Old Lodi Academy

Old Lodi Academy.

Death of Dr. E.B. Ward Recalls Some Interesting Reminiscences. 

The Detroit Journal prints an interesting story of the old Lodi academy. It is written by Jerome W. Turner, of Owosso, Mich.:

"Dr. E.B. Ward who died at Laingsburg the other day, has in his death revived memories of the old Lodi academy. In 1853 the writer of this was with him at the preparatory school. There were many others - George Landon, of Monroe; Hobert Miller, a younger brother of Sidney T. Miller, of Detroit, who afterward died at Frankfort-on-the-Main; Ed. Thurber, now Dr. Thurber, of Paris; Dr. Samuel P. Duffield of Detroit; Ed. Wright, of Chicago; Alvin Higgins of San Francisco, if he yet lives; Densmore Carmer, of Ann Arbor; Cleveland Hunt, of Detroit; Edwin Willits, who died at Washington, D.C.; Col. William McCreary of Flint, now deceased, and Alexander McPherson, of Howell, and now president of the Detroit National Bank.

"In those days the "academy" was presided over by Prof. Nutting, who had formerly kept the school at Romeo, a fine classical scholar but with as little capacity for mathematics as is attributed to Combe the phrenologist!

"He often depended on some of the more advanced students to attend to the "figures," while he most ably conducted the studies in the languages. The fame of his scholarship was quite considerable, and his school out there on the "plain" was in its day quite notorious and successful.

"Its bucolic features were not overlooked. It was in the midt of a beautiful farming country, and was about six miles from Ann Arbor the nearest town that could be reached by students who had any inclination to the follies and gaieties of life.

"We all "boarded around" among the farmers. I remember that Landon, Thurber, Miller, Duffield and myself lived at Ira Howe's - a mile and a half from the school. The most of us, however, were expecting to go to the university, and so we often, on Saturday's, did a little extra walking and went down to the "Athens" of the state and moderately enjoyed ourselves in anticipation of the time when we should be full fledged collegians. Directly across the road from the school there was in those days a Presbyterian church, whose pastor was the Rev. Marsh - father of Theodore Marsh, D.D. We were all expected to attend there, and I remember many a lonesome Sunday when we listened to him in his high pulpit. The minister seemed to regard himself, as in a good measure responsible for our Christian welfare, and did not confine his efforts to his uusual and general Sabbath minstration, but pursued us personally on many occasions when perhaps we strove to avoid him. I use the word pursued, not to express any aversion to him, but rather to portray our own untoward conduct, in sometimes trying to escape from him. He was a brave, good soul, long since gone to his reward.

"Dr. Ward's father lived on the "plains'," but curiously enough, he was a member of the Presbyterian church at Saline, and I distinctly remember of one occasion when Rev. Laird, who was then the preacher, called out to the old gentleman, right in the midst of his sermon. "Brother Ward, wake up, or you will lose this sermon, and I will too!" I think he had considerable "grace," for he did not seem to be angry, but appeared to contend against sleepiness, through all the rest of the discourse. He died finally, I believe from poison - a mistaken overdose. Yesterday - after the lapse of all the time since 1853 - I saw the remains of his son, the doctor, taken to the cemetery.