SAGINAW NEWS COURIER, Thursday, September 12, 1918, page 2
Name: CRANE, WILLIAM A.
Spouse's Name: SARAH ELIZABETH PURCHASE
Married: 00/00/1856
Age: 83
Birth Date: 05/08/1835
Birth Place: TITTABAWASSEE TWP., MI
Death Date: 09/12/1918
Death Place: SAGINAW, MI
Cemetery: OAKWOOD
Church: 1ST METHODIST
W.A. Crane, Native of County, Dies; 83
One of Earliest Settlers in This Part of State Succumbs Thursday.
Born in Tittabawassee
Developed Model Farm that Ranked as One of Best in Saginaw County.
William Alonzo Crane, born in Saginaw County 83 years ago, a resident of the county for nearly all of his life, and the pioneer owner of one of the finest farms in the county died at the family home, 403 North Harrison street, Thursday morning at 8 o'clock of general debility.
Mr. Crane was one of the earliest settlers in this locality and he took an active part in all of the long processes of development which transformed the county from a wilderness to a prosperous and fertile farming country. He was also a school teacher and for many years he taught school in the winter time and ran his farm in the summer.
Mr. Crane was born in Tittabawassee township Mary 8, 1835, and he spent most of his life there. Mostly through his own efforts he got a good education and he took up the teaching profession, following it for upwards of forty years in Bay, Ionia, Oakland and Saginaw counties.
He was married in 1856 to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Purchase, of Tittabawassee township, and after his marriage he lived for a short time in Ionia county, where he taught school.
Soon after his marriage, however, he cam back to Saginaw county and bought a farm, or rather a piece of wild land and set himself to the task of clearing it. He made of it a model farm which ranked as one of the county's best. He ran this farm until 1894 when he sold it and retired from active business, coming to Saginaw to live. He was a member of the First M.E. Church.
Mr. Crane leaves his wife and seven children, Mrs. Alice Arlington of Los Angeles, California, Mrs. Jeffords of Augusta, Georgia, William E. Crane and Riley L. Crane of Saginaw, H.A. Crane of Midland, Capt. B.F. A. Crane of Columbus, Ohio and Dr. M.A. Crane of Chicago. He also leaves 16 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The funeral will take place Saturday morning at 10 o'clock. Rev. W. G. Nixon will officiate and burial will be in Oakwood.
History of Saginaw County, Michigan, Volume II, by James Cooke Mills, 1918, page 257
His parents were the late William A. Crane and Sarah E. Purchase Crane, who were among the earliest settlers of this part of Michigan. The father was born in 1835 in a blockhouse of old Fort Saginaw, and passed his entire life--and a useful one--within a few miles of that historic spot. He died on September 12, 1918, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. An interesting account of the Crane family will be found in Vol. I, pp 165-7.
History of Saginaw County, Michigan, Volume I, by James Cooke Mills, 1918, page 165-7
William A. Crane Experienced Hardy Pioneer Life
The name of Crane is a well known and honored one in Saginaw County, for there is an ex-Probate Judge, a prominent lawyer and real estate man, two physicians and a prominent farmer, all the descendants of a pioneer boy whose father, Obadiah Crane, settled on the Tittabawassee River in 1831. The log cabin that first sheltered this early pioneer stood a little east of the Hackett Ravine, and it soon gave way to a substantial house of square-hewed logs, in which the first "town meeting" in Tittabawassee was held. This pioneer boy was William A. Crane, who was born in the "block-house" in 1835, and whose earliest recollections were of Indians, wild beasts, and all the wild surroundings of pioneer life. Directly across the river was the large Red Bird Reservation, so called after the chief, Red Bird; and here the family lived until 1843. In those times there were many feats and dances in the Chippewa villages, and thrilling experiences and occasional tragedies which made a lasting impression on the mind of the little boy. Deaths by violence were by no means rare, falling trees, gunshot wounds, drownings or other casualties making a long list of deaths in the aggregate.
"One of my earliest recollections," said Mr. Crane, "was the tragic death of a particular friend of my boyhood, Eli Benson, who was about my age. I was playing with him one afternoon, and on his return home to the west slide of the river, was called by his father to drive a cow away from the vicinity of the place where he was felling a tree. By some mischance, the little fellow got directly n the path of the falling tree, and was killed. This happening made a deep impression upon my mind, and one which will never be effaced.
"Among the Indians who frequently visited my father's house was Green Bird, who evinced a particular fondness for me, and made for me bows and arrows, and brought eagle's feathers to stick in my hair and paint to daub my face. One day Green Bird engaged in a friendly scuffle with another Indian back of our house, and close to the water's edge. He got his antagonist down and held him in such a manner that he drowned. From that time my Indian friend was an object of terror to me who had been his favorite. On another occasion, when an Indian pow-wow was being held, a savage who had secured some of the white man's rum became drunk and in some manner discharged a gun in the crowd, killing a squaw. The shooting was purely accidental, the gun being loaded for the purpose of firing a salute, and the woman was killed by the wad, which was heavy enough to do the mischief.
"It often became necessary for my father to be away from home for a day or two, and on such occasions, my mother would pile the firewood against the door at night to keep the Indians from entering, for like most of the settler's wives, she stood in fear of them. Still they were very friendly, and many were the choice pieces of game that came from their hands. Their clothing in winter was more or less of deer skins, and they wore moccasins and used paint freely on their faces. Their canoes were familiar sights at they passed up and down the river, bareheaded, save for an occasional feather. They managed their cockle-shell craft with the utmost grace and skill. At times their rich voices were heard in the wild songs of the forest, and perhaps the boom of the drum rolled out across the stream, and at night their cap fires twinkled through the gloom.
"One of the things the pioneer craved after providing a comfortable shelter for his family, was some means of educating his children. My father had built a log house for his sister across the ravine, and immediately on its banks, where for a time she and her husband lived. Later it was abandoned, and as thee were now several families with children, scattered up and down the river, some rude benches were constructed and placed in the log cabin, a teacher named Elmore was secured,and school began. Mr. Elmore did not teach very long and was succeeded by Miss Agnes Ure, who is held in loving memory by the few living who went to her school. The log cabin was soon after superseded by a more pretentious structure in a different locality.
"I recall an incident," added Mr. Crane, "which occurred while my aunt was living in the school-house cabin across from the ravine. One evening the family dog, a fine large animal, began making an outcry in the hollow, when my uncle hearing the noise, shouted, 'Shake him, Keep! Shake him!' From the sounds he knew it was a wolf that the dog was grappling, and believing that his dog was a master of any wolf, shouted to encourage him. But it was the wolf that was doing all the shaking, and when they came to the rescue poor Keep was dead. This ravine was a favorite runway for wild animals of all kinds, as it afforded them a covered passage to the water's edge and led far back into the timber."
Mr. Crane, who has passed his eightieth year, was married in 1857 to Miss Purchase, a native of New York State, who came to this valley with her father's family at an early day. In April, 1915, they celebrated the fifty-eighty anniversary of their marriage, rejoicing that their five sons and two daughters are living. William E. Crane and Riley L. Crane are prominent members of the Saginaw County Bar, Doctor B. F. A. Crane is widely known as a surgeon, Doctor Milo A. Crane is practicing in Chicago, while Ambrose Crane is a farmer and business man of Midland. There are sixteen grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Name: CRANE, WILLIAM A.
Spouse's Name: SARAH ELIZABETH PURCHASE
Married: 00/00/1856
Age: 83
Birth Date: 05/08/1835
Birth Place: TITTABAWASSEE TWP., MI
Death Date: 09/12/1918
Death Place: SAGINAW, MI
Cemetery: OAKWOOD
Church: 1ST METHODIST
W.A. Crane, Native of County, Dies; 83
One of Earliest Settlers in This Part of State Succumbs Thursday.
Born in Tittabawassee
Developed Model Farm that Ranked as One of Best in Saginaw County.
William Alonzo Crane, born in Saginaw County 83 years ago, a resident of the county for nearly all of his life, and the pioneer owner of one of the finest farms in the county died at the family home, 403 North Harrison street, Thursday morning at 8 o'clock of general debility.
Mr. Crane was one of the earliest settlers in this locality and he took an active part in all of the long processes of development which transformed the county from a wilderness to a prosperous and fertile farming country. He was also a school teacher and for many years he taught school in the winter time and ran his farm in the summer.
Mr. Crane was born in Tittabawassee township Mary 8, 1835, and he spent most of his life there. Mostly through his own efforts he got a good education and he took up the teaching profession, following it for upwards of forty years in Bay, Ionia, Oakland and Saginaw counties.
He was married in 1856 to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Purchase, of Tittabawassee township, and after his marriage he lived for a short time in Ionia county, where he taught school.
Soon after his marriage, however, he cam back to Saginaw county and bought a farm, or rather a piece of wild land and set himself to the task of clearing it. He made of it a model farm which ranked as one of the county's best. He ran this farm until 1894 when he sold it and retired from active business, coming to Saginaw to live. He was a member of the First M.E. Church.
Mr. Crane leaves his wife and seven children, Mrs. Alice Arlington of Los Angeles, California, Mrs. Jeffords of Augusta, Georgia, William E. Crane and Riley L. Crane of Saginaw, H.A. Crane of Midland, Capt. B.F. A. Crane of Columbus, Ohio and Dr. M.A. Crane of Chicago. He also leaves 16 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The funeral will take place Saturday morning at 10 o'clock. Rev. W. G. Nixon will officiate and burial will be in Oakwood.
History of Saginaw County, Michigan, Volume II, by James Cooke Mills, 1918, page 257
His parents were the late William A. Crane and Sarah E. Purchase Crane, who were among the earliest settlers of this part of Michigan. The father was born in 1835 in a blockhouse of old Fort Saginaw, and passed his entire life--and a useful one--within a few miles of that historic spot. He died on September 12, 1918, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. An interesting account of the Crane family will be found in Vol. I, pp 165-7.
History of Saginaw County, Michigan, Volume I, by James Cooke Mills, 1918, page 165-7
William A. Crane Experienced Hardy Pioneer Life
The name of Crane is a well known and honored one in Saginaw County, for there is an ex-Probate Judge, a prominent lawyer and real estate man, two physicians and a prominent farmer, all the descendants of a pioneer boy whose father, Obadiah Crane, settled on the Tittabawassee River in 1831. The log cabin that first sheltered this early pioneer stood a little east of the Hackett Ravine, and it soon gave way to a substantial house of square-hewed logs, in which the first "town meeting" in Tittabawassee was held. This pioneer boy was William A. Crane, who was born in the "block-house" in 1835, and whose earliest recollections were of Indians, wild beasts, and all the wild surroundings of pioneer life. Directly across the river was the large Red Bird Reservation, so called after the chief, Red Bird; and here the family lived until 1843. In those times there were many feats and dances in the Chippewa villages, and thrilling experiences and occasional tragedies which made a lasting impression on the mind of the little boy. Deaths by violence were by no means rare, falling trees, gunshot wounds, drownings or other casualties making a long list of deaths in the aggregate.
"One of my earliest recollections," said Mr. Crane, "was the tragic death of a particular friend of my boyhood, Eli Benson, who was about my age. I was playing with him one afternoon, and on his return home to the west slide of the river, was called by his father to drive a cow away from the vicinity of the place where he was felling a tree. By some mischance, the little fellow got directly n the path of the falling tree, and was killed. This happening made a deep impression upon my mind, and one which will never be effaced.
"Among the Indians who frequently visited my father's house was Green Bird, who evinced a particular fondness for me, and made for me bows and arrows, and brought eagle's feathers to stick in my hair and paint to daub my face. One day Green Bird engaged in a friendly scuffle with another Indian back of our house, and close to the water's edge. He got his antagonist down and held him in such a manner that he drowned. From that time my Indian friend was an object of terror to me who had been his favorite. On another occasion, when an Indian pow-wow was being held, a savage who had secured some of the white man's rum became drunk and in some manner discharged a gun in the crowd, killing a squaw. The shooting was purely accidental, the gun being loaded for the purpose of firing a salute, and the woman was killed by the wad, which was heavy enough to do the mischief.
"It often became necessary for my father to be away from home for a day or two, and on such occasions, my mother would pile the firewood against the door at night to keep the Indians from entering, for like most of the settler's wives, she stood in fear of them. Still they were very friendly, and many were the choice pieces of game that came from their hands. Their clothing in winter was more or less of deer skins, and they wore moccasins and used paint freely on their faces. Their canoes were familiar sights at they passed up and down the river, bareheaded, save for an occasional feather. They managed their cockle-shell craft with the utmost grace and skill. At times their rich voices were heard in the wild songs of the forest, and perhaps the boom of the drum rolled out across the stream, and at night their cap fires twinkled through the gloom.
"One of the things the pioneer craved after providing a comfortable shelter for his family, was some means of educating his children. My father had built a log house for his sister across the ravine, and immediately on its banks, where for a time she and her husband lived. Later it was abandoned, and as thee were now several families with children, scattered up and down the river, some rude benches were constructed and placed in the log cabin, a teacher named Elmore was secured,and school began. Mr. Elmore did not teach very long and was succeeded by Miss Agnes Ure, who is held in loving memory by the few living who went to her school. The log cabin was soon after superseded by a more pretentious structure in a different locality.
"I recall an incident," added Mr. Crane, "which occurred while my aunt was living in the school-house cabin across from the ravine. One evening the family dog, a fine large animal, began making an outcry in the hollow, when my uncle hearing the noise, shouted, 'Shake him, Keep! Shake him!' From the sounds he knew it was a wolf that the dog was grappling, and believing that his dog was a master of any wolf, shouted to encourage him. But it was the wolf that was doing all the shaking, and when they came to the rescue poor Keep was dead. This ravine was a favorite runway for wild animals of all kinds, as it afforded them a covered passage to the water's edge and led far back into the timber."
Mr. Crane, who has passed his eightieth year, was married in 1857 to Miss Purchase, a native of New York State, who came to this valley with her father's family at an early day. In April, 1915, they celebrated the fifty-eighty anniversary of their marriage, rejoicing that their five sons and two daughters are living. William E. Crane and Riley L. Crane are prominent members of the Saginaw County Bar, Doctor B. F. A. Crane is widely known as a surgeon, Doctor Milo A. Crane is practicing in Chicago, while Ambrose Crane is a farmer and business man of Midland. There are sixteen grandchildren and one great grandchild.
SAGINAW NEWS COURIER, Thursday, September 12, 1918, page 2
Name: CRANE, WILLIAM A.
Spouse's Name: SARAH ELIZABETH PURCHASE
Married: 00/00/1856
Age: 83
Birth Date: 05/08/1835
Birth Place: TITTABAWASSEE TWP., MI
Death Date: 09/12/1918
Death Place: SAGINAW, MI
Cemetery: OAKWOOD
Church: 1ST METHODIST
W.A. Crane, Native of County, Dies; 83
One of Earliest Settlers in This Part of State Succumbs Thursday.
Born in Tittabawassee
Developed Model Farm that Ranked as One of Best in Saginaw County.
William Alonzo Crane, born in Saginaw County 83 years ago, a resident of the county for nearly all of his life, and the pioneer owner of one of the finest farms in the county died at the family home, 403 North Harrison street, Thursday morning at 8 o'clock of general debility.
Mr. Crane was one of the earliest settlers in this locality and he took an active part in all of the long processes of development which transformed the county from a wilderness to a prosperous and fertile farming country. He was also a school teacher and for many years he taught school in the winter time and ran his farm in the summer.
Mr. Crane was born in Tittabawassee township Mary 8, 1835, and he spent most of his life there. Mostly through his own efforts he got a good education and he took up the teaching profession, following it for upwards of forty years in Bay, Ionia, Oakland and Saginaw counties.
He was married in 1856 to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Purchase, of Tittabawassee township, and after his marriage he lived for a short time in Ionia county, where he taught school.
Soon after his marriage, however, he cam back to Saginaw county and bought a farm, or rather a piece of wild land and set himself to the task of clearing it. He made of it a model farm which ranked as one of the county's best. He ran this farm until 1894 when he sold it and retired from active business, coming to Saginaw to live. He was a member of the First M.E. Church.
Mr. Crane leaves his wife and seven children, Mrs. Alice Arlington of Los Angeles, California, Mrs. Jeffords of Augusta, Georgia, William E. Crane and Riley L. Crane of Saginaw, H.A. Crane of Midland, Capt. B.F. A. Crane of Columbus, Ohio and Dr. M.A. Crane of Chicago. He also leaves 16 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The funeral will take place Saturday morning at 10 o'clock. Rev. W. G. Nixon will officiate and burial will be in Oakwood.
History of Saginaw County, Michigan, Volume II, by James Cooke Mills, 1918, page 257
His parents were the late William A. Crane and Sarah E. Purchase Crane, who were among the earliest settlers of this part of Michigan. The father was born in 1835 in a blockhouse of old Fort Saginaw, and passed his entire life--and a useful one--within a few miles of that historic spot. He died on September 12, 1918, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. An interesting account of the Crane family will be found in Vol. I, pp 165-7.
History of Saginaw County, Michigan, Volume I, by James Cooke Mills, 1918, page 165-7
William A. Crane Experienced Hardy Pioneer Life
The name of Crane is a well known and honored one in Saginaw County, for there is an ex-Probate Judge, a prominent lawyer and real estate man, two physicians and a prominent farmer, all the descendants of a pioneer boy whose father, Obadiah Crane, settled on the Tittabawassee River in 1831. The log cabin that first sheltered this early pioneer stood a little east of the Hackett Ravine, and it soon gave way to a substantial house of square-hewed logs, in which the first "town meeting" in Tittabawassee was held. This pioneer boy was William A. Crane, who was born in the "block-house" in 1835, and whose earliest recollections were of Indians, wild beasts, and all the wild surroundings of pioneer life. Directly across the river was the large Red Bird Reservation, so called after the chief, Red Bird; and here the family lived until 1843. In those times there were many feats and dances in the Chippewa villages, and thrilling experiences and occasional tragedies which made a lasting impression on the mind of the little boy. Deaths by violence were by no means rare, falling trees, gunshot wounds, drownings or other casualties making a long list of deaths in the aggregate.
"One of my earliest recollections," said Mr. Crane, "was the tragic death of a particular friend of my boyhood, Eli Benson, who was about my age. I was playing with him one afternoon, and on his return home to the west slide of the river, was called by his father to drive a cow away from the vicinity of the place where he was felling a tree. By some mischance, the little fellow got directly n the path of the falling tree, and was killed. This happening made a deep impression upon my mind, and one which will never be effaced.
"Among the Indians who frequently visited my father's house was Green Bird, who evinced a particular fondness for me, and made for me bows and arrows, and brought eagle's feathers to stick in my hair and paint to daub my face. One day Green Bird engaged in a friendly scuffle with another Indian back of our house, and close to the water's edge. He got his antagonist down and held him in such a manner that he drowned. From that time my Indian friend was an object of terror to me who had been his favorite. On another occasion, when an Indian pow-wow was being held, a savage who had secured some of the white man's rum became drunk and in some manner discharged a gun in the crowd, killing a squaw. The shooting was purely accidental, the gun being loaded for the purpose of firing a salute, and the woman was killed by the wad, which was heavy enough to do the mischief.
"It often became necessary for my father to be away from home for a day or two, and on such occasions, my mother would pile the firewood against the door at night to keep the Indians from entering, for like most of the settler's wives, she stood in fear of them. Still they were very friendly, and many were the choice pieces of game that came from their hands. Their clothing in winter was more or less of deer skins, and they wore moccasins and used paint freely on their faces. Their canoes were familiar sights at they passed up and down the river, bareheaded, save for an occasional feather. They managed their cockle-shell craft with the utmost grace and skill. At times their rich voices were heard in the wild songs of the forest, and perhaps the boom of the drum rolled out across the stream, and at night their cap fires twinkled through the gloom.
"One of the things the pioneer craved after providing a comfortable shelter for his family, was some means of educating his children. My father had built a log house for his sister across the ravine, and immediately on its banks, where for a time she and her husband lived. Later it was abandoned, and as thee were now several families with children, scattered up and down the river, some rude benches were constructed and placed in the log cabin, a teacher named Elmore was secured,and school began. Mr. Elmore did not teach very long and was succeeded by Miss Agnes Ure, who is held in loving memory by the few living who went to her school. The log cabin was soon after superseded by a more pretentious structure in a different locality.
"I recall an incident," added Mr. Crane, "which occurred while my aunt was living in the school-house cabin across from the ravine. One evening the family dog, a fine large animal, began making an outcry in the hollow, when my uncle hearing the noise, shouted, 'Shake him, Keep! Shake him!' From the sounds he knew it was a wolf that the dog was grappling, and believing that his dog was a master of any wolf, shouted to encourage him. But it was the wolf that was doing all the shaking, and when they came to the rescue poor Keep was dead. This ravine was a favorite runway for wild animals of all kinds, as it afforded them a covered passage to the water's edge and led far back into the timber."
Mr. Crane, who has passed his eightieth year, was married in 1857 to Miss Purchase, a native of New York State, who came to this valley with her father's family at an early day. In April, 1915, they celebrated the fifty-eighty anniversary of their marriage, rejoicing that their five sons and two daughters are living. William E. Crane and Riley L. Crane are prominent members of the Saginaw County Bar, Doctor B. F. A. Crane is widely known as a surgeon, Doctor Milo A. Crane is practicing in Chicago, while Ambrose Crane is a farmer and business man of Midland. There are sixteen grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Name: CRANE, WILLIAM A.
Spouse's Name: SARAH ELIZABETH PURCHASE
Married: 00/00/1856
Age: 83
Birth Date: 05/08/1835
Birth Place: TITTABAWASSEE TWP., MI
Death Date: 09/12/1918
Death Place: SAGINAW, MI
Cemetery: OAKWOOD
Church: 1ST METHODIST
W.A. Crane, Native of County, Dies; 83
One of Earliest Settlers in This Part of State Succumbs Thursday.
Born in Tittabawassee
Developed Model Farm that Ranked as One of Best in Saginaw County.
William Alonzo Crane, born in Saginaw County 83 years ago, a resident of the county for nearly all of his life, and the pioneer owner of one of the finest farms in the county died at the family home, 403 North Harrison street, Thursday morning at 8 o'clock of general debility.
Mr. Crane was one of the earliest settlers in this locality and he took an active part in all of the long processes of development which transformed the county from a wilderness to a prosperous and fertile farming country. He was also a school teacher and for many years he taught school in the winter time and ran his farm in the summer.
Mr. Crane was born in Tittabawassee township Mary 8, 1835, and he spent most of his life there. Mostly through his own efforts he got a good education and he took up the teaching profession, following it for upwards of forty years in Bay, Ionia, Oakland and Saginaw counties.
He was married in 1856 to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Purchase, of Tittabawassee township, and after his marriage he lived for a short time in Ionia county, where he taught school.
Soon after his marriage, however, he cam back to Saginaw county and bought a farm, or rather a piece of wild land and set himself to the task of clearing it. He made of it a model farm which ranked as one of the county's best. He ran this farm until 1894 when he sold it and retired from active business, coming to Saginaw to live. He was a member of the First M.E. Church.
Mr. Crane leaves his wife and seven children, Mrs. Alice Arlington of Los Angeles, California, Mrs. Jeffords of Augusta, Georgia, William E. Crane and Riley L. Crane of Saginaw, H.A. Crane of Midland, Capt. B.F. A. Crane of Columbus, Ohio and Dr. M.A. Crane of Chicago. He also leaves 16 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
The funeral will take place Saturday morning at 10 o'clock. Rev. W. G. Nixon will officiate and burial will be in Oakwood.
History of Saginaw County, Michigan, Volume II, by James Cooke Mills, 1918, page 257
His parents were the late William A. Crane and Sarah E. Purchase Crane, who were among the earliest settlers of this part of Michigan. The father was born in 1835 in a blockhouse of old Fort Saginaw, and passed his entire life--and a useful one--within a few miles of that historic spot. He died on September 12, 1918, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. An interesting account of the Crane family will be found in Vol. I, pp 165-7.
History of Saginaw County, Michigan, Volume I, by James Cooke Mills, 1918, page 165-7
William A. Crane Experienced Hardy Pioneer Life
The name of Crane is a well known and honored one in Saginaw County, for there is an ex-Probate Judge, a prominent lawyer and real estate man, two physicians and a prominent farmer, all the descendants of a pioneer boy whose father, Obadiah Crane, settled on the Tittabawassee River in 1831. The log cabin that first sheltered this early pioneer stood a little east of the Hackett Ravine, and it soon gave way to a substantial house of square-hewed logs, in which the first "town meeting" in Tittabawassee was held. This pioneer boy was William A. Crane, who was born in the "block-house" in 1835, and whose earliest recollections were of Indians, wild beasts, and all the wild surroundings of pioneer life. Directly across the river was the large Red Bird Reservation, so called after the chief, Red Bird; and here the family lived until 1843. In those times there were many feats and dances in the Chippewa villages, and thrilling experiences and occasional tragedies which made a lasting impression on the mind of the little boy. Deaths by violence were by no means rare, falling trees, gunshot wounds, drownings or other casualties making a long list of deaths in the aggregate.
"One of my earliest recollections," said Mr. Crane, "was the tragic death of a particular friend of my boyhood, Eli Benson, who was about my age. I was playing with him one afternoon, and on his return home to the west slide of the river, was called by his father to drive a cow away from the vicinity of the place where he was felling a tree. By some mischance, the little fellow got directly n the path of the falling tree, and was killed. This happening made a deep impression upon my mind, and one which will never be effaced.
"Among the Indians who frequently visited my father's house was Green Bird, who evinced a particular fondness for me, and made for me bows and arrows, and brought eagle's feathers to stick in my hair and paint to daub my face. One day Green Bird engaged in a friendly scuffle with another Indian back of our house, and close to the water's edge. He got his antagonist down and held him in such a manner that he drowned. From that time my Indian friend was an object of terror to me who had been his favorite. On another occasion, when an Indian pow-wow was being held, a savage who had secured some of the white man's rum became drunk and in some manner discharged a gun in the crowd, killing a squaw. The shooting was purely accidental, the gun being loaded for the purpose of firing a salute, and the woman was killed by the wad, which was heavy enough to do the mischief.
"It often became necessary for my father to be away from home for a day or two, and on such occasions, my mother would pile the firewood against the door at night to keep the Indians from entering, for like most of the settler's wives, she stood in fear of them. Still they were very friendly, and many were the choice pieces of game that came from their hands. Their clothing in winter was more or less of deer skins, and they wore moccasins and used paint freely on their faces. Their canoes were familiar sights at they passed up and down the river, bareheaded, save for an occasional feather. They managed their cockle-shell craft with the utmost grace and skill. At times their rich voices were heard in the wild songs of the forest, and perhaps the boom of the drum rolled out across the stream, and at night their cap fires twinkled through the gloom.
"One of the things the pioneer craved after providing a comfortable shelter for his family, was some means of educating his children. My father had built a log house for his sister across the ravine, and immediately on its banks, where for a time she and her husband lived. Later it was abandoned, and as thee were now several families with children, scattered up and down the river, some rude benches were constructed and placed in the log cabin, a teacher named Elmore was secured,and school began. Mr. Elmore did not teach very long and was succeeded by Miss Agnes Ure, who is held in loving memory by the few living who went to her school. The log cabin was soon after superseded by a more pretentious structure in a different locality.
"I recall an incident," added Mr. Crane, "which occurred while my aunt was living in the school-house cabin across from the ravine. One evening the family dog, a fine large animal, began making an outcry in the hollow, when my uncle hearing the noise, shouted, 'Shake him, Keep! Shake him!' From the sounds he knew it was a wolf that the dog was grappling, and believing that his dog was a master of any wolf, shouted to encourage him. But it was the wolf that was doing all the shaking, and when they came to the rescue poor Keep was dead. This ravine was a favorite runway for wild animals of all kinds, as it afforded them a covered passage to the water's edge and led far back into the timber."
Mr. Crane, who has passed his eightieth year, was married in 1857 to Miss Purchase, a native of New York State, who came to this valley with her father's family at an early day. In April, 1915, they celebrated the fifty-eighty anniversary of their marriage, rejoicing that their five sons and two daughters are living. William E. Crane and Riley L. Crane are prominent members of the Saginaw County Bar, Doctor B. F. A. Crane is widely known as a surgeon, Doctor Milo A. Crane is practicing in Chicago, while Ambrose Crane is a farmer and business man of Midland. There are sixteen grandchildren and one great grandchild.
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