Kathy Bilger, Livonia historian, shares some experiences of an original Livonia settler in 1827. Check out what he went through to vote:
Dexter Briggs was the epitome of the pioneer settler. Tough, determined, independent, full of good, old fashioned New England morals, 24 years old. He married Laura Durand on January 26, 1826. They started married life with 2 pigs, a tin teapot, a chest of drawers.
Dexter made up his mind to get himself a piece of Michigan land, so shortly after the wedding, he took his axe and bag and left upstate New York for the Northwest Territory. His path took him through Canada. He joined with other men bound for Michigan including the Yerkes brothers.
Land was $1.25 an acre with a minimum purchase of 80 acres. So $200 could buy a farm that could one day support a family. To raise the necessary money he earned $12 a month working on a farm in New York.
Dexter had a little help in choosing the best land, his Griswold cousins were already settled in Livonia. With their recommendation Dexter purchased land at the future corner of 7 mile and Newburgh. (the first road in Livonia was Newburgh from 7 to 8 Mile.) He laid that $200 in front of the land patent office on March 29, 1826. He and Laura would stay with friends until he could build the cabin.
At the time Livonia was still part of Bucklin township.
In Dexter’s own words, as he wrote them:
“the four towns (by towns, he means the future townships). met at one place to hold our Town meeting in the spring of ’27. We met in the town of now Dearborn then Bucklin at what is known as the Wallice schoolhouse. We up in the bush was cald bushwackers and they were cald roughens. We met and the first man that we put up was Marcus Swift for Supervisor. We elected him as we did every officer… the last thing we voted for the next town meeting, had to be voted for the last thing. (there was no set place for elections.) We stayed to vote it up on the plains so that those that lived in the north part of Livonia had to stay all night on the plains. I had to go 14 miles and some 16 miles. “
Dexter would hold many offices and he faithfully attended, voting in the elections. Those 14 miles he walked to vote were often through snow or swamp, not easy roads. But eventually Bucklin was split, and Livonia Township was created, which meant Dexter Briggs only had to travel 3 or 4 miles for an election. Dexter told the story to his grandson who was complaining about the three-mile ride to vote. Its not hard to know what Dexter’s advice to his grandson was…..
Well you can speculate on what he told his grandson. Picture what they went through to vote and compare it to what we do to vote today.
