|
Tyrone
Township Map 1880
388.
In the extreme
northeast corner of Livingston County, bordering upon the counties of
Genesee and Oakland, lies the township of Tyrone, which contains the
highest rolling lands and presents more of the elements of the
picturesque in its natural scenery than any other portion of the county
to which it belongs. The beautiful rolling lands of Oakland, which have
made that county famous in Michigan for its romantic and picturesque
landscapes, extend over the line into this county, and in this northern
tier of towns, gradually subside into the level lands of Conway and of
the adjoining county of Ingham. In the northeastern part of Tyrone these
knolls rise to the dignity of hills. The highest point of ground within
the limits of the township, where the rise of the swells and knolls
finally culminate in a bold, rounded hill, is at a place known as "The
Bluff," which lies on the northeast corner of section 15. It is a high, wooded knoll running
east and west, and thickly covered with a growth of oak-trees and saplings. From its
summit the most extensive view in this vicinity is afforded, embracing parts of four
counties, Livingston, Oakland, Genesee, and Shiawassee. It is asserted by some that this
is the highest point in the southern peninsula, but a comparison with other points
disproves this, for in Osceola County the surface rises several hundred feet higher than
here, and in the town of Reading, in Hillsdale County, is the highest land in the State
south of the Saginaw and Grand River Valleys.
The surface of the town is somewhat difficult to describe
correctly, because it is so varied in its character. The eastern and northern parts are
the most rolling, and the western and southern parts the least uneven. The roughest part
of the town is about the centre, where the hills rise more abruptly and to a greater
height. The soil, like the surface, is greatly diversified and very irregular in its
distribution, consisting of all varieties, from lightest sand to heavy clay, found mixed
and intermingled in all parts of the town. As a rule,
389.
the knolls are made up of a light sandy and gravelly loam, while
the lower lands have a clayey loam or alluvial soil. The lands of this town were of the
kind known as timbered openings, with a little scattered timbered land in some parts, and
considerable marsh and tamarack swamp in the vicinity of the water-courses.
In the north part of the town is a chain of small lakes, the
waters of which are discharged through a common outlet, which forms a tributary of North
Ore Creek, and through that stream reaches the Shiawassee River, in Genesee County. These
lakes are all very similar in character, resembling in general features most of the lakes
of Southern Michigan, having a sandy or muddy bottom, and being generally surrounded by a
marsh of greater or less width. The first of them lies in the east central part of section
13. Its waters pass into Sackner's Lake, which covers some 20 or 30 acres, and lies across
the line partly in section 12, but mostly in section 13. Another small lake on section 12
receives the outlet of these lakes and unites their overflow with its own. From it the
stream passes in a northwesterly and then in a westerly direction until it reaches another
lake, on the north line of section 10. From, this the stream passes through two small
lakes in section 3, and, bending southward, reaches the north end of Runyan Lake, near the
northeast corner of section 9. This lake is the largest one in the town, and also
possesses the most picturesque features. Lying almost wholly in section 9, it reaches
across the line into section 10 at two points, and covers an area of about 160 acres. Its
shores are quite bold in some places, and the surrounding marsh is less extensive than
about most of the other lakes. In the south part are two pretty little islands that add
very much to its beauty. From Runyan Lake the stream passes through the south part of
section 4, and enters Hoisington Lake near the south quarter line of section 5. This lake
is of about the same size as Sackner's Lake. The stream leaves it at a point nearly
opposite its entrance and runs westerly, across sections 5 and 6 till it enters Laird
Lake, near the south centre of the section. Aside from those already mentioned there are
six other small lakes,--one on section 9, one on section 24, one on section 25, one on
section 34, and two, known as Corey's Lakes, on section 22.
The stream we have described is the second in size in Tyrone, the
most important stream being North Ore Creek, which, rising in some of the towns to the
southward, enters this town from Hartland at the village of Parshallville, on the
southeast corner of section 31 and running in a somewhat irregular northwesterly course through
sections 31, 30, 19 and 18, passes into the town of Deerfield, about one hundred rods
south of the northwest corner of the last-named section. Its course is through a narrow,
marshy valley, bordered by hills, and is marked by a nearly continuous growth of tamarack.
It derives its name from the fact that many of the springs along its course, more
especially those near its source, are more or less impregnated with iron, giving their
waters in many cases quite a tinge of dull-red color. Another creek rising in the same
locality, possessing the same peculiarities, and running southward, was first christened
Ore Creek, so that this stream, to distinguish between them, is called North Ore Creek.
The only other stream of any size in this town is called Cornell Creek, after Isaac
Cornell, who first, built a mill upon its banks, and takes its rise in the southeast part
of the town. Its course is generally westerly, though it makes quite a detour to the
north. and leads through sections 34, 27, 28, 33, and 32, to the North Ore Creek, which it
joins a few rods south of the west-quarter line of the last-named section.
At the time when this town was first settled by the whites,
Indians were quite numerous in the vicinity at almost all seasons of the year, but only as
they roamed the forest in pursuit of game, or fished upon the placid bosoms of the lakes.
Their villages were miles away to the north and south, and when visiting this part of
their domain they usually traveled in small companies of one or more families. They were
perfectly friendly in their relations with the whites, and fished, hunted, traded and
associated with them upon the best of terms. Perhaps the best preserved relic of the race
in this town is the Indian mound upon the farm of M. M. Hillman, in the north part of
section 5. It is a circular mound some 18 or 20 feet in diameter, and has an elevation of
4 or 5 feet above the general surface. Upon it a number of oak-trees are growing, and
since the time of settlement no stroke of mattock or spade has been permitted to desecrate
the spot, but it has been suffered to remain in its original form, save as the destructive
touches of time and the elements may have changed or modified its outlines. Sherman
Stevens, of Pontiac, one of the earliest of the Indian traders of this section, said that
the mound was the burial-place of a famous Indian chief whose name and deeds have now long
been forgotten. Lying, as it did, near the separation of the Detroit and Huron trails, it
was frequently visited by parties of Indians, who invariably approached it with reverence,
and were peculiarly reticent regarding its nature and use. They were
390.
always grateful to Mr. Hillman for his care of the s
pot.
We have referred to the Indian trails which crossed this town.
They were numerous, but most of them were minor trails leading along the most eligible
routes between the different lakes and hunting-grounds. The principal one was the one
known as the Shiawassee trail, leading from Shiawassee town to Detroit. Along this the
Indians used to travel when going to Detroit on their way to Canada to draw the annuity
paid them by the British government. It entered Tyrone at a point about three-eighths of a
mile east of the northwest corner of section 5, and followed a nearly southeast course
till it left the town near the east quarter-post of section 13. At a point a few rods west
of M. M. Hillman's house, on section 5, the trail divided the branch trail, taking a
northeasterly course to Fenton, and continuing to the foot of Lake Huron. From this point
of separation the main trail was called the Detroit trail, and the other the Huron trail.
The course of the former has been preserved by the survey, at an early day, of what is
known as the Shiawassee or White Lake road, which follows the old trail very closely.
Another trail, known as the Ann Arbor trail, left the Detroit trail near its intersection
with the quarter line in the south part of section 4, which followed a southwest course
till it reached the east line of section 8, where it turned and ran directly south till it
passed into Hartland. The course of these trails was usually well defined, and
notwithstanding the fact that forty years have elapsed since their general use was
abandoned, traces still remain in some localities which enable the expert woodman to
designate their former position.
SETTLEMENT
The town of Tyrone remained
in the possession of the wild animals and Indians until the spring of
1834, when the tide of emigration began to set towards this Western
land, and scores hundreds, and thousands of Eastern men and their
families were borne upon its swelling waves to the spots upon which they
were to rear homes for themselves and their descendants. Below is given
a list of the persons who took up land in Tyrone from the government;
those who actually settled in the town being designated by an asterisk (*)
to distinguish them from non-resident owners. The entries of land in
this town, the names of the purchasers, their several places of former
residence, the size of their purchases, and the date when entered will
be found in the following list, compiled and copied from the tract-book
of Livingston County. The first portion comprises those persons who made
purchases upon more than one. section, and is as follows:
| Charles Neer and Dyer Throop, Saratoga Co., N.Y., June 16,
1836, 317.45 acres on section 1, 80 acres on section 11 and 440 acres on section 12. |
| Phineas H. Smith, Orange Co., N.Y., June 9, 1836, 80 acres
on section 2, and 80 acres on section 11. |
| Henry Isaacs, Hillsborough Co., N.H., June 11, 1836,
557.83 acres on section 2,.and June 1 1836, 480 acres on section 10. |
| Henry and Van Rensselaer Hawkins, Genesee Co., N.Y., June
14, 1836, section 25, 640 acres, and June 27, 1836, 120 acres on section 3, 160 acres on
section 8, and 200 acres on section 32. |
| Jirah Hillman,* Lewis Co., N.Y., May 10 1836, 96.36 acres
on section 4, and 49.45 acres on section 5. |
| William Beamer,* of this county, Dec. 1, 1853, 40 acres on
section 9, and Nov. 18, 1854, 40 acres on section 5. |
| Isaac Morton,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., May 9, 1836, 184.92
acres on section 7, and May 17, 1836, 80 acres on section 18. |
| Darius Lamson, Wayne Co., Mich., Aug. 3, 1836, 320 acres
on section 27; Sept. 24, 1836, 80 acres on section 11 and Oct. 25, 1836, 80 acres on
section 11. |
| William Thomson,* Seneca Co., N.Y., April 12, 1836, 160
acres on section 13, and 160 acres on section 24. |
| Henry Druse, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June 18, 1836, 80 acres
on section 14, and 160 acres on section 26. |
| Bennett D. Tripp, Wayne Co., N.Y., June 27, 1836, 160
acres on section 14, 120 acres on section 15, and 360 acres on section 22. |
| Benjamin B. Kercheval, Wayne Co., Mich., Oct. 29, 1836,
35.54 acres on section 31, and Dec. 17, 1836, 80 acres on section 14. |
| James Love,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., July 1, 1835, 80 acres
on section 27, 40 acres on section 28, 40 acres on section 33, and 40 acres on section 34. |
| Francis Morse, Livingston Co., N.Y., May 10, 1836, 80
acres on section 20 and May 16, 1836, 80 acres on section 17. |
| Henry and Morris M. Seabott, Cayuga Co., N.Y., May 21,
1836, 80 acres on section 17, and 640 acres on section 21. |
| William N. Austin,* Orleans Co., N.Y., May 5, 1836, 80
acres on section 26, and May 29, 1836, 80 acres on section 19. |
| David L. Babcock,* this county, Oct. 2, 1836, 80 acres on
section 19 and Oct. 29, 1836, 80 acres on section 20. |
| James McKeone,* Wayne Co., Mich., Oct. 26, 1836, 40 acres
on section 30 and Nov. 14, 1836, 109.32 acres on section 19. |
| James Murphy,*
Wayne Co., Mich., Nov. 26, 1836, 40 acres
on section 19 and 40 acres on section 30. |
| John J. Dickson, Wayne Co., N.Y., June 6, 1836, 240 acres
on section 20, 89 acres on section 22, and 129 acres on section 29. |
| Jacob Chrispell,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., Dec. 29, 1835, 80
acres on section 29, and Feb. 20, 1839, 40 acres on section 20. |
| Cyrus F. Kneeland and Henry Ball, Monroe Co., N.Y., June
13, 1836, 80 acres on section 22, and the whole of section 23. |
| Hiram Bellows, Franklin Co., Vt., June 14, 1836, 80 acres
on section 24, and 320 acres on section 36, and June 25, 1836, 80
acres on section 22. |
| Ira Bellows, Monroe Co., N.Y., June 14, 1836, 320 acres on
section 24, 320 acres on section 36, and June 25, 1836, 160 acres on section 22. |
| John A. Wells,* Wayne Co., Mich., Sept. 17, 1835, 320
acres on section 26, and 640 acres on section 35, and Sept. 23, 1836, 120 acres on section
27. |
| Isaac Cornell,* this county, March 20, 1835, 40 acres on
section 28, 80 acres on section 29, and 120 acres on section 32. |
| Henry A. Cornell,* this county, March 20, 1835, 40 acres
on section 33, and Sept. 23, 1836, 80 acres on section 30 and 40 acres on section 32. |
| George H. Blumberg, Oakland Co., Mich., April 9, 1863, 80
acres on section 32, and 40 acres on section 33. |
| Chester Wilson, Orleans Co., N. Y., June 3, 1836, 40 acres
on section 33, and 240 acres on section 34.
390a. |
|
Image of
David Colwell |
Image of
George Cornell |
DAVID COLWELL
was born in the town of
Richfield, Otsego Co., N.Y., Jan. 21, 1800 He was the son of Daniel
Colwell and Thankful Paine, both natives of Rhode Island. They emigrated
to Otsego previous to their marriage, which took place about the year
1799. When David was eighteen months old his father moved to Ontario
County and settled near Geneva, where he died in 1823. But little is
known of his history further than that he was a farmer, lived a
comparatively uneventful life, but was a remarkable man physically,--a
giant in stature, his usual weight being three hundred and sixty pounds.
When sixteen years of age David was apprenticed to the trade of
cloth-dressing, which occupation he followed many years. In 1825 he went to Allegany Co.,
N.Y., where he built a mill and established himself in his business. The project proving
unremunerative, he removed to Coshocton, where he resided until his
emigration to Michigan. His first visit to the Peninsula State was made
in 1834, at which time he purchased the farm upon which he now resides.
Returning to New York he followed his business until 1836, when he came
on with his family, which consisted of his wife and six children, David
G., of Fenton, being the eldest. Since that time he has been a resident
of the town and one of its prominent pioneers The life of Mr. Colwell
has been devoted strictly to the cares of his business and his family.
It is in keeping with the self-abnegation of such men that they retire
to the background and quietly look on as the great and varied interests,
of which they laid the foundation, grow in prominence and utility. In
May, 1824, Mr. Colwell was married to Hannah A., daughter of John Gilbert,
Esq., of Benton, Ontario Co., N.Y. She was born in Fayette, Seneca Co., N.Y., in August, 1803. They have reared a family of eight
children, five of whom are living, viz.: David G., Thankful A., wife of A. B. Donaldson,
of Fenton; Hannah A., now Mrs. William Owen; Elvira E., wife of E. H. Dickerman; Mary A.,
wife of Benjamin Byron. John P. died at the age of twenty-two years. Mr. Colwell is now in
his seventy-ninth year, and apparently hale and hearty. For forty-three years he has been
identified with the interests of Tyrone, and is well worthy of the position he holds among
the founders of Livingston County.
GEORGE CORNELL
whose name is mentioned in
the history of Tyrone as one of its early settlers, and who has been
prominently identified with the town, was born in Washington Co., N.Y.,
Nov. 11, 1812.
At the age of sixteen he started out in life for himself without
a cent of capital. He worked at farming, and as a teamster until the fall of 1834, when he
came to Tyrone and entered a tract of eighty acres of land, opposite that of his brother
Isaac.
In 1836 he was married to Miss Eliza Williams, by whom he has had
five children, two sons and three daughters.
Mr. Cornell is one of Tyrone's best citizens, a man
universally respected for his sterling qualities. He has well performed his part in the development of
the town, and his record as a citizen and it neighbor is untarnished. He is a worthy
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
391.
The second portion of the list is, for convenience, given by
sections, and includes the persons who made purchases on one section only:
SECTION 1 |
| |
Acres |
| Joseph C. Make, Monroe Co., N.Y., June 3, 1836 |
80 |
| Egbert Hoffman, Monroe Co., N.Y., June 4, 1836
|
80 |
| Moses Warren Scott, Saratoga Co., N.Y., June 25, 1836
|
159.66 |
|
SECTION 3 |
| George Dibble,* Lapeer Co., Mich., March 18, 1834
|
88.05 |
| Daniel D. Runyan,* Oakland Co., Mich. Feb. 19, 1836 |
80 |
| Catharine Runyan,* Oakland Co., Mich. April 23, 1836
|
40 |
| Melvin Dorr, Oakland Co., Mich., June 16, 1836 |
80 |
| Marshall J. Bacon, Wayne Co., Mich., Aug. 2, 1836
|
163.80 |
| Isaac S. Taylor,* Oakland Co., Mich., May --, 1837
|
80 |
SECTION 4 |
| Julian Bishop, Genesee Co., Mich., July 9, 1835 |
86.49 |
| Vincent Runyan, Oakland Co., Mich., July 16, 1835
|
80 |
| Isaac Ayres,* Oakland Co., Mich., Nov. 9, 1835
|
40 |
| Robert Ayres,* Oakland Co., Mich., Nov. 9, 1835
|
80 |
| Consider Warner, Genesee Co., N.Y., Feb. 20, 1836
|
86.49 |
| Harriet Bryan, Genesee Co., Mich., May 7, 1836
|
40 |
| David Colwell,* Steuben Co., N.Y., June 4, 1836
|
80 |
| John Thomas, Wayne Co., N.Y., Sept. 23, 1836 |
80 |
|
SECTION 5 |
| Elisha Larned,* Allegany Co., N.Y., Nov. 18, 1835 |
49.45 |
| Elijah Crane, Wayne Co., Mich., March 4, 1836
|
103.42 |
| Hiram M. Rhodes,* Oakland Co., Mich., June 4, 1836 |
80 |
| Anna Rhodes,*
Oakland Co., Mich., June 4, 1836 |
80 |
| Delos Davis, Wayne Co., Mich., Sept. 23, 1836 |
80 |
| Jonathan Irwin,* Livingston Co., Mich., Jan. 30, 1837
|
80 |
| Ebenezer Sterns, Yates Co., N.Y., March 9, 1837
|
120 |
|
SECTION 6 |
| Jefferson H. Downer,* Oakland Co., Mich., Oct. 9, 1835 |
53.62 |
| Elisha W. Postall, Macomb Co., Mich., Jan. 2, 1836 |
53.62 |
| Elijah Root, Washtenaw Co., Mich., Feb. 19, 1836 |
82.44 |
| Ebenezer J. Penniman, Wayne Co., Mich., March 4 and 18,
1836 |
82.44 |
| William Hyatt,* Oakland Co., Aug. 2, 1836 |
80 |
| N. A. Littlefield,* of this county, Jan. 14, 1854 |
80 |
| William Owens, of this county, June 13, 1854
|
40 |
SECTION 7 |
| Washington D. Morton, Washtenaw Co., Mich., May 9,
1836 |
31.9 |
| Jona'n L. Wolverton,* Steuben Co., N.Y., June 20, 1836 |
160 |
| Elijah Clough, Jr.,* Onondaga Co., N.Y., June 28, 1836 |
160 |
|
SECTION 8 |
| George F. Roberts, Cayuga Co., N.Y., June 1, 1836 |
160 |
| Henry D. Garrison, Wayne Co., Mich., Oct. 26, 1836 |
320 |
SECTION 9 |
| Elisha Beach, Oakland Co., Mich., Jan. 6, 1836
|
80 |
| Willard S. Fellsham, Washtenaw Co., Mich., June 29, 1836 |
120 |
| Isaac Throop Jr., Genesee Co., Mich., July 30, 1836
|
40 |
| Joseph Allbright, Ohio, Dec. 17, 1836 |
80 |
| David Murphy,* of this County, Oct. 25, 1839 |
40 |
| William Smith, of this county, July 6, 1846 |
40 |
| John W. Mapes,* of this county, May 2,
1850 |
40 |
| Daniel Odell, Genesee Co., Mich., Nov. 30, 1852
|
40 |
| Christopher Rogers,* of this county, Nov. 23, 1853 |
40 |
| Nancy F. Biggs, of this county, Sept. 4, 1855 |
40 |
|
SECTION 10 |
| Sanford Billings,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 5, 1838, and
January 9, 1839 |
80 |
| Almerin Smith, Wayne Co., N.Y., Oct. 17, 1839 |
40 |
| Matthias T. Talmadge,* of this county, Nov. 15, 1854 |
40 |
SECTION 11 |
| |
Acres |
| Charles Wright, Niagara Co., N.Y., May 28, 1836 |
80 |
| William Dunning, Wayne Co., N.Y., Feb. 20, 1838 |
80 |
| Seth N. Howell,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 1, 1838
|
80 |
| Leonard Brooks, Genesee Co., Mich., March 3, 1855
|
80 |
SECTION 12 |
| Henry Larned,* Yates Co., N.Y., May 25, 1836 |
40 |
| Philip Brewer, Niagara Co., N.Y., May 28, 1836
|
160 |
SECTION 13 |
| Ezra Thayre, Oakland Co., Mich., May 2, 1836 |
40 |
| John Blair, Seneca Co., N.Y., June 13, 1836.
|
320 |
| Elias B. Holmes, Monroe Co., N.Y., June 14, 1836
|
120 |
|
SECTION 14 |
| David N. Blood, Monroe Co., N.Y., June 18, 1836
|
80 |
| William R. Mudge, Monroe Co., N.Y., Dec. 16, 1836
|
80 |
| Levi Stockwell, Oakland Co., Mich., May 17, 1839 |
80 |
| William B. Stockwell, Oakland Co., Mich., May 17, 1839
|
80 |
|
SECTION 15 |
| Ellery Shaw, Wayne Co., Mich., May 17, 1836
|
200 |
| John O'Neil,* Wayne Co., Mich., Nov. 21, 1836
|
80 |
| Michael Healey,* Wayne Co., Mich., Nov. 21, 1,436 |
80 |
| Abram Cook, Wayne Co., N.Y., Nov. 26, 1836 |
80 |
| Edward Hopper,* this county, Oct. 11, 1839 |
40 |
| Norton L. Miller, Macomb Co., Mich., Oct. 13, 1854 |
40 |
SECTION 16 |
| Thomas Love,* June 12, 1847 |
80 |
| A. E. Cranston,* June 16, 1849 |
40 |
| Brount & Bailey, June 4, 1850 |
80 |
| J. N. Barnes, Nov. 13, 1850 |
80 |
| C. B. Thomas,* Nov. 15, 1850 |
40 |
| D. W. Love,* July 26, 1853. |
80 |
| Jacob Love,* Sept. 20, 1853 |
40 |
| D. Canfield,* Oct. 10, 1853 |
40 |
| William Van Wagner,* Oct. 24, 1853
|
40 |
| Peter Schad, Jr.,* June 2, 1854
|
40 |
| William Schad, Aug. 23, 1854 |
40 |
| Stephen W. Downer,* Oct. 24, 1860
|
40 |
SECTION 17 |
| John Westfall,* Cayuga Co., N.Y., May 17, 1836
|
160 |
| Henry Seabott, Cayuga Co., N.Y., May 21, 1836
|
160 |
| James Kearns, Oswego Co., N.Y., June 27, 1836
|
80 |
| Moses Taggart, Genesee Co., N.Y., June 27, 1836
|
80 |
SECTION 18 |
| John C. Morse, Oakland Co., Mich., May 5, 1836
|
160 |
| Nancy Morton,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., May 9, 1836
|
80 |
| Edwin Soonberger, Monroe Co., N.Y., June 16, 1836
|
80 |
| Dillis Dexter,* Monroe Co., N.Y., July 1, 1836
|
80 |
| John Fish, Oakland Co., Mich., Dec. 5, 1836
|
68.4 |
| Sam'l G. Sutherland, Washtenaw Co., Mich., Oct. 3, 1837
|
33.2. |
| Adam B. Bailey,* of this county, May 25, 1838
|
33.22 |
SECTION 19 |
| David Bangs, Monroe Co., N.Y., May 5, 1836
|
269.44 |
| David Bangs, Monroe Co., N.Y., Nov. 14, 1836
|
40 |
|
SECTION 20 |
| Philo Joyner, Berkshire Co., Mass., June 16, 1836
|
80 |
| Hugh R. Hogle,* of this county, Nov. 15, 1838
|
40 |
SECTION 22 |
| Daniel Blood, Monroe Cu., N.Y., June I8, 1836
|
160 |
|
SECTION 24 |
| James Bellows, Monroe Co., N.Y., June 14, 1836
|
80 |
|
SECTION 26 |
| William B. Alvord, Wayne Co., Mich., Sept. 22, 1836
392. |
160 |
SECTION 27 |
| William D. Snapp,* Cayuga Co., N.Y., May 30, 1836
|
80 |
| Peter H. Link,* Oakland Co.; Mich., June 11, 1836 |
40 |
SECTION 28 |
| George Cornell,* Livingston Co., N.Y. Oct. 31, 1834
|
80 |
| William H. Berry,* Shiawassee Co., Mich., Feb. 18, 1835
|
40 |
| Joseph M. Becker,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 20, 1835
|
80 |
| Eli Conklin,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., Nov. 18, 1835
|
120 |
| David Austin,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., Nov. 18, 1835
|
200 |
| James Willis, Oakland Co., Mich., Dec. 2, 1836
|
40 |
SECTION 29 |
| Shadrach S. Austin, Orleans Co., N.Y., May 5, 1836 ;
|
120 |
| Mercy Chrispell,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., June 8, 1836
|
80 |
| James E. Chrispell,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., June 8, 1836
|
40 |
| Gen. Allen, Madison Co., N.Y., June 17, 1836
|
120 |
SECTION 30 |
| Joseph Chamberlin, Livingston Co., N.Y., May 3, 1836
|
68.56 |
| Nathaniel C. Austin,* Orleans Co., N.Y., May 5, 1836
|
120 |
| Nathaniel C. Austin,* Orleans Co., N.Y., Oct. 29, 1836
|
40 |
| Philo H. Munson, Livingston Co., N.Y., June 6, 1836
|
69.04 |
| James Agan,* Wayne Co., Mich., Nov. 14, 1836
|
120 |
| George Abbott, Wayne Co., Mich., June 21, 1837
|
40 |
SECTION 31 |
| Major Curtis,* Oakland Co., Mich., Jan. 4, 1836
|
40 |
| Thales Dean, Washtenaw Co., Mich., Jan. 11, 1836
|
35.54 |
| Jas. E. Chrispell,* Washtenaw Co., Mich., Jan. 25, 1836
|
40 |
| Solomon Lewis
* Wayne Co., Mich., April 6, 1836 |
160 |
| William Winter, Genesee Co., N.Y., May 3, 1836
|
80 |
| Anson Pettibone, Genesee Co., N.Y., May 4, 1836
|
229.24 |
SECTION 32 |
| David Curtiss,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 17, 1836
|
40 |
| Joseph Tireman, Wayne Co., Mich., May 9, 1836 |
160 |
SECTION 33 |
| Louisa Wakeman,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 29, 1836
|
160 |
| Austin Wakeman,* Oakland Co., Mich., March 29, 1836
|
40 |
| Isaac De Graff, Cayuga Co., N.Y., May 36, 1836
|
160 |
| Charles Colton,* of this county, May 30, 1836
|
40 |
| George Babcock, Livingston Co., N.Y., June 6, 1836
|
80 |
|
SECTION 34 |
| William Dawson,* Oakland Co., Mich., Dec. 19, 1834
|
80 |
| Robert Dawson,* Oakland Co., Mich., April 6, 1836
|
80 |
| Willard, Daniels, Oakland Co., Mich., April 21, 1836
|
40 |
| John J. Blackmer, Monroe Co., N.Y., April 27, 1836
|
160 |
From this list it will be seen that the first entries were generally
made by actual settlers, and that the great rush of the speculators to
obtain land in Tyrone did not occur until the summer of 1836. George
Dibble, March 18th, George Cornell, October 31st, and William Dawson, December 19th were the only purchasers in
1834, and they all made settlement--Cornell in the fall of that year, and the others in
the following spring. In 1835 fifteen persons made purchases, and thirteen of these became
residents of the town, and were real pioneers. These were William H. Berry, in February;
Joseph M. Becker, Isaac Cornell, Henry A. Cornell, in March; James Love, in July; John
A. Wells, in September; Jefferson H. Downer, in October; Isaac Ayres, Robert Ayres,
David Austin, Eli Conklin, Elisha Lamed, in November; and Jacob Chrispell, in December. In
1836 there were one hundred and thirty-one entries, including most of the available land,
and bringing a flood of settlers. In 1837 there were five entries; in 1838, five; in 1839,
six; in 1846, '47, '49, one each; in 1850, four; in 1852, one; in 1853, six; in 1854,
seven; in 1855, two; and in 1860, one. There is now in the town a small remnant of
government land,--which, like the Irishman's farm, is mostly under water,--40 acres on
section 9, 80 acres on section 7, and 200 acres on section 6.
The first white resident of, the town was George Cornell, who has
passed forty-five years of his life within its limits, and still remains a citizen of the
town with whose history his name is so intimately connected. The family of Cornell, from
whom he and his brothers, who afterwards settled here, were descended, was of English
origin, and first settled in this county in the State of Rhode Island. A succeeding
generation located in the town of White Creek, in Washington Co., N.Y., from whence their
descendants removed to Chautauqua County, and settled in the town of Ripley. The three
brothers, George, Isaac, and Henry A., came to Michigan in September, 1834, in search of a
place in which to settle. In their wanderings, in company with a brother-in-law, Joseph M.
Becker, they came to the timbered openings of Tyrone, and were all well pleased with their
looks. They, however, returned without entering any of the land, Isaac and Henry A. going
back to New York, while George and Becker stopped at the latter's home in Highland,
Oakland Co. In October, George Cornell and Joseph M. Becker again visited the town, and
each made a selection of an eighty-acre lot. George went to Detroit, and entered his land
on the last day of that month, while Becket did not make his entry until the following
spring. After his return from Detroit, George and Mr. Becker came and put up a rude log
shanty on his place, and this furnished him a home through the winter while he was cutting
rails and preparing some of his land for the plow, he paying occasional visits to his
brother-in-law's house in Highland, and bringing back each time a goodly supply of
provisions.
Though Mr. Cornell was at this time the only white resident of
the town (unless, as some assert was the case, George Dibble was then living here), he was
not the only resident. On section 34 was a marsh of considerable extent, on which each
year was produced a heavy growth of rank grass, which, though quite unfit for feeding to
horses, yet furnished a kind of hay that cattle could live upon through the long cold
winters, when the snow covered the earth and prevented them from grazing. Near Orchard
lake, in Milford, Oakland Co.,
(cont. on 393) 392a.
|
Image of
Hon. John Kenyon |
Image of
Mrs. John Kenyon |
HON. JOHN KENYON
Among the truly
representative men of the town of Tyrone, few, if any, have been more
intimately associated with its material development than Judge Kenyon.
He not only witnessed the transition of a thin settlement into a highly
prosperous agricultural section, but in his own person typifies so
admirably the agencies that wrought many of those changes, that no
history of Livingston County would be complete without some sketch of
his life, labors, and character.
Mr. Kenyon was born in the town of Queensbury, Washington Co.,
N.Y., July 28, 1806. He was the son of John and Mary Kenyon, who were the parents of a
family of ten children,--five sons and five daughters. Mr. Kenyon, the elder, was a member
of the Society of Friends, and a strict observer of the tenets of his religious faith, the
precepts of which he only taught his children. No doubt this instruction exerted a marked
influence over their future lives, and to it, in a large measure, their enviable positions
in business and society may be attributed. When John was a child the family removed to the
town of Scipio, Cayuga Co., N.Y., where be resided until his emigration to Tyrone in 1840.
His early life, like that of most successful men, was one not only of close application,
but of self-reliance and self-denial. His father being a farmer, John's work on the farm
in summer was alternated by the usual term at the district school in winter. When
twenty-three years of age he married Miss Julia Purdy, of the town of Sempronius. She was
born in Pittstown, Rensselaer Co., N.Y., July 9, 1807. Five children were born to them,
namely: Cordelia, Isaac O., Frank P., Rachel, and Mary S. He
early resolved to follow farming as a life vocation, believing it of all the trades and professions to be the most
conducive to health and happiness. That he was eminently successful in his chosen calling
his finely cultivated fields and commodious buildings attest. His farm which he purchased
on coming into the county was then entirely new, as was the larger part of the town at
that time. Here he resided until his death, which occurred in 1874.
Mr. Kenyon figured quite conspicuously in State and county
politics. In 1849 he was elected to the representative branch of the Legislature, serving
on the important committee of "State affairs." In 1854 he was elected to the
State Senate. For nine years he represented Tyrone upon the Board of Supervisors, in which
body he was fully appreciated for his sound judgment and sage counsels. Honesty and a
laudable ambition to succeed were prominent traits in the character of Judge Kenyon; in
fact, they were the essential means of his success. He evinced excellent judgment in all
his transactions, and sterling honesty was the basis of his operations. This is high
testimony, and while to those who were not acquainted with him it may seem peculiarly the
language of eulogy, it will be readily recognized by his friends as a plain, uncolored
statement of the strong points of his character.
Mr. Kenyon never enjoyed the advantages of a liberal education,
but being naturally intelligent, and endowed with a large amount of common sense,
industry, perseverance, and ambition, he succeeded in building a reputation as wide-spread
as it was enviable; indeed, it may be truly said that his entire career was one worthy the
emulation of the young, and a fitting example for all men to follow.
393.
was a Mormon settlement, and they had quite a large
lot of cattle to provide for. So in the fall of 1833 they sent a drove of cattle to this
locality in charge of two brothers named Teeple, and their families. They built a small
log house near the north line of the section, and lived there during that winter,
returning to Orchard Lake in the spring, leaving the house empty through the following
summer. This house, which was the first dwelling erected in Tyrone, was about 14 by 20
feet in size, and covered with a trough roof. Soon after Mr. Cornell began to live in his
shanty, a colored man by the name of William H. Berry came from Shiawassee County with his
wife and two children, aged about six and ten years respectively, and moved into this
vacant house, where they lived until the following spring, when they removed into a house
they had hired Harrison Coburn to build for them, on a farm of 40 acres in the southeast
corner of section 28, which they had purchased of the government in February.
In the spring of 1835 the little settlement was augmented by the
arrival of the families of Joseph M. Becker, William Dawson, and Henry A. Cornell, and
another settlement was started in the north part of the town by George Dibble and Daniel
D. Runyan. Later in the season Isaac Cornell and James Love were added to the number. From
that time on the settlements were rapidly multiplied, and in a few years extended to all
parts of the town. We have not the space necessary to give a detailed sketch of all these
settlers who took up new farms, and with axe and plow, and a liberal use of time and
muscle, brought them into a productive state, neither have we been able to secure the
facts indispensable to such an undertaking. We are able, therefore, to give but a brief
history of a few of the pioneers of this town, taking them as near as may be in the order
of their settlement.
George Cornell was, at the time of his settlement here, a single
man and lived with his brother Henry A. until, in 1836, he married Eliza Williams, of
Hartland, and set up household gods of his own. He is still living in Tyrone, having
removed in 1867 from the old homestead to his present fine farm on section 32. He has
reared a family, and established them in homes of their own, and has lived the life of an
honest, upright, just and generous Christian citizen, in a manner to win the confidence,
respect, and love of all who know him. He has been prominently connected with the
Methodist Church in this vicinity, and has done much to advance its interests in the
community.
Henry A. Cornell was for many years a respected and honored
resident of Tyrone, holding the offices of constable, assessor, supervisor, and treasurer
at different times, and died in the winter of 1848, while serving his seventh term and
sixth consecutive term in the last-named position. He left a wife and two sons, all of
whom still survive him, his widow and son, Alonzo, residing in Tyrone, and the other son
living in Ohio.
Isaac Cornell, the oldest of the three brothers, came from
Chautauqua County in the spring of 1835, in company with Henry A., traveling with their
own conveyances. The snow was very light, and as the "breaking up" was not yet
at hand the wheeling was very good. They arrived on the l0th day of March, and Henry A,
moved into his brother George's shanty, while Isaac left his family at Highland till he
had built a house on the farm he purchased of the government on the 20th of that month. He
then moved on to his place near the northeast corner of section 32, arid is still
occupying the place. He is a recognized leader among the Seventh-Day Adventists of this
region, and a man of exemplary character.
The exact time of George Dibble's settlement is not known,
but it was either in the fall of 1834 or spring of 1835. He remained here about ten years
and then moved to Shiawassee, where he is still living.
Joseph M. Becker, with his wife (formerly Eliza Cornell) and one
child, came from Ripley, Chautauqua Co., N.Y., to Michigan in the fall of 1833, and
settled in the town of Highland, in Oakland County. They lived there until the spring of
1835, and then moved to their home in this town on section 28, where they arrived about
the 17th of April. He built a house on the south end of his lot, about forty rods west of
the quarter-post. He was a shoemaker by trade, and his services were in great demand among
the settlers, who were glad to exchange work with him, and were not always careful to
exact an equal amount of time. He was the first supervisor of the town, and was re-elected
at the expiration of his first term. In 1862 he removed to Fenton, and a couple of years
later returned to Tyrone. In 1867 he again moved to Fenton, where he still resides. But
two of his children are now living, and they are both residents of this town, Peter on the
homestead and Wallace on section 26.
William H. Berry was a man of a very roving disposition, and did
not long remain in this town. He made frequent flittings from one point to another, and
finally brought up in Pontiac, where he became permanently located, through the
intervening hand of death. The place on which he settled is now owned and occupied by
Peter Russell.
William Dawson was a native of Cambridge,
394.
Washington Co., N.Y., and came from Scipio, Cayuga
Co., N.Y., to troy, Oakland Co., Mich., in the-fall of 1831, and made his home with his
brother-in-law, Elias Daniels. While living there he formed the acquaintance of Miss
Henrietta Perkins, a native of the town of Locke, Cayuga Co., N.Y., who came to Michigan
with her brother, Benjamin L. Perkins, from Springwater, Livingston Co., N.Y., and hired
out to work for Mr. Daniels. Thrown together in constant companionship, their mutual
liking grew into the more ardent passion of love, and on the 26th of February, 1837, they
were united in the bonds of matrimony, and went to live on a farm they hired to work on
shares. In the fall of 1834, Mr. Dawson came to the town of Highland, where Michael Beach
was living, and got him to accompany him in a search for land. They struck out to the
westward, and in this town found a piece of land that seemed to possess all the natural
advantages desirable, it having some timber and some opening, a stream to furnish
water,and a marsh to furnish hay, and getting a description of it, they returned home, Mr.
Dawson continuing on to Detroit, where he entered the land on the 19th day of December.
Another advantage of the land thus selected was that on it was situated the cabin built by
the Mormons, which would furnish shelter while the work of clearing and breaking up was
going on. The colored family of Berrys had been living there about two weeks at the time
of Dawson and Beach's visit. On the 20th of April, 1835, the Dawson family, consisting of
father, mother, and two children,--a daughter of two years and a son a few months
old,--reached their new home, and moved in with the Berrys, who were not ready to move out
because of the unfinished condition of their house. So for a period of about two weeks the
two families occupied the same habitation. In the spring of that year Mr. Dawson planted
an acre of corn, a few potatoes, and sowed a small piece of buckwheat. He also raised a
few roots to feed his stock, which at that time consisted of one cow, one yearling, and a
yoke of oxen. Following the usual course of the settlers in developing his farm, Mr.
Dawson continued to reside in Tyrone until the fall of 1856, when he removed to Rockford,
Floyd County, Ia., where he lived five years, and then went to Dubuque. From the latter
place he returned to Tyrone in 1864, and purchased the farm on section 13, where he now
resides. Mr. Dawson had five sons who enlisted in the Union army during the Rebellion ,--a
fact upon which a well-founded pride is felt by the members of the family. Frederick
enlisted in the regulars in 1862, and served in the campaign of that year against the
Indians in Minnesota and Iowa. After a service of five years he was mustered out, and now lives in Savannah, Andrew Co., Mo. Pliny B.
enlisted in the 3d Iowa Infantry in June, 1861, was mustered out on account of ill health
in 1862, and is now living in this town. Alphonso D. enlisted in the 12th United States
Infantry, was stationed at Fort Hamilton, New York, and afterwards served in the Army of
the Potomac. At the battle of Yellow House, in August, 1864, he was taken prisoner and
sent to Andersonville to endure the inhuman tortures there inflicted upon helpless,
unarmed prisoners until he was exchanged in March, 1865. He died March 31, 1865, from the
effects of the inhuman treatment he had received at the hands of his captors. William E.
enlisted in February, 1864, in the 7th Iowa Infantry, and served in the Department of the
West. In the campaign around Atlanta, on the 4th of August, 1864, he was wounded so badly
as to necessitate the amputation of his left arm below the elbow. He was mustered out in
January following, and is now living in Rush Co., Kan. Arnold W. also enlisted, but the
regiment being more than full, his company was disbanded, and before it was reorganized as
a battery of artillery he was sent home sick. He is now living in Rockford, la.
James Love was formerly from Chili, Monroe Co., N.Y., but came to
this town from Whitmore Lake, Washtenaw Co., in July, 1835, settling on the northeast
corner of section 33, about twenty rods south of the school-house, which has always been
known as "The Love School-house.'' He was a pensioner of the war of 18 12, and lived
here a number of years. After his death the family became scattered, and none of his
immediate descendants are now living here.
Daniel D. Runyan settled on section 3 in the spring of 1836,
building his log house near the southwest corner of the section. By some accident or
disease he had become crippled, and had but a very imperfect use of his limbs, and to eke
out the scanty living he was able to get by his farming operations he opened his shanty as
a tavern, and dispensed liquors there with more pecuniary profit to himself than moral
gain to his customers. Runyan's tavern became quite noted throughout the region, and,
report says, was frequently the scene of almost brutal drunken orgies, which gave it it
rather unsavory reputation among the more moral and respectable classes of the community.
Runyan kept the inn until his death, which occurred about 1848-50, and it was then
continued by his widow, who was said, in a bad sense of the phrase, to have been the best
man of the two, and was known as "Aunt Kate's." She survived her husband about
ten years, and then
395. died in this town. One son is still living, and
resides in Troy, Oakland Co.
Jacob Chrispell and his son, James E., with their respective
families, settled in the southwest part of the town in 1836. The former was a millwright,
and worked at his trade and at carpenter work a good deal. He died several years ago. The
latter is still living on his original homestead.
Eli Conklin was the first blacksmith in the town. He came in
1836, and built a house and shop on the north line of section 28, about forty rods west of
the quarter-post. Here he worked at his trade, shoeing horses and oxen, sharpening
plowshares, repairing broken implements, and doing the thousand and one jobs that always
gravitate towards the blacksmith-shop, and enlivened the hours of labor, which sometimes
reached well into the night, with story and song. Mr. Conklin remained in Tyrone till
about the year 1851, when he removed to the neighboring town of Rose, in Oakland County,
where he resided until his death, which occurred Sept. 26, 1876.
Clark Dibble settled first in Fenton, where he built the first
saw-mill in the vicinity, and from there came to Tyrone in 1836, and settled on section 4,
about eighty rods west of Runyan's tavern, on the Shiawassee road. He at once opened a
public-house for the entertainment of travelers, of whom many were daily passing along the
Shiawassee road, which was a thoroughfare for emigrants and speculators going to the Grand
River region. He was a man of good business tact and ability, but of a very generous,
liberal - nature, which prevented his accumulating wealth. He was one of the first
justices of the peace of the town, and was re-elected in 1840. His death occurred in June,
1842, and resulted from an accident. In company with Lauren Riggs he visited the woods to
cut some timber suitable to be made into cradle-fingers, and while pursuing their way they
scared up a woodchuck, which sought refuge in a hollow oak-tree growing on a side-hill.
They proceeded to fell the tree, and in falling it split oft a large splinter, which flew
and struck Mr. Dibble with such force as to fell him to the ground. The body of the tree
also rolled over him, crushing him badly. His companion with much difficulty succeeded in
freeing him from the tree, and procured assistance to get him to his home; but his
injuries, which were mostly internal, proved fatal, and he died from them a day or two
after the accident occurred.
One of the most prominent families of the town has been the
Cranston family, the first members of which came to Tyrone in 1837. Caleb Cranston, the
father of all the others who settled here, was a grandson of John Cranston, who was one of the early
Governors of the State of Rhode Island. His father, Samuel, was a soldier of the
Revolution, and in 1793 emigrated with his family to Delaware Co., N.Y. In 1829, at the
age of forty years, Caleb moved to Wayne Co., N.Y., and lived there till he came to
Michigan. His children were nine in number, and were named Eli D., David E., Sarah J.,
Gilbert D., Palmer B., Herman I., Betsey, Orrin, and Martin. Orrin died in New York, and
all the others came to this town in the following order: Eli D., Gilbert D., and Herman
I., in 1837; Palmer B., in 1838; and Caleb, with Betsey and Martin, in 1839. David E. was
the last one to remove here, and did not come till about 1844. All of the children were
married, either before coming here or afterwards. Eli D. and Gilbert D. married
sisters,--Elizabeth and Louise Chase; Sarah J. and Betsey married brothers,--Joseph and
William Corey, and settled in this town; David E. first married Mary E. Davis, and his
second wife was Miss Ann E. Smalling; Herman I. married Adaline Guptill; Palmer B..
married Emeline Love; and Martin married Abby Chapin. Of these children none are now
living in Tyrone, all of them having died or removed. Caleb, was an ardent Methodist, and
a man of irreproachable character. He died, June 30, 1872, at the ripe age of eighty-three
years, and was thus spoken of in his obituary notice: "He was a man of strict
honesty, kind to all, and a keen sympathizer with those in suffering. A true, generous
citizen and devoted Christian, whose. traits of character made him respected and beloved
by all who knew him." He was twice married, his first wife, Abby Davis, dying in New
York, and his second wife, Mary Thayer, dying in this town, Sept. 18, 1866, at the age of
eighty years.
Charles Colton, of Cayuga Co., N.Y., an uncle of William Dawson,
settled in this town in October, 1837, and resided here till his death, about fifteen
years ago.
Isaac Morton was a native of the Green Mountain State, and
came from Williston, Chittenden Co., Vt., to this State in the early fall of 1831. In
company with his brother-in-law, William Tyler, he traveled by team to Burlington; from
thence to Whitehall, by steamer, on Lake Champlain; then by the Champlain and Erie Canals
to Buffalo, where they again embarked on a steamer which landed them in Detroit, where
they once more started their teams and reached their destination in the town of Saline,
Washtenaw Co., in the month of September. He lived there a little more than six years, and
then, in December, 1837, moved to his place in the west part of section 7,
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