David Clark's biography, Eagle Township, Clinton County, Michigan Copyright © 1999 by Jan Sedore. This copy contributed for use in the MIGenWeb Archives. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ PAST & PRESENT OF CLINTON COUNTY BY JUDGE S. B. DABOLL, 1906 Page 240-244 Photo available: David Clark DAVID CLARK Among the honored pioneer settlers of Clinton County was the Clark family, who at a very early period in the development of this part of the state took up their abode in Eagle Township. David Clark of this review was born in Castleton Township, Rutland County, Vermont, June 13, 1817. When he was five years old his parents removed to Putnam Township, Washington County, New York, where they remained for eight years, and then became residents of the township of Ticonderoga in Essex County, New York. When David Clark was a youth of sixteen years, in the latter part of June, 1833, the father started with his family for Michigan, traveling by canal boat to the junction of the Northern and Erie canals and thence by line boat to Buffalo, reaching Schenectady on the 3d of July, 1833. The only railroad in the state of New York at that time was the Albany to Schenectady. The bridges over the canal at that early day were built very low and when the boat passed under it was necessary that the passengers get down on their knees or lie down flat in order to keep from being struck by the bridge. A distance of about sixty miles was covered in twenty-four hours, the boat being drawn by two horses. At Buffalo the family took passage on the steamer Sheldon Thompson for Detroit, where most of the family remained, while David Clark and his brother Henry started for Pontiac in order to secure a team and move the family to that place. They resided in Pontiac until September 1835. In February 1834, however Daniel Clark in company with Anthony Niles, S. B. Groger, Heman Thomas and John Benson started from Oakland County to buy land in the Grand River valley and after investigating different localities decided to make purchase in Eagle township, Clinton County. It was necessary to go to White Pigeon in order to enter their claims, for at that time the land office was in that town. Daniel Clark then returned to Pontiac and on the 12th of May 1834, David Clark in company with his brother Daniel, John Benson, Herman Thomas and Captain Scott started for Clinton County. They traveled after the manner of the times in a pioneer settlement, being entertained in the homes of different settlers when night overtook them. While on the trip Mr. Clark first saw an Indian powwow. There were about three hundred braves, squaws and children and the men were adorned with war paint and feathers. One of them played on a flute and one beat a drum, while the remainder yelled, danced and drank whiskey. At length the journey was completed, the party reaching the home of Anthony Niles on the 19th of may, 1934, having traveled over what was known as the Englishman's road from Dewitt to Portland, it having been cut through by some Englishmen about a year before. Daniel Clark then went to White Pigeon and purchased for his father the land, which was later occupied by David Clark. The brothers began chopping a fallow in order to sow wheat and the next fall chopped about eight acres, after which they went to Pontiac to work in the haying and harvest fields. In September of the same year Daniel and Henry Clark burned off the fallow in Eagle Township and fenced and sowed the field to wheat, after which they were employed in Pontiac through the winter. In the spring however, they continued the work of improving the farm and planted their cleared land to corn, potatoes and turnips that the family might have something to live upon the following winter. In September 1835, the father brought his wife and the other members of the family to Eagle Township, In those early days they had to go to Pontiac to mill with an ox team and it required about eight days to make the trip. In the summer time they would camp out by the roadside at night, preparing their own meals and letting their oxen feed along the way. They had to go to Pontiac or Detroit for all household goods, wearing materials and salt and at that day a barrel of salt cost five dollars. Much hard work was to be done in clearing the farms, which were heavily timbered with oak, ash, beech, maple, elm, basswood, black walnut, cherry and hickory trees. When the claim had been entered the family would clear a little tract with some of the neighbors until the little house could be erected. Such pioneer homes were usually constructed of logs and shake roofs and plank floors. There was a mud and stick chimney and the roof would shed rain better than it would keep out the snow. In 1836 many speculators came to the country and the land office was moved from White Pigeon to Bronson and in the fall of that year to Ionia. In the year 1837 the legislature passed what was called the wildcat banking law and the country became flooded with a currency almost worthless and hard times followed, causing much suffering among the settlers. In 1836 the Newman family built a saw and grist mill at Portland, after which the Clarks went to that place instead of Pontiac to secure their bread stuffs. David Clark assisted in all of the arduous work of clearing and improving the farm in those early days when grass was cut with a scythe and the grain with a sickle or cradle. Now the mower is used on the lawn and the binder in the harvest fields. Cooking was done over the fireplace, the kettles being hung from the hooks on the cranes. Tallow candles were used in lighting the houses and there were flint locks on the guns. The clothing was made of wool and flax spun by the women of the household and woven by them into cloth. Great changes have since been wrought and in all the advancement of progress the Clark family have keep pace. There were no railroads in those early days and it required as long to make a trip to Detroit as it does to make a trip to New York at the present day. In the winter the members of the household chopped their fallows, burning the logs in the spring and then planting their corn, potatoes and other crops. In the winter of 1842-3 the snow fell to a depth of three feet on the level and remained on the ground until April. The wolves caused considerable trouble to the settlers and the Indians would not kill them, calling them brother hunters, but when Clinton County was organized the board of supervisors passed a resolution to pay eight dollars for the skin of every wolf killed in the County and the red man then began killing off their "brothers." The Methodist and Baptist ministers were usually the first ones to make their way into new settlements and would frequently hold protracted meetings, in which sectarianism was a strong feature. Gradually the work of improvement and progress was carried on. In 1847 the legislature passed a law to remove the state capital from Detroit to Lansing and this meant improvement and development for the surrounding district. The first session of the legislature was held there in 1848. A plank road was built to Detroit and to Jackson and soon a railroad was constructed from Jackson to Lansing, while today Lansing is one of the leading railroad centers of the west. All this was a source of benefit to Clinton and Eaton counties and the early settlers who remained courageously on their farms and met the hardships and discouragements of frontier life have at length profited by their labors. The Clark family in the course of time developed good farms, improved with substantial buildings. David Clark always remained upon the old family homestead and in the course of years became the owner of a property, which through the labors of himself and brothers was transformed into a very valuable tract. He passed away on the 24th of October 1905. All the hardships and experiences of frontier life came to him but he persevered in his work and in later years related many interesting incidents of the early days when Clinton County, far removed from railroads, seemed cut off from the civilization of the east by long stretches of forest. Page 472 Daniel Clark's brother, David Clark, accompanied him on his return to Eagle Township, The two brothers felled the timber on five acres of the plat, preparatory to making a clearing, and left for Pontiac. In the fall of the same year, Daniel Clark with another brother, Henry finished the clearing and sowed a field of wheat. In the fall of 1835, Jonas Clark, who had settled in Oakland in 1833, joined his brothers in Eagle. This family performed a considerable part in the pioneer days of the township. Only recently a member of this group of settlers died at his home in the Township of his choice. Born in Rutland County in Vermont, he visited Eagle in 1834, when but seventeen years of age. In September 1835, he returned with his parents and remained until the day of his death, October 23, 1905. He was a son of David Clark, before mentioned.