Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Edward P. Strong of Sheridan Township

Here is another letter published published in the Pioneer Magnet (Big Rapids, Mecosta County, Michigan) from Thursday May 9, 1878.


Edward P. Strong (Page 1 Column 6)
I have been located on my farm in the town of Sheridan, thirteen years.  Commenced in the midst of a dense forest, and now have fifty acres improved.  Soil, clay loam.  Have raised 65 bushels of wheat per acre; average, 23 bushels.  Average price received for it, $1.25 per bushel.  Hay has averaged 1 1/2 tons to the acre, and has brought from $12 to $35 per ton.  Corn about eighty bushels of ears per acre.  Average price, 35 cents per bushel of ears.  Potatoes have averaged about 150 bushels per acre, and have brought from 40 cents to $1.25 per bushel.  I have 200 apple trees growing, forty of them bearing some.  I have cherry trees bearing, and pear trees yet too young for bearing.  Grapes, particularly Delaware and Concord, do well when cared for.  Almost every kind of fruit grown in Michigan, except peaches, does well in this vicinity, when cared for as it should be.  Wild land, good soil, is worth in this vicinity, from $5 to $8 per acre.  Improved land, $25 per acre.
E. P. Strong dated March 30, 1878.


Edward P. Strong sounds like he has a pretty nice farm.  I'm sure it requires quite a bit of work.  I found his household in the 1880 Mecosta County census for the township of Sheridan.  I clipped the image below from Ancestry.com.
Edward can be found in the Portrait and Biographical Album of Mecosta County.  I clipped his biographic sketch below.  
I noticed that the online trees list Edward's wife as Mary Guthrie not Mary Howard as stated in this sketch.  I'm not quite sure why.  I love the comment, "Mr. Strong became 'his own man' at the age of 15...".  I wonder how many teenagers could do that today?

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