History of Marathon Township
Early History
Marathon Township was named for the famous Greek battlefield. Organized in 1839, the township was named by Silas D. McKeen who ran a saw mill and who was a member of the Michigan Legislature. The first town (now called township) meeting was held on the first day of April 1839, at the home of Abijah Willey. This was two years after Michigan joined the Union of the United States of America. Only 12 men were available for the 20 township offices. Horace N. Lathrop was elected first supervisor, S.D. McKeen was clerk, and Martin Volentine collector. Volentine said he never took any money in 1839 and 1840 except what turned out to be a bogus silver dollar.
Early Finances
The next meeting S.D. McKeen was moderator and Richard Bronson, Abraham Hollenbeck, Andrew McArthur and Alonzo Davis were inspectors of the election. The first business was the appropriation of $250.00 for improvement of highways. The sum of $5.00 was voted for wolf bounty. Aaron Rood was the first man to enter a land claim. He took out his claim November 25, 1836. There was a great deal of pine in the township at the time and it was for years more noted for lumbering than for farming.
Source
This information was given to the Marathon Township Board by Ilah Nicholes wife of township sexton Bert Nichols, mother of Bob Nichols, former sexton, and was read at the 1989 annual meeting of the Marathon Township Board, which was the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of Marathon Township. In October 1987, the community along with the Marathon Township Board and the State of Michigan celebrated their 150th birthdays.
Marathon Township Supervisors
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Horace N. Lathrop
Abijah Willey Reuben McArthur Jacob Hollenbeck John Pierson Evart Clute Henry Hemingway Benjamin Harris Levi McArthur James E. Richmond Irving McArthur E W Gilbert Issac L. Hemingway Elson Wait Norman Stark William A. Aurand Willey A. Clute Elmore A. Brown George T. LeValley Joseph Wilson David Butler Gustavus Schott Edward Morrison Henry Hemingway Arthur F. Blue Muryl Hemingway Elma Blue Lynn Folsom Howard Folsom Jack Theakston Howard Folsom Dale Fuller Fred Moorhouse |
1839-40, 42
1841 1843-44,48-49,62 1845-47,50-51,54,61,77-79,81 1852-53,55-56 1857-1858 1859-1860,63 1864-66,72-75 1867-71,76,80 1882-84c87-88 1885 1886 1890 1891-92,94 1893 1895-96 1897,1901 1898-1900 1902-03 1904-09 1910-12 1913-15 1916-32 1933-39,49 1940-49,51-53 1950 1954 1955-71 1972-78 1979 1979-2000 2000-2008 2008-Present |
Marathon Township Clerks
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Silas McKeen
Jonathan Salisbury Jabez Loomis Reuben McArthur Jacob Hollenbeck Richard Clute Palmer Carpenter Chauncey Maxfield SH Miller William Brown Andrew Farrell Peter VanDyke John Clark Hiram D. Tower Levi McArthur Nelson K. Lawrence Benjamin Harris George T. LeValley Evart Clute George Rook John L. Preston James E. Richmond John Davis Irving McArthur Robert Armour William H. Hirt Alfred W. Burgess Burt McDermid CE Olney David Butler EW McGenegle Joseph Gerwolds Jasper Johnson John Folsom Walter Goudy Henry Hemingway William Purdy Irving Metcalf Edmond Blue Vincent Betke Donald Williams Margaret A Traver Kay LeValley Lawter Laura Ring Dawn Johnson Michelle Coultas |
1839
1840,43 1841 1842,45,53,61,72,74 1844,48-49,56,67 1846-47 1850 1851 1852 1854 1855 1857-58 1859 1860 1862-66 1868 1869-71,76 1873 1875 1877 1878-79 1880-81 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1891 1892-94 18961909 1910-11 1912-14 1915-16,49-54 1917-18 1919 1930-32 1933-48 1955-67 1968-72 1973 1974 1975-79 1979-80 1980-2008 2008-2020 2020-present |
Marathon Township Treasurers
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Martin Volentine Abraham Hollenbeck Daniel Clark Jacob Hollenbeck Seth Willey Lafayette Warren Evart Clute Andrew Farrell John Stanley John Blue Needham Hemingway Ephraim Clute Palmer Carpenter George H. Kilbourn AF Richards Andrew Aurand Chauncey Maxfield William Hollenbeck John Davis Nelson K. Lawrence Abijah Willey Joe Deming Munson Grover JT Wheeler Oscar F. Hunnywell Allison W. Whipple John L. Preston George Rook Harris Edgerton Robert Armour Irving McArthur Sylvester Sherman Eugene Hollenbeck Byron Lawrence Norman Stark Issac L. Hemingway George T. LeValley Joseph Wilson John Whetstone Edwared Conant Victor Howell Bruce Hemingway Thomas Force William B. Traver Sidney Riley Edward Morrison Clarence L. Clute Charles Stier Frank Whetstone Thomas Forrest Adrian Butler Delbert June Henry Hemingway Olive Sammons Irving Metcalf Lee Burgess Lynn Folsom Jasper Johnson Leta Secord Sandi Glesenkamp Nolan Kinder Lori Hollis |
1839
1840 1841,44 1842 1843 1845 1846-48,55-56 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853,62,65 1854 1857 1858 1859-60 1861 1863 1864 1866 1867-68 1869 1870 1871-72 1873-75 1881 1882-83 1878-79 1881 1882-83 1884 1885-86 1890 1891 1892 1894-95 1896-97 1898-99,1903 1900-1901 1902 1904-05 1906-07 1908-09 1910-11 1912-13 1914-15 1916-17 1918-19 1920-21 1922-23 1924-25 1926-27 1928-29,57-62 1930-31 1932-35 1936-38 1939-54 1955-56 1963-1988 1988-2016 2016-2017 2017-present |