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By Root 458 0

the classics like this was not unusual for people from the New England states, where schooling was considered a necessity. Ignorance was frowned upon, and to come to a new territory that had not a single school seemed quite appalling to them (neither the French nor the British thought it necessary to build schools in Detroit or the rest of the territory). But once the Erie Canal opened and brought New Yorkers to Michigan (where they named their settlements “Rochester” and “Troy” and “Utica” after their beloved hometowns in New York), they also brought certain New England sensibilities with them: town-hall democracy, a strong work ethic, and a belief that a “liberal education” was vital to a civilized society. In the oxcarts and in the steamer trunks weren’t just pots and pans and family heirlooms; there were also books, many books. Throughout the 1830s and ’40s, other radical “New York” ideas began to permeate Michigan, thanks to the new settlers, ideas such as the concept of letting women vote and the abolition of slavery. Their strong Quaker and Brethren traditions, along with their fellow Congregationalists and Catholics, led Michigan in 1846 to become the first government in the English-speaking world to abolish capital punishment. Such was their state of mind.

At the beginning of the summer of 1837, Silas and Caroline announced that they would be having a baby sometime near the end of November. This brought great joy to their family and friends from Bradford, as this would be one of the first non-Indian babies born in the area.

Silas readied his cabin for the new arrival. He had hoped that there would be glass for his windows, but cut glass was scarce and none had arrived from Pontiac for him to use. So, to keep the elements out, a wooden shutter was built. It was not airtight—the wind would howl and find its way through the cracks—but it suited their needs. It wasn’t like they didn’t know what winter was, being from Pennsylvania and upstate New York.

On November 30, Caroline went into labor. As Lapeer now had a doctor, Silas decided to go there to fetch him and bring him back to assist with the birth. Caroline’s mother and sisters would stay with Caroline until Silas returned with him. It was late in the day, and travel at night could be quite difficult. But Silas wanted to take no chances with his firstborn, so off he rode to Lapeer.

Indians passing by noticed that Silas was leaving behind his very pregnant wife. The Chippewa had taken a keen interest in Caroline’s pregnancy and would often stop by to offer blankets or herbs or special beads that, they explained, would keep the evil spirits away.

Her labor was accelerating faster than anyone had expected and, with the sun going down, her screams could be heard by the Indians. Within minutes, a group of them were at her door.

“Please,” Caroline’s sister said, exasperated that she might be the one delivering the baby. “Everything is OK. We don’t need any help.”

“Wolves,” one of the Indians said in his very broken English. “Wolves.”

“Yes, wolves. We know there’s wolves in the woods. We’re OK.”

“Wolves smell blood. They come through here,” he said, pointing at the glassless window. “Smelling blood. Not good.”

He then said something to his two friends and they left. Within minutes, they returned with blankets.

“I put blankets here for you. Wolves then not smell.”

He proceeded to affix the blankets tightly around the window and the door so that the wolves would not pick up the scent of blood.

“We,” he said, pointing outdoors as they left. “Outside.”

The three Chippewa then went out and stood guard in front of the cabin to ensure that the wolves would stay away.

Within the hour, Silas returned and saw the Indians around a fire they had built outside the cabin. The sight of them made him worry that something had gone wrong. He, and the doctor with him, ran into the cabin, just in time for a little boy to be born. They called him Martin Pemberton Moore. He was my grandmother’s father.

Caroline told Silas how the Chippewa had stood guard and had placed the blankets