Gladwin County Record - BEAVERTON BUDGET - 12 AUG 1881

...James Colbeck has eight acres in process of clearing..

Gladwin County Record - BILLINGS BUDGET - 30 SEPT 1881

Stephen White, a son-in-law of J. Colbeck, is a new settler in the Wilber neighborhood.

The schoolhouse in the Wilber district is being removed 3/4 of a mile east from the old site nearer the center of the district.

Born- to Stephen White and wife, a son (This was Frank White's birth anouncement.)

Gladwin County Record - 4 NOV 1881

James Colbeck has completed the job of moving and plastering the schoolhouse in district no. 1.

Gladwin County Record - 30 DEC 1881

Young Swanton and Tom Snyder are building a structure in the woods on the state road north and near the Gladwin county line, which is to be used, as is alleged, when completed as a drug store. This smells of something wrong!

Gladwin County Record - 27 JAN 1882

article about a proposal before the legislature to build a ship canal from Saugatuck to Detroit

Gladwin County Record - 7 APRIL 1882

Billings twp election results showed James Colbeck receiving 6 votes versus Thos. Bowers' 85 for office of Justice, to fill vacancy

Gladwin County Record - 16 JUNE 1882

Young Swanton sold some land to Seth Secord, Billings

Gladwin County Record - 22 SEPT 1882

At the annual meeting in district no. 1 James Colbeck was elected director to fill vacancy one year...

Jas. Colbeck, who settled in the Wilber neighborhood some two years ago,coming from Canada, has a family of eleven- we believe the largest in the township and one of the largest in the county. He is a hard worker and doing well.

District no. 1 contains a thrifty settlement, the following being a list of the settlers and the amount they have improved: S.R. plummer, 36 acres; Lee Hawley, 2 acres; Geo. Sanger, 68 acres (Wilber farm); Albert Bergin, 48 acres; Peter Denis, 2 acres; James Spence (we have omitted by inadvertance); James Colbeck, 16 acres; Thos. Bowers, 40 acres; John Middleton, 4 acres; Levi Eldridge, 15 .acres

Gladwin County Record - 13 OCT 1882

James Colbeck has taken a job of crosswaying and covering a portion of the road on the south line of section 25, leading to the state road, which will be a great improvement.

Gladwin County Record - 20 OCT 1882

James Colbeck will put in the black and white ash on his place this season, and lumber a little on his own hook.

Gladwin County Record - 10 NOV 1882

The Billings wheat crop is better than ever before.

Gladwin County Record - 13 APRIL 1883

Born- a girl to Mrs. Stephen White.(This was the birth announcement for Violet White, born in Feb. 1883(?)

Billings twp officers elected included: school inspector- James Colbeck. 40 votes, unopposed

Gladwin County Record - 4 MAY 1883

Never bet on election until you hear from Billings

Gladwin County Record - 22 JUNE 1883

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for 40 cents. Address: The West Shore, Portland, Oregon.

Gladwin County Record - 10 AUG 1883

Henry Moss of Billings was tried by jury before Justice Johnson on Friday on complaint of David Hunter, charged with stealing a swarm of bees, which bees were alleged to have escaped from Hunter's premises and taken their above in a tree. Moss was convicted of the charge and fined $25.00 and costs. The case was appealed to circuit court....

Gladwin County Record-WILBER NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS=10 AUG 1883

James Colbeck has the job of fencing, grading and stumping the school ground of district 1.

Gladwin County Record - 5 OCT 1883

At the annual meeting of school district no. 1, the old officers were re-elected, and the board now stands as follows: J. Colbeck, director; L. Eldrage, moderator; and J. Spence, assessor. A job to ceil and repair the schoolhouse was let to Thos. Bowers at $20.00.

(this was about the Billings school)

Gladwin County Record - TAXES FOR 1883-1884 - 2 NOV 1883

Billings Township: State tax $380.81; county tax $2608.96; twp. contingent tax 2 1/2 percent, twp re?? taxes $31.65, highway tax 1/2 percent, bridge tax $1000.00; one mil tax school district no. 1 tax $195.00 (the questions marks were not the actual word printed but the original text was illegible at this point where the ? is inserted.)

Gladwin County Record - BILLINGS BUDGET - 1 FEB 1884

James Colbeck is recovering from the effect of a broken leg.

J. Colbeck has sold 80,000 feet of pine to A. Rust.

Gladwin County Record - 11 APRIL 1884

Married March 28, 1884 by James Spence J.P., Mr. James Colbeck Jr. to Miss Grace Hicks, all of Billings. We wish them much joy. (No further mention appears in future editions of the Gladwin County Record about Grace Hicks, at this writing I have no further information other than to say that James was later married to Anna VanDeGrift.)

Twp. election results for Billings included: Highway commissioner and school inspector: James Colbeck; one of the four constables was Frank Colbeck

Gladwin County Record - 25 APRIL 1884

While breaking rollways on the Tobacco about the thirteenth, Jack Callahan, foreman for T. Jerome, B. F. Dumont, John Wilcox and Stephen White, had a narrow escape. The logs gave way unexpectedly, precipitating them into the river. The end of a log cut a hole through Callahan's hat. All luckily escaped without injury, however, the next day Callahan was blown bodily from a rollway by the explosion of a defective fuse of a cartridge, with which he intended to break the rollway.

James Colbeck has eight acres slashed, which he will log up and burn, making 35 acres improved in two years work.

Gladwin County Record - BILLINGS BUDGET - 9 MAY 1884

April 29, 1884 Stephen White had a plowing bee today. He had five teams and plowed about two acres

Gladwin County Record - 23 MAY 1884

Frank Colbeck has bought him a place and is going to clear it up.

Gladwin County Record - 27 JUNE 1884

The stage will make its first trip via Coleman next Tuesday.

Gladwin will be a money order post office after next Tuesday.

Miss Swanton of Edenville is teaching district no. 2 of Tobacco.(This Miss Swanton was Ida M. Swanton, mentioned in later articles.)

Gladwin County Record - 1 AUG 1884

History of Billings summarized: Billings twp was organized in 1875, comprising twp's 17 n r 1 e, 17 n r 2 e, and 17 n r 1 w, the last becoming today's Tobacco twp organized March 1883. The first settler was Nathaniel Huntley, some 16 years ago....

James Colbeck, who came in a few years since has 30 acres under improvement having purchased a partly improved farm. The Wilber farm has been divided, of the improved portion 35 acres now being occupied and worked by Mrs. Wilber, and 35 acres owned by John Parish... Stephen White moved in last fall, and makes a good showing on a new farm... Billings Township retains the old school district no. 1 of the township where school and religious services are held..

Billings had a population of 83 on the 1880 census.

Gladwin County Record - 5 SEPT 1884

List of jurors selected for Sept. session of circuit court included James Colbeck Jr

Gladwin County Record - 12 SEPT 1884

Republican convention nomination of county officers On permanent organization and order of business committee Frank Colbeck was one of 5 members

Gladwin County Record - 10 OCT 1884

Miss Ida M. Swanton is teaching in the Dow district (the Dow district was in Tobacco township)

Gladwin County Record - 24 OCT 1884

Billings town board... On motion bill of James Colbeck of $24.00 for services as highway commissioner was allowed as presented. Moved and supported that bill of James Colbeck for services as chairman of board of school inspectors be allowed at $9.00. carried...

Gladwin County Record - 28 NOV 1884

James Colbeck is logging ten acres.