompanied by two brothers; but none of the family
now reside in the township.
John Vincent came from Richmond, Ontario county, New York, in November,
1832, and took up the east half of the southeast quarter of section 15, upon which
he lived until his death, in April, 1877. His son now occupies the old homestead.
Job G. Bigelow arrived in July, 1832, and bought of the government the
north half of southwest quarter of section 33. He broke up and sowed to wheat
forty acres, and put up the body of a log house, putting down a temporary floor.
In October of the same year he moved his family into it, without doors or windows or even a roof. But he soon finished it, and as there was no school-house,
or even school district, in the entire township at that time, and there being a few
families in the vicinity desiring school-privileges, Mrs. Bigelow opened a school
in their own house, where she taught the children of the surrounding country for
two years. It is believed that this was one of the first schools ever taught in the
town, probably the very first one. One rather amusing incident connected with this
first pioneer enterprise may be mentioned: Mr. Bigelow, during the fall, had hired
a young man by the name of Richard Wilson. One afternoon, with two nephews
of Mr. Bigelow's, who were there on a visit, it was determined to have a hunting
expedition by way of recreation. Returning quite late in the evening, after partaking supper they retired for the night, with the exception of Wilson, who sat
down upon the floor with his feet down into the hole intended for the hearth.
With his head resting upon his hands and his elbows upon his knees, he was soon
fast asleep. In the night, as the fire (got low, being somewhat cold, one of the
boys got up and threw upon the fire a basket of chips, on which one of them, on
coming in from their hunt, had thoughtlessly thrown his powder-horn. Agaia
retiring to rest, he was soon in the land of tired hunters, from which he and all the
inmnates of the lhouse were suddenly summoned by a loud explosion. It seems
that as soon as the fire reached the powder the above result followed, scattering
the chips and fire all over the house, throwing poor Dick nearly to the back part
of the room. Fortunately, no one was injured, but all were badly frightened.
Deacon Harvey Steele came in 1832, and settled on section 35, on the farm now
owned by Henry Nicholson.
Isaiah J. Hudson settled on sections 20 and 21 in 1832.
About the middle of November, 1832, Mr. Potts and his father arrived from
England, having left the docks at London October 11 of that year, being five
weeks on the voyage. William Potts entered the employ of Amos Mead. He
still resides in the township, being its oldest pioneer.
John L. Clark came into MIilford township in 1833, and settled on the southeast quarter of section 28, on the farm afterwards occupied by A. Gillett.
Robert Crawford, together with his family, came here in 1833. This country
was then a wild and howling wilderness. He purchased the farm now occupied by
William D. Crawford, his son, on the 14th day of November of that year, of
Griffith Johns and Calvin Lincoln,-two hundred and forty acres for five hundred
and fifty dollars. The former owners just named had made some improvements
and built two log houses, but being sick with the fever and ague and some homesick, they were glad to avail themselves of a purchaser and go back to the State
of New York. In the spring of 1834, Alanson Crawford, the eldest son of the
purchaser, came here and made additional improvements, it then being called
Novi. In May, 1835, Mr. Crawford and his family started on their journey of
removal here from Ontario county, New York, with two double teams and one
single one, bringing with them six young horses. They came through Canada,
arriving about the last of June. They undertook to come out from Detroit by
way of the Grand River road. It was not worked much, and a part of the time
they were obliged to turn aside in the woods where the mud and water were hub

deep. But they finally reached the " Sand hill," leaving one of their wagons
stuck fast in the mud; returning the next morning, they hauled it out with another team. William D. Crawford was with the family when they came in. He
narrates his first journey to Milford village in this way: having to pasture their
horses in the woods, not having much land fenced, the horses strayed. Going in
quest of them in a northwest direction, he came to the Huron river; having followed a sort of trail he came where the village now stands. He found here a log
house and blacksmith-shop (Foreman's). He there inquired fto Mr. Vincent's,
when, taking a back track by way of Mr. V.'s house, he made home at last. Mr.
Robert Crawford died in February, 1839. His remains, first interred in the old
cemetery, now rest beside those of his wife, whose death occurred about six years
ago, waiting the morn of the resurrection.
James Mendham came from England in 1833, and settled on section 12 in Milford and on section 7 in Commerce townships' on the farm now occupied by his
son, John J. Mendham.

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George Tuck came in 1837, and subsequently settled on the farm now owned
by John Simons.
David Pickett arrived in 1835, and settled on the farm formerly owned by
Orin Goodell, on section 24.
The settlement of the township between 1836 and 1840 was rapid, a large
influx of immigration pouring in, so that it is impossible to mention the names
of all.
As illustrating the privations and hardships encountered by the pioneers in their
travels to their adopted homes in the west, we quote the subjoined account, furnished by the person whose experiences are therein narrated to Mr. Henderson
Crawford, and published by him in his able articles in the " Early History of Milford and Vicinity." This is a fair sample of a journey to the west in early times,
and its insertion here dispenses with the requirement of a similar renconttre in the
history of others, and which would necessitate a tiresome repetition:
" We have lately received friom the hands of' our venerable friend, Frederick
W. Goodenow, now nearly seventy-nine years of age, the following statement of
his early experience: he came to Michigan in 1826, from the township of Mexico,
in Oswego county, State of New York, being about twenty-five miles from the
city of Syracuse. Located on lands four miles northwest from Ann Arbor in
the month of April, in that year, then returned east and removed with his family,
consisting of wife, mother, and two children, in June following, shipping on a canalboat, on the ' ragingC canal,' fur Buffalo. Traveling by this mode of' conveyance
was very tedious and irksome. At Buffalo they embarked on a steamer called the
' Enterprise;' but she proved a poor enterprise for them, as her accommodations
were wretched in the extreme. Little better awaited them in Detroit, where they
were obliged to take their lodgings on the floor at Uncle Ben Woodruff's Steamboat hotel, then the best in the city. He then hired John Hamilton, father of
the Hamiltons at Flint, for forty dollars, to take him and his family through to
Ann Arbor, their journey occupying four days. It rained most of the entire
time on the road, being one of the very worst times he could possibly have chosen,in June; even the winter season would have been preferable. The water being very
poor,-surface water,-consequently they were soon all sick with the different
febvers incident to a new country, and could not get in any crops. Leaving word
at Ann Arbor that they wanted help, it would come, and seeing the situation of
the family, would take leave suddenly Finally their neighbors came and cut
marsh-grass enoutgh to winter their stock and stacked it, without any compensation, as they would receive nothing for their services. So if any one wants to
find neighlbors good, kind, and true, let them seek them in a new country, if anywhere on earth. Procuring all the boards hlie could at Ann Arbor, only three
hundred feet of' poor oak, they formed their only shelter for twelve days, eleven
of which it rained the most of the time. They lost a great many bedclothes by
the wet weather. They then moved into their new log house, procuring basswoodbark for floors. The next morning after their first night there they were greeted
by the arrival of a visitor,-a tall black bear was seen coming to their new place
of abode. Mr. Goodenow fearing his visitor might be a little deaf, gave him a
loud good-morning, whereat Bruin suddenly turned tail and, leaving, was soon out
of sighlt. There were no white neighbors within two miles, but the Indians were
very plenty, almost too much so when drunk. They used to buy fresh meats and
buckskins of the Indians, paying them in flour. In the following autumn Mrs.
Goodenow went to Cleveland, Ohio, where she remained with her sister until the
followi1ng spring, when she returned to her husband and family, with improved
health and spirits, whereat they all rejoiced, as with returning health homesickness fled. Wild animals were very plenty; the howling of the wolves was heard
every night.
"Bears and wolves were heard around their house almost every night, seeking
something to eat. Mr. Goodenow purchased some sheep about a year after his
first settlement, which he kept closely penned every night. One nighlt the sheep

were left out of their inclosure, and were found in the morning down by the river,
all killed by the wolves. There were no frame buildings in Ann Arbor at the
date of their first settlement. Provisions and stock came mostly from Ohio, cows
selling at from eight dollars to eighteen dollars per head. Store bills became due
' when navigation opened,' rather than ' after harvest,' as in later days."
TIHE FIRST FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
was held on the farm now owned by John Kinsman, in 1836. The people assembled under the old " round top"-a large oak so called-which stood on an elevated
spot. The date, " July 4, 1836," was carved on the bark of the tree, which has
since decayed, and has been removed. Thus has perished a venerable landmark,
and one in which the people of the vicinity took a great pride.
EARLY AMUSEMENTS
in the new settlements consisted principally in social dancing-parties, when the