The Life and Times of Welcome Garfield - Part II

Read Part I of this article.

Very shortly after the death of his third wife, likely around the time their son Darius was born in 1838, Welcome married Maria Bateman on February 15 1839 in Farmington. She had two children from a previous marriage, Lucy Cordelia Bateman (1828 – 1853), and James D. Bateman (1831 – after 1880). Welcome and Maria had a daughter together, who appears to have died before 1845. Her name is unknown.

The Garfields were Baptists, and were members of the Baptist church located on the corner of 12 Mile Road and Halsted Road. He was part of a group of church members who purchased a half acre plot from Thomas Johns on February 21 1842 for a Baptist Cemetery, now known as the West Farmington Cemetery, where Welcome is buried.

Welcome and Maria sold their farm on April 2, 1845, and moved to Novi for a while. Maria’s daughter, Cordelia, married Dr. A. B. Coleman of Farmington in the early 1850’s, and she died, probably in childbirth in 1853. Meanwhile, Maria’s son James D. became a lawyer and practiced in the area.

On Dec. 3, 1852, Welcome and Maria purchased 80 acres on the southwest corner of Inkster Road and 13 Mile Road. Welcome’s daughter Arvilla married Horace Sleet in 1858, becoming Sleet's second wife and living in nearby Bloomfield Township. Welcome and Maria sold the northern 40 acres of their property to Orrin Bush on Aug. 5, 1861, and continued living on the southern 40 acres.

Welcome’s son Darius enlisted in Company B of the 1st Michigan Cavalry on March 6, 1862, and served under Major General David Hunter. Darius fought in the battle of Lynchburg, VA on June 17, 1862, and was captured by Confederates. He died of his wounds on July 4, 1862. Welcome’s other son Alonzo D. enlisted in the service out of Detroit during the Civil War. Alonzo later settled in Wisconsin, having a family there and living past 1880.

Welcome and Maria sold their 40-acre farm to Maria’s son James on Dec. 16, 1864. Welcome resold the southern half again to his son Alonzo on Feb. 12, 1875. For some unknown reason, Welcome sold this land one more time to Orrin Bush’s son Alfred W. on June 12, 1875. Welcome lived only three months after this sale, dying on Sept. 7, 1875.

Orrin Bush’s grandson, Burt D. Wood (1879 – 1970), wrote the book Franklin’s Yesteryear (Edwards Brothers 1958) containing two interesting incidents from Welcome’s life.

The first: “Although well along in years, he had hitched his ox team to his home-made sled or Pung one cold winter’s day and gone to the back lot for a load of wood.

“While working with an axe, a sapling had kicked back and broken his leg. Instead of waiting for help to come he dragged himself around and cut some splints and with some grape vine for bindings he lashed the splints in place, loaded himself onto the sled and drove the oxen home.”

The second: “One day while the Garfields were standing in front of their log house, a runaway team of horses was seen coming up the road from the south. Although a man of nearly 80 years, Garfield insisted on trying to stop the horses. He headed for the sandy road where he knew they would be slowed down some and as the team went by he clutched the bridle but was knocked down. However, as the wagon went by he clutched the back wheel and by causing it to slide in the loose sand he was able to slow the horses enough so the rest could come and grab them by the bit.”