Early Recollections of Flint

Upon her family’s arrival to her Uncle Manley and Aunt Mary Miles’ cabin at three in the morning, they were greeted with the warmth of family and the sweet smell of roses. After some time, her family would get settled in their own “shanty” as she calls it. They had no lock on the door, only a wood latch attached to a string. The family had no furniture when they arrived, only able to borrow a few pieces from the neighbors. They would not have their own furniture until her father Edmund made a few chairs off of a pattern; an easy task for a carriage maker.

She spoke of each family having their own cow, each with its own distinct bell. You would know which cow was yours by the sound of the bell. Her nights were filled with the sound of cow bells lightly clanking around as they fed on grass. Family friends that visited would not get any sleep due to the sound of clanking bells attached to the free roaming cattle.

“Every time they moved their jaws the bell would tinkle and with forty or fifty bells it made music for the night.”

Cornelia also wrote fondly of picking blackberries on the other side of the Flint River. She would wait until the river was low to go to its edge, taking off her shoes and stockings before wading across, putting her stockings and shoes back on. Cornelia then picked as many berries as she could before going back to the river to do it all over again in reverse.

She also wrote on the various celebrations held throughout the year. That, in their remote society, hosting parties was not so common. There were only three or four residents who held annual gatherings in their homes. Making sure to invite every one of their acquaintances and only dancing when certain guests went home.

“Then they could dance as long as they please it continued often to the wee small hours of the night.”

Young adults would also have their fun in the early Spring, right at the time when maple sugar was being made. All the young people would receive various invitations from different families to visit their homes during “The Sugaring Off,” as it was called. Even if the roads were almost impossible to get through, they would make sure to travel the ten miles to Mrs. Begole’s home. Cornelia wrote a very sweet antidote about her cousin Harriet Begole, saying…

“If they were obliged to stay all night Mrs. Begole, like her mother, would find a place for them to sleep.” Harriet’s mother being Cornelia’s Aunt Mary Miles was the same woman who welcomed Cornelia’s family into her home their very first night in Flint.

With many smaller gatherings of various groups being held, the one holiday that brought many together was the 4^th of July. Cornelia speaks about how Flint celebrated the 4^th in the 1840s. The large gathering was held in what was called Fenton’s Grove, positioned between Oak and Grand Traverse St. She said that the singers of Flint practiced for weeks beforehand, and they had no instruments aside from a bass viol, a popular string instrument used in churches at the time.

Cornelia remembers, “They made the grove ring with their voices; it was a day long to be remembered. They came from far and near to join in the exercises or witness them. Fourth of July was the principal holiday of the year, and preparations were made for weeks before.”

During this event there would be a reading of the Declaration of Independence. Afterwards a large dinner would be held where everyone was invited. All who came would bring some food to share and the farmers would supply extra. There would then be speeches and toasts followed by fireworks in the evening.

Although we know about her childhood, her adult life is less documented. We do know after marrying her husband John B Clarke on April 18th, 1854, they moved to 402 E. Court Street, which still stands today. Together they would have six children, only three would make it to adulthood. John was a pharmacist and owned a store situated in the heart of downtown on Saginaw Street. He would provide pharmaceutical goods to the community alongside stationery and art supplies. After his passing, their two sons Edward and Sydney assisted Cornelia as she ran the business. Cornelia and her daughter Mabel would stay active in the community, including the D.A.R where her speech, given in 1901, survives as one of the earliest recollections of Flint.

Papers such as these provide a peek into day-to-day life of an era completely different from ours today. Diaries and recollections are forever valuable to historians because they help us shape parts of the past. They make sure that the story of the everyday is not forgotten. It gives us clues as to how people lived, interacted, and engaged within their community. Cornelia’s paper lets the reader imagine growing up as a young girl in Flint at a time when livestock freely wandered Saginaw St. and lumber floated down the river.