History of Saginaw county, Michigan; together with ... portraits ... and biographies ... History of Michigan ...

202

HISTORY OF SAGINAW COUNTY.

A corresponding committee, consisting of M. L. Gage, C. A.
Lull and Geo. F. Lewis, was appointed. An advisory committee
comprising Curt Munger, Benj. F. Price, C. W. Grant and C. D.
Little, was also formed. To these names were added Hon. Townsend North, Tuscola; Hon. Geo. F. Ball, Midland; Hon. E. H.
Thomson, Genesee; Gen. Ralph Ely, Gratiot; Douglass Nelson,
Isabella. The names thus given constituted the committee of
general arrangement under the presidency of Hon. Albert Miller.
The committee on program comprised Hon. Albert Miller, M.
B. Hess, Geo. W. Hotchkiss, Geo. F. Lewis and Geo. H.
Richardson.
The following letter of reminiscences, addressed to the "Pioneers
of the State of Michigan," was written by Edwin Jerome:
"I am happy to meet you on our first social reunion in this
flourishing Bay City, standing upon grounds sacred to memory,
and on which 41 years ago your relator camped and slept.
"In the latter part of the summer of 1833, I enlisted in the
War Department commanded by Col. Anderson, then a resident
of Detroit, to assist in a coast survey of Lake Huron, under the
immediate direction of three cadets from West Point, Lieut.
Heintzelman, since General, a distinguished Union soldier in our
late fratricidal war, as our leader; Lieut. Poole, second in command; Lieut. Lee, third or junior commander; Commissary,
George Moran, of Groesse Point; Government hunter, your venerable and much respected townsman, Capt. Francois Marsac, the
crack of whose rifle, aimed by his keen eye, fed the stomachs of the
party with some 200 wild duck, I think, four bears, several deer,.
and a number of raccoons, etc. Yet, the speed and hardy endurance of the Captain's body were inadequate to the task of overtaking and capturing a moose, whose keen eye, ear, scent and
fleet foot successfully evaded a hard day's chase; among the privates in the Yankee mess were myself and six others, Henry
Snelling, Mr. Cowles, a nephew of Col. Anderson, Mr. Jacobus
and three others, whose names are not now called to memory.
"In the French mess were Benoit L. Trombly, Francois G.
Trombly, Leon Trombly, Joseph Trombly, Antoine Trombly,
John Trombly, Baret Leparls, Gilbert Lacrois, Dominique Sney,
Leon Sney, John Grant, Louis Duprey, William Thebo and
Joseph Alloir, 14 in number, making a total of 26 souls, counting
Lieut. Poole, whose whereabouts we never learned.
" Our field service commenced on the shore of Lake Huron, a
few miles above Fort Gratiot, at the then northern terminus of the
Government land surveys of Michigan. Speaking wholly from a
41 years' memory, I shall omit any attempt at describing minutely
the majestic forests, romantic spots, jotted now with cities, the
marble rocks found upon the beach, etc., but will note the fact
that our pioneer party made the first survey of the pearly little
stream, the beautiful site, took the extraordinary soundings of the
noble harbor, varying from one foot to four in depth, dotted