History of Oakland County, Michigan.

278

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

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Henrietta Pelton, of Springfield; August 11, 1838. to Pearson G. Cochran and
Ann Oliver, both of Springfield; September 25, 1838, to Nathaniel Dorr, Jr.,
and Miss Sary Hoyt, both of Springfield. Thus it will be seen that the " little
winged god" was busy at an early period, even in the midst of sterner realities.
FIRST TOWN-MEETING.
We copy the following from the township records:
' According to the statute of Michigan, the people convened at the house of
David Stanard and organized by electing the following officers for the township of
Springfield.
" April 3, 1837, David Stanard, Esq., was chosen moderator, and John J. Merrell chosen clerk, and both qualified, then proceeded to business." The following
were the various officers elected, namely:
Supervisor, Melvin Dorr; Township Clerk, Jonah Gross; Assessors, Cornelius
Davis, John W. Pratt, Griswold Bishop; Constable and Collector, Lyman Hubbard; Constable, Edward E. Perry; Overseers of the Poor, Orange Powell, Caleb
P. Merrell; Commissioners of Highways, Arza C. Crosby, Asahel Johnson, Isaac
Anderson; Justices of the Peace, Daniel Jones, David Stanard, Jonah Gross,
Cornelius Davis; Path-masters, David Stanard, Charles Husted; Pound-masters,
Nathan Jones, Asahel Johnson.
"On motion, it was voted that this town shall pay for every wolf that is caught
in this town and the scalp delivered to any justice of the peace; and on oath that
it is in his opinion over one year old shall receive three dollars."
" On vote, it was agreed that the next town-meeting be held at the house of
David Stanard, Esq., in Springfield."
At a special election held November 18, 1837, the following persons were chosen
school inspectors: Daniel B. Wakefield, Daniel Jones, John J. Merrell.
At the regular election in 1838, Daniel B. Wakefield was elected supervisor,
Jonah Gross town clerk, and Russell Bishop justice of the peace.
At a special meeting held August 11, 1838, D. B. Wakefield and Simeon L.
McQuigg were elected justices of the peace, to fill vacancies.
At a special meeting held November 3, 1838, the following officers were elected
to fill vacancies: Supervisor, Milton Peters; Justice of the Peace, David Stanard;
School Inspector, Milton Peters; Highway Commissioner, Gifford Nash; Collector,
Griswold W. Bishop; Constables, Samuel C. Thomas, George R. Putnam.
The following is a list of supervisors from 1839 to 1877, inclusive: 1839-42,
Milton Peters (supervisor and assessor in 1842); 1843, Augustus S. Johnson;
1844-48, Alexander Ter Bush; 1849, Nolton Bigelow; 1850, James B. Simonson; 1851, Alexander Ter Bush; 1852, James B. Simonson; 1853, Alexander
Ter Bush; 1854-55, James B. Simonson; 1856-65, Alexander Ter Bush;
1866-68, Jefferson K. Tindall; 1869, Alexander Ter Bush; 1870-73, Jefferson
K. Tindall; 1874-77, Alonzo H. Losse.
Township Clerks. -1839, Jonah Gross; 1840-42, John J. Merrell; 1843,
Peter Best; 1844-46, Nelson Abel; 1847, Alvin D. Simonson; 1848-49, Theodore R. M. Gross; 1850, Caleb Gardner; 1851, T. R. M. Gross; 1852-63, Edward Bartlett; 1864-65, H. C. Burnam; 1866, James E. Pepper; 1867-68,
Alexander Ter Bush; 1869, William J. Pepper; 1870-73, Alonzo H. Losee;
1874, Harvey G. Monroe; 1875, Daniel L. Davis; 1,76-77, Henry G. Robin.
Justices o f the Peace.-1839, Daniel T. Wilson, Noah Beach; 1840, James
Stalls; 1841, George Bigelow; 1842, Hiram Trim; 1843, Philip S. Frisbie;
1844, James Stout; 1845, James B. Simonson; 1846, Eli H. Day; 1847, Philip
S. Frisbie; 1848, Hiram Trim; 1849, James B. Simonson, James Stout; 1850,
Eli H. Day; 1851, Philip S. Frisbie; 1852, Horatio Foster, Sr.; 1853, James
B. Simonson, Nolton Bigelow; 1854, Israel Swayze, John J. Merrell; 1855,
Alexander Ter Bush, John W. Anderson; 1856, John J. Merrell, George W.
Stinson; 1857, S. L. McQuigg, Eli Brondige; 1858, James P. Wheeler; 1859,
F arley Craw; 1860, John G. Reed; 1861, William H. Elliott; 1862, James
P. Wheeler; 1863, F arley C raw; 1864, John G. Reed; 1 865, Anthony J.

Swayze; 1866, George M. Lyon, A. J. Swayze; 1867, John C. Clark; 1868,
John G. Reed, Henry C. Burnam; 1869, A. J. Swayze, E. Bartlett, Phineas
Reed; 1870, Phineas Reed, George Stafford; 1871, no return on township
records; 1872>, Amasa C. Kenyon, Monroe Wheeler, Calvin L. Paddock; 1873,
Charles Cavel; 1874, Norman Ellis, Michael G. Hickey, Jackson Voorheis; 1875,
Jackson ~oorheis, George C. Potter; 1876, Roswell Burt, John Vincent; 1877,
J. G. Hutchins.
SPRINGFIELD POST-OFFICE.
The neighborhood of this village witnessed the first settlement made in the
township, and here for a long period was the most important hamlet. A few village lots were laid out by Milton Peters, May 21, 1840.
While the stage-line was running business was brisk along the old Detroit and
Saginaw turnpike, on which the village is located. Asahel Fuller, the first settler
in the township, built a hotel here at an early day, and carried it on for some time,

but finally sold out. It was a two-story frame building, and was subsequently
burned down while under the management of David Stanard.
At one time there were two taverns, three stores, and numerous shops in full
operation here, and Springfield was a busy burg. The stage-horn fiequently seared
up deer along the route, the frightened animals fleeing in dismay before the sound
as though it were the note of the huntsman's horn and they expected a pack of
hounds in full cry to appear immediately following.
The first store was opened by two young men, named Milton Peters and Peter
Best, who conducted a general establishment, carrying such goods in stock as were
needed by the settlers,-dry goods, groceries, clothing, etc.
A second store was established by A. S. Johnson, now of Detroit. In 1844,
James B. Simonson located here and opened a general store. He emigrated from
Roxbury, Delaware county, New York, in 1835, with his wife and one child, a
son, and settled in Royal Oak township, where he resided until 1841, when he
removed to Birmingham. In 1844 he came to Springfield. During his stay here
he held the office of postmaster some twelve years. He finally sold his store to
John J. Merrell and started one at the Anderson settlement, where he stayed but
a short time. He removed from the Anderson settlement to Holly, where he now
resides. He is president of the First National bank at the latter place.
The post-office at Springfield was established about 1835-36, and David Stanard was probably first postmaster. Mr. Simonson held the office for twelve years,
as above stated, and A. S. Johnson was in for some time. The present postmaster
is Dr. Edward Bartlett, who has been in office six years.
Dr. Bartlett settled with his father, James Bartlett, near the site of the village
of Clarkston, in 1838. They were from Cayuga county, New York, and the
family consisted of James Bartlett, his wife, and six sons. Of the latter, but two
are now living,-the doctor and H. J. Bartlett. James Bartlett died in December, 1874, aged seventy-four years. His wife died in 1843. The doctor removed
to Springfield in 1850, and has since been a resident of the place. He practiced
one summer at Clarkston previous to coming to Springfield. He is a physician
of the allopathic school, and a graduate of the Cleveland university.
A physician named Briggs located here in 1849, but only lived about a year.
In 1833, John J. Merrell and Arza C. Crosby removed from New York and
settled in Springfield together, early in the month of September, purchasing land
on section 13. Merrell was from Onondaga county, and Crosby from Cayuga.
Mr. Merrell had a family of six children-three sons and three daughters beside his wife, and two daughters were born afterwards. Of the ten children, eight
are now living. Mr. Merrell died April 6, 1866, aged sixty-nine years.
Mr. Crosby was accompanied by his wife, four sons, and two daughters; the
children are all living but one. Mr. C. died February 3, 1857, at the age of sixtytwo. The old place where he settled, on section 13, isyet occupied by his widow.
Mrs. Crosby and Mrs. Merrell are sisters, and natives of Onondaga county, New
York.
These estimable ladies are yet full of the vigor of youth, and despite the trials
they were subject to in the settlement of a new country, they look back with
pleasure on the " days that are gone, " and by their very interesting and pleasing
conversation are able to while away many hours in recounting tales and adventures
of " ye olden time." It is a pleasure to listen to them, and as in talking of past
scenes and events they become animated and warmed to their subject, the listener
feels himself almost enabled to recollect the time when the country was but little
better than a wilderness, even though he be yet in his youth.
People " in those days" were wont to make journeys to Pontiac, and often to
Detroit, to buy pork, which it seems was considered a necessary article for family
use, and would return with it on a pack-horse, balancing a barrel of pork by a
barrel of flour. Very often the pork was so lean and thin that it did not possess
" grease" enough to fry itself in, and it became necessary to put venison in with
it in order to accomplish this object. It must be borne in mind that the deer

were very fat, and it was unnecessary to do more than place the venison in a frying-pan over a fire and attend to it with care in order to have it done to a turn.
Mrs. Crosby says that in her life of forty-four years in Michigan she has never
moved her household goods, except 'L out of the old house into the new." The
two families, for four years after their arrival, lived in a large double log house,
and then Mr. Merrell erected a dwelling, into which he moved with his family.
Mrs. Merrell and Mrs. Crosby now say they " never took as much comfort in
their lives as in the old log house."
At the time they settled, or soon after, there were about nine families in the
township, and if they failed to see each other less than once a fortnight they
deemed themselves almost forsaken.
Mr. Merrell and Mr. Crosby each kept a hired man, and with their large family
their house was pretty well filled up. These men were brothers, and were named
George and Levi Perry; the former working for Merrell and the latter for Crosby.
Levi Perry was a great hunter and killed large numbers of deer, which were very