Steps: The Ashley Family of Allegan, Michigan

This week's prompt was Steps.  I've already written about all the steps David Bellinger took in his long life. From walking to Michigan from Ohio, and then marching in the Union Army with General Sherman on his march through Georgia and to the sea. I have very recently come across another ancestor who walked a great many steps. My 2x great grandfather, Orville  Ashley.

Last week I was able to finally obtain a copy of a family history written about my paternal grandmother's family. The title of the book is "Our Pioneer Family: Joseph and Mary Allen Ashley" written by Mrs. Effie Kellogg French, granddaughter of Joseph and Mary Ashley. Effie wrote it in 1926. Effie wrote down the stories told to her by her mother, Lucina Ashley, and tales told to her from her aunts and uncles and grandparents themselves. 

The story begins in 1843. Joseph Ashley's father, Nicholas Ashley, has passed away. Joseph is about 43 years old and the father of  9 children. Orville, my 2x great grandfather, is 7 years old and the 5th of the 9 children. For whatever reason, cheap land or change of scenery, Joseph decides to move the family to Michigan. They are currently living in Williamson, New York. Williamson is on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. Just east of Rochester, New York. The family left New York in either September or October of 1843. They had a one horse buggy wagon that was later called the "Democrat Wagon" and a covered wagon drawn by 2 horses which contained their household goods. A big iron kettle hung underneath the wagon. Effie also writes that a cow was tied at the back of the wagon but never made it to Michigan. The family traveled west through upper New York, then through the upper northwest portion of Pennsylvania and into Ohio where they stopped near Cleveland. They stayed in Ohio for 6 weeks to rest the horses, and themselves. According to a biographical sketch of Orville written in 1892 a cow was obtained in Ohio to bring along for milk. 

While in Ohio the ground was quite muddy and the wagons got stuck. The children had to help get the wagons free. The older children were expected to help keep an eye on their younger siblings. When the kids got tired of riding in the wagon they were allowed to get out and run and walk alongside. The wagon wasn't the only thing that got stuck in the mud. The kids would also lose their shoes in the mud. The older brothers, or Joseph would have to go back and find the shoes in the mud. At night the children all slept on feather beds in the wagon.  

The family finally reached Michigan in January 1844. The new land was entirely forested and contained a log cabin. It was 80 acres in section 36 of Allegan County Township. Joseph paid the back taxes and liens against the property and was granted full title to it on February 5, 1847. He cleared 36 acres of land and added a board shanty to the log cabin. One interesting bit of information is that Joseph later sold 50 acres of this farm to a newly arrived immigrant family from Germany. They were Mr. and Mrs. Glye. Mrs. Glye was the sister-in-law of Carl Friedrich Theodor Strandt. I'm sure Carl and his family must've come to Allegan to visit their relatives.  I wonder if it was on one of these trips that William Strandt met Mary Pulsipher and ended up becoming engaged and moving to Allegan from Chicago? 

I track my daily steps with a Fitbit. I often find it hard to get in my recommended 9500 steps in a day. I'm sure walking from New York to Michigan, Great, great grandpa Orville Ashley got in more than 10,000 steps on a daily basis. 

screenshot of "Our pioneer family"