New Haven Township
Shiawassee County, Michigan

Horace Hart, his wife and his four sons, Robert, Joseph, Lewis and Joel were the first to purchase land here in 1836. He bought 480 acres in section 35. Richard Freeman came next from England to settle on land owned by Peter Reid. He was followed by Humphrey Wheeler from Oakland Co. in 1838. Mr. Wheeler built his home and soon built a log hotel on his property at the corner of present day State and Henderson Rds. The hotel became a stage stop and on Aug. 3, 1857, Mr. Wheeler became the first postmaster of the Wheelerville Post Office. The postoffice was closed in 1865.

Mr. Wheeler also owned a general store on his property which was visited by Indians as well as bears and wolves. He even lost three pigs to the bear attacks and later Mr. Wheeler was seen going to Corunna in a boat to collect the bounty on the bear he had with him.

April 1841 saw the first township meeting at the home of Mr. Freeman. The elected officers were: Supervisor, Humphrey Wheeler; Clerk, Joel A. Hart; Treasurer, Lewis Hart; Assessor, H. Wheeler, William Durkee, Horace Hart; School inspectors, H. Hart, H. Wheeler, Peter Reid; Justices of the Peace, H. Hart, H. Wheeler, Wm. Durkee; Directors of the poor, R. Freeman, J. Hart; Highway commissioners, Peter Reid, John Dunlap; Constable, Robert C. Hart. The first school master was Ira Rush.

Area churches included the Methodist Episcopal Church, Free Methodist Church, German Evangelical Church, which had it's own school and is now a Community Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Union Church and Easton Church.

Easton was named after the Robert Easton family. The Post Office was opened on Feb. 17, 1887 with Milford A. Taylor serving as its first postmaster. This office continued until the 1950's. A church and a few homes remain.

The first post office in West Haven had been established in 1851, with Lewis Hart as postmaster. Mr. Quackenbush had dammed the six-mile creek and built a saw mill there.

Mr. White came in 1868 and Mr. Estey in 1869. They built a factory to make furniture and bedsteads. In 1875, Mr. Estey sold the factory to a family named Callard and moved to Owosso.

More about Estey Manufacturing

In the late 1890's a coal mine was established in West Haven. It operated until after 1911.

There was a German settlement at the western part of the township. Some of the settlers included: Shautz, Freeman, Wildermuth, Schultz, Bussell, Alliton, Osmer and Bartz families.