ONEIDA PIONEER NOTABLE EVENTS

From "History of Ingham and Eaton counties, Michigan" - 1880

Among the notable events in the early history of the township were the following: The first death was that of a child of James Nixon at Canada Settlement; the first marriage, that of Robert Rix and Mrs. A. Carr; the first birth, that of Horace Preston, second son of Samuel Preston. The first national celebration was held at the house of J. H. Nichols, when about thirty or forty persons gathered to enjoy the exercises of the day. In the winter of 1839 twenty-seven of the thirty-two inhabitants of the town were afflicted with the measles, but none died.

Having myself the honor of being the first one of the settlers out of his minority, some young ladies thought to christen the event by giving me a cold-water bath. Having discovered a pail of water in hand as they entered my room about daybreak, I knew mischief was ahead. As good luck would have it, Mr. L. Youngs was lodging with me, and was then occupying the front side of the bed. Mr. Youngs being a friend and practitioner of a life of single -blessedness, I thought it would not much injure his reputation to take the approaching bath instead of myself. So just as the fatal pail was duly raised and about to pour, I threw up my hand, and thereby conducted the contents fairly upon my sleeping partner, to his great surprise and the sad disappointment of my feminine assailants. But my friend Youngs was none the less a bachelor, nor myself none the less out of my minority, on account of this overt occurrence. However, it was some satisfaction to witness the half-denuded Youngs in his chase after the retreating violators of his rightful domain of blissful repose.

On the first day of the year 1838 a few of us thought it would be no other than a pious duty to usher in the new year by giving it some proper tokens of our knowledge of its arrival. So, for the want of any better means, we decided to visit our several neighbors and treat them to a morning's slute with our guns.Proceeding to execute this eminent duty, we passed around till all had answered with the response of wishing us a 'happy new year,' leaving for the last our much-respected friend and neighbor, Mr. J. H. Nichols. Appreciating our attention he arose, and, supplying us with an honorable place before his ample fire, proceeded to pour us out a plentiful supply of his good old metheglin. Forgetting in a measure the character of the occasion, and imbibing more freely of neighbor Nichols' beverage than was prudent, I am sorry to confess that we all went home a good deal in the condition that Noah was after he had planted a vineyard.