PIONEERS OF MUSKEGON COUNTY

The following families are some of the earliest known settlers of Muskegon County.

"Fur Trading Era"

NAME DATE OCCUPATION MISC.
Jean Baptiste Recollett 1812 Trading Post Built Trading Post at mouth of Bear Lake
Pierre Constant 1814?? Trading Post Built Trading Post at Bluffton
William Lasley Unknown Established Trading Post in 1846 east end of Muskegon Lake Married daughter of Pierre Constant
Joseph Daily 1830 Trading Post Sold trading post in 1834 to Louis B. Baddeau
Louis B. Baddeau 1834 Trading Post Filed land claim in 1835, acquired title in 1839
George Campau 1833 Fur Trader Continued fur trading for a few years
Joseph Troutier 1835 Trading Post Continued in business for several years
Martin Ryerson May, 1836 Clerk Worked for Joseph Troutier and later Theodore Newell. In 1839 entered the Indian trade.
Theodore Newell 1836 Trading Post Plotted original Muskegon Township
Henry Penoyer 1836 Unknown Located at mouth of Muskegon Lake
George Walton 1837 Unknown Unknown
J. H. Ford 1837 Sawmill Built sawmill at mouth of Bear Lake channel
Thomas W. Dill 1837 Unknown Daughter, Minerva, born 1838. Regarded as first white child born in Muskegon Co.
Isaac D. Merrill 1839 Unknown Unknown
George B. Woodbury 1840 Unknown Unknown
George Ruddiman 1840 Unknown Unknown
John Ruddiman 1843 Unknown Unknown
S. J. Green 1843 Unknown Unknown
J. H. Knickerbocker 1843 Unknown Unknown
Richard Ryerson 1843 Unknown Unknown
Elias W. Merrill 1844 Unknown Unknown
R. W. Morris 1845 Unknown Unknown
A. B. Forman 1845 Unknown Unknown
James E. Graham 1846 Unknown Unknown
Alf A. Maxim 1843 Unknown Arrived with wagon and oxen
Chauncey Davis 1848 General Store and shipper of lumber and shingles etc. Elected as Muskegon's first mayor in 1870



Other Early Settlers

1846 P. Blake
1847 Charles Morton, Frank Young
1848 Ezra Stevens, Nich. Petrie, C. Davis, Charles Carmichael, E. A. Partridge, Mrs. Julia Witherell, Mrs. Fanny Shepherd, John Witherell, Mrs. Albert Hodge.
1849 Mrs. W. Lloyd, Mrs. Ellen boyd, John Cameron, C. P. McSherry, E. H. Wylie, Dennis Garvey, Theo. Wilson, Nich. Kempff, P. J. Connell
1850 Julius Bosksch, A. Towbridge, F. John Hetz, Jonathan Boyce, Thomas Mills, Fred Drixelius, Kister Werner, John Carmichael
1851 David Blake
1852 A. J. McHenry Hubert Stein, J. D. Davis, Jacob Hetz, Charles T. Hills, Lars Larson, Fred Bowles, Edward Boyce, Raymond O'Harrow, M. S. Burge, Dennis Reardon
1853 J. H. Swan, Charles W. Root, Wm. Glue, Peter Grossman
1854 Ira O. Smith, P. Dowd, Henry VanBambus, Ole Oleson, Wm. Kotelman, Nich. Schuler, Henry Jacob, John Bronson, Andrew Olson, Edward Ford
1855 Alex Cotie, John W. Kent, Martin Kochlin, Peter Muhl, Capt. Henry Dobson, J. H. Hacley, Matthew Wilson, Henry H. Getty
1856 L. G. Mason, S. D. Murray, R. P. Easton, Luman, Hamblin, Gideon Truesdell, A. B. Miner, S. R. Sanford, F. Eimer, H. Riehle, J. W. Moon, John Torrent, S. HH. Stevens, Dr. A. Maurer
1857 A. A. Bullock, M. F. Rainer, P. Schnorback, Lewis M. Haines, John T. Dibble, Chas. D. Nelson, E. Potter, W. F. Wood, A. V. Mann, W. L. Ryan, Thos. Wheeler, W. H. Lewis, Bennett Ripley, Wm. Rutherford, Chas. Graves
1858 Henry H. Holt, Wm. Pickett, George Schwegler, A. Rodgers
1859 S. B. Peck, Geo. Armes, A. Mulder, J. Mulder, Geo. F. Outhwaite

"Lumbering Era"

Listed below are just a few of the civic leaders settling in Muskegon in the 1850s.

The population of the area began to grow rapidly with the beginning of Lumber Era.

Frederick A. Nims 1850s
C. T. Hills 1850s
John Torrent 1850s
Charles H. Hackley 1850s
Joseph H. Hackley (father of Charles) 1850s
J. W. Moon 1850s
O. P. Pillsbury 1850s
T. J. Rand 1850s