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BATTLE CREEK BY A. D. P. VAN BUREN
The family left the old farm many years ago. The old gentleman and his wife are dead.
In the east and southeast part of Battle Creek we find the following named settlers in 1836, some few may have come a little later. Calling the old roll of this pioneer class who did brave work in settling the town, we find the names of Hermes Sweet, Aranthus Thomas, Robert Mason, Peter Dubois, Fisher Cummings, Wm. McCollum, and his brother Jacob, Isaac Perrine, Thomas Dunton, Vedder Carr, Lyman Godfrey, and Lorenzo Sprague. In the west and southwest part of the township were Mr. Crane, father of Stephen Crane, who sold his farm to Mr. Hart, which his son, Isaac now owns. Further south was Whiteman who killed his wife and died in State prison. Mr. Thornton, his son-in-law, Dr. Orlando Moffatt, Edward Berger, Sidney and Gilbert Sweet, Anson Mapes, his brothers John and Alonzo came later; Alexander Martin, Luther Olds, Jonathan Austin, Arthur Cascaden, Ephraim T. Van Buren, Mr. Cain, near the Lake, Thomas Kenney, Mr. Stephenson, Mr. Annis, Mr. Beadle, Isaac Hiscock, just over the line in Leroy, Hiram Holcomb and John Crumb, Joseph Stewart who came earlier than 1836, I believe; Mr. Laraway, Charles Allen, who died a few years after he came here, Jonathan Payne, who married Mrs. Allen; Lloyd Porter came some years later. There may be others whose names I have forgotten, but these were the principal settlers in Battle Creek at that period.
I get the following incident from Dea. Isaac Mason. While lie was living on the Lloyd Porter farm in Deacon Case's neighborhood; one Sunday morning as he was harnessing his horses to the wagon, to drive to church, Leonard Starkweather junior, called out to him from the road—"Dea. Mason, gel your gun and come along with me; I am on track of a bear, he has just killed a hog for me, and I'm going to kill him. Come on!" The deacon replied "I have no gun. "
Michigan
Page 61
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