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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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SECTION 1
John Cummins
SECTION 2
William Cummins
SECTION 3
Cummins Family Pictures
SECTION 4
Cummings Homestead
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William Cummings/Cummins Family
Homestead
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Picture Courtesy of Robert Williams
One of the first homes in Remus, MI -
Cummins Log Cabin Home
L - R Standing: Corner of House is
Ida. Front is Esther with daughter Sophia.
Sitting on the right is daughter
Marinda.
On the far right is
Joseph, Sr. Boy with dog is
Joseph, Jr. |
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Picture Courtesy of Robert Hill Williams
Joseph and Esther Cummins home in Remus,
MI.
This is the second home after the
original log cabin.
Date Unknown. Esther is the
second person from the
left.
Other people unknown. |
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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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