Belleville
Wayne County, Michigan
When Belleville began it's existence, it was no more thean a tiny community within Van Buren Township, but with the Wabash RailRoad building its depot here, the community quickly grew, as well as obtaining its own Post Office and High School.
About 1826, Caleb Marsh a local land owner, built a dam to provide water power to his sawmill, located on the Huron River. He didn't know at the time, that building this dam, would lead to the creation of this area as the commercial center of the entire township. Marsh later sold his land and the mill to John Graham, who later sold it in 1841 to James Bell.
James Bell and his brother, William Bell were among the earliest residents in the area. William had operated the first post office that was established here in 1845. It is believed by some, that Belleville is named in honor of the Bell brothers. Other area historians believe it was named simply Belleville, in French, the translation meaning, "beautiful village." Neither theory for the township name as been proven or disproven.
By the 1840's there were several families that had established themselves in the area, and built their homes along the Huron River. There were 2 mills here; a flour mill and a saw mill, making possible the start of a trade center.
On June 27, 1848, a plat map was created by George D. Hill, of Van Buren, Daniel L. Quirk, of Washtenaw, and Robert P. Clark of Van Buren, which plotted the 86 city lots of Belleville. As indicated on this map, the name of the township is spelled BELLVILLE indicated that perhaps, the township was named in honor of the Bell brothers. By 1860, there were 35 businesses in operation here: 6 blacksmiths, 4 boot and shoe makers, 3 notary publics, 5 carpenters, 2 doctors, 2 brick/stone masons, 3 general stores, 1 post office, 2 wagon makers, 1 druggist, 1 flour mill, 1 gunsmith, 1 butcher, 1 cabinet maker, 1 saw mill, and 1 tailor.
1881 saw the coming of the Wabash Railroad, which at that time was named, Detroit, Butler, and St Louis Railroad. From this time on, all the smaller surrounding communities had sharp declines in their population, especially, Denton and Rawsonville. In 1905, the community of Belleville which had been a parcel of Van Buren Township, became incorporated as a seperate village.
On June 26, 1905 Belleville held its first local election, producing the following results:
William A. Atyeo, Village President ;
Howard I. Post, Trustee ;
James D. Coomer, Trustee ;
Charles M. Ford, Village Clerk ;
Oscar L. Austin, Sr, Treasurer ;
Lewis E. Ruthruff, Assessor ;
Charles D. Dickerson, Trustee ;
William A. Wallace, Trustee ;
James A. Cady, Trustee ;
Frank Miller, Trustee ;
Martin Stringer, Trustee ; and
Frank H. Clark, Trustee.
Later, Cady and Austin stepped down from serving, and were replaced by William A. Day, for Trustee and Malcolm P. Soop, as Treasurer.
The village later incorporated as a city on July 23, 1946 and continued to grow and prosper.
AMERMAN
Robert and Russell Amerman, were twin brothers who owned a farm on what is today Texile Road, home of the Ford Rawsonville Plant. This home as one time served as the rectory for Grace Episcopal Church, which stood on the corner of Main and Frist Streets in 1890. The the church disbanded it became the local parish for St Anthony's Catholic Church. A home nearby at 130 Main Street, then owned by Mr. and Mrs. Wortley, was purchased and remodeled to became the rectory for the parish priests. In 1954 a new Church was erected on Columbia Avenue and the older was tore down.
ATYEO
Reginald Atyeo and his wife, Edna, purchased a home located at 257 Church Street in 1915. The property had originally been granted to Caleb Marsh, by President John Adams.
Atyeo worked for many years for the water department in Belleville and served at Village Trustee in 1927 and 1928. His first wife, Edna was a teacher in the Belleville school system, and they had one daughter, Jean. After his wife died, Reginald remarried to Blanche (Turner) a family friend.
He was, at first a farmer, on his parents farm and raised fruits and vegetables, his favorite being raspberries, then later worked for the water department. The home he moved into was previously owned by Artemus Ward, who was the village cooper in 1881.
BEGOLE
The Begole family came to Michigan about 1840, bringing with them their family of 10 children. One of the children William Francis Begole, purchased a farm in Van Buren Township and raised his family here. His daughter, Fanny, never married but was a teacher for several years in the public school systme. She was also an accomplished seamstress.
Another of the Begole family, named Josiah W. Begole, served as the Governor of Michigan from 1883 - 1885. Josiah is possibly an uncle of Fanny Begole's, however the documention would have to be verified by perhaps a Begole family genealogist.
BUNTON
Another local family, by the name of Bunton resided in Belleville during it's early days, however, there is not alot of information recorded about this family. John Bunton and his wife had a daughter named, Belle, who was the local piano teacher. She married late in life to Alonzo Sprague, and they lived at 538 Liberty Street. Alonzo Sprague, was a violinist, and the two of them, established a small group called Sprauge Orchestra and played many of the local social events. Their home was later purchased by William Bradshaw, who's daughter, Josie married a local man by the name of Raymond.
CAMPBELL
Samuel Campbell, was one of three brothers born in Detroit, after his parents came to Michigan from Scotland. His two brothers were: Robert and Seth, who were both hard-working men. Seth worked for the Lee and Cady Company in Detroit , and died in the 1930's.
Samuel and Robert both came to Van Buren Township and operated a well-boring business with another local resident, Loren Dean in the 1890's. By 1901 they were running a grocery and drug store, they advertised weekly in the Belleville Enterprise.
Robert Campbell never married, and had no children. Sethmarried while living in Detroit, but his only child, a son, died at the age of 20. Samuel W. Campbell was born June 15, 1845 and married Mabel Clark, of Morenci, Michigan, in the early 1890's. They had 2 children, the first child died shortly after his birth, and the seocond, James Clark Campbell later became the local druggist. He married in 1920 to Catherine Almira Sherman and had one daughter, Janet Louise Campbell (Stabnau). James died January 19, 1927, survived by his wife and daughter.
CARPENTER-HOPE
John and Lucy Carpenter, one of Van Buren's pioneering family raised a family of four girls one their farm land on Martinsville Road. Their daughter, Angeline M. married to Richard Hope and moved into a home located at 187 Main Street in Belleville. Daughter, Matilda, married Jenx Pullen and moved into a home located on Martinsville Road. Mary Jane married Woodbury Clark, and lived in one of the Clark residences. Lucy married George Quirk. A descendant of the Hope family , named Margaret later wrote that the property located at 187 Main Street, was the site of the 1886 Soldiers and Sailors Encampment.
Margaret Hope was born April 9, 1876, the daughter of Richard and Angeline (Carpenter) Hope. Her father, Richard was born in Detroit in 1844 and came to Belleville with his parents, John and Joanne (Winkleman) Hope, sometime in the 1850's. John Hope served as Treasurer in 1859 and Justice of the Peace in 1868. By 1875 he had changed his occupation from blacksmith to cobbling boots and shoes.
Richard Hope built his home at 187 Main Street about 1880. He and his wife, Angeline had previously resided in a backhouse behind the home of William Warren. Richard worked as a drover, a livestock buyer, and was the proprietor of a meat market. He later owned a second farm on Sumpter Road and served as Belleville's Drain Commissioner in 1894/95.
Richard Hope died on November 19, 1901 at that age of 57, killed at the Wabash RailRoad crossing on Sumpter Road, as he traveled to his farm. He and his wife had, had 2 children, Louis, who later moved to Texas and married, where he had a son named, Stewart. When Louis passed away, his son, Stewart came back to Belleville and was raised by Margaret Hope.
Margaret, moved with her parents to their home at 374 Main Street when she was 4 years old. She worked in many local community occupations such as teacher and secretary for Henry Van Schoick Harness, Carriage, and Hardware business. She also worked at the Peoples Bank of Belleville. She also had a lifelong committment to the Belleville Grange, a local farmers group, where she worked as its secretary from 1906 to 1955. Margaret passed away in September of 1955.
CODY
James H. Cody, the son of Timothy M. and Clarissa (Kipp) Cody, became owner of a home at 167 Main Street. His parents had come to Belleville in 1857, and his father purchased a mill built on Huron River, that he operated for several years. In 1875, Cody formed a partnership with a man named Ainsley, and enlarged their business to include a lumber mill and a stave mill. Timothy Cody died in 1894 and his wife, Clarissa operated a general store in Belleville for several years until her death in 1923. They had a total of 4 children:
John, James, Frederick and Frank.
James H. Cody operated a bakery in Belleville in 1897 and a business directory of 1901 lists him as owner of a bakery and an insurance firm.
Frank Cody was born about 1880 and graduated from Belleville High School with the Class of 1896. He then became a teacher at the Willow Run School. He was later principal of the Delray School in Delray, Michigan and eventually became Superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools.
John Cody the third son, never married. He did spent his life in the Belleville area, and served for many years as Justice of the Peace as well as running a law firm. In 1905 he apparently took up petitions to the Michigan Legislature in Lansing, requesting the act of incorporated Belleville into a Village, which passed in August of 1905.
There is no information found regarding Frederick Cody, which would be a good area to start for searching of the Cody family.
COLE
Another set of brothers, who were early residents here were, Bert and Bernie Cole, who owned a home at 170 Second Street. Bernie was a well-known area carpenter who worked for many years with Ben Anderson. His wife, Imogene, worked in the Rice Brothers' Store in Belleville. Bernie and Imogene were active in the Odd Fellows and Rebecca Lodges.
The father of Bernie and Bert Cole was Salem W. Cole a Civil War Veteran. Cole was mustered into the Union Army in Cleveland, Ohio on August 13, 1862 as a private from Ashtabul County, Ohio. He was assigned to Battery C, 1st Regiment , Ohio Light Artillery. He later served in the Army's 14th Division, his unit named, the Cumberland Comrades. He participated in the battle of Berryville KY in 1862, Hoover's Gap, and Chicamauga GA in 1863. He also took part in the March to the Sea, the Surrender of Johnston in April 1865, the March to Washington, Delaware, and was promoted to Corporal. In May of 1865, he was promoted to Lieutenant and discharged June 15, 1865 in Washington, Delaware.
There is no information on Bert Cole.
EARLING
Samuel Earing, the son of George Earing, a farmer and stone mason was the original owner of a land grant on West Huron River Drive, in 1831. His son, Samuel, who also became a stone and brick mason built a brick residence here at 522 Liberty Street in 1860. Samuel also served as Post Master for Belleville and in 1890 operated a general store, with his own son, George. He was also Belleville Township Clerk in 1864 and Belleville Treasurer in 1890/91.
George Earing became a contractor and married Georgia Ellis, of New Boston, Michigan. Their son, Ellis Earing, moved to California and became a member of the Coast Guard.
EDWARDS
Reverend Timothy Edwards, served as Minister of the Methodist-Episcopal Church in 1892 and 1893. He also served as Clerk of Van Buren Township in 1898 - 1900. In 1901 he is listed in the business directory as an insurance and real estate agent.
Edwards moved to Washington, Michigan around 1902 and passed away in 1935, just before his 101st birthday.
An article written regarding his 100th Birthday Celebration in the Washington Michigan newspaper stated in part:
"Rev Timothy Edwards tramped a three-man circuit out of West Branch in the timber-jack days, and cheated death a dozen times between Cornwall and Australia..." "He married Dr. Anna Rankin , of Detroit nearly 50 years ago...." "June 18 to July 31, 1856 - he was becalmed in the Sargasso Sea in a sailing vessel, living for weeks on rations of sea biscuits and water in tiny amounts three times a day. And oh, how he liked it when the American Order of Sons of St George and the British American Social Club brought him greetings in person...."
Old church records from the Methodist Chruch show some other interesting facts regarding Rev Edwards. He preached his first sermon in 1856 and was preaching in Michigan, Iowa and Canada, before he entered the Michigan Conference on a trail basis in 1864 and in full connection in 1867. He was admitted to the bar in 1884, became a member of the Detroit conference in 1886, and at the age of 85 years, he was still attending Methodist conferences.
FEHLING - DRESSLE - HORNER
Farmsby Horner who moved to Belleville from Ypsilanti in 1855, built a large frame house at 393 Liberty Street. He sold this to Jacob Frederick Dressle, who had immigrated from Germany to American around 1860, with a friend, Henry Fehlig. Fehlig, married Catherine Lower, and eventually, Jacob, Henry, and George Lower, the brother of Catherine, established a shoe and boot shop on Main Street. Jacob later married to Eleanor Jane Spear. While living in their home on Liberty Street, Jacob also ran a cigar factory out of a two-story building on Main Street. His factory was located on the second floor and James Call served as Post Master for the post office on the main floor.
Henry and Catherine Fehlig had 8 children to their union: Catherine, Eva, Christine, Henry, George, Anna, Emma, and Fred. Catherine and Eva both died in infancy, Catherine in 1865 and Eva in 1871. They are buried in the Pleasantview Cemetery. Christine married into the Amrhein family and moved to nearby Plymouth. In 1896 she passed away after having given birth to her fifth child, Katherine.
Jacob and Eleanor Dressle, adopted Katherine , the granddaughter of his good friend, Henry Fehlig. The Dressles, had no children of their own.
Katherine taught school in the French Landing School from 1915 to 1920. The schoolhouse at that time educated students in 8 grades in one room. She later married to Joseph Spring who was the bookkeeper of the Detroit Reduction Company. He passed away in 1961 and Katherine later became a columnist for the Belleville Enterprise.
FORBES
An early resident of Belleville, John Forbes, came here from Huron Township, also served as a State Legislature Representative in 1840. He purchased large amounts of property along today's Liberty Street, and built 2 homes sometime between 1851 and 1854. Forbes married and had 3 children; Elias, Daniel and Ellen. Elias, was listed as a practicing physician as early as 1860 in the Old Belleville City Directory, and his brother, Daniel, is listed as the same by 1863.
When John Forbes built his two homes, each of his sons used the residences as office space for their medical practices. Their sister, Ellen also lived on Liberty Street, however on the opposite side of the street.
Elias Forbes married Samantha Frain, the daughter of Henry L. and Mary Ann (Punches) Frain, who had lived on nearby Tyler Street. The Frain family had a total of 9 children, 6 daughters who all married into other well-known area families. Mary Frain, married James Gillespie, Priscilla married Daniel Quirk, Louisa married Henry Smith, Maria married Marcus C. Robbe, Samantha who married Dr. Elias Forbes , and Sally married Daniel Smith. Later, Daniel Smith, who was a well-known cabinet maker and his wife, Sally lived on Liberty Street, nearby Samantha and Elias Forbes.
Dr Elias Forbes, and his wife, Samantha had one son, Charles, who later married Catherine Haak, the daughter of William Haak,the Village Clerk of Belleville. Charles Forbes, formed a partnership with James R. Cady, and they founded a hardware business, named, Cady and Forbes Hardware. (later Hamilton Hardware).
Dr. Daniel Forbes, married and had 3 children of his own, Frank, Sidney and Ella. Ella married Daniel Zimmerman and moved to Ann Arbor. Both Frank and Sidney, became doctors, like their father and their uncle Elias. Sidney, would later enter the field of real estate and become a successful businessman. He died November 13, 1901 at the age of 46, leaving a wife and step-daughter. Dr. Frank Forbes took up practice in the Daniel Forbes residence. He married Sarah Truesdall, and he died when his wife was only 37 years old.
Sarah remarried to Henry Potter, who had been a professional entertainer in California. He was a pianist and comedian. Sarah would later inherit the Frank Forbes's home on Liberty Street. Henry Potter, established an undertaking business, but this proved to be too disheartening to him, so he opened a grocery store on Main Street. The Potters adopted 2 children, Aldine (Potter) and a son, they named Henry Potter.
GUEST
Sarah Guest, who was born in 1851 and her brother, Charles, born in 1854 were early residents of a home located at 330 Main Street, known as the Guest House. Neither, Charles or Sarah every married, and shared this home together. Charles was a local custodian and handyman for the Methodist Church in Belleville. and the 1897 Belleville Business Directory lists Sarah, as a dressmaker.
The last occupants of the residence was The Belleville Enterprise, a local weekly newspaper. The newspaper was established in 1886 by Roscoe C. Begole and A.E. Smith. Smith later purchased all interest and became full owner. Smith had already made a success in 1892 with the publication of the Willis Times and the Romulus Roman. (The Times discontinued in April of 1925, and the Romulus Roman was merged with The Enterprise of Belleville.) The Enterprise was later owned by Frank Ames of Wayne, Michigan by April 22, 1925. Ames was joined by partner, Paul C. Robinson in 1927, forming the Ames-Robinson Publishing Company. In 1945 The Enterprise-Roman, as it was then called, was purchased by Ray Clift who went into partnership with Lewis Robson in 1950 and formed the Associated Newspapers, Inc.. The Belleville Times is the name currently used by this publication and marked its 111st year in 1997.
HAAK
William A. Haak, who was born in 1845, became an active businessman and political office holder. He served as Belleville's Clerk a total of 26 years from 1871 - 1885 and 1890 - 1897 and again in 1905 - 1907. He was an active member of the Masons and served as Post Master. He operated a barber shop and insurance buisness as well as serving as Notary Public.
William Haak and his wife, Barbara had 5 children: Charlotte, Emilie, Cora, Catherine and William. Charlotte married to a Mr. Cutler, Cora, married Elmer Smith, and Catherine married Charles Forbes, the son of Dr. Elias Forbes and Samantha (Frain) Forbes. William became the father of one daughter, Irene, who would eventually marry Daniel Ross, an attorney. Their son, Duane Ross later owned the old Dr Daniel Forbes home. He and his father, became partners in the law firm, Ross and Ross.
JACKSON - THOMPSON
There were 3 hotels on Main Street in Belleville during the last half of the nineteenth century. One of the hotels, named, Arlington House Hotel was still occupied in the late 1970's, but was then known as The Plant Zoo.
Alfred Jackson, was a proprietor of the Arlington House Hotel. He was born on October 26, 1854 in England and came to America with his parents in 1855. They settled first in the township known as Rawsonville. He remained on the family farm until he purchased his own farm land in the same township.
He married Hattie Thompson, of Ypsilanti and in 1886 moved to Belleville. He purchased the Arlington House Hotel in 1888, and was already owner of the Warner Mill in Van Buren Township, which he sold to Charles M. Ford, Sr. in 1888. He sold the hotel in 1897 to George Whitmire and in 1913 the Belleville Business Directory lists proprietor as Henry Mandt.
LeROY (LeRAY)
Joseph and Roxanna LeRoy (or LeRay) came to Van Buren Twwnship in 1873, with their son, Charles, who was born June 27, 1867. In 1875, the LeRoys moved to Belleville where Joseph opened a wagon shop. He later became partners with Charles Whipple and they established a wagon and blacksmith shop. Charles, became interested in photography and opened a photography business.
Charles was a Seventh Day Adventist and was a member of the Adventist Church located on Liberty Street.
MILLER
Pioneering family, Horace Miller and his wife, Clarissa (Rawson) Miller, came to Van Buren Township in 1835 from New York with their 6 children. Their second child, Abner Miller, was born February 1, 1823, and was raised on the family farm which was located just on the far side of Denton Road bridge. Abner became a farmer, as were his brothers. He married and had 4 children:
Frank, Jessie, Fred and Emma. Emma was born in 1848, and as a child fell from her bed, injurying her spine, for which she spent the rest of her life never able to stand straight.
Emma completed her education and began teaching. She directed school plays and musicals. Her service is estimated as beginning in the 1870's and continued until she retired about 1915. Emma never married and had no children, she enjoyed poetry writting and passed about in 1928.
RENTON - RICHARDSON
On Martinsville Road, in the former, Mud Street School District, stands the Mud Street School, which was built to accomodate the overflow of students at the Otisville School. It was located on the east side of Martinsville Road, across the street from the farm of James and Lucille Renton.
Following a consolidation in the area, the school district was removed to 110 Henry Street in Belleville about 1923. The original school building then became the home of Gertrude (Richardson) Mason, the daughter of Albert Richardson and wife of Robert Mason.
ROBB
Dr. Herbert F. Robb, was one of Belleville's most well known and long-time residents. He was the son of James Robb who had come to America in 1878 and to Belleville in 1897. James worked as a blacksmith at the Detroit Reduction Company in French Landing. Robb moved his family into a home located at 554 Liberty Street. In 1900 a fire struck the Robb home however, all the Robb family was able to escape.
Herbert Robb was born on February 21, 1891 in Detroit. He graduated from the Detroit College of Medicine in 1916 and entered the U.S. Army as a medical officer. Upon leaving the Army, he spent one year in Montana and in 1920 returned to Belleville, with his newlywed wife. They raised two sons.
Dr. Robb moved into a home at 355 Main Street and opened his medical practice in a building next to his home. He served as local physician as well as President of Belleville Rotary.
In 1940 he published a book titled, Failing Freedom based upon the troubles in Europe that eventually lead to World War II. He made 4 trips to Europe between the years of 1952 and 1962, studying the people and problems of the youth.
STEEVENS
James Ayrault Steevens, owned land and a farm from Columbia Avenue to High Street, and built a large home on the country road that crossed his farm, and was later named, Steevens Lane.
Steevens, came to Belleville with his parents who had immigrated from England porting in Salisbury, Connecticut in the early 1800s. James was born in 1822 and as a young man crossed the plains of the west in a wagon train during the California Gold Rush.
In the early 1860's he was a lumber manufacturer and cooper, and a barrel maker. He was the father of 4 children: Kate, Josephine, Marian and Orville.
Josephine married a Mr. Edwards, who operated the telephone switchboard when it came to town. Marian married twice in her life, first to George Armstrong, and after his death to Henry Murphy. Orville married to Grace Salaski. Kate married Frank Warner.
Frank's grandfather was the Honorable William E. Warner, an early settler in Van Buren Township. He also served as State Senator and Supervisor of Van Buren Township for 15 years.
Frank and Kate (Steevens) Warner had four children: Doreen, Lucille, Alden and Alice. When Doreene was about 9 years old, her mother passed away. All four children were passed to different relatives to raise them, Doreene had spent time with both sets of her grandparents. She married Orrin Post on April 6, 1916 and lived the rest of her life on Liberty Street in Belleville. She served over 25 years as a member and president of the Pleasantview (Soop) Cemetery Association, and was the organist for the Methodist Church from 1928 to 1955.
The home built by her father, James Steevens, was home for many years to Richard and Harriet Whichello and later to Peter Frisch, and is probably the oldest home in Belleville.
Another residence on Main Street, that was the home of Frank and Kate (Steevens) Warner, became the home of Frank's mother, Alice (Spear-Warner) Day, after the death of Kate and her son, Frank.
Alice divided the residence into two separate living areas, and she retained the use of the lower area, and let her surviving grandchildren live in the upper area.
In the 1930's the home became the residence of Delbert Garlick, a well known local barber.
SMITH - FRAIN - POST
The house at 96 East Columbia was built in 1887 for Louisa (Frain) Smith, who planned and designed the type of home she wanted. She was very proud of her home, and it was considered the showplace of Belleville. The Smith family whom Louisa (Frain) married into, in the year of 1856, had come to Michigan from New Jersey. Benjamin D. Smith was born November 17, 1799 near Hoboken, New Jersey, and was the fifth child of seven. His father was a farmer, and soon Benjamin was in charge of some slaves on the Ryerson Plantation.
A neighbor's family bore a daughter, Elizabeth Post on October 11, 1804, who Benjamin would later marry. They were married on Easter Sunday of 1822, and in April 1826 they moved to Parma, New York in Monroe County. They had, had 2 children in New Jersey, named, Daniel J. and Cornelius and while in New York, Eliza, John, Jacob and Henry P. were born. In 1833 they sold their stock and went to the Erie Canal, to Spencer's Basin, and shipped for Buffalo. There they took the steamer, Sheldon D. Thompson to Detroit. They first settled in Romulus, then followed some of the other Post family members to Van Buren Township, and in 1843 became land owners of the C.C. Potter farm. They lived here for 22 years and then moved to Belleville where Benjamin died Decemebr 8, 1881, and his wife, Betsey died October 13, 1889. They are buried in the Tyler Street Cemetery. Of the Smith-Post union there were 7 sons and 3 daughters , who raised 36 grandchildren and 58 great-grandchildren, and at last count (1977) 2 great-great grandchildren.
One of the 10 children, Henry Post Smith, who was born June 9, 1833 while still in Parma, New York, and was an infant when his parents came to Michigan. He attended the old Tyler Street School and attended a small wooden church on the same street. He married Louisa Frain on October 29, 1856.
Louisa Frain, was the daughter of Henry L. and Mary Ann (Punches) Frain. She was one of several daughters all of whom married into well-known area families. Daniel Smith , brother of Henry, married Sally Frain, the sister of Louisa Frain.
The first child of Louisa and Henry Smith was Flora who was born April 16, 1860. They moved to Michigan Avenue in Denton, where their second child, Nettie was born September 21, 1863. They then moved into a home on Quirk Road. After living here for a few years, they moved to Flat Rock in Huron Township.
On August 23, 1887, they purchased 9.52 acres of land from Henry's brother, Peter Smith. Where Louisa planned her dream home. By this time, their daughter, Flora had married James C. Pullen who had an active part in the construction of Louisa's home. Henry Post Smith would never see the completion of the home however, as he severely burned his lungs fighting a fire near the old house in Huron Township, and circumbed to pneumonia.
The house was completed about 1888, and Louisa, soon invited her daughter, Flora and her husband ,James Pullen to live with her. They raised two children, Frank born in 1883 and Ruth M. born November 21, 1902. Frank married Eva May Flikins on June 24, 1908 and Ruth married Wilbert T. Sherman on June 28, 1923. Ruth and her husband moved to the Village of Willis, Michigan soon after.
James Pullen died March 27, 1937 and his wife, Flora who took ill, and went to Willis to live with her daughter, Ruth, where she died September 18, 1938.
WHITTAKER
John Whittaker, who ran a general store and saloon on Main Street in Belleville was also the owner of a farm. He had lost an arm in a threshing machine accident, and insisted that his arm be buried in the field where his accident occurred. Later, he would insist that he too be buried with his lost arm. In 1883, when the property was to change hands, a clause was added describing a private burial ground for Whittaker. Robert Merrill who was later owner of the property, stated there was a tombstone which marked Whittacre's grave, however it is believed the stone eventually fell in the nearby lake. The grave site itself has been marked and falls at the side door of the residence that now stands on the property. It is the only known private grave site in the City of Belleville. There is currently a marker in the Hillside Cemetery stating only John Whittacre born 1821 and died 1903.
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