July 17,2020 Your Source for Livonia Happenings
Getting outdoors. Listening to some fun music. A concert just for kids. A movie for families. Let's face it Tuesday is the night and The Kirksey Recreation Center is the place. So mark your calendar, July 21, 28, August 4, 11, and 21. You gotta love Livonia.

Livonia’s Lone Black Civil War Soldier
Special to FridayMusings. Written by Livonia's historian Kathy Bilger
There is an irony in calling Livonia a sundown city. Its first century was spent as a haven for runaway slaves. So many names were part of the effort – the Ambler family, State Legislator David Rowland, the Starkweather family, the Briggs brothers, the Power family, and most of all the Fullers. It was Cyrus Fuller, president of the Michigan Anti-Slavery Society; his brother Edwin, treasurer of the Society; and sister-in-law Harriet DeGarmo Fuller, vice president of the Society, who lived at 6 Mile and Haggerty and dedicated their lives to freeing all slaves. (Please note that in 1860 the terms black, mulatto and colored were used on the census, so that is what I will use in this article.)

Harriet DeGarmo Fuller was inducted into the 1835 Livonia City Hall of Fame Class of 2018 for leadership in the Michigan Anti-Slavery Society.

Protected by these abolitionist families, a small but thriving colored community existed in the northwest corner of Livonia in the 1860s. John Speed worked for Dexter Briggs. Fannie Brown lived with the Cyrus Fuller family. Tillman McLebaad, Henry Bosley and Franklin Brooks worked as farm laborers for Arthur Powers. John F. White, a mulatto from Kentucky, and his wife Mary Jane from Virginia had a small farm in Livonia Center. Ruben Moore farmed near the Arthur Powers home for a few years before he became a coachman in Detroit. Alexander Wells was a mulatto who escaped from Wayne, Kentucky and married Emaline, a runaway from Virginia. In 1860 they had a small farm and even recorded that they had a personal estate of $60. The Birn family, who were from Canada, lived with them.

By 1863 the Union was struggling with several major defeats and morale was low. Congress passed the Conscription Act, drafting men to serve in the military for the first time in the nation’s history. It caused riots in New York. Black men were anxious to fight for the Union, an opportunity which had so far been denied them. The Detroit Tribune and Advertiser editor, Henry Burns, campaigned for and got the right to organize a colored regiment. He briefly served as the unit’s colonel.

On February 17, 1863, the Michigan Colored Infantry was formed in Detroit. 845 men from across the state signed up. In Livonia, George Newell enlisted on August 8, 1864 as a substitute for C.G. Briggs. Little else is known about him and it is likely that he was not from Livonia. Alexander Wells enlisted on February 23, 1865.
Judge Alexander Blue, pictured left, whose home is at Greenmead, filled out the enlistment papers for Alexander Wells, who was illiterate and made his X on the paper. Wells’s military records state that he was 5 feet, 8 inches tall with black hair and eyes and dark skin. He received $33.33 advanced bounty for signing up. Judge William Yerkes worked to make sure every man received a bounty to support their families while they were gone. Alexander left behind a young pregnant wife and two little girls.
The 1st Michigan Colored Infantry left Detroit in March 1864. On May 23, 1864, the 1st Michigan Colored Infantry became the 102nd US Colored Troops. The picture left has unidentified members of the 102nd.

The men who signed up did so as volunteers, not as draftees, and eventually over 1600 colored enlisted Michigan men went to war.

It was estimated that 1000 of these men were originally from slave states. The troops were assigned to picket and outpost duty on Hilton Head, St. Helena, and Port Royal.
When the need arose, they served bravely in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, receiving the highest commendation for holding the line under severe fire. They refused to leave the front line even when wounded. The 102nd was mustered out at Charlestown, SC on September 30, 1865. They arrived in Detroit on October 17, 1865.

The records show Alexander Wells was assigned to Company K. He joined the regiment in Georgetown on April 26, 1865; August rolls show him as the company cook. He mustered out on September 30, 1865 and was owed $2.17 pay, but he owed $6 for arms and equipment. The muster out payroll says under remarks: SLAVE Joined from Recruiting Depot.
He saw the end of the war, he helped rebuild and he left Charlestown with his company on board the ship “Starlight”. He would not live to see his baby daughter or his farm. On October 6, 1865, Alexander Wells died of malaria fever. He was one of 129 men of the 102nd US Colored Troops to die of disease. He was buried at Cyprus Hill National Cemetery in New York on October 12, 1865.

Alexander’s widow and children moved to Battle Creek. Franklin Brooks followed and in 1875, Emaline Wells married Franklin Brooks.

Alexander’s story has been forgotten by time. His name will not be found on the Livonia Veteran’s Memorial nor on any memorial except his tombstone in New York and rosters held by the National Archives and the 102nd US Colored Troops Company B Black History Group in Detroit.
Reader response to the typewriters commentary on the pandemic
Conrad Schwartz, former Livonia City Councilman now doing a little bit of golfing: Good Morning William, you and I, and I suspect thousands of others are having a tough time with this monstrous disease that surrounds all of us. While I now feel comfortable in hugging my grandkids, a few months ago I couldn’t, we all felt best to see each other through the windows of my car. There they were, a few feet away, and I couldn’t kiss them, and I cried.
 
My trips to our families summer cottage in Canada have been put on hold and I pray that the raccoons have not chosen our house as their house.
 
My florist lady, had the virus, and described in detail what she went through, it was horrible. Sometimes, I reflect, not often, on the suffering and death that has covered this nation, indeed this world and I feel saddened,… but then I go on with my life.
 
And then it hits me, these pithy little sacrifices that I am dealing with are nothing compared to what my dad, and many of our fathers and mothers went through, just one generation ago! Try dealing with an economic depression followed by a world war followed by a cold war. Try living without health care coverage, and government relief packages and even air conditioning. Try living with fears that your child may get polio or measles or chicken pox. I think about these things,……but then I go on with my life.
 
Thanks for letting me ramble, 
Our Livonia Kiwanis Early Risers delivered $1,000 checks to each of the six winners of a Fernon Feenstra Scholarship Class of 2020
In most years the Livonia Kiwanis Early Risers hosts a golf outing with the income being used to fund ten $1,000 Fernon Feenstra (left) Scholarships presented at a scholarship breakfast.

This is not most years. Not at all. So Scholarship Chairwoman Chery Nicholas developed a creative way to award this years scholarships.

Her solution was for six members of the Kiwanis Club to visit each award winner, selected from 35 applications, and present the student and parents with the check in their front yard.

She was joined by club members Melissa Rubingh, Jerry Kwas, Brian Waskiewicz, Allen Nicholas and yes, invited the typewriter to join in on the day as two of the honorees were Franklin High School graduates.

At each stop Nicholas told a little about the student, asked them a couple of questions and let them share some thoughts about what they had learned the most over their lifetime.

E ach student provided an essay with their application. FridayMusings will give the students the final word for the next 6 editions. The last article in each Musings will be one of the student essays.

Pandemic be damned. The Kiwanis Club was not going to let it get in the way of honoring and celebrating and supporting students from Livonia as they headed off to college. Livonia is proud of the students and yes, we are doubly proud of the Kiwanis Club for honoring Livonia students.

Musings thought to share some of the excitement of the Kiwanis Day. Thank you Kiwanis for keeping the spirit of Fernon Feenstra alive.
July in Livonia
16,23 Wilson Barn Farmers Market

21 Summer Fun Series @ 6:00
Miss Paula and the Candy Bandits
Livonia Parks and Recreation

23 Weekend Comeback
Music from the Heart

28 Drive in Movie @ 7:30
Livonia Parks and Recreation

30 Toppermost Beatles Tribute
Music from the Heart

August in Livonia

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Wilson Barn Farmers Market

4 Primary Election--vote early and often by taking a neighbor to the polls

6 Sinjon Smith
Music from the Heart

13 Devin Scillian and Arizona Sun
Music from the Heart

17 2020 Golf Outing Benefitting MiWorkMatters @ Idyl Wyld Golf Course

20 Cruzin Jupiter
Music from the Heart

27 Cosmic Groove Band
Music from the Heart

30 The ARC NW 2020 Golf Outing
Fox Creek Golf Course

September in Livonia

5, 12, 19, 26 Wilson Barn Farmers Market

12 Thomas A. Dooley Knights of Columbus Golf Classic @ Fox Hills $100 includes dinner and prizes. To sign up call John Glennon 734-968-2286 or Lou Fiorentino 248-808-3834

October in Livonia

1 1835 Livonia City Hall of Fame
Rosedale Presbyterian Church
Presenting Sponsor: Dan MacIver Financial & Portfolio Advisors
With the pandemic Musings is getting lots of questions about what is open, what is not and what services are still being provided by
our hometown. Check it out.
Our Livonia City Hall will open July 20th in a limited manner.
You gotta love Livonia and you gotta love outdoor art.

Check it out at the Bentley Field next to the Kirksey Recreation Center Tuesday and Thursday nights, 6 -- 8.
When the Mayor is actively taking part in a new project and posts it on Facebook what is a writer to do but take her words and her pictures and share them with folks reading Musings:

Mayor Maureen Brosnan says that "The Unity Project is here! We are creating this larger than life artwork over the summer to help us celebrate our uniqueness and strengthen our ties to each other.
"The project is supported by the Livonia Human Relations Commission and the Department of Parks and Recreation. It’ll be open every Tuesday and Thursday night at Bentley Field. Stop by and share what makes you special."

The picture on the right is Mayor Brosnan starting out with her twine beginning to wind them around signs of traits that she has and that she selected.

Unity is an interactive public art project that examines how labels both help and hinder our ability to come together as a nation and as a human race.

With this project there is hope that Livonia can raise consciousness about the labels we give ourselves and others and explore how those labels both support and limit how we connect with each other.

Our labels are tied to assumptions that frame our beliefs about other people. When we uncouple these labels and assumptions, we can start to relate to people without judgment. It is in this space that we can truly hear and appreciate each other.
Congresswoman Haley Stevens Co-Sponsors Two Amendments to Boost Manufacturing and Secure Supply Chains
This week, Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) co-sponsored two critical amendments to  H.R. 6395 , the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. These amendments would boost manufacturing, secure supply chains, enhance national security, and increase the economic competitiveness of American manufacturers.

The  first amendment , co-led by Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35) and Congresswoman Stevens, would create a National Supply Chain Database run by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Centers to connect small and mid-size manufacturers nationwide and prevent supply chain disruptions. In March, Congresswoman Stevens introduced  bipartisan legislation  to temporarily waive the cost-sharing requirement for small and mid-sized manufacturers that want to take advantage of resources offered by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program.

The  second amendment , introduced by Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-06) and supported by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, would increase federal investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing in order to enable advanced research and development, secure the supply chain, and ensure long-term national security and economic competitiveness. Semiconductors are critical to everything from cars to cell phones to medical diagnostic equipment.

“As Chair of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, I am focused on taking steps to safeguard critical manufacturing supply chains and keep the United States at the forefront of global innovation,”  said Congresswoman Haley Stevens . “I am proud to cosponsor these two key amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, because increasing coordination between small and mid-sized manufacturers and incentivizing domestic semiconductor manufacturing will make our country safer, more competitive, and better equipped to respond to crises.
Livonia Kiwanis Early Riser Fernon Feenstra Scholarship Winners
The typewriter will be sharing an essay from one Livonia Kiwanis Early Riser Fernon Feenstra Scholarship Winner each issue over the next two weeks.