35. THE PRESS

THE PROFESSIONS

LIVINGSTON CIVIL LIST

COUNTY SOCIETIES

The Press of Livingston County

The Livingston Courier

Livingston Republican

Livingston Democrat

Howell Independent

Fowlerville Forum

Brighton Citizen

Fowlerville Review

The Medical Profession

Early Physicians of Livingston County

Medical Societies

Livingston County Medical Association

The Legal Profession

Early Lawyers of the County

Livingston Civil List

County Societies

Livingston County Pioneer Association

Livingston County Bible Society

THE PRESS OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY

THE LIVINGSTON COURIER

     The Livingston Courier,--a five-column folio,the first paper published in the county of Livingston, was first issued on the tenth of January, 1843, from its office of publication in the village of Brighton, and bore the names of Nicholas Sullivan, Publisher, and Frederick C. Whipple, Editor. In that first number of the Courier was contained a notice of the death, at the age of thirty-one years, of the Hon. Stevens T. Mason, the first Governor of the State of Michigan, which event occurred in the city of New York, on the fourth of the same month. It also contained a mention of the death of the Hon. Joshua Lee. M.D., December 31, 1842, in Yates County, New York, at the age of fifty-seven; a notice of the marriage in Farmington, Oakland County, of James B. Lee, of Brighton, to Miss Samantha Chadwick, of Farmington; of a successful "Donation Party," then recently held at the house of "that venerable divine, the Rev. Jonathan Post"; the business cards of Whipple & Peck, and Daniel C. Marsh, of Brighton, Attorneys and 36. Counselors at Law; of Ira P. Bingham and Wilbur Fisher, Physicians and Surgeons, of Brighton; of J. B. & D. R. Lee, and D. Cable, Merchants of Brighton; and of the public-houses of Morris Bennett, Robert Bigham, and B. P. Vealey ("late R. D. Power's"), all of Brighton.

      In his address to his patrons and the public the proprietor said, "We are well aware of the impossibility of giving to the public a paper which shall exactly suit the taste of every individual; our aim will be to present such a variety of miscellaneous selections, political and editorial matter as may be read with interest and profit by all. Our aim especially will be to make it valuable as a family newspaper, inculcating wholesome and correct principles in morals as well as in politics; a medium which may be relied on for correct information upon all subjects which enter its columns. In politics we embrace heartily, and shall adhere strictly, to the Democratic creed and doctrine as taught and expounded by its most eminent disciples. We do this, not from motives of interest, but from a settled conviction that these principles as first taught by Jefferson, are the correct principles of government, and best calculated to confer the greatest good upon the greatest number. While we intend to keep the public informed of all matters of public interest which relate to the county, as they occur, matters of mere local interest, especially those matters relating to the county-seat, which have heretofore agitated and divided the county, will not be made the subject of discussion in our columns; we shall be the advocate of no local interest, nor pander to sectional prejudice in any form. . . We wish the paper to have a general circulation through the county, and this may be easily accomplished by the kindness of our Democratic friends in different parts of the county.''

     The Courier was continued at Brighton for nine months, and was then removed to Howell, at which village it was first issued October 11, 1843, by the same proprietor, but with Lewis H. Hewett as its editor. The last number bearing Mr. Hewett's name as editor was issued December 11, 1844. In September, 1846, the paper was sold by Mr. Sullivan to E. R. Powell, who conducted it until December, 1848, when he sold to William B. Smith. It was published by Mr. Smith until April, 1856, when it was purchased by George P. Root, under whom it continued for one year, and at the end of that time ceased to exist.

THE LIVINGSTON REPUBLICAN

     "On the twenty-seventh day of April, 1855, under the supervision of R. & L. M. Smith, the Republican made its first appearance in Howell." * This is the statement made by Lewis M. Smith in his "Valedictory," printed in the columns of the Republican in its issue of July 6, 1859, at which time the name of George L. Sage first appeared as editor and publisher. During the period of four years and two months, which had intervened between its establishment and the time referred to, the Messrs. Smith had conducted the paper as publishers and proprietors. They then sold to George W. Lee and George L. Sage,--Mr. Sage assuming the editorship, as mentioned above. In 1862 it was sold to James Bowers, who continued its editor and publisher until his death, which occurred near the close of the political campaign of 1866. The office was then sold to Andrew D. Waddell and Julius D. Smith, who took possession on the twenty-fifth of December in that year. Mr. Waddell continued as editor and manager of the paper until March, 1868, when be sold his interest to J. D. Smith. He remained as sole or part proprietor of the Republican for about nine and a half years, during which time he had successively associated with him in its publication F. H. Marsh, George W. Axtell, Solomon T. Lyon, and E. B. VanderHoef,--the last-named gentleman being half- owner in the paper in the fall of 1877, at which time it was sold to L. C. Miller, its present publisher. In politics the Republican his always been what its name indicates. Its office of publication is in Weimeister Block, south side of Grand River Street, Howell.

THE LIVINGSTON DEMOCRAT

     This paper, now published by Joseph T. Titus & Son, was established on the ruins of the old Livingston Courier, which ceased to exist in April, 1857.

     The Democrat is printed at Howell, and is one of the largest newspapers published in the State. It is the only Democratic paper issued in the county, and consequently enjoys an extensive patronage. It was established in August, 1857, by Joseph T. Titus, who came to Howell from the city of Jackson (where he had published the Jackson Patriot), at the solicitation of several of the leading Democrats of Livingston County, for the express purpose of establishing a Democratic paper in the county. The office of the Democrat is in a brick building, on the west side of East Street, just south of Grand River Street.

THE HOWELL INDEPENDENT

     This paper-a five-column quarto weekly-was commenced at Howell village by A. G. Blood & 37. Co. in 1871, its first number being issued by that firm on the 8th of April in that year. The office of publication was located in Weimeister Block.

     The Independent never paid the expense of publication, and at the end of about nine months Messrs. Blood & Co. sold the concern to Julius D. Smith and Charles E. Cooper. Mr. Smith took part of the material and added it to the office of the Livingston Republican, which he was then publishing, and Mr. Cooper, with the remainder, attempted to continue the publication of the Independent, but a trial of less than two months sufficed to show that the enterprise could not be made remunerative, and it was therefore abandoned.

THE FOWLERVILLE FORUM

     was a small sheet, printed in the office of the Independent, and circulated to a limited extent in Fowlerville for about three months.

THE BRIGHTON CITIZEN

     This journal had its origin in the publication of the Brighton Bulletin, of which the first number was issued in September, 1871, by A. G. Blood & Co., from the publication office of their paper, the Howell Independent.

     In the year of its commencement the Bulletin was purchased from Blood & Co. by George W. Axtell, who, having also purchased the necessary material and equipment of an office (the Bulletin not having these, as it had been published in the Independent office), removed it to its proper location at Brighton, and changed its name to that of the Citizen, under which title it first appeared on the second of January, 1872.

     The enterprise was far from promising at first, but after a time its affairs became more prosperous, and its proprietor found it expedient to enlarge the paper from a seven-column folio to a five column quarto. Mr. Axtell continued to publish the Citizen until November, 1877, when he sold the establishment to W. H. Bowman, of Howell, and J. D. Ellenwood, of Brighton, who have remained proprietors and publishers of the paper until the present time, under the firm-name and style of Bowman & Ellenwood. They have improved the paper, and greatly increased its circulation. Connected with the Citizen establishment is a job printing-office, which does excellent work, and is well patronized.

THE FOWLERVILLE REVIEW

     On the nineteenth of June, 1874, the first number of the Fowlerville Review was issued by Willard H. Hess and George L. Adams, at the village of Fowlerville. It was a four-column quarto, and was continued in that size and form until January, 1875, when it was changed to a seven-column folio. In October, 1877, it was again changed, and became a five-column quarto, as at present. At the time of the last change in the size of the paper its proprietorship was also changed, Mr. Adams' interest in the establishment being purchased by Mr. Hess, who continued alone until the first of January, 1879, when Mr. Adams became, by purchase, the sole owner and publisher, and has so continued until the present time. The Review is published weekly, on Fridays, and is independent in politics.

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION EARLY PHYSICIANS

     For several years after the first settlers entered Livingston County there was no physician located in all its territory. The inhabitants of the southern and southeastern part of the county depended on the medical men of Washtenaw County, while those in the eastern and interior parts of Livingston relied on the services of Dr. F. Curtis, a physician who had settled in Rochester, Oakland County, in 1832, and soon afterwards removed to Kensington, in the same county, but on the border of Livingston. People living as far west as Livingston Centre traveled on foot to Kensington in cases of sickness to secure the services of Dr. Curtis. He is still living, at Holly, Oakland County, and says that at one time in those years he was physician to nearly every family in Livingston County, when there were not well persons enough to take care of the sick. This was about the year 1835. In the following year Dr. Samuel W. Pattison located in Fentonville, Genesee County, and he soon began to be called by the few inhabitants of the northern and northeastern portions of Livingston.

     Dr. Pattison, who now lives in Ypsilanti, read a few years ago an address to the Washtenaw Pioneer Society, in which he referred to that early time, and to his extended professional rides from Fentonville, as follows: "It soon became known that a physician had settled at Dibbleville, [afterwards Fentonville], and I had professional calls quite a distance, -- to Highland, White Lake, Grand Blanc, Deerfield, and Hartland. I was guided to many of these places through timbered openings by marked trees, and often following Indian trails. During the months of August and September the intermittent and remittent fevers--diseases peculiar to low or flat countries--prevailed to an alarming extent. The well were the exception; whole families, were down, many became discouraged, and some fled, but it was remarkable that most of these returned to Michigan."

     38. Dr. Cyrus Wells, of Oakland County,--the father of Dr. William L. Wells, of Howell,--was also very frequently called to attend patients in Livingston County in the early years of its existence. He was the physician who was called in the spring of 1837 to attend the last sickness of Mr. Samuel Waddell, in the western part of the town of Howell, and his ride extended even farther west to the township of Handy. His practice in Livingston was fully as large as that of Dr. Curtis, and much more extended than that of Dr. Pattison.

     The first physician of Livingston County was Dr. Wilber Fisher, who came from Ann Arbor in 1836, and settled at Brighton. He was not the possessor of a finished medical education, but having good natural ability and still more tact, he secured an extensive practice, and was on the whole a successful physician.

     Dr. Ira P. Bingham visited Brighton in 1835, but, did not locate permanently as a physician until 1841. He has remained there until the present time, but latterly he has not given his whole attention to the practice of his profession. He is now the senior physician of the county.

     Dr. Gardner Wheeler was the first physician of Howell, settling and commencing practice there in 1838. He was a native of the State of Massachusetts in 1795, and removed thence in his boyhood to Norwich, Chenango County, New York, which at that time was regarded by New Englanders as "the far West." At Norwich he studied medicine, commencing with Dr. Mitchell, and completing his studies with Dr. Wilcox; after which he married, and remained there until 1837, when he came to Michigan, stopped one year in Scio, Washtenaw County, and came to Howell in the following year as mentioned. He lived and practiced here with great success for more than twenty years, and died, widely known and universally respected, on the eleventh of January, 1859, at the age of sixty-four years. He was a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and Worshipful Master of the Howell Lodge, which, at a communication held January 15th, adopted this resolution:
     "Whereas, Our worthy brother, Dr. Gardner Wheeler, our late Master of this lodge, has been summoned by the mallet of Death to that Eternal presence whence emanates all true Masonic light, and thereby hath been lost to his family a husband and a father, and to us an esteemed and honored brother; therefore, be it

     "Resolved, That while we recognize in the death of our worthy brother 'the handiwork of Him who doeth all things well,' we can but grieve over the loss of one who, through life, has been the steadfast friend and determined supporter of our ancient and time-honored order, whose every day, in life, in death, has illustrated its virtues and its usefulness, in showing forth to the world the noblest work of God, an honest man; for while we claim not perfection for our brother, and would ask for him, in death, what is seldom granted in life, -- exemption from detraction and abuse, drawing over his foibles and his follies the broad mantle of Masonic charity, we add our united belief that his every act in life was dictated only by those motives which belong to the heart of a 'Man and a Mason.'

     One of the many eulogistic notices of Dr. Wheeler, which were published immediately after his death, said of him, "He has occupied a prominent position in our community, both by his professional acquirements and superior social qualities, which endeared him to a large circle of friends. He was ever ready to attend the call of the afflicted, and was faithful in his endeavors to alleviate suffering wherever it came in his way, whether in the mansion of the affluent or in the cottage of the poor. He was often elevated to posts of honor and trust by his fellow-citizens, and was beloved by all who knew him for his many virtues, which were so prominent as to excuse his faults." A daughter of Dr. Wheeler (Mrs. Buckland) is now living in Howell, and a son--Dr. John A. Wheeler--is practicing in Whitehall, Muskegon County, Michigan.

     Dr. Charles A. Jelffries commenced practice in Howell the next year after Dr. Wheeler, and remained until 1843, when he removed to Washtenaw County. He is still (or was recently) living, but entirely blind.

     Dr. Nichols Hard was the next physician who came to Howell, commencing practice in the village in 1841. He remained only about two years. He was married in April, 1843, to Miss Eunice M. Farnsworth, of Green Oak, and immediately afterwards left the county.

     Dr. William Huntington came to Livingston County in November, 1843, and took the practice and office then recently vacated by Dr. Jeffries, in Howell. From that time until the present he has remained there, in successful practice. His son, Dr. W. C. Huntington, is now associated with him in business.

     Dr. E. F. Olds came to Howell in the fall of 1843, and announced himself as a physician (which he probably was), but never gained any practice worth noticing. He was a writing-master as well as physician, and while in Howell he taught a class in penmanship with considerable success. At a recent date he was living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

     Dr. William Dowlman, from Lincolnshire, England, a graduate of the Western Reserve Medical College, at Cleveland, Ohio, commenced practice 39. in Howell in 1846, but did not establish here permanently. He removed after a time, and during the last twenty years has practiced in the western part of the State. Recently he has established himself in practice in the township of Marion.

     Dr. Thomas R. Spence located in Howell in 1846, and acquired a good practice. He remained about six years, and then moved to Detroit. He is now in Cincinnati, Ohio.

     Dr. Z. Hawley Marsh commenced practice in Howell village in 1847, and has remained here until the present time. He is a graduate of the Castleton (Vermont) Medical College, a good physician, and at present treasurer of the Livingston County Medical Association.

     Dr. Andrew Blanck, now a member of the County Medical Association, came from Bath, Steuben County, New York, in 1848, and settled in Howell, where he has since remained in successful practice.

     Dr. William L. Wells, son of Dr. Cyrus Wells, of Oakland County, whose ride extended over a large part of Livingston in an early day, came to Howell in 1849, and laid the foundation of the successful and extended practice in which he is still engaged. He is a member of the Livingston County Medical Association, a physician of high repute, and one of the senior practitioners of the county. Dr. W. H. Martin, who afterwards practiced in Pinckney, was a student in Dr. Wells' office.

     Dr. Henry J. Rumsey--who had previously been engaged for a short time in mercantile business in Howell--began practice in that village in 1853. He died in Howell, May 16, 1858. An obituary notice of his death said, "As a citizen he was eminently enterprising and public-spirited, a friend of good order and reform. The large circle who had enjoyed his professional services as a physician very soon learned to esteem him still more as a friend. Indeed, he was a universal favorite in a very large community."

     Dr. Robert C. Hutton commenced the practice of medicine in Howell in 1857, and has resided there since that time. He is secretary of the county medical association, and a member of the firm of Spencer & Hutton, druggists, of Howell.

     Dr. Thomas B. Lamb was one of the pioneer physicians in the northeastern part of the county, being established in practice at Parshallville as early as 1840. He was one of the seven members of the profession who issued the call for the formation of the Livingston County Medical Society in 1843.

     Dr. Josiah T. Clark located in Hartland about the same time that Dr. Lamb came to practice in Parshallville. He was a successful physician in the town for many years, and died at Hartland Centre.

     Dr. Freeman Near commenced, as a physician in Hartland, in 1840 or 1841. He was town treasurer of Hartland in the latter year, and a signer of the call for the formation of a medical society in 1843.

     Dr. William H. Hayford located early in Hartland and is still in practice there. He is now President of the Livingston County Medical Association.

     The first physician in the southern tier of towns and one of the first in the county--was Dr. William Stevens, who came to Pinckney village in 1837, and practiced there for six years, removing in 1843. He is now practicing in some of the more Western States.

     Dr. Robert M. Stansbury was a native of the State of New York, and a brother of Mrs. Caroline M. Kirtland, who, under the nom-de-plume of "Mary Clavers,'' was the author of a little volume of fiction, entitled, "A New Home. Who'll Follow?" Dr. Stansbury located in Pinckney in 1838, practiced there for some three or four years, and removed to Brooklyn, New York, and afterwards to San Francisco, California, where he died in charge of a hospital about 1852.

     Dr. Isaac Brown was born in Massachusetts, July 4, 1792. He commenced practice in Pinckney in 1842, and some two or three years later removed into the township of Hamburg, where he died January 24, 1862.

     Dr. J. W. Angell located in Pinckney in 1843. After a few years practice here he removed, and is now living in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

     Dr. Charles W. Haze was born in Wilson, Niagara County, New York, August 14, 1820. He graduated at the Western Reserve Medical College in Cleveland, Ohio, and established in practice in Pinckney in April, 1845. He is still in practice there, and is one of the best known and most highly valued physicians in the county."

     Dr. William H. Haze, born in Canada West in April, 1816, and a graduate of the Western Reserve Medical College, came to Pinckney in August, 1847. He practiced there but two years, having removed in 1849. He is now out of practice and resides in the city of Lansing.

     Dr. John R. Goodrich, a native of Vermont, where he was born in 1811, graduated at the Castleton (Vermont) Medical College, and came to Livingston County in 1851, locating in Pinckney. He died April 1, 1856. Dr. Goodrich was the first Senior Warden of the Livingston Lodge, F. and A. M., at Pinckney.

     40. Dr. W. G. Rogers commenced practice in Pinckney in January, 1858.

     Dr. Robert LeBaron, a native of Michigan, born in 1838, graduated in the medical department of the University of Michigan in 1861, practiced with Dr. Haze in Pinckney for about one year, was afterwards surgeon of the Fourth Michigan Infantry in the war of the Rebellion, and after his army service located in Pontiac. He is now surgeon at the Military Academy at Orchard Lake.

     Dr. Junius L. Field came to Livingston County in the fall of 1836, and settled in practice in Unadilla, being the first physician there. He practiced in that town and vicinity until his death, which occurred in November, 1867. He was a good physician and much esteemed.

     Dr. Morgan was practicing in Unadilla in 1843. Little has been learned in regard to him.

     Dr. Foster came from Canada to this county about 1845, and settled in Unadilla, from whence, after a number of years, he moved to Ypsilanti, and died there some twelve years since. He was a graduate of the Western Reserve Medical College.

     Dr. Samuel DuBois is a native of Pennsylvania, and, in early life, was for a time a teacher. He commenced the study of medicine in 1850, entered the Michigan University in 1852, and graduated from the medical department of that institution in 1855. After a short period of practice in Leslie, Ingham County, Michigan, he came to Livingston County in 1856, and settled at Unadilla, where he is still in practice. He is a member of the State Medical Association, has been twice elected president of the county association, and ranks among the most prominent practitioners of Livingston County.

     Dr. Samuel Grisson was an early physician in the township of Hamburg, but after two or three years' practice there removed to Washtenaw County. He was a student with Dr. Halleck of Whitmore Lake, and received his diploma at Geneva, New York.

     Dr. Thomas Hoskins came to Marion township in 1836. He practiced there for three or four years, and about 1840 removed to Scio, Washtenaw County. He was the first supervisor of the town of Marion.

     Dr. Ruel Randall--not a regularly educated physician--was the first to practice in the township of Handy. His treatment was on the "Thompsonian" system. He is still living.

     Dr. Henry N. Spencer was the first regular physician in that town. He came from Chautauqua County, New York, and settled at Fowlerville in October, 1853. He remained there in practice until 1869, when he removed to Howell (having been elected judge of probate in 1868). Since that time he has been located at the county-seat, where, besides his practice, he is engaged in the drug business in partnership with Dr. Hutton.

     Dr. J. M. Long (homeopathist) was early in Handy, having settled, in Fowlerville in or about 1855. Another of the same school, Dr. Ezra J. Bates, came there some three or four years later, and became a partner with Dr. Long, and afterwards his successor, when Dr. Long removed, about 1860. Dr. Bates moved to Vermont in November, 1863, and died there. Dr. Long now lives in Coldwater, Michigan.

     Dr. Jabez Paul (not regularly educated, but a Thompsonian practitioner) was the first to grapple with disease in the town of losco, having commenced there in 1842.

     Dr. Schuyler was also an early physician of that town.

     In the above mention of early physicians it has been the intention to include those who commenced practice in Livingston County during the first quarter of a century of its existence. Of most of those who came later the names will be found in the membership lists of the Medical Association, and in the several township histories.

MEDICAL SOCIETIES

     In June, 1845, a call was published in the Livingston Courier, under the heading of "Livingston County Medical Society," for a meeting of physicians to be held at the court-house on the twenty-sixth of that month, for the purpose of organizing a County Medical Association. The call was signed by:

Isaac Brown, M.D.

Wilber Fisher, M.D.

Thomas B. Lamb, M.D.

Ira P. Bingham, M.D. 

Freeman Near, M.D.

William Huntington, M. D.

Gardner Wheeler, M.D.

     No report of the meeting has been found, nor anything further in reference to the organization of the society.

     The Livingston County Medical Association.--Pursuant to a call, issued unofficially some weeks previously, several members of the medical profession, residents in the county of Livingston, convened at the council-rooms of the village of Howell June 28, 1876, and organized by electing Samuel DuBois, M.D., chairman, and R. C. Hutton, M.D., secretary. An organization was then effected under the above name and title, and a constitution 41. was adopted, which then and since that time has been signed by the following-named physicians, as members of the association, viz.: (re-alphabetized by webmaster.)

     The honorary members are as follows:

     The regular meetings of the association occur on the third Wednesdays of June, September, December, and March. The annual meeting is held in June each year at Howell. Other meetings are held alternately with Brighton and Fowlerville.

     The present officers of the association are as follows:

THE LEGAL PROFESSION
EARLY LAWYERS OF THE COUNTY

     The first attorney who established in the business of his profession in Livingston County was James W. Stansbury, who came to Livingston County in 1837, locating as an attorney in the village of Pinckney. In  November, 1836, he was elected judge of probate, succeeding Kinsley S. Bingham in that office. It was under him that the first business of the Probate Court was done at Pinckney, where it was always held during his term of office. Mr. Stansbury, though never regarded as a very able lawyer, was quite literary in his tastes and acquirements, and stood well in the community as an honest and trustworthy man. About 1850 he removed from Pinckney to Ithaca, New York. He is now living in Danville, Illinois.

     Wellington A. Glover, the earliest of Howell's attorneys, settled in that village in 1833, and opened his office in the rear of Edward F. Gay's store. He was a fair lawyer, but never acquired a very lucrative business here. In politics he was strongly Whig, and it has been thought by some that his business might have been more prosperous if he bad been politically with the dominant party in Livingston. His Whig principles, however, secured for him the postmastership of Howell under the Harrison administration in the spring of 1841. He also held, by appointment, the office of prosecuting attorney of Livingston County at about the same time. He died in Howell in 1843.

     Daniel C. Marsh located as an attorney in Brighton in 1839, and was appointed prosecuting attorney of Livingston County in 1841. He is still living in Brighton, but has retired from the practice of his profession.

     Josiah Turner, a native of Vermont, who had emigrated from that State to Michigan, and stopped for a time in Ann Arbor, came from that place to Livingston County, and established as an attorney, at Howell, in 1840. Since that time he has been almost constantly in public office, though not by his own seeking. Immediately after his arrival in Howell, he was made master in chancery, and at the commencement of the following year assumed and performed the duties of county clerk, though nominally the deputy of Jesse Mapes, who had been elected to the office. In February, 1842, Mr. Turner was appointed by the court to the office of clerk, to fill the term of Mr. Mapes, who resigned at that time. In November, of that year, he was elected to the same office and was re-elected in 1844. In November, 1846, he was elected county judge, and re-elected in 1850. During these eight or ten years immediately following his settlement in Howell, besides attending to the duties of his offices, and also being at different times engaged in mercantile ventures, he kept up the business of his profession, and steadily prospered in it. He was elected judge of probate in 1856. In 42. May, 1857, he was appointed judge of the Supreme Court, and in the following November was elected circuit judge of the Seventh judicial Circuit, which office he has held (by re-election in 1863, 1869, and 1875) until the present time. The popularity of Judge Turner in the county of his adoption is shown by the fact that at the time of his re-election, in 1869, he received three thousand four hundred and eighty-nine votes, out of a total of three thousand five hundred and sixty-nine cast in Livingston for that office; and again, in 1875, he received four thousand two hundred and forty-seven votes out of the four thousand two hundred and sixty cast in the county. In the year 1860, judge Turner removed from Howell to Owosso, Shiawassee County, as a more central point in his judicial circuit, and he still resides there.

     Frederick C. Whipple, a native of Connecticut, and a graduate of Union College, in New York, came to Michigan in 1840, and after a short stay in Ann Arbor came to Livingston County, where he was admitted to practice in May, 1841, and immediately established himself in his profession at Brighton. He was the first editor of the Livingston Courier, established in that village by Nicholas Sullivan, in 1843. In the year 1846 he removed to Howell, where he lived during the remainder of his brilliant professional career, in which he stood confessedly at the head of the bar of Livingston County, and was regarded as one of the best jury lawyers in the State of Michigan. He held the office of prosecuting attorney (by appointment) for several years, was elected judge of probate in 1848, re-elected in 1852, and was elected Circuit Court commissioner in 1868. He died in the township of OceoIa, on the twenty-second of March, 1872. Immediately after his death, the Howell Lodge, No. 38, F. and A. M. (of which he had been a member and a Past Master), adopted the following resolution:

     "Whereas, The all-wise Governor of the Universe has seen fit to call our brother, Frederick C. Whipple, late Past Master of this lodge, from this transitory world to his more immediate presence in His spiritual temple; therefore, be it

     "Resolved, That in this dispensation of Divine Providence we recognize the loss of one who was ever a generous and public-spirited citizen; an eminent lawyer; a kind husband and father, and a faithful friend; and whose early life and brilliant intellect gave promise of future greatness unsurpassed; and whose memory will linger long in the hearts of his neighbors, acquaintances, and friends."

     George W. Peck commenced business as an attorney, in Brighton, in 1842, and in that or the following year entered into a law partnership with F. C. Whipple. Mr. Peck was elected and served as representative in the Michigan Legislature of 1846, and as representative in the Thirty-fourth Congress in 1855-57. He was a good talker, and very effective before a jury, but was not a profound lawyer. The profession was distasteful to him, and in the year 1847 he abandoned it, and afterwards removed to Lansing. He is now connected, in some capacity, with a coal-mining enterprise in Missouri.

     Lauren K. Hewett came from Washtenaw County to Howell, in May, 1842. He never ranked high as a lawyer. In 1857 he removed hence to Lansing, where he engaged in banking business, at which he was not more successful than he had been in the law.

     Lewis H. Hewett, then a lawyer of Ann Arbor, was admitted to practice in the courts of Livingston County, in November, 1839, and about four years later located as an attorney in Howell, where, in partnership with his brother, be formed the law firm of L. H. and. L. K. Hewett. L. H. Hewett succeeded F. C. Whipple as editor of the Livingston Courier, on its removal to Howell, in 1843. He was a fair lawyer, though careless and desultory in his methods. After five years stay in Howell he removed to Detroit, where he died suddenly.

     Richard B. Hall located in Howell, in 1843. He held the office of justice of the peace and some minor offices during his stay here, and left in 1848. He was what is known as a good fellow, told good stories, and was quick at repartee, but no more than ordinary as a lawyer. He is now a detective officer in California. 

     James H. Ackerson also located in Howell in 1843, and remained there about five years, during which time he was once or twice elected justice of the peace, but it does not appear that he ever stood high in his profession, The Hon. J. W. Turner, in an address before the Pioneer Society, thus mentions him:

     "At an early day there lived in Howell a lawyer named Ackerson, who at one time, I believe, boarded at Benjamin J. Spring's hotel. It was supposed by many that Ackerson would not hesitate, in a pinch, to use all the arts of a pettifogger. And, indeed, on one occasion, a man who was really guilty, but who was arrested for larceny on a defective warrant, got the privilege from the arresting officer to come down from the country and see Ackerson before he appeared to answer to the charge. His attorney of course discovered the invalidity of the process and arranged that he would come out and break down the papers for a consideration, as well as 'run off' the defendant before another paper could be issued. Of course, 43. when Ackerson went out to attend the suit, he rode one horse and led another; and some one who remarked his leaving town in that manner, spoke to Spring about it some time during the same day. Spring's reply was that Ackerson does a law and livery business both!" Mr. Ackerson removed from Howell in the spring of 1848, and returned to the State of New York.

     John B. Dillingham commenced the practice of, the law in Howell in or about 1845, and remained here until about 1859, when he removed to, East Saginaw. He held the office of prosecuting attorney of Livingston County for the term succeeding the election of 1856. He was a man of large heart and a good lawyer. He died in Howell, while on a visit, or business trip here, from Saginaw.

     Justin Lawyer settled at the county-seat as an attorney in 1846. He remained here but a few years, and removed to Union City, Branch County, Michigan. He now resides in the city of Coldwater.

     Charles C. Ellsworth came from Vermont in 1846, and commenced reading law in the office of judge Turner. He was admitted to the bar in 1848, and, having married a daughter of Mr. Edward F. Gay, of Howell, removed to Greenville, Montcalm County, Michigan, in 1851. He is a lawyer of excellent ability, and was elected to represent the district in which he resides, in the Forty-fifth Congress.

     Another of the law students of Judge Turner was John F. Farnsworth, who read in his office in 1842-43. He was never a member of the Livingston bar, but removed to St. Charles, Illinois, where he established himself in the profession, and has since served in Congress as representative from that district.

     William A. Clark commenced the practice of the law in Brighton, about 1848. He Was elected prosecuting attorney of Livingston County in 1850 (being the first who filled that office by election), and was re-elected in 1852, about which time he removed to Howell. Some twelve to fifteen years later he removed to Saginaw City.

     Henry H. Harmon was a teacher in the Howell schools in the winter of 1847-48. After the close of his term, in the spring of the latter year, he commenced reading law in the office of Lewis H. Hewett, and was admitted in 1849. He was elected Circuit Court commissioner in 1852, prosecuting attorney in 1854, and judge of probate in 1864. He has accumulated a comfortable fortune in the profession, and is still in practice in Howell.

     Mylo L. Gay, read law "in the office of F. C. Whipple, and was admitted to the bar in 1853, but has never practiced in the courts. He is now a banker at Fowlerville, but resides in Howell.

     Marcus B. Wilcox was a lawyer of fine ability, an excellent and affable gentleman, and an upright man, against whom no word of reproach could ever be truly spoken. He was established in the practice of his profession at Pinckney soon after 1850, but afterwards moved to Howell. He was elected to the office of prosecuting attorney in 1860, and again in 1866. Soon after the close of his term he died in Howell village.

     Sardis F. Hubbell, although the first law student in Livingston County (in the office of Wellington A. Glover, in 1840-41), did not commence practice here until fourteen years later. He completed his studies with Hon. A. C. Baldwin, at Milford, Oakland County, and was admitted to the bar in that county in December, 1846. He then practiced for eight years in Oakland, and removed thence to Howell, in the spring of 1854. He was elected Circuit Court commissioner in the same year, and to the office of prosecuting attorney in 1858, 1862, and 1864. He is still a resident in Howell, and engaged in the profession which has given him a competence.

     Andrew D. Waddell, a native of Steuben County, New York, came in childhood with his parents to settle in Howell township, but on the death of his father, in 1837, returned with the family to New York, where, after reaching maturity, he commenced the study of the law. In 1855 he returned to Howell, completed his reading in the office of John B. Dillingham, and was admitted to practice by judge Sanford M. Green, in October, 1856. One month after his admission he was elected Circuit Court commissioner, and was again elected to the same office in 1860. In 1872 he was elected prosecuting attorney, and re-elected in 1874. He now resides in Howell, and is one of the most prominent members of the Livingston bar.

     Jerome W. Turner was only about three years old when he came with his father, judge Josiah Turner, to settle in Livingston County. Passing the years of his childhood and youth "principally in Howell he commenced the study of the law at an early age, was admitted to the bar in March, 1857, and commenced business with, Judge Frederick C. Whipple. After a year or two of practice in Howell, he removed to Corunna, Shiawassee County, and was there re-elected to the State Senate in November, 1868. In 1871 he removed to Owosso, where he still resides. Mr. Turner is ranked among the best lawyers of the State of Michigan.

     The foregoing mention of early attorneys intended 44. to include those who were located in business in the county during a period of twenty years from its organization -- is based on information obtained from judge Turner and others, who are necessarily well acquainted with the subject.

THE PRESENT BAR OF LIVINGSTON

     The, bar of Livingston County at the present time is composed of the following-named gentlemen, viz.: (re-alphabetized by webmaster)

LIVINGSTON CIVIL LIST

     In this list the names are given of those persons who have held county offices in Livingston; and also of citizens of the county who have held important offices in or under the State or national government.

UNITED STATES SENATOR

Kinsley S. Bingham
elected in 1859; died at Green Oak, October 5, 1861

GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN

Kinsley S. Bingham
first inauguration January 3, 1855
second inauguration January 7, 1857

JUDGE OF THE SUPREME COURT

Josiah Turner
appointed May 9, 1857
served on Supreme Bench until January 1, 1858

REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS

Kinsley S. Bingham, elected in 1846; re-elected in 1848

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS

George W. Lee, 1860

Samuel G. Ives, 1872

DELEGATE TO FIRST CONVENTION OF ASSENT ¶

Elnathan Noble

DELEGATES TO SECOND CONVENTION OF ASSENT µ

George W. Jewett

Stoddard W. Twichell

Solomon Sutherland

DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1850 ¤

Daniel S. Lee

Robert Warden Jr.

Robert Crouse

Ely Barnard

DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1867±

Benjamin W. Lawrence

Edwin B. Winans

MEMBER OF CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION OF 1873 §

Ira D.Crouse

STATE SENATORS

SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Kinsley S. Bingham, Green Oak
1838, 1939, and 1842

George W. Peck, Brighton, 
1847

REPRESENTATIVES IN THE LEGISLATURE OF MICHIGAN

Second State Legislature
convened January 2, 1837
Kinsley S. Bingham, Green Oak

Third State Legislature
convened January 1, 1838
Kins S. Bingham, Green Oak
Flavius J. B. Crane, Howell

Fourth State Legislature
convened January 7, 1839
Kinsley S. Bingham,  Ira Jennings, Green Oak

45. Fifth State Legislature
convened January 6, 1840
Charles P. Bush, Genoa

Sixth State Legislature
convened January 4, 1841
Kinsley S. Bingham, Green Oak
Charles P. Bush, Genoa

Seventh State Legislature
convened January 3, 1842
Kinsley S. Bingham, Green Oak
Charles P. Bush, Genoa

Eighth State Legislature
convened January 2, 1843
Ely Barnard,  Charles P. Bush, Genoa

Ninth State Legislature
convened January 1, 1844
EIy Barnard, Genoa
Robert D. Power, Brighton

Tenth State Legislature
convened January 6, 1845
Robert D. Power, Brighton
Ralph Fowler, Handy

Eleventh State Legislature
convened January 5, 1846
George W. Peck, Brighton
Washington Wing, losco

Twelfth Legislature
convened January 4, 1847
George W. Peck, Ira Jennings, Brighton

Thirteenth State Legislature
convened January 3, 1848
Robert Crouse, Hartland
Chester Hazard, Genoa

Fourteenth Legislature
convened January 1, 1849
Bradford Campbell, Brighton
Joseph L. Hartsuff, Unadilla

Fifteenth State Legislature
convened January 7, 1850
John Kenyon, Jr., Tyrone
George W. Kneeland, Howell

Sixteenth State Legislature
convened February 5, 1850
Spaulding M. Case, Brighton
Ralph Fowler, Handy

Seventeenth State Legislature
convened January 5, 1853

(First Legislature chosen under apportionment prescribed by the constitution of 1850)
James Gleason, Hartland
Charles W. Haze, Putnam

Eighteenth State Legislature
convened January 3, 1855
Samuel G. Ives, Unadilla Charles A. Wilber, Howell

Nineteenth State Legislature
convened January 7, 1857
Samuel G. Ives, Unadilla
John How, Deer Creek

Twentieth State Legislature
convened January 5, 1859
David Bush, Handy
John Gilluly, Brighton

Twenty-first State Legislature
convened January 2, 1861
Jacob Kanouse, Cohoctah
Edwin B. Winans, Hamburg

Twenty-second State Legislature
convened January 7, 1863
Henry H. Harmon, Howell 
Edwin B. Winans, Hamburg

Twenty-third State Legislature
convened January 4, 1865
David G. Colwell, Tyrone
William Ball, Hamburg

Twenty-fourth State Legislature
convened January 2, 1867
William Ball, Hamburg
Alexander H. Benedict, Handy

Twenty-fifth State Legislature
convened January 6, 1869
Mylo L. Gay, Howell
James B. Lee, Brighton

Twenty-sixth  State Legislature
convened January 4, 1871
George W. Crofoot, Putnam
Giles Ross, Hartland

Twenty-seventh State Legislature
convened January 1, 1873
W. Dinturff, Handy
John Carter, Brighton

Twenty-eighth State Legislature
convened January 6, 1875
Louis Meyer, Brighton
Isaac Stow, losco

Twenty-ninth State Legislature
convened January 3, 1877
Giles Ross, Hartland

Thirtieth State Legislature
convened January, 1879
Thompson Grimes, Pinckney

CIRCUIT JUDGE

Josiah Turner, elected in November, 1857; 
re-elected in 1863; again in 1869; and for a fourth term in 1875

COUNTY JUDGE

Josiah Turner, elected in November, 1846; 
re-elected in November, 1850

SECOND JUDGES

John Kenyon, Jr.
elected in November, 1846; resigned in 1849

W. R. Cobb
elected in November, 1849, 
to fill vacancy occasioned by the resignation of John Kenyon

Leland Walker
elected in November, 1850

ASSOCIATE JUDGES

Elisha W. Brockway
Elnathan Noble
elected in 1836

Solomon Sutherland
Elisha W. Brockway
in office from 1838 to 1840, inclusive

William A. Buckland
Charles D. Topping
elected in November, 1840

William McCauley
Alonzo Slayton
elected in November, 1844

JUDGES OF PROBATE

Kinsley S. Bingham
elected in May, 1836;
qualified July 15, 1836

James W. Stansbury
elected in November, 1836

George W. Kneeland
elected in November, 1840;
re-elected in November, 1844

Frederick C. Whipple
elected in November, 1848
re-elected in November, 1852

Josiah Turner
elected in November, 1856;
resigned May 9, 1857,
having been appointed circuit judge

Ira P. Bingham
appointed May, 1857, to fill vacancy occasioned by the
resignation of Judge Turner

Ira P. Bingham
elected in November, 1860

Henry H. Harmon
elected in November, 1864

Henry N. Spencer
elected in November, 1868

Jacob Kanouse
elected in November, 1872

Edwin B. Winans
elected in November, 1876

SHERIFFS

Justus J. Bennett
elected in May, 1836

William Tompkins
elected in November, 1837

Robert D. Power
elected in November, 1838;
re-elected in November, 1840

Richard P. Bush
elected in November, 1842;
re-elected in November, 1844

William E. Huntley
elected in November, 1846;
re-elected in November, 1848

Edward Bishop
elected in November, 1850;
re-elected in November, 1852

46. Van Rensselaer T. Angel
elected in November, 1854;
re-elected in November, 1856

John A. Tanner
elected in November, 1858

Henry Hartman
elected in November, 1860;
re-elected in November, 1862

Giles Tucker
elected in November, 1864

John G. Gould
elected in November, 1866

Elisha E. Hazard
elected in November, 1868;
re-elected in November, 1870

William Goodrich
elected in November, 1872;
re-elected in November, 1874

Charles E. Beurman
elected in November, 1876;
re-elected in November, 1878

COUNTY CLERKS

Flavius J. B. Crane
elected in May, 1836;
re-elected in November, 1836

Philester Jessup
elected in November, 1837, 
(Under Mr. Jessup the business of the office was chiefly done by
Ely Barnard, deputy clerk)

Almon Whipple
elected in November, 1838. (The deputy clerk under Mr. Whipple was George W. Jewett, who performed the duties of the office during the first half of Mr. Whipple's incumbency, and a portion of them afterwards.)

Jesse Mapes
elected in November, 1840. (During all of Mr. Mapes' term the duties of the office were performed by his deputy clerk, Josiah Turner, now judge of the Seventh judicial Circuit.) Mr. Mapes resigned in February, 1842.

Josiah Turner
appointed by the Circuit Court, February 18, 1842, to fill the vacancy caused by resignation of Jesse Mapes; elected in November, 1842;
re-elected in November, 1844

Elijah F. Burt
elected in November, 1846;
re-elected in November, 1848

Daniel D. T. Chandler
elected in November, 1850;
re-elected in November, 1852

Abel F. Butterfield
elected in November, 1854;
re-elected in November, 1856

Neil O'Hearn
elected in November, 1858

Elisha W. Grant
elected in November, 1860

William, R. Cobb
elected in November, 1862

Orin H. Winegar
elected in November, 1864

Solomon T. Lyon
elected in November, 1866

Albert L. Hathaway
elected in November, 1868;
re-elected in November, 1870

Benjamin F. Batcheler
elected in November, 1872;
re-elected in November, 1874

Halsted Gregory
elected in November, 1876

Newton T. Kirk
elected in November, 1878

REGISTERS OF DEEDS

Ely Barnard
elected in May, 1836; continued in office, by re-election,
from 1836 to 1840, inclusive

George W. Jewett
elected in November, 1840

Derastus Hinman
elected in November, 1842
re-elected in November, 1844

William C. Rumsey
elected in November, 1846;
re-elected in November, 1848

Levi D. Smith
elected in November, 1850;
re-elected in November, 1852;
  re-elected in November, 1854; re-elected in November, 1856

Amos S. Adams
elected in November, 1858

William Williamson
elected in November 1860;
re-elected in November, 1862

Neil O'Hearn
elected in November, 1864;
re-elected in November, 1866

Harry J. Haven
elected in November, 1868;
re-elected in November, 1870

William E. Watson
elected in November, 1872;
re-elected in November, 1874

William M. Beach
elected in November, 1876;
re-elected in November, 1878

COUNTY TREASURERS

Amos Adams
elected in May, 1836

George W. Jewett
elected in November, 1838

Almon Whipple
elected in November, 1840

Chester Hazard
elected in November, 1842;
re-elected in November, 1844

Richard P. Bush
elected in November, 1846

James M. Murray
elected in November, 1848;
re-elected in November, 1850

Charles Benedict
elected in November, 1852;
re-elected in November, 1854

Henry Hartman
elected in November, 1856;
re-elected in November, 1858

Ira Knight
elected in November, 1860

William C. Rumsey
elected in November, 1862;
re-elected in November, 1864

Albert Riddle
elected in November, 1866;
re-elected in November, 1868

Ira O. Marble
elected in November, 1870

Horace Halbert
elected in November, 1872;
re-elected in November, 1874

William R. Miller
elected in November, 1876;
re-elected in November, 1878

PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS

     The first prosecuting attorney for Livingston County was James Kingsley, of Ann Arbor, who was  appointed as such by the court, for the first term; held in Livingston, November, 1837. Those who held the office by appointment during the period from 1837 to 1850 (when it became elective) were the following-named persons, viz.: *

Wellington A. Glover

Daniel C. Marsh

Lewis H. Hewett

Frederick C. Whipple

Charles C. Ellsworth

     The list of prosecuting attorneys who have held the office by election is as follows:

William A. Clark
elected in November, 1850;
re-elected in November, 1852

Henry H. Harmon
elected in November, 1854

John B. Dillingham
elected in November, 1856

Sardis F. Hubbell
elected in November, 1858

Marcus B. Wilcox
elected in November, 1860

Sardis F. Hubbell
elected in November, 1862;
re-elected in November, 1864

Marcus B. Wilcox
elected in November, 1866

Dennis Shields
elected in November, 1868;
re-elected in November, 1870

Andrew D. Waddell
elected in November, 1872;
re-elected in November, 1874

Andrew D. Cruickshank
elected in November, 1876; re-elected in November, 1878