Abijah WILLEY was born in Savannah, Wayne County, N. Y., in 1833. His parents came to Michigan ana settled in Marathon Township in 1836. They were among the first settlers in that part of Lapeer County. Mr. WILLEY's father and Mr. E. CLUTE cut the first road into the township from the village of Lapeer, crossing the Flint Eiver near where Columbiaville now stands on a raft made of pine logs. Abijah lived with his father until he was twenty-one years of age, when he bought eighty acres of land in section 32, township 9 north, range 9 east. To this was added twenty acres in section 29, left him by his father. On this land he has followed farming up to the present time. For some thirty years he was also very extensively engaged in lumbering. He has been a justice of the peace for seven years, and has been connected with the township schools as moderator, director and assessor since he was of age. He was married in 1858 to Miss Eliza TRAVER, of Chemung County, New York. They have two sons and two daughters. [HRP, p. 145]

Seth WILLEY, who was one of the very first settlers in the township of Marathon, was born six miles east of Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1817. In 1836 the family were taken to Michigan by the father, Abijah Willey. They lived in Lapeer a year and then settled in Marathon, where the father had previously bought land. At his father's death the original homestead was divided up among the heirs, three sons and three daughters. Mr. WILLEY lives in section 28, township 9 north, range 9 east, where he has ninetytwo acres. He also has forty acres in section 31. He has been town collector, justice of the peace, etc. He was married in 1843 to Miss Caty J. FINEHOUT, by whom he had a son and daughter. The son, George W. WILLEY, was a member of the Fourteenth Michigan Infantry and died from wounds received while in the service, during Sherman's "march to the sea." After the death of the first Mrs. WILLEY, he was again married in 1865 and by his second wife has had a daughter. [HRP, p. 145]