Life Saving Service

LIFE SAVING SERVICE – 1880

1.     Magazine of Western History (Vol. 4, March, 1886.) P. 229.
2.     Detroit POST AND TRIBUNE, March 29, 1882.  P. 5, Col. 4.  Station at Grand Haven.

Executive Office RG-44, Box 43
DNR RG 80-32

Liberty Party

DAH
P272

The Liberty Party (1839-48) was the first anti-slavery political party.  It was formed by anti-Garrison abolitionists and cast 7059 votes in the campaign of 1840.  James G. Birney was its candidate in that year and again in 1844 when a total of 62,300 votes was attained, drawing enough from Clay to give New York and the election to Polk.  In 1848 it nominated John P. Hale who withdrew and the party merged with the Free Soil organizations.

Les Cheneaux Islands

Source:

1.    Michigan History Magazine, Vol. 2, p. 530-1.
2.    Grover, Frank R.  A Brief History of Les Chaneaux Islands.  Evanston, Illinois, 1911 p. 14

Legislative Intent (how to)

Legislative Intent

ONE AT A TIME!

1). PA or Bill #; No compiled act numbers.
2). Determine if it is House or Senate
3). Look in House or Senate Rolls.  Translate PA to bill # and figure out what the cimmittee is.  Goto legislative binder, under year and committee find the RG # and box #.  Report substantive material to the patron.

Other Sources:

Committee Minutes

Library of Michigan: analysis (1974-present) copies of bills (all versions)

Legislator’s personal papers

Committee Clerks

Senate or House Clerks

CHECK legislative database.

Unofficial amended House and Senate bills.

Early Legislative Bills

LEGISLATIVE BILLS (Michigan Legislature) 1838-1851
The following bills are available at Burton Historical Collections:
House Bills
Date            Number         Date            Number
January 20, 1838           18        February 23, 1838           63
January 24, 1838           20        February 23, 1838           64
January 29, 1838           17        February 23, 1838           65
January 31, 1838           21        February 23, 1838           66
February 1, 1838           22        February 26, 1838           67
February 1, 1838           23        February 26, 1838           70
February 1, 1838           24        February 28, 1838           68
February 1, 1838           25        February 28, 1838           69
February 1, 1838           26        March 2, 1838           71
February 2, 1838           27        March 2, 1838           72
February 2, 1838           29        March 3, 1838           73
February 2, 1838           30        March 5, 1838           74
February 5, 1838           31        March 5, 1838           75
February 7, 1838           32        March 5, 1838           76
February 7, 1838           33        March 6, 1838           77
February 7, 1838           34        March 6, 1838           78
February 7, 1838           35        March 6, 1838           79
February 7, 1838           36        March 7, 1838           80
February 8, 1838           37        March 9, 1838           81
February 9, 1838           38        March 9, 1838           82
February 9, 1838            39        March 12, 1838           83
February 9, 1838           41        March 13, 1838           84
February 10, 1838           42        March 13, 1838           85
February 12, 1838           43        March 14, 1838           86
February 12, 1838           44        March 14, 1838           87
February 12, 1838           48        March 14, 1838           88
February 12, 1838           49        March 14, 1838           89
February 13, 1838           45        March 16, 1838           90
February 13, 1838           46        March 16, 1838           91
February 13, 1838           47        March 17, 1838           92
February 15, 1838           50        March 19, 1838           94
February 15, 1838           51        March 23, 1838           98
February 16, 1838           61        January 30, 1839           22
February 19, 1838           52        February 14, 1839           36
February 19, 1838           53        February 20, 1839           41
February 19, 1838           54        March 25, 1839           90
February 20, 1838           55        April 17, 1839           48
February 20, 1838           56        January 29, 1841           19
February 21, 1838           57        January 29, 1841           21
February 21, 1838           58        January 29, 1841           22
February 21, 1838           59        January 29, 1841           23
February 21, 1838           60        March 9, 1849          192
February 22, 1838           62

Senate Bills

Date            Number         Date            Number
December 21, 1837       15        March 23, 1839           41
January 26, 1838              4        January 22, 1839             8
January 26, 1838             5        January 30, 1839           13
February 22, 1838           15        March 30, 1839           23
February 24, 1838           16        April 5, 1839           33
March 5, 1838           24        January 28, 1840           16
March 12, 1838           29        February 23, 1843           25
March 14, 1838           21        February 16, 1846           20
March 16, 1838           32        January 11, 1848             9
March 22, 1838           36        March 3, 1851           41
March 23, 1838           40

LANSING (Biddle City:  Town of Michigan)

Source:

1.    Biddle City:  Ingham County Plat Book, Vol. 106, P. 7060.  Recorded Register of Deeds, County of Jackson.  April 19, 1836.

2.    Town of Michigan:  Ingham County Plat Book, Vol. 106, P. 7099.  Three sheets of information – 1 map; 2 descriptions.  Recorded June 23, 1847.

See map.  MHC map collection.

LANSING

G VII
B1
F34
Old

Re:  Block 107.  Turner, Nelson and Englehart, Philip

LANSING – WELLS (Water)

Lot 8, Block 246

See:  Minutes of Board of Control for Boys’ Vocational School, April 5, 1874.

Land (general)

Source:

1.    Public Land Ownership – in the lake states North Central Regional Publ. 12 by Raleigh Barlowe, Michigan State C. Agr. Exp. Sta. Epec/Bul. 351.  August 1948, 28p.

2.    Williams, W. B. Legal description from a surveyor’s viewpoint.  Surveying and mapping, 11:245-9, July-September, 1951.  Ambiguities in early designations…since 1785.

3.    Primary records of the Marquette Land Office available in Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library.  Book of Record, 1869-1922, 20 vols; Lette books, 1898-1922, 10 vols; Military certificates, 1873-1906, 2 vols; Register of Homestead Certificates, 1869-1908, 4 vols. (incl. Grayling and Reed City, 1872-1898; 1885-1898.  Locations by script, 1880-1906, 1 vol.

Agricultural College Lands

RG 60-8, B3, 4, 5  Appraisal of Agricultural College Land.  1883-1896.  10 in.

B42, Selections of State Lands.  1839-1879.  4 in.  B49, Caveats.  1883-1893.  2 in.

RG 62-16  V. 124 Minutes of Agricultural Land Grant Board.  1863-1874.  V. 128 Record of Primary School and Agricultural Lands forfeited to state for non-payment of interest and available for sale at public auction.  1887-1897.

V. 142.  Report of examination of state lands made under Act 95, MPA 1875. 1875-1876.  1 vol. (re trespass)

Box 5.  Correspondence relating to sale of agricultural college lands to the United States.  1926.  1 folder.

V. 135-136.  Appraisal of Agricultural College Lands as examined and appraised by State Board of Agriculture.  1883.  V. 135 – Alcona-Presque Isle.  V. 136.  Alcona-Wexford counties.

Land Use Maps

Compiled by LeRoy Barnett

MC 000 D2

Nature Conservancy Pre-Settlement Vegetation Map

MC 000 D2

Land Grants

“The Public Domain” by Thomas Donadson
KF 5605 .D65 1884a (Law Library of Michigan)

Finding information on first landowners (i.e., the first private owners of a piece of land):

(Scroll toward the bottom for information on the Detroit area. This area is different, as parts were settled before Territorial status.)

The first landowners books are index volumes that have been cataloged and can be found on our book shelves.  They are in call number range F572.  Note that we only have first landowner books for these counties:  Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw, Wayne. 

Tract books record first transfers from public to private hands.  They document transfers of both state and federal land!  Tract books are arranged by legal description (township, range, section).  Note that a piece of land can change hands from public to private and then back again.  (This can happen when, for example, someone doesn’t pay taxes.)  In such cases, the government would then often sell the land to another private owner.  All such transactions will also be covered in the tract books. 

Online federal land patent database:  http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/   This is generally the quickest way to find first owners of federal land.  It’s generally, best to check this before checking state patents, since there were far more federal patents issued.

State Land Patent records are in RG 94-304, Department of State.  They can be searched through our Microsoft Access database.  You’ll find this at g:/Archives/Databases/Abrams Land Patent Project.  You’ll need the legal description, or you won’t find the right table to search. 

State land patents can also be searched through the Land grant abstracts:  (RG 85-50, Department of Natural Resources).  This is essentially an index of all grants bestowed by or received and sold by the state.  You have to have the legal description to search them. (Thus, it’s usually just easier to go to the Microsoft Access database: g:/Archives/Databases/Abrams Land Patent Project.).    

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DETROIT AREA:

            *Michigan Territory was established in 1805.  Surveyor Aaron Greely was charged with surveying prior land claims – otherwise known as “private claims.”  Greely’s surveys are notoriously inaccurate in some areas.  The private claims can be found in RG 87-153, Department of Natural Resources.

            *Ten Thousand Acre Tract: In 1806, the Michigan Governor and Territorial Supreme Court Justices were authorized to lay out ten thousand acres adjacent to Detroit.  We have no records for any of this land and none are known to exist.    

Land Economic Survey Maps

Land Economic Survey Maps

RG 62-16