The Kellogg side of my family came to Michigan in the 1830s. My great great great grandfather, Erastus Kellogg, took up a parcel of land in Osceola township from the government in 1837. Martin Van Buren signed the land grant that gave 240 acres to Erastus, which he gave to his son Ebenezer to farm. This land was conveniently available due to the Removal Act of 1830, which forced the Native Shiawassee and Saginaw Chippewa, who lived and hunted here to leave their homelands and relocate west of the Mississippi river. One of my grandfathers collected quite a few arrowheads while following behind his father plowing the fields. My cousin Rob is the keeper of these treasures.
I am deeply saddened by the cruelty that was inflicted on these people in the name of European settlement. Regardless, the land was passed down from generation to generation. Sheep and dairy farming were major sources of income for the farmers in the family.
Eventually, the 240 acres were parceled off to the children and grandchildren of Ebenezer. My grandfather, Clifford, was given fifty acres, which was finally whittled down to ten acres by the time I came along.
When I was growing up I thought it was pretty special that we had a road with our name on it. As an adult, I realized that half of the kids I went to school with had roads with their names on them. That was common practice when our ancestors made their claims. As a child, I played in the woods and pond and collected nuts from under the big Shagbark hickory tree near my grandma's house. My brother and I would sit on the cement porch in front of the house and crack these nuts, eating the sweet meat that we found inside. Let me tell you, it is hard work to get any nourishment from a hickory nut! I learned to drive on the roads bordering the property, driving my dad's Ford pickup truck.
The history of our connection to the land has always been important to me. I loved hearing my dad tell stories about attending school across the road from their house. The Kellogg School was a one-room schoolhouse, where Ebenezer taught at one time. My dad had the job of going over and starting a fire in the wood stove every morning when he was just eight or nine years old. He took that responsibility very seriously.
Ebenezer's first wife, Rachel Goeway Kellogg was the first family member buried in what is now the Kellogg Cemetery. In 1864 Ebenezer legally designated that little plot for family burials. There are to date thirty-seven souls interred there, all related to me by blood or marriage. My husband and I will be buried there as well.
My grandfather's ten acres were sold when my grandmother passed away. My uncle Kern Kellogg retained the largest portion of land which he farmed until he died. At that time his widow, Mary Purdy Kellogg, sold all but ten acres and built a small house for herself and her son, Randy, to live in.
When Randy passed away in 2016, I acquired five acres of vacant land, and the other five acres and house were sold to a non-family member. Thus, I became the
last Kellogg to own land on Kellogg Road.
As I have watched our county grow, I've been troubled by the way large farms have been chopped up into ten, five, or even one-acre plots, subdivisions, and retail space. Wildlife habitat is being lost at an alarming rate. Over the years I have become more convinced of the importance of preserving open land for wildlife and a connection with nature that is being lost. I want my grandchildren to be able to experience the joy of their bare feet on the soil that fed their ancestors.
One of my uncles, Kernie King, introduced me to the Livingston Land Conservancy many years ago. He worked with them to find parcels of land in the county and preserve those spaces for future generations. The Conservancy protects land by way of ownership as nature preserves or through conservation easements. Their mission is to protect the natural heritage and rural character of the greater Livingston County area. They work to preserve quality natural areas and productive farmland as well as to promote an appreciation and understanding of the environment for the long-term benefit of the public. https://livingstonlandconservancy.org/
I recently donated my five acres to the Livingston Land Conservancy. The Kellogg Family Nature Preserve can never be developed and will remain in a natural state for the enjoyment of wildlife and the community. My grandchildren will be able to learn a little bit about the history of their family by visiting and walking the paths that will be maintained by the conservancy. I hope they take off their shoes.
Comments