Taken from The History of Tuscola County, Biographical Sketches and Illustrations, H. R. Page Co., Chicago, 1883. Transcribed by Bonnie Petee.

Indian Fields was organized under a resolution adopted by the board of supervisors at a meeting held December 28, 1852. The territory comprised townships 12, 13, and 14 north, of ranges 9, 10 and 11 east. The boundaries of the town were changed from time to time as new towns were organized, until township 12 north, of range 9 east, composed as at present, its organized territory.

On the 7^th of January, 1853, Matthew D. North and Chancey Sherman, highway commissioners of the township of Vassar, laid the first road in this town described now, as follows: Past the houses of D. D. Dopking and C. J. Hooper to the corner of D. Kinyon’s place, thence north to the second corner above Caro, thence north one and one-half miles in Almer. This township was then under the jurisdiction of Vassar, that township having been organized in the winter of 1851.

The first election was held April 4, 1853, at the house of Isaac N. Crane, near the bank of Cass River on the ground familiarly known as Indian Fields. The inspectors of this election were Isaac N. Crane, Daniel Dopking and Chrisian Shadley. The following officers were elected: supervisor, Daniel Dopking; clerk, Samuel P. Sherman; treasurer, Isaac N. Crane; school inspector, Christian Shadley; directors of the poor, Chrisian Shadley, John Corte, Sr.; commissioners of highways, Oliver Dickinson, Alexander Belmer, Christian Shadley; justice, Samuel P. Sherman; constables, Oliver Dickinson, Franklin Fairman, James Archer.

At this election Christian Shadley and William A. Heartt were candidates for the same office, and the vote being a tie, they tossed hats to see who should serve the town in the capacity of school inspector. Mr. Shadley won, and entered upon the duties of the office. At this time there were more offices than candidates, a circumstance not recorded outside of pioneer history. It will be noticed that at this first election Mr. Sherman was elected to two offices, Mr. Dickinson the same and Mr. Shadley to three. Civilization has remedied that inconvenience and a candidate will now rise to the surface at the slightest moving of the waters.

The whole number of votes cast was eighteen, and the voting precinct covered three hundred and twenty-four square miles. Whether the ticket elected was Democratic or Whig does not appear. At this meeting it was decided by the electors to levy a tax the same year of $250 for the improvement of roads, a fact worthy of note with only eighteen resident tax-payers.

From this germ have grown the excellent highways for which the town is justly noted. The residents of that day appear to have been persons of energy and commendable public spirit; determined to open the way for civilization and progress. At this first town meeting it was voted that the next township meeting should be held at the house of Samuel P. Sherman.

On the 20^th of June following, the prohibitory liquor question was acted upon throughout the State, and a meeting held at the house of Mr. Crane. The whole number of votes polled was eleven, with eight in favor of the passage of the act and three against it.

On the first tax roll of this township there was spread the aggregate sum of $463.50, this being the amount charged up to the township treasurer, December 9, 1853, as follows:

The town board held a meeting September 17, 1853, and issued wolf certificates to Samuel P. Sherman and the Indian Koc-a-chese.

The annual meeting in April, 1854, was held at the house of S. P. Sherman. The greatest number of votes cast was twenty-six. It was voted to raise $250 for improvement of public highways.

In 1855 the annual meeting was held at the house of David H. Andrews. Twenty-six votes were polled. The poll list given in the towns clerk’s journal is as follows: William Heartt, J. N. Brock, Henry S. Lovejoy, E. Delling, Andrew Lovejoy, Daniel W. Johnson, Jared Simmons, Orville Williams, A. Bigelow, John Holmes, Wakeman Goodsel, Giles Grovner, Alexander Trombley, Franklin Fairman, Leman Andrews, Thomas Copram, Sylvester Dodge, David Gamble, Oliver A. Dickinson, John Masne, Hiram Allen, Henry E. Kusel, David Kesler, Daniel D. Dopking, Charles Stuck, David H. Andrews.

It is recorded that at a caucus held at the house of William A. Heartt, March 29, 1856, it was unanimously voted to remove the town meeting from the house of D. H. Andrews to the house of William A. Heartt.

At the annual election in 1857, twenty-three votes were cast. November 10^th of this year a meeting of citizens was held at the house of William A. Heartt, for the purpose of voting for the raising of money to defray current town expenses, and to decide what action should be taken with reference to building a bridge across Cass River, on section 20, in town 12 north, range 9 east. It was voted to raise one hundred dollars for defraying town expenses, and also that the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars be raised for building the bridge above mentioned.

The first township caucus recorded for the nomination of town officers was held in March, 1858, at which it was voted to order printed ballots for use at the next election. This was a long stride forward and indicated that a spirit of progress was laying hold upon the minds of the sovereigns of Indian Fields. At the election in April of this year twenty-five votes were cast.

The first action of the town with reference to a public burying ground was had at the annual meeting in April, 1859, when Chester W. Briggs, Franklin Fairman, David Gamble, Amasa Faulkner and Willam A. Heartt were appointed a committee to ascertain where and at what price a suitable lot could be obtained for a burying ground. The board was authorized to purchase the same, if in their opinion the location was a desirable one, and provided the amount of land selected was not less than two acres, and the price not more than fifty dollars. The committee were subsequently authorized to make a purchase, and at the annual meeting in April, 1861, reported that they had purchased a piece of land of Daniel D. Dopking, on the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 17, containing something more than two acres, for the sum of fifty dollars.

The liberties of swine were first restricted by the board in April, 1857, when it was voted that hogs should not run at large.

A pretty good idea of the residents of Indian Fields in April, 1860, may be had from the following list of electors who voted at that election:

William E. Sherman, Samuel P. Sherman, H. G. Alvord, James M. Frost, Isaac Holmes, Baxter Marr, J. C. Lester, Amasa Faulkner, David Kesler, C. F. Chapman, Aaron Dickinson, Jr., Albert Schmidt, Alanson Bigelow, Alexander Cooper, W. H. Delling, J. N. Brock, David Cutler, Chester W. Briggs, Giles Grovenor, Oliver A. Dickinson, Joseph Gamble, Alexander Stewart, John Sherman, Hiram Allen, Isaac N. Crane, David Gamble, Alpheus Marr, D. H. Gould, Amos H. Andrews, Joseph J. Fuller, Charles Austin, Melvin Gibbs, James Lyon, David H.Andrews, Hiram Austin, H. J. Carpenter, H. D. Saunders, James Beckham, William A. Heartt, Daniel D. Dopking, Franklin Fairman, Daniel L. Maxwell, B. F. Nettleton, T. Mansil.

At the presidential election in November, 1860, party lines were pretty clearly defined. The whole number of votes cast for the general ticket was thirty-nine, of which thirty-two were Republican and seven Democrat.

In December, 1861, James W. Spencer was empowered to accept bids and contract for the chopping, clearing and fencing the cemetery ground recently purchased of Daniel D. Dopking, the work to be completed on or before September 1^st. The contract was let to

Matthew S. Dickinson for the sum of $109.50. The work, however, was not finished until some time in 1865.

The annual meeting in 1863 met at the house of Melvin Gibbs, in Centerville. The whole number of votes polled was forty-six.

A special meeting was held at the house of Melvin Gibbs in Centerville, February 20, 1864, when the board was authorized to issue bonds to the amount of $200 for the purpose of hiring volunteers to fill the quota of the township. The resolution was carried by a unanimous vote.

In 1865 the cemetery grounds were laid out into lots and the price to residents of the township fixed at $3 per lot. In June of this year the Board of Health took measures to prevent the spread of small-pox, and employed Stephen R. Cross to take care of Indians exposed to the contagion.

At the annual election in April, 1866, ninety-three votes were polled. The removal of the county seat was voted upon at this election and the vote stood seventy-nine for and fourteen against removal.

At the annual meeting in 1868 it was voted to raise $600 for the erection of a bridge across the Cass River, near the mouth of Sucker Creek.

At the presidential election in November, 1868, one hundred and sixty-four votes were polled, of which the Republican ticket received ninety-six and the Democratic ticket sixty-eight.

At the State election in November, 1870, one hundred and ninety-one votes were polled for governor, of which Henry P. Baldwin received one hundred and four and Charles C. Comstock eighty-seven.

The war record of Indian Fields is specially deserving of notice. The town never sent a drafted man to the army, and there was never but one draft, which was to fill a quota of one man, and was filled by a volunteer. Within three years after the close of the war the town paid its entire war debt.

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May 1998