TappingRoots

Sharing Personal History One Life at a Time

Tag: #PortHuronHistory (page 1 of 1)

March 18, 2026 / 0 Comments

A Lovely View, A New Chapter

After nearly ten years of writing and sharing stories here on TappingRoots, I have made the decision not to renew the blog this year.

This space has meant more to me than I can fully put into words. What began as a place to explore family history and follow the threads of the past from Henry McMorran to the Harsen family, grew into something much richer thanks to all of you. Your support, encouragement, and shared interest in these stories have meant everything along the way.

While I am closing this chapter, I am not stepping away from the work. I will continue sharing my research, writing, and new stories on my Facebook author page:

Brenda L. Williams – A Lovely View

I hope will you will come and join me there as I continue this journey.

Thank you for being part of TappingRoots over the years. It has truly been a lovely view.

With gratitude,

Brenda

June 23, 2024 / 4 Comments

Montgats: Finding Joseph Watson

Anton van den Wyngaerde (1510-1570). Panoramic view of Barcelona from Montjuic Mountain 1563. Pen drawing. (today the site of Montjuic Castle in Barcelona, Spain, which was built in 1640), Courtesy of Vintage City Maps.com
Montjuic Castle, Barcelona, Spain, 2023. Courtesy of Wikipedia.com

In the first chapter of my new book, Pioneers of St. Clair County, Michigan, I share the early history of the southeast corner of Military and Water Streets in Port Huron, Michigan, which today is the site of the City Flats Hotel. The land where the hotel stands started out as a ten thousand square foot lot that was situated within an 80 acre plat of land in Section 10 purchased by Joseph Watson from the U.S. government in 1818 which he platted out as the town called Montgats. In 1835 he sold the first lot to Michael Kerley on which he built a store and wharf.

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June 2, 2024 / 1 Comment

Pioneers of St. Clair County, Michigan, Available June 10

Explore the history of St. Clair County in my new book, available through Arcadia Publishing and other online retailers (Amazon, BAM , Barnes & Noble, etc).

The rich history of St. Clair County has been shaped by the colorful people of its past. From the Kerley Lot to the City Flats Hotel, the corner of Military and Water Street in Port Huron is forever etched with the spirit of diverse and passionate citizens like Daniel B. Harrington and James W. Sanborn. The bankruptcy of John Johnston & Co. shaped the fortunes of a local family. Local lumbermen influenced the lumber industry not just in the county but across Michigan. The Radical Republicans contributed to the rise and fall of Congressman Omar D. Conger, and the controversial John P. Sanborn played an outsized role in local politics. Author Brenda L. Williams leads a historical journey into the captivating lives of early local luminaries.

April 3, 2021 / 0 Comments

The First Land Sales in Port Huron, Michigan

Edward Tiffin Portrait
Edward Tiffin

Tiffin and Michigan Land

After the War of 1812, the federal government conducted surveys of land to be used for military bounties in parts of the Northwest Territory for soldiers who fought in the war.  Each soldier to be given 160 acres.  Edward Tiffin, Surveyor General for the Northwest, issued a letter dated November 30, 1815, to Josiah Meigs, Commissioner of the General Land Office, in which he reported unfavorable conditions in the Michigan Territory describing the land as “so bad that there would not be more than one acre out of a hundred, if there would be one out of a thousand, that would in any case admit of cultivation.”

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November 11, 2018 / 2 Comments

The McMorran Dock

HM.Grocery.Receipt

Image:  Henry McMorran receipt, circa 1876. Source:  John Stillson Probate File

In life we all get our start somewhere.  In most instances, that start begins with experiences and connections we share with people.  Henry McMorran’s start is no exception.  As I discussed in an earlier blog, Henry worked for W.H.B. Dowling as a clerk until his business closed in 1860.  During the Civil War period from 1861 to 1865, Henry went to work as a clerk for two men, John Stillson, who was engaged in the lumbering and mail stage business in Brockway & Port Huron, and Myron Williams, who is known for having been heavily involved in the lumbering and vessel building trade in the Marysville area with his son-in-law, Nelson Mills, starting in 1850.  In 1862, Myron sold his interest in the lumber mills to Nelson and focused entirely on his vessel business.

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September 23, 2018 / 7 Comments

The “Henry McMorran”

Articles of Association

The Port Huron and Northwestern Railway Company

In March of 1878, in Port Huron, Michigan, D.B. Harrington, John P. Sanborn, Henry Howard, Fred L. Wells, Charles A. Ward, William Hartsuff, James Beard, Henry McMorran, Silas S. Ballentine, Peter B. Sanborn and Charles R. Brown, came together to form the Port Huron and Northwestern Railway Company.  They formed the company to construct a railroad with a gauge of three feet that would travel in the city of Port Huron as well as through a portion of St. Clair, Sanilac, and Huron counties to the village of Port Austin.  Their goal was to use the road to transport people and goods throughout the area to benefit the local business community.

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May 11, 2018 / 2 Comments

Those of Us Who Try…. DO: Part II

There was more to R.C. Mudge than just making paper garments.  He enjoyed music, acting, and giving to those less fortunate than himself.  In 1889, he printed a piece of piano sheet music titled “The Paper Vest Gallop” composed by J.E. Fancher from the sulphite paper used to make his paper garments.  He gave out free copies to anyone in the Port Huron community who requested one.  At the time, the cost of a piece of sheet music was 50 cents.  Today, that would equate to $12.50.  The sheet music survives and is part of the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection at the John Hopkins Sheridan Libraries & University Museums archive.  In addition to printing off and giving out free music, Mudge was praised many times by the Port Huron community for donating paper blankets to the Port Huron Hospital and Home Association and paper vests to local mail carriers.

Paper Vest Gallop

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