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Township was first organized on March 2, 1836.
One year prior, the first settlers, Elijah Carman
and his family, erected the first log cabin.
Deacon Carman, as he was known by those who
settled the township, held religious gatherings
in his home and was a true pioneer, relying
on hunting for food, tanning hides for clothing,
and clearing dense forests for farming. He died
in 1840 at the age of 40. His son, Reuben, later
built the land into good farmland which he later
named Carmandale.
The Carman family was closely followed by the
Jesse Torrey family. In October of 1836, it
settled on 400 acres and cleared the area to
farm. This founded the Torrey settlement. Settlers
who followed the Carman and Torrey families
included other familiar names such as Dye, Utley,
Bristol, Carter
and Miller.
In
1837, Michigan Territory became a state. During
the years that followed, many roads were laid
and traveled in the area: Bristol, Atherton,
Maple, Hemphill, Judd, Van Slyke, Linden, Torrey,
Hill, Book, Jennings and Reid. The Fentonville
Plank Toll Road was built in 1851 with a toll
of one cent per mile. This road is now Fenton
Road. Freight wagons traveled between Detroit
and Flint on this road. One freight line was
owned by Harry Farrow who lived on a farm that
is now Bishop International Airport.
The first schoolhouse in Flint Township was
built in 1878 on the banks of Swartz Creek on
land owned by Jesse Torrey. Eventually 10 school
districts were established within Flint Township.
Many were one-room buildings centered in the
heart of the various settlements.
