Mt. Morris
Mt. Morris
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Mt. Morris Local History Mount Morris, while being one of the earliest townships to receive settlers, was one of the latest to be separately organized, its lands having formed a part of Flushing and Genesee until 1855. From 1833 to 1836 its territory was a part of Grand Blanc Township. It was under the jurisdiction of Flint Township from 1836 to 1838, when it was divided between Flushing and Genesee. The first ripples of the oncoming tide of immigration reached the lands of Mount Morris in May, 1833. In that month “Uncle Ben” Pearson, of Avon, Livingston County, NY, purchased lands on sections 25 and 36. Shortly afterwards there arrived at Todd’s tavern on Flint river, which was Mr. Pearson’s headquarters, four men – Lewis Buckingham, John Pratt, Isaac N. Robinson and Richard Marvin, from Mount Morris, Livingston County, NY, - who were also in search of lands. Happy in the prospect of securing neighbors, Mr. Pearson guided them to the neighborhood of his claims, about four miles north of Flint on the Saginaw road, where all except Marvin entered lands and later settled. This was the beginning of the “Cold Water settlement.” The first dwelling erected in this settlement on lands in Mount Morris was that of Mr. Pearson, upon the northeast corner of section 36. In this settlement was kept the first school in the township. It was taught in the house of Lewis Buckingham by Miss Sarah Curtis as early as the winter of 1835-36. There were some eight or ten pupils. In 1836 or 1837, the children of the settlement went to a log school house built on section 31 in Genesee Township, in which the first teacher was Miss Harriet Hoyes. Soon afterward another log school house was built on Moses Camp’s farm, on section 19 in Genesee Township, in which it is claimed Newton Robinson taught the first school. The first school house in Mount Morris Township was not built until about 1848. At this settlement also was formed the earliest religious association of the township, in 1834. Among the prominent Mount Morris members were John Pratt and Charles N. Beecher. The society was Presbyterian, but anyone was counted a member who helped to pay the preacher. A church was built here as early as 1836, where services were held for twenty years. The first pastor was Elder Cobb. During 1834, 1835 and 1836 the “Cold Water settlement” was considerably increased by new arrivals, among whom were Lyman G. Buckingham, Alanson and Luther Dickinson, Ashael Beach, Daniel Curtis, Ezekiel R. Ewing, Charles N. Beecher, Edwin Cornwell, Frederick Walker and Henry Parker. Previous to 1840 there had arrived in the east half of the township Rodman W. Albro, Manley Miles, Lyman G. Buckingham, Alanson Dickinson, William Pierson, John Rusco, near Devil’s Lake, Jesse Clark, Porter Flemings, John Pratt, Daniel Curtis and his father-in-law Bacon, Luther Trickey, who had been here two or three years, Juba Barrows, Elder Cobb, of the Presbyterian church, Daniel Andrews, Pratt’s brother-in-law, Humphrey Hunt, Charles N. Beecher, who owned a large tract of land, Edwin Cornwell, Linus Atkins, ? Twogood, William Woolfit, Frederick Walker, Henry Barber, George Schofield, with a large family of sons, William Bodine and Richard Johnson. In the west half of the township were James Armstrong, Abial C. Bliss, Sylvester Beebe, William Chase, Jacob Dehn, Ezekiel R. Ewing, Nathaniel Hopson, William H. Hughes, Dominick Kelly, Vincent Runyon, Russell Welsch and Alvin Wright, who were all there prior to 1840. The settlement made in October, 1836, by Frederick Walker on section 12, was the first made on the site of the later village of Mount Morris. Mr. Walker was an Englishman, who had lived for some time in Dutchess County, New York. When the post office was established he became the first postmaster, the office being kept at his house. In the beginning there was little to indicate this as the place for a village, but its destiny was decided when in 1857 it was designated as a station on the Flint & Pere Marquette railroad. The
township takes its name from Mount Morris, Livingston County, NY. When it was
erected into a separate township in 1855 the meeting for the election of
officers was held in an old abandoned log house which stood on the west half of
the northwest quarter of section 34. The whole number of votes polled at this
election was seventy-four, and the following officers were chosen: Supervisor,
Ezekiel R. Ewing; township clerk, Bradford P. Foster; treasurer, Samuel R.
Farnham; justices of the peace, Frederick Walker, H. S. Root and Daniel
Pettengill; highway commissioners, Alanson Payson, Rodman W. Albro and H. S.
Root; school inspectors, G. L. Ewing and J. L. Deland; overseers of the poor,
Alanson Payson and William S. Pierson; constable, E. L. Johnson |
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