David Hight, a native of New Jersey, and for some time a resident of Steuben Co., N.Y., came to Michigan, with his wife and two children, in 1835, and settled on the place where he yet lives. Nathan and Deborah, the two children who came with their parents, were unmarried, while a second daughter, the wife of Reuben Haight, came at the same time with her husband and three children. They arrived in the fall of the year, and during the winter remained with Timothy Pettit, who lived in the edge of Hamburg township, two miles southeast of Mr. Hight's place. During the time thus spent Mr. Hight built a log house, and, in March, 1836, moved into it with his family. The lumber used inside was hauled from Redford, thirty miles away, in the direction of Detroit, and the glass and sash were brought from Detroit. The only house between their place and Howell was that built by Pardon and Ely Barnard. In the opposite direction, between them and Timothy Pettit, lived Christopher Hoagland and Nicholas Kristler, the former in Hamburg; the latter came from Delaware in October, 1835. Mr. Hight is now in his ninety-ninth year. His wife died in 1864, at the age of eighty-four. Nathan Hight lives near his father, on the old place. His wife is the daughter of Elijah Bennett, who settled in Hamburg in the spring of 1835.

     Among those who had settled in this immediate region at that time, and who were pioneer neighbors of those already mentioned, were Garner Carpenter and soon after Samuel Case and his sons, Joseph and Elisha, the latter at present living in Brighton. Joseph Case's son, Oren Case, owns and occupies a farm in the south part of Genoa; and Elisha Case's son, Niles N. Case, occupies his father's old farm in Hamburg.

     About 1849-50, while the stage-line was yet in operation over the Grand River road, a post-office, called Genoa, was established in the township, and Chester Hazard received the first appointment as postmaster, which position he held several years. Finally, on account of the necessary care it took to see to the office, he wrote to the Department and secured the appointment of John Weimeister in his place. The latter, now of Howell, was then keeping a grocery in Genoa. Old Mr. Myers was his deputy. The office is now near Genoa Station, and James Bogan is the postmaster.

     One of the later settlers of the township, and one who became prominent in political circles in the county and held numerous offices therein, was Daniel D. T. Chandler, who came from Buffalo, N.Y., in the fall of 1843, and settled on section 4 in Genoa, where John O'Connor now lives. He was accompanied by two sons, George W. and John K. Chandler. The former at present resides in Lansing, Mich., and the latter at Atchison, Kan. Two sons and two daughters were born in Mr. Chandler's family after his settlement, and of these, three are now living, viz.: Lewis C., of Jackson, Mich.; A. J., of Lafayette, Ind., treasurer and auditor of the C. C. & I. C. Railway; and an unmarried sister with George W. Chandler, in Lansing. Mr. Chandler lived in Howell during his terms in county offices, but subsequently moved back to the farm in Genoa, where he died in December, 1857. Judge George W. Kneeland, of Howell, was the brother of Mrs. Chandler.

      Among other early arrivals in the township were Charles E. Beurman, from Germany, August, 1840; H. Kellogg, 1842; G. C. Westphal, 1846; and Riley and John Earl. The wife of the latter died in the winter of 1835-36, and it is probable that this was the first death among the white population of the township. The grave was dug by Henson Walker, of Oceola. The Earls lived on the north line of the township, and were among its earliest settlers.

      The following is an alphabetical list (re-alphabetized by Webmaster)  of the resident tax-payers in the township of Genoa, for the year 1844:

    Many of these were enrolled among those who had a personal tax to pay only. Among the heavier tax-payers were the following:

     The non-resident tax payers numbered at that time in the neighborhood of 100.

     From some of the early records it is utterly impossible to determine the correct orthography of certain proper names, as many as four or five different ways being often found of spelling the name of but one person. This will account for any errors in that respect which may be discovered.

TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION LIST OF OFFICERS

     On the 26th of March, 1835, the township of Hamburg was created by the Legislative Council, including the present township of the same name, together with what is now Genoa. The latter township was formed from the north half of Hamburg, by an act of the Legislature approved March 11, 1937, and reading as follows: 

     "All that portion of the county of Livingston designated in the United States survey as township 2 north, range 5 east, be, and the same is, hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Genoa; and the first township-meeting therein shall be held at the house of Lucius H. Peet, in said township."

     The first township-meeting was held in and for the township of Genoa, at Lucius H. Peet's inn, on the first Monday in April, 1837, and the following persons were elected to office, viz.: Supervisor, William T. Curtis; Township Clerk, Charles Benedict; Justices of the Peace, Chester Hazard, William Tompkins, Cornelius W. Burwell, David B. Harmon; Assessors, Daniel Jessup, Joseph Placeway, Asahel Dibble; Commissioners of Highways, David Hight, Freeman Fishbeck, Thomas Pinckney; Poormasters, Caleb Curtis, William T. Curtis; Commissioners of Schools, Zebulon M. Drew, David B. Pierce, Isaac Morse; School Inspectors, Z. M. Drew, Pardon Barnard, Jr., Lucius H. Peet; Collector, William C. Shaft; Constables, William C. Shaft, Lucius H. Peet.

     The following list comprises the officers for Genoa township from 1838 to 1879, inclusive:

     The vote on the license question of Genoa in 1845 stood 53 in favor to 19 against. In 1850 the following persons received the number of votes set opposite their names as delegates to the State Constitutional Convention:

SCHOOLS ¥

     The present District No. 1 was the first one formed in the township. Probably in 1836 or 1837, the first school in town was taught in this district by Alexander Carpenter, who was afterwards a school inspector. The school-house, Mr. Hazard thinks, was possibly a frame building, though said by some to have been constructed of logs. It stood near the site of the present frame school-house in the same district. A brick building was subsequently erected, and is now used as a blacksmith-shop.

     In District No. 3 a log school-house was built about 1839-40. It stood on the south side of the road, a short distance east of the site of the present edifice. Mariette Hayner, a lady whose home was in Brighton, was one of the earliest teachers. The log schoolhouse was finally removed.

     The first school in District No. 5 was taught by George Griffith, in the winter of about 1837-38, or the one following. A log school-house had been built, and was used also as a place in which to hold religious meetings. The building was used a number of years. The first school was not largely attended, as the number of children in the district was few. The first summer term was taught in the season following Griffith's term, by Mary Ann Hinkley, who was retained through several subsequent ones. Griffith returned East not long after his administration as a teacher here had closed. The present stone school-house was built about 1857.

     The following statement of the condition of the schools as appearing Sept. 2, 1878, is from the report of the township school inspectors for the year ending at that date:

RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES BAPTISTS

     Probably the first religious meetings in the township were held in the fall and winter of 1835-36, in the house of David Hight, continuing, with 301. Sabbath-school, for a period of two years or more, or until the school-house was built in District No. 5, when that was, made the place of meeting for such services. Elder Jonathan Stone, a Baptist minister, who had previously lived for several years in Webster, Washtenaw Co., purchased land in Genoa, south of Mr. Hight's place, and in the fall of 1836 built a house upon it, boarding with Mr. Hight during its construction. He, some years later, died on the farm where he had settled. Meetings were held also in the winter of 1835-36, at the house of Justus J. Bennett, in the north part of Hamburg, and Mr. Stone preached both there and in the Hight neighborhood. In a year or two a Baptist society was organized under the leadership of Elder Post. It was given the name "Hamburg," but was subsequently changed to "Hamburg and Genoa." It continued to hold services until about 1865-67, when it was finally disbanded. No house of worship had been erected, the "stone school-house" furnishing accommodations for the congregation.

      "Preaching" was also held in other parts of town at an early day, at the dwellings of numerous individuals, and by ministers of different denominations. Howell, however, was the principal place at which the settlers attended religious meetings, and has continued to be to the present.

GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH

     About 1858 "St. George's German Evangelical Lutheran Congregation" was organized by Rev. Mr. Smith, of Ann Arbor. In 1861, three acres of land were donated by Richard Behrens, on section 14, for a church and burying-ground site, and at a later date three acres on section 13 were given for the use of the minister. Dr. Buck (LL.D.), father-in-law of John Weimeister, of Howell, after the organization of the society, went to Europe to raise sufficient funds to build a church. The sum of $300 was given by Hamburg, Germany, and the present frame building was erected. Dr. Buck succeeded Smith as minister. The succeeding ones have been Revs. Meyer,* of Genoa township, Christopher Watt, Mr. Kramer, and Mr. Sheibly, who is at present in charge. The resident membership of this church in July, 1879, was from 50 to 60, and others attend who do not live in the neighborhood. The church erected by this society is the only one built by any denomination in the township.

CEMETERIES

      The oldest burial-ground in the township is the one on section 13, off land now owned by Nelson S. Benjamin, and it contains the dust of many of the early settlers of this and neighboring townships. A second one is located in the Benedict neighborhood, in the south part of the town, and is also old; and a third, belonging to the Germans, is near their church on section 14, east of Genoa Station.

POPULATION-STATISTICS

     The number of white inhabitants in the township of Genoa in 1837 was 361. In 1874 the number had increased to 921, including 475 males and 446 females. From the census of the latter year are compiled the following statistics:

     Among the many who have aided in furnishing the facts which are included in the foregoing history of Genoa are C. W. Burwell and wife, Chester Hazard, Isaac W. Bush, Esq., of Howell, Richard Behrens, William Suhr, Joseph Rider, Andrew Sharp, Mrs. Cyrus Hoyt, Miss Deborah Hight (daughter of David Hight), Mrs. Pardon Barnard, of Howell, and numerous others. The thanks which are justly due them are hereby tendered. 302.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

JOSEPH RIDER

     Among the names of those who are conspicuous in the early history of Genoa, and in the various enterprises connected with its interests, none stand higher than Joseph Rider. He has not only witnessed the transition of a thin settlement into a busy and prosperous community, of a semi-wilderness into one of the most productive and wealthy towns in the county, but in his own person has typified so admirably the agencies that wrought many of these changes, that no history of Genoa would be complete without a sketch of his life.

     He was the son of Joseph and Sarah Rider, and was born in the town of DeKalb, St. Lawrence Co., N.Y., March 25, 1817. The elder Rider was a shoemaker by trade, and previous to his emigration to Rockland Co., N.Y., in 1810, lived in New York City. When Joseph was ten years of age he removed to Oswego, where he purchased a farm, upon which he resided until his emigration to Oakland Co., Mich., in 1833. He purchased in the town of Milford fifty acres of land, which he sold in 1835 and removed to Genoa. Here he located one hundred and twenty acres, which is a part of his present productive farm of two hundred and eleven acres, a view of which is presented in the history of the town.

     Mr. Rider has been prominently identified with the development of the town and all its material interests. His life has been one of industry, and his aim has been to earn the position he now occupies among the successful and wealthy farmers in the county. That he had a full portion of hardships and privations in his pioneer life, none will deny.

     In 1840, Mr. Rider was married to Miss Isabella M., daughter of Jacob and Elsie Fishbeck, one of the well-known early families of Genoa. Mrs. Rider was born in the town of De Peyster, St. Lawrence Co., N.Y., in 1824, and emigrated to Michigan with her parents in 1836. She, like her husband, is one of that noble band of pioneers to whom the present generation is indebted for much that they now enjoy. Mr. Rider is a self-made man. Early in life he learned that the way leading to success was no royal road, but was open to strong hands and willing hearts; that 

"Honor and fame from no condition rise.

Act well your part, there all the honor lies."

     He early established methodical habits, and his energy and perseverance, coupled with integrity of character, have rendered his life a success.

     Politically, he is a Democrat. In his religious affiliations he is a Free-Will Baptist, and manifests a deep interest in religious matters.

CHESTER HAZARD

     was born at Arlington, Bennington Co.; Vt., June 23, 1796, being the oldest of a family of nine children. His parents were Evans and Abigail (Hawley) Hazard. His mother belonged to one of the old Puritan families of Connecticut. His father was of Scotch-Irish descent, born in Connecticut in 1774, and lived at various times in the States of New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. He finally removed to Michigan, where he died in 1851. Chester Hazard was a studious boy, and acquired a thorough common-school education. In 1806 he went to the home of an uncle, with whom he lived until he was seventeen years old. He then spent four years in learning the tanner's and shoemaker's trades. He worked at these trades four years in Cambridge, Washington Co., N.Y. In 1821 he took a partner, by whose dishonesty he lost everything he had accumulated. By working his father's farm in Chenango Co., N.Y., two years, and his grandfather's in Broome County, N.Y., five years, he saved five hundred dollars. With this capital he engaged in farming and tanning at Wheeler, Steuben Co., N.Y. After ten years of successful labor there, in 1836, he purchased three hundred and twenty acres, of wild land in Genoa, Livingston Co., Mich., and worked till 1842 in clearing it. In that year he was elected county treasurer, and removed to Howell. This office he held for two terms, and in 1847 was elected to the State Legislature, where he was instrumental in procuring the passage of the bill appropriating ten thousand acres of land for internal improvements. Since 1849 he has resided on his farm. He has been supervisor of the town and chairman of the Board of Supervisors for many years, and justice of the peace for forty years, besides holding many other offices. He cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson, and has always been a Democrat. Simple in his manner of life, Mr. Hazard has acquired a fortune by honesty, industry, and economy. He is a man of marked character and striking appearance. Now, at eighty-three years of age, he is still hale and vigorous, and his voice is as strong and clear as at the age of forty. No man ever questioned his integrity, and no one more than he deserves the respect which is universally accorded to him. His first wife, to whom he was married Aug. 31, 1817, died March 6, 1858, leaving six children. His second wife was Julia A. Buck, to whom he was married Sept. 8, 1863. 302a.

 303.  

CHARLES BENEDICT

Image of
Charles Benedict

     was born in Cambridge, Washington Co., N.Y., May 4, 1809. His father, Isaac Benedict, was a soldier in the war of the Revolution; after the war he settled on a farm at Cambridge, where he died at an advanced age.

     Charles Benedict lived with his father until he grew to manhood, assisting on the farm, and receiving such educational advantages as were offered by the district schools.

     When a young man, he taught school several terms in the neighborhood of Cambridge. In 1830 he emigrated to Michigan, purchasing some land near Dexter, where he remained two years, teaching school a portion of the time. In 1832 he returned to New York, and married Miss Amy Church, of Otsego Co., N.Y. They came to Livingston County in 1836, and settled on section 21, in what is now the town of Genoa. At that time neither the town or State were yet organized. Mr. Benedict at once took an active and important part in the erection and organization of the town. The first town election was held at his house, when he was elected township clerk, an office he filled for several years. Subsequently he filled several of the town and county offices, among others that of supervisor; and was for two terms county treasurer.

     He was a man much respected for his sterling integrity and sound judgment. He died Nov. 22, 1870, leaving a family of seven children,--four sons and three daughters. Alexander, the oldest child , lives at Fowlerville, this county; Omer H. married the oldest daughter of the late Ely Barnard, is a farmer, and lives adjoining the old home; Mariette married James Taylor, of Chelsea, Mich.; Martha A. married Freeman W. Allison; a farmer in Putnam; Alida C. married Dwight T. Curtis, a farmer in Genoa; Frank W. married Henrietta Beurman, and died October, 1878, in his twenty- eighth year; Fred. C. married Julia E. Beurman, lives on the home-farm with his mother, who is now in her sixty-seventh year, but vigorous and healthy. Having shared in the hardships and privations of pioneer life. and witnessed the transformation of the wilderness into a prosperous community, she now looks back over a long and industrious life with the satisfaction of having acted well her part.

ELY BARNARD

     was born in Madison Co., N.Y., Sept. 19, 1807, and emigrated in company with his brother, Pardon Barnard, to, Michigan in 1834, settling on the farm in Genoa, where he died Sept. 9, 1871.

     Possessing abilities of a commanding order, Ely Barnard soon took a prominent 

Image of
Ely Barnard

     and active part in the early history of the county, and in the formation here of the Democratic party, of which he was an influential member throughout his life. Aside from local offices, at the first election, after Michigan became a State, he was elected to the office of register of deeds, and in 1842 and 1843 he was one of the two members to represent the county in the State Legislature, which then met in Detroit. He was also a member of the State Convention, which met in 1850, to revise the Constitution. In all these positions Mr. Barnard commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens for his signal ability and rigid honesty. After his return from the constitutional convention he refused to accept office again. He retired to his farm, which he cultivated assiduously, and he was considered one of the best agriculturists of the county. In the private relations of life he was held in high esteem. Judge Turner, in an address before the Pioneer Society, said of him, "Well do we remember with what nobility and independence he always bore himself in all the business of life. He was a man who never abdicated his dignity for a moment, but was a gentleman at all times and on all occasions."

     Mr. Barnard was married, Jan. 31, 1839, to Miss Aristine Curtis, daughter of William Curtis, who emigrated from Madison Co., N.Y., in 1836, and settled on lands adjoining Mr. Barnard, where he died April 8, 1850, in the seventy-third year of his age.

     Mrs. Barnard has conducted the farm since her husband's death. She has been the mother of nine children, seven of whom are now living,--three sons and four daughters.

WILLIAM BLOODWORTH

Image of
William Bloodworth

 Image of
Mrs. William Bloodworth

     was born in Creeton, Lincolnshire, England, Dec. 3, 1803. His parents, William and Elizabeth Bloodworth, were farmers, and reared a family of four children,--three sons and one daughter, -- William being the youngest. He received the advantages of the schools of his native town, and at the age of nineteen enlisted in the "King's Guard," in which he served twelve years, In 1833 he emigrated to this country. He spent the first winter in Ann Arbor, and in the spring following, removed with his family upon the farm-which he had located in Genoa the previous fall; here he has since resided. The pioneer life of Mr. and Mrs. Bloodworth was one of much hardship and privation. 304.

     Did our space permit we could pen from their lips many a tale of early life in Genoa that to the present generation would sound more like fiction than fact. But they are now receiving the full fruition of their long and successful life; having amassed a competency, they are enjoying the benefits resulting from a life of industry and economy. Mr. Bloodworth was married in 1831 to Miss Elizabeth daughter of John and Ann Lown. She was born in Little Bytham, Lincolnshire, England, May 4 1805. They have one child, Mrs. Isaac Sapp, who is living with her husband at the old home.