Jacob Cline and his wife, Jane Finnie Cline, were
among that large group of Worth Township settlers who moved here from Markham
Township, York County, Ontario. They are on the Markham census of 1851 living
in Concession 5, Lot 30 with two young sons, John and William, and a Finnie
sister age sixteen. They are on the 1860 census of Worth with Jacob's
seventy-seven year old father, John, living with them.
Jacob and Jane settled in Section 15 of Worth on
120 acres on Gardiner Line a little east of the Wildcat Road. There were three
more children, Tena, Lillie and Sewall. By 1864 they had built a frame house
at the cost of $1800. In 1878 this was destroyed by fire. A new house was
built on the same site. Jane died in 1892 and is buried in Croswell. Jacob
died in 1906 at the age of 95 and is buried in Harbor Beach.
Son John married Mary Rocelia Wixson, daughter of
the Honorable Daniel and Eunice Sample Wixson.
Daniel Wixson was born in 1822 in Jersey Township,
Steuben County, New York. His family had emigrated from England in 1634. In
1858 he and his famiily came to Lexington Township where he was a justice of
the peace and a supervisor before moving to Worth Township where he was also
supervisor. In the fall of 1864 he was elected a member of the State
Legislature as a Republican, serving two terms. In 1872 he was again elected
and served through 1874.
John and Mary settled on a farm on Mortimer Line
in Section 3, given to them by her father. This farm, still in the family for
over a hundred years, is now owned by their great granddaughter, Theodora Putz
Cronin. The children of John and Mary were Daniel, Jenny, Cora, and Lena.
Son Daniel was born in 1871 and died in 1940. He
married Eva Louise Caswell and settled on the family farm. Eva died in
January, 1941. Eight children were born: Sewell Maitland, John Caswell, Nora,
Theda Rocelia, Mary Alice, Elmer Daniel, Bonnie Elnora, and Murray J.
Sewell married Grayce Ridley of Lexington in 1930
and had no children. John married Bessie Polak in 1930 and had three children-
Daniel, Earl and Antonia. Nora died at age eight years. Theda married Paul
Putz in 1935 and had one daughter, Theodora. Mary married Elson Campbell in
1928 and had four children- Sally Ann, Patricia, Paul and Rosemary. Bonnie
married Gordon McVey in 1933 and had two sons, Rchard and Gary. Murray married
Leona Decker in Detroit and had six children- Sandra, Karen, Robert, Carl,
James and Katheryn.
(Article taken from the book, Sanilac County
History, part of the Sessquicentennial Celebration for Sanilac County,
1984.)
Early
Settlers