In Search of the Naming of Rose Township

Naming Patterns

The naming of places often follows common patterns. By far the most common way to name places is after notable or prominent people or families. This was true for the naming of most of the roads and lakes in Rose Township. Another regularly used naming pattern is naming after natural features, landscapes, or other distinctive geographic features such as hills, valleys, bodies of water, or significant vegetation. For example, “Detroit” is a French word for “strait” referring to the Detroit River (a strait) which links Lake Huron and Lake Erie. The name “Highland '' of Highland Township, Michigan was chosen in view of the fact that Highland contains some of the highest land in the then-settled part of Michigan. Likely the name Oakland County (“land of oak”) was named after the oak trees which were noted by early surveyors and seen by early settlers. Sometimes places are named as a remembrance of “home”. Many early settlers who came to Michigan were from upper New York State and they brought with them “names from home” such as Rochester, Troy, Utica, Lansing, and Genesee to name a few.

Naming can also come from a combination of these patterns. Holly Township and the Village of Holly were named by Jonathan T. Allen whose “home” had been Mount Holly, New Jersey which was named for the hills covered by holly trees. It is thought the red berries of the Michigan holly may have reminded him of the holly trees from “home”.

Occasionally naming has a less common origin. For example, Henry Schoolcraft combined words and sounds from Native American languages with Latin and Arabic creating “faux” Native American sounding names for places in Michigan such as Alpena, Iosco, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Lenawee, Oscoda, and Tuscola.

Naming Patterns in Rose Township

Naming patterns in Rose Township as well as the search for the naming of the township of “Rose” will be explored in this essay. The naming of roads and lakes in Rose Township followed the typical and most common naming pattern as most are named after the families that once lived along them. A couple of lakes and roads were named after their section location.

Township Road Names

A number of the road names in Rose Township such as Demode, Pepper, Parker, Rosell, Poole, Munger, Eagle, Cole, Perry, Hensel, Sackner, Baker, and Bone are last names of families who once lived on those roads. Joel Road is named after Joel McWithey who lived on this road. In this case, his first rather than last name was used.

Interestingly, many of the roads in the township were not named after the first earliest settlers, but were named by those who came later to the township or after the next generation of early settlers. Perhaps this is due to road names not being needed until there were more roads built in the township after the population grew. Lost to history is exactly how it was decided which family would get the honor of having their name used to name a road.

Road names such as Milford, Holly, Davisburg, and Fenton appear to be descriptively named as to the places to which they originate, lead, and/or pass through.

Why is Pepper Road named Pepper and not Hicks Road?

Township Lake Names

Many of the lakes in the township such as Baker, Elliot, Esler, Kenyon, Richardson, Chase, and Taylor Lakes are named after families who once lived on their shores. Big School Lot Lake and Little School Lot Lake were named due to their location of being in Section 16 of the township. Section 16 was initially reserved in all townships for public schools. Tipsico Lake, formally named Long Lake (likely named after its length), was renamed Tipsico Lake after a well known Native American Chief Jacob Tipsico. Information regarding how Fish and Perch Lakes were named was not found, but there were Fish and Perch family members living in nearby areas outside of Rose Township. The grandmother of David Gage, the first tavern owner in the township, was a Fish. On the other hand, perhaps they were simply named because of an abundance of fish in one lake and a healthy population of perch in the other.

How did Rose Township get its Name?

Rose Township officially received its name on March 11, 1837 when an act of legislation creating Rose Township was approved. The act reads:

Copies of portions of the original hand-written legislative act from the Michigan Archives in Lansing, Michigan are copied below. Rose Township was the tenth of 66 acts creating and naming townships on March 11, 1837.

In addition to Rose, the other Oakland County townships created and named on that same day were Oxford, Addison, Brandon, and Painsville (which later ended up being changed to Springfield).

Was Rose Township Named after a Rose Flower?

A township naming story tells of Rose Township being named after a rose flower. This story has been passed along through the years and is perpetuated today. A sketch of a rose flower has been used as the logo on the Rose Township’s website as well as on its stationery. A sketch of a rose was used on the cover of the Rose Township 1837-1987 history book. These logos indicate identification with a rose flower within the township at least in more recent times after the use of logos began being used.

Early historical documents were examined for clues as to the origin of the “Rose” Township name. After Native Americans, surveyors were some of the earliest people traversing the township. As they surveyed the township, they made notes of dominant species, land features, bodies of waters, and trails they encountered along the way. Early surveyor of Oakland County and Rose Township, Joseph Wampler, found and made note of swampy wetland areas, as well as forested land, fields and grassy prairies. His notes described the township as “rolling, hilly land with white and black oak”. He also made note of hickory, maple, and tamarack trees. Wampler’s (and other surveyors’) notes did not mention roses or other shrubs or herbaceous species.

The official act of legislation on March 11, 1837 which created and named the township did not say anything about how the name Rose was selected or by whom. What is known from this act is that the name Rose was selected early in the township’s history. One of the early county history books, The History of Oakland County, 1877, describes the township in this way: “The surface is much diversified; portions of the township are rough and broken by considerable hills, while others are level or slightly rolling. The soil is generally a sandy loam, although in places heavy clay is found” (pg. 261). This description does not include any mention of roses. In a later history book, The 1912 Oakland County History, the description of Rose Townships reads: “Portions of the township were rough and broken by hills while others were level and slightly rolling covered with a scattered growth of oak interspersed with roses” (pg. 476). The reference to roses in the 1912 history book is the first reference to roses in any of the early historical documents found. It appears the 1912 Oakland County History book took portions of the wording from the The History of Oakland County 1877 book and embellished it a bit. This reference to a rose may be the impetus for the origin of the story that the township was named after a rose flower, though seventy-five years after the township was named. It is not known exactly when the rose logo for the township began to be used, but the use of logos evolved alongside mass printing and their use became more popular and more widely used in the early 1900s - around the same time the rose flower naming story may have begun.

Which Rose Flower would Rose Township have been named after?

If Rose Township was named after a rose flower, it likely would have been named after the Pasture rose (Rosa carolina, sometimes also called Carolina Rose or Prairie Rose). The Pasture rose is native to states in eastern and central North America and is common throughout its range. It is found in a variety of open habitats with dry soils at the edge of prairies, woodlands, and oak savannas, in fencerows and in upland forests (though it can also grow in moist soils along stream beds and swamps). The Pasture rose is a small somewhat prickly 1-3’ shrub with 5-petaled wide pink flowers. It would have been commonly found in the areas where most of the early settlers were from and would not have been seen as “special” when the early settlers arrived and encountered the rose in the township.

The Pasture rose should not be confused with the invasive Multiflora rose which is also now found in the township. This invasive plant is a native to China, Japan, and Korea. It was introduced in 1866 as an ornamental horticulture industry. It has 5-11 petals with white flowers and can grow over 10 feet tall.

The probability that Rose Township was named after the Pasture rose is low for the following reasons:

• Naming a place after a plant is not unusual, but it is not the most frequently used naming pattern

• When naming something after a plant there usually is some significance or story attached to it

• The first and only reference to a rose flower found in historical documents was a brief mention in the 1912 Oakland County history book and no story was associated with this single reference

• The Pasture rose is native to states in eastern and central North America and is common throughout its range. It would have been commonly found in the areas where most of the early settlers were from and would not have been seen as “special” when the early settlers arrived in the township

• The Pasture rose blooms in June, July, and August and does not have ongoing or significant presence without the flower

• The legislation creating and naming Rose Township occurred in March making it less likely someone was thinking about blooming roses at that time

• The settlers quickly turned their land into agriculture and pasture for animals making the Pasture rose less frequently seen

• Association with a rose flower (as in the use of rose logos) is natural given the name and not indicative of the origin of the name

• Other “Rose” names in Michigan are named after people with the name of Rose. Naming after a person or family is the most commonly used naming pattern

Naming After Plants

Was Rose Township Named after a Person or Family with the name of Rose?

Naming places after a prominent person or family is one of the most commonly used naming patterns. This is how Rose City in the “other” Rose Township, in Ogemaw County, Michigan was named. Rose City is located on M-33 in northern Ogemaw County. The village and township were named to honor an early prominent Rose family who came to the area in 1871. William Rose (1816-1881) and his son Allan S. Rose (1842-1915) were attracted to the area by the availability of trees for lumbering. They built a sawmill and then persuaded the railroad to come through to serve the lumbering operations in this area. Rose City was originally named Churchill, but the name was changed to Rose City in honor of this family after the railroad went through sometime between 1892-1905.

Allan S. Rose (1842-1915) was a farmer, lumberer, and ran the general store. He served as postmaster, justice of the peace, supervisor, register of deeds, county treasurer and was first mayor of Rose City and he served on a number of committees. Prior to coming to Rose Township in Ogemaw County he served as a private and non-commissioned officer in the 128th and 56th New York Infantry and as a lieutenant of 103rd U.S.C. troops.

The Rose Township in Ogemaw County website uses a rose flower as a logo. This indicates an identification to a rose flower even though it is known the “Rose” name in this case comes from a family name.

Another “Rose” related name in Michigan is a village named Rosebush located along 127 just north of Mt. Pleasant in Isabella County, Michigan. On the surface, the naming of Rosebush appears to be a straightforward case of a place being named after a person, but sometimes naming stories take a circuitous route.

Around the time the railroad was being built from Saginaw to Clare and a state road was being built from Mt. Pleasant to Clare, two men, James L. Bush (abt.1831-1905) and Elias B. Calkins (1819-1898), likely with great hope and anticipation, were platting out land in the village that would eventually be known as Rosebush. After a stage route had been established in this area, James L. Bush built and operated the “Halfway” Hotel named due its being along the road about halfway between Mt. Pleasant and Clare and not far from the tracks. Because of this name, the village was referred to as “Halfway.

Also around this time, James L. Bush and Elias B. Calkins were platting land in the village not far from each other. After Calkins got a post office in his store, the village began to be known as Calkinsville. Meanwhile James L. Bush had bartered with the railroad some of his property for the right to have the railroad station named after his new wife. His wife Nancy had died in February of 1888 and by the end of October in that same year he married Lizzie “Rosebush” (in one location her name was listed as Elizabeth Rose Bush and as Lizzie Rosebush on her marriage records).

With the railroad delivering freight to the station named “Rosebush” and the mail being dropped off at “Calkinsville” , the name of the village changed back a forth several times. In 1889 the Calkinsville post office was re-named Rosebush and a year later was changed back to Calkinsville, and then finally in 1903, the name Rosebush became the permanent and final name for this village and post office.

Rosebush and Calkinsville were actually one village with 2 hotels, a post office, bank, grain elevator, blacksmith, and hardware and dry goods stores. In the 1880 census James L. Bush was listed as hotel keeper, Cornelius Bogan (1833-1904) was listed as a merchant (originally from Ireland he was a farmer, civil war soldier, postmaster, and justice of the peace), and Elias B. Calkins was listed as farming with his presumed son B. Calkins as a merchant. In the end, the village of Rosebush was another case of a place being named after a person. Did the naming of Rose Township, Oakland County take a circuitous route as did the naming of Rosebush?

Was Rose Township, Oakland County named after a Notable Rose Family?

Interestingly, Rose Township in Oakland County had a prominent Rose family member who was an original land owner in the township, Calvin Rose (1812-1878). In 1837, he purchased 160 acres in section 8 of Rose Township and 80 acres in sections 26 and 27 in Royal Oak Township. Soon after he owned hundreds of acres in other counties in Michigan.

Calvin Rose was born in Vermont and at the age of 3 he moved with his family to Pennsylvania. In 1835, he moved to Detroit and bought land in Michigan. His brother Virgil Rose was an original land patent owner of 40 acres in section 22 in Royal Oak Township, Michigan.

Calvin Rose first settled in Royal Oak and in 1842 he bought a farm in Waterford. He was a well known and successful farmer and considered to be a good businessman. He was well respected in the community. His obituary from the Pontiac Gazette reads: “He possessed traits of character of both a business and social order which more and more endeared him to this community, as they became known” He was vice president of the Second National Bank of Pontiac. He was living in Pontiac at the time of his death. It does not appear Calvin Rose ever lived in Rose Township.

Calvin’s brother Virgil M. Rose was one of the earliest settlers in Royal Oak Township. He had a hotel known as “The Travelers Home” at the intersection of what is now Woodward avenue and Main street. At that time it was one of the leading hotels on the route between Pontiac and Detroit. Virgil M. Rose was a member of the Royal Oak and Rochester Plank Road Company. Another brother Martin P. Rose was a well known landlord of “The Rose House” in Pontiac.

Could Rose Township have been named after Calvin Rose or his brothers? He and his brothers were very early settlers to southeast Michigan and were well known and well respected in the area. Being a prominent family in what became the county seat (Pontiac), it is not known if the Rose brothers had any government connections or perhaps any influence over the naming of the township. It should be remembered that Rose Township was a part of Pontiac Township in 1833 and then was a part of Highland Township prior to becoming its own township in 1837 making it plausible that someone living outside of the township could have had influence over its naming. So far, the only real connection between this Rose family and Rose Township is the fact that Calvin Rose was an original land owner in the township. Naming the township after a person would have followed the most commonly used naming pattern as did many of the roads and lakes in the township.

Was Rose Township Named by Politicians of the Legislature?

Rose Township was formed by separating it from Highland Township and it became a self-governing township around the same time the Michigan Territory was becoming a state in 1837. The forming and naming of Rose Township was the tenth of 66 acts creating and naming townships on the 11th day of March in 1837. Perhaps someone involved in early Michigan government, someone involved with forming Rose Township into its own government, or even someone sitting at the table that day had input into the naming of Rose Township. It is not implausible that a politician or someone in the legislature chose the name Rose for the township.

There is precedence for the legislature naming townships. The people of Lyon Township, Michigan wanted its name to be Fruitland, but the legislature turned this down. Fruitland is the name of a hamlet in Ontario Township in Wayne County, New York and was likely suggested by settlers bringing a name from “home”. The legislature decided on naming the township after Lucius Lyon who came to Michigan as a surveyor in 1821 and later became a United States Senator from Michigan. Lucius Lyon was also one of the founders of Grand Rapids, Michigan and never lived in what became Lyon Township. Perhaps a similar scenario happened in Rose Township.

In the case of Springfield Township Michigan, the legislative authorities proposed organizing it as Painsville Township, but the residents did not like this name, and had the name changed a month after the legislative act officially formed and named the township in March of 1837.

Being that Rose Township was a part of Highland Township for a couple of years before it achieved its own independence and was a part of Pontiac Township prior to this, perhaps whoever selected the name could have been living outside of the township. It could be that someone in the legislature or someone sitting at the table when the legislative act creating and naming 66 townships that day in March had a say in its naming, however, no evidence was found supporting this conjecture.

Was Rose Township Named after a Place from “Home”?

Many early settlers who came to the Michigan Territory were from upper New York State and they brought with them “names from home” such as Rochester, Troy, Utica, Lansing, and Genesee County to name a few. A number of early settlers of Rose Township came from a particular region in upper New York State, specifically Wayne County, New York. Interestingly, there is a town named Rose in Rose Township, Wayne County, New York. A number of early settlers to Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan came from Rose, Rose Township, Wayne County, New York. Could an early settler from Rose, New York have brought the name Rose from “home”?

Likely the reason so many early settlers of Rose Township, Michigan came from Wayne County, New York was due to the proximity of the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal and Barge Canals (Erie canal and canal branches of Champlain, Oswego, Cayuga, and Seneca Canals) made traveling to the Michigan Territory easier and more convenient. The “canal towns” and surrounding towns and villages from which many early settlers originated included: Macedon, Palmyra, Arcadia (and the village of Newark), Lyons, and Galen (and the village of Clyde) with the town of Rose in Rose Township to the north.

There is an interesting juxtaposition between the town of Rose (used to be named Rose Valley) in Rose Township, Wayne County, New York and Rose Center in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan as well as between the towns of Clyde in Galen Township, Wayne County, New York and Clyde in Highland Township), Oakland County, Michigan (see map below). Both Rose (Rose Valley) and Rose Center are in the center of Rose Township and each has a town of Clyde directly to their south by about 5 miles. Rose Center Road runs through Rose Center in Oakland County reflecting its location in the township. Wayne-Center Rose Road runs through Rose in Wayne County reflecting its location in the township.

Rose Township, Wayne County, New York was named after Robert S. Rose (1774-1835). Rose had owned land in the old town of Wolcott from which the town of Rose was carved out of. Rose (formally Rose Valley) was named after Rose Township. He was a farmer as well as a congressman for New York (House of Representatives 1823-1827) as was a state assemblyman prior to this. He was a member of the state constitutional convention. Robert S. Rose started in the Anti-masonic party (the first third party in the United States) and was later affiliated with other political parties. His son Robert Lawson Rose also served as a United States congressman from New York (1847-1851). It is not known if Robert S. Rose had any personal connections to Rose Township in Oakland County or was in any position to personally have had influence over its naming.

Clyde, in Wayne County New York as well as a tributary of the Seneca River named the Clyde River were named after the River Clyde in Scotland by people who were reminded of the Clyde River back “home”. Records were not found which indicate how the name Clyde in Highland Township derived its name, though it is known Clyde was not its original name. Clyde in Highland Township was formally named Wheeler after a larger landowner Cyrus Wheeler who owned a number of parcels in the area of what would eventually become Clyde. After the railroad came through the name ended up being changed to Clyde because there was already a Wheeler, Michigan in Gratiot County.

Was Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan named after someone from Rose, Wayne County, New York?

Records show that many early settlers came to Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan from Wayne County, New York. They also show that a number of settlers came from the town of Rose in Rose Township, Wayne County, New York as well as from surrounding communities due to the proximity of the Erie Canal. People with known connections (and possible associations) between Rose Township in Oakland County and Rose in Wayne County, New York along with the plausibility of their having had influence over the naming of Rose Township (bringing a name from “home”) will be explored below.

Historical records are often incomplete or limited and may only list the state or state and county from which settlers originated. Additionally, settlers sometimes lived in places beyond where they were born and these places may have been lost to history unless captured in a census. Because of this, it is not known exactly how many early settlers came from Rose, New York or had possible affiliations with that area. There may have been many more settlers from this area than those which were found.

Did Someone from the Township’s First Government Bring the Name from “Home”?

A natural place to begin trying to find out if someone brought the name Rose from “home” was to look at those people in the first government in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Those who were elected into the township’s first government were early to come to the Michigan Territory. They were also likely known in the community at that time and may have had contacts in the State Legislature. It would be plausible that they or someone in this group of first elected officials had some influence over the naming of the township. The chart below lists the names of the first elected official in the township’s first government and following is information about them and the plausibility of them having been involved in the naming of the township.

John A. Wendell, Joseph C. Wendell, and Everett Wendell

The Wendells were a prominent and influential family in the early history of the township. They were all original land patent owners and early settlers in the township. John A. Wendell (1788-1858) and his sons Joseph C. Wendell (1810-1877) and Everett Wendell (1818-1888), played a significant role in Rose Township’s first government. “Squire Wendell” was one of only two names written on one of the early surveys of the area (1838-1840 Bela Hubbard survey map) indicating an early presence in the township. Over time the Wendells continued to influence the township’s growth and development making it plausible for them to have been involved in some way with naming the township. Three Wendells were elected to the first government of Rose Township and held multiple positions over a number of years.

John A. Wendell was a farmer, carpenter, and had been a teamster (in charge of bringing supplies) in the War of 1812. He served as township supervisor from 1837-1842 and again in 1842 and 1844. He was also a Justice of the Peace and poor-master. He served as the first postmaster from 1837 until his death in 1858. Joseph C. Wendell (1810-1877) was assessor in the first year of government and later served as supervisor from 1853-1857 and in 1860 and again from 1873-1877. He also served as highway commissioner. Everett was tax collector and constable. Later, after his father's death, he took over as postmaster. In the 1840s Everett was running the Buckhorn Tavern (which had replaced the Gage Tavern). All three men are buried in Rose Center Cemetery.

Records indicate John A. Wendell was born in Saratoga County, New York. It is not known if he lived in other locations prior to coming to the Michigan Territory. His sons are listed as having been born in New York, but the counties in which they were born were not found. It is not known if the Wendells were ever affiliated with Wayne County, New York, however, there is one interesting possible riddle on the gravestone of Joseph C. Wendell.

The gravestone of Joseph C. Wendell (1810-1877) mentions his being from Olcott, New York. However, what is interesting about this is that the town of Olcott did not exist until the mid 1800s, after Joseph C. Wendell would have already left that area. When he left New York, the town would have still had the name Kempville. Had there been an error in the name ‘Olcott’ and should it have instead been ‘Wolcott’, this would place him in Wayne County New York. In fact, the town of Rose in Wayne County is said to have been formed from the town of Wolcott in 1826. If Joseph C. Wendell was in this area at this time, the formation of a new town (Rose) may have been a memorable event only a few years prior to arriving in what would become Rose Township in Oakland County. Though somewhat plausible he was involved in the naming of Rose Township, this scenario seems more likely a longshot. No records were found indicating any of the Wendells were involved in naming the township.

Like the Wendells, Pardon Hicks, Henry Phelps, and Abraham Wortman also owned original land patents in Rose Township. Stephen Hovey was an original land patent owner of a small parcel in Highland Township, but did not own land in Rose Township. Jonathan Bennett was not an original land patent owner in Rose Township, but he lived on the land of his half sister Charity Miller who was an original land patent owner in the township. David Gage did not own land in Rose Township, but ran the tavern where the first meeting of elected township government officials was held.

Pardon Hicks and his father Benjamin Hicks were original land patent owners and were some of the very first very early settlers in Rose Township. Pardon served as a Justice of the Peace, assessor, and as highway commissioner in the township’s first government. Records indicate Pardon Hicks was born in Massachusetts. His wife, Desire Jayne, was born in Locke in Cayuga County, New York which is adjacent to Wayne County, New York. His brother Benjamin married Elizabeth Wendell, daughter of John A. Wendell. In 1840, Pardon moved to the settlement of White Lake where he worked as a blacksmith. In 1850 he moved to Fentonville (Fenton) and continued working as a blacksmith. He died there in 1855 and is buried there. Records did not indicate or hint to any connection between Pardon Hicks and the naming of the township.

Abraham Wortman was a large original land patent owner of a number of land parcels (over 530 acres) in the township. He and his wife lived on one parcel in the township and their children James Wortman, who had been a soldier in the War of 1812, and daughter Margaret and her husband Horace Ballard lived on other parcels. On the 1840 census, Abraham Worthman and his wife are listed as being in their 70’s making him the oldest elected official of the first Rose government. After his wife died, at the age of 81, Abraham Wortman married 54 year old Catherine VanEvery. He died a few years later. It is unclear as to where he is buried. Records indicate Abraham Wortman was from Tompkins County in Upper New York State, but there are no records indicating he had any influence over the naming of Rose and no records connecting him to Rose in Wayne County, New York were found.

Not much is known about the officials William J. Lane, Eber Weed, and David Gage. None of them were landowners in the township and not much is known about them and of their connection to the township. Only David Gage’s brother Myra Gage was an original land patent owner in the township. David Gage was elected to the position of path master. Gage ran what is believed to be the first tavern in the township and it is where the first township meeting took place on April 3, 1837. By October of 1837, the Gage Tavern became a post office when the government officially awarded a post office to the township. Soon after it became a stage coach stop as mail began to be carried by stage coaches. William J. Lane was elected as a constable. Eber Weed was elected as poor master. Lane does not appear on the 1840 census for Rose Township nor are there other records mentioning him. The only Eber Weed found living near Rose Township was in the 1840 census which listed him as living in Fentonville (Fenton) with his wife and small child. Weed died in 1850 and is buried in Fenton. After Weed’s death, his wife is shown running a small hotel in Fentonville in the 1850 census. This was likely the business Eber Weed was running prior to his death. One interesting coincidence with these three men is that these family names of Lane, Weed, and Gage, are all mentioned in the book: Rose Neighborhood Sketches: Wayne County, New York. Alfred S. Rose. (1893) which describes influential families in Rose, New York. The Weed family was significant enough that a port village on the Erie Canal was named Weedsport in Cayuga County, New York after the Weeds who were merchants there and helped found the village. Records did not connect these families to those with the same name in Wayne County, New York. No records indicating any of these officials had any influence over the naming of Rose Township were found.

Three additional first government officials, Hovey, Phelps, and Bennett also had “in-name-only” connections to Wayne County, New York in that these same family names are mentioned in the book: Rose Neighborhood Sketches: Wayne County, New York. Alfred S. Rose (1893), but no records directly connecting these families were found. Similar to Weedsport being named after a Weed family, the village of Phelps in Ontario County, New York was named after an original proprietor in this area. A Phelps was involved in the 1788 Phelps and Gorham Purchase which encompassed purchasing over 6 million acres of land in western New York State, but no connection between this Phelps and first elected official Phelps was found.

Stephen Hovey was an original land patent owner of a small parcel in Highland Township. He did not own land in Rose Township but was elected as a constable. Not much is known about Stephen Hovey in general or of his connection to the township. No connection was found between Stephen Hovey and having been influential in naming the township.

Henry Phelps served as township clerk and as a Justice of the Peace in the township’s first government. He came to Rose Township with his father Joel Phelps who was a revolutionary war soldier. Joel Phelps was 80 years old when he came to the township and he died one year after arriving. Joel Phelps is one of only 34 revolutionary war soldiers buried in Oakland County and is buried in Rose Center Cemetery. Soon after the death of his father, Henry Phelps moved to Milford where his brother Aaron had a sawmill and distillery. Henry Phelps did not stay there long and soon moved to Michigan Centre in Jackson county where he tried to run his own distillery business. His business failed. In 1844 he was arrested for stealing horses. At that time stealing horses was a serious crime as horses were a valuable commodity since they were needed for farming and transportation. He was sentenced to 5 years in the newly opened Michigan State Prison in Jackson, Michigan. In 1858, Phelps drowned in the Huron River and was buried in Dexter. No connections between Henry Phelps and the naming of the township were found.

Jonathan Bennett lived on land in Rose Township that was owned by his half sister Charity Miller who was an original land patent owner and one of four women land patent owners in the township. Jonathan Bennett was elected as a Justice of the Peace. On the 1840 census, Bennett is shown living in Rose Township with his wife Mary and 7 children. By 1850, the Bennetts had moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to family history Jonathan, his wife and their son Theodore all died there in September of 1850. No cause of death is mentioned, though likely they died from a cholera epidemic that swept through Wisconsin (and was centered in Milwaukee) around that time. Following their deaths, the oldest son John along with the other children returned to live in Rose Township. No connection was found between Jonathan Bennett and the naming of the township.

One possible reason some of the positions in the first township government were filled by people who lived outside of the township may have been because they had trouble filling positions. At the time of the first government, the township had a population of 202 people which included women and children. With some of the positions filled from people living outside of the township, this opens up the possibility that someone living outside of the township may have been influential in naming the township.

In addition to researching those elected to the first government in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan, those in the State Legislature from Oakland County at that time were explored. No connections between these officials and the naming of the township were found.

Did a Land Speculator from Rose in Wayne County, New York name Rose Township?

John J. Dickson, M.D. (1807-1874) appears to have been a land speculator and was an original land patent owner of 520 acres in Rose Township. He also owned 240 acres in Gratiot County, Michigan. Additionally, Dickson either purchased or was given land in Kalamazoo County, Michigan which had been granted by Scrip Warrant to Captain Samuel Garlick who had served in the War of 1812. Dickson had known Samuel Garlick from his hometown of Rose, Wayne County, New York. It is not known if Samuel Garlick had Michigan connections, but he was an original land patent owner in Jackson County Michigan in addition to his Scrip Warrant land. Both men are mentioned in the book: Rose Neighborhood Sketches: Wayne County, New York. Alfred S. Rose. (1893).

It does not appear John J. Dickson, M. D. ever settled in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan and it is unknown if he ever visited, but it is plausible he did visit because he had two personal connections to Michigan. One of his step-daughters moved to Oakland County and Dickson sold some of his land in the township to someone from Rose, Wayne County, New York.

Dickson was found in the census for 1850, 1860, and 1870 living in Rose, Wayne County, New York. Dickson maintained some level of interest in land acquisition in Michigan even after his initial land patent purchase in Rose Township in 1837. In 1839, he purchased land in Gratiot County Michigan. In 1857, he acquired the script warrant land in Kalamazoo County, Michigan from Samuel Garlick. It is not known if he had any other special interests in Michigan, but being that most of his land holdings were in Michigan, he may have had personal connections.

John J. Dickson, M. D. was well known and knew many people in his community of Rose, Wayne County, New York. In addition to having been a physician for 45 years he had his hand in local politics. He was elected to the Legislature, served as Justice of the Peace, was the Inspector of Common Schools, Superintendent of Schools, and served as a town supervisor and town clerk. It is not known if he knew people in the Michigan legislature.

It took Dickson a number of years to sell off his land, but by 1857, he had sold all of his land in Rose Township. It is known he sold land to at least one person from his community of Rose New York (Solomon C. Skidmore) who did settle in Rose Township, Oakland County. No records were found indicating Dickson was involved with the naming of the township.

Solomon C. Skidmore purchased land in Rose Township, Oakland County from land specular John J. Dickson. Both men were from Rose, New York and it is highly likely they knew each other. Solomon C. Skidmore was born in Rose, Wayne County N.Y. and died in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan. He is buried in Beebe Cemetery in Rose Township, Michigan.

Solomon C. Skidmore was an original land patent owner of 80 acres in section 17 in Addison Township in Oakland County, Michigan. He purchased this land in 1837 prior to buying land in Rose Township. Two of his brothers were also original land patent owners in Addison Township and had purchased their land around the same time. Truman Skidmore owned 80 acres (section 18) and Sylvanus Skidmore had 40 acres (section 20). Records suggest these Skidmore brothers along with other siblings John, George Washington, Maryann, Rachel, and Marila Skidmore had followed their parents to Macomb County, Michigan possibly around the time of their land purchases. Solomon’s land patent for land in Addison Township lists him as being from Macomb County suggesting he was in the area at the time of purchase. Likely, he was living with his father John C. Skidmore who by the 1840 census was listed as living in Sterling, Macomb County, Michigan.

John Skidmore (1783-1840) and his second wife Sally Bishop (1789-1865) lived long enough in Rose, Wayne County, New York and were prominent enough to have been written about in the book Rose Neighborhood Sketches: Wayne County, New York. Alfred S. Rose. (1893). Sally Bishop’s family was well known in the Rose, New York community. Sally had been a teacher in a small log house. John Skidmore was involved on the board of a local school and was an overseer of the poor in the community of Rose, New York.

In 1845, Solomon C. Skidmore married Emily Lamb of Macomb County, Michigan. Within a few years after his marriage he purchased land in Rose Township, Oakland County (in 1849) where he lived and farmed for decades until his death in 1900. His reasons for settling in Rose Township rather than in Addison Township where he was an original land patent owner and where his brothers also owned land are not known. It is not known if his wife Emily Lamb was related to or any connections to Caleb A. Lamb who was an original land patent owner of 80 acres (section 20) in the township or if either of them had personal connections to bring them to the township. It is also not known if Emily Lamb had any connections to the prominent Lamb family in Rose, New York.

Solomon C. Skidmore was Rose Township, Oakland County clerk for several years. He is said to have been well liked and popular. He was prominent enough to have been featured in a biographical sketch in the 1877 History of Oakland County. Skidmore had strong connections to Rose, New York, purchased land in the township from someone from Rose, New York, and was likely in Michigan around the time the township was named, but it is not known if he had any influence in naming the township or if he brought the name Rose from “home”.

Ephraim McWithy

Ephraim McWithy (1785-1864) was an original land patent owner of land in White Lake Township. He came to Michigan from Wayne County, New York with his wife Sarah Scovel (1780-unknown) and children.

One of the McWithy children was Ephraim McWithy (1818-1897). In 1843, this Ephriam McWithy purchased land in Rose Township (section 23) which had the Buckhorn Creek running through it. This is the land where eventually the McWithy mill would be built. There was a considerable length of time between when Ephraim McWithy owned the “future mill land” in 1843 in Rose Township and when a mill was actually built in the late 1880s. It is not known if Ephraim McWithy purchased this land with the idea of building a mill or if he did not have the funds to build the mill earlier, but records indicate an interest in mills and experience with mill work in the extended family. Ephraim McWithy’s (1818-1897) father-in-law John Linderman and his partner Marcus Riker ran the gristmill and sawmill in Clintonville in Waterford Township, Michigan for several years.

Likely following the death of Ephraim McWithy (1818-1897), the land was transferred for a short time to his oldest son Henry McWithy (1845-1912) and then from Henry McWithy to his brother Joel McWithy (1851-1926) who ran the mill. After the death of Joel McWithy, his son Arthur McWithy took over the business. The McWithy land on which the mill was built stayed in the family for 3 generations. Though the McWithy family became known in the community running its only operational mill, there are no records indicating in which part of Wayne County they came from or if they had any influence over the naming of the township. Likely, because their presence in Rose Township, Oakland County, did not begin until 1843, they likely did not have influence over the naming of the township.

John Hadley (1811-1876) and Sophia Hadley (1813-1874) were both original land patent owners and early settlers in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan. They came to the township from Rose, Wayne County, New York. Sophia’s parents, Jeremiah S. Finch (1784-1859) and Eunice King (1784-1865) were born in Saratoga County, New York and then later settled in Rose, Wayne County, New York. The Finch and King families were notable families in Rose, New York and were mentioned in the book: Rose Neighborhood Sketches: Wayne County, New York. Alfred S. Rose. (1893) which made note of the town’s earliest and most influential settlers.

Three of Sophia Hadley’s brothers, Jeremiah Finch (1811-1896), John Finch (1815-1874), and William Madison Finch (1821-1908) were original land patent owners of land in Highland and/or White Lake Townships, Michigan, but only one of her brothers appears to have come to Michigan. Records indicate Jeremiah Finch settled in Flushing, Genesee County, but did not indicate if he ever visited or lived in Oakland County. Most of Sophia’s siblings lived their entire lives in Rose and surrounding communities in Wayne County, New York and did not come to Michigan.

John Hadley, his parents John Sew Hadley (1790-1872) and Margery Fenwick Hadley (1788-1854), and a number of his siblings were born in England. After coming over from England, the family settled in New York. Several of John’s brothers and likely his father were original land patent owners in Groveland and Holly Townships in Oakland County. John appeared to be the only of his immediate family to settle in Rose Township.

John and Sophia Hadley along with a number of children were found living in Rose Township in the 1850 and 1860 census. In the 1870 census they were living in Holly Township though next generations of Hadley family members continued to live in Rose Township. Records did not provide any clues as to whether or not the Hadleys played a role in naming Rose Township.

Craft Family

Craft family members and a number of extended family members left Rose Township, Wayne County, New York to the Michigan Territory around 1835 by way of the Erie Canal. A number of them came to Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan and to nearby surrounding townships.

Brothers James Craft (1808-1870) and Joel Craft (1812-1873) were original land patent owners in Rose Township, Oakland County. Their father Abraham Craft (1782-1867) was an original land patent owner of land in Springfield Township. Abraham Craft and his wife Huldah Newberry (1786-1863) settled just over the border of Rose Township, not too far from their sons. They came to Michigan by way of the Erie Canal to Buffalo, across Lake Erie to Detroit, and then by ox-teams to Pontiac. The Craft family were well known and early settlers in Dutchess County New York and Abraham became one of the earliest settlers of Rose, Wayne County New York and is written about in the Rose Neighborhood Sketches: Wayne County, New York. Alfred S. Rose. (1893) which describes influential and well known families in Rose, Wayne County, New York.

Other children of Abraham Craft and his wife Huldah Newberry also came to Michigan. Son Charles Burton Craft (1819-1905), settled nearby in White Lake Township, though he was not an original land patent owner. Daughter Clarissa Craft (1814-1889) was married to Seymour Covell (1816-1893) of Rose Township, Wayne County, New York) who was an original owner in White Lake Township. Another son Thorn Craft (1807-1866) and his wife Laura Bennett (1818-unknown) settled in Coldwater Township, Branch County, Michigan.

Charles Burton Craft (1819-1905) married Lydia Ann Lyman (1822-1859) in Rose Township, Wayne County, New York. Lyman was another family mentioned in Rose Neighborhood Sketches: Wayne County, New York. Alfred S. Rose. (1893). Charles was a farmer and he and his wife were listed on the 1850 census as living in Springfield Township, Michigan. Charles was listed as farming on the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 census. By 1860, Abraham and Huldah Craft were retired from farming and were living in Springfield Township, Michigan with their son Charles. Sometime after Lydia’s death Charles married Mary E. Fenwick (1822-1897). He was living with her in Springfield Township on the 1870 census with children and farm help. The farm’s value of $10,000 at that time indicates it was a sizable farm. By 1900, Charles was still living in Springfield Township, with one of his sons.

The excerpt below from the History of Oakland County provides a history of one of Charles B. and Lydia Ann Lyman’s children Abraham L. Craft:

Clarrisa and Seymour Covell spent a few years in Michigan in the 1840s as several of their children were born in Michigan during this time, but by 1850 they had returned to Rose, Wayne County, New York and this is where they lived for the remainder of their lives. They and children were found living in Rose, Wayne County New York in the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 census records. Seymour Covell was well known in Rose, Wayne County, New York. Below is an excerpt from Rose Neighborhood Sketches: Wayne County, New York. Alfred S. Rose. (1893) describing Seymour Covell:

Joel Craft (1812-1873) was an original land patent owner of almost 400 acres in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan. He also had an original land patent for 160 acres with Jacob Craft (not clear how they are related) in White Lake Township. Joel Craft settled in Rose Township, Oakland County and ended up with quite a large farm. He was found in the census for 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870 farming and living in Rose Township. Joel had three marriages and had children with each. The 1840 census lists him as living alone. He married Rebecca Burroughs Craft (1820-1850) in 1846. He and Rebecca are listed on the 1850 agricultural census as farming primarily wheat. On the 1860 census he was married to Elsie Craft (1832-1863) and living with them were a domestic and farm hand. His farm was valued at $10,000. On the 1870 census he was listed as living with his wife Mary Jane Fillingham (1843-1925). His farm was valued at $16,000. By the time of his death his estate was worth $50,000. He appears to have left his estate to his children who were living in the township. Joel Craft is buried in Beebe Cemetery in Rose Township, Michigan.

James Craft (1808-1870) was an original land patent owner of 80 acres in Rose Township. He married Eliza Duers (1809-1876) around 1830. They came to the Michigan Territory sometime around 1835 and settled in Rose Township for a brief time. In the 1850 census, James, his wife Eliza, and several children were listed as living and farming in Rose Township. He had livestock and was growing wheat. His farm value was listed as $800. By 1860, James and his wife had moved to Bangor Township, Bay County, Michigan (near Bay City). On the 1860 and 1870 census James was listed as a cooper. James Craft died in Bay City, Michigan.

James Craft’s father-in-law (Eliza’s Craft’s father), William Duers (1784-1852), was an original land patent owner of 40 acres in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan. William and his wife Anna (1786-1852) came to Rose Township along with a number of their children.

In the 1850 census, William and Anna Duers are listed as living in Rose Township with two of their children Mary Ann Duers (1817-1848) and Charles E. Duers (abt.1830-1852). Sadly on June 19, 1852 Charles E. Duers (abt.1830-1852) and his brother William Cullens Duers (1823-1852), who was also living in Rose Township, were both killed in a well digging incident. Charles E. had not been married nor did he have children. William had been married to Hannah B. Gage (1825-unknown). It is unknown if Hannah B. Gage was of any relation to the notable Gage family in Wayne County or to David Gage tavern owner in Rose Township. After the death of her husband, Hannah was distraught and unable to care for her children. Her 3 year old son was put in the care of his grandparents William and Susan Duers. Her 18 month old daughter was taken in by Jonathan and Mary Gage Soule (Mary Gage was Hannah’s aunt). Hannah returned to New York for a while to recover from her husband’s death. While Hannah was away, her 3 year old son died. At some point, Hannah returned to Michigan. On the 1860 census, Hannah was listed as living with the Soule family in Ovid, Michigan.

The 1850 census indicated William and Anna Duers were living next door to their daughter Susan Duers (1816-1889) and son-in-law Asher B. Webster (1811-1876). It is not known where Susan Duers and Asher Webster settled when they first came to Michigan, but in 1838, Asher B. Webster was elected as the second person to hold the office of clerk in Rose Township. In the 1840 census, Asher B. and Susan Webster and children are listed as living in White Lake Township. In the 1850 and 1860 census they were farming and living in Rose Township. On the 1870 census, the family were listed as living in Portsmouth Township, Bay County (near Bay City) where Asher was working as a shoemaker. After his death, Susan lived with one of her daughters. Also living nearby to the William and Anna Duers was widowed son-in-law Henry Carnes (who had an original land patent of 240 acres in Rose Township. Henry had been married to Ruth Sherman Duers (1812-1850) who died before the census was taken. Henry was listed as a blacksmith. Ruth is buried in Rose Center Cemetery, Michigan.

Another daughter of William and Anna Duers, Mary Ann Duers (1817-1848) married Abraham Whitbeck (1816-1886) in New York and then came to Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Mary Ann is buried in Beebe Cemetery in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Her husband quickly remarried and continued to live in Rose Township.

It is unclear where daughter Harriet Duers (1815-1882) was living when she came to Michigan. She had one child out of wedlock prior to marrying Charles (Charlye) Chambers with whom she had more children. Harriet may have settled in White Lake Township where Chambers was an original land patent owner. By the 1860 census, Harriet was living without her husband in Bangor Township, Bay County, Michigan. She was living with her daughters keeping house for a group of steam saw mill laborers. After that she lived with other people and worked as a washerwoman and sewing woman. She died in Bay City, Michigan.

Records from this generation of Craft and Duers family members did not provide clues about whether or not this family had influence over the naming of the township. However, a clue was found in the next generation Craft family as to the naming of Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan.

Towns of Wayne County New York

A Clue to the Naming of Rose Township

It was the oldest son of James Craft (1808-1870), Wilson O. Craft (1832-1894), who by way of a biographical sketch of prominent men and pioneers in the History of Bay County, Michigan, provided a significant clue as to the naming of Rose Township. Wilson O. Craft was a son of an original land patent owner in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan and grandson of Abraham Craft who was an early and notable early settler of Rose, Wayne County, New York. His father’s brother Joel Craft was an original land patent holder and had quite a large farm in Rose Township where he lived and farmed for many decades. Wilson’s maternal grandfather, William Duers (1784-1852), was also an original land patent owner of 40 acres in Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Several of Wilson’s uncles and aunts on the Duers side of the family also lived and farmed in Rose Township. In 1838, Wilson’s uncle Asher B. Webster was the second clerk of the newly formed government of Rose Township. Wilson spent a bit of his childhood in Rose Township, though his immediate family moved around the state.

Wilson was born in Wayne County, New York and died in Bay City, Michigan. In 1850, at the age of 18, Wilson was living with his parents and siblings in Rose Township, Oakland County. In the 1860s, Wilson O. Craft was elected as a trustee of a historical settlement called Wenona in what is now Bay City, Michigan and served for a few years. Wenona was founded along the Saginaw river in 1863 by Henry W. Sage, a merchant and philanthropist, who along with John McGraw also founded the Sage, McGraw & Company sawmill. In the community of Bay City, Wilson was said to be “among the most prominent and prosperous of our citizens”. On the 1870 census Wilson was living with wife and children in Bangor Township, Bay County, Michigan and was listed as working as a saw filer (a person who maintains all types of saws including sharpening and welding). By 1880, he was living in Bay City and was listed as a saloon keeper.

The following excerpt from History of Bay County, Michigan with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers summarized the life of Wilson O. Craft and provides the clue as to the naming of Rose Township, Oakland County, Michigan.

A close up of “the clue” found in the second line from above excerpt:

This same excerpt was repeated in the book: Descendants of David Duers or Dewers and Deborah Sherman of Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Compiled by Bart Joseph Kowallis, Ph.D. Brigham Young University (2015 second edition):

The claim of James Craft naming Rose Township was also mentioned in the excerpt from this same book (Descendants of David Duers or Dewers and Deborah Sherman of Dartmouth, Massachusetts) under the entry about his James Craft’s wife Eliza Duers:

The Craft family came to Oakland County along with extended family members. Brothers James and Joel Craft were original land patent owners in Rose Township. Their father Abraham Craft was one of the founding notable settlers in Rose, Wayne County, New York. In addition to the Crafts, there were a number of early settlers who came to Rose Township, Oakland County who had history in Rose, Wayne County New York. Indications support the notion that Rose Township, Oakland County, was named after a place from “home”.

Perhaps not coincidentally, the namesake of Rose Township, Wayne County, New York, Robert S. Rose (1774-1835), died around the same time the Crafts came to what became Rose Township. Robert S. Rose was a farmer, state assemblyman, and in the U.S. House of Representatives for a number of years and a member of the state constitutional convention. He would likely have been well known within his state of New York especially in the community of Rose in which was named in his honor. It is not known if James Craft named the township after “home” or if he had Robert S. Rose (1774-1835) in mind.

This all said, certainly there is always the possibility that the father of Wilson O. Craft naming Rose Township was one of those legends that gets passed along or it was a son’s exaggerated story about his father. At the same time, why would the son of James Craft say his father named Rose if there wasn't some little kernel of truth there and it indeed may be how the township received its name. It also would not be out of the realm of possibilities that James’s brother, Joel Craft, may also have been involved with the naming of the township. Joel’s neighbor and fellow large farm owner was Abraham Wortman who was elected into the township’s first government perhaps providing a possible contact to the state legislature and ability to influence the naming of the township. Another large land owner neighbor was Calvin Rose. James Craft’s brother-in-law, Asher Webster, having been the second clerk in the township only a year after the beginning of its government hints to possible political connections.

With so many early settlers having come from Wayne County, New York to Rose Township, Oakland County and a number of prominent settlers having come directly from Rose Township, Wayne County, New York, the naming of Rose Township after a place from “home” is highly plausible. It is also feasible that Rose Township was named by James Craft as stated by his son. Historical documentation provided a clear and plausible reference as to how Rose Township got its name, though the particulars as to exactly how the naming occured may be lost to history.

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