Historical sketches of N.E. Fremont Twp., Cedar Lk., Ray, Clear Lk., Michigan border, Steuben County, Indiana
Included with this manuscript is a separate book called “William Duguid Descendants and History in America.” This manuscript starts at image 653 of 886 in volume 1.
Volume 2 contains the Cedar Lake Congregation Session Records 1841-1892 and Deeds and Documents concerning the William Duguid descendants.
Foreword
Having listened to my family’s pioneer accounts of their first coming to N.E. Vistula Twp.,later called Brockville Twp.jthen named Fremont Twp. in 1851. I’ve never tired of trying to reconstruct that most interesting settlement period.
They didn’t keep diaries unfortunately.
Stories, tales, legends, and a very few letters exist. But the predominance of the Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) Church for ninety years and its records have shed some light on their lives and on the community.
Amazingly, they were sending their children, after attending the one room Cedar Lake school, on to the Covenanter Geneva College at Northwood, Ohio and also to the newly established Hillsdale College.
Interestingly, Hillsdale and Coldwater were their trading places.
Letters indicate they were selling wheat in Hillsdale in 1853 at 900 a bushel. And of course, they were hauling wheat to Toledo up until 1870, when the railroad was completed.
These historical sketches are intended to “maybe” shed a little light on the people and their lives, who at the first, dealt with the Indians – then cleared the land and somehow made a very frugal living in a swampy-stony-not too fertile area. Also, maybe their Scottish heritage attracted them to this area…not many miles to the west lay abundant fertile prairie lands.
In any event, they chose the Cedar Lake and the Clear Lake locality and the rest is history.
Lee S. Duguid
Great-great grandson of the pioneers
Notes
- Tight margin some text may be cut off.
- No table-of-contents pages found.
- No copyright page found.
Source
Duguid, Lee S. Historical sketches of N.E. Fremont Twp., Cedar Lk., Ray, Clear Lk., Michigan border, Steuben County, Indiana. Self-published.