The Door of the Past

The Door of the Past. The Moons of Delta Township. "The door of the past swings open, I willingly draw near; I step inside the portals, Amid the scenes so dear." , - Fanny J. Moon, 1891 , , Arrival in Delta Township , In 1854, David Sands Moon and Mary (Wiltse) Moon moved to Delta Township (section 27) from New York with seven of their nine children. They built this cabin in 1860 after their first cabin burned. , , A Poetic Marriage , Eldest son Andrew Wiltse Moon married Fanny Jane Mehitable Johnson in 1865 and inherited Moon Farm. Together, they had three children in this cabin. Fanny Moon, the Cabin's longest resident, also became a published poet. , , The Teacher , Andrew and Fanny Moon's second daughter, Lizzie Amelia Moon, was born in 1868 without the ability to hear. After graduating from the Michigan School of the Deaf in Flint, she taught other students who were also hearing impaired. , , The Architect , Darius Moon left the family farm to become a building contractor (1877) and architect (1889). He designed homes for prominent Lansing residents including Edward Sparrow, founder of Sparrow Hospital. , , Martin and the Ram , David Moon's sixth son Martin learned the hard way that farming was a dangerous profession sprinkled with humor. "The ram came like a whirlwind and struck Mart in the stern and that was pointing towards the ram, and knocked him clear over calf, milk pail and myself." , , Civil War Wife , Darius Parsons married David Moon's eldest daughter Lydia Grissel in 1855. Parsons joined the 14th Michigan Infantry in 1862 and served in many Civil War engagements, most notably Sherman's March to the Sea.