Michigan, my Michigan

Sand Lake, July 2023

 People who know me, know that I talk about Michigan..alot. They know that I’m originally from Michigan and I spend every summer in my favorite place on earth, Sand Lake in Michigan. Last night, as I was preparing for an upcoming trip to the State Archives and Library of Michigan, I realized there might be another reason why Michigan is so important to me. I have deep, deep roots in Michigan and in this blog, I share what I mean.

Library of Michigan & State Archives

The Files

At the Library of Michigan, I learned about two collections that might be worthwhile for me to investigate: Centennial Family Certificate Application Files and the Michigan Sesquicentennial Pioneer Files and indexes. In 1976, in preparation for the centennial, the state of Michigan issued certificates to people who could prove their lineage back to “early” settlers in Michigan prior to 1876. These applications can be found in the Centennial Family application file. I will talk about the Michigan Sesquicentennial after a little history lesson.

Some Michigan History

You might think that 1876 is late for a state to consider family members to the area to be pioneers and you are correct when you consider the original 13 colonies and the Mayflower arriving in 1620! Also, considering Ohio was made a state in 1803 and federal land contracts began being sold in the 1780’s, one wonders what happened. 

Land Purchase Certificate by Rodman Stoddard, 1827

Well, in 1816, after the War of 1812, when Congress wanted to reward soldiers with land in the Old Northwest Territory (which included present day, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota), a surveyor by the name Edward Tiffin wrote a report as the US Surveyor General that basically called the whole of Michigan “swampland” and stalled the settling of Michigan. 

Several years later, a map maker, John Farmer and the opening of the Erie Canal changed the feelings about Michigan and emigration from the East to what is now Michigan really began. The “true” pioneers to Michigan are considered any people who came and settled prior to Michigan’s statehood in 1837. Hence, the establishment of Michigan Sesquicentennial Pioneer Family Files, which was similar to the Centennial, but the settlers needed to be in Michigan prior to 1837.

Map in 1841

(Farmer, J. & V. Balch And S. Stiles. (1826) Map of the surveyed part of the territory of Michigan on a scale of 8 miles to an inch. [Detroit: Publisher Not Identified] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2012593320/.)

My mother’s family

I thought it would be wise before I went to the Library to make a list of the surnames and people from my family who might show up in the Centennial or Sesquicentennial files. This was a long but fascinating process and it made me so very aware of my deep roots in Michigan. I probably intellectually knew this to be true, but seeing it on paper was striking.

Both of my mother’s parents were born in Michigan..in 1910 and 1914.

Mary Matteson Stoddard, came to
Michigan with parents in 1824

All four of my mother’s grandparents were born in Michigan, between 1872 and 1883.

All 8 of my mother’s great-grandparents lived in Michigan prior to 1876 and three were born in Michigan (1840, 1841, and 1852) and one was a baby in 1834 when his family arrived.

Of my mother’s 16 great-great-grandparents, 11 were in Michigan before 1876 and 8 of them had families in Michigan before 1837. Surnames of the earliest settlers to Wayne and Washtenaw counties were: Tubbs, Orcutt, Bailey, Stoddard, Bedell, and the earliest was Matteson sometime prior to 1824.

I’m thinking some of my love and connection with Michigan comes from the 5 generations of my mom’s ancestors who lived their lives in this wonderful lake (not swamp!) state. 

This is in stark contrast with my father’s family, where 3 of his 4 grandparents were born outside of the US!

My husband’s family

Abiel Fellows, came to
Michigan 1829

Jim and I met at Hope College, a wonderful school close to the shore of Lake Michigan in Holland, Michigan. (In fact, it was our first weekend of freshman year that we met and walked on the beach of Lake Michigan!). It would not be surprising if Jim and his family were also from Michigan and they are! I did the same exercise with Jim’s family and while they settled mostly in Lenawee and Kent counties, they were also pioneers in Michigan.

Both of Jim’s parents were born in Michigan.

Three of 4 of his grandparents were born in Michigan between 1898 and 1901 (the fourth was in Ohio!).

Of his 8 great-grandparents, 5 were born in Michigan in 1870 or 1871!

And 10 of his 16 great-great-grandparents were in Michigan prior to 1876.

Jim has 8 ancestors who were either born or lived in Michigan prior to 1837, with the surnames: Howell, Remington, Wheeler, Chambers and the earliest in 1829 Abiel Fellows.

No wonder why both Jim and I have such a deep love for our Michigan! A state where no matter where you are, you are not more than 85 miles from a Great Lake! There are over 11,000 inland lakes. And is No. 1 for having the most freshwater coastline of any state in the US and in the top 10 for coastline, period.