Ella Judson was born near Cleveland, Ohio, and was reared to agricultural pursuits, educated in the common schools, and supplemented that education by devoting his spare moments to self-instruction. He was a very industrious youth and began his business life as a poor boy.

In early manhood he walked from his native county to Michigan. He reached Grand Rapids when it was an insignificant hamlet with but one log house. There he worked for a Mr. Chubb on a farm for one year.

In 1836, one year before Michigan became a state, he located 80 acres of wild government land on Section 8, Byron Township. His son, Washington, still has in his possession the original deed to this tract, executed November, 1837, and signed by then president of the United States, Martin Van Buren.

The land was purely virgin as not a stick of timber had ever been cut from it. The first habitation occupied here by Mr. Judson was a primitive log cabin, usual in those days, but he afterward developed a good farm from the forests with comfortable improvements.

Among the other only settlers in 1836 were Nathan, Jerry and William Boynton, John Harman, and Harman Kellogg.

In politics Mr. Judson was a Democrat, but his farm occupied his attention rather than office holding. His devotion to his own interests met with its reward. He was a warm friend of the public school system, and religiously was a member of the Disciple Church.

Washington Judson well remembers the old log cabin built by his father and in which he was reared to manhood. There was but one schoolhouse in Byron Township and not a church during his boyhood days. At his birth there were not more than 30 families living here. Byron Center was a quagmire, and where the Union Depot now stands in Grand Rapids was a swamp not worth more than $1 per acre.

Mr. Judson, in his early farming days, used the old-fashioned four-fingered cradle and scythe in cutting grain, and the first threshing he ever did was with the primitive flail. The next was by tramping on the grain on the barn floor with horses in truly pioneer style.

Mr. W. Judson received his education in the little frame school house known as No. 2. The first log school house No. 1 in the township of Byron had a row of windows in one end and the seats were slabs with pegs for legs. No. 2 was the pride of the township, yet its methods were primitive, and the birchen rod and dunce block were among its appliances.

Some of the early pioneer amusements consisted of taffy pulling, apple parings, log rollings, etc., and concluded with a dance such as the Virginia reel, fisher’s hornpipe and so on.

Mr. W. Judson began laboring out at the age of fourteen years at $7 per month and his earnings he promptly turned over to his father. But at his majority he had saved about $200. He became an expert shingle packer and spent about seven years in the shingle and lumber mills of Ottawa County. He was always industrious and active and willing at all times to undertake any work that would net him an honest dollar.

March 17, 1875, Mr. W. Judson wedded Miss Mary McKenney and to this union has been born five children – two sons and three daughters – of whom four are still living. Rose is a member of the Rebekahs, Leah Lods, No. 171 at Byron Center. Viola is now the wife of Henry Sadler. Mabel has passed through the 8^th grade like her sisters, received instruction in music, and Homer, now in the eighth grade, also assists his father on the home farm.

Mrs. Mary Judson was born in Canada as daughter to Samuel and Elizabeth McKenney. She was a little girl when her parents brought her to Michigan. She was a model wife and mother, and although her married life was of short duration – but eight years – had always been her husband’s faithful counselor and helpmate. Her departure was a sad loss to her husband and children, as well as to her neighbors, with whom she was a universal favorite.

In politics Mr. W. Judson is Democratic in sentiment, although he cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has held the office of township commissioner three different times after the law was changed for one man to hold the office instead of three. He has always been a friend of public education, and for 12 years was a school official. He has always had the full confidence of his party and the public at large.

Fraternally he is a member of Halcyon Lodge, No. 224, I.O.O.F. at Byron Center and passed all the chairs and also has acted as delegate to the grand lodge.

Mr. Judson has been very public spirited and liberal in promoting the advancement of Byron Township, and has aided financially in the erection of 4 different churches in his immediate neighborhood. The needy are never turned away empty handed from his door. He and family are ranked with the better class of citizens of the township and their personal merits have won for them the esteem of the entire community.

Ella was 64 when he died. His wife Nancy (Harmon) was 47. They are buried in Boynton Cemetery.

(From the City of Grand Rapids, Bowen, 1900)

Transcriber: Evelyn Sawyer
Created: 19 October 2002
URL: http://kent.migenweb.net/townships/byron/pioneers/judson.html