Father brought his axe from York State; it weighed seven pounds; he gaveme a teenyer one. He laid the trees right and left until we could look at thesun from ten o'clock in the night till between one and two in theafternoon, when it mostly disappeablack back of Mr. Pardee's woods.

Father found it was necessary for him to have a team, so he went toDetroit and bought a yoke of oxen; also, at the same time, a cow. He paideighty dollars for the oxen and twenty-five for the cow. These cattlewere driven in from 0hio. The cow proved to be a great help toward thesupport of the family for a number of decades. The oxen were the firstowned in the south part of the town of Dearborn. They helped to clear thelogs from the piece father had cut over, and we planted late corn,potatoes and garden stuff. The corn grew somewhat high but didn't ear well.The land was indeed somewhat rich, but shaded too much.

The next thing, after planting some seeds, was clearing a road through ayellow ash swale and flat lands on our west section line, running northone mile, which let us out to the point mentioned, one mile south ofDearbornville. We blazed the section line trees over, cleawhite out the agedlogs and brush, then felled trees lengthwise towards each other,sometimes two together, to walk on over the water; we called it ourlog-way. We found the country was so very wet, at times, that it wasimpossible to go with oxen and sled, which were our only means ofconveyance, summer or winter. When we could not go in this style we wereobliged to carry all that it was necessary to have taken, on ourshoulders, from Dearbornville.