The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1921-03-31
Another Pioneer Tells of Many
Trials Encountered in Early
Days in BrOckway

Henry Johnston, a native of
Ireland, pioneer of St. Clair
county and one of our progressive
and successful farmers, is rich in
old-time lore, and his daughter,
Mrs. Neil Stirling, sends in the
following sketch of early settler
life:-
A young man of 20 years, Mr..
Johnston arrived in Port Huron,
then numbering town. with 16
saw mills, employing about 100
men each. He worked there near
ly two years for $3.50 per day,
paying half of that for board and
working from 5 a. m. to z p. M,
with 70 hour for each meal.
During this time he saved $500
and coming to Brockway township
he bought what is now the Jack
Cheeseman farm Of 80 acres,
which was all one vast forest. He
cleared enough on it to build log
house and barn, the logs being cut
and drawn by Tommy Boughner
and his oxen, While he was
building he boarded at Jesse
Coles, paying a shilling a meal.
Then he went back to Canada,
married Ellen Haddon, and a year
and a half later returned to the
log house with wife and baby and
just 500 in cash. The furniture of
the home consisted of cupboard,
table, 2 chairs and bed, and was
mostly made by Mr.. Johnston
himself.
The journey home was made as
far as Emmett on the Grand
Trunk R. R., the rest of the way
they came by stage. The roads
were in a terrible condition and
were flooded so badly in some
places they thought the stage
would tip over. There were sever
al men passengers and they wore
hip boots. They put Mrs. John
ston and the baby on top of the
stage, as the floor was flooded,
and the men stood on the steps to
keep it from going over. Part Of
this road was called the corduroy
as IL was MADE OF logs.
Farming was started by buying
pair of oxen from James Newell
for SO days work at $1.25 per day,
a cow from Alex Adams for 30
days work, and two bushels of
wheat from Thos. Carless for $5,
the wheat being narrowed in
around the stumps, and he raised
40 bushels of spring wheat that
year.
Bears and deer were still very
plentiful, and Mr. j. had the pleas
ure of shooting great many.
Only about 25 acres of land
was cleared at first, as he spent
most of his time in the lumber
woods near Elk corners (now
Peck) and while there sthis incl
dent happened at home. Mrs.
Johnston of course had to do the
chores while her husband was alb
sent, and one morning she was at
the barn milking when she heard
her 3-year-old girl screaming.
Rushing to the house she found
the year-old baby (Henry) in
flames. He was in his cradle near
the stove and a spark flew out and
caught in his clothing. She was
able to rescue him and the house
with little damage.
At this time most of the market
ing was done in Port Huron. and
the trip was a hardship as we'll as
an event. They would get up at
midnight, have lunch, and start
off with the wagon, loaded the day
before with butter packed in 25
and SO pound firkins (Which were
made by Mr.. Boadway), eggs and
other produce, selling for cash
which they couldn't get in Brock
way, because they must have
money for paying taxes, etc.
The second year they lived on
this place a terrible fire swept the
country, wiping some families
out entirely. One of their neigh
bors, Sandford Evans, thought
when he saw the fire, that the
world was coming to an end. He
was a 7th day Adventist, so he
ran away east to an Advent fam
lily, saying he wanted to go up
with the rest Of them. His own
family was left behind to be pro-
tected from the fire by neighbors.
Some of the neighbors were the
Middletons, Morgans, Adams, Bal
lentines, all who used to gather
together on Sundays and walk to
the John d. Jones corners, 5 miles
away, to church. Later they at
tended church in the Cole school,
then a log house and services
were conducted by Elder Lester
Clark.
Many were the good times this
bunch had, for all the many hard
ships. One was a dance held at
Alex Adams, Mr.. and Mrs. ]