Geddes Family.

John Geddes (1801-1889) was a major figure in Washtenaw County's early history. He was one of the first settler's in Woodruff's Grove, a town (now under Ford Lake) that would become Ypsilanti. In addition, he and his brother Robert Geddes (1797-1866) contributed to the development of millwork along the Huron River, owning properties in Ann Arbor Township, Geddes(burg), Ypsilanti, and Pittsfield and Superior Townships. In 1857, John Geddes called for the founding of the Washtenaw County Historical Society, and was one of its active members. John Geddes also held various political offices, including Justice of the Peace, State Representative, and County Supervisor.

John and Robert Geddes migrated to Michigan (from Londonderry, PA and Romulus, NY, respectively) in 1824, and shortly settled in Washtenaw County near where Fleming Creek joins the Huron River. The farm on which the brothers settled grew to contain the Geddes' saw and paper mills, as well as the several homes of the village of Geddes/Geddesburg. In 1829, Robert Geddes married Maria Lane; two years after she died in 1837 he married her sister, Chloe Lane. Similarly, John Geddes first married Fanny Savage (1806-1855) in 1837, and then in 1856 married her sister, Julia Ette Savage. John and Fanny Geddes had three children, Sarah, Rachel, and John Jr.

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