Making his home in New York, Lewis Crout was killed (1863) while serving in the Civil War. This left his wife, Hannah, with nine sons, the oldest 15 years, to make their way in the world. Five years later (1868) this plucky widow moved her family to the Brighton Area by means of a lumber wagon. (One can hardly imagine what prompted this decision.) Within weeks of their arrival she passed away. Hannah is buried on the Charles Durfee lot in the Pleasant Valley Cemetery.
How were the children to survive? In 1870 the Livingston County Census records her youngest, Walter, 9 years, was living with newly weds Charles and Mary Durfee in Brighton Township. Willard, 13, was with Charles parents, Edgar and Margetta and their two daughters along Flint Road in the Skeman Road area. Manuel, 14, is with Ira and Laura Warner about a mile north, west of Warner (School) Lake. Everet, 16, we find with James and Phylancy Thurber about 2.5 miles north. Henry, 22, the oldest, is a laborer on Charles and Hannah Hynes farm in that same general vicinity. Where the four other children were located weve not found. Its possible they were in Oakland or Washtenaw Counties at the time of the 1870 Census.
Without a highly organized governmental Social Services Department the five noted above were all cared for. Its certain they earned their keep but one assumes they were fed, clothed and sheltered. They probably all attended Bitten School at some time. (Their basic needs were provided.)
By 1895 Manuel is shown as owner of 80 acres in Section 9, Brighton Township, with the Flint Road running through the middle. In 1881 he had married his neighbors daughter; Emma Thurber. To them three daughters were born; Eula, Bernice and Gertrude; who probably also attended the one room school of their parents.
The Crouts lived on the farm until 1911 when they moved into town. Their home, at 833 E. Grand River is now the site of Independence Village. Eight years later the farm was sold; the 1935 Atlas shows Ernest Hicks as owner. By then US 23 is routed to the west side of the 80 acres. The original road is now Taylor Road. Manuel died January 8, 1924 outliving Emma by 3.5 years. Both are buried in Fairview, on Flint Road. How often they must have traveled past the cemetery while living on the farm.
It is humbling to consider the trials and tribulations through which the Crout brothers survived and thrived. Manuels farms name, ROSELAND, evokes a sense of fragility, which is all the more paradoxical considering the strengths they exhibited.
Compiled by Marieanna Bair from Early Atlases, the 1870 Census of Livingston County, assistance of John and Janice Field and obituaries compiled by Milton Charboneau.