THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION
September 1965. Volume 1, Number 1:

THE FIRST AND THE LATEST

The newest resident of Sebewa Center is Cheryl Lynn Carr, daughter of LaVern and Helen Carr, born in Ionia on August 29. It seems that without a maternity hospital, Sebewa will have no more-well planned births. It was not always this way. Sebewa’s first white settlers’ baby was Martin Van Burer Terrill (Grandfather of Lester Campbell of Portland), born to John F. and Polly (Ingalls) Terrill on November 13, 1838. Polly was the daughter of Jonathan Ingalls, the only revolutionary War soldier to be buried in Sebewa. His grave is marked by a roadside stone a half mile south of the Sebewa Corners Methodist Church. He lived from 1762 to 1843. (The Sebewa Cemetery was not established until 1858). He came from New Hampshire as one of Sebewa’s early settlers. The Daughters of the American Revolution, Ionia Chapter, set the marker in 1921.

MAKING WAY FOR THE NEW

One of the oldest houses of Sebewa now stands in the way of a new home, almost completed, on the Philip Spitzley farm. The old house was built by Jacob Showerman and has well served several generations of his descendants. Ben Probasco was born in that house as was his father, Eugene, before him. Eugene’s mother was Deborah Showerman. Before the sale of the farm to Mr. Spitzley, this was one of Sebewa’s Centennial Farms, granted a certificate by the Michigan Historical Commission, attesting the ownership in the same family for 100 years.”

OPEN HOUSE

Plans are in progress to celebrate the formation of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION and its acquisition of the School House corner with a Sunday afternoon Open House in mid October. Committee will soon be named to plan for the event. Further information will be supplied when the plans have been developed.

Solicitation for funds for the building purchase will be made at or previous to the open house. Nobody is going to be assessed or told what he should donate for this purpose. All contributions must be voluntary in the best sense of that word.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR, Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION;
October 1965. Volume 1, Number 2:

OPEN HOUSE AND HOBBY-HEIRLOOM SHOW

To celebrate the acquisition of the Sebewa Center school property, The Sebewa Center Association will hold open house with a hobby-heirloom and old time articles show on Sunday, October 17. The hours will be 2:00 to 5:00 P.M. at the schoolhouse. A refreshment committee will arrange light refreshments. Everybody is invited (with the exception noted below). Bring your friends…….

……If antique dealers appear at this show of the community’s heirlooms, our security police have been instructed to lock them in the northwest brick pavilion (free bread and water) until all displays have been safely returned from whence they came.

OUR STRENGTH, THE MEMBERSHIP LIST

Robert E. Gierman, Vern Bullen, Mr. & Mrs. Maurice Gierman, Pauline Gierman, Mae Gierman, Christine Jarchow, Helen York, Mr. & Mrs. Homer Downing, Joel York, Lucille Esch, Robert W. Gierman, Mr. & Mrs. Elmer Gierman, Ruth Seybold, Martha Gierman, Mr. & Mrs. George Carr, Mrs. & Mrs. Charles Gierman, Stanley C. Sayer, Mr. & Mrs. LaVern Carr, Mr. & Mrs. Clarence Sayer, Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Coe, Mr. & Mrs. Harlan Leifheit, Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan Pumplin, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Wenger, Elfa Creighton, Geneva Kneale, Mr. & Mrs. Theo Bulling, Nora Sindlinger, Ardell Ward, Mr. & Mrs. Allen J. Cross, Mr. & Mrs. John Shay, Mr. & Mrs. Wilbur Gierman, Mr. & Mrs. Maynard Gierman & Family, Ruby Wekenman, Mr. & Mrs. Howard Meyers & Family, Mabel Ralston, Theo Lenon, Mr. & Mrs. John York, Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Petrie, Reba Thuma, Mr. & Mrs. Lyle Ingall, Howard Cross, Mr. & Mrs. Ora J. Walkington, Richard Droste, Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Buchner, Mr. & Mrs. Ben Probasco, Jan Gierman, Mr. & Mrs. E. H. Kenyon, Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Stambaugh, Harold Meyers, Dora (VanderPoel) Tysse, Mr. & Mrs. Wesley Meyers, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Speas & Stephen, Linda Meyers, Bernard H. York, Bernice Gunn, Ronald S. York, Gladys Shaffer, John Rodney York, William Anderson, Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Heintzleman & Family”

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THAT PLACE?

When you pass Portland Road, traveling M 66 do you ever wonder what is the name of the little cemetery on the knoll back from the southwest corner? You may tell your friends, “That is the Alderman Cemetery”. The last burial there saw the casket borne from the road by the bearers. Formerly there was a driveway to the cemetery but it has long since disappeared. ‘Tis said the badgers have not been content to let the dead lie in peace.

INDUSTRY IN SEBEWA

Sebewa has long been a township of farmers and only occasionally has provided the ecomonic base for non-farm incomes. When high line electricity became available in the 1930’s it seemed that every farm building had become a potential factory. In the almost 30 years for the possibility to develop, only Lyle Ingall, living on Goddard Road just south of Tupper Lake Road, has such a full time business.

In 1954, Lyle built a cement block building to house some machinery that would give him part time work when he could arrange to subcontract requiring a screw machine operation. He had previously worked at Lundberg Screw Products Company in Lansing and at Michigan Magnetics in Vermontville. By December of 1957 he had given up outside employment and started full time in his Ingall Machine Products.

Now he uses 30 horse power to process as much as 200,000 pounds of steel a year making small parts (all less than one pound) for the auto industry. If you drive Corvair, Pontiac, Ford, G.M.C. transportation, the chances are good that some of his products are with you. At peak times he has as many as three part time helpers including sons Dan and David.

Besides subcontracts for Lake Odessa Machine Products Co., The Brown Corporation, The Bliss Company, and Hastings Manufacturing Company, Lyle produces a line of boating accessories sold under the trade name of La-Ko Marine accessories. Included is an oar holder, a patented item, for holding oars securely in a boat while it is being transported. He developed this gadget after breaking his windshield from carrying oars inside his car……Dan Ingalls lives nearby and farms 625 acres of crops (corn and beans this year) in Sebewa and Sunfield Townships. David is Assistant to the Registrar of Senior Analyst in Curriculum Research at Michigan State University. Mrs. Lyle Ingall teaches at the Coon School in Berlin Township.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
December 1965, Volume 1, Number 3.

Robert W. Gierman, Editor:

THE OPEN HOUSE

The October 17 open house was a warm and pleasant send-off for The Sebewa Center Association. Probably the schoolhouse that day had more people visit it than it ever saw in any one day of all its 82 active years of existence…….

…….Visitors came from a wide circle. Mrs. Etta (Pettingill) Allen came from Perry, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence McNeil from Lansing, Mrs. Allena Keifer from Harrison, Mr. and Mrs. Zack York and Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Jarchow from Kalamazoo, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gierman and Frederick from Grand Rapids, Mr. and Mrs.Henry Tysse (Dora Vander Poel) from Holland, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Meyers from Charlotte, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Heintzleman and family with Dr. and Mrs. Waldo Frankenstein from Bellevue, Mrs. Freda Davern and Mrs. Ardie Ludwick from Pewamo with many from Ionia, Portland, Sunfield and Lake Odessa.

LOG HOUSES

……..Not many Sebewa residents can claim birth in a log cabin. However, Mrs. Fern Olry, who sold the Olry centennial farm to Grayden and Anne Slowins, was born in a Sebewa log house. The house stood near the Goddard Schoolhouse on the Reva Cook farm.

THE FAMILY NAMES CHANGE A BIT

Sebewa family names have not always suited the people who held them. Over a period of many years, some of the names in one way or another have changed: Erdman was Earthoan, Sexton was Seckstone, Tran was Trann, Gierman was Giermann, Carr was Kartuski, Slowins was Slowinski, Heintzelman or Heintzleman (take your choice). Also Harvey Benschoter, after attending law school and studying genealogy of the family, decided VanBenschoten was the proper name.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION;
August 1966, Volume 2, Number 1.

Robert W. Gierman, Editor:

THEY ROLLED UP THE CURTAIN IN 1907 by Zack L. York – When the Sebewa Town Hall was painted a few years ago, some rough framing on the ceiling of the stage, with spaced slots were torn out and a roll-up curtain with a tangle of ropes and pulleys was removed. Thus passed into near oblivion the evidence of Sebewa Center’s Theatre effort spanning some 60 years. In the winter of 1907 the Sebewa Grange “put on” several plays in the Town Hall to earn money to raise the roof of the structure to provide a second story, destined to be the home of the Sebewa Grange.

When getting ready to paint the hall, Wilfred Gierman wondered if we should keep the old roll curtain, which was all that was left of the “scenery” built for the early plays. I, of course, said, “Yes! Of course!” Sentimental? I suppose so, but neither of us was willing to see it discarded. For want of a better place, we stored it in the loft of our garage where it has been since and nearly forgotten until I began writing this story of Sebewa Center’s first Theatre. I got it down the other day and unrolled it. The curtain, done in the manner of all roll-up curtains at the turn of the century and in the style considered highly desirable in establishing atmosphere and authenticity in any contemporary revivals of old melodrama, is in excellent condition.

From what I remember hearing from my father (Harry L. York) and corroborated by Rob Gierman, (now 85 and one of the only two members remaining of this Thespian group---the other being Asa Cassel) the curtain as well as the other flats were painted by Roy Ralston. Roy was 16 or 17 at the time and was a “hired man” of my father’s and had acquired from somewhere the know-how to construct and paint the scenery, including the curtain. He evidently knew his craft, for the curtain is still in good shape, the colors clear---though somewhat faded---and the paint pliable and unflaked. Painting scenery is an art and a good deal of style and craftsmanship is evident in the execution of this act curtain.

The center of the curtain is an oval sylvan scene of water, trees and distant hills flanked by advertising signs framed in scrolls and curlycues. Directly above the scene and in what would probably be considered the most desirable spot on the curtain is the sign which reads: GEORGE A. CREASER, COMPLETE STOCK OF JEWELRY AND OPTICAL GOODS---10 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN WATCH REPAIRING AND FITTING GLASSES. THIS IS WHAT COUNTS---GOODS & WORK FULLY GUARANTEED.

Directly below the sylvan scene the sign reads: F. N. CORNELL, DEALER IN GENERAL MDSE. WHOLESALE SHIPPER PRODUCE. SHOES & RUBBER GOODS---LADIES & GENTS FURNISHINGS. CORNER STORE.

On the right at the top was: MISS FIGG---ALL THE BEST STYLES---WORK GUARANTEED---MILLINERY. And below was: HOTEL WALSH---F. E. JONES PROP. RATES $2.00 PER DAY. Then E.L. COLE---HARDWARE, PAINTS, STOVES, CROCKERY. FURNACE---STEAM AND HOT WATER HEATING---PLUMBING AND TIN WORK. At the bottom right corner appears SMOKERS DELIGHT---LA ROLA 10 CENTS. ELITE LITTLE GENTLEMAN 5 CENTS---C. N. SNOBBLE, MGR. To Snobble’s left was: LUDWIG HAHL---HORSE SHOEING---CARRIAGE & WAGON REPAIRING, PRICES RIGHT. The top two positions at the left were taken by: J. P. TURNER---IMPLEMENT DEALER. To the left of Turner: FOR FURNITURE---CALL ON---BERA & MAPES---CARPETS RUGS MATTING SEWING MACHINES & SUPPLIES.

………“Three or four plays” were produced by the members of the Sebewa Center Grange under the direction of Charlie Lundquist, who lived on his farm at Sunfield and Tupper Lake Roads. Some of the members of the Grange who were in casts of one or more of the plays were: Joe and Alice Bliss (Joe was usually the villain), Charlie and Hattie Ralston; Elem and Sarah Tran, George Bitterman, Earl Pettingill, Ruby Smith (who taught school and boarding with Minnie Gunn), Dulcie Showerman, Rob Gierman, Cora Gierman (She was usually the ingénue), Harry York, Asa Cassel and Fred Sindlinger. After playing two nights at the Center the group sometimes “toured”, playing on different occasions several of the plays at Sebewa Corners Odd Fellow Hall, Danby Grange Hall, Sunfield (above Louie Hahl’s Blacksmith Shop) and to Portland in the old “Opera House” above Kennedy’s (later Lehman’s) Clothing Store and the adjacent hardware store………

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
October 1966, Volume 2, Number 2:

SEBEWA CENTER METHODIST CHURCH TO MARK 75TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A HOMECOMING

November 8, 1891 was the date of the dedication of the Sebewa Center Methodist Church. Sunday, October 30, has been chosen as the time to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the event…….Everybody is invited and former pastors are urged to attend the Sunday service conducted by Rev. Clinton Galloway at 10:30 AM……

SEBEWA BAPTISTS BUILD IN ODESSA

The Sebewa Baptist Church is building a parsonage near the site of the old-time traveler’s in at “Pine Tree Corners” at Bippley Road and M66 in Odessa Township. For hears a house a quarter mile east of the church on the corner of the Lapo farm was the church parsonage. During the depression years the church was without a resident pastor, the parsonage was rented and finally it burned…..

WEST SEBEWA CHURCH OF CHRIST ENLARGING CHURCH EDIFICE

A start has been made by the Church of Christ of West Sebewa to enlarge the church building by adding Sunday School rooms, a Baptistry and rest rooms to the north side of the church…….This church was dedicated December 28, 1902 with its organization largely inspired by the efforts of Benjamin C. Peacock…….

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
August 1967, Volume 3, Number 1:

OPEN HOUSE FOR MRS. DELLA POST---HER 90TH BIRTHDAY

On Sunday, August 6 there will be an open house for Della Post at 408 Hill Street in Ionia, beginning at 1:30 PM. Hill Street runs east off Jefferson north of Lincoln. August 7 is her 90th birthday. Della will welcome her Sebewa friends. Birthday cards are in order.

ANOTHER OF OUR MEMBERS LOST BY DEATH

Mrs. Virginia (Cross) Wood died at home in Portland on July 28. She is survived by her husband, Robert, Kathy, her ten-year-old daughter and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Cross. She was 42 years old.

RETURNEES

“When we retire we’ll come back to Sebewa”: The pressures of city living are perhaps making this statement spoken more seriously now than ever. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Sears have nearly completed a fine new home on the Sears farm on Sunfield Highway and have now moved in. Wallace razed the old house before starting to build. The new house being built on the Clarksville Road in Section 1 is for Mr. and Mrs. Tom Breimayer of Portland. A welcome to Sebewa.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
October 1967, Volume 3, Number 2:

FOR SALE AND DIRT CHEAP---MAYBE

Lyle and Mildren Ingall are remodeling their house and in doing so they are replacing several windows. They have a number of frames, windows and storm windows that have been in use since 1940 that could be of use in some type of building. Give them a ring at 374-8425 Lake Odessa Route 3.

The Ingall house is the one pictured in Schenck’s History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties (1881) as the one belonging to the Goddard family. An insert shows the log house it succeeded. Lyle says the house was built in 1864 and was once used as an inn. The upstairs rooms were small and off a long hallway to accommodate the maximum number of guests. This seems to be another indication that State Road south from Ionia once avoided the mucklands of the township line and swung into Sebewa Township on the high ground before going south from Woodbury. Woodbury was not much of a settlement at that time. It developed after the C. K. & S. (Chicago, Kalamazoo and Saginaw) Railroad joined the Pere Marquette at that point.

LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD

One of Sebewa’s young men of the 1870’s was Ephraim Shay. He was a nephew of Ephriam Probasco and thus also a nephew of Benjamin Probasco, a cousin to Gene Probasco, who was the father of Ben Probasco, who now lives on the Centennial Farm on Sunfield Highway.

Ephriam once lived with his family on Cassel Road and later he owned land in the northwest corner of section 21. He was employed at the Gunn Brothers sawmill when it operated in section 22. He is remembered as being dreamy and thoughtful. At home his talents expressed themselves by his rigging up a treadmill for an ox to power the family churn. Another turn of mind caused him to ease some of the shock of winter by lining the seat of the family privy with fleecy sheepskin.

In the township records the name of Ephriam Shay appears as Township Clark in 1867.

By the early 80’s the Gunn Mill had finished with the choice timber of this locality and it was moved north to Wexford County. Shay went with it. In the years that followed he developed a steam engine for logging on a narrow gauge railway. His engine proved better than similar designs. A company in Ohio was licensed to build the engines. One of the Shay steamers is in a permanent logging display in a park at Cadillac.

Again Shay went north---this time to Harbor Springs where again he was a lumberman. Today at Harbor Springs as you enter from the east you can see a large boulder on the north side of the road with a metal plaque inscribed “Shay Memorial Park”. Through this little park is the roadbed of Shay’s old narrow gauge railway. Before the logging in that area was ended, Harbor Springs had become a tourist center. Tourist began asking for the 30-mile ride on the logging train---even with the loaded cars of logs. Ephriam soon accompdated the tourists with some passenger coaches and made regular runs many miles back into the logging country.

At Harbor Springs, Shay built a house and office that was known as the 8-sided steel house. The office in the upper part of the house commanded a view in every direction. The logging business prospered and Shay became a millionaire. One expression of his affluence was a Sears Roebuck automobile. Actually it was a motorized buggy with hard rubber tires and a stick for steering. It served the purpose of the times.

The fortune did not last long after Ephriam’s death. Heavy investments in a truck company at Traverse City that never paid a dividend nor returned the capital investment and scarcely produced a truck, left the bulk of it depleted.

Although now Ephriam is long gone, his out-of-the-ordinary house remains and can be seen next to the Harbor Springs Indian Museum. It now houses the fashionable Adelaide Dress Shop of Harbor Springs and Florida.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
February 1968, Volume 3, Number 4:

THE SEBEWA MICHI-FLORIDIANS

Few will question that Michigan winters leave something to be desired and much of that something, sunshine and its heat, is to be found in Florida in the winter time.

Consequently it is not difficult to make up a considerable list of local citizens who are, or have been, gratifying their desires with a winter vacation in Florida. West Sebewa ranks high in numbers. Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth C. Creighton and Linda were the starters. Following at various times have been Mr. and Mrs. John Lich, Mr. and Mrs. Arlow Aves, and by camper, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Avery and Mr. and Mrs. Homer Downing. Linda and Larry Lich started most recently.

Swinging around the Township we have Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Kenyon, Mr. and Mrs. Don Benschoter, Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Stambaugh, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Petrie and Mary, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Thrams, Mrs. Susan Haddix, Dale Steward and Jeff, Mr. and Mrs. Viverne Cook. As winter residents of Bonita Springs are Mr. and Mrs. Theo Bulling.

Making a list exposes one to error and omission, so our apologies to anybody left out. It seems likely that Mr. and Mrs. Francis Warner could also be found at Bonita Springs.

NEW RESIDENTS

If we speak of the Greiner farm, later the John C. Joynt farm followed by the Ross Tran Farm, it would seem that nearly all our readers would know what 90 acres we were talking about. Recently Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Shaffer sold the farm to Ken Seybold. Ken promptly sold the house with a lot to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hyland. The Hylands formerly lived on the Clarksville Road between Petrie Road and Keefer Highway.

CLEANUP ON THE CORNER

John York has replaced the barn that was destroyed by the tornado last April. The new structure is a pole barn on the foundation of the old barn. Wayne Brown and crew erected the building.

SEBEWA, A VIEW FROM SUNFIELD

By Theo Lenon

I have been asked by Wilfred Gierman to put some thoughts about my early impressions of Sebewa Township, particularly of the area of the Sebewa Center School.

While I never lived in Sebewa, I have had a wide acquaintance there for a good many years. My first contact with the people of Sebewa started in the fall of 1914 when I started high school in Sunfield. I came from four miles south of Sunfield and at that time, even the adults didn’t have a wide acquaintance, as they have today but I quickly came to know the students from Sebewa.

My mind runs back to Elmer Gierman, Verne Guy, the Joynt brothers and their sister, Muriel, Olga Stinchcomb, Margaret Vanderpoel, Glen Smith, Clyde Smith, Alton Gunn, Ross Tran, Burr Duffy, Bernice Collier, Homer Downing and his sisters, the twins, Ila and Ione and Mamie Williams. Of course there were several more whose names have slipped my mind. Although the people from south of Sunfield referred to the residents of Sebewa Township as “Those Sebewa Swamp Angels”, I don’t think a more solid or substantial group of citizens were ever settled together in a community than this group.

It seems that the communities were divided into groups by names such as the Gunns: Fred Gunn, Alton Gunn, George Gunn, Emory Gunn and Ike Gunn. Another family was that of Charles Gierman and his sons, Elmer, Carl, George and Robert; and Elem Tran, father of Ross Tran; the Ralstons, Charles and Joe; Jacob Sayer and son, Clarence; Ed Demaray, Glen Olry, William Smith and sons, Clifton, Clyde, Glen and Burton; John Brownfield; the Showerman family, consisting of Hugh, Frank and Ernest; Gene Probasco and his son, Ben; Theron McNeil and his brother, Bert McNeil; James Cassel and his sons, Vernie, Frank and Nig; Zeke Downing and his sons, Homer and Vernon. And to continue, there was John Joynt; Stacy and Orville Brown and another very strong family, the Petries: Clayton Petrie and his sons, William, George, Ray and Carl…..

…….The young people who read this might be interested to know who now lives on the places where the families I have mentioned did live. Clarence Sayer now lives on his father’s (Jacob) farm. George Carr lives on the Gierman homestead. Mrs. Alton Gunn lives on the Fred Gunn place; Ruby Wekenman lives on the Charles Ralston farm; Grayden Slowins is on the Olry farm. Ray Thuma is on the Brown Bros. farm; Phil Spitzley on the Frank Showerman place; William Colby owns the Zeke Downing farm; George Petrie on the Brownfield place; and Kenneth Seybold on the Emory Gunn farm.

WRONG MAN LAID TO REST

In our December issue in the article about West Sebewa by Dora Johnson, an error in punctuation let Evangelist Humphrey breathe his last at the church meeting when actually it was a local old time, John Cook, who died in church. He was known as “Old Doc Cook”.

DRESSING UP THE VITAL STATISTICS

“Born to”, “It’s a Boy” and “It’s a Girl” have become the standard treatment for newspaper announcements of the newly born of the present generation. It was not always so. Culled from the news items of the PORTLAND OBSERVER from 1873 to 1885 are the following birth announcements of Sebewa babies born during that period, reflecting the hopes and joys of parents and correspondents alike. Obviously there were many births during that time that were not mentioned in the local items.

Born in Sebewa September 26, 1873, to the wife of Mr. Bowers Peabody, a son and daughter. April 13, 1875. A few mornings since, we are informed, Mr. D. W. Goddard of Sebewa for many years a supervisor of that town, arose, and going to the door, found a basket containing a girl baby about three days old. Not wishing to adopt the young hopeful, he took it to the poorhouse at Ionia, but as infants are not admitted to that institution while so young, the little stranger was taken back and will probably find a home with Mr. Goddard’s family for the present. It is not known who is the mother of the child. In Sebewa, to the wife of Daniel Dorance, a daughter, May 9, 1876. On the 26th inst. To the wife of Tracy Ostrander, of Sebewa, a son. One more Democrat in Sebewa. On Thanksgiving morning a fine young Democrat arrived at the home of Mr. Anson Rebedue. December 5, 1876.

Born in Sebewa April 4 to the wife of Luman Smith, a daughter. April 10, 1877.

Born to the wife of E. B. Buckman on Tuesday, March 19, a girl. April 2, 1878.

Born in Sebewa, on the 7th inst. To the wife of C. P. Cook, a daughter, weight 8 ½ pounds. April 9, 1878. Arrived at the home of Frank Congleton (a few days since) a young Democrat. 4-30-78. Among the late arrivals we note a Greenbacker at the residence of Dennis Gunn and a daughter at the S. B. VanNockers. March 11, 1879.

Walker Downing had a large fortune fall on him Sunday last, March 8. It was a boy that flips the beam at 9#.

John Smock also wears the care of a parent, for it is his first boy. December 10, ’79. Born to the wife of Albert Meyers, a daughter. November 19, 1879.

Josiah Smith steps around as if walking on air. It’s a fine daughter this time. December 10, 1879.

Henry Reeder’s wife lately presented her husband with a span of twins. 2-4-1880.

A young mail carrier and prospective president of the U. S. has made his appearance at Marshall L. Nichols’ house on the 27th inst. He is going to board with Marshall for a while. February 4, 1880. Lon Lapo probably thinks there is material enough in that 1-pound boy of his to bloom into a future president or supervisor, and no one blames him for it. 2-11-1880.

Born in Sebewa on the 29th inst. To the wife of Allen Olmstead, a daughter. 3-31-1880.

Born to the wife of Samuel Shilton of Sebewa, a girl, weight 10 pounds. Samuel is happy. July 7, 1880.

Born in Sebewa on the 17th inst. To the wife of John Olry, a 9 ½ pound boy. 5-18-1881.

Paul Wood wears an extremely benedictive look lately, and why not? It’s an eight pound daughter. August 24, 1881.

Born to the wife of Salem Ostrander, Sebewa on the 10th inst., a daughter.

Born to the wife of Ira Fuller, Sebewa a daughter on the 22nd ist. January 25, 1882.

Born---unto the wife of Mr. Samuel Shilton on the 29th a girl, the usual weight. November 1, 1882.

Mr. E. Kenyon is the happy recipient of a bouncing wood chopper---usual weight. March 28, 1883.

Mr. William Heintzelman is the recipient of a bouncing baby boy. May 9, 1883.

Many of our citizens failed to see Jumbo. We don’t know how to help them out unless they come over to Thomas Little’s and see little Jumbo, a boy, weight nine pounds. July 3, 1883.

Born to Rush Baldwin and wife October 13, 1883, a boy.

Bert Sexton is papa. It is a girl. April 30, 1884.

Matt Knolls is happy. It’s a girl. June 18, 1884.

Hello! Anson Rebedue says he is $500 better off this morning. It’s a fine daughter. June 18, 1884.

Born in Sebewa, July 4th, 1884 to Mr. and Mrs. John Simons, twins, both girls.

Born July 3rd to the wife of Robert Barry, a daughter, weight three pounds. 7-9-1884.

Dr. Waring and wife have welcome company. It’s a fine girl. July 1, 1884.

Ira Knolls has a fine son. July 30, 1884.

A brand new baby at Ben Shilton’s. It’s a boy. January 21, 1885.

Born in Sebewa March 31 to Mr. and Mrs. James Crowell a six pound girl. 4-15-1885.

If you please, Oscar Sholtus will be called daddy in the future. It’s a girl of usual weight. April 22, 1885.

Christian Sindlinger is happy. It’s a fine boy. April 29, 1885.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
June 1968, Volume 3, Number 6:

ANNUAL MEETING AND REUNION COMING UP SATURDAY, JUNE 8

The Sebewa Center Association constitution calls for the annual meeting to fall on the second Saturday in June, the traditional date of the Sebewa Center School Reunion. This will be the third annual meeting of the Association.

THEY WILL BE MISSED

In 1965-66 we recorded no deaths among our membership. The figures caught up with us this spring. In mid-April was the death of Clyde H. Smith, 71 and that of Volney Thuma, 53. On May 14 were the deaths of Ralph Coe, 67 and Robert E. Gierman, 86.

THE TRAVIS SCHOOL CENTENNIAL

The Travis School Centennial Committee is sponsoring a homecoming centennial at the schoolhouse on the corner of Sunfield and Clarksville roads, on Sunday, June 23, 1968 to mark 100 years operation of that school. A potluck dinner will be served at 1:30 P.M. All the old timers of the district and others who have ties with the school are urged to be present for the event. We suggest you do not wait for the bicentennial a hundred years hence.

The Centennial Committee is composed of Mrs. Leon Normington, Mrs. Joyce Luscher, Mrs. Myron Guy, Joe Cassel, Mrs. Lionel Normington, Elmer Creighton and Ed Kenyon. Pictures and momentoes of the past in the district are solicited for display on this occasion.

In 1867, Andrew B. Travis owned the 40 acres on the opposite corner from the schoolhouse. Some other large tracts of land in the district were still in the hands of land speculators. The school district took its name from Mr. Travis. His family came to the district from Ohio in 1862. Mrs. (Temperance) Travis was the mother of blind Johnny Smith, who was so well known around the township for his musical entertainments and classes in singing and instrumental music. Johnny sold parlor organs and made many deliveries in the Sebewa area. Mrs. Travis died in 1885 and after a few years, Mr. Travis moved from this neighborhood.

The names of Miller, Oatley, Smith, Ames, Powell, Ostrander, Harvey, Pierce, Treece and others were real estate owners and residents of the district in the late 1860’s.

The Travis schoolhouse was often found useful for purposes other than holding classes. On Febrary 1, 1876 the wife of Salem Ostrander, a young married lady of Sewewa was buried on Friday last, 28th ult. The funeral was held in the Travis schoolhouse. Sunday religious meetings and evening revivals were often scheduled there before some of the area churches were built.

STORIES TOLD BY MR. AND MRS. BENJAMIN PROBASCO

(Stories as told to Nellie Meyers about 1900 by the elder Benjamin and the third Mrs. Probasco---nee Boyer.)

When Mr. Probasco was only sixteen years old, he, although not a soldier in the Mexican War bought a soldier’s warrant from his brother, signed by Zachary Taylor and took up 160 acres of land in Sebewa. It was some years after that he came here from Ohio accompanied by Emory Gunn, Theodore Gunn’s brother, hunting his own land.

They went to Eleazer Brown to get him to act as guide, which he was accustomed to do but being sick, was unable to go. He directed them to John Estep, who then lived on the southeast corner of section 15. Besides directing Mr. Probasco to his land, he offered him a tame deer. But as Mr. Probasco had no way to take care of it then, he was obliged to refuse the gift.

His 160 acres was the northwest quarter of section 22. He cleared sixty acres here and built a log house and the barns, which are still standing, although remodeled. (This was the barn belonging to Mrs. Bernice Gunn that was destroyed in the tornado of April 21, 1967).

Mr. Probasco can tell stories of Johnston the Methodist circuit rider and Jackson the Indian interpreter who preached to the whites and Indians at an old log schoolhouse located at the half mile mark on the east side of section 22. Both Mr. and Mrs. Probasco can tell of the meetings at Meshimneconning. They had singing books with the hymns in English on one side of the page and in Indian on the other side. Whites and Indians sang together in their own languages. The Indians seemed to be good Christians and their prayer meetings and preaching services were good.

There was an Indian village on the banks of the river just east of Sebewa Corners known as Meshimneconning or “Little Apple Orchard”. Here there was a mission and a school for the Indians.

Charles Ingalls, Hall Ingalls’ father, who then owned the southeast part of section 15 finally bought out the Indians at Shimnecon. In payment for their land he build them a sawmill somewhere north of here. The Indians did not understand running it, some of them were killed and they abandoned the mill.

Mr. Probasco told how they tried to get the schoolhouse at the center of the township instead of the site a mile east. One year they fitted up his coopershop for a schoolhouse with Luryette Brown (afterwards the second Mrs. Probasco) teaching there…..

FROM THE PROBASCO FAMILY BIBLE RECORD

Jacob Probasco and Mary Shay were joined in the Holy Bonds of matrimony on the 19th day of January in the year of our Lord 1813. Jacob Probasco was born on the 12th day of October A. D. 1793---died July 30, 1840. Mary Shay was born on the 27th day of June A. D. 1795. Their children: 1. John born Febrary 6, 1814; 2. Priscilla November 30, 1813; 3. Phebe February 24, 1818; 4. Henry, Jan. 9, 1820; 5. Sarahan Feb. 22, 1823; 6. Uzel Dec. 29, 1824; 7. George March 3, 1827; 8. Ephriam Feb. 18, 1829; 9. Benjamin April 8, 1831; 10. Mary Jane July 22, 1833; 11. Melissa Cordielye Nov. 27, 1835.

OFFICERS OF THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION

President Robert W. Gierman, R 1, Portland, Mi 48875

Vice President Harlan Leifheit, R 3, Lake Odessa, Mi 48849

Secretary-treasurer Lucille Meyers, R 1, Sunfield, Mi 48890

Trustees: John York, R 1, Portland, Mi 48875 and Wilbur Gierman, R 1, Portland, Mi 48875

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
August 1968. Volume 4, Number 1:

SOME HORSES FROM AROUND SEBEWA CENTER

In the early 1900’s horses were as important for travel and farm power as the automobile and tractor are today. They served well for short trips to town and for buggy trips to visit friends, a ride to church or other community affairs.

Horses had dispositions attuned with their drivers and reflected the care and training they received.

Prince and Bill, a bay team of Rob Gierman’s lived more than twenty years. Bill doubled as a buggy horse more because of his good disposition than his speed. They were replaced by a young black and bay pair named Dick and Polly purchased at Fred McNeil’s sale on the Luscher farm about 1913. This team lasted until they were replaced by the tractor and auto.

Another black and bay of the early 1900’s was Major and Nell owned by Henry Whorley. They furnished the power on 40 acres---the plowing was done by Henry and the cultivating done by Grandpa Jacob until he was more than 80 years old.

Fox was a buggy horse at Fred Gunn’s. In her later years she was purchased by John Joynt to transport William and Muriel to Sunfield High School. When John came to Sebewa from Hope in Midland county, he drove a big team on his sleigh carrying household goods---Pat, a dapple gray and Mike, a sorrel. Fastened behind the sleigh were the Percheron mare, Nell, her 3-year-old daughter, Molly, and her yearling colt. Later the team of Pat and Mike were sold to the Shaffers living south of Sunfield.

Belle Sayer had a very gentle white faced buggy horse named Maude. As the Sayers always started early, Maude could always make it on time at her own easy gait.

The Cassel horses were usually black and moved at a faster step than other teams. This was why Vernie was first to get his oats planted in the spring.

Sindlingers raised many beautiful Percherons. They were loved but never disciplined. Many times Fred was nearly jerked off his load of gran bundles as his team lunged for a morsel of grain slightly out of reach.

Here are some other outstanding horseflesh with some of the names missing from my memory. Dobbin and Colonel, a big brown team of Carl Gierman’s; the iron grays of Hugh Showerman’s, the beautiful bay buggy mare owned by Verah Gunn; the big fast cart horse driven by Fred McNeil and not the least was beautiful Babe that I drove to high school with my future wife. Babe would also double as a saddle horse, but, alas! She was balky on the cultivator.

Many of us remember the black team that George Geisel drove on the grocery wagon from Woodbury. Another pair of blacks hauled the hearse for Harry Mapes. This brings to mind the outstanding horses driven by our minister, Mr. Wynn. He always owned a good driving horse and occasionally sold one at a good profit.

THE LAST DAYS OF HORSE FARMING

By Grayden Slowins

The horses I grew up with in Boston, Berlin and Portland Townships were named Fan, Queen and Nell. Fan and Queen were a medium sized team of blacks, who worked together for many years. Nell was a younger horse, a big gray mare. She was sometimes hitched with the other two on a two on a two-bottom riding plow or a three-section drag. She was originally christened Fran, after my Aunt Frances, but she had to be renames Nell, to avoid confusion when working with Fan. In later years, Queen became so balky and unwilling to work that she went to the glue factory. The team was then Fan and Nell…..

THE TRAVIS SCHOOL CENTENNIAL

In 1867, Andrew B. Travis owned the 40 acres on the opposite corner from what is now the Travis School at the corner of Sunfield Highway and Clarksville Road. Sebewa school district #8 took its name from Mr. Travis. Mrs. Travis was the mother of blind Johnny Smith, who was so well known around the township for his musical entertainments and classes in singing and instrumental music. He sold parlor organs and made many deliveries in the Sebewa area. Mrs. Temperance Travis died in 1885 and after a few years, Mr. Travis moved from the neighborhood.

The names of Miller, Oatley, Smith, Ames, Powell, Ostrander, Harvey, Pierce, Treece and others were real estate owners and residents of the district in the late 1860s.

In early years, much of the land was still in the hands of land speculators. Many farms were yet to be cleared. Joe Evans, who, until his death in 1958 lived on York Road, used to tell of woods for miles and miles. Gradually the land was cleared and settled. A map of 1875 shows many small farms dotting the countryside. Each farmer raised cattle, pigs, horses and generally sheep. Toda, John Smith has the only herd of cattle in the district. Louis Bauer and Ed Kenyon raise pigs. The horse, which was unfamiliar for a generation in the neighborhood, has come back into popularity, not as a work animal, but for pleasure riding.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
October, 1968. Volume 4, Number 2:

GUNNVILLE

Once a correspondent from Sebewa Center tried to attach the name “Gunnville” to this community by entitling his items THE GUNNVILLE GRIST. From a scrapbook of the late Miss Ella Gunn we present some obituaries that give an indication why the name seemed appropriate.

ANOTHER PIONEER GONE

Samuel Gunn was born in New Jersey Feb. 21, 1828 and died at his home in Sebewa April 11, 1905. At the age of twelve he moved with his parents to Pennsylvania and lived there until he was twenty years old. Here he married Caroline McCoy and then came to Sebewa with two brothers and settled in homes not a mile apart. As years passed by the timber succumbed to the ax and developed farms were the result. At one time Mr. Gunn owned 200 acres but on account of his generous nature he continually gave homes to his children until only 40 acres remained to him at his death.

He was kind, sympathetic and generous to a fault and all who spoke of him, spoke well. He often gave to benevolent enterprises as well as to his children.

Mr. Gunn was the father of seven children, the five living as follows: Theodore, in Antrim County, Dennis in Indian Territory, John in Oklahoma, Mrs. Isaac Cunningham near Hastings and Joshua, who lives on the home farm and has taken care of the aged father.

The deceased was in fairly good health for one of his age until the house was burned in February. Being overcome with heat at that time he has never fully recovered and Saturday was taken to bed where he passed away Tuesday morning.

The funeral was held from the Sebewa Center Church today, the Rev. Hayward of Sunfield officiating. Interment was made at Collingham (East Sebewa) cemetery.

DIED IN SEBEWA, APRIL 1st, 1885, Mrs. Amelia Gunn, wife of Theodore Gunn, aged 52 years, 10 months and 9 days. The funeral services were held at the M. E. Church at Sebewa, Rev. Mr. Spencer officiating. She leaves a large circle of friends to mourn her loss.

MRS. MARSELLIA GUNN, wife of John Gunn, died in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, a few days ago. She was formerly Miss Helmer and moved West with her husband from Sebewa in September 1890, traveling with team and wagon. She leaves a husband and three children and was in her 32nd year.

DIED AT TRAVERSE CITY

Jacob Gunn, a son of Theo. Gunn of Sebewa, died at Traverse City last week and the remains were brought to the home of his father Friday for burial. Funeral services were held at the Center church at 1 P. M.

He was born in Lenawee County in 1856 and came to Sebewa when eight years old where he resided with his parents until eight years ago. At that time he went to the asylum at Kalamazoo for treatment for epilepsy and was subsequently transferred to Traverse City, the disease ending in his death.

Rev. A. K. Stewart conducted the funeral services, which were largely attended. David Gunn and Gravener Oatley of Sherman were in attendance.

ONE OF SEBEWA’S SOLID MEN

August 26, 1901. One of the foremost residents of Sebewa township passed away last Tuesday morning, when Joshua Gunn breathed his last. He had been unconscious for 24 hours prior to his death but had long realized that he was hopelessly ill. Some time ago a cancer developed on his face and he got little relief from the operations, which were performed for its removal. His funeral services were held in the Center church, near his late home on Wednesday afternoon conducted by Rev. T. J. Spencer, assisted by the local pastor. Burial was made in the Baptist cemetery.

Joshua S. Gunn was born in Sussex county, N. J. in 1833 and at the age of five years he moved with his parents to Pennsylvania. Just after the war closed, his brother, Theodore, moved to Sebewa township and bought 100 acres of land. His brothers, Joshua and Samuel followed him the same year, purchasing 160 acres jointly in the same vicinity. The farm later passed into Joshua’s hands, Samuel buying one mile west. The Gunns, by hard work, have acquired a great deal of land in the center of the township, Joshua’s farm consisting, until quite recently of 280 acres. Not long ago he deeded 80 acres to each of his children after his malady developed. He also disposed of another parcel, leaving only an 80 at the time of his death. Soon after his removal to Sebewa he married Rachel Rider, who died about five years ago. The children, Fred Gunn of Sebewa and Mrs. P. E. Barclay of Portland survive him.

Mr. Gunn has served as township treasurer of Sebewa and since the new church was established at the Center he has been an active worker there, having been one of the trustees of the church since it was completed. He was universally respected.

A QUICK SUMMONS MAY 1902

Sebewa Center was shocked, Wednesday, by the sudden death of Theo. Gunn, who settled there in 1865 and was one of the successful farmers of the township. Funeral services were held at the M. E. Church, Sebewa Center, Friday afternoon and burial was made in the Sebewa township cemetery.

Theodore Gunn was born in Sussex county, N. J. March 28, 1832 and while very young he went with his parents to Pennsylvania, his next move was to Bellevue, Ohio, where he was married. He next took up his residence in Addison, Mich., coming to Sebewa from there in 1865. He was followed soon after by his brothers, Joshua and Samuel, who took adjacent farms and built up that section of Sebewa, which was then mostly woods, to one of the best farming communities in the town. His brother Joshua died last year. Mr. Gunn’s first wife died about 15 years ago leaving the following children: David, Isaac, George and Emory Gunn, Mrs. Jacob Sayer, Mrs. H. Whorley, Miss Ella Gunn, all of Sebewa, Mrs. Gravener Oatley of Sherman, Mich. Twelve years ago last April Mr. Gunn married Mrs. Agnes Mauren, of Portland, who survives him.

Deceased was a member of the Center church and was one of those active in its establishment and maintenance. He was known as a thorough business man and farmer and at 70 was actively engaged in the management of his large farming interests.

Funeral services were conducted by Rev. I. T. Weldon, pastor of the Center church, and Rev. T. J. Spencer, for a quarter century intimately acquainted with Mr. Gunn. He spoke of his positive character and his fidelity to the church in his later years. A long procession followed the remains to their last resting place beside his other relatives.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
December 1968. Volume 4, Number 3:

SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION MEMBER IDA OATLEY HOWELL DIES AT TRAVERSE CITY

Mrs. Ida Oatley Howell, 87, died at Munson Hospital November 6, 1968. She was the eldest granddaughter of Theodore Gunn. Her parents, Gravener and Sarah (Gunn) Oatley were early residents of Sebewa. The timbered areas of Wexford county attracted them and without benefit of railroad they moved, soon after Ida was born, to a farm uncleared of trees near Mesick.

Mrs. Howell attended the State Normal School at Mt. Pleasant and a Deaconess school in Grand Rapids and Herkimer, N.Y. She once taught school at the Indian Reservation at Mt. Pleasant. She acted as substitute teacher at the Sebewa Center school about 1910. She was married to Rev. Clarence Howell, who spent most of his ministry in New York.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
February 1969, Volume 4, Number 4:

ILLNESS AND DEATH

It is hardly our purpose to compete with the local newspapers for news items and we run the risk of failure to mention one item as newsworthy as another because of our own knowledge. However, some of our membership is outside the range of the Sunfield Sentinel, the Lake Odessa Wave and the Portland Review. Death and hospitalization have affected some of our membership. Clayton Clark, husband of Reva Cross Clark, died this winter. More recently Walter Murphy, married to Mary Linhart since last fall, died in Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Seybold lost their granddaughter, Marlene Seybold, in a Danby house fire. Mrs. Nora Sindlinger has been hospitalized at Blodgett Hospital for three weeks from a serious heart condition and an auto accident on slippery Musgrove Highway. Anne Slowins has had surgery at Ionia and John York is scheduled for surgery at Lansing. Walter Heintzleman, after a long stay in Grand Rapids Osteopathic Hospital, has returned home.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION.
April 1969. Volume 4, Number 5

MRS. NORA SINDLINGER never recovered full consciousness from her January accident. Her death marks the end of the second generation of the Christian Sindlinger family. The Sindlingers were the first immigrants to Sebewa and arrived in 1855. Christian Sindlinger’s brother, Frederick, does have a nonagenarian daughter, Mrs. Tracy Snyder, living in Sebewa with her daughter, Mrs. Homer Downing.

SOME OBITUARIES OF THE 1890’S

As soon as the concept of death becomes instilled in a person the interest in obituaries seems to become universal. An obituary gives some insight on the times in which its subject lived, some details of the life of the person and often in which its subject lived, some details of the life of the person and often reflects the views of its author more than anything else. This selection is made from obituaries published in the Portland Observer about Sebewa people.

March 9, 1892. JOSEPH CROSS died in his home in the village on the west side on Sunday last on the 71st year of his age. Mr. Cross was a native of England but came to this country in 1836 and settled near Ionia. Since then he has lived in Missouri and came to Portland from Sebewa a few years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Cross had lived together for many years, they having been married 56 years. Mr. Cross had been an invalid some years. Funeral services were conducted yesterday from his late residence, the Rev. Bird officiating.

December 7, 1892. STEPHEN J. LINDLEY, whom the Observer mentioned last week as being very near to death’s door, died on Monday forenoon of this week at 10 o’clock at his home just east of town in the 79th year of his age. Mr. Lindley had been sick for some time with complication of diseases and only his excellent constitution kept him up so long. He had been a resident of Portland for many years and leaves a family of grown up sons and daughters. The funeral services will be conducted from his late residence Wednesday forenoon at ten o’clock.

The Rev. H. H. Halsey of the U.B. Church will officiate. Stephen J. Lindley was born May 14, 1814, in the town of Boston, Portage county, Ohio. He was married to Elizabeth Dickson, a sister of the late Thomas Dickson of this village, his first wife in Lorraine county, Ohio May 31, 1836 with whom he lived until 1861. The following year he married Katherine Pierce, who survives him. The deceased came to Michigan 40 years ago and settled in the township of Sebewa, where he resided on different farms for upwards of 25 years, after which he came to Portland, settling on the farm now owned and occupied by George Dinsmore, just east of town. Following this he owned and occupied a number of farms in this vicinity, settling 9 years ago on the farm where he died. His first wife bore him several children the following of whom survive him: S. T. Lindley, West Sebewa; Sarah Green, Leonard Lindley, Mrs. J. W. VanHorn, Alonzo Lindley and Lorenzo Lindley, all of Portland.

August 2, 1893. JOHN STANTON, formerly of Sebewa, meets with a terrible accident at South McAllister, Indian Territory. He was well known in Sebewa and Orange. He lost his life. He was conductor on a passenger train on the Santa Fe Road and was standing on a car, giving orders to make a running switch when he lost his balance and fell in front of the moving coaches. He was 41 years of age. He leaves a mother, Mrs. A. B. Travis, a brother, Bert Stanton and two sisters, Mrs. E. Smith and Mrs. Chas. McNeil in Sebewa.

January 24, 1894. Within the past few months that invisible messenger that enters the humble cottage as well as the splendid mansion, whose dread summons stills the beating heart of childhood, youth, manhood and old age, which is called to that realm which lies beyond this earthly confine, many of the early settlers of this community. Now another name is added to that list, that of JOHN MAXIN, who fell asleep in perfect peace at his home in Sebewa January 15, 189(?). He was born in Jefferson county, New York July 31, 1809. He was married to Mary Baker at Dansville, N.Y. August 28, 1836. Three children were born to them: Mrs. George Young of Dushville (Winn), of Isabella county, Michigan; Mrs. F. M. Northrup of Portland, and Mrs. H. S. Brown of Sebewa, Michigan. His wife passed to her reward May 26, 1891. He came to Michigan in the fall of 1836 and settled in Oakland county and in 1839 went to Danby. In 1844 he purchased and moved upon a farm in Sebewa on which he has since resided.

He was converted about 60 years ago and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church of which he continued a true and faithful member until transferred to the Church Triumphant. He was a member of the first M. E. Class organized in Portland. He possessed many excellent gifts, which sanctified by a divine grace made him valuable to the church and caused him to be loved by all. He was frank in his manner and fearless of his convictions, outspoken in his sentiments and strictly honorable in all his business relations. As a husband, friend and neighbor he was loving and kind, full of the gentle courtesies that makes life beautiful. As a Christian, his life was a constant testimony to the power of Christ to shine through humanity, his life and love. He loved his church and its services and was truly loyal to all its interests. Sixty years a Christian, his faith grew stronger and brighter down through all life’s added years. He had no taste for the vanities of life and sought those things which are pure and of good report. All who came in contact with him saw the beauty of this character and felt the sweet influence of his consecrated life. His last illness was very brief and the end came suddenly. The departure was what would have been expected to follow so pure a life. Fully conscious that the end was near, death had no terrors for him. His funeral services were conducted by his pastor at his residence in the presence of a large company of relatives and friends, after which, he was tenderly laid to rest in Sebewa cemetery beside his aged companion, with whom he is now reunited in the bright home above.

May 20, 1896. Obituary. WM. H. SHIPMAN was born in Madison township, Columbia county, Pennsylvania, March 30, 1823 and died in Sebewa May 11, 1896 aged 73 years one month and eleven days. When eight years old he came with his father’s family to Lenawee county, Michigan and in 1836 to Litchfield, Hillsdale county where he lived until 1875. On November 25, 1849 he was married to Angerona Carpenter. To them were born eight children, seven of whom with his wife still survive him. In 1875 he purchased a farm in Sebewa upon which he spent the remainder of his life. He was a kind husband, a loving father and a respected citizen.

March 11, 1898. PIERCE G. COOK died at his home on Bridge Street in Portland on Monday night last from the result of a stroke of paalysis aged 81 years. He was born in Saltstown, New York August 6, 1816. He came to Sebewa in 1848 where he engaged in farming until 1874 when he moved to Portland where he has continued to reside ever since. During his residence here he held many positions of trust. He was Justice of the Peace and Director of Schools several terms and always performing any duties devolving upon him with faithfulness in an upright manner with integrity. The funeral services were conducted from his late home in charge of Miss Dunham of Ionia, well known Spiritualist in which faith the deceased had been a firm believer for many years.

October 19, 1898. MRS. RENEWED HOLMES, an old resident of Sebewa, died at her home in that township on the 1(?)th inst. Aged 77 years. Heart trouble was the cause of her death. She was well known to many outside her immediate vicinity, having kept hotel at Sebewa Corners for many years.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
June 1969. Volume 4, Number 6:

DEATHS IN APRIL AND MAY

Our condolences go to the families of three of our membership who passed away recently. Mary McCormack, a Sebewa Center teacher in the early ‘20’s died at Charlotte. She had been an obstetrics nurse for many years.

After a long period of ill health, Ralph Hair died at the Manor in Ionia where he had been a patient for a few days. He and Mrs. Hair (Florence Tran) have lived in Portland for several years. Ralph was a buyer of wool and hides.

More recently was the passing of Arvilla Sargeant, widow of John Sargeant, at her Lake Odessa home. All will be missed.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
August 1969. Volume 5, Number 1;

OUR FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING

The June Annual Meeting brought together an interesting group of people. From away were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Tysse of Holland; Zack and Helen York of Kalamazoo; Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Kussmaul of Woodland; Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Gierman, Mrs. Martha Gierman, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Coe, Mrs. Wilma Coe and Mrs. Sharon White of Ionia; Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Wilkes of Muir; George Sargeant, Mrs. Reva Clark and Mrs. Clifton Cook of Lake Odessa. For a short visit was Richard Thrams with his guests, two Polish exchange students, Stanislaw Drupka and Jan Pawlak of Warsaw and Manuel Lecca of Lima, Peru, a student at M. S. U. The one room schoolhouse was a curiosity to our foreign visitors….

OUR DWELLING PATTERN

Sebewa now has two stretches of two miles of highway without habitation. Knox Road from Keifer to Sunfield Highway is without an occupied dwelling as is Petrie Road from Emery to Musgrove. A number of other single miles of road are without residents. Historically this condition has presaged closing of such roads.

Other highways show some concentration of dwellings. Rene (to rhyme with today) and Patricia Ann Van Neste are preparing a mobile home site on the Van Neste Sod Farm on Henderson Road. This was once the location of Ben Lowe’s log house where he brought his “mail order bride”, Fannie Redfern. (If Fannie had a round trip ticket, Sebewa might never have seen her after her first look at the log house.) The muck land vegetable crops are giving way to the growing of sod coverings for use in landscaping. Across the corner John Lich and family will occupy the house left vacant by the death of Nora Sindlinger. We’ll not call him Junior but for clarity this is the John of Lich’s Farm Service of Portland, son of John of Sebewa Farms.

CORRECTION: In mentioning in our April number that the Sindlingers were the first immigrants to Sebewa, the sentence should have read German immigrants.

NEIGHBORS FOR 78 YEARS

For all of Harry Meyers’ 78 years, he and Ben Probasco have been neighbors. Harry was off base for a little while, sowing his wild oats in North Dakota. When he came back he brought his wife, Mattie, and son, Harold, with him. Harry once served as Township Clerk and was a member of District No. 4 School Board.

DOROTHY HORWOOD

Mrs. Ross (Dorothy) Horwood, 42, of Ionia died in Ionia in June. Mrs. Horwood had been President of the Grand Valley Rock and Mineral Society. She attended our October 1965 Open House at the Center Schoolhouse and had maintained her interest and membership in our Association since then. She is survived by her husband and two daughters.

ANOTHER CENTENNIAL FARM, LIKE MOST, BREAKS ITS CHAIN OF FAMILY OWNERSHIP

When Bernice Gunn sold her farm to LaVern Carr, another Centennial Farm lost its tie to 100 years of ownership in the same family.

The Gunn farm was taken from the Government by the elder Benjamin Probasco through a soldier’s warrant he had purchased from his brother. When the Gunns came to Sebewa, Ben sold that land to Samuel Gunn. Sam soon sold to Joshua Gunn. From Josh it went to Fred, to Alton and Bernice. From this large house, Bernice has moved to a comparatively small house in Lake Odessa, 603 4th Avenue.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
October 1969. Volume 5, Number 2

LOCAL BALLOONIST DIES FROM INJURIES

From the Ella Gunn Scrapbook of 1924

Oliver D. Ritenburg, age 22, whose parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ira Ritenburg, live on the Bert Culver farm two miles north and west of Sunfield, died at 4 o’clock Monday morning at a hospital in Kalamazee from injuries received Sunday at 6 P.M. when his parachute failed to open quick enough in a balloon ascension at Long Lake near Kalamazoo. According to information received here, the balloon was not fully inflated when it started up and did not ascend very far before it commenced to descent over some trees. The young aeronaut cut loose, dropping about 300 feet to the ground, the parachute partly opening about 100 feet from the ground but not enough to check the fall very much. The young man died from internal injuries, it being found there was not a broken bone. He remained conscious to the end.

Oliver was born November 21, 1902, in Orange Township, Ionia County and spent his boyhood days near West Sebewa. Last year he commenced making balloon ascenions. On last Farmers Picnic (Sunfield) he made a drop from an aeroplane here. He left here about two months ago, going to Grand Rapids and it was given out that his home was in Grand Rapids at the time of the accident.

He was a member of the National Guard stationed at Grand Ledge, Battery D, 119 Field artillery and also a member of the Ku Klux Klan of America. Undertaker Hildinger went to Kalamazoo Monday after the body. The funeral was held at the Sebewa Center M. E. Church Wednesday afternoon, burial in the Sebewa cemetery, Rev. A. Hoffman officiating.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
December 1969. Volume 5, Number 3

SEBEWA NEWS FROM THE TRAVIS SCHOOL DISTRICT NOVEMBER 16, 1909

Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Bates of Detroit are visiting Mr. and Mrs. George Thorp. Mr. Bates is assistant district superintendent of the Pullman Company at Detroit. Mrs. Bates is a sister of Mrs. Thorp.

Married at the parsonage at Ionia November 9 by the Methodist minister, Reverend E. G. Lewis, Ben Probasco and Miss Maude Oatley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B. Oatley. The bride is one of Sebewa’s lovliest young ladies and the groom is a well-to-do young farmer. Clarence and Miss Lulu Oatley, brother and sister of the bride, were the witnesses.

N. Buell visited his daughter, Mrs. Fred Gunn, last Sunday.

Mrs. Fell has moved to Barryton to live with her daughter, Mrs. A. Rebeue.

Dan Samaine visited his daughter, Mrs. Fred Brickley, over Sunday.

Wilson Luscher is in Lansing having his eyes treated by a specialist.

Mrs. A. Lindley, who has been caring for her young grandson, Forrest A. Franks, returned to her home Sunday evening.

Mrs. Jacob Evans and Miss Ethel Youngs visited Mrs. Peter Ward of Orange on Thursday.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
February 1970. Volume 5, Number 4

DEBBIE IS THE NEWEST

From Jim Hough’s column in the State Journal comes this recent bit of Sebewa. Another oldtimer with quite a past is Charles Cook, 84, Lake Odessa. Mr. Cook has watched an interesting thing take place across the road from his Sebewa Township home.

Mr. Cook has seen five generations of the Leak family live across the road from him. Zeno Leak, third generation, now owns the farm. Zeno’s father, Edwin, and grandfather, David, farmed there and also ran a store there. The farm is now operated by James Leak, son of Zeno.

HERE FROM THE TOWNSHIP RECORDS is one of the official acts of Edwin Leak:

NOTICE OF SALE OF ESTRAY HORSE

On November 19th, 1897 Edwin Leak, Deputy Constable in the Township of Sebewa stuck up three notices in the Township of Sebewa for the sale of a stray horse taken up by Jacob Warner of the sale of said hors to be held on the 30th day of November and on said date, I, Edwin Leak, sold said horse to Jacob Warner for $30. Said Jacob Warner’s bill being $33 for keeping said estray horse. Edwin Leak, Deputy Constable Sebewa Township; Frank Showerman, Clerk

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
April 1970. Volume 5, Number 5

AFFLICTIONS AND BROKEN BONES

Henry Smith has spent the winter recovering from a bad break in his leg he incurred in felling a tree. George Sargeant has been laid up for two months with a broken leg from an auto accident. Mrs. Cora Shepard and Mrs. Melvin Ingall recently were in the same ward in Blodgett Hospital with broken hips. Mrs. Shepard is at Springbrook Manor, 2320 E. Beltline, S. E. Grand Rapids 49506. Mrs. Ingall is at the Medical Care Facility at Charlotte. Mrs. Robert Wenger and Iril Shilton are suffering heart ailments at their homes. Stanley Meyers is in the Ionia Hospital with a heart attack. Mrs. Don Fees is recovering from a long disability with a broken hip. All such illnesses we regret. Our list is probably incomplete and we offer our apologies for omissions.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
June 1970. Volume 5, Number 6

IONIA COUNTY’S POTTER’S FIELD

At the new State Park near Ionia is a relic of the past in the form of a potter’s field---a cemetery without markers. It is located near the old County Farm poorhouse and contains the remains of indigents not claimed for burial elsewhere. The story of the origin of Potter’s Fields may be read in the 27th chapter of Matthew.

SOME MORE LAND CONSOLIDATION

Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Leigh have bought a retirement home in Lake Odessa and sold their farm on the south town line. Part of the farm went to Theo Yager and the larger share to enlarge Dean Kimmel’s farm. Bruce Walkington has purchased the farm of Mark Roberts, adjacent to his own and has sold his land in section 17 to John Lich, Jr.

"SCHOOL TEACHERS IN ORANGE TOWNSHIP 1846 TO 1867 - From the record book of the School Inspectors of Orange Township comes this list of teachers certified byt the inspectors as qualified to teach in that township. The certification was limited to a period of time and some of the teachers were certified a number of times during the 21 year period covered by the record….

…..It would be interesting to know what families today trace their ancestry to these early school teachers.

Miss Celinda Alderman 5-4-1846, Miss Hannah Jane 6-18-1846, Miss Lucinda Barr 5-1-1847, Miss Sarah King 6-23-1847, Miss Sarah N. Bates 11-25-1847, Mr. A. Strickland 12-23-1847, Miss Esther Rosecrantz 4-8-1848, Miss Anna A. Knox 5-9-1848, Miss Diana Earl 6-12-1848, Mr. Alanson R. Cornell 11-18-1848, Miss Adelia Taylor - , Miss Sarah Coe 4-8-1849, Miss Ann Bunnell 4-25-1849, Miss Lodema Curtis 11-26-1849, Miss harriet A. Lovell 12-18-1849, Miss Hester Cole 4-13-1850, Miss Catherine Mapes 12-9-1850, Mr. John M. Cronkrite 11-12-1850.

Miss Mary E. McHelvy 12-31-1850, Miss Almina C. Martin 5-5-1851, Miss Martha Andrews 5-5-1851, Miss Esther A. Elliot 2-25-1851, Mr. G. W. Osborn 10-11-1851, Miss Martha Dodge 11-22-1851, Mr. John A. White 12-5-1851, Miss Anna King 12-5-1851, Miss Mary White 4-10-1852, Miss Adelia White 4-10-1852, Miss Celestia Peasley 5-10-1852, Mr. Francis Brown 11-6-1852, Mr. Thomas Kenworthy 12-16-1852, Miss Mae Dodge 1-2-1853, Miss Emily Tanner 4-9-1853, Miss Lucy Hill 5-2-1853, Miss Almira Martin 5-2-1853, Miss Uldah A. Taft 5-16-1853, Miss Mary A. Rees 5-19-1853, Mr. George Burger 11-5-1853, Mrs. Alvina A. Shook 11-21-1853, Mr. A. T. Rice 11-21-1853, Miss Phebe Barnard 12-13-1853, Miss Esther Coe 12-17-1853, Miss Caroline Ayrs 4-8-1854, Miss Mahala Mapes 4-22-1854, Miss Catherine Mathews 4-22-1854, Miss Hanna J. Smith 4-22-1854, Miss Catherine E. Walker 4-25-1854, Mr. James Harvey Corwin 11-4-1854, Mr. John T. Gould 12-2-1854, Miss Rosette C. Ramsdell 12-11-1854, Mr. C. M. Fulington 12-18-1854, Miss S. E. Scott 4-14-1855, Miss Elizabeth Maxim 4-14-1855, Miss Nancy Bird 4-14-1855, Miss Nancy T. Havens 5-7-1855, Miss Jane Youngs 5-7-1855, Miss Jane Youngs 5-7-1855, Miss Nancy C. Taylor 5-7-1855, Mr. A. T. Rice 12-1-1855, Mr. Henry Bassett 12-1-1855, Miss H. S. Johnson 12-12-1855, Miss Ellen Badger 5-24-1856, Miss Kate Mathews 5-29-1856.

Miss Jane Tone 6-7-1856, Miss Eliza Jane Hunt 10-18-1856, Miss Martha Crane 11-1-1856, Miss Howard 11-1-1856, Mr. Frank Jackson 11-1-1856, Mr. Joseph Jackson 11-1-1856, Miss Hester Lydia Simmons 4-11-1857, Mr. F. W. Harkins 4-11-1857, Miss Electa Priest 4-25-1857, Miss Dunam 5-2-1857, Mr. B. A. Miller 11-16-1857, Mr. Herbert H. Yates 11-28-1857, Mr. William S. Bates 11-26-1857, Mr. H. H. Goodwin 11-28-1857, Mr. Franklin Allen 11-28-1857, Miss Joanne Crawford 4-20-1858, Miss Martha Williston 4-10-1858, Miss Minerva Kneeland 4-1(?), 1858, Miss Adeliza Bliss 4-26-1858, Miss Marian North 5-1-1858, Miss Dellen North 5-1-1858.

Miss Frances Holmes 5-1-1858, Mr. William Long 11-6-1858, Mr. James McLaughlin 11-6-1858, Mr. John S. Bennet 11-6-1858, Miss Sarah Reynolds 11-6-1858, Mr. Lewis C. Simons 11-15-1858, Mr. Charles E. Soule 11-27-1858, Mrs. Elva Williston 4-9-1859, Miss Harriet A. Thomas 4-9-1859, Miss Emma M. A. Bartlett 4-9-1859, Miss A. Adell Murdock 4-9-1859, Miss Lucinda Isham 4-27-1860, Mr. Simon F. Town 11-1860, Mr. Ebenezer Soule 11-3-1860, Mr. Lewis B. Kneeland 11-3-1860, Mr. William Sumner 12-8-1860, Mr. Robert Hopkins 12-31-1860, Mr. George L. Taft 1-2-1861.

Mr. Amos Nichols 4-13-1861, Miss Henriette Leonard 4-13-1861, Miss Lizzie Brousseau 4-13-1861, Miss Mary A. Welch 4-27-1861, Miss Elsie Howe 4-16-1861, Mr. William W. Daniels 10-22-1861, Mr. Amon Otis 11-2-1861, Mr. Melzar Canwright 11-2-1861, Mr. John Waring 11-12-1861, Mr. Nathan J. Crane 5-10-1862, Miss Mary E. Clark 5-10-1862, Miss Cecillia A. Bunnell 5-12-1862, Mr. Levi Wheelock 11-1-1862, Miss Lucy Delapp 11-20-1862, Miss Harriet E. Frost 12-6-1862, Miss Mary M. Hall 12-6-1862, Miss Emily McKeough 3-13-1863.

Miss Ella Patrick 4-11-1863, Miss Ellen Humphryes 4-11-1863, Miss Ellen Kinney 5-12-1863, Miss Allever Crane 11-1-1863, Mr. Edmond Van D(????) 11-7-1863, Mr. Charles Riker 11-7-1863, Miss Sarah A. Soule 11-7-1863, Miss Anna P. Utter 11-7-1863, Miss Lovina Parker 12-21-1863, Miss Laura M. Keyes 12-3-1863, Miss Martha Sullivan 4-9-1864, Miss Adelia A. Clute 4-9-1864, Miss Julia Olmstead 4-9-1864, Miss Jennie M. Riker 4-9-1864, Miss Minerva Bartlett 5-10-1864, Miss Lucy A. Titus 5-10-1864, Miss Agusta Murdock 11-9-1864, Mrs. Anna Steel 11-9-1864.

Mr. John McQuillan 11-9-1864, Mr. James Douglass 12-10-1864, Miss Ellen M. Killmartin 11-4-1864, Miss Abba Badger 4-8-1865, Miss Mary Campbell 4-8-1865, Miss Margaret Hackett 4-8-1865, Miss Eliza Johnson 4-8-1865, Miss Eunice Barber 4-8-1865, Miss Adaline Howe 4-19-1865, Mr. Chancey Crosby 4-17-1865, Miss Sarah Fullington 10-7-1865, Miss Eliza Fullington 10-7-1865, Miss Estelle Kendrick 10-26-1865, Miss Alice Keefer 1-2-1866, Miss Susan L. Warner 4-14-1866, Miss Edwina Barber 4-20-1866, Miss Hattie N. Kinney 4-23-1866, Miss Maggie Provines 4-28-1866, Mr. Wm. C. Turner 11-3-1866, Miss Anna Dorin 11-17-1866, Miss Amanda Phillips 11-21-1866, Mr. Edward Barber 11-27-1866, Miss Belle Guyberson 4-11-1867.

Miss Jane Compton 4-13-1867, Miss Drusilla Wolverton 4-13-1867, Miss Vira King 4-24-1867, Miss Mary Taylor 5-7-1867, Mr. Thomas Steel 8-9-1867, Mrs. Amy Steel 11-25-1867, Miss Caroline Warren 12-2-1867, Mr. Parliamer M. Thomas 12-2-1867.

Some of the School Inspectors of the period were: Charles S. Andrews, P. H. Taylor, A. H. Hall, John Brown, Alex Dalziel, Issac Sailor, George Burger, J. Ramsdell, Mason Hersey, A. W. Dodge, Aaron Amiden, John S. Bennett, Otis Churchill, William Long, Gabriel Bissinett, W. C. Sumner, Charles Lewis, I. M. Wolverton, Nemiah Bennett, J. E. VanDoren, Amon Otis, Samuel Riker, George Jourdan, Wm. Price, Henry Price, Cyrus Ayrs, John A. White.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
August 1970. Volume 6, Number 1

OUR ANNUAL MEETING JUNE 13, 1970

At our 5th annual meeting ALLen Cross was elected vice president and Sherman Pranger was elected trustee replacing Harlan Leifheit and John York respectively. Their terms run for three years. Thus our list of 1970-71 officers are as follows:

President Robert W. Gierman, Vice President Allen Cross, Secretary-treasurer Faith Shilton, Trustees Wilbur Gierman and Sherman Pranger.

Program features were selections by the Sunfield Senior Citizens Kitchen Band led by Mrs. Evelyn Foster and music of the modern style with a group of local young people whose spokesman was Douglas Seybold. Attendance on that rainy day was about 75.

ABOUT OUR AUTHORS IN THIS ISSUE

Malcom (Mac) Slater was a Sebewa boy and lived with his family a mile north of the Bippley Road on Petrie Road. His sister was married to Gid Ralston, a half brother to Charlie, Joe and Walt. Gid bought a jewelry store in Portland and mac went to work for him and there developed his interest in jewelry and optometry. (Charlie Ralston is reported having said of Gid that he would not let him repair his drag, to say nothing of anything smaller). The account of Sunfield as Mac knew it and wrote it has been kept and supplied to us by his daughter, Mrs. Rose Steward, the Sunfield librarian.

In the list of people mentioned as doing business on Sunfield’s Main Street are many who were once Sebewa residents. Among them were Alva Deatsman, Claude Peabody, Floyd Grainer, Martha Gierman, Ralph White, P. F. Knapp, Zal Slater, Leo Dilley, Sam Creighton and Harry Mapes.

BUSINESS CHANGES IN SUNFIELD SINCE I CAME HERE (1910)

By Dr. Malcom G. Slater (1800-1962) Written in 1948

Beginning at the west end of Main Street on the south side Frank Merritt had a printing office in a wooden building where the gas pumps of the Fix It Garage now stand. P. J. Welch and son, Ray, built the garage and had the Ford Agency there in the building of the Trask garage. Ed Barnum was the mechanic. The building was sold to Roy Freemire and L. Scheel, who operated a garage there. Freemire sold out to Joe Blough. He sold out to L. Scheel, who became sole owner. Scheel sold to Merle Trask, who operates the garage now.

In the wooden building next east there was a bakery run by Mrs. Kirtcher. Mr. and Mrs. William Gilbert bought the building and lived there for some time. It was once used by John Palmer in conjunction with his elevator across the street. Mr. Frank Cornell ran his store in the building for some time. The Gilberts traded it to Charley Gilbert for the home Meda and Mrs. Gilbert live in now. Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Bascom lived there until their deaths. I think Charles Bascom now owns it.

The G. A. R. Hall was as it now is. My father, Zalmond Slater, was a member of the Sunfield G. A. R. Post here.

The house and office building where Mr. O’Toole now lives was occupied by some one whose names I do not recall. Dr. Ed Snyder built the buildings. Roy Freemire, Henry Davidson and Mrs. Jackson lived here. Dr. Huyck lived there and had his office in a part of the house. In the office building, Mr. Palmeter ran his shoe repair shop and Al Wolf and Leo Dilley had a radio repair shop there too. Dr. McDaniels and Dr. Elsie had their chiropractic offices there at a later date. Sam Creighton lived there and another time the restaurant man, Nick Harrar, and his mother lived in it.

The next building was first occupied by Emmet VanAntwerp as a candy store. That was just before I came to Sunfield. A Mr. Reik had a shoe repair shop there. Some man from Grand Ledge ran a barbershop there and sold out to George Need and Ernie Hitt. Ivan Deland ran an ice cream parlor in it for a while. It was then sold to Happy Corey. Will Fleetham then owned the shop and sold it to his brother, John Flettham, who is still there.

The next building started out as Gilbert’s blacksmith shop. It was remodeled and run as a restaurant by Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Evans. Later Dr. G. E. Higham had his office there. Mr. and Mrs. Levi Frantz lived there for some time. Next it was used by Henry Davidson for a restaurant and card room. He sold out to Aaron Brovont and Andy Davidson worked for him. Brovont sold to Peter Holten, then I think, Henry Davidson bought it again. His father, Will, and Andy worked for him then. Davidson sold to John McKinley, who put in beer sales too. John sold to Charles McKinley, who sold to Burr Mitchell. Nick Harrar ran it as a restaurant before selling it to its present owners.

The next brick building was occupied by a man named Roarbeck. Mr. Deatsman and H. H. Mapes had s store there before that. Roarbeck was in the building when it burned. Cole and Norte built the building up again and Ed Cole had his hardware there before he sold out to L. Wassink.

Ray Welch bought that part of the building after he had his fire in the east part of Main Street. He still owns it. Fred Norte occupied the west half of the building with his clothing, shoes and grocery stock. Norte closed out his stock and then for a time it was Elmer VanAntwerp’s Farmers’ Food Basket grocery. Maud Hanna later opened a drygoods store here and then sold a half interest to Doris Cure. Later Miss Cure became the sole owner. She sold out to Mrs. Ralph (Shipman?), the present occupant. It was in this building that Paul Palmer had the Post Office.

The building next east was built by Mr. Fisk. He and Ed Cole opened their hardware in it and later added shoes. My father worked there at one time. Ed Cole bought Mr. Fisk out later. Skip Dunham was a bookkeeper for Cole and Fisk. Jim Hager, Claude Peabody and Floyd Greiner were the tinners for Mr. Wassink. After the building was vacated by Cole, John Gearhart & Ireman opened a general store there. I think he sold out to Mrs. E. D. Mapes, who operated it for some time. Some of her clerks were Elsie Freemire, Martha Frantz, Aleeta Lyons, Mrs. Miller, Eldron Dunham and Effie Hager.

Perhaps I am mixed up on the order of the people who operated stores here. (Doc Russ had it for some time, perhaps before Mrs. Mapes.) Ralph Higgins moved in with a grocery store and had the Post Office there. He also had a chicken hatchery there. Ralph White had a grocery there on one side later, closing it out after a time. Byron VanBuren was a partner a short time with Ralph. The building stood empty for a time until purchased by Burt Creitz for an onion storage. Then Ray Welch and Son bought it, repaired it and put it in fine order and now have their hardware store there.

The next wooden building was occupied by Frank Bacon as a justice of the peace along with his insurance office. My father and mother bought it from Mr. Bacon in 1910 when I opened a jewelry store there and practiced optometry. Later I closed out the jewelry and used it only for optometry while I was going to school again. I had the optometry office there until I purchased the Dr. Peacock building across the street. The building was empty for some time, getting in bad shape when a Mr. Voltz bought it. He repaired and put it in good order again. Mrs. Voltz ran a beauty parlor there and they had living rooms upstairs. It was later occupied by P. J. Welch’s shoe shop, Ed Franks Radio shop, Porter Brothers electrical goods. They sold out to Mr. Meecham.

The next wooden building was occupied by Mrs. F. Bacon as a small bakery and grocery store. Bread was shipped in on the train then. Mrs. Bacon sold to Billy Garner and wife. They sold to Lige Jackson and wife. They sold to Burt Culver and wife. Burt Gleason and Orley Baughman had barbershops there. (I am not sure but I think Claude Miller opened a barber business there). There was a small fire during the time Orley had the shop and the building was empty for a while until Bun Perrin opened his pool and card room there. He died shortly after opening there. He had just put in beer but never lived to sell any. Irvin Evans ran the place until the Perrin estate was settled. Then Max McWhorter became owner of the place and is operating it now.

The cement block building was completed after I came here by Bascom and Lemmon, who operated a meat market there without groceries. Mr. Basom sold out to P. F. Knapp and the firm was Lemmon and Knapp then. Then Mr. Lemmon became the sole owner. Charles Aves worked there then. Phil Green bought out Frank Lemmon and later added groceries to his line. Mr. Green sold to Harold Hanna, who operated the grocery and meat market until he bought the Turner building and moved the business there. He retained the block building and he operates a locker service there now.

There were two buildings and one brick one between the locker and the Elliott Grocery then. The first wooden building was occupied by the Henry Knapp general store and some drugs. After that Mrs. E. D. Mapes opened a store there. She sold out to Mr. Beebe. Shorty Weeks worked for Mr. Beebe. Beebe moved to the Norte building after the fire, which destroyed all three of the buildings.

The next wooden building was occupied by Bascom & Lemmon with their meat market until they moved to the cement building where the locker is now. Jim Nichols owned the building then. There were several different kinds of businesses run in the building. As near as I can remember, Ralph Haskins had his tailor shop there. Martin Wirt had a repair shop and Charley Walrath had a harness and shoe shop there. A. V. Holten put in a vulcanizing and general repair shop. D. G. Turner bought the building, repaired it and operated his general grocery store there until the fire.

The next building was a brick one. Warner Bera operated a store there before I came. Charlie Thomas operated his drug and grocery store there and Alva Deatsman worked for him. He sold out to Dick Richards of Portland, Mr. Richards’ father ran the drug store until it was closed out. Norris and Ives operated a grocery there after that. Jesse Norris operated the business until the fire. Since then the lots have been vacant.

The next building, the brick one, was damaged by the fire as were the Stinchcomb stores. Bun Perrin occupied this building when the fire did the damage to the buildings. Mr. Perrin did not lose any fixtures. He then moved to the building where McWhorter is. David Stinchcomb was the first person I remember of occupying this building. He sold out to Ed Stinchcomb, who opened a grocery and shoe business there. Ed sold out to P. J. Welch and Son, Ray. They sold to Barnum & Taylor. In turn they sold to a Mr. Nixon and Nixon sold it to R. S. Wiggins, who operated there until he moved the business to the big Fisk building. Glen Turner, I think, then bought the building and opened a new grocery and meat business. Mr. Turner rented the business to Harold Hotchkiss and operated it himself again. Mrs. Turner rented to Ben Barnum, who ran the business for some time. Then Harold Hanna bought the building and opened a fine modern grocery and meat store. Hanna sold out to Mr. and Mrs. Ray Elliott, who are operating the business. Will Hyde is the meat cutter and Winston Ives is the clerk.

The next brick building was occupied by George Creaser with a jewelry store on one side and Miss Heath operating a millinery store on the east side. She later sold to Mrs. Beemer. Creaser had a sale as his health was bad. He sold some of the jewelry stock and I bought the balance. It was here that Archie Stinchcomb ran Sunfield’s only movie theatre called the “Roseland” in honor of his wife, Rosa. This was before Sunfield had electricity. To run the projector, Archie belted up an old Titan tractor to a generator. When the tractor began popping everybody knew the show was about to begin. Delbert Tichnor and Bina Stinchcomb were the piano players for the movie. If the tractor failed, the pianists did double duty to hold the audience in the darkness while all hands tugged on the belt to try to start the tractor. If that failed, they were invited back the next evening to finish the picture. A feature was the weekly serial and each episode ended in a cliff hanger to tease a good crowd for the next week. Mrs. Beemer sold out to a Mrs. Hixon of Portland and she opened a ladies goods store. Later she sold out to Mrs. Stinchcomb. Mrs. Stinchcomb finally closed the business. Elmer VanAntwerp, Sr. then bought the building and has his real estate office in it.

The next brick is the Stinchcomb building built, I think, by Ed. David was with Ed in the drug store for some time but Ed was the proprietor for years. After and before his death, his son, Archie, operated the business until 1947 when it was sold to Kirtland, who is operating it now.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
October 1970. Volume 6, Number 2:

BUSINESS CHANGES IN SUNFIELD SINCE I CAME HERE (1910) PART 2

By Dr. Malcom G. Slater (1880-1962) Written in 1948

Across the treet to the east from the Drug Store was the hotel building. Jim Walsh built it before I came to Sunfield. Mr. VanAuker was the proprietor of it and the saloon next room east. His son, Floyd, and wife and son-in-law, Fred Morrison, and wife assisted in the operation of the business. He operated the saloon and hotel until Michigan went dry and then he closed it to go back to Eaton Rapids where they all came from. Roy Lumbert, Pat Pierson, Henry Davidson, Dave Rader and Bun Perrin were operators of a pool and card room after prohibition. Will Perrin, brother of Bun, worked for Bun. The hotel was operated by Charley Healy, a Mr. Jones, Hugh Barnes and Sam Burns. As I remember, the hotel closed then. The Sunfield State Bank then bought the building and moved the bank from a building farther east into it. Griffen Weippert was the manager. Later the bank was closed during the bank holiday. Mr. Brown was the receiver. The Lake Odessa Bank put in a branch bank later but it closed also. H. H. Mapes then bought the building and it is now a part of the Mapes stores.

The next building east, I think, was occupied by Charles Thomas as a drug store before he moved to the brick building mentioned before. Later there was a meat market, furniture repair shop and a Mr. Haynor had a cream parlor there too. Mapes also bought that store.

The next double brick store east was operated by Henry Bera and H. H. Mapes as a furniture store and the undertaking business. Mr. Bera was postmaster when I came here. Bera and Mapes built the upper stories on the one story buildings. The Mapes Furniture Co. owns and has stock in all the buildings including the hotel building as far east as the Masonic Temple.

The Temple is the last brick building to the east. The Freadly Brothers had a barber shop and cigar factory there when I came. Neal, Milt, and Herbert Nichols operated a barber shop there as well as a man called Deafey. Mr. Merrit moved the printing office in the building and is still there.

The next bulding east is the home of Anna Bidwell. It was built by a man named John Scheidel, who owned the lumber yard at that time. John Wolcott owned it before. Witherrell and Bidwell were the owners after that. Then Mr. Bidwell became the sole owner. Mr. Bidwell operated the lumber and coal business for some time. Then it became the property of Smith Bros. Velte & Co. and they still own it.

Down east to the corner where the DePue garage now is was a two story building. H. O. Branch owned it, lived upstairs and operated a general wood shop and feed mill. Mr. Branch was the first owner of an auto-buggy. Later a Mr. Bady owned and operated the mill. Frank Mills became the owner and operated a garage there. I think he remodeled the building to a one story building. Now Mr. D(??)e operates a garage there.

Across the street north and east there was some of the old stave mill machinery and the cooper shop was still operated after I came. J. H. Palmer operated the elevator. It was later owned by George Triphagen. Then it became the property of Smith Bros. Velte & Co. who operate it now. Mr. Dell was manager and then Theo Lenon took over. They added a Leonard bulk oil station in 1946. Dale Steward is the truck man now.

Coming up the street west there were three two story brick buildings. One was a double width building. A. H. Sayer operated a hardware in the first one and lived upstairs. He later sold to C. N. Towns. Grant Mead operated a store in the second part and lived upstairs.

The next brick building was operated by Fred Turner as an implement store and opera house above. George Wirt operated a harness shop in the Mead building later. Also Ray Welch operated his hardware and implement business in both of the rooms downstairs until the fire, which cleaned up the entire corner except the wooden building that is the Farmers Oil Station now.

A Mr. Carlington opened the oil station first, selling to the farmers, and it has been managed by Mrs. Smith since and still is.

We will drop over to the P.M. Depot now. When I came here, A. S. Amon was the agent. George Creaser was one of the operators and a Mr. Cole, Mr. Jacobs, Mr. Huckel and others I cannot recall were the night men. The office was open all night then. Mr. Amon died and William Davis, who was also on second trick, became the agent. Herb Anderson worked with him. Robert Haynor is the agent now. We had four passenger trains that stopped here regularly and two local freights. Everything was brought in either by freight or express and we had two dray lines. They were operated by Henry Knapp, Joe Blough, Harold Hotchkiss, Fred Hope and others I do not recall. The drays delivered all the coal then. All were operated with horses. George Ripson was Section Foreman when I came. Later there was Homer Duel, W. G. Cogswell, a Mr. Smith and now Mr. Towner.

The big corner store with the town pump was built when I came and was operated by Cramer & Gebot with groceries and drygoods along with men’s clothing and shoes until a fire destroyed some of the stock and the inside of the building. Hub Babcock became the owner of the building. He repaired it inside and Mr. DeLaven operated a general store there. He sold out to some Jews, who closed out the entire stock. Frank Cornell opened the store again with a line of groceries and general merchandise. Griffen Weippert was the manager while Mr. Cornell still operated the store in Sebewa. Later Mr. Weippert became cashier of the bank and the store was closed out, I think. Mr. Harlan Sweitzer put in a hardware stock and Roy Freemire worked for him sone. Later Jack Esler became a partner and finally sole owner. After Mr. Esler’s death the store was sold to Hod Warren and he eventually sold to Herm Rey. Rey sold to Barnum and Peabody and they sold to Meechem and Hager, who now operate the store.

The next store west was occupied and was built by William Bennett and wife as a photograph and book store. Later they sold out to Effie Richards, who operated the place for some years and finally closed out the stock. The building was purchased by the local Women’s Club and converted into a community room and library. It is still used for that.

The next building west was built by Dr. Snyder and was occupied by him and Dr. Mighan when I came. The doctors moved out and Mrs. Charles Walrath operated an art shope there some time until they moved away. Mr. and Mrs. Jay Allemen owned and lived there for some time. Mrs. Alleman sold the building to Dr. Huyck, who has office there now.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR; Bulletin of THE SEBEWA CENTER ASSOCIATION,
December  1970.  Volume 6, Number 3

THE CREIGHTON FARM TURNS 100

Application has been made to the Michigan Historical Commission to have the original James Creighton farm on Clarksville Road designated a Centennial Farm.  James was born in New York state in 1846 and his wife, Elmira J., was born in Pennsylvania in 1848.  In the 1870 census, Daniel, born in Michigan, was listed as their only child.  Some years later there was a newspaper comment that James now had enough sons for his own baseball team.  “Jimmy” expanded his farming to include the operation of an early steam thresher and a sawmill and was familiar as a driver of a Model T Ford.

BUSINESS CHANGES IN SUNFIELD SINCE I CAME HERE (1910) Part 3;

By Dr. Malcom G. Slater (1880-1962)  Written in 1948 - The brick building next west after nearly falling down was torn down.  It was operated by H. H. Mapes and called Star Clothiers, carrying men's suits and furnishings.  This was before I came here.  Mrs. Mertie Smelker operated some kind of business and owned the building when I came.  Celia Davidson ran an ice cream parlor there once.  I rented the building when I first came to Sunfield.  There was a bakery in the building run by Mr. Blakely, Mr. Brooks and a man from Lake Odessa whose name I do not recall.  Mr. Brisboe had a barber shop there and Pat Pierson opened a barber shop there before Brisboe.

Next west was a small wooden building occupied by Truman Lapman as a barber shop.  Mr. and Mrs. Bacon lived there later.  Devilo McDairmid bought it and lived there for some years.  P. J. Welch had his shoe shop there.  The building was torn down later.

Next was a two story wooden building occupied by Jack Wilson and Frank DeLand as a ten cent hitch and livery.  Mexican Bill lived upstairs.  The building was remodeled and another part was built to the west, making it a double building used for a feed and livery business.  John Hunt operated it for some time and lived upstairs.  Ben Dilley also operated it until his death and then his son, Orley, took over for a time.  A man by the name of Unrath opened a Buick Sales there and Herman Sherman and Brisbo were salesmen.  Later Harlan Sweitzer ran a business there selling cars.  A Mr. Putman was his salesman.  The building later stood empty until Frank Cornell started a small business there selling clothes.  The building later was torn down.

Next west was a cement building which was used as the telephone office by Wolf Brothers.  John Palmer later became manager of the telephone company.  Bell Telephone bought the telephone lines and Mike Welch was one of the managers as was Bill Boyland and a man whose name I cannot remember.  It was sold to the Farmers and people of Sunfield by the Bell Company.  The telephone office was moved to the upstairs of the Bascom Building, which is the locker now.  Claude Teachout was the manager up there.  Later the office was moved to the building where it is now.  The cement building was later operated as a cream station by Charles Gilbert.  Charles Walrath had his shoe shop there too.  Finally it was vacated and torn down.

The next building west was occupied by Cole and Fisk as a hardware until their building was completed across the street.  George Dunham operated a barber shop there.  Also Will Stocum ran the shop.  Skip Dunham learned the trade of his Uncle George there.  Art Thomas and Skip operated the shop for some time.  Finally the telephone office was installed there and is still there.

It was all vacant lots up to the Van Antwerp store until John and Charles Campbell built the two story garage, which is there now.  They operated a garage and Ford Sales for some years and closed it out later.  Elmer Shinabarger opened a garage there and was there a short time.  Dennis Joppie opened a garage then and Vet Wohlscheid operated a garage there, living upstairs.  Mrs. Voltz opened her beauty parlor there in the west side.  Vet closed out and H. H. Mapes bought the building for a used furniture store.  Mapes sold it to Murray Hough who ran a garage there for some time.  Now Triplex Engineering is operating there.

The next building was of two story brick and built by a man by the name of Baker who had a harness shop there.  This was before I came to Sunfield.  When I came, Emmet Van Antwerp and wife ran a grocery and novelty store for years until the death of Mr. Van Antwerp.  Elmer Van Antwerp then opened the store again.  I think Elmer opened the store twice and the last time he called it the Farmers' Food Basket.  My daughter, Rose, worked for him then.  Elmer sold out to a Mr. Hazelton, who was here a short time.  Elmer operated the store again until he sold to Ralph Shipman.  Mr. McPhail bought the store and building and now operates the store.  Dr. M. A. Larke had his dental office there and lived upstairs until McPhail bought the building.  I had my optometry office with Dr. Larke for a time after selling my place.

The next west was the brick house and office built by Dr. T. L. Peacock, who was practicing there when I came.  He sold out and moved to Lansing.  The building was owned by several people after that.  Charles Lundquist owned it and had his home and real estate office there for a time.  At one time Andrew Sayer owned it.  I bought the place of a Mr. Fitzpatrick of New York through his agent from Detroit, a Mr. Scheen.  The place was rented to several people after Mr. Lundquist moved out.  Mrs. Art Litchfield had a rooming house there at one time.  A Mr. Evert lived there when I bought it.  I lived there and operated my optometry practice about twelve years.  I sold to Peter and Guy Mitchell, who live there now.  I moved to Eaton Rapids then in 1945 but have had an office here three days a week since.

The wooden building next west was occupied by Clanty Derby as an implement store before I came.  Dr. Peacock bought the building after Mr. Derby closed out the business.  He sold the building to Ray Welch.

The next wooden building was occupied by John Morrisey with a blacksmith and woodshop with buggy and wagon repairing.  Horse shoeing was a big business then.  Henry Southwell, Fred DePue, John Stambaugh Sr. and Bona Eldridge worked for John as well as Frank Aves.  Frank operated the shop later.  The business was closed and the building stood empty for some time.  John Stambaugh bought it and tore the building down and is building a cement building there now.

The last wooden building on the corner was a double two story building.  I can remember before coming to Sunfield that a Dr. Vanandee had a drug store there and Charley Hampden also ran a store there.  When I came Charles Nauss had a saloon and pool room there.  Then a man by the name of Joe Geiser operated the saloon.  Mr. Geiser died there in their upstairs apartment.  The building was empty for some time except that Perry Hyde lived in one of the upstairs rooms.  J. H. Palmer operated his grain and sales business there for a time.  As I remember, the building burned down and Mr. Palmer reopened his business in the wooden building directly across the street mentioned before.  J. H. Campbell and Charles bought the lots and erected the Standard Oil Station there which is operated by them now.  They also built another building for a shop and warehouse there.  Johnnie Geisel was the first station attendant in the Standard station.

Across the Sunfield Road and next to the railroad track was the grist mill operated by Amos Huelett.  A Mr. Bosworth and Tim Sprinket were partners later.  Roe Huelett operated the mill and coal business for a time.  Then the mill was rented to a Mr. Tolman.  He operated it until the boiler gave out.  The steam engines were sold and the brick engine house and tall brick chimney were torn down.  Smith Bros. Velte & Co. bought the place and operated a feed grinding business for a time.  Mr. Vandeburg bought it, remodeled it to a one story and used it for onion storage.  I hated to see that old steam engine leave.

Going back south from the drug store, the little office building was there but I do not recall who was in it then.  Later Dr. Mighan had his dental office there until my father and mother bought the house and office.  Dr. Crawford had his office there while my folks owned it and he later moved across the street in the rear of the hotel building.  Orley Baugham has a barber shop there in the hotel building, too.  After Dr. Crawford moved from the wooden office building, Ava and I lived there for a time.  Rose was a baby then.  After we moved out, mother sold the bulding and eighteen feet of the north lot to Chris Geisel, who lived there for some time.  Frank Cross bought it then and lived there until his death.  His brother, Leonard, then became owner.  William Graff operated his shoe shop there until he left town.  I think Earl Hanna owned the building then.  It was sold to Rolla Franks.  He and his mother, Becky Buell, made their home there.  Becky still lives there.  (I think Dr. Stineburg and family lived there when I came.)

The house next south was occupied by Dr. Mighan and family until they bought the house where Roy Trim now lives.  My father and mother lived there after that until their deaths.  My sister, Mabel, then became the next owner and now lives there summers.  I have my office there with her.

Next south was a two story large wooden building occupied by Frank Richard as a blacksmithy and wagon shop.  He sold to Ludwig (Louie) Hahl, who operated the shop for some time, living where Charles Healy lived.  Arthur Litchfield became the owner and operated the shop until his death.  Then the building was sold and torn down.  Mr. Richards and Mr. Hahl both operated dances upstairs for a long time.

The building on the lot where Mr. Pugh has his home now was occupied by Dr. Migham as an office after he bought the property.  Later he moved to Lansing.  Charles Healy, Herb Anderson, Rolla Franks and mother lived in the upstairs rooms.  Jake Broombaugh also lived up there and operated a broom factory for some time in the rooms below.

In the depot article I forgot to mention the pumping station and old water tank for the railroad.  The steam pump was operated by Frank Linhart when I came and before that.  Later, Frank Lumbert, Zal Slater, Will Davidson, Chris Geisel and Perry Hyde operated the pump.  When my father was running the pump, they took down the old tank and water standpipe and erected a new tank 20' x 30', resting on cement piers and steel underwork.  The railroad steamers took water from a spout hung from the tank.  When Perry Hyde was operating the pump, the pump house burned down.  Later the tank was removed and the water service for the railroad in Sunfield ceased to exist.

The townhall is about the same as when I came.  The first electricity Sunfield had was made in the back part of this building.  It was installed by Dolph Wolf and consisted of two Fairbanks 25-horse engines and two generators.  Later another larger engine was added.  Joe Blough was the first operator of the plant.  Charley Healy ran it until Consumers Power Co. came in with their AC lines.  The engine and generators were sold then.

The next building north was the Charley Healy livery stable when I came here.  Later Charley commenced to repair automobiles in the north side of the building.  I think there were seven or eight autos owned here then.  P. J. Welch Sr., A. H. Sayer, Dr. Peacock, Charley Healy, Will Bennett, Ray Welch and John Morrissey were owners.  H. O. Branch had an auto buggy that looked like a regular buggy but had an engine in it.  Healy sold the building to the Mapes Co. who use it as a warehouse now.

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR
February 1971, Volume 6, Number 4; 
written permission from Editor Grayden D. Slowins

FOUR CIVIL WAR LETTERS OF EDWARD H. COOK:

December 16, 1862, Washington, D. C.

Dear Father and Mother, Sisters and Brothers:

I take this opportunity to write to you.  I am well and contented.  We left the Rapids the 9th.  Was four days on the road.  We are stopping at the Soldiers' Retreat.  Probably we will go into camp tomorrow.  I hope so.  We came through the Alleghney Mountains.  I tell you it looked scary when the rocks were 200 feet over our heads; but we came through safe.  When we got to Pittsburgh they had supper for us and it didn't come bad neither.  We changed cars at Toledo and then again at Pittsburgh and then at Baltimore.  There they had supper for us.  Then at ten o'clock we took the cars for Washington.  Got here at daylight.

General Burnsides is fighting at Fredericksburg now.  He commenced last Thursday and they haven't got done yet.  He has burned the city or most of it.  It is getting dark now so I will quit for the present.

December 19.  News came in last night that we are whipped and our army is in full retreat from Fredericksburg.  It is reported that we have lost 20,000 men in our last battle.  We have not gone into camp yet.  I am all well today except a little wound I got this morning.  I was feeding my horse some turnips and he bit my thumb.  I guess I will soon recover.  I wrote a letter to you and sent it by Mr. Friend.  I haven't got but 3 postage stamps left.  Them stamps that I took off them letters passed quickly.  I just took some dirt on it and they went on as good as new ones.  We have not got any pay yet.  I asked the Captain last night when he was going to have our pay and he said in about ten days.  You may send me some stamps if you are a mind to. 
Edward H. Cook

Washington, D.C., December 29, 1862

Dear Father and Mother:

I am well and tough and so is all the boys that come from Sebewa.  We have moved our camp up on the big sand hill where we expect to remain through the winter.  Everything is gay around us.  Lieut. Reahm took us down through the city the other day.  Christmas it was they was firing cannon all day and night.  Our horses jumped around some.  I haven't got but one letter from you since I left here.  I should think it was time.  I would like to have you write me a little oftener if you can as well as not.  It is nice weather here now.  I can't think of anything to write about; in fact, there hain't one thing, so here it goes.  Edward H. Cook

Washington, February 15, 1863

Dear Father, Mother, Sisters and Brothers:

I am yet alive and well.  Everything is gay.  I received a letter from you last week stating that Frank Ricer was dead.  Sorry to hear of her death.  I hope that money I sent you went through safe.  I wrote you a letter the 12th and put 20 in greenbacks in it.  It being in only bills I guess that it will be pretty apt to go through safe.  I hope so anyway.  If it don't, I can't help it.  Whenever I send any money I want you should answer it as soon as you can.  We are here in Washington yet but I can't tell how long we will remain here no more than you can nor half as well, for when we leave here (Washington) we won't know no more than two hours before as we are ready to start so you can see that I can't tell anything about it as far as my part.  I am ready to start at anytime.  I saw (illegible) up here on the camp grounds last week.  I asked him when he was going home and he said he would not go home until he died.  He is in the War Department at present.  He said he would be up here on the camp grounds every few days.  I hope he will.  We have nice times drilling with our horses especially when we are firing off our guns.  The folks around here seem to think the war will close soon.  I hope it will.  I hain't getting homesick I want you should understand.  It has been raining for today.  The roads are very muddy.  We had a horse race yesterday of the whole regiment.  The Colonel's horse run on a bet and is going to run tomorrow in a bet of $100.  I guess he will lose it.  He is going to run with the same horse that he run with yesterday.  The privates run their horses also.

Edward H. Cook

March 25, 1864

Dear Mother:

I have not received but one letter from home this month.  It can't be possible that you write me a letter every week nor even twice a week.  If you did, I should get more letters than I do from home.  They don't average one in three weeks.  I wrote you a letter a few days since.  On the night of the 20th, the snow fell eight inches deep and Co. E was out on picket and a nice time we had too.  It commenced raining yesterday about three o'clock in the afternoon and it rained until this morning.  It is expected that the Army of the Potomac will move soon provided the weather is favorable.  I hear by Josiah's letter that Ursula was married to Walter Dann but I don't credit it.  It don't seem hardly possible but still it may be fact after all.  The boys here in the company make lots of fun about it and I hain't much behind them.  They think that Ursula must be hard up and that is my humble opinion on the subject.  If this be the case, you needn't mind about letting him see the letter.  Edward H. Cook

You will find this letter some blotted.

 (Editor's note:  Ursula did not marry Walter Dann.  Edward was born in 1843, the son of Pierce G. and Ursula Cook.  His sister, Ursula was three years younger than he.  Edward was born in New York state and Ursula in Michigan.  Others in the family were Marie (1849), Charles P. (1854), Harriet (1856) and Elizabeth (1863).  Edward was to be captured and die of starvation in Andersonville Prison.)

THE SEBEWA RECOLLECTOR Bulletin of the Sebewa Center Association,
April 1971, Volume 6, Number 6;
Submitted with written permission of Editor Grayden D. Slowins:

A STORY OF THE REEDER FAMILY

Written by Mrs. Millie Hanna (about 1930)

William Reeder was born March 21, 1815 in the state of New Jersey and died February 22, 1876 at his home in Sunfield (Michigan).  He went from the state of New Jersey to New York, met and married Ellen Hyer.  Ellen Hyer was born May 7, 1817, and died at her home in Sunfield January 31, 1879.  To this union ten children were born, three of whom were born in the state of New York, town of LeRoy.

Granpa Reeder decided to come to Michigan and came down to Lake Erie in a Canal Boat.  They were all seasick on that trip across Lake Erie and on that boat was a young man named Jacob Cunningham, who cared for them during the trip.  The family was very grateful to him.  They finished the rest of the journey by ox-team and finally located on what was known as the George Alleman and Briggs Farm, owning 160 acres of land.  (This farm was in sections 31 and 32, Sebewa---80 acres on each side of Kimmel Road at Tupper Lake Road.)  There is still a little cemetery there belonging to the Reeder heirs.  (This was sometimes known as the Carpenter cemetery.  Both Carpenters and Reeders were buried there.  In 1905 the cemetery was discontinued.  The Carpenters were reburied in the Sebewa Baptist Cemetery and the Reeders in Sebewa East Cemetery.)  Grandpa Reeder sold the land in Sebewa and bought 160 acres of land, the present location of William Fleetham.  (Section 1, Sunfield Township.)

Grandfather Reeder was a sort of handy man, he could carpenter, blacksmith, make shoes and was a farmer.  By these means he was able to bring money in for the use of family.  Money in those days was very scarce, there being no market for anything they might raise.  In fact, they could not raise much for the forests were so dense and the roads were mere trails.  Grandma Reeder in her young days had taken sewing and dancing lessons and many was the quilting and dancing party held in their home.

The deer were so tame that they would come up and eat out of the children's hands.  The Indians would pass by their home going from Shimnecon to Saubee Lake.  Grandmother could talk with the Indians.  They bartered baskets, bead work and deer meat for foodstuffs.  One time in particular I remember of my mother telling about the year of the sick wheat.  The Indians came for some wheat and they thought that Grandmother didn't want them to have it for she told them that it would make their squaws sick.  She finally let them have some.  In a short time they were back for her to come and doctor up their squaws.  When passing by, they would ride their ponies, and if they stopped at the house they would always leave their papooses at the gate.  They were afraid of Grandpa Reeder.  They called him Big White Chief, although sometimes they stayed and smoked the pipe of peace.  When they did they would roll up in their blankets and sleep with their heads to the fireplace.  Grandpa Reeder was a progressive man, being among the first who had a team of horses, one of the first to have a mowing machine, which had to have the horse on the run to make it cut hay.  Grandma had a copper boiler, a wringer, a cistern and one of the first washing machines put out and the first sewing machine.

Henry H. Reeder was born May 31, 1827 and passed away at the home of Mrs. Della Parker October 11, 1912.  Henry Reeder was married to Caroline Sanders.  To this union seven children were born, three of whom survive; Mrs. Della Parker, Mrs. Emma Oliver and Mrs. Lily Newsom.  How Uncle Henry loved to talk of old times!  He played the violin and his favorite piece was "Money Musk", and "Turkey in the Straw".  He played for dances but later on became a devoted Christian and lived a Christian life.

This little instance I will relate of Uncle Henry to show what hardships the older people had to pass through.  Grandpa Reeder went to mill with an ox-team.  They had to take along an axe to chop away any fallen trees.  He was gone longer than usual.  They had no corn meal and only flour enough to make a crust, which Grandma made.  Then there was nothing for filling except unripe elderberries, she sent the youngsters to gather them.  They all ate of it and it made Uncle Henry very sick so he could never eat elderberry pie after that.  Uncle Henry and Aunt Caroline came to visit my people and Mother passed the pie to Aunt Caroline and then went into the buttery.  Aunt Caroline passed it to Uncle Henry and he said, "I don't want any of that".  Aunt Caroline said, "Yes you do Uncle Henry, that is huckleberry pie".  "I have been fooled enough on that.  I don't want any of it".  Mother, overhearing the conversation, came out and said "Yes Henry, that is huckleberry pie".  "All right I'll have a piece then", he said.

John S. Reeder, born July 10, 1838, passed away at his home in Sebewa January 22, 1891.  He was married first to Mary Frazer and to this union one child was born, Ella Reeder Barton.  Later he was married to Harriet Rhine and to this union three children were born; Mary and John survive.

There was a circus coming to Portland and Grandpa Reeder promised all the older children they might go to the circus if the older boys would hoe so many rows of corn.  Uncle Henry and Uncle John, being the older boys, had to hoe the corn.  All went well until George Trim came across the field and urged them to go fishing.  Of course Uncle Henry would not go; but Uncle John went.  Uncle Henry was afraid they wouldn't get to go to the circus, so he hoed corn all the faster that he might finish his own rows and Uncle John's too so they could go.  That night Grandpa Reeder gave each one a quarter, which would admit them to the circus.  He gave Uncle Henry and Uncle John the privilige of driving the ox-team down and back as they were the oldest.  My mother said that they had a wonderful time.  What would the boys and girls of today think of such a treat?

Mary E. Reeder was born April 3, 1841 and passed away at her home in Sunfield December 19, 1905.  She married John Fleetham and to this union six children were born, three of whom survive:  Henry, Edgar and Joseph.  Later she married Dr. George W. Lusk and of their two children Sarah Nickles survives.  Aunt Mary always went by the name of Aunt Lib.  We all loved to eat with Aunt Lib, for we thought her a wonderful cook.

I will relate an instance told me by Mrs. Rumfield, my nearest neighbor.  She said Grandpa Reeder and Aunt Lib talked with some of the older children and walked to her home to quilt a quilt.  She didn't have the quilt on the frame, so they all turned in and helped put it on.  Then she sent her girls into the kitchen to get the dinner.  They made a boiled dinner and a johnny cake.  That was a treat to Granda Reeder as their cabbage didn't do well that year.  She said you would have to know a week ahead and then tire yourself all out getting delicacies ready and when your company came, you wouldn't have a good time at all.  They quilted the quilt and then Mrs. Rumfield went a mile piece with them home, which was customary in those days.

William Oscar Reeder was born February 16, 1844 and passed away at his home in Sunfield September 24, 1869.  Oscar Reeder was married to Hannah Bidwell.  To this union two children were born and Orin Reeder survives.

Of Uncle Oscar we haven't much to say as he passed in young manhood.  I remember my mother relating this incident.  A new barn had been built across the road from the present home of William Fleetham and a dance was in order.  Uncle Oscar wanted a partner so he went to Sebewa and got Nellie Carpenter.  As soon as she found it was a barn dance she made him take her home.  So you see the girls then were as notional as are the girls of today.

Benjamin D. Reeder was born February 24, 1848 and passed away at his home in Charlotte January 10, 1915.  He was first married to Alinda Dunham.  Both children born to them have passed away.  He was later married to Florence Frayer.  Their children were Claud and Maud.  Uncle Ben was a farmer, could carpenter some, was always whistling about his work and dearly loved to talk politics.

Cordelia E. Reeder was born January 29, 1852 and died at the home of Mrs. Millie Hanna March 12, 1917.  She was married to James Cure.  Her children were Millie and Hiram.  After having the measles, Mother's eyesight was very poor.  She had granulated eyelids, was near sighted and had to leave school.  They told Dad that she should go to Grand Rapids to see a specialist.  Grand Rapids was then a small town with no street cars or city conveniences.  They all got together and made Ma a brown suiting dress.  They got up at two o'clcok in the morning and Uncle Ben Reeder took them to Vermontville to take the train.  After arriving at Grand Rapids they went to a restaurant, had dinner and went to the eye specialist to have her eyes examined.  They told her in two weeks they could cure her.  Then Grandma told them that she had no money but that her husband had a position of building a barn (that barn was built for Elliot Wyman's father and still stands).  They told her that they would take the case and she went back to the restaurant, stating the same to them, and they said she might stay.  As Grandma had no money to leave for postage, she asked them to let her know if anything happened.  Then at the end of two weeks she came for Mother and had the money.  They told her she was prompt in meeting her obligations.

Phebe A. Reeder was born March 26, 1855 and passed away at her home in Sunfield April 30, 1879.  She was married to John Dunham.  Mrs. Litchfield told me that Aunt Phebe could cut the most peculiar shapes out of paper and frequently cut shelf paper for the neighbors as they were unable to buy shelf paper in those days.

James Leroy Reeder was born November 4, 1857 and passed away at home in Sebewa February 27, 1959.  As he was less than two years old we haven't much to say of him except that in a letter written by Grandma's sister said "Kiss little James for me".

Jane L. Reeder was born October 1, 1846 and passed away at her home in Portland February 4, 1876.  She was married to David Dilley.  Of their three children Mary Dilley Kickle survives.  Aunt Jane was always sickly.  Grandma Reeder gave a quilting at her home and they thought they ought to take Aunt Jane home.  Grandpa Reeder had a team of colts and he drove them up in the driveway to wait.  Edgar Fleetham, then a small boy, got into the wagon just as Ella Reeder Barton ran out with a sheepskin over her head.  This frightened the horses and they ran.  Uncle Sam, thinking he could catch them, grabbed them by the head.  They threw him down and took his hat off.  This caused quite a bit of excitement.  We ran to the windows and looked in that direction to see how Edgar came out.  He came out all right as he is here to testify to that.