The History of Berlin Township
Extracted from
History of St. Clair County, Michigan
Chicago, 1883
[Transcribed by Jane Devlin]
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Berlin Township forms the southwest corner of upper St. Clair. Like the adjoining towns in Macomb & Lapeer counties, it possesses a fertile soil, and forms one of the richest agricultural towns within St. Clair. The equalized valuation of Berlin in 1882, was $397,240. In 1845, it contained a population of 476 souls; in 1850, 538; in 1864, 963; in 1870, 1,131; & in 1880, 1,283. The township contains 22,935 acres, watered by Belle River and a number of minor streams. Among the first permanent settlers were: Elihu GRANGER, A. DOTY, T. R. HALLECK, A. SMITH, Cyrus STODDARD & Joseph SWEET. The first purchasers of the United States lands in this township were Theodore ROMEYN, L. A. SPALDING, A. S. RICHARD, Delos DAVIS, F. BRUCE, J. C. VANEHOONHOVEN, John SKINNER, Cyrus STODDARD, Olive NORTHROP, Hoseah NORTHROP, H. PORTER, D. ALVERSON, EMmons RUSSELL, A. McDUFF, Sylvester WARNER, Jesse NORTON, Benjamin DURFEE, Chloe FRANKLIN, Joseph DU-FEE, Christian LEFEVRE, Benjamin HOWARD, Ephraim CHAMBERLAIN, Henry FROST, Alph FINCH, Ezra FINCH, Asahel BAILEY, S. LIVERMORE, Calvin BATEMAN, Isaac A. ARNOLD, Henry STONE, H. ABIEL, Chauncey RICE. SUPERVISORS Elihu GRANGER, 1842; Sylvester WARNER, 1843; T. R. HALLOCK, 1844-45; F. LOCKE, 1846; H. HEALEY, 1847; Frederick LOCKE, 1848; Horton HEALEY, 1849-51; D. E. FROST, 1852; Mr. HAMILTON, 1853-54; John ALLEN, 1855-56; D. E. FROST, 1857-61; John ALLEN, 1862; Albert DOTY, 1863-67; Charles HEBDEN, 1868; Albert DOTY, 1869-70; V. P. GRANGER, 1871; Albert DOTY, 1872-75; A. C. DRAPER, 1876; Albert DOTY, 1877; William O'CONNER, 1878-80; Adam C. DRAPER, 1881; William O'CONNOR, 1882. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE Hosea NORTHRUP, 1839; Sylvester WARNER, 1839; Rives HALLOCK, 1839; S. A. McGEORGE, 1839; Henry STONE, 1840; Sylvester WARNER, 1841; Thomas R. HALLOCK, 1842; Rosellas E. GOULD, 1843; Horton HEALY, 1844; Elbert DOTY, 1845; C. P. STONE, 1846; R. E. GOULD, 1847; Horton HEALY, 1848; Frederick LOCKE, 1849; Albert DOTY, 1849; Thomas M. GOULD, 1850; Frederick LOCKE, 1851; George W. POND, 1853; Amos N. FREEMAN, 1854; Moses LAMPHIRE, 1856; D. D. KIMBALL, 1857; M. J. ARNOLD, 1857; David McCROSSAN, 1858; Darwin D. DIMBALL, 1859; William S. INGRAHAM, 1860; Daniel S. FROST, 1861; George HALL, 1861; Parker BENNETT, 1862; Albert SPERRY, 1862; Nathan HURD, 1863; Oliver DODGE, 1683; Charles HEBDEN, 1864; John B. FROST, 1865; Elihu GRANGER, 1865; Nathan HURD, 1866; F. F. BARBER, 1867; Charles HEBDEN, 1868; C. A. SNOVER, 1869; J. B. FROST, 1870; Nathan HURD, 1870; F. F. BARBER, 1871; Avin D. McGREGOR, 1872; HiramINGRAHAM, 1873; John B. FROST, 1874; F. W. BARBER, 1875; George A. MORRISON, 1876; A. D. McGREGOR, 1877; Hiram INGRAHAM, 1878; C. D. BRYCE, 1879; George S. SHARRARD, 1880; Albert P. WHEELER, 1881; Garrison E. SMITH, 1882. The township meeting, April, 1882, resulted in the election of the Republican ticket excepting Supervisor, Highway Commissioner & one Constable, the first two being Greenbackers & the latter a Democrat, as follows:
Belle River Village, in Berlin Township, is about twenty miles west of Port Huron, fifty miles north of Detroit and about four & a half miles south of Capac. Berville, known as Baker's Corners, is an old settlement in Berlin Township. It is distant twenty-six miles from Port Huron & ten miles south of Capac. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES Charles HEBDEN, farmer, P.O. Capac, was born in Yorkshire, England, 24 Feb 1822. He lived in his native country twenty-one years and emigrated to the United States in 1843, and located in Detroit, Mich., & remained there one year. He then removed to St. Clair County and located in Berlin Township, where he has since lived. He opened & improved the farm on which he lived and died and where his family now reside. He was married in Musey Township, St. Clair County, Mich., in 1855, to Miss Malessa BURRIS, a native of New York, and they have firve children living - Amanda, Elizabeth, Ella, Maria & George. Mr. HEBDEN was a Master Mason, & was a member of the Church of England. He has held the office of Tow Treasurer, Supervisor, & Justice of the Peace. He was a highly respected citizen in his town and county. He died in November 1881, in the fifty-fifth year of his age. William C. HUGGETT, farmer & broom manufacturer, Section 16, P. O. Capac, was born 31 Dec 1828, in England. At the age of seven years he came with his parents to America, where they located in Schenectady, N.Y. In 1849, he came to Troy, Oakland Co., Mich., where he engaged in the manufacture of brooms, and also in connection carried on a farm up to 1854, when he came to the town of Berlin, where he settled on 160 acres of land, which he opened up, rasing grain & stock up to 1879. He made while here a specialty of graded stock & Essex hogs. Mr. HUGGETT's farm was the best cultivated in the county, and known as the "big fence farm." Mr. HUGGETT took possession of his present farm of eighty acres in 1879 which he carried on till February, 1883, when he moved to Capac, where he engaged in the broom business in connection with his farming operations. Mr. HUGGETT was School Director and Moderator, and Assessor of School District No. 6. Has also served as Constable several terms. In 1880, he took the United States census of Berlin; was also one of the first builders of the M. P. Church of Berlin, in aid of which he donated $150; was Sabbath school Superintendent one year; he was also an honored & active member of the M. P. Church. He was married, 10 Jan 1850, to Miss Annie GREEN, of England; have had one child, which died in infancy. Mr. HUGGETT has adopted, reared and educated three children, all of whom are now settled & have families of their own. Mr. HUGGETT has always been a stanch Republican; a Delegate to the County & State nominating conventions, and has been a Delegate to nearly all of the nominating conventions. In 1864, he joined the army, entering Company H of the Fourth Infantry of Michigan. Mr. HUGGETT is a gentleman of varied attainments & versatile talents, and possessed of principles of the strictest honor and scrupulous integrity, one whose every act has for its foundation the principle of rectitude and equity, as wall as love for the welfare of his fellow-man. Indeed, such men - entirely self-made - give tone & dignity to any community in which they may live, and set a bright example for the rising generation. Nelson PRATT, farmer & carpenter, P.O. Capac, was born in Franklin County, Vt., in 1826, and lived in his native State fifteen years; then moved to the State of New York and remained there four years; then removed to Canada, and remained there six years; he then came to St. Clair County, Mich., and he has lived in the county thirty-two years. He has a fine farm of 180 acres of land well improved. He was married in Port Huron, to Miss Martha J. NAILOR, a native of New York City, and has five children - Herberh H., Henry V., Edwin F., Emerson B. & Hattie A. Sherman SHARRARD, farmer, Section 3, P. O. Capac, was born in Canada in 1846, where he was raised on a farm and received a common school education. In 1857, he came to St. Clair County, Mich. At the age of twenty-two he commenced in the threshing business, which he carried on for a period of five years. At the end of this time, he went onto a farm in the township of Berlin, Section 4, for a short time. He then bought eighty acres in Section 3, which he has improved, and has thirty acres under cultivation, raising grain and stock. Is a member of the order of Odd Fellows, & K. O. O. M. Was married to Miss Annetta REEBE, of the State of New York, in 1871. Mr. SHARRARD is a worth gentleman, and a good & valued citizen, and highly respected by all who know him. |