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The following is an excerpt
from St. Clair County, Michigan, its
history and its people; a narrative account of its historical
progress and its principal interests, Jenks, William Lee,
1856-1936, pages 159 - 178.
The Harsens
by Aura P. Stewart
"At
the death of Mr. Harsen (the first), the old homestead
on the island fell to his son, Francis, who during the
War of 1812, and for many years thereafter, held an
appointment in the Indian department at Detroit. At the close
of the war, in 1815, he leased his farm to one Robert
Little, a Canadian, and a most lawful British subject. By
the lease, Harsen was to receive rent from the products
of the farm, a part of which would be apples and cider. In the
succeeding fall, Harsen came up and collected rent
without difficulty; but in the fall of 1816 Little
refused to pay rent to Harsen, who was astonished at
such refusal and wished to know the reason. Little
stated to Harsen that the island was in his Britannie
majesty's dominion, and that no American citizen could, under
present laws, hold lands under the British government; that he
had rendered important services to his government and was
entitled to lands; that he was now in possession of the farm
and should claim and hold it under British laws; he then drove
Harsen from the premises. Harsen returned to
Detroit and engaged a lawyer by the name of Whitney,
and in the year 1817 commenced suit in the county court of
Macomb county, then embracing all that portion of the
territory lying north and east of the present boundary of that
county. Judge Clemens was the first judge, and
Robert Fulton, the first purchaser of the land upon which
St. Clair city now stands, was sheriff. There was some delay
in the prosecution of this suit, it seems, for it was late in
the fall of 1817 before the writ of ejectment was placed in
the hands of Sheriff Fulton. On its receipt this
officer proceeded to execute it; he called on Little
and demanded the surrender of the premises. On this Little
forcibly put the officer out of doors, and told him that
he should procure arms and shoot any person attempting to oust
him; he claimed that he was a subject of Great Britain and
under the protection of that power; that no American court
could interfere with or molest him. Fulton told the
usurper that he would execute the writ if it took all the
militia in the territory. Accordingly he called on
Lieutenant William Brown for assistance; Brown made
a selection of six men, two of whom had be discharged from our
army, and the next day crossed over to the island, landing at
my father's residence; after procuring a small jug of whisky
for his men, the party proceeded up to Harsen's farm,
the owner joining them on the way. It appears that Little
was on the look-out, and informed of the sheriff's coming, and
had prepared for the fight. He loaded the four guns in his
house with coarse shot, and had a large five pail kettle over
the fire filled with boiling water, and thus prepared he
waited the assault. The assaulting party, on their arrival,
took possession of an outhouse, where they agreed upon a plan
of attack, and fortified their courage by several nips from
the contents of the little jug. It was agreed in council that
Sheriff Fulton should first go to the outer door and in
the name of the sovereign people of the United States demand a
surrender of the premises, and, if refused, signal
Lieutenant Brown, who was to take the place by storm.
Accordingly Sheriff Fulton proceeded to make the formal
demand, followed, at a short distance, by Mr. Harsen,
when Little fired on Harsen from a window,
wounding him in the fleshy part of the leg. At the report of
Little's gun, Brown ordered his men to surround
the house and return the fire, which was done; the first shots
shivered the door behind which Little stood, one bullet
going past him and entering the bed on which his daughter was
sitting. Little did not wait for another volley, but
cried for quarter, and surrendered himself into the hands of
the Yankees he so much hated.
Little had taken possession of the Harsen farm some
months before my father arrived. He seemed to be annoyed at
the presence of the hated Yankee, and sent his son down one
morning to ask father what right he had to settle in British
territory; father answered that he claimed none but lawful
rights, and such as he could maintain. |
