Handy Township’s first election was held April 2, 1838 at the house of Ralph Fowler. Fourteen legal voters resided in the community.

Elected were Ralph Fowler, supervisor; Richard Bush, clerk; John Fowler, Richard Bush, William Benjamin, Seymour Norton, justices of the peace; John Fowler, Richard Bush, John LaRowe, assessors: Ruel Randall, collector; Harvey Metcalf, Richard Bush, Seymour Norton, highway commissioners; John Fowler, Seymour Norton, Richard Bush, school inspectors; Elijah Gaston, John Bush, Poormasters; and Ruel Randall and John LaRowe, constables.

Prior to that first election, several additional settlers joined the first ones, arriving before the winter of 1837 and during the early part of 1838. They included Samuel Conklin, Benjamin Briggs, Dennis Conrad, William Nash, George Austin, William Bumfrey, William Benjamin, and Almon Whipple.

Whipple has the distinction of opening the first store in the township, doing that in 1838. He had settled in the northeastern part of the township, known as the Gaston neighborhood.

The same year, in the fall, he was elected clerk of Livingston County and moved to that community.

At about the time that Whipple established his store, Elijah Gaston opened his house to the public as a tavern and received the appointment of postmaster.

Among the other early settlers who came in during the years from 1838 to 1844 were Hiram Mace, James Armstrong, Joseph Schofield, David Griswold, William Bowen, Eleazer C. Tucker (the first blacksmith), John Van Blaricom, David Fredericks, John Jones, Harley Bement, H. B. McCumber, John Everts, John Ray, Edward Jubb, Ira Sargent, Benjamin Curtis, Levi Bristol, Orson Swift, William T. Davis, Rial Hyslington, Daniel Benjamin, Andrew Miller, Ezekiel Little, Perry Dorance, James Grimes, George Digraph, William Marsh, Marshall Porter, A Cook, Joel Choate, Philters Brown, and Enoch Marble.

The increase in population during the years to 1850 was slow, partly because of a financial depression during the late 1830’s and then because reaching market with farm produce was costly.

Many came, and after a residence of a year or two, moved to some other locality where markets were more accessible.

People in the vicinity, it was reported, anticipated the eventual building up of a village as the highway for general travel and the hauling of freight west from Howell led in the same direction.

Some ‘firsts’ during that time frame included: the first log school house was built on section 11 in 1839 and the first framed school house was put on the same section in 1844.

The first birth was Charles Fowler, son of Ralph, born in June of 1838, while Mrs. Ruel Randall was the first death in the township, passing away that same year.

Early marriages were those of Benjamin Curtis to Mary Bush and William Ferris to Amanda Miller, who were married by Ralph Fowler in 1840.

Fowler brought in the first improved cattle in 1844, those being Devons from a Clinton County herd. Calvin Handy owned the first cow and oxen. The first steam sawmill was built on section 18 by William Spafford in 1847; later it was owned by Conway and Wilbur. Elijah Gaston built the first framed barn on section 1, while Richard Bush erected the first framed house on section 12 in 1853.