Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-07-17
RE EMINISCENCES.


the early days in the wilderness of
Arcadia, Mrs. Mary A. Weaver.
Mrs. Weaver, with her husband and
four children, came here from Madison,
Lake county, Ohio, in the spring of 1851
The journey from st. Johns was made
i'll wagon, drawn part of the way by
oxen, and part by horses. The first day
the family got as far as Maple Rapids,
and here they We're obliged to put up
for the night TO rest, and at the same
time hunt for the means of conveying
them further Oh the way to their new
home III Gratiot. The second day they
came five miles further, when they were
compelled to stop. 1t was impossible to
find team TO bring them further, and
through the forest to this place hopii z
to be able to secure a team here. At
the close of the third day they returned
to the waiting wife and children, but
without the team. After considerable
delay, Mr.. Weaver secured a man and
team, at 81 per day and the journey was
resumed. They came seven or eight
miles on this day, travelling by the
Beaver dam" trail; then owing to the
poor roads, were compelled to lay by
until the next day, at the close of which
they had reached the Merchant place
The last day of the journey here Mrs.
Weaver and the children were obliged
to walk, the snow and rain having
made the roads almost impossible.
When within few miles of this place
their goods were left in the woods,
while Mr. Weaver came on to this place,
and the next day secured help and went
back after them.
When Mr.. Weaver and family first
reached here they settled on il farm near
Demoray's farm, and moved into a
shanty which stood on the place. Mr..
Weaver had Il brother here, who was
anxious TO fix things up III good shape
for Mrs. Weaver and the children, and
had made bed of Eastwood poles, using
basswood bark for cording and in place
of IA straw bed hemlock boughs were
used. In fact they We're obliged to use
hemlock boughs for a bed until they
could raise Il crop of oats and get straw
They were not compelled TO live long i'll
this shanty. There was a good log
house on the place, and as soon as posi-
BILE Mr.. Weaver went to Saginaw by
boat, where he got sash, doors, glass,
nails, etc, made the log house habitable
and moved his family into that
Mrs. Weaver lived here more than a
month before she saw the face of a
white woman. One day, in company
with her husband and children, she
went down the river TO a place near this
village, and met Mr. and Mrs Derwin Ely
and Mrs. Helen Baker, (now Mrs. Travis
and thus began friendship which has
remained steadfast through all these
years.
There We're many Indians, but they
Were not particularly troublesome. The
Indians frequently came begging for
food, and occasionally brought with
them game and fish which they gave
in exchange.
After living on the farm on which
they first settled one year, Mr.. Weaver
bought farm, part of which is now the
east end of the Brewbaker farm.
There was but little beef steak to be
had in those days. Deer, fish and game
| furnished them meat. In one season
Mr.. Weaver and his sons killed eleven
large deer The dam was not built in
| the river then and the deer would swim
down and come almost TO the house.
| One day when the men folks were all
away from the house, Mrs. Weaver saw
some deer. She got down an old musket,
loaded with buckshot, and blazed away.
But that musket shot at both ends, and
while the deer escaped, Mrs. Weaver
was knocked down. Visions of an
empty larder were before her eyes, how
ever, and she got up, went into the
house after the rifle, and fired again,
this time bringing down the game.
| Another time Mrs. Weaver was alone
with her two little boys, when they saw
some deer. The old musket was
brought into use again; but all the shot
was fired without killing the deer. Mrs.
Weaver then went into the house, run
some shot in the molds, and fired again
at the deer, this time wounding them.
The deer rushed to the river Mrs.
Weaver and her children came back to
their home, secured "a boat and were
rowing up stream after their game,
when they met couple ofhunters coming
down, who had secured the deer, and
promptly turned them over to Mrs.
| Weaver.
Mrs. Weaver says that they went for
many weeks without tasting butter.