The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-04-21

loiu lIOiu hiiSSah CouhNJ, huu oSoiStOu
his brother James and Mr.. Selleck, in
putting up their log houses, and board.
ed three weeks at Mr.. Hammond's on
the old place now owned and occupied
by Mr. Greenfield. In March, Olney
and Spinnings came, and, in company
with Thomas Conklin, they put up
twelve by twelve log shanty on the cor.
ner of Conklin's land, joining the pres
ent Olney farm. Here they lived six
weeks together, chopping and clearing
ON their new land and doing their own
cooking; they lived on pork. potatoes
and bread. The floor of their domicile
was made of split logs, for their main
outfit in tools, was an axe apiece
They went with an OK team into Kee-
Ter, to get marsh hay, with which they
filled an old tick to make a bed. The
a foresaid floor of split logs, was about
their only furniture, and served for a
carpet and bedstead. The three, all
occupied the same bed with two blank.
cts only, for covering.
On the 14th day of March, 1887,
they chopped the first tree, on these
now, beautiful and productive farms,
just about thirty four years before the
date of this writing. Look at them
reader, and set to work your busy i'm
aginaton.
On, or about the first Of May, this
temporary copartnorship, il choppng
and housework, was dissolved by mu
tual consent. then Mr.. Conklin built
him another log house. in the middle of
his lot east and west, and lived in it
alone another six weeks. Here he took
up his lodging on the second floor,
which was made of few loose boards,
only just about large enough over for
his bed; which was made with an old
sack filled with small brush and dry
leaves. lie asceuded to his lodging by
rude ladder that he pulled up after
him, thus lessening the opportunities
for unwelcome intruders, for his neigh
bors-the wild animals, were very fa-
miliar, from snakes and hedgehogs up to
wolves and wildcats In this solitary
life, by the last Of June, Mr.. Copldin
had three acres of his new land slashed
in winrows, and he planted it, though
late in the season, to corn and potatoes,
which he dropped anywhere, between
the logs and brush, that enough leaves
aud soil could b. obtained to cover
them. Thus, on a rude scale, COM
mcuced his farmer life While the
rain and sunshine, we're doing their
never failing work to bring his crops to
maturity be went back east to get
married. lie returned to bis new home
in the almost unbrokcu forests Of Hart
ford, with his young bride, Martha
Justina Ely, of Rutland, N. Y, the
first day of October They found the
corn and potato crops ready for the
harvest. He made bedstead for tenn
porary use, by inserting pins in the logs,
and laying boards across for STATS
Sometime during the winter there was
more leisure, for indoor work, he made
another bedstead of green cherry lum
Der. His tools consisted of an axe,
auger, plane and butcher knife. With
the latter, he cut the mortices proba.
bly, this was the first furniture ever
manufactured in the township of Hart
ford. Their first table was made of
single board; this and the new bedstead
were the main articles of furniture in
this household.
Mrs. Conklin was school teacher
before her marriage, and she taught the
first school in the town Of Hartford, in
their own house, with few neghbors
children for pupils. Gen. Chadwick,
now Of Lawrence, Mr.. Conklin and
Orendo Sykes, were the first school in
spectors in the township, then attached
to Keeler, for convenience in judicial
matters.
Soon after Mr.. Conklin's settlement
here, either the first, or second year, he
got in debt sixty dollars for a yoke of
young cattle, promising to pay the fol-
lowing spring in maple sugar, for which
he had not made the first preparation.