factory in 1846 and followed manufacturing brooms till 1874. In 1875 he removed to Ada and opened a hotel. In 1880 he purchased the Heath House at Reed City, and has since run it. Mr. Smith was married Jan. 1, 1854, to Miss Catharine Clark, a daughter of Harvey Clark, born in Plattsburg, N. Y., Aug. 6, 1836. This union was blest with two children, viz.: William H., born Jan. 17, 1858, was married Feb. 5, 1880, to Georgia H. Densmore, and had one child, Angie G., born Nov. 29, 1880. Hattie, the youngest, was born May 26, 1867. Mr. Smith is owner of a valuable farm of 170 acres on sec. 35; of this 135 acres is under a state of cultivation, the fruits of Mr. Smith's untiring labors. Mr. Smith resided on his farm till May, 1875, when he purchased his hotel in Ada, and since has lived somewhat retired. Mr. Smith is the proprietor of a first-class hotel. IIe is a man of good social character and bears an honorable reputation. Mrs. Smith is a member of the Baptist Church, and is a lady of more than ordinary worth.

John O. Smith, M. D., one of the first physicians of Kent county, was born in New Milford, Conn., in 1807. His mother dying when he was but a small child, he went to live with his uncle, John Orton, who gave him his education in the high schools of New Milford. He afterward learned the cabinet trade, but his health failing, he returned to his uncle, who was a physician, and commenced the study of that profession. He then taught school in order to obtain means to buy medical books, and at the same time studying nights and leisure hours. After his school closed he returned to New Milford and attended lectures, etc., and subsequently attended the Hartford Medical College and graduated as Doctor of Medicine. In 1837 he came to Ada, Kent Co., Mich., and settled on a farm of 240 acres, on secs. 14 and 15. Here he practiced among the whites and Indians. His circuit included a large portion of Kent county. He followed the Indian trails and by-paths by night and by day, whenever called upon. He was truly the pioneer doctor of Kent county. Dr. Smith was married in 1851, to Miss Mary A. McHugh, who took up the study and practice of medicine, is still living, and is a successful practitioner. Aug. 25, 1879, Dr. Smith departed this life in the midst of usefulness, loved and respected by many.

Homer P. Watters was born in Otsego Co., N. Y., in October, 1814. His parents were natives of Connecticut and New York. At the age of 11 years he was thrown upon the world to carve out a place and fortune for himself. He found a home with a farmer, and remained until of age. He went to Lyons, Oakland Co., in 1837, and nine years later to Plainfield, this county, where he purchased a farm. He moved to Whitneyville in 1855 and kept a hotel two years, and built a hotel in Cascade, which he operated seven years; after which he engaged in farming, removing in 1866 to Keene, Ionia Co. In 1870 he purchased a hotel in Ada, which he managed until 1874, when he purchased 80 acres of land on sec. 24. He was married Oct. 11, 1837, to Laura, daughter of Stephen and

Anna Gardner, born in Bath, Steuben Co., N. Y., Nov. 21, 1819. Their 12 children are living, and are: Delia A. (wife of H. M. Clark), Francis A. (Mrs. L. Hooper), Olive L. (wife of D. C. Marsh), Charles M. (married Mary Langley), Marilla E. (Mrs. Albert Huston), Mary J. (wife of Edgar S. Morse), Chauncy E. (married Ellen Horn), Adella (wife of Dr. John Durmon), Devillo H., Hattie M. (Mrs. T. W. Preston), Delos C. and Dwight E. Mr. Watters is a

Democrat.

Anderson Wride was born in Yorkshire, England, Dec. 18, 1828. His parents, John and Mary Wride, were also English. His father was a teamster in the French Revolution, and witnessed the battle of Waterloo, when the army of Napoleon was ruined. Mr. Wride came to the United States in May, 1850, having attained the age of manhood on his native soil. He spent a year in the State of New York and came to Grand Rapids in 1852. He purchased his present farm of 60 acres, on secs. 29 and 32, which he cleared and improved from the stump. He was married Dec. 25, 1857, to Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Sarah King, born in Leicestershire, Eng., in 1838. They have four children, as follows: Ellen (Mrs. S. R. Peck), Esther E., Geo. A. and Irvin. Mr. Wride proved his loyalty to the land of his adoption by enlisting in defense of her flag in August, 1864. He was enrolled in Co. B, New 3d Reg., M. V. I., was subsequently transferred to Co. F, and was honorably discharged in June, 1866. Himself and wife are members of the Congregational Church.

ALGOMA TOWNSHIP.

This township was named in honor of a steamer of that name plying on the Grand river, between Grand Rapids and Grand Haven at the time the township was organized in 1849. It is bounded on the north by Solon, east by Courtland, south by Plainfield and on the west by Sparta. It was formerly attached to Plainfield, and was constituted a regular Congressional township by the Legislature in March, 1849.

The first white settler in Algoma was Merlin Hunter, who located in the spring of 1843, in the southeast corner of the town, on what is now a part of the village of Rockport. In a short time, the same summer, came Smith Lapham, the well-known pioneer, who still resides in Rockford. He settled on the present site of the village, and erected a mill-dam there that fall, and in the summer of 1844 built a saw-mill. This was the first dam and mill built on Rouge river. It would be in keeping here to remark that Mr. Lapham was also a pioneer of Washtenaw county, having purchased land there in the fall of 1825, and located on it the following spring.

The next family to locate in this township was that of John Long, who settled on sec. 27, in 1844. In 1845 Joshua Briggs and family settled on the Rouge river a little north of Rockford, and the same year Henry Helsel settled on sec. 21; also Benja min Pettingill and his son, B. N. Pettingill, came in 1845. Among the other early settlers were John Byers, John Jacobs, Jacob Ipe, John M. Smith, James Smith, James Barnes, Daniel Youngblood, James Mosher and Messrs. Emmons, Bowers and Christy, all within the first 10 years. Mr. Emmons was the first settler on the west line north of the Rouge river. Mr. Morningstar was the first to penetrate the forest and settle the northwestern part of the township. He was soon followed by John Dorne, and Daniel Youngblood. They were then three and a half miles from Mr. Helsel, who was their nearest neighbor.

The first election in Algoma was held April 2, 1842, in the Jacobs school-house. There were 84 votes cast, and the following officers elected: Supervisor, Smith Lapham; Clerk, William Thornton; Treasurer, Albert L. Pickett; Justices, Morgan Allen, John H. Jacobs and John Hamilton; Highway Commissioners, William Hunter, Joshua Briggs, Jacob Morningstar; School Inspectors, H. N. Stinson and Morgan Allen; Constables, James Fowler, Winslow Tower, William Davis and William Turner; Directors of the Poor, Merlin Hunter and William Turner. The various supervisors and their time of service are as follows; Smith Lapham, 1849-'55 and 1857-'58; James Mosher, 1853-'54, 1858-'59; Geo. H. White,

1865-'66; Morgan Allen, 1856-'57. 1861-'65; William Thornton, 1859-'61; Horatio N. Stinson, 1865-'77; Erwin C. Watkins, 1866-'67; Neal McMillan, 1877-'78; Oscar House, 1878-79; John T. Gould, 1878-'79, and J. Thayer Gould, 1879-'82. The present officers are, Supervisor, J. Thayer Gould; Town Clerk, Chas. F. Sears; Treasurer, Ralph Depew; Justices, Smith Lapham, D. W. C. Burch, Walter Chipman and Andrew Chalmers; School Superintendent, Miss Nellie Post; School Inspector, James Montgomery, jr.; Highway Commissioner, James M. Cramner; Constables, Lewis H. Wilkinson and Steven Davidson.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

When the township was first settled there were a few Indians in this locality, but the woodsman's ax and the progress of civilization drove them from their once favored hunting grounds. The northern part of Algoma is mostly pine land (or was), and is not all so fertile as the southern part, although there is some very excellent land in that part of the township. Through the central and southern portions the land was originally covered, for the most part, with oak openings interspersed with maple, beach and elm. There was also some pine on every section. The land along the Rouge river is very broken, and the soil is of clay and sand, intermixed with gravel. The pine lands are generally sandy, and well adapted to the raising of wheat and fruit. Large quan. tities of the latter are raised annually. There is scarcely any swamp land in the township. There is one swamp of about 40 acres on the farm of Mr. L. Hamblin, on section 18. This swamp, however, is put to good use, as Mr. Hamblin raises thereon a fine crop of cranberries each year. The soil is generally sandy, especially along the river, and where the pine abounded. At first, the land was bought in large tracts by speculators, who held it until the pine was culled, then sold it out in small tracts to actual settlers. At one time J. B. Chipman, of New York, owned nearly a thousand acres of land, chiefly timbered with pine, in the northeast part of the township. In 1854 his son, Walter Chipman, a lawyer by profession, came to look at the land, and, being pleased with backwoods life, concluded to remain, and is still here, on sec

tion 2.

Rouge river is the principal stream of Algoma. It enters the town on section 30, from Sparta; thence southeast for a short distance; thence northeast; thence east and southeast to the center of the southeast quarter of section 25; thence south and a little west to the southeast corner of the village of Rockford, where it enters Plainfield. It is a good-sized, swift stream, furnishing plenty of water-power for the manufactories and mills along its banks. This stream is used still, and has been used quite extensively for running pine logs to the various mills below, on this and Grand river. Cedar creek comes from Solon, enters the northeast corner of Algoma, flows southwest to the northeast corner of section 16,

where it unites with a branch called the Little Cedar, which also comes from the northeast, but further to the south. From here it flows south and enters the Rouge river on section 22. This stream furnishes good water-power, which is used in two places.

Spring creek, so named from the numerous springs which form it, and sometimes called Wicked creek, is about three miles long from head to mouth. It rises in the western part of Courtland, flows southwest, crossing section 13, and enters Rouge river on section 23. This stream, though but a mere spring brook, runs sufficiently swift to furnish power for 12 mills, eight of them formerly in Algoma, but only six at present. A fine spring brook also rises in the western part of Courtland, flows across section 25, and enters the Rouge river at that point. This stream is two and one-half miles in length, and is remarkable for its nearly uniform size throughout its length, and during the whole year.

In the northwest part of this township, on the lines of Sparta and Solon, are a number of small lakes, among which are the following: Camp lake, a long, narrow lake, nearly one mile in length, situated in the west part of Algoma, on sections 7 and 18; its outlet is a small stream which flows northwest and enters Rouge river, Long lake, nearly as large, but lies mostly on section 31, Solon township; Round lake, smaller, and lies on the line between Solon and Algoma, as also do Sand and Big lakes. On and near the line of Algoma and Sparta are the two Indian lakes and Squaw lake. The outlet of these latter lakes is a small stream, sometimes called Indian creek, which flows across section 1 of Sparta, and enters Rouge river from the northeast. These lakes abound in small fish, such as bass, perch, etc. Marl, or bog lime, has been found on the south side of Big lake on the south line of section 32, in Solon township, much of which has been burned and used for building purposes.

ROCKFORD.

Rockford is the largest village in Algoma, and is situated in the extreme southeastern part of the township. It is on Rouge river, five miles from its mouth, and 14 miles from Grand Rapids, on the Grand Rapids & Indiana R. R. The first settler here was Merlin Hunter, previously mentioned as the first settler of the township; and the next was Smith Lapham, who still resides in Rockford. A postoffice was established here in 1845, with Smith Lapham as postmaster, but the office and the village were then called Laphamville. Mr. Lapham had no mail bag, and he carried the mail in his pockets, once a week, from Plainfield. In 1848 White & Rathbun, of Grand Rapids, opened the first store in Laphamville. The village was first platted in 1856, and replatted in 1865 and the name changed to Rockford. It was regularly incorporated by an act of the Board of Supervisors in June, 1866. The first village officers were: President, Smith Lapham; Clerk,