The true northerner., 1898-07-20
ANTwERP TOWNSHIP.
INTERESTING HISTORICAL SKETCH READ
BEFORE THE COUNTY PIONEER AssocIA.
TIoN

TION.
Antwerp is a rich agricultural district
and for few years past has been rapid
ly and profitably developing as an i'm
portant fruit raising region, especially
in the vicinity of the villages of Lawton
and Mattawan, where the culture of the
peach and the grape has already been at
tended with gratifying results, and prom
ises something extraordinary for the
future. Lawton and Mattawan are both
stations on the Michigan Central rail
road and are important wheat shipping
points.
The township of Antwerp invited the
attention of the western pioneer for the
special reason that its territory was
largely composed of oak openings, while
it was remarkably free from swampy or
low land. The soil, sandy loan,
promised easy cultivation and at com
paratively early day the township had a
goodly number of hardy pioneers. Even
before roads were laid out, travelling
through the township was no difficult
matter, since there was little or no
underbrush in the forests. Old settlers
in Antwerp say that when they came
into the country they were charmed
with it, The early settlers here and
there found traces of what have been
termed prehistoric garden beds.
Opinions seem to be divided as to the
identity of the first white settler in
Antwerp, but it is thought Joseph Wood
man, who settled on section 7, May 10,
1885, was the first settler and lived upon
this same farm to the day of his death,
which occurred in April, 1879, at the ripe
old age of SO years. At the time of Mr..
Woodman's settlement upon his Ant
werp farm, Paw Paw village contained
one very small frame house, three log
cabins and sawmill.
In the spring of 1885, Joshua Bangs,
Silas Breed and Elder Jonathan Hinck-
ley of Monroe county, N " started from
there with Breeds team to look for land
in Michigan. At Marshall they over
took Joseph Woodman and family also
from Monroe county, n. Y, so they
journeyed westward in company. Learn
ing that the land Office was at Kalama-
zoo, they halted there and, being per
suaded to locate in Van Buren, county,
Woodman and Bangs made land look
ing tour through the present town of
Antwerp. They were SO pleased that
they selected land without delay.
Bangs was then ready to return to
New York for his family, and as Wood
man had also to return to that state
they, in company with Silas Breed
bound also eastward, started from
Dodge's tavern in Paw Paw and travelled
to Detroit, where they arrived Just four
days and half later. Bangs got his
family ready in the fall of 1885 and
started for Michigan. He was accom-
panied by the families of Levi Warner
and Joseph Luce, both of whom settled
in Paw Paw, Theophilus Bangs and John
Hill, who settled in Antwerp. Joshua
Bangs lived upon his Antwerp farm un-
! til chosen county treasurer in 1887
when he moved into Paw Paw. He held
the office four years and then he re
sumed his residence in Antwerp. Theo-
philus Bangs, his brother, who came tC
Antwerp with him, settled upon section
10, where he lived about 30 years, and
then removing to Paw Paw, died there
John Hill, who also accompanied Joshua
Bangs westward in 1885, located on sec
tion Z. He got homesick in about three
years, returned to Monroe county, sold
his Michigan farm to Jason a. Sheldon
| h.,
Sheldon sold it to G.. b. Chaplin anC
moved to Paw Paw, where he resided
for several years.
Philip Moon of New York settled OF
section five in 1S35 and died on the place
in 1856.
Elder Samuel Gilman settled on sec
ton five in 1888. He afterwards solo
his farm to j. r. Bangs and moved to 1
farm on section six, where he died.
Among the land lockers in Michigan
in 1885 was John Hunt of Vermont, wht
being pleased with the land in the north
ern part of Antwerp, entered l6O acres
on section one, but did not move hi
family to Michigan till the spring o
1897. AS evidence of the high cost o
life's necessaries at that time it may b,
mentioned that Mr.. Hunt paid $500 a
Kalamazoo for a cook stove tsecond hant
at that about "as big, he said, "as
warming pam" Mr.. Hunt lived upol
his farm to the date of his death, which
occurred few years ago.
Morgan L. Fitch and wife and Err;
Gates and family came to Antwerp il
1896 and lived in the township unit
death.
n. l.. Surdam and wife also came t,
Antwerp in 1897, and settled upon land ol
section three where they still reside.
Along with others of the early settler
were Samuel Lull, famous dairyman
Anthony Corey, a noted timber newer
who settled on the spot where Lawtol
village is now located; Hiram and Rob
ert Morrison; Lyman Taylor, bricl
maker; Harman Harwick and his Sol
Peter: Silas f. Breed and Isaac Barden
In 1896 Wells Gray located on sectiol
two. A short time afterwards he sold hi
farm to Reason Holmes and bought ol
section seven, where he lived until hi
death in 1867.
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