Farm Description
Our 150-acre farm is located at 2495 South Fletcher Road, intersecting the border of Lima and Freedom Township. It's a beautiful property with flat land, undulating hills, woods, and a small creek. The farm now consists of multiple parcels (1 in Lima and 3 in Freedom), but it was historically comprised of two parcels: 20 acres in Lima Township and the remainder in Freedom Township.
History of Ownership
Original Land Grants
The farm is a combination of different parcels of land acquired from the U.S. Government by various original owners before 1835 and 1836. Other early purchasers of parts of the land include:
- Thomas Lounsbery (1830 and 1848)
- Stewart Knight (purchased part of the farm in 1836 and another part in 1848)
- Philip Storing (1842)
Other Early Owners
- Reuben Kempf (1878)
- Philip Jacob Wellhoff (1866)
- Nicholas Keubler (1856)
- Thomas Grandy, Almon M. Whipple, and Joseph Starnberg are also listed as former owners.
More Recent Owners
The Feldkamp Family
The farm was in the Feldkamp family for many years.
- John Henry Feldkamp bought the farm in January 1880.
- His son, John Franklin Feldkamp, became the owner in 1890. His family included his wife Lydia and children Mrs. Walter Beutler, Mrs. Cora Reames, and the late Karl Feldkamp.
- The two existing barns were built during the Feldkamp years, and the chicken coop was moved to the property during their ownership.
The Wenk Family
Erwin and Dorothy Pritchard Wenk purchased the farm in March 1943 from the Feldkamp estate. They owned the farm until 2016 when it was sold. Their family includes three daughters and three sons: Martha, Irene, Donald, Charles, Paul, and Jean.
See the following link for more Wenk family information: Wenk Family Genealogy
Historical Resources
The University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library has a collection of Washtenaw County maps, some indicating owners of the farm parcels at various times. The maps include an 1843 map of Washtenaw County, 1874 maps of Lima and Freedom Townships, and some engravings of typical 1874 residences in Lima and Freedom Townships.