WASHTENAW COUNTY. 255 



1829, two tiers of townships were cut off, or omitted from the west side of 

 the couuly as originally set off. 



The name, Washtenaw, comes from Wash-ten-ong, — the Indian name of 

 Orand river, and means at, or on, the river. 



"Ann Arbor is the county seat. The name comes from the Christian names 

 of two pioneer lady settlers, both being Ann, who pitched their tents be- 

 tween what are now Huron and Washington streets, upon a beautiful burr- 

 oak plain, by a spring. Their name, Ann, with the addition of the word 

 Arbor, became that of the incipient town. 



The earliest permanent settlement in the county was by Benjamin J. 

 Woodruff, at Ypsilanti, then known as Woodruff's Grove, on June 5th, 1833. 

 He was, the next year, followed by others, at Ann Arbor. In 1826 there was 

 but one house at Dexter, and no wagon had been beyond that place. 



An orchard was planted, in 1824, by Oliver Whitman, in Ann Arbor town- 

 ship, which was rapidly followed by other similar plantations, as settlements 

 occurred. 



A small a{)ple trea nursery was planted in 1825, by Deacon Israel Branch, 

 on the ground now occupied by the Buchoz block. In 1827 Ezra and Horace 

 Carpenter (father and son) planted half an acre with apple seeds, and two 

 years thereaftet- commenced to sell trees therefrom. 



Deacon iVIills raised a few locusts from the seed, and from them, in 1828, 

 planted six trees on the block now occupied by Mr. Keck. Trees, mostly 

 locusts, were also planted on Court-house square, which were committed to 

 the care of the *'boys." 



A general nursery, with greenhouse attached, was started in 1833, near 

 Ypsilanti, by E. D. & Z. K. Lay, which at one time covered fourteen acres. 

 It was continued till about 1855, when it was discontinued by the remaining 

 brother as a relief from excessive care. 



The first apple seeds were planted in southern Washtenaw in 1831, by 

 Koyal Watkins. These were selected seeds, from a favorite apple tree in 

 Keene, New Hampshire, known by the family as "Old Juicy." The hope 

 to succeed in reproducing the quality of the original tree, however, was not 

 realized. The seedlings had been browsed by deer so severely that, when 

 planted in orchard, two years later, they were started anew from the ground. 

 They were never grafted, and, at present, but one remains, which is kept as 

 a landmark. It now measures nine feet and seven inches in circumference 

 at one foot above the ground. The branches have a spread of forty-five feet. 

 It has borne ten barrels of apples in a single year. 



In 1835 a nursery was commenced in Manchester by James Nowlin, and 

 one in Freedom, in 1838, by James Winton. From these were supplied the 

 trees for nearly all the orchards of this region. 



In 1850 S. B. Noble (for some time horticultural editor of the Michigan 

 Farmer) commenced a small nursery of fruit trees at Ann Arbor, which was 

 discontinued after a few years, upon the death of the proprietor. 



In 1828 a number of old fruit trees were standing at Ypsilanti, which were 

 said to have been planted by the early French traders. These have now mostly 

 disappeared. Most of the earlier apple trees, planted over fifty years since, 

 are now dead or nearly so. Of grafted varieties, Rhode Island Greening has 

 proved the longest lived. 



" There is on the premises of C. H. Worden, of this city (Ann Arbor) a 

 famous apple tree, of great age, which is yet vigorous. There were more than 



