- By Louise Bement
The Town of Lansing, formed in 1817, was originally part of the larger Town of Milton. Then the name was changed to Town of Genoa in 1808. One of the final resolutions of the Old Town of Genoa came in 1816 when a "Certificate of Freedom" was granted to one Issac Middleton, a person colored, about 40 years of age. He was a free man as he was born free in Salem, Massachusetts.