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| This township was formerly embraced within the boundaries of Port Lawrence and Erie. In 1834 it was organized as a separate township at a meeting of the qualified voters held at the house of William Wilson, on the 7th of April, its location being at the "the forks," as it was called, now the village of Sylvania just over the present Ohio Line, and which at the time of the controversy over the disputed territory, was in the midst of the excitement attending the "Toledo war," in which Gen. David White, the first settler, participated, patriotically upholding the claims and the measures of Michigan. He was elected the first supervisor of the township which was named in his honor; he was also elected to the offices of assessor, director of the poor, etc.
Other prominent farmers who were active in promoting the interests of the township were W. M. White, Wm. Wilson, Frederick Leonardson, Elisha Corban, Joseph Titsworth, Sam. Randall, Adam Gardner, James Egnew, P. M. Jeffers. At the first general election, in the fall of 1835, to organize a state government, thirty-two votes were cast for Stevens T. Mason for governor, this being the whole number of voters at the time. Warren Burnham, Liba Allen, Wm. Bancroft, Sylvester R. Hathaway and Caius Candee were supervisors for several years up to 1850. The family of Mr. Candee came to the county in 1833 and settled in that portion which became Whiteford. They built a house of saplings, with elm bark for roof, with a chimney of "mud and sticks," in which the lived for a long time in this primitive manner until better accomodations could be secured, meanwhile planting a few potatoes and some buckwheat, contending with almost incredible difficulties and hardships, experiencing probably a little more than the average pioneers' trials. The present supervisor is Henry J. Beck of Ottawa Lake. |