I now return to my own history after giving a discripton of the place of my
birth which I think I have done so that any of my children can find it if
they should hapen to pass that way the big rock can easeyly be found the
creek passes just west of it.
We lived one mile from the district school house and I had but little chance
to obtain an education as soon as I was old enough to labor my father needed
me to help him. When I was 10 years old I did half a mans work in spring and
summer and fall and winters went to school except when it was too cold and
snowy which was vary common in that country I have known snow to fall from 2
to 3 feet in one night and all the neighbors would have to turn out to break
the roads with teams and shovels and as likely as any way they would have to
keep at it for a week at a time, in winter it was generly very cold the ice
on the ponds would freeze from 2 to 3 feet thick. I often went with father
to fish through the ice on pleasant day, the ice was so thick it caused a
great deal of laber to cut holes but when it was done we generly got our pay
for our trouble in fish, the ponds or still waters was the places we used to
visit but in summer we had good luck generly in both still and running water
the stream east was good for trout, eels and bullheads in the night with
what we called bobs those ware made by taking strong linnen thread like shoe
thread with a stran of broom corn tied snugly on at one end for a needle
this thread was generly about 3-1/2 or 4 feet long this we strung full of
angle worms by runing the broom stran from head to tail and drawing them on
to the thread until it was full then we tied the ends together and doubled
it up to about 3-1/2 to 4 inches long then tied a small cord around the
middle tight leaving the ends about 6 inches long to tie to the end of a
pole this would leave the bob about 4 inches from the end of the pole which
was put down 'o the bottom of the stream, when they would bite we could pull
them out by their teeth, we always managed to have a basket of saw dust
standing near and when they fell off run with hands full of sawdust and grab
them; by which means we were able to 'and them safe in the basket other ways
they were so slipery we could not hold them in this way we often caught a
bushel basket full in one evening.
On this stream stood the old sawmill which father owned until his mother
died it being a part of her 3rd of Grandfathers property which she held for
her support until she died then it fell to Uncle Moses how her 3rd came to
fall to him I dont know but suppose he bought it. this mill father used to
tend in spring himself their being no other time in the year when there was
vater enough to saw about this time Daniel my oldest brother was married to
a woman by the name of Helen Marian King he then took charge of the farm
father went to building and getting out timber and I was with him the most
of the time to help him saw which I could do vary well, for 2 or 3 years
things went on in this way till Daniel took another farm and then the most
of the farming was trusted to me I was then about 12 years old Abot this
time or a year before Darius went to learn his trade with a man by the name
of Adams in Litchfield vilage
Grandfather had died some 2 or 3 years before a good old man he was his age
was 79 years he was buried in Milton buğ-ying ground he had a large marble
tombstone at his grave his memory is still dear to me I well remember him he
died with the dropsy.
We had a yoke of stags I used to plow from 30 to 50 acres in spring and put
it into corn and oats and buck wheat and potatoes with the help of a hired
man in hoeing time and harvest father was through at the mill and would take
charge and help us out, in fall our crops was to gather our cider to make to
the amount of 30 or 40 barrels and wood to get for winter which was no small
matter, in this way things went on for 3 years.
At the age of 15 years I went to learn the carpenters trade with a man by
the name of Augustus Mory. I went to him for trial 2 or 3 weeks and he
promised to tell me what he could give me for my labor, accordingly at the
end of the time I asked him what he could give me he told me he was not
prepared to tell me at presant but I had better stay 5 or 6 months and then
he could judge better. I then went home and asked father what I should do,
he said I had better stay for he thought Mory would do what was right, so
accordingly I took his council and went back
Three years previous to this my oldest sister Eliza was married to a man by
the name of Salmon Case Hall of Milton vilage he was a man with a liberal
education he followed school teaching winters and summers followed painting
she had two children a son and a daughter they ware both born the same day
of the month one year apart, the boy was named Henry and the girl Lucy
directly after she was born Salmon went to michigan to look at the country
to find a good location. I think this was about the year 1835 he was gone
something over a year and came back for his family and assisted father in
disposing of his farm which was sold to Uncle Moses for 2209 dollars, being
tired of paying debts and interest on them they resolved to seek a new
country and begin anew. Many unjust claims were brought aganst him and he
put 800 dollars into the hands of Salmon the rest he left with mother and
went with Salmon to the west this was a long journey for him after living in
one house for 32 years, he ownly occasionly went to market to carry his
cheese and get some things which the family kneeded such as clams oysters
and productions of the sea which was a long journy some 30 or 40 miles
After I had stay the 5 or 6 months at the trade I again asked him what he
could pay me, he said he would give me 15 dollars for the first year and 20
for the 2nd and 30 for the 3rd I told him I would write to father and
whatever he should say I would do, and I wrote directly to father and in 3
months I got an answer he said it was not enough it would not half clothe me
and if he would not give me any more to go somewhere else so I told Mory. he
was angry with me and said he would have satisfaction for his trouble which
he had been to in showing me the use of tools. I told him then he should
have to get it for I thought my father knew what was best for me, not ownly
so he knew that I had earned him one dollar pr day and my board while out
jobing which was most of the time and not ownly so he had said that I could
make as good a door as he could and braged how much I was worth to him, and
I thought he ought to be satisfied But all to no purpose he said he should
go to law which did not (with some other things) make me feel very sorry to
leave him. So I left him and went to Norfolk to work for a man by the name
of Birdseye Norton J stayed with him 3 months he promised me 15 pr month he
paid me 10 dollars after I had worked about one month, when my time was out
I asked for my pay he said he had no mony but told me if I would come to
Plymouth in 6 weeks he would pay me so with that promise I went home.
Previous to going to live with him I became acquainted with a girl by the
name of Ann Wiles I promised to write her and she promised to answer and
tell me all the news, while I was there I wrote her 2 letters which she
answered among other things she told me that mother was moving to_ Milton
she said that Uncle Moses left word with Damon /or Tarmon/Beacher as soon as
the time was out for her to give possession to go and warn her out of the
house and if she did not go within 20 days to go and put her things out into
the streets which errand he was proud to do But she had got out of his way
before the time which I felt glad to hear for he had long been a persecuter
and I did not want him to have the priv-elage of doing such a task for my
mother.
When I got home I found mother and 2 sisters Mary Ann and Harriet living in
Milton in a house belonging to Daniel Halls I spent the summer labering for
William Tuttle, in the fall I started with my oldest brother Daniel and his
family for Michigan we had a hard journey it took us 7 days to cross Lake
Erie in storms and gales which seemed at times to threaten us with
distruction but the Lord brought us to land in the town of Toledo, that
night for the first time I had the ague and fever the next day we took the
cars and came to Adrian our things were left about 5 miles from that place
on the side of the way by the return cars my brother stopt at the same place
when the cars ware going out and went to his brother in laws for a team
while I went on with the cars to take care of our things it being
inconvenient to onload at that place on account of other baggage in the car
and on the top of ours when I returned Daniel had not come with the team and
it was nearly sundown, and I began to think that he had lost his way the
country was new and nearly all swamp, at length I started after him leaving
his wife with the things I took the rail road track leading to Tecumseh it
being the course in which he lived it was a fine road to travel on foot on,
the flat rills being laid down for about 2 miles, then I came to a swamp and
ownly logs roaled into the water so that I was sometimes in the water and
sometimes on the logs and I began to wish myself out in this way I went on
for 2 miles more at last I got through I s.aw a light and by inquiring I
found I was 1 mile yet from the place and being directed I traveled on and
arrived at the house at 10 oclock being about 2-1/2 hours going 5 miles I
found that Daniel had been thare and gone with a team after his wife and
goods we staid there 5 days to rest and then he and I left on foot for
Kalamazoo where Father was loo miles distant we traveled 3-1/2 days and
arrived safe ownly our feet were blistered from heel to toe this was the
17th day of October 1837
This was a hard and toilsome journey but we were thankful when we came to
the end of it,
We found father sick with the Ague and fever and also all the rest, we found
them on Gull prarie town of Richland about 10 miles north from Kalamazoo
I stayed with them a few weeks when I went to Gull Mills and hired to a man
by the name of William Toles for $10 a month makeing bedsteads I here found
an opertunity of making furniture to pay Mother for the money she loaned me
to come west with which ammounted to $36. 00
I made a bureau a round stand one square table full leaf one square stand
one bedstead all together worth abour $45. 00
In the spring of 38 I hired to a man by the name of Henry Rowland for $15.
00 pr month he afterwards became my father in law Just before the time was
up I asked him for his daughter Ann Eliza after obtaining his consent for
her we agreed to be married in the coarse of 2 years I lived with him 3
months The day that my time was out and the last hour as I was hewing a
stick of timber I struck the corner of a broad axe into the side of my knee
which laid me up for 6 weeks during this time I boarded at Salmons and paid
him in work after I got well, he moved over into Barry Co leaving father in
possession of the farm and no one to keep house so I volunteered my service
to be househeeper for him till mother and the girls came which we looked for
soon accordingly I continued in this imployment for 6 weeks I could get
breakfast for 5 men and get my work done by. 9 oclock and go out and help
him until 11 oclock and then go to the house and get dinner and by 1 oclock
be ready to go out with the men and laber in the field until 5 in the
afternoon and then get supper and do up my work by bedtime we were clearing
and burning logs and wood for wheat in this way I labered with untireing
dilligance hopeing to obtain a permanent home for my fathers family until
mother and Darius and Mary Ann and Harriet came at last on the 12th day of
July 1838 when they came they hardly knew me I was so thin in flesh soon
after this my apetite began to fail but my health was much better than
common One monday after I had been to visit with Ann Eliza father scolded me
for wanting to get married so young, yet notwithstanding before he new
mother was coming he advised me to so that we could have some one to keep
house for us, I told him I had thought of that before him which much pleased
him and when he heard she (mother) was comeing he found fault with me for
going off on Sunday and not geting home till monday morning yet I did my
visiting in the day time and went to meeting with her in the evening and
staid all night and went home in the morning as it was 3-1/2 miles and
through the thick woods all the way I did not think it safe as the country
was new and wolves ware plenty and of a savage kind and not unfrequently
they would chase men and they would climb trees to get out of the way one
ammusing circumstance which hapen-ed in Oakland County I will here relate
concerning a fidler he was going to play for a party to dance about 3 miles
distant and before he arrived thare he heard them howling in all directions
and he run to a log house which had a loft in it and he jumped up on to the
beams overhead he found one board which he stood on, they followed him into
the house and when the room was full below he reached down his hand and shut
the door and shut them all in and then began to play to them and continued
all night and in the morning he got out of the window and went and got guns
and men and shot them through the cracks.
After father scolded me for wasteing my time so foolishly I felt as though I
would try to make up lost time so 1 took a sythe and went down in the meadow
and mowed and was gone 1 hour and cut 1 acre of grass of about 1 ton to the
acre and father came down and said he wanted me to go and help George Murray
get in some wheat this was about 3 oclock in the afternoon, I accordingly
went and got in 2 loads of wheat and 3 loads of barley and pitched it on and
off and it was 9 oclock in the evening and my clothes ware drenched in sweat
from top to bottom I went home and went to bed and I layed in agony all
night but made no noise, in the morning they called me to breakfast but I
could not get up, and it was soon discovered that I was sick so that the 3rd
day I was helpless, the Doctor was sent for immediately and he began to give
me calomel dose after dose once in two hours trying to saterate me but could
not, thus I continued for 9 days helpless and senseless the neighbors came
in all thought that I was about to leave them My legs became cold and
lifeless to my body 3 times all hope was lost, at last they sent for the
priest who came and sit down by me and asked me if I was ready to die, I
told him I did not care I had as soon die as not death was no terrer to me,
for I was past fear, he asked me if I did not feel conserned for my souls
salvation I told him I did not know that I did at this mom-ment in comes the
doctor who walked as fast as he could out and in back and forth and the
priest whose name was Calvin Clank took the hint and left and after was
invited not to doctor the soul while he was attending to the body.
This was the 2nd time that I had my right mind and this was on the ninth
day. When all was still again in the room thare appeared someone in the room
he stood some distance from me at the oposite side of the room. He asked me
in a still small voice if I would like to serve the Lord. I told him I
would, he asked me again if I would serve him if I knew the right way. I
told him I would, and then he disappeared and I soon began to get better so
that in three days I walked down into the field whare Father and Darius was
pulling flax and when they saw me coming Darius cries out, go back and get
your coffin for you look as though you had come from the grave Father was
glad but yet none of us thought to ascribe the glory to God at that time but
I continued to get better so that in 4 or 5 days I was able to do a good
many things to help take care of the rest, for all were sick but Father and
Darius with the fever and ague after about 2 weeks from the time that I
first got about I was taken again with the ague which lasted me about 9
months except at intervals I would break it up, about January or Feby I was
taken with the inflamatory rheumutism which lasted me nearly all summer in
the month of May I had two seatons put in one in each leg between my ancle
and knee, they proved to do me much good in those times I saw much sorrow my
head was all bare my hare had all come out and left it naked as I was born
After I had been sick 3 or four days I sent for Ann Eliza to come and see
me. I sent by William Dailey a young man of my acquaintance one of our
neighbors he was vary kind to me while I was sick and spent a great deal of
time taking care of me which I shall ever feel grateful to him for.
When he came to her house and saw her, she felt a delicasy about it thinking
that people would talk about her and her sister Ann Mariah wanted to oome so
she came much to my disappointment and dissatisfaction, as soon as I heard
her voice in the other room I immediately told her to go home and send Ann
Eliza for it was her that I wanted to see so after staying all night in the
morning she started and in a short time Ann Eliza came but I did not know
her until near night the first that I knew of her was she was helping mother
move her bed which was standing in the oposite side of the room from mine.
She had had her bed moved 2 or 3 times the same day, and she was teaseing
Ann Eliza to turn the room up side down. I saw how childish she was (for she
had the ague) and immediately told her to stop moving things for it troubled
me and did mother no good so she sat down by my bed and kept the flies off
from me as she had been doing while thare or she since told me. I had
watchess at night. The night she was there In the night she heard me
groaning she got up and looked down through the cracks of the floor and
discovered the satchess both asleep and the mosquitoes were tormenting me to
distraction having no power to resist them. She immediately awoke Mary Ann
my sister and they came down and discharged the watch-ess and took care of
me themselves as I was afterwards told I had one Job Pierce to watch me one
night and he wore a pair of heavy boots and to keep from going to sleep he
would walk the floor while he walked I would plead with mother to stop
pounding my head so, but he could not think what aled me till father awoke
and told him to take off his boots. When I got better I was telling how
mother pounded me. When I was told that the pounding was Jobs boots and from
that time on I determined never to wear boots while I was watching a person
who was vary sick.
Edwin Mason was a great friend of mine in my sickness also Orvil Barnesson
they stood over me the most of the time days and took the best of care of me
which will never be forgotten by me and may God grant for Jesus sake that
they may have their reward This is a principle which I have ever sought to
cherish never to forget a friend in kneed or a kindness in time of trouble
The 9th day my senses came to me and with them came the most excruciating
pain which lasted about an hour When the Doctor came and gave me a little
blue pill which I have since thought was opium when the pain ceased Orvil
Barns was presant soon after this he asked me if I could not eat a piece of
water melon I answered I could he went to the garden and got a good ripe one
which when I began to taste seemed to give me new life which caused him to
express great joy The doctor that administered to me was a good man for all
the trouble he was to for me and my family he charged me nothing his name
was Upjohn He visited me once a day with his brother William all the time
till I was considered out of danger
This was a time of great Affliction and sorrow, for years I was troubled
with the ague at intervals and rheumatism.
This was in the year 1838 the llth day of August that I was first taken with
the fever, the ague lasted me all winter ownly a week or two at a time,
during which time I made sash windows and finished of the most of the house
during the winter and spring and made some splint baskets. In the summer I
went out to George Barnses mill to work for my board for mother thought it
was time that I was doing something for a liveing but yet I very feeble my
ceatons ware vary sore and traveling about to work tired me but I gained
strength sloly I soon got so that I could drive a team and I went several
times to battle creek and Marshall with timber and shingles in the fall I
went to making churns in company with Colonel Barns his father on Gull
Prarie he found the lumber and the iron work and boarded me and had half I
made 19 churns and done considerable otter work he settled with me and paid
me honorably out of Joshua Moshers store and this was whare I got my wedding
cloathes.
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