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| When the first five townships in the county were organized under the legislative act of 1827 the boundaries of Monroe township were not changed, except that in the reorganization they included all that portion of the present city of Monroe, lying south of the River Raisin, and so continued until 1848, in which year the city was sent off by itself, its south boundary line being at Ninth street, or what would be Ninth street if such street was opened. Its first settlers were, of course, mainly French, and their "abitations" the same class of log houses that were built at that time, although some of them were clapboarded and kept neatly whitewashed. There are not now more than one or two in existence. The La Plaisance Bay settlement contained a larger number of these primitive dwellings than any other neighborhood collection, and presented a picturesque grouping of the early homes. The first election was held at the old court housein the village of Monroe on May 28, 1827, when there were cast for township officers fifty-two votes, Samuel Choate receiving forty-nine for supervisor, Edward D. Ellis fifty for clerk, and forty-eight each for Jeremiah Lawrence, Joseph G. Navarre and Samuel Stone for assessors; Hiram Brown, Daniel Mulhollen and Samuel H. Gale, commissioners; George Alford and Wm. P. Gale, overseers of the poor; Ethel Burch and James McMannus, constables, and James McMannus, collector. Samuel Choate was re-elected supervisor in 1828; Walter Colton in 1829 and 1830; Daniel S. Bacon in 1831; Luther Harvey in 1832 and 1833; Edward D. Ellis in 1834; Peter P. Ferry in 1836; Nathan Hubble in 1842; Gershon T. Bulkley in 1843 and 1844; Norman D. Curtis, in 1845. Gershom T. Bulkley in 1846; N. D. Curtis in 1847; Emerson Choate in 1848 and 1849, and Joseph G. Navarre in 1850. |