Indian Fields, Tuscola County, Michigan This history was extracted from "History of Tuscola and Bay Counties, Mich. with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of their Prominent Men and Pioneers", published in Chicago by H. R. Page & Co. (1883), p. 72-77 This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. *********************************************************************** ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** TOWN OF INDIAN FIELDS. This town occupies a central position in Tuscola County, and comprises township 12 north, of range 9 east. The Cass River flows in a southwesterly direction through a portion of the township, crossing sections 2, 3, 10, 16, 15, 17, 19 and 20 in its tortuous course. There are two villages in the town, Caro and Wahjamega, the former being the county seat. The first settlement in the township was made north and west of the Cass River, and the work of development has been confined to that region until a recent period. The soil of this part of the town is rich and productive, and the labors of thirty years have covered its surface with valuable farms and farm improvements. A lack of much needed facilities for transportation was, for many years, a great inconvenience to farmers in this region, but in 1878 that want was supplied by the completion of a railroad from Vassar to Caro, it being a branch of the Michigan Central Railroad. That portion of the township lying south and east of Cass River acquired the title of the "Bad Lands of Indian Fields," and being thus stigmatized were avoided by the people desiring to purchase farming lands. As a consequence, a large tract of land in that part of the township has remained a primeval wilderness, save where the lumbermen in days gone by had cut the valuable pine scattered through the forest, or where the fire king in his rage asserted supremacy, and left only weird charred skeletons to show what the pass had been. More recently attention has been directed to this neglected region, and a better acquaintance with its real character is removing the prejudice that has existed against it. The land has an undulating surface and the soil is generally a sandy loam with clay subsoil. There are patches of hemlock timber, then beech, basswood, ash, elm and sugar maples. The scars upon the latter tell of sugar making by the Indians. Further to the south is an interesting point which was visited by the editor of the Caro Citizen and described by him as follows: "Leaving the meandering forest road we strike the new road, recently finished, and go due south, down a steeper descent than any yet passed, down into a ravine, at the bottom of which is a small creek of living water which sparkles in the light and musically. murmurs as it flows around a bluff and passes out of sight. From this point we go up on the brow of the 'Hog Back,' and find the result of one of Dame Nature's curious freaks in a sort of thumb projecting from the hill, and thickly studded with fine large trees. Standing at the top of this knoll one sees two creeks meeting at its base, forming one, and toward their respective head waters blending away in the distance like slender threads. The sides of this knoll are precipitous and covered with trees averaging about two feet in diameter. This spot is an interesting one and is situated at or near the section corners of sections 10, 11. 13 and 15. Near these section corners are three creeks of living water which finally unite and form quite a stream." The beginning of development and settlement in this portion of the town is very recent, being due to and dating from the advent of the railroad in 1878. It constitutes nearly three-fourths of the town and has as yet but few settlers. The lands having been generally located for pine were thus withdrawn from market until the merchantable pine timber was removed. This having now been done the land is again in the market and at prices to encourage purchase and settlement which are rapidly resulting. On the State road running east there are at this time but three settlers; but the roads are being opened and the lands being taken up for farms. This section of country lying, as it does, in the triangle formed by the railroads and thus having three convenient outlets for its products, has a choice of markets for its farm produce and for the hard wood and other timber required by manufacturers. DERIVATION OF NAME. The name Indian Fields is rather an interesting one, and one that is calculated to awaken curiosity concerning the early history of the locality. The Indian ever has been and ever will be an object of curiosity and interest. The ear never tires of listening to recitals of the deeds, incidents and traditions of this strange race. There is a fascination about an Indian mound that is capable of drawing people long distances for no other purpose than to uncover bits of human skeletons. That Indians inhabited the territory of which we are now writing is well known. On the south bank of the Cass River, and near the center of the township, was an Indian village, and in that vicinity they raised corn and potatoes. This ground came to be known as the Indian Fields, a title that was very naturally suggested and adopted when the town came to be organized and christened. There is no Indian history associated with this county possessing any marked peculiarities or interest. The Indians who visited and inhabited this region belonged to the Chippewa nation. Incidents of their history and the Skull Island massacre are given in the early history of the Saginaw Valley, to be found upon another page in this work. It is a tradition among Indians here, that two battles were once fought with the Ottawas, at the present site of Wahjamega, and also at the high banks in the town of Almer. The Indian village was once visited by General Cass, while he was territorial governor of Michigan, for the purposes of treaty. Where the hotel at Wahjamega now stands was evidently a place used for the construction of canoes, bows, arrows, etc. On the river bank, near by, were found large quantities of flint arrow heads, when the ground was first plowed. There were also graves, enclosed with cedar pickets. The deposit of arrow heads would seem to confirm the tradition of a battle having been fought at that point. At the time of first settlement in this town there were but two Indians in the township, claiming residence. The others had been transferred to their reservation, but these two refused to go. Their names were Kin-ne-whip and Koc- a-chese. In subsequent years one and another drifted back to the spot of their birth, or of tender associations, until quite a colony has been formed. Many of them have good farms and homes, and are industrious in their habits. ENTRIES OF LAND. The following entries of land are taken from the abstract books of Richardson & Wheat, at Caro: TOWNSHIP 12 NORTH, RANGE 9 EAST. SECTION 1. James L. Ketchum December 17, 1857 James L. Ketchum December 26, 1858 James L. Ketchum April 12, 1858 James L. Ketchum December 7, 1858 James L. Ketchum August 10, 1858 James L. Ketchum December 11, 1858 Appleton Stevens January 2, 1863 A. Welch and A. Weldon June 12, 1868 James L. Ketchum March 19, 1864. SECTION 2. D. and S. Johnson September 14, 1847 Paschal Richardson February 21, 1848. Abijah H. Thompson, Thomas Whitney and Frank E. Coit October 12, 1850. James L. Ketchum June 25, 1852 Henry P. Roberts June 25, 1852. Henry P. Roberts et al. June 25, 1852 James L. Ketchum November 30, 1853 Robert Law May 1, 1855 Aaron D. Emory December 20, 1855 Townsend North April 8, 1861 H. C. Ripley September 25, 1869 SECTION 3 D. and S. Johnson September 14, 1847 Paschal Richardson February 21, 1818 Samuel P. Sherman September 8, 1852 Samuel P. Sherman December 1, 1852 Edwin Anderson April 30, 1852 Abner Randall October 30, 1854 SECTION 4 Samuel P. Sherman September 9, 1852 Samuel P. Sherman January 5, 1853 Charles H. P. Maxwell September 1, 1851 Samuel Goes September 14, 1852 Edgar Sheldon October 22, 1852 Aaron Dickinson November 9, 1852 Augustus Neers December 13, 1852 Aaron Dickinson, Jr. July 8, 1853 SECTION 5 Samuel Gunsolly June 30, 1851 Matthew S. Dickinson April 19, 1853 William A. Heartt June 23, 1853 Hiram Allen July 9, 1853. Lucius S. Marvin July 13, 1853 Hiram Allen July 13, 1853 John N. Brock December 24, 1853 William A. Heartt July 11, 1854 SECTION 6 Augustus Howell August 3, 1852 Abraham Van Gieson August 24, 1852 Daniel Dunn October 6, 1852 Chester Miller October 7, 1851 Daniel Dunn September 4, 1852 Abram Van Gieson September 11, 1852 Amos Andrews, Jr. November 2, 1853 Abram Vau Gieson July 6, 1854. SECTION 7 Edward Howell April 31, 1851 David Foote June 16, 1851. Franklin Fairman February 19, 1853 Franklin Fairman April 11, 1852 SECTION 8 Edward Howell April 30, 1851 Martin Watrous August 16, 1852 John T. Law February 8, 1853 Jacob Gould May 10, 1852 Jacob Gould September 10, 1852 Samuel F, Dickinson April 19, 1853 Hannah E. Dickinson April 19, 1853. SECTION 9 Michael Bloomsberg January 1, 1852 Abel Snyder March 6, 1852 Oliver A. Dickinson June 21, 1852 Isaac N. Crane August 25, 1852. Isaac N. Crane October 8, 1852. James L. Ketchum April 28, 1853 Walter M. Holmes June 8, 1853 David G. Slafter September 13, 1853 SECTION 10 James Eldridge and Curtis Emerson April 2, 1847 Richard Guest January 31, 1852 James L. Ketchum April 28, 1853 Samuel T. Atwater July 1, 1854 Gardner D. Williams September 4, 1854 Aaron D. Emory December 27, 1855 SECTION 11 Thompson, Whitney and Coit October 12, 1850. Thomas Whitney March 20, 1852. Gardner D. Williams Februrv 24, 1854 Edmund H. Hazelton July 7, 1856 Hermon Camp August 4, 1856 Leonard Grade September 28, 1872. SECTION 12 Edmund H. Hazelton July 7, 1856 Melvin Gibbs September 29, 1859. A. H. and S. Gates and Joshua D. Smith March 19, 1860 James Tolbert May 8, 1867 Appleton Stevens January 2, 1863 William W. Delling September 28, 1863 Edmund Hall November 16, 1877. SECTION 13 Charles Merrill and Charles D. Farlin April 24,1856 Charles Merrill and Charles D. Farlin May 1, 1856 James McLaughlin March 1, 1858 Charles Merrill March 8, 1858 Frederick Dunn August 25, 1858 Gates and Smith March 19, 1860. M. Watrous and D. G. Slafter November 17, 1869 SECTION 14 Gardner D. Williams February 24, 1854 Gardner D. Williams May 10, 1854. Charles Merrill and Charles D. Farlin April 24, 1856 Charles Merrill and Charles D. Farlin May 1, 1856 Herman Camp August 4, 1856 Charles D. Farlin October 29, 1858 Gates and Smith March 19, 1860. SECTION 15 David and Sol. Johnson September 4, 1847 David and Sol. Johnson September 29, 1847 Eleazar T. Pettis December 6, 1850 Volney Chapin and Francis Andrews January 3, 1851 Eleazar T. Pettis February 4, 1851 Eleazar T. Pettis March 14, 1851 William H. Green June 19, 1850 Curtis Emerson February 23, 1851 Emily M. Ingersoll July 29, 1856 Lewis Van Winkle October 10, 1871. SECTION 16 Jacob Gould April 23, 1856 Joseph Gamble March 17, 1859 James W. Spencer May 9, 1861 Lewis Van Voinde January 20, 1873 William Tilly July 31, 1865. Lincoln R. Spencer October 16, 1865 Jesse Wilson March 9, 1871. Lewis Van Voinde November 17, 1871 Charles Montague November 19, 1877. SECTION 17 Curtis Emerson February 5, 1850 William A. Heartt July 15, 1852 Daniel D. Dopking June 17, 1852 William Wilkins September 30, 1851 Edward Phelps September 30, 1851 Charles Stuck July 15, 1852. William A. Heartt November 13, 1852 William A. Heartt July 11, 1854 William A. Heartt September 14, 1855 Ezra G. Goddard May 30, 1864. SECTION 18 D. and S. Johnson September 29, 1847 Amos Andrews June 18, 1851 Richard D. Slitor September 19, 1851 John C. Rowland January 2, 1852 William A. Heartt November 13, 1852 Townsend North December 1, 1852. SECTION 19 Jacob Light September 30, 1851 Abraham Clawson September 30, 1851 William A. Heartt July 11, 1854 William A. Heartt September 14, 1855. Henry D. Braddock November 14, 1855. Herman Camp August 4, 1856. Herman Camp August 9, 1856. Townsend North May 18, 1861. Lorenzo Mosher September 25, 1865. William A. Heartt April 26, 1869. SECTION 20. Charles Stuck June 6, 1851. Charles Stuck May 17, 1851. William A. Heartt July 15, 1852. Charles Stuck July 15, 1852. Barney Harper October 18, 1854. William A. Heartt March 14, 1856. Joseph Colman June 6, 1859. Joshua D. Smith March 19, 1860. Joseph Colman March 19, 1860. Townsend North April 8, 1861. William Fenner October 21, 1863. SECTION 21. Charles Stuck January 6, 1851. James Vanderbilt January 6, 1851. Barney Harper October 18, 1854. Martin Watrous June 9, 1858. - Reuben A. Miller December 25, 1858. Darius Hodges May 5, 1859. Reuben A. Miller December 30, 1858. Amasa Rust March 19, 1860. R. A. Miller March 19, 1860. William R. Newkirk March 14, 1871. Henry C. Ripley November 15, 1871. William A. Heartt March 10, 1869. William A. Heartt July 21, 1869. T. North January 28, 1864. SECTION 22. Gardner D. Williams May 10, 1854. Hezekiah W. Whitney July 7, 1856. Hezekiah W. Whitney July 10, 1856. Herman Camp August 4, 1856. Charles Merrill March 8, 1858. Darius Hodges May 5, 1859. William Fenner October 27, 1862. William M. Canfield May 21, 1863. Henry C. Ripley November 15, 1871. T. North January 28, 1864. SECTION 23. Charles Merrill and Charles D. Farlin April 24, 1856. Charles Merrill and Charles D. Farlin May 1, 1856. Moses Sutton and James A. Bailey July 12, 1856. Herman Camp August 4, 1856. William M. Canfield May 21, 1863. William M. Canfield August 3, 1863. SECTION 24. Charles Merrill and Charles D. Farlin April 24, 1856. Charles Merrill July 14, 1856. Archibald H. Gates September 28, 1859. Gates & Smith March 19, 1860. William M. Canfield August 3, 1863. James Tolbert October 22, 1868. Oscar and Lafayette Wilder December 24, 1863. John Stuart September 16, 1875. SECTION 25. James A. Bailey and Moses Sutton December 8, 1855. Charles Merrill and Charles D. Farlin April 24, 1856. Moses Sutton and James A. Bailey April 28, 1856. Gates & Smith March 19, 1860. William A. Heartt June 15, 1868. SECTION 26. Amy Fuller January 15, 1857. James McLaughlin March 8, 1858. William M. Hayford January 24, 1859. Archibald H. Gates September 28, 1859. Sault Saint Marie Canal Co. May 25, 1855. Charles Montague November 19, 1879. SECTION 27. Hezekiah W. Whitney July 7, 1856. Hezekiah W. Whitney July 10, 1856. Amy Fuller January 15, 1857. Archibald H. Gates July 5, 1859. Gates & Smith March 19, 1860. S. Gibbs November 26, 1868. William R. and L. N. Newkirk April 20, 1869. SECTION 28 William A. Heartt July 15, 1852. Hezekiah W. Whitney January 14, 1857. John Johnson May 24, 1860. Joseph Colman March 19, 1860. William A. Heartt February 14, 1865. Reuben Miller January 31, 1865. Oscar and L. Wilder December 2, 1865. William A. Heartt June 15, 1868. Henry C. Ripley November 15, 1871. SECTION 29. John Johnson May 24, 1860. Lorenzo Mosher September 25, 1865. Samuel Townsend November 19, 1869. William A. Heartt June 15, 1868. Alson Greenfield November 13, 1863. William A. Heartt July 15, 1852. SECTION 30. Elijah Smith December 8, 1851. Lorenzo Mosher September 25, 1865. John T. Chambers November 9, 1865. W. H. Raymond May 13, 1867. Dennis Murphy October 17, 1870. Samuel L. Jones November 19, 1870. SECTION 31. William Fenner May 10, 1864. William Fenner January 18, 1866. Peter Donnelly November 7, 1868. William R. Newkirk March 15, 1871. SECTION 32. John Johnson May 24, 1859. Joshua D. Smith December 8, 1860. Edgar W. Allen December 7, 1871. Wesley G. Wilber December 28, 1868. William A. Heath June 15, 1868. David T. Davis March 9, 1872. SECTION 33. Hezekiah W. Whitney January 14, 185 7. Gates & Swith March 19, 1860. William M. Canfield February 26, 1866. W. N. Canfield January 5, 1867. William Fenner June 18, 1866. SECTION 34. Hezekiah W. Whitney January 14, 1857. Gates & Smith March 19, 1860. James Tolbert May 8, 1867. SECTION 35. William J. Cornell September 25, 1852. James McLaughlin March 8, 1858. Charles Merrill March 8, 1858. Gates & Smith March 19, 1860. Jane Wells August 10, 1866. Lewis Van Winkle December 12, 1866. Wills & Green January 10, 1868. S. Gibbs November, 26, 1868. SECTION 36. James McLaughlin March 8, 1858. Joshua Witherald December 9, 1858. Jane Wells January 25, 1865. James G. McCormick June 23, 1866. William A. Heartt April 4, 1867. Sault Saint Marie Canal Company May 25, 1855 T. North June 23, 1866. FIRST SETTLEMENT. The first settlers of the town of Indian Fields were Charles Stuck, Isaac Crane, Walter Holmes, Orville Williams, Oliver Dickinson, Elonza. Bigelow, Daniel Dopking, Franklin Fairman, Samuel P. Sherman, Amos Andrews, Sr., David H. Andrews, Leman Andrews, William A. Heartt and David Gamble. Mr. David H. Andrews speaks of the early operations as follows: "In the year 1851, November 12th, Charles Stuck, of Ypsilanti, Mich., came to this town and commenced on section 20, the north-west quarter, to build a house for himself, being aided by Samuel Barlow, who came with him. On the 15th of November of the same year Daniel Dopking arrived, Mrs. Dopking being the first white woman in this town. The roads being very bad and teams hard to get, Mr. Stuck on the 17th of November made a raft and went to Vassar for the purpose of rafting lumber up the Cass River to his place. On the 18th he started up the river with the lumber, but soon found it to be up-hill business, and was obliged to abandon the undertaking. Simon Caster, wife and child and brother, came on the 20th of November, 1851, Mrs. Caster being the second white woman in the town. "On January 3, 1852, Mr. Stuck resumed his work on the house which he had previously commenced, this time proving successful. "In 1853 William A. Heartt formed a partnership with Mr. Stuck, and notwithstanding the many difficulties under which they were obliged to labor, succeeded in building a mill and making various other improvements which none but energetic pioneers could have accomplished. Mr. Heartt afterward bought Mr. Stuck's interest, and remains proprietor of the place at the present time. Being an enterprising man, he has been a great help in opening up and settling the township and surrounding country. It will not be necessary to relate the trials of the early settlers, for none but the pioneers can realize them. "The first death among the actual settlers was that of Amos Andrews, Sr., who was away on business in Ohio, where he died on the 31st of August, 1853, aged seventy-two years. He purchased his laud in 1850, it being the north half of section 18, in the town of Indian Fields. "The first marriage was Orville Williams to Amanda Bigelow, the ceremony being performed by Isaac Crane, justice of the peace. "The first minister sent by conference was T. J. Joslin, a Methodist, who formed a society of eight members. The names of the members of the class were D. H. Andrews and wife, Leman Andrews, G. Bile, Henry Russell, Mrs. Hiller and David Kesler and wife." POSTOFFICES. The first postoffice in the present town of Indian Fields was at Wahjamega, established in 1859; the next was Tuscola Center, established at Centerville in 1866. A history of each is given on another page. A BIT OF EXPERIENCE. Some experiences of the late Daniel D. Dopking and wife illustrate life in the early days, which for several years was lonely beyond description. Their nearest neighbor was Isaac Crane, nearly two miles distant. The improvement of new farms required too much hard labor to allow of mode recreation, and neighborly visits were not frequent, unless it was necessary to borrow some groceries to last until a trip could be made to Vassar. Christmas and New Year's were seasons of enjoyment, and upon such occasions those who lived many miles apart would unite in the homely festivities. Owing to the lack of fences, farmers had to "bell" their cattle when they were turned loose, and in buying a "sounder" a farmer endeavored to get one as unlike in tone to that of his neighbor as possible. In the summer of 1854 Mr. Dopking lost track of his oxen, and in hunting for them he was misled by the bell on an ox belonging to Curtis Emerson, of East Saginaw, who was then lumbering on the Cass River. After much tramping, however, Mr. Dopking found his cattle, and started for home, as he supposed. In the course of an hour he realized that he was lost, and hallooing brought no response from home. His oxen finally grew tired and refused to go any farther, so he tied them to a tree with beech withes, and lay down to sleep. None of the wild animals then so numerous disturbed his slumbers and when morning broke he started on a prospecting tour. He struck a road leading somewhere, and as it was blazed a little above breast high (the usual height for section line blazes) he knew that travel on it would bring him to some point from whence he could reach home. Accordingly he untied his cattle and traveled on this road until he struck the Indian Fields and Sebewaing trail. Here a new difficulty presented itself: which way should he go? It was a knotty question to decide, but finally he started toward Sebewaing and traveled some distance; after going far enough, as he thought, to reach some point that would indicate his whereabouts, he made up his mind that he was on the wrong track, and consequently retraced his steps along the trail. He finally struck a small clearing that now forms part of the county poor farm, and then he knew where he was, as a lumber road led from this point direct to Wahjamega. He arrived home about 11 o'clock the forenoon, having been absent from home all the previous day, and found his wife in a state of anxiety bordering on distraction. All through the long night the poor woman had kept her lonely vigil, every half hour or so blowing a mammoth tin horn, in hopes that her husband would hear its sounds and thus be guided home. Occasionally she would imagine that she could hear the ox bell, but the hope thus raised died out in despair when Mr. Dopking did not make his appearance. Her greatest fear was that some wild beast had made him its prey, and that no trace of him would ever be discovered. The nearest house was a mile and half, and a night walk of that distance through woods infested with wild beasts was not at all desirable. So the night wore away and morning dawned without a sight of him who was so near and dear to her, and the forenoon passed as did the night. About 11 o'clock the welcome and familiar sound of the bell apprised her of the approach of the cattle, and on looking out she beheld her husband coming up the road. The strain upon her nerves for the twenty-four hours had been so great that the reaction from fear thoroughly prostrated her and rendered her as feeble as a babe in arms, and it was hours before she completely recovered self-possession. CIVIL HISTORY. Indian Fields was organized under a resolution adopted by the board of supervisors at a meeting held December 28, 1852. The territory comprised townships 12, 13 and 14 north, of ranges 9, 10 and 11 east. The boundaries of the town were changed from time to time as new towns were organized, until township 12 north, of range 9 east, composed as at present, its organized territory. On the 7th of January, 1853, Matthew D. North and Chancey Sherman, highway commissioners of the township of Vassar, laid the first road in this town described now, as follows: Past the houses of D. D. Dopking and C. J. Hooper to the corner of D. Kinyon's place, thence north to the second corner above Caro, thence north one and one-half miles in Almer. This township was then under the jurisdiction of Vassar, that township having been organized in the winter of 1851. The first election was held April 4, 1853, at the house of Isaac N. Crane, near the bank of Cass River on the ground familiarly known as Indian Fields. The inspectors of this election were Isaac N. Crane, Daniel Dopking and Christian Shadley. The following officers were elected: supervisor, Daniel Dopking; clerk, Samuel P. Sherman; treasurer, Isaac N. Crane; school inspector, Christian Shadley; directors of the poor, Christian Shadley, John Corte, Sr.; commissioners of highways, Oliver Dickinson, Alexander Belmer, Christian Shadley; justice, Samuel P. Sherman; constables, Oliver Dickinson, Franklin Fairman, James Archer. At this election Christian Shadley and William A. Heartt were candidates for the same office, and the vote being a tie, they tossed hats to see who should serve the town in the capacity of school inspector. Mr. Shadley won, and entered upon the duties of the office. At this time there were more offices than candidates, a circumstance not recorded outside of pioneer history. It will be noticed that at this first election Mr. Sherman was elected to two offices, Mr. Dickinson the same, and Mr. Shadley to three. Civilization has remedied that inconvenience, and a candidate will now rise to the surface at the slightest moving of the waters. The whole number of votes cast was eighteen, and the voting precinct covered three hundred and twenty-four square miles. Whether the ticket elected was Democratic or Whig does not appear. At this meeting it was decided by the electors to levy a tax the same year of $250 for the improvement of roads, a fact worthy of note with only eighteen resident tax-payers. From this germ have grown the excellent highways for which the town is justly noted. The residents of that day appear to have been persons of energy and commendable public spirit, determined to open the way for civilization and progress. At this first town meeting it was voted that the next township meeting should be held at the house of Samuel P. Sherman. On the 20th of June following, the prohibitory liquor question was acted upon throughout the State, and a meeting held at the house of Mr. Crane. The whole number of votes polled was eleven, with eight in favor of the passage of the act and three against it. On the first tax roll of this township there was spread the aggregate sum of $463.50, this being the amount charged up to the township treasurer, December 9, 1853, as follows: State tax $ 2 19 County tax 113 31 Town tax 60 00 Highway tax 250 00 School tax 28 00 Collection fee 10 00 Total $463 50 The town board held a meeting September 17, 1853, and issued wolf certificates to Samuel P. Sherman and the Indian, Koc-a-chese. The annual meeting in April, 1854, was held at the house of S. P. Sherman. The greatest number of votes cast was twenty-six. It was voted to raise $250 for improvement of public highways. In 1855 the annual meeting was held at the house of David H. Andrews. Twenty six votes were polled. The poll list given in the town clerk's journal is as follows: William Heartt, J. N. Brock, Henry S. Lovejoy, E. Delling, Andrew Lovejoy, Daniel W. Johnson, Jared Simmons, Orville Williams, A. Bigelow, John Holmes, Wakeman Goodsel, Giles Grovner, Alexander Trombley, Franklin Fairman, Leman Andrews, Thomas Copram, Sylvester Dodge, David Gamble, Oliver A. Dickinson, John Masne, Hiram Allen, Henry E. Kusel, David Kesler, Daniel D. Dopking, Charles Stuck, David H. Andrews. It is recorded that at a caucus held at the house of William A. Heartt, March 29, 1856, it was unanimously voted to remove the town meeting from the house of D. H. Andrews to the house of William A. Heartt. At the annual election in 1857, twenty-three votes were cast. November 10th of this year a meeting of citizens was held at the house of William A. Heartt, for the purpose of voting for the raising of money to defray current town expenses, and to decide what action should be taken with reference to building a bridge across Cass River, on section 20, in town 12 north, range 9 east. It was voted to raise one hundred dollars for defraying town expenses, and also that the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars be raised for building the bridge above mentioned. The first township caucus recorded for the nomination of town officers was held in March, 1858, at which it was voted to order printed ballots for use at the next election. This was a long stride forward and indicated that a spirit of progress was laying hold upon the minds of the sovereigns of Indian Fields. At the election in April of this year twenty-five votes were cast. The first action of the town with reference to a public burying ground was had at the annual meeting in April, 1859, when Chester W. Briggs, Franklin Fairman, David Gamble, Amasa Faulkner and William A. Heartt were appointed a committee to ascertain where and at what price a suitable lot could be obtained for a burying ground. The board was authorized to purchase the same, if in their opinion the location was a desirable one, and provided the amount of land selected was not less than two acres, and the price not more than fifty dollars. The committee were subsequently authorized to make a purchase, and at the annual meeting in April, 1861, reported that they had purchased a piece of land of Daniel D. Dopking, on the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 17, containing something more than two acres, for the sum of fifty dollars. The liberties of swine were first restricted by the board in April, 1857, when it was voted that hogs should not run at large. A pretty good idea of the residents of Indian Fields in April, 1860, may be had from the following list of electors who voted at that election: William E. Sherman, Samuel P. Sherman, H. U. Alvord, James M. Frost, Isaac Holmes, Baxter Marl, J. C. Lester, Amasa Faulkner, David Kesler, C. F. Chapman, Aaron Dickinson, Jr., Albert Schmidt, Alanson Bigelow, Alexander Cooper. W. H. Delling, J. N. Brock, David Cutler, Chester W. Briggs, Giles Grovenor, Oliver A. Dickinson, Joseph Gamble, Alexander Stewart, John Sherman, Hiram Allen, Isaac N. Crane, David Gamble, Alpheus Marr, D. H. Gould, Amos H. Andrews, Joseph J. Fuller, Charles Austin, Melvin Gibbs, James Lyon, David H. Andrews, Hiram Austin, H. J. Carpenter, H. D. Saunders, James Beckham, William A. Heartt. Daniel D. Dopking, Franklin Fairman, Daniel L. Maxwell, B. F. Nettleton, T. Mansil. At the presidential election in November, 1860, party lines were pretty clearly defined. The whole number of votes cast for the general ticket was thirty-nine, of which thirty-two were Republican and seven Democratic. In December, 1861, James W. Spencer was empowered to accept bids and contract for the chopping, clearing and fencing the cemetery ground recently purchased of Daniel D. Dopking, the work to be completed on or before September 1st. The contract was let to Matthew S. Dickinson for the sum of $109.50. The work, however, was net finished until some time in 1865. The annual meeting in 1863 met at the house of Melvin Gibbs, in Centerville. The whole number of votes polled was forty-six. A special meeting was held at the house of Melvin Gibbs in Centerville, February 20, 1864, when the board was authorized to issue bonds to the amount of $200 for the purpose of hiring volunteers to fill the quota of the township. The resolution was carried by a unanimous vote. In 1865 the cemetery grounds were laid out into lots and the price to residents of the township fixed at $3 per lot. In June of this year the Board of Health took measures to prevent the spread of small-pox, and employed Stephen R. Cross to take care of Indians exposed to that contagion. At the annual election in April, 1866, ninety-three votes were polled. The removal of the county seat was voted upon at this election and the vote stood seventy-nine for and fourteen against removal. At the annual meeting in 1868 it was voted to raise $600 for the erection of a bridge across the Cass River, near the mouth of Sucker Creek. At the presidential election in November, 1868, one hundred and sixty-four votes were polled, of which the Republican ticket received ninety-six and the Democratic ticket sixty-eight. At the State election in November, 1870, one hundred and ninety-one votes were polled for governor, of which Henry P. Bald-win received one hundred and four and Charles C. Comstock eighty-seven. The war record of Indian Fields is specially deserving of notice. The town never sent a drafted man to the army, and there was never but one draft, which was to fill a quota of one man, and was filled by a volunteer. Within three years after the close of the war the town paid its entire war debt. SCHOOL MATTERS. The first school in Indian Fields was taught in the winter of 1857-8 by Miss Ruth Sherman, now Mrs. Gamble, of Cass City, in a little building which had just been built by Peter D. Bush, and which stood a few rods southwest of what is now known as the Wilsey Mill. Mr. Bush lived at the time just across the line in the town of Almer, but near what is now Caro. There were a number of children who wanted to go to school, and at that time there was no organized school district in the town of Indian Fields. Mr. Bush got lumber at Wahjamega, and went to Pontiac after a stove, glass and sash. School was taught that winter, and the following spring the building burned. As this school was the foundation, or rather the first start of the Caro schools, the subsequent history is given in connection with the village. The first meeting of School District No. 1 was held May 1, 1858. David Gamble was chosen chairman and J. K. Heartt, secretary. The following officers were elected: Moderator, William A. Heartt; director, J. K. Heartt; assessor, Daniel Dopking. There being a disagreement as to location of school-house site, no school was at that time organized, nor until 1863, when a school was opened in a shanty at Wahjamega, Miss Martha Wilcox being teacher. She was engaged for a school to commence January 1, 1863, and continue three months, at a salary of $2 per week and board around. School Districts 2 and 3 were organized about the same time. The Union or Graded School District was organized in 1867, and comprised the whole of sections 1, 2, 8, 4, the north half of section 9, the whole of sections 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, the north half and the southeast quarter of section 15, the east half of sections 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 33, 34, 35 and 86. This was designated as the Centerville Union School District. From the annual school report of the town of Indian Fields for the year ending September, 1882, the following facts are obtained: Directors for the ensuing year, Wm. A. Heartt, Orestes Purdy, W. L. Rogers, Win. B. Sweet, Ebenezer Beardsley and James H. Conner. There are five whole districts and one fractional, with one brick and six frame school-houses. Number of children of school age, 690; attending school during the year, 539. There is one graded school in the town. TOWN OFFICERS. YEAR SUPERVISOR CLERK TREASURER COMISSIONER HIGHWAYS 1883 Frank H. Thomas J. Ralph Gillespie Jas. W. Spencer Wm. L. Rogers. 1882 Henry G. Sherman J. Ralph Gillespie Jas. W. Spencer Marcus L. Norris 1881 Henry G. Sherman J. Ralph Gillespie Gilbert Johnson Preston C. Purdy 1880 Marcus C. Robb J. Ralph Gillespie John D. Knight William Thomson 1879 Marcus C. Robb Jas. S. Gillespie John D. Knight H. G. Sherman 1878 Jas. W. Spencer Jas. S. Gillespie Marcus C. Robb H. G. Sherman 1877 Jas. W. Spencer Jas. S. Gillespie Marcus C. Robb H. G. Sherman 1876 Geo. W. Howell W. L. Rogers Marcus C. Robb J. C. Townsend 1875 H. P. Atwood N. M. Richardson A. M. Judd J. C. Townsend 1874 Hubbard S. Lee Henry S. Johnson A. M. Judd J. C. Townsend 1873 Clark Hooper Henry S. Johnson R. Purdy H. S. Lee 1872 C. P. Black Thomas A. Mills R. Purdy Jas. C. Townsend 1871 C. P. Black Thomas A. Mills R. Purdy John H. Weale 1870 J. R. Hooper H. G. Chapin Joseph Gamble Henry Church 1869 J. R. Hooper H. G. Chapin R. Purdy S. R. Cross 1868 J. R. Hooper Joseph Delling R. Purdy S. R. Cross 1867 J. R. Hooper A. C. Armstrong R. Purdy A. P. Hooper 1866 Jas. W. Spencer A. N. McConoughey John T. Ross Joseph Morrison 1865 Jas. W. Spencer A. N. McConoughey D. D. Dopking John T. Ross 1864 Jas. W. Spencer J. M. Hooper T. B. Blackwood Orville Williams 1863 Jas. W. Spencer Marvin B. Gibbs S. P. Sherman Joseph Morrison, Peter D. Bush 1862 Jas. W. Spencer Wm. E. Sherman S. P. Sherman David Gamble 1861 Wm. A. Heartt Henry D. Saunders Horace G. Alvord James M. Frost 1860 Melvin Gibbs Daniel D. Dopking S. F. Dickinson J. C. Lester, Hiram Allen 1859 Melvin Gibbs E. H. Hudson S. F. Dickinson Jos. J. Fuller, Wm. A. Heartt 1858 Melvin Gibbs Josiah K. Heartt Wm. A. Heartt O. A. Dickinson 1857 Melvin Gibbs Josiah K. Heartt Wm. A. Heartt David H. Andrews, Aaron Dickinson 1856 Wm. A. Heartt Daniel D. Dopking Josiah K. Heartt Wm. A. Heartt, Daniel D. Dopking 1855 Charles Stuck Daniel Dopking Giles Grovner D. H. Andrews 1854 Daniel Dopking Christian Shadley David Andrews Alex. Belmer, David Gamble 1853 Daniel Dopking Samuel P. Sherman Isaac N. Crane Oliver Dickinson, Alex. Belmer, Christian Shadley