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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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Aaron Morgan
Pictures Courtesy of Helen Ransom
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Aaron, Kellwine, and Johanna Lett-Morgan |
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Front:
Leigh Morgan & John Lett
Back:
Doc, Daniel, and Ed Morgan |
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Katherine Morgan & Eva Scott
Daughter of Joanna and Aaron Morgan |
According to The Old Settlers Reunion:
A
Nation Within Itself, Aaron Morgan was born on June 1, 1844, in
Nelsonville, Ohio. Aaron married Johanna Lett at Greenville,
Michigan, in 1867. The Dan Pointer Farm was left to Aaron. It
became a popular gathering place for friends and was known as the "Morgan
Farm." Aaron and Johanna 12 children. Aaron helped to construct the
A. M. E. Zion Church in Mecosta and served as one of its trustees for many
years. A portion of the Morgan Farm was set aside for a burying
ground that is known today as West Wheatland Cemetery. Johanna was
the daughter of Ely Lett. She was born August 2, 1855 and died January 30, 1906. Aaron and
Johanna's children were: Mary J., Edward, Susanna, Jane M., Derrick
"Doc," Daniel, Aaron E., Ida, Elijah, Emma, Viola and Catherine.
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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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