David Howell was born and raised in the Birkshire Valley, Jefferson township, of the nortwest part of Morris county, New Jersey. David moved on to Manchester, Ontario county, New York and then in Genesee county, New York possibly with his brother Abram. During this time David married Phebe Parshall. Phebe apparently died and David remarried, Adelia Sedgwick Elmer.
David and Delia Howell moved to Michigan in 1835, where David bought land from the federal government: two "public land" parcels, both of the 'Michigan- Toledo strip' - one, 40 acres in Wayne county, and the other, one hundred sixty two acres in Calhoun county.
They settled near the village of Battle Creek in what is now Emmett Township, Calhoun County, Michigan. It was then part of the Michigan Territory, as statehood was not gained until 1837. That part of Michigan was very sparsely inhabited until the latter part of the 1830's. In fact the population of the entire territory was only 87,273, in 1833, including that of Detroit.
The family located on a farm of 320 acres just southeast of what was then just a small village. This area is now part of the city and is known as Morgan Park on Main Street. Besides farming David taught school in Marshall, Michigan in 1835 and 1836. Later he followed Warren B. Shepard as teacher in the log school house in Battle Creek.
David and his family were one of the first settlers in the area. Originally known as Milton township, itself not regularly organized until 1833. David was active in the organization of the township and served in it's civic operations. There appears in the History of Calhoun County, 1830-1877:
| "First Town Meeting" "At a meeting of the electors of the township of Milton, legally held at the house of Ezra Convis, in said township, on the fourth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and thirty six, the following township officers were chosen for the ensuing year; and the following votes passed, viz.: E. G. Smith, supervisor; Talman W. Hall, clerk; David H. Daniels, Warren B. Shepard, Jeremiah Gardner, and John H. Michael, assessors; John Farnsworth, collector; Moses Lowell, John V. Henry, Harvey B. Lewis, commissioners of highways; Joseph Farnsworth, John S. Holiday, Enoch Stewart, Narolian B. Harper, constables; Tolman W. Hall, David W. Howell, Joseph S. Weed, John Blackom, and Asahel Beach, inspectors of common schools; Nedebiah Angell, Isaac Thomas, overseers of the poor; David W. Howell, Polydore Hudson and Jonathan Thomas, commissioners of common schools; Moses Hall, Cephas A. Smith, Stephen Collins, and Samuel Robinson, justices of the peace. Overseers of highways for the districts numbered according to the order of their names: Jeremiah Gardner, Warren B. Shepard, Moses Hall, John Harper, Samuel Convis, George Johnston, James Warder, Daniel Thomas, Taylor Stewart, Stephen Gilbert, William D. Eaton, David W. Howell, William Knowles, Samuel Robinson, Benjamin Harper, and John Wolf. "On motion, it was voted that swine weighing over thirty pounds, horses, cattle, and sheep be lawful commoners. "That fifty dollars be raised for the support of the poor for the ensuing year. "That one hundred and fifty dollars be raised for the purpose of building bridges in said township. "That the next township meeting be held at the house of Leonard Starkweather, in the village of Battle Creek. "On motion adjourned.
"NEDEBIAH ANGELL, Moderator
"SAMUEL CONVIS, Township Clerk
"POLYDORE HUDSON, Justice of the Peace |
Milton township was reorganized by the state legislature during its 1837-1838 session into what is now eight congressional townships; Bedford, Pennfield, LeRoy, Athens, Burlington, Emmett, Newton and Battle Creek. At that time was is now Emmett township was named Cody township. Again David Howell was active in township matters. From the History of Calhoun County, 1830-1877:
| "First Town Meeting" "At the opening of the first annual township meeting of the township of Cody at the dwelling-house of Jeremiah Gardner, on Monday, 2d day of April 1838, Michael Spencer was chosen moderator, and Samuel Robinson clerk of said meeting. Present, David H. Daniels, justice. The following resolutions were adopted:
........."On canvassing the ballots, the following persons were found to have been duly elected officers for the township[ of Cody for the ensuing year, to wit:
"Levi Morton, supervisor; Samuel Robinson, township clerk; Asa Lowell, N. Saltewr, and Smith Berry, assessors; Asa Lowell, David W. Howell, and Samuel G. Wallace, justices of the peace; David W. Gibbs, collector; Michael Spence and Asahel Beach, directors of the poor; Samuel G. Wallace, David Caulkins, and Caleb D. Ferris, commissioners of highways; David W. Howell, Fordyce and Caleb D. Ferris, commissioners of schools; David W. Howell, Fordyce S. Rhoades and Robert Adams, inspectors of schools; David N. Gibbs, John Lowry, George Morehouse, John DeGroat, Kenyon Johnson, John Rhoades, constables.
"MICHAEL SPENCE, Moderator"DAVID H. DANIELS, Justice"SAMUEL ROBINSON, Clerk" |
One of the first acts of this first township meeting was to rename Cody township Andover township. This was approved and enacted upon by the state legislature at their 1839-1840 session.
David remained active with local government, in fact he served as the township's supervisor for three years, from 1839 through 1841.
In 1845 David sold his land in Michigan to Jeremiah Brown and with all the children, except his eldest son, Leander, who remained in Michigan, then moved to New York state about 1845 where they lived in the upstate, Bergen area of Genesee County. Mr. Brown became one of the county's important agricultural figures organizing the Agricultural Society and the County Fair.
In New York David remarried and he with his new wife Eliza had three more children, two who survived. These six children were all raised by David and Eliza as their own. In fact John Jenness Howell and his wife Mylie are buried in the family plot listing D.W. as "Father" and "Eliza" as mother.
William Elmer, father of David's wives Adelia and Eliza, was a captian in the war of 1812. He and his family immigrated from Connecticuit to the Bergen area in the 1830's. He and his wife Sabra are buried in the East Bergen Cemetery.
David was a farmer. He, with his wife Eliza and all the children, plus four of his brother Stephen's children who he had guardianship of after his brother died in 1850, lived on Sacket Road north of town.
In Bergen, NY David served as clerk, trustee and chairman of the local school district (#3 - Black Creek) in 1855, 1856, 1863, 1865 and 1868.
Captain?
David Howell is referred to as Captain Howell or Captain David Howell in several Michigan sources. The reason for the use of this particular appellation is however not known. There is no known military service and as he would have been twenty seven years old when he first arrived in Michigan, that military grade would not seem logical. It is possible this is a civil nautical reference, and indeed a reference to a boat Captain David Howell does exist. However there is no know evidence that this David Howell was that, or any other, boat Captain.
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24 SEP 1829 Morris Co., Deed Vault - Morristown, NJ - Deed Book A3-536 |
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David William Howell 1808-1877