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Early Families

On Section 28, the south half of the northwest ½ was purchased by Cornelius S. Wiltse in 1843. Included also was the southeast ¼ of the northeast of Section 29 and is shown on the 1875 plat map of Burns Township. Cornelius’s brother, Henry, had moved to Michigan in the spring of 1839, settling in Bancroft. Henry was treasurer of Burns Township at one time. They were from a family of 12 children from around Hannibal, N.Y. and their parents were Cornelius and Ruth Shute Wiltse. It appears that the whole family moved to Michigan with the exception of a brother named Frederick who stayed in New York state. The mother Ruth, died in Hannibal in 1847. Henry and Cornelius S. and other family members are buried in Union Plains cemetery. Another brother, Daniel, married Lucy Lowell and they had 3 son’s and a daughter. Their son Lowell died of accidental drowning in the mill race. He was a miller by trade. Sumner died at age 21 years and Emmett married Emma Allen, daughter of Dr. Pennington Allen, and they had 3 son’s, Sumner, George Roscoe, Allen and a daughter, Gladys. The only daughter of Dan and Lucy was Julia and she married Charles McQueen of Byron. The McQueen house was located on the west side of N. Saginaw Street, the second house north of Washington Street and still stands today.