James McCotter's obituary, Charlotte, Eaton County, Michigan
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SUBJECT: Obit
SUBMITTER: C. McCotter Pouls
EMAIL: japouls@prodigy.net
DATE: Jul 01, 1999
PASSWORD>
SURNAMES: McCotter
James H. MCCOTTER

James H. McCotter, 91 last January, died Wednesday morning, June 16, 1936
at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Agnes Snook in Olivet. Several years
ago he suffered a broken hip but his immediate last illness was of comparatively
short duration. The funeral services will be held at his late home on West
Lawrence Ave. in Charlotte Saturday afternoon at 2:30. The Reverend R.
W. Roth of Bay City will officiate, with burial in Vermontville.

Mr. McCotter was born in Vermontville to one of the colonists who came
to form that colony in 1837 from the State of Vermont - hence, the name
Vermontville. Well known names of that section, Griswold, Martin and Church,
were among those settlers, who came by ox-cart or rail and purchased 7,000
acres of timber. They were led by the Reverend Cochrane and each member
owned 160 acres together with 10 acres which was used for the laying out
of the town.
James McCotter's father, Simeon, was a cabinet-maker and was soon established
in a log cabin upon arrival in Vermontville. The dramatic story of the
pioneer is told in the pieces wrought by his tools. "He made cradles
for the new babies and coffins for those who could not withstand pioneer
life. "Many a funeral had to wait until my father could finish the
cherry or walnut coffin." The babies, however, did not always wait
for the cradles.

Other remembrances of early days concerning trading with the Pottowatomie
Indians, "borrowing fire" from the neighbors and in later times
the church 'sociable' where ice cream was to be sold for the building of
the Congregational Church. Young James drove to Bellevue in the cool of
evening, started back at midnight with the ice and arrived in Vermontville
at 4 a.m. He told of the first grindstone brought to that town by one Sidney
Gates, who carried it from Bellevue on his back. "He was the kind
of man," said the narrator, "who could cut two cords of wood
in the forenoon and take it to town to sell after dinner."