This part of a history has some good features and creates some sad reflections; however, it seems to be necessary that those conning the book should have the privilege of knowing, as far as convenient, the term of life meted out to those who came to the county in an early day.

An examination of the record of deaths reveals to us that we are all born to die and raises an interesting question as to who has gone or who will go first. There were but few settlers in the fifties, as they did not commence until in the fall of 1854 to come at all and then only a very few families moved into woods until some one could come before and prepare an abode of some kind to shelter the family when they should arrive. And then there was this fact, that they were generally a sturdy, rugged class of people, for it meat-it hard work, and a good deal of it, to fit this county for the habitation of man.

The records are only available back to June, 1867, when it is recorded that Anna Shepherd died on the 18th thereof, she being an inhabitant of Coe township, and the next one recorded was that of Thomas E. Harbison, also of Coe, who died January 8, 1871. Rev. George Bradley, a missionary among the Indians, who came about 1857, was appointed as Indian agent and fell on the street of New York while there for the purpose of getting his instructions in regard to his official duties; his remains were brought back to Mt. Pleasant for burial, as his family were all here. His death occurred on the 15th day of April, 1871.

Nelson Mosher, one of the most prominent of the early settlers, coming to the county about 1857 and putting a small stock of goods at the center and staying there for a short time, then removing to the county seat, and who was elected as prosecuting attorney at the first county election and was afterward elected to several of the important offices of the county, was finally overtaken by the grim destroyer on April 28, 1872. John Irons (Indian), who with his family came to Isabella in 1856 and located just west of the Indian school lands, died on May 14, 1883. Jane Baw-go-zhick was another of the natives who came about the same time and located on her selection and who lived here until July 23, 1874, when she too went to the happy hunting ground at the good old age of one hundred and five. John and Mary Wab-way also located as Chippewas on the Isabella reservation and lived together as other Indians live until the good spirit called them and then Mary, being ninety, consented to go on the 10th day of June, 1876, and John, after grieving for'a time and finally realizing that he could no longer chase the deer, being ninety-five, concluded that he would follow his good wife and so laid by his cares in this world on the 24th day of December, 1876.

John M. Hursh was one of the very early pioneers-in fact, the very first to bring his family into this part of the county, having located on section --2, the land where the normal school is now located, in 1855, on February 5th. He remained here for a number of years, was postmaster of the New Albany post office, the first one in this part of the county, was justice of the peace and on the school board and in fact one of the first in these parts. He afterward moved to Loomis, this county, and there died on the .25th of November, 1877, at the age of sixty-four.

Chief Not-to-way, after whom the township of Nottaway was named, was another of the old timers who came with the tribe and who lived until August 11, 1881, when he too hung up his bow and arrows and submitted to the inevitable.

Everybody used to know in an early day old Father Sheldon, the Methodist Episcopal preacher. He was one of the best and most humanitarian gentlemen we ever met. He was good and only good. He came here in the fifties and remained in the field until November 9, 1882, when he too passed to the unknown realm from whence none return.

George W. Miller came to Salt River in the fifties and after a time he built a mill and later laid out the plat of Salt River. He was a progressive gentleman and after getting his mill pretty well along sold it to Messrs. Stahlman and Young and then continued on his farm until December 9, 1886, when he passed away, at the age of seventy.

William Adams, of Coe township, came in the fifties and located near Shepherd on a piece of land, the same being now the farm of his son, Oliver Adanis. He lived to the good old age of eighty and died on the 3d day of March, 1899.

John Hinman was another of the Indians who came up under the treaty of 1855, and located on the reservation. He used to be the boss poler of canoes on the raging Chippewa, and was the man who brought much of the freight from Saginaw and Midland to Isabella City and is said to be the party who brought the Babbett piano up the river on two canoes lashed together. He remained here most of the time and finally died September 30, 1901, at the advanced age of eighty.

William B. Bowen has the credit of driving the first horse team into the county about the first of November, 1854; he came as far as Salt river with two or three others. He settled upon his land 'which he had bought under the graduation act at fifty cents per acre and was coming to make a home. ' He continued to live in the county until his death, which occurred March 29, 1892 at the ripe old age of seventy-six.

John Q. A. Johnson was a settler in the township of Coe, coming here in June, 1855, and located on Section 22 of that township. He was an all round man and served in the county as preacher, justice of the peace, sheriff and judge of probate and finally died in the township of Union, where he had settled some years before on the 17th day of January, 1893, at the age of sixty-five.

Ransom Kyes came to Isabella county in April, 1855, and bought two hundred acres of land in Coe, where he resided until he died in 1893, on December 9th. He held the office of sheriff, being elected in 1866 and was re-elected in 1868, thus holding the office for four years.

George Atkins was of English descent and came to Isabella in April, 1855, locating on section 6 the township of Coe, where he made a farm and lived with his family for many years, but in his advanced age he came to Mt. Pleasant and there resided until the time of his death, which occurred June 14, 1905, at the advanced age of eighty-five.

William Atkins, the son of George, came to the county with his father and remained on the farm and as the father and mother advanced in age he conducted the work until they had acquired a competency. He married and brought up a family and was prospering up to the time of his death, which occurred on November 11, 1903, at the age of fifty-three years.

James Wilsey was one of the leading settlers. He came here in October, 1854, being one of the first on the ground in the county. He settled on a farm of one hundred sixty acres, which he took up under the graduation act. He was the first judge of probate after the county was organized and served two terms as supervisor of Coe township two terms and held other town offices. He cleared about forty acres of his land and died at the age of seventy-one, on the 5th day of May, 1882.

Rev. Charles Taylor came to Isabella in February, 1856, and settled on two hundred and forty acres of land he bought, built a log house which was occupied for several years by him and his family. He was a licensed Methodist Episcopal preacher and a very fine man. He lived to enjoy the fruits of his hard work and early deprivations. He it was who preached the first sermon ever preached in the county, and he it was who made a trough out of a black ash log, fixed an iron wedge into the end of a hand spike and pummeled his corn into meal, which, when mixed into hoe cakes and baked in the oven, were called black ash Johnny cakes. He lived to see better days and to a ripe old age and died on the 1st day of September, 1897, at the age of sixty-eight

Perry H. Estee came to Isabella and settled in 1855 on section 18 in Coe. He came on foot through the woods and landed on his land on the 4th of July, 1855, and chopped the first tree toward a clearing. Mr. Estee first built a bark shanty twelve feet square, chopped ten acres of timber and then put up a log house which served him and his family for a number of years. He was one of the foremost men of his town and held many of the offices of the township; was supervisor when they were obliged to go on foot through the woods to Midland to attend the meetings of the board of supervisors. He was a member of the constitutional. convention of 1867 and was elected as judge of probate in 186o and held other offices. He never mortgaged or in any way encumbered his lands and lived upon the farm up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 31st day of March, 1907, at the ripe old age of eighty-two.

L. D. Estee was a son of P. H. Estee and was about five years old when he moved with his father to Isabella county. He lived here ever afterward, at first with his father and then for himself. Later he was engaged in business at Shepherd, where he died on October 6, 1907, being then fifty-seven years old.

Richard Hoy was another of the away-back settlers, coming to Isabella in December, 1855 'and taking up one hundred twenty acres of land on section 16 in Coe township. He was born in Ireland and when but an infant came with his parents to America. He was a public-spirited man and was elected as the first county treasurer of Isabella county. He lived in the county until the time of his death, which occurred on the 17th day of May, 1909, at that time he had reached the advanced age of eighty-two years.

John Fraser was for many, many years a prominent personage in the county. He came here in 1856, having purchased three hundred twenty acres, of land in Chippewa township. He came by the way of Saginaw, there buying a team of horses and wagon to transport his family and goods to Isabella. He was obliged to hire three other teams to bring in the goods and was compelled to cut about fifty miles of original trail through the woods to get to his land. When he arrived in the township there were but five other families in the town, but as he had some means beside his land he soon cleared off sufficient so that he might commence to raise more than sufficient for his own use. He was thrifty and a worker. He built the first frame barn in the county, lived upon his farm for a long time and then moved to Mt. Pleasant, where he spent his declining years, dying on the 27th day of November, 1907, at the advanced age of eighty-eight.

Cornelius Bennett came to Isabella county in the year 1865, in the month of May, fresh from the University Law School, having graduated in the law department in March, with the degree of Doctor of Laws. On arriving in Mt. Pleasant he took up the practice of the law, but after a few years he seemed to gravitate toward politics and held several of the county offices, such as county clerk, register of deeds, justice of the peace and judge of probate. He was a genial, jovial, kind-hearted gentleman and enjoyed the friendship and esteem of a large circle of friends. He it was who built the Bennett House in 1882-3 and also was a dealer in lands, making a specialty of dealing with the Indians, with whom he was especially adapted. He was public spirited and philanthropic. He was in an early day connected with the bank of Hicks, Bennett & Company. He died May 2, 1896, at the age of fifty-six years.

Albert Fox came to the county just after the close of the Civil war, in which he was a soldier. He was a good scholar and soon became identified with the schools of the county and was elected to the office of county school superintendent in i866 and held the first teachers' institute of the county, which was held at Mt. Pleasant on December 7, 1867, at which they mustered a total of ten teachers. He also held the office of prosecuting attorney for the county and was the first worshipful master of Wabon Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons. He afterward became proprietor and editor of the Enterprise, a weekly newspaper then as now. Fox died at Mt. Pleasant in February, 1873, leaving a widow and one child.

Langdon Bentley came to the county in 1855, in the spring of that year, coming by the way of Alma north to the Payne settlement, the place 'where now is located the county poor farm, and from there cut his way north to the north side of the Chippewa river and located on section 3 of the township of Chippewa. He remained there for a time and then took up a homestead, where the DePew farm is now -located, and in the fall of 1864 he was elected county treasurer' In that capacity he served for two terms. at first keeping his office in the old wooden court house, and when not busy with the duties of the office (and at that time they were not very arduous) he was making boots and shoes, being a good shoemaker. Afterward he took to lumbering and looking pine lands, for which he was especially adapted. Having made something of a fortune at that, he sold out and moved with his family to Monmouth, Oregon, where he died about 1908.

Henry A. Dunton was one of the first men to start a store in Mt. Pleasant in 1864. He had a small stock of goods and only continued in the business for a short time and then sold to John Kinney. He then went out on his farm, where he died on January 22, 1882.

Charles H. Rodd was in an early day a United States government interpreter for the Indians. He was half French and half Indian and was the first sheriff elected in the county in 1860, at the organization of the county. He was interpreter for the treaty of 1864 and was one of the persons selected by the white men to obtain a large tract of the Indian reservation at the close of that treaty, which signally failed. He continued to live on the reservation until his death, which occurred on November 3, 1867.

William H. Nelson was one of the very first of the white men that came to Isabella City, where he and his family located about 1856 or '7. He built and conducted a hotel for many years at that place and also held the office of county clerk for a time and was elected as judge of probate and held that office for a time. He it was that cleared off the grounds where the first court house was built. He was a most affable, kind-hearted and social person and when he died, on October 31, 1870, he left a host of friends behind to regret if not mourn his passing away.

Douglas H. Nelson was a son of William H. Nelson and came with his father to Isabella as a young man. After a time he went into partnership with F. C. Babbitt, then located at Isabella, and some time afterward was married to Nellie, the daughter of his partner. They resided here for some years, when Mrs. D. H. Nelson died on August 14, 1891, and afterward Nelson was married to the present Mrs. Nelson and they lived in Mt. Pleasant until on June 11, 1910, when Mr. Nelson died.

Francis C. Babbitt was one of the noted persons of the early settlement of Isabella. He came from Cleveland, Ohio, about 1857, and located at Isabella City in the mercantile business with one John Eastman. They continued for a time, when Eastman went out of the firm and Babbitt conducted it alone for a time and then D. H. Nelson became a partner. They continued for some time at the Mills and then moved to Mt. Pleasant, where he continued in his business up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1875 or '6. Mrs. Babbitt continued to live here for a time and then went to Cleveland. Mrs. Babbitt was very much thought of by the Indians and they used to call her Wa-sash-com-nio-qtiay, "the woman who brings light."

Wesley J. Corbus settled in Isabella with his family in 1863 and for a time lived on his farm in Lincoln township. He then came to Mt. Pleasant and remained for a time. He was one of the very first doctors to settle in the county. He was a genial gentleman and enjoyed the respect of all. He was here during one of the smallpox outbreaks and attended to a patient in Lincoln until he was taken down with the disease 'when he called in Dr. Delos Braman and he attended the patient until he died, when the doctor was attacked with the disease in a light form. Doctor Corbus remained here for a number of years and then moved to the West. He died December 19, 1893, at the age of seventy-five. His wife, Christina, followed him on February 9, 1906, at the age of eighty.

William W. Struble came to Isabella county in October, 1864, and settled upon a quarter section of 1and in Chippewa and lived there for some time, clearing his land from the lumber and putting it in state of cultivation. In 1870 he was elected to the office of judge of probate. He died July 30, 1908, at the age of eighty-four years. In the year 1861 Albert A. Preston and his brother-in-law, Samuel Woodworth, came from Western New York to Isabella county to locate lands for themselves. They secured one hundred sixty acres apiece and then waited for the United States government to pass the homestead law that they might homestead the same, which they did in 1862. They continued to improve on their land, which was located in Lincoln township, until they finally secured their patents. In the winter or spring of 1864 William and Mary Preston and family moved here and settled in Mt. Pleasant. They lived here until November 10, 1881, when William Preston died. He was followed by Albert Preston, who died on July 9, 1885, aged fifty-seven. His mother, Mary Preston, survived him some three years and she died on the forth day of February, 1888. Samuel Woodworth, who married Ellen L. Preston, died March 14, 1899. Mrs. Althea M. Fancher, another daughter of William and Mary Preston, died September 13, 1900, while Celie E. and Emma A. Preston, her sisters, had preceded her some years before to the unknown.

Martha, wife of Albert A. Preston and the mother of Wilber E. Preston, of Mt. Pleasant, died on the 5th day of February, 1900.

Free Estee, who was a son of Perry H. Estee, one of the earliest settlers was born in Michigan, was educated, became a lawyer, justice of the peace and member of the Legislature, and died October 27, 1897.

George Mosher, a son of Nelson Mosher, was born in this state and came to Mt. Pleasant with his father. He was a bright and energetic young man, but met with a sad accident at Coldwater lake and was drowned On the 23d day of March, 1878.

Elijah D. Wheaton was an early settler in the north part of the county, where he settled on a farm and cleared and tilled the soil for a time, then went to Clare, where he became a lawyer and judge of probate and afterward removed to Mt. Pleasant, where he held several offices of trust and was considered an exemplary gentleman. He died on the 4th day of July, 1901, at the age of sixty-four.

On the 7th day of November, 1854, Joseph Roberts and family and Patrick Fanning and family moved into the county and made settlement on lands in the township of Coe, Roberts settling on section 9 and Fanning on section 11, and there they hewed out homes for themselves and their families. There they worked, chopping and clearing away the brush and timber and rolling up logs for a house and what other buildings they were able to build and needed. It was a lonely business for a time, but there seems to be a charm about a new home in the forest that you find nowhere else and it seems as if it must be that they were closer to nature there than in a crowded city or a cleared-up country. There they lived and delved until they made a home and reared a family, some of whom are still here to represent the kind of settlers they were and have already proven the stability and worthiness of their ancestors. Mr. Roberts died in February, 186o, and Mr. Fanning remained until January 18, 1891, when he too went to his reward, both of them leaving a worthy posterity to mourn their departure.
 

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