— PART FOUR —
General Squier Road is an east-west road running from the village limits westward to Havens Road. General Squier Road was renamed for Major General George Owen Squier shortly before his death in 1934. He considered this to be his greatest honor–even more important to him than the honors given to him by the nations of the world–because it was given to him by his friends and neighbors. The road had previously been known as West Road.
Major General Squier was born in Dryden in 1865. He graduated seventh in his class from West Point in 1887 and earned a PhD from John Hopkins University in 1893. In 1897 he developed the techniques that allowed for the radio remote controlled denotation of mines and firing of cannon. He established the first Signal School at Fort Leavenworth in 1905. In 1907 he was assigned as Assistant Chief Signal Officer and recommended the creation of the Aeronautical Division. He wrote the specifications for the first military aircraft and oversaw the first trials of the Army’s Wright Flyer. In 1908 he became the first passenger in an airplane. Motion picture footage of this flight test may still exist. He applied for four patents in 1909 and 1910 for equipment that transmits and receives several signals over a single wire– the basis of modern telecommunication. From 1916 to 1918 he served as Chief of the Army Air Service. In 1917 he was appointed Chief Signal Officer and promoted to Major General on October 6, 1917. During this time he opened the Fort Monmouth radio laboratory and the Langley Field, Virginia aviation laboratory. Because of General Squier, the two most important technological developments of his time–the airplane and the radio–became integral parts of the military’s arsenal. He retired from the service in 1924. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Glover Road is a north-south road running from Almont Road northward to Burt Road. Glover Road was named for William Cameron Glover (1842-1929) and Agnes Reid Glover (1845-1921). William and Agnes were both born in Scotland but didn’t meet or marry until they came to America. William followed older brother Robert (1828-1918) and younger brother Hugh (1847-1927) to the Almont area. William came to the Almont area in 1867 and with Agnes purchased a home on Glover Road located 1-¼ miles north of Almont Road in 1873. William farmed and served as a school director and assessor for several years. William and Agnes are buried in the Ferguson Cemetery at the corner of Tubspring and Kidder Roads.
Gould Road is an east-west road running from Holmes Road eastward to Coon Creek Road. Gould Road was named for Joseph (1779-?) and Theda Gould (1789-?) and their adult children, Rosamond (1804-1997) and her husband John Whitcomb (1796-1863), Sabin S. Gould (1806-1898) and wife Eliza Richardson Gould (1823-1883), Jesse A. Gould (1807-1873), E. Rascellas Gould (1810-1851) and wife Elvira Rider Gould (1813-1893) and Thomas M. Gould (1813-1901) and wife Harriet Bush Gould (1821-1902). There are additional children that I was unable to connect. Joseph was born in New York and Theda in Vermont. Their children were born in New York. They settled near Allenton in the 1830s. The Whitcomb farm was on Hough Road about a quarter mile east of Holmes Road. The other Gould farms were on Gould Road east of Capac Road. The burial location for Joseph and Theda is not known. All of the listed children are buried in the West Berlin Cemetery on Holmes Road in Allenton.
Hall Road is an east-west road running from Summers Road eastward to Muir Road. Hall Road was probably named for Seth Hall (1846-1923) and Maria Wells Hall (1851-1928) whose farm was at the intersection of Muir and Hall roads. Seth was born in Michigan and Maria was born in England. It is possible but not confirmed that Seth was born in Almont. The 1850 U. S. Census for Almont lists a Phineas Hall (1817-?) and his wife Roxy (1821-?) who came to Michigan about 1845 but I have not been able to connect Seth to Phineas. Seth was in the 8th Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War. Seth and Maria are buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Dryden.
Hannon Road is a north-south road running from Black Corners Road southward to Hall Road. Hannon Road was named for Peter Hannon (1801-1883) and Cecelia Hannon (1809-1888) and their son, Matthew Hannon (1836-1904) and his wife Catherine Hannon (1846-1926). Peter and Cecelia were born in Ireland but first moved to Scotland where most of their children were born. In about 1851 they came to Michigan and settled on farms along the east side of Hannon Road. The family is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Imlay City on Black Corners Road.
Hipp Road is a north-south road presently running from Bordman Road southward to 37 Mile Road and then from 36 Mile Road to 35 Mile Road. In the 1800s Hipp Road extended southward to 35 Mile Road but the portion of the road between 37 Mile Road and 36 Mile Road was abandoned in the early 1900s. The portion of Hipp Road southward from Bordman Road to Wells Road was part of M-53 from 1920 to about 1944 when M-53 was rerouted between 37 Mile and Bordman Road. Hipp Road was named for John Wallace Hipp (1855-1933) and Elva H. Keel Hipp (1856-1946). John and Elva were born in Michigan. John’s parent’s, Curtis and Angeline Hipp, came to Ray Township, Macomb County in the 1840s however, where they came from is not clear. Census records indicate they came from within the United States but show different states depending on which census you review. The Hipp farm was on the southeast corner of the intersection of Hipp and 36 Mile Roads. John and Elva along with other family members are buried in the McCafferty Cemetery on Van Dyke north of Romeo.
Holmes Road is a north-south road running from Tubspring southward to Pratt Road. Holmes road was named for Samuel Smith Holmes (1811-1876) and Sallie Ann Chamberlin Holmes (1816-1876). They came from New York in the 1830’s and established a farm at the corner of Holmes and Pratt Roads. They are buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Armada.
Hough Road (pronounced “Huff”) is an east-west road running from Hosner Road eastward to the intersection of Braidwood and Belle River Roads in St. Clair County. Hough Road was named for Walter King Hough (1805-1868) and Nancy Kelley Hough (1804-1848) and his second wife Elizabeth Parker Hough (1817-1891) and his cousin, Ebenezer Hough (1805-1970) and his wife, Lucy Kelley Hough (1810-1871). Walter and Ebenezer came by way of the Erie Canal and settled on 160 acre farms south and west of Almont in 1833 and constructed cabins. The next year they returned to Connecticut and brought their families back along with relatives, Wetherell Hough and Jedediah Hough. Edward Hyde Hough, John B. Hough and Joseph Hough with their families came later. The families’ framed homes still stand on the south side of Hough Road. Walter, Nancy, Elizabeth, Ebenezer and Lucy, along with many of the other family members, are all buried in Hough Cemetery on Hough Road.
Copies of the Almont Historical Society’s various books can be purchased by contacting Jim Wade at 810-796-3355 or jrwade49@ gmail.com or stopping by the museum on Saturdays from 1-4 p.m.
