History of Pierre Mettetal

Pierre, of Hugenot origin, was born in 1808, in Etupes, France - the son of Pierre Christophe and Marie Doriot Mettetal. He immigrated to the United States in 1826 and came directly to Philadelphia to join his brother, Frederick, who had preceded him by four years. Later, Frederick came to Michigan and settled on a farm near Mt. Clemens, and is buried near Owosso, Mi.

After three years in Philadelphia, Pierre went to Washington, D.C. where through a friend in 1829, he became Steward in the Spanish Embassy and later became Emissary for President Jackson. He remained as Emissary until 1835. In this capacity, he often talked with President Jackson of whom he was an ardent admirer. He was also an acquaintance of Lewis Cass, who at that time was a Secretary of War, and had previously been Governor of Michigan Territory. He also numbered among his friends, Stephen T. Mason - Michigan's first Governor and, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft - ethnologist, author and explorer.

Peter, who was getting lonely to see his brother Frederick (the only other member of his family in the United States until about 1848), and wanting to own a farm - for which he had been saving his wages - listened to his brother's pleas to come to Michigan, which was then a territory. Frederick apprised Peter of the impending sale of 80 acres of good farm land on Schoolcraft Road, one half mile from Grand River. As soon as the papers could be completed at the Land Office, Ontario County, New York, on July 11, 1836, Peter became the proud possessor of a farm for which he paid $320.00. This property was acquired through a land patent of land grant from the U.S. Land Office in May 1835, by Irad French. However, the lingering illness of Mrs. French forced him to sell the farm and move to Texas.

Peter had to blaze a trail to his property and made what he termed a "dugout" of logs banked up with sod. There he lived alone until he could clear the land in order to till a garden and raise his own food and corn to feed his cow. He then built a two-story log house. The logs were "faced" on the inside and covered with siding on the outside. To this home, Peter brought his bride; brown-eyed, curly-haired Angelique Martine, and there three of their eight children were born.

Peter cleared and tilled his land, planted a large orchard, raised sheep and cattle, cut cord wood and made charcoal, thatch - with his excess farm produce - he drew to market with his oxen and wagon. Angelique carded and spun the wool, knit socks, gloves and mittens, wove some of their wool blankets, raised chickens, made rag rugs and carpets, made their clothes and "dipped" candles. In 1850, Peter built a frame home of seven rooms, in which they raised their four sons and four daughters.

Peter served a term as juror, walking the eight miles each way to the courtroom. He had a strong tenor voice and upon his return home - when he was one-half mile away - he began to sing the "Marseillaise" so the family could hear him and have a hot supper on the table when he arrived.

He was a staunch Democrat like his ideal Andrew Jackson, although he campaigned for President Harrison - giving stump speeches and singing political songs. He also held the position of Commissioner of Roads for many years.

When Schoolcraft Road was made a "corduroy" road (paved with logs), Peter donated the required number of logs to pave the entire width of his farm. In the 1920's when Schoolcraft was made macadam road, Eli Mettetal, Peter and Angelique's youngest son, asked the road crew to watch for any good parts of the old corduroys. Several in good condition were found and given to Eli, who was still living on the property, on Mettetal Avenue. From these logs, he had a cane and a gun rack made. A copper plate with an inscription about Peter Mettetal and the Road Commission is fastened to the gun rack. Peter spent much of his spare time studying law and medicine. Consequently he was advisor on legal matters to the old pioneer families near him. He often remarked that in those days, people borrowed and lent money "without the scratch of the pen", and many times deals were made in which the money due was paid by the debtor to Peter, although it might be weeks before the creditor collected it. No charge was made for these services but he received what he valued most...their friendship and their knowledge of his unquestioned integrity.

When Peter was 79 years old, he leased his farm to his youngest son, Eli, who built a large farmhouse near by and he and his wife raised their six children there. Peter Mettetal remained in his home until September 1904 when he and his wife went to live with their son, Theophilus, on Perry Street in Detroit. That November he walked to Grand River to vote for Teddy Roosevelt, whom he said was the better candidate. Peter was then 96 years old. He could read without glasses and had his first automobile ride around Belle Isle, when 97 years of age. He died in June 1905 and Angelique went to live at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Guilloz, and later with another daughter, Mrs. Clara Smith, where she died in 1911 at the age of 94. Both Pierre and Angilique, and a daughter Eugenie, are buried in the old pioneer cemetery, Bell Branch, on Telegraph Rd., Detroit, Michigan.

Peter's garden, which he worked and kept free of weeds until he was past 90 yrs. old, was a gathering place for the farmers in the area. Each kind of vegetable or herb had its own plot of ground, with paths in between. There were large trees bordering the road on one side of the garden and under them, he kept a chair on which he took frequent rests. As the farmers came from the market or from shopping, they stopped and visited him under the trees. Of them he would sing some of his old French songs, in a loud, clear voice, while he was resting. He had a habit of talking to himself and when asked why he did that - with a twinkle in his eye - he replied, "When I want to talk to a smart man, I talk to myself."

Angelique's flower garden was a thing of beauty. It bordered both sides of the board sidewalk which led from the house to the road. Purple lilacs, pink and red hollyhocks and pink roses flanked each side of the gate. In the garden were many varieties of both annuals and perennials which bloomed in gay profusion from early Spring with tulips, hyacinths, narcissus, violets and daffodils until the frost nipped the last of the chrysanthemums in the late Fall. In the center of each garden grew a 'hen and chickens' enveloped with a metal hoop to limit their spreading. Every family in the vicinity had a similar garden since each housewife exchanged seeds, bulbs or roots with their neighbors. A small creek ran through the farm. On its banks grew elderberry bushes that furnished millions of purple berries for pies and wine. When the creek ran dry in the summer, horseradish which grew in the creek bed was dug and grated. In the woods at the end of the farm, were large blackberries. In the middle of a field was a hickory nut tree and bordering the road by Peter's garden, were some walnut trees.

In the orchard were trees with big, red apples and some russet apples that had a flavor all their own; another kind was called the 'pound apple' as that is what they would grow to weigh. Bushels of apples for winter were kept in a root cellar which was made of brick and banked high with sod. When the apples were ripe, the smaller ones and the best of the windfalls were picked up and drawn to Becker's Cider Mill, on Becker Road (now Burt Rd.), where they were crushed into cider; to drink while it remained sweet - then a barrel was kept for vinegar. Also in the orchard were some large cherry trees and a grape patch with blue Concord grapes and sweet red and white grapes. On each side of the path to the grapes, was a pear tree which bore small, but very tasty 'sugar' pears which Angelique pickled whole. Two old pear trees, grown from seeds of pears gathered from the old trees in front of Assumption Church on Sandwich, Canada, stood in back of Peter's house. Angelique brought them here directly after their marriage in that church in 1841.

Upon the death of Pierre Mettetal, twenty acres of the farm on Schoolcraft Rd. were inherited by each of four of his children, while the two remaining children each inherited forty acres of a farm on Greenfield Townline.

In 1868, the Detroit & Howell R.R. purchased land for that railroad to cross the southern end of the eighty acres. Later the Lansing & Northern R.R. acquired the right-of-way, which was later sold to the Pere Marquette R.R. On August 26, 1919, sixty acres, including the streets of Asbury Park, Mettetal, St. Mary's - Mansfield Ave., were sold to Luther S. Trowbridge of Detroit, who plotted it into 367 lots and named it Orchard Grove Park. About thirty acres of this land had been planted with various kinds of fruit trees, berry bushes and grapevines: hence the name - Orchard Grove Park. Until Mr. Trowbridge sold the entire subdivision to the Grand Riviera Land Company in 1925, he paid the former owners to pick and market the fruit for him. The other twenty acres, between Mansfield and Rutherford Avenues, were sold to B.E. Taylor Real Estate Company.

Mettetal Avenue was the name first given to what is now St. Marys Ave. Someone had the name changed, to which the pioneer families strongly objected, and so a petition to have the name restored to "Mettetal" was circulated.(1) When the petition was brought to Eli Mettetal, he asked that the name "St. Marys" be given to what had been Mettetal Ave. since that street led directly to St. Marys Church, and the name "Mettetal" be given to thenext street west(2) - which was done. Only one descendent, Mrs. William Kuster, remained on the property on St. Marys Avenue.(3)

All but Emile, eldest son of Pierre and Angelique, became public school teachers.

(1) As written by Louis Chalvre of Redford - son of an old pioneer. (2) Eli Mettetal built a beautiful home on Mettetal Avenue and he and his wife spent their remaining years there.