Michigan History LMagazineN
Y
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE MICHIGAN HISTORICAL COMMISSION
AND THE MICHIGAN PIONEER AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
VOLUME VI
Published Quarterly by the
MICHIGAN HISTORICAL COMMISSION
LANSING
/ Jl
* '
H57
V.fe
MICHIGAN HISTORICAL COMMISSION
A STATE DEPARTMENT OP HISTORY AND ARCHIVES
ORGANIZED MAY 28, 1913
MEMBERS
Hon. Alexander J. Groesbeck, Governor of Michigan
Claude H. Van Tyne, Ph. D., Ann Arbor, President
Augustus C. Carton, Lansing, Vice President
Clarence M. Burton, M. A., Detroit
William L. Jenks, M. A., Port Huron
William F. Murphy, LL. D., Detroit
William L. Clements, B. S., Bay City
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
George N. Fuller, Ph. D., Secretary and Editor
Floyd B. Streeter, M. A., Archivist
Marie B. Ferrey, Curator
Percy H. Andrus, Chief Clerk
MICHIGAN PIONEER AND HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
Founded in 1874; Successor to the Historic^ Society of
Michigan ; founded in 1828 by Lewis Cass and others
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
Alvah L. Sawyer, Menominee, President
William L. Jenks, Vice President
Clarence M. Burton
William L. Clements
Clarence E. Bement, Lansing
Claude S. Larzelere, M. A., Mt. Pleasant
Lew Allen Chase, M. A., Marquette
Charles A. Weissert, Hastings
Carl E. Pray, M. A., Ypsilanti
Gerrit Van Schelven, Holland
Benjamin F. Davis, Lansing, Treasurer
George N. Fuller, Secretary ex-ofpcio
A Magazine of Michigan history for Michigan people, contain-
ing new information on interesting subjects by Michigan
writers.
Historical news and reports from county and other local soci-
eties and from schools and clubs doing work in Michigan his-
tory will be received and disseminated to all parts of the
State.
As the official organ of the Michigan Historical Commission
and the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, the Mag-
azine will contain the important official acts of these bodies
and the plans and progress of their work.
Members of the Society are urged to make the Magazine a
medium of communication with other members and societies
respecting their historical needs, or the needs, plans, and
progress of their respective societies.
Due notice and credit will be given for all biographical
sketches, reminiscences, letters, diaries, memoranda, account
books, photographs, old newspapers, maps and atlases,
museum objects and other items of historical interest re-
ceived.
All communications should be addressed to the Michigan
Historical Commission, Lansing, Michigan.
CONTENTS
NUMBER 1 1922
Page
Historical News, Notes and Comment 3
Ninth Annual Report of the Michigan Historical Com-
mission, 1921 58
Supporting Members of the Michigan Pioneer and His-
torical Society Enrolled Since January, 1921 61
Donors and Their Gifts to the Pioneer Museum, State
Capitol, January 1, 1921, to January 1, 1922 71
JUDGE R. A. WATTS The Trial and Execution of the
Lincoln Conspirators 81
Hox. WILLIAM RENWICK RIDDELL Some Marriages in
Old Detroit Ill
MRS. FRANC L. ADAMS Women and History. 131
ARNOLD MULDER Michigan as a Field for the Novelist . . 142
DR. F. N. TURNER Chief Okemos 156
FRANK L. DYKEMA A Record of the Development of
the Grand Rapids Americanization Society's Plan of
Citizenship Training Through the Ballot 160
HORACE ELDON BURT William Austin Burt : Inventor . . 175
SUE I. SILLIMAN The Chicago Indian Treaty of 1821. . 194
Lansing Lodge, Sons of Veterans Old Veterans' Stories 198
NUMBERS 2-3 1922
Historical News, Notes and Comment 211
WARREN W. LAMPORT Michilimackinac (Poem) 269
KENNETH G. SMITH How White Lake Was Named . . . 273
MRS. MARY F. ROBINSON Rix Robinson, Fur Trader. . . 277
MRS. ALZINA CALKINS FELT Incidents of Pioneer Life. . 288
JAMES RUSSELL Peter White 296
FRANCIS JACKER Assinins and Zeba 315
CHARLES R. COBB Ho ! Gogebic County ! 328
CHARLES J. JOHNSON In Memory 346
M. L. COOK My Early Days in Hastings 357
MRS. PAULINE T. HEALD Mary F. Thomas, M. D., Rich-
mond, Ind 369
vi CONTENTS
MRS. VICTORIA C. EDGCUMBE Benton Harbor College
and Its President, Dr. George J. Edgcumbe 375
L. O. W. Source Material of the Detroit Public
Library as Supplied by the Acquisition of the Bur-
ton Historical Collection 386
ALVAH L. SAWYER Historical Work in Michigan 401
GEO. R. Fox What About Michigan Archeology 415
HENRY BEETS Dutch Journalism in Michigan 435
J. H. BROWN How We Got the R. F. D 442
F. H. VANCLEVE Railroads of Delta County 460
NUMBER 4 1922
Page
Historical News, Notes and Comment 479
R. CLYDE FORD The Indian as an Orator 515
T. A. FELCH Early Days in the Upper Peninsula 536
HENRY A. HAIGH The Michigan Club 540
STANLEY NEWTON The Adventures of Alexander Henry 558
FRED DUSTIN Chief Pokagon and His Book 565
ARCHIE M. TURRELL Some Place Names of Hillsdale
County 573
BYRON A. FINNEY Reminiscences of Will Carleton .... 583
CHARES E. BELKNAP Christmas Day Near Savannah in
Wartime 591
MRS. MARTHA D. AIKEN The Underground Railroad. . 597
SISTER M. CELESTINE Rt. Rev. Monsignor Frank A.
O'Brien 611
WILLIAM W. POTTER Michigan's First Justice of the
Peace 630
HENRY S. LUCAS The Beginnings of Dutch Immigration
to Western Michigan, 1846 642
R. C. ALLEN and HELEN M. MARTIN ,A Brief History of
the Geological and Biological Survey of Michigan . . 675
ILLUSTRATIONS
NUMBER 1 1922
Page
Judge R. A. Watts 82
Americanization Poster 164
Posters 169
Hon. Win. A. Burt 177
Mr. Horace Eldon Burt - 178
Burt's Solar Compass 182
Early Surveying Scene 182
Equatorial Sextant 184
Burt's Typographer. 186
Austin Burt 190
Replica of Original Typographer 192
NUMBERS 2-3 1922
Rix Robinson 277
John R. Robinson 282
Dr. George J. Edgcumbe 375
Assembly Room. Ben ton Harbor College 378
Art Room, Benton Harbor College 382
Manuscript Letter (Signed, John Williams) 390
Map locating approximately the Enclosures, Rectangular
Enclosures, Circular Mounds and Embankments in
Michigan 421
Map showing the approximate locations of Gardenbeds in
Lower Peninsula 423
NUMBER 4 1922
Page
Lewis (lark and Willis Lawrence, Michigan's First R. F.
D. Carriers, Around the R. F. D. Memorial Monu-
ment at Climax, M icli 449
Central Hall, Hillsdale College 573
Smie on St. Joseph River 573
Scene of Will Carleton's "Over the Hill to the Poor
House" . 583
viii ILLUSTRATIONS
Charles E. Belknap 591
Rt. Rev. Alonsignor Frank A. O'Brien, LL. D 611
Manuscripts (In Dutch, Holland Colony) 642, 657
R. A. Smith 675
Alexander Winchell 689
Carl Rominger 689
Charles E. Wright 689
M. E. Wadsworth 689
L. L. Hubbard 711
Alfred C. Lane 711
R. C. Allen ; 711
Douglass Houghton 711
CONTRIBUTORS
MRS. FRANC L. ADAMS, Mason. See Contributors, 1920, Michi-
gan History Magazine, Vol. IV.
MRS. MARTHA I. Z. AIKEN, Union City. Past teacher at the
State School, Coldwater; late appointed to investigate the
homes and conditions of indentured children throughout the
State; member of the Women's Club.
R. C. ALLEN, Lansing. Former State Geologist.
REV. HENRY BEETS, Grand Rapids. Secretary of Missions of
the Christian Reformed Church; editor of the Banner; for-
merly library commissioner of Grand Rapids.
HON. CHARLES E. BE&KNAP, Grand Rapids. See Contributors,
1919, Michigan History Magazine, Vol. III.
JAMES H. BROWN, Battle Creek. Associate Editor of the
Morning Enquirer and Evening Neivs of Battle Creek ; Field
Editor of the Michigan Farmer, Detroit; General Manager
"Michigan Automobile Tours."
HORACE ELDON BURT, Chicago, 111. First president of the
Detroit High School Association; Republican candidate for
State Senate; manager of Charcoal blast furnaces for
twelve years; practicing lawyer for ten years; contributor
to various magazines and periodicals.
SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J., Kalamazoo. Principal Nazareth
Junior College and Academy ; Postmaster, Nazareth, Mich. ;
teacher in Michigan schools for twenty years.
CHARLES R. COBB, Bessemer. A. M., University of Michigan;
Superintendent of Schools, Bessemer; vice-president Gogebic
Range Schoolmasters' Club; secretary Gogebic County His-
torical Society; Summer lecturer in American History,
Northern State Normal School ; honor roll member listed by
the War Loan Committee of the Ninth Federal Reserve
District ; associate member of the Legal Advisory Board for
Gogebic County ; member of the Board of School Examiners
of Gogebic County; member of the State Industrial Com-
mission for the rehabilitation of disabled civilians.
M. L. COOK, Hastings. Secretary of the Hastings Table Com-
pany and International Seal and Lock Company; vice-
president of the Hastings City Bank; publisher of the
x CONTRIBUTORS
t%
Hastings Banner; member of the Michigan Pioneer, and
Historical Society.
FRED DUSTIN, Saginaw, W. S. See Contributors, 1921, Michi-
gan History Magazine, Vol. IV. * |
FRANK L. DYKEMA, Grand Kapids. Secretary of the Ameri-
canization Society of Grand Rapids; secretary of the Kent
County Conference of Social Work; treasurer and finance
director of the Michigan State Conference of Social Work.
MRS. VICTORIA C. EDGCUMBE, Benton Harbor. Pioneer of
Benton Harbor.
THEODORE ALPHEUS FELCH, Ishpeming. M. D., Detroit Medical
College, 1874; Ph. B., University of Michigan, 1871: for-
merly a member of the Council Michigan State Medical
Society and the Michigan State Board of Registration in
Medicine; Mayor of Ishpeming for two terms; director in
the Miners' National Bank; surgeon for the Oliver Iron
Mining Company and the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company;
president of the Marquette County Historical Society.
MRS. ALZINA CALKINS FELT, Mason. Pioneer of Mason.
BYRON A. FINNEY, Ann Arbor. See Contributors, 1917, Mich-
igan History Magazine, Vol. I.
R. CLYDE FORD. Ypsilanti. Ph. B., Albion College, 1894; Ph.
M., 1897; Ph. D.. University of Munich, 1900; studied at
University of Freiburg, Germany, also at Geneva and Paris ;
teacher country 7 school and superintendent of village school ;
teacher Anglo-Chinese School, Singapore, Malaysia, 1891-2;
assistant professor French and German, Albion College,
1894-9 ; professor modern languages. Northern State Normal
School, 1901-3, and Michigan State Normal School since
1903; member Modern Language Association of America;
Michigan State Teachers' Association and Michigan School-
masters' Club; contributor to various magazines and per-
iodicals.
GEORGE R. Fox, Three Oaks. See Contributors, 1919, Michigan
History Magazine. Vol. III.
HENRY A. HAIGH, Detroit. See Contributors, 1921, Michigan
History Magazine. Vol. V.
MRS. PAULINE T. HEALD, Hartford. Former president and
patriotic instructor of the W. R. C. ; member of School
CONTRIBUTORS xi
Board for nine years; organizer of the Hartford Woman's
Club.
FRANCIS JAC&ER, Assinins. Former Postmaster at Craig;
keeper of the Raspberry Island Station in the Apostle group ;
taught school at Baraga and held private schools at various
places; also at Government Indian School at Assinins; con-
tributor to various magazines and periodicals.
REV. DR. CHARLES J. JOHNSON, Marquette. Historian Mar-
quette County Historical Society ; member Michigan Pioneer
and Historical Society; publicity director of the Michigan
Historical Commission for the centennial celebration of the
establishment of American sovereignty in the Upper Penin-
sula of Michigan; Author of the ''Marquette Pageant;" lec-
turer on Upper Peninsula history; member Marquette City
War Board ; former pastor First Methodist Episcopal Church,
Marquette; former Chaplain branch prison at Marquette,
Mich.; member Detroit Annual Conference; alumnus North-
western University.
WARREN W. LAMPORT, Lake City. Member of the Michigan
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church; pastor at
Central Lake; contributor to various magazines and period-
icals.
HENRY S. LUCAS, Seattle, Washington. A. M., University of
Indiana, 1915; Ph. D., University of Michigan, 1022: In-
structor University of Michigan, 1918-1 9 ; assistant professor
of Mediaeval History, University of Washington, 1921 ;
studied at University of Leyden, Holland. 1919-20.
HELEN M. MARTIN, Lansing. A. B., M. S., University of Mich-
igan; teacher of geology and physiography. Battle Creek
High School ; teaching assistant University of Michigan,
Department of Geology ; Geologist, Michigan Geological Sur-
vey; member Michigan Academy of Science, The American
Association of University Women, Woman's Research Club
of the University of Michigan ; past president Lansing
Branch, American Association of University Women.
ARNOLD MULDER, Holland. A. M., University of Chicago; city
editor Holland Daily Sentinel; publicity director of the
Michigan Tuberculosis Association; editor of Michigan Out-
of -Doors; formerly publicity director of the Michigan Tuber-
xii CONTRIBUTORS
t%
culosis Survey ; novelist ; author "The Outbound Road," "The
Sand Doctor," etc. (Houghton Mifflin, Boston.)
STANLEY NEWTON, Sault Ste. Marie. Secretary Booth-Newton
Company; director Upper Peninsula Development Bureau;
president Great Lakes Mission Board; member Sault Ste.
Marie Carnegie Library Board; charter member Michigan
Pioneer and Historical Society ; author Mackinac Island and
Sault Ste. Marie.
WILLIAM W. POTTER, Hastings. See Contributors, 1920,
Michigan History Magazine, Vol. IV.
Hox. WILLIAM RENWICK RIDDELL, Toronto, Canada. Justice
Supreme Court of Ontario; B. A., 1874, B. Sc., 1876, LL. B.,
1878, Victoria University ; hon. L. H. D., Syracuse University,
1911; hon. LL. D., LaFayette College, 1912; F. R. S., Edin-
burgh; Trinity College, Hartford, Conn.; hon. J. U. D., hon.
LL. D., McMaster University, 1915; also Wesleyan, North-
western, Rochester, Syracuse, Yale and University of
Toronto; honorary president Ontario Bar Associations, hon-
orary member American Bar Association, and bar associa-
tions of Georgia, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, Wis-
consin, Michigan, New York, etc.; president League of Na-
tions Association, Toronto; called to Ontario Bar, 1883;
created K. C., 1897; Bencher, 1891; re-elected each election
until 1906; practiced Cobourg and Toronto; retained for city
during Toronto municipal investigation, 1904; general coun-
sel in Canada for Wabash Railway system; received present
appointment 1906; Fellow, Royal Historical Society. Has
written on British and United States forms of government,
the courts and the people, and many legal and constitutional
questions; author "The Canadian and American Constitu-
tions," and many other papers. Chairman, Cobourg Collegi-
ate Institute Board, president Educational Society, Eastern
Ontario ; president Alumni Association, Victoria University ;
member Board of Regents, Victoria University; Governor,
Western Hospital, Toronto. Was a Liberal and president
West Northumberland Reform Association; Hon. Colonel,
Canadian Militia.
MRS. MARY F. ROBINSON, Grand Rapids. Pioneer.
CONTRIBUTORS xiii
JAMES RUSSELL, Marquette. See Contributors, 1920, Michigan
History Magazine, Vol. IV.
ALVAH L. SAWYER, Menominee. See Contributors, 1919, Mich-
igan History Magazine, Vol. III.
Miss SUE I. SILLIMAN, Three Rivers. See Contributors, 1920,
Michigan History Magazine, Vol. IV.
KENNETH G. SMITH, Lansing. State supervisor of Industrial
Education; and State director of vocational rehabilitation;
vice-president, National Society for Vocational Education;
secretary Michigan Society for Vocational Education.
F. N. TURNER, Lansing. See Contributors, 1920, Michigan His-
tory Magazine, Vol. IV.
ARCHIE M. TURRELL, Hillsdale. Professor of mathematics and
science in Purrahou College, Honolulu, Hawaii; graduate
of Hillsdale College.
F. H. VAN CLEVE, Escanaba. Pioneer of Escanaba.
R. A. WATTS, Adrian. Judge of Lenawee County Circuit
Court; president Adrian State Savings Bank.
MRS. L. OUGHTRED WOLTZ, Detroit. Archivist, Burton His-
torical Collection, Detroit Public Library.
MICHIGAN HISTORY MAGAZINE
VOLUME VI 1922 No. 1
GEORGE N. FULLER, Editor
MICHIGAN
HISTORY MAGAZINE
VOL. VI 1922 No. 1
HISTORICAL News, NOTES AND COMMENT
GENERAL
rpHE National Memorials Committee of the American
Legion in their report to the Third Annual Con-
vention of the Legion at Kansas City, Mo., included
the following extract, which will be of special interest
to all citizens interested in the preservation of war
records :
Your chairman has investigated conditions in
Washington relative to a proposed National Memorial.
As there is an imperative and immediate need of an
archives building and as this building will house all
the records of the service men and women of this War,
it is thought that we should urge congress to include in
its next appropriation an amount for the archives
building. Our National Historian, Comrade Putnam,
has ably assisted this committee in gathering data
showing the crying need for properly caring for and
housing our records as well as all other records. The
American Historical Association has been at work on
this project and has the approval of Senator Sinoot.
This building should be of the type approved by the
American Historical Association, and this committee
believes it should be located on Pennsylvania avenue,
and as close to the Library as possible.
This project is so imperatively needed that the
(3)
4 HISTORICAL NEWS
necessity of providing for the records is recognized
universally by congress.
As the care and preservation of the records of the
men in the World War was made a part of the duties
of the National Memorials' Committee, before the
appointment of the National Historian, that part of
his report, dealing with an investigation of the national
Archives has been embodied herein, and follows:
RECORDS OF THE WORLD WAR The volumi-
nous records concerning the military operations of the
United States during the period in which the American
Legion is particularly interested, are housed in many
buildings at Washington and in many military posts
throughout the country, in addition to what may be
found in the hands of state officials and semi-public
organizations.
The national records at Washington concerning
our participation in the World War, are of several
classes. The records of G. H. Q., A. E. F., were made
up at Onaum and shipped home, and with the records
made up in this country by the Historical Branch, War
Plans Division, Chief of Staff, are of primary impor-
tance for the history of unit operations. As the two
series of records to some extent duplicate each other,
it is often necessary to examine both files to find a
desired record. Many important records of the S. O. S.
are also in the Historical Branch. The records of the
Adjutant General's Office, pertaining chiefly to organi-
zations, administration, and personnel, together with
the previously mentioned series are stored at present
in Building E, at 6th and B streets, which is a building
NOTES AND COMMENT 5
with concrete walls and wooden floors, and poorly
adapted for protection against fire originating within
the building. The files occupy about 140,000 square
feet of floor space, are contained in steel filing cases,
four drawers deep, and weigh nearly 2,000 tons.
Here are to be found the individual records of the
men serving in the army.
In the State, War and Navy Buildings are other
large collections of records, the most important of
which are those of the Mail and Record Division of
the Adjutant General's Office, containing records of
return of troops, rosters and many personnel records;
the records of the Judge Advocate General (largely
proceedings of courts martial), and of the Inspector
General.
The records of the Graves Registration Service,
now a branch of the Cemeterial Division of the Quarter-
master General's Office, are deposited in the Munitions
Building.
The Munitions Building has become the depository
for records, in part, of a number of branches of the
service. In the office of the Chief of Engineers are the
records of the Engineer Corps. There is no very clear
line of demarkation between the records of the World
War Division of the Adjutant General's Office and of
other branches of the service of the War Department,
hence part of the records of the Engineer Corps will
be found in the Adjutant General's Office. Also part
of these records are stored at Camp Humphrey, Va.
Five hundred tons of records pertaining to the Con-
struction Division, camps, cantonments, etc., are
6 HISTORICAL NEWS
housed to a small extent in the Munitions Building, to
some extent in the temporary building across the street,
and mostly unless removed since this report was pre-
pared, were in a temporary structure.
Building. F, 7th and B streets, scantily protected
from fire, either from their arrangement or housing.
This is an important series of records, and covers the
whole history of operations.
The historical records of the Quartermaster Corps,
taken over from the Historical Branch, Purchase and
Storage Division, are in the Munitions Building, but
the greater part of the records of the Quartermaster are
at Fort Meyer. The records of the Transportation
Division, and the bulky records of the Ordnance Divi-
sion, with which are being assembled field ordnance
records, are also stored in the Munitions Building.
The records of the Chemical Warfare Service, made
up at Washington, formerly in_a temporary building,
and those of the Signal Corps, likewise in a similar
building, either have been or soon will be removed to
the Munitions Building. The Chemical Warfare Serv-
ice, A. E. F., records are, however, at Edge wood
Arsenal.
In the Munitions Building also will be found the
main body of records of the Air Service, including unit
histories. Other Air Service records will be found in
the files of the Signal Corps; General Headquarters,
A. E. F., Historical Branch, W. P. D., and the Adjutant
General's Office.
The records of the Coast Artillery and of the Field
Artillery are for the most part in the files of the Adju-
tant General.
NOTES AND COMMENT 7
Important records of troop units are to be found at
every military post in the country, mostly housed in
buildings which afford little or no protection against
fire, and the custodians are often ignorant of their
contents.
The General Staff College has in addition to its
own records, records of the World War Plans Division
and of the Military Intelligence Division.
The Historical Section of the Office of Naval In-
telligence and the Bureau of Navigation contain the
most important naval records of the War, and are
housed in the New Navy Building at 17th and B streets.
Nearly all the records of the Navy for this War are in
the same building, as also are the records of the Marine
Corps and of the U. S. Shipping Board, which occupy
the greater part of ten large rooms, and comprise the
records of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, Division
of Planning and Statistics, and of Marine and Dock
Industrial Relations.
The records of the Medical Corps and of the Army
Nurses Training Corps are partly in the Surgeon
General's Office in the Munitions Building, at the Army
Medical College (where a medical and surgical history
of the War is being prepared), and in the files of the
Adjutant General's Office.
A particularly important collection of casualty
cases filling 225 file drawers, are at National Head-
quarters of the American Red Cross, where also are
the Chapter histories, and much other material, in all
comprising 3,500 cases. Some of the Chapter records
require 100 file drawers, and at Division Headquarters
8 HISTORICAL NEWS
are more than 375 cases of records. Many relatively
unimportant records still remain in France, and may
subsequently be destroyed there.
The records of the War Risk Bureau occupy about
90,000 square feet of floor space at the Arlington Build-
ing, and relate chiefly to the Allowance and Allotment
Division, Insurance Division, Compensation and Claims
Division, and the Marine and Seaman's Division. Each
Division has an alphabetical card index of cases and
the individual jackets often contain records of military
service. Other records of the War Risk Bureau and
nearly all important records of the Public Health Serv-
ice are in the Butler Building, and those of the Re-
habilitation Division of the Federal Board of Vocational
Education are in a temporary building at 20th and D
streets, and in local and district offices, some of which
are alleged to be fire-proof.
The Selective Draft records are housed in several
buildings of Washington Barracks, and include records
of the Provost Marshal General's Office, of 51 State and
Territorial Headquarters, 155 District Boards, 4,658
local boards, medical advisory and legal advisory
boards, and of 23,908,576 registrants, and have a total
weight of 8,000 tons.
The important records of the Council of National
Defense, War Industries Board, and Committee on
Public Information were in July last transferred to the
custody of the Assistant Secretary of War and removed
to the Munitions Building. Those of the Food Admin-
istration and the Grain Corporation are still to be found
in Temporary Building No. 1. The records of the W^ar
NOTES AND COMMENT 9
Trade Board and of the Fuel Administration in another
temporary building, are quite as poorly protected. The
records of the Railroad Administration are at 18th
street and Penn. avenue, those of the War Finance
Corporation, and some of the Liberty Loan records,
(others are at the Federal Reserve Bank) are in the
Treasury Building; of the Bureau of Mines and Geo-
logical Survey in the Interior Building and many other
important files of the Department of State, Agricul-
ture, and Commerce and Labor are found in the files
of the Departments, in the Federal Trade Board, in
files of House and Senate Committees, and in the
Library of Congress.
This very brief summary of a survey of the char-
acter of our latest War records and their places of
deposit, made during the past summer at the request
of the National Historian, serves not only to indicate
where one interested in obtaining certain information
would first direct his steps, but the woefully inade-
quate method of storing the records and protecting
them against the ever constant menace of fire, of damp,
and of vermin. Unquestionably, the mass of useful
national archives has more than doubled since 1917, at
which time there were no adequate housing provisions
for their preservation and protection. The memorials
of a nation, the records of those who established and
maintained this government, and of what they achieved ;
of intensely human interest, constantly examined by
students, both trained and amateur; of incalculable
value, which if destroyed can never be restored, are in
no other progressive civilized country so poorly Jpro-
10 HISTORICAL NEWS
tected, the menaces to their safety so lightly regarded
by the nation's legislators, as in our own country.
STATE RECORDS The Adjutant Generals of
the several states have been furnished by the Adjutant
General of the Army with abstracts of the individual
service records of enlisted men and of casualties. These
cards are compiled from the records, and have been
found on examination to be in some cases incorrect as
to residence, unit with which engaged, date of enlist-
ment or induction, overseas duty and discharge. The
most frequent error was, it is said, the statement of
wrong year or number of the unit to which the man be-
longed, and these errors in the instance of one state
are reported as estimated to have been as great as 10%.
One state which has contemplated a roster of its citi-
zens in the service, refrained from compilation for
publication until the applications of men for the bonus
granted them could be compared with the records sent
from Washington. It thus behooves every ex-service
man to inspect as opportunity occurs the record of his
service as it appears in the files of the Adjutant-General
of the state, who upon due proof of error will undoubt-
edly be glad to take the matter up with Washington.
It is a matter of importance to the individual that his
record be complete and accurate.
The states which have granted a bonus or special
opportunities, to service men from their states, have in
the filed applications an invaluable series of records.
These when collated with the carded service records in
the Adjutant General's Office, should afford a reason-
ably accurate record from which a roster of all men from
any given state could be compiled.
NOTES AND COMMENT 11
In addition to these official records at the state
capitols, many of the states established War History
Commissions, or made grants to encourage the forma-
tion of county commissions which should function in
the work of preserving the history of the country and
state in the War, and some of these organizations have
already begun the publication of historical material.
Indiana has published a Gold Star volume. The middle
western states as a rule have shown the most energy
and broadest vision in connection with this work.
The Convention adopted the following resolution:
Whereas, the American Legion is vitally interested
in the securing and preservation of the archives of our
national government, now
Be It Therefore Resolved, by The American Legion
in convention assembled, that the American Legion
urges the proper legislation for the erection of a suitable
repository for all national archives where they may be
safe from any future possibility of fire, vermin, or other
causes for their destruction.
THE STATE
TN the death of Right Rev. Monsignor Frank A.
O'Brien, of Kalamazoo, member of the Michigan
Historical Commission and a trustee of the Michigan
Pioneer and Historical Society, the cause of Michigan
history loses a true friend.
Monsignor O'Brien passed away December 19, 1921,
after a lingering illness. He was born in Monroe, Michi-
gan, and had reached his seventieth year. His life was
12 HISTORICAL NEWS
>*
distinguished for philanthropic work. Such was the
quality of his labors that as dean of the parish of St.
Augustine he became one of the most widely known
priests in America. He was a personal friend of gover-
nors and presidents, many of whom were guests at his
hospitable home in Kalamazoo. Among the numerous
honors conferred upon him was his elevation to the
papal household on the Pope's volition, an honor con-
ferred upon but one other priest in the United States.
An appropriate sketch of the life and work of Mon-
signor O'Brien will appear in a later number of the
Magazine.
TVTICHIGAN was signally honored in November by
* a visit from Marshal Foch, commander-in-chief
of the Allied armies in the World War. At Detroit,
he said, as reported in the Detroit Free Press (Novem-
ber 8) :
'Your mayor has spoken of my unified command,
and much has been written of it<. It was the unity
of our ideals, as much as the merger of our forces, which
led us to final victory.
"Old men and young men, old women and young
women were animated by the same purpose and your
commander-in-chief had but to release them and they
marched forward to victory.
"At the supreme moment when I was in the pres-
ence of the plenipotentiaries of the German govern-
ment and sent out a call to our generals to be ready to
move forward if our parley failed, there was a una-
nimity of_not_only i the_military_forces but also of the
nations represented by those forces.
NOTES AND COMMENT 13
"Nations are only strong when their aims are the
aims of justice. If we apply the same principles in our
pursuit of peace, we should secure a lasting peace the
same as we achieve victory in time of war. "
Marshal Foch reached Detroit from Chicago, on
his way east from the national meeting of the American
Legion at Kansas City. At Ann Arbor the University
paid homage to the distinguished guest when his train
stopped for five minutes at the Michigan Central
station. A parchment folder was presented to the
Marshal, on which, beautifully illumined in gold, red
and blue was a m^sage from the University, written
in French. In presenting it President-Emeritus
Hutchins said:
"Marshal Foch:
"Your presence here this morning, sir, means much
to us, particularly to the thousands of students who
are before you. This will always be a red letter day in
our calendar. You will appreciate this when I tell you
that more than 12,000 alumni and under-graduates of
the University of Michigan served in the great war for
democracy under your distinguished leadership and
that 235 made the supreme sacrifice.
"In behalf of the President, the University, the
several faculties, and the student body, I have the honor
to present to you this testimonial of greeting and appre-
ciation."
On the cover of the parchment folder was inscribed :
"To Marshal Foch, Ann Arbor, November 7, 1921."
Inside was this greeting: 'The President, the Regents,
the faculties, and the students of the University of
Michigan, greet Marshal Foch, and through him the
.
14 HISTORICAL NEWS
French nation. They desire to express their admiration
for his military genius and gratitude for his unfaltering
devotion to the common cause of civilization. "
At Battle Creek, Governor Groesbeck and many
state officials met Marshal Foch. During the Mar-
shal's visit there the Roosevelt Community House
near Camp Custer was formally turned over by the
State of Michigan to the American Legion as a hospital
for the relief of Michigan's tubercular veterans.
"pLANS for the construction of the American Legion
national headquarters building are well under way.
Indianapolis is the fortunate city, the Indiana legis-
lature having appropriated nearly ten million dollars
for the war memorial to house the Legion's main offices.
The project will cover five blocks in the heart of the
city. The building will occupy the middle block, with
the remaining plots transformed into a magnificent
city plaza. At one exterior of the memorial site is
located the federal postoffice building, erected at a
cost of $6,000,000. Facing the outer end of the plaza
is the $3,000,000 city library.
Invitations have been issued to national headquar-
ters of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Women's
Relief Corps, Service Star Legion, American War
Mothers, Spanish War Veterans and Women's Auxiliary
of the Legion to occupy quarters in the memorial build-
ing along with the Legion.
In Michigan, progress has been made in erecting
community memorials to the veterans of the W T orld
War, but no state memorial has yet been made. It
NOTES AND COMMENT 15
is generally agreed that this should take the form of a
memorial building at Lansing, to be used as head-
quarters for the veterans of all wars in which Michigan
has taken part, also for other state organizations of
a patriotic nature, and for properly housing the public
archives, the state museums, and the materials of
Michigan history.
In 1920 at the annual meeting of the Michigan
Pioneer and Historical Society in Lansing, a committee
of nine was appointed to take up the subject with citi-
zens and with the state government. The committee
consisted of Gerrit Van Schelven of Holland, William
L. Jenks of Port Huron, Alvah L. Sawyer of Menominee,
William W. Bishop of the University Library, Divie B.
Duffield of the Detroit Public Library Commission,
Henry J. Gilbert of Saginaw, Mrs. Burritt Hamilton
of Battle Creek, Miss Alice Louise McDuffee of Kala-
mazoo, and Miss Annie A. Pollard of the Grand Rapids
Public Library. A large sub-committee of several
hundred citizens selected from every county in the
state was organized for publicity work. It was pro-
posed to present the matter to the Legislature of 1921,
and a bill was drawn for that purpose. But the finan-
cial straits of the government which later developed
made it clear that the time was inopportune.
The work of organization however has gone steadily
on. Among all of the historical and patriotic recon-
struction movements none has found more favor. Al[
thinking people are alive to the wider outlook which
regards the movement as a social service of high order,
a tribute not only to the hero dead but to the public
spirit of Michigan and an inspiration to generations of
16 HISTORICAL NEWS
the future. It is the common sentiment that whatever
building is erected by Michigan it should not fail to
express worthily the sentiment intended, in keeping
with similar buildings of other states and with the
National Memorial Building erected in Washington
whose cornerstone was laid last November.
T T PON the invitation . of the Indian Government,
^ Professor Claude H. Van Tyne left November 15th
for Delhi, the new capital of India, to start a study of
India's recently created native Legislative Assembly.
The invitation was extended to Professor Van Tyne by
Alexander Frederick Whyte, formerly a member of
the British Parliament who is at present president of
this latest experiment in parliamentary government.
In writing to Professor Van Tyne, Mr. Whyte says :
"We have embarked upon a big enterprise in constitu-
tional government. We are only in the midst of the
first start but we have made so good a beginning that
the apparent progress of the experiment seems fairly
well assured. In presiding over it I have an almost
unprecedented opportunity to study parliament in em-
bryo. The spirit shown in the legislative assembly was
of a remarkably high order and the proceedings were
conducted with a sense of responsibility which was, I
think, a surprise to everyone. "
It was in the fulfillment of his desire that some
American historian or political scientist might study
on the spot the development of the new system that
the invitation was extended to Professor Van Tyne.
Mr. Whyte felt that it would be not only of great value
NOTES AND COMMENT 17
to the British to have the candid comment of a genuine
political student on the situation, but at the same time
it would serve to inform the American public as to how
far India has gone in the direction of self-government.
Professor Van Tyne expects to be in Delhi for three
or four months gathering the material which will
eventually appear as a book on the New Indian Par-
liament. He has been promised every opportunity for
meeting the officers of the Indian administration and
every facility for the consultation of important docu-
ments. He will thus be, in a very real sense, a guest of
the government of Ilidia.
Mr. Whyte, in one of his letters, says, "It is not
very easy to describe the situation truly. It changes
rapidly almost from week to week; and the ferment
created by the war has not yet spent itself, but public
life generally in India is in a much healthier state than
it was before the war, mainly because practically all
agitation is conducted in the light of day and bomb
conspiracies are much less frequent than they used
to be. " Michigan Alumnus.
JN honor of four Michigan "M" men who gave their
lives in the World War, a memorial tablet was un-
veiled just before the opening of the Minnesota game.
Major James K. Watkins, '09, was in charge of the
ceremonies.
The tablet is of bronze, and has been temporarily
mounted in front of the Ferry Field club house, until
such a time as a new stadium and club house is built,
when it will probably be placed in the trophy room.
3
18 HISTORICAL NEWS
On the plaque appears an eagle, mounted on a block
"M" and bearing in its talons a furled American flag.
Below is the inscription,
"In Honor of the 'M' Men of the University of
Michigan Who Gave Their Lives for Their Country in
the World War."
Then follow the names of the hero athletes : Curtis
G. Redden, '03, Howard R. Smith, '12, Otto Carpell,
'13, and Efton James, '15. Beneath the names are
the words of eulogy, "Not Dead; But Living in Deeds.
Such Lives Inspire. "
During the war Redden was a lieutenant-colonel
with the 149th Field Artillery. He died in Germany
after a brilliant career and a recommendation for pro-
motion to the rank of brigadier general. Smith was a
lieutenant in the aviation corps, and was killed in an air-
plane accident in England, while Carpell, another
aviator, died of heart failure following an attack of
influenza in a southern camp. James, first lieutenant
in the infantry, was killed in action in the Verdun sector,
October 14, 1918. Redden had been both a football
and baseball man during his college days; Smith was a
pitcher on the Varsity nine and pitched the famous
eighteen inning game with Notre Dame winning 3 to 2.
Carpell was one of Yost's half-backs during 1911 and
1912; while James played end during the 1914 season.
The new tablet erected was purchased by the "M"
club. Michigan Alumnus.
PROM Mr. E. G. Pipp, editor of Pipp's Weekly,
Detroit, we have received some interesting docu-
ments having to do with the Union League, or Loyal
NOTES AND COMMENT 19
National League of America, a secret organization
which was in existence during the War of the Rebellion
and must have attained considerable proportions.
These are three manuscript books, original records of
the organization at Brighton, Michigan, and an original
copy of the constitution and ritual; also a sheet from a
book of some sort which gives a list of the state officers ;
also some of the original badges to members.
From the length of the list of members in Brighton,
apparently the Order included everyone in town.
Mr. Pipp's father appears fourth on the list.
In a letter transmitting the documents Mr. Pipp
writes :
"A notation in the front of one of the books shows
800,000 members in the country January 1, 1864 and
also that on September 2, 1863 they reported 31,163
in Michigan and 430 members in Livingston county.
And by December 30, 1863 the state membership had
grown to 35,793. Looking over the Brighton member-
ship, it contains nearly every business man and sub-
stantial farmer of early days. The signature of the
chief officer, nationally, as found in the back of the
ritual and constitution is J. M. Edmunds; the same
signature on the outside of the small envelope shows
that Mr. Edmunds was commissioner of the General
Land Office under President Lincoln, which rather
leads me to infer that it had a sort of a semi-official
recognition under the Lincoln administration.
"I notice from a newspaper clipping pasted in the
front of one of the books that Gen. O. B. Wilcox issued
an order asking citizens not to join secret organizations
on account of some trouble in Indiana and with it is a
20 HISTORICAL NEWS
general order from Mr. Edmunds saying that it had
been determined by the Grand Council that the Union
League was not such an organization as was referred to
in Gen. Wilcox's order and for them to continue their
work well, the order shows for itself.
"I notice in the proceedings of the Brighton council
a motion to raise money for a memorial to Capt. John
Giluly. If I remember correctly Judge Withey, who
was a Brighton boy and later a Circuit Judge living in
Reed City, married a daughter of Capt. Giluly; per-
haps if you wanted additional information something
might be gotten from him.
"I notice, too, from one slip, they checked up on
some of the citizens politically, to see how they were
going to vote. "
The Michigan Historical Commission would be
pleased to receive other information or documents
relative to this Order.
LETTER of interest to teachers:
State of Michigan
Department of Public Instruction
Thomas E. Johnson, Superintendent
Horace Z. Wilber, Deputy Superintendent
George N. Otwell, Assistant Superintendent
Wilford L. Coffey, Assistant Superintendent
C. Lloyd Goodrich, High School Inspector,
Floyd A. Rowe, Director of Physical Education
Lansing, Jan. 1, 1921
To the teachers of Michigan:
Michigan is rich in local history. There is scarcely a community
NOTES AND COMMENT 21
whose annals if written would not furnish a distinct contribution
to Michigan history. Junior historical societies are being organ-
ized throughout the state under various auspices and I am writing
you requesting that some arrangement be made to give such
credit in history, geography, or civics as may be appropriate for
actual work done by individual members of these groups.
Faithfully yours,
T. E. JOHNSON
LIBRARY SERVICE, bulletin of the Detroit Pub-
lic Library, announces:
The Library is now prepared to furnish photostatic
reproductions of any part of its resources upon request.
Applications may be made through any department
upon blanks supplied for the purpose. A photostat is
an important adjunct to the reference work of a library.
It furnishes an absolutely accurate copy of a printed
page or diagram at a small cost.
Facsimiles of rare texts, such as are found in the
Burton Historical Collection; machine drawings or
other scientific drawings or portions of scientific texts
in the Technology collection; statistical tables; patent
drawings or articles about patents to prove cases; out-
of-print music, or portions of music scores from the
Music and Drama Department; family trees or coats-
of-arms all cases where absolute accuracy of copy is
necessary here is where the value of photostat work
lies.
The Library makes a nominal charge for photostatic
reproduction intended merely to cover the cost of the
process and materials. The work is done twice a week
22 HISTORICAL NEWS
and the finished prints are ready to be. delivered to the
patron on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. For
rush orders a special charge is made.
. DIVIE B. DUFFIELD, president of the Detroit
Library Commission, in his annual ..report to the
Common Council of the City of Detroit, writes :
I cannot close this report without some reference to
the Burton Historical Collection, in the administration
of which one's pride is so often excited by the comments
and praise of those students of history who are com-
petent to express an opinion upon the great value of
the collection. It is envied by many institutions, its
vast possibilities as the original source for historical
study are only just beginning to be known and the
dissemination, in publication form, of its treasures is a
duty we owe to posterity. Our gratitude to its donor can
never adequately be expressed, yet it is typical of the
man that he seems to prefer that we do not express it.
It must be recorded, however, that he has commenced
the building up of an endowment fund, the income of
which shall be used to add to the collection. Already
the generosity of Mr. Clarence M. Burton has placed
in our hands the first two installments of this fund.
JN closing a story of Michigan's first adventure in
finance, the famous $5,000,000 loan in the days of
the "Boy Governor" Mr. Arthur II. Vandenburg
writes:
"Modern citizenship rarely hears nor long remem-
NOTES AND COMMENT 23
bers these stories out of the heroic past. If there were
greater familiarity with these stirring periods of foun-
dation, there might be greater respect for the modern
Institutions beneath which these foundations were
placed. It was a big task for Gov. Groesbeck to face
the 'Soldiers' Bonus Bonds' in 1921. It was a vastly
bigger task for Gov. Mason to face the 'Internal Im-
provement Bonds' in 1837. Indeed, the whole early
history of Michigan is such a throbbing romance, rich
in colorful inspirations, that it is nothing short of a
shame that greater organized effort does not undertake
to acquaint modern generations of Michiganders with
the legends and the lessons of yesterday. "
The story referred to is told in the Grand Rapids
Herald for September 18, 1921, and is very well told
indeed.
JVJR. HORACE ELDON BURT whose paper on
William Austin Burt appears in this issue is hale
and hearty at the age of 80, having reached that mile post
in life's journey July 18, 1921. Born in Michigan near
Detroit, it was in that city that most of his life service
was given. He attended the University of Michigan
for several years and then took a trip abroad, after
which he entered the Albany Law School and the
Rochester University, from which institutions he was
graduated in 1867. He practiced law in Detroit for a
number of years, later superintending the construction
of large iron furnaces in Michigan and Wisconsin. Mr.
Burt retired from active business a number of years
ago and now divides his time between relatives in
24 HISTORICAL NEWS
Chicago, 111., and Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
His wife died in 1909. Of his eight children who are
living, five are daughters. Some of the children were
present at the recent celebration of his eightieth birth
anniversary, on which occasion was read the following
"Birthday Ode":
O, some may sing of "sweet sixteen",
The age when a lad is young and green;
And there are virtues to youth, I ween,
It's charms I have no wish to demean.
But I sing of an age but rarely sung
O, it's great to be four-score glad years young!
It's fine to have lived 'til you've learned how;
To boast, "I've the hang; I can do it now!"
To have weight of years to which others must bow.
Youth has some advantages, I'll allow,
But it's fine to this glorious life to have clung
Until you are four-score glad years young!
It's, fine to have sprinted past three-score-and-ten,
To find it so good you would do it again,
To call back to middle-aged women and men,
"The water is fine, come in, my friend."
I'm glad that so long to life, I've hung.
O, it's great to be four-score glad years young!
O, you who think that age is drear
I bring you glad tidings of greatest cheer.
I wish to make this matter clear
That youth has dangers that you should fear.
It's safer to climb to a higher rung.
O, it's great to be four-score glad years young!
The wild oats that youth is apt to sow
Into a fateful crop will grow;
And the harvest is certain in time, you know.
So look to your planting, young fellows below.
The red flag of danger I've warningly flung;
But it's safe to be four-score glad years young.
NOTES AND COMMENT 25
And you who struggle to get the pence,
In the marts of life who now commence,
Who must stick to biz with a fire intense,
O, it's rich to have learned good business sense;
In the fields of plenty your scythe to have swung,
O, it's great to be four-score glad years young!
And there are riches worth more than mon.
To have such wealth of them is great fun.
Wisdom comes only when you've farther run.
From this height, I could spare you advice a ton,
Not stingy from spigot, but lavish from bung.
O, it's great to be four-score glad years young!
It's fine to have children and grandchildren, too,
And lots of interests and plenty to do,
And friends of a life-time, whose hearts are true,
To gather and pay their tribute to you.
To be the center these groups among
Because you are four-score glad years young!
Fair sailing, I find since the stress is o'er,
And I've put to sea afar from the shore.
Unhindered by sandbars and weeds as of yore,
The joy of the ocean possesses me more;
So I shout from the depth of my lustiest lung,
O, it's great to be four-score glad years young!
CHARLES H. WHEELOCK, secretary of the Battle
Creek Historical Society, sends us this one, by Mr.
Chas. Kraft, about Battle Creek's first automobile
"as I saw and used it," who writes:
Some little time ago I read an article in the Battle
Creek Evening News written by Mr. J. H. Brown about
the early days of the automobile in Battle Creek, and I
well remember some of the happenings myself.
The first automobile owned in Battle Creek (then
called a horse-less carriage) was owned by E. C. Adams,
who was then in the bicycle business on McCamly
street where the Evening News office now stands. It
26 HISTORICAL NEWS
was a steam machine made by the Pope Manufacturing
Co. Another of similar type was later owned by Joy
Rathbun. But the first real one-lunger gasoline buzz
wagon owned in Battle Creek was owned by Harry
Burt. It sure was looked upon as some Auto, but
merciful heavens what a noise it made when it started;
a boiler shop would have felt ashamed of itself, if it
could have heard it; I often wondered why the thing
was not arrested for disturbing the peace. I recall how
Harry came to my home one clear crisp moonlight
night in the Fall, about 9 o'clock and asked me to go
for a ride with him. I readily accepted the invitation
(and, by the way, Harry had his machine tuned right
up to "G"). We drove out Lake avenue to the
Prairie road and then drove as far west as Tuttle Cor-
ners. We sure did sail some, fifteen or eighteen miles
an hour, but it seemed awful fast those days; however
we are both very much alive yet.
Among the first owners of automobiles in Battle
Creek were W. I. Fell, S. O. Bush, Frank Kingman and
Chas. Young, the druggist. I well remember how Mr.
Fell drove his run-about over to Mendon, and had the
misfortune to strip the clutch (a common occurrence)
and how he telephoned to Frank Palmer, the then
authorized agent, to send some one over to bring it
back. As I was then working for Mr. Palmer I was
delegated to go to Mendon to repair the machine and
bring it home. This was on Friday, so I got together
the necessary tools and went to Mendon. I arrived
there about 4 o'clock that p. m., found the machine in
an old blacksmith shop, took it to pieces that evening
and the next morning repaired it and was ready to
NOTES AND COMMENT 27
shirt hack at 11 a. m.; but rain held me hack until 2
p. m., when I started for home. The first thing I en-
countered after leaving Mendon was a long steep hill,
and that run-about, true to its name, run about half
way up that hill and stopped. It was an easy matter
to let it back down the hill, and while I was tinkering
it back to running again, two farmer boys came out
and kindly offered to help push the thing up the hill.
They said an automobile of this kind was never able
to make that hill. But after I got it tuned up again I
went right up that hill a-flying. When I was going
into Leonidas an old lady came running out to the road
waving her sunbonnet and apron and thinking some
terrible accident had happened, I stopped the auto
and asked what was the matter. She asked me if I
would be careful, as her cow was staked down the road
and she was afraid I would run into it. I pacified her
by saying I thought I was in more danger than the cow.
I reached Leonidas that evening about 6 o'clock, put
the run-about in my friend's barn (Mr. Wilcox's),
had supper and stayed all night at his home; and the
next morning, Sunday, I got up early, filled up (the
machine, mind you) with gasoline and asked Mr.
Wilcox to go for a little ride. He seemed a little reluc-
tant about going, but finally decided he'd take a chance.
So he got in, and after going a short distance I threw
her into high speed, fifteen or sixteen miles an hour.
Well, that was sure too fast for Mr. Wilcox, for he
threw both arms around me and begged to be let out.
I told him I would drive slower and I returned him home
all O. K. When he got out he remarked, "I've had a
ride in an automobile and am still alive." I returned
28 HISTORICAL NEWS
home via Climax and reached home that same day at
noon.
Another incident I well remember was one morning
about 3 a. m, I heard a knock at the door and on open-
ing I found it to be Erastus Penner, who was then a
member of the Frank Palmer force. He said he had
been having a joy ride and the machine was four miles
out on the Verona road and flatly refused to run and
would I go out and help him get it in. So we went down
to the shop and got another machine and went out to
the one stalled. On looking it over I found the wire
leading from the batteries to the spark plug had become
loose, so after giving the nut a turn or two he was able
to get back home in a hurry.
PROM Mr. John W. Fitzgerald of St. Johns, we have
received the following interesting communication
respecting Zachariah Chandler, and an incident con-
nected with the state and national elections of 1864:
In 1879 I was the publisher of The Clinton and
Shiawassee Union, a newspaper established that year
on the line between Clinton and Shiawassee counties,
located at Ovid. That fact of itself has no special
interest, but on the first day of November of that year,
Zachariah Chandler, United States senator from Michi-
gan was found dead in his bed at the Grand Pacific
hotel, Chicago.
In the issue of the Union above referred to, I had
written an editorial, nominating Chandler for the
presidency of the United States, subject of course to
the action of the National Republican party conven-
IS'OTES AND COMMENT 29
tion, which was to be held in Chicago the following
June.
We had just put the paper to press, 10:00 o'clock
a. m. when a message was brought into the office an-
nouncing the death of Chandler. The press was
stopped and messages from Chicago and elsewhere
confirming the report asked for. In the meantime a
short editorial announcing his death was written, as
well as a brief account of his life.
The paper was again put to press and the papers
mailed throughout the state, a bundle of them being
distributed to the passengers of a Grand Trunk train
passing eastward for Detroit, an hour or so later.
This was the first paper in Michigan to announce
the death of Chandler, as the morning papers of Chicago
had all left the presses before his death became known,
as was the case in Detroit, his home. As was the custom
in those days the paper was dressed in mourning, and
from the Chandler family upon receipt of a copy of the
paper I received due acknowledgment.
It is the strangeness of the happening; the article
placing him in nomination for the presidency in one
column and on the opposite page announcing his death,
which makes the copy I possess, together with the sub-
ject matter, of some historical value.
Senator Chandler at the time of his death was the
national chairman of the Republican committee and
because of that fact was out delivering addresses in
some of the prominent cities of the country; he had
made a speech in Chicago to a crowded audience the
evening previous.
30 HISTORICAL NEWS
In 1864 when Abraham Lincoln was a candidate
for the presidency for his second term, George B.
McClellan, retired Union general being his opponent,
the soldiers in the field were given permission to vote.
I was a member of Company "G" 3rd Michigan
cavalry, and my regiment on that election day, 1864,
was camped some twenty miles from Little Rock, Ark.,
where our votes as a regiment were taken. The ballots
cast at that election were gathered up and turned over
to each company commander.
I have now in my possession the ballots which were
cast on that occasion by my company. They carry
besides the national ticket the full Michigan state
ticket, including the presidential electors. Henry H.
Crapo heads the state ticket for governor.
These tickets represent an historical event in the
life of our country; they were the first ballots ever cast
for a president by a soldier in the field wearing the
Union uniform and voting for a candidate who believed
that the sisterhood of states as formed by the fathers
should remain unbroken.
GIFT of some 200 manuscript documents at least
one-half of which pertain directly to America
and some of which relate to the Revolutionary War,
have been given to the University by Regent W. L.
Clements of Bay City. The papers, which were the
property of the late Lord Shelburne, a prominent Eng-
lish statesman, were brought back after being pur-
chased from an auction by Mr. Clements while in France
last summer.
NOTES AND COMMENT 31
They will give University students and others an
opportunity to study the liberality of the four great
British statesmen, Pitt, Fox, Burke and Shelburne.
The collection includes some official documents, some
private correspondence between Shelburne and his
friends Pitt, Fox and Burke and notes on the meetings
of the British cabinet while Shelburne was a member.
following resolution was adopted by the Michi-
gan State Federation of Women's Clubs at their
annual meeting held October 11-14 in Grand Rapids:
Whereas, There is, in the State of Michigan, no
suitable place for the housing and care of many price-
less relics, pictures, papers, books and records belong-
ing to the state, be it
Resolved, That the forty thousand women com-
posing the Michigan State Federation of Women's
Clubs petition the Legislature to provide a State
Memorial building at Lansing to the pioneers and the
soldiers and sailors of all wars who went out from Michi-
gan for the defense of their country and where the work
of the Michigan Historical Commission may be carried
on in a befitting manner.
QERTRUDE B. SMITH, wide-awake historian of
, the Calhoun County Historical Society, writes:
Our present Calhoun County Historical Society
the successor of one of earlier date that evidently
adjourned sine die- received its first inspiration from
32 HISTORICAL NEWS
the Monday Club of Marshall, historic town of southern
Michigan.
Although organized but two years ago, the society
has already accomplished some very effective work and
has large visions for the future.
During the present year we have secured a room in
our library building where have been placed suitable
cases for the preservation and exhibition of the historic
treasures already collected and of the many more we
hope to have.
There are now upon our shelves many original
documents preserved by the early settlers, land grants,
deeds signed by U. S. presidents; letters describing
the pioneer days, their labors, joys and privations;
photographs and old daguerreotypes of early residents;
picture prints and lantern slides of persons, places and
events of important note; posters of the Civil and of
the World War; books, old and rare; newspapers of old
times with their quaint advertisements, and contain-
ing articles now of great interest and historic worth;
maps of town, county and state of an early date; keep-
sakes and precious heirlooms, the nucleus of a col-
lection which we hope to make much worth while.
Other treasured relics and articles of historic interest
are being sought out, collected, catalogued and placed
on exhibition in our cases, where they may be seen,
read and enjoyed by all the county round.
A fine scrap book of newspaper clippings of old time
events and later happenings is already begun and is
being constantly enlarged. We have also a book where-
in are gathered signatures, letters and notes of the
early settlers and of other residents who have made for
XOTES AND COMMENT 33
themselves a name and a place in our local history.
We have sought to interest the students of our schools
in historic research. Questions have been published in
the newspapers to which answers are requested and
later reported, provoking quaint interest and discus-
sion among our citizens.
Tablets to mark historic places are on our program.
The Old Territorial Road blazed through the wilder-
ness in 1830 now the chief auto thoroughfare across
southern Michigan is already marked by a boulder and
bronze tablet donated by the D. A. R. A tablet will
adorn the old oak tfee in the Gorham lawn where in
1834 the educational system of our state was worked
out by two of Michigan's noblemen, Rev. John D.
Pierce and Hon. Isaac E. Crary, a work so well
planned that it was copied far and wide and became
the foundation system for schools, colleges and uni-
versities all over our land. A boulder and tablet will
soon point out the site of the celebrated "Cross white
Affair" of 1847, an incident in the tragedy of slavery
that led to the passage of the national Fugitive Slave
Law, one of the general causes of our Civil War.
Besides our general meetings which are held in
Marshall, special gatherings are held in various places
in the county to create and extend interest in the
society and in the collection of articles of historic
value. These papers of local history are read and later
placed in our archives reminiscences of "the good old
days" are given, old time songs are sung, exhibitions
of old time relics are made and a good time enjoyed.
We are proud of our Historical Society.
May it grow !
5
34 HISTORICAL NEWS
following resolution was passed by the State
League of Women Voters in convention at Detroit,
November 9-11, 1921:
Because of the very valuable work being done by
the Michigan State Historical Commission, not only
to the citizens of this generation but of future genera-
tions, BE IT RESOLVED, that the League of Women
Voters urge the next legislature to appropriate suffi-
cient funds to carry on this work in an efficient manner
and properly house the museum.
A reading room in the Michigan Union at Ann
Arbor is to be dedicated to the University's hero dead
of the Great War. This room is known as the Upper
Reading Room, which up to the present time has been
left unfinished. It is to be completed and furnished
by combined action of three organizations, the Richard
Neville Hall Post of the American Legion, Veterans of
Foreign Wars and the Gun and Blade Club, at a cost
of $15,000. It is proposed to raise this money, very
appropriately, by giving a series of student entertain-
ments during the year.
Our friend Dr. R. Clyde Ford, contributor to the
Magazine and charming lecturer on Michigan history,
is spending a year in the sunny south of France and in
Italy. Knowing his scholarly mind and the genuine-
ness of his human interests we may expect him to bring
back to us something very much worth while.
NOTES AND COMMENT 35
Mr. John Campbell, president of the Baraga County
Historical Society, died December 13, 1921. Mr.
Campbell was within one day of being 71 years old,
and as a pioneer resident of L'Anse he lived through the
wonderful growth of the Upper Peninsula during half
a century. He came to L'Anse in 1872. Mr. Campbell
has been honored by his community with many public
trusts, which he has discharged faithfully and well,
and in his death the historical interests of Michigan
suffer the loss of a warm-hearted friend.
A feature of the work of the history department of
the Northern State Normal School this fall has been
the preparation of original historical accounts of the
home towns of the students, which in several instances
have been published in the local newspapers and have
attracted favorable attention. This work helps the
students, the towns and the Normal. Considerable
new material has come to light in this way.
At a meeting of the Three Oaks Historical Society
in October, a profitable experiment was tried on the
members present, who were wont to pride themselves
on their knowledge of local history. A list of thirty-
four questions was asked, covering the important
points of the history of Three Oaks and the surrounding
region, any one of which every citizen should have been
able to answer. In the test made, no member was able
to answer every one of them, and in many instances
pride was humbled low, much to the amusement as
36 HISTORICAL NEWS
well as profit of the victims and others. The complete
list of questions was published in the Acorn for October
13. Try it at your next meeting.
Among recent additions to the archives department
of the Historical Commission are a number of papers,
1814-1823, of the Supreme Court of Michigan Terri-
tory. For the same period has been secured a collec-
tion of miscellaneous material covering accounts,
affidavits, bills, bonds, claims, sundry correspondence,
dockets, inquests, naturalization papers and writs.
With the transfer of the Commission's offices to the
new state building, the archival work can now advance
more rapidly, having fire-proof quarters. The Com-
mission will be pleased to receive material from citizens
of Michigan and other states, especially documents of
public origin which may be in private hands.
The North Carolina State Library desires Vol. 1,
No. 1, and Vol. 2, No. 1 of the Michigan History Maga-
zine. The publishers' supply is entirely exhausted and
we should be obliged if any one will supply this library
with the missing numbers, which may be sent in care
of the Michigan Historical Commission, Lansing.
We are pleased to welcome to our desk The National
Outlook, published monthly, October to May inclusive,
by The Bay View Reading Club, Detroit; it is a Maga-
zine of high quality, which every citizen of progressive
XOTKS AND COMMENT 37
and cultural inclinations will desire to receive in his
library. As its title states, it is a Magazine of national
scope. For the season of 1921-22 it announces a series
of articles on "Problems in Democracy," and the
articles that have thus far appeared rank with the best
in the older Magazines. The contributors are largely
university and college men and women, specialists in
their fields. The National Outlook is the successor to
the Bay View Magazine which was founded by John M.
Hall in 1893. Mr. George Gerald Betchel is the editor,
and Bessie Leach Priddy, Professor of History in the
Michigan State Normal College, is assistant editor.
In press is the second of the two volumes of the
Michigan Bibliography, compiled by Floyd B. Streeter,
archivist of the Michigan Historical Commission. The
first volume will not be distributed until the second is
ready, as the latter contains an elaborate cross-index
which is necessary to the best use of either volume, but
it is probable that both volumes will be ready to dis-
tribute to libraries early in the fall.
FROM OUR EXCHANGES
J^OCAL history and the local newspaper are close
friends, which leads an exchange to give us this
glimpse of work in a local library. A patron asks:
"Can you tell me the date the Baptist church
burned I mean, of course, the famous fire that all
the old inhabitants talk about?"
The librarian looked up from her work. "No, I
38 HISTORICAL NEWS
can't tell you the exact date, but I think I can find it
for you quickly, for we have the files of the local paper
since it was started. My impression is that the fire
the big fire, as they call it was about 1873, and it
won't be a very long job to look it up."
She went to the stacks in the rear of the library,
pulled out a dusty bound volume marked "Herald,
1873," and spread it open on the table. "Ah, here it
is," she said, after a minute spent in turning over the
yellow leaves.
The person who had inquired for the date, a mem-
ber of the woman's club of the town, sat down and read
the article. 'This gives me exactly the information I
wanted," she said.
"I thought it would," said the librarian. "I fear
most people do not appreciate how valuable is the local
newspaper from the viewpoint of local history. In
fact, it seems to me that it is about our only source.
Only when an event gets into print is it officially re-
corded and filed for reference. Flimsy as it is, the
printed word of today is the counterpart of the ancient
stone inscriptions that give us our records of a long-ago
yesterday. I consider the bound volumes of our local
papers perhaps the most valuable possession of this
library. "
appreciative writer makes our humble friend
say:
I am the Country Newspaper.
I am the friend of the family, the bringer of tidings
from other friends; I speak to the home in the evening
NOTES AND COMMENT 39
light of summer's vine-clad porch or the glow of winter's
lamp.
I help to make this evening hour ; I record the great
and the small, the varied acts of the days and weeks
that go to make up life.
I am for and of the home; I follow those who leave
humble beginnings; whether they go to greatness or to
the gutter, I take to them the thrill of old days, with
wholesome messages,
I speak the language of the common man ; my words
are fitted to his understanding. My congregation is
larger than that of any church in town; my readers are
more than those in the school. Young and old alike
find in me stimulation, entertainment, inspiration,
solace, comfort. I am the chronicler of birth, and love
and death the three great facts of man's existence.
I bring together buyer and seller, to the benefit of
both; I am part of the market-place of the world. Into
the home I carry word of the goods which feed and
clothe and shelter, and which minister to comfort,
ease, health, and happiness.
I am the word of the week, the history of the year,
the record of my community in the archives of state and
nation.
I am the exponent of the lives of my readers.
I am the Country Newspaper.
. NORAH CULVER, historian of the Van Buren
County Pioneer Society, writes in the Courier-
Northerner (Paw Paw) :
It is surely the duty of the people of this county to perpetuate the names
40 HISTORICAL NEWS
of their pioneers, to furnish a record of their early settlement, and to relate
the story of their progress.
The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age, and the duty
that men of the present day owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their
posterity, demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made.
Surely and rapidly the great and aged men who, in their prime entered the
wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, are passing or have
already passed. Knowledge of the incidents of their first days of settlement
is small, indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preser-
vation of this information without delay before all the early settlers are cut
down by the scythe of time.
To be forgotten has been the greatest dread of mankind from remotest
ages. The means employed to prevent oblivion and to perpetuate the memory
of men has been proportioned to the amount of intelligence they possessed.
The pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the names and deeds of great
rulers, the erection of great obelisks was for the same purpose. Coming
down to a later period we find the Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums
and monuments and carving out statues to chronicle their great achievements
and carry them down the ages. It is also evident when we go back as far as
Mound Builders that they had this idea: To leave something to show that
they had lived. And all these memorials, no matter how costly, give but a
faint idea of the lives and characters of those whose memory they were in-
tended to perpetuate and scarcely anything of the masses of people that then
lived.
It was left to modern ages to establish an intelligent, undecayijig, im-
mutable method of perpetuating a full history through the art of printing.
To the last generation, however, we are indebted for the admirable system of
local biography. By this system every man, though he may not achieve what
the world calls greatjness, has the means to perpetuate his life and his history
throughout the coming ages. ,
In collecting the attainable facts of the history of Van Buren county
pioneers, it will be the aim of the officers of the Historical Society, not to gain
any credit or prestige for themselves, but to glean information from reliable
sources that will perpetuate the memory of the early settlers of this county.
J?ROM the Marquette Mining Journal:
The sixth annual upper peninsula meeting of the
Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, which con-
cluded its sessions at L'Anse August 12, is declared to
be the most successful meeting ever held by this organi-
zation outside of Lansing. The meeting was held
NOTES AND COMMENT 41
under the auspices of the Baraga county division of
the Keweenaw Historical Society.
That L'Anse and Baraga county did themselves
proud in showing the down-state guests what the
upper peninsula can do and is doing, as well as what it
has done in the past was agreed by the visitors. The
attendance and intelligent interest shown is said by
state officers to have been beyond expectation. The
picnic at Pequaming Friday was largely attended from
the copper country, Marquette and various points
within reasonable distance for automobiles. There
were in the neighborhood of 300 automobiles parked
on the picnic grounds and vicinity.
Credit for this showing is due to Mr. John Campbell,
of L'Anse, who represents the Keweenaw society in
Baraga county, and to his fine corps of helpers. Men-
tion also should be made of J. J. O'Connor, T. D. Tracy,
Leo Paquette, T. G. Belanger, Edward Sicotte, D. P.
Menard, W. S. Crebassa, H. J. Pennock and Octave
Sicotte, while thanks is due Baraga county and the
several townships for liberal financial backing in behalf
of the meeting.
The convention opened Thursday with the Hon. J.
J. O'Connor, of L'Anse presiding. Invocation was given
by the Rev. W. H. Rule, pastor of the Methodist church
in L'Anse. Mrs. Cora Anderson, of L'Anse, welcoming
the guests in a brief address, made every one feel at
home and desirous to come again at the first oppor-
tunity. Fred H. Begole, former mayor of Marquette,
recalled old times in a paper of reminiscence about
Baraga county when he resided there in the 80's.
The Rev. W. F. Gagnieur, S. J. of Sault Ste. Marie,
42 HISTORICAL NEWS
told of the early missionary, Rene Menard, S. J., who
early labored in this part of the peninsula and who gave
his life in the hardships of the work.
Music was furnished throughout the session by
Mrs. Ed. M. Leiblein of Hancock, accompanied by
Mrs. Bries, also of Hancock. Immediately following
the program an auto drive to Assinins was enjoyed by
several hundred of the guests and townspeople and
lunch was served there in the open. This proved to be
a most enjoyable event, the credit of which is largely
due to L. G. Hillyer and his famous cook, Charles
Cardinal, and helpers.
In connection with the visit to Assinins a marker
was placed in commemoration of the landing of the
Rev. Fr. Baraga in 1843. An historical address was
delivered by the Rev. Charles J. Johnson of Marquette,
and remarks were made by Father Gagnieur.
On Thursday evening George N. Fuller, executive
secretary of the Michigan Historical Commission, and
ex-6fficio secretary of the State Historical society, gave
a talk on the work of those two organizations and out-
lined the program of historical work for Baraga county.
Professor L. A. Chase, head of the department of his-
tory of the Northern State Normal of Marquette, talked
on historical work in Marquette county. Professor
Chase's droll humor in illustrating his experiences there
was greatly enjoyed.
Charles R. Cobb, superintendent of schools of
Bessemer, concluded the evening with a most enjoyable
talk on the history of Gogebic county. Music of the
evening was in charge of Mrs. Mildred Romsdahl
Bruns, of Calumet, whose brilliant and sympathetic
NOTES AND COMMENT 43
work won the hearts of her hearers. She was accom-
panied by Mrs. A. N. King, of Calumet.
Friday morning was given over to an auto drive
ending at Rock Beach near Pequaming where a white
fish and green corn dinner was served to about 1,000
people. The Prairie Club, of Chicago, composed of
campers mainly from Illinois, and the Zeba Indian brass
band dispensed music which was greatly enjoyed.
The afternoon program at L'Anse consisted of a
talk by Claude F. Hancock, of Chassell, on the history
of the Peat industry in the peninsula, a paper by Ethel
Robinson, of Houghton, on "Modes of Travel in Early
Days in the Peninsula," an address by the Rev. John-
son, of Marquette, on "The Indian Mission of L'Anse. "
Stanley Newton, of the Soo was to have talked of the
famous early trader, Alexander Henry, but owing to the
late hour, gave a humorous and complimentary talk
appropriate to the occasion and announced that he
would "put Alexander Henry on ice where he would
keep until some other meeting. " Miss Florence Fribley,
of Baraga, sang a solo number. Miss Maysie Stratton,
of Baraga, gave several readings and little Miss Mary
Cosgrove entertained the audience with her violin.
All of these numbers were encored and thoroughly en-
joyed;
Stereopticon pictures of the copper country and
vicinity by John T. Reeder featured the evening pro-
gram. It would be hard to find a more beautiful col-
lection of pictures than these natural colored marvels.
Thomas Conlin, of Crystal Falls, concluded the
program of the evening with a paper of some length on
the O. and B. land grant and its effect upon the iron
44 HISTORICAL NEWS
country. Alvah L. Sawyer, of Menominee was to have
discussed the Michigan-Wisconsin boundary contro-
versy, but owing to the lateness of the hour he told
the audience he "would place it on ice along with Mr.
Newton's Alexander Henry."
The spirit of the meeting throughout was unsur-
passable, declared Secretary Fuller, who spoke in
warmest praise of the general spirit of enterprise he
had observed in the upper peninsula. Mr. Fuller was
principal of the high school at L'Anse from 1896 to
1900, and through a quarter of a century has been
interested in the development of the upper peninsula.
In his talk Thursday evening he paid a warm
tribute to the Indian missionaries, the early explorers
and prospectors in the iron and copper mines, the pio-
neers of the lumbering industry and the railroad and
lake commerce, the builders of the schools, the churches,
and the press. "All of these who have made the ancient
wilderness the abode of a happy and prosperous people
have added their part to the great historic life picture
of the peninsula. In all of our historic study let us
remember that the pioneers lived for us. It is we who
enjoy the fruits of their love and toil and sacrifice, and
it is for us to be zealous in collecting and preserving the
records for the true history of the work," was the mes-
sage he left with the meeting.
At the closing session there was organized for the
purpose "The Baraga County Historical Society" with
officers as follows: President, John Campbell, of
L'Anse; secretary, Leo Paquette; treasurer, L. G. Hill-
yer, of Baraga.
NOTES AND COMMENT 45
J-IALL J. ING ALLS, the man who superintended the
burial of old Chief Okemos, says the boulder placed
in his memory by the D. A. R. rests on the exact spot
where the famous Indian was laid away.
"I ought to know, for I put him there myself," was his terse comment.
Mr. Ingalls recalls the incident surrounding the death and burial in detail.
He and Al Nichols were rushing work on the Indian school house, on the
reservation known as "Shim-Ne-Con." It was near the chief's home and he
walked over every day for a chat. One day he failed to come and an Indian
told Mr. Ingalls the chief was ill. That night he visited Okemos' home.
"Are you sick?" he asked the chief in the Indian language.
The old man shook his head in t*he negative.
"Not sick; just tired," in the language "both understood so well.
Whiskey was commonly used both as a medicine and a beverage those
days.
"Want whiskey?" Mr. Ingalls inquired.
There was another feeble shake of the head.
"Me go to happy hunting grounds like Okemos not like whiskey makes
him," was the reply.
This remark should be perpetuated in history by the present generation,
which frowns upon hard liquor. The dying chief had known the taste of fire-
water and observed its effects. In his cups he was not Okemos. He wanted
to enter the presence of the Great White Father with his faculties unimpaired.
Yet they say he was a pagan and as such he was buried in what was known as
the heathen cemetery. Some of the Indians had been converted to the
Christian religion and as they were called were laid away like the palefaces,
in the cemetery of their own. No pagan presence desecrated the silent settle-
ment not even a dead one.
Next day there was again the sound of hammer and saw. The men were
at work on the school house. The sounds reached the cabin where the chieftain
slept. Gradually they grew fainter and then seemed to cease entirely, for they
fell upon deaf ears. Old Okemos had come to the end of the long, long trail.
The news of his death was brought to Mr. Ingalls. Because he had laid
away many of the tribe he was called upon to bury the chief.
The grave the Indians dug was larger than usual, for it had to hold the
personal effects of the chief as well. It was four feet deep, seven feet long and
four wide. Mr. Ingalls had the Indians gather bark. A floor was laid on the
bottom and the grave was also sided up with bark.
It was so close to the hut where the remains were lying that but few steps
were required. The body was lowered and then covered with blankets.
Blankets were placed under the head, so that the August sun, almost at the
western horizon, fell full upon the face. At the chief's right were his two guns.
46 HISTORICAL NEWS
At his left his tomahawks, scalping knives and other personal effects were
placed and over the whole went another blanket as a shroud. Bark was then
laid over the whole and the grave filled with earth.
Fires were started on both sides of the mound, fed by sassafras wood and
they were kept going for three days and three nights. By night they sent forth
a greenish glow and no doubt served well the purpose for which they were
intended, that of frightening away the evil spirits.
Three years later Mr. Ingalls' brother George, living close by, heard a
noise in the night and peering in the direction of the grave saw the flickering
of lanterns. The story that many valuables had been buried with the chief
had gone the rounds. George crept out of his home and made a stealthy ad-
vance through the underbrush. When he was within a few feet of the grave T
robbers he let out an unearthly yell. Three men were seen to run from the
spot as rapidly as their legs would carry them. The men left their shovels and
picks, as well as their lanterns. Next day they visited the vicinity.
"I don't know whether you are the men who tried to rob this grave or not,
but the shovels and lanterns are over there, " George said, pointing in the di-
rection of a clump of bushes. "If they are gone when I come back I shall
know they belonged to you. I ought to scalp you on the spot, but never dare
to set foot upon this spot again, " he warned.
When he next visited the pagan burying ground the tools were not there.
Hall Ingalls knows the identity of the men, but as some are still living and
have probably many times repented he is helping them to keep their secret.
The Ingalls brothers, to guard against another such attempt, collected a
large number of stones and placed them in the hole where the ghouls had dug.
They are still there and this is how it came about that when the women of the
county came to mark the historic spot Hall Ingalls led them confidently to it.
"The boulder is directly over Chief Okemos' head," he says, and he is the
only man who knows. Portland Review.
village of Ada in Kent county was the objective
point August 18 of everyone interested in the early
history of western Michigan, who was able to make the
trip, the occasion being the celebration of the centenary
of the first settler in the village, Rix Robinson, who
happens to be also one of the most prominent and ro-
mantic figures in the story of the development of the
state. Robinson was identified closely also with Grand
Haven and north Ottawa county.
NOTES AND COMMENT 47
The earliest feature of the day was the marking of the site of the trading
post Robinson established at Ada before he made that a permanent residence
which continued for at least 50 years or until his death in 1875 at the age
of 86.
The principal speaker of the day was Miss Mary Robinson of Ann Arbor,
a niece of the pioneer, who left no direct descendants. She read a paper upon
the life and times of Rix Robinson and had with her some of the finery which
belonged to one of Robinson's Indian wives, the one who thought Indian blood
was better than white and would not eat at the same table with her lawyer
husband, herself being a princess.
Among the other speakers were Capt. Charles E. Belknap of Grand Rapids,
George Hefferan and Jud Davis. William Farrell, Ada's pioneer schoolmaster
and secretary of the pioneers' association, was director of ceremonies.
It was his call to the more elemental modes of warfare that led Rix Robinson
to quit the study of law only a few months before he was due to be admitted
to the bar of New York an* to come west. His fortune was $1,000 which his
father gave him when he turned his back on Auburn. After a 26-day trip,
between Buffalo and Detroit, he became sutler to the U. S. troops at the Straits
and saw his first of frontier life while he was following the soldiers from post
to post in this capacity. Two years of this life left him with little profit, so
he went to St. Louis and invested his capital in tobacco. This trip and pur-
chase resulted in his establishing several trading posts. He started two in
Illinois, one at Calumet, near the head of Lake Michigan in 1817, one on the
Illinois river 25 miles from its mouth in 1819, one at Milwaukee, Wis., in
1820, one at the mouth of the Grand river in Ottawa county, Mich., in 1820,
and one during the same year at the mouth of the Thornapple in Kent county.
From 1821 to 1834 the arrival and departure of his trading vessels was the
only thing to break the monotony of frontier life at Grand Haven. His vessels
were entering the Grand river when the site of Grand Haven city was a forest.
He lived to be 86 years old, however, and served the state senate before
his death at Ada in 1875, mourned as one of their own by both whites and
Indians. He spoke fluently all district dialects of the Indian tongue, and it
was due largely to his influence over the Indians that they "retired so grace-
fully upon the coming of the 'white man'." Holland Sentinel.
CARLETON DAY Friday, October 21, 1921,-
will long be remembered in Hudson and southern
Michigan as the day on which one of the largest gath-
erings of people from far and near assembled to do
honor to the memory of her most distinguished son
the famous poet, Will M. Carleton.
48 HISTORICAL NEWS
Estimates will vary on the size of the great throng assembled, but it is not
too much to say that it was probably the greatest throng that ever gathered
in Hudson. They came from all walks of life. Wealthy people drove up in
$6,000 limousines, and rickety one-horse vehicles were there. They even came
on foot. However they came, whether rich or poor, or no matter what their
station in life, they were there to pay tribute to the poet of the plain people.
To one who, in whatever he wrote touched the heartstrings of the people.
Even the engineer on a passing freight train blew three long mellow blasts
that fitted in well with the program that it interrupted just for the moment.
High over head soared an aeroplane dipping and saluting in graceful curves.
The day was a perfect one, as only an October day can be perfect with a
tang in the air and a snapping breeze that sent the multi-colored leaves of
autumn scurrying hither and yon.
The parade formed on Grove street shortly after 1 :30 and moved slowly
down Main street, headed by the Ladies' band from Tecumseh. The Frensdorf
car followed the band. In this were seated Miss Florence Frensdorf, Edward
Frensdorf and the speaker of the day, James Schermerhorn. The president
of the Carleton Memorial Association, Judge C. L. Newcomer, and other
officers of the association followed in other cars.
At one point in the parade were several cars bearing former schoolmates
to the number of twenty.
A number of floats depicting many of Carleton's well-known poems, were
the principal features of the parade. Some of these floats were very well
arranged, such as "Autumn Days," with six beautiful young girls with a
canopy of multi-colored leaves over them; "The Old Singing School," which
sang "Auld Lang Syne" as it drove through the town; "Mending the Old
Flag;" "The Day We Graduate;" the "Carleton School;" "The Old Front
Gate." One float contained two Roman gladiators, and a soldier of the late
war; another a beautiful young lady clad in flowing white robe, with a golden
crown upon her head ; another a Christmas tree, with little girls clad as white-
winged cherubs, and a tiny Santa Glaus surrounding it; another, an old settler,
sitting before his cabin, a deer he had killed lying before him; another con-
tained an old-fashioned organ surrounded by a teacher and scholars singing
"Onward Christian Soldiers;" and others, school boys and girls from Morenci,
Pittsford, Addison and the "Mockingbird Club" of Hillsdale College.
A float from Hillsdale College which attracted some attention was one
depicting the Carleton poem, "Gone With a Handsomer Man." Then there
was another band and hundreds of automobiles, all being driven slowly east-
ward.
The procession, headed by the parade of floats, stretched from Hudson
clear to the Carleton place. Already there were parked about the roadsides
and fields thousands of autos.
From a stand on the east side of the home the program was given and was
attentively listened to by thousands through the use by the speakers of a
NOTES AND COMMENT 49
sound amplifier on the speakers' platform. They were called to order by Mrs.
A. K. Deane, president of the Lenawee County Federation of Women's Clubs.
Miss Florence Frensdorf presided. There was a song, " Home, Sweet Home, "
by the Hudson High School chorus and the Hillsdale College Glee Club; the
address of welcome by Mrs. C. B. Stowell; unveiling of the monument by Mrs.
Clara Blossom and Miss Ruth Blossom, Carleton's nearest relatives; an
address, "The Completed Task," by Miss Frensdorf; an ode to Carleton by
Edgar A. Guest; song by the Hillsdale Glee Club; "A Lifelong Friendship" by
B. A. Finney; "Reminiscences of College Days," J. W. Mauck, president of
Hillsdale College; talk on the Carleton Memorial Association by Judge C. L.
Newcomer, president of the association ; address of the day by James Schermer-
horn.
It was a proud moment for the niece and grand-niece of the poet, Mrs.
Clara Blossom and Miss Ruth Blossom, when they drew aside the flag from the
beautiful bronze tablet revealing the words:
Birth Place
of
WILL CARLETON
1845 Poet 1912
Erected by
The Lenawee County
Federation of Woman's Clubs
1921
Hudson Post-Gazette.
pRINCESS ELLA PETOSKEY, only surviving
granddaughter of the old Chief Pe-to-se-ga who
once owned the site of Petoskey and after whom the
city was named, will make Petoskey her home after
the first of next June. She is at present in Grand
Rapids. The Grand Rapids Herald says:
Miss Petoskey is an actress, a vocalist of note, a
poet and a lecturer. She graduated from Carlisle and
later took a normal course in Dr. Edgecomb's private
institution then known as the Benton Harbor college.
Then she taught in the government Indian service in
Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Dakota and Wisconsin.
When Indians of northern Michigan staged their
50 HISTORICAL NEWS
famous production, "Hiawatha," the princess carried
the leading role of "Minnehaha" during the seasons
that it was performed and won the plaudits of many
thousands of summer tourists. The play was given at
Wa-ag-a-mug, several miles from Petoskey, and the
"stage" was an island in Round lake. The spectators'
grandstand was on the main land. It is probable that
the abandoned play will be revived with the return of
its star.
The princess' father was Joseph Petoskey, who was
the fifth of the old chief's 10 children. Before Ella was
born her father traded his Petoskey home for a farm in
Friendship township, seven miles north of Harbor
Springs, and she was one of five children. Two of the
five survive, the other being Cyrillus Petoskey, a
resident of Lansing, Mich., and a prominent member
of the Masonic fraternity.
pROF. FRANCIS W. KELSEY of the Latin Depart-
ment of the University of Michigan, who has re-
cently returned from Europe and Egypt, has brought
to Ann Arbor one of the most important collections of
ancient documents discovered in recent years. The
Michigan Daily says:
The documents were ,a part of the files of a record
office in or near the city of Tebtunis, Egypt, and were
written in Greek with the exception of a few in Demotic.
They were discovered about four months ago and nearly
all of them were perfectly preserved. To properly
interpret and explain these papers in their relation to
the history and life of the Roman empire at that time
will require from 10 to 15 years of steady work.
NOTES AND COMMENT 51
Among the papers are leases, receipts for wages,
official orders, petitions to public officials, tax receipts,
accounts, agreements regarding loans, a contract of
indemnity, a receipt for dowry, discussions relating to
the ownership and transfer of slaves, and a part of a
register of deeds. There are also contracts of sale
covering both personal and real property.
A perfect example of an ancient scroll of the kind
referred to in the Bible, particularly in the Book of
Revelations, is a roll nearly eight feet long with writing
on both sides.
A number of papyri written in the Coptic language
in the early Christian centuries were also included in
the collection brought back by Professor Kelsey. The
most important is a papyrus book consisting of 12
leaves, on which are written out the incantations and
formulas used by a master magician.
The entire collection was damped out and made
ready for decipherment in the British Museum, which
has a workroom for the treatment of fragile and valu-
able writings.
soon now the Old Engineering Building, one
of our oldest Campus landmarks at the University
will begin to come down in order to make room for the
Clements Memorial Library, which is to house the
Clements Library of Americana. Only the western
tier of rooms will be torn away from the old building to
begin with, for the library will not occupy exactly the
old site. Building operations will begin as soon as the
contract can be formally let. The contractors have al-
52 HISTORICAL NEWS
ready been notified that they are the low bidders, but
that certain details require adjustment. It is estimated
that the building will cost $175,000.
The building, of Italian renaissance design, will
cover a plot approximately 80x100 feet and will be two
stories high above a deep basement. One will approach
it over a broad terrace and enter through a pillared
loggia directly into the main reading and exhibition
room. This room is to be about 36x90 feet and runs
through both stories to the roof. On the first floor
there is also to be an office for the Professor of American
History, one for the custodian of the collection, and a
study room for students. The custodian's room is so
placed that work done in the study room goes on under
his supervision. It also adjoins the vault room in which
the many rare and precious books for which the collec-
tion is distinguished are to be kept.
On the second floor are located the administrative
offices for such work as collating and cataloguing.
There is also an office for the Associate Professor of
American History, a map room, and cases in which re-
prints of rare books are to be kept for students' use.
In the basement provision has been made for re-
ceiving incoming books. There is also a room for the
making of photostat copies of valuable books, and a
large stockroom for storing the files of early newspapers,
in which the library is particularly rich.
This building is going to be simple and useful in
construction and beautiful in appearance, a very fitting
unit to face south from the Campus. It will house what
historians declare to be one of the most valuable li-
braries of Americana, which, like the building, is the
NOTES AND COMMENT 53
gift of Regent W. L. Clements, '82. Mr. Clements has
been many years in gathering the books and other
items that make up the collection, and has spent for
them upwards of $400,000. Yet, as George Parker
Winship, librarian of Harvard University, says, "Get-
ting the books, not paying for them," is the great gift
from Regent Clements. That has required the utmost
devotion, patience and discrimination. Many men
could expend half a million for the University ; few could
make for it such a collection as the Clements Library
of Americana. Michigan Alumnus.
REQUEST for information: The following is from
the Michigan State Dental Society Bulletin, Septem-
ber, 1921 :
We are glad to be able to report that the old records
of the Michigan State Dental Society have been found
which makes the compilation of a history much easier.
The book containing the records from 1881 to 1904
was handed to your historian at the last meeting and
information from Floyd B. Streeter, Archivist of the
Michigan Historical Commission, brought to light the
fact that the first record book containing the records
from 1856 to 1880 was in the Burton Historical Col-
lection in the Detroit Public Library. A visit to the
Detroit library resulted in Miss Krum, the custodian of
the Collection, loaning the book to us.
We have also unearthed a biography and picture of
Dr. James J. Jeffres, who was a charter member of this
society. This leaves only one hole in our records. We
still lack a picture of Dr. Geo. P. Bennett, who
54 HISTORICAL NEWS
practiced in Jackson from 1842 to 1859 and was a
charter member of this society.
AMONG THE BOOKS
MODERN DEMOCRACIES, by the Right Hon.
James Viscount Bryce, scarcely needs an intro-
duction to any reader of the author's earlier work, The
American Commonwealth. Out of a rich background of
political experience, study and travel Lord Bryce at
the age of 83 years has produced his monumental work.
Throughout it is characterized by unfailing clearness
of thought, masterly grasp, and simplicity of style.
The aim of the work, the author states, is "to present
a general view of the phenomena hitherto observed in
governments of an earlier type, showing what are the
principal forms that type has taken, the tendencies
each form has developed, the progress achieved in
creating institutional machinery, and, above all, what
Democracy has accomplished or failed to accomplish
as compared with other kinds of government for the
well-being of each people." The study is based upon
six representative democracies, France, Switzerland,
Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zea-
land, and divides into three parts. Of profound
interest is Part III, "The Future of Democracy,"
which is sanely optimistic. The author says:
'The statesmen and philosophers of antiquity did
not dream of a government in which all men of every
grade should bear a part: democracy was for them a
superstructure erected upon a substructure of slavery.
Modern reformers, bolder and more sanguine, called
NOTES AND COMMENT 55
the multitude to power with the hope and in the faith
that the gift of freedom and responsibility would kindle
the spirit self-government requires. For them, as for
Christian theologians, Hope was one of the Cardinal
Virtues.
"Less has been achieved than they expected, but
nothing has happened to destroy the belief that among
the citizens of free countries the sense of duty and the
love of peace will grow steadily stronger. The experi-
ment has not failed, for the world is after all a better
place than it was uivier other kinds of government, and
the faith that it may be better still survives. Without
Faith nothing is accomplished, and Hope is the main-
spring of Faith. Throughout the course of history
every winter of despondency has been followed by a
joyous springtime of hope."
Modern Democracies will be a guide to statesmen,
students, and practical men for generations to come,
and as such should be in every school and college li-
brary and in the library of every thinking citizen
(Macmillans, N. Y., 1921, 2 Vols., pp. 508 and 676.
$10.50).
POWERS AND AIMS OF WESTERN
DEMOCRACY, by William M. Sloane, is the work
of an historian of imagination, as well as of conserva-
tive tendencies. , On the whole he is optimistic. He
sees the present in the long perspective of world his-
tory, and present-day unrest as in no essential way
more ominous than other great periods of transition.
The work divides into three parts. First, the develop-
56 HISTORICAL NEWS
ment of democracy in thought and action covers the
history of democracy from earliest times to the present
day, discussing its institutions, its devices, its formulas
and terms, its foes, its gains, and its degree of efficiency.
The second part deals with the evolution of the modern
nation in its relation to democracy. Most interesting
is part three, the struggle for peace, especially the con-
cluding words on peace as the test of our democracy.
The easy style and clear thought of the book make it
very readable (Scribners, N. Y., 1919, pp. 489. $3.50).
FOUNDING OF NEW ENGLAND, by James
Truslow Adams, is probably the best book on this
subject yet written. The author says in his preface:
"There is no lack of detailed narratives, both of
the entire period covered by the present volume and,
on an even larger scale, of certain of its more important
or dramatic episodes. New material brought to light
within the past decade or two, however, has necessitated
a revaluation of many former judgments, as well as
changes in selection and emphasis. Moreover, our gener-
al accounts do not, for the most part, adequately treat
of those economic and imperial relations which are of
fundamental importance; for the one outstanding fact
concerning any American colony in the colonial period
is that it was a dependency, and formed merely a part
of a larger and more comprehensive imperial and eco-
nomic organization. Consequently, the evolution of
such a colony can be viewed correctly only when it is
seen against the background of the economic and im-
perial conditions and theories of the time."
NOTES AND COMMENT 57
It is the imperial problem that has interested the
author and to which he gives most careful attention.
Those who desire a thorough treatment of the New
England Puritan, particularly his contribution to edu-
cation, government, ecclesiastical polity, and land
ownership, will need to consult other works, for the
author has touched only casually upon the institutional
side of Puritan life. The style of the volume is literary
and will please a wide circle of readers outside of the
teaching profession (The Atlantic Monthly Press,
Boston, 1921, pp. 482. $4.00).
EUROPE SINCE 1870, by Prof. Edward Raymond
Turner, University of Michigan, is a useful ampli-
fication of a portion of the author's earlier work,
Europe ,1789-1920. Beginning with Germany's victory
in the Franco-Prussian war and ending with the de-
feat of her world ambitions in the recent great struggle,
the book covers of course the period most highly signifi-
cant for an interpretation of the present. It is more
than a detailing of the facts of politics and war ; it is an
evaluation of contemporary European history, in terms
of the life of the people. The treatment is scholarly,
forceful, and graphic. Thirty-six maps help to eluci-
date the text. Like the author's earlier volume, this
book, while intended particularly for college and uni-
versity classes, will be enjoyed by the general reader
(Doubleday Page and Co., Garden City, N. Y., 1921,
pp. 580. $3.00).
58 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT
NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MICHIGAN HISTORICAL
COMMISSION, 1921
TN accordance with Act No. 271, Public Acts of 1913,
the Michigan Historical Commission herewith sub-
mit the ninth annual report, covering the period from
January 1 to December 31, 1921.
The members of the Commission for this period
were as follows:
Gov. Alexander J. Groesbeck, ex officio
William L. Clements, Bay City
Augustus C. Carton, Lansing
Rt. Rev. Mgr. Frank A. O'Brien, Kalamazoo
Claude H. Van Tyne, Ann Arbor
Clarence M. Burton, Detroit
William L. Jenks, Port Huron
Monsignor O'Brien, owing to continued ill health,
resigned from the -Commission in November, and was
succeeded by Rev. Wm. F. Murphy, appointed De-
cember 1.
At a meeting of the Commission held May 25, 1921,
Commissioner William L. Clements of Bay City was
elected president, and Commissioner Augustus C.
Carton of Lansing vice-president.
Following is the financial statement for the fiscal
year June 30, 1921 :
Total amount of appropriation for fiscal year ending
June 30, 1921 $15, 000.00
Expenditures from appropriation for fiscal year:
Personal Service $7,-899.40
Supplies 91.13
Equipment and Furniture 1 1 1 . 53
MICHIGAN HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1921 59
Stationery, Books and Paper $992 . 48
Printing and Advertising 2, 993.40
Transportation, Telephone and Telegraph . 885 . 00
Fixed Charges 240.00
Total disbursements . . $13, 182 . 94
Total balance on hand June 30, 1921 $1, 817.06
During the year the Michigan History Magazine
has contained the following articles:
Romance and Adventtire on the Ontonagon, by H. M. Powers.
New England Men in Michigan History, by Wm. Stocking.
Recollections of Zachariah Chandler, by O. E. McCutcheon.
A Brief History of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, by J. E.
Jopling.
Laura Smith Haviland, by Mrs. Caroline R. Humphrey.
Michigan's Memorial and Historical Building, by Murray
MacKay.
A Sketch of Some Institutional Beginnings in Michigan, by
W. O. Hedrick.
Early Days in Petoskey, by Henry McConnell.
Public Schools of Battle Creek, by W. G. Coburn.
Michigan War Legislation, 1919, by Charles Landrum.
Polygamy at Beaver Island, by Milo M. Quaife.
The Legend of Me-nah-sa-gor-ning, by Samuel M. Leggett.
A Daring Canadian Abolitionist, by Fred Landon.
What the Glaciers did for Michigan, by Franklin S. Dewey.
Historic Spots Along Old Roads and New, by William M.
Bryant.
A Forgotten City, by Ralph Chester Meima.
Charcoal Humor, by Thomas Clancey.
Overland to Michigan in 1846, by Miss Sue I. Silliman.
Pioneer Days in Wexford County, by Clarence Lewis Northrup.
Old Veterans' Stories, by Lansing Lodge, Sons of Veterans.
Rail Growth of Michigan's Capital City, by Glen K. Stimson.
60 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT
Historical Sketch of the Muskegon Schools, by Miss Addie
Littlefield.
The Story of Battle Creek's First Bank, by Forest G. Sweet.
Early Days in Dearborn, by Henry A. Haigh.
General Joseph Brown, by W. B. Hartzog.
Memories of Early Marquette, by Mrs. Philo M. Everett.
The following works are in press or in preparation :
Bibliography of Michigan history.
Michigan Historical Readings for schools.
Biographies of Michigan Public Men.
History of Women's Clubs of Michigan.
Autobiography of John Ball.
War Work, Michigan Division, Council of National Defense.
Life and Times of William Dummer Powell.
History of Sault Ste. Marie.
Records of the Governors and Judges of Michigan Territory.
History of the Federal Land Survey of Michigan.
Messages and Papers of the Governors of Michigan.
Michigan in the World War.
Extensive cooperative work has been carried on
during the year with other states in calendaring the
national archives, and in Michigan with the schools,
libraries, women's clubs, chapters of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, Americanization societies,
and work of other civic and patriotic organizations,
reports of which have appeared in the press and in the
Michigan History Magazine. A detailed six column
report of the work of the Commission was published in
Pipp's Weekly, Detroit, in the issue of December 3,
1921.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY ENROLLED SINCE JAN., 1921 61
SUPPORTING MEMBERS OF THE MICHIGAN PIONEER AND
HISTORICAL SOCIETY ENROLLED
SINCE JAN. 1921
ALPENA:
Fletcher, Frank Ward, Alpena
Lyall, Mrs. Ida A., Alpena
Veenfliet, Mrs. Mary L., Alpena
BARRY:
Bellinger, Mrs. Mary F., Hickory Corners
Colgrove, Philip T., Castings
Messer, Chester, Hastings
BAY:
Bateson Bros., Bay City
Butterfield, Geo. E., Bay City
Perkins, Mrs. A. B., Bay City
Sheldon, Mr. Clarence L., Bay City
Shields, Mrs. Irene P., Bay City
BERRIEN:
Babbitt, Mrs. Webster L., Niles
Babbitt, Mr. L. W. Niles,
Banyon, Walter Edward, Benton Harbor
Blish, Mrs. W. G., Niles
Fox, Geo. R., Three Oaks
Strang, Mr. Clement J., Buchanan
Three Oaks Woman's Club, Three Oaks
White, Mrs. Martha, Three Oaks
BRANCH:
Thomas, Miss Mary, Union City
CALHOUN:
Cook,' Mrs. Justin T., Homer
Cortwright, Mrs. W. H., Homer
Hamilton, Mr. Burritt, Battle Creek
62 SUPPORTING MEMBERS
Mary Marshall Chapter, D. A. R., Marshall
Miller, Craig, Marshall
Ruff, Mr. Joseph, Albion
Wheelock, Mr. C. H., Battle Creek
CASS:
Warren, Miss Margaret E., Cassopolis
CHARLEVOIX:
Armstrong, R. B., Charlevoix
Harsha, Mrs. H. S., Charlevoix
McConnell, Mr. Henry, Walloon Lake
CHIPPEWA :
Emery, Mr. B. R, Sault Ste. Marie
Fowle, Mrs. Otto, Sault Ste. Marie
Kemp, Mr. George, Sault Ste. Marie
CLARE:
Dorsey, Mrs. T. S., Clare
CLINTON:
Daniels, Mr. J. T., St. Johns
Fitzgerald, Mr. J. W., St. Johns
DELTA :
Brennan, Mrs. Mary K., Escanaba
Carlson, Mr. Roy W., Escanaba
Yelland, Judge Judd, Escanaba
EATON :
Ernsberger, Mrs. Emily Louisa, Charlotte
Stinchcomb, Mrs. Lydia M., Sunfield
Strange, Mr. Daniel, Grand Ledge
EMMET:
Linehan, Mr. Thomas, Harbor Springs
GENESEE:
Bigelow, Mrs. Garrett, Grand Blanc
Countryman, Mrs. Hannah E., Flint
HISTORICAL SOCIETY ENROLLED SINCE JAN., 1921 63
Dusenbery, Mrs. C. M., Flint
Edwards, Mrs. Asenath B., Flint
Manning, Mr. Albert, Flint
Stever, Mrs. A. E., Flint
GLAD WIN I
Croll, Mrs. Henry, Beaverton
Foster, Mrs. Cora, Gladwin
Foster, Mr. Isaac, Gladwin
McGregor, Mrs. G. A., Beaverton
Niggerman, Mrs. Frank, Beaverton
Prindle, Mrs. F. I., Gladwin
Woodward, Mrs. W. E., Gladwin
d
GRAND TRAVERSE:
Hamilton, Mr. Frank, Traverse City
Love, Mrs. William, Traverse City
Traverse City Woman's Club, Traverse City
HILLSDALE I
Dudley, Mrs. Cornelia, Jones ville
HOUGHTON:
Hancock, Mr. Claude F., Chassell
Jacker, Mr. Francis, -Tacobsville
Lieben, Miss Dora M.
Reeder, Mr. John T., Hough ton
HURON:
Scranton, Hon. Gilmore G., JIarbor Beach
INGHAM:
Brown, Mrs. A. M., East Lansing
Burdick, Miss Clara M., Lansing
Dilliman, MA Grover C., East Lansing
Graham, Mrs. M. S., Lansing
Haight, Judge Charles F., Lansing
Havens, Mr. E. R., Lansing
Herrmann, Mr. Christian, Lansing
Hungerford, Mrs. Angeline E. H., Lansing
Traver, Mr. George, Williamston
64 SUPPORTING MEMBERS
IONIA:
Marshall, Mrs. Levi, Ionia
Morse, Mr. Grant M., Portland
IQSCO:
Bradley, Miss Ina M., Tawas City
Loud, Mr. Edward F., Oscoda
Twentieth Century Club, Tawas City
IRON:
Conlin, Mr. Thomas, Crystal Falls
Murphy, Judge Fred F., Iron River
ISABELLA :
Doughty, Mrs. Eva, Mt. Pleasant
JACKSON:
Bulson, Mrs. Florence I., Jackson
Dixon, Mrs. C. F., Jackson
Fritz, Mr. Richard V., Jackson
Luther, Mr. George E., Jackson
Scott, Miss Mabel C., Jackson
Sister Francis Stace, Jackson
KALAMAZOO :
Boudeman, Mr. Dallas, Kalamazoo
Buckley, Mrs. F. J., Kalamazoo
Clark, Mrs. Jenny N., Vicksburg
Follmer, Mrs. Mary Dennis, Vicksburg
Hobbs, Mrs. Henry, Kalamazoo
Hoyt, Mrs. Mary E., Kalamazoo
Ladies' Library Auxiliary, Vicksburg
Lucinda Hinsdale Chapter, D. A. R., Kalamazoo
McDuffee, Miss Alice Louise, Kalamazoo
Oakley, Mrs. Kate Russell, Kalamazoo
KENT:
Abbott, Miss Ethelyn, Grand Rapids
Anderson, Mr. W. H., Grand Rapids
Avery, Mr. Noyes L., Grand Rapids
HISTORICAL SOCIETY ENROLLED SINCE JAN., 1921 65
Ball, Miss Lucy, Grandville
Beets, Rev. Henry, Grand Rapids
Blodgett, "Miss- Helen, Grand Rapids
Davis, Mrs. E. M., Grand Rapids
Deane, Mr. Fred M., Grand Rapids
Glasgow, Mr. William J., Grand Rapids
Hamilton, Mr. Claude, Grand Rapids
Heath, Mr. Ferry K., Grand Rapids
Hollister, Mr. Clay H., Grand Rapids
Kenny, Mr. Willard F., Grand Rapids
Leonard, Mr. Frank E., Grand Rapids
Markham, Mrs. Ida May, Grand Rapids
O'Brien, Mr. J. T., Grand Rapids
Rouse, Mr. Guy W.,Tjrand Rapids
Schouten, Mr. John H., Grand Rapids
Sweet, Mrs. Edwin F., Grand Rapids
Vander Velde, Miss T. E., Grand Rapids
Waters, Mr. Dudley E., Grand Rapids
LEELANAU I
Allen, George, Omcna
LENA WEE :
Frensdorf, Mr. Edward, Hudson
Graves, Mr. S. E., Adrian
Satterthwaite, Mr. J. N., Tecumseh
LIVINGSTON
Philip Livingston Chapter, D. A. R., Howell
Tubbs, Mrs. R. M., Howell
9
MACKINAC I
Donnelly, Helen M., Mackinac Island
Murray, Judge David W., St. Ignace
MACOMB:
Chapoton, Mr. Henry O., Mt. Clemens
Dalby, Mrs. Spencer, Mt. Clemens
Slocum, Mr. Grant H., Mt. Clemens
9
66 SUPPORTING MEMBERS
MANISTEE :
Beache, Mrs. P. J., Manistee
Schumacker, Rev. A., Manistee
MARQUETTE I
Bell, Mr. Frank A., Negaunee
Dougherty, Miss Mary J., Negaunee
Duncan, Hon. Murray M., Ishpeming
Jopling, Mr. Alfred O., Marquette
Longyear, Mr. J. M., Marquette
Pendill, Miss Olive, Marquette
MECOSTA :
Fairhead, Mrs. Anna R. Gardner, Big Rapids
Malone, Father James, Big Rapids
MENOMINEE :
Radford, Miss Frances D., Menominee
Vennema, Mrs. H. A., Menominee
MISSAUKEE :
Lake City Woman's Club, Lake City
Lamport, Rev. Warren Wayne, Lake City
Merchant, Mrs. A. S., Stittsville
MONROE :
Conant, Mr. Harry A., Monroe
Newberry, Mrs. Marie A., Dundee
Sister Mary Fidelia, Monroe
MONTCALM :
Fowle, Mr. Delos A., Stan ton
Hinds, -Mr. Henry H., Stan ton
Pierson, Mr. John W. S., Stan ton
Prevette, Mr. Geo. C., Stanton
Ranney, Mrs. E. W., Greenville
MUSKEGON :
Galpin, Mrs. William, Muskegon
Hume, Mr. Thomas H., Muskegon
Moon, Mr. Paul, Muskegon
HISTORICAL SOCIETY ENROLLED SINCE JAN., 1.1)21 67
Nims, Mrs. Ellen S. McReynold, Muskegon
Smith, Mr. and Mrs. James L., Muskegon
OAKLAND :
Bachelder, Dr. Frank S., Pontiac
Carlisle, Ruth, Farmington
Clark, Mrs. Mary J., Pontiac
Coss, Mr. Preston B., Pontiac
Hagerty, Mrs. Mary Hayes, Royal Oak
Patton, Mrs. Mary E., Pontiac
OCEANA :
Munger, Mrs. Edith G., Hart
Woman's Literary Club, Pentwater
Woman's Progressive* Club, Hart
ONTONAGON I
Powers, Mrs. Mary A., Ontonagon
OSCEOLA:
Bass, Mr. L. Burdett, LeRoy
Evart Woman's Club, Evart
OTTAWA :
Marsilje, Mr. Isaac, Holland
Jesiek, Mr. A., Holland
Van Eyck, Mr. William O., Holland
OTSEGO I
Shipp, Mrs. F. J., Gaylord
ROSCOMMON:
Finnigan, Mr. J. T., Houghton
SAGINAW :
Boynton, Mrs. John F., Saginaw
Dustin, Mr. Fred, Saginaw
Wallace, Mr. William H., Saginaw
SAINT CLAIR:
Ballentine, Mrs. Carolone F., Port Huron
Ernst, Mrs. George L., Port Huron
68 SUPPORTING MEMBERS
Howe, Mrs. George W., Port Huron
Ottawawa Chapter, D. A. R., Port Huron
Thompson, Mr. Ethon W., Port Huron
SAINT JOSEPH
Cummings, Mrs. Frank S., Centerville
Miller, Mrs. L. O., Three Rivers
SCHOOLCRAFT :
Thorborg, Mrs. Nettie, Manistique
SHIAWASSEE I
Killian, Mrs. Etta, Garland
McCartney, Mrs. Frank, Owosso
VAN BUREN:
Cochrun, Mr. Edgar R., Paw Paw
Miller, Mabel Hayes, Paw Paw
Scott Club, South Haven
Smith, Mr. Dana P., Paw Paw
WAYNE :
Banks, Dr. S. Gertrude, Detroit
Bates, Mr. W. G., Detroit
Beaumont, Mr. John W., Detroit
Bowen, Mr. Herbert, Detroit
Brotherton, Mrs. Wilber, Detroit
Butler, Mr. E. H., Detroit
Carr, Mr. Edward L, Detroit
Chandler, Mrs. C. J., Grosse Pointe
Chapin, Mr. Roy D., Detroit
Couzens, Hon. James, Detroit
Crapo, Stanford T., Detroit
Dussault, Mr. Paul, Detroit
Finn, Mr. Albert H., Detroit
Ford, Mr. William, Dearborn
Haigh, Mr. Henry A., Detroit
Harbeck, Miss Ida C., Detroit
Harvey, Miss Caroline, Detroit
Heckel, Col. Edward G,, Detroit
HISTORIOA^ SOCIETY ENROLLED SINCK .TAX., 1021 69
Joy, Mr. Richard P., Detroit
Lambert, Mrs. Benjamin L., Detroit
Inland, Mr. Henry M., Petrol t
Lightner, Mr. Clarence A., Detroit
McGlogan, Miss Margaret, Detroit
McGlogan, Miss Lucy, Detroit
Nielson, Mr. N. C., Detroit
Raynale, Mrs. H. E., Highland Park
Rippey, Mr. Owen, Highland Park
Rockwell, Mr. Samuel R., Detroit
Stoddard, Mrs. E. W., Detroit
Walker, Mr. Bryant v Detroit
Warren, Mr. Charles B., Detroit
Wells, Mr. Daniel, Detroit
Willebrands, Louise, Detroit
WASHTENAW:
Easterly, Miss Ruth, Dexter
English, Mr. Albert D., Manchester
Finney, Mr. Byron A., Ann Arbor
Ladies' Literary Club, Ypsilanti
Osborn, Mr. Milton E., Ann Arbor
Soule, Major Harrison, Ann Arbor
Woodbridge, Mrs. Charles O., Saline
Ypsilanti Chapter, D. A. R., Ypsilanti
SUPPORTING MEMBERS OUTSIDE OF STATE
Bedford- Jones, Mr. H., Evansville, Ind.
Boisseau, Mr. O. G., Holden, Mo.
Brown, Mr. Charles W., La G/ange, Ind.
BurtjMr. H. E., Chicago, 111.
Cox, Mr. William Armstrong, Cleveland, Ohio
Denham, Mr. Edward, New Bedford, Mass.
Dolan, Mr. H. A., Portland, Maine
Eichhorn, Mr. John P., DeKalb, 111.
Gratiot, Dr.'C. C., Shullslmrg, Wis.
Green, Mr. Edwin O., Cleveland, Ohio
Griffin, Mr. A. A., Davenport, Iowa
70 SUPPORTING MEMBERS *
Kelton, Dr. Ann L., Montpelier, Vermont
Lane, Mr. Alfred Church, Cambridge, Mass.
Lewis, Mr. L. W., Harriman, Tenn.
McCutcheon, Mr. O. E., Idaho Falls, Idaho
Mack, Rev. J. J., Cambridge, Mass.
Mandelbaum, Mr. Maurice H., Chicago, 111.
Morrison, Mr. Noah F., Elizabeth, New Jersey
Murray, Mr. William H., Indianapolis, Ind.
Nichols, Mr. A. C., National City, Calif.
Northrup, Mr. Clarence L., Hurlock, Md.
Patton, Mrs. William L., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Reed, Dr. Charles B., Chicago, 111.
Ryan, Mr. Edward J., Harrisburg, Pa.
Smith, Miss Valentine, Chicago, 111.
Truax, Mr. A. L., Crosby, N. D.
Wade, Mr. Clifford G., Lake Superior, Wis.
THE DECEASE OF THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY
HAS BEEN REPORTED SINCE APRIL 1921:
Andrews, Mrs. George, Flint, Mich.
Appleyard, Mrs. James, Lansing, Mich.
Barnes, Mrs. Amanda F., Lansing, Mich.
Bates, Mr. G. W., Detroit, Mich.
Bissondte, Mr. Charles A., Grand Rapids, Mich.
Buck, Mr. May ton J., Lansing, Mich.
Dennis, Mr. Elmore W., Jackson, Mich.
Downey, Mr. Charles P., Lansing, Mich.
Eastman, Mrs. Mary V. H., Lansing, Mich.
Fowle, Mr. Otto, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Grant, Mr. C. B., Seabreeze, Fla.
Morse, Mr. Allen B., Ionia, Mich.
Palmer, Mrs. Eliza, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Palmer, Anna A., Saginaw, Mich.
Raynale, Mrs. Harriet E., Highland Park, Mich.
Simons, Miss Mercy Helen, Battle Creek, Mich.
Smith, Mr. John Jr., Romeo, Mich.
Turner, Mr. George H., Coldwater, Mich.
DONORS AND THEIR GIFTS 71
DONORS AND THEIR GIFTS TO THE PIONEER MUSEUM,
STATE CAPITOL, FROM JANUARY 1, 1921
TO JANUARY 1, 1922
(LIST MADE BY MRS. M. B. FERREY, CURATOR)
1. ABBOTT, MRS. SARAH Wedding bonnet.
2. ARNOLD, MRS. STELLA (Bay View) Chair used in home of
her grandparents, Rev. and Mrs. J. M. Arnold, June 7,
1821.
3. BENEDICT, MRS. FELICE (East Tawas) Four card photo-
graphs of stump fences.
4. BENNETT, Miss SUSIE (Lansing) Irridescent glass pitcher.
5. BISSONETTE, CHARLES A. (Grand Rapids) Paper written
on the early history of Michigan.
6. BLAIR, MRS. CHARLES A. (Lansing) Paper received from
Geo. W. Latimer relating to work of the Woman's Patriotic
Association during the Civil War; program used at Booth's
Theater, New York City, Dec. 27, 1875.
7. BLAIR, MRS. KATHERINE H. (Lansing) Membership certifi-
cate for her father, Chas. H. Horton, in the F. & A. Masonic
Lodge "of the village of Port Huron," May 12, 1851.
8. BOWERMAN, ALMON (Ionia) Picture of D. A. Blodgett's
lumber camp on White Pine River, W. M. Smith, fore-
man; picture of N. I. Garrish's lumber camp on White
. Pine River; two small Spanish coins dated 1773 and 1775
respectively. Obtained from his daughter, Mrs. F. K.
Allen, Chesaning, Mich.; one book, Pilgrim's Progress,
published by John Holdbrook, Brattleboro, Vt. Owned
by his grandfather, John H. Bowerman.
0. BROCKWAY, Miss MARY (Mason) Child's drum bought in
Civil War times; child's bureau, 1865; rocking chair, 1875;
card basket; glove box bought in 1871; small looking glass
used by her father since 1850; feather flowers made by
her mother in I860; small basket of painted flowers; green
vase bought in 1861, ornamented with white flowers; brown
cuspidor bought in 1855; Bissell carpet sweeper bought
72 DONORS AND THEIR GIFTS
in 1878; her mother's knife and fork used when she began
house-keeping; white iron-stone china platter, wedding
gift of mother, 18.55; stocking basket made by Indians,
1865; colored basket given her mother by her pupils in
1854; vase bought in 1861.
10. CALKINS, MRS. J. J. (Mason) Uniform worn by her husband
in the Civil War.
11. CAMPBELL, MRS. JAMES H. (Grand Rapids) Few records of
New York and Virginia, 1863, received from Wm. Berwick,
Washington, D. C. He restored Manuscript in Congres-
sional Library including Constitution 1835, 1850, 1908.
12. CHAPIN, MRS. E. C. (Lansing) Two fans for shielding face
from fire place, used about 1836 by her mother, Mrs. H. S.
King; turkey wing fan.
13. CLARK, E. M. (Big Rapids) Four kodak views of the Old
Stage Coach owned by Mr. Newcomb, Big Rapids.
14. COWLAN, MRS. M. I. (Grosse Isle) Two original dining
room chairs brought to Detroit in 1835 by her great uncle.
15. CROTTY, JOHN (Lansing) Two views of the Capitol in process
of construction.
16. DALY, THOMAS F. (Lansing) Twelve Indian relics picked
up on his farm.
17. DORSE Y, MRS. T. S. (Clare) Manuscript copy of history of
Clare County. Thirty- three handwritten pages.
18. DAVIS, MRS. E. M. (Grand Rapids) Pitcher, brown ware;
pink tea saucer marked "Royal Bonn" design,
" Theetrinke, " Germany.
19. DOLLS sent by City Federated Clubs of Detroit under direc-
tion of chairman of Americanization Committee, Mrs.
William Baldwin. Each doll represents some nationality
in its original costume. Twenty-one dolls in all.
20. DUNCAN, MRS. ROBERT (Lansing) Two volumes Shakes-
peare's Life and Works, edited by Chas. Symons, D. D.,
published by Harper & Bros., New York, 1844; English
reader by Lindsey Murray, Ithaca, published by A. P.
Searing & Co. 1826; circular from C. H. McGregor, private
dancing academy, Mason, Nov. 19, 1878.
DONORS AND THEIR GIFTS 73
21. ELKIN, MRS. N. A. (Clare) Three card photographs of
stump fences in Michigan.
22. ERNSBERGER, MRS. EMILY L. (Lansing) Pair of horse-hair
bracelets made by her sister, Sarah A. Phillips, aged 14.
23. FEIER, MRS. (Holt) Piece of surveyor's chain used by Gen.
Fremont. Chain was made of braided raw-hide. The
original is displayed in Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles,
Calif.; flag given to her brother, Frank Abels, when he
cast his first vote in 1861 in Eaton County; New York
Herald containing news of assassination of President Lin-
coln, printed by Union Army on wall paper in a rebel
office just as peace was declared.
24. FERRET, MRS. M. B. (Lansing) Chinese doll, bought of
A. M. Emery; Holland doll bought in Saugatuck; Negro
doll bought in Lansing; Japanese doll bought in San Fran-
cisco, Calif.
25. FERRIS, WOODBRIDGE N. (Big Rapids) Photo of himself at
his desk in Capitol; Photo of himself and Mr. Edward T.
Bigelow standing by high stump fence in 1914.
26. HARDY, MRS. A. C. (Lansing) Plated cake basket, Rogers'
triple, 1834; China tureen with cover, design "Peruvian
Horse Hunt. "
27. HILL, H. C. (Lansing) Ale mug engraved on top "F. G. H.,
1825". Secured by Mrs. Florence S. Babbitt.
28. IRONS, MRS. MARIAN H. (West Branch) Cowbell whittled
out of wood. Wooden clappers, rope handle; Ammish doll
made by Mrs. Ida D. Munroe, blind woman, and used to
hold back door.
29. JAMES, MRS. A. G. (Lansing) Framed picture of her
ancestor, Stephen Hopkins, one of the signers of the Decla-
ration of Independence; black-crepe fringed shawl once
owned and worn by family of Commodore Oliver Perry.
30. JOHNSON, MRS. A. (Lansing) Illustrated Family Magazine,
1846, published by Bradbury, Soden & Co., Boston; His-
tory of American Rebellion, Elliott G. Storke, Auburn,
N. Y., vol. 1, 1863; Mormonism Unveiled, by John D. Lee,
St. Louis, Bryan Brand & Co. 1877; cape over 150 years
74 DONORS AND THEIR GIFTS
old; basket brought from Wales, England over 100 years
old.
31. JOHNSON, T. E. (Lansing) Framed oil portrait of Supt.
Joseph Estabrook in his office, 1887-1890.
32. KELLER, J. (Lansing) Piece of cloth from German aeroplane
shot down in drive on Argonne Forest, France.
33. KNAPP, W. H. P. (Riley) Childs World, May 1865.
34. LEE, HON. W. O. (Port Huron) Biography and half-tone of
his father, W. O. Lee.
35. LEIGHTNER, MR. AND MRS. (Shepherd) Seventeen Indian
arrow heads.
36. LEIGHTON, MRS. CARRIE (Concord) Rag doll made for her
in the winter of 1848 by her mother, Mrs. E. A. Mosier,
and her aunt. It had velvet shoes and was so fine she was
only allowed to hold it while she sat in a chair. It has been
in her possession seventy-three years.
37. LIGHTNER, WILLIAM (Fremont) Skull of beaver with arrow
embedded in it. The arrow is made of brown pottery and
is thought to be a relic of the mound builders.
38. LOOMIS, MR. AND MRS. RUDOLPH (Lansing) Three pictures
of "dehorned" rail fences taken between Greenville and
Lake City.
39. MANLY, MRS. BARBARA T. (Sandusky) Shawl, stamped and
colored border and black center. Worn by her aunt about
1868.
40. MARTIN, HENRY J. (Vermontville) Oil painting of his
mother, Mrs. Emily R. Martin, a pioneer of Michigan
since about 1830, died 1885.
41. MILLER, LORENZO F. (Long Beach, Calif.) Spanish War
veteran's suit of blue jeans; machette carried in Cuba
before liberation. Blood spots pitted into blade, scabbard
tipped with silver; Spanish dirk knife with loaded silver
and horn handle. Mr. Miller served in Co. F. 31st Mich.
Vol. in the Cuban War; picture of the wreck of the "Maine "
in Havana Harbor; picture of the review of the "twin
regiments" 31st Mich, and 1st Georgia at Camp Poland,
Sept. 15, 1898.
DOXOKS AND THEIR GIFTS 75
42. MORRISON, MRS. D. J. S. (Royal Oak) Deed of property,
signed by Andrew Jackson, President of United States
July 1, 1831. Secured by Mrs. V. M. Shoesmith of East
Lansing.
43. NORTON, Miss HELEN S. (Flint) Chair bought from Mrs.
Baker, Lansing. Used in Old Capitol at Detroit, during
Gov. Mason's time.
44. PAPERS left in Capitol by a Legislator. These papers were
captured during the Civil War at Fairfax Court House, Va.
45. PENDRY, MRS. F. E. (Detroit) Three leather-bound books,
The Psalms of David in Song, by I. Watts, D. D., Notting-
ham. Printed by C. Sutton, 1796. Marked "Eliza Tanner
Oct. 18, 1818.'^ Prayer book used by F. E. Praig; hat
with white plume and jacket embroidered in white, used
by Mr. W. A. Praig, member of Detroit Commandery
No. 1.
46. PETERSON, Miss RUTH (Tawas City) Swedish doll made by
her at the direction of her mother who was born in Sweden.
47. PITCHER, white, with flower design. Donor unknown.
48. PUBLIC DOMAIN DEPARTMENT (Lansing) Marker sent
to Glen Munshaw, Lansing, from Munising Foundry Co.
49. REED, MRS. E. G. (Lansing) Oval frame used for wax fruit
and flowers.
50. RICE, GEORGE A. (Reed City) Wooden shoes made and worn
by farmer near Reed City.
51. RUSSEL, J. HERBERT (Detroit) Wooden boot-jack marked
"Lew. Cass, 1836. " Secured from J. W. Rosier, Sandwich,
Ontario.
52. SEYDELL, MRS. L. V. (Grand Rapids) Framed Insignia of
United States troops during the World War. Made by
Mending Bureau, Camp Custer, Battle Creek, under direc-
tion of Miss Pearl Goff and Mrs. A. M. Alvord, Mrs. Wm.
H. Waite and Mrs. M. Strong. Displayed at Continental
Hall, Washington, D. C.
53. SHOKSMITH, MRS. V. M. (East Lansing) Deed signed by
Andrew Jackson. Secured from D. J. S. Morrison.
76 DONORS AND THEIR GIFTS
54. SIMONS, Miss HELEN (Lansing) Photograph of 4th of July
celebration of 4th Ward pupils in "Mark's Bus."
55. SLAYTON, MRS. E. (Hart) Bound red book containing auto-
biography of C. Crane.
56. SLOCUM, MRS. CARRIE (Lansing) Flax wheel and reel used
by her grandmother.
57. SLY, REV. W. S. (Lansing) Skeleton leaves and flowers in
round glass standard, made by and presented to them by
Mrs. Mary, wife of Capt. Gear, during Mr. Sly's pastorate
at Alton, III, about 1870.
58. SNOW, IRA (Parma) Piece of stone thought to be of meteoric
origin.
59. STEELE, MRS. L. (Lansing) Snuff box; portrait of T. W.
Wescott, leading tailor of Lansing at one time, who always
dressed in cut-away coats and beaver hat; Cuban almanac
dated 1838.
00. STEFFENSON, MRS. NETTIE (Manistique) Indian Legend
" Kich-iti-ki-pi-Spring, " and memorial pamphlet to Dr.
Anna Howard Shaw.
61. STONE, MISSES NINA AND EDITH (Lansing) Scarf worn by
their father, Justice Stone, when he was a member of the
congressional escort at the funeral of President Garfield at
Cleveland, O., Sept. 26, 1881.
62. SULLIVAN, MRS. WARREN (Lansing) Pink lustre teapot.
63. TAYLOR, MRS. DORA (Lansing) Two 3x4 wood etchings.
Carved at top "Centennial Exposition." One represents
the Main building and the other Memorial Hall.
64. TEMPLE, MRS. SARAH E. (formerly of Lansing) One page
of records of sixteen soldiers who enlisted in Civil War 1862.
65. THAYER, MRS. ARTHUR (Mason) 27 Indian arrows; 2 axes;
1 skinning stone; 1 gray pipe; 1 ceremonial; 1 small peace
pipe; found near Mason.
66. THAYER, MRS. ISABEL (Saginaw) Thirteen stereopticon
views of early Lansing taken by her brother-in-law, B. F.
Hall.
67. TYLER, C. E. (Jackson) Piece of wood obtained at Zam-
bouange, Philippine Islands during war. The natives bury
DONORS AND THEIR GIFTS 77
this wood to insure a high degree of polish; cane of diamond
willow wood made and carved by Indians; bottle bought
of French sailor on vessel in Columbia River; coat made
from intestines of the walrus, impervious to water.
08. VINCENT, MRS. CLARA (Mason) Natural wood handle, roll
of bark.
69. WILLIAMS, MRS. HELEN ASTON (Grand Rapids) Old button
string, originally the longest and oldest string in Central
School, Middleton, Conn. Many of the buttons were
brought over from England.
PAPERS
THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN
CONSPIRATORS
BY THE LATE JUDGE R. A. WATTS
ADMAN
A T the time of the assassination of President Lincoln
**: I was at home, recovering from a wound received
during the final assault upon the Confederate lines in
front of Petersburg,,April 2, 1865.
When I returned about April 25 I found our old
division in camp near Alexandria, eight or ten miles
from Washington, and at once reported to General
Ilartranft in command on whose staff I had served
during the last year.
Within a day or two after my return an order from
the war department was delivered to the general,
directing him to report at once at the Washington
arsenal, in the city of Washington, for special duty.
Accompanying this order was a private note from Major
General Hancock, commanding the middle military
division, saying that the special duty, for which the
One of the most interesting contributions to war-time history made in recent years
is this story of the trial and execution of the Lincoln conspirators as told by the late
Judge R. A. Watts of Adrian, Michigan, and published serially in the Adrian Telegram,
in April, 1914. Its contribution of material that has not before been made public, war-
rants its preservation in permanent form and it is here reproduced substantially as pub-
blished in the Telegram. Of the narrator the Telegram says, in its issue of April 17:
"Judge Watts, whose military service extended throughout the war writes from the
standpoint of not only an eye-witness, but of an active participant. At the time he
was attached to the staff of General Hartranft and was on duty at the federal prison
at Washington throughout that tense and excitin? period, as acting assistant adjutant
m-nt-ral. His duties included the carrying of all dispatches between Secretary Stanton
and the prison, and the handling of many official orders, arid he was in constant personal
touch with eve.-y detail of the momentous proceedings, from the reception of the prisoners
to tlu ir death and burial." Judge Watts died June 2">, 1920, at his home in Adrian, in
his K3rd year.
11 (81)
S2
JUDGE K. A. WATTS
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 83
general had been detached, might continue for several
months and that he was at liberty to take with him
such of his personal staff as he might choose.
The general handed me the order of the secretary
of war and the note of General Hancock, with instruc-
tions to be ready to accompany him.
Within an hour the command of the division had
been transferred to General Griffin, the next officer in
rank, and we were mounted and on our way to Wash-
ington. Neither of us had the remotest guess what the
special duty might be,^md it may be imagined that our
curiosity was at high tension during that ride.
As we rode upon the Long Bridge, spanning the
Potomac, I was most forcibly reminded of the last time
I had passed over it and the marvelous contrast be-
tween then and now. That was on Wednesday follow-
ing the first battle of Bull Run. I was then a private
soldier stretched out in an ambulance by the side of
Captain Will Graves, my company commander, who
like myself, was suffering from a severe wound received
in that battle. I was also suffering from a fierce attack
of the measles. My wound had not been dressed, and
my clothes were stiff with blood and dirt; each jolt of
the ambulance caused severe pain.
The first battle had resulted in an utter rout and
shameful retreat. To me, weak from the loss of blood
mid most fearfully sick, everything looked awfully
dark. On the seat by the side of the driver sat the late
Capt. J. H. Fee, then Corporal Fee, my chum in college
:md comrade in arms. He was the quartermaster, com-
missary, surgeon, and nurse for this squad of two.
At this crossing four years later the war was over,
84 JUDGE B. A. WATTS
the Union preserved no more battles, no more wounds,
home not far away. I was well mounted, wearing the
uniform and sword of a staff officer, riding by the side
of the major general I loved so well, and in excellent
health. All the world looked happy and my own heart
sang with joy.
On reaching the entrance to the arsenal grounds we
were met by Major Benton of the ordnance department,
who seemed to be expecting the general, as he at once
escorted us to the residence part of the old District of
Columbia prison, but unused as a prison for a number of
years. We there found quarters provided for us, con-
sisting of pleasant rooms with desks, tables, chairs,
beds and stationery, all ready for use and needful for
comfort.
Very soon General Hancock and several of his staff
drove up and the general at once explained that this
place had been designated as a military prison for the
confinement during the trial, of the parties charged
with the conspiracy to assassinate the president and
others, and told General Hartranft that he had been
selected as special provost marshal general to be in
command, and that he would at once be furnished an
official order from President Johnson defining his
duties.
We then passed back into the prison proper and
there found a number of cells, constructed in the usual
manner of early days, with walls, ceiling, and floors of
heavy stone masonry, opening into corridors. These
cells had lately been cleaned.and prepared ready for use.
After returning to the office provided, General Han-
cock very earnestly impressed upon General Hartranft
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 85
thai the secretary of war and others were in possession
of facts, indicating that the conspiracy to assassinate
was widespread, and that there was apprehension lest
there might be an organized attempt to rescue these
assassins, and then added, "You have been selected
for this command because of the confidence Secretary
Stanton has in your fidelity and courage. "
I, who had served at his side from the wilderness
until the final close throughout all those trying days
during which every soldier showed the metal of which
he was made, felt that I knew the general as well as
any other man and was made very proud that he had
been thus distinguished.
But, notwithstanding the honor thus bestowed upon
the general, and my appreciation of his kindness in
keeping me with him, I was free to admit to myself
that the situation was not to my taste. I had but little
liking for cells and bars and the mystery, and things
whispered but not seen, and as the situation developed
from day to day, I liked it much less.
It grew to be extremely gruesome.
The next morning a brigade of infantry, a battery
of artillery and a battalion of cavalry reported to Gen-
eral Hartranft and went into camp just outside the
arsenal grounds and during the day one of the regi-
ments marched inside the enclosure and stacked arms.
The Washington arsenal is situated on a point of
land at the foot of Four and One Half street, near the
navy yard; on the west and south it is touched by the
Potomac river, on the east by a deep channel for the
use of vessels. My memory is that in 1865 it was sur-
86 JUDGE K. A. WATTS
rounded by a high board fence, with a high gate at the
entrance.
The prison building was an old-fashioned brick
structure 60 to 80 feet wide, three stories high, about
200 feet long. It stood in the center of a large area,
surrounded except at the entrance by a thick brick wall
20 or 30 feet high, after the usual manner of state prison
enclosures.
On the afternoon of this day a heavy guard was
stationed all around the main enclosure, and from that
time until the prison was closed in July neither egress
nor exit to or from these grounds was permitted, except
on a written pass. The only exception was the coming
in and passing out of a regiment of infantry each morn-
ing as the guard was relieved. The same regiment
never returned nor did the same soldier ever stand
guard twice on the same spot. When all the regiments
of the brigade had once been used as guards, another
brigade took its place, and thus many regiments were
used during the two months' time we occupied this
place.
On the second morning General Hancock visited us
again. At that time it was considered necessary that
we have more assistance in the main prison building,
and Col. McCall of the 200th Pennsylvania, Col.
Frederick of the 209th, Col. Dodd of the 211th, and
Lieut. Geisinger of the 208th, all of our old division and
all exceptionally trusted officers, were ordered to report
at once, and all remained until after the execution in
July following. Assistant Surgeon George L. Porter of
the regular army, a nephew of Admiral Porter, also re-
EXKCTTIOX OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 87
ported and was added to the staff, and remained with
us until after the prison was closed.
A week or two later my old comrade Capt. Rath,
with whom I had served fgr two years in the 17th Michi-
gan infantry, was also ordered to report for such special
duty as might be required.
Soon after dark of the second day Col. L. C. Baker,
chief of the government secret service, came to the
prison, accompanied by four secret service officers, who
were assigned quarters and remained on duty continu-
ously until after the execution in July.
Near midnight General Hartranft, Col. Baker, the
four detective officers, Colonels Dodd, Frederick and
McCall, with a company of infantry, moved down to
the wharf in the rear of the prison, and on a signal from
Col. Baker a gunboat lying at anchor in the Potomac
steamed alongside, and the commandant of the vessel
delivered to General Hartranft the prisoners Payne,
Atzerodt, Herold, Spangler, O'Laughlin, Samuel Arnold
and Dr. Mudd, all heavily ironed. They were at once
placed between two lines of armed soldiers, marched
to the prison, and placed in separate cells.
An evening or so after, Col. Baker and another
officer brought Mrs. Surratt in a closed carriage. She
was for the time being also placed in a cell, but sub-
sequently removed to a room on the third floor.
From the time the prisoners entered these cells
until their execution on July 7, two armed soldiers stood
guard, night and day, at the door of each cell, while at
the main door leading into the prison apartment either
Col. Dodd, Col. McCall, or Col. Frederick, with a
company of infantry, were at all times on duty. The
83 JUDGE I{. A. WATTS
company of soldiers was relieved each morning, others
always taking their place, and, as in the case of the out-
side guard, the same men never returned a second time
and no soldier ever stood guard at the same post twice,
nor more than two hours.
To avoid self-destruction, each of the prisoners ex-
cept Mrs. Surra tt was compelled to wear a thickly
padded hood upon his head, with only holes for his
eyes and a slit at the mouth, through which he was fed.
The handcuffs consisted of heavy bands of iron
about each wrist, connected by a bar ten inches in
length; upon the ankles an iron band was riveted, con-
nected by a chain of only sufficient length to permit
short steps, and to this chain was attached an iron
weight. These manacles upon wrists and ankles were
worn continuously, all during imprisonment, night and
day.
Mrs. Surratt was never manacled and, although
always under strict guard, was furnished suitable whole-
some food, and at all times and in all ways was treated
with the courtesy, lenity and kindness due to her sex.
During much of the time she occupied a large airy
room on the third floor, and her daughter Anna was
frequently permitted to be with her.
As the summer advanced the heat became so in-
tense that danger of insanity or death, caused by the
fearful heat of these hoods, seemed greater than the
possibility of self-destruction, and the hoods were re-
moved.
While the health and safety of these men were
guarded with the utmost vigilance, to make certain
that the gallows should not be robbed, it must be con-
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CoNsriRATORS 89
fessed but little care was taken for their comfort.- In-
deed, it is beyond question that no prison of modern
times was ever guarded with such rigid rules and
severe discipline.
I held the official position of acting assistant adju-
tant general. My duties never brought me into personal
contact with any of the prisoners, and I rarely saw any
of them, except as they were seated in the court room
during the trial. However, all orders, communications,
reports, and official papers, pertaining to the manage-
ment of the prison, came within my department and I
was familiar with all that transpired.
Assistant Surgeon Porter made personal examina-
tion of each prisoner twice each day, and his report was
incorporated into the general report each day made of
all conditions about the prison, and a copy furnished
the War department.
General Hancock visited the prison at least once a
day during the time of our occupancy, and General
Thomas Eckhert, then one of the assistant secretaries
of war, also spent much time each day in and about the
prison. He was afterwards for many years president
and general manager of the Western Union Telegraph
company.
By means of the daily reports of Generals Hancock,
Eckhert and Hartranft, the great secretary of war was
kept in constant touch with every detail, and it was
well understood that it was his iron hand that controlled
and specified every precaution for the safe keeping of
I lie prisoners here confined.
A room in the third story of the building was fitted
up for I lie use of the military commission during the
90 JUDGE R. A. WATTS ,
trial. This room was about 30x50 feet in area, situated
in the northeast corner.
Across the west end was a raised platform used as a
dock for the prisoners. At the south end of the dock
a door opened from the prison, so that they never
passed near any spectator, as they were brought in and
taken from the court room.
A large table was placed near the north side, for the
use of the commission, around which they were seated
during the trial. Near the west end of this table was an
elevated seat for the use of the witnesses while being
examined.
Near the south side was a long table for the use of
the official shorthand reporters, Samuel Pitman and
the Murphys, father and two sons. Close to the
prisoners' dock were two tables for the use of the
counsel for defendants. At the east end an elevated
seat was occupied by General Hartranft, provost
marshal general.
About the first of May President Johnson issued an
order convening a military commission for the trial and
directed the secretary of war to detail nine competent
military officers to serve as such commission, and
further directed the judge advocate general to prefer
charges against the eight conspirators under arrest,
and all others alleged to have been associated with
them in the conspiracy; and to proceed with the trial
as speedily as the ends of justice would permit.
The secretary selected Major General David Hunter,
General Lew Wallace (author of "Ben Hur" and "The
Prince of India"), General A. V. Kautz, General F. M.
Harris, General A. P. Howe, General James A. Ekin,
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATOR 91
General Robert S. Foster, Col. D. R. Clendenin and
Col. C. H. Thomkins. General David Hunter was
designated as president of the commission.
Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, Col. H. L.
Burnett and John A. Bingham, a member of congress
from Ohio and appointed special assistant judge advo-
cate for this trial, represented the government.
Within a few days the members of the commission
and the prosecuting officers assembled in the room pro-
vided, and as soon ^s they were organized ready to
proceed, the eight prisoners were brought into the room.
Each was seated in the dock by the side of an armed
soldier, and at all times thereafter each prisoner was
seated between two soldiers while in the court room.
Reverdy Johnson, United States senator from
Maryland, one of the leading constitutional lawyers of
the country, appeared as counsel for Mrs. Surratt;
associated with him were Messrs. Clampit and Aiken
of Washington.
General Thomas Ewing, Jr., a son of former Senator
Ewing, was retained by Dr. Mudd and Edward
Spangler. Frederick Stone of Maryland appeared for
Samuel Arnold and young Herold. Walter S. Cox, an
able attorney of Charles county, Maryland, was em-
ployed by Michael O'Laughlin. Payne and Atzerodt
were represented by Mr. Doster, a bright young attor-
ney from Baltimore.
The charge and specifications against defendants
were then read by Col. Burnett, assistant judge advo-
cate. The substance of the charge against each was:
'Maliciously, unlawfully and traitorously, and in aid
of the existing armed rebellion against the United
92 JUDGE B. A. WATTS
States, on or before the 5th day of March, 1865, and on
divers other days between that day and the 14th day
of April, 1865, combining, confederating and conspiring
together, with [naming each defendant] John H. Surratt,
John Wilkes Booth, Jefferson Davis, George N. Sanders,
Beverly Tucker, Clement C. Clay, Jacob Thompson,
and others unknown, to kill and murder Abraham
Lincoln, late President, Andrew Johnson, Vice-presi-
dent, William H. Seward, Secretary of State, and
Ulysses S. Grant, then in command of the army of the
United States," etc., closing with the formal parts of
the charge.
The specifications varied as to each defendant.
Surratt was specifically charged with harboring, con-
cealing, counseling, aiding and abetting all the de-
fendants.
The specifications against Herold was aiding and
assisting Booth to escape, knowing he had assassinated
the President. Dr. Mudd was alleged to have aided
and assisted in the escape of Booth.
The specifications against Payne was assaulting,
cutting and wounding Secretary Seward with intent to
murder him. Atzerodt was charged with lying in wait
with intent to murder Andrew Johnson. That against
O'Laughlin was lying in wait with intent to murder
Ulysses S. Grant.
Spangler was alleged to have aided Booth in reach-
ing the President's box in the theater, and guarding
the approach, to prevent interference with Booth's
attack. Samuel Arnold was charged with counseling,
combining, and confederating with each and all of the
other defendants.
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CONSI'IRATORS ' 93
After the charge and specifications had been read,
Senator Reverdy Johnson handed to General Hunter
a plea to the jurisdiction of the military commission.
After the plea had been received, General Harris,
one of the commissioners, objected to the appearance of
Senator Johnson as counsel, claiming that he had
written and published a letter advising the citizens of
Maryland that the test oath of allegiance was not
binding. The voice of General Harris indicated much
feeling, when he said that he for one would not permit
any man entertaining such sentiments to challenge his
right to sit in this trial.
These two, both southern men, one from West
Virginia, the other from Maryland, were typical illus-
trations of the fierce bitterness entertained between
those of the South who were in opposition during the
Civil War. Both were large men, and both became
very excited and aggressive during this controversy.
Senator Johnson seemed to be in a towering rage,
when replying to this imputation of disloyalty. He
said he was licensed to practice his profession before
every court in the state of Maryland and before every
federal court in the country, including the supreme
court of the United States; that he had taken the oath
of a United States senator and occupied his seat un-
challenged as to his loyalty. The senator and General
Harris glared at each other, with such threatening
looks that it seemed as if there might be immediate
trouble.
At this point General Wallace suggested that in
view of the broad terms of oath of a United States sena-
tor, it seemed wiser to withdraw the objection, General
94 JUDGE R. A. WATTS
Harris complied with the suggestion and the plea to the
jurisdiction was filed and read.
Mr. Johnson then picked up his hat, bowed to the
commission, and retired. My memory is that he did
not again return to take part in person during the trial.
A copy of the charge and specifications was then
delivered to each of the counsel for defendants, and the
court adjourned.
After the commission had reconvened on the next
morning the prisoners were again brought in and seated
in the dock. The taking of testimony was at once
begun and continued from day to day, until all the
evidence on behalf of the government and of the de-
fendants had been produced, closing about the middle
of June.
While I remember much of the general substance
of the evidence, it would not seem profitable to attempt
to summarize it, as lack of space would forbid.
Mrs. Surratt and Dr. Mudd were convicted chiefly
upon the testimony of a Mr. Weichman, who at the
time of the assassination and for some time previous
had made his home with Mrs. Surratt. He was an
intimate friend of the family and had been a college
chum of John H. Surratt. If he had at any time been
in sympathy with the conspiracy to assassinate, it did
not appear either in his own or any other evidence. He
was seemingly not only a willing witness but a " swift
witness." Counsel for the defendants did not attack
him as severely as it seemed to me they might have
done. It may be, however, that they had in mind the
legal maxim "never prove too much."
The most notable witness was Gen. U. S. Grant.
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 95
His testimony was intended to establish the boundary
lines of the military district, which included the city of
Washington, and its purpose was to show that the
assassination and conspiracy was within the authority
of the military and thus born upon the jurisdiction of
the military tribunal.
Our office, being upon the ground floor of the build-
ing, was first entered by the general. He came in alone,
his escort remaining outside. This was the first time I
had ever met General Grant face to face, and naturally
I observed him very closely. I had formed the impres-
sion that the general was slow and cautious in both his
physical and mental movements and was much sur-
prised to find just the opposite characteristics. When
notified that the court was ready for him, he darted out
into the corridor and swiftly went up the stairs.
His swift motions nearly caused him a serious, if
not fatal, accident at that time. The corridors to each
of the three stories of the building were alike, with a
door at the end of each, but the outside balcony at the
third and second floors had been removed. When the
general came downstairs into the second story corridor,
seeing the door at the end, he started swiftly for it and
barely saved himself from rushing out and falling fifteen
to eighteen feet upon the stone steps at the entrance.
During the long trial, clashes between counsel were
frequent and often most spirited.
Mr. Bingham was an able trial lawyer, and at every
opening given by opposing counsel he would rake the
whole Confederacy, from Jeff Davis all down the line
to the prisoners at the bar. The Confederate chief
having been named in the charge, gave a wide range
96 JUDGE R. A. WATTS
for his savage onslaughts. He always addressed himself
directly to the counsel for defendants, and as all of
them except General Ewing were Southern men and
the loyalty of some of them not of the positive kind,
it may be understood that they were often forced to
exercise much self-restraint.
General Ewing, however, had a record for loyalty
not open to attack. He had held the position of briga-
dier general in the federal army. His brother Hugh
Ewing'was also a general officer and still in the service.
His sister was the wife of General W. T. Sherman, who
in skill and great achievements was at least second, if
not equal to either Grant or Lee. More than that he
was an able attorney, splendidly equipped, and he
never hesitated to strike back with vigorous blows.
The duty of preparing the evidence and presenting
it in logical sequence largely fell to Col. H. L. Burnett,
assistant judge advocate, and was performed with
much skill. No one connected with the trial had a
more minute familiarity with all the details.
Judge Holt was an elderly man of even, conservative
temperament. He had been at one time on the bench
in Kentucky. During the trial he seemed to act as
legal adviser to the commission and often intervened
to quiet disputes between counsel. I remember him
as the Nestor of the legal members present during the
trial.
It has been asserted many times that the trial was
behind closed doors. That is not true; yet it must be
conceded that but few of the general public could gain
admission to the court room.
The limited space would admit but few at a time,
EXECUTION or THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 97
and the officials, attorneys and guards almost filled it.
However many military officers, judges, governors,
senators, members of congress, and others of sufficient
influence to secure a pass, were admitted. It is needless
to say that, under no circumstances, could any one gain
entrance to the arsenal grounds, much less to the
court room, without evidence of loyalty free from doubt.
After the testimony had closed, in order to give
counsel time to prepare their arguments, the court ad-
journed until June 16.
When the commission reconvened the first argu-
ment, having been prepared by Senator Johnson,
counsel for Mrs. Surratt, was read by Mr. Clampit,
associate counsel. The substance of the senator's
argument was a very elaborate and able discussion of
the plea to the jurisdiction of the military commission,
which had been filed when the defendants were first
arraigned.
The special points raised by counsel were:
1. The crime charged was not an offense against
any military rule or law, but was a crime cognizable
only by the common and statute law, and therefore
not triable by a military tribunal.
2. That the civil courts in the District of Columbia
were all open and exercising all their functions without
hindrance or obstruction of any kind whatever.
3. That each of the defendants was a civilian and
had at no time belonged to any branch of the military
service of the United States, and therefore entitled to a
trial before a jury of twelve men and in a civil ceurt.
4. That at the time of the trial the war had closed
by the surrender of all the insurgent armies and navies.
13
98 JUDGE E. A. WATTS
i
Attorneys Ewing and Cox following also made very
able arguments along the same line, and in addition
analyzed and discussed the evidence, so far as it applied
to their respective clients. The argument of General
Ewing was particularly emphatic and almost caustic,
even going so far as to insist that the finding and sen-
' tences of the commission could not be justified under
even the color of lawful authority.
The other attorneys made able arguments in behalf
.of their clients and, with the exception of Payne, Atze-
rodt and Herold, insisted with all the power at their
command that the rule of reasonable doubt should
apply and that if applied, it would acquit their clients.
To those who listened as spectators, however, this
rule of reasonable doubt had but little if any place in
this trial. It seemed to be only a question of proba-
bilities. Neither the members of the commission nor
the people of the North were in a frame of mind to
entertain or even tolerate any technical rules.
These nine soldiers constituting the judges in this
case had but little sympathy or patience with the senti-
mental saying that "It is better that ninety -nine guilty
escape than one innocent should suffer. " The suffering
of the innocent during the last four years had filled the
measure. There was no place for sympathy here, and
every attempt to create favor by appeals of that nature
met with frowns and disapproval.
The arguments of counsel lasted about two weeks,
closing near the last of June. Mr. Bingham consumed
several days in his closing address.
I recall Mr. Bingham with a clearer vision than any
of the other attorneys or members of the commission.
EXECUTION OP THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 99
He was of small stature, a spare but most expressive
face, and when excited his eyes fairly glowed. During
his address he wore a long black coat, after the fashion
of that day. It reached almost to his shoe tops. When
referring to the rebellion or any of its leaders, especially
Mr. Davis, his invective burned and seared like hot
iron, but when he touched upon the great and lovable
qualities of the martyred Lincoln his lips would quiver
with emotion and his voice become as tender and rev-
erent as if he were repeating the Lord's prayer.
On June 30th the'commission convened to consider
their verdict and fix the penalties.
It may be of interest at this place to state some of
the powers and duties of a military commission, which
are much greater than those of the ordinary jury in
criminal cases.
This tribunal was a law unto itself. It made its own
rules of procedure. It was the sole judge of the law, as
well as of the facts. It passed upon the admissibility
of all evidence offered during the trial, and exceptions
to its rulings were not entertained or recorded. It was
empowered not only to decide the question of guilt
but it also had the power, and it was its duty, to fix the
penalties.
The president of the United States and he only,
could review, change, modify, approve or disapprove of
the findings or sentences.
The deliberations of the commission were behind
closed doors, only the members of the commission and
the judge advocate and his assistant were present.
The verdict and sentence were required to be as-
smtcd to by only two- thirds of the members of the com-
100 JUDGE K. A. WATTS
mission. Nothing in the records, so far as I ever knew,
stated whether the verdict was unanimously agreed
upon, or by only two-thirds, as the form of the verdict
followed the form uniformly adopted. It was sub-
stantially as follows:
"After mature consideration of the evidence in the
case of x x x x the commission find the said x x x x of
the specification guilty, of the charge guilty, and the
commission do therefore sentence him the said x x x x
to be hanged by the neck until he be dead, at such time
and place as the president shall direct. Two-thirds of
the commission concurring therein."
The same form was used in the cases of Payne,
Herold, Atzerodt and Mrs. Surratt. In the case of
O'Laughlin, Spangler, Arnold and Doctor Mudd the
only variation was in the sentences. Spangler was
sentenced to imprisonment at hard labor for the term
of six years at such place as the president shall direct.
Dr. Mudd, O'Laughlin and Arnold were sentenced to
hard labor for life at such place as the president should
direct.
On the 5th of July the President issued the following
order :
"The foregoing sentences in the cases of David E.
Herold, G. A. Atzerodt, Lewis Payne and Mary E.
Surratt are hereby approved and it is ordered that the
sentences in the cases of David E. Herold, G. A. At-
zerodt, Lewis Payne and Mary E. Surratt be carried
into execution 'by the proper military authority under
the direction of the secretary of war on the 7th day of
July, 1865, between the hours of 10 o'clock a. in. and 2
o'clock p. m. of that day."
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 101
On the same day the President made a further order
directing that O'Laughlin, Arnold, Spangler and Dr.
Mudd be confined in the military prison at Dry Tortu-
gas in accordance with their sentences.
On the morning of the 7th Messrs. Clampit and
Aiken, counsel for Mrs. Surratt, applied to Judge Wyle
of the District of Columbia for a writ of habeas corpus
for their client. The judge issued the writ and caused it
to be served\ipon Gen. Hancock, commanding him to
produce the body of said Mary E. Surratt before him
at 10 a. m. of that da^ at the criminal court room in the
city of Washington.
General Hancock immediately sent a staff officer
notifying General Hartranft of the situation, and cau-
tioned the general to instruct the guards not to admit
the United States marshal to the grounds of the prison
under any circumstances, as he understood a like writ
had been issued directed to General Hartranft.
If such writ had been issued it was never served,
and indeed could not be served for the reason that the
marshal could not have gained entrance to the prison
grounds.
As soon as President Johnson learned the writ had
been issued he promptly made an order suspending the
writ and specifically directed General Hancock to state
the fact of the suspension of the writ, as his return
thereto, and to proceed with the execution in accordance
with the previous order.
Between one and two o'clock of that day, July 7th,
Mrs. Surratt, Herold, Atzerodt and Payne were re-
moved from their cells and escorted by a soldier on
each side to the gallows standing in the open area inside
102 JUDGE K. A. WATTS
of the high brick wall. Mrs. Surratt was accompanied
by two Catholic priests, each carrying a crucifix and
breviary, and uttering a prayer which Mrs. Surratt
seemed to be repeating. This scene was most solemn
and affecting. Each of the others was also attended by
a clergyman.
The four were assisted to ascend the steps leading
up to the gallows platform and seated in chairs. Major
General Hartranft and staff, in full dress uniform,
passed up onto the platform, and the General at once in
a low quiet tone read the sentences. While reading,
the general's hat was removed and, the sun being ex-
cessively hot, the writer of this narrative held an um-
brella over him.
The ropes, fastened to a cross beam above, dangled
in front of each. The noose was quickly adjusted upon
each by a secret service officer and they were required
to rise and step forward upon the traps, Mrs. Surratt
and Payne upon one, Herold and Atzerodt upon the
other. The traps were held in position by heavy
braces beneath. Capt. Rath gave a signal, the two
braces were knocked from under by a heavy beam
swung by two soldiers, and the four simultaneously
dropped to death and eternity.
After thirty minutes each was examined by Surgeon
Porter, pronounced dead, taken down and placed in
separate boxes. To avoid any mistake in identification
in the future, I wrote the name of each upon a slip of
paper, sealed it up in a small bottle, and placed it in
each respective box.
A detail of soldiers at once closed the covers and
EXECUTION OP THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 103
buried them in separate graves just inside the prison
wall.
Within a day or two the other four, Arnold,
Spangler, O'Laughlin and Dr. Mudd were placed upon
a man of war and taken under charge of Col. Dodd to
the military prison at Dry Tortugas.
The remains of Booth had been buried underneath
one of the prison cells the night before our occupying
the prison.
Thus closed the long trial by the punishment of the
active members of this most wicked conspiracy a
trial which, because of the world-wide fame of Abraham
Lincoln and of the cowardly and execrable manner of
his taking off, and because of the love of a great people
which will continue all down the ages, will be known as
the most famous recorded in the history of America.
During the time of the execution, Major General
Hancock and staff and a number of other military
officers of rank, in full uniform with side arms, and
many officials of the government, stood near the gal-
lows; a battalion of infantry stood at attention inside
the wall, and another battalion fully armed were
stationed upon the high wall surrounding the prison.
The order of the President, that the sentences of
these parties "be carried into execution by the proper
military authorities under the direction of the secre-
tary of war," was certainly obeyed with all the for-
mality and dignity that would be expected of two such
soldiers as General Hancock and General Hartranft.
The whole was most solemn and impressive.
During our charge of the prison we also received for
safe keeping Burton Harrison, who had vServed as pri-
.
104 JUDGE R. A. WATTS
vate secretary to President Davis during the existence
of the Confederacy; Prof. McCullough of North
Carolina, reputed to be a skillful chemist; and General
Harris, a congressman from Missouri before the war,
and afterwards a senator from the same state in the
Confederate congress.
So far as I know, no specific charge was ever made
against either of these parties.
Mr. Davis was at that time in prison at Fortress
Monroe, in charge of General Miles. I suppose Mr.
Harrison was held upon the presumption that, if Davis
could be shown to have encouraged or approved of the
assassination of President Lincoln, his private secretary
would have knowledge of the fact.
I remember Mr. Harrison as having an unusually
strong, intellectual face, and understood that he was a
young man of fine literary attainments. He was ex-
cessively dignified and haughty, but whether these
characteristics were natural, or whether he had imbibed
them from his great chief, I do not know. He subse-
quently married a Miss Gary of Virginia, who has
written many charming reminiscences and stories of
those tumultuous days. Mr. Harrison's son, Burton
Harrison, Jr., is now one of the most vigorous and able
members of congress from New York and a very
influential leader and adviser of the Democratic party.
(He is now governor of the Philippines.)
Prof. McCullough was suspected to have assisted
in preparing clothing infected with smallpox and yellow
fever for distribution in New York, Philadelphia and
other northern cities, and in an attempt to place poison
in the Croton reservoir in New York. General Harris
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 105
had written a letter, introducing McCullough to Presi-
dent Davis and commending him as. an expert chemist.
After the execution and removal of the conspirators,
Mr. Harrison was taken by Capt. Rath to Fort Dela-
ware. General Harris was taken to Fort McHenry by
the writer. I do not recall the disposition of McCul-
lough.
After the purposes of the military prison were ful-
filled, the writer in compliance with the order of the
war department, at once caused all official reports,
orders, and documents pertaining to the prison, to be
boxed up and in person delivered them to Judge Advo-
cate General Holt.
While a receipt was being prepared, I was seated
in Judge Holt's office, when the execution -was men-
tioned. I said that all the officers at the prison were
much surprised that, because of her sex, the sentence
of Mrs. Surratt had not been commuted.
The substance of the judge's reply was, that the
president believed that she had been as guilty as any
of the others, but added that he might not have in-
sisted on her execution, but for the imprudent action
of her attorneys in obtaining the writ of habeas corpus.
Everyone, he said, who knew Mr. Johnson, understood
that he would not tolerate an attempt to force him into
any action, and when he learned of the writ of habeas
corpus the President became very angry, and promptly
ordered the execution to be carried into effect.
I mention this statement of Judge Holt, because of
a subsequent bitter dispute between him and the
President, wherein the President sought to charge
Judge Holt with misleading him into ordering Mrs.
106 JUDGE R. A. WATTS
Surratt to be hung. It is, at least, a part of the res
gestae of that controversy.
One of the last official acts of President Johnson
was granting pardons to Dr. Mudd, Samuel Arnold and
Edward Spangler. For this he received bitter censure
from many. Having heard the testimony against
these men and observed them during the trial, I have
always felt glad that they were released. Michael
O'Laughlin died in prison.
The successful management of all the details of the
military prison fully justified the confidence reposed
in General Hartranft. When the prison was closed, he
not only received the commendation of General Han-
cock and the secretary of war, but also the thanks of
the members of the commission, and the attorneys on
each side, for his uniform courtesy and assistance dur-
ing the long trial. But I felt that the most touching
compliment, and I believe the most appreciated by him
was the sincerely expressed kind wishes of all the
prisoners as their last good-bye.
There has been much discussion as to the merits of
the question of the jurisdiction of the military com-
mission, as well as to the question whether the evi-
dence was sufficient to warrant the conviction, at least
of a part of the defendants.
Whatever may be the better construction of the
constitution and the law on the question of jurisdiction,
it cannot be fairly said that this commission should be
criticised for maintaining their authority to try these
defendants. It must be remembered that they were
soldiers, wearing the uniform of the United States army,
still in the service, subject to the orders of the com-
EXKCITIOX OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 107
mander-in-chief, the President of the United States,
and to the commands of the secretary of war; that this
commission was ordered by the President, and that
these officers had been detailed for this special duty,
and had been directed to proceed with the trial of the
persons accused of the murder of Abraham Lincoln.
That these soldiers should be expected to refuse to
obey and to desert their post is most absurd. Indeed,
if they had disobeyed, they would have been subject
to court martial and dismissed from the service in dis-
grace. It is the soldier's duty to obey, and not to ask
the reason why.
It would seem that the learned counsel must have
known in advance that their able arguments would fall
upon deaf ears, and it must have been that their only
purpose was maintaining their reputation as members
of their profession when the history of the trial should
be written.
In anticipation of this grave question, the charge
and specifications had been drawn with skill and great
foresight.
The charge was "maliciously, unlawfully, and trai-
torously, and in aid of the existing armed rebellion
against the United States X X X X combining, con-
federating, and conspiring together X X X X to kill
and murder Abraham Lincoln, president, Andrew
Johnson, vice-president, William H. Seward, secretary
of state, and Ulysses S. Grant, then in command of
I lie armies of the United States."
Being "in aid of the existing rebellion" and against
the heads of the government, made the crime of a
higher and greater grade than the simple murder of an
108 JUDGE R. A. WATTS
individual; it was also a crime against the life of the
government itself.
It may be seriously questioned whether the framers
of the constitution intended to prohibit the trial of
even citizens before a military tribunal under circum-
stances and conditions then existing.
The trial and swift punishment of these execrable
assassins was of the utmost importance. The excite-
ment throughout all the land, north and south, was
intense. The very air in and about Washington was
murky with suspicion; whispers and rumors of con-
templated assassinations were everywhere. President
Johnson, members of the cabinet, commanders of the
armies and other leading men of the administration
were surrounded with cordons of guards for their pro-
tection. It may be well said that the country at large
might have suffered far greater by temporizing, quib-
blings and delays than by any technical infraction of
the strict letter of the constitution. General Grant
spoke wisely when he said: "The will of the people is
the law of the land. "
At that time it was patent to everyone that a trial
of these people before a jury impanelled in the Dis-
trict of Columbia would have failed to convict. Why
make a farce of a cause of such stupendous importance?
The trial and failure to convict John H. Surratt for the
same offense two years later, before a civil jury, verified
the wisdom of the military tribunal in this case.
As to the actual guilt of Atzerodt, Herold and
Payne, there was no room for doubt. In the cases of
Arnold, O'Laughlin, Spangler, Dr. Mudd and Mrs.
Surratt there was much contradictory testimony.
EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS 109
If the government witnesses were entitled to credit,
the verdict was justified. If the witnesses for the de-
fendants told the truth, there was room for doubt
and for reasonable doubt, particularly in the cases of
Arnold and Spangler.
But here entered the serious difficulty for these
defendants. All or nearly all the witnesses for the de-
fense were either active sympathizers with the rebel-
lion, or at best of most doubtful loyalty to the govern-
ment. More than all else however every one of the
defendants were mgst bitter in their hatred of Mr.
Lincoln and the United States Government. These
facts were the terrible make-weights that condemned
them, where otherwise there might have been hope.
What a boon to Arnold, Spangler and Mudd, would
a fair reputation for loyalty have been !
It has been said that the conspiracy to assassinate
the President, Vice-president and other chief officers of
the government, was but the wild scheme of crazy
men. The same was also said of John Brown and his
fanatical followers, in their raid at Harper's Ferry.
But may it not also be said, with equal plausibility,
that such insanity was but another form of the same
disease which in the early days of 1861 dominated
many of the best and brainiest men of the South, im-
pelling them to organize the most gigantic conspiracy
recorded in history, with intent to assassinate the best
government in the world, solely because the wisest
and most lovable of men had been elected president?
Having thus referred to the leaders of the rebellion,
I may be pardoned if I add a word, in recognition of
the valor, and as I believe, the good intentions of the
110 JUDGE R. A. WATTS
common people of the South in following their states
into secession.
After the governors and legislatures of the eleven
states had, under the forms of regularity, withdrawn
their states from the union and ratified the organiza-
tion of the confederacy, then the question arose as to
which government should have their allegiance. Add
to this the fact that our northern armies were rapidly
organizing, with the avowed purpose of marching into
their states and forcing them to return to the union.
It certainly is not surprising that such gallant men
should take up arms, in what they felt to be in defense
of their states, and, as many of them believed, of their
homes and firesides.
Unfortunately the people of the South were rushed
into a choice so swiftly that they were only given op-
portunity to remember the first half of the historical
proverb, that, regardless of the merit of the question
or the motive of the participants, "successful revolu-
tion is always called patriotism, and unsuccessful re-
bellion is forever branded treason. "
SOME MARRIAGES IN OLD DETROIT
BY THE HON'BLE WILLIAM RENWICK RIDDELL, LL. D.,
F. R. S. C., &c.
TORONTO
pvETROIT, the City on the Straits, had interesting
*^ if not unique vicissitudes of fortune : at the end
of the 18th century, there were many of her citizens of
middle age who had een her and lived in her under
three flags.
From 1701 when Cadillac with his band of a hun-
dred persons soldiers, artisans, farmers, and a few
women and children, founded Detroit, until the sur-
render to Major Rogers in 1760, the banner of the
French kings floated over the nascent city, thereafter
until the evacuation by the British, August, 1796,
under the provisions of Jay's treaty, the meteor flag
of Britain was displayed, and since that day the Stars
and Stripes.
When the terms of peace between Britain and
France were arranged in Paris in 1763, all the territory
which was later Canada, and much more passed from
France to Britain. 1 Detroit and its dependencies were
included in the cession as part of "Canada with all its
dependencies. "'
The Royal Proclamation of October 7, 1763,
created a ''Government" or Province of Quebec, in
Inch "all persons inhabiting or resorting to" it
"might confide in Our Royal Protection for the Enjoy -
icnt of the Benefit of the Laws of Our Realm of Eng-
(iii)
112 WILLIAM REN WICK EIDDELL, LL. D., F. E. S. C.
land." 3 This Province, however, did not contain all
of Canada, the Proclamation made its western
boundary, the line from "the South End of Lake
Nipissim" [Nipissing] to the point at which the line
of the 45 N. L. crosses the River St. Lawrence. 4 Ac-
cordingly Detroit was left out of the new Province
and did not have the advantage of the King's promise
of English law. 5
When by the Quebec act of 1774 Detroit was taken
into the enlarged Province of Quebec with much other
territory, the same act provided that "in all matters
of controversy relative to property and civil rights,
resort shall be had to the laws of Canada." 6
It will be seen that the civil law of England was
never introduced into Detroit by Imperial legislation.
When the Province of Upper Canada was started
on its separate career under the provisions of the
Canada or Constitutional act of 1791, the boundary on
the east had been fixed by order-in-council "at a stone
boundary of the north bank of Lake St. Francis,"
but all of the former Province of Quebec (as consti-
tuted by the Quebec act of 1774) to the west of the
Eastern boundary, fell into the Province of Upper
Canada. 7
The definitive treaty of peace between Great Britain
and her revolted colonies was signed at Paris in 1783.
That treaty gave to the new nation, the United
States of America, all the territory to the right of the
Great Lakes and connecting rivers, of course includ-
ing Detroit and such of its dependencies as were on
the same side of the river and lakes. But another
article of the same treaty provided that creditors on
SOME MARRIAGES IN OLD DETROIT 113
either side should "meet with no lawful impediment
to the recovery of the full value in sterling money of all
bona fide debts" theretofore contracted. 8 South
Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, had passed legislation
whereby the English creditors were impeded in the
recovery of their debts; and these states refused to
repeal the offensive statutes, the still somewhat loose
aggregation, the United States of America, could not
compel them to do so, the treaty was broken on the
one hand, and Britain determined to hold the border
posts to secure the performance by the United States
of article IV. Detroit and other border posts were
held by Britain for some years; and it was not until
August, 1796, that the United States were allowed to
occupy Detroit. 9 Until August, 1796 then, Detroit was
de facto part of the Province of Upper Canada from the
creation of that Province by Order-in-Council, August,
1791 ; and' the right of the Legislature of Upper Canada
to legislate for Detroit was asserted in the plainest
language and by unambiguous acts. The very first
act of the Province of Upper Canada introduced the
laws of England in matters of property and civil
rights, 10 and Colonel John Graves Simcoe, the Lieu-
tenant Governor of the Province, emphatically re-
pudiated the idea that any other law should prevail
in Detroit: he was supported to the full by the Admin-
istration at Westminster who said, "Settlers at Detroit
and the other parts are subject to the laws of the
Province ... so long as the Posts are in our
possession all persons resident within the same must
be considered to all intents and purposes as British
subjects. " u
15
114 WILLIAM REXWICK RIDDELL, LL. D., F. R. S. C.
It is a principle of international law fully accepted
by the English courts that where a country with any-
thing that can be called civilized law is conquered, the
existing law continues until it is changed by competent
authority. 12 On this principle, before the act of 1792
the French Canadian inhabitants of Detroit were en-
titled to their own Canadian civil law, as neither the
Royal Proclamation of 1763 nor the Quebec act of
1774 imposed any other. Let us first speak of the law
of marriage before the coming into force of the Upper
Canada statute of 1792.
The French Canadian law followed the Canon law
of the Church of Rome, in which a marriage to be valid
must be celebrated by a priest ordained by a Roman
Catholic bishop, marriages between French Catholics
in Detroit in which the marriage ceremony was per-
formed by a Roman Catholic priest had before the
cession of Canada to Britain been and consequently
continued to be valid. 13
In the post itself, and among the soldiers, another
principle might have been applied had the facts called
for its exercise: within the lines of a British Army
wherever serving, the soldiers and British subjects
accompanying the army are not subject to the local
law; but they may marry with the forms of their
British law so far as it is possible to observe them and
except in Scotland itself "British law" means English
law, and "the King's troops . . . impliedly
carry that law with them." 14
In the parts of the Detroit country which were not
at all settled and which therefore might fairly be called
a heathen country, the principles of English law de-
SOME MARRIAGES IN OLD DETROIT 115
clared that in the case of British subjects the same rule
applied as in the garrison. 15
By the English law (since the Reformation) the
marriage ceremony must be performed by a priest or a
deacon episcopally ordained. 16
In the case of the garrison and those accompanying
it, as well as in the case of British subjects in the wilds,
there can be little if any doubt that a marriage cere-
mony performed by a priest or deacon of the Church of
England would have been valid.
Merchants and others having no connection with
the garrison were in different case. If they could induce
a Roman Catholic priest to marry them, the marriage
would be valid. This course would be unpalatable to
all parties where the intending spouses were Protestant,
and it had obvious disadvantages.
By a somewhat liberal interpretation of the rights
of the military, it was considered that the English
speaking inhabitants would be validly married if mar-
ried in the same way as members of the garrison: it
should be said, however, that some who were qualified
to express an opinion, had serious doubts of the right
of a garrison chaplain to perform the marriage cere-
mony. No question, however, was ever raised by the
courts as to the validity of such a marriage, and in
our system of law it is the decisions of the courts which
are binding and effective, not abstract principles or the
>pinions of text writers or commentators. If a garrison
haplain were available, therefore, there would be no
eat difficulty for anyone, for the Roman Catholic
lurch always saw to it that the country was supplied
116 WILLIAM REN WICK RIDDELL, LL. D., F. R. S. C.
with priests of that communion, and Protestants could
then go to the fort.
But in the early times of British occupation there
was no garrison-chaplain in the upper posts, Niagara,
Detroit, and Michilimackinac. As was most natural
and inevitable there were young men and young women
who desired to be husband and wife, and dire necessity
drove many to irregular marriages. They would go
before the officer commanding the post, and he would
read the marriage office in the English Book of Common
Prayer, using the ring and observing the other forms,
sometimes the officer commanding would decline and
the adjutant or the surgeon of the post would officiate.
In Detroit the ceremony was often performed by a
layman who had been appointed by the Protestant
inhabitants to read prayers to them on Sunday,
there were no Church of England clergymen stationed
in this part of the country.
Later, after the definitive treaty, when the United
Empire Loyalists were coming into the country, jus-
tices of the peace sometimes performed the ceremony
in the same manner, and after 1788 when a number of
persons were appointed justices of the peace for the
District of Hesse 17 that was the usual practice. 18
So far we have been speaking of marriage before the
act of 1792, after that act the law of England undoubt-
edly came into force throughout all the territory which
was de facto part of Upper Canada, 19 and all marriages
of French or English, Catholic or Protestant were
irregular unless the ceremony was performed by an
Anglican clergyman either priest or deacon. Detroit
and the District of Hesse were not singular in their
SOME MAKIUAUES IN OLD DETROIT 117
difficulties the other Districts were in much the same
condition. Not quite so bad indeed, because while
Hesse had no Church of England clergymen up to the
time the first Parliament of Upper Canada met, Nassau
(the Niagara country) had a few months before got
one, the Reverend Robert Addison of Niagara, and
the two lower Districts Mecklenberg (Kingston) and
Luneburg (Cornwall) had each had one from 1786. 20
But the situation was so grave that it imperatively
called for legislative action, particularly when it ap-
peared that two meinbers of the Legislative Council,
one of whom had been recommended as a Member of
the Executive Council by Sir John Johnson and as a
member of the Legislative Council by Dorchester and
Simcoe, "an old and faithful servant of the Crown,"
also at least one member of the Legislative Assembly;
and the only regularly called lawyer in the Province
(except the Attorney General, White, who had come
from England) had contracted such irregular mar-
riages. 21
A bill to validate these marriages in 1792 failed but
another in 1793 was successful. 22 The act of 1793 vali-
dated all marriages theretofore "publicly contracted
before any Magistrate or Commanding Officer of a
Post or Adjutant or Surgeon of a Regiment acting as
Chaplain or any other person in any public office or
employment." We should probably have known
little or nothing of these marriages had it not been for
the further prqvision of the statute for preserving the
testimony of them; those who desired to preserve the.
testimony of their marriage were authorized within
three years of the passing of the act to make affidavits
118 WILLIAM BEX WICK RIDDKLL, LL. I)., F. R. 8. C.
of the marriage and issue of such marriage before a
magistrate in the form specified, and when certified
by the magistrate administering the oath it was to be
filed on paying a shilling fee to the clerk of the peace
of the District who would enter it in a book kept for
the purpose; and this was to be sufficient evidence of
marriage and children in any court.
It has been known for some time that such a book
was kept at Kingston for the Midland District (the
former District of Mecklenburg) : much of the material
for the subsequent part of this paper is taken from a
similar book kept for the Western District (the former
District of Hesse) . It is practically certain that a book
of the same kind was kept for the Home District (the
former District of Nassau) : if it is not equally certain
that one was kept for the Eastern District (the former
District of Luneburg). 23
The act of 1793 was approved July 9, 1793, but it
was not until the time allowed for making and filing
the affidavits had nearly elapsed that advantage was
taken in Detroit of the provision for preserving evi-
dence.
1. The first to have such an affidavit filed was
William Macomb of Detroit, one of the members of the
legislative assembly for the County of Kent in the first
Parliament of Upper Canada (Francis Baby being his
colleague). Macomb swore at Detroit, February 17,
1796, that he publicly intermarried with Sarah Dring
at Detroit, July 18, 1780, and that they bad living issue,
John, Ann, Catharine, William, Sarah, Jane, David,
and Eliza. His wife swore to the same facts. Angus
Mackintosh, J. P., certified to the affidavit and Walter
So. MK MAKIIIA<;KS IN OLD DETROIT 119
Hoc 1 , clerk of the peace for the Western District, regis-
tered them February 19, 1796.
2. After the Member of Parliament comes the
lawyer, Walter Roe of Detroit, Barrister at Law, who
intermarried at Detroit with Ann Laughton, March 1,
1790, and had living issue two sons John James and
William: William Harffy, J. P., certifies to the oaths
of Walter Roe and Ann Roe, February 16, 1796, and
Walter Roe as clerk of the peace registers them,
February 19, 1796.
The most interesting entry however, in respect of
this marriage is the certificate of the Honourable Alex-
ander Grant, member of the Legislative Council, who
says:
"I do hereby certify to have joined Walter Roe of
Detroit, Esquire, Barrister and Attorney at Law, in
the holy bonds of matrimony to Miss Ann Laughton
of the same place by their mutual consent and desire
in the presence of Mr. John Laughton, her father,
William & Sarah Macomb her friends & John and
Susannah Sparkman her brother & sister in law at
Detroit this first day of March, one thousand seven
hundred and ninety.
Signed Alexander Grant, J. P., D. H."
i. e., Justice of the Peace, District of Hesse)
Signed John Laughton
William Macomb
Sarah Macomb
Present.
John Sparkman
Susannah Sparkman
3. William Hands of Detroit, Merchant, had inter-
married at Detroit with Mary Abbott, December 10,
120 WILLIAM KEN WICK HIDDELL, LL. ])., F. If. 8. C.
1789, and had living issue, Elizabeth, William, Ann,
and Frances: William Harffy, J. P., W. D., certifies
the oaths, May 30, 1796, and Walter Roe registers
them next day.
4. A justice of the peace came next, Angus Mackin-
tosh of Detroit, Merchant, who intermarried at Detroit
with Archange St. Martin, June 17, 1783, arid had
living issue, Duncan, Alexander, Ann, Archange and
Isabella. William Harffy gives his certificate, May 31,
and Walter Roe registers the oaths, June 2, 1796.
5. Peter Laughton of the River St. Clair came in a
little late, he had intermarried with Catharine Har-
sen of St. Clair, September 14, 1788, and had living
issue, Mary, John Bilton, David and Peter: the oaths
were certified by William Park, J. P., W. D., Septem-
ber 26, 1796, and entered in the book by Walter Roe,
quantum valeat?*
By this time the evacuation of Detroit and the
territory to the right of river and lake was complete;
those who so desired crossed the river into British
territory: and of those who remained, such as within
a year after the evacuation declared their election to
remain British subjects could do so with effect. 25
6. One of those who passed over the river was
Gregor McGregor who had been superintendent of
inland navigation when he was appointed by Dorches-
ter in 1788, sheriff of the District of Hesse. He had
taken the affidavit of marriage in time, May 1, 1796,
at Detroit before Thomas Smith, J. P., who had been
clerk of the court of common pleas for the District,
but he had omitted to have it registered. In 1797
there was considerable agitation over the marriage
SOME MARRIAGES Ix OLD DETROIT 121
question, and an act had been passed by the legislature
which, however, had been reserved by Peter Russell,
the administrator, for His Majesty's pleasure. This
act had been passed "to extend the provisions of"
the act of 1793; and while* there were in it no such ex-
press words, it seems to have been considered as
extending the time for registering affidavits under the
earlier act. 26
"Gregor McGregor, County of Kent, Esquire,
Lieutenant Colonel of the Kent Battalion of Militia"
swore in Detroit he had intermarried with Susan Robert
at Detroit, August 12, 1776. Susan Robert swore the
same; living issue were James, Anne, Susan, Catharine,
and John; Thomas Smith, J. P., W. D., gave his certifi-
cate and Walter Roe registered the documents, Sep-
tember 8, 1798. Thomas Smith had also crossed the
river; he .became member of the legislative assembly
for the County of Kent.
7. Another who left Detroit was John Askin; he
went to Sandwich and there, February 27, 1798, swore
before William Harffy, that he had at Detroit, June 21,
1772, intermarried with Ar change Bar the, and there
were living issue Therese, Archange, Allice, Charles,
James, Phillis Eleanor, and Alexander David. Walter
Roe registered these affidavits, January 26, 1799, with-
out a certificate from the magistrate. This marriage
in 1772 is the earliest of these irregular marriages of
which we have any trace.
8. One who took an active part as magistrate in
performing irregular marriages and as member of par-
liament in having them confirmed, now appears.
"Alexander Grant, Esquire, Member of the Execu-
122 WILLIAM RENWICK RIDDELL, LL. D., F. R. S. C.
live Council and Commandant of the Marine Depart-
ment on the Upper Lakes," also member of the legis-
lative council, who afterwards in the war of 1812 was,
at the age of 85, after a devoted service of 50 years,
commodore on Lake Erie and died from overexertion
during that war, swore February 27, 1798, that he had
at Detroit, September 30, 1774, intermarried with
Therese Barthe, and had living issue, Therese,
Archange, Phillis, Arabella, Anne, Elizabeth, Nelly,
Alexander; and Maria his wife made the same affidavit.
The Magistrate, Thomas Smith, at Sandwich did not
give a certificate, but Walter Roe registered them,
January 26, 1799.
9. John Sparkman we have met before: he was
present at the marriage of his sister-in-law 27 Ann
Laughton, March 1, -1790, to Walter Roe; he was
barrack-master of the garrison of Detroit and conse-
quently could lawfully have been married by the
chaplain of the garrison if there had been such an officer,
there was not: he accordingly swore that, December
17, 1787, at Detroit, he intermarried with Susannah
Stedman, living issue being Elizabeth, James and
Phillip Stedman. The affidavits of Sparkman and his
wife were made at Detroit, April 26, 1796, before the
evacuation: certified to by Alexander Grant, they
were registered by Walter Roe, January 28, 1799.
1 1 . John Askin of Amherstburg, at Detroit, October
21, 1791 intermarried with Madelaine Peltier; he made
an affidavit to that effect as did his wife, September 26,
1803, before William Caldwell, J. P., who gave his
certificate the same day Askin produced to the new
clerk of the peace, James Allan, a certificate from
So. MI: MARRIACJKS Ix OLD DETROIT 123
"Alex Grant, J. P. for Upper Canada" as follows:
"I do hereby certify that I married John Askin, Junr.,
to Madelaine Peltier, the twenty -first day of October
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
ninety-one": and James Allan registered the docu-
ments, October 1803.
12. Timothy Desmond swears he intermarried
with Barberry Desmond at Detroit, September 13,
1792, before William Harffy, J. P. and that there are
issue: William, John, Mary, Ann, and Lucie: so does
Barberry: both make their mark before William
Shaw, J. P., Camden, August 13, 1806, and though there
is no magistrate's certificate, Allan registers the docu-
ments, August 28, 1806.
13. The next marriage to be noted is very inter-
esting. The Act of 1793 authorized magistrates to
perform. the marriage ceremony if there was "No
Parson or Minister of the Church of England" within
eighteen miles of either of the intending spouses,
he was to give a certificate and the certificate could be
registered by the clerk of the peace. The entry is as
follows: "Whereas Robert Surphlet and Margaret
Pike were duly married on the fourteenth day of
March, 1785, by Alexr. Macomb Esquire, of Detroit,
and have ever since lived together as husband and wife,
but having neglected in due time to preserve the testi-
mony of such marriage as prescribed by an Act of the
Provincial Parliament of Upper Canada. These are
to certify that in pursuance of the powers granted by
an Act of the Legislature of the Province passed in the
thirty-third of His Majesty's Reign, I, Prideaux Selby,
one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace, having
124 WILLIAM RENWICK RIDDELL, LL. D., F. R. S. C.
caused the previous Notice required by the Statute to
be given I have this day remarried the said Robert
Surphlet and Margaret Surphlet together and they
are become legally contracted to each other in marriage.
Petite Cote, 2nd March, 1801.
(Sd) Robert Surphlet
(Sd) M. Surphlet (Sd) P Selby
Present at the above marriage
(Sd) Timothy Murphy
(Sd) Elenor Murphy
Registered at the request of Mrs. Margaret Pike
this 18th of March, 1801 (Sd) W. Roe, C. Pe. Wn.
Dt."
The same Magistrate on the same day at the same
place in the presence of the Surphlets as witnesses re-
married Timothy Murphy and Eleanor Murphy who
had been married by William Park, J. P., at Detroit,
May 4, 1794, the first marriage was after the act of
1793, and consequently valid, but the parties had not
registered it now Walter Roe registered the certificate
"at the request of Mrs. Eleanor Murphy this 4th of
April, 1801."
The last entry of this kind to be noted was much
later : and it recalls a romance of early frontier life.
The celebrated Simon Girty, the so-called renegade,
a noted Indian fighter, had himself been a prisoner of
the Indians as a boy and was well acquainted with
their language and customs. In 1783 or 1784, visiting
a town of the Munceys on the Scioto river he met a
white captive of the tribe who had been adopted by an
Indian family. Three years before, Catherine Malott
accompanying her father and mother from Maryland,
SOME MARRIAGES IN OLD DETROIT 125
being then a girl of fifteen, had been taken prisoner by
the Indians when a passenger in a fiat boat upon the
Ohio a few miles below the present city of Wheeling.
Girty and Catherine fell in love with each other, and
Girty procured her release from captivity. He took
her in the Fall of 1784 to his farm in the present town-
ship of Colchester: and they were there married by
an English Church clergyman, a missionary at that
point.
Girty died in 1818 and his widow claimed dower in
some of his lands, *but there was no record of the
marriage, and the clergyman was no longer available
to prove it. The legislature in 1818 had passed an act
extending the time for registering such affidavits for
three years 28 but she had not taken advantage of that
act.
In '1831, however, the time was extended for six
years 29 and now the widow took action. She appeared
May 19, 1832, before William McCormick, J. P., at
Colchester and made the following affidavit. 30
"I, Catherine Girty, do solemnly swear that I did
publicly intermarry with Simon Girty at the mouth of
the Detroit River now the Township of Maiden, in the
summer of the year of our Lord, 1791, and there is
now to me living issue of said marriage, viz: Sarah
now the wife of Joseph Munger, born on the 18th day
of April, 1792, and Prideaux Girty, born on the 20th
day of October, 1796, and that such marriage was
solemnized by Frederick Augustice Norstbaugh, Church
of England Clergyman of the new settlement, now the
Township of Colchester in the County of Essex and
Western District of Upper Canada."
126 WILLIAM KENWICK RIDDELL, LL. D., F. II. S. C.
The affidavit being certified by Mr. McCormick
was registered in "Marriage Register A" by Charles
Askin, clerk of the peace for the Western District, on
October 24, 1832; and Catherine Girty's status as
lawful wife was conclusively established.
Thus an act intended to validate irregular marriages
became the means of proving one which was regular.
Unfortunately her claim for dower failed on other
grounds, for William Mickle had a perfect defence.
I have said nothing of the doubt entertained by
some lawyers and others of the right of Church of
England Clergymen to celebrate matrimony at that
time and in that country. This would involve the dis-
cussion of legal principles, quite foreign to my subject.
Of lawful marriages in Detroit by magistrates after the
act of 1793 we find only one recorded. 31 Allan Belling-
ham of Detroit, Gentleman, was married to Monica
Baby of Detroit, Spinster, by William Park, J. P.,
March 22, 1795, "there being no Parson or Minister of
the Church of England living within eighteen miles of
them." But there were many across the river which
are outside the scope of this paper.
No disgrace attached to a "Magistrate's Wedding. "
August 4, 1801 the marriage at Sandwich of William
Smith and Mary Cowan of the same place by William
Hands, J. P., was attended by the Chief Justice, John
Elmsley and the Solicitor General, Robert Isaac Dey
Grey, who were attending the assizes for the Western
District and who (with others) signed the certificate as
witnesses.
SO.MI: MAI:KIA<;I:S I x OLD DETROIT 127
NOTES
"The Treaty of Paris concluded February 10, 1763, says in Art. IV: " . . . :
Moreover his Most Christian Majesty cedes and guarantees to his said Britannic Majesty
in full right, Canada with all its dependencies. " Shortt & Doughty, Documents relating
to the Constitutional History of Canada 1758-1791, 2nd Ed., Ottawa, 1918 p. 115 a
most valuable work, a credit to its learned editors, to the Canadian Archives and to
Canada (cited as Const. Docs.).
*The Articles of Surrender by the Marquis de Vaudreuil at Montreal to General Am-
herst, September 8, 1760, had provided by Arc. Ill for the surrender of the posts "situate
on our frontiers, on the side of Acadia, at Detroit, Michilimaquinac and other posts".
Const. Docs., pp. 2, 25. It was under this surrender, that Major Rogers acted in de-
manding and receiving possession of Detroit later on in the same year. The expression
" Detroit and its dependencies" was frequently used in after years. The " dependencies"
were the settlements on either side of the river through its whole extent from Lake Huron
to Lake Erie, and an indefinite extent of territory besides: perhaps the only definition
which can be given is " the territory which looked to Detroit for protection. " The term
was not only indefinite but broad, e. g. the fort at the falls of the Maumee was considered
a dependency of Detroit.
*Const. Docs., p. 165. This has always been considered to have introduced the English
law, civil and criminal, into the Province created by this proclamation.
*Const. Docs., p. 164. The line crossed the St. Lawrence about the present Town of
Cornwall, Ontario: a considerable part of the present Province of Ontario being east of
this line was consequently included in the original Province of Quebec; there were, how-
ever, very few inhabitants in the territory so included.
5 This was not an inadvertence: the Lords of Trade in their letter, June 8, 1763, to
the Earl of Egremont (who had succeeded October 9, 1761 to William Pitt as Secretary
of State for the Southern Department and who was in charge of the American Colonies)
recommended that to take full advantage of the fur trade which next to the fisheries was
the most obvious benefit to Britain of the Cession of Canada, certain territory should be
left to the Indians for their hunting grounds; no settlement by planting should be, at
least for a time, attempted there, and " no particular form of Civil Government .
established." It was recommended that 'a freo trade with the Indian tribes should be
granted to all Your Majesty's Colonies and Subjects under such regulations as shall be
jinij,'t'(l most proper for that end and under the protection of such Military Force to be
kept up in the different Posts and Forts as may be judged necessary." Const. Docs., pp.
136, 138. And it was recommended to make the western line of the settled government
where it was afterwards actually placed, ibid, p. 141.
(1774) 14 Geo. Ill, c. 83, (Imp.) this made the boundaries of the Province run from
the point at which the 45 Parallel N. L. meets the river St. Lawrence from the east,
then westerjy along the east bank of the river to Lake Ontario, through Lake Ontario
and the Niagara river along the east and southeast bank of Lake Erie to the western
boundary of Pennsylvania, southerly along this to the river Ohio, then down along the
bank of the Ohio to the banks of the Mississippi, then northward to the Hudson's Bay
Company's territory ("northward" was interpreted to mean "up the Mississippi")
Const. Docs., p. 571. The section as to laws, &c., js usually given as sec. 8 but the act
is not always printed with the section numbered. Ibid, p. 513.
'The Canadian or Constitutional Act is (1791) 31 George III, c. 31 (Imp.), ibid., pp.
1031-1051: the Order in Council, August 24, 1791, 4th Report Archives of Ontario (for
1906) pp. 158-160: the Royal Message of Intention to divide Canada, February 25, 1791,
4th Rep. Arch. Ont. p. 158: 28 Hansard, Ho. Com. Deb. p. 1271.
*For the Definitive Treaty of.Paris see Treaties and Contentions of the U. S. A., Wash-
ington, 1889, pp. 375-379: Const. Docs., pp. 726-730. The article fixing boundaries is
Art. II, that concerning debts. Art. IV.
By Jay's Treaty concluded November 19, 1794, Treaties and Contentions, pp. 379-395.
128 WILLIAM EENWICK RIDDELL, LL. D., F. II. S. C.
The United States undertook to pay these debts when ascertained by arbitrators, and
Britain agreed to give up the territory held by her. The troubles of these arbitrators
are told in my paper before the Royal Society of Canada, " When International Arbi-
tration Failed, " 40 Can. Law Times (1920), pp. 351, 360. The arbitrators could not agree
and the United States ultimately by the Convention of January 8, 1802 Treaties and
Convtntions, pp. 398, 399 agreed to pay 600,000 sterling in three equal annual install-
ments of 200,000 each, the sterling being reckoned at $4.44 of U. S. money.
"(1792) 82 George III, c. 1, s. 3 (U. "C.); the act was passed at Newark (now Niagara-
on-the-Lake, until 1797, Capital of the Province) October 15, 1792.
"Captain Stevenson an active officer who had accompanied Simcoe to Canada and was
much in his confidence, was entrusted by Simcoe with despatches in November, 1792,
after the session of parliament, as he was going to England: Simcoe in an official letter
said that Stevenson was in a position to give any information concerning the statutes,
etc., desired by the Secretary of State for the Home Department (then in charge of the
Colonies): Stevenson in Simcoe's name suggested to Henry Dundas (afterwards Lord
Melville) the Secretary of State, that the French Canadians at Detroit might be allowed
their own laws: Dundas, October 2, 1763, sent a dispatch to Simcoe in which the words
quoted in the text are employed. Can. Arch. Q. 279, 1, 261, 264. When Simcoe received
this letter he indignantly repudiated Stevenson's suggestions and conduct and although
he had thought so much of him as to recommend him for the position of deputy quarter
master general he spoke of his suggestion as that of "a hasty inconsiderate person,
scarcely endowed with common sense." Can. Arch., Q. 280, 1, 106. Letter Simcoe to
Dundas, York, February 28, 1794. J. Ross Robertson's Diary of Mrs. John Graves
Simcoe, Toronto, 1911, pp. 43, 59, 139.
"The celebrated case of Campbell v. Hall (1774), Cowper's K.B. Cases, 204: Lofft's
Reports, 655, "very elaborately argued four several times" before the Court of King's
Bench at Westminster, decided this once for all. Lord Mansfield delivered the unani-
mous opinion of the court, which is a legal and constitutional classic.
13 I have myself no doubt of the validity of such marriages: but I have heard very
good lawyers deny or at least query.'
"While the authorities speak only of an -army of occupation or otherwise in a foreign
country, the same principle must apply to an army post anywhere. See Westlake's
Private International Law, 5th Ed. 1912, p. 72. I follow sec. 31 almost verbally; King v.
Brampton (1808), 10 East's Reports, 282, lays down the law clearly. Ruding v. Smith, 2
Haggard's Consistory Reports, 393. See also Burn v. Farrar (1819), 2 Haggard's Con-
sistory Reports, 369, in which Sir William Scott (afterwards Lord Stowell) doubts whether
an English officer in the army of occupation at Paris was at all subject to the French law.
There would not now raise even a doubt: as Lord Ellenborough, C. J. said in King v,
Brampton, 10 East at p. 238, "the law of England, ecclesiastical and civil, was recog-
nized by subjects of England in a place occupied by the King's troops who would im-
pliedly carry that law with them." It is possible that a marriage by a Presbyterian
minister following the Presbyterian ritual would be equally valid with one by a clergyman
of the Church of England where no statute interfered; Catterall v. Catterall, 1 Robert-
son's Reports, 580; 5 Notes of Cases, 466; it is unnecessary to pursue this enquiry.
15 I know of no binding and authoritative statement of the law in that regard: but
the general opinion is as stated in Hammick's Laws of Marriage, 2nd Ed., 1887, at p.
266. "There is little doubt that in a heathen land, marriages between British subjects
may lawfully be celebrated by a clergyman of the Church of England either on board
ship or on shore."
"Before the act of (1753), 26 George II, c. 83, a marriage in England by a Roman
Catholic priest after the English ritual, though irregular, was not void, although it prob-
ably would have been had the Roman Catholic ritual been employed. Serimshire v.
Scrimshire, 2 Haggard's Consistonj Reports, 404, Since Reg. v. Millis (1844), 10 Clark
& Finnelly's Reports in House of Lords, 534, "it must be taken that there never could
have been a valid marriage in England before the Reformation without the presence of
SOME MAKUIAUKS IN OLD DETROIT 129
a priest episcopally ordained or afterwards without the presence of a priest or of a dea-
con." Beamish v. Beamish (1861), 9 House of Lords Cases, 274.
17 Lord Dorchester, Captain General and Governor-in-Chief of the Province of Quebec,
by Letters Patent, dated July 28, 178*. divided that part of the Province which after-
wards became Upper Canada into four Districts, Luneburg, Mecklenburg, Nassau and
Hesse: Hesse, which in 1792 became the Western District of Upper Canada, extended
from the extreme projection of Long Point into Lake Erie to the west of the Province.
This District included Detroit. Cons'.. Docs., pp. 953, 954, 4th Rep. Ont. Arch., (1906)
pp. 157, 158.
Kor the District of Hesse the following were appointed justices of the peace, all well
known men of the time: Alexander Grant, Guillaume La Motte, .St. Martin Adhemar,
William Macomb, Joncaire de Chabert, Alexander Maisonville, William Caldwell and
Mathew Elliot. Can. Arch. Q. 39, p. 134. 11 Mich. Hist. Coll., p. 622.
"See the Honble. Richard Cartwright's Report to Lieutenant Governor Simcoe, Can.
Arch., Q. 261, 1, 169, printed in full in note 6 to my Article "The Law of Marriage in
Upper Canada." 2 Can. Hist. Review (September 1921), pp. 241, 242.
"The Territory of Michigan did not recognize this act as legally and effectively abolish-
ing the French Canadian law, but the territorial legislature in 1810 passed a statute ex-
pressly repealing the Coutume de^Paris, Lorman v. Benson (1859), 8 Mich. 18, at p. 25:
Coburn v. Harvey (1864), 58 Wis. 146 at p. 158. Dr. Sherman in his splendid work,
Roman Law in the Modern World, Boston 1917, Vol. 1, p. 251, sec. 263, mentions the fact
of repeal but says nothing of the reason for it.
2 See the Report of Hon. Richard Cartwright mentioned in note 18 supra.
-'Indeed Simcoe in an official despatch to Dundas, Navy Hall, (Niagara) November 4,
17'.)2, says "almost all the Province are in that predicament." Can. Arch. .Q. 278, pp.
79 ff. At Detroit two out of the four English speaking magistrates appointed in 1788 for
the District of Hesse and the only lawyer were " in that predicament " as will appear later
in the text.
22 See my Paper referred to in note 18 supra for a full account of the legislative vicissi-
tudes of these bills. This Paper contains a full historical account of the legislation upon
the subject of celebration of marriage in the Province of Upper Canada. The act of 1793
is (1793) S3 George III, c. 5, (U. C.): the validating section is sec. 1, that for preserving
testimony of them is sec. 2.
23 The first account in print of the Midland District book (so far as I know) was my
article in Volume 51 of the Canadian Magazine (September 1918), pp. 384-386, "Marriage
in Early Upper Canada. " See also my paper referred to in note 18 supra. The Western
District book had escaped my research: it was brought to my attention by Andrew
Hraid, Esq., secretary of the Essex Historical Society, Windsor, Ontario, who was good
enough to procure for me a personal examination of it. I wish to express my appreciation
of and thanks for his kindness and courteous consideration.
In the Midland District book are only two marriages recorded, Richard Cartwright
of Kingston, who was a legislative councillor, and Magdalene Secord at Niagara on or
about October 19, 1784 who had living children James, Richard and Hannah; and David
McCrae and Erie Smyth at Michilimackinac, October 13, 1783, who had living children
\\ illiam, Sophia, Frances and Amelia.
while he copied the oaths of Peter and Catharine Laughton and the certificate
of Park did not certify that they were registered, no doubt because the three years al-
lowed by the act had gone by and the entry was therefore irregular and without legal
justification.
s treaty concluded November 19, 1784, Treaties and Conventions of the U. S. A.,
pp. 379 ff, Art. II, provides for evacuation by June 1, 1796, and retention of allegiance
on the terms set out in the text.
2 This act was passed in 1797, but the royal assent was not promulgated by proclama-
tion until December 29, 1798, and it is quoted as (1798) 38 George III, c. 4 (U. C.)
"How he and his wife were brother and sister-in-law of Ann Laughton as certified by
17
130 WILLIAM KENWICK KIDDELL, LL. D., F. K. S. C.
Grant, does not appear, perhaps his brother had married her sister. Sparkman was
afterwards, and as late as 1807, deputy barrack master at Amherstburg, Can. Arch. C.
673, p. 106: 15 Mich. Hist. Coll., p. 41.
28(1818) 69 George III, c. SI (U. C.)
z(1830) 11 George IV, c. 86, a. 2 (U. C.). The act came in force March 2, 1831, but
was passed in March, 1829, and was reserved for the royal pleasure.
3 It is quite certain that the date 1791 which is interlined is a mistake, her first child
who died in infancy was born in 1785; Ann, who afterwards married Peter Gouvereau, in
1786; Sarah afterwards Mrs. Munger, in 1791; and Prideaux in 1797.
"There may of course have been many more which were not recorded by the clerk of
the peace in his book.
WOMEN AND HISTORY
BY MRS. FRANC L. ADAMS
MASON
AND HISTORY! This combination
came about through the simple process of evolu-
tion. All history began at the Creation, and women
from that time, as the mothers of men, have been the
source from which history has grown. We notice the
connection between women and history in the Garden
of Eden, and I have no need to remind you that Eve
began her historical career and made a name for her-
self before Adam began any activities in that line, and
while we are not proud of the part she took, neither do
we take pride in that taken by Adam, who established
a precedent still followed by those of his sex, that of
laying the blame for all evils on the woman.
Always woman has been looked upon as the weaker
vessel, and it has taken twenty centuries to perfect
the plan whereby women, in some parts of the earth,
(and we rejoice that Michigan is one of those "parts")
appear in the same category with men, but let us not
lose sight of the fact, that as mothers of men, women
are responsible for all the history the world has ever
known. We of today will not admit that man is a
superior animal, but agree rather with Burns when he
said,
His 'prentice hand He tried on man,
And then He made the lasses.
The names of women, from the time of Eve to that
Read before the State Historical Society at Laiiaing, May 27, 1920.
[(131)
132 MRS. FRANC L. ADAMS
of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, are made noticeable
by their absence in that greatest of all histories, the
Bible, but we know the women were there, otherwise
where appear the names of hundreds of men would
have been a blank and the "beget" and "begot"
columns would have been entirely lacking.
Sarah was appointed by the Lord of Hosts to be
"the mother of nations," and the history of the ages
proves the fulfillment of that covenant. The founda-
tions of modern history were built in part by the women
who amid surroundings which cannot even be con-
ceived by us, reared the men whose names appear in
the early chronicles of the Bible, though many genera-
tions passed away before women were given credit in
their own names and really had a part in the world's
work.
Women like men have made both noble and ignoble
history, but as Stevenson says,
There's so much bad in the best of us,
And so much good in the worst of us,
That it doesn't become any of us
To talk about the rest of us.
The only things worthy of record are those which tend
toward world betterment, and these are plentiful all
down through the ages and can best be represented by
types.
'The pages of the Old Testament teem with the
names of women, who may well be called pioneers in
history, and from the beginning of the Christian Era
the names of women who have performed notable
deeds have been ever on the increase. Glimmers of
light reflected from their brave deeds shone through
the fog even in the Dark Ages.
\VO.MKX AND HISTORY 133
The Pilgrim mothers formed a combination of
Women and History from which our American history
has grown; in them can be traced the indomitable
spirit possessed by the women of early days as they
came into an unknown land where they ' had been
promised "freedom to worship God" and endured all
the hardships incident to such a life as they reared men
whose names form a noted galaxy on history's pages.
The brave women of 1776, who by their courage
and devotion helped make it possible for the Stars and
Stripes to wave o\*er the American Colonies, and
whose names were never transcribed on the records of
our country helped to make our history just as much
as those with whose names we are all familiar. They
made history just as much as did Betsy Ross, Mollie
Pitcher, Barbara Frietche, Sarah Bradlee Fulton,
mother of the Boston Tea Party, Lydia Darrah, the
Philadelphia Quakeress who prevented Howe's cap-
ture of Washington, Mercy Warren, the first woman to
advise separation from England, and many others who
might be mentioned.
Coming closer to our own day, during and just pre-
ceding the War of the Rebellion we find Florence
Nightingale, the "Angel of the Crimea" as she was
called, known as the pioneer who paved the way for
the alleviation of suffering on the field of battle and in
military hospitals and whose plans our own Clara
Barton carried on and perfected in such a manner that
never since time began has there been a union of women
and history that has led to such stupendous results.
Some worship the man with money, others the man
witli power, while still others bow down to the sculptor,
134 MRS. FRANC L. ADAMS
artist or musician who has gained a famous name, but
whoever we place on our historical pedestal of fame it
is one who has achieved great deeds or done something
for humanity. No name stands higher than that of
Clara Barton who is known the world over as the
greatest humanitarian of her sex that ever lived. That
her work was a part of Michigan history all may not
know.
The first local Red Cross society formed in the
United States was organized by Clara Barton at Dans-
ville, N. Y., her summer home, and its first work was
to assist the Michigan fire sufferers in 1881.
Linked with the name of Clara Barton are those of
Marie Logan, "Mother" Bickerdike and Frances Wil-
lard, all women who were prominent in making the his-
tory of this nation. But if all the historically famous
women of the ^nited States should be mentioned, the
list would be a long one and each would be entitled to
credit for some special line of work or service.
Women and History! Let's draw the lines still
closer until they contain only Michigan, for our own
state records have a wonderful array of historical women
of renown.
For 219 years women have had a prominent place
in the annals of this great commonwealth, for it was
soon after the founding of Detroit in 1701 that Madame
Cadillac and Madame Tonty, cultured women of
France, turned their footsteps toward the new world to
become pioneers with their husbands in the wilderness
and to become known as the first white women who
blazed the trail into Michigan.
I have no need to relate the deeds of Catherine, the
WO.MKX AND HISTORY 135
Ojibway girl, Mrs. John Johnson, Susan Zeisberger,
"Aunt" Emily Ward, "Aunt" Laura Haviland, Lu-
cinda Hinsdale Stone, Miss Emily Mason, Madame
Mitchell, Sojourner Truth but the list grows too long,
and we are all more or less familiar with the part these
women, and many others, had in the making of Michi-
gan history. Each had her line of work, and no two
experiences were the same; had it been otherwise, had
all had the same interest at heart and worked for one
object alone, "women and history" would not have
meant much in Michigan. There is probably not a
man in the state today with any knowledge of pioneer
days who does not admit that the women had as great
a part in subduing the wilderness, building up the
schools and churches, organizing public institutions,
helping solve the good roads problem, and bringing
about the statewide prohibition and equal suffrage, as
did the masculine element.
Women who have made history in Michigan!
Their name is legion, and though the majority of them
have never been heard of by the public, all honor is due
them as pioneer mothers. Women thought no sacrifice
too great, no hardship too severe to keep them from
the side of their husbands when they came into the
unbroken forests of Michigan to build a home. With-
out a murmur they rode in the covered wagons behind
plodding oxen, through swamps and forests, across
wide, swift-flowing rivers they were obliged to ford as
they traveled, until they came to the spot they had
chosen for the new home. Here were hastily felled
enough trees to erect a rude cabin in which they lived,
many times without even the most common necessities
136 MRS. FRANC L. ADAMS
of life, and here the women, all unknowingly, made
history that will live as long as Michigan remains a
state.
What has been said of the women of Michigan holds
equally true of the women of Ingham county who came
here in pioneer days.
Webster defines a pioneer as "one who goes before,
to prepare the way for another," and the key-note was
struck by one who called a pioneer a "leader." "It
matters little," he said, "whether he blazed a trail into
a new country and became its first settler, instituted
needed reforms or worked out a plan for improving
the world and making it better, he is a true pioneer,
because he is a leader."
It may savor of "carrying coals to Newcastle,"
to draw the lines even closer and mention a few typical
women pioneers of Ingham county, for each county has
its women pioneers to whom honor is paid, but there is
the chance that there are women leaders in this county
to whom your attention has never been called.
Mrs. Nancy Meach came into Leroy township in
1836, and in a record of her life written by herself we
find that it was in January with the snow so deep that
the party was one whole day covering the last eight
miles of their journey. For eight months this brave
pioneer never saw the face of another woman, but her
adventures with Indians, wolves and bears made thrill-
ing stories. She was one of the first school teachers in
the county, and the helpful spirit with which she as-
sisted those around her, causes her name to be spoken
reverently by the older inhabitants of the township.
She was but one of the many pioneer mothers whose
WO.MKX AM* HISTORY 137
part in history was similar to hers and whose fortitude
and courage have been an inspiration to the generations
following them.
Abigail and Delia Rogers founded a seminary in
Lansing in 1855 where girls were encouraged to gain a
higher education. Miss Abigail Rogers devoted much
energy to forcing open the doors of the University of
Michigan so women could squeeze through, and all
know it was a tight squeeze at first.
Among the teachers of local fame were Mrs. Jona-
than Bush, Mrs. Hannah May, whose picture hangs on
the walls in the Senate Chamber in the Capitol, and
her sister, Mrs. Mary Still man, who now at the age of
89 is still telling the story of those early days. She and
her five sisters all taught school and between times
braided straw hats. She says, " When we saw a stranger
coming toward the house we knew he was after either
a straw hat or a school ma'am. " Those were the days
when teachers received the princely salary of from
twelve to twenty shillings a week, provided the teacher
was of the feminine persuasion, and in addition she was
given the privilege of "boarding round." One story
Mrs. Stillman loves to relate is how she made toast for
Governor Cass when he stopped near the Rolfe settle-
ment for a meal while driving from Detroit to Lansing
when the Capital was first located there. She thought
him the homeliest man she ever saw. The roads were in
even worse condition than we find them some places
now, and when the stage coach lurched into a huge
in iid-hole his silk hat fell into the slough and he had to
ride with his bandanna tied over his head.
Mrs. Harriet Tenney and Mrs. Mary C. Spencer as
138 MRS. FRANC L. ADAMS
state librarians, have not only added to the history of
Ingham county, but their names are well known be-
yond the confines of the state in connection with library
work.
Mrs. Marie B. Ferrey occupies a position in which
she has no counterpart. The work she has done as
curator of the State Historical Museum places her in a
class by herself, while her patriotic work has made her
a place to which few attain. During the last few years
she has visited hundreds of schools and clubs of the
state and never fails to urge a more extensive and
thorough study of Michigan history. She often takes
with her on her trips the costumes of different periods
and in this manner better conveys to her hearers the
history of each epoch.
Women and History ! Women in History ! Women
who are pioneers in Webster's sense of the word, that
is, leaders in new movements, have increased in num-
bers very rapidly during the last few years, and in this
they have shown the same courage and fortitude which
their mothers and grandmothers displayed. The
courage, perhaps, is of a different nature, for it takes
moral as well as physical courage to face the adverse
criticism these modern pioneers have encountered,
something our foremothers knew nothing about. But,
to use a modern phrase, the women of today have
"made good," and the outlook for the feminine popu-
lation, as well as the future history as connected with
women, has received an impetus that will carry it on
until it results in the emancipation of women from all
the hampering restrictions of other days. New avenues
\\'<>.M i ;\ AND HISTORY 139
a rr being constantly opened and women are now travel-
ing paths hitherto unknown to the world.
Let us follow some of the devious pathways that
our leaders have blazed within the last few years and
see where they lead us. They are historical paths, we
all know, and they who forged ahead into the Unknown
fully realize this, and their experiences are as beacon
lights for those who follow.
Mrs. Carrie Chapin of Eden was the first woman to
cast her vote in Vevay township after the equal suffrage
law passed, and at % the same election received the
majority vote for justice of the peace, over her son who
ran against her. Her husband, the late J. W. Chapin,
belonged to the well known Chapin family that came
into Vevay in 1843, and she combines agriculture with
her magisterial work, for she conducts the farm that
has been in the family all these years. Miss Alice
Chapin, the oldest daughter of the family, a graduate
from the Mason high school, has brought honor to her
Alma Mater and her home county in several ways.
She was one of the first to establish a game refuge on
her farm in Eden; was the first Ingham county woman
to work with defective children in school, and is now
at the head of a large settlement house in Minneapolis,
Minn., where she is attracting nation-wide comment
on her work.
Rev. Augusta Chapin, one of the members of the
original family, was the first woman to be ordained as a
preacher in Ingham county, and held pastorates in
California, Illinois, New York and Michigan before
her death. She was th first Ingham county woman to
personally conduct tourists to and through Europe.
140 Mus. FRANC L. ADAMS
Mrs. Dora Stockman was well known to the public
for years as a Grange lecturer, and was the first woman
to be elected a member of the State Board of Agri-
culture.
Mrs. Harriet W. Casterlin, whose father, Rev. Hosea
Kittridge, was the first resident Presbyterian pastor in
Mason, proved her pioneer leadership wJien she served
in the Ingham county court as the first woman juror to
be drawn on a regular panel.
Miss Daisy Call, though young to be called a pio-
neer, blazed the trail for the women of Ingham county
when she entered the political arena and was elected
county school commissioner.
The first medal from the Carnegie Hero Fund com-
mission granted in Ingham county was given Mrs. Eva
Prince for a deserving act of heroism done in 1913.
Ingham county has at least one authoress of note,
Miss Belle Maniates, who is best known as having
written Amarilly of Clothes Line Alley.
Lansing has added luster to its history in electing
Mrs. Ella Aldinger president of the Board of Education,
and Mrs. F. E. Mills as a member of the board.
The list grows apace, not only with the names of
women who are making history, but with the new lines
of work into which they are entering.
As women and history have been associated to-
gether from the beginning of the world, so they will
continue to be until the end of time.
Women and History!
'Tis still a mystery
How the combination began. ^
We may argue and reason,
, And still it's not treason
To declare 'twas the work of no man.
WOMEN AND HISTORY 141
God gave woman brains,
And through them she attains
To power on the same plane with man ;
For this she has sought,
She's worked and she's fought
Since the days when Creation began.
And now she's victorious,
After work most laborious
And years of ceaseless endeavor.
To God she gives praise,
That in these latter days
She's considered both wise and clever.
And down through the ages
Will go history's pages,
That proves she had talents God-given.
These "Mothers of men"
Their reward receive, when
God judges the motive with which thoy have striven.
MICHIGAN AS A FIELD FORJTHE NOVELIST
BY ARNOLD MULDER, M. A.
HOLLAND
TT WILL seem like a negation of my subject when I
* say at the very beginning that in fiction, and in
general literature too for that matter, geographical
boundary lines should not be taken into consideration.
Any fiction that is worthy of the name will inevitably
transcend all geographical limits. Literature, in this
respect, is like nature. When one crosses the boundary
from Michigan into Indiana or Ohio or Wisconsin, one
does not realize it by any signs in nature. The grass
on one side of the line is exactly like the grass on the
other side; the trees are just aS green in Ohio as in
Michigan, the skies just as blue. A tree growing on
the Michigan side of the line impartially sends its roots
into Indiana and Michigan soil alike. Nature knows
no boundary lines.
Nor does literature. I have little faith in state or
local authors' associations in so far as these associations
exist for the exaltation of state or local pride. A work
of art is no less a work of art because it was produced in
a far distant state, and it is no more a work of art be-
cause it was produced in Michigan. State pride cannot
take the place of intrinsic merit. I would always rather
read a well written novel by a writer from California or
New York or Missouri or West Virginia than an in-
differently written novel by a writer from Michigan.
And more than that, I would always rather read a well
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MICHIGAN AS A FIELD FOR THE NOVELIST 143
written book by an English or a Norwegian or a Ger-
man or a Spanish or a Russian writer than I would a
poorly written book by an American. There are not
even any national boundaries to art. The democracy
of the spirit is worldwide.
But this point of view carries with it as its natural
complement that there is no reason for indulging in the
very common depreciation of the product of the native
writers. If art knows no boundary lines, there is no
reason why great art should not be produced in Michi-
gan just. as readily ae in California or New York or in
London or Paris. There is no reason why the greatest
writer of the Twentieth century should not spring from
Michigan. A prophet is not without honor save in his
own country, and it is an almost unconscious fashion
for Michigan people to think patronizingly of Michigan
writers as if there is something home-made about
them, and as if they are lacking in the element of pro-
fessionalism. People think of New York or Boston as
the place where the real writers live. But nothing
could be more mistaken than this. The real writers in
America today either live in the Middle West or hail
from it. H. L. Mencken, America's most arresting
literary critic, recently testified to this fact when he
said that by far the greatest majority of the really vital
writers of America lived within two hundred miles
from Chicago. It is largely because of my conviction
that there is no reason why letters should not flourish
in Michigan as well as anywhere else in America that I
am presenting these thoughts on "Michigan as a
Field for Fiction. "
There is such a phrase as "the Indiana school of
144 ARNOLD MULDER, M. A.
novelists;" there is no such phrase as "the Michigan
school of novelists." Why the former and why not
the latter? Is there something in the ozone of Indiana
that develops novelists, something in its topography,
in the genius of its people? I do not pretend to be able
to explain "the Indiana school of novelists." I am
inclined to think that it is no more than a phrase any-
way. Michigan probably has about as many novelists
as Indiana, but whereas Booth Tarkington, Meredith
Nichelson and others of that school are known as dis-
tinctly Indiana writers, Michigan's novelists are not
known as Michigan writers. Few people outside of
Michigan, for instance, think of Rex Beach as a Michi-
gan writer, or of Clarence Buddington Clelland, or of
Henry G. Aikman. One of the few Michigan novelists
of first rank who is widely known as a Michigan writer
is Steward Edward White, and the reason probably is
that "The Blazed Trail," the book that made him
famous, has its scenes frankly laid in Michigan.
Aspiring young novelists often are under the im-
pression that romance is to be found only in some other
place, that they must migrate to New York and write
about scenes there to be successful. I personally be-
lieve that this idea has spoiled many a- young writer.
There is unquestionably good material for fiction in
New York, as O. Henry has conclusively demonstrated,
but it is folly for a young writer who would have a good
chance to be original with the material that he finds
right at his own door to go to a far-away scene and be-
come a mere imitator with the unfamiliar material.
And Michigan as a state is particularly rich in
variety of interests and aspects of life that should make
MICHIGAN AS A FIELD FOR THE NOVELIST 145
it a wonderful field for the novelist. Take first of all
the state's geography. Compare it with such a state
as Indiana. The Hoosier state is for the most part one
level plain. For practical purposes it may be described
as a huge cornfield. Now a cornfield is not particularly
inspiring as a background for fiction. But what has
Michigan to offer as background material for the
novelist? All one needs to do is take a look at the map
of the state almost completely surrounded by a group
of great lakes that speak of ancient prehistoric geologi-'
cal eras that cannot help but excite the imagination.
Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the
world, bounds one side of the state, while Lake Michi-
gan and Lake Huron seem to hold the lower peninsula
in a loving embrace. A whole literature could be built
up about these wonderful lakes. Their fierce storms
give an opportunity for dramatic interest that is not
surpassed anywhere in the world. Joseph Conrad has
built up a series of novels, perhaps the most wonderful
of this generation, about life on the ocean vessels. Is
there not in Michigan some future Joseph Conrad who
will do the same for life on the Great Lakes? There is
no reason why just as great fiction should not be written
about the Great Lakes as about the Seven Seas.
Then there is the upper peninsula, a field for fiction
as yet practically untouched. Joseph Hergesheimer,
in one of his stories, gives a hint at the possibilities of
that section, giving the impression that he considers it
one of the most romantic spots in America. Gertrude
Atherton wrote a novel about life in the Montana cop-
per district. There is no reason why a greater than
Gertrude Atherton should not arise in the upper penin-
19
146 ARNOLD MULDER, M. A.
sula and lay the scene of a novel or of a whole series of
novels in the copper and iron country of that section.
Preferably it should be a native son, or at least one
who has lived in the district long enough so that he has
become saturated with his material and with the spirit
of the country. There are too many novelists who use
a quaint bit of country of a curious community merely
as a stage back-drop in their stories, not as a genuine
background. A real background, to be worth the
trouble that is put on creating it, should be an integral
part of the story. It should in a way be a character
in the story itself. The mere topography of a place is
of minor importance; it is the life of a scene, its spirit,
that gives it vitality. And there is opportunity for a
great fictional epic about the copper and iron country
of the upper peninsula-, provided a novelist can be
developed who can see what is before his eyes and who
can grasp the possibilities of the place as a fictional
background.
Take the single example of the great strike of a few
years ago. There is enough dramatic material in that
for several novels. Add to that the dramatic interest
that is inherent in all mines the ever-present chance
of men being trapped in the mazes underground, the
clash of foreign personalities, the inherent tempera-
mental differences between the races that work the
mines, and you have a mass of material that a novelist
like Eden Phillpotts could glorify so that critics all
over the world would call it the work of genius.
Michigan's woods are not what they once were, but
there is plenty of forest left for fictional purposes.
Steward Edward White has probably exhausted the
MICHIGAN AS A FIELD FOR THE NOVELIST 147
possibilities of the woods of this state as material for
the novel. But what he has done proves my point that
this state contains as much inherent interest for the
novelist as any state in the Union. What Steward
Edward White has done with the woods, other novelists
can do with other features of the state that are more or
less peculiar to Michigan.
Few people for instance seem to realize that the
dunes along Lake Michigan are as effective a back-
ground for fiction as the woods were at one time. I
have felt for years that here is a region that in romantic
interest is second to none. These vast masses of shift-
ing sand, millions of tons of it in a single dune some-
times, restless, migratory, shaped and reshaped a
thousand times each year by the winds and the storms,
choking out the lives of trees and shrubs, overwhelming
sometimes a whole village these sand masses have a
charm and an appeal for many who have lived in close
communion with them that make them ideal material
for fictional background purposes. Mary Kelly Graves,
describing in a free verse poem a rainstorm in the dunes,
said of these sand masses:
"Architects have dreamed such things
But never have carved them in stone."
Michigan cities are perhaps no different from other
American cities and it would be almost an act of
supererogation to try to build a paragraph on the thesis
that Michigan cities can more effectively serve as a
background for fiction than the cities in any other state.
I do not wish to make any such contention; but on
the other hand, there is also no reason why the scene
of a great novel should not as naturally be laid in
Detroit or Flint, let us say, as in Chicago, or Indian-
148 ARNOLD MULDER, M. A.
apolis, or Cincinnati. Booth Tarkington usually lays
his plots in "the Midland City," which is obviously
Indianapolis, and Mary S. Watts merely speaks of
"the City" in her books, which city is just as obviously
Cincinnati. Michigan writers frequently go to Chicago
or New York as the scenes for their city stories. There
is no reason why they should not localize them, except
for the aforesaid absurd feeling that there is something
home-made and not quite professional about the home
scene. Moreover, a city like Detroit or Flint, with the
very large admixture of foreigners in the population,
gains tremendously from that fact in fictional value.
It is a truism that a happy, contented people does not
furnish much material for the history books; in the
same way, a happy city, with no foreign elements to
complicate life and to furnish civic and municipal
problems, is not a good field for fiction. The novelist
feeds on the troubles that stir up the life of a com-
munity. Such troubles are the drama of life.
The Saturday Evening Post during the past ten or
fifteen years has done perhaps more than any other
agency to develop the "literature of business." Until
within the last decade or two business was not looked
upon as legitimate material for fiction. But today it
is one of the best fields for the novelist. And what
business today is the colossus among businesses?
Without hesitation the answer is of course the auto-
mobile industry. And what one state in the Union
is the home of the auto industry. Just as unhesitatingly
Michigan of course.
Not a tithe of the novels have been written about
the automobile industry that are going to be written
MICHIGAN AS A FIELD FOR THE NOVELIST 149
and that can be written. Consider the romance of the
life of such a man as Henry Ford. If the literal story
of his life had been written by a novelist twenty years
ago, not departing one jot from the actual truth as we
all know it today, the writer would have been set down
as the most promising candidate for the Ananias Club
that the century had produced. There is absolutely
no reason why a Michigan H. G. Wells should not be
stirred into literary activity by the story of this curious
business genius, this friend of Edison and the late John
Burroughs, and transmute him into a literary figure
as arresting as the transformation of Paul Guiguin,
the French painter, into "Charles Strickland," in W.
Somerset Maugham's much discussed book, 'The
Moon and Sixpence. " And a novelist need not become
a worshiper of Ford or agree with his political or social
ideas to do that. The novelist, for the purpose of his
art, has nothing to do with political quarrels or the right
or wrong of social or economic experiments. All that
counts for him is that Henry Ford is a Michigan citizen
who is one of the most romantic figures not only in
America but in the world. He is so full of fictional
interest, there are so many corners to his character
and career to which the imagination of the novelist
could hitch itself as starting points, that it is a marvel
to me that no great novelist of business has written a
great novel about his unique personality, if not about
the facts of his life.
The automobile industry has a wealth of romantic
i nl rrest for the writers of the novels of business that
has not yet begun to be utilized in any adequate way.
Booth Tarkington in "The Magnificent Ambersons"
150 ARNOLD MULDER, M. A.
makes very good use of the early beginnings of the auto-
mobile in his "Midland City." A novel that would
follow the state of Michigan in its rapid transition from
an agricultural to an industrial state, due largely to
the automobile industry, would be a real achievement
in American fiction. There are plenty of people not
yet forty years old who very distinctly remember the
first time they ever saw an automobile. To put into a
work of fiction the very spirit of an autoless world and
then trace the development of a world that is finally
almost dominated by the automobile, all of it taking
place in less than a quarter of a century, showing how
this bit of motive mechanism has affected the thought-
life, the mind, the heart and the very body, of the
people whose lives it has touched such a study in
fiction would have a value that cannot be over-esti-
mated. Arnold Bennett, in "The Old Wives' Tale"
and in the "Clayhanger" series, traces social changes
in England during several generations. There is no
reason why the same thing could not be done with
Michigan's great industry as the focusing point.
I have already alluded to the iron and copper
region in the upper peninsula as a background for fic-
tion, but there are further possibilities for the fictionist
in mining as a business. Perhaps nowhere else in
America does a business so dominate, for better or
worse, the whole civic and communal life as does the
mining business in some sections of the upper peninsula.
In some instances the big mining companies build the
roads, pave the streets, lay the sewers and assume
many of the other burdens that the voters assume in
MICHIGAN AS A FIELD FOR THE NOVELIST 151
other sections. The big corporations in some cases
almost take the place of the government.
The effect that such a situation has upon the peo-
ple is a theme that is full of rich possibilities for the
novelist. And in working out such a theme in fiction
he would have material that ought to stir the imagina-
tion. No one who has ever stood at the mouth of one
of the famous mines in the copper or iron district and
has seen the miners go down the shaft can forget the
types. There is a rich exoticism about them that whets
curiosity about their lives, about their family relations,
about their psychology, about their attitude toward
life. Anyone who could- truthfully reproduce in fiction
these foreign types would be doing a service to art and
to a better understanding of the elements that go to
the making of American life whose value cannot be
over-estimated. And the possibilities for drama in
these lives is obvious even to the most casual observer.
In addition to being an automobile manufacturing
and a mining state, Michigan is known all over America
as a resort state. Frankly, there is but little fictional
value in this great feature of the state's life. Who,
offhand, can think of a great resort novel? The very
concepts of great art and summer resorts seem antipa-
thetical to anyone who takes art seriously. Anyone
who knows the typical summer resort understands that
life there is not of the stuff that true drama is made of.
Summer resorts are the cream-puffs of life, not the
substantial bread and meat that is necessary for any
fiction that is worth writing. Intellectually, most
suminer resorts are in a state of coma, and those men
and women who visit them who are really vital intel-
152 ARNOLD MULDER, M. A.
lectually are on vacation mentally as well as physically.
All the conditions are inimical to that disciplined and
sustained effort that is the prerequisite of serious art.
The supremely great dramas of the world could not
have had their setting at the typical summer resorts
and the great characters in fiction would have been out
of place there.
But if the state's resort life cannot be made the
background of worthwhile fiction, it can be used to
good advantage by the novelist as a foil to the more
permanent life of the state. Think of the technical
difficulties that the resorts can be made to solve. If
for instance the novelist should need a president or a
vice president in his story, it would be the most natural
thing in the world for such a personage to be resorting
in Michigan. And the same thing might be true of
any famous personage. And also the contrast of the
playlife of the resorts with the crushing toil in mine or
on farm or in factory can be used to good advantage
to make the latter more dramatically real. Contrast
is one of the novelist's most effective weapons, and as
a means of contrast the resorts of Michigan are one of
the state's greatest fictional assets.
Finally, the people of Michigan are not homogene-
ous, and that is one of the state's greatest recommenda-
tions to the novelist. The writer of fiction requires
variety. A state's population made up of people who
are of the type of the United States senators would be
a state of an extraordinary intellectual development,
but it would be practically worthless to the novelist.
There would not be any drama there, no clash of races,
no conflict between types. The essence of all fiction,
MICHIGAN AS A FIELD FOR THE NOVELIST 153
as of all drama, is conflict, and the life of the criminal
is often more promising material for the novelist than
the life of the statesman or the scholar. And Michigan
has all types imaginable. Anyone who travels exten-
sively in Michigan soon discovers that. They are all
here the Sons and Daughters of the Revolution, the
native Yankee, the aboriginal Indian living under al-
most tribal conditions, the Hollander in large numbers,
the German, the Swede, the Finn, the Czek, the Italian,
the Greek, the Oriental. There are whole counties and
groups of counties dominated by the life of European
countries, so that the life and customs of these commu-
nities stand marked off from the rest of America by
their quaintness. It is in such communities that
picturesque characters are to be found that are the true
gold of fiction. Joseph C. Lincoln became famous by
writing novels about the Cape Cod folk. There are
communities in Michigan that are fully as interesting
as Cape Cod. All they need is an interpreter.
In conclusion I should perhaps say something about
Michigan history as material for the novelist. But it
so happens that I have little or no faith in the historical
novel. Great historical novels have of course been
written, as witness "Henry Esmond;" but in most
cases I believe such novels have been great in spite of
their historical character, not because of them. I do
not wish to be dogmatic on this subject. No one re-
spects pure history as a literary type more than I do,
but I believe that nine times out of ten both fiction and
history suffer when the two are combined. Such
futilities as Irving Bachelor's "A Man For the Ages"
are in my opinion not worth doing. But if a great his-
154 ARNOLD MULDER, M. A.
torical novelist should arise and if historical novels
must be written, the record of Michigan's life from its
earliest beginnings is full of color and incident.
Coming back to my original contention, we do not
wish to develop a distinctive Michigan literature. That
would be supremely foolish and futile. Literature is
too big a thing to be confined within the boundaries of
any state. What is needed is that Michigan writers
shall take their full share in the great progressive move-
ment in literature that is on in America today. Michi-
gan writers need to become conscious of their literary
lives. They must understand that all the materials of
their art are right here at their doors. The age of
romanticism in fiction is dying and the age of realism is
upon us. "Miss Lulu Bett" by Zona Gale, "Wines-
burg, Ohio," and "Poor White," by Sherwood Ander-
son, "My Antonia," "The Song of the Lark" and
"O Pioneers!" by Willa Sibert Gather, "Main Street"
by Sinclair Lewis, "Zell" and "The Groper" by Henry
G. Aikman (a Michigan man), "Moon-Calf" by Floyd
Dell these are but a few of the titles that come to
mind on the spur of the moment of books that are
representative of the great movement toward realism
in American fiction that bids fair to give America for
the first time in its history a fiction that can fairly rival
the fiction of England. As it happens, every one of
those I have here mentioned is from the Middle West.
They wrote about the life at their own doorsteps, not
about a distant scene shot through with an unreal
glamor. They gained authenticity for their work by
being faithful to the life they knew. And if Michigan
writers are to do really vital work in American fiction,
MICHIGAN AS A FIELD FOR THE NOVELIST 155
they must do just that. They must not strive for
provincialism in fiction, but they must attain univer-
sality by interpreting faithfully and truthfully the life
they know.
CHIEF OKEMOS
BY DR. F. N. TURNER
LANSING
HPHIS meeting today is for the purpose of marking
the last resting place of one who in the past was a
chief of the Chippewas or O jib way tribe of Indians.
This powerful tribe is nearly gone. There are only a
few members left. Poverty and disease had scattered
Okemos' family before his death. A neighbor, a
white man, buried him on this spot on the banks of
Grand river and placed some boulders on the grave to
mark the place. We look from this grave and we find
no dwellings, no schoolhouse or church to tell us the
occupancy of the Okemos family; saddest of all, we
have no members of his tribe or family to join with us
in paying this tribute to the dead.
A brief history of Chief Okemos would be interest-
ing to those present and especially those who have spent
the time and who have been to some expense in locating
and marking this grave. The writer of this biography
has been handicapped by a very scant historical record.
The red race has nearly vanished and the only means
we, their successors, have of finding anything about
them are the old legends handed down from generation
to generation by white traders and missionaries. All
the people of the red race have left are a few burial
mounds. Even these have been desecrated by the
wjiite race for relics and bones to display in our public
Paper read at a meeting of the Stevens Thomson Mason Chapter, D. A. R., of
Ionia, Sept. 18, 1921.
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CHIEF OKEMOS 157
museums. The only way our children can remember
this aboriginal race is by the Indian names they have
given our rivers and other natural objects and the
modified Indian names of our villages and pioneer cities.
Chief Okemos was born in Shiawassee county, this
state, about 1775. His father's camp at that time was
on the banks of the Shiawassee river, at a point where
today the Grand Trunk railroad crosses the river in
Vernon township. Years ago there was a small railroad
station at this crossing, named Knaggs' Station.
Okemos was a nephe.w to Pontiac, the powerful Chip-
pewa chief, head of the "Five Indian Nations." Some
of my talks with the old pioneers gave me the impres-
sion that he was a Pottawatomie and his father be-
longed to that tribe. In searching the pioneer history
of our state I find he was a Chippewa. His father was
a simple hunter and trapper and so Okemos had no
hereditary claim to the title of Chief. He was ambi-
tious to become famous so he entered the warrior ranks
in early life. Nature had endowed him with an iron
constitution, sturdy frame and, for an Indian, an
extra amount of courage. He proved himself an able
warrior on many a bloody battlefield.
When opportunity offered to become Chief, as it
did when his kinsman Tecumseh formed his great con-
spiracy, by service in the British army, he renounced
his allegiance to the United States and joined his rela-
tive. Okemos has been blamed for this act but his
ambition and obligations were stronger than loyalty
to our government. Some of the white soldiers under
General Wayne did the same thing when they were
placed in a similar position. Okemos was sent with
158 DR. F. N. TURNER
his cousin and 16 warriors to stop by ambuscade a
detachment of United States cavalry at the battle of
Sandusky. He attacked twice his number, but the
United States forces were reinforced and he and his
band were hacked to pieces and every one left as dead on
the battlefield. The squaws in caring of the dead for
burial found Okemos and his cousin severely wounded,
but by careful nursing saved their lives. His cousin
was an invalid and cripple all his life, but the iron con-
stitution of Okemos was so great, that in after years
he could only make people believe he had been in this
great battle by showing the saber scars on his head and
body. This service and courage gave him his title.
He was revered by the Chippewas as a great warrior
and chief. Okemos, in his old age, always wanted to
be addressed as chief. After he recovered from his
wounds he was held in custody by United States
authorities as a prisoner of war until General Cass
pardoned him and sent him to an Indian reservation in
Shiawassee county. He and his relatives were after-
wards placed on the reservation in Danby township,
Ionia county, Michigan. This reservation is on the
banks of the Grand river and contained 140 acres of
land. Okemos named it Me-shim-me-ne-con-ing. He
died in December, 1858, at the age of 83 years.
Okemos, before he became incapacitated by old
age, was a great hunter and travelled all over Shia-
wassee, Clinton, Ingham, Jackson and Washtenaw
counties. His favorite route was along the banks of
the Grand and its branches, the Red Cedar and Huron
rivers in Michigan, and the Maumee river in Ohio.
The banks of these rivers were his hunting and trap-
CHIEF OKEMOS 159
ping grounds while the rivers and lakes near them were
their fishing preserves. He had favorite places where
he camped and planted corn. One of these was on the
bank of Red Cedar river, seven miles east of Lansing.
The village located on this camping ground was named
after him. Four miles east on the bank of the same river
was another camping and planting ground. The late
J. H. Mullett who owned this farm where this planting
ground was, was acquainted with Okemos and his
younger brothers played with the Okemos children.
Pioneers of Jackson, Ann Arbor, Dexter, Ypsilanti, all
knew Okemos and his canoes on the Huron. He and
his band would come up Grand river to Lansing, then
up the Red Cedar to Okemos, then up the west branch
of the same to Cedar Lake, portage or carry canoes
across to the head waters of the Huron to Lake Erie,
then down the lake to Sandusky. That old battle-
ground near Sandusky had a fascination for this band
as it does to every warrior, red or white.
When he was old, poverty and hunger compelled
him to make a journey to Sarnia, Canada, to beg an
annuity from the British government for service he
rendered under Pontiac. On one of these journeys
his aged wife died and was buried among strangers.
Okemos was a pagan and lived and died in the Redman's
belief of the Great Spirit and Happy Hunting Grounds.
His totem was the bear. He was buried as a pagan
chief in the pagan part of the Indian burying ground.
A RECORD OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GRAND
RAPIDS AMERICANIZATION SOCIETY'S PLAN
OF CITIZENSHIP TRAINING THROUGH
THE BALLOT
BY FRANK L. DYKEMA
GRAND RAPIDS
nnHE PLAN now carried out in Grand Rapids for the
development of citizenship was not formulated in
detail at the time the work was initiated. Our present
methods are the net result of many experiments, but
our conception of the necessity for this work coincides
with our initial motive.
This necessity, as we see it, rises out of the lack of
any sense of obligation on the part of the average citi-
zen, to know about, or participate in, the affairs of the
community, state and nation. Matters of common
concern provoke no sense of responsibility, and the
apathy, inertia, or indifference of men and women is
the outward sign of a low citizenship morality. This
is the real malady afflicting America today.
'The light vote, the alien, and the radical problems
are considered as causes, whereas, they are really ef-
fects, directly traceable to the untrained and uncon-
scious citizen.
Specifically, if every citizen, man and woman, had a
true conception of the sacredness of the ballot, a con-
ception sufficiently alive to compel him to vote every
election day, politics as a business would be eliminated,
because politics as a business exists only through the
/'light vote," and because of the citizens' lack of in-
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(jrUAM) KAl'IDS AMKKK'ANiJSATlOX SOCIETY 161
formation about community affairs, the latter would
also be cured if he felt the obligation to vote, since a
recognized obligation to perform a duty includes the
securing of the necessary information to perform it
properly.
If, in addition to voting, and keeping informed
about community affairs, men and women in contact
with foreign-born people in industry or socially, felt a
personal responsibility to invite the foreigner to join
America, helped him through the naturalization process,
and put a spirit of welcome into the relation, the great-
est obstacle in the way of the absorption of the alien
would cease to exist. Radical propaganda will be coun-
teracted only when every American understands our
Constitution and talks for it as assiduously as the radi-
cal talks against it. people are like phonographs.
They play the record that is given them. If we let the
radical furnish all of the records, we must expect the
conversational output of the individual to be what
the radical gives him. If on the contrary, we desire
positive Americanism, we, the American citizens must
furnish the record.
Aiming to meet the situation outlined above, and
assuming that the present day citizen could be stimu-
lated into a realization of his responsibilities, by a
direct appeal, based on the ballot, a plan of "tagging
the voters" was built up on the principle that "Every
Man Should Be a Regular Voter." The belief was
that if a full vote* were assured every election day, the
evils outlined above would be corrected.
The first work occurred in August 1918, in con-
nection with the primary election, held on August
21
162 FKAXK L. DYKE MA
27th. The war was still on and methods used were
parallel to those used in Liberty Loan and Red Cross
campaigns, and the war spirit was utilized in every
way to get over the message of citizenship.
A preliminary announcement appeared in all news-
papers, and on posters and on circulars generally dis-
tributed throughout factories and industries.
A campaign of publicity, including newspapers,
posters, films and circulars, constantly impressed the
fact that every voter would be tagged on August 27th,
that the non-voter was as much a slacker as the non-
fighter. Accompanying this idea was the suggestion
that aliens be sent to the courts so that they might be-
come citizens and voters.
The results were most satisfactory. The number
of votes cast was greater than at any previous August
primary, a general citizenship interest was developed,
and hundreds of aliens took out first papers, and peti-
tioned for second papers. From that day until this,
there has been a consistent movement on the part of
our foreign-born population into naturalization.
It was proven by many war activities, including the
service in the army and navy, participation in Liberty
bond issues, and subscriptions to the Red Cross, that
any standard applying first to the Americans, is quickly
accepted by the foreign-born. The willingness of the
foreign-born to recognize an American community
standard and to endeavor to live up to it was demon-
strated in their acceptance of this citizenship standard.
As soon as it became generally known that everyone
was expected to be a voter, our aliens began to take
the necessary steps to qualify themselves for partici-
KAi'ins AMIOUICAXIZATIOX SOCIETY 163
pation in elections, in order to measure up to the
American standard.
The first campaign was conducted by an Ameri-
canization Committee of the Federation of Social Agen-
cies, this being the Central Office of the local service
agencies. It was soon decided best to establish a new
agency, to carry on the work, and in October 1918, the
Americanization Society was organized. The objects
of the Society, as stated in the by-laws, were to en-
courage and promote regular voting by all persons
legally qualified to vote*; to educate the rising generation
as to the duty of voting; and to accelerate, in all rea-
sonable ways, the naturalization and Americanization
of the alien. The membership consisted of three
representatives from each of the following organiza-
tions: Kent County War Board, Grand Rapids Asso-
ciation of Commerce, Grand Rapids Unit of the
Woman's Committee of National Defense, Federation
of Social Agencies and Grand Rapids Trades and Labor
Council. These organizations had been doing some
work with the foreign-born. All this was now to be
taken over by the Americanization Society.
This Society carried on the second citizenship
campaign, which occurred in connection with the gen-
eral election in November 1918. The same program
was carried out; voters were tagged at the election and
newspaper stories and publicity were along the same
line. At this election, women were enfranchised in
Michigan.
Following this campaign, the next and most im-
portant piece of work was considered to be the regis-
tration of the women who had been enfranchised at
1G4
FRANK L. DYKEMA
the November election. Plans were developed during
December for a publicity campaign to be conducted
from January 1, 1919, to February 15, 1919, which
was the last registration day, preceding the March
primary election, the purpose of this being to realize
immediately on our new community asset, the citizen-
ship represented by the women voters.
An intensive campaign was carried on through the
newspapers, motion picture theaters, and through a
speakers' bureau, the purpose of which was to educate
the women in their duties as citizens and to influence
them to register. The result of this campaign, and the
one that followed it, in connection with the April
election, was the registration of 26,500 women, which
in proportion to the population is a record for any city
within the limit of our statistics.
One of the main features of this campaign was a
window emblem, which was given to the women as
registered at the office of the city clerk. This was dis-
played in the windows of the homes of the women who
had registered and every part of the city made a fine
showing of these emblems as soon as the campaign was
well under way.
LIVING HERE
HAI
REGISTERED
TOVOTE
THEREBY AJJUM1NC
REJPONJ-IBILITY OF
wllll
(IRANI) K.vi-iits AMERICANIZATION SOCIETY 165
The record registration on any one day in the city
clerk's office was fifteen hundred women. Undoubtedly,
the heavy registration was also stimulated by the fact
that the beer and light wine issue was before the peo-
ple, on a referendum, and the women desired to be
able to express their views on the subject.
Following the close of the registration campaign
on February 15th, schools for instructing the women
in the details of voting were conducted in connection
with women's organizations, and also in the down-town
stores. Motion picture films, showing the actual opera-
tion of voting in an election precinct were shown in all
of the downtown theaters.
The March 1919 election campaign was built
around the slogan, "Wear a Tag and Shame the
Shirker." Posters, circulars, and newspaper space;
motion picture films and lantern slides, were used but
the big tjiing we did in this campaign was to bring the
children into it. They were brought into the plan
merely as an agency for influencing the "grown-ups"
to vote, and not with any definite idea of the education
of the child, although our by-laws require that "we
educate the rising generation as to the responsibilities
of voting." When those by-laws were written, the
thought was that child training must be done through
some regular part of the school work.
It was more or less an inspiration that the children
were asked to take part in a voting contest in connection
with the March election. With the cooperation of the
superintendent of schools, and the teachers, this plan
was carried out. The schools were placed in compe-
tition in "Tit ing men and women to vote, and the win-
166 FRANK L. DYKEMA
ning school was to be -the one whose children collected
the largest number of tags in proportion to the children
enrolled.
Children were impressed by their teachers with
the importance of voting; were asked to talk with their
families, friends and neighbors, to request them to
vote, and to save their tags for the children who ap-
proached them. They took the work seriously, made
a splendid effort to get the people to go to the polls,
and one of the schools in a district of moderate homes,
won the distinction of making the best showing. The
number of voters who went to the polls was very satis-
factory, and this result seemed largely due to the work
done by the children. So in the April 1919 general
election, which followed, we built our campaign en-
tirely around the children. No newspaper space of
any consequence was used, and only a limited number
of posters and circulars, the whole effort beting con-
centrated in the schools. To make it more interesting
to the children, and to give them something more
definite to work for, flags were offered as prizes to the
schools making the best showing; namely, number of
tags collected in proportion to children in the school.
This applied to both public and parochial schools.
The children worked hard and the largest vote was cast
that had ever been registered in Grand Rapids.
Make Good with
. the Children =
Up to this time, the children were being used merely
as an agency in getting out the vote, the educational
<JKAXM KAI-IUS AMKUICAXIZATIOX SOCIETY 167
value, as relates to the children, not having been
realized, but the new value of this work became appar-
ent from about two hundred letters, which, at the re-
quest of the secretary of this organization, were written
by school children to him. These letters were to answer
the questions, "Why should everyone be a regular
voter; what was the child's experience in the work; and
what were the issues?"
These letters were a revelation because they indi-
cated the seriousness with which the children were
carrying on this citizenship work, and they made ap-
parent that the self-activity of the child, in doing it,
was forming the habit of citizenship, and laying the
foundation for the future citizenship of the nation.
The experience with the children brought us to a
realization that we had also been dealing with effects,
rather than causes. It became apparent that the
malady afflicting America, which as heretofore stated,
is low citizenship morale, the symptoms of which are
apathy, indolence, indifference and inertia on the part
of the citizen, is the result of the failure of our schools,
homes and churches to train our citizen of today, dur-
ing the plastic years of childhood, in the obligations
of citizenship, and we came to realize that the real work
of the Americanization Society, and the real work of
the schools of America, is the proper training of the
child, through self -activity, to an understanding of
the obligations of American citizenship, so that he will
feel a compelling obligation, when he reaches maturity,
to perform the duties of citizenship.
We discovered also' that the "grown-up" American
votes when he is interested, instead of feeling that he
168 FRANK L. DYKE MA
must be interested because he must vote, or in other
words, that he must know about things concerning his
government, because he must take part in it. We real-
ized that inasmuch as he was not sensitive to the direct
appeal we were making, that our plan was doomed to
ultimate failure unless we built definitely on the prin-
ciple of childhood training, and made our appeal to
the "grown-ups," either citizen or alien, on the basis
of the welfare of the child, an appeal to which he is sensitive.
Continued contact with the foreign-born had also
made clear to us that he is looking to the American for
leadership, and he follows wrong leadership as readily
as right. A twenty -five, thirty or forty per cent vote
on election day, justified him in putting off the day of
his naturalization, because it does not seem important
for him to qualify to perform a duty casually neglected
by the American, while a strict observance, by the
American, of the duty of voting, would set an example
to the alien which he would feel obliged to follow.
Further experience proved to us that we had found
the right relation between the ballot and the school,
and through the discovery had developed a tangible
and permanent method of vitalizing citizenship, of
stimulating the foreign-born into naturalization, and of
training the child, through self-activity, into a true
conception of the obligation of an American citizen.
Through the work in the school, the child went to the
American home, with the request that the parents per-
form an obvious duty, and the parents in order to set
the proper example to the child, are forced to go to the
polls. In the foreign-born home, the request of the
child is that the parents become citizens so that they
< I HANI) KAI-IDS AMERICANIZATION SOCIETY
169
may be voters, and so that the child may enjoy good
standing in his school.
Fully forty per cent of the men who are becoming
citizens in Grand Rapids today, are doing so because
of the child's desire that they and their parents shall
meet the standard of the community.
Don't Gamble With Your Ballot YOB
r vy "
IAWAN
AMERICAN
I VOTED
DID YOU?
Every Voter S 1 Will Be Tagged!!!
AMERICAN
.frtci**
ea* e ^LMW^jf^feeA
i5it_*<
^ ZN1 %5I?? WILL BE TAGGED
O
I AM AN
AMERICAN
I VOTED
DID YOU?
Novembers
A Ballot at Home Is As
Effective for Democracy
As a Bullet in France
Vote Nefp Make Every Man a Voter
Americanization Society
170 FRANK L. DYKEMA
There were no more elections in 1919, and our next
work consisted in the organization of direct work with
the foreign-born. We adopted a mail circular ization
plan, based on the follow-up idea. We made up a list
of names of men who had made their declaration of
intention (first paper), a list of approximately four
thousand names. These were classified under three
headings; those who had first papers for two years, and
who had been in this country five years, and who came
here after June 29th, 1906 (this group requiring a
certificate of arrival before being qualified to petition
for second papers) ; those who had filed their declaration
of intention, but who had not been in this country two
years, and were not qualified to petition for second
papers; those men who had had their first papers two
years ago, and had been in this country five years, and
who arrived before June 29th, 1906, and who could file
a. petition for second papers without a certificate of
arrival.
There are five sessions of the naturalization court
during the year, and circularization of these men is
coincident with these dates. This gives us the element
of continuity, which is essential. Letters sent consist
only of a friendly invitation to "join America," with
the various arguments as to their duty to do so, to-
gether with information about citizenship and lan-
guage classes.
As fast as men file their petitions for second papers,
they are placed on special lists, and another set of let-
ters sent to them, urging them to attend the classes,
in citizenship, so that they may be prepared when
called before the court. Starting in February of 1920,
<}KAM> RAPIDS AMERICANIZATION SOCIETY 171
our Americanization meetings became part of our regu-
lar program, these meetings being in the nature of
graduating exercises, following each session of the
court. They are given in honor of the men who are
admitted to citizenship at that session. We have held
seven of these meetings. They add dignity to the
naturalization process and make a very favorable
impression on the foreign-born. The program consists
of music, informal talks by well known men, and enter-
tainment features. As part of the program, the citi-
zenship certificates are given to the new citizens. The
meetings are well attended by both foreign-born and
American people.
The increase in results in naturalization is indicated
in the following table:
Declarations Petitions Papers Issued
Both Courts Both Courts Both Courts
1013 370 171 107
1914 430 162 130
1915 373 126 113
1916 542 227 141
1917 1882 322 202
1918 1185 165 219
1919 , 737 401 355
1920 620 -929 725
6139 2668 1992
During the interval between the last election in 1919
and the March primary 1920, a somewhat standardized
plan was developed for carrying out the work in the
schools. This consisted, first, of a series of citizenship
lessons, which went into the schools for six days prior
172 FRANK L. DYKE MA
to the election. These lessons idealized voting, urged
children to use their influence in getting mothers,
fathers, neighbors, friends and relatives to vote, arid to
get foreign-born people to become citizens. Tags
were given to voters, these tags being given out by
citizenship committees, composed of school children
and of Boy Scouts, who were stationed in the precincts.
Tags were collected by the children following the
March and April 1920 elections, and flags were awarded
to the schools as before.
Following the April election in 1920, we started what
was to be an annual affair, a citizenship essay contest.
The purpose of this was to enable us to learn how much
the children were gaining from the work and to furnish
an opportunity to give individual prizes to the children
who had done the best work. Essays told the story of
actual experiences in getting people to vote, and in bring-
ing foreign-born men to citizenship. Following the elec-
tion, the prize winning children of forty-eight in all,
were taken before the Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Ex-
change and other men's luncheon clubs, in groups of
eight, and as part of the day's program read their
essays. Each child was presented with an American
flag. This was a great event for the children and made
a tremendous impression on the men.
In the August 1920 election the schools were closed
and we depended on women's organizations for in-
fluence in getting out the vote, but in November, we
conducted a regular campaign along the same lines as
in the Spring, except that instead of awarding flags to
school collecting the largest number of voters' tags,
awards were made to all of the schools in the ward in
GRAND KAPIDS AMERICANIZATION SOCIETY 173
which the vote was largest in proportion to registration.
Under this plan, the children are actually doing citi-
zenship work in getting people to vote, whereas, under
the old plan, the collecting of tags sometimes appeared
more important than the number of votes actually cast.
The elections in March and April 1921 included the
citizenship lessons, giving out of tags, and instructions
by teachers as to activities in getting citizens to vote,
and aliens to become citizens. The climax was the
second annual essay contest, in connection with which
forty children, who v erc winners in this contest, read
their essays on the subjects, "What I have done to
get an American to vote," or "What I have done to
get a foreign-born man to become a citizen," before
Rotary, Kiwanis, Exchange and other clubs of the
city. Children were presented with flags, by the
clubs. Newspaper publicity was excellent, and alto-
gether the campaign was most successful.
Work with the foreign-born has been continued
along the same lines as given heretofore and will be
carried on in connection with every session of the court.
There are four elections in 1922 and substantially the
same program will be carried out in connection with
them, as was found successful in 1921. There will be
something doing all of the time to stimulate the de-
velopment of the spirit of citizenship in the children,
"grown-ups," and aliens.
What precedes is a record of the evolution of an
idea. Starting with a very crude plan, aiming to cor-
rect a condition by influencing the men and women to
take part in the affairs of the community, evolving
from what seems to us to be a true conception of our
174 FRANK L. DYKEMA
work, the training of the child in the fundamentals of
citizenship, through the child's activity, and reaching
the "grown-up" American and foreign-born, through
the appeal of the welfare of the child.
Every activity we adopt is based on continuity,
the essential element in sales or education. Elections
and court sessions are recurrent, so that this element is
assured. The whole plan is based on the recognized
moral obligation of the citizen to do his duty "as a citi-
zen, and the alien to become a citizen so that he can
take his place in the community.
WILLIAM AUSTIN BURT: INVENTOR
BY HORACE ELDON BURT
CHICAGO
W7ILLIAM AUSTIN BURT, fifth of nine children
of Alvin and Wealthy Austin Burt, was born June
13, 1792, on his father's farm in the town of Petersham,
Mass. His parents were able to send him to school in
the summer and winter terms from the time he knew his
alphabet until he was nine years of age. Owing to a
reverse in circumstances, the farm was sold in 1802
and the family moved to Freehold, N. Y., and the fol-
lowing year to Broadalbin. His mother had thus early
instructed him in piety and virtue and his whole life
was influenced by her teachings.
At this early period nis mind took a mechanical
turn and a thirst for knowledge. With knife and gimlet,
little saw mills and grist mills were made and set run-
ning by a rivulet near by. He watched the sun, moon
and stars with delight as they coursed the heavens,
and was inquisitive about them. No answer more in-
telligent than that "God made them" was given to
him.
When about fourteen he was permitted by his
father to attend the district school three weeks and
begin the study of arithmetic, in which he made good
progress. Thereupon he persistently pursued the study
without a teacher, at all leisure moments, part of the
time at night by the light of a pine knot in the fireplace,
and again with book on an improvised rack while en-
(175)
176 HORACE ELDON BURT
gaged with draw-shave in making shingles. About
this time his father allowed him the perusal of a book
on navigation, published in 1779. He studied this
work with great interest. As he came to understand
the traverse table and method of determining latitude
he was seized with an aspiration to become some day
master of a ship. He pursued nautical studies without
a teacher, as best he could. His mechanical skill en-
abled him to construct a quadrant, with which he de-
termined the latitude of his father's house with near
approach to accuracy. He had never seen a nautical
instrument before. He also endeavored to extend his
astronomical knowledge by comparing a large number
of almanacs of different dates with each other and with
certain data found in the treatise on navigation.
Books on astronomy were then unknown to him,
and the means to buy were lacking had he known.
He was often reproved for his studious habits by others
of his own age, and even by men who should have en-
couraged or assisted him. However, he left his favorite
studies occasionally to engage in games of ball and
similar amusements, until a dispute caused him to re-
solve to engage in like games of strife never again.
It was at about the age of fifteen that he resolved
not to engage in any calling but such as would be useful
to mankind. He continued his studies in all leisure
moments in mathematics, natural philosophy, and
astronomy whenever he could borrow books that treated
in any degree of these subjects.
When he was about sixteen, his father sent him to
school for three or four weeks, during which time his
daily labors for his father were not lessened, but were
WILLIAM Ai srix BURT: INVENTOR
177
equal to those performed by other young men in the
range of his age.
These facts are from Judge Burt's own pen when
he was sixty-two years of age, and show his lifelong
studious habits in the reading of scientific subjects
which characterized his boyhood days.
HON. WM. A. BURT.
Other data concerning him enable me to state that
his mother, whose father, William Austin, had been
lost at sea, dissuaded her son William from becoming
23
178 HORACE ELDON BURT
master of a ship. Instead of this, he when eighteen
bought a surveying compass, out of repair, which he
repaired and with which he engaged in surveying in
the vicinity of his father's home, then near East Aurora,
Erie county, N. Y.
On July 4, 1813, he married Miss Phoebe Cole. He
held several offices of a public nature justice of the
peace, postmaster, county surveyor while residing at
Wales Center, Erie county. In 1817 he undertook a
journey, in large part on foot, in part by small boats,
in part on horseback, from his home to Pittsburgh,
Cincinnati, St, Louis, and thence by a northerly route
through Illinois and Indiana to Detroit, thence by
boat to Buffalo. This was preparatory to the time when
he hoped to become a United States deputy surveyor.
Meantime he practiced the trade of millwright in New
York and in Michigan.
After moving to Michigan he soon made the ac-
quaintance of prominent men in the territory who
urged him to settle in Detroit, but he thought the
country life for his four sons preferable. By the time
(1833) he was appointed United States deputy surveyor,
three of his sons, John, Alvin and Austin, were old
enough to be initiated into the mysteries of the sur-
veyor's art. In the eighteen years following, his five
sons (those mentioned above and Wells and William)
became United States deputy surveyors, and scores of
other young men in the neighborhood of Mount Ver-
non, Macomb county, also, having been trained under
the master in Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Two surveying seasons were spent in Iowa 1836-7
and 1842-3. There Judge Burt ran the course of the
MR. HORACE ELDEAIBURT
WILLIAM AUSTIN BURT: INVENTOR 179
fifth principal meridian in Iowa, using his solar com-
pass for the first time in 1836. His son Alvin surveyed
with the same instrument the boundary line between
Iowa and Minnesota. To settle differences between
Wisconsin and Michigan, Judge Burt was selected to
make a re-survey of the boundary line between them.
In 1845, after the death of Dr. Douglas Houghton, by
drowning, Judge Burt took over his geological notes
and completed the work in the upper peninsula of
Michigan satisfactorily to the government. He became
prominent not only in Michigan but in the nation by
reason of his achievements and activities.
When the original patent on his solar compass was
about to expire, he went to Washington intending to
apply for a renewal. The land commissioner, senators
from Michigan and others, recognizing the value of
Hurt's solar compass in the public land surveys, per-
suaded him to forego renewal and petition congress
for suitable advance compensation. Such compensa-
tion did not, in Judge Burt's lifetime, nor afterward,
materialize. The pictures of Judge Burt and his solar
compass accompanying this article were reproduced
from those in the History of Michigan (1878). In the
preface to his Key to the Solar Compass and Surveyor's
Companion, a book of 118 pages, published in 1855,
the author, William A. Burt, refers to the many re-
quests for such a book. A second edition was published
in January 1858. There being no patent on the solar
compass after 1850, mathematical instrument makers
catalogued "Burt's solar compass" for use of surveyors.
There is a large mass of material accessible to some
competent editor, in the archives at Washington, in
180 HORACE KLDON BURT
the capitals of several states, in state historical societies,
in the files of newspapers and among the descendants of
William Austin Burt for a unique and most fascinating
book.
[The following letter by the writer of this paper gives other important matter in the
career of William Austin Burt. It was written, as will appear, in behalf of a place for
Mr. Burt as an inventor in the Hall of Fame of New York University.]
4932 Lake Park Ave.,
Chicago, Illinois,
April 8, 1920.
Mrs. William Vanamee,
Acting Director and Secretary of the Hall of Fame,
New York University,
New York City, N. Y.
Madam :
The undersigned, a grandson of William Austin Burt, hereby
nominates him for election to a place, as an inventor, in the Hall
of Fame.
He was born in Petersham, Worcester county, Mass., June 13,
1792. He died in Detroit, Mich., August 18, 1858, his remains
being interred in Elmwood Cemetery in the Burt Family lot.
His first important invention was that of a "Typographer,"
for which he received Letters Patent of U. S. A., dated July 23,
1829. The Patent Office record regarding this Typographer
plainly states: "This Patent discloses the actual construction of
a typewriting machine for the first time in any country." He
became thereby the "Father of the Typewriter."
The original model was burned in the Patent Office fire of 1836.
A replica was constructed from the description and drawing in
the Letters Patent in the spring of 1893, by his great-grandson,
Austin Burt, then a student in the University of Minnesota, and
exhibited with other Patent Office models at the Columbian Expo-
sition of that year, in Chicago. The replica, as well as the original,
was a practical typewriting machine, no more crude when com-
pared with the latest Remington model typewriter than was
Robert Fulton's first steamboat on the Seine and Hudson rivers
WILLIAM AUSTIN BURT: IXVKXTOK 181
as compared with the best types of seagoing steamships of the
present time.
At the convention of the National Shorthand Association at
Detroit, held last August, by resolution, unanimously adopted, a
wreath was ordered placed on the grave of William Austin Burt in
Elmwood Cemetery, in recognition of him as the first shorthand
reporter (1809) and the inventor of the first writing machine
(1829).
Mr. Burt, owing to appointment as judge of a Michigan terri-
torial court, after his settlement in Michigan in 1824, was usually,
thereafter, to the end of his life, addressed as "Judge Burt".
Inasmuch as the Typographer was "born out of season," it found
little or no market, and Judge Burt turned his practical mind in
other channels. He was quite early in life a student of mathe-
matics, navigation, astronomy, geology, surveying, and mechanics.
Prior to 1833 he took contracts for the construction of grist and
saw mills.
Owing to recognized qualifications, he was made a member of
the Michigan Territorial Council and as such had much to do with
internal improvements then in progress or contemplated.
In 1833 he received an appointment from the General Land
Office at Washington as a United States deputy surveyor and con-
tinued in that capacity for about twenty years. In 1834-5, while
executing a surveying contract in the vicinity of Milwaukee, Wis.,
he encountered embarrassing difficulties due to magnetic attrac-
tion, which made the use of the common surveyor's needle compass
an unreliable and expensive instrument. Before that survey was
finished he conceived of a solar device, and his astronomical,
mathematical and mechanical knowledge served him in the con-
struction of an instrument which he named "Burt's Solar Com-
pass," for which, in 1836, he received Letters Patent of the United
States.
This instrument was exhibited by the inventor at the Franklin
Institute in Philadelphia, in 1836, and again "improved" in 1840,
for which he received a Scott's Legacy medal and twenty dollars
in gold.
I will here quote substantially from the New International
182
HORACE ELDON BUKT
WILLIAM Arsnx Bi^rr: INVENTOR 183
Encyclopedia: "Burt, William A. (1792-1858) an American Sur-
veyor. He was born in Worcester, Mass., but in 1824 he settled
near Detroit, Michigan. He became U. S. Deputy Surveyor in
1833, and in this capacity surveyed nearly the whole of northern
Michigan (1840-47). He invented the Solar Compass, and in
1851 he received the prize medal for it at the London Industrial
Exposition. He was Judge of the Michigan Circuit Court, and as
a member of the Legislature in 1852 was prime mover in the con-
struction of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal."
Under the head of Engineering in this encyclopedia are cuts of
the solar compass and of the common surveyor's needle compass.
Under the head of Surveying, in the same encyclopedia, "An in-
strument called the Solar Compass, invented by Burt in 1836,
determines the true meridian by a single observation, the sun
being on the observer's meridian. This instrument has been
adopted by the United States government for use in surveying
the public domain. "
In the course of three-quarters of a century's use of the solar
compass in the public surveys, the great saving to the people and
government in cost thereof can hardly be estimated, especially
when accuracy is considered. The iron ore region of the upper
peninsula of Michigan was accurately surveyed by Judge Burt in
1844. In his book, The Hon. Peter White and the Lake Superior
Iron Country, Ralph D. Williams (1905) describes the excitement
< < nMoned by the deflection of the compass needle (87) by saying
substantially: "Burt could hardly contain himself any longer.
'Boys,' he said, 'look around and see what you can find.' Each
member of the party began an independent search, and soon found
out-croppings of iron ore in great abundance. Mr. Burt was well
advanced in years and was much more interested in the per-
formance of his Solar Compass than he was in the deposits of iron
be."
The deposits were duly reported in his field notes, delivered to
the Land Department. The survey of this region demonstrated
tin- jjreal value of the solar compass, without which the survey
could not have j>een completed within the terms of the contract.
Mr. Burt was author of the Key to the Solar Compass and
184 HOKAC ELDON BUUT
Manual of Surveying. In all institutions where civil engineering
has been taught since the invention of the solar compass and its
adoption by the government in surveying the public lands, Mr.
Burt and the solar compass were well known to professors and
students.
Judge Burt visited the Crystal Palace exposition in London,
England, in 1851, and there exhibited his solar compass, as before
stated. While in England he became acquainted with Hugh Miller,
Sir David Brewster and Sir John Herschel, an acquaintance kept
up after his return home.
On the return voyage he took passage on a sailing vessel, and
the result of six weeks' passage thereon and of his observations of
inaccurate courses laid by the ship's compass, led to Judge Burt's
third invention, the equatorial sextant.
In the winter of 1857-8, Judge Burt was engaged in instructing
a class of seagoing captains in the use of the instrument, but a
fatal heart affection cut his purpose short, and the instrument,
cordially approved by Lieut. M. F. Maury of the United States
Navy failed to get into seagoing service.
It will be noticed from the above brief outline that, in each
invention, Mr. Burt had in mind a wide and far-reaching benefit
to mankind and to his country in particular. In his case this was
in fact the only real compensation, as the monetary returns were
quite negligible.
Of the equatorial sextant, in a pamphlet printed January 1,
1858, describing it and its use, William A. Burt (patentee 1856)
states: "The use of the instrument is to find the position of ships
at sea. By it many problems in Nautical Astronomy are solved
at once,. without computation or liability to any material error."
The following is a quotation from a letter, dated at Washing-
ton, D. C., March 11, 1856, written by Lieut. M. F. Maury of the
Navy to Com. Jos. Smith, acting chief of the Bureau of ^Ordnance
and Hydrography: "Sir: I have examined the instrument
referred to by Mr. Burt in his letter of the 6th inst., to the Secre-
tary of the Navy, which letter and instrument were referred to
this office for examination and report. The instrument is very
ingenious and beautiful in principle and has great compass. It is
A^
EQUATORIAL SEXTANT
WILLIAM AUSTIN BURT: INVENTOR 185
capable of solving a problem of this sort. The declination being
known and any given altitude being set off upon the Equatorial
Sextant just before such altitude is to take place, and the result of
its taking place being announced by an observer with a common
Sextant the Equatorial Sextant being manipulated properly it
will show without computation, but by a simple reading off, the
latitude, hour angle and azimuth, and this at any time of day.
* * * * It will be readily inferred that the Equatorial Sextant
when properly constructed, will be capable of affording by its
reading, from observations, at any time, any two of the following
five (parts or) quantities the other three being given namely:
Declination, Altitude, Latitude, Hour Angle and Azimuth. M. F.
Maury, Lt. of the Navy. "'
Under date of March 29, 1856, at Washington, the superin-
tendent of the coast survey wrote to John Burt, eldest son of the
inventor, a letter in equivalent terms to that of Lieut. Maury.
A quotation from Supt. A. D. Bache's letter follows: "The
instrument you have submitted to me for examination is a combi-
nation of the reflecting sextant, with meridian, azimuth, and hour
circles, designed to give at once the azimuth and hour angle by
observation of the altitude of heavenly bodies, the corresponding
angles being read off on the respective circles. It dispenses, there-
fore, with the ordinary modes of computation, except so far as
corrections for refractions, dip of horizon, etc., are required, and
substitutes in their place a mechanical solution of which the
principles are correct, and when the instrument is accurately made
and adjusted it will probably give with a degree of precision corre-
sponding to that attainable in the observation of the altitude."
Mr. Burt was of modest and unassuming demeanor, but withal
a forceful and far-seeing man of vision, as straight-forward and
true to his course of life as were the lines he ran with his solar
compass through the forest wilds of Michigan and over the undu-
lating prairies of Iowa.
Respectfully,
HORACE ELDON BURT.
186 HORACE ELDON BURT
On page 526 of the last edition of the Encyclopedia
Britannica, under the head of Typewriter: "Among
early U. S. patents was one issued by W. A. Burt,
July 23rd, 1829."
The Michigan State Historical Commission advises
me as follows : Mr. Burt was elected as one of the two
members of the territorial legislative council for 1826-7:
also, that he was appointed by the federal government
April 23, 1833, associate judge of the Macomb circuit;
also, that it was of the legislature of 1853 that he was
in the house of representatives; that he was chairman
of the committee on internal improvements.
[Following is a letter received by the writer from the Department of the Interior,
General Land Office, Washington.]
April 29, 1920.
Burt'-s Solar Compass:
Reference thereto in
manuals and correspondence.
Mr. Horace E. Burt,
4932 Lake Park Ave.,
Chicago, 111.
My dear Sir:
I am in receipt, by departmental reference, of your letter dated
April 14, 1920, relative to the use of Burt's solar compass in the
Survey of the public lands.
In reply, you are advised that there was an estimate made in
1852, in a letter to the chairman of the Committee on Public Lands,
U. S. Senate, indicating that in the mineral regions of Michigan,
Wisconsin and Arkansas alone there had been surveyed about
10,000,000 acres of land, by the use of said instrument.
"Which, without its discovery and use in said
Service, could not have been surveyed without re-
BURT S TYPOGRAPHER
WILLIAM AUSTIN BURT: INVENTOR 187
sorting to the tedious processes involved in the use
of transits and other instruments, causing delays in
the execution of the work and proportionally swell-
ing the costs of the surveys of the same bodies of
land... "
It would be a task of too great a scope for this office to undertake
determine what proportion of the public lands have been sur-
reyed since 1836 by the use of said instrument; it may be said,
>wever, that in 1855, when the first Manual of Surveying In-
ductions was issued by this office to the Surveyors General of
ublic Lands of the United States, the following paragraph re-
iting to the instrument ii\ question may be found :
"1. Where uniformity in the variation of the
needle is not found, the public surveys must be made
with an instrument operating independently of the
magnetic needle. Burt's improved solar compass,
or other instrument of equal utility, must be used of
necessity in such cases; and it is deemed best that
such instrument should be used under all circum-
stances "
The foregoing paragraph was copied verbatim from the in-
struction approved March 3, 1851, to the Surveyor General of
Public Lands in Oregon, and in the manual of 1881 appears a
similar reference to the use of Burt's improved solar compass in
the survey of all principal base and meridian, standard parallels,
and auxiliary meridian, and township lines.
There has been a continuous use of the solar compass in the
survey of public lands since its invention to the present day and
there is no prospect of its discontinuance.
The principle of the solar compass has been adapted to the
form of a solar attachment to a surveyor's transit and this solar
transit has been in use for the past forty years, but the latter in-
strument cannot be said to have replaced the solar compass; rather
it may be said that each instrument has had its own field of action
188 HORACE ELDON BURT
and the two have in many cases been used in the same party, each
for the particular purpose to which it was best adapted.
Very respectfully,
D. K PARROTT,
Acting Assistant Commissioner.
[The following is quoted from the report of the 45th annual convention of the New
Yoik State Shorthand Reporters' Association.]
WILLIAM AUSTIN BURT
(1792-1858)
Inventor, maker and patentee of the first typewriter constructed at any
time in any country.
"The Typographer," as Mr. Burt, of Detroit, called
the first going typewriter ninety years ago last summer,
was so aptly designated that for the following forty -five
years writing machines were generally given this name
by their inventors. During the forty-five years from
1874 to 1919 this name gave way to "The Type-Writer "
as a name for a writing machine with the name hy-
phenated until the eighties when William Ozmun
Wyckoff, the president of our association in 1886, and
founder of the Remington Typewriter company, made
the compound name so well known that the public
accepted the word unhyphenated as we have it today.
Patented on July 23, 1829. Four classes of type-
writers have thus far been recognized by the U. S.
Patent Office: the first of all was an Index-wheel
machine by William Austin Burt on July 23, 1829; the
first Bar machine was by John B. Fairbanks, September
17, 1850; the first Plate machine by Oliver T. Eddy,
on November 12, 1850; and the first key-wheel machine
by John Pratt on August 11, 1868.
WILLIAM AISTIN I>i I;T: I \\K.\TOK 189
A complete working model of "The Typographer"
was in the model room of the Patent Office from 1829
until the fire of December 15, 1836, destroyed all the
models and patents in the Patent Office. The Collec-
tions of patents in the great public libraries of the world
as well as in the offices of the development engineers of
the better known typewriters are wanting in American
patents prior to 1836. The only complete public col-
lection of typewriter patents today seems to be the one
in the Patent Office. This collection includes the Burt
patent of July 23, 1829. The original Letters Patent
granted to Burt for his "Typographer" done on parch-
ment has been uninterruptedly in the possession of
the inventor or his heirs. As might be expected from
one of the ablest civil engineers of his day, the plans
and specifications filed by Mr. Burt with his claim and
made part of the Patent are so complete that working
from them any competent mechanic can build a work-
ing replica.
In 1892 the Patent Office decided to present as its
contribution to the Columbian Exposition models of
all the great American inventions from the beginning.
They soon located Austin Burt, a great-grandson of
the inventor, then a student of engineering in the
University of Minnesota, now Manager of the Citizens'
Gas & Electric Co., of Waterloo, Iowa. Working from
the parchment copy patent and other family papers,
he produced a perfect replica, and on April 1, 1893,
wrote the accompanying letter on the machine.
If speed be eliminated from the comparison, index-
wheel machines, like the Typographer of 1829 or its
counterpart, the World Typewriters of our day, are
190 HORACE ELDON BUKT
Minneapolis, Minn*
April 1st. 1863
.
My Dear Graiib-f a ther ; I
It gives neplcaaure to inform
you that the Typographer is finished and I
am d'Oubly ..pleased to write the first
letter to you. It took oie about a month to
make the -machine as many of the partis had to.
be made by hard* It will be s-*nt to the
World** 1 Fair next week. I hav.e bee.n requested
to exhibit it at the University before sending
it away. Photographs will be taken aud one 1
sent to you-
Vfith love, and best wishes from
Your Grand e o_n ,
AUSTIN nrirr
WILLIAM AISTIX UUUT: INVENTOR 191
capable of turning out work fully up to the standard of
neatness, clearness and beauty possible with the best
bar machines such as the Remington and Underwood.
This cut of the replica, from a photograph taken in
1893, gives an idea of its general appearance.
With the Fair closed, the Patent Office exhibit was
returned to the model room in Washington. There the
replica of "the Typographer" remained until 1903
when it was decided to discontinue the Model room.
The machine was shipped on July 15, 1903, to Hiram A.
Burt of Marquette, Michigan, as the head of the family.
Later he removed to Maine, and placed the machine
and the original Letters Patent in the care of his
daughter, Mrs. Howard Corning, Bangor, Me., who
now has the Patent. The replica is in the Smithsonian
Institution.
On the official copy of the Burt Patent of 1829, is
this endorsement: 'This Patent discloses the actual
construction of a typewriting machine for the first
time in any country." August 22, 1919, The National
Association in convention at Detroit, Michigan, unani-
mously voted to place a wreath on the monument over
I lie i^rave of Mr. Burt in Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit,
as "The inventor of the first writing machine."
The shorthands in this country for the past century
have been imported fpom England or adapted from
such importations. On the contrary, from the begin-
ning the superiority of American typewriting machines
lias been recognized in all parts of the world. Yet
here has been a pronounced tendency in most en-
cyclopedias and histories of invention to credit to Eng-
ish inventors priority in the typewriting field. While
192 IJouACE ELDON BUKT
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REPLICA OP ORIGINAL TYPOGRAPHER
WILLIAM AUSTIN BURT: INVENTOR 193
much of this misinformation may be due to the Patent
Office fire of 1836 and to the enthusiasm of British lec-
turers, encyclopedists and historians of inventions, yet
it should be noted that the French authors, Dupont and
Senechal in " Les machines a ecrire" as far back as 1906
set forth the facts about the Burt machine substantially
as above.
Favorable kction by the Board of Electors on the
nomination of William Austin Burt will for all time
serve the two-fold purpose: of recognizing his leader-
ship among typewriter inventors, and of ensuring
world-wide recognition of the priority of American
inventors in the great field of typewriting machines.
25
THE CHICAGO INDIAN TREATY OF 1821
BY SUE I. SILLIMAN
(Past State Historian, D. A. R.)
THREE RIVERS
TN a quaint pioneer stronghold out in the wilderness
of the Old Northwest, just a century ago, south-
western Michigan began its career in civilized govern-
ment. Though for two centuries France had claimed
it by right of exploration, England by the might of
conquest and the United States by the spirit of '76, it
was not until 1821 that the three Indian nations whose
right was that of actual ownership through occupation,
ceded the land which lies south of the north bank of
the Grand river, north of the south bank of the St.
Joseph, east of the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and
west. of the boundaries of the Detroit and Saginaw
treaties.
Rich in historical lore, southwestern Michigan
presents no more picturesque scene than the signing
of the old Chicago treaty of 1821 when on the parad<
ground within the old stockade at Ft. Dearborn, in
the gay splendor of beads and feathers and buckski]
fringes, there were gathered the majority of the chiefs
of the Ottawa, Chippewa and the Pottawatomie natioi
from Canada, Michigan, the Indiana and the Illinois:
for according to their tribal laws the consent of th<
majority of the nation's chiefs was necessary to legally
dispose of their hunting lands.
We picture the chieftain in dignified council: T(
(194)
THE CHICAGO INDIAN TREATY OF 1821 195
pe-na-be, Match-e-be-nash-she-wish, Met-tey-waw and
other chiefs of high degree surrounded by their warriors,
Indian interpreters, Indian agents, fur traders, soldiers
>f the fort; we hear the confusion of tongues, listen to
the simple eloquence of the Indian orators and eagerly
ik the two white men who, on horseback or in birch
canoe, have made the long journey to this wilderness
outpost to represent the great father at Washington.
>ne of them, in the prime of a vigorous life, General
Lewis Cass, whose many years in Indian service had
proven him fearless and determined, absolutely honest
a man who valued his word as he valued his life.
'he second commissioner was Solomon Sibley, the first
nited States settler in Detroit and Detroit's first
president, the man who so ably fought that Michigan
be not merged with Indiana, the man who later super-
intended the building of the Chicago road along the
old Chicago trail. These were the men with courage,
foresight and loyalty who represented civilized govern-
ment to the savages.
The terms of the treaty are interesting: The
Tinted States granted the reservations of Mang-ach-
(jna village, Prairie Ronde, Na-ta-wa-se-pe, Mick-ke-
>;i \v-be track and the Match-e-be-nash-she-wish at the
head of the Kalamazoo and many grants to indi-
viduals, Bertrands, Rileys, Burnetts, Kaw-kee-me
the Indian princess, and many others, which recall
romance and tragedy of a time when fur trading
the one great industry in the Grand river valley
and in the valleys of the St. Joseph and the Kalamazoo.
Tlu United States granted the Indians the right to
hunt on the ceded land as long as it remained the
196 SUE I. SILLIMAN
property of the United States and in return the Indians
granted permission to construct and use a road through
the Indian territory which lies between Detroit and
Chicago along the old Chicago trail.
In consideration of the cession, the United States
promised the Ottawas $1,000 annually, forever, and the
Pottawatomies $5,000 annually for twenty years; each
nation was to receive $1,000 annually for fifteen years
for the support of a "Blacksmith, a Teacher and Agri-
culturist." It is to be noted that the blacksmith was
first mentioned and the word capitalized.
The results of the treaty were unexpected for the
reservations so humanely made, for the white man was
the direct cause of the Indian's- moral degeneration
and financial loss. In contrast with the honorable
methods of Cass and Sibley, the squatters and many of
the settlers with whiskey and trickery obtained the
choice lands within twelve years which had been re-
served to the Indians forever.
The Old Northwest furnishes no more vivid picture
of Indian justice than that meted out by the Pottawa-
tomie chiefs, who though they refused to sign the sec-
ond Chicago treaty to cede the reservations, neverthe-
less fulfilled the terms of that treaty fraudulently
signed by unauthorized warriors, because the pledged
word of the Pottawatomie nation had been given, but
they killed the Indian signers.
Of the Indian signers of the Chicago treaty of 1821,
sixty-five in all, there remains scant record, only the
names on the musty old document, and beside each
name a cross, his mark; but in the centenary year just
passed during which w r e commemorated one hundred
THE CHICAGO INDIAN TREATY OF 1821 197
years of growth and prosperity in the land which now
includes Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Jackson, Albion,
Battle Creek, Niles, Three Rivers, Hillsdale, Coldwater
Adrian, Allegan, St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, Elkhart,
South Bend and many other interesting cities and
towns, the people of Michigan paid tribute not only to
the statesmanship of General Cass and President Sibley
but to the pledged word of the Ottawa, Chippewa and
Pottawatomie nations who ceded to the United States
government the homeland of their tribes, August 29,
1821.
OLD VETERANS' STORIES
BY THE LANSING LODGE, SONS OF VETERANS
IN THE DOG TENT
CONTRIBUTED BY BERNARD B. WHITTIER
LANSING
"\/V ELL ' children," said Grandma Harford, "I
am afraid this means no picnic today."
"Isn't this awful," said Ethel, looking out the back
door at the driving rain, and the black storm clouds
above.
"Oh, well," said her twin brother, Bert, philo-
sophically, "I s'pose it might be worse. We might
have got out there 'fore it began."
"That's a good way to look at it," said Grandpa,
"though I dunno's a good clean shower ever hurt much
more than one's feelings. Never did me, anyway."
"Now you go to crowing, you old rooster," said
Grandma.
"And you cackle," retorted Grandpa.
Grandma laughed, and so did the twins. Grandpa
and Grandma might pick at each other ever so much,
but the twins never saw them get really provoked.
They had come to believe it was impossible for Grandpa
and Grandma to get really angry. But Bert thought
maybe he smelled a good antidote for the shower in
Grandpa's remark. Grandpa Harford was an antidote
(198)
OLD VETERANS' STORIES 199
for most anything, when he got wound up for story
telling.
" Did you ever get caught out in the rain? " he asked,
looking up at his grandfather.
"Oh, mercy, yes!" said Grandpa. "That used to be
our favorite amusement in the army. In fact, 'twas
about all the bath we would get for days and weeks at
a time, maybe, sometimes. "
"How does it feel to get all rained on?" asked
Ethel. The twins lived in the city, where to be caught
in a rainstorm was a calamity, and the more open life
ch accepts a shower as a refreshment was almost
incomprehensible to them.
"How does it feel?" repeated Grandpa. "How
loes it feel? Well, it mostly feels wet, I guess. I
dunno how else you'd describe it."
"Didn't the soldiers get under cover somewhere
when it rained?" asked Bert.
'That depended very much on whether there was
any cover to get under," said Grandpa.
"Couldn't they even find a tree sometimes?" asked
Bert.
"Well, no. Sometimes they really couldn't," said
Grandpa. "And then, too, in a storm like this, a tree
isn't so very much of a shelter, after all. I dunno but
I'd rather be right out in it, than to be under a tree
being wet by degrees. It's like goin' in swimming. If
you dive in all at once, you don't mind the water being
a bit cold ; but if you wade in an inch at a time, you die
by torture an inch at a time."
The twins smiled. Grandma had busied herself
about the kitchen work. Grandpa was always happy
200 BERNARD B. WHITTIER
with the little folks, and loved to tell them stories as
well as they loved to hear them.
"Sometimes," he continued, "we got so wet we
didn't mind it at all. Just felt natural wet, and would
have wondered what was the matter if we had dried off.
The main difference a little rain ever made to us, unless
it was pretty cold, was that it made it that much
harder to keep our powder dry. "
"Did you ever fight, when it was raining?"
asked Bert.
" Oh, my, yes, " said Grandpa. "And eat and march
and sleep."
"Sleep" ejaculated Ethel.
"Lawsy, yes, child. Don't suppose a tired soldier
is going to mind a little thing like rain when he gets a
chance to lie down and go to sleep, do you?"
"Why, grandpa!"
"Why, Ethel!"
"Why" Ethel caught herself short. She was
going to say "Why, Grandpa" again, but decided it
might not sound just right. "Why," she repeated, "I
never heard of such a thing. "
"No?" said Grandpa. "Never heard of it raining
eggs, either, I suppose? Well, it did once, near where
I was. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. But
that ain't much like goin' to sleep in the rain, though,
is it?
"But talking of getting wet, I got a good soaking
once, down on the peninsula. I don't know what the
name of the bloomin' little creek was. Probably didn't
deserve a name most of the time.
"We had been marching hard that day. And not
OLD VETERANS' STORIES 201
only had we been marching hard, but it was hard
marching. It rained like Ned, or something worse,
from early morning until I don't know when. Every
man Jack of us was soaked before he was dressed, and
we stayed soaked all day. First it was just our clothes
that was soaked. Then after a while we began to feel
soaked clear through."
"That's different than 'twas when you marched to
Gettysburg, wasn't it?" interrupted Bert.
"Heavens, yes!" said Grandpa. "Ought to have
sort of mixed the two, hadn't we?"
"Why didn't you?" asked Ethel.
"Well, I guess we were trying to make up for what
we didn't have at Gettysburg," said Grandpa, "for
we certainly did get some soaking that day. I don't
believe there was a man of us that would have dared to
take a drink. We got enough that just soaked in.
"Well, to make a short story long, we marched
something like fifteen miles or so, which was a big
march in all that mud; and we were just dead tired,
when we finally got orders to pitch camp that night,
in a little valley on a creek bottom. The valley wasn't
very wide, between low bluffs, with the stream rushing,
apparently full to the banks, down through the middle
of it.
"As much as it had been raining, and as long, still
it never entered our heads that the creek might rise
more. My company was camped the nearest to the
stream of any; and my tent, on the far end of the com-
pany, nearest the creek, was probably forty or fifty
yards from it.
"Everything was too wet to start any fires and get
202 BERNARD B. WHITTIER
ourselves something warm to eat, so we stuck up our
dog tents right quick, and crawled into them and ate a
few hard-tack, and some cold meat we had thought-
fully brought with us in our knapsacks. Our dog tents,
you know, were small affairs of light cloth, each man
carrying a half of the tent. When we camped, we
stuck up a pole, and buttoned the halves of the tent
together, and threw it over the pole. There was room
for two men to lie down in it, if they didn't get to
quarreling over which one should have the straw for a
pillow.
" We stuck them up right quick that night, you can
bet, and laid our blankets down, and crawled into them.
I found a couple short pieces of log near by, and brought
them in and laid them crosswise of the tent, one for a
pillow for our heads, and the other for our feet. A
soldier can learn to sleep in the most enjoyable of
positions. "
"I should think as much," said Grandma, from the
pantry door.
"You get them hard-tack sandwiches ready,"
said Grandpa. "This storm isn't going to last long."
"Say, 'tis getting lighter already," said Grandma,
taking a peek out the window.
"Sure it is," said Grandpa. "We will have our
outing just the same."
"And won't have to be rained on all day, either,
said Bert.
"Oh, shucks, " said Grandpa. " If the rain had bee
all, I would have been happy.
"I went to sleep that night just about as soon as I
had caught a couple hard-tack, where they were trying
OLD VETERANS' STORIES 203
to run away, and put them where they belonged. I
propped my head up on my 'pillow', and my feet on
their prop, and I went to snoring without any further
orders from the colonel.
"It seemed to me that I had hardly been asleep at
all, when I was pestered with dreams of going in swim-
ming in the old mill pond back home. I guess that
day's soaking had been about enough to make any one
dream of mill ponds, or some other kind of ocean.
"Then it became a regular nightmare, for I was
seemingly out in the middle of a great sea of water, and
my head was going under, and I couldn't keep it up
to save myself. Then it fairly choked me, and I beat
the water harder than ever to get my head back up,
and woke myself up.
'Then I thought there was no wonder I was dream-
ing of the old mill pond. Evidently I had not soaked
up enough water during the day, so it had to flood the
creek to overflowing, and flooded our tent for us. There
I had been lying with my head and feet up, and my
middle down in the water, for I don't know how long.
Finally the water had risen till it began trickling into
my mouth, and of course I had sucked some of it into
my wind-pipe.
"Well, I got up, and stuck my head out of the tent,
to find it was morning, and the rain had stopped, and
that the whole company were waiting patiently for
me to float off down stream."
The twins and their grandmother laughed heartily
at their soldier boy's predicament. Then Grandma's
practical nature asserted itself.
234 BERNARD B. WHITTIER
"Did you get something warm for breakfast, after
that?" she asked.
"The boys had scraped up enough dry wood to make
s.ome coffee," said Grandpa, "and we managed to
herd some hard-tack into that. You can bet it tasted
good, too. Come on, kids, let's get the things ready.
This storm is nearly over. "
ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF VICKSBURG
(Notes from the Diary of the Late Addison S. Boyce, Co. A, 20th Mich.
Vol. Inft.)
/^VN June 17th we went on board the boat and went
up the Yazoo river to Haines Bluff. The river in
many places is so narrow that it would be impossible
to turn the boat around in it, but it is very deep and
rapid. We marched from the Bluffs to Milldale, a
distance of twelve miles, and went into camp by the
side of a small stream running down from the moun-
tain, a beautiful place right in the meadow. The 20th
Michigan is on the right at the head of the column.
Orders were given not to put our bunks on the ground,
but to procure crotches and drive them into the ground,
making our beds 15 to 18 inches high, and cutting cane
from the cane brake for the bottom of our beds and get-
ting dried mistletoe from the fences to take the place
of straw and covering all over with our blankets. The
object of building our beds high was to avoid snakes,
lizards, and other reptiles that abound in this warm
climate. Hanging our beds high served us a good pur-
OLD VETERANS' STORIES 205
pose as will be seen, for a few days later one of the boys
from Co. E was bitten by a snake (the darkies called it
a ground snake) in the upper part of the thumb. The
poison spread through his system rapidly and by morn-
ing he was dead, there being no known remedy for the
bite.
AVe were now part of the rear defense, consequently
a detail was at work every day throwing up a line of
breastworks to be ready in case Joe Johnson should try
to go to Pemberton's relief at Vicksburg.
There had been ai> incessant cannonading kept up
around the doomed city all night. At three o'clock*in
the morning it was so heavy that the noise awoke me.
It was beginning to get daylight, so I thought I would
go where I could hear better, and accordingly climbed
to the top of a small knob ("knob" being what
the natives call a small peak of a mountain), about 200
feet above our camp. Here everything sounded so
plain that one would think it was only two miles dis-
tant, when in reality the nearest point was seven miles
from us. From this point on a dark night the mortar
shells could be distinctly seen as they took their flight
from battery to city. This morning, between the re-
ports of the heavy artillery, I could distinctly hear the
sharp and saucy crack of the picket's rifle as he tried to
pick off the rebel gunners. I could not help but think
and wonder, as I looked at the sleeping and seemingly
disinterested army covered with their white tents
stretching along the valley at my feet, and compare
them with the struggling army about Vicksburg.
It was reported that Gen. Grant said in a council of
war with his Corps Commanders one day, that he could
206 BERNARD B. WIIITTIER
storm the works and take the city in less than four
hours, but it would cost the lives of eight or ten thou-
sand men, so he thought it would be cheaper to hold
their lines and starve the Rebs out.
They carry on the war here far different than they
do in Kentucky. There foraging is strictly prohibited.
There the rooster can mount the fence and crow his
defiance, the turkey can gobble and the goose can hiss,
but you cannot resent the insult. Here things are
different. They take everything they come to: nig-
gers, mules, cattle, hogs, and chickens. (Turkeys and
geese are never found.)
The boys begin to think that they will not be al-
lowed to fire a gun nor see a rebel here in the West, as
the Western army seems to be jealous of us from the
East. Well, we do not care one snap, they can do all
the fighting if they wish; we move when we are called
upon and never refuse to obey orders, whether those
orders take us to or from the enemy.
On the 24th I went up to Haines Bluff on detail
with the Quartermaster, after supplies, and had plenty
of time to look over the fortifications that were cap-
tured by Sherman. They were the best works I ever
saw, and armed with the heaviest artillery, but the
Rebs seem to have made a fatal mistake in planning
their defence, not seeming to dream of an enemy froi
the rear, as they had constructed no rear defence, an<
when they found Admiral Porter coming up the Yazoo
river, and Gen." Sherman advancing in the rear, they
soon became panic stricken and skedaddled for Vicks-
burg. They burned everything that could be burned,
aiid spiked the guns. They abandoned sixty pieces of
OLD VETERANS' STORIES 207
artillery and a large number of siege guns. I returned
to cainp at night tired but well paid for my trouble.
On the 26th I received my commission as Drum
Major which gives rank of First or Orderly Sergeant.
July 4. GLORIOUS FOURTH OF JULY! We
expected they would have a great time at Vicksburg
today, but have been disappointed as Gen. Pemberton
surrendered Vicksburg to Gen. Grant this morning at
10 a. m., and with the news of the surrender came the
order to be ready to move at 12 Noon, which we did
promptly, in the direction of Black River.
MICHIGAN HISTORY MAGAZINE
VOLUME VI 1922 Nos. 2-3
GEORGE N. FULLER, Editor
MICHIGAN
HISTORY MAGAZINE
VOL. VI 1922 Nos. 2 and 3
HISTORICAL NEWS, NOTES AND COMMENT
II) AD AXE, the home of former Governor Sleeper, is
planning to erect a community building. The
movement which was started by the American Legion
now includes the Women's Auxiliary of the Legion, the
Bad Axe Woman's Chib, the Public Library, the Com-
munity Club, the County Road Commission and the
City of Bad Axe.
Frank Wentland post No. 253, American Legion of
Royal Oak, is planning to build a memorial building
to be occupied by the post as headquarters. The post
has been offered a site on which it is proposed to erect
a building that will cost $65,000.
Nearly $3,000 was contributed by Michigan School
children to the Foch Medal Fund, to be used towards
building in France two model high schools. They will
be known respectively as the Foch-Pershing and the
Washington-Lafayette schools.
A splendid opportunity to inculcate patriotism in
the minds of the children will be lost if they are not
permitted to contribute to the expense of the memo-
rials, whatever their nature, which are being erected in
cities and villages throughout the State for the soldiers
and sailors. The taxpayers are willing to bear their
share of the cost, but to honor those who gave their
lives in the defense of American homes and liberties
(211)
212 HISTORICAL Kuws
is the privilege of every citizen and especially of the
Children.
Survivors of "Custer's Brigade, " the Michigan G.
\. R. and Spanish War veterans of the 33rd voluntary
infantry association held a week of reunions at Detroit
in June. About 50 of the famous cavalrymen were on
hand when the Custer reunion opened, with Mr. W.
O. Lee of Port Huron presiding.
Mrs. Elizabeth B. Custer, widow of General George
Armstrong Custer, famous Indian fighter and Civil
War hero, is understood to be writing a Life of General
Cusier. Mrs. Custer was born in Monroe, Michigan,
and was the daughter of Daniel S, Bacon, a pioneer
settler of Monroe. She lives now in New York City,
at number 71 East 87th Street.
The memory of Francis Scott Key was honored on
Flag Day, June 14, with the unveiling of a monument
to him, erected by Congress near the spot in historic
Fort McHenry over which floated the Star Spangled
Banner immortalized in his poem.
The planting of memory trees on Arbor Day for
gold star soldiers was a feature which distinguished
the D. A. R. programs this year in several counties.
Co-operation was given by the local posts of the Ameri-
can Legion.
The centenary of General Grant's birthday was
celebrated in Detroit by the ladies of the G. A. R. on
April 27 with appropriate exercises at the house at
1369 Fort Street East where Grant lived in 1849 and
1850. At Washington the magnificent Grant memo-
rial sculptured by Henry Merwin Shrady was unveiled
at the Pennsylvania Avenue end of the Capitol grounds.
NOTES AND COMMBNT 213
Vice-Presldent Coolidge delivered the address of the
occasion. President Harding spoke at Point Pleasant,
Ohio, the birthplace of General Grant.
Memorial Day was observed this year quite gener-
ally throughout the world, partly owing to the efforts
of the American Legion. The Legion has urged that
May 30 be made a memorial day not only throughout
the United States, but in American communities the
world over in memory of all Americans who have died
for their country. To the women of Columbus, Geor-
gia, belongs the honor of having conceived Memorial
Day, the first observance being on April 26, 1866. It
was the idea of Miss Lizzie Rutherford, who was a
member of the Ladies 7 Aid Society in that city, and it
spread rapidly throughout the South. At the urgent
request of Mrs. John A. Logan, wife of General Logan,
commander-in-chief of the G. A. R., who learned of
the practice while visiting in the South, General Logan
issued to all Grand Army posts an order to celebrate
Memorial Day on May 30, 1868, from which time it
has grown into the revered custom of today.
The work of returning to the United States the
bodies of American soldiers who died in France was
completed in March, with a total of over 45,000. For
the four cemeteries which are to be the permanent
resting place of nearly 30,000 Americans who fell in
the Great War, an extensive scheme of beautification
has been developed by a special Fine Arts Commission
! for the four Fields of Honor in France: these are
Suresnes cemetery, near Paris; Bony, near St. Quen-
tin; Belleau Wood, near Chateau-Thierry: and the
Argonne or Romagne cemetery near Romagne-sous-
Montfaucon. One of the most touching features has
214 HISTORICAL NEWS
been the way in which the French people have made
these sacred spots their own. It is said that a Sunday
never goes by without scores of French people visiting
them and placing flowers on the graves.
The D. A. R. of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, are
engaged in an effort to preserve for historical purposes
the remains of old Fort Crawford at that place, per-
haps the most famous of the forts in the Old North-
west. Zachary Taylor was commandant of it at one
time. One of his lieutenants was Jefferson Davis.
Among the fort surgeons was Doctor Beaumont, famous
for his experiments on Alexis St. Martin at Mackinac
Island. Others stationed at the fort at various times
were Henry R. Schoolcraft, Winfield Scott, and Abra-
ham Lincoln when a young lieutenant in the Black
Hawk War.
The Federation of Women's Clubs of Cass County
Michigan, have planned a series of monuments at vil-
lages along the route of the old Detroit-Chicago turn-
pike. One has already been placed at Union, a fine
boulder on which is cut the legend " Chicago Road,
1826." This is placed at the point where the road
forks, and is a monument not only to the old pike, now
almost 100 years old, but to the public-spirited women
who form the clubs and wish to see the old-time places
marked for the benefit of future generations. This
turnpike was projected by the Federal Government,
and the surveys were begun in 1825, to facilitate the
settlement of southern Michigan. It followed in the
main the old Chicago Indian trail over which the
western Indians used to come to Maiden annually to
receive presents from the British. Kessington and
Edwardsburg seem destined to be the next points to
NOTES AND COMMENT 215
have monuments on this pike in Cass County. Mr.
Daniel W. Eby is taking a deep interest in the one for
Kessington and should be given much credit for his
work in its behalf.
Cadillac's birthday was elaborately observed by
the City of Detroit early in March. "Movie" films
of the street pageant were made under the auspices of
the Detroit Free Press.
On June 3 the Daughters of the American Revolu-
tion of Flint unveiled a bronze memorial tablet mark-
ing "The Grand Traverse of Flint River" used by the
Indians on their original trail between Detroit and
Saginaw.
A memorial monument to the late Ammi W. Wright,
philanthropist and benefactor of Alma, was unveiled
by the city of Alma on Memorial Day. It is erected
'in Wright Park, a beautiful wooded tract of seven acres
which was given to the city by Mr. Wright shortly
.before his death ten years ago.
Abiel Fellows Chapter, D. A. R. of Three Rivers,
put on a parlor masque and pageant recently in honor
of the signing of the Chicago treaty one hundred years
ago. Miss Sue I. Silliman, past historian of the D. A. R.
of Michigan, was one of the chief promoters. Miss
Silliman's article on this treaty appeared in the Janu-
ary number of this Magazine.
Daniel Boone's old home in Pennsylvania, where
the famous Kentucky pioneer was born, has aroused
the interest of the Clarke County Historical Society of
Kentucky, which is considering its possible purchase.
The building is a stone house in the foothills of Exeter
township, Bucks County, which has withstood the ele-
216 HISTORICAL NEWS
ments for nearly two centuries, but is slowly falling to
pieces. It is on an estate of 160 acres, valued at the
present time at about $15,000. If the purchase is
made, the old home will be devoted to historical pur-
poses.
The historic old steamer Y antic at Detroit, which
if it could talk could doubtless unfold a thrilling ro-
mance of the sea from its 60 years of service, has been
replaced by the U. S. S. Dubuque as the flagship of the
United States Naval Reserve Force in Michigan. The
Y antic was built in 1864, designed originally to be
President Lincoln's yacht, but gunboats were more
needed and the Y antic was pressed into service. She
was brought to Detroit in 1897, and in 1907 was tem-
porarily replaced by the Don Juan de Austria captured
by Dewey at Manilla.
Mr. Arthur S. White of the Michigan Engraving
Company, Grand Rapids, sends us a bundle of charm-
ing articles about "people and- things" of pioneer days
Mrs. Lillian Drake Avery of Pontiac is to be com*
mended for the splendid interest and energetic work sh e
has put into collecting material for the history of Oak-
land County, especially its activities in the Great War-
To talk with Mrs. Avery on this subject is an inspira-
tion.
Mrs. Franc Adams of Mason has practically com-
pleted her work on the volume of pioneer history of
Ingham County, which is to be published under the
auspices of the Ingham County Pioneer and Historical
Society. Mrs. Adams has long been secretary of the
Society.
NOTES AND COMMENT 217
The Grand Lodge, Knights of Pythias of Michigan,
has sponsored a citizenship essay contest in high schools
throughout the State with the object of creating a
greater interest in a better and higher citizenship.
The subject for the essays is, "American Citizenship-
Its Aims, Ideals and Responsibilities." The judges in
the contest have been appointed by State Superin-
tendent of Public Instruction Thomas E. Johnson.
The authors of the two best papers, as determined by
the judges, will be invited to appear before the Grand
Lodge when it meets at Charlevoix September 6, and
deliver their essays as orations. Their entire expenses
will be paid, and they will receive a gold medal and a
silver medal as the two grand prizes.
According to Mr. George E. Bishop, secretary-
manager of the Upper Peninsula Development Bureau,
that organization has acted favorably upon the sug-
gestion of having a National Park for the Upper Pen-
insula of Michigan. It has been proposed that a cer-
tain section in the Keweenaw Peninsula, the "Tip
of Cloverland," be reserved and set aside as a Na-
tional Park, and that its natural features be left un-
disturbed for the benefit of future generations. This
section of the peninsula is now much as it has been
since the white man first set foot upon this region,
and it is in order that these natural historic and scenic
spots may be conserved for all time as a genuine and
typical "sample" of Cloverland, as the pioneers knew
it, that the movement for a national park was begun.
The Keweenaw Peninsula, with its scenery and history,
its high cliffs, its harbors, its jagged rocks, lakes,
streams and virgin timber, is truly an ideal selection.
218 HISTORICAL NEWS
Lovers of romance have been interested in the con-
troversy about the re-naming of the sand dunes along
the shore of Lake Michigan. Protest has been made
against re-christening these mounds, many of them
of appealing beauty, and some of which have featured
in works of fiction. Their original names have been
acquired in some cases by common consent and usage,
in others from Indian designation in which there is a
suggestion of the romance of the Dunes as the camp-
ing grounds of great Indian tribes. Attempts to re-
name the Dunes for friends of interested parties, as
has been done, is to be regretted. We agree with the
editor of the Grand Rapids Herald, who says: "The
romance of the sands and it is a romance not limited
to the great dunes of the Gary region, but extending
along the entire shore line of Lake Michigan is best
expressed in Indian or historic nomenclature. Gentle-
men seeking to preserve the names of their good friends
should be advised to explore the Arctic, where there
still remains numerous unnamed ice fields.*'
At a recent meeting of the Bay County Historical
Association a paper on "The Life and Characteristics
of Chief Shoppenagon" was read by Mr. F. L. West-
over, written by Mr. Babbitt of West Branch. Mrs.
L. G. Hewlett read a charming sketch of Indian life,
based on an interview with Mrs. Nockchicima, a pic-
turesque old Indian woman, in which she gave the
Indian meaning and derivation of many names of
places near Bay City. Mrs. G. A. Shields of Bay City,
who is largely responsible for the fine impulse given to
historical work in Bay County, gave a report of her
attendance at recent meetings of the State Historical
Society.
NOTES AND 'COMMENT 219
Mi\ Charles H. Wheelock, Battle Creek, sends us
a leaflet describing an exhibit of "Pictures of some
hunters, hunting camps, hunting dogs, etc., in the
forests and on the streams of Michigan." He states
that this highly interesting and educational exhibit
is furnished by Hon. E. C. Nichols, and is being shown
in the spacious lobby of the Old National Bank of
which institution Mr. Nichols is Chairman. The ex-
hibit will have to be seen to be fully appreciated. Mr.
Wheelock is secretary of the Battle Creek Historical
Society. He writes that he has recently secured a list
of more than fifty names of pioneers in his city over 75
years of age, and letters with them. An interesting
booklet on pioneer life in Battle Creek is doubtless in
store for us.
The Eaton County Pioneer Society celebrated its
semi-centennial at Eaton Rapids on Washington's
Birthday.
At the 48th annual meeting of the Oakland County
Pioneer and Historical Society Mr. Richard H. Rose of
Royal Oak was again elected president. Mr. Mortimer
A. Leggett was elected first vice-president, and Mrs.
Lillian Drake Avery of Pontiac was continued as secre-
tary.
The Shiawassee County Historical Society at its
recent annual meeting elected as president Mr. A. W.
Burnett of Corunna; secretary-treasurer, Mrs. Frank
McCartney of Owosso; historian, Mrs. Etta Killian of
Carland.
The Ingham County Pioneer and Historical So-
ciety celebrated its fiftieth anniversary June 21 at
220 HISTOBICAL NEWS ;
Mason. The forenoon was devoted to renewing ac-
quaintances, and was followed by an old-time dinner.
In the afternoon Mrs. Harriet Casterlin spoke on
"Mason Fifty Years Ago," and Mrs. Simons-Dunn on
"Early Days in Lansing." The program closed with
a genuine old-fashioned love feast, with the pioneers in
a reminiscent mood. Glowing tributes were paid to
the memory of the late Col. L. H. Ives, president of the
Society for many years, and to Mrs. Franc L. Adams
for her long service as secretary and for her work on the
new History of the county soon to be published by the
Society.
The St. Joseph County Pioneer Society held its
48th annual meeting at Centreville. Notable among
the addresses were those of Rev. F. M. White, on "St.
Joseph County Before the Pioneer," and Hon. Dallas
Boudeman on "Pioneering," also that of Rev. F. M.
Thurston on "Pioneering Today."
The Detroit Historical Society was recently organ-
ized, with Mr. Clarence M. Burton president. Mr.
T. A. E. Weadock and Mr. R. J. Service are vice-presi-
dents; Mr. Albert H. Finn, secretary; Miss G. B.
Krum, assistant secretary; and Mr. J. Bell Moran,
treasurer. The Society may be addressed at the De-
troit Public Library. Its object, as expressed in the
By-Laws is, "to encourage historical study and re-
searchto collect and preserve the materials of his-
tory, and especially such as concern the history of De-
troit." Active members pay a fee of $2 a year. The
annual meeting is held on the second Thursday of
January. The educational committee is instructed
"to arrange for at least one popular meeting each year,
NOTES AND COMMENT 221
which shall be open to the public." The depository
for historical materials is the Detroit Public Library,
and "all rights and titles to such property shall be
vested in the Detroit Library Commission."
Rev. Henry P. Collin of Coldwater has been pub-
lishing during the past month an interesting series of
articles on the history of Branch County in the Cold-
water Daily Reporter and the Quincy Herald. Mr.
Collin is the author of the History of Branch County
issued some time ago by the Lewis Publishing Com-
pany of Chicago. \t is one of the best histories in
that series. Much new data is added in the articles
mentioned.
The Detroit Saturday Night has carried recently a
series of exceedingly readable and instructive articles
under the caption, "Bits of the Old World in Detroit,"
describing the various foreign settlements in Michigan's
metropolis, written by Faye Elizabeth Smith for the
publicity department of the Detroit Community Fund.
The following papers read at the Mt. Pleasant mid-
winter meeting of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical
Society will later be published in the Michigan History
Magazine: "Pioneer History of Isabella County," by
Mr. I. A. Fancher of Mt. Pleasant; "Social Life of Mt.
Pleasant in Pioneer Days," by Mrs. Eva Doughty of
Mt. Pleasant; "In Memory," by Mr. U. S. Hold-
ridge; "Pioneering Today," by Mrs. E. W. Ranney of
Greenville; "A Sketch of Indian Life," by Mrs. Irene
Pomeroy Shields of Bay City; "Pioneer History of
Clare County," by Mrs. G. E. Lamb of Farwell;
"Early History of Montcalm County," by Mrs. Mary
E. Dasef of Stanton.
222 : .-HISTORICAL- N.EWS :
-Mr. W: G. Lelahd, 1140 Woodward Building,
.Washington, D. C., writes :to' the "Editor: "On behalf
:.af .the Union Academique Internationale which is
about to publish the complete writings of Hugo Gro-
tius, the. eminent Dutch statesman and author (1583-
164 &), I desire to locate in American libraries and col-
lections original letters of Hugo Grotius. I will be
greatly obliged for any information on such material
to be sent to Professor Dr. A. Eekhof, Leyden Uni-
versity, Leyden, Holland.
The "Burton Historical Collection Leaflet/' pub-
lished monthly by the Detroit Public Library, contains
interesting excerpts from the manuscripts in the Burton
Historical Collection described in another part of this
number of the Magazine. These leaflets, paged con-
secutively for binding into a volume, may be had on
application to the Library.
To Mr. Albert H. Finn of Detroit the Michigan
Historical Commission is indebted for a fine collection
of records and papers of the Northern Baptist Conven-
tion, very valuable for students of Baptist history in
Michigan. Among these papers are the Annuals for
various years, besides Handbooks and Manual. The
Annuals contain the minutes of the Convention and
reports of church work in home and foreign fields. In
the Handbooks are found the acts of incorporation,
by-laws, and lists of officers and members of various
boards; directories of organizations; list of Baptist
journals and educational institutions; and varied sta-
tistical information. The Manual, which covers the
ten years 1808-1818 is specially valuable for its his-
torical articles and summaries.
NOTES AND COMMENT 223
A History of the Constitution of Minnesota with the
First Verified Text, by William Anderson and Albert
J. Lobb, is issued as number 15 in ' 'Studies in the Social
Sciences," by the University of Minnesota. It is a
comprehensive study of the constitutional history of
Minnesota.
The offices of the Michigan Historical Commission
have been changed to convenient and commodious
quarters on the 5th floor of the new State office build-
ing at Lansing. The pioneer museum is being moved
to a large fire-proof. room on the first floor. Adjoin-
ing the offices on the fifth floor are two large vaults
which enable the Commission to give fire-proof pro-
tection to its priceless documents. The Commission
now has on hand something over a million documents
of great historical and administrative value, which
await funds for proper casing.
Prof. C. H. Van Tyne, head of the history depart-
ment at the University of Michigan, and President of
the Michigan Historical Commission, has recently re-
turned from his visit to India, where he went last No-
vember at the invitation of Sir Frederick Whyte, presi-
dent of the new Legislative Assembly of India. The
results of his investigations are being published in the
Atlantic Monthly.
The Clements Library on the campus of the Uni-
versity of Michigan is well on the way to completion.
The corner stone of the building was laid March 31,
marked by simple ceremonies in the presence of dis-
tinguished guests of the University. As is well known
to most of our readers, this building is a gift to the
224 HISTORICAL NEWS
University from Regent William L. Clements, past
president of the Michigan Historical Commission, and
a Trustee of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical So-
ciety. It will house a library of Americana valued by
expert collectors at over a half million dollars, which
is also a gift from Regent Clements. The building
will cost approximately $200,000. Excellent descrip-
tions both of the collection and the building have ap-
peared in recent numbers of the Michigan Alumnus.
The Michigan Daily tells us that as a supplement
to his original donation of American newspapers to the
University, Regent W. L. Clements, of Bay City, has
purchased an additional collection, consisting chiefly
of New England papers, with a considerable representa-
tion of New York and Pennsylvania publications.
The papers, purchased from the American Antiquarian
Society, at Worcester, Mass., are chiefly weeklies dat-
ing from approximately 1800 to 1840. A few are of
the 18th century. The supplementary collection has
arrived at the General Library, but for lack of space
will not be unpacked at present, and will not be avail-
able for use until the new Clements library building is
opened.
The Michigan Historical Commission has frequent
calls for volumes 1-3, 5, 7, 22-29, and 32 of the Michi-
gan Pioneer and Historical Collections which are now
out of print. If you have one of these volumes and
wish to sell it, they can put you in touch with a buyer.
The degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon
Governor Groesbeck by the University of Michigan
at its recent commencement. Among the eleven re-
cipients of honorary degrees on this occasion were also
NOTES AND COMMBNT 225
the poet Robert Frost; Sir Thomas Lewis, physician
of the University Hospital, London, Eng.; and Charles
Evans Hughes, Secretary of State.
Since the last issue of the Magazine a number of
deaths have occurred in the membership of the Michi-
gan Pioneer and Historical Society, among them Major
Harrison Soule of Ann Arbor (Jan. 2, 1922), Justice
John W. Stone (March 24, 1922), and former Lieut.
Gov. John Q. Ross (May 12, 1922), of whom appro-
priate biographical sketches will appear later in the
Magazine.
Rev. Francis Xavier Barth, prominent and loved
member of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical So-
ciety, died at his home in Escanaba on Memorial Day.
Health has been failing for two years and death was not
unexpected. In his passing Michigan loses "a talented
pastor, masterful leader, peerless orator, and devoted
citizen." A sketch of the life and work of Fr. Barth
will appear later in the Magazine.
A CCORDING to present plans, the National Vic-
P*- tory Memorial will be completed by 1925.
The present plan for financing the project is
through State participation, each State subscribing a
sum of money for each citizen who served in the Great
War; these citizens will be represented by blue and
gold service stars, which will form State clusters on a
huge service flag in the dome of the building.
It is President Harding's suggestion that this insti-
tution at the national capital become, in its varied
uses, a veritable "university of American citizenship/'
with its numerous assembly rooms forming the head-
quarters of national military and patriotic organiza-
226 HISTORICAL NEWS
tions, and special rooms for the exclusive use of each
state and territory.
The site chosen for the building is the spot where
President Garfield fell. The cost of building and site
is estimated at $10,000,000.
France has her Pantheon, England her Westminster
Abbey, and now America is to have ker Victory mem-
orial, dedicated, in the words of General Pershing "to
that era of international relationship and friendliness
which alone will guarantee a lasting peace."
A "WAR Memorial Everlasting," in the form of
a school and home for the orphans of veterans
of the World War has been outlined by the state execu-
tive committee of the American Legion.
"Our idea," said Paul A. Martin, State Commander,
in presenting the plan, "is that the highest type of war
memorial must combine the elements of useful help,
permanency and a just appreciation of the sacrifices
of the dead.
"When the American Legion of Michigan under-
takes this great work it will have assumed national
leadership in a movement which cannot fail to catch
the .spirit of patriotic imagination and support every-
where.
"My idea is that the home should be located in the
country, where the best combination of healthful sur-
roundings can be found.
"There is no need for us to decide just where, for
there will be much competition among various com-
munities to obtain this unique war memorial."
NOTES AND COMMENT 227
A NATION'S tribute to the glorious dead reached
fr its climax Decoration Day in Washington, at the
dedication of the memorial erected beside the Potomac
to Abraham Lincoln.
Spread across the wide terraces, the lawns and the
circling driveways were thousands of Americans, and
distinguished men from foreign lands also came to pay
their homage at this new shrine. Close on the marble
steps were gathered the men who today hold in their
.hands the destiny of that government "of the people,
for the people and by the people'* which Lincoln gave
his life to save, but belfind these over a mile deep on the
mall and clear away to the base of the Washington
Monument, a mile distant from the memorial, were the
common folks from whom Lincoln came and for whom
he toiled until he was cut down.
Foremost among the men who gathered at this cere-
mony were the aged veterans of the G. A. R., men who
at Lincoln's call put aside their citizen's garb for the
blue of the army uniforms and fought for the salva-
tion of the nation.
The statue shows Lincoln in the pose that has
long endeared him to American hearts. It is cut
from a solid block of Georgia marble. On the back
wall of the memorial runs the simple legend that tells
of the greatness of the man and the love that his
countrymen have come to bear for his memory.
The sculptor has presented Lincoln as the presi-
dent must often have been seen in life, when he sank
back in his heavy chair at his desk in the White House
and brooded over the havoc that civil war would make.
The figure is relaxed with arms outspread on the arms
of the chair; the wide shoulders are pressed back for
228 HISTORICAL NEWS
support, but the head is erect, and the quiet, gaunt,
deeply-lined face is fit setting for the brooding eyes
looking thoughtfully, almost in sorrowing pity, over
the memories of the scenes they witnessed or of the
sorrows they knew. (Contributed by one who was
there.)
\ RMISTICE Day, 1921, brought to a member of
-* the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, rec-
ognition from France for her war work in the Great
War.
April 1917, Mrs. William Henry Wait of Ann
Arbor was appointed Publicity Director of the War
Relief Service Committee, National Society, Daugh-
ters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Wait immedi-
ately entered upon the duties of that office converting
into an office a room in her own home, and here with-
out financial compensation from any source and wit!
only the occasional service of a stenographer, sh<
labored eight, ten and twelve hours a day for two years,
except such time as she in her capacity of State R<
gent of the Daughters of the American Revolution oi
Michigan was visiting the chapters officially, speaking
throughout Michigan for the United War Work Cam-
paign or Liberty Loans or attending meetings of th<
National Board of Management in Washington.
Mrs. Wait as Publicity Director wrote, publishe<
and issued to the Department Director of the War
Relief Service Committee forty-four different Bulletins
on War subjects, for every chapter of the Daughters
in every State in the Union, Hawaii, the Philippines,
the Orient and Argentina.
Of these fortv-four Bulletins, seven were in the
Copy of Diploniii citinjr grounds of award for which tfio silver medaille de
In Reconnaissance Francaiso was itcstowcd upon Mrs. William H. Wait of Ann
Arbor, Mich., by France. The Diploma is '2\ x 15 inches.
Medaille de la Reconnaissance Frnncuisc, awarded to Mrs. Win. II. Wait of
Ann Arbor, Michigan, by France for her war services to that country. The
colors are the red, white and blue of the French Flag.
NOTES AND COMMENT
interest of France on such subjects as "French War
Orphans," "Tilloloy, A Devastated French Village,'*
"Rechickenizing France," and " Reconstruction in
France." After the needs in the case had been thor-
oughly investigated, and after consultation with other
members of the War Relief Service Committee, Mrs.
Wait carried to the National Board of Management,
Daughters of the American Revolution, Oct. 17, 1917,
her resolution "That the National Society make as
one special branch of our National War Relief Work,
the restoration of the French village of Tilloloy,
France, the expense <3f which is not to exceed $51,000,"
recommending at the same time that the money be
raised by asking fifty cents from each member of the
Society which numbered over a hundred thousand
women. The motion carried and the plan of raising
the money was adopted.
After the second German invasion, it was voted by
the National Board of Management at the request of
the French Government, that this money be diverted
from its original purpose of restoration of the homes of
the village to the installation of a waterworks system
for the village, dedication of which took place, Auer.
23, 1921.
At Mrs. Wait's suggestion, the Daughters gave or
collected about ten thousand dollars for Rechicken-
izing France. Upon her initiative the Society co-oper-
ated with the American Committee for Devastated
France. In her Bulletin No. 43, Mrs. Wait plead for
the re-establishment of the returned refugees in the
Department of the Aisne. This Bulletin included
French patterns for crocheting shoulder shawls for the
aged women and stockings for the children, dimen-
HISTORICAL NEWS
sions for making sheets and pillow cases of the size
used by French housewives before the war. The plea
also netted many bolts of cloth, sewing materials,
kitchen utensils and various kinds of garments.
"Feb. '22,.. 1921, the New York Times published the
announcement that the day before, the Journal (ffficiel,
Paris , at the instance of the foreign office, had be-
stowed "for meritorious service" in the war, the silver
"Medaille de la Reconnaissance Francaise" on four
women in North and South America, Mrs. William H.
Wait of Michigan being one of them.
Armistice Day, 1921, the medal and a diploma stat-
ing the grounds of award were received by Mrs. Wait.
Photographs of the medal and diploma illustrate this
article. A translation of the grounds of award cites
that Mrs. Wait "has contributed important aid to the
devastated regions, notably Tilloloy, has furnished to
our refugees important quantities of clothing."
Owing to her work with the American Committee
for Devastated France, Mrs. Wait was the recipient
also of autographed photographs of Premier Clemen-
ceau and Monsieur Leon Bourgeois, chairman of the
French Delegation League of Nations Conference at
Versailles, in recognition of her services in "helping re-
establish the returned refugee in the Department of
the Aisne."
MICHIGAN needs to rename its thousands of lakes,
says the Grand Rapids Herald. Each of these
bodies of water represents actual dollars and cents'
value to the State of Michigan. Each is distinctive
in its beauty. It would be as impossible to find two
lakes alike in Michigan as to find a resemblance be-
NOTES AND COMMENT 231
tween black and white. Yet with the exception of
perhaps one per cent they are all misnamed. Not
only are the names wholly lacking in beauty, but they
fail to establish identity.
For example, there are two Camp Lakes in Kent
County. Ask the farmer south of Grand Rapids the
location of Camp Lake and he will direct you to a
placid body in the southern section of the county. Ask
a farmer north of Grand Rapids the same question
and he will send you to another Camp Lake a couple
of miles from Sparta.
There are at least 20 Long Lakes in Michigan; as
many more Crooked Lakes; a dozen Round Lakes;
ten or 15 Pickerel Lakes; more than half a dozen Mud
Lakes, and three or four each of Crystal, Bluegill, Bass,
Perch, Silver, Indian, Bullhead, Rice, Grass, Green
and Pine Lakes.
It is only a shameful lack of appreciation of our
natural resources that makes possible any duplication
in the name of such a beautiful lake as Crystal, east of
Frankfort. To those who know this lake, one of the
largest in the State, there is only one Crystal Lake.
But for others there is a Crystal Lake near Shelby and
another near Greenville. Portage Lake at the mili-
tary reservation near Grayling is an exquisite scenic
spot; but Portage Lake north of Manistee is just as
beautiful.
Michigan needs to re-name its lakes; not only be-
cause of the multiplication of names, but because of
the lack of distinctive merits in most of the names.
Where is there anything suggestive of scenic delight
in Bluegill Lake or Bullhead Lake? What is the value
of such a title as Long Lake or Crooked Lake?
More and more we are coming to realize the value
232 HISTORICAL NEWS
to Michigan of its great numbers of inland lakes. To
emphasize that value we should give fitting title to
them. We are of the opinion that Governor Groes-
beck could very appropriately name a commission or
individual to survey the State's great inland water
resources and suggest new names for consideration by
the sections within which the lakes are located. The
present muddle is merely a result of lazy nomencla-
ture.
THE Mackinac Island State Park Museum, says
The Catholic Vigil, has added to its collection the
silverware and the diary of the Rev. Father Pierre,
the first Jesuit missionary to become a permanent resi-
dent of this section. The gift is made by Mrs. Brayton
Saltonstall of Charlevoix, daughter of George W. Bell,
the Cheboygan attorney, who executed Father Pierre's
will. The pioneer priest lies buried in Calvary ceme-
tery, Cheboygan, and many tourists make a pilgrim-
age to his grave.
Father Pierre, immortalized by Constance Fenni-
more Woolson in ''Anne," her story of the early days
of Mackinac, was in charge of the mission at Macki-
nac in the days of John Jacob Astor's fur trading
operations there. In his canoe in the summer and
with a dog team in the winter, he traversed the re-
gion. His headquarters in Les Cheneaux Islands are
still pointed out to tourists.
He came direct from France, highly educated, cul-
tured and possessed of considerable wealth. His diary,
written on the margins of newspapers and scraps of
paper, for stationery was scarce in this region in those
days, was translated by Mrs. Saltonstall. It gives a
NOTES AND COMMENT 238
picturesque account of his arrival in New York City
and his experiences at the Astor House, a quaint vil-
lage lodging house, where, he states, they used two-
tined forks and table manners were atrocious. The
silverware, including knives and forks, and the diary
were among the things left in the care of Mrs. Salton-
stall's father at the time of Father Pierre's death.
AN important factor in the building up of Macki-
nac Island as a resort, was the opening in 1883
of the first telegraph office on the Island, says Miss
Helen M. Donnelly *of the Western Union Telegraph
office at Mackinac Island.
The idea was conceived by Mr. Cornelius C. Cor-
bett, Sup't of the 5th District of the Western Union
Telegraph Company, with headquarters in Detroit,
now retired and living at Grosse Pointe Farms, Michi-
gan.
The laying of the cable between St. Ignace and
Mackinac Island was under the supervision of fore-
man John Beamer, a life-long employee of the com-
pany. The submarine cable was a one conductor,
which had previously been used between Mackinaw
City and St. Ignace, having been the first cable laid
in the Straits of Mackinac. This cable was in use until
1892 when it was replaced by a three conductor sub-
marine cable.
The office was managed the first summer by a Miss
McGee of Detroit and at the close of the tourist season,
was moved from the village to the Fort, Lieutenant
Edward H. Plummer, 10th U. S. Infantry, then sta-
tioned here, taking charge, Colonel Edward H. Plum-
mer since retired and living at present in California.
234 HISTORICAL NEWS
Under instruction of Lieut. Plummer my sister Mar-
garet Donnelly took up the study of Telegraphy, fin-
ishing later in the Main W. U. office in Detroit and in
the spring of 1884 taking charge as manager and I as
messenger girl. The salary paid manager was high
or considered so in those days, but the company made
no provision for other expenses, such as messenger
service, rental, light, etc., these expenses were supposed
to be covered by the manager's salary, a rather unique
arrangement, which failed to work out to the advantage
of the messenger girl.
Sister Margaret who is now Mrs. John McArdle
living in the Indian village, Detroit, managed the island
office until November 23, 1889, when she was trans-
ferred to St. Ignace taking charge there, while I as
manager filled the vacancy here, a position I still hold.
Having the means of communicating with the
outside world brought to the Island many business
men and their families, who could keep in touch with
business daily by wire, while they remained here dur-
ing the summer months, many of whoin built sum-
mer homes here. These men were among the repre-
sentative citizens of Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City,
St. Louis, Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne, Detroit, Grand
Rapids and Kalamazoo.
Like many others seeking homes in a foreign land,
my father, Mr. Thomas Donnelly, came to the Island
in 1852, previous to that time my mother's uncle,
Mr. Charles Omally, settled here, building the well-
known hotel, Island House, that part of building
which stands between the two wings, added later by
its present owner, Mrs. John M. A. Webster. Mr.
Omally at one time was a member of the State Legisla-
NOTES AND COMMENT
ture and it was he who suggested the changing of the
Indian names, given to several counties by Mr. Henry
R. Schoolcraft, to those of Irish names, known today
as Roscommon, Clare, Emmet and many other coun-
ties were renamed by him.
We have very few of the old pioneers of the island
left, who struggled here to make a home. A home
denied them in their native country Ireland where
famine forced them to leave, while wealthy England,
with an abundance of food at her door, offered little
or no relief to the famine stricken people of Ireland.
These staunch and worthy men and women made good
here and although driven from their native soil, they
were in heart and soul united to the land of their birth
and it is to be regretted that they should have passed
to the great beyond, before the dawn of the "New Ire-
land" of today.
^HE Mississippi Valley Historical Association held
its 15th annual meeting May 11 and 12 at Iowa
City. The sessions were held in the rooms of the State
Historical Society of Iowa, and the University of Iowa
gave active cooperation. Notable speakers were pres-
ent from various sections of the Valley and adjacent
regions. Arrangements were made for guests and dele-*
gates to visit the State Historical Department at Des
Moines, Iowa, in charge of Edgar R. Harlan. Another
trip was arranged to the Amana Community, 23 miles
west of Iowa City, one of America's most interesting
religious and communistic brotherhoods. A large meas-
ure of credit for the success of this meeting is due to
Dr. John C. Parish and Prof. Benjamin F. Shambaugh
of the University of Iowa, and to the faithful efforts
236 HISTORICAL Nuws
of the Society's secretary, Mrs. Clara S. Paine of Lin-
coln, Nebraska. Mr. William E. Connelley, secre-
tary of the Kansas State Historical Society, gave an
able presidential address on "John Brown. " The edi-
tor of the Michigan History Magazine was chairman of
the program committee.
HHE following report was graciously furnished by
-* a citizen of Mt. Pleasant:
Mount Pleasant had the honor of entertaining the
Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society at its mid-
winter meeting, January 25 and 26. Arrangements for
the meeting had been made by committees from Cen-
tral Michigan Normal School, The Mount Pleasant
Woman's Club, Isabella Chapter D. A. R., and the
Chamber of Commerce. The county newspapers co-
operated in giving publicity to the meeting.
The Wednesday afternoon and evening sessions
were held in Assembly Hall at the Normal as was also
the Thursday morning session. The Thursday after-
noon and evening sessions were held in the Auditorium
of the High School.
The music for the opening session consisted of com-
munity singing by the audience and a piano solo by
Mr. Brillhart of the Normal music faculty. The even-
ing session opened with community singing led by Miss
Craw of the Normal department of music, Mr. Brill-
hart at the piano. Mr. Thayer Walsh then gave two
vocal numbers.
Between sessions and after the evening session the
public were invited to an Exhibition of Antiques, col-
lected and arranged by the D. A. R. The exhibit was
held in the history class room of Miss Amy Burt at
NOTES AND COMMENT 287
the end of the corridor opposite Assembly Hall and
was so enthusiastically received that it was continued
by request, until the following Saturday night. Mount
Pleasant has a wealth of historical articles only a few
of which were exhibited.
At the close of the evening session, an invitation
was extended to the entire audience to attend a recep-
tion given by the Woman's Club and the D. A. R.,
in the class room of Miss Wightman, director of art.
A large number of people accepted the invitation.
Thursday morning ^the Woman's Club furnished
automobiles for a visit to the U. S. Indian School, and
at 9:00 a. m., the out-of-town guests accompanied by
Mrs. Charles Vowles, President of the Woman's Club,
and Mrs. S. E. Gardiner, Regent of the D. A. R., were
driven to the Indian School. The following people
made up the party:
Dr. George N. Fuller, Lansing, Secretary State
Historical Commission,
Mrs. Marie B. Ferrey, Lansing, Curator State
Museum,
Miss Pollard, Grand Rapids, Public Library,
Mrs. C. W. Oakley, Kalamazoo,
Mrs. E. W. Ranney, Greenville,
Mrs. G. E. Lamb, Farwell,
Mrs. Eva C. Doughty, Mount Pleasant, and
Mr. U. S. Holdridge, Evart.
Upon arrival at the Indian School, Supt. R. A. Coch-
ran personally conducted the party, showing them va-
rious interesting things. One that seemed to attract
the most attention was the "Log Cabin" Domestic
Science Building built by the boys, pupils of the school.
In this building the girls are taught cooking and the
238 HISTORICAL NEWS
care of the kitchen and utensils, correct serving and the
care of the dining-room, including the making and care
of dining-room linens.
Several class rooms were visited. The children of
the primary room gave the Flag Salute. Mrs. Ferrey
told a story to the children of the fourth grade and the
children and guests sang "America." Visits were then
paid to the laundry, the kitchen, the bakery, the sew-
ing room, and the greenhouse.
Returning from the Indian School, the guests were
driven to the Normal and there conducted through the
various departments until time for the address by Dr.
Charles Upson Clark at 11:00 a. m., on "The Current
European Situation."
Before the opening of the afternoon session, the
guests were shown through the beautiful new High
School building by Mrs. Charles Vowles, of the Board
of Education.
In the absence of Pres. Sawyer, Mrs. S. E. Gardi-
ner, Regent of the D. A. R., acted as chairman. The
meeting opened at 2:00 p. m., with two vocal selections
by a group of Junior High School boys, accompanied
by Miss Zelinski, director of public school music.
Later in the program, Miss Zelinski delighted the
audience with two vocal numbers. Miss Mclntyre
accompanied Miss Zelinski.
At this session, a Provisional Committee was elected
to look into the matter of forming a County Pioneer
and Historical Society. Mrs. Eva C. Doughty was
chosen chairman of the committee and Fred Russell
and C. S. Larzelere the other two members of the com-
mittee, the committee to call a meeting for organiza-
tion at their discretion.
NOTES AND COMMENT 239
The evening session at the High School, with Mrs.
harles Vowles, President of the Woman's Club, as
chairman opened with music furnished by the High
School Orchestra.
Programs for the occasion were furnished by the
Chamber of Commerce.
The program was full of interest from beginning to
end and Mount Pleasant was fortunate indeed to have
been chosen as the meeting place of the Michigan Pio-
neer and Historical Society.
[A description of the exhibition of antiques by Mrs. S. E. Gardiner,
which appeared in the Mount pleasant Times was so good that we give
it entire.-Ed.J
There are many notable collections in the city, no one of
which was given in its entirety; and some very interesting ar-
ticles from out of town were shown. The oldest articles exhib-
ited were in the McKinnon collection of ancient Scottish
origin. In this collection, a Scottish gun, a dirk, and an incense
burner each claimed the distinction of 450 years of age, and a
French gun five generations.
A punch bowl, brought over in the Mayflower,, owned by
J. Q Walling, elicited a great deal of interest. Other interesting
bits of china were an old cup and saucer 200 years old, several
pieces of Mulberry ware, an old Willow ware platter, a Wash-
ington vase plate, several pitchers, a dark blue teapot, the
ation of which was MacDonough's Victory at Lake Cham-
plain, an octagonal tureen, and a cake plate that had come
down through four generations of the Hampton family.
Several good pieces of pewter were noted, among which was
the Bradstreet porringer, two Britanma teapots, and an old
tor spoon.
Many old silver articles were shown, an old butter dish,
al spoons, candlesticks, and a sugar creamer of the time
ing (icorge III.
Several old quilts were shown, the oldest of which was pieced
240 HISTORICAL NEWS
by the wife of Lieutenant Dalton, who was on the staff of
Washington, the next oldest one was a beautiful example of a
Rose pattern in applique, there was another excellent applique
quilt, also one of wool quilted in an elaborate pattern, another
had a lining of homespun linen.
There were linen sheets, homespun woolen blankets, and
several beautiful coverlets 'of indigo blue and white, and one
coverlet of a rich madder red, indigo blue, a lighter blue and
white, and one of red, white and green. Old cutlery broad
bladed knives, and short two-tined forks, an old foot stove, a
Revolutionary fife, an old sword, a Civil War musket, and a
Jesse James pistol.
There was an old flax wheel, a flax hetchel with flax, a pah*
of cards, a reel for winding yarn, a set of swifts, a bit of home-
spun linen thread, several pieces of homespun linen such as
table cloths, sheets and towels, and one of the early sewing
machines.
There were old clocks, tongs, an ancient teakettle, sheep
shears, iron candlesticks, candle molds, bullet molds, an old
powder horn, an old razor, an old press board, an old hat mold,
two pairs of spectacles 150 years old, a butter print, a wonderful
old brass skimmer, several snuff boxes, a pair of knee buckles
worn by a Revolutionary soldier, a square used by another
Revolutionary soldier, and a Norwegian jewel screen and nap-
kin ring 200 years old.
A large number of old books were shown, the oldest of which
was printed in 1685. Several old letters, an old family record,
an old coat of arms, an old journal, several records of military
companies, a book of old deeds, a photostat copy of a Revolu-
tionary soldier's discharge and application for pension, a bound
volume of Harper's Weekly for 1860 containing an account and
a picture of the convention which nominated Lincoln for pres-
ident, two bound volumes of The Enterprise, some pictures of
early settlers and of first buildings in Isabella County. Also
a copy of the Washington memorial edition of The Ulster County
Gazette, published January 4, 1800. This paper was framed
NOTES AND COMMBNT 241
between two sheets of glass and presented to Isabella Chapter
D. A. R. by Mrs. Stephen Potter. There was a poem written
by Elijah Woodworth of Leslie, Mich., and dedicated to the
State Pioneer Society, in 1884. A scrap book full of interesting
items connected with the early days of Mt. Pleasant was on
exhibition.
Several old dresses were on exhibition, the oldest of which
was a Watteau wedding gown of beautiful Flemish silk brocade,
an heirloom from the Hale family. The exact age of this gown
is not known, but is placed about the year 1750. There was
a sleeve of a wedding dress of 1857, and some of the other
dresses had served as wedjding dresses.
Many hats and bonnets were shown. These were of dif-
ferent periods, the oldest one being 150 years of age. There
were caps of different materials one of which was a hand-made
infant's cap of lace made for Madame Brooks' father. There
were hand-embroidered collars, a white muslin hand-embroid-
ered shawl, also an embroidered petticoat, a fine shirt with
elaborate bosom worn by a bridegroom of 1857 was shown.
Also a coat and vest worn by a boy of twelve in 1870. A "best
handkerchief," heavily embroidered by hand, a hand-made
corset, and a skirt extender woven over cordings of candle
wicking.
There were old shawls of silk, of lace, and of wool, and a
cape made from a black lace shawl, also veils of silk, one a
piece of an old wedding veil. There were hair ornaments,
and rings and bracelets made of hair,, and a pair of small
square-toed wedding slippers without heels that seemed too
small to have been worn by any grown person.
Several old samples with their fine even stitchery told of
the days when every girl was taught to sew. Three beautiful
old beaded bags of over 100 years of age were shown. And a
carpet bag of 175 years occupied a prominent place.
Time and space do not permit further enumeration of the
articles which were shown, but a record of exhibitors and arti-
242 HISTORICAL NEWS
cles exhibited was kept, and is now being put into permanenl
form for the chapter archives.
Isabella Chapter D. A. R. wishes to thank every one who
in any way assisted in making this exhibition a long-to-be-re-
membered occasion.
MRS. HANNAH VOWELS, daughter of "Father
Sheldon' ' (Rev. Robert P. Sheldon) writes to
Mr. Gould of the Isabella County Enquirer, from eastern
Maryland, under date of Jan. 25, 1922:
The Enterprise informs us that the Michigan Pioneer and
Historical Society will meet in your city this week. I regret I
cannot be among those privileged to be present; but am sending
a reminiscence of the early days of the county when father w
missionary to the Indians.
Should it prove of interest you may publish it.
The Rev. Robert P. Sheldon (Father Sheldon to the pi
neers) came into Isabella County in the fall of 1860 as mission
ary to the Indians, and continued his good work later amon
all citizens until his death, in 1882. [Father Sheldon's mem
ory is perpetuated in Methodist church history by a me-
morial window in the M. E. church. Ed.]
. In those early days when we first moved on the In
Mission, mother was much afraid of the Indians although th
tribe was peaceful. There was in particular one old chief
Naw-ge-sac, who was of commanding stature, haughty mien,
and to her of ferocious aspect, who filled her with many mis-
givings, as it was said he had been on the war path and taken
scalps from the pale faces in his youth. To give more color to
these gruesome tales, the tobacco pouch he carried was said to
be made of the skin of a white baby.
He was much interested in the Indian school which father
taught and often visited the school room. On one occasion,
after having observed the proceedings of the school for some
time, he decided to make a call on the schoolmaster's wife.
The missionary's quarters were built on the side and bac
NOTES AND COMMENT .243
of the school building, and a door in the rear of the schoolroom
used by the family opened into a small room we used as a store
room for provisions, and a closet in which to hang clothes.
It was nearing the noon hour and mother making prepa-
rations for dinner came hurriedly into this room for meat, and
was transfixed with horror to see the dreaded chief, with whom
she had nearly collided, standing half concealed by the hanging
garments.
All the stories of treachery and bloodshed by the Indians
rushed to her mind, and with a blood curdling scream she
rushed wildly through the house to the outer door and into the
yard where a backward took showed the chief in hot pursuit.
Fear lent wings to her feet. Escape was her only thought, and
she fled with piercing screams into the fields beyond.
The ear-splitting cries penetrated the wall of the school
room, and brought father and the pupils to the scene, where
they joined in the mad chase, the young Indians uttering loud
excited whoops.
The awful din caused her to cast a fearful backward glance,
which made her increase her speed, for Naw-ge-sac and a horde
of yelling demons were bearing down upon her. But the chief
in spite of age outdistanced the other pursuers.
With streaming hair and gasping for breath, she stumbled
on until overcome with fatigue and terror she fell nearly faint-
ing, and the chief caught her in his brawny arms, patted her
on the shoulder, saying, over and over, "no hurt white squaw/'
until the others came up when he carried her to the house care-
fully. He explained why he was in the store room : He was on
his way to the living room, but never having seen such clothes,
he stopped to examine the beautifully ironed starched white
petticoats which hung there and partly concealed his body.
He came many times after, but mother never feared him
again and formed a genuine liking for chief Naw-ge-sac.
244 HISTORICAL NEWS
TlEPORT of the Ingham County Pioneer and His-
torical Society to the Michigan Pioneer and His-
torical Society, May 24-25, 1922, by Mrs. Franc L.
Adams, Secretary:
"If you put a little loving into all the work you do,
And a little bit of g adness, and a little bit of you;
And a little bit of sweetness, and a little bit of song,
Not a day will seem too toilsome; not a day will seem
too long."
If the poet meant by this that to put one's whole
self into work being done would lighten the labor and
shorten the time, then I am a living proof of the cor-
rectness of this theory; for while there has been scarcely
a day during the year just ended that I have not done
something in connection with historical work, the time
has passed all too swiftly.
The Ingham County Pioneer and Historical So-
ciety has every reason to feel proud of the year's record,
and the interest taken in the work by those never be-
fore interested is a matter for rejoicing.
The annual meeting held in Mason on June 14,
1921, was both pleasant and profitable. Many plans
were made for the ensuing year, and today it is very
gratifying to the secretary to be able to report that
some of these plans have been successfully carried
out.
Pres. L. H. Ives, although on crutches, was there
and took charge of the meeting. Mayor V. J. Brown
eulogized the pioneers as he welcomed the guests.
Rev. F. G. Ellett used "Integrity of Purpose" as the
key-note in his response. G. K. Stimson of Lansing
gave an historically patriotic address, in which he
recommended that the children be given a place in the
work of the society, and he was appointed to help
NOTES AND COMMENT 245
work out some plan for having one pupil from each
rural school sent as a delegate to the annual meeting.
The Secretary in giving a report of the year's work
made the following recommendations:
1st That the membership be made permanent;
V. J. Brown. P. A. Stone and R. J. Bullen were made a
committee to formulate a Constitution and By-Laws
that would put the society on a better working basis.
2nd That a chairman from each township be ap-
pointed to plan for Tow r nship Historical meetings,
where the history could be obtained by school districts,
thus bringing it out in detail.
3rd That the society mark some historic spot in
the county, and V. J. Brown, Mrs. Adams and Rev.
F. G. Ellett were appointed to do this work.
Mrs. M. B. Ferrey gave a talk appropriate to the
day, Flag Day, and the descriptions and histories of
the Flags of our country as given by her, would form
a valuable work for reference in schools.
Maj. Rolph Duff, of Lansing, gave the address of
the day. He paid a high tribute to the pioneers who
blazed the way for us, and urged the preservation of
their experiences, which otherwise will soon be for-
gotten. He spoke with regret of the lack of conserva-
tion of the forests of the State.
At this meeting more than the usual number of
pioneer reminiscences were told, and these were caught
and are being added to the Pioneer History of Ingham
County.
Mrs. Almeretta Blake was the oldest person present,
and she declared herself 93 years young. We shall
miss her at the annual meeting this year, as a few
months ago she passed to her reward, with 152 others
246 HISTORICAL NEWS
whose faces were familiar to us, but whom we shall
see no more on earth.
The officers were re-elected, making Col. L. H. Ives
president for the twelfth time, adding the twenty-
ninth year to W. M. Webb's term of service as treasurer,
while as secretary, Mrs. Adams is making reports for
the eighth year.
The secretary has continued her work of compil-
ing a Pioneer History for Ingham County, hoping that
before the fiftieth anniversary of the society in June,
1922, it might be completed and published as a memo-
rial. During the fifty years of its existence the society
has many times voted to have a county history pub-
lished, and each time a committee was appointed to
do the work, but this semi-centennial sees the work
still unfinished, though the manuscript is ready for the
publishers.
The publishing committee decided to have a pros-
pectus of the book gotten out with a return card on
which the receiver would state whether he would pur-
chase a book or not. The secretary mailed out 2,200
of these, hoping that 700 of them would bring favor-
able replies, as that many pledges to take the book at
$3.50 would insure its publication.
As the secretary has received no compensation for
her time or labor, the only expense will be the actual
cost of publication, making this 1,000-page book, filled
from cover to cover with readable matter (things
largely told by the pioneers themselves) so low in price
that no one can refuse to buy on that score.
The one big disappointment of the year is the fact
that the book could not be completed in time to be
presented at the fiftieth anniversary, but "Hope
NOTES AND COMMENT 247
springs eternal in the human breast," and the com-
mittee is still hoping.
Since the plan for holding township meetings was
adopted, there has been an increased interest shown
throughout the county. Six of these meetings have
been held; Delhi, Alaiedon and Aurelius held very
interesting meetings, and much data of value was
gathered from the papers given.
Onondaga, Leslie and Vevay have also held meet-
ings and organized into township societies.
In October Onondaga organized with G. O. Dox-
tader as president, but the school children of the town-
ship included in the membership.
Leslie organized in November with Mrs. Palmyra
Hahn as president.
Vevay held an intensely interesting meeting in
April, 1922, when Mrs. Vance Douglas was elected
president.
Three unique Flags, typical of early days, were dis-
covered through these meetings. Children, and even
older people, find it hard to realize that seventy-five
years ago, one could not buy a Flag in Ingham County
or any of the trading posts in this section of the state,
for love nor money, and many of them living here at
that time had never seen a Flag.
At the Aurelius meeting there was displayed the
first Flag ever used in church in that township, some
time during the late forties.
A Sunday-school rally was to be held and all
thought a Flag would add greatly to the importance of
the occasion. No Flag could be bought in Jackson, the
nearest trading post, but failure was not included in
248 HISTORICAL. NEWS
the vocabulary of the pioneers, and one of them, Mrs
Fowler, set her wits to work thinking out a plan wher
by a Flag could be evolved. She took a piece of un
bleached muslin, 3x5 feet, made a field of inch wid
strips of red, white and blue and set in the prop
corner. Thirteen big stars of red figured calico
were sewed at intervals on the remaining space, this
was mounted, and to this banner the Sunday school
paid reverence as the members tacitly pledged their
allegiance to God and Country.
At Leslie one the same age was used as all gave the
Flag salute. This one was made by Mrs. Clark Graves,
an early settler, for a Fourth of July celebration.
This, too, was of white muslin; instead of field, a
young boy of the family had, with pen and ink, sketched
a large eagle with outspread wings on a sheet of paper,
and this was pasted in the center of the cloth, wit
thirteen big red stars sewed around it. As in the other
case it represented the ingenuity of the pioneers, an
served them as a symbol of patriotism as it was use
in the Fourth of July parade.
Mrs. Harriet W. Casterlin of Mason has a Fla
made by her brother, Kendall Kittridge, when h
was a lad of thirteen, just before the Civil War. H
could find no place where Flags were sold, but he ha
the right conception of its appearance as he no doub
had heard of the one planned by Geo. Washington and
Eetsy Roes. He sewed together his stripes of red
figured calico and white muslin, made a field of blue
d.erim and sewed on his white stars. This was car-
ried in .all the patriotic demonstrations so common
"befo' de wah."
Just those three stories alone give us an insight into
the home and community life when the pioneers worked
NOTES AND COMMENT 249
against heavy odds, and set us an example in thrift,
ingenuity, patriotism and loyalty that has come down
to us as a sacred legacy. And these stories should be
preserved.
No historic spot in the county has been marked,
though the committee has proceeded so far as to make
a list of desirable places for markers. Lansing Chap-
ter Daughters of the American Revolution, whose his-
torical activities are always counted as a part of our
county work, marked the grave of Ephraim Wheaton,
a Revolutionary soldier buried in the North Stock-
bridge cemetery, on May 29, 1921, with appropriate
On May 28 (next Sunday), they will go to the Lane
jemetery in Onondaga township, to place a marker
honor of Sergeant Major John Champe, one of
r ashington's aides. In the family lot is a small
tonument bearing his name with crossed swords above
it, but he sleeps in an unknown grave in Kentucky.
in the same family lot is buried Nathaniel Champe,
rho served in the War of 1812, and his wife who, when
young girl, acted as a spy in that war, for the U. S.
forces.
Here, too, in this little rural cemetery lie six other
leroes of 1812, while two others are buried in the
Onondaga cemetery.
Onondaga people will assist in this ceremony, and
it is expected that the school children will give the his-
>ry of these 1812 soldiers as their work for the town-
dp society.
The work in Ingham County may seem of little
?ount when compared with that of other counties,
250 HISTORICAL NEWS
but we are pleased to report that so many lines of work,
greatly desired, are under way.
The Lansing Chapter D. A. R. expects before many
months to erect a marker on the Okemos trail, also
known as the great Mackinaw trail, in the township
of Alaiedon.
AMONG interesting pioneer and historical sketches
appearing in our exchanges recently are the fol-
lowing:
"Historical and pioneer sketches." Williamston
Enterprise, Apr. 19, 26, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
(Contents: State Capitol; M. A. C.; State Re-
form School for Boys; State Board of Health;
Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society; the
courts).
"Somebody gave away scheme and old Indian
Chief was the goat, but history is mixed on this
tragedy." By Charles R. Angell. Belding Ban-
ner-News, Apr. 26, 1922.
"The .Days of Old Lang Syne." losco County
Gazette, East Tawas, Apr. 27, 1922.
"Michigan Supreme Court records hold suit be-
tween county and township." Pittsford Re-
porter, April 28, 1922.
"Milford in 1885. Items of interest from the
Times files of that year." Milford Times, Apr.
28, 1922.
"The History of Lake Odessa." Written by the
Class of 1922. Lake Odessa Wave-Times, May
5, 1922.
"Lovers' Leap, show spot of Mackinac Island, gets
its name from plunge taken by daughter of Chief
NOTES AND COMMENT 251
at invitation of feathered spirit." Pittsford Re-
porter, May 12, 1922.
"Michigan Indians knew about the Deluge, even
though Noah and his Ark were not in their
legends; tablets also tell the story." Pittsford
Reporter, May 19, 1922.
"Delicate girl leaves her life of comfort to teach
first school in forest." Grand Haven Daily
Tribune, May 23, 1922.
"Pioneer days in Michigan." Elk Rapids Progress,
May 25, 1922.
"Kalamazoo jurist is held originator of state fair."
Courier- Northerner, Paw Paw, May 26, 1922.
"Michigan sounds war-call of bygone days." By
Henry W. Wiltse. Detroit Free Press, May 28,
1922.
"My Recollections of the Civil War Conflict." By
Hiram Rix. Williamston Enterprise, May 31,
1922.
"It may have been bravery and it may have been
bluff, but whatever it was saved the life of this
Indian brave." Northwestern Weekly, May 19,
1922, also in the Pittsford Reporter, June 2, 1922.
"What became of Jennie Mills is Michigan mystery,
which years have failed to solve." Northwestern
Weekly, Grand Rapids, June 2, 1922.
CECRETARY Lew Allen Chase sends us thefollow-
' ing report, which is a model for terse statement of
worth-while business:
The annual meeting of the Marquette County His-
torical Society was held at the Peter White Public
252 HISTORICAL JNEWB
Library, Marquette, Tuesday evening, January 10,
1922.
. . The auditorium and exhibition rooms were crowded.
A. very complete exhibit of the industrial progress of
the district, covering transportation, mining, agricul-
ture, lumbering and other pursuits had been prepared
by the Rev. C. J. Johnson, Historian of the Society,
and attracted much interest. Arrangements had been
made for the inspection of this exhibit by school pupils
and the general public during a period of several days
following the meeting.
Mr. J. M. Longyear, president of the society, made
the long journey from his present home at Brookline,
Massachusetts, to read a very interesting paper of
reminiscences of the early days in the Upper Peninsula
following Mr. Longyear's arrival in Marquette in 1873.
Mr. John S. Pardee of Duluth gave an historical ac-
count of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Deep water-
way. Mr. Pardee is one of the officers of the Tide-
water Association.
The following officers were elected for the year
1922: President, J. M. Longyear; vice-presidents, Dr.
T. A. Felch of Ishpeming; Mr. E. C. Anthony of Ne-
gaunee, and Mayor Harlow A. Clark of Marquette;
corresponding-secretary, L. A. Chase, Head of the His-
tory Department of the Northern State Normal School,
Marquette; recording-secretary, James Maynard, Mar-
quette: treasurer, L. A. Melhinch, Marquette; histor-
ian, Rev. C. J. Johnson, Marquette; curator, Miss
Olive Pendill, Marquette.
Experience had shown the desirability of amending
the constitution of the society in several particulars.
Two new offices were created, that of recording-secre-
NOTES .AND COMMENT 253
tary to have sole charge of memberships, and that of
curator to be custodian of the collections and museum.
It is planned that the curator will open the museum
and collections, which are housed on the second floor
of the Peter White Public Library, Marque tte, to
occasional public inspection. As amended, the con-
stitution carefully defines the duties of each officer.
The corresponding-secretary will purchase documents,
prepare programs, collect biographical records, and
attend to correspondence. The Historian will collect
material, chiefly antiquarian, prepare exhibits and
have charge of the marking of historic sites. A num-
ber of such markers were placed at points in Marquette
County, last summer, and there is abundant testi-
mony that their presence has been much appreciated
by visitors and residents of the district.
The corresponding-secretary reported that the card
index of the books in the Peter White Public Library,
containing matter relating to the Upper Peninsula,
had been completed and that 175 biographical records
of old residents of the county had been secured through
the agency of students in the history department of the
Northern State Normal School, using a questionnaire
prepared for this purpose. A considerable number of
books had been purchased, it being the object to secure
all publications bearing on this territory.
. The recording-secretary reported an aggregate mem-
bership of 343, of whom 268 reside in Marquette. The
membership fee is one dollar per year and the consti-
tution was amended so as to fix the life membership
fee at fifty dollars. It is known that several such
memberships can be secured.
The treasurer reported the total receipts during the
year to have been $862.47, and the total disbursements
254 HISTORICAL NEWS
$737.64. The receipts include $200 from Marquette
County, and the disbursements include such items as
metal filing cases, markers, stationery, books, clerical
assistance in card indexing, and office supplies.
Articles of incorporation had been prepared by Mr.
George P. Brown, city-attorney of Marquette, at the
request of Mayor H. A. Clark, and it was voted to
proceed with the incorporation of the society.
1V/TISS OLIVE PENDILL, Curator of the Marquette
***- County Historical Society writes:
Since the 1921 Annual Meeting of the Michigan
Pioneer and Historical Society the following have been
added to the library and museum collections of the
Marquette County Historical Society:
Lake Superior Silver Lead Company, N. Y.
Final Report of U. P. Development Bureau.
Brief Account of the Lake Superior Copper Com-
pany, by an Original Stockholder.
Act of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Jackson
Mining Company, Jackson.
History of the Catholic Missions among the Indian
Tribes of the United States, by J. G. Shea.
1st, 2nd and 31st Premium Lists of Marquette
County Fairs, 1883, 1884, and 1921.
Am. Hist. Ass'n pamphlet giving membership arid
Historical Societies in U. S. in 1896.
Newspapers, bound:
Lake Superior Journal
Lake Superior News
Lake Superior News and Journal
Lake Superior Journal.
NOTES AND COMMENT .255
Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company, its Development
and Resources, 1850-1920.
Legends of le Detroit, by Marie C. W. Hamlin.
Historic Green Bay, 1634-1840, by E. H. Neville,
Sarah G. and Deborah B. Martin.
Report of Commissioner of General Land Office,
1868.
Report of the Mineral Resources of U. S., 1867.
Reports of the City of Marquette, 1919-1920.
Michigan Manual, 1863.
Michigan Manual," 1881.
Indian Tribes of the Upper Mississippi Valley and
Region of the Great Lakes, Emma H. Blair.
Articles of Association of the Lake Superior Sav-
ings Ass'n Bank of the Village of Harvey, Mar-
quette County, 1873.
Discharge paper of Civil War veteran of Mar-
quette Co.
Photographs of persons and places in U. P. of Mich-
igan.
Numerous programs.
200 Biographical Records of residents of Marquette
Co. secured by history students of N. S. N. C.
United States Flag, 13j^x24 ft. with 35 stars, which
was purchased with the subscriptions of the peo-
ple of the village of Harvey, Marquette Co. and
raised on Fourth of July, 1864.
Letters have been written to Michigan Librarians
in the effort to secure the services of one trained in
Historical Library and Museum work that a simple
system may be worked out for the filing of the collec-
tions of this society.
256 HISTORICAL NEWS
IN THE death of Mr. John M. Longyear of Mar-
quette, the State has lost a citizen whose service to
her historical interests was noteworthy. Mr. Long-
year was president of the Marquette County Historical
Society from its organization in 1917, and at the time
of his death had plans well under way for the erection
of an Historical building to house its collections and
meetings and to serve other civic needs of the city and
county. The Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society
elected him an honorary member at its recent meeting
in Lansing in recognition of these services actual and
potential. In this number appears a well-deserved
tribute to the life and work of Mr. Longyear who was
one of the real pioneers of the Upper Peninsula. All
will be interested in the following unpublished remarks
which he made in welcoming the Michigan Pioneer and
Historical Society to Marquette on the occasion of its
meeting there in August, 1918. Mr. Longyear said:
"It is a great pleasure, on behalf of the Marquette
County Society, to welcome the Michigan Pioneer and
Historical Society to this historic spot. It is easy to
believe that the first white men who came here, those
intrepid, enterprising French Jesuit priests who were
the pioneers, landed and walked upon the sandy
shores of our Iron Bay. This city and county bear
the name of the earliest of these, Marquette. The
highest hill to the south of the city bears the name of
another, Mesnard. Here was inaugurated the now
mighty traffic in Lake Superior iron ore. The first
discovery of Lake Superior iron ore was made in this
county and the first ore removed from the vast deposits
of the region was carried over the site of this city of
Marquette.
"In the late 'forties' a small schooner, then probably
NOTES AND COMMENT 257
the largest craft on Lake Superior, cast anchor in Iron
Bay and from it landed a crew of men who began what
is now the City of Marquette. It was first called
'Worcester,' but subsequently renamed and called
Marquette.
"In the first boat-load was a boy who lived to be-
come Marquette's foremost and most widely-known
citizen; the man who founded the library now housed
in this building and whose name it bears, the Honor-
able Peter White.
"Recent years have made history rapidly in this
region. My own acquaintance with it began in 1873.
Then the Lake Superior Iron Ore District was Mar-
quette County. Except for the product of two small
mines over the line in Baraga County all the Lake
Superior iron ore known to commerce came from this
county. 1873 was the great year of production up to
that time. A little over 1,250,000 tons were produced
and there were those who deprecated such swamping
of the market. In forty-five years this trade has grown
to more than 66,000,000 tons in a year and no man can
tell what tonnage will be produced in future years.
"Since 1873 I have seen the development of five
other great iron ore districts, or ranges, as they are
usually called, in the three states bordering on Lake
Superior and important industrial history has been
made on all of them.
"In the year 1873 the schooner 'Pelican' carried
from a Marquette dock a 'record' load of iron ore of
1,250 tons and many predicted financial disaster for
such reckless increase in the size of lake vessels. Now,
there are many steamers on Lake Superior which carry
loads of 10,000 to 15,000 tons.
" Beginning at Marquette, the first railroad in the
258 HISTORICAL NEWS
Lake Superior region was built to the iron mines. It
was about sixteen miles in length and would today be
an insignificant enterprise, but in 1855-6 it was a tre-
mendous undertaking, demanding great courage and
faith from the builders. In 1873 this road had been
abandoned for a more modern railway and equipment.
Part of this first railway is now occupied by a county
highway over which I hope you may ride during your
visit.
"In this strenuous and distressful time, when the
eyes of all mankind are turned toward the sights and
scenes of the bloody, savage, noble, self-sacrificing, in-
spiring, depressing, history-making, daily, on another
continent, it is a relief, occasionally, to turn to other
scenes and to contemplate history of quieter times,
the harsher notes of which have been softened by the
passage of time. Say, such as we offer here.
"Indian legends have their sites near us and his-
tory encircles us here, and to these historic and legend-
ary spots, in behalf of the Marquette County His-
torical Society, I bid you welcome. "
AMONG THE BOOKS
URAL MICHIGAN, by Prof. Lew Allen Chase,
is to be published this fall. Prof. Chase is head
of the department of history of the Northern State
Normal School at Marquette, and a Trustee of the
Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society. His inter-
est and training in economic problems assure us of a
scholarly book. The readers of this Magazine are
probably familiar with Prof. Chase's Geography of
Michigan, one of the most useful and teachable books
on civics that we have seen. Rural Michigan will be
published by the Macmillan Co., N. Y.
NOTES AND COMMENT 259:
A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF AMERICAN INDUS-
TRIAL SOCIETY is in course of preparation for the
Arthur H. Clark Co., of Cleveland. It will be com-
pleted in 10 volumes, in an edition of probably 1,000
sets. Obviously it should be in every public and pri-
vate library where intelligent thought or discussion
is given to present day commercial, labor and social
problems.
\ NEW volume by John C. Wright is just out,
F* issued by the Michigan Education Company,
Lansing. It is entitled, The Great Myth. These 170
pages make a fascinating story, about which Mr.
Wright says in his introduction:
A few years ago a Chicago gentleman and his wife
spent several months at a northern resort near which
there dwelt the remnants of a tribe of Ottawas. The
couple made numerous visits to the Indian settlements
and became greatly interested in the local legends and
traditions. While making these trips their curiosity
was especially aroused by the frequency of the mention
of the name of Na-na Bo-sho. Always in their investi-
gations and inquiries it appeared; in fact, they heard
so much about this Wonder- Worker of the Algonquin
tribes, that they determined to learn all they could
concerning him.
At one of the hotels in the neighborhood, the lady
one day related her experience to a friend and casually
asked if he could give her any inkling or information
that might assist her in her search.
"It appears that all Indian lore centers around the
figure of Na-na Bo-Sho," she declared.
"Everywhere we go among the Indians they have
260 HISTORICAL NEWS
something to say about him some wonderful story to
relate. I wish I might find someone who could tell
me his whole history. It must have been a remark-
able one and I am so interested in the matter.'*
An old, French-Canadian guide, who happened to
be sitting nearby, overheard the conversation. Arising
with hat in hand he approached the lady and asked:
" You want to find out 'bout Na-na Bo-sho?"
"Indeed I do," replied the woman turning toward
him. "Do you speak Indian? Do you know any re-
liable party who can tell me his story?"
"I know all 'bout him, me, myself," assured the
guide. "On my house is paper Frenchman write long,
long time 'go zat geeves ze life of Na-na Bo-sho."
This information served to greatly excite the
woman. "Oh, I must see it!" she exclaimed. "Cer-
tainly something has been written about this remark-
able person. I shall be so glad to examine anything
you may have upon the subject."
She thereupon employed the old guide to take her
to his home and show her the paper in question.
It proved to be an age-worn, French manuscript,
probably written by one of the early voyageurs in the
northern lake region. It purported to be the true
story of Na-na Bo-sho, the Miracle Man of the Algon-
quins, as told the writer by the Indians when he first
came to the New World.
The manuscript was purchased by the lady and her
husband, and though some of the pages were badly
torn and effaced, a transcript was made. "The great
Myth" was the result.
NOTES AND Ccm M ENT 261
MICHIGAN, THE GARDEN, THE WORKSHOP AND
PLAYGROUND OF THE NATION, IS the title of a six-
page pamphlet issued by the State Department of
Agriculture in collaboration with the Lansing Cham-
ber of Commerce.
The booklet will be given nation-wide distribution
under the direction of the Lansing Chamber of Com-
merce, which believes it will be instrumental in bring-
ing to the attention of people in other states the de-
sirability of Michigan as a State for the founding of
homes and launching of business and industrial enter-
prise.
In the introduction of the booklet, the reader is
told that Michigan "holds thousands of square miles
with climate and soil equal to the finest prairie in the
country virgin cut-over land which is still ringing
with the sounds of the axe.
"A land with nearly 200,000 farms among which
are some of the most fertile and oldest homesteads
of the middle west. A land which has every advantage
of being close to the large manufacturing centers, with
values untouched by the inflation which has gripped
the other farm lands of the country."
Then follow more than 100 pertinent facts about
Michigan and its cities, such as population, area, shore
line, climate, railroads, educational facilities, its mam-
moth industrial plants, agriculture, parks, and the pop-
ularity of the State with tourists in summer.
"^HE INLAND LAKES OF MICHIGAN, by Professor I.
D. Scott of the University of Michigan has just
been received in the office of the Geological Survey
Division of the Conservation Department at Lansing.
This publication is the result of several summers'
262 HISTORICAL NEWS
study of the lakes of Michigan by Professor Scott
authorized by the former Board of Geological Survey.
The studies were made under the direction of State
Geologists R. C. Allen and R. A. Smith. The book
contains careful description of the origin, history and
present conditions of the lakes, their basins and shores,
especially of the large lakes of the State and brief re-
views of many of the smaller important lakes.
Tourists, students and teachers of physiography and
owners of lands adjacent to the lakes will find the book
interesting and valuable. It is copiously illustrated
by excellent half-tones and many drawings.
Publications of the Survey are sent gratis to citi-
zens of Michigan for postal charges only. The publi-
cation on the Inland Lakes is Publication 30, Geological
Series 25, of the Michigan Geological Survey, and may
be obtained by addressing the office of the State Geolo-
gist.
TV /TICHIGAN BIBLIOGRAPHY has just issued from the
-LVJ. press, prepared by Floyd Benjamin Streeter.
The purpose and scope of this work is expressed as
follows in the preface, written by the editor of this
Magazine as secretary of the Michigan Historical
Commission, under whose supervision the work was
done.
Few States in the Union are more diversified in
resources, development and history than is the State
of Michigan in the heart of the Great Lakes region,
and its varied life has produced an enormous and be-
wildering mass of printed and manuscript materials
expressive of this growth, materials indispensable
to the professional investigator, but equally so to the
NOTES AND COMMENT 263
casual writer, the newspaper man, the club woman, the
speaker, the lawyer, the preacher, the student, the citi-
zen, in search of information upon any one of thou-
sands of subjects. These materials, at first widely
scattered in the places of their origin, have been par-
tially collected into libraries and other depositories.
Yet it is often not easy to learn in what libraries they
are or what is their nature and extent. To make this
easier is the bibliographer's task, and a patient and
laborious task it is.
Starting with the jmrpose of making a complete
bibliography of Michigan, it later seemed best to limit
the work to certain definite lines. This was impera-
tive, on account of the vastness of the material, if the
work was to be held within reasonable limits. The de-
cision was made to cover the titles of all printed ma-
terials, maps and atlases relating directly to Michigan
included in the Library of Congress, the Detroit Pub-
lic Library, the Grand Rapids Public Library, the
Michigan State Library, the General Library of the
University of Michigan, experiment station bulletins
in the Library of the Michigan Agricultural College,
and the maps in the Port Huron Public Library and
Library of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin,
also the manuscript materials in the Burton His-
torical Collection, all Michigan materials accessioned
in these libraries before July 1, 1917.
These sources have provided the work with 8,643
entries, including a thousand maps and atlases and two
thousand volumes of manuscript. They do not how-
ever include much of the materials in newspapers,
magazines, books of exploration and travel and sepa-
rate items in many other classes of publications. It is
planned to cover these in succeeding volumes, together
264 HISTORICAL NEWS
with materials from other libraries and scattered ma-
terials from the general field. Indeed any scope de-
cided upon for a given volume or volumes of a bib-
liography must necessarily be tentative, since new
"finds" are constantly coming to light and "the mak-
ing of books and records" ceases only with time.
(Michigan Historical Commission, Lansing, 1921, 2
vols.; free to public libraries, schools, and institutions;
to individuals $1 per volume.)
A SHORTER HISTORYOF ENGLAND AND GREATER
BRITAIN, by Arthur Lyon Cross, Ph. D., Richard
Hudson Professor of English History in the University
of Michigan.
The author's viewpoint is stated in his preface:
"The present work is a shortened form of the author's
History of England and Greater Britain, brought up
to the beginning of 1919. Four chapters have been
added, two of which aim to re-survey the relations
between the Mother Country and the Self-governing
Dominions beyond the seas and British foreign rela-
tions from 1870 to 1914, and two of which seek to
describe the activities of Britain and Greater Britain
in the World War, as well as the problems of govern-
ment and administration which the War involved."
This "shorter" History however occupies about
the same space as the earlier volume, the difference
being that minor political matters have been pruned
away to make place for four new chapters on recent
events, and for earlier events specially significant for
the new perspective projected by the Great War.
In its present form the volume is more teachable,
and more serviceable to the public. It shows the same
care and scholarship of the earlier work. The narar-
NOTES AND COMMENT 265
tive is well balanced, and proper emphasis is placed
on industrial, intellectual and religious conditions.
The style is pleasing to the general reader, though the
work is intended primarily for introductory courses
in college. It is unquestionably the best single volume
in print covering the entire field of England and
Greater Britain (Macmillan, N. Y., 1920, pp. xxviii
942, $4.50).
'"PHE FUNCTION OF IDEALS AND ATTITUDES IN SOCIAL
EDUCATION, by Paul Frederick Voelker, Ph. D.,
President of Olivet College, Michigan.
This experimental study in the function of ideals
as agencies in the control of conduct was made by Dr.
Voelker at Teachers College, Columbia University.
It is based upon the fundamental postulate that
"social education is a business of prime importance
to the life of a democracy." Respecting the actual
practice of our generally accepted principles of formal
education in relation to present problems of democ-
racy, President Voelker makes this cogent statement:
"It is a curious fact, however, that while the im-
portance of social education is universally admitted in
theory, in the actual practice of our schools it does not
receive the emphasis which it deserves. It is true that
from the beginning of our public school systems in
America, the general aim of education has been prep-
aration for citizenship. At least this has been the im-
plied aim; this has been the reason for levying taxes for
the support of public schools. But this general aim
has gradually been subverted into the more individual-
istic aims of imparting cultural knowledge or of develop-
ing vocational skill as a means of giving advantage to
266 HISTORICAL NEWS
individuals in their struggle of existence. To-day the
avowed purpose of the schools is service in the inter-
ests of individuals, their method is utilization of indi-
vidual effort, and the motive to which they most fre-
quently appeal is individual success. Individual effi-
ciency is the primary product; social efficiency is the
by-product of our educational systems. Whatever
social efficiency we have achieved has depended
largely upon accidental influences, such as the per-
sonality of the teacher, the traditions of the play-
ground, the informal education of the home, the
church, the neighborhood, and the street. The net
result of our formal education has been enlightened
self-interest; social motivation has been neglected.
We have given little attention to the development of
group loyalty, initiative, and co-operation, which are
the raw materials out of which good citizenship is
made. The result has been that the more efficient
our schools have become as individualizing agencies,
the more have they tended to weaken the social order
which they were organized to perpetuate. Many of
our present problems are probably the actual result of
our individualistic education."
A general idea of this volume's interest for the gen-
eral reader may be gained from bare mention of such
topics as "The ideal of trustworthiness," "Loyalty,"
"Social Service," "Social Sympathy," "Social Con-
science," "Social Co-operation," "Social Initiative,"
"Social Justice," "Social Control," "Tolerance," "Rev-
erence," "Faith," topics treated in the first chapter.
In another chapter Dr. Voelker takes up the gen-
erally accepted assumptions of present educational
practice, that social education can best be given in
a social environment; that standards should be built
NOTES AND COMMENT 267
up within the group and not imposed from without;
that every modification of the standards of the group
and every moral readjustment in the minds of the
individuals composing the group can best be brought
about by means of grappling with vital issues ; that the
positive social virtues can best be strengthened by
means of actual participation; that group motivation
is the only valid means of overcoming the individual-
istic tendencies of mere learning; that the virtues of
the small group should be strengthened and used as a
basis for the strengthening of the virtues that will be
useful in the larger group; that the limits and the con-
flicts between the small group and the large group rela-
tionships must be clearly defined and situations must
be provided for solving problems in which such con-
flicts occur; that the personality of the teacher or
leader is a fundamental factor in the establishment
of standards and traditions; that mottoes, slogan?,
shibboleths, taboos, and other words or phrases in
unifying or organizing for each individual the stand-
ards which he is accepting, are of high utility; that the
best way to build an inhibitive habit against an anti-
social practice, is to associate the practice with dis-
satisfaction or annoyance; that ideals and attitudes are
generalizations of specific habits; and finally, that
ideals are best strengthened through emotional ex-
periences.
A chapter is devoted to setting up the hypothesis
that "ideals and attitudes are among the resultants
of education and that their function is to guide, con-
trol, and stabilize human conduct;" and to pointing
out that "this hypothesis is in agreement with the
opinion of the majority of the world's educators, with
the known laws of nature, and with the laws of learning
268
HISTORICAL NEWS
in so far as they are understood." Another chapter
sets forth the experiments by which the proof is ob-
tained.
Altogether, a serious and careful piece of work de-
serving of study by all who are interested in one of the
most powerful modern trends of education (Teachers
College, Columbia University, New York City, 1921;
published also as a Bulletin of Olivet College, Michi-
gan).
269
MICHILIMACKINAC
BY WARREN W. LAMPORT
LAKE CITY
Sleeping, sleeping as an infant
On its mother's breast,
Lie at last the laughing waters,
Gently hushed to rest.
Softly, softly as an angel
Through the heavens wide,
Steal the sunbeams of the morning
O'er the northern tide.
Suddenly above the waters,
Broad and high and steep,
Springs an island full of beauty,
Fairest of the deep.
And the redmen gaze in wonder,
Shouting at the sight,
"Michilimackinac! bur new home!
Manitou's delight!"
Michilimackinac! Fair Island!
Worthy of thy fame!
Fitting is it all our northland
Shares thy honored name.
Here of old the Queen of Beauty
With a lavish hand
Scattered far and wide her treasures
Over 'lake and land.
Busy Romance too has left us
An abundant store,
Equaled only by the wealth of
Legendary lore.
Michilimackinac! the Muses
In a thousand songs
Could not sing one-half the glory
That to thee belongs.
PAPERS
HOW WHITE LAKE WAS NAMED
BY KENNETH G. SMITH, M. E.
(State Department of Public Instruction)
LANSING
FOR many, many years before the early explorers
with their Indian guides had paddled their canoes
along the eastern shore *of Lake Michigan, White Lake
lay hidden behind a screen of pines and birches. Its
surface, like that of all the Great Lakes, was a little
higher than at present and a low rounded sand dune
covered the spot where now the government channel
enters. The river forming the outlet wound its way
beneath a canopy of vines and trees following the
course of what is now called the "old channel" and
emptied into Lake Michigan at its present mouth.
The lake lay undisturbed in its solitude except for
an occasional Indian hunter or a prowling war party
of Iroquois. It was wondrously beautiful in those days:
a crystal sea, lying in a setting of white birch trees
backed by the dark green of the sombre pines. On the
bright spring afternoons its surface was like a mirror
and reflected perfectly the glistening sentinel sand
On an old French Map of 1726 White Lake, appears as La Riviere Blanche,
e white River. The lake was then considered a widening of the river as
s the case with the lakes at the mouth of the Muskegon and Grand
vers. We know that the name was given by the French explorers and
t it is a translation of the earlier Indian name. We also know that in
spring of 1075 Father Marquette and his companions coasted along the
:ern shore of Lake Michigan on their return from the country of the
The old records tell us that the Father saw visions and communed
the saints and angels for a time before his death, which occurred near
ainpton at the mouth of the river which bears his name. That he
nped at or near the old mouth of White River it is at least reasonable to
>ose. As for the rest well that is for those who know White Lake to
judge.
(273)
274 KENNETH G. SMITH, M. E.
dune at the end and the white-clad birches along its
banks.
On just such an afternoon three birch bark canoes
came up from the south along the shore of Lake Michi-
gan. As they came to land one was seen to be manned
by Frenchmen and the other two by Indians. As the
two Frenchmen beached their canoe, a third man was
visible resting on a roll of skins in the bottom. As his
companions stepped out he half rose and asked, "How
far is it to St. Ignace, Pidrre?" "It is yet many leagues,
father, but let us camp here tonight and rest." "I
pray to the Holy Virgin that I may see my mission at
St. Ignace before I die, yet I would gladly stop for I
am weary with the journey," replied the elder. As he
rose slowly to step from the canoe one recognized at
once the long black robe and crucifix of the Jesuit. It
was Father Marquette with his two companions, Pierre
and Jacques, returning from his second journey to the
country of the Illinois, weakened by hardships and
privations, struggling with all his remaining strength
to reach his little mission at St. Ignace before he died.
Gently his two companions helped him up the beach
and seated him on a bear skin robe spread upon the
sand.
Jacques busied himself making camp, but Pierre,
ever eager to explore, paddled the canoe into the mouth
of the river and up the channel beneath the overhang-
ing trees and vines. Reaching the point where the
river broadened into the lake he turned back to the
camp. The sun was still an hour high. Father Mar-
quette lay stretched upon the ground in his favorite
posture beneath a little shelter of green boughs erected
by the faithful Jacques. Not a word of complaint
escaped his lips. On the contrary he consoled and
How WHITE LAKE WAS KAMED 2?5
comforted his companions assuring them that God
would watch over and protect them to the journey's
end.
As Pierre came down the little stream and landed,
Father Marquette roused himself from a half slumber
and murmured "Maria mater gratiae, mater dei,
memento mei," Pierre stepped to his side, "Do you
feel stronger, father, this bright spring day?" "I do,
my son, and yet I know my end is not far distant.
I find comfort in thinking that the waters of this migh-
ty lake are held in the hollow of His hand. This shore
though strange and new to us has been His from ever-
lasting to everlasting. But the vastness of this lake
of the Illinois oppresses and wearies me. I love the
little lakes and rivers better. Pray, where does this
little river lead? Did you follow it any distance?" "I
did, father, and it broadens into a lake of wondrous
beauty just beyond the sand hills there, the shores of
which no white man has ever trod. Would it rest you
to see it?" "My son, I am weary of the leagues on
leagues of water and I fain would see this little lake
and river if 'tis not too far." "But a bow-shot, father,
just behind the trees."
With Father Marquette half reclining and half sit-
ting in the bow of the canoe, Pierre paddled back up the
little stream into the lake. They reached it just as the
rays of the setting sun came over the rounded dune and
fell glittering upon the surface of the lake. The dune
itself shone with a dazzling whiteness. Father Mar-
quette gazed long upon the scene. "Pierre, "said he, "it
reminds me of the words of the Blessed St. John, 'And
he showed me a pure river of the water of life clear as
crystal.' Surely this must be like to the river he saw
276 KENNETH G. SMITH, M. E.
in his vision/' Again he gazed through half closed eyes.
The sun sank lower and its level rays illumined the white
birches across the lake. Suddenly he leaned forward.
"They beckon me," he said. Pierre started. "Who
beckon father?" "There on the farther shore, those
in white, do you not see them?" Pierre shaded
his eyes and looked. "I see nothing but the birches
and pines, there is no one there."
Father Marquette settled back upon his couch. 'It
was a vision, my son. Methought I stood upon the
shore of the crystal sea that lies before God's throne
surrounded by the white-clad throng. They beckoned
me to come and I fain would have followed. It was
only a vision, Pierre, only a vision. Let us return."
Silently Pierre drove the canoe down the little river to
the mouth. Jacques and his companions were eating
their evening meal. Father Marquette could eat
nothing and lay beneath his shelter in silence.
After the sun had disappeared in the surface of the
lake he called Pierre to his side. "What is the little
river called, my son?" "Jacques and I were just talk-
ing of its name, father. The Indians call it Waubish-
sibi, the White River, because of the white clay at its
mouth." "Waubish-sibi, La Riviere Blanche," said
Father Marquette slowly, "it is well named, my son.
To me it is La Riviere Blanche, 'the river of the water
of life,' for here the Holy Virgin sent me a vision of
the white-robed throng I soon must join. Pierre, ]
shall not reach St. Ignace. To me has come that clear-
er sight vouchsafed to those whose end is near. I have
glimpsed the farther shore. Credo quod redemptor
meusvivit. . Goodnight."
RIX ROBINSON
RIX ROBINSON, FUR TRADER
BY MRS. MARY F. ROBINSON
GRAND RAPIDS
RIX ROBINSON was born in Mass., Aug. 28, 1792.
His father's name was Edward Robinson, and his
mother's was Eunice Rix, hence he bore his mother's
maiden name. He was tall, had a dignified manner,
and was w r ell educated and agreeable. In 1814, then
a young man of twenty-one years of age, he left his
home where refinement and education had smoothed
a way to a life free from toil and privation, for a trial
of frontier life. He was in school at the time, and was
within three months of graduating from the Law De-
partment, which would have admitted him to practice
at the bar. At this time something happened, which
was of an entirely personal nature; he determined to
abandon the brilliant prospect as a lawyer, and launch
out upon the uncertainties of what might be developed
in the West.
He was twenty-six days en route from Buffalo to
Detroit, where he entered into partnership with a Mr.
Phelps. They were to do business as sutlers to the
Vnited States troops stationed there, supplying the
troops with provisions as they went from post to post
along the frontier; they also traded with the Indians.
His father had given him $1,000 in specie, which
he exchanged for bank bills at an advance of $80,
with which amount he went to New York and made his
purchases as his investment in the company's business.
After two years of varied experiences in profit and
(277)
278 MRS. MART F. ROBINSON
loss (mostly loss), he closed this partnership venture,
by taking old notes amounting to $2,500, only one of
which was any value at all, against a well known
operator at Mackinac, Michael Dousman, in addition
he took $100 in specie as his share of the Company's
assets. With this and what he received on the Dousman
note, he went to St. Louis and invested in tobacco,
from which he realized enough capital to enable him to
make a small beginning in trading with the Indians.
This enterprise was quite a success, so he established
a trading post at the Calumet in Illinois, near the head
of Lake Michigan, among the Potawatomis and
Kickapoos in 1817, on the Illinois River twenty-five
miles above its mouth in 1819, at Milwaukee in 1820,
and at the junction of the Grand and Thornapple
rivers in 1821.
During these years the yearly journey was made to
and from St. Louis by canoe and barge, following
water courses and across the land as was the manner
of the Indians in their travels, a slow and tedious
process, to obtain his supplies of merchandise and to
carry back the results in furs and peltries.
When Mackinac became the central depot of
the American Fur Company for the Great Lakes, he
found it much more convenient to patronize that
market, as it could be reached by coasting along the
shores of Lake Michigan, with what were called bat-
eaux. This style of craft soon went out of service.
The voyages of these bateaux along the lake to and
from Mackinac, carrying the heavy freightage of this
commerce of the Lakes, was the great event of each
year, not only to the trader, but to the many tribes
of Indians that then peopled the entire Northwest.
These boats were light and long in proportion to
Rix ROBINSON, FUR TRADER 279
the breadth, and wider in the middle than at the ends.
They were rigged with wide-spreading sails, to catch
favoring winds. Sometimes the oar had to be used for
propulsion, and each boat would be manned by a crew
of from eight to twelve voyageurs, generally French
Canadians, and one principal who acted as steers-
man, captain and general supervisor of his craft and
men. We can imagine from ten to thirty of these
bateaux starting out some bright morning on their
return to those distant posts in what are now Illinois,
Wisconsin, Iowa and 'Minnesota, up the Mississippi
and Missouri to the hunting grounds of the Indians,
the Stars and Stripes streaming out from each flag
staff on the stern, oars manned by stalwart men who
kept even strokes to the song sung by a leader, and all
joining in the answering chorus. All this was not soon
forgotten by those who witnessed the sight.
During all this time Rix Robinson seldom had a
companion other than the Indians, except a trader
or a prospector. Neighbors, we might almost say,
they had none; to the north none nearer than MacMnac,
to the west the lonely Lake, to the east two families
in Kent County, to the south thirty miles off, one
family.
The arrival and departure of Rix Robinson's fleet
of bateaux to and from Grand River, once a year,
was the grand event to break the monotony of frontier
life along the valley, from 1821 to 1834.
In 1821 Rix Robinson was the first known white
man to locate in Western Michigan. One of his most
important posts was at the junction of the Grand and
Thornapple rivers, where the village of Ada now stands.
At that time there was not even a spot marked in
280 MRS. MARY F. ROBINSON
the wilderness where Grand Rapids now stands; and
where Ada is, was a favorite place for the Indians to
hold their annual corn feasts and pow-wows. Lowell
was another place.
In Ada he built his little cabin home among the
Indians, and established friendly relations which were
never broken. In September, 1821, on one of his north-
ern trips, he married an Indian woman, the daughter
of an Ottawa Chieftain. This marriage was not for
life, but for a number of moons (I think one hundred
or more), according to the custom among the tribe.
A son was born to them March 5, 1825, at a point be-
tween Muskegon and White River, known then as
Duck Lake. He was named John Rix Robinson,
after his father and his Uncle John.
When he was six or seven years old, his father and
mother were divorced in accordance with the Indian
law. He was then placed in the family of the Lasleys
at Mackinac, where he remained until ten or twelve
years old, when his father brought him to Ada. Before
this he had attended the Mission School, and had made
good progress. He was kept in school here until he
had obtained a fair common school education. He
became what you may call a fast young man. The
dollars that his father had saved, hje spent with as
much ease as the young man of the present time. His
father helped him into business, as he certainly pos-
sessed business qualifications. He conducted the
experiment so long that it cost him many thousand
dollars, and he gave it up. It seemed as if with him,
life was a failure.
In 1848, the community was surprised with the news
that John R. Robinson had eloped with Lucy A. Withey
Rix ROBINSON, FUR TRADER 281
daughter of Gen. Solomon Withey. They were married
at Grandville, and lived together happily until her
death, which occured April 8, 1884. One daughter
and four sons were born to them; only two, James B.
and Eva lived to grow up.
In 1869 while living in the northern part of the Lower
Peninsula, he attended revival meetings and soon
professed himself converted. Those who knew his
former life had very little faith in its lasting; but a
still greater surprise followed, when he announced
that he was about to enter the ministry. His father
made this remark: "I will give him three years to lose
it all, and become worse than ever." But not so. In-
stead of being worse, his faith grew stronger, and he
was instrumental in converting his dear father in his
old age. For more than twenty-five years he led an
exemplary Christian life. His life was an example
of what Christian faith can do.
His remains lie in a little cemetery at Shepherd
in Isabella County, away from his kin. He died poor.
He loved his father, and it was his wish that when his
remains were committed to earth, they should be by
the side of his father.
These sketches of the career of Rev. John R. Robin-
son that I have given you, I took from a clipping my
father had saved. I think he must have cut it from a
Grand Rapids paper several years ago. They were
invcn in Ada at a pioneer gathering, by attorney
George White of Grand Rapids. He said, "For all
that I have told you of his career, I am indebted to
his own statements, made to me on Dec. 26, 1884,
and now that his lips are closed in death, they are our
only source of information."
282 MRS. MARY F. ROBINSON
Rix Robinson's second marriage was more roman-
tic. He was making a trip among the Saginaw Indians,
and in some manner he offended one of the chiefs.
They made him prisoner and after abusing him shame-
fully, and having all kinds of fun with him, they threw
him into the river, where he would have perished had
it not been for another chief's daughter, who rescued
him and took him to her wigwam where he was nursed
back to life again. He rewarded her kindly acts by
marrying her. He took her to his little cabin home
in Ada, where she lived until her death. Her picture
shows that she was a good looking woman, dressed
very well; she was also an industrious and model
housekeeper.
In 1825 Rix Robinson was located as Indian trader
with his principal station at Ada in Kent County,
and he had several other stations, among which was
that at Grand Haven, at the mouth of Grand River.
The Rev. Wm. Ferry, who had been a missionary
among the Indians at Mackinac, together with his
family and all his interests came to Grand Haven to
make it his permanent home. We might say he was
the first white settler who came with his family to
stay. They landed Sunday morning, Nov. 23, 1834.
As it was Sunday, none of their goods were landed,
but in Rix Robinson's log store, like the pilgrims two
hundred and fourteen years earlier, they united in
solemn worship, Mr. Ferry took for his text, Zacha-
riah, 4-10, "For who hath despised the day of small
things?"
The first act was an act of prayer and praise, thus
consecrating the future village and city to God. They
stopped with Rix Robinson during the winter, and
JOHN R. ROBIXSOX
!
Rix ROBINSON, FUR TRADER 283
twenty-five persons lodged in the log store, which was
16 x 22 feet, part sleeping in the loft and others in a
vessel that wintered in the harbor. He and Rix Robin-
son were the founders of Grand Haven.
In 1835 seven brothers of Rix Robinson, together
with their families, forty-four in number, emigrated
from Cayuga, New York, by way of Detroit, Mackinac
and Grand Haven. One brother, Dennis Robinson,
remained in New York.
When they arrived in Detroit, there was no boat in
readiness for them, so *they had to be patient and wait
two weeks for one that was building to be finished. The
name of the vessel was St. Joseph. This was the first
sailing vessel to enter the harbor at Grand Haven.
It certainly must have been a grand sight to the Indians
who watched it as it sailed into the harbor. While the
crowd of half nude Indians were admiring the grandeur
of this sailing boat, the women passengers were won-
dering how they could ever live with such uncivilized
human beings as these Indians appeared to be.
This colony of Robinsons, of which my father,
Hiram Robinson, was a member, but only two years
old at that time, stopped but a short time at Grand
Unveil. They secured from Detroit a scow boat, or
poleboat as they were sometimes called, not quite so
errand and convenient as the sailing vessel, but they were
very glad and thankful to get it, and when their families
and goods were loaded, they poled up Grand River
in search of a desirable place to locate. Some stopped
off near Grand Haven, others ten miles from the village.
When the township where they located was organized
it was named Robinson, in honor of them, as they
were among the first settlers.
My grandfather, who was Rodney Robinson, and
284 MRS. MARY F. ROBINSON
his brother Lucas, brother of Rix Robinson, poled
farther up the river, and landed at what is now Bass
River, in the township of Robinson. Here they found
a little log cabin which had been used for a trading
post, and in this small hut the two families lived until
they could secure their land and build a double log
house.
My father's sister, Mrs. Clarinda Stocking, who
was a little girl seven years old at that time, remember-
ed well the two years spent on the bank of Grand River,
then a dense forest of heavy pine timber, inhabited
by Indians and wild beasts. She told me a few inci-
dents of their pioneer life while there which I will try
to relate. The land on the south side of the river had
just come into market and the land office was located at
Kalamazoo. Grandfather and his brother were deter-
mined to buy some land, so providing their families
with plenty of food and enough for themselves, they
each secured an Indian pony and set off for Kalamazoo.
It required two weeks to make this journey on horse-
back. There were no railroads then, not even wagon
roads, nothing but Indian trails. There were no farms
or villages along the Indian's highway, nothing but
wigwams and howling wolves, which were his only
marks of civilization. They had fresh venison steak
for the deer were numerous, and as they had their guns
they could kill one very easily and broil their steak
before a fire, not lighted with a match, but with the
spark from the flint, or by firing off their flintlock guns.
I imagine they must have enjoyed their trip quite
as much if not more than they would have done if
they had ridden in a palace car.
However they were having a more enjoyable time
Rix ROBINSON, FUR TRADER 285
than the families left behind in the little hut. The first
night after they left, grandmother and her sister-in-
law before retiring for the night were very particular
to see that the door and window of the cabin were se-
curely fastened, as they were afraid of the Indians and
wild beasts. They retired for the night with a feeling
that all was safe, and slept soundly until morning.
When they awoke they discovered that they had a lodg-
er. Some wayfaring Indian, who had been in the
habit of lodging in the hut, did not know it was inhabi-
ted by palefaces, and h^d found an entrance. Although
they were sure that all the openings were closed and
fastened, there must have been one that they did not
find, and the Indian found it without any trouble and
without awakening them. He rolled up in his blanket
and lay down on the floor (or ground I should say, as
the cabin had no floor) and had a good night's rest.
When he awoke, to his surprise palefaces had posses-
sion of his hut, and Mr. Indian put on his blanket and
went away peacefully. He realized that the women and
children were frightened, but he could not apologize,
as he could not speak the paleface language.
Grandfather and his brother secured their land and
returned to the cabin where they had left their families.
They found them all there and well. I know these two
weeks were very long and lonely ones for grandmother
;nu] her sister-in-law. Grandfather and Uncle Lucas
built their double log house and moved in before cold
weather came. My father's brother Lucas was born
in this lop: cabin (Little Luke he was called). The
country did not please them, as they were looking
for land suitable for a farm. They did not care to
invest in the pine forest, as the value of lumber was
almost nothing at that time. I often heard my father
286 MRS. MARY F. KOBINSON
Hiram Robinson, tell about a lumbering job his Uncle
Ira Robinson, who lived in Robinson, did one winter.
He cut and put in the river, 996 pine logs for the Grand
Haven Company, at 50 cents per log. The company
failed to buy, and the logs lay for several years in the
river, and were finally sold for one barrel of flour and
two barrels of pork, a whole winter's work for one
barrel of flour and two barrels of pork. 996 pine logs
would buy a good many barrels of flour and pork now!
After the treaty with the Indians at Grand Rapids,
a land office was established at Ionia, and the lands on
the north side of Grand River came into market. The
two brothers decided to push farther up the river, so
they chartered another scow boat, and loaded their
families and goods and poled up the river to what is
now the village of Lowell, a distance of fifty miles,
where they secured land on the west side of Flat River.
On the east side of the river was quite a large Indian
village. They got away from the pine forests, but not
the Indians. Here they built log cabins and began
pioneer life again. This was in 1837.
Uncle Rix Robinson could speak several of the In-
dian dialects very well, and the Indians said that he
could talk Indian better than the Indians themselves.
Through a long life he held a front rank in the his-
tory of this State. He was a man of pure integrity,
with a wonderful control of those with whom he moved.
He was an honorable and esteemed representative of
that class of men who so many years ago dared to
open the way to civilization in the Northwest.
The welcome the savage tribes gave the early
settlers was due to his control over them. His name
stands as one of the foremost of those who have held
positions of trust and honor in our State. With truth
Rix ROBINSON, FUR TRADER 287
and honor as a ground work of his character, he ful-
filled every demand upon his manhood.
In 1873, at the age of 81, at his home in Ada, his
eventful life ended, as it had been lived, without fear
and without reproach.
INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE
BY MRS. ALZINA CALKINS FELT
MASON
TN September, 1841, Caleb Calkins, with his wife and
*- six children, Edwin, Edmund, Alzina, Caroline,
Dimis and Daniel (an infant in his mother's arms) with
Sherman Fletcher and his wife, Fanney (Piper) Fletcher
who was a half-sister of Mrs. Calkins, started in an
emigrant wagon, drawn by a good team of horses, from
the old home in Alabama Township, Genesee County,
New York to the new one in an almost unbroken
Michigan wilderness, to carve out for the future genera-
tions a home of which they might well be proud. Their
household goods had previously been sent from Buffalo
by boat to Detroit where they were transferred to a
train and shipped to Pontiac, the nearest railroad sta-
tion.
From Pontiac their household goods, consisting of
a cook stove, dishes, bedding, one bedstead, three
chairs, a caldron kettle, a brass kettle, a box contain-
ing clothing, full cloth, flannel, cotton cloth and calico
and a box of leather for making shoes, were brought
to the new home by team and wagon.
In these days it took one week to make the round
trip from the new home in Clayton Township, Genesee
County, to Pontiac with a team of horses. What a
contrast to going in an hour or two either by train or
automobile as we do at the present time? From Alabama
Township we went to Lewiston, where we were ferri
(288)
INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE 289
across to Canada. Here we were met by the "red-coats"
who were on guard at that place. We drove from there
through Canada to Windsor and were ferried across
to Detroit. When we reached Detroit we were chilled
through by the cold wind which was blowing down the
river.
The hotel was a frame wood-colored building on
Atwater street, and the entrance to the second story
was by a flight of out-door stairs. While the landlady
was having a stove put up to warm the wayfarers we
went to the kitchen to warm. Here I had my first
taste of a ripe tomato, which I did not relish very well,
although it looked very inviting to my childish eyes.
We spent two nights and a day here while father was
looking after the household goods and laying in a supply
of some necessary things that had not been shipped,
among them the caldron and large brass kettles which
were shipped to Pontiac with the other goods.
On our way from Detroit to Flint we passed through
Birmingham, Pontiac, Grand Blanc and Whigville. In
the Township of Grand Blanc was the famous "Grum-
law Swamp". The only way we could cross this
swamp was by means of a "Corduroy Road," which
means a road made by cutting down trees and laying
them side by side in the mud and swampy land which
is found in a new country. Sometimes soil was hauled
in to fill up the spaces between these logs and at other
times the logs were left as they were laid, which when
traveled over, proved well to my childish mi ad the
truth of that old saying "as rough as a corduroy road."
There were other small settlements besides the towns
mentioned above, and a great many inns or wayside
hotels, nearly all of which were built of logs.
On all this trip we did not see a railroad train, al-
290 MRS. ALZINA CALKINS FEI/T
though we saw the smoke of a locomotive when we were
between Detroit and Pontiac.
Flint was a very small place with few houses and
stores. The principal stores were Henderson's, Decker's
and Walker's. These with the little hotels formed the
nucleus of the present beautiful city as we know it. It
took two days from early morning until set of sun to
make the journey from Flint to the Calkins homestead,
where we arrived October second. There were no cut
out roads or bridges after we left the Thread Creek, only
a trail that wound through the woods past the few clear-
ings and houses where the following named families
lived: Graham, Chase, Hyslop (where we spent the first
night after we left Flint), Cronk, Wallace and Diamond.
For the first few days after we reached the home-
stead we had to stay at the home of Samuel Wicka]
until Uncle Sherman Fletcher could get the roof on
his log house, the body of which he had built on a pre-
vious trip to Michigan. We then moved into Uncle's
house and lived there without doors or windows (just
quilts hung up at the openings) until our house was
ready for us. This house was a frame house (I think
it was the first frame house in Clayton Township)
and consisted of a large living room, a bed room, pantry
and stairway on the first floor and a large sleeping
room in the second story. Additions were made to
this, until at the time of my father's death it was a
large farm house.
The barn on the farm, built in 1844, was the first
frame barn in the township, and settlers had to come
eight or ten miles to help raise it, men coming from
Swartz Creek, Flushing, the English and Lyons settle-
ments. An incident in regard to the raising of the barn:
INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE 291
A neighbor, Mr. Stowell, came to father and said,
" Calkins, I am going to Flint, do you want to send after
a jug of whiskey?" Father said, "No, I am not going to
furnish any whiskey, but T am going to furnish the men
with a dinner." Neighbor Stowell said, "I guess you
won't get your barn raised," and father replied, "I have a
family of boys, and the barn frame can lay there then for
I am not going to have any whiskey around." However
the barn frame was successfully raised without the
customary jug of whiskey. Mother and Aunt Fanny
Fletcher were up all night and baked for the occasion
the night before. I remember they had new bread and
butter, honey, pumpkin pie and a sweet cake sweeten-
ed with maple sugar, and cucumber pickles made with
maple sap vinegar for dinner. The drink was just cold
water, as tea and coffee were almost unheard of luxuries.
This was a very elaborate meal for pioneer days in the
Michigan woods, as dishes were very scarce and the
men helped themselves and ate out of hand.
Before father moved his family he had been to
the farm twice. The first time to see the land, and the
second to see about having some chopping done. He
hired Mr. Wickham to clear two acres where the house
was to be built, and Enos Miller and his brother
Peter to chop off four acres more.
The team of horses and new wagon were traded
for the lumber to build the house, and a yoke of oxen,
a wagon and a cow. There was nothing to feed the
horses, but the oxen and cow could live on "browse,"
which means the buds and small twigs of the forest
trees that were felled so that the cattle could get at
tops of the trees.
The first winter Father made a wash tub, pork
292 MES. ALZIXA CALKINS. FELT
barrel, sap bucket, sap barrel for storing sap during
the sugar season, and a barrel for cooking sugar. These
were all made from a pine tree that he got north of
Flushing. The cooking sugar was made by boiling the
maple sap until- it grained, then it was poured into
the barrel and allowed to cool. A plug was then pulled
from the bottom and the syrup drained out leaving a
fine soft sugar in the barrel. Splint brooms, made of
hickory, were the only kind used in the home until
broom-corn could be raised and other brooms be made.
In the spring of 1842, seeds that father had brought
with him were planted, so that by fall we had quite a
nursery, containing apple, . cherry, peach and plum
trees. The currant cuttings came from the farm known
as the Gifford farm and were planted five years later.
Our large colony of bees came from wild bees that
were "lined" and the bee trees cut down. A short
length, containing the bees, was cut out and taken
near the house and as the bees swarmed new oolorie?
were added. Father "lined" wild bees by going into
the woods with some bee-comb and a covered box
containing maple sugar or honey. The comb was
burned, to call the bees to the box containing the sweet,
and while a number of bees were enjoying the feast
the cover was put on; then taking the box he would walk
some distance, remove the cover and release some of
the bees, which would at once take a straight course
for the bee tree. By following the directions taken by
the bees and releasing a few at a time he was usually
successful in locating the tree.
The first candles my mother made were "dipped
candles." These candles were made by putting a
loop of -candle wicfcing over a smooth stick and allow-
INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE 293
ing it to hang down about six or eight inches. Venison
tallow and coon oil were put into a kettle containing
boiling hot water and the hot fat formed a deep coat-
ing on the top of the water. The wicks were dipped
into the kettle and the fat would stick to the wicks
which were allowed to cool and were then re-dipped and
cooled a number of times until the candles were large
enough to use.
When we did not have dipped candles we used a
hollowed out baga turnip or potato with some grease
in it, and for the wick two or three circles of cloth were
cut and tied over a button. When the button was dipped
into grease and the cloth greased and lighted we were
ready to sew, knit, piece or quilt.
The clothing was always in style, no matter what
we wore. Mother had a loom and spinning and flax
wheels, and assisted by her daughters she spun and
wove our woolen and linen cloth from the wool and flax
that were raised on the farm. The caps were made from
the skins of wild animals, and the mittens and stock-
ings knit by hand from home-spun yarn.
Some of the things a pioneer family had to eat: The
Spring diet was maple syrup, sorrel pie, custard and
dried pumpkin pies when the cow gave milk, leeks,
cowslip greens and dried fruit. The fruit, wild goose-
berries, raspberries, blackberries, plums and grapes,
which for winter use were dried. In summer we had
new wheat, boiled and eaten with milk or syrup; po-
tatoes, green corn, black seed onions, beans and other
garden truck. As soon as corn was glazed in the fall
father used to take a carpenter's plane and shave off
the kernels and make what was called "samp". The
"sump" was boiled and made into mush, which was
294 MRS. ALZINA CALKINS FELT
eaten with milk or maple syrup. The bread was wheat-
bread, johnny cake and buckwheat cakes. The baking
soda was the ashes made by burning corn cobs. Our
meat was venison, fish, pork, fattened on "shack" (acorns
and beech nuts), squirrels, rabbits, partridge, quail,
and an occasional wild turkey.
The first school in the neighborhood was held at
the home of Alan son Niles. The school-room was made
by hanging up quilts across one end of the living-room.
The seats were boards laid on the end of blocks of wood
that had been sawed off to the right height so the
children could place their feet on the floor.
Mr. Niles' home was about fifteen rods east of the
present school-house in the Hurd district.
The books used in this primitive school were of all
kinds, just whatever was in the home. Some had a
Bible, others a Testament, speller, reader, arithmetic, or
almanac. When one child had learned the lesson
assigned, the book was passed on until all in that class
were ready to recite. What would the children of the
present day think of attending school where there were
no black-boards, slates, pencils, pens, ink, paper, or
any of the other things considered so necessary to
prepare their lessons and recite them.
Three months was the length of the school term
and six days per week the school week. The teacher
was paid a salary of one dollar per week and board
herself. The salary was raised by a "Rate Bill"
(the number of days each child had attended were
added up and a per cent paid according to the number
of days attendance).
During the summer of 1843 a school-house was built
diagonally across from the present school-house, and
INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE 295
for years it was known as the " Carpenter School".
About the first of December, 1843 the term of three
months school was begun in the new school-house.
At this time the children followed a "trail" that was
marked by "blazed trees," the "blazes" being made by
cutting the bark from the side of the trees leaving a
white spot on the side nearest the "trail."
The children living farthest from the school-house
had to come about a mile and a quarter. The follow-
ing children attended the first school held at the Niles
home, taught by Miss, Huldah Wallace. The pupils
were:
Franklin Niles
Myron Niles
Florinda Stowell
Charles Brotherton
William Morrish
Thomas Morrish
Smith Jacox
Elias Jacox
Fanny Glass
John Glass
Eugene Parsells
Abigal Finch
Sarah Finch
Edwin Calkins
Caroline Calkins
Edmund Calkins
Alzina Calkins
Sarah Wickham
Nathaniel Wickam
Abagail Wickham
Dow Wickham
of whom very few are living at the present time.
In closing, would say that in order to know how
pioneers live, and what they do, you have to be one.
PETER WHITE
BY THE LATE JAMES RUSSELL
MARQUETTE
T CAME to Marquette in the early summer of 1881 to
* take editorial charge of the Mining Journal, the
late A. P. Swineford then being owner and publisher
of the paper. I recall very vividly the impression then
made on me by the city and its people. I was quite
amazed to find here such a thriving town, and even
more by the beauty of the location. Before I came,
I expected to land in a straggling village, planted amid
rude surroundings, with but little of the activity then
to be found in the thriving municipalities that were so
rapidly growing up in Wisconsin and Illinois. When I
arrived at Marquette I found here a well laid out an
fairly well built city, with a railroad that was doing a
rushing business in hauling ore to the dock here from
the mines above then opened up, and taking back coa
and other supplies for the mines and the loca-
tions which had grown up about them. Here was
a beautiful bay filled with shipping; boats being loade
and unloaded, and every evidence that this was th
seat of an already considerable traffic flowing east an
west. But what impressed me most was the characte
of the business and professional men whom I foun
here. They seemed to be brimming over with ener
and ambition, with nothing of the backwoods air about
them. They had created here an atmosphere of intense
and vitalizing energy that was not to be found in the
cities farther south which were centers for agricultural
(296)
PETER WHITE 297
districts. There was more of the spirit of adventure
among them and they were marked by an address,
polish and ease of manner which indicated that they
were much in touch with the leading spirits in larger
communities east and south of here where business was
then being done on a large scale under direction and
management of men familiar with the conduct of vast
enterprises.
I had not been her.e long before I had discovered
that Peter White was a potent factor in the business,
social and political affairs of Marquette, and a domina-
ting force in giving direction to the activities of the
community generally. Soon afterward I met him,
and a friendship was then formed that continued until
the day of his death, the memory of which I shall ever
cherish as a precious thing in my life. I found him to be
a man of tireless energy, of affable manner and out-
reaching sympathies. There was nothing of the auto-
crat in his nature, although, even at that time, he had
attained to high financial standing here, and wielded
a power that he could easily have used oppressively.
He was president of the only bank here; almost entire-
ly controlled the insurance business of the city and the
growing region then tributary to it; was connected in
a managerial way with one of its largest mercantile
establishments; was interested in every manufactur-
ing enterprise then in existence here, and was, in fact,
a moving force in sveiy venture making for the
growth and development of the place.
What struck me most forcibly in the man, however,
u'n< that his admitted leadership came to him not
through any obvious effort on his part to secure it,
but as a free-will offering from the people generally,
298 JAMES RUSSELL
as also from the remarkably able coterie of men here
who, at the time, were actively identified with the
management of the expanding industries of the city
and county. It came to him as a spontaneous tribute
from his fellow-citizens, and was worn by him grace-
fully and easily, as though he were unconscious of the
power and prestige he had won.
The subject of this paper was born at Rome, Utica
County, N. Y., October 31, 1830. Nine years later
he removed with his parents to Green Bay, Wis.,
where the next six years of his life were spent. From
the record of his life, beginning with his fifteenth year
until the very day of his death, it can be readily in-
ferred that he was at that age a lad of high courage
and abounding ambition. He had heard much of this
Peninsula, mainly concerning the remarkable develop-
ment of the copper mining industry in Houghton
County, and the desire grew upon him to cast his lot
with the mining country. When he had reached his
fifteenth year, he left home on his own motion, intend-
ing to make his way to the copper district. His firsi
objective was Mackinac Island, where he obtaine<
employment for the time being. Later, he worked his
way to Detroit, where he secured a place as clerk in
store there. A year later he returned to Mac kin*
Island and obtained work there during the summei
with Captain Canfield of the lighthouse service, who
was engaged in construction work for the Government,
securing a clerkship in the store of Edward Kanter
during the winter. The next two years of his life were
spent on Mackinac Island. Meanwhile, interest had
been aroused in the iron deposits of Marquette County.
In 1849, Robert J. Graveraet visited the Island in
search of men to work at the iron deposits that had
PETER WHITE 299
been discovered at Negaunee. He induced Peter to
enter his employment and return with him to this
county, where he was later to make his home and enter
upon a career that brought him wealth, fame and happi-
ness before he had reached middle age.
Early in June of that year what is now the city of
Marquette was selected as the location for the center
from which the effort to develop the iron mines above
here would be directed. The first tree felled on the
site of the present city was cut down by Peter, then a
youth of eighteen years. A dock was built to facili-
tate the landing of sup'plies from vessels. It was a very
primitive settlement, as there was not a saw mill to cut
lumber, and the difficulty of getting in furniture or
supplies of any kind was almost insurmountable.
Peter took part in all the work and endured all the
hardships of the pioneer hamlet. He handled the axe,
drove an ox team, took care of the cow that furnished
the little community with milk, and was an all-round
handy-man, making himself useful wherever his ser-
vices were needed. Originally, the embryo was named
Worcester, but soon afterward it was re-christened
and given the name it now bears, in honor of the great
Jesuit missionary who was said to have landed at this
point long before on his initial trip to the Lake
Superior region.
It is told of Peter White that when the first steam
boiler was set up here, he took the contract for fill-
ing it with water preparatory to getting up steam in
it, his bid being a dollar and a half for the job. It took
him three days and two nights to fill the boiler and earn
his dollar and a half. He next handled the plant as
i iv man and engineer. Subsequently he went to work
300 JAMES RUSSELL
in a machine shop with a view to becoming a mechanic.
It will be seen that he began at the very bottom, but he
worked his way up with unyielding patience and tire-
less industry.
Graveraet was attracted to him by his quick
intelligence, loyalty and ability to make himself at
home and get along amicably with the varied racial
elements of the little community, which was made up
of English, French, Irish and Germans, and the Indians
who were found here. He picked up languages with
great readiness, and soon acquired a speaking familiar-
ity with the French tongue, also acquiring quite a mas-
tery of that spoken by the Indians. About this time
Graveraet had occasion to send a man to Escanaba on
an important mission. He selected Peter for the trip,
and gave him a couple of Chippewa Indians to accom-
pany him and assist him in finding his way through the
wilderness stretching between this point and Escanaba.
It took him and his guides seven days to make the trip
to Escanaba. The return trip was made in five days.
This was a trying experience and one that he vowed he
would never repeat. But he executed the mission that
he was sent on satisfactorily and this strengthened
the high regard in which he was held by Graveraet,
who was then the foremost man of the settlement.
A similar but more a.rduous trip was taken by him
later when he made his way to Eagle River and back
on foot and alone. He had to go there to get the county
clerk's certification of some legal papers, Marquette
being then attached to Hough ton County for judicial
purposes. He went from Ma.rquette to L'Anse and
crossed the ice to Portage Entry, made his way up the
river, over Portage Lake, and across the Portage to
PETER WHITE 301
Eagle River. Having dispatched his business, and after
having been most hospitably treated by the officials
and other friends of his there, he started on the return
trip. Working his way back to L'Anse Bay, he found
the ice in the bay broken up. He was held at the Entry
for three days by an attack of what was known as
"snow-shoe sickness." When he had sufficiently
recovered, he set out through the woods to the Catho-
lic Mission at L'Anse. For a time he sought to keep
in sight of the bay, but finding this impracticable, he
struck boldly out into, the woods, where he hoped to
be able to make his way more rapidly. It was bitter
cold at the time, twenty degrees below zero. The dis-
tance to be traversed was about seventeen miles. The
day wore on without bringing him in sight of the head
of the bay. Becoming bewildered, he traveled in a
circle, and presently came upon his own snow-shoe
tracks. He had been traveling for hours without mak-
ing headway. Finally it grew too dark for further prog-
ress and he had to make his dispositions for spending
the night in the forest. The only provisions he had
with him were a couple of cans of oysters that he was
bringing back from Eagle River, and those he was
unable to make use of. Giving up hope of reaching his
destination that night, he decided to spend it in the
woods and fashioned a resting place for himself in the
snow at the foot of a large hemlock. He managed to
build a fire, and rested in the place he had prepared for
himself in the snow until morning. Bishop Baraga
had left the Entry later than Peter, and, having arriv-
ed at the Mission, judged from the fact that Peter had
not reached there that he was lost in the forest Next
morning he sent out an Indian to find him. The Indian
came across him in the woods, exhausted by his exer-
302 JAMES RUSSELL
tions and hunger, about three o'clock in the afternoon
and assisted him to the Mission. This kindly service
of Bishop Baraga Peterjiever forgot and it was the
beginning of an enduring friendship between them.
But I must not dwell at greater length upon the
experiences of Peter White during the earlier portion
of his career. I pass to the maturer stage of his life,
when he reached man's estate and took his place among
men to bear the heavier burdens and greater responsi-
bilities that came crowding on him rapidly. The develop-
ment of the mining interests in the western part of
the county had gone on apace and Marquette had got
to be quite a thriving village, while the mining loca-
tions had brought into the county a considerably
increased population. In 1843, Marquette County was
established by an Act of the Legislature. It comprised
all of the present county, with part of what is now the
counties of Alger and Luce on the east and Iron and
Dickinson on the south and southeast, being one of the
six into which the entire Upper Peninsula was then
divided. The first election in Marquette County was
held in 1851. In that election Peter White was chosen
Register of Deeds. He was appointed Deputy County
Clerk by the Clerk-elect, and in that capacity attend-
ed the first meeting of the board of supervisors of the
county. The members of the board were the supervi-
sors of the two townships into which the county was
then divided, P.M. Everett representing the township of
Marquette, and A. R. Harlow the Carp River township.
The official record of the proceedings is in Mr. White's
handwriting and signed by him as Deputy Clerk
Subsequently he was elected County Clerk and some
years later was appointed Postmaster of the city,
which office he held for twelve years. When the land
PETER WHITE 303
office was removed from Sault Ste. Marie to Mar-
quette, in 1857, he was appointed agent in charge, and
was subsequently named Collector of Customs for the
port of Marquette, this being then made a port of
entry. In the same year that he became agent of the
land office, he was admitted to the bar and engaged in
the practice of law. He engaged in practice in partner-
ship with M. H. Maynard. Ten years later he relin-
quished his law practice, having by that time taken on
so many business and other burdens that he found it
impossible to continue it. It will be seen from the facts
given that even while he was young in years he was
called on to give considerable service to the public in
official capacities.
In politics Mr. White was a Democrat and continued
in affiliation with that party until it became infected
with the Free Silver heresy under the leadership of
Wm. J. Bryan. In the great election of that year he
withdrew from the Democratic fold and announced
himself a supporter of the candidates and policies of
the Republican party. But while he was a Democrat
he was a sturdy and loyal member of the party and
did campaign work in the county and throughout the
peninsula for several of its candidates for president,
as also for its State tickets at different times. He was
a personal friend of Samuel J. Tilden and stumped the
district for him in the historic campaign of 1876. He
also did strenuous work in the three campaigns for
Drover Cleveland in which the latter was before the
people as a presidential candidate. While he did not
pretend to be an orator, he was a forceful speaker and
lii> personal strength enabled him to hold his party
together in this peninsula during all the years of his
adherence to it, despite the fact that it was a weak
304 JAMES RUSSELL
minority party in the State, and especially so in this
division of it. It may be proper to remark here that
were it not for his unswerving allegiance to the Dem-
ocratic party while he remained connected with it,
Mr. White might have been one of the foremost public
men of the nation, for he possessed the breadth of
vision, the familiarity with public affairs, and the bus-
iness capacity which would have made him a valuable
man in public life, while his popularity was such that
if he had been in accord with the dominant party there
is hardly any office in Michigan in the line of his capa-
bilities but might have been his for the taking.
During Grover Cleveland's second term in the
presidency, Mr. White was offered a position that he
would have loved to take, but was compelled to decline
because of the condition at the time of his wife's health.
It was that of Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Pres-
ident Cleveland had become acquainted with Mr. White
during his first term as Chief Executive. The Pres-
ident conceived a great fondness for him. During his
visits to Washington, Mr. White was frequently a
guest at the White House and on such occasions he
entertained the President with his French dialect stories
and unique tales of this region. The acquaintance
ripened into more than a warm friendship. The Presi-
dent had learned of his knowledge of the Indian nature
and his acquaintance with and kindly attitude toward
the Red man. He had learned of his remarkable busi-
ness capacity and immaculate integrity. He was just
the man the President desired to have as Indian Commis-
sioner. "The office I ask you to accept," said the
President, "is one of even greater importance than a
seat in my Cabinet, for you will have absolute control
PETER WHITE 305
in that branch of Governmental work, being responsi-
ble only to me. You are especially well qualified for
the trust, for you understand the Indian nature and
have a kindly sympathy for these poor wards of the
I nation. You will have control of the disbursement of
I millions of dollars yearly. If you will accept the office
I it will greatly relieve my mind and will be a favor to me
that will be deeply appreciated." Every word the
President uttered was true and appealed strongly to
Mr. White. When he told me on his return from Wash-
ington of the tender of the office that had been made
him in such flattering* terms and that he could not
accept it, tears dimmed his eyes and his voice faltered,
so keen was his regret that he felt compelled to decline
it. But the state of his wife's health at the time render-
ed it impossible that she should leave her home and
live in Washington, while the duties of the office re-
quired that, if he accepted it, Mr. White would have to
make his home there while he held it. That he could
not accept the President's tender of the position was
unfortunate for the country, for he certainly would
have made an exceptionally useful Commissioner
through his knowledge of the Indian nature, his com-
mand of the language and familiarity with the customs
of Indian tribes.
One of the great services rendered the iron mining
interests of this district by Mr. White was in connec-
tion with the issue of "iron money" by the mining com-
panies here during the panic of 1857. The companies
operating in this region at that time felt the effect of
that panic severely. It was impossible to obtain
money to meet their requirements. They were in a
desperate condition and to tide over the emergency
the idea was conceived of issuing what was called "iron
30fi JAMES RUSSELL
money;" that is, scrip issued by each company, which,
in effect, would be a lien on the property, and answered
every purpose of money, always providing that it would
be accepted as such by the employes of the companies
and the public generally. This scrip was printed on
a grade of paper and in a form which gave it the appear-
ance of Government currency. For a time this home
made currency was accepted and in common use up
here, but presently the Government took note of what
was being done by the companies. They had no legal
right to issue these notes, and steps were taken to
punish them for having transcended their legal author-
ity in the matter. They could have been severely punish-
ed by heavy fines for having put what was really
an illegal currency in circulation. Steps were taken
to bring them to task for the offense. The companies
appealed to Peter White to do what he could to ex-
tricate them from the dilemma. He immediately pro-
ceeded to Washington and took up the matter with
Michigan's representatives in the House and Senate.
The task that confronted him when he got there was
one to put his diplomatic skill and persuasive powers
to a crucial test. Days were spent in working on the
sympathies of the officials who had charge of the pros-
ecution of the case against the iron companies, and in
explaining to them the ruin that would be brought on
a great and growing industry should it be pushed to
the limit under the law. I cannot take space in this
paper to describe the effective work that he did to
save the companies from drastic punishment for their
ill-advised action in usurping a governmental function.
It is enough to say that he succeeded fully, and the
Federal authorities finally consented to drop the prose-
cution provided the companies would cease issuing
PETER WHITE 307
this makeshift form of currency. It is very certain
that no man then living in this region but Peter White
could have accomplished what he did to extricate the
offending companies from the peril in which they had
involved themselves.
In the interval that had elapsed following the earlier
efforts to work the iron deposits discovered at Negaunee
much progress had been made in developing the mines
there. The first ore hauled to Marquette was brought
down by teams. This method of transportation was
found to be impracticable for the handling of any
considerable quantity of ore. A plank road was then built,
to be followed by a strap railroad. Neither of these
proved adequate to meet the growing traffic between
Marquette and the mines. In 1853 Heman B. Ely was
attracted to the Peninsula. He was a man of large
vision and saw that the onJy practical method of meeting
the increased demand for transportation facilities be-
tween the mines and the lake port would be a steam
railroad. He entered into an agreement with the
Cleveland and Jackson Mining Companies by the
terms of which he agreed to build a railway and was in
return to be given the carrying trade of both the com-
panies, at fixed rates for the service. He failed to
secure the capital needed for the venture. In 1853
Morgan L. Hewitt moved to Marquette, bringing
his family. He was connected with the Cleveland
Company. Four years later, on September 27th,
the marriage of Mr. White and Ellen S. Hewitt, a
daughter of Dr. Hewitt, took place. By this time it
had become apparent that the strap railroad would
not suffice and a movement was instituted to ob-
tain a grant from the State in aid of the construe-,
tion of what was to be known as the Iron Mountain Rail-
308 JAMES KUSSBLL
road. Mr. White was induced to serve as the represen-
tative from the district in the Legislature in the belief
that he could secure it. Need it be said that he succeed-
ed in getting what he wanted? The railroad was built
and the mines were provided with an adequate trans-
portation system for getting their ores to the dock
here and supplies back to the mines in the western part
of the country.
Eighteen years later Mr. White was again elected
a member of the Legislature, this time to a seat in the
Senate. This was in 1874. He took his seat at the
session following and was one of the most influential
members of the upper house. This time his mission
again was to get assistance from the State in providing
for the construction of another railroad, that being the
Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette road. He secured a
grant in aid of the construction of this road and was
given a widely enthusiastic reception on his re turn at the
close of the session. The road was built and passed
through various changes of ownership until it finally
became a part of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic
Railroad, and is now a link in a great trans-continental
system of which that road forms a part.
Prior to this, the movement to have a ship canal
built at Sault Ste. Marie had eventuated in success and
to that movement Mr. White's influence and work were
freely given. A co-worker of his in this movement was
Charles T. Harvey, who afterwards became potentially
connected with the work of getting the canal built. But
I find that I must not attempt to follow Mr. White in
all his activities having in view the development of
transportation facilities for the growing traffic of
this region, if I would spare any space for mention of
his efforts to build up the city in which his memory
PETER WHITE 309
is so lovingly cherished. He had become interested in
many of the mining properties above here, and also
in every manufacturing project that was launched in
the city. Not all of the latter proved successful. But
he was a "good loser" and took his disappointments
without disturbance of his habitual serenity. His
most important ventures proved highly successful. In
1863 he had the bank which he was conducting here
incorporated as a National Bank. Its first president as
the First National Bank of Marquette was Samuel P.
Ely. Mr. White became its cashier and manager.
Later he became president of the bank and under
| his management it grew to be one of the great finan-
cial institutions of the Upper Peninsula, a rating which
it still retains.
The first library established in Marquette was locat-
ed in a small building back of the First National Bank
which Mr. White owned, and it was mainly supplied at
the outset with volumes from his own library. The
quarters originally provided for it soon proved inade-
quate and he set aside a suite of rooms for it in his bank
building, where it had its home for several years, until
it became necessary to provide it with yet more space.
He then placed at its disposal the upper floor of a busi-
ness building owned by him on Washington Street. It
soon outgrew its quarters there and he took the initia-
tive in securing a site for a new library building, also the
funds to provide for its construction. The result is
the beautiful building known as the "Peter White
Library". It is built of Bedford limestone, thereof being
red tile. Architecturally it is a gem. The in-
kier finish and arrangements are in keeping with
' e artistic beauty of the building itself. The city
laced in this library a bust of Peter White, executed
310 JAMBS RUSSELL
in white marble by the artist Trentanove, a famous
piece of whose work, the bronze statue of Pere Marquette,
occupies a conspicuous place in the "Hall of Fame" in
the Capitol at Washington. There are other monuments
to Mr. White's memory in Marquette, but none more
worthy to bear his name than the beautiful public
Library with which he was so largely instrumental in
providing the city.
An educational institution was located here that
has grown to be a potential factor in advancing the effi-
ciency of the teachers in the public schools of the
Peninsula, the Northern State Normal School. This
school was established by the State in response to an
insistent demand from the people of the Peninsula that
it be provided. In the effort to secure the requisite
action by the Legislature, Mr. White participated in
his customary whole-hearted manner. The first of
the buildings were completed and the school opened in
1900. When the appropriation was obtained he was
equally energetic in the endeavor to secure the location
of the school for Marquette. Today it stands another
home monument to his memory, and in recognition of
what he did to have the State make provision for
it, and later to bring about its location here, its Science
Hall has been given his name. In addition to this great
service which he rendered the city, he was ever a
strenuous advocate of having suitable buildings pro-
vided for our grade schools, as well as for the High
School, located in the choicest residence portion of the
city.
Another of Marquette's beautiful edifices is the
brownstone chapel built by Mr. White in memory
of his son, Morgan. It is known as the "Morgan
PETER WHITE 311
Memorial Chapel". During his life he was largely
instrumental in building up and maintaining the
Episcopal Church here and was the chief factor in
having the Upper Peninsula created a diocese of that
Church, with Marquette as the diocesan seat. But his
liberality extended to all the other churches. He was
a generous contributor to the Cathedral building fund
of the Roman Catholic Church and to the splendid
parochial school later erected across the street from the
Cathedral. As illustrative of his broad mindedness
in this respect and the appreciation in which it was held
I deem it worthy of mention that when the corner stone
of the Baraga School was laid Mr. White was an
honored guest at a dinner given by the Bishop of the
diocese just before the ceremony, and that he was the
only layman who delivered an address on that occasion.
Bishop Messner was present and delivered the principal
address. The ceremony was attended by two Catholic
Bishops and a large gathering of Catholic clergymen
and lay members from all parts of the diocese.
The Marquette Club was originally established by
Mr. White. Its beginning was the Snow Shoe Club,
organized by him. This had quite a vogue for several
years, and in the snowshoe tramps that its members
were accustomed to take he led the way with his
characteristic vigor and staying power. A clubhouse
was provided where the members enjoyed many a joy-
ous evening, with its founder as the chief entertainer.
Later this developed into the Marquette Club, which has
grown to be one of the popular institutions of the city,
with a membership comprising all its leading citizens.
But, the greatest benefit Mr. White conferred on
the people of Marquette was in securing for them their
splendid city park, "Presque Isle." This off-shoot from
312 JAMBS RUSSELL
the mainland, with which it was connected by a piece
of impassable swampy ground, was a Government
reservation for lighthouse purposes. It lies about four
miles from the business section of the city. Mr. White
had long greatly desired to secure it for a city park. A
lighthouse had been built at what was then the end of
the breakwater stretching out from what is now known
as Lighthouse Point into Iron Bay. As this was a better
location for it than Presque Isle would be there was no
likelihood that Presque Isle would ever be needed for
that purpose. Mr. White's opportunity came during
the presidency of Grover Cleveland. Without letting
his object be known, he took a trip to Washington and
worked in his usual diplomatic manner among the mem-
bers of the House and Senate to secure their consent
to having that piece of ground granted to the city for
park purposes. He felt sure that he could persuade the
President to sign the bill, provided its passage could be
brought about. The bill was passed and the President's I
signature obtained. A reservation of ten acres for!
lighthouse purposes, should the erection of a lighthouse
there ever become necessary, is contained in the grant.
Aside from that, the beautiful park is a free gift from
the Federal Government to the city of Marquette,
obtained for them solely through the efforts of the
Honorable Peter White.
But though the park became ours to have and hold
and enjoy, there was no means of easy access to it. It
could only be reached by boat from the city. So Mr.
White again put his shoulder to the wheel. He got
together a fund to which he was the main contributor
and built a good road from the city to the park that
made it available to the people of Marquette, also
building a driveway around Presque Isle. The city
PETER WHITE 313
has since taken on the burden of caring for the road
and driveway, and has converted it into a splendid
boulevard. A street railway now connects Marquette
with its park so that the delightful place has been rend-
ered accessible to everybody here and to people from
communities up the road who visit it in hundreds dur-
ing the pleasant season of the year.
Among the notable achievements of Mr. Peter
White was the celebration at Sault Ste. Marie of the
fifteenth anniversary of the opening of St. Mary's Ship
Canal, for which he obtained an appropriation from
Congress and another from the State of Michigan by
action of the Legislature. This was a pretentious affair
and was attended by many of the leading men of the
country. The principal address was delivered by Mr.
White. Quite a fleet of vessels was present, the most
notable among them being the Wolverine, the only
battleship at the time on the Great Lakes. An impos-
ing feature of the pageant was a military parade by two
battalions of the State Militia, two of the United States
Regulars, and a battalion of the Michigan Naval Militia.
Three military bands furnished the music. The Chief
Marshal of the parade was, very properly, Charles T.
Harvey whose name is so intimately identified with the
building of the canal.
Memorable also was the celebration here at the
unveiling of the replica of the statue of Pere Marquette,
secured for this city through the efforts of Mr. White
and the celebration later held at Mackinac Island when
a similar repLca was unveiled there.
Among the many devoted friends whom Mr. White
made during his long and useful life was Dr. William
H. Drummond of Montreal. Dr. Drummond was the
314 JAMES RUSSELL
author of a volume of exquisite verses written in the
Canadian French dialect. This volume he dedicated
to Peter White. I feel that I cannot close this paper
more fittingly than by quoting this beautiful tribute
paid him by Dr. Drummond:
"Strong in his gentleness, wise in his simplicity,
practical in his enthusiasms, pioneer in an age of
pioneers, the man whom children on the street know
only as Peter White, stands today, it seems to me, the
very highest ideal of that civilization of which the
American people are so proud. When such men build
the foundations, easy it is to raise the superstructure,
and the trail Peter White has cut through life is blessed
by acts of private charity and deeds of public devotion
that will serve as a guide to those who follow in the foot-
steps of a truly great and, above all, good man."
Peter White died in June, 1908. His wife, Ellen S.
White, died in July, 1905. Their lives were full of
good and kindly deeds.
"May their souls rest in peace."
ASSININS AND ZEBA
THE TWO OLDEST PERMANENT SETTLEMENTS ON
KEWEENAW BAY
BY FRANCIS JACKER
ASSININS
WHEN the tourist approaching Lake Superior from
the east has crossed the Huron Mountain range
and speeding down the steep grade leading shoreward,
emerges from the shadow of the woods into broad day-
light, an agreeable surprise awaits him. A grand sheet
of water tinted in ultramarine, stretches out before his
gaze, toward the north until lost in the vast expanse of
the lake. Its unlimited horizon gives the mind an idea
of th( magnitude of this unsalted sea, the mightiest
in existence.
Leaving L'Anse, the County seat, to our right, the
"Fire Car" after a short run along the water's edge,
reached Baraga, the sawmill town. Closely nestled
in the furthest nook of the bay, it lies west of L'Anse.
Less than three miles due north, running on a perfectly
level road-bed through an idyllic pine-grove, takes us
to Assinins, the Catholic Indian Mission. Here we get
out, leaving the iron horse and proceed into the heart
of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
The late Mr. Curzon, rector of the Episcopal Church
of Houghton, once asked the writer, "How comes it
that the Catholics, who have always been first taking
a foothold in the wilderness, were beaten by the Method-
i ists in the establishment ot a mission in Keweenaw Bay?"
The writer is an octogenarian. To mount Pegasus at this state of life is like
I trying to obtain a wholesome draught from a pool of stagnant water, laboriously
forced through rusty pipes, as compared with a swallow from a living spring bub-
bling up from Mother Earth ever sparkling and delighting. Note by the writer.
(315)
316 FRANCIS JACKER
I could not answer the question then and there and
simply took cognizance of the fact. True, the founda-
tion of the Methodist Mission takes precedence of the
Catholic by a few years.
Jesuit missionaries had penetrated into the Lake
Superior country and labored among its inhabitants as
early as the seventeenth century. The latter kept
changing their camps with the seasons and had never
yet seen a white man. Father Menard, as early as
1660, made his headquarters in St. Theresa Bay, as he
named our bay of Keweenaw. There, in all proba-
bility at the present site of Pequaming, he erected a
temporary chapel. Less than a century ago a band
of Ojibways were still enthroned there in a village.
On this same ground, our Methodist Indians gather
for their annual camp meeting.
Menard remained at this place nine months, where-
upon he started with three Indians for the headwaters
of Black River, where, he had been told, a band of
Hurons, many of tliem Christians, were awaiting him.
In spite of the warnings and entreaties of his compan-
ions to turn back, he continued his perilous march in
the direction of Lac Vieux Desert, in the vicinity of
which he got lost. Whether he starved to death or was
killed by the Indians will never be known.
Keweenaw Point, the narrow tongue of land reach-
ing far out into Lake Superior, may be compared with
an arrow, the configuration of the lake indicating
the bow -drawn ready for action. The resemblance is
striking and the comparison the more appropriate as
the surrounding country has always been the home of
the Ojibways with bow and arrows the principal
weapons used in battle as well as in the chase. The
peninsula with its rich copper-bearing rock forms an
ASSININS AND ZEBA 317
important part of the State, and its history presents a
parallel to the history of Manhattan the world's capital.
Both islands were acquired by the United States from
the natives for a ridiculously low price. Today the
value of these two possessions, if divided among the
descendants of the tribes concerned, would create
millionaires of them, every man, woman and child;
in the case of Manhattan Island, multi-millionaires.
Previous to 1866, a narrow neck of land, the Portage,
connected the "Point" with the main body of the
Upper Peninsula, thus disqualifying it from being
classed as an island ; but since in the interest of naviga-
tion this neck has been removed, the minor peninsula
is entirely separated from the main body. It now
actually forms an island.
"Fire Water" a generation ago, was the demon
against which the missionaries had to battle hardest
in converting the Indians and keeping them within
the laws of God and man. To obtain the accursed
drink, they would hazard life and liberty. Since the
prohibition law came into effect, we see a change for
the betterment of the race. A shocking percentage
of accidents ending fatally were attributable, either
directly or indirectly, to intoxicating drinks. The fol-
lowing incident which came under the writer's personal
observation, may serve as an example.
Moses Obimigijig, a blind old man, dependent for
his living on public charity, was in the habit of mak-
ing annual trips all through the mining towns, accom-
panied by his sturdy wife. He carried with him a
paper stating his affliction and recommending him to
the charity of the public. The paper was his demigod,
for it gained, both for him and wife, an easy living and
318 FRANCIS JACKBR
no end of booze. Being handled so much, it had to
be recopied from time to time, which act of grace was
performed by someone anonymously. However, when
Moses' investment in liquor increased to an alarming
degree, some conscientious copyist inserted a warning
to the public to restrict their charity to food and cloth-
ing and not give the couple any money. This caused
a big drop in their cash earnings. They could not ex-
plain the cause until some dusky friend, who was
able to read, enlightened them. So one day Moses
and his spouse appeared before the writer explaining
their errand and producing a greasy sheet of paper to-
gether with a clean one, requesting me that I make a
new copy omitting two heavily underscored lines
the objectionable clause. I accommodated them will-
ingly as far as I conscientiously could and copied the
document, word for word, not excepting the clause.
In making them believe it was all right, I perhaps told
the biggest lie in my life. They both were exuberant
with their thanks and left me smiling and happy. It
was the last I saw of them alive. The next thing I
heard about the couple was the news that their little
craft, a row boat, had been found in Big Portage, partly
filled with water, a half empty beer keg floating in it.
That occurred on July 4th. A few days later the body
of the woman was found on a sand beach near Bool
jack; that of the blind man near Sturgeon River mouth,
a week later.
The saddest part of the tragedy remains to be told.
Relatives of the unfortunate couple insisted upon mak-
ing an investigation as to where the latter had ob-
tained the liquor, so as to bring the guilty party before
the tribunal of the law, which they professed was their
object. Accordingly, a party of four left Assinins in a
ASSININS AND ZEBA 310
sailboat steering for Houghton. They stopped for the
night near Portage Entry at the home of their friend
John Sky, a well-known character at that time. He
was an expert hunter, but still more famous in locating
a blind pig, if any existed within the radius of a day's
journey. His visitors, contrary to their expectations,
found him home perfectly sober. There was a blind
pig only half a mile away, but John's pocketbook had
collapsed and the lawless vendor of fire-water was
careful and would not sell a drink without the cash,
even to so good a customer as John. However, his
friends carried some money with them, so when the
sun had set and a veil began to hang over the waters,
he, with one of his friends, crossed the river and enter-
ing the premises of the Dutchman through a private
door, had his jug filled. That night there were some
free musical performances in improved Ojibway style,
which kept the two or three neighbors, the writer
among them, awake up to a late hour. The party
after enjoying a much needed day's rest, gave another
free though less animated entertainment the night fol-
lowing and at day-break made preparations for home,
the wind being favorable. They got what they wanted,
a good spree and the knowledge, to be taken advantage
of in the future, of a place easily to be reached where
one can get drunk undisturbed as much and as often
as he likes to. Alas! This longed-for chance never
came. They sailed through the river and out into the
bay without any mishap, but once in the open lake,
the wind increased in force, striking the sails squarely
on the beam, and coming in puffs as it did, a clearer
head and a steadier hand were required than any of
the four possessed; the boat capsized and its inmates
were plunged into the cold waves of Superior. The
320 FRANCIS JACKER
bodies of young Obimigijig and his cousin were picked
up with their clothes stripped in the vain endeavor to
swim ashore. One of the other two was Chief Meia-
wash, whose death was much regretted.
DESCRIPTION OF VILLAGE
Assinins is a village of perhaps thirty dwellings,
not including the convents scattered without place or
regularity over perhaps as many acres. The land
rises from a sandy beach, traversed by a railroad track
to a moderate height. The county road from Hough-
ton to Baraga passes through the village. When
Father Baraga (in constituting its only street in 1843)
established this mission, he built the log houses all in
a row along the sand beach as close as safety permitted
yet far enough apart to leave room for a garden be-
tween each house. These structures have long since
been removed; frame houses have been erected instead
farther back on the top of the hill, where there is more
room and better soil. The population at that time was
about 150 souls, mostly full-blooded Indians. There
were several white settlers outside the village proper
within a radius of a mile or more who were married to
squaws. Counting these with their children the num-
ber of souls under the missionary's charge may have
reached 200. This is about the present population,
with this difference, 50 years ago more than half the
inhabitants were full-blooded Indians, while today
only six may be found with never a drop of white blood,
and one hundred years hence, the nearest approach
to an Indian, in the United States, will be, we predict,
the man, woman or child one-quarter Indian; but
before that day arrives, they will be in spite of what
blood may yet pulsate in their veins, no more Indians;
ASSININS AND ZEBA 321
the race with the extinction of its language will have
ceased to exist. Mingo, yes the most of the new
generation will think and dream entirely in the English
vernacular, and with the language adopt the life and
manners of the nation they associate with, and even a
change may take place yes, will take place in their
physical appearance, if their mother has weaned them
forward. Let this truth be fixed in your mind. No
man may claim fellowship with a nation which has
become literally dead to him. We repeat, the Indians
as a race are doomed..
Meanwhile, we may still look at or describe the
Indian from a sacred angle. He is unproductive and
improvident as to the future. Many of the L'Anse
Indians who held valuable allotments on their reserva-
tions and disposed of them for a good price, went
through their little fortunes in a year or two and will
be left beggars or end in the poorhouse. Still, there
are more now than ever before who have become wise
through experiences and live economically. They are
using their earnings for improvements on their houses.
Certainly, some once were inveterate drunkards, a
nuisance to society, who through necessity turned
sober, industrious and God-fearing men, and may
serve as an example to others.
THE TRIO
The following incident which occurred while Father
Jacker was in charge of the Catholic Mission is worthy
of keeping on record, as it gives an interesting insight
into the psychology of the Indian character from a new
angle.
One day, a trio of men 'from across the bay were
perambulating the beach at Assinins, looking for the
322 FRANCIS JACKER
loan of a boat. They had just come out of the woods
and wanted to cross over to Zeba, where they hailed
from. As they had been tramping the woods all day
gathering medicinal herbs, they were tired and dreaded
to return by the circuitous route around the head of
the bay by which they had come in the morning. It
happened that most of the mission people were out
berry-picking and those left in the village had no par-
ticular liking for this party, whose reputation, indeed,
was somewhat scaly. "Why not try the Black Robe,"
suggested one who seemed to be the leader. "I see
his boat over yonder and I know just how we can get
the use of it. You remember when we passed Solo-
mon's place this morning, we heard him cough; it
sounded like a bad cough to me and he being Catholic,
may be glad to see the priest and thank us for bringing
him over. So this is our opportunity." Accordingly,
they went to see the Black Robe, told him of Solomon's
fictitious condition, that he wished to see a priest,
explaining at the same time that they had gone afoot
around the head of the bay on account of the heavy
west wind and that they had expectations they could
not borrow a boat to take them back to Zeba. Con-
trary to that, the good Father, of course, willingly got
his little craft ready for the trip, though it was hardly
safe to carry them all. However, the wind was ii
their favor and they reached shore without any mis
hap. They at once hastene^d to their habitation, th<
trio preferring not to call at the sick man's until later.
Solomon's wife happened to stand in the open door
awaiting, as it seemed, his visitor. The Black Robe
quietly advanced and in a.low voice asked, "Is he con-
scious. " "Conscious, yes," reiterated the nonplussed
woman eyeing him sharply. "What do you mean,
ASSINJNS AND ZEBA 323
conjurers. He has been chewing a ham bone for the
last half hour." And spying at this moment some
figures who were hastily retreating behind a thicket,
she, with a sudden light in her eyes, added quickly,
"Did you come over with these worthless scampers,
Father. I wonder what they are up to now."
The case explained itself. However, this is not the
end of our story. The best part, in our consideration,
is what follows.
This shameful treatment of the kind missionary at
the hands of these tricksters embittered him at first
against them, but later on he looked at it in a more
humorous light. It was, however, not much of a joke
to row three miles against a dead headwind in the dark
and alone. Though the perfectly healthy Solomon
offered to take him home, the missionary would not
hear of it. The perpetrators of the deed themselves
felt the great wrong they had done the good Father
and they honestly waited for the chance to right the
wrong. This chance presented itself at the next an-
nual payment. The missionary happened to be there.
After leaving his boat at the landing and taking a few
steps through the assembled crowd, he felt a hand laid
upon his shoulder and turning around, met the gaze of
a well remembered visage. Though somewhat guilty
looking, the former spokesman confronted the aston-
ished Father with the regular greeting of "Bo Jo,"
and stretched out his hand for a kindly shake which
was responded to. Then the penitent culprit, after
another shake, faced the crowd nearest him and ac-
costed them. " Friends J You see the Black Robe
from across the bay, whom, as you all know, I treated
so shamefully the other day. He was kind and help-
324 FRANCIS JACKER
ful and we wronged him, I and my cousins. You
have heard of the foul trick we played him and for which
I have been sorry ever since. He has some old and
poor people in his charge who need help. I want to
try and make good my wrong and beg you to join me."
Saying this, he took off his hat, grabbed a note from
out of his pocket, placed it in the crown of his hat and
started his round, encouraging the faltering with say-
ing, "You all have money today. If you only give a
quarter, it will help and not hurt you." There were
those who would not respond; but most of them, catch-
ing the spirit of the occasion, contributed at least
something. The Black Robe was naturally elated
over this unexpected psychological enigma.
LIFE AT THE MISSION IN THE 40's AND 50's
The most conspicuous objects of this little village
spread out over the top of a rocky hill, are the closely ;
interwoven edifices of the church, convent, schools,
and priest's house, built of solid rock extracted on the
very spot. The well cultivated ground surrounding
it has been turned into a large garden, its walks bor-
dered by a splendid orchard. There are two water-
mills supplying the necessary moisture to this natur-
ally rich soil. One of the windmills is in the center
of the garden; the other one, now seldom used, is on a
lower level, right where the ground shears off abruptly,
meeting the sand beach of the lake shore. There are
barns, stables and woodsheds. All the inhabited parts
are provided with modern heating apparatus and elec-
tric lights. The owners and their wards keep every-
thing in the place trim.
Fifty years ago this mission boasted of a church
built of logs by Father Baraga, beginning to show
ASSININS AND ZBBA 325
signs of decay. A small school and a little farm house
was just in process of erection for the priest's quarters,
who himself was the architect, carpenter, and mason,
with another one of the Indians helping him. There
were about twenty log houses Father Baraga had built
partly at his own expense and with his own hands, the
population being perhaps 150 souls at that time (1843).
They lived almost exclusively on fish and various
game, keeping neither cows nor horses, dogs and
chickens being their only company. The fur of the
game which they killed and the berries they picked
when the season came around and what sugar they
made out of the maple sap, all helped to make ends
meet, although all or most of these articles were plenti-
ful, especially the trout and white fish: there was no
market for it. They had to dry their berries, and
smoke their fish and venison for their own use, which
was a good thing; for there come periods during the
year when the condition of the weather prohibits
fishing, when game is scarce or hard to catch, and sea-
sons when the huckleberry crop is failing, due to frost
or other causes. Yet if they had been provident
starvation would never have threatened them. There
was enough food for dwellers near the lake spread out
so thinly, enough to carry them through from one
season to the other: if they only provided for the future
in time of plenty. Of course, being so plentiful, fish
was cheap and it was not easy, especially in the winter
time, to dispose of it to the nearest settlers, of whom
there were not many. The country was in its primeval
state until the mines began to develop. There was no
other way to travel but by shoe paths in the winter
time or a canoe trip. Fifty years ago, a settler along
the Keweenaw Bay was practically as far away from
326 .FRANCIS J ACKER
a. market as Chicago is today from New York. Their
nearest to it, the Copper mines, just growing into life,
were 24 miles distant, the only road leading thither
consisted of a snowshoe trail through the never-ending
woods or a moccasin path when the snow was gone.
The ice on the lake was not always available for travel
on account of the fissures opening at -times, which in
closing again threw up masses of heavy ice, hard to
pass. But when the ice both in Keweenaw Bay and
Portage Lake was in fine condition, traveling with
dogs and sleighs was fine. The nearest habitation on
their way to Houghton was a shanty two miles south
of Houghton. In summer of course these new towns
could be easily reached with bark canoe, which a few
L'Anse Indians still possessed and but few were able
yet to construct. The winter's journeys after a heavy
fall of snow when every track was wiped out were all
but demoralizing. Sometimes the load of a barrel
of flour on their toboggan as they toddled along through
the silent woods got stripped off on their way un-
awares, by the overhanging bushes with their load
of snow; or the packs on their sleigh would be shaken
from side to side, loosening the bonds and necessitating
adjustment, and it was unavoidable that melting
snow penetrated mittens and coat-sleeves and all too
suddenly reached their sweating bodies. If their fin-
gers were at all delicate and apt to get frost bitten,
that was the time to freeze them good and hard.
FISHING
Today when towns in actual reach in the Kewee-
naw Peninsula are no further apart than a couple of
miles, connected by steam, rail or water, almost too
short a ride for real enjoyment, when you cannot find
ASSININS AND ZEBA 327
a hamlet or isolated farmhouse along the road which
does not carry its own wire and when you can call up
sooner by phone than you can reach your neighbor half
a mile from you across a snowbank or a half-frozen
river, there is a good market for fish and game,
almost anywhere, but where is the fish. It was sold
during the Civil War for 3 cents per pound for trout
and 5 cents for whitefish of the largest size, perhaps
5 pounds.
When the Keweenaw Peninsula awoke from its
long slumber in the 5)'s and 60' s and towns and mills
began to grow up like mushrooms, there was no more
difficulty for the Indian fisherman to dispose of his
fish, but the trouble was how to make ends meet with
the various industries developing in the mining coun-
try. The fishing industry also enlarged its scope and
soon experienced fishermen flocked to the Superior
shores and conducted the new industry on a hereto-
fore unknown scale. Steam power took the place of
sails and oars, and miles of netting at places the width
of Keweenaw Bay were ruled off at a time.
HO! GOGEBIC COUNTY!
BY SUPT. CHARLES R. COBB, M. A.
BESSEMER
ID ACKWARD, Turn backward, O Time, in your
-*-* flight, make me a child again just for tonight,"
sang the poet with the vanishing visions of youth.
But time has never turned backward; none of us has
ever been a child again even for a night. We have
passed the parting of the ways and there have been
many partings. We assemble now and again to_re-
new and record the memories of the yesteryears.
^_ As I stand before this assembly of pioneers it seems
but fitting that I should bow my head in silent rever-
ence as I visualize the trials and tribulations, the
struggles, and the sacrifices that have made possible
a history of the Upper Peninsula. If in our schools
we fail to give the cost in life and limb and sacrifice of
the civilization which we and our fellow citizens now
enjoy, we shall have failed to completely teach respect
for law and order.
e^We assemble today that we may go back on the
trail of passing events to that time when the Indiai
warrior in full stature stood beneath the tall hemlocl
on the hill-top and sang to his mate in spirit and pei
chance in truth, "Arowona, on my honor 1*11 take
of you, I'll be kind and true in a wigwam built for two,"
and then made her chop all of the wood, carry all oi
Address before the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, at L'Anse, Aug
11. 1921.
(328)
Ho! GOGEBIC COUNTY! 329
the water and bear the numerous other burdens that
he might see fit to thrust upon her.
From this stage of savagery to this day of gas,
running water, electric lights, washing machines, auto-
mobiles, and aeroplanes, is a long, long journey, the
cost of which only those know best who have been
active participants in the passing of events.
In Gogebic County the organization of an Histori-
cal Society has been a belated piece of work. We are
so far behind that I can best illustrate our position by
telling you the story of little Sammy Stutter.
Sammy attempted to cross the Atlantic on one of
the larger steamers as a stowaway. They had been out
but a few hours when Sammy was discovered and
made assistant to the assistant of the assistant cook.
One morning Sammy hastened to the Captain and
began Ka-Ka-Ka-Ka k-k-Kap-tain. "Go tell it to
the first mate," said the captain, "I haven't time to
get it." Sammy went to the first mate and began,
M-m-m-m-ma-ma-mate. "Go tell it to the second
mate," said the first, "he'll have time to wait." Sammy
went to the second mate and began, M-m-ma-ma-ma-
mate. "Oh, sing it," said the second mate. And
this was Sammy's message; Sh-sh-sh-Should old ac-
quaintance be forgot and never brot to mind, the cook
has fallen over board and's twenty miles behind."
Gogebic County is situated at the western extrem-
ity of the Upper Peninsula with Lake Superior on its
north, the State of Wisconsin on the south, Iron River
on the east, and Hurley on the west.
It has an area of 1,150 square miles with approxi-
mately 725,000 acres of land, about two-thirds of which
is suitable for agricultural purposes and susceptible
330 CHARLES R. COBB, M. A.
to the highest state of cultivation. The surface is a
rolling plateau of glacial origin, interspersed by many
beautiful lakes and streams. Some of these lands have
been cut over by the lumbermen who cut the pine and
left the hardwood standing.
Again there are thousands of acres of virgin forest
which have never felt the woodsman's* ax.
The soil is a rich black sandy loam with a pervious
clay subsoil varying in depth from a few inches to many
feet, containing a large amount of nitrogen, potash,
phosphoric acid and lime content, the essential ele-
ments in the rapid development of plant life.
After the fall of the pine came the iron ore ex-
plorers, whose discoveries made possible the develop-
ment of the mines which have called for the popula-
tion this county now has. In this county you will
find progressive communities, good roads, good
churches, good schools, good water, good climate,
good merchants to greet you, and good health. The
Indian maiden, tradition tells, beguiled and consoled
by the gew-gaw glass beads and baubles of the tran-
sient whites, first led men to the iron ore deposits
which have made possible the present development of
the mines, the principal industry of the county, an
industry with a payroll of more than half a million
every month in normal times.
Since the time when this county was a part of
Ontonagon we have grown tremendously. Ironwood,
the metropolis of the county, is a city of some 16,000
inhabitants. It has all the modern equipment that
it is possible for a modern city to have. Ironwood is
situated on the Montreal River seven miles west of
Bessemer. Wakefield is six miles east of Bessemer,
Ho! GOGEBTC COUNTY! 331
the county seat, situated on the Chicago and North-
western Railroad. Between Wakefield and Bessemer
is the village of Ramsey. Sixteen miles east of Wake-
field is Marenisco; Watersmeet is 32 miles east of Bes-
semer, situated at the top of the great divide between
the Lake Superior river system and the Mississippi
Valley. This, ladies and gentlemen, will give you some
idea of the county, a more or less detailed history of
which I may be able to give you.
This historic data of the various communities has
been gathered on a .sort of intermittent installment
plan.
To William H. Knight we owe much for our data
on the Ironwood section. Captain Knight has been
for many years a resident of Ironwood. He is a type
of the sturdy mining pioneer. Tall and strong, with
the hair of his head as thick as the proverbial Indian's,
and as white as the driven snow. Mining explora-
tions were first made in the Ironwood locality by Land-
seer Norrie who came from New York in 1881. He
first sunk a shaft in what is now known as the Ash-
land Mine. Dissatisfied with results here he later
sunk a shaft on the Norrie location, in what is now
known as the old Norrie Mine. J. D. Day was one of
the early superintendents of this mine. He was fol-
lowed by a Mr. Tribelcock, and he in turn by Captain
W. H. Knight. The Norrie is one of the largest pro-
ducers on the range. It was early controlled by the
Metropolitan Land and Iron Company of which S. S.
Curry was president and manager. Mr. Curry is an
exceptionally active man for one of his age, making
the trip from Boston to Ironwood last spring unac-
companied. A man of medium size and patriarchal
beard, of Scotch descent, both canny and witty.
332 CHARLES R. COBB, M. A.
The'Norrie was the first mine to produce 1,000,000
tons of ore in one year. This occurred under the
supervision of D. E. Sutherland who has been an offi-
cial of this mine from its earliest days, and is at present
its general superintendent. Hale and hearty, he fishes
pickerel in Lake Gogebic today with the zest and en-
thusiasm of a man who has made of fishing a fine art.
Shortly after the abandonment of the Ashland
mine by Norrie, the Hays brothers of Ashland sunk
the shaft deeper, and still control this property.
About this time John Burton of Geneva, Wiscon-
sin, discovered and developed the Aurora mine, first
as an open pit and later as an underground mine.
One of Aurora's earliest captains was Mr. Brewer,
who died last winter of heart trouble while attending
a murder trial at Bessemer.
East of the Aurora is the Pabst mine, discovered by
Fred Pabst, one of the men who helped to make Mil-
waukee famous.
Again John Burton, not content with the Aurora
discovery, continued his explorations and later dis-
covered the Iron King, which was opened in 1886.
This is now the Newport location of 320 acres. Chuck
Stevens was the first Captain and J. R. Thompson gen-
eral manager. Thompson demonstrated in the work-
ing of this mine that ore could be secured at deeper
depth than was previously deemed possible. But this
he did after much pleading and persuasion; it was far
from an easy task to get the capitalists to sink their
money far below the point where their contemporaries
ceased to invest. At last a certain sum was set aside
for Mr. Thompson with the definite understanding
that if ore was not discovered by the expenditure of
Ho! GOGEBIC COUNTY! 333
this sum, no more would be forthcoming. The money
was spent, no ore was found and the phantom Despair
greeted our determined and desolate captain. But
like Columbus of the 15th century he lost not faith,
and the word that he gave was, "Dig on and on."
He did not however give the word until he had left
the field of action and pleaded and begged that he
might have money sufficient to go just another one
hundred feet, and he offered his own service without
charge if at this additional depth no ore was found.
He at last prevailed UROU his directors and having suc-
ceeded returned to the field of action, with steadfast
faith that ore would be found. Having gone but 50
feet he discovered the vein that he sought and from
this mine today they're hoisting ore.
In October, 1884, the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and
Western Railway entered the county. At this time
we were still a part of Ontonagon County. This road
was soon bought by the Chicago and Northwestern.
In October 84 trains were running into the mining
camps on the Montreal. The station was as yet un-
named. A few engineers and prospectors were stand-
ing one autumn afternoon near the tracks viewing the
plotting of the unnamed community, when someone
asked, What shall we name this new born child in the
galaxy of American cities? At this psychological
moment old Captain Wood came stalking down the
track. Captain had been rechristened by his asso-
ciates and was commonly known as "Iron" Wood.
Upon his appearance one of the men immediately sug-
gested the name of Ironwood and thus the metropolis
of Gogebic County received its name.
Captain Hibbard of the Aurora was first president
334 CHARLES R. COBB, M. A.
of the village of Ironwood. In this city where now
stands the up-to-date store of Davis & Fehr was a
tote road and piles of cordwood. What is now the
"Walker House" was the first hotel, established by a
Mr. Webb in 1884. James Monroe was the first State
Representative of Gogebic County. Mr. Monroe is
still living, hale and happy, a regular reservoir of in-
formation. The early doctors were McCabe and
Thomas. Among the attorneys were Buck, Humph-
rey, Gammond, and Hascombe. Many of the pioneers
are still living, many have crossed the Great Divide,
and it is our sincere hope and purpose to gather from
those who remain, records of the things that were in
their lives but commonplace, but as data in the records
for future generations are of incalculable and intrinsic
worth.
For data on the first discovery of ore in Gogebic
County and the growth of Bessemer village we are
indebted to William Guyer of Bessemer, since 1885
and before this time of Rockland. Mr. Guyer has for
years been city clerk in Bessemer. In '93 he was
driver of the city fire team, and previous to this team-
ster for Clancy and Bond. He is of French descent,
short, fat, and sparse of hair, congenial, courteous,
kind and accommodating, well liked and appreciated
by all who know him. With this gentleman and his
wife we spent one splendid evening gathering data on
Bessemer's birth, growth and development.
Over in the village of Rockland dwelt a woodsman,
short of stature, long of hair, an Irishman by birth,
quiet and easy going. From Rockland he wended his
way to what is known now as the Victoria mine; from
here by tote road he made his way to the Norwich
Ho! GOGEBIC COUNTY! 335
exploration; from here by Indian trail to the North
end of Lake Gogebic; on and on he traveled, from the
south end of Lake Gogebic by Indian trail to what is
now known as Wakefield, and on again by Indian trail
to a point that is known now as Summerling's farm.
Here he left the trail, going south by west across the
ravine and over the ridge to the place where he dis-
covered and developed in 1878 the Nemikon pit, a
point nearly one hundred miles from his home in Rock-
land. In 1882 he discovered the Galena, and also
magnetic ore at the south end of Lake Gogebic. For
many years he lived the life of a woodsman at the
north end of the lake. In his later years he became
blind and was taken to the poor farm at Ontonagon
i County where he passed from the land of Indian
trails to the long, long trail of eternity. Thte Nemi-
kon was just a little south of what is now the Tilden
office and the remains of the cabin in which Dick Lang-
ford lived while developing the Nemikon may still be
seen on the farm of Charlie Johnson. In 1885 Sell-
wood, Moore and Wood opened the North & South
Colby pit not far from the Nemikon and west of the
Tilden office, in what is now the city of Bessemer. In
1885 the Ironton shipped some ore but was closed in
1889. At this time Captain Christopher, Clancy,
Sampson and Holms secured an option on these prop-
erties, the Colby & Ironton, but because of depleted
funds gave up the option in 1895. These properties
were opened again in 1905 by the Corrigan McKinney
Steel Co., and have been active since that time. In
1909 the old Valley mine that had been opened earlier
by Numanacher & Benjamin, later by a Mr. Werder,
was bought by the Ashland Iron & Steel Company. .
This mine is now known as the Yale and is con-
336 CHARLES K. COBB, M. A.
trolled by the Charcoal Iron Co. of America. It is
one of the best on the Range in the equipment it has,
the buildings constructed, the homes provided for
employees, and the ore it produces (337,000 tons in
one year). The superintendent in charge is Wm. E.
McRandle, a highly efficient and capable man.
The Tilden mine was developed by the Tilden Iron
Mining Co. about 1890. In 1905 it was taken over by
the Oliver Iron Mine Co. This mine has been and is
a steady producer. Captain Harry Byrne, the super-
intendent in charge is a "home product." His father
Andy Byrne, for many years mayor of Bessemer, is at
the present one of the highly respected citizens of the
town. Many improvements are being made under
Captain Harry's administration at the Tilden.
In 1884 Pat Dolan built the first hotel in Bessemer.
This was a log structure located on Mary street east
of the present post office. In 1884 M. H. Martin
started a store on Mary street. The same year Clancy
& Bond opened a store on Sophia street near the site
now occupied by the Babicky Cash Store. In 1885
C. D. Fournier opened the Puritan hotel. This hotel
prospered for many years, due not only to the service
rendered but also to the especially kind, congenial and
energetic personality of its proprietor, Mr. Fournier,
a typical hotel man. Mr. Fournier was succeeded by
his son Charles who later disposed of the property, he
himself having yielded to the call of his environment by
taking an active interest in the more recent iron ore
developments of the range.
In 1886 was established the first and now the oldest
bank in the county, the Bessemer bank now known as
the First National Bank of Bessemer. A Mr. Garner
Ho! GOQEBIC COUNTY! 337
was the first cashier. Mr. W. F. Truettner, the present
cashier, has been such since January 1903. He was
made vice-president of the institution January 6,
1912. This bank under the management of its keen,
energetic, square and progressive cashier has now a
capital of $1,000,000; deposits of $1,412,272.91; with
resources amounting to $1,832,286.53.
Many people had moved to Bessemer in 1885-86
from Ontonagon and Rockland, and Bessemer was
incorporated as a village in 1887. Ontonagon up to
this time had been the county seat. We were still a
part of Ontonagon county. On June 4, 1886, a vote
was taken on the division of the county; this was
opposed by but one citizen. Mr. Levi Rice, at present
president of the Bessemer division of the Gogebic
County Historical Association, was very active in the
consummation of this work. In February, 1887, a bill
passed both houses of the Legislature creating a new
county. This new county was named Gogebic by
abbreviating the name of Lake Agogebic. Ironwood
and Bessemer were both in their own opinion entitled
to the seat of justice, one because of its size, the other
because of geographical advantages. Bessemer won.
All parties interested in this election as far as we can
ascertain from pioneers on both sides, voted every-
thing but dogs, horses, cows, and tin cans. One team
and teamster spent the entire day hauling the laborers
from one mining exploration to and from the polls.
This was necessary not because of the number of
voters at this camp, but because of the number of times
each voter functioned.
Leaving Bessemer at ease* on the county seat, we
find further to the east of us another village. In 18S4
338 CHARLES K. COBB, M. A.
Hubbard & Weed of Menominee built a saw mill at
the place now known as Ramsey. From 1884 to 1889
this mill handled only pine lumber and for six miles
up stream took all of the pine that was standing. Here
as in other places the explorations became numerous
from 1885 to 1887. The Eureka was opened about
this time. The Standard Oil Company opened up a
pit that is now known as the Asteroid Mine. The
Mikado at this time was perhaps the largest explora-
tion. This was opened in 1886 by a John Lester.
The mill of Hubbard & Weed burned down in 1889.
Ramsey at the present time is dependent upon the
mines for its support. The Eureka, the Castile and
the Mikado are the most important.
Passing eastward still from the village of Ramsey
with its river-etched valley and mine-dotted hills, we
come to the town of Wakefield, plotted in March, 1886.
As early as 1878 Byron White of Ontonagon with a
group of men, among them the father of Wm. Guyer, I
was exploring on the east end of Sunday lake. The |
Iron Chief, a later exploration and discovery, was
north of the lake and west of the Star explorations.
Fink, Wakefield, and Asherman were interested ifl
mining activities at this place. Because of the un-
usual activities of Mr. Wakefield in the development
of this place it was called Wakefield. For much of
our information we are indebted to Mr. and Mrs.
Bedell. Mr. Bedell arrived in the exploration and
lumber center of what is now Wakefield in March 1886.
Mrs. Bedell was clerk for the firm of Nunanmacher &
Benjamin who at that time were working the Iron
Chief. It was necessary for this man to come to Bes-
semer for the mail, a drive of 14 miles. Because of
i
Ho! GOGEBIC COUNTY! 339
this inconvenience Mr. Bedell with the consent of his
company and the assistance of Col. Knight of Ash-
land secured the establishment of a post office in Wake-
field. Mr. Bedell was appointed postmaster, and be-
ing unable to attend to both the duties of clerk and
postmaster he sent for Mrs. Bedell. Her first meal
consisted of crackers and sardines, self-served on a
dry-goods box in the rear of Hayward & Wescott's
store. There were at this time no restaurants or ho-
tels in the camp. Mrs. Bedell then assumed the duties
of postmistress. All Betters received were dated on
the envelope by hand and all stamps were likewise
scratched, the government as yet having furnished no
other means of cancellation. The men for miles
around would call for their mail, and have letters
written home for them by the kindly postmistress.
Many of them would leave their money for safe keep-
ing and all she had for months was a cigar box in
which to secure their funds. Postal hours were ir-
regular, men in their race for pleasure forgetting until
late in the night their mission to the postoffice, and
then waking the postmistress at unheard of hours to
secure their mail.
Nunanmacher & Benjamin soon sold their inter-
est in the Iron Chief to Wells Smith who controlled
the Sunday Lake mine, which had been developed dur-
ing the years 1885-86. The Hanna people were work-
ing on what is now known as the Brotherton mine.
Peem Mitchell who at the present time is in the employ
of the Oliver Iron Mining Co., discovered the Comet
mine and later followed with the discovery and growth
of the Castile property over which P. S. Williams
is general superintendent, and Mr. Fellman local
manager. Capt. Pitzsemans was at this time one of
340 CHARLES K. COBB, M. A.
the explorers on Section 18. His daughter Gertie was
the first teacher in Ironwood and his son Mat was later
cashier of an Ironwood bank.
After the transfer of the Iron Chief to the Wells
Smith firm, Mr. Bedell built a store in which was also
located the postoffice. Hayward & Wescott estab-
lished a banking department in their store, thus reliev-
ing the postmistress of her cigar box responsibility.
Mr. Ringsmith at this time established a cigar factory
thus furnishing more cigar boxes after the postmistress
had ceased to need them. Mr. Ringsmith is at the
present time an active director of the affairs of the
First National Bank of Wakefield.
The first school held in Wakefield was during the
summer of 1887, and for a schoolhouse a tent was used.
People were afraid that their children might be injured
by the wild animals in the woods, and for safety's sake
they secured a young woman from Antigo, Wisconsin,
for the summer months to teach their children. From
the tent of this summer of 1887 they moved to a frame
building another summer. Mr. Eddy, a brother of
Doctor Eddy of Wakefield, was the first superintendent
of schools. He was succeeded by a Mr. Watson, who
was a cousin of Dr. Fox, the president of our county
historical organization. Wakefield now has as finely
equipped and managed school system as any town on
the range.
That we may get some idea of the class of labor,
let me say that the Iron Chief employed only 65 men
at any time and yet 150 names appeared on the pay-
roll during the month, which would indicate that
laborers were highly transient.
Shortly after the Bedells had established their new
Ho ! OOGEBIC COUNTY ! 341
store a "variety house" or vaudeville concern was es-
tablished in the rear of the saloon adjoining the store.
The entrance to the show house was through the
saloon. The performance and the audience could both
be seen through the windows in the rear of the building.
The manager of the place was generous. As the ladies
of course objected to passing through the saloon to
see the show, he left the curtains up and the wives and
the mothers and others planted themselves on a log
pile in the rear and thus saw the performance, their
husbands, brothers, an<J beaus.
The first hotel was the Hotel De Miner. Mr.
Miner was an elderly man who had met with financial
reverses and came to Wakefield to readjust his condi-
tion. His wife, a milliner, came with him bringing a
small stock. There was not much demand for this
line of goods, but there was a demand for beds and
board. Men were sleeping on bags which had been
filled with straw and thrown on the floor, and meals
were literally hand to mouth as you secured your
crackers, sardines, cheese and bologna. So Mrs. Miner
who was a milliner and not a cook, decided to assist her
husband in the establishment of a hotel. With the aid
of more than kindly neighbors she soon shifted her
trade from trimming hats to frying spuds and the Hotel
De Miner was thrust into being.
Now Chicago, in the vernacular of the day, has
nothing on Wakefield. Paddy O'Flynn's cow kicked
over the lantern in 1867 and Chicago went up in smoke.
Now the "variety house" of Wakefield had a monkey
that stole money, watches, jewelry and jam. On
Christmas night 1887 this monkey knocked over a
lamp and the business section was burned to the
342 CHARLES R. COBB, M. A.
ground. The only fire department was a brigade of
men who threw snowballs on adjoining roofs, retard-
ing as best they could the spreading of the fire. Dur-
ing the fire the vultures of misfortune stole what goods
were saved from the flames almost as fast as the res-
cuers could carry them into the streets. After the fire
these pioneers, undaunted by the hardships and mis-
fortunes of the past, started anew, many with less than
nothing, and have survived.
Leaving at this point the story of Wakefield's de-
velopment we pass east for just a glimpse of Marenisco
and Watersmeet. For data concerning Marenisco we
are completely indebted to Mr. and Mrs. Gene Ormes,
pioneers of the type that live and survive. Mr.
Ormes arrived in what is now Marenisco on the 7th
of September, 1885. Mrs. Ormes came later. At the
present time Mr. Ormes is postmaster of the village,
owner and proprietor of a thriving and progressive de-
partment store. The Fair Brothers established a saw-
mill in Marenisco in 1885. In 1886 E. H. Scott of La-
Porte, Indiana, who owned the land at this point, gave
the N. W. R. R. every other lot for platting the town.
During the years of 1885 to '87 the town depended
largely upon mining explorations for its existence and
growth. From this date it has depended largely upon
the lumbering interests, although some exploring has
been done from time to time since then. In the later
eighties there was much exploring in silver and lead
options and at the present time the R. B. Whitesides
people are running dia.mond drills in this locality.
For 36 years faith in iron has lived and may yet ma-
terialize in Marenisco. This community has not in-
corporated as a village but is under township organ-
Ho! GOGEBIC COUNTY! 343
ization. In 1890 the Fair Brothers' mill was burnt.
In 1897 another mill was built by M. B. Ormes. In
1909 the Gogebic Lumber Company established an-
other mill. Most of the lumber handled here has
been pine. At the present time the largest operations
are the Charcoal Iron Company of America. The mill
however is at the present time leased by the Boniface
Lumber Company. The Charcoal Iron Company use
the hardwood for their chemical plant at Ashland and
the soft wood is sold to the paper mills. In 1886 a
postoffice was assigned to this place of Marenisco, and
Robert Fair of the Fair Brothers mill was the first
postmaster.
At first thought you would conclude that Marenisco
was perhaps an Indian name, or the name of some
prominent or notorious resident of the earlier days.
But E. H. Scott when he left LaPorte, Indiana, to
further his real estate interests, left behind a little
woman by the name of Mary Enid Scott, the choice of
his youth and maker of his home. He had not for-
gotten, as men are so often accused of doing, this help-
mate of his, back in the old home town. If you but
glance at the three words Mary Enid Scott and take the
first three letters of each you will have named as he
did this place we now call Marenisco.
Now hastily we pass along to Watersmeet, when
John Kelly in 1882 with coach and four took by stage
travelers from the Northwestern railway to Ontona-
gon, Rockland, Bruce's Crossing, Boniface and other
points on the stage route. Mr. Kelly also had charge
of the United States mail service on the stage line.
The road from Watersmeet to Ontonagon was known
as the military road. This road was built by the
344 CHARLES R. COBB, M. A.
Government back in the 60's at the time when the
Indians of the Northwest were about to assert them-
selves in protest against infringements by the white
man. The military road extended from Showano,
Wisconsin, to Watersmeet, from here to Rockland,
thence to what is now Greenland, known at that time
as Maple Grove, thence to Houghton, Hancock, Calu-
met, and Eagle Harbor.
Interior, Wisconsin, was a large lumber camp nine
miles in from the railroad at Watersmeet. The traffic
to and from this camp necessitated the establishment
of a trading post at this point. Watersmeet has been
entirely dependent upon the lumber industry and the
railroad shops. The Kelly brothers, Pat and Ted and
Joe, are direct descendants of the late John Kelly.
They are owners and managers of a large garage and
hotel in this place. They are of the type of men that
you are glad to know and claim as friends, possessing
the personality that fosters and the spirit that de-
velops the very best e' sprit de corps among their fel-
low men. When driving through, fail not to stop at
Watersmeet.
But the time has been long and your life is fleeting
and much must be omitted; just a word about the panic
on the range. A census was taken in '93 in all the
villages, of the men, women and children, and pro-
visions were allotted on the army ration plan. Many
suffered and many were the hardships endured. Many
and varied were the donations made by outside places,
food, silks, satins, and broadcloths, prayerbooks,
and Bibles. But the story of Samuel Pruca, as told
by a lady who then was shopping in one of the "poor
stores" on the range will suffice. Samuel came in
Ho! GOGEBTC COUNTY! 345
one morning with a soap box on his shoulder. There
was evidently something in the box, as Mary judged
by the care with which he carried it, and she said,
"Sam, whatever have you got in that box?" Sam set
it on the counter, and then it was that Mary knew.
In this box was a dead child, and Sam had carried it
miles that it might have a last resting place near the
village in the city of the dead.
In this incomplete way I have tried to tell the story
which memory has recorded, of only a few passing
events, that perchance, we may be inspired to delve
deeper into the details of the pioneer days and learn
of all the monkeys, mines, and men. with which our
history may be replete. And I can assure you that
we are greater in the things we hope to do than the
things that we have done. We are glad to fall in line
to save the remnant of a heritage which will soon be
forever lost, and if even a portion shall be rescued from
oblivion it will be worth many times the cost, to those
who seek to know in future years the things that have
seemed to us but commonplace.
IN MEMORY
BY THE REV. DR. CHARLES J. JOHNSON
MARQUETTE
THE assembly room of the Peter White Public
Library was filled Sunday afternoon, on the llth
day of June, 1922, with citizens of Marquette County
who gathered to pay tribute to the memory of the late
John Munro Longyear. The memorial services were
conducted under the auspices of the Marquette County
Historical Society of which the deceased was the
President.
Many of the older residents, business associates,
intimate friends and others were present to participate
in the exercises. The Saturday Music Club Quartette,
composed of Mrs. William Pohlman, Miss Kate Snell,
Mrs. L. R. Walker, and Mrs. F. A. Hatch sang, "And
He shall wipe away all tears. " Professor J. E. Lautner
read the Twenty-third Psalm, after which he led the
assembly in reciting in unison the Lord's prayer.
Various addresses were then delivered by those with
whom the late Mr. Longyear had been associated in
some connection. At the conclusion of the exercises,
a song was sung, "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere," by
Mrs. L. R. Walker and Mrs. F. A. Hatch. The serv-
ice was closed with the pronouncement of the bene-
diction by Rev. Johnson.
The meeting was opened by Dr. T. A. Felch, of
Ishpeming, Acting President, who spoke as follows:
"My dear friends: The purpose of this meeting is
to honor the memory of our late President, the Hon-
(848)
IN MEMORY 347
orable John Munro Longyear. At a special meeting
of the Board of Directors, held Monday, June 5th,
the Rev. Dr. Charles J. Johnson offered a resolution
which he had prepared and the same was unani-
mously adopted. It is not long, and since it states
precisely the reason for this service, I will, with your
permission, read it in its entirety. It is as follows:
WHEREAS, The late John Munro Longyear was the hon-
ored President of the Marquette County Historical Society,
and
WHEREAS, His administration has been marked by earn-
est endeavor and enlightened liberality in advancing historical
research and its diffusion, and
WHEREAS, Death has deprived our Society of his wise
counsel and splendid leadership; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That, in recognition of his distinguished
services and as a mark of respect to his memory, a public memo-
rial service be held Sunday, June 11, 1922, at three o'clock in
the afternoon, in the Assembly Room of the Peter White
Public Library for addresses on his life, character, and public
services; and be it further,
RESOLVED, That this memorial be entered upon the
minutes of the Society, and that a copy thereof be transmit'ted
to the family.
Signed, CHARLES J. JOHNSON
OLIVE PENDILL
"Thus the officers of our historical society wisely
thought it would be appropriate to call this memorial
meeting at this time that they might express, and have
other friends express, the high esteem and affection in
which they hold the memory of our departed Presi-
dent. We are all familiar with the great interest Mr.
Longyear took in our organization and its usefulness.
Few men would have the inclination, and fewer still
348 DR. CHARLES J. JOHNSON
the ability to sponsor the research and investigations
connected with this work as Mr. Longyear has done.
' 'Being himself a pioneer in this county, and having
tasted somewhat of the hardships and sacrifices con-
nected with such conditions, he well knew the interest
such research work would be to future generations and
of its value to the historian.
"Long ago he had the vision of the needs and oppor-
tunities of our county, and he lived to see the begin-
ning of his dreams come true.
"Each individual member will always hold in fond
remembrance their social relations with our late Presi-
dent, and this Society itself will be a memorial to the
genius and enthusiasm of Mr. Longyear."
Mr. J. E. Sherman told how in the summer of 1881,
on the street in Lansing, he met Mr. Edward Sparrow,
who was a boyhood friend of Mr. Longyear. Mr.
Sparrow said, "Mr. Sherman, I want a good man to
send up to Marquette. Munro Longyear wants some-
body to help him in his office." Mr. Sherman said,
"How would I do?" "First rate," was the answer.
In about three days Mr. Sherman landed in Mar-
quette and went to work for Mr. Longyear, and,
added Mr. Sherman, "I have had no other allegiance
since. It seems to me there could be no business man
on earth whose mind could work freer of all prejudice
and truer to the right things than did the mind of Mr.
Longyear."
Mr. M. J. Sherwood, who was associated with Mr.
Longyear through a quarter of a century, said, "Mr.
Longyear had many most admirable outstanding char-
acteristics, perhaps the most noticeable were his love
of justice and his scrupulous honesty and integrity.
IN MEMORY 349
Mr. Longyear was one of the fairest and most just of
men, and he was the personification of honesty. His
success in business was due entirely to his own efforts
and his far-sighted vision. He never speculated. I
recall at one time many years ago suggesting the pur-
chase of stock in a copper mine then being developed.
The stock was selling at a fraction of what it surely
would be worth if the mine developed as it then prom-
ised. On Mr. Longyear 's declining to purchase, I
said, * You'll buy this stock when it is selling for ten
times its present price,' to which he replied. , '.Yes.
I'll know then that it is a mine and that the Stock is
worth the price.' Mr. Longyear saw, as few -did in
the early days of the Upper Peninsula, the future of
this great country. He studied and learned it thor-
oughly, and in order to do so, day after day, tramped
through these forests with his pack on his back, camp-
ing under the trees wherever night overtook him.
With the knowledge thus obtained, aided by the con-
fidence his integrity inspired, he had little difficulty in
enlisting the capital necessary to make desired invest-
ments. He was a builder, not a wrecker. He did not
build success out of the mistakes or misfortunes of
others. He never took advantage of the necessities or
frailties of anyone. I was one day standing before
Mr. Longyear's home in the company of one of Michi-
gan's best known public men. This man said to me:
'Longyear is the one and only multimillionaire I have
ever known about, whose fortune never cost a sigh or a
sorrow from any living creature. His fortune has
been made entirely by himself and not a penny of it
has ever been taken away from someone else.' Great
wealth must have brought to him the satisfaction of
achievement, but it brought no pride of purse. He
350 DR. CHARLES J. JOHNSON
remained always the same modest, dignified, demo-
cratic gentleman, easy of approach, courteous and
kind. In his dealings with others, he was positive.
He could say 'No' and he could say * Yes/ and each
was said in the same kind, courtly, considerate way.
He was never self-centered. The number of young
people he has helped to get a start or to obtain an
education is large, but these acts were kept always in
that silence which he would still desire. Mr. Long-
year had a keen sense of humor and enjoyed with
spontaneous laughter anything witty or humorous.
But his mind and thoughts were pure. He was an
ideally attentive host and a charming guest, a lovable
companion. His love for his country and for Michigan
his native State was intense, he loved every rock
and tree and stream of this great north country. It
was here he most enjoyed life, and it was here that he
wished his ashes to lie. Mr. Longyear was a type of
the ideal American gentleman."
Hon. Fred H. Begole spoke of his many years of
association with Mr. Longyear, and of his personal
qualities and public spirit: "For thirty years it was my
good fortune to have been associated with him ii
business. For thirty years it was my happy lot t<
know that he was my friend. Never during all thos
years did an unkind word pass between us. His lif(
in this county was an example to us all. The story of
his life for a half century is an inspiration to a genera-
tion which knows nothing of hardships as he knew
them and as he conquered them. He was modest,
unassuming, successful. He was a good neighbor, a
loyal citizen, a conscientious man, and a faithful
friend. What higher praise than this can be given by
IN MEMORY 351
anyone. Mr. Longyear was always public spirited,
and freely gave of his time, wealth and talents, when-
ever called upon to do something for the public good.
To his family who survive him, we all tender our deep-
est sympathy and assure them that the perfume of
his kindness and gentleness will linger in our mem-
ories."
Mr. Frank J. Jennison spoke also of his fine per-
sonal traits: "During many years acquaintance with
the late John M. Longyear I have been in a position to
observe closely many ajcts of his that indicated unmis-
takably the strong and sterling character of the man.
My own impulse, however, is to dwell upon his per-
sonal characteristics, traits that endear a man to his
circle of friends his modesty, patience, dread of no-
toriety, quick sympathy and wise counsel, his kindly
humanity and approachability at all times. A vivid
memory will always be his absolute refusal to counte-
nance sharp dealing in any form and his silence when
encountering misunderstanding or criticism. As an
upright business man, as husband, father, as a friend,
and as a Christian gentleman, he approached the
Heal."
Prof. Lew Allen Chase, Secretary of the Marquette
County Historical Society, spoke of Mr. Longyear's
historical interest and gave some very interesting rem-
iniscences of their friendship. He said: "My first
impression of Mr. Longyear was gained from an illus-
trated lecture which he delivered at the Michigan
College of Mines after his return from the island of
Spitzbergen where he was interested in developing a
coal property, which was later . disposed of to Nor-
wegian interests. I was impressed with his precision
of information and readiness of expression, although
352 DR. CHARLES J. JOHNSON
commonly Mr. Longyear did not impress one as a
fluent speaker. Only last year I happened upon a
report on the present condition of this Spitzbergen
enterprise prepared by one of our Consuls in Norway.
It occurred to me that in all probability Mr. Longyear
would be interested in this report and I left it on his
desk. He expressed pleasure at having had the oppor-
tunity to peruse it, but it was illustrative of the full-
ness of his information on a wide range of topics that
he casually observed that much of the matter contained
in this account was already known to him. When my
official connection with the Marquette County His-
torical Society threw me into personal contact with
Mr. Longyear, I was frequently struck with the sanity
of his judgments and the definiteness and range of his
information. If I had occasion to show him a report
or other document bearing on the history of this region,
he speedily ran onto something therein which elicited
an illuminating comment based upon his own experi-
ence. He was not ignorant of the operations of the
old Lake Superior Silver Lead Company, or the slate
quarry at Arvon in which his relative, James Turner
of Lansing, was an unfortunate investor, or of gold
mining in Marquette County, or of cattle ranching;
and, of course, he knew a great deal about the past
of iron mining and lumbering. When I called atten-
tion to the interest that some conservationists had ex-
pressed in the data relating to standing timber to be
found in the files of the Michigan State Tax Commis-
sion, he promptly expressed his opinion of the worth-
lessness of those records, based on knowledge of the
inexact methods of .cruising which led to uncertain
results. He said that he himself often went over the
.. IN MEMORY 358
same tract of timber on different days under varying
atmospheric conditions and obtained widely varying
results. Mr. Longyear got some of his earliest experi-
ences in the woods in the Saginaw Valley in the early
70' s. It was a rough life but it did not seem in any
way to corrupt his mind. He seemed to love to revert
to these early experiences and to his Lansing home.
I remember on one occasion his telling me of being
carried about the streets of Lansing in 1893 by one of
the earliest automobiles constructed by Mr. R. E.
Olds. On another occasion he gave at length with
great particularity the 'inside' story of the struggle
between James Turner of Lansing, a relative of his,
and the Grand Trunk Railroad for the control of the
line which Turner had built between Lansing and
Flint. Unknown to the Grand Trunk, Turner had
effected a junction of interest with the Vanderbilts
and this gave him success. Whenever I laid a new
document before him, he perused it with great interest
and generally found therein some item of information
that recalled some experience of his own that bore on
the matter. His recollection was always full and his
judgments well weighed. He liked to tell a story that
had some point of humor in it but I never heard him
narrate anything that was in the slightest degree
questionable. He was in hearty sympathy with the
acquisition of material for the Society, believing that
the time to acquire was when the opportunity pre-
sented itself. That seemed to appeal to his business
sense. I think death was to him quite unexpected
for when on one occasion I referred to someone who
had attained the age of sixty-five as old, he remon-
strated with me, saying that such a man should be
in the prime of life. So he seemed to be until last
354 DR. CHARLES J. JOHNSON
summer, when an old injury to his limb gave him re-
newed trouble and kept him indoors for some weeks.
His heart was in the Upper Peninsula and it is very
fitting that his ashes should repose at his beautiful
Ives Lake farm which he loved so well.'*
Rev. Johnson spoke also of Mr. Longy ear's his-
torical interests, and particularly of his interest in
furthering the study of the history of the Upper Penin-
sula of Michigan. Said Dr. Johnson: "He was a
student of history. He knew history and understood
it. He caught the significance of events as applied
to human life and human destiny. His name is in-
separably linked to a priceless collection of docu-
ments and objects, relating to the growth and de-
velopment of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and
donated to the Marquette County Historical Society.
The task of gathering memorials was one of the delights
of his last years. In that collection, there is hardly a
picture that he has not seen; scarcely a book or pamph-
let that he has not examined; but few maps or charts
that he has not inspected; and not an object or docu-
ment of any description that has not afforded him in-
tellectual pleasure. His interest is shown in the
markers that dot the highway of our county. The
county appropriated the means for their material
structure, but it was Mr. Longy ear's fine thought that
made the research possible which established these
facts and interpreted their significance. We all re-
member the Marquette Pageant, staged at Teal Lake,
a few years ago, in commemoration of a century of
Americanism in the Upper Peninsula, an event that
drew, it is estimated, some 25,000 people together.
He made its literary production possible. We remem-
IN MEMORY 355
ber the historical exhibit held last winter, when for
three consecutive weeks, by day and night, three
thousand five hundred people came to inspect it. It
was owing to his thoughtfulness that the children were
being instructed, by the maps and models, charts and
pictures, objects and documents, concerning the basic
industries of Marquette County. Though still in-
complete, this educational monument will recall him
daily through all the years to the people of the County
of Marquette, arid to those who come to refresh their
enthusiasm. But his^ aspirations for the furtherance
of Upper Michigan history was much greater than the
assembling of historical material. It was his fine in-
tention that out of it should be compiled a history of
the Upper Peninsula, comprehensive and authorita-
tive, tracing the civilization of our Upper Country
through two centuries, including a portrayal of the
economic expansion of the County of Marquette in
its earliest decades. Like the collection, the com-
pilation is in the making. Mr. Longyear's deep inter-
est in advancing historical research and its diffusion
received appropriate recognition at the last session of
the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society; just a
few days before the silver cord was broken, the State
Society by unanimous vote made him an honorary
member."
Mr. Longyear was deeply sincere in his religious
views, and his favorite hymn was read by Mrs. A.
Matthews, an intimate friend of the family. It is as
follows:
O Life that maketh all things new,
The blooming earth, the thoughts of men,
Our pilgrim feet, wet with thy dew,
In gladness hither turn again.
356 DR. CHARLES J. JOHNSON
From hand to hand the greeting flows,
From eye to eye the signal runs,
From heart to heart the bright hope glows;
The seekers of the Light are one.
One in the freedom of the truth,
One in the joy of paths untrod,
One in the heart's perennial youth,
One in the larger tho't of God.
The freer step, the fuller breath,
The wide horizon's grander view,
The sense of Life that knows no death,
The Life that maketh all things new.
MY EARLY DAYS IN HASTINGS
BY M. L. COOK
(Publisher, Hastings Banner)
HASTINGS
I WAS born in Barry county and my home has always
been within its borders, 55 of my 60 years in Hast-
ings. I have had some opportunity to note the won-
derful changes that have taken place in the surround-
ings and home life of their people.
When I began to observe such things, Barry County
was far from an unbroken wilderness. Probably half
its area was*still virgin forest. Log houses were com-
mon. Ox-teams were numerous. Wooded areas of
considerable extent were plentiful. The larger wild
animals had disappeared, but small game was abun-
dant. I can recall seeing the skies darkened with im-
mense flocks of pigeons on their migrations to or from
their nesting places in the north woods. Wild ducks
and geese occasionally wild turkeys rewarded the
hunter's quest for game in the fall. And you should
have seen the squirrels sometimes the fox, the gray
and black seeking nuts in the autumn. I well re-
member witnessing a hunter, in just a few minutes,
shooting nine black squirrels from a single tree close
to one of the main traveled roads within a mile of this
city.
When my father started to clear the underbrush
for the home which he later erected on West Green
Street in what was then woods, he was startled by the
whirr of the wings of a frightened partridge, and a
(357)
358
M. L. COOK
little later discovered a whippo or will's nest within six
feet of what was afterward the front wall of the house
he built, where Keller Stem now resides.
I spent the long summer vacations, when a boy, at
my grandfather's farm home in the township of
Prairieville. We had to go four miles to get the mail
at the Prairieville postoffice. The stage came once a
week from Kalamazoo, then proud to be called "the
big village of Michigan." Later the stage made two
and still later three trips a week. Contrast this with
the daily rural free delivery of mail, and the coopera-
tive telephone in nearly every rural home! I have
been an eye witness of the marvelous changes in farm
operation brought about by the self-binder, the steam
thresher, the up-to-date tools for plowing, harrowing,
sowing, and securing of crops. Changes more wonder-
ful these than all that had taken place in rural life from
the dawn of history up to sixty years ago.
I vividly remember some incidents connected with
our ride from Prairieville to Hastings in the fall of
1863, when we moved from the farm to Hastings,
then a village of 1,000 people. From west of West
Creek to the bend in Green Street all was woods. On
the south side of the street and bordering it were clear-
ings. Back of these was Dunning's woods, whose trees
I have seen fairly alive with pigeons. Where P. T.
Colgrove's residence now stands was a dense growth
of brush, covering half of the block. The "High-
'lands" west of the schoolhouse, then called "Bumble-
Bee Plains," could boast a few small houses, in its
thickets of hazel, thorn bushes, and oak grubs. What
is now the second ward had a few scattered homes.
The first ward, north of the river, had not many more.
MY EARLY DAYS IN HASTINGS 359
In every direction the town seemed hedged in with
woods.
There was no railroad in 1863, nor till five years
later. Mail was brought every day from Battle Creek
in the big stage, drawn by four horses. I can see it
now coming down Jefferson Street, the driver cracking
the whip, and the prancing horses showing off at their
best as they turned the corner at State Street, and
were brought to a standstill on the vacant corner, by
the Hastings House. Before he reached what are
now the corporate limits, and as he was journeying
down Jefferson Street, the driver would announce his
coming to the slow-going villagers by frequent blasts
on a musically-toned horn. The coming of the stage
was an event, it was the town's one and only touch
with the great outside world.
I was too young to know much about the Civil War.
I can recall that when we were living on the farm in
Prairie ville, my mother took me to the door to let me
see a company of young recruits going away to the
front, marching by our home, with the Stars and Stripes
proudly waving over them. I remember when near
the close of the war a soldier's body was brought here
for burial in the cemetery, which was then where the
new High School building now stands, and a company
of men in uniform fired the customary volley at the
grave side.
The conspicuous feature of the down-town portion
of the village was the old two-story frame court house,
placed near the center of the square. The block was
then fenced to protect the yard from the cows which
roamed at will in the public streets. Stile steps at the
north and south boundaries of the square were the
360 M. L. COOK
means of gaining access to the wide pine-plank walks
which led to the entrances to the county's building,
the Mecca then as now for people from all quarters of
the county. In those days what was done in the old
court house, particularly conventions and court pro-
ceedings, bulked large in the otherwise very uneventful
life of the village.
Next in size, and north from the public square, was
the old frame two-story hotel, the Hastings House.
At the corner, bordered on two sides by the hotel, and
on the other two by State and Church Streets, was a
small vacant square where the stage drew up at night-
fall, and the weary passengers alighted after their 26
miles journey over rough and hilly roads from Battle
Creek. Here on the Fourth of July, or when Fore-
paugh's show came to town in the summertime, Mine
Host turned many a pretty penny from the dancing
that took place, all day and all the night, in the leafy
"Bowery," constructed for those who delighted in
tripping the more or less "light fantastic."
The larger homes of those early days were grouped
near or surrounded the court house square. They were
hospitable homes, too. Not a single residence or busi-
ness place in town was of brick. The only structure
of that material was the jail, known as the "Big Brick,"
but that name sadly belied its size and appearance.
It was situated a block west of the court house square
where the home of Philo Sheldon now stands.
The business district then comprised two and one
half blocks on State Street, and one on Jefferson.
The stores were one and two story frame structures,
highly inflammable as to materials, and monstrosities
when viewed from the standpoint of art. On both
MY EARLY DAYS IN HASTINGS 361
sides of State, from Broadway to Michigan avenue,
were wide board walks, made of the choicest two-inch
white pine plank, with the same material for "string-'
ers." A plank with a knot in it would be rejected.
The same clear, white pine was used for the narrower
walks on the residence streets, with inch boards instead
of two inch. The same care was exercised in select-
ing boards for the smaller walks. That lumber, which
had to be renewed every five years or so, would be worth
$100 per thousand feet now. But the citizens of that
day did not feel at all puffed up over being permitted
to walk on such boards. Pine was .so plentiful then
that no one dreamed of a time when it could be con-
sidered an extravagance to use clear white pine in a
sidewalk.
The business and professional men of my early
boyhood days whom I now recall were: Hon. Henry
A. Goodyear, Nathan and Wm. Barlow, R. J. Grant,
O. D. Spaulding, Alvin Bailey, Julius Russell and J.
M. Nevins, who conducted general merchandise stores;
D. G. Robinson and R. B. Wightman, hardware mer-
chants; D. C. Hawley, Joseph Cole, Mason Allen and
George Preston, grocers; George Keith, landlord of
the Hastings House; James Roberts and F. D. Ackley
the druggists; Augustus Rower and J. G. Runyan the
shoe dealers.
Of lawyers I remember Hon. James A. Sweezey,
Wm. Hayford, Isaac Holbrook, C. G. Holbrook, Wm.
Burgher, and Lawyer Mills. As I recall the justice
court and circuit court trials of that period, prominent
features were: the browbeating of witnesses; cuttingly
critical and very personal remarks which the attorneys
addressed to each other; oratorical efforts to win the
362 M. L. COOK
sympathy of the jury for their clients, rather than
arguments.
The health of the village was safely reposed in the
hands of Drs. Wm. Upjohn, J. M. Russell, A. P.
Drake, C. S. Burton and John Roberts. The dentist
was Dr. Wm. Jones, although Dr. Drake also did some
work of that kind. The first Barry County young
man who graduated from the Dental department of
our State University and then began his dental prac-
tice in the county was Dr. S. M. Fowler, a resident of
this city for several years, now Major Fowler, whose
home is in Battle Creek. He was stationed at Camp
Custer during the War.
The pioneer barber shop in Hastings was estab-
lished by the late John Bessmer in 1864. He after-
ward engaged in the jewelry business.
The industries of that early period consisted of the
upper and lower grist mills on Fall Creek, also a saw
mill on the same stream, and a carding mill, where good
old Deacon Van Brunt and later Welcome Marble
carded into rolls the fleeces brought to the mill. The
power was furnished from a dam across the Thorn-
apple River near the present site of the Wool Boot
factory, and the water was conveyed through a race
to the mill 100 rods down stream. Two dams on Fall
Creek within the village stored the water for the grist
mills, and in winter furnished fine recreation for the
youngsters who enjoyed skating. The "Old Swim-
ming Hole" was at the bend in the river, just north of
the Bookcase factory.
The two-story frame building that occupied the
center of the school house square was the "temple of
learning. " It was quite an imposing structure. Archi-
MY EARLY DAYS IN HASTINGS 363
tecturally it* stood in a class by itself, and was not im-
pressive. Its location on the hill overlooking the
town was all that could be desired. Providence
mercifully spared me the pain of viewing its ugliness
for too long; for one night early in the year of 1871 it
burned to the ground. It had four rooms and five
teachers. But its meager appliances, and its lack of
modern methods, did not prevent its doing the founda-
tion educational work for Clarence M. Burton, an
authority on Michigan history, an author, and for
many years president^ of the State Historical Society,
also for his equally talented brother, Charles, famed as
a Detroit attorney, and also for Loyal E. Knappen,
now an honor to the federal bench. All of which goes
to prove that something more than a fine school build-
ing and splendid equipment are required to fit a man
for a large place in the world. Unless there be added
the ability to think, to vision things straight, together
with high ideals, the fine building and equipment may
not compare favorably in output with less pretentious
structures.
An event connected with my early schooldays
which I recall was that after the railroad had been
completed to Hastings the entire school was dismissed
one afternoon to witness the arrival of the first pas-
senger train. We marched to the old depot in the
second ward and hopefully for hours and hours looked
to the east to see the expected train, only to suffer
disappointment. An accident prevented its arrival, and
its coming was the event of another time when the
schools were not dismissed. But never doubt that
we were witnesses of many later arrivals which her-
alded the end of the old stage coach. Pictures of the
Barry, Eaton, Jackson, and Kent, names of the engines
364 m M. L. COOK
which drew the trains to and from Hastings, are viv-
idly impressed on my mind. They were exactly alike
as to size and polished brass ornamentation, and were
named for the four counties through which the Grand
River Valley Railroad passed. Naturally we were
partial to the "Barry." They all burned wood. In
smokestacks they were gigantic, but in every other
respect they were the merest dwarfs by the side of
the locomotives of today.
Recent fires have brought to my mind the old time
Hastings methods of fighting that destructive ele-
ment. If flames were discovered in one's home the
alarm was given by the lusty voices of its discoverers.
If access could be had to one of the churches the bell
was rung. Arrived at the endangered dwelling, a line
was formed to the nearest cistern or well, from which
water was pumped or drawn as rapidly as possible
and the pails passed from hand to hand down the line,
possibly up a ladder, to the men who tried to put the
water where it would subdue the flames. The success
of this method was more than you might credit, es-
pecially if the wind were not blowing. Shortly after
we removed here the village fathers decided that the
growth of the town warranted a better means of fight-
ing fires and they committed the unpardonable extrava-
gance of purchasing a "hand engine" as it was called,
which some more ambitious town had discarded. If
you could have seen it, and especially have witnessed
the back-breaking labor of the twenty men, ten on
each side, who operated this venerable outfit, you
would have quickly reached the conclusion that the
town which parted with it -at any price did a mighty
good stroke of business. With the advent of this
"hand engine" came the hose cart and the formation
MY EARI/Y DAYS IN HASTINGS H65
of a volunteer hose company. In the day-time teams
would draw the apparatus to the Jire; in the night
more or less willing hands would drag the heavy load.
In the absence of the regular company others volun-
teered or were called on to man the big hand engine.
Sometimes in winter, after it had been pulled by hand
to the vicinity of the burning building, it would be dis-
covered that all the cisterns in the neighborhood were
dry, so the engine was useless, as the suction pipe
could not reach the water level of the open wells. On
State Street two big cisterns were made, so as to assure
a water supply in case fire should invade the business
district. The location of one of these cisterns is re-
sponsible for the big depression in the brick pavement
in front of the Morrill-Lambie store.
There were but two churches in Hastings in 1863,
the Presbyterian and the Methodist. Soon after the
war there was established the third, the Episcopalian.
It was a hard struggle to keep them going, for I doubt
if their combined membership including members from
the country was 150. The business element in Hast-
ings, with a few shining exceptions, in those days seemed
to be quite indifferent about the churches or their work.
They did not oppose them but seemed to feel that their
support was the other fellow's job.
Part of the funds for paying the preacher was de-
rived from socials, not your modern * 'suppers," where
you eat, pay and make a quick get-away. The church
social of that time was held in someone's home. There
were light refreshments later in the evening; but you
were expected to come with the wife and children and
visit, sing, and play such entrancing games as "snap
and catch 'em." The elders as well as youngsters
entered with great zeal and fervor into that and other
366 M. L. COOK
games. This social was no "pay as you enter" propo-
sition. Quite the contrary, a receptacle was put in a
conspicuous place on the parlor table, and you were
expected to drop a fiver, or if you were of the aristoc-
racy, a "tener" of the shin plaster currency of that
period, the five and ten being cents, not dollars,
mind you.
And who could or would forget the "donations" to
the preacher? There was variety for you, in more
ways than one! These social functions were always
held at the preacher's own home. We would say
that was "Rubbing it in" on the good man. But I
doubt if in those days the annual donation visit was
considered by the Dominie as anything less than one
of the inscrutable methods of a kind Providence for
maintaining orthodoxy in the world. Everything
seemed to be coming the preacher's way that night,
stovewood, a quarter of a beef, bushels of potatoes,
onions, and apples, bags of flour, baskets of eggs,
baked things and some cash. Neither can I forget the
donation supper, when the "kid" was not asked to
wait for the second table, but had his plate filled over
and over again with substantial food, and no limit
except his capacity for the baked chicken served thai
night!
Michigan was supposed to have prohibition durinj
this period. But the law was so loosely drawn, and
technical, that a conviction under it was quite impos
sible. The proverbial Philadelphia lawyer must have
been its author. Under it drinking places flourished.
A small stock of wet goods and a room to sell them ii
were the sole requirements to set one up in the liquoi
business. When Hastings was a town of less than
MY EARLY DAYS IN HASTINGS 367
2,000, in the early 70's, there were 27 places where
liquors were vended here. In front of, or in the rear
of, or underneath, every grocery store in Hastings,
there was a liquor saloon. I can remember the first
grocery established here without a saloon. Where
there were so many, competition made most of them
ready to ignore all considerations except personal gain
in the^ sale of their goods. Drunken young men as
well as older men were so common when there was a
crowd in town that the attention paid to them con-
sisted in getting out of their way. Then came the day
of "regulated" saloons! We at first, as I recall it, had
14 licensed saloons. But the "regulation" by license
was a sorry failure. Then came a wave of popular
sentiment against them for their utter defiance of all
law. They were vigorously prosecuted and a few con-
victed and heavily fined. In return for this, the saloon
crowd daubed the fronts of the Methodist and Presby-
terian churches, also the homes of some of their promi-
nent members, with great splotches of ink. All through
its history in Hastings, the licensed saloon was an abom-
ination. No wonder Barry County was among the
first nine, after Van Buren, to wipe out the curse, and
happy are we over the fact that today the Stars and
Stripes wave over a saloonless nation.
With present day tolerance of opposing views, the
politics of the late sixties and early seventies was a
marked contrast. It hardly seems believable that men
who ordinarily were on terms of amity, who would
take one another's word about all other matters, who
were even close personal friends, could view each other's
political opinions and actions with such marked dis-
favor and suspicion. It was no doubt the survival of
the bitterness growing out of the Civil War, and of the
368 M. L. COOK
sentiments which men entertained as to the necessity
for it, and the manner in which its issues should be
settled. With our quiet, orderly ways of conducting
elections, under the Australian system, we can hardly
believe that in that period on election days a crowd
always stood around the polls, many peddling tickets
for the party of their choice, and pleading with the
unstable or doubtful to vote for this or that party,
or at least to use one of the slips for some favorite
candidate. Drunkenness at the polling places was
common, and sometimes personal encounters and rough
and tumble fights.
The old time political meeting, with its intense
partisanship, manifested in torch-light processions,
parades, etc., can hardly be realized. In the Grant
and Coif ax campaign in 1868 I can recollect that a
large troop of young ladies came from Woodland on
horseback twelve miles to Hastings, and rode their
horses in the Republican parade. Can you imagine
young ladies doing such things now.
The change from the Hastings of 1863 to the Hast-
ings of 1919 is typical of the progress of our country.
Boasting is quite unseemly; but we nevertheless think
that few towns of its size in the country have more of
the comforts and conveniences of civilized life, more of
the things that speak of helpful living and useful in-
dustry than has this little city. And yet one cannot
forget that living in that earlier time with its simple
pleasures and easy going ways had its compensations.
There was a spirit of real neighborliness, of helpful
interest in other folks, a sociability that was founded
upon good will and kindness, that make the older days
seem delightful, and make us feel that we are being
robbed of much human good by the hurry and bustle
of our modern life.
MARY F. THOMAS, M. D., RICHMOND, IND.
BY MRS. PAULINE T. HEALD
HARTFORD
'"PHIS Victory Year seems a suitable time to remem-
ber some of the women who so long ago started
the agitation which helped to make possible the use of
the ballot for you and me.
I wish I could make you see something of the life
and service of my mother in the forty years when I
knew her, and the more than thirty years since she
went away. From many of her writings, it has been
hard to decide how little I could use.
My mother was of Quaker parentage, born in Mary-
land, and in church government men and women were
on a basis of equality. It was not strange that she
early saw the injustice to women in the world. When
only eighteen years of age she felt this so strongly that
she took for her life work, helping women and chil-
dren.
First, the anti-slavery movement gained her inter-
est, especially from one incident while the family were
living in Washington City. A slave girl came to the
kitchen door asking for food and shelter, and her
master and overseer came to the front door at the same
time; the poor girl was taken back to slavery, crying
bitterly. My mother's father, Samuel Myers, with
Read by Mrs. Pauline T. Heald, daughter of Mrs. Thomas, before the Michigan
League of Women Voters, at Battle Creek, Mich., on Sept. 30, 1920.
(369)
370 MRS. PAULINE T. HEALD
Benjamin Lundy, held the first anti-slavery meeting
in the United States, in Washington, D. C.
In 1832 the family removed on account of slavery
from Washington City to Salem, Ohio, where many
Quakers were already settled. Then for some years
she and a younger sister helped her father on the farm,
as the only brother was a little boy. The sisters
studied at night with their father who had been one
of the best teachers in the East. In 1839 she was
married, by Friend ceremonies, to Owen Thomas, the
parents on both sides having been married by the same
ceremony. Later, when possible, she studied medi-
cine with my father, who was then a practicing phy-
sician. Her home always came first with her, so she
waited until the youngest of the three daughters could
be left safely with her parents, when she went in 1852
to Penn Medical University, Philadelphia, the only
college then open to women in the United States.
Her sister, younger, Dr. Hannah E. Longshore, was
practicing in Philadelphia where no druggist would
then fill her prescriptions because she was a woman,
so a brother-in-law with whom she had studied always
got her medicines for her. Even her daughter, Mrs.
Lucretia L. Blankenburgh, whom many of you know
both as a suffragist and club woman, was ostracized
by the boys and girls at high school because her mother
was a doctor. Another much younger sister, Dr.
Jane V. Myers, afterwards practiced medicine in Phila-
delphia. In the West there never was the same preju-
dice against women physicians that there was in the
East, so my mother could always buy her own medi-
cines and have her prescriptions filled.
The family lived for some years at Fort Wayne,
MARY F. THOMAS, M. D. 371
Ind. Then they went to Richmond, Indiana, on ac-
count of the better school system, largely fostered by
the many Quakers and by the lack of foreign popula-
tion; so, from 1856 for more than thirty years Rich-
mond was the family home.
My mother already knew personally or by corre-
spondence many of the suffragists both in the West
and the East. Lucy Stone lectured in Fort Wayne in
1855, and then began their lifelong friendship. In
1857 my mother for a year or two edited and published
The Lily, the first woman's paper in the West. It
was published first by Amelia E. Bloomer of Council
Bluffs, Iowa, then by Mary B. Birdsall of Richmond.
In some early numbers of The Lily so many women's
names appear that were household words to us,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy
Stone of course, Lucretia Mott an old family friend,
Frances D. Gage, Helen Tracy Cutler, Earnestine L.
Rose, Amelia Bloomer, Rev. Amanda M. Way, Emi
B. Swank and many others, both men and women.
Mrs. Lizzie Bunnel Read then took The Lily, changed
its name to The Mayfloicer, and published it for about
ten years at Peru, Ind.
In 1859, for the first time, my mother was presi-
dent of the Indiana Woman's Rights Association.
As its president, she addressed the State Legislature
on the legal status of woman; this address, a copy of
which I have, might have been used in our State cam-
paign as well as then. She was State President for
many following years, helping to hold Conventions in
different parts of the State.
My mother always had a large correspondence",
and besides the care of her family, which always came
372 MRS. PAULINE T. HEALD
first, and the practice of medicine, she found time to
write for many of the papers of the State on the ques-
tions of the day. How she could do so much, I have
never been able to see.
In the early years of her practice, while she could
buy her own medicines and have prescriptions filled,
the best physicians would not counsel with her; but
she had my father to counsel with. She was refused
admission to the Wayne County Medical Association,
and my father declined to be a member if she could
not; but in 1870 conditions had changed greatly, when
she was asked to join the County Association, and by
that body was made delegate to the State Association
at Indianapolis; and early in the 80's that body hon-
ored itself by sending her as a delegate to the National
Medical Association which met in Chicago; there were
besides my mother two or three other women physi-
cians as delegates.
When the Civil War came, my father was in charge
of a Government hospital on the Pacific coast, and my
mother did much war work, as have our women for the
World War. Then much of the war work was done by
the Sanitary and United States Commissions, Our
War Governor, afterwards Senator Morton of Indiana,
sent doctors and nurses down the Mississippi to bring
home the sick and wounded Indiana soldiers, my
mother going once to Memphis and again to Natchez,
Mississippi, on that errand. On the return of father
from his work on the Pacific coast, he served as Surgeon
in charge of the Refugee Hospital at Nashville, and my
mother as Matron, a woman could not hold the posi-
tion of Surgeon.
The family were again at home in Richmond, my
MARY F. THOMAS, M. D. 373
mother resuming her practice of medicine as well as
helping in all good works of the day in the city. The
slaves were free. Then came work for Temperance
and Woman's Suffrage. Often she was City Phy-
sician, and in that capacity could know of people who
needed practical help. One night my mother was
called to a rooming-house to see a sick woman and her
baby. The woman was a Catholic and the baby had
never been baptized, so one winter morning, at four
o'clock, my mother went for her good friend, the Catho-
lic Priest, to come and baptize the baby; and so at its
death the mother was cfomforted. A widow with three
little children, having a struggle to make both ends
meet, was helped by my mother to get a toll gate
where house rent and a small lot of ground were free.
In the Temperance work she helped in the organ-
ization of the Good Templars and the W. C. T. U. In
the early years of the Suffrage agitation there were the
two societies, the National with Susan B. Anthony,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others as leaders, their
annual meetings were always held in the East. The
Indiana State Association was auxiliary to the Ameri-
can, with Lucy Stone, Henry B. Blackwell, Mary A.
Livermore, my mother and others as leaders, their
conventions were held in the Middle West and as far
South as Louisville, Ky. In 1882, I think it was the
date, the convention was held in Omaha, Neb. My
mother was then president of the American and did
much work for the success of this meeting. She helped
to secure the separate prison for Indiana women at
Indianapolis, also trying to secure the property rights
of women. From that time on, and in 1888 when she
left us, she was full of good works, doing the Master's
work in so many ways.
374
MRS. PAULINE T. HEALD
It is a great comfort to the two daughters left, one
in France during the World War, that her later years
were, we think, the happiest. She had overcome
much of the prejudice of early days. Any doctor in
that part of the State was glad to counsel with her, and
she was universally respected and beloved. One of
her last conscious utterances was "Tell Lucy Stone,
the principles we have advocated are right, and I
know it," and the beloved physician was at rest.
DR. GEORGE J. EDGCUMBE
BENTON HARBOR COLLEGE AND
ITS PRESIDENT, DR. GEORGE J. EDGCUMBE
BY THE LATE VICTORIA C. EDGCUMBE
BENTON HARBOR
AMONG Michigan educational institutions, Benton
Harbor College held a leading place for almost a
third of a century. * George J. Edgcumbe, M. A.,
Ph. D., was one of the founders of the institution, and
was President of it from the beginning until his health
failed in 1913. The leading place which this college
held was due largely to the attractive personality of
Dr. Edgcumbe and his remarkable ability as a
teacher.
Dr. Edgcumbe was born near Plymouth, England,
November 17, 1844, and was the son of William and
Eliza Edgcumbe. He passed his childhood years in
his native place, and when about six years old was
brought to Canada. His boyhood years, full of dis-
appointment, were passed under adverse conditions.
Through an accident he became an invalid, and for
years was confined at home, in bed most of the time,
where his only comfort was reading and studying.
But so well did he improve his time under these un-
fortunate circumstances, that he was ready to take up
his life's work when the opportunity came. He was
only thirteen years old, and an invalid, when his father
and two brothers were frozen to death on Lake Ontario,
April 1, 1857.
At the age of nineteen the boy, improved in health,
(375)
376 MRS. VICTORIA C. EDGCUMBE
was working in a printing office, with no thought of
teaching, when two members of the Board of Education
came in and asked the publisher of the paper, who was
also a member of the board, what they could do about
a new teacher in the local school. On the inspiration
of the moment Mr. Edgcumbe said: "I'm your man,
but let me go home and talk it oyer with mother."
His mother said, "George, you can't do it, my son.
You have never tried such an examination in your
life." With the same perseverance which had carried
him through the years of ill health, he answered: "I
can, and will, pass the examination if you will let me
try. All these months I have been in bed have not
been wasted." He passed with high standing, and
made good in the school, which was not an easy task,
for several teachers had given up in despair after a
few weeks of trial; it was the custom in this school for
the big boys to put the teacher out of the school house
and lock the door. Mr. Edgcumbe, however, had no
difficulty in governing this school. His success in -the
teaching profession was due largely to the fact that he
was a born teacher. He was always devoted to his
work and never entered upon his day's task without
asking for help and guidance from his Heavenly
Father.
After spending some years as teacher in the public
schools of Canada, he entered Victoria University,
from which he graduated in 1875, with the degree of
Bachelor of Arts; later the degrees of Master of Arts
and Doctor of Philosophy were conferred upon him by
Illinois Wesleyan University.
He came to Michigan in 1877 as superintendent of
the school in Deerfield, Lenawee County, and after
BENTON HARBOR COLLEGE 377
five years there he was appointed superintendent of
the Benton Harbor schools. While in that position
he effected many improvements and succeeded in
placing the schools upon a substantial footing. Through
his efforts the local school was put on the University
list, the first and for a long time the only accredited
school in southwestern Michigan.
- In 1886 Dr. Edgcumbe, in company with Mr. Seely
McGord, founded an educational institution at Ben-
ton Harbor under the name of The Benton Harbor
Normal and Collegiate Institute. The idea of this
school may be said to have originated spontaneously.
Several citizens of Benton Harbor, chief among whom
was Rev. E. L. Hurd, D. D., sometime pastor of the
Presbyterian Church, became interested in the estab-
lishment of a school of higher education in southwestern
Michigan, and early in 1884 plans were prepared for
its organization. Just when everything seemed ready,
Dr. Hurd received a call to the Presidency of Black-
burn University. Disappointed but determined to
carry out their plans, the promoters early in 1886
urged Dr. Edgcumbe to accept the presidency of the
school. The institution then became a reality, and on
September 2 of that year, it was opened and the inaug-
ural exercises were held, on which occasion Hon.
Thomas M. Cooley delivered the address.
Under President Edgcumbe' s management the
school grew rapidly, commanding respect wherever it
was known. It attracted students from all parts of
Michigan and neighboring States. In 1892 the insti-
tution was incorporated and entitled to grant aca-
demic and professional degrees. The name was
changed to "Benton Harbor College and Normal."
The first three years of the work were carried on in
378 MRS. VICTORIA C. EDGCUMBB
a two-story frame building located in the southern
part of Benton Harbor, on the site where the Catholic
Church now stands. The academic year 1889-90 saw
the college removed to Morton Bluff, a beautiful loca-
tion overlooking the lake and the city. The buildings
consisted of a main building and two dormitories.
Institute Hall, the main building, was three stories
in height, with a basement which contained a large
dining hall, kitchen, two butteries, furnace room and
janitor's apartments. On the first floor was the Presi-
dent's office, art room, music room, kindergarten,
model school, museum, halls and cloak rooms. The
second story contained an assembly hall, capable of
accommodating 600 people, together with reading room
and recitation rooms; the business department, reci-
tation rooms, matron's room and wardrobes were
located on the third floor. The Eliza Edgcumbe cot-
tage, a dcrmitory for young ladies or young gentlemen,
was also the home of the President. Looe Cottage,
a young ladies' dormitory, was presided over by the
Lady Principal.
The school was very well equipped for all courses
taught. The library and laboratory facilities were ex-
cellent. It is said that the collection of physical and
chemical apparatus had few superiors in the State.
Full instruction in the art of apparatus-making was a
special feature of the science work, in order that teach-
ers might be able to construct inexpensive apparatus
in their schools. The location of the school was favor-
able to landscape and nature study, as many beautiful
scenes lie along Lake Michigan, and the Paw Paw and
St. Joseph rivers, including forest trees and under-
growth. In the art rooms were models and casts, giv-
ing the students many advantages.
BBNTON HARBOR COLLEGE 379
In the music department instruction was given in
vocal, piano and violin music under capable and pains-
taking teachers. Monthly recitals were given by the
students. Concerts and lectures were maintained
throughout the year, and the people of Benton Harbor
were proud of the fine conservatory.
The business course, aside from its regular work,
sought to emphasize those traits of character which
are essential to success in business. Dr. Edgcumbe
always kept in close touch with the students. The
approval by business nien of the clerks furnished by
Benton Harbor College spoke well for the success of
his efforts.
The work done in elocution was of special value to
the young people because of the individual attention
given to each pupil.
In connection with the college was a kindergarten,
where students in training were required to practice.
Following the Kindergarten came the Primary school.
There were several courses in Literature, Science and
Art. The classical course required special attention
to the Ancient classics, the Scientific to the Natural
Sciences and Modern languages, and the English or
Literary course to English literature, Mathematics,
etc.
The teaching force consisted of from seventeen to
twenty men and women, most of whom had degrees
from higher institutions of learning. Dr. Edgcumbe
tauirht classes in Pedagogy, Natural Sciences and
Mathematics^ His wife, Mrs. V. C. Edgcumbe, had
charge of the Kindergarten, Primary and Prepara-
tory departments, and was subsequently a teacher in
the public schools of Benton Harbor. Prof. John H.
380 MRS; VICTORIA- C; ; BDGCU ^BB
Niz, who was educated in Germany, became professor
-of Modern Languages in 1888, and remained a mem-
ber of the faculty to the close of Dr. EdgQUmbe's presi-
dency. Dr. Harry MacCraken, at present Dean of
.the Detroit College of Medicine and Surgery, was for
some time an instructor in Benton Harbor College.
Mrs. Dr. Yale, a sister of Dr. Edgcumbe, was the first
Lady Principal, a teacher of real worth, who had rare
ability in imparting her: knowledge to others. Mrs.
W. H. Richards of Battle Creek also filled this position
with credit for several years. The success of the music
conservatory was due to the efforts of Mrs. Nellie H.
Smyth and Mrs. W. H. Bracken, women of wide ex-
perience as teachers and artists. Miss Watson, an
inspiring teacher of Elocution and Dramatic Art is at
present in Germany, having general charge of the
women engaged in "Y" work abroad. For several
years before the close of the college this department
was under the management of Mrs. Carrie E. West,
who is now a successful business woman in Chicago.
Mr. W. B. Parker (deceased) who was head of the
Business department for seven years and teacher of
Literature and Business, was a native of New England.
He spent seven years in Dartmouth College, where he
gave his attention to the pursuit of the classics. Later
he studied law and received his degree. The Short-
hand department was presided over by Miss Jessie
Wheeler, who previously was a teacher in Sandusky
Business College. Miss Wheeler now lives in Los
Angeles, California. Many other names might be
added to the list of teachers of Benton Harbor College
if space would permit.
A good idea of the character of the college may be
had from the statement of Hon H. R. Pattengill
HARBOR COLLEGE 38 1
in. 1891 shortly after a visit to the institution, who
wrote as follows :
"We are in receipt of a thirty-eight page Calendar
of the Benton Harbor Normal and Collegiate Insti-
tute. The tasty pamphlet fitly represents the fine
school which Prin. Edgcumbe has succeeded in build-
ing up.
"We find the school in charge of a faculty of seven-
teen experienced instructors. We find extensive lab-
oratories and liberal courses, Collegiate, Academic,
Preparatory, Teachers' Training, Business. Kinder-
garten, Elocution, Art and Musical departments. All
of these in actual running order and liberally supplied
with students. The character of the school may be
gleaned at once, when we know that it is one of the
regularly accredited preparatory schools to the State
University in all courses. A fine, large building in a
pleasant location, makes a home for the school and
Mr. Edgcumbe can look with complacency on the
achievements of five years work; for the school was
founded in 1886.
"We visited Prin. Edgcumbe recently and are thus
able to state that this is no 'paper' institute, but a live,
vigorous, growing, pushing, busy, happy school. We
never dreamed that such a school could be built up
and flourish as this has in Michigan. The best feeling
prevails between the public school teachers of the dis-
trict and Prin. Edgcumbe. The school is able to adapt
itself to the wants of young men and women a little
more flexibly than can the high schools. Many an one
goes to the school for a review term, and is led to take
a complete and thorough course, and the way pointed
out to College. Others get enough of business educa-
382 MRS. VICTORIA G. EDGCUMBB
tion to help pay their way temporarily, and later come
back to take a full course.
"This is no aristocratic reform school. Pupils
must behave or leave. No one suspended or expelled
from the public schools can make a hospital of the
institute. The students are inspired with a love for
study and trained to think and act as becomes young
men and women. Bro. Edgcumbe is doing a good
work. 'Long may he live and prosper.' !
Hundreds of young men and women from far and
wide received training in Benton Harbor College.
Many prepared for college and went direct from this
institution to Wellesley, the University of Michigan,
the State Normal College at Ypsilanti, Northwestern,
Ohio State University and other universities and col-
leges. Others became teachers or entered upon a busi-
ness career or went into some other of life's many activi-
ties. One of the graduates of this institution whc
was seeking admission to Holy Orders in the Protestanl
Episcopal Church requested from Dr. Edgcumbe
statement of his standing as a graduate. Upon
ceiving Dr. Edgcumbe's reply he wrote as follows:
"I am very grateful for your sympathetic letter,
and the certificate of my standing as an alumnus of the
College, in response to my request. I understand per-
fectly your surprise at my new plan, but I am sure
your approval is very genuine, remembering so well
your own devotion to the blessed faith. I hope you
will even take a little pride in my course, for however
unmindful of spiritual things your old student may
have seemed in the days when you knew him, he was
sufficiently impressed by the depth and fervor of your
religious life never to forget it as an example; and it
1 V
BENTON HARBOR COLLEGE 383
has played its incalculable part, beyond a doubt, in the
influence an irresistible stream of influence for good,
which has caught up his drifting life and borne it to
this high decision. I am sure you will be glad to know
this, for it is very easy, in your ignorance of what
becomes of your old students, to lose all sense of your
power over their wayward purposes. Doubtless you
have never given thought of me as a witness to your
own high dreams."
The first commencement exercises were held in
May, 1887, with ten graduates in the various depart-
ments. The calendar for 1887-88 lists the names of
161 students, distributed as follows: Academic courses,
57; Business, 39; Special, 57; and Art, 8. The enroll-
ment steadily increased, so that by the school year
1894-95 it had reached 476. Including fourteen names
which were duplicated, the number of students in each
department was as follows: Collegiate 152; Normal
112; Business 45; Art 29; Music 42; Preparatory 55;
and Kindergarten 41.
The "Little College on the Hill" was a private insti-
tution, dependent entirely upon its merits for existence,
without endowment save that of energy, integrity and
skillful management. While purely undenominational,
it was ever the desire of its managers to make it de-
cidedly a Christian school. Mr. Edgcumbe conducted
large and interesting classes in Bible study, and it was
his one great desire to make better men and women of
the young people under his guidance. Expenses were
reasonable. A catalogue in the 90's states that board
I in the hall could be secured at $2 per week, while in
i clubs the cost might be considerably reduced. Room
rent ranged from 25 to 75 cents per week. Tuition
384 MRS. VICTORIA C. EDGCUMBB
for the Summer Term was $6 and for the regular school
year in most departments it was $8 to $10 per term of
nine weeks, while the cost of instruction in music ran
considerably higher. The fee for the diploma was $3
and for the degree $5.
In addition to training the mind, the college authori-
ties provided for the development of the body. Shortly
after the founding of the institution, military drill was
instituted. The cadets were armed with Springfield
rifles and uniformed precisely after the West Point
pattern. . Students coming to college were advised
not to make any special provision for new clothes, but
to plan to wear the cadet uniform all the time. Phys-
ical training for young women was provided. Daily
exercises in gymnastics were required. The Swedish
and Delsarte systems of physical culture were taught.
As an encouragement to better scholarship, several
prizes were awarded for excellent work. Among these
were the following: Prize for the highest average
standing, open to members of the graduating class;
for the best essay, open to members of the graduating
class; for the highest average standing in the Business
Department; for the first in Elocution; and for excel-
lence in German.
Student activities outside the regular courses were
fostered. There were societies each year, maintained
by the students, the object of which was literary and
scientific culture. The students published an eight-
page monthly paper, "The Institute/' the editorial
staff being elected from among their number at the
beginning of the academic year. The subscription
price of the paper was fifty cents per year. Frequent
illustrated lectures and interesting musical concerts
BENTON HARBOR COLLEGE 385
were given during the college year, to which the stu-
dents were admitted free.
The institution, both in point of attendance and
grade of scholarship, ranked among the best in the
State until the spring of 1913, when President Edg-
cumbe was injured in an accident. From that time he
slowly declined, and died in Benton Harbor, September
29, 1915, at the age of 71. His school continued for a
time under another management as a business college.
Dr. Edgcumbe made a specialty of Pedagogy and
the Natural Sciences, -on which he wrote many valuable
papers for periodicals. For many years he was promJU
nent in Institute work in Michigan and gave lectures
in many places in the State.
At the time of Dr. Edgcumbe' s death, Mr. H. R.
Pattengill paid him the following tribute in the Moder-
ator-Topics: "Mr. Edgcumbe was a man of rare spirit,
fine culture, profound learning, wondrous teaching
ability, magnetic personality; an inspiring speaker, a
genial companion, a loyal friend, a Christian gentle-
man, a most estimable citizen. Many men and women
are better, truer, nobler, today because they came
under the uplifting influence of George J. Edgcumbe/'
.
SOURCE MATERIAL OF THE DETROIT PUBLIC
LIBRARY AS SUPPLIED BY THE ACQUISITION
OF THE
BURTON HISTORICAL COLLECTION
BY L. 0. W.
DETROIT
IN every department of public interest and usefulness
it is the aim of the administration of the Detroit
Public Library to serve the citizens of Detroit with
both reference and popular material that will meet all
reasonable demands.
In earlier years of library development, such serv-
ice attempted nothing beyond the wants of what was
then designated as "the reading public. " Special
libraries, or the libraries of special societies, took care
to provide material incident to the discussion and
elucidation of their individual subjects. Student needs
were scarcely noticed, and municipal matters were left
to the controlling body of civic affairs, and to the
newspapers. Especially to the newspapers. That was
their province, their raison d'etre, we might say.
Besides, it was not good taste to "want to know/'
and such material was therefore infra dignatatem of
the spirit of the old-time public library.
But modern thought demands knowledge, knowl-
Those who are familiar with the Burton Historical Collection will recogniza
that this article refers only to the Manuscript Division, and makes no mention of
the numerous books, pamphlets and rare maps in the Collection. Indeed, as the
author would doubtless admit, this is a very inadequate sketch of even the
Manuscript Division, many points of interest being necessarily omitted owing to
the condensed nature of a magazine article. Readers will appreciate however
this general outline, which may be followed later by similar articles on other
divisions. Ed.
(886).
DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY 387
edge of all things in the heavens above and in the earth
beneath and in the waters under the earth, and only
the wisdom of a Solomon could meet that demand.
Yet this is the task the City of Detroit expects from
its Library Commission, and which they, in their turn,
ask of their representatives in the library. It is the
demand of a metropolitan city for metropolitan service.
Thus the Detroit Public Library, in its various de-
partments, may lay claim to meeting this demand in a
measure. Only in one department was it, from very
necessity, handicapped. A collection of source ma-
terial, like many other departments, was not generally
considered within the province of a public library;
such a collection was the work of historical societies
and of the antiquarian; moreover, it meant years of
patient research, much wisdom as to historical values,
and a perfect genius in locating and bringing to .light
papers and documents of the long ago.
In view of this increasing service of the library, not
to speak of the sentiment involved, Mr. Burton's
gift of his collection of Americana, a collection of fifty
years' unceasing accumulation, was a timely one. It
was a timely gift not only as a valuable adjunct to the
public library, but for much correlative information
that could come from no one but its founder and that
was necessary for its adequate interpretation. This
was especially true of its source material. Books,
maps and pictures have a definite place in historical
treatment, but manuscripts may have a varied inter-
est, an interest as wide as the activities of the indi-
vidual, and much of this may be lost for want of suffi-
cient information. In this one aspect alone Mr.
Burton's continued active interest in the Collection is
relatively invaluable.
388 yv :ii.O.W.: ;
Invaluable, too, as records of original entry, is the
material of this division of the Burton Historical Col-
lection known as source material, or the Manuscript
Division. Such material is the basis for all subse-
quent historical writing. Contemporaneous with the
time of occurrence, it has the authority of an eye-wit-
ness and the charm of actual participation. It repre-
sents the mind and action of the past, correcting tra-
ditional errors, confirming facts under dispute, and
visualizing events as they developed by an intimate
knowledge of how men thought and lived. Local
letters, documents, and books of business record give
us every phase of the daily life and take us into the
trading house, the home, the church, the infant indus-
tries and the courts. They show us the effort, not only
to meet existing conditions, but to build for future
expansion.
For very earliest records Mr. Burton has gone to the
archives of Paris, Quebec, and Montreal. Save for an
occasional chance document here and there, Cadillac
records are existent only in government and court
archives. The Department of marine and of the colo-
nies in France furnished data for twelve large manu-
script volumes and an equal number of the English
translation made in London. Montreal notarial ar-
chives were searched for local information and the
result is over seven thousand pages of manuscript.
These notarial acts fill out the records previous to our
own as found in the early volumes, A, B, and C, 1754-
1796, in the Wayne County Building. There is a
volume D, or the register of William Monforton, 1786-
1793, in the Canadian government archives at Ottawa.
All volumes A-D have been copied for Mr. Burton,
I )BTROIT '.PUBLIC" LIBRARY 389;
but it is to be'regretted that the originals in the Wayne
County Building are not better preserved than is
possible under constant public usage. The Quebec
provincial archives have the Intendants' registers and
-those of the Conseil Superieur. These have been
copied for the record of settlement at this post under
seigniorial tenure, and we are entirely dependent upon
these records for our information of royal and seigniorial
rights and prerogatives, and also for the lists of settlers
at definite periods, with one exception. For there has
come to the Collection through the Cicotte family to
the first Michigan historical society and thence to the
Detroit Public Library a book unique in record and
contents. It is the official register of settlement at
this post in 1749-1750, when special inducements to
settlement were offered by La Galissoniere, adminis-
trator of New France. So far as we know there were no
similar inducements at any other time nor at any
otDer post. The interpretation of the book may be
found in the correspondence of La Galissoniere to the
French colonial minister in 1749, as copied from the
copies in the Ottawa archives.
This correspondence shows that the French and
Indian war was already imminent in the minds of the
French commandants in America. Under date of
June 26, 1749, La Galissoniere gives his reasons for the
Celeron expedition to the Ohio * 'riviere Oyo" and
says that if the English are allowed to establish a post
there they will have entree to all the French posts and
even an open road to Mexico. His letter of Oct. 5
stated the need of a stronger garrison at Detroit.
4 'From all time/' he says, "this post has been of the
utmost importance." It is not only the geographical
390 L. O. W.
center for many Indian tribes, but the place from which
any opposition to English encroachment must proceed ;
it is the most convenient location for the fur trade,
and furnished provisions for the voyageur on his way
to the southern posts. " These are our reasons, Mon-
seigneur, for taking it upon ourselves last spring to
send as many families to this post as we could find,
to whom we have promised rations for two years and
farming implements. The number is not as great as
we would wish, being only 46 persons in all, men,
women and children. We did not wait for your ap-
proval in this, being persuaded that your sentiments
would conform to our own, and it is our intention to
send more next spring if we can find them."
This phrase, "si nous en trouvons," would indicate
no great willingness for the Detroit post on the part
of the French habitant, hence probably the induce-
ments of rations and farming implements. From his
familiarity with the writing of Robert Navarre, sub-
delegate of the French Intendant at Detroit, 1743-
1760, Mr. Burton is of the opinion that the volume
registering the settlement here in 1749-50 may also
be of Navarre's record. The book is in the form of a
business ledger in so far as the entries are made under
the personal headings of each habitant, on pages cor-
responding to the debit and credit sides of a ledger.
The left-hand page shows the date of settlement,
extent and location of the grant, and the number of
persons in the family. The right-hand page is ruled
for two lists, one being the donations outright, ra-
tions and farming implements, and the other show-
ing what has been allowtd as a loan only, seed grain
and oxen, with occasionally cows "a ferme," meaning
,^;,,
t i
a
S&** <<o
* /
' me /ttt*& ore
f^e^t- te ***&*'' /V*
at**- J* (&-C4 ;**/>*<. t w* <pt /a^r* tx, jfittvi> Ar
' y
i
'
\
J
vi
V
DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY 391
a return to the local official department of part pro-
duce. The entry for Rene" LeBau states that in 1755
he took two cows "a ferme, suivant la coutume,"
that one was killed by the savages in the spring, and
the other on Sept. 7, of 1756. We learn that Am-
broise Tremblay came up in 1750 in the king's trans-
ports with his wife and four young children; that he was
given a grant of three arpents on the north side of the
river; that he was allowed four rations for the six in the
family from Aug. 3, 1750, to Feb. 3, 1752, and was
also given the following: axe, spade, scythe, sickle,
2 augers, a plough, a sow, seven hens, 6 Ibs. of powder,
12 Ibs. of lead, 2 measures of wine, a pint of brandy,
1 Ib. of rice, a tarpaulin, 80 nails, and 8 sides of venison.
He must return (or buy) : 1 ox, 1 cow, 20 minots of
wheat and lj^ minots of corn.
Following the settlement of this district and the
period of French occupation, Mr. Burton's research
work took him to the British Museum for narrative
account of the struggle against English encroachment
on the Ohio, and to the Public Record Office of London
for later and unpublished documents that would aid
in the elucidation of the controversy over the northern
boundary of the United States. These were of general
historical interest; local events and conditions needed
the more personal element, worked out in the details
of daily business and social life, ior any definite under-
standing of their influence on the development of our
city and state in its infancy and growth. This is the
element found in personal papers, and these papers
are the bulwark of the Burton Collection.
392 L. O. W.
Translation of letter of John Williams, Nov. 9,
1796. This letter is from the Campau papers.
River Huron, Nov. 9, 1796,
Dear Uncle
This is to inform you that I am disposed to come to
stay with you but one thing hinders me and that is
that I am in great need of clothing. If you will give
me what is necessary when I come to you and give me
board and lodging and let me attend an evening school
under some good master, I feel I would like to do what
I ought to do or do whatever a clerk should do, and to
report myself to you at once.
I am, with respect,
Your very humble & obedient Nephew
John Williams*
The reason I do not come to the Fort is thiat I
have not been able to find a saddle horse.
; Translation of Proclamation of Henry Hamilton
regarding strangers in Detroit, 1777. This Procla-
mation is from the Moran papers.
Strangers who arrive (from any country whatever)
into this settlement are to be reported immediately
to the Captain of Militia by those at whose house they
are staying, and the Captain of Militia will report the
same (within twelve hours) to Monsieur, the Lieu-
tenant Governor, under penalty of fine.
Given at Detroit, Aug. 23, 1777.
Henry Hamilton,
*It is uncertain just when Mr. Williams began using the middle initial E. Th
first noticed is his ubecriptton to a letter of date June 4. 1806.'
DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY 393
Chronologically we might divide these collections
of personal papers into three periods of a half century
each, beginning 1750 and ending 1900. The Asian,
Williams, Campau, Curry, Henry, and Browning pa-
pers cover a century of trading and commercial inter-
ests, trade that extended from Montreal to Mackinac,
and from the Ottawa River to the Ohio. The "Ad-
ventures" were well named, "Adventure to the Pin-
ery," "Adventure to the Miamis," outfits or "equip-
ment" of beads, thread, files, saws, tea, English cot-
tons, broad cord, narrow and plain cord, scarlet cloth,
cod lines, pipes, powder horns, silk handkerchiefs, gold
tinsel lace, silver ditto, blankets, pins, paper framed
looking glasses, rifles, guns, beaver traps, tomahawks,
combs, coloured ribbon, crimson ditto, axes, we take
a ledger page at random and here we have the savage
and civilization, the wild life of the hunter and the
comforts of English tea and combs, all exchanged for
. the furs that were brought to Detroit, baled and sent
down to Montreal in canoes to be shipped to Europe,
. the selection of goods for the return trip, all shows a
-busy life, and a gay life. A Quebec merchant writes
to his London agent, "It is essential that our goods,
for variety, may be selected from all parts of the Em-
pire, not only for the amount of our contracts, but for
different styles. It is the only way to attract many
commissions."
And that Detroit was a gay town during the fifty
or sixty years prior to 1805 and justified Gov. Hull's
criticism of the expense of living here, is readily evi-
dent from these same ledger pages. An entry in Com-
modore Grant's account reads, "Your share of an
entertainment at Forsyth's, 15-17-9 William Rob-
394 L. O. W.
ertson is charged with cash paid for his share of an
Assembly (or ball) at Cox's, 14-2-6 "Sold Dr. Harffy
for the Assembly 5 gallons No. A Maderia at 34sh."
"Your subscription for a horse race, 16sh." "7 Ibs.
scented hair powder at 4sh." "4 yds. fashionable
silk gauze at 16 sh."- "Lent Mr. Reward for mending
a silk stocking, 2sh." "1 pr. Lady's silver shoe buckles
3-4"--"! pr. gold enamelled shoe buckles, 8"-
"1 pr. engraved gold sleeve buttons, 4-10" "Em-
broidered satin vest, 10-14-8" "A fine dress cap for
Mrs. Ridley adorned with very rich flowers and a
white feather, 4-16" "5 half dollars won at cards"-
"To 1 neat chair, gilt, French varnish, with arms, &c.
92-16-5"--"! gauze apron and ruffles, 3."
Only from such papers as these can future genera-
tions learn the evolution of our money system. Hard
money, or cash, was scarce enough in the little town
at any time, but with what dismay we of today would
be told we were shopping under the handicap of differ-
ent valuations for the unit. English, or sterling, cur-
rency really fixed the rate, but Halifax currency, at a
variable advance on sterling, was the standard in Que-
bec and Montreal, and trade with the eastern colonies
had introduced the "York shilling," 60% advance on
Halifax. Mr. Askin's ledger for 1795-1798 has rules
for the ready reduction of money, which includes
"Reduction of English money to New York currency
when the advance of Halifax on sterling is given."
If a leading merchant felt the necessity of a "ready
reckoner" what must it have been for those less skilled
in calculation. Then there was the French currency
of livres, sols and deniers, used for daily wages. All
the bateau, or canoe, men were paid in this. The
DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY 395
value of trading equipments and furs was likewise so
calculated. John Asian's invoice book of 1798-1799
is ruled for Sterling and Halifax (Halifax 80 per cent
advance on Sterling) and an account for furs amount-
ing to 1,454 livres is also given as 60-11-8 Halifax, or
96-18-8 New York. Notice that this is a rough cal-
culation from Halifax to New York, using the 60 per
cent advance on each unit separately and not on the
total as a whole.
We have mentioned the standard units only. To a
student of the currency previous to 1800 there are
many other references. A single receipt from James
Sterling to Charles Moran in 1773 mentions livres,
ecus (or crowns) and New York currency, the whole
summed in livres and changed to the pounds, shillings
and pence of New York. John Askin writes from
Michilimackinac in 1778, "Mr. C. Morrison is here .
. . he got 28 American paper dollars for a half
Joe ($4). Judge the repute of their currency." In
1786, Commodore Grant offered a bounty of a half
Joe to all who would engage in the Lake service for
another year. An account book for trade in the
Indian country in 1786 has the value of items carried
out in beaver currency. In 1800, Point de Sable's
bill of sale stipulates for "6000 livres de vingt cop-
pers," or the full value of twenty sous, a copper coin,
to the livre. Point de Sable takes no chances on
local variance. He may even wish to insure cash pay-
ment. Financial panics were not unknown, and the
close of the eighteenth century showed such depression
that old traders spoke of it as beyond anything in
their entire experience. Alexander Henry of Mon-
treal predicts bankruptcy for most of the merchants
L. O. W.
"unless it rains a shower of half Joes." Richard Cart-
wright, of Kingston, says he is willing to have his
account with Mr. Askin settled in good buffalo robes,
"mockson" leather, and even a Mackinac feather bed
or two. But Mr. Askin has neither feather beds,
leather nor robes.
Such financial stress was the inevitable consequence
of uncertainty and change. From 1796, with the
coming of the Americans, Detroit assumed a different
atmosphere. Individual documents are largely identi-
fied with the organization of geographical boundaries
and of systematized government, Detroit as an in-
corporated town, Wayne County, and Michigan as a
Territory. The papers of this time are invaluable for
historical reference. The Sibley papers alone are a
mine of information. The Woodbridge papers, the
Cass papers, all carry us through the War of 1812,
supplemented by photostatic copies of government
records from Washington. But it is in the personal
papers we get the sudden revelation of actual- condi-
tions^ letters written with no thought of future refer-
ence. John Anderson and his wife have been left in
charge of the home of Solomon Sibley who had taken
his family to Marietta through the crisis, . : and Mr,
Anderson writes that it has helped much to have the
two cows and milk for the sick soldiers. Every night
he goes out and tells the soldiers they must respect
Mr. Sibley's property. Charles Askin writes to his
father from Queenston, "Old Hull is far his superior
as a general," referring to Gen. Smith.
With the return to normal conditions, there is
rapid progress in city and state development. The
Williams papers for the three decades following the
DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY 397
War of 1812 seem to cover every phase of human inter-
est, commercial, political, military, social and religious.
We wonder somewhat at the foresight and versatility
of Detroit's first elected mayor until we remember
his training and his daily intercourse as a youth with
his uncle, Joseph Campau, that master of early finance
in Detroit. But there is much natural shrewdness
and ambition. When only fourteen, he bargains with
his uncle for a clerkship under him, his services (trans-
lated from the French) "what I ought to do, or all that
is required of a clerk, " in return for board, lodging,
evenings at school witfi a good master, and clothing.
This last he mentions as a chief hindrance to his com-
ing at once, "I am in great need of clothing, and this is
a present necessity," as though he fears his uncle
might exact service first. Three years later we have
expressions of Mr. Campau's confidence in the still
youthful John. Writing from Fort Erie he says (also
translated from the French), "I am assured of your
good disposition and of your judgment as far as
you know. Try always to keep in mind the price of
goods in Sterling so that you are sure of a profit, but
if you find there will be any advantage in buying at
other rates, take some money and make the purchases.
Keep your goods well assorted and do not allow the
other merchants to get the start of you in this, in my
absence. Try to be patient with the savages, so as
not to drive them from the shop. Always be discreet
in business, anything else is fatal. I assure you I am
not disturbed about my affairs. You know my trade
and my way of doing things. You will always follow
this and do even better. You may give credit to those
who you know are capable of paying. Take all kinds
398 L. (X W.
of grain at the current price, but chiefly wheat. Try
to make those pay who owe me and neglect nothing. I
close by wishing you good health."
Such a business manual to the youth and the les-
sons so learned proved to be Detroit's gain in later
years. Many are the memorials and petitions in this
well-known and perfect script, to "The Mayor, Alder-
men, recorder & freemen of the city of Detroit/' in
1827, for a lot suitable for the erection of a Chamber of
Commerce, to "The Honorable, the Legislative Coun-
cil of Michigan Territory," in 1834, for the incorpora-
tion of an insurance company with banking privileges.
For half a century John R. Williams omitted no cal
to serve his native city. Nor did others of like calibre.
And it is all on record for students of history or ec<
nomics.
Through the nineteenth century we may follow th<
development of Michigan as a State in the various
papers where some one interest was the moving factor.
The Trowbridge, Hastings and S. D. Miller papei
are largely of banking interest, though it would
decidedly unjust to limit them to one issue. Es]
cially are we impressed with the capacity of C.
Trowbridge for business, church and family trusts
Sometimes he advises from "experience dearly pi
chased." He is the plank road man of Michigan,
the papers of James F. Joy show the railroad financier.
Michigan surveys are given in the John Mullett papers.
A century of legal interest is covered by the Sibley,
Woodbridge, Emmons, Howard, Moore and Duffield
papers. The papers of Gov. Austin Blair, with others
of society and hospital record, and individual letters,
show Michigan's unstinted share in the Civil War.
DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARY 399
It is a source of much gratification to Mr. Burton
and the Library administration that family papers of
rare interest are being added to the Collection and
thus made accessible for research work. Mr. John Bell
Moran recently supplemented the gift of his father,
John Vallee Moran, to Mr. Burton some years ago,
with a further donation that brings the Moran family
papers within a century period, 1758 to 1847. Miss
Hinchman donates Civil War papers of her uncle,
Col. Marshall Wright Chapin, of Detroit. Mr. Burton
has just located a manuscript letter of Gov. Cass, of
fourteen pages, to Postmaster Lanman, of Monroe,
in 1820, in which Mr. Cass discusses the Indian situa-
tion and states clearly his reasons for the stand he takes
that no amendment is advisable of the Act of Congress
then in force regulating Indian trade and intercourse.
That the Burton Collection was a timely and a valu-
able gift to the City of Detroit through its Public
Library will be more and more evident as the years
leave fewer traces of former days; that it was appre-
ciated by his fellow citizens as expressed by the Board
of Library Commissioners may be read from the mural
tablet in bronze at the entrance to the Collection in
the new Public Library:
IN HONOR OF
CLARENCE MONROE BURTON
A CITIZEN OF DETROIT.
HIS GENIUS AND
INTEREST LAY IN THE
COLLECTION OF THE
ORIGINAL SOURCES OF
HISTORY OF THIS
CITY AND STATE AND
OF THE NORTHWEST
TERRITORY. HAVING
DEVOTED A LIFETIME
OF EFFORT TO THIS
WORK HE PRESENTED
THE RESULTS OF HIS
INTEREST AND INDUSTRY
TO HIS FELLOW CITIZENS
ANNO
DOMINI
M C M X X I
(400)
HISTORICAL WORK IN MICHIGAN
BY ALVAH L. SAWYER
(President Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society)
MENOMINEE
TN THIS day, when it is a recognized fact that the
women of the country are doing a large part of the
historical work, it is not to be wondered at that I,
a mere man, felt highly complimented on being invited
to discuss this topic before your Club, and I accepted
the privilege as an honor, and with pleasure.
Why it is that the women of today are more active
than the men in historical work may be a question.
Some have attributed the situation to the fact that
men are more absorbed in business affairs and find
'little time to interest themselves in current events.
JBe this as it may, it is my opinion that, besides the
pleasure found in historical work there is also a duty
commanding it, and I am therefore led to inquire as to
i whether or not it may be that women are first to recog-
nize the duty.
It does seem to be a fact, however, with both
women and men, that, once well started, the work be-
omes attractive and yields its own reward. The con-
Hi -ion follows, that the secret of success in this work is
o get the people well started in it, and it will grow be-
cause of its own merit and attractiveness.
As to the duty of every person to perform his or
her share of historical work, it has been well said that a
Read at the History Day program of the Women's Club, Iron Mountain, Jan. 26.
(401)
402 ALVAH L. SAWYER
people which does not honor the memory of its fore-
bears does not deserve to be and will not be honored by
those who come after.
It is in line with this sentiment that I compliment
your club in its work, in its recognition of the call to
duty, and I ask and urge you to continue until the
inspiration of the work is extended to all your people.
Had I been asked to deliver a sermon instead of a
simple address I would have selected as my text that
passage from the Holy Writ,
" Honor thy father and thy mother that thy
days may be long upon the earth which the Lord,
thy God, gaveth thee."
Wherein does this Divine command differ, in senti-
ment, from that first referred to; the application, his-
torically, being that we must honor our ancestors, our
forebears, if we would ourselves deserve or expect to
be honored, that our days should be long. Here,
then we find the obligation. Our work is made doubly
pleasurable, first, in the realization of duty performed,
second, in the incentive connected with the work from
its educational standpoint. From a utilitarian stand-
point I may add that it should find favor in the business
world where it is recognized that ''experience is a dear
teacher/' and that it is an element of economy to profit ,
by the experience of others. History not only ac-;
quaints us with the experience of generations gone 1
before, but it acquaints us with the trials and hard-,
ships under which that experience was had, and thej
result is, not simply knowledge, of much value, but!
the development of a reverence for our pioneers, and
a loyalty to the Government they so worked to estab- 1
lish.
HISTORICAL WORK IN MICHIGAN 403
No lover of History can be other than a patriot.
Historical work is in the first line of American
propaganda.
To talk to you upon "Historical Work in Michigan"
is a far different task from talking upon the History of
Michigan. The latter would have to begin in remote
ages and be based on such evidences as are found em-
bedded in, or chiseled by the winds and waters upon
the rocks.
Historical Work combines the study of that part
of history through tl\e many changes of many cen-
turies down to and through the many more recent
changes to the present day. A thorough study of
history from its beginnings, finds many satisfying
evidences within our own State where there have been
radical changes in the formation of land and water
divisions and our water courses. That this country
was for a long period of time entirely and heavily
covered with the glacial drift is established by much
evidence, but leaving wide fields for conjecture as to
time and effects.
Then, too, we come to the fact that during the
period of modern history this part of the country has
been subjected to the savagery of the Indians, and to
the successive rule of France, England and the United
States.
As to Historical Work within the State, its com-
mencement should undoubtedly be credited to the
Jesuite Fathers, who in their efforts to civilize and
christianize the Indians, penetrated the wilderness,
and plied their Holy work along our Lake boundaries,
back in the 17th century. For a period of forty years
they made record of their religious work in this part
404 ALVAH L. SAWYER
of the world, and incidentally therein they made men-
tion of, and thereby recorded for our use, many items
of great historical value, including much as to the
habits and customs of the Indians, geological and geo-
graphic conditions, and sad to say, the effects of French
military control, because of which the great work of the
faithful Missionaries was forced to be abandoned.
Following that short period of civilized visitation
this country lapsed into and passed through a century
and a half of barbarism, so dense that little light has
permitted records upon the pages of history.
It was not until near the beginning of the nineteenth
century that real civil history may be said to have had
its beginning in Michigan; strategic points only having
theretofore played prominent parts, and those from
a military standpoint.
You, of course, know that the American Flag was
first flung to the breezes of Michigan in 1796, when
Captain Porter, with a detachment of troops from
Gen. Wayne's army, took possession of Detroit. That
year Wayne County was organized, not as a part of
Michigan, but as a part of the Northwest Territory.
It included what is now Michigan, and portions of
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, with the County
Seat located at Detroit. It is therefore proper to say
that organized government began, in Michigan, in
1796, but in the Upper Peninsula, the British Flag
held sway, at Sault Ste. Marie, until 1820.
Territorial Government was established in 1805,
and Michigan became a State in 1837. Even then
large areas, especially in the } Upper j Peninsula, con-
tinued a wilderness of the wildest kind.
It can be well understood why, in those trying
HISTORICAL WORK IN MICHIGAN 405
times of the beginnings of local government, while the
pioneers were battling not only with forests and
swamps, but also with savages, they found little time,
and probably little incentive, for historical work, and
it was not until about 1871 that organized work in that
line was begun.
In that year a call was issued for a meeting of
"Gentlemen who have been permanent residents
of Detroit and vicinity for thirty years or more,"
and at that meeting the Pioneer Society of Detroit
was organized.
The first Legislative action in the line of this work
was in 1873, when a joint resolution was passed direct-
ing the State Librarian to issue a printed circular in-
viting the citizens of the State to deposit in the State
Library mineral and geological specimens, and books,
pamphlets and papers pertaining to the history of
Michigan; also Indian relics and curios of any kind.
During the same month the Legislature passed an
act providing for the incorporation of State, County
and Municipal, Historical, Biographical, and Geologi-
cal Societies.
Here, again, we find a woman prominent in the
active beginning of historical work in Michigan. Mrs.
Harriet S. Tenney, State Librarian, in June of that
year, in obedience to said resolution, issued a very
comprehensive and interesting circular, which was
widely distributed, and which was the active beginning
of a work that has been and is being continued, and
which has already resulted in the acquisition by the
State of a very valuable, indeed a priceless Historical
Collection.
The work thus once started; the inspiration spread
406 ALVAH L. SAWYER
throughout the State, and, upon the suggestion of the
Detroit Daily Post, a meeting was held in Lansing, in
March, 1874, followed by an adjourned meeting April
22, of the same year, at which the present Michigan
Pioneer and Historical Society was organized, although
its name was then "Michigan Pioneer Society."
The collection of material called for by the Libra-
rian's circular, accelerated, and the importance of
which was emphasized by the activities of the Society
and its members, evidenced much interest in the work.
At the annual meeting of the Society in 1876 there
was appointed a "Committee of Historians," to pre-
pare the material on hand for publication, and to
solicit, from each county, papers relating to the early
history of the counties,
"so as to preserve a history of the State given by
, the pioneers themselves."
This "Committee of Historians" issued a circular
which was sent to several persons in each county call-
ing for the desired material.
That the response was general is shown by the re-
port of the Committee, made in November of that
year, with the material for Volume 1, of the Michigan
Pioneer Collections ready for publication.
A glance at that volume speaks strongly in praise
of the efficiency and activity of that Committee, and
the civic pride and patriotism of the citizens through-
out the State (worthy of emulation today).
This portion of the State was then a part of Menom-
inee County, and its early development, including
mineral discoveries, found mention by the pen of
Judge Eleazer S. Ingalls, who that year wrote the
Centennial History of Menominee County, who was
HISTORICAL WORK IN MICHIGAN 407
progressive pioneer and did much in the making of
Michigan History; having formulated and secured the
enactment of the law organizing Menominee County,
and in many other ways he was active in governmental
as well as physical development, and at the same time
active in historical work.
The work of the Society thus commenced has been
continued until, in a series of 39 volumes, it comprises
a history, "by the pioneers themselves," of incalculable
value to the State. It is being continued in the form
of the Michigan History Magazine which I will men-
tion again later, and in a series of documentary vol-
umes.
Aside from the collection of historical papers men-
tioned, there has been a large collection of relics in a
wide range of interest, of positively incalculable value,
being representative of places, ages, times and people,
covering the entire State, and they now constitute
Michigan's Historical Museum, which can and should
be preserved and added to for the benefit of present
and future generations.
One cannot view these two magnificent collections
of records and relics without a realization of the ex-
tensive, persistent, untiring, and yet volunteer efforts
that have been put forth by the workers of the past
fifty years, nor without being aroused to a sense of duty
in the people of today to make certain the preservation
of those collections, and the continuance of the work.
In 1888 the name of the State society was changed
to the present name of "Michigan Pioneer and His-
torical Society," and the name of the published col-
lections has been changed, accordingly.
In 1913 the Legislature created the "Michigan His-
408 ALVAH L. SAWYER
torical Commission," and provided it with an ap-
propriation for carrying on its work. The Governor
is, ex-officio, a member of the Commission. It has
been the general practice to appoint the other mem-
bers of the Commission from the personnel of the
Board of Trustees of the Society, with the result that
these two Historical bodies have acted jointly and
harmoniously, without duplication of work.
With the appropriation granted, the Commission
defrays expenses that could not otherwise be afforded,
and this includes compensation for a Secretary who
acts as such for the Society as well.
Dr. George N. Fuller, who had been especially
fitted for the position by his work at Harvard, Yale
and the University of Michigan, was chosen as Secre-
tary, and in that capacity he has been of great value
to the State. In addition to his Secretarial work he
has, in an executory way, added much to Michigan's
recording of History, by the production of a number
of Historical volumes on various topics, and he is pi
ducing an exceptionally fine work in the Michigan
History Magazine.
It is the purpose of the State Society to encourj
organization of local societies in each county and
maintain close relationship therewith, thereby to pe]
feet, in detail, the Historical records of the entii
State.
It was largely to extend this feature of the work
throughout the Upper Peninsula that it was decided
by the State Society to hold mid-summer meetings in
this Peninsula, and to hold the same from place to
place, jointly with local societies. Six such annual
HISTORICAL WORK IN MICHIGAN 409
meetings have been held, and with increasing popu-
larity, thus proving the wisdom of the plan.
The meeting at L'Anse last summer was very en-
thusiastic, even to the attendance upon a White Fish
Dinner at which the Society and visiting friends were
elaborately entertained by the citizens, at Pequaming
Point, where, at a conservative estimate, one hun-
dred and fifty automobiles were parked in the woods
surrounding the picturesque site of the generous feast.
Not all the enthusiasm was exhausted, however, in
the dinner. On the contrary each session of the con-
vention was largely attended and much enthusiasm
in the work was exhibited.
Next summer the joint meeting is to be held at
Mackinac Island, and the historic incidents of that
place, alone, should cause the inspiration necessary to
secure a large attendance, to say nothing of the good
program that may be expected.
Before closing I want to make special mention of a
few important features of present historical work and
needs in Michigan.
First. Is that of support for the Michigan History
Magazine. The small sum of one dollar, sent to Sec-
retary Fuller at Lansing, will make you a member of
the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, and at
the same time bring you the Magazine, quarterly, for
a year. The Magazine, alone, is well worth the price,
and I do not hesitate to recommend it to all my friends,
as an investment, to say nothing of my interest in se-
curing for the Society a large and representative mem-
bership throughout the State, and especially through-
out this Peninsula, and to say nothing of the pleasure
410 ALVAH L. SAWYER
it will bring you to be engaged in this state-wide
work.
Second. Let me mention the importance of mark-
ing historic places. Every locality has places of his-
toric interest, at least locally, and the importance
thereof will increase with the passing of time. It is
important to mark them now, when it may be done
with accuracy, even should your markers be temporary,
to be replaced by permanent ones as opportunity
affords.
Then, too, historic places are matters of first
interest to tourists, and their erection will aid in the
attraction and holding of the tourist traffic, which is
of so much interest and importance that the Upper
Peninsula Development Bureau is exerting strenuous
efforts to encourage it, and in those efforts is included
the marking of Historic spots.
Third. Let me mention that the laws of Michigan
especially authorize Boards of Supervisors of counties
to appropriate, not to exceed $200 in any year, to aid
in marking Historic places, and a further like sum
for other historical work. With the aid of such ap-
propriations, systematic effort, to a reasonable degree,
will accomplish much in a few years.
Fourth. I desire again, because of its great import-
ance, to call your attention to the next mid-summer
meeting to be held at Mackinac Island in July, 1922,
the dates for which will be announced at an early day.
In addition to an attractive program, there will be the
opportunity to, at one and the same time, combine a
delightful summer outing with a visit to that place,
of all Historic spots in Michigan, so inspiring because
of its fullness of interesting events in early history,
HISTORICAL WORK IN MICHIGAN 411
and its combination of picturesque grandeur, in which
both land and water strive for precedence. Then,
too, permit me to call your attention to the fact that
this meeting will afford an opportunity to bridge the
natural channel that divides the two Peninsulas of our
great State, when history workers and history lovers
of both can clasp hands on common ground. Pardon
personal mention, when I say that I made mention of
this fact in a recent talk at a D. A. R. conference in
Detroit, and there I threw down the gauntlet to the
people of the Lower Peninsula in the matter of attend-
ance, feeling assured that it would require but a simple
announcement to the loyal citizens of the Upper Pen-
insula, to secure their attendance, en masse, to meet our
southern friends. This is an occasion when George
should not say, "Let Mary do it," but both George and
Mary should go and share the pleasures, and duties,
awaiting us there.
I realize that my subdivisions have already become
rather numerous, but I feel impelled to make use of
this opportunity to add a
Fifth. For I desire to mention that most of the
counties in the State have regularly organized His-
torical Societies, some of which are very active, and
each county owes to itself, as well as to the State, the
organization and maintenance of such a local Society.
Except in two or three places organized work in the
Upper Peninsula is comparatively new, and needs to
be pushed and encouraged, so that this entire Penin-
sula may be alive with Historical activity; splendid
examples of which are to be found in the Keweenaw
Peninsula and in Marquette County, where the busi-
ness public and citizens in general have become
412 ALVAH L. SAWYER
aroused to the pleasure and benefits afforded, and where
frequent meetings are well attended.
In this connection let me further say that I shall
feel a personal pride in the result, if historical work
is perceptibly advanced in this Peninsula during this
year, and I'll tell you why. You know that it has
long been felt that in the affairs of the State the Upper
Peninsula has fared scantily, and some loud complaints
have been uttered. It seems to be a fact that there is
a slight awakening to our complaints, and the awaken-
ing is evidenced in the action of the Michigan Pioneer
and Historical Society which, for the first time in his-
tory, has chosen its President from the Upper Penin-
sula. While I am proud of the honor that fell to me
I realize that it was because of my good fortune in
being a resident of our beautiful Peninsula, rather
than from personal merit, that the honor fell to me.
It is yours, it belongs to the whole Peninsula as a recog-
nition of the dawning realization that we are a con-
siderable part of Michigan. Will not the Peninsula
justify the realization, and permit the announcement,
at the next annual meeting, of an active increase in
our work; in the organization of new societies and
an expansion of the work of others.
If you will permit me another subdivision,
Sixth (which I positively promise will be my last),
I will call to your attention one of the most, if not the
most important duty of the citizens of Michigan,
from an Historical standpoint. It is the construc-
tion of a State Historical Building. As has already
been said, Michigan has a very valuable Historical
Collection. It must be seen to be: appreciated. It is
HISTORICAL WORK IN MICHIGAN 413
in danger of loss by fire, and we have no suitable or
adequate space in which to display it; consequently
we are deprived of its full benefits. It is tucked away
in the attic of the Capitol and much of it is packed in
boxes because of lack of room for display. It is the
result of fifty years of Historical activity, and it is
priceless. The largest part of it, if destroyed, cannot
be replaced. The loss of it would be immeasurable
and irretrievable. We owe it to those who have col-
lected it, to ourselves and to our descendants, yes, we
of today, owe it to our State to see that it is preserved.
Besides this the working facilities of our Historical
organizations are grossly inadequate to the require-
ments. We need a new Building. To say we need it,
ought to be equivalent to saying we must have it. Our
sister States have such buildings, some of them magni-
ficent in design, and commodious in scope and ar-
rangement. Why not Michigan? Why not one ade-
quate to our demands, and worthy of our great and
progressive State.
Prior Presidents of our State Society have been
wont, for years, to call attention, from time to time,
to this great need, but the public was not aroused,
and there seems to have been a general feeling that
we should "let George do it" and George has been
loth to start the work.
Finally, however, at the annual meeting of the
Society in 1920 a Committee was appointed to take
up the matter. After several meetings, considering
financial conditions in the State, the Committee con-
cluded that the time was not ripe for launching the
project. However, at the last annual meeting the
Committee was continued and we may expect that
414
ALVAH L. SAWYER
when conditions are favorable, a plan will be reported.
I have spoken of it thus at length because of its great
importance, and so then when the project is launched
we may be prepared to "get behind" and help to "put
it over" for the glory of Michigan, and in honor of her
pioneers.
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY?
BY GEO. R. Fox
(Director, The Edward K. Warren Foundation)
THREE OAKS
A MICHIGAN'S work in the historical field is second
*-** to none of other states of the Union. Through
the activities of the* Michigan Pioneer and Historical
Society and under the supervision of the Michigan
Historical Commission, a vast amount of material has
been collected, edited and given to the world; and much
more is retained in the archives or is waiting to be
handled.
The work of the Society and of the Commission
comprehends in a large measure only the broader fields
of Michigan History. Each county, each city, even
each township and village will find a wealth of materials
but waiting the coming of an interested recorder. By
far the greater will be but of local interest, but there
are some materials to be found nearly everywhere in
Michigan that reach into the wider field of the State.
These are designated remains archeological, the
works of an aboriginal people in days when there was
no Michigan; and can best be comprehended when
studied in their statewide relations. While they are
usually considered under an historical head, they do not
depend for their value upon written records. Over-
lapping with the historic periods on one side, on the
other they extend backward into time an unknown
distance. Though Michigan has an excellent record
(415)
416 GKO. B. Fox
on the historical field, her work in archeology of her
own territory is not so praiseworthy.
Michigan's fame in this field goes back fifty years
and rests largely upon types of remains which attract-
ed great attention at that time. These were the "Mich-
igan garden beds/' and the "aboriginal copper mines."
Concerning the first, similar remains have been found
in many states; in her possession of the pits from which
the aborigines digged then* copper, Michigan stands
alone. But of the other remains in the State little was
said; they received scant attention.
For the purpose of this article references to papers
dealing with Michigan archeology are necessary. The
bibliography on this subject other than minor references
in books and reports, is brief. Including only papers
which deal with this subject, of all articles which deal
with Michigan antiquities, nearly one-half concern the
copper working on Isle Royale and the Keweenaw
Peninsula.
Articles from the Michigan Pioneer and Historical
Collections are:
"Prehistoric and Modern Copper Mines of Lake
Superior," by Samuel L. Smith, Vol. 39, pp. 137-151.
"Prehistoric Man on Lake Superior," by John T.
Reeder, Vol. 30, pp. 110-118.
"The Mound-Builders and their Work in Michigan,"
by Henry H. Riley, Vol. 3, pp. 41-48 (partly on the
copper pits).
"The Mound-Builders in Michigan," by Henry
Gilman, Vol. 3, pp. 202-212 (largely "Ancient Mining
at Isle Royale, Michigan").
From other sources:
"Mound-Builders and Platycnemism in Michi-
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY? 417
gan," by Henry Oilman in the Smithsonian Report
for 1873, pp. 364-390; fully one-half the article is given
over to a discussion of prehistoric copper mining on
Isle Royale.
Aboriginal mines in Keweenaw County are describ-
ed by Henry Oilman in the Smithsonian Report for
1874.
"Aboriginal Copper Mines of Isle Royale," by Wm.
H. Holmes, in the American Anthropologist, N. S. Vol.
3, pp. 684-696.
" Ancient Mines on the Shores of Lake Superior,"
by Chas. Whittlesey, Smithsonian Contributions to
Knowledge, 1863, p. 17.
"Precolumbian Copper Mining in North America,"
by R. L. Packard in the Smithsonian Report for 1892.
Of articles on other than these primitive mines, the
list is short. From the Michigan Pioneer and Histori-
cal Collections,
"Ancient Garden Beds," by Bela Hubbard, Vol.
2, pp. 21-35.
"Saginaw County as a center of Aboriginal Popula-
tion," by Fred Dustin, Vol. 39, pp. 252-260.
"Prehistoric Forts in Macomb County," by Geo.
H. Cannon, Vol. 38, pp. 73-78.
"Mounds and Mound Builders in Saginaw Valley,"
by W. R. McCormick, Vol. 4, pp. 379-383.
"Mounds and Circles on Rabbit River," by H. D.
Post, Vol. 3, pp. 296-298.
These with the two articles previously quoted by
< Oilman and Riley on Mound-Builders, comprise nearly
ill the extended material in the Collections giving defin-
te locations and treating of different groups. There
418 GBO. B. Fox
are a few more treating of archeology as a whole, and
a host of references in other articles which mention
and sometimes locate mounds, enclosures, village sites,
garden beds and the like. But a few of these need be
mentioned to show how the references are found.
In "Early History of Berrien County," by Damon
A. Winslow, Vol. 1, on page 124 he describes an Indian
burial ground. Under " Resources of Michigan/' Vol.
12, pp. 390, ten mounds are listed for Ontwa Township,
Cass County. On page 509, in Vol. 17, G. W. Moore in
" Historical Sketch of Medina Township, Lenawee
County, Michigan/' locates two groups of mounds,
one of ten, the other of forty units.
In addition to this material in the Collections, there
are Harlan I. Smith's "Summary of the Archeology of
Saginaw Valley," published in three parts in the
American Anthropologist, N. S. Vol. 3, Nos. 2, 3 and 4,
and his "Primitive Remains in the Saginaw Valley,
Michigan; the Ayres Mound," in The Archeologist,
Vol. 3, No. 3.
The Smithsonian Institute of Washington, D. C.,j
in its annual Reports has published some valuable
papers on Michigan archeology.
"Ancient Mounds in Clinton County, Michigan,"
and "Ancient Forts in Ogemaw County, Michigan,"
both appear in the Report for 1884, pp. 839-851. Both!
were written by M. L. Leach of Traverse City.
The report for 1879 lists several mounds and mounc
groups on pages 434-435. The most extensive work or
Michigan archeology appears to have been done bj
Henry Oilman. His "Mound-builders and Platycnem
ism in Michigan," Report for 1873, pp. 365-390, besides
the account of the copper workings on Isle Royale
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY?
419
BAP
Showing the Approximate
locations of
ITcunds in the
Lower
Peninsula
Largely
from the lists
prepared by
Harlan I. Smith
FOUKDATICK
420 OEO. R. Fox
contains several plats on which are accurately located
many mounds .and mound, groups in the Southern
Peninsula.
The most valuable work for archeology in Michigan
has been done by Harlan I. Smith, now Archeologist
to the Geological Survey of Canada. Two papers
published by him under the Michigan Geological and
Biological Survey are ths first attempts to collect all
possible information on this subject and to systema-
tize the knowledge.
Publication 1, Biological Series 1, contains his first
paper, which lists alphabetically and geographically
389 sites of mounds, villages, cemeteries, garden beds,
enclosures and a few other antiquities.
In publication 10, Biological Series 3, pp. 167-180,
is his "Memoranda Toward a Bibliography of the
Archeology of Michigan." In this are listed only
major references or easily found articles. None of the
minor notes in the Michigan Pioneer and Historical
Collections, previously mentioned here, find a place.
Using Smith's list of aboriginal sites as a base, and ;
including all references found in the 39 volumes of
Collections, three maps of the Lower Peninsula have i
been prepared. These cover the three major classes
of remains: (a) mounds, (b) earthworks, enclosures,
circles, etc., and (c) garden beds.
It has been considered necessary to delineate only
the Lower Peninsula, for there are reported from the
Northern Peninsula neither enclosures nor garden beds,
and only three mounds. One of these is (or was in
Henry Gilman's day) on Point La Barbe on the north
side of the Straits of Mackinac, and the other two are on
the Ontonagon River in Ontonagon County. There may
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY?
421
MAP
Locating approximately
THE ENCLOSURES, EECt-
AITCDLAR ENCLOSURES,
CIRCULAR MOUNDS
AND EMBANKMENTS
in Michigan
-From the list*
of H.I. Smith
and the volumes
of the Michigan
Pioneer and
Historical
Society
/ THE KDBARD K.
'=""hEH FOlOTUTIOi-
of Three Cake
422 ..Quo. B. Fox
be great numbers of antiquities in this part of the
State but unfortunately no one has yet reported them.
That this has not been done may be due partly to the
fact that this region is about where the Southern
Peninsula was seventy years ago, pioneer land. The
great majority of early settlers cared but little for
aboriginal remains; usually they only noticed them when
the earthworks interfered with their utilization of the
soil. Later in life when they began to take an interest
in historical matters, they recalled where stood these
remains left by a prehistoric people.
On the map (a) showing^the mounds, there are
checked 168 sites. While thejmajority of these marks
stand for a single mound, some represent groups of
from two to forty members. Taking Berrien County as
a fair average for all the State, the four crosses in this
county stand for eight mounds, an average of two
mounds to a group. With this proportion holding for
the State as reported, only 339 mounds are known, of
which all are in the Southern Peninsula save three.
And of these 339 it is doubtful if twenty-five per cent
are in existence today.
A glance at the map shows that the mounds are
found in greatest numbers from the St. Joseph River in
Berrien County northeast to Saginaw Bay, with a
narrower belt encircling the whole peninsula and follow-
ing the shoreline. One-half the counties appear to have
no mounds. This can hardly be the case, and if a
thorough survey were made, mounds would probably
be found in all.
On map (c) the "B" stands for garden bed groups
It will likewise be noticed that they are practically all
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN' ARCHEOLOGY?
423'
tiff
Shoeing the approx-
cate locations of
GARDENBBDS
in tho
Lower Peninsula
from
Lists of H&rlwi
/I. Smith and tb
the volujree of
the Klchigen
Pioneer end
Historical
Society
Prepared by
Geo.R.Fox
424 OBO. B. Fox
included in the Saginaw Bay-St. Joseph Belt. These
plots number 30.
On the third map (b) are shown the enclosures. The
circles and the few squares mark the points at which
old forts, circular mounds, circles, enclosures, the class
of antiquity described by many similar names, were
located. While it is possible that some of the circular
mounds here recorded are really tumuli, wherever the
term "circular mound" has been found it has been
inferred that an enclosure was meant.
It is plainly evident at once that these enclosures
are found in different groupings from either of the
other two classes. On the map, 59 localities are check-
ed, each circle standing for a single enclosure. On all
three maps the locations are only approximate; an
attempt has been made to put each recorded antiquity
as nearly that part of the county as the map will permit
but in some cases so many are reported from one locality
that the best that could be done was to put the correct
number in the county.
These three maps are given, and the articles giving
something of Michigan archeology are listed in order
that a bird's-eye view may be obtained of what is
known of Michigan's prehistoric remains. The impor-
tant papers in the Bibliography number twenty-two.
Possibly there are more, though not many. Of these,
nine deal wholly or in large part with the aboriginal
copper mines. Ten (or twelve including Gilman and
Riley's articles) are concerned with remains on the
Southern Peninsula; and of these, four refer to Saginaw
Valley and its archeology. The maps locate 168 mound
groups, 30 garden bed plats, and 59 enclosures.
Why this paucity of aboriginal remains in Michigan?
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY? 425
Why are the articles concerning them so few? Largely
because they have not been reported and no one has
taken the trouble to write of them. No historian,
burdened with important historical work, can take the
time to investigate reported archeology sites without
neglecting the more important work of recording and
studying the phases of historic development in the past
and in the present. In some instances, when archeology
work is dominant, historical investigation is relegated to
to second place; in others wholly neglected. In some
other places the two types of historical study proceed
side by side without'interference, one with another.
It is easy to criticize, but this paper is attempting
solely to point out a constructive program which if
undertaken it is hoped will result in Michigan's antiqui-
ties being located, platted and recorded, and possibly
some of them preserved.
There appear to be three ways in which this might
be done. First, have the State establish an archeological
survey and appropriate sufficient funds for its mainte-
nance. This was attempted some years ago, without
success in obtaining the appropriation.
Secondly, form a society of those interested in arche-
ology and have these members undertake the work in
their vicinities: the result of their work can be pub-
lished in The Michigan History Magazine and sent to
all members. Such a society might be incorporated
independently of other organizations, as a ward of the
State; or it might be placed under the guidance of the
Michigan Historical Commission; or even under the
Biological Survey of Michigan, for it is a question
whether or not ethnology and archeology are not as
closely allied to biology as to history.
426 GEO. R. Fox
Thirdly, there might be a combination of the
two forms; a society with a secretary or other official
maintained by the State, the reports to be published as
State documents and with a membership paying dues
to the society.
That it may be seen what Michigan might do, here
is a brief record of what Wisconsin has done.
Up to about the year 1900, Wisconsin was in much
the condition archeologically that Michigan is at the
present. There were no records and but little literature
save the survey made by Increase A. Lapham. The
results of his work were issued as The Antiquities of
Wisconsin, about 1855 as one of the Smithsonian
Contributions to Knowledge. Of lists, such as Harlan
I. Smith's "Sites of Aboriginal Remains in Michigan,"
Wisconsin had none.
But shortly after 1900 a number of men interested
in archeology formed the Wisconsin Archeological
Society, which was incorporated March 23, 1903, for
the purpose of advancing the study and the preserva-
tion of Wisconsin's antiquities. Three classes of mem-
bership were instituted, annual, sustaining, and life;
and since its beginning, the membership has varied
from 300 to 600 and is slowly increasing.
Incorporated as a ward of the State, the quarterly
magazine, The Wisconsin Archeologist, is issued as a
State publication, the Legislature appropriating each
year a small sum for this purpose. The funds derived
from the dues of the members are used wholly in meet-
ing the necessary expenses and in surveying and re-
search work. After several years of activity when the
results accomplished by the Society were plainly in
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY? 427
evidence, the Legislature appropriated a sum for a sur-
vey of the archeological remains of the State.
In the period before the appropriation was received,
many members had done extensive field work, defraying
all expenses from their own pockets. And when the money
was received from the State, the Society determined
not to expend one cent for salaries, but to use the whole
amount in paying only the necessary expenses of parties
on the survey; the members doing the work gladly
donated their time and received from the funds only
sufficient to cover their traveling expenses. All ac-
counts were handled through and audited by the Wis-
consin State Treasurer.
As a result of the work of the Society extending
over nearly twenty years, Wisconsin today has many
volumes of reports dealing with her antiquities. In
no State is more known concerning its aboriginal remains
than in Wisconsin.
The Society's magazine, The Wisconsin Archeolo-
gist, first appeared in October, 1901, and up to the pres-
ent time 75 numbers containing from 100 to 250 pages
have been issued. The articles are well illustrate^, and
deal not only with the recordjs in the State but many
cover the field that interests the collector, as a few
titles taken from various issues will show:
"Aboriginal Pipes of Wisconsin/' by Geo. A. West,
Vol. 4, No. 3.
"Native Copper Implements of Wisconsin," C. E.
Brown, Vol. 3, No. 2.
"Implement Caches of Wisconsin," Chas. E. Brown,
Vol. 6, No. 2.
"Birdstone Ceremonials of Wisconsin," by Brown,
Vol. 8, No. 1.
428 GEO. R. Fox
"Silver Trade Crosses," by Chas. E. Brown,
Vol. 9, No. 4.
While at one time perhaps the majority of the mem-
bers were interested in the society from a collector's
standpoint, even from the beginning the greater part
of the articles were devoted to the science of archeology
and to recording the remains. Articles discussing
types, such as ''Intaglios," "Gardenbeds," "Cornhills,"
and the like have been issued. But one of the most
valuable pieces of work of the society was the issue
of The Record of Wisconsin Antiquities, which appeared
in the April, 1905, issue of the magazine; this was long
before a systematic survey was undertaken, but even
at that time, after the issue of "The Record" corrections
and additions poured in at such a rate that within the
next few years three more additions to "The Record"
were issued..
When the survey was begun it was found most
feasible to study the remains by regions, rather than
attempt to work a whole county at one time. Conse-
quently, of the reports issued, a large proportion are
devoted to the different sections. Many of the surveys
were undertaken before the State appropriated any
funds, the members going into the field, bearing all the
expenses and doing the work for the love of it. Some
of the regional surveys are:
"The Archeology of the Lake Koshkonong Region,"
by A. B, Stout and H. L. Skavlem, Vol. 7, No. 2.
"Summary of the Archeology of Eastern Sauk
County," by A. B. Stout, Vol. 3, No. 2.
"Ancient Copper Workings on Isle Royale," G. R.
Fox, Vol. 10, No. 2.
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY? 429
"Undescribed Groups of Lake Mendota Mounds,"
by Chas. E. Brown, Vol. 11, No. 1.
"Mounds of the Lake Waubesa Region," by W. G.
McLachlan, A. B., M. D., Vol. 12, No. 4.
"Indian Remains on Washington Island," by Geo.
R. Fox, Vol. 12, No. 4.
While it has been difficult to survey counties, yet
there are many which have been worked. A few of these :
"Winnebago County," by P. B. Lawson, Ph. D.,
Vol. 2, Nos. 2 & 3.
"Fondulac County Antiquities," by W. A. Titus,
Vol. 14, No. 1.
"Indian Remains, Manitowoc County," Louis Falge,
M. D., Vol. 14, No. 4.
"Outagamie County Antiquities," Geo. R. Fox,
Vol. 15, No. 1.
"Milwaukee County," by Chas. E. Brown, Vol. 15,
No 2.
"Waushara County," Geo. R. Fox and E. C. Tagatz,
Vol. 15, No. 3.
"Adams County," by H. E. Cole and H. A. Smythe,
Vol. 16, No. 2.
As a result of this work between 15,000 and 20,000
mounds of which about one-third are effigies, have been
reported, hundreds of plots of different groups made,
and nearly all the effigies have been fully surveyed.
Of the total number of mounds it has been found that
fully two-thirds remain, so that Wisconsin still possesses
the major portion of her archeological treasures. To the
mounds reported must be added hundreds of plots of
cornhills and gardenbeds, and thousands of village
430 GEO. R. Fox
and camp sites, pita, cairns, pictographs, spirit stones
and other classes of prehistoric works.
But not the least important work of the Society is
preserving for future generations some of the more
important mounds and mound groups, and other
antiquities. Great success has attended the efforts oi
the organization along this line. Not only have many
been saved but a large number have been permanently
marked with bronze tablets.
In the preservation of these antiquities it has been
the plan of the Archeological Society to enlist as many
other organizations in the work as possible. Local
Women's Clubs, Historical Societies and commercial
bodies are usually willing to give every assistance to-
ward saving any prehistoric monument near their locality.
It was by a union of efforts that the first mound
park was established. With the Sauk County Histori-
cal Society and other clubs of Baraboo, the famous Man
Mound near that place was made a public park owned
and controlled by the Sauk County Historical Society
and the Wisconsin Archeological Society. In a like
manner the Intaglio at Fort Atkinson was saved.
Other mounds permanently preserved are a fine bird
on Devil's Lake, the mounds on the Asylum Grounds,
Lake Mendota; on Beloit College Campus, Beloit; on
the Carrol College Campus, Waukesha; in Cutler Park,
Waukesha; in the parks of Milwaukee; on the State
Fair Grounds at West Allis; in Mound Cemetery,
Racine; in Smith Park, Menasha; at the Soldiers'
Home, Waupaca; in Hilgen Spring Park, Cedarburg;
on the Delavan Lake Assembly Grounds; along the
right-of-way of the Wisconsin Central Railway at
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY? 431
Buffalo Lake; many in and about Madison; with others
at different points.
The Regents of the Wisconsin State University
have not only ordered the mounds on the property of
the University preserved, but have marked several of
them. Largely through the efforts of the Society, all
mounds on all State lands are not to be disturbed. One
fine representative of the effigy class is on the State
Park Grounds at the north end of Devil's Lake.
But there is a greater benefit even than the making
of parks; this organized campaign for preservation
is working a change in the minds of Wisconsin citizens.
Because of the interest the Society is showing and be-
cause of the attention various antiquities on farmland
and other tracts are receiving, the owners have awakened
to a knowledge of then* value. From all over the State
comes word that farmers and other owners are carefully
refraining from destroying^or damaging these ancient
earth-works.
One farmer near Lake Koshkonong takes such pride
in a unique effigy on\his place^thatlhe calls his home
"Squirrel Mound Farm,"'after the mound/ f A man near
New London has preserved at considerable sacrifice,
a unique lot of the workings of the primitive agricultur-
ist, consisting of garden-beds and corn-hills intermin-
gled. The deer mound, a remarkable effigy on a lot in
Baraboo is to be deeded by the owner to the Sauk Coun-
ty Historical Society for a park. The McConnell Group
of mounds, on the west side of Lake Waubesa, consisting
of some of the finest examples of the work of the effigy
builders extant, a goose, a rabbit, a beaver, a muskrat
;m eagle and others, has been saved, the owners stating
that these will never be disturbed. These are but a few
432 GEO. B. Fox
of the many instances of the good work accomplished
by the Wisconsin Areheological Society.
All this without the slightest friction between the
Areheological Society and any other societies in the
State. The Wisconsin Historical Society has been glad
to turn over to this organization this branch of histori-
cal work. In fact the Secretary of -the Areheological
Society and the man on whose shoulders has fallen the
task of planning the work of the society, Mr. Chas. E.
Brown, is also Chief of the Museum of the Historical
Society. Many members of the Areheological Society
are also on the rolls of the Historical Society, and several
of the officers of the former have been and are officers
and trustees of the latter.
The situation in the two states, Wisconsin and Mich-
igan, archeologically speaking, may be summed up thus:
Wisconsin has produced a literature upon her anti-
quities, covering nearly the whole State. Michigan,
save for certain spots, notably Isle Royale, Keweenaw
Peninsula and the Saginaw Region, is without refer-
ence works.
Wisconsin possesses a detailed knowledge of the
archeological resources of the State covering every
county and fully two-thirds of the area. Michigan has
but a fragmentary record save in a few counties and
localities.
Wisconsin has recorded more than 15,000 of her
mounds and thousands of her other antiquities.
Michigan has knowledge of not to exceed 500 sites,
recording about the same number of mounds, garden
beds and enclosures.
Wisconsin has now permanently preserved in parks
types of nearly every antiquity, to the number of more
WHAT ABOUT MICHIGAN ARCHEOLOGY? 433
than 100 individuals in the various groups and single
mounds on the different locations; and in addition there
are other hundreds of remains being saved and cared
for by the owners of the land on which they lie. So far
as can be ascertained Michigan has saved but a single
monument, the mound in Bronson Park, Kalamazoo.
Just as today the explorers and surveyors for the
Wisconsin Archeological Society find mounds and other
sites in every county, so there must be in Michigan
many remains waiting to be explored, recorded and
perhaps saved for thpse who come in the years to follow.
But with every passing year more and more of
Michigan's antiquities are being destroyed. If they
are to be studied and some of them preserved, the task
should not be put off longer.
There is much to be said in favor of having a depart-
ment, established and maintained by the State, make
the survey; but if the State cannot be persuaded to do
this, then what?
Suppose a society similar to that of the Wisconsin
organization were formed. A membership of from one
to two thousand, at two dollars each annual dues, should
not be difficult to obtain. In addition there should be
from 100 to 200 sustaining members, annual dues $5.00
each; and from the funds derived from life members,
a permanent endowment should be created. At $50.00
for a life membership there should be enough friends
of Michigan to gather within a few years 100 such
members. If the money is never used but only placed
out at interest, an amount gradually increasing with the
years, from $300 up should be available for survey
and other research work each season.
Should such a society be incorporated under State
434 : GBO. R. Fox
auspices, could not the Legislature, as does the Wiscon-
sin lawmakers, be persuaded to appropriate a small sum
each year for the publication of a Michigan Magazine on
Archeology?
Michigan is one of the greatest of the states. She
is wealthy, populous and has a cultured citizenry. In
many ways she excels her neighbor across the water
to the west.
Has not Michigan among her people enough men
and women who are interested in studying and saving
her aboriginal remains to form an organization kindred
to that in Wisconsin? If this great and wealthy State
does not awake, if her historians and other scientists
do not rouse, ere long there will be but a few scattered
remnants worth studying and preserving; and the
children's children will look back at these early genera-
tions and stigmatize them for their failure to appreciate
and to safeguard her natural and aboriginal treasures.
DUTCH JOURNALISM IN MICHIGAN
BY HENRY BEETS
GRAND RAPIDS
r ~pHE people of the Netherlands are and have been for
J- centuries greatly interested in literature oi all kinds.
Many Hollanders believe that the honor of the inven-
tion of printing belongs n6t to the German Gutenberg,
but to the Dutchman Laurens J. Koster. They can
advance some excellent reasons too for maintaining
that their countryman invented printing as early as
1423, when he carved some letters out of the bark of a
tree in the famous woods of his native city Haarlem,
and having wrapped them in a piece of paper to give
to his grand-children as playthings, noticed the im-
print they had made and so was led to think of printing
with movable type.
Whatever in this be true or false, it is a fact that
books circulated quite extensively among the Dutch
long before their Eighty years' war with Spain was
begun. Their universities are among the oldest and
most renowned of western Europe, and the illiteracy
of the people of Holland has for a long time been ex-
ceedingly low. Little wonder, since their Reformed
Church order required that every congregation should
make provision for the maintenance of schools for
primary education.
In the field of Journalism also the Dutch have been
in the front rank for centuries. When the Secession
Church of 1834 and following years originated under
(485)
436 HENRY BEETS
the leadership of the Revs. H. P. Scholte, A. C. Van
Raalte and others, one of their first undertakings was
the publication of a monthly called De Reformatie,
begun in 1837. It was small wonder that when the
Dutch immigration to the United States in 1846 and
following years had obtained something of a foothold,
an attempt was soon after made to have a weekly paper
designed to meet the needs of the Hollanders in America
who, except a few of their leading people, were at the
time unacquainted with English.
Strange to say it was not Michigan to which the
Rev. A. C. Van Raalte had led so many and where the
Dutch population had become so strong, that the first
attempt at journalism was made This honor belongs
to the Wisconsin city of Sheboygan where Mr. Jacob
Quintus started his Sheboygan Nieuwsblad in the
autumn ot 1849. This paper was a single sheet, at
first Democratic in its politics, later on Republican,
and from the beginning quite religious in spirit. Dur-
ing a couple of years it was announced as the exclusive
or only organ of the Netherlanders in North America.
But soon it had competitors. During September, 1850,
a paper was started in Allegan, Mich., called De Hol-
lander, published by Hawkes & Bassett. At first one-
half of this paper was Dutch and the other half English,
but soon it was exclusively Holland. In 1852 Mr. H.
Doesburg became the editor and Holland became the
place of publication. This paper continued to appear
till December 24, 1895. It played an important role
in the history of the Michigan Colony. It was at
times strongly arrayed against the father and founder
of the Colony, Dr. A. C. Van Raalte.
In 1858 Mr. Quintus removed to Grand Rapids
where he began the publication of De Stoompost (The
DUTCH JOURNALISM IN MICHIGAN 437
Steampost), the oldest Dutch paper of Grand Rapids.
In the course ol time Grand Rapids became the seat
of the publication of a large number of Holland papers,
most of them with a more or less pronouncedly reli-
gious spirit.
We may mention De Lantaarn (1876); De Honigbij
(1879); De Vrijheidsbanier (Banner of Liberty); De
Stem Des Volks (a prohibition party organ) ; De Christen
Werkman (a labor party organ) ; Stemmen Uit De Vrijc
Gemeente; DeGids- De Kerkbode; DeGetuige; De School-
bel (devoted to the* Christian primary school move-
ment); De Geestelijke Wandelaar] The Yankee-Dutch
(part Holland and part English) ; and De Standaard,
begun in 1875, by Von Strien and Schram.
De Getuige, Schoolbel and Gids were amalgamated
some years ago in a weekly paper called De Calvinist.
And that in course of time was changed to the Christian
Journal, at present published by M. Berghege, and on
its front page claiming to be Vol. X.
Mr. Berghege is also publisher of a Dutch weekly
called Standard-Bulletin, an eight-page paper formed by
the amalgamation of De Standaard mentioned above
and The Bulletin vvhich Mr. Berghege began when De
Gids ceased to function.
Mr. H. H. D. Langereis has been active in publish-
ing Het Ideaal, De Huisvriend and De Hollandsche
Only De Ideaal, Huisvriend survives to this day as
a 16-page monthly.
Another monthly paper De Boodschapper (The Mes-
senger), containing sermons by Christian Reformed
preachers, was amalgamated with De Huisvriend.
In the interests ot the Holland Home of Grand
Rapids there appears since 1893 "Holland Home
438 HENRY BEETS
Newt," a paper which notwithstanding its English
title, is almost exclusively Dutch in contents.
Grand Rapids is also the home of De Wackier, a
weekly which during many years was published in
Holland, Mich., and which is the Dutch weekly organ
of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.
Since May, 1922, a Dutch periodical is printed in Grand
Rapids, "DeHeidenwereld," a missionary monthly serv-
ing the Reformed Hollanders throughout our Union.
The paper is 26 years old and of Iowa origin.
To return once more to Holland, Mich. In the
same year that Mr. Quintus started his Stoompost in
Grand Rapids Mr. C. Vorst, in 1858, began with the
publication of De Paarl, a paper which lived only two
years. In 1867 this enterprising publisher started
Een Stem Uit Het Westen of which only one issue
appeared. The next year Mr. Vorst, under ecclesiasti-
cal auspices, began the publication of De Wachter, now
as already stated, published in Grand Rapids.
Before De Paarl had ceased to circulate, the Hol-
land Colony Teachers 7 Association in 1859 began the
publication of De Wekker, issued in the interests of
education, missions, etc., but this undertaking lasted
only two years.
In 1862 Mr. J. Binnekant of Holland started De
Verzamelaar (The Collector), designed to bring before
the Holland Reformed people the best religious liter-
ature obtainable. In 1865 this publication was amal-
gamated with De Hope which has appeared uninter-
ruptedly to this day as the weekly Dutch organ of the
Reformed Church in America, in so far as that church
is still using the Dutch tongue.
But even before the Verzamelaar appeared, another
DUTCH JOURNALISM IN MICHIGAN 439
Dutch weekly had been started in Holland, Mich., viz.
De Grondwet (the Constitution), begun in 1860 with
John Roost as publisher, and M. Hoogesteger as editor.
This paper is the oldest Holland weekly and is able to
boast not alone of uninterrupted publication from 1860
to this day, but it can also claim to have been loyally
Republican from its start to the present.
Holland, Mich., however has become the graveyard
of many a Dutch paper.
During twenty years a monthly paper appeared in
Holland, Mich., called De Gereformeerde Amerikaan,
published by H. Holkeboer. Alas! its promising career
was terminated in 1916. Other papers, printed in
Holland City, which enjoyed only a brief existence are :
Gereformeerd Maandblad; De Heraut', De Volkstem (Free
Silver, 1896); Ons Vaandel, 1901, a paper which tried
to imitate the wellknown Standaard of Dr. Kuyper in
Amsterdam. Ons Vaandel (Our Flag) appeared three
times a -week and negotiations were begun with the
Synod of the Christian Reformed Church, owner of
De Wachter, to make it a daily issue. Its career was
as brief as that of De Volkstem, a Socialistic weekly,
1908, and Voorwaarts, a bi-weekly periodical also
Socialistic, begun in 1914 and discontinued January,
1915.
Kalamazoo, Mich., has also been the home of Dutch
newspapers. As early as 1850 a Holland weekly ap-
peared, De Nederlander, edited by Mr. Vander Wai
and advocating the interests of the Whig party of these
days of long ago. But like the party which it repre-
sented it passed away in course of time. Thirty-three
years ago another Dutch paper began its career in the
Celery City, De Hollandsche Amerikaan, now appearing
440 HENRY BEETS
three times a week, the only journal of its kind which
is able to do this, and it has kept up this record already
many more years than the ill-fated Ons Vaandel already
alluded to. Another Dutch Kalamazoo paper is
Teekenen Der Tijclen (Signs of the Times), formerly, for
about five years, a monthly, and recently changed to a
weekly.
In Battle Creek at one time a Holland periodical
appeared in the interest of Adventism.
Muskegon was the home for a brief season of a
weekly, De Volksvriend (Friend of the People), and at
present is the seat of a publication company which
issues De Bereer (The Berean), which appears twice a
month as the spokesman of a group of churches which
in recent years withdrew from the Christian Reformed
Church because of its opposition to certain teachings
involved in Pre-Millennialism.
Holland journalism as at present functioning in
Michigan is represented by the following papers, ar-
ranged alphabetically:
Bereer, semi-monthly, Muskegon
Christian Journal, weekly, Grand Rapids
Grondwet, weekly, Holland
Heidenwereld, monthly, Grand Rapids
Hollandsche A merikaan, tri-weekly, Kalamazoo
Holland Home News, monthly, Grand Rapids
Hope, weekly, Holland
Huisvriend, monthly, Grand Rapids
Standard-Bulletin, weekly, Grand Rapids
Teekenen Der Tijden, weekly, Kalamazoo
Wachter, weekly, Grand Rapids
Some of these papers seem to be increasing their
circulation. Most of them we presume are at a stand-
DUTCH JOURNALISM IN MICHIGAN 441
still, and one or two are perhaps seeing their circulation
dwindle slowly but surely. The latter is due to thf
acceleration of the Americanizing process among the
Dutch in Michigan. The two largest denominations
among them have already taken measures to provide
their younger members with weeklies in the English
language, the Reformed Church publishing The Leader,
at Holland, Mich., and the Christian Reformed, The
Banner, published at Grand Rapids.
Dutch journalism in Michigan is moribund, in-
evitably, although it no doubt will survive during
several decades, especially in serving country readers.
A language as a rule dies very hard. It is too much the
very soul of a people. But whatever fate be in store for
this branch of activity among Holland Americans of
our commonwealth, we may say that as a rule Dutch
journalism has functioned in Michigan in an honorable
way and in days of national trial and danger as well as
during times of peace it has tried to make true American
patriots of the Dutch immigrants, and their descendants,
instilling love for only one flag, the Stars and Stripes,
and inspiring supreme devotion to only one country,
that of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
We have good reasons to believe that, barring possible
exceptions, its leaders have felt something of the senti-
ments expressed in the "Song of the Holland-Amer-
icans:"
4 'But though we love Old Holland still
We love Columbia more,
The land our sons and brethren fill
From East to western shore."
HOW WE GOT THE R. F. D.
(The First Historical Sketch of the Establishment
of Our Rural Mail Sarvi ;e*
BY J. H. BROWN
BATTLE CREEK
THE Michigan Farmer had a very prominent part
_in the job of helping start "Rural Free Delivery"
in this country, and especially in Michigan. During
the years 1895-6 Congress was importuned by the Na-
tional Grange, Michigan State Grange and other farm
organizations, to appropriate a little money to test
out the experiment of delivering mail to farmers' doors.
The writer was on the Michigan Farmer editorial staff
at that time, and was more or less instrumental in
stirring up the demand for, and in helping to start,
rural free delivery in Michigan.
Finally the National Grange executive and legis-
lative committees, after a long stay in Washington,
poking up the animals more or less constantly, stirred
up excitement enough in the Capitol to secure the pas-
sage of a bill appropriating fifty thousand dollars to do
something to molify the farmers and prove that rural
free delivery would be a fizzle. Many Congressmen
were positive it would be a waste of money, and not a
few hoped it would pan out so poorly that not a single
farmer would ever show up or stick around asking for
another dollar to have his mail taken out of the post
office and delivered to his home way out in the country.
But it worked the other way, and even exceeded
(442)
How WE GOT THE R. F. D. 443
the fondest anticipations of the original R. F. D. pro-
moters. Congressmen were surprised, and some bit-
terly disappointed. The test was such a success that
the National Grange and a multitude of the farmers
of the United States, including the Michigan Farmer
and other leading agricultural periodicals, demanded
that more money be appropriated the next year and
the experiment broadened out.
In spite of the demand, Congress the next year,
1897, finally allowed the small sum of $40,000 to get
out of the government till, just to get rid of the pesky
farmers who were bothering the Congressmen. Then
some of them washed their hands of the whole R. F. D.
business forever, and hoped their rural constituents
would be satisfied after they had done so much for
them against their own principles and consciences in
the matter.
Poor Congressmen, how they must have suffered
from loss of sleep for the next night or two, realizing
they had voted to waste so much of the government's
money in such a fizzle scheme.
This was ten thousand dollars less than the first
appropriation, and the general feeling among some
members was that it would be the last to use in such
an idle dream. But let's see how it turned out.
In 1896 there was one R. F. D. route in Michigan,
at Climax, our farm home post office, and one each in
several other states. In 1897 there were eighty- three
rural routes in operation in the United States, and the
appropriation was but $40,000. In 1898 Congressmen
had a fit over the pressure brought to bear around them
by "the pesky farmers," and had to hand over $50,000
to get the ruralites started for home once more. That
444 . J. H. BROWN
year there were one hundred and forty-eight rural
routes working to get mail to farmers' doors.
In 1899 the Congressional appropriation for rural
free delivery was $150,000. Number of routes in oper-
ation, three hundred and ninety-one. In 1900 the
astounded Congressmen shelled out $450,000, and
R. F. D. boys were driving, biking, and wading over
all sorts of roads and trails on 1,276 rural routes in
this great and glorious country. At the next session
of Congress there were some scared senators and rep-
resentatives who had heard from home more than
once, including thousands of letters written in farm
homes from both enthusiastic and irate tillers of the
soil, who wanted their hired man down at Washington
to hop around and do something so their folks might
have an R. F. D. in good working order in their midst.
And it worked down at Washington. Congress shelled
out that year, 1901, the sum of $1,750,000 for R. F. D.
activity, and it helped get 4,301 rural carriers. This
was quite a shower, after the little sprinkle of the first
two years of the R. F. D.
In 1902 the appropriation was $3,993,740. Num-
ber of routes in operation, 8,466. The 1903 appropri-
ation was $8,054,000. Number of routes, 15,119.
The 1904 appropriation was $12,921,700, and number
of routes in operation was 24,566. The tenth (1905)
year of R. F. D. service saw Congressmen shell out
$21,116,600, and there were 32,055 rural routes in
operation in the various states and territories.
In selecting the first route in each one of several
states in 1896, the purpose of the R. F. D. was stated
to be to carry mails daily, on a fixed line of travel, to
people who would otherwise have to go a mile or more
How WE GOT THE R. F. D. 445
to a post office to receive their mail. It was required
that roads traversed should be kept in good condition,
unobstructed by gates; that there must be no unbridged
creeks or streams not fordable at all seasons of the
year, and that each route of twenty-four or more miles
in length domicile one hundred or more families. A
slight variation was allowed under special conditions.
After the first appropriation was announced in the
press dispatches, and we had referred to it in the Mich-
igan Farmer, we wrote to United States Senator Julius
C. Burrows, asking thaj; the first experiment in Mich-
igan be made from our farm home post office at Climax.
Later on a federal inspector from the post office depart-
ment came to Climax and asked us to help inspect and
lay out the first route. We spent two days doing this
and found that it would be impossible for one carrier to
get over the roads daily. So two carriers were sworn
in arid the route divided. Our hired man on the farm,
Lewis A. Clark, and Willis L. Lawrence, in the village,
were appointed. Then we drew a map of the first rural
free delivery in Michigan and printed it in the next
issue of the Michigan Farmer, and a copy was also sent
to the department at Washington.
We are wondering if there is not some farm home
in which files of the Michigan Farmer of the year 1896-7
have been preserved? We lost our issue in which the
first map appeared, and which covered the front page of
the paper; and the files of that year in the Michigan
Farmer office were burned in a big fire several years
later. However, in response to many requests, we
again printed the map, somewhat reduced, in the Mich-
igan Farmer issue of January 21, 1899, just twenty years
ago.
Lewis Clark was receiving good wages ($18 per
446 J. H. BROWN
month), at that time working on our farm. He had
just bought a new high-grade bicycle and conceived
the idea that he would like to try the new job of rural
mail carrier and use his bicycle when the weather was
favorable. Upon his urgent desire, we recommended
him to the post office inspector and he was sworn into
the service. In those days there were good bicycle
paths along the side of the road in many localities, so
that Lewis was able to carry mail much of the time
during the next few" years. In all he rode over twenty-
four thousand miles o|n that machine, and probably
there is not another rural carrier in the United States
who has such a record. He has the same bicycle yet
in fair running order, and his two young boys have
used it nearly every summer for several years.
The roads around Climax when the service started
were like all country roads. Climax prairie soil is
heavy clay loam and very sticky when it is wet. Only
about one- third of the two original rural routes were
on this prairie, the rest being diversified soil and rolling
country outside. When the two original carriers started
out that first morning from the Climax post office,
December 3, 1896, it was not very good bicycle travel-
ling. However, Lewis Clark stuck to it, even in mid-
winter, on certain days when the ground was frozen,
little snow, and the roads smoothed down by wagons
with wide tires. But he quickly found it necessary to
get a horse and cart, and before the first winter was
over both carriers were using two horses.
There was precious little mail to carry during the
early days of this first service in Michigan. Some
mornings either carrier could stuff all the mail for his
route in his coat pockets. Sometimes there were less
How WE GOT THE R. F. D. 447
than a dozen letters. Hardly a farmer took a daily
paper. On Fridays and Saturdays there were a goodly
number of copies of the Michigan Farmer, and it was
on such a day that we took the picture of Lewis Clark
and his "machine" at our farm mail box.
Willis Lawrence lived in the village and drove his
horse and cart west and south. He had a more level
country to drive over, but the roads were no better, as
a rule. Later on gravel was spread over some portions
that were the worst, and a few years ago, under the
new county system of building state reward roads,
the road south of Climax was improved.
When Clark and Lawrence started out, December 3,
1896, they had about twenty-five to twenty-six miles
each day to carry mail. The picture shows them start-
ing out with their horses and road carts. We had pre-
served that old picture all these years and it now
appears in bas relief on one bronze tablet on the north
side of the new R. F. D. memorial monument standing
in the center of the intersection of the two main streets
of the village.
In the early days there was very little mail to carry.
Only one or two days each week when the Battle
Creek and Kalamazoo weekly papers, and the Michigan
Farmer, came, was there a sack anywhere near full.
But the boys had some hard work to do some of the
time when the weather and roads were bad, and it cost
more than half as much then for equipment and main-
tenance as now. Each carrier had to keep two horses,
sometimes using one, other times both.
The salary was but $25 per month, in those early
days, and each carrier had to pay about all his expenses.
Hundreds of farmers used to wonder how the carriers
448 J H. BROWN
managed to keep up and make both ends meet. Of
course, living expenses were less and feed was much
cheaper, but our hired man left a job 'that paid him
$18 per month clear profit. He had his board, lodging
and other incidentals furnished. He was not married
and his worries were few and far between. Soon after
he became an R. F. D. carrier, he got married and started
a home of his own. Three children came in due time,
and still Clark hung onto his R. F. D. job, and likewise
stuck closer than a brother to all his other appurte-
nances, all on $25 for each calendar month. His good
wife has been a help-meet, in the full acceptation of
the term. If she had not, Lewis Clark would "have
gone busted" long ago.
When the automobile first came along it was the
joke of the farmers, their wives, sons and daughters,
from Kalamazoo to Oshkosh and back to Ypsilanti.
And when the idea of utilizing one of these original
gasoline carts for carrying R. F. D. mail was first pro-
posed to Willis Lawrence he laughed at it long and loud.
Willis was a first-class mechanic and he thought it
would be a cold day when he got caught between a rural
mail bag and a chug wagon that was mostly wheeze
and inclined to buck any old time or place.
But one day, after these two original R. F. D. car-
riers had navigated about 71,417 miles over all sorts of
roads, in all kinds of weather, Willis met and fell in love
with a pioneer chug wagon that probably had been
abandoned by its parents or guardians. We don't
know just how Willis adopted the poor thing, but in less
time than it would have taken at Camp Custer, he was
first lieutenant and chief engineer of the bus and it had
the honor of being the first automobile to carry mail
on the first R. F. D. route in Michigan. Willis could
How WE GOT THE R. F. D. 449
box the steering gear with one hand and throw out
mail with the other. When the farmer's wife or good
looking daughter heard the chug, chug, a mile or two
away, she had time to change her clothes and be stand-
ing by the mail box when Willis hove to and threw out
the anchor. And then, provided the chugger couldn't
or wouldn't stop its chugging to catch its second or
third wind Willis would shut one eye and cast the mail
overboard; and the womenfolks would catch it on the
fly, if the wind was in the right quarter, and sail into
the house to read a spell.
It was during this period that we one* day drove to
Climax to take a picture. At that time there were three
carriers out of the village. Willis Lawrence was still
making his first love go like a charm. Lewis Clark
had a fine new motorcycle, and the new carrier, Leo
Roof, had purchased one, and for the first time in its
history the first R. F. D. in Michigan was fully motor-
ized. In the picture, Lewis Clark is ahead and beside
the touring car. All three vehicles are well loaded with
mail and the boys were ready to start out.
* * *
Lewis Clark and Willis Lawrence, the pioneer rural
free delivery carriers of Michigan, had stuck to their
job through hot and cold, wet and dry weather, and
had navigated fairly good and miserably poor roads for
about nineteen years without any let-up or much of a
vacation. They showed symptoms of sticking like a
bull dog for quite a spell yet, and had proved them-
selves good soldiers in fighting poor roads and weather
and punching mail into the farmers' mail boxes along
their routes.
So we thought over a plan of erecting some kind of
a marker or memorial in the village of Climax to com-
450 J. H. BROWN
memorate the starting of rural free delivery in Michigan
and also provide a permanent recognition of these
carrier boys and their long service on the original routes
out of Climax postoffice. Then we submitted the plan
to the farmers on the routes and to the Climax "Men's
Fellowship Club," at one of their meetings, illustrat-
ing the plan by means of sketches. The idea took
unanimously.
Our next move was to take up the plan with our
Chamber of Commerce in Battle Creek, as the writer
was the chairman of the agricultural committee. The
Chamber of 'Commerce voted to send the writer to
Charlevoix to attend the annual meeting of the Michi-
gan Rural Letter Carriers and extend an invitation to
them to meet at Battle Creek the next year. We did
so, and explained that we wished the carriers to meet in
our city, and that we wanted to erect an "R. F. D.
Memorial Monument" in Climax in time for the State
association to help dedicate it. The plan was enthus-
iastically and unanimously endorsed, and the date was
set for Thursday, July 26, 1917.
During the months of June and July the memorial
was constructed. At our suggestion a local building
committee was appointed to work under our direction.
It was a rather slow job to collect and sort out the
stones, place them in position, make sketches and
number each stone and assign to its proper owner.
The writer, as general chairman, and designer of the
monument, had to spend a portion of twenty-seven
days driving to the village to work and direct all details.
The plan we made was to use one stone from each
of the farms along the original routes traversed by
Clark and Lawrence. In spite of careful instructioi
How WE GOT THE R. F. D. 451
many of the stones brought or sent in by the farm-
ers were too large or too small. In order to build up
such a shaft of field stone, without a single bit of chip-
ping or breaking, it was necessary to lay out and try
many stones in position before the final setting. By
using the larger ones at the bottom and in the corners,
and gradually working in smaller ones in the upper
tiers, it was possible to harmonize the great variety of
shapes and colors and make a beautiful shaft of rough
field stone. But it took some time and trying out.
We found that it would be better to take in all three
rural routes and secure more stones.
There are exactly 239 stones sticking out of the
shaft nine from old, historical sites in the village, and
one each from about 230 farms on the Climax rural
routes. It was a decided novelty, and this is, so far
as we know, the first memorial so constructed. It is
officially known that this is the "First R. F. D. Memo-
rial in the United States," and the reverse side of each
of the road signs declares this fact. The beauty of the
plan is that in the years to come, each farmer, his family
or descendants, on the first rural route in Michigan, can
go to this monument and pick out the stone that came
from his or an ancestor's farm. There are fifteen tiers
on each of the four sides. We made a map on each
side wall, marked each stone with its official num-
ber, and printed an alphabetical list. This list and
the maps will, with some pictures we took during
and after construction, be framed and hung up in the
post office.
Previous to commencing construction of the monu-
ment, we applied to the village council for legal
452 J. H. BROWN
authority to erect the shaft in the exact intersection
of the two main streets, thus making it a practical and
permanent semaphore, with road signs above the cap
stone, to direct and divert local and through traffic.
This was officially conferred and then we asked the
county road commission to establish the street level
and grade, in order that we might have the concrete
foundation top about eight inches above the pavement
surface, when the pavement is laid.
The concrete base is about six feet square, laid four
feet deep in the ground, solid concrete with sm.all stone
thrown in. In the early days of the village there was
a well and town pump on this spot. Years ago it was
filled in, but we took precautions to reinforce the bot-
tom of the foundation.
The stone shaft is about ten feet high to the bottom
of the Barre granite cap stone, which is fifteen inches
thick and four feet square. This cap stone is massive,
handsome, weighs one and one-half tons, and was cut
out by the prisoners of Jackson prison. The four
bronze tablet blocks are also of Barre granite and pro-
ject into the stone shaft from twelve to fifteen inches.
The shaft is solid stone and concrete, with a vertical
three-inch black-iron sewer pipe in the exact center
extending from top to bottom. From the bottom angle
it runs in a trench to and up an electric light pole at the
southwest corner sidewalk. Thus we laid an insulated
and waterproofed double-line light wire under ground
and up through the monument to the four large electric
lights above the cap stone. The sewer pipe extends
down the monument; through the trench and up the
pole and thoroughly protects the light wire. We give
How WE GOT THE R. F. D. 453
particular description of this construction because a
score or more historical, college and other organizations
have visited this memorial and have asked for construc-
tive details for a_somewhat similar design memorial.
One was a college alumni association in eastern Ohio,
that praised the idea of a field ^tone shaft with one
stone contributed from each member.
I have one close-up picture that shows the construc-
tion of all four side walls of field stone, also two of the
bronze tablets. After laying two or three tiers of
stones it was necessary to carefully scrape out the fresh
cement-concrete mortar, after it had partially set,
from between the stones for a depth of two inches.
This was a slow and particular job to secure evenness
and make each stone stick right out like life, as the
picture shows. Not a single stone was broken or
chipped, but left just as it came from its farm yard,
wall foundation or field, and no stone has any identi-
fication mark. Each stone was tagged until it was laid
in the wall, when we recorded it on our chart and a.pha-
bet.cal list. We answer numerous questions that have
come to us, in the above description, as it seems others
are desirous of erecting some kind of marker or memo-
r^al of field stone made up of individual contributions.
The stone shaft is about five feet square at the base
and three feet square at the top. It stands perfectly
plumb and level, and tapers harmoniously to present a
fine appearance to the eye, from any point of view.
Before commencing to lay a single stone we erected a
staging and gu.de for construction work. The e-ecthc
light wire pipe is plumb in the center of the foundation
and the outer point of projection of each stone was
measured and set by using the pipe as a guide. It was
a s.ow and particular work, and tiie mason, Fred Beais,
454 J. H. BROWN
a boyhood schoolmate of ours, did a fine job in laying
the stone.
The beauty of the stone shaft is enhanced by the
projecting massive Barre granite blocks that support
the heavy bronze tablets. There are four of these
tablets, and the information they bear on their face,
along with the inscriptions on the four porcelain-en-
amel road signs above the cap stone, give condensed
and full information as to what the monument stands
for. Thousands of tourists have stopped to look at
the memorial, as it attracts instant attention, even a
block away. " There is nothing like it in the whole
wide world, " a noted traveller exclaimed when he saw
it for the first time. "It is massive, handsome, harmo-
nious in contour and design, and stands for one of the
greatest benefits that ever happened to the farm
homes of the United States; the tablets give full infor-
mation, and the completed monument is an everlast-
ing credit to the designer."
The bronze tablet on the north side we designed to
bear the picture of the two carriers, Clark and Law-
rence, starting out from the Climax post office, each
with his horse and road cart. This picture was made
from the one shown in an issue of the Michigan
Farmer. Below the picture is the following inscription:
"First Rural Free Delivery Carriers Starting Out From
Climax Post Office. (From Photo Taken by Frank
Hodgman). This Tablet Erected by Michigan Rural
Letter Carriers' Association."
On the west side is the bronze tablet donated by
Michigan State Grange. It reads: "The First Congres-
sional Appropriation to Try the Experiment of Deliver-
ing Mail to Farmers' Homes was Secured through the
How WE GOT THE R. F. D. 455
Strenuous Efforts of the National and State Granges in
1896. The Amount was $40,000. This Tablet Erected
by Michigan State Grange, 1917." The lower section
of the tablet has the additional inscription: " Monu-
ment Construction Committee, Frank L. Willison,
William H. Sheldon, Simeon E. Ewing."
Pictures of the other two tablets are in my possession.
One was donated by the D. A. R. chapters of Calhoun
and Kalamazoo counties, and is erected on the south
side of the shaft. On the east side is the tablet erected
by the Climax people. and includes local historical
information.
On the northeast corner of the stone shaft, in the
ninth tier, is the famous "Pork Barrel Stone" (marked
by an arrow), that came from the family of Benjamin
Harrison, one of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence. This stone was used in Virginia and
Maryland by the Harrison family, and was brought to
Michigan by William Harrison, son of Judge Bazel
Harrison, who was the first white settler in Kalamazoo
county in 1830. From that time, when "Uncle Billy"
and his bride, America, settled on the farm and built
the first cabin on Climax prairie, for over eighty-seven
years, that stone was used in the family pork barrel to
hold down layers of pork in brine. While we were
erecting the R. F. D. stone shaft the youngest son of
Uncle Billy told us about this pork barrel stone, and
expressed a desire to have it go in the monument to
represent the Harrison Farm, which was on the original
R. F. D. route out of Climax. It was kept under lock
and key until ready to set in the corner on the ninth
tier where it points directly toward the old pioneer farm
of the Harrison family. Until the concrete set, the
stone was carefully guarded. It is the most famous
456 J. H. BROWN
stone in the monument, and thousands have looked for
and asked its location.
* * *
There are now over two thousand rural mail car-
riers in the State ol Michigan. This is quite a jump
from the two pioneer carriers of 1896 who started out,
each with his horse and road cart, from the Climax post
office over and through all sorts of roads.
I have a picture which shows the carriers with their
mail loaded up all ready to drive over their original
routes about as they did twenty-six years ago last
December 3. Lewis Clark is seated in the top buggy
at the left and Willis Lawrence in the open rig. Each
wears a heavy fur overcoat. We took this picture for
the Michigan Farmer, and nearly all the two thousand
rural carriers in the State will see it, along with the
others, in various issues. Probably there is not a
single one of these carriers who does not deliver each
week copies of this paper to the farmers on his route.
In fact, it is because so many of these carriers and the
farmers of Michigan have repeatedly asked for the
story and pictures of the first R. F. D., and the new
memorial monument, that we have written this com-
plete illustrated story for the first time.
I have one picture that shows the old Ide Building
back of the monument, one of the oldest in the village.
The exact center of the monument base (the right
angle of the iron sewer pipe for the electric light cable)
is over the vitrified clay section corner post set down
by Frank Hodgman many years ago when he was
county surveyor. The old parchment deed of the quar-
ter-section taken up by the first permanent settler in
1830, signed by President Andrew Jackson, was given
How WE GOT THE R. F. D. 457
us to deposit in the copper box in the solid concrete
under the cap stone. This box was well filled with
various things of historical importance.
The picture also shows the monument completed,
all but a much-needed heavy pipe railing around the
base. The new road signs we erected on a mid-winter
day in January when it was mild and pleasant. We
drilled the holes in the heavy galvanized pipe shaft
above the cap stone bare-handed and with our heavy coat
discarded. Then we bolted on the iron scroll brackets
and suspended the road signs. The sign pointing north
gives the distance to Battle Creek, ten and a half miles.
To Camp Custer, seven miles. The reverse side of
each sign has the following: "Climax R. F. D.
Memorial. First in the U. S. A."
It was the biggest day in the history of Climax
village when the monument was dedicated. Several
thousand people were present, including invited guests
and speakers from the State and Washington. Over
seventy loaded automobiles formed at the city hall and
Monument square in Battle Creek, driven by leading
business men, and carrying delegates of the Michigan
Rural Letter Carriers' Association and prominent State
and national officials.
The writer, as general chairman, led the parade in
his car and carried Mrs. W. H. Wait, state regent of
the Daughters of the American Revolution; Master
John C. Ketcham, Michigan State Grange, and Pres-
ident W. H. Jehnzen, of the Michigan Letter Carriers'
Association. With a band ahead in two trucks, this
long parade drove ten miles to Climax and was met at
the monument by the village delegation. The band
played "The Star Spangled Banner" while little
Kathryn Brown unveiled the monument and raised the
458 J. H. BROWN
small flag to the top of the staff above the light globes.
We introduced the above-mentioned speakers, who
presented the bronze tablets. During and after the
ceremony of dedication, moving pictures were taken
by the Pathe corporation operator. Messrs. Clark and
Lawrence, in their old horse and road cart rigs, with
mail pouches over their shoulders, started out from the
old post office and drove slowly past the monument,
just as they did twenty years before, while the picture
machine on a high platform recorded the scene. Later
on this film was shown in the leading theaters in every
large city in the United States.
Then the parade was led by the band a few rods fur-
ther to the large and fine school grove. A large plat-
form and hundreds of chairs and seats had been pro-
vided. Over two hours were spent listening to music
and addresses by United States Senator Chas. E. Town-
send, Congressman J. M. C. Smith, Lieut.- Govern or
Dickinson, President Frank S. Kedzie, M. A. C.,
Master J. C. Ketcham, Mrs. W. H. Wait, State High-
way Commissioner Frank F. Rogers, President W. H.
Jehnzen, and others.
Officers of the Michigan Rural Letter Carriers'
Association present were Rex Anthony, of Ada; Georgt
Smith, of Kalamazoo; F. A. Butler, of Charlevoix
John Brinkman, Holland; George Fleury, Monroe:
Mrs. Sylvia L. McMillen, Greenville. Mr. Butler has
been secretary for several years. Mrs. McMillen was
the only woman delegate and had carried mail on her
route out of Greenville for fourteen years.
The rural carriers of Michigan have carried millions
of copies of the Michigan Farmer on the more than two
thousand routes of both peninsulas. But history has
How WE GOT THE R. F. D.
459
recorded the fact that the very first copies of the
Michigan Farmer ever punched into a rural mail box
were handled by Lewis Clark and Willis Lawrence on
the Climax original route on December 7, 1896. Ab-
breviated from the Michigan Farmer.
RAILROADS OF DELTA COUNTY
BY F. H. VAN CLEVE
ESCANABA
IN THIS article I intend to deal mainly with the his"
tory of the Chicago and North Western Railway Com-
pany in Delta County and the various incidents of its
location and construction that came under my personal
observation, having been connected with the construc-
tion of the Railway from its beginning at Fort Howard
(now Green Bay) to Escanaba.
There were several lines of railroad built at various
times in Wisconsin and Illinois between the years 1845
and 1855, and some of these roads were finally brought
together by purchase and consolidation under one con-
trol and management. In June, 1859, the legal name
and title of this consolidated Company became the
Chicago and North Western Railway Company.
In 1855 one or two lines of railroad had been author-
ized by the Legislature of Wisconsin and a new corpo-
ration, called the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac
Railroad, took them over and was authorized by the
Legislature of Wisconsin to build a railroad north from
Fond du Lac to the north line of Wisconsin at some
point on the Brule River. If this line had been built,
it would have come into Michigan in what is now Iron
County and about where the village of Iron River is
now located, and this line would have gone to the west
of the present cities of Oshkosh, Neenah, Appleton and
Green Bay. The panic of 1857 put a stop to all the
(460)
RAILROADS OF DELTA COUNT* 461
activities of the last named railroad. The Chicago,
St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad became bankrupt,
and by purchase under the foreclosure of its mortgages,
its franchises and rights passed to the Chicago and
North Western Railway Company.
Permission from Congress was obtained by the
Chicago and North Western Railway Company to
change the line of that railroad as originally planned,
and the Chicago and North Western Railway Company
were then authorized by the Legislature of Wisconsin
to extend its lines north from Fond du Lac tia Fort
Howard (now Green Bay) to tne north line of Wisconsin
at the Menominee River. This extension began at
once and was completed to Fort Howard (now Green
Bay) in 1862, and for the next ten years the terminus
remained at Fort Howard.
In 1856 or 1857, a Railroad was organized to build
a line from Marquette, Michigan, to the head of Little
Bay De Noc in Delta County. This road was never
built, and in 1861 or 1862 all its rights and franchises
were obtained by William B. Odgen and others, and in
1862 the Peninsula Railroad was organized.
At that time William B. Odgen was President of
the Chicago and North Western Railway and Samuel
J. Tilden was one of its directors. Both of these men
were interested in mines in Marquette County. The
work of construction was started in 1863 on the Penin-
sula Railroad. According to the original maps the
terminus of this road was to be at the head of Little
Bay De Noc where Masonville is now located. The
place at that time was called Gena, and was the county
seat of Delta County. Owing to some misunderstand-
ing between property owners at Gena and the official e
462 F. H. VAN OLBVE
of the Peninsula Railroad, the line was changed and the
terminal made at Sand Point (now Escanaba). This
road was built to haul iron ore from mines in Marquette
to be shipped by water to the lower lakes from Esca-
naba, and also to secure the business of the Upper
Peninsula for the Chicago and North Western Railway
Company. Mr. S. H. Selden was the engineer who
located and constructed this road, and his principal
assistant was Mr. C. E. Brotherton, both of whom lived
in Escanaba after the road was completed. Mr. Selden
was the Division Engineer of the Peninsula Division,
and Mr. Brotherton became the Chief Land Examiner
of the Chicago and North Western Railway Company,
a position which he held continuously until his death
some years ago. The road was completed to the
Jackson mine the latter part of 1863, and in October of
1864 the Peninsula Railroad was taken over by the
Chicago and North Western Railway Company as the
Peninsula Division.
Work was started on the first ore dock in Escanaba
in 1863 and 1864, and the dock and railroad were com-
pleted and in operation in 1865. In 1864 Mr. H. A.
Barr came to Escanaba and had charge of the pile-
driving for the new ore dock. This dock is the one
that was known in later years as dock number ''2",
and was at that time the largest dock of its kind ever
built in this country, being larger than the dock then
in use at Marquette. This dock was taken down some
years ago and never re-built. The first officers ot the
Division at that time^were ^Robert Campbell, Super-
^intendent, S. H. Selden, Engineer, Alfred Hull, Assist-
ant Engineer, C. E. Elliot, Master Mechanic, C. M.
Lawler, Road Master, Mr. Beardsly, Station Agent, and
R. A. Connelly, a contractor doing the dock and bridge
RAILROADS OF DELTA COUNTY 463
work ior the Company. In 1867 came W. B. Linsley
as Clerk in the Freight Office. At this time, also, D. E.
Glavin was in the employ of the Company in the Supply
Department.
In 1862 the Green Bay Transit Company, finally
owned by ths Chicago and North Western Railway
Company, was incorporated to put steamers on Green
Bay, running between Fort Howard and Escanaba,
carrying passengers, freight, express and mail and con-
necting with the Peninsula Division at Escanaba.
Three fine steamers wre put oh this route, the Sarah
Van Epps, George L. Dunlap and the Saginaw, and
were continued in the service until the line between
Fort Howard and Escanaba was completed and ready
for business. In the winter, passengers and freight,
express and mail were carried between Green Bay and
Escanaba by the stages of the Lake Forwarding Com-
pany.
During the years previous to 1871, the lumber
business at the mouth of the Menominee River and
south along the west shore of Green Bay had grown to
immense proportions. The various towns between
Green Bay and Menominee had no railroad facilities,
being served by boat during the season of navigation
and by stage during the winter. These towns were
very desirous of railroad connections with the outside
world and the lumbermen of that section headed by
former Senator Stephenson of Marinette, had for a long
time been negotiating with the Chicago and North
Western Railway Company to extend their lines to the
Menominee River, thereby giving those towns the long
needed rail facilities. Preliminary surveys had already
been made from Fort Howard to Menominee, and also
464 F. H. VAN CLEVB v
north to Escanaba, and it was finally decided by the
C. & N. W. Ry. Co., to extend their line not only to
Menominee, but also through to Escanaba and thus
fill the gap from Fort Howard to Escanaba. This line
was to be built in two sections, the first from Fort
Howard to Marinette and the second from Marinette
to Escanaba. The work of construction on the first
section was begun in the spring of 1871.
In 1870 the writer, just out of college, was employed
as an assistant engineer of construction on a road in
Iowa that was being built by the Chicago, Rock Island
and Pacific Railroad Company. He flras stationed at
Centerville, Iowa, where he lived for -over a year. In
the latter part of May, 1871, he was informed that the
Chicago and North Western Railway Company desired
an engineer to act as principal assistant on construction
of a railroad in Wisconsin and that he had been recom-
mended for the position, and if he desired the place, to
go at once to Green Bay and report to the engineer in
charge of the construction. As this was a decided
promotion, the writer left at once and on June 3, 1871,
entered the employ of the Chicago and North Western
Railway Company; on June 5, 1871, he was located at
Green Bay as principal assistant to the engineer of
construction, whom he found to be Mr. Edward Powei
better known at that time as the " Western Philosc
pher," on account of his strong belief in the theory oi
producing rain by firing cannons and who in substan-
tiation of that belief had written many articles foi
the scientific papers and magazines. Mr. Powers, also,
at that time, was writing a book on that subject, whicJ
was published the next year. The proofs of this boo]
the writer helped to correct, by comparing these printed
RAILROADS OF DELTA COUNTY 465
proofs with the written manuscript, a job which he
found to be most tedious and uninteresting.
The grading on the line between Fort Howard and
Menominee began in June, 1871, and by the first of
July the work was well started all along the whole length
of the line. The contractors for all the work on this
section was the firm of Dunlap and Ellis and the work
was rushed from the start. The weather that summer
and autumn was very dry and the whole surrounding
country suffered extremely from the droughts; there
was almost all the time a continous fire along the right
of way which was something fearful, on account of
which the work was greatly hindered and the loss of
property in the shape of ties, timber and camps was
enormous.
It was on the night of October 8, 1871, that the vil-
lage of Peshtigo was entirely wiped out by a tornado
of fire in which over eleven hundred lives were lost.
The fire, fanned by a high 'wind, swept on in a north-
easterly course across the Menominee River, and died
out only when it reached the waters of Green Bay,
about twelve miles north of Menominee. As soon as
the writer heard of the burning of Peshtigo he went to
Menominee and at once drove to Peshtigo to see
whether the Company's engineer and assistant, in charge
of the work at that point were safe. It was a horrible
ride, for along the road could be seen the burned bodies
of animals and human beings. In many instances in
that fire- swept waste, little heaps of white ashes marked
the place where men, women and children had fallen
to their death. Both the engineer and assistant were
found to be safe, but both, as may be imagined, were
rather shy of clothes as everything they owned in
466 F. H: VAN CLBVE
Peshtigo had been lost in the fire. Mr. Pingree, the
engineer, had on a suit of clothes, but no hat and only
one boot, while Mr. Hunt, his assistant, had boots, hat
and trousers, but no underwear, in place of which he had
one of those old fashioned rubber coats which did not
seem to be very comfortable. I returned with them
to Marinette where they were soon fixed up again.
They had just started to drive the piles for the
foundation of the bridge across the Peshtigo River.
Neither the pile driver nor the piles were burned, but
the camp ol the bridge crew was entirely destroyed. The
bridge contractor soon had a new camp prepared with
all the necessary supplies and the work went on again
about the same as before the fire.
Soon after, orders were received to hurry the work,
and that line of road was soon pushed to completion.
On December 27, 1871, the first regular passenger train
from Fort Howard ran into Marinette. Up to this
time the writer had been living at Green Bay, but
when the road was completed to Marinette, he made
that place his headquarters. All construction work
had been stopped for the winter with the exception of
the railroad bridge across the Menominee River. This
was a very long bridge of the Howe Truss pattern and
was built by the contracting firm of Seymour and Pass-
more. The bridge was completed about the middle of
April, 1872, and in the meantime a side track had been
built down to the village of Menominee and a tempo-
rary track laid to the Merchant Dock where connection
was had with the Railroad Company's steamer Sagi-
naw; this boat carried passengers, freight, express and
mail between Menominee and Escanaba during the
season of 1872, at the end of this season the steamer
Saginaw and Captain Trowell and the Clerk John Lan-
RAILROADS OP DELTA COUNTY 467
nigan, known so long and so well by the older residents
of Escanaba, passed out of the history of the Cnicago
and Nortn Western Railway Company in Delta
County.
During the year of 1871, while the road from Fort
Howard to Menominee was under construction, the
Railroad Company had a surveying party in the field
locating the line from Menominee to Escanaba. Two
or three preliminary lines were run before the final line
was located. According to the original map filed by
the Railway Company the road from Menominee to
Escanaba was to be built following close along the
shore of Green Bay the whol distance between the
two places. But a short time previous, iron ore had
been discovered in large quantities on the Menominee
range, so the Railway Company by an act of Congress
obtained permission to change its line to run directly
north from Menominee to the nearest point to the
newly discovered iron range from which a branch from
the main line could be readily built to open up these
new fields. In accordance with this permission, the
line was located to a point forty-two miles north from
Menominee which is now the station of Powers, and
from Powers the main line ran almost east to Escanaba.
While the surveying party was locating the line to
Powers, the line from Escanaba to Powers was also
being located by Mr. Selden, engineer of the Peninsula
Division assisted by Mr. C. E. Brotherton, and in the
spring of 1872 work was begun on the section between
Menominee and Escanaba. The contract for building
this part of the road was let to Wolf and Carpenter, a
railway building firm from Iowa. They got started on
the construction in due season, but for some reason the
468 F. H..VAN CLEVE
work lagged and went along very slowly; when July
came hardly anything had been accomplished, and
about that time Wolf and Carpenter gave up their con-
tract. The work was immediately re-let to a contrac-
tor by the name of Alexander Wallace who had just
finished some railroad work in Iowa. He started to
work with quite a large outfit, but he did not seem to
accomplish anything more than the other contractors.
So the Railway Company cancelled his contract and
they themselves took over the building of the road,
retaining, however, Mr. Wallace for a time as a general
foreman or overseer of the construction. Mr. W. F.
Fitch was sent up from the Chicago Office to look after
supplies and material and to see that everything needed
for the construction of the road was on hand when
wanted. This arrangement worked very well. Late
in the fall of 1872 the road was fairly well built to Pow-
ers and trains were run between Powers and Menom-
inee. The work also had been pushed from the Escana-
ba end and by the middle of November, 1872, the track
was laid from Escanaba to a point about two miles west
of the present station of Indiantown, leaving a gap of
about four miles of heavy work in a very unfinished
condition. As the winter was coming on, merely
enough work was done on that unfinished portion to
lay the track and so connect up with the track already
laid and in use from Menominee. It was intended that
the first work in the spring would be to lower the grades
in the cuts that were not fully down to grade and bring
all banks up to grade where they were found to be
below the proper grade.
The work of track laying was well done by the middle
of December, 1872, and the track from Menominee was
connected up with the track from Escanaba at a point
RAILROADS OF DELTA COUNTY 469
which is now the station of Spalding. A few days later
the first passenger train ran from Escanaba to Menom-
inee, and the whole road from Fort Howard to Esca-
naba was opened for business and the track of the Pen-
insula Division was at last joined to the great system
to which it belonged.
A short time before the road was completed to
Escanaba the Engineer of Construction, Mr. Powers,
was transferred to other work on the North Western
line and Mr. J. E. Ainsworth was appointed engineer.
The writer was contiifued as principal assistant to Mr.
Ainsworth and at that time took up his residence at
Escanaba.
During the latter part of 1872, the Railway Com-
pany had begun an erection of another large ore dock
at Escanaba the construction of which came under the
charge of the writer. The approaches to the dock were
completed and a few of the foundation piles were driven
and some of the bents of the dock were raised by Janu-
ary, 1873. The only construction work done during
the ensuing winter of 1873 was on this new dock and
rebuilding the bridge across the Escanaba River. This
was a long bridge of six spans with pile piers, and the
superstructure was of the Howes Truss pattern. The
bridge was completed in March, 1873. The ore dock
at that time was near completion. The foundation
was completed and the superstructure all up, and on
the opening of navigation the necessary dredging about
the dock was begun and continued through the greater
part of the summer. The whole dock was completed
and in commission by the end of the summer of 1873.
The contractor who built this dock was R. A. Connelly,
and his Superintendent was Alfred Hull. This dock
470 F. H. VAN CLBVB
was considerably larger in every way than the first dock;
in fact, it was the largest dock of its kind in use. This
dock later on was known as dock No. "1" and some
years ago it was taken down and never rebuilt.
In the spring of 1873 the work of taking the cuts
down to grade and bringing up to grade all the banks
that were below was begun and carried on to comple-
tion. The whole line of the road between Escanaba
and Menominee was thoroughly ditched and surfaced,
and by the end of 1873 the Peninsula Division of the
Chicago and North Western Railway Company in
Delta County was completed. At that time S. C.
Baldwin was Superintendent, S. L. Pierce Master
Mechanic, G. H. White Foreman of the Round-House,
A. J. Perrin Road Master north from Escanaba, A.
Hinman Road Master on the line south from Escanaba.
W. B. Linsley Station Agent, H. A. Barr Foreman of
the docks, O. B. Sloat Train Dispatcher. O. A. Page
acted as Train Master at Ishpeming and D. E. Glavin
as Assistant in the Supply Office, and J. F. Oliver, who
came to Escanaba in 1867, was Cashier, S. H. Selden
was Division Engineer.
The panic which occurred in the fall of 1873 put a
stop to all railroad work and was very disastrous to
all kinds of business, especially in the iron business.
This state of affairs continued for some years. In the
meantime, however, work of exploring on the Menomi-
nee range had gone forward and several large mines
opened; and as the iron business had begun to improve,
in order to take care of this new business the Company
in 1877 built the branch from Powers to Quinnesec;
and as new iron ore discoveries had been made in va-
rious places north and northwest of Quinnesec, the
RAILROADS OF DELTA, COUNTY 471
branch was gradually extended to these new finds of
iron. In 1880 the road was extended from Quinnesec
to Florence; in 1882 it was extended from Florence to
Iron River and to Crystal Falls, and in 1887 it was
built from Iron River to Watersmeet. The Whitefish
Valley Siding was built in 1900 and the Beaver Branch
in 1903.
There was supposed to be a vast territory, highly
mineralized, in the vicinity of a location called the
Felch Mountain. So in 1882 the Felch Mountain
branch was built which leaves the main line at the
present station of Narenta. After a large amount of
time and money had been spent in exploring that new
district, very little ore was found and only a very small
amount came over the Felch .Mountain branch. But
owing to the immense amount of timber that was
contiguous, that branch has always done a good
business; and as most of the lands along the branch
were good for agricultural purposes, a great many fine
farms have been developed. The iron business, which
begun to improve in about 1876 continued to get better
as time went on, and in 1880 the Railroad Company
built ore dock No. "3"; in 1888 ore dock No. "4" was
built, and ore dock No. "6" was built in 1902.
In 1887 Ferdinand Schlesinger and his associates
obtained possession of the Chapin mine at Iron Moun-
tain and began to reach out for other mining properties.
Schlesinger obtained a location on Little Bay De Noc
just north of the Chicago and North Western Railway
Company property and at once began to build a rail-
road, called the "Escanaba, Iron Mountain and West-
ern," from Iron Mountain to Escanaba, and also
began work on a large ore dock at Escanaba. This
railroad and ore dock were completed in 1890 and some
472 F. H. VAN CLEVB
ore was handled at that dock. Later Schlesinger got
into financial difficulties and all his iron properties
were sold, the Mines going to the Mark Hanna interest
at Cleveland and the Escanaba, Iron Mountain and
Western Railroad with the ore dock at Escanaba was
purchased by the Chicago and North Western Rail-
way Company. It has since been in very active service.
This dock is now known as No. "5." In 1910 it was
rebuilt and at that time was the largest and most up-
to-date dock in the country. All the ore docks at
Escanaba with the exception of Nos. "1" and "2" have
been rebuilt at various times, and each time a larger
and better dock was erected. Dock No. "4", which was
built in 1888, burned down in November, 1897, and
was at once rebuilt in 1898. The period between 1877
and 1891 was a very busy time for the ore docks, as
the demand for ore was increasing rapidly. The boats
at that time supposed to be of the very best type,
carried only between thirty-five hundred to four-
thousand tons and therefore it took a great many
vessels to move the ore; it was not an uncommon sight
to see from sixty to seventy of these large boats at
anchor in harbor awaiting their turn at the dock, and
at that time it was right and proper that Escanaba was
called the "Iron Port of the World."
In the latter part of 1874, Mr. Baldwin resigned as
superintendent of the Peninsula Division and Mr. J. B.
Muliken was appointed. Mr. Muliken remained only
a short time and in the early part of 1876 Mr. W. 1
Linsley was appointed superintendent and Mr. H.
Barr, Station Agent, but still continued also in charge
of the docks. In 1882 Mr. Linsley was transferred t<
the Chicago Office and Mr. W. F. Fitch was appointed
superintendent; in 1885 Mr. Fitch was transferred to
RAILROADS OF DELTA COUNTY 473
a western division of a road, and Mr. Linsley returned
as superintendent and held the place until his retire-
ment in 1912. He was succeeded by Mr. C. E. An-
drews, who died in July of 1916. Mr. Andrews was
succeeded by the present superintendent, Mr. F. J.
Byington. Of those employed in 1873 very few remain.
At the General Office only two remain, Mr. D. E.
Glavin now Purchasing Agent of the Peninsula Divi-
sion and the writer, who is General Land Agent for the
Railway Company.
It might be well #t this place to call attention
briefly to the other Railroads that have been built in
Delta County. In 1884 the Minneapolis, Sault Ste.
Marie and Atlantic Railway started building from
Minneapolis toward the Soo. Sixty miles had been
constructed and in 1885 Mr. W. D. Washburn who
was at that time United States Senator from Minnesota
and also President of that road, together with his Chief
Engineer Captain W. Rich, came to Delta County to
look up a location on Little Bay De Noc for their lake
terminal, as the line of the road to the Soo led around
the head of Little Bay De Noc. Several places were
looked over and finally the location at Sanders Point
seven miles north of Escanaba was chosen; in 1887 the
road was built through to the Soo, and the village of Glad-
stone was laid out as their lake terminal. At that time
the name of the railroad was changed and is now known
as the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie
Railway Company, and has developed into a great
railway system. Elevators for the shipment of wheat
and flour, and coal docks, were built at Gladstone,
also an ore dock which handled, under contract, the
ore shipped by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul
Railway. When that contract expired and the Chicago,
474 F. H. VAN CLBVE
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway had made other ar-
rangements for the shipment of its ore, the ore dock at
Gladstone was taken down. In 1897 the Soo Road
built a branch from Rapid River up to Whitefish to
connect with the Munising Railway in Alger County.
In 1899 I. Stephenson, Daniel Wells, Jr., and J. W.
'Wells built a logging road up the Escanaba River to
handle all logs and material for the I. Stephenson Com-
pany. This road has since become the Escanaba and
Lake Superior Railroad and has developed a great
business. It extended its line to a station on the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Road called Chan-
ning; at that point it now receives all the ore of the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Road which is hauled
over the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad and
delivered to the dock of the St. Paul Railroad at its
terminal at Escanaba. This shipping terminal was
acquired by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul
in 1900, and since that time two fine large ore docks
have been constructed through which a large amount
of ore is shipped annually.
As stated in the beginning, this article only deals
with the railroads in Delta County, stating when they
were built, by whom they were built, and the principal
reason why they were built. It does not go into the his-
tory of the great developments that have taken place in
Delta County by reason of the construction and oper-
ation of the various railroads.
The writer regrets exceedingly that time and space
in this brief article will not permit him to call by name
all those splendid men who were connected with the
Division when he came in 1873, and by whose earnest
efforts and conscientious work the foundation was laid
RAILROADS OP DELTA COUNTY 475
to make the Peninsula Division that which it has since
become, the Banner Division of the North Western
System.
It might be appropriate at this place to append a
list of all who have served as principal officers on the
Peninsula Division.
Superintendents.
Robert Campbell, S. C. Baldwin, J. B. Muliken, W. B. Linsley,
W. F. Fitch, W. B. Linsley, C. E. Andrews and F. J. Byington.
Assistant Superintendents.
G. M. West, C. E. And*?ws, R. F. Armstrong, C. E. Helmer and
T. M. Coughiin.
Master Mechanics.
C. E. Elliott, J. Patrick, S. L. Pierce, G. H. White, J. Symonds,
W. S. Clark, Frank Slater and E. Becker.
Station Agents.
Mr. Beardsley, W. B. Linsley, H. A. Barr and C. R. Henderson.
Dock Agents.
W. F. Look and H. J. Robertson.
Division Engineers.
Alfred Hull, S. H. Selden, C. Palmer, W. W. Gaffin, W. J. Towne,
A. E. Winters and George Loughnane.
Road Masters North of Escanaba.
C. M. Lawler, A. J. Perrin, J. H. Macdonald, Alexander Sutherland,
William Manley, D. Mooney, J. E. McDermott, E. C. Jones and J. A.
McKettrick.
Road Masters South of Escanaba.
A. Hinman, O. Reeve, J. Powers, D. Mooney, D. McFadden, George
Cluney, C. Newberg and H. Rassmusson.
Fuel and Purchasing Agent.
D. E. Glavin.
General Land Agent.
F. H. Van Cleve
MICHIGAN HISTORY MAGAZINE
VOLUME VI 1922 No. 4
GEORGE N. FULLER, Editor
MICHIGAN
HISTORY MAGAZINE
VOL. VI 1922 No. 4
HISTORICAL NEWS, NOTES AND COMMENT
Prof. E. H. Ryder <5f the Michigan Agricultural
i College was among the speakers at the Summer meet-
ing of the Clinton County Pioneer Society, which was
held at St. Johns.
The Supervisors of losco County have voted $200,
in accord with the Weissert Act of 1920, to aid the
Pioneer Society to compile a history of the county.
Mr. W. H. Price, president of the Society, and Miss
ttna Bradley, county school commissioner, presented
the Board the need of a text book on local history
tor use in the schools. An active part in the gathering
of material for this volume will be taken by the schools
of the county.
Mr. Harold Titus, well known novelist, author of
Timber and numerous stories of Michigan, has been
elected secretary of the newly organized Grand Trav-
erse Historical Society. Mr. L. H. Gage, one of the
)ldost residents of the county, was a prime mover in
the formation of the Society. The principal objects
pf the Society will be to preserve historic sites and
father data for a history of the county.
(479)
480 HISTORICAL NEWS
The summer meeting of the Eaton County Pionee
and Historical Society was held at Charlotte. Dj
Paul Voelker, president of Olivet College, gave th
chief address, on the spirit of the pioneer. Daniel JV1
Strange of Grand Ledge, the historian of the Society
read the first chapter of the history of the count;
which he is writing, and a committee consisting o
Sumner Hamlin, editor of the Eaton Rapids Journal
and Frank A. Ellis, editor of the Charlotte Leader, wer
appointed to consider means of publishing this histor;
when completed. Mr. Frank N. Green was electe<
president for next year, when the Society will go t<
Bellevue, which celebrates the 90th anniversary of it
founding in 1923.
Congratulations to the Tribune Publishing Company
of Manistique, which has taken steps to preserve frou
destruction by fire or otherwise, the files of the Pioneer
Tribune for the past 40 years, by renting storage spaa
in the new safety deposit vaults of the First Nationa
Bank for the 60 volumes covering this period. Thes<
volumes are of priceless value, being now the onlj
records containing the history of the city. The com
pany announces that it will be glad to receive and pa}
for copies of any paper, record or photo concerning th<
history of Manistique previous to the files now or
hand. Early files were lost in a fire which destroyed
the plant of the company some 40 years ago.
Mr. W. W. Warner was elected president of tli<
Allegan County Pioneer Society at a recent meeting
and Mrs. Winona Moore Sherwood secretary, both o
Allegan.
At the summer meeting of the Washtenaw Count}
Pioneer Society, Mrs. Byron A. Finney of Ann Arbo
NOTES AND COMMENT 481
was elected secretary to succeed Mr. Robert Campbell,
deceased, who had been for 22 years the faithful secre-
tary of the organization. This meeting was notable
for the chronicle of an unusually large number of deaths
among the older pioneers, reported by the president,
Mr. M. S. White. Mr. O. C. Burkhart was elected
president for next year.
What was unanimously voted the best and biggest
Old Settlers' picnic in the history of the Association
was held in the pretty groves of Benzonia last summer,
when pioneers from all corners of the Grand Traverse
Region met in annual reunion. From every county in
the region drove men and women who came to Northern
Michigan with the first whites, took possession of the
forests and made settlement of the region possible.
They are old men and women now but their memories
were unimpaired when they sat beneath the trees of
the pretty academy town and retold the yarns of early
days. W. S. Anderson found three pioneers who have
been in the Grand Traverse Region for more than 70
years and each of whom is more than 80 years of age.
Harvey Avery of Grand Traverse County, Archie
Buttars of Charlevoix and J. Judson of Benzonia were
the three oldest settlers attending the picnic. Old
Mission was selected as the picnic place for next year
and E. O. Ladd was elected president. Other officers
elected were Mrs. J. G. Mills, secretary; A. V. Fried-
rich, treasurer, and Mrs. N. C. Morgan, historian.
On April 20 Moderator-Topics (Michigan Educa-
tion Co., Lansing) began the publication of a series of
articles on " Housing Our Public Servants," containing
much historical data relative to the various buildings
occupied by State officers from the days of the "first
482 HISTORICAL NEWS
Capitol," which was erected at Detroit about 1825.
The series is interestingly written, by "Philetus
Phillips" (Mr. Gildart, of the Moderator- Topics staff)
and will prove of service to teachers of history and
government. We hope to see these articles published
together and made available in pamphlet form.
The students of the Traverse City schools have
been gathering data for an Industrial History of that
city. They visited the various factories and prepared
reports of what they saw and heard, and these were
graded and the best sent in to the office of the Supt.
of Schools, Mr. Charles L. Poor, who writes: "This
fall we plan to have the Commercial Department type-
write enough copies of these to furnish each building
with one for use in studying the various industries
represented. It will have a value in vocational guid-
ance, also in boosting: our own industries and city.
The interest has been keen both on the part of pupils
and of manufacturers."
At the summer meeting of the Emmet County
Pioneer Association it is estimated that 2,500 people
were in attendance, from all parts of the region. A
most profitable and enjoyable time is reported.
Prof. Lew Allen Chase, head of the history depart-
ment in the Northern State Normal at Marquette and
secretary of the Marquette County Historical Society
writes, that the Society is making steady progress with
cataloging its fine collection of books, pamphlets,
manuscripts, newspapers, and museum objects. Miss
Olive Pendill has charge of the Collection as curator
of the Society, and has engaged the services of Miss
Anna Lagregen, chief cataloguer of the Chicago His-
NOTES AND COMMENT 483
torical Society, to assist temporarily. The Society
has also procured considerable new filing equipment
for its fine rooms in the Peter White Public Library
and is preparing to provide such other facilities as may
be required for the proper public use of its Collections.
The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society is
issuing publications of great value to all interested in
the history of rail transportation in Michigan. Mr.
R. W. Carlson of Escanaba, Mich., is corresponding
secretary of the Society.
^
The Twentieth Century, Vol. I, number I, published
in Detroit by the Clarendon Publishing Co., made its
appearance in June. This welcome new monthly is
devoted to history, biography, art, literature and cur-
rent events. The price is $1.50 a year. The first
number contains sixteen pages, every one of much in-
terest. Mr. J. T. Fielding is editor, and Miss E. Cora
DuPuy associate editor, 311 Majestic Building.
Miss Alice Louise Me Duff ee of Kalamazoo was
recently elected Vice President General of the National
Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, being
succeeded in the State regency by Mrs. L. Victor
Seydel of Grand Rapids, who was formerly State Vice
Regent for Michigan. The Michigan Historical Com-
mission accords high praise for the excellent work that
has been done by the Daughters of the American Rev-
olution in Michigan under the direction of Miss
McDuffee as State Regent.
The summer meeting of the Huron County Pioneer
and Historical Society Js reported to have been one of
the most successful meetings ever held by the Society.
484 HISTORICAL NEWS
The meeting took place at Port Hope. An interesting
program was given in the fine pavilion. Among the
speakers was Mr. C. D. Thompson of Bad Axe, and Mr.
Geo. H. Howe of Port Huron, secretary of the St. Clair
County Pioneer and Historical Society. Mrs. Flor-
ence M. Gwinn, secretary of the Huron County So-
ciety, was elected a delegate to the annual meeting of
the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society at Lan-
sing next May.
Seventy-five years ago, on March 16, 1847, the bill
was signed making Lansing the capital of Michigan.
Teachers will find a number of interesting articles on
the subject of the removal of the Capital from Detroit
to Lansing, in the Michigan Pioneer and Historical
Collections. Vol. 8 has two, one on "Locating the
State Capital at Lansing, " and another "Removal of
the State Capitol from Detroit" (pp. 121-135). Vol.
11 contains "How Lansing Became the Capital" (pp.
237-243). Vol. 33 has "Driving the First Stake for
the Capitol at Lansing" (pp. 10-22).
Among articles of local historic interest appearing
in our exchanges since the last issue are the following:
Historical and Pioneer Sketches Williamston En-
terprise, June 7 to^A-Ug. 16.
Grand Haven^f History Grand Haven Daily
Tribune, June 28. |i fe^NM
A History of Saugatuck's Transportation Holland
Sentinel, June 30.
A Forgotten City Allegan Gazette, July 1.
Detroit's Priceless Historic Library, by W. Woolsey
Campau Detroit Free Press, July 23.
gJ^Recollections of a Pioneer L'Anse Sentinel,
Aug. 11.
NOTES AND COMMENT 485
The Chelsea Tribune says this of history in adver-
tising: " Historians who study .<, newspapers to learn
the habits and customs of peoples say they gain more
information from advertisements than from news ac-
counts, and that the information imparted in adver-
tisements is more accurate. Advertisements tell their
stories without the intrusion of the editorial blue pencil.
They show the development in transit, they disclose
the changing conditions of the home, they announce
the birth of scientific discovery and invention, they
prove the worth of tjiat which is true and lasting and
unmercifully expose the sham and the fraud. They
tell of our varying taste in dress, they show our belief
in sanitation, they disclose our love of sport, describe
our work, they mark the change in the status of wo-
manhood and youth, they visualize the moulding of
our morals and our methods."
In a recent address to students at Lincoln College,
Nebraska, former United States Senator Lawrence Y.
Sherman paid this compliment to most of the school
histories long in use, that "they would shed more light
on a disordered world in a bonfire than in the school
room." (Did we hear a voice, saying, "Amen, Senator"?)
'T^HE ANNUAL SUMMER MEETING of the Michigan
-*- Pioneer and Historical Society was held at St.
Ignace, Mackinac Island, and Mackinaw City, July
27-29, with headquarters on the Island at the New
Murray hotel and the John Jacob Astor House.
The summer meeting is one of the most enjoyable
meetings held by the Society during the year, and is
usually held in the Upper Peninsula at the invitation
486 HISTORICAL NEWS
of some city or local society. This year it was held at
the joint invitation of the three cities of the Straits, and
a more enjoyable occasion has rarely been experienced
by those in attendance. The place and time were
specially fine for a combination of summer pleasures
with historical profit. The romantic background of
the Mackinac country, with its early missions, the fur
trade, the wild life of the forests and of the Indians
and the military regime at the forts, made an atmos-
phere most happy for a meeting at this time of the year,
and the hospitality of the citizens of the Straits left
nothing to be desired.
The opening session was held at St. Ignace July
27. Visiting delegates and guests who had gathered
at the Island were taken by the Arnold Transit Com-
pany's boat to St. Ignace, and delegations began ar-
riving early from southern Michigan and points west
in the Upper Peninsula. Local arrangements were in
charge of Rev. Fr. J. T. Holland, of St. Ignatius
Church. The program was given at Marquette Park,
in memory of the famous missionary, Father James
Marquette, who founded the mission at that point in
1671, and whose remains lie buried there on the site of
the Mission Church. Upon the platform erected near
the monument were gathered representatives of other
churches, and leading citizens of St. Ignace, including
Mayor A. R. Highstone and attorney Prentiss M.
Brown, who presided. The mayor in his genial manner
extended the city's welcome to the visitors. Secretary
G. N. Fuller of the State Society responded in place
of President Alvah L. Sawyer of Menominee, who was
absent on account of illness. The principal speakers
of the day were Rev. William F. Gagnieur, S. J. of
NOTES AND COMMENT 487
Sault Ste. Marie and Rev. John McClorey, S. J. of
the University of Detroit, whose excellent addresses
will later appear in the Michigan History Magazine.
The music was in charge of Miss Blanche Giasson of
St. Ignace. An excellent dinner was provided by St.
Ignace citizens at the Hotel Northern, the well-known
hostelry presided over by Mr. O. P. Welch, after
which an auto ride was enjoyed, a courtesy extended
by St. Ignace business men. Those who were present
that day will long remember the hospitality of St.
Ignace and this most enjoyable program.
July 28 the Society met at Mackinaw City, at the
Michilimackinac State Park. Crossing from Mackinac
Island on the Algomah on the eleven o'clock trip the
guests were met by Mrs. W. P. Robertson and enter-
tained at the beautiful Hotel Windermere until dinner
time. Dinner was served at "The Old Fashioned Inn"
in the elegant service they have been noted for since
their opening. Members of the Society were very
highly pleased with the service* which appealed to the
eye, and with the menu which appealed to the inner
man.
After dinner the members of the Society and guests
were escorted to the Park where they were cordially
greeted by the manager of the Pavilion, Mr. Lloyd
Stimpson, who proved a most gracious host.
The program was in charge of Mrs. W. P. Robert-
son who introduced the speakers in her usual gracious
manner.
Stanley Newton of the "Soo" gave a very interest-
ing talk about Alexander Henry and the massacre of
1763. Bray ton Saltonstall of Charlevoix gave a very
entertaining sketch of Chief Keshkauko, one of the
Indians who fully exemplified Miles Standish's opinion
488 HISTORICAL NEWS .
of Indians, that the only good Indian is a dead one.
Mrs. James T. Flaherty of Grand Rapids was intro-
duced and spoke briefly of a scenario she has prepared
with much time and study, an Historical Pageant of
Michigan. Mrs. James Campbell, also of Grand
Rapids, spoke very forcibly against the billboards she
saw while driving through the State Park. Frances
Margaret Fox, the popular writer of Children's stories
spoke briefly, suggesting that the name of Mackinaw
City be changed to Michilimackinac. A suggestion
from Mr. Lew Allen Chase of Marquette that one of
the main trunk auto roads be named the Red Arrow
in honor of the 32nd division of the U. S. A. who made
such a record of daring and bravery during the World
War met with hearty approval. Mr. Merriot from
the Soo spoke briefly on the work of the Sault
Historical Society. Mrs. Luella Overton spoke upon
the need of a museum to preserve the history of this
section. Citizens of Mackinaw voted the afternoon
one of the most enjoyable they have had since the
dedication of the park about fourteen years ago.
Messrs. Galbraith, Sommers, Hall and Stimpson gath-
ered the guests into cars and gave them a ride through
the park and to the dock where 'they boarded the
Algomah for Mackinac Island. Citizens expressed the
hope of having the Society meet with them again in
the near future.
The sessions held on Mackinac Island came Thurs-
day and Friday evenings and Saturday. Mr. Frank
A. Kenyon, Superintendent of Mackinac Island State
Park, was in charge of arrangements and made a royal
host. Through his kindness the Society was able to
hold its meetings in the old Commissary building at
NOTES AND COMMENT 489
the Fort. Thursday evening Rev. Charles J. Johnson,
historian of the Marquette County Historical Society,
addressed the meeting in a very able and useful paper
on the "Pageant of St. Lusson," at Sault Ste. Marie
in 1671, when France formally and picturesquely took
possession of the Great Lakes region and tributary
lands.
Friday evening was given over to a dedication of
the Fort Museum and Historical Rooms, and to an
address by the Rev. Percy G. H. Robinson upon the
history of Trinity Church, Mackinac Island. Rev.
Johnson of Marquette presided. Mr. Frank Kenyon
in a delightfully informal talk gave a brief history of
the Fort Museum, which came into being during his
superintendency. Brief addresses appropriate to the
occasion were made also by Rev. Carlos H. Hanks of
Newark, Ohio, Mr. Junius E. Beal of Ann Arbor, and
Mr. Lucius L. Hubbard of Houghton. Following the
meeting a visit was made to the museum.
Saturday forenoon, starting from Convention head-
quarters, delegates and guests were given a ride to
points of scenic and historic interest on the Island, and
in the afternoon an open air meeting was held on the
Fort grounds near the old barracks, Secretary Fuller
presiding. Mr. Harold Titus, well-known novelist and
story writer of Traverse City, gave a most entertaining
address upon the Study of Michigan history in the
schools, and particularly on the possibilities of histor-
ical work in the north country. A general discussion
followed upon methods of study and research in
the local field, resulting in the exchange of many use-
ful suggestions,
490 HISTORICAL NEWS
The meeting of the Society next summer will be
held at Ironwood, in Gogebic County.
SARA CASWELL ANGELL CHAPTER of the D. A. R.
and the Washtenaw Chapter of the S. A. R. recently
co-operated in placing a monument to mark the place
where the Old Territorial Trail left Ann Arbor, the
ladies furnishing the tablet and the men the boulder.
The boulder is a splendid specimen about ninety per
cent granite and weighing, as near as can be esti-
mated, five tons. It was brought in to Ann Arbor
by a four-horse team from about seven miles west on
the Jackson road.
Regent Beal of the University gave a very instruc-
tive talk on old trails, and Dean W. B. Hinsdale told
how the boulders were brought to this part of the
State from north of the Great Lakes by the glaciers.
He called them the * 'first immigrants to the United
States."
Miss Sara Whedon, Regent of the Sara Caswell
Angell Chapter of the D. A. R., presented the monu-
ment to the city, and Mayor Geo. E. Lewis, on the
part of the city, accepted it, and in his remarks said
that he wished there were more societies like the S.
A. R. and the D. A. R. to assist in beautifying the city
and in placing monuments to mark the old historic
places which abound in this region.
The tablet was unveiled by Mrs. Herbert M.
Slauson and Milton E. Osborn, the chairmen of the
committees of their respective societies.
Those passing through Ann Arbor will observe the
monument about a mile out West Huron St. at the
fork of the roads leading to Dexter and Jackson.
NOTES AND COMMENT 491
OTEPHEN EDWIN WHITTIERWAIT, pioneer ed-
K -' ucator and philanthropist of the Grand Traverse
region, was honored on July 21, 1922, by the citizens
of Grand Traverse County. This day would have
been his 88th birthday had he lived. There was placed
to his memory a granite boulder bearing a bronze
tablet, with the inscription:
In Memory of
S. E. Whittier Wait
Born July 21st 1834
Died March 17th 1919
Who taught the first school in
the Grand Traverse Region, dur-
ing the winter of 1851, aboard
the schooner Madeline, anchored
off this point.
Mr. Wait was born in Fairfield, Vt., July 21, 1834,
the son of John James Whittier by his first wife,
Maryann Elizabeth (Fox). After the divorce of|his
father and mother, the boy accompanied his mother,
who went west from the Vermont home, and later
married a Mr. Wait, who adopted the boy and brought
him up under that name, by which he has been known
ever since.
While he was still a boy the family moved into
what was then the wilderness of Michigan Territory,
and it was here that Mr. Wait spent the remainder of
his life, following such occupations as the development
of the new Territory demanded, finally settling down
as the leading pharmacist of Traverse City, in which
profession he has trained all his children.
492 HISTORICAL NEWS
It is fitting that a memorial should be dedicated to
the first school teacher of the Grand Traverse region.
It was seventy-one years ago, in November of 1851 in
fact, that Stephen Edwin Whittier Wait took the con-
tract to teach the crew of the schooner Madeline while
the schooner was tied up for the winter at what is now
Bowers Harbor.
In addition to the 17-year-old teacher, the school
consisted of five boys, or rather men, who wished to
improve their education during the cold weather.
Comfortable quarters were established aboard the
schooner, and regular school hours and discipline kept,
but outside of the school hours the six improved their
opportunities in other ways. The five students were:
Wm. Fitzgerald, Michael Fitzgerald, and John Fitz-
gerald (brothers), and Wm. Bryce and Edw. Chambers.
Mr. Wait was not only the first school teacher, but
the first in many other things that made for the devel-
opment of the Grand Traverse region. The erection
of the granite boulder with the bronze tablet is a small !
thing, but it will help keep awake the sentiment of
progress that was his life. The Grand Traverse <
Woman's Club was largely instrumental in securing j
this memorial.
/ T^HE SUBJECT OF THE STUDENTS* PRIZE ESSAY Contest
-* in Michigan History for 1922-23 is "A Treasure
Hunt."
Some folks seek fame, some seek for gold, some seek
for treasures of an historical character. Priceless histor-
ical treasures lie within easy reach of almost every one-
old letters, photographs, pictures, diaries, early news-
papers, scrap books, account books, Bible records,
NOTES AND COMMENT 493
genealogies, Indian and pioneer relics, of endless de-
scription.
The essay in this contest should tell the story of an
historical "Treasure Hunt" made by the student. It
should describe some of the "finds," tell how they were
discovered, and show how they are of historical value.
THE CONTEST IS OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS
OF ALL SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN. IN FORMER
CONTESTS THE STUDENTS IN SMALL
SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
The contest wijl be conducted jointly in each com-
munity by the Supt. of Schools, the Regent of the
D. A. R. Chapter, President of the Women's Club,
the Chamber of Commerce, or by any one of them,
who shall also judge the essays.
First and second prizes will be given in two groups,
to students in the Grades, and in the High School.
The local committee will determine the local prize to
be awarded.
The judges should forward the prize essays to the
Michigan Historical Commission on or before April 30,
1923, when they will be examined by the State commit-
tee, whose names are signed below. The essays
selected by the State committee will be published by
the Michigan Historical Commission.
The State committee is composed of the following:
Thomas E. Johnson, Mrs. William R. Alvord,
Superintendent of President, Michigan Fed-
Public Instruction eration of Women's
Clubs
George N. Fuller, Mrs. L. Victor Seydel,
Secretary, Michigan State Regent, Daughters
Historical Commission, of the American Revolu-
Chairman tion
494 HISTORICAL NEWS
The essay may be as long- as the student desires,
but not less than 500 words.
ALL ESSAYS MUST 'BE TYPEWRITTEN.
Pictures illustrating the essays should be included,
if possible.
The winners in the contest for 1920-21, on the
subject, "Lessons from the Pioneers,'* were as follows:
Winners over 15 years of age,
1 . Dorothy Zryd, Marquette
2. Helen Dennett, Marquette
Winners under 15 years of age
1. Isabel MacDonald, Marquette
2 Edward R. Tauch, Marquette
TUNIOR HISTORY CLUBS have been organized the
J past year in a number of schools, among pupils of the
seventh, eighth, and ninth grades, through efforts of the
Michigan Historical Commission assisted by the State
Department of Public Instruction, the D. A. R. chap-
ters, and Women's clubs. The organization of these
History Clubs is simple, and can be adapted to any
school. Try it this year.
The teacher acts as president of the club, and the
pupils take turns as secretary. Committees are ap-
pointed by the teacher on several divisions of local
history. There is a committee on Early Settling,
dealing with the Indians, wild animals, waterways,
and natural advantages for settlement; a committee
on the Pioneers, their nationality, customs, and ex-
periences, which involves consulting the early news-
papers and official records and a host of personal
records such as diaries, letters, account books, old at-
NOTES AND COMMENT 495
lases, museum objects, etc.; a committee on Names of
county, townships, cities, villages and settlements of
the locality; a committee on Early Improvements, in
roads, railroads, bridges, public buildings, mills, school-
houses, and churches; a committee on Early Occupa-
tions, fur trade, lumbering, farming, spinning and
weaving; a committee on Early Social Life, logging
bees, husking bees, quilting bees, barn raisings, spelling
matches, singing schools, donation parties ; a committee
on Important Personages, officers, soldiers, doctors,
teachers, preachers* editors and authors; a committee
on Pioneer Relics and Museum materials; etc.
Every pupil is on some committee, and tries to
help all the committees. In small schools of course
there are not enough pupils in the seventh and eighth
grades to have all these committees but the work is
covered by combining several of them.
Organizing such a club does not take more than
one or two class periods at the beginning of the year.
One class period a week is given to reports of the com-
mittees to show their progress in the work, and com-
petition among the committees to show good work is
easy to encourage. Each committee makes a written
report of all the information that it is able to obtain on the
topic chosen, and this is done each week, rather than
for a period covering several weeks, to give it the ad-
vantage of immediate interest while the data is warm
in the mind. Teachers find that this data makes
splendid material for composition work.
When the entire report is written, several copies
are made, typewritten if possible. One is kept on file
in the school, one sent to the County Commissioner,
one to the State Department of Public Instruction,
496 HISTORICAL NEWS
and one to the Michigan Historical Commission. The
local newspaper is of course glad to get a copy to publish
for its readers, and this gives the pupils an added
impulse to prepare their reports well, to say nothing
of the pleasure of seeing the reports in print.
Scarcely anything serves better to stir parents to
interest in their local history, and nothing more cer-
tainly insures an active interest in local and State
history among the boys and girls.
AT ANY SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN ob-
'L**- served Magna Charta Day, June 15, along with
Flag Day, June 14. The following letter from the
State Superintendent of Public Instruction which was
sent out to the schools last March through Moderator-
Topics, is to be highly commended:
My dear Fellow-teachers:
Our institutions, our government, and our civilization are,
of course, in great part derived from the mother country.
We understand that practically every institution we have,
the majority of our customs, and the most cherished of our
liberties come to us as direct heritages from our English fore-
fathers. Public sentiment, of course, has been largely affected
by the relationships during and following the Revolutionary
War. Today we understand that the Revolutionary War was
a part of the struggle for real democracy; the English liberals
and the American patriots were fighting for the same principle.
Naturally in view of these facts English and American tradi-
tions are practically the same. Because of this and to secure
better appreciation of our common heritage, and a better and
closer understanding with the mother country, it would seem
wise to endeavor to bring about the national honoring of the
birthday of constitutional government/ Magna Ch&rta
which is, as you all know, the 15tb day of JUR,
NOTES AND COMMENT 497
Many prominent people in this country will co-operate in
the movement, and we hope that where schools are open at
this time that history and government courses, together with
any other available agencies, will be used to bring home the
importance of the fact that after all American liberty came
from seeds sown in the minds and hearts of our English fore-
fathers. Faithfully yours,
T. E. JOHNSON.
During the present school year, teachers and
students will find pleasure and profit in co-operating
with the Magna Chart# Day Association, of which
President Harding is honorary president for the United
States, and President Marion L. Burton of the Univer-
sity of Michigan is a member of the National Com-
mittee for this country. Every boy and girl in America
should be familiar with the origin of trial by jury, the
principles of Magna Charta, Habeas Corpus, the
Right of Petition, the Petition of Right, the overthrow
of the Divine Right of Kings, the Bill of Rights, the
development of responsible government through the
cabinet system and Parliament, the extension of the
franchise, the equitable adjustment of representation,
and the development of labor legislation in English
speaking countries. Magna Charta Day is a day for
perennial observation.
DETROIT Free Press of May 7, 1922, has the
following editorial on "Truth and History":
The school histories are catching it again. This
time it is because they are "disrespectful" to national
heroes. The unusual complaint is that they are bias-
ed, inaccurate or untruthful. Mrs. Arthur O'Neill,
of the United Daughters of 1812, is finding fault
498 HISTORICAL NEWS
with them because she has learned that they have
been letting in the light on practices of "the founding
fathers'* that seems to her to be unseemly.
"It almost seems like a general conspiracy to make
a joke of the fathers of our country," asserts Mrs.
O'Neill, spiritedly, adding, "it is time to put a stop
to it."
Perhaps Mrs. O'Neill is disturbed unduly. It is
true there has been, of late, a tendency on the part
of those who prepare histories for our school rooms
to treat their characters more completely and to give
their readers a better understanding of them than
was formerly the custom. But the change is for the
better. It marks a breaking away from the attitude
that regarded history as propaganda and sought to
give the people only what was believed to be good
for them.
A little truth won't hurt any history. This nation
no longer is a stripling. It is full grown and entitled
to know the facts about its swaddling days and the
men who attended it in that period. The best na-
tional interest has not been served by text books
which have glorified American diplomacy and arms
inordinately ,> misinformed our youngsters as to the
patriotism and prowess of the pioneers and made
them believe that our country's growth was accom-
plished by men of faultless mien and habit. There
is enough unconscious error in written history with-
out confusing it by falsifying deliberately.
It is, of course, inexcusable to drag out unflattering
incidents from the careers of the founders solely to
embroider the record. It is, on the other hand,
equally inexcusable to ignore such incidents as shed
NOTES AND COMMENT 499
light on their characters and the value of their
services. And we are not likely to think any the
less of George Washington when we learn that he
was an excellent judge of wine, or of John Hancock
when we know he was found guilty of partaking in a
little smuggling expedition. These men were quite
human, after all, and it does us no harm to realize it.
r T^HE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN has acquired forty-
* one Greek biblical .manuscripts at the sale of the
library of the late Baroness Burdett-Coutts, in London.
These formed by far the most important part of the
manuscripts collected by the Baroness while traveling
in Albania in 1870-1871. They were probably all
written by monks in the monasteries of the Balkan
peninsula in the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centu-
ries, although a few are of later date. They include
thirteen of the four Gospels. The value of these
manuscripts has long been known to experts from
reports which were made on them by the biblical
scholars, Caspar Rene Gregory and Scrivener.
From another source the University has received
also a notable Greek manuscript of the tenth century
containing the Homilies of St. Chrysostom on the
Acts of the Apostles, which quote a considerable por-
tion of the text of Acts from an ancient source used
by St. Chrysostom in 400 A. D., when the Homilies
were delivered. The manuscript disappeared at the
time of the Napoleonic wars and has only recently
come to light again.
All these manuscripts come to the University of
Michigan as a gift, but neither the name of the donor
500 HISTORICAL NEWS
nor the sum paid for them has been made public.
Their acquisition will make it possible for the Univer-
sity to continue the work in the field of biblical scholar-
ship which was commenced with the publication of
the Freer biblical manuscripts. Michigan Alumnus.
IV/TR. JOHN W. ANDERSON, OF DETROIT, haspre-
"*** sented to the University of Michigan a unique
collection of 114 original legal documents from the
time of Christ and the Apostles. The gift is made in
the name of the 1890 law class of the University, of
which Mr. Anderson was a member.
The documents are written on papyrus. Nearly
all are in Greek, a few being in Demotic, or Demotic
and Greek. They were discovered in 1921, on or near
the site of the city of Tebtunis, in Egypt, and, on ac-
count of the dryness of the soil, are almost perfectly
preserved. In many of them, every letter can be read.
They are all dated in the reigns of the Emperors
Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius.
The oldest document is a part of a contract dated
in the year 7 A. D. It contains the subscription of a
woman, who undertakes not to bring any claim against i
her brothers. To the same period belongs a marriage
contract of the "unrecorded" type which is bilingual,
being written in Demotic as well as Greek. Among
the other papers embodying agreements of various
kinds is a contract for indemnity, dated in the year
48 A. D.
Some of the documents deal with loans, others with
the sale of lands, houses, slaves and other property.
There are also leases. One of the most interesting is
NOTES AND COMMENT 501
a lease with a provision for service in lieu of cash
payment.
A number contain accounts and receipts, such as
receipts for wages and rents and for payments of dowry.
There is one receipt for taxes. Of special importance
are several petitions to public officials.
The collection, as a whole, touches many aspects
of the life of the time, and is full of human interest.
It will throw new light upon economic, social and poli-
tical conditions in the first half century of the Christian
era. Up to the present, time, material has been very
scanty for the decades immediately preceding and fol-
lowing the crucifixion.
The collection was brought to the United States
by Professor Francis W. Kelsey as a part of the manu-
script material obtained by the University of Michigan
expedition. Genuineness of the documents is un-
questioned. They were critically examined before
acceptance.
The work of reading and interpreting the docu-
ments has been committed to Professor A. E. R. Boak,
of the University, who will devote several years to the
task. Professor Boak eventually will publish all of
the texts with a translation and commentary. Detroit
Free Press.
AMONG THE BOOKS
SOCIAL HERITAGE, by Graham Wallas, author
of Human Nature in Politics, &nd'The Great Society.
It is refreshing to read this scholarly presentation
of themes about which zealots are wont to rant and
502 HISTORICAL NEWS
vilify. A portion of the material was given in a course
of lectures in 1919 on the duties of citizenship in Yale
University.
The book is in large degree the making over of the
material in the author's earlier volume, The Great
Society. By the "great" society Mr. Wallas means the
complex modern industrial organization as distin-
guished from the small units which existed in the days
when communities were practically self-sufficing. His
general thesis in both works is that in the present
social structure, "each generation, if it is to live hap-
pily and harmoniously, or even is to avoid acute suffer-
ing, must adapt to its present needs the social heritage
which it received from the preceding generation."
He points out that "sometimes, as in the Athens of
Pericles, or in Italy of the Renaissance, or France of
the Revolution, a wide and conscious effort has been
made to survey the whole field of our social heritage, and
to bring the old into systematic relation with the new.
Such a wide and conscious effort of "reconstruction"
may be found by future historians to have followed,
after an interval for recovery from nervous exhaustion,
the world war of 1914-1918."
He voices this warning: "The new fact of modern
industrial organization is spreading over the earth,
and we have learnt that the dangers arising from that
fact are equally universal. Unless, therefore, an at-
tempt is now made, in many countries and by many
thinkers, to see our socially inherited ways of living
and thinking as* a whole, the nations of the earth,
confused and embittered by the events of 1914-1920,
may soon be compelled to witness this without hope
or illusion anotherjmore destructive stage in the
suicide of civilization."
NOTES AND COMMENT 503
Chapters 4, 9, 10 and 12 are largely new, dealing
with the nation, world co-operation, constitutional
monarchy, and the church.
The distinctive feature of Mr. Wallas's treatment
of the subject is, that instead of repudiating our social
heritage, along with school of Nietzsche and others,
he would conserve it and readjust it to meet the actual
facts of human nature. "Does society exist for the
individual, or the individual for society, or both for
each, and in what way?" The average reader will
not agree with the autkor on all points, but he will
find in this volume at least an intelligent consideration
of problems delightfully presented from the viewpoint
of an eminent scholar (Yale University Press, New
Haven, Conn., 1921, pp. 307, $3.00).
r "PHE AMERICAN RAILROAD PROBLEM, by I. Leo
* Sharfman, Ph. D., Professor of Economics in the
University of Michigan.
Professor Sharfman says: "The object of this
book is to provide for the intelligent citizen, including
the large inarticulate public, as well as the student,
the publicist, the legislator, the business man, the
shipper, and the railroad security holder, executive,
and employee, an analysis of the American railroad
problem as it presents itself today." No one doubts
the far-reaching nature of the problem, for the general
welfare; and the ability to reach a satisfactory solution
will, he thinks, be a fair test of American democracy.
The interests involved are complex. Not the least
of them is the interest of the general public. In this
volume this interest is kept uppermost. It is shown
504 HISTORICAL NEWS
to be the only approach to a just solution, though it
has been variously stressed in different periods.
Special attention is given to the post-war railroad
situation. Beginning with a chapter^on "The War
Administration of the Railroads, " in which a brief
general survey of the problem is traced, the author
brings the work down through the war period, and then
discusses the essentials of reconstructive policy, the
elements of the railroad adjustment, and the Trans-
portation Act of 1920.
The discussion throughout is in non-technical
language (The Century Co., New York City, 1921,
pp. xvi-474, $3.00).
A MERICAN CATHOLICS IN THE WAR, National
-** Catholic War Council, 1917-1921, by Michael
Williams.
This volume is dedicated to the Right Reverend
Peter J. Muldoon, D. D., Bishop of Rockford and
Chairman of the Administrative Committee, National
Catholic War Council. A preface is supplied by the
late James Cardinal Gibbons, in which he says:
"This book might in very truth be called the
'promise fulfilled' the promise made by the Hier-
archy assembled in Washington, April, 1917. "That
promise meant the consecration in patriotic service
not only of our priests and of our religious but also of
our laymen and laywomen; it meant not only one
organization but every organization; not only one
source of support within the command of the body
Catholic chaplains in the service: men in the army
and navy: trained Catholic men and women who
would devote themselves to all the men of the service:
NOTES AND COMMENT 505
the support of government appeals by our Catholic
parishes, the erection of huts and visitors' houses within
the camps here: of service clubs in the cities: of welfare
work both at home and abroad.
"That promise was big in its vision; it looked be-
yond the war into the trying days that would follow.
Almost immediately after war was declared the Na-
tional Catholic War Council was established. Com-
posed of the fourteen Archbishops, the Council operated
through an Administrative Committee of four Bishops;
this committee, in .turn, functioned through two sub-
committees, the Committee on Special War Activities
and the Knights of Columbus Committee on War
Activities. The splendid work of the Knights of
Columbus brought glory to them, and to the Church,
and great benefits to the country, and has been
dealt with by the historians of our devoted Order.
This book is particularly concerned with the work
accomplished by the Committee on Special War
Activities. From the first day of the War Council's
activity, its interests were in care of Rev. John J.
Burke, C.S.P., Chairman of the Committee on Special
War Activities. While the text of this narrative will
bear testimony to his singular insight, efficiency and
devotion, I feel it a duty to add here the expression
of my gratitude to him and of my admiration for the
qualities of mind and heart that he brought to the
doing of a great work for Church and country.
"The National Catholic War Council united in
patriotic effort all Catholic organizations: it aided the
government by immediate contact in Washington:
it explained and it defended Catholic rights. Its
beneficial work was extended to all soldiers and sailors:
506 HISTORICAL NEWS
its employment and reconstruction work was not, and
is not, confined to Catholics: its community welfare
work is for the entire community.
"It has brought into national expression the Catho-
lic principles of justice and of fraternal service that be-
speak the continued prosperity and happiness of
America as a nation.
"It has opened the way for its successor the Na-
tional Catholic Welfare Council to win still greater
achievements in the days of peace for God and for
country."
The earlier chapters of the book tell the part played
by the Catholic Church in previous wars of the United
States. A large portion of the remainder is devoted
to the story of the organization of the National Catholic
War Council and its work. Specially interesting are
the chapters on the work done by Catholic women.
Many Michigan Catholics were engaged in war work
through this Council, but the lack of an index makes
it hard to find them. Father John R. Command of
Detroit has been for some time chief in charge of
gathering the data for the history of Michigan Catholics
in the War, and it is hoped that a special volume on
their work may be forthcoming in the near future.
HP HE SHORT CONSTITUTION, by Martin J. Wade and
-* William F. Russell, with annotations by Charles H.
Meyerholz.
Mr. Wade is a United States District Court judge,
and Mr. Russell is Dean of the College of Education
in the State University of Iowa. Mr. Meyerholz is
Professor of Political Science in the Iowa State Teachers
NOTES AND COMMENT 507
College. These names speak for the character of this
work.
"What has America done for me and for my chil-
dren?" is the question in the hearts of millions of
Americans today, and the authors speak this word to
teachers :
"All those who attempt to teach Americanism to
foreigners, and to Americans, must be prepared to
answer this question. It can only be answered by
teaching the individual guaranties of the Constitution
of the United States, and of the States, which protect
life and liberty and property.
"It can only be answered by convincing the people
that this is a land of justice and of opportunity for all;
that if there be abuses, they are due not to our form
of government, but that the people are themselves to
blame, because of their ignorance of their rights, their
failure to realize their power, and their neglect of those
duties which citizenship imposes.
"All over the land earnest men and women are
endeavoring to teach the great truths of Americanism,
and with substantial success; but those who understand
human nature realize that the faith of our fathers can
only be firmly established by lighting the fires of pa-
triotism and loyalty in the hearts of our children.
Through them the great truths of our National life
can be brought into the homes of the land.
"And the Nation will never be safe until the Con-
stitution is carried into the homes, until at every fire-
side young and old shall feel a new sense of security
in the guaranties which are found in this great charter
of human liberty, and a new feeling of gratitude for
the blessings which it assures to this, and to all future
generations."
508 HISTORICAL NEWS
This little book is one of a series of volumes entitled
"Elementary Americanism/' intended for use in the
home, the club, the school, and in general Americani-
zation work. It is not a text book on civics, but a
study of human rights under the Constitution. It
is based upon the idea that patriotism is of the spirit,
a thing to be caught, rather than taught. It shows how
to make Americanization work concrete, vivid and
alive.
Mr. Frank L. Dykema of Grand Rapids who is
general manager of this fine enterprise of "putting the
Constitution into every school and every home in the
country," writes to the editor of this Magazine:
"The situation now in reference to teaching citi-
zenship is about parallel to what it was at the time the
training in health was put in the schools. The teachers
then said, we are teaching health, believing that in
the teaching of physiology, having to do with bones
and muscles, they were giving real health training.
Teachers today say they are teaching the Constitution
and that they are teaching citizenship, referring always
to the courses in Civil Government, which is actually
the same as teaching about the bones and muscles of
government, instead of the real spirit of the Consti-
tution and the ballot."
fS The book is published by the American Citizen
Publishing Co,, Iowa City, 3rd ed., 1921, pp. 228,
$1.00.
STORY OF MANKIND, by Hendrik Van Loon,
*- Ph. D., Professor of the Social Sciences in Antioch
College, author~of The Golden Book of the Dutch Navi-
gators, A Short Story of Discovery, Ancient Man, and
histories of Holland.
NOTES AND COMMENT 509
As a means of helping to make historical reading
easy for young and old, The Story of Mankind has hard-
ly a rival. Mr. Wells helped considerably with his
Outline of History, Dr. Van Loon's book covers much
the same field in much simpler terms. Mr. Wells
came as a teacher and prophet with strong personal
bias, anxious to drive home certain views of his own
Dr. Van Loon is a story teller. He himself says:
"The origin of 'The Story of Mankind' is a very
simple one. I suffered as a child from the exceedingly
bad method of history teaching which was used in my
native land. When I crossed the ocean, I discovered
that my own children in the schools of my adopted
country were taught a sort of history which made
them the sincere and devoted enemies of history for
life.
"At the same time the political development of
the world during the last six years, and the entrance
of America upon the scene of international politics as
the most important actor, destined to 'play the lead'
for the next five hundred years, convinced me that a
proper and reasonable understanding of historical
cause and effect was the most important factor in the
lives of the rising generation.
"And so my book does not divide history into
several unconnected watertight compartments ; it treats
the entire history of the human race as a single unit,
and shows us and our children that we are but links
in an endless and fascinating chain of human develop-
ment. It begiiis in the dim and hardly understood
realm of the earliest pagt; it can be continued forever."
Entertaining, often humorous and whimsical, the
work is yet accurate history and splendidly informative.
510 HISTORICAL NEWS
It is the best survey of universal history we know of to
put into the hands of children.
The author was not unmindful of Alice's query,
"What is the use of a book without pictures?" And
so he made for the book a series of illustrations, not
works of art, but better suited to a child's imagination
than many an artistic triumph. There are over 140
black and white line cuts, eight four-colored pages,
numerous animated maps and full page half-tones
(Boni and Liveright, New York City, pp. xxx-483,
$5.00).
ROAD TO THE WORLD, by Webb Waldron,
U. of M. '05 is refreshingly real, so real indeed that
one feels it must be in large measure autobiographical.
It is a story of intense fascination. Deep down in
each of us is the realization that its hero, Stan Hilgert,
is making the struggle that we too have made in finding
our "road to the world."
. Stan is a Michigan boy who first sees the light in
a little town somewhere in the vicinity of "The
Thumb." The story carries him through all the ex-
periences of boyhood and young manhood, his in-
stinctive craving to write, the handicaps of poverty,
the escapades of school days, his discovery of "the
girl," his plunge for college, his disgust with the tram-
mels of conventional thinking, and his student days
at the University of Michigan, where he meets "Karen,"
the star that is to change the course of his life.
The brave and beautiful story that follows, of two
lives each true to itself, seizes upon one with subtle
interest. It is not the ordinary "love story," for the
story is a tragedy from that point of view. At many
NOTES AND COMMENT. 511
points we venture a guess at how it will end, and when
it does end, quite differently, we have a sense that it
could not have ended otherwise and been true to life.
To conceal the outcome of a 400 page story until within
two pages of the end and have it true to life is an achieve-
ment. And it is in this ending that many will make
a self-discovery, which for them will be the value of
the book.
The Road to the World will doubtless win its way
with "the independent thinker." But a warning,
it is not a book for persons who are easily "shocked"
(The Century Co., N. Y., pp. 416, $1.90).
PAPERS
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR
BY PROF. R. CLYDE FORD
YPSILANTI
American Indian, whatever else we may say
of him, certainly has always been a picturesque and
romantic character. From the beginning of our history
he has figured more or less in almost every stride we
have taken as a people. From the beginning of our
history he himself is largely the beginning of our history
from the time the ships of Columbus made a landfall
on this side of the ocean till within recent times our
story as a people has been interwoven in some way
with that of the first rude dweller of the land.
Within the last generation, however, his memory
has begun to fade. Contact with him has become less
and less noticeable, and as he has sunk from sight he
has dropped from our recollection and attention. He
is no longer in evidence, and out of sight is out of mind.
The actual Indian we are fast forgetting. But as a
myth he still exists, a legendary character, in unreal
and distorted proportions. The good in him we have
interred with his bones, the evil that he did lives after
him. In our histories and literature he is mostly the
bad Indian, the cruel, revengeful, treacherous redskin
who harried our frontiers in early days, lusting for
scalps and plunder, and always ready to drown in fire
water whatever human qualities he may have possessed.
How many of our old-time novels are punctuated by
his blood curdling war-whoops and inhuman butch-
eries !
515
516 PROP. K. CLYDE FORD
But our children, with a sure and certain instinct,
have dealt more fairly than their elders with the In-
dian. They have glimpsed him as a picturesque
creature of forest and plain, and have conjured him
over into their dreams. To them the word ' 'Indian"
is magic, a potent charm that calls up wigwams and
bark canoes, red children and wild things of the forest,
a wonderful, entrancing world. Undoubtedly that
conception of the Indian is a better one than the
other.
But to come now to the subject of our paper, The
Indian as an Orator. We know of a surety that he
was many things; he was a brave defender, a daring,
indefatigable warrior, a clever hunter, a keen observer,
he was dignified and serious in manner, honest in his
dealings with his fellow men, loyal and devoted in his
friendships, persistent in his hatreds. He. was also
a person of dreams, for he built up stories around the
flowers, the wild creatures that lived in the forest with
him, the forces of nature that prevailed about him,
the come and go of the seasons. But with all his lore,
his vices and his virtues, was he an orator? Could
he feel and understand human motives, and interpret
them in a way to arouse men to action? Was he able
with the magic gift of eloquence to sway the hearts
of his fellows and bend them to his will? All this is
certainly a question worth while.
The Indian's education was limited, yet in a way
it was a regular and systematic education. Kah-ke-
wa-quo-naby, known in English as the Rev. Peter
Jones, wrote a history of the Chippewas and throws
some light on this subject. And Dr. Charles A. East-
man in his book An Indian Boyhood describes at
length the way he was reared among the Sioux. The
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 517
Indian youth was taught to be a good hunter, skilled
in all the lore of the wilderness. A little later he was
instructed in the art of war, and his parents and the
wise old men of the village recounted to him the won-
derful exploits of the braves of other days in order to
fire his imagination. Finally, he was initiated into
the mysteries of religion, the fasts, feasts, offerings,
religious songs and dances, and the rites of the secret
orders. This made of him a brave, an individual that
did not differ any from all the other fighting men
of the tribe.
However, some particular Indian youth might rise
to eminence, and become a man of distinction, and
enter the councils of his tribe. Here his education
widened, and the gifts of oratory became a require-
ment. When once he could state his views convinc-
ingly and eloquently he rose at once to a position of
influence. The government of a tribe was vested in
a council, made up of chiefs of various bands or of
elders of the tribe, and all questions touching the gen-
eral welfare were debated at great length. Decisions
were generally arrived at only by unanimous consent,
and of a necessity the deliberations were long and
animated. To be fitted to take part in such assemblies
was the ambition of every warrior. And such dis-
tinction was recognized, and the powerful speaker was
looked up to and listened to with admiration and
respect. The Indian's language had qualities in it
which adapted it particularly to oratory and appeal.
It was evolved in contact with nature and possessed
much rugged power and beauty; it abounded in imag-
ination and symbolism and poetical speech, and when
he had a great cause to plead, he frequently responded
518 PROP. R. CLYDE FORD
to the occasion with subtle skill and ingenuity, and
even with eloquence and passion.
Pontiac's first address to the assembled chieftains in
the famous council at Ecorse, April 27, 1763, fully
illustrates this point. Let us review briefly the cir-
cumstances. Pontiac with rude statesmanship had
worked out the plans for his uprising in the winter of
1762-3; with something like genius he had been able
to kindle enthusiasm and loyalty in remote Indian
tribes from Lake Superior to the south, and from the
Mississippi to the Alleghenies and beyond. And now
that his preparations were complete there remained
but to touch a match to the tinder. And this match
was to be his address in council. Undoubtedly he had
thought long about it. He knew well what respon-
sibility hung upon his words, what far reaching con-
sequences would devolve upon the impression he would
make. The white man's yoke was getting heavier
upon the Indian's neck with each succeeding year;
his hunting grounds to the east had been taken from
him; and now the wilderness of the Great Lakes had
passed to the control of a flag which boded ill for the
red man. Realization of this filled his soul with bit-
terness and fury.
We do not know all that happened in his prelim-
inary council, but the so-called Pontiac MS. hints at
much and tells more. Pontiac evidently began by
recounting the wrongs of his people, and when his
eloquence had caught the ears of his listeners he related
how a certain Indian of the Wolf or Delaware tribe
had received a communication in person from the
Great Spirit, the Master of Life. With much skill
and fine language he described how the Indian jour-
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 519
neyed across dale and forest till he came at last to a
precipitous mountain which barred his progress. Here
a radiant vision of loveliness met him and told him if
he wished to go further he must cast away any im-
peding thing, gun, food, clothing; that he must
wash away his sins in a limpid stream near by, and
then go into the presence of the Great Spirit. All
this he does and he comes finally to a large plain with
three large villages in it, where he is ushered into the
presence of the Great Spirit who thus addresses him:
"I am the Master 'of Life and since I know what
you desire to know and to whom you wish to speak,
listen well to what I am going to say to you and all the
Indians.
"I am He who has created the heavens and the
earth, the trees, lakes, rivers, all men, and all you see
and have seen upon the earth. Because I love you
you must do what I say and love, and not do what
I hate
"This land where you dwell I have made for you
and not for others. Whence comes it then that you
permit the white man upon your lands? Can you
not live without him? I know that those whom you
call the children of the Great Father supply your needs,
but if you were not evil, as you are, you could surely
do without them. You could live as you did live
before you knew them, before those whom you call
your brothers had come upon your lands. Did you
not live by the bow and arrow? You had no need of
gun or powder, or anything else, and nevertheless
you caught animals to live upon and to dress your-
selves with their skins. But when I saw that you were
given up to evil I led the wild animals to the depths
of the forest so that you had to depend upon your
520 PROF. K. CLYDE FORD
brothers to feed and shelter you. You have only to
become good again and do what I wish and I will send
back the animals for your food. I do not forbid you
to permit among you the children of your Father ;
I love them. They know me and pray to me, and I
supply their wants and all they give you. But as to
them who come to trouble your lands, those dogs
dressed in red, drive them but make war upon them.
I do not love them; they know me not, and are my
enemies, and the enemies of your brothers. Send
them back to the lands which I have created for them
and let them stay there.". . . .
In this adroit way Pontiac fired the minds of his
hearers with a message from Heaven. And the In-
dian's religious feelings were easily played upon
we know this from the influence exercised by Tecum-
seh's brother, Elks-wa-to-wa, the prophet, and by
the Messiah craze among the Sioux Indians within
our own recollections.
Once more we behold Pontiac as a pleader of his
cause this time in a council which was held with the
French settlers near Detroit, May 23, 1763, when they
protested against the lawlessness and depredation of
his warriors.
1 'My brothers, we have never intended to do you
any injury or harm, neither have we pretended that
any should be done to you, but among my young men
there are some, as among you, who are always doing
harm in spite of all precautions that one can take.
Moreover, it is not for personal vengeance merely that
I am making war upon the English; it is for you, my
brothers, as well as for us. When the English have
insulted us in the councils which we have held with
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 521
them, they have insulted you, too, without your know-
ing it. And since I and all my brothers, also, know
that the English have taken away from you all means
to avenge yourself by disarming you and making you
sign a paper which they have sent to their own country,
a thing they could not do to us, for this reason we
wish to avenge you equally with ourselves, and I
swear the destruction of all that may be upon our
lands.
"What is more, you do not know all the reasons
which oblige me to act.as I do. I have told you only
what concerns you, but you will know the rest in time.
I know very well that many of you, my brothers,
consider me a fool, but you will see in the future if I
am what people say I am, and if I am wrong. I know
very well, also, that there are some among you, my
brothers, who side with the English in making war
upon us and that grieves me. As for them, I know
them well, and when our Great Father returns I shall
name and point them out to him and they will see
whether they or we will be most satisfied with the
result in the end.
"I do not doubt, my brothers, that this war causes
you annoyance because of the movements of our
brothers who are coming and going in your homes
constantly; I am chagrined at it, but do not think,
my brothers, that I inspire the harm which is being
done you. As a proof that I do not desire it just call
to mind the war with the Foxes, and the way I be-
haved as regards you seventeen years ago. When the
Chippewas and Ottawas of Michillimackinac, and all
the northern nations, came with the Sacs and Foxes
to destroy you, who was it that defended you? Was
it not I and my men?
522 PROF. R. CLYDE FORD
1 ' When Mackinaw, the great chief of all these
nations, said in his council that he would carry the
head of your commander to his village, and devour
his heart, and drink his blood, did I not take up your
cause, and go to his village, and tell him that if he
wanted to kill the French he would have to begin first
with me and my men? Did I not help you to rid your-
selves of them and drive them away? How does it
come then, my brothers, that you would think me
today ready to turn my weapons against you? No,
my brothers, I am the same French Pontiac who
helped you seventeen years ago; I am French, and I
want to die French, and I repeat that it is altogether
your interest and mine that I avenge. Let me carry
out my plan. I do not demand your assistance,
because I know you could not give it; I only ask you
for provisions for myself and all my followers. If,
however, you should like to help me I would not refuse;
you would please me and get out of trouble quicker, for
I promise when the English shall be driven away from
here, or killed, we shall all withdraw into our villages,
following our custom, to await the coming of our
French Father. "
This speech, copied from the Pontiac MS., was
undoubtedly heard by the one who entered it in the
journal, and aside from the comment that Pontiac
listened intently to the reproaches of the French we
have no hint as to his feelings or the way he voiced
them. But we can understand, as somebody has
said, that a warrior who could speak with such com-
pelling force had no need of the petty tricks of elo-
cution and of oratory.
i : Before taking leave of Pontiac let us follow him
to the great council of Ottawas, Chippewas and Pot-
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 523
tawatomies held near Detroit, August 27-28, 1765,
and hear him as he makes his submission to Colonel
Croghan and the British government. In behalf of
the several nations present he spoke as follows:
"Father, we have all smoked out of this pipe of
peace. It is your children's pipe; and as the war is
all over, and the Great Spirit and Giver of Light, who
has made the earth and everything therein, has brought
us all together this day for mutual good, I declare to
all nations that I have settled my peace with you before
I came here, and now 'deliver my pipe to be sent to
Sir William Johnson, that he may know I have made
peace, and taken the King of England for my father,
in presence of all the nations now assembled; and
whenever any of those nations go to visit him, they
may smoke out of it with him in peace. Fathers, we
are obliged to you for lighting up our old council-fire
for us, and desiring us to return to it; but we are now
settled on the Miami River, not far from hence: when-
ever you want us, you will find us there. "
The next year he appeared before Sir William John-
son in the State of New York and spoke in a similar
strain. Surely there is something pathetic and at the
same time grand and heroic in the spectacle of this
surrender of a leader of a lost cause.
But of all the Indian speeches that have found
publicity, probably none has enjoyed the celebrity
which fell to the words of Logan, the chief of the Min-
goes, in his message to Lord Dunmore. In Europe
and America this speech has often been cited and
quoted as a masterpiece of rhetoric. The older ones
here present today will remember it out of their school
readers. Logan, by^birth an Iroquois, of the.Cayuga
tribe, because of his character and reputation was
524 PROF. R. CLYDE FORD
elected chief of the Mingoes in eastern Ohio about
the year 1770. In 1774 almost the whole of his family
was murdered in cold blood by the whites. This
aroused him to such fury that he incited the Indians
to rebellion and drenched the Ohio border in blood,
taking as many as thirty scalps with his own hands.
The so-called Dunmore War was the result of this
uprising, and, here again, as always, the Indians were
overpowered by superior numbers and reduced to
submission. When finally Lord Dunmore at the head
of his punitive expedition reached the neighborhood of
the Indian tribes on the Sciota he was met by a messen-
ger with a flag of truce who requested on the part of the
Indians an interpreter through whom they could sue
for peace. Chief Logan refused to attend the council
and Dunmore sent a man named Gibson, who is
supposed to have married Logan's sister, to learn the
cause of his absence. When Gibson arrived at his
village the chief met him and requested him to go with
him into the woods near by. Here they sat down and
Logan, overcome with tears, narrated his pathetic
story. This is the message which Gibson brought
back to Lord Dunmore, written out in English, for
and in the name of the chief:
"I appeal to any white man to say if ever he entered
Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat; if
ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not.
During the course of the last long and bloody war
Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for
peace. Such was my love for the whites that my
countrymen pointed at me as they passed, and said:
'Logan is the friend of white men.'
"I had even thought to have lived with you, but
for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, last
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 525
spring, in cold blood and unprovoked, murdered all
relations of Logan, not sparing even my women and
children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the
veins of any living creature.
"This called on me for revenge. I have sought it.
I have killed many. I have glutted my vengeance.
For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace. But
do not think that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never
felt fear. Logan will not turn on his heel to save his
life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not one! 5 '
The authenticity of this speech has been much
discussed by various writers, but comparing all sources
and copies there seems hardly any doubt that it is
practically Logan's own words. We have followed
the version in Jefferson's notes, published in February,
1775, only a few months after the council, and based
directly on conversations with Lord Dunmore.
The sad fate of Logan is quite in accord with the
unhappy end of almost all our great Indian warriors
from the beginning of our history. The white man's
treachery or fire water was their undoing. After the
downfall of his people Logan wandered about from
tribe to tribe, broken hearted and dejected, most of
the time seeking forgetfulness in drink. He was
murdered somewhere near Detroit by a savage com-
panion, as he sat bowed in moody reflection by a camp-
fire, his elbows on his knees, his head resting on his
hands. So perished Logan, worthy of a better fate.
I have referred to the fact that Logan was an Iro-
quois. The Iroquois race has produced a number of
famous orators and leaders, among whom looms to
eminence also Sa-go-ye-wat-ha, or Red Jacket, a chief
of the Senecas. He fought on the side of the English
during our Revolution, but sided with the United
526 PROP. B. CLYDE FORD
States in the War of 1812 and materially assisted our
forces by the valuable information he gave concerning
the plans of Tecumseh. He, too, fell a victim to
drink, and at one time was deposed by a council of
chiefs. .Later he was restored to office. At first he
was in favor of education for his people, but later be-
came a pronounced opponent of schools and Chris-
tianity. In the year 1806, Mr. Crane, a missionary,
appeared at a council of chiefs of the Six Nations and
spoke of the work he proposed to do among them. At
the conclusion of his address Red Jacket made a re-
joinder which has gone far to establish the claim that
he was the most eloquent of all the Indian orators.
"Friend and Brother: It was the will of the Great
Spirit that we should meet together this day. He
orde'rs all things and has given us a fine day for our
council. He has taken His garment from before the
sun and caused it to shine with brightness upon us.
Our eyes are opened that we see clearly; our ears are
unstopped that we have been able to hear distinctly
the words you have spoken. For all these favors we
thank the Great Spirit, and Him only.
"Brother, this council fire was kindled by you. It
was at your request that we came together at this time.
We have listened with attention to what you have said.
You requested us to speak our minds freely. This
gives us great joy; for we now consider that we stand
upright before you and can speak what we think. All
have heard your voice and all speak to you now as one
man. Our minds are agreed.
"Brother, you say you want an answer to your talk
before you leave this place. It is right you should
have one, as you are a great distance from home and
we do not wish to detain you. But first we will look
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 527
back a little and tell you what our fathers have told
us and what we have heard from white people.
"Brother, listen to what we say. There was a time
when our forefathers owned this great island. Their
seats extended from the rising to the setting sun. The
Great Spirit had made it for the use of the Indians.
He had created the buffalo, the deer, and other animals
for food. He had made the bear and the beaver.
Their skins served us for clothing. He had scattered
them over the country and taught us how to take
them. He had caused* the earth to produce corn for
bread. All this He had done for His red children
because He loved them. If we had some disputes
about our hunting-ground they were generally settled
without the shedding of much blood.
"But an evil day came upon us. Your forefathers
crossed the great water and landed on this island.
Their numbers were small. They found friends and
not enemies. They told us they had fled from their
own country for fear of wicked men and had come to
enjoy their religion. They asked for a small seat.
We took pity on them, granted their request, and they
sat down among us. We gave them corn and meat;
they gave us poison in return.
"The white people, brother, had now found our
country. Tidings were carried back and more came
among us. Yet we did not fear them. We took them
to be friends. They called us brothers. We believed
them and gave them a larger seat. At length their
numbers had greatly increased. They wanted more
land ; they wanted our country. Our eyes were opened
and our minds became uneasy. War took place.
Indians were hired to fight against Indians, and many
528 PROP. R. CLYDE FORD
of our people were destroyed. They also brought
strong liquor among us. It was strong and powerful,
and has slain thousands.
"Brother, our seats were once large and yours were
small. You have now become a great people, and we
have scarcely a place left to spread our blankets. You
have got our country, but are not satisfied; you want
to force your religion upon us.
4 'Brother, continue to listen. You say that you
are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit
agreeably to His mind; and, if we do not take hold of
the religion which you white people teach we shall be
unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right and
we are lost. How do we know this to be true? We
understood that your religion is written in a Book.
If it was intended for us, as well as you, why has not
the Great Spirit given to us, and not only to us, but
why did He not give to our forefathers the knowledge
of that Book, with the means of understanding it
rightly. We only know what you tell us about it.
How shall we know when to believe, being so often
deceived by the white people?
" Brother, you say there is but one way to worship
and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion,
why do you white people differ so much about it?
Why are not all agreed, as you can all read the Book?
"Brother, we do not understand these things. We
are told that your religion was given to your fore-
fathers and has been handed down from father to son.
We also have a religion which was given to our fore-
fathers and has been handed down to us, their children.
We worship in that way. It teaches us to be thankful
for all the favors we receive, to love each other, and
to be united. We never quarrel about religion.
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 529
"Brother, the Great Spirit has made us all, but He
has made a great difference between His white and
His red children. He has given us different complex-
ions and different customs. To you He has given the
arts. To these He has not opened our eyes. We
know these things to be true. Since He has made so
great a difference between us in other things, why may
we not conclude that He has given us a different
religion according to our understanding? The Great
Spirit does right. He knows what is best for His
children; we are satisfied.
"Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion
or take it from you. We only want to enjoy our own.
"Brother, you say you have not come to get our
land or our money, but to enlighten our minds. I
will now tell you that I have been at your meetings
and saw you collect money from the meeting. I can
not tell what this money was intended for, but suppose
that it was for your minister; and, if we should conform
to your way of thinking, perhaps you may want some
from us.
"Brother, we are told that you have been preaching
to the white people in this place. These people are
our neighbors. We are acquainted with them. We
will wait a little while and see what effect your preach-
ing has upon them. If we find it does them good,
makes them honest, and less disposed to cheat Indians,
we will then consider again of what you have said.
"Brother, you have now heard our answer to your
talk, and this is all we have to say at present. As we
are going to part, we will come and take you by the
hand, and hope the Great Spirit will protect you on
your journey and return you safe to your friends. "
530 PROF. R. CLYDE FORD
The Indian has been called cold, impassive, in-
scrutable and without feeling, but intimate accounts
go to show that when he was aroused by some great
question he threw off his reserve and granite demeanor
and spoke in words which pulsated with an agony of
feeling. Caleb Atwater, who was present at many
councils, remarked this. As soon as the orator took
up some such subject as cession of the tribal lands, or
removal of his people from the home of their ancestors,
he became surcharged with the awful responsibility
which rested upon him. In breathless silence, the
audience hung upon his words; they wept with him;
they exulted as he exulted; they followed him in his
grief and despair. He had suddenly become in his own
expressive phrase, a human beine[, a MAN, and like
one in whose veins flowed the blood of free-born men
he pleaded his cause.
In a council held at Prairie du Chien, July 1, 1829,
to negotiate a cession of Indian lands, Hoo-wa-ne-ka,
or Little Elk, made the following speech:
"The first white man we ever knew was a French-
man. He lived among us as we did. He painted
himself, smoked his pipe with us, sang and danced
with us, and married one of our squaws, but he never
wanted to buy our land.
"The Red Coat came next. He gave us new coats,
leggins and shoes, guns, traps and knives, blankets
and jewels. He seated our chiefs at his table to eat
with him; he fixed epaulets on their shoulders and put
commissions in their pockets. He suspended large
medals on their breasts, but he never asked us to sell our
country to him.
|fc "Next came the Blue Coat the American. No
sooner had he seen a portion of our country, than he
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 531
asked for a map of the whole of it. Having seen the
map he wanted to buy it all. Governor Cass last year at
Green Bay urged us to sell all our country to him, and
now you, father, make the same request. Why do you
want to add our small country to yours which is already
so large?
"When I went to Washington City to see our Great
Father, I saw great houses all along the road, and
Washington and Baltimore, Philadelphia and New
York are great and splendid cities! So large and
beautiful was the President's house; the tables and
chairs, the mirrors and carpets were so beautiful that
I thought I was in Heaven, and that the old man there
was the Great Spirit! But after he had taken us by
the hand and kissed our women I found him like our-
selves, nothing but a man!
"You ask us to sell our country and wander off
into the boundless regions of the West. We do not
own that country, and the deer, elk, bison and beaver
there are not ours, and we have no right to kill them.
Our wives and our children, now seated behind us, are
dear to us, and so is our country where rest in peace
the bones of our ancestors. (Here he spoke with great
emotion) Fathers, pity a people few in number, poor
and helpless! Do you want our country? Yours is
larger than ours! Do you want our wigwams? You
live in palaces! Do you want our horses? Yours are
larger, stronger, and better than ours.
"Do you want our women? (And now pointing to
the wives of the American officers present, and to the
wife and daughters of the agent of the American Fur
Company, he said:) Yours are now sitting behind
you, and they are handsomer and better dressed than
532 PROF. R. CLYDE FORD
ours. Once more I ask, my fathers, what can be
your motives? Why do you want to rob us of our
land?" (Taken from a so-called Historical Document
in Magazine of American History for the year 1880.)
But as eloquent as was the speech of Little Elk, it
was surpassed by Black Hawk in an address which he
made to his people in the spring of 1831 upon notifi-
cation by the United States agent that he was ordered
to remove with his tribe to lands west of the Mississippi.
It is as follows:
4 'Warriors: Sixty summers or more have gone
since our fathers sat down here, and our mothers
erected their lodges on this spot. On these pastures
our horses have fattened; our wives and daughters
have cultivated the corn-fields, and planted beans and
melons and squashes ; from these rivers our young men
have obtained an abundance of fish. Here, too, you
have been protected from your old enemy, the Sioux,
by the mighty Mississippi. And here are the bones
of our warriors and chiefs and orators.
"But alas! what do I hear? The birds that have
long gladdened these groves with their melody now
sing a melancholy soag! They say, 'The red man
must leave his home, to make room for the white man/
The Long Knives want it for their speculation and
greed. They want to live in our houses, plant corn
in our fields, and plough up our graves! They want
to fatten their hogs on our dead, not yet mouldered
in their graves! We are ordered to remove to the west
bank of the Mississippi; there to erect our houses, and
open new fields, of which we shall soon be robbed
again by these pale-faces! They tell us that our
great father, the chief of the Long Knives, has com-
manded us, his red children, to give this, our greatest
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 533
town, our greatest graveyard, and our best home, to
his white children! I do not believe it. It cannot
be true; it is impossible that so great a Chief should
compel us to seek new homes, and prepare new corn-
fields, and that, too, in a country where our women
and children will be in danger of being murdered by
our enemies. No! No! Our great father, the chief
of the Long Knives, will never do this. I have heard
these silly tales for seven winters, that we were to be
driven from our homes. You know we offered the
Long Knives a large toact of country abounding with
lead on the west side of the Mississippi, if they would
relinquish their claim to this little spot. We will,
therefore, repair our houses which the pale-faced
vagabonds have torn down and burnt, and we will
plant our corn; and if these white intruders annoy us,
we will tell them to depart. We will offer them no
violence, except in self-defense. We will not kill
their cattle, or destroy any of their property, but their
scutah wapo (whiskey) we will search for, and destroy,
throwing it out upon the earth, wherever we find it. We
have asked permission of the intruders to cultivate
our own fields ( , around which they have erected wooden
walls. They refuse, and forbid us the privilege of
climbing over. We will throw down these walls, and,
as these pale-faces seem unwilling to live in the com-
munity with us, let them, and not us, depart.
The land is ours, not theirs. We inherited it from our
fathers; we have never sold it. If some drunken dogs
of our people sold lands they did not own, our rights
remain. We have no chiefs who are authorized to
sell our corn-fields, our houses, or the bones of our
dead. The great Chief of the Long Knives, I believe,
is too wise and good to approve acts of robbery and
534 PROF. R. CLYDE FORD
injustice, though I have found true the statement oi
my British friends in Canada, that 'The Long Knives
will always claim the land where they are permitted
to make a track with their foot, or mark a tree.' I
will not, however, believe that the great Chief, wh<
is pleased to call himself our 'Father* will send hi*
warriors against his children for no bther cause thai
contending to cultivate their own fields, and occup;
their own houses. No! I will not believe it, until
see his army. Not until then will I forsake the graves
of my ancestors, and the home of my youth !" (Fro:
Gallan4's Iowa Emigrant, 1840.)
But alas, the army came, and with it the hoi
Black Hawk had so long foreboded. General Gain<
and Gov. Reynolds of Illinois called a council an<
demanded once more that Black Hawk remove to th<
other side of the Mississippi.
"Your father asks you to be seated, " said th<
interpreter to him.
"My father !" he answered haughtily, repeatinj
the words of Tecumseh to General Harrison twenl
years before;
"The sun is my father; the earth is my mother;
will rest upon her bosom !"
At last, however, Black Hawk sullenly took hi*
seat with the fifty assembled chiefs and warriors.
The treaty was read, sentence by sentence and in-
terpreted by Antoine LeClaire. Then Black Hawk
was called upon to sign. He arose slowly and with
dignity, yet grief and humiliation were visible in his
handsome face, but he took the pen, made a bold
cross upon the paper and resumed his seat amid a
breathless silence. Thus ended the impressive scene.
(Geo. A. McCall in Letters from the Frontier.}
THE INDIAN AS AN ORATOR 535
The Indian was the first American and we Amer-
icans of yesterday, a stronger and more cultured race,
have crushed and displaced him; his glory has departed
and he lives now only by our sufferance and bounty.
But though we took away his land and his native
freedom we were never able entirely to rob him of his
racial pride. He lived as an upstanding man, with
certain noble traits among his vices and we must credit
him for what he was.
We have not been able to assimilate him; we have
not been able to change him; we have been able only
to blight and supplant him. His mind was not like
ours; his traditions were only the inheritance of a free
people of the forest and the plain. He turned his face
to the dawn and communed with the Great Spirit;
he stood in solitude in some lofty height and studied
the sunset and thought of the rewards of the Happy
Hunting Grounds.
Alas, he was a simple son of the wilderness and
knew the white man only to hate him and despise
him. He and his people have succumbed before us
and our march of empire. The ignominy of his plight
oppressed him and he poured out his abhorrence of it
upon us, his conquerors. Therein lies the genius of
his oratory, it was one long cry of protest and revolt
against the fate which weighed down upon him.
Truly, it was too bad about him.
EARLY DAYS IN THE UPPER PENINSULA
BY DR. T. A. FELCH
ISHPEMING
TT is now a matter of common knowledge that the
* portion of our State which lies above the Straits of
Mackinac embraces a large, rich and important sec-
tion of country. Although probably a good deal better
known to the early explorers than the Lower Penin-
sula, it still is not thickly populated and the diversified
interests which obtain in the Lower Peninsula find
scant lodgement with us. That is necessarily so from
the climatic, commercial and other conditions pre-
vailing. Nevertheless, we are a rich and important
section of the State and are becoming more and more
appreciated by the people of the Lower Peninsula.
Probably at the time Michigan acquired this Upper
Peninsula the great majority of the people of the State
considered that what they had gained in no way
compensated in value for what they thought they had
lost. Neither could they be blamed for having reached
that conclusion, for at that time this region was almost
unknown; it was a region of wild Indians and wilder
white adventurers; a region of mystery and one un-
desirable for a civilized community. And so after
that Opera Bouffe affair, the so-called "Toledo War,"
they accepted the suggestion of Congress and unwill-
ingly hitched us on to their star.
In this connection I might mention an incident
which I heard from my father, who was in a position
to know all about it. Congress referred the matter
in dispute to a committee, who discussed the matter
536
EARLY DAYS IN THE UPPER PENINSULA 537
at some length without coining to a conclusion. One
day, asjhey were abcmt to adjourn for lunch and were
walking ^toward the exit, they brought up standing
before a map of this region hanging on the wall. One
member regarded it attentively for a few moments,
then pointing with his cane to the Menominee River,
said "Gentlemen, why not give Michigan all this
stretch of land north of this river, " and they all fell
in with the suggestion.
And thus, when Michigan found herself in unwilling
possession of this Northern Peninsula, she set about
finding out what kind of a gift she had received. She
sent one of her most scientific men, Dr. Douglass
Houghton, to find out. Here was a land of mystery
suitable for romance and adventure of a peaceful and
commercial kind. The Indians here then were few and
not warlike and they and their descendants show their
business instincts even to this day by demanding pay
for lands which one in a position to know told me
the Government had already paid for three different
times. Although the existence of copper had been
known for many years, still Dr. Houghton was really
the discoverer, in that he showed it to be in quantity
and of commercial importance. Soon afterward the
famous Minesota Mine proved his theory. A certain
History of the United States says that copper was
first found in the Minesota Mine in Minnesota, which
was correct, except that Minnesota never had a copper
mine and moreover Minesota, the mine, is spelled
with one "n," while Minnesota, the State, is spelled
with two "n's." Dr. Houghton was also the discoverer
of the iron ore deposits in this end of the Peninsula.
In auto trips in this neighborhood tourists may see in
Negaunee a monument erected to mark the spot.
538 DR. T. A. FELCH
Dr. Houghton had associated with him some who
afterward became men of note in the State, School-
craft, Dr. Samuel Douglas and John Burt.
Years afterward Dr. Douglas used to show his
friends a small vial of gold dust which he had gathered
in this region. Urged to give the location, he refused,
saying that a rush of gold hunters did a country no
good. Some thirty years ago gold ore was discovered
a few miles north of Ishpeming; the company or-
ganized and the mine was worked, producing some-
thing like a half million dollars worth of gold, but
finally it closed because commercial conditions were
not favorable. It's re-opening, however, is a future
possibility.
While silver mining as such is not now one of our
industries, still an immense amount of silver is pro-
duced in connection with copper mining.
If you wish to know something of the romance of
mining in Michigan, read the story of Silver Islet,
a story stranger than fiction. Those things were done
by the practical miner. Now we lead through the
Michigan College of Mines and the mines themselves
in developing an army of highly educated young men,
who carry their civilization and technical knowledge
to all parts of the earth.
Mr. John Burt, mentioned before as associated
with Dr. Houghton, was a most remarkable man. He
was the inventor of the solar compass, an instrument
which has been of untold usefulness, not only to our
country, but to the world. He did not take out letters
patent on this invention and consequently neither he
nor his heirs were ever able to get recognition from Con-
gress, though a bill to that effect was before Congress
for many years. Mr. Burt also invented a sewing
EARLY DATS IN THE UPPER PENINSULA 539
machine and also a typewriter, many years before
those things were commercially known. And these
also were of no financial benefit to him.
Regarding the men who pursued the practice of
medicine in those days, we must regard them as truly
pioneers as the woodsman or the miner. Energetic,
resourceful men they were, well educated, independent.
I may mention that Dr. Cornelius R. Agnew once
practiced in the Copper Country, but owing to a dis-
agreement with his superior he walked out of the coun-
try and afterward beoame one of America's foremost
oculists and the moving spirit in the Sanitary Com-
mission during the Civil War, an organization some-
what similar to our present Red Cross. Then there
was Dr. Joseph O'Dwyer, who as a young man clerked
in a store in this city and who afterward became
a professor in a New York college and invented and
perfected the operation of intubation used in certain
conditions sometimes found during the course of
diphtheria and other diseases. Dr. Wm. Beaumont's
experiments on the wounded Alexis St. Martin at
Mackinac Island placed the knowledge of the phy-
siology of digestion on a scientific basis which is ac-
knowledged today. You may see within the Fort at
the Island the monument which was erected by the
joint efforts of the Upper Peninsula and the Michi-
gan State Medical Societies.
If you would read the little book called The Honorable
Peter White you would get a good idea of the social
and business conditions of the early times, an auto-
biography of one of the truly great men of Michigan.
THE MICHIGAN CLUB
BY HENRY A. HAIGH
(First Secretary (1884) and later President (1898) of the Organizatic
DETROIT
CUFFICIENT time has probably now transpired
^ justify the relating of a brief account of the "Old
Michigan Club," the famous Republican organization
that exerted such marked influence in this State dur-
ing the eighties and nineties of the last century.
Probably no other organization ever really cut
a greater figure in the politics of Michigan, and no
other organization I venture to say is remembered
with a kindlier and more tolerant regard.
The Michigan Club had its origin in the necessity
for recuperation and readjustment which confronted
the Republican party at the close of the disastrous
campaign of 1884.
The fatal tragedy of '84, when Elaine, the "Plumed
Knight" of Republicanism, and "Black Jack," John
A. Logan, the most popular and inspiring military
hero then living, went down to ignominious defeat
before the victorious hordes of democracy, brought
Republicans everywhere to a realizing sense of what
had happened to their beloved party and what had
been happening to the G. O. P. during the previous
eight years.
In national politics, it dawned depressingly on
"stalwarts," "liberals" and all elements of the party
that, beginning with the near disaster of 1876, which
was only doubtfully terminated by the narrow out-
come of the uncomfortable Hayes- Tilden controversy,
540
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 541
the grasp of power of the "patriotic" party that had
"saved the Union" had really been none too secure;
and in State politics, staunch old republicans who had
boasted the birth of their party "Under the Oaks at
Jackson" and had pointed with pride to their brilliant
line of State executives Blair, Crapo, Baldwin, Bag-
ley, Croswell and Jerome had been forced to endure
imagined humiliation under the Democratic adminis-
tration of Josiah W. Begole.
A determined effort had been made to make the
republican campaign of 1884 a success. The two
most beloved and popular men in the party James
G. Blaine and "Black Jack" Logan were selected to
head the national ticket. The State ticket was headed
by a new and brilliant figure in Michigan republican-
ism General Russell A. Alger; while as candidate
for congressman from the first district of Michigan,
Col. John Atkinson, then at the zenith of his fame,
popularity and oratorical power, had been selected.
A vigorous campaign was valiantly fought; all dif-
ferences were put aside in a common effort to elect
the entire ticket, and recover the prestige and power
which "the preservers of the country" felt they de-
served. All the old-time weapons of political war-
fare were brandished to the full. We had wonderful
meetings noon-times, afternoons and evenings, with
bands, songs, processions, banners and speeches galore.
We had orators, the like of whom we never since have
heard, who labored with a zeal that brought some of
them to grief. I remember that even Bob. Frazier,
a leviathan of word-power, had a dismal crack come
into his voice, but still he kept on talking!
Well, it all came to naught. We were defeated
ignorniniously in the National and in the local con-
542 HENRY A. HAIGH
gressional campaigns, and in many of the so-called safe
Republican states. One bright ray of sunshine brought
some suspense of sorrow in Michigan Alger pulled
through brilliantly and entered upon a career which
took him to the Cabinet and the Senate, but the
great and glorious party that had saved the Union, the
party of Lincoln, Grant and Garfield, went down to
defeat.
Oh, it was awful. Think of it! Those detested
Democrats after a quarter of a century of deserved
banishment were jumping up and down like Hotten-
tots and yelling for the flesh pots, with Mugwumps,
Ku Klux, Copperheads and whatnots joining in the
din, as the sickening sense of horror bore down upon
sorrowing Republicans that at last the "rebels had
captured Washington!"
Something had to be done, but what?
We were holding a final meeting of the Con-
gressional Committee, of which I was Secretary, on
the day after our defeat. Walter H. Coots was chair-
man. Corliss, Jim Stone, Babcock, Donovan, Levi
Grandy and several other faithful actives were present,
groping in the gloom over the details of winding up and
disbanding the Committee.
Col. Atkinson came in rather cheerily, thanked the
Committee for their devoted work, said he was glad
the Committee's debts were all paid, and added that,
while its term as a party organization had expired, it
was no time to disband as workers for a worthy cause.
"Victories are won in defeat," the Colonel said, "and
now is the time to organize for future victory."
think some reference was made to Disraeli's "Prim-
rose League," which had been a means of returning
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 543
that statesman to power, and some analogies were
drawn.
But it was the plea of John Atkinson about "organ-
izing in defeat for future victory, " that started the
Michigan Club. Of course the conditions and the
atmosphere had to be right, and the mood for it had
to exist, and did exist in the situation above described;
but the subtle touch and inspiring words that stirred
the hearts and started a movement that ran far, far
beyond the fondest hopes or wildest expectations came
from the brilliant mind of the defeated candidate,
John Atkinson.
After the meeting Col. Atkinson asked me to send
out to all the fellows who had worked with us so
faithfully and to any one else who might be inter-
ested, an informal note, requesting them to attend
a conference a few nights later.
The response was generous, and perhaps twenty-
five gentlemen attended the conference, which was
held in our committee room in the Old Buhl Block
sometime in the middle of November, 1884.
Among those who came was Mr. Brownell, who
was Mr. Christian H. Buhl's agent for the Buhl and
Seitz Blocks, who said that he felt sure that Mr. Buhl
would gladly allow us the use of the room, rent free,
for our meetings. I refer to this because at the next
meeting my recollection is that Mr. Buhl himself
dropped in, confirmed Mr. Brownell's offer and warmly
commended the movement. This may have sug-
gested his selection as the first president of the organ-
ization a fact of much significance, because it at
once gave the movement a standing among the sub-
stantial and conservative members of the party.
544 HENRY A. HAIGH
Formal organization was determined upon in De-
cember, 1884, and perfected during the following
month by the adoption of Articles of Association,
the election of officers and directors, and by incor-
poration under an appropriate act of the Legislature.
The selection of the first president of the new
organization has seemed to me significant.
CHRISTI-AN H. BUHL, FIRST PRESIDENT
Mr. Buhl, while never an active politician, an<
not taking any great part in the affairs of the Michij
Club, represented, as few others did, the substanti;
interests of the city of Detroit and State of Michigai
Born in Pennsylvania, of Dutch parentage, in 181!
he came to Detroit on attaining his majority in 1831
and at once embarked in business enterprises, which
were always successful, always increasing and always
useful and important. Long before his selection as
the first president of the Michigan Club he had be-
come identified with some of the most important
industries of the State and Nation. He had the
reputation of undertaking enterprises which always
came through to good success. He remarked that he
was willing to be president of the new organization,
provided it would be pushed to the success which its
objects deserved, though he could not be expected at
his age, 72, to do much active work.
JAMES MCMILLAN, VICE-PRESIDENT
Not less significant was the selection of the first
vice-president. Mr. McMillan was not at that time
regarded in the light of the politician and statesman
which he subsequently became. His reputation then
was that of one of the most successful and substantial
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 545
of the younger business men of Michigan. He was
not born until five years after Mr. Buhl had begun
business in Detroit. But he developed rapidly and
in 1864 when only 26 years old, in collaboration with
the late John S. Newberry, he organized the Michigan
Car Company, which was rapidly developed into one
of the most important manufacturing enterprises in
Michigan. Later this was consolidated with the Pen-
insular Car Works, and both subsequently merged with
the St. Louis Car Works, which Mr. McMillan and
his brother William kad acquired, and all, together
with other allied industries, became the American
Car and Foundry Company, one of the great and good
trusts of the country.
But even at that time, Mr. McMillan's many close
friends recpgnized in him great abilities as a clever,
upright and successful politician, and this resulted
in his selection as chairman of the Republican State
Central Committee, where presently a general recog-
nition of his broad capacity for statesmanship led
him later to his brilliant career in the United States
Senate.
I have dwelt upon the attractive qualities of these
two noted men because their names, leading the roster
of officials of the new organization, gave it at once
luster, dignity and importance, and must have cut
a large figure in the wonderful and unexpected growth
of the Michigan Club.
My selection as the first secretary was due solely
to the fact that I was there in the harness, a handy
young fellow on the spot and willing to work hard
without pay.
546 HENRY A. HAIGH
THE FIRST BOARD OF DIRECTORS
This was by no means an insignificant body, and
it turned out to be a very serviceable one. It was
composed of men, all of fetching qualities, some of
attained and others of promised greatness. They
were James F. Joy, James L. Edson, Hazen S. Pin-
gree, Clarence A. Black, John Atkinson, James H.
Stone, James W. Fales, Digby V. Bell, Robert E.
Frazer, Thomas Berry, George H. Hopkins, S. S.
Babcock, S. B. Grummond, Henry M. Duffield, Dr.
John H. Carstens, John B. Corliss, Walter H. Coots,
Charles Wright, Frank A. Noah and Ervin Palmer.
In addition to the foregoing officers and directors,
there were charter members, consisting of Russell A.
Alger, Allan Shelden, A. G. Lindsay, A. M. Henry,
J. W. Donovan, Magnus Butzel, Wm. L. Carpenter,
Wm. Livingston and J. K. Burnham, the acknowledg-
ment to the Articles of Association being taken by
Allan H. Frazer.
The avowed purpose of the Club was to help re-
habilitate and reinstate the Republican party in power,
locally, in the State and in the Nation, though this
object as stated in the Articles of Association was
" the promotion of the study of political science" and
"the collection and dissemination of knowledge con-
cerning the civil and political institutions of the State
and Nation. "
The attainment of this object was .striven for in
various ways, the most notable of which was the hold-
ing of monthly "Club Talks/' at which all sorts of
questions were discussed often with great jvdgor, and
the giving of the famous annual banquets on Wash-
ington's Birthday each year, the first of which was held
thirty-seven years ago this year.
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 547
I recall that my first serious work, aside from the
routine of my office, was the preparation of a little
pamphlet called the "Michigan Club Manual," which
set forth the objects of the organization, its Articles
of Association, officers, directors and charter members,
and such other members as had joined up to that
time, among whom were many very prominent people,
such as Henry P. Baldwin, Philo Parsons, S. M,
Cutcheon, Frank J. Hecker, Dexter M. Ferry, John
N. Bagley, Conrad Clippert, Isaac Marston, D. Be-
thune Duffield and others of like high standing.
This was sent out broadcast to Republicans, who
were all asked to join and help the movement. There
was no limitation or restriction on membership, every-
body was eligible, the only condition imposed being
the payment of a membership fee of $2.00, which
entitled the holder to a ticket to the annual banquet.
What it was that brought in new members, not
only by hundreds as was expected but literally by
thousands which was not expected was, as stated,
probably the condition of the party throughout the
country, and the appeal created by the array of noted
names connected with the initiation of the movement.
Of course there were attractive details of effort
appealing to various tastes. A Committee on Organ-
ization undertook the extension of the movement into
every county, city and village of the State; a Com-
mittee on Legislation was charged with watching and
reporting on and suggesting legislation in city, county,
state and nation; a Committee on Taxation, then,
though not so seriously as now, a troublesome ques-
tion. Altogether I think there were five standing com-
mittees, some of which did considerable work.
548 HENRY A. HAIGH
Then we had some enthusiastic members, who
were wonderfully facile in accomplishment men who
were really greater than they themselves, or the rest
of us, then realized.
John Atkinson was the peer, and in many respects
the leader, of all who aided in the early days of the
movement, a man of consummate but somewhat sup-
pressed ability, a deep thinker, a wonderful orator and
at heart a most kindly and lovable man.
James H. Stone was I think the most versatile
politician of any man in Michigan at that time. He
was what might be called a professional politician,
and he was an honest one, uncompromising but inde-
fatigable. He began his political career in boyhood
as a page in the Legislature and later Clerk of the
House of Representatives, Secretary of the State
Senate, Reading Clerk of several national conventions,
member of the National Republican Committee, and
an important federal official in Detroit for many years.
He was simply invaluable as a director. He knew
everybody in the party, and could call the names and
tell the histories of more politicians State and na-
tional than any man I ever met. To James H. Stone
perhaps more than to any other single director, was
due the wonderful success of the great banquets of
the Michigan Club.
S. S. Babcock was the hardest working member
on the Board, was a director from first to last and
never missed a meeting. Col. Duffield was to me
one of the most genial and delightful members of
the Board, a man of much ability and a charming
gentleman. And George Hopkins was like unto him.
Col. Fred Farnsworth, who succeeded me as secre-
tary, was the most wonderful secretary that ever was
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 549
born. Everything that he was secretary of succeeded.
He had system that was marvelous, intricate perhaps,
but infallible. It always worked out right. He be-
came in great demand as secretary for all sorts of
things. Art loans, museums, expositions and associa-
tions, concluding with that of the Michigan State
Bankers, from which he graduated into the secretary-
ship of the American Bankers Association, where in
some capacity he has been ever since.
We had been in our Buhl Block quarters but a
few months when it was found that we would require
a regular club house for our activities. Accordingly
the old residence No. 95 West Fort Street was rented
and fitted up for the purpose. Here the first great
annual meeting and banquet was planned, and carried
into such successful consummation that it cheered and
vivified the Republicans of the whole nation, gave
us at once a nation-wide and exalted reputation,
caused our plan to be adopted in many states and
finally resulting in the organization a year later at
Chickering Hall, New York, of the National League
of Republican Clubs, that wonderful organization with
many millions of members that performed such valiant
service and assistance in keeping the Grand Old Party
in power, for over a quarter of a century.
THE FIRST GREAT BANQUET
The first annual meeting and banquet of the Michi-
gan Club was held on Washington's Birthday, 1886.
A reception was held in the afternoon at General
Alger's palatial home on Fort Street, the first of that
delightful series of semi-social gatherings that made
the genial General's hospitality a grateful feature of
many memorable meetings.
550 HENRY A. HAIGH
The banquet was at Princess Rink, which had
been beautifully decorated for the occasion and was
made notable by the presence of some of the most
distinguished Republicans of the country, including
Senator Wm. M. Evarts of New York, Gen. John A.
Logan, senator from Illinois, Governor J. B. Foraker
of Ohio, and Senator C. F. Manderson of Nebraska.
Genial" Tom" Palmer, then our United States Sena-
tor, who had brought the guests on from Washington,
acted as toastmaster and did it with such inimitable
felicity that he was kept in that important position for
six or seven successive banquets following.
One remark made by Senator Palmer in his open-
ing address struck the popular ear and was much
quoted afterwards. It was about putting our ears
to the ground like the Indians of old, to listen for the
approach of danger and for movements of friends or
foes, saying that Republicans should listen with fullest
sympathy to the movements of the grand army of
wage-workers in quest of common weal.
General Alger, then Governor, welcomed the hosts
of Republicans in a very clever little speech, his refer-
ences to Senator Evarts, who was then the recognized
Republican leader of the Senate, and specially to
Gen. John A. Logan, then almost as much beloved
as Elaine himself, eliciting great applause.
I cannot recall very much of what either Senator
Evarts or General Logan said, except that they both
commended our effort at organization and thought
it augured well for future party success.
I recall that our then famous and witty Michigan
congressman Roswell G. Horr of Saginaw was seated
at the speakers' table and just at the last moment was
called upon, and in a two-minute speech set the whole
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 551
assemblage roaring, an incident that made that ro-
tund, jolly but able congressman a welcome guest at
many later meetings.
I recall very vividly that at a subsequent banquet
Gen. Benjamin Harrison, who had just been defeated
for re-election to the United States Senate, began his
address by a sentence which ran all over the country
"I come to you a dead statesman, but a living and
rejuvenated Republican' ' an exclamation claimed
to have had much to do with his subsequent selection
as the party's standard bearer and his defeat of Cleve-
land and triumphant election as President of the
Republic.
That first banquet was a success far beyond our
expectations. It brought us nation-wide notoriety.
We were given the credit of having worked out here
in Michigan a national scheme of party reorganization
a little in advance of other states. But the conditions
were ripe for some such effort everywhere. Probably
Evarts, Logan, Foraker and the rest took occasion to
expound our plan on their return to their several home
states.
By the following year, clubs more or less like ours
had sprung up all over the land, and that great con-
vention in New York City in December, 1887, amal-
gamated and cemented the widespread effort by the
organization of the National Republican League.
Of the many great annual gatherings and banquets
following, several were superior in merit to this first
notable success, and all attracted wide attention. The
McKinley banquets, so-called, were always great.
McKinley was a staunch friend of the Michigan Club.
He was most helpful and accommodating, and could
552 HENRY A. HAIGH
always be depended upon. And Michigan was always
very loyal to McKinley.
Many very prominent people and some wonder-
fully eloquent orators graced the occasions of the Club's
annual reunions. A glance at a partial list of speak-
ers at the earlier banquets shows some great historic
names. Besides Evarts, Logan, Foraker and Mander-
son, who came to the first banquet, there followed
within the next few years a brilliant array of speakers,
among them Benjamin Harrison and Major Wm.
McKinley (both later presidents of the United States),
Jos. G. Cannon, still in the ring, Jos. R. Hawley, Gov.
John S. Wise, Senator Jonathan P. Dolliver, Green
B. Raum, Warner Miller, Gen. James Longstreet,
Senator Jacob H. Gallingher, Chas. H. Grosvenor, H.
H. Bingham, John M. Thurston, Wm. P. Frye, B. K.
Bruce, John A. Runnells, John R. Lynch, Albion
W. Tourgee (famous writer), J. Sloate Fassett, Fred-
erick T. Greenhalge, Joseph N. Dolph, Governor
Richard Yates, Senator Anthony Higgins, Stephen A.
Douglas (son of the great Stephen), Howard Duffield
(eloquent divine), Wm. B. Allison, Henry Cabot Lodge,
John L. Stevegs, Stewart L. Woodford and Henry D.
Estabrook. The last named will be remembered as
by far the most eloquent man of all who addressed
these great gatherings. His speech on "The Venge-
ance of the Flag" has become a classic.
Senator Tom Palmer, beloved by all, was the de-
lightfully entertaining toastmaster of nearly all the
earlier banquets, and he was a genius at the business-
witty, eloquent and bubbling with a magnetic bon-
homie. I recall that Alfred Russell once presided,
graceful, polished, dignified but very felicitous. Also
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 553
that John Atkinson was given one opportunity to
charm the audience as toastmaster.
Of the activities of the Michigan Club outside of
its annual meetings and famous banquets, it is im-
possible to speak in detail, and difficult to single out
and mention those most successful. They were many
fold. The general purpose was to interest voters in
politics Republican politics; to make them cham-
pions of Republican politics; and to educate, inspire
and hold them ardently faithful to Republican prin-
ciples, policies and practices. Good Government by
party the Republican party was our watchword and
slogan. To keep the party worthy, and make it safe,
strong and successful was our aim. The old time
party boss had become in doubtful repute and was
passing. We aimed to replace his leadership by that
of intelligent interest of the rank and file. We made
no attempt at the control or dispensation of patronage,
and there was an unwritten rule against endorsing
any candidate.
We made a partial exception in the case of General
Alger's candidacy for the presidential nomination in
1888, but came near splitting later on the question of
endorsing Pingree for governor.
ALGER FOR PRESIDENT IN 1888
Though there was no formal action of the Club
as an organization in putting forward General Alger
for the presidential nomination, still the members
unanimously espoused the project with great en-
thusiasm.
The Alger movement was launched and mainly
conducted by a self-constituted committee of the
General's neighbors, friends and admirers, but as all
554 HENRY A. HAIGH
were members of the Club, the movement soon came
to be regarded as a Michigan Club activity. Michigan
had not had a presidential candidate since the days
of Lewis Cass, and everybody in Michigan favored this
movement. It aroused much enthusiasm.
How this movement was_carried out and how near
it came to being successful^ a story that would be
interesting to narrate here* did space permit, as it
forms an interesting and important incident in the
political history of Michigan.
UNION WITH CANADA .AND ^HAWAII
The Club talk on the question of a closer union
with the Canadian provinces was made to include also
a discussion of the admission of the Sandwich Islands-
then so-called as a territory of the American Re-
public.
Great interest in the latter subject was then taken,
coupled with not a little indignation on account of
President Cleveland's action in ordering the hauling
down of the Stars and Stripes which had been flying
for some time over those important islands of the
Pacific.
Col. Frank J. Hecker gave a carefully prepared
address on the "Sandwich Islands Question/' based on
a personal investigation of conditions and resources
there, which left no doubt of the propriety and great
desirability of re-acquiring the islands as a territory
of the United States.
The Hon. Elgin Meyers, a brilliant lawyer of the
Toronto Bar, had been attracting some local attention
by his advocacy of a closer union of Canada with the
United States, and he was the guest of the Club and
delivered an address on that subject.
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 555
Hon. James F. Joy presided at the meeting, and,
introducing the speakers, said there was no question
of the righteousness and desirability of annexing
Hawaii, and that the matter would be, as indeed it
was, speedily settled. But on the question of a closer
union with Canada, Mr. Joy observed that, if the
distinguished barrister of Toronto had in mind any-
thing in the nature of a political union, such a thing
was, in his judgment, an impossibility.
Mr. Meyers' address, as I recall it, was a scholarly
presentation of the economic and industrial advantages
to both Canada and the United States of a closer
political union of the two countries.
Mr. Joy's claim that desirable as such a union
might seem it could never come to pass because
Canadians as a whole were more loyal to Great Britain
than Englishmen themselves, was prophetic in view
of subsequent history.
THE PINGREE MOVEMENT
Likewise the Pingree Movement, so-called, was
interesting and important, but it was not an avowed
Michigan Club movement, though it grew out of
Michigan Club activities.
There were very many conservative and sub-
stantial members of the organization who could not
sanction all of Detroit's aggressive mayor's radicalism,
and had the attempt to commit the Club fully to his
various doctrines been pushed, it would have failed.
The matter was wisely dropped. Mayor Pingree was
an interesting, honest and useful citizen, and he de-
veloped into a clever politician. He became a most
striking State Executive. His friends were legion. At
heart he was a very kindly man.
556 HENRY A. HAIGH
MONTHLY CLUB TALKS
One of the most important lines of activity by
which the organization sought to advance its objects
was as stated the series of so-called Club talks, which
were held at intervals, usually monthly, though some-
times more frequently in periods just prior to import-
ant campaigns. The purpose was to discover issues
and harmonize sentiment, thus preventing schisms.
If any considerable number of members manifested
interest in any proposed political or economic action,
a Club talk on the subject was arranged, and they were
given opportunity to expound their doctrine.
Thus woman's suffrage was discussed, and the
Wayne County Women's Republican Club was organ-
ized and held regular meetings at the Club House.
The First Voters' Club, the Young Men's Re-
publican League and the Alger Club of Michigan
were all successful offshoots or really subsidiaries of
the Michigan Club. They formed an important means
of carrying on its general work.
Of the officers and directors who guided the desti-
nies of the Club during its first decade of useful activity,
nearly all have passed away.
Buhl, Joy, Baldwin, McMillan, Alger, Palmer, the
Duffields, Atkinson, Edson, Elliott, Thomas Berry,
Pingree, Van Zile, Grummond, Dr. Carstens, Geo.
R. Angell, Magnus Butzel, Horace Hitchcock, Jas.
H. Stone, Robt. E. Frazer, Allan H. Frazer, Geo. H.
Hopkins, Walter H. Coots, Dexter M. Ferry, W. M.
Lillibridge, Mark S. Brewer, August Rasch, Oren
Scotten and Otto Kirchner have gone to their reward.
Of the sixteen presidents, four or five are living,
Col. Hecker, alert and vigorous; S. S, Babcock, now in
THE MICHIGAN CLUB 557
his eighty-first year but mentally active; Clarence A.
Black, who removed to California some years ago;
Joseph R. McLaughlin, now a prominent business
man of Cleveland; and myself, but I was younger
than the others.
Col. Farnsworth, the famous and efficient secretary,
is still active in financial affairs in New York, and
Mr. O. C. Tompkins, later secretary, I believe is still
living. The late Justice Flavius L. Brooke (rest to his
soul) was secretary for a time, as was also Judge
James 0. Murfin.
All of the treasurers, Andrew McLellan, Frederick
Woolfenden, Samuel R. Mumford and George Peck
are dead.
Thus we see how brief is the span of human life.
And even great movements of widespread influ-
ence, effecting far-reaching results, achieving their ob-
jects, come to an end "like a tale that is told."
THE ADVENTURES OF ALEXANDER HENRY
BY STANLEY NEWTON
SAULT STE. MARIE
A BOUT a year ago I prepared with great care a
-^*- paper on "The Life and Adventures of Alex-
ander Henry, " for the yearly meeting of the Society
at L'Anse. This paper was one of tremendous erudi-
tion and scholarship, a paper that would have done
credit to Father Gagnieur, Dr. Johnson, or the other
learned and eminent men who have addressed the
meetings of the present session. Fortunately or
unfortunately for my L'Anse audience, the late-
ness of the hour prevented my presentation of the
paper, and I was requested by Doctor Fuller to read
the same at this year's meeting. This I felt was
fortunate, since it gave me the opportunity to recount
the most stirring episodes in Henry's career on the
precise spot where they occurred. The paper which
cost me so much time and labor I find I have left
in my grip on the Island. I shall, therefore, speak
ex tempore, trusting to memory for dates and incidents,
and to these beautiful surroundings and to this occa-
sion for inspiration.
Alexander Henry was born in August, 1739, in
what is now the State of New Jersey. We know but
little of his early life. His story starts with the ut-
most abruptness in the year 1760, when he accom-
panied the British expedition under General Amherst
into Canada. This was the year following the decisive
battle on the Plains of Abraham near Quebec, in
which Wolfe and Montcalm went down to death to-
558
THE ADVENTURES OP ALEXANDER HENRY 559
gether, and which determined Canada's fate as a
British possession.
Henry came into Canada and to Michilimackinac
as a fur trader, and permission to engage in this trade
was reluctantly given him by General Gage, the Com-
mandant at Montreal. No treaty of peace had been
made between the English and the Indians, and the
latter were still in arms under the leadership of Pontiac.
But Henry knew that the English trader Bostwick had
preceded him to this locality, and he used this fact
to gain the General's consent to a permit for himself.
As it happened, Bostwick was present with Henry at
the massacre which took place on this very spot.
So we see Henry landing in safety on Mackinac
Island, in 1761, where he found a village of about one
hundred warriors, some of whom eyed him suspiciously,
but apparently none suspected him to be an English-
man. He crossed the strait, and landed upon the
beach before us with his assistant Campion and his
goods, which were placed in a small house within
the fort. Campion posed as owner of the merchandise,
and Henry endeavored to conceal the fact that he was
an Englishman, without success. Detected by the
French inhabitants, he was promptly and civilly ad-
vised by them to get out, for to stay was to risk his
life. He decided to stay.
His next visitors were the band of Chippewa war-
riors before mentioned, from Mackinac Island, under
the leadership of their Chief, Minavavana. To the
number of sixty they entered his cabin in silence, and in
single file, each carrying his tomahawk in his right hand
and a scalping knife in his left. The speech of the Chief,
carefully recorded by Henry, would do credit to
Poutiac or Logan. It ended with a handshake all
560 STANLEY NEWTON
around and the Chief's request for some English milk,
meaning rum.
His next visitors, who were three hundred Ottawa
braves from L'Arbre Croche, were not so complacent.
They were on the point of stripping Henry of all his
goods, when three hundred British troops, under com-
mand of Lieutenant Leslie, appeared at the Fort, and
Henry's troubles were over for a brief period. The
traders despatched their canoes to outlying points,
apparently under the care of detachments of soldiers,
and although the season was late, Henry and his
brothers felt sure of a tranquil and a profitable season.
Henry spent the winter fishing through the ice and
trading with the natives.
In May, 1762, Henry visited Le Sault de Sainte-
Marie for the first time. Here he found a stockaded
fort in the midst of a beautiful plain near the rapids.
He was entertained by Monsieur Cadotte, the French
interpreter, whose wife was a Chippewa. Pigeons
and other game were abundant, whitefish were almost
crowding their numbers out of the rapids, so thick
were they in the clear waters. It was a summer para-
dise. Lieutenant Jemette with a detachment of British
soldiery came to garrison the fort. Here, too, Henry
fished with great success, and sent his dried fish to
Mackinaw. On the 22nd day of December, however,
all the houses within the stockade except M. Cadotte's,
and a large part of the fort itself, were burned. Had
this fire not occurred, it is likely that we should not
have the stirring account of the massacre at Fort
Mackinaw, as it was this disaster that brought Henry
back to the fort at the straits in the winter of 1762-3.
It is true that Henry was back at the Sault shortly
THE ADVENTURES OF ALEXANDER HENRY 561
after for the maple sugar-making season, but the
lack of living accommodations seems to have deter-
mined, as much as anything else, his choice of resi-
dence at this present site. And still there were indefi-
nite rumors of secret hostility of the Indians, who
came and went however with much show of friendship
and respect.
Shortly after Henry's first arrival at Mackinaw,
an Indian Chief named Wawatam had come to Henry's
abode with his family and with presents. He told
Henry that in a dream he had adopted him (Henry)
as his brother, and begged him to accept the presents.
Henry not only accepted, but made gifts in return,
declaring his willingness to accept so good a man as
Wawatam for a friend and a brother. To this circum-
stance Henry owed his life in the trying times which
followed.
On the second day of June, 1763, Wawatam came
to warn his brother Henry, in a very roundabout
and typically Indian way, to get out of the country
with no delay. Henry was busy, failed to sense the
veiled warning, and remained. Wawatam, stolid In-
dian that he was, even let fall a few tears at Henry's
refusal, but he did not inform his brother of the fate
in store for the English.
The fateful day, June 4th, dawned hot and sultry.
It was the King's birthday, to be celebrated by a
game of baggatiway, Chippewas versus Sacs, ball-
grounds and goals to be laid just without the fort gates,
which were left wide open for the occasion. In a
twinkling the ball game was converted into a massacre.
The ball by pre-arrangement was knocked within the
stockade, followed by troops of Indians, who with
furious yells produced concealed weapons and launched
562 STANLEY NEWTON
themselves on the English soldiers and traders wher-
ever found. Henry, writing in his room, looked out
the window to see Lieutenant Jemette scalped and
butchered. From the bodies of others ripped open,
their butchers were drinking blood scooped up in the
hollow of joined hands, and quaffed amid shouts of
rage and victory. Henry, shaken with fear and hor-
ror, dashed over his back fence to the house of his
neighbor Langlade, having seen through his window
that the French inhabitants of the fort were calmly
looking on at the massacre, without molestation.
Langlade refused to give him succor, but said nothing
when an Indian woman offered Henry shelter in the
Langlade garret. In the ensuing search for hidden
Englishmen, the Indians almost stepped on poor
Henry while ransacking the garret in which he cowered
hidden under a heap of birch bark.
The next day Langlade, fearing no doubt Indian
ill-will, voluntarily turned Henry over to the Chief
Wenniway. Wenniway of course knew Henry, and
it is likely he knew of the latter's brotherly connection
with Wawatam. For Wenniway that day saved Hen-
ry's life from the attacks of other and drunken Indians,
Henry's debtors some of them, who desired to kill him.
Suspended between hope and despair, Henry's situa-
tion was a desperate one.
It appears that Henry's plumpness had reserved
him for another fate. Together with Major Ethering-
ton, the traders Bostwick and Solomons, and others,
Henry was taken in canoes toward the Beaver Islands.
On the way the Chippewas and their prisoners were
in turn taken captive by a band of Ottawas, who
informed the whites that their intended destination
had been the cannibal flesh-pots of the Chippewas
THE ADVENTURES OF ALEXANDER HENRY 563
on the Beavers. Soon they were back at the fort
again, this time with the Ottawas in possession and
the whites still closely guarded. A great Indian pow-
wow ensued. Now the Ottawas turned back to the
Chippewas their prisoners, with the cheerful assurance
to the latter that the Chippewas were about to make
broth of them.
Just then, to Henry's immense relief, the long-
absent brother Wawatam returned, while the Indians
in council were debating the fate of their prisoners.
Wawatam's plea for his brother and the Chief Mina-
vavana's reply, as recorded in Henry's narrative,
are excellent examples of Chippewa oratory. The
assembly delivered Henry to his Indian brother, and
the trader walked forth a free man.
Not so with the other prisoners. Seven of them
were killed by one of the chiefs, and at least one of
these bodies was cut up, boiled, and eaten on the spot.
Wawatam's share, according to Henry, was a hand,
and a large piece of flesh. This he ate in Henry's
presence. What must have been the latter's thoughts
as he watched his Indian brother consume that fright-
ful meali
Thus did the dream of an Indian save Henry's life,
at a critical and desperate moment. For safety, Wa-
watam took his brother Henry to Mackinac Island,
as being a place less likely to be surprised by enemy
attack; and in fact, the entire Chippewa band at the
fort on the mainland moved over to the Island. A
supply of liquor having been seized by the Indians
from some incoming Montreal canoes, Wawatam se-
creted his brother from the possible assaults of drunken
Indians in what is now known as Skull Cave or Henry's
Cave, where the latter lay safely for two days until the
564 STANLEY NEWTON
drunken orgy had spent itself. Then came a trip
down the east shore of Lake Michigan with Wawatam
and his family, in pursuit of beaver and other game.
In the spring of the following year, Indians and white
man returned to Mackinaw, whence Henry wished
Wawatam to accompany him to Sault de Ste. Marie.
The warning dreams of Wawatam's wife prevented
Wawatam's going, and Henry leaves us a touching
picture of Wawatam kneeling in the shallow water of
the beach, praying for his brother as the latter leaves
for the Sault with Madame Cadotte.
Here our narrative, for the purposes of this occa-
sion, may fitly conclude. Henry afterward built ships
at Pointe aux Pins, near Sault Ste. Marie, he engaged in
the Lake Superior trade, prospected for copper and
iron, and returned after many years to Montreal.
There he married and became one of the city's greatest
merchants, living to a ripe old age with the respect
of many friends.
Henry's narrative, while not always consistent, is
clear-cut, straight-forward, and very readable. One
discerns no exaggeration; there is apparent a strong
desire to record the facts with the utmost care; and
such errors as the critics have found in the narrative
are undoubtedly due to the fact that the story was
finally compiled thirty years or more after the happen-
ing of the events described therein, being set down
from memory and from scraps of paper on which the
original jottings were made. If you are interested in
securing a copy of Henry's work, now, I understand,
quite scarce, I suggest that you communicate with
Mr. James Bain, Librarian, Toronto Public Library,
whose edition was issued by Morang & Co., Toronto,
in 1901.
CHIEF POKAGON AND HIS BOOK
BY FRED DUSTIN
SAGINAW
A FEW YEARS ago the writer came into posses-
^A sion of a small volume bearing on its title page
the caption, "O-gi-maw-kwe-nit-i-gwa-ki (Queen of the
Woods)/' written by Simon Pokagon, and printed in
1899 by C. H. Engle, Hartford, Mich. There have
been plenty of books, good, bad and indifferent, which
men have written out of the fullness of their hearts,
but rarely have I read a book in which information,
fact, history, pathos, romance and poetry have been
so wonderfully combined.
Following the title page is this dedication;
As a token of sincere appreciation, I, Pokagon,
hereby inscribe "Queen of the Woods" to all societies
and individuals benefactors of our race who have
so bravely stood for our rights, while poisoned arrows
of bitter prejudice flew thick and fast about them,
boldly declaring to all the world that "the white man
and the red man are brothers, and that God is the
father of all."
Following the dedication is a brief preface and a
brief sketch of the old chief's life, covering twenty-nine
pages, by the publisher, in which we are told that
Pokagon was a full-blooded Pottawattamie Indian,
and that his education, beginning at that time, con-
sisted of three years in the Notre Dame school near
South Bend, Ind., one year in Oberlin College and
two years in similar work at Twinsburg, Ohio. His
father, a chief, dying when Pokagon was ten years
565
566 FRED DUSTIN
old, had owned the site of the City of Chicago. As
the representative of his people, he ceded the same
to the United States for a large sum, but did not then
receive payment. It was not until 1866 that Pokagon,
after persistent effort, secured a payment of $39,000
and in 1896 a further payment of $150,000; and there
still remains a large sum lawfully due to the remnant
of the tribe.
Pokagon's life story is of intense interest, and is
all too briefly told. His own writings are remarkable
in language, thought and beauty, and I can do no
better than to quote from his introduction to the
story. When we learn that in the six years of school-
ing he acquired an excellent knowledge of English,
French and Latin, and was able to read the New
Testament in the original Greek, we have the key to
the wonder, and we feel that had he possessed the
restless ambition of white men of no greater ability,
there are but few heights to which he could not have
attained. But he was above these things; he was a
philanthropist, a philosopher and a poet. He was a
sturdy and unyielding foe of intemperance and vice
in every form, and a staunch advocate of all that is
good.
Pokagon devotes a short chapter to the Algonquin
language. I quote a few passages.
1 'In presenting Queen of the Woods to the public,
I realize that many of its readers will inquire why so
many Indian words are used. All such will please
bear in mind that the manuscript was first written in
the Algonquin language, the only language spoken
by me until fourteen years of age, and that in translat-
ing it into English, many parts of it seem to lose their
force and euphony, insomuch that I deeply regret
CHIEF POKAGON AND His BOOK 567
that Queen of the Woods can not be read by the
white people in my own language. In consideration
of the fact that the language of the great Algonquin
family is fast passing away, I have retained such Indian
words and expressions as appear, as monuments along
the way, to remind the reader in after-generations,
that such a language as ours was once spoken through-
out this loved land of our fathers.
"I also wish to leave on record the fact that our
language is not a sort of gibberish, containing a few
hundred words, but that on the contrary it contains at
least twenty thousand words, aside from their many
variations.
"There are only seventeen letters in the pure Al-
gaic language: four vowels, a, e, i, o, and thirteen
consonants, b, c, d, g, h, j, k, m, n, p, s, t, w. The sound
of the vowels never changes: a, is pronounced as in
father; e, as in met; i, as in pin; o, as in note. There
are some diphthongs, and both vowels must be pro-
nounced distinctly.
"There are nine parts of speech in our language,
as follows: The Substantive, The Pronoun, The Verb,
The Adjective, The Number, The Preposition, The Ad-
verb, The Conjunction and the Interjection. I believe
that in our language there is greater liberty in the
transposition of_the words in a sentence than in any
other, unless it may be the Latin, and in that the
changes cannot_be made without suffering greater
violence than in ours.'*
Pokagon then takes the sentence, "Thy father will
come here today," six words, and gives eight transposi-
tions with the translations, using only four Algaic
words.
568 FRED DUSTIN
He gives the names of the months in his language
with their translations, which are:
The Moon of the Spirit. (January)
The Moon of Suckers-fish. (February)
The Moon of Crust on the Snow. (March)
The Moon of Breaking of Snow-Shoes. (April)
The Moon of Flowers and Bloom. (May)
The Moon of Strawberries-heart-berries. (June)
The Moon of Raspberries-red berries. (July)
The Moon of Whortleberries. (August)
The Moon of Gathering Wild Rice. (September)
The Moon of Falling Leaves. (October)
The Moon of Freezing. (November)
The Little Moon of the Spirit. (December)
He gives other examples of the language including
the numerals, and ends the all too short chapter with
the following sentences which I commend to those
individuals who may have looked upon the American
Indian as an ignorant, brutal savage.
" Having presented a very few of the peculiarities of
our dialect, I trust that you will bear in mind, as you
consider them, that they are but a few objects scattered
along the shore, while the great ocean lies unexplored
beyond; yet, having studied them, you will be better
able to form a correct conception of the beauty, per-
fection, and magnitude of our language, than you
otherwise could have done."
In the opening chapter of the story proper, Pokagon
says: "On my return from Twinsburg, O., where I had
attended the white man's school for several years, I
had an innate desire to retire into the wild woods,
far from the haunts of civilization, and there enjoy
CHIEF POKAGON AND His BOOK 569
mysolf with bow and arrow, hook and line, as I had
done before going to school."
Accordingly, he in company with an old Indian
hunter, and his mother, went a day's journey by
canoe, to an abandoned wigwam in the depths of the
forest, where Pokagon and his mother spent the sum-
mer. He says:
"Near the summer's close while living there, a little
maiden, every now and then, appeared across the
stream, with waist of red and skirt of brown, with
waving tresses floating^in the breeze, following up but
never down the stream. She was always singing as
she gaily tripped along, in mimicry of the music of
the birds.
" While I was fishing along the river's bank for
several days, each morning she so appeared while I
was all alone, awakening such sacred feelings in my
soul that I held it as a vital secret from my mother.
At times, a snow-white deer about the maiden played
in circles, like the lamb."
At last his mother discovered his secret, and Poka-
gon on the following day set about building a bark
canoe. When it was completed, he clothed himself
in native style, buckskin moccasins, trousers, and
birchbark cap trimmed with quills and feathers, and
in early morning before break of day paddled across
the river. He then tells of the meeting, in words so
beautiful that I must repeat them:
"Her dark eyes full of soul beam forth surprise.
She sees the newly made canoe the boatman sees.
Softly, on tiptoe she turns about moving noiselessly
away. With struggling heart pressed in my throat,
I step from out the boat upon the shore, saying, 'Boo-
zhoo?' Then I said in trembling voice, 'Nic-con'
570 FRED DUSTIN
(My friend). With modest smile almost suppressed
from her dark eyes, she greeted back, 'Nic-con/ with
voice so winning and so bland my heart-strings vibrated
with her tones.
"Slowly I stepped toward her, when backward
she withdrew, saying by look and deed, Tlease, sir,
no nearer come/ '
I will relate nothing more of this courtship. If I
tried to tell it in my own language, words would fail.
In due time in the "Moon of Flowers and Bloom/'
Pokagon and Lonidaw were married. He says:
"No wedding cards were passed around, no gifts
were made, no bells were rung, no feast was given, no
priest declared us one. We only pledged our sincere
faith before her mother and the King of Heaven.
Our hopes, our joys were one.
"Two years flew quickly by, when Olondaw, our
first child was born. The night he came, no man of
skill, or neighbors gathered at our home. All one,
in the presence of the Great Spirit and myself, Loni-
daw went down to the gateway of death's dark valley,
and brought forth our darling boy, together with a
father's and a mother's crown, one for her and one
for me/'
Three years later, a little girl, Hazeleye, was born
in the autumn time.
When the boy was twelve years old, Pokagon and
his wife were persuaded by a priest to allow him to go
away to school. Lonidaw 's father had been a drunk-
ard, and she was more than reluctant to let the child
go, but after exacting a solemn promise from the
priest that he should be carefully cared for, she con-
sented.
CHIEF POKAGON AND His BOOK 571
In three years he came home to die with the rum-
habit so firmly fastened upon him that he could not
break it. It was only in the second week at school
that the beginning of his downfall took place. What
so quickly became of that solemn promise?
When Hazeleye was budding into maidenhood, she
was out on the lake fishing in a bark canoe. Two
white men who had drunk freely of whiskey were row-
ing about the lake, and ran into her canoe, wrecking it,
and throwing her into the water. The drunken
wretches were too thoroughly drunk to attempt her
rescue, and even guzzled at their bottles while she was
drowning. Her mother and the dog saw her from
the shore and tried to save her, but in vain, and Loni-
daw herself would have sunk had it not been for the
noble dog by whose assistance she reached the shore
exhausted, where she was found by Pokagon on his
return from hunting, but the shock proved fatal, and
in a few short weeks, Lonidaw was laid to rest.
His tale of her death and funeral is so touching
that I forbear relating it. On her death-bed, Pokagon
gave her his solemn promise never to give up the
fight against the drink-demon.
I wish that every one of the advocates of "light
wine and beer,'* every demoralized bootlegger, every
ignorant, greedy and sordid maker of moonshine,
could read and be granted brains to understand this
particular chapter of Pokagon's book.
The two last chapters of the book are powerful
appeals for the temperance movement in the wonder-
fully poetic language of which Pokagon was master.
Pokagon was a prophet. Would that this noble Indian
could have lived to see the adoption of the prohibi-
tion amendment. But the prophets are not permitted
572 FRED DUSTIN
to see in the flesh what they see with the eye of the
seer. It is well that they are not honored in their
day, for the very calumny that assails them lifts them
to far greater heights, and those who come after them
profit by their inspired words. I will close with Poka-
gon's last words.
"Come forth, all ye lovers of justice, equity and
humanity; stand in line, and in the name of your God,
home and country, move bravely forward under the
glorious banner of Temperance, on which is emblazoned
in characters of life, * Total Abstinence Now and
Forever.' Let the general government decree that
noble emblem, royally begotten by pity and love, to
be the law of this loved land of my fathers and mothers,
and Pokagon in full faith believes that in less than
eight years King Cain of this generation will abdicate
his throne forever, and the glorious sun of universal
temperance will roll away the gloom-clouds of sadness
and sorrow that now hang like a funeral pall above
us, and will shine forth in newness of life, while the
rainbow of promise will hang its archway of cheering
aspirations across the pathway of the departed storm,
filling the hearts of weeping brides, mothers, and
children everywhere throughout this glorious land of
my fathers with great joy and gladness.
"That new day of jubilee is surely coming; but on
account of old age, I do not expect to behold it; but,
thanks to high heaven, I am now permitted to stand
where Moses stood, on the top of Mount Nebo, be-
holding Paradise regained, while from every future
home in America, I hear the welcome voices of Poka-
gons and Lonidaws of every race with their loved
children, shouting, 'Victory! Victory!' which rolls on,
undying, to freedom's farthest shore."
CENTIIAL HALL. IIILLSDALE
COLLEGE
ST. JOSEPH RIVER
SOME PLACE NAMES OF HILLSDALE COUNTY
BY ARCHIE M. TURRELL
HILLSDALE COLLEGE
TTILLSDALE COUNTY is in the middle of the
lowest tier of counties of southern Michigan.
Its name suggests its topography, for its surface is
somewhat rolling and hilly. It forms a part of the
watershed of the State, its highest point being 603
feet above Lake Erie a*nd 616 feet above Lake Michi-
gan. It is the source of all the principal rivers of the
southern part of the State. Within its boundaries
rise the Grand, Kalamazoo (once known as the Kekala-
mazoo), St. Joseph, Little St. Joseph, and feeders of
the Raisin and Tiffin rivers. It sends water to both
Lake Erie and Lake Michigan.
The origin of the names of rivers, towns, and lakes
is so inextricably interwoven with the history of the
county that a brief historical sketch is almost neces-
sary. Facts concerning the earliest inhabitants of this
region are somewhat mythical, but from old burying
grounds found chiefly in Jefferson township there seems
reason to suppose that the Mound Builders, descend-
ants of the Aztecs, preceded the * 'noble red men.'*
According to LaSalle the Miami Indians occupied the
Valley of the St. Joseph River in 1678. In 1721 a
band of Potawatomis numbering about two hundred
came down from- the Green Bay region, making the
shore of Baw Beese lake their home. Concerning the
naming of the lake, a letter from Mrs. Emily S. Hill
of Houston, Texas, and other sources has this to say:
573
574 ARCHIE M. TURRELL
Richard Fowler was born in Westfield, Massa-
chusetts, September 18, 1791. He came to Michigan
in 1834 and took up land in Adams township. "We
arrived November 11 and the hardships of that first
Michigan winter cannot be effaced from my memory.
And how while my brothers (Henry and Frederick
Fowler) were skating on a small pond near our place
an Indian came to them and told them that if they
would go with him he would show them a big Beese
(which was the Indian name for lake); they did so,
and since then the lake has been known as Baw Beese."
In 1840 the two just named opened a store in Hills-
dale. The first white settlers on the north side of
Baw Beese lake were John and Sam Gilmore. At this
time Baw Beese' s tribe numbered about one hundred
and fifty and often camped near Bird Lake (Pen-nay-
shen-og, or Lake of the Birds as the Indians called it).
The Indian chief was known as the ' 'peace chief"
and has been described thus, "He was a tall, handsome,
well-proportioned man. In business transactions his
word could always be relied on."
By the treaty of 1833 the Potawatomis ceded the
land in this section to the Whites, but Baw Beese
remained here till 1840. He was transferred with his
little band of followers to Iowa, and in 1850 was sent
to a reservation about thirty miles square which was
seventy-five miles west of the juncture of the Missouri
and Kansas rivers. Miss Caroline L. Ford has this to
say about the passing of the Indians;
"From the old house on the east end of our two
hundred acres we saw Chief Baw Beese and the In-
dians of his tribe pass north along the road, being
taken by the U. S. soldiers to the Missouri reserva-
tion. It was a pitiful sight, but no sound was heard;
SOME PLACE NAMES OF HILLSDALE COUNTY 575
one sait; the Indian stoicism. The women carried the
papooses and the wigwam equipments. The few
ponies were ridden by the men."
If anyone has noted a map of Michigan, he will
see that its counties are laid out in systematic box-
like form in contradistinction to the counties or
"shires" of the New England states. This is due to
the early survey of the western lands in 1825. Present
county surveyors comment on the accuracy of place-
ment of the old iron markers which they occasionally
find. When one thinke of the tangle of underbrush
which the early surveyors encountered, it is remark-
able. In 1827 this region was opened up for settle-
ment by the Government. On June 8, 1828, Benaiah
Jones, Jr., took up land at the present site of Jones-
ville; the town was given this name because of him.
In the same year Captain Moses Allen, a veteran of
the War of 1812 and a member of one of the early
surveying parties, after having toured the valley of
the St. Joseph in this section selected a prairie known
by the Indians as Mas-co-et-ab-si-ac or Sand Creek
Prairie. An old trading post owned by one Campau
was located here previous to actual settlement by the
Whites, but it now became known as Allen's Prairie.
The village of Allen is now located here. It was men-
tioned that Captain Allen was a member of an early
surveying party. In 1824 Congress authorized the
construction of a highway one hundred feet wide from
Detroit to Chicago. The original thought was to
make it a straight line between the two points, but
on recommendation of the surveyors the road fol-
lowed the Old Indian Trail connecting the lower end
of the two lakes. The Old Indian Trail, or The Great
Trail, or the Chicago turnpike as it is now known,
576 ARCHIE M. TURRELL
enters the county two miles south of the northeast
corner, passes through Somerset, Moscow, Jonesville,
Allen and leaves the county one-half mile north of
the center of the west line. An amusing incident is
connected with the advent of the turnpike. About
the time the road was first established, an Indian
came to make a call on Mrs. Timothy Gay of Wheat-
land township. Once during the afternoon Mrs. Gay
went to the hearth to look at her yeast which she was
preparing for the baking. As she uncovered the yeast
she was surprised to hear the ejaculation "Turnpike/'
The explanation was that the Indians had seen the
Whites heap up the dirt in oval form, and had been
told that it was a turnpike. It bore a resemblance to
the raising yeast.
South from the turnpike at Somerset runs a road
to Hudson. It is still known as the Plank road, be-
cause like others of the early roads it was built across
low places by first laying planks lengthwise across the
road. The village of Somerset was once called Gam-
bleville after Thomas Gamble, an early pioneer in
that section.
In the early times there were a few men possessed
of such adventurous spirit that they built cabins along
the road and began to keep hotels for emigrants and
thirsty savages. One such road house was located at
Somerset, another at Somerset Center. "Somerset
Tavern" is still practically unchanged on the exterior
but for the modern stone porch and a coat of paint.
A later geodetic survey was made of Michigan
about 1875. In doing this work around Hillsdale
County three high elevations were selected, towers
erected on them, and the land surveyed by the triangu-
lation method. The hills chosen were Prospect, Pratt,
SOME PLACE NAMES OP HILLSDALE COUNTY 577
and Bundy Hill. The first is in Lenawee County, but
the last two are in Hillsdale. Bundy 's Hill is re-
ported to be the highest elevation in the Lower Penin-
sula. It was named thus because Warner Bundy
once owned the land, and it still goes by that name.
Two scenes of the turnpike are given as it passes over
the hill about a hundred yards to the south of its
summit. A view looking west from the summit shows
the turnpike winding away toward Moscow. Twenty-
two lakes can be counted from the hill on clear days,
and on good nights the lights of Jackson and Hillsdale
some eighteen miles away can be seen. It is located
in the northeast part of the county.
Pratt's Hill is located within the west city limits
of Hillsdale, and is also named after the man who
once owned the land, Daniel L. Pratt, once a member
of the county bar, who came here in 1845.
The St. Joseph River has its origin in Baw Beese
Lake southeast of Hillsdale City, and finally ends its
devious windings in Lake Michigan near St. Joseph.
The river is said to have been named by LaSalle, the
French discoverer, who built a fort at its mouth in
1679. This is not to be confused with the little St.
Joseph of the Maumee which starts at Cambria Mills
and finally reaches Lake Erie. There is another St.
Joseph River flowing south through Ft. Wayne and
ending in Lake Michigan concerning which a Reading
booklet has this to say:
"It is a fact not generally known that the St.
Joseph which winds its way to Lake Michigan has its
source in Reading township."
The little St. Joseph of the Maumee runs through
what is known around the south part of the county as
Drinker's Valley. The valley is at the juncture of the
578 ARCHIE M. TURRELL
east and west branches of the river. In an early day
a Dutchman named Drinker came to the valley, built
a dam across the valley, and constructed a grist mill.
From an elevation above the mill down to the water
the old man had constructed two parallel tracks on which
he operated two cars. Power was furnished by filling
one car at the top of the grade and letting it coast
down the grade, thus drawing the empty car up on
the other track. One day the young son of Drinker
was killed by a descending car. The father lost
heart in the work, and continued in it half-heartedly
till his death. His property was portioned among his
relatives and the mill taken down. Portions of the
dam and old mill, however, can still be seen.
About a mile and a half north of Drinker's Valley
is Whitetown, or Austin as it is now known. The
Whites were the first settlers in that part, hence the
name. It has not entirely drawn away from the old
cognomen, and is sometimes found on some maps
under one name, on some by the other.
' It is rather confusing to have three St. Joseph
rivers in the county, and just how this happened I
was unable to ascertain. The last of the three men-
tioned begins in Long Lake. The lake is about_two
miles long and a quarter of a mile wide, which fact
suggests the reason for its name.
This county was originally known as the Town
of Vance, having this nomenclature because the offi-
ciator at the naming ceremonies had a friend named
Vance living in a neighboring state. It was first
placed under the guardianship of Lenawee County.
In 1831 the Governor proclaimed it a county, giving
it the name it now has because a number of settlers
around the present county seat had organized them-
SOME PLACE NAMES OF HILLSDALE COUNTY 579
selves into what they called the "Hillsdale Company."
Jonesville was named as the county seat. It was
later moved to Osseo, because of the more central
location, but as no suitable buildings were provided
it VM;. moved to Hillsdale in January, 1843.
On r Yrch 17, 1835, the county was divided into
four parts or townships: Wheatland, Moscow, Fay-
ette and Allen. Later the first named division was
separated into Adams, A in boy, Florida, Pittsford,
Rowland, and Somerset. In Adams is located the
village of North Adams, which used to be known as
Cutler's Corners after* Wm. Cutler who came to those
parts in 1835. In 1850 Florida became known as
Jefferson township, and in 1848 Rowland (named for
Rowland Bird, the first settler in that section) was
called Ransom.
Fayette was divided into Cambria and Scipio.
Mosherville village is situated in Scipio township and
derives its name from the Mosher family. The father,
Samuel Mosher, a Quaker, came from the Hudson val-
ley in New York and erected a grist mill in 1850.
There can still be seen under the eaves of the mill the
date 1850. It was the second mill in the township,
the first being Genesee Mills erected by John Gardner
on the St. Joseph River at an earlier date. Genesee is
an Indian name meaning ''shining valley" or "beauti-
ful valley."
The fourth named division of the county, Allen,
was subdivided in 1837 into Litchfield and Reading
townships, and in 1839 into Camden. As to the
origin of the name Litchfield the Litchfield Gazette
of January 24, 1907, says:
"In response to last week's request for information
concerning the naming of the village of Litchfield,
580 ARCHIE M. TTTRRELL
C. M. Stoddard comes forward with the information
that the name was given to it by his grandfather.
Grandfather Stoddard was Jesse Stoddard, who was
born in Litchfield, Connecticut, and came to Michi-
gan in 1836. At that time this harmless little group
of buildings was known by the euphonious title of
Smithville, having been named after Deacon Harvey
Smith, who was one of the pioneer settlers. From
these facts we deduce that Litchfield, Michigan, de-
rives its present cognomen from that Litchfield in
Connecticut which was the native town of Jesse Stod-
dard. " There is a road in the village called Sara-
toga Street which was so named because at one time
so many of the residents on the street came from
Saratoga, New York.
Reading was once known as "Basswood Corners"
from the fact that a group of seven basswood trees
once stood on the intersection of Main and Michigan
streets. These trees were 'from 12 to 18 inches in
diameter and all came from the same stump. They
were on land belonging to Thomas Berry and as they
stood very close to the section corner he left them as
a landmark. History has it that the Legislature gave
the name of Reading after the old eastern town of that
name. However, old timers have always insisted that
it was named in honor of Wright Redding, one of the
very early settlers who located on the west shore of
Long Lake, where it was once thought of establishing
the village. This version does not explain why the
spelling came to be "Reading" instead of "Redding."
The trunk line railroad through Hillsdale from
Toledo to Chicago was first owned by the State, and
was known as the Southern Railroad. It reached
Hillsdale in 1843, was extended to Jones ville in 1849,
SOME PLACE NAMES OF HILLSDALE COUNTY 581
and reached Chicago by 1852. A 1921 July issue of
the Hillsdale Daily News contains this interesting little
item about early railroading:
"L. A. Daniels of Adrian, formerly of Hillsdale,
writes that if there is anyone going to Adrian this year
to celebrate the Fourth of July, they will find travel-
ling much different now than it was in 1847. That
year a party consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Vely, Don
Wells, Henry Keefer, and others made the trip. The
party left Hillsdale at 6:00 a. m. and arrived at Adrian
at 12:00 a. m. The train ride was then something
of a novelty and was a part of the celebration. The
men had lots of sport jumping on and off the train
to kill rattlesnakes and pick strawberries. There was
no danger of getting left, the train moved so slow.
The train went on to Toledo. It was expected back
at 6:00 p. m., but it did not return till midnight and
the party was back in Hillsdale at 6:00 o'clock the fol-
lowing morning."
The county seat is also the location of Hillsdale
College. The institution was opened at Spring Arbor,
Michigan, in 1844, and was called Michigan Central
College because of its central location in the lower part
of the State. In 1853 new buildings were started at
Hillsdale, and in 1855 the school opened here as Hills-
dale College. It is the Alma Mater of Will Carleton,
Michigan's beloved poet. The former county Poor
Farm is still standing, around which Carleton built
his widely known poem "Over the Hills to the Poor-
house." The property is now a farm house owned
by Mr. Nelson Wolcott. It is situated close to the
east city limits of Hillsdale.
One should not mention Hillsdale College without
naming Mt, Zion, as it is interwoven with her tradi-
582 ARCHIE M. TURRKLL
tions. Yes, the county has a mountain, though it
hardly deserves the name from its size. Its naming
dates back to the early days of the College when the
institution was a Baptist school, and the young "theo-
logs" in company with their ' 'beaux" made Sunday
pilgrimages to the lovers' Mecca. Here also budding
ministers were wont to test their forensic powers on
the patient bovine. The hill is about a half mile east
of the school.
The "Winona," the College annual, published by
the Junior class, is named for the daughter of Chief
Baw Beese. Concerning the death of Winona the
Rochester Democrat printed an item several years
ago, which was published later in 1861 by A. W.
Bennett of London in a book on Indian history. The
tragedy is as follows :
"Winona, daughter of Chief Baw Beese, had killed
her husband, Negnaska. By Indian law the Chief
had to sentence his daughter to death, and by the
same law the execution must be by the next of kin
of the murdered one. Therefore, Jo-ne-se livingjiear
Ft. Wayne came to avenge his brother's death. Is The
execution took place in Allenjnear the_Camden line
about a mile west of the house once occupied by John
G. Me Williams."
SCENE OF WILL OARLETOX'S
OVER THE HILLS TO THE POOR
HOUSE"
REMINISCENCES OF WILL CARLETON
BY BYRON A. FINNEY
REFERENCE LIBRARIAN EMERITUS, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
ON BEING asked to give some reminiscences of my
boyhood playmate, schoolmate, and chum, Will
Carleton, who came to be Michigan's loved poet and
interpreter, I am overwhelmed with a multitude of
memories. Only a few may here be jotted down, and
they may not be the most valuable or instructive, but
any facts of his life will be likely to testify to his char-
acter, or its development.
The date of Carleton's birth has been generally
accepted as October 21, 1845, although there has been
some difference of opinion as to the particular day
of the month, owing to a birth date set down at the
time of his registration at Hillsdale College. But this
was not in his own handwriting, and it happens that
we have recently found a statement in his own hand
that settles any question in the matter. During his
first period as a student at Hillsdale College, in the
fall of 1862, Will kept a diary, in which he had begun
to set down his inmost thoughts and aspirations.
This little volume happens to be temporarily in my
possession, in connection with the completion of Brag-
don's Life of Carleton, which I hope to have ready
for publication, or for such disposition as the Carleton
Memorial Association may determine, at the time of
its annual meeting at Hillsdale in October. In it,
under date of October 21, 1862, the youthful poet
has written: "Today I am seventeen," and then goes
on to consider the little he thinks he has accomplished
683
584 BYRON A. FINNE*
in his first seventeen years, and to set down some of his
hopes and resolutions for the future. It may be pos-
sible to publish this whole volume.
My acquaintance with Will began a little before
the outbreak of the Civil War, when he was about
twelve or fourteen years old, and I was some three
years younger. His elder sister had married an uncle
of mine, and we were thrown much together. His
home was two miles east of Hudson, while I lived in
town, and we visited back and forth frequently, as
boys will, sleeping together, and enjoying the farm
work together, that being attractive to a town boy.
Will's imagination was constantly seeing person-
ality in the animals, and the * 'honest face" of one of
the horses much impressed him. He would talk to
the old sorrel horse as if he could understand all he
would say, and interpret his answers in long-winded
speeches of horse-talk.
And he was ambitious to make political speeches,
getting up on some convenient stump, and urging
me to mount another at a suitable distance, from
which vantage points we would harangue each other
on the vital questions of the day. My feeble voice
in reply could attract little attention, but his bursts
of oratory sometimes brought his father's command
from a distance to get to work and not be wasting his
time in foolish ' 'stump speeches."
This was not later than his fourteenth or fifteenth
year, when he had not yet left the district school on
the corner of the Carleton farm. In this school, one
winter or spring, they were to have an "exhibition,"
and somehow I was invited to take part in it. I re-
cited a humorous piece of verse entitled "Uncle Ben,"
which told the exploits of a butting ram, and which
KBMINISCBNCES OF WILL CARLBTON 585
I had rehearsed in the Carleton home. More than
fifty years after that, while visiting Carleton in Brook-
lyn, he proved the freshness of his wonderful memory,
by reciting the whole of that poem, every line of which
I had entirely forgotten.
It was at that same exhibition that some of Will's
latent humor, so fruitful in his future poems, came
to light. One of the features of the program was
announced as "The Silent Cell." Will came out on
the platform bearing a chair in one hand and a guitar
in the other and sat dgwn as if to play. And there he
sat. No sound from the instrument, nor from the
audience, which was sympathetic, thinking he had
forgotten the piece he was to play. Finally he rose,
and, with his chair and instrument, silently retired
from the platform. It was some moments until realiza-
tion had stirred the audience and the silence of the
"sell" was broken with applause.
It is known to comparatively few of the readers of
Carleton's poems that he wrote any dramas; but he
did write several. They were produced on the stage,
in order to hold the copyright, and were intended for
only amateur performance. But there was a play,
mostly of his creating, in which I happened to col-
laborate, which never reached the point of publica-
tion, nor was it even set down on paper. It was in
1865, when Will was trudging the two miles daily
to the public school in Hudson village. With two
girl students, we were scheduled for one of the "exhi-
bitions" to put on a farce, the name of which I do
not remember, but which involved the family diffi-
culties of a certain Mr. and Mrs. Mouser. For some
real or fancied affront, on the very day of the event,
the girls went on a strike, and decided not to appear.
586 BYRON A. FINNBT
"Never mind," said optimistic Will, "Let's show
'em we do not need their help. Let's get up a farce
of our own, for two to play." So we began rehearsing
diligently an original comedy which would occupy
perhaps some twenty or thirty minutes to carry
through, and which we decided should be called "The
Lone Lost Brothers." We improvised as we went
along, and rehearsed repeatedly until we felt quite
prepared for the evening's performance.
But ! When the girls learned that we were able
to go it alone, the strike was off. They came to us,
and said contritely that they had decided to do their
part, after all. The reconciliation was accepted, the
"Long Lost Brothers" never had a public hearing,
and a masterpiece of literature was lost to the world.
Carleton's college experiences in Hillsdale have
been frequently told, but a feature of that life has
been recently brought to my memory. While he and
I were rooming together in the west wing of the Col-
lege, which has since then been burned down, a room
just above ours was occupied by Harvey Fuller, a
blind student, who graduated in 1868, the only blind
student ever graduated by Hillsdale College. It was
our pleasure and good fortune, with some others, to
read to Fuller and help him get his lessons, although,
and sometimes to our mortification, he would come
to the classroom better prepared in his lessons than
were we who had read to him. Fuller was a credit
to the College, and after a long life of public lecturing
and the reading of his own poems, retired to a pleasant
home in Tallmadge, Ohio, a suburb of Akron, where I
saw him last summer, hale and hearty now in his
eighty-eighth year. Until^mV death, Carleton kept
up his intercourse and relations of friendship with
REMINISCENCES OF WILL CARLETON 587
Fuller, which he always regarded as an inspiration
in his own work.
During after years Will and I saw each other less
often. Perhaps it was a sailing trip on Lake Erie,
his part of which was brought to an untimely end by
the fact that the comrade captain of our little sloop
thought that his dignity could only be maintained by
the exercise of much nautical profanity. Carleton left
the cruise in high dudgeon, saying that he would not
stand it to be sworn at by anybody, even if he was a
captain.
Perhaps we searched the stars in the observatory
at Ann Arbor. He was greatly interested in astron-
omy.
Perhaps we breasted the Atlantic together. A few
years before his death we were in the sea at Coney
Island, and became objects of anxiety for one of the
guards, who hovered around us in his little boat as if
looking for disaster. So we went far out, and tried
his patience as well as our endurance to the utmost
"for," said Carleton, "he thinks we are a couple of
old duffers who can't swim."
The story of his later life, of his attainment to
eminence and popularity as an American poet and a
successful lecturer, is better known; how he first
struck the heart of the people with his Farm Ballads,
particularly "Betsey and I are Out" and "Over the
Hill to the Poor-House," and followed them with
Legends and Festivals, both of Farm and City, until
the center tables of homes all over the country, es-
pecially those of farmer families, that did not show
one of his volumes, were rare, and his name became
a household word of inspiration.
588 BYRON A. FINNBY
Though the exigencies of authorship and publi-
cation, the publishing of his monthly periodical en-
titled Every Where, which involved him in great finan-
cial loss, did call him permanently away from Michi-
gan, he was always at heart a Wolverine, and never
lost his affection for his native State.
This is aptly shown in a poem which he read at a
dinner of the Society of Michigan in New York, in
1906, in which he refers feelingly to his former news-
paper work in Hillsdale. From this I quote:
Michigan! Michigan! How I do wish again
I had my old editorial "posish" again!
Keeping close tab on a rural community,
Cracking old jokes with astounding impunity;
Blowing long puffs with rhetorical reaches in,
When they brought apples, pears, pumpkins, and peaches in;
Gravely announcing the deaths and the marriages,
Also the new need for juvenile carriages;
Framing stray ads with much detail and pondering,
When a sheep, horse, hog, or heifer, went wandering;
Dunning the debtors, and soothing the creditors,
Dodging the chap that came gunning for editors;
Full of sweet joys and adversities fiery-
Penning and printing a village's diary!
Michigan, Michigan, dear unique Michigan,
Once more in memory's waves now we fish again!
Once more we feel thy moist atmosphere blessing us
Once more thy glorious lake zephyrs caressing us;
And the night-winds through the pine branches clambering,
Sing us sweet songs that we still are remembering.
Now we are exiles; the hand of fate fingering,
We in the wilds of Manhattan are lingering;
Still our look back to our mother is dutiful;
Still if thou seekest peninsula beautiful,
Fill up the beaker, the pipe, and the dish again.
Give us a cheer and a shout for old Michigan !
It is to commemorate Carleton as the pioneer poet
of Michigan, and to keep his memory and example
alive before the people, and especially the children
REMINISCENCES OF WILL CARLETON 589
of the State, that the WILL CARLETON MEMO-
RIAL ASSOCIATION was founded. This was in 1915,
less than three years after the poet's death in Decem-
ber, 1912. The Association has established a loan
fund for deserving students in Hillsdale College, a
policy in which Carleton had always been interested
when a member of the Board of Trustees of the Col-
lege. The Carletoniana gathered by the Association
his works and manuscripts, published and unpub-
lished, portraits and material connected with his life,
forming a regular literary museum, will be preserved,
probably in a "Carleton Room," in connection with
the Library of Hillsdale College.
The Lenawee County Federation of Women's Clubs
placed last October a mammoth boulder and tablet
by the roadside in front of the poet's birthplace near
Hudson, and it is expected that the highway running
from Toledo by the homestead and by the county
poor-house near Hillsdale, where it is hoped to place
another tablet next year, will be named the "Carleton
Highway."
This highway was the road over which the poet's
father, John Hancock Carleton, came as a pioneer
to the Bean Creek Valley, and it is as a pioneer, the
son of a pioneer, and the representative of the pioneer
in poetry, that we hold Will Carleton before us in
memory today.
At the annual meeting of the Michigan Pioneer
and Historical Society in 1910, to an audience that
crowded the Senate Chamber of the Capitol, he spoke
these words: "I know all about the pioneer days. I
know all about the hardships of those times, and I
know all about the wilderness and its dangers;" and,
590 BYRON A. FINNEY
after a pause, he added, in his humorous way, "My
father told me."
But he himself has told us, in enduring form, of the
trials and hardships and courageous spirit of the pio-
neers who made the wilderness to blossom as the rose.
This history, the actual foundation and strength of
our commonwealth, our children must not be allowed
to forget.
And especially must be kept before them, as an
inspiring exampile, Carleton's own struggles and priva-
tions in order to acquire an education with which to
accomplish the fulfillment of his ideals.
.It is to keep his work and example before our chil-
dren that, through the efforts of the Carleton Associa-
tion and the wise foresight of our legislators, we have
secured the enactment of the law, now effective in
Michigan, for the observance of "Carleton Day" in
the public schools of the State on the 21st of October
in each year.
The story of his struggle for an education a
struggle involving hardship, economy, a great hope and
a wonderful perseverance this story, illustrated by its
success and its literary product, cannot fail to be a
stimulus and an inspiring example to the children of
his own State; and the reading of his poems in the
schools on "Carleton Day" will bring his voice again
to be heard by our children's children:
The voice that always held a cheerful note,
And never told a hopeless story,
That sang the common life with swelling throat,
Its simple grace and glory.
And this, his message we may hear we can,
If earnestly we hark, and listen:
The diamond in the heart of every man
Will sometime sometime glisten.
CHARLES L. BELKNAP
CHRISTMAS DAY NEAR SAVANNAH IN WARTIME
By CHARLES E. BELKNAP
GRAND RAPIDS
TN ALL the Christmas lore for ages past, Santa
* Glaus comes from the land of ice and snow with
high-headed reindeer adorned with many pronged
antlers. Who has not seen in the frosty air of Christ-
mas night in the North the reindeer sledge and heard
the music of the bells and the voice of the ancient
mariner of the air?
But who has seen the reindeer of the South? Only
a few of the soldier boys of Sherman's Army, for who
but the "bummer boys" would have thought of putting
a pair of antlers on a pack mule's head and driving
about an enemy's country filling the stockings of
hungry babies. It was nearing Christmas day of 1864
when the Captain, with ninety men in command, re-
ceived instructions to proceed at once to the relief
of the citizens of a little village north and west of
Savannah. Both armies had foraged the place and
its people were without food.
The orders were concluded with the information,
" Straggling bands of the enemy are pillaging. Cau-
tion and promptness are important."
One hundred mules were packed with hard bread,
pork, coffee and sugar and, guarded by the ninety
mounted men, filed up from the harbor wharfs through
the congested streets of Savannah where fifty thou-
sand refugees from the surrounding country, as well
as most of Sherman's Army, and its own town people
were assembled.
591
592 CHARLES E. BBLKNAP
The road leading out into the country passed over
wide marshy rice fields or along palmetto bordered
sandy roads, where having to travel single file made
the train half a mile long. Great flocks of rice birds
came out of the marshes. Wild ducks whirled over-
head. Lazy alligators slipped about on the muddy
banks. At times we wound through the forests of live
oak where long sprays of gray moss in festoons waved
dreamily about in the wind. In places groups of
magnolias with clusters of white blossoms gave out a
fragrance under the clear sun of the Southern winter.
All this was so new to the men of the North who
led the column in advance with their carbines ready
for action against a possible enemy who might be
sheltered in the great stretches of palms upon either
side.
Many of these men had missed for three years
the Christmas in the North. Said one, "I am singing
to drive away the homesickness that is eating the
heart out of me"; and the Captain answered, "Sing
a song for me, for I am thinking of the stockings
hanging by the chimney at home. Drop out by the
side and tell the boys as they come along to sing.
Damn them if they don't." And soon the trailing line
with the clank of the bell on the lead animal, the shouts
of the drivers, the crack of whips and the chants of
the soldiers, were filling the air with their medley.
The shades of night were falling when we reached
the village in the pines. The voices of mothers sooth-
ing their hungry children came from many a home
where roses were blooming in the gardens, but there
were no lights in the windows. The tramp of animals
and the voices of the drivers marked another inva-
sion of hungry soldiers and in alarm the doors had
CHRISTMAS DAT NEAR SAVANNAH IN WARTIME 593
been closed. There were no welcome greetings, their
last bit of food for man or beast had disappeared.
The corral and camp were made in the village
square. Fires were soon lighting up all about, the
odors of frying pork and boiling coffee filled the air
and, as the Captain had expected, mothers were soon
coming with their children and grouped about with
the soldiers, sharing in the rough fare.
Then the Captain said to them and it was the
first speech he ever made " Uncle Sam is not making
war upon women and children and has sent us with
the best he had in store that you may have a Christ-
mas dinner and will fill your tables with enough to
carry them over until you can be cared for in other
ways."
There was such a touch of home about it all
the women and children and the campfires, the Christ-
mas spirit that those bummer boys fairly bubbled
over with happiness. Men joined in with the songs
who had never tried a note before in their lives. When
the fires burned low, the town people trailed away
to their homes and the soldiers and mule packers rolled
up in their blankets under the trees. Along toward
the first rays of morning light, when sleep is so sweet,
especially to the weary soldier, the camp was startled
by a new order of Christmas music, by the loudest
and most space penetrating bray they had ever heard.
A moment passed and the bray was repeated in a
deeper key; then another and another, each with a
different modulation. Then all the mules in the corral
volunteered in the operatic role and the morning air
quivered with notes. Sometimes all the mules but
one would cease and he would execute the solo part,
the rest coining in by way of chorus. We had the
594 CHARLES E. BBLKNAP
soprano, the first and second tenor, the baritone, the
basso profundo and the falsetto. One would attempt a
florid passage and the others would come in with
applause or ridicule.
All the rest of that Christmas night the bell mule
with a shake of his neck gave out the key, or, as Big
Hank, the boss packer, said, "Set the chune."
We knew from experience that mules were vicious,
but were now convinced they were totally depraved,
that they had not the true Christmas spirit, but were
possessed of a devil and they let him out through
their mouths. These reindeers of the South were on
strike for corn and their Christmas chimes kept agoing
until they got their rations.
The particular reindeer that started that concert
had once before made a record with the command and
we loved him not, but needed him in our business. I
remember well when we drafted him into the Army.
We were making strenuous marches through the hill
country, over rough trails where wagons could not
be used and all equipage was transported on mule-
back. The boss mule packer was a contraband, known
as Big Hank, who was drafted into the army from a
plantation where he had inherited much mule training.
One night, while in camp near the "Acorn Boys,"
he came in with a roan mule about seventeen hands
high, a wild-eyed, long-eared animal, with a tail full
of burs. That was a bad mule sign, but as we were
in great need of pack animals we felt obliged to keep
him, although he kicked down a company line of
shelter tents before he was anchored to a tree for
the night.
The command had made camp the evening before
in a side hill forest, near the banks of a creek, not
CHRISTMAS DAY NEAR SAVANNAH IN WARTIME 595
knowing just where they were, but it happened a part
of Joe Wheeler's confederate cavalry were camped on
an opposite hill about a mile away. At daylight next
morning Hank tried to pack that mule and there
occurred an interesting dispute. The animal's head
was well anchored to a tree, but his fighting end was
busy the score standing two to one in favor of the
mule, as against the packer, who, armed with a club,
was kept busy dodging heels. He had the advantage
in the use of cuss \^ords, but they made no impres-
sion on the animal's sense of military discipline.
This disturbance aroused the enemy on the oppo-
site hrll and they came out to investigate and that
led to a fight. Finally the pack was made up, blankets,
coffee pots, frying pans, a music box that played four
tunes, and last, but not least, three game cocks which
were champions. One, known as Sheridan, had licked
everything in the 14th army corps. Another was
called Kilpatrick, because he would sooner fight than
eat corn.
If it had not been for that roan mule we would
have gotten away from the camp without a fight, but
just about the time the last hitch was made, the
music box grinding out, "Jordan's a hard road to
travel" and the game cocks crowing defiance at each
other, the first shell from the enemy's guns came
crashing through the tree tops. It exploded near the
pack mule and he, being a new recruit, tried to climb
the tree to which he was tied. Not succeeding in that,
he slipped his halter, charged down the hill into the
creek, where, under an overhanging tree, the pack sad-
dle with its load was dumped into the water. Half the
command were at once in pursuit and, lined up behind
trees, were fighting with the Johnnies for possession of
596
CHARLES E. BBLKNAP
the duffle in the creek. Those game cocks, the music
box and the coffee pots were salvaged. In the con-
fusion, the mule, under full head, braying that forlorn
and penetrating air that had wakened us on Christ-
mas morning, went away into the forest to escape for
a time the terrors of war.
So now on Christmas morning in the little Southern
village Big Hank and his aides cinched his pack sad-
dle, trimmed his halter with pampa grass plumes and
loaded him to the limit with army rations. To the
music of a cowbell they led a parade from house to
house with their gifts until every woman and child
was cared for.
These reindeer of the South have faded out with
the trials and homesickness of long ago and the Bum-
mer Captain with his great grandchildren at his side
joyfully awaits old Santa Claus and his reindeer com-
ing in on glistening paths of ice and frost." Michigan
Tradesman.
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
BY MRS. MARTHA D. AIKEN
UNION CITY
time was 1843. The place a small village in
*- southern Michigan, and on the bank of one of its
rivers flowing west was Station No. 2, Underground
Railroad. The station agent, known far and near as
"The Squire," stood in the door of his shop just below
the bridge intently watching the approach of a large
covered wagon of the style known to pioneers as
"prairie schooners. 7 '
"Possibly a train for my station," mused he.
The team stopped, the driver, a white man,
alighted, followed by a small boy, black as ebony.
Hastening out, the alert station agent gave cordial
greeting.
"What place is this?" asked the stranger.
On being told, he asked,
"Any Abolitionists here?"
"Thick as blackberries."
"Where can I find one?"
"Look at me, friend, what wilt thou?"
"Food and shelter for man and beast."
"Plenty of both to which you are welcome. Cross
the bridge, turn to the right. I will follow imme-
diately."
Ah! You don't know what you are bargaining
for," pointing to the wagon. Looking within the
Squire saw a man of about fifty years, a woman and
597
^
598 MRS. MARTHA D. AIKEN
four children all of color contraband; the eldest, a
boy of ten years, still standing by the driver, an in-
terested listener.
"Not an unusual train for my station/' said the
Squire. "You are all welcome."
"What ribber be dis, massa; be dis de Jordan what
we sing of down in ole Car'line?" asked the boy.
"We may call it a branch of that river, since by
crossing the bridge yonder you gain freedom for your
body, while you must plunge in the other to rid your-
self of sin," said the Squire, smiling as he looked at
the earnest face of the boy whose eyes sparkled as he
turned toward the river.
"We have had a tiresome journey but it is evident
we have reached a safe harbor at last," remarked the
man, who was none other than Augustus Wattles,
famous in that day as the "Quaker Abolitionist,"
whose home in Ohio was a refuge for escaped slaves,
and who was conducting this company of refugees to
Canada.
During the two days taken for rest and recupera-
tion at Station No. 2, the story of the old man of the
party, William Smith, a mulatto, was learned. He
was from North Carolina, the slave and also the son
of Percival Nelms, a wealthy planter. It was of such
that Dickens wrote when he said: "He dreamed of
freedom in a slave's embrace and waking, sold her
offspring and his own in public markets." Although
the relationship was well understood by this son, he
had served as a slave for nearly fifty years. That
Nelms had some regard for him was made evident by
the fact that he had never permitted the lash to touch
him and had allowed him to learn to read and write.
THE UNDERGROUND KAILROAD 599
He had also promised that before his death he would
give him his freedom notwithstanding he was valued
at $1,000.
Fifty years had passed when one morning William
was called from the field for an interview with his
father who said: "William, the time has come for
me to fulfill my promise to you; here are your manu-
mission papers/' virtually a title deed to himself.
(Hide your face, O Goddess of Liberty! A title deed
to a human being in this, our boasted land of free-
dom!)
"You have some money," continued Nelms,
"Here is more, take the horse, Hunter, and go; he
knows the mountain passes and you will have no
trouble in finding the way; but let it be inferred you
are going on business for me as you have often been.
Go straight on, however, to Mercer County, Ohio,
and give this letter to Augustus Wattles. You will
find in him a friend."
Now came a cruel struggle in the soul of the slave.
"Ought I to purchase freedom at such a price? Can I
leave my wife and children in bondage and flee to
safety?"
The decision had to be made at once, and obeying
the scriptural injunction, he made unto himself "friends
of the mammon of unrighteousness."
On an adjoining plantation lived Ralph Pemberton,
between whom and the Nelms family there existed a
deadly feud of long standing. Taking advantage of this,
William sought assistance from the enemy and not in
vain, for here, thought Pemberton, is an opportunity,
patiently waited for, to strike an effective blow.
William had several children, the eldest, Andrew,
a strong, active man of twenty years and valued as
600 MRS. MARTHA D. AIKEN
a slave accordingly. It being impossible to effect the
freedom of all, the father, acting on Pemberton's
advice, determined to do his best for this boy, and a
tripartite treaty was made, the parties being Smith,
Pemberton and Andrew. Smith was to go directly
to Mercer County and on his arrival there, his free
papers, which were regularly made out, with the seal
of the county affixed, were to be so amended as to
describe and apply to Andrew. Thus altered they
were to be sent with a letter of instruction to Pem-
berton; he would do^the rest, and father and son
should be reunited.
Thus comforted, William mounted Hunter in the
morning and rode away, reaching the Quaker's home
without mishap. There was at that time in Mercer
County a small colony of Negroes, chiefly from North
Carolina, who had been set free by their owners.
This colony was under the guardianship and pro-
tection of Augustus Wattles. To him William re-
vealed the plot for liberating his son, and it was en-
tered into without delay; for although peaceful, law-
abiding citizens, the Abolitionists were a law unto
themselves in t'he matter of slavery, interpreting
literally that clause which declares all men to be free
and equal, no mention having been made as to color.
The important document was amended; the letter
of instruction for Andrew was sent to Pemberton;
then William Smith, now a refugee, with no proof of
his liberation, started under the protection of the
Quaker, with the Negro woman and her four children
for Canada by way of Station No. 2, Underground
Railroad.
Meantime the Nelms family had neither slumbered
nor slept, and while putting on the appearance of
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 601
dove-like innocence, were using the cunning of serpents
and kept their enemy under their constant espionage.
The postoffice was watched, Smith's letter to Pem-
berton opened, read, sealed and remailed.
The plan of the treaty had been that on receipt of
the papers, Andrew should leave his master's planta-
tion, secrete himself in a place provided by his friend,
where he would remain until the heat of pursuit was
over, when he was to be orally instructed as to his
course, given the coveted papers and sent on his way.
Into the hiding place Andrew was led and secreted;
his place of concealment was changed from one dark
corner to another; weeks passed, his restlessness and
fear were lulled by plausible reasons for delay and
fair promises. At last, suspecting treachery, he dis-
covered the paper, took it and under cover of night
started for Ohio and liberty.
Unable to read or write, knowing almost nothing
of the direction to follow, hiding by day and travelling
by night, he finally reached the Blessed Refuge in
Mercer County, hungry, footsore, and weary, having
been taken up but once on suspicion of being a run-
away slave; after the examination of his papers he
was discharged without further trouble.
Up to the time of Andrew's departure the policy
of the Nelms family had been masterly inactivity, but
they had not for an hour lost sight of their slave. His
several hiding places were known and also his flight
before it was discovered by Pemberton. Now was
the time to pounce upon their foe, and they did it with
all the severity permitted by law. He was arrested,
charged with running off a slave, a_crime which in
the estimation of slaveholders of that period was con-
sidered equal, if not worse than murder. Abundant
602 MRS. MARTHA D. AIKBN
proof was in their possession and Pemberton was
helpless in the hands of his powerful enemies. A
fine of $1,000 and costs of the suit was imposed. Se-
curity for the amount being taken on his slaves, of
which he owned twenty. In return Perceval Nelms
executed and conveyed to his arch enemy a title deed
to the body of his grandson, Andrew Smith, according
to the laws of North Carolina.
Four months had passed since the arrival of the
big wagon which brought William Smith to Station No.
2. November had come and he was still with the
Squire, who on this particular morning was attending
to business on the flats when an unusual sight attracted
his attention, three Negroes on foot led by a white
man mounted on a beautiful thoroughbred, for which
the South has alway/s been famous. A pair of ca-
pacious saddle bags the suitcase of that early day-
were thrown over the saddle.
"More wayfarers for my station," said the Squire,
hastening out to greet with friendly hand and cordial
welcome the travelers.
"A goodly company you have under convoy," said
he; "an underground railroad train I presume. Well,
you have reached in safety a way station where you
must rest and refresh yourselves." To all of this the
stranger Pemberton himself gave acceptance with
a low bow. At that moment William dropped his
tools and rushing out clasped one of the Negroes in
his arms, exclaiming: "Andrew, my son, bless the
Lord!" The situation was explained, the long ex-
pected son had arrived. To emphasize his friendship,
Pemberton dismounted and gave William a most
friendly greeting and clasped Andrew in a close em-
THE UNDERGROUND KAILROAD 603
brace. A second Judas indeed! beguiling with kind
words him whom he would betray.
On reaching the house the men, black and white
alike, were ushered in and the horse led to the barn
where the Squire diligently grooming him was in-
terrupted by one of the Negroes greatly excited:
"You don' know who y' hab in dat house," he gasped.
"What do you mean, Pemberton is all right, isn't
he?" replied the Squire.
"All right! He de very debil; he gwine take An-
drew back to slab'ry\ We know sumpin awful gwine
to happen, for after dark las' night we saw a hor'ble
goblin hidin' 'hind a stump, and dat man he ketch us
jes 'fore we gets here."
"Oh well! do not fear," said the Squire. "We will
show him a play worth two of his; it wins every time,
for freedom is a trump card here."
Returning to the house, dinner was announced and
Pemberton displayed his qualities as an entertainer.
Crafty, base and treacherous, his appearance was
that of a cultured gentleman, and he was bright and
witty. It was not till night, when the enemy slept,
that Andrew told his story. After reaching Mercer
County he had found work and was industriously
engaged when one morning he felt a tap on his shoulder
and saw before him a United States Marshal with
warrant of arrest in one hand and a pair of handcuffs
in the other, evidently considering Andrew a dangerous
person to attack. It developed that Pemberton on
discovering Andrew's flight armed himself to the teeth
with bowie knife and revolver, mounted his horse,
effected the perilous mountain passes and reached
the Negro colony in Mercer County, evaded the vigi-
lance of its guardian, Wattles, and without being him-
604 MRS. MARTHA D. AIKBN
self discovered found Andrew who now in handcuffs
was taken into court charged with one of the most
dreadful crimes known at that time in our land of
freedom love of Liberty.
But the good old Quaker was on hand and proved
sufficient for the occasion. He found a flaw in the
warrant large enough to let the captive through, who
thus liberated lost no time in preparing to travel the
road that led to Station No. 2, U. G. R. R. He was
accompanied by two trusty friends, contraband like
himself. There was in possession of the three a rusty
knife and two ancient revolvers that might possibly
go off. The night was dark, but carefully instructed
by the Quaker for their journey they started.
Morning came. In a dingy, low-roofed log cabin
inn, not far from the Mercer County Colony, there was
one defeated sorrowful soul, a victim of the lawless
scheming of Abolitionists. That man was Pemberton,
and in all that region not one so "poor as to do him
reverence" nor give him information concerning his
absconded property. But the light of Underground
Station No. 2 was not hidden, and riding swiftly he
got on the track of the fugitives one mile east of that
"Haven of Rest." They were now at the mercy of
the law. The title deed to personal freedom once
possessed by William Smith was of course useless, and
equally useless for Andrew in whose interests it had
been amended.
Here was a peculiar situation. Under the same
roof was Pemberton representing slavery, with the
law to support him, and the Squire representing free-
dom, earnestly striving for the privileges which the
world accords to men. He remembered those great
words of the Declaration: "We hold these truths to
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 605
be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain in-
alienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. " And although the law was at
this time opposed to this declaration, the Squire was sup-
ported by a body of able men who believed the law
of God superior to the law of State and were ready to
respond at a moment's notice in defense of the op-
pressed. On the retirement of Pemberton to his room
that night these men were summoned to give counsel
in this emergency, and. before separating they knelt,
beseeching the Father of mercies to give them wisdom
and to shield the fugitives in their peril.
It was morning, and the Squire, calling Pemberton
to breakfast, was bidden to enter: "Look," said the
guest, "Aren't these beauties?" pointing to his open
saddle bags wherein lay a six cylinder Colt's revolver
and a murderous looking bowie knife with curved
point and glistening blade. "This has the lives of
six men in it," said he, taking up the revolver.
"Indeed," replied the Squire, looking at it with the
eye of a connoisseur. "It looks like a good tool."
"You may well say that. I should be a hard cus-
tomer to capture."
Running his finger along the blade of the knife,
with all the nonchalance he could command, the
Squire replied: "We think but little of such light
implements in the North; we prefer the breechloading
rifle and do some nice shooting with it when occasion
demands; but let us go to breakfast."
The meal over, Pemberton accompanied Smith to
the shop. His scheme was to quiet Smith's fears for
the safety of his son, by reiterated professions of
affection.
(*>0() MRS. MARTHA D. AIKEN
Andrew with his faithful guardsmen remained at
the house watchful and wary. At several meetings
of the Abolitionists during the ten days of Pemberton's
stay he enlarged upon the 'direful consequences to
himself should Andrew refuse to return. He had al-
ready decided it would be impossible to seize him
where Abolitionists were the rujing party. "It will
only be necessary," he said, "for him to cross the
border of the State to exonerate me from the charge
of running off a slave, otherwise my slaves must be
sold and their families broken up." Great tears rolled
down his cheeks, to impress his listeners with the tender
relations existing between himself and his slaves.
Is it a wonder that honest men believed and sym-
pathized with him? He gave the names of numerous
titled men to verify his statements. Generals, majors,
judges and others were cited, to whom the Squire
might refer. Finally the Squire said: "Pemberton,
give Andrew until December; we will meantime cor-
respond with the gentlemen whom you have mentioned,
and if they corroborate your statements we pledge
ourselves to persuade Andrew to comply with your
request; you in the meantime will be at liberty to
return to your urgent business." To this proposition
Pemberton gave ready assent.
An early breakfast was served; the departing guest
with the manners of a Chesterfield bade adieu to the
family, and grasping the hand of the host said: "On
the honor of a gentleman I swear to fulfill my part of
this agreement," and the declaration was accepted
without question. The day passed, another morning
dawned, breakfast was in progress at Station No. '<
Andrew's faithful guards had gone. He alone was
gloomy and restless.
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 607
"What is the matter, Andrew?" asked the Squire.
"Don* know/' he replied.
"Fear de mattah," said his father.
"Fear of what or whom?" asked the Squire.
"Slabeholders, he think dey be arter him, and
he neither eat nor sleep."
"That being the case you shall go over the line
into Canada, find work and if all is well, be ready to
meet Pemberton as we have agreed," was the Squire's
reassuring reply. But among the Abolitionists who
were too honest themselves to doubt the fair promises
of Pemberton, there was one "Doubting Thomas."
Henry Gage believed discretion to be the better part
of valor. Meeting Andrew's friends after the depart-
ure of the enemy, he said: "Now, friends, I think the
best time to prepare for war is when everything is
peaceful, and I want to know what we are to do if all
those promises have been given us as sleeping powders?"
"It isn't possible!" exclaimed all.
"Perhaps not," said Gage, "But we are bound to
protect Andrew, and should Pembertoa return he
must be held until Andrew is out of reach. Squire,
did he pay his board bill before leaving?"
"Board bill! there was none. He was my guest."
"Well, guest, or no, if he returns, he must be
held here for an unpaid board bill, until we get Andrew
across the U. S. line."
After much argument, that was agreed upon.
Down on the flats, not far from Station No. 2,
I was a big haystack, built on a rail foundation, where
I one could hide things animate or inanimate. Andrew's
I fears of capture increased hourly, so he was hid under
ilthe stack, to remain until removal was considered
! safe.
608 MRS. MARTHA D. AIKEN
One morning as Andrew was resting contentedly
in his retreat and the family was finishing breakfast
at Station No. 2, bad news like a bomb was suddenly
exploded in camp. A horse wet and panting dashed
to the door, and the rider breathless with excitement
exclaimed, "Pemberton is coming! an officer with him
for Andrew!"
It was true. Pemberton had ridden to the county
seat, secured the services of a United States Marshal,
and provided with handcuffs as well as authority
expected to make an easy capture.
Scarcely an hour passed after the alarm before the
pursuers arrived. Being admitted, Pemberton shouted:
"I have come for my property, and in the name of the
law I demand that you produce him."
"If the honest man whom you designate as your
property had been as easily duped by your false prom-
ises as we were you might have found him here, but
thanks to his knowledge of your treachery he is beyond
your reach," calmly replied the Squire.
Like match to powder the wrath of Pemberton
blazed. To be outwitted a second time by these
hated Abolitionists was too great a humiliation to
endure: "I brand you as a set of outlaws, utterly
regardless of the rights of others. I'll dare anyone of
you to come. I'm ready for you," shouted Pemberton
in wrath, as he tore off his coat and clenched his fists.
"We have a better way to settle our differences in
this part of the country," said the Squire. "The law
is our refuge."
"And speaking of the law," interposed Gage, "we
are not accustomed to having strangers and aliens eat
the bread of honest toil for a week and leave without
offering to settle the bill, so you may consider yourself
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD 609
under arrest. Here is proof of my authority," throwing
back his coat and showing his badge of office.
"Under arrest!" exclaimed Pemberton. "Do you
dare treat me with such ignominy? Here, take your
money. "
"Oh, no; we are quite systematic in our methods
and settle matters legally; we will, however, attend
to the business as soon as possible," said Mr. Gage,
"that you may start on your homeward journey.
Meantime the rooms you have occupied for the past
ten days are at youy disposal."
Showing his unbounded wrath and indignation in
unmistakable ways, Pemberton retired to those rooms
more of a prisoner than he realized. He could not
seek relief by escape, since there were no railroads,
and his horse with saddle bags and weapons were
safely guarded in a locked barn.
While these events were taking place, Andrew down
under the haystack was being comforted and reassured
by Joe Bell, who often hunted on the flats. On this
particular morning he carried a remarkably large
luncheon, and on pretense of resting from his long
tramp through the fields he was putting the greater
part of his food through the rails.
"Now boy, don't you get worried," he said. "Mr.
Gage has gone for the preacher and old Pompey, you
will be safe with them. By tomorrow you will be in
Canada, where Pemberton can't get you. The Squire
is keeping Pemberton here till you are out of his reach."
Among the Abolitionists of the village was the
Congregational minister, who not only could preach
but work with equal energy for the protection of his
fellow man; for he read, as did others, that all men are
brothers, without specification as to color. And so,
610
MRS. MARTHA D. AIKEN
responding to the summons of Mr. Gage, "Pompey,"
a horse that had on other occasions traveled the road
to freedom, was harnessed. In the wagon were two
rifles, and in the preacher's pockets plenty of ammuni-
tion and patent caps.
"Not that I expect to kill anyone,'* said the preach-
er, "but my present business is Andrew's safety, and
anybody that interferes will get into trouble."
There were two Underground railroad stations
between No. 2 and Detroit. At one of these Pompey
was exchanged for a fresh horse. Detroit was reached
on the second day. There Andrew was transferred to
a boat and was soon a free man. He remained in
Canada for years, working faithfully until he accumu-
lated considerable property. He visited Station No. 2
once with his wife and two children. His father,
"Uncle Smith" as he was called by his many friends,
still lived with the Squire. There also "Uncle Smith"
lived to see that blessed day when he and all his race
were made free by the Emancipation Proclamation.
RT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, LL. D.
RT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M.A., LL.D.
BY SISTER M. CELESTINE, S.S.J.
NAZARETH ACADEMY, NAZARETH, MICHIGAN
HPHE influence of the Black-robe has been a potent
factor in Michigan history from those early days
when a Dablon, an Allouez, and a Marquette assem-
bled the dusky children of the forest and taught them
to praise the great Creator, to love the crucified Sa-
viour, and to rejoicp at the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit. It continued when a de Seille and a Badin
journeyed through the vast woodlands or paddled up
the winding rivers to minister to the scattered faithful,
to teach the eager young neophyte, or to baptize the
dying babe. It became more powerful when a Richard
labored for the social and moral good of a large com-
munity in and around Detroit, when he represented
that community in the national Congress, and when
he aided in the direction of the State University. It
was a force when a saintly Sorin and his no less holy
confreres journeyed over the wooded acres of south-
western Michigan everywhere dispensing blessings.
That it is no less potent today we are reminded by the
life story of the late lamented Monsignor Frank A.
O'Brien of Kalamazoo.
The death of Monsignor O'Brien in December, 1921,
created a void in the hearts of the citizens of Michigan.
He was a man universally and deservedly beloved.
Few had given more willingly of their time, their in-
terest, and their zeal thaa this unselfish priest. And
the reason for his generous serving is evident in the
cardinal principle of his life: "the disciple is not greater
611
612 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
than the Master." He was a follower of the greatest
Teacher of mankind, the meek, gentle, and untiring
Jesus of Nazareth. From the close and intimate study
of our Saviour's life, Monsignor O'Brien drew up the
model of his own apostolic career. Those who knew
him best declare he was never found wanting. Wher-
ever there was work to do, there was found Monsignor
O'Brien. And once the work was assumed, it was an
assured fact that it would continue to a happy com-
pletion, for Monsignor O'Brien was a man of undaunted
will and a possessor of almost superhuman energy.
Someone wisely said, " Genius is nothing but the
infinite capacity for infinite pains." That this is
eminently true may be learned from the life story of
this man who has been styled "the Catholic genius of
Kalamazoo." Francis Alphonsus O'Brien was born
of humble, God-fearing Irish-American parents, Mi-
chael and Margaret O'Brien, in the quaint old town of
Monroe on June 7, in the year 1851. As far as can be
learned his ancestry was eminent only in virtue, industry,
and simplicity. Yet this son of toilers rose to a high
degree of eminence both in Church and State for he
took infinite pains with himself and with others. In
his childhood days he had besides the influence of his
sturdy father and his kindly mother, that of one who
was ever held in highest esteem, the venerable Mon-
signor Joos, and the wise direction of a prince among
American schoolmasters, Mr. John Davis. These four
trained the young boy to an appreciation of all that
was good and noble. And his ideals of Christianity,
and of useful American citizenship were based upon
the teachings, by word and by deed, of these four
moulders of his youth.
KT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 613
When Frank O'Brien had completed his elementary
school course, he spent a short time with the Detroit
Free Press. The journalistic career attracted him but
the longing of his soul was for "the courts of the Lord/ 1
Accordingly the young man began his studies for the
priesthood. These he carried on at Assumption Col-
lege and at Mt. St. Mary's of the West. He was
ordained to the priesthood in 1877. A new life opened
out before him, but the young priest was of a delicate
constitution and his Bishop was lenient for the first
few years of the ^priesthood. " Father Frank," as
everyone affectionately called him, was appointed
assistant professor at Assumption College, pastor pro
tern, of St. John's, Monroe, assistant pastor at St.
Vincent's, Detroit, and later private secretary to his
Ordinary. It was not until December 14, 1883, that
he came to Kalamazoo. Here was the zealous young
priest to do his life work. St. Augustine's then was
an ordinary country parish heavily in debt. Kalama-
zoo itself was famous only for its name. The thirty-
eight years that witnessed the growth of the city saw
also a change in Catholic activities, a change due, in
large measure, to the truly apostolic zeal of the young
priest assigned to the pastorate of St. Augustine's.
In the charges he had previously known a knack
for organization was displayed and in his new post
this gift was particularly prominent. A school had
been established and was in fair condition, though a
portion of it had to be equipped and steam heat in-
troduced, but there was no organization within the
church which could aid in parish development. The
first work of this kind undertaken was the reorgani-
zation of the Young Ladies' Sodality. This took place
during a retreat conducted by the Right Reverend
614 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
Bishop Borgess on March 10, 11, and 12 of the next
year. On April 1st the Father Label Memorial
Tablet was solemnly blessed. This was the first in-
dication of the memorial tablet idea in the mind of
Monsignor O'Brien. In rapid succession came the
organization of the Young Men's Sodality, the Chris-
tian Doctrine Society, the Children of Mary, St.
Anthony's Cadets, the School Society; and the women
of the parish, not wishing to be outdone by younger
members, began to work more faithfully in the Altar
Society. A Purgatorian Society and a Temperance
Society were also formed. A library was established
and a series of socials inaugurated which not only
materially aided the struggling pastor to meet the in-
creasing demands for money but bound the people
very closely together.
While all this had been taking place, Father
O'Brien had interested himself also in the children.
He believed fundamentally in the need of Christian
education, and if he seemed extremely interested in
the material well-being of St. Augustine's, it was only
that the spiritual and moral good might thereby be
advanced. To this end he spared no pains that the
children of the parish might receive a solid education.
He seconded all the efforts of the good Sister Servants
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary then in charge of
the school, and procured able young men who later
entered the priesthood, as instructors for the older boys.
He visited the classes and instructed the children in
the principles of their religion while he encouraged
their advancement in the common school branches.
It was he who, realizing the benefits of education, in-
augurated the free parochial school movement.
RT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 615
But though busy with school and parish, Father
O'Brien found time to keep in touch with Catholic
progress outside his city, so that he was well-prepared
for the able paper on Catholic charities which he read
before the State Board of Charities and Corrections.
He was appointed to the membership of this board by
Governor Alger in 1886. It is noteworthy that to
his judgment Michigan owes a series of reforms in the
charitable and penal institutions of the State. Mr.
Harrison also recognized the worth of this energetic
young worker. It is not known what drew the atten-
tion of the President to this Michigan priest, but by
him Father O'Brien was made one of the examining
board at West Point.
This same year, before the Michigan State Federa-
tion of Women's Clubs Father O'Brien read his scho-
larly paper on the Diocese of Detroit. This was
Father O'Brien's first work in Catholic historical re-
search. It opened up for him a new field of interest.
Fortunately, for Michigan, his earlier and later asso-
ciations were such as to further this interest; this re-
gion was particularly adapted to the work; and among
his intimate friends were many who might aid him.
Another development of importance to Kalamazoo
and its Catholic pastor was the division of the Detroit
Diocese into sections called deaneries. At the head of
each division was placed a priest remarkable for his
prudence and ability and especially for his eminently
priestly life. Father Frank O'Brien was selected as
Dean of Kalamazoo and was made irremovable rector
of St. Augustine's in 1886. This new office brought
with it the duty of assembling the associated Fathers
in conference each quarter. At these meetings ques-
tions pertaining to moral training, church progress,
616 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
and discipline were thoroughly discussed. Through
them the spirit of the seminary continued to influence
the life of each associate and the high ideals of the
priesthood were maintained.
It was about this time that the young pastor was
called to the county jail to administer the Last Sacra-
ments to a dying man. The place was squalid and dirty.
It lacked even the semblance of comfort. Father
O'Brien questioned the turnkey as to the man's crime
and was astonished to learn that not only was the
man guiltless of crime but that he was a charity pa-
tient cared for in the jail because there was no hospital
in Kalamazoo. This incident fired the enthusiasm of
the charitable priest, who determined on the spot that
Kalamazoo should have a hospital. The venture
seemed of appalling magnitude to those who knew of
the struggles St. Augustine's parish had endured. But
the priest would not rest content. From this time on
his own words in praise of a friend might be fittingly
applied to himself: "His days were too short to
realize his ambitions and his nights must have been
dreams of how to make others happy." He met with
rebuffs, but he was not disheartened. Speaking to
his Bishop he said, "I will have a hospital or die in
the attempt." Against such a will was it possible to
contend? His Bishop thought not, and the first sub-
stantial aid for the new hospital was a Christmas gift
of $5,000.00 out of the Bishop's private fortune. In
the spring the Walter home on Portage St. was bought
for the hospital. And on July 6, 1889, Father O'Brien
welcomed to Kalamazoo the eleven Sisters of St.
Joseph who had responded to the call of charity and
had come from Watertown, N. Y., to care for the new
work and also to establish within the Diocese of De-
KT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 617
troit the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Henceforth this band of women was identified with
every movement for a better Kalamazoo. They be-
came the willing helpers of Father O'Brien. But
whatever of good has come to them is due to the ini-
tiative and unstinted devotion of the noble priest who
was, in virtue of his right as Founder, immediately
made their Spiritual Director.
The parish had been steadily growing and Father
O'Brien was given two assistants. The first was
Father Joseph McManus, a child of the parish; his
successor was Father Thomas Ryan, and his associate
Father John P. Ryan. These energetic young men
were a great help to the busy pastor. As the years
advanced these earnest priests were promoted to the
pastorates of churches and their places were filled by
younger men. Thus did Father O'Brien gain the
opportunity of influencing diocesan growth. For his
home was like a model seminary and he the Father-
director. The exemplary priestly life of the older
man was appreciated by his young confreres. They
observed the regularity and order, the piety and zeal
that characterized the pastor of St. Augustine's and
in their own parishes they emulated all this. Indeed,
after twenty years one of the earlier assistants was
heard to remark, "I'd be perfectly happy if I could
order my house and church as the Dean does his."
At the close of the Dominican mission in 1889, the
first unit of the Holy Name Society in Michigan was or-
ganized by Dean O'Brien. At last he had a society
for his older men and every group of his parish was
brought under organized rule. To the end this re-
mained the society dearest to the eager priestly heart.
The second Sunday of the month was set aside as
618 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
Holy Name day and it was a marvelous sight to see
this group of men performing in a body their religious
duty. In and out of season Dean O'Brien preached
the Holy Name Society. For his own band he de-
signed the Holy Name button, the first to be used in
the United States. By his earnest pleadings and his
forceful writings he did much to advance the cause of
the society throughout this country.
Meantime the need of a proper school building had
become urgent. In the spring of 1890 the contract
for a new building was let and in September 1891, the
school, Le Fevre Institute, named in memory of the
second Bishop of the Diocese, was formally opened.
The Sisters of St. Joseph, at the invitation of Father
O'Brien, assumed charge of the school. They taught
the eight grades of the elementary course and continued
to conduct the department of music. The new build-
ing and the children's delight in their school increased
the parishioners' pride in their church and their ad-
miration for the enterprising pastor.
In 1893 a parish paper was established and Father
O'Brien added the duty of editor to his already long
list of labors. For a time this little eight-page jouri
was published by a Detroit house and was known
the Kalamazoo Angelus but when it was printed ii
Kalamazoo, the name Kalamazoo Augustinian was
given to the paper. The purpose of the paper was
to familiarize the parishioners with affairs of the church,
to give home news to the children of the parish whos<
life work called them from Kalamazoo, and to knii
the interests of the mission churches, there wei
several of these, Mendon, Otsego, Plainwell, and
Watson, to those of the mother church and thus to
advance the cause of Catholicity.
RT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 619
Organization within the church had kept pace with
the material progress. Two societies in particular
deserve mention: the Newman Club, "a society for
the mutual improvement and study for the younger
members," and the Foley Guild, a social club for the
young men. This latter organization erected a club
house and gymnasium. It was completed in 1894, a
monument for the Jubilee year of the parish. At the
close of this year it was found that the parish was
thoroughly organized, its appointments were perfect,
and the per capita debt was $5. It would seem that
now the pastor might rest.
But Father O'Brien was a dreamer of dreams, a
builder of castles, which unlike the castles in Spain,
were bound to materialize. If there ever was such
a being then he was a practical idealist. He dreamed
of Kalamazoo as a Catholic center and he realized
that if it was to become such, schools for higher edu-
cation must be established. He accordingly began
negotiations for a site and plans for an academy for
girls. A two hundred acre farm on Gull Road three
miles east of Kalamazoo was chosen as the ideal lo-
cation and in the spring of 1897 the building was
begun. By fall Nazareth Academy was ready for
occupancy and the doors were opened to its first
class. The advancement of this school became the
cherished work of this zealous priest's heart. From
the first he maintained that Nazareth must be a home
school for girls and girls not of the wealthy class, but for
those of moderate circumstances. For this reason the
tuition was low but the ideals and aims were equal to
those of the highest-priced school in the land. The Dean
interested as he was in the growth of the young in-
stitution drove to the academy daily. And on recre-
620 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
ation days, the little girls watched eagerly for white-
faced horses, because one, Prince by name, always
brought Father O'Brien, and Father O'Brien always
had sweetmeats hidden away in his pockets for the
minims. Frequently Father O'Brien had a companion.
Sometimes it was a visiting priest, or it might be the
Reverend Dr. Gray, president of the Michigan Female
Seminary, whom Father O'Brien often "picked up"
or gave "a lift." These two gentlemen were the best
of friends and the merits of their respective schools
were often the subject of teasing conversation. At
Father O'Brien's request the young ladies from the
seminary were occasional visitors at Nazareth. During
the first year of its existence, Father O'Brien himself
looked after the spiritual and temporal welfare of the
new school.
He carefully planned the course of study, provided
that "worthy poor girls" be admitted, and interested
himself in all that promised the betterment of Naza-
reth. Societies were organized. Literary, musical
and debating clubs were fostered. And the publica-
tion of a school paper was encouraged. Every Frida:
night Father O'Brien spent at Nazareth. This wi
the night selected for "the talks" so well remembere<
for their inspirational effect by the first students
Nazareth. Late in the year, the services of a residenl
chaplain were procured. For this office the Reveren<
N. Sifferath, a venerable Indian missionary, w<
chosen. Then Father Sifferath's Indian stories wei
added to the many interesting fables of Father O'Brien
and thus was instilled a love for history tales and folk-
lore in the young minds of the students.
September 22, 1898, Father O'Brien brought to
Kalamazoo a gentleman renowned in Catholic circle
RT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 621
and of high esteem in the diplomatic world, Archbishop
Martinelli, who was to dedicate Nazareth Academy.
A number of other distinguished ecclesiastics, and
priests, prominent in the diocese of Detroit, also honored
the city with their presence. By the year 1902 the
academy had proved its ability to meet the need of the
day and Father O'Brien directed his overflowing energy
into another channel. There was no private school for
little boys in Michigan and Dean O'Brien had noted
with regret the sad neglect of boys. His big heart
devised a way of coring for them. The interests of
the academy could be made to reach out and include
a school for small boys. The lack of means was made
up by the generous gift of Mrs. Betsy Morton Barbour,
the venerable mother of Honorable Levi L. Barbour
of Detroit. Dean O'Brien had long been counted one
of "Mother" Barbour's boys. In memory of the noble
woman who mothered all boys as well as out of grati-
tude for her bounteous gift, he named the boys' school
Barbour Hall. All that Father O'Brien had been to
the older school he became to the younger. He was
the ideal of his boys.
"Dean O'Brien's boys" they were proud to call
themselves. And what marvelous associations he crea-
ted for these boys. The great and good in Church and
State were brought to the school; noble examples of
goodness were set before the students and another
advance was made in the cause of Christian education.
So popular did this school become that within two de-
cades it was enlarged three times. Cardinal Falconio
solemnly dedicated the school October 29, 1909.
The Muldoon-Hickey Band which has added greatly
to the fame of this boys' school was organized at the
request of Dean O'Brien. It was always his pride
622 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
and his delight. It commemorates two of Dean
O'Brien's best friends, the enthusiastic Bishop of
Rockford, Illinois, and the accomplished Bishop of
Rochester, New York.
A classical high school for boys was established
under the direction of the Basilian Fathers of Toronto
in 1904. This was intended to do for the boys of
St. Augustine's what was already being accomplished
in the girls' high school by the Sisters of St. Joseph,
to complete the work of the elementary school and to
create a desire for more advanced studies. This
school was successively taught by the Viatorians and
the Fathers of the Holy Cross. As these societies
were withdrawn because of scarcity of teachers, the
boys' high school united with the girls'. It was the
intention to maintain the co-educational school only
until arrangements could be made for a young men's
college.
St. Joseph's parish in the south end of Kalamazoo
owes its origin to the initiative of this indomitable
worker. St. Michael's Polish church is in the same
measure indebted to him. St. Agnes Foundling Home
was established at his instance to care for little outcast
babes. St. Anthony's Home for the Feeble-minded
also owes its beginning to his boundless charity. Away
back in 1886 when Dean O'Brien served on the Board
of Charities and Corrections the need of a school for
the most neglected and despised of God's creatures
was brought to him. It is characteristic of this noble
man that he never forgot the lessons of earlier days.
So when God's good time came, he provided a school,
the first school of its kind under Catholic auspices to
help the poor little ones of God. Originally it was
located north of Nazareth Academy but in time a
RT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 623
beautiful farm on the Kalamazoo River in the village
of Comstock was obtained and a splendid school was
erected. It was for this, not to dedicate a grand
cathedral, nor a great university, but a simple school
for backward children that a prince of the Church,
Archbishop Bonzano, Papal Delegate to the United
States, came to Kalamazoo in September, 1912. The
citizens showed their appreciation of this act by a
public demonstration which has seldom been surpassed.
They entertained the distinguished guest right royally
but when the evening had run its course there Game a
demand, riotous and spontaneous, for the man whose
zeal and splendid executive ability were equalled only
by his practical service. He was found in the back-
ground delighting in the honor paid to others. This
hour of public recognition and appreciation was a trial
to him.
While these various works of such potency as moral
and intellectual forces were beine advanced Dean
O'Brien had all along been riding a hobby. His pref-
erence in this line was indicated by his membership
in the Michigan Historical Association and the Catholic
Historical Association. Papers of considerable in-
terest were those contributed by him at the 1912 meet-
ings. These were published in a booklet under the
title Two Early Missionaries to the Indians. They
were Lady Antoinette von Hoeffern and Father Frank
Pierz. Later he wrote Forgotten Heroines which deals
in particular with the work during the Civil War of the
Sisters of the Holy Cross. Describing these and sim-
ilar booklets the editor of the Michigan Catholic wrote :
"Monsignor O'Brien has published several highly in-
teresting booklets in recent years which tell of the
heroism and sacrifices of early day Catholic mission-
624 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
aries, both clergy and laity, and these are more inter-
esting to read than any high class fiction. They tell
in golden letters of the hardships, the trials and the
ventures of the heroic men and women who crossed
the seas to bring the cross to the savage, and in fol-
lowing in their footsteps through the pages of these
little volumes, it is like treading the paths worn by
the saints whose lives we are taught to read and emu-
late."
The greatest honor of this gifted man's life came
to him March 14, 1913 when he was raised to the rank
of the Mjonsignori and made a domestic prelate to
His Holiness, PiusX. The occasion of his investiture on
May 7 with the purple of his new office was memorable
in the annals' not alone of Kalamazoo but of the State.
Congratulations from all parts of the country poured
in upon him. Then it was this humble, retiring, yet
enterprising and resourceful leader learned of the es-
teem in which he was held. Telegram followed tele-
gram; letter followed letter; visitor succeeded visitor;
editorials and journalistic notices proclaimed the great-
ness of the man who had labored so unceasingly to
further God's kingdom on earth. One editor wrote:
"No field of human endeavor open to the priest has
Father O'Brien not entered, and in none has his in-
fluence not been convincingly felt. Well may he wear
the purple then. It is the ermine of his wisdom and
his greatness." Another truly said, "Purple will not
increase the worth of Dean O'Brien, nor will any gar-
ment add to the sum of his merits." Ecclesiastic and
statesman, priest and layman, old and young, united
on that day to bless the name of Dean O'Brien and
to sing his praises. Nor was there ever a more worthy
subject of praise. All that be had, h gave freely,
KT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 625
and more, for he labored day and night for the greater
honor and glory of God and the welfare of his neighbor.
Later in this year Monsignor O'Brien with his
associates was responsible for the legislative enact-
ment which provided that the Michigan Historical
Commission become a regular department of State
with the duty of "honoring the great men who made
Michigan so prominent, of conserving and handing
down the story of what our forefathers accomplished
for our civilization and comfort." It seemed a natural
consequence of such activity that Monsignor O'Brien
should be appointed a member of the Commission by
Governor Ferris and later that he be made president
of the Commission. It was during his administration
that the tablet idea, the credit for which Monsignor
O'Brien assigned to Honorable Edwin O. Wood, orig-
inated. Several tablets were placed during the year
1916. Perhaps the most celebrated of these was the
Cass Memorial Tablet erected on Mackinac Island as
a present-day testimony to the worth of an honest
man, Governor Lewis Cass. In presenting this me-
morial to Governor Ferris for the State of Michigan,
Monsignor O'Brien rendered this tribute: "The holiest
aim of humanity is that which was upheld by justice,
wisdom, moderation, conciliation, all were his virtues.
He had the moral courage to defend the weak against
the strong. No bribe, menace or insult could drive
him from what he thought was right. He was an honest
man." Strange that he should not have realized how
accurately these words applied to him who delivered
them.
But time marches on unceasingly and so Mon-
signor O'Brien found and with its march progress is
inevitable. Though Borgess Hospital had been twice
626 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
enlarged since the equipment of the first building in
1899, by 1917 it had become evident that more room
was needed for hospital purposes. Immediately the
good priest began again. A site on Gull Road was
purchased and a unit of a magnificent new institution
was completed and ready for reception of patients in
the fall of 1918. It was given the name of New
Borgess and it was fortunate for Kalamazoo that the
splendid energy of this untiring worker had not yet begun
to flag, for when the dread ''flu" epidemic seized the
city and settled particularly in the S. A. T. C. groups,
there was a hospital ready to receive the suffering
boys, and nurses, gentle and tender, to care for the
sick and dying.
This was the last active contribution of the heroically
self-sacrificing man who so loved Kalamazoo as to
spend his life for her. This same winter brought the
outward manifestation of the dread disease he had
fought for nigh a dozen years. The worn body refused
to serve him who had always found happiness in serv-
ing others. Now began his Gethsemane. He who
had gone so gladly to others awaited in a wheel chair
the coming of his friends. He who had given un-
grudgingly of his strength now relied upon the service
of others. Yet though the body was frail, though it
was torn with pain, he did not relax. He could still
give brain service and gladly and wisely he counselled
and directed, he considered and planned always with
the thought of a better Catholic community, of a
grander Kalamazoo. Once he said to his doctor,
"Keep me going. I want to die in the harness."
But there came a day in the summer of 1921 when
he realized that the task was too great, that he must
yield a little of the responsibility weighting down his
KT. KEV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 627
tired but valiant heart. That day he sent for his
Bishop, the Right Reverend Bishop Gallagher, and
resigned the pastorate that had been his for thirty-
eight years. After some days his Bishop accepted
the resignation but in doing so he wrote to this martyr
to duty a letter that must have cheered and comforted
him as it gladdens his friends. One passage in par-
ticular should be quoted. Few are the men who in
their lifetime have had such recognition: "Only in
the lives of the greater Saints and the founders of
our religious orders do* we see such wonderful achieve-
ments as you have been privileged under God to ac-
complish during the years of your sacred ministry."
The Monsignor's reply stated that he would be pre-
pared October 1 to hand over the parish to his suc-
cessor. It was October 28 when the final separation
came. The old church of St. Augustine had been the
scene of many a joyful and many a sad event. But that
day it witnessed a scene that had no parallel in its
history. The pastor who had grown old in serving
his people came before them to say farewell. What
a contrast there was between the handsome, vigorous,
stalwart, young priest of 1886 and the bowed, worn,
and trembling man who told his people good-bye.
Even in this hour when he climbed Calvary's summit,
he forgot himself to encourage his people, to thank
those who had helped him during the heat and burden
of the day. What wonder that the orator of the day
in speaking of Monsignor O'Brien's material work
said that this was not his monument, for it was not
of brick and mortar, but of flesh and blood and was to
be found in the lives of his people. It was a glorious
tribute to the dear old pastor, one earned by loyal
devotion and love. But the sweetest and saddest
628 SISTER M. CELESTINE, S. S. J.
came when his people knelt for his blessing and kissed
the wrinkled hand so often raised in their behalf, to
comfort, console, to absolve. God and his angels
must have strengthened the feeble old man to endure
that parting. Yet it seemed too much for the frail
body a ad the Monsignor began to weaken only to
rally in a last strong effort to add one more testimony
to the need of Christian education. It was his last
wish that the residence college for boys be opened by
the Basilian Fathers in the old Seminary. November
came and went, and December with its promise of
Christmas joys gladdened the people of Kalamazoo
for their Monsignor seemed to gain in strength. He
sat more erect in the car during his daily drive and
there was a rumor that he was beginning to walk un-
attended. December 18 he visited several of the
institutions that had known his fostering care and
he bade his Barbour Hall boys good-bye and Merry
Christmas. The next day he visited the girls at the
academy, chatted with and encouraged them. To
these also he said good-bye and Merry Christmas and
then he went home to his room at New Borgess to
meet his lawyers and discuss ways and means for
the new school. Truly he was to die in the harness.
In two short hours he had answered the final summons
and gone forth to meet the Master he had loved and
served in joy and in sorrow.
Tributes of honor were part of the condoling mes-
sages sent to those who mourned the passing of a saint.
He was termed prudent, generous, self-sacrificing,
faithful, charitable, zealous, benevolent. He was
praised for his work, lauded for his foresight, honored
for his charitable magnanimity. And indeed he was
deserving of all these tributes and more. His char-
KT. REV. MONSIGNOR FRANK A. O'BRIEN, M. A., L. L. D. 629
acter had left its impress on a whole people, a com-
munity, a state, a nation. He never asked of another
what he would not willingly do himself. He received
those whom no one else would befriend. His right
hand knew not the good deed of his left. Yet if he
were asked today how he wished to be remembered
beyond a doubt he would say:
"To the heights of love divine
My lonely feet have trod,
I want no fame, no other name
Than this, a priest of God."
MICHIGAN'S FIRST JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
BY WILLJAM W. POTTER
HASTINGS
AT THE close of the French and Indian War the
** military and trading posts on the Great Lakes passed
forever from French control; but, notwithstanding the
fleur de Us was supplanted by the cross of St. George,
the colonists and traders at the western posts retained
in a large measure their habits, manners and traditions.
Detroit, at this time, was a village community.
Outside the garrison at the Fort and a few traders
whose shops and storehouses were near at hand, the
fixed inhabitants for the most part lived upon the
front of their long narrow farms which extended from
the river back into the forest sometimes for miles.
Shortly after the Revolution, Major Matthews de-
clared that had the British Peace Commissioners seen
this delightful place they surely never would have
signed away the right of the nation to it; adding, that
in point of climate, soil, situation and the beauties of
nature nothing could exceed it. Detroit was not the
only western post, but it was the established military
headquarters, the chief distributing place of presents
to the Indians, and the center of British influence in the
Northwest. It stood like an oasis in the forest wilder-
ness. To the north stretched the widening, rippling
blue of Lake St. Clair and beyond the tall primeval
pines stood darkly silhouetted against the sky, south-
ward the sun scintillated from the waves of Lake Erie's
wind swept face, while to the west the solitude of the
630
MICHIGAN'S FIRST JrsricE OP THE PEACE 631
unbroken forest, silent, mysterious and grand, greeted
the traveller now just as a century before it had greeted
LaSalle when he first traced his forest path across
the State.
The Fort garrisoned by a hundred British regu-
lars constituted nearly the only military force in all
the region extending from Niagara to the Pacific, from
the Ohio to Hudson's Bay. The business was almost
wholly concerned in the fur trade. A few farmers
tilled the soil and their crops and produce found ready
market among the merchants, at the post, and among
those outfitting for the Indian trade. But by far the
greater part of those dependent on the post were In-
dians too shiftless to work and coureurs de bois of all
races attracted by the wild life, reckless adventure
and freedom from restraint which naturally followed
embarking in the Indian trade; bold, hardy, reckless,
quick with the gun, familiar with every lake and
stream, the arts of woodcraft to them an open book;
they packed their baled peltries across the portages,
poled their batteaux up the rapids that often almost
barred their way, and mingled with the red men of
the forest with an ease which only their indifference
to civilization could beget. They were not ideal
citizens. Major Matthews, writing to General Haldi-
mand in 1787, says, "In trade the lowest of all the
profession resort to these obscure places, they are
without education, sentiment, and many of them with-
out common honesty. These are perpetually over-
reaching one another, knowing that they are too
distant for the immediate effects of the law to over-
take them."
Here was a free and unostentatious hospitality
and a social atmosphere that spurned restraint. The
632 WILLIAM W. POTTER
red sash and tasselled toque of the half breed bush-
ranger was seen side by side with the scarlet coats
of British subalterns, and the flashing eyes of Basque
and Norman maids were seen as they danced indis-
criminately with merchants, traders, bushrangers and
officers of the Fort. At times these hardy pioneers
faced danger without fear, but far more often they
chose to placate with presents the savage red men
rather than run the risk of ambuscade or open war.
Civil government at Detroit was conspicuous only
by its absence. Captain Hamilton while commandant
at Detroit retained his rank in the British regulars but
he was also Lieutenant Governor of Detroit and was
included in a commission of the peace of the entire
province at large. Hamilton, writing to General Haldi-
mand in 1778, indicated that he doubted the authority
seemingly conferred upon him. Patrick Sinclair when
about to be commissioned Lieutenant Governor of
Michilimackinac in 1779, questioned directly the wis-
dom of accepting a commission uniting into his own
hands both the civil and military authority. On
August 20, 1779, General Haldimand wrote him that:
"As lieutenant governor you are of course civil
magistrate. Mr. Hamilton whose commission is ex-
pressly the same as yours has always acted as sue]
in cases where it was necessary."
Judge Frazer in his introduction to the Territoi
Laws of Michigan says :
"In all matters of controversy between the inhabii
ants justice was meted out by the commandant of th<
post in a summary manner. The party complaining
obtained a notification from him to his adversary ol
his complaint accompanied by a command to render
justice. If this had no effect he was notified to appear
MICHIGAN'S FIRST JUSTICE OF THE PEACE 633
before the commandant on a particular day and
answer the complaint and if this last notice was neg-
lected a sergeant and file of men were sent to bring him
no sheriff no taxation of costs. The recusant was
fined and kept in prison until he did his adversary
justice."
This agrees substantially with Major Matthews'
letter to General Haldimand, written in 1787, where
it is said :
"The only resource in all matters in dispute is the
commanding officer, for our justices of the peace it
seems are not authorized to take cognizance of mat-
ters relating to property, on which almost every differ-
ence arises so that if the commanding officer is indolent
or indifferent he will not hear them at all, or if he does
hear and decide his judgment tho perhaps equitable
may be very contrary to law and hereafter involve him
in very unpleasant consequences besides that, acting
in the capacity of a judge, his whole time is so employed
that he cannot pay the necessary attention to his pro-
fessional duties. It is much to be wished that some
mode for the prompt and effectual administration of
justice were established, for the want of it is a tempta-
tion to many to take advantages and commit little
chicaneries disgraceful to society and distressing to
individuals. In all matters where I cannot clearly
decide I make the parties refer to arbitration, binding
themselves to submit to the decision."
The condition which existed under Major Mat-
thews had existed at Detroit for many years. In 1778
we find Lieutenant Governor Hamilton writing the
Governor General of Canada, Guy Carleton, that
"the persons resident at this place are chiefly traders
and must give up their business if they accepted the
634 WILLIAM W. POTTER
place of judge, as it requires the knowledge of two
languages besides some acquaintance with law . pro-
ceedings. I cannot find anyone here who will under-
take it.'* And again during the same year we find
him writing General Haldimand that: "A very able
and amiable person (Mr. Owen) was destined for
the place of judge at this post. His absence which I
have sufficient cause to lament has occasioned me to
act at the risque of being reprehensible on many occa-
sions * * I am obliged to act as judge and
in several cases as executor of justice."
Judge Cooley in his History of Michigan says that
"at the beginning of 1767 Captain Turnbull who was
then in command issued to Philip Dejean a commis-
sion as Justice of the Peace but with such specifica-
tion of powers as seemed designed to make his court
one of arbitration and conciliation only." Mr. Utley
in the first volume of Michigan as a Province, Terri-
tory and State, says: "One Philip Dejean was appointed
by Hamilton a Justice of the Peace and to him appar-
ently was given jurisdiction in all matters civil and
criminal." In a marriage contract of July 27, 1770,
Dejean describes himself as "Philip Dejean, Royal
Notary by act of law, residing at Detroit," and not as
Justice of the Peace. In some cases temporary com-
missions as justices of the peace were granted by the
commandants of the posts but these commissions were
in all cases ratified by the Governor General. If De-
jean was commissioned by the commanding officer
at Detroit as a Justice of the Peace this ratification
seems to have been overlooked.
Lieutenant Governor Hamilton in a letter to Gen-
eral Haldimand written in 1778 says:
MICHIGAN'S FIRST JUSTICE OF THE PEACE 635
"Mr. Dejean who has been justice of the peace
here a long time is indefatigable but he as well as
myself require to be better informed and better sup-
ported.'*
Judge C. I. Walker in a paper read before the
Wisconsin Historical Society says "Criminal justice
was administered by a justice of the governor's ap-
pointment and a jury was provided for in criminal
cases by the Quebec Act and the sentence of death
was more than once inflicted."
In February, 1777, Governor General Carleton wrote
Hamilton that he was included in a commission of the
peace of the entire province, adding:
"In that capacity you have a right to issue your
warrants for apprehending and sending down, any
persons guilty of criminal offenses in the district at
least such as are of consequence enough to deserve
taking the journey but these must be signed by you
and not by Mr. Dejean whose authority is unknown
here." The Quebec Act was passed in 1774 but these
instructions to Lieutenant Governor Hamilton from
the Governor General are not entirely consistent with
Hamilton's letter above quoted. Again on Septem-
ber 15, 1777, we find the Governor General writing
Hamilton saying: "I am not authorized to Delegate
the power of appointing civil officers to any persons
whatsoever."
This correspondence establishes that Dejean's au-
thority as Justice of the Peace was unknown at the
office of the Governor General, and therefore it is
improbable that his commission, if he had one from
the Lieutenant Governor, was ever ratified, and that
Hamilton had no power or authority to appoint De-
jean a Justice of the Peace at all, for in the same letter
636 WILLIAM W. POTTER
the Governor General says: " Neither the civil or mili-
tary officers of your settlement can be properly author-
ized to act in their several capacities without com-
missions from the Governor or Commander in Chief
of the Province."
These facts however were not sufficient to dis-
concert Dejean, who was at all events a Justice of
the Peace de facto, as some learned to their sorrow,
because his orders were backed up by military au-
thority.
We can see Dejean even now, short, fat and swarthy,
of active mercurial temperament, with an exaggerated
idea of his own importance, with a fixed conviction
that his official dignity must be upheld at all hazards,
a pompous, pious bungler who was willing to send
any suspect to the gallows on short notice for the fee
there was in it.
His office, one scant story in height, roughly con-
structed of logs chinked with timber and plastered
with mud, with shake roof and puncheon floor, the
rude door creaking upon its wooden hinges, the latch-
string hanging outside, stood a short distance from the
site of Detroit's present city hall. The floor was
plentifully besprinkled with tobacco juice which from
every part of the room had fallen short of the fire-
place at which it was aimed; a few hand made chairs,
a table whose whitewood top had been planed by hand
and above which were rudely constructed pigeon-holes,
the handiwork of some frontier artisan, completed its
equipment.
It was here in March, 1776, there was brought be-
fore Dejean a Frenchman named Jean Contencinau,
charged with stealing furs from Abbott & Finchley,
a commercial firm, and Ann Wyley, a negro slave,
MICHIGAN'S FIRST JUSTICE OF THE PEACE 637
charged with stealing a purse of six guineas from the
same firm, the money having been found upon her
person. Dejean impanelled a jury of six Englishmen
and six Frenchmen and before them the case was tried.
Mr. Utley says the jury returned a verdict of
guilty, that the prisoners were sentenced to be hanged,
that "the woman was reprieved but the man was
hanged a week later/' Judge Walker says that they
were tried for stealing and for attempting to set fire
to the house of the same firm, that the jury acquitted
them of the last offense but that "they were sentenced
to be hanged" * * * "and they were hanged ac-
cordingly." Mr. Hemans says that the woman was
given her liberty for acting as executioner of the man.
Mr. Frazer, who agrees with Judge Walker, says he
gave the original papers in the case to Mr. Lanman for
his history of Michigan, and Lanman says "The record
of this trial has come down to us and it is a most singu-
lar document." He says nothing of the woman but
declares they "convicted the individual of the crime
alleged against him." Undoubtedly one at least of
them was executed.
We have seen that Hamilton regretted that he
had acted as executor of justice and in a manner that
seemed reprehensible. Others undoubtedly had the
same view, for the grand jury of the Court of King's
Bench in Montreal on September 7, 1778, filed a pre-
sentment against both Hamilton and Dejean, charging
them as follows:
"The jurors for our Sovereign Lord the King for
the Body of the District of Montreal do present that
whereas by certain testimonies and evidences to them
offered it hath appeared that one Philip Dejean of De-
troit, in the district aforesaid, hath at divers times
638 WILLIAM W. POTTER
during the years of our Lord 1775, 1776, 1777, at
Detroit aforesaid in and under the government and
command of Henry Hamilton, Esq., the Lieutenant
Governor of Detroit, aforesaid, acted and transacted
divers unjust and illegal, tyrannical and felonious
acts contrary to good government, and the safety
of his Majesty's Liege subjects. The jurors aforesaid
upon their oath aforesaid are bounden to present
further to this Honorable Court that it may be stated
and represented to His Excellency, His Majesty's
Governor in Chief, in and over this province that
the said Henry Hamilton hath not only remained at
Detroit aforesaid and been witness to several illegal
acts and doings of him the said Philip Dejean, but
has tolerated, suffered and permitted the same under
his government, guidance and direction, and as com-
missioner as proven upon oath before this inquest, hath
authorized the said illegal acts and doings of the said
Philip Dejean."
Before their arrest Hamilton and Dejean both left
Detroit and before either of them were reached there
was a change in the administration of Canadian affairs.
Lord George Germain, now Governor General, in a
communication under date of April 16, 1779, says:
"The presentments of the grand jury at Montreal
against Lieut. Governor Hamilton and Mr. Dejean
are expressive of a greater degree of jealousy than the
transaction complained of in the then circumstances
of the province appeared to warrant. Such stretches
of authority are however only to be excused by un-
avoidable necessity and the justness and fitness of the
occasion and you will therefore direct the Chief Justice
to examine the proofs produced of the criminars guilt
and if he shall be of opinion that he merited the punish-
MICHIGAN'S FIRST JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
ment met with, tho' irregularly inflicted, it is in the
King's pleasure that you do order the Attorney Gen-
eral to grant a nolle prosequi and stop all further pro-
ceedings in the matter."
On July 4, 1778, George Rogers Clark, fresh from
his victorious campaign against KaskasMa, Cahokia
and the settlements on the Illinois, captured Vin-
cennes, a settlement of about seven hundred inhabit-
ants on the Wabash River at or near the present site
of Vincennes, Indiana. Hamilton was anxious to dis-
lodge the Americans? and having obtained permission
from Montreal he set out with a considerable expedi-
tion by way of the Miami and the Wabash to attempt
its recapture. Clark was absent with his men and the
post fell easy prey to Hamilton's superior force.
It was necessary to send supplies from Detroit
to Vincennes and on February 9, 1779, an auxiliary
expedition under command of St. Martin Adhemar
left Detroit for that place. News of his indictment
had undoubtedly reached Dejean, for Judge Walker
says:
"By the urgent request of Justice Dejean he was
permitted to accompany the expedition in order to
obtain from Governor Hamilton his warrant or author-
ity to justify his own conduct as magistrate and es-
pecially as to the executions already mentioned."
News of the British success had reached Clark
at Kaskaskia and he now undertook by a perilous
winter march across the snow and ice-covered prairie
to reach Vincennes. This he did after great hardships
and intense suffering on the part of his men. Hamilton
surrendered to the Kentucky colonel February 23,
1779, and learning of the approach of Adhemar's
expedition laden with supplies and provisions, Clark
640 WILLIAM W. POTTER
dispatched Captain Helm who had been compelled to
surrender the fort at Vincennes to Hamilton to capture
it. This Helm did, and on March 5, 1779, Dejean was
brought to Vincennes a prisoner of war. Dejean had
letters and papers for Hamilton who says, "Mr. Dejean
heard we had fallen into the hands of the rebels but
had not sufficient presence of mind to destroy the
papers which with everything else was seized by the
rebels."
In a letter written April 19, 1779, by Moses Henry,
an attache of Clark's army, Dejean is spoken of as the
"Chief Judge of Detroit/'
Early in March, 1779, Dejean together with Hamil-
ton and others started their overland journey of
twelve hundred miles to their destination, the Virginia
prison at Williamsburg, where they arrived June 15
of the same year. Here they remained for some time.
A parole was offered the prisoners, but while its terms
seemed to Hamilton to be too onerous to be accepted
by him they did not apparently so affect Dejean, who
after one hundred and twenty days in prison accepted
the parole offered him, it seems largely through the
influence of Thomas Bentley, and returned to Vin-
cennes. July 28, 1780, Dejean wrote the commandant
at Detroit and referring to the charges against him
and Governor Hamilton says:
"The only thing in which I can reproach myself is
in having too blindly obeyed his orders. I flatter my-
self that if the affair had been conducted according to
the real tenor of the law he only would be to blame."
In this same letter he declares that he cannot
visit Detroit without violating the terms of his parole,
and urges the commanding officer to allow Madame
MICHIGAN'S FIRST JUSTICE OF THE PEACE 641
Dejean and his family to come to Vincennes. On the
same day he dispatched a similar letter to General
Haldimand.
At this time the French were actively assisting the
Americans. Dejean was undoubtedly satisfied to re-
main at Vincennes which was within the territory
actually controlled by the colonists and whose French
inhabitants were as friendly to them as was prudent
when their proximity to Detroit is considered.
Here Philip Dejean disappeared from view. Far
down the winding Wabash near the spot immortalized
by " Alice of Old Vincennes" lie the remains of Ehilip
Dejean, Grand Judge of Detroit, whose name will be
known to history long after you and I have passed
away. His only claim to fame, his outrageous usurpa-
tions of power, his illegal and arbitrary condemna-
tions and executions and the fact that he was the
first judicial officer who dwelt within and exercised
jurisdiction over any part of the territory now consti-
tuting the State of Michigan.
THE BEGINNINGS OF DUTCH IMMIGRATION TO
WESTERN MICHIGAN, 1846
BY HENRY S. LUCAS
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
A7ERY little is known of the reasons which induced
V the Rev. A. C. Van Raalte and his band to sail
from the Netherlands in October, 1846, and found the
Dutch colony of western Michigan in the following
year. These events have, it is true, repeatedly en-
gaged the attention of several writers. The first of
these was D. Versteeg who produced his popular Pil-
grim Fathers of the West in 1886. 1 This book was
published as a presentation copy by the publishers of
De Grondwet to their subscribers, and appears to have
found considerable favor. Its vogue, however, ap-
pears to have been lost to-day; copies of it are well-
nigh unobtainable. In 1893 Dr. Henry E. Dosker
published his biography of Dr. A. C. Van Raalte in
which he presented in so far as the data were then
accessible a much fuller and more accurate account
of the early stages of the movement. 2 For many
years the well-known pioneer and trustee of the Michi-
gan Pioneer and Historical Society, Mr. Gerrit Van
Schelven of Holland, Michigan, devoted a part of his
leisure to cultivating an intimate acquaintance of the
D. Versteeg, De Pelgrem Vaders van het Westen, Eene geschiedenis van de worstel-
ingen der Hollandsche Nederzettingen in Michigan, benevens eene schets van de stich-
ting der Kolonie Pella in Iowa, Grand Rapids (C. M. Loomis & Co.), 1886.
2 Henry E. Dosker, Levenschels van Rev. A. C. Van Raalte, D. D. "Een man
krachtig in Woorden en Werken." Een der Vaders der Scheiding in Nederland en
Stickler der Hollandsche Kolonien in den Staat Michigan, Noord Amerika. Uit
corspronkelijke bronnen bewerkt door Rev. Henry E. Dosker, Nijkerk (C. C. Cal-
lenbach), 1893.
642
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BEGINNINGS OF DUTCH IMMIGRATION 643
movement of which he himself was a member. A num-
ber of popular and useful articles from his pen have
been published. 3
Also in the Netherlands has there been interest in
the matter, especially in recent years. In 1910 Dr. A.
Brummelkamp, Jr., member of the Second Chamber
of the Dutch Estates General, published a biographical
study of his father, Prof. A. Brummelkamp 4 who, as
brother-in-law of the Rev. A. C. Van Raalte, was
intimately associated with the early attempts to send
poor Netherlander to this country. In describing
his father's activities as pastor in Arnhem, the author
had occasion to give a very good account of the begin-
nings of this movement. 5 Unfortunately, this splendid
book has not met with the reception which it deserved
in his country, partly, no doubt, because of the lan-
guage in which it is written. Even among those of
Dutch extraction few have become acquainted with
this work which is undoubtedly the most important
contribution yet made to the history of the Hollanders
in Michigan. Five years after its appearance J. A.
Wormser produced his biography of Dr. Van Raalte.
For the steps leading up to the emigration in 1846,
Cf. Early Settlement of Holland, by G. Van Schelven, in Historical and Busi-
ness Compendium of Ottawa County, Michigan, Vol. I, Grand Haven (Pitt and
Conger), 1892 or 1893, pp. 15-35; Michigan and the Holland Immigration of 18^7,
in Michigan Magazine of Historu, Lansing, October, 1917, pp. 72-98; Historical
Sketch of Holland City and Colony, in History of Ottawa County, Michigan, with
Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers,
Chicago (H. R. Page & Co.), 1882, pp. 77-78; Historical Sketch of Holland City
and Colony, delivered on the Fourth of July of the Centennial Year, 1876, in De
Grondwet, Holland, Michigan, 1, 8 and 15 June, 1915; Documents bearing upon
the Ecclesiastical Union, in De Grondwet, Holland, Michigan, 21 July, 1914.
*Levensbeschrijving van wijlen Prof. A. Brummelkamp, Hoogleeraar aan de Theo-
logische School te Kampen door zijn jongsten oon A. Brummelkamp, Kampen (J. H.
Kok), 1910.
., pp. 200-274.
644 HENRY S. LUCAS
however, the author depended mainly upon Dr. Brum-
melkamp's work. This book has also received but
little notice in this country. 6
Notwithstanding this perennial interest in the sub-
ject, no systematic exploitation of all mat 
