The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-07-21

tered by firm in New York. His faith
er was a wealthy and influential merchant
of the east, and his son occupied an en-
viablo position in society. Such are the
fates and freaks of fortune. Henry
Mower cleared and broke the soil where
the first church was built in Kalamazoo
and afterwards one of his plats, which
he prepared from the primitive forest
was purchased and used for the first
race ground in that place. His own &C.
centric idea, is, that in that early day
he paved the way to heaven, and after
wards, with the same axe, cleared the
track for -! In his new mode of
life, our hero experienced many and
trying hardships and affections, which
were unknown to the later settlers. He
once went without bread seven success
i've days, in the woods; his living was
pork, wild game, sugar and leeks. At
this time he supposed he was the only
white man in all his travels When
his permanent settlement was made, in
1913, on the same spo, of his present
residence, there were but seven white
families within the limits of the after
wards organized township Of Blooming
dale. This, and the three additional
townships Of Wav.rly, Pine Grove and
Almena, were under one organization,
and were called, for convenience,
Clinch." Mr.. Mowers principal EN-
ployment for many yenrs was making
shingles, with which to buy bread for
his family, and an occasional job Of look
ing land for bis employers in New York.
During all of This time his intervals be.
tween business, were faithfully chinked
in setting traps and looking after his
game. Sometimes he would set five
traps Of different structure and size, all
at once. and at the final " gathering in, "
would find different kind of animal in
each one.
The first white child born in the town
ship, was Ashbel Herron's son, Jchn
The first white child born in the town
ship, was Ashbel Herron's son, John
Wesley Heron. Wm. II. Myers was
the first preacher in the woods, and his
favorito theme, in almost every discourse
was the wrath of God. After the tolls,
trials and hardships of the week, this
was not very pleasant greeting to the
ears of some Of his congregation, but,
with them, it was "lIobsons choice, y
that or none. These meetings were
held in the first school house, which was
log shanty near the base line. There
were but few men in the congregation
who enjoyed the luxury Of a second suit
of clothes. Their best apparel was
their logging suit, WEIGH if the good
wife had not time to wash, dry and
mend, GA Saturday night after the tell
some days work, was worn, just as they
were taken off at the close of the week
Boots and shoes were by no means a
common possession, and many of the
Rev. Mr.. Myers hearers listened to his
message, on the wrath of God, in bare
feet
DR. Levi Barber was the first physi-
clan in the town, and lie is still in active
prac tIce there. The first few years the
trial to settle this new country, was a
slow and tedious one, and the inhab-
itants were more scattered than in many
of the first settled townships. In 1S44,
Reuben Ii. Ward and his wife came in
from Sweden, Monroe Co., n. Y, and
commenced life near the base line of
Allegan county at the Northern cxtrem-
ity of Bloomingdale Mrs. Ward was
a grand daughter of Elder Hinckley,
spoken of in the Recollections of Colum
ba. The forty acre lot on which they
ettled was gift from he grandfather,
in accordance with his offer to all his
grand. .childrenj as well as children, who
were actual settlers. In this way the
old gentleman's means became bless
ing to the country as well as to his chill
drcn and childrcn's children. Mr.. w.
had located the land the year previous,
so the future home was selected, though
not stick was cut by way of prcpara-
ton in the heavy timbercd forest. The
newly married pair did not remain but
one year in the wild country before going
back to Monroe Co, to spend a year