George W. Teeple was born in Essex, N. J., April 8, 1810. His parents, William and Rachel Teeple, settled in Plymouth, Wayne Co., in 1826, and in 1844 removed to Lenawee county, where they died, his father in 1866, and his mother in 1863. Mr. T. has made agriculture the purpose of his life. He operated five years on a farm in Plymouth, and in 1836 settled on the place he now occupies, consisting of 100 acres, valued at $60.00 per acre. He was married June 7, 1832, to Samantha Cook, of Covert, N. Y. They have had 12 children, nine of whom are living, whose births occurred as follows: Elbert B., March 25, 1833; Minerva, June 25, 1834; Oscar F., May 29, 1838; Alfred C., May 4, 1842; Marcus D. and Marian E. (twins), Feb. 11, 1844; Almira D., Aug. 27, 1847; Harriet J., Jan. 13, 1853; and William E., Feb. 18, 1855. Politically Mr. T. is a Democrat. He has passed through all the severities of pioneer life. His son Marcus enlisted in the 6th Mich. Cavalry, served three years and four months, and was under fire at Gettysburg, and in the battle of the Wilderness. Mrs. T. is a member of the Disciples Church.

Jonathan Thomas was born Nov. 9, 1830, at Ovid, Seneca Co., N. Y. His father, Jonathan Thomas, was a soldier of 1812, born Oct. 29, 1874, and died in 1868. His mother was born March 6, 1786, and died in 1879. Mr. Thomas bought, in 1855, 320 acres of land on sec. 25, this tp., paying for it $3.00 per acre. He still holds 160 acres, at $45.00 per acre. He was married Sept. 13, 1854, to Caroline Thomas, of Fayette, Seneca Co., N. Y. She is the daughter of Samuel and Margaretta Thomas. Her father was born Jan. 23, 1802; her mother, Nov. 22, 1805, and died in 1870. Eight children have been born to them, as follows: Charles H., July 9, 1855; George S., April 25, 1857; Samuel L., Aug. 28, 1858; William E., Sept. 21, 1861; Edwin L., April 11, 1868; Nellie V., May 12, 1870; Norman B., June 26, 1871; and Nettie V., Aug. 27, 1872. Mr. Thomas has been local preacher of the M. E. church for the last 20 years. Politically he is a Republican, and served three years and three months in the war of the Rebellion. P. O., Lowell.

A. B. Town was born June 18, 1831, in Lyons, Wayne Co., N. Y. His father, William Town, was born in 1801,.in Connecticut. In 1836 he settled in Oakland county, and eight years after in this tp., where he bought 105 acres on sec. 31. He is still living, at Brighton, Livingston Co. Mr. Town's mother was born in New York, April 25, 1806. He was married Dec. 4, 1855, to Minerva, daughter of Geo. W. and Samantha Teeple, of this tp. (See sketch above.) They have four children, born as follows: William, Sept. 28, 1857; Elbert A., April 28, 1863; Samantha, March 5, 1865, and Jennie B., May 4, 1867. In 1864 Mr. Town bought 80 acres on sec. 33, where he has since lived. He has a new and substantial house, and values his place at $6,000. spring on the farm has gained considerable notoriety. is a Democrat. P. O., Alaska.

A mineral
Mr. Town

Nathan Weston, son of Nathan and Polly Barnum) Weston, was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., in 1818. About 42 years ago he settled at Plymouth, Wayne Co., and after 15 years' residence he moved to Hillsdale county, where he lived 10 years. He was engaged in the sale of drugs, in Elkhart, Ind., eight years, and about 1868 bought 116 acres of land, this tp., now the family homestead. He was married Feb. 15, 1860, to Mary A., widow of Alva Blood, daughter of William C. and Catharine White. Her parents located in Boston, Ionia Co., in 1843; lived there and at Gulf Prairie three years, when they fixed their residence in this tp. Mrs. Weston was a teacher of 21 terms' experience, in this State. She was born in Tunbridge, Vt., also her father's native place. Her mother was a native of Walpole, N. H. De Alton C. Blood, son of Mrs. W. by her first marriage, was born Oct. 27, 1855, and is now living in Cascade. Her first marriage occurred in 1852. Mr. Weston is a Republican.

John H. Withey, son of Solomon and Clementine (Granger) Withey, was born at St. Albans, Vt., Nov. 22, 1831. His father was born Aug. 31, 1787, and died Oct. 6, 1851. His mother was born in 1791, and died March 20, 1869. They came to this State in May, 1836,and located at Grand Rapids. Mr. Withey embarked in business in 1851 as proprietor of a hotel at Ada, and three years later bought a stock of general merchandise and opened trade on the east bank of Grand river, opposite Ada, at that time the only store between Lowell and Grand Rapids. His sales aggregated $120,000 in four years, when he disposed of his mercantile interests and took up his residence on his farm of 160 acres, sec. 3, this tp. He values his farm at $10,000. In 1857 he married Laura O. Abel' of Cascade. She died in January, 1861, leaving one son. In Apri,, 1862, he married Mary L. Duncan, of Ada. Four of six child en are living. Mr. Withey was graduated from Kalamazoo College, and politically is a Democrat. He comes of loyal ancestry, his father having been a soldier of 1812, and under fire at Plattsburg, and his grandfather a soldier of the Revolution.

Clinton A. Wood was born Feb. 5, 1820, in Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y. His parents, William and Sally (White) Wood, were natives of the same State. His father died in 1848; his mother in 1878. In the fall of 1863, Mr. Wood located on 160 acres of land in sec. 25, this tp. (value of farm, $8,000). He was married to Louisa M., daughter of William and Sally (Youngs) Markham, born Jan. 23, 1820. The following is the record of birth of their children: Francis A., Dec. 25, 1846; William A., Dec. 26, 1846; Charlie M., Oct. 31, 1852; Jennie L., June 1, 1857; and Dan. B., Jan. 28, 1860. Mr. Wood is a Republican, and has been School Director nine years and Commissioner three years. He is engaged in raising the famous Lexington horses of Kentucky, and also pure-blooded Suffolk hogs. Mr. Wood is a veterinary surgeon, and has practiced his profession for 35 consecutive years. In his practice he has been very successful, especially in surgical operations. A portrait of Mr. Wood appears in this volume.

John Wooding was born in 1835 in Welchpool, Wales, and is son of John and Hannah Wooding. He came to America in 1845, and went to Saquoite, Oneida Co., N.Y., where he found employment as a farm hand. He came to Michigan in 1856, and for three years continued the same occupation. He purchased 40 acres on sec. 26, which he sold nine years after and bought the place where he now lives, 80 acres on sec. 11; aggregate value, about $4,000. He was married April 1, 1861, to Drusilla Fountain, of Cascade. They have had four children: Cora May, born Jan. 25, 1863, died July 4, 1871; Minnie Bell, June 25, 1864, died June 17, 1871; Ida, June 25, 1868, died June 19, 1871; Nellie Edith, March 25, 1870. Mrs. W. is daughter of Ezra and Sarah Fountain, and was born Jan. 4, 1847. Mr. W. is a Republican, enlisted in the war of the Rebellion, in the 1st Reg. Mich. Eng's and Mech's, served 23 months and "marched down to the sea" with Sherman.

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COURTLAND TOWNSHIP.

Portions of this township, especially along the south line, are very rolling and even broken, while in the eastern and central portions it is more level or gently undulating. There is some pine in the northern portion, and pine mixed with hard woods. The larger portion of the town, however, is oak openings. There are many highly improved and fertile farms in the town. The town is destitute of any business centers, and is without railroad connection, although the Grand Rapids & Indiana railroad runs nearly parallel with its west line, and has three stations within about half a mile of the town line.

There are several handsome lakes in the south part of this township, but no streams of much size. Silver lake, the largest, is situated on sections 27 and 28. It is triangular in shape, being about one and one-half miles in length by one-half mile in breadth in the widest place. It has fine gravelly banks, and is one of the most beautiful lakes in the county. Johnson lake, a small but fine body of water, is situated on the southeasterly portion of section 22. Big and Little Brower lakes are situated on the southern part of section 34. Both of them are small. A small stream rises in the eastern part and empties into Wabasis lake, in Oakfield township. Another rises in the lakes in the south part, and flowing in a westerly direction empties into Rouge river at Rockford, in Algoma township, while a third small stream rises in the northwest part of the town, and, running southwest, falls into Rouge river some three miles above Rockford.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

The first persons to enter lands in the sections of Courtland township previous to 1847, included: Daniel C. Parshall, section 13, Sept. 15, 1845; Philo Austin, section 15, June 1, 1841; Seth Lockwood, section 20, March 23, 1840; Dixe Lockwood, section 20, March 27, 1840; Alexander Dean, section 21, Aug. 10, 1839; Sabin Johnson, section 22, Aug. 10, 1839; Beman Brockway, section 24, Aug. 10, 1839; William H. Cooper, section 26, Aug. 10, 1839; Lucy Beers, section 28, Aug. 10, 1839; Burton Brockway, section 27, Aug. 10, 1839; Nathan W. Rounds, section 31, Dec. 3, 1846, and Charles J. Jaqua, section 31, June 10, 1847.

Barton Johnson settled in Courtland in 1838. as the outpost of a little company of 10 pioneers who followed him the same year, viz.: Philo Beers, Benjamin Botsford, John Austin, Wm. R. Davis, John Barlow, Alexander Dean, Sabin Johnson, Thomas Addison, Anson Ensign and Iram Barney. They located their

lands contiguous to each other. They organized the town and resided several years alone-a happy, social and moral community. They had enough for fraternity, enough for society, and enough for a school. They were at home in each other's houses, and prided themselves in each other's good name and character.

Mrs. Barton Johnson was the first white woman in town.

It is a little doubtful who taught the first school. It is claimed for three-John Davis, John Austin and Emily Dean. Miss Dean kept a school for a time in a shanty. She was followed by Amanda Loomis and Harriet Patrick. Miss Dean is the wife of John Austin, of Courtland. Miss Loomis is in San Francisco. Miss Patrick died about 1870.

The pioneer preacher was the otherwise mentioned James Ballard. About the same time the zealous young Methodist preacher, Frieze, came among the people and made this town a part of his

mission.

In 1866 the town was the scene of a fiendish murder, which excited the community at the time. One Durfee, who had been living in Ohio, had a paramour, with whom he had lived some years. He came with her and her child to Grand Rapids, where he hired a livery team and they went on a ride in the rural towns. Having come into a secluded place by the side of one of the lakes in Courtland, he strangled her with a rope, dragged her into the bushes, left the child near a house, returned the team and disappeared. The child was found nearly famished; the murdered woman discovered; the case skillfully worked up; Durfee tracked out, arrested, tried and sent to prison, where he is said to have died. Durfee was a fiend, and marked as such. The child is adopted into a worthy family in the town, and thinks himself their son. The name of his foster parents will not here be given, as we do not wish to dispel the illusion of the boy, whose good fortune it was that his mother was murdered.

It was customary in the early settlement, at first to unite several townships and organize them as a town. One and another would soon be set off. Courtland was shorn of all its dependencies, and reduced to its present limits in 1846. In 1848, by a Legislative blunder, it was re-organized with Oakfield, under the name of Wabesis. The status was restored by the next Legislature.

ORGANIC.

Courtland was originally organized in 1839, and then included six Congressional townships. A town meeting was at once called at the house of Barton Johnson, and the town organized, Philo Beers being elected Supervisor, and Thomas Addison, Clerk.

The record of the meetings held in April, 1840 and 1841, could not be found in the office of the Township Clerk. The books in his possession manifest great care and precision, and appear to be the most orderly town record books in Kent county.

The principal township officers from 1842 to the present time are named in the following list: