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THE ROTARY CHRONICLEVOL. 1CLARE. MICHIGANFRIDAY NOV. 11. 1955NO. 2Emigrants Of Lutheran Faith WereSt. John’s Church Parish FoundersSt. John Lutheran Church was Inaugurated in Clare lu 1882 by Rev. F. Huber. Faithful German emigrants who settled in the newly founded Clare felt the need of spiritual guidance and meet Inga were held in various homes for Bible readings. One of the first meeting places. In 1876. was in the Julius Schaeffer. Sr. home on Dunlop Road, which incidently, is still standing. As more GermanSchool property in 1888. and a parsonage and a large horse and buggy shed were added to the property. The parsonage burned but was later replaced. The church which was built in 1888 Is now’ the house owned by Richard Groves. Rev. F. Menke was pastor from 1900 to 1903 and was suceeded by Rev. H. T. Grimm who served from 1903 to 1906.During this time the presentemigrants came to Clare, the meet- church was being built. The struc-M M _ _ _ _ • _ » • ■ I d M A -ings gradually grew, and In 1880 a studem from Michigan LuQiran Seminary from Saginaw served as minister.A block of land was purchased at the north end of the settlement, which had to be cleared and stumped by the members. Herman Lange farmed the land not used for church purposes to compensate him for boarding the student pastor. A church was built next to what Is now the Clare Highture itself was 30 by 50 feet built of sundstone brick with an imposing tower surmounted by a cross. Everything was complete with the exception of a church bell. At this time the First Congregational Church was built in Clare. ThisNot only was a church important to these German people, but they also included a parochial school system. Their schools. Sunday aud day. had an enrollment of about 25 children. Although German was the principal language used, thepastor. Rev. C. VVaidellch. began to instruct the children in English. Rev. C. \V. W'aidelich served this congregation from 1906 to 1917. He was a very diligent worker and and covered many miles on his to several of his preaching sta-stations, one at Lily Lake, and one east of Elm Grove. He also servedat Sanford and Reed City.The present parsonage was built in 1923. The stones for the outside construction were hauled manychurch was built without a belfrey j miles by team and wagon. Gu com_ _. ■ a 1- * • . a 1 i I _ a I. • .if ■ a • mt aand the Congregationllst bad no use for their bell which wras the first to ever ring in Clare. This bell was installed in the Lutheran Church and Ih still in use today.Clare Gold Star Mothers ServeBy Patriotic Service To BoyOrganized in 1928 by Grace who is currently serving her Dearling Seibold, and Joined by I second term.the common bonds of thoRe whose( Thu Clare Chapter, Americansons had given their lives in the (jold star Mothers, expressed its service of their country, the Am-1 appreciation to the people of (MareA 0 i * % « . M M 1 M 1 _ ■ I I A A M W V I ■ A V. .. — — A AM A A AA I Aerlcan Gold Star Mothers serve their country und themselvesthrough service to Veterans. United by their common loss, they find comfort in their organization which has grown to be nation-wide end in twenty-five years there have beeu over five-hundred chapters organised.In honoring the memories of their sons by joint effort and work the American Gold Star Mothersfor their interest and support anu to the Clare Rebekah Lodge and American Legion for use of their year. The story of the building is hulls during the years.pletion. this added a fine modern parsonage to the present property.The Lutheran Ladies Aid was organized October 25. 1906. Mrs. J YV. Schaeffer is the only living charter members. This organization has been very active, always working for the improvement ofthe church and parsonage. It wasthrough the effort of the Ladies Aid, the new Hammond organ was purchased iu 1946.The following pastors have served this church:Rev. Hugo Hoenecke, 1917-1922; Rev. Olto Hoenecke, 1922-1924; Rev. P. L. Bernthal, 1924-1927; Rev. W. W. Westendorf, 1927-1929; Rev. C. Ilenhammer. 1930-1940; Rev. E. C. Levrer. 1940-1954.Extensive remodeling and decorating was recently completed at the parsonage before the newly called pastor Rev. Robert Voss,arrived ou August 1, 1954.Vernon Settlement Origin Traced In Old RecordsYup! I'm one of the fellas that can give you a story on the Vernon community. Thu Is my 65th anniversary. 1 was born 65 years ago today in the house on E. Fourth Street in Clare that now houses the Archambauh Insurance Agency, and in 1894, at the age of four, we moved to the farm home in Vernon Township where I still live.” These were the words of Jimmy Walsh, our well-known Clare Irishman.I was told that some of the property of Vernon township was deeded by President Grant after theCivil War, and the first record of the Board of Supervisors, dated 1866, will be offered as follows:Order of the Board of Supervisors of Isabella Cornty for the crec lion of the Township of Vernon - -In the matter of the application of Cornelius Bogan, Simeon Hager-ty. James M. Stough, John Herring. B.C. Farnham, George R. Rease, O.H. Farnham, (J-eorgc W. Stine. Patrick McLaughlin, Duncan Carmichael, Abel Byw^ter,William Phinisey, George WilliamsJacob E. Shaffer, John O’Neil, W.I. Turbush for the erection and organization of a new Township. —It appearing to the Board of Supervisors that application has been made, and notice thereof hasbeen signed, pasted up and published in the manner required by law; and having duly considered the matter of said application, the Board Order and Enact: that the territory described in said application as follows: to wit. Towns Sixteen (16) Seventeen (17) and Eighteen (18) North of Range Four (4) west and Towns seventeen (17) and Eighteen (18) North of Range Three (3) west, be and the same is hereby erected into a Township, to be called and known by tliH name of the Township ofVernon. The first town meeting thereof shall be held at the houseof George W. Stine on the secondMonday of July. 1866. at nine (9) o'clock A.M., and at said meeting William Phinissey, Cornelius Bogan, and James M. Stough. three electors of said Township, shall be the persons whose duty it shallbe to preside at such meeting, appoint a clerk, open and keep the polls and exercise the same powers as Inspectors of Election at any Township meeting as the lawprovides.The foregoing was copied from the record as recorded therein. Please note many persons mentioned have names well known in the Clare area even today, the fathers and grandiatherH of ourgood friends today. Please note also that Town 16. four went Ih the present Township of Vernon, Town 17 four weat Ih the present Town ship of Grant, Town 18 four west Is Township of Hatton, 17 three west is present Township of Sheridan, and 18 three west, the present Township of Arthur, all of this territory being erected in 1866 as the Township of Vernon.The first recorded death in Vernon Township was that of Eli Swayze, who was killed by a well cave-in. He was digging the well on the farm owned by Duncan Carmichael. The casket, was of course, home-made, also the wagon. Oxen were the beasts of burden, and, as was the custom o! tin* time, the pall bearers sat a round on top of the casket on the way to the burying ground. Nowat this time, Vernon Township hadno burying ground, so Mr. Swayze mis burled at the present sight of Woide Grocery. And the story goes that as Mr. Swayze was lowered into the grave, some woman, of the few present said, “Seems a shame that the man i» to be buried like a dog. Won't some one say a few words.” Atthton and Bradley C. Farnham was $80 for bulling the town house and $110 for clearing and fencing the burial lot. The bid of Abel Bywater was $90 for clearing and fen ring the burial lot. On motion of John H. Tope, the Jobs were let to Elijah D. Wheaton and Bradley C. Farnham at their bid.Now! It just could be that here Is where the curse of civilization started to rear its ugly head because from here on the recordsshow highway commissions, health officers, school taxes, state taxes, county taxes, township taxes, and delinquent taxes.The first saw mill in this area, built in the 1860’s was three miles south of Clare on U.S. 27, and fromthis mill came material for the firstHotel in Clare, called the Alger House (owned by Chick Brown’s grandfather) and this Hotel was located at the site of the Bryant Gulf Service fixation and later a part of this hotel was moved to the corner of East Fourth and Hemlock streets, where Kate Morgan now lives.The Kecond saw mill was owned by Clute and Turbush. (Andrew(Mute the father of Jim, and George Turbush, the father of Herman.)This mill was located at tile Hite of the Northland Drive-in-Thea-i ter and at the time of the construction of the Ann Arbor Railroad, it was moved to Burnham Crossing, one-half mile west of the Vernon Township Town Hall. At Burnham Crossing, (Mute and Turbush had a boarding house and three or four Hinall houses for their mill workers; and across the road, Ro-owned by E. House.Vernon boasted two Brick Kilns; one owned by the Depoty family located on the site of the Farm homo of John Stough, and the other owned h.v the Hmalley family and located on the farm now owned by Lee Smock.In 1896 fire destroyed the Clute and TurbuHh mill, and it was never rebuilt. Jacob Wllcok bought the machinery and moved it to the site of the Pure Oil Booster Station three and one half miles south of (Mare. All this activity at Buiu-ham Crossing was, of course, caused by the presence of the ‘New Ann Arbor Railroad” which had » depot and a freight depot and they were called Burnham. However the pecular turn to the story. Ih that the Post Office at Burnham was called Russell Post Office, and this was an early show of politics, with the Burnhams and the Russells being members of opposing political parties. When the depot was closed, the building was purchased by William McKay, moved and used as home. Inter to h»* purchased byatime Patrick McLaughlin bert Bcatty (father of Ear,' the(tireat-grandfather of Joe) stepped forward with head bent in reverence and said, “And that's the last Of you. you poor devil. And so the funeral was over in short order.A meeting of the Township Board of the Township of Vernon, was held at the office of the Township clerk, Cornelius Bogan, May 1, 18 67, for the purpose of examining the bids and letting the jobs of building a Townhouse and clearingpresent Township Treasurer) operated a log yard. Robert Beatty bought and shipped logs, tanning bark, and barrel (bolts).Other saw mills were located nearby. One on the Peter Callum farm called the Horning Mill; one called the WiLson Brothers Mill located on the east side of section seven, and the present home of Lewis LaVoye was the boarding house for the mill. Another nulltwo acres of land for a burying was owm.d „ E perry and mlSgiound. The bid of Elijah D. Whea- j ml]] was located on the farm nowhave theniHelves been honored by selection by the Veterans Admim-sfration as a nunber of the National Advisory Board of the Veterans Administration Voluntary Service. As such, members serve In helpful capacities on a voluntary basis in all Veterans Administration Hospitals thus fulfilling (hat basic thought of all oharitible activities • By Giving. We Receive.” This year, twenty-five years after receipt of its National Organization Charter. Gold Star Mothers chapters throughout the country honor the founders of the organization. Mrs. Grace Dearling Reibold, who led the way towardsr»tac»* end pomforl for U« man*.hers and in further honor to theDover Lumbermen Stayed To Establish Fine Farm CommunityWhen Tom James arrived in the Dover Community area in 1881 with his parents, he was but 8 and Dover was already several years old. The school building, which still stands, was there and had been serving the needs of Dover area youngsrters since 1876. The Williams Crawfords, Dan McMas-ters and Charlie Smock had settled in the area, and the lumbering companies were expanding operations. Loach and Thompson Lumber Company was building a sawmill and othor firms were considering moving oporaitions into the territory, because of the finlt; tmi-tent on collecting sap and bring-J ing it to a boil with hot stones that they would dump into their hand-made vat. They would wait until the mixture became sticky and gooey and then dip their fingers in and such the sweet, heady brew. ' ,But for the most part, Indians were no probltm to the settlers in this area by the 1880's handouts and vagrancy were tho worst that could be said of the difficult it s encountered. The raids were at an end and the job of learning to live side by side be-* «■» rgan., -ii I a-'v/i v;* fc/u uv/v/ii h/ujx;which made floatmg the logs easy scenc of the ear,v church ficrviccsilie uuver t,cnoouiouMr o»chacked under heaps of good foodand drink. Square dancing was the popular pastime and people had many farvorite callers among them being gravel-voiced Bert Duncan and later on Scotty Honi-strcet. Ed Burton used to play the violin and John Greer played the mouth organ. The dances lasted well into the wee-small hours of the morning and a good female dancer could wear the legs off several big. brawny logmen during the course of an evening. The men were glad to get back to felling trees after one of these soiree-s.X lieDart in the* earlv life of Dover, itIn the first years and indeed fora good many years in Dover, therewas little need of law enforcingagency. Bill Fields w’as the early constable but it was far from being a full-time job. There were some domestic squabbles, involving a third party to settle. Now and then these led to violence, but robberies, shootings and some of i today's commoner scrapes were little known. Certainly there were very few traffic problems or vio-I lations.Culturally, Dover ranked amongthe foremost in this area and held* with thttlr won-derful and famous Dover Band.and on the occasion of theirscrap was reading a novel while sitting in the 60 foot long bunk-house. Patient kicked the book out of his hand and upon being warned against repeating the act. did it again. That set off one of the finest fights seen In the area in many years, as the two big men roared and scrambled the length and breadth of the bunkhouae. The end result can most nearly bedescribed a draw, as both men were bloody and torn but unbowed. The remaining loggers in the area still recall the battle, and will talk of it anytime.Many other battles which occurred between Individuals were net-Charley Bolle. The post office was moved to the home of Robert Beatty, one-quarter mile east of Burnham crossing, and this wrote finis to Burnham, never to be rebornThe first frame was built by Fred Fishlcy in 1872 and it is said that the carpenters’ wages were $125.00 for the complete job.Now, it wasn't all work and no play in the old days and the hot spot of the time was Stevenson Lake, for she was a grand old lady boasting three dance halls-Ome at Duncan's Landing owned by Uncle John Davis, one at Water-edge Park owned by John Bush, and the third at the east of the Lake owned by Martin Keller. Favorite fiddlers of the era were Bert McLaughlin (father of Joe) and George W Stough (father ot John.)D.J. Brewer (father of Forrest) was killed in the barn-raising on the L.O. Burnham farm, and tn 1890, Vernon City had its first murder.William Parrish was killed by a man named Carr. Mr. Carr was tried, convicted, and sent to Jackson prison.No short story of Vernon would be complete without the mention of Holtz Tavern. This tavern was built on the sight of the present Vernon Township Hall and was the meeting place for many of the meetings of the Board of Supervisors, elections and public meetings, as is recorded in the minutes of the meetings. It is also written many meetings were adjourned to Holtz Tovern, so you can see dates change, but people never change.Holtz Tavern was the Quarter House on the stage line from Mt. Pleasant to Clare, and for you youug readers, the Half House, Quarter House, etc., were places for the stage horses to be changed or watered and it gave the passengers a chance to refuel also. The Holtz Tavern building was moved a short distance south and Mr.and Mrs. John Fetters (parents of Eliuer) made It into their home, and Elmer and his wife stilllive theirGoing back for a moment to the records of the Board of Supervisors - - - an entry made in 1868 follows:To the clerk of the Township ofVernon. '• 'The amount of Taxes to be assessed by the Supervisor and to bo charged to the Township Treasurer is as follows:State Tax 571.54County Tax 1305.70Townshpi Tax 1435.17Highway Tax 2332.356chool Tax 479.48Total 6204.24William Phinissey SupervisorPlease note that the total taxation is $6204, of which about 8% is school tax.Vernon City was platted In 1871 by a man named Mark ley after the Pore Marquette Railroad had surveyed their right of way, which ran rigttt through forty acres of tall pines, later called Vernon City. Mr, Ma^ciey was disappointed, as was William Cal-lam of Saglnuw. It seems that the second survey made by the Pera Marquette Railroad came north of Clare on the south bank of the Tobacco River, and Mr. Callam built a flour mill at the site of the recent dam, because he thought he'd be on the railroad and also power. However,cmfwpy etao cmt have water power. However, the Pere Marquette made a third survey and located at the present right of w ay. James Walsh fat (her of Jim ) helped make the surveys, helped build the railroad, and later became the first section boss in 1871. Peter Callam, brother of William, was the first Post Master of Clare.The present Board of Supervisors are to be complimented on their well-kept Township Hall and Township Cemetery, both a credit to Vernon, for which all Vernonites should be proud.As we drive through Vernon Township today and see the well-kept farms, churches and schools, we can’t help but wonder how proud the old timers would bo to see the section they started, developed into excellent farm land, abounding in modem living with modern conveniences. In fact, you can almost hear the old timers say, “Well done”.Choice tobacco, once a big crop in the area around Clare, particularly in the northern sections of Isabella County, in no longer raised in the area. Back in the 1870's and ‘80's choice tobaccos were listed as valuable crop, and referenceawas also made to beets and turnips weighing 20 to 23 pounds, with 1,000 bushels to the acres.The First road up James Hill was built at a total coat of $18.00for labor.
Newspaper Details
Clare Rotary Chronicle
Clare, Michigan, US
Fri, Nov 11, 1955
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Elizabeth L.
MA, USA 03 Jul 2018
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