The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-02-17

tide of emigration was tn ~ neg inniog
to food Michigan, a. now Kansas.
The territorial road was then only
laid ont as far west as Jackson, and our
emiglaut party stopped at Auu Arbor
to look at land Worn out, aud glad
of rest anywhers, they bought out
another mans claim of eighty acres for
one hundred and fifty dollars. All the
money they had left was ten dollars, and
the time of year was the latter part OF
May, their family numbering eleven
persons. They hired low incolnmo-
dious log shanty with one small room
in it ouly, and paid one dollar week
for four weeks. Lived 10 three differ
ent houses between that time aud July,
when they built shan'y OF their own,
that they lived in or sta'd in, till De-
cember. The roof was made of such
material as could be split with an axe,
and was scarcely any protection from
the hard and long rains of that s?ason.
Night after night their beds ADD cloth
ing would be dreuchei thrnusi. S,m:-
times during brisk showers, they put
the children asleep under the beds to
keep them dry While living IN this
shanty, Mrs. Christie spun twenty
pounds of wool on shares-she had
half. She kept her wheel out OF doors
and did her cooking a II summer under
an oak tree. Snakes were plenty then
Massaugas-blue-racers and spotted
adders-hlue-r from three to six
feet ia length would frequently travel
past the door, and sometimes over the
step. The door was only blanket
suspended by two of the corners, 50 the
snakes or wolves might have found
their way inside, if they had So wiled.
ln December Of the first year in the
wilderness Mr.. Christie built a log.
house which was more comfortable and
convenient than any of their former
shelters; the family raised il four logs
high, and then called on neighbors in
the sparse settlement to help them flo.
ish it, taking two days after that, the
last day until ten O'Clock at nj ght, some
of them holding lights for others to
work. Here they lived seven years to
day from the time they started from
Tioga County N. Y, until they moved
to Lawrence, Van Buren, County, the
present home of the numerous family
six other children being born to them
in Michigan. The most Inconvenience
and fear they experienced in their seven
years residence at Ann Arbor, was from
the Indians, but there was no trouble
with them only when they had been
imbibing too freely of the intoxicating
bowl. BY treaty with the United
States Government they received pay
for their lands, and an additional yearly
donation in blankets, broadcloth, shawls,
furs, belts, &C. These were distribu-
ted in the month of June each year at
Maiden. Their way to the assembly
was past Mr.. Christie's house, where
they sometimes camped near them in
the woods Peaceable and mild on
their way to the mass meeting, but
their goods were invariably exchanged
for whisky brought TO them by the
white settlers, and on their return they
were quarre)some and often dangerous,
sometime stabbirg each other. Do not
blame them reader. for that is just the
way that civilized and christiauized
white men act.
Mr.. Christie first purchase of land
il Van Buren, Comfy was in the town
OF Hartford a part of the farm now
owned and occupied by VIM. Webster
this Is believed to be in the year 1887.
There was then no house that could be
obtained Tor the family to live in, ex.
cept shanly at the west end of the
lake, where the Christie homestead now
is They did not get in any crops at
the Webster place, except, about an
acre OF iurnips. The whole family
were sick thai summer with the ague
aud fever, and they did not 90 back to
see their crop until the following Feb
ruary, ana then ey got lost in the
woods on their way The ground was