1880 Township of Handy Part B. Pages 245-254

     Section 4 of an act to organize certain townships, and approved by the State legislative body then in session, March 6, 1838, reads as follows:

    "All that portion of the township of Howell as now organized in the county of Livingston, designated in the United States Survey as township number 3 north of range number 3 east, be, and the same is hereby, set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Handy; and the first township meeting therein shall be held at the house of Ralph Fowler in said township."

     On the 2d of April, 1838, the legal voters of the township, to the number of fourteen, assembled at the house of Ralph Fowler, and proceeded to elect the first board of township officers.

     The records relating to the proceedings of the first election have been lost, yet the following is believed to be a correct list of those elected: Ralph Fowler, Supervisor; Richard P. Bush, Township Clerk; John B. Fowler, Richard P. Bush, William Benjamin, Seymour Norton, Justices of the Peace; John B. Fowler, Richard P. Bush, John B. La Rowe, Assessors; Ruel Randall, Collector; Harvey Metcalf, Richard P. Bush, Seymour Norton, Highway Commissioners; John B. Fowler, Seymour Norton, Richard P. Bush, School Inspectors; Elijah Gaston, John Bush, Poormasters; Ruel Randall, John B. LaRowe, Constables.

     The first assessment roll was completed early in the summer of 1838, and the following tabulated statement describes the names of the resident taxpayers, their lands, etc.: (re-alphabetized by webmaster)

     The first highway laid by the authorities of Handy was surveyed by Amos Adams, June 7, 1838, and described as follows: "Beginning at the corners of sections eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen in the township of Handy, and running thence north on the section line one mile to the corners of sections one, two, eleven, and twelve in said town. Magnetic variation, three degrees, forty-five minutes."

     On the same day a road described as "Beginning at the corners of sections ten, eleven, fourteen, and fifteen, township of Handy, and running thence South on section line one mile to the corners of sections fourteen, fifteen, twenty-two, and twenty-three in said town," was surveyed and laid out by the same authority.

     On the following day a road described as "Beginning, on the corners of sections twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty-two, and thirty-three, in the township of Handy, and running thence west on section line one mile, sixty-two chains, fifty links, to the corners of sections thirty and thirty-one in said town."

The following is a complete list of the officers elected in the township of Handy, for the years from 1838 to 1879, inclusive:

SUPERVISORS
1838	Ralph Fowler
1839	Calvin Handy
1840	Ralph Fowler
1841	John Bush
1842	Richard P. Bush
1843	Calvin Handy
1844-46	Ralph Fowler
1847	John T. Watson
1848	Benjamin W. Lawrence
1849	Ralph Fowler
1850	Benjamin W, Lawrence
1851-52	John A. Tanner
1853	Benjamin W. Lawrence
1854-58	John A. Tanner*
1859-60	Henry N. Spencer
1861-62	Seth H. Judd
1863-64	Alexander H. Benedict
1865-66	John A. Tanner
1867	Seth H. Judd
1868-70	John A. Tanner
1871-72	Seth H. Judd
242. 1873-74	John A. Tanner
1875	Seth H. Judd
1876	Spiridon S. Abbott
1877-78	John A. Tanner
1879	Edwin Nichols
TOWNSHIP CLERKS
1838	Richard P. Bush
1839	Almon Whipple
1840	Seymour Norton
1841	Richard P. Bush
1842	John A. Tanner
1843	Seymour Norton
1844-45	David C. Griswold
1846	Seymour Norton
1847	John A. Tanner
1848-52	John T. Watson
1853	John A. Tanner
1854	Josiah Turner
1855-56	Truman D. Fish
1857-59	Eri M. Spencer
1860-66	George W. Palmerton
1867-70	William C. Spencer
1871	James P. Spencer
1872	Walter Fowler
1873	James P. Spencer
1874	Walter Fowler
1875-76	James P. Spencer
1877	Charles E. Spencer
1878	Willard H. Hess
1879	William B. Gale
TREASURERS
1838	none elected
1839-42	John B. Fowler �
1843	Orson Swift
1844	John A. Tanner
1845	Orson Swift
1846	William Marsh
1847-49	John M. Jones
1850	John A. Tanner
1851-54	Ruel Randall
1855	Caleb T. Power
1856-58	Benjamin W. Lawrence
1859	Pierson W. Dey
1860-62	Ruel Randall
1863-64	Peter P. Carmer
1865-66	Charles L. Collins
1867-68	Samuel Conklin
1869	Calvin Mather
1870	Seth H. Judd
1871-72	Amos Barnard
1873-74	Joel S. Briggs
1875	John C. Ellsworth
1876-77	Joshua Dunn
1878	Judson A. Canfield
1879	Orville H. Jones
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
1838	Richard P. Bush, William Benjamin, John B. Fowler, Seymour Norton
1839	Dennis Conrad
1840	Seymour Norton, Ralph Fowler
1841	John B. Fowler, �
1842	Orson Swift
September 1842	Richard P. Bush (in place of Ralph Fowler, resigned), Seymour Norton (in place of Dennis Conrad, moved away Aug. 1, 1842), and John M. Jones (in place of John B. Fowler, deceased).
1843	Seymour Notion, John M. Jones, Ralph Fowler
1844	Ralph Fowler
1845	Benjamin W. Lawrence
1846	David C. Griswold
1847	William P. Grover
1848	William H. Fowler
1849	Benjamin W. Lawrence
1850	John A. Coniway, William H. Evans
1851	Orson Church
1852	William H. Fowler
1853	Wm. A. Dorrance
1854	Samuel Conklin, Ralph Fowler
1855	Orson Church, James H. Myers
1856	William H. Fowler, Henry N. Spencer
1857	Peter P. Carmer, Truman D. Fish
1858	Orlando A. Fuller
1859	John P. Hildreth, Caleb T. Power
1860	Jerome Church
1861	Ralph Fowler, Benjamin W. Lawrence
1862	John Huston
1863	John P. Hildreth, Daniel R. Glenn
1864	Jerome Church
1865	Ralph Fowler, John P. Hildreth
1866	Alexander H. Benedict
1867	Benjamin H. Briggs
1868	Jerome Church, Henry N. Spencer
1869	George W. Palmerton, Jefferson Weller
1870	Daniel R. Glenn
1871	Hugh Conklin
1872	George W. Palmerton (elected in November, 1871, to fill vacancy), Henry S. Worthington, Jefferson H. Weller
1872	John A. Tanner (elected November to fill vacancy caused by resignation of D. R. Glenn)
1873	Jared L. Cook
1874	John A. Tanner, Enoch M. Marble, Lafayette Maben
1875	John G. Gould
1876	Henry S. Worthington
1877	Enoch M. Marble
1878	John Conner
1879	John G. Gould

THE RAILROAD

     At a special township-meeting, held at the office of Ralph Fowler, Esq., Sept. 9, 1865, for the purpose of voting for or against the proposition of extending aid to the Detroit and Howell Railroad, the whole number of votes polled was 132, of which 131 were in favor of pledging the credit of the township for a sum not exceeding five per cent of the assessed valuation of real and personal property, and 1 against the proposition.

     Although railroad matters agitated the minds of the people to a great extent, we find that the building of railroads, or extending township aid for the same, was held in abeyance until April 6, 1869, when 38 tax-paying electors, viz., M. H. McManus, George W. Palmerton, Samuel G. Palmerton, John Lamoreux, Freeman Rohrabacher, A. B. Lockwood, William H. Spencer, Nelson A. Glenn, E. E. Walton, A. McFisher, William Head, Walter Fowler, Daniel Dunn, John M. Tucker, L. H. Westfall, Charles Moore, James A. Brown, George Wyatt, J. D. White, W. Craig, John G. Gould, David Force, W. L. Collins, W. C. Spencer, A. D. Benjamin, George L. Fisher, Samuel Gillam, CharIes Fowler, Ralph Fowler, P. T. Hildreth, W. Hildreth, C. S. Mastick, W. Stickles, T. Stickles, William Davis, Alexander H. Benedict, W. H. Pullen, and M. Savage, presented a petition to John A. Tanner, Supervisor, requesting him to call a special meeting of the electors of the township to vote upon the proposition of extending aid to the Detroit and Lansing Railroad by bonding the township for the sum of $9500, provided a depot be located and maintained within one-half mile of the village of Fowlerville.

     In pursuance, a special township-meeting was held in the village of Fowlerville, Wednesday, May 5, 1869, and on the proposition to pay five per cent of $9500, 204 votes were recorded in favor, and 17 votes against.

     Bonds to the amount of $6500 were issued by the township, to assist in the construction of the Detroit, Howell and Lansing Railroad, in May, 1870. The road was completed to Fowlerville in the summer of 1871, and the event was celebrated Aug. 3 of the same year. The township has experienced some difficulty with its railroad indebtedness, but matters have been amicably arranged, and with the lapse of time their railroad will be looked upon as the power which uplifted them from the Slough of Despond, and made the township and village the thriving communities as they now exist.

EDUCATIONAL

     The first board of school inspectors, composed of John B. Fowler, Seymour Morton, and Richard P. Bush, at a meeting held in the office of the township clerk, during the winter of 1838-39, 243. established two school districts, the boundaries of which were described as follows:

     "School District No. 1, of the township of Handy, shall embrace all the land on the north and east side of Red Cedar River, in said town. School District No. 2 shall embrace the southwest quarter of said town."

     This action of the inspectors was recorded by the township clerk Feb. 26, 1839. Early in March of the same year the same inspectors caused to be placed on record the following:

     "School District No. 1 shall be so altered as to take in the northeast quarter of said township of Handy."

     A small log school-house was erected near the northeast corner of section 1 in the spring of 1839, and in it Miss Angeline Adams--a daughter of Amos Adams -- taught the first school, the following summer.

     Michael Handy taught in the same house during the winter of 1839-40.

     On the 19th day of October, 1839, Elijah Gaston, James W. Armstrong, and Seymour Norton, school inspectors, met at the house of Elijah Gaston, and completed the first annual school report of the township of Handy, which report was as follows:

Whole number of organized districts	1
Number from which returns have been made	1
Number of district	1
Number of children attending school between the ages of five and seventeen years	24
Number attending, school under five and over seventeen years	19
Whole number attending school during the year	43
Number of months school has been taught by a qualified teacher	6
Amount of public money received	none
Amount raised in the district for school purposes	$50

     School District No. 3, embracing sections 27, 28, 33, and 34, except the northwest quarter of section 28, was organized Jan. 23, 1840. At the same time the boundaries of District No. 2 were changed, so as to embrace within its limits the west half of section 21, the whole of 20, east half of 19, northeast quarter of 30, north half of 29, and northwest quarter of 28.

     Fractional School District No. 2, comprising portions of the townships of Howell and Tuscola, was enlarged, Jan. 23, 1840, by additions from the townships of Iena and Handy.

     School District No. 4 of Handy was organized Nov. 21, 1840, and originally comprised sections 10, 11, 14, and 15.

Dec. 25, 1840, the school inspectors, in a special report, said,--

"That a sum of $35 ought to be raised in school district No. 2, in addition to the $100 raised by the inhabitants of said school district, for the purpose of building a school-house in the same."

     On the 22d of January, 1841, they further reported:

       "In our opinion a sum of $150 ought to be raised in district No. 4, in addition to the $100 that the district officers have already raised, for the purpose of building a school-house in said district."

     In November, 1843, the township was redistricted, making the number of districts still being four.

     The first mention made of granting certificates occurs in the year 1844, when the township clerk made the following entry:

     "Jane Watson Inspected for a School-teacher, and received a Sirtificate off the following School inspectors.

HANDY, July the 13th, 1844."

     S. Norton received a teacher's certificate Dec. 17, 1844, and Eva A. Putnam the same, Jan. 18, 1845. On the 3d of May, 1845, Hannah Boyd and Susan Steadman were granted certificates to teach in districts 1 and 3, respectively.

     From the school inspectors' annual report, made Oct. 5, 1846, which includes districts 1, 2, and 3, are gathered the following statistics: children of school -age, 98; whole number who have attended school during the year, 93; amount of money received from township treasurer, $28.83. Teachers: District No. I, Lucy King; District No. 2., Seymour Norton; District No. 3, Delia Hempsted; average duration of schools, three months. Amelia Stearns was granted a teacher's certificate May 23, 1846. Other early teachers were granted certificates, as follows: John Loree, March 15, 1847; Augustus Dorrance and Dyer Austin, March 19, 1847.

     School District No. 5, comprising sections 18, 17, west one-half of sections 5 and 8, and the whole of sections 6 and 7, was formed April 17, 1847. Samuel Conklin was appointed to attend to the organization of this district. April 22, 1848, the boundaries of this district were changed. so as to include sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, the west one-half of 3, and the west one-half of 10. Nancy Maria Gould received a teacher's certificate at the same date. Angeline Conway and Mary Fales received teachers' certificates April 14, 1849.

     Sections 17 and 18 were organized as School District No. 6 April 26, I849, and discontinued by order of the inspectors Oct. 6, 1849. On the 6th of January, 1851, District No. 6 was again organized, comprising parts of sections 9, 10, 11, 14, and 15. Ralph Fowler was appointed to notify the taxable inhabitants of the district, and to attend to other matters pertaining to its organization. This was the first school district organized in the village of Fowlerville, and at the time it first assumed a village aspect, John H. Hand was given a teacher's certificate, Jan. 22, 1851. Also William W. Mitchell, April 29, 1851. Emma Grover and Polly Stafford were granted teachers' certificates May 12, 1851.

244. The following statistics will show the condition of schools for the decades ending 1860 and 1870:

Teachers licensed to teach during the year: H. M. Mather, J. L. Cook, A. L. Hollister, C. Munson, Susan Fish, Elizabeth Briggs, Ellen Sowle, Mary J. Ludden, Mattie F. Hamilton, Louisa Havens, Sarah C. Boothby, Daniel Higby, Miss E. Boothby, and Otis Obert.

The following statistics, taken from the annual report of the township Board of Education for the year ending Sept. 1, 1879, show the condition of schools β at the present time:

     The village of Fowlerville, as now established, embraces within its corporate limits portions of sections 10, 11, 14, and 15, and by referring to the list of land-entries it will be found that the first purchase of land within its boundaries was made by Chilson Sanford, of Washtenaw Co., Mich., who entered the southwest quarter of section 11, April 25, 1834.

     The remainder of the village site was covered by the original entries of Ralph Fowler, Amos Adams, Harvey Metcalf, Charles P. Bush, Sanford Britton, and James H. Hastings, and all of it was vested in individual ownership prior to Jan. 1, 1837.

     The history of the village, however, does not properly begin until Nov. 7, 1849. On the date mentioned, Amos Adams, surveyor, under the instructions of Ralph Fowler, surveyed and platted lots situated on both sides of Grand River Street, the lots numbering from one to twenty-nine, inclusive. The surveyor in an explanatory note remarked:

     "These lots are situated on the west half of the southwest quarter of section eleven, and the east half of the southeast quarter of section ten, of township three north of range three east. Each lot contains one-fifth of an acre, except lots five, six, eight, nine, twenty-four, and twenty-five, which contain one-tenth of an acre."

     During the same year Russell Fuller began the construction of a saw-mill upon a lot containing six acres, which had been donated by Mr. Fowler. Mr. F. also boarded the workmen gratuitously, while people of the township scored and hewed the timbers for the frame-work. But Mr. Fuller, before its completion, sold the mill to Mr. Fowler, who finished it.

     Those people who then resided in the embryo village or its immediate vicinity were Ralph Fowler, A. S. Denson, William Sherwood, a blacksmith, William H. Evans, David Lewis, tavern-keeper and postmaster, and members of the firm of Clark & Hopkins, who kept for sale a very light general stock of goods.

     The village of Fowlerville was first mentioned on the assessment roll in 1851, and those who were then assessed for property lying within the village plat were Ralph Fowler, Charles Lewis, John M. Minker, Morgan M. Randall, A. S. Denson, Joseph Grant, R. A. Cowell, and Richard Bristol.

     The additional tax-paying inhabitants in 1852 included John T. Watson, Samuel G. Palmerton, the firm of Randall & Sherwood, Chelsey Tupper, William A. Dorrance, and Josiah Turner.

     At this time the plank-road from Lansing to Howell was completed. This event created much enthusiasm among those owning real estate in and around the village, as indications pointed to the--now established--fact that ere many years it would become a commercial centre of no mean importance.

     As the plank-road company required a building for office purposes and the sale of goods, Ralph Fowler erected a store on the corner now occupied by D. R. Glenn & Co. After one or two years of occupancy the company vacated the premises, and the same building was then occupied by the Hon. Josiah Turner, who was the first individual merchant in the village to carry a stock of any magnitude. At this period, too, came Caleb T. Power and Benjamin P. Vealey from Brighton. They immediately began the construction of the famous 245. old hostelry, known for years as "Independence Hall."

     The plank-road was soon afterwards completed through to Detroit, and it then became one of the most thronged thoroughfares in the State. A four-horse stage-coach passed each way twice a day, and the accommodations of Independence Hall were taxed to the utmost.

     Other minor enterprises soon, followed, while the population of the little village steadily increased. Among those who settled during the years 1853, 1854, and 1855, were H. C. Stoddard, Hiram Bodine, Peter Bush, Henry G. West, Henry N. Spencer (the first resident physician), James Stoneham, George Taylor, John A. Stout, Oscar D. Weller, Samuel Hubbard, C. S. Collins, William Collins, Ezekiel King, James Hawley, Elmer Holloway, Sidney Carpenter, N. L. Embury, David Bissell, Truman D. Fish, Marshall A. Porter, Patrick Maloy, Joseph H. Steel, Jr., Joseph Edmonds, William Walker, Oscar Williams, Benoni Knickerbocker, R. C. Crane, Lewis Moore, and Jonathan Terwilliger.

     The first grist-mill was built in 1855-56, by Messrs. Fish and Palmerton, and Joseph H. Steel, Jr., & Co. established their iron-foundry at the same period.

     From the time that the opening of the Detroit and Milwaukee and the Jackson and Saginaw Railroads took the business from the plank-road until the near completion of the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad, the growth of the village was slow and unimportant. The rolls show that the resident tax-payers in 1860 were but 57 in number, as follows:

     N. E. Green, M. A. Porter, Truman D. Fish, Samuel P. Lee, David Johnson, Richard Roff, George Wyatt, William Fulford, John Haws, Eleanor Curry, Amrod Moon, Ransom Grant, Fred. Carlisle, Pat. Maloy, Lambert Williams, A. B. Lockwood, Hiram Bodine, Almira Collins, Charles Ortner, John White, Caleb T. Power, David Hamilton, Daniel Fuller, Benjamin P. Vealey, James M. Long, Morgan M. Randall, William L. Collins, John Houston, Eri M. Spencer, John Bush, James Wilson, Ransom Ackley, Hiram, Elliott, William Winegar, Thurston Simmons, Samuel G. Palmerton, Power & Carlisle, George W. Palmerton, Warren Clark, Hodge & Williams, John B. Wilson, Henry N. Spencer, Isaac Page, J. T. Gridley, Major Bentley, Solomon Sly, Enoch W. Curry, George Cameron, Ralph Fowler, C. L. Northrop, Samuel Hubbard, Edwin Hitchcock, Peter Bush, W. P. & G. W. Stow.

     Five years later --in 1865-- there were but 64 names upon the rolls. In following the increase of population still further, we find that the total number assessed for taxation in the year 1871 was 90, and in the following year 174.

     The village of Fowlerville was incorporated by act approved April 15, 1871, which provided

     "That all of that district of country in the county of Livingston, in the State of Michigan, described as follows, to wit: Sections number ten, eleven, fourteen, and fifteen, in township number three north, of range number three east, is hereby constituted and declared a body corporate, under the name and title of 'The Village of Fowlerville,' in the county of Livingston."

     Under the act of incorporation, the electors of the territory so incorporated, to the number Of 49, viz-, A. H. Benedict, David Force, Samuel Scripture, A. S. Denson, John G. Gould, David West, William Denson, Byron Defendorf, Horace Chalker, Orrin Barber, Henry Elliott, Hiram Bodine, Orville Goss, O. H. Babcock, William Gott, Charles Geweye, E. M. Spencer, Rufus Fowler, Zenas Palmerton, William Fulford, Freeman Rohrabacher, O. H. Jones, Ralph Fowler, Harvey Metcalf, William Pullen, S. S. Munson, Robert M. Davis, George Bush, Edwin Bowen, Lorenzo Palmerton, Benajah Tuttle, Frederick Saunders, Gilbert Demarest, Jesse Pulver, Williarn L. Collins, Lewis Westfall, James Lockwood, Edwin Munson, Charles Moore, C. T. Power, Levi Bristol, George W. Palmerton, R. A. Patton, Frank G. Rounsville, Hiram Elliott, Frederick Hyne, Martin Camp, E. H. Brockway, and R. B. Boylan, assembled at the office of George W. Palmerton, on Saturday, June 3, 1871, and organized the meeting by choosing Lewis H. Westfall and Charles Moore inspectors of the election, and William L. Collins clerk. This meeting resulted in the election of the following-named officers: Frederick Saunders, President; William M. Beach, Uriah Coffin, Samuel Gillam, Hiram Bodine, Benajah J. Tuttle, James A. Brown, Trustees; John A. Tanner, Ralph Fowler, Assessors; Frederick Hyne, Treasurer; Wm. L. Collins, Clerk; Samuel G. Palmerton, Gilbert Demarest, Jesse, Pulver, Street Commissioners; John G. Gould, Marshal.

     By act No. 269, approved April 30, 1873, the village was re-incorporated, and ample provision made for all requirements. By the same act the corporate limits were reduced to the boundaries described as follows:

   "All that district of country in the county of Livingston, in the State of Michigan, described as follows, to wit: The southeast quarter of section ten, and the south half of the northeast quarter of section ten, and the southwest quarter of section eleven, and the west half of the southeast quarter of section eleven, and the south half of the northwest quarter of section eleven, and the northwest quarter of section fourteen, and the northeast quarter of section fifteen, in township three north, of range three west, be, and the 246. same is hereby constituted a body corporate, by the name of the village of Fowlerville."

     The annual village charter election was held Monday, March 3, 1873. But meanwhile the new charter was passed, and under its provisions a new election was held at the office of John A. Tanner, Monday, May 5, 1873, which resulted in the election of officers as given in the list for the year 1873.

     Since the completion of the railroad in 1871, the growth of the village has been rapid and healthy. Several handsome brick blocks now grace its business avenues, and as a point of general trade, and a market for wheat, live stock, wool, and shooks, it stands second to none in the county of Livingston.

     In business pursuits the people are active and enterprising, and in the adornment of their homes and surroundings much taste and refinement are displayed.

     The village now contains two church edifices, Methodist Episcopal and Baptist,--a union graded school building, two grain -elevators, steam grist and saw-mills, planing-mills, an exchange bank, a weekly newspaper,--The Review,--an iron-foundry, some fifteen or twenty stores, where goods of all descriptions are sold, four hotels, various and many small mechanical shops, and a population of 1200 inhabitants.

     It is an important station on the line of the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad, and is distant sixty miles from Detroit, and nine miles from Howell, the county-seat.

     The following comprises a list of the village officers from 1872 to 1879, inclusive:

Since the survey of the original plat several additions have been made, viz., Ralph Fowler, May 27, 1858. Ralph and Charles Fowler, June 9, 1868. George W. Palmerton, Dec. 6, 1870. Albert D. Benjamin, Dec. 6, 1870. Richard A. Hale, June 2, 1871. Ralph Fowler, June 20, 1871. Ralph Fowler, Aug. 20, 1871. Albert D. Benjamin, Dec. 26, 1871. A. M. Abbott, March 29, 1872. John W. Galloway and Martin W. Camp, April 19, 1871. Albert D. Benjamin, Oct. 29, 1872, and Harvey C. Button's alteration, May 24, 1873.

     The village has been visited by several disastrous fires, though none of a general nature. Of those occurring in recent years, was the burning of the planing-mills in 1874, and in February, 1877, the destruction of the Reason House, the new name for the time-honored institution long known as "Independence Hall."

     Fire apparatus, consisting of hooks, ladders, ropes, and buckets, were early supplied by the village authorities, cisterns were dug, and on March 23, 1874, the following resolution passed the Council:

     "That every business place in the village of Fowlerville be required to keep a barrel of water and a pail in readiness to be used in case of fire."

     Yet no fire company was regularly organized until July 2, 1879, when Protection Hook-and Ladder Company, No. I, was formed and officered as follows: Christopher Y. Peek, Foreman; John McLeod, Assistant Foreman; Henry F. Higgins, Secretary; Ruel Curtis, Treasurer; A. H. Cummings, Steward. The company numbers 30 members.

     As previously mentioned, Independence Hall was the first hotel erected in the village, and for a decade or two was the only one. Its proprietorship 247. changed frequently, yet the habitu�s of the village tavern, their faces and manners, remained nearly the same until the advent of the locomotive, in 1871, instituted the beginning of a new era.

     Fowlerville at an early day in its history was noted in all the country around for its balls, and the spirit which animated the hotel proprietor and his guests during such festivals of mirth and jollity.

     Jerome W. Turner, Esq., of Owosso, in an address delivered before the Livingston County Pioneer Association, June 19, 1878, related the following incident descriptive of one of these assemblages. Its humor is suggestive, and we deem it appropriate to this place in the village annals.

    "Fowlerville wore the belt for the promiscuous country-dance. I must confess to a liking for those old balls. There were no tame walk arounds in those days. Feet had to go somewhere, and they went. White ankles flashed like calcium lights; and over all, and under all, and bearing all, came the waves of music from the fiddlers' stand. One class went to dance good square dancing, and get tired out. Another class intended to, but never got any farther than the bar-room. One sitting in the ball-room could now and then hear an ominous crash of glasses in the room below, or a particularly sharp exclamation of somebody who was just going to take 'one more.' In the morning the 'one-more' boys, as the saying is, 'lay in all shapes.' It was in the morning that I went into the bar-room on the occasion referred to, and the bodies were lying around, as they might have lain in the gray dawn on the heights of Inkermann. One man survived, but he stood against the outside of the bar to hold himself up, while the landlord braced himself on the inside for the same reason. They stood there looking in a dazed and distant way at each other. The pupils of their eyes swam along on the edges of their upper eyelid, like a feeble sun on the horizon, and their long slow winks were little more than efforts at consciousness. The one on the outside at last said, 'I've mixed drinks all night, and tried to get a man to stand afore me, but's just my confounded luck, couldn't find nobody.' 'Sam,' said the proprietor, in a mysterious way, 'do you want an almighty thrashin' ? No man ever stopped with me and wanted anything but what he got it, and I'm d---d if I let the reputation of the house stiffer just after a big dance; so if you want a lickin', you can hev it just is quick's a meal of vittles.' Simultaneously they tried to start towards each other, and at the same time each fell on the floor, while I made my way out, and am unable to say whether they ever got up or not."

     The first resident to attend the wants of those whose bodily ailments required attention was Ruel Randall. He was termed a Thomsonian, and was not a regularly educated physician. However, we may believe that he often did much good, and in cases where be failed he certainly did not make them much worse.

     Dr. Henry N. Spencer was the first physician to settle in the village, and came here as early as 1853. Those who have since practiced here at various periods were Drs. James A. Brown, J. M. Long, Ezra J. Bates, Byron Defendorf, - Fitch, H. N. Hall, Abel S. Austin, Aaron W. Cooper, and William R. Mead.

      The physicians of the present are Drs. Brown, Defendorf, Austin, Cooper, and Mead.

     The first lawyer, Benjamin F. Button, settled in the village in 1871. The fraternity are represented at the present time by Messrs. B. F. Button, Henry F. Higgins, Andrew D. Cruickshank, John Connor, and Fred. Warren.

In March, 1873, Messrs. Gay & Ellsworth established the banking institution which they still control. It has been of great assistance to those doing business in the village and its vicinity, and has added materially to the development and growth of Fowlerville. This firm does a general exchange and banking business, their correspondence extending to all the commercial centres of the Union.

This band was first formed in June, 1874, and Henry Greenaway elected leader. In March, 1877, a reorganization took place, and John C. Ellsworth became the leader. It is now composed of eighteen pieces, and the names of the members are as follows: John C. Ellsworth, Frank Curtis, Henry Greenaway, I. B. Turner, W. C. Hyne, Elmer Chambers, Fred. Greenaway, J. Walton, A. J. Beebe, Charles E. Spencer, Hawley Pullen, John Van Verst, George L. Adams, Fred. Warren, Charles Bush, Frank Palmerton, Richard Fowler, Edward Greenaway.

A commodious band hall is now in course of construction. The citizens have responded liberally when called upon to assist in uniforming and equipping the members of the organization, and they are now in the possession of one of the most elegant band uniforms in the State.

This, the most important manufacturing enterprise in the village, was established by William W. Starkey, in, July, 1871. Mr. Starkey is an extensive dealer in red and white oak staves, and, manufactures shooks for sugar, molasses, fish, cart, and rum hogsheads. Power is derived from a forty horse-power steam-engine, and the capacity of the works amounts to from 75,000 to 100,000 shooks per year, all of which are shipped to the West India Islands. Steady employment is here given to twenty-five men, while as many others are engaged in various parts of the State getting out material., A fire in October, 1878, destroyed property to the amount of $4000 but its ravages were immediately repaired, and the factory is now run to its fullest capacity, night and day.

248. Mr. Starkey is also the owner of a valuable stock-farm of 240 acres, situated within the village limits, and is becoming well known throughout the State as the breeder of fine horses. Chief among his stock is a Kentucky brood-mare, by Duvall's Mambrino, and two fillies, the get of the famous trotting stallion Pasacas, also owned in Fowlerville, and who took the stallion trotting-race at the Michigan State Fair in Detroit, September, 1879.

The Fowlerville Review was established by Willard H. Hess and George L. Adams in 1874, the first issue bearing date June 19th of the same year. The paper was continued under this management until Oct. 1, 1877, when Mr. Adams transferred his interest to Mr. Hess. The latter continued alone until Jan. 1, 1879, when Mr. Adams again became connected with the paper as sole owner and publisher, and continues the same to the present time. The paper was first issued in the form of a four-column quarto, was changed to a seven-column folio in January, 1874, and to its present form, a five-column quarto, in October, 1877.

It is neutral in political matters, is published on Fridays, and has a weekly circulation of 550 copies.

     Fowlerville Lodge.--The first meeting of Fowlerville Lodge, No. 164, F. and A. M., was held Oct. 29, 1864. A charter was granted by the Grand Lodge of the State of Michigan, Jan. 13. 1865. There were nine charter members, and the following-named comprised the first board of officers, viz.: Henry N. Spencer, W. M.; R. M. Cadwell, S. W.; E. E. Walton, J. W.; Geo. W. Palmerton, Treas.; A. H. Benedict, Sec.; S. H. Judd, S. D.; Hiram Pearsons, J. D.; P. P. Carmer, Tiler.

     Henry N. Spencer continued as W. M. until 1872. He was succeeded by James A. Brown, who held the office during the years from 1872 to 1875, inclusive, and from the latter period until the present time, Joseph L. Cook has officiated in the same capacity.

     The officers for 1876 are Joseph L. Cook, W. M.; M. W. Davison, S. W.; J. P. Spencer, J. W.; D. A. French, S. D.; F. G. Rounseville, J. D.; A. H. Hughes, Sec.; H. Pearsons, Treas.; and James Reed, Tiler.

     Regular communications are held in their lodge-room, in the village of Fowlerville, Tuesdays on or before the full moon of each month.

Fowlerville Lodge, No. 86, I. O. O. F., began work under a dispensation granted by the Grand Lodge of the State of Michigan, June 2, 1862. The first board, of officers were installed by Grand Master B. W. Dennis, and were as follows: Henry N. Spencer, N. G.; James A. Armstrong, V. G.; N. R. Glenn, Past Grand; Eri M. Spencer, Rec. Sec.; David Bush, Per. Sec.; Ruel Randall, Treas. A charter was granted Jan. 21, 1864, and those named as charter members were Henry N. Spencer, Benj. W. Lawrence, Marvin Gaston, Eri M. Spencer, David Bush, Nelson R. Glenn, J. A. Armstrong, Ruel Randall, S. O. Sowle, and Jesse Pulver.

The following comprises a list of the presiding officers of the lodge from its organization to the present time: Henry N. Spencer, 1862-63; Eri M. Spencer, 1864; Marvin Gaston, 1865; David Bush, 1866; Amos Barnard, 1867; John P. Hildreth, 1868; William C. Spencer, 1869; Jesse Pulver, 1870; James A. Brown, 1871; Guilford Randall, 1872; Jos. L. Cook, 1873; Hiram B. Davis, 1874; William H. Pullen, 1875; Truman Randall, 1876; Andrew D. Cruickshank, 1877; Joseph L. Cook, 1878; Miles W. Davison, 1879. The present board of officers are Miles W. Davison, N. G.; Charles E. Spencer, V. G.; Joseph Franks, Rec. Sec.; Jared L. Cook, Per. Sec.; Albert H. Tanner, Treas. The lodge includes a present membership of 60, and regular meetings are held in their hall in the Palmerton Block alternate Saturday evenings. The hall is elegantly furnished, and is occupied jointly by the Masons and Odd-Fellows.

Handy Lodge, NO. 39, A. O. U. W., was organized with 22 charter members, by W. H. Jewett, Grand Master Workman of the State of Michigan, March 4, 1878. The officers first installed were D. E. Hills, P. M. W.; William M. Horton, M. W.; Geo. L. Fisher, G. F.; Joshua Dodge, G. O.; Hugh Laughlin, G. R.; A. H. Benedict, G. R.; A. W. Cooper, G. F.; William H. Spencer, G. G.; Ruel Curtis, I. W.; W. A. Benjamin, O. W. The present officers are George L. Fisher, P. M. W.; Andrew D. Cruickshank, M. W.; Joshua Dodge, G. F.; Ruel Curtis, G. O.; George Bush, G. R.; Hugh Laughlin, G. R.; William M. Horton, G. F.; Chas. Hopkins, G. G.; Mathew Alsbro, I. W.; and Wm. A. Benjamin, O. W.

Regular meetings are held in their hall, in the Palmerton Block, every Wednesday evening, except during the months of June, July, and August, when the meetings are held the first and third Wednesdays.

Lodge, No. 36, O. of I. K., was instituted by District Deputy, Dr. Sanborn, Oct. 9, 1879, and 249. the officers installed were as follows: D. R. Glenn, Director-in-Chief; Emeline Baldwin, Senior Director; Theron Metcalf, Junior Director; Ellen E. Glenn, Past Director-in-Chief; Giles G. Tucker, Recorder; B. F. Button, Financier; H. D. Glenn, Treasurer; Orlando Philo, Senior Sentinel ; Joseph Tunnard, Junior Sentinel.

West Handy Grange, No. 613, P. H., was granted a dispensation Jan. 5, 1876, a charter April 4, 1876, and was regularly incorporated according to the laws of the State Sept. 11, 1878. Those mentioned in the articles of incorporation were Joel S. Briggs Frank B. Osborn, John W. Smalley, E. W. Noble Oscar D. Weller, John Cole, Judson A. Canfield, of Handy, and Daniel Herrick, H. H. Warren, Wells Warren, Charles Warren, Almon A. Huston, Thomas B. Frear, of Ingham County.

The first postmaster was David Lewis, who received the appointment in 1849. John T. Watson succeeded him, who in turn was succeeded by Truman D. Fish. In April, 1861, William P. Stow received the office from Fish, and continued in the performance of its duties until May, 1866, when William H. Pullen became his successor. Mr. Pullen held the office until November, 1875, when George L. Fisher, the present incumbent, received the appointment. It is a money-order office. Mails are received twice daily, and it is the distributing office for those residing in the townships of Handy and Conway.

The following statistics are from the directors' annual report of school district No. 6, for the year ending Sept. 1, 1879:

     Here, as in many other localities, the circuit preachers of the Methodist Episcopal Church were the pioneers in religious matters. Elder John Cosart, of the above-mentioned church, who resided in the township of Hartland, held the first religious services in the house of Richard P. Bush in 1838 or 1839. He visited the people in this and adjoining settlements once in four weeks. After the building of the first school-house a majority of the early meetings were held there, yet quite frequently at the residences of John B. Fowler, Ralph Fowler, and others. A Methodist class, quite strong in numbers, was formed soon after Elder Cosart began his preachings, among whom were John B. Fowler, leader, who continued the same until his death, in 1842; Richard P. Bush and wife, John Bush, wife, and children, Ralph Fowler, Mrs. Calvin Handy, Mrs. Elijah Gaston, John B. LaRowe, Martin W. Randall and wife, and James E. Head. This class existed for a brief number of years, and then went down. A sect called the Unionists then took the field, and flourished for a short time. They were followed by the Wesleyan Methodists, who also enjoyed but an evanescent life. After the platting of the village of Fowlerville, in 1849, and the donation of a site for a Methodist house of worship by Ralph Fowler, a new interest was aroused in religious circles, which culminated in the reorganization of the Methodist Episcopal society as the First Methodist Episcopal Church in the village of Fowlerville. The earliest written records obtained concerning this society are from the miscellaneous records on file in the office of the county clerk, which shows that on the 16th day of November, 1853, Thomas Wakelin, preacher in charge, appointed Phineas Silsby, Joseph Ogle, Levi H. Bigelow, John A. Stout, George Stout, Henry N. Spencer, and Lott Pratt a board of trustees of the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Fowlerville, "for the purpose of erecting a house of worship on a lot in the village of Fowlerville." The stewards' book begins Oct. 22, 1855, and informs the reader that at the first quarterly conference-meeting of the Fowlerville District, Flint Circuit, held at the Parsons school-house, on the day mentioned, George Smith, presiding elder, was present, and opened the meeting with singing and prayer. On motion, Cecil D. Parsons was appointed secretary. Others present were C. W. Murray, Circuit Preacher; Thomas Stanfield, Exhorter; Cecil D. Parsons and Phineas Silsby, Stewards; Frederick B. Parsons and George L. Wilson, Leaders. The Conference then proceeded to form a board of stewards, which was composed 250. of Henry N. Spencer and Levi Bigelow, Stewards, and Cecil. D. Parsons and Phineas Silsby, Recording Stewards. It was estimated that the salary of the preacher in charge and other expenses would amount to $450, which was apportioned among the different appointments as follows: Fowlerville, $100; Silsby's, $75; Boyd's, $75; Pratt's, $50; Parsons', $100; North Conway, $50.

     In 1867 the church edifice was commenced and the society regularly incorporated. Those named as trustees in the articles of incorporation were Ard. K. Smith, Isaac T. Wright, Martin R. Foster, Benjamin W. Lawrence, Phineas Silsby, Adam Rohrabacher, and John M. Potts. The church edifice was dedicated March 14, 1869. Rev. J. S. Smart, of Adrian, conducted the services, assisted by Revs. T. J. Joslin and William Fox, of Fentonville. In 1874 a parsonage was built, and the church repaired to some extent, after which a rededication took place, the services being conducted by Rev. B. I. Ives, of Auburn, N.Y. The church cost originally about $3500, and has sittings for nearly 400 People. The property owned by the society at the present time is valued at $4000, and the present members are 90 in number.

     The following is a list of the pastors who have officiated in the Fowlerville district since 1855, showing also the year of their settlement: C. W. Murray, 1855; William Goss, 1857; Lyman Dean, 1858; S. P. Lec, 1858; J. H. Castor, 1860; James Armstrong, 1861 ; Jesse Kilpatrick, 1863; C. M. Anderson, 1864; P. L. Turner, 1865 ; Samuel J. Brown, 1866; R. C. Crane, 1867; William H. Brockway, $ 1869; C. W. Austin, 1872; S. P. Warner, 1873; N. W. Pierce, 1874; F. W. Warren, 1876; H. O. Parker, 1879.

     This district includes the South Handy class, the members of which hold meetings in the "Mormon School-houses'' The two classes include a total membership of about 150 communicants. The official members at the present time are Byron Defendorf, William Craig, John M. Potts, Lyman Stewart, Isaac Page, William Macox, Uriah Coffin, Milo Davis, Amasa Bowen, Stewards; and Byron Defendorf, William Craig, Uriah Coffin, John M. Potts, Isaac T. Wright, Amasa Bowen, Isaac Page, Trustees. Flourishing Sunday-schools exist, of which Dr. Byron Defendorf is superintendent.

     This society was organized May 27, 1869, the constituent members being Lewis Dean and wife, John Swartwout and wife, Mary Dean, William H. Faunce, Sophia J. Faunce, Olive Van Buren, Charles Mastick, Delia Mastick, and Orlando Bushnell.

     June 29th of the same year the society was regularly incorporated, and S. C. Dean, Edward Bailey, Theron Metcalf, William H. Faunce, John Swartwout Charles Moore, Charles Mastick, Graham N. Barker, and Martin Van Buren were named as trustees. The first meetings were held in the old school-house, which was situated just south of where the Reason Block now stands. Their present church edifice was completed in 1873, and dedicated September 7th of the same year. It has sittings for 200 persons, and cost $1100.

     The pastors who have officiated here are named in the order of their succession, as follows: George W. Jenks, William Bassett, Charles F. Weston, David E. Hills, and T. H. Cary, who is the present incumbent. The present members of the society number 70. An interesting Sunday-school of 85 scholars is maintained, of which Graham N. Barker is the superintendent.

It may properly be mentioned in this connection that, during the years from 1840 to 1842, apostles of the Mormon Church held meetings in the house since known as the "Mormon Schoolhouse." Their proselyting resulted in inducing 13 families to leave their homes in Handy and losco, and join the Latter-Day Saints, then colonized at Nauvoo, Ill.

Elias Converse was born in Vermont. In his boyhood he went to the State of New York, where he followed farming for a livelihood. In 1840 he moved to the town of Commerce, in Oakland Co., Mich. Here he remained but one year, when he came to the town of Conway, Livingston Co., Mich., and bought a new farm, which he improved. This farm he sold, and then returned to Oakland County. Seven years later he again sold, and returned to Conway, purchasing a farm, on which he lived until his death.

James Converse, the subject of this sketch, was born Sept. 30, 1838, in the town of Conquest, Cayuga Co., N.Y. He lived with his father until he was of age, when he started out in life for himself. He worked by the month on a farm one year, then rented a farm, by which means he obtained his start in life. In 1864, Mr. Converse purchased a 251. wild tract in the town of Cohoctah, which he soon traded for an improved farm in the town of Conway. This he sold in 1867, buying the farm on section 5, in Handy, which he now owns. It was then nearly new, with only log buildings. He has improved the land and built fine buildings, and although his farm is small, consisting of but forty-five acres, he has done better than many on farms of three times the size. That he has now so fine a place is due solely to the energy and industry of himself and wife. Mr. Converse has never taken an active part in politics, but votes with the Democratic party. He was married July 15, 1860, to Miss Emily Miner, who was born Sept. 28, 1838, in Hartland, Mich. She is a daughter of Ezra and Anna M. (Skidmore) Miner.

the second white settler in the town of Handy, was born in Worthington, Mass., Dec. 20, 1795. After the death of his father, which occurred when he

     was quite young, he found a home with his grandfather until he was fourteen, when the death of his grandfather left him without a home. He then lived among the farmers, working at whatever he could get to do and for what they chose to give him. Under such circumstances his chances for an education were necessarily very limited. He was drafted during the war of 1812, and served until his company was mustered out at the close of the war. Soon after his discharge he went to West Bloomfield, Ontario Co., N.Y., where he found employment on a farm. From there he went to Geneseo, Livingston Co., N.Y., and engaged in the livery business, which he followed for some time. But becoming satisfied that an old settled country like New York was a hard place for a poor man to get a start, be determined to go to a new State, where land was plenty, and cheap. In the spring of 1836, having sold out his business, he came to the town of Handy and bought of the government one hundred and sixty acres of land, for which be paid down. During the summer of 1836 he made a small improvement, sowed ten acres of wheat, and put up a log house. In the fall he returned to Geneseo for his family, whom he at once brought to the new home in the forest. At that time there was but one family in the town of Handy. The country around was entirely new save the small clearing made by Mr. Handy. There were no roads save Indian trails, while deer and all kinds of fish and game were abundant. The wolves made night hideous by their howling, although they were not a source of much danger. With the exception of the Handy family their only neighbors were the Indians, with whom they lived on friendly terms. Although everything was new and strange to them, and they endured many privations and hardships, still they were contented and happy. So says Mrs. Metcalf, who is still living, a hale and hearty old lady of nearly seventy. Under Mr. Metcalf's energy and industry the wilderness home was soon made to "blossom as a rose," and peace and plenty prevailed. At the first town-meeting held in the township Mr. Metcalf was elected road commissioner. But political offices were not to his taste, and he never held one by his own wish. In the schools of his town he always took an active interest, and was generally one of the school board. In politics Mr. Metcalf was first a Whig and then a Republican. He departed this life March 28, 1878, respected and esteemed by his neighbors and friends for his many good qualities.

     On the 9th day of June, 1831, he was married to Miss Eveline Adams, who was born in Geneseo, N.Y., March 26, 1810. She was the daughter of Amos and Elizabeth (Wright) Adams. There have been born to them the following-named children : Theron, born March 25, 1832; Amanda F., born Jan. 18, 1834; Angeline, born April 29, 1836; Adelaide, born Aug. 14, 1840; Edwin A., born June 27, 1844; Cornelia, born March 9, 1848, died June 19, 1872; and Emma L., born Sept. 5, 1851, died Jan. 17, 1878.

     Theron Metcalf enlisted in September, 1864, in Company H, 4th Cal. Volunteers, and served one year, mustered out as assistant commissary sergeant in September, 1865. Edwin A. Metcalf enlisted Aug. 6, 1861, in Company K, 9th Michigan Infantry. Was taken prisoner at Murfreesboro' and 252. paroled; discharged September 16, 1862; re-enlisted in Company D, same regiment, Sept. 10, 1864; discharged May 17, 1865.

was born in Trenton, Oneida Co., N.Y., Oct. 26, 1808. His father, Walter Fowler, who was born in Massachusetts, was a major in the war of 1812, but saw no active service. David Fowler, Ralph's grandfather, was a captain in the Revolutionary war. Of his services but little is known. Ralph grew to manhood in Trenton, where his father

worked at farming. Unable to give his son an education, Ralph had but a winter's schooling until after his marriage. When twenty-two years old, Mr. Fowler commenced life for himself. He hired out on a farm for eight months. After his time expired, he, with his brother-in-law, rented a dairy-farm, which they worked for two years very successfully. On the 14th day of November, 1832, he married Miss Martha Smith, and the following spring, with his wife, moved to Geneseo, Livingston Co., N.Y. He rented a farm of General Wadsworth, which he carried on for a year and a half, when he became home-agent for the general, having charge of a part of his large estate. The general sent him to a night-school, three nights in a week, six months each of the two years he was in his service, and in this way Mr. Fowler acquired a fair education. In 1835, Mr. Fowler found himself the possessor of two thousand dollars, and being anxious to have a home of his own he came to Michigan and bought of the government eight lots of land, on a portion of which the village of Fowlerville now stands. The fall of 1836 found him with his family in the new home in the wilderness. There were then only the families of Mr. Handy and Metcalf in the town. With his accustomed energy he at once commenced the improvement of his farm; soon cleared fields, made beautiful with growing grain, took the place of the wilderness. Mr. Fowler took an active part in the organization of the town, and was chosen its first supervisor, which office he held many years. For several years there was no road to his place; but, after the building of the capitol at Lansing, the State road from Detroit to Grand Haven was opened through the county to the Meridian line, a stage-route was established, and a post-office opened at Fowlerville, principally through the efforts of Mr. Fowler and Mr. Williams. Mr. Fowler also took an active part in the building of the plank-road, taking a thousand dollars in stock, and also furnishing the plank to construct the road from Howell to Fowlerville. When the first saw mill in Fowlerville was built he gave six acres of land and boarded the hands free. He afterwards bought and finished the mill. Mr. Fowler has also assisted liberally in building the churches of his village. In 1853 he laid out thirty acres of land in the village of Fowlerville, and gave away every alternate lot to any one who would build a good house thereon. He built the first store in, and has since added many buildings to the village. Mr. Fowler has filled the most of the offices in his town, and served as a Representative in the Legislatures of 1843-44, of 1851-52, and in the special session of 1854. He served as chairman of the Committee on Claims, on the special Committee on the Liquor Law, and was second on the Committee of Ways and Means, filling the position with credit to himself and his constituents. For his second wife, Mr. Fowler married Mrs. Mary Fowler, Dec. 10, 1846. His children by his first wife were George, born July 22, 1833; Lucy, born Aug. 18, 1835, died July 21, 1842; Charles, born June 11, 1837; Joanna, born October, 1839; Walter B., born Nov. 6, 1843; and Walter, born Nov. 6, 1846. George Fowler served as a non-commissioned officer, subsequently as lieutenant and captain, during the Rebellion, and was twice wounded.

was born in the State of Ohio, April 12, 1840. When he was three years old, his father moved to Wayne Co., Mich., where he bought a farm. George lived with his father on the farm until he was nineteen, when the death of his father threw him upon his own resources. He worked among 253.

     The ancestors of this gentleman were among the early settlers of New England. John Nichols, the paternal grandfather of our subject, emigrated when a young man to Otsego Co., N.Y., where he was married to Susan Wilson. They were the parents of one child, named Jeremiah, who was born in Otsego in 1801. On reaching manhood he was married to Ruth Tupper, of the same place. In 1831 he emigrated to the Territory of Michigan, and settled at Novi, in Oakland Co., where he remained five years.

     He then removed to Livingston County and was one of the first to settle in the township of losco. He afterwards, at various times, removed to other places in Livingston County, and for the last eleven years he has resided in the township of Handy. In 1862 he was bereaved in the death of his wife, who died at the age of fifty years.

     She was the mother of ten children, viz., Angeline, Edwin, Eliza, Ezekiel S., Albert, Martha J., Philena, Mary A., Charles H., and Seth A. Of these, Angeline, Edwin, Ezekiel, Mary, and Seth are living, all married, and have families. The old gentleman's second marriage was with Mrs. Amelia Ross, of Iosco, with whom he is now living on his farm in Handy,--one of the few remaining old pioneers of 1831.

     Edwin Nichols was born at the old Otsego home in New York, Aug. 15, 1828, and at three years of age was brought to the wilds of Michigan. His boyhood was passed in the forests of Oakland and Livingston Counties, with but poor facilities for obtaining an education. He was early inured to all the rude labor and hardships of a pioneer life in the woods, and from early boyhood until he reached his majority he remained with his father, bearing his full share in chopping, logging, burning off the timber, and in breaking, up new land. On becoming of age he went out for himself; for two years he followed jobbing, such as breaking up new land by the acre. During this time he became acquainted with Miss Sarah M. Smith, of losco, to whom he was united in marriage, Nov. 27, 1850.

     He then purchased eighty acres of partially improved land, in the township of Handy, about four miles southwest of Fowlerville, on which was a small frame house. After his marriage he moved on to his farm, and since that time has made farming his business, in which avocation he has been very successful, at different times adding tract after tract to his farm, until he now has two hundred acres, of which one hundred and fifty acres are improved and under cultivation. His farm is noted for many miles around as being one of the finest and most fertile in the county, upon which there is one of the finest groves of sugar-maple in the State, and from which he annually makes about one thousand pounds of maple-sugar. The residence, barns, etc., are all comfortable and convenient, making one of the most beautiful farmhomes in that part of the county. Mr. Nichols is a man of much influence and consideration in his township, and is at this time (1879) supervisor, he being the first and only Republican ever elected to that office in the town. He and his esteemed wife are the parents of ten children, viz., Oscar, Jeremiah, Hilliard and Willie (twins), Edwin S., Rhoda. J. and Jay (twins), Sarah E., Ariadne, and John R. Of these all are living except Willie and Jay. The three eldest sons have left home to do for themselves, and the others remain with their parents. The family are attendants of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Nichols has been a member many years.

     On another page a view of the farm-home, and the portraits of Mr. Nichols and his wife, may be seen.

     The ancestors of Mr. Gaston were of Irish origin, and were among the early settlers of Massachusetts. Robert, the paternal grandfather, was born in 1747; after his marriage he removed to Madison Co., N.Y., where he resided until his death in 1829, at eighty-two years of age. His widow died in 1835, at the age of seventy-seven years. They were the parents of eight children, named Rhoda, Electa, Chauncey, Lydia, Phoebe, Elijah, Alanson, and Almira.

     Elijah was born at the old Massachusetts home, June 11, 1793. He was reared in Madison Co., 254. N.Y. At the age of nineteen (Oct. 11, 1812) he married Susannah Padelford. She became the mother of three children, named Amanda, Caroline, and Marvin. Her death occurred Nov. 13, 1829, at the age of thirty-six years. Elijah Gaston, June 16, 1830, married Mrs. Polly North, a sister of his deceased wife. By this union there was one child, named Dwight.

     In 1836, Mr. Gaston emigrated to Michigan, and with his son-in-law, George Curtis, located two government lots in Howell, which they exchanged a few months later for some wild land in the township of Handy. In the month of February following Mr. Gaston and his son, Marvin, erected a log shanty on their new land. During the five days they were building it they camped out, with some boxes for shelter at night, and their oxen chained to a tree. Caroline, the youngest daughter (now Mrs. Dr. Randall), was installed as housekeeper, as Mrs. Gaston was still in New York. Their nearest neighbor westward, Capt. Scott, of Dewitt, was thirty-five miles distant, but in the next few years settlers poured in, log houses and shanties were erected in all directions, roads cut through the forests and swamps, bridges built over the streams, and where but a few years before all was an almost unbroken wilderness, was now fields of waving grain and the homes of happy and prosperous families. Elijah Gaston only lived to the age of forty-eight years, dying Oct. 15, 1841. His widow died in 1856, aged sixty-one years.

     Marvin Gaston was born Aug. 29, 1820, at Morrisville, Madison Co., N.Y. His boyhood was passed in attending school, and in assisting on the farm. At sixteen years of age he came with his father and the family to Michigan. From that time he was engaged in active labor, alternately at home and for others, until the death of his father. He was at that time about twenty-one years of age, and by the advice of the other heirs, he took possession of the little property left by his father, valued at seven hundred dollars, with demands against it for about the same amount.

     About the same time be sought and obtained the hand of Miss Phylinda W. Parsons, daughter of Levi and Phylinda Parsons, old pioneers of the town of Conway, they having settled in Livingston County in 1837.

     After his marriage, Mr. Gaston engaged in farming for two years, and for six years in the potash business, during which time he was twice burned out. About the time he quit the latter business, George Curtis, husband of the eldest sister of Mr. Gaston, died; he was at that time keeping a hotel in Howell. After the death of Mr. Curtis, Marvin Gaston went to Howell and took charge of the business, purchasing an interest therein. He remained two years, when he sold and returned to his farm in Handy. Soon after, he purchased more land, becoming for a time involved in debt; but by industry and economy, coupled with good management, he has succeeded in paying all claims, and is to-day the owner of one of the finest farms in Livingston County, beautifully situated, and on which may be found all the modern improvements and conveniences.

     The names of the children that have been born to Marvin Gaston are Elijah F., Ellen M., Vienna C., Mary E., Henry L., George H., Charles O., and Ernest C. Of these, but two are living,--Vienna C. and George H. Vienna is the wife of Luther C. Kanouse, and they reside on their farm in the township of Cohoctah. George H. is married to Alice Campbell, of Handy, and lives on the old home-farm of Marvin Gaston. The latter has practically retired from active labor, and his son has the charge and management of the farm.

     Mr. Gaston and his excellent wife are respected and esteemed by a wide circle of friends and relatives. A view of their farm-home, with their portraits, may be found in this work, a tribute to the memory, of an old pioneer family.