The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-04-06
ANOTHER CHAPTER OF
THE ANNALS OF CLIO
STORY TELLER MIXED IN RELATION
TO SOME FACTS
A Few Additions and Changes Qualify
ing Our Story as Told in
Recent Issue

Owing to the fact that the editor was
wholly unacquainted with the matter
in hand, excep tfrom interviews, and in
formation CLEANED from articles sent in
for publication from time to time in the
last three years, there was, as might
have been expected, several errors in
our Semi Centennial Story of Clio. as
published couple of weeks ago.
In the first place, there were two
Messrs Critics who figured prominent
ly in the early life of the town, Austin
Critics, the pioneer settler who bought
out the Dean saw mill property, and
Amos, his son. The latter was even
more prominent than his father in the
business life of the town and it was he
who built the home now occupied by
Mrs. A. Goodfellow. Both these gentle
men died here and it was the widow of
Amos Critics whose body was brought
to Clio from her late home in California
for burial year or so ago. In connec-
ton with the history of the grist mill
we have been told the somewhat tragic
story of a Mr.. Hagar, who was part
ner of Amos Critics in that business,
at one time. This unfortunate man
was found drowned, standing bolt up
right in the waters of the flume. but
whether as the result of suicide or ac'
cident has never been known.
Again, Elijah Heath, and not his
wife, was the first proprietor of the
first hotel and DR.. ID. A Salisbury was
the first resident physician, having his
office and residence in the house now
occupied and owned by Pearl Chown.
DR.. Samuel Lathrop cameshere from
Pine Run about four years later.
In addition to the list of early busi-
ness men we would name VIM. Giber-
son, who first kept stock of general
merchandise in the locally famous old
.brown store," and later built and oc-
cupled the fine business block that now
bears his name. Daniel Salisbury was
one of first teachers in the first school
kept in the village, instead of his BROTH
er, the physician, and was also the first
postmaster, instead of d. S. Halstead,
as formerly stated.
The house that stood on the site of
B E. Conlee's residence, mentioned as
being probably the first house to be
built in the village, stands on the north
side of Bluff ST., the second house west
of Center ST., and is now occupied by
Peter Define.
We did not attempt to give a COM
prehensive list of early settlers, but in
addition to those whose names were
mentioned in the recent article we
would add the following:
"Nelson P. Gilett and wife moved
into the township in 1853, William,
Isaac and Nelson Gillett, who reside in
this vicinity, are their sons. Mrs. Olive
Webster, who now resides in Ft. Wayne,
Ind /, was, together with her family,
among the early pioneers Mr.. and
Mrs. Henry w. Cooley have lived in
and near Clio for more than half a
century and to them the editor acknow-
ledges obligation for information in
corporated in this article.
Lastly. there seems to be consider
able question as to whether the early
name of the village, Varney, was taxi
en- from the grain buyer of that name.
1t seems that the latter did business
here some time subsequent to the adop-
tion of the name of Clio, which might
indicate that it was some other Varney
from whom the village took its early
name. Who can enlighten us on this
point?