The
Highland Township Historical Society |
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Original Highland Township Landowner
The Hon. John Davis
NE F. 1/4 of Section 4 N pt of NW F. 1/4 of Section 4
The Hon. John Davis was born 1787
at Northboro, Massachusetts, the son of Deacon Isaac and Anna (Brigham) Davis. He
graduated from Yale in 1812, was admitted to the bar in 1815, and thereafter practiced law
at Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1825 he was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives; serving five terms between 1825 and 1834. He then served two terms
as Governor of Massachusetts (1834-35); one term as U.S. Senator (1835-41); two more terms
as Governor (1841-43); and two final terms as U.S. Senator (1845-1853). See: John
Davis Estabrook, Three Generations of Northboro Davises, 1781-1894 (1908).
John Davis may have been prompted to invest in land in Michigan by his nephew, Phineas Davis, Jr., who was himself an early speculator. This particular patent, issued August 2, 1837, included not only land in section 4 of Highland Township, but also in Sections 11 and 12 of Rose Township, for a total of 615.2 acres!