Sebewa
| Sebewa Township, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Township | |
 Sebewa Township
Sebewa Township
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| Coordinates: 42°49′10″N 85°0′39″W / 42.81944°N 85.01083°WCoordinates: 42°49′10″N 85°0′39″W / 42.81944°N 85.01083°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Ionia |
| Area | |
| • Total | 35.8 sq mi (92.8 km2) |
| • Land | 35.8 sq mi (92.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 830 ft (253 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,202 |
| • Density | 33.6/sq mi (13.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 26-72120 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1627054 |
Sebewa Township is a civil township of Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,202.
The first permanent white settlers in the township were John F. Terrill, Charles W. Ingalls, and John Brown from Vermont, who arrived in 1838. An earlier settler by the name of Jones had arrived in 1836 with his wife, but did not remain in the area. Terrill located on section 25 and Ingall and Brown in section 36. In 1843, Terrill, along with Anson W. Halbert, built a sawmill on the Sebewa Creek, just west of "The Corners" located where the corners of four sections met along the eastern township line. Halbert had arrived in 1841 and married one of Terrill's daughters and carried out some trade at the Corners.
Jacob Showerman had been to the area in 1836 looking for land and found only Jones in section 1. Showerman entered a claim for 160 acres (0.65 km2) of land in section 22 and returned in 1839 with Eleazer Brown and their families. They lodged in the small one-room cabin of Terrill's along with Terrill's and that of William Hogle and his son-in-law John Brown. The twenty people in the four families passed four weeks together until a path to Showerman's property could be cut. Eleazer Brown settled on land he bought in section 26.
Rufus Goddard, who had moved west from Livingston County, New York, came to the area in 1837 and located land in Sebewa while his family remained in Lenawee County. Goddard, along with Benjamin D. Weld, who was to give some assistance to Goddard, were to come together to Sebewa. However, Weld was not ready to move and both families remained in Lenawee. Weld moved to Sebewa in 1843 and settled in the southwestern part of Sebewa. Goddard followed in 1844 and worked a year and a half to repay Weld before settling on 80 acres (320,000 m2) in section 32.
Sebewa Township was a part of Berlin Township until March 19, 1845, when it was created as a separate township. The first names proposed were "Charlestown", in honor of Charles W. Ingalls; and "Liberia", but Rufus Goddard suggested Sebewa, after Sebewa Creek, meaning little river. The first township meeting was held at the home of Jacob Showerman, but no record of the meeting attendees or acts remains.
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