HISTORY OF TUSCOLA COUNTY

 

VILLAGE OFFICERS.

YEAR     PRESIDENT.                        RECORDER.                         TREASURER                        ASSESSOR
1871       H. P. Atwood                     S. C. Armstrong                 A. M. Judd.
                         Henry Church.
1872       H. P. Atwood                     Thomas A. Mills                E. W. Gerrish                      A. M. Judd.
1873       F. A. Goodell                      J. J. Weale                           Avril Harris                          A. M. Judd.
1874       A. M. Judd                          Wm. L Rogers                    Henry S. Johnson             H. S. Lee
1875       C. C. Stoddard                   Henry G. Chapin               Henry S. Johnson             Tiffany Nettleton
1876       Wm. M. Rogers                 Henry G. Chapin               Henry S. Johnson             C. Montague Sr.
1877       Wm. M. Rogers                 J. H. Cummings                 Gilbert Johnso                   W. L. Rogers
1878       C. P. Black                            W. C. Buchanan                Marcus C. Robb                J. W. Spencer
1879       Wm. M. Rogers                 W. C. Buchanan                Marcus C. Robb                J. W. Spencer
1880       John F. Wilmot                  Manly C. Dodge                John D. Knight                   Marcus C. Robb
1881       F. H. Thomas                      Manly C. Dodge                Gilbert  Johnston             John D. Knight
1882       John Staley Jr.                   Fred D. Aplin                      Gilbert Johnston              W. L. Rogers
1883       J. W. Spencer                     F. C. Townsend                 Gilbert Johnston              J. R. Gillespie

 

TRUSTEES

     1871.- C. P. Black, J. P. Hoyt, G. W. Howell, S. P. Sherman, W. Balch, G. S. Gage, C. Montague and A. P. Cooper.

     1872.- C. P. Black, J. P. Hoyt, D. Kinyon, A. Reynick, J. Riley, Charles Montague, J. N. Mertz and T. Nettleton.

     1873.- G. Johnson, Charles W. Husted, William McPhail, A. W. Ale, J. N. Mertz, J. H. West, M. M. Cross and S. S. Utter.

   1874.- John M. Boyd, Alexander Reynick, James Howell, John Riley, William M. Rogers, John Kelley, Charles Montague and William E. Sherman.

     1875.- Charles Montague,, Jr., Alexander Reynick, Hubbard L. Lee, D. C. Bush, Jonathan Sprague, Samuel Strickland, John M. Boyd and Lonson Wilcox.

     1876.- J. Sprague, Alexander Reynick, James W. Spencer, Charles Montague, D. S. Stevens, F. W. Norton and F. Pool.

      1877.- Charles Montague, Alexander Reynick, J W. Spencer, John F. Wilmot, William Thompson, Frederick Pol, C. G. Slayton and H. G. Chapin.

     1878.- G. W. Howell, Charles Montague, W. K. Wheat, Sabin Gibbs, Alexander P. Cooper, S. F. Chase, John D. Knight and William Thompson.

    1879.- George W. Howell, Alexander Reynick, Alonzo Washburn,

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Solon P. Spafford, Frederick Pool, George T. Alexander, George Van Winkle and Tiffany Nettleton.

1880.- George W. Howell, H. P. Atwood, Charles Montague, W. K. Wheat, S. F. Chase, John Staley, Jr., Augustus L. Keiff and Morgan A. Jones.

1881.- A. P. Cooper, George W. Howell, A. C. Parsons, S. P. Spafford, R. J. Parkhurst, John F. Palmer, N. M. Richardson and H. P. Atwood.

    1882.- C. O. Thomas, C. H. Van Wagoner, S. P. Spafford. L. Wilcox, A. Reynick, D. S. Stevens, H. N. Montague and John F. Palmer.

     1883.- George W. Howell, Frederick W. Oesterle, John H Knickerbock, John N. Mertz, John Wagoner, John F. Seeley and Horace N. Montague.

FIRST FIRE.

     The first fire of any importance that visited the village of Caro, broke out about 4 o’clock in the morning of Friday, June 29, 1871, and was described as follows:  “The fire was first discovered by Mr. David Hemorick livery and stage agent.  He noticed a smoke issuing from the engine room attached to the building of Mr. E. Belmer, but supposed they were firing up for the day.  He finished his business with the stage, returned to the barn and hitched up a team, and when riding past the second time, discovered that the engine house was in flames.  The buildings destroyed were all the property of Mr. E. Belmer, who was absent from home at the time, and consisted of a wagon and blacksmith shop, the back end of which was used as a woolen-mill, and directly back of this was the engine house and a few feet from this a good sized barn.   On the west side of the shop was Mr. Belmer’s new building, occupied by the marble works, D. C. Bush, clothing merchant, and the second story by F. A. Leasia, tailor. By the time a sufficient number had arrived, the flames had made such rapid progress that the saving of the shop was considered an impossibility.  The house on the west side, and about thirty feet from the shop, required immediate attention, and was saved by hard work.  And in saving this the Advertiser office and all the upper portion of State Street, consisting of eight or ten business places, were saved.  The marble shop was about ten feet from the burning building, and time was only had to clear the burning building, when the flames drove those at work away.  The contents of the store and tailor shop were all saved, also the window and a portion of the glass front.

      “The engine had been in use the previous day, and was closed up about 6 o’clock in the evening.  Everything was made secure, as was supposed, and an examination of the vicinity at 10 o’clock that evening revealed nothing unusual.  It is supposed by those acquainted with the premises, and the construction of the engine, that a coal dropped out and set fire to the wooden frame on which the engine was standing, before the engine was closed and burned slowly until the next morning.

     “The loss falls heavily on Mr. Belmer, as the property destroyed had been accumulated by years of hard labor, and was not insured.  His loss in buildings and tools is estimated at $4,000.  His house and household goods were mostly saved, yet damaged somewhat.

     “The carding machine was the property of Mr. Robert E. Miller, and was brought here from Lapeer last winter.  His loss will amount to about $1,000.  No insurance.

     “The marble works lost in building and stock about $1,000. Tools all saved.

   “Messrs. Quick and Smith lost all their accounts, and a set of carpenter and joiner tools.  The other tools in the shop belonged to Mr. Belmer.  Their loss was not more than $150.”