Wells Family
Today’s find is a photocopy of a newspaper article preserved in the collection of Preston Wells, grandson of William W. Wells. The article originally appeared in the Homer Index of Homer, Michigan, and offers a fascinating glimpse into William’s early experiences in the Wolverine State.
FOR 66 LONG YEARS
HAS W. W. WELLS LIVED IN HOMER AND VICINITY
TELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCES
As a Boy in the Early Days of the Wolverine State“You may say to your readers, if you have a mind to, that I landed in this town 66 years ago to-day,” said Uncle W. W. Wells to the writer last Saturday, Sept. 19. Scenting an interesting story the old gentleman was encouraged to unburden himself, which he did in something like the following fashion. Asked how he liked the new country he said: “I was charmed with it. There was lots of wild game here then, wolves, deer, turkeys and some bears. My mother was a widow with six children, five of whom accompanied her on the long and hazardous trip—an older brother having come west the spring before.
“We started from Chittenango, N.Y., sixteen miles east of Syracuse, making the trip to Buffalo by packet on the Erie canal, thence by steamer across the lake to Toledo, from there via the old Erie and Kalamazoo R. R. now a part of the Lake Shore system, to Adrian, where my brother met us with a yoke of oxen which furnished the motive power for the remainder of the journey.
“We brought a wagon with us and my brother drove the oxen through from Homer. We loaded our goods in the wagon, and began the journey. My mother bought a cow and calf at Adrian, and it was my business to drive that cow and calf, keeping far enough in advance of the wagon to look up watering places, and shelter for the night. I remember one place where I stopped for water, and found the whole family down with the fever and ague, the scourge so prevalent in Michigan. They were glad enough to see a friendly face, although a strange one, and told me where to find a pail and the spring.
“We followed the old ‘Territorial Road’ that ran from Detroit to Chicago to a point known as Branch’s Corners a few miles east of Jonesville. The season had been hot and very dry, and the roads were good for wagons. We passed close to the shores of Devil’s Lake, and watered the oxen and cow there. I remember the name of a tavern there. The sign bore the words ‘A Little Inn.’ It was kept by Andrew Little, hence the significance of the name. A Little Inn. In those days every settler’s house kept travelers, and the latching string was always out.
“From Homer we went two miles west of Henley’s Corners where my mother’s brother had located a place for her. We had to build a house, but went right about it, and my brother moved into a comfortable log house of our own construction. That winter proved a very mild one, not over ten or twelve inches of snow, and that soft and quickly melting.
“We brought with us a barrel of salt, and a barrel of pork, so that we could have something to live on till we could raise something. We could have sold the salt for ten dollars after we got here, but would not let it go.
“The summer of ’38 was not much like Homer for clear days, but there were quite a few thunderstorms. Hench & Lewis was the first store in Homer. Cyrus Smith was also in business here.
The Farmers’ Bank of Homer came into existence about this time but it did not last long. The panic of 1837 swept it off its feet, and it never recovered. I well remember seeing the directors burning up the bills of the bank, which they did shortly after, in front of the bank building. They brought out great bundles of bills. It was clearly business then; I don’t know how many thousands of dollars worth, but probably enough at their par value to have bought up all of Calhoun county of that day, and when the pile was complete, touched a match to it, and all that wealth went up in smoke. The directors stood by and poked the fire with their canes to make sure that every bit of responsibility was consumed.
“The country around Homer was not heavily wooded, being what was known as ‘Oak Openings,’ but where we settled the timber was much more heavily timbered. A cyclone had passed over the country some time before our coming and the section was still known as ‘The Windfall.’ Our farm was in the edge of this ‘windfall.’ The first wheat we raised the second year we sold for forty cents a bushel.”
Wanting a map to help orient this story of my ancestor’s migration from New York to Michigan, I turned to ChatGPT and asked if there was a map showing the old Territorial Road that ran from Detroit to Chicago in the 1830s. The response pointed me toward several excellent resources:
- 1830s survey strip map (primary source): Plat of the United States Road from Detroit to Chicago — a multi-sheet survey with mileposts from Detroit. The Leventhal Map & Education Center provides high-resolution scans of each sheet.
- 1825 maps tied to the road’s creation: Michigan State University’s Michigan Road Maps exhibit includes the early strip map copied by John Farmer in 1825, based on the old Sauk Trail.
- Contextual territorial maps: David H. Burr’s Map of Michigan & Part of Wisconsin Territory (1839) shows the main overland route across southern Michigan. A digital copy is available through the David Rumsey Map Collection.
- Modern alignment: The Territorial Road later became much of today’s US-12/Michigan Avenue, now designated the US-12 Heritage Trail, with an interactive map and historic markers along the corridor.
When I asked specifically about the Homer and Calhoun County area, ChatGPT pointed me to Sheet 3 of the 1825 strip survey. This sheet covers the route from Jackson toward Kalamazoo and includes the Albion–Marshall–Battle Creek corridor, just north of Homer.
For context:
- The full four-sheet survey can be viewed at the Leventhal Map & Education Center.
- A composite viewer at MSU’s Footpaths to Freeways exhibit allows panning across the entire road.
- On the 1825 plat, the road runs across Calhoun County north of Homer, following the same path as present-day US-12/Michigan Avenue through Albion, Marshall, and Battle Creek. Key features to watch for are township lines, section numbers, the Kalamazoo River crossing, and the mileposts from Detroit.
Conclusion:
The reminiscences of William W. Wells, preserved in the Homer Index and passed down through his grandson Preston Wells, offer a vivid window into the challenges and opportunities of Michigan’s pioneer days. Pairing his story with the old Territorial Road maps helps us see the very route he traveled and the communities that grew up along it. For me, it is a reminder that family history isn’t only found in names and dates—it also lives in the landscapes our ancestors crossed and the stories they left behind.