Person:John Sanford (23)

"The second settler, and the first permanent resident, was John Sanford, who came from Wayne, Steuben Co., N.Y., in 1832, and remained two years in Salem Washtenaw Co., before coming to Cohoctah, in the summer of 1834. He commenced what was known as the Sanford settlement, on section 27, and which was for some time the centre of population of the town. Before leaving Salem he engaged a man named Ira Walker to come with him to assist in clearing and breaking up his farm, so that the party that started from Salem consisted of John Sanford and wife, their son James, their daughter Mrs. Antony Clark and her husband, and Ira Walker and his wife and two children. While on their journey Mrs. Sanford fell from the load of goods, and was so severely injured that when they arrived at William Bennett's, in Hamburg, she remained there with their daughter, who was Mr. Bennett's wife. The rest of the company continued their journey and arrived safely at their destination. They immediately set to work on a house, and soon had one ready for their accommodation. It was a fair-sized log house, and stood on the west side of the Indian trail, close to the south line of section 27. It was the first real dwelling erected in the town, and for a time furnished a home for this first colony of settlers, eight in number. Soon after their arrival Mr. Clark built a house on his land, on section 28, and with his wife went there to live. In the fall or winter following Mrs. Sanford recovered sufficiently to enable her to join the family in their new home. In 1835, Mr. Walker built a house about three-eighths of a mile west of the centre of section 27, just west of the small creek that runs southward across the quarter line of the section, and, after living there about a year, left for some other part of the country. John Sanford lived the life of a pioneer farmer until he saw the development of this part of Michigan well begun, and then, having reached a good old age, was gathered to his fathers, in November, 1845. He was an energetic and successful farmer, and brought his land to a good state of cultivation in the ten years of his life here. He accumulated a fine property, and added to his original purchase till he owned 1000 acres of land, besides what he distributed among his children. His wife survived him many years, and remained a widow to the time of her death. She lived to the age of ninety-two years, and died in April, 1877, at the house of her daughter, Mrs. William Bennett, in Hamburg. James Sanford remained here several years, and then went to California, where he was living when last heard from. Antony Clark died in this town in 1851, and his wife removed to Hamburg, where she is now living with her sister, Mrs. William Bennett." From 1880 Livington County history

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Houston and Sanford Information.FTW.

   Date of Import: Dec 2, 2000