Neal McGaffey* came to White Pigeon 1828-29.  He was the first lawyer of the county and helped lay out the village of White Pigeon, which was surveyed and mapped May 6, 1830.  He helped build the waterway, dam and race, and erected a flouring mill and sawmill.

p. 79 He was appointed clerk of the first meeting of the County Board of Supervisors, April 19, 1830.
p. 298 He was admitted to the bar, August 17, 1830.
p. 300 He practiced law for many years in the county, then made a good record in Texas.
p. 440 He taught the first school, 1830-31, and helped charter the White Pigeon Academy, 1831.
p. 443 He was a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church of White Pigeon, 1830, and its organization was effected in his house.

From Annals of First Presbyterian Church at White Pigeon, Mich.

August 8, 1830:  Neal McGaffey and Hannah his wife, of Tiffin, Ohio, first members, by letter.
June 15 1840:  Neal and Hannah discharged.
March 21, 1831:  Otis McGaffey, a member, discharged June 15, 1840

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*From "History Of St. Joseph County, Michigan" by H.G. Cutler, pp 48, 145, 148, 151.

The content of this pages is courtesy of Julia M Brittain, a direct descendant of Neal McGaffey
Many thanks for your thoughtful contribution to the St Joseph Co., MI pages!
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