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James Kipp

bought and settled the east 1/2 of the northeast 1/4 section 3, in July 1830. He was a hard working, economical man and by his energy soon brought his farm into a state of cultivation.

The territorial road, known to us as the Detroit and Ann Arbor road, ran twenty rods, less or more, south of his land, which no road touched. After a few years he bought of Abraham Perrin, a piece of land between his land and the road, built a framed house on the road and kept a tavern therein. In the summer of 1843, he fell a victim to the malarial climate and died at the age of 42 years.

Two years after, his wife, formerly Miss Mary Westfall, married

Roswell Barnes.

He was a miller by trade and his business called him from home much of the time. She did the business for the estate and looked after the interests of the farm.

Mary Barnes

was a person of energy and business ability. She was rigidly honest in deal but a woman of great irascibility of temper. She made a success of business, and made such provision for the future of her children as her limited means would allow. Her impulsive disposition brought her into frequent collision with her neighbors, and few, if any, who had business relations with her, escaped the lashings of her tongue. But her enmities were not lasting, and she soon appeared, with a disposition to perform the kindly officers of a good neighbor. She died in 1887, at over 80 years of age. Wm. Kipp and "Bert" Barner are her only children now residing in the township.

John D. Corey

settled on the east 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 2, in 1833. His wife died, I think, within the first year. He subsequently married Miss Roxy, daughter of James Ferguson. He was a professional school teacher, which business he followed winters till old age, whenever he could get employment. And he was a pretty good teacher, after the methods of those days. He was also a brick mason and plasterer. Occasionally he also played the violin at country dances; these in addition to working his farm. About the year 1855 he sold his farm to William Sanderson, an Englishman, and removed to Delhi, Ingham county. After residing there a few years he removed to Iabella county, where he died a few years ago.

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James Ferguson

settled on the west 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 2, 1831. he came from Niagara county, N.Y. He was a kindly disposed old man, and an active member of the M.E. church. He died in 1839. He left a large family of children, of whom Sylvia became Mrs. Peter Meldrum, Roxy became Mrs. J. D. Corey, and Jane, Mrs. ----- Cummins. There were two younger daughters, but I cannot give their history. There were also three sons, as follows:

Harcourt Ferguson

personally bought the land his father subsequently settled, in 1830, and then returned to Niagara county, N.Y. In 1832 he sent the means to purchase the 80 acres west of it. He married Miss Louisa Harris, in 1833, and brought her into the woods the next year.

He united with the Methodist church in the summer of 1839, as one of the results of a series of meetings held in Rev.Marcus Swift’s barn, under the charge of Rev. John Kinnear.

After a few years he began to preach, which profession he followed the rest of his life. During the last two years before his death he rode from his home to Greenfield, on horseback, and preached every Sunday. He died in 1850, aged 42 years. His wife, now Mrs. John Nichols, residing three miles north of Wayne, still survives, in her seventy-third year.

David Ferguson and Reuben Ferguson both died in early manhood, and both left children. They were noted in the vicinity as superior drummers, and they always belonged to the martial band of music.

Abraham Perrin.

No sketch of the neighborhood would be complete that omitted to mention the two brothers Perrin. They came among us in 1831 or 1832, from Monroe county, N.Y. During many years they worked in company, and their interests were so identified that a sketch of one would very largely describe the business of both.

They bought the west 1/2 of southwest 1/4 section 2, and the east 1/2 of southeast 1/4 of section 3, and divided it into north and south halves, the first named taking the north half.

In 1832 they commenced building a sawmill on the river Rouge, which was set running the next year. This proved valuable to the neighborhood and profitable to the proprietors. After a year or two turning lathes were added which brought chair and cabinet shops into existence, and a spirit of enterprise became active. Blacksmith shops, wagon shops and dwellings sprang

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into existence, and soon the place assumed the aspect of a village. This was at first called Trenton, subsequently Perrinsville.

In 1842 a building was erected near the sawmill and wool carding and cloth dressing machinery put into it. In this latter business Daniel and Enos Straight became partners. Jonathan Dean of Eaton county, an expert, was employed to aid the new firm in acquiring a knowledge of the business.

The first dwelling of Abraham Perrin was of logs and stood nearly opposite across the street from the present Methodist church. He subsequently built a large framed house, which has at times been used as a hotel.

A serious domestic affliction befell this family the first spring after his settlement. His little daughter Polly was burned to death in the sugar bush by her clothes taking fire.

Mr. Perrin prospered in business and for some years was considered the first man, financially, in the place; but in the events of years, the mill and other machinery became unprofitable and was allowed to go to decay. The little village put on an appearance of unthrift, and his financial condition sympathized with his surroundings, and he died in poor circumstances in 1871, aged 71 years.

His life was on of respectability. He was a member of the Baptist church, a good neighbor and a worthy citizen. His wife, whose maiden name of Phebe Barber, recently died in Detroit.

They raised a family of two sons and five daughters, none of whom are living in the place.

Isaac F. Perrin,

besides his manufacturing interests, paid much attention to his farm on which he set out a large orchard of choice apples. He built a house in 1834, and in September of that year he married Miss Hannah Ann, daughter of Rev. Marcus Swift, and went immediately to housekeeping in his new house from which he never moved. His wife died in 1863, leaving two daughters, one having died six years before, aged 21 years; the other, Sarah A., is the wife of Dr. Thos. Morrison of Wayne, and a very estimable woman.

Mr. Perrin subsequently married the widow of Zenas Glass. He died July 3, 1867, aged 62 years. He was a man of enterprise, and entered with spirit into any movement calculated to benefit his neighborhood. He was a leading man in the Methodist church, a good neighbor and an enduring friend.

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was a native of New Jersey. From there he went to Pennsylvania, thence to Palmyra, N.Y. He joined our pioneer circle in 1831. He bought of the government the northeast 1/4 of section 10, June 2, 1831, and immediately commenced building a house thereon. He brought his family before locating his land. While the house was building he found accommodations for his family in the east wing of Marcus Swift’s house. His first house was built for temporary use. It was placed about 40 rods west of the east line of the farm on the north bank of the brook. After two or three years he built a cheap framed house a few rods west of it. He was a blacksmith, and the first of that craft among us. He built a log shop near his house, burned a coal pit to procure charcoal, and from his shop could be heard the clink of his hammer, as he did sundry jobs for his neighbors for a series of years. In 1836 he built a large frame barn near his house which still stands, though houses and ship have long since gone to decay.

When Mr. Dickerson came among us, he left in Pennsylvania, three of his oldest children. Those he brought with him were Phebe G., John and Davis, all grown to full stature, Rhoda Ann, a girl of 12 years, Mahlon and William . Phebe married Elronzo Thomas, son of Alanson Thomas of Dearborn, in 1832 or 3. He owned and occupied a farm on section 13. She reared a family of children, and died many years ago. The family have all passed out of my knowledge. John Dickerson died unmarried in 1840. Davis married Miss Amanda Dean, daughter of David S. Dean, then of Nankin, and removed to Kent county, and died within the present years. Rhoda Ann married David Hicks and has always resided on a farm on section 13. She has reared a family of children. In recent years an accident to her hip joint will compel her to walk, the rest of her days, on crutches.

Mahlon married Miss Isabella Felton, reared a family of children and died in Montcalm county, in 1888.

William L., the youngest son, learned the wagon maker’s trade and worked at it may years. By great industry and economy he succeeded in purchasing of the heirs, titles to the greater part of his father’s farm, and has since resided thereon. In 1853 he married Miss Olive Litchfield of Dexter, who has shared his fortune since that time. They have also reared a family of children.

Joseph L. Dickerson, one of the children left in Pennsylvania, followed his father, arriving a year or two later, and commenced business as a blacksmith in Perrinsville; after a few years he went to Kent county, where he died in recent years.

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Lawson A. Van Aukin

came among us in the autumn of 1831. He bought of the government the northwest 1/4 of section 10, November 1, 1831. He built a small cabin of poles with a shed roof, in which he resided a year or two, when he replaced it with a substantial log house of larger dimensions. He spelled his name Van Aukin when he settled here, but after a few years he spelled it Van Akin.

He was a man of great energy and perseverance in matters of personal interest. By his energy and economy he succeeded within a few years in placing a large part of his farm under cultivation. During most of his years his principal product was peppermint, of which he distilled hundreds of pounds of the essential oil annually.

In habits he was a temperance man, using neither whisky nor tobacco. At the time of his coming among us he was one of the most profane men I ever knew, but in after years he joined the Presbyterian church and was never heard to utter profane oath after that. He was ambitious for official position and personal honor. He was captain in the militia at one time, and subsequently reached a military grade by which he was called general. In later years he became justice of the peace. He was extremely selfish and nothing enlisted his interest that did not in some manner affect him personally. He was an element of discord, and his persistent efforts for personal favor antagonized so many of his neighbors as to defeat all his efforts for higher political positions.

In 1846 he traded his farm with Alanson Knickerbacker for the east 1/2 of northwest 1/4 of section 1, where he resided the rest of his life. His former home was Phelps, Ontario county, N.Y.

Archibald Brink

bought the east 1/2 of northwest 1/4 of section 15, of the government in May, 1834. His family stopped with Marcus Swift while he built a house on his land. He had little or no money after he paid for his land and built his house. He chopped four acres of land for my father for his first cow, and paid for all his team work for two or more years by his own labor.

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He and his wife were very hard working people. She did many hard days’ work for my mother. They soon got their farm cleared and under good state of cultivation. They had no children. In 1850 or thereabouts he built a good brick house and was soon in condition to live in comfort. He was one among the very few who escaped the ague, which was the more remarkable in that he was surrounded by swampy lands.

By rigid economy he accumulated property, and in his later years he became a money lender. He was honest in deal, though called a hard man on his creditors. He was conspicuous for his boastful and exaggerated opinions of his own importance and his inappropriate use of big words in conversation. He died December, 1875, aged 67 years. His wife, who was Abigail Swift, sister of Marrison Swift, still survives at the age of 77 years, and is the only surviving pioneer residing on the land purchased of the government in the vicinity.

Morrison Swift

was a son of Elisha Swift of Ontario county, N.Y., and came to Michigan in 1830. He bought the west 1/2 of southwest 1/4, section 3, and in the winter of 1830-1, hired John Westbrook, and they chopped ten or more acres of his land adjoining the road that ran through it. I was but a little boy but I remember distinctly that after the felling of every large tree they both yelled with all their strength, and it was no feeble voice they sent forth. We were half a mile away, but we always expected to hear them as much as to hear the felling of the trees.

The next season Mrs. S. returned east, but in 1834, he returned with a wife. He had sold his farm and for a year he did the shoemaking for the neighborhood. In September, 1835, he bought in his wife’s name (Louisania Swift) the northwest 1/4 of northeast 1/4, and the northeast 1/4 of the northwest 1/4 of section 23. he built a log house thereon and settled there soon after.

The usual result of industry and economy brought prosperity, and in 1848 or ‘49 he built a brick house finished in the best style of modern construction. He health failing him, he in 1854 sold his farm and moved to Detroit. There he lost some money by bad loans. He afterward moved to Rochester, Oakland county, where he died many years ago. His wife died more recently. The were people of the highest respectability.