By 1823 the area soon to be called Washington Township contained thirteen inhabitants. That year the Jersey family came to Michigan from the east, and took over 120 acres of government land, making them the third family to settle here. Henry Jersey built a sturdy cabin for his family and on February 12, 1824 Mary Jane Jersey was born, known as the first white, non Native American, child born in the area. For eighteen years the members of this hardy pioneer family worked their farm and made the log cabin home, but the time soon came for a new and larger house. From the thick beds of clay on the farm Mr Jersey began making bricks. He made bricks until there were stacks of them around this cabin. When he felt he had enough, he built a home for his family from what his land had provided, along with many other homes in the Romeo area.
As the township grew with new settlers, Henry’s daughter Mary Jane Jersey would never move from her father’s brick house. Mary Jane passed away at eighty years old on May 22, 1904, with her burial at Washington Center Cemetery on 29 Mile Road.
William Charles LeFever (1874-1946) married Mary Jane Smith (1879-1939) on September 5,1899, both being from Blissfield Township, Michigan. They bought the farm on 29 Mile Road between 1911 and 1912. The farm was said to be one of the stage coach stops on the route from Port Huron, Michigan to Pontiac, Michigan. The farm had a large cement lined pond used for watering the teams of horses from the stagecoach behind the house and a large oval stone at the east side of the house next to a large tree where the stagecoaches would pull up and let passengers on and off. The house had a large gathering room on the east half of the house, with several sleeping rooms on the second floor. Over the years many Indian arrowheads and artifacts would be found in the farm and surrounding area. The LeFever children when grown, would also build houses on both the north and south side of 29 Mile Road.
LeFever family, left to right, starting at back row, Homer, Elmer, Ina, Lloyd, Howard, middle row, Clifford, Donald, William, Mary, Vora, Ada, front row, Marian, Milton and Beulah. Although a number of family members would occupy the house as they got older, the farm was eventually sold to developers and now subdivisions of homes have taken its place along 29 Mile Road. From ‘Farming in Northern Macomb County’ by Arcadia Publishing.
On that ‘wee note’ till next week.
Thank you to the Greater Washington Township Area Historical Society and ‘Through These Doors’ and the William and Mary LeFever Farm Memories by Steven LeFever.
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Linda Osborne Cynowa 