History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of their prominent men and pioneers.

214

HISTORY OF SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

justices of the peace. He later removed from Caledonia,
and is since deceased.
Abram Garrabrant, a pioneer from New Jersey, arrived in 1839, and purchased forty acres on section 29, to
which he at once removed. He devoted much labor to
the clearing and cultivating of this land, and converted it
into one of the most productive farms in the township.
He resided upon it until 1875, when he removed to Tennessee and died there.
Ammon Blain, from New York State, also came in 1839,
and selected a tract of land embracing one hundred and
twenty acres on section 20, formerly occupied by a Mr.
Dunning. Upon this he erected a temporary shelter and
began the work of improvement. His progress was sufficiently rapid to satisfy the most ambitious pioneer, but
he was attracted by a more eligible farm in Oakland County,
to which he soon after removed.
Benjamin M. Waterman was a former resident of Niagara Co., N. Y., from whence he came to Michigan in 1840,
and located upon eighty acres on section 4 in Caledonia,
purchased of David Potter, of New York. The latter
gentleman had effected no improvement on the land, and
Mr. Waterman found it necessary at once to erect a log
house and clear a tract sufficiently extensive to afford a
crop of wheat for future subsistence. His family were
meanwhile welcomed to the residence of their neighbor,
Mr. Seymour, and remained there for two months. After
a residence of some years upon his farm, Mr. Waterman
removed to his present residence on the same section. Corunna at this time afforded a fair market, though much of
the milling was done at Pontiac and Owosso. Religious
services were held at the school-house in the neighborhood, which was erected in 1842. and to which the settlers
went with ox-teams. Mr. Waterman is still a resident of
the township.
Norman L. Jennings was a resident of Monroe Co., N. Y.
He became a settler in this county in 1836, and four years
later removed to the township of Caledonia, where he
purchased one hundred and fifty-six acres on section 31.
No clearing had been effected upon this land, which was
still in its primitive condition. Mr. Jennings found shelter
in a hut that had been erected south of his land, and in
this he lived for some months the solitary life of a bachelor. On completing his own house he removed to it, and
in 1841 brought a wife as mistress of the establishment.
Emanuel Young was then the nearest neighbor, who was
located on the same section, but Stephen McCoy followed
soon after. Indians were occasional visitors, and supplied
game and fish in abundance, for which other commodities
were given in exchange. Owosso was the most accessible
village, and there they purchased their household supplies.
Mr. Jennings still resides upon his purchase.
Robert R. Thompson, previously a resident of Washtenaw County, came in the following year, and located upon
a farm in section 25. He was engaged with Alexander
McArthur in the saw-mill, and also embarked in commercial ventures in the village. He afterwards sold and re

moved to Saginaw, where he died.
Following is a list of the resident and non-resident taxpayers in the township of Caledonia for the year 1840:

N. L. Prouty.
Fraser, McArthur & Hul

bert.
A. McArthur.
McArthur & Hulbert.
I. A. Blosum and E.
Efner.
J. & S. D. Beers.
Luther Smith.
Jonathan Kearsley.
Elon Farnsworth.
Electa M. Dean.
Samuel C. Holden.
M. Reynolds.
Cornelius Burger.
Silas Ball.
Charles Jackson.
Henry Raymond.
Joseph Pitcairn.
Wm. Gage.
James A. Van Dyke.
Elias Doty.

D.

Desnoyers & Whipple.
Henry Rush.
Carlton Sawyer.
Chelsey Blake.
G. C. & F. Leib.
County-Seat Company.
Stephen Hawkins.
D. P. Sturdevant.
-- Bishop.
George E. Peck.
John Dorelan.
Joel Smith.
Allen Cadwell.
Alex. Hilton.
Horace Perry.
Asahel Newcomb.
Philo Peck.
Phelps.
Francis G. Macy.
Comstock & Beach.
S. & D. Ball.
Silvenas German.

S. N. Warren, formerly of Oakland County, became
owner in 1841 of the farm now occupied by C. Flint on
section 31, which he cleared and cultivated. Mr. Warren
was known as a skillful farmer and a public-spirited citizen,
who manifested a lively interest in the advancement of the
township. He remained for many years in Caledonia, but
ultimately removed to the city of Flint, where he now resides.
Auburn Stewart came to the township from Ypsilanti in
1841, and purchased sixty acres on section 3. Upon this
land he built a log house and made some improvement, but
soon after sold to S. W. Cooper. He then removed to a
farm on section 16, and later to the village of Corunna.
William Lemon came from Livingston County in 1842,
and located in this township on section 3. He was engaged in farming for a time, but afterwards lived in Corunna, and eventually removed to the West and died there.
Arthur Huntley formerly resided near Detroit, and in
1845 purchased forty acres of land on section 3, Caledonia,
upon which he has since lived. After clearing a small
tract he built a log house, meanwhile having found a home
with his neighbor, M. Jewett. In the first year after his
arrival a serious calamity befell the family in a conflagration which swept away their household effects and consumed a little child in the flames. The kindness of friends
in Detroit soon supplied the loss of furniture, with which
they recommenced their pioneer life. They still reside on
the same farm.
Samuel Young, a brother of Thomas R., removed from
Lapeer County in 1847 and settled on forty acres on section 12, upon which the usual labor incident to clearing
was bestowed. The log house he erected was later superseded by a frame one of more extended proportions, in
which he still resides.
John Kelly, formerly of Cleveland, Ohio, purchased in
1846, and in the following year became a resident on, one
hundred and sixty acres of land on section 9, formerly