1300 Marsac Street

Bay City, Michigan

Although the home was built in 1908, only three families have owned this home before me. The person that I bought it from inherited it from her father, the third owner of the home. Tracing the history shows the following families that owned the home originally:

Ballard

Dreyer

I have no knowledge of any homes that were located on the property prior to 1908. In 1892, the south end of Bay City (the old village of Portsmouth) burned in a fire.

Bay City: South End Fire (Monday, July 25, 1892) - Bay City Tribune. (New Window)

Village of Portsmouth (1868-69) Pioneer history. (New Window)

MARSAC, Josepf F. (1772-1880 - Biography, early pioneer. (New Window)

History of this area: (Source: Bay County Historical Events Timeline)

1822 - Michigan territory: Statue law created for the recording of plats.

1834 - Lower Saginaw: Thomas Trombley of Detroit, purchases 312 acres (22nd to Cass, River to Jennison).

1836 - Land in this region open to purchase from Detroit land office. Later that year land office opened in Genesee Co. (Flint).

1836 - Benoit Trombley, trader & Indian agent, buys property (present southend of Bay City.) from nephew Joseph Trombley.

1836 - Portsmouth "settlement": Benoit Trombley and Joseph Trombley sell properties to Portsmouth Company established by Albert Miller to plat village.

Below this point: "Portsmouth settlement" represents geographical area of: N=Columbus, E=Jefferson, S=32nd, W=Saginaw River.

1836 - Portsmouth settlement: Dr. L.T. Miller, Albert's brother, is 1st family settlement that is not Indian or French to live in what is now Bay Co.

1854 - Portsmouth settlement: William Daglish hires A. Albert to replat his land holdings, later becomes Daglish subdivision.
1873 - Portsmouth village - Annexed into Bay City.

1892 - Major Fire - Miller & Turner sawmill end of 31st st., catches on fire, spreads to a 40 acres in city -- destroys 232 homes, 38 barns, 2 churches, 33 businesses. 1300 are left homeless.

Selected history of ownership of 1300 Marsac (Source - Abstracts)

1837 - Trustees of the Portsmouth Company TO The Public. Description: Village of Portsmouth

1852 - Auditor General TO Albert Miller. Description: Block 93; Village of Portsmouth

1856 - William Daglish TO The Public. Description: Plat, Daglish's Division of Portsmouth, Michigan

1863 - Emily Daglish TO Margaret Bird. Assignment of mortgage

1868 - Margaret Bird TO William B. Green. Description: Warranty, Lot 12, Block 93 and other lands. (First mention of Lot 12)

1878 - Jacob Arnold TO David G. Arnold. Description: Willed to son (David).

1882 - David G. Arnold (executor) TO George Hohes. Description S. 1/3 of Lot 12, Bock 93, Daglish Division.

1884 - David G. Arnold (executor) TO Harriet Stewart. Description N. 2/3 of Lot 12, Block 93, Daglish Division.

1891 - Harriet Stewart TO Henry Selleck. Description N. 2/3 of Lot 12, Block 93, Daglish Division.

Note: Page 8 is missing from my abstract file, containing five unknown entries.

1892 - Fire destroys most of this area. Various interests in property might suggest the property was vacant.

1904 - Frank Hewitt (widower) TO Clara A Ballard. Description: Quit Claim, Lot 12, Block 93.

1918 - Clara A. Ballard (married woman) TO William F. Dreyer & Bess Dreyer.

March 15, 2008