Early History of Fremont, Fremont, Tuscola County, Michigan

Copyright © 1998 by Bonnie Petee. This copy contributed for use in 
the USGenWeb Archives.  

 

USGENWEB NOTICE:  In keeping with our policy of providing free
information on the Internet, data may be freely used by
non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all
copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any
format for profit or presentation by other organizations.
___________________________________________________________________

FREMONT EARLY HISTORY

Taken from, "The History of Tuscola County," H. R. Page Co., Chicago, 1883. 

Glancing back through the historical past something more than twenty years - a short 
time, truly, in comparison with other events - we find, on the 26th day of April, 1855, 
an unbroken forest covering all the area of our beautiful township, for the march of 
civilization had not then touched it with a withering hand.  The deer, unalarmed, 
pursued his way through the forests, slaked his thirst at the babbling brooks or laid 
himself down for peaceful repose, joint tenant of the mighty wilderness with the 
Indian, whose advent antedates history and almost tradition. Heretofore none had risen 
to question their supremacy to those beautiful lands and the more beautiful forests, 
but the onward flight of civilization was fast approaching, and before the meridian sun 
of the 27th day of April, 1855, had shed ifs refulgence over the graceful elms and 
mighty pines of these forests, a new epoch was reached.  At about the hour of twelve, 
noon, on that eventful day, a man who had braved the terrors and hardships of a long 
unbroken trail, stood near the spot where the house of Jacob Maier now stands, on 
section 26, owner of the soil beneath and the trees above him, the sole resident of the 
township, the first who had dared to stake his fortune on the endeavor.  This was James 
Wells, who brought with him his wife and children and has ever since been a resident of 
the town.  Soon the sound of the ax is heard, the forest patriarchs bow their heard 
to the heavy blows and soon fall mightily to the earth, subservient to the will of 
man.  Civilization has commenced, a new epoch is reached and the stepping stone for 
this beautiful township of ours is laid.  That same afternoon the foundation for a 
house was laid, and that night Mr. Wells and his family slumbered beneath the fair 
canopy of heaven, miles from the nearest settlement, and pioneers of the wilderness.  
Before noon on the 28th the house was completed and roofed with basswood logs, the 
first white habitation in the township or rather this area that subsequently was made 
into Fremont.  From that time forward till January following Mr. Wells might be 
considered as the only resident.  During the summer he planted corn and potatoes and 
in the fall wheat, covering it with a hoe.

In January, 1856, William Turner moved in from Canada, bringing a span of horses and 
sleigh, and settled on section 23, on the farm now owned by James B. Crosby.  He had 
the first team but afterward exchanged them for a yoke of cattle.  From that time 
forward the settlement was quite rapid, for in March following, Calvin and Leonard 
Fox, Wilson Kitchen, and David Fulton moved in with their families, also from Canada, 
bringing teams, mechanical tools and implements of husbandry and settling upon the 
places they now occupy.  In the summer of 1856, James Wells harvested the wheat he had 
so nicely hoed in among the logs the fall before, and the first of it was ground in a 
large coffee-mill owned by him, the balance was taken to Teller's mill, in Millville, 
four miles from Lapeer, a distance of twenty-four miles through the wilderness, the 
journey occupying four days.  And thus was the embryo of the township formed.

On the 9th day of April, 1856, Rev. C. B. Mills, a Free-will Baptist minister, moved 
from Ohio into the town with his family, he being the first minister of the gospel, 
and preached the first sermon on Sunday, April 21, 1856, to the very few people who 
were then settled in the neighborhood.  On June, the 22d, following, Cynthia, daughter 
of the Rev. C. B. Mills, was born, being the first white child born in the township.  
This township was then attached to Vassar and had been assessed by their supervisor, 
for many descriptions of land were owned by non-residents before the first settler had 
arrived.   During the summer and fall of 1857, many settlers came into the township, 
many houses were put up, everybody was everybody else's neighbor; good feeling, good 
health and good times were these, and the people were happy.  To be sure they had no 
luxuries, but their neighbors had none, so they were content.  They had no mills or 
stores; they either had to go to Lapeer or some other distant point, laboriously, with 
cattle, but that was romantic and more happy.  Wolves howled about their houses at 
night but they were brave.  They had no locks or fastenings on their doors, but they 
were honest. During the spring fruit trees were planted by most of the inhabitants and 
preparations were made for future luxuries.  This was the state of things upon the 
closing in of winter.  Hitherto nothing had occurred to mar the peace and quietness 
of the pioneers, but on the 21st of January, 1858, death came among them.  The victim 
was L. C. Schermerhorn, father of N. R. Schermerhorn, of this town.  Those few people 
got together and mournfully performed the last sad rites to their neighbor and laid 
him peacefully to rest in the ground now occupied as a cemetery, on section 25, this 
being the first death that occurred in the township.  This was the beginning of 
sorrows.

Either the fall before or early in the spring of 1858, a school-house was built on the 
land of Calvin Fox, nearly across the street from the house of Dr. Curtis, on section 
36, and Margaret Kinney, a young lady of good qualities and estimable character, taught 
the first school in the township, and this continued to be the school for sometime, 
till at the present writing over 380 children are reported and six school-houses are 
built, five frame and one log, and have a school term of at least three months in a 
year.

Going back to the 4th day of April, 1857, we find that on that day at the dwelling of 
Leonard Fox the Free-will Baptist Church was formed of which C. B. Mills was chosen 
pastor, which organization has since remained.  And this was the first church 
organization in the township.  On the next day five persons were confirmed to that 
religious faith, and were baptized in the brook in the woods north of Leonard Fox, on 
section 25 by the Rev. C. B. Mills.  The persons at that time confirmed were Calvin 
and Leonard Fox and their wives, and Alford B. Tripp, all residents of the township.

On the 28th of November, 1857, a deed conveying eighty acres of land on section 14, 
was made from one Anderson to L. C. Schermerhorn, and was the first conveyance 
executed in the townshp, the same land now being owned by Rudolph Frenzel.  The first 
marrige was solemnized by Rev. C. B. Mills in the spring of 1857, between William 
Hamilton and Mary Ann, daughter of James Wells, at his house on section 26, in this 
township.  Nothing further of importance occurred in the years 1858 and 1859 worthy of 
mention in history.






dz