Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2013, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== PIONEER HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY, MICHIGAN by Florence McKinnon Gwinn Huron County Pioneer & Historical Society, 1922 [page 88] CHAPTER III EARLY TOWNSHIP HISTORY WINSOR TOWNSHIP Winsor township was organized in 1880 from Fair Haven. It was named after RICHARD WINSOR, a well known pioneer of the county. The first election was held May 6 and JOHN T. LINSON chosen as the first supervisor. The soil in the township is a clay loam and highly productive. It is drained by the Pigeon River and Sheboyonk Creek. Among the pioneers of this section was G. U. BEAN, who came with his mother and five brothers to Winsor when but 11 years of age. This township was then but a wilderness of green, swampy land. After years of toil and hardship such as early settlers only know he suc- ceeded in making a comfortable home. JOHN LINSON first came to the Ora Labora colony in Caseville township, where he built a tannery and in three years had lost his entire property. He next se- cured a claim of 160 acres of land in section 15 Winsor township which he held for six years. During the time he had this land he built a small log shanty on it in the midst of the forest. Here one night a large bear tried to get into the building. Mr. LINSON had no gun with him and but a latch upon the door of the cabin. He barricaded the door as well as he could and all [page 89] PIONEER HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY that night with an axe in his hand kept watch through the small window upon his unwelcome visitor. The bear prowled round and round the building, snuffling and scratching every now and then upon the door. It was just breaking day when bruin ambled away into the surrounding woods. After that experience Mr. LINSON never spent another night there without a gun nearby. He sold his land in 1875, but previous to this purchased a farm on the banks of the Pigeon river. This place is about a half miles west of the town and is now owned by the Michigan Sugar Company. Other pioneer families in Winsor were the HYSERS, WARRENS, FROEBES, JACOBS, MOELLERS, KORNS, NITZ'S, MUENTENERS, HOFFMANS, DRAHERS, WASSERMANS, DEITZELS and ROEDELS. WILL KAIN was a step-son of Mr. JACOBS. The site of Pigeon was a swamp. It is said that 40 acres of land now in the cen- ter of the town, was traded for a gun. Berne was un- known. The first school was conducted in the German M. E. church on the banks of the Pigeon river. Here HERMAN ROEDEL swayed the rod for a while. Then came FANNIE SNELL of Bay Port, a niece of J. and T. SNELL'S, who taught one year. She was followed by FLORENCE M. MORSE (now Mrs. RICHARD GWINN) who had charge for two years. During the second year the district pur- chased the building from the M. E. society and a church was built at Berne Corners. Miss MORSE was the teacher once more in 1880-82. Among the pupils of that day were the HEINEMAN brothers, who later moved to Sagi- naw. Mrs. CONRAD, FRED and HENRY ZIMMER, Mrs. ANNA BAUR, CHAS. and LOUIS MAIR, HENRY MOELLER and JOHN DEIFENBACH, now of McKinley township. Five months was the entire length of the school year there. Books of all kinds were brought by the pupils and the parents could not understand why these were not all right. Among the interesting events of that time was the wed- ding of ALICE HYSER and WILLIAM BROWN on New Year's day, 1877. Miss MORSE and the FROEBE family attended this ceremony. It took place at the old HYSER farm, a few miles up the river from where Pigeon is now situ- [page 90] PIONEER HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY ated. The lumber road followed the bank of the river through the woods, if road it might be called. The whole party rode in a wagon with boards on instead of a box and once this vehicle got tangled up with the nu- merous logs that projected into the highway. Every one had to help get the logs out of the track. On arriving at the HYSER home, which was of course a log building with a wing built on, forming a L-shaped structure, they found that all of the other guests were there. For seats there were benches around the room and in the center a bench on which sat the bride, groom, bridesmaid and best man. Every one had a splendid chance to see the bride's dress which was made of a pretty blue ma- terial. At one end of the same room was the long table already spread for the dinner. O. P. Chapin was the officiating justice of the peace. He must have had the dinner in view for the marriage ceremony only lasted about one minute. There was but scant attention paid to the congratulations but rather the guests congratulat- ed themselves on the abundance of good things provided. Plenty of roast goose, honey, pies, cakes and other dain- ties. A dinner like this was a rare treat in those times and nearly every housewife within reach had assisted in its preparation. When it was over it was time to go home for people did not travel in autos in that day. While we have mentioned the families who settled near Pigeon there were several other settlers near the state road leading from Wild Fowl Bay to Kilmanagh - WILLIAM KAPPEN, the HEBERLYS, PINCOMBS, GRANTS, HAR- DERS, RATHERS, POBANZS and GRAVES families. Another well known pioneer WILLIAM HOLMES, came in 1868 from Lockport, N.Y. He made the journey by means of three teams and sleighs. They traversed lum- ber roads and finally the last part of the route was traced by means of blazed trees. Such men as these put their axes on their shoulders and marched into the virgin forests and built their homes and their independence [page 91] PIONEER HISTORY OF HURON COUNTY by their own sturdy hands. Mr. HOLMES owned 1,000 acres of timber land on which he lumbered for many years. He had a saw mill near the southern line of the township, built in 1881. ===========================================================================