Happy 200th Birthday to William Henry McConnell, Grand Rapids Pioneer.

He was born on November 12, 1818, in Newbury, Berkshire, England, to William & Sarah D. McConnell.
His family immigrated in his teen years, and he grew up in Danville NY.

By 1842, he was living in Mount Morris, New York, and married Eunice Hopkins in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 11, 1842, when he was 23 years old. The wedding was at Central Reformed Church, officiated by H.E. Waring.

His daughter Mary H. McConnell was born in May 1843 in New York.

His wife Eunice passed away on June 10, 1846 in Grand Rapids, at the age of 26. They had been married 3 years.

By 1848, he was serving as Village Trustee and was in the hardware wholesale business. He later claimed to have built the first business building made of brick in Grand Rapids.

McConnell married Margaret R Sommers in New York on September 3, 1849, when he was 30 years old. The wedding was at Oliver St. Church, and officiated by Rev C.G. Sommers (her father). It was noted in the New York Post.

In the 1850s, he owned a dry-goods store and a metal factory, with inventory of tin, copper, and iron.
His daughter Sarah Skelding McConnell was born on June 9, 1851, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His daughter Eliza S McConnell was born in June 1853.

W.H. McConnell had two brothers who were also well-known in Grand Rapids. One was John McConnell, who was a partner in the hardware business and owned a prominent home on the corner of S. Division Ave and Wealthy St (where the Roman Catholic Diocese building stands in 2018). Another brother was Daniel McConnell, who had a prominent career in the military and as a capitalist. 

In the 1860s, McConnell was on the board of (Park) Congregational Church and instrumental in launching the construction of the church building that still stands today.

In the 1860s, his daughter Sarah went to Vassar college in New York.

In the 1870s, his daughter Sarah married Robert Corson, a Scottish immigrant and sales executive at Berkey & Gay Furniture. They had two sons (one in the photo with grandma Margaret, below) and a daughter.

By 1880, McConnell lived in in the city but also owned a small 30-acre farm in Caledonia, Michigan. In October 1887, at age 68, McConnell had a Going Out of Business Auction of his fabrication business.

William Henry McConnell died on February 10, 1888 when he was 69 years old, of "Brain Fever." His funeral was mostly for family and held at his daughter's house on Madison Ave. (which is now The Parsonage Inn), where William and his wife had been living in their retirement. He was buried in Fulton Cemetery.

After his death, his wife and daughters carried on with his real estate business, frequently taking clients to court to avoid being taken advantage of.

Who was first in Missaukee County?  
Most every history about Missaukee gets it wrong. Family legends get passed down as if they were documented history, and some stories get repeated, sometimes over and over for decades, as if they were true. But historical documents, physical evidence, and the testimony of those who lived it set the record straight when taken together. 

Who was in Missaukee first? You'll have to read to find out! Download the Second Edition PDF and learn the truth.  ​

This Second Edition includes new research, particularly on the earliest people to dwell in Missaukee, from Native Americans, to surveying teams, to the first documented pioneers.

It also now includes several additional and expanded memoirs. John Brink shares some colorful stories from “the first white man to set foot in Missaukee.”  John Vogel’s diary, usually published in a truncated version, is now expanded to include his later life. Several additional first-hand memoirs of pioneers are added, including W.L. Coffinberry, Dan Reeder, Leonard Herweyer, Marion Richardson, and James Cavanaugh. A memoir of a typical Dutch immigrant family has been added.

George Stout now contributes two histories. The first is his 1917 history, roughly covering the years 1871-1917, which provides the most original summary of those decades, along with annotations from historian Fred Hirzel. Later in the collection is Stout’s even earlier review of the year 1891, which is really Stout’s first attempt at summarizing the flavor of Missaukee’s pioneer years. Stout used his 1891 work as a source for his later and more expansive 1917 History. 

Finally, a bibliography of known sources on Missaukee history has been added, with some indication of their value, origins, and relationship to one another, to provide quick access to the most primary sources on key topics.

Find out who was in Missaukee, and who first!

Ever wonder who first homesteaded Michigan's Missaukee County? Well, here's a place to start.

The US Government kept track of who claimed what land, so we have some decent records. The Homestead Act of 1820 provided for people to claim frontier lands, provided they occupied and improved the land. Other legislation allowed lumbermen to buy land for for its timber. Yet other legislation reserved parcels that touched swamp lands for government use and distribution. The government recorded all these claims in big books, organized by township numbers (sorted by Range, then Township, then section). 

This PDF file compiles the the entries from the US Tract Books for Missaukee County, Michigan. It records all the land claims made by lumber cruisers, swamp landers, and homesteaders. You'll see some familiar names like Ferris, Vogel, Abbing, Herweyer, Richardson, Reeder, Morey, White, and more. 
But who was FIRST? You'll have to wait for the Second Edition of the "Early History of Missaukee: A Reader"!