The January 1950 issue (PDF) of Impressions, a publication of the Washtenaw County Historical Society, describes the process of acquiring land from the local land offices. First, a new settler would visit the land office and look over the plats not yet sold. He'd find a plot of interest, and follow old Indian trails to get as close as possible to a section line blazed by the surveyor. Then,
"When he found a quarter section to his liking, he would come to the nearest section corner and note what corner it was by reading the surveyor's scribe marks on the trees, if there were any."
The first plots of land cost $1.25 an acre. Much of the land was purchased by speculators who turned around and sold it shortly after purchase. The original patent holders of land in Lodi Twp., section 5, are sketched on the rough image below; the red line shows the approximate location of Centennial Lane.
The lots on Centennial Lane are largely located in the two portions of land acquired by Horace H. Notingham (actually Nottingham, it is mispelled in the patent database). His patent for the 62.8 acreas of the west half of the northeast quarter section (where the street is now) was dated April 4, 1833; a PDF copy of the patent can be downloaded here. The patent for the east half of the northwest quarter section was dated September 10, 1834; a PDF copy of this patent can be downloaded here.
See the post Land changing hands, 1856-1976 for subsequent land owners.
