Ann Arbor's Name

ANN ARBOR'S NAME.

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The Death of Mrs. Mary E. Lathrop at Stockbridge

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RECALLS EARLY HISTORY ABOUT HERE.

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The Lady Never Heard the Dorrmer Story and Often Told the Real Facts of Ann Arbor's Christening—Rev. C. M. Cobern Called to a Fine Charge at Denver.

Mrs. Mary E. Lathrop died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. John Gibbins, at Stockbridge, December 29th, in her 89th year. The deceased was an old resident of this city. Upon her marriage to George L. Lathrop in 1828, she accompanied him to the then territory of Michigan, the couple locating on eighty acres of land two and a half miles east of the city, on the Dixboro road. They hewed out their home in the wilderness. Wagons brought their goods from their former home near Batavia, N.Y., to Buffalo, and there they took the boat for Detroit On the voyage they were robbed of $500. At Detroit they paid $40 for a team and proceeded on with their household goods packed away in a lumber wagon, until they reached this city. There was no city then of learning. Instead the wolves howled where the university now stands and there was nothing in the university portion of the city. Where Ypasilanti [sic] is there stood but four houses then. In connection with her death it might be mentioned here that Mrs. Lathrop never mentioned the Dorrmer family, nor did she know—or at least never mentioned—Ann Allen, who Dorrmer claims was confined in a natural arbor from which fact this city was called "Ann Arborm" or "Hann's Arbor,
 as Dorrmer claims the original name was. Mrs. Lathrop's daughters believe that had any such fact been connected with the early history of Ann Arbor that their mother would have spoken about it, as she talked much of the early days and Feb. 9, 1893, had printed in the Stockbridge Sun an extended recollection of the pioneer times in which this was not mentioned. She remembered, however, Ann, wife of Judge Rumsey, and concerning Ann ARbor's name she, in her paper mentioned above, said: "That city derived its name on account of the noble aspects of the original site of the village, which was a burr oak opening resembling an arbor, laid out and cultivated by the hand of nature. For the prefix 'Ann' it was indebted according to the undeniable tradition to the first white woman that cooked the first meal there, Ann Sprague, then Mrs. Rumsey of our town, East Bethany. She took me down to a little brook or run, as they called it, where some stones were piled together; here, she did her cooking. Thought it has been some 60 years it seems as though I could locate it now were there."

Mrs. Lathrop claimed to be the pioneer teacher in the Ann Arbor vicinity, having opened a school in her home soon after settling here. Further on in the paper Mr. Lathrop gave the following interesting history:

'The first celebration ever held in Ann Arbor was so different in many respects. The seasons being earlier, they had new wheat, corn and in fact all garden produce. A Virginia man by the name of Allen, an experimental gardener furnished them. His garden was on the ground where the university now stands. I forgot to say that previous to the whites coming here, it was the Indian's dancing ground. So you see it was in a fine condition, being well cleared.

"The Indians were not troublesome at that time, yet occasionally when they found women alone, and they had been using fire water (whiskey) too freely, they would trouble them. I remember once instance. They had been to Detroit for their presents and were on their way home. Near Plymouth, and the chief's son went into a settler's house and demanded bread. The woman told him she had none, he still insisted, they had none, and he killed her. The news spread, they raised a company in Detroit, having Dr. Nicholas for captain. They overtook them on the pains near Plymouth. They gave the chief to understand that if he would deliver up his son, they would not molest them, but if not, they would shoot him. He made motion for them to do so, and they did so. It was called Togu Plains, after the chief and there was no more trouble at that time. Dr. Nichols afterwards located in Dexter, and was leading physician there for years."

Mrs. Lathrop survived her husband four years, after sixty years of wedded life.  She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Stockbridge and the funeral was held from it New Years day, and interment was made in Dansville cemetery.