John Ellenwood (September 15, 1777 – May 9, 1856) was an American politician who served one term in the Michigan House of Representatives immediately after its establishment by the state's first constitution.

John Ellenwood
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the Oakland County district
In office
November 2, 1835 – January 1, 1837
Personal details
Born(1777 -09-15)September 15, 1777
Amherst, New Hampshire
DiedMay 9, 1856(1856-05-09) (aged 78)
West Bloomfield, Michigan
Political partyDemocratic

Biography

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John Ellenwood was born in Amherst, New Hampshire, on September 15, 1777, the son of Ebenezer Ellenwood and Elizabeth Seaton.[1][2][3][4] He worked as a surveyor,[5] served as town clerk in Amherst from 1812 to 1814,[6] then moved to Ridgeway, New York, in 1816.[5]

He moved to West Bloomfield, Michigan, in 1823,[1] and again worked as a surveyor, helping to lay out most of the roads that were laid out in the county at the time.[5] He was appointed a justice of the peace in 1827 and held that position his entire life. He was a delegate to the state's first constitutional convention in 1835, and was elected as a Democrat to the Michigan House of Representatives following the constitution's adoption. He also served as postmaster from 1831 to 1856, and as a supervisor for nine years.[1]

He died at home on the family farm on May 9, 1856.[1][7]

Family

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Ellenwood married Jane Stanley on June 23, 1799. They had five children: Calvin, Eben, Jane Seaton, Ismenia Stanley, and John Morris.[3] Jane Ellenwood died on April 1, 1864.[7]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Bingham 1888, p. 251.
  2. ^ Chapman Bros. 1891, pp. 449–450.
  3. ^ a b Secomb 1883, p. 578.
  4. ^ Seaton 1906, p. 241.
  5. ^ a b c Chapman Bros. 1891, p. 449.
  6. ^ Secomb 1883, p. 202.
  7. ^ a b Chapman Bros. 1891, p. 450.

References

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  • Bingham, Stephen D. (1888), Early History of Michigan: With Biographies of State Officers, Members of Congress, Judges and Legislators, Lansing: Thorp & Godfrey, retrieved 2018-12-15
  • Michigan Manual (1877–78 ed.), Lansing: State of Michigan, 1877, retrieved 2018-12-15
  • Portrait and Biographical Album of Oakland County, Michigan, Chicago: Chapman Brothers, 1891, retrieved 2018-12-15
  • Seaton, Oren A. (1906), The Seaton Family, with Genealogy and Biographies, Topeka: Crane, retrieved 2018-12-15
  • Secomb, Daniel F. (1883), History of the Town of Amherst, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Concord, N. H.: Evans, Sleeper & Woodbury, retrieved 2018-12-15