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Doraville Whitney was the
first Black settler in Isabella County in 1860. The first documentation of
an African-American settler in Mecosta County Michigan was James Guy.
His deed was signed by Abraham Lincoln. He obtained 160 acres in Wheatland
Township on May 30, 1861. Lloyd & Margaret Guy were the first
Black settlers in Montcalm County in 1861. The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed each
settler 160 acres in Michigan. By 1873 African-Americans owned
1,392 acres in the three counties of Isabella, Mecosta and Montcalm.
In the 1860's most of the land in Remus was owned by the Old Settlers. |
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James Powell
Pictures Courtesy of
Lillian Mumford and Terri Lynn Cassidy
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| James Powell's
Father |
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Louisa Powell
Mother of
Andrew Flowers |
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Andrew Flowers |
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Albert Powell,
Pauline Powell-Simpson
& Orville D. Powell |
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%20Powell.jpg) |
| John Sherman &
Nellie Powell |
The James Powell Family came from the
Fenwick area. It is recorded in the Montcalm County Records of 1880
that James Powell married Miranda. The known children of this family are:
Pharaoh, Alfred, Grant, Sarah, Sherman, Mary, Adam, Louisa,
Rosetta--(nicknamed Lade married a Van Camp), Lottie, Bub and Jack.
Louisa married Andrew T. Flowers II. (SEE
FLOWERS). Lade married Jerry Van Camp. They lived in the Boyne
City. Their children were: Jay, Frank, Monroe, Toots,
Sylvia, Emma and Clara. Tuberculosis took several in this
family. Andrew and Louisa's first home
was about 3.5 miles south of Remus, and 1/4 mile east. Later moved about 3.5 miles north of Remus. (This property was later owned by their
grandson, Andrew Forest.) They had 12 children.
There is no known information available
for Lottie, Bub and Jack.
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There are "Old Settlers"
who came from Canada via "The Underground Railroad." It was the
most dramatic nonviolent protest against slavery in the United States
that began in the Colonial Era and reached its peak between 1830 and
1865. An estimated 30,000 to 100,000 slaves
used the "railroad" to get to Canada; many others escaped to Mexico,
the Caribbean, and Europe.
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