History of Juniata, Tuscola County, Michigan

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

 

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TOWN OF JUNIATA

This town is bounded on the north by Fair Grove, having Denmark on the west, Vassar to 
the south and Indian Fields east.  Cass River flows through the southeast corner of the 
town, about three sections lying to the south and east of the river.  The most of the 
town is rolling; about one-third perhaps, in the southeast corner, along the river, 
being level and having a more sandy soil than the other two-thirds, which is generally 
a clay loam.

This was among the earliest settled towns in the county.  The first settlers in the 
town were Levi Rogers and family, who came in early in 1850.  The first blow struck 
for improvement was by Andrew Jackson Rogers on land which his father had purchased of 
Townsend North.  From Levi Rogers the town took the name of Rogers under which it was 
organized.

Shortly after came two German families, and about the same time William Jameson, Jonas 
Belknap, Ezra A. Belknap, John Freeman, S. H. Moore, Daniel Gorton Truman, and within 
the next two years Patrick McGlone, Ephraim Smith, Frank Fairhan, Daniel Kinyon, King 
Allen, Hiram Gibbs, Lucius Marvin, James Wing, Henry S. Russell, William Law, Andrew 
Schultz, Nelson Vickery, William Fenner, Daniel T. Tonkrey, E. Miller, R. G.  Black.

Until 1852 the only roads were the lumberman's supply and logging roads, very 
serviceable in winter but almost impassable in spring and summer.  In 1852 a road was 
laid out from the present site of Watrousville which was cut through in 1853, the 
people generally turning out and helping to open the road.  The commissioners to lay 
out this road were Jackson Rogers and William Jameson.  Martin Miller, of Tuscola, was 
surveryor.

The first marriage in the town was of Silas H. Moore, son of Alfred and Hannah Moore, 
of Canton, Wayne County, Mich., and Sarah Rogers, daughter of Levi and Abigail Rogers, 
December 24, 1851, by Orin A. Gibbs, of Vassar.

The first death was of William Law, February 5, 1852.

The first birth was of Charlotte, daughter of King and Sarah Allen, November 24, 1851.  
She died March 24, 1852.

The first school meeting was held in May, 1853, at the house of Patrick McGlone.

The first school in the town of Juniata was taught in the summer of 1853 by Miss Ellen 
E. Miller, now wife of Charles R. Seldon of Caro.  The building used was a low log 
shanty, built by D. G. Wilder to live in, until he could construct a better habitation.
It stood nealy opposite the present site of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
Watrousville.  The following are the names of pupils who attended this first term of 
school:  Sarah, Arvilla, and Eliza McGlone, George, Charles and Abraham Pettingill, 
Nancy, John and Dall Streeter, Jennie and James King, George Smith, Mary, Sally, Albert 
and Emily Schultz, Martha Huntley, Lemuel Gamble, Jonathan, Clarissa and Salmon Simons, 
Nelson and Dana Miller, and Anna Morrell.

Mrs. E. H. Hudson, daughter of Mr. William Jameson, speaks of the first sermon preached 
in Juniata as follows:

"The first sermon that was preached in the town of Juniata, was preached in my father's 
house by the Rev. Mr. Selden, a brother of Mr. Joseph Selden, who for years was our 
beloved and respected neighbor."

"The Rev. gentlemen came from his New England home to visit his brother, and spent the 
Sabbath there.  As my father's house offered larger room than many other in that 
vicinity, he accepted an invitation to preach there and did so to about thirty souls, 
a pretty well-filled house for those days.  This was, I think, in the second year of 
our pioneer life.  You that sit every Sabbath in you grand churches little know how 
sweet to us were the works of life as they fell from the lips of that good man.  We had 
no churches then; we had no schools, no art galleries, no railroads. No set forms of 
society troubled us, no social inflictions marred our peace."

"But we had a hearty welcome for all.  Alike we welcomed the friend or stranger, the 
old and the young, the rich and the poor; the cultured or the child of nature shared 
the hospitalities of our humble homes.  Society made no chains for us, but our motto 
was charity and good will to all."






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