HISTORY OF TUSCOLA

CIVIL HISTORY.

The town of Almer was set off from Indian Fields by the board of supervisors at a meeting held October 11, 1854. The territory organized was described as being townships 13 and 14 north, of ranges 9, 10 and 11 east. Subsequently the boundaries of Almer were changed by the organization of Elkland, Elmwood, Columbia, Ellington and Novesta.

The first annual town meeting was held on the first Monday in April 1855, at the house of Christian Shadley on section 26. The inspectors of election were William Wilcox, Christian Shadley and Aaron Dickinson. The greatest number of votes cast were as follows: For supervisor, 20; for school inspectors, 40; for constables, 60.

The following ticket was elected: William Wilcox; clerk, Christian Shadley; treasurer, Horace Parsel; school inspectors, Aaron Dickinson and Edward Belmer; overseers of poor, Aaron Dickinson and Horace Parsell; assessors, Aaron Dickinson and Horace Parsell; justice of the pearce, Jonathan White; commissioners of highways, Elliott Burnett and William McPhail; constables, William McPhail, Elliott Burnett and David June.

The following named persons were elected by viva voce as overseers of highways, Edward Belmer, Christian Shadley, William McPhail, Eliott Burnett and Almon White.

At this meeting it was voted to raise the sum of $250 for the improvement of highways.

The first meeting of the township board was held at the clerk’s office November 6, 1855. William Wilcox, S. P. Sherman and Christian Shadley were present. The only business transacted was the auditing of accounts.

For the year 1856, $250 were raised for the improvement of highways. The town treasurer was allowed four per cent on all moneys collected by him. At the close of the second year the treasurer’s report showed a balance of cash on hand amounting to the sum of $54.09.

March 30, 1858, the treasurer reported a balance of cash on hand to the amount of $48.74, and the year following the cash balance had increased to $267.93.

November 26, 1859, the salary of the township clerk was fixed at twenty dollars for the ensuing year. At the meeting held this date, Aaron Dickinson was authorized to go through the town and vaccinate all such persons as, in his opinion, required it. March 27, 1860, the balance of cash in the hands of the treasurer amounted to $138.15.

At a special meeting of the board November 3, 1860, it was voted to raise $100 for a contingent fund, and eighty dollars for the purpose of fencing the burying ground purchased of Horace Parsell. March 26, 1861, the balance in the hands of the treasurer was $201.11.

The annual town meeting of April, 1861, was held for the first time in the school-house in School District No. 1. Peter D. Bush, who was elected clerk at that election, did not qualify, and Christian Shadley was appointed to fill vacancy.

In 1863 the salary of the township clerk was increased to thirty dollars.

At a special meeting of the board, December 22, 1863, a petition was presented signed by seventeen electors, requesting the board to call a special meeting for the purpose of raising money to procure volunteers to fill up the quota of the township required by the next draft. The meeting was held January 6, 1864, at the school-house in School District No. 4. A resolution was adopted authorizing the board to issue bonds against the town of Almer, to an amount not exceeding $1,300, bearing an annual interest not exceeding ten per cent, and redeemable within four years from date of issue, as a bounty fund. It was also voted that the sum of $300 be paid to each volunteer or drafted man to fill the quota in that district.

February 18, 1864, two bonds of $300 each were issued, and March 29 following, two more bods of $250 each were issued. April 2, 1864, two bonds of $100 each were issued all to recruits credited to Almer.

In 1864, fifty dollars was raised to be expended in improving the burying ground. At the annual town meeting in April, 1864, the amount of bounty to volunteers was fixed at $100. At a special meeting held August 15, 1864, for the purpose of encouraging enlistments, a resolution was adopted as follows: “Resolved, that we pledge our faith for the payment of $200, by subscription or otherwise, to each volunteer who is mustered into service and credited upon the quota of this township, under the present call of 500,000 men, made by the president of the United States. At another meeting held on August 17^th, it was voted to raise the sum of $200 on the taxable property of the township, in addition to the $100 authorized by law as a bounty, provided such action should be legalized by the legislature. The quota of Almer under that call was nine men, and was filled by eight volunteers and one substitute. The names of the volunteers are as follows: George Cargill, E. P. Randall, Andrew Desmonde, Albert Perry, Orlando White, John McConnell, John Wright and Henry Vangilden..

November 11, 1865, it was voted to allow township officers $1.50 a day for services in their respective offices.

November 11, 1865, it was voted to allow township officers $1.50 a day for services in their respective offices.

April 5, 1868, the board passed a resolution forbidding the county to bury any more of the county poor in the Almer burying ground, and requesting the removal of those already buried there. It was also voted that $125 be raised for purchasing land in the northwest part of the town for a burying ground.

At the annual April meeting in 1876 the board voted to raise $150 for the purpose of building a town house. A building committee consisting of R. M. Ross, Hiram Streeter, James D. Sutton

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and Otis W. Leonard was appointed. It was also voted that the next election be held at the new town hall. The hall was built during the year and the election of 1877 held in it as ordered.

The records of Almer have been neatly and carefully kept from the organization of the town and are in much better shape than is usually the case.

OFFICE HOLDING.

In sudden burst of patriotism the idea of the “office seeking the man is sometimes advance, but is usually considered with suspicion. However, in the early days of Almer, a condition of this kind appears to have existed. The electors were few and the various offices had to be filled, consequently the shoulders of a few men were loaded down with the burden of public affairs. For four years Mr. Shadley was supervisor and clerk, and a porion of that time justice of the peace and constituted the entire town board.

When first organized Almer comprised six townships, covering the entire northeastern portion of the county. In making an assessment Mr. Shadley fitted himself out with compass and provisions as if for an exporing expedition, and tramped through the woods, camping out where ever night overtook him. The time required to make a tour of the town was about two weeks.

TOWN OFFICERS.

YEAR SUPERVISOR CLERK TREASURER COMMISSIONER HIGHWAYS

1883	John Bastone	Otis W. Leonard	J. P. Westfall	G. F. Parsell
1882	John Parsell	Otis W. Leonard	J. P. Westfall	Hugh Watson
1881	John Bastone	Otis W. Leonard	Chas Mudge	J. P. Westfall
1880	E. R. Cookingham	Otis W. Leonard	Chas. Mudge	J. P. Westfall
1879	John Bastone	Otis W. Leonard	John Parsell	J. H. Streeter
1878	John Bastone	Wm. Imerson	John Parsell	D. Macomber
1877	John Bastone	Otis W. Leonard	John Parsell	Hiram Streeter
1876	E. R. Cookingham	James D. Sutton	David E. Gordon	E. P. Randall
1875	E. R. Cookingham	James D. Sutton	David E. Gordon	John Bastone
1874	E. R. Cookingham	James D. Sutton	D. E. Gordon	J. P. Hackett R. M. Ross
1873	E. R. Cookingham	James D. Sutton	David June	John Darbee L. Russell
1872	John Parsell	Otis W. Leonard	David June	J. Sweet
1871	John Parsell	E. R. Cookingham	David June	Josiah Kinyon
1870	John Parsell	Otis W. Leonard	David June	W. W. Parsell
1869	James D. Sutton	William Deyo	David June	John Darbee R. M. Ross
1868	James D. Sutton	William Deyo	David June	Geo B. Hunt
1867	John Parsell	Richard Clifford	John B. Edgar	Peter P. Kline Levi Dickinson
1866	David Orr	Isaac Tompkins	A. P. Cooper	E. P. Randall E. A. Marr
1865	James D. Sutton	Christian Shadley	Wm. McPhail	H. D. Hamilton
1864	James D. Sutton	Christian Shadley	Wm. McPhail	Chas. Farlee H. D. Hamilton
1863	James D. Sutton	Christian Shadley	Wm. McPhail	Horace Parsell
1862	John B. Edgar	Otis W. Leonard	Aaron Dickinson	William McPhail Benj. Haman
1861	Christian Shadley	Peter D. Bush	Aaron Dickinson	John Burrows
1860	Christian Shadley	Christian Shadley	Aaron Dickinson	George Cleaver
1859	Christian Shadley	Christian Shadley	Aaron Dickinson	John Burrows James D. Sutton
1858	Christian Shadley	Christian Shadley	Aaron Dickinson	James Ennes
1857	Christian Shadley	Otis W. Leonard	Aaron Dickinson	James Archer W. G. King
1856	Christian Shadley	Christian Shadley	Aaron Dickinson	W. S. Belden John Beach
1855	William Wilcox	Christian Shadley	Horace Parsell	Eliott Burnett William McPhail

STATISTICAL