and weary journey. The place where we settled was about six miles from the now beautiful city of Ionia, and as the custom among the settlers was to aid every one that came into the settlement, it was not long before we were provided with a comfortable home. We still met with some difficulty, however, for on several occasions we were at the edge of starvation in consequence of our provisions not reaching us promptly. But after many days of anxiety we received all our provisions, and were able to assist many of our needy neighbors, and received in return their heartfelt thanks and blessing. The Indians were all around us, and some of them caused us trouble by their treachery and stealing, and we had to take care that nothing was left around within their reach. As a rule, however, they were generally honest in their dealings, never taking advantage only when it was taken of them. The years have rolled away. The country has become more thickly populated, and now we have before us all the benefits and blessings of the earth, with happiness for our portion instead of woe and want. No poisonous serpents hiss, nor howling animals, fierce and wild, roam the fields where we were wont to find them on every side. Our youthful days are gone, our toils and privations are over, and now Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, To bless the pioneers to-day; With all our greatest wishes blessed. And thus it was and is, my friends. Where once was heard the howling wolf is now the peaceful home. Where once was seen the towering forest is now beheld the beautiful city, with its prosperous people, its many avenues, and its busy marts, and where the cold hand of starvation covered the weary pilgrim, now health, happiness, and abundance shed their mingled delights over the enchanting scene, while fields, teeming with their rich products, now lend a helping hand to swell the streams of commerce of this glorious and prosperous republic. Now, in conclusion, let me again say, that it is a source of great pleasure to look around and see those gray heads and decrepit forms still adorning the country. May their noble efforts stimulate the present and future generations of the earth to greater deeds of usefulness, and may their names be crowned with the coronet of Heaven. Mrs. Dye has furnished for publication, in connection with the foregoing paper, the following memorial notice of her brother, Mr. Vine Welch, one of the pioneers of Ionia county: MEMOIR OF MR. VINE WELCH. In the death of Vine Welch, which occurred in the city of Ionia, the departure of one whose life entered very largely into the early history and development of Ionia county is mourned. The pioneers were a brave and vigorous class of men, the worth of whose lives to the history of the State can scarcely be too highly valued. Not the least among them was the one whose death is referred to above, and whose life we proceed briefly to sketch. He was born in Schoharie county, in the State of New York, October 9, 1819. At the age of seventeen he came with his father to Michigan. This was in the autumn of 1836. The rest of the family came in the following spring. They settled in the township of Easton, in Ionia county, on what is now known as the Pike farm, about six miles from the city of Ionia. He was married to Miss Parnal Sprague on the 6th of February, 1853. The fruits of this marriage were seven children, five boys and two girls, four of whom are still alive. In his earlier life, he followed different occupations at different periods. At one time he did a good deal of boating on Grand River, and is said to have been the first man to run a steamer from Lyons to Grand Rapids. At another time he followed blacksmithing in Ionia. About twenty-nine years ago he settled on his farm in Keene, and began the work of clearing it up. Here the really hard work of his life was performed, To take a farm of two hundred and forty acres in a state of nature and clean it of its forests, and bring it under cultivation, to erect its houses and barns, etc., etc., must of necessity involve a large amount of weariness and toil. He was also a contractor in the building of the Detroit and Milwaukee railroad bed. Thus his life was an active and energetic one, the fruits of which will remain as a blessing to society for generations to come, yes, for all the generations of the future. He not only contributed much to the material prosperity of the community, but much also to her social, moral, and religious interests. He was converted in the fall of 1855, and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he remained a consistent member until his death, and much of the time he was an efficient official member of the same. And thus for nearly half a century has he lived among this people. part of this time he has gone in and out among them as a Christian man. active, energetic, and upright. He possessed the sturdy virtues of the better class of pioneers. As a neighbor he was kind, as a friend ever true, as a business man he aimed to be just, as a husband he was loving and true, as a father affectionate and tender. The loss of a daughter a few years ago, one who had grown into beautiful young womanhood in his home, was an overwhelming grief to him. His soul never passed fully out from beneath the shadow of that great sorrow until it passed out of this life into that other and better life, where the shadows never fall and where sorrow never comes. For the major The only remaining members of the large family to which he belonged are John B. and Ezekiel Welch, of Ionia township, and Mrs. Polly Dye, of Ionia city. Thus the pioneers are going, one by one they are gathering home. Soon the last one of that heroic race will be gone, but may their memories never die. "Dearest brother, thou has left us, Here thy loss we deeply feel; He can all our sorrows heal. "Yet, again we hope to meet thee, When the day of life is fled; And, in Heaven, with joy to greet thee, Where no farewell tear is shed." COPIES AND TRANSLATIONS OF PAPERS IN POSSESSION OF THE HISTORICAL THE PONTIAC MANUSCRIPT. NOTE. The original of the following document is written in French, and it is conjectured to have been the work of a French priest. It was preserved in a Canadian family at Detroit and afterwards presented to the Historical Society. A copy of this manuscript was furnished by General Lewis Cass to Mr. Francis Parkman, Jr., who makes frequent reference to it in his "History of the Conspiracy of Pontiac." In a note, Mr. Parkman says concerning this manuscript: "As a literary composition, it is quite worthless, being very diffuse and encumbered with dull and trivial details; yet this very minuteness affords strong internal evidence of its authenticity. Its general exactness with respect to facts is fully proved by comparing it with contemporary documents. * ** The manuscript appears to have been elaborately written out from a rough journal kept during the progress of the events which it describes." Under the direction of the Committee of Historians of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society the following translation has been made by Mr. Rudolph Worch and Dr. F. Krusty, editors of the Michigan Volksfreund, of Jackson, Mich. Of the original, several important portions have been defaced or torn away; where, however, it was possible, in the case of defaced words, the translators have supplied the words appearing in brackets; or, in other cases, as explained in notes by them. JOURNAL OR HISTORY OF A CONSPIRACY BY THE INDIANS AGAINST THE ENGLISH, AND OF THE SIEGE OF THE FORT DETROIT, BY FOUR DIFFERENT NATIONS, BEGINNING ON THE 7TH OF MAY, 1763. Pondiak, great chief of all the Ottawas, Sauteux, Foxes, and of all the nations of the lakes and rivers of the north, a haughty, vindictive, war-like and easily offended man, on pretence of some insult which he claimed to have received from Mr. Gladwyn, commander of the fort, calculated that, because he was great chief of all the nations of the north, no one but himself and those of his nations should inhabit this part of the earth, where for some sixty years and more the French had made their home for the facilities of trade with them, and where, the English had ruled for three years by reason of the conquest of Canada. This chief of a nation, whose main reliance was in treason and in those whom he fascinated by his showy appearance, resolved within himself the complete annihilation of the English and Canadian people, and in order to succeed in his project, which he had not yet communicated to any of his nation, the Ottawas, he enlisted them in his cause by an address. Only too ready for any bad deed, they did not hesitate to obey him, but finding themselves too weak for this enterprise, the chief tried to draw the Fox nation into his party by a council. This nation was governed by a chief named Ninivois, a man without back-bone, and very easily carried away, who knowing Pondiak as his great chief, and being a felonious character, listened to him, and he and all his band joined him. The two nations contained about four hundred men, and this number not appearing sufficient, the question was to draw the Huron nation into their projects. The Huron nation was divided into two bands, governed by two different chiefs of different character, and nevertheless both led by the same Jesuit father, their missionary. Of the two chiefs of this nation, one, named Také, was of the same character as Pondiak, while the other, Teata, was a very discreet man, of consummate prudence. The latter was not easily gained over, and not being inclined to wrong-doing, he would not listen to the runners of Pondiak, and sent them back the way they had come, while the runners who went to the first band of this nation, found willing ears, and received war-belts in token of joining Pondiak and Ninivois, the chiefs of the Ottawas and Foxes. It was voted by twigs that Pondiak and his partisans should call a great council, to be held on the 27th of April, when the day and hour of the attack should be decided upon, as well as the measures necessary to prevent their plans from being discovered in the meantime. According to the manner of counting amongst the Indians, it was stated in the above mentioned call that this council should be convened on the 15th day of the moon, which was Wednesday, the 27th of the month of April. When the time for the council had arrived, the Foxes, led by Ninivois, and the Hurons, led by Také, proceeded to the place of meeting, on the Ecorse river, about four leagues below the fort, towards the southwest, being the place which Pondiak had selected for his camp-ground towards the end of winter, so as not to be troubled in his projects. This proceeding, which was not customary with him or his people, set the French to thinking, without, however, getting at the cause, since the Indians are frequently rather capricious. The council was held between the three nations, the Ottawas, Foxes and the bad band of the Hurons. Pondiak, as great chief of all the nations of the north, presided and took the floor. He exhibited. as reason for acting as he did, war-belts, which he pretended to have received from the great father, the King of France, for an onslaught upon the English, then mentioned the pretended insults which he and his people had received from the English commander and his officers, and concluded by speaking of a blow which a soldier had given to one of his men while running after his cousin. He was listened to by all as their chief, and to flatter his vanity and increase his pride, all promised to him to do his bidding. Delighted to see so much submission in three nations, containing four hundred and fifty men, he, cunning as he was, profited of their weakness to get complete mastery over them. For this purpose, he related to them during the council a story of a Wolf Indian, who had been in heaven and had seen the Master of Life, with such eloquence that it had on them all the effect which he had desired. This story deserves a place here, because it seems to be the source of one of the blackest attempts upon the English nation, and perhaps on the French, if God, in His mercy, had not disposed otherwise. But The story is told as follows: An Indian of the Wolf nation, desirous to see the "Master of Life," as all Indians call the good God, resolved to undertake the journey to Paradise, which he knew to be his residence, without having communicated anything to his nation, or to his village. the question arose as to the way leading there, in order to succeed in his project, and not knowing anyone who had been there and could show him the way, he began to juggle, in the hope of securing good luck, by dreaming, as it was the general rule amongst all Indians, even those who had freed themselves from most superstitions, to put great faith in their dreams, and try their best to dream them over, as this story will show farther on. The Wolf Indian imagined in his dreams that it was only necessary for him to start, and that in his travel he would see the heavenly abode, which induced him, on the next day, early in the morning, to equip himself for traveling and hunting, not forgetting to take, besides his provisions and ammunition, a large kettle; and thus he set out on his journey to heaven. The first seven days of his voyage were rather favorable for his design. He marched on without being discouraged, firmly convinced that he would arrive at his aim, and eight days had fairly passed without his having met with anything which would put obstacles to his desires. On the evening of the eighth day, at sun-down, he stopped, as usual, at the border of a small prairie, which seemed to him fit for camping, on the bank of a creek. While preparing his sleeping place, he observed, on the other end of the prairie where he camped, three rather wide roads starting from one point, what seemed to him somewhat singular. Nevertheless, he continued to work, preparing his resting place, so as to have shelter against the weather, and built a fire. While doing his cooking, it appeared to him that the more it darkened by the setting of the sun, the brighter the three roads became, |