The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-03-23

settlement had been established, the
mail continued to be sent to Pine Run
;ad Charles Dobbs, now 65 years of
age, who was born here and is one Of
our Oldest pioneers. relates that he used.
aS a boy, tn run over to Pine Run and
get the mail belonging to the Varney-
ties, receiving a half-cent each for de-
livering the lei ers Following the ad-
vent OF The railroad and the establish
ment of posi- flee, Clio became an
important delivery point for the mails,
star routes being maintained between
this place and Chesaning, Tuseola, Vas
sar and Thetford, of which the three
first named had then no railroad facil
tiles whatever. Mr. Dobbs also relates
that during his boyhood days Indians
were frequently seen on the streets of
the village coming here from the Indian
settlement at Peanago, near Burt,
where large number OF them lived.
The first school in the village was
kept in the old ruined house which
stands short distance west of Hy-
mems blacksmith shop. The first
teacher was II. II. Mccullough. who
afterwards became druggist. DR.. Sal
isbury, physician, was one of the early
teachers and like his predecessor after
wards engaged in the drug business.
Mr.. Rose, Congregational minister,
also taught school in the old building for
time. This was before the organize
ton of the school district, the old
school being operated under what was
known as "rate bill, " each patron be-
ing required to pay a certain sum per
month for each child sent to school.
Ed. Smith, Mrs. j. G. Chambers, Chas.
and Alexis Dobbs and their sisters, and
Mrs. l.. 81. Davis were among the
scholars who attended this school.
Later, when district had been organ
lied, frame school building was con-
structed on the land occupied by the
residences of A. A. Williams and VIM.
G. Goodrich, and, indeed, these resid-
ences were remodeled from the school
building after the erection of the brick
school house The land on which this
frame school building was located was
presented to the district by harles
Cooley. Possibly the first teacher
to have charge in this building was a
Miss Laura Parmelee and other teach
ers were Mrs. Samuel Ash Louis
Compton, A. d. Metz, William w.
Blackney, Sr., and Mrs. Lizzie German.
The brick school house was built in 1883,
the first superintendent being Bert
Sutherland. Our fellow townsman,
George Lacure, was the third superin-
tendent to have charge in the brick
building. Among the pupils of these
later schools were many of the prcmin-
ent business men of the village to-day
and many others who have risen to
eminence in other localities. Our pres
ent school building, brought into being
through remodeling and adding to the
! former one, is one of the best in the
state located in any town of similar
size. Prof. w. ID. White is superin-
tendent.
Religious services in Clio were at
! first carried on by itenerant or local
preachers, services being beld with
more or less regularity at Pine Run and
West Vienna and at the Bingham school
/ house before any were held i'm Clio
| Among these ministers we're q Rev
Parker, who preached at Fayville, and
/ George Wing, father of David Wing.
who, although not regularly ordained
minister, held religious services in the
nearby school houses. Rev. j. ID. Hall.
| iday, who came at somewhat subse.
queut date, and who is still an honOred
| resident among US, covered the NJ b..
circuit comprising Pine Run and West
Vienna. The first church edifice erect
ed in Clio, erected in 1867, was the
| Congregational Church, now used as a
Grange Hall, and its first pastor was
Rev Edw Borden, father of Mrs. &.
| G.. Rice. This society transferred TO
Clio from Pine Run in the middle sixties
and was the first to hold regular SER
vices here, the meetings being held for
some time in the upper story of plan
ing mill. The Methodist Protestant
Society was organized in 1866, Rev.
Milo Smith being the first pastor. For
the first three years of its existence
the society held services in the frame
school house above mentioned, illumin-
alton for the evening services being
provided by tallow candles fixed in
their own grease on the tops of the
desks. In 1869, under the pastorate of
Rev. Jared Warner, the present church
edifce was built, although it has since
been enlarged and veneered with brick.
The present pastor is Rev. c. w.
Greene. The M. f. society was organ
lied in 1888, Rev. j. f. limerick being
! the first pastor. during whose term Of