George W. Brooks
From Black Hawk Slept Here
George W. Brooks was an early settler in Colon Township, St. Joseph County. He and his family came together with the families of Lorancie and Martin G. Schellhous in 1831, on land they purchased from the government in Section 3, just south of the Farrand Bridge over the St. Joseph River. During the Black Hawk war, he served in the militia in Henry Powers' company.
He did not stay long. In 1837 he sold his place, with log cabin and 30 acres broken for planting, to Joseph Farrand, whose son, Phineas -- about 17 years old when the Farrands purchased this property -- farmed here for many years and later built a large brick home on the property. That home is now a local landmark.
