These early settlers were deeply religious, mostly Quakers (the first of this group in Michigan). Their first meetings were held in a small house built on land donated by Arthur Power. Next to this church was their burial ground, which can be seen from Gill Road. The Quaker movement was short-lived, however, fizzling out due to both death of the members and a lack of initiative on the part of their leaders to recruit new members.
While the number of Quakers was dwindling, the populations of other denominations were growing. Several churches soon dotted the landscape.
The First Presbyterian Church was founded on August 13, 1826 at the home of Amos Mead, in response to the urging of a David Ruggles of Pontiac. Among its charter members was Seth Warner. In 1833 a church was built on the southeast corner of Halsted Road and Eleven Mile. It was later moved into the village of Farmington. After the move, the church population went into a decline; it was dropped from the Presbytery rolls in 1885, not to be revived until October 25, 1953, when Presbyterians met in the cafeteria of the Farmington High School.
Samuel Mead, the brother of Amos, was instrumental in the organization of the Baptist Church in Farmington, beginning in 1826. By 1835 they had moved into a frame building at Twelve Mile Road and Halsted Road, now the site of the West Farmington Cemetery. Chauncy Wolcott served as minister until 1857 when the congregation split. Wolcott and his followers moved to a church between Thirteen and Fourteen Mile, where the North Farmington Cemetery is now located. The remaining forty-three members organized and built a church on Shiawassee Road; the 28' x 40' frame structure was built at a cost of $1,680.
The Methodists met irregularly until the summer of 1827, at which time they began holding their meetings in members' homes. It was not until 1840, when Ebenezer Stewart donated land for a church at the southeast corner of Warner and Shiawassee, that they were able to construct a house of worship. After many delays, the church, 46' x 56', was finally finished in 1844, at a cost of $3,000. The church burned in February, 1920; it was rebuilt two years later on a site at Warner and Grand River.
In 1853 the Universalists constructed a $900 church on Warner, between Shiawassee and Grand River. This building was recently moved to its present location on the Gibson "Centennial" Farm on Halsted Road, a mile north of Grand River.
Other denominations came, grew and built their own churches and synagogues. Now over fifty dot the area. The religious groups reflect the increasing multiculturalism of the community.
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