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COPNDU
OF
HISTORY.AN
BIOGRAPHY
OF
ILJiAUS'TRATEnD.
ELON G. REYNOLDS, Editor.
"A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything
worthy to be remembered with pride by remote generations. "-MACAULAY.
CIIIIC.A GrO
A.W. BEOWEF4N & CO.
PUBLISHIERS, EMNGR~AVEORS AND BOOR MANUFACTURERS
JONESVILLE LIBRARY
JONES VLE MCIA
Tell me a tale of the timber landsOf the old-time pioneers;
Somepin' a pore man understands
With his feelin's well as ears.
Tell of the old log house,-about
The loft, and the puncheon floreThe old fi-er place, with the crane swung out,
And the latch-string thugh the door.
-JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY.
FOREWORD.
From innumerable sources of information-many of them broken,
fragmentary, and imperfect-from books, records, manuscripts, private
documents and personal information and knowledge, the very capable
*editor has gathered much of value respecting this favored cqunty of
Hillsdale and its savage and civilized occupancy. The historian and
his corps of efficient assistants have zealously endeavored to separate
truth from error, fact from fiction, as these have come down to them
from the already half-forgotten days in legend, tradition and the annals
of the past. The people of the county can well congratulate themselves
that so learned a man and so able and conscientious an editor as Mr.
Elon G. Reynolds could be obtained. His labors in this connection adds
greatly to the long years of service he has given to the institutions of the
city and county. His history of Hillsdale College, in this volume, is of
high value, comprehensive and exhaustive.
The publishers herewith desire to express their thanks to those of
the citizens whose patriotic and loyal interest in the county of their birth
or residence have caused them to give a generous and loyal assistance to
this enterprise, by their financial support rendering its publication possible; to those who have contributed the excellent portraits scattered as
fitting illustrations throughout its pages, thereby greatly enhancing the
value of the volume; to all whose willing service and unfailing courtesy
have ever fully responded to aid in the efforts to make this memorial history a valuable and thoroughly comprehensive exhibit of the events and
the people of old Hillsdale county. The publishers feel a satisfaction
in being able to so creditably place these writings in an attractive and
enduring form, and trust that their faithful efforts will be suitably
appreciated.
A. W. BOWEN & Co.
75./,o $
7 J-/>-~~~~~~~~~~~~~
History may be formed from permanent monuments
and records, but lives can only be written from personal
knowledge, which is growing every day less and less,
and, in a short time, is lost forever.
-SAMUEL JOHNSON.
CONTENTS OF HISTORY.
CHAPTER. PAGE.
I. HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN................................... 19
Description-Soil-Rivers and Streams-Prehistoric-The Great
Trail-Indian occupancy âPottawatomies-Baw Beese-Indian execution-Removal of the Indians-Beauty of the landscape-"Oak
openings"-"Plains" âProfusion of game, grasses and wild fruitsExtinguishment of Indian title-Description of land ceded-Terms
of treaty-Survey of Chicago Road-Early erroneous ideas of Michigan-The first settler-First crop of corn-First "mill"-Benaiah
Jones, Jr.-Moses Allen's death and burial.
II. EARLY HISTORY-By F. M. Holloway, Esq........................ 26
Treaty of General Cass with Pottawatomies-Coming of immigrants-Blazed trails-The changed view concerning Michigan, how
produced-North American Review articles-Locations of first set' ters-The town of VANC(E-Establishment of Hillsdale countyBlack Hawk War-Its influence on proposing settlers-Great
scare-Close of preliminary history-HILLSDALE COUNTY: Its Creation, Description and Topography-The Ninth District-First
county officers-Townships created-Wheatland-Fayette âFirst
supervisors-First town meetings-Difficulties concerning southern boundary of the State-Boundary war-National interference
-Delay in State's admission to the Union-Names and purchases
of early pioneers-First store and merchants-First mill-First
hotel-First school district-Early schools and teachers.
III. EARLY PIONEER CONDITIONS........................................... 32
Early JonesVille-The incoming pioneers-Character of the immigrants âHabits and manners-Charity and kindness-Anecdotes of
primitive justice-Jokes-Counterfeiters-Whence came the settlers?-Conditions in Western New York-Pioneers a superior race
-Important decisions of local court-Early homes and method of
building-Food and cooking-Early crops and prices-Flax and
its preparation-Spinning, weaving and the making of clothingSheep and wool-Feather beds-House Furnishings-Spinning bees
-Logging bees -Democracy-Moral.
IV. LESSONS AND VICISSITUDES......................................... 38
Lessons to be learned-Development of civilization-Object of life.-Dangers to shun-Wherein lies safety-Illustrations of pioneer
xii
CONTENTS OF HISTORY.
CHAPTER. PAGE.
living and vicissitudes-Jesse Hill-C. C. Fowler-The Carmichaels
-John W. Johnson-H. P. Hitchcock-Norman S. Sharp-Joseph
L. Farnham-Samuel Riblet-E. B. Seeley-Pioneer life in Pittsford-Mrs. Southworth's story-Warren Smith.
V. PROGRESS OF THE COUNTY......................................... 43
The county in 1838-Railroad building-New courthouse-A great
celebration âProgram of the exercises-Changes in the county by
decades-Present agriculture-Synopsis of county treasurer's report of 1880-Salaries, etc.-Valuation in 1890-Population in 1900
-Intelligence-Politics-Rural free delivery-Improvements, etc.
â Banks and banking institutions.
VI. EARLY PLACES, PEOPLE, ETC................................ 49
Jonesville-Prominent early settlers-Early lawyers-Physicians
-Postoffice-Mail routes-Early industries-Methodist Episcopal
church-Presbyterian church-Protestant Episcopal church-Baptist church-Early schools-School districts-Early mentions,
births and settlers-First newspaper-Loyalty in Civil War-Deal
carriage works-Platting of Jonesville-Its incorporation, etc.,First movement to create a city at Hillsdale-Its first landed proprietors-Township of Hillsdale-Incorporation of city, etc.,-Railroads-Early,business enterprises-Hillsdale village in 1838 and
1839-First sermon-First organized church-First "Fourth of
July" celebration-Hillsdale before 1840-Fowler's additionRapid growth-Some prominent citizens of early HillsdaleProgress and development-First postmaster-Railroad construction âWarehouses-First election and officers of Hillsdale village-First school district and school houses-First school board
-Odd Fellows and Freemasonry-Early newspapers-Methodist
and other churches.
VII. ABOUT THE TOWNSHIPS............................................ 57
Adams-North Adams-Allen-Amboy-Cambria-Cambria Mills
-Camden-Camden village-Fayette-Jefferson-Osseo-Litchfield
-Litchfield village-Moscow-Pittsford-Pittsford village-Scipio
-Mosherville-Somerset âWheatland-Ransom - Reading-Reading village-Woodbridge-Wright.
VIII. HILLSDALE COLLEGE-By Elon G. Reynolds......................... 66
Religious thought of the Eighteenth century-Benjamin RandallFree Willers-First Free Will Baptist church-High moral standNeed of an educated ministry-Concerning the establishment of
a denominational school in Michigan-Michigan Central CollegeDistinguished early students-Attempts to secure a charter-Erection of buildings-Donations for apparatus and library-Early
members of faculty-Charter obtained-First female graduatesUnprecedented growth of school-Change of location agitated
CONTENTS OF HISTORY. xiii
CHAPTER. PAGE.
Resolution of board of trustees-Visiting committee appointed-
Professor Dunn visits Hillsdale-Other prospective locationsColdwater and Hillsdale to compete for the college-Committee in
regard to new location-Coldwater's offer-William WaldronHillsdale offers to raise $15,000-Hillsdale secures the collegeLarge contributions-Corner-stone laid at Hillsdale July 4, 1853 -Suit in chancery-Spring Arbor excited-Professor Churchill
threatened-Dark days-State constitution prohibited chartersNew law introduced and passed-Hillsdale College organizedFirst trustees-Object of the institution-Raising endowment and
other fund's-Scholarships-Geauga Seminary-Merged in Hillsdale College.
IX. HILLSDALE COLLEGE, Continued..................................... 72
Opening term of Hillsdale College-Payroll of teachers-Number
of students first year-Total number of graduates-Early graduates
-Civil War period-Center building destroyed by fire-New buildings to be erected-Knowlton Hall-Fine Arts Hall-Cost of erection-Gymnasium-Treasurer's first report-Annual gain in endowment-Professorships-Large contributors-College libraryProfessor Dunn-Annual statement of 1903-Sources of income for
college-List of trustees-Presidents-Excellent financial management-Celebration of semi-centennial of the laying of the cornerstone-Some prominent graduates-Newton J. Corey-Oliver W.
Pierce âHon. Lewis Emery-A. W. and W. W. Mitchell-Will M.
Carleton-Hion. Albert J. Hopkins -Bion J. Arnold-Prominent jurists-Prominent educators-Clergymen-Hon. Washington Gardner-Hon. Samuel R. Dresser-Frank D. Baldwin-Captain Charles
V. Gridley-Importance, value and character of the college.
X. ROSTER OF THE CIVIL W AR........................................ 81
INDEX TO SKETCHES, ETC.
Abbott, A. H.............. 427
Ackerly, H. H............... 351
Alamo Mfg. Co.............277
Aldrich, B. F............... 212
Aldrich, H. C..............213
Allen, Moses..........25-26- 58
Alward, B. R............. 451
Alward, J. B............... 352
Archer, M................. 353
Archer, O. M............. 354
Arnold, B............ 79
Ash, J. W................. 116
Ash, P..................... 115
Atterbury, W. H............ 215
Bachelder, K...............217
Baily, E................ 121
Baker, G. W................215
Baker, WV. Y.............. 216
Baker, H. R................ 216
Baker, W................ 218
Baldwin, F. D.............. 80
Barker, L................ 221
Barkman, E................ 219
Barnaby, C. W............. 221
Barnes, N. H............... 222
Barre, C. M................ 330
Barre, H. W................ 355
Barrington, J. 0............ 116
Bates, 0................... 356
Bates, J. A................. 356
Bates, W................. 117
Baxter, H.................. 87
Beecher, C............... 223
Beers, H................... 210
Belden, L.................. 224
Bell, T. H. E............. 357
Benge, W. N............... 123
Benson, E. W..............125
Berry, W................ 457
Bibbins, W. L............. 227
Bishop, B................. 154
Bishopp, S. D.............. 225
Blackman, E. A............ 237
Blackman, H. C............ 237
Blackmar, F. S............. 227
Boone,.................. 227
Bow, H.................... 124
Bowditch, C................ 127
Bowditch, J............. 126
Bower, W. W...............449
Bradley, B. C............... 358
Bradley, J. C............. 359
Brezee, W. H.2............ 22
Briggs, G. W............... 259
Britten, R. R............. 244
Buell, G W............... 231
Buck, A. B.................229
Bump, B. H................232
Burt, E.................... 428
Burt, Thos. Sr. and Jr.....414
Cahalan, J................. 300
Cambria Township......... 133
Carbine, T. P.............. 127
Carmichael, C. & B......... 40
Carpenter, W. A............ 128
Carter, W. E............... 231
Case, D. D................. 91
Case, F. B................. 91
Champlin, E. P............. 92
Chandler, J. Q............ 129
Chandler, L................ 450
Chappell, J. D.............. 233
Chase, M. W............... 230
Chase, P. W...:........... 186
Chester, F................. 360
Chester, G. C............... 112
Chester, 0. D............... 363
Cheney, P................. 172
Childs, W. B.............. 238
Childs, L. H................ 130
Citizens Bank, Allen........ 123
Citizens Bank, Litchfield.... 211
Clement, C.................131
Conger, A. G............... 240
Cook, C.................... 361
Cook, C. F................. 261
Cook, H.................... 329
Cook, J. P................. 260
Cook, N. R................ 239
Cooper, J. C................ 415
Corey, N. J................ 78
Cornell, J. P.............. 242
Cousins, J................. 132
Cox, C.................. 241
Cressy, A.................. 113
Cressy, J. S................ 114
Crommer, D......... 417
Cunningham, E. H..........419
Cunningham, E. W.......... 79
Cunningham, P............. 134
Cummins, T. J............134
Curtis, D. A................ 250
Cutler, M. F................ 434
Cutler, G. W................ 102
Daniels, J. W.............. 135
Darling, J. G............... 135
Darling, J. H............... 137
Davis, A. L................. 137
Davis, E. C.................455
Davis, S. W............... 92
Day, L..................... 147
Dayton, 0................. 242
Deal, J. J................. 244
Denning, J. H............. 247
Dennis, J. I.............253
DeVoe, W. H................ 243
Dibble, E. A............... 285
Dickerson, C. J............. 88
Ditmars, W. H............246
Ditmars, W. R............245
Dobson, B................. 140
Doolittle, C. C...........82- 92
Doty, A. G................. 141
Doty, A. W................. 429
Doty, E.................... 142
Doty, H. F.................. 143
Doty, S.................... 141
Doty, 0....................430
Douglass, A. W............. 248
Douglass, J. F.............. 249
Drake, W................... 436
Dresser, E. H............... 365
Dresser, H. H.............. 365
Dresser, S. R.............. 80
Duryea, M. J............... 252
Duryea, W. H..............251
Edwards, A. C.............. 249
Eldred, H................. 143
Emery, J., Jr............50- 79
Everett, R. A.............. 144
Farnham, J. L.............. 41
Ferguson, A. V............ 253
First National Bank........ 201
First State Savings Bank... 188
Fitzsimnons, J. F.......... 368
Fitzsimm!ons, G............. 368
Ford, B. E................. 145
Fowler, C. C............... 39
Fowler, F................99- 366
Fowler, H.................. 314
Fowle, J................ 441
Fowle, 0.................. 315
Frankhauser, W. H......... 255
Freeman, R. W.............. 434
French, Joseph............. 411
Frisbie, J. L.............102- 146
Fuller, C. E................ 426
Fuller, S. 0................ 371
Gaige, P. S................. 146
Galloway, E. R............. 373
Galloway, J. C.............. 374
Galloway, J. S.............. 186
Gardner, G. F............. 374
Gardner, G. B............... 386
Gier, F. M............ 376
Gier, S. J................. 254
Gilmore, S........... 375
Glasgow, S. W.............. 443
INDEX TO SKETCHES, ETC.
XV
Glasgow, W............... 442
Gorsuch, C. H.............456
Graham, M................. 256
Gray, W.H................ 149
Gregg, N. M................ 149
Green, B. F............... 256
Gregory, E. B..............257
Gridley, C. V............... 80
Grosvenor, E. 0............ 109
Gurney, C. H.............. 112
Hackett, L. S............... 435
Hadley, S. B................ 82
Hadley, Z............... 148
Hall, C. W................. 377
Hall, F. M................. 259
Hall, M. E................. 262
Haggerty, J................ 258
Hancock, J. A.............. 150
Harring, M................. 151
Harris, H................. 263
Hawkins, V................. 439
Hawkins, W. B............. 438
Hawley, J.................. 99
Haynes, H. E.............. 380
Heator, J. J................ 264
Heckman, W. W........... 77
Herring, J................. 267
Herring, M.P.............. 268
H ill, J..................... 39
Hillsdale County Gazette.... 253
Hillsdale Democrat......... 237
Hillsdale Gas Co............ 269
Hillsdale Grocery Co........ 284
Hillsdale Leader............ 351
Hillsdale Savings Bank..... 260
Hinkle, H................ 153
Hirsch, C.................. 265
Hitchcock, H. P............ 40
Holloway, F. M............26-49
Howard, F. J............... 271
Howard, L. A..............271
Hopkins, H.H.............270
Hopkins, S. D:............. 450
Hughes, L.................. 274
Hughes, W................. 273
Hulce, C. P................. 421
Iles, J. C................... 154
Ingersoll, H. J............. 101
Jackson, G. A.............. 275
Johnson, C. C..............275
Johnson, J. W............. 40
Johnson, W. C..............452
Joiner, C................... 152
Jones, B., Jr............. 24- 80
Kellogg, I. H..............382
Kelly, M. W................ 280
Kemp, N. B.............. 283
Kempton, M................. 279
Kennedy, S........... 280
Keough, W................. 274
Kesselring, L............ 283
Kies, C.A.................. 276
Kies, D. C.................. 285
King, J. F.................. 278
Kinney, A. L.............. 383
Kirby Family............... 156
Kirby, J. J................. 157
Kirby, R. S................. 157
Kirby, W.................. 156
Knapp, P................... 287
Knapp, S.................. 286
Koon, C. E.............. 89
Koon, M. B................. 77
Kreiter, P.................. 281
Kroh, J. H................. 159
Lake, E................... 180
Lane, H.................. 160
Lane, O. B................ 443
Lane, R. D................. 175
Lawrence, C. E............. 162
Lawrence, E................ 287
Lazenby C.............. 158
LeFleur, H. B.............. 381
Leonardson, J.............. 402
Leonardson, S.............. 418
Lickly, J. W................ 439
Lindsey, C. C.............. 288
Litchfield Gazette.......... 372
Lloyd, G. W............... 270
Lombard, G. W............. 82
Long, J...................161
Lovejoy, A. J.............. 211
Lovell, E................. 163
Lowe, C. Y................. 164
Lowery, T. J.............. 445
Lyon, F. A............... 166
McCarty, J. B.............. 384
McCowan, H............... 289
M,cCowan, A. L............. 290
McCutcheon, A. J........... 421
McCutcheon, W............423
McDougal, J................ 362
McIntyre, M.............. 292
McKellar, D.............. 168
McKellen, C............... 356
McNabb D................. 290
McNair, J......... 431
McWilliam, J. G............ 387
MacRitchie, W.............. 291
M allory, A.................. 294
Maples, C. A................ 164
March, E. J..............81- 95
Mark, G. A................ 282
Marsh, E. S.............. 167
Masters, F. L.............. 295
Mead, T. S................. 95
M eigs, L....................388
Meigs, M. I.............. 398
Mercer, J. G................295
Mercer, S. A................ 294
Mercer, S. A................ 294
Mercer, W... 378
*Mercer, W. W............. 380
Mickle, J................... 385
Miller, H. C................ 173
M iller, L................... 296,Mitchell, A. W............. 79
Mitchell, C. T............... 138
Mitchell, W. W............. 79
Moore, I............... 389
Moore, J. B................ 79
Morey, F. E...............297
Morgan, C. H............ 297
Mosher, G. W........... 300
Myers, C............... 391
Myers, J.................... 392
Myers, W................. 393
Niblack, J. W............. 390
Nichols, R. L............... 171
Nimocks, C. A.............. 87
Norris, C. S................ 203
Norris, Jason B............ 169
Norris, Joel B.............. 202
Norton, A. L........... 172
Norton, E. P............ 173
Northrop, W. B............. 218
Nye, N. P.............. 174
Oakley, C.................. 87
O'Hanlon, 0................ 176
O'Meara, W................ 303
Omega Cement o.......... 293
Olds, J..................... 52
Oliver, W. A................ 393
Osborn, J. M............... 176
Osius, C. P................. 179
Osius, W. C............... 179
Palmer, W. H............... 422
Parish, J.-H.............. 178
Parsons, C. B.............. 82
Patterson, J. B............ 301
Payne, J. D............... 302
Penoyar, L................. 398
Peterson, R. S.............. 304
Peirce, J. W............... 180
Pettit, W. H. H.............423
Phillips, D................. 181
Pierce,. W.............. 78
Post, M. D. L.............. 183
Post, L. H................ 457
Powell, C. A............... 305
Pratt, D. L................. 266
Pratt, J. H............... 92
Ramsdell, J. J............. 230
Randall, B................. 66
Ranney, L. S............... 303
Ransom, H................. 306
Ransom, W. M............. 307
Rawson, A. P.............. 305
Rawson, M. L.............. 184
Raymond, J. W............ 187
Reed, J. T.................. 185
Reed Family............... 459
Resseguie, W. E............ 454
Reynolds, A................ 396
Reynolds, A. B............ 396
Reynolds, C. B.............. 395
Reynolds, E. G.............234
Reynolds, E. W............. 396
Riblet, S................... 240
Riggs, J. J................. 403
Robe & Tanning Co.........397
Robertson, S. V............ 99
Roethlisberger, F. A....... 1-88
Rogers, F. A............... 400
Rogers, W................. 399
Rose, C.............. 183
Root, L. H.......... 433
Rowley, N. R............ 447
Roy, C. H............... 307
Rumsey, E. H............. 189
Rumsey, G. W............. 182
xvi
INDEX TO SKETCHES, ETC.
Russ, L. E................. 410
Rutan, W. M............... 308
Sampson, W. J............. 118
Saltzgiber, J................ 424
Sawyer, W. H.............. 170
Schaad, Z.................. 309
Schmitt, F.................. 190
Scott, W. A................ 310
Scowden & Blanchard Co.... 157
Scowden, J................. 158
Seeley, E. B............... 41
Seeley, P. B................ 401
Seelye, R. F................ 452
Severance, M. P............130a
Shaneour, J.............. 448
Sharp, N. S................ 40
Sharp, W. D........... 310
Shattuck, E. A.............. 311
Shepard, P. B 3............ 313
Sheriff, I. W.............. 191
Sheriff, S. T.............. 192
Silvernail, P. A.............194
Sinclair, R. A............. 316
Slaght,.................... 197
Slaght, J. A................ 198
Southworth, R. N........... 199
Southworth, T. M........... 200
Smith, C. E................ 198
Smith, C. H............. 315
Smith, F. H............... 317
Smith, G. A................ 318
Smith, Le G. J.............. 319
Smith, L. T............. 320
Smith, S. S................ 370
Smith, W.................. 43
Smith, W. H................ 320
Smith, G. E................404
Sprowls, James............ 407
Sprowls, John.............. 406
St. Anthony's Church....... 299
State Bank, Reading........ 142
Stevens, E.................. 321
Stewart, F. M...............201
Stimson, C.................321
Stock, F. W................ 298
Stoddard, J. A.............405
Stoner, I. J................ 428
Strait, R.................. 346
Sutton, J. R............... 408
Sutton, R. B....... 408
Taylor, W................ 322
Terpening, L. H............ 323
Terwilliger, C. W........... 447
Thomas, A. S...............324
Timms, D. W.............. 394
Tolford, P. B............... 325
Toner, J................ 325
Travis, G. R............... 326
Turner, J. P................ 193
Turrell, H. N............... 328
Tuttle, H. S............... 425
Underwood, G. W.......... 327
Underwood, W. A...........196
Van Aken, C. T............. 329
Veeder, C. S................ 331
Vosper, R................... 95
Vrooman, S. B............. 87
Wade, C. F............... 293
t Wadsworth, T. N...........194
Waldron, H............... 118
Waldron, W............... 120
Walsh, F. H............... 331
W alsh, J. J................. 332
Walworth, H. S............. 207
W ard, J. H................. 333
W ard, J. T................. 333
Warren, H. M.............. 334
Warren, J. M.............. 335
Washburn, E. M............336
Watkins, D. J.............. 195
Watkins, J. H.............. 432
Watkins, J. M............. 130b
Watkins, J. R.............. 204
Watkins, L. R............... 122
W atkins, S................. 203
Watkins, W............... 205
Watkins, Mrs. Z. W......... 123
W ay, P..................... 206
Weaver, L. D............... 444
W eir, A.................... 337
W eir, A. B................. 337
Westfall, G. W........... 338
Whelan, A. F.............. 339
W helan, B............... 340
W hite, C. E................. 341
Whitbeck, R. B............. 338
Whitney, A. R.............. 342
Whitney, J. C............... 209
Whitney, W. G............. 89
Whitney, W. G............. 409
Wigent, F. M.............. 453
Wigent, A. J............... 413
W igent, M................. 413
W ight, T................... 42
W illits, M.................. 206
W illiams A................. 341
Williams, C. H............ 459
W illard, J................. 344
vrilson, H. K.............. 343
Winchester, A. M........... 344
W isner, D. A.............. 345
W isner, I. G............... 103
W olf, G. P.............. 347
W olf, J................... 213
W olf, M................... 208
Wood, M. G............... 348
Woodward, E.............. 214
W orden, R................. 42
W orthing, A................ 350
W yllis, G. C................ 348
Wyllis, J. A................ 412
INDE.
Grosvenor, E. O.... Frontispiece
Bishop, B.......... Facing 154
Barre, C. M........ " 330
Cousins, J.......... " 132
Curtis, W...... " 107
Fowle, B............ 314
Fowle, Mrs. B...... 314
Freeman, R. W....... 434
Freeman, Mrs. R.. " 434
Fuller, C. E......... 146
Fuller, Mrs. C. E.... " 146
Galloway, J. S...... 186
Glasgow, S. W...... " 306
Glasgow, W......... 442
Hopkins, S. D..... " 226
TO ILLUSTRATIONS.
Hopkins, Mrs. S. D.. Facing 226
Leonardson, J....... " 402
Leonardson, S...... " 418
Leonardson, Mrs. H. M." 419
AMcDougal, A........ " 362
McDougal, Mrs. A... " 362
McDougal, J........ " 362
McDougal, Mrs. J... 362
Mark, G. A.......... " 282
Mercer, W.......... " 378
Mitchell, C. T...... 139
Norris, J. B........ " 202
Northrop, W. B..... " 218
Pratt, D. L.......... " 266
Russ, L. E......... " 410
Reynolds, E. G......Facing 66
Sawyer, W. H...... " 170
Seelye, R. F........ " 50
Seelye, Mrs. R. F.... " 50
Severance, M. P..... " 146
Severance, Mrs. M. P. 146
Smith, S. S..... " 370
Smith, Mrs. S. S.... " 370
Stock, F. W........ 298
Strait, R........... " 346
Strait, Mrs. R....... 347
Timms, D. W........ 394
Watkins, J. M...... " 80
Watkins, L. R...... " 122
Watkins, Mrs. Z.W. " 123
~PART FIRST
HILLSDALE COUNTY
MICHIGAN
FULLY HISTORICAL
Out of monuments, names, words, proverbs, traditions, records, fragments of stone, passages
of books, and the like, we doe save and recover
somewhat from the deluge of time.-LORD BACON
CHICAGO:
A. W. BOWEN & CO.
1903
We tell today the deeds of story,
And legends of the olden time;
While voices, like an unseen glory,
Still charm us as a silver chime.
The old and new join loving hands,
The Past before the Present stands;
The ages give each other greeting,
And years recall their old renown;
Their acts of fortitude repeating
That won for them historic crown.
COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY
Or
HILLSDDALE CO., MICtHIGAN.
This beautiful and productive county is one The name Hillsdale arises from the prevalence
of the southern counties of the State. Bounded of "hills" and "dales," and its exquisite natural
on the north by Calhoun and Jackson counties, on beauty rivals the artistic work shown by English
the east by Lenawee county, on the south by Ohio. landscape gardeners on the large estates of Kent
on the west it is bordered by Indiana and Branch and Somersetshire. At the time of its first occucounty. Organized in 1835, it now embraces the pancy by the whites the northern half of the councity of Hillsdale and eighteen organized town- ty was dotted with burr, black and white oaks,
ships, Adams, Allen, Amboy, Cambria, Camden, the numerous groves being known as "oak openFayette, Hillsdale, Jefferson, Litchfield, Moscow, ings," the country appearing like a succession of
Pittsford, Ransom, Reading, Scipio, Somerset, orchards. The remainder of the county was heavWheatland, Woodbridge and Wright. The very ily timbered with oak, whitewood, black walnut,
rich county of Hillsdale lies on the dividing maple, hickory and other trees, many of them
ridge between Lake Erie and Lake Michigan, being of large size. The soil varies from a light,
and its altitude is about the greatest of any section.dry sand and loam, to a black, rich alluvium, and
of the Lower Peninsula, some points attaining all parts of the country have been ever productive,
the height of from 600 to 640 feet above Lake yielding the best of crops of grain, grass and roots
Erie, something more than I,Ioo feet above the under the skillful touch of intelligent husbandry.
tidewater of the ocean. The surface is undula- The mineral products are scarcely worthy of menting, a portion being hilly, marshes are here and tion, consisting, as they do, of small deposits of
there interspersed. Many beautiful, clear ponds, iron, lime and only the traces of other metals, but
or lakes, dot the country, fed by pure spring wa- there are some fine quarries of excellent sandter; the number runs up into hundreds, one au- stone, suitable for building and for grindstones.
thority saying that "there are 365, one for each The county is well watered, for in addition
day of the year." In the early days these were to the lakes mentioned, there are numerous
full of delicious fish. small streams, among them the St. Joseph river:;:! 't:' x:..'.,
20
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of the Maumee, the St. Joseph of Lake Michigan,
the Little St. Joseph, the south branch of the
Kalamazoo river, Hog river, and Bean, Goose and
Sand creeks. The St. Joseph and. Kalamazoo
rivers furnished admirable mill sites and water
powers which were early utilized to the manifest
benefit of the county. Evidences of a prehistoric
race of inhabitants and of their extended residence
here is shown by the number of their burial
mounds appearing, notably in Jefferson township,
where they are quite numerous north of the chain
of eight lakes, of which Deer lake is largest, and
in the vicinity of Bird lake. Those that have been
examined show, besides the skeletons of the buried people, pottery, pipes and other articles, distinctly those of Indian workmanship.
The occupation of Hillsdale county before the
coming of the whites has left little sign of its
existence. Whatever prehistoric peoples may
have rambled along its pleasant hillsides or bathed
in the limpid waters of its lakes, they departed
hence and left no traces except the mounds, which
are elsewhere mentioned. The thrilling events
of border warfare and of Indian atrocities recorded no deed of bloodshed on this fair land.
Tecumseh, Pontiac and other valiant and historic
Indian chiefs, concocted their dark designs
against the whites in other places, by other
streams, and the Indian history of this section is
largely one great blank. Probably bands of warriors going to slaughter and destroy, or returning home from savage forays, traversed the great
trail crossing the county. Perhaps disconsolate
captives were also hurried along its winding way,
but no record has been made and the tongues
that might tell were palsied by death generations'
ago. In the construction of this great Indian
trail that led across the state from one great lake
to another, and also in its branches, the red men
avoided the larger marshes, kept on the highest
attainable ground and crossed the streams at the
best natural fording places. Entering the county
in the township of Somerset, not quite two miles
from the northeast corner of the county, the trail
ran nearly west to the site of the village of Moscow, thence southwesterly to the crossing of the
St. Joseph at Jonesville, thence southwesterly
through Allen, leaving the county half a mile
north of the center of that township.
In the first quarter of the Nineteenth Century
a band of less than 200 Pottawatomies made this
county their home. They had no permanent abiding place, but frequented, for the greater part of
the time, the eastern portion of the county, their
migrations ranging from Baw Beese lake and
Hillsdale into Pittsford, Jefferson, Adams and
Wheatland. They occasiopally made long travels
to Lenawee county and into Ohio and Indiana,
always returning to the vicinity of Baw Beese
lake. They built cabins of bark, but they were
not congregated into a village, nor did their occupants remain all of the time in the same location.
There were a few small open fields of a few acres
each, where the squaws raised corn and beans,
but their resources for food were principally
hunting and fishing. An old trading-post, owned
by one Campau, existed at this period on Allen's
Prairie, where the furs they collected were exchanged, for guns, powder, calico, whisky and
other desirable commodities. The nominal chief
of this band was an ordinary looking, fat, goodnatured Indian, known as Baw Beese.
For thirteen years from the coming of the first
settlers, Baw Beese and his Pottawatomies lived
on terms of perfect amity with the new comers.
They were either all "good" Indians, or the influence of Baw Beese was a very potent one. 4 Baw
Beese is described as being. always ready to entertain a white man with food or shelter, yet he
was still more ready to receive than he was to provide. When visiting a pioneer cabin if he was
not invited to partake of refreshments, he would
ask for anything that he might desire to eat or
drink. During the fishing season the Indians
usually camped on the shores of Baw Beese lake,
as it was one of the best fishing places of the
country, there being no dams on the river to
prevent the numerous fish from coming from
Lake Michigan. The largest of the cornfields
of the Indians was in the north part of the later
township of Wright, and consisted of about fifteen acres. Near the eastern line of Wheatland
was a log cabin, said to be the home of Baw
Beese, but he, with his squaws and pappooses,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
21
were wandering so much that it was rarely if
ever occupied by him.
It was in connection with an Indian execution
that the early settlers first became acquainted
with this band. Some time before the coming of
the whites one of the Indians discovered that his
wife was unfaithful to him. She was given an
Indian trial, found guilty and sentenced to death.
To a locality in the south part of Jonesville village she was taken, and, in the presence of the
assenbled band, she was shot to death by the
chosen executioners. From the frequency with
which this story was narrated to the whites and
the feeling of awe and horror connected with their
manner of telling it, it is evident that such crimes
and such punishments were very unfrequent
among the dark residents of this land.
By the treaty of I833, whereby the Pottawattomies ceded their title to the lands of this section,
they were to remove within two years to certain
specified reservations, but Baw Beese and his band
ignored the treaty stipulations, they evading every
attempt at removal until I840, the whites of
Hillsdale county tacitly acceding to their remaining, as everything was peaceful. The Pottawattomies of St. Joseph and Branch counties were of
another character; brawls, fighting and even murders were of frequent occurrence among them and
Othe people of those counties hardly felt safe in the
occupancy of the land taken from the Indians by
the treaty so long as they were in the vicinity, so,
in I840, the Federal government made a determined effort to transport them to their allotted
reservation at Council Bluffs, Iowa. Various efforts were made during the summer by the U. S.
commissioners to accomplish this result, but to no
avail. Baw Beese showed great anxiety and fear,,
saying: "Sioux kill me. Sioux kill me. Sioux
kill us all. Sioux bad Indians, tomahawk squaw,
scalp pappoose, ugh!"
In November, I840, the Federal government
took sterner measures. It sent a detachment of
soldiers to aid the commissioners, who formed a
camp and sent the troops to bring in the Indians.
They did not resist, but the young men would
break away whenever they could do so, while the
squaws would conceal themselves so adroitly that
it required great skill and much time to find them
and gather them together. Finally nearly all were
"rounded up" and the commissioners made ready
for a start. Poor, fat, good-natured Baw Beese
wept bitterly when he saw that they must go. To
every attempt at consolation he had but one reply:
"Sioux kill me. Sioux kill us all." Previous to
this event a pioneer would often hear a knock on
his door in a cold or stormy night, and, on opening
it, a warrior, with his squaw and pappooses, or
two or three stalwart braves, would step in with
the salutation of "How. How." Then would be
said: "Indian cold; squaw cold; pappoose cold;
want fire." The settler would pile up the logs in
the big, old-fashioned fireplace, and the Indians
would lie dowdn on the stone hearth or puncheon
floor, as close to the fire as they could get without
burning their blankets, and both whites and Indians would slumber peacefully until daybreak.
"No one seems to have feared them or to have
remembered that their ancestors had engaged in
indiscriminate destruction of the Americans in the
Revolutionary and other wars, or that some of the
very men they were entertaining might have been
with Tecumseh in the War of 1812 and taken part
in the dreadful scenes that occurred on the banks
of the river Raisin."
On the day after breaking camp the sorrowful
procession passed westward through Jonesville.
At the head of the column rode the aged Baw
Beese alone in an open buggy drawn by an Indian
pony, with his gun between his knees. An' infantry soldier, with a loaded musket on his shoulder, marched before the buggy, while on each
side was another guard. The Indian wife of the
chief came next, a woman of sixty years, mounted
on a pony and escorted by a soldier. After her
came Baw Bee, a half-brother of the chief, with
about a dozen middle-aged and younger Indians
squaws with pappooses on their backs. These
were probably the children and grandchillren
of the chief, and had an escort of six soldiers. Following these were the rest of the
little company, moving in groups of five, ten or
twenty each, stretching along the road for halfa-mile or more. A few were on ponies, but most
of them were walking; stalwart warriors, with
22 h
HtLLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
rifles on their shoulders, but with mournful faces;
women still more dejected, with blankets drawn
over their heads; boys and girls. careless of the
future and full of mischievous tricks; and, slung
on their mothers' backs, the black-haired, brighteyed, brown-faced pappooses, the cutest-looking
creatures in the world, gazing with infant wonder on the unwonted scene.
The soldiers guarding the company marched
along in single file on either side of the road,
but were scattered quite a distance apart. A
great number of the settlers had come to witness
the departure, and, as the Indians saw one after.
another of their friends, they called them by
name, saying: "Goodbye." The whites cordially
gave them farewell greetings, and these, the last
of the Pottawattomies, left forever the home of
their ancestors for the, to them, unknown land
of the West. The large Iowa reservation whither
they were conveyed did not please them, and,
after they had repeatedly importuned the Federal
government to remove them elsewhere, in I850
they were transferred to a reservation thirty
miles square on the Kansas river, seventy-five
miles west of its junction with the Missouri,
where Baw Beese died of extreme old age.
With the passing of Baw Beese and his band
of Pottawattomies, Indian occupancy was forever
ended on the soil of Hillsdale. It was succeeded
by a new era, that of civilized possession. When
the few first pioneers looked on this land it was
not the landscape of today that they beheld. Although in its peculiar wild and virgin aspect it
was wonderfully attractive, still a dense and
tangled jungle of heavy cedars, tamaracks and
cypress, mingled with maples, elms, oaks, walnuts and other evergreen and deciduous trees
covered much of the ground, which, watersoaked and fungus-bearing, was much like that
of a swamp, even where extensive swamps did
not extend. The rivers and creeks, choked by
fallen and rotting logs and the debris of ages,
moved languidly in their beds, while smaller
streams, now dry or scarcely discernible, kept
sinuous course through the extended marshes
and forests, and furnished homes for thousands
of finny inhabitants, the watery surface being
made much more extensive by the numerous dams
made by the plentiful beaver.
The oak openings and ridge lands presented
another aspect. John T. Blois writes of it in
1838: "To the traveller, the country presents
an appearance eminently picturesque and delightful. In a considerable portion the surface of the
ground is so even and free from underbrush as
to admit of carriages being driven through the
uncultivated woodlands and plains, with the same
facility as over the prairie or the common road.
The towering forest and grove, the luxuriant
prairie, the crystal lake and limpid rivulet, are
so frequently and happily blended together, as to
confer additional charms to the high finishing of
a landscape, whose beauty is probably unrivalled
by any section of country."
The settlers found awaiting them a great
variety of land and soil. The oak openings,
divided into "openings" and "timbered openings"
from the difference in growth of trees, consisted
mostly of table-lands lying between the streams
and often bordering them. They were usually
very sparsely covered with oaks of different
varieties and of a diminutive height. There was
no underbrush and the trees appeared unthrifty, this appearance being caused by the annual fires that ran over the openings. After the
fires had been kept out for some years, a rapid
growth of timber occurred, showing the real
fertility of the soil, which is a loam, with a mixture of clay and sand, generally of a dark color,
dry and stiff in its structure, containing lime,
which caused a great superiority in the growing
of wheat. On some of the uplands were variations of this soil, but the openings were generally
of the character we have described. The "plains"
resembled the openings, except that there was
more sand or gravel in the soil, and they were
often covered with a beautiful growth of timber
free from underbrush, appearing almost like the
orchards the settlers from Western New York
left on the hillsides of their 'old home. The
prairies were not as large as the settlers might
HILLSDALE,-CQ'TY, M- ICQHGAN,
have found in Indiana and Illinois,-but those in
this county possessed a deep, rich, black soil, in
no way less fertile or productive than the larger
ones in the above mentioned states.
The wild grasses grew with great luxuriance
on every kind of land. The blue joint of the
prairies attained a height of five or six feet, and
the luxuriant wire grass and red top grew in
abundance on both openings and prairies, while
immense expanses of wild rye, standing from six
to eight feet in height, afforded a pleasing sight
to the new comer; All of these were nutritious,
and the cattle brought from the east had ample
provision supplied by nature in great abundance.
The ground, especially that of the prairies, was
literally covered with a profusion of many kinds
of wild flowers of every conceivable hue, crimson,
purple, violet, orange, yellow, white, etc.
Another attraction to the pioneer was the
pure, clear water, plentifully found in all parts
of the county. The lands being equally well
adapted to tillage and grazing, could please all
classes of agriculturists. Deer were in abundance, and other wild animals gave zest to the
pioneer's quest for them. The streams, lakes and
marshes were inhabited in great numbers by
beavers, otters, minks and other fur-bearing animals, whose soft coats were readily exchangeable
for such "store goods" as were needed in the
pioneer home. Squirrels, both black and gray, and
of other varieties, were everywhere. Enormous
flocks of wild geese, ducks and swans ruffled the
waters of the lakes and ponds, while the wild
turkey, the crane, the partridge, the quail, woodcock, snipe, prairie chicken and wild pigeon furnished not only sport to the hunter, but most delicious additions to the primitive larders. It is
probable that at this time no other portion of the
Union possessed so many waterfowls, or could
furnish so many or varied attractions to a
sportsman. "Every kind of wild fruit which is,
and some kinds that are not, found in the same
latitude eastward are not only lavished in superior
abundance, but sometimes in superior quality,"
is the way an early settler of the county wrote of
the attractions to the pioneer in that direction.
Cranberries were so plentiful in the open, water
covered marshes as often to make them appear in
the fall like great red fields. When these advantages were known to the people of the eastern
states, it is no wonder that a great tide of immigration set in. For at least the third time, a
new race was taking "seizin" of the soil. The
Indians roamed here and travelled to and fro on
their mysterious trail for many successive generations. Here they gathered game and fur and
glided away; the fall of their moccasins striking
soundless on the yielding forest carpet. The
demoralized remnants of a once powerful tribe
had been sent to the West, leaving a few, faint,
fast-disappearing tokens of their nomadic life,
but of the earlier race, the predecessors of the
Indians, who can tell aught of them? In this
particular portion of the state they left few signs
and slight evidences of occupancy, but they were
here. They lived, loved, warred, fulfilled their
destiny and passed away. The Indian here next
existed, fulfilled his destiny and he, too, has gone.
Will the record of the third, the Caucasian, race
in time to come be that of the others? In the
early swarming hither of the pioneers there seems
no possibility of such an accomplishment. As
we look to-day, in the opening years of the
Twentieth Century, at Hillsdale county in its
magnificent state of completed civilization arid
high intellectual standing, the thought of such
a passing away seems the airy nothing of an
airy dream, nevertheless, two races have thus
passed away. What will be the destiny of the
third?
The extinguishment of the Indian title to the
lands of Hillsdale county was accomplished by
the treaty negotiated by General Cass on August
29, 1821. The Chippewa, Ottawa and Pottawattomie tribes were present in numbers, and,
after the usual time passed in bargaining and in
arranging details, the specific terms of the treaty
were agreed upon and reduced to writing. The
Pottawattomies, as the occupants of the land, and
the other tribes as their allies, ceded to the
United States a tract of land extending east and
west nearly across the state, its description being:
Beginning on the south bank of the St. Joseph
24
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
river of Michigan near Parc aux Vaches (a short
distance above its mouth); thence south to a line
running due east from the southern extremity of
Lake Michigan; thence along that line to the tract
ceded by the treaty of Fort Meigs in 1817
[which was far to the east of Hillsdale county],
or, if that tract should be found to lie entirely
south of the line, then to the tract ceded by the
treaty of Detroit in 1807 [thewestern boundary of
which was twenty miles west of Lake Erie and the
Detroit river]; thence northward along that tract
to a point due east of the source of the Grand
river; thence west to the source of that river;
thence down the river on the north bank to its
junction with Lake Michigan; thence southward
along the east bank of the lake to the mouth of the
St. Joseph river; thence up that river to the place
of beginning.
From the tract thus ceded five reservations
were excepted, none of them being in this county,
unless one of three miles square, which was
described "as situated at the village of Match-ebe-nash-o-wish, at the head of the Kekalamazoo
river," might have been partially contained
therein. As the Kalamazoo river has several
head-water branches, and, as the Indians did not
long retain possession of the reservation, there is
no means of knowing its exact location, but it
was probably in Jackson county. In consideration of this cession, the United States agreed to
pay to the Ottawa Indians $I,ooo a year forever,
in addition to $r,5oo annually for, fifteen years to
support a teacher, a farmer and a blacksmith.
The Pottawattomies were to be paid $5,000 annually for twenty years, besides $I,ooo a year
to support a teacher and a blacksmith. This
treaty is of peculiar interest, as these provisions
were among the first attempts made by the U. S.
government to civilize the savages. This treaty
is the basis of all the land titles of Hilldale
county. As the Grand river heads in the northwest corner of the county, a small portion of
Somerset township may have been left out of
the land thus ceded, as the line runs west to the
source of Grand river and thence down that
stream to the lake, but, as the land north of this
line was also ceded only a short time later, there
was no ground left for contention of title.
Hillsdale county was now the white man's
land, but it lay unsurveyed and roads were not
yet existent, nor could the land be purchased by
prospective settlers. In 1823 a U. S. land office
was established at Monroe for a district which
included all the territory of this county. In I824
civilization drew nearer to its confines, as a settlement was made in Lenawee county. In this
year, through the influence of Gen. Lewis Cass,
who held the office of governor of Michigan with
most distinguished ability from I813 to I83I,
the Federal government ordered the construction
of a public highway, or road of Ioo feet in width,
from Detroit to Chicagol (with a branch from
near Monroe, striking the main line near the
eastern line of Hillsdale county), and appropriated $Io,oo0 to pay for its survey, which was
commenced in the spring of the succeeding year,
the surveyor planning to run on straight lines.
He soon found that this would involve so
much labor in cutting a clear space through the
dense woods and underbrush, and in spending
so large a part of his time in searching for good
routes and proper places to bridge the numerous
streams, that the appropriation would be expended
before the road was surveyed for one-half of the
distance. So, to accomplish the duty of fully
completing the survey and not exceed the $o,000o,
he followed the old trail we have heretofore
spoken of, which became known as "the Chicago
trail." It has been said that he followed this so
faithfully that there was not an angle or a bend
in the trail that was not followed by the road.
This is doubtless an exaggerated statement, but
the road presented enough turns and crookedness
to partially justify it. The surveyor was, however, wiser than his critics, for the trail had been
selected before him by the greatest masters of
woodcraft, the Indians, and probably no better
route could have been taken. The road was not
opened for use by the government for several
years after the survey, but the fact that it was
established by the government, and surveyed at
an immense cost, caused immigrants to follow its
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
25
line and thus was'a determining factor in bringing the land on both sides of the road in touch
with the western bound pioneers. And in the
very next year after the road was surveyed, in
1826, a few prospecting parties with hunters and
trappers, followed its blazes westwardly, and
some of them, seeking the best place to locate,
went on to Lake Michigan. At this time the
blazed road was the only sign of civilization for
the most of the many miles of its winding way.
No white person had established a home or taken
a location in the territory of Michigan west of
Lenawee county.
The members of the surveying party of I825
returned to their homes with glowing accounts
of the magnificent and fertile country they had
crossed, which tended largely to send into a state
of "innocuous desuetude" the falsities which had
been spread broadcast by people interested in the
sale of lands in other states, and others who were
inimical to Michigan, that the territory was a desert waste of insalubrious climate and its soil a
dismal swamp, the home of loathsome reptiles.
Even as far back as the early years of the
Nineteenth Century these ideas had become prevalent. On May 6, 1812, Congress passed a bill
authorizing the survey and location of 2,000,000
acres of public lands in the territory of Michigan
to be given as bounty lands to the soldiers then
serving against the English, but, on account of
representations of the worthlessness of the whole
territory for agricultural purposes, the law was
repealed in I816 and the lands located in Illinois
and Arkansas.
There was a resident of Wyandotte, Wayne
county, a brave soldier of the War of I812, who
is said to have been one of the road-surveying
party. His name was Capt. Moses Allen, a name
to be connected forever with Hillsdale county
as its pioneer of pioneers. In the first half of the
year of I826 Captain Allen, in company with
John W. Fletcher and George Hubbard, made
an extended prospecting tour through the whole
extent of the valley of the St. Joseph river. One
especially beautiful and attractive section, a fertile
prairie, met his entire approval as a site for a
permanent residence, and, although the land was
not yet surveyed and no title could be obtained
until the survey was made, he took a squatter's
privilege, and, in April, I827, arrived here with
his family 'and household goods, and located a
claim on the east side of this prairie, since bearing
the name of Allen's Prairie, but known to the
Indians as Mas-co-ot-ab-si-ac, Sandcreek prairie.
Not only was Captain Allen's settlement the
first within the confines of the present Hillsdale
county, but it was also the first known permanent
settlement of civilized man in Michigan, west of
Tecumseh. Captain Allen was accompanied by a
brother, who resided on the prairie for several
years, but never acquired title.to land. A rude
cabin' of logs with a puncheon floor was soon
erected and here the family resided for over a
year without a white neighbor.east of them for
fifty miles (Tecumseh), west of them for about
the same distance (White Pigeon prairie), while
southward rolled the forest, relieved by an occasional prairie, and here and there a solitary settler, far down into the state of Ohio and Indiana.
There was not a permanent white settler's home
between the little cabin of the Allen's and the
north pole.
During the summer of their advent a crop of
corn was raised, for it is known that in the
spring of 1828 they had an empty corn crib.
Campau's abandoned trading-post, cabin or tent,
had formerly stood on this prairie, and the trader
had here constructed one of those primitive gristmills, made by hollowing out a large hardwood
stump so that the cavity would hold a suitable
amount of corn, which was ground, or rather
pounded to pieces, by a large wooden pestle
fastened to a springpole and worked up and down
by hand. This mill was standing all ready for
the use of the Allens when their first crop was
ready to grind.
In June, 1828, Benaiah Jones, Jr. and family
and brother came to the county and until they
constructed a residence on their location at Jonesville they resided in the empty corn barn of
Captain Allen, and here in August, 1828, was
born the first white child of the county, Cordas
M. Jones, the sixth son of his prolific parents.
The land was surveyed and ready for pur
26
HILLSDALE 'COUNTY, -MICHIGAN.
chase by 1829 and on June 8, Moses Allen and
two other settlers, who had come to the county
through his representations, Benaiah Jones, Jr.,
and Edmund Jones appeared at the Monroe land
office and there he purchased the quarter section
of land on which he had located. His career in
the land of his choice was of short duration, however, for he labored hard to get the logs together
for a substantial tavern and had the "raising" in
the summer of i829, and the building was not
quite completed when he was taken with a sickness from which he died in October of the same
year in which he purchased his land. His was
the first settler's death of the county, and the few
neighbors, who had followed him to the infant
settlement, cut down a big black-cherry tree and
"whip-sawed" it into boards from which a coffin
was constructed. He was given the rites of a
Christian burial, and the pioneer's memory will
ever be kept in fragrant recollection.
We willnow present to our readers a history of
early events written by F. M. Holloway, Esq.,
an intelligent gentleman, who long bore a conspicuous part in public affairs and was himself
an early pioneer. The manuscript has never
been printed. There is in some place a repetition
of matters already spoken of by us, but, as the
"point of view" is a different one, we think our
readers will be pleased to see his presentation of
the subjects.
CHAPTER II.
BY F. M. HOLLOWAY, ESQ.
On the I6th of October 1826, General Cass
concluded a treaty with the Pottawattomies for
all of their possessions east of the Mississippi
river, this was identified with our territory. The
removal was not carried out until I840.
The year of I827 was fraught with but few
incidents of general interest, the extinguishment
of Indian titles was still progressing, on the I9th
of September General Cass concluded the last
treaty with the Pottawattomies by which they
ceded all of their claims to the lands in southern
Michigan, a special necessity existing at this
time for the purpose of building the Chicago
road through the territory.
The year I828 passed in great activity in many
parts of this territory. Immigrants with their
wagons and a little stock were penetrating the
forests by the aid of their compasses, leaving the
trees blazed behind them, as a trail for others to
follow, and as a line of retreat, if that became
necessary. In the record we find nothing of special interest pertaining to this locality.
The year of I829 opens with marked interest
to us. Our lands had been surveyed and put in
market. The great Chicago road had assumed
an identity sufficient to indicate where the trail
would be. A reaction was taking place in the
eastern states, especially in New York, as to
Michigan. They could not believe it to be such
a vast expanse of sand hills and quagmires as
it was represented to be by some of its early explorers, who had been sent to examine it when the
government contemplated setting it apart for the
benefit of our soldiers of the Revolution and of
the War of 1812. And they were strongly fortified in these doubts by a long series of articles
in the North American Review, evidently from
the pen of one who knew well what he was talking about, and familiar with the country. These
articles were extensively copied by the presses
of the country. They were historical, in showing
the struggles that the territory had passed
through; they were statistical in setting forth the
resources and capabilities of each and every part
of the country with the familiarity of an eyewNitness.
They were also convincing to the general
government that it had done a great wrong in
withdrawing the military arm of protection from
around her borders which had ever served as a
shield of defense against the savages of the wil-,derness. The forts of the lakes from Detroit to
Chicago were strengthened at once. Appropriations were made by Congress for the opening
up of the highways so long prayed for. Day began to break in the east and as the rays of the
sun began to shoot through the sky, we find the
young men of the east following in its light. As
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
27
their eye takes in the vision of their imagined
Eldorado of the West, their feet strike the trail of
what was to be Michigan's great thoroughfare.
On the 8th of June in this year we find Edmund and Benaiah Jones, Jr., pitching their tent
on the northwest quarter of section No. 4, where
Jonesville now stands, and obtaining title thereto
from the government. On the same day, Moses
Allen secures title to the southeast quarter of
section No. io, it being on the east side of Allen's
prairie, a part of the same being later owned by
Goodwin Howard, Esq. On the i8th of the
same month John S. Reed secures title to the east
half of the northeast quarter of section No. 17,
in the same town and range. On the 26th of
October S. N. W. Benson secured title to the
lands on section No. 1, where the village of
Moscow now stands. On the 29th of this October
Gen. Lewis Cass, as governor of Michigan territory by proclamation organized by boundary and
name the county of Hillsdale, thereby carrying
out the provisions of an act of the legislative
councils.
But it must not be inferred that we became
a community then, a fullfledged and independent
nation governing and being governed; for, mark
you, our Uncle Sam had parted with but 480 acres
of his domain within the county, and this to five
individuals, hardly enough to "keep house" with,
therefore the providence that was watching over
us, deemed it wise to exercise tutelage awhile
longer. And in six days after, on the 5th of November, we were christened, as is the custom
of all Christian people with their children, and
given the name of Vance, as a token of esteem on
the part of the officiator to a valued friend, then
conspicuous in an'adjoining state. We were put
under the guardianship of our elder brother, the
county of Lenawee, until further orders, with the
one provision that we might, on the first Monday
in Aprilof each year,meet at the house of Benaiah.
Jones, Jr., and hold high carnival in the ceremony
of dividing the spoils of office as should seem
meet to us without let or hindrance. In all other
particulars we were dependent upon our guardian,
Lenawee. To him we must report the result of
our political sprees: If we wished to get married
we must get his permit; if a land title was to be
perpettrated, or difficulties between parties adjudicated by the courts, we must go to Tecumseh to
have it done. If we desired to number our population Sheriff Patchen must come up and do it.
In I830 an act was passed by the legislative
council authorizing Shubel Conant of Monroe,
Jared Patchen of Lenawee and Judge Sibley of
Detroit to act as commissioners to locate and establish the county seat of Hillsdale county. On
their report we find that the governor, by proclamation dated Feb. 15, I83I, fixes it at Jonesville;
and now with a county and a county seat it might
be inferred that we had come of full age and
ready to put on our majority. Such, however,
was not the fact.
A little cloud was springing up in the western
horizon, no bigger than a man's hand, and
spreading its blackness over Wisconsin, Illinois,
Indiana and Michigan.
In the northern wilds of the first-named territory lived the powerful and warlike tribes of
Sacs and Foxes, and as their names imply, they
had sacked and spoiled many a peaceful settlement, even of their own race. These Indians had
taken umbrage at some of the treaties heretofore
made with them, and they would be revenged.
Standing at their head was the renowned warrior
and chief, Black Hawk, and his able brother, the
Prophet. In solemn council these tribes resolved
on war to recover their old possessions, and to
drive from the land all of the white intruders.
The news of this declaration spread as upon the
wings of the wind. It applied to Michigan as
well as other territory, at least our people thought
that it did. The greatest excitement prevailed.
Some gathered their household goods and started
for the east, but the greater part kept their powder
dry and flints well packed, "awaiting the result."
The result was very disastrous to emigration,
which received such a blow that it took full1 four
years to recover from it. 3ooking at the farce in
after years one but can conclude that the fright
was uncalled for, and not worthy the consideration of Americans whose sires had bravely met
threats like these and resulting war in a former
day.
28
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
What were the facts in this great scare?
Three thousand boisterous fighting savages had
declared war against the scattered settlements of
a territory more than five hundred miles from
their home, without allies or resources only as
they could secure them on the warpath. What
were their prospects of success? It had been
more than a year since they made their declaration; they had tried for allies among other
tribes and failed. They had, by declaring war
against the settlements, pronounced against the
Federal government, at the head of which stood
General Jackson, an adept in Indian warfare,
and his war minister, General Cass, who was
personally acquainted with Black Hawk and all
of his tribe and families, with every inch of territory which would suffer. Who that was familiar
with these facts could doubt that the war would
be closed sharply and quickly if a step should be
taken? As the sequel shows the Indians had
hardly moved from their stamping-grounds before Generals Atkinson and Dodge laid the
prowess of the United States army upon them
and the Black Hawk War was at an end.
As the clouds rolled away in the west new desires sprang up in the east. Many of her hardy
sons were anxious to secure homes from the cheap
lands of the western states and territories; a
home they had never heretofore enjoyed fully.
With these desires they acted, thousands taking
their little all, sallying forth with no definite point
in view, but trusting to their good judgment to
stop when they reached the point destiny had selected for them.
So great was this tide, this pushing forward
for the land of their hopes in the spring of 1835,
that one familiar with sacred history could readily
see the panorama of the moving of Israel to the
promised land.
But we must bring this preliminary history to
a close. We have followed acts and incidents
until we find we have come to the year I835. We
find also that Sheriff Patchen has been here and
enrolled our people, that we number 519, all told;
and that he has reported 'his doings to the legislative council, and that they, through the governor, have notified us that we are of age on this
Ilth day of February, 1835; and that henceforth
we must take care of ourselves as one of the independent counties of Michigan.
Hillsdale county was granted political and
municipal privileges on Feb. II, I835. Its geograpical position is on the southern border of
"the state, nearly equi-distant from the Lakes,
Erie and Michigan, and definitely described as
embracing townships 5, 6, 7, 8, and part of 9,
south of the base line, and ranges I, 2, 3 and 4
west of the principal meridian, as established by
the U. S. survey, in the subdivision of Michigan
territory."
It is bounded on the north by Jackson and
Calhoun counties, on the east by Lenawee county,
on the south by Ohio and Indiana and on the
west by Indiana and Branch county, and comprises 6I7 square miles, of 640 acres to the mile, or
394,880 acres. The soil is variable, the north part
being mostly a gravelly loam with clay subsoil,
while in the southern part a clay loam predominates. It was originally a timbered county,
abounding in beech, maple, oak, elm, hickory,
basswood, whitewood, black-walnut and cottonwood in all of the towns, and there was not one
but had its belt of "oak openings" or "burr-oak
plains."
The surface is rolling but not hilly, forming
a' high table-land, the highest in the state, it being
630 feet above Lake Erie, and 616 above Lake
Michigan. It is the source of all the principal
rivers of southern Michigan, Grand Kalamazoo,
St. Joseph, Little St. Joseph, Tiffin and Raisin,
that find 'their feeders in the numerous and beautiful lakes which dot the surface of the county.
These lakes, although small, are generally of
great depth, with beautiful gravelly bottoms and
fine pebbly shores, abounding in the fish usually
found in western inland waters. The rivers all
have prominence on the maps of our country.
The first three traverse the state in a northwesterly direction, discharging into Lake Michigan.
The fourth and fifth run in a southerly course until they join hands with the Necaine of the lakes,
there to swell its bosom as a feeder to our inland
ocean, while the sixth steadily pursues a due east
course until it reaches Lake Erie. This is Hills
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
29
dale county as it was when its boundaries were
established, and given its name on the 29th of
October, I829. This is also as it was when organized in 1835, excepting the changes made by
the frontiersman, which will be noted under a different heading.
By act of the legislative council in 1834, a
census of the territory was taken, looking to the
formation of a constitution and becoming a state
of the Union when the population was sufficient.
Eighty thousand was the number this required.
Upon canvassing the returns it was found to be
more than was required, and, on the 26th of
January, I835, the same council passed an act
calling a convention to form a state constitution
also dividing the territory into election districts,
determining their boundaries, and giving a member to each thousand inhabitants as near as practicable. In this assignment we find Hillsdale and
Branch counties constituting the Ninth District.
The election was fixed for Saturday, April 4,
1835, throughout the territory.
On the I th of February following, by another act of the council the county was organized
by the appointment of county officers as follows:
Sheriff, James D. Van Hoevenburgh; clerk,
Chauncey W. Ferris; register, James Olds; treasurer, John P. Cook; judge of probate, Lyman
Blackmar, and circuit judge, William A. Fletcher.
These constituted the county officers then and to
these appointees were committed the trusts and
interests of the county in a limited sense as provided by statutes. But by the same statute the
full management was to be vested in a board of
supervisors consisting of one member from each
town.
On the I7th of March in this year the legislative council passed an act dividing Hillsdale
county or the town of Vance, as it had heretofore
been called, into four parts and organizing them
as separate townships. The first comprised the
territory lying in Range 2, which they named
"Wheatland," and appointed the first town meeting to be held at the house of Thomas Gamble on
Saturday, April 4, following. The second comprised all the territory lying in Range 2; they
named it Moscow, and appointed the first town
meeting at the house of Lyman Blackmar, to be
held on Saturday, April 4, following.
The third comprised the territory lying in
Range 3. They named it Fayette and appointed the first town meeting at the house of James
D. Van Hoevenburgh, to be held April 4 following. The fourth comprised the territory lying
in Range 4. They named it Allen and appointed the first town meeting at the house of Richard
Corbus, to be held April 4 following.
At these annual meetings we find our people
exercising the elective franchise for the first time
in the county, and selecting their delegate to the
constitutional convention. We find, on canvassing the ballots of this election with the returns
from Branch county, that the district made choice
of Judge Lewis T. Miller of Moscow as its delegate to the constitutional convention, a man of
years, of fine talent, of quick perception, a farmer
by occupation and held in high esteem. The first
supervisors who constituted the county board
were Herman Pratt, of Wheatland; Benjamin
Fowle, of Moscow; Brooks Bowman, of Fayette,
and Richard Corbus, of Allen. To these belonged
the prerogative of raising revenue for county purposes, and through them and by their order must
the same be disbursed. To them was committed
the county's wards, and by them must refuges
of safety be provided by which the reckless could
be restrained and the poor and infirm cared for.
The convention to form a state constitution
met on the 2nd Monday in May in the city of De
troit, concluding their duties and adjourning on
the 24th of the same month. In giving their
boundaries they made their southern one the
same as recognized by the ordinance of 1787, and
as understood when the territory was found.
This constitution was submitted to the people and
by them approved and sent to congress for its
action, they not doubting the admittance of Michigan as a state as soon as congress assembled.
To this boundary Ohio entered protest in congress, and by her legislature and executive, and
at once organized her civil and military powers
through and over the disputed territory, which
was a strip of land about six miles wide on the
Indiana line and eight or nine miles wide at the
3a
HILLSDALE 'COUNTY, 'MICHIGAN.
Maumee river. Congress rejected the Michigan
application on the I5th of June, 1836, and submitted a proposition to the people of the territory
July 25 of the same year, fixing the southern
boundary where it is now. In consideration for
the change the following grants were to be made:
'First. Section I6 of every township for the use
of schools. Second. Seventy-two sections for a
state university. Third. Five sections to build
a state capitol. Fourth. Twelve salt springs,
with six sections of land surrounding each, for
the general uses of territory. Fifth. Five-twentieths of the net proceeds.of the public lands (when
sold) for public roads and canals. Sixth. Alteration of the northern boundaries to include the
upper peninsulas. This proposition was considered by a new convention authorized by the people
and held at Ann Arbor, and was accepted on Dec.
fI5, 1836, and duly certified to congress, which on
the 26th of January, 1837, passed an act admitting Michigan into the Union on an equal footing with the original states.
In the meanwhile, thr6ugh all of this compromising and delaying action of the general government and territory, other scenes were transpiring
which looked ominous of difficulty. Ohio had
placed commissioners in the field to ascertain and
establish her northern boundary "from the most
northerly cape of Miami bay, to a, point on the
east line of Indiana, where it would intersect a
line drawn due east from the most southerly
pbint of Lake Michigan."
This action fixed the heart of young Acting
'Governor Stevens T. Mason, whose loyalty and
zeal would not brook such an insult. The militia
at his disposal was called into requisition early.in the spring of 1835 and was put upon the
trail of the commissioners, whom they actually
routed, taking several of the party prisoners on
the' line ten miles east of Morenci.
These they held for a few days, then discharged some on parole and others on bail to answer
in the district court. But the end was not yet!:A majority of those living on the disputed territory in Monroe county were late emigrants from
Ohio and Pennsylvania, and they were thoroughly impressed with the importance to them of being
a part of Ohio. There was the Port of Toledo
just opening to the traffic of the lakes. There
were the states of Ohio and Indiana ready to
bring in the great Wabash canal, provided it
could tap the lake on Ohio's soil, and, besides
this, Ohio was an old state and would be able to
develop the territory much quicker, that in fact
the territorial interest was all centered at Detroit
and Toledo, and if it remained to Michigan, would
only be a dependency paying tribute.
With the sentiments prevailing the governor
of Ohio was easily induced to put in force the
laws of the state, and issued a proclamation, defining the boundaries of towns and counties in the
disputed tract and for the election of officers to
complete their organizations. These were quickly
held and military companies began to drill in
preparation for civil war. The impulsive governol of Michigan promptly ordered General Brown,
of Tecumseh, to assemble the entire brigade of
his militia, numbering from 1,200 to 1,500 men,
with which they marched to Toledo and held the
place, the Ohio troops wisely halting at Perrysburgh.
The situation was serious and much bloodshed
must have occurred if the national commissioners, hastily sent from Washington, had not introduced delaying measures. The Michigan troops
went home. Ohio was allowed to resurvey the
"Harris line," the basis of her claim, and, after
frequent display of troops on either side of the
controversy and numerous arrests, in 1837 the
people consented to accept the terms of congress
and receive admittance into the Union. (F. M.
Holloway, so long a citizen of Hillsdale, was a
captain in this "Toledo war," as it was termed,
in the Ohio troops.) Thus it was that Hillsdale
county failed to be twenty-eight miles long instead of twenty-five and one-half; and thus, too,
it happened that the southern boundary of the
county is not an east and west line, but a line bearing north of east, diverging from a true east line
about half a mile in the width of the county.
But we have anticipated and must return to
the period when Benaiah Jones, Jr., laid out the
village of Jonesville January 31, 1831. Judging
HILLSDALE COUNTYT MICHIGAN..
1z.,
from the light we now have, these first pioneers
were men of great hope, living in expectations,
reasoning from precedent that every county must
have its capital, every community its centre; hence
a village was a necessity, although there was but
I,280 acres of land sold in the county, and this
held 'by about twelve individuals, and these
stretched out on a line of seventeen miles. We
give the names of these twelve nearly in the order
in which they came: Moses Allen, Edmund and
Benaiah Jones, Jr., John S. and Thomas S. Reid,
S. N. W. Benson, James Olds, Abram F. Boulton,
Richard W. Corbus, E. J. Sibley, Martin G. Shellhouse and Benjamin F. Lamed, the last named
were probably non-residents. There were a few
who had not yet located; among them Thaddeus
Wright, Stephen Hickox and others.
All of the dwellings up to this date were constructed entirely from logs as there were no mills
in the country. In 1832 E. J. Sibley built a sawmill two miles south of Jonesville, on the St.
Joseph river, and three years later James Olds and
others built another one a mile above the first on
the east branch of the same stream. These mills
were of incalculable benefit to the people. Improved residences and an impetus to the growth
of the village was at once manifest.
At the close of 1833 we find but I0,280 acres
of land yet located in the county. This was distributed as follows: In Somerset, I,040 acres to
James D. Van Hoevenberg, Horace White, Heman Pratt, Elias Branch, Elias Alley, David. Herrington, Ebenezer Gay and Charles Blackmar.
In Wheatland, 1,2oo acres to Silas Moore, Richard M. Lewis, Mahlon Brown, Edwin Brown,
Lydia Kaniff, Thomas Lewin and Stephen Russel. In Pittsford, 1,760 acres to Charles Ames,
Thomas Herdsman, Jesse Smith, William B.
Ames, Curran White, Stephen Wilcox, John Gustin, William Flowers, Thomas J. Pannock, Isaiah
French and Alpheus Pratt. In Moscow. 3,320
acres to Benjamin Fowle, S. N. W. Benson,
Samuel Aiken, O. B. Blackmar, Pontius Hooper,
Stephen Scott, David Hiller, Thomas Watts, John
Simmons, James Winters, T. C. Delavan, 'Louis
T. Miller, Simon Jacobus, Charles T. Delavan,
Lucius Lyon, Alonzo Kies, Mary Miller and
Charles Stuck. In Scipio, 300 acres to William
H. Nelson, Dexter Olds, S. N. W. Benson and
Nathaniel Bacon. In Fayette, 1,980 acres to
Benaiah and Edmuind Jones, James Olds, M. G.
Shellhouse, Abel: Olds, Thaddeus Wight, E. J.
Sibley, Benaiah Jbnes, Sr., Peter Martin, B. F.
Larned, Artemeddtus Fuller, Nelson and Lyman
Nethaway, Alvin Niece, Lemuel White, Stephen
Hickox, James Bloss. In Allen, I,720 acres to
Moses Allen, John S. and Thomas S. Reid, Richard WV. Corbus, Abram F. Boulton, R. E. and
N. Stiles,. John Ewell; Newel Kane, David Stiles,
Ichabod Burdick, Henry Clark and Hiram B.
Hunt, making but seventy-five landowners in the
entire county, and being less in amount than seventeen sections, and not quite equal to a halftownship.
In the summer of I834 John P. Cook and
Chauncey W. Ferris came to the county and opened in Jonesville the first stock of goods offered
for sale in the state west of Tecumseh, except
by Indian traders. In the same year Levi Baxter
and Cook Sisson commenced to build the Jonesville gristmill, finishing it the next year, it being
the first of the kind west of Tecumseh. Many improvements were being made in the village and
country. The Fayette House, a large and commodious hotel, had been built by Benaiah Jones in
the village. A second stock of goods was opened
in the fall by Charles Gregory. A school district was organized in I833 and the first schoolhouse was built in the county, a small log building, I2xI4 feet in size, standing on the grounds
west of where the Episcopal church now stands.
A private or select school was opened as early
as 1831 by Miss Ora Nickelson who, being taken
sick, her place was filled by Dr. William Mottram, later of Kalamazoo. He was succeeded by
Dr. Chase, who removed to Coldwater, and he was
succeeded by Benjamin L. Baxter, later of Tecumseh, then but seventeen years. of age. Taking
the position of teacher in the public school on its
organization, he became the first public teacher in
the county. Civilization had now established here'
a strong picket line.
32
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
CHAPTER III.
EARLY PIONEER CONDITIONS.
Immediately after the opening of the Chicago road Jonesville presented daily the appearance of a pioneer camp. All around the little log
house of entertainment, where Benaiah and Lois
Jones made so comforting a welcome as to cause
the wayworn travelers often to forget the discomforts they had experienced in the tangled undergrowth and deep mires of the Cottonwood and
Black swamps, which their wearisome journey
from the east had compelled them to cross.
White-topped wagons were thickly packed together, and men, women and children engaged in
earnest conversation.
A scene typical of life here will stand for the
daily. occasions at most of the little wayside
taverns scattered along the Great Trail. Emerging from the forest, coming from the East, would
appear a hardy and stalwart pioneer in the prime
of life, guiding the oxteam, or teams that bore
along all of the family's personal effects. His
boys followed, driving perhaps a cow or two and
a few pigs and sheep. His wife and daughters,
tired of their long tramp of many weary miles
through the woods and swamps and over rough
roads, trudged scatteringly behind. Sometimes a
hale, white-haired patriarch, staff in hand, with
head erect and firm steps, would walk at the
head of the teams or among his grown-up and
married sons and daughters, undaunted by the
privations and hardships that he knew so well
from former experiences, must be their lot in their
new homes. But, with powers still vigorous, he
had elected "to go west along with the children"
to aid in the starting and the development of their
new home in Michigan, or perhaps that his bones
might rest in the center of the little plot which
eventually would be the final resting-place of
every member of the little caravan. Following
these might be seen others, and more favored
immigrants, who had passed less time on the way,
for they rode in covered wagons, drawn by sleek,
well-groomed horses, indicating owners in prosperous circumstances.
The natural beauty of all of this county caused
hope, instead of misgivings, to fill the breast of
the pioneer at the thought of venturing the future of his family in the magic land of game and
verdure. His glorious wife, who with unfaltering faith, has steadily held on her way in his and
their children's company, casting no backward
thoughts to the comforts of the eastern home life
they had exchanged for hardships and privations,
is also touched by the glamour of their bewitching surroundings, while the taller lads of the procession, with flint or caplock guns on their shoulders, are in an ecstacy of bliss at the frequent sight
of deer and other game, and imagine themselves
to be like Nimrod, "mighty hunters before the
Lord."
Some of these pioneers were unlettered, particularly those of the earliest era, yet even among
their number were men of marked ability, whose
talents would dignify and honor any station of
life. There were women in these processions
whose attainments and culture fitted them to
adorn any social circle in the most refined cities
of the continent. Even those settlers who were
uneducated were not ignorant or uninformed.
They possessed strong practical sense and native
ability of a high order, fully equal to those who
came after them. They were educated in a
school that perhaps best fitted them for a life of
usefulness in the conditions in which they were
to exist. They were accomplished masters in
woodcraft. They could handle an ax as deftly
as a fencing master his foil. They could construct a cabin as quickly and in accordance with
the same natural idea of harmony that a beaver or
a muskrat develops in the formation of its residence. Game was abundant everywhere and delicious fish were plenty in the multitudinous lakes
and streams. Hunting was not an accomplishment, but an everyday pursuit. The rifle was
found in every cabin. Its use was familiar to
all from early childhood and the owners had
steady nerves and quick sight.
The habits and manners of the people corresponded with their rough pursuits and surroundings. Their recreations were those outdoor sports
in which a vigorous and athletic people always
take great delight. Wrestling was a popular
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
33
amusement, universally practiced at log-rollings,
"raisings" and on public occasions-elections and
the like. The early settlers were remarkably generous and hospitable. Their "latchstrings" ever
"hung out." Isolated in the wildness, subject to
common hardships, participating in the same
simple enjoyments, the living in complete social
equality caused true friendship and genuine benevolence to be cultivated and universal. Wealth
was not necessarily a passport to respectability.
Their charity was the unaffected and genuine
charity taught in the Scriptures. They would repair to the cabin of their destitute neighbor,
"down with the chills," while his family was
"suffering from ager," and with the gentlest kindness, minister to his ailments, relieve his distress
and provide for all their needs. If the afflictions
they sought to relieve were the result of "shiftlessness," intemperance or other faults, they
would administer a just rebuke and endeavor to
correct the fault by a wholesome and sometimes
a rough reprimand, sometimes by a punishment
pronounced as a penalty by a pseudo court.
Certain individuals of Jonesville at an early
day formed themselves into an organization for
the purpose of giving inebriates lessons which
should teach them the error of their ways and
frighten them into good conduct for the future,
if possible. Each case was taken before Dr. Stillman Ralph, and a "post-mortem" examination
held. One incorrigible drunkard, known as
"Tommy," was, on one occasion, taken before the
doctor, and the examination was about to proceed,
when Wolcott G. Branch, then practicing law
there, entered. Tommy saw and recognized him,
and appealed to him for help, saying, they were
"going to hold a (hic) post-mort- (hic) ise examination" on him, and he "didn't want them to!"
A pound which had been constructed in the south
part of the village served as a jail, to which these
fun-loving tormentors carried their victims. The
gate was off the hinges, but the pound answered
every purpose. One poor inebriated. individual
was taken to it at one time and pushed in, and
he fell flat on his back after staggering a minute.
Finally, after gazing upward for some time he
exclaimed, "Boys, for (hic) God's sakes, don't
leave me in this old jail without any roof on!"
Humanity was their distinguishing trait, but
exhibited in the rough manner peculiar to the
pioneer. Many and many a benefaction was conferred in the form of a huge jest. They throve
on practical jokes which were as plentiful as
the occasions on which they could be carried
out. Even the judge upon the bench was not
exempt, his judicial ermine being no protection
against the banter of his friends. A circuit judge
who officiated at that time was accustomed to
ask, on coming to open the court, "what new
drive the boys had got?" that he might be prepared to meet their jest. A circuit preacher, who
was rather a favorite with the young people,
rode into Hillsdale one pleasant Sunday morning
on his lean, half-starved horse, minus saddle and
shoes, and tying him to a neighboring tree, proceeded to the grove to hold service. The youngsters untied the horse, took him to the nearest
shop and had him well shod, and then placing a
saddle upon his back, returned him to his previous location. The deed carried with it so much
good-nature that the preacher could only gaze
with amazement and gratitude upon the changed
outfit; but the joke was apparent, when he was
afterward obliged to combat the charge of having
shod his horse on Sunday.
The stranger new-comer was the recipient
of a cordial welcome. He was accepted as an
equal, considered in every way as a worthy companion until found to be otherwise. All were
willing to lend a helping hand in the building or
the raising of his cabin or log house, or in the
other necessary labors incident to the beginning
of life in the "wcodss," "openings" or "prairies."
Often did it happen that men of doubtful character, who here settled, by the fair and generous
treatment they received, were made good citizens
and ever after maintained fair characters. Not
such people, however, were the counterfeiters,
who, at that period, made their county their headquarters, and from whose presence Bogus island
in Baw Beese lake derived its name.
Whence came the people that occupied this
34 -
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
land of brilliant promise? The roll list of the
pioneers would show mostly a former residence in
New England âperhaps a later one in New York,
and a still later one in Ohio, the emigrant coming
hither, as it were, by easy stages. There was a
peculiar condition in New York that forced many
of its intelligent farmers to seek new homes in a
state where land in its virginal beauty and wildness could be purchased at a price that the poorest might be able to pay. Western and Central
New York at that time lay in the possession of
and paralyzing grasp of great land monopolies
like that of the few Dutch merchants of Amsterdam, popularly known as the Holland Land Company (who controlled that great area called the
Holland Purchase), the Morris grant, the Pulteney estate and others. The New England states
and the Hudson River Valley had sent an intelligent and valuable population thither, who
purchased the lands of their choice from these
companies on contract, placing their ready money,
if such they had, into the clearing and improvements of their farms.
Here they gave their labor of years, and, after
the inevitable hardships, self-denials, and privations of the first few seasons in the wilderness,
most of the settlers had an abundance, much
more than enough for their own use. But there
was no market. It was only by converting ashes
into black salts that they could get money to pay
their taxes. The interest upon their debt at the
land office was accumulating from year to year.
The company was indulgent, but compound interest quickly magnified the amount of indebtedness, and the full sum sooner or later must be
paid. The shadow rested on nearly every home.
Many sold their contracts for a trifling pittance.
These were the people who in a great measure
sought new homes in the fertile West, numbers
coming to Hillsdale county.
To these unfortunate enterprising sons of
toil, who had left behind them all the result of
years of earnest, industrious labor, this became
the land of promise. They hastened to it with
strong arms, iron wills and resistless energy to
lay the foundations of new communities. The
journey now performed almost by the light of a
summer's day, then required weeks of travel
through wilderness paths and unbridged streams.
These settlers represented the best New England ideas of life, duty and religion. They were
the finest productions of the Anglo-Saxon stock.
Each pioneer as he came into the wilderness was
the most perfect embodiment that six thousand
years of progress could furnish of all the elements
to lay rightly the foundations of new communities. They were a superior race. They built
up, transformed and developed the conditions
they here found, until, as the ultimate result of
their persistent efforts, we find the Hillsdale
county of today an aggregate of communities,
in which comfort, wealth, intelligence and culture are preponderating factors, and an educational center attracting students from near and faraway sections of the county.
Such communities have not appeared as an
exhalation. The germ of this superior civilization is in the spirit of Christianity, asserting the
divinity, the brotherhood, the equality, the immortality, the infinite worth of man. It was reserved
for this county to take a marked advance in the
cause of human freedom. A local historian has
thus told the incident: "Hon. Henry Packer,
who was afterward judge of the Probate Court
of Hillsdale county, while justice of the peace,
soon after his arrival here, was called upon to
issue a warrant for a fugitive slave from Kentucky. When the negro was brought into court
and the case was about to proceed, W. W.
Murphy, then practicing law here, spoke to Mr.
Packer, and the latter decided that in order to
recover the negro his alleged owners must bring
satisfactory proof that Kentucky was a slave
state. It was necessary for the prosecution to go
to Detroit to decide the matter, and, failing in
finding sufficient evidence, the nian was discharged. A similar case was not long afterward brought up in Philadelphia, Pa., and the
decision of Mr. Packer, of Jonesville, Mich., was
there cited, and the same decision rendered in
that instance also."
The period of bark-covered cabins was of
short duration. The body of the primitive dwell
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
35
ing was made of light poles that could be placed
in position by help at hand. As soon as the
country began to be settled and sawmills were
built where boards could be obtained, the more
substantial log house took its place. These were
quite uniform in size, usually about 20x24 feet,
with a projection in front of ten feet of the roof
resting on the beams that supported the chamber
floor. This projection was called a "stoop," a
word of good Dutch origin, and under this were
placed the pots and kettles, the washtub, the
wooden washbowl, splint broom, and other necessary utensils of the household. In the construction of this house straight trees of uniform
size were drawn to the site chosen for the home,
the neighbors within a radius of a dozen miles
were invited to the "raising," and all made it
a religious duty to attend, unselfishly forgetting
the duties of home.
No foundation was required except the four
logs, marking the size of the building that were
laid upon level ground. Then four of the best
axemen each took a corner and cut a saddle and
notch to hold the logs in position as they were
rolled on skids to the proper place. They were
usually made a "story-and-a-half" high, the upper
portion being the sleeping room of the family, access thither being gained by a ladder or by pins
driven into the logs on one side of the house,
and, occasionally, rough board stairs. Three or
four hours in the afternoon generally sufficed for
the "raising," and then occurred a bountiful repast of all of the luxuries of the place and period.
When the body of the house was "up," the
logs were cut away for the door and windows,
(which were usually made of single sashes of
four, six or nine 7x9 panes of glass), the floor
laid with "puncheons" (split logs with the inside
dressed off with an ax or an adz, and laid smoothly up for a solid floor), or urplaned boards, the
spaces between the logs filled with split pieces of
wood and plastered with mud, the gables boarded, the roof made of "shooks" or shingles, and
a log or stone chimney built with jambs, having an iron crane for the pots and kettles, and
here was a home where happiness would enter as
freely as into the marble palaces of royalty. Af3
ter brick could be obtained, a brick oven was often
built on one side of the fireplace, the flue entering
the chimney.
These ovens were large enough to hold a halfdozen loaves of bread, as many pies, and a pan of
pork and beans. Fine dry wood was required
to heat the oven for baking, but it is doubtful
if the modern range has proven its superiority
over this primitive oven. The house without an
"oven" would substitute the bake-kettle, a flatbottomed, straight-sided iron.vessel, with legs
four inches long and having an iron cover. The
baking was performed by surrounding the kettle
with live coals in a corner of the fireplace, renewing the coals as occasion required. A loaf of
bread, made of three parts of cornmeal and one
part of stewed pumpkin, baked in this manner
was a great favorite with the pioneer. No better
bread was ever made. It was thought that standing over night in the kettle improved the flavor,
for, lo! remove the cover in the morning and a
brown loaf of a yellow tinge and a most delicious
aroma greeted the beholder. This with coffee or
tea sweetened with the maple sirup or sugar,
which was in general use for "sweetening," made
an enjoyable meal. "Johnnycake," or brown
bread, baked upon a board or spider tilted before
the fire, was also in common use. To cook a
"spare-rib," duck or turkey, the fowl was suspended by a tow string before the open fireplace,
with an iron vessel underneath to catch the "drippings," from which the cook would baste the fowl
with a ladle or spoon, giving it at the same time
a whirl that all sides might in turn be presented
to the blazing fire.
Some of the settlers had a tin or "Dutch"
oven. This was a tin frame about two feet long
and a foot wide, having a sheetiron pan with a
cover of bright tin, when open, standing at an
angle of 45 degrees before the blazing fire, and
this apparatus, when new and bright, performed
the work of baking to perfection, but was not
universally popular, for, when it stood before the
hearth, it prevented the heat and light from reaching the family.
The hinges and latches of the doors were
made of wood, and the door was opened from
36
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the outside by a string passing through a gimlet hole in the door, attached to the latch on theinside. When freedom from intrusion was desired the occupant of the house would pull this
string through the hole, so that there would be
none of it to be seen on the outside, and the door
was then securely locked. From this fact arose
the pioneer description of a hospitable home, it
being one where "the latchstring always hung
out." Any person not of the household, who
wished to enter the dwelling, would rap with his
knuckles on the outside of the door and would be
greeted with a hearty "Come in." He would then
pull the latchstring and enter. The one room was
at once kitchen, dining-room, "sitting-room" and
parlor. If the stranger came at mealtime, he was
always invited and made welcome to a meal.
The early settlers liberally planted apple and
other fruit trees and in a very few years' time the
fine orchards were so plentiful that in the fall
fruit could readily be obtained without cost, by
taking the trouble to gather it. By this tirhe improvements had so progressed that the bountiful
crops could find no market, wheat selling as low
as thirty-five cents per bushel; pork and beef, $2
and $2.50 per hundred, in goods or store paycould not get salt for it; oats, ten cents, and corn,
twenty cents per bushel; butter, if very good,
brought five cents in I843. In the spring of 1837
flour sold at $9.oo per o00 pounds; oats as high
as $2.50; corn was scarce, a frost the previous
summer, on August 27, killing most of it. Flour,
pork, butter, cheese, dried apples, in fact, most
of the necessaries of life, were imported from
Ohio.
Nearly all of the clothing and linen of the
family was made at home. Most of the little
clearings had a patch of flax, from which was
the business of the farmer to prepare the flax for
the spinning wheels of the women. In doing
this he used a simple machine called a brake, following this by the hetchel and swingle, thus producing a soft and pliable mass, twisted into a
head of flax ready to be spun and woven. In
most of the little log cabins, the big and little
wheels were in active operation by the mother and
larger girls. The mother would sit at the little
wheel, distaff in hand, one foot upon the treadle,
while perhaps the other was jogging a cradle containing a tiny rosebud of humanity, a low, soothing lullaby, more charming than the cooing of the
dove, meanwhile filling the air. One of the girls
would be seated beside a basket of tow, carding
it, with a pair of hand cards, into bolts one foot
long and two inches wide, while a sister would
be moving backward and forward with nimble
step beside the big wheel of fully twelve feet
circumference and spinning the bolts into yarn.
Thirty "knots" was an ordinary day's work, some,
however, producing forty "knots." Each knot
contained forty threads of six feet, two inches in
length, or about 250 feet. Occasionally a damsel
might be seen who could "spin her forty knots a
day," and then pass the evening knitting by the
light of the ruddy fire.
During the winter and early spring the women had "spun and wove" enough tow and linen
cloth for the summer clothing of the family. The
men and boys had their clothes made from cloth
made of linen warp and tow filling, which was
full of "shives," that rasped and scratched the
body for weeks like a thousand needles. The
mothers and daughters had pure linen cloth for
their clothing, for dresses, striping or checking
a piece with copperas, and, in this primitive
apparel, their eyes shone as brightly and their
smile was as bewitching and attractive as can be
seen today. During'the summer months the women, as well as the men and boys, went about
their home duties with bare feet.
The weaving was done by women, one or two
skilled in the art dwelling in each neighborhood.
The price for weaving plain tow, linen or flannel
cloth was about six cents a yard, from six to ten
yards being a good day's work. The tow-andlinen cloth was made up into clothing for the
"men folks," dress for the "females" and into
sheets, pillow-cases and towels, and then came on
the making of flannel and winter garments.
Nearly all of the farmers owned a flock of sheep,
which were carefully yarded nightly to protect
them from the wolves, which were so numerous
and destructive, that, at nearly every town meeting, the question of bounty on wolves occupied a
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
37
large share of the proceedings. The wool taken
from the sheep was hurried to Emery's carding
mills there to be made into rolls, and soon the
girls were again busy at the spinning wheel, their
work being valued at seventy-five cents a week.
A day's work was thirty knots of warp and forty
knots of filling, but some of the more active would
spin twice that amount. From this spinning and
the subsequent weaving, resulted the chief part of
the family's winter clothing, although most of the
young women owned one calico dress, the most
most popular color being blue. Those "boughten"
dresses cost twenty-seven cents a yard and were
rarely worn, only being brought to light on Independence Day or at New Year dances and were
expected to last for years.
During the log cabin era feather beds were
considered indispensable. The rough boarding of
the gables of the houses would warp and it was
frequently the case in winter that the snow would
be several inches deep on floor and bed coverings.
Hence every well-ordered family had its flock of
geese. Each young lady expected to receive upon
her marriage at least one or two feather beds to
complete the housekeeping outfit of linens and
flannels which she had long been preparing.
Geese feathers were a ready medium of exchange
for goods at the pioneer stores or at the occasional wagon of the peddler.
The furniture of the house was extremely
plain and inexpensive; square-legged bedsteads,
with rope or bark cordage, around which were
not infrequently depended a drooping fringe of
network or calico, tipped with tasty little tassels,
and called a "valance." Sometimes, near the
window stood a chest of drawers, near it a squarelegged stand, over which hung a looking-glass
brought out by the mother from her eastern home
in a feather bed. In close proximity stood the
unvarnished, often unpainted, table of natural
wood and domestic manufacture, while several
splint-bottomed chairs stood in the nooks and
corners. 'On shelves against the walls, or in the
tall cupboard, in some of the wealthier homes
were displayed rows of bright pewter plates
standing on edge, most prominent among them
being the great pewter platter, always in use at
"boiled dinners," when it would be heaped high
with cabbage, turnips, beets, potatoes and other
vegetables; near its side lying the bag of pudding,
stuffed with some kind of wild berries, a tempting slice of which, covered with sweetened cream,
wasgiven to each participant of the meal. No carpets were seen on the floors and, as long as this
simple life continued, and money was not invoked
to bring in luxurious furnishings and surroundings, universal contentment reigned and merriment and cheerful song and jollity were the life,
not only of each home, but of the community as
well. Spinning-bees were common, especially
when one of the matrons fell a victim to malarial fever or other diseases, and was unable
to prepare her web of tow and linen cloth for
summer use. In such a case someone of the
family, with a team loaded with flax and tow,
would visit every house within some miles' distance, leaving enough of his load at each house
for a day's work of the inmates, with an invitation to a supper at their house some days later.
No woman of Hillsdale county was ever known
to refuse her share in work of this kind, and, on
the appointed day, each, with her skein of yarn
under her arm, the roses of health upon her
cheeks and with pulsations of generous kindness
throbbing in her heart, would enter the sick neighbor's home, where she and all her fellow workers
were received with the strongest evidences of
friendship and love.
In the timber lands logging-bees were common. The neighbors for miles around were invited to come with their ox teams to such a
place on a specified day, and, punctually at the
appointed time, would be there assembled, sometimes fifty or more men and oftentimes their
wives and children. Operations were always begun at the lowest edge of the field, the logs being
drawn and rolled into a heap on a down grade
more easily. When the men got to work, there
was always a strife to see who would first reach
the opposite side of the field, and the encouraging
shouts of the teamsters to the animals could be
heard for miles. The oxen seemed to partake:
of the excitement and it was marvelous to seethe
speed with which the logs were moved.
38
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
After the logging was completed, sport commenced. The strength and activity of the various
teams were tried by turning them "tail to" with
several feet of slack log chain, and, dropping the
hooks together, starting at the word "Go." The
best in three trials was declared the winner and
the victors were usually the team that made the
first start. This finale of the bee created much
merriment. The whiskey jug was an important
factor at all of these gatherings. It gave strength
and activity to the men, it was believed, and increased the hilarity. In no case must the supply
be exhausted. The last act in a logging bee drama
was a substantial supper of meats, pies, cakes,
sauces and all good things of the housewife's
larder given in a bountiful profusion. Then the
men would go to their homes happy with the
thought that each had bestowed his best efforts
to foster good will and encourage his neighbor
in the battle of life. These were the days of
strenuous activity, of rugged earnestness in the
development of muscle and brain power to be exercised in the preliminary stages of an ever-advancing civilization. If there were a lack of refinement, it was but the offspring of the peculiar
and primitive surrounding circumstances. A genuine democracy existed in these new lands. There
were none of the distinctions or favoritisms of
these opening years of the Twentieth Century.
There were no aristocrats of wealth and fashion
that to-day sunder the great heart of humanity.
All were on the same plane, few felt themselves
independent of their neighbors, and all, cherishing the type of the good Samaritan of old, by
their acts, their kindness and their sympathy, proclaimed universal brotherhood to all the world.
Toil in these men developed bone, muscle and
brain for the struggle of existence. They had not
studied men through the mists of centuries in the
schools, but met them face to face, and looked direct into their souls. They never read of classic
groves, but passed their daily lives among groves
just as divine, whose beauty and lessons had sunk
deep into their hearts. Some pale trembling beings go forth to the struggle of life with much
learning and no health. These men went forth
with health and a giant's strength to the battle
field. We do not condemn the polish of the
schools, but we admire the man endowed by God
with power, no matter if its development be rtde.
We may safely assume that these sterling men
of the early day are now all passed away, but
some of their faces, preserved by art, look down
upon us from the walls of their former homes,
their voices yet linger in our ears, the works of
their hands are present with us in the fruitfulness,
bloom and beauty of the lands they aided in redeeming on every hill and dale, oak opening and
prairie.
CHAPTER IV.
LESSONS AND VICISSITUDES.
Every fable has a moral, and all history should
have. There are many impressive social lessons
to be learned, even in the changes of events in
Hillsdale county during the years that have passed
since Captain Allen became the forerunner of the
long concourse of westward immigration, which
here found abiding homes. They are not lessons
peculiar to this soil, but such as our common humanity everywhere teaches. One is the solemn
lesson that men do not bear prosperity; that power
and capacity for achievement come only from the
toil and discipline of sorrow; that men of one
generation become strong, and make life too easy
for the next. In many cases in this county we
have seen the sturdy pioneer come to the annual
fairs with his cereals, his flocks and his herds.
His children appear with fast horses and costly
equipages, while the third generation is seen on
foot, empty-handed and hopeless, and the family
name is no longer upon the tongues of men.
While this has been going on, toiling boys, denied
opportunities, have been working their way to
opulence and place, to curse their posterity with
too much unearned wealth.
In physical achievement, since the surveyor's
chain first gave the settler freedom to here acquire
a home, the dreams of the poet have been surpassed. The achievements of six thousand years
have been cumulative and multiplied, or the tree
taking root in all of the centuries, fed. by the toil,
endurance and suffering of all, has at last sud
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
39
denly blossomed and borne fruit. How helpless
was the pioneer in the flower-covered wilderness,
but his descendants are now citizens of the world,
sharers in all of its luxury and glory. Every continent and every sea ministers unto them. It took
months for the pioneers to hear from across the
sea, yes, even from their old homes in the East;
now the world's history of each day is read at
every fireside. For years a few horseback carriers
conveyed all the mail coming to this county and
going past it into the West. Now the almost
hourly railroad trains transport tons of mail daily.
If the great object of life was splendid structures, the multiplication and diffusion of luxuries, well might men rejoice, but the solemn question, here or elsewhere, is whether all these things
are making men better or happier. Every continent is strewn with the voiceless wreck of the
works of men's hands and with graves. Nationalities and languages have disappeared. This has
not been from convulsions of nature, but from the
degeneracy engendered by prosperity. In this
very territory are the relics of the Mound Builders. The pioneer planted with hope above their
warning graves. The same natural, moral and
social laws that gave them life and wrought their
destruction, should remind us that there is no
exemption from social corruption. The greatest
trouble of the civilization of to-day is the power
of monopolies, the restlessness of labor, the wildness of the scramble for gold, the violence and
blindness of party spirit, and the character of the
politicians, who look to their own interests and
forget their country.
The safety of the land lies in an intelligent
agricultural population, which cherishes with
wise conservatism the good of the past, and will so
value their homes as to make them ever loyal patriots in the lines of national honor. The republic
cannot last without the stability of an agricultural
interest, which can hold the balance of power and
cry "Halt!" whenever the hosts of corruption
seem marching the land to political ruin. One
successful demagogue, reeking with corruption,
yet elevated to place, followed by popular applause and worshiped for successful stealing,
while virtue is ridiculed and a drug upon the
market, will do more to demoralize young men,
than the example of a thousand saintly lives can
do to lead them to a better life. All history warns
us that Nature has not among its possibilities
greater woe than may yet come to Hillsdale county, if men forget God and his laws. No matter
what fields may be reclaimed, what temples may
be reared, if men and women are not growing
better, the pomp and splendor of civilization is as
sad as the flowers that embellish graves.
To indicate the vicissitudes incident to the pioneer life, which we have written about as existing
in this county in the primitive age, we append a
few personal illustrations.
Jesse Hill, from Wayne county, New York,
settled in Wheatland, June 2, I834. He possessed
$200, which he invested in land. He was unmarried; built a log house, I2XI4 feet, covered it
with bark. The novelty of bachelor life soon wore
off, and he married. He and his bride began
housekeeping with a tea-kettle, a skillet, and a teapot, for cooking utensils; and for furniture, a
pole bedstead, a set of three-legged stools, and a
table, which he manufactured out of a log with
the aid of his axe. For stock he owned a cow and
a yoke of oxen.
The following from the pen of Charles C.
Fowler, who died in I874, is copied from the records of the Hillsdale County Pioneer Society: "I
came in the fall of I836, with my uncle, Ransel
Wood, and with but $Io in my pocket. When we
arrived at Monroe, we had to pay a sixpence
apiece for the privilege of lying on the floor of a
deserted grocery store. We remained there three
days, waiting for a team to take us to Adrian. I
did not stay long, but started for Tecumseh, and
there took the Chicago turnpike, and came to
Gambleville, in the township now Somerset. I
then left the turnpike, determined to go to the
southern part of the town, now Wheatland. I
came as far as Francis Hill's, who lived on the
farm later owned by Charles Doolittle. There
was no road, and our only guide was blazed trees.
I was now at the end of my journey; had spent
my $Io and owed $I.oo more. I immediately set
to work chopping and logging for Deacon Bailey.
40
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I followed this business for several years, and
have helped to clear nearly every farm in this
vicinity. I also helped to clear the track for the
Michigan Southern Railroad. I helped to build
the first sawmill in this vicinity, and many of the
first dwellings. My first farm was opposite
Charles Doolittle's, later owned by John Wilson.
In 1843 I built a log house, and cleared four
acres. I did most of my chopping evenings, and
days I helped some one else."
When Charles and Bradford Carmichael built
their pole shanty in Wheatland in October, 1835,
they were somewhat fearful of sleeping in it, as
the wolves howled around them in such chorus
that Charles Carmichael said: "It seemed as if
there were a thousand of them." His brother was
much frightened, but the elder told him to take
the rifle and shoot among them and disperse
them, while he lay snugly in his place, pretending
not to be alarmed. These animals were the large,
gray "timber wolves," and abounded in great
numbers. Bears were also plenty, and extremely
unscrupulous about making off with stray pigs,
sheep or calves. An old sow belonging to Charles
Carmichael came in the way of a huge black bear
one morning, soon after sunrise, and Bruin coolly
captured her and carried her off. While building
their homes they boarded with Eli Eastman, and
the food consisted of the universal "johnny cake"
baked in a "bake-kettle," and jerked venison,
'which was cut into small pieces when fresh, laid
in brine a few days and hung up on pegs in the
house when ready for use.
John W. Johnson came to Woodbridge in January, 1840, to make a home on land previously
purchased. His two nearest neighbors were four
miles away, one north, the other southeast. The
nearest gristmill was at Jonesville and it took
three days to make the round trip with the oxteams. The log house, built after his arrival, was
occupied before it was completed, a huge fire in
the mammoth fireplace was continually burning,
to temper the cold air circulating through the unchinked sides of the house. The first winter he
cut the timber from ten acres, planting five acres
in the spring to potatoes and securing a fair crop.
The next fall the ten -acres were seeded with
f S f.. f f:~~~
wheat purchased at Jonesville at three "York"
shillings a bushel. When this grain began to
ripen the numerous children of the family were
kept busy in the daytime, frightening away the
immense flocks of wild turkeys that would otherwise have destroyed the entire crop. Deer were
so tame that they came in numbers during the
first winter to browse on the fallen tree tops while
the chopper would be at work on the same tree.
One of the early settlers of Ransom desiring
sash for the windows of his new log house, walked
to Jonesville, bought five sash, paid all his money,
lashed the sash to his back, and returned without
having a mouthful to eat. Another man, desiring
some seed-oats, started out, accompanied by his
thirteen-year-old boy, in search of some. He
bought three bushels three miles west of Hudson.
Two bushels were put in one bag, one bushel in
the other. The bags were shouldered respectively
by father and son, and carried the whole distance
home."
Horace P. Hitchcock started from Mayville,
Chautauqua county, N. Y., in January, 1834, foir
Michigan. Leaving his family, he then walked
through Pennsylvania and Ohio to the land of
lakes, hills and dales and entered eighty acres of
government land on section 25, Pittsford township. He then returned to Mayville, purchased
an ox-team, and with his family drove through
to their new home, the trip occupying twenty-two
days. Upon arriving in Pittsford he had but $22
left, and no house wherein to find shelter, but
soon a rude log dwelling appeared in the midst of
a small clearing. The cooking utensils of the
family consisted of a skillet, or spider, a dish kettle, and an iron tea-kettle. Some time in I835,
Mr. Hitchcock sold his place in Pittsford and
moved to section 26 in Adams, in February, I836.
When coming to Adams, he trimmed out the underbrush for a mile and a half, in order to clear
a passageway."
"Norman S. Sharp once went to Tecumseh
to procure grists for four families. He was gone
so much longer than usual that the families used
up what little flour they had and then took some
bran, sifted the "middlings" out of it and used
that, and still the flour came not. One day three
T TT T t-I 7- A T T / /- 71 T A 'r In 7 71,T.,-rT/- A A
I1LLSD)ALE GVU.
preachers came to Mrs. Sharp's, and were given
supper and lodging. Mrs. Sharp told them she
had given them the last food she had in the house,
and unless her son came that night they would
have to go without breakfast in the morning. The
son arrived with his grist within two miles of
home that evening, unhitched the oxen and turned
them out, walked home and went to bed, and early
in the morning walked back and drew the load
home in time to have some of it for breakfast."
An experience of the family of Joseph L.
Farnham, a pioneer settler of Wright, in I836,
shows the value attached to cows as a means of
subsistence. A local historian has thus described
it. "The cows strayed off, and had been gone for
several days. Mr. Farnham had vainly tramped
many weary miles through the woods. The family, deprived of their principal article of food,
were reduced to the verge of starvation. At last
Farnham and his wife started out for another
look, and, after several hours of weary search,
found that instead of finding the cows, they had
lost themselves. Sitting down, they talked the
matter over, and, as the helplessness of their situation became more and more apparent, as they
saw more and more clearly that either in the
woods or at home they were seemingly doomed
to die of starvation, for not a mouthful of food did
they possess, is it any wonder that the horror of
their situation overcame them, and that, clasped in
one another's arms, they wept many bitter, despairing tears? But the thought of the old mother
and those loved daughters spurred them to renewed action, and they at last, tired and hungry,
arrived at their cabin. While they were gone, the
grandmother looked about to find some scrap or
crust that might have been overlooked, which
might for a time satisfy her craving for food.
Rummaging in an old trunk, she found the string
ends of several pieces of dried beef, left after the
more edible portion had been shaved off and used.
These had been forgotten, and the old lady gathered them, chopped them very fine, soaked them
soft, and, by adding a little salt and a few savory
~wild herbs, succeeded in making a very palatable
mess of pottage, and had it just ready for the
table when the lost cow-hunters appeared.'
I 1 Y, IVI.H-1.A1. 41,In 1834 Samuel Riblet became a pioneer settler of Litchfield. Just across the river from his
log house was a deers "runway" and they were
often pursued by the hungry wolves. There is
quite a variety in the howls of these animals; one
being the command of the leader of the pack,
the old wolves long howl, the cry of the whelps,
and yet another one, that sounds like a human
voice or like boys shouting to the cows they are
driving. One evening, soon after Mr. Riblet
moved into his log cabin, as he was driving his
cattle home from the marsh, his wife met him with
her face beaming with delight. "Samuel," said
she, "I have news to tell you." "Well," said he,
"I should judge it was good news from your
looks." "Yes, it is good news, for we have neighbors just across the river, they will help to support
a school, for they have boys, and I heard them
driving cattle and the dogs barking. They have
one big dog and a number of little ones." Mr.
Riblet said she must be mistaken, for no one could
cross the river without calling for assistance. Mrs.
Riblet thought they came down from the turnpike and did not cross the stream. Mr. Riblet
answered that was not probable, for it would take
them a week to cut their way through the dense,
tangled mass of vines and bushes. "Well, they
are there, for I heard the boys plainly." Then
she stopped and added: "There, listen, don't you
hear them?" Mr. Riblet laughed, he had heard
wolves before.
One evening, as Elijah B. Seeley and his family of Pittsford were picking over huckleberries
gathered during the day, they heard a commotion
in the pigpen, accompanied by a frantic squealing.
Seizing a lighted fagot, Mr. Seeley at once started for the scene, and found a large bear trying
to carry off one of the pigs. Seeing the light,
Bruin suspended operations and started for the
woods, followed to the edge of the clearing by
Mr. Seeley. A party of men were in the woods
hunting coons. They had with them a small dog,
and hearing the shouts of Mr. Seeley they hastened to him, and, learning the cause, followed
after the bear, led by the dog. The bear was
soon found up a small tree, and, being fired at by
one of the party, he began to descend the tree.
r T TT T C" T-1 A T- e ~-1 r 7 'A ~ r" T 7 I r 7 R T ~ A T
42 HNLL3DIALb C(UC
As soon as he came within reach, he was attacked
in the rear by the dog, and to escape his teeth
again climbed up the tree. He was again fired at,
and the same performance repeated several times,
until he fell dead. It was found that every one
of the nine bullets had taken effect.
In May, 1834, Robert and Dudley Worden
and Samuel Day, with their families, made their
homes in this county, Dudley locating in Hudson,
the others in Pittsford. Of their pioneer life
Robert Worden has very graphically written as
follows: 'I built me a house without a single
board, except what was made with an axe. I split
logs for a floor. The chamber floor was bark
peeled from elm logs. Our roof was bark, as
were also the gables or ends. Our door was
plank, made with an axe, two inches thick, pinned
to wooden hinges, fastened to the logs so it would
swing inside. With an auger a hole was made
in the logs, so it could be pinned on the inside
to protect us from the bears and wolves, of which
there were a plenty. We had a window hole cut
out for a sixlighted window, but had no window
to put in it. The principal light came down the
chimneyhole. One night the wolves commenced
to howl. There were so many of them and so near
I became frightened. We were sleeping on the
floor, not having even a bedstead. We went up
the ladder with our bed, pulled the ladder after us,
made our bed on the bark, and should have considered ourselves secure from the wolves, only
that we were fearful that the bark would give
way and let us fall. And all this fear within two
miles of two villages. One village had double
the number of houses the other had, and that had
two. Currant roots or sprouts were in great demand. I went out to the settlement to obtain some
and all I could get were ten pieces about eight
inches long, and felt myself fortunate and thankful. I got them of Richard Kent, a little north
of Adrian, and from the sprouts I obtained I have
supplied many new beginners with roots. The
first settlers had an enemy in the deer-mouse.
They would crawl through an incredibly small
hole, and were very destructive. Before we were
aware of it they had got into our trunks, and seriously injured our clothing. We had no place of
/JV Y, MICHIGJAlV.
security for anything they wanted. My wife had
brought with her some starch done up in a paper.
One day, wanting to use some, she found the
paper that had contained the starch, but no starch.
It had been carried off by the mice. and it could
not be replenished short of a trip of twenty miles;
but some time after we had occasion to use an
empty bottle stored away, and in the bottle we
found our starch, put there by the mice; it was not
possible for them to get into the bottle. We were
in great want of a cat to destroy the mice,
and they were very scarce. I took a bag
and started for Adrian, on foot, to procure
a cat if possible. I could find none in Adrian, but heard of some kittens three miles
south of Adrian, at Colonel Bradish's. I
went to Colonel Bradish's, but they had let the
last one go the day before. I then started for
home, came about two miles this side of Adrian,
and stopped over night with a family of English
people. I told the lady of the house of my unsuccessful efforts to find a cat. She sympathized with
me, and said they had been similarly situated.
When morning came the lady said: "I have been
thinking of your troubles all night. I have but
one cat, a neat, nice one, and I have concluded
to lend it to you.' It brought it home, but it was
not long before it was killed."
From the narration of Mrs. Roscius Southworth, a daughter of Thaddeus Wight, preserved
by the Hillsdale County Pioneer Society, we abstract enough to show the difficulties then encountered in journeying to the West. From Geauga county, Ohio, Mr. Wight, who had sent
most of his household goods to St. Joseph by water, started in the early spring of I830 with a bed.
cooking utensils, his wife and seven children in
a wagon drawn by four oxen, the eldest son following on foot, driving the four cows and some
young cattle. On the journey the six-year-old
boy fell from the wagon, and two of the wheels
in passing over his body, caused internal injuries
and a fractured shoulder. Fortunately a physician resided in the nearest house, where they
stayed a week. He set the fractured limb and
fixed a swinging cot in the wagon for the lad and
the journey was renewed. To save a long dis
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
43
tance Mr. Wight went through the "cottonwood
swamp," his being the first wagon to penetrate
its recesses. Two men with oxen, axes, and guns
accompanied the family to help them. The first
day one of the children was lost in the dark,
gloomy woods, but was found after a hunt of two
hours. Four large fires were built at night
around their tent to keep away the wolves and the
men stood sentinel until morning. The second
day the brothers and three sisters waded all day
long through the water and mud driving the cattle ahead of the wagon. They reached the end
of the swamp trail at dark and met a hospitable reception at the little log tavern there located. Resting a day they again went forward. From Tecumseh they had only marked trees to guide them
along their roadless way and arrived at Jonesville
on the fourth week of their journey. They could
go no further, for Mr. Wight's money had dwindled to one dollar and fifty cents and eight children were dependent on him for a livelihood. He
soon "squatted" on a place where trappers the
fall before had built a cabin twelve feet square.
Locating his family here he commenced to plow
that he might get in an early crop. While he was
doing this his wife and two daughters cut the
logs for a larger house, which was "raised" later
in the season. Mrs. Southworth goes on thus:
"Previous to raising the house, father went for
the goods which had been sent by water. There
was no road, only an Indian trail, and no bridges.
His feet became sore with walking, and for the
last three days he had to be helped on and off his
wagon. Mother had waited long and patiently
for these goods, to make her children comfortable.for the coming winter. The boxes were opened.
Alas! Everything was mildewed and spoiled.
Nothing of all these precious things she so much
needed was left except a large box of dishes. The
boat had been wrecked, the goods wet, and laid in
that condition three months. Now dishes were
plenty, but food was often scarce, especially when
father would be detained at Tecumseh in getting
grinding done. Mother would then send me and
my brother five miles to the prairie-with a small
bag of corn to pound it in a stump dug out for the
purpose. The pestle was like a well-sweep. We
would mount the stump and with our combined
strength pound out the little grist and hasten
home before sundown, before the wolves began to
howl. We would often meet them, and always
carried a club to defend ourselves with. Many
times the first season we should, have suffered
for food had it not been for the Indians bringing
in venison or turkeys."
In 1839 Warren Smith came to Cambria and
his statement of conditions then and for some
years existing in that town tells the story for the
new lands of the entire county. A bounty of $3
was offered for every wolf's skin, afterwards increased to $5.oo. Deer were plentiful, and would
eat with the cattle, showing no timidity. They
soon became pets and very seldom were any
harmed. Wild turkeys were also occasionally
seen feeding with the domestic fowls, and they
also enjoyed the same immunity from the bullets
of the hunter. Mr. Smith once traveled three
days on a round trip to the nearest mill and he
worked three days for a bushel of potatoes, and
occasionally indulged in a dish of oysters when in
Detroit, for which he paid one dollar and a half.
He also paid the same price for a bushel of very
poor apples."
CHAPTER V.
PROGRESS OF THE COUNTY.
In I840 the pioneer era practically ended, although there was much pioneeringstill to be done,
for, with the passing away of hard times and the
incoming of numerous settlers, the early difficulties and deprivations ceased to exist and a course
of rapid and prosperous development ensued. The
State Gazetteer of I838, with other things, says of
the county: "This is a new county, and, as yet,
but few improvements are made. Various mills
and manufactories are going up, and, from the
abundance of millstones on the St. Joseph and
Kalamazoo rivers, it may in time become a manufacturing region of some note. This is an admirable section for oats, which grow in the greatest
possible luxuriance. In some instances great
crops of grass are raised, but in general it is not
as good a county for grazing as some others. It
44
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
belongs to the Monroe land district. It sends one
representative, and belongs to the second senatorial district, which sends three senators to the legislature. Population, 4,729."
The second of the five principal state, or rather territorial, roads, since the statehood period had
not arrived when they were constructed, "the
Chicago road," is the one so often alluded to in
these pages and the cause of much of the early
development of the county. It ran from Detroit
to Chicago, 254 miles, and it is probable that the
travel on this road was equal to, if not greater,
than that on any other road in the United States
of equal length, but this did not satisfy the people.
Railroads were building in many places and, if the
county only had a railroad, the climax of prosperity would be attained. The state legislature held
to the theory that the state could profitably build
and manage any kind of public works that might
be deemed necessary. Accordingly, in March,
I84I, a law was passed granting $200,000 to build
the Southern Railroad as far west as Hillsdale
village. Work was begun along the line between
Adrian and Hillsdale, but not very rapidly. In
February, 1842, another law was passed authorizing the board of commissioners of internal improvement to pledge the net proceeds of the
Southern road for five years, in order to iron the
road and to build it from Adrian to Hillsdale.
Through I842 the work was continued with much
energy. In the spring of I843 the road was completed as far as Hudson, close to the eastern border of Hillsdale county. Renewed efforts were
made, and in the autumn of the year it was finished sixteen miles farther, to Hillsdale, and the
first locomotive began regular trips in the county.
In I846 the state sold the Southern Railroad to
a company, which, by the assistance of the people
of Jonesville, built the read to that village, completing it in I849.
Nor were the people much mistaken in thinking that the railroad would be the harbinger of
an era of great prosperity. The road, in connection with the great improvement in business, cert ainly worked marvelous changes in Hillsdale
county. The pjoducts of its farms, so long imprisoned by the unfathomable roads between here
and Lake Erie, now found ready egress to the
East, and brought back returns of money which,
in comparison with the supplies of previous years,
might be called abundant. New facilities were
also furnished for immigration, and for several
springs and summers, not a week, hardly a day,
passed without some newcomer from the East
making his home amid the dense forests or fertile openings of Hillsdale county.
Improvement began to be observed in the condition of the farms and character of the buildings.
The massive stumps began rapidly to disappear
under the destructive influences of time. Although log houses still remained the rule, yet here
and there a modest framed house was to be seen
even outside of the two villages.
On January, I, 1843, a law was enacted declaring that "the present seat of justice of Hillsdale county is hereby vacated" and establishing
a new county seat "on the courthouse square in
the village of Hillsdale," at which place the courts
were directed to be held, and, after the county
building was burned with most of the county records in I847, the legislature of 1850 empowered
the supervisors to borrow money to built a courthouse, which was completed and occupied in February, I85I. This was ample in convenience and
room for many years, and lasted until the erection
of the present stately and beautiful building,
which was completed and dedicated with imposing
ceremonies in the closing year of the last century. To show coming generations how the people celebrated this occasion we give the program
of the day and the names of the officers, etc.
Program.-8 to Io a. m., reception of distinguished guests. Io:oo a. m., band concert, Hills-,
dale City Band, Northwest Band, Deal's Band,
Jonesville, Litchfield Band. Io:30 to I:30, bicycle contests, on Howell street: First, quarter
mile; second, slow race; third, one-half mile;
the fourth, ioo-yards dash. First, second and
third prizes, each event. I:30 to 1230, dinner. I2:30, overture by Northwest Band,
followed by selections by Jonesville, Litchfield and Hillsdale City Bands. i:oo to I:30 p.
m., dedicatory exercises; Invocation, Prof. Ransom Dunn, D. D.; welcome, by Judge Guy M.
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
45
Chester, President of the day; welcome on behalf
of city, Mayor Frank M. Gier; song, "Michigan,
My Michigan," chorus of fifty voices, Charles S.
Wolcott, leader; dedicatory oration, Judge Martin
B. Koon, Minneapolis; song, "Marching Thro'
Georgia," by the chorus; remarks, by Judge Victor H. Lane, Judge Watts and Judge Pratt; song,
"Tramp, Tramp, Tramp," by the chorus; remarks
by Col. O. A. Janes, Judge John B. Shipman,
Judge Erastus Peck; song, "When Johnny Comes
Marching Home," chorus; remarks, by Congressman Henry Smith, Hon. Grant Fellows, Hon.
Will W. Cook; song, "Tenting on the Old Camp
Ground," by the chorus; remarks, by favorite local speakers; song, "America," by the entire audience, led by chorus. 3:30 p. m., selections by
Deal's Band, of Jonesville. General sports. First,
Ioo-yards shoe race. Second, pole vault. Third,
egg race. Selection, Litchfield Band. Fourth,
high jump. Fifth, Ioo-yards dash. Sixth. bottle
race. Selection by the Northwest Band. Seventh,
brotherly carrying race. Eighth, Tug-of-war.
(Prize box of cigars.) Ninth, greased pole. (Silver dollar on top of pole.) In all events but two,
first, second and third prizes were given. 6 p. m.,
supper. 7:00 to 7:30, band concert. (At point
of Waldron Block.) 7:30 p. m., fireworks, finest
ever shown in Hillsdale county. Officers: President of the Day, Judge G. M. Chester.. vice-presidents, Allen, Fred Rothlisberger; Amboy, Joseph
Edinger; Adams, John M. Williams; Cambria,
David S. Card; Camden, Sherman Haughey;
Fayette, E. S. Gregory; Jefferson, Andrew' L.
Davis; Hillsdale, Henry Hart; Litchfield, L. B.
Agard; Moscow, Guy Conklin; Pittsford, Charles
Wood; Reading, Fred Rogers; Ransom, A. J.
Cornell; Scipio, William Weldon; Somerset, John
Mercer; Wheatland, C. W. Williams; Woodbridge, Eugene Divine; Wright, Lewis Hackett.
Committees: Program, Marin E. Hall, F. H.
Stone, C. F. Cook, C. M. Barre, W. J. Sampson.
Finance, First Ward, Wm. O'Meara; Second
Ward, J. B. Whitney; Third Ward, W. H. Frankhouser; Fourth Ward, E. O. Galloway, Esq.
Advertising, F. P. Robards, G. E. Gillam, H. C.
Blackman. Invitation, Judge Chester, C. M.
Barre, A. L. Guernsey, O. J. Cornell, L. A. Good
rich. Special trains, W. J. Samson, J. B. Whitnev. Grounds and decoration, Frank M. Hall, E.
T. Beckhardt, F. O. Hancock, C. A. Shepard, S.
D. Bishopp, H. W. Samm, Dr. Whelan. Reception, Mayor F. M. Gier, F. A. Lyon, W. H. Sawyer, Frank Masters, Judge M. McIntyre, Judge
D. L. Pratt, A. B. Cummins, Ed. Davis, James
O'Melay, J. S. Galloway, George F. Gardner, F.'
M. Stewart, E. J. March, George D. Harding, F.
W. Stock, President George F. Mosher, C. F.
Cook, Wm. MacRitchie, C. E. Lawrence, Amos
H. Kendall, A. W. Lewis, F. M. Thompson, Burr
Wilbur, F. T. Ward, L. S. Ranney, H. W. Gier,
B. E. Sheldon. Music, C. S. Wolcott, F. C.
Thatcher, Prof. M. W. Chase, W. H. French.
Sports, F. P. Robards, C. W. Terwilliger, L. H.
Frensdorf, L. F. Beckhardt, Prof. D. M. Martin.
It may not be uninteresting to record that the last
case tried in the old courthouse was the divorce
suit of Mary A. Campbell vs. Frank Campbell,
while the first case heard in the new courthouse
was also a divorce suit, in which Myra Chapman
was released from her marriage with William
Chapman.
The population of the county by the census of
1850 was 16,159 and the increase both in population and improvements went steadily forward.
The remaining forests were rapidly going down
before the woodman's axe, thousands of fertile
acres were yearly uncovered to the sun, smiling
orchards took the place of gloomy elms and towering oaks.
The decade from I850 to I860 also witnessed
the change from log houses to framed houses.
Outside the villages of Jonesville and Hillsdale
there were almost no framed houses erected before 1840. From I840 to I850 a small number
had taken the places of their rude predecessors,
but between I850 and I86o a majority of the
farmers were able to enjoy the luxury of framed,
brick and stone houses. Pumps took the place of
the picturesque "sweeps,' which in every pioneer's
dooryard greeted the eye afar, and from which
depended the "old oaken bucket." Changes from
inconvenience to convenience were to be seen in
every part of the county, and prosperity was the
order of the day. In 1851 the railroad company
46
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
resumed construction on the railroad, and rapidly
rushed the building, going much west of the
county line in that year and completing the road
to Chicago in 1852. The "crisis" of 1857 only
slightly checked the tide. It was so light in comparison with the terrible crash of 1837 that old
settlers scarcely considered it as worthy of the
name of crisis, and, after a year or two of depression, the business of the county again began to
manifest its old vitality.
The census of I86o showed a population of
25,675, an increase of fifty-nine per cent. in ten
years.
The great Civil War affected this county as it
did all parts of the North. The taking away of so
many young and stalwart men to fill the ranks
of the Union army was seriously felt in business
circles and in the industrial development, for,
until.the war closed in I865, labor was at a premium. With the issuing of "greenbacks" by the
government, prices, not only of labor, but of all
commodities, greatly increased and a period of
inflation was inaugurated, which no doubt was
beneficial to the county, as the products sold
brought high prices and the large amount of
money sent home by the soldiers added to the
wealth of the various communities. All kinds
of business flourished. Before I870 had closed
the Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad
had been built diagonally across the county anr(
also the Detroit, Hillsdale & Indiana Railroad,
which passed through Hillsdale southwesterly to
its junction with the above mentioned road. Notwithstanding the great drain on the population
during the first half of the decade, the number of
inhabitants increased to 31,688 in 1870, an addition of nearly twenty-four per cent. in ten years.
The decade from 1870 to I880 saw the complete fulfillment of the development of the original wilderness. The county had now become as
old as the counties of the East from which had
come its original settlers, and under the law of
progress, the ultimate had been attained. Aside
from the reclamation of a few marshes, and the
drainage of some low-lying lands, the agricultural possibilities of usual country farming had
here been fulfilled. The natural law that draws
men to centers and away from the country had
commenced its operation, and it is most probable
that this era had here the greatest population that
the county will reach for many years, the census
of I880 showing 32,726 inhabitants. Even with
the attempts to introduce industries and industrial
plants, for many years Hillsdale county will be
most truly an agricultural county and the diligent
husbandmen who hold in fee simple its fertile
lands will ever have a source of wealth that will
render them independent of all financial cataclysms. The character of the farming is changing. Long noted for its grainraising and dairy
productions, stockfeeding is largely prevailing.
The prosperous farmer purchases cattle in the
Chicago markets, brings them to his Michigan
home, and, after feeding them for a series of
months, sends them, with greatly added weight,
to Eastern markets. And yet the same principles
of business that brought prosperity to the early
pioneer have to be borne in mind if the stockman
would be proportionately successful.
In I880 the report of the county treasurer
shows a total amount received of $68,946.33, and
these items appear therein: State tax, $36,651.99;
county tax, $20,200; primary school funds, $4,530.33; paid to county officers, $I,965. Real estate as equalized in assessment, $15,204,994, personal estate, $2,845,241, with a total valuation by
towns as follows: Amboy, realty, 464,o60; personal, $44,650. Allen, $968,930;$Io2,ooo. Adams, $I,I44, I45; $I43,65I. Camden, $753,I50;
$58,335. Cambria, $I,028,650; $I54,765. Fayette, $I,II8,ooo; $326,220. Hillsdale, $410,885;
$41,289. Jefferson, $752,920; $88,570. Litchfield, $1,146,250; $158,040. Moscow, $897,000;
$I06,6o0. Pittsford, $I,1o6,685; $56,295. Reading, $I,16o,670; $288,I90. Ransom, $634,990;
$87,010. Scipio, $711,240; $64,840. Somerset,
$747,995; $73,I60.' Wheatland, $I,I73,755;
$I I,735. Wright, $834,965; $94,535. Woodbridge, $579,955; $52,600. First and second
wards of Hillsdale, $516,770; $288,600. Third
and fourth wards, $873,450; $464,220.
To give an idea of the value attached to official service in I88o we give the salaries of some
of the county officers and resolutions adopted by
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
47
the board of supervisors: County clerk, $I,ooo;
prosecuting attorney, $I,200; tIeasurer, $,000oo
probate register, $200. "Resolved, That the sum
of $650 salary, fixed by the board of supervisors
of 1878, and the additional amount of $800, or
thereabouts, perquisites of the said office are inadequate, and not a fair and just compensation for
services rendered this county by said clerk; therefore, Resolved, That the sum of $350 be, and the
same is, hereby appropriated and paid to the said
clerk as additional pay for clerk hire."
The decade from I88o to I890 shows a decrease in population, the census of the latter year
giving the number of inhabitants as $30,I60.
Nothing out of the regular routine of ordinary
business and social life occurred, only a steady
improvement in the character of the buildings,
some of these rivalling counties of greater wealth,
while in Hillsdale and the prominent villages business blocks, that would well adorn the metropolitan cities of the country, contain large and varied
stocks of merchandise and attractive professional
offices. A slight increase in the wealth is shown
by the assessment roll, which gives the valuation
of real estate as $15,560,923 and the personal
property as $2,557,466, divided among the towns
thus: Adams, $I,oo002,390; $I55,330. Allen,
$893,668; $Io0,466. Amboy, $463,635; $25,255.
Cambria, $880,555; $95,965. Camden, $718,350;
$72,650. Fayette, $I,ooo,o80; $267,600. Hillsdale, $350,940; $28,920. Jefferson, $712,870;
$84,870. Litchfield, $993,530; $119,220. Ransom, $609,666; $61,530. Reading, $I,088,095;
$241,080. Scipio, $655,120; $39,300. Somerset,
$709,750; $76,490. Wheatland, $908,445; $io6,80o. Woodbridge, $610,470; $40,210. Wright,
$834,590; $83,950. First and second wards of
Hillsdale, $484,365; $203,ooo. Third and fourth
wards, $970,600; $590,000.
The last decade of the Nineteenth Century
passed much the same as the previous decade,
the national shrinkage in country real estate'being
perhaps less felt here than in many localities, the
assessment on real estate being only $14,007,555
while the assessed value of personal property increased to $3,698,282. The population, also, is
less than that given by either the census of I880
or that of 1890, showing only 29,865 people as residents, distributed thus: Adams, including North
Adams Village, 1,552; Allen, 1,328; Amboy, i,137; Cambria, 1,355; Camden, 1,926; village, 376
Fayette, 1,94I; Jonesville, 1,367; Hillsdale city,
4,121; Hillsdale township, 447; Jefferson, I,6oI;
Litchfield, 1,617; village, 645; Moscow, I,090;
Pittsford, 1,537; Ransom, 1,215; Reading, 2,163,
village, I,096; Scipio, 957; Somerset, 1,216;
Wheatland, 1,195; Woodbridge, 1,318; Wright,
2,149.
Hillsdale county stands at the threshold of the
new century full of the honor derived from an
honest citizenship and an industrious and loyal
people, its distinct intelligence being shown by the
fact, that besides the large library of I3,3oo books
in Hillsdale College, there were 102 well selected
district libraries in the county. Politically it is
true to the antecedents of the New England ancestry, for, while it was Democratic in the early
years of its settlement, and at' the time of the
Know-Nothing excitement party lines were wiped
off the political slate, it has been steadily Republican on national issues for many years, the'Democratic party being a worthy opponent, however,
and regularly polling a large vote at the polls.
The last year of the last century was quite
fruitful in happenings of local history. The rural
free delivery of the U. S. mails was established
in July, three carriers in that month collecting
1,626 letters and packages and delivering 8,035.
In September, I902, four carriers were employed,
who delivered 35,576 letters, etc., and collected
9,44I. Jonesville completed its fine electric lighting plant and water-works system. The alert,
progressive and thriving village of Reading suffered a loss of $80,000 by fire. The beautiful
Presbyterian church of Hillsdale was erected at a
cost of $I5,000, and the county agricultural society, which has for years been one of the notable
institutions of not only the county, but a much
wider range of territory, paid out the handsome
sum of $12,I60.17 in premiums, etc., showing
what a good work it is accomplishing.
The dignified, yet attractive and beautiful city
of Hillsdale, strong in its position as the county
seat, is yearly adding to its conveniences for its
48
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAAN.
residents and the strangers within its gates, " town's first and oldest established bank. It has
Hillsdale College, with its twenty-six instructors
and 400 students, being one of its desirable features as a residence town. This celebrated school
receives appropriate and full recognition on other
pages of this work. The following villages, each
possessing distinct merits as a business center,
serve to facilitate commercial transactions and to
accommodate the public, and of each of them a
chapter might be written did the scope of this
work permit. They are Jonesville, Reading,
Litchfield, North Adams, Camden, Allen, Pittsford, Osseo, Cambria, Moscow, Ransom and
Frontier. A concise and comprehensive sketch
of the early history of each town, giving the early
events in compact form for reference follows
later in this history.
The healthful financial state of Hillsdale
county can be best shown by noting the number
and solidity of its banking institutions and we
herewith give convincing statistics in corroboratioHn thereof.
THE CITIZENS BANK of Allen was established
in 1893 by F. A. Roethlisberger. (See his biography elswhere in these pages for further details.)
The capital stock is $15,000; surplus and profits,
$2,000; loans and discounts, $2I,000; deposits,
$I6,0oo. Mr. Roethlisberger is president and W.
N. Benge, cashier.
THE BANK OF O. D. CHESTER was opened at
Camden in I890, to do a banking and real estate
business. 0. D. Chester was the proprietor; B.
R. Alward, cashier; E. M. Lash, assistant cashier,
This bank was closed on November 7, I902, on
the death of Mr. Chester, and was succeeded by
the Bank of Camden, organized in 1902, with B.
R. Alward as cashier. Its correspondents are
Chase National Bank, New York City, and the
Hillsdale Savings Bank.
THE GROSVENOR SAVINGS BANK of Jonesville
was established in 1854 and has done a valuable
service to the people. In the biography of Mr.
Grosvenor and elsewhere in this work a more extended account is given. E. V. Grosvenor is
president; W. M. Wetmore, cashier.
THE CITIZENS BANK of Litchfield is the
a capital of $5,00o and has been ably conducted by.A. J. Lovejoy & Co. Individual responsibility from $50,000 to $75,000.
THE EXCHANGE BANK of Litchfield dates
from 1894. H. N. Turrell, president; D. R. Hawley, cashier. It has a large and representative
class of 'depositors. An exchange business has
been done for twenty years. Capital and surplus
$IO,ooo. Individual responsibility, $40o000.
THE STATE BANK of Reading was organized
in December, I889, with a capital of $25,000, and
H. F. Doty, president; George G. Clark, vicepresident; W. B. Northrop, cashier. These gentlemen, with A. R. and J. W. Chapman, constituted the directorate.
THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK is one of the
solid institutions of Hillsdale. It was organized
on February 24, I863, being the fifth national bank
in Michigan. William Waldron was its first
president and its leading spirit until his death,
on December I I, 877, when Hon. Henry Waldron succeeded to the presidency. At his death,
Rev. Charles N. Waldron was elected president,
but declined to serve, and on January 16, 1881,
Frank M. Stewart was elected his successor, and
for twenty-two years has served as such. Charles
F. Stewart is cashier and the directors are W. A.
Waldron, F. M. Stewart, C. H. Winchester, H.
K. Bradley, C. E. Lawrence and Wm. McRitchie.
Its report made to the Comptroller of the Currency on June 9, I903, showed a capital of $55,000;
surplus and profits, $47,932.68; deposits, $735,296.27. Total resources, $853,861.86.
THE HILLSDALE SAVINGS BANK was organized in June, I884, and Hon. John P. Cook was its
first president, but at his death, on December I5,
1884, C. F. Cook was elected, and since that time
has been president. A. B. La Fleur is the nominal, but L. D. Walworth the acting cashier. The
directors are C. F. Cook, H. S. Walworth, John
F. King; John T. Crume and A. B. La Fleur.
The official report on June 9, 1903, showed capital
of $6o,ooo, surplus and profits, $32,984.72; deposits, $457,266.o6. Total resources, $550,250.78.
THE FIRST STATE SAVINGS BANK opened for
business on June -6, I902. F. A. Roethlisberger
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
49
is president, Paul W. Chase, cashier. The directors are Guy M. Chester, E. Frensdorf, W. N.
Benge, F. H. Stone, E. S. Segur, C. M. Barre
and F. A. Roethlisberger. Its published report on
June 9, I903, showed capital, $50,000; profits,
$6,798.50; deposits, $218,883.96. Total resources,
$275,682.46.
CHAPTER VI.
EARLY PLACES, PEOPLE, ETC.
JONESVILLE is the oldest village of Hillsdale
county. It contained the first taverns, stores,
mills, and was the first.county-seat, holding that
distinction for twelve years from the organization of the county in I83I. Until Hillsdale came
into being it was the most important place of the
county, standing high among the early settlements
of the entire territory of Michigan. The historic
connection of the early settlement of all of this
section is inseparably fastened upon Jonesville,
and a list of the early settlers of this village includes many men of excellent character and great
capabilities, and among distinguished citizens and
public officers of the state and country will be
found men who took up their abode here in the
pioneer days, and won honor, fame and a national
reputation, some of whom are John P. Cook, see
Hillsdale and biographical sketch elsewhere
in this volume; C. W. Ferris, see Hillsdale;
Stephen Hickok, the fourth settler of the village;
Henry Packer, a member of the state legislature,
judge of the Probate Court and the organizer
and first president of the Hillsdale Agricultural
Society; Jonathan B. Graham, member of the
legislature and a delegate to the state constitutional convention, later the leader in the erection
of the Jonesville woolen mills; Hon. E. 0. Grosvenor, see sketch; E. P. Champlin, from 1834 to
I85I a successful merchant, postmaster from
1840 to 1844, representative and state senator;
Gen. George C. Munro, prominent in the agricultural organizations of the county and state,
the first president of the village; he formed in this
village the first union school of the section and
also erected the first brick house of the county;
Hon. Levi Baxter, at one time a chief justice of
Lenawee county, and, while a resident here, a state
senator; Rockwell Manning, postmaster in I838
and I839, landlord of the Fayette House and
Hillsdale House at Hillsdale, of which village he
was an original proprietor and later the first agent
of the railroad at Hillsdale; John G. Gardner, who
built the well-known Genesee mills on the St.
Joseph river, north of Jonesville; F. M. Holloway, one of the best-known early pioneers and
a most popular county official, register of deeds
for two years, for twenty-five years secretary ot
the county agricultural society, twice a Democratic candidate for auditor-general of Michigan,
and in I880 candidate for governor; Hon. W. W.
Murphy, who, with W. T. Howell, opened here
the first law office of the county, member of the
legislature and for nine years U. S. consul-general 'at Frankfort-on-the-Main; John T. Blois,
publisher of the first gazetteer of the state in 1838,
register of deeds, circuit court commissioner;
Hon. W. J. Baxter, prominent in banking and in
educational matters of the state, for over a quarter
of a century a member of the school board of
the village, president o-f the state and county pioneer societies and a state senator. Very few
places of even a much greater population can exhibit such a galaxy of distinguished names, and
"there are others."
Among the early lawyers were George C.
Gibbs, who coming here early, had little practice
and removed to California; Salem T. King came
in 1836 or I837; William T. Howell came about
1837; Hon. W. W. Murphy came in I837; John
T. Blois came in 1839 and with S. T. King opened
the second law office of Jonesville; Z. M. P.
Spaulding, Wolcott G. Branch, J. K. Kinman,
I. A. Holbrook and A. P. Hogarth, all came in
1838 or I839. Nathaniel T. Howe, John Manross,
C. M. Wisner, J. C. Wyllis, H. Townsend, R. W.
Boynton, Luther Hanchett, N. J. Richards, L. M.
Hartwick, William N. Hazen and A. H. Nelson
were attorneys of later date, many of them being
students of Murphy &'Baxter. Hon. W. J. Baxter was a prominent lawyer and public citizen,
coming here in 1848. These were the legal lights
up to the breaking out of the Civil War.
Physicians.-Dr. William Mottram came early
50
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
in 1832 and engaged in pedagogy, paying little
attention to medicine. Dr. Chase came soon after
Mottram, also taught school and gave little time
to his profession. Dr. Brooks Bowman came in
1834 and acquired an extensive practice. Then
came Dr. Brockway, Dr. Daniel Stillwell, Dr.
Stillman Ralph, Dr. Manning and the older Dr.
Delavan. Of a still later date were Dr. L. A.
Brewer, Dr. W. B. Hawkins, Dr. L. R. Wisner
and Dr. G. Chaddock. Dr. H. M. Warren is said
to have been the first homeopathic physician of the
county. Many of these physicians were able
practitioners, who took long rides in all kinds
of weather, rain, snow and sunshine, and at any
hour of day or night, to relieve suffering humanity. They did their life's chosen work well and
in due time were called from their labors to a
land where medical services are not needed.
Jonesville Postofice: This was established
early in I829, with Benaiah Jones, Jr., as first
postmaster. Mail was brought from Detroit via
Ypsilanti and Clinton, the route extending westward to Chicago, over the well traveled Chicago
turnpike. Besides this route, in 1838 the following routes touched Jonesville. Maumee and
Jonesville, via Whiteford, Baker's, Unionville,
Canandaigua, and Lanesville postoffices; distance,
seventy-five miles; mail forwarded and returned
once a week. Jonesville and Marshall, via Homer
and Eckford; distance, twenty-nine miles; mail
forwarded and returned once a week. Adrian and
Jonesville, via Rollin and Adams; distance, thirty-five miles; mail forwarded and returned once
a week.
Early industries: Benaiah Jones, Jr., had evidently a clever knowledge of a pioneer's needs,
for, in his journey hither over the deep marshes
and almost impassable swamps, he brought a small
iron feed-mill of about two feet in diameter, and
this ground his grain and for quite a length of
time that of the few neighbors. The E. J. Sibley
sawmill was built in 1831 or I832 on the St. Joseph river two miles south of Jonesville. This
was the first mill constructed in the county.
Hon. Levi Baxter, in association with Cook
Sisson, erected a mill at Jonesville in 1834, to
whichf they made large additions in I840, and
'"Air',,, X....
while these additions were in construction, Mr.
Baxter received such injuries as to be rendered
permanently lame. These mills added much to
the prosperity of the county for many years.
In I836 and I837 Isaac B. Taylor and G. C.
Munro put up a foundry, to which a machine
shop was later attached, being at the first a crude
affair in a small framed building, a horse being
placed inside the large treadwheel to furnish the
power, and here the animal not only worked, but
ate its food and slept until released from labor
by the introduction of a small steam engine. This
foundry became one of the leading establishments
of southern Michigan, the "Michigan plow" here
manufactured being distributed over a large extent of country. Under the later proprietorship
of L. and R. T. Miller, the manufacture of plows
and agricultural implements was continued, a
popular specialty being the "Miller chilled plow."
Lewis Emery came to Jonesville from Lyons,
N. Y., in February, 1843, and that season erected
the first carding mill of the county and of a much
wider area. This he conducted until near the
close of the Civil War when he removed to Hillsdale and erected the widely known "Emery mills"
one mile east of the city. His sons, David and
Lewis, won wealth and a national reputation in
connection with Pennsylvania oil operations,
Lewis being a leading oil operator of Bradford.
He is a millionaire and the one independent oil
refiner who has successfully resisted for twentyseven years the efforts of the Standard Oil Co. to
crush out all competition, and his company has
its own pipe lines to the sea and sails its own ships
on the ocean, supplying millions of barrels of oil
to the world, independent of railroad combinations, trusts and monopolies.
A planing mill was quite early in operation,
the manufacture of doors, sash and blinds being
added later and, for quite a number of years of its
earlier history, it was owned and operated by
Selfridge, Baxter & Co.
The Methodist Episcopal church was the pioneer here in the religious fields. In 1834 a Rev.
Mr. Colchazer, a presiding elder, preached the
first Methodist sermon of Fayette in the schoolhouse at Jonesville. The first class was organized
:i
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
with thirteen members in 1838 by a Rev. Mr. was held by the Rev
Manier, the first stationed preacher. From this October 21, 1838. ]
time regular services, by properly accredited min- ment from the dioc(
isters, have continued to the present time, and a missionary of the ch
helpful influence to all good work and labors for December 17 of that
the advancement of humanity has resulted. The rector of the parish.
first church edifice, a framed one, was erected in he celebrated the he
I844. The society is the oldest religious body of time it was administe
Fayette. participating. The fi
In the summer of 1835 E. P. Champlin and of holy baptism was
wife, Sebastian Adams and wife, Nathan Stevens dren of James K. K
and wife and a Mr. Carpenter were organized in- ganized on December
to the first Presbyterian church of Jonesville. tv-six declared Episc
There was no settled pastor until September, 1837, On January 28,. I84I
when the "session-house" was completed, and under the statutes. I
Rev. Elijah Buck became pastor for two years, tion and cornerstone
receiving an annual salary of $500. The Presby- laid on the east end c
terian Society of Jonesville effected a legal organ- the village park and
ization on September 15, 1837, the trustees being and consecrated on N
Joseph Sill, Azariah Wright, E. P. Champlin, a notable and conspic
Simon Jacobus, Ransom Gardner and Lewis early days, from the
Smith. Mr. Champlin was one of its most gen- the full toned bell i
erous friends and the donor of the lots whereon rounding inhabitants
the session-house and the succeeding church were The origin of tl
erected. The first installed pastor was Rev. S. C. church of Fayette anm
Hickok, who died in 1850. A brick church was efforts of Rev. Willia
erected in 1854, which was in use until 1878 when organized a society i:
it was so enlarged as to be practically a new and pastorate secured the
an elegant structure. From the first the church The original organiz;
and the society have stood in the front rank of the but a new one was
civilizing influences of the community. in the county has s
The earlier history and the establishment of time.
the Protestant Episcopal church in this county Early Schools.-i
was written up very carefully in 1878 by the Rev. lished in 1832, the di
W. W. Raymond, then rector of Grace church. ized for a year or tw(
From his able paper we transcribe as follows: entire township of '
"The history of the Protestant Episcopal church county of Hillsdale.
in Hillsdale county begins with missionary work Harriet Wight taugt
in Jonesville. The records of the earliest visitations room of Benaiah Jone
and services are quite fragmentary, the most cor- district school was la
rect reports coming from the recollections of the the first one of the tov
oldest residents. The first service appears to have ty. Benaiah Jones ar
been held on Sunday evening, February 7, 1836, officers of the district
in the village schoolhouse by the Rev. Wm. N. and hiring and boardi
Lyster, rector of St. Peter's church, Tecumseh, of 1832 Dr. Stillman
from which place Mr. Lyster had doubtless ridden trict school. In a fe
cn horseback for this purpose. The next service by Dr. Chase, who t
5i.Darius Barker on Sunday,
He came by formal appointese of Vermont, as the first
lurch to this county, and on
year he was elected the first
On the next Christmas day
)ly communion for the first
red in the parish, six persons
rst administration of the ritz
in April, I839, to three chilinman. The parish was or' 17, I838, at the call of twenopalians as "Grace Church.", the parish was reorganized.n August, I844, the foundaof a church building were
~f an oblong square opposite
I the edifice was completed
ovember 15, 1848, and it was
uous mark of devotion in the
tower of which, since I850,
has summoned all the surto worship."
he very prosperous Baptist
d Hillsdale is traceable to the
im G. Wisner, who, in I842,
n Jonesville and, during his
erection of a church edifice.
ation was dissolved in I86o,
soon formed and the work
teadily advanced from that. district school was estabstrict not being fully organo later, when it included the
Vance, now comprising the
In the summer of 1830 Miss
it a private school in a bed
es's residence, where the first
ter taught. Her school was
vn and probably of the counid James Olds were the first:, furnishing the schoolroom
ing the teachers. In the fall
Mottram taught the first disw weeks he was succeeded:aught until the summer of
4
I
I
52
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I833. The village then contained the Fayette
House, part logs and part framed, one small
framed dwelling, four log dwellings and two log
barns.
In the fall of 1833 the Bell (log) house, on
Maumee street was fitted up for school purposes,
by boring holes in the logs and driving long and
large wooden pins into them, on which boards
were laid for desks, the pupils facing the walls
and sitting on benches. The first teacher was B.
L. Baxter, then but eighteen years old, and among
his pupils was a son of the Indian chief Baw
Beese.
In I835 the town was divided into five school
districts. The first highway on record was laid
out on May 14, 1835. In 1837 a bounty of three
dollars was offered for killing a wolf. In 1837
also Nicholas Van Alstyne opened the St. Charles
Hotel, which under his management and his successors, Simon Gay, Samuel (Fatty) Smith and
others, acquired quite a reputation as a place of
innocent jollity, and was kept open for guests for
many years.
James D. Jones, son of Benaiah Jones, was
born in June, I830, the first white child born in
the town of Payette and his death in September,
1831, was the first death of any member of a settler's family in the town. The next birth was that
of Rosamond Wight, a daughter of Thaddeus
Wight, the first settler on the. Chicago road between Jones and Allen, his location being two
miles west of Jonesville. She was born on November 6, 1830, the first white female receiving
birth within the present limits of the county.
James Olds was an early settler. His wife and
Mrs. Lois Jones were sisters and that fact decided
the family to locate here. They reached Jonesville
on October 13, I830, and their first location included a portion of the present village. He
bought for his first home the log house Mr. Jones
first put up in the town. He was the first register
of deeds of Hillsdale county.
Among the early settlers of Fayette and the
village of Jonesville were Albert Burgess, John
M. Warren, Elias G. Dilla, Henry and Furman
Hough, Horace R., John J. and Ransom Gardner,
Nathaniel Lockwood, John Goforth, Lewis Wales,
Adam Howder, Moses Willett, C. E. Attwater,
William Bacon, Jesse Bacon, Daniel Aiken, Ambrose I. Nicholson, Gaylon Dowd, Z. M. P. Spaulding,Artemedorus Tuller,Samuel Gilmore, Lewis
Emery, Henry Clark, John Lytle, Jacob Benedict,
Gustavus Stephens, Hezekiah Griswold, Simon
Jacobus, Dan B. Putnam, Reuben M. Gridley,
Garry Searles, Orson Bacon, Charles Scott, Horatio N. Bates, Pardon Aldrich, Jacob Clark, John
McDermid, Thomas French, Henry Packer, Amaziah Wright, Charles Gregory, C. W. Ferris, J.
P. Cook, John Sinclair, Jaduthan Lockwood, G. C.
Munro, Levi Baxter, Cook Sisson, Miles St. John,
I. B. Taylor< Jesse B]itton, Abram Couzens, SP.eley Blatchley, Horatio W. Bates, J. C. Gage,
Chauncey Stimson, Allen Purdy, L. L. Tucker,
C. L. Travis, C. H. and 0. F. Guy, H. L. Hewitt
and others.
First Newspaper.-The Hillsdale County Gazette was established at Jonesville on April 13,
I839, and was "published by Charles G. McKay
and James K. Kinman, editor, (also J. P.)" A
copy of the first number has been preserved
and is a queer paper as seen by modern eyes. Ilad
we space we should like to give some of its
quaint advertisements, with extracts from its
"foreign news" and heavy editorials. It did a
good work, as extracts from the early issues were
copied extensively and found their way to many
a western New York farmer desiring to escape
from the grip of the Holland Purchase Co. which
held mortgages more than covering the entire
value of their eastern holdings. S. D. Brewster
became the publisher on October 26, I839, and
among its contributors were John T. Blois, Robert
Alan and others interested in "booming" the new
section and in political offices and emoluments.
Jeffersonian Democracy had it for an able organ,
and yet frequent articles from other points of
view appeared in its columns. In May 1843, the
office was removed to Hillsdale and it was afterwards, in 1855, taken to Three Rivers by N. P.
Welper, who was then its proprietor. On March
I3, 1878, the Hillsdale County Gazette was resuscitated at Jonesville by that veteran newspaper
man, James I. Dennis, who conducts it in a very
creditable manner.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
53
The loyalty of the pioneers and their descendants is sufficiently demonstrated by the names of
her sons shown on the muster rolls of the great
Civil War, and by these resolutions of the common council of the village passed on June 5, I864.
"Resolved, That we appropriate one hundred dollars for fitting and equipping soldiers for the
defense of this state and the national flag. Resolved, That we appropriate the sum of $30 for
the purchase of a sword and belt for Capt. Moses
A. Funk, of the 'Grosvenor Guards,' and that we
appoint Col. E. O. Grosvenor and Hon. W. W.
Murphy a committee to purchase said sword and
belt and to present the same to Capt. Funk in behalf of the citizens of the village of Jonesville."
One of the later enterprises founded here
which has proven to be one of the most important
manufacturing plants ever possessed by the village and town, is the Deal Carriage Works, of
which a full history is given in connection with
the biographical sketch of Mr. Deal on other
pages of this volume. This plant has given employment to many people, and, for a long term
of years, has brought an element of prosperity
that has conduced to the benefit and advancement of the community.
Jonesville is the oldest platted town in the
county, and was laid out by Benaiah Jones, Jr.,
'the survey being made in August, 1830. It consisted of fifty-eight lots, and extended from East
street west to the St. Joseph river, while north
and south it included from one tier of lots north
of North street to a tier south of South street.
The plat is laid on a portion of the northwest
quarter of section No. 4, town 6, south of range
3 west. After a long existence as an unincorporated town, on February io, I855, it was incorporated as a village. It is now a delightful
place of residence, and with its fine system of
water-works and electric lighting, and supporting
two bright local newspapers, the Gazette, heretofore mentioned and the Independent, which,
founded in I864, is ably conducted by Gregory
and Eggleston, it offers great attractions to the
lovers of rural life and to the summer visitor.
In I835 Hiram Greenman of Utica, N. Y.,
furnished money to Salem T. King and Alanson
G. Budlong to purchase the land now the site of
the city of. Hillsdale. In 1834 Jeremiah Arnold
had built a shanty here, locating forty acres, now
the location of the fair grounds, soon selling it
to the company, and here it was proposed to
create a city, but as Mr. Budlong, who stipulated
to improve the property and lay it out into lots,
failed to do so, a suit in chancery was instituted,
which caused the present site to be taken. In
1835 Adam Howder built a log house into which
he moved the same year. In December, I835,
Mr. Greenman sold to Rockwell Manning and
George C. Gibbs, the latter soon selling to Chauncey W. Ferris and John P. Cook, who made permanent residence here in I836 and assured the
success of the prospective town. They displayed
a shrewd sagacity, and their operations attained
great scope and importance. William E. Boardman and Charles Gregory acquired interests in
this property about 1836, and the owners transacted business as the Hillsdale Company, although the time was not ripe for incorporation.
In 1837 Joel McCollom, Cook, Manning and
Ferris, purchased the adjacent lands north of the
original plat, Bacon street showing their south
boundary.
The first plats of the city were recorded as
follows: Alanson G. Budlong, the southwest
quarter of section No. 26, on June 27, I835; also
the southeast quarter of section No. 27, on July
3, I835; Henry S. Platt and John W. Miller, the
west half of the southeast quarter of section No.
26, on July 22, 1835; Tunis V. Van Brunt, the
west half of the northwest quarter of section No.
26, on October I4, I835; Samuel Mosher, the
east half of the northwest quarter of section No.
26, on October 26, I835; Centre Lamb, the west
half of the northeast quarter of section No. 26,
on June i, 1836; Henry S. Platt and John P.
Miller, the east half of the northeast quarter of
section No. 27, on July 3, I835; Ambrose J. Nicholson, the southwest quarter of the northeast
quarter of section No. 27, on August I8, 1835;
Nathan B. Kidder and William E. Sill, the southeast quarter of section No. 22, on June 3, I835;
Gilbert Reilay, the west half of the southwest
quarter of section No. 23, on March 21, 1836;
54
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Salem T. King, one quarter of the southeast
quarter of section No. 26; Morgan Buchanan,
the west half of the northeast quarter of section
No. 22, on June 22, 1835; Ransom Gardner, the
east half of the northeast quarter of section No.
22, on March 12, 1836.
In I855 the south half of Fayette was set off
and made the township of Hillsdale, it being six
miles in length from east to west with a width of
three miles. This embraced the village. of Hillsdale, which, on its incorporation as a city in
April, 1869, became a separate civil organization,
the city officers becoming George W. Underwood, mayor; Henry J. King, treasurer; Samuel
J. Lewis, Edwin J. March, James G. Brent,
Benjamin Fisher, William Wilson, William Pettus and Spencer 0. Fisher, aldermen; S. Chandler, clerk. In I9oo the population of the town of
Hillsdale was 447, that of the city 4,151.
In the winter of 1837 the state projected its
system of internal improvements, the commission
making two surveys for a railroad from Monroe,
on Lake Erie, to New Buffalo, on Lake Michigan,
one survey through Adrian and Hillsdale and
Branch, west to New Buffalo, the otner trom
Monroe to Tecumseh, and on to Jonesville and
Coldwater, thence to New Buffalo. The former
route was adopted to Hillsdale, though Jonesville was afterwards brought into the line. In
1838 contracts for the construction of the railroad were awarded, but it was not until five
years later that it reached Hillsdale. Henry Waldron came to the county as a civil engineer of
this road. Discerning the promise of Hillsdale,
he made it his residence in 1838, and aided greatly
in its prosperity. The same year the first store
was opened by Harvey & Co. In I838, also,
Adam Howder, whose log house had been the
only house of entertainment, erected a new public-house. This building was spacious, being
twenty-eight by forty feet, and two stories high.
Connected with it was a ballroom in which often
assembled the youth and beauty of the county.
The music on these occasions must have been
primitive, for it was not until July 4, 1840, that
a violin made its appearance.
Hillsdale Village in 1838 and I839.-In I867
Dr. Joel W. French, the first physician of the
county, gave this account of the Hillsdale village
and people of his earliest knowledge. "In 1838
on the fair grounds resided C. W. Ferris, John
P. Cook, John S. Brown and Adam Howder.
East of the river was William T. Howell, residing on East Bacon street. The first framed
building was built by J. P. Cook in 1839 on the
corner west of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The first sawmill was built hy Salmon Sharp, the
first gristmill by Ferris & Cook in 1838. About
1839 Chauncey Stimson built a house on the east
side of the river. J. S. Brown, Henry and Frederick Fowler were pioneer merchants, as well as
Ferris & Cook. John L. Coming was the first
grocer, selling goods "wet and dry". Adam
Howder kept tavern on the present fair grounds.
The first birth was a child of Samuel Simmons
and the first to die was a Mr. Brayner in 1838.
The first marriage was that of Robert Alan and
Electa Smith. The first lawyers were William
T. Howell, H. S. Mead, E. H. C. Wilson, Clement
E. Babb. Henry Waldron had an office entitled
"R. R. and Law office" early in 1839. The first
land cultivated as a farm was at the foot of College Hill by Matthew Buchanan. The first
schoolhouse was built in 1841 east of the river
and the first sermon here preached was its dedication sermon, delivered by the Rev. William'
Page, a Presbyterian. The first fatal accident of
the county occurred at Hillsdale on April 20,
1845, when "Grandfather" Bates was killed by
a train of cars backing over him, and we will here
state that in February, 1835, Caleb Bates brought
his family from Ohio with six oxen, three cows
and three horses, having in 1834 taken up land
one mile east of Hillsdale. Horatio, the eldest
son, aged twenty, was a great hunter and soon
after his arrival, he took a stroll on Wolf Prairie
and started up a band of forty deer, while within
two weeks from his arrival he had trapped seven
wolves on Wolf Point in Baw Beese lake.
The first physicians were Joel W. and Frankin French, Griswold and Cressy. In November, 1839, Rev. Darius Barker, an Episcopal
clergyman, preached the first sermon delivered
in the village in Adam Howder's tavern. In
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
55
1837, however, the pioneer church of the county,
a Methodist Episcopal one, was organized. The
first public celebration of the county was at Hillsdale on the "Fourth" of July, 1840. Henry Waldron was the orator, Horatio Bates the chief
musician. Over o00 people were present and
"a great time" was had.
In 1837 Henry Fowler and his brother Fred
purchased land in the northeast part of Hillsdale
township and a portion of this was later platted
as "Fowler's addition" to the city. They were
later drygoods merchants for a time. In 1838
the Gazetteer of Michigan gave Hillsdale a place
in its pages saying: "It is a new settlement, has
a sawmill and a flouring-mill is building. French
creek enters the outlet a short distance from the
village. There is said to be a great amount of
water power." In this year. John P. Cook and
C. W. Ferris constructed a flouring mill and
hither moved their business interests from Jonesville, building a store building, therein displaying by far the largest stock of goods of a wide
extent of territory, its trade being largely added
to by the settlers, who came from many miles
around to avail themselves of the great advantage of a gristmill. Mr. Cook was commissioned
the first postmaster in 1839 and the postoffice
was located "in the next house to the sawmill."
At this time the fame of the village of Hillsdale had extended far and wide, and the impressions formed of its importance were greatly
exaggerated, for very few buildings had been
erected. Most of the city was covered with thick
brush, being practically a wilderness. Travelers
would frequently stop and inquire of the postmaster how far it was to the village of Hillsdale.
In 1840 the growth received a fresh impulse by
the erection of several buildings. Among them
John P. Cook built a framed residence, and Frederick and Henry Fowler a store. Adam Howder,
finding his first location too far away, erected a
commodious log hotel in 1841, and christened it
the Hillsdale House. A nucleus of a city was so
solidly formed now that not alone Mr. Howder,
but others, doubting Thomases, from Jonesville
and elsewhere, conceded the success of the new
town and sought to join in its importance and
benefits.
From I840 to 1850 the infant town grew
lustily. Business interests assumed such magnitude that they crowded each other and courts and
lawyers were demanded. Henry S. Mead, the
first lawyer, came in I840 or I84I and practiced
here until his death in 1852. An able and popular gentleman; he served creditably in the state
legislature. William T. Howell, a state representative and also state senator, came in 1841 or
1842, enjoyed a large practice, and removed to
Jackson in I853. E. H. C. Wilson and Wolcott
Branch came soon after Mead and Howell. Mr.
Wilson was "a cultured son of Maryland" and
became a Circuit Court judge. Mr. Branch was
an efficient county treasurer, as well as an able
attorney. Daniel L. Pratt, for many years an
honored member of the county bar, located here
in 1845. He too, served with great acceptability
as a judge of the Circuit Court. Shortly before
1850 there came another strong lawyer, C. J.
Dickerson, as a permanent settler. For over
twenty-two years he was usefully connected with
the county and city, during the Civil War attaining the rank of brevet-brigadier general.
In 1843 the construction of the railroad
brought great prosperity. Buildings were erected
in rapid succession and new faces were seen
everywhere seeking opportunities for investment.
As the railroad simply delivered its freight, having no facilities for storage, several warehouses
were erected and conducted a prosperous business. Among their builders were Weed, Mitchell
& Co., Cook & Waldron, Patrick McAdam and
Cross & McCollum, and all thrived until the
severe fire in I855 spared but one. These storehouses were a great benefit to incoming settlers,
and attracted people who without their presence
would have gone to other places.
The first election was held on April 12, I847,
two ballot-boxes being provided, one for the
officers, the other for the "license or no license"
ticket. The following officers were elected:
President, Patrick McAdam; assessor, Chauncey
Stimson; trustees, Harvey A. Anderson, Elijah
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Hatton, Henry L. Hewitt, Thomas Bolles and
Isaac Van Denbergh. The license ticket having
received I03 votes was declared elected. In this
year licenses "to keep tavern" were granted on
the payment of $i each to C. W. Tuttle, W. M.
Brace, S. and D. Topliff, W. S. Noble, R. Manning and J. Lowther; to "keep grocery" to Morris Wilcox, M. S. Call, Thomas McKinney, N.
M. Folsom; as a "retailer" to L. Mclntire; as
a "grocer and victualer" to Seth English; as a
"common victualer" to I. Van Denbergh. In the
very extensive and comprehensive biographical
portion of this work the business interests of importance of today receive full attention.
The first school district was organized in
1841. In I842 a small, one-storied building was
erected, which fully gave room for the students
until 1847, when it was voted to build a new
schoolhouse, of either wood, brick or stone, as
the school board and their associates might elect,
the entire cost not to exceed $2,500. The building was completed in 1848, two stories in height,
made of stone, quarried near the city. This, by
a careful economy of space, would accommodate
250 pupils, and was in use until I860. C. J.
Dickerson, the. last principal, resigned to study
law, was admitted to the bar in 1851, won
shoulder straps of a lieutenant colonel in the
Civil War and had held the office of probate
judge for eight years at his death in 1872. In
September, I849, the district organized under the
state laws. The first school board was: Samuel
Chandler, moderator; Robert Alan, director;
Haynes Johnson, assessor;' Henry Waldron, Daniel L. Pratt, Andrew Weir and Allen Hammond,
trustees. The teachers for I850 were, Rev. S. C.
Hickok, principal, who died before the school
year closed and was succeeded by S. S. Coryell;
Misses Lawrence, Ford and Hammond. From
the superior educational advantages here afforded, outside students soon became numerous.
The first fraternal organization of Hillsdale
was, so far as is known, that of the Odd Fellows,
Hillsdale Lodge No. 17, coming into existence
on October 14, 1842, in response to an application
made to the Grand Lodge, signed by W. W.
Owens, J. R. Thomas, J. C. Cross, A. W. Budlong and Henry Waldron. In 1848 the following
Freemasons made application for a dispensation
"authorizing them to work": David Bagley, Salmon Sharp, Rockwell Manning, Haynes Johnson,
J. H. Lancaster, J. Swegles, Jr., Elias Bennett,
Delos Manning, A. S. Rockwell and G. A. Spaulding. Their request was granted, and, on May
II, 1848, Hillsdale Lodge No. 32; U. D., held its
first meeting with David Bagley, W. M.; Salmon
Sharp, S. W.; Elias Bennett, J. W. and elected
Haynes Johnson, treasurer and John Swegles, Jr..
secretary. From that time Freemasonry has met
with a cordial reception from the men of Hillsdale, two strong lodges and chapter, council and
commandery organizations, with an influential
membership holding regular communications in
the city.
As is meet in a county-seat city, the press of
Hillsdale shows distinct ability. The Democrat,
established in I839 andnow conducted by H. C.
Blackman, is not only the oldest newspaper of the
county in continuous publication. but is one of the
strongest Democratic standard bearers in the
state outside of the few large cities, while equally
vigorous, wielding a great influence, are the
Leader, founded in 1882, now published by E. J.
March & Co., and the Standard, founded in I846
and now edited and published by Ward & Hayes.
The Methodist Episcopal church was the
pioneer, the first regular services commencing in
I842 at the schoolhouse, with Rev. Thomas
Jackson, preacher in charge and Rev. C. H.
Shurtleff, junior preacher. In 1845 a small, substantial church edifice was erected. In 1847
Hillsdale was made a station.
"The First Presbyterian church of Hillsdale"
an important organization, was organized on
July 22, I843, with these members: William H.
and Nancy Cross, Thomas and Louisa Bolles,
Calista Budlong, Amanda Stimson, Isabel
Rogers, Herman Barber, Allen Hammond, Isaiah
H. McCollum and Byron Hammond. The society
within a year purchased the building erected as
a county building, where they held services for
fully ten years. The church was received into
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
57
the Marshall presbytery on January 30, I844.
Rev. Elijah Buck was the first minister, resigning
in I845.
St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal church had
its inception in I839, when the Reverend Darius
Barker, rector of Grace church, Jonesville, held
services one pleasant November Sunday in the
tavern of Adam Howder. Services were from
time to time thereafter conducted at various
places, private houses, the railway station, the
Methodist church, etc. As the families of this
faith removed from Jonesville to Hillsdale, more
and more strength was given to this religious
element, and on September Io, 1844, a parish was
duly- organized under the present church name.
This society has ever been active for good, cooperating with all movements for the uplift of the
people and the amelioration of suffering.
A Baptist church was organized on November II, I848, with these members: E. P. Purdy,
G. W. Bolles, Calvin Bolles, Leonard Olney, Ira
Foster, Solomon Whelan, Thomas Hughes, Elsa
Hardy, L. B. Brownson, Matilda A. Olney, Mary
Bolles, Hannah Bolles, Matilda Coborn, Elizabeth
Keating, Mary M. Whelan, Catharine Hughes,
Mary Parish and Elizabeth L. Dove. They were
recognized as an independent church on December I3, I848. The first pastor was Rev. L. A.
Alford. This church went out of existence in
January, I855, but October I, I869 a new church
of the same faith was organized, with these members: Calvin Bolles, Hannah Bolles (the only
ones who were "charter" members in 1848), A.
G. Stewart, E. M. Conant, Mrs. A. Conant,
Daniel Mills, A. B. Prentice, Mrs. A. B. Prentice,
G. E. Ferris, Mrs. N. Ferris, S. J. Henry, Mrs.
A. B. Henry, Lucy J. Whipple, Mrs. Elizabeth
Dove, Mrs. H. L. Bolster, Mrs. A. Farnam,
Miss Louisa Dowe. In I888 they built a neat
brick church on Bacon street and are among the
leading churches of the city. Rev. J. W. Davis is
pastor.
November 24, I855, the first Free Will
Baptist church was organized with E. B. Fairfield, H. E. Whipple, Alonzo Hopkins, Samuel R.
Hawks, A. Wix Munger, W. J. Lindsley and
G. P. Ramsey as members. Only the first named
is now living. The services of this church were
held in the college chapel until a large and commodious brick church building was erected in
1867. On account of its close connection with the
college and its supporters this is popularly called
the "College church." During its forty-eight
years of existence about I,700 different persons
have been connected with this church, probably
about I,ooo by letter and 700 by baptism. So
many have been students of the college that their
residence has been only temporary, and the number of resident members at the present time is
about 265. Rev. O. D. Patch, D. D., is now
pastor.
St. Anthony's church (Roman Catholic) has
a tasteful brick building, and a prosperous
society. The parish was established in I853.
The Adventists, Free Methodists and Universalists all have church buildings, but the last
named do not now have regular services.
An important German element early added
value to the village and county and Trinity German Lutheran church had its primal origin, when,
in I849, John Schmidt, G. Beck and a Mr. Deider
hired a clergyman to preach in Hillsdale every
six weeks.
CHAPTER VII.
ABOUT THE TOWNSHIPS.
Adams.-When it was created on March 23,
I836, included all the lands in range 2 west in this
county south of the portion of Moscow from
which it was segregated. Since its organization
the towns of Jefferson, Ransom and the eastern
half of Amboy have been formed from its original territory. In 1838 only 120 acres of government land remained unsold and there was a popu-
lation of 279, owning 217 head of cattle, twelve
horses, forty sheep and 276 hogs. The population in 900o was 1,552, which included the thriving village of North Adams, and that the town is
an intelligent one is shown from its having well
supported a weekly newspaper, the North Adams
Advocate, since I895. The first town meeting
was held on April 4, I836, in the wood on section
No. I6, a large log being at once table, desks and
58
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
seats. Salmon Sharp was elected supervisor,
Seth Kempton, Jr., clerk, William Cutler, Nicholas Worthington, Horatio Hadley and William
Clark, justices. The Methodist Episcopal church
of North Adams, was organized in 1836 or 1837
and this society has ever been the leading one of
the town. The "First Congregational church of
Adams" was formed in 1848, and a church edifice erected soon afterwards., The Baptists were
early established here, but no data can be found
to inform us of the date. The prosperous and
pleasant village of North Adams grew up around
the residence of William Cutler, who located on
its site in June, 1835, for a long time it was
known as Cutler's Corners, where he was the
first merchant of the town. The present village
was laid out and recorded in 1871. In I863
Adams Lodge of Freemasons was organized,
with Albert Kenyon as its first master.
Allen.-As formed by act of the legislature,
March 17, 1835, included the west one-fourth of
the county, embraced in range 4 west of the principal meridian. From it have been formed Litchfield, from township 5 south, range 4 west, Marcii
I I, 1837; Reading, from township 7, 8 anc 9
south, same range, at same date; Camden, from
townships 8 and 9 south, same range, March 21,
1839, leaving Allen including only township 6
south of range 4 west. The name perpetuates
that of Capt. Moses Allen, the first white settler,
not only of the town and county, but of a much
larger area then extending to the north and west.
He made his settlement in 1827 and in October,
I829, his was the first death of a white person in the county. His widow married with
Hiram Hunt and attained the age of over
ninety years. Captain Allen brought in the
'first flock of sheep of the county. The first
framed house was built in I835 by Richard Corbus, and he and Thomas Reed set
out the first orchards. As the town records of
Allen up to 1845 were burned, the early officers
cannot be named. In 1838 the township contained 353 people, two sawmills, one store, 242
head of cattle, 51 horses, 42 sheep and 310 hogs.
In 9oo0 the population was 1,328, and a local
newspaper, the Allen Argus, was established.
The first schoolhouse was built of logs, at the
Allen settlement, and the Methodist Episcopal
church was there organized in I833. The Baptist church was formed in 1841 and its first
church edifice was erected in 1845 as a union
church, the Wesleyan Methodists joining in the
labor and cost. Allen village was quite a thriving hamlet before the land was regularly platted
and recorded in i868. Allen Lodge of Freemasons was organized on July 12, i868, with
twelve members and B. W. Brockwav the first
master.
Amnboy.-On March 28, 1850, "so much of the
county of Hillsdale, lying in townships 9, south
of ranges 2 and 3 west, and the south tier of
sections of township 8, south of range 2 and 3
west,' were organized into the town of Amboy.
The first town-meeting was held on April 22,
1850, when, among other offices, were elected
Nathaniel S. Dewey, supervisor; Gideon G. King,
clerk; Nathan Edinger and John King, justices.
Like most of the rural towns of the state the
population in recent years is slowly but steadily
decreasing, in I890 the census showing 1,236
residents, while that of 900o only gives the number as 1,137. The first settler was James H.
Fullerton, in February, 1838, when his nearest
neighbor to the west was nine miles distant, to
the north and northeast about the same distance,
to the east nearly twenty miles, while to the south
an unbroken wilderness stretched for unnumbered miles. Amos Drake came in December,
1838, with his wife, three sons and three
daughters. He owned the first span of horses of
the township, erected the first framed barn, was
the first postmaster of the first postoffice (Bird),
and owned the first reaper and mower, purchased
ill I853. His son, Sidney, built the first framed
house in I845. The first physician, Dr. W. D.
Stout, located near Mr. Drake in 1839. Nathaniel $. Dewey opened the first store in 1846. William Gay built the first sawmill in 1844 and the
first gristmill in 1846. The first schoolhouse, a
framed one, was built about 1847, and the Baptist
church was organized in I850; its first meetinghouse being dedicated on January I, I873. A
Protestant Methodist church was formed in I851
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
59
and in I856 a Methodist Episcopal class was
formed.
Cambria, originally a portion of Fayette, was
set off as a part of Woodbridge in I840, and, in
184I, a tract of land six miles square. township
27, south of range 3 west, was formed as Cambria. The first election of town officers was held
on April 5, I84I, thirty-seven voters being present. Jacob Hancock was chosen supervisor, N.
H. Frink, clerk, Pardon Aldrich, Ira Mead, Samuel Orr and Lorenzo Rice, justices. The population in I900 was 1,355. The village of Cambria Mills was platted in 1878, receiving the name
from the early locator, John McDermid, who
commenced a sawmill in 1835. His brother,
Andrew J. McDermid, came shortly afterwards
and here erected a gristmill. The Methodist
Episcopal church was early established in the
town, but not until after the Civil War was an organization effected. More of the town's early
history is given elsewhere.
Camzdcn is the southwest town of the county,
and which in 900.contained 1,926 people, and
a newspaper, the Camden Advance, L. M. Rogers,
proprietor, was segregated from Reading in the
early part of of 1839, the first town meeting, assembling on April I, I839, electing James Fowle,
George C. Lewis, Samuel S. Curtiss and Eason
T. Chester, justices. James Fowle was the pioneer settler, locating in 1835 and bringing in his
family in 1836. Timothy T. Wilkinson was the
second settler, being the advance guard of the
Perring and Wilkinson families, of whom there
were residing before January I, I838, Frederick and Stephen C. Perring, Hiram, Philander
and Oren C. Wilkinson and Murray Knowles,
they forming what was known as Perrinburgh,
later Edinburgh, still later as "the Burgh."
James Holcomb came in I836, as did Samuel Seamans. In I837 settlers came in rapidly. Frederick Perring built the first sawmill in 1838, the
second being erected by Eason T. Chester, and,
on its site on the Little St. Joseph river, have at
various times been since constructed a carding
mill and gristmills, the waterpower being a fine
one. In I846 Nelson Palmer conducted the first
store. The village of Camden now having a
poI ilation of about 400, was platted in 1867; in
1872 Bell & Chester's addition was laid out, and
later Miller's addition. Joseph Tucker was the
first merchant. Montgomery was laid out in
1869, the first merchants being A. P. Kellogg,
O. M. Hayward and Joshua Dobbs. A steam
sawmill was erected in 1872. In 1854 the first
Methodist class was formed and a church was
built in 1873 and 1874. A Masonic lodge was
organized in I865 with George N. Mead as
master, and in 1878 an Odd Fellows lodge was
constituted.
Fayette.-The first town-meeting in Fayette is
thus recorded: "At a township-meeting held by
the electors of the town of Fayette, Hillsdale
county, Michigan territory, at the house of James
D. Vanhoevenbergh, on the 6th day of April, in
the year of our Lord 1835, James Olds was elected moderator, and John P. Cook, clerk, pro tern.
The board being organized according to law,
the following officers were chosen or elected:
Brooks Bowman, supervisor; Charles Gregory,
township clerk; Hezekiah Morris, Daniel Nichols,
assessors; James Olds, James Winter, collectors;
James D. Vanhoevenbergh, Thaddeus Wight,
Truman Cowles, commissioners of highways;
James Olds, Joshua Champlin, directors of the
poor; Edmund Jones, James Winter, constables;
Silas Benson, Charles Gregory, Chauncey W.
Ferris, commissioners of schools; Brooks Bowman, John P. Cook, Charles Gregory, Chauncey
W. Ferris, Elisha P. Champlin, school inspectors;
Elisha P. Champlin, road master District No. i;
Silas Benson, of District No. 2; James Winter,
District No. 3; and James D. Vanhoevenbergh,
James Olds, fence-viewers; Edmund Jones,
pound-master."
The original township of Fayette, as created
on March I, 1835, included all of range three
from the northern boundary of the county to
the south line of the state, and from it have been
since carved the townships of Scipio, Hillsdale,
Cambria, Woodbridge and the west half of
Amboy. By an act of the legislature passed on
March 23, I836, Scipio was formed, including
the township 5 south of range 3 west. Jonesville and the northern tier of Fayette sections
60
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
thus were a part of Scipio, and so remained for
some years. Its population in 1838 was 685, and
there were in operation in its extended territory
one gristmill and four sawmills, while six merchants were doing business in its corporate
limits. In.the whole town there were but 373
head of cattle, oxen included, sixty-nine horses;
twenty-nine sheep and 517 hogs. The population in I900 was 1,94I, of which 1,367 were residents of Jonesville.
Much of the land entered by actual settlers
before 1838 was not occupied for several years
and there were many lots entered by non-residents for speculative purposes, while many of
the very early residents were squatters, who had
no title to the lands they occupied. Sometimes
several years elapsed before they became pu.
chasers. They had the right of possession, however, and it would have been a brave man who
would have dared to "enter" the land a settler had
chosen for his home. The early history of the
township clusters around Jonesville.
The first settler of Fayette township was Benaiah Jones, Jr., who was brought to Hillsdale
county by the representations of Captain Allen.
On June I, 1838, he arrived in the county with
his family coming over the great Chicago road
with a double-horse wagon to the home of
Captain Allen on Allen Prairie, then the sole residence of a very extended area, and here the
family remained from June to October, 1838, living in a corn barn belonging to Captain Allen.
During this time Mr. Jones had secured his
location, and, with his eldest son, had rolled up
a log house on the west side of the St. Joseph river. This location was a portion of
section 4, town 6, south of range X west, and included the site of Jonesville, or rather Jonesville
as laid out by Mr. Jones in August, I830. This
log house was the first and only house of entertainment in Jonesville until he built the Fayette
House in I83I-2, and here the good wife of Mr.
Jones, "Aunt Lois," dispensed a hospitality as
generous and as cordial as that of royalty, and
earned the lasting esteem of the rapidly growing
community. The Fayette House was destroyed
by fire in 1842 and was not rebuilt by Mr.
Jones, but a house across the way, built by Artemedorus Tuller, was fitted up for a tavern by N.
A. Delavan, and called the Fayette House. Later
it became the Waverly House. This house was
burned about I876.
Jefferson was formed from Adams by a special act of the legislature in 1837 as Florida,
which name it had until I850. The first town-,
meeting was held on April 3, I837, which elected Henry P. Adams supervisor, Chauncey Leonard clerk, Horatio Hadley, H. P. Adams, William
Scoon and William Duryea justices, and other
town officers. Mr. Adams refused to serve and
a special election on May 4, 1837, elected Jacob
Ambler to both offices. In I900 the U. S. census
gave the town a population of I,o6I. Around
the chain of lakes in the town the early settlers
found quite a number of mounds, the probable
burial places of a pre-historic people. Methodist
ministers preached here in I836, and in 1837 a
class of thirteen persons was formed, the first
church building not being built until I860. In
1867 the Christian brethren, Disciples, formed
the nucleus of The First Christian Church, organized on January I, 1870, in the village of
Pittsford, in the towns of Jefferson and Pittsford,
and a church was built in 1871. The Free Will
Baptist Church of Osseo, organized about 1870,
built a church edifice in I873. On January 16,
1857, Star Lodge No. 93, F. & A. M., was instituted, with Lewis Hagadorn as master. The village of Osseo was platted by the Osseo Improvement Co., record being made on March I, I840.
It was once the nominal county seat of Hillsdale
county, the sites of the county buildings being located and preparations made to erect them. The
original proprietors were Harvey Smith, James
K. Kinsman, W. W. Murphy, Benjamin E.
Smith and George C. Munro. Philo A. Wells 'and
Isaiah Green were the first merchants.
Litchfield township was segregated from Allen in 1837, and Samuel Riblet, a justice of the
peace of Allen, was named by the legislature to
select and qualify an election board and to preside over the first election, to be held on the first
Monday of April, I837, at which was elected
Harvey Eggleston supervisor, James F. Nims
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
clerk, Harvey Eggleston, Jesse Stoddard, Philip
S. Gage and William Smith, Jr., justices.
In the spring of 1834, Henry Stevens and
Samuel Riblet made the first settlement, Stevens
on section 13 and Riblet on section 15. They
were soon followed by John Crandall, Sr., on
section 34; Otis Bettis, on section 25; Andrew K.
Bushnell, on section 9; David Hiller, on section
5; John Woods, on section 15; Lambert Allen, on
section 22; Mr. Murray, on section 5; Nathan
Herendeen, on section I; Jesse Stoddard, on
section 3; James and Harvey Eggleston, on section 9; Freeman Blair, on section 14; M. P. Herring, on section 22. James Jones, William Smith,
Samuel Frisbee, and the three Todd brothers
made the first settlement in the timbered land
west of Sand Creek in 1836, and Horton Mann,
James Valentine, and William Miller settled on
Saratoga street the same year. The settlement
of the town was slow until 1837, when emigration began to flow in, and the town was soon well
filled up, in 1838 having 314 inhabitants, a sawmill, 303 cattle, 145 horses, 978 sheep, 1,182 hogs.
In the summer of I836, Hervey Smith bought
sixty-five acres on sections io and 15, on which
he built a sawmill and platted the village of Litchfield. He then sold the mill and water-power to
George C. Munro, of Jonesville, who built a flouring-mill in I84I.
The first sermon was delivered by Stephen
Wilcox (a missionary), in June, 1835, in Samuel
Riblet's log house, to seven hearers, at which
time the Methodist society was organized with
these members: Samuel and Deborah Riblet, Mrs.
Henry Stevens, Daniel Kuhnley, Clarissa Allen
and Mary Woods.
The first framed house was built by S. Geer
in I837, the first framed schoolhouse in 1839 and
the first church (the old Methodist) in I84I. The
first school was taught by Isaac Agard, Sr., in thr
winter of I837-38, in a log schoolhouse. The first
furrow was turned on the farm of Henry Stevens,
on May 20, I834, when all the inhabitants of the
town were present, Henry Stevens and his two
hired men, and Samuel and Solomon Riblet, who
all took turns at holding the plow.
The Baptist church was formed on March.6,
1839, the church building being erected in I84I.
The first members were Rev. J. S. Twiss, pastor;
Hervey Smith, Morris Todd, Archibald Scott,
Noah Chapman, Desire Twiss and Clarissa
Smith. The Presbyterian church was organized
on July 14, I839, by Rev. E. Buck, and reorganized with a Congregational form of government
by Rev. R. B. Bement on March 20, 1841. A
framed church was built a few years later, and
an imposing one in I870.
Litchfield village was organized in 1877, the
first election occurring on March 12. This has
been an active center of trade, accommodating
a wealthy farming community, and supporting a
weekly newspaper, The Litchfield Gazette, since
I874. The character and intelligence of the
people of the town and village have ever stood
in the highest rank, the town in I9oo having a
population of 1,617 and the village of 645. The
business interests and old families are given elsewhere in this work.
Moscow had origin as a town on March 17,
I835, it being one of the four sub-divisions of the
newly created county of Hillsdale and then contained all of range 2 west in the limits of the
county. It is now but a small portion of its original tract, as from it during the first fourteen years
of its existence were created towns as follows:
Adams, March 23, I836, first including the territory in range 2 from the present township of
Moscow to the state line on the south; Florida,
including townships 7, 8, and fractional 9 south,
March I I, 837; township 7 changed to Jefferson,
March 17, 1849; Rowland, including townships 8
and fractional 9 south, January 28, 1840, changed
to Ransom, March 9, 1848; Bird, from Ransom,
April 2, I849, changed back to Ransom, March
28, I850; part of Amboy, March 28, I850. In
1838 the town contained 496 inhabitants, one sawmill, two stores, 460 head of cattle, seventy horses,
eighteen sheep and 554 hogs. In I900 the population was I,o09. The first settler was S. N. W.
Benson, who, owning a large acreage, made his
home on the site of Moscow village in I830, building a tavern and setting out one of the earliest
orchards of the county. The second settler was
Lyman Blanchard, who built the second brick
* \ -I,:
62
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
house of the county in 1842 and was the first
judge of probate of the county, holding the office
twelve years. The first physician was Dr. Wm.
J. Delavan who came in I834. The first schoolhouse, erected in 1837, was a framed building.
Zachariah Van Duzer was the first supervisor,
elected in 1835, but no other records are extant.
Moscow village# laid out by Benjamin Fowle in
I842, grew quite rapidly for a time after the establishment of George Gale's iron foundry in
1843, where a few years later, were madesome of
the best plows used in the state. M. D. Willard
owned the first store in 1837 and Brooks Gale
the second in I838. The first sawmill was built
in 1837 by Benjamin Fowle. Grain was ground
early in an iron mill owned by Charles Fowle,
worked with a sweep by ox power. This was the
first gristmill in the township. In I849-50, a run
of stones for feed was placed by George Gale
in his foundry. About 1852 these were removed
to Benjamin Fowle's sawmill, south of the village. Hamilton Lodge, A. F. & A. M., was organized in I858 with Henry Griswold as master.
Pittsford.-The town of Pittsford, township 7
south, range I west, is bounded north by Wheatland, east by Hudson, Lenawee county, south by
Wright, and west by Jefferson, and was formed
from Wheatland on March 23, I836, then comprising all of range I west, south to the state
line. On March 6, I838, Wright was segregated.
The first town-meeting was held at thehouse of
Alpheus Pratt, on May 2, 1836, when Elijah B.
Seeley was chosen supervisor, Urias Treadwell
clerk, and John L. Taylor, R. H. Whitehorn, E.
B. Seeley and Sidney S. Ford, justices. In I838
there were 5I0 residents, two merchants and 309
cattle, twenty-seven horses, eighteen sheep and
456 hogs. In I9oo the population was 1,557.
The "First Presbyterian church of Bean Creek"
was organized on February 24, 1836, by Rev.
Wm. Wolcott, with twenty-four members. This
church later became the Congregational church of
Hudson, but the membership was mostly from
Pittsford.
The nucleus of the strong Methodist organization was created at a quarterly meeting, held
in August, 1836, in the barn of Charles Ames in
Keene, but not until I840 was the organization
of the East. Pittsford M. E. church completed.
The first church building was erected in I847 or
1848. The Free Will Baptists organized a church
at Locust Grove on September 6, I857, building
a church during the time of the Civil War, and,
on March 6, I858, a Wesleyan Methodist church
was formed, which erected a church building in
I86o. In 1853 Pittsford village was established,
and a brick business center has since existed there.
Hiram Pratt and Elihu Hubbard put up the first
residences of the place.
On June 7, I833, Charles Ames and Thomas
Pennock entered the first lands, Ames taking the
southeast quarter of section I and the northeast
quarter of section 12, and Pennock the southeast
quarter of section 12. They returned east to bring
in later in the year the first company of settlers,
which comprised Charles Ames, wife and child,
Louisa Ball, Elizabeth Ames, Henry Ames, William B. Ames, Ezra Ames, Alpheus Pratt and his
wife and child. The whole party joined in erecting a log house on the south line of section 12,
for the residence of Charles Ames' family. This
was the first civilized home of the town, but, before January I, 1834, Mr. Pratt had built another
on section 13.
The following purchased lands on and after
September 24, I833: Curran White, William
Flowers, Thomas Hurdsman, Stephen Wilcox,
Wm. B. and Elizabeth Ames, John Gustin and
Isaac French. Among the settlers of 1834 and
1835 were Sylvanus and Rufus Estes, Jesse
Smith, wife and five children, Samuel Day, Silas
Eaton, wife and four children, William Champlin,
Lewis Gillett, Ozen Keith, Jesse Maxson, R. H.
Whitehorn, Urias Treadwell, Lawrence Rheubottom, Samuel T. Cooley (the first tavernkeeper),
Eldad B. Trumbull, Elijah B. Seeley, Isaac A.
Colvin (the first storekeeper), Austin Nye. By
1836 settlements were started in all parts of the
town and the lands were nearly all purchased.
In this year John Griswold, Lewis Monroe and
Stephen Johnson were among the more prominent
settlers.
Ransom.-On March 11, 1837, the township
of Rowland was taken from townships 8 and frac
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
63
tional 9 south, of Florida, in honor of the first settler, Rowland Bird. After the death of Mr. Bird,
on March 9, 1848, the name was changed to Ransom. The people were determined that 'their
original intent should be carried and secured the
change of name to Bird on April 2, I849. On
March 28, I850, another act of the legislature restored the name of Ransom, and, by the same act
the township lost the east half of the new town of
Amboy, leaving for Ransom, sections I to 30 of
township 8, south of range 2 west. Rowland Bird
came to Ransom on March 8, 1836, with his wife,
seven children and young Leander Candee, who
married Lorinda Bird in March, I840, this being
the first marriage. Orrin Cobb, the second settler,
located on the western border. Thomas and
Charles Burt came from England in 1838, Cornelius Deuel then lived one mile south of the
Burt location. Orsamus and Nelson Doty came
in I839. William and Joseph Phillips, Israel
Hodges, Matthew Armstrong and Alexander
Palmer were here before I839.
The first town election was held on April 6,
1840, when were elected Leander Candee, supervisor; Israel S. Hodges, clerk; Rowland Bird,
James H. Babcock, Matthew 'Armstrong, and
Henry Cornell, justices. The first school was
taught by Lucinda Bird in 1838. On May I9,
1848, the Congregational church was organized,
with Stephen and Joan Ingersoll, C. B. and Mary
E. Shepard, Jacob T. and Ann Service and Sally
Perkins as members. In 1855 a church edifice
was completed. The Methodist Episcopal society was formed in I857, a framed church was
built in I868-9. The United Brethren have long
been strong here, the first society being organized in I86I or 2. The Seventh Day Adventists,
organized in I866, built a church in I869. About
1855 Ichabod Stedman opened the first store at
the Center, where Ransom postoffice was established in 1847, and where a brick business center
soon came into being. Leonard Lodge No. 266,
F. & A. M., was here organized in I869 with
Chauncey Leonard as its first master. In 900o the
town had a population of 1,215.
Reading was organized in I837. The first
town-meeting was held on April 3, when James
Fowle was chosen supervisor, William Berry
clerk, John Mickle, James Fowle, Samuel S. Curtiss and William Berry, justices. At its creation
it contained 227 inhabitants, I60 head of cattle,
nine horses and 13I hogs. In 900o the population
was 2,I63, Reading village containing I,o96. At
organization the town comprised all of the county
lying south of township 6 south. In 1839 Camden was erected from Reading, leaving it six
miles square, known as township 7 south, range
4 west. Reading is one of the best agricultural
towns in the state and its inhabitants have ever
been of an intelligent and highly progressive character, notably among the number being Col.
Frederick Fowler, Daniel Kinne, George and
John Fitzsimmons and others of high standing,
comprising Nelson Turner, the first merchant.
The pioneer settler, John Mickle, located here
on October 5, 1835, closely followed by Eleazer
Gleason, William C. Berry, Charles andl William
Powell, Ephraim Wiltsie, William Berry,
Horace Palmer, Rennselaer Sutliff. In April,
1836, Wright Redding and Annie Carpenter
came, and thus, before the first town-meeting, the
nucleus of a strong settlement was established.
Up to I850 there was not a store, grocery or a
tavern in the town, but many thrifty and prosperous farmers.
The Baptist church was organized August 24,
I839, with Samuel and Matilda Seamans, Frederick and Abigail Perring, Daniel and Emily A.
Weaver, L. C. and Eliza Perring, Aaron Thompson and Ann Morey. In I859 it joined with the
Second Free Will Baptist society in building the
first completed church edifice of the town. The
Free Baptists, as they have been called for a
number of years, are strong. Two churches were
organized before the Civil War, the first, on
March i, 1857, with eighteen members, the second, early in 1858. The former organization completed a church in I858. The Presbyterian
church, of ten members, was established on January 5, I868, the church edifice being completed
and dedicated on June 22, I873. On January 13,
1858, a Masonic lodge was started U. D. and
regularly chartered on January 13, I860, with
George Fitzsimmons as master. Masonry has
64
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
thriven, a chapter and a council joining with the
lodge in exemplifying its principles. The Odd
Fellows were late in occupying this field, organizing on November 15, I876.
The village of Reading, although a lively
center of trade, was not incorporated until April
12, 1873, Asahel B. Strong being the first presi'
dent. Manv notable manufacturing industries
have had their home in the village, while the
first bank of the town was here established in
March, 1873, by H. B. and A. R. Chapman. The
village has had some reverses, among them the
$80,000 fire of I899, but it has steadily risen superior to every adversity. The town supports two
local weekly newspapers, The Telephone News,
A. W. Dudley, proprietor, founded in 1879, and
the Reading Hustler, established in 1891 and
now published by Fred A. Rogers.
Scipio, originally a part of Fayette, was
created on March 23, I836, and comprised township 15, south of range 3 west. Jonesville and
the northern tier of sections of the present Fayette were included in Scipio for some years. On
January I, I834, there were but 300 acres of
land entered in the present Scipio, divided in
ownership between. Wm. H. Nelson, Dexter Olds,
S. N. W. Benson and Nathaniel Bacon. Entries
thereafter were rapidly made, by 1838 the most
of-the land was taken. In I835 but few people
were living in the town. Among the earliest settlers were Hosea Wheeler, Judge Stevens, Mr.
Bucklin, Hezekiah Morris, John Howard, Thomas French, Joseph Riggs, Horace Case, James
Sturgis, William Porter, Dr. Stillman Ralph,
Silas Benson, Oliver Bates, Oliver C. Pope, Uriah
B. Couch, Samuel E. Smith, Cyrus Smith, Lyman Nethaway, Nelson Bates, Hezekiah Morris,
Eli R. Sales, Marvin Kimble, James Winters,
Rufus Cole, Allen Briggs, Sanford Curtis, Seeley
Blatchley, William Whitehead, Wilson Gage,
Jeduthan and Alanson Lockwood and others.
The first town-meeting was held on April 4,
I836, at the house of William Porter, and Stillman Ralph was elected supervisor, Silas Benson
town clerk, Oliver Bates, 0. C. Cope, Uriah B.
Couch and S. E. Smith, justices of the peace.
Mosherville derives its name from the Mosher
family, the father, Samuel Mosher, a Quaker residing in the Hudson Valley of New York, entering and purchasing over 800 acres of land in
Scipio to secure the excellent water power.
Here his sons developed the land and village,
The gristmill, erected in I850, was the second of
the'township, the first being the Genesee mills,
erected by John Gardner on the St. Joseph river.
The first school was taught in I847. The population in 1838 was 469 and the town contained
a sawmill, one merchant, 294 head of cattle,
seventy horses, twenty sheep, 356 hogs. In I9oc
the population was 957. "The Methodist Episcopal" was the first religious society here organized,
holding services, however, long before the first
church was built in I86I.
Somerset, set off from Wheatland on March
20, 1837, being township 5 of range 3 west, occupies the northeast corner of the county. In
1838 the town was well settled for that period,
containing 441 residents, two sawmills, one merchant, 326 head of cattle, forty horses, ninetythree sheep, 603 hogs. The census of 900o gave
its population as 1,216. During the wheatraising
period of the agricultural operations of the
county, Somerset always stood high in the amount
of this cereal. The first white settler was James
D. Vanhoevenbergh, who located in 1832 or
1833, and kept the first tavern. In 1835 or 6 the
first store was opened at Gambleville. Several
little centers of business have been developed, and
a lodge of Odd Fellows was organized in I877.
In the early day wolves were exceedingly troublesome, the town voting to pay $io bounty for a
scalp. The first town-meeting was held on April
3, 1837, when were elected Heman Pratt, supervisor; John McKnight, clerk; Warner Bundy,
HIeman Pratt, Amos Fairchild and William
Weaver, justices. The first school was taught
in the summer of 1834 and the first religious society, the Presbyterian, was organized in 1836,
which erected a church building in the early
forties. One of the leading industries for many
years was the manufacture of brick and tile.
Wheatla.nd.-On the original division of the
newly created county of Hillsdale on March 17,
I835, the eastern quarter of the territory, range
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
65
I, was organized as the town of Wheatland.
From it have been taken Somerset, on March 20,
1837; Pittsford, on March 23, 1836, and Wright,
set off on March 6, 1838. These segregations left
Wheatland containing only township 6, south of
range I west, containing some of the highest
land of the state. The township had then 729
people, a postoffice, a sawmill, 309 cattle, ten
horses, eighteen sheep and 387 hogs. In I9oo
the population was I,I95. On January I, 1834,
but 1,200 acres of land had been taken within
the limits of the present town, the owners being
Silas Moore, R. M. Lewis, Mahlon Brown, Edwin
Brown, Lydia Kaniff, Thomas Sewin and Stephen
Russell. In this year also came the first settler,
Edmund B. Brown, locating on section ii. Eli
Eastman came on January 8, 1835, and was long
a prominent citizen, keeping the first house of
entertainment. Henry Cook, his brother-in-law,
accompanied him. Mrs. Cook died in April,'
I836, the first death in the town. Her infant
child, who survived its mother but a short time,
was the first white child born in Wheatland. In
1835 came Charles and Bradford Carmichael,
Isaac Lamb, Stephen Knapp, Ebenezer Trumbull,
Elihu Gillett, Robert Cox, A. A. Van Alstine,
Harvey McGee, and perhaps others.
On the first Monday in April, I836, the following persons were elected to office: Supervisor,
Heman Pratt; township clerk, John MdKnight;
justices of the peace, Heman Pratt, Nelson R.
Rowley, Elias Branch, and Aaron Van Vleet.
This is the first recorded election.
The First Baptist church of Wheatland was
organized in the winter of 1837-8. The church
records say: "There met at the house of John
Bailey, in the town of Wheatland, Hillsdale
county, Mich., John Bailey, Lewis Gillet. Moses
Densmore, John Timmons, Adna Lull, Mary E.
Lull, Polly Bailey, Ann Timms, Matilda Gillet,
Roxana Densmore, Harriet Bailey,'Joseph H.
Padelford, holding letters from Baptist churches,
and, on consultation, mutually agreed to organize themselves into a conference for the support
of the worship of God and the order of his Kingdom." The first church, a log one, was built in
184I. The Free Will Baptists and Methodists
occupied this religious field early, both forming
organized societies as early as I838.
The Congregational church of Church's Corners was organized in a framed schoolhouse in
the southwest part of the town on March 4, 1843,
with a large membership for the place and period.
A framed church was erected about I845.
Woodridge-Was formed from Fayette on
January 28, 1840, and originally comprised in
addition to its present territory Cambria and the
west half of Amboy;after the segregation of these
towns Woodbridge contained thirty square miles.
The first settler was William Saxton, who here
located, with his wife and four sons, in the
winter of 1834-5. The second settler, Jacob
Black, in December, I836, located on the later
site of the village of Frontier with his five children, driving in a splendid span of horses. Daniel
Saxton came in 1837, as did Samuel Wheeler,
Richard Bryan and sons William, Richard, John
and Ezra; Harvey Fish, Romanta and Luther
Phinney came in 1838. The first town meeting
was held on the first Monday of April, I840,
but no records exist to show who were chosen as
officers. The Methodist Episcopals had an organized society here in 1842 and the Methodist
Protestants were in organized force in I850, while
the United Brethren organized a church on January 29, 1853, with twelve members, and, in I86I,
they erected a church. The Free Will Baptist
church, with thirty-nine members, was created on
March I7, I860, and a meeting house was dedicated in I869. The first schoolhouse was built in
1844. The first store was opened at Frontier by
Warren Atwood in 1863. A slight decrease in the
population occurred from I890, when the U. S.
census gave 1,343 residents, to I9oo, when the
same authority gave the population as 1,318.
Wright.-On March 23, I836, what is now the
town of Wright was segregated from Wheatland
to become a part of Pittsford, and the legislative
act of March 6, I838, constituted the thirty-six
sections of town 8 south, range I west, sections
i to 6, inclusive, and fractional sections 7 to I2,
inclusive, of town 9 south, range west, in all about
28,000 acres, as the town of Canaan. At the first
town meeting held in April, 1838, Timothy John
66
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
son was chosen supervisor, Arthur Lucas clerk,
John M. Lickley, Russell Coman, R. T. Crawford and Calvin Pixley, justices. On February
24, I844, the name was changed to Wright, and,
in 1900, the number of residents was 2,149. A
Baptist church was formed on October 29, 1847,
and shortly after 1850 the Methodist Episcopals
formed a class with two male members, while in
I860 the Christion or Disciples church was created. In 1867 the United Brethren organized a
society with eleven members and the same year
witnessed an important society of Wesleyan
Methodists come into being.
CHAPTER VIII.
HILLSDALE COLLEGE.
For fifty years past Hillsdale College has
been one of the institutions of Hillsdale county,
and, more than men are apt to think, has it done
to build up the city, county and state. It came to
stay, and its history will ever be inseparably connected with that of this county. ~ It will therefore
be proper to note briefly something of the origin
and early history of the Free Will Baptist denomination, under whose auspices the college is represented as having been founded.
A century and a quarter ago the churches of
New England were Calvinistic, generally believing that some are "elected to be saved and others
to be damned," "the people were faithfully indoctrinated in the tenets of personal, unconditional
election and reprobation," and "the doctrine of
election was so explained as to limit the provisions
of the gospel to the chosen few." In proof of
this we quote from Neal's History of New England, which says: "The whole body of the New
England clergy are Calvinists," and from Mather,
who says "In two hundred churches not one is
Arminian." Baptist ministers were decidedly
Calvinistic, holding to the views of John Calvin,
a noted theologian of Geneva: in fact, Calvinism,
in its most unlovely forms, held undisputed sway.
Some able, honest thinkers could not believe man
a machine.; that he is responsible for his acts and
yet cannot do otherwise; but contended that,
while God provides a full and free salvation,
man's will is free to accept or reject it.
Among these was one Benjamin Randall, who
was converted by the powerful preaching of
George Whitefield, in 1770, on his last visit to
America, and on whom the mantle of Whitefield
is said to have fallen. Whitefield died unexpectedly September 30, I770, at Newburyport, Mass.,
and Randall heard him for the last time two days
before his death. In the troublous times of the
spring of I775, and a few days before the battle
of Bunker Hill, Randall entered the army, and
did not really begin to preach until the spring of
I777. He invited all to come and partake of the
gospel feast; the "people heard him gladly," and
many were converted.
He preached the Bible as he understood it, and
did not realize that his doctrines were so different
from those of his brethren, but in I779 he was
called upon in public, to give a reason why he did
not preach the doctrine of election as Calvin held
it. Quick as a flash came the bold but honest replv-"Because I do not believe it." Later in the
same year Mr. Randall was summoned to.answer
for his "errors" before a public assembly, and,
after a debate which lasted nearly two days, the
minister who conducted it on the part of the Calvinists arose and publicly declared "I have no fellowship with Brother Randall in his principles."
Mr.. Randall, stepping upon a seat, said: "It
makes no odds with me who disowns me so long
as I know that the Lord owns me." His courage
reminds us of Luther at the Diet of Worms, and
of Paul before Agrippa.
The believers in high Calvinism, which then
included most of the Baptists, had no sympathy
with those who advocated "free grace" and "free
will," and there was, therefore, a practical, before
there was a real, separation, and the term "free
will" was at first reproachfully used, and later
deliberately adopted as part of the denominational name.
To whom could the Freewillers go? The
Congregationalists were ten times as strong in
that locality as was any other denomination, but
with them infant baptism was an almost universal
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
67
practice, so that not one in twenty received baptism when admitted to the church. Randall's first
connection was with the Congregationalists, and
his third child, at the request of the mother, was
sprinkled, but he made a careful study of the
Bible, came to believe that the immersion of believers only was the baptism of the Bible, as fully
as he believed in the doctrine of free will, was
himself immersed, and on June 30, I780, he organized the first Free Will Baptist church at New
Durham, N. H..The denomination has always had its largest
growth in New England,. over one-third of its
present membership being there located. Born
of righteous convictions, and ever loyal to what it
has regarded truth, the denomination has been
right on all public questions. Its original views
have not only been scripturally sustained, but
have also been generally accepted and historically endorsed by so many other denominations that
it has dropped the "Will", and is now known as
Free Baptist. In I839, its General Conference refused to admit slaveholders to communion, and
made it a test of fellowship. This was unpopular
then, but the church has lived to see slavery
abolished by public enactment. The.denomination might have been a much larger one had it
not refused to unite with other branches of the
church, kindred in name and in scriptural views,
but less rigid in their requirements.
Its ministers very early perceived the need of
an educated ministry, and some of them, in the
west notably Rev. David Marks, Rev. Samuel
Whitcomb, Rev. Elijah Cook and Rev. H. S.
Limbocker, the last three residing in Michigan,
were open and avowed advocates of the establishment of an educational institution in this state.
Finally, at the yearly meeting held at the home of
Rev. Ira A. Reynolds, brother of Rev. Chauncey
Reynolds, in Franklin, Lenawee county, in June,,
I844, a resolution was adopted establishing a denominational school within the territorial limits
of the yearly meeting, providing for the appointment of a committee to draft a constitution and
by-laws, and for a convention to be held later, at
Jackson, to adopt the same. This convention was
held in July or August of the same year, and
adopted the constitution and by-laws reported by
the committee, and also elected a board of trustees as therein provided.
The convention also voted to locate the school
where the best inducements should be offered,
regard being had to the healthfulness of the
place, and employed Rev. Cyrus Coltrin as financial agent. In the summer and fall of 1844, Elder
Coltrin canvassed the churches of the denomination throughout the state, soliciting subscriptions
for the new college. Rev. Chauncey Reynolds
pledged eighty acres of land when it could be
sold for $600. His, oldest son was at that time
fourteen years of age, and another one was
twelve, and these could soon attend college.
Meantime efforts were made at Cook's
Prairie, in Calhoun county, and at Jackson, Leoni
and Spring Arbor, all in Jackson county, to secure the school, and Spring Arbor having obtained the largest subscription was successful.
The board of trustees appointed at Jackson
met at Spring Arbor in October, I844, and voted
to call the institution Michigan Central College,
and elected Daniel M. Graham as its president.
There was now a college, but in name and prospect only-no endowment, no charter, no library
and no apparatus-simply faith and pluck. The
trustees appointed a committee. to get a charter
from the legislature, and advertised the school to
open on December 4, 1844. It was so opened, in
a small, old, wood-colored, story-and-a-half building, formerly used as a store and then deserted,
having one room on the first floor and one on
the second. There was one teacher, the president (who constituted the whole faculty) and but
five students. This was a very humble beginning,
it is true, but yet it augured well for the future,
for of those five students (they were Clinton B.
Fisk, Andrew J. Graham, George L. Cornell,
Moses Benedict, Jr., and Miss Livonia E. Benedict,) one was later a candidate for president
of the United States, another was the author of
one of the main systems of short-hand writing
yet produced in this country, and another, the
first lady to receive a classical degree in Michi
5
68
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
gan, and the first, except a few at Oberlin, to receive such a degree, so far as we are able to learn,
from any college in the country.
The committee appointed to procure a charter
pushed its efforts to that end, but the policy of
the state had been not to give any institution in
the state, except the University, power to confer
collegiate degrees, and, in pursuance of this
policy, the legislature of 1845 refused to give the
new college a charter, but did, in an act approved
on March I9, 1845, give it a legal organization
by making it a body corporate, naming nine trustees, and giving power to hold $30,000 worth of
property.
During that year two new framed buildings
were erected, the land given by C. Reynolds (the
largest gift made to Michigan Central College by
any individual), having been exchanged for lumber. These buildings were two stories high,
35x60 feet in size, and stood on high stone walls
which were built by Daniel Dunakin, a stone
mason, who laid the corner stone of the first of
said buildings. Rev. L. B. Potter, with a coldchisel and a hammer, hewed out the corner stone
from a sandstone boulder procured in that vicinity, and with his own hands tended the mason
while laying the foundation.
The number of students kept increasing until
a third building became necessary, and the lack
of teachers made the need of more endowment
very imperative. In 1847, the General Conference
of the denomination had voted $500 for apparatus,
and several hundred books had been donated for
a library, the president of Harvard College, Edward Everett, and Amos Lawrence, of Boston,
giving more than half of them. In 1848, Rev.
E. B. Fairfield was elected president in place of
D. M. Graham, and additional members of the
faculty were elected as follows: In 1851, Rev.
Charles H. Churchill; in January, I852, Rev.
Ransom Dunn, and in January, 1853, Rev. Henry
E. Whipple.
The college had continued its efforts to get
a charter, and, by an act of the Legislature approved on March 20, I850, the authority, to confer
degrees was given, and this act also granted
power to hold property worth $00o,ooo. This
was not only the first college charter granted by
the Legislature of Michigan, but it was also the
first college in the Free Will Baptist denomination. The power to confer degrees was given
only upon condition "that the course of study
in said college shall be in all respects as comprehensive as that required in the University of
Michigan," and it has been believed by many
that the Legislature supposed that Michigan
Central College could not comply with that condition, or this power would not have been granted.
For a quarter of a century before the University admitted ladies as students, however, this
little college had established co-education, and
boldly announced its advantages open to all, "irrespective of nationality, creed, color or sex," and
some students were well advanced in their courses
when this "new departure" in the educational
policy of the state was taken. In I85I, Miss
Elizabeth D. Camp, of Palmyra, N. Y., completed the scientific course and received the degree of
Bachelor of Science-the first lady to receive a
degree from a Michigan college. The next year,
(1852,) Miss Livonia E. Benedict completed the
classical course and was the first lady to receive
the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Michigan. In
I85I, I852 and in 1853, thirteen students were
graduated in all-nine from the scientific course
and four from the classical-five gentlemen and
eight ladies.
The growth of the school was unprecedented
and remarkable. The trustees and faculty appealed to the people of Spring Arbor and vicinity
for funds with which to erect additional buildings, intending to raise the endowment by canvassing the denomination at large.. The number
of students had increased to 300, and something
had to be done. The matter was presented by
President Fairfield and Professor Dunn at a
public meeting of citizens, called by the faculty,
but there was no response to their appeal. It was
at this meeting that the first public hint was given that, unless help should come locally, the school
must remove, but the people seemed to think the
institution had become a fixture, and they need
not give it further support. The trustees, however, saw in the situation only a -dwarfed life,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 69
and began to agitate the question of removal. returned home. The former had received a liberAnother motive which influenced some was a de- al offer at Coldwater and seemed to favor its acsire to secure a location with better railroad fa- ceptance. The latter had received no'definite ofcilities. At the first it was deemed an advantage fer, but liked the spirit shown at Hillsdale, and
to be located away from the temptations and al- so they decided to let Coldwater and Hillsdale
lurements of the city, and the most of this was enter into competition for the college. Hillsdale
made by the college in advertising, but the eight had appointed a committee consisting of D. L.
years of experience with the inconvenience of Pratt, G. W. Underwood, C. J. Dickerson, and
going and coming eight miles to or from the near- Daniel Beebe, who were not known at Spring
est railroad station had convinced them of their Arbor, and they attended the adjourned meetmistake, and the idea of isolation being a benefit ing of the trustees there, Professor Dunn being in
was practically outgrown. the secret, and therefore purposely treating them
The initial step towards locating the college as strangers. They saw the school in operation and
elsewhere was taken on January 5, 1853, when deemed it a prize worth securing.
the board of trustees passed the following: The trustees voted to continue the school at
"Resolved, That we will consider the ex- Spring Arbor until the end of that year, and, afpediency of removing Michigan Central College ter the committee in regard to a new location had
to some point more suitable for its location as reported, appointed a committee of five trustees,
soon as conveniences can be procured." viz: Ransom Dunn, Daniel Dunakin, Charles H.
A committee of five trustees, viz, E. B. Fair- Churchill, George L. Foster and Eli T. Chase, to
field, R. Dunn, H. S, Limbocker, J. E. Beebe and locate the college at Jackson, Adrian, Hillsdale,
G. L. Foster, was appointed to visit Jackson, Coldwater or Marshall, provided, that the localMarshall, Adrian, Coldwater, and other places, ity chosen should raise $I5,ooo for building purand learn what inducements they would severally poses. Jackson knew something of the college
offer for the location of the college. Fairfield and at Spring Arbor, distant only eight miles southDunn went to Coldwater, were well received and west, but because the sentiment of the college
favorably impressed. While the former remained people was strongly anti-slavery, and 'the proat Coldwater, Professor Dunn drove to Hillsdale. slavery element dominated Jackson, no interest
This was on the I4th day of January, 1853. He could be aroused in favor of the removal to that
soon met Dr. Alonzo Cressy, who was the first point. Adrian and Marshall seemed indifferent,
man to whom he revealed the object of his mis- and as both Coldwater and Hillsdale were on the
sion. The doctor called in several other citizens line of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
who determined to call a public meeting at the Railroad, where no institution of learning had
courthouse that evening. The meeting was well yet been located, and as both wanted the college,
attended, and was addressed very enthusiastically the efforts of the committee on location were conby Professor Dunn, who was then thirty-four centrated upon these two points. Coldwater ofyears of age, and a magnetic public speaker. fered $Io,ooo and thought she would get it.
The meeting voted to try to get the location of William Waldron has not been very generally
the college in Hillsdale, and appointed a commit- credited with large educational aspirations, or
tee to have the matter in charge. The next day very great interest in the college, but, while the
Professor Dunn with some of the citizens looked college committee was laboring with the Coldwaat several locations, but the one on the eminence ter people, he shrewdly planned to have a Toledo
north of the St. Joe river, now called "College young man at Coldwter, ostensibly to settle there
hill," seemed most fitting. This was on January and make investments. He knew what was going
I5, 1853, and the trustees at Spring Arbor had on and kept his chief posted.
adjourned to January I9, so President Fair- When.the committee arrived in Hillsdale no
field and Professor Dunn met at Jonesville and bids were made, and at first the committee was
_ i;_;:::-j::::::::~-,:;,:.:~:~;~
70
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
nonplussed, but finally the citizen's committee
asked them what amount they would take to, locate
the college in Hillsdale and consider no other offers. After consultation the location committee
replied that it would accept $I5,000, which should
be used for building purposes. The citizen's, committee met them with the offer to raise that
amount in the township of Hillsdale, provided
that the college would raise an equal additional
amount for the same purpose, so as to secure better buildings. This proposition was accepted on
condition that they be allowed to raise the second $I5,000 in Hillsdale county, which was
granted, and the location of the college was then
and there determined, except the ratification by
the board of trustees at Spring Arbor, which was
secured on the I6th of February, I853. The
board made provision to raise the money required
for buildings, and Trustees E. B. Fairfield, Daniel
Dunakin, H. S. Limbocker, H. E. Whipple and
C. H. Churchill were appointed a prudential committee, and C. W. Ferris was elected treasurer.
Hon. Esbon Blackmar, of Newark, N. Y., had
a large tract of land bordering the village of Hillsdale, and Daniel Beebe acted as his agent. He
was sent to interview Mr. Blackmar, who generously gave a deed of twenty-five acres for the
campus, which was called worth $500, and also
subscribed $500 to be paid in money.
Messrs. C. W. Ferris, C. T. Mitchell, G. W.
Underwood, Henry Waldron and William Waldron each subscribed $1,000, and later John P.
Cook also $I,ooo. Messrs. J. B. Baldy, Daniel
Beebe, C. J. Dickerson, N. M. Folsom, Allen
Hammond, H. L. Hewitt, I. H. McCollum, H. S.
Mead, D. L. Pratt, C. H. Russell, C. W. Westfall
and E. H. C. Wilson subscribed an aggregate
of $4,00o. Other citizens of the village and township increased the amount to over $r5,ooo. Some
of the faculty at Spring Arbor canvassed the
county outside of the township of Hillsdale, but
President Fairfield secured most of the subscriptions, and on May 25, I853, considerably more
than the $30,000 required for buildings in the
agreement made four months earlier was reported
to the trustees as subscribed, and the board then
determined to raise an endowmeht of $Ioo,ooo,
and elected Henry J. King as secretary of the corporation.
The trustees had so far proceeded upon the
theory that they could remove the belongings of
the college, charter and all, to some other locality,
and with this in view they planned to continue the
school so as not to forfeit its charter, as they
would by a year's cessation from teaching. Partly for this purpose Prof. Churchill remained and
taught a select school for the academic year of
I853 and I854. Practically, however, Michigan
Central College ceased to exist with the exercises
of commencement day, July 6, 1853, two days
after the cornerstone of the first college building
at Hillsdale had been laid with imposing ceremonies. The trustees met at Spring Arbor and
empowered Prof. Dunn to dispose of the property there to pay the debts of the institution. The
buildings were not worth moving, and the personal property was not very valuable. The citizens up to this time had thought the talk of removal was a mere "bluff," but they now began to
realize that they were to be without a school, and
resorted to legal measures to prevent its removal.
August 27, I853, a bill was filed in chancery in
Jackson county against the college and fifteen
named trustees, among whom were C. H. Churchill, Ransom Dunn, L. B. Potter, L. J. Thompson,
Elijah Cook, Daniel Dunakin, Chauncey Reynolds, Eli T. Chase, H. S. Limbocker, E. B. Fairfield, H. E. Whipple and John Thomas-all connected later with Hillsdale College.
This bill prayed for an injunction to restrain
the trustees from selling or removing the college
property at Spring Arbor, and from collecting
money or building a college at Hillsdale. A preliminary injunction was granted, and this, of
course, tied things up pretty thoroughly for the
time being, and kept matters in suspense at Hillsdale. The trustees were uneasy, because the charter at Spring Arbor provided that "the trustees
shall be jointly and severally liable for all judgments obtained against the corporation," and the
above named twelve men were the aggressive promoters of the new college at Hillsdale. A decision
adverse to them meant financial loss and possible
ruin. On November 8. 1853, the college entered
t
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
7I
its demurrer to the bill, and on January 19, 1854, general laws. The trustees, on December I9,
Elijah Cook alone answered, disclaiming intent. I854, had resolved, if possible, to procure the
They then awaited the court's decision. passage of such a law, and they held their last
At Spring Arbor excitement ran high, and the meeting on January 3, I855. At this meeting it
friends of removal hardly felt themselves safe was announced that the suit at Jackson had been
from personal violence. The citizens were in a argued, and the circuit judge had dismissed the
rage and actually threatened Professor Churchill bill and dissolved the injunction.
with a coat of tar and feathers. The last night of The present college law was introduced in the
his stay there Trustee Potter and others barricad- legislature especially on behalf of Hillsdale Coled the doors of his home, and were prepared with lege, but it was general in its nature and was supshotguns to defend him from bodily harm, and it ported by the friends of other denominational
said that some of the faculty went armed. schools, and vigorously opposed by the friends
The secretary's book of records was in the of the University. Messrs. Cressy and Dunakin
hands of the removal party, and the other faction worked together, and rallied the friends of the
very much wanted it. They took out a search other schools throughout the state that were aswarrant and tried to obtain it from the secretary, piring to be colleges. The law was passed and
L. J. Thompson, but he had secretly put it into approved by the governor, with immediate effect,
the possession of Trustee Potter. The officer on February 19, I855.
"smelled a mice" and followed the two out of town The friends of the college project at Hillsdale
and actually looked over into a wagon-box where now took new courage and published a call for
the book lay covered with straw without see- a meeting to organize under the new law. This
ing it. After dark that night Trustee Potter car- meeting was held in the Presbyterian church on
ried it "across lots" through standing grain and the 22nd of March, 1855, and articles of associagrass to Jackson, successfully concealed it and tion adopted, and the next day were elected thirtyafterwards delivered it to the Hillsdale party. five trustees. The preamble of the constitution
At Hillsdale these were felt to be, as they must recited that "$6o,ooo have been subscribed and
ever be regarded, as the "dark days" of Hillsdale $20,000 have been paid in."
College. Little was done in the way of building, The third article of the constitution sets forth
Mr. Perkins working alone for months laying the object as follows: "The object of this instibrick, and, when the walls were up one story high tution is to furnish to all persons who wish, irrethey were covered with boards and the work st:s- spective of nationality, color or sex, a literary and
pended. scientific education, as comprehensive and thorThe attempt to utilize the charter of Michigan ough as is usually pursued in the colleges of this
Central College was abandoned and the effort country, and to combine with this, such moral
turned toward securing legislative action. The and social instruction as will best develop the
times seemed propitious for this. The Republican minds and improve the hearts of the pupils."
party, which had been organized at Jackson in A majority of the trustees originally elected
July of that year, had triumphed in the state elec- were residents of Hillsdale county, and this protion that fall, and the Free Will Baptist voters all portion has ever since been maintained, and the
over the state had allied themselves with it. college has thus availed itself of the best business
Hillsdale county elected Dr. Alonzo Cressy to the and educational talent of the county. After this
State Senate, and Daniel Dunakin was elected to first election of trustees, all energies were bent to
the House of Representatives from Calhoun the completion of the building, the faculty meancounty. while continuing their canvass for endowment.
The state constitution adopted in 1850 prohib- Other agents were also employed. The plan for
ited special charters for colleges, and educational raising funds at the start, both for buildings and
institutions must be incorporated, if at all, under endowment, was by the sale of scholarships, grant
72
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ing perpetual tuition, for one student at a time,
for $Ioo, and for shorter specified periods of time,
for smaller sums. All holding these scholarships, or orders for their use, (which now cost,
as a rule, only fifty cents per term each), have
their instruction free, their only expense (except
matriculation fee of three dollars paid at first entrance as a student, and never afterwards), being
the cost of fuel, janitor, use of library, gymnasium, and other such incidental expenses, for this
payment no fund has ever been established.
In 1842 a seminary was opened at Chester
Cross Roads, Geauga county, Ohio, which came to
be known as "Geauga Seminary." Among its
founders were Hon. S. B. Philbrick, Rev. David
Marks, Rev. R. Dunn, Rev. A. K. Moulton'and
Rev. S. D. Bates. Rev. Daniel Branch became
its principal in 1845, Rev. George H. Ball in
I849, and Rev. George T. Day in 1851. All these,
except David Marks, afterward became connected
with Hillsdale College as teachers or trustees. To
Doctor Ball and Professor Dunn, James A. Garfield, afterward general in the army and president
of the United States, recited as a student. In
I843 a charter was granted to the seminary, but,
as it prohibited colored persons from attending
the school, it was not accepted until modified so
as to admit them. Beginning in I862 its effects
were sold, and the avails, amounting to over $2,ooo, and some of'its apparatus and library, were
transferred to Hillsdale College, when even that
was quite a help. Thus were the two institutions
which started in Ohio and Michigan in 1842 and
I844 respectively merged into one.
CHAPTER IX.
H ILLSDALE COLLEGE-CONTINUED.
HILLSDALE COLLEGE was opened to students
on the 7th of November, I855, although the building was not entirely finished and furnished. For
a time, in part of the rooms, nail kegs had to do
duty for chairs, floors serve as bedsteads, etc.,
yet there was little complaint. Expenses were at
a minimum. Most students had scholarships, and
gentlemen paid seventy-five cents, for incidentals,
per term; ladies, fifty cents. This is all it cost
students who did not board or room in the building. Board in the college dining-hall was $I.50
per week, twenty-five cents extra for tea and coffee, but not many indulged in these luxuries.
Room rent in the college building varied according to the story in which the room was located:
Second story, gentlemen, $2.50 each per term;
ladies, $2.oo; third story, gentlemen, $2.00; ladies,
$1.75; fourth story, gentlemen, $1.75. The Imatriculation fee was not charged till the fall term
of I864. The terms were ten weeks in length
originally and were called "quarters." The payroll of the teachers the first year was as follows:
President Fairfield, (taught first quarter) $250;
Professor Whipple and Professor Churchill each,
$525; Mrs. V. G. Ramsey, lady principal, $212.50;
Miss Sarah Mahoney, assistant principal, $I87.50;
students who taught classes, $67.95. Total paid
for teaching first year, $I.767.95.
The number of students the first quarter was
I6I-85 gentlemen, 76 ladies. The second quarter it was I95- I4 gentlemen, 8I ladies. For the
third quarter, which closed the year, it was I67 -104 gentlemen, 63 ladies. Many of the students
were from farmers' families, and their help was
needed at home in the spring. The attendance
has almost always been the smallest in spring
terms.
The total number of different students the
first year was 273, of which I6I, or fifty-nine per
cent., were gentlemen, and 112, or forty-one per
cent., were ladies. These are about the average
percentages, as to sex, for the whole time since
the college opened. Of the 273 in attendance the
first year, I26, forty-six per cent., resided in
Hillsdale county, and 147, fifty-four per cent., outside the county. Of the 126 county residents, sixty are now known to be living, fifty-four to be
dead, and the whereabouts of twelve are unknown.
The total number of different students which the
college has had since the beginning cannot now
be told, or even guessed, with any accuracy. The
music, art, elocution and commercial departments
have not always reported their attendance by
terms, and one year, while the faculty settled with
the students, their names were not entered in the
books. These slips defeat accuracy of statement
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 73
for all time. The number, however, for the year as being "in the army." Excitement ran high,
referred to, is known, and the average for the 144 two or three companies were formed among the
terms the college has been running, not including students, who were furnished with old army musmusic, art, elocution or commercial students has kets with bayonets, and learned to go through'all
been 251, and the number of terms work as of the infantry movements, Professor Whipple doing
one student has been 36,166. the honors of colonel commanding.
The total number of graduates (not including The latest histories of the Amphictyon and
the commercial department, for the reason that Alpha Kappa Phi societies show 104 and seventytheir number is not known), is I,oI9, of which ty-seven of their members, respectively, to have
593, fifty-eight per cent., have been gentlemen, been in the Civil War from I86I to I865. Jacob
and 426, forty-two per cent., have been ladies. H. Stark, of North Adams, was the first student
This percentage of lady graduates is about the to enlist, for he became so impatient at what to
same as of lady students. The college has grad- him seemed slowness in getting up a company
u.ated one Japanese and six colored people-three here that he went to York state and enlisted in
from the classical course. One blind person has the Fifth New York Infantry, later was in Durbeen graduated and another is now in the Sopho- yea's Zouaves, and still later in Co. K of the new
more class. Forty-three persons have each grad- Fourth Michigan Infantry, from which he was
uated from two courses, and two others from mustered out on March I6, I865.
three courses each. Classified as to departments, Twenty-six of the I8I student members of
the graduates have been as follows: From the these two societies. lost their lives while in the
academic, 843; theological, 105; music, 73; art, army: Six were killed in battle, six were mor17; elocution, 26. Ninety-six have received state tally wounded, dying later, and fourteen died
teachers' certificates. The number of academic, from disease, in hospital, or while at home on furas will be seen is eight times the number of theo- lough. Sewell A. Jennison, Fourth Michigan
logical, which shows the principal field of college Infantry, a brother-in-law of President Fairfield,
work. Of the I,OI9 graduates, 175, or more than was the first Hillsdale student to lose his life for
one-sixth, were born in Hillsdale county. his country, dying on March 30, I862, from exThe first ladies to graduate were Clariet Ca- posure at the battle of Antietam. Lieut. John T.
pron and Eliza A. Scott, who had studied else- Storer, the second, on April 7, I862. Lieut. W.
where, the latter at Spring Arbor, and completed W. Wallace, Second and Twenty-fourth Michigan
the ladies' course in I856. The latter, now Mrs. Infantries, was the first one killed, on July I, 1863,
Potter, is living at Grinnell, Iowa. The oldest at the battle of Gettysburg, and Captain James
graduate, Philip C. Tolford, is also now living. Hawley, Second Michigan Cavalry, on staff of
The first lady to graduate from the classical General Stanley, the next, on September 20, 1863,
course and receive the degree of Bachelor of at the battle of Chickamauga.
Arts was Mrs. Mary A. Seaman, in I86I. Fran- June 20, 1895, a monument, which had been
cis Cadwell, who graduated in I860 at the age of erected on the college campus, was unveiled and
eighteen and is now circuit judge at Le Sueur, dedicated to the memory of the warrior dead of
Minn., was the youngest person ever to graduate the Alpha Kappa Phi Society. Also a monument
from the classical course. at the grave of Capt. R. W. Melendy, in Oak
The first experience particularly out of the or- Grove cemetery, was dedicated with appropriate
dinary run of events in common student life was exercises the same day.
at the outbreak of the Civil War in the spring of The most trying experience the college has
I86I, when, as was common that year among in- ever had since its opening in 1855 was when, on
telligent, patriotic collections of young men, the March 6, 1874, the center building, and all west
students went to war by the score, the catalogue of it, was destroyed by fire. This was in vacation,
of October, I86I, having sixty-one names starred yet the students stood loyally by the college, and
74
I Or
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
although they had to recite in the remnant of
the old building, in the church, in the professors'
rooms at their homes, and in other hired rooms,
the attendance the following term, although a
spring term, was exactly the same as the term
before-212.
The next catalogue, issued in the following
November, said "On the 6th of March last the
greater part of the college edifice was destroyed by
fire. In view of the need long felt for a larger
amount of room, the Board of Trustees decided to
rebuild on a plan comprising five separate buildings. Three of these were put under contract in
June, and two of them are rapidly approaching
completion. The corner-stone of the main college
edifice was laid on August 18, I874, and the building will be ready for occupancy on January 1,
I875."
The catalogue of the next year reported the
west building-Knowlton Hall-complete, except
the interior finishing by the alumni and gentlemen's literary societies, which was "in process,"
and the east building-Fine Arts Hall-was inclosed and to be finished during the year. It also
reported funds being raised for the fourth building, to be built by the commercial department, and
in June, I878, this building was reported to the
trustees as completed, and occupied the fall before. The college furnished $3,000 towards its
construction, which was never returned, and, in
1896, purchased the rights of the' commercial
department.
The catalogue of I875 further said: "For the
fifth building of the group, being the one east of
the center building, time is to be taken until it
shall seem wise to transform the old part standing
in its place into the form as represented in the
cut," which was made from the photographed design of the group adopted by the trustees. In
I893, Colonel Fowler gave $8,ooo with the expectation that a new, modern style, brick building,
should be erected in the place of the old East Hall
in conformity with the general style of the group,
and the money was so accepted, the faculty and
prudential committee favoring a science building.
The contract price of the first three of the new
buildings was as follows: Center building, $27,
157.98; Knowlton Hall, $10,735.99; Fine Arts
Hall, $Io,318 âtotal, $48,211.97. The college received $29,940.82 for insurance on the portion of
the old building burned, and appealed to its
friends to help in this crisis, hired $5,ooo in November, 1875, for five years at eight per cent., and
in I879 put Professor Fisk in the field for several
months and raised most of the deficit.
In 1884 a subscription was raised for building
a gymnasium, headed by Mr. F. B. Dickerson, of
Detroit, after whom it was named, and it was
erected and opened the following year. With
baths and other improvements since made, it.has
cost about $4,00o. This was the first gymnasium
possessed by any college in the state.
At the first annual meeting of the trustees, in
June, 1856, the treasurer reported that $48,978.88 had been subscribed for 'buildings, of which
$30,242.74 had been collected, and that the total
amount subscribed for endowment at that time
was $42.4II.62, making the aggregate subscriptions, for both buildings and endowment, at end
of first year, $91,390.50. The total cost of building and its appurtenances, with furniture, etc.,
was reported to be $36,707.76.
At this meeting Spencer J. Fowler was appointed professor of mathematics, and George S.
Bradley, tutor.
The work of raising endowment progressed
from year to year and the following statement
shows the gain in endowment each year since the
college was founded, and the total endowment of
all kinds as shown by the treasurer's annual reports:
June 1856...............
" 1857...................
" 1858..................
Aug. 1859..................
" 1860...................
June 1861...................
" 1862...................
" 1863...................
" 1864...................
" 1865...................
" 1866...................
1867...................
" 1868...................
" 1869...................
" 1870...................
" 1871...................
" 1872...................
" 1873...................
GAIN...io*...
1,806.70
1,885.55
3,063.04
3,359.12
2,100.30
3,233.55
8,963.57
9,541.73
13,158.79
10,693.44
5,193.71
*-3,337.57
3,023.52
2,564.85
3,712.80
7,236.34
6,350.57
TOTAL.
990.61
2,807.31
4,692.86
7,555.90
11,115.02
13,215.32
16,448.87
25,411.44
34,953.17
48,111.96
58,805.40
63,999.11
60,661.54
63,685.06
66,249.91
69,962.71
77,199.05
83,549.62
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
75
1874...................
1875...................
" 1876...................
1877...................
1878...................
1879...................
" 1880...................
1881..................
" 1882...................
1" 883................
" 1884..................
" 1885...................
" 1886...................
" 1887...................
" 1888...................
" 1889...................
" 1890...................
" 1891...................
" 1892...................
" 1893...................
1894...................
" 1895...................
" 1896...................
1897...................
1898...................
"1899.
" 1900...................
" 1901...................
" 1902...................
" 1903...................
2,194.97
2,354.78
2,837.95
2,368.13
1,616.45
624.70
3,269.52
33,652.25
592.81
2,025.21
3,574.30
777.86
3,307.53
735.90
17,222.94
6,727.97
1,660.47
16,319.88
16,198.76
13,236.41
2,726.22
13,543.72
1,992.62
662.21
2,377.23
* â1,574.11
1,161.42
2,605.31
3,530.70
4,336.13
85,744.54
88,099.37
90,937.32
93,305.45
94,921.90
95,546.60
98,815.12
131,467.37
132,060.18
134,085.39
137,659.69
138,437.55
141,745.08
142,480.98
159,703.92
166,421.89
168,082.36
184,402.24
200,601.00
213,837.41
216,563.63
230,107.35
232,099.97
232,762.18
235,139.41
233,565.30
234,726.72
237,332.03
240,862.73
245,798.86
*$6,692.86 transferred to Building Fund and Bills
Receivable.
*$1,450.00 shrinkage in gift lands sold.
It will be seen from the above that the amount
of endowment actually paid in during the first
half of the forty-eight years the college has been
running was $95,546.60, while the amount collected during the last half of said time has been
$149,652.26, or $54,105.66 more than in the first
half. During the said latter half there have been
five gifts of $Io,ooo or more each, viz., in I880, to
endow the Waldron professorship, $15,000, by
Rev. C. N. Waldron, Mrs. Caroline M. Waldron
and Mrs. Mary Waterman; I88I, for the theological endowment, $17,000, by the Free Baptist
Education Society; I885, to endow a professorship (theological), $Io,ooo, by Rev. and Mrs. S.
F. Smith; I888 and later, to endow a professorship, etc. (theological), $I7,0OO, by A. B. and
Mrs. Mary P. De Wolf; I89I and later, to endow
a professorship (mathematics), $I5,0oo, by John
S. Hart.
These gifts, aggregating $74,000, were all procured by the personal solicitation and influence of
Rev. R. Dunn, who obtained enough other notes
and subscriptions, together with his own gifts, to
make a total aggregate of $IO6,849,14. The
other agents residing in the county, who raised
the next largest amounts, as reported in the books,
were: Rev. D. L. Rice, $42,956.59; Prof. S. J.
Fowler, $23,0o8; Rev. L. S. Parmelee, $I7,050.
For buildings and endowment, Hon. Henry Waldron gave $6,000, Col. Frederick Fowler, $8,000
and Aaron Worthing, $9,500. In 1890 Rev. and
Mrs. Schuyler Aldrich gave property of $Io,ooo
to endow a professorship, and other professorships have been named for William Burr, David
Marks, Spencer J. Fowler and Ransom Dunn.
The Woman's Commission has raised $5,ooo towards completing the endowment of the Lady
Principal's chair and Mrs. Delia Whipple Wheelock, the first lady elected lady principal has paid
something over $5,ooo for a memorial fund for
her brother, Prof. H. E. Whipple. The Alumni
have paid over $Io,oo0 towards the endowment
of their professorship, and the trustees have themselves paid over $I5,OOO towards the endowment
of the president's chair. Albion S. Jaquith, who
graduated in 1871, gave 400 acres of land in Kansas, which has this year been sold for $7,ooo, for
a library fund.
The library of the college has grown till it
now contains over I,ooo volumes, besides magazines and pamphlets, and it is being used more
and more by the students, and is consulted by
those doing club work in the city and in towns
around, and by those of culture and literary tastes
over the country. Now that, by the gifts of Rev.
Truman Parks, Albion S. Jaquith and others, an
annual income of $500 or more is assured, additions of valuable books can be made each year.
In the first four catalogues Professor Dunn's
name appeared on the faculty page as "Professor
of Mental' and Moral Philosophy and Natural
Theology," and in the next three catalogues as
"Lecturer on Natural Theology and Evidences of
Christianity." He had classes and gave lectures
more or less of the time to those who had the
ministry in view, but there was no theological department established. In I862 the General Conference of the denomination appropriated $3,000
from the profits of the printing establishment,
as the nucleus for the endowment of a theological
professorship, and the next year Professor Dunn
76
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
was appointed Burr Professor of Biblical Theology. The endowment of the chair was raised
to $io,ooo. The first to graduate from this department were four who completed their courst
in 1873, and thus Hillsdale College was the first
institution in the state to confer theological degrees.
According to the annual statement of the college treasurer made to the trustees in June, 1903,
the value of the college property is as follows:
Buildings and grounds, $80,000; library, apparatus, museum and other personal property, $38,o37.I0; endowment, $245,398.86; other credits,
$4,892.58; making a total of $368,328.54, less
claims against same of $14,126.50, leaving a net
value of $354,202.04. Besides this there are notes
and other resources not yet realized of $49,oi6.o2,
making on hand and promised about $400,000.
The total amount paid for salaries and teaching
for the forty-eight years has been $417,492.48,
an average of $8,697.76 per year. The highest
amount paid in any year was $12,735, in 1893-4.
The regular salary of a professor has been $900
a year for over twenty years. The amount paid
out for fuel, catalogues, printing, repairs and
other miscellaneous expenses, added to tne
amount paid for salaries and teaching, makes an
aggregate of over half a million dollars expended
by the college since it was planted here, and, from
the nature of things, the most of this has gone
into the channels of trade right here in Hillsdale
county, fully establishing our claim that the college is an important institution to the county.
Only about one-fourth of the income of the
college from first to last has come from the students. That they do not pay for teaching is evident from the fact that the interest on notes given.
for endowment, etc., until the notes were paid,
and on the funds actually paid in and invested,
together with the matriculation fees and the small
amount of tuition paid by the few who do not
have scholarships or orders for their use, slightly
exceed the amount paid for salaries and teaching.
It will be borne in mind that the general rule has
been to use money raised in the county for buildings, and to raise the endowment outside of the
county. After the fire of I874, most of the
amount then raised for rebuilding was raised outside the county. The fact is that most of the
endowment has actually been raised out of the
state and its income expended here. From first
to last, responsible for its management, 155 different trustees have been elected, seventy-six of
whom have resided wholly or partly in Hillsdale
county. In about a dozen cases those elected as
residents moved out or vice versa. That these are
leading, representative citizens of Hillsdale county
witness the following list, the figures after the
names indicating the number of years, including
the present, which they have served: Samuel R.
Hawks, I; Isaiah H. McCollum, 11; Edward H.
C. Wilson, ii; David H. Lord, 17; Calvin Clark,
3; Frederick Fowler, 48; Major Barrett, 2; David
L. Rice, 32; Henry Packer, I3; Daniel Beebe, 23;
Lewis J. Thompson, I7; Daniel L. Pratt, 24;:
Frederick M. Holloway, 37; James B. Baldy, 6;
Elihu Davis, 9; Edmund B. Fairfield, io; Henry
E. Whipple, I6; Ransom Dunn, 42; Azariah
Mallory, 4; Alonzo Hopkins, 9; Spencer J. Fowler, 19; Linus S. Parmelee, I7; Charles T.
Mitchell, 35; Franklin P. Augir, 15; Charles H.
Churchill, 3; Allen Hammond, 3; Chauncey
Reynolds, 22; John P. Cook, 22; Charles B. Mills,
24; Daniel M. Graham, I5; James Calder, I5;,
'Jeremiah Baldwin, Io; Horace Blackmar, 19;
Henry J. King, 15; James W. Winsor, 27; Caleb
C johnson, 35; Leonard Olney, 20; John Corey,
5; Ebenezer 0. Grosvenor, 1; Henry Waldron,
I5; Nicholas Vineyard, 20; Frederick R. Gallaher, I; DeWitt C. Durgin, I4; Ezra L. Koon, 17;
Oscar A. Janes, 26; Elon G. Reynolds, 25; Jerome
L. Higbee, 20; Hugh Cook, I5; J. William
Mauck, I5; Charles N. Waldron, 7; Arthur E.
Haynes, 10; Frank M. Stewart, I9; John S.
Copp, o0; Ashmun T. Salley, 10; Horatio P.
Parmelee, 12; Kingsbury Bachelder, 5; George
F. Mosher, 17; Henry M. Ford, I3; Eli B.
Rogers, 7; F. Hart Smith, 8; Edwin M. Washburn, 4; Walter H. Sawyer, I I; Aaron Worthing,
I4; Harvey B. Rowlson, I; Herbert 0. Alger, 9;
Mary A. W. Bachelder, 9; George W. Myers, 9;
John R. Mowry, 5; Edward R. Galloway,.;
Alice L. Hulce, 7; Charles S. Hayes, 5; Walter
H. French, 4; Grover A. Jackson, 4; Harry S.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
77
Myers, I; Dwight A. Curtis, 3; Chauncey F.
Cook, I.
There have been six presidents, as follows:
Reverend Edmund B. Fairfield, D.D., LL.D.,
D. C. L., fourteen years, (five years at Spring
Arbor and two years ad interim); Rev. James
Calder, D. D., two years; Rev. Daniel M. Graham, three years, (four years at Spring Arbor);
Rev. DeWitt C. Durgin, D.D., ten years; Hon.
George F. Mosher, LL.D., fifteen years; Joseph
William Mauck, LL.D., two years. Rev. Ransom Dunn, D. D. and Prof. Charles H. Gurney,
A. M., have each been acting presidents one or
two years.
Hon. Martin B. Koon, LL.D., for thirtythree years a resident of Hillsdale county, later
a judge on the bench at Minneapolis, and now an
able attorney there, in 1894 was chairman of the
finance committee of the board of trustees of
Hillsdale College, and wrote the committee's report, which was signed by the committee and
adopted by the board. The following is an extract: "We have carefully investigated the
methods pursued by the treasurers and finance
committee in regard to making loans, and we
believe the financial affairs of this college, so far
as the investment and care of its funds are concerned, as shown by the results so far, have been
conducted in a manner which shows extreme
prudence, excellent business judgment, and
superior care in every detail; and we believe that
the percentage of loss will be found to be less
than almost any other institution of business of
the same magnitude and same character will
show. Instead of being a proper subject of
criticism, your committee are firmly impressed
with the idea that the management of the finances
of this college, during the past seventeen years, to
which our attention has been particularly called,
should be and is a source of congratulation and
pleasure to those who are interested in its welfare."
Hon. W. W. Heckman, of Chicago, a graduate in the class of 1874, also an able attorney
and successful business man, now Legal Counsel
and Business Manager of the University of
Chicago, with its millions of dollars' worth of
property, as chairman of the trustees' finance
committee in I897, reported-"Your committee
desire to commend the management of the college
finances for the year, and find that the difficult
task imposed by the board by the adoption of the
report of its finance committee of last year, requiring the keeping of the expenditures of the
college within its income, seems to have been
faithfully executed. In view of the prevailing
financial distress the result is regarded by your
committee as highly gratifying."
The recent celebration of the semi-centennial
anniversary of the laying of the corner-stone of
the first college building on July 4, I853, the
ground having been broken on June 13, 1853,
calls to mind the exercises of fifty years ago. The
county turned out almost en masse, and the day
was given up to a regular Fourth of July celebration. In the forenoon President Fairfield delivered an oration "down town," on "True National Greatness". In the afternoon came the
laying of the corner-stone, on what has ever
since been called "College Hill." Hon. Henry
Waldron was president of the day, Col. Frederick
M. Holloway and Dr. Daniel Beebe were marshals. President Fairfield gave an address on
"The College and the Republic". Professor
Dunn made the prayer, and many people have
since spoken of it as the most remarkable prayer
they ever heard. Dr. Fairfield himself last year
said: "The thing which will be longest remembered in connection with the laying of the comerstone was the prayer of Professor Dunn. I
think it was the most impressive public prayer
that I ever heard".
At the laying of the corner-stone of the new
Center Building, after the fire of March 6, 1874,
on August I8, 1874, Hon. John P. Cook was
president of the day, and Dr. Daniel Beebe was
again marshall. Addresses were delivered by
Professor Dunn, Dr. Fairfield, Hon. Henry Waldron, Rev. Dr. W. H. Perrine, (a graduate of
Spring Arbor in I852,) and Hon. W. J. Baxter.
On July 4, I903, at the exercises held on the college campus, President J. W. Mauck was master
of ceremonies and gave the opening address.
Responses were given by President James B.
78
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Angell, of Michigan University; Rev. Henry
Churchill King, president of Oberlin College;
Henry W. Magee, of Chicago, president of the
Alumni Association; a congratulatory address by
United Statesl Senator Russell A. Alger, the formal address of the day by Rev. Dr. Lathan A.
Crandall, of Chicago, on "Has the Small College
a Permanent Educational Function?," a poem,
with "The College and Nation" for its theme,
by Will M. Carleton, class of I869. The program was divided by a basket picnic beneath the
shade of the beautiful groves planted by the
early students.
After dinner speeches were made by ex-Presidents Durgin and Mosher, Rev. Charles H.
Churchill, a former professor in Michigan Central, Hillsdale and Oberlin Colleges, Hon. Joseph
B. Moore, a justice of the Michigan Supreme
Court; Rev. George H. Ball, president of Keuka
College; Prof. W. W. Payne, of Carleton College; Prof. W. L. Beals, of the Michigan Agricultural College and Will M. Carleton, and held
the audience almost till the going down of the sun.
Badges were provided for those who were
present fifty years ago, and there were from 200
to 300 people who applied for these and wore
them with pride. Mrs. Gridley, mother of
Captain Charles V. Gridley, who died soon after
his splendid fighting in the battle of Manilla, was
present and had with her the flag made for him
while on board the U. S. S. Kearsarge.
From Mrs. Sophie Baker Randolph, whose
name was the first entered in the college books as
a student, down to Ethel, the daughter of "Lulu"
Pierce (Hartley,) the "East Hall baby" of fourand-forty years ago, all had a good time. The
face of "Father" Tolford beamed with its usual
genial smile and the occasion was marred only by
the absence of Dr. Fairfield, whose presence had
been anticipated with so much pleasure, but who,
at the age of now past eighty-two years, was not
able to be present. He and Professor Churchill,
seventy-nine years of age, who was present, are
the only ones of those who were members of the
faculty at Spring Arbor, who participated in the
removal of the college to Hillsdale, and of the
early professors of Hillsdale college, who are now
living. All those who participated in the establishment of the first college in I844 are now dead.
How Hillsdale college has helped some of
those born in Hillsdale county to achieve prominence may be seen by noting the following:
William W. Payne, Ph. D., was born in Somerset
on May 19, I837, and graduated from the classical course in I863. After studying law at Ann
Arbor and Chicago he taught school at Mantorville, Minn., and edited The Minnesota Teacher
till 1871, when he became professor in Carleton
College, at Northfield, Minn., where he has been
ever since. He has edited and written for astronomical magazines, his present position being
professor of mathematics and astronomy and
director of observatory. He is a member of
several scientific societies in this and other
countries.
Newton J. Corey was born in Hillsdale on
January 31, I86o, and, after graduating from the
philosophical course in I880, during which.coutse
he had studied music under Prof. M. W. Chase,
he went to Boston, where he remained ten years
and became one of the most prominent organists,
as well as ablest musical lecturers, in America.
In I891 he became organist of the Fort Street
Presbyterian church in Detroit, and is also
teacher of organ, theory and musical history in
the Michigan Conservatory of Music.
Oliver Willard Pierce was born in Hillsdale
on February I9, I869, so is now but thirty-four
years of age. When eighteen years old, in I887,
he graduated from the music department of Hillsdale college. The next year he studied with Dr.
Louis Maas, of Boston, taught music a year in
the university at Delaware, Ohio, and then completed the classical course at Hillsdale, when
twenty-two years of age, in I89I, taking the
D. M. Martin mathematical prize and the Crandall prize. In the fall of that year he went to
Germany, and, after being for a time in the Royal
High School of Music at Berlin, he went to the
famous Moscowski, whose favored and devoted
pupil he became, and whom he accompanied to
Switzerland. He returned home in 1893 and
resumed his position as teacher at Delaware University. For seven years past he has been one of
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
79
the three owners of the Metropolitan School of
Music in Indianapolis, and is called at home
Indiana's greatest musician. As a pianist his
technique is especially fine, and he is a professional concert-piano soloist, and has appeared
in concerts in many American cities, and twice
played the concerto for the Thomas Orchestra,
an honor highly regarded by musicians.
There have been some Hillsdale county students who did not graduate, yet have gone away
up towards the top. Probably the one to amass
the greatest wealth is the Hon. Lewis Emery, Jr.,
whose father built the Emery mills just east of the
city. Young Lewis was a student of the college
the first year and also later, taught two years in
Wheatland township and worked for his father in
the flouring-mill. In 1863, he married a bright
lady, with whom he became acquainted while a
student, as many another young man has done,
one, and not the least, of the advantages of coeducation, and later removed to western Pennsylvania and "struck ile," becoming one of the
leading producers in the field. The panic of 1873
"busted him up" and left him badly in debt.
With lots of pluck left as almost his only asset,
he leased 14,000 acres of oil lands, and again
went to boring, finally having nearly 500 wells
in operation. He "struck it rich," and his is one
of the leading plants in the world for refining
crude petroleum, covering six and one-half acres,
located at Bradford, Pa. His supply is obtained
from his own wells, and it takes 250 miles of
pipe to bring the petroleum to his refinery. Its
capacity is over 50,ooo barrels a month. His
company has its own pipe-lines to the sea, and
sails its own ships on the ocean, marketing millions of barrels of oil all over the world. The
Standard Oil Company, although it has fought
him for twenty-seven years, has not been able to
buy him out or break down his business. He is
a millionaire, possibly a multi-millionaire, and
has made it by push.
Austin W. Mitchell and William W. Mitchell,
sons of Hon. Charles T. Mitchell, both born in
Hillsdale, entered college in the spring of I869
and fall of 1871 respectively, and after some
years in college engaged in the lumber business
at Cadillac, Mich., and achieved great success.
These two and Mr. Emery, just mentioned, are
the only Hillsdale college students whom the
writer has ever seen rated as millionaires in any
authoritative list.
Among the leading graduates of the college,
not the products of Hillsdale county (the figures
immediately after names denote year of graduation), may be mentioned Will M. Carleton, I869,
who was born only four miles out of the county,
and whose poems may be found the world over,
who was at the laying of the corner-stone on
July 4, 1853, as a seven-year-old lad, and who
came back as poet of the occasion at the semicentennial celebration of that event on July 4,
1903; Hon. Albert J. Hopkins, I870, who was
eighteen years in the national House of Representatives, and now, at the age of fifty-seven, has
reached the highest goal of all Americans to
whom is denied the privilege of being presidenta seat in the United States Senate; Bion J. Arnold, 1884, whose father fifty years ago lived in
Cambria, also took the Martin mathematical
prize in college, is now forty-two years old, is
an electrical authority, and.the president of the
American Institute of Electrical Engineers. If
you keep your eye on Bion Arnold you will have
to look up, for he undertakes mammoth enterprises and does what he undertakes.
Hon. Joseph B. Moore, who entered the college in September, I865, held various offices in
Lapeer county, was elected circuit judge in 1887,
was elected justice of the Supreme Court of
Michigan in 1895, for ten years,.and will soon
be chief justice; Hon. Edwin W. Cunningham,
I866, is now on the Supreme Bench in Kansas.
Others who have been circuit judges are
Joseph T. Hoke, LL.D., now U. S. consul at
Windsor, Nova Scotia, and Francis Cadwell, both
of the class of I870; William H. Sherman, I86I;
Moses A. Luce and John M. Van Fleet, LL.D.,
both of I866; Charles S. Bentley and John H.
Goff, both of 1870; Herbert E. Winsor, I873;
George W. Smith, 1874; Martin B. Koon, LL.D.,
and Guy M. Chester.
Those who have been most prominent in the
teaching profession besides Professor Payne, are
80o
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Hiram Collier, LL.D., I864, who, at his death,
was professor of chemistry in Nebraska State
University; Bela P. McKoon, I864, for years a
professor in Cornell University, and Henri L.
Ambler, I864, a professor in Western Reserve
University, at Cleveland, 0.; John F. Downey,
I870, professor of mathematics and astronomy,
and Arthur E. Haynes, Ph. D., I875, professor
of engineering mathematics, both in Minnesota
University; LeVant Dodge, 1872, and Bruce S.
Hunting, 1873, both professors in Berea College,
Kentucky; D. J. H. Ward, 1878, professor in
Kansas Agricultural College; 0. L. Waller, 1883,
professor in Pullman College, Washington;
Frank Smith, I885, professor of natural history
in Illinois State University; B. W. Aldrich, 1887,
is professor of Greek in Moore's Hill College,
Indiana, and Elias P. Lyon, 1891, at thirty-five
years of age, is assistant professor of physiology
in Chicago University. He also took both the
Martin mathematical prize and the Crandall literary prize at the completion of his course in 1892,
as 0. W. Pierce had done in I89I, the only two
students who have ever taken both.
R. M. Lawrence, 1873, was the president of
Parker College, Minnesota, for several years, and
E. W. Van Aken, 1899, now holds this position;
E. O. Dickinson, 1875, has been president of
Ridgeville College, Indiana; Joseph William
Mauck, LL.D., I875, chancellor of South Dakota
University six years, and is now president of
Hillsdale College; Rev. J. R. H. Latchaw, D. D.,
I88i, has been president of Findlay and Defiance colleges, in Ohio, and is now president of
Palmer University, at Muncie, Ind., and Henry
T. MacDonald, I897, is president of Storer College, W. Va. And Hillsdale College has furnished from its graduates not only many of the
members of its own faculty, but also largely
furnished the faculties of Keuka College, N. Y.,
and Parker College, Minn.
Besides Rev. Dr. Crandall, who is pastor of
the Memorial Baptist church of Chicago, some of
those who have filled important pastorates in the
Free Baptist denomination are Rev. Rivington
D. Lord, D. D., 1877, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Rev.
James H. Parsons, I876, Buffalo, N. Y.; Rev.
George R. Holt, 1873, Hilton, N. Y., and Rev.
Thomas C. Lawrence, I892, Cleveland, Ohio.
Rev. A. M. Gould, D. D., of Kalamazoo, Mich.,
is a leading Methodist minister in the state.
In medicine, James N. Martin, I880, has been
for years one of the medical faculty of the University of Michigan, and has become celebrated.
Ellen Smith, A. M., I866, has been professor
and registrar in Nebraska State University; Ruth
Brockett, I87I, is lady principal of Rio Grande
College, Ohio, and L. Adella Sloan, I885, of the
Normal School at Mt. Pleasant, Mich.
In politics, besides U. S. Senator Hopkins,
Hon. Washington Gardner, of this district, and
Solomon R. Dresser, the latter born in Litchfield township, are in Congress. Mr. Dresser
has also become quite an inventor of oil and gas
specialties, and exhibited his inventions at the
Pan-American Exhibition at Buffalo.
In the army and navy, Hillsdale students, because of their intelligence and prowess were
rapidly promoted and held many and important
offices. Frank D. Baldwin, who served in the
Civil War, entered college in the fall of I865,
and, after leaving college, enlisted in the regular
army. He was promoted through the regular
grades of office to colonel, and was sent to the
Philippines, where, on account of conspicuous
bravery, he was made a brigadier-general. The
story of his storming the Moro forts with his
command deserves to be ranked with the charge
of the famous Six Hundred at Balaklava.
Charles V. Gridley, a Hillsdale boy, entered
college in the spring of I857, and was appointed.
a cadet in the Annapolis Naval Academy in I860
by Hon. Henry Waldron. He became captain in
I897 and commanded Admiral-Dewey's flagship
at the battle of Manilla, when that famous officer
said, "Gridley, when you are ready, fire." He
was always ready, and it was one of his broadsides which sunk the Spanish admiral's flagship.
In fact, Hillsdale College, in proportion to its
numbers and wealth, occupies an enviable rank
among the colleges 6f the country, in the position which its graduates and students hold in the
professions and spheres of life they enter.
Is not this naturally to be expected, when
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 8
the denomination which planted it pioneered the
way to broadened views of religious thought,
afterwards accepted by the very denominations
which originally opposed them, and when this
college itself blazed the trees marking the way
to the now existent reforms in education, as seen
by its record of having been the first college in
the state to admit women to! equal rights and
honors with men, to receive colored students on
an equality with white, to erect a gymnasium for
physical culture, so as to have a sound body for
a well-developed mind, and to comply with the
law granting state teacher's certificates to graduates. Coeducation had not only blossomed
here, but was in full fruitage before it was
adopted by most of the universities of the country,
and the superiority of its literary societies in the
past has given a quality of drill in public speaking and an acquaintance with parliamentary usage
which has called their members to the front in
public meetings and conventions.
It can at once be seen that, while the college
is denominational, it is not sectarian, for three
lady principals have respectively been Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalist. At the
Michigan conference of the Methodist denomination held in Hillsdale a few years ago, thirteen
members of that conference were former students
of Hillsdale College. Five denominations are at
present represented on the board of trustees and
as many among the faculty and teachers, seven
different denominations upon the managerial and
teaching forces, so it is very evident that religiously the college is cosmopolitan in character.
The commercial value of which mention has
been made, however great that may be, is too low
a basis on which to measure the importance of the
college to the community, for the real value of
educational institutions is not to be estimated
by the number, size and grandeur of their buildings, nor by the magnificence of their endowments and equipments, but by the increase of the
mental power and moral force which they confer
upon those who make use of their advantages.
* 13ge*s3^- ^3 8 ]
S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHAPTER X.
ROSTER OF THE CIVIL WAR.
Very few of the old counties in the North
responded so well to the call to arms in the Civil
War of 1861-5 as did patriotic Hillsdale. As the
names of the gallant soldiers have had only a limited publication in the county we republish them
and thereby give an added reference value to this
volume. Twenty-one men served in the First
Michigan Infantry:
Luther S. Millard, Co. C; killed at Gaines' Mill, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Eliab F. Rogers, Co. C; died Sept. 18, 1862, of wounds
received at Bull Run.
John Ball, Jr., Co. C; died.
John E. Crane, Co. C; died at Fortress Monroe, Va.,
Sept. 21, 1862.
George Garrett, Co. C; died at Washington, D. C.,
Oct. 1, 1862.
John Smalts, Co. C; died at Washington, D. C.,
Oct. 10, 1862.
Truman A. Hodgkins, Co. H; missing in action, Jan.
15, 1864.
Ambrose Cole, Co. I; died of wounds, July 2, 1864.
Isaac Smith, Co. C; died near Alexandria, Va.
Michael Helmick, Co. C; discharged for disability,
April 3, 1862.
John C. Iles, Co. C; discharged at Point Lookout, Md.,
Feb. 1, 1863.
James McDougall, Co. C; discharged to re-enlist as
veteran, Feb. 17, 1864.
Wm. R. Newman, Co. C; discharged to re-enlist as
veteran, Dec. 25, 1863.
Cornelius Fuller, Co. H; discharged to re-enlist as
veteran, Feb. 17, 1864.
Allen 0. Goodrich, Co. C; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps,
July 1, 1863.
James McDougall, Co. C; mustered out July 9, 1865.
Julius R. Newman, Co. C; mustered out, Oct. 24, 1864.
Wm. H. Pettit, Co. C; mustered out Nov. 19, 1864.
Cornelius Fuller, Co. H; mustered out July 9, 1865.
Charles D. Hodgkin, Co. H; discharged for disability,
Feb. 15, 1863.
Philo M. Palmer, Co,. K; mustered out July 9, 1865.
The Second Infantry contained these men:
Edwin J. March (previously capt. of the 27th Inf.),
app. lieut-col. April 1, 1864; wounded before Petersburg, June -, 1864; cor. col. Sept. 30, 1864;
resigned April 17, 1865.
Richard W. Ricaby, appointed capt. April 1, 1864;
wounded June 24, 1864; com. lieut-col. Dec. 1864;
disch. for disability Dec. 14. 1864.
Edward A. Sherman, cor. 1st lieut. April 1, 1864;
wounded near Petersburg, June, 1864; died Aug. 1864.
Hurlbert Regg, corn. 2d lieut. April 1, 1864; wounded
July 17; disch. Oct. 14, 1864.
Franklin Burns, Co. A; killed near Petersburg, Va.,
June 18, 1864.
Mathew M. Ormsby, Co. A; died of wounds June
19, 1864.
82
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Sanford Rogers, Co. A; died of wounds Aug. 16, 1864,
at David's Island, N. Y.
Edwin C. Holmes, Co. D; killed near Petersburg, Va.,
June 16, 1864.
George Hatch, Co. D; died of wounds at Washington,
D. C., Aug 2, 1864.
George Crisp, Co. G; died of wounds at Washington,
D. C., July 28, 1864.
Roselle S. Dickson, Co. D; died at Washington, D.
C., July 28, 1864.
Samuel B. Rogers, Co. A; missing near Petersburg,
Va., July 30, 1864.
Richard Hogarth, Co. A; missing near Petersburg,
Va., July 30, 1864.
Warren Copeland, Co. A; missing in action near
Petersburg, Va., Sept. 30, 1864.
John Tracy, Co. A.
Charles W. Daniels, Co. D.
James Beard, Co. D.
Alvin E. Hank, Co. D.
Luke Stage, Co. A; died of wounds Oct. 27, 1864.
Thomas Weston, Co. D; killed near Petersburg, Va.,
Feb. 23, 1865.
William Priestly, Co. D; died of wounds May 18,
1865, at Philadelphia, Pa.
Emanuel Eddinger, Co. E; died of wounds June 26,
1864, at City Point, Va.
William Cartwright, Co. F; killed near Petersburg,
Va., Feb. 22, 1865.
John Tracy, Co. A; died at Salisbury, N. C., Feb. 18,
1865.
George Crisp, Co. D; died at Washington, D. C., July
28, 1864.
Edward M. Brown, band; mustered out Aug. 1, 1862.
William L. Mapes, Co. B; discharged for wounds Aug.
25, 1862.
Warren Eddinger, Co. E; discharged for disability
Sept. 26, 1864.
Alexander Campbell, Co. K; discharged for disability,
July 1, 1864.
Lavant Palmer, Co. B; discharged Dec. 31, 1863, to reenlist as veteran.
Edward Bohner, Co. A; mustered out June 2, 1865.
Thos. H. Curtis, Co. A; mustered out Aug. 2, 1865.
Lucius E. Gridley, Co. A; mustered out July 28, 1865.
Warren Muller, Co. A; mustered out July 28, 1865.
Franklin Russell, Co. A; mustered out June 2, 1865.
B. Franklin Sweet, Co. A; mustered out May 25, 1865.
George Touse, Co. A; mustered out July 28, 1865.
Adna M. Woolsey, Co. A; mustered out July 28, 1865.
William Young, Co. A; mustered out July 28, 1865.
John W. Stone, Co. D; mustered out Aug. 19, 1865.
James Beard, Co. D; mustered out July 18, 1865.
Dewitt C. Cherington, Co. D; mustered out July 28,
1865.
Levi Dunn, Co. D; mustered out July 28, 1865.
Michael Overly, Co. D; mustered out June 7, 1865.
Thos. C. Rudabaugh, Co. D; must. out Aug 3, 1865.
Alvin E. Hank, Co. D; mustered out July 28, 1865.
Charles W. Daniels, Co. D; must. out July 28, 1865.
Andrew A. Ewing, Co. D; must. out July 28, 1865.
William Beard, Co. D; must. out July 28, 1865.
Freeman Havens, Co. D; must. out July 28, 1865.
Frederick Knecht, Co. D; discharged for disability,
May 22, 1865.
Wm. W. Marshall, Co. D; must. out July 28, 1865.
Christian Knecht, Co. D; must. out July 28, 1865.
Ebenezer W. Warren, Co. D; disch. June 26, 1865.
George Hart, Co. D; must. out June 20, 1865.
Henry Freld, Co. D; must. out July 28; 1865.
Samuel H. Helsel, Co. D; must. out July 28, 1865.
Franklin D. Ford, Co. D; must. out June 20, 1865.
James N. Root, Co. D; must. out-July 28, 1865.
Myron H. Smith, Co. D; must, out July 28, 1865.
William Morley, Co. D; must. out May 24, 1865.
Andrew Hall, Co. D; disch. July 30, 1865.
John Ackerman, Co. D; must. out July 28, 1865.
Joseph H. Crisp, Co. D; must. out May 12, 1865.
John Truax, Co. D; disch. for disability, May 26, 1865.
Henry M. Ewing, Co. D; disch. for disability, June
23, 1865.
Marshall Crandall, Co. D; must. out July 28, 186'.
Sidney Jackson, Co. D; must. out June 16, 1865.
Orrin C. Fry, Co. D; must. out June 24, 1865.
DaVid L. Havens, Co. D; must. out June 20, 1865.
John T. Corwin, Co. F; disch. from V. R. C., May 30,
1865.
Alvarus Derthick, Co. F; must. out July 28, 1865.
Wm. H. Vandebogart, Co. F; must. out May 11, 1865.
George Carpenter, Co. F; must. out July 28, 1865.
William Havens, Co,. F; disch. June 17, 1865.
William B. May, Co. K; must. out July 28, 1865.
The first and second Fourth Regiments of Infantry has this long roll of gallant defenders of
the Union:
George W. Lombard, corn. capt. May 16, 1861; lieutcol. July 1, 1862; col., July 3, 1863; mortally
wounded in battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864;
died May 6, 1864.
C. C. Doolittle, com. 1st lieut. May 16, 1861; capt.,
Aug. 20, 1861; wounded at Gaines' Mill, June 27,
1862; col. 18th Infantry, July 27, 1862; brig-gen.
of vols., May 11, 1865; brev. maj.-gen. of vols.,
June 13, 1865; must. out Nov. 31, 1865.
Simon B. Hadley, com. 1st. lieut. May 16, 1861; resigned; re-app. as capt. Feb. 1, 1863; res. May
31, 1864, to accept app. as asst. adj.-gen. with rank
of capt.; finally res. Jan. 1, 1865.
Moses A. Funk, com. capt. May 16, 1861; resigned.
Charles B. Parsons, com. 2d lieut. May 16, 1861;
wounded at Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862; res.
March 7, 1863.
William H. McConnell, cor. 2d lieut. May 16, 1861;
res. Jan. 2, 1862.
Charles Marvin, com. 2d lieut., 1861; 1st lieut., 1862;
capt. 1862; res. Jan. 2. 1863.
Robert Campbell, com. qr.-mr. Sept. 1, 1862; must.
out June 30, 1864.
Josiah D. Emerson, com. 2d lieut. Sept. 3, 1862; 1st
lieut. Dec. 13, 1862; must. out June 30, 1864.
William H. Sherman, com. 1st lieut. April 5, 1864;
res. Sept. 13, 1864.
Horatio G. Lombard, com. 1st lieut. Nov. 14, 1862;
captured at Gettysburg, July 2, 1863.
Jacob H. Stark, com. 1st lieut. Sept. 13, 1864; must.
out May 26, 1866.
George A. Knickerbocker, com. as capt. July 26, 1864;
res. Jan. 31, 1865.
Samuel S. Walker, com. 2d lieut. July, 1862; must. out
on expiration of service.
Levi J. Courtright, Co. E; killed at Halls' Hill, Sept.
4, 1861.
Truman K. Blatchley, Co. H; killed at Malvern Hill,
July 1, 1862.
Henry L. Morehouse, Co. H; killed at Malvern Hill,
July 1, 1862.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
83
Oliver C. Vanderpool, Co. H; killed at Malvern Hill,
July 1, 1862.
William H. Worden, Co. E; died near Falmouth, Va.,
March 30, 1863.
David Cronk, Co. F; died at Adrian, Mich. June 10,
1861.
Isaac Coleman, Co. H; died at Harrison's Landing,
Va., July 12, 1862.
Columbus L. Bradley, Co. H; died Aug. 7, 1862.
David C. Brock, Co. E; killed at Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Alfred H. Dolph, Co. E; killed at Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Frank B. Forncrook, Co. E; killed at Malvern Hill,
Va:, July 1, 1862.
Thos. Van Valkenburg, Co. E; killed at Malvern Hill,
Va., July 1, 1862.
Thos. Prestol, Co. E; died July 15, 1862, of wounds.
John Millions, Co. H; killed at Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Avery Randall, Co. E; died Dec. 18, 1861.
David Worden, Co. E; died April 20, 1862.
Oliver Gilbert, Co. H; died Oct. 27, 1861.
William H. Sloan, Co. H; died Dec. 3, 1861.
Madison Van Meter, Co. H; died Aug. 23, 1861.
Francis Yawger, Co. H; died Nov. 16, 1861.
James T. Wood, Co. H; died Aug. 25, 1862.
Watson W. Fuller, Co. H; missing at Malvern Hill,
Va., July 1, 1862.
Charles W. Gregory, Co. H; killed at Gettysburg, Pa.,
July 2, 1863.
James H. Pendleton, Co. H; killed at Gettysburg, Pa.,
July 2, 1863.
Edwin G. Tripp, Co. H; died at Gettysburg, Pa., of
wounds, July 12, 1863.
Sewell A. Jennison, Co. E; died in camp, March 30,
1863.
Elam J. Todd, Co. H; died at Philadelphia, Pa., Sept.
18, 1862.
Cyrenus Cargill, Co. 0; missing at Gettysburg, Pa.,
July 2, 1863.
Riley N. Ainsworth, Co. E; died in rebel prison.
Wm. R. Fuller, Co. E; missing at Gettysburg, Pa.
John Tarsney, Co. E; missing at Gettysburg, Pa.
George A. Walker, Co. E; returned.
James R. Stillwell, Co. H; returned.
Chester Yawger, Co. H; returned.
Seth English, Co. C; died of wounds, June 22, 1864.
near Petersburg.
George W. Teachout, Co. C; killed at North Anna,
Va., May 23, 1864.
Heman S. Thewing, Co. C; died of wounds, June 19,
1864, at Washington, D. C.
James Tarsney, Co. E; killed in the Wilderness, Va.,
May 5, 1864.
James Terwilliger, Co. E; killed in the Wilderness,
Va., May 5, 1864.
Amon C. Lake, Co. E; died May 14, 1864, of wounds
received in the Wilderness.
Benjamin Best, Co. E; killed at Wilderness, May 15,
1864.
George A. Walker, Co. E; killed at Spottsylvania, Va.,
May 9, 1864.
John P. Fuller, Co.. F; died at Fredericksburg, Va.,
of wounds, June 20, 1864.
John Goodenberger, Co. F; died at Washington, D.
C., of wounds, May 22, 1864.
Ira Worden, Co. H; killed near Richmond, Va., June
3, 1864.
6
Emery B. Kelly, Co. I; killed at Wilderness, Va., May
5, 1864.
Stephen C. Bond, Co. C; died at Baltimore, Md.
Edward Rhodes, Co. C; missing while on picket, Aug.
21, 1864.
John W. Vanness, Co. C; missing while on picket,
Aug. 21, 1864.
Timothy B. Burch, Co. E; missing at Wilderness, Va.,
Nov. 23, 1863.
Wm. H. Smith, Co. E; missing at Wilderness, Va.,
Nov. 23, 1863.
Horatio B. Parker, Co. H; died at Harrison's Landing, Va., Aug. 4, 1862.
Charles W. Page, Co. F; died at Hatcher's Run, Feb.
6, 1865.
John Hardy, Co. H; died at White Oak Swamp, Va.,
June 14, 1864.
Wm. T. Fiester, Co. E; trans. to new 4th inf., June
28, 1865.
James H. Harrison, Co. E; trans. to new 4th inf.,
June 28, 1865.
Charles T. Hartson, Co. E; trans. to new 4th Inf.,
June 28, 1865.
Thomas Taroney Co. E; trans. to new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
Allen Freeman, Co. F; trans. to new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
Harvey B. Braddock, Co. F; trans. to new 4th Inf.,
June 28, 1865.
Warren M. Champlain, Co. F; trans. to new 4th Inf.,
June 28, 1865.
Wm. B. Duryea, Co. F; trans. to, new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
James H. Duryea, Co. F; trans. to new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
John A. Alden, Co. H; trans. to new 4th Inf., June 28,
1865.
John Dean, Co. H; trans. to new 4th Inf., June 28,
1865.
Origen H. Getter, Co. H; trans. to new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
Asher Lafleur, Col. H; trans to new 4th Inf., June 28,
1865.
Wm. Marks, Co. H; trans. to new 4th Inf., June 28,
1865.
Enos S. Nobles, Co. H; trans. to new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
Wm. Robinson, Co. H; trans. to new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
Joseph Sandbar, Co. H; trans. to new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
Andrew J. Cook, Co. I; trans. to new 4th Inf., June
28, 1865.
John Wallace, Co. I; trans. to new 4th Inf., June 28,
1865.
Jesse D. Critchfield, Co. E; disch. for disability, April
20, 1862.
George Comfort, Co. E; disch. for disability, March
5, 1852.
Isaac Chase, Co. E; disch. for disability, Jan. 20, 1862.
Charles M. Drake, Co. E; disch. March 6, 1865.
Newton Green, Co. E; disch. Sept. 6, 1861.
Alvro F. Gleason, Co. E; disch. July 15, 1861.
George E. Gates, Co. E; disch. July 15, 1861.
John D. Neal, Co. E; disch. April 24, 1862.
Justin Russell, Co. E;'disch. June 24, 1861.
Watson C. Simmons, Co. E; dlsch. for disability,April 22, 1862.
John W. Brown, Co. E; disch. Dec. 18, 1861.
84
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Eli Burk, Co. E; disch. Aug. 13, 1861.
George E. Beebe, Co. E; disch. for disability.
William H. Ross, Co. E; disch. for disability, Oct. 6,
1862.
Billings B. Merritt, Co. E; disch. for disability, Oct.
27, 1862.
P. Brown, Co. E; disch. for disability, Aug 4, 1862.
William R. Bird, Co. E; disch. for disability, Nov. 14,
1862.
Marc A. Merrifield, Co. E; disch. for disability, Nov.
18, 1862.
Walter W. Wright, Co. E; disch. for disability, Nov.
18, 1862.
Chauncy A. Brown, Co. E; disch. for disability, Oct.
18, 1862.
Wm. F. D. McCarty, Co. E; disch. Nov. 3, 1862, to enl.
in regular service.
Lawrence Wright, Co. E; disch. Nov. 3, 1862, to enl.
in regular service.
Albert W. Wilson, Co. E; disch. for disability, Dec.
2, 1862.
Joseph Stevens, Co. E; disch. for disability, Dec. 3,
1862.
Oliver P. Stone, Co. E; disch. Nov. 20, 1862, to enl.
in regular service.
Charles T. Jeffers, Co. H; disch. for disability, Dec.
12, 1861.
William Lindsley, Co. H; disch. for disability, May
5, 1862.
Charles S. Birdsall, Co. H; disch. for disability,April
29, 1862.
Allen Anderson, Co. H; discli. for disability, Jan.
13, 1862.
John Warren, Co. H; disch. for disability, July 29,
1861.
Jesse L. Hadley, Co. H; disch. for disability, Dec. 18,
1861.
Marion F. Howe, Co. H; disch. for disability, Dec. 9,
1861.
George W. Jeffers, Co. H; disch. for disability, Sept.
6, 1861.
Michael Miller, Co. H; disch. for disability, Nov. 21,
1861.
Ira Murdock, Co. H; disch. for disability, July 29,
1861.
Byron F. Nutton, Co. H; disch. for disability, Nov.
21, 1861.
James H. Ostrander, Co. H; disch. for disability, Sept.
16, 1861.
Samuel S. Parker, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan.
6, 1862.
Erastus W. Page, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan.
15, 1862.
John Pittwood, Co. H; disch. for disability, July 29,
1861.
Mosley S. Ten Eyck, Co. H; disch. for disability, Sept.
24, 1861.
Henry Upthegrove, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan.
2, 1862.
Charles P. White, Co. H; disch. for disability, Nov.
21, 1861.
William Wilder, Co. H; disch. for disability, July
29, 1861.
Jules L. Williams, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan.
2, 1862.
Linden H. Alien, Co. H; disch. for disability, Sept.
27, 1862.
Martin McConnell, Co. H; disch. for disability, July
19, 1862.
Olney J. Smith, Co. H; disch for disability, Nov. 17,
1862.
Cornelius M. Hadley, Co. H; disch. for disabiliy, Oct.
23, 1862.
Orson L. Parks, Co. H; disch. for disability, Nov. 12,
1862.
William Smith, Co. H; disch. for disability, Oct. 25,
1862.
Lafayette Young, Co. H; disch. for disability, Sept.
18, 1862.
Charles S. Duncan, Co. B; disch. for disability, Jan. 2,
1863.
Jarvis D. Rolfe, Co. E; disch. for disability, Jan. 1,
1863.
Ira Williams, Co. E; disch. for disability, Dec. 26,
1862.
Orlando Gilchrist, Co. E; disch. for disability, Nov.
30, 1862.
Thomas VanValkenburg, Co. E; disch. for disability,
Feb. 4, 1863.
Charles H. Smith, Co. E; disch. for promotion March
27, 1863.
Edward Gavitt, Co. E; disch. by order, Sept. 15, 1863.
George B. Brown, Co. E; disch. for disability, April
14, 1863.
William L. Worden, Co. E; disch. for disability, Feb.
16, 1863.
Debzon C. Allen, Co. E; disch. for disability, Jan. 24,
1863.
Webster H. Abbott, Co. E; disch. for disability, Aug.
1, 1863.
Gilbert D. Ward, Co. E; disch. for disability, Oct. 14,
1863.
Orlando F. Weaver, Co. E; disch. for disability, Oct.
13, 1863.
Orlando Nash, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan. 2,
1863.
Alonzo B. Vanscoter, Co. H; disch. for disability, Dec.
22, 1862.
William G. Gay, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan. 12,
1863.
William Morehouse, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan.
31, 1863.
William Dover, Co. H; disch. for disability, April 6,
1863.
David W. Todd, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan. 26,
1863.
Edward L. Walter, Co. HI; disch. for disability, Feb.
20, 1863.
James Henry, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan. 25,
1863.
Manley Rood, Co. H; disch. for disability, Feb. 28,
1863.
Miles Jones, Co. H; disch. for disability, March 13,
1863.
George Krimer, Co. H; disch. for disability, Dec. 1862.
Darius Van Allen, Co. H; 'disch; December, 1862.
John Coleman, Co. H; disch. by order, July 1, 1863.
Lyman Osborne, Co. H; disch. by order, Oct. 1, 1863.
Charles Duncan, Co. B; disch. at expiration of service
June 30, 1864.
Charles Coppins, Co. B; disch. at expiration of service, Nov. 7, 1864.
George W. Coffin, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, Nov. 11, 1863.
Oscar B. Abbott, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, Nov. 11, 1863.
Charles A. Fletcher, Co. E; disch. at expiration of
service, June 28, 1864.
Sidney A. Willis, Co. H; disch. by order, Sept. 15; '63.
Henry W. McGee, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, June 28, 1864.
Marion F. Hunt, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, June 28, 1864.
William R. Fuller, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, June 28. 1864.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 85
William F. Bristol, Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- James H. Quackenbush, Co. E; disch. to re-enl. as vetice, June 28, 1864. eran, Dec. 29, 1863.
Augustus R. Barker, Co. E; disch. at expiration of Seth Bolles, Co. E; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec.
service, June 28, 1864. 29, 1863.
Benjamin Best, Co. E; disch. a expiration of service, Charles W. Decker, Co. E; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
June 28, 1864. Dec. 29, 1863.
Timothy H. Burtch, Co. E; disch. at expiration of Amos Strong, Co. E; disch. to re-enl. as veteran. Dec.
service, June 28, 1864. 29, 1863.
Chauncey V. Burnette, Co. E; disch. at expiration of William T. Feister, Co. E; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
service, June 28, 1864. Dec. 29, 1863.
William H. H. Birge, Co. E; disch. at expiration of Thomas Tarsney, Co. E; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
service, June 28, 1864. Dec. 29, 1863.
Joseph Crisler, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, Asher B. Lafleur, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
June 28, 1864. Dec. 29, 1863.
John F. Dugan, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, Enos S. Nobles, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
June 28, 1864. Dec. 29. 1863.
Win. H. Dildine, Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- John A. Alden, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
ice, June 28, 1864. Dec. 29, 1863.
David Fox, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, Henry L. Case, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec.
June 28, 1864. 29, 1863.
John Fleming, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, John Dean, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec.
June 28, 1864. 29, 1863.
John Farley, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, John D. Hardy, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
June 28, 1864. Dec. 29, 1863.
James H. Hullinger, Co. E; disch. at expiration of William H. Marks, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as veteran
service, June 28, 1864. Dec. 29, 1863.
Thaddeus Huff, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, William W. Robinson, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as vetJune 28 1864. eran, Dec. 29, 1863.
Hiram L. Hartson Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- Ira Worden, Co. H; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec.
ice, June 28, i864. 29, 1863.
John Hewitt, Co. E; disch. at exp'iration of service, Archibald Gilchrist, Co. E; disch. for disability, Jan.
June 28, 1864.29 1863.
George W. Hughes, Co. E; disch. at expiration of George Moon, Co. E; disch. for disability, Oct. 23.
service, June 28, 1864. 1862.
Frank Miller, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service, Amos Strong, Co. E; must. out Aug. 5, 1865.
June 28, 1864. Albert M. Wilbur, Co. E; discjh. for disability, Dec. 2,
Stephen H. Mallory, Co. E; disch. at expiration of 1862.
service, June 28 1864. George Ward Co. E; disch. at expiration of service,
Charles H. Rupert, Co. E; disch. at expiration of June 28, 1864.
service, June 28, 1864. Clarence L. Northrup, Co. E; disch. at expiration of
Philip Stanback. Co. E; disoh. at expiration of service, service, March 18, 1865.
June 28c, 1864. Henry S. Saeger, Co. E; disch. at expiration of service,
George H. Stacy, Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- Sept. 2, 1864.
ice, June 28, 1864. Thomas Terwilliger, Co. E; disch. at expiration of
William H. Smith, Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- service, Sept. 12, 1864.
ice, June 28, 1864. Franklin Shadbolt, Co. E; must. out Sept. 11, 1865.
James K. Spence Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- Herbert D. Bryan, Co. E; must. out June5, 1865.
ice, June 28, 1864. Joseph H. Jagger, Co. E; must. out June 5, 1865.
Mark W. Taylor, Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- William Washburn, Co. E; must. out June 5, 1865.
ice, June 28, 1864. George L. Brewster, Co. E; must. out June 5, 1865.
Archibald Wier, Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- S. Spencer, Co. E; must. out June 5, 1865.
ice, June 28, 1864. Henry M. Brodock, Co. F; disch. May 1, 1863.
Francis C. Waller, Co. E; disch. at expiration of serv- Henry L. Case, Co. H; disch. June 9, 1865.
ice, June 28, 1864. David T. Cobb, Co. H; disch. for disability, Jan. 27,
Sylvanus Atherton, Co. H; disch. for disability, June 1865.
24, 1863. George Kinney, Co. H; disch. June 4, 1862.
Martin V. B. Rhodes, Co. H; disch. at expiration of William H. H. Marsh, Co H; must. out Sept. 26, 1865.
service, Dec. 22, 1863. Wrilliam Robinson, Co. H; must. out July 31, 1865.
William H. Sutherland, Co. H; disch. at expiration of James Stillwell, Co. H; disch. at expiration of service,
service, Nov. 11, 1863Jan. 13, 1865.
John Staley, Co. H; disch. at expiration of service, Chester Yauger Co. H; disc. at expiration of service,
June 30, 1864. Jan. 4, 1865.
Herbert D. Smith, Co. H; disch. at expiration of serv- ice,
ice, June 30, 1864. Sept. 3, 1864.
Hiram Dodge, Co. H; disch. at expiration of service,David G. Cornell, Co. I must. out May 12,1865.
June 30, 1864. Charles E. Nichols, Co. I; must. out June 15, 1865.
James Cooley, Co. H; disch. by order, Nov. 16, 1863. NEW FOURTH.
Alvin Dodge, Co. H; disch. March 9, 1864.
Frank Shadbolt, Co. E; disch. to re-enl. as vet. Jan. Arthur D. Pierce, non-commissioned staff; died at
20, 1864. Murfreesboro, Tenn., Jan. 7y 1865.
James H. Harroun, Co. E; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Thomas Weir, non-com, staff; died at Hillsdale, Mich.,
Feb. 13, 1864. Jan. 30, 1865.
86
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
George Austine, Co. A; died at San Antonio, Tex., Oct.
8, 1865.
William Greening, Co. A; died at San Antonio, Tex.,
Nov. 8 1865.
Lewis A. Hill, Co. A; died at Huntsville, Ala., March
6, 1865.
Giles C. Hodgman, Co. A; died at Knoxville, Tenn.,
March 30, 1865.
Horace J. Mosher, Co. A; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
Tenn., Dec. 28, 1864.
Samuel McLane, Co. A; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
March 18, 1865.
George W. Norton, Co. A; died at St. Louis, Mo., Dec.
31, 1864.
Hamlin Treat, Co. A; died at Jeffersonville, Ind., Jan.
17, 1865.
Cicero S. Taylor, Co. A; died at Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
May 18, 1865.
Floyd Thomas, Co. A; died at Larkinsville, Ala. Nov.
13, 1864.
Jehiel Wisner, Co. A; died at Nashville, Tenn., May
14, 1865.
Alvin Wisner, Co. A; died at Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
March 18, 1865.
William C. Norton, Co. A; died at San Antonio, Texas
Oct. 22, 1865.
George Duryee, Co. A; died at Nashville, Tenn., May
3, 1865.
William Darling, Co. A; died at Huntsville, Ala., Jan.
25, 1865.
Daniel S. Chapman, Co. A; died at Huntsville, Ala.
Jan. 25, 1865.
Alfred M. Davis, Co. A; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
Feb. 9, 1865.
George S. Donaldson, Co. A; died at St. Louis, Mo.,
Dec. 25, 1865.
Nathan Smith, Co. B; died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb.
18, 1865.
William G. Straight, Co. B; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
June 7, 1865.
Asa W. Houghton, Co. E; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
May 23, 1865.
Samuel Richardson, Co. E; died a Adrian, Mich.,
Oct. 15, 1864.
John Holtslander, Co. E; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
May 30, 1865.
A. Wisner, Co. I; died at Nashville, Tenn., March
23, 1865.
Samuel A. Alden, Co. K; died at Petersburg, Va.,
Aug. 10, 1864.
Harvey C. Beam, Co. K; died at Green Lake, Texas,
Aug. 3, 1865.
Stephen C. Bond, Co. K; died at Baltimore, Md., July
1, 1864.
Henry A. Chapman, Co. K; died at Philadelphia, Pa.,
June 20, 1865.
Cyrus P. Cobb, Co. K; died at Washington, D. C.,
June 1865.
Seth English, Co. K; died of wounds received June
22. 1865.
Thomas King, Jr., Co. K; died at Hudson, Mich.,
Sept. 19, 1864.
Justus Macoy, Co. K; died at Philadelphia, Pa., Oct.
6, 1864.
Washington Pease, Co. K; died at Washington, D.
C., May 25, 1865.
Charles B. Raynor, Co. K; died at Alexandria, Va.,
June 26, 1864.
George W. Teachout, Co. K; died at North Anna, Va.,
May 22, 1864.
Thomas S. Thewing, Co. K; died at Washington, D.
C., March 19, 1864.
Rynear Van Wagner, Co. K; died at Alexandria, Va.
Laban A. Howard, N. C. S.; must. out June 12, 1866.
James H. Thiell, Co. A; must. out May 28, 1866.
Orrin E. Nichols, Co. A; must. out June 14, 1865.
Thomas J. Lowery, Co. A; must. out Aug. 30, 1865.
Dexter C. Avery, Co. A; must. out'May 26, 1866.
Charles F. Clark, Co. A; must. out June 20, 1865.
Jacob Pepper, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Warren Clements, Co. A; must. out May 23, 1865.
Corydon Barnes, Co. A; must. out Aug. 8, 1865.
James E. Herbert, Co. A; must. out March 3, 1865.
William H. Bailey, Co. A'; mus. out Jan. 18, 1866.
Nelson F. Abbott, Co. A; must. out Aug. 3, 1865.
James Blanks, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Thos. E. Bishop, Co. A; must. out Aug. 18, 1865.
Joseph Baker, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
John W. Bagerly, Co. A; must. out June 3, 1865.
Myres Brodock, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
John Beems, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Edmund Buck, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Leroy Brown, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
William Burch, Co. A; must. out Aug. 26, 1865.
DeForest J. Carroll, Co. A; must. out Aug. 18, 1865.
Henry T. Clark, Co. A; must. out May 30, 1865.
Charles Carlton, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
William Carolton, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1865.
Walter L. Fink, Co. A; disch. by order, June 2, 1865.
George Q. Fitzsimons, Co. A; must. out July 13, 1865.
Frank Greening, Co. A; must. out May 8, 1866.
Orville W. Hodge. Co. A; must. out June 22, 1865.
William P. Holden, Co. A; must. out June 1, 1865.
Edward Haggar, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Joseph Howard. Co. A; must. out May 8, 1866.
George Hungiton, Co. A; must. out March 6, 1866.
Silas W. Haynes, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
George Kimball, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
John Millson, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
William Moore, Co. A; must. out June 21, 1865.
Benjamin F. Ogden, Co. A; must. out May 23, 1865.
Loren Ostrand, Co. A; must. out Jan. 18, 1866.
Leonard Parish, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Rollin L. Rice. Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Charles E. Riker, Co. A; must. out June 14, 1866.
Crawford Stourk, Co. A; must. out July 31, 1865.
Frederick L. Storm, Co. A; disch. June 9, 1865.
Archibald Storm, Co. A; disch. by order, June 9, 1865.
Byron G. Saxton, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Thomas Williams, Co. A; must. out June 12, 1866.
James Thompson, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Reeves E. Taylor, Co. A; must. out Aug. 14, 1865.
Cornelius Vaneeter, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Alexander Vrooman, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Robert Wilson, Co. A; must. out May 26, 1866.
Thomas A. R. Wilcox, Co. A; disch. June 6, 1865.
John S. Pierson, Co. A; disch. April 13, 1866.
George A. Losey, Co. B; must. out May 26, 1866.
Alanson T. Teed, Co. B; disch. by order Aug. 17, 1865.
Orlando Miner, Co. B; must. out May 26, 1866.
Jerome Wilcox, Co. B; must. out May 26, 1866.
Jonathan Burton, Co. B; must. out Jan. 17, 1866.
Lewis Britton, Co. B; disch. by order, July 13, 1865.
Augustus Blurton, Co. B; must. out May 26, 1866.
Henry Barnes, Co. B; must. out May 26, 1866.
David Carlisle, Co. B; must. out July 26, 1865.
Martin Carpenter, Co. B; must. out May 26, 1866.
William H. Carpenter, Co, B; must. out June 16, 1865.
George H. Dennis, Co. B; must. out Jan. 25, 1866.
Charles H. Fairbanks, Co. B; must. out May 25, 1866.
Stephen G. Fuller, Co. B; must. out May 25, 1866.
Thomas W: Lea, Co. B; disch. by order, May 23, 1865.
Henry A. Piper, Co. B; must. out May 26, 1866.
i
HILLSDALE CO U
Sylvanus Soles, Co. B; must out May 26, 1866.
Franklin Tayer, Co. B; must. out May 23, 1865.
Elbridge Williams, Co. B; must. out Aug. 31, 1865.
Daniel Wean, Co. B; disch. by order, June 5, 1865.
Asher Lefleur, Co. B; must. out June 5, 1865.
Enos S. Nobles, Co. C; must. out Feb. 26, 1866.
William T. Feister, Co. C; must. out Feb. 26, 1866.
John Alden, Co. C; disch. by order, Sept. 11, 1865.
Seth Bowles, Co. C; must. out Feb. 1866.
David Cornell, Co. C; disch. by order, May 12, 1865.
Warren H. Champlin, Co. C; must. out Jan. 15, 1866.
John Dean, Co. C; must. out Feb. 26, 1866.
James H. Harman, Co. C; must. out Feb. 26, 1866.
Charles E. Nichols, Co. C; disch. June 15, 1866.
William H. Robinson, Co. C; must. out Feb. 10, 1866.
Amos Strong, Co. C; must. out Sept. 11, 1865.
Frank Shadbolt, Co. C; must. out Aug. 5, 1866.
George H. Southwick, Co. D; must. out May 26, 1866.
Edward Crisher, Co. E; must. out May 26, 1866.
Andrew J. Earles, Co. E; must. out May 23, 1865.
Charles H. Foote, Co. E; must. out May, 1866.
William Sawyer, Co. E; must. out Oct. 10, 1865.
Cassius M. Windsor, Co. F; must. out Sept. 21, 1865.
Robert Seeley, Co. F; must. out Aug. 7. 1865.
William Brooks, Co. F; must. out Aug. 5, 1865.
James H. Kelley, Co. F; must. out May 26, 1866.
Hugh Keeney, Co. F; must. out July 3, 1865.
Lawrence Miner, Co. F; must. out Nov. 12, 1865.
Atcheson Mellen, Co. F; must. out April 10, 1865.
George N. Mayson, Co. F; must. out July 13, 1865.
George M. D. Southworth, Co. F; must. out May 26,
1866.
Myron Vancloke, Co. F; must. out May 26, 1866.
Charles Town, Co. F; must. out Sept. 29, 1865.
Henry Van Vleet, Co. F; disch. by order, Sept. 12,
1865.
Francis E. Hill, Co. F; must. out Aug. 29, 1865.
Edwin D. Plumb, Co. F; disch. March 23, 1866.
Andrew Walters, Co. F; disch. March 7, 1866.
Calvin Maloney, Co. F; disch. March 7, 1866.
Quincy Farmer, Co. F; disch. March 27, i866.
J. S. Bush, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
William E. Newell, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Amos English, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Wm. B. Duryee, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Alfred A. Irish, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Luman H. Dillon, Co. I; must. out May 26, 1866.
Albert W. Vanness, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Charles Buchanan, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Almon S. Bassett. Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Henry M. Brodock, Co. K; must. out June 14, 1865.
William Bryant, Co. K; must. out May 4, 1865.
George W. Booth, Co. K; must. out Feb. 28, 1865.
Marcus H. Cole, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Andrew J. Cook, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
James Duryea, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1866.
Adelbert Delameter, Co. K; disch. Feb. 23, 1866.
Samuel A. Delameter, Co. K; must. out June 10, 1865.
C. W. Decker, Co. K; disch. by order, Feb. 23, 1866.
John W. Fowler, Co. K; must. out May 30, 1865.
Ezra M. Fish, Co. K; must. out Sept. 9, 1865.
Francis E. Hill, Co. K; must. out Aug. 29, 1865.
Oscar A. James, Co. K, must. out Nov. 15, 1864.
J. B. Jones, Co. K; must. out June 8, 1865.
Lawrence King, Co. K; must. out Sept. 25, 1865.
William Long, Co. K; must. out July 3, 1865.
Ira G. Miller, Co. K; must. out May 30, 1865.
Barzilla S. Miller, Co. K; must. out Aug. 29, 1865.
Henry C. Petier, Co. K; must. out Nov. 26,1864.
Edward Rhodes, Co. K; must. out June 8, 1865.
VTY, MICHIGAN. 87
William H. Ross, Co. K; must. out Feb. 23, 1866.
Jacob H. Stark, Co. K; must. out March 16, 1865.
Alphonso Shafer, Co. K; must. out Feb. 23, 1866.
Henry S. Wells, Co. K; must. out June 8, 1865.
James A. Wright, Co. K; must. out Feb. 23, 1866.
Peter Whitmore, Co. K; must. out June 14, 1865.
Andrew J. Franklin, Co. K; must. out April 18, 1866.
Milton E. Fisher, must. out Aug. 9, 1865.
Enoch Dowling; must. out Aug. 6, 1865.
Matthew Dowling; must. out Aug. 6, 1865.
Norman B. Cole; must. out May 4, 1865.
SEVENTH INFANTRY.
Henry Baxter, com. capt. Aug. 19, 1861; lieut.-col.
May 22, 1862; wounded at Antietam; severely
wounded at Fredericksburg; corn. brig.-gen.
March 12, 1863; wounded in the Wilderness;
brev. maj.-gen. for gallant conduct; must. out
Aug. 24, 1865.
Sidney B. Vrooman, com. 1st lieut. June 19, 1861;
capt. May 22, 1862; wounded at Gettysburg;
must. out Oct. 5, 1864.
William W. Wade, com. 2d lieut. June 19, 1861; res.
Jan. 30, 1862.
Gilbert Chaddock, appointed surg. Jan. 15, 1862;
must. out at end of service.
Charles A. Nimocks, com. 2d lieut. Jan. 1, 1863;
wounded at Gettysburg; com. 1st lieut. Oct. 2,
1863; capt. April 7, 1864; must. out Oct. 5, 1864.
John C. Tracy, com. 1st lieut. Oct. 2, 1863; wounded
May 3, 1864; discharged on account of wounds,
Sept. 6, 1864.
Charles Oakley, com. 1st lieut. April 3, 1864;
wounded at North Anna River, May 24, 1864; died
of wounds May 25, 1864.
Lewis D. Locklin, com. 1st lieut. Sept. 6, 1863; capt.
June 20, 1864; must. out July 5, 1865.
James B. Coates, com. 2d lieut. May 22, 1862; died at
Harper's Ferry, Va., Nov. 13, 1862.
Alonzo Smith, com. 1st lieut. June 12, 1864; must. out
July 5, 1865.
John S. Edwards, Co. C; killed at Fair Oaks, Va.,
May 30, 1862.
George T. Storer, Co. C; killed at Fair Oaks, Va., May
31, 1862.
Elliott Todd, Co. C; killed at Fair Oaks, Va., May
31, 1862.
J. Henry Lewis, Co. -; died at Harrison's Landing,
Va., July 12, 1862.
Appleton M. Crary, Co. C; died at Ship Point, Va.,
May 14, 1862.
Nelson Warden, Co. C; died at Camp Benton, Nov.
7, 1862.
James Williams, Co. C; died at Camp Benton, Feb.
4, 1862.
William White, Co. C; died at Camp Benton, Nov.
7, 1862.
Delos W. Harris, Co. C; killed at Gettysburg, Pa.,
July 2, 1862.
John M. Fitterling, Co. C; killed at Gettysburg, Pa.,
July 2, 1862.
Alex McGregor, Co. C; missing at Reams' Station,
Va., Aug. 25, 1864.
Thomas E. Cooney, Co. C; missing at Hatcher's Run,
Va., Oct. 28, 1864; returned.
Henry L. Hartshorn, Co. C; killed at Antietam, Md.,
Sept. 17, 1862.
Robert B. Vanslyke, Co. C; died at Washington, D.
C., Nov. 29, 1862.
I
I
88
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Byron Cusick, Co. C; died at Andersonville, Ga., June
18, 1864.
Oliver Park, Co. C; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, March
8, 1864.
George Manning, Co. C; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps,
Jan. 15, 1864.
Perry E. Babcock, Co. C; trans. to 6th Mich. Cavalry.
William H. Sinclair, disch. for promotion, Oct, 1861.
Robert O. Sinclair, Co. C; discharged.
A. A. Foreman, Co. C; disch. Nov. 12, 1862.
Samuel E. Gear, Co. C; disch. for disability, Nov. 29,
1862.
Christopher Myers, Co. C; disch. for wounds, Oct. 24,
1862.
Wrm. N. Vanderpool, Co. C; disch. for disability, Nov.
15, 1862.
Henry O. Tucker, Co. C; disch. for wounds, Dec. 12,
1862.
Ezekiel C. Estus, Co. C; disch. by order, Aug. 8, 1863.
Sidney Barber, Co. C; disch. for disability, Feb. 27,
1863.
Joel E. Gray, Co. C; disch. for disability, Feb. 14, 1863.
William T. Brain, Co. C; disch. for disability, Feb.
6, 1863.
William I. Graves, Co. C; disch. for disability, Jan.
10, 1863.
William T. Searles, Co. C; disch. by order.
Charles Welkins, Co. C; disch. for disability, Feb.
6, 1863.
Charles St. John, Co. C; disch. for disability, March
30, 1863.
C. Berbeck, Co. C; disch. for disability, April 24, 1863.
T. H. McMillan, Co. C; disch. by order, July 16, 1863.
Leverett N. Case, Co. C; disch. at Detroit, Mich.,
July 1, 1862.
Arthur Cheney, Co. C; disch. at expiration of service, Sep. 9,1865.
Jacob M. Lair, Co. C; disch. at expiration of service,
Aug. 26, 1864.
Orril W. Avery, Co. C; disch. at expiration of service,
Aug. 22, 1864.
Alex. Worden, Co. Q; disch. at expiration of service,
Aug. 24, 1864.
Seymour Underwood, Co. C; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec. 16, 1863.
John Bowen, Co. C; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec.
18, 1863.
John L. Rice, Co. C; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Dec.
19, 1863.
James O. Hall, Co. C; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
Dec. 16, 1863.
Byron C. Ellis, N. C. S.; must. out July 5, 1865.
William A. Herring, band; must. out July 5, 1865.
Jacob W. Snyder, Co. A; must. out July 5, 1865.
William N. Dunn, Co. B; must. out July 5, 1865.
John R. Randall, Co. C; disch. for promotion in 18th
Inf., July 27, 1862.
Clark R. Warren, Co. C; must. out July 5, 1865.
Clark W. Blair, Co. C; disch. for disability, July 18,
1862.
Philip Fox, Co. C; disch. for disability, Sept. 28, 1862.
John R. Fullerton, Co. C; disch. for disability, Feb.
27, 1863.
Joseph W. Fullerton, Co. C; disch. for disability, Feb.
28, 1863.
Wm. F. Nelson, Co. C; must. out July 5, 1865.
James H. Warring, Co. C; wounded at Fair Oaks;
disch. Nov. 20, 1862; re-enl. in 46th N. Y. Inf.
Aug. 14, 1864; in battles of Hatcher's Run, Peebles' Farm, and Petersburg; must. out June 20,
1865.
James Gibson, Co. C; dish.
Robert Gibson, Co. C; must. out July 5, 1865.
Robert D. Glasgow, Co. C; disch. Dec. 19, 1862.
Geo. O. Nimocks, Co. C; disch. by order, May 6, 1865.
Thomas Caldwell, Co. F; must. out July 5, 1865.
Thomas A. Cooney, Co. C; must. out July 5, 1865.
Walter Nichols, Co. K; disch. for disability, March
1, 1865.
John Spillane, Co. K; must. out July 5, 1865.
TENTH INFANTRY.
Christopher J. Dickerson, cor. lieut.-col. Nov. 20,
1861; wounded and captured at Buzzard's Roost,
Ga., Feb. 25, 1864; com. col. 6th Inf., Nov. 12,
1864; app. brevet brig.-gen. of vols., March 13,
1865.
Ethel Judd, com. cap. Oct. 1, 1861; res. July, 1862.
John T. Storer, corn. 1st lieut. Oct. 1, 1861; res. June
21, 1862.
Avery A. Smith, com. 2d lieut. June 23, 1862; 1st
lieut. March 31, 1863; res. Nov. 8, 1864.
George H. Sherman, cor. 1st lieut. Feb. 24, 1865;
must. out July 19, 1865.
John Cronk, Co. K; died June 3, 1862.
Horace F. Crosby, Co. K; died at Camp Farmington,
May 3, 1862.
Alexander Robb, Co. K; died at Camp Thompson.
Norman Doolittle, Co. K; died at Camp Dennison,
Ohio, July 12, 1862.
Alonzo Wood, Co. K; died at Camp Dennison, Ohio,
July 12, 1862.
Homer Northrup, Co. K; died at Keokuk, Iowa, Aug.
18, 1862.
James Fuller, Co. K; died at Keokuk, Iowa, Aug. 18,
1862.
Alexander Williams, Co. K; died.
Emory C. Yost, Co. K; died.
Wm. Russell, Co. K; died at Evansville, Ind., Sept.
9, 1862.
John McGuiggan, Co. K; died at Stevenson, Ala.,
Oct. 6, 1863.
Samuel Fuller, Co. K; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
March 18, 1863.
Nelson Judd, Co. K; died at Keokuk, Iowa, Nov. 4,
1862.
John~ Van Deger, Co. K; killed near Dalton, Ga., Feb.
25, 1864.
Adriel Gibson, Co. K; killed at Jonesboro, Ga., Sept.
1, 1864,
Thcs. Rusqell, Co. K; killed at Jonesboro, Ga., Sept.
1, 1864.
Joseph Wolfe. Co. K; killed at Buzzard's Roost, Ga.,
Feb. 25, 1864.
Warren Merritt, Co. K; disch. for disability, July
29, 1862.
Thomas Dean, Co. K; disch. for disability, July 29,
1862.
Paul Fifield, Co. K; disch. for disability, Oct 8, 1862.
Lothario Chase, Co. K; disch. for disability.
Eugene Cronk, Co. K; disch. for disability.
James Fifield, Co. K; disch. for disability.
Ampton Otto, Co. K; disch. for disability, July 25,
1862.
Charles H. Spencer, Co. K; disch. for disability, Sept.
30, 1862.
Peter West, Co. K; disch. to enl. in marine service.
Jacob U: Squier, Co. K; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps,
April 10, 1864.
John F. Cleveland, Co. K; disch. for minority, May
15, 1863.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
89
Frederick J. 3aker
Feb. 6, 1864.
Jasper Bryan, Co.
6, 1864.
Christian Howold,
eran, Feb. 6,
Giles P.'Mesick, C
Feb. 6, 1864.
John C. Ollin, Co.
6, 1864.
George Rose, Co. B
6, 1864.
Gideon H. ShermaI
Feb. 6, 1864.
Philip B. Spencer,
Feb. 6, 1864.
John Vandusen, C
Feb. 6, 1864.
Willard F. Lamb, (
Frederick S. Bake
Samuel Sanford, C
ice, Feb. 6, 186
Marshall Bartlett,
service, Feb. 6
Albert Bates, Co.
Feb. 6, 1865.
Sheldon W. Curtis
1865.
Thomas Faulkner,
Charles Goodrich,
Eben M. Lewis, Co.
William Otto, Co.
Valentine Riggs, C
Benjamin F. Vreels
Wayne Vosburg, C
George Young, Co.
Emery Yost, Co. K
George G. Spencer,
Peter Ackerman, C
Abram Stall, Co. I
Feb. 6, 1865.
Abram Stall, Co. I
Feb. 6, 1865.
George Salmon, Cc
ice, Feb. 6, 186
Er
Arvin T. Whelan,
Oct. 13, 1862;
1, 1863; brevet
out Jan. 28, 18
Chauncey E. Koon
lieut. Jan. 7, 1'
at end of servi
William G. Whitn
wounded at Chi
capt. March 1,
John Bosenbark, c(
31, 1865.
Justus Witherell, c
May 31, 1865;
Charles D. Pierce,
out Sept. 16, 1
Charles D. Pierce,
out Sept. 16, 1
Silas M. Kelley, Co
1862.
Bennett Smetts, Co
1862.
7, Co. K; disch. to reenl. as veteran, Stephen Bradshaw, Co. B; died at Bardsown, Ky.
Jan. 28, 1862.
K; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. Richard E. Stone, Co. B; died at Bardstown, Ky.,
March 18, 1862.
Jr., Co. K; disch. to re-enl. as vet- Edward Sherman, Co. B; died at Bardstown, Ky.,
1864. March 17, 1862.
Io. K; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Andrew J. M. Wood, Co. C; died Jan. 24, 1862.
Benjamin F. Cay, Co. F; died Feb. 4, 1862.
K; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. Joseph W. Fearnley, Co. F; died April 6, 1862.
John Masters, Co. F; died May 28, 1862.
i; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb. Elias Sloan, Co. F; died Feb. 16, 1862.
John W. Wisner, Co. F; died April 15, 1862.
n, Co. K; disch. to re-enl. at veteran, Pelatiah Hyde, Co. G; died Jan. 8, 1862.
Daniel Hure, Co. G; died Jan. 8, 1862.
Co. K; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Cyrus Sherman, Co. C.
N. Myron Comstock Co. F; missing at Stone River,
]o. K; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Tenn., Dec. 31, 1862.
Wm. Spafford, Co. F; missing at Stone River, Tenn.,
Co. K; disch. July 8, 1862. Dec. 31, 1862.
r, Co. K; must. out July 19, 1865. Stillman Hedges, Co. H; cap. at Stone River; paroled;
-o. K; disch. at expiration of serv- died before exchange.
5. A. J. Silverwood, Co. B; died Jan. 2, 1863, of wounds
Co. K; disch. at expiration of received at Stone River.
i, 1865. Joseph Miller, Co. K; died Jan. 2, 1863, of wounds reK; disch. at expiration of service, ceived at Stone River.
James W. Seelay, Co. K; died of wounds, March 10,
s, Co. K; disch. by order, May 16, 1863, at Nashville, Tenn.
George C. Barnes, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn.
Co. K; must. out July 19, 1865. * John Duffey, Co. G; died at Nashville, Tenn., March
Co. K; must. out July 19, 1865. 9, 1863.
K; must. out July 19, 1865. Horace Weaver, Co. F; missing at Chickamauga,
K; disch. for disability. Tenn., Sept. 20, 1863.
lo. K; must. out. July 19, 1865. Isaac C. Masher, Co. B; died at Danville, Va., of
and, Co. K; must. out July 19, 1865. wounds received at Chickamauga.
lo. K; must. out July 19, 1865. James Pierce, Co. B; died in service.
K; must. out July 19, 1865. Thomas Pixley, Co. F; killed near Dallas, Ga., May
[; must. out July 19, 1865. 31, 1864.,Co. K; must. out July 19, 1865. David Sloan, Co. F; died Dec. 22, 1863, of wounds,
to. K; disch. by order, June, 1865. at Chickamauga, Tenn.
K; d'isch. at expiration of service, George Slayton, Co. B; disch. to enl. in regulars, Nov.
25, 1862.
K; disch. at expiration of service, Charles Hull, Co. F; drowned in Sequeachie Creek,
Nov. 23, 1863.
). K; Disch. at expiration of serv- John Metcalf, Co. F; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, April
'5. 10, 1864.
John Vance, Co. F; died Jan. 18, 1863, at Murfrees-.EVENTH INFANTRY. boro, Tenn.
William Coplin, Co. B; trans. to 16th Mich. Inf. Sept.
app. asst. surg. Nov. 12, 1861: res. 20, 1861.
app. surg. 1st sharpshooters, Jan. Charles B. Raynor, Co. B; disch. for disability, June
ted lieut.-col. March 13, 1865; must. 4, 1862.
65. John Russell, Co. B; disch. for disability, Oct. 10, 1862.
com. 2d lieut. Nov. 26, 1862; 1st Charles Sylvester, Co. B; disch. for disability, Oct.
863; capt. June 17, 1864; must. out 11, 1862.
ce, Sept. 30, 1864. Enoch H. Goodrich, Co. F; disch. for disability, June
ey, com. 2d lieut. Jan. 7, 1863; 7, 1862.
ickamauga; 1st lieut. June 17,1864; George Baker, Co. F; disch. for disability, Oct. 21,
1865; must. out Sept. 16, 1865. 1861.
om. capt. March 1, 1865; res. May Simon Kelly, Co. F; disch. for disability, April 25,
1862.;om. 1st lieut. March 1, 1865; capt. Orville Palmer, Co. F; disch. for disability, Oct. 26,
must. out Sept. 16, 1865. 1861.
con. 1st lieut. May 31, 1865; must. David W. Stroud, Co. F; disch. for disability, March.865. 17, 1862.
com. 1st lieut. May 31, 1865; must. Eugene Worden, Co. F; disch. for disability, July 6,
865. 1862.
i. G; killed at Stone River, Dec. 31, David Warren, Co. F; disch. for disability, March 17,
1862.. C; killed at Stone River, Dec. 31, Clement Tubbs, Co. F; disch. for disability, Aug. 9,
1862.
90
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Milo Scovill, Co. F; disch. for disability, Aug. 27,
1862.
Phillips Abel, Co. G; disch. for disability, Feb. 23,
1862.
Franklin Bobbitt, Co. G; disch. for disability, Feb.
24, 1862.
Lewis Britton, Co. G; disch. for disability, Feb. 13,
1862.
William K. Leonard, Co. G; disch. for disability
William Rogers, Co. K; disch. for disability, June 3,
1862.
Lewis H. Storer, Co. K; disch. for disability, July 11,
1862.
Henry Palmeter, Co. K; disch. for disability, Dec. 3,
1862.
Warren Clemens, Co. B; disch. for disability, Feb. 1,
1863.
John Caldwell, Co. B; disch. for disability, May 23,
1863.
Charles Wilson, Co. F; disch. for disability, April 20,
1863.
Thomas E. A. Cooney, Co. K; disch. for disability,
Feb. 18, 1863.
Albert Palmeter, Co. K; disch. for disability, March
1, 1863.
James Fields, Co. B; trans. to U. S. Engineers, July
20, 1864.
Orrin J. Ford, Co. B; disch. at expiration of service,
Sept. 30, 1864.
Randall C. West, Co. B; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30. 1864.
Oscar F. Avery, Co. B; wounded in service, disch. at
exp. of serv., Sept. 30, 1864.
Dillison S. Avery, Co. B; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Halley M. Mills, Co,. B; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Bradley Mosher, Co. B; wounded at Stone River;
disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
James S. Raynor, Co. B; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
William Spencer, Co. B; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
O. J. Ford, sergt.
Henry V. Whitehead, Co. B; disch. at expiration of
service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Clark Marsh, 1st sergt.; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Horace Weaver, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
George W. Whitney, disch. at expiration of service,
Sept. 30, 1864.
Myron M. Comstock, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
John M. Rhodes, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
William C. Clark, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
John Jubinville, Co.. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
William B. Moon, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Samuel A. Oldfield, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Marion Perry, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service,
Sept. 30, 1864.
John O. Taylor, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service,
Sept. 30, 1864.
Alexander Weaver, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Reuben Wilson, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Samuel German, Co. G; disch for disability, July 20,
1864.
James Crocker Co. G; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
James Quilhot, Co. G; disch. at expiration of service, Sept, 30. 1864.
Wray T. Thorn, Co. G; d'isch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
William C. Johnson, Co. K; disch. at expiration of
service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Carlos B. Johnson, Co. K; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
William H. Marrel, Co. K; disch. at expiration of
service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Walter Myers, Co. K; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
Peter Seeley, Co. K; disch. at expiration of service,
Sept. 30, 1864.
James Fields, Co. B; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Jan.
30, 1864.
Stephen Caner, Co. C; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
March 24, 1864.
Watts Sherman, Co. C; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
Feb. 27, 1864.
Samuel H. Fellows, Co. B; disch. for disability, April
20, 1863.
Cyrus Sherman, Co. C; disch. at expiration of service, Dec. 9, 1864.
Stephen A. Caner, Co. C; disch. Sept. 26. 1865.
Urbane Hart, Co. D; disch. by order, May 29, 1865.
Thomas C. Filson, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Sept. 30, 1864.
James Thorp, Co. F; disch. for disability.
James Long, Co. K; disch. by order, June 16, 1865.
Morris Slayton, Co. B; died at Bardstown, Ky., April
19, 1862,
Cornelius H. Van Schaik, Co. F; died at Bardstown,
Ky., Feb. 28, 1862.
Byron D. Foster, Co. C; died at Chattanooga Tenn.,
May 31, 1865.
Leroy Geer, Co. E; died at Chattanooga, Tenn., May
6, 1865.
Charles Martin, Co. E; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
April 2 1865.
Frank Jennings, Co. I; died at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
April 14, 1865.
Joseph Whaley, Co. I; died at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
April 19, 1865.
Ed A. Bassett, Co. A; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
James D. Beyer, Co. A; must. out Sept. 16. 1865.
Melvin Mosher, Co. A; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Edwin M. Wilson, Co. A; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
W. Whitney, Co. B; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Alfred Bush, Co. C; must. out Sept. 16. 1865.
Winfield S. Mapes, Co. C; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
George Rush, Co. C; must. out Sept.. 16, 1865.
Allen Anderson, Co. E; must. out Sept, 16, 1865.
Edward E. Clapp, Co. E; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
John Coleman, Co. E; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
John P. Johnson, Co. E; must. out Sept. 30, 1865.
William Maybee, Co. E; must. out May 6, 1865.
Frank W. May, Co. E; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Freeman Pettis, Co. E; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Edwin B. Sheldon, Co. E; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
James S. Whitney, Co. E; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Albert H. Mendel, Co. F; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Horatio M. Townsend, Co. H; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Joseph T. Bolger, Co. H; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
9I
Adoniram J. Burroughs, Co. H; must. out Sept. 16,
186i.
George M. Cooper, Co. H; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
George Pratt, Co. H; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Levi warrens, Co. H; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Hiram S. Ames, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Lewis Baler, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
William Barnard, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Benjamin Candee, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
James E. Case, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
George A. Converse, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
William Cook, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Warren H. Green, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
John Gordon, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Charles L. Laper, Co. I; must. out Aug. 15, 1865.
Freeman W. Lindsley, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Charles H. Lindsley, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Sanford Miller, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Sumner Manning, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Francis M. Rustine, Co. I; must. out Sept. 30 1865.
Byron Rustine, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Peter Silvernail, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Jacob E. Smith, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Francis Squier, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Orlando Shark, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Emerson S. Trumbull, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Solomon B. Trumbull, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
William E. Williams, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Allen E. Worden, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
John H. Wells, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Charles W. White, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Alanson Wales, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Christ Young, Co. I; must. out Aug. 30, 1865.
Cyrus J. Dewey, Co. I; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
John Roberts, Co. K; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
James Wilkinson, Co. K; must. out Sept. 16, 1865.
Franklin Van Schaik, Co. K; must. out Sept. 16,
1865.
FIFTEENTH INFANTRY.
Franklin B. Case, Jr., com. 2d lieut. Oct. 29, 1862; 1st
lieut., Aug. 13, 1863; capt. March 30, 1865; must.
out Aug. 13, 1865.
Daniel D. Case, com. 2d lieut. Feb 1, 1863; 1st lieut.,
June 6, 1865; must. out Aug 13, 1865.
James C. Kellogg, com. 1st lieut. March 30, 1865;
must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Charles E. K. Baxter, com. 1st lieut. March 30, 1865;
must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
John W. Hughes, Co. F; died July 3, 1862.
Charles Hughes, Co. F; died May 3, 1862.
Eugene Godfrey, Co. K; killed at Jonesboro', Ga., Sept.
1, 1864.
George Hewitt, Co. K; killed at Rome, Ga., July 28,
1865.
Royal Willson, Co. F; disch. March 26, 1862.
Jeremiah Harris, Co. I; disch. June 12, 1862.
James Hughes, Co. F; disch. July 17, 1862.
Chauncey Tupper, Co. F; disch. July 16, 1862.
Reuben Wilson, Co. F;'disch. Sept. 2, 1862.
Cyrus Lawrence, Co. A; disch. by order, May 30, 1865.
Frederick Just, Co. A; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Walter B. Harrison, Co. A; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Edward G. Latham, Co. A; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Anthony Cooley, Co. B; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Calvin Weldin, Co. B; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
John Patten, Co. B; disch. by order, June 29, 1865.
Chauncey A. Perham, Co. B; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
John V. Robbins, Co. B; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Stephen Old, Co. C; disch. by order, May 30, 1865.
Volney White, Co. C; disch. by order, July 19, 1865.
George Weaver, Co. C; disch. by order, May 30, 1865.
Hemy Fash, Co. D; must. out Aug. 1., 1865.
Aionzo Noyes, Co. E; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Charles La Carge, Co. E; disch. July 17, 1865.
James Mcjreery, Co. E; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Richard Martin, Co. E; must. out Aug 13, 1865.
Thomas R. Gallagher, Co. F; disch. for disabilitiy,
July 16, 1862.
James B. Hughes, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Jan. 29, 1865.
Henry Upthegrove, Co. F; disch. Sept. 12, 1865.
Sibley P. Wilder, Co. F; disch. for disability, May 6,
1862.
Horace Cory, Co. F; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
James Silver, Co. F; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Charles F. Butler, Co. G; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
John Spoor, Co. G; must. out Aug 13, 1865.
Almon Cary, Co. H; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Henry Coy, Co. H; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Joel B. Myers, Co. H; must. out July 19, 1865.
John Crelley, Jr., Co. I; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
William Lake, Co. I; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Herman Terril, Co. I; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
George Mackay, Co. I; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
John C. Cooley, Co. K; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
George Sevick, Co. K; disch. by order, Aug. 1865.
John W. Resdorph, Co. K; disch. May 22, 1865.
John Cruthers, Co. K; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
George H. Godfrey, Co. K; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
George Nisle, Co. K; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
John H. Bradshaw, Co. K; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
Washington J. Engle, Co. K; must. out Aug. 13, 1865.
SIXTEENTH INFANTRY.
James R. Hall, Co. D; killed at Gettysburg, Pa., July
2, 1863.
William Simmons, Co. E; died of wounds.
Joseph Cilliway, Co. C; killed at Spottsylvania, Va.,
May 8. 1864.
Curtis Blanchard, Co. C; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps
in July, 1863.
James N. Ish, Co. D; disch. Feb. 26, 1863.
Wm. Coplin, Co. F; disch. Oct. 24, 1862.
Samuel Halstead, Co. C; disch. Sept. 7, 1864.
Abram Whitbeck, Co. C; disch. to re-enlist, Dec. 24,
1863.
James Spatch, Co. E; disch. to re-enlist, Dec. 21, 1863.
Reuben Weston, Co. F; disch. to re-enl. Dec. 21, 1863.
Wm. Ryan, Co. C; disch. July 8, 1865.
Nathaniel Millard, Co. E; disch. for disability, April
16, 1863.
Patrick Meehan, Co. E; disch. for disability, Jan. 21,
1863.
James Parker, Co. E; disch. for disability, Jan. 15,
1863.
David Bellington, Co. C; killed at Malvern Hill, Va.,
July 1, 1862.
Malcolm McClellan, Co. E; killed at Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Patrick Meehan, Co. E; killed at Gaines' Mills, Va.,
June 27, 1862.
Ephraim H. Hewlett, Co. B; died at Annapolis, Md.,
Oct. 11, 1862.
Henry Peck, Co. E; died at Baltimore, Md., Nov. 25,
1862.
Thomas Cilliway, Co. C; disch. for disability, Feb, 24,
1862.
Alphonso Wakefield, Co. C; disch. for disability.
92
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
EIGHTEENTH INFANTRY.
Charles E. Doolittle (formerly of 4th Inf.), com. col.
July 27, 1862; brig.-gen. of vols., May 11, 1865;
brevet maj.-gen. of vols., May 11, 1865; must. out
Nov. 30, 1865.
Simeon P. Root, com. surg. Aug. 7, 1862; res. Feb. 25,
1863.
James H. Pratt, cor. 1st lieut. and qr.-mr. Aug. 2,
1862; assist. qr.-mr. U. S. Vols., March 29, 1863;
must. out Jan. 8, 1866.
John R. Randall, com. 1st lieut., July 27, 1862; capt.,
Feb. 18, 1863; res. April 16, 1864.
George W. Bullock, cor. capt. July 27, 1862; res.
March 27, 1865.
Jacob 0. Ames, cor. 1st lieut. July 27, 1862; res. Jan.
16, 1863.
James G. Bunt, cor. 2d lieut. July 27, 1862; 1st lieut.,
Dec. 13, 1862; capt. March 21, 1865; must. out
June 26, 1865.
Stanley W. Turner, cor. 2d lieut. July 27, 1862; res.
Jan. 16, 1863.
Alonzo E. Clark, cor. 2d lieut. July 27, 1862; 1st lieut.
Feb. 18, 1863; must. out June 26, 1865.
Stanley W. Davis, cor. 2d lieut. Jan. 31, 1863;
wounded and captured at Athens Ala., Sept. 24,
1864; paroled Nov. 14, 1864; must. out June 26,
1865.
Edward P. Champlin, cor. 2d lieut. Jan. 16, 1863; 1st
lieut. and qr.-mr., Sept. 28, 1863; assist. qr.-mr.
U. S. Vols., June 30, 1864.
Seymour H. Adams, cor. 2d lieut. Feb. 18, 1863; 1st
lieut. Aug. 16, 1864; must. out June 26, 1865.
Charles B. Hoyt, cor. 2d lieut. May 30, 1863; res. Jan.
9, 1865.
George W. Brewster, cor. 2d lieut. Aug. 1, 1863; 1st
lieut. March 21, 1865; must. out June 26, 1865.
Albert C. Smith, com. 2d lieut. Jan. 9, 1865; must. out
June 26, 1865.
Clinton 'S. Norris, com. 2d lieut. Aug. 16, 1864; must.
out June 26, 1865.
John Massaker, Co. D; died at Lexington, Ky., Oct.
25, 1862.
William G. Granger, Co. G; died at Camp Smith, Ky.,
Oct. 16, 1862.
Ashur T. Strong, Co. G; died at Covington, Ky., Oct.
2, 1862.
Daniel S. Foster, Co. D; died at Nashville, Tenn., July
3, 1863.
William T. Hart, Co. D; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
June 22, 1863.
Alonzo H. Orvis, Co. D; died at Lexington, Ky., Jan.
5, 1863.
William Folger, Co. D; died at Lexington, Ky., Jan.
7, 1863.
John Richey, Co. D; died at Lexington, Ky., Jan. 16,
1863.
Chauncey Ashley, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn., May
28, 1863.
Robert H. Cowgill, Co. F; died at Lexington, Ky.,
March 7, 1863.
John Croup, Co. F; died at Lexington, Ky., Feb. 8,
1863.
Albert S. Thorn, Co. F; died at Lexington, Ky., Jan.
8, 1863.
Loren M. Hammond, Co. F; died at Lexington, Ky.,
Jan. 21, 1863.
Charles E. Merrick, Co. G; died at Lexington, Ky.,
Feb. 19, 1863.
Francis Hunt, Co. G; died at Danville, Ky; March
23, 1$63.
Byron Barber, Co. G; died at Danville, Ky., April 10,
1863.
John B. Webster, Co. G; died at Lexington, Ky., April
8. 1863.
William McCarthy, Co. G; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
May 4, 1863.
Seth Petrie, Co. G; died at Nashville, Tenn., May 23,
1863.
Ira E. Gay, Co. G; died at Nashville, Tenn., July 24,
1863.
Helon Vanscoy, Co. H; died at Louisville, Ky., July
27, 1863.
Irving Bramen, Co. H; died at Lexington, Ky., Feb.
10, 1863.
George W. Hughes, Co. H; died at Lexington, Ky.,
Feb. 13, 1863.
Eli Alvord, Co. H; died at Lexington, Ky., Jan. 22,
1863.
Ralph E. Stout, Co. F; killed at Courtland, Ala., June
27, 1864.
Samuel D. Douglass, Co. A; died at Nashville Tenn.,
Jan. 9, 1864.
Charles W. Davis, Co. A; shot at Nashville, Tenn.,
Nov. 27, 1863.
William McGaffee, Co. D; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
Feb, 18, 1864.
Charles H. Baker, Co. D; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
March 14, 1864.
Henry D. Narcott, Co. D; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
April 20, 1864.
Pliny Pettis, Co. D; died at Nashville, Tenn., March
10, 1864.
James W. Camp, Co. D; died at Decatur, Ala., Aug.
14, 1864.
William F. Cook, Co. D; accidentally shot Nov. 27,
1863.
Milton Rice, Co. F; died at Reading, Mich., Dec. 29,
1863.
Philip J. Conklin, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
Jan. 8, 1864.
Sheldon Carey, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn., Jan.
30, 1864.
John C. Hindes, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
March 18, 1864.
Jacob Beiry, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn., March
22, 1864.
Henry H. Davis, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
April 17, 1864.
Albert Tilotson, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn., May
12, 1864.
James Lickley, Co. F; died at Decatur, Ala., Sept. 11,
1864.
Willis M. Woods, Co. F; died at Decatur, Ala., Sept.
11, 1864.
Nelson L. Lyon, Co. G; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
March 24, 1864.
William B. Burt, Co. G; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
April 6, 1864.
Norman G. Markman, Co. G; djed at Nashville, Tenn.,
April 4, 1864.
William D. Storer, Co. H; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
Feb. 22. 1864.
Nelson Slocum, Co. G; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, Feb.
15, 1864.
James L. Avery, Co. D; killed at Athens, Ala., Sept.
24. 1864.
Levi Courtleff, Co. D; killed at Athens, Ala., Sept.
24, 1864.
Wm. H. Finch, Co. D; killed by explosion of steamer
"Sultana," April 28, 1865.
HILLSDALE CO Ul
John F. Schermerhorn, Co. F; killed at Athens, Ala.,
Sept. 24, 1864.
Jonathan Robbins, Co. A; killed by explosion of "Sultana," April 28, 1865.
William Moore, Co. D; died at Lexington, Ky., Dec.
27, 1862.
Albert W. Lawrence, Co. D; killed by explosion of
"Sultana," April 28, 1865.
John E. Bird, Co. D; killed by explosion of steamer
"Sultana," April 28, 1865.
Wm. Young, Co. D; killed by explosion of steamer
"Sultana," April 28, 1865.
Silas C. Dodge, Co. D; died at Huntsville, Ala., March
12, 1865.
Edwin Ford, Co. D; killed by explosion, April 28, 1865.
Lemon Nelson, Co. D; killed by explosion, April 28,
1865.
Benjamin Morton, Co. D; died at Danville, Ky., April
8, 1863.
F. M. Sawyer, Co. D; died at Decatur, Ala., Dec. 17,
1864.
James Watkins, Co. D; killed by "Sultana," explosion.
Ward Wilson, Co. D; died in rebel prison, Cahawba,
Ala., Nov. 17, 1864.
Washington Mann, Co. D; killed by "Sultana," explosion.
Levi J. Hoyle, Co. D; died at Decatur, Ala., Dec. 17,
1864.
Albert W. Barber, Co. F; died at Cahawba, Ala., in
rebel prison, Sept. 24, 1864.
Alfred Dewell, Co. F; died at Nashville, Tenn., April
17, 1864.
Alexander Fuller, Co. F; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Orris Gale, Co. F; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Morgan L. Holmes, Co. F; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Sherman Rupert, Co. F; died in Cahawba prison, Ala.,
Feb. 25, 1865.
George W. Vangorden, Co. F; killed by "Sulana" explosion.
George Lockler, Co. F; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
James Caldwell, Co. G; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Foster Colby, Co. G; died at Vicksburg, Miss., April
5, 1865.
William F. Fanrat, Co. G; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Patrick Lackey, Co. G; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
George W. Palmer, Co. G; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Frederick D. Zeeley, Co. G; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Jason Vanata, Co. G; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Charles A. West, Co. G; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Wm. Springer, Co. G; died at Huntsville, Ala., May
6, 1865.
Henry Thompson, Co. G; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
Simon Matison, Co. H; killed by "Sultana" explosion.
George W. Angel, Co. H; died at Indianapolis, Ind.,
Jan. 9, 1865.
Henry H. Loper, Co. D; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
Sylvester Lyman, Co. D; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
William Wilson, Co. D; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
Russell J. Ellis, Co. D; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
Milo M. Titus, Co. D; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
David Cowan, Co. D; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
Charles Richardson, Co. D; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
Sidney J. Smithson, Co. F; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
Andrew B. Crandall, Co. F; trans. to 9th Inf.
VTY, MICHIGAN. 93
Thomas T. Cox, Co. F; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
William H. Smith, Co. G; trans to 9th Mich. Inf.
Luther Benedict, Co. G; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
Edward Aiken, Co. G; trans. to 9th Mich. Inf.
John R. Duessler, Co. D; disch. for disability, Oct. 4,
1862.
John Beaver, Co. H; disch. for disability, Sept. 2, 1862.
Donald T. McCall, Co. A; disch. for disability, Jan.
3, 1863.
William B. Evatt, Co. A; disch. for disability, March
12, 1863.
Washington Pease, Co. D; disch. for disability, Jan.
26, 1863.
James H. Thill, Co. D; disch. for disability, Feb. 4,
1863.
Henry Hermance, Co. D; disch. for disability, Feb. 4,
1863.
James H. Wheeler, Co. D; disch. for disability, Feb.
4, 1863.
Henry C. Cole, Co. D; disch. for disability, March 20,
1863.
George Warren, Co. D; disch. for disability, May 23,
1863.
William O. Truman, Co. D; disch. for disability, June
1, 1863.
Charles H. Baker, Co. D; disch. for disability, June
14, 1863.
Hugh Killen, Co. D; disch. for disability, Oct. 15, 1863.
Francis Furry, Co. F; discfl. for disability, March 26,
1863.
William Siddal, Co. F; disch. for disability, June 22,
1863.
Charles H. Randolph, Co. G; disch. for disability,
April 23, 1863.
Orrin E. Nichols, Co. G; disch. for disability, April
23, 1863.
A. V. Ammerman, Co. G; disch. for disability, May
1, 1863.
Albert Bayer, Co. G; disch. for disability, May 27,
1863.
Cornelius Anable, Co. G; disch. for disability, June
8, 1863.
Charles E. K. Baxter, Co. G; disch. for disability,
Sept. 15, 1863.
George Hancock, Co. H; disch. for disability, March
26, 1863.
Charles Button, Co. D; disch. for disability, June 15,
1864.
William W. Noe, Co. D; disch. by order, July 10, 1864.
James D. Smith, Co. F; disch. for disabiliy, Jan. 15,
1864.
Lewis P. Swift, Co. G; disch. for promotion, April 20,
1864.
Marion I. Dillon, Co. A; must. out June 26,1865.
Nathaniel W. Foglesang, Co. A; must. out June 21,
1865.
Nelson Hinckley, Co. A; must. out June 10, 1865.
Benjamin B. Martin, Co. A; must. out June 26, 1865.
Harvey Pixley, Co. A; must. out June 26, 1865.
Philo Stafford, Co. A; disch. for disability, Dec. 26,
1862.
Peter Vanderowligan, Co. A; must. out June 26, 1865.
Charles H. Levens, N. C. S., must. out June 26, 1865.
David H. Perry, Co. A; must. out June 26, 1865.
Thomas S. Finch, Co. A; must. out June 26, 1865.
Ephraim W. Benson, Co. A; must. out June 26, 1865.
Lyman Carr, Co. A; disch. for disability, Dee. 26 1862.
John H. Purdy, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Henry C. Wood, Co. D; must. out June 22, 1865.
Joseph A. Mathews, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.::
94 HILLSDALE CO L
E. G. Kellogg, Co. D; disch. Dee. 27, 1862.
Charles N. Howland, Co. D; disch. Dec. 27, 1862.
Luther B. Walcott, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Aaron F. Brown, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
John Acker, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Louis J. Barnes, Co. D; disch. for disability, Feb. 18,
1865.
Hiram M. Clark, Co. D; lost right arm at Decatur,
Ala., Oct. 26, 1864: disch. on account of wounds,
March 23, 1865.
William Crisp, Co. D; must. out June 22, 1865.
Nelson Clark, Co. D; must. out June 30, 1865.
George W. Drake, Co. D; disch. Dec. 26, 1862.
James Ellis, Co. D; disch. for disability, Dec. 26, 1862.
George W. Duesler, Co. D; must. out June 22, 1865.
Ephraim Gillet, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Qharles Hutchings, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
William'Y. Henry, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
George N. Jones, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
A. Jennings, Co. D; must. out July 10, 1865.
William N. Kinney, Co. D; must. out June 9, 1865.
Jacob Kausen, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
William Lee, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Michael Mosher, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
John Miles, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
John McKee, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Harrison Matison, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Nicholas G. Massaker, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Sampson Orenden, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Samuel Prescott, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Robert Scott, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Franklin Shaw, Co. D; must. out June 10, 1865.
Amos Sawyer, Co. D; must. out June 21, 1865.
Alvah Sawyer, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Oscar Tindell, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
William Torry, Co. D; must. out Sept. 11, 1865.
Galusha Turner, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Ambrose C. Tyler, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
John Warner, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
George Williams, Co. D; must. out. June 26, 1865.
David J. Watkins, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
Hiram J. Wilson, Co. D; disch. Dec. 26, 1862.
William T. Whitney, Co. D; disch. May 21, 1865.
Henry S. Woodruff, Co. D; must. out June 26, 1865.
John W. Norcutt, Co. D; must. out July 19, 1865.
Foshen Smith, Co. D; must. out June 10, 1865.
Aaron Wood, Co. D; must. out June 24, 1865.
Isaac Coffin, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
John Williams, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Commodore Smith, Co. F; must. out July 25, 1865.
Judah P. Cornell, Co. F; must. out June 10, 1865.
Albert Hancock, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Orlando Cole, Co. F; must. out June 29, 1865.
Peter G. Clow, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
John T. Young, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Sidney Dodge, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865
Nelson Benedict, Co. F; must. out July 6, 1865.
Erastus Bates, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Ira Brvant, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Isaac Brown, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Miles O. Bailey, Co. F;. must. out June 26, 1865.
John Burns, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
George E. Carter, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
George H. Cornell, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Edward L. Cutter, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Loren W. Chapin, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Samuel Carlisle, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Daniel Clehane, Co. F; must. out June 10, 1865.
John Capon, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Henry R. Davis, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
7NTY, MICHIGAN.
James N. Davis, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Jacob M. Divine, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Lewis Dewell, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Franklin Fuller, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Franklin J. Farnham, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
D. Eddy Haskins, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Michael S. Howland, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Thomas Hodson, Co. F; must. out May 29, 1865.
Sylvester B. Kimball, Co. F; disch. in March, 1863.
Allen D. Lite, Co. F; must. out June 10, 1865.
Daniel W. Litchfield, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Le Grand B. Lamb, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Gad McDowell, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Joel F. Nevins, Co. F; must. out July 6, 1865.
Charles J. Owens, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
William H. Petrie, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
John Palmer, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
William Rose, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
William H. Shepherd, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Ransom Scovill, Co. F; must. out June 10, 1865.
S. B. Stubberfield, Co. F; must. out July 5, 1865.
Richard Shepardson, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
James D. Smith, Co. F; disch. Jan. 16, 1863.
Martin V. Stuck, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
George W. Sturdevant, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Charles W. Sackrider, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Alonzo Van Vlack, Co. F; must. out July 6, 1865.
William W. Wilson, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
Luther W. Woods, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
John Wear, Co. F; disch. for disability, April 12, 1865.
Nelson P. Woodruff, Co. F;. must. out June 26, 1865.
Hiram A. Cole, Co. F; must. out June 26, 1865.
John P. Freeland, Co. F; disch. Dec. 26, 1862.
Thaddeus C. Ayres, Co. G; must, out June 26, 1865.
Horace C. Aldrich, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Marion F. Howe, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
John M. O. Smith, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
James A. Tyler, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
TWENTY-FOURTH INFANTRY.
Almon M. Pierce, Co. G; disch. Dec. 25, 1862.
Alfred Hopkins, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
George W. Ankless, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Allen G. Brindage, Co. G; must. out May 17, 1865.
George W. Baker, Co. G; must. out June 26. 1865.
Daniel A. Benedict, Co. G; disch. Jan. 18, 1865.
Wesley Brooks, Co. G; must. out June 26, i865.
Henry C. Bennett, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Nilare Branch, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Samuel D. Brown, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Edward Bemis, Co. G; must. out June 12. 1865.
John P. Cooper, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Peter Card, Co. G; must. out-June 26, 1865.
George Curris, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
George W. Crawford, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Corridor Cassidy, Co. G; must. out June 29, 1865.
Martin W. Decker, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Door Darling, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Eli A. Fuller, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Lyman Havens, Co. G; mus. out June 15, 1865.
Richard W:V Hawkins, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Thomas J. Harris, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Allen C. Howe, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
George C. Howe, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Ensign Johnson, Co. G; must. out May 22, 1865.
Benjamin Kaltenback, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Ira Kinney, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Julius Lewis, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Joseph W. Mullen, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 95
John Mull, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Bradley O. Moore, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Sylvester Miller, Co. G; disch. Dec. 25, 1862.
Oscar C. Nash, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Philemon Plumer, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Elisha Remele, Co. G; disch. Dec. 26, 1862.
John J. Riggs, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Levi Riker, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Cyrus W. Simons, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
David Stevens, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
David Turner, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Cornelius Veli, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Edward A. Wright, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
George W. Walker, Co. G; must. out June 26, 1865.
Willis W. Wright, Co. G; must. out June 28, 1865.
W. C. Seymour, Co. G; must. out June 9, 1865.
John C. Curtiss, Co. G; must. out May 14, 1865.
James Bradley, Co. H; disch. Dec. 25, 1862.
Jacob Barrett, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
Theodore S. Bloomer, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
James Barrett, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
Christian German, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
David Hand, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
John Kurton, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
Benjamin Osborn, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
Henry Quanee, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
Henry R. Stivers, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
William D. Storer, Co. H; must. out June 26, 1865.
John Jibb, Co. I; disch. July 1, 1865.
John Kirkly, Co. I; disch. May 22, 1865.
Henry J. Phillips, Co. K; died at Camp Butler, Ill.,
April 7, 1865.
Jerome Pierce, Co. B; must. out June 30, 1865.
Charles Dobson, Co. B; must. out June 30, 1865.
William Millard, Co. D; must. out June 30, 1865.
DaVid J. Kendall, Co. D; must. out June 30, 1865.
Edward Webster, Co. D; must. out June 30, 1865.
John A. Devoe, Co. D; must. out June 30, 1865.
John S. Ensign, Co. F; must. out June 30, 1865.
Michael Cassidy, Co. G; must. out June 30, 1865.
Thomas Delano, Co. G; must. out June 30, 1865.
Hub Lull, Co. G; must. out June 30, 1865.
John Lyon, Co. G; must. out June 30, 1865.
James Smith, Co. G; must. out June 30, 1865.
Mathus Shinners, Co. G; must. out June 30, 1865.
Angus Matherson, Co. H; must. out June 30, 1865.
Edward F. Staples, Co. H; must. out June 30, 1865.
Anselm Ball, Co. I; must. out June 30, 1865.
James K. P. Heath, Co. K; must. out June 30, 1865.
James K. Thompson, Co. K; must. out June 30, 1865.
Stephen Underhill, Co. K; must. out June 30, 1865.
William Wright, Co. K; must. out June 28, 1865.
TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY.
Edwin J. March, com. capt. Dec. 30, 1863; trans. as
lieut.-col. to the 2d Inf. April 1, 1864; afterwards
wounded before Petersburg; com. col. and res.
April 1, 1864.
James W. Niblack, app. asst. surg. Dec. 15, 1863; must.
out July 26, 1865.
Oscar Hancock, com. 1st lieut. Dec. 15, 1863; res. Nov.
5, 1864.
Richard Vosper, com. 2d lieut.. in the 2d Ind. Co., 27,
1864; wounded near Petersburg, June 18, 1864;
res. Sept. 27, 1864.
Thomas S. Mead, com. 1st lieut. 2d Ind. Co., Feb. 27,
1864; wounded near Petersburg, June 17, 1864;
also at Poplar Grove Church, Sept. 30, 1864; died
of wounds Oct. 16, 1864.
Albert C. Dunn, Co. G; killed at Petersburg, Va., June
3, 1864.
Nelson Kellogg, Co. G; killed at Petersburg, Va., June
3, 1864.
Harlow Haines, Co. G; killed at Petersburg, Va., June
3, 1864.
James P. Todd, Co. G; died of wounds, July 19, 1864.
Jacob Rarick, Co. K; killed at Petersburg, Va., June
17, 1864.
Henry Rich, Co. K; killed at Petersburg, Va., August
1864.
David Smith, Co. K; died of wounds, June 29, 1864,
at Washington, D. C.
Albert Blunt, Co. K; died of wounds, May 6, 1864, at
Wilderness, Va.
Paul Fifield, Co. K; died of wounds, May 6, 1864, at
Wilderness, Va.
Pulard Sappson, Co. K; died of wounds, May 12, 1864,
at Wilderness, Va.
Leander Squires, Co. K; died of wounds, May 19,
1864, at Wilderness, Va.
John Ayres; Co. K; died of wounds, May 1t, i864, at
Spottsylvania, Va.
Frederick Ostrander, Co. K; died of wounds, May 12,
1864, at Spottsylvania, Va.
David O. Smith, Co. K; died of wounds, June 1, 1864,
at Petersburg, Va.
Conrad Straub, Co. K; died of wounds, May 12, 1864,
at Spottsylvania, Va.
Jason Wordon, Co. K; died of wounds, June 17, 1864,
at Petersburg, Va.
Samuel Ostrahurt, Co. K; died of wounds, May 12,
1864, at Spottsylvania, Va.
Austin Paustle, Co. K; died of wounds, July 30, 1864,
at Petersburg, Va.
Horace Drake, Co. K; died of wounds, June 23, 1864.
William D. Belden, Co. K; died of wounds, June 25,
1864, at Washington, D. C.
A. B. Culver, Co. K; died at Washington, D. C., Aug.
1, 1864.
Stephen Patch, Co. K; died at Annapolis, Md., Oct. 3,
1864.
John B. Burdick, Co. K; died at home, January, 1864.
James P. Todd, Co. G; missing'in action, May 26, 1864.
Byron Brine, Co. G; missing in action, May 25, 1864.
D. G. Van Allen, Co. K; missing in action at Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864.
E. D. Van Allen, Co. K; missing in action at Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864.
John Anderson, Co. K; missing at Wilderness, Va.,
May 8, 1864.
E. W. Elliott, Co. K; missing at Petersburg, Va., July
30, 1864.
Stephen Patch, Co. K; missing at Petersburg, Va.,
July 30, 1864.
William H. Cole, Co. K; missing at Petersburg, Va.,
July 30, 1864.
Charles E. Duel, Co. D of regt.; died of.wounds, May
12, 1864.
Nelson Winfield, killed before Petersburg, Va., July
30, 1864.
William B. Thorn, Co. G; died Dec. 2, 1864.
William H. Cole, Co. K; died at Danville, Va., Dec.
8, 1864.
Ira V. Strough, Co. K; died at Annapolis, Md., March
26, 1865.
Cicero D. Van Allen, Co. K; died at Andersonville,
Ga., Nov. 26, 1864.
Henry M. Bird, missing in action May 12, 1864.
ii
96
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Franklin Smith, Co. D; trans. to V. R. Corps, May 1,
1865.
John Noonin, Co. K; trans. to V. R. Corps, Oct. 17,
1864.
Joseph M. Dolph, trans. to V. R. Corps.
Franklin Hoover, Co. D; must. out July 26, 1865.
William Dillon, Co. D; must. out July 26, 1865.
Charles Hannibal, Co. D; must. out June 19, 1865.
James Hoover, Co. D; must. out July 26, 1865.
James Lukes, Co. D; must. out June 12, 1865.
James McCluklin, Co. D; must. out July 26, 1865.
David Slaybaugh, Co. D; must. out June 15, 1865.
Levi N. Forrester, Co. D; must. out Aug. 11, 1865,
Asahel Parks, Co. D; must. out June 13, 1865.
Charles Parks, Co. D; must. out July 26, 1865.
Charles Myers, Co. D; must. out July 26, 1865.
Birdsey S. Remmley, Co. D; must. out July 26, 1865.
Elmer Farry, Co. E; must. out May 27, 1865.
Thomas Brayman, Co. F; must. out July 26, 1865.
Byron Brine, Co. G; must. out Aug. 24, 1865.
Nathaniel Millard, Co. G; must. out July 28, 1865.
Wm. N. Younglove, Co. G; must. out Sept. 4, 1865,
J eslle Hackett, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Elisha Wilcox, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
George Care. Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
John Cleveland, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Samuel H. Dillon, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Thomas W. Dillon, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Mathew Fifield, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Martin W. Holmes, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Rodney D. Johnson, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
John Jobnson, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Charles S. Marsh. Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Michael O'Hara, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Eugene D. Putney, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Christopher Purchase, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
John W. Rose. Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Isaac Walter. Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Christopher Wood, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
Nathaniel Winans, Co. G; must. out July 26, 1865.
William C. Cook, Co. H; disch. Jan. 27, 1865, for
wounds received Aug. 16, 1864.
Michael Schmolder, Co. H; must. out May 27, 1865.
Charles T. Jeffers, Co. K; disch. in Sept. 1864, for promotion in U. S. C. T.
Lewis A. Briggs, Co. K; disch. for wounds, Dec. 24,
1864.
Marcus Hatch, Co K: mustered out July 26, 1865.
Christopher Myers, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Truman C. Baker, Co. K; must. out May 31, 1865.
Cyrus W. Elliott, Co. K; must. out May 27,1865.
Peter Cook, Co. K; must. out June 6, 1865.
Wm. H. H. Dunn, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Samuel G. Wright, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
William C. Farnham, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
William Kent, Co. K; must. out Aug. 7, 1865.
Solomon Armstrong, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
John Anderson, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Horace A. Brockway, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
John D. Burgess, Co. K; must. Out June 2, 1865.
John Beaver, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Albert W. Bates, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
John Corcoran, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Alexander Coleman, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Stephen P. Choate, Co. K; must. out June 5, 1865
Henry A. Clow, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Martin Collar. Co. Ki must. out July 26, 1865.
Samuel Cressev, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Isaac Chase, Co. K; must. out June 7, 1865.
Wilbur D. Dolph, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Gilbert Ellis, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
James Fifield, Co. K; must. out July 25, 1865.
John Greening, Co. K; must. out June 9, 1865.
Charles Harris, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
John W. Huff, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Marks H. Hyliard, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Benjamin E. Hyliard, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Alpheus W. Hammond, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
John Herwath, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Marion Kink, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Nathan B. Lewis, Co. K; must. out June 28, 1865.
Thomas Lozier, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Alfred J. Marks, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1865.
Henry McLean, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Wellington Mickle, Co. K; must. out June 13, 1865.
James McDougall, Co. K; muist. out July 26, 1865.
John W. Osterhout, Co. K; must. out July 31, 1865,
Albert W. Potter, Co. K; disch. for disability, Feb. 22,
1865.
Samuel L. Parsons, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
William Rutan, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
William L. Rurick, Co. K; must. out Aug. 7, 1865.
Gilbert H. Rurick, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Huron (or Aaron )Rose, Co. K; disch. May 6, 1865.
Milo Rich, Co. K; must. out June 6, 1865.
Oshea F. Reyner, Co. K; disch. for wounds, Dec. 5,
1864.
Jacob Rhodes, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Francis Sanderson, Co. K; must. out June 12, 1865.
John Snyder, Co. K; must. out Aig. 3, 1865.
Justus Stewart, Co. K; must. out Aug. 7, 1865.
George Sparks, Co. K; must. out June 10, 1865.
Christopher Shultz, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
James H. Smith, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Charles St. John, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Thomas H. Twist, Co. K; mus. out July 26, 1865.
James Todd, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1865.
Duane Van Dreisen, Co. K; disch. for disability, June
28, 1865.
Jonathan Washburn, Jr., Co. K; must. out July 26,
1865.
Solomon T. Worden, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
Patrick W. Welch, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865. '
Alexander Wilkins, Co. K; must. out May 26, 1865.
Dennis Wright, Co. K; must. out May 30, 1865.
Peter Winters, Co. K; must. out June 10, 1865.
Charles Jorobman, Co. K; must. out July 26, 1865.
SECOND INDEPENDENT COMPANY OF SHARPSHOOTERS, ATTACHED TO TWENTY-SEVENTH INFANTRY.
William W. Wilkins, killed at Spottsylvania, Va.,
June 12, 1864.
James McHughes, killed at Cold Harbor, Va., June 6,
1864.
Leroy A. Button, killed at Petersburg, Va., June 17,
1864.
William L. Riggs, killed at Petersburg, Va., June 17,
1864.
Andrew Hillard, killed at North Anna, Va., May 20,
1864.
George F. Anderson, killed at Petersburg, Va., July
30, 1864.
Martin Winfield, killed at Petersburg, Va., July 30,
1864.
William Allen, killed at Petersburg, Va., June 24. 1865.
Jacob S. Conklin, died of wounds, May 10, 1864, at
Fredericksburg, Va.
Patrick Donnelly, died of wounds, June 29, 1864, at
Washington, D. C.
Ira Norton, died of wounds, June 11, 1864, at WhiteHouse, Va.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGA
IN. 97
William Pierce, died of wounds, June 17, 1864.
Lewis Smith, died of wounds, Aug. 1, 1864.
William E. C. McGowan, died of wounds, Aug. 19, 1864.
Ed H. Blackman, missing in action at Petersburg, Va.,
July 30, 1864.
Fred Paskett, missing in action at Petersburg, Va.
July 30, 1864.
George Wartzwig, missing in action at Petersburg,
Va., July 30, 1864.
George H. Adams, must. out Oct. 18, 1865.
John S. Blackmer, must. out July 26, 1865.
Urial O. Chase, must. out Aug. 8, 1865.
Daniel D. Dunks, must. out May 31, 1865.
E. K. Eastman, must. out Aug. 3, 1865.
William R. Filkins, must. out July 26, 1865.
Abraham Frisbie, must. out July 26, 1865.
Albert Frantz, must. out July 26, 1865.
James Graham, must. out May 18, 1865.
William Hoolihan, must. out July 26, 1865.
Joseph Hoolihan, must. out July 26, 1865.
Ira J. Knickerbocker, must. out June 23, 1865.
John E. Lewis, must. out Aug. 18. 1865.
Ismel Lozier, disch. for disability, March 13, 1865.
Scott Marshall, disch. May 4, 1865.
Timothy D. Porter, must. out June 17, 1865.
Joseph R. Philips, disch. for disability, Jan. 20, 1865.
Franklin S. Peck, must. out June 24, 1865.
David L. Reynolds, must. out June 9, 1865.
George F. Smith, must. out May 29, 1865.
George Shrutt, must. out June 30. 1865.
James W. Stephens, disch. by order, June 7, 1865.
Frederick Wolf. must. out July 26, 1865.,Charles Wilkins, must. out July 26, 1865.
George Wenetig, disch. for disability, June 13, 1865.
Joseph Warwick, Jr., disch. June 20, 1865.
William Wilson, must. out Aug. 16, 1865.
Martin Winfield, must. out July 26, 1865.
James P. Young, must. out July 26, 1865.
Joseph Marvin, must. out July 8, 1865.
THIRTIETH INFANTRY.
George A. Douglass, commissioned capt. Nov. 28, 1864;
mustered out June 30, 1865.
William C. Campbell, com. 1st lieut. Nov. 28, 1864;
must. out June 30, 1865.
John A. Forbes, com. 2d lieut. Nov. 28, 1864; must. out
June 30, 1865.
Orr'in S. Davis, Co. G; died at Jackson, Mich., May 23,
1865.
Irving S. Hill, Co. G; died at Detroit, Mich., Jan. 15,
1865.
Byron Pierce, Co. C; must. out June 30, 1865, at close
of war with the following comrades: Eugene
Reeves, Co. C; John Benjamin, Jr., Co. C; William
Handyside, Co. C; Israel King, Co. C; Francis
Smith, Co. C; John Scanow, Co. C; Parker K. Allen, Co. E: Wm. Ernest Lockwood, Co. H; David
Fox, Co. H; Joseph Totten, Co. H; Henry HumDhrey, Co. H; Edwin N. Douglass, Co. H; Eugene
J. Olney, Co. H; Willard Hattell, Co. H; Aaron B.
Ranney, Co. H; William J. Stone, Co. H; Andrew
C. Peterson, Co. H; Walter C. Browning, Co. H;
William Ramsev, Co. G; Alfred E. Archibald, Co.;-: William E. Aldrich, Co. G; John Arch, Co. G;
Matthew Burt, Co. G; George Britton. Co. G; John
Boone, Co. GT; Bernard A. Cook, Co. G; James M.
Cutler, Co. G; Homer A. Campbell, Co. G; Elijah
W. Craig, Co. G; George E. Conant, Co. G; Alvin
Drake, Co. G; John F. Delamater, Co.-G; George
A. Davenport, Co. G; Charles R. Dean, Co. G;
Charles H. Dean, Co. G; Charles B. Fowler, Co. G;
George D. Gray, Co. G; Charles W. Goodale, Co.
G; Martin G. Hitchcock, Co. G; John Howland,
Co. G; Alpheus F. Haas, Co. G; George D. Irish,
Co. G; Ferdinand Kelsey, Co. G; Levi H. Kinney,
Co. G; Charles Lockwood, Co. G; Franklin Lewis,
Co. G; Wm. R. Montgomery, Jr., Co. G; Alpheus
D. Maloney, Co. G; James H. Miller, Co. G; Chester Martin, Co. G; Charles Martin, Co. G; John
C. Moore, Co. G; Reuben Moses, Co. G; James
H. Newell, Co. G; Frank Nicholson, Co. G; Edgar
J. Older, Co. G; Darwin Odell, Co. G; Samuel
Odell, Co. G; John Pettit, Co. G; Newton W.
Piper, Co. G; David W. Perry, Co. G; James R.
Quigley, Co. G; John B. Robins, Co. G; Burtis
Robins, Co. G; Seth Robins, Co. G; Frank W.
Ralph, Co. G; Stephen N. Rowley, Co. G; David
L. Stone, Co. G; Daniel Snyder, Co. G; Seth J.
Spitter, Co. G; Martin U. B. Stranahan, Co. G;
Theodore Silvernail, Co. G; Milton Shepardson,
Co. G; Franklin Stuck, Co. G; Michael R. Spellman, Co. G; Arvid S. Thomas, Co. G; Stephen
G. Updyke, Co. G; Stephen G. Vandyer, Co. G;
Charles E. Vandyer. Co. G; Lewis T. Worden,
Co. G; Arthur A. Walters, Co. G; Gilbert D.
Walmsley, Co. G; Wm. H. Kelley, Co. K; Wm.
Levanway, Co. K; John T. Porter, Co. K; Daniel
Morehouse, Co. K; Ezra W. Weaver, Co. K.
FIRST SHARPSHOOTERS.
Lucien Meigs, com. capt., March 31, 1863; res. Aug. 9,
1864.
William Clark, corn. 1st lieut., March 31, 1863; res.
May 3, 1864.
Thomas R. Fowler, com. 1st lieut., March 31, 1863;
capt. Aug. 15, 1864; disch. for disability, Oct. 16,
1864.
Asahel R. Strong, com. asst. surg., Jan. 15, 1864;
disch. for disability, July 9, 1864.
Leverett N. Case, com. 1st lieut., Oct. 14, 1864; cap.,
March 7, 1865, and brev. maj., April 2, 1865, for
bravery before Petersburg.
Francis Wh'ipple, cor. 1st lieut., March 31, 1863;
disch. for disability, Sept. 13, 1864.
Albert P. Thomas, com. 2d lieut., March 31, 1863;
disch. for disability, Sept. 13, 1864.
Matthew C. Sharp, Co. C; died at Chicago, Ill., Oct.
17, 1863.
James G. Stombaugh, Co. C; died at Dearborn, Mich.,
July 5, 1863.
Reuben Evy, Co. B; died of wounds, June 6, 1864.
James Fullerton, Co. B; killed near Petersburg, Va.,
June 17, 1864.
Alexander Wallace, Co. B; died of wounds, June 23,
1864, at Annapolis, Junc., Md.,
Sylvester M. Osborn, Co. B; killed at Spottsylvania,
Va.. May 12, 1864.
Elias Fullerton, Co. B; killed at Spottsylvania, Va.,
May 12, 1864.
Charles Quance, Co. B; killed at Spottsylvania, Va.,
Mav 12, 1864.
Clark Fox, Jr., Co. B; killed at Spottsylvania, Va.,
May 12, 1864.
John Beck. Co. B; killed at North Anna River, Va.,
May 25, 1864.
John B. Gilbert, Co. C; killed near Petersburg, Va.,
June 28, 1864.
98
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Alonzo B. Walls, Co. C; killed near Petersburg, Va.,
June 17, 1864.
Warren Sharp, Co. C; died of wounds, near Petersburg, Va., July 13, 1864.
Gilbert Morehouse, Co. C; died of wounds near Petersburg, June 22, 1864.
Roland Mills, Co. C; died of wounds, near Petersburg,
Va., June 17, 1864.
John S. Vader, Co. C; killed in the Wilderness, Va.,
May 6, 1864.
Randolph Betts, Co. C; killed at Spottsylvania, Va.,
May 12, 1864.
Charles Fox, Co. B; died at Annapolis, Md., March 28,
1864.
James Signs, Co. B; died at Camp Douglas, Ill., March
29, 1864.
Charles A. Vliet, Co. C; killed accidentally on railroad, Feb. 8, 1864.
Albert C. Baker, Co. C; died at Camp Douglas, Ill.,
Feb. 21, 1864.
William M. Cummings, Co. C; died at Alexandria, Va.,
July 3, 1864.
Willard Barnes, Co. C; died at City Point, Va., Aug.
19, 1864.
Nicholas Crilley, Co. C; died.
James Larronay, Co. C; died at City Point, Va., Aug.
12, 1864.
Lucius P. Spencer, Co. C; died at David's Island, N.
Y., July 24, 1864.
Hiram Pierce, Co. C; died at Reading, Mich., Sept. 7,
1864.
Lafayette Weston, Co. C; died at Annapolis, Md., Oct.
27, 1864.
Joseph Crawford, Co. C; died at Annapolis, Md.,
March 31, 1864.
Francis Urie, Co. C; missing near Petersburg, Va.,
July 30, 1864; returned.
Stanley W. Turner, Co. C; missing near Petersburg,
Va., July 30, 1864; returned.
Milo Osterhout, Co. H; missing near Petersburg, Va.,
June 17, 1864; returned.
Daniel Cross, Co. C; trans. to V. R. C., Jan. 15, 1864.
George W. Wainer, N. C. S.; disch. Sept. 10, 1864.
Charles H. Field, Co. C; killed near Petersburg, Va.,
March 29, 1865.
Clark Fox, Sr., Co. B; died at Andersonville, Ga., Aug.
27, 1864.
Cyrus Face, Co. B; died at Andersonville, Ga., Sept. 9,
1864.
Augustus H. Ferris, Co. C; died at Salisbury, N. C.,
June 5, 1865.
Russell T. Lawrence, Co. C; died at Alexandria, Va.,
Dec. 2, 1864.
William O. Clemens, Co. C; died at Andersonville, Ga.,
July 25, 1864.
Alfred Davis, Co. C; died on hospital boat, Oct. 15,
1864.
Nathan J. Cahon, Co. H; died at Andersonville, Ga.,
Aug. 13, 1864.
Judson Eldred, Co. C.; disch. Sept. 16, 1863.
James Scoby, Co. C.; disch. June 16. 1863.
Silas Beckworth, Co. C; disch. for disability.
Theodore V. Purdy, N. C. S.; must. out July 28, 1865.
Albert H. Keating, N. C. S.; must. out July 28, 1865.
George W. Crisler, Co. A; must. out Sept. 6, 1865.
Daniel Fisher, Co. A; must. out May 12, 1865.
William R. Branyan, Co. A; must. out June 24, 1865.
Henry Doile, Co. A; disch. by order.
John B. Eaton, Co. A; disch. by order.
Osborn Sheeley, Co. A; disch. by order.
Joseph Stevens, Co. B; must. out June 2, 1865.
Ralph McClellan, Co. B; must. out June 2,1865
George W. Barnes, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
William Bryant, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
Henry Burton, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
Peter Demarest, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
Andrew H. Face, Co. B; must. out June 13, 1865.
Benjamin Hosmer, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
Marvin Maloney, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
Chester R. Phillips, Co. B; musjt. out July 28, 1865.
Albert Quance, Co. B; disch. June 20, 1865.
Harrison Snyder, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
Colland Stafford, Co. B; must. out July 1, 1865.
Charles Stafford, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
John H. Sweet, Co. B; must. out Aug. 14, 1865.
Irwin Stocker, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
William W. Wells, Co. B; must. out July 28, 1865.
Orion Hopkins, Co. B; must. out Aug. 14. 1865.
Charles W. Lake, Co. C; disch. Jan. 7, 1865.
William C. Hughes, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
James S. Adams, Co. C; must. out.
Lewis C. Adams, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Andrew Bailey, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Spencer Beard, Co. C; must. out Aug. 7, 1865.
William Burroughs, Co. C; disch. Dec. 15, 1864.
Albert H. Cook, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
George Davis, Co. C; must. out Aug. 5, 1865.
John D. Evans, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Jedediah Grey, Co. C; d'isch. May 8, 1865.
William H. Guy, Co. C; must. out Aug. 14, 1865.
Amos Hoffman, Co. C; disch. March 3, 1865.
John D. Hunt, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Joel B. Haynes, Co. C; must. out May 31, 1865.
George D. Lenhart, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
James McConnell, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
John W. Potter, Co. C; disch. May 9, 1865.
Job Priest, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Augustus Ransom, Co. C; must out July 28, 1865.
Zina D. Ransom, Co. C; must out May 29, 1865.
William C. Raymond, Co. C.
Nathaniel Rogers, Co. C; must. out Aug. 19, 1865.
Andrew J. Savage, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Alonzo B. Smith, Co. C; must. out July 28. 1865.
John H. Spencer, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Eugene A. Taylor, Co. C; must. out Aug. 11, 1865.
Thomas Urie, Co. C; must. out June 7, 1865.
William Wagner, Co. C; must. out Aug. 14, 1865.
Eliphalet Barber, Co. C; disch. by writ of habeas corpus, May 2, 1863.
Charles E. Nichols, Co. C; must. out. Aug. 14, 1865.
Alexander Cahon, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
John W. Lathrop, Co. C; must. out June 8, 1865.
Almond C. Abbott, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Leman C. Abbott, Co. C; must. out June 6, 1865.
Franklin Palmer, Co. C; must. out June 5, 1865.
Franklin Bell, Co. C; must. out July 28, 1865.
Levi J. Faulk, Co. C; must. out July 14, 1865.
Stanley W. Turner, Co. C; must. out June 13, 1865.
Daniel Teachout, Co. E; must. out July 28, 1865.
James B. Haight, Co. E; disch. Feb. 28, 1865.
Peter Hagerman, Co. E; must. out July 28, 1865.
George C. Dean, Co. F; must. out June 3, 1865.
Frank McClelland, Co. F; must. out June 3, 1865.
Alfred D. Nobles, Co. F; must. out June 3, 1865.
Edward P. Robbins, Co. F; must. out June 7, 1865.
Oliver Sharp, Co. F; must. out June 7, 1865.
Cornelius Youngs, Jr., Co. I; must. out Aug. 14, 1865.
Josiah Walker, Co. I; must. out June 26, 1865.
Riley Wilson, Co. I; must. out June 2, 1865.
Joseph WiCkham, Co, I; must. out June 2 1865.
Stephen W. Wickham, Co. I; must. out June 2, 1865.
HILLSDALE CO
FIRST ENGINEERS AND MECHANICS.
Caleb A. Ensign, corn. 2d lieut., Dec. 8, 1863; Is
lieut., March 11, 1864.
Jacob Shafer, Co. H; died Dec. 20, 1862.
Anson R. Eddy, Co. H; died of wounds Oct. 10, 1862
at Perryville, Ky.
Simeon Hicks, Co. B; died at Evansville, Ind., Jan. 3
1864.
George Shafer, Co. I; died at Cartersville, Ga., Sept 7
1864.
Christopher Kinney, Co. E; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps
Hiram Carey, Co. A; disch. for dis. Nov. 17, 1862.
John Price, Co. H; disch. for dis. June 21, 1862.
Jeremiah Gardner, Co. A: disch. March 9, 1863.
John D. Shoemaker, Co. G; disch. June 18, 1863.
Edwin Smith, Co. A; disch. at end of service, Oct. 31
1864.
John Pittswood, Co. D; disch. at end of service, Oct
31, 1864.
Albert Roberts, Co. H; disch. at end of service, Oct
31, 1864.
Harmon S. Wood, Co. K; disch. for dis. Dec. 26, 1863
Albert M. Wells, Co. K; disch. at end of service, Oct
31, 1864.
James B. Lyon, Co. H; disch. to re-enlist, Jan. 1, 1864
Wm. Hedden, Co. K; disch to re-enlist, Feb. 14, 1864.
Benj. F. Edwards, N. C. S.; disch. at ex. of service
Oct. 31, 1864.
John W. Covert, Co. E; disch. by order, June 6, 1865
Freeman Fuller, Co. F; disch. by order, July 7, 1865
Peleg G. Roberts, Co. K; disch. by order, Sept. 9, 1862
The following were mustered out at Nashville
Tenn., Sept. 22, 1865: Edgar A. Shattuck, Co. A
George A. Hicks, Co. B; Henry J. Devoe, Co. G; Al
fred Phillips, Co. G; Samuel J. Hoot, Co. G; Eucl'i
Hubbard, Co. G; George Carlow, Co. H; Jonathan D
Butler, Co. H; Daniel Bolles, Co. I.
SECOND CAVALRY.
Frederick Fowler, com. capt., Sept. 2, 1861; lieut.-col.
Dec. 1862; res. May 2, 1863.
Jasper A. Waterman, com. 1st lieut., Sept. 2, 1861
res. Sept. 8, 1862.
James Hawley, com. 2d lieut., Sept. 2, 1861; 1st lieut.
Sept. 8, 1862; capt., Jan. 30, 1863; killed al
Chickamauga on staff of Gen. Stanley, Sept. 20
1863.
Robert Taylor, app. chap. Sept. 4, 1862; res. Feb. 10
1864.
Samuel V. Robertson, com. 2d lieut., May 2, 1863; lsl
lieut., March 1, 1864; capt., Dec. 1, 1864; must. oul
Aug. 17, 1865.
F. Byron Cutler, com. 2d lieut., June 9, 1862; res. Ma;
2, 1863.
Edwin Eddy, com. 2d lieut., March 1, 1864; res. Nov
19, 1864.
Joseph Palmer, corn. 1st lieut., Oct. 22, 1864; must
out Aug. 17, 1864.
Warren Bowen, com. 2d lieut., Dec. 31, 1864; 1st lieut.
1865; must. out with regt.
Jerry Arnold, Co. G; died at New Madrid, April 14
1862.
James E. Ainsworth, Co. G; died at Rienzi, Miss.
July 15, 1862.
William Ashley, Co. G; died at Camp Benton, Mo.
Feb. 14, 1862.
William Brock, Co. G; died at Reading, Mich., May 25
1862.
UNTY, MICHIGAN. 99
Austin Cone, Co. G; died at Farmington, Miss., June
16, 1862.
t Alton S. Ford, Co. G; died at Jefferson, Mich., May 22,
1862.
Ansel Fleetwood, Co. G; died at New Madrid, Mo.,
', April 11, 1862.
William Tuttle, Co. G; died at Camp Benton, Mo., Dec.
4, 1861.
Norman Benedict, Co. G; died at Keokuk, Iowa.
Darwin E. Brown, Co. G; died at Keokuk, Iowa.
Robert H. Cowan, Co. M; died at New Madrid, Mo.,
April 10, 1862.
Hiram J. Harris, Co. M; died at St. Louis, Mo., May
31, 1862.
Ezra W. Norcutt, Co. M; died April 3, 1862.
Clement C. Hutton, Co. M; died at Rienzi, Miss., Aug.
11, 1862.
J. H. Ndrton, Co. G; died at Nicholasville, Ky., on
Sept. 1, 1863.
Martin Williams, Co. G; killed at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
Oct. 8, 1863.
Owen W. McManus, Co. M; killed at Florence, Ala.,
Sept. 7, 1864.
William H. Graves, Co. G; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
Nov. 12, 1863.
Warren B. Narcott, Co. M; died at Franklin, Tenn.,
Aug. 24, 1864.
Israel P. Bates, Co. G; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, April
10, 1864.
Nathaniel Keith, Co. G; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, Feb.
15, 1864.
Joseph L. Long, Co. G; killed at Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
April 3, 1865.
William Price, Co. G; killed at Franklin, Tenn., Nov.
30, 1864.
John A. Carny, Co. G; died of wounds, April 4, 1864,
at Nashville, Tenn.
William B. Martin, Co. G; died at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
Oct. 8, 1863.
Bradley I. Wilson, Co. G; died at Richmond, Va., Nov.
3, 1863.
Comstock Maples, Co. M; died at Louisville, Ky., Dec.
13, 1864.
Charles Mapes, Co. M; died at Nashville, Tenn., Nov.
15, 1864.
t George W. Baker, Co. G; trans. to 2d Mich. Bat.,Michael McIntyre, Co. G; trans. to 3d Mich. Cav., Nov.
1, 1861., Warren D. Collatimus, Co. G; disch. for disability.
Liberty Straw, Co. G; disch. for disability, June 6,
t 1862.
t Grove S. Bartholomew, Co. G; disch. for disability,
March 16, 1862.
Henry H. Farris, Co. G; disch. for disability, Feb. 14,
1862.
William Hughes, Co. G; disch. March 17, 1862.
Sylvester H. Kellogg, Co. G; disch. for disability, Feb.
17, 1862.
Aymour R. Shannon, Co. G; disch. for disability.
William A. Brown, Co. G; disch. for disability, April
5, 1862.
Byron J. Day, Co. G; disch. for disability, Nov. 21,
1862., Jonathan B. Somers, Co. G; disch. for disability, Sept.
26, 1862.,Harvey Wilson, Co. G; disch. for disability, Dec. 18,
1862., William A. Vanhorn, Co. G; disch. for disability, Sept.
8, 1862.,:;:::
-' -::,:::::!:
~::~ ~
'::::::-:::-i - ~:i.-
I0'
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
James A. Taylor, Co. G; disch. for disability, Sept.
9, 1862.
Clarence H. Chapman, Co. G; disch. for disability,
July 12, 1862.
Otis F. Packard, Co. G; disch. for disability, July 3,
1862.
Samuel Wheaton, Co. G; disch. for disability, Sept.
10, 1862.
George Perkins, Co. G; disch. for disability.
Royal B. Ames, Co. G; disch. for disability, Sept. 15,
1862.
John Forquer, Co. G; disch. for disability.
Cornelius M. Gregory, Co. G; discharged for disability.
Horace W. Titus, Co. G; disch. for disability, Sept. 11,
1862.
James Appleton, Co. G; disch. for disability, Sept.
11, 1862.
John Pease, Co. G; disch. for disability, Oct. 15, 1862.
William H. Barrett, Co. G; disch. for disability, Oct.
15, 1862.
Homer H. Kidder, Co. G; disch. for disability, Oct. 3,
1862.
Thaddeus M. Southworth, Co. M; disch. for disability,
May 2, 1862.
Robert Wilson, Co. M; disch. for disability, Sept. 27,
1862.
Andrew Peterson, Co. B.; disch. for disability, April
4, 1863.
A. J. Filkins, Co. D; disch. for disability, March 21,
1863.
John H. Stage, Co. D; disch. for disability, July 14,
1863.
Ralph Bailey, Co. G; disch. for disability, Nov. 13,
1863.
Jabez H. Moses, Co. G; disch. for disability, March
30, 1863.
John B. Harrington, Co. G; disch. for disability, May
1, 1863.
Arthur Walter, Co. G; disch. for disability, Aug. 5,
1863.
Nicholas Tibbits, Co. G; disch. for disability, Aug. 6,
1863.
Walter B. Straw, Co. G; disch. for disability, Aug.
11, 1863.
Austin Winney, Co. K; disch. for disability, May 20,
1863.
Stephen Turner, Co. G; disch. Oct. 27, 1863.
Wm. Davenport, Co. G; disch. Jan. 24, 1863.
James Thompson, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
George A. Douglas, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
William C. Campbell, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
Hugh Longhey, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
Charles Vanderburg, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
Joshua Henry, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
Judah Reed, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
Joseph Sturdevant, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
Theron D. Walters, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
Ephraim B. Briggs, Co. G; disch Oct. 1, 1864.
Nelson E. Kidder, Co. G; disch. Oct. 1, 1864.
Thomas O'Brien, Co. M; disch. in Jan., 1863.
Sidney R. Smith, Co. M; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
John Aulsbro, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet., Jan. 5,
1864.
Charles S. BeckWith, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet.,
Jan. 5, 1864.
Washington J. Bulson, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet.,
Jan. 5, 1864.
James Burt, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet., Jan. 5,
1864.
Even H. Dunton, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet., Jan.
5, 1864.
Eli R. Forquer, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet., Jan.
5, 1864.
Richard Morrison, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet., Jan.
5, 1864.
Abram F. Pierce,.Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet.,
Jan. 5, 1864.
Gabriel See, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Jan.
5, 1864.
Charles Wooster, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet., Jan.
5, 1864.
Frank L. Weston, Co. G; disch. to re-enl. as vet., Jan.
5, 1864.
Owen McManus, Co. M; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
Jan. 5, 1864.
Friend Alvord, Co. A; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Henry Jones, Co. B; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Sylvester J. Olmstead, Co. B; must. out June 20, 1865.
Wilbur Showler, Co. B; must. out, June 20, 1865.
Reuben D. Bowen, Co. B; must. out -June 27, 1865.
William Carson, Co. C; must. out June 6, 1865.
Patrick Doolin, Co. C; Aug. 25, 1865.
David B. Finn, Co. G; Aug. 17, 1865.
Merrick G. Blood, Co. D; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Roderick C. Phillip, Co. E; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Peter Keefer, Co. F; must. out June 13, 1865.
Henry Zupp, Co. F; disch. for disability, July 28, 1864.
Wells W. Gates, Co. G; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Frank H. Proctor, Co. G; disch. May 3, 1865.
Henry H. Brown, Co. G; disch. June 10, 1865.
Warren Bowen, Co. G; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Leander Birdsall, Co. G; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Oscar H. Duncan, Co. G; must. out Aug. 30, 1865.
Joseph Fitzgerald, Co. G; must. out Aug. 30, 1865.
George A. Munger, Co. G; must. out Aug. 30, 1865.
Chauncey L. Howell, Co. G; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
John F. Howell, Co. G; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Isaac McCurdy, Co. G; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Robert McDougal, Co. G; disch. June 13, 1865.
James Y. Mesick, Co. G; must. out. Aug. 31, 1865.
Alonzo S. Milliken, Co. G; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Oscar D. Nulton,-Co. G; disch. June 2, 1863.
William H. Vandewalker, Co. G; disch. Oct. 22, 1864.
Burdett S. Waldo, Co. G; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Porter Yates, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
William C. Howell, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
Charles M. Hanna, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
John B. Milliken, Co. G; must. out June 8, 1865.
Alonzo Alsbo, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
John A. White, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
William Howe, Co. G; must out June 21, 1865.
George W. Burt, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
Andrew I. Armdon, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
David McDuffie, Co. G; must. out May 15, 1866.
Francis E. Bird, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
Edward C. Smith, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
Jefferson M. Campbell, Co. G; disch. for disability,
July 17, 1865.
Reuben Vickers, Co. G; must. cut June 21, 1865.
William W. Taylor, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
Christopher Wansley, Co. G; must. out June 3, 1865.
Erasmus Wilbur, Co. G; must. out June 3 1865.
Philip R. Bowen, Co. G; must. out June 21, 1865.
Zachariah Kemp, Co. G; must. out Aug. 1, 1865.
Sevmour F. Smith, Co. G; must. out May 17, 1865.
Maricn Harriq, Co. K; must. out Aug. 31, 1865.
William Birdsall, Co. M; disch. April 17, 1865.
James Beddon, Co. M; must. out Aug. 30, 1865.
William A. Case, Co. M; must. out Aug. 17, 1865.
Samuel Williams, Co. M; must.'out Aug. 17, 1865.
Benjamin Ayres, Co. M; dJisch. May 26, 1865.
Richard Phillips, Co. M; must. out Sept. 7, 1865.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
FOURTH CAVALRY.
Wilford Bates, appointed assistant surgeon, March 10,
1865; not must.
Isaac T. Birdsell, Co. G; died at Nashville, Tenn., Jan.
8, 1863.
Levi R. Watkins, Co. B; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps,
April 30, 1864.
John F. Wagner, Co. F; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps,
April 10, 1864.
Nelson Higgins, Co. F; died at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
June 17, 1864.
Alfred Hall, Co. G; died at Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 9,
1865.
William A. Lamb, Co. F; disch. for disability, Feb. 3,
1863.
J. G. Robb, Co. F; disch. for disability, March 22, 1863.
Henry O'Neil, Co. G; disch. for disability, Feb. 4, 1863.
Jackson Pardee, Co. G; disch. for disability, May 8,
1863.
Henry Rynes, Co. I; disch. for disability, March 18,
1863.
Albert S. Wilson, N. C. S.; must. out July 1, 1865.
R. Blackmer, Co. F; disch. by order, July 19, 1865.
Ira W. Harrington, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Lyman P. Pitts, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Orange C. Smith, Co. F; must out July 1, 1865.
George W. Temple, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
George W. Tagsgold, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Horace Wilcox, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Peter Walker, Co. F; disch. Dec. 26, 1864.
Oscar Wilder, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
John O. Williams, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
George F. Whitman, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
George W. Williams, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
William Wright, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Thomas Gorman, Co. F; must. out July 1. 1865.
William Chase, Co. F; disch for disability.
M. Winchester, Co. F; disch. Feb. 11, 1863.
William F. True, Co. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Henry Braddock, Co. F; must. out Aug. 15, 1865.
Howard Dickerson, Co. F; must. out Aug. 15, 1865.
Delaski W. Fish, Co. F; must. out Aug. 15, 1865.
Francis Gurmid, Co. F; disch. by order, May 3, 1865.
Simon B. Hadley, Co,. G; disch. for promotion, Feb.
9, 1865.
Charles E. Lockwood, Co. G; disch. July 13, 1865.
Alonzo Fox, Co. G; must. out July 1, 1865.
George B. Allen, Co. G; must. out July 1, 1865.
Denison D. Burch, Co. G; must. out July 1, 1865.
Lawrence C. Carr, Co. G; must. out July 1, 1865.
John Plunkett, Co. G; must. out July 1, 1865.
John Sullivan, Co. G; must. out July 1, 1865.
Hughes S. Hill, Co. H; must. out July 1, 1865.
SEVENTH CAVALRY.
Hiram J. Ingersoll, com. 2d lieut., Oct. 15, 1862; 1st
lieut., Feb. 28, 1863; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
Henry Guir. Co. F; killed at Falling Waters, Md., July
14, 1863.
George W. Lundy, Co. F; died at Gettysburg, Pa., July
15, 1863.
C. P. White, Co. F; must. out Nov. 21, 1865.
Wm. C. Armstrong, Co. F; must. out Nov. 21, 1865.
Asa SDrague, Co. I; missing at Gainesville, Va., Oct.
14, 1863.
Jacob Paule, Co. F; killed at Yellow Haven, Va., May
11, 1864.
Thomas C. Mercer, Co. F; killed at Smithfield, Va.,
Aug. 29, 1864.
Abraham Hoagland, Co. F; died at Washington, D. C.,
Feb. 18, 1864.
Clark A. Stewart, Co. F; died at Andersonville, Ga.,
June. 30, 1864.
Henry Chaplin, Co. F; tran. V. R. C., Feb. 15, 1864.
Linus N. Dillon, Co. F; trans. to V. R. C., Nov.
15, 1863.
J. H. Armstrong, Co. F; died of wounds, about May 20,
1864, at Richmond, Va.
Stephen Mosher, Co. I; died in Andersonville prison,
Ga., Sept. 9, 1864.
John E. Covey, Co. F; disch. May 25, 1863.
George Arnold, Co. I; disch. July 11, 1863.
H. J. Wright, Co. F; disch. March 3. 1864.
Isaac Van Vleet, Co. F; disch. Nov. 17, 1863.
Henry DeGraff, N. C. S.; must. out Dec. 11, 1865.
Norris W. McHurd, Co. E; must. out Dec. 23, 1865.
Benton H. Spear, Co. E; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
George Taylor, Co. E; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
Jasper Braden, Co. F; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
Lucton Fairchild, Co. F; must. out Nov. 21, 1865.
William Phelps, Co. F; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
William Trealy, Co. F; must. out July 10, 185.
Charles Dapp, Co. F; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
Perry Wilson, Co. F; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
Orlando Hammond, Co. G; must out Dec. 15, 1865.
Andrew Westcott, Co. I; must. out June 24, 1865.
John W. Dunn, Co. I; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
Hiram Leclear, Co. I; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
Washington M. Smith, Co. I; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
Alonzo Wakefield, Co. I; must. out Dec. 15, 1865.
This organization is distinguished as being
the captors of the daring Rebel raider, Gen. John
H. Morgan, whom, after a long chase, they overtook at Buffington Island, Ohio, whlere, after a
spirited engagement, in which many of the raiders were killed and wounded, the General and 217
men surrendered. The roster of Hillsdale county
men follows:
EIGHTH CAVALRY.
Charles Billings, Co. B; missing, Macon, Ga., Aug. 3,
1864.
E. Papsworth, Co. G.
Leander King, Co. G.
Milo Rich, Co. B; died.
Sidney A. Acker, Co. C; died at Lynchburg, Va., June
30, 1863.
Daniel H. Parker, Co. K; died at Athens, Ga., May 16,
1864.
Caleb Hale, Co. A; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Freeman Kelly, Co. A; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Hiram Young, Co. A;.must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
E. S. Cole, Co. A; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Edward Rossman, Co. A; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Henry Nottage, Co. A; must. out June,16, 1865.
James E. O'Dell, Co. A; must. out June 16, 1865.
Francis M. Townsend, Co. A; must. out June 16, 1865.
Thomas M. Wright, Co. B; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Eli M. Cope, Co. B; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
George P. Tuttle, Co. B; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Monsieur Davison, Co. B; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
John H. Beckwith, Co. C; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Frank A. Bacon, Co. C; must. out Sept. P2. 1865.
William J. McElihlne, Co. C; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
I02
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
George W. Asken, Co. C; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
James S. Albro, Co. C; must. out Oct. 10, 1865.
William Rosewell, Co. C; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Theodore E. Regston, Co. C; must. out Sept.?2, 1865.
Henry B. Strickland, Co. C; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Edward G. Taylor, Co. C; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Oscar B. Abbott, Co. C; must. out June 16, 1865.
Adelbert Chapman, Co. C; must. out June 16, 1865.
Palerman Castle, Co. C; must. out June 16, 1865.
Franklin Foulk, Co. C; must. out June 16, 1865.
William C. Gibson, Co. C; must. out June 17, 1865.
Herbert C. Hickox, Co. C; must. out July 15, 1865.
Samuel B. Nixon, Co. C; must. out June 16, 1865.
George W. Southworth, Co. C; must. out June 16, 1865.
Delson Allen, Co. C; must. out Dec. 4, 1865.
John A. Anable, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Levans Bachelor, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Byron Brainerd, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
James A. Drake, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
William H. Eldridge, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Albert E. French, Co. G; must. out Oct. 10, 1865.
Edward R. Fitzsimmons, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22,
1865.
John M. Farquar, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Ezra Green, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Edward M. Gilbert, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
James L. Hickox, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
James A. Lards, Co. G; must. out Oct. 10, 1865.
Thomas O'Brien, Co. G; must. out Oct. 10, 1865.
Franklin Saxton, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
George Silkworth, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
James S. Stackus, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Abram Shafer, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Franklin Walston, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
John L. Williams, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Charles Marvin, Co. G; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
James W. Caruthers, Co. G; must. out June 16, 1865.
Albert Maher, Co. H; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
John Nolen, Co. H; must. out July 7, 1865.
Alfred E. Papsworth, Co. H; must. out Sept. 22. 1865.
Gottfried Aupperle, Co. H; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Wilson S. Blair, Co. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
Daniel Fullerton, Co. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
Leroy Blair, Co. K; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Joseph Cough, Co. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
John B. Harrington, Co. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
Charles L. Hews, Co. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
Franklin Horton, Co,. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
Joseph Hagerman, Co. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
William A. Northrup, Co. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
A. F. Terpenning, Co. K; must. out June 16, 1865.
John Carey, Co. L; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
F. Pitts, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Milo Brittain, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
William Hughes, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Edgar C. Kilborn, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Armour Lockman, Co. M; disch. Aug. 17, 1865.
George L. Mapes, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Charles H. O'Neill, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Edgar Rodgers, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Wilson Tucker, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Andrew I. Webster, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Ephraim B. Warner, Co. M; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
Jonathan F. Wines, Co. M; must. out Sept. 12, 1865.
Lorenzo Cummings, Co. M; must. out June 28, 1865.
Andrew Johnson; Co. M; must. out Aug. 12, 1865.
ELEVENTH CAVALRY.
John D. Frisbie, com. 1st lieut. Aug. 1, 1863; capt.,
Jan. 15, 1864; res. April 7, 1865.
George W. Cutler, com. 2d lieut., Aug. 1, 1863; wounded and captured at Saltville, Va., Oct. 2, 1864; exchanged Feb. 21, 1865; disch. May 15, 1865.
William S. Mapes, com. 2d lieut., Oct. 29, 1864; must.
out Aug. 10, 1865.
Daniel R. Rozelle, com. 2d lieut., Oct. 29, 1864; trans.
to 8th cav.; must. out Sept. 22, 1865.
William C. Fitzsimmons, com, 2d lieut., Jan. 21, 1865.
Charles S. Linds, Co. A; died at Lexington, Ky.,
March 9, 1864.
Peter McLouth, Co. D; died at Lexington, Ky., March
20, 1864.
John Swick, Co. L; died at Camp Nelson, Ky., May 18,
1864.
Joseph W. Gould, Co. B; missing at Saltville, Va., Oct.
2, 1864; returned.
Oscar L. Niles, Co. B; died at Lexington, Ky., April,
1865.
Warner Perham, Co. D; died at Lexington, Ky., Sept.
21, 1864.
Stephen Fitzsimmons, Co. I; died at Lexington, Ky.,
Jan. 2, 1865.
Samuel C. Everts, Co. K; died at Saltville, Va., of
wounds, Oct. 3, 1864.
Carlos Pomeroy, Co. L; died at Greenville, Va., April
25, 1865.
J. J. Purdy, Co. M; missing at Andersonville, S. C.,
May 20, 1865.
L. J. Smith, Co. M; missing at Andersonville, S. C.,
May 20, 1865.
George L. Nicoll, Co. D, and A. C. Barnard, Co.
D. were transferred to U. S. colored regiments, and the
following to the 8th Michigan Cavalry:
Albert E. French, Co. A; Edward R. Fitzsimmons,
Co. A; John M. Farquar, Co. A; Abram Shapes, Co. A;
John A. Anable, Co. A; Levens Bachelor, Co. A; William C. Burns, Co. A; James A. Drake, Co. A; William
H. Eldridge, Co. A; Ezra Green, Co. A; Edward M.
Gilbert, Co. A; James Hickox, Co. A; James A. Lards,
Co. A; Thomas O'Brien, Co. A; Franklin Saxton, Co.
A; George Silkworth, Co. A; James S. Stackas, Co. A;
Philip Veille, Co. A; Franklin Walston, Co. A; John
L. Williams, Co. A; John F. Craig, Co. B; Joseph M.
Gould, Co. B; Charles Marvin, Co. B; Thomas Pitts,
Co. C; Milo Britton, Co. D; Lorenzo Cummings,
Co. D; William Hughes, Co. D; Edgar C. Kilburn, Co.
D; Armour Lockmer, Co. D; George L. Mapes, Co. D;
Charles H. Miner, Co. D; Charles O'Neill, Co. D;
Thomas Rooney, Co. D; William Rooney, Co. D; Edgar Rogers, Co. D; Andrew J. Webster, Co. D;
Ephraim Warner, Co. D; Jonathan F. Wines, Co. D;
Daniel Fullerton, Co. E; Daniel H. Parker, Co. E; A.
F. Terpenning, Co. F; Joseph Cough, Co. F; John B.
Harrington. Co. F; William A. Northrup, Co. F;
Charles F. Hawes, Co. F; Wilson L. Blair, Co. F; Leroy Blair, Co. F; Franklin Hunter, Co. F; Thomas
Wright, Co. G; Ephraim B. Cooper, Co. H; Cyrus Robertson, Co. H; Elias M. Cope, Co. H; Wm. A Place,
Co. H; George Tuttle. Co. H; Mons Davison, Co. I;
Hiram Young, Co. I; E. S. Cole, Co. K; Edward Rossman, Co. K; James Odell, Co. K; Francis M. Townsend, Co. K; Henry Nettage, Co. K; John H. Beckwith, Co. L; Frank A. Bacon, Co. L; W. J. McElishine,
Co. L; Adelbert R. Chapman, Co. L; Alanson M. Chapman, Co. L; Wm. C. Gibson, Co. L; Palerman Castle,
Co. L; Henry B. Strickland, Co. M; Edward G. Taylor,
Co. M; James S. Albro, Co. M; Jackson Pennoyer, Co.
M: George W. Asken, Co. M; Oscar B. Abell, Co. M;
Delyon C. Allen, Co. M; Sidney A. Acker, Co. M;
Samuel B. Nixon, Co. M; James Odell, Co. M; Wm.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I03
Roswell, Co. M; Theodore M. Regston, Co. M;
George W. Southworth, Co. M; Daniel B. Shipman,
Co. M.
Edgar Davidson, Co. K; wa's transferred to the Ist
Sharpshooters, the remainder of the Roster being as
follows:
Joseph Milton, Co. K; disch. for dis. Aug. 8, 1864.
Samuel P. Humphreys, Co. L; disch. July 22, 1864.
Charles M. Wade, Co. A; disch. for promotion.
Edwin Smith, Co. A; must. out May 18, 1865.
Eliphalet Barber, Co. A; must. out May 29, 1865.
Robert M. Cox, Co. A; disch. by order, Aug. 10, 1865.
Garrett W. Carr. Co. A; disch. by order, Aug. 10, 1865.
Emery Forbes, Co. A; must. out June 12, 1865.
Harvey Hilton, Co. A; disch. Aug. 10, 1865.
Josiah C. Jennison, Co. A; mus. out May 15, 1865.
Walter Razell, Co. A; must. out May 15, 1865.
Warren Sprague, Co. A; disch. Aug. 10, 1865.
James E. Carruthers, Co. B; must. out June 16, 1865.
Franklin B. Stevens Co. B; must. out May 5, 1865.
George A. Webster, Co. D; disch. Aug. 10, 1865.
Webster Cooley, Co. D; disch. Aug. 10, 1865.
William A. Collins, Co. D; must. out May 18, 1865.
Horace M. Gay, Co. D; must. out May 18, 1865.
John H. Ireland, Co. D; must. out Oct. 17, 1865.
Orrin C. Kelley, Co. D; disch. Aug. 10, 1865.
Marcus Young, Co. D; must. out June 23, 1865.
Albert Trine, Co. F; must. out May 17, 1865.
Bradley Teachout, Co. G; must. out June 16, 1865.
R. E. Whipple, Co. H; disch. for promotion.
Alfred Boyliss, Co. H; disch. Aug. 10, 1865.
Amos D. Olds, Co. I; disch. Aug. 10, 1865.
Wm. A. Keys, Co. I; disch. for promotion, July 12,
1864.
Joseph Fisher, Co. K; disch. for dis. Dec. 22, 1864.
Dyer Freeman, Co. K; disch. for dis. June 16, 1865.
Anthony M. Moore, Co. K; disch. June 10, 1865.
G. I. Bartholomew, Co. L; must. out May 22, 1865.
Alfred H. Wayne, Co. L; must. out June 15, 1865.
Benj. F. Foulk, Co. L; must. out June 15, 1865.
Benj. D. Kingsley, Co. M; disch. July 12, 1865.
Herbert H. Hickok, Co. M; must. out July 15, 1865.
Samuel C. Briggs, Co. M; must. out June 1, 1865.
Oscar G. Hart, Co. M; disch. Aug. 10, 1865.
FIRST LIGHT ARTILLERY.
Ira G. Wisner. com. 2d lieut. Bat. G, 1st Light Art.,
April 18, 1864; 1st lieut. April 6, 1865; must. out
Aug. 6, 1865.
George W. Baker, Bat. B; died at Cahawba, Ala., 1862.
Israel Rameler, Bat. C; died at New Machias, Mo.,
April 14, 1862.
John C. Sinclair, Bat. C; disch. for disability, June
10, 1862.
Emanuel Ish, Bat. C; disch. for disability, June 10,
1862.
Hamilton Lee, Bat. D; died at Louisville, Ky., Jan.
14, 1862.
Chester S. Randall, Bat. B; died at White Pigeon,
Mich.
John Van Meter, Bat. F; disch. for disability, June
12, 1862.
Henry C. Williams, Bat. G; disch. for disability, April
11, 1862.
John Truax, Bat. G; disch. for disability, June 20,
1862.
George Graham, Bat. G; killed at Thompson's Hill,
May 1, 1863.
Ira L. Strong, Bat. I; died at Washington, D. C., Jan.
29, 1863.
Daniel Boyer, Bat. I; died at Harper's Ferry, Va.,
Aug. 16, 1863.
Gleason F. Reynolds, Bat. F; died at Mumfordsville,
Ky., Feb. 19, 1863.
James H. Henndun, Bat. F; died at Mumfordsville,
Ky., Sept. 1, 1863.
Dorris H. Howe, Bat. G; died at St. Louis, Mo., April
9, 1863.
Horace B. Doty, Bat. G; died at Milliken's Bend, La.,
April, 1863.
Oscar Barnes, Bat. G; died at Memphis, Tenn., July
23, 1863.
Sylvanus R. Plumb, Bat. G; died at Vicksburg, Miss.,
Aug. 9, 1863.
Norman P. Austin, Bat. F; killed near Atlanta, Ga.,
July 21, 1864.
Edgar A. Sprague, Bat. A; died at Louisville, Ky.,
June 13, 1864.
Henry B. Turner, Bat. B; died at Rome, Ga., Aug. 13,
1864.
William Vernon, Bat. B; died at Jeffersonville, Ind.,
Aug. 22, 1864.
Smith B. Champlin, Bat. E; died at Jeffersonville,
Ind., July 12, 1864.
Lorenzo D. Barnes, Bat. E; died at Marietta, Ga.,
Oct. 2, 1864.
Orville Palmer, Bat. I; died at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
Aug. 4, 1864.
Enos C. Plumb, Bat. G; trans. to V. R. C., Sept. 30,
1863.
James C. Cooper, Bat. I; trans. to V. R. C., Jan. 15,
1864.
Wilson Little, Bat. I; trans. to, V. R. C., Jan. 15, 1864.
Jeremiah Gardner. Bat. C; killed at Edisto River, S.
C., Feb. 9, 1865.
Robert T. Phillips, Bat. D; died in service.
William Day, Bat. F; died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb.
9, 1865.
Andrew J. Cross, Bat. G; died at Portland, Ohio, Oct.
19, 1862.
Philemon Cook, Bat. G; died at New Orleans, La., Jan.
19, 1865.
Benjamin S. Gunn, Bat. G; drowned in Mobile Bay,
Ala., Nov. 20, 1864.
Philotus Wheeler, Bat. I; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps.
John H. Baker, Bat. B; disch. for promotion, June 22,
1863.
Joseph Woolston, Bat. G; disch. for disability, March
28, 1863.
Orsamus Doty, Bat. G; disch. for disability, March
26, 1863.
Martin Collar, Bat. G; disch. for disability, June 6,
1863.
Charles Baker, Bat. G; disch for, disability, Sept. 8,
1863.
Christopher H. Britton, Bat. G; disch. for disability,
Sept. 23, 1863.
Henry W. Loomis, Bat. L; disch. for disability, June
20, 1863.
Sylvester Dwight, Bat. A; disch. at exp. of service,
May 31, 1864.
Watson B. Conklin, Bat. A; disch. at exp. of service,
Sept. 30, 1864.
Caleb A. Ensign, Bat. C; disch. by order, Dec. 3, 1863.
Wesley Davis, Bat. D; disch. for disability, Sept. 2,
1862.
James H. Thompson, Bat. D; disch. for disability,
July 13, 1862.
John Homer Smith, Bat. F; disch. for disability, Jan.
6, 1863.
I A;;
I04
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
James C. Cooper, Bat. I; disch. for disability, Dec.
26, 1863.
Isaiah Libby, Bat. I; disch. for disability, Feb. 24,
1864.
Zachariah Layton, Bat. I; disch. for disability, March
7, 1864.
Thomas J. Harris, Bat. A; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
Feb. 11, 1864.
Ira Smith, Bat. C; disch. to re-enl. as veteran, Feb.
21, 1864.
Henry Carlisle, Bat. F; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
March 26, 1864.
James Van Valkenburg, Bat. F; disch. to re-enl. as
veteran, March 26, 1864.
George W. Jeffers, Bat. A; must. out July 28, 1865.
Ozial B. Taylor, Bat. A; must. out July 28, 1865.
John Vanmeter, Bat. A; must. out July 28, 1865.
Abijah P. Lyke, Bat. A; must. out July 28, 1865.
Lewis Martin, Bat. A; disch. by order, May 26, 1865.
Daniel H. Mills, Bat. A; must. out July 28, 1865.
Melvin Bailey, Bat. B; must. out June 14, 1865.
Henry Zupp, Bat. C; disch. for disability, March 25,
1865.
William Derby, Bat. C; must. out June 22, 1865.
James H. Ostrander, Bat. C; must. out June 22, 1865.
William S. Platt, Bat. C; must. out June 22, 1865.
Harper V. D. Baker, Bat. D; disch. Sept. 17, 1864.
Almond K. Herrington, Bat. D; disch. for disability.
Luman Ward, Bat. D. disch. April 28, 1862.
Ira Hodges, Bat. D; disch. July 18, 1863.
Martin J. English, Bat. D; disch. Dec. 9, 1862.
Newman Curtis, Bat. D; disch. Sept. 17, 1864.
John D. Fuller, Bat. D; disch. July 28, 1862.
Elijah Pond, Bat. D; disch. Sept. 17, 1864.
George Plumb, Bat. D; disch. Oct. 31, 1864.
Edmund R. Phillips, Bat. D; disch. May 22, 1862.
William H. Plumb, Bat. D; disch. Nov. 2, 1864.
George W. Sawyer, Bat. D; disch. at Louisville, Ky.
John Warren, Bat. D; disch. Oct. 31, 1864.
Orel C. Warrener, Bat. D; must. out Aug. 3, 1865.
William Aldrich, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
J. Wesley Austin, Bat. F; disch. Jan. 14, 1865.
Orson Austin, Bat. F; disch. Aug. 14, 1862.
Martin L. Burleson, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Martin Furlong, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
William W. Fillio, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Amri Johnson, Bat. F; disch. Jan. 14, 1865.
John B. Kelley, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Daniel E. Maxon, Bat. F; disch. Jan. 12, 1865.
Myron Porter, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Levi C. Smith, Bat. F; disch. Nov. 18, 1862.
Michael Selles, Bat. F; disch. April 19, 1865.
James C. Vanamel, Bat. F; disch. Dec. 10, 1862.
John Higley, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Stephen S. Johnson, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Henry M. Johnson, Bat. F; disch. May 18, 1865.
Lewis M. Hibbs, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Henry M. Nichols, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Henry H. Root, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Jacob Swartout, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
David Miller, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Andrew Foster, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Harvey Lucas, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Edwin Porter, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
M. Barron Solomon, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Richard E. Rich, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
John Vantuyl, Bat. F; must. out July 1, 1865.
Jacob D. Waldorf, Bat. F; disch. to accept com. in U.
S. Col. H. Art., July 23, 1864.
Abraham Cooper, Bat. G; disch. to enl. in regular
service, Nov. 25, 1862.
Oliver Franklin, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Richard Hart, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
William B. Britton, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Horace Bellinger, Bat. G; disch. to enl. in regular
service, Nov. 25, 1862.
Ira K. Bailey, Bat. G; disch. to enl. in regular service, Nov. 25, 1862.
Philemon Cook, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
John H. Gillett, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Wallace Glazier, Bat. G; disch. to enl. in regular service, Nov. 25, 1862.
William H. Hall, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
David Litchfield, Bat. G; disch. to enl. in regular
service, Nov. 25, 1862.
Orrin Olds, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
William H. Palmer, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Sidney Palmer, Bat. G; dish. Jan. 28, 1865.
Edward D. Plumb, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Edward A. Ryker, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Chauncey Smith, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
George W. Shultz, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
William Smeadmer, Bat. G; disch. Oct. 25, 1862.
Joseph Thierman, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Isaac S. Vanakin, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Charles L. Wilcox, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
John G. Williams, Bat. G; disch. Jan. 28, 1865.
Warren W. Wilkinson, Bat. G; disch. to enl. in regular
service, Nov. 25, 1862.
Welcome Merchant, Bat. G; must. out Aug. 6, 1865.
William Curtiss, Bat. G; disch. June 12, 1865.
Henry N. Dugan, Bat. G; must. out Aug. 6, 1865.
Albert H. Gowdy, Bat. G; disch. Aug. 17, 1865.
William J. Bunting, Bat. H; must. out July 22, 1865.
Edwin J. Codner, Bat. H; must out July 22, 1865.
David C. Davey, Bat. H; must. out July 22, 1865.
George A. Linch, Bat. H; must. out July 22, 1865.
Raphael Thomas, Bat. H; must. out July 22, 1865.
Thomas Wilkinson, Bat. H; must. out July 22, 1865.
Hasey E. Barker, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
George W. Jennings, Bat. I; disch. May 26, 1864.
Dexter C. Bartlett, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
James H. Beard, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Elkanah S. Becker, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
James Deems, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Cheney Hall, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Levi C. Lee, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Phillander Millard, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
William Manning, Bat. I; disch. Dec. 22, 1864.
James E. Nickaloy, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Robert O'Mealey, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
William O'Mealey, Bat. I; disch. Oct. 23, 1862.
William A. Potter. Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
James W. Potter, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Joseph B. Patterson, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Levi Rickard, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Ambrose Roate, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Aluheus B. St. John, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
John Tucker, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Ira C. Wyckoff, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Andrew J. Weeks, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
David W. Stroud, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Henry Cromer, Bat. I; must. out July 14, 1865.
Charles A. Stroud, Bat. I; disch. for disability, Dec.
16, 1864.
Charles Barnes, Bat. L; must. out Aug. 22, 1865.
John S. Devoe, Bat. L; must. out Aug. 22, 1865.
Spencer Welch, Bat. F; disch. by order, June 10, 1865.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Iq5
OTHER SOLDIERS.
Besides the soldiers who enlisted in the above organizations there were a considerable number from
this county, who enlisted in other States, and of whom
no record is to be found in Michigan. Some of these
we here give:
THIRD INFANTRY.
John P. Palmer, died at Yorktown, Va., April 27, 1862.
FIFTH INFANTRY.
Robert A. Everett, com. ass't. surg., July 3, 1861; surg.
16th inf., April 18, 1863; must. out at end of service.
John E. Porter, Co. D; must. out July 23, 1865.
Osmer C. Brown, Co. C; must. out May 31, 1865.
SIXTH INFANTRY.
Oscar Chapel, Co. C; killed at Baton Rouge, La., Aug.
5, 1862.
Nelson Nethaway, Co. I; died of wounds, July 22,
1863, at Baton Rouge, La.
Dexter Pearsell, Co. K; died at Helena, Ark., Aug. 21,
1864.
Alexander Getty, Co. B; died at Fort Morgan, Ala.,
Nov. 5, 1864.
Richard Cheney, Co. C; died at New Orleans, La., Nov.
27, 1864.
Warren Tompkins, Co. C; disch. Sept. 5, 1865.
Leander Fitzgerald, Co. D; must. out Aug. 20, 1865.
Sylvester Kenyon, Co. K; must. out Aug. 20, 1865.
Robert Wheeler, Co. K; must. out Aug. 20, 1865.
EIGHTH INFANTRY.
Reuben S. Cheney, com. 1st lieut., Sept. 24, 1861; res.
April 13, 1862.
William P. Miner, com. 2d lieut. Sept. 24, 1861; res.
Feb. 19, 1862.
Alonzo Cheney, cor. 2d lieut. March 27, 1863; 1st
lieut. May 6, 1864; must. out Oct. 19, 1864.
Isaiah Crispell, Co. B; died at Cold Harbor, Va., June
8, 1864.
Abraham L. Harding, Co. A; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps,
Sept. 30, 1864.
Andrew Petsa, Co. A; disch. by order, May 29, 1865.
Ira Green, Co. A; disch. for disability, Dec. 23, 1864.
George D. Drury, Co. A; must. out July 30, 1865.
Orsamus J. Hoppins, Co. B; must. out July 30, 1865.
Martin Kavana, Co. D; disch. June 30. 1865.
Charles H. Seavey, Co. K; disch. May 20, 1865.
Lorenzo W. Finch, Co. K; disch. May 20, 1865.
NINTH INFANTRY.
Hawkins King, app. ass't. surg., March 28, 1865; res.
Aug. 5, 1865.
Hugh Webster, Co. G; killed at Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
July 13, 1862.
Abraham W. Vanness, Co. A; died at Nashville, Tenn.,
Dec. 12, 1865.
John Harmon, Co. D; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
Ovid M. Thompson, Co. D; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
Russell Ellis, Co. E; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
Sylvester Lyman, Co. E; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
Milo M. Titus, Co. E; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
William Wilson, Co. E; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
Thomas Cox, Co. H; must. out July 18, 1865.
Andrew Crandall, Co. H; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
Elias Whitcomb, Co. I; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
Joseph Laduke, Co. K; must. out Sept. 15, 1865.
TWELFTH INFANTRY.
Timothy Giddings, Co. D; died at Duval's Bluff, Ark.,
May 27, 1865.
Bennett Gregg, Co. D; disch. Aug. 22, 1865.
John Houghtaling, Co. D; disch. Oct. 7, 1865.
William Holcombe, Co. D; disch. Oct. 7, 1865.
Holden White, Co. E; disch. Oct. 13, 1865.
Clarence Morey, Co. G; must. out Feb. 15, 1866.
Elry P. Parsons, Co. H; disch. Nov. 26, 1864.
FOURTEENTH INFANTRY.
Jonathan Snyder, Co. H; died at Chattanooga, Tenn.,
Feb. 13, 1865.
Warren Young, Co. H; died at Savannah, Ga., April
10, 1865.
Charles H. Weed, Co. C; must. out July 18, 1865.
William Barrett, Co. D; must. out July 18, 1865.
Andrew Hoard, Co. D; must. out July 18, 1865.
Garrett Tennell, Co. G; must. out July 18, 1865.
Jonas Smith, Co. I; must. out July 18, 1865.
Henry Bogard, Co. I; must. out July 18, 1865.
Michael Young, Co. I; must. out July 24, 1865.
Cassius Bancroft, Co. K; must. out July 18, 1865.
Edmund Crandall, Co. K; must. out July 18, 1865.
William Smith, Co. K; must. out July 18, 1865.
Elisha L. Davis, Co. K; must. out July 18, 1865.
Charles Salmon, Co. K; must. out July 18, 1865.
SEVENTEENTH INFANTRY.
Thomas P. May, cor. 2d lieut. May 26, 1865.
Newman Crane, Co. H; died of wounds at Frederick,
Md., Oct. 9, 1862.
Francis Strunk, Co. A; died at Detroit, Mich.
James Bradshaw, Co. G; died of accidental wounds,
June 17, 1863.
Lewis Wilson, Co. G; died at Knoxville, Tenn., Sept.
26, 1863.
Edwin M. Scott, Co. H; died at City Point, Va., Aug.
26, 1864.
Louis Searles, Co. H; died at Florence, S. C., Dec. 20,
1864.
Ramson P. Howe, Co. H; trans. to 8th Michigan Inf.,
Oct. 15, 1862.
John G. Fullmer, Co. H; must. out June 3, 1865.
Alva J. Hiccott, Co. H; disch. by order, May 30, 1865.
Milton Herring, Co. H; must. out June 3, 1865.
NINTEENTH INFANTRY.
Samuel Knapp, Co. H; died at Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
Aug. 23, 1863.
TWENTY-FIRST INFANTRY.
George W. Woodward, com. 2d lieut., July 30, 1862;
1st lieut. Jan 15, 1863; capt. Dec. 2, 1863; brevet
maj. March 13, 1865; must. out June 8, 1865.
TWENTY-SECOND INFANTRY,
Orman Barden, Co. H; trans. to 29th Mich. Infantry.
TWENTY-SIXTH INFANTRY.
Wm. M. Rogers, Co. B; must. out April 27, 1865.
Milton H. Saviers, Co. F; disch. for disability, Oct.
27, 1864.
io6
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY.
Henry Mersell, Co. B; must. out Sept. 6, 1865.
Christian Jensen, Co. D; must. out Sept. 6, 1865.
PROVOST GUARD.
Eli Banker, must. out May 9, 1865.
Joseph Cressey, must. out May 9, 1865.
John A. Merchant, must. out May 9, 1865.
Albert Merrill, must. out May 9, 1865.
James Riddin, must. out May 9, 1865.
Oscar E. Wells, must. out May 9, 1865.
ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHTH NEW YORK INFANTRY.
D. D. Sanford, Co. G; wounded at Petersburg, June
18, 1864; must. out June 22, 1865.
FIRST UNITED STATES SHARPSHOOTERS.
William Doyle, Co. C; died March 27, 1862.
George Zimmerman, Co. C; died Dec. 29, 1861.
Leander Ballard, Co. I; killed at Locust Grove, Va.,
Nov. 27, 1863.
Henry A. Gilchrist, Co. C; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps,
March 31, 1864.
Jay L'ibbey, Co. I; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps, Sept. I,
1863.
Charles Button, Co. C; disch. Oct. 2, 1861.
Archibald Storms, Co. C; disch. Dec. 9, 1862.
FIRST CAVALRY.
William A. Drake, Co. A; died in hospital.
James H. Armstrong, Co. B; must. out March 10, 1866.
Donald T. McCall, Co. D; must. out March 10, 1866.
James P. Turner, Co. D; must. out March 10, 1866.
Peter H. Cole, Co. E; must. out Dec. 5, 1865.
Charles W. Cole, Co. E; must. out Dec. 5, 1865.
David Madden, Co. E; must out. March 10, 1865.
Jacob Van Ettan, Co. E; must. out July 24, 1865.
Asahel Richardson, Co. H; must. out March 25, 1866.
THIRD CAVALRY.
Michael McIntyre, com. 2d lieut. June 11, 1862; 1st
lieut. Nov. 1, 1862; honorably disch. Feb. 28, 1865.
Sanford B. Goodrich, leader band; died on board hospital boat, May, 1862.
Charles Hatton, disch. for disability, June 9, 1862.
Silas P. Gainard, Co. F; disch. at expiration of service, Oct. 24, 1864.
Francis B. Henry, Co. F; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
Jan. 19, 1864.
Chauncey H. Davis, Co. F; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
Jan. 19, 1864.
Charles Hurley, Co. K; disch. to re-enl. as veteran,
Jan. 20, 1864.
Locke V. Mosher, Co. B; disch. Jan. 22, 1862.
William Hurley, Co. G; must. out Feb. 12, 1866.
FIFTH CAVALRY.
Peter H. Cole, Co. E; trans. to 1st Mich. Cavalry.
Charles W. Cole, Co. E; trans. to 1st Mich. Cavalry.
Norris W. McHurd, Co. I; trans. to 7th Mich. Cavalry.
O. J. Hammond, Co. K; trans. to 7th Mich. Cavalry.
Burton H. Spear, Co. L; trans. to 7th Mich. Cavalry.
George Taylor, Co. L; trans. to 7th Mich. Cavalry.
Morris McHerd, Co. L; trans. to 7th Mich. Cavalry.
Meredith C. Smith, Co. M; trans. to 7th Mich. Cavalry.
Edgar Harris, Co. M; must out June 19, 1865.
SIXTH CAVALRY.
Donald T. McCall, Co. B; trans. to 1st Mich. Cavalry;
Nov. 17, 1865,
James P. Turner, Co. B; trans. to 1st Mich. Cavalry,
Nov. 17, 1865,
Jacob Van Etten, Co. B; trans. to 1st Mich. Cavalry,
Nov. 17, 1865.
Abel Richardson, Co. D; trans. to 1st Mich. Cavalry,
Nov. 17, 1865.
Robert C. Jackson, Co. K; disch. June 19, 1865.
NINTH CAVALRY.
Francis M. Jones, commis. 2d lieut. Feb. 24, 1865;
not mustered.
John Morehouse, Co. F; trans. to 11th Mich. Battery,
May 8, 1863.
Samuel Miller, Co. F; trans. to 11th Mich. Battery,
May 8, 1863.
Benjamin Norton, Co. F; trans. to 11th Mich. Battery,
May 8, 1863.
Leander Perry, Co. F; trans. to 11th Mich. Battery,
May 8, 1865.
Henry A. Hunt, Co. I; trans. to 11th Mich. Battery,
May 1, 1863.
Edwin A. Packer, Co. I; trans. to 11th Mich. Battery,
May 1, 1863.
Allen R. Walker, Co. I; trans. to 11th Mich. Battery,
May 1, 1863.
James H. Walker, Co. I; trans. to 11th Mich. Battery,
May 1, 1863.
Harvey Mott, Co. B; must. out Aug. 11, 1865.
Frederick Smith. Co. B; must. out July 21, 1865.
Isaac R. Howe, Co. L; must. out July 21, 1865.
Joseph Howe, Co. L; must. out July 21, 1865.
TENTH CAVALRY.
William E. Smith, com. 2d lieut. April 8, 1865; must.
out Nov. 11, 1865.
L. E. Bayless, Co. M; died Jan. 11, 1865.
Charles B. Norton, Co. B; must. out May 13, 1865.
Edward W. Smith, Co. M; disch. Oct. 2, 1864.
MERRILL HORSE.
Chauncey W. Rickard, Co. I; must. out Sept. 18, 1865.
FOURTEENTH BATTERY.
Darwin E. Beebe, must. out July 1, 1865.
Ransom Ball, must. out July 1, 1865.
John J. Daniels, must. out July 1, 1865.
John H. Davis, must. out July 1, 1865.
Gabriel C. Morehouse, mus. out July 1, 1865.
Patrick Turner, must. out July 1, 1865.
FIRST MISSOURI ENGINEERS.
Cyrus H. Lewis, Co. E; enl. as veteran, Jan. 4, 1864.
QNE HUNDRED AND SECOND U. S. COLORED TROOPS.
Augustus Steward, Co. C; must. out Sept. 30, 1865.
Hezekiah Madry, Co. D; must. out Selt. 30, 1865.
James M. Crummell, Co,. F; must. out Sept. 30, 1865.
Robert Lee, Co. F; must. out Sept. 30, 1865.
William Wesley, Co. F; must. out Sept. 30, 1865.
George G. White, Co. G; must. out Sept. 30, 1865.
Charles Gilbert, Co. G; must. out Sept. 30, 1865.
John F. Sinclair, Co. H; must. out Sept. 30, 1865.
-
71\
'I I
PART SECOND
HILLSDALE COUNTY
MICHIGAN
LARGELY BIOGRAPHICAL
We have undertaken to discourse for a little upon Men, their
manner of appearance in our World's business, how they
have shaped themselves in the World's history, what ideas other
men have formed of them, what work they did.-CARLYLE.
CHICAGO:
A. W. BOWEN & CO.
1903
The wheels now roll in fire and thunder,
To bear us on with startling speed;
They shake the dust of Nations under
The flowers of forest, mount and mead.
The old-time worthies still are near;
The spirit of the Past is here:
And, where we tread, the old mound builders
Looked forward through the mist of Time
As we look back. The scene bewilders,
And all the distance is sublime.
COMPENDIUM
OF BIOGRAPHY
or
HILLSDALE CO., MICHIGAN.
HON. EBENEZER OLIVER GROSVENOR.
This prominent, successful and venerated
merchant and banker of Jonesville, who is one
of the best known and most highly esteemed
men in Hillsdale county, whose life is one of the
most useful and conspicuous among her thousands of population, was born at Stillwater, Saratoga county, New York, on January 26, I820.
He was the third in order of birth of the nine
children who constituted his father's family,
three of whom are yet living, being the son of
Ebenezer 0. and Mary Ann (Livermore) Grosvenor, natives of Massachusetts and prominent
among the honored pioneers of southern Michigan. The father had been a successful and popular teacher in his New York homes, deeply and
intelligently interested in the cause of public education. He was also forward in the advocacy
of every good cause and gave freely of his time
and substance to aid in the promotion of all that
promised well for the county and state. He died
on April 6, I87I, having accomplished more than
eighty-seven years of age. His wife, a lady of
high culture and great refinement, was a broadminded and progressive woman, whose death oc
curred at Albion, Michigan, in 1849. The paternal grandfather of Hon. E. O. Grosvenor, Rev.
Daniel Grosvenor, was a captain in the Revolutionary War.
Hon. Ebenezer O. Grosvenor was reared and
thoroughly educated in his native state, finishing
at the noted Chittenango (N. Y.) Polytechnic
Academy, which he entered at the age of thirteen
years, and where, during a two-years' course of
earnest study, he gained a high rank for brilliant
scholarship. Having decided to devote himself
to a business career, at the age of sixteen he left
school and for a year was employed in a clerical
capacity in a store at Chittenango. In June,
1837, when but seventeen years old, he left the
parental roof-tree and trod boldly with adventurous foot into the wilds of Michigan, then but
recently admitted into the Union as a state, and,
upon his arrival here, entered the employ of an
older brother in what was one of the earliest established stores of Albion. In I839 he went to
Monroe and served for a year as assistant bookkeeper in the office of the State Railroad Commissioner, during the construction of the Michigan Southern Railway, then in the hands of the
state.
IIO
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
In the summer of I840 Mr. Grosvenor became a citizen of Jonesville, coming hither to
take a position as clerk in a drygoods store, where
he was employed until April, I844. He then,
with R. S; Varnum as a partner, established himself in a mercantile business and this firm conducted a flourishing enterprise until 1847 when
Mr. Varnum sold his interests to Elisha P.
Champlin, the father-in-law of Mr. Grosvenor,
who, in 185I, bought the interest of Mr. Champlin, and thereafter carried it on alone until I864,
when le admitted some young men who had been
in his employ for a number of years to a share
in its mianagement and profits. Under the new
order of thing's the business grew and flourished,
and, in 1875, another change was made, which
still farther enlarged its volume and usefulness,
the firm becoming Sibbald, Spalding & Co., with
Mr. Grosvenor as a silent partner.
For many years outside interests have taken
much of Mr. Grosvenor's time. One venture,
in which he was busily engaged for some time,
was buying and selling the general produce of
this part of the state, and in this line it was his
invariable rule to always pay cash for his commodities. In 1854, under the title of the Exchange Bank of Grosvenor & Co., at Jonesville
he established the bank of which he has ever
been the ruling spirit and chief owner. This institution was successful and prosperous from its
inception, and has poured widening streams of
benefaction out among the people of this comtkunity. Other enterprises of value to the community in which he has been interested are the
Ft. Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad, of
which he is a stockholder, and, during an important period of its history, the vice-president;
the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Co., of Detroit, of which he was one of the organizers;
the Detroit Fire & Marine Insurance Co., of
which he was an early stockholder and director;
the Michigan State Fire Insurance Co., of Adrian; the Jonesville Cotton Manufacturing Co., of
which he was the first treasurer and for some
time the very efficient president. His vitalizing
force, his wise counsel, his far-seeing and sagacious wisdom, financial ability and superior admin
istrative and executive powers have been potent
factors militating for success in many other organizations for the promotion of the county and
the state's welfare and progress. He has contributed much to the cause of education, having been
president of the school board at Jonesville for
over thirty-five years and is still in office.
Mr. Grosvenor was married on February 22,
1844, to Miss Sally Ann Champlin, a daughter
of Hon. Elisha P. Champlin, one of the first settlers in Lenawee county. They have one child,
a daughter, who was married in 1873 to Charles
E. White, of Jonesville, where they are living
in a pleasant home enlivened by the presence of
their two sons, Charles Grosvenor and Oliver S.
White. Mrs. Grosvenor is a devout Presbyterian,
Mr. Grosvenor being also a regular attendant of that church. For more than three score
years this meritorious couple have walked life's
troubled way together, sustaining and aiding
each other, presenting a beautiful example of
peaceful ard happy domestic life.
From his advent into the county, Mr. Grosvenor has been active and conspicuous in public
affairs and he has many times been called upon
to do valuable work in public office. In the long
Iecord of his public life no odium has ever been
attached to his name, no selfish motives have been
imputed to him, no charge of infidelity to a trust
has ever been made against him, and he has had
full credit for a wide knowledge of affairs, a
clearness and correctness of judgment concerning
them, a firm and unwavering adherence to his
convictions about them and a high order of capacity and executive ability in maintaining and
establishing his views and securing desired results. He was at an early day elected in turn
to every important office in the township, being
the first supervisor after Fayette township was
organized, in this office following a term as supervisor before the new township was made. In
I858 he was elected to the State Senate; in I861
he was commissioned colonel on the staff of Governor Blair and also received an appointment on
the military contract board, of which he was
made president, and he afterward held the position of president of the state military board. In
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Ill I
i862 he again became State Senator and he took
an important part in the legislation of the ensuing sessions as the chairman of the committee on
finance.
Mr. Grosvenor was elected lieutenant governor in I864 on the ticket with Governor Crapo,
and, by virtue of this office, he was president of
the Senate during the ensuing term and also of
the state board of equalization in I866. In the
fall of I868 he was elected state treasurer, and
he discharged the duties of this office so well
and displayed such a high order of capacity for
them, that he was kept in the position by successive reelections until I871. In April of that year
he was appointed a member of the board of state
building commissioners, created for the purpose
of erecting a new state capitol, his appointment
being confirmed in a joint session of the two
houses of the Legislature without a dissenting
vote. He became the vice-president of this board
and its presiding officer in the absence of the
governor. His work on this commission was
of the most efficient and satisfactory character.
The building itself, which seems to have met
every requirement and satisfied every judicious
critic, and with which no fault was found even
by the carping or hypercritical, stands forth as
the best evidence of the wisdom and skill which
were invoked in its construction, and the business
capacity which presided over every part of its
creation from foundation to capstone. During
the period of the commission's existence 147
meetings were held, of which 103 were regular
and forty-four special, occupying in all 2-58 days.
The commission never failed to have a quorum
in attendance, and, in no case during the whole
progress of the work, was any contractor or other person, having a claim against the state on
account of the construction of the capitol, obliged
to wait, even a day, by reason of failure of the
board to meet and act upon the claim. The commissioners not only saw that the work was well
done, but, what is very unusual with a large
structure, public or private, they kept the costs
within the estimates and appropriations. In each
one of five different funds there was a small balance when the building was turned over to the
state. Out of the appropriations, aggregating
$1,430,000, there was a total balance exceeding
$4,000 thus remaining. The whole work of the
commission was a notable instance of systematic
and faithful attention to official dity. Since the
papers relating to the capitol construction were
sealed up and filed with the secretary of state in
May, I879, it has never been necessary to reopen
them in order to settle any question or claim.
The state of Michigan is also greatly indebted to Mr. Grosvenor for faithful and efficient
service in behalf of her great university at Ann
Arbor. In the spring of 1879 he was elected a
regent of that institution, and in January, I880
he took his seat. In this connection he soon had
another opportunity to do the state good service. The Rose-Douglas controversy was then at
its height and the quarrel was injuring the university, both in the Legislature and with the
public. Mr. Grosvenor was earnestly importuned
by both sides of the controversy to commit himself to their views, but he could not be manipulated. He investigated for himself and concluded that the interest of the state would be
best served by bringing the whole matter to a
speedy termination. His old associate, Mr.
Shearer, who had been elected as a regent at
the same time, accepted his conclusions and the
two carried through the board a resolution which
stopped the wasteful expenditures for litigation
and soon put the matter at rest. During the
eight years of his tenure of this position he
served as the chairman of the financial committee, was a member of the executive committee for
four years, while for six he was chairman of
the medical committee. He served without compensation and his zeal was commensurate in every way with his disinterestedness and unselfishness. During the early history of Hillsdale Col
lege he served for several years as a trustee of
that institution.
In fraternal relations Mr. Grosvenor has been
a member of the Masonic order since 1855, a period of nearly half-a-century, and he has always
been ardent in devotion and faithful in service
to the fraternity. He is also an Odd Fellow and
was a charter member of the lodge of this or
112
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
der organized at Jonesville in I840. Since the
formation of the Republican party in 1854 he
has been a staunch and loyal member of that
organization, before that time being a Whig in
political faith.* For nearly the entire duration of
a human life, as fixed by the sacred writer, Mr.
Grosvenor has lived and labored among his people. Among them all there is none but does him
reverence. If asked for an example of her best
citizenship in every way, the state of Michigan
can exultingly point to him.
HON. GUY C. CHESTER.
Hon. Guy C. Chester, judge of the First Judicial Circuit, one of the youngest judges in the
state, perhaps the youngest the circuit ever had,
is a native of Camden, Hillsdale county, born on
March Io, I859. His parents were Frederick and
Martha (Fowle) Chester, the former a native of
New York and the latter of Hillsdale county.
The father came to Hillsdale county in I833.
Their son, the Judge, received his early education in the'public schools of his native place and
completed his scholastic training at Hillsdale College, meanwhile working between times on the
home farm, and at intervals teaching school. He
took a business course at Toledo, Ohio, and then
was a cultivator of the soil until 1884. In that
year he entered the law office of E. L. Koon, Esq.,
as a student, and, after a due course of study, was
admitted to practice in I886. He remained in
Mr. Koon's office and there began his practice.
His rise in his profession was rapid and continuous. The first year after his admission to the bar
he was elected circuit court commissioner for a
term of two years, thereafter being reelected for a
second term. Later he was made city attorney
and served in that capacity for two terms. In
I892 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the
county and was reelected at the end of his term.
In 1897 he was appointed circuit judge to hold
office until the next general election to fill the unexpired term of Hon. Victor H. Lane, and, in
I898, he was elected to this office for the unexpired term of two years, and, at its close in I900oo,
he was chosen to the same office for a term of six
years.
Judge Chester has always been an ardent Republican in politics, has rendered his party valuable service on the hustings from time to time,
and, at all times, he has had a potential voice in
its councils. He was chairman of the county
committee in I896, the trying year of the silver
issue, and, by his aggressiveness and his wisdom,
his untiring zeal and his capacity as a tactician,
his personal influence and his knowledge of men,
he greatly aided in winning a signal victory for
his cause. For years he has been a zealous and
devoted Freemason, showing his interest in the
fraternity by a constant attention to its welfare,
by valuable service in behalf of its progress and
by insisting on the maintenance of a high standard of excellence in every phase of its life. In
the lodge he has filled important offices, in the
chapter he has well and wisely administered the
functions of every leading position, in the commandery he has occupied the highest offices with
credit to himself and benefit to the organization.
He is also a noble of the Mystic Shrine, the re-.
nowned social body of this order. The only other
fraternal order to which he belongs is that of
the Knights of Pythias. In 1893 the Judge was
united in marriage with Miss -Martha Frankhauser, a sister of W. H. Frankhauser, of whom
a sketch appears in another part of this work.
Judge Chester has two daughters, Dorothy and
Helen.
PROF. CHARLES H. GURNEY.
Public education in America is the sheet
anchor on which the Ship of State relies with confidence and hope. The Fathers of the Republic
proclaimed it a necessary constituent of popular
government. The experience of more than a
hundred years has proven the wisdom of their
contention. While they exhibited abundant solicitude for the higher halls of learning, they
much more insisted on schools for the masses, believing that even the commonest sense of the plain
people might not be safely relied upon for a wise
exercise of citizenship without some training for
its duties. Judicious attention to the natural evolutions in this department of the science of government has brought about a close relationship
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
113
and a mutual dependence between the higher
and the common schools; and, among the best
representatives and most careful conservators of
this helpful union, is Prof. Charles H. Gurney,
now the acting president of Hillsdale College.
As an educator he is almost wholly a product of
the public school system of this country, as a college professor he is broad, progressive and wise,
combining in his views and methods the most
useful features of the two lines of pedagogical
activity.
Professor Gurney was born at Stanfordville,
Dutchess county, New York, on July 17, 1847,
the son of Benjamin A. and Caroline E. (Hull)
Gurney, who were also natives of that State. The
father passed much of his life in the nursery business, but is now merchandising in llinois. His ancesters were English Quakers, some of whom
found a peaceful and profitable residence in this
country about I750. From that time the family
has been prominent in commercial, industrial and
social life wherever its members have lived in
the United States. The Professor passed the
first ten years of his life in his native place without incident worthy of note, or different from
those in the lives of other country boys of that
section, at the end of that period removing with
the rest of the family to Henry county, Illinois,
In that state he continued at the public schools
the education he had begun in those of New
York, remaining at home until I868, when he
came to Michigan and matriculated at Hillsdale
College, from which alma mater he was graduated in 1873, having in the meantime taught
school and worked at various other occupations
to earn the money necessary to complete his
course. In 1874 he again began teaching, being
employed at Salem, Nebraska, as principal of the
schools for two years. He then removed to Iowa
and became the principal of the Villisca schools.
Holding the position for four years, at the end
of this time of service he took up his residence
at Shenandoah, Iowa, there to serve as city superintendent for eight years. His next place of usefulness was Marengo, Iowa, where he rendered
three years of excellent service as city superintendent. In I891 he came to Hillsdale and ac
cepted the position of principal of the normal department of Hillsdale College, and also became
alumni professor of belles-lettres. In the fall of
I9OI, he became the acting president of the college, a position which he has held without interruption since that date. During the many years
of his service as school superintendent in various
places he was almost continually employed in institute work, laboring effectively in Nebraska,
Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan, winning high
commendation as a successful and popular institute director. The Professor married on April
3, 1878, at Salem,, Nebraska, with Miss Mary A.
Rising, a native of Illinois. They have three children, daughters, May B., F. Ethel and Ruth R.
In educational circles throughout a wide extent of country Professor Gurney is well and favorably known as a far-seeing and highly productive pedagogical force, and, at the college over
which he presides, he has given strong proofs of
his executive ability, business capacity and accurate knowledge of human nature; while in the
social circles of the city and county all of the
members of the family are most highly esteemed
for their culture, genial dispositions, agreeable
manners and winning graces of every kind, exhibited in a social atmosphere wherein the standard is elevated and the taste exacting.
DR. ALONZO CRESSY,.
The community in which the late Dr. Alonzo
Cressy so long lived and labored, felt when he
died that a superior man had passed away. He
was a native of Scipio, Cayuga county, New
York, born on November 26, I8o8. From his
earliest years he evinced unusual mental activity,
an insatiable thirst for knowledge. His opportunities for education at the schools were, however, limited, comprising only the facilities afforded by the unsettled frontier at that period of more
than ordinary depression and poverty in our history which succeeded the War of 1812. By great
exertion on his part and well-chosen sacrifice on
that of some of his family, he was able to supplement the meager instruction he had acquired by
an attendance of two years at a select school in
II4
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the town of Skaneateles; the rest of his mental
development and knowledge of mankind, however, came through the hard discipline of the exacting but effective school of experience, which
was so complete and thorough that, at the age of
sixteen, he was able to begin the study of his profession and to complete the usual preparatory
reading and attend two full courses of lectures
at the Fairfield Medical College by the time he
was nineteen, then passing the required examination for the degree of M. D. Under the rules of
this institution his diploma was withheld until
he was of full legal age, but, soon after leaving the college, he began practicing his profession at Lima, N. Y., and, two years later, when he
received his diploma, he married with a daughter of Dr. Justin Smith, of that town. In I831,
before he was twenty-three, he left Lima and
came to Clinton in Lenawee county, this state,
and here began an active practice.
The next year, I832, was memorable in western history for the outbreak of the Black HawK
War and the prevalence of the cholera. Doctor Cressy, in the capacity of a medical practitioner, accompanied a detachment of troops in their
march through the wilderness to Chicago, there
to meet General Scott and assist in repelling an
expected attack upon the Rock River settlements.
Many of the troops suffered severely from the fatigue and exposure of the march, and six of their
number died within six hours after their arrival
at the cholera hospital in Chicago. The Doctor
was appointed chief medical officer of the camp,
and, in the cholera hospital, he had ample opportunity to study the dread malady, which he did
to such good purpose, that, in the autumn of the
year, General Scott offered him a choice of positions if he would remain with the troops, but
he preferred to return to his family. In I836 he
was elected to the Territorial Legislature and was
of great service to the people in securing proper
legislation for the educational interests of the territory and through the passage of the law providing for a geological survey, which was the means
of bringing Michigan's great mineral resources
to the notice of the world.
Doctor Cressy took up his residence at Hills
dale in I844, being then thirty-six years old. In
1854 he was elected to the State Senate and, near
the close of the ensuing session, in the absence of
the lieutenant-governor, he was chosen to preside over the body. His most considerable and
most appreciated service in his senatorial term
was procuring the enactment of a law providing
for the organization of a college at Hillsdale and
for the completion of the temporarily abandoned
building intended as its seat. This bill he carried
through the legislature in the face of strenuous
opposition from the friends of the State University, and thus secured the establishment here of
the institution which has poured such widening
streams of benefaction out among the people of
this and surrounding counties. In early and middle life Doctor Cressy was an anti-slavery Whig,
remaining loyal to that party until the Republican
organization rose Phoenix-like from its ashes,
when he joined the new political entity to which,
until his death, he gave earnest support.
When the long-impending cloud of sectional
war broke in full fury on our unhappy country,
his son, Justin Smith Cressy, who had seen service in the Mexican War when a mere lad, enlisted
in the Twenty-first Massachusetts Infantry, went
to the front with General Burnside, was in the
front rank of the unrolling columns in many
bloody engagements, falling, badly wounded, at
Chantilly, on September I, I862, not far from the
spot on that disastrous battlefield which was hallowed by the expiring agonies of Gen. Phil Kearney. For two days and nights young Cressy lay
unattended within the enemy's lines, but at last he
was relieved by the ministrations of a Confederate
surgeon and was paroled on the next day. He
was taken to the hospital on September 8, where,.
on October 2, he died. Before his death he had
won the commission of lieutenant in General
Reno's brigade. His colonel said of him: "He
has proven himself intelligent, faithful and
brave."
Doctor Cressy, from the time of his location
at Hillsdale, was diligent and faithful in the practice of his profession, going promptly and unobtrusively where duty called him, everywhere
inspiring hope by his presence, dispensing bless
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAtN.
II5
ings by his sagacity and skill as a practitioner.
On the morning of March 22, 1881, he received
his summons to lay down his trust, and departed
this life, leaving behind him his faithful wife, who
had walked life's way through sunshine and
through shadow with him for fifty-two years, and
two married daughters, Mrs. R. G. Wilbur, of
Hillsdale, and Mrs. J. B. Fuller, of San Francisco, Calif. Doctor Cressy's daughter, Mary Irene,
died on September 8, 1867, at an early age, just
as life seemed brightest; of her, sweet remembrances will live in many hearts until they cease
to beat.
The interest of Doctor Cressy in public affairs,
especially in everything involving the welfare and
general progress of the community, was strong
and abiding. He was twice president of the municipality of Hillsdale, dignifying this office and
conducting its affairs with signal ability and conscientious devotion to the public weal. His extensive reading, his ripe scholarship and his vast
fund of general information made him an industrious and also a valued contributor to the public journals of his time and section, and his articles were eagerly read and highly prized. In
domestic life, in professional work, in social circles and in political activities he was a model
among men, and, to the end' of his days, he was
firmly fixed in the high and universal esteem of
the people, being everywhere looked up to as one
of the leading citizens of the county, one of the
best and most useful of men.
PELEG ASH.
In many families for generations the element
of tragedy is strong and ever present, destroying
hope after hope and driving men and women to
other resources and lines of activity with rapid
succession. It was so in the case of Peleg Ash,
one of the best-known farmers and most representative nien of Jefferson township in Hillsdale
county. He was born in Lenawee county, this
state, on September 30, 1843, the son of John
and Esther (Haviland) Ash. His father was a
native of England and his mother of New York.
His paternal grandfather was killed by fire-damp
8
in the coal mines of England, and the widow died
when her children were quite young. When the
father of Mr. Ash was fifteen, in company with
a brother who was a year and somewhat more
younger, he came to Quebec, and from there they
made their way by work to Michigan, and here
found employment as farm laborers on the homestead of Peleg C. Haviland, a prosperous farmer
of Lenawee county, whose daughter John Ash
afterwards married. He resided in that county
until 1852, when he came to Hillsdale county and
purchased the very farm of IOO acres on which
his son, Peleg, now lives. There was a small
log house on the land in which his family was
sheltered, and he here set to work with diligence
and assiduous labor to clear the land and make
them a home. But in December of that same
year, he died, leaving his widow with seven small
children to rear and support in the almost unbroken wilderness. She was, however, a woman
of resolute spirit and unfailing courage, and
gave herself to the task before her with commendable cheerfulness and energy. In time she
paid for the land and saw her children engaged
in useful occupations, well established in public
esteem and ranking among the useful and productive elements of society around her. Some
time after the death of her first husband she married with Thomas Partridge, who died two years
after the marriage, leaving one child, Thomas
Partridge. And a few years later she married
William Brant, who died soon after the wedding,
leaving her a widow for the third time. In religious belief she was a Quaker and strongly devoted to the faith. Her death occurred on December 5, I902.
Peleg Ash grew to manhood on the family
homestead, and aided in its cultivation. After
reaching years of maturity, in association with
his brother, John, he bought the interests of the
other heirs, and these two still own the place,
to which they have since added IOI acres by
purchase, aggregating now 201 acres. Mr. Ash
married in I863 Miss Ellen C. Decker, a daughter of Hiram and Harriet (Loomis) Decker, early
settlers in Jefferson township. Three children
have blessed their union, John H., James L. and
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Alwillda B., wife of E. H. Raymond. In politics Mr. Ash is a Republican, but not an active
partisan. He belongs to the Masonic order, and
both himself and wife are charter members of
the local grange of the Patrons of Husbandry,
No. 182, at Jefferson.
John W. Ash, a brother of Peleg, was born
in Lenawee county, Michigan, in 1845, and came
to Hillsdale county with the other members of
the family in 1852. He attained manhood on
the farm under the same circumstances as did
his brother, and, as he did, aided in its clearing
and in the carrying on of its operations under
the direction of their mother. He was married
in Hillsdale county, in I869, to Miss Cordelia J.
Decker, a sister of his brother's wife, and they
also have three children, Harriet E., wife of W.
M. Morgan; Lottie M., wife of B. L. Snyder;
William L. Originally Mr. Ash was a Whig in
politics, but when the party was superseded by
the Republican he joined the new organization
and has ever since been a true and loyal adherent
of its principles, giving to its candidates an earnest support, but seeking none of its favors for
himself. Both husband and wife are charter
members of the Jefferson grange, and Mr. Ash
is an active working member of the Masonic fraternity. He has a one-half interest in the home
farm, which he and his brother are carrying on
jointly with success and a cumulative prosperity.
JOHN O. BARRINGTON.
Crowned with the good record of more than
three score and ten years of useful life, fifty of
which have been passed in helping to civilize and
develop this county, and secure in the lasting
esteem and veneration of the residents here who
have seen the excellence of and shared in the
benefits of his labors, John O. Barrington, of
Cambria township, stands forth in the evening
of his days one of the best types of American citizenship, illustrating in his long and worthy service to mankind the most admirable attributes of
sterling manhood and elevated character. He
is a native of Somersetshire, England, where the
ancestors of his mother, whose maiden name was
Charlotte Barrington, lived for many generations, and where he was born on August 23,
1812. His father, Sydenham Barrington, was
born and reared in Devonshire, England, and was
a stonemason and bridgebuilder. Changing his
residence to Somersetshire, he there met and
married his wife, and, while his son and only
offspring, John 0., was yet in his infancy, he
was called from earth. His widow, by a second marriage, became the mother of two children, a son and a daughter. The family remained in their native land until I849, and there
Mr. Barrington learned the duties of life by experience, receiving only a limited education in
the public schools, which, however, he supplemented and enlarged by careful reading and study.
He entered zealously into the public affairs of his
country, taking an active interest in all that pertained to its welfare. He was an interested spectator of the coronation of Queen Victoria, and his
voice added to the tumultuous applause which
welcomed that glorious sovereign to her long
and beneficent reign. In 1849, the family, then
consisting of the mother, stepfather and three
children, came to this country and located near
Norwalk, in Huron county, Ohio. There Mr
Barrington was engaged in farming until 1853,
when he removed to this county and purchased
forty acres of land in Cambria township, being
a part of the farm on which he now lives, which
he has increased by sube.quent purchases to I I
acres. On his new domain, which was as yet nothing but the primeval forest, there was a log cabin, and, after two years of most diligent effort to
make the property habitable and productive, in
I855 he returned to Ohio, and there was united
in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Sparks, a native
of New York, but for years previous to her marriage a resident of Huron county, Ohio. They
became the parents of five children, who are now
living: George E.; Martha E., wife of Ira Snyder, of this county; Bertha B., wife of Clifford
Brown, of Cambria township; Mary A., wife of
M. Watkins, of Reading, this county; James L.,
living at home. At the venerable age of sixtythree years, their mother died on July I3, I895.
In politics Mr. Barrington has been a Repub
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
117
lican from the organization of that party, but
has never been an active partisan nor accepted
public office. For many years he and his family
have belonged to the Presbyterian church and
been potent elements in its works of beneficence
and charity. Among the people of Hillsdale
county no man is better known, or more highly
respected, than is this patriarch and pioneer and
none has more richly deserved an exalted place
in public esteem and confidence. With fidelity
and industry, without self-seeking or ostentation,
he has performed the daily duties of life found
ever at his elbow, being content.with the consciousness of doing his part well and worthily.
DR. WILFRED BATES.
One of the pioneer physicians of Hillsdale
county,. whose life was ever a full current of
active goodness, devoted to the service of his
fellow men and which closed amid universal sorrow and regret when he was sixty-five years of
age, Dr. Wilfred Bates, a native of the county,
was born two miles east of Hillsdale, on November I9, 1836. He was deeply and sincerely attached to the county. Within its borders his useful life began; among its people he lived and
labored until his spirit passed on to the activities
that know no weariness; in their midst he accumulated property of much value, being personally benefited by the operation of the forces of improvement and development he aided in starting
and sustaining; to their elements of moral, intellectual and social elevation he contributed a continued active support and the vitalizing influence
of a great example. [The Bates family of Massachusetts claim descent from Clement Bates,
the emigrant, of Weymouth, in 1838.] The parents of Dr. Wilfred Bates were Caleb and Maria
(White) Bates, who were both born and reared in
Massachusetts as farmers, coming to Michigan
about I834. Locating in Hillsdale county, they
entered government land and began the arduous,
but inspiring, labor of carving out a farm from
the primeval forest, which farm became their
permanent home and on which they died. The
Doctor's grandfather was also Caleb Bates, and
he, too, came to this county, and, full of years
and of esteem, here he passed away and was laid
to rest under its sod. Dr. Wilfred Bates was
the youngest of twelve children, only one of
whom is living, a sister who resides in the state
of New York.
The Doctor received his elementary and preliminary scholastic training in the good country
schools, and, after leaving them, had the advantage of a year passed in study at Hillsdale
College. He then entered the office of Dr. Franklin French as a medical student and remained
under his competent instruction for two years.
At the end of that period he passed one year at
the Ann Arbor Medical College, after which he
matriculated at Rush Medical College, Chicago,
and from that institution he was graduated in
I86o. He had, however, practiced prior to his
graduation, and, on leaving college, at once resumed professional activity at what was then
known as Ransom Center, in this county. There
he continued in a busy and increasing practice
until his death, on November I6, I89I, his practice and his business acumen making him a large
real-estate owner at his death, but, throughout
his life, he was attentive to every duty, with primary reference to the general good, rather than to
his personal benefit. In 1865, before the close of
the Civil War, he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, and started
to join his regiment for field duty, but was unable
to do this, being detained four months in hospital work at Nashville, Tennessee. He then
returned to his home and resumed his practice.
In I86I he was married to Miss Harriet Eggleston, a daughter of Bradford and Harriet (Hicks)
Eggleston, the former a native of England and
the latter of New York. Her father came to
the United States in infancy, and in I849 settled
in Lenawee county, this state, where he died.
Dr. and Mrs. Bates were the parents of three
children, two of whom are living, James W.,
one of the leading business men of Hillsdale,
and Glenn M., living at home with his mother,
who is still a resident of the city. The second
son, Rea W., who died in. early manhood, was
a graduate of the Detroit Medical College and
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
for eighteen months before his death practiced
in association with his father. Doctor Bates was
an ardent Republican, but never accepted public
office. He belonged to the State Medical Sociey and to other kindred organizations. He
was also a Freemason and an Odd Fellow.
WARNER J. SAMPSON.
Warner J. Sampson, one of the oldest and
most successful lawyers at the Hillsdale bar, is a
native of this county, born on August 27, I847.
His parents were John W. and Mary (Couriwright) Sampson, natives of Wayne county, New
York, pioneers of 1844 in Michigan. Prosperous
farmers they continued in active management of
their farm until I865, when they retired from active pursuits and took up their residence at Hillsdale, where the father died in I892 and the mother
is now living at the age of eighty years. Mr.
Sampson's paternal grandfather was Newland
Sampson, of New York state, who learned and
worked at his trade as a carpenter for a number
of years, then entered the ministry in the Methodist church, and, during a large part of the rest
of his life, was actively engaged in preaching at
various places. He came to this cotiMty in I855,
remained ten years, removed to Porter county,
Ind., and again worked at his trade and also
preached at times. He had a large family of sons
and daughters, all of whom are deceased, one
son losing his life at the terrible battle of the
Wilderness in the Civil War. Mr. Sampson himself had two sisters, one of whom is dead, and the
other lives in the state of Alabama.
Warner J. Sampson was educated in the public schools of this county and at Hillsdale College, entering this institution in I860, when he
was but little more than twelve years old. In
I865 he began business for himself as a grocer
and he continued in this line of mercantile life
for four or five years. In I87I he started a cigar
factory in partnership association with H. H.
Frankinfield, which he helped to conduct until
I873, when the firm was dissolved and he went
to Kansas, soon thereafter moving to southern
Indiana, where he remained until I875. He then
returned to Michigan, and, locating at Marcellus,
in Cass county, began the study of law under the
direction of Judge Carr, the present circuit judge
of that county, was admitted to practice at the
Cass county bar in I879, and continued professional labors in. that county until 1890, when he
came back t6 Hillsdale county. In I89I he was
appointed patent clerk in the office of the Secretary of State, but, while he held this position,
he continued to practice law at Hillsdale. In October, I897, the firm of Sampson & Barre was
formed and was continued until October, I902,
when Mr. Barre retired. Fred O'Melay was then
admitted to a partnership in the business, wnich
is still in active life and practice, with Mr. Sampson at its head, a large body of patrons in its clientele and a rank at the bar that is second to none.
In politics Mr. Sampson is an ardent Democrat, devoted to the interests of his party, eloquent
and forceful in advocacy of its cause. He is a
captivating and convincing speaker, a strong
reasoner, a shrewd and resourceful tactician, an
effective organizer; he has been the candidate of
his party for the office of prosecuting attorney
and for other positions, but has always led a forlorn hope, going to defeat because of the large
Republican majority in the county. In I867 he
was married to Miss Emma J. Allison, who died
in I89I. They had three children, of whom but
one, their daughter, Jessie M., wife of C. J.
Bradt, of Marcellus, is living. Their two sons,
Edward and Wilford, died in 1879, one aged
seven and the other nine years. Mr. Sampson's
second marriage was to Miss Mary E. Avery, a
native of this state, and occurred in 1893. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity in both lodge and
chapter organizations, is also an Odd Fellow and
Knight of Pythias.
HON. HENRY WALDRON.
Among the men who were foremost in helping to develop the rich resources of southern
Michigan and lifting it into prominence as one of
the rising communities of the West, none has a
more enviable record or is entitled to a higher regard than Hon. Henry Waldron. As a civil en
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I9
gineer in his early manhood, a promoter and de- house of the State Legislature, and, in I848, he
veloper of industrial and transportation enter- was one of the electors on the Taylor and Fillprises, a banker and financier, a judicious and more ticket. In 1854 he was chosen to represent
broad-minded dealer in real estate, a public serv- his district in the National House of Representaant of distinguished ability and usefulness, he tives, and was thereafter twice reelected to this
stands forth in each field of service, conspicuous exalted position, serving six consecutive years
in the admiration and esteem of the whole people, at that time. His service covered a most imporwho venerate his memory with a full and unre- tant period in our history and he met the requireserved respect. He was born on October I, ments of the situation in a masterful manner, givI8I9, at Albany, N. Y., where his father was a ing his constituents great satisfaction while their
prominent and a successful merchant, who died representative.
when his son was but thirteen years old. The In I868 Mr. Waldron was a delegate from
latter was, however, carefully educated, pursuing Michigan to the National Republican Convention,
his studies at the Albany Academy until he was which nominated General Grant the first time for
fifteen, then entering Rutger's College, from the presidency, and was the Michigan vice-presiwhich he was duly graduated two years later. In dent of the body. In 1870 he was again elected to
1837 he came to Michigan, which had just then Congress, then serving three consecutive terms
assumed the dignity of statehood, and he was at in the great legislative assembly, in 1876, declinonce employed as a civil engineer in the prelimin- ing a fourth term, on account of his pressing priary surveys of the Michigan Southern Railroad. vate business. In the exalted forum, wherein he
He remained in the service of this enterprise un- was so long a conspicuous figure, he displayed the
til the completion of the road, after which he took same manly qualities of courage, stability, enterup his residence at Hillsdale and continued to prise, industry and masterful grasp of conditions,
live in that city until his death. Deeply interest- that made him so successful in his private busied in the development of this section of the state, ness, and to his public duties he gave as consciforeseeing with the clearness of vision for which entious and devoted care and serviceable attenhe was noted through life, its possibilities in a tion as he bestowed on his personal affairs. He
commercial and industrial way, in I843 he built so bore himself in public life that he won and reand operated the first warehouse on the line of the tained the lasting respect of his political opponrailroad, and, from I846 to 1848, served the road ents as well as the cordial esteem of his aids and
as a director. He was also active in the con- supporters. In all her brilliant history Michigan
struction of the Detroit; Hillsdale & Southwest- has never had a more zealous, high-minded, faithern Railroad rendering service as its first presi- ful, or a more upright representative in the halls
dent. He was one of the founders of the Second of Congress, a more energetic, far-seeing or capaNational Bank of Hillsdale. He conducted its af- ble business man or a more public spirited, progfairs as its president from its organization until ressive or patriotic citizen. Mr. Waldron was
1876, when he became president of the First Na- married on July I8, I844, to Miss Caroline M.
tional Bank, a position which he held until his Bard, a native of Port Byron, N. Y., in Hillsdale.
death. The interests of this bank and his large She was a daughter of Joseph and Phoebe (Hazreal-estate operations engaged his time and facul- zard) Bard, also natives of New York, who came
ties almost exclusively in a business way during to Michigan in the fall of I843. Settling at Hillsthe closing years of his life. dale, her father engaged in the milling business.
In politics Mr. Waldron was first a Whig. He died in I849, while crossing the plains on his
When that party yielded place to the Republican, way. to California. His wife died in Hillsdale
he joined the new organization, adopting its prin- in I885. Mr. and Mrs. Waldron had one child,
ciples with earnestness, and he adhered to them which died in infancy. Mr. Waldron died on
loyally through life. In 1842, when but twenty- September 13, i880, and his ivife passed away
three years of age, he was elected to the lower from earth on March 22, 1889.
~ ~g,_,~;
I20
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
WILLIAM WALDRON.
The strong, true men of a people are always
public benefactors. Their usefulness in the immediate and specific labors they perform can be
defined by metes and bounds. The good they do
through the forces they put in motion and
through the inspiration of their presence and example, is immeasurable by any finite gauge or
by any standard of value. The death of any one
of such men is a public calamity, because by it the
country loses not only his active energy, but the
stimulus and fecundating power of his present
personal influence. There is, however, some
compensation for this loss in the memory of his
services, the effect of his example, and the continuing fruitfulness of the activities he quickened
into life. The late William Waldron, of Hillsdale, was such a man. To fully tell the story of
his life and describe his character within the limits which this work allows is impossible to mortal utterance. The most that can be done within
the allotted compass is to briefly epitomize the salient points and leave to inference the coloring of
the narrative.
Mr. Waldron was a native of Albany, N. Y.,
born in November, I824, and his death occurred
at the Cleveland Water Cure Sanitarium on December ii, I877. Yet, although he fell beneath
the fatal shaft at the comparatively early age of
fifty-three, the record of his achievements in a
public way and in private life is one of which
many an octogenarian would be proud. It so
impressed the age and body of his time, thatnotwithstanding more than a quarter of a century
of time has passed since he surrendered his trust
at the behest of the Great Disposer, his memory
still lingers as a fragrant and living potency in
the business world, of which he was in life so essential a part, and his influence on mercantile and
fiscal conditions is still felt and heeded. He was
reared and educated in his native city, and, in
I843, came to Hillsdale as a young man of nineteen years. For a time he was here employed as
a clerk in a commission warehouse owned and
operated by his brother. Subsequently, in partnership with Chatncey W. Ferris, he conducted
a merchandising business for a few years. In
I850 he purchased the interest of his partner and
formed a new firm in association with James B.
Baldy. They continued the business along the
same lines as heretofore conducted, and it steadily increased in volume and value, until this firm
controlled the largest trade in the county, embracing in its sweep not only operations in general
merchandising, as the term is usually understood,
but also' extensive dealings in wool, wheat and
various other commodities. In I86o these enterprising gentlemen closed out their mercantile industry, and, three years later, organized the First
National Bank of Hillsdale, with Mr. Waldron as
president and Mr. Baldy as cashier.
The banking business was more in accordance.
with the tastes and the genius of Mr. Waldron.
Giving this institution his close and careful personal attention, he established it firmly on a broad
basis of sound business principles, inspiring its
management with a spirit of liberality, breadth
and progressiveness that soon made it a potent
factor in the commercial world of the community
and laid all the surrounding country under tribute to its prosperity. To the day of his death,
Mr. Waldron continued to manage and direct its
policy as its president, keeping it ever in the front
rank of banking institutions, enlarging its scope'
and multiplying its functions to meet the requirements of every new condition in the domains of
finance, exhibiting also in a marked degree all of
the attributes of a prompt, positive, upright and
inflexible business man. It was one of his invariable rules to settle all disputes in business out
of couht, if that were possible without a sacrifice
of principle or of honor; in consequence of this
rule he presented the remarkable example of a
man actively engaged in business on an enormous
scale for a period of thirty years without ever
being himself, or having any establishment with
which he was connected, either a plaintiff or a defendant in a legal proceeding of any kind.
Mr. Waldron was twice married, in 1848 to
Miss Mary Moon, of Lima, Ind.; in I874 to Miss
Carrie Osband, of Cleveland, Ohio. At his death
he left a widow and three children as his survivors. His private life was as beautiful as his busi
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
121
ness career was successful and productive. He
was liberal in support of public enterprises and
private charity, and, if royal often in dispensing
his bounty, he was likewise princely in the silence
he maintained concerning it. In friendships he
was firm, loyal and enduring; in social life an
ornament and an inspiration to society; at his domestic hearth he was the soul of hospitality, the
compass and the anchor of the family, the exemplar and sustenance of every moral and educational force. No man of his day stood higher
in public estimation, none was more cordially esteemed in the circles of personal friendship; none
had a cleaner record in business, none a more exalted ideal in private character.
EDWARD BAILY.
For fifty-seven years a resident of this county
in Litchfield township, for seventeen years an
efficient supervisor of the township, Edward Baily
has been a potent force in the development
and progress of the county and is widely known
and respected as one of its makers and builders.
He is a native of Orleans county, New York,
born on December 9, I842, the son of William
and Sarah (Weed) Baily, the former English
by nativity, born and reared in Somersetshire,
and the latter a product of Eairfield county, Connecticut, who first saw the light of this world at
Stamford. The father was a farmer in Connecticut, whither he came as a young man, and later
in New York. In I844 he brought his young
family to the wilds of Michigan, armed with a
resolute heart and high hopes of future competence and consequence, furnished with the energy, persistence and the capability to win his way
even through the hard conditions of frontier life
with its inevitable privations, dangers and constant calls for stern endurance. He located first
in Scipio township in this county, but, after a residence of two years in that location, removed to
Litchfield township, where he settled on forty
acres of wild land which he purchased, it being a
part of the highly developed and well-improved
farm on which his son, Edward, now resides.
As he got his land cleared and under cultivation he purchased additional tracts until he
owned 115 acres, and, at the time of his death,
he had all of this in a good state of fertility, provided with comfortable buildings and with other
improvements. His life ended in I885, that of
his widow in I898. They had three children,
two sons and one daughter, of whom Edward and
one sister, Mrs. A. H. Knapp, are residents of
Hillsdale county. The maternal grandfather,
Ebenezer Weed, was a soldier in the Revolution,
who upheld the family name with credit on many
bloody battlefields of the memorable struggle for
Independence. Since his day, whether in peace
or war, the representatives of both sides of the
house, wherever they have been found, have sustained the cause of their country and aided materially in the promotion of its best interests.
Edward Baily grew to manhood on his father's farm and assisted in clearing and cultivating it, having the usual allowance of opportunity
enjoyed by country boys in his day and section
for common-school advantages, and, it must be
said to his credit, that he made good use of
them. At the death of his father he inherited
the farm, on which he has since lived, adding to
its extent from time to time by purchase, until it
comprises 206 acres of excellent land, adding
also to its value otherwise, by careful and progressive husbandry, until it has become one of
the most desirable and complete fa-rm homes in
this part of the county. He was married in Monroe county, New York, in I869, to Miss Lucinda
Fuller, a daughter of Holloway H. and Miriam
B. (Watson) Fuller, prominent farmers who
lived and died in New York, where the father
was born and whither the mother moved from
her native state of Maine. Mr. and Mrs. Baily
have one child, their daughter, Marion. While
he has been a lifelong Republican in political
faith, true and loyal to his party, and, while he
has a deep and abiding interest in public affairs
involving the welfare of the community, Mr.
Bailey has not sought office; he has, however, on
occasion consented to serve the township and
county in important places, and has served it
well. He was for ten years a justice of the
peace and for seventeen a supervisor, and in both
122. HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
positions contributed materially to the preservation of law and order among the people and the
advancement and elevation of their best interests
in every way. He very capably served as chairman of the county board of supervisors for several years, also being the president of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company of Hillsdale
county for a definite length of time. In fraternal relations he has for many years been a member of the Masonic lodge at Jonesville. As hI
has been one of the most serviceable citizens of
the township, so he is now one of the most respected for his ability and worth.
DR. LESTER R. WATKINS.
The pen of the biographer has seldom a more
engaging theme than the life story of a good citizen who has grown old in the service of his people, and has lived to see the fruit of his labors
in their prosperity and happiness and the established success of valued public institutions, to
whose creations and development he has essentially contributed. Such a theme is presented in the
career of Dr. Lester R. Watkins, one of the pioneer physicians of Hillsdale county, who departed
this life on February 4, I880, after a successful
practice of his profession of over thirty-four years
in Allen township. He was a native of Hopewell, Ontario county, New York, born on September 3, I821, a son of.Ephraim and Deborah
(Whitney) Watkins, natives of Massachusetts,
who spent the last years of their life in the place
of his birth. His father was a farmer and the
family consisted of three sons and six daughters.
One daughter, Mrs. Susan Metcalf, of Rochester,
New York, is still living. His son, Lester, was
a student by nature and manifested his bent early
in life. After leaving the primary schools of
his native town he entered Canandaigua Academy, and upon the completion of his course there
he began the study of medicine under the capable direction of Doctor Holden, of Hopewell.
Before he was twenty-one years of age he
entered Geneva (N. Y.) Medical College, and in
1846 he was graduated from that institution with
the degree of M. D. He located in Hillsdale
county, Michigan, at Allen, made that place his
home for the rest of his life, and, throughout
all of the surrounding country, he was soon well
known as an energetic and skillful physician and
surgeon, finding himself favorably launched on
the flood tide of a large and successful practice.
He was a close and thoughtful student, an attentive and discriminating observer, a resourceful
and intelligent practitioner. Throughout his
entire life he was faithful to every duty, holding
broad and progressive views in reference to the
development and moral standard of the community in which he had cast his lot. Churches, schools,
all educational and moral forces, received his
earnest and active support, while in social life he
was genial and companionable to such an extent that his presence was ever a stimulus to good
humor and the better and loftier aspirations of
the human mind. The literature of his profession
enlisted his continual and studious interest, as
did the organizations formed among his professional brethren for the purposes of mutual benefit
and the common good, which were aided and elevated by his active membership and the valued
contributions he drew from his extensive experience and ripe judgment.
Doctor Watkins belonged to the county and
state medical societies and was a zealous and
useful member also of the Tri-State Medical
Association. In politics he was an unwavering Republican, and, although not an active
partisan, he took great interest in the public local
affairs. He served as the township clerk for
many years, being wise in counsel and diligent
in his action in behalf of every public enterprise. He was a charter member of the Masonic lodge at Allen, in which he kept up his
active membership to the day of his death. His
early practice was in a wild, unbroken country,
with bridle paths and Indian trails as the only
thoroughfares of travel in many places, and over
these for long years he rode on horseback day after day, in all weathers and under all kinds of trying circumstances. Through the exposure to
which he was thus subjected he contracted a
chronic rheumatism, the disease ending his life
at the age of nearly sixty years, reaching and paralyzing his heart in one of its acute attacks.
On April 27, I852, at the home of the bride
--- - -; c
0
0
*43,.110
W
HJLLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I23
at Gorham, Ontario county, N. Y., Doctor Watkins married with Miss Zeruah W. Pickett, a
daughter of Ansel and Charlotte (St. John) Pickett, the former a native of Litchfield, Connecticut,
and the latter of Saratoga county, New York.
After their marriage her parents settled at Gorham, subsequently removing to Phelps, in the
same county, where the father died in I866. The
mother then divided her time between the home
of Mrs. Watkins and that of a daughter at Rochester, N. Y., dying at the Watkins home in Allen township, Michigan, on June 3, i88i.
MRS. ZERUAH W. (PICKETT) WATKINS was
born at Gorham, Ontario county, New York, May
3, I826, where the earlier years of her life were
spent. On April 27, 1852, she was given in marriage to Doctor Watkins, and she came directly to
Allen, where the remainder of her life was passed
at her well-known home. Two children were
born to Doctor and Mrs. Watkins; one a son, died
in infancy; the other, Charlotte A., at the age of
four years. On the evening of November 9, I902,
Mrs. Watkins.suffered her second stroke of paralysis, from which she made some progress
toward recovery. On December 26, the third
stroke fell upon the afflicted lady, and from this
she had not strength sufficient to rally, gradually
losing her hold upon life, until the evening of January 27, I903, when the worn and weary spirit
left its tenement of clay, to be "forever with the
Lord." During the long weeks of her last sickness, Mrs. Watkins was tenderly cared for by her
only niece, Mrs. Josie Bainbridge Maynard, who
chanced to be with her aunt when the blow fell
upon her, and later, by her only sister, Mrs. L.
H. Haskins, of Morgantown, North Carolina, and
also by her lifelong friend, Mrs. M. L. Wyrick,
of Saginaw, and Mrs. Watkins' faithful companion, Mrs. Jane Hamburg. The only brother, J.
H. Pickett, of Geneva, New York, was unable
to be present at the bedside of his sister, owing
to his own bodily affliction, from paralysis. Funeral services were held at the Baptist church
on Saturday, January 31, conducted by Rev. R.
J. Lobb, a former pastor, assisted by Rev. Jordan, the choir rendering the appropriate selections in a manner befitting the occasion. The re
mains were tenderly laid at rest in Allen village
cemetery, beside those of her beloved companion,
who passed suddenly to the Great Beyond twenty-three years ago. The casket was literally covered with floral offerings of exceptional beauty,
the flowers the deceased so loved in life. Soon
after her removal to Allen, Mrs. Watkins was
received into the membership of the Baptist
church, and since that time her first thought, outside of her own home, was for the church of
her choice and the tender memory and fragrance
of her quiet, Christian life rests like a benediction over the community.
THE CITIZENS BANK OF ALLEN.
The Citizens Bank of Allen, Michigan, was
founded in I893, by F. A. Roethlisberger and
conducted by him as a private banking institution until June, I902. He then disposed of it to
William N. Benge, who has since carried on
its business in the same manner and on the same
basis. It is one of the well-known and firmly established financial institutions of Hillsdale county, having a high reputation for the accommodating spirit which pervades it and for the success and vigor with which its affairs are conducted.
Mr. Benge is a native of Allen township,
where he is doing an extensive business in several lines, and he was reared and educated within its borders. He was born on June 26, I868,
one of the eleven children of his parents, eight
of whom are living, four sons and four daughters, and all of the sons are residents of Hillsdale
and Branch counties. His parents are John and
Mary A. (Goldsmith) Benge, natives of Kent
county, England, who came to the United States
in I850, and, after a residence of four years in
the state of New York, moved to Hillsdale county, Michigan, settling in Allen township. Receiving a sunstroke on a hot summer day, the
father was obliged to retire from all active labor,
and is now living in quiet retirement in Allen
township, surviving his wife, who died in I882.
His son, William N. Benge, began life for himself as a clerk for Messrs. Hill & Roethlisberger,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
124
remaining in the employ of Mr. Roethlisberger
seven years. He then engaged in merchandising
on his own account in association with F. A.
Wagner, under the firm name of Benge & Wagner. This firm was in business three years, and,
at the end of that time, Mr. Wagner sold his interest to Mr. Roethlisberger and the firm name
was changed to Benge & Co., and so continued
for five years, when Mr. Wagner became a partner, the firm from that time being Benge & Wagner again. This business is in no way connected
with the bank, but both interests are conducted
with the energy which has ever characterized Mr.
Benge's operations. He is also a director in
the First State Savings-Bank of Hillsdale, and
has interests in other financial and mercantile
enterprises. Mr. Benge married in this county
in I889 with Miss May E. Raplee, a native of
the county and a daughter of Andrew J. and
Rebecca Raplee, who were early settlers in this
part of the state. Their union has been blessed
with two children, A. J., who died in infancy, and
Wilhelmina.
HORACE BOW.
For nearly sixty years a resident of Hillsdale
county, during all that period being earnestly
and actively interested in the growth and development of this section, Horace Bow, of Cambria township, is justly held in high esteem as
one of the forceful pioneers of Southern Michigan, as one whose life has been a benefaction to
the state, and is well worthy of honorable mention in any narrative of the doings and achievements of the progressive men of this portion of
her domain. He was born in York, Livingston
county, New York, on March 2, I816, the son
of Charles and Lydia (Bills) Bow, natives of
Pittsfield, Mass., where the father was a prosperous farmer of that section and time. About
the year I8I5 he moved to New York and there
remained until I843, when he came to this county and purchased I60 acres of land in Jefferson
township, which he partially cleared, and on
which he lived until his death, two years later, on
April 7, I845, he having survived his wife twelve
years, her death occurring in New York in I833.
Their family consisted of four sons and three
daughters, all now deceased, except Horace. His
grandfather was a native of Massachusetts, who
farmed in that state for a number of years, then
moved to Livingston county, New York, where
he died in the fullness of years.
Horace Bow grew to manhood and was educated in New York, remaining there until he
was twenty-three years old. In the autumn of
I840 he made a trip to Michigan, traveling on
the Erie canal to Buffalo, from that city across.
Lake Erie to Toledo, occupying six days in the
voyage. He journeyed by rail from Toledo to
Adrian, from there by stage to Tecumseh, where
he spent the winter. After a short visit to Ypsilanti he returned to New York, but in 1844 he
came to reside permanently in this state and purchased a tract of uncultivated and unimproved
land in Jefferson township, which he partially
cleared and made his residence for two years.
He then moved to Pittsford township, where he
cleared a farm on which he lived until 1862, in
I86o making a trip to California for his health.
From Pittsford township he moved to Cambria
in 1862 and settled on the farm, which has ever
since been his home, and which was partially improved when he bought it. This he has since
greatly impraved and has brought to a very high
state of cultivation, making it one of the most
attractive and desirable country homes of the
township.
In 1845, he was married to Miss Cynthia
Turner, a daughter of Delonza and Orissia
(Rush) Turner, natives of Massachusetts, who
removed to New York in early life, and, in I836,
became residents of Adams township in this
county, where the father died in I848 and the
mother in I88I. Of the children born to Mr.
and Mrs. Bow, their son, Charles, is deceased,
and their daughter, Ella, is the wife of Wills
D. Osborne, of Cambria township. Mr. Bow is
an old-time Democrat, with unwavering fidelity
to the principles of his party. Mrs. Bow is a devout and active member of the Methodist church.
Both are valued members of society and most
highly respected in all parts of the county.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I25
EPHRAIM W. BENSON.
With a martial spirit in his ancestry, who
dfew in love of liberty with the very air they
breathed in the Green Mountain region of Vermont, which showed itself on the maternal side
in Ethan Allen, the very renowned Revolutionary
hero, who was one of her progenitors, and on
the paternal side in his father, who was a veteran of the War of 1812, twice wounded in that
contest, it is not strange that Ephraim W. Benson, of Pittsford township, should have shouldered his musket at the call of his country for
volunteers in the defense of the Union when
armed resistance threatened its continuance, to go
forward to the front in the greatest war of modern times, although he is essentially a man of peace
and his life has otherwise been devoted to its
productive and peaceful industries. He was born
in Ontario county, New York, at the town of
Richmond, on April 23, 1835, his parents being
David and Clara (Briggs) Benson, natives of
Vermont, who were born and reared near Rutland in that state. The father was a farmer and
also a soldier in the U. S. regular army for a period of five years, which covered the time occupied in the second War with England. During that struggle with the mother country he
was in active service all of the time, fighting gallantly wherever occasion required, sealing his devotion to the cause with his blood on the field
of Chippewa, where he was shot in the side, and
again on that of Lundy's Lane, where he received
another serious wound. After the close of his
military service, he settled in Vermont, where
he married, and where three of his children, Allen, Joshua and Adelia, were born. Five other
children were born in New York after his removal to that state, Chloe J., Rhoda F., Ephrair. W.,
Emory W. and David. All are now deceased,
excepting Joshua, IEphraim and David. Their
mother died in New York in 1843, and twenty
years later, in I863, the father came to Michigan,
where he ended his days at the home of his
eldest son, in Barry county, dying there in I866
or 1867.
Ephraim W. Benson remained at the New
York home of the family in his native county
until he reached the age of nineteen, assisting
in the duties of the farm, gathering strength and
suppleness of body, acquiring habits of industry
and thrift, and attending the schools of the vicinity, where he secured a limited education. In
1854 he started out to inake his own way in the
world, coming to this state and, soon after his
arrival, locating in Pittsford township, where he
worked as a farm hand for four years. On September 28, 1858, he married with Miss Elizabeth
Clement, and, about the time of his marriage, he
purchased forty acres of land, now a part of
his present farm. He, however, remained with
his father-in-law, Mr. Christopher Clement, until
I862, and assisted in the work on the productive
farm of that prominent and honored citizen of
Pittsford township, who was born in the town of
Root, now Canajoharie, Montgomery county,
New York, and came with his parents to this
county in I836, where he became a potential factor in the development and improvement of the
township, and a power of great service in pushing forward every line of fruitful energy in this
section, all of his efforts being ably aided by his
energetic and diligent wife, whose maiden name
was Alice Fish, and to whom he was married on
September 28, I837. They became the parents
of four children, Mrs. Benson; Henry, who lives
in Chicago; Kate, wife of Robert Stewart, of
Anderson county, Kansas; and Eveline, widow of Philo Long, of Pittsford township. Mrs.
Benson is a niece of Cornelius Clement, an account of whose life appears on another page.
Instead of settling on his farm, as he intended to do, Mr. Benson enlisted in August, I862,
in the Union army, as a member of Co. A, Eighteenth Michigan Infantry, which became a part
of the Army of the Cumberland. His first baptism of fire came at Cincinnati, where his regiment was a part of the force employed in repelling the invasion of Ohio by Gen. Kirby
Smith. He afterward saw active service in the
campaigns in Alabama, participated in the battles of Decatur and Athens in that state, in that
of Danville, Kentucky, and in many others in
that part of the country; but much of his time
126
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
was passed on detached duty as a teamster and
a dispatch carrier. He served to the close of
the war, and after his discharge returned to this
county and settled on his farm, where he has
since resided, in the cultivation and improvement
of which his energies have been continuously employed. He has added to his domain until it now
numbers I40 acres, improved it with good buildings of every needed kind, until, in condition of
tillage and character and completeness of equipment, it is one of the best in the township. His
family consists of four children, Clara D., wife
of Charles Voorhees, of Grand Rapids; Alice,
wife of Frank Preston, of Chicago; Leroy and
Bina, who are living at home. The last named
married with Miss Anna Driscol, of North Adams, and they have one son, Otis Benson. A
Republican in political affiliation, Mr. Benson has
served five years as the township treasurer, several years as highway commissioner, and also
several on the board of review. He is a member
of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the
Patrons of Husbandry. Both Mr. and Mrs. Benson are regular attendants at the services of the
Free Baptists.
JOHN BOWDITCH.
John Bowditch, of Jefferson township, where
he conducts one of the most attractive and best
managed farms in this portion of the county,
is a brother of Charles G. Bowditch, a sketch of
whom also appears in this work, and the son of
i\ichael and Charlotte (Trivett) Bowditch, natives of England, where he was born on February
I5, I844. His native place was Devonshire,
where his parents were then living, and where
he remained until he was thirteen years of age.
In I857 he came to the United States in company
with a cousin. They landed in New York and
went direct to Canada, where they were met by
an uncle, William Trivett, who brought.Mr.
Bowditch to this county. The young emigrant
made his home with his uncle, attending school
in the winter and working on the farm at other
times, for fourteen years. His uncle made him
a present of eighty acres of land, which, at that
time, cost $I,8o0, which he still owns, and which
was his home for a number of years, until he
purchased the farm on which he now resides.
He owns a tract of 400 acres, all well-improved
and in an advanced state of cultivation. Thirty
years ago he began dealing in stock, and he has
increased his operations in this industry until his
average sales are now from thirty to forty carloads a year. He has also given special attention
to the breeding of Shorthorn cattle and PolandChina hogs, and in this field has been very successful, winning high commendation and a
ready market for his product, becoming by study
and observation an acknowledged authority on
all matters pertaining to these breeds of stock.
Mr. Bowditch was married, on February II,
I869, to Miss Elizabeth Viele, a daughter of
Abraham and Eleanor (Schermerhorn) Viele,
both natives of New York. Her father came to
Michigan in 1835 and entered a tract of I60 acres
of government land in Wheatland township, this
county, and in I837 he built a log house on the
place and moved his family into it, and then began the clearing up of the farm to make it habitable and productive. He was a carpenter and
found plenty of work at his craft in building
houses and barns for the new settlers. By diligence and persistent effort, he succeeded in clearing I30 acres of his land before his death, which
occurred at the home of his son-in-law in I891.
His wife preceded him to the Silent Land more
than a quarter of a century, passing away in
I865. They had six children, all now deceased,
except Mrs. Bowditch and one son. One of her
brothers died while a soldier in the Civil War,
from the effects of a wound received in attacking
a Kentucky town. Mr. and Mrs. Bowditch have
two sons, Burton A. and John Bowditch, Jr.
They also had a daughter, Mabel, who died
some years ago. She was the wife of Dr. Clarence W. Harris, of Allen, this county, and left a
son of the same name, who makes his home with
Mr. Bowditch. In political faith Mr. Bowditch
has always been an active and zealous Republican. He served for years on the county central
committee of his party, and for two terms was
the township treasurer. He belongs to the Patrons of Husbandry and has been the treasurer
of his grange for fifteen years, and during the
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
127
same length of time Mrs. Bowditch has been its
lecturer. She is also a member of the Baptist
church at Hillsdale. Both are highly esteemed
throughout the township, and elsewhere in the
county where they are known, being among the
most respectable and substantial citizens of this
part of the state, well deserving by their upright
and progressive lives the estimation in which
they are held.
THEODORE P. CARBINE.
Cambria township is indebted to the great
state of New York for many of her most progressive and highly respected families. Among
the number is Theodore P. Carbine, now living
near the village of Cambria, who was born in
that state, in Cayuga county, on April 29, I828.
His parents were Horace and Clara (Harrington) Carbine, also New Yorkers by birth. The
father was a farmer and came with his family to
Michigan in I849, where he settled on a tract of
I60 acres of land in Woodbridge township, this
county, which he had purchased three years before. His land was all in a state of nature at
the time, and he began operations in the effort
to make a home of it by building a plank house,
20x30 feet in dimensions, and also clearing a
small tract. In February, I850, death ended
his labors, and left the land for his widow and
children to clear and occupy, which they did.
The mother died in 1877, after a hard struggle,
ending in comfort and peace, being in full enjoyment of the respect and regard of all her
neighbors. Eight children of the large family,
four sons and three daughters, grew to maturity,
and of these only three are now living, Theodore
being the only one who resides in Hillsdale county. The grandfather, Zebulon Carbine, a native
of New York, was a farmer and sawmill man,
who was killed in raising a barn on January I,
I800. His father, Francis Carbine, was a soldier
in the French and American armies during the
American Revolution. He left his native France
for this country at the close of the French Revolution, in which he participated and was an officer. He died in I795, having resume4 the prac
tice of his profession, the law, in America, after
our independence was established. The spirit
of patriotism which imbued him has been in the
family ever since. The father of Theodore was
a soldier in the War of I812. and'all members of
the family for generations have manifested a
deep and serviceable interest in the welfare of
their country.
Theodore P. Carbine was educated in the
public schools of Ohio, where he was reared, his
parents having moved to that state when he was
a child of five years. He accompanied them to
Michigan in I849, here assisted in clearing the
farm and making it habitable and productive,
taking charge of it after his father's death and
aiding his mother in rearing the younger members of the family. He now owns a portion of
the home farm, but makes his home in the village
of Cambria. In 1853. he was married, in this
county, to Miss Susan M. Fitzsimmons, a daughter of Thomas Fitzsimmons, one of the respected
pioneers of Wheatland township. She died in
March. I900, and he married a second time on
December 22, 1901, being then united with Miss
Cora Colburn, a native of Vermont. He is a Republican in politics, but has never taken an active
part in the campaigns of his party. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, zealous
in the service of the organization. Having come
to the county when it was in a state of primeval
wilderness and passing the whole of his subsequent life within its borders, he has witnessed
its progress to its present splendid development
and noted all the stages of the advance. At every
stage he has been at hand to aid in promoting
all good enterprises and giving proper trend and
his aid to public sentiment and the spirit of improvement.
CHARLES BOWDITCH.
This prominent Jefferson township farmer is
a native of Somersetshire, England, born on October IO, 1848. His parents were Michael and
Charlotte (Trivett) Bowditch, of the same nativity as himself, descended from families long
resident in that part of England. The father
128
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
was a dairyman, and passed his life in his native
land, dying there in 1882. The mother lives in
Hillsdale, this county. They had three sons and
four daughters, all now living but one, and all
are residents of this county, except one daughter,
who lives in England.
Charles Bowditch passed the first sixteen
years of his life in England, where he was educated in the schools of that country. In I865 he
came to the United States and joined his uncle,
William Trivett, in Hillsdale county. Some years
were passed at the home of his uncle and in his
employ, and then, in 1873, Mr. Bowditch married Miss Sylvia Blunt, a daughter of Avery
and Phoebe Blunt, who were among the earliest
settlers in the county. Her mother how resides
at Osseo, in Jefferson township. After his marmiage, Mr. Bowditch rented his uncle's farm
and subsequently became its owner. It comprises 240 acres of excellent land, well improved
with good buildings, which has been brought by
skillful cultivation to a high state of productiveness. Mr. and Mrs. Bowditch have two children,
their sons, Fred A. and Trivett. The father is
a Republican in politics, a firm believer in the
principles of the party and cordially interested in
its welfare, but he is not an active partisan and
has never consented to accept an office. He is
an interested member of both the Masonic fraternity and of the Patrons of Husbandry. His
wife is also a member of the Congregational
church. They are among the most highly esteemed citizens of the township.
WILLIAM A. CARPENTER.
William A. Carpenter, of Bankers Station, in
Cambria township, is one of the leading business
men of this portion of the state, as its pioneer
merchant, building and conducting the first general store in this section, which he opened in
I874 and still manages, and erecting the first
residence of consequence in the village. He has
had an eventful career, covering many lines of
active usefulness, therein sustaining with credit
the name and reputation won by an ancestry running back in this country to old Colonial times.
distinguished then and ever since in everv commendable walk of life. His grandfather was
in the War of 1812. His great-grandfather was
Elijah Carpenter, a soldier of great bravery and
serviceable to the American army as a musician
'in the war of 1812. His great-grandfather was
Jesse Carpenter, a Revolutionary hero in a
Massachusetts regiment, who fought gallantly
against both the British and their Indian allies
in many a hard-fought and sanguinary battle.
On the field of Bennington his wife, a woman
of great courage and resolution, having safely
bestowed her children in a wagon in the woods,
carried water to the soldiers, and in many other
ways ministered to their comfort and to that of
the wounded and dying. In I800 they moved to
Madison county, New York, there reared their
family, and, in the fullness of time, passed away,
Jesse dying at the home of his grandson, William Carpenter, at the age of ninety-six. William Carpenter, father of William A., of this review, was born in Rensselaer county, New York,
on February 5, I801, and attained manhood in
Madison county and was married to Nancy Burden, a native of Lanesboro, Massachusetts, of
good Scotch ancestry. There their two children
were born, reared and educated, one being their
son, William A. Carpenter, whose life began on
January 30, 1832, and the other a daughter, who
is now deceased; and there also they died and
were laid to rest. The father was a man of fine
physique and possessed a giant's strength. He
had a rich fund of worldly wisdom and common
sense, and his geniality of disposition and musical talents made him very popular. He died
much lamented, on August 7, I869, and his wife,
who shared the esteem in which he was held,
died in 1872. They were valued members of
the Baptist church, active in all its works of benevolence.
William A. Carpenter passed his early life on
his father's farm, assisting in its labors and receiving a good elementary education at the public
schools. He learned the trade of a carpenter and
joiner, and, later, that of a machinist. After
working at these for a number of years, he
thoroughly mastered the intricacies and difficul
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
129
ties of mechanical engineering. In 1855 he
moved to Elgin, Ill., and found employment in
an establishment where agricultural implements
and machinery were manufactured, soon thereafter engaging in the same business on his own account. He remained there four years and then
for a time traveled in the oil regions of Pennsylvania, in I862 settled at Port Huron, in this
state, and for two years conducted a sawmill at
that place. In 1864 he removed to Detroit and was
engaged for some years in the Detroit Locomotive~
Works, and, after leaving that employment, was
traveling engineer of the Michigan 'Central Railroad until he left the service of the company to
'A J1;- 4^t-; F11- ' Tr 1 T-D --- --- T 0 1
at Bankers for a period of seven years. Early in
life he showed a decided aptitude for freehand
drawing, and by much practice became an expert
draughtsman. His talent in this line was employed for twenty years, or longer, by the railroads around him and by other lines of mechanical utility. He made the drawings for much of
the best machinery constructed in Chicago and
other large cities, and drew the plans and superintended the construction of the first sawmill at
Ludington, in this state, which had a daily capacity of 300,000 feet of lumber.
JOHN Q. CHANDLER.
amc in 1 UlliunIg LI1e rP1 ir1ver roau. in 1071 ne
was sent to Bankers as the master mechanic of The late John Q. Chandler, of H,
of the successful and highly esteemed business
the D. H. & S. W. Railroad, and was continued..,.,., ' ~,.. men of the state, was a native of Mt. Clemens,
in this position until the consolidation of the
road with the Fort Wayne, when he became theMichigan, born on April 7 I834 His parents
master mechanic and division superintendent of were Col Daniel and Caroline (Peck) Chandler,
the consolidated roads, remaining with the or-natives of New York. The father was by trade
the consolidated roads, remaining with the organization until he started his mercantile indus-a blacksmith and, in 830, he settled at Mt. Clemtry in I874. He then gave his whole time and ens and founded the foundry and blacksmithing
attention to merchandising, and has steadily been firm of D. Chandler & Sons, later organizing
occupied in this line since that time, winning thethat of Chandler, Warren & Co., of East Sagiconfidence of the people by his upright methods, naw, now East Bay, for the purpose of carrying
enterprise and progressiveness, and building upon the lmber and foundry industry. After his
a large and profitable trade. death, on January 7, 1854, at the age of fifty,
MNr. Carpenter was united in marriage with his sons, Daniel H. and Gilbert A., carried on
Miss Ellen Richardson in I855. She is a native the business at the same place. Mr. Chandler
of the same county in New York as himself, and was for some years a colonel in the militia, and
there the marriage occurred. They have one was always a highly respected man, leading the
child, their daughter, Nellie, wife of Charles thought of and being potent in the commercial
Kidman, of Bankers. Mr. Carpenter was a Whig activities of his community. John Q. Chandler
until the formation of the Republican party, when received his education at Saginaw, and, after
he joined the new organization, casting his vote leaving school, he worked in his father's founin I856 for its first presidential candidate, Gen. dry until the breaking out of the Civil War. On
John C. Fremont. He his ever since stood faith- August 17, I86I, he enlisted in the Twelfth New
fully by the principles and candidates of this York Infantry and was soon after transferred
party, giving his vote in unbroken succession to to Co. G, Second Battalion, Twelfth U. S. Ineach of its standard-bearers down to and includ- fantry, and assigned to the Army of Virginia uning the martyred McKinley. For sixteen years der General Pope. In 1862 he had another transhe served as justice of the peace, in I880 and I88I fer, this time to Co. D, with which he joined the
being the towinship supervisor. He has been a Army of the Potomac. His service lasted until
devoted attendant before the altars of Freema- August 17, 1864, and his regiment was in the
sonry for many years, holding membership in very thick of the fight in the terrible campaigns
the lodge at Hillsdale. He was also postmaster in which that army participated. He accomr~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
130
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
panied it through the battles of Chancellorsville,
Cedar Mountain, Gettysburg, Mountain Run,
Wilderness, Petersburg and many others, but he
escaped unhurt. After the war. he was in the
employ of the F. & P. M.. Railroad until I868,
and soon after was made the master mechanic
of the Detroit & Lake Superior Copper Co. at
Houghton, and, when this company's interests
at that point were sold to the Lake Superior &
Tamarack Smelters, he became the assistant superintendent, a position in which he served until
I893, when failing health compelled him to resign. He then settled at Hillsdale, and, on May
25, I896, occurred his death. He was a man
of excellent business capacity, being connected
with many important commercial enterprises, especially those engaged in the mining and smelting of copper, holding stock in a number of companies formed for this purpose in this state and
in Montana. On December 25, 1871, he was
married to Miss Harriet M. Belmy, a native of
Hillsdale and a daughter of Joel and Hannah
(Moore) Belmy. They had an adopted daughter, Marion Inez. In politics Mr. Chandler was
a Republican, possessed no political aspirations,
but was always loyal to his party and earnest
in its service. In fraternal relations he belonged
to the Masonic order and was a devoted member
of his lodge. -Practically a self-made man, he
had a broad and accurate fund of general knowledge, and was widely esteemed for his sound
judgment, high character and public spirit.
LEANDER H. CHILDS.
This leading and successful farmer of Pittsford township, in this county, was born in Ontario county, New York, but, before he was a
year old, he removed to Hillsdale county with
his parents, who settled in Wheatland township.
His life began on May 14, 1848, the son of Edmund and Eunice (Richardson) Childs, the former a New Yorker by nativity and the latter born
in Vermont. The father was a farmer and, after
his marriage in I84I, he came to this county with
his bride and took up his residence on.a farm
of eighty acres of uncultivated land, which he
purchased in Wheatland township and at once
began to develop and improve, by building a log
house and barn and the rude fences of the time.
After four years of active and energetic effort
in subduing his land, he returned to New York,
where he remained until I848, when he brought
his family back to Michigan and, settling at his
former home, again engaged in developing the
wealth and resources of the farm. The remainder of his days have been passed in this and Lenawee counties. His wife died on September 17,
I890. Their family consisted of five sons and
three daughters, all of whom are living, except
one son. The father was prominent in local affairs and served several terms as township treasurer. The grandfather, Oliver Childs, was a
native of New York state, where he died after a
long career as a successful farmer.
L. H. Childs has been identified with the work
and development of Hillsdale county from his
infancy. Coming hither, as has been stated, in
1848, when he was less than a year old, he has
lived all of the subsequent time in Wheatlandt
and Pittsford townships, except a perior of nine
years, during which he had his home at Hudson.
To the productive forces of the county, he has
added his best energies, to its welfare he has
given the conscientious and intelligent activities
of good citizenship, aiding in the promotion of
every commendable enterprise and seeking to
guide public sentiment into the most desired and
beneficial channels of activity. In December,
1871, he was married, in this county, to Miss
Janet Carr, native in New York and a daughter
of Charles E. and Jane (Heachan) Carr, the
former born in New York and the latter in Scotland. Mrs. Carr came to this county with her
parents when she was but three years old, and
lived here all the rest of her life, dying at the
home of her son-in-law, Mr. Childs, in I874.
Her husband died in New York. Mr. Childs
takes no interest in political contentions and has
never held or desired office. He votes the Republican ticket regularly, but gives no attention
to politics in any other way. He and his wife
MORRIS P. SEVERANCE AND WIFE.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
130a
MORRIS P. SEVERANCE.
An old soldier, a successful farmer, a useful
public official, a citizen faithful to every duty, in
all the lines of activity he has followed exhibiting
breadth of view, commendable industry and elevation of character, Morris P. Severance, of Pittsford township, Hillsdale county, Michigan, has
many titles to the public regard in which he is
held in this community, the honors of which he
wears with becoming modesty. He was born on
March 26, I840, in Steuben county, Indiana, the
son of Edwin C. and Rachel (Maynard) Severance, the former a native of New York and the
latter of Maryland, both belonging to old and
highly respected families in their respective localities. They were of English and Dutch ancestry,
respectively, and their American progenitors
came to this country in early Colonial days. The
father was by trade a shoemaker, but, during the
greater part of his life, he was engaged in farming. In 1837 or 1838 he moved to Steuben county, Indiana, and for two or three years he drove
stage on the line between Fort Wayne and Toledo. In 1840 he returned to New York where he
remained until 1853 when he moved his family to
Ingham county, Michigan, where he was engaged
in farming until I86o, when he came to Hillsdale
county and bought ninety-four acres of land in
Pittsford township, which was partially cleared.
Later he purchased the farm on which his son,
Morris, lives, where he maintained his home until
his death in I873. The mother survived him thirteen years, dying in I886.' Their family consisted
of two sons and one daughter. The grandfather,
Elihu Severance, was a native of Massachusetts,
a farmer by occupation and an early settler in Indiana where his later years were passed.
Morris P. Severance passed his childhood in
New York, his youth and early manhood in this
state, coming here when he was thirteen years of
age. In the schools of this state he was educated,
in the cultivation of its soil on his father's farms
he acquired habits of industry and thrift. In
May, I86I, at the first call for volunteers to defend the Union, he enlisted. in Co. F, Fourth
Michigan Infantry, and was soon thereafter at the
front in the region of the historic and often ensanguined Potomac battling with a gallant foe
with equally as gallant courage in the battles of
Chickahominy, Hanover C. H., Mechanicsville,
and many others of minor importance. He was
shot through the left lung at Mechanicsville and
was reported as dead, but, by great good fortune
and by reason of his strong constitution, rather
than because of favoring circumstances, he recovered, and, after his discharge from the service,
on account of the disability thus incurred, which
came in August, 1862, he returned to his Michigan home and here he has since resided and devoted his energies to farming.
Mr. Severance was married on January I8,
I866, in this county, to Miss Anna A. Cunningham, a daughter of Layton Cunningham, one of
the pioneers of the county. They have had six
children, one of whom is deceased. The living
are their sons, Layton and Burton, farmers, and
their daughters, Ethel M., Verna L: and Ada, all
residents of this county. Ethel is 4he wife of
Charles Crook, a telegrapher in the enploy of the
Wabash Railroad; Verna, the wife of Byron
Bailey; Ada, the wife of Clio Phillips. From his
early manhood Mr. Severance has been a Republican in political faith. He.has served twelve or
fourteen years as constable of the township and
two years as treasurer of the township, is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and an
active worker in the order of Patrons of Husbandry, holding his membership in the grange at
Pittsford. He and his wife are regular attendants of the Methodist Episcopal church. When
one contemplates the peculiar conditions of American life, where a man, like Mr. Severance, can in
the military service of his country perform such
feats of heroic gallantry as would, in the old Roman and Grecian days, make him a king of the
arena, and then see him quietly and unostentatiously, as if unconscious of any peculiar merit
on his part, like Cincinnatus of old, return to the
peaceful and law-abiding pursuits of agriculture,
we can fully realize that this republic is based
upon the most solid of foundations, a loyal, militant yeomanry.
I3ob
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
JOHN M. WATKINS.
The late John M. Watkins was a son of Samuel Watkins, a memoir of whom appears in other
pages of this volume. A native of Allen township
of Hillsdale county, he was born on March I,
I843, and passed all of his life on the paternal
homestead, being numbered during all of his active life among the influential and representative
citizens of the county. He received a substantial
education in the district schools of his native
township, and, as he grew to manhood, received
valuable lessons in agriculture on his father's
farm. This farm he owned for years previous to
his untimely death and it is one of the best managed and most highly improved estates in the
township. Both the residence and barn are brick,
excellent specimens of rural architecture, and the
condition of his land proclaims him to have been
one of the most skillful and progressive farmers
in this part of the state. For a number of years
he continued the manufacture of brick which his
father had inaugurated, and, in I89I, erected on
his place a. large fruit-evaporating kiln in which
he annually dried over 2,000 bushels of apples.
Another busy and prosperous plant of this kind
was conducted by himself and his brother-in-law,
under the name of Brockway & Watkins.
What a contrast has been presented since the
days when John M. Watkins, as a young lad was
subjected to all the trials and privations of the
wild life of the newest of new lands, Indians,
wild beasts and the stern conditions of pioneer
existence exhibiting all of the impoverished reality of the land, hardly giving even the slightest
suggestion of the vast wealth and luxury he was
permitted to see so magnificently scattered over
the broad country, which witnessed his early
struggles and vitalising experiences, after he had
himself borne part for many years in the developing process, and had lived to see the opening
years of the greatest of all of the many centuries,
'the glorious Twentieth Century, in which the
forces of human intellect seemingly were vying
to see what they could bring of good and beautiful things to the people of this favored land.
Mr. Watkins was twice married. The first
marriage occurred on November 19, i868, with
Miss Anna E. Whitney, a daughter of Jonathan
and Ann J. (Garrett) Whitney, the former being
a native of Seneca, New York, and the latter of
the Isle of Man. The fruit of this union was two
children, J. Whitney and Mary E. Watkins, the
latter being now the wife of Burton Bowditch, of
Pittsford, this county. Mrs. Watkins died on
January 2, 1878, and Mr. Watkins's second marriage was solemnized at Quincy, on October 15,
I879, his mate on this occasion being Miss Julia
Strong, a daughter of William and Martha B.
(Badgley) Strong, natives of Morris county,
New Jersey. Her mother died at Butler, in
Branch county, on August 21, I88I, and her father at her own home in August, I890. The second Mrs. Watkins was the mother of one child,
Martha Alice, who died on February 26, 1883.
She is an active worker in the Presbyterian
church, of which she has long been a zealous
member.
Mr. John M. Watkins was a loyal Lincoln Republican in politics, having cast his first vote for
Abraham Lincoln for President and holding true
to the party during his life. He gave good service
to the township as supervisor for two terms and
also as a very efficient justice of the peace for two
terms. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity,
and with his wife took valued interest in Allen
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, in whose councils he will long be missed. A man of practical
wisdom and sagacity, having a large fund of general information, with clear views and strong convictions on all public questions, his counsel was
ever much sought as valuable in all matters affecting the welfare of the county, and, throughout
its extent, he was highly esteemed, and, when the
angel of death came for him, on July I6, I903, at
his attractive home in Allen village, the whole
community was shadowed by the gloom arising
from his passing from the midst of the people, and
reverently and most tenderly all that was mortal
of their late neighbor and friend was conveyed in
silence to the little grave wherein now reposes his
body in its last, long sleep, never more to waken
until the morning of the resurrection. His many
friends will experience a subdued pleasure on
viewing the lifelike engraving of their departed
friend which acompanies this memoir.
Id D/emo
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
13 II
are members of the Congregational church. Both
are well esteemed throughout a large social circle
and an extensive acquaintance in this and adjoining townships.
CORNELIUS CLEMENT.
Cornelius Clement, of Pittsford township, in
this county, the interesting subject of this brief
review, belongs to a family that has seen many
hardships and trials in many generations, and
has met them all with a resolute spirit of endurance and conquest, displaying, in every adverse
condition and under all forms of disaster and
trouble, a commendable manliness of demeanor,
elevation of character and determined persistency of effort, which have seemingly defied fate
itself and shown the superiority of mind over
matter and will over circumstances, qualities that
have made American citizenship at its best, the
highest form of human development, in both the
individual and in the aggregate. He was born
on August 26, I823, at Root, Montgomery county, New York, the last of the twelve children of
his parents, Aaron and Elizabeth (Ottman)
Clement, all now deceased but himself, nearly all
of whom reached old age in usefulness and credit, although one of the number died at the age of
nineteen and another at forty-five. His father,
Aaron Clement, was born at Westina, New York.
on April Io, I774, and received a good commonschool education for the time in which he lived.
At the age of twenty-three he married with Miss
Elizabeth Ottman, then but sixteen or seventeen
years old. Her mother died while she was yet
an infant, and she was reared in the Lycker family, living there until her marriage.
The Clements were French Huguenots, and
after the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in
I865, the branch of the family to which Cornelius
belongs fled to America for safety from religious
persecution, his great-great-grandfather, John
Clement, settling on Long Island. He had two
daughters, one of whom located in New Jersey
and the other in Maryland; and also two sons,
Joseph and Peter, the latter being the greatgrandfather of our subject, who settled at Westina, four miles west of Schenectady. There he
married Anna or Nancy Vedder, and reared five
children, three sons and two daughters. The
daughters died at Westina, and the sons, Peter,
Samuel and Aaron, with their parents moved to
Canajoharie, later called Root and now again
Canajoharie, in Montgomery county of the same
state, where they bought and settled on a tract of
land which was almost unimproved. In the various parts of the county in which the descendants
of the American progenitor of this numerous
and most useful family settled they bore with
fortitude and lofty courage the trials and crosses
of life, both for themselves and for their country, aiding materially in the wars waged for the
founding and the stability of our government,
ever giving their toil and their best intelligence
to push forward the conquests of peace, which
have, on our soil, so signally blessed and elevated
mankind. Mr. Clement's grandfather and his
uncle Peter were gallant soldiers in the Revolutionary struggle, and his father was a captain
in that of 1812, while many members of the
family stood resolutely by the cause of the Union in the great War of the Sections of I86I65. And, wherever they have lived, they have
been potent factors in the onward march of civilization and progress. Many have been pioneers, in one state or another, and bravely faced
the dangers and toils, the privations and the
hardships incident to frontier life, contending
with the rage of man and with that of the elements, with wild beasts and Nature's obstinacy
to obtain a foothold and a place whereon to build
their family altars and to found their homes.
Among this number none confronted conditions more bravely, or conquered them more completely, than the parents of Mr. Clements, who,
in 1837, in the decline of their lives, determined
for the good of their children to emigrate from
the section in which they were well established,
and in which they had by arduous toil developed
a pleasant home, and seek wider opportunities
9
I32
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
and more far-reaching benefits in this fair state,
which was then a part of the far, untrodden and
almost unknown West. They settled on a tract
of 240 acres of land, which was almost entirely
uncultivated and heavily timbered, except that a
small log house had been erected and about fifty
acres cleared. They resolutely set to work to
clear it for a home and for cultivation, and here
the mother died in I856, after nineteen years
of life in this state, and the father in I868, he
having reached the patriarchal age of ninetyfour. Of their children, Samuel came, to Michigan in I835, and settled at Detroit, Christopher
came a year later, settling on a farm in Pittsford
township, where he died aged ninety-one years.
Young Cornelius Clement was but fourteen
years old when he came with the rest of the family to Hillsdale county, and with them he at
once went to work at clearing and farming the
land on which they located. At odd times he attended the primitive schools of the vicinity and
thus completed the education begun in his native state. In I844, after reaching his majority,
he took up and began to develop the farm of
I75 acres on which he now lives, and which is
now entirely cleared, thoroughly tile-drained and
well improved. In 1852 he married Miss Harriet
A. Cline, a native of Niagara county, New York,
who died on April 7, I897, leaving four children,
three of whom are living: Alonzo, at home;
Adelia, wife of D. E. Bennett, of Pittsford township; Emma, wife of John Anderson, of Colon,
in this state. In politics, Mr. Clements began
life as a Whig, casting his first presidential vote
for Henry Clay; when the Republican party was
organized he warmly espoused its principles, voting for its first presidential candidate, Gen. John
C. Fremont, and standing by it loyally ever since,
although he has never been an active partisan or
sought office for himself. He is a member of
the Congregational church at Church's Corners,
in Wheatland township, and takes an active part
in all its works of practical benevolence. Resting serenely now in the evening of life, on the
verge of four-score years, he has the pleasing
retrospect of a creditable career, with duty faith
fully performed and every faculty of his nature
put to proper use; and he is secure in the lasting esteem of the people, among whom he has
labored, and to whom his example has been an
incitement and a stimulus for good.
HON. JAMES COUSINS.
Hon. James Cousins is the present capable
and popular supervisor of Jefferson township in
this county, and is completing his eleventh year
of service in the position. The affairs of the
township have been well cared for in his charge
and every public interest has prospered under
his management. He is a native of Hertfordshire, England, where his family has resided for
many generations, and was born on March 3,
I849. His parents, William and Mary (Dockerill) Cousins, were also English by nativity and
passed their lives in Hertfordshire. The father
was a prosperous manufacturer of brick-tile and
pottery, and carried on the business on a scale
of magnitude and with enterprise and vigor. The
parents had five sons and two daughters, and of
these two sons and one daughter are living, all
now residents of Hillsdale county.
James Cousins was educated in the schools of
his native land, where he grew to manhood.
There he learned the trade of a baker and confectioner, and for a number of years worked at
it near his home. He then learned the brick and
tile business, with a view to succeeding his father in this line of activity, but, in I868, he came
to the United States and made his way direct to
this county, where he bought a farm in Adams
township, on which he lived some years. He
then purchased the one on which he now lives in
Jefferson township, which comprises I80 acres
and is well-improved and in an advanced state of
cultivation. He was married, in I878, to Mrs.
Emma (Hale) Cousins, a native of the same part
of England as himself, and a daughter of Edward and Phoebe Hale, also native there and belonging to old families resident in Hertfordshire
from time immemorial. Mrs. Cousins came to
the United States in I865 as the wife Of an
e
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
133
elder brother of Mr. Cousins, and by her former
marriage she has a son and two daughters.
In his political views Mr. Cousins is a Republican, and has rendered good service and brought
credit to his party as a private in the ranks and
also as a valued public official in several capacities.
He was highway commissioner for the township
for three years, has served eleven years as supervisor, and, from I894 to I898, represented the
county in the State Legislature. He holds membership in the Masonic order and the Patrons of
Husbandry; in the latter he is master of the local
grange. He was president of the county fair
association for two years and, in this position,
was able to demonstrate his interest in the cause
of agriculture, and his executive ability where
its welfare is concerned, and for many years he
has been a director in this organization. In official stations of responsibility and importance, in
the management of his farm and in his other
business, and also in the performance of every
duty of citizenship, he has demonstrated his
devotion to the land of his adoption, and has
shown an elevated patriotism and public spirit
with an uprightness of life that are highly commendable, and have won him the approval of all
classes of his fellow men.
CAMBRIA TOWNSHIP.
When Cambria township was created it was
named by Hiram V. Weaver, the first settler
within its borders and the father of Olive Roby
Weaver, the first white child born on its soil,
the birth occurring on September 2, 1836. Twelve
families settled in the township between 1835 and
I840, who nearly all lived in the western part of
the new political creation. The first death was
that of Mrs. Abel Bailey, on February 22, I837.
The first transfer of land recorded by the register
of deeds was a conveyance from the United States
to Hiram V. Weaver of the southwest quarter
of section No. 17, recorded on October 20, I835.
The first estate, with an inventory of personal
property, filed in the probate court was that of
Mr. Weaver and bears the date of July 12, I84I.
There are now but two persons living in the
township who moved into it with families prior
to I840. These are Moses Willits, eighty-six
years of age, and Mrs. Mary Smith, who has
accomplished eighty-two years of useful existence.
The early pioneers who thus laid the foundation of the present prosperous and progressive
township were men of heroic mold and lofty courage. With unfaltering foot they strode into the
very heart of the wilderness to hew out for
themselves new homes wherein their hopes
might expand and flourish. They were fashioned
for sturdy work, fit progenitors of the thrifty,
progressive and self-reliant people they begot.
No toil deterred, no danger daunted, no hardship dismayed them. With unyielding will they
pressed their way over every obstacle, to meet
fate on almost equal terms. And it is a characteristic proof of their public spirit and breadth
of view that one of the first public Interests to
which they gave attention was a system of instruction for their children.
On March I6, 1839, a school meeting was
called by a notice posted at the house of Gailord
Doud. A district was organized at this meeting
and these school officers elected: Abel Bailey,
moderator; Ira Mead, director; Barron B. Willits, assessor. In the ensuing fall, after due deliberation at several meetings as to size and style
of architecture, a log schoolhouse I8X20 feet in
size was erected at a cost of $I9o, and named
"Dawn of Education." Miss Dorothy Globe, the
first teacher, received for her dual services as
instructor and janitor one dollar a week and was
"boarded around" the district. This primitive
schoolhouse supplied.the population thirteen
years, and in this simple structure the first Sabbath-school of the township was organized by
William Mabbs in 1840 with Ira Mead as superintendent. The first Scripture lesson studied in
this school was the first five verses of the second
chapter of St. Matthews's gospel.
On April 5, 1841, the first township meeting
was held, officers being chosen as follows: Jacob
S. Hancock, supervisor; Nathan H. Frink, clerk;
Ira Mead, treasurer; Warren Smith, collector;
Job A. Smith, Samuel Orr and Barron B. Wil
I34
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
lits, school directors; Potter G. Card and James
Wilson, directors of the poor; Lorenzo Rice, Pardon Aldrich and -Silas Doty, commissioners of
highways;. Pardon Aldrich, Lorenzo Rice, Ira
Mead and Samuel Orr, justices of the peace for
one, two, three and four years, respectively; Alanson Van Vlack, Job A. Smith and Abel Bailey,
assessors; Alanson Van Vlack, John Ferguson,
Albert Dresser and Warren Smith, constables.
Thus Cambria township started off in its political
existence with a full complement of officers, although, owing to the want of men, some of its
leading citizens were obliged to fill two or more
positions at the same time. Since then the supervisors have been: Lorenzo Rice, Pardon Aldrich,
Ira Foster, Ira Mead, Daniel Weaver, Barron B.
Willitts, Andrew J. McDermot, William French,
Charles G. Robertson, Bani Bishop, Perry Sebring, Orange Porter, Edward Jones, William
Carpenter, Luther Wolcott, Malcolm E. Dow,
Avery A. Smith, Alexander Hueston, John
Hueston, Erwin S. Marsh, George Burgess, Newton Gregg and John French, the present incumbent. The soil of this township has been found
fertile and responsive, the natural advantages of
the region were numerous and valuable; the people have ever been diligent and energetic; the
spirit of enterprise and progress has been awake
and active; the development and advancement of
the township have been steady, rapid and continued; its citizens have enjoyed at a minimum
cost, the best blessings of freedom, civilization
and good government.
PARMENUS CUNNINGHAM.
For thirty-seven years Parmenus Cunningham has lived and worked on the Pittsford township farm, in this county, where he now lives
and carries on a thriving and progressive farming industry, which exemplifies, in the excellence of its management and the success of its
operations, all that is most advanced and liberal
in agriculture and most cogent and enterprising
in business. He was born on March 8, I833, in
Erie county, New York, whither his parents, Joel
and Celinda (Dopkins) Cunningham, had moved
from their native county of Herkimer, in that
state, soon after their marriage. The father was
also a farmer, a man of public spirit and earnest
devotion to the welfare of his country. He was
a member of the New York state militia at the
time of the War of 1812, and with his company
engaged in that contest with ardor and commendable gallantry, participating in a number of
its important battles, being at Fort Erie when it
was destroyed and at Buffalo when that city was
burned by the British and Indians. He came to
Hillsdale county in 1849 and settled in Jefferson
township, on 200 acres of timber land which he
purchased, and on which he lived for a number
of years, clearing it for cultivation and improving it for a home. From there he moved to
Pittsford township where he died in 1883. His
wife survived him eight years, dying in 1891.
They were the parents of two sons and of eight
daughters, and of these one son and three daughtres are living, Parmenus being the only one
resident in this township. Their grandfather,
Layton Cunningham, was a New York farmer
and died in Erie county of that state.
Parmenus Cunningham grew to manhood in
his native state, and accompanied his parents to
Michigan in 1849. He assisted in clearing the
several tracts of land on which his parents lived
in this county, and remained at home for a number of years after their settlement. In i865 he
took up his residence on the farm which he now
occupies and has made it his home ever since.
He was married on August 14, 1853, to Miss
Francina Estes, a native of Genesee county, New
York, born at the city of Batavia. In I839, while
she was yet a child, she accompanied her parents
to Hillsdale county, and, on the wild land in
Pittsford township on which they settled, she
saw much of the hardship, and performed much
of the arduous labor, incident to frontier life,
aiding and cheering her parents by her fidelity to
duty, and, in course of time, closing their eyes
in death' on the paternal homestead. Mr. and
Mrs. Cunningham have had eight children, seven
of their offspring are living. They are Allen
B., of Wheatland; Eva, wife of E. L. Bailey, of
it
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I35
California; Frederick S., of Pittsford township;
Edward E., of Nebraska; Alta, wife of S. 0.
Kenyon, of Paw Paw, Michigan; Affa, wife of
R. Sage, of Pittsford township; George R., living at home. Mr. Cunningham is a Republican
in political faith, but not an active partisan. In
all that pertains to the welfare of the community,
he takes an active and helpful part, but has no
desire for public office, being well contented to
leave its honors with its cares to those who wish
them. He and his wife are earnest and serviceable members of the Free Baptist church. They
have eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, the latter being children of their eldest
son, Allen B. Cunningham.
JAMES W. DANIELS.
James W. Daniels, of Woodbridge township,
one of the progressive and enterprising farmers
of that part of the county, was born in the adjoining township of Camden, on January I9,
I863. His parents were John and Sarah (Hamlin) Daniels, the former a native of Devonshire,
England, and the latter of the state of New
York. The father was born on July 17, I826,
and grew to manhood in his native land and
received his education in the common schools
of that country. He worked on a farm at a shilling a day in order to get money to pay his passage to this country, where he 'saw hopes of
larger opportunity for a man in his condition,
and, by the time he reached the age of twentyfive years, he had saved enough for the purpose
at this small wage. In 1851 he made the trip
and located first in the state of New York, where
he secured employment on a farm at $40 a year.
Being thrifty and industrious, content to live frugally, he saved the major part of his wages, and,
in a short time, was married in his new home,
to Miss Sarah Hamlin, a lady living in the neighborhood. In 1853 they moved to Michigan and
settled in Hillsdale county on forty acres of wild
woodland, which he purchased for a home. He
built a rude log shanty on the land and began
its preparation for cultivation. In ten years it
was cleared and in a promising state of cultivation and he sold it and bought eighty acres in
Woodbridge township, which was also an unbroken forest and which he lived to clear and
hand over to his son in good condition.
It is the tract where the son, James, now lives,
one of the desirable farms of its size in the township. The father here resided until his death on
September 7, I899, and it is still the home of the
mother. Their family consisted of five children,
of whom three are living, Orrie J., wife of Ernest
Hillard; Sarah J., wife of Henry Van Aken;
James W. The father never took active interest in politics or sought or accepted public office,
finding enough to occupy his time and energies
in his agricultural operations. His son, James,
was reared on the paternal homesteads in this
county, and the one he now occupies has been his
home ever since it came into possession of the
family. He married in 1883 Miss Celia Salmon.,
also a native of this county, and they have two
children, Benjamin and Ethel. Mr. Daniels is
a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to the lodge at Cambria, and
he and his wife are members of the Methodist
Protestant church. They are well-esteemed in
the township, having a host of warm and intimate friends, who make their pleasant home a
frequent resort. While not an active partisan,
and in no sense an office-seeker in politics, Mr.
Daniels has nevertheless an abiding interest in
the welfare of his township, and never hesitates
to give active support to any good enterprise
which promises to promote that welfare. He is
public spirited and progressive in his views, and
firm and forcible in expressing and in maintaining them. He has a high place in the public estimation and well deserves it.
JOHN G. DARLING.
Death is rapidly gathering into his everlasting embrace the pioneers who settled this county
and started it forward on a broad and enduring
basis toward its present state of splendid development and substantial progress. One of the
136
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
few remaining members of that hardy race, who
dared fate into the lists against them, and met
her with all her assistant forces of wild men,
wild beasts and wild nature armed against them,
on almost equal terms, is John G. Darling of
Allen township, who endured all the struggles,
hardships and privations, faced all the toils and
dangers of frontier life with a resolute and unconquerable spirit, and who is fully entitled to
enjoy the fruits of his labor, which 'he sees
blooming and coming forth abundantly around
him. He is a native of Penfield, Monroe county,
New York, born on April 26, 1815, the son of
John and Eunice (Booth) Darling, also natives
of New York. His mother died when he was but
eleven years old, and soon thereafter his father
was married to his second wife, formerly Miss
Betsey Leinbarker, also of New York state, and
in 1833 they came to Michigan. The parents
lived at various places, the father finally dying
at Eaton Rapids, in Eaton county. He was a
farmer by occupation, leaving his farm to engage
in active service in the field at. the first call to
arms in the War of I812. After the battle of
Queenstown in Upper Canada, where the gallant
Canadian General Brock was killed and the
American forces were repulsed, in company with
his brother, William, Mr. Darling swam the St.
Lawrence at Flat Rock, and was carried three
miles down the river by the current. He was the
father of ten children, all now deceased, except
his son, John G. The grandfather was Zebeniah
Darling, a native of Long Island, a great lover
of horses, who was known far and wide in his.
section of the country as a promoter of racing
as a legitimate and exhilarating sport. After his
death his wife moved to Hillsdale county, where,
in the course of time, she died.
John G. Darling did not have the advantages
of educational facilities at the schools, never having been able to attend them. But he was of a
studious and investigating disposition, became
well-informed and fairly well-educated through
his own exertions, and, being handy with tools,
as well as long-headed in study and reflection,
he acquired considerable mechanical skill as a
millwright and carpenter. In I833, he accompanied his parents to this state but did not then
make his home here. The journey to this then
new and untamed region was made by teams
though a portion of Canada, the remainder of
the way being by canal. When they arrived at.
Detroit they found the river frozen over, and
they crossed on the ice, dragging their goods after them. The father entered eighty acres of
government land situated twenty-six miles south
of Ypsilanti, on which he built a small log
house for his home and commenced the clearing
of his land and the preparing of it for cultivation.
On this pioneer home his son, John G., lived
and labored with the rest of the family during
the summer, returning to New York as winter
approached, to help his brother in caring for
the horses belonging to the Erie canal, while navigation on this great waterway was closed. In
this way he passed his time until I84I, when
he purchased I60 acres of land of J. P. Cook, in
Allen township, on which he settled soon afterward and began his clearing and farming operations. In 1844 he went to Constantine and
entered the employ of Governor Berry, who was
operating a gristmill at Mooreville, building arks
for him wherewith to transport flour down the
river. He also completed the first warehouse located at that point and assisted in repairing a
number of the neighboring mills. He then came
to [Iillsdale, worked for Cook & Ferris and did
some work on the mill at Jonesville. The first
five bridges put up on the railroad between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor were erected by him, and he
sawed most of the timbers on which the strapiron was laid for the first division of the road
between Ypsilanti and Dexter. At Dexter he
operated a sawmill, another in St. Joseph county,
and, prior to locating permanently in this state,
he had done similar work in the state of New
York. The farm which he bought of J. P. Cook
in Allen township is his present residence. At
one time it conmprised 200 acres, and here he
lived and worked at farming and also at carpenter work for many years, building many of
the early houses in the section around him and
I
4TL.E CT MTV MI CICAN. T17
-T ILLT.SD
A A J- -Ij -/ I L J-J 'I %-V %-, L V A L jq I V.L A VL A A A % X A1
*u/
many of those at Hillsdale, walking from his
home to his work in the morning and back in
the evening.
Mr. Darling has been married three times:
first, in New York, on June I, I840, to Miss
Cynthia M. Mason, who died at Ann Arbor on
May I, I84I; second, in I846, to Miss Lucy A.
McConnell, who became the mother of four children: Andrew J., of Eaton Rapids; Nelson A.,
deceased; John H., living on a part of the old
homestead; Oscar M., also living 'on a part of
the old homestead. Mrs. Lucy A. (McConnell)
Darling died on December 5, I882, and, in I883,
Mr. Darling married with his third wife, Mrs.
Ellen R. Chamberlain. They have one child,
a daughter, Elsie J. Darling. A Republican in
politics, Mr. Darling has never been an active
partisan. He has been a member of the Baptist
church since he was sixteen years old. Coming
as he did to the county in the very early days of
its settlement, he found the region full of Indians, and, although they were in the main friendly, and he often hunted with them and frequently
repaired their guns, they were sometimes aroused
to hostility and became very troublesome. The
trying scenes and experiences of the early days
yet linger in his memory, forming the theme of
many interesting conversations with those who
have followed him and with his early associates
in the county, who seemingly never tire of listening to the narratives of the heroic times in this
part of the state.
John H. Darling, son of John G. Darling by
his second marriage, who lives on and cultivates
the principal part of the family homestead, was
born on this estate on March 28, I856. During
all of his mature life he has been a farmer by
occupation, and in this pursuit he has sustained
the reputation for integrity of character and
skill in his craft which has ever distinguished his
long line of worthy ancestors. He married in
I890, on March 15, with Miss Nellie J. Kilburn,
a daughter of Albert and Mary J. (Eaton) Kilburn, the former a native of Jackson and the latter of Eaton county in this state. Her mother
died on September 7, I885, and her father now
resides in Allen township, this county. Mr. and
Mrs. Darling have four children, Leva, Lucy,
Lynn and Lida. Mr. Darling is one of the esteemed citizens of the township, conducting his
business on a high plane of uprightness and with
broad and progressive views. He takes an intelligent and abiding interest in the affairs of the
township, also giving freely of his counsel and his
substance to the promotion of any good enterprise
for their advancement or improvement. His citizenship is elevated and elevating; his industry
is productive and stimulating; his social qualities are attractive and inspiring. In his capacities and inspirations he is one of the representative men of the county.
ANDREW L. DAVIS.
For forty-two years a resident of Jefferson
township in this county, all the while living on
the same tract of land, and for fifteen years supervisor of the township, Andrew L. Davis is
one of the best-known men in this part of the
county and one of the most serviceable to its
every interest of value. He is a native of Orleans county, New York, born on December 5,
I833, his parents being Rufus and Julia (Blanchard) Davis, also natives of New York where the
mother died and the father carried on successful
farming operations and also worked at his trade
as a carpenter. Their family consisted of six
children, three of whom are living, two sons and
one daughter. After the death of their mother
the father married again but had no children by
the second marriage. He came to Michigan in
1864 and settled near Flint, in Genesee county,
where he died in I865. The grandfather was
Elisha Davis, a soldier in the War of I812 from
his native state of New York, and, after the war,
became both a farmer and preacher, after a highly useful life, dying in New York at an old age.
Andrew L. Davis was educated in the schools
of his native state, finishing at an excellent academy at Albion, Orleans county, New York,
which he attended for six years. After leaving
the academy he taught school in New York until: *:::~: ~::-::-:::-:. _:::
138
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I86I, when he came to Hillsdale county and settled on the farm he has since occupied as his
home. Fifty acres of it were then partially
cleared and he has since cleared fifty more and
also made extensive improvements on the tract.
After coming to this state he taught school for
twelve years. In 1878 he was elected supervisor
of his township, serving continuously for fifteen
years, except during one period of four years.
In I859 he was married to Miss Mary A. Teachout, a New Yorker by nativity and the daughter
of Jacob and Rachel (Curtis) Teachout. Her
mother died at their New York home, and, soon
thereafter, her-father made his home with Mr.
Davis, dying at his house. Mr. and Mrs. Davis
have had six children, all but one of whom are
living. They are Letta and Louie, twins, the
former Mrs. J. H. Cary, and the latter Mirs. E.
J. Watkins, both residents of Hillsdale; Sabra
A., wife of George Miles, but residing with her
parents; Julia, living at Toledo; Miles T., a resident of Detroit, who has recently been graduated from the law school. Mr. Davis has been an
active, working Republican during all of his mature life, and in fraternal relations is connected
with the Masonic order and the Patrons of Husbandry, taking great interest in the work of both
organizations and giving both good and valued
service. No citizen 6f the township stands higher or is more generally esteemed.
HON. CHARLES T. MITCHELL.
Pioneer, merchant, banker, promoter, publicist
and philanthropist, conspicuous in each of these
lines of usefulness for the magnitude of his undertakings, the intensity of his energy, the constancy of his purpose, the correctness of his methods and the success which followed his efforts,
the late Hon. Charles T. Mitchell, of Hillsdale,
Michigan, was for more than half a century one
of the leading citizens of Michigan, being a potential factor in her growth and development, an
unyielding bulwark in defense of her institutions,
an inspiration to her educational and moral forces
and an ornament to her social life. He became a
resident of the state in 1838, when he was twentyone years old, and he was laid to his last earthly
rest in her soil at the close of I898, when sixty
years of his active and multiform usefulness had
brought innumerable and inestimable benefactions
to her people.
Charles T. Mitchell was born on June 29,
I8I7, at Root, now Canajoharie, Montgomery
county, New York. His parents were Charles
and Lydia Kate (Brown) Mitchell, both natives
of that state, the former born at Ballston in I770,
and the latter at Schenectady. The father, a prominent and prosperous farmer and miller, was the
son of Col. Andrew Mitchell, the second in command of a regiment of New York volunteers in
the Revolution, who in that struggle fought valiantly for American independence. In this regiment his two sons, Robert and William, were also
soldiers, and they shared with him the hardships,
privations and successes of its campaigns. It
was stationed on the northern frontier, in what
is now Saratoga county, and, on one occasion, a
band of Canadian Tories and Indians crossed the
line and captured the commander and many other
officers. The command then devolved on Colonel
Mitchell, who pursued the invaders several days,
but was unable to overtake them. After the war
Colonel Mitchell was a member of the Legislature
of New York, when Montgomery county, which
he in part represented in that body, embraced
in its enormous area all of the state west of Albany. To attend the sessions, which were held in
New York city, he was obliged to go to Albany
on horseback and then by sloop down the Hudson
to the metropolis, the voyage down the river
occupying from four to six days. During the
Revolution he purchased a patent of title, based
on the English grant of King James, giving him
possession in fee simple to several hundred acres
of land in Spraker's Basin, on the Mohawk just
west of Anthony's Nose. The remaining years
of his life were passed almost wholly in Saratoga.
His son, Charles Mitchell, the father of Charles
T., was born in that county on July 22, 1763, and
in mature life married with Miss Lydia Kate
Brown, also a native of that county, born on Feb
6C4LL~,C
I
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I39
ruary 19, 1782. Soon after his marriage he
moved with his wife to Montgomery county, in
the same state, where his children, eight sons and
four daughters, were born and reared, and where
he died in 1857, his wife in 1865. This has been
a long-lived family, for the father was ninetyfour years old at his death, and the mother but
one year less at hers. The first of the children
to die was fifty-three years of age when the event
occurred, and Charles T. Mitchell, the immediate
subject of these paragraphs and the last surviving member of the family, was eighty-one years
and six months old when his death occurred on
December 29, I898.
Mr. Mitchell passed his boyhood and early
youth in his native county, and received a limited
education in its public schools, going to work for
himself as a clerk in the store at Schoharie at the
age of fourteen and remaining there in that capacity for three years. In the spring of 1838 he
came to Michigan, and for the next three years
was connected with the construction of the railroad from Adrian to Hillsdale. In 1843 he located at Hillsdale, engaged in the forwarding and
commission.business, continuing this industry until Hillsdale ceased to be the western terminus of
the road. In 1851 he started a hardware business at Hillsdale, which he conducted with vigor
and success until 1865, when other engrossing
and more congenial business interests obliged him
to retire from it. In 1855, in partnership with
Henry Waldron and John P. Cook, he established
the first bank of Hillsdale, the firm name being
Mitchell, Waldron & Co. Mr. Cook withdrew
from this enterprise in 1863, and, at that time,
Messrs. Mitchell & Waldron established the Second National Bank of Hillsdale, whose business
they carried on until the death of Mr. Waldron's
brother in I877 caused him to close his connection with the bank. From that time Mr. Mitchell,
as president of the bank, had full charge of
its affairs until 1884, when his advancing age and
declining health induced him to retire altogether
from active business, and to seek, for the remainder of an active and bountifully productive career, the quiet repose that comes only to the couch
of private life. The bank which he had founded
was then firmly established on a sound financial
basis, securely fixed in public confidence. It had
received the impress of his broad, resolute and resourceful financial spirit; for twenty years its
course had been guided by his master hand. The
impulse to its activity and the trend of its progress which he had so long given were its inspiration and its guiding power; in unswervingly following these it steadily advanced in prosperity,
influence and usefulness.
In public affairs the services of Charles T.
Mitchell to the state were exalted in character
and of great value. He was appointed on the
commission to locate and build the State Reform
School for boys in I855. This was erected at
Lansing and is one of the most complete, convenient and satisfactory public buildings in the
state. In 1870 Governor Baldwin made him
chairman of the State Board of Charities, while
in 1873 Governor Bagley appointed him a trustee of the State Insane Asylum. In both positions
he gave conscientious and devoted attention to
the interests he had in charge, carrying to the
performance of his official duties wide knowledge,
extensive experience, fine business capacity and a
broad and elevated humanity. His zeal for the
welfare of his city, his county and his state was
ever restless and unyielding, and he paid tribute
in a most helpful way to every line of productive
and improving local enterprise. He was largely
instrumental in making Hillsdale the headquarters of several branches of the Lake Shore Railway, and almost every commercial, industrial and
educational interest in the city and county was
quickened by the touch of his tireless hand, broadened by the influence of his active mind. In politics he was a Whig until the organization of the
Republican party, and from I856 until his death
he steadfastly adhered to and loyally supported
the principles of that organization. In 1864 he
was a delegate to the Republican National Convention, which, at Baltimore, nominated Abraham
Lincoln for a second presidential term; in I888
he was a member of the convention held at Chicago that placed the second Harrison in nominac
tion for the same office. In i88ohe was one of
the presidential electors for Michigan.
140
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Mr. Mitchell married with Miss Harriet S.
Wing, on September 2, I847. She was the able
daughter of Hon. Austin E. Wing, of Monroe,
Michigan, who came on horseback from Marietta, Ohio, in company with General Cass and
Governor Woodbridge as a pioneer to the state
in I8I6. They were obliged to feel their way
along Indian trails through a dense wilderness,
ford turbulent rivers of unknown depth, cross
high hills and trackless plains by the guidance
of the stars, knowing that savage beasts and
still more savage men were menacing their safety. Mr. Wing located at Detroit, then but a
hamlet on the river bank. He graduated from
Williams College, and had a comprehensive and
well-digested knowledge of public affairs. In
politics he was an ardent Democrat, a tower
of strength to his party in the new territory,
which, at that time, embraced a vast area containing what is now the state of Wisconsin. He
was appointed the first collector of customs at
Detroit soon after his arrival there and later was
twice elected a delegate from Michigan to Congress. His last public office was that of U. S.
marshal for the state, to which he was appointed by President Polk. His memorable public career only terminated at his death in 1848.
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell became the parents of
four sons and two daughters. Their living children are William W. Mitchell and Austin W.
Mitchell, of Cadillac, in this state, and Mrs. Dr.
W. H. Sawyer of Hillsdale. In accordance with
the spirit of beneficence which animated his life,
and with the active cooperation of his wife, Mr.
Mitchell devised to the city of his home, the place
of his business successes and his public services,
his elegant residence at Hillsdale to be used as
a library building, bequeathing also the sum of
$Io,ooo for the purchase of suitable furnishings
and books to form a permanent library, retaining
therein only a life interest for his widow. This
forms a visible, noble and enduring memorial
of them, which will ever be typical of their lives,
flowing on in a constant, steady, full current
of active goodness, in whose benefits all classes
in the community had a share.
BUCHANAN DOBSON.
Buchanan Dobson, whose untimely death on
February 26, I9go, at the early age of forty-five,
when all his faculties appeared to be in full vigor,
and life was full of promise, was a decided loss
to the county and he was universally lamented,
being one of the best-known and most prosperous and progressive farmers of Fayette township. He was born and reared on the farm on
which he died, and on this estate he passed the
whole of his life, which began on August 27,
1856. His parents were Richard and Charlotte
(Havenor) Dobson, the former one a native of
County Westmoreland, England, and the latter
of Germany. The father came to the United
States in 1839, when a young man, and made
his way directly to Michigan, where he settled
on the. farm which is still the family estate, and
here he passed his life engaged in its elevating
and profitable labors, aiding, in his way, to push
forward the growth and development of the
township, and dying in 1863. His patriotic devotion to the land of his adoption was shown by
his continual interest in her welfare, and particularly by his valiant service in the Black Hawk
Indian War. He was a Democrat in politics,
loyal to his party and zealous in its service. He
was married in 1843 and his family consisted
of nine children, six of whom are now living,
as is his widow, who has accomplished the age
of eighty-one years.
Their son, Buchanan Dobson, attained manhood in his native township and was educated
in its public schools. When he was twenty-two
years old, he took charge of the home farm and
conducted its operations during the remainder
of his life. While warmly interested in the welfare of his community, giving to every undertaking for its development and improvement faithful and serviceable assistance, he was not an active partisan in a political way, seeking no personal preferment. On April 7, I891, he married with Miss Lydia Waite, a 'native of Van
Buren county of this state, where her parents,
Lyman 0. and Valeria B. Waite, now reside.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I4I
Mr. and Mrs. Dobson had five children, Gler
Kittie, Robert G., Blanche W. and Bertie. T
latter died on January 15, 1903, at the age
two years and five months.
DR. ARTHUR G. DOTY.
One of the leading physicians and surgec
of Woodbridge township, in this county, who
also its active and vigilant health officer, is I
Arthur G. Doty, of Frontier, a native of M
souri, born in that state, on August 30, I873, dt
ing a temporary residence of his parents. Ifather, Albert Doty, and also his mother, whc
maiden name was Laura Wilcox, were both r
tives of Hillsdale county, and the father h
here been engaged in farming all of his matt
life, except during the short residence in M
souri already alluded to. The mother died
Missouri and the father soon after returned
Hillsdale county, Mich. The grandfather, Orm
Doty, came from Vermont to Michigan amo:
the early arrivals in this part of the state a]
located in Ransom township, where he clear
up a farm of I6o acres of government land, d
ing while he was diligently engaged in impro
ing and cultivating it. During the dark da
of the peril of the Union he was a brave soldi
in the Civil War.
Doctor Doty secured his preliminary aca
emic education at the public schools of Ransc
township and concluded them at Hillsdale hi1
school. After completing his course at the hi|
school he became a teacher for a number of yea
and then until I896 engaged in farming. At th
time he entered the Michigan Medical Colle
at Detroit, and, after passing three years in di
gent study at that institution, he took a spec:
course of instruction at the Detroit Home
pathic College, where he was graduated in Apr
900o. He then spent a year in Grace Hospit;
Detroit, and, at its conclusion, located at Fro
tier, in Woodbridge township, where he h
since been actively engaged in the practice
his profession, giving special attention to su
gery, in which he has been very successful, wi
in, ning golden opinions from the observant public
'he and his professional brethren by his skill, coolof ness and excellent judgment in the performance
of difficult and delicate operations. He is a
member of the county medical society and a valued contributor to the interest and benefit of its
meetings..As health officer of the township,
ns his administration is vigorous and discriminatis ing, while vigilant and conscientious in looking
)r. after the public weal he is neither arbitrary nor
is- unreasonable towards individual citizens, being
ir- highly appreciated as a professional man and
Iic also standing well as a citizen.
)se
la- SILAS DOTY.
ias
ire With the tide of emigration that flowed steadis- ily into Michigan in the early forties, and for
in a few years previous to that time, came Silas
to Doty, afterwards known as one of the most prous gressive and successful pioneer farmers of the
ng southern part of the state. He settled in Camnd bria township, this county, and in that section
ed passed the remainder of his useful life, arriving
ly- in the state in 1840. He was a native of Cort)v- land county, New York, born on July 13, I817,
ys and the son of Isaac and Charlotte (Loomis)
ier Doty, the former a native of Vermont and the
latter of good New English stock. They were
Ld- pioneer settlers in Cortland county, there accum mulated a valuable and well-improved property,
gh and, in 1828, being again desirous of living on
gh the frontier, they set out with their family of
irs eight children, of whom Silas was the seventh,
at for the.remote and unsettled territory of Michige gan, journeying hither by teams to Syracuse, a
li- distance of forty miles, thence by a canal boat
ial to Buffalo, where they took passage on a steamer
o- for Detroit. From that inchoate city they came
il, across the country by ox teams to Ypsilanti,
al, which was at that time a mere hamlet. Here
n- they remained two years and, in 1830, removed
as to near Adrian, in Lenawee county, where their
of son, Silas, entered the employ of Darius Comir- stock, one of the first settlers of that county.
n- Soon thereafter tlhe parents, with a part of the
I42
HILLSDALE COUNTY,. MICHIGAN.
family, removed to Oakland county, and located
in Highland township, where they passed the
rest of their lives, the father dying at the age
of seventy-two, and the mother at that of sixtytwo. Their-son, Silas, remained in the employ
of Mr. Comstock until. I840, when, in January
of that year, he came to Hillsdale county and
went to work at Cambria for B. B. Willitts, a
kinsman of Mr. Comstock. He was industrious
and frugal, and, although his pay was only fifty
cents a day he managed to save enough to purchase eighty acres of land in the township, which
became the home of his mature'manhood and the
foundation of his fortune. This he bought in
1841 and subsequently he added another tract
of eighty acres to the first, and, by great thrift
and enterprise, he reduced both to subjection
and brought to a high state of cultivation. In
his arduous work he was ably assisted by his
excellent wife, who was formerly Miss Catherine
VanVlack, a native of Dutchess county, New
York, whom he married on October 26, 1842.
They were the parents of four children, Henry
F., Edwin, Addie and Mary. Addie married
Sylvester Lawrence, who is now a resident of
Kansas, and died at Reading, this state, in 1873;
Henry F., married Sarah J. DePuy and is now
a prominent business man of Reading; Edwin
married H. Ellen Norris and resides on the
homestead; Mary, now the wife of James Curran, lives at Reading.
Edwin Doty was born in this county on May
26, I846, and was reared on his father's farm and
educated in the district schools near by. Since
leaving school he has worked on the home farm
and since he became of age he has managed its
operations. He has given to his work in this
line the most careful and thoughtful attention,
has made free use of every means of wider
knowledge on the subject of agriculture that has
been available to him, and his farming has been
productive of correspondingly agreeable results.
He married on December 31, I868, with Miss H.
Ellen Norris, a daughter of Joel B. Norris, one
of the pioneers of the township and a scion of an
old and famed Revolutionary family of New
England. He was born at Canandaigua, Ontario county, New York, on April 2, 182I, and
was reared and educated in his native cot..
On December I6, I846, he married Miss Margaret M. Brown, also a native of New York,
and, in 1853, they came to Michigan and took
up their residence in Cambria township where
they are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Doty have
two children, their sons, Willard L. and Walter
R. Mr. D.oty has never taken an active part in
politics, although giving his party, the Republican, loyal support at all times, consenting at
times to fill township offices for the general good
of the community. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church and to its affairs both
give their close attention, while in its active
charities they take a leading part. They are
well esteemed as among the best citizens of
the township and have earned by their genuine
worth and usefulness the general regard and
good will in which they so securely rest.
THE STATE BANK OF READING.
This highly appreciated and successful financial institution was organized as a state bank,
in I889, after a creditable and useful career,
covering a number of years of active service to
the community as a private banking establishment. It was founded as a private bank by H.
B. and A. R. Chapman, and as such was conducted by them for a number of years. They then
sold to C. W. Waldron, who carried it on for
several years, on the same basis, when it was
purchased of Mr. Waldron by W. B. Northrop
and Henry F. Doty, and by them continued as
a private bank until December, I899, when it
was reorganized as a state bank, having a capital stock of $25,000, Henry F. Doty being the
president, George G. Clark vice-president, and
W. B. Northrop cashier. In 900o Mr. Northrop resigned the cashiership and was succeeded
by George B. Terpening; on January I, I90I,
J. W. Chapman succeeded Mr. Clark as the vicepresident. A general banking business is conducted by the institution and its liberal spirit
of accommodation and excellent financial man
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
143
agement have made it one of the most popular
and appreciated fiscal enterprises in this part
of 'the county. Its business has steadily increased, its hold on the favor and good opinion
of the public has been enlarged and strengthened
as time has passed.
Henry F. Doty, the president of the bank and
its ruling spirit and chief inspiration, is a native
of Hillsdale county, born in Cambria township,
on April 28, 1844. His parents were Silas and
Catherine (Van Vlack) Doty, natives of New
York state, a sketch of whom will be found on
another page of this work. They came to Michigan in early days and purchased a tract of unbroken land in Cambria township. This the father cleared and here he made his home until
his death on May I, I890, when he was the owner of I6o acres. The mother is still living and
makes her home at Reading. Their family consisted of two sons and two daughters, and two
sons and one daughter are living. Henry F.
was reared on the paternal homestead and was
educated at the public schools in the neighborhood of his home. In I869 he started a business enterprise in the drug trade in partnership
association with S. C. Dodge, under the firmname of Dodge & Doty, at Reading. After nine
years of successful and prosperous business they
sold, Mr. Doty thereafter serving for seven years
as postmaster, giving up the office in I889, when
he organized the bank with which he is now
connected. He was one of the organizers and
original stockholders of the Reading Robe &
Tanning Company, but disposed of his interest
therein in the fall of I902. In addition to his
other industries, he manages the operations of a
2Io-acre stock farm. In politics he is a Republican and has always taken great interest in
the success of his party, and, although not attracted to public office, he has served in several
local positions of importance. He married in
1867 with Miss Sarah J. DePuy, a native of
Ohio, and a daughter of Philip DePuy of Hillsdale county. They have two children, E. May,
wife of E. A. Dunten, and Leroy H., one of the
prominent young business men of Reading. Mrs.
Doty died on December IO, 1900, and her death
was lamented throughout the entire community,
which locality had been blessed by her long presence and useful life, her genial companionship
being most highly appreciated, and she will long
be.favorably and kindly remembered.
HORACE ELDRED.
The prosperous and enterprising farmer of
Allen township to whom this brief review is
dedicated and an account of whose interesting
life it records, was one of the first of the white
children born in southern Michigan, where his
life began, on September 26, 1840, in Lenawee
county. His parents were William B. and Susan
L. (Decker) Eldred, natives of the state of New
York, well-to-do farmers tlere until 1835, when
the father was about twenty-five years of age,
and they came to Michigan voyaging by way of
tkle Erie canal to Buffalo, thence across Lake
Irie to Toledo, from there by teams through
fih Black Swamp to where they first settled in
Lenawee county. Four years later, they moved
to Hillsdale county, and located in Adams township, where they cleared up a farm and lived until 1864. In that year they moved to Allen township, where the father died in I890 and the
mother in I894. They were the parents of three
sons and four daughters. The father was a
stanch Republican, but not an office-seeker or an
active partisan. The grandfather, Henry Elred, also a "York state" man, was killed by a
falling tree before his grandson, Horace, was
born.
Horace Eldred grew from childhood to manhood by the parental fireside with his brothers
and sisters, and with them attended the schools
located near their home. In I86I, when armed
resistance threatened the continuance of the
Union, at an early call for volunteers for its defense, himself and his brother William promptly
enlisted in the Union army, the brother in the
Eleventh Michigan Cavalry and Horace in the
Sixteenth Michigan Infantry. Both saw active
service, William in Kentucky, Ohio and eastern
Tennessee, his company being present when the
Confederate raider, General Morgan, was killed
at Greenville, in the last mentioned state, while
Horace was one of the Army of the Potomac, be
I44
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ing in the front of the unrolling columns at
Gaines Mills, the Seven Days' fight under McClellan, Second Bull-Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and on many
another ensanguined field where, on both of the
embattling sides, American valor contended for
the mastery. He was wounded at Rappahannock
Station, and thereafter remained in the hospital
until his discharge in 1864. His regiment had a
greater percentage of loss in active service in
this great war than any other organization from
this state. After his discharge Mr. Eldred returned to his Hillsdale county home, and, since
that time, he has been continuously and industriously engaged in farming in Allen township'
and in building up and promoting the interests of
her people, assisting all of her elements of material, intellectual and moral progress.
Mr. Eldred was married on December 13,
I867, to Miss Julia Nichols, a native of Portage
county, Ohio, a daughter of Jared and Matilda
Nichols, of that county. Her mother died in
Ohio, before her father came to Michigan in I847
and settled at Quincy in Branch county. He was
deeply 'interested in public affairs, always ready
to do his part in defense of his convictions,
whether in arms or in peaceful pursuits. In the
War of 1812 he made a good record as a gallant
soldier, and, whatever line of activity enlisted his
energies, it gained force and effectiveness from
his participation in its work. Mr. and Mrs. Eldred now have one child, their daughter, Minnie
S., wife of A. D. Pierce, of Allen township. Fred
Eldred was born on December 13, I872, and died
on June 6, I874. Mr. Eldred has given unwavering allegiance to the Republican party all of his
mature life. He has served the township six
years as A highway commissioner and twelve as
a justice of the peace. Fraternally, he is connected with the Masonic order and with the
Grand rmy of the Republic, and Mrs. Eldred
belongs to the Baptist church.
DR. ROBERT A, EVERETT.
For more than a third of a century the late
Dr. Robert A. Everett lived a life of usefulness
and benefaction among the people of Hillsdale
county, giving them the full benefit of his wide
professional and general knowledge, his skill and
industry in practice and his genial and inspiriting
companionship. His medical practice began here
in the early pioneer days, and, for a long time,
he was one of the leading physicians of this portion of the state: He was born in the state of
New York, on November 22, 1839, the son of Dr.
Augustus and Pamelia (Holdridge) Everett,
also native in that state. His father, Dr. Augustus Everett, born on October 2, I8II, was
graduated from the Geneva (N. Y.) Medical College, and practiced his dual profession of medicine and surgery in his native state until I849,
when he came to this state and settled at Tecumseh, in Lenawee county. From there he
went to Toledo, Ohio, in I856, returning to Michigan and locating at Hillsdale, remaining here
until his death on January 5, I874. His parents
were Robert and Laura (Hooker) Everett, the
former a native of Scotland and the latter of
Vermont.
Dr. Robert A. Everett was one of three children, one son and two daughters, born to his parents, one daughter, Mrs. C. H. Smith, being now
a resident of Hillsdale. Dr. Everett was educated
in this state and studied medicine under the effective tutelage of his father until 1857, when he
entered the State University, from which he was
duly graduated in 1859, with the degree of M. D.
He began practicing at once, in association with
his father, and was actively engaged in the duties attached to an extensive medical ride until
the opening of the Civil War in I86I, when he
enlisted as a hospital steward with the Fourth
Michigan Infantry. He was soon after transferred to the Fifth Michigan as an assistant surgeon, having the rank of major, and, some little
time thereafter, he was commissioned surgeon of
the Sixteenth Michigan,. and, with that regiment,
he served to the end of the war. His command
was a part of the Army of the Potomac, wherehe saw active field service in most of the battles
of that army, but was fortunate enough to escape
serious harm or injury. On being discharged he
resumed his practice at Hillsdale and continued
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I45
it actively until his death on October 20, I897,
being, also, for a great portion of the time, engaged in the drug business. He was a Democrat in politics, but was not an active partisan,
serving capably as mayor of Hillsdale and as an
alderman, only accepting these positions at the
solicitation of the people for the welfare of the
city. In the line of his profession he took a cordial and intelligent interest in everything that
might make it better and more serviceable, to
this end holding membership in the State Medical
Society and various other organizations of a similar character, aiding at all times in making their
proceedings of value to the profession and to the
people. He was married on October II, I863, to
Miss Janette G. Lancaster, a native of New York
and a daughter of James and Cornelia (Spock)
Lancaster, also New Yorkers by birth. They
came to Hillsdale county in I84I, made their
first location at Jonesville, and there the father
erected for his use the first framed house erected
in the town. He removed his family to Hillsdale
soon after, and here carried on business as a
merchant tailor until he died, his wife also dying
here. Dr. Everett was a prominent Freemason,
holding membership in the lodge, the chapter and
in the commandery. For eight years he served
his lodge faithfully as its worshipful master, being also active in the work of the other branches
of the fraternity of the mystic tie. He was also
a prominent and serviceable member of the Grand
Army of the Republic, and served eleven years
on the pension board for this county.
BERT E. FORD.
Mr. Ford, the obliging postmaster at Allen,
is a native of this county, born on January 6,
I86I, at Moscow, in the township of the same
name. His parents are Stellman W. and Cornelia (Strong) Ford, the former being natives
of Onondaga county, New York, and the latter
of Clinton, Michigan. The father is by trade a
carpenter and joiner, having been for twentyseven years a manufacturer of carriages, buggies
and other commodities in that line in Allen. He
is now also engaged in the furniture and under
taking business, in partnership with his son, the
postmaster.' The family consists of the parents
and two sons, Bert E. and Stillman D., the latter a resident of Detroit. The grandfather was
John M. Ford, a native of New York, also a carpenter and joiner. He came to Michigan in 1838,
after a residence of several years in this state
he removed to Kansas, where he died.
Bert E. Ford grew to manhood in this county
and received a good education in the district
schools, then began life for himself as a clerk
and salesman -for F. P. Condra in the meat business, and, after two years passed profitably in
his employ, he entered that of C. H. Winchester
& Co., in the hardware trade, remaining with
that firm seven years. The next seven he spent
with John S. Lewis, of Jonesville, a dealer in
the same line, while the following three years were
devoted to farming. He returned to Allen in
I895 and started in business as a furniture dealer and funeral director, and is still in charge of
a flourishing enterprise in these lines in partnership with his father. In April, I902, he took
charge of the village postoffice, by virtue of a
commission from the President, and has since
performed the duties of postmaster with conscientious regard for the interests of the government and for the convenience and advantage
of the patrons of the office. Previous to this he
served two terms as treasurer, one term as clerk
of the township, and, in 900o, he took the census in this part of the state.
Mr. Ford married in 1887 Miss Mary A.
Gilchrest, a native of this county and a daughter
of Harvey and Emeline J. (Twitchins) Gilchrest.
They have two daughters, Ruth and Naomi, both
living at home. In political allegiance Mr. Ford
has been a life-long Republican, active and vigilant in the service of his party. Fraternally, he
belongs to the Knights of Pythias and to the
Knights of the Maccabees. In his business he
is prosperous and progressive; in official life considerate and attentive; while in the estimation
of the general public he stands deservedly high,
well established as one of the leading citizens of
this part of the county and a representative of its
best aspirations and sentiments.
I46
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
CAPT. JOHN L. FRISBIE.
No man's career, and scarcely any one's vocation, can be predicated or predicted with any degree of certainty amid the mobile conditions of
American life. The man who enters upon the
stage of action at twenty years as a lawyer, doctor, mechanic or what not, may, perhaps, be
found at forty pursuing a very different calling.
The country schoolboy of 1850 becomes the promising teacher of I86I, the gallant major of 1863,
the successful lawyer of I870, the renowned publicist of I890 and the martyred President of I90I.
So the career of Capt. John L. Frisbie, of Hillsdale, illustrates in a forcible manner the possibilities of American life, and also the versatility
of the American mind, with its adaptive power
to mold a shapely destiny out of any conditions
that fate may fling before it. He was born on
March 26, I837, in Ontario county, New York,
the son of John and Samantha (Spencer) Frisbie. His fatfher:was a native of Hartford, Conn.,
and was.rearefd and educated in that state. By
profession he was a civil engineer, becoming well
known as a mathematician in New York, where
he died, being at the time the principal of the Parma Academy. His wife's father was Rev. Ira
Spencer, a Universalist clergyman well-known in
Western New York, and also in Michigan, having
come hither to live in Macomb county, in 1838,
and dying there in 1865, at the age of ninety-five.
When Captain Frisbie was but two years old
the family moved to Hillsdale county, settling at
Litchfield, where he received his elementary education. In I850 he entered the office of the Jonesville Telegraph as an apprentice, and, after learning his trade as a printer, he worked at the case
until I86I. Then, when armed resistance threatened the integrity of the Union, he enlisted in Co.
A, Eleventh Michigan Cavalry, and soon rose
by rapid promotion, for gallantry on the field
and by meritorious service, to the rank of captain. During the last year of the Civil War he
was an assistant inspector general on the staff of
Gen. S. B. Brown. At the close of the long contest he returned to his home and to his trade, and,
in I868, having been active in politics in behalf
of the Republican party, he was elected county
clerk. He had successive reelections and held she
office eight years. He was later an enrolling and
engrossing clerk in the State Senate, and then the
superintendent to remove the Ponca Indians from
Dakota to their reservation in the Indian Territory. In 1878 he received the appointment of
U. S. consul at Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and
passed three years in that country. He was
next appointed U. S. consul at Rheims, France,
a position which he held for seven years, until
a change of the national administration at Washington opened the place to a man of another political party, but he received the special thanks of
the U. S. Department of State for the fidelity
with which he had discharged his duties and for
the value and interest of his official reports. Upon
his return to his Michigan home he engaged in
mercantile life for some years at Hillsdale, but
has lived retired from active business since I898.
He is still interested in agricultural operations
in Camden township, in this county, and he is
still an earnest worker in the ranks of his
political party. He belongs to the Masonic order
in lodge, chapter and commandery, and is an
enthusiastic worker in the cause of temperance.
In 1867 and I868 he was the grand worthy patriarch of the Sons of Temperance for the state,
and, in this capacity, gave great vitality and activity to the order, organizing many subordinate
lodges. He is a gentleman of great uprightness
and a high character and has an exalted position
in the esteem of his fellow men.
PHILIP S. GAIGE.
Many of the pioneers of Michigan, who trod
her virgin soil as scouts, prospecting far in advance of the army of industrial conquest for
which they blazed the trails and opened the way,
lived long enough to see the attractive wilderness
in which they here first camped transformed into
a rich and productive commonwealth, blooming
like the garden of the gods, rejoicing on every
side, laughing, clapping its hands, bringing forth
in spontaneous abundance everything brilliant,
and fragrant and also nourishing. This was the
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I47
fortunate fate of Philip S. Gaige and his parents, Wilson and Annie Gaige, natives of New
York, who came to this state in 1833, and took
up government land in the primeval forest by
the side of the long, lone highway of that day,
known as the Chicago Road, and, from its hard
and unpromising conditions, built comfortable
and well-appointed homes, presided over the birth
of civilization in these western wilds, hewed out
a competence for life, and aided in founding here
a new member of our glorious galaxy of mighty
states of the great American republic.
Mr. Gaige was born in Cortland county, New
York on July 5, I809, where he was reared and
received a rather advanced scholastic training for
a c ountry boy of his day, by attending the best
schools of his neighborhood and applying himself
with diligence to their teachings. After leaving
school he was for a number of years engaged in
teaching, and while so occupied was united in
marriage with Miss Emily Mahan, a native of
the same county as himself and also a popular
teacher. In I833, with his parents and his wife,
Mr. Gaige determined to seek opportunity for
a more substantial advancement in the new country of the West, which was then attracting the
attention of emigrants from all parts of the world,
and came to Michigan, locating in this county.
The elder Gaiges settled on government land in
Fayette township, on the old Chicago Road, and
lived there many years, clearing up the land and.
developing it into one of the best and most attractive farms in this section of the county. In
their declining years they retired from active pursuits, thereafter maintaining their residence at
Jonesville, where they died at ripe old ages, securely established in the esteem and good will
of the people among whom they had lived so acceptably and labored so faithfully.
Their son, Philip S. Gaige, and his wife located their Michigan home near the present village of Litchfield, remaining on the farm they
first occupied for a period of six years. Mr.
Gaige was elected the first justice of the peace
of the township and gave its people a highly appreciated service for a number of years. From
there he moved to Fayette township, locating on
10
section I of its new survey, purchasing I20 acres
of woodland, which he at once began to clear
and improve, and which became his home until his
death in June, 1892. He survived his wife twentynine years, she having passed away in I863. This
worthy couple were the parents of five children,
four of whom are now living: Melissa, at home;
Elizabeth, wife of Daniel Howell; Mariamna, wife
of Liberty Day; Isabella, wife of F. Lacore. During all of his mature life, Mr. Gaige was an ardent
and serviceable Democrat in politics, showing his
zeal and activity in behalf of his party by wisdom
in its councils as an adviser, by valued service
for its candidates as a worker, and his disinterestedness and sincerity by steadily refusing all
overtures to accept public office. At his death,
at the age of eighty-three years, after a career
of unusual length and usefulness, he left his farm
mn a state of advanced improvement and cultivation, and the township rejoicing in the fruits of his
judicious thought and labors, as exhibited in every form of industrial, commercial and intellectual development, to all of which he had made
valuable contributions.
Liberty Day, the son-in-law of Mr. Gaige, and
husband of his daughter, Mariamna, who now occupies and conducts the home farm, is a native
of Ontario county, New York, born on September 24, 1840, the son of Samuel H. and Sophia
(Lincoln) Day, who came with their family
to Michigan in 1857 and are now prosperous
farmers living near Jonesville. Mr. Day remained at home with his parents until I864, then
enlisted' in Co. K. Fourth Michigan Infantry,
for service in the Union army during the remainder of the Civil War. He participated in
many of the bloody battles which marked the
closing years of the gigantic struggle, among the
most noted being those at Cold Harbor, Spottsylvania and Preble Farm in Virginia, and he
was present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
While he saw arduous and exacting service, being many times in the very deluge of death in
the terrible battles in which he fought, he escaped unharmed, at the close of the war returning to his Michigan home, and he has been
a resident of Hillsdale county continuously since.
148
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
On July 7, I866, he was married to Miss Mariamna Gaige, and, almost from the date of their
marriage, they have lived on the old Gaige homestead. Mr. Day has been and is one of the
most successful and progressive farmers in the
county, also one of its most respected citizens.
He is a valued member of the Grand Army of
the Republic.
ZELA HADLEY.
-The useful life of nearly fifty years duration
in this state, which it is the province of these
paragraphs to briefly outline, ended on Christmas day, 1899, and spanned a period of seventyseven years, lacking but little over one month.
It was passed almost wholly on the frontier, covering pioneer experiences in^ two states. In each
it was fruitful of good, full of energy devoted
to the development and improvement of the region in which it was passing. And in each Mr.
Hadley won the commendation and high respect
of those who witnessed its upright and serviceable course, and its fidelity to every duty.
Zela Hadley was born at Sandy Creek, Oswego county, New York, on February Io, I823.
His parents were Samuel and Betsey (Wilder)
Hadley, natives of Vermont, and members of old
families resident in New England from early
Colonial times. Samuel Hadley was the son of
Jesse Hadley, a son of Ebenezer Hadley and
a grandson of Benjamin Hadley. Benjamin was
a native of Brattleboro, Vermont, and died in
I776 aged ninety-two years. Ebenezer died in
I815, aged eighty-eight, and Jesse, born in 1781,
died on December Io, I840. In their several
generations they were farmers, men of local
prominence in the places of their residence, filling many neighborhood offices of importance
and exerting a healthy and helpful influence on
the public life and activities of their time and
locality. Samuel Hadley, father of Zela, was
born on September 17, I779, and died in New
York on August I, I858. His wife was born
on March 28, 1783, and died on November 28,
I825. They were the parents of nine children
that reached years of maturity, Zela being the
youngest. One son, Truman Hadley, is still living and resides on the old homestead at Sandy
Creek, New York.
Zela Hadley grew to manhood in his native
state, had the advantage of regular attendance
at excellent schools, and, as he made good use
of his time, he secured an excellent education
for his day. He remained at home until he
reached his majority, in 1844 came to Michigan
and joined his brother, Horatio Hadley, who
was running a sawmill in this county. He purchased eighty acres of land in that part of Florida township that is now Jefferson, it being a
part of section 2, and began clearing it up to
create a home for himself. Later he purchased
fifty acres on section ii, adjoining his original
purchase, and in the process of time cleared that
also, and on this land he lived until his death
on December 25, I899. He was married in
Hillsdale county on June 17, 1849, to Miss Amy
L. Ambler, a native of the county and a daughter of Erasmus D. and Sarah S. (Schofield)
Ambler, natives of New York, who came to
Michigan and settled in Hillsdale county in 1835,
making their home near Jonesville until 1842,
when they moved into what was then Florida
township. The father was a contractor in railroad construction and helped to build the line
through the county, for a number of years also
operating a gristmill south of Osseo. He was
the first supervisor of Jefferson township and
gave it the name it now bears. He diedlin the
county, on March 31, 1852, aged fifty-one years;
his wife died on May 6, 1891, aged eighty-seven.
Mr. and Mrs. Hadley had three children, Edwin
A., a resident of Jefferson township; Alice M.,
wife of George L. Loomis of Fremont, Nebraska; Sadie E., wife of M. L. Rawson, who resides
on the family homestead in this township. (See
sketch on another page.) Mr. Hadley was a
Republican in politics and was elected as township treasurer for two years and to other local
offices. In early life he and his wife were Methodists, but later they became connected with the
Free Baptist church at Osseo. He was one of
the solid and substantial men of the township,
passing his life in a laudable endeavor to build
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. I49
up his section of the county and state in e
proper way, and to foster and conserve 1
best interests in all directions. He went dow
his grave full of years and of honors amid
friends, scenes and associations that were
to him through long connection with tl
blessed with the general respect, confidence
esteem, of the people of the whole county.
WILLIAM H. GRAY.
A prominent pioneer, one who has done n
to aid in the building up of this section of M
gan, is William H. Gray, the subject of
sketch. He was born on June 13, 1841, in
auga county, Ohio, the son of George and Zi
(Stafford) Gray, both natives of New N
state. The father left his native state of I
York, when a young child, going in comi
with his parents to Ohio, where he grev
years of maturity, receiving such limited
cation as the frontier conditions afforded.
I846, he removed from Ohio to Hillsdale cot
Michigan, coming the entire distance by wa
and settled in the township of Wheatland, w
he remained until I848, when he removed tc
township of Adams and there purchased
farm which continued to be his home during
remainder of his life, and which is now the p
erty of his son, William H. The ground
then covered with timber, and, after erecting
temporary accommodation a cabin and stable
at once set about the work of clearing the f;
The hardships which the pioneers of that
were compelled to endure, in order to pre
the way for succeeding generations, canno
described within the limits of the space allc
to this article. In I894 the father passed a)
who had survived the mother, her death oc
ring in 1890. To this worthy couple were 1
two sons and one daughter, all now dead, ex
William H. Gray. The father of George (
was Daniel Gray, the paternal grandfathe
William, who was a native of Massachus
and who, at the time of his death, in Lake c,
ty, Ohio, had attained to the advanced ag
I04 years. He was one of' the earliest of
very pioneers of Geauga county, Ohio, having settled
their there as early as I818. His family consisted of
In to four sons and two daughters, all now deceased.
the William H. Gray attained manhood in Hillsdale
dear county and, after cornpleting his early educahem, tion, the opportunities fdr which in those days
and were very limited, he began active life by assisting his father in the clearing, and afterwards
in the care and management, of the home farm.
This has been his place of'residence ever since,
and he has gradually added to and improved the
nuch farm, until now it consists of about I20 acres
ichi- of land, being one of the best and finest farms
this in that portion of the county.
Ge- During the month of December, I866, Mr.
Ipha Gray was married to Miss Mary Wayman, a
fork daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Crisp) WayNew man, both natives of England. The father was
pany seventeen years of age when he left his native
v to England and came to America. He followed
edu- the trade and occupation of milling, being for
In many years a successful operator in that line
nty, of business. While on a visit to his daughter,
igon Mrs. Gray, he was attacked by sudden illness
here and died at her home in the year I893. Her
the mother's people were among the pioneers of this
the section of Michigan, establishing themselves and
the their home here about 1839. To Mr. and Mrs.
rop- Gray have been born four children, Mary E., now
was Mrs. J. H. Traverse; Joseph H.; Edmund A.;
r for Alice M.; now Mrs. E. C. Williams, of Hillsdale.
I, he Fraternally Mr Gray is affiliated with the Grange
arm. being one of the most active and prominent memday bers of that organization. Politically, he is idenpare tified with the Republican party. For many years
t be he has taken a leading part in the local affairs of
)tted that party, but he has never held or desired any
way, office, having no taste for public life, giving his:cur- entire attention to the management of his private
born business interests. He is well and favorably:cept known throughont the county, and is held in high
3ray esteem by all classes of his fellow citizens.
_r
NEWTON M. GREGG.
This efficient and accommodating supervisor
of Cambria township, who is now (I903) serv
I50
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ing his third successive term in the office, has
had excellent training for almost any kind of
public service by a long and creditable career
in military, mercantile and pastoral life, and
in official stations of importance and responsibility. His life began in Trumbull county, Ohio,
on April 2, 1836, the son of Seth and Hannah
(Niblack) Gregg, natives of Pennsylvania and
early settlers in Ohio, where the father died in
I855. His widow survived him forty-five years
and passed to her final rest in this county in
Igoo, aged eighty-seven. They were the parents
of seven children, four sons and three daughters, all of whom are living and two reside in this
county, Newton M. and his sister, Mrs. Henry
W. Sampson.
Newton M. Gregg reached man's estate and
received his education in his native state, remaining at home until August, I86I, when he
enlisted in the Union army as a member of
Co. C, Nineteenth Ohio Infantry. He was soon
after actively engaged in the field and for four
years and three months was in almost continual
service and much of the time in the very thick
of the fight.. He participated in the battles of
Shiloh, Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga,
Missionary Ridge and others; then went with
Sherman to Atlanta and took part in the engagement at Peach Tree Crfeek, and Buzzard's
Roost, Kenesaw Mountain, Marietta and Lovejoy below Atlanta. After this his regiment returned with General Thomas and had hot work
in the devastating deluge of death at Franklin
and also at Nashville. In I865, early in the year,
it was sent to Texas and remained in that state
until November, being finally mustered out at
Columbus, Ohio. During this long and trying
service Mr. Gregg did not receive a wound and
was never absent from duty, and, when he was
discharged, he held the rank of orderly sergeant,
to which he had risen by meritorious conduct.
He had two brothers in the Union army, one in
the Seventh Ohio Infantry, the other in a gallant
Michigan regiment, and the love of country then
displayed by this family, in a critical period of
our history, has ever distinguished it throughout
its record on the continent wherever it has
gained a foothold, showing forth in the pursuits
of peaceful industry as steadily, even if less conspicuously, as on the ensanguined field of military prowess.
After the war Mr. Gregg returned to Ohio
and in I866 came to Michigan, locating in Clin-'
ton county, where he purchased a farm and lived
nine years. In 1875 he took up his residence
in Cambria township, Hillsdale county, where
he has since made his home. In I866, before
leaving Ohio, he married with Miss Emily A.
Austin, of the same nativity as himself, and a
daughter of Venajah and Belinda (Dean) Austin, who died in Ohio at advanced ages. Mr.
and Mrs. Gregg have two children, William C.,
now living at Adrian, Michigan, and Roland A.,
of Chicago. In politics Mr. Gregg has been a
lifelong Republican and has always taken great
interest in the welfare of his party. He served
the township ten years as a justice of the peace
and three as a highway commissioner. In I900
he was elected supervisor and has been twice
reelected. Fraternally, he is connected with the
Grand Army of the Republic and the Patrons
of Husbandry, and is valued as a member in
both organizations. He is well known and generally esteemed by all classes of citizens throughout the county.
JACOB A. HANCOCK.
Jacob A. Hancock, one of the most respected
citizens of Cambria township, living near the
farm which he helped to redeem from the wilderness, which, since the purchase of his present
home he has made beautiful and much more
valuable with his well-appointed and wisely constructed improvements, was one of the early settlers of Hillsdale county, and witnessed the birth
of the township in which he lives. Within his
experience here, which covers a period of sixtyfour years, he has beheld the growth of a mighty,
and splendid commonwealth from its very cradle
to its present maturity and power. He was
among its struggling first citizens, who had to
contend with all of the wilds of nature, the rapacity and deadly cruelty of ferocious beasts and
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I51
to endure all of the privations and hardships of
frontier life. They had also to lay the foundations of a state broad and deep; the work they
accomplished in this respect has its merits loudly
proclaimed in the substantial and enduring results which bloom and fructify around those of
them who are yet living and before the eyes
of their descendants.
Mr. Hancock was born in Genesee county,
New York, on January I8, I832. His parents
were Jacob S. and Jane (Van Vlack) Hancock,
natives of the same state, the father born in New
York city and the mother in Dutchess county.
His father was a shoemaker, but was thrown
on his own resources early in life and earned
his living by hard labor in the cotton mills of
Paterson, New Jersey, for some years before beginning his apprenticeship at his trade. At the
conclusion of this apprenticeship he moved to
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., following his craft in that
city for a number of years. There he met and mraried his wife and soon after removed with his
young family to Genesee county, settling in Staf-.
ford township, where he went into business as a
manufacturer of boots and shoes on a rather
extensive scale for that period. In 1839 he
brought his family a stage farther toward the
setting sun, locating in what is now Cambria
township in this county, where he found a ready
market for the products of his skillful work and
frequently took work in exchange, thereby acquiring eighty acres of good land, getting it
well cultivated also and provided with comfortable improvements, residence, barns, etc., to replace the humble cabin and outbuildings of logs
which he at first erected for a home. He was
the first postmaster of the township and frequently had to advance the money for postage.
at that time twenty-five cents each letter, in order
that the patrons of the office could get their mail,
such was the scarcity of money in the new settlements. During the last years of his life he
gave up his trade and devoted his energies wholly to the cultivation of his farm. His wife died
on July 27, I879, and he followed her to his final
rest on September 8, I885. They were the parents of eight children, Jacob A. being the first
born. The father was one of the organizers of
the township and gave the new creation excellent service as its first supervisor anrd in other
local offices of importance. He was a Republican in politics, after the formation of that party,
and he and his wife were faithful members of
the Baptist church.
Their oldest son, Jacob A. Hancock, grew
to manhood on his father's farm, was educated
in the district schools and remained at home until his marriage, which occurred in Cambria
township, on March 29, 1854, and united him
with Miss Almira Smith, a daughter of Warren
Smith and a sister of Charles E. Smith, a sketch
of whom appears on another page. Mrs. Hancock was born in Lenawee county, Michigan,
on March 26, 1837, and was well educated. She
lived with his parents and followed the ennobling profession of teaching in the public schools
until her marriage. After nearly thirty-nine
years of happy wedded life, she died on March
17, 1893, leaving one child, their daughter, Ida,
wife of D. J. Gibbon of Cambria township. Two
of Mr. Hancock's brothers served in the Union'
army during the Civil war,, Oscar and Albert,
one in the Eighteenth and the other in the Twenty-Seventh Michigan Infantry. Albert is at
present residing at San Francisco, California.
Mr. Hancock is a staunch Republican and in fraternal affiliations is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. At the hale old age
which he has reached in peace and comfort, he
has the assurance of the respect and high regard of the community in which he has lived
so long, to whose progress and prosperity he has
so essentially contributed, and also the knowledge that his labors for its advancement are duly
appreciated, and that he will be well and worthily remembered long after he shall have surrendered his earthly trust at the behest of the Great
Disposer of human destinies.
MACK HARRING.
Mack Harring, the popular and obliging
postmaster at Osseo and one of the leading merchants of the place, where he carries on a flour-;::-::::
I52
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ishing and progressive hardware business, is a
native of Jefferson township, born on November
8, 1862, half a mile south of the town. His parents were Henry H. and Mary J. (Shurtluff)
Harring, natives of New York, the former born
and reared in Niagara county and the latter in
Ontario county. The father was born on October I, 1825, and grew to manhood and received
his education in his native county, although his
parents moved to Michigan when he was but ten
years old. After his arrival in this state he was
variously occupied for some years. He helped
build the railroad through to Hillsdale and was
trackmaster between that city and Adrian for
six years. He left the road in 1859 and followed
farming in Jefferson township until I875, when
he sold out and removed to Osseo. There his
wife died in 1897 and he passed away on July
II, I900. They were the parents of four sons
and four daughters, of whom seven are living,
three sons and daughter being residents of Hillsdale county. The father was a man of great
public spirit and took an active interest in the
local affairs of the township. He served as a
justice of the peace for sixteen years. His father was Peter R. Harring, a native of New
York who came in 1835 to Lenawee county and
there cleared up a farm. Later he moved to
Hillsdale county, and, after some years of active
service to the railroad company as a bridge
builder, died near Osseo.
Mack Harring was reared and educated at
Osseo. He left home at the age of sixteen years
to learn the trade of a tinner and at this craft
he has worked ever since, carrying it on in connection with his business since that was started in 1893. In 1897 he was appointed postmaster of the town and has conducted the affairs
of the office with signal success and enlarging
usefulness to its patrons. Since March I, I902,
he has had a rural delivery service, which has
been of great advantage and convenience to
many persons in the country and is highly appreciated. The establishment of this service was
the result of Mr. Harring's persistent personal
efforts with the department at Washington, and
its operation is. much to his credit. He has also
served the people as township treasurer and as
a member of the school board. In his twelve
years' service as school trustee, he has been very
active in the cause of education in general and
has given the school at Osseo intelligent, diligent and helpful attention in particular, raising
it to a graded school and aiding in making it
one of the best in the county. In I886 Mr. Harring was married to Miss Lilly O'Neil, a daughter of James and Charlotte (Paine) O'Neil, and
they have three children, Neil H., Kate H. and
Hartis Y,, all at home. In politics he has been
a Republican all of his mature life and in the
service of his party has been effective and vigilant. In fraternal relations he is a valued member of the Masonic order. His business is prosperous and expanding, being one of the leading
enterprises of its kind in this part of the state.
Whether considered as a public official or a
mercantile force in the community, as a social
element or an educational agency, in any line
or all lines of elevated and elevating citizenship,
Mr. Harring is well worthy of the high regard
in which he stands among the people and of
the universal confidence which he enjoys.
CHARLES JOINER.
Charles Joiner, whose well-appointed and
well-cultivated farm is one of the desirable country homes of Allen township, who for a number
of years has been living retired from active pursuits in the village of Allen, is a native of Huron
county, Ohio, born on August I, 1847. His
parents were Ralph and Eliza (Inscho) Joiner,
the former a native of Massachusetts and the
latter of Huron county, Ohio. The father, a
turner and carver by trade,,followed his chosen
vocation in connection with a thriving farming
industry and also worked at times at shoemaking. Although a man of sixty years of age at
the commencement of the Civil War, he offered
his services -to his country and finally enlisted,
on June 22, 1863, in the First Ohio Heavy Artillery. He was sent to Kentucky, where, after
passing three months, he was rejected by the
U. S. mustering officer on account of his age
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I53
and other disabilities, and was never in the
United States service. He died in Huron county, Ohio, in I888, as did the mother in I9oI at
the age of eighty-five. They had nine children,
five of whom are living, their son Charles being
the only one who is a resident of this county.
Two of the sons were Union soldiers during the
Civil War, and one of them, a member of the
Thirtieth Indiana Infantry, gave his life to the
cause, dying in the service from wounds received in one of the sanguinary battles of the
contest. The other enlisted in the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Infantry and saw
much active service, but escaped unharmed, being, however, a prisoner of war and held at Libby prison for some months. He died at Allen
in I902.
Charles Joiner was reared in Huron county,
Ohio, to the age of nineteen and was educated
in the schools of that county. He there remained until I866, then came to Michigan and
lived at Quincy in Branch county for three years,
then bought a farm in Allen township, in this
county, which was all timber land, covered with
a dense growth of forest. This he cleared and
farmed in true pioneer style for eleven years,
then moved to the village of Allen where he has
since resided. He was married in Allen township, on April 30, I870, to Miss Hannah Lazenby, a sister of Christopher Lazenby, more extended mention of whom will be found on another page of this work. They have one child,
their daughter, Lydia H., wife of C. D. Eaton, of
Allen. While fervently patriotic and devoted to
the welfare of his country, especially that portion of it in which his lot has been cast, and being ever a faithful and loyal Republican, Mr.
Joiner has never taken any special interest in
party politics and has never sought or desired
public office. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and has been zealous in advocating and
supporting public improvements of every proper
kind, also in aiding to develop and multiply the
resources of the county and advance its best
interests. For all the attributes of safe, conservative and yet wisely progressive citizenship he
is well known as an example and esteemed.
HENRY HINKLE.
Henry Hinkle, who so ably guided the fortunes of Woodbridge township for five years as
its supervisor, is a native of Hillsdale county,
born in Wright township on November 7, I851.
His parents were Samuel D. and Solora (Benedict) Hinkle, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of New York. The father
was both a blacksmith and a farmer and carried
on thriving industries in both occupations, first
in his native state and, after I856, in Michigan,
moving here in that year and settling on eighty
acres of unbroken forest land in Wright township. He resided on this tract until I867 and
devoted his best efforts to clearing it for cultivation and making it productive as a farm and
comfortable as a home. In the year last named
he traded it for a farm in Cambria township,
to which he moved his family and on which he
passed the rest of his life, dying in I88I, leaving a widow who still survives him and makes
her home with her children. They were the
parents of eleven children, all of whom are living. Both were earnest and serviceable members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The
paternal grandfather was a native of Pennsylvania, a blacksmith by trade and an early settler near Columbus, Ohio, where the remaining
years of his life were passed.
Henry Hinkle grew to man's estate in Hillsdale county, and got his education in the public schools. He began life for himself as a farmer on the old home on which he lived, engaged
in its cultivation for five years. He then purchased a threshing outfit and used it to the
great advantage of the farmers in all parts of
the county for two years, after that dealing in
farm produce for a year. Some time later he
bought the farm of I28 acres on which he now
lives in Woodbridge township and which has
ever since been his home. Into its improvement
and cultivation he has' put the energy and skill
of his more mature years and has made it an
impressive illustration of what systematic and
intelligent industry can accomplish, it being now
one of the model farms of the township, yielding
I 54
-HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
abundant returns for the faith and toil involved
in its tillage. He was married in this county,
in I876, to Miss Sarah Fuller, a daughter of
David and Olive Fuller, early settlers in Woodbridge township, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hinkle have six children:
Olive, engaged in teaching at Albion; Elva, an
instructor in a school at Hillsdale; Grace, a popular teacher of Detroit; Elizabeth, Florence and
David at home. The first three are graduates of
the State Normal School. For many years after
reaching his majority Mr. Hinkle was a Republican in political faith; but he is now a Free-Silver Democrat. He has been active in behalf
of the advancement and development of the
township, and has served its people well as supervisor, first in I89I, I892 and I893, and again
in I895 and I896. He has also taken a great
and serviceable interest in educational matters
and has filled with credit and advantage to the
community several school offices. He is a member of the Patrons of Husbandry, being active
in the affairs of the grange at Cambria.
BANI BISHOP.
This honored pioneer of Hillsdale county,
who has been for more than half-a-century a leading and serviceable citizen of Cambria township,
Michigan, was born at Canandaigua, New York,
on October I2, I818. His parents were Stephen
and Charlotte (Smith) Bishop, both natives of
Connecticut. The father was a farmer in his
native state who moved to New York in i81z,
settling in Ontario county, where he passed the
rest of his life, dying in I853. The mother lived
a widow for twenty-six years and died in I879,
aged ninety years. Eight children blessed their
union, of whom all are now dead but their two
sons, Bani and William, the latter being a resident of Hillsdale township. One daughter was
for many years a resident of this county and here
died in I889. The grandfather, Jared Bishop,
was a farmer of Cheshire, Connecticut. He
made several trips to the West Indies as a trader
and died at a good old age in his native state.
Bani Bishop was reared in Ontario county,
New York, and was educated at the public
schools and a good academy located at Canandaigua. On his father's farm he acquired strength
of body, independence of spirit, and also habits
of industry and frugality. In I847 he came to
this state and settled on the farm, which is now
his home in Cambria township of this county,
purchasing I40 acres, fifty acres being cleared and
under cultivation. Since then he has bought eighty
acres, and on this land he has lived continuously!from his first occupancy of it, except for six
years, when he held his residence in South Dakota. His occupation through life has been farming, in that branch of industry he has grown
skillful and prospered, his farm being the best
evidence of his care and success as a tiller of the
soil andof his enterprise and business capacity.
Mr. Bishop married, on March 31, i85I, with
Miss Caroline L. Stark, a native of Connecticut,
and they had ten children, of whom six are living. They are George S. and John H., employed, in the lumber operations of Louisiana;
James S., a newspaper man in the South; William A., conducting the home farm; Francis W.,
in business in California; Charles, in the insurance, loan and investment business at West Superior, Wisconsin. Their mother died in 1889.
In politics, Mr. Bishop was a Whig until that
party was superseded by the Republican when
he ardently espoused the principles of the new
organization, and to this he has remained faithful ever since. He served the county twelve
years as superintendent of the poor, and the
township three years as supervisor, as well as
in other local offices from time to time. In religious affiliation he is connected with the Universalist church. Throughout the county he is
well and favorably known as a leading citizen,
one who has walked uprightly in all the relations
of life, and he has the universal and high respect of the people among whom his useful labors have been performed.
JOHN C. ILES.
Descended from an old Yorkshire family,
that lived for many generations'in that pleasant,
4 ~iC~tC/t~f 0
.HILLSDALE CO.iUNTY, MICHIGAN.
i 55
historic county of England, whose exploits in
war and peace have been often recorded in the
local chronicles, John C. Iles, of Allen township,
has the incentive to productive exertion of a
creditable family history, and the additional
stimulus of his own natural capabilities and high
sense of duty, and he has, in this western world,
far from the associations and suggestions of his
childhood in his native land and those of his
youth in the state of New York, demonstrated his
ability to worthily continue the fine family record. He was born on November 25, I824, near
the city of Leeds, in Yorkshire, England, the
son of William B. and Elizabeth (Chapelow)
Iles. His father was a miller, who owned and
operated large flouring mills in the vicinity of
that busy mart of commerce and industrial activity, where he also carried on an extensive
wholesale and retail trade in the product of his
mills. In 1831, hearkening to the voice of America calling for volunteers for the great army of
occupation, to which she offered unbounded
worlds of industrial and commercial conquest,
he disposed of his interests in the mother country and brought his family to the United States.
He located in New York city and soon after became interested in' a woollen manufactory in
New Jersey, which eventuated as a disastrous
investment. He then moved to Rochester, then
the flour city of New York, and there became
the head miller of the leading flouring mill of the
city, a capacity in which he rendered valuable
and appreciated service for several years. From
that city he moved to Detroit, where during the
next seven years he was busily occupied in the
manufacture of mill-stones, himself doing the
"creasing." About the year 1845 he came to
jonesville, in Fayette township, Hillsdale county,
as miller for the Mr. Dowling who built and operated the first gristmill in that part of the county. For twelve years he was connected with
that mill in a leading capacity, by his skill, experience and enterprise greatly aiding in building up and expanding its trade, 'making its output renowned in the markets of a large extent
of country. He then determined to devote himself to farming, and, to this end, purchased
eighty acres of land in Allen township, which
has since been cleared and reduced to fruitfulness and fertility, mainly through the assiduous
labors and skillful enterprise of his son, John,
the immediate subject of this review. They
lived on this farm together until the death of
the father and that of his second wife, whose'
maiden name was Elizabeth Richmond. The
mother of John C. Iles died before the family
left England, leaving two children, her son, John,
and a daughter. The fruit of the second marriage was two daughters. All the children are.
now dead, except John C. and a daughter, who
is now living in Nebraska. The parents were
members of the Methodist Episcopal church, active in its management and the good works in
which it is ever engaged.
From the age of twelve John C. Iles grew to
manhood in this county, and what schooling he
obtained was secured for the most part in its
public schools. His school life ended before he
reached his majority, and at that time he began
clearing the land which his father had purchased. After this clearing was accomplished
in a great measure, he cleared other land, redeeming from the forest 250 acres in all, himself splitting the rails for the fences and building the houses and barns which adorned and
improved it. In 1855, at the age of thirty-one,
he was married in this county to Miss Jane West,
a native of Chautauqua county, New York, born
in 183I. She died on May 30, 1883. They
were the parents of seven children: William A.
F. and Frank, leading farmers of this township; Nina E., deceased; La Vergne, a farmer
living in Litchfield township; Kate E., living
at the parental home; Nellie M., wife of 0.
Bowen, of Chicago, Ill.; Fred W. On June 27,
I894, Mr. Iles married his second wife who still
abides with him. Her maiden name was Elizabeth C. Harris, being a daughter of Orlando
and Ann (Morey) Harris, early settlers in Allen
township. At the time of her marriage to Mr.
Iles she was the widow of Joseph Walsh, and
the mother of five children, four sons and one
daughter. Mr. Iles has been a Republican in
politics all of his mature life. When the call
I56
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
to arms in defense of the Union rang loudly
through the land in I86I, he enlisted in Co. C,
First Michigan Infantry, and, after an active
service of eighteen months, he was discharged for
disabilities incurred in the line of duty, for which
he now draws a pension. He participated in the
battles of Mechanicsville, Va., Savage Station,
Fair Oaks, Gaines Mills, Malvern Hill, and a
number of others, being slightly wounded in one.
He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and takes a leading part in the work of
Quincy Post to which he belongs. No one of the
progressive farmers of the township is more
widely known or more highly esteemed throughout its borders. None is more deserving of the
place he occupies in the general regard and good
will of his fellow'men.
THE KIRBY FAMILY.
The late William Kirby, of Adams township.
was well and favorably known in all parts of
Hillsdale county and throughout a much larger
scope of country for his upright and serviceable
life of more than half a century in the county,
his valuable contributions to its development and
progress, his wisdom and breadth of view in
establishing its forms of government and vitalizing its productive and conserving forces, his
patriotic devotion to its interests all the while,
and his genial and obliging disposition from
start to finish, gave him a strong and enduring
hold on the respect and admiring esteem of the
people, and fixed his place forever in their recollection as one of the worthiest and most useful
of the early pioneers and one of the best representative citizens the county ever has had. Of
his sons, who are living among this people, it
is high praise, but only just, to say that they are
exemplars of the amenities, the thrift, the progressiveness and the public spirit which the father exhibited in marked degree and that they
are worthy followers of his commendable example.
William Kirby was born in Yorkshire, England, on February 8, I8o5. In his native land
he was reared, educated and learned his trade
as a cloth-dresser. There, too, he was married
to Miss Hannah Sykes, a native of Lancashire,
born on September 7, I8oI. The young couple
settled down for life, as they probably supposed,
amid the scenes and associations of their early
years, and began the struggle for a competency,
with no thought of ever becoming pioneers in a
new country and partial founders of an empire
of commercial and industrial wealth in the Great
Lake region of America. Their domestic shrine
was sanctified by the birth of two daughters in
their native land, and all looked promising for
a continued residence on the soil which was hallowed by the labors and covered the bones of
the countless generations of their long lines of
thrifty ancestors. But quite a different fate was
in store for them. There came to their ears the
call of the great American wilderness for volunteers to clear it from its wild, native growth and
make it habitable and productive for civilized
man. They obeyed the call, and, in 1827, they
came to the United States and joined this great
army of industrial conquest, settling in St. Lawrence county, New York, where for four years
they were actively engaged in farming. In I83I
they removed to Lake county, Ohio, and, in I834,
leaving his family at their -new home in that
state,' Mr. Kirby, with Richard Fowler and Caleb
Bates, proceeded to Toledo, from there followed
the old Indian trail to Jonesville, then little more
than a halting place for adventurous trappers
and pioneers. These men cut a road through the
forests to the farms on which they determined to
locate, and, after making temporary provision
for their own safety and comfort by building At
rude shelter, they devoted the summer to cutting
and curing hay for the cattle they had driven
in on the long trail. The stock was left in care
of the Fowlers during the winter, while Mr.
Kirby and Mr. Bates returned to Ohio for their
families. All came back to Michigan in the following spring, and Mr. Kirby, with the help of
his neighbors, erected a small log house and
barn and began to clear and improve his land.
During the first few years of his residence here
old Baw Beese was of great assistance in furnishing food for the families, and in many other
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I57
ways, being a familiar figure at all their firesides. Mr. Kirby and his devoted wifepassed
the remainder of their days in this western home,
and, when he died in I888, having survived his
wife from 1876, he had a well cleared and highly improved farm of 240 acres, of great productiveness and value. In political faith he was
a Whig as long as that party had life, and, when
the Republican party was founded on its ruins,
he joined the new organization and aided in
giving it vitality and vigor in this state. He was
not, however, much of a politician, but did consent to fill local offices from time to time for
the good of the county. Besides the two English daughters already alluded to, seven children,
six sons and one daughter, were born to him in
America. Three of the sons and two of the
daughters are still living, Mary, Jason J., Reuben, William and Louisa. The parents were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal'
church, active in all good church work.
JASON J. iKIRBY, the oldest living son of the
honored pioneer above alluded to, was born in
St. Lawrence county, New York, on May I8,
I830. He came with his parents to Michigan
in 1834, and since that time this state has been
his home and the seat of his industry and prosperity. He grew to manhood in Hillsdale county, and was educated in the little log schoolhouses of the early days, also attending school
for a short time in Hillsdale. His life has been
passed peacefully on the paternal homestead, occupied with its tranquilizing labors, except at
times when he has worked at his trade as a
stonemason. He was married in I859, to Miss
Rachel Van Aken, a native of the state, born in
Lenawee county. They have had no children.
He has never desired public office, and has taken
but little part in political affairs, but for many
years he has been an interested member of the
Masonic fraternity, holding affiliation with the
lodge at Hillsdale.
WILLIAM KIRBY, the third son living, was
born in Lake county, Ohio, on December 7,
1834, and in the following spring came with
his parents to Hillsdale county, Michigan. From
infancy to manhood he lived at home, sharing
the labors of the family, helping to clear and
cultivate the homestead and attending school
in the neighborhood and also at Tecumseh and
Jonesville. Later he attended the high school
and college at Hillsdale. Ever since reaching
years of maturity he has been actively and successfully engaged in farming, all the time in this
county, almost in sight of the smoke of his father's chimney, so little disposition has he had
to roam, and so satisfactory has he here found
the conditions of life. He was married in I86o
to Miss Mary A. Wamsley, a native of this state.
They have one daughter, Mary Etta, now the
wife of Willis Swift, of Hillsdale county.
REUBEN S. KIRBY, the second of the living
sons of William and Hannah (Sykes) Kirby, is
a native of St. Lawrence county, New York, and
was born on February 4, I832. In the spring
of 1834 he came with his parents to Michigan and
has here since made his home, being reared in
Hillsdale county. He received a liberal education
in the public schools and at the college at Hillsdale, and took a theological course at Evanston,
Illinois. In I86o he was married to Miss Lorena
Wamsley, of this state, a sister of the wife of
his brother William. They have one child, their
daughter, Emily, wife of Rev. Edwin Gray, a
minister of the Free Baptist church. This brief
review records the trials and triumphs of two
generations of one of this county's most esteemed
and most serviceable families, who have faithfully exemplified the best traits of our citizenship.
THE SCOWDEN & BLANCHARD CO.
A great engine of productive industry located
among any people, employing the brain of hundreds, filling scores of homes with comfort and
contentment, is a benefaction almost immeasur4
able in its bounty. It may not be fully appreciated in the rush and hurry of this work-a-day
world. It becomes familiar by daily contact and'
is taken into consideration almost as a matter of
course. It pursues its regular way, pouring its
tides of prosperity and happiness among the children of men, building up the community, supplying the necessaries, conveniences, or the lux
I58
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
uries of life for thousands, near and far, and men
walk in its shadow almost unconscious of its presence. But let some calamity sweep it away, or
some change of base require its removal or cessation from work, and they will realize, as they
never did before, how it has dispensed countless
blessings among them and how they are bereft.
The Scowden & Blanchard Co., of Hillsdale,
a stock company engaged in the manufacture of
ladies,'misses,'children's and little "gents' " shoes,
also men's, boys', and youths' seamless shoes, is
such a benefaction. In the wide sweep of its
business it is in touch with thousands of people,
all-of whom get from it some measure of good,
whether it be in the nature of employment for
their skill and energy, or the procuring of its
products for their comfort and convenience. This
enterprise was organized by Jacob Scowden, its
efficient and energetic treasurer, in June, 1901,
with a capital stock of $50,000, and an official
staff composed of F. M. Stewart, president; Dr.
W. H. Sawyer, vice-president; J. Will Morvin,
secretary and Jacob Scowden, treasurer. Its
factory, which in 50x154 feet in size and three
stories high, was erected the same year, and has
the capacity of producing I,5oo pairs of shoes
per day. It has always in employment from
I50 to 200 persons, and, when running at full
capacity, employs 400 to 500. The product of the
factory is in demand all over the country, taking
a high rank in the markets. This manufacturing
plant was the second shoe factory put in operation in southern Michigan.
Jacob Scowden, the founder, is a native of
Adams county, Ohio, born in I850. His parents
were John and Susan (Holton) Scowden, the
former a native of Ohio and the latter of Virginia.
After their son left home they removed to Missouri, where they died at advanced ages. Jacob
was reared to the age of eighteen on his father's
farm in Ohio, and secured a limited education at
the public schools of the neighborhood. At the
age mentioned he began to learn the trade of a
blacksmith, and, after completing his apprenticeship, he worked at the trade for several years.
He then went into merchandising in the boot and
shoe trade, and, in I896, organized the Scowden,
Jones & Sprinks Co., for the manufacture of
shoes at Springfield, Ohio, where he was conducting his mercantile business. The establishment was kept up and the business running at
that point until Mr. Scowden came to Hillsdale
in I90I, when the company was reorganized
here under the name and directorate already
given, the stock being held for the most part in
Hillsdale. Mr. Scowden is also a director of the
Alamo Gas Engine Co., and is connected in a
leading way with other mercantile and financial
concerhs. He is a member of the Masonic
order, belonging tot lodge, chaptier and commandery. He takes no active part in politics, but
was a member of the hospital board in Springfield for several years. He is a gentleman of
great public spirit and enterprise, warmly interested in the general welfare of the community.
CHRISTOPHER LAZENBY.
From that veritable hotbed of productive industry, old Yorkshire in old England, melodious
with the hum of all its busy activities in Hull
and Sheffield and Bradford and Leeds, and other
swarming centers of industrial and mercantile
life, came many of the most serviceable and energetic of the men and women who have aided
in settling the Great Northwest and West in the
United States, developing it into its present
might and magnitude in every department of
human enterprise.. Among these, and holding
a high rank among them for industry, energy
and productive usefulness, Christopher Lazenby, of Allen township, in this county, and his
parents, Thomas and Hannah (Smith) Lazenby,
are entitled to special mention. He was born
on the historic soil of Yorkshire, England, on
November I2, 1842. His ancestors had there
lived and flourished in their way for time out of
mind; but his parents heard of the better and
larger opportunities for diligence, thrift and
capacity existing in the boundless domain of
the new republic across the sea, and, in 1848,
when the son was but six years old, they left
the scenes and associations of the old home and
sought the opportunities of which they had heard
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I593
in what was then the unbroken forest and prairie of this state. They settled in Branch county,
remained there for two years, then moved to
Hillsdale county, where they passed the rest of
their lives, purchasing I20 acres of uncultivated
land on which they lived and which they cleared
and brought into fertility and fruitfulness, and
on which they finally passed away, when their
life work was accomplished, the mother dying
in I88I, and the father in I895. They were the
proud parents of four sons and ten daughters, all
of whom are now deceased, except one son,
Christopher, and five of his sisters, who are still
residents of this county, maintaining their homes
in Allen township. The father was a quiet and
industrious farmer, seeking no public notice of
any kind, official or otherwise, content to follow
faithfully his daily round of duties under the
calm, discerning gaze of Heaven and without
reference to the applause of men. He was a devout and consistent member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, gave his time and his energies
freely to the cause of the church organization,
aiding in the erection of the church edifice at
Allen, where he held his membership, and in
many others in various parts of his portion of
the county. The grandfather, also named Christopher Lazenby, came from his native heath in
Yorkshire to this county, and, after years of industrious cultivation of the soil, here passed
away in I864.
'The immediate subject of this sketch grew
to man's estate from his childhood on the farm
which is now his home, and attended, as he had
opportunity, the ministrations at the public
schools in the vicinity. At the death of his father he inherited the homestead and to its cultivation and improvement he has since devoted all
of his energies. He was married on February I,
I865, to Miss Orenda C. Cronk, a native of Allen township, and they were the parents of three
sons, William T., Charles D., and John. The
mother died on April 4, 1875, and, on December
I9, of the same year, Mr. Lazenby was united
in marriage with his second wife, Miss Josephine
Lawson, a Canadian by nativity. In politics Mr.
Lazenby is an independent Prohibitionist and
takes no part in the contests between the old parties. He is, like his father, an active and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, and, like him, too, he is universally esteemed.
J. H. KROH.
Jacob Henry Kroh, one of the leading farmers of Jefferson township and a widely known
breeder of pure Chester White hogs, is a native of
Seneca county, Ohio, born on January 2I, I858,
the son of Daniel and Hannah (Shepard) Kroh,
the former a native of Ohio and the latter of New
York. The family moved to Michigan in I86I
and settled in Jefferson township, where the father purchased eighty acres of land, partially
cleared and improved, and added to this tract by
a subsequent purchase forty more acres. He and
his faithful wife still reside on this land, where
they are passing the calm and peaceful evening
of their lives, secure in the respect of all who
know them and in enjoyment'of the retrospect of
well-spent industry in the development and progress of their adopted state. They are devout and
zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Their family consisted of three children,
their son, J. H. iKroh, their daughter, Mina L.,
wife of W. E. Freed, of this county, and another
son, William, who is now deceased. The grandfather, also named Daniel Kroh, was a native of
Pennsylvania, who moved to Ohio when that
state was new and undeveloped, and died there in
Seneca county after a long life of usefulness as
a progressive farmer. He had a family of twelve
children, seven daughters and five sons, his son
Daniel being the only one who became a resident
of Hillsdale county.
J. H. Kroh has passed the whole of his life
since he was three years of age in this county
and here received his education in its public
schools. As soon as he was able, he took charge
of the home farm and successfully conducted its
operations until January I, I902, when he moved
to the farm on which he now resides, which is
a portion of section 28, in Jefferson township.
Here he carries on a flourishing farming and
* i6o
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
stock industry, giving special attention, as has
been stated, to breeding Chester White hogs in
large quantities and of excellent quality and purity. His product has a high rank in the markets,
local and general, and he is known throughout
an extensive sweep of country as one of the most
judicious and intelligent stockbreeders in his line.
He also operates a large cider-mill in connection
with his farming operations. By this enterprise
he furnishes a great convenience, renders a valued service to the surrounding territory for many
miles and provides another product of high grade
for the use of mankind. He was married in this
county, in 1883, to Miss Susan Parmlee, a native
of the county and a daughter of Alonzo and
Ophelia (Russell) Parmlee, early settlers in Ransom township, where the father died some years
ago. Mr. and Mrs. Kroh have two children, Wilford C. and Alfred A. Although a Republican of
firm and loyal faith in his party, Mr. Kroh has
never been an active partisan and has never consented to accept a public office. He is a member
of the order of Patrons of Husbandry, for five
years has served as master of the local grange
to which he belongs, and for a number of years
prior to taking this position he was the overseer
and steward of the grange. He also belongs to
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is an
active member of the Congregational church.
HENRY LANE.
This honored citizen, progressive farmer,
wide-awake and capable business man and helpful factor in public affairs, has been for thirtyseven years a resident of this county, and, during
all of that time, he has been actively engaged in
farming and raising high-grade stock, conducting
every phase of his business along the most progressive lines, elevating the standards in products
and methods wherever he has applied his breadth
of view, his extensive knowledge and his excellent
judgment. The place of his nativity is Aurelius
Cayuga county, New York, where his life began 'on September 20, I820. His parents were
Archibald B. and Alice (Schofield) Lane, the fore
mer a native of Westchester 'couftity; New York,
and the latter born near Stamford, Conn. The
parents lived in various places in New York
state, the father working at his trade as a shoemaker, and also engaging in farming, until 1837,
when he disposed of his New York farm and
moved his family to Ashtabula county, Ohio,
making the journey with teams and settling on
a farm he there bought not far from the town of
Geneva. There was a sawmill on the place, and,
while operating his farm, he also ran the mill
industriously, while in leisure times he made
shoes for his family,and neighbors. He was a
man of great industry and strict integrity, and
he and his wife were universally esteemed. He
died on his Ohio farm on September 13, 1852,
and his widow, who long survived him, passed the
closing years of her life at the home of a daughter, in Michigan. They were the parents of seven
sons and one daughter.
Their son, Henry, was their fourth child, and
he was feeble in health, and, for a number of
years, a cripple from the effects of a fever sore,
which he had at the age of six. Later he was
fully restored to health and ultimately became
vigorous and strong. He then was of valuable
assistance on the farm between the terms of
school, and, at the age of sixteen, he took charge
of his father's sawmill, which he operated until
he was twenty-two, when he started out in life
for himself. He accepted employment with a carpenter at $13 a month, but, at the end of the first
month demanded higher wages, securing the
promise of $15 a month. He worked until the fall
without getting his wages and was then able to
collect only enough homemade cloth to make an
overcoat. He went home for the winter and in
the following spring resumed work at his trade,
helping to build a church at Geneva. The next
winter he worked in a cabinet-shop and for four
years thereafter at carpentry and cabinetmaking.
He then built a steam sawmill at Geneva and for
several years was there busily engaged in the
manufacture and sale of lumber, and, having
bought a farm near the town, he was also extensively occupied in farming. In 1865 he disposed
of all his interests in Ohio and the next year
came to Hillsdale county and bought the place on
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I6i
which he now resides in Pittsford township. He
increased his land by subsequent purchases until he owned 430 acres; in fact, he has bought and
paid for more than 700 acres of land since coming
to Hillsdale county, but has since disposed of all
but about seventy acres, and is now living upon
the old homestead in retirement. His success and
prosperity in farming and stockraising was for
many years steady, extensive and most gratifying; and they were the legitimate results of his
shrewdness, business capacity, clearness of vision
and intelligent application of wide knowledge
gained from reading and judicious observation.
Every detail of the work connected with his enterprises had his personal care and supervision,
and no effort was omitted that seemed necessary
to secure the highest and best result.
Mr. Lane was married on November I9, I849,
to Miss Clotilda C. Sawyer, a native of Manchester, Ontario county, New York, born on March
26, I816. Her father, Luke Sawyer, and her
grandfather, Thomas Sawyer, were born and
reared in Vermont. When her father was but a
boy the family moved to New York. There he
grew to manhood, was educated and there he
married with Miss Rhoda P. Cook, a daughter of
Asher and Rhoda (Phelps) Cook. Their wedded
life was wholly passed in Ontario county in that
state, and, after the death of her husband, Mrs.
Sawyer came to Michigan where her closing days
of life were passed. Mr. Lane has two brothers
living, Charles D., of Cleveland, Ohio, and Peter,
of Bay City, Michigan. His own family consists
of three sons, Orville B.,a representative of Hillsdale county in the State Legislature; Hon. Victor
H., late judge of the Second Judicial Circuit
Court, and now a professor in the law department of Ann Arbor University; William H., who
is living at the parental home. The only daughter of the family, Esther Eliza, died at the age
of four years. In politics Mr. Lane has held
firmly and consistently to the Republican party.
While he is not a specially active partisan, and
has had no desire for public office, he has been
called to that of township supervisor, which
he filled with credit for six years, also to several other local positions. He also was chosen
to a number of local offices while living in Ohio.
Both husband and wife are generous contributors
to the churches, but they are not members of any
church organization. The evening of life finds
them well situated in the possession of this
world's goods and secure in the respect and cordial esteem of the entire community.
JAMES LONG.
James Long, one of the best-known and most
highly respected farmers of Jefferson township
in this county, is an old soldier of the Civil War,
who enlisted in defense of the Union early in
the contest and kept his place at the front until
his cause was won and peace was restored between the sections. His service was long, arduous and trying, and he still bears the marks of
its burdens in a hip, which was disabled by a
wound received in one of its hotly contested battles. He is a native of Erie county, New York,
born on April 28, I840. His parents were William and Isabella (Colvin) Long, the former a
native of Ireland and the latter of Pennsylvania,
but of Scotch descent. His father came to the,
United States with his parents when he was but
three years old, grew to manhood in Pennsylvania, where they settled on their arrival, there
he received a common-school education and followed farming after leaving school until he removed to Erie county, New York, where, in
the course of time, he and his wife died, he passing away in November, I859, aged sixty-nine,
and she in 1872, at he age of fifty-five. They
had three daughters and one son, all of whom
are living and residents of Michigan, except one
daughter. The grandfather was William Long,
a native of Ireland, where his ancestors had lived
from time immemorial, and who prospered in
Pennsylvania as a farmer, dying there at a good
old age.
In his native state James Long was reared;
in its public schools he received his education.
There, also, after leaving school, he was engaged in farming until I86I, when armed resistance threatened the integrity of the Union,
and then, among the first, he enlisted in Co. C,
162
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN...
Tenth New York Cavalry, and was at the front
as a part of what later became the Army of the
Potomac. In this army he served to the close
of the war, being mustered out in June, 1865.
He participated in nearly one hundred battles,
skirmishes and engagements, and was wounded
in the hip at the battle of Brandy Station, where
he was captured, but after three days of captivity
was exchanged. Among the battles in which he
took part, were the most important and sanguinary of those fought by the Army of the Potomac, and, as it well known, they followed one
another in rapid succession, for, no army in the
field ever saw harder service and none ever bore
hardships more cheerfully or bravely. Its record has gone into history and is altogether glorious, both in general and in detail, every part
of the narrative being greatly to its credit. After
the war, in which he rose to the rank of orderly
sergeant, Mr. Long returned to New York and
remained there until 1871, when he came to
Michigan and purchased the farm of fifty-one
acres, on which he still lives, and which he has
made a model of thrift and high cultivation, as
well as an attractive home in the matter of improvements. He was married in Pennsylvania
on April 20, I869, to Miss Margaretta Gemmill,
a native of Indiana and a daughter of William
and Frances (Blaine) Gemmill, her father being born and reared in Pennsylvania and her
mother a native of Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Long
have one child, their daughter, Laura, wife of
0. D. Andrews, of Hillsdale county. In political faith Mr. Long is a Republican, having cast
his first vote for Lincoln for President and been
loyal to the party ever since. Mrs. Long is a
zealous member of the Baptist church. Both
are held in high esteem and have the general
commendation and good will of the people of the
township in which the greater part of their mature lives have been spent.
CHARLES E. LAWRENCE.
In the virgin soil and primeval forests of
Michigan, nature stored mighty wealth for the
use of the sons of men, filling the region full
of commercial and industrial opportunities.
Then, when her time had come, she brought into
the possession of her bounty men who were capable of developing and utilizing her gifts and
of multiplying their fruitfulness with widening
benefactions. Among these developers and captains of industry, Charles E. Lawrence, of Hillsdale, must be accorded an honored place in the
first rank. He has been in business in this section for nearly forty years, ever being one of
the most useful and prolific of the mercantile
forces of the community in bringing its resources
to notice and placing them into the channels of
trade..
Mr. Lawrence is a native of Geneseo, Livingston county, New York, born in March, 1834,
the son of Joseph W. and Susan (North) Lawrence. The father was a blacksmith, who followed his craft in New York until 1838, then
moved to this state and settled in Branch county, where he entered a farm, which he made his
permanent home, and on which he lived and
labored until his death. Here also his wife died
and in the soil of their adopted state their remains were laid to rest. The grandfather, J. W.
Lawrence, a native of New York, also came to
Michigan, and, after a residence of some years,
he died in Branch county at a good old age.
Charles E. Lawrence was one of ten children,
of whom six are living, his four sisters, and one
brother, the latter being a resident of Lansing.
One brother of the family was killed in one of
the terrible battles of the Civil War. When he
was fourteen years old Mr. Lawrence went to
Plymouth, Ohio, where he learned the trade of
a tinner. He worked at his trade in Ohio until
1852, then came to Hillsdale and was employed
at it here by Mitchell & Hall. He later went to
Jonesville, where he remained until 1855, then
started in business for himself at Goshen, Indiana, and there remained with varying-success
until I866, when he again came to Hillsdale, in
I867, opening the business enterprise which he
is still conducting, being for a while associated
with James G. Bunt. In his business Mr. Lawrence has been very successful, its proceeds have
given opportunity for the display of his business
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I63
sagacity and breadth of view, his public spirit
and quick mercantile perception in the inauguration and management of many industrial and
fiscal enterprises, of whose activities the community is the direct and positive beneficiary.
Among the institutions of this character, with
which he is connected in a leading way, may be
mentioned the First National Bank, of which he
is a director, the Worthing & Alger Co., the
Hillsdale Screen Co., the H. P. Meade Co., the
Scowden & Blanchard Shoe Co., one of the
founders of the Omega Portland Cement Co.,
the Michigan Mutual Insurance Co. of Detroit,
and the First National Bank of Saulte Ste.
Marie. There is scarcely any form of productive
enterprise or public interest that has not been
quickened by the touch of his tireless hand and
widened by the force of his active mind. In
politics Mr. Lawrence is a Republican, but not
an active partisan, in the ordinary meaning of
the term. He has, however, taken interest in
party affairs to aid in securing good results, locally, and to this end once consented to serve as supervisor. He was married in 1855 to Miss Mary
Welch, a native of this state. They have one
daughter, Mrs. H. P. Meade. Mr. Lawrence is
an active working member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to lodge, chapter and commandery, and is the oldest member of the commandery in continuous connection with the body.
ELLSWORTH LOVELL.
That we have the poor always with us is a
fact of Divine declaration, which is also well
attested by human experience; to make provision
for the needs of the needy and suffering, is one
of the most binding, as well as one of the most
beneficent, duties of the more fortunate classes
of society. That the provision thus made should
be in competent and careful hands is also needful
and of prime importance, and this condition is
secured in Hillsdale county by having the poor
farm under the superintendence of Ellsworth
Lovell, one of the best-known and most esteemed
citizens of the county, who has demonstrated
his capacity for continued service in the office by
11
showing firmness in his administration of its duties as well as benevolence, good judgment and
a great kindness of heart. During the five years
of his tenure of the office these traits have been
conspicuous in his demeanor towards the unfortunates in his charge, while the interests of
the people at large have also been well cared for
and conserved.
Mr. Lovell is almost wholly a product of the
county, having been brought here by his parents
when he was but two years old and having passed
all of his subsequent life among its interests and
its people. He was born on September 5, i86i,
in Fulton county, Ohio, the son of Charles W.
and Mary Lovicie (Johnson) Lovell, natives of
New York, who were early settlers in Ohio and
fromthere came to this county in I863, locating
in Litchfield township. There they engaged in
farming, continuing their operations in that part
of the county until I869, when they removed to
Fayette township, where they now reside and
are now conducting agricultural operations. The
father has served as a member of the board of
county superintendents during the past nine years,
and has filled other local offices from time to
time. His family consists of three children, two
sons and one daughter, all of whom are residents
of this county. The grandfather, Joseph Lovell,
a native of New York, came to Hillsdale county
in I862, where he lived until a short time before
his death, when he went to Iowa and there passed
away from life's activities in I889.
Ellsworth Lovell was reared and educated in
this county and, after leaving school, began life
as a farmer on the homestead, where he remained
until he was of age. He then rented a farm and
worked it until he was made superintendent of
the poor farm in I898. Before that he had been
the treasurer, and for three terms the supervisor
of Fayette township. Since becoming superintendent, he has purchased a farm located one
mile east of Jonesville. In politics he has been
a life-long Republican, and in fraternal relations
is connected with the Knights of Pythias and
the Knights of the Maccabees. He was married
in this county on December 19, 1883, to Miss
Addie A. Guy, a daughter of Oscar Guy, one of
I64
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the leading citizens of the county. They have
one child, their son, Eugene Clare Lovell, who
is living at home.
CHARLES Y. LOWE.
Charles Y. Lowe, one of the best-known and
most successful farmers of Pittsford township,
in this county, is a native of the state, born at
Monroe on November 7, I837. His parents
were Ezekiel and Sarah (Adams) Lowe, natives of New York, the father having his birth
in Ulster county, on October 23, 1812, and the
mother in Seneca county, on July 28, I8I5. At
the age of eleven the father became a resident
of Seneca county, where he grew to manhood
and rceived a common-school education.. In
1835 he married with Miss Sarah Adams, and
the next year the young couple moved to Monroe county, Michigan, where Mr. Lowe learned
the trade of milling, which he followed thereafter
in connection with farming during the greater
part of his life. In 1848 they moved to Hudson,
soon afterward to Rollin, where he operated a
mill for two or three years, then, about I850, he
bought a farm in Pittsford township, sometime
later purchasing the York Mills, also in that
township, which he operated until his death on
June 30, I88Q. He was prominent in the order
of Odd Fellows, taking a leading part in the
affairs of the order in general arid those of his
lodge in particular, being also an enthusiastic
attendant at the semi-centennial of the founding
of the fraternity at Philadelphia in I876. He
was a familiar figure at all national gatherings
of the order for many years, and he was well
known to its members in all parts of the United
States. His widow died in I893. They were
the parents of two children, their sons, Charles
and George B.
The elder son, Charles Y. Lowe, passed his
childhood and youth in this state and after leaving school learned his trade as a miller with his
father. He worked at this craft at the York
Mills for a period of thirty years. At the end
of that time he turned his attention to farming.
Since he entered upon this industry he has
steadily devoted his energies to it with a gratifying success and prosperity. His farm is one
of the best cultivated and most valuable in the
township, being well improved with comfortable
buildings and other necessary appurtenances.
On February I8, I865, he was married to Miss
Orcelia Rice, a daughter of Moses and Mary
H. (Hill) Rice, who emigrated from New York
state to Michigan in 1840, settling in Lenawee
county, where they resided until the death of
the father in 1847. Twenty years later the
mother made her home with her daughters until
her death in I888. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe have
four children, Maud S., wife of Charles Brown,
of Hudson; Algernon C., also a resident of Hudson, now engaged in the furniture and undertaking business in partnership with Mr. Brown;
Minnie B., living at home, and Nellie R., wife of
R. E. Bronson. In political affiliation Mr. Lowe
is a Republican, but he is not active in the campaigns of his party and has never sought or desired public office. He was for many years a
member of the order of Odd Fellows and also
a Freemason. He and his wife are esteemed
members of the Hudson Congregational church,
as active in all its works of charity and benevolence, as they are in all undertakings for the
general good and improvement of the community.
CALEB A. MAPLES.
Very nearly three-quarters of a century have
passed since Caleb A. Maples, one of the venerable and venerated pioneers of Hillsdale county,
came to Michigan and became one of the promising forces for the conquest of her people over nature, one of the developers of her great natural
resources and promoters of her welfare in every
line and department of active effort. He was
then but two years old, and, therefore, may be
properly designated as almost wholly a product
of her soil and her institutions. From her fields,
which he helped to make fertile and productive,
he drew his stature and his strength. In her
strenuous battles with the savage in man and
beast and the hard conditions of life which she
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
'i65
laid on her early settlers, he learned self-reliance,
endurance, resourcefulness and readiness for
emergencies. In the formation of her civil polity, he acquired his first knowledge of the duties
and responsibilities of citizenship, in the establishment of her educational and moral agencies,
he first realized the need of broad and general
systems of public instruction, as the guide and
balance for our universal mental activity. And,
in the due development and conservation of all
political, social and scholastic energies, he gave
scope and effectiveness to the public spirit, and
a liberality and breadth of view, which have ever
distinguished him throughout his long and useful life in the county.
The subject of this review was born at Ontario, Wayne county, New York, on June 28, 1827,
the son of Samuel L. A. and Achsa (Hoisington) Maples, the former a native of Connecticut
and the latter of New York. Both of his grandfathers were soldiers in the War of the Reyolution,
and were both prosperous producers in the domain
of agriculture, after the freedom for which they
fought was established. After the marriage of
his parents they settled in Ontario county, and
there remained until the autumn of I829. They
then determined to brave the wilds of the farther
West, as Michigan was truly at that time, and,
with their two children in a wagon drawn by
two horses, they came to this state, making the
entire trip with this team. On their arrival in
Lenawee county, the father took up a tract of
land, which is now included in the city of
Adrian, part of it being now the site of the railroad station. His first duty was to build a shanty with a roof of shakes, as a shelter for his
family, who had up to this time been staying
with a brother-in-law. After living on this land
five years, he traded it for a farm in Pittsford
township, in Hillsdale county, but remained two
y-ears longer in Lenawee on a rented farm. After
moving to his new possession in Hillsdale county
he built a log house and devoted his energies to
clearing his land and making it habitable and
productive. Four or five years were passed in
this exacting work, then he sold this farm, and
bought another in the same neighborhood, on
which he lived for many years. His last days
were, however, spent in Cambria township, and
the life of his widow ebbed away at the home
of her son, Caleb.
Caleb A. Maples reached Adrian when he
was but two years old, and the town was but a
hamlet of rude cabins. Tecumseh was the nearest milling point, while general supplies were
brought from Detroit, then a long and difficult
journey from Adrian. Families were dependent
mainly for subsistence and comfort on their own
resources and exertions. His mother spun and
wove flax and wool for all the clothing of her
family, and other women did likewise. He remained at home until he was nineteen and then
started in life for himself. He went to Calhoun
county, where he worked eight months on a
farm before returning home. Two years later,
on December 24, 1848, he married with Miss
S. E. Smith, who was born at Wheatland, New
York, on March 3, I830, and came to this state
with her parents in I837. He purchased forty
acres of land in Pittsford township, on which
there was a small log house, and, in this humble
abode, the young husband and his bride began
their wedded life. With her hearty and intelligent cooperation they became prosperous, adding
to their farm until it now comprises ninety acres,
by skillful and judicious improvements raising
it in value until it is unsurpassed in productiveness and real worth by any estate of its size in
the township. They were the parents of three
children, Fidello D., a resident of Pittsford township; Salinda, wife of Franklin Day, also of
Pittsford township; Etna A., wife of Fernando
Day, of Wright township. Their mother died
in September, I890, and, on February 7, I894,
Mr. Maples was united with his second wife,
Mrs. Harriet (Hicks) Convis, widow of Philo
D. Convis, a pioneer at Locust Corners, for many
years a popular hotelkeeper and farmer of that
place. She was a daughter of Barnett and Abigail (WVheelock) Hicks, of English ancestry, descended from a progenitor who came to this
country in Colonial times and took an active
part in the struggle for American Independence.
Mr. and Mrs. Maples have lived long and use
i66
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ful lives, and, now that the autumnal evening of
their days is settling upon them, they have the
pleasing satisfaction of knowing that they have
performed their duties well and faithfully, toward every interest which they have had in
charge, and may feel well assured that they have
worthily earned the high respect of the community, which they so richly enjoy and so modestly bear.
HON. FRANK A. LYON.
The scion of old Scotch families who for
long generations bore their part valiantly in
the border wars between Lowlanders and Highlanders in old Caledonia, and who, when "war
smoothed his wrinkled front," gave themselves
as earnestly and as effectively to making their
naturally unproductive country fertile and fruitful; being also descended from an ancestry in
this country that runs back to Colonial times,
with a family record here of loyalty to the land
of their adoption, which has been creditable under all circumstances, Frank A. Lyon, one of
'the leading attorneys of Hillsdale, has ever upheld the good name and the manly crest of his
forefathers with as much industry, devotion to
duty and unquailing courage on the exhilarating
field of active professional life, as any of them
ever did on the ensanguined ones of military
combat, or on the less noisy but more productive
ones of agricultural pursuits. His great-grandfather came to America in 1771 and settled at
Walworth, Wayne county, New York, where the
grandfather, Daniel, a prominent and highly esteemed Baptist preacher, and the father, Newton T. Lyon, were born and lived lives of usefulness, and where Frank A. Lyon himself first
saw the light on January 4, I855. When he was
a year old the family moved to this state and located in Quincy township, Branch county, there
seeing true pioneer life.
Here Frank A. Lyon grew to manhood, attending the district schools and assisting on
the farm until he was eighteen years of age. He
then finished his scholastic education at the
Quincy high school, attending during the winter
and spring terms, walking four miles every day
to and from the school. After leaving this institution, he passed the required examination, secured a certificate of qualification and for a few
years taught in the district schools. In I877 he
taught the graded school at Girard in Branch
county, and later attended the Northern Indiana
Normal School at Valparaiso, in that state, and,
between times during his course as a teacher
and student, learned his trade as a carpenter,
and was thereby enabled to make all his time tell
in the struggle for supremacy, by working on
the farm and also at carpentry when not otherwise engaged, while at school and while engaged
in teaching. He was frugal, as well as industrious, and, when he had laid up enough money
to tide him over a sufficient period for the preliminary study that was necessary, he began to
read law in the office of Hon. Charles Upson,
at Coldwater. He was admitted to the bar in
February, I880, but was not just then prepared
to wait for practice, so accepted temporary employment as a clerk at the consolidated Omaha
and Winnebago Indian agency in Nebraska. His
first years of professional practice began in November, I880, and were passed at Howard City
and Edmore, in Montcalm county. Two years
later he moved to Stanton in the same county,
forming a partnership with M. C. Palmer, which
continued until I886, when the state of his health
induced him to return to Quincy, where he remained until July, I891. He then came to Hillsdale, there succeeding A. B. St. John in a lucrative practice, and he has since resided in that
city, being engaged in practice of the law and
rising by demonstrated merit to a high rank.
Mr. Lyon is an excellent lawyer,, with great
industry and application in the progressive study
of his profession, a capable and conscientious
business man, a very energetic and resourceful
practitioner and an eloquent and forceful advocate. When appointed by Judge Lane, in I893,
to prosecute Dr. Myron P. Foglesong, a prominent physician who was charged with having
poisoned his wife, Mr. Lyon studied medicine
with special reference to the action of mineral
poisons on the human system and his knowledge
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I67
on this subject was so extensive and so accurate
that in the trial of the cause, which lasted seventeen days, he baffled some of the best medical experts called as witnesses for the defense. His
success in this celebrated case was such that it
added much to his reputation as a criminal lawyer, which had previously been so well established that for six years he had not lost a case
in which he was engaged. His services have
not been unappreciated by the corporate interests in his city, which, there -as elsewhere, are
on the lookout for what is best in all lines of professional life and eager to secure it for their
proper use. He is attorney for the First National
Bank of Hillsdale and for Hillsdale College. As
counsel for the college he has had several important cases, involving in a vital way the question of
the corporate powers of such organizations, and
he has managed them in a way that brought additional credit to himself and gave the college
authorities great satisfaction.
Mr. Lyon took no active part in politics
until I896 when he "stumped it" in the state
in behalf of McKinley and the Republican ticket
in general. His vigor, force and success on
the hustings made him the successful candidate
of that party, in I898, for State Senator for
the district comprising Hillsdale, Branch and St.
Joseph counties; and, in the ensuing sessions, he
well maintained the reputation he had acquired
and also the confidence his friends had shown in
him, by his manly and fearless stand for whatever was best in proposed legislation, and his
shrewdness in promoting its enactment. * He was
chairman of the judiciary committee in the session of 1899, a position of importance always,
and of unusual importance at that time, and was
fully equal to its exacting requirements. He
passed upon the constitutionality of many acts
which became laws, and in every instance where
the Supreme Court has had occasion to interpret
their legality, Mr. Lyon's judgment has been sustained by that tribunal. Mr. Lyon has one of
the best law libraries in this part of the state,
and in his practice at all times he gives abundant
evidence that he makes good and diligent use of
it. His ability as a lawyer is generally recog
nized throughout the state, and, in I902, he was
tendered the appointment of the U. S. district
judgeship of Alaska, but found it necessary to
decline the honor.
Mr. Lyon is a highly esteemed member of the
State Bar Association and of the Masonic order,
in the symbolic, capitular, cryptic and templar
branches, belonging to Hillsdale Lodge, Hillsdale Chapter and Eureka Commandery. In addition to his legal business he is interested in
various enterprises. He is a stockholder in the
Omega Portland Cement Co. at Jonesville, the
Bowden & Blanchard Shoe Co., the Worthington
& Alger Fur Coat and Robe Co., the Hillsdale
Screen Co., the Hillsdale Creamery Co., the Alamo Gas Engine Co., all of Hillsdale; the Abelina
Mineral Water Co., of Abilene, Kansas, and the
Buena Vista Sugar and Rubber Co., of Buena
Vista, Mexico, serving also as attorney for the
above companies. He has been married twice,
first to Miss Mary L. Deriorest, of Girard, who
died on December 6, I88I, after three years of
happy wedded life; second to Miss Emma Fink,
of Ionia, Michigan, with whom he was united
on August 5, I885. They have one child, their
daughter, Vivian E. Lyon, who adds life and
sunshine to their pleasant home and aids in dispensing the gracious and refined hospitality of
which it is a noted center.
ERWIN S. MARSH.
Erwin S. Marsh came to this county in I858
with his parents, and has since that time been actively identified with its progress and development, giving his energies in support of every
good enterprise for the advancement of this section of the state and for the benefit of its people.
He is a native of Berkshire county, Mass., born
on May 14, I851, the son of Charles S. and
Emeline (Wilbur) Marsh, the former born and
reared in Massachusetts and the latter in New
York. The father was a carpenter and worked
at his trade throughout his life, which ended in
Hillsdale county in I895, in the village of Cambria, the only interruption to his industry as a
mechanic, being his loyal service for nearly three: t:
IA;.
i68
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
years in the Union army during the Civil War.
When, in 1858, he reached Hillsdale county witl
his family, he located in Woodbridge township
and there he lived for a number of years, removing at length to Cambria, where he passed the
rest of his days. He was one of the leading citizens of the locality of his residence and served
the township as its treasurer and the county as
a deputy sheriff. In I863 he enlisted in the
Union army as a member of Co. K, Twentyseventh Michigan Infantry, and from that date
to the end of the war was in active service in the
field, participating in the battles of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and many other important
as well as numerous minor engagements. His
widow survived him four years, dying in December, I899. Her father, Joseph Wilbur, was
a soldier in the Revolutionary War and his
daughter, Mrs. Ann E. Prentice, of Pittsfield,
Massachusetts, is the youngest living daughter
of a Revolutionary soldier in that state and perhaps in the United States. The grandfather was
Amasa Marsh, a native son of Connecticut, who
moved to Massachusetts in early life, and there
resided until his death in I880. Erwin S. Marsh
is one of the two children of his parents, the
other being Mrs. Elizabeth Thatcher, wife of W.
Thatcher, who died in February, I9OI, leaving
four children, having been married twice.
Erwin S. Marsh was reared in this county
from his boyhood and was educated in the public schools and by private study. When he
reached a suitable age he taught school, continuing at this occupation for a number of years, at
the same time learning the carpenter trade between the sessions of school. In 188I he moved
to Cambria and purchased the furniture and undertaking business, which he is still conducting
at that place, and now having a branch establish-ment at Frontier. In Io90 he went to Lansing,
in this state, and took a course of special training
in embalming and undertaking work, and, thus
from the beginning of his connection with the
business, he has omitted no effort necessary to
the complete mastery of its details in every particular. In addition to this business he personally conducts the operation of his fertile and well
improved farm, carrying it on with the same
careful attention that he gives to his mercantile
interests. In politics he is an active Republican
and has rendered good service to his party in its
various campaigns, also to the people in three
successive terms as township supervisor, beginning in I895, giving, besides, six years of faithful work in the office of township clerk. He was
married in December, 1876, at Galva, Illinois, to
Miss Kate Sanderson, a native of Massachusetts
and a daughter of Edwin and Hannah Sanderson, who are now living in Vermont. They have
eight children: Lillian, wife of R. Bradshaw,
of this township; Charles E., at Stevenson, Mich.,
in the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern
Railroad; Fay, married Lottie Foote, on January 22, I903, and resides on a farm near Cambria; Lottie S., the wife of W. K. Smith, living
on a farm west of the village of Cambria; M.
Burr, Beulah, Lulu and Wilbur, all at home.
Mr. Marsh belongs to the Masonic order, holding membership in the lodge at Cambria. He
is one of the leading business men and citizens
of the township and is highly respected.
DUNCAN McKELLAR, M. D.
Duncan McKellar,' M. D., who has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession for
nearly thirty years in this county, is one of the
most widely known of its professional men and
a Canadian by nativity, having received his birth
at London, in the province of Ontario, on July
2, 1852. His parents, Dougal and Mary (McCormick) McKellar, were natives of Scotland.
The father came with his parents to Canada
when he was a child and was educated in that
country. He engaged in merchandising at London and died there, when his son, Duncan, was
very young. The mother, who was reared at
Ypsilanti and Detroit, in this state, also died in
Canada. They were the parents of four children,
one son and three daughters.
Doctor McKellar was educated in the schools
of his native land, where he remained until I868,
when he came to the United States and was employed for some years in building bridges in
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I6g
Iowa and Minnesota. He began the study of
medicine, in 1872, in Canada, and, in 1873, entered the medical department of the State University at Ann Arbor, this state, where he was
graduated on March 26, 1876. He came at once
to Osseo, in this county, and at that place started a medical and surgical practice, which he has
continued and which has grown great and risen to
high character in the body of its patrons and
the measure of success which has attended it.
He is one of the oldest physicians in the county,
by continuous service to the public, and is easily
in the front rank of his profession in this part
of the state. In I9OI he was married to Miss
Emma Miner McBrant, a daughter of Nathaniel Brant, one of the early settlers of Pittsford
township. In politics the Doctor has been a
lifelong Republican and has been devoted to the
interests of his party, giving its principles and
its candidates loyal and active support, but not
seeking its honors or emoluments for himself.
His life has been unobtrusive and serviceable to
a high degree, and has blessed the people of this
township with innumerable benefactions, many
of them unnoted, because so freely and so cheerfully bestowed. At the same time he has steadily grown in the regard and esteem of the people, being now so essentially a part of the public
life and activity of the township that it would
be difficult to think of any phase of its progress
and development without "the Doctor" as a part
of the impelling force. By faithful performance
of every daily duty he has made himself useful,
both in the matter of his own work and in the
stimulus he has given to others by the force of
his example; and he has aided by encouragement, by wise counsel and by substantial assistance, every good enterprise for the benefit
of the community or the advancement or comfort
of its people.
HON. JASON B. NORRIS.
Hon. Jason B. Norris, one of the few remaining pioneers of Woodbridge township, was
born in Ontario county, New York, on November 3, 1823. His parents were John B. and Bet
sey (Gage) Norris, and the record of their useful lives is written in the sketch of Joel B. Norris on another page of this volume. Their son,
Jason, grew to manhood in his native state and
was well educated for the times in its public
schools. In I845 he came to Hillsdale county,
settled on the northwest quarter of section eleven,
in Woodbridge township, and began to clear the
land for a home for himself and his family. The
land was heavily wooded and the preparation of
it for cultivation was a work of great difficulty
and required hard and persistent labor. He
erected a log shanty and this was his home for
many years. It is still standing, showing by its
contrast with the fine farmhouse, in which he
now resides, the difference in the conditions of
life which surrounded the pioneers, and those of
the present day, of high development and great
productive enterprise of every kind. He has
made his farm one of the best in the township
and his residence is surpassed by few in the
county in convenience of arrangement, completeness of equipment and tasteful adornment.
He married on December 3, I856, Miss Elizabeth M. Kinney, a native of the same county as
himself, a daughter of Elias and Margaret (Anderson) Kinney, who settled in Lenawee county,
this state, in July, 1835, and there cleared a
farm and made it productive. They died in the
town of Seneca in that county, where they had
retired to spend in tranquillity the evening of
their days. Mr. and Mrs. Norris have one child,
their daughter, Mary E., wife of Andrew J.
McDermid, of Chicago. In political allegiance
Mr. Norris is a Republican and gives the principles and candidates of his party loyal support
at all times. He has served three terms as township supervisor, six terms as tax collector, and,
in I871, was elected as a member of the lower
house of the State Legislature. He has also acceptably filled other township offices. In every part
of his official life he rendered good service and
left his office without reproach, crowned with the
approval and commendations of his fellow citizens. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church at Hillsdale and take a leading
part in all of its good works. Mr. Norris is one
170
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
o. the substantial and well-esteemed citizens of
the county, whose life among this people has
been full of benefit to the community, and he has
given an example of thrift, industry, uprightness
and zeal in behalf of the common welfare that
is worthy of emulation, having been a stimulus
to generous endeavor wherever its influence has
been felt and appreciated.
WALTER HULME SAWYER, M. D.
"A man so various that he seems to be, not
one but all mankind's epitome," Dr. Walter
Hulme Sawyer is one of the forceful and progressive men to whom Hillsdale is indebted for
usefulness in as many capacities as any other
man residing in the city or county. In professional life, in business enterprise, in political activities, in social circles, in every line of serviceable and productive citizenship, his influence has
been potential for good, fruitful for healthful and
substantial progress in this community and his
example has been a great stimulus in quickening the energies of others to usefulness in many
channels. He is a native of Lyme, Huron county, Ohio, born on August Io, I86I, the son of
George and Julia A. (Wood) Sawyer, of the
same nativity as himself. His grandparents came
from England and were early settlers in Ohio,
locating in that state as pioneers when it was
yet a portion of the untamed wilderness of the
Northwest Territory and helping in the great
work of reducing it to subjection and.bringing
its virgin soil to fertility and systematic productiveness for the service of civilized man. The
parents of the Doctor were prosperous farmers
in their native state until about I874, when they
removed to Grass Lake, in Jackson county of
this state, where they resided as farmers until the
death of the father in I897 at that place, where
the mother is still living.
At the time of the removal of the family to
Michigan the Doctor was twelve years old. He
was reared to manhood on the home farm in the
new location and educated at the public schools,
being graduated from the Grass Lake high school *
in I88I, He then took a course of general in
struction at the Ann Arbor University, and, at
its close, entered the medical department of that
institution from which he was duly graduated
in 1884. For a year thereafter he was the housesurgeon at the university hospital, and on July
ii, 1885, he located at Hillsdale, where he has
since been actively engaged in a general practice
of growing magnitude and importance, for years
being acknowledged as one of the most successful, popular and esteemed physicians ard surgeons of the county. He is a close student of
the literature of the profession, a discriminating
observer of the manifestations of disease and disablement in his practice; and, to the councils of
the profession he has brought ability, learning
and zeal for the general weal of his professional
brethren and himself, and, also, through these
channels, for the common good of mankind, the
results and suggestions of his reading and his
observation, being an active and valued member
of the State Medical Society, the Tri-State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, being also a corresponding member of the
Detroit Academy of Medicine and a member of
the state board of medical registration. His professional duties have his careful, assiduous and
conscientious attention, but his mind is broad
in its sweep and his energy tireless in diligence,
so that he is able to give the business interests
in the community the benefit of his quickness of
perception, clearness of vision, enterprise in action and other excellent business capabilities.
He was one of the organizers of the Alamo
Manufacturing Co. for the construction of engines to be run by gas and gasoline, is a director and the vice-president of the. Hillsdale Screen
Manufacturing Co., a director of the American
Screen Door Co., at Adrian, of the McGregorBanwell Wire Fence Co., at Walkerville, Canada,
of the Omega Portland Cement Co., at Mosherville, in this county, and of the American Lumber Co., at East Orange, New Jersey, of which
he is also a member of the executive committee.
He is a trustee of Hillsdale College and of the
Oak Grove Hospital at Flint, in this state, and,
for a number of years, he has been one of the
most active members of the school board in Hills
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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I7I
dale county. In politics he is a zealous and loyal
Republican and occupies a leading place in the
councils of the party. During the last six years
he has been one of the most diligent and serviceable members of the state central committee
in the party organization, and to the principles
and candidates of the party he has given ardent,
intelligent and most helpful support. Every line
of activity that has enlisted his interest has had
his energetic and earnest attention, every enterprise for the advancement of the community or
the promotion of its interests in any proper way
has felt the impulse of his quickening and energizing spirit. Fraternal societies as follows
claim him as a highly valued member. In Freemasonry he holds membership in lodge, chapter
and commandery at Hillsdale, and, in the Scottish Rite he has attained to the Thirty-second
degree. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias
at Hillsdale and in the select circle of the Detroit Club he is hailed as a "friend and companion." He married, on June 14, I888, with Miss
Harriet B. Mitchell, a native of Hillsdale, a
daughter of Hon. Charles T. and Harriet S.
(Wing) Mitchell, extended mention of whom will
be found elsewhere in this work. The domestic
shrine he thus reared has been blessed by the
birth of one child, Thomas Mitchell Sawyer, now
fourteen years old (I903) and a student at the
Hillsdale high school.
ROBERT L. NICHOLS.
Robert L. Nichols is one of the prominent,
progressive and successful farmers and stockgrowers of Jefferson township, who, for more
than a generation of human life, on his fine and
well-improved farm in the township, has exemplified all graces of the social country gentleman, with all of the thrift, industry and enterprise of the wide-awake and down-to-date farmer. He was born on the homestead in Jefferson
township on December I6, I846, the son of Robert J. and Mary J. (Zimmerman) Nichols, the
former a native of New York and the latter of
Kentucky. His father was born at the close of
the War of I812, on July II, 1815, and lived at
the age of fourteen on his father's farm in
Orange county, New York. He was then "bound
out" to learn the trade of carriage-trimming,
making such progress in the art, that about three
months before he attained his majority, his employer released him and he made his way to
Georgetown, Kentucky, where he lived for eight,years and worked at his trade, during this time
meeting with and marrying Miss Mary J. Zimmerman, the wedding taking place on November
8, I836. In 1842 he left Kentucky and traveled
on horseback to southern Michigan and there
purchased a portion of the land, in what is now
Jefferson township, on which his son, Robert L.
Nichols, now lives. He returned to Kentucky,
the next year bringing his wife and two children, one of them only a month old, to 'his new
home, being accompanied in the removal by his
wife's parents and their youngest child. After
forty years of happy wedded life, his wife died
on the farm on March 29, 1876, and, nine years
later, on December I8, I885, he, too, departed
this life, passing away at his home in Ransom
township, whither he had moved some years
previous, after having been engaged in mercantile business for a few years at his former home
and at Adrian, in Lenawee county. He was
prominent in the local affairs of the county, serving as a justice of the peace for twelve years, as
a township treasurer for two years and as a road
commissioner for a number of terms. After the
death of his first wife he was twice married, and
all of the wives preceded him to the grave.
His son, Robert L. Nichols, received a practical education, pursuing his first studies in a
shop on his father's farm at which nine pupils
attended, they being all the children of school
age in the district. He was obliged to take his
place in the working force on the farm at an
early age, having an opportunity to go to school
only in the winter months.after he was twelve
years old. At nineteen he purchased the rest of
his time of his father for the sum of $200 and
rented land of him, which enabled the enterprising young farmer to pay off his debt and
clear $250. At the age of twenty-four he bought
seventy acres of land of his father, and, on De
I72
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
cember 29 of the same year, I870, he married
with Miss Lois A. Cheney, who was born in
Monroe county, New York, on September 9,
I850, the daughter of Paschal and Clarena (Hibner) Cheney, of that state. They became the
parents of six children, Maie C., wife of Leon
Crandall; Allen R.; Gertie, wife of Fred Densmore; Ruie Lea, died June 10, I896; Leo La.
verne; Floy A. To his original tract of seventy
acres of land, which he purchased of his father,
and to which he added forty acres by a subsequent purchase, he has added within the last few
years eighty acres more. The whole tract has
been brought to a high state of development and
cultivation, and forms one of the most desirable
homes in the township. In politics Mr. Nichols
is a straight Republican and has shown his interest in the enduring welfare and progress of
his township by serving it for eight years as a
justice of the peace. He is a thorough business
man, taking proper pride in his home and his
family, and, in all respects, he is recognized as
one of the leading and most representative citizens of the county.
Paschal Cheney, father of Mrs. Nichols,
came from his native state of New York to this
county in I859, with his young wife and three
small children, and, in common with his neighbors, patiently endured the hardships, privations
and dangers of frontier life. He was, however,
inured to endurance and toil, having begun the
battle of life for himself at the age of eighteen,
and depended on his own exertions throughout
the long struggle. His industry and perseverance were amply rewarded by the early possession of a good home and the unquestioning confidence and unstinted regard of his fellow men
in all parts of the county.
ALFRED L. NORTON.
Born on July 13, I86I, in the opening year
of our great Civil War, and only about a week
'before the first and disastrous battle of Bull
Run, which opened the eyes of the Federal government to the magnitude of the struggle which
was at hand, Alfred L. Norton, of Allen town
ship, in this county, had his childhood darkened
by the awful shadow of the contest which exacted of his father's family two promising sons,
W. C. and George W. Norton, as its tribute to
the cause of the Union, both dying from disabilities incurred in the service as members of the
Fourth Michigan Infantry. He is a native of
the township in which he lives and has passed almost the whole of his life within its borders. His
parents were Erastus P. and Hannah (Crow)
Norton, natives of Columbia county, New York.
The father was a farmer who varied his rural
activities by successful teaching, and came to
Michigan in 1854, settling in Allen township,
where he bought I90 acres of partially improved
land, which he developed and cultivated until his
death in I89I. His wife died in 1862, when Alfred was but one year old, but the lad was carefully reared by his father and stepmother and
received a liberal education, beginning in the
district schools near his home and ending at
Hillsdale College with a graduation from the
commercial department of this institution, and
he thereafter spent several years as a clerk and
salesman in a store at Allen, after which he was
engaged for a time in teaching in the county.
He began farming in I888 and since that time he
has devoted his whole time to the vocation of
the patriarchs, bringing to bear on its operations
all the information he could gather from careful
and reflective reading and close and discriminating observation. In the management of his farming industry he has been eminently successful,
having shown in the results of his industry and
energy in this line of activity the benefits of his
large acquaintance with men and affairs, which
he secured in his previous work as a teacher and
in mercantile life and his two years' service as
agent for the most improved agricultural machinery. His farm is one of the choice rural homes
of the township, a model of foresight, thrift and
skillful cultivation, and an enduring testimonial
to his taste and good judgment in the character
and arrangements of its buildings and other improvements.
Mr. Norton married in April, 1887, Miss
Mary Hildebrandt, a native of Germany, who
IIILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
t73
came from that country with her parents to this
county when she was six years old. Her parents
were Carl and Wilhelmina Hildebrandt, long
prosperous and enterprising farmers of Hillsdale county, where they put in practice the habits
of industry, persistency, frugality and fidelity to
duty they had learned in their native land and
to which they were impelled by the examples of
long lines of worthy German ancestors. Mr. and
Mrs. Norton have two daughters, Mabel M. and
Beatrice J. The head of the family has been a
Republican all of his mature life and has given
to the principles and candidates of his party a
zealous and loyal support. He has served the
township as school inspector for several terms,
has been township treasurer two terms and supervisor for six years, being first elected to this
office in I892. He is a charter member of the
local tent of the Knights of the Maccabees, and
is everywhere esteemed among the people who
have knowledge of him.
ERASTUS P. NORTON, the father of Alfred
L. Norton, now of Allen township, was born in
Washington county, New York, on May 2,
1821, and was there reared and educated. He
was twice married, his first wife, as indicated in
the review of his son, Alfred, being Miss Hannah Crow before her marriage, and a New Yorker by nativity. She died in I862 and several
years afterward he married Mrs. Jane R. Remington, of Cayuga county, in the same state, as
his second wife. In 1854 he became a resident of
Michigan and remained within its borders during the rest of his life, dying in I89I. He was
a farmer by occupation and settled on a tract of
I90 acres of land, which he purchased in Allen
township, and, which by his industry, was developed into an excellent and highly productive
farm. His family consisted of six sons and three
daughters, two of the sons, W. C. and George W.,
were soldiers in the Union army, members of the
Fourth Michigan Infantry, dying in the service; and, while feeling keenly his deep bereavement in this double loss, he had ever throughout
his subsequent life a solemn pride in the recollection of having laid so costly a sacrifice on the
altar of his country. The other children were
Charles E., a farmer of Litchfield township;
Samuel W., a lawyer of Chicago, Illinois; Erastus P., Jr., who died when three years old; Alfred L.; Lucy J., now a resident of Litchfield;
Maggie, now the wife of Dr. G. W. Hill, of
Reading. Mr. Norton was a man of active public spirit and progressive ideas, who gave the
township good service as a member of the board
of supervisors, as a township clerk and in various
other local offices. He was a devout and serviceable working member of the Baptist church,
taking great interest in every good enterprise
for the advancement of the community or the
elevation of its people. He lived a useful and
productive life and died holding a high and secure place in the regard and good will of all
classes of the citizens of his portion of the state.
HARRY C. MILLER, M. D.
Although one of the younger physicians and
surgeons of the county, and having but recently
entered upon the practice of his profession, Harry C. Miller, M. D., is already well established
in the confidence and esteem of the people, both
in professional circles and generally, and he is
making steady progress in building up a busi-.ness that is growing in volume and becoming
more and more representative of the best elements of the community in character. He is a
native of Nova Scotia, born at Halifax on December 26, I874. His parents, Willard and
Rhena (Hays) Miller, were also Nova Scotians
by nativity. They are now living at Waverly, in
Nova Scotia, where the father is engaged in the
manufacture of powder.
Doctor Miller lived in his native land and
there attended school until he was thirteen years
old, then went to Boston, Massachusetts, where
he remained until he was eighteen, thence coming to Hillsdale College for a two years' course.
At its conclusion he entered Detroit Medical College for his professional training and was graduated from that institution in I9oo. He at once
began practicing at Findlay, Ohio, but remained
there only a few months, before the end of the
year coming to Cambria, where he has since re
I74
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
sided, actively engaged in a medical practice of
a general character. He is the township health
officer, being vigilant and firm in the discharge
of his duties in this capacity, while to every professional call he gives a very careful and a conscientious attention. As a member of the TriState Protective Association, he is serviceable to
the organization, and has aided materially in
spreading its influence and enlarging its usefulness. He also belongs to the Masonic order and
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, holding
membership in lodges of these orders at Cambria
and Reading. On June 7, I900, the Doctor was
united in marriage with Miss Ellen C. Gardner,
a daughter of Prof. George B. Gardner and a
native of Hillsdale. In professional circles the
Doctor is well esteemed by his brethren and in
social circles by the community in general. In
-all the relations of life he has so far maintained
a high standard of manhood, and, with a commendable industry and public spirit, he is working his way steadily to the front rank in all lines
of active usefulness.
NELSON P. NYE.
Nelson P. Nye is one of the pioneers of Hillsdale county who has long been an active factor
in making Pittsford township one of the finest
agricultural regions of southern Michigan. He
neither found nor inherited, but literally hewed
out his opportunities here, and, with innate pluck
and energy, he has used them to the best advantage, raising himself from obscurity to consequence among his people, and creating his estate, from a worldly wealth consisting of the
clothes on his back and six dollars in money, to
one of competence and established comfort. He
was born at Plainfield, Otsego county, New York,
on February 28, 1817, the son of Joseph and
Sally (Clark) Nye, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of New York, where she
died in April, 1858. They were the parents of
ten children, nine of whom attained maturity,
Nelson P. being the seventh in the order of birth.
He remained at home with his parents until he
was twenty years of age, receiving a good com
mon-school education and acquiring habits of industry and frugality and skill in agriculture in
the labors of the farm. He began life for himself as a hand on neighboring farms, and, after
eleven years of such experience, in 1838 he came
to Michigan, making the trip by way of the Erie
canal to Buffalo, thence across the lake to Toledo,
from there to Adrian by rail. From Adrian he
proceeded on foot to Bean Creek Valley, where
his elder brother, Austin, lived, arriving at his
destination with the six dollars in his pocket,
which was the sum of his earthly capital, except
the courageous heart, vigorous body, determined
energy and resourceful nature with which he was
endowed. But five years had then elapsed since
the first settlers had located on the virgin soil of
this now prolific region, and all the conditions
of the wildest frontier life were still upon it,
rendered more striking by contrast with the little openings that civilization had made in the
primeval forest. He worked for his brother for
a year, then, for five laborious years, he was busily engaged in chopping timber to get it ready
for logging and in clearing his land for cultivation. After three years of this productive industry he bought a tract of sixty acres of land at
$6 an acre, paying $I50 in cash and giving his
obligations for the balance at 7 per cent interest. On August I9, 1843, he married with Miss
Mary As Hale, a native of Essex county, England, whose parents, John and Rachel (Buck)
Hale, came to America from that country in 1830
and settled at Palmyra, New York, where the
mother died soon after their arrival. In 1841 the
father came to Michigan, bought timber land in
Pittsford township, this county, there built a log
house and cleared a farm from the wilderness.
Here he lived until a short time before his death.
He spent his last years at the home of Mr. Nye,
of this review, passing away in 1884, aged eightyfour years.
After his marriage N. P. Nye located on his
own land and began housekeeping in the log
house he had previously built. He cleared his
tract, bought another, and kept continuing and
repeating this process until he owned 200 acres,
which, by continued and skillful effort, he has
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
175
made one of the best and most productive farms
in this part of the country. Here, during the
three-score years which have passed since he took
up his residence on this land, he'has been actively
and profitably engaged in farming and raising
stock, improving his own condition by steady
progress, contributing substantially to the growth
and development of the township at the same
time. His influence for good to the community
has been felt in local public affairs no less than
in the domain of agricultural and industrial progress. For twelve years he served the township
capably and faithfully as clerk, for an equal period as justice of the peace, has also been supervisor and school inspector, to these positions and
their important duties giving the same conscientious and careful attention that he did to other
more pretentious official requirements and his
own business. In I884 he was the census enumerator for the township, while in many other
ways he has been of highly valued service to the
people. He was the father of ten children, all
of whom reached years of maturity and became
well settled in life. Two have recently died, Isabelle M., wife of Frank Gilbert, of Cleveland,
Ohio, and John H., of Cincinnati. The living
ones are: Permilla, wife of Samuel Dickerson,
of Chicago, Illinois; Louisa R., widow of Finley
Beazell, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Alfred F., of Pittsford; Theresa A., also of Chicago; David C., of
Pittsford; Nelson P., Jr., of Cleveland; Nettie
W., wife of Augustus C. Childs, of Redlands,
Calif.; Eugene F., living at the parental home.
Mr. Nye has been a Republican in politics since
the organization of that party, being previously
a Whig, while Mrs. Nye is a devoted member of
the Congregational church at Hudson.
RODERICK D. LANE.
This gentleman who is one of the substantial
and progressive farmers of Cambria township,
is a native of Geauga county, Ohio, born at
Kirkland Flats on November 29, 1834. His
parents were Lyman L. and Nancy (Cost) Lane,
the former a native of Connecticut and the latter
of Virginia. The father was a farmer and moved
to Ohio, about I832, where he remained until
1837, then came to Lenawee county in this state,
locating in the town of Fairfield where he resided
until his death in I882, his wife having passed
away in I878. Their family consisted of two
sons and five daughters. Of these Roderick and
two of his sisters are all that remain. The father
was a man of local prominence, called on from
time to time to fill local offices of importance. The
grandfather, Jason Lane, was also a native of
Connecticut and a farmer. He moved to New
York, from there to Ohio, and, in I836, came to
Lenawee county, Michigan, where he. was engaged in farming until his death.
Roderick Lane was reared on his father's farm
in Lenawee county which he assisted in clearing
up and making fertile, and was educated at the
district schools in the neighborhood. He remained at home until August 6, 1862, when he
enlisted in Co. I, Eighteenth Michigan Infantry,
in defense of the Union in the Civil War, and for
three years was in active service with the Army
of the Cumberland. He participated in all the
important engagements of that division of the
Union forces, was wounded twice in battle, and
was mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., in 1865
with the rank of sergeant which he had earned
by meritorious service. He then returned to
this state and again engaged in farming in Lenawee county, remaining there until 1879 when he
came to Hillsdale county and purchased the farm
on which he now resides, which consists of
eighty acres of well improved and highly cultivated land and is one of the pleasant and valuable homes of the township in which it is located.
He was married in this county on December 30,
1867, to Miss Helen Hancock, a sister of J. A.
Hancock of Cambria township, and they have two
children, their son Arthur L. of this township
and their daughter Lunette, widow of L. E.
Saunders, who died in October, I902. Mr. Lane
is a Republican in politics, constant and steady
in his loyalty to the party, and has filled a number of offices in the township. He belongs to the
Grand Army of the Republic in fraternal circles,
and is one of the most respected and appreciated
men of the township, being upright in conduct,
176
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
elevated in character, enterprising in business and
entertaining in social life. His circle of friends is
large and their regard for him is cordial.
OWEN O'HANLON.
On the farm on which he now lives in Allen
township, the life of Owen O'Hanlon began on
December 17, 1852, and, on that farm, the whole
of it so far has been passed. His parents were
Thomas and Jane (Shannon) O'Hanlon, natives
of New York state, of Irish ancestry. The father
was born in Elmira and the mother at Baldwinsville. He came to this county to live in 1841, and
purchased eighty acres of land in section 36, in
Allen township, and afterward purchased forty
acres more. In course of time, he bought another
farm in the county. On February 4, I847, his
first marriage occurred and secured for him a
faithful and energetic helpmeet. Their land was
all wild land which had.never felt the hand of
cultivation, presenting all the exacting conditions
of the unbroken frontier and requiring all the
strenuous efforts involved in those conditions for
its subjugation and proper tillage. They gradually cleared it up, and, before death ended their
useful work, they had made it over into productive and attractive farms, fruitful with all the
products of advanced husbandry and fragrant
with the flowers of cultivated life. The mother
died in I863 and the father in 1897, at the age
of seventy-nine. On April 4, 1867, he married
a second time, being united in this wedding with
Miss Eliza A. Crocker, who died in I879. There
were four children in the family, three of whom
reached years of maturity, the sbn, Owen, and
two daughters, all of whom are living, residents
of this county. The father was a man of local
prominence, much esteemed for his uprightness
of life and his wisdom in reference to public affairs. He acceptably served seven years as township supervisor and was a valued member of
the Reading Lodge of Masons. The grandfather
was Owen O'Hanlon, a native of Ireland, belonging to a family long resident in the Emerald Isle
and connected in a leading way with its turbulence in times of war and its progress and so
cial elevation in times of peace. He was a cooper by trade, and also a farmer, and held a high
place in the regard of his American countrymen
for his mechanical skill, his excellent character
and his abundance of knowledge in variots lines
of thought and industry. He died in I860 at
Horseheads, New York, where much of his mature life was passed. Five sons survived him,
two of whom are still living, one in this county
and one in New York.
His grandson, Owen O'Hanlon, the subject
of this review, grew to man's estate on the
paternal homestead and was educated in the district schools of the neighborhood. As soon as
he left school he took a vigorous hold on the
farming enterprise and has been connected with
it ever since. The improvements begun by his
parents have been continued and enlarged.in
scope by himself, the farm being the product of
their joint efforts and creditable alike to the genius and the skill of both. Mr. O'Hanlon married in I880 Miss Eugene Orr, a daughter of
Joseph and Elizabeth (Frick) Orr, early emigrants from, first Vermont, and, second, Indiana,
to this county. Her father died in Reading township in 1887, where her mother is still living. Mr.
and Mrs. O'Hanlon have one child, their son,
Hugh, who is attending school at Hillsdale. In
politics, Mr. O'Hanlon, like his father and his
grandfather, has been a lifelong Democrat, and,
like them, he has taken an active interest in public affairs. He served as supervisor of the township in 1893, and, in 1902, was the candidate of
his party for clerk of the county, but was unable, notwithstanding his personal popularity, to
overcome the large adverse majority of the county. He is well-esteemed as a wise and safe counselor and a citizen of public spirit and progressive ideas. He was elected supervisor in the spring
of 1903, and is now serving in that responsible
office.
HON. J. M. OSBORN.
Nearly ten years have passed since, on December 9, 1893, death ended the useful labors of
Hon. John M. Osborn, of Pittsford township of
this county, and, in that time, his reputation for
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I77
integrity and force of character, fine business capacity, uprightness of life and for all the graces
of an elevated manhood has grown and strengthened. He was born at Perrinton, Monroe county,
New York, on March 9, I819, the son of John
and Mercy Ann (Swift-Eaton) Osborn, the scion
of an excellent old English family, members of
which settled in this country in Colonial days.
His paternal great-grandfather remained loyal to
the crown during our Revolutionary struggle and
at its close returned to England. At his death,
tradition reports, his estate was confiscated, because the heirs were all citizens of the new republic on this side of the Atlantic. His son was
a native of New England, where he married, and
where his son, John, father of John M. Osborn,
was born and reared. After leaving school he
learned the trade of cabinetmaking and subsequently that of carpenter and joiner. When the
War of 1812 began, he promptly joined the army
in his country's defense, and was in the force
that crossed the Niagara River at the storming
of Queenstown Heights, and, after a severe engagement, at great odds against them, for want
of support and by reason of the British receiving
reinforcements, they were ordered to lay down
their arms, which they did by throwing them as
far as they could into the river. Mr. Osborn
was soon after paroled, but, to the end of the
war, he quietly did service to his country in aiding the transportation of supplies to the troops
on duty. After the war was over he settled at
Perrinton, New York, as one of the earliest
pioneers of the section, resumed work at his trade
of carpenter and joiner, and, at one time, took
a contract for excavation work on the Erie canal,
which was then in building. In I838 he visited
this state and bought a tract of land in Pittsford
township, Hillsdale county, and, in I840, became
a resident of the county, locating at Lanesville,
as Hudson was then called, and there worked at
his trade, in the fall of that year bringing his
family to his new home. He continued work at
his trade until 1847, when his son, John M. Osborn, traded a residence which he owned in the
village, for eighty acres of farming land in the
township, which thereafter was a part of the
family homestead, and here the parents died.
They had three children, Eliza Ann, who died at
the age of six years; John M., and Delora O.,
the recently deceased wife of William Baker.
John M. Osborn attended the public schools
near his home until he was about fourteen years
old, then began to earn his own living by working on a farm at six dollars a month, except during the winter months, when he was able to still
attend school, although irregularly. As time
passed, and his usefulness increased, his wages
were increased until they reached the munificent
sum of thirteen dollars a month when he was
sixteen. He was a great and reflective reader and
utilized his spare time on the farm in improving
his education, gaining a cumulative knowledge
of business principles and keeping posted on
current events. When he was nineteen he began teaching school at Fairport, New York., two
years later becoming a resident of this state and
continuing this occupation at Hudson. His first
school here was opened in the back room of a
grocery, but, before the term had closed, a schoolhouse was built and occupied. Mr. Osborn remained in that section of the county for several
years, teaching in the winter and working on
the construction of the Michigan Southern Railroad in the summer, actively assisting the civil
engineer in establishing the grade, estimating the
quantity and the value of the excavating work
the amount and the cost of the material, and the
worth of special labor. He subsequently worked
as a laborer in constructing and, later, in keeping in repair, the section of the road near which
he lived. At other times he was engaged in the
cultivation of the soil, farming until I846. In
that year he formed a partnership association
with William Baker and started a merchandising
business under the name of J. M. Osborn & Co.,
they trading goods for every kind of farm produce, and he continued in this enterprise with
some change of partners until I85I. For seven
years following that date he bought and shipped
black walnut lumber to eastern markets. In 1858
he opened a drygoods store in partnership with
S. A. Eaton, as Osborn & Eaton, and they conducted a flourishing business until I863, when
I78
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
they closed the partnership by selling out. Mr.
Oshorn afterward conducted a similar business
alone for three years and during this period death
robbed him of both parents and his wife. A little later, yielding to strong importunity, he
formed a partnership with Moses Perkins, and, as
Osborn, Perkins & Co., they organized a bank
at Hudson, which was carried on under the personal supervision of Mr. Osborn until he retired
from the firm. The institution is now conducted by Thompson Bros. and is in a flourishing
condition. In 1883 Mr. Osborn was chosen to
manage the affairs of the Hudson woodenware
manufactory, and, by his judicious management,
he made the enterprise a paying one, which it had
never been before. In early life he was a Democrat in politics; but his opposition to slavery
made him a Free-Soiler when that party was
organized, and later he became a Republican.
Mr. Osborn was honored with almost every
office in its gift, and, in I869, and again in I871,
he was elected to the Legislature. In 1875 he was
chosen to represent his county in the State Senate, in that body enlarging the usefulness he
had shown and the reputation that he had won
as an active and far-seeing lawmaker in the
lower house. He always took a sagacious interest in all national affairs, and, although never
seeking a Federal office, he was appointed a U.
S. inspector of wagons by President Garfield, in
this position, as in all others, rendering efficient
and valuable service. In business, in political
affairs and in public life, Mr. Osborn always kept
prominently in view the advancement and development of the community in which he lived. He
was potential in inaugurating and pushing to a
successful completion the construction of the
Cincinnati, Jackson & Michigan Railroad, which
runs through Hudson and was completed in 1887.
He subscribed liberally to the stock of this enterprise and, in every way, gave it his most zealous
and helpful support. In fraternal circles he was
an enthusiastic Freemason, belonging to lodge,
chapter and commandery, ascending thirty-two
rounds of the mystic ladder of the Scottish Rite,.
and ninety-six of that of the rite of Memphis.
In religious affiliation he belonged to the Meth
odist Episcopal church. Mr. Osborn was married three times. His first marriage was in 185I,
with Miss Elizabeth Daniels, a native of Wayne
county, Michigan, who was his companion for
fifteen years, dying in I866. On April 5, 1870,
he married with his second wife, Mrs. Harriet A.
(White) Robinson, of Jacksonville, Tompkins
county, New York, who was born on May 28,
1832, the daughter of Rev. William and Prudent
(Wickes) White, of that state. Her father was
of Quaker parentage, but became a Baptist minister, and, for many years, he was actively engaged in preaching in New York and Ohio. In
1852 he settled in Hillsdale county on a farm
he purchased in Wright township, which he sold
after a few years' residence on it, and bought
another in Linden township, Genesee county,
where he passed the remainder of his days, dying in old age. His widow survived him several
years, passing away in I889, at the home of her
son at Linden in that county. His third marriage occurred on October 3, I89I, with Sarah
Tucker, a native of Meridian, Cayuga Co., New
York, a daughter of William and Anna (O'Connor) Tucker, natives of Limerick, Ireland, where
they were reared and married, soon after that
event coming to America, settling at Meridian as
farmers. They lived there until their deaths in
the later sixties. Mrs. Sarah Osborn was reared
and educated in New York and came to Michigan
in 1878.
JOHN H. PARISH.
John H. Parish, one of the substantial and
enterprising farmers of Allen township in this
county, to the development and progress of which
he has devoted forty-seven years of his useful
life, is a native of the city of Exeter, Devonshire,
England, where his parents, Henry and Mary
(Undeshay) Parish were also born and where
his ancestors have lived for many generations.
He first saw the light of this world on August
23, I840, and had the usual experience of boys
and youths of his day and locality, growing to
the age of sixteen in his native county, working
at anything he could find to do, attending school,
and also learning the business which has largely
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGA1.N.
179
engaged his attention and energies through life.
He came to the United States in 1856, making his
way at once to Hillsdale county and to the township in which he has ever since resided. His parents both died in England, four of the family of
their three sons and three daughters are now living, a daughter and John H. being citizens of
Hillsdale county. After his arrival in Michigan
John H. Parish attended Hillsdale College, there
finishing the education he had begun in his native land. But, for a time, he first worked on a
farm, then, after leaving college, he taught school.
In the meantime he determined to secure a permanent means of livelihood, learned his trade as
a carpenter, and, for a number of years thereafter, he worked at this occupation with industry
and became a successful builder, operating in
this county and at Saginaw. He also conducted
a sawmill and a cooper shop from 1867 to 1895.
In the year last named he sold out all his other
interests and has since devoted himself with diligence and ardor to the work of his farm, which
he has raised to a high state of fertility and enriched with excellent improvements.
Mr. Parish married in April, I864, Miss Abbie M. Southworth, a sister of Thaddeus M.
Southworth, a sketch of whom appears on another page of this volume. They have had three
children, of whom but one is living, Harry R.
Parish, now a resident of Camden, New Jersey,
a draughtsman for the New York Shipbuilding
Co. Mr. Parish is a Silver Republican in political faith, but is so well-established in the confidence and regard of the people of the township,
that, without reference to party politics, he has
at different times been chosen to fill various local offices in the township, having served as supervisor, two terms as township clerk, two as
justice of the peace and several as school director,
having rendered efficient and appreciated service
in each position.
CHARLES P. OSIUS.
The late Charles P. Osius, who died at his
comfortable and well-appointed home in Fayette
township, on October 12, I893, was one of the
12
substantial farmers of the county, being numbered for over thirty years among its thrifty and
productive yeomanry. He was born in Erie
county, Pennsylvania, on January 20, 1832, the
active son of William Frederick and Mary (Buss)
Osius, natives of Germany, who came to the
United States in their early years of maturity,
and were married on March 20, 1826, at Erie.
They located in Erie county, there followed farming successfully until 1832, when they moved to
Michigan and settled in Washtenaw county.
Their son, Charles, was but an infant when they
came to this state,.and he remained at home until
he was twenty-seven years of age, being reared
on the parental farm and educated in the neighborhood schools. At the age of twenty-seven he
was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth C.,
a daughter of Jacob and Christina (Noe) Kesselring, who were also of German birth and parentage. After their marriage, in I859, Mr. and
Mrs. Osius took up their residence in Fayette
township, this county, upon land which became
their permanent home, which they improved and
converted from a wilderness into one of the most
desirable farms in the county, it comprising 320
acres. They were the parents of four children,
three of whom are living: William, Mary E.,
the wife of G. F. Collins, of Edmore, this state;
Gertrude C., the wife of Montie Morey, of Chicago, Illinois.
William C. Osius was born on the home farm
in Fayette township, on December I, 1864, being
reared and educated in this county, attending the
public schools and completing his training for
the business of life by a course in the commercia1 department of Hillsdale College. On leaving school he went at once to farming and has
ma le that his sole occupation since, giving it his
best attention, bringing to bear on its work all
the light he could get from close observation and
intelligent experiment, coupled with thoughtful
reading of the literature of the business, and
the results have been commensurate with his efforts. His farm is one of the best in the county
and his farming is of the highest standard of excellence. He was married on February 22, 1893,
to Miss Lilly Schmitt, a native of Hillsdale coun
I80
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ty, and a daughter of Frank Schmitt, of whom
specific mention is made elsewhere in this volume. In politics, Mr. Osius is a consistent Democrat, but not an active partisan, having no deside for public office of any kind. He is looked
upon as one of the county's substantial and progressive farmers, who has the respect of everybody who knows him and who illustrates in his
daily walk the best elements of American life.
JOHN W. PEIRCE.
For more than three-score years a resident of
Allen township, in this county, during almost all
of that time being one of its forceful and influential factors in every form of its development
and progress, John W. Peirce is justly entitled
to the high esteem in which he was generally held
in life by the people of the county, and to the
high respect and regard in which his memory
rests among them. He was a native of Penfield,
Monroe county, New York, born on November
I4, 1815, where he passed his childhood and
youth, acquiring a limited education at the district schools, also becoming familiar with the farm
work of the period. When he was yet in the
youthful days of life his parents removed to
Chautauqua county in the same state, and he there
made his home with them until 1836. He then
engaged with a farmer of the neighborhood to
drive a team for him to Yorkville, Illinois, in
what is now Kendall county of that great state.
The team consisted of two yokes of oxen, the load
they drew being I,8oo pounds of butter sent for
sale in that then wild western country. He was
six weeks in making the trip, and on the way
passed through the village of Allen in this county. In 1839 he came back this way, determined
to locate in Allen township, and that part of the
county was his home during the rest of his life.
His father was Solon Peirce, a native of Deerfield, Oneida county, New York, and his mother,
whose maiden name was Susanna Walker, was a
native of New England. She died on August
28, I820, at the early age of twenty-two years,
leaving two sons, of whom John W. was the
first born. The father later married with Betsey
Davis, and by her had one son and seven daughters. He was a professional teacher, following
this business in New York and Pennsylvania, and
again in New York until the spring of I836, when
he came to Michigan and settled in Allen township. Here he took up a quarter of section 31,
and labored at improving it, bringing it into cultivation, enjoying thereafter its rich returns until
his death, on January 21, i85I. At that time
he also owned eighty acres of land in Branch
county.
John W. Peirce, after locating in this county,
worked for a number of years as a farmhand,
and in 1843 purchased a part of section I6. In
I859 he married with Miss Hansie L. Lake, at
her home in Allen township, the marriage occurring on January I9. They began life together
in a modest dwelling on his farm, where they
lived until I872, when they moved to Allen and
resided here until death ended his labors on
March I2, 190I. They were the parents of five
children: Erastus L., who is at Topeka, Kansas,
where he has been in the employ of the Santa
Fe Railroad for fifteen years; Solon, who died
in Allen township when four years old; Arthur,
who is living near the old homestead; Laura,
wife of E. A. Clickner, also a resident of Allen township; Erna, who is still at the paternal
home. Mrs. Peirce was born at Chester, Warren
county, New York, on July 12, 1827, the daughter
of Erastus and Erna Lake. She is a lady of
many estimable qualities, an active and zealous
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as
was her husband during his life. He was also a
member of the Masonic fraternity, affiliated with
Lodge No. 152 at Allen, which he joined in 1869,
At his death he was possessed of considerable
town property and I40 acres of farming land in
the township. He was a loyal Republican, politically, but, with the exception of filling a vacancy as supervisor, he steadfastly refused to accept public office.
ERASTUS LAKE, who died at his home in Allen township on January 29, 1887, was the father of Mrs. Peirce, and one of the honored pioneers of the county. He was born at Milford,
Otsego county, New York, on October 28, 1I794.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I8i
In I8oo his parents moved wi
Rutland county, Vermont, and
to Chester, New York,, where
twenty-eight years of his life
married Miss Erna Mead, o
1823, she having been born in t
30, I80o. In I830 he moved A
Erie county, New York, and, ii
came to Michigan, where he sp
days. He was the fourth of t]
born to his parents. Ten of th
years of maturity and the last
brother, Alonzo, who resided
Ohio, and there recently died at
of ninety-four years. When the
gan, Mr. Lake was a youth of
years of age, but, with the ma
father, who was six years a C
of the Revolution, he went to
fence of his country, participate
battle of Plattsburg, and remai
until the triumph of the Amerin
restoration of peace after the b
leans. For his services in this
abilities he incurred therein, hl
sion from the U. S. governmei
decade of his life. Mr. Lake
nized in this county as a man c
acter, and was elected supervise
four times in succession. He
assessor, as a justice of the pe;
commissioner and in several c
His first vote was cast for J<
president, and, throughout his
remained true to the principles
His faithful and devoted wife
len township home on March 5,
ly half a century of happy we
were the parents of four chil(
who became the wife of L. D. I
water, in this state, and there d
24, 1857; Hansie L., widow of
already alluded to; William F.,
farmer of Oceana county; Ch<
progressive farmer of this town
useful career among this peopl
and an incitement to generous
th their family to
1, two years later,
he resided during. There also he
)n December 30,
hat town on April
with his family to
n the fall of 1837,
ent the rest of his
part of others; his memory is revered as that
of a progressive citizen, who gave his best years
and his best efforts to building up and elevating
the county and state in which he lived and to
the improvement of its people in every moral
and material interest.
DORR PHILLIPS.
he eleven children This pioneer business man of Osseo, who is
e number reached now actively engaged in the drug trade, as he
survivor was his has been for more than thirty-seven years, exat Garrettsville, cepting three years when he was in the grocery
t the venerable age business, is a native of Webster, Monroe county,
e War of 1812 be- New York, where he was born on October 9,
less than nineteen I839. His parents were John and Permilla
irtial spirit of his (Wood) Phillips, also natives of New York.
continental soldier The father was engaged in merchandising at
the front in de- Webster until I860 when he retired from busied in the glorious ness. In 1835 he came to this state after the
ned in the service death of his first wife, and after becoming a
can cause and the resident of Michigan, he contracted a second
)attle of New Or- marriage, being united this time with Mrs. E.
war, and the dis- M. Clark, of Adams township. He died at Hude received a pen- son, Michigan, in August, I89o, aged eightynt during the last eight, and she passed away on January 20, 190I.
was early recog- He was the father of nine children, four sons and
)f force and char- five daughters. Two of the sons saw active and
>r of his township exacting service in the Army of the Potomac
also served as an in the Civil War, but escaped without serious
ace, as a highway harm.or capture.
)ther local offices. Dorr Phillips grew to manhood in his native
ames Monroe for state and was educated in its public schools.
long life, he ever Thereafter he followed teaching for several years
he then espoused. until the Civil War broke out, when, on August
died at their Al- 15, I86I, he enlisted in Co. C,. Fourth New York, 870, after near- Heavy Artillery, and his battery was attached
added life. They to the Second Army corps and became a part
dren: Laura A., of the Army of the Potomac. From that time
Flalstead, of Cold- to the end of the war this battery was in the
lied on September most active service and participated in all the
John W. Pierce, battles fought by that great organization. After
now a prosperous General Grant took command of this army Mr.
arles W., now a Philips's regiment was made a part of the infantship. Mr. Lake's ry forces, but its duties in the field were by no
e was a stimulus means lessened. It was duly mustered out of the
endeavor on the service near Alexandria, Virginia, and he then
It
182
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
held the position of hospital steward. He returned to his New York home, but, in the fall of
the same year, 1865, came to Michigan and settled at Osseo. Here he started the mercantile enterprise in which he is still engaged, having
been continuously occupied in its operations from
that time except three years, during which time
he was engaged in buying and selling stock at
Hillsdale. On June ii, 1871, in this county, Mr.
Phillips was united in marriage with Miss Mary
McDonough, a native of Ireland. They have
had seven children, all sons but one, and four
of them are living, Stanley D., Eber B., John W.
and A. Ray. Mr. Phillips is a Republican in
politics, but not an active partisan or an officeseeker. But, although averse to holding official
position of any kind, he has served the township
as treasurer, and in this position he rendered
good service. He belongs to the Masonic order,
holding membership in the lodge at Osseo. He
is highly respected as a business man and a representative citizen and has the good will of all
classes of the people.
GEORGE W. RUMSEY.
During his lifetime one of the representative
citizens and leading farmers of Jefferson township, Hillsdale county, George W. Rumsey was
a native of Yates county, New York, where he
was born on March I6, I830. His parents,
Thomas and Sophia (Dancingberg) Rumsey,
were married in the state of New York, where
they resided for many years. The father was a
native of that state, the mother, born in Germany,
coming with her parents to America when she
was four years of age. In 1834 the parents of
Mr. Rumsey removed their residence to Lorain
county, Ohio, where they remained until 1846,
when the family came to Hillsdale county, Michigan, and settled on a tract of wild land in what
was then Florida township. The subject of this
sketch assisted in clearing the paternal homestead and in building a home for the family, assisting in their support up to the age of thirty
years. During this time he availed himself of
such limited opportunities for acquiring an edu
cation as were at hand by attending the district
schools in the vicinity of his home. In I86o, desiring to branch out for himself, he purchased
about seventy-five acres of the old homestead,
then owned by his brothers, and subsequently
added to it about forty acres more lying in section I2, Jefferson township. This property he
improved and continued to make his residence up
to the time of his death, which occurred on October 30, I892. The first home on this place was
a log cabin, this in time was succeeded by a
framed building, in which he lived until I89o,
when it was destroyed by fire. He then erected
the fine dwelling of modern style and architecture in which he maintained his home until his
death, and in which the family now reside. It
is one of the finest places in that section.
On November 2, 1855, Mr. Rumsey was
joined in wedlock with Miss Laura L. Knight, a
daughter of Arnold and Harrie (Harkness)
Knight, who were pioneer citizens of Jefferson
township. Coming hither in 1853, they 'settled
half a mile north of Pittsford. They continued
to reside in Jefferson township up to their
deaths. One adopted son, William G. Rumsey,
comprised the family of Mr. and Mrs. Rumsey.
Politically, he was identified with the Republican
party, an earnest advocate of the principles of
that political organization, although never a seeker after office. He was a great reader, and was
well known as a man of wide information, especially in that relating to public affairs. Fraternally, he was affiliated with the Masonic order, being chapter Mason, and took an active interest in
social and fraternal work. He was a member of
the Free Baptist church of Osseo, ever taking
a leading part in building up the moral well-being of the people. In his death the county lost
one of its most valued citizens. During all of
the years of his useful life he was a generous
supporter of schools and churches, contributing
largely of both his time and means in the promotion of every movement calculated to be of benefit to the public or to uplift the cause of humanity. By all classes of his fellow citizens he was
held in high esteem, honored for his many admirable traits of character.
Z
IIILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I83
CHARLES ROSE.
Having made his advent into this state more
than half a century ago, then becoming a permanent resident of Hillsdale county, Charles Rose
is one of the oldest settlers in this section, one
of the few remaining men of that fast fading
band of heroes, who redeemed the county from
the wilderness and made it glorious with the
products of peace and civilization. He is a native of Monroe county, New York, born on February 8, I826, the son of Thomas and Sophia
(Smith) Rose, the former a native of Vermont
and the latter of Massachusetts. The father was
both a blacksmith and a farmer and died in Monroe county, New York, on January 20, I839,
having been born on January 6, I792. His wife
was born on January 4, 1788, and died in August, I877. They were the parents of nine children, who attained maturity and of seven who are
still living. Three of their sons and two of their
daughters reside in Hillsdale county. The grandfather was Thomas Rose, a farmer and native
of Vermont, where he died at an old age.
Charles Rose grew to manhood in New York
state, was educated in the district schools near
his home, and learned the trade of making graincradles, at that time a very important industry,
and worked at his craft in his native state for a
period of thirteen years. In I852 he came to
Michigan and purchased I6o acres of wild land
in this county, which he at once set to work to
clear as a farm. He erected a small framed
house, and, for a number of years, this was the
family home. Subsequent improvements, in the
way of building, and continuous and careful cultivation, in the way of tilling, have made his farm
a model, one of the attractive rural homes of the
township. He was married in New York state
on November 15,, 1848, to Miss Sarah J. Williams, a daughter of Solomon and Jane (Weston) Williams, the former a native of Nassau,
Rensselaer county, New York, of Welch descent,
and the latter, a native of Hebron, Washington
county, New York, her father having been born
in Edinburg, Scotland. They came to this county in 1855 and settled at Jonesville, where the
father purchased a farm. Some years later they
removed to Joliet, Illinois, and there they died,
the father in 1881, at the age of seventy-seven,
and the mother in I899, at the age of ninety-three
years. Mr. and Mrs. Rose have had five children, of whom four are living: Frank, of Manton, Wexford county, this state; Herman C., living near the paternal home; Ella M., widow of
Job Hagerman; Nettie, wife of Ziba Walton, of
Jefferson township. Mr. Rose is a Republican
in political faith, but never takes any active interert in the political campaigns. He is one of the
oldest and most highly respected settlers in the
township, and one of its most representative citizens, having a long lease of useful life to his
credit among its people.
M. D. LAFAYETTE POST.
Among the well-known, old-time citizens of
Hillsdale county is M. D. Lafayette Post, the
subject of this sketch. A native of the village
of Castile, in Wyoming county, New York, he
was born on September Io, 1837, the son of Aaron
and Elizabeth (Sevea) Post, the former a native
of the state of Vermont, and the latter of New
Hampshire. The father was a farmer by occupation and grew to man's estate in the state of his
nativity. Subsequently, he removed his residence
to the state of New York, where he remained up
to the year I844. He then disposed of his property and with his family, started overland for the
then frontier country of Iowa, where he remained
but a short time, passing the winter of I844 and
1845 in Illinois. In the spring of 1845 he re*moved to the town of North Adams, in Hillsdale
county, Michigan, where he purchased a tract
of wild land consisting of near 240 acres, and
began to clear it of its timber in order that it
might be cultivated for farm purposes. Attacked
by sudden illness he died in I849. The mother
and her four sons continued the work of clearing, in time completed it and paid for the land,
a portion of which is still owned by the immediate subject of this sketch. The mother survived
until October 25, 1878, when she, too, passed
away. Of the family of nine sons and two daugh-: 0:::f f: 0 0: f A 0:;fff-0F::000000:00 2:0~ 'i0s:X0
I84
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ters, all are now deceased but three, Eliza Ann,
now Mrs. Lathrop; Aaron W., and M. D. Lafayette. The paternal grandfather, Aaron Post,
was also a native of Vermont. He was a member
of the famous Silver Greys, and served gallantly
during the War of the American Revolution, as
well as during the War of I812. The maternal
grandfather, whose name was Nathaniel Sevea,
was a native of New Hampshire, and he also
served as a member of the American army during
the wars of both the Revolution and of 1812.
During a part of the War of the Revolution he
was a member of the body guard of General
Washington. The parents of the subject of this
sketch were active members of the Christian
church, and the family were instrumental in
founding the first Christian church of Hillsdale
county, which was erected on land belonging to
their farm. This was the second building of that
denomination erected in the state of Michigan.
Mr. M. D. L. Post was brought up in Hillsdale
county, and received his early educational training
in the public schools of the vicinity of his boyhood home. He later attended the college at
Hillsdale, where he pursued a thorough course
of study. He was a member of the first
class of the first term at that institution and was
the first student to speak from the rostrum. Upon
he completion of his education he returned to
the family homestead and entered upon the business of farming, in which he has since been occupied. He has met with success in his business.
In 1873 he was united in marriage with Miss
Grace E. Short, a native of Oakland county,
whose parents were well known and highly respected residents of that locality. Of this union
have been born two children, Bessie, now Mrs.
William Shepherd, and Julia May, deceased. Politically, Mr. Post is identified with the Democratic party and has taken an active interest in
the work of that political organization, although
he has never been a seeker of office, and has never
permitted the use of his name for any public position. He is an active worker of the church, being for thirty-seven years the popular and efficient
superintendenf of the Sunday-school. He is
now both a trtsteea nd a deacon in the church and
is always foremost in all matters calculated to promote the religious and social life of the community. The family of Mr. Post are widely known
throughout the county for their work of benevolence and charity, being highly respected by a
large circle of friends and acquaintances.
MARTIN L. RAWSON.
Although the state of Michigan was, within
the memory of men yet living, a wild and trackless expanse of forest and plain, the advancing
army of industrial conquest in this country has
moved so rapidly, and commanded such prompt
and ready obedience to its dominion, that many
men- and women, now well up in years, have been
born and wholly nurtured on the soil of this great
state, and have seen its transformation from a
wilderness and waste to a mighty commonwealth,
fragrant and fruitful with the products of peaceful and systematic industry, blessed with every element of commercial, industrial, educational and
social greatness. Among this number is Martin
L. Rawson, a prominent and successful farmer
of Jefferson township, this county, who is a native of Lenawee county, born on November 8,
I859, the son of Henry H. and Mary J. (Cornelius) Rawson, of whom more specific mention
will be found in a sketch of Mr. Rawson's brother, Alonzo, appearing on another page.
Martin L. Rawson was reared and educated
in Lenawee county and remained there until 1887,
when he took up his residence in Hillsdale county, where he has since made his home. He has
been industrious and thrifty, contributing his labor and the inspiration of a good example to the
active and productive forces of the county, winning by his useful and unostentatious life the respect and confidence of the people. He married
on November 8, I88I, the twenty-second anniversary of his birth, Miss Sadie Hadley, a native
of Hillsdale county, and a daughter of Zela and
Amy L. (Ambler) Hadley, a sketch of whom will
be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and
Mrs. Rawson have two children, Neta and Hadley
H. Rawson. Mr. Rawson filled a number of local offices while living in Lenawee county and has
HILLSDALE COVA TY, MICHIGAN.
I85
had a forceful voice in local public affairs in this
county, although he has never been in any sense
an active partisan or an office seeker. He has,
however, been deeply and intelligently interested
in the progress and improvement of the community, and has given to the advancement of its best
activities a close and a careful attention. He and
his wife are valued members of the Free Baptist
church at Osseo, always to be found in the front
rank of its zealous workers in every good cause.
They are well known throughout the township
and enjoy in a marked degree the esteem and
good will of the people.
JOHN T. REED.
John T. Reed, of Allen township, Hillsdale
county, Michigan, is the second man in this locality to bear the honored name of John Reed and
the son of John S. Reed, one of the early residents
of the township, who came here with his parents
during the harvest time of I829. Thomas Reed,
the father, moved from Pennsylvania to Richland
county, Ohio, and some years later to this coun â
ty, settling at the White Marble Springs in Allen
township, one and one-half miles west of the
village of Allen, on the Chicago road. These
springs, a dozen or more in number, remarkably
clear, pure and beautiful, are features of the locality and of great value to the people, and were
of considerable advantage to the early settlers also, furnishing them with an abundance of excellent water for themselves and their stock, adding
thereby much to the value of the untamed land
which they took up and began to prepare for cultivation and fruitfulness, at the same time giving
picturesqueness and interest to the landscape. Mr.
Reed purchased I60 acres of land from the government and began to improve it and make it
habitable for.himself and his family. Some
years later he gave eighty acres of his purchase
to his son, John S. Reed, who added to this tract
by a farther purchase of forty acres from the
government. Thomas Reed was one of the important and influential citizens of the section. He
aided very materially in organizing the county,
and Allen township, and died on his farm in I850.
His family consisted of two sons and three
daughters, all of whom are now deceased. His
elder son, John S. Reed, was a mere lad when he
became a resident of the county, but, the exigencies of the time, which laid everybody under tribute for a strenuous exercise of every faculty, exacted of him a man's work on the farm, leaving
him little opportunity for anything else. He aided
in clearing the homestead and in carrying on its
operations, ministered by his labors to the comfort of the family all the time, and often he was
obliged to make the long trip to Detroit for provisions, driving an ox team for the purpose and
camping out on the way, risking the danger of
attack by wolves and other wild animals, and by
Indians as well. One dangerous and thrilling experience was well impressed on his mind unto
his dying day. He was once chased by hungry
wolves to within forty yards of his house while
returning home from Jonesville one night, the
brutes being then driven off by his dogs. During
his residence there his farm was long one of the
favorite resorts of the neighborhood, being always
a storehouse of bounteous hospitality.
In 1873 Mr. Reed left its management to his
son, John T., and moved to the village of Allen,
where he died on August 31, I892. He was married in 1841 to Miss Hannah Broughton, then of
Quincy, in Branch county, a native of New York
state, who died in Allen in I896. They had three
children, John T., now the owner and manager
of the homestead; Ellen I., wife of A. B. Whitmore of Allen; Lydia A., who died at the age
of eighteen years. The father was a soldier in the
Black Hawk War, who, from his early youth, was
earnestly interested in the development and progress of the county and his township. He gave
active support to every enterprise tending to this
end, being ever one of the leading citizens of this
part of the county, taking up the work of public
advancement in every good line of improvement
where his father dropped it and pushing it forward with energy and intelligence. When he
came to the county with his parents, they brought
their household goods in a lumber wagon drawn
by two yokes of oxen, he having two cows to drive
or lead. The now much-traveled and well-kncwn
I86
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
highway, the Chicago road, which was their
course to this part of the state, was then not much
more than an Indian trail, winding around old
stumps, fallen trees and other obstructions, and
the journey was full of difficulties and arduous
toil. But therewas manly spirit and determination
at the head of the enterprise, and, in time, the long
desired haven was reached, but only to open
before the weary emigrants and pioneers new
fields of struggle, toil and danger. The story of
their trials is the oft-told tale of frontier life, and
that of its triumphs is graven in impressive and
enduring sculpture in the present civilization and
magnificent development of the country to which
they came as the very advance guard of the oncoming army of mankind which has since occupied it.
HON. JAMES S. GALLOWAY.
One of the senior members of the Hillsdale
bar, with a record of forty years active and successful practice to his credit and now standing
easily at the head of his profession in this part
of the state, Hon. James S. Galloway has risen
to his prominence in professional circles and to
his high place in the confidence and esteem of the
people through continual and arduous effort,
close and effective study, conscientious attention
to every duty of citizenship and a natural ability and force of character uncommon among
men. He is a native of Wayne county, New York,
born on March 5, 1841, and was reared in his
native county, where successive generations of
his family have lived many years and were
among the most influential and prominent of its
people. His parents were Rev. Edgar and Deborah (Sutton) Galloway, the father being a
well-known and highly esteemed clergyman in
the Christian church, who was born, grew to
manhood, was educated and died in Wayne county, New York, the mother also passing her life
in that county.
Mr. Galloway began his education in the public schools of Wayne county, continued it at the
Marion Collegiate Institute and concluded it at
Antioch College, Ohio, where he matriculated
in I857 and was graduated in I860. When he
came out into the world armed with his diploma
as a Bachelor of Arts, he began to dispense the
learning he had acquired in his scholastic training by teaching, and he followed this Vocation
for two years. But he had no idea of being a
schoolmaster all of his life. In 1862 he came
to this state, and, locating at Hillsdale, entered
the office of Stacy & Edwards as a student of
the law. He pursued the study diligently and
thoughtfully, and, in 1863, was admitted to the
bar and at once began the practice of the profession, having formed a partnership association with William S. Edwards under the firm
name of Edwards & Galloway. This partnership
lasted until I866, when it was dissolved by nmltual consent, and, in 1867, Mr. Galloway associated himself in practice with Col. R. W. Ricaby
in the firm of Ricaby & Galloway, which continued until July, 1871, when Mr. Ricaby moved to
Chicago, and Mr. Galloway kept on practicing
at Hillsdale alone, as he is now doing. For a
short time, in later years, his son, Edgar O. Galloway, was associated with him, but is now engaged in business in Canada, being secretary and
treasurer of the Morgan Lumber Co., at Chelmsford, Ontario.
Mr. Galloway has given attention mainly to
civil practice and has made a great success of it.
His counsel is much sought in the most important cases and his skill in conducting them is
marked and widely known. He has an exact
and exhaustive legal training, both in the principles of the law and in their application by the
courts; he is ready and resourceful in expedients, masterful in argument and eloquent and
forceful in advocacy, preparing his cases with
great care, presenting their features with clearness and cogency, sustaining his position with all
the wealth of his extensive attainments and his
full, strong and well-trained mind. In addition
to his professional duties, which are arduous and
exacting, he gives attention to other business of
an engaging and profitable character, being connected with some of the leading financial institutions in this part of the state. He was for a
number of years the president of the First State
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9
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 187
Bank of Hillsdale, being also a director of the
Second National Bank. In politics, he has always been a Democrat, affiliating with the gold
wing of the party in recent campaigns.
Public life and official station have ever been
unwelcome to him, and the only office he has filled
is that of city attorney of Hillsdale, which he
accepted for the general good rather than for
any personal advantage. He has, however, on
occasions, taken the stump in behalf of the principles and candidates of his party, but cannot
be called an active partisan in any leading way,
for his business has absorbed his attention and
furnished ample work for his time and faculties.
In 1865 he was married to Miss Lizzie, a daughter of Henry Edwards, of Montgomery county,
New York, and they are the parents of two children, their son, Edgar O., a rising business man
of Canada, and their daughter, Ava, who is living at home. Mr. Galloway is an enthusiastic
Freemason, holding membership in the lodge,
the chapter and the commandery, and he has
served most acceptably as the eminent commander of the last named body. It is much to say in
favor of any man that in all the relations of life
among his fellows he has risen to high rank and
walked wisely and worthily in all, but in an eminent degree it is true of Mr. Galloway, who is one
of the best known, most highly esteemed and
most serviceable citizens that southern Michigan
has had in the years of its existence.
JOHN W. RAYMOND.
The early tides of emigration into southern
Michigan came mainly from New York state.
From this hotbed of enterprise and adventurous
daring, came the parents of John W. Raymond,
of Jefferson township, in 1852, bringing him with
them as a boy of eight years, his birth occurring
in their native state on August 6, 1845, as a native of Onondaga county. His parents, John W.
and Amelia (Knapp) Raymond, prosperous farmers and hardy adventurers, came to Michigan in
1852, locating in what is now Jefferson township
in this county, where they began to clear up a
tract of forty acres of land, which they bought
in the wild woods, there to make a home for themselves and their young family. A small shanty
had been built on the land prior to their taking
possession, and this was their first home in the
new region where they had cast their lot. Time
and assiduous labor wrought a great change in
their surroundings; the land was fertile and, when
cleared, responsive, and it soon began to yield
abundant returns for their faith and toil; a new
house replaced the humble shanty; barns and other outbuildings rose around them; all the concomitants of cultivated life gradually appeared
and ministered to their comfort; but it is doubtful if any subsequent condition gave them the
agreeable sensations that they experienced at the
dawn of their budding hopes and productive enterprise. In the due course of time they added
eighty acres to their farm, and, that, too, soon
began to respond generously to their persuasive
industry. On this child of bope and promise they
expended the energies of their lives, the father
dying on the farm, at the age of ninety years, on
November 2, 1893; the mother also dying on
the farm on January 8, 1899, at the age of ninetythree years. The family consisted of their two
sons, John W. anl George. By a former marriage the father had three children, all now deceased. An early and a leading settler in the
township, it was inevitable that the father should
take a deep and abiding interest in the growth
and development of the section of the state in
which he lived, and he was called on for his valuable advice and counsel from time to time in
reference to public affairs of a local character,
but he steadfastly declined to accept public office
of every kind. His father, John Raymond, was
also a native of New York, and lived and died a
prosperous and industrious farmer in that state.
John W. Raymond grew to manhood on this
western farm, assisting in its arduous labors and
eagerly snatching from its exactions the few and
brief opportunities to attend the district schools
which were afforded him. When he reached years
of maturity he purchased the interest of his brother, George, in the place and since then he has been
its sole owner. He erected the excellent buildings which now adorn it, which are down-to-date
* * 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~::::S- 0;-~: 0 0C00
I88
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
in every respect. He was married in this county
on August 29, I870, to Miss Anna C. Johnson, a
native of the county and a daughter of Silas and
Catharine (Demont) Johnson, who were among
the early settlers of the state. Two children have
blessed their union, Amy, now the wife of J. L.
Ash, a son of Peleg Ash, of whom a sketch will
be found on another page of this volume; and
Jesse, who is living at home. Mr. Raymond is a
skillful and progressive farmer, a citizen of public
spirit and breadth of view, always keenly alive to
the best interests of the community, omitting no
effort on his part to secure their promotion. He
ranks among the leading men and most representative citizens of the township, being well esteemed
by all classes of its people.
FIRST STATE SAVINGS BANK.
The frugality and thrift of the wage-earners,
small property holders and better class of laborers
in America, which have given our people distinction throughout the world as a nation of money
makers and home dwellers, and which have been
a source of great stability to our institutions at
all times, and a mighty bulwark of defense in
times of trouble, have been largely cultivated and
increased by our system of well-managed, liberalminded, widely distributed and generally reliable
savings banks. The men in every part of the
country who organize and control such banks and
thus give opportunity to persons of small earnings
to save a portion of the fruits of their labor, and
so provide for calamity when it comes, or for
a better estate as time passes, are public benefactors in a broad and comprehensive sense. An institution of this character, which was long needed
in Hillsdale, was provided for the use of the people in June, Ig02, 1by the establishment of the
First State Savings Bank of Hillsdale, which
opened its doors for business on the sixteenth day
of that month, and the men who were at the head
of it gave ample assurance of security for its
patrons, guaranteeing prudence and good judgment in its management. It was organized with
a working capital of $50,ooo, with F. A. Roethlisberger as president, Corvis M. Barre as vice
president, Paul W. Chase as cashier, with a list
of directors and stockholders comprising a number of the best business men in the community.
In the short time of its existence the bank has
won to its counters a very large body of well
pleased patrons, done an enormous business, paid
creditable returns on deposits and established itself firmly as one of the best financial institutions
in this part of the state.
Fred A. Roethlisberger, the originator and the
ruling spirit of this new fiscal entity, is its president, of vhom it has been well said that "for
twenty years he was successively merchant, banker and postmaster at Allen (in this county) and
latterly all three at once." Mr. Roethlisberger
was born in Allen township, this county, on
March 24, I86o, the son of Andrew and Catherina
(Boch) Roethlisberger, the former a native of
Switzerland and the latter of Germany. They
came to the United States in I838 and settled
at Adrian in this state. Two years later they removed to Hillsdale county and took up their residence in Allen township. The father was the
station agent of the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railroad at Sylvanus for a number of
years, later continuing that service at Allen for
some time. After quitting the railroad service
he went to farming, following that vocation until
his death in I875. His widow is still living in this
county. They had three sons and one daughter,
the only one of the four who is a resident of Hillsdale county being their son, Fred. Here he was
reared and educated, here he began life as a farmer, but he had a genius for mercantile life and
for finance, and, soon after reaching man's estate,
he began moving toward these lines of activity.
He started as a clerk in a store and soon after
opened a drugstore of his own at Allen. Two
years later he expanded this into a general store
which he conducted with steadily increasing patronage and profit until 1903. In connection with,
merchandising he carried on an exchange, and,
in I893, started a private bank, which he conducted for a number of years. He was also postmaster at Allen for fifteen years and a member of
the county committee for ten. He is an active
Republican, in politics, and was chosen by his
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 1i89
party as an alternate to its last national convention and he is now a member of its congressional
campaign committee. He has not, however, given
himself up wholly to the affairs of the savingsbank in business, as he has valuable property and
large commercial' interests at Allen and Jonesville, being also the president of the State Bank
at Quincy, in this state, which he assisted in organizing and of which he is the largest stockholder. He is also a director of the Omega Portland Cement Company, of Mosherville, this county, and of the American Lumber Company of Albequerque, New Mexico, and for four years he
rendered efficient service as treasurer of the Hillsdale County Agricultural Society. He was married, in I88I, in Cass county, Michigan, to Miss
Nellie Hoyt, a native of the state. They have
two sons, Leon E. and Fred A., Jr. In fraternal
relations the head of the house is a Freemason and
a Knight of Pythias.
Hon. Corvis M. Barre, vice-president of the
bank, was born in Ohio, and, before he was fifteen years old, he enlisted in the Union army,
serving in the thick of the Civil War until after
Lee's surrender. In I87I he came to Michigan
and found a home and congenial employment at
Reading. For six years from January, 1879, he
was the county clerk of Hillsdale county, and then
became the cashier of the Second National Bank
of Hillsdale. Afterward he actively practiced law
and became one of the most successful members
of the bar. In 1892 he was appointed the U. S.
consul at Valparaiso, South America, there giving
the country excellent service for four years. His
clearness of vision, quickness of apprehension, excellent judgment and close attention to details in
business make him one of the strongest and safest factors in the commercial life of the county.
Paul W. Chase, the bank's accomplished and
accommodating cashier, is yet a young man compared with many who have won prominence and
commanding positions in fiscal and political life:
But his progress in this, his native county, has
been rapid and steady, and his hold on the confidence and esteem of the community is strong
and firmly fixed. For nearly four years he was
the deputy county clerk, for two he was the city
treasurer, and, when he became cashier of this
bank, he was also the city attorney. In every position he has shown capacity, integrity, high character and a commendable breadth of view.
The directors of this institution not already
mentioned are Guy M. Chester, F. H. Stone, Edward Frensdorf, M. S. Segur and William N.
Benge, all well known in the community and well
established in the confidence and esteem of its
people as successful and influential business men.
ERWIN H. RUMSEY.
Erwin H. Rumsey is a prominent and successful farmer of Jefferson township, who has been
busily occupied for several years in tilling the
land on which he was born. He was born on this
farm on December 30, 1864, the son of Moses and
Nancy (Elliott) Rumsey, the former a native of
New York and the latter of Lenawee county, in
this state. His father was born in Fayette, Seneca
county, New York, and removed with his parents
in early life to Ohio, where he grew to manhood,
attending school in the winter for a few years.
and helping on the farm at other times. The limited education he was thus able to get he subsequently enlarged and improved by studious andindustrious reading. In I847 he came with his
father to this county, and, in the fall of that year,i
tiey purchased 12o acres of unbroken forest, in
what is now Jefferson township, it being a part
of section I of the government survey, and soonr
thereafter the family came out and occupied the'
land. Here his parents passed the rest of their
lives and here they died, when he came into possession of the property and increased its extent
to over 200 acres. He continued the improvements commenced and carried on by his father
and kept the land in an advanced state of cultivation, and the farm, which now consists of I54 -acres, is now one of the most desirable in the
township. He was a man of progressive ideas,
an advanced thinker, quick and vigorous in action.
His influence on the growth and development of
the township and on the trend of thought in the
matter of its public life and improvement was.
pronounced and beneficial. He occupied almost%
90o
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
every place in the gift of the people, at one time
or another, and rendered excellent service in every official capacity, serving the township as highway commissioner, as treasurer, as supervisor for
four terms and as justice of the peace for twentyeight successive years. He was a man of large,
but judicious, charity, liberal in his gifts to public instiutions of every worthy character. Three
times he bowed beneath the flowery yoke of Eros,
his first marriage occurring on January 28, 1854,
with Miss Nancy Elliott, and their family consisted of three sons and one daughter, Carlton
G., Albert T., Helen S. and Erwin H., all of
whom are living except the first-born. Their
mother died on September 15, 1872, and their
father's second marriage was iu I873, with Miss
Lucy Anderson, who became the mother of two
children, her daughter, Ruth, and her son, Fred.
She died in I882 and the third marriage took place
within the same year, being with Mrs. Phoebe
Vail, who is still living. Mr. Rumsey was a Republican in politics from the foundation of the
party. He belonged to the Congregational church
at the time of his death on December 25, I897.
Two sisters are residents of this county, one of
Lenawee county, two of Salt Lake City and one
is living in Ohio.
ERWIN H. RUMSEY, a son of Moses Rumsey
by his first marriage, was reared on the home farm
in Jefferson township, on which he now lives, as
has been stated, and was educated in the district
schools of the neighborhood, completing his scholastic training by a two-years' course at Hillsdale
College. For three years thereafter he taught
school in the winter months and conducted successful farming operations in the summer. At
the end of that time he gave up all other occupations and has since devoted his time and energies
wholly to his farming industry and has found this
an excellent investment in every way. He is selfmade, beginning life for himself at twentv-one
years with one dollar. He worked on the farm,
rented for a time, bought forty acres in section
29, Jefferson township, his wife owning eighty
acres in the same section given by her father.
Upon the death of the father he sold this farm
and bought the old homestead of I54 acres, except
a fourth interest in fifty acres, which he acquired
by will. He has since bought sixty acres adjoining. He is one of the successful farmers of the
county.
Mr. Rumsey was married on December 30,
1885, to Miss Hartis Miller, like himself a native of the township, being the daughter of Martin and Margaret (Doreder) Miller, who settled
in the county in I864. Three children have blessed
their union, Clyde E., Lloyd M. and Carlton C.,
and all are living at the family home. Mr. Rumsey has been a Republican all of his life and he
has served the township as justice of the peace
and the U. S. government as census enumerator.
He is an active working Freemason, and has filled
all the chairs except the master's in his lodge. He
is at present senior deacon, a position he has
creditably filled for five years. He and his wife
are also members of the Order of the Eastern
Star. He has filled the office of worthy patron in
this lodge for three years. He also belongs to the
Knights of the Maccabees and the Patrons of
Husbandry. He is well respected by all classes
of his fellow citizens, justifying by his upright
life and high character the public and private
esteem in which he is held.
FRANKLIN SCHMITT.
For three-score years, and for longer, FrankSchmitt, one of the leading farmers and stockgrowers of Fayette township, has been a resident
and an active productive force in this county.
He was born in the township of his present residence on July 25, 1842, and was reared and educated among its people. His parents were Nicholas and Gertrude (Grat) Schmitt, both natives
of Beber, Kur-Hesse, Prussia, who were born,
reared, educated and married in the Fatherland,
coming to the United States in 1834 with their
two small children. Their first winter in this
country was passed at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and
in the spring of, 835 Mr. Schmitt came to this
county and located eighty acres of government
land, returned to Ann Arbor for his family and
was settled on his new home in July, I835. The
family remained on this land until I85I when he
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I9I
sold it, and, in 1852, went to California, where
i.e remained four years. On his return he bought
I20 acres of the L. R. Gay farm, which was his
home until his death on January I4, I870. His
widow survived him thirty-one years, dying in
I9OI, aged ninety-one years. Their family consisted of seven children, of whom Franklin was
the fourth in the order of birth.
Franklin Schmitt has been a Hillsdale county
farmer ever since he was able to do the work of
that exacting vocation. He started in life for
himself in Fayette township in 1870, and now
has a fine farm, comprising 216 acres of well improved and highly cultivated land, being one of
the choice tracts of this part of the county. To
its operations and to his stockgrowing industry
he gives his undivided attention, and is rewarded
for his diligence and application by the best returns available under the circumstances. On January 3, 1870, he was married to Miss Julia Casteel, a native of Morrow county, Ohio, whose parents, Amos and Azubah (Cutler) Casteel, came
to Hillsdale county about I854, and, after a residence of some years, moved to Kansas where the
father died. The mother survived him several
useful years and died in Oklahoma. Mr. and Mlrs.
Schmitt have three children, Lilly, now Mrs. William Osius; Kittie, now Mrs. Lewis Green, of
Chicago, and Leroy R., living at home. Mr.
Schmitt has not sought public office or prominence of any kind. He has found full satisfaction
in the daily discharge of his duties on his farm
and toward his fellow men, and, in that way, he
has been of signal service to the community in
which his life has so far been passed, stimulating
others by an example of fidelity and modest worth,
winning the good will and esteem of all who know
him by his uprightness of life anl steadiness of
purpose in every line of productive work.
ISAAC W. SHERIFF.
The state of Maryland, whose firm and farsighted policy in the Continental Congress when
the Article of Confederation were under consideration, secured for our common country the
great domain afterwards known as the North
west Territory, has also contributed freely of her
brain and brawn, her enterprise and public spirit,
her men of endurance, courage and resourcefulness, and her love of liberty, to plant and people
-this Northwest region, aiding in making it. glad
with all the beneficent products of civilization
and cultivated life. Among those of her own
progressive children, whom she gave to southern Michigan, were Samuel T. and Isaac W.
Sheriff of Allen township, the parents being Isaac
and Mary (Lazenbee) Sheriff, the former a native of Prince George's county, and the latter
of Montgomery county in the "good old state."
They were prosperous farmers in southern
Maryland, and, in 80o6, moved to Ontario county, New York, when that section of the country
was a wilderness, still resounding with the warwhoop of the savage and the long howl of wild
beasts,'and there made another home for themselves, clearing up a tract of untamed land and
there maintaining their home until the death of
the father in 1848, at the age of sixty-eight
years. He was a man of great public spirit and
enterprise, taking an active part in pushingfforward the car of progress in every section where
he lived. In politics he was a zealous and loyal
Democrat, casting his first vote for Thomas Jefferson, adhering with steadfast fidelity to the
principles he then espoused to the end of his
life. His widow survived him nearly thirty
years, dying in I877, at the age of ninety. They
had a family of eight children, of whom four
sons and three daughters reached maturity. All
are now dead except the subject of this review.
The other brother, Samuel T. Sheriff, was also a
resident of Allen township until his recent death.
Isaac W. Sheriff was born on November 9,
1817, at Phelps, Ontario county, New York and
lived at home, working on the farm as occasion
required, attending school as he had opportunity,
until he was twenty-one. In 1838, inheriting his
parents' liking for the frontier, he came to Hillsdale county, Michigan, and settled on eighty
acres of wild land, which he had previously purchased, it being the east half of the northwest
quarter of section 33, in Allen township, of this
county, which he still owns and on which there
192
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
has never been a mortgage. He walked from
Toledo, Ohio, to the land, when he made the
purchase, and, in 1838, when he came to live
on it, he traveled by rail to Adrian, from thence
by team, in company with A. C. Fisk, to Allen.
During the fall and winter of 1838 he built a
small log shanty for a home for himself and wife,
and began clearing his land, continuing his exacting, but progressive, labors until the farm
was cleared and in a fair state of cultivation,
then bought another eighty acres, on which he
performed the same service. He now has a well
improved and highly productive farm of I60
acres, well provided with comfortable and tastefully arranged buildings, which has become one
of the attractive c$untry homes of the township. In 1838, ip.the month of February, before leaving New York, he was united in marriage with Miss Charlotte O. Baggerly, of the
same nativity as himself. She died in Hillsdale
county in 1871, leaving one child, their son
Isaac, who has since died. Mr. Sheriff married
his second wife in I873. She was Miss Antoinette E. Baggerly, a cousin of the first wife, and
a daughter of Robert J. and Julia J. (Pardee)
Baggerly, also born and reared in Ontario county, New York. They have one child, their daughter, Lottie J., wife of Roy Watson, a prominent
farmer of Litchfield township, who is herself the
mother of one child, her son, John S. Watson.
In political- faith Mr. Sheriff has been a lifelong
Democrat, and has filled several local offices,
such as justice of the peace, school trustee and
road commissioner. He takes great interest in
the cause of agriculture, being an active member
of the local grange of the.Patrons of Husbandry.
He came to this county when it was an almost
unbroken forest and wilderness, without any of
the products of civilization, or the conveniences
of cultivated life of any kind, and he has helped
to bring it forward to its present advanced state
of development, building bridges, constructing
roads, erecting schoolhouses, churches and other
public buildings, contributing also wise counsel
and proper trend to public opinion in reference
to all. matters affecting the welfare of the section. Haying been one of the makers and build
ers of the county, doing his work well and wisely,
he has diligently earned, and is justly entitled to,
the high esteem he has among all classes of the
people in hiss township and throughout this part
of the state.
Samuel T. Sheriff, the brother of Isaac W.
W., who recently departed this life at his home
in Allen township, was the last surviving member of the family except his brother. He was
a man of great force of character, undoubted
courage and resourcefulness, being energetic
and diligent in every proper way, and lived a
life of great usefulness to the community. He
was born in Ontario, New York, on February
13, 1815, and was reared and educated in his native county. In 1836 he entered eighty acres
of government land in section 28 in Allen township and forty acres in section I7. On the latter
he settled and lived for two years, then moved
to the southern part of Allen township and there
maintained his home until his death in the village of Allen. He was at different times a resident of Illinois, Missouri and New York. In
1854 he was elected sheriff of Hillsdale county
and at the end of his term was reelected. There
was then considerable horse-stealing and other
lawlessness in the county, necessitating him to be
vigilant and active to an unusual degree in the
discharge of his official duties. He met the requirements of the case in a masterly manner, and
when the end of his tenure of office arrived, he
had suppressed the lawless elements of the population and established good order and safety for
life and property. Since retiring from this office
he has been a farmer, and has led a quiet, useful,
and unostentatious life, performing faithfully his
daily duties to his fellow men and the county and
state, illustrating in an admirable manner the
best citizenship of the country. He was married
in New York state, in 1836, to Miss Maria Baggerly, a sister of Mrs. Isaac W. Sheriff, and a
daughter of Everett and Sarah (Larnard) Baggerly, the former a native of Montgomery county,
Maryland, and the latter of Killingly, Connecticut. For many years Mr. Sheriff was a Democrat in political faith, but was elected sheriff of
the county on the Free Soil ticket. Besides this
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
1I93
office he filled, at one time or another, almost every other in the gift of the township, rendering
appreciated service in each. In I855 he was made
a Mason, and, through all the rest of his life,
he was a faithful and earnest craftsman, showing
great interest in the welfare of the order and
making his own large contributions of time and
energy to secure it. His death occurred on October I3, I902, at his Allen township home, where
his widow is now living.
JAMES P. TURNER.
James P. Turner, one of the prominent farmers of Jefferson township, is a native of the county, born in Adams township on August 2, I845.
His parents were Alonzo and Orissa (Rush)
Turner, both natives of Palmyra, New York,
where the father was born on May I6, I799, and
the mother on July 17, 80o6. The father was t
carpenter and joiner, who worked at his trade
in connection with farming, which he also followed industriously. They moved to Michigan in
I836, making the trip by boat to Toledo, Ohio,
from there going by stage to Adrian in Lenawee
county. From Adrian they utilized ox teams
to Adams township, where the father had previously entered Ioo acres of government land,
which was all heavily timbered. He felled the
first tree caused to fall on this land by the woodman's ax, and in time cleared all of the tract but
about twenty acres, making the place his home
until his death in I849 and spending his energies
in its improvement and development. Indians
were plentiful all around him when he settled
there, and they were not always friendly, although
the more prominent ones, Baw Beese and others,
were frequent visitors at his house. He assisted
very materially in organizing the township and
in fixing its forms of government, but steadily
and always declined to hold office, His widow
was married, some years after his death, to Elisha
Knight; she died on July ii, 1887. Her family
by her first husband consisted of three sons and
five daughters, four of whom are living, James,
Mrs. Horace Bow, Mrs. Mary McNutt, of near
Hudson, and Mrs. Martha Wolcott, of Hudson.
The paternal grandfather, Noah Turner,, was also
a native of Palmyra, New York, and died in that
state on January 28, 1847, aged eighty-pne years.
He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and made -i
good record in the service.
James P. Turner lived at home and attended
school until he was eight years of age, his father
having died when he was four years old. Later
he worked by the month on farms of the county
and attended school during the winter. On June
5, I862, he enlisted in the Union army as a member of Co. D, Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, with which
he served nine months and twelve days, being
wounded at the battle of Falling Waters, soon after receiving his discharge on this account. He also took part in the battle of Antietam and was
present at the surrender of Harper's Ferry. In
January, 1864, he enlisted a second time, becoming a member of Co. B, Sixth Michigan Cavalry,
being assigned to duty under Generals Sheridan
and Kilpatrick. He took part in forty-four engagements and was captured at Cedar Creek, but
within an hour was recaptured by his own forces.
After the war his regiment was transferred to the
Salt Lake district for service and was mustered
out in March, I866, as the First Michigan Veteran
Cavalry. He then passed two years in Nevada
as foreman in a quartz mill, in I868 returning to
Michigan. Soon after his return he purchased a
sawmill, which he operated for two years in
Wright township, this county, then went to Butler county, Kansas, where he operated a similar
enterprise for four years and also cleared up a
farm. In 1875 he came back to Michigan and
located at Pittsford, where for ten years he was
employed as salesman for a pump company, while
during the next eight years he was a traveling
salesman of McCormick's farm machinery. During this time he was conducting a farm of his own
and this he continued to do until he quit traveling
in 1900. In 1868 he was married to Miss Mary
L. Williams, a daughter of Alexander F. and Augusta Williams, early settlers in this county,
where she was born. Mr. Turner is a Republican in politics, loyal and zealous in the service
of his party, but he has steadfastly declined to
accept office for himself. He is a devoted meni
194
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ber of the Grand Army of the Republic. In the
quiet pursuits of agriculture, in the turmoil and
dangers of war, in the close competition and exacting conditions of commercial life, in every line
of activity in which he has been engaged, Mr.
Turner has been manly and upright, resourceful and capable, productive and useful, illustrating the most desirable attributes of American citizenship, winning the good will of his fellow men
wherever he has met and mingled with them.
TRUMAN N. WADSWORTH.
For more than forty years Truman N. Wadsworth has been a resident and one of the leading
farmers of Pittsford township, and, during seven
years of the time, he has given the people of the
township intelligent, conscientious and valuable
service as supervisor. He is well known in all
parts of the county, and is highly respected by
all classes of the people. It was in Allegany county, New York, on April 26, 1826, that his life began and there he was reared and educated. There
also he learned farming on his paternal homestead, and after arriving at man's estate, he
worked in this domain of elevating and fruitful
industry in his native state until 1862, being in
the employment of one man for a continuous period of eleven years. In the year last named he
came to Michigan, and, locating in Hillsdale
county, purchased the farm on which he now lives
in Pittsford township, which since that time he
has made his residence. The county was far
behind its present state of development when his
citizenship among its people began, and he has
not only witnessed the many changes in the direction of progress and improvement which have
taken place, but has been a very forceful factor in
bringing them about and giving proper direction
to their course. In 1852, in Ontario county, New
York, he married with Miss Mary Warner, a native of that county and a daughter of Charles ant
Phila Warner, whose lives were wholly passed
there. One child was born to them, William G.
Wadsworth. who died in Hillsdale county in I898.
Two days previously, on October i8, I898, Mrs.
Wadsworth was called to her rest. Mr. Wads
worth has been a Republican in his political faith
all his mature life. He was supervisor of Pittsford
township seven years, and many good works were
accomplished during his incumbency of that office through his energy and public spirit. Deeply
interested in the welfare of his chosen pursuit,
he has given a cordial welcome to all movements
among the people that promised to advance
its welfare or promote its progress and the improvement of its conditions. To this end he has
been for many years an active and helpful member of the order of Patrons of Husbandry, holding
affiliation with the grange at Pittsford.
Mr. Wadsworth's parents were Samuel and
Rebecca (Foster) Wadsworth, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New York. The
father was a farmer and moved to Yates county,
New York, in I808, and, after a residence of
some years there, he moved to Allegany county,
in the same state. Some years later he took up
his residence in Ohio, and from there he moved
to Wisconsin. The last years of his life were
passed at the home of his son, Truman, in this
county. He was a soldier in the War of I812.
The mother died in New York in I835. They
were the parents of four children, three sons and
one daughter. Three of the number are living,
Truman N., Sylvester F., who lives with Truman,
and the sister, who resides in Wisconsin. The
grandfather, Hezekiah Wadsworth, a native of
Vermont, lived a number of years in New York
and died in Ohio, whither he moved late in life.
He was a soldier in the War of the Revolution,
serving seven years, nine months and one day
in that contest in a Vermont regiment, participating in all the important battles of the war and
enduring some of its extreme horrors as a prisoner on one of the odious prison-ships at New York
city during one winter.
PHILO A. SILVERNAIL.
In the eager and hopeful tide of emigration,
which flowed steadily into southern Michigan between 1835 and I850 from New York and Ohio,
came Conrad and Mary (Miller) Silvernail from
the latter state, whither they had removed from
-r/L T LT rTT "L ' Ar /r ' T /" TT /1 -A T I.
T TT T rCt n A T T'
H iLL3 DAn t, L U-uIv I Y, IVI 1 L i 1 ZlJIV.
195
Rensselaer county, New York, the place of their
nativity, in 1832. They came to Michigan in
1838 and purchased forty acres of virgin land
in Pittsford township, this county, on which they
settled, and from which they hewed out a home
for themselves and their family, living there until
death, that of the father occurring in 1862, and
that of the mother in I869. On this homestead
they reared a family of eleven children, five sons
and six daughters, all of whom are now deceased,
but their son, Philo, and two of his sisters. He
was born on the farm they previously occupied
near Burton in Geauga county, Ohio, on October
Io, I838, and was therefore but an infant when
the family moved into this state. Conrad Silvernail had been a public man of local prominence
in Ohio, filling a number of important offices, but,
after his arrival in Michigan, he took no active
part in political affairs. His wife was a devout
member of the Methodist Episcopal church and
brought her children up in accordance with its
teachings and spirit of religious devotion. In the
atmosphere of such a home, where duty was the
law and labor the inevitable, continuous and unchanging condition, their son, Philo, learned the
lessons and formed the habits of integrity, uprightness and industry which have distinguished
him through his long life among the people of his
township and county whose confidence and respect he now so richly enjoys and whom he has
so faithfully served in every public and private
capacity to which he has been called.
He received a limited education in the public
schools of his day, which were necessarily primitive in character and narrow in scope, which he
had but few chances to attend regularly, but he
was able to supplement their teachings by a period of attendance at a good private school. When
he reached the age of sixteen years he went to
work for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
Railroad, on the division running through Indiana and Ohio, and, in course of time, he became a
baggagemaster running between Toledo and Elkhart. Five years were passed in the employ of
this corporation, but, in I859, failing health
obliged him to give up the work. He then returned to this county 'and taught school for a
year here and one in Ohio, receiving in the latter
a compensation of $26 a month, boarding himself. In 1864 he bought his present home, which
was partially improved, and here he has since
lived, cultivating the land and improving the
property, increasing its productiveness and value
by careful and judicious tillage and enterprising
attention to its buildings and general condition.
He was married in I863 to Miss Facelia Cunningham, a native of Ohio, the daughter of Layton
and 'Mary (Youngs) Cunningham, who moved
to Hillsdale county while she was a child and
where both have since died. Mr. and Mrs. Silvernail have five children, all daughters. They are
Bertha, wife of W. A. Ballard, of this county;
Myrta, widow of J. B. Philbrick; Ella, wife of
Fred Carpenter, of this county; Etta, wife of
Frank L. Hackett, of Pittsford; Alta, living at
home. In politics, Mr. Silvernail is a Republican.
He has served as school superintendent of the
township, as township treasurer and as justice
oif the peace. He belongs to the Masonic order
and is an active member of Pittsford Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. One of the oldest, he is also
one of the most respected citizens of the township.
DAVID J. WATKINS.
David J. Watkins, of Cambria township, in
this county, one of the sturdy and substantial
farmers of that portion of the state, is the scion
of an old Welsh family, who long lived and labored in their native land, and gave to its interests their best services in war and peace. They
fought valiantly under its early chieftains and
princes to maintain its independence and dignity,
and, in its fields, mines and other industrial lines
of productive effort, they worked faithfully to
promote its mercantile, financial and educational
welfare.' Its American progenitors brought to the
land of their adoption the same spirit of martial
and industrial fidelity, espousing with enthusiasm
and a lofty patriotism the cause of the common
weal in every way on the soil of the new world,
which their forefathers had so faithfully supported on that of the old. The one who planted the
family tree in this country was David's grand
13
I96
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
father, Hezekiah Watkins, who emigrated from
Wales to the United States while he was yet a
young man, and who became soon after a soldier
in the Colonial army, for seven years thereafter
following the varying fortunes of the young confederacy in the Revolutionary struggle, against
the fearful odds with which it had to contend, aiding materially in securing and rejoicing greatly
in celebrating its final triumph. When peace
came he settled in New York state and there
worked at his trade as a weaver until his death.
His son, Johnson Watkins, was born and reared
in that state, there married with Miss Eunice
Randall, a native of Vermont, and they became
the parents of eight children, of whom their sons,
David J. and another, and two daughters are
living, all being residents of Michigan. The father was a farmer in his native place until I849,
when he brought his young family to this state
and settled in Cambria township, this county,
on twenty acres of the farm on which David now
lives. This was then all heavily timbered, and he
cleared it and reduced it to fertility, living on it
until his death, in 1873, at the age of seventyseven. His wife survived him four years, dying
in I877, also aged seventy-seven.
David J. Watkins was fourteen years old at
the time of his parents' removal to Michigan, having been born in Glenville township, Schenectady
county, New York, on March 6, I835. He began his education in the schools of New York and
finished it in those of Michigan. But his opportunities were limited at the best, for he was
obliged early in life to make a field hand in the
work of the farm, and in making a living for the
family. He began life for himself as a farmer,
purchasing twenty acres of land adjoining that
of his father, and working it until the opening
of the Civil War and for some time during its
progress. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the
Union army in Co. B, Eighteenth Michigan Infantry, under Capt. C. B. Van Valer, and he remained in service until the close of the contest,
being attached to the Army of the Cumberland,
participating with it in many of its important battles, among them those at Spring Hill and at
Athens and Decatur in Alabama. He was mus
tered out at Nashville in I865, with the rank of
corporal, to which he had been promoted through
merit, being finally discharged at Jackson, in this
state. He returned at once to his Hillsdale county farm,on which he has lived ever since, increasing its size to eighty acres and bringing
it to a high state of cultivation and improvement.
On March 8, 1857, he married Miss Minerva Vincent, a daughter of John and Mary A. (Reynolds) Vincent, early settlers in Branch county.
Her father was a railroad contractor and assisted
in the construction of the Lake Shore & Michigan
Southern Railroad. He died in this state on January 27, 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins have four
children: Edmund J., a leading manufacturer at
Hillsdale; Chauncey E.; George E., a farmer and
blacksmith; Edith E., wife of F. W. Dailey, of
Hillsdale county. Mr. Watkins is an earnest Republican in politics and has served as township
treasurer and also as highway commissioner, rendering acceptable and appreciated service in both
positions. He is a member of the Grand Army
of the Republic, with devotion to the organization and efficiency and zeal in its service. His
life in this county has been both useful and productive, ever showing him upright in character,
diligent in industry and full of consideration and
help for his fellows. He is regarded as one of
the sterling and representative men of the township and has the respect of the community.
WILLIAM A. UNDERWOOD.
William A. Underwood, for four years the
popular clerk of Pittsford township, being now
(1903) the efficient and capable supervisor of
the township, is a native of Palmyra, in Lenawee
county of this state, born on August Io, I854.
His parents, Thomas and Mary (Comstock) Underwood, were natives of New York, who were
among the earliest pioneers in that part of Michigan, whither they came in childhood with their respective families. The paternal ancestry was
English and bore an honored name in the mother
country. In the spring of I836, the paternal
grandfather, Edward Underwood, came to this
state and purchased land in Palmyra township,
I I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I197
Lenawee county, for which he paid eleven dollars
per acre. Here he erected a comfortable residence
and permanently occupied it, contentedly engaged
in farming his land until his death on May 20,
1878. His son, Thomas, was reared to habits of
careful industry and frugality, assisting in clearing and improving the farm and bringing it to
abundant productiveness, getting what he could
of a limited education at the neighboring schools.
When he reached years of maturity and desired
to marry, with the assistance of his father he purchased 131 acres of land in the same township,
and, settling on this with his bride, he gave his
energies and intelligence to the systematic improvement and development of the place. It responded readily to the persuasive hand of his
skillful husbandry, and, in time, became one of
the most desirable and attractive farms in the
township. His wife, who was Miss Mary Cornstock, was a daughter of Jared and Catherine
(Hall) Comstock, of New York, who removed
to this state and settled in Lenawee county in
I835. She is now deceased. Her offspring consisted of four children, Edward, Ella, William
A. and Harley.
William A. Underwood was reared in his native township, and, after completing his elementary education at the public schools, he took a
course of instruction at Adrian College. At the
age of eighteen he began teaching and during
the next four winters he continued to be so employed in the public schools, assisting in the farm
work on the homestead in summer. In 1877 he
settled on the farm he now owns and occupies,
a fine body of land, comprising eighty acres
pleasantly located on section io in Pittsford township, which is improved with substantial, commodious and convenient buildings and diligently and
skillfully cultivated. On September 13, 1876, Mr.
Underwood was married with a Miss Lozetta A.
Holden, of Pittsford township, who was born on
the farm which is now her residence. Her father,
Lyman Holden, was a native of Vermont, who
came to Michigan with his mother and step-father in I836; married a Hilsldale county lady and
settled on the land now occupied by his daughter
and son-in-law, and here both he and his good
wife passed the remainder of their days. His
wife was Miss Roena Stark, a native of Clermont
county, Ohio, and a daughter of Daniel Stark, a
New Yorker by nativity. In political faith Mr.
Underwood is a staunch Republican, but he is
broad enough to consider the general welfare of
the community in all public movements of a
local nature before the success of any party. He
served four terms as township clerk and in I902
was elected supervisor and was reelected in the
spring of I903. In both positions he has rendered
efficient and appreciated service.. He belongs to
the lodge and the chapter in the Masonic order, to
the Knights of the Maccabees and to thePatrons
of Husbandry; he and his wife are members
of the Free Baptist church. They have two children, E. Lynn and Martha L.
JOSEPH SLAGHT.
Joseph Slaght, of Jefferson township, Hillsdale county, is one of the few remaining pioneers
of the county who saw the beginning of its history in civilized life, and he has been a potent
and active contributor to its growth and development ever since. He is a native of Seneca county, New York, born on December 6, 1817, the son
of John and Phoebe (Howell) Slaght, natives of
New Jersey, who moved to the state of New
York about I800. His father was a tanner and
worked at this trade for many years, later engaged for a time in sawmilling. The last years
of his life were passed in the peaceful and productive pursuits of agriculture in Michigan, whither
he came in 1847. He settled near Flint, in Genesee county, and there both he and his wife died.
He was drafted for service in the War of I812,
reported at Buffalo, but was not obliged to do active service. His family consisted of four sons
and three daughters, all of whom are living, but
one son and one daughter, all of the living members of the family being residents of this state,
and all, except Joseph, are living near Flint. The
grandfather was Matthew Slaght, a native of
New Jersey, who moved to New York when he
was a young man, and, after a career of uprightness and usefulness, died in that state, having
I98 HILLSDALE COU
been prominent as a captain of militia in troublous times, rendering good service by keeping up
the martial spirit of the community.
Joseph Slaght grew to manhood in New York
and received a limited education at the primitive
schools of his neighborhood in the winter months,
assisting his father in the tannery and in the
sawmill during the rest of the year, yet he also
worked at times at the carpenter trade. In I844
he came to Michigan, making the trip over the
lake to Monroe, going from thence to Hillsdale
county. He purchased eighty acres of land thtat
summer, which was all timber and without a
road, or semblance of a road, to it or through it,
and then returned to New York. In the autumn
of 1845, having made such due preparation for
their comfort as the circumstances would permit,
he moved his family to the farm,as he had begun
to make it, and since then their residence has
been here maintained. In course of time he cleared
up his original tract and then added more land by
purchase until he now owns 155 acres. The
whole tract in its improvements, its cultivation
and its high market value, is the product of his
persistent and skillful industry, a creation of
comeliness, fruitfulness, high development and
great worth, standing wholly to his credit. He
was married in his native state on February 14,
1843, to Miss Sarah A. Brokaw, a native of New
Jersey, who died in this county on February 4,
1892, leaving one son, J. Albert Slaght, who is
living on and managing the farm. She was born
in the town of Millstone, Somerset county, New
Jersey, on November 6, I815, and moved with
her parents, Isaac and Mary (French) Brokaw,
to central New York in I82I. Mr. Slaght has
been of service to his locality in many ways. He
has been road commissioner and township supervisor, always a leader of thought and action in
matters affecting the welfare of the region in
which he lived. He was originally a Whig in
politics, becoming a Republican when that party
was organized. He is an active and devoted
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
J. Albert Slaght, the son and the only child of
Joseph and Sarah A. (Brokaw) Slaght, was born
on the home farm, which has been the family
'NTY, MICHIGAN.
homestead for nearly three-score years, on which
he is now living, his life having begun on July
22, I849. He was reared on the farm and began
to perform his share of its labors in early life.
His opportunities for education were furnished
by the district schools near his home, and, although they were limited in scope and character,
he has supplemented them by a goodly store of
that worldly wisdom, which is gained only under
the hard tuition of experience, and is now, by
observation and reflection, a wise and forceful
man in spite of his original limited school facilities. As soon as he was of suitable age and
development, he relieved his father of the active
management of the farm and has ever since
been in control of its operations. He was married in 1895 to Miss Mary A. Maxon, a native of
New York. Like his father, he has had a cordial
and abiding interest in the welfare of the commlunity, and he has contributed wise counsel and substantial aid to all its developing and improving
forces. He has served on the local school board
for years and been connected in a leading way
with other elevating potencies among the people.
He is highly esteemed as one of the leading and
representative citizens of the township, whose life
has been full of usefulness, passed in the service
of his kind without selfish aspirations for his own
prominence or advancement.
CHARLES E. SMITH.
Charles E. Smith has been a lifelong resident
of Cambria township in this county, having been
born on the old homestead farm on November
29, 1852, and his whole life has been lived within
its confines. His parents were Warren and Mary
(Wilson) Smith, the former a native of New
York, the latter of New Hampshire. The father,
a farmer, who grew to manhood in his native
county of Franklin, New York, learned well the
art of farming and applied himself diligently to
the cultivation of the soil until the spring of 1836,
except for a short time when he was engaged in
clerking in a store, in the neighborhood of the
farm owned and operated by his father. He received a good common-school education, which
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
I99
was ended by a year of diligent study at an excellent academy in Vermont. In the spring of
I836 he was married to Miss Mary Wilson, a
daughter of James and Dorothy (Sawyer) Wilson, and soon after brought his wife to this state,
they coming over the lakes to Detroit, from there
traveling by team to Sheridan, in Calhoun county, where they spent the first summer. The next
spring they removed to Lenawee county, where
they remained two years, and, in 1839, came to
Hillsdale county and settled on a tract of eighty
acres of unimproved land in Cambria township,
the same land now owned and occupied by Jacob
A. Hancock.
They followed the custom of the country of
those early days, in erecting a little log shanty
and going resolutely to work to clear up their
land and make a home of it. There were then
no roads in this section and the merest conveniences of life were distant and difficult of access.
Mr. Smith was obliged to get his supplies of
Charles E. Smith, as has been noted, was
reared on the old homestead and educated in the
schools of the vicinity. On leaving school he became actively connected with the management
of the farm and has been engaged in this work
ever since. He was married in 1876 to Miss
Adelia Van Vlack, a daughter of Edmund and
Sarah (Brian) Van Vlack, old-time residents of
this county. They have one child, their son, W.
K. Smith. Mr. Smith is a Republican in politics
but is not an active partisan. He belongs to the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has been
a member for many years. He is a representative of one of the oldest and most respected families in the county, and maintains in his upright
and serviceable life all the best traditions of the
family history and the best traits of the family
character.
ROSCIUS N. SOUTHWORTH.
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flour and other provisions from Jonesville, Adri- The American history of the Southworth faman and Litchfield, where the nearest stores and ily dates from the arrival of the Mayflower at
mills were located. Later he purchased additional Plymouth, Mass., in December, 1620, one of the
land from time to time and became the owner passengers on the historic vessel in that memorof 240 acres. He succeeded in clearing the most able voyage being a female member of this family,
of his land and getting it into a good state of who later became the wife of Governor Bradford,
productiveness, and also in improving it with the chief executive of the.Plymouth colony. Roscomfortable buildings, before death ended his cius Southworth was born in Windham county,
labors in I893, when he passed away at the age Connecticut, on August 27, 1815, his parents,
of seventy-nine years. His widow has since lived Royal and Phoebe Southworth, having been resiwith her son and is now (1903) eighty-five years dents of that county for a long term of years.
old. Their family consisted of their son, Charles, His father was a machinist by trade and is said
and their daughter, Almira, who became the wife to have assisted in constructing the first spinningof Jacob A. Hancock. The father took a decided machine made in the United States. In 1820 he
interest in the progress and development of the removed with his family to Worcester county,
county, and, although averse to public office, Massachusetts, and, eight years later, to Oswego
served at times as township treasurer. He was an county, New York, where the son attained the
active member of the Baptist church. The grand- age of nineteen years, and received a limited edufather was Jesse Smith, a resident of Franklin cation in the district schools. At the age mencounty, New York, also a loyal soldier in the tioned he emigrated to the then new territory
War of 1812. Mrs. Smith's father, James Wilson, of Michigan and settled at the village of Litchwas also a soldier in that war. He and his family field in Hillsdale county.
moved to Hillsdale county in I839 and settled on He reached this state without a dollar in
an unimproved farm in Cambria township, one money and very little else except the clothes on
mile north of the Smiths, where Mrs. Wilson his back, but he purchased of Deacon Harvey
died. Mr. Wilson died at the home of his daugh- Smith forty acres of land and made shingles to
ter, Mrs. Smith. pay for it, settled on this land and resolutely gave
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200
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
himself up to the struggles and privations of frontier life. In 1838 he was united in marriage with
Miss Lucinda Murdock, who died in I839, leaving one child, John Southworth, until recently
a prominent lawyer of Henrietta, Texas, btit now
deceased. Two years later he married his second
wife, Miss Lucinda L. Wight, a daughter of
Thaddeus Wight, a pioneer of I830 at Jonesville,
this county. Three sons and one daughter have
blessed this union, Thaddeus M., now living on
the old home farm; Royal A., publisher of a
newspaper at Denver, Colorado, and secretary of
the State Farmers' Allianceof that state; William
R., a prosperous farmer of Kalamazoo county;
Abbie N., wife of John H. Parish, of the town of
Allen. Mr. Southworth developed great shrewdness and industry in his business, and by these
qualities and his force and uprightness of character, and his clearness and breadth of view, rose
to a position of prominence in his township and
one of elevation in the confidence and esteem of
its people. For many years he was a railroad
contractor and built portions of all the various
roads in this part of the state. He cleared and
improved his farm until it became one of the
most desirable in the township. As an evidence
of his thrift and enterprise, it should be stated
that the first horse he bought in this county cost
him ninety-five dollars, and he hauled flour from
Litchfield to Hillsdale at a shilling a barrel to
pay for it. The father of Mrs. R. N. Southworth,
Thaddeus Wight, was one of the earliest settlers
in the county, arriving on its soil with his wife,
eight children and twelve shillings in money, with
no shelter for his family and no means of supporting them. By industry and economy, however, he was soon in such comfort as the region afforded, and became in time one of the wealthiest
farmers in the county. Mr. Southworth died in
June, I888, and his widow in I898.
THADDEUS M. SOUTHWORTH, eldest son of
Roscius and Lucinda L. (Wight) Southworth,
now owner and manager of the old homestead in
Allen township, also one of the prominent and
progressive farmers of that section, was born in
Oswego county, New York, on January 8, I844.
He grew to manhood on his father's farm, as
sisting in the labors there and enjoying such educational advantages as were afforded by the
country schools of his day and the primitive civilization of this section at the time. The exertion of every energy available was necessary to
provide the common requirements of life, and, at
an early age, he was obliged to forego school and,
for the most part, social pleasures and make a full
hand on the farm. He drew the logs of which his
present home was built to the place of its construction, one tree having furnished all the timber needed for the siding of the house. -While
yet a boy he became an ardent Abolitionist and
during his life he aided many a poor slave from
the South to gain his freedom by means of the
Underground Railway, one of the number being
Henry Clay's body-servant. His experiences in
this work were thrilling, furnishing him the material for many graphic narratives concerning
those troublous times. In September, I86I, he enlisted in Co. M, Second Michigan Cavalry, but
was disabled by sickness before he served a year
and on this account was honorably discharged.
He then returned home and resumed his farm
work which he has continued without interruption ever since. In the autumn of I870 he began
to breed Shorthorn cattle of pure blood, after
five years of success in breeding Merino sheep.
He is still engaged in this enterprise in both lines
of stock, and has gained wide celebrity and high
rank among stockgrowers. He has of late years
also given attention to breeding Percheron horses,
producing the finest geldings attainable, for sale
and use in the old country.
Mr. Southworth was married on September 2,
I863, to Miss Myra A. Nichols, of Quincy, this
state, a daughter of Ansel and Susan Nichols, pioneers of Branch county. They were the parents
of three children, Nora V., wife of V. Iles, of Homer, in Calhoun county; Miron J., a farmer in
Branch county; Mary A., wife of Claud Groves,
of Albion, in Calhoun county. Their mother died
on June 23, I884, and Mr. Southworth was married to his second wife in September, 1885. She
was Mrs. Amy C. (Wooden) Frasier, a native
of Cass county. They have two children, John
M. and Myra R. Mr. Southworth is independent
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
201
in politics, has never sought or filled public office
and belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic
and is an active member of the Free Baptist
church. His father was a zealous Freemason
and an energetic member of the Patrons of Husbandry, belonging to the grange at South Allen.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK.
In the intensely practical age in which we
live, it has come to be more and more definitely
recognized that, whatever may be said of increasing armies and expanding navies to maintain
national supremacy, the real armor of the Twentieth Century is to be a plethoric pocketbook; its
strong fortresses will be fireproof vaults well filled
with notes, bonds, mortgages and title-deeds;
good agencies which help to produce these or
spread their benefits are benefactors of mankind.
It is an age wherein Carnage and Destruction
will no longer secure the world's proudest honors, while Invention and Production sink into
unmarked graves; an age wherein Man, the Creator, beautifier and multiplier, will be honored
and feted, and Man, the Destroyer, be discrowned.
Among the beneficial agencies of this kind the
First National Bank of Hillsdale must be mentioned with high credit. It was established in
1863, consequently it is one of the oldest banks
in the county; the faith and zeal of its founders,
and those who have managed its affairs, have been
abundantly rewarded by a business, which has
steadily increased in volume and value through
a normal, healthy growth and a liberality of spirit,
until it is one of the most extensive and profitable
in the part of the state in which it is conducted.
It carries on a general banking business, in all
the details of that industry, and, wherever it is
known, it has an exalted reputation for financial
soundness, prudent and skillful management, judicious liberality in accommodating its patrons
and for plentiful resources for every requirement.
In the dark hours of fiscal depression, when the
factors of trade were paralyzed and the ordinary
currents of business have fallen away, it was to
the community a great reservoir of monetary
strength, relieving the paralysis, restoring the
currents, averting disaster from individuals, keeping in vigorous motion all the wheels of productive energy. With a capital stock of $55,000, surplus and undivided profits of $50,000, deposits aggregating nearly $700,000ooo,and general resources
amounting to $825,000, as shown by a recent
statement, the bank is doing an enormous business,. paying good profits to its stockholders and
maintaining in active circulation widening
streams of benefaction for the whole people. Its
present directorate (I903) includes Frank M.
Stewart, president; C. H. Winchester, vice-president; C. F. Stewart, cashier; William Prideaux,
assistant cashier; E. T. Prideaux, teller; and the
following directors: F. M. Stewart, William A.
Waldron, C. H. Winchester, H. K. Bradley, C.
E. Lawrence and William MacRitchie.
Frank M. Stewart, the president and real
inspiration, as well as the controlling force of the
institution, was born with a natural aptitude for
the banking business, which has been developed
and trained under the exacting eyes of masters
of finance, disciplined in its duties by actual experience in almost every position in the service
of the bank, from that of errand boy, or runner,
to the commanding one which he now holds, and
has so acceptably filled since I88I. Mr. Stewart's
life began on August 20, 1852, at New Haven,
Hurorj county, Ohio, his parents being Albert G.
and Elizabeth Johnson Stewart, the former a native of New York and the latter of Ohio. In
I868 they removed to, Hillsdale with their family,
and here the father was engaged for several years
in the produce business, then returned to Ohio,
making his home at Lima for a few years, removing from there to Rockford, in Mercer county, of that state, where he is now living, the
mother having passed from earth in I891. Their
son, Frank, was about fifteen years of age, when
he came with them to Hillsdale, equipped for the
duties of life by a good education secured in the
public schools of Buffalo, New York, where his
parents lived for ten years before coming west.
His first year in Michigan was passed as a clerk
in his father's office, and here he laid the foundation of the successful business career which he
has since had. On July 5, I868, he entered the
202 '
HILLSDALE - COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
bank as a runner and the capacity for the business which he soon displayed won him rapid promotion. In two years he became the teller and
three years later the cashier. This latter position
he filled with great credit to himself and benefit
to the bank until I88I, when he was made president, a position which he has occupied continuously from that time.
On September 20, 1877, Mr. Stewart was
united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth M.
Henry, daughter of Simon J. and Almira (Whipple) Henry, of Hillsdale. They have three children, their daughter, Mabel, and their sons, Clifford A. and Waldron. Mabel and Clifford are
students at the University of Michigan, while
Waldron, the youngest son, is attending the Hillsdale high school. In politics Mr. Stewart is a
staunch Republican, modest in advancing his
opinions, however resolute and forcible in maintaining them, and cannot justly be called an active
partisan. He has served the community well,
however, first as city treasurer and again as mayor. He was obliged by pressing business affairs
to decline a second term in the mayor's office,
which was urged upon him, and, for the same
reason, he has steadfastly overborne all solicitations to accept other official stations. He is a
trustee of Hillsdale College, in which he takes
great interest, and of the First Baptist Church of
Hillsdale, of which he and his wife are esteemed
and useful members.
He has been actively interested in all the manufacturing industries. of the city and vicinity,
and is now president of the Omega Portland Cement Co., of Mosherville, this county, and of the
Scowden & Blanchard Co., manufacturers of
shoes in Hillsdale; and also a director in the
Worthing & Alger Co., the Alamo Manufacturing Co. and the Hillsdale Screen Co., of Hillsdale. His interest in the educational and moral
agencies of the county and state has for years
been energetic, intelligent and potential for good.
He renders valued service as president of the
board of directors of the State Public School lot
cated at Coldwater, and also as president of the
municipal board of public works of Hillsdale. By
his sterling integrity, his progressive business
methods, his breadth of view and enterprise in
public affairs and his unvarying pleasantness of
manner, Mr. Stewart has endeared himself to ail
classes in this and adjoining communities, thus
securing a high rank among the leading business
men of the state.
JOEL B. NORRIS.
The late Joel B. Norris, of Woodbridge township, who departed this life on March II, I895,
aged nearly seventy-five years, was for a long
time one of the leading citizens of Hillsdale
county, serviceable to its people and influential in
its development and progress in many ways. He
was born at Canandaigua, Ontario county, New
York, on April 2, 1821, the son of John B. and
Betsey (Gage) Norris, the former a native of
New Hampshire, born at Chester, in that state,
in I789, and the latter born and reared in Massachusetts. The father, a farmer and carpenter,
worked at both occupations in New York until
-836, when he came to Michigan and entered two
half sections of government land, being the north
half of section 1 and the south half of section
2, in what is now Woodbridge township. Soon
after taking up the land he divided it among his
four sons and returned to New York. They settled on it and cleared it for cultivation and homes.
In the fall of I840, accompanied by his son, Joel
B., he again came to Michigan and built a log
house on the southeast quarter of section 2, returning to New York. There was but one house
between this house and Hillsdale at that time and
the nearest house was three miles away. In I855
he came back to this state and bought a farm
in Cambria township, where he died in 1872, having been married three times. The first marriage
was to Polly Bishop, who died leaving one son,
Jared B. Norris, now deceased. The second wife
was Betsey Gage, the mother of Joel and Jason
Norris and two other sons and one daughter. She
died in I829 in New York state, and all of her
offspring are dead except Jason B. Norris, a
sketch of whom appears on another page of this
work. The third wife was Lydia Densmore, who
also preceded him to the grave, leaving one child,
Aeon^^
i
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.I2
203
0
their daughter, Cordelia, now the wife of W. C.
Barrett, of Stanton, Michigan. The martial spirit has been prominent in the family for generations. The father of Joel B. Norris was a colonel
of militia in New York and held the rank of captain in the United States army in the War of
1812. His father, Samuel Norris, was a native
of New Hampshire, and he, too, was a soldier,
seeing much active and arduous service in the
War of the Revolution. He died in New York.
Joel B. Norris was reared and educated in
his native state, finishing his schooling at an excellent academy in his native town. He then entered upon the vocation which had been followed
by the family for generations, and became a prosperous farmer in New York, carrying on this
industry until I853, when he came to Michigan
and aided in the clearing of the land his father had taken up. He lived in Woodbridge and
Cambria townships until I889, then moved to
Hillsdale, where he passed the rest of his days,
dying on March 11, I895. He served as supervisor of Woodbridge township during some
years in the fifties and when he lived there was
the highway commissioner of Cambria township.
Later he became interested in the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Co., of Hillsdale county, and
served as its agent in Cambria township for several years, and in I889 succeeded Doctor Falley as secretary of the company. He was also
superintendent of the poor for the several years
immediately preceding his death, and was in the
incumbency of the office when that event occurred. He was married in I846 to Miss Margaret M. Brown, a native of New York, where
the marriage was consummated. She was born
on March 5, 1825, the daughter of Luther and
Lora A. Brown. Her father died in New York
and her mother in Hillsdale county. Mr. and
Mrs.. Morris had two children, their son, Charles
S. Norris; and their daughter, H. Ellen, now the
wife of Edwin Doty. Mr. Norris was a leading
Democratic politician and one of the best known
and most prominent citizens of the county. He
was an influential man in all matters of local
importance and never withheld his support from
any good enterprise in which the advancement or
improvement of the county or township was involved.
Charles S. Norris, only son of Joel B. and
Margaret M. (Brown) Norris, was born in Ontario county, New York, on March 2, 1852, and
came to this county when an infant in his mother's arms. He here grew to manhood and in the
public schools of the county began his education,
which was finished at Hillsdale, College.
Throughout his mature life he has been an energetic and. progressive farmer and has made his
intelligence and labor effective in improving and
adding to the value of his farm. He owns the
old homestead in Woodbridge township, which
he has made a model country home in every respect. He was married, in 1879, to Miss Mary
C. Wendt, a native of Huron county, Ohio, and
a daughter of Gustave and Caroline (Seekmann)
Wendt, who were born and reared in Germany
and emigrated to the United States in I840. Her
father died some years ago in Huron county,
Ohio, and her mother entered her eternal rest on
October I5, I892. Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Norris have one child, Leon H. Mr. Norris is a
Democrat in politics, but has never been an active
partisan or desirous of public office. However,
in the fall of 1902, he consented to become a candidate of his party for sheriff, but, while receiving a gratifying vote throughout the county,
could not overcome the adverse majority and
failed of an election. He belongs to the Patrons
of Husbandry, holding membership in the grange,at Cambria. In all the relations of life he has
borne himself creditably, winning by his upright
and serviceable career the general esteem and
approval of his neighbors and fellow citizens.
SAMUEL WATKINS.
Samuel Watkins, one of the honored pioneers
of Hillsdale county, whose life ended on his
Allen township home on April I, i882, at the age
of seventy-seven, was a native of County Kent,
England, where he was reared and educated and
whence he emigrated, in his early manhood, to
the island of St. Christopher in the West Indies,
accompanied by his brother Thomas Watkins.
204
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
His occupation at St. Christopher was that of
a large sugar plantation, and, after a residence
of a year or two there, he was united in marriage with Miss Jane Ann Parry, the daughter
of his employer. The first few years of their
married life were spent on the plantation, then
they removed to Nova Scotia, where they lived
five years, then determined to come to the
United States and came at once to this county,
locating in Allen township. This portion of the
state became their final home, on its soil they
passed the rest of their days, the father dying
here on April I, 1882, as has been stated, and his
widow on September 22 of the same year. They
were valued and valuable members of the community in which they settled, contributed the
fruits of their best energies to the development
and improvement of the township, and left at
their deaths memories of well-spent lives, which
incited others to renewed exertions for progress
and the elevation of the community and the advancement of its best interests. They were the
parents of thirteen children, four of whom died
in childhood. Of the nine who reached years of
maturity only four are now living. They are
Margaret S., wife of Thomas Frarey; Susanna,
wife of Henry D. Pessell, of Quincy, this state;
Joseph P., a resident of Reading, of this county;
and Victoria, wife of Nelson T. Brockway, of
Allen township.
The father purchased eighty acres of land in
section I9, when he came to the township, and
built on it a log shanty covered with bark. He
had very limited means, almost no experience in
the kind of developing farm work then required
in this part of the country, but he was endowed
with a spirit of dogged determination and enterprise, and, withal, was a close observer, ready
in adaptation of the knowledge of others as it
came to his apprehension. He cleared his land
and then added eighty acres more, which he also
cleared and made productive. Stimulated by his
success in these two ventures, and having acquired skill by experience, he bought 'an additional tract of I20 acres, already partially improved, and this, too, he brought to an advanced
state of cultivation. In the tilling of this land he
discovered rich beds of clay and soon after inaugurated an industry in the manufacture of
brick, which he continued with profit for a number of years. While a Republican in political
faith, he never took any special interest in party
matters, devoting himself to his farm work, his
domestic affairs and to the interests of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he and his wife
were faithful and serviceable members. He became an excellent farmer and was widely known
and highly esteemed.
JASON R. WATKINS.
Jason R. Watkins is one of the early settlers
of Jefferson township, this county, and was born.in the state of New York on December 8, I830,
his parents being Johnson and Eunice (Randall)
Watkins, natives of Vermont, a more extended
account of their history appearing in the sketch ot
his brother, David Watkiris, on another page of
this volume. Mr. Watkins passed his childhood
and youth in his native state, and had there the
usual experiences of country boys of the time
and section, attending school in the winter
months and working on the farm during the remainder of the year. For several seasons he also
worked on the Erie canal in various capacities.
He became very efficient in steering and was recognized as an expert. In 1852, soon after
reaching his majority, he came to Michigan, and,
locating at Blissfield, Lenawee county, entered
the employ of the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad, running a hand-car ahead
of the passenger train to see that the track was
clear of obstructions. Later he served as a
brakeman, remaining with the road until 1856,
when he came to Hillsdale county and purchased
forty acres of land, the nucleus of the farm on
which he now lives. It was a virgin forest then,
and he at once began to make a clearing and
build a house. In I858 he moved his family
thither and it has since been their home. The
farm now comprises 170 acres and has been
brought to an advanced state of improvement
and cultivation.
Mr. Watkins, on January 15, 1852, in Mont
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
205
gomery county, New York, before leaving for
this state, was united in marriage with a Miss
Margaret A. Feltis, a native of that county. They
have had eight children, seven of whom are living: Josiah, of Hillsdale; Nancy J., wife of J.
B. Price; John H., of Ransom township; Ira and
Judson, of Jefferson township; Carrie, wife of
Theron Duryea; and Miland, of Reading.
Mr. Watkins is a Lincoln Republican, but
he has never taken an active part in political
work and has never sought or accepted office for
himself. His long residence of nearly half a
century in the county has given him an opportunity to see all of the phases of its transformation from an unbroken wilderness to a highly
cultivated garden region, rejoicing in its progress
and bringing forth in abundance everything
nourishing, and fragrant and valuable, and furnished ample room for the exercise of his enterprise and public spirit in aiding to effect the wonderful change. He has been a potential factor
in the development and improvement of the section, being well esteemed throughout the township as one of its leading citizens and most forceful builders and leaders of progressive thought.
WILLIAM WATKINS.
On of the substantial and progressive farmers
of Allen township, who has well earned his
comfortable condition in this life and the high
place he holds in the public regard, is William
Watkins, who resides on a fine farm of 240 acres
of well-improved and carefully cultivated land
not far from the village of Allen. His farm is
largely the product of his own industry and
thrift, giving the expression of his taste and enterprise in the matter of improvements. He has
expended the whole of his mature life up to this
time on it and devoted all his energies and his
skill in its development and tillage. He is a native of County Kent in England, born on November 30, I847, in the portion of that county in
which his ancestors had lived and labored for
many generations. His parents were William
and Ann (Field) Watkins, his father being a
butcher by trade, who worked at this craft in his
native land until 1850, when his son William was
three years old. Then, deeming the opportunities for advancement better in the United States
than in his own country, he gathered his household goods about him and set sail for the New
World, where he had an elder brother well established and working out a gratifying prosperity.
His family then consisted of himself, his wife
and their two small sons. One of the sons died
on the ocean voyage and was buried at sea.
Deeply grieved by this bereavement, but not
disheartened by its ill-boding suggestions, the survivors made their way to Michigan and settled
in Hillsdale county, where the father's brother
lived. The father bought eighty acres of land,
set to work industriously to make a home out of
its unpromising conditions, clearing away for
this purpose the forest, which for ages had kept
apart the soil and the sunshine, and gladdening
the land full soon with a more comely and a
more immediately serviceable harvest. The forest
yielded a ready and cheerful submission to his
dominion, and, in course of time, he bought an
additional tract of forty acres, which he also
cleared and made productive. On these two
tracts, which he combined in one fine farm, he
lived and labored until his death on April 27,
i874. His wife died on April 27, 1854, and later
he married his second wife, Miss Mary Wass,
who was also a native of England, and died on
April 4, I903. In political faith he was a faithful
Democrat, but was in no sense, nor at any time,
an active partisan and never held an office.
William Watkins, the only surviving child of
his father, inherited the farm where he has since
the death of his father continued the skillful and
systematic cultivation and management which
his father had inaugurated and conducted, having
learned the science of agriculture under that master of all its operations. In 1885 Mr. Watkins
bought an addition of I20 acres to his patrimony,
and now owns and tills the whole body of 240
acres with excellent judgment and gratifying results. He was married; is this county, in 1885,
to Miss Lizzie Thompson, who was born and
reared in Chautauqua county, New York, being
a daughter of James and Mary A. (McKittrick)
206
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Thompson, natives of Ireland and early settlers
in this county. Her father died at Quincy in this
state, where his widow is now living. Mr. and
Mrs. Watkins have three children, Albert Edward, William J., and Anna E. Mr. Watkins is
a member of the. local grange of Patrons of
Husbandry, and belongs also to the Episcopal
church, as did his parents. He is a Democrat in
politics but has never taken an active part in the
campaigns or held office.
MOSES WILLITS.
This pioneer of pioneers in Cambria township, who is one of its two surviving citizens that
became dwellers within its limits with their families prior to 1840, was born at Farmington, Ontario county, N. Y., on April 13, 1814, the son of
Jonathan and Rachel (Bunn) Willits, natives of
New Jersey. Six of their children reached years
of maturity; three are yet living, Moses, Jonathan, of Three Rivers, this state, and George, of
Green Bay, Wisconsin. The paternal grandfather, John Willits, was a Quaker; the maternal
grandfather, Barron Bunn, was a soldier in the
Revolution and received serious wounds in battle
for which he drew a pension from the government. Moses Willits was reared and received a
limited common-school education in his native
state, residing at what is now Lockport when it
was in the wilderness. In 1837 he came to Michigan, making the trip in a sleigh, and coming by
the way of Canada. He here entered I60 acres
of land, built a little log house and then went
back and brought his family to their new home.
Baw Beese, the local Indian chief, was a frequent visitor at his house and he was well acquainted with other early characters of prominence, both Indian and white. He assisted in the
organization of Cambria township and has been
an active worker in its interest ever since. In
1835, two years before he moved to this state,
he married Miss Angeline Alvord, a native of
the state of New York, and they had six children,
of whom three are living, Mrs. Levina Messinger,
of Niles, Michigan; Henry F., of this township,
and Alice, yet at home. Their mother died in
I854, and two years later, Mr. Willits married
Miss Sarah Bishop, a sister of Bani Bishop, a
sketch of whom appears on other pages of this
work. Of this marriage two children were born,
Sarah B. Willits, of Shelby, this state, and Mrs.
Byron L. Reed, of Detroit. Their mother died
in I889. Mr. Willits was a Whig and an Abolitionist until the organization of the Republican
party, since then he has been a devoted and loyal
member of that body, having cast his vote in
I856 for its first presidential candidate, Gen. John
C. Fremont. He has never taken any interest
in secret societies, and has never sought or desired political office. His autumnal evening of
life is passing happily and quietly on the spot
where the meridian height of his years and his
industry were reached, and he is esteemed by
all the people of the community, as an honored
patriarch in their midst, whose career is a credit
to the county and exemplifies in an impressive
way the best attributes of American manhood.
PHILO WAY.
Philo Way was born on June 17, 1846, on
the farm in Jefferson township, which is now his
home, and has been all his life, and on which
his father lived nearly fifty years. It was virgin
and unbroken forest when the father purchased
it, and the beautiful and productive estate it is
now, is the product of the systematic and persevering labor of two generations of intelligent
and skillful farmers. Mr. Way's parents were
William and Orcelia (Ferguson) Way, natives
of New York state. In his native home the
father followed farming until 1840, when he
came to Michigan, making the journey across the
lake to Toledo, from that city coming by team
to the farm which was thereafter his home until
his death in I885. This domain was then a
tiact of eighty acres of heavily timbered land, on
which he erected a log house, and at once'began
to make a clearing for the development and cultivation and for the production of food for his
family and his stock. He was twice married,
first to Miss Sarah A. Wickwire, in 1836, by
whom he had three daughters. One of these is
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAAN. 207
dead and the others, Mrs. Selleck and Mrs. A. C.
Clark, reside at Portland in this state. Their
mother died in I844, and, in I845, Mr. Way contracted a second marriage, being then united
with Miss Orcelia Ferguson. Their family consisted of two sons and three daughters, all living
but one daughter, and residents of this county.
While deeply and intelligently interested in the
welfare of the township, which he helped to organize, and the county, to which the record of
his life was given, Mr. Way never sought or accepted public office nor took active part in politics, except with reference to the general welfare,
although he was an earnest Republican from the
organization of the party. In church affiliation
he was a Universalist.
Philo Way was reared and educated in Hillsdale county, and, as soon as he was able, assisted
in the farm work, hard though it was, and gave
his aid very cheerfully and energetically. He was
closely identified with all the farm interests from
the beginning, when his father died took charge
of the property and has successfully managed it
continuously since that event. He married, in
Hillsdale county, on March 31, 1871, Miss Alice
Davis, a daughter of Perry M. and Hannah
(Lewis) Davis, all natives of New York. Her
father was for a number of years a resident of
Lenawee county, this state, and died at Kalamazoo, on May 20, I890. His wife died in Wilson,
Niagara county, N. Y. in July 1865. Mr. and
Mrs. Way have two children, their daughter,
Edith Adell, and their son Alfred D., both living
at the parental home. Mr. Way is a Republican
in politics and a member of the local grange of
the Patrons of Husbandry. The family attend
the Congregationalist church and all are well
esteemed throughout the township wherein their
useful lives have been a blessing.
HENRY S. WALWORTH.
Henry S. Walworth, of Jerome in Somerset
township,'this county, has for many years been
one of the quickening spirits in the commercial
and industrial life of that portion of the county.
As a merchant, a banker, a manufacturer and as
a leading citizen he has given life and direction
to the business factors of the township. He;s
a native of Shelby, Orleans county, New York,
where he was born on January 23, I848. His
parents, Calvin and Amira M. (Arnold) Walworth, were also natives of that county and
there lived until I853, when they came to Michigan and settled near Moscow on a tract of unimproved land which they purchased. On this
farm both parents died, the mother in I866, the
father ten years later. Their five sons and one
daughter grew to maturity, all the sons becoming
residents of Hillsdale county.
Their son, Henry S. Walworth, was reared
on the farm and his preliminary education in the
public schools was supplemented with an attend-.
ance of two terms at Hillsdale College. Going
to Kansas in i860 he secured employment first
from the Missouri, Kansas & 'Texas Railroad,
then from the Kansas Pacific, first being an
agent and later a stockkeeper. The road was
then in its course of construction to Denver, and
the daily life of its employes was full of adventure. Life on the plains was wild, rough and
trying, savage beasts and savage men were here
uncontrolled, buffaloes were plentiful and other
game was also abundant. Distinguished men
came from all parts of the world to enjoy the
enjoyment of the chase. Mr. Walworth accompanied the Russian Grand Duke Alexis on his
renowned hunting trip under the guidance of
"Buffalo Bill" of Wyoming, sharing in all the
pleasures and incidents of the expedition. In
1874 he came back to Michigan and became agent
for the Hillsdale & Ypsilanti Railroad. A few
years later he turned his attention to commercial
activities and began the handling of grain and
farm produce in large quantities. From this he
drifted into general merchandise and he also became extensively interested in dealings in farm
property.
The success of Mr. Walworth in mercantile
pursuits was pronounced from the beginning,
and he soon had capital for other financial ventures. He was one of the founders of the Hillsdale Savings Bank, being its vice-president from
its start. In addition to his other business en
2o8
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
gagements he has a private bank of his own at
Jerome, which is one of the valued and serviceable institutions of the town. He is also the
treasurer of the Jerome Brick & Tile Co., of
which he was one of the creators. In political
connection he is a Republican, was chosen as the
candidate of his party twice to the office of
supervisor and twice to that of township treasurer. In fraternal relations he is actively affiliated with the Maccabees and the Odd Fellows.
To the town of Jerome he has contributed in
worth and appearance by the erection of large
business blocks, warehouses and grain elevators,
and to its business and social life in many ways
of appreciated and stimulating usefulness. IHe
is one of the most widely known and most highly
respected citizens of this part of the state, worthy
in all respects of the public esteem he enjoys.
MICHAEL WOLF.
Mlichael Wolf, of Woodbridge township, who
has served the people of this county in various
public capacities, and has won by his strict attention to business, that of the public, when he
had it in charge, and his own, at other times,
the respect and confidence of all who know him,
is a native of the county, born in Amboy township on December 29, 1853, the son of Frederick
and Magdalena (Wantzig) Wolf, natives of
Alsace-Lorraine, at the time of their birth a province of France, but in I871 wrested from that
country by Germany through fortunes of war.
They emigrated to the United States in I852 and
settled in Hillsdale county, where the father purchased forty acres of forest land in Amboy township, being a part of section 32. They arrived
in the county without means, only armed for the
struggle before them with their resolute spirits
and indomitable determination. By their persistent efforts and their stern endurance of the
many hardships here encountered, they made,
their little portion of the western wilderness;n
time to blossom as the rose and fruitful with all
the products of advanced and skillful cultivation.
The comforts of life for them at first were
few and difficult of attainment. More than once
the father was obliged to walk sixteen miles to
Hillsdale for flour and carry a sack weighing
seventy pounds on his back all the way home,
making the round trip in a single day. He died
on the farm in 1893, and the mother in 1897.
They were the parents of six children who
reached years of maturity, all but one of whom
are now living, all being residents of this county.
One son, Frederick, was a member of the Twenty-seventh Michigan Infantry and also a sharpshooter during the Civil War. The martial
spirit he exhibited he was rightfully entitled to
by inheritance, for his maternal grandfather was
a blacksmith in the army of Bonaparte, and, although attached for the most part to the mechanical department of the army, he saw field service
at times in the exigencies of that great commander's active campaigns. He beheld the
eagles of the Empire mingle with the eagles of
the Alps in the march on Italy, soar in triumph
at Austerlitz and Wagram and Borodino, crouch
in fear during the terrible retreat from Moscow,
go down at last in gloom and shame at Leipsic and
in the crowning disaster at Waterloo. He was
once captured by the Russians, but made his escape and was three days in reaching the French
army. Mr. Wolf's father also saw service on the
French frontier as a guard against smugglers.
Michael Wolf passed his childhood and youth
on the paternal homestead, assisting in its trying
labors and sharing its expanding blessings. He
attended the district schools near his home and
from their ministrations secured a limited education. When he was eighteen years of age he started out in life for himself, and by I876 he had
saved enough of his earnings to purchase a farm
of forty acres in Ransom township. In I88I he
sold his farm and bought eighty acres in Woodbridge township, which he still owns and which
was his home continuously until the fall of I902,
when he removed to the village of Frontier.
June o1, 1877, he married, in this county,
Miss Emma G. Cowles, a native of Lenawee
county, and a daughter of Celden and Mary A.
(Schnall) Cowles, a sister of the wife of Jacob
Wolf, a brother of Michael, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Her parents were
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
209
among the first settlers in Lenawee county, her
grandfather, Mr. John J. Schnall, coming thither
from Northampton county, Pa., in 1826. He
afterward moved to Fulton county, Ohio, and
there served as county surveyor for twenty years,
during which time he also followed his profession in Lucas county, Ohio. His death occurred in Fulton county. He was a soldier in
the Black Hawk Indian War and did duty for his
country in other capacities from time to time.
Mrs. Wolfe's mother makes her home with her
daughter, Mrs. Wolf, at the age of seventy-six
years, having been born in Lenawee county, and
she is no doubt one of the oldest citizens now living who is a native of Michigan.
Mr. and Mrs. Wolf have two children, their
sons, Clyde M., a prominent business man of
Hudson, Ind., and Ray C., until recently a soldier in the Eighth U. S. Cavalry, Troop K, stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, having been tranisferred lately to the U. S. Signal Corps at Fort
Myer, Va. Mr. Wolf has been and is a man of
influence and a stimulating force in the public
life of the township. He served on the board
of review, in I899 was elected supervisor, being
reelected in 900o and again in I9OI. He was
once a candidate for county treasurer on the Republican ticket, only failing of the nomination
by two votes. The family are members of the
United Brethren church. Mr. Wolf is. well
known all over the county, held in high respect.
DR. JONATHAN C. WHITNEY.
While peoples of all ages, climes and conditions have had their practitioners of medicine for
the alleviation of human suffering, it was not
until a short time ago that any systematic effort
was made to found schools of veterinary surgery
and pathology. Perhaps among the earliest, and
certainly among the best, of such schools is the
one located at Toronto, Ontario, which, from its
foundation has steadily increased in value as an
educator in its line and widened its streams of
benefaction, especially for the dumb brutes,
whose sufferings must be inferred, and can be
alleviated only by human aid. Of this excellent
veterinary college, Dr. Jonathan C. Whitney of
Hillsdale is an alumnus, having been graduated
there on March 29, 1883. He is the son of
Jonathan and Ann J. (Garrett) Whitney, the
former a native of New York and the latter of
the Isle of Man, and was born in Allen township,
this county, on August 19, I852. His father,
a farmer, came to Hillsdale county in 1838, and
settled on a farm of government land, which he
cleared and lived upon until his death. Ami
Whitney, the paternal grandfather of the Doctor,
a New Yorker by nativity, owned land in Hillsdale county, but never resided here.
Doctor Whitney was one of four children, the
other children being William G., Anna E. and
Jennie. His father, an active Republican, for
years capably served as supervisor and as justice
of the peace, and his brother William G. was
with the Eleventh Michigan Infantry in the Civil
War. The father was also a zealous worker and
a valued official in the Methodist Episcopal
church, who assisted in building all churches of
this denomination in Allen township. The Doctor, educated in the public'schools of the county,
after leaving school engaged in farming until
I88I, then, through his own experience and that
of others finding a pressing need for a veterinary
surgeon in his neighborhood, he determined to
supply the need and to this end entered the veterinary college located at Toronto. After a two
years' course of instruction there he was graduated in 1883, and at once began practicing his
profession with headquarters at Allen in this
county.
Doctor Whitney has been engaged in the practice ever since, from I885 to the present time, being located at Hillsdale. Here he has a fully
equipped hospital for the treatment of all diseases
of animals and their proper care, its high reputation and his practice extending over this and the
adjoining counties. He also still owns and
operates his farm in Allen township. On November 21, I883, he was united in marriage with
Miss Fannie E. Ellis, a native of New York state,
but whose residence since her infancy was in the
township of Allen. She was educated in the public schools, also in Hillsdale College and taught
210
HILLSDALE CO UNTY, MICHIGAN.
several terms with great ability in the township
of Allen. They have two attractive daughters,
Marjorie and Jennie. In politics the Doctor is
a Republican, but he is not an active partisan and
has never sought office, having, however, very
capably served four years as alderman. He belongs to the State Veterinary Association, of
which he was president for one term, and is also
a blue lodge and a chapter Mason, holding memberships at Hillsdale. He is also an official of
the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is
a valued member.. In his profession he has been
signally useful to the people of Hillsdale county.
In his citizenship he has been found worthy in
every way of the public and private esteem which
he enjoys in good measure.
/- ',HARRISON BEERS,;..- From the great Empire state'of New York,;digious in productive enterprise of every form,
whosse teeming millions of population are promighty in commercial activity and force in every
line, elevated and progressive in intellectual culture and'power through every channel, broad and
far-s'eeing in the sweep of their vision to every
horizon of human effort; from this highly vitalized and intensely energized mass of men came
much of the spirit, the endurance and the persistent industry that redeemed Southern Michigan from the savage and the waste, and created
on its soil a new empire, where before the buffalo
roamed and the wild deer disported. Among
the number of those daring and hardy adventurers whom she contributed 'to this work, must
be mentioned with credit in any chronicle of
their deeds, the name of Harrison Beers, of Allen township, who is now enjoying, in peace and
prosperity, the guerdon of the trials he endured,
and of the labors he performed in the early days
of this part of Michigan. He was born in Ontario county, New York, on July 3, I819, a scion
of old New England families who aided in performing for the state of Connecticut in Colonial
times, what he has helped to perform for Michigan in later years. His parents were Fitch
and Purthenia (Thorp) Beers, whose ancestors
settled in Connecticut among its early pioneers,
themselves being born and reared in that state.
The father was a farmer, who, while he was yet
a young man, moved to western New York, and
there he met and married his wife, who was the
mother of his seven sons, the only survivors of
whom are Miles Beers, Harrison, and a brother
who resides in St. Joseph county in this state.
The parents lived in New York until their life
labors were ended, the death of the father occurring in I843, and that of the mother in 1850. The
grandfather on both -sides of this family were
heroes in the Revolution and followed the fortunes of its wavering cause from its dawn at
Bunker Hill to its final triumph at Yorktown.
The maternal grandfather was a farmer in New
'York, from whence he moved to the vicinity of
Cleveland,. Ohio, where he died in the fullness
of years and of honors.
Harrison Beers grew to manhood in his native state and received a limited elementary education in the primitive schools of his day and locality. In I846 he came to Michigan, making
the journey by the Erie canal to Buffalo, from
there by boat to Detroit, whence he traveled over
the crude railway of the period to Jackson county. Michigan, where one of his brothers-in-law
had previously settled. -He did not linger long
in Jackson county, but came soon after his arrival in the state to.Hillsdale and purchased
eighty acres of land in Allen township, a portion of the excellent farm on which he now maintains his home, and, building a little log shanty
for a residence, he, at once, began to clear his
land and make'it habitable and productive. We
may pass the trials and privations, the struggles
and the dangers of his earlier years in this county, but they came in abundant measure and he
bore them with conmendable fortitude. In time
he added eighty acres more to his domain, and
also reduced this tract to fruitfulness and beauty.
But he did not labor and suffer alone,. for two
years before leaving his native heath he was
united in marriage with Miss Fannie Boyce, of
the same nativity as himself, the marriage occtirring in March, 1844. She was the daughter
of Henry and Nancy (Clement) Boyce, who, in
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
2I
I853, followed her to Michigan and settled on a
farm in Allen township, near her home, where
they died after years of usefulness. Mr. and
Mrs. Beers have six children, Edna, wife of E.
Nickerson, of Eaton county, Michigan; Calvin,
a prosperous farmer of Branch county; Adella,
wife of J. Howell, of California; Angus, a leading business man of Hillsdale; Fred, who is actively engaged in farming in Branch county; and
Henry, who is pursuing the same vocation in
Hillsdale county. Their father is a Republican
in politics and has, from time to time, served
his township faithfully in several local offices.
He is a charter member of the Allen grange of
Patrons of Husbandry, and he takes a great and
serviceable interest in its affairs, as he does in
everything pertaining to agriculture and kindred
pursuits. He has long been a leading and representative man of the county, exemplifying in
his daily life the best attributes of its citizenship, and keeping ever close in his watchful care
the best interests of its people in every line of
action and progress.
CITIZENS BANK OF LITCHFIELD.
This sound, well-managed and enterprising
financial institution, which is one of the decidedly
beneficial commercial factors in the business life
of Litchfield township, having a high reputation
throughout the county and state for excellence
in its management, anplitude in its resources,
vigor' and progressiveness in its business activity
and considerate helpfulness in its spirit of accommodation, was founded in I886, as a private bank,
with a capital stock of $5,ooo. The founders
were Albert J. Lovejoy, Asher B. La Fleur, who
is now cashier of the Savings Bank at Hillsdale,
and was connected with the Litchfield bank but
a year, and David Eagleston, who also was connected with it but a year. Then F. E. Church
became interested in the institution and the firm
became A. Lovejoy & Co.
Mr. Albert J. Lovejoy is a native of Hillsdale county, born on February 3, 1847, a son of
Samuel and Elizabeth B. (Morse) Lovejoy. He
grew to manhood in this county, learned the les14
sons taught in the books at its public schools and
those of practical life at the paternal fireside and
in the rugged school of experience. He began
assisting his father in the labors of the farm
when he was eleven years old, and, in I866, when
he was nineteen, in partnership with Frank E.
Lovejoy, he started a general store at Litchfield,
the second of the kind to be there operated. It
was immediately popular and successful, and,
within a period of three years, was doing a business of $Ioo,ooo in volume. In 1870 Frank E.
Lovejoy died and the business continued under
the name and style of F. E. Lovejoy & Co. for
several years, then was enlarged and quickened
into. greater activity under its present title.
Mr. Lovejoy also founded the Hub clothing
store at Litchfield, which he later sold, and, in
addition to his other numerous interests and
business enterprises, he now gives careful and
productive attention to a vigorous farming industry. All of his ventures thrive, for he has the
shrewdness, business capacity, breadth of view
and knowledge of men and of methods to make
them work harmoniously together and to the best
advantage. He is quick and keen to see, alert
to grasp opportunities for profitable mercantile
enterprises, and has both readiness and resourcefulness in carrying them on to successful and
gratifying results. Mr. Lovejoy was married in
this county in 1875 to Miss Mary E. Stoddard, a
daughter of William Stoddard, an ex-state senator, who is well known and highly respected
throughout the county. They have six living
children, Nannie E., the wife of W. H. Simmons,
of Havana, Cuba, chemist in the cement works;
Theo. D., living at the paternal home; Brownie,
the wife of R. J. Shattuck, of Litchfield; Louise
S., Jean and Margueritte at the family home. A
daughter named Georgia is deceased.
Mr. Lovejoy is a citizen of great public spirit,
and, while he has never taken any very active
part in politics, he has filled several local offices
for the good of the community, notably that of a
membership of the school board, in which he
served for a number of years. He is a member
of the Masonic order, devoted to its welfare and
progress. He has been for several years the treas
2I2
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
urer of the creamery company at Litchfield and
has given to its affairs a careful and intelligent
attention. In all of the relations of life he has
met his duty with manliness, uprightness and
firmness, exhibiting always a due respect for the
rights and regard for the feelings of others. He
is one of the leading and most useful citizens of
the county, being universally respected as such.
BENJAMIN F. ALDRICH.
Benjamin F. Aldrich is the son of Seth and
Minerva (Doolittle) Aldrich and a native of
Ontario county, New York, born on February 24.
I835. His father was also a native of New York
and his mother of Ohio. When he was five or
six years old the family moved from their New
York home to Michigan and settled in Hillsdale
county. The trip was made by way of the Erie
canal to Buffalo and from thence across Lake
Erie to Toledo. Young as he was, Mr. Aldrich
was so impressed by the voyage over the lake,
which lasted a week, and by other portions' of the
journey, and many interesting incidents connected with it, that he well remembers them now,
and almost as vividly as if they were of recent
occurrence, or perhaps even more so. In the new
land, to which they had journeyed with so much
toil and weariness, they were confronted with additional labor and difficulty. The land they took
up was an unbroken forest, given up to the wild
growth of centuries, still abounding with its savage denizens of beasts and men and both resented vigorously the intrusion of civilization and the
heralds who proclaimed its approach.
The conveniences of life were few, and even
the actual necessities, but for the wild game that
was plentiful, would have been often difficult of
attainment. But the hardy pioneers had not come
on a holiday excursion. They knew in advance
much of what was before them and were nerved
to meet it. With undaunted resolution they accepted the situation as they found it, and set to
work with diligence and perseverance to improve
it. Seth Aldrich became one of the prosperous
farmers of the county, one of the leading and
influential men of his township. He was called
upon to administer important local offices, and,
in this way and by his general participation in local affairs, he aided materially in establishing the
forms of government and the blessings of civilization in the territory he was helping to reclaim
from the wilderness. He was a justice of the
peace for twelve years and was at the front in
every movement for the progress and development of the community. His wife and he were
prominent and active members of the Presbyterian church. She died at the homestead at the
age of sixty-seven years and her husband on December 26, I880, at the age of eighty. The father was twice married and the father of seven
children, two daughters and one son, Benjamin
F., surviving.
Benjamin F. Aldrich was reared amid the
scenes and exactions of pioneer life, and, by them,
he was prepared to take his place in the great
work of building up the state when his time for
action came. He received a limited education
at the primitive schools and early began a course
of useful labor on the farm. He remained a
member of the family homestead until he was
well advanced in life, being then united in marriage with Miss Isabella Van Alstein, a native
of the county, born in Somerset township on
March 15, I843, the wedding taking place on
October 8, I862. Mrs. Aldrich was one of the
seven children born to her parents, Abraham and
Diantha (Bilby) Van Alstein, of whom but four
are, now living. Her parents were natives of
New York, who died in Michigan, the mother at
the age of sixty-six and the father in April, I881,
at the age of sixty-nine. After his marriage, Mr.
Aldrich, in partnership with his brother, Hosea
C. Aldrich, engaged in the manufacture of brick
and drain tile for a number of years, having purchased the business of their father, who was the
first man to make such tile in southern Michigan.
Mr. Aldrich became prominent and influential in
local affairs, holding a number of offices, among
them that of membership on the school board to
which he belonged for twenty-five years, to the
business of which important office he gave diligent and effective attention. He is, as was his father, a Republican in politics, and he steadfastly
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 213
supports the principles and nominees of his party.
He is an earnest supporter also of the Methodist
Episcopal church, to which his wife belongs,
and both are ever active in all commendable
church work. They are the parents of one child,
Ida V., now the wife of Ludd Chandler, a prosperous farmer of Somerset township, a more extended notice of whom will be found on another
page of this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich have
a large circle of devoted friends and are highly
respected throughout the township and elsewhere
by all who know them. Mr. Aldrich had one
brother, Kempshel, who died in New York state
at nineteen years of age.
HOSEA C. ALDRICH, the only brother of Benjamin, was born in Canandaigua, Ontario county,
N. Y., on October 23, I836, and came with the
family to Michigan in his childhood. His personal history was much like that of his brother
and the other boys of the neighborhood, until
the Civil War called him to the defense of the
Union. On August 5, I862, he enlisted in a
Michigan regiment, and, in the three years of
honorable service which followed, he saw many
of war's unutterable horrors, both on the battlefield and in prison life. He took part in many
engagements and rose by merit to the rank of
sergeant. On September 24, I864, he was captured at Athens, Alabama, and, after being
robbed of all his possessions, was thrown into
prison at Cahaba. His experiences here have
been embalmed by him in a thrilling narrative
entitled "Cahaba Prison, a Glimpse of Life in a
Rebel Prison." He also witnessed the explosion
and burning of the steamer Sultana on the Mississippi river, by Which 1,700 lives were lost, being on board of the boat and blown into the river.
On June 25, I865, he was discharged from the
army, and on April I4, 1887, he died universally
respected by all who knew him.
JACOB WOLF.
The late Jacob Wolf, of Woodbridge township, whose untimely and tragical death on September 4, I902, at the early age of fifty-three
years, when all his faculties were in full vigor
and all his industries were thriving, was universally lamented, was a native of Germany, born
near the city of Strasburg, on March 13, I849.
His parents were Frederick and Magdalena
(Wantzig) Wolf, also natives of that part of
Germany, where the father was long a gardener
and small farmer. In I852 with his family, consisting of his wife, three sons and one daughter,
Frederick Wolf emigrated to the United States,
coming direct to Hillsdale county, where his wife
had a brother living in Amboy township. Here
they soon secured a tract of forty acres of wild
land and located on it for the purpose of making
it a permanent home in the new country, to which
they had come with high hopes, and a stern
resolve to win their way by judicious and persistent effort. This land he cleared and added to
by purchases from time to time until his farm
comprised I20 acres, which was all. brought to a
good state of development and cultivation, and
on this property they resided until the death of
Mr. Wolf in I893, and thereafter his widow there
made her home until her death four years later.
They had five sons and one daughter, all now living except their son, Jacob. Devout and active
workers in the German Methodist Episcopal
church, the parents died in full faith in its benefits and in the everlasting rest it promised.
Jacob Wolf was but a child three years of
age when he was brought to this country and
knew naught of the stormy passage across the
Atlantic, nor of the subsequent hardships and
weariness of the overland journey to the wilds
of Michigan. His whole life of conscious activity was practically passed in his new home. Here
he grew to manhood, here he began and concluded his school days, here he started in life
for himself when he reached a proper age and
development. He was a regular attendant for a
number of years at the "old Dutch schoolhouse,"
which was abandoned in I902. He remained at
home until he was twenty-four years old, assisting in clearing up and tilling the home farm.
On July Io, 1873, he was united in marriage with
Miss Henrietta M. Cowles, a native of Lenawee
county, in this state, and a daughter of Celden
and Mary H. (Schnall) Cowles, who were
I
I:
214
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
among the pioneers of that county and afterward removed to Ransom township, where her
father died. Her mother is still living and resides in Woodbridge township.
After his marriage Mr. Wolf bought eighty
acres of untamed land in Ransom township, and,
moving his bride into a very small framed house
which he had built on this land, he began here
to carve a home out of the wilderness and to
make the land fruitful with the products and
fragrant with the flowers of systematic industry. He resided for eighteen years on that farm
and, by the end of that time, he had brought it to
an advanced state of development and cultivation. He then moved to Woodbridge township,
where he lived the rest of his days. His accidental death occurred on September 4, 1902, by
his being thrown on a saw in the mill at Frontier. His right arm and foot were cut off and he
received internal injuries from which he died.
His family consisted of two sons, Freddie C., who
died in 1897 at the age of twelve, and Robert E.,
now (I903) eleven years old. Mr. Wolf never
took special interest in politics or held public office, being fully occupied with his home and its
duties. Yet he was not wanting in an earnest
and steadfast interest in the welfare of the community, for this was manifested by an active support of every commendable enterprise for the
promotion of its best interests. He was an enthusiastic sportsman through life, especially fond
of hunting and he spent a few weeks every year
either in northern Michigan or elsewhere engaged in this exhilarating sport. He became to
be well known as one of the thrifty and successful farmers of the township, who enjoyed in a
marked degree the respect and good will of his
fellow citizens everywhere.
EVERETT WOODWARD.
Coming to Michigan and Hillsdale county in
I854, when he was but nine years old, and passing the whole of his subsequent life within the
borders of the county, Everett Woodward, one
of the leading farmers of Jefferson township, has
been closely identified with the progress and de
velopment of this region and a material factor
in bringing about the beneficent results which
time and systematic labor have wrought in this
portion of the state. He is a native of Hancock
county, Ohio, born on August 29, 1845, the son
of Daniel and Abigail (Barker) Woodward,
natives of New Hampshire and members of families resident in New England from early Colonial
times. His father, a farmer, removed to Ohio
in I834, and to Michigan in 1854, settling in
Hillsdale county, where he rented a farm for two
years and then bought eighty acres of land,
which is now' the farm on which his son, Everett, resides. Here he located his family and here
they harmoniously engaged in clearing the land
and in reducing it to cultivation and productiveness, the father faithfully and industriously continuing his efforts in this direction until his death
in I888, having survived his wife but one year.
Their family consisted of four children, all of
whom are now dead but Everett. The father
was a man of local prominence, one of the leaders of public opinion in his day. For sixteen
years he was highway commissioner for the
township and the postmaster at Jefferson for the
same length of time. A zealous member of the
Congregational church Mr. Woodward was active
in all good works for the benefit of the community
or for the advantage and comfort of its people.
The grandfather, Samuel Woodward, also a native of New Hampshire, came to Michigan in
1856, dying here in 1858.
From the age of nine years Everett Woodward has been a resident of Hillsdale county,
living all the while in Jeffer'son township and on
the farm which is now his home. He was educated in the schools of the neighborhood and he
has passed his entire life busily occupied with
the elevating and peaceful pursuits of agriculture,
finding ready response to his persuasive labor in
the fertile soil of this favored region and seeing
its fruits in profuse abundance around him. His
life has been in perfect accord with the genius of
the place and section, also with the general trend
of thought and action among its people. And, as
he has been helpful and energetic in the development and establishment of their best aspirations.
HIILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 2I5
he is well esteemed by all classes of the citizens
as one of their representative men and leaders.
For nearly thirty years, ever since 1876, he has
served them as a justice of' the peace, and, in the
discharge of his official duties, he has been of
great value as a conservator of law and order and
an arbiter of local disputes and'misunderstandings. Although a Republican in politics, he seldom mingles actively in the inevitable contests
between and within the parties, giving his public
attention and activity to the general good of the
community rather than to the advantage of any
person, faction or party.
DR. WILLIAM H. ATTERBURY.
Although comparatively young in his practice as a physician and surgeon, Dr, William H.
Atterbury, of Litchfield, has given abundant evidence. of his knowledge and skill in his profession, and of his high professional spirit, having
already become well established in public confidence and regard as a consequence. He is a
native of St. Joseph county in this state, born at
Three Rivers, on March 21, I870. His parents
are Frederick A. and Julia E. (Davis) Atterbury,
natives of New York, the former born in Brooklyn and the latter at Rochester. The father is a
carriage-trimmer by occupation, and worked at
his trade in his native state for awhile after learning it, but came to Michigan when he was yet a
young man, settled first at Three Rivers and
some time later at Kalamazoo, where he and his
wife are now living.
Doctor Atterbury was reared and educated
with unusual care. He began his education in
the public schools and finished the scholastic part
of it at the high school in Kalamazoo. In I890,
he started to read medicine at Three Rivers under
the direction of Dr. W. E. Clark, of that city,
in the autumn of the same year entering the
medical department of the State University at
Ann Arbor. He was graduated therefrom in the
class of 1895, at once came to Litchfield, began
the practice of his profession, and here he has
since been busily occupied in professional duties.
He has a general practice, which is steadily ex
panding in volume, now including many of the
best people in the township and surrounding
country. He belongs to the county and state
medical societies and manifests great interest in
their proceedings, to which he adds interest by
his contributions of value drawn from his professional observations and experience. In his
practice he is studious and observant, reading
thoughtfully and following carefully and.with
excellent judgment the best thought in the literature of the profession, applying to his cases
with superior intelligence his own judicious and
discriminating conclusions.
The Doctor married in February, I902, with
Miss Jennie Calahan, a native of Albion, Michigan, who presides over their pleasant home with
a grace that adds enjoyment to its generous hospitality and refinement to its social atmosphere.
He is a member of several of the benevolent fraternities so valued among men, being an Elk, a
Mason, a Knight of Pythias, a Knight of the
Maccabees and a Forester. In politics he is not
an active partisan, but is true and constant to the
principles of the Democratic party. In reference
to matters involving the welfare of the community, he is progressive, broad in view, diligent
and helpful in action. For every attribute and
quality of a first-rate citizen, for professional
fidelity and capacity of a high order, for agreeable and entertaining social gifts, the Doctor is
well-known and highly esteemed. He is also a
member of the board of pension examiners, having held the appointment for two years.
GEORGE W. BAKER.
George W. Baker, the son of esteemed pioneers of this state and county, was born near
the village of Jonesville on April o0, I844. His
parents were Samuel S. and Rachel (Putman)
Baker, both born in 1803, the former in Trumbull
county, Ohio, and the latter in St. Lawrence
county, New York. The father was a farmer,
who worked at his acquired trade of carpentry
at intervals throughout his life. The family came
to Michigan in I840, located for a time in Lenawee county, then moved to Scipio township, and
216
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
settled near Jonesville. While the county seat
was at Jonesville, Mr. Baker, the elder, served
four years as turnkey at the jail. He was always
deeply interested in local public affairs, and,
while modestly avoiding office for himself for the
most part, he gave close attention to the selection
of others for official positions, exacting for his
approval a high standard of character and capacity. His death occurred on June 5, I886, that
of his widow in October, I888. They were the
parents of eleven children, eight sons and three
daughters, of whom but two are living, their son,
George, and their daughter, Mrs. Clementine
'Harding, of Qiincy, in this state.
George W. Baker grew to manhood in his
native township and received his education in its
public schools. He began life for himself as a
soldier in the Union army, enlisting on June 26,
1862, at the age of eighteen, as a member of Co.
G, Eighteenth Michigan Infantry. This regiment formed a part of the western army and was
engaged in all of the battles of that portion of
the Federal forces, doing some of the hardest
and most disastrous fighting of the war. He
served until victory crowned the Union arms,
then returned to his Michigan home and at once
began to learn the trade of carriagemaking,
which he soon mastered, and thereafter worked at
it in Jonesville for a period of twenty years.
In politics Mr. Baker has never wavered in
his support of the principles of the Democratic
party, although not desiring or willing to accept
public office for himself, he has always given the
candidates of his party earnest and loyal aid,
helping to select them by active participation in
the primary elections, the fountain head of political power in this country. He is a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the
Grand Army 6f the Republic, a regular and interested attendant at the meetings of both organizations. In his business he has prospered by
diligence, capacity and thrift; in public esteem
he stands well and is firmly established; in social life he is companionable and entertaining;
in public spirit, enterprise and progressiveness
he ranks among the best men in the community.
There is scarcely an undertaking, in which the
advancement of the community or the comfort
and welfare of its people have been involved, to
which he has not given active, forceful and timely assistance.
HORACE R. BAKER.
This enterprising and progressive farmer of
Moscow township came to Hillsdale county with
his parents in 1837 when he was but six years
old, the farm on which he now lives having been
his home continuously from that time. Largely
the product of his industry and intelligent cultivation, it represents in a considerable measure
the labors of his past life. He was born in Cayuga county, New York, on September I6, 1831,
the son of William Y. and Elizabeth (Redway)
Baker, each, like himself, native in New York.
The father was a hardware merchant, engaged
in business at different times at Cleveland and
Detroit. In 1837 he brought his family to this
county and purchased I60 acres of unbroken
timber land, the tract on which his son, Horace,
now lives. He did not reside on this land long,
however, being engaged in business elsewhere,
but both he and his wife died here. He was a
man of prominence in his native state, there serving for years as a colonel of militia and in other
positions of trust and importance. The family
consisted of two sons and one daughter, the
daughter and one son are now living. The living
son, Horace R. Baker, attained maturity on the
Hillsdale county homestead and was educated
in the schools of the vicinity and at Jonesville.
At an early age he took charge of the farm and
conducted the work of clearing it and bringing
it into fruitfulness. This has furnished the occupation of his life, and has returned with interest the whole of his investment of labor and
care in its cultivation and improvement. For
some years he has been actively engaged in the
breeding of high-grade coach and trotting horses,
and has a wide reputation for the excellence of
his products in these lines.
Mr. Baker was married in this county in
858 to Miss Ann Eliza Fowle, a cousin of Harmon Fowle, a sketch of whom will be found else
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 217
where in this work, who was a daughter of
Charles Fowle. They have one child, their
daughter, Jennie, now the widow of J. C. Mallory, of Hillsdale county. Since the formation of
the Republican party Mr. Baker has given it his
unwavering allegiance in politics. He is not,
however, an active partisan, and has not been
an office-seeker, although he has served as township treasurer, performing the duties of the office
with efficiency and zeal. His grandfather was a
Joshua Baker, a Scotchman by nativity, who
came to this country in his young manhood and
became a soldier in the Colonial army in the closing years of the Revolution, also doing military
service in the War of 1812. He married Miss
Elizabeth Dickinson, a daughter of William Dickinson, his companion in arms in both wars. Since
the family was first planted on American sQil
its members have been patriotic, devoted to the
best interests of the country, adding to its wealth
and importance in peace, gallantly defending its
dignity and its rights in war. In almost every
line of productive energy they have been diligent
and progressive, in all the attributes of good citizenship they have ever been richly endowed, conspicuous in their several stations for manliness of
character and uprightness of life. He who
stands as their representative in this county at
the present time is in every way worthy of their
companionship, being so considered by the people
among whom his unassuming and serviceable
life has been passed.
PROF. KINGSBURY BACHELDER.
Prof. Kingsbury Bachelder, of the chair of the
Greek language and literature at Hillsdale College, is a native of Prospect, in the state of
Maine, born on October 27, 1841. His parents
were Elijah and Hannah (Piper) Bachelder, also
natives of Maine. The father, a shipbuilder and
farmer, after a long life of usefulness died in
his native state, as did his wife. They were the
parents of four children, all now living but one.
The paternal grandfather of the Professor was
Elijah Bachelder, a prosperous miller, who
passed the whole of his life in Maine, there
took a prominent and active part in public local
affairs and was a leading man.
Professor Bachelder began his education in
the public schools near his home, continued it at
the Hampden (Maine) academy and the Denmer
Institute at Newbury, Mass., a school founded
by Governor Denmer, finishing at Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Maine, where he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in
I87I. He was then employed for a year in
teaching at the Auburn, Maine, high school, after which he spent a year in study. During the
next eight years he was principal of Maine Central Institute at Pittsfield, during the two succeeding years he was a student at the divinity
school of Bates College at Lewiston, Maine. In
I883 he came to Hillsdale, here first occupying
the chair of Latin and literature at the college,
filling the position with great credit to himself
and benefit to the college for a period of five
years, at the end of this time being transferred
to the Greek professorship in which he is still serving. As a teacher he ranks high in capacity of
every kind, especially in that rare one of quickening and stimulating the faculties of his pupils and
helping them to a larger and broader intellectual
power.
Professor Bachelder is full and ripe in scholarship, elevated and broad in character, symmetrical in development and culture, skillful in imparting knowledge, having long since passed the
rank of schoolmaster and reached that of teacher.
He was married in Dover, Maine, on June 27,
I877, to Miss Mary A. Wade, like himself a native of that state. They have no children. The
Professor, while deeply and intelligently interested in the welfare of his country, his state and his
county, and holding decided convictions as to
how to secure it, has never taken part in party
ty politics. In his early life he was made a Freemason and joined the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows. In the peaceful pursuits of his elevating and tranquilizing profession, in the pleasures
of domestic life and the enjoyments of an agreeable and cultivated social circle, and in the comfortable consciousness of possessing the esteem
and good will of his fellow men, of which he has
218
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
many evidences, his days pass smoothly and
pleasantly, and he is approaching the calm and
fruitful autumnal evening of his life, with a record of usefulness and upright living behind him
that is both stimulating in its example and
worthy of a general imitation.
WILLIAM B. NORTHROP.
One of the leading banking and business men
of Hillsdale county, whose untimely death at the
early age of fifty-four, which occurred at Hillsdale, Michigan, on January 30, I902, when his
intellectual powers were at their full maturity
and vigor, was universally lamented, was William
B. Northrop, the popular and efficient cashier of
the Waldron Bank of Reading, a native of Orleans county, New York, where he was born in
I848. His parents were Hiram 0. and Laura A.
(Balcom) Northrop, also natives of New York,
who came to Michigan about I868 and settled at
Reading. The tather, a prosperous farmer in his
native state, continued in that vocation in his
new home, dying at Reading in 1872, universally
respected. His widow survived until I890, when
she too passed away from earth, secure in the esteem of all who had the benefit of her acquaintance. Of their four sons and two daughters only
the daughters and one son are living.
William B. Northrop remained.at his New
York home until the family moved to Michigan,
when, he, too, became a resident of this state,
finishing at Hillsdale College the education begun
in his native state. After leaving college he found
employment as clerk for George G. Cone, of
Reading; after some time profitably spent in his
employ, he entered the service of the Fort Wayne
Railroad as its station agent at Reading, a berth
he filled acceptably during the ensuing ten years.
At the end of that time he associated himself
with C. W. Waldron in the banking business, being cashier of the bank at Reading which bears
the name of that progressive and enterprising
gentleman. He occupied this position for eighteen years. In the meantime the bank was reorganized as a state bank, and, under the new management, Mr. Northrop was again chosen cashier
and continued to act in that capacity until failing
health obliged him to resign in January, I900.
He then took up his residence at Hillsdale and
remained there until he died. After the death of
his parents he owned and operated the old family homestead near iReading, and was connected
in an influential and substantial.way with other
industrial and commercial enterprises.
On September 21, 1882, at East Kendall, N.
Y., he married with Miss Augusta J. Randall, a
native of Monroe county, New York, and a
daughter of Jackson and Julia (King) Randall.
Mrs. Northrop's parents were also natives of
New York and passed their lives in that state.
Three children have come from Mr. Northrop's
felicitous marriage, two of whom died in early
life, and one daughter, Frances L., in still living.
Mr. Northrop was a Republican in politics, but
not an active partisan and by no means was he
in office-seeker. He was one of the best-known
and most highly respected citizens of the county,
possessing the full confidence of the business
world and the cordial regard of all his friends.
WILLIS BAKER.
Like many of the older residents of southern
Michigan, Willis Baker, of Somerset township,
is a native of New York state. He was born in
Wayne county on September 22, I836, the sor
of John F. and P6lly (Lamb) Baker, also New
Yorkers by nativity and well-to-do farmers in
that state. When their son, Willis, who was the
fifth of their ten children, was two weeks old,
they left their New York home, and, by a toilsome and difficult journey of four weeks with ox
teams, came to Michigan, suffering weariness
and privations on the way. They settled in
Hillsdale county on eighty acres of government
land, on which they built the first residence for
civilized man erected in what is now Somerset
township. At that time Adrian, the nearest market, was a hamlet of a few rude cabins, Indians
were abundant in the forest, wild beasts were
numerous and daring. Provisions for the common necessaries of life were often scant and hard
to get. Wild game was, however, plentiful, and
x4._
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 219
the manly spirit which had brought the family
into the wilderness sustained them in their trials. Their progress in clearing the land and reducing it to productiveness was slow, but their
gains were steady, their industry unflagging.
Other settlers soon took up land around them,
and, in time, the whole region was transformed
into one of fruitfulness and beauty. Five children were added to their household after their
arrival in this state, and, as each grew old
enough to work, a new hand was added to the
force of the farm and helped in making its work
effective. J. F. Baker was born at Angelica, Allegany county, New York, on September II, 1807,
the son of William and Katie (Featherby) Baker, the father a native of the same state and the
mother of New England. His father was twice
married and the parent of eighteen children,
of whom only John reached years of, maturity.
John passed his youth and early manhood at the
New York homestead. On January 7, I826, he
was united in marriage with Miss Polly Lamb,
born in I808, a daughter of Isaac and Sally
(Stanley) Lamb, all natives of New York, where
her parents died and were laid to rest with many
demonstrations of popular regret.
After his marriage Mr. Baker settled on a
tract of land in Wayne county, New York, where
the family lived until I836, when they came to
Michigan. During the first year after their arrival in this state they cleared four acres of their
land, and near the close of the next year their log
cabin, their only shelter from the inclement
weather, was burned. Within two weeks after
the disaster, however, another house was built on
another part of the farm, the household goods
being drawn to it on a sled by a yoke of oxen.
Prosperity thereafter followed their labor, and in
time their estate had grown to 200 acres, much
of it being under good cultivation. The father
took an active interest in the educational and
moral advancement of his community. He established the first school in the township and
took up the subscription to pay for the tuition.
In politics he was an uncompromising Democrat
and also an earnest advocate of temperance. After a life of great industry and signal service to
his fellows, his death occurred on May I8, I888,
an(l that of his wife in May, 1893. Of their ten
children four are living. Two are residents of
Hillsdale county, one of Eaton county and one
of California.
Willis Baker is one of the leading farmers
of the county, owning and operating one of its
finest farms. It is located on sections 2I, 28 and
29 of Somerset township and comprises 280 acres
of well-improved and highly cultivated land,
with forty acres of excellent timber land in one
tract in addition. An elegant residence and several commodious and substantial barns add to its
attractiveness and value, its well-bred stock being one of its impressive features. He remained
with his parents on the home farm until he
passed his thirtieth year, receiving his education
at the district schools in the vicinity. On February 21, I867, he married with Miss Emeline
Rickerd, a native of this county, born in Wheatland township, on January 7, 1851, the daughter
of A. B. and Dersy A. (Sales) Rickerd, natives
of New York, and prominent citizens of that
township. They have four children, Alice A.,
wife of W. B. Clancey, who owns and occupies
a farm on section 29 of Somerset township;
Frances E., wife of Dr. H. H. Frazer, of Moscow; Forest W., in the employ of the L. S. &
M. S. Railroad at Hillsdale; Tena E., living with
her parents. In politics Mr. Baker is a pronounced Republican. He has served three terms
as township treasurer, four years as highway
commissioner, two years as drain commissioner,
eight years on the board of review and nine years
on the school board. In every phase of the productive life of the community he has been a potent factor for good.
EPHRAIM BARKMAN.
Ephraim Barkman, a retired merchant of
Jonesville, in this county, whose name has long
been conspicuous in commercial circles in connection with all that is upright and honorable in
business, is one of the best known and most representative citizens of the county. He is a scion
of a family long distinguished in Wales, being
220
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
a lineal descendant of the somewhat noted Sir
James Barkman, of that country. His American
progenitor emigrated to the United States in
Colonial times and settled in the state of New
York, where Mr. Barkman was born on January 4, 1822. From the time the family took root
in American soil it has figured creditably in the
history of its adopted land. It bore its part in the
privation and suffering of the Revolutionary
struggle, in which its members stood around
the great hero of that epoch with fidelity, loyalty
and serviceable zeal. They have been found,
also, at every subsequent period of our history,
bearing themselves gallantly in war, showing
also industry and high character in the productive pursuits of peace. They have rendered good
service in official life, and, as good citizens, they
have exemplified in every walk the best traits of
American citizenship. The representative of the
family who is the subject of this review, has held
up the family name with dignity and credit, and,
by his admirable qualities of head and heart, his
progressiveness and public spirit, his agreeable
exhibition of the amenities and social graces of
life, he has firmly established himself in the respect and esteem Qf the community and the county in which the most of his useful life has been
passed.
His parents were Peter and Esther (Jones)
Barkman, both natives of New York. The father was a farmer and lived by that occupation
until his death in his native state. The paternal
grandfather, Mr. Jacob Barkman, was both born
cnd reared in Wales, coming to the United States
while yet a young man. He was a captain in
the Continental army of the Revolution, sharing
with Benedict Arnold the great privations and
sufferings of his memorable Canadian campaign. He endured the hardships of that service,
shared all the hopes and fears of the devoted
army, sustained the cause of the struggling patriots in the dark hours of defeat, also taking part
in the general rejoicing after the triumphant fall
of Yorktown.
Ephraim Barkman, of this review, was one of
five children and third in the order of birth. He
had three brothers and one sister, all now de
ceased. He was reared and educated in his native state, having no opportunity for scholastic
training beyond that furnished by the primitive
schools in the rude, illy-furnished log schoolhouses, which were then the only institutions of
learning in the rural districts. He began business life for himself as a sailor, shipping from
New Bedford, Massachusetts, on a whaler for a
nine-years' term of service. He became familiar
with the exigencies of wind and wave on every
ocean-and also with the men and manner of life
of almost every foreign country. When the
discovery of gold in California in 1848 thrilled
the world, he left the sea at Honolulu, hastened
to that land of promise and began mining at
Hangtown, now Placerville, seventy miles north
of Sacramento. He continued mining operations
there for two years, with only a moderate success, for the necessaries of life were as costly as
the land was promising, and the residue left from
even rich results, after providing these were correspondingly small. The commercial value of
flour was $400 per barrel, pork bringing readily
$600. In the summer of I849, Mr. Barkman
made a trip to his eastern home, before the autumn returning to California, voyaging with the
first party coming by the isthmus route. He
passed the winter on his claims and in the spring
of I85o was compelled to return to the states by
reason of a serious illness, from which he did
not fully recover for two years.
As soon as he was able to transact business
he engaged in the grocery business at Rochester,
New York, where he remained until the spring
of I857, then came to Michigan and located at
Jonesville. He purchased a farm near the village, which had been partially cleared by its
former owner, on which he lived and worked for
five years, then removed to Jonesville and engaged in a successful business, which he continued until 1884, winning a comfortable competency in' his mercantile career of nearly a quarter of a century, and fixing himself firmly in the
esteem and good will of his fellow men. He
was married in New York, in 1852, to Miss Eliza
Anthony, a native of that state, who died at
Jonesville, in i868, leaving one child, Fred C.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 221
Barkman, now a prosperous and highly esteemed citizen of Detroit. In I873 he contracted
a second marriage, being united to Miss Ann E.
Bentley, also born and reared in New York.
They have one child, their daughter, Edie A.
In politics Mr. Barkman is an ardent Democrat, firmly attached to the principles and policies
of his party, giving on all occasions loyal and active support to its candidates. In fraternal relations he belongs to the Masonic order and for
many years has taken a serviceable and earnest
interest in the progress and prosperity of the
craft. After his long and creditable career he
is enjoying the evening of his life, unvexed by
cares of business, surrounded by hosts of admiring friends, and happy in the recollection of a
well-spent life.
LUTHER BARKER.
A well-known citizen and representative farmer of Hillsdale county, Luther Barker, the subject of this sketch, is a resident of the township
of Adams. He is a native of the county of Herkimer, in the state of New York, and was born
on May 3, 1830, his parents being Vining and
Sally (Davis) Barker, natives of New York.
The father followed the occupation of farming
and removed his residence from his native state
to Michigan, where he settled in Hillsdale county, in I839. Here he engaged in the same pursuit of husbandry and continued as a resident
of this county up to the time of his death, which
occurred ill 1895, the mother passing away in
I873. To this worthy pair were born five sons
and two daughters, four sons are still living,
all residents of Hillsdale county. During his
lifetime the father filled several local offices of
honor and trust, being one of the leading citizens
of the community where he resided. The. paternal grandfather was' Paul Barker, a native of
Connecticut, who removed from that state to
New York when a young man. He was by trade
a ropemaker and met with considerable success
in that pursuit.
Luther Barker grew to manhood on the farm
where he still resides, the farm house in which
he was reared being the first framed dwelling
erected in the township. He attended the district schools in the vicinity of his home, there acquired what little education was possible, but the
educational opportunities then offered to young
people on the frontier was decidedly limited. In
I850 Mr. Barker was united in marriage with
Miss Sarah J. Noyes, a daughter of Gresham
and Lydia (Franklin) Noyes, the former being
a native of Connecticut, and the latter of Pennsylvania. The parents removed to the then territory of Michigan in 1831, where they first established their first home in the new county
of Lenawee, where they continued to maintain
their residence until 1840, when they removed to
the county of Hillsdale. To the union of Mr.
and Mrs. Barker came three children, Anna M.,
now Mrs. L. E. Corbett, of North Adams; J.
Ella, now Mrs. L. Thompson, of Hillsdale county; Vining A., now a resident of the city of
Hillsdale. His wife was formerly Miss Ida
Morey.
Politically, Mr. Barker is identified with the
Republican party, having been for many years
a loyal supporter of that party organization. He
has, however, never sought or desired any office,
preferring to devote his time and his energies
to the exclusive management of his private business interests. For a period of more than fifty
years he has been an active and leading member
of the Baptist church, and he has taken an active
part in all movements calculated to promote the
religious and moral growth and upbuilding of
the community where he has been a resident. He
has seen the county of Hillsdale grow from a
wilderness to its present condition of prosperity
and wealth, and has contributed largely by his
own efforts to that result. By all classes of his
'fellow citizens he is honored for his long and
useful life, and for his many sterling traits of
character.
DR. CHARLES W. BARNABY.
For ten years Dr. Charles W. Barnaby of
Somerset Center has been in the active practice
of his profession, for more than seventeen years
222
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
a diligent student of the science of medicine.
When he began practicing, he was well prepared
for the exercise of the important and delicate
functions of a physician and surgeon by his long
studies and preparation, for these had thoroughly
trained his naturally quick and resourceful mind.
Since he has been busily occupied in the work,
to which he has devoted his life, he has kept up
with its progressive currents by judicious and
reflective reading, and he has been so keenly
observant of its manifestations in his own experience that no means of mastering the profession available to him have been overlooked
or neglected. By this course of well-applied and
systematic industry he has won skill and accuracy in the practice, extensive knowledge and
breadth of view in the literature of his domain of beneficent activity, and through these
qualifications he has secured a strong and
well-founded hold on the confidence of the
community, which has repaid his energy and
devotion with a generous patronage and with a
cordial personal regard. He is a native son
of this state, born in Monroe county, Mich., on
September 7, I865. His parents are John and
Mary (Randall) Barnaby, prosperous farmers
and'esteemed citizens of Monroe county, the
former being a native of New York and the latter of Michigan.
Doctor Barnaby received his scholastic training in the public schools of Monroe and Ann
Arbor, beginning the study of medicine, in I886,
under the direction of Doctor Sawyer, of Monroe. In I887 he entered the medical department
of the State University at Ann Arbor, where he
remained two years. He then quit school for a
time to act as an assistant to Doctor Sawyer,
getting in this way a most valuable experience
in practice, later, in I890, entering the Detroit
Medical College where he was graduated in
I893. He at once began the practice of medicine
in Monroe county of this state, remaining there
nearly four years, then, in I897, he settled at
Somerset Center, in Hillsdale county, since that
time being one of the busy, progressive and
highly esteemed' professional men of this part of
the state. He is a member of the county and
state.medical societies, and has given their meetings and proceedings a close and careful attention
and their researches valuable aid. On August
7, i89o, he was united in marriage with Miss
Cornelia Chapman, a native of this state, and
a member of one of its prominent families. In
fraternal relations he is a Freemason, an Odd
Fellow and a Knight of the Maccabees. He has
a high rank in professional circles, a secure and
elevated place in the confidence and esteem of
the public.
DR. NATHANIEL H. BARNES.
Devoting his long and useful life to the cause
of humanity in two lines of serviceable professioual activity, in spite of his own unstable health
and failing strength for many years laboring
earnestly for the benefit of his kind, the late
Dr. Nathaniel H. Barnes of this county won a
high place in public esteem and in the regard of
his fellow men by merit, dying in the fullness of
years universally respected. He was born at
Grafton, Mass., on November io, I816, his parents, Nathaniel and Levina (Forbush) Barnes,
having moved to that town from their native
state of Connecticut soon after their marriage.
The father was prosperously engaged in the
manufacture of boots and shoes, after years of
successful business at Grafton changing his base
of operations to Ashville, N. Y., where he died
at a good old age. The mother passed away at
Portland in the same state.
Doctor Barnes was educated in the public
schools of Chautauqua county, New York, and
from the academy atJamestown he was graduated
at the end of a full academic course of instruction. He then began the study of medicine under the direction of Dr. Stephen Eaton, of Silver
Creek, near his home, later attending lectures at
the Cleveland (Ohio) Medical College, thereafter becoming a student of the Auburn Theological Seminary, from which he was graduated
ir.I834. Entering the ministry, he assumed
charge of the Presbyterian church at Portland,
New York, remained there and in the state until
1851, when he came to Brooklyn, Michigan, and,
HILLSDAL
after a short residence at that place, s
Dowagiac, where he entered actively on t
tice of medicine. In I86I he again ent
ministry, during the next fourteen years
his time between this state and New Y
I875 he settled permanently in Michiga
ing his home at Brooklyn until 1882, wh(
moved to Hillsdale, where he maintained
dence until his death in 1884. He we
esteemed as a pulpit orator, his pastors
were performed in a manner that brou
general commendation; while in the prz
medicine and surgery, he was eminen
cessful, standing high in the display of
ment of human sympathy and intuitive
edge of the disposition of a patient whir
a physician so much advantage in the tt
of disease. He kept himself well posted
lines of his professional work, reading
literature of both the theological and
fields, assimilating by careful and stud
servation its teachings, and taking great
in the proceedings of the medical societic
states of New York and Michigan, and of
tion, of which he was a valued member
Doctor Barnes was twice married,
October, I847, with Miss M. Ann Be
Olean, New York, who died in 1853,
I856 he married Miss Sarah E. Laad,
of Oneida county, New York. They I
children, their daughter Eleanor G. ai
son Ernest H. For many years prece(
death the Doctor was in an invalid c(
but he was nevertheless a tireless worke
medical profession and in church affairs
all of his time and energy to the se
others in these departments of usefulnes
ing himself to their demands with uncc
ing self-denial and devotion to duty.
his short life in Hillsdale he made many
among the people.
CHAUNCEY O. BEECHER.
The pioneers of the West in the
States, like their prototypes of an earlier
the Atlantic coast, were men of heroi,E COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 223
ettled at fitted by nature for daring, endurance, self-rethe prac- liance, unyielding perseverance and final conered the quest. No danger ever daunted them, no toil dedividing terred, no hardship overcame them. They planted
ork. In their feet in the wilderness, and, assuming the
in, mak- lordship of the heritage, they went boldly foren he re- ward, making good their assumption. Of this
his resi- class were Walter and Mary E. (Hopkins)
as much Beecher, parents of Chauncey O. Beecher, the
il duties subject of this review. They were natives and
ght him prosperous farmers of Orleans county, New
actice of York, and, when their son, Chauncey, was a.tly suc- year old, in I837, they came to Michigan from
that ele- their Eastern home, bringing their family, and,
knowl- coming through Canada, they made the whole
ch gives journey in a sleigh. They settled in Jackson
reatment county, entering and thereafter clearing forty
in both acres of government land, which, in 1848, after
the best greatly improving and bringing to a good state
scientific of cultivation, they traded for a farm in. Hillsious ob- dale county, which was fully cleared and parinterest tially improved. Here they then took up their
es in the residence, and in this county they remained unf the na- til death ended their labors, that of the mother
r. occurring in 1877 and that of the father in I897,
first in the last ten years of the life of Mr. Beecher bennie, of ing passed at North Adams. Three of their
while in children reached years of maturity and are yet
a native living in this township, Joseph L.,'Mrs. Daniel
had two Hoxie and Chauncey O. Beecher. The father
nd their was a great worker, lived to the age of eightyding his four years, while both he and his wife were
ondition, zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal
r in the church. Mr. Beecher's grandfather, also named,, giving Chauncey, was a farmer and a native of New
rvice of York, where he died.,s, yield- Chauncey O. Beecher was born in Orleans
)mplain- county, New York, on March 13, 1836. Before
During he concluded his first year of earthly existence
r friends he made the long journey to Michigan, already
alluded to, in a sleigh with his parents, and, since
then he has lived in this state, part of the time
in Jackson county, and the remainder in Hillsdale. He received his limited education in and
United from books at the little log school houses in the
r day on vicinity of his homes, between the terms assistic mold, ing in the ardous but exhilarating work of the
224
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
farm. The country was wild and unsettled, the
population was sparse, neighbors were few and
it was far between them, wolves and bears were
plentiful and Indians were not unknown. The
privations of frontier life -and its many trials
and dangers were present in the experience of
his early years. Yet the life of the pioneer had
a rich spice of adventure in it for him, being full
6f wholesome nutriment for the spirit as well as
of vigor for the body. It bred strength and
suppleness of limb and force and breadth of
character. It made men self-reliant in emergencies and gave them courage and endurance
wherewithal to confront them. Scarcely a week
passed without its measure of excitement or its
hurried call to quick and extra exertion. But the
forces of civilization were resolute and resourceful and the conquest of savagery was
steady and continuous.
Mr. Beecher remained at home until his parents grew old and when the father retired from
active business became the owner of the homestead. It still belongs to him, is the home of his
age, as it was of his youth, and like all the
country around him, it has advanced in development, grown in value with the flight of time and
the continued application of systematic labor,
until it is now in itself a competency for life.
In I856, in Eaton county, this state, Mr. Beecher
married with Miss Jane Weeks, a native of Orleans county, New York, being a daughter of
Solomon and Electa (Olds) Weeks of the same
nativity, who came to Michigan with their young
family, in 1852, and passed the rest of their days
in Eaton county, retiring from life after long
and useful lives in the enjoyment of the full confidence and the high respect of their fellows.
Mr. and Mrs. Beecher have had three children,
their daughters Harriet A., Myra E. and Lula
M., all of whom are living. The head of the
house has been an ardent Republican from the
very foundation of the party, reaching his majority soon after its birth in I856, and casting
his first vote for some of its earliest candidates.
He has taken an active interest in the affairs of
the party, being also honored with places of
trust and importance in its gift, such as town
ship treasurer and other local offices. For many
years he has been a devotee before the sacred
altars of Freemasonry, and has given the affairs
of the fraternity, especially those of his lodge,
close and helpful attention. He is well known
throughout the county and holds a high and secure place in the esteem of its people.
LEVI BELDEN.
Coming to Michigan in I835, when he was
but twelve years old, and living in Hillsdale
county all the rest of his life, the late Levi Belden, of Somerset township, may fairly be classed
among the products and the representative men
of the state. He saw practically the beginning
of her civilization, and lived on her soil long
enough to see it transformed from a wilderness
to a garden, fruitful with the products and
fragrant with the flowers of an advanced civilization, its industries glowing with life, its commerce whitening the seas,, the populations that
feed upon its bounty striding forward with a
wholesome and steady development that challenged all moods of the financial world, and now
commands them all. Mr. Belden was born at
Whitley, Massachusetts, on February I6, 1823.
His parents were Jeremiah and Anna (Belden)
Belden, natives of the same state, where they
were engaged in farming until 1835, when they
migrated to Michigan and settled in this county.
They entered a tract of 138 acres of government
land, and, after building a little log cabin, settled down to the work of clearing their homestead and making a farm of it. Their situation
was full of difficulty and danger. It was a
destiny of toil and privation to which they had
come, for awhile at least, and the natural beauty
and wealth of their surroundings, great as they
were, did not compensate for all the conveniences
and comforts of cultivated life from which they
had voluntarily separated themselves. But they
accepted the lot they had sought with resignation
and engaged in its activities with courage and
determination. In a very little while nature grew
tame under their caresses and they began to feel
joy in the conquest they were winning over her
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
225
wild conditions. The land
assumed a homelike appea
time their labors were endc
comfortable and comely e,
very soil from which the sa
wigwam of the Indian had
energy and persistency. I
their days in this new hoi
scended to their son Levi, v
from the age of twelve on
where he had been educatec
its labors and in the country
hardy pioneers had helped
tain. There were four chi:
all of whom have now paid
ture, except one daughter,
Levi- Belden assisted in cl
in making the improvement
it. He remained at home u
parents, taking filial care o
age. He inherited the horn
tinued on it the systematic
dustry which his father ha(
mindful of the long jaunt
through which they had cc
when a single ox team and
all their earthly possessions,
larger opportunity to which
attendant hardships had
He married on February I
Abigail R. Walsh, like hi
Massachusetts, a daughter o
riet (Thayer) Walsh, of th
pioneers in Jackson county
and Mrs. Belden had three c
now wife of Delos Smith, <
who has two children, Flo)
Rosa A., deceased; Elmer I
gressive farmers of Hillsdale
Mr. Belden was a Whig for
a Republican upon the organi
and, although a man of fi
steadfast loyalty to them, he
partisan and neither sought
office at any time. One fea
operations, which gave him a
reputation, was his skill and
became productive,
trance, and, by the
ed, they had built a
stablishment on the
vage beasts and the
been forced by their
3oth parents ended
me, which then devho had been reared
its developing area,
I for life's duties by
schools, which these
to create and mainldren in the family.
sheep of superior grades. In religious faith he
was a Universalist, being active in the affairs
of this church, serving for years as a trustee and
taking a leading part in all its works of benevolence. Throughout his life he was a close
student of the Bible, the teachings of which he
followed with devotion and humility. His useful life ended on the homestead on June 22,
I9Q0, when he was seventy-eight years old, and
he was laid to rest with every evidence of popular esteem.
SPENCER D. BISHOPP.
the last debt of na- "Merrie England" has contributed in many
now in California. ways to the growth and development of our
learing the farm and country, in none, however, have her contribu-:s which now adorn tions been more valuable and considerable than
ntil the death of his in the domain of the learned professions. The
f them in their old Pulpit, the Bench, the Bar, the domain of Mediiestead and he con- cal Science, all branches of college instruction
and productive in- are deeply indebted to the Mother Country for
d begun, never un- brain, character and scholarship. Spencer D.
across the country Bishopp, a former prosecuting attorney of Hills)me to this section, dale county, is one of her valued contributions
I one wagon hauled to the legal profession in this part of the land.
ever grateful for the He was born at Lenhome Farm in Kent, Engthat jaunt with its land, on October I7, 1845., his parents, Edward
opened the way. W. and Matilda E. (David) Bishopp, being also
6, 1856, with Miss natives of England, who emigrated to the United
imself a native of States in 1853, and, locating in Illinois, there
f William and Har- engaged in farming and passed the remainder
ie same state, early of their days, the father dying in 1882, and the
of this state. Mr. mother in I893. They were the parents of seven:hildren, Harriet E., sons and two daughters, of whom six of the sons
of Hillsdale county, and one of the daughters are living.
rd E. and R. Bell; Mr. Bishopp passed his early school days in
L., one of the pro- Illinois, in the winter of 1867 entering Hillsdale
county. In politics College, from which educational institution he
years, then became was graduated in 1874, having been engaged in
ization of that party, teaching during a portion of that time, for the
rm convictions and necessary financial reinforcement to continue
was never an active his course. After his graduation he began the
nor desired public study of law in the office of Col. E. J. March of
ture of his farming Hillsdale, and, in 1877, was admitted to the bar.
i high and extended He began the practice of the law at once and has
success in breeding followed it steadily from that time. He served
226
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
as circuit court commissioner four years from
1878, and, in I888, was elected prosecuting attorney, serving in this office until I893. From
I898 to I9oo he was county drainage commissioner, and he is now serving as supervisor
for the Third ward.
In politics Mr. Bishopp is an active and loyal
Republican, who has annually taken the stump
in behalf of hiss party since 1874, giving also
wise and valued counsel and service to its cause
in committee duty and its general management.
He is allied with the Masons and the Knights of
Pythias of the fraternal societies, and to the welfare of each he gives a close and helpful attention. On October 17, 1877, he married with Miss
Margaret C. Chase, a native of Saco, Maine,
who died on June 12, 1901. 'Two children were
children were born to them, Spencer C. and Hatborn to them, Spencer C. and Hattie J.
As a true citizen Mr. Bishopp has given
every evidence of devoted loyalty to the land of
his adoption, in his profession he has not only
won distinction and exalted position, but has secured the confidence and respect of his professional brethren; in the matter of local and
general improvements and in the elevation of
the community he has been foremost with
sagacious counsel and substantial aid; in social
life he is recognized as an ornament,a graceful
support to all the bland amenities, a valuable
and solid member of the body politic.
WILLIAM BOONE.
One of the leading farmers of Woodbridge
township in this county, is William Boone, a
native of Somersetshire, England, who was born
there on January 7, I854. His parents were
James and Louisa (Loxstone) Boone, both of the
same nativity as was himself. The father, in his
native land a farmer, came to the United States
with his young family in I856, settled in Yates
county, New York, and lived there until I865,
when he moved to Michigan, where he had purchased io6 acres of land partially cleared and
improved. On this farm he made his permanent home, to its development and further im
provement he devoted his energies, and on it,
after a long career of useful labor, he died in
I89I. His widow survived him five years and
died in I896. They had eleven children, seven
sons and four daughters, and nine of them are
living, five being residents of Hillsdale county.
The father took no special interest in politics,
for his farm work and his domestic life filled the
measure of his desires and gave agreable occupation to all his faculties. At the same time he
was deeply interested in the welfare of the locality in which he had cast his lot, and aided in
every proper way to advance and improve it.
The grandfather was John Boone, who died
when James, his son, was an infant.
William Boone grew to manhood in Hillsdale county, and received a limited education in
its public schools. He remained at home until
he was twenty years of age, and then began life
for himself by settling on a rented farm of I20
acres of good land half a mile east of the homestead. Three years later he rented 320 acres
near Jonesville, which he farmed successfully
one year. After living on the old homestead one
year he bought sixty-one and a half acres of
land upon which he located, and upon which he
has since resided. This he has developed and improved, and he also owns and cultivates the
homestead, managing all of his agricultural operations with success and energy.
He bought his first land from money saved
from rented farms, and he located on it in the
spring of I879. He has since replaced the old
house with a modern brick residence, barn and
outbuildings to correspond therewith, and he has
one of the model farms of his township. In 1874
he married Miss Alice Hinkle, a native of Hillsdale county, a daughter of Samuel and Flora
(Benedict) Hinkle, early settlers in Wright
township. Mr. and Mrs. Boone have four children, Cora L., William J., Charles E. and Claude
E. Mr. Boone is a Republican in political allegiance, has served as township treasurer two
years, and fraternally, he is connected with the
Odd Fellows and the Patrons of Husbandry,
giving valuable aid to the life and activity of both
orders. He is one of the well-to-do farmers of
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 227
the township in which he lives, having ever so
demeaned himself as to win and keep the regard
and good will of all who know him, and the
respect and confidence of the people.
WILLIAM L. BIBBINS.
The present postmaster at Jerome, Somerset
township, in this county, is William L. Bibbins,
one of the leading business men of this section
of the state, whose appointment in 1896 was
generally approved by the patrons of the office,
and whose reappointment, in 1900, was a universally desired and a well-merited reward for
his fidelity and capacity during his first term.
Mr. W. L. Bibbins was born in Moscow township, Hillsdale county, Mich., on December 25,
i865, being the son of Amaziah and Ann
(Squires) Bibbins, a sketch of whom will be
found on another page. He was raised and
educated in the county and followed farming until he was twenty-one, then began a hardware
trade at Moscow which he conducted for four
years, during two of which he also served as
postmaster at that town. From there he removed to Benton Harbor where he was engaged
in the manufacture of cigars until I893,, when
he returned to this county, soon after his arrival
locating at Jerome. Here he started a second
hardware business, which he is still successfully conducting with expanding volume and increasing profits. In 1896 he was appointed
postmaster of the village and in 900o was reappointed. In this year he succeeded in establishing a rural free delivery route, it being the
first of the kind in this part of the county. This
has succeeded in vigor and effectiveness, and in
popular approval, beyond the expectations of the
friends of the movement, and has won warm
commendation of his enterprise and persistency
in behalf of its inauguration.
In addition to his mercantile industry, Mr.
Bibbins is largely interested in business ventures which have an important bearing on the
industrial and commercial life of the community,
being a stockholder in the Jerome Brick & Tile
Co., the Jerome Brick & Cement Co., and the
14
Jerome Creamery Co., all productive factors in
the business enterprise of the town, yielding
their due proportion of the effective force which
makes Jerome a live and bustling manufacturing
and trading center. Mlr. Bibbins was married in
I889 with Miss Maud Wyllis of Moscow, and
their attractive home has been brightened and
enlivened by the birth of two children, their sons
Laurence and Leal. In politics Mr. Bibbins
has been a Republican from his young manhood,
in fraternal relations he has belonged to the
Masonic order in blue lodge and chapter for a
definite number of years, holding membership
at Jonesville, and to the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows with membership at Jerome. The
family are valued members of the best social
circles, well-esteemed among all classes.
FREDERICK SEWARD BLACKMAR.
In the township over whose interests he now
(1903) presides as supervisor, that of Moscow,
Frederick Seward Blackmar was born on July
6, 1848. His parents, Osborn B. and Lazette
(Miller) Blackmar, were natives of New York
where they were prosperous farmers for a number of years after their marriage. In 1831, they
became a part of the host of emigrants to the
wilderness of this state, and,, settling in Moscowv
township, entered a tract of government land,
which was then virgin to the plow and the systematic industry of man. On this they dwelt in
a rude log cabin they constructed, until advancing fortune, and the rich fruits of their labor,
enabled them to provide a better residence and
greater conveniences of life. While clearing
their land and reducing it to cultivation they also
kept a tavern on the Chicago road, which was a
popular and much needed resort for weary wayfarers and new-comers like themselves, and
which furnished to their young and observant
son, whose life-story is the theme of these paragraphs, many phases of human nature for valuable contemplation and many useful lessons for
the battle of life in which he, himself, was soon
to engage.
In 1848 the father joined the eager Argo
228
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
nauts, who flocked to California in search of
gold, making the trip overland, experiencing all
its privations, dangers and many thrilling adventures. For two years he was a successful prospector and miner,, and, in 1851, when perhaps
about to return home, he was waylaid and
killed by highwaymen in Grass Valley near
Nevada City, being also robbed of the fruits of
his labor. His remains were buried, and have
since rested, beneath the soil of that state, and
his family continued the enterprises in this
county which he had begun. Some years after
his arrival in this county he made an exhibit of
some thoroughbred stock at a state agricultural
fair, which was the first exhibit of the kind ever
made from the county. In many other ways he
showed himself to be an enterprising and progressive man, deeply interested in the development of the section of country in which he had
cast his lot. He was a captain of the territorial
militia of Michigan, and contributed essentially
in keeping up the much-needed martial spirit of
its people, for, in those days, danger from hostile Indians was ever present. At his death he
left two sons and two daughters of whom three
are living, Frederick and his two sisters. Their
mother died in I870, having survived her husband nearly twenty years. She lived to enjoy
an undisturbed peace after many trials, a comfortable rest after many exhausting labors. The
paternal grandfather, Lyman Blackmar, was a
native of Massachusetts who moved from that
state to Erie county, New York, where he rose
to local distinction, serving for a long time as
probate judge. From there he came to Michigan with his son. He died in Iowa, but is
buried in Hillsdale county. He was a soldier in
the War of 1812, and, in all public affairs involving the welfare of his country in general,
or the particular section in which he was living,
took an active part. The maternal grandfather,
Miller, was also a judge in New York, and later
an honored pioneer in this state.
Frederick Seward Blackmar grew to rnanhood in this county, and received a good education in the public schools, and at Hillsdale College, finishing with a course at a commercial
college in Chicago. After leaving school he
cultivated the paternal estate for a short time,
then went to California, spent thirty months in
mining in that state and Nevada, thence returning to Michigan over the Union Pacific Railroad, which had just been completed. He took
a portion of the home farm to work and has
since then been actively engaged in farming
and in buying and shipping cattle, carrying on
a thriving business, giving a due share of his
time and energies to the improvement and progress of the township and the county of his residence. In politics he has been devoted to the
interests of the Republican party throughout his
mature life, and during the past five years he
has been supervisor of Moscow township, while
during the last six years he has served as a
director of the county agricultural society. For
many years he held membership in two of the
fraternal orders, the Patrons of Husbandry and
the Knights of the Maccabees, and, in these
organizations, as in every other enterprise with
which he has been connected, he made his influence felt for the general good and advancement of
the community and that of the interests in charge.
He was married in 1871 to Miss Emma A.
Ward, born in New York state, the daughter of
John H. and Sarah A. Ward,, also natives of that
state. They have three children living, Milton
W. and Edgar 0., residents of Buffalo, New
York, and Frederick S., Jr., now a student at the
State University at Ann Arbor.
WILLIAM H. BREZEE.
The honored William H. Brezee, of Somerset
township, whose life of more than three score
years in this county was full of usefulness and
creditable achievement, and was typical of the
best American citizenship, was born in Wayne
county, New York, in I829, and, in I836,when he
was but seven years old, he came with his parents,
James and Frances (Copeland) Brezee, to Michigan. Mr. Brezee was reared as a farmer and was
educated at the district schools in the vicinity of
his home. He did not, however,.long follow the
family vocation, but for a number of years was
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
J
229
engaged in teaching, and for many more he was
in the employ of the New York Life Insurance
Co. He was a gentleman of fine business qualifications, who won a gratifying success in.every
line of active usefulness in which he was employed, taking high rank among business men and
securing for himself the general respect and good
will of the communities in which he lived. In
I850 he was married to Miss Margaret Simpson,
a daughter of Andrew and Catherine.(McNabb)
Simpson, natives of New York. Her father died
in Canada in I835, and her mother in Hillsdale
county in I837. Mr. and Mrs. Breeze became the
parents of five children, who are all dead but Mrs.
Minnie I. Bowman, wife of A. C. Bowman, of
Petoskey, Mich. Mr. Brezee ever took active interest in matters affecting the welfare of the township and county, and served for years as justice of
the peace at Somerset. He belonged to the
Masonic order holding membership in the lodge
at Moscow. He was well known and highly respected throughout the county, and, during all
of the many years he walked quietly along the
streets and roads of the county of his residence,
malice nor envy never dared to breathe a breath
of scandal against his honored name.
ALBERT B. BUCK.
The late Albert B. Buck of Moscow township,
whose life was cut short by an untimely death
at the early age of fifty years, on November 25,
1897, when his usefulness was pronounced and
general, and all his faculties in full and fruitful
vigor, was one of the representative citizens and
business men of Hillsdale county, in whose career may be found suggestive lessons of the power,of thrift, industry, and elevation and force of
character. He was a prominent live stock dealer
and farmer, who conducted all his business on
lofty principles and with a progressive spirit. He
was born on May o0, 1847, on the paternal homestead of his parents, Israel and Jane E. (Green)
Buck, pioneers of this county. They were natives of New York who emigrated to Michigan
in its early days, and, while enduring all the difficulties incident to frontier life, zealously aided in
overcoming them, and establishing in what was
then the wilds of the far West a polity of enduring value and vitality. Their ancestors were English Quakers, admirable examples of the sterling
virtues of that sturdy people.
When Israel Buck arrived in Hillsdale county
with his young family in 1835, he bought 200
acres of land, as yet virgin to the plow and the
hand of the husbandman, and settled down to the
arduous work of reclaiming it from its wild condition. With his wife he lived in this county for
nearly fifty years and won the high respect and
the lasting good will of all of its people. She died
on January 26, 1882, at the age of seventy-four,
and he on July I6, I886, at that of seventy-nine.
They were persons of sound judgment, progressive spirit and commendable breadth of view.
In politics Mr. Buck was long an Abolitionist, and
a loyal and devoted Republican. Their family consistedt of four sons and two daughters: John L.;
Emily, now the widow of Hon. George C. Wyllis,
a sketch of whom appears on another page;
James J., a prominent attorney of Emporia, Kansas; Helen, the wife of George B. Hall, of Aberdeen, South Dakota; Edmund and Albert B.
Albert B. Buck, the last born of the family,
was well trained on the homestead in all its duties
of useful and productive labor.* He received a
good education, in the district schools near his
home, supplemented by a thorough course of
study at Hillsdale College. Having a natural aptitude for the business, after leaving college he
engaged in farming as his life work, and was eminently successful. He acquired the ownership of
a farm of I70 acres of fine, arable land, and this
he cultivated with assiduous industry and the
skill gained from active practice, close observation and judicious reading. The residence and
other improvements were in keeping with his elevated taste and excellent judgment, the appurtenances being of.the most approved type. In
connection with his farming operations he was
extensively interested in live stock, keeping regularly from fifteen to forty cattle and feeding
annually from 500 to 700 for shipment to the
Buffalo markets;
Mr. Buck married on November 7, 1869, Miss
230
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Sarah E. Smith, a native of Cayuga county, New
York, and daughter of Samuel and Sophronia
(Huff) Smith, of Moscow township. Like her
husband she was of Quaker ancestry and was
reared in the faith of the Society of Friends. She
received a good education in the public schools,
and, being highly endowed by nature with force
of character and mental capacity, she became a
capable business manager. Since the lamented
death of Mr. Buck she has managed the affairs of the farm with success and vigor, keeping its work up to the high standard reached by
him. Six children came to bless the family circle,
M1\ate, Levi, Etta, Lillian, Ruth E. and Rena
Ethyl. In politics Mr. Buck was a staunch Republican. He took great interest in the cause of
education, and, by a service of nearly twenty years
as a school officer, he was potential in broadening
the spirit of the community in reference to this
important branch of public utility, elevating and
improving the system in many ways. He occupied an enviable position in social circles, being
widely and justly esteemed as a liberal, progressive and public-spirited man, always in support of
local improvements and whatever tended to the
general welfare.
JONATHAN J. RAMSDELL.
Among the men who are most beneficial to agricultural communities, are those who breed and
sell superior grades of stock. They greatly aid in
raising the standard of this necessary adjunct of
the farming industry throughout large sections
of country, at the same time draw attention from
other sections to the stock business in their own.
By so doing they make the other advantages of
their section to be known in a much larger extent
of territory. One of the most prominent and successful of the promoters of this line of enterprise
in Hillsdale county, is Jonathan J. Ramsdell, proprietor of the Maple Grove stock farm in Moscow
township, who is widely and favorably known
among breeders of fine stock, having an excellent
name in the markets around him for the excellence
of his products and the straightforward manner
in which his business is conducted.
Mr. Ramsdell was born in Wayne county,
New York, in 1833, the son of Abraham and Abigail (Mallory) Ramsdell, both natives of that
county, where they were reared, educated and
married and where they were also, successfully engaged in farming until I844, when they came to
Michigan. The next year after their arrival in
this state they purchased the farm on which their
son, Jonathan, now lives. This was partially
cleared and had some improvements upon it.
They devoted their energies to bring it to a better state of development during the remainder
of their lives, living there until death, that of the
mother occurring at the age of sixty-three, on
September 14, 1876, and that of the father on
January I9, I889, when he was eighty years old.
The grandfather, Jonathan Ramsdell, moved from
his native state of Massachusetts to Wayne county, New York, in early life, there became an extensive landholder, clearing a tract of 400 acres,
and cultivating it with profit until his death. He
was a Friend in religious belief, a leader in the
councils and services of the church. His son and
daughter-in-law were also birthright Quakers.
Jonathan J. Ramsdell was the second born of
the nine children in the family of his parents, all
being now deceased, except himself and two of his
brothers. From the age of eleven in years he resided in this county, received his education in its
public schools, began the battle of life for himself as a cultivator of its soil, and has been one
of its progressive and forceful citizens all of his
mature life. He was married in 1858 to Miss
Elizabeth Westover, a native of Wayne county,
New York, and they have seven children, Ashley, Minnie, wife of Adelbert Turner; Abbie,
Alena and Aletha (twins), Garfield, and Olie,
now Mrs. Teft. In politics Mr. Ramsdell is a Republican. He has served as township treasurer
and justice to the peace. He belongs to the Masonic order and the Methodist Episcopal church.
His father served the township a number of years
as supervisor and also a long time as justice of
the peace. Mr. Ramsdell has given much attention to the breeding of Delaine sheep and has produced some prize winners in that line. He also
breeds a high grade of Shorthorn cattle.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
231
GEORGE W. BUELL.
Among the thrifty, self-reliant and resourceful people of Vermont, who seem able to dare
everything, endure everything, overcome everything that fate sends in the way of hardship and
adversity, and to accomplish everything upon
which they set their hearts, lived and flourished
the paternal ancestors of George W. Buell, of
Moscow township; the manly qualities which they
exhibited amid the mountains and rugged landscapes of that state have in him been prolific of
profitable business for himself, being also productive of much good to the community on the more
genial and responsive soil of this great state of
Michigan. He is, however,'a native of Michigan,
born in St. Joseph county on December 29, I857.
His parents were William and Mary A. (McKercher) Buell, the father being a native of New
York and the mother of Hillsdale county. His
father, a millwright by trade, built the first sawmill operated at Centreville in St. Joseph county,
and, in connection with his father, conducted its
industry until '865.
He then moved to this county and settled on
the farm now occupied by his son, George, which
he purchased and upon which he lived until his
George W. Buell was reared and educated
in this county, where he began life for himself as a farmer, an occupation to which he
has steadfastly adhered through all the subsequent years of his career, resisting many importunities to quit it for the bright glamour of
official position or for the glittering promises of
mercantile life. In 1882 he was married with
Miss Laura Leonard, born a native of Scipio
township and a sister of George Leonard, a respected citizen of that portion of the county.
They have three children, Elna F., Lena M. and
Warren M., all living at the parental home. In
fraternal relations Mr. Buell belongs to the
Knights of the Maccabees and the Patrons of
Husbandry, holding membership in the bodies of
these orders located at Moscow. He and his
wife attend service at the Methodist Episcopal
church and take active parts in much of its work
of benevolence. Since the advent of the family
into the state, its name has been held in high esteem as a synonym for elevation in manhood,
service in citizenship, uprightness in life and fair
dealing in business.
WILLIAM E. CARTER.
death in I898. Two years later his widow fol- One of the honored. pioneers of Adams townlowed him to the other world, the remains of ship, Hillsdale county, Michigan, and, one of the
both now resting beneath the sod of Moscow substantial farmers and property owners of that
township. The grandfather, Joseph Buell, was a section of the state, is William E. Carter, the subnative of Vermont and came to St. Joseph county, ject of this sketch. A native of the county of
this state, in I833. Here he remained and did Lorain, state of Ohio, he was born on March 12,
good work in clearing a wild tract of land and I828, the son of William and Jane (Stewart)
making it into an attractive farm, living in that Carter, the former a native of Connecticut, the
county all the rest of his life, except five years, latter of the state of New York. The father was
dying there in I895. The maternal grandfather, a farmer by occupation, one of the earliest pioJohn McKercher, came to Hillsdale county in an neers of Lorain county, Ohio, where he passed
early day, and, in company with his brothers, pur- most of the years of his active life. Subsequently
chased and cleared up 360 acres of heavily tim- he removed his residence to Michigan, where he
bered land, on which he died of cholera in the settled on a farm in Rawlins township, Lenawee
forties. Six children composed the household of county, and continued to make that his residence
George W. Buell's parents, of this number-four up to the time of his death, which occurred in
are living, George being the only one resident in I872. During the War of 1812 he was a soldier
Hillsdale county. The parents were First Day in the American army, there experiencing a good
Adventists in religious faith and passed their deal of active and dangerous service. He was one
lives in consistent devotion to their creed. of two sons, his brother being a captain of an
232
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ocean vessel. He raised a family of one son and
four daughters, all of whom grew to manhood
and womanhood. The mother passed away in
Lorain county, Ohio.
William E. Carter of this sketch grew to years
of maturity in his native county of Lorain and received his early education in the log schoolhouses
in the vicinity of his boyhood home. Compelled
by circumstances to leave school at the early age
of fourteen years, he began the occupation of
farming in Ohio, and continued to reside there
up to 1852, when he came to Lenawee county,
Michigan, purchased a small farm and there remained until 1862. He then removed his residence to Hillsdale county, and purchased a farm
in the township of Pittsford. Selling this place
some time later, he purchased farms in Wheatland and Jefferson townships. In 1872 he purchased his present farm in Adams township, consisting of 200 acres, and has since made his residence here. It is widely known as one of the finest and best improved farms in Hillsdale county.
On March I8, 1851, Mr. Carter was married in
his native state of Ohio, with Miss Anna Ferguson, a native of that state and the daughter of
Stephen and Sarah (Goodrich) Ferguson, the
former a native of Scotland and the latter of
England. They removed in early life to Ohio and
there resided during their long and active lives.
To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Carter were born
four children, Fernando, Rudolph, Alvando and
Mary, the late Mrs. H. M. Lamb, who died on
October 14, I902. The surviving three children
are still residents of the state of Michigan.
Politically, Mr. Carter has all his life been a
stanch adherent of the Republican party, but has
never sought public office, preferring to devote
his entire time and attention to the exclusive management of his private business affairs. And in
this he has met with great success. He has been
for many years a prominent and active member
of the Patrons of Husbandry, having been largely instrumental in building up that organization
in Hillsdale county, where it has been and is such
a power for good; and where it has done so much
to promote the general interest of the entire community. Mr. Carter is a man of high standing
in the county which has been his home and the
scene of his activities for so many years, and enjoys the respect of all classes of citizens.
BARTLETT H. BUMP.
Bartlett H. Bump, supervisor of Wheatland
township, is wholly a product, and essentially a
representative, of the township in which he lives,
having passed the whole of his life so far within
its borders. He was born in the township on
August 9, 1845, was reared amid its active industries, was educated in its public schools and has
ever since drawn from its soil his stature and his
strength. His parents were Albert H. and Fannie
(Hawkins) Bump, the former a native of Palmyra, N. Y., and the latter of England. The father was a farmer in his native state and came
to Michigan in 1833, locating in Lenawee county, where he remained five years and in 1838 he
came to Hillsdale county, purchased eighty acres
of land of George Crane, paying for it by seven
years of faithful labor, even as did Jacob in the
Scriptures for his wife. He also cleared up Ioo
acres, on section 34 in this township, and lived on
that until 1871, when he again removed to Lenawee county, where he passed the remainder of his
days, dying in I898. His wife died in 1872, leaving three sons and three daughters, all of whom
are living, three of them residents of Hillsdale
county. The paternal grandfather, Bartlett
Bump, was a New Yorker and a soldier of the
War of I812. He came to Michigan in 1833 and
to Hillsdale county in I835. A man of great enterprise he assisted greatly in building the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad through
Hillsdale county and also in many other public
improvements of value. He was active in political affairs, gave great attention to the development and government of the county, serving for
a period of twenty years as justice of the peace
and in several other local offices from time to
time- His death occurred about 1877, when he
was laid to his last, long rest with every demonstration of popular esteem and affection.
Bartlett H. Bump, the interesting subject of
this review, after being raised to manhood and
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
233
educated in the township, which has been the
scene of his useful labors, began the battle of
life as a farmer, and he has followed that line of
activity from his youth. He was married in I875,
to Miss Mary E. Tredwell, a daughter of Chauncy L. and Marcia (Church) Tredwell, natives of
New York and early settlers in this state and
Hillsdale county. Mr. and Mrs. Bump were the
parents of two children, Harry T. Bump, a respected resident of Kansas, and Marcia E., now
at school. Their mother died in I890, and, in
1895, Mr. Bump contracted a second marriage,
being united on this occasion with Miss Jennie
Clark, a native of Hillsdale county and a daughter of John Clark, long an esteemed citizen of
this county. Mr. Bump has been a lifelong Republican in politics, taking active interest in the
affairs of his party, serving its cause well in private station and in official positions. For four
years he has been township supervisor and has
rendered efficient service to the people of the
township. He is an active member of the Maccabees and the Patrons of Husbandry or Grangers.
Fhroughout the county he is highly respected by
all classes of the people as a progressive, farseeing and representative citizen.
JUDSON D. CHAPPELL.
The secretary and treasurer of the Fredonia
Washer Co. and also alderman from the second
ward of the city, Judson D. Chappell, of Hillsdale, is one of the active and progressive men of
the municipality, always forward in business matters and displaying a keen and intelligent interest
in public affairs which involve the welfare of the
community. He comes of good old New England
stock, his grandfather, Ezra Chappell, having
been a native of Vermont and a soldier in the
Black Hawk Indian War. He came to Michigan
when he was well advanced in life and died in this
county at a good old age. The maternal grandmother, Roxana Carpenter, was a descendant of
the Carpenters who came to America in the Mayflower.
Judson D. Chappell was born on March 26,
1846, in Huron county, Ohio, his parents, John
and Harriet (Taylor) Chappell, having moved
there from their native state of New York about
1830. There the family remained until 1854,
when they all moved to this county and settled
in Cambria township, where the father purchased
a tract of timber land which he cleared up and
made his home for nearly a generation of human
life, more than thirty years. In I885 he moved
to the town of Cambria and there he died in 1892
from the effects of an accident on the fair grounds
in Hillsdale. He was a man of local prominence
and was chosen'from time to time to fill important township offices. His widow survived him
seven years, dying in I889. They had two sons
and four daughters that reached years of maturity. Judson was reared and educated mainly.n this county, having come here when he was
eight years of age. He began life for himself as
a farmer, following this, his chosen vocation, until 1882, when he engaged in merchandising at
Cambria, there continuing his mercantile enterprise for a period of twelve years. He then
turned his attention to foundry and furnace operations at Cambria, being engaged in that until
I896, when he retired from active business of
that kind and moved to Hillsdale, where he has
since resided. In I9oo he associated himself with
John S. Parker, and others, in the organization
of the Fredonia Washer Co., of which Mr. Parker
is president and Mr. Chappell the secretary and
treasurer. The company was organized with a
capital stock of $I2,500 for the purpose of manufacturing clothes-washers and wringers, and from
its inception it has been prosperous and progresssive, continually expanding its trade and establishing itself more firmly in public confidence and
the business world.
Mr. Chappell was married in I874 to Miss
Julia Henry, a native of Ohio.. They have three
children, Will C., John H. and Myra. In political faith he has been a lifelong Republican and
has rendered good service to his party from his
early manhood. He does not seek or desire official station, but has accepted office at times for the
general weal. He was superintendent of schools
for some years in Cambria township, and, when
a vacancy occurred in the city council in I90I, he
234
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
was appointed to fill it, and, before the end of the
same year, he was elected to the office for a full
term. Since I873 he has been an enthusiastic devotee before the altars of Freemasonry and he always has his interest and his active aid enlisted
in the support of any good enterprise for the advancement or improvement of the community in
which he lives, and among all classes of the people
he is highly respected and esteemed.
ELON G. REYNOLDS.
Mr. Elon G. Reynolds, the accomplished editor
of this compendium, was born in Lyons township, Ionia county, Michigan, on May 7, I841,
and was one of eleven children, nine of whom
grew to maturity. He is the youngest of five
brothers who are all of the family now living.
His parents came from the state of New York,
and were married in Wayne county, Michigan,
on October 30, I828, and lived together sixty-one
and one-half years. They moved to Ionia county
before Michigan was admitted as a state, there
being then but few families in that county, and
there they engaged in the struggles and endured
the privations common to the pioneer of that day.
The boy, Elon G., when less than nine years
of age was thrown from a horse he was riding
and kicked or struck by one following, the blow
fracturing the skull so that several pieces of bone
were removed. This injury, in some respects,
turned the course of his after life, and prevented
his going into the army when his next elder
brother enlisted, the recuiting officer saying that
Elon could not stand the concussion of a cannonade. When less than sixteen years of age he
came to Hillsdale College, arriving in Hillsdale
on March i8, 1857, the last term of the second
year. The next winter he taught a district school
and the following spring was again a student of
the college, being baptised daring that term, and
becoming a member of the Free Will Baptist
church. When eighteen years of age he asked his
father to release him from further service on the
farm, taught school the following winter, and, in
March, I860, became a permanent resident of
Hillsdale. He largely supported himself while
in college, sawing wood, which was then cut and
marketed four feet long, gardening, doing chores,
keeping books, etc. It was ninety miles from his
former home to Hillsdale, but he walked and
drove cows the whole distance at three different
times. Tie was a member of the Amphictyon and
Beethoven societies, sang in the choir, was a
teacher in the Sunday-school, and its chorister
for several years, when it met in the old college
chapel. He completed the classical course in
June, I866.
After graduation he taught one year at Constantine, Mich., and,,finding that his warm
friends, Prof. and Mrs. F. B. Rice, were going to
Europe in September, 1867, he decided to go
with them. For.nearly a year he was engaged in
the study of German, French and Italian, at
Leipsic, Germany. Besides taking trips to Berlin, Wittenberg, Pottsdam, and other points in
Germany, he toured on his way home through
Saxony, Bohemia, Austria, Bavaria, Italy, Switzerland, France and England, "doing" the capitals of most of those countries and many other
large cities. He saw an emperor in the person of
William I, of Germany, and had also a near view
of King John of Saxony, although he had never
seen a president. During his absence the most
important item of American news which he saw
in the continental newspapers was the attempted
impeachment of Andrew Johnson, and the Leipziger Tageblatt gave only two or three lines to
this important announcement. On his return he
arrived in New York on the night of the day of
Grant's first election as President, in i868, and
the old flag never had more meaning or beauty
to him than when he saw it waving again in his
own country. When the public schools opened
after the holidays of that year his services were
sought as superintendent of the Hudson, Mich.
schools, where he remained until June, 1871, when
he declined a reelection.
In the fall of 1871, as chairman of the alumni
endowment committee of the college, he undertook hte raising of the endowment of the alumni
professorship, and procured pledges of more than
$IO,ooo, most of'which have been paid. In January, I872, he was appointed the local agent of
Id;..fG
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
235
some fire insurance companies, and has now
one company of which he became agent in
I873. He was also an active life insurance agent
for nearly thirty years, and in I875, without
his knowledge, he was chosen clerk of the Oak
Grove Cemetery association, serving in that
capacity for twenty-three years, until more than
a thousand had been there buried. In 1876, he
was commissioned a notary public and has been
one almost continuously ever since. He has
done much conveyancing and notary work during the twenty-seven years.
In the fall of 1876 he was chosen alderman
to fill the vacancy of R. E. Whipple, resigned. In
April, 1877, he was appointed city clerk and
served as such for eight years. During six of
these years he was a member of the school board,
serving two years as director. In 1878, without
any seeking on his part, he was chosen chairman.
of the Republican county committee, and that
year, which was when Greenbackism was at its
height, the party made one of its hottest fights in
the county, electing every man on the ticket
against the combined fusion opposition of all
parties. There were 112 different Republican
campaign speeches that fall by forty-six different
speakers. Mr. Reynolds was chairman of the
county committee six years and its secretary for
two years. While serving in these capacities he
also acted as deputy for County Treasurer LeFleur and County Clerk Barre, and,the latter having been elected cashier of the Second National
Bank, Mr. Reynolds, as his deputy, on March I,
1883, began to act as clerk of the county and of
the circuit court, filling that position until January
I, 1885. During this last year he drew the orders
for the payment of all moneys expended by the
county, city, school district and cemetery, and
these were only "side issues" to his regular business-insurance. He had been married in I880,
and his wife, nee Emily A. Benedict, was one of
the "help-meet" kind, not only housekeeper, but
office assistant and deputy. Their only son, Leon
B. Reynolds, is now a sophomore in college. On
August 19, I879, while Mr. Reynolds "lay sick of
a fever," the Waldron block, in which his office
was situated, was destroyed by fire, and the rec
ords of the city, the cemetery, the church (of
which he was clerk for seven years), the class of
I866 (of which he was then secretary), and the
alumni association of the college, all then in his
custody, were wholly or partly burned, entailing
great inconvenience in all after work.
In 1879 he was elected a trustee of the college
and is now serving in that capacity for the twentyfifth year, being also a member of its prudential
committee. Upon the death of Hon. Henry Waldron, in I880, he became his successor as college
auditor, which position he held until his election
as secretary and treasurer, in June, I888,.and he
has also been auditor for the last three years. On
account of his wife's poor health and to take a
much needed rest, he resigned as secretary and
treasurer of the college in September, I898, and,
with his family, made a trip of nine and one-half
months to California and the Pacific coast.
Mr. Reynolds has occupied many positions of
trust without emolument, as eight years treasurer
of the college alumni association, ten years as its
historian or alternate, twenty years on its endowment committee and nearly as long on its prudential committee. He has been two years secretary
or treasurer of his church society, getting
it out of debt and keeping it so, and is now the
treasurer of the Michigan association of Free
Baptists, comprising 104 churches and 5,828
members. He has been guardian of many
minors and others, and has acted as administrator and executor in the settlement of estates to the satisfaction of all paries concerned.
By the mass of people the prodigious amount of
work of which he has been capable, and which
he has performed, and the usefulness and unselfishness of a large part of that work, given wholly
without regard to recompense or appreciation,
will never be known. From the foregoing statement it will be seen that Mr. Reynolds has been,
for forty years or more, in responsible offices and
positions of trust, by appointment, and quite unsolicited by himself, but that he has never (although he has always been a loyal member of his
party and served it with ability), had his name
printed on a ticket for an elective office, or received any "plum" for his services.
236
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
He has known more of the students of the
college from first to last, than any other person
living, having attended every commencement
since the first, except two, and having seen all of
the more than I,ooo graduates, except one. He
taught classes in college both before and after
graduation, including the subjects of mathematics, Latin and German. He takes satisfaction
in remembering among his pupils, Gen. Frank D.
Baldwin, Judge Victor H. Lane and Hon. Henry
R. Pattengill. Mr. Reynolds is as genial as he is
successful and as modest as he is capable. He
is perhaps unconscious of his leadership and mastery among men, and would probably be the last
to know that the people of Hillsdale hold him in
the highest esteem as one of their most representative, serviceable and accomplished citizens,
one of their safest and wisest business men, one
of their most stimulating and productive educational and moral forces.
PROF. MELVILLE W. CHASE.
Prof. Melville W. Chase has passed more than
a generation of human life and more than half of
his own in Michigan as the popular and efficient
professor of music at Hillsdale College, contributing to the cultivation and refinement of the people by spreading the refining influence of that
divine art, which to countless millions is health in
sickness, solace in sorrow, companionship in loneliness, wealth in poverty, liberty in bondage and
even consolation in death, which heightens the
pleasure of life's gayest moments and with a
soothing radiance softens its darkest hours. He
first saw the light of this world at the little town
of Minot in the far away state of Maine, on February I8, 1842. His parents were J. Warren and
Mary (Bumpus) Chase, also native in that state,
which had been the home of his ancestors for
generations. The maternal ancestors were early
located in Massachusetts, coming hither from
England in one of the first vessels. The Bumpus
family is generations old in Europe, originally of
French extraction, the former spelling of the
name being Bompasse.
The very earliest of the American progenitors
of this branch of the Chase family came to New
England from Old England in the year 1626, and,
after that time, the name runs with credit through
all the local chronicles of the section, whether they
record the beneficent victories of peaceful conquest over nature or the bloody conflicts of the
patriots with savage aborigines or despotic foreign foes. The grandfather of the Professor was
Edmund Chase, of Newbury, Mass., a mechanic
and farmer in times of peace and a gallant soldier in the War of 1812. His son, the Professor's
father, was also a soldier by inclination and practice, when there was need of soldiers, being a
valued member of the state militia for many years,
until advancing age made it advisable for him to
leave the service. He-is now living in Connecticut "in a green old age," after a long career as a
well-to-do farmer and skillful carpenter. His
wife passed away in I868. They were the parents
of four sons, all living, and one daughter who
died a number of years ago.
Professor Chase received his preliminary
scholastic training at- the district schools of his
native town, then attended Hebron Academy, for
more than a hundred years a noted institution of
learning, and, after leaving that, in 1857, went to
the Maine State Seminary, since developed into
Bates College, that very beneficial and capable
educational institution located at Lewiston,
Maine. He had begun the study of music some
time previous to going to college under the tuition
of Prof. W. K. Eminger, of Lewiston, and afterward he continued it under the instruction of
Professor Schultz, of Boston, Mass., under whose
competent tutelage he remained until September,
1864. He then enlistedin the Union army as a
member of Co. E, Ninth Maine Infantry, was at
once detailed as regimental clerk, serving in that
capacity until he was mustered out. The regiment became a part of the Army of the Potomac,
and after joining it the Professor was in all the
historic battles and engagements of that army.
On being discharged from the army in July, I865,
he returned to Maine,. began the teaching of music at Lewiston and also studied in Boston to perfect himself in his profession. In the spring of
I869 he moved to Boston, in the fall of that year
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
237
coming to Hillsdale to take the position in the
college faculty which he still holds, being the only
member of the faculty of that day who is now at
the college. He found his department of the college course feeble, unappreciated and considered
unimportant. He took hold of it with vigor, determined that it should rise to its proper importance and dignity; and by his continued, assiduous effort, ability and genius he has made it one of
the best and most popular schools of music in this
part of the country.
Professor Chase was married in Maine' in
1867, with Miss Olive C. Poland, a native of the
state, a gifted singer and a teacher of vocal music
of high repute. She died in 1874, leaving one
child, Clarence M.. Chase, a graduate of Hillsdale
College and now a resident of Boston, Mass.,
where he maintains a studio and is a successful
teacher of the piano. The Professor's second
marriage occurred in 1877, being then united with
Mrs. Eleanor (McMillan) Hill, a native of Canada, who came to Michigan in her childhood.
They have one living child, Lauin D. Chase, a
civil engineer in the employ of the Pere Marquette
Railroad. Professor Chase is a Republican in
political faith, but is not an active partisan and
has no desire for political or other public office.
He is an interested Freemason, belonging to the
lodge, the chapter and the commandery, and is
a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
THE HILLSDALE DEMOCRAT.
The first newspaper published in Hillsdale
county was the Gazette, which appeared in 1838.
The Gazette was published for twenty years and
then became the Hillsdale Democrat, having
since I848 been published under that name. The
founder of the Hillsdale Standard, the late Harvey B. Rowlson, was wont to boast to the present
publisher of the Democrat of the distinction that
he was the first "printer's devil" in Hillsdale
county, having served his apprenticeship in the
office of the old Gazette. The experience of
James I. Dennis, the veteran publisher of the
Hillsdale County Gazette, of Jonesville, was similar in this respect to that of Mr. Rowlson.
The Hillsdale Democrat is the oldest paper
in the county, having been in existence for more
than sixty-five years, for more than forty-five
years of that time being published under its present title. The early history of the paper would
be extremely interesting to relate, did time and
space permit a detailed review, for it is rich in
incidents and events intimately connected with
those remote periods. Its first establishment in
the open air with merely a roof to protect the type
and press from the elements; its precarious existence for some months as a daily during the Civil
War, with the late Judge Michael McIntyre,
then at home on a furlough, as editor-in-chief:
the vicissitudes and ups-and-downs of its long
career; the striking personality of some of its former publishers; its various offices and locations,
all would be of interest. But the limits of a sketch
for a publication of the character of this volume
preclude an extended recital.
The present publisher, H. C. Blackman, came
to Hillsdale seventeen years ago and entered the
office in the employ of his father, the late Edgar
A. Blackman, who purchased the plant of Capt.
W. H. Tallman, its publisher for the preceding
twenty years. Mr. E. A. Blackman died in May,
I892, and his son has since published the paper,
and been its sole owner since the spring of 1899.
Though the Democrat has been of a political
faith at variance with that of the dominant party
of the county for more than two-score years, yet
it'has always enjoyed a gratifying support, and
the very fact that it has existed to its present venerable age, would seem to sufficiently indicate
that it has attained some measure of practical
success. At the present time the establishment,
for its kind, is second to none in southern Michigan. It is located in a permanent home on Broad
street, opposite the handsome courthouse square,
occupying two entire floors of the brick block
into which the Democrat was moved when the
building was purchased for the purpose in the
fall of 190i.. The mechanical equipment of the
office now embraces two fine cylinder presses,
two job presses, folder, etc., the machinery being
driven by a fine gasoline engine. The large assortment of types and printing materials makes
238
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
practicable and easy a large output of commercial printing. The circulation of the Democrat
reached the two thousand mark some time ago,
and it is increasing.
WILLIAM B. CHILDS.
William B. Childs, one of the pioneer merchants of Hillsdale, and for nearly twenty years
the proprietor of its leading drygoods and carpet
emporium, has found in the retired life he is now
living in the calm and peaceful autumnal evening of his days, that there is, even on this side
of the grave, a haven where the storms of life
beat not, or are felt only as soft breezes or in the
gentle undulations of the unrippled and mirroring
waters, a rest profound and blissful as that of the
soldier who has returned from the dangers, the
hardships, the turmoil of war to the bosom of a
dear domestic' circle, whose blessings he never
prized at half their value till he lost them. This
haven, this rest, is a serene, a hale, a cheerful old
age, in which the tired traveler abandons the
dusty, crowded and jostling highway of life for
one of its shadiest and least noted by-ways, where
the din of traffic and of worldly strife has no
longer magic for his ear, he having run his race
of toil, or trade, or ambition, and accomplished
his full day's work.
The story of Mr. Childs's life is closely interwoven with the history of Hillsdale county, in
which he has lived for sixty years, in the settlement, development and progress of which he has
been a most potent factor. He was born on December 8, 1821, at Altay, in Schuyler county.
New York, at that time known as Kendall Hollow and being then a part of Steuben county. His
parents were Daniel and Sally (Benjamin)
Childs, natives of Lexington, Mass., who moved
to New York about I819 and cleared up a farm
in the tangled wilderness of Steuben county, on
which they passed the remainder of their days,
the father dying there in 1830 and the mother in
I833. They were the parents of eleven children,
of whom Mr. Childs is the only survivor, and the
only one who ever became a resident of Michigan.
His grandfather was Daniel Childs, also a native
of Massachusetts and a prosperous farmer in that
state until the War of the Revolution, when he
joined the ever historic "Minute Men" and during
the seven years of the memorable struggle was
ever at the post of duty, no matter what of danger
or hardship it involved, what the personal sacrifice of comfort or estate it exacted of him. He
was early in the contest for liberty, beginning his
service on the historic field of Lexington, where
the shots were fired in behalf of human freedom
which reverberated around the world. In the
war he was several times wounded, remaining
in the service, however, to the final triumph of
the cause at Yorktown. He lived to see the principles for which he fought fully vindicated and in
beneficent operation in this country as the basis
of our government, dying in I826, in Steuben
county, New York, where he settled after the
close of the war. He was twice married, his first
wife being the grandmother of William B. Childs.
William B. Childs was reared in his native
county, at the primitive country schools of his
day he received a limited education, attending
during the winter months, and working on the
farm throughout the rest of the year. At the
age of twenty-two he followed the example of
his daring and adventurous father and grandfather, seeking ahomeand opportunity for a better
fortune on the frontier, emigrating to Michigan
in 1844, and locating in Hillsdale county. The
long journey, through a wild and unbroken country, which consumed nearly a month of wearying
travel, was made with teams and in company
with two of his wife's brothers, Henry and
Charles Koon. He "stuck his stake" seven and
one-half miles west of the present town of Hillsdale, in the very depth of the forest, and went
to work diligently to carve out of the wilderness
a home and a competence. He helped to clear
seventy-five acres of the farm he located, and,
six years later, bought eighty acres more a mile
and a half west of the present site of Hillsdale
College. This he cleared'and made his home until I869, when he removed to Hillsdale and opened
a drygoods and carpet establishment, which he
conducted on a scale of increasing magnitude
and with expanding profit and reputation until
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 239
I888. He then retired from active business and
has since lived quietly at Hillsdale, free from
business cares, in the full enjoyment of the public
esteem which he has so well earned, and which
he possesses in such abundant measure. He was
married in New York state in I842, to Miss Elizabeth Koon, a daughter of Alonson and Marilla
(Wells) Koon, and sister of E. L. and M. B.
Koon, able and leading attorneys of this county
for many years, of whom extended mention is
made elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs.
Childs were the parents of two children, their
son, Daniel, now a resident of Washington, D.
C., and their daughter, Marilla L., living at the
paternal home. Mrs. Childs died on January 28.
I89I. Mr. Childs was a member of the Union
League during the whole period of its existence,
and, at one time, was an active Odd Fellow.
N. R. COOK.
The lumber interests of Michigan, which are
widely renowned for the volume, variety and
value of their products, have given to the commercial world some of its best business capacity,
greatest breadth of view and most productive enterprise. Among the number of those who have
adorned and dignified this line of mercantile industry, N. R. Cook, of Jonesville, has a place in
the front rank. He is a native of Genesee county,
New York, born on November I6, 1835. His
parents were Anson and Anna (Wheeler) Cook,
the former a native of New York and the latter
of Vermont. The father was a farmer in his native state, prosperous and well-to-do, but, impelled
by the hope of larger opportunity in the new part
of the country to secure a home in Michigan, he
came to Hillsdale county in I844 and located at
Litchfield. He later purchased a farm near Jonesville, some time afterwards moving to Allen township, there carrying on a prosperous farming enterprise until his death in I890. His widow
survived him two years and passed away in I892.
Their family consisted of four sons and two
daughters, of whom three sons and one daughter are now alive. The father was for many years
a justice of the peace and took a leading part in
the public and local affairs of the township in
which he lived. His father, John Cook, was a
native of New York state and died there after
living a life of industry and usefulness.
N. R. Cook accompanied his parents to Hillsdale county in 1844, and has passed the rest of his
life within its limits. He received a limited education in the public schools and afterwards assisted in the work of the farm. He began life
for himself as a farmer and followed that occupation until I893, when he removed to Jonesville,
purchased the lumber business which he is now
conducting, which under his enterprise and careful judgment has grown to very gratifying proportions and laid under tribute the favor of a
large number of well-satisfied patrons. Mr. Cook
was married in Allen township on May 26, I874,
to Miss Martha Warn, a native of New York.
They had four children, Charles A., Neva, Hazel
and Seward. Mr. Cook has been a lifelong Republican and has taken a continuous and active
interest in the success of his party, rendering good
service as a soldier in the ranks, also in official
positions of prominence and importance. He was
for two years a justice of the peace, two years a
deputy sheriff, and has occupied various other
local offices from time to time.
In fraternal relations Mr. Cook belongs to the
Masonic order in three of its branches; the blue
lodge, royal arch chapter and council of the
royal and select masters. While Michigan has
proved agreeable to Mr. Cook. and furnished
him with satisfactory opportunities to exercise
his business capacity and ability, still that state
has not had the benefit of his citizenship during
the whole of his mature life, for he spent five
years in California, Oregon and Montana, three
years of this time being passed at Helena, Mont.,
where he had many exciting experiences with
road agents and other desperadoes and several
times barely escaped with his life. The lawless
element in Montana was bold and aggressive and
the strong hands of the.Vigilantes had not yet
reduced it to subjection. He found life in the
farther West spicy with adventure, filled with interest and incident, large in promise of rich rewards for judicious labor, but he returned to
I
240
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Michigan, where the social and commercial atmosphere was better suited to his taste, and the
conditions afforded sufficient inducement to elicit
all of the ardor of an energetic man. And, on
his return with the expectation of making this
state his permanent home, he entered' with spirit
into the business which interested him, which
he has since made one of the leading commercial
enterprises in his part of the state. In all relations of life he has so borne himself in this community as to win the regard and confidence of his
fellow men, being looked up to as one of the leading and representative citizens of the township.
ALBERT G. CONGER.
Albert G. Conger, of the town of Litchfield,
who is living retired from active business pursuits, has earned the quiet rest he is now enjoying
by a long life of industry and varied experiences
in agricultural, mechanical and mercantile activity, and through the misfortunes that have befallen him from time to time, which he has borne
with patience and triumphed over by determined
effort and persistent application. He was born at
Bristol, Ontario county, New York, on May 27,
1830, the son of Jacob and Maria (Johnson) Conger, also New Yorkers, the former born at Binghamton and the latter'at Scipio in Orange county.
The father became master of two trades, blacksmithing and weaving, but passed part of his life
as a farmer. He came to this county in 1856
and settled in Litchfield township, where he conducted successful farming operations until 1867,
when he moved to the village of Litchfield, there
residing until his death in 1895 at the venerable
age of ninety-seven years, his wife dying in I89I
aged eighty-seven. He was a stanch Republican
and an active member of the Methodist Episcopal
church. Of their eight children three are now
living, Albert and a sister until recently being
the only ones residing in this county. The sister
died on June 27, I903.
Albert G. Conger was reared and educated in
his native state, where he learned the trade of a
weaver, which he followed until 1853, when he
came to Michigan and settled on a farm in Litch
field township in this county. In I866, selling his
farm and stock, he opened a store at Litchfield
which he conducted until I869. He then formed
a partnership with James Howland to purchase
and conduct the Litchfield mill. At the end of a
year the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Conger
continuing the business until the mill was destroyed by an incendiary fire on August 4, I88o.
The incendiary was apprehended, convicted and
sentenced to ten years at hard labor in the penitentiary. Mr. Conger then again engaged in
far'ming for a number of years until the failure
of his eyesight obliged him to retire from all active pursuits. Since then he has lived quietly in
the village of Litchfield in the enjoyment of his
well earned ease, firmly fixed in the respect and
esteem of his fellow men. He married on November 23, 1858, Miss Mary J. Riblet, a native of
Litchfield township and a daughter of Samuel and
Deborah (Woods) Riblet, early settlers in the
township.
Her father, Samuel Riblet, was born at Harbor ~Creek, Erie county, Pa., on February 22,
I8II, a lineal descendant of a French nobleman,
who, because he embraced the Protestant faith,
had his property confiscated and was exiled under
penalty of being burned as a heretic if he returned. In company with others be went to Germany, where he married and reared a large family. Two of his sons, Christian and Bartholomew, emigrated to America. They first settled
at Charleston, S. C., and later moved to Maryland
and settled at Hagerstown, where John Riblet,
son of Bartholomew and grandfather of Samuel,
was born in I758. At the beginning of the Revolution he entered the service as a first lieutenant
in a regiment of riflemen, was soon taken prisoner
and confined for three years on the British manof-war Roebuck. After his release he settled
near Hagerstown, Md., where Solomon Riblet,
father of Samuel, was born in August, 1782. In
I802 John Riblet moved to Erie, Pa., and there,
during the War of 1812, commanded the bodyguard of Commodore Perry while his fleet was
building. Solomon also served with distinction
in that war as first lieutenant and acting captain
in a company of Erie minute men. After the war
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
24I
he removed to Ohio and later to Michigan where
he prospered as a farmer and died in old age at
Litchfield.
His son, Samuel, was taught the rudiments of
German by his grandfather, attended the district
schools and an academy at Erie, teaching at intervals to secure the necessary funds for this purpose. He. began and relinquished the study of
medicine and became a teacher near Pittsburg,
where he was married on November 19, 1833, to
Miss Deborah Woods. Soon after this event they
came to Michigan and purchased I60 acres of
land which was his home until death ended his
labors. Here his five children grew to maturity
and at this homestead all were married. He was
prominently connected with all enterprises inaugurated for the benefit of the county, among
them the Northern Central Railroad, being a director of this road from its organization until its
sale to the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Co.
To his untiring exertions the people of Litchfield
are largely indebted for the location and construction of the road. Mr. and Mrs. Conger have
five children: Jennie M., wife of Dr. E. J. Pendall, of Marshall; Eugene D., the principal owner
and editor of the Grand Rapids Herald, who, in
I898, was appointed as a member of the Industrial Commission, serving during the life of the
commission; Willard S., a member of the editorial
staff of the Grand Rapids Herald and a stockholder of the company publishing it; Minnie T.,
a clerk in the office of the auditor-general at Lansing; Luella D., formerly a popular teacher in
the schools of Michigan and Indiana, now at the
paternal home. In politics Mr. Conger is independent, having never sought or held office or
been an active partisan. He is a man of broad
views and sterling integrity, possessing extensive
knowledge of men and affairs.
CORWIN COX.
One of the prosperous and progressive farmers of Wheatland township in Hillsdale county,
who is well known throughout the boundaries of
the county and has been of great service in building it up and pushing forward its development, is
Corwin Cox, who is living on a well-improved,
highly cultivated and beautifully located farm of
31o acres near North Adams. His parents were
natives of the far East, his father, Robert Cox,
having been born and reared in New Jersey, and
his mother, erst Rowena Gregg, in New Hampshire. The father came to Michigan in I835
and entered forty acres of government land, soon
thereafter entering another forty, all in the woods,
as yet untouched by the hand of civilized man
in the way of cultivation. He cleared some of it
and built a home, and, on this estate, which he
carved literally from the wilds of nature, he
passed the remainder of his days, dying in I890.
He married with Miss Gregg in Lenavbee
county, she having come to the state from her
Eastern home with her parents, and, when they
settled in the township, its total population did
not exceed a dozen or fifteen families. They had
two children, their son, Corwin, and their daughter, now Mrs. Lucy E. Barnes, of this county.
In May, 190o, the mother passed away at the
home so long hallowed by her useful labors. In
politics the father was an ardent Republican, one
of the founders of the party. He was much esteemed in the county, on occasions representing it
in the lower house of the State Legislature. He
also held, from time to time, several local offices,
among them drain commissioner and justice of
the peace. When the Black Hawk War and the
Toledo War broke out he promptly enlisted in
the service of his country, seeing hardship and
danger in the Indian War. Both he and his wife
were active and zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Corwin Cox's grandfather, Job Cox, was a prominent pioneer of Michigan, living and dying in Jackson county. Four
of his sons settled in Hillsdale county, two in
Cambria, one in Woodbridge and one in Wheatland township. All are now deceased, except one
daughter living in Hillsdale county.
Corwin Cox grew to manhood and was educated in his native county, where he assisted in
clearing his father's farm and in cultivating it
when it was cleared. Since he reached man's estate this has continued to be his home. Here he
was born on August 27, 1847, here he has found
242 HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
his world of hope and promise, the proper field
for his enterprise and industry, and the choice
ground for his domestic altar. He was married
in 1871 to Miss Mary E. Oaks, a daughter of
Samuel and Esther Oaks, early settlers in the
county. They have three children, Jay L.,
Charles R. and Luella E. Cox, the last named being now Mrs. Arthur Haggerty, of this county.
In politics Mr. Cox is, as was his father, an ardent
and active Republican, taking great interest in the
success of his party, although not seeking its positions of honor or profit for himself. He is a
member of the Masonic order and has given to the
affairs of his lodge interested and serviceable attention. To the original tract of eighty acres belonging to his father, he has added by purchase
until he now owns 3Io acres, and he has continued with diligence and skill the improvements begun by his father until he has one of the best
farms in this part of the county, one of the most
comfortable and attractive country homes to be
found within a large extent of country.
JUDAH P. CORNELL.
This industrious and successful farmer of
Pittsford township, in Hillsdaie county, whose
death on May 27, I892, left a void in the hearts
of his many cordial friends, a vacancy in the active utilities of the township which it has been
difficult to fill, was a native of New York state,
where he was born on September 14, I835, the son
of Henry and Matilda (Piper) Cornell, also natives of that state, who came to this county in
early days and settled in Ransom township.
Here their son, Judah; grew to manhood, remaining at home and assisting on the farm, with intervals of attendance at the public schools of the
vicinity, until 1862, when he enlisted in the Union
army in Co. F, Eighteenth Michigan Infantry.
His regiment was placed on duty in the West,
where he was in active service until his capture
by the Confederates at Athens, when he exchanged the weariness of the march and the dangers of the battlefield for the horrors of prison
life at Macon, Cahaba and Andersonville, which
he was compelled to endure until the close of the
Civil War in I865. He was then released, returning to his home in Michigan more dead than alive,
with his health permanently shattered, his affairs
in confusion, his fortunes badly disturbed, but
his spirit undismayed and his energy still predominant. He once more resolutely engaged in the
productive work of farming and continued his
diligence until his death, improving and developing his land and meeting every requirement of an
exacting condition with manliness and success.
Mr. Cornell married in I86I with Miss Mary
A. Briggs, a daughter of George W. and Christina (Stuck) Briggs, an account of whose life is
given in the sketch of John Haggerty on another
page of this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Cornell had
one child, Verona A., now wife of Dr. S. M. Cornell, of Bronson, in Branch county. Mr. Cornell
was a Republican in politics and was called to fill
a number of local offices in the township, in all of
which he rendered good and appreciated service.
He belonged to the Grand Army of the Republic,
and was, from his childhood, a devoted member
of the Methodist Episcopal church. During the
later years of his life he was much engaged in
the service of this church and in its evangelizing work as a local preacher and active church
advocate. He was well esteemed wherever he
was known, lived always and everywhere a clean,
upright and useful life, performing his duties
with conscientious diligence and giving an inspiring example to all who met him.
ORSON DAYTON.
The new nation raised up among the powers
of the world by the establishment of our independence was scarcely a quarter of a century old, and
had made but little progress in its great career
of commercial, industrial and agricultural development and political power, when its people were
called on to secure by a second conquest over the
arrogance of Great Britain the right to maintain
its integrity and conduct its own affairs, ana,
among the valiant soldiers who went forward to
win that fight, were ancestors on both sides of
the family of the late Orson Dayton, of Pittsford township. He was born in Erie county, New
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 243
York, on September 20, I820, not long after the
close of the war, near the scene of some of its
most exciting episodes, and his childhood was
made interesting with thrilling narratives of its
events of blood and carnage and its incidents of
daring and danger. His parents were Sherman
and Elizabeth (Birdsell) Dayton, both natives of
New York. The father was through life an industrious farmer, except during the War of 1812,
in which he took an active part, and, while his
son, Orson, was yet a lad, he removed the family
to Lake county, Ohio, locating on a farm in the
the town of Madison.
Here Orson Dayton grew to manhood, saw
much of frontier life, gathered intelligently a
few nuggets from the great mines of human
knowledge in the primitive schools, acquired habits of industry in work, waxing strong in character, self-reliance, independence of spirit and
vigor of body. He was one of the eleven children who composed the household, five sons and
six daughters, all of whom have now paid the
last debt of nature except two of the daughters.
After leaving school he entered regularly on the
duties of life for himself by engaging in the almost universal occupation of the section in which
he lived, the cultivation of the soil. He remained in Ohio until I866, when he took up his
residence in Hillsdale county, on a farm which
he purchased in Pittsford township, and on which
he lived and farmed until his death in January,
I890, and which, by that time, he had enlarged
by subsequent purchases to 200 acres. When he
settled on this land it was full of possibilities but
all undeveloped; when he left it, in obedience to
his summons by death, it was a well-improved,
highly cultivated, abundantly productive tract,
yielding large returns of fruitfulness and domestic comfort for his continued investment of time,
labor and skill in its cultivation.
On October 5, 1855, Mr. Dayton was united
in marriage with Sarah D. Weston, a native of
Massachusetts, and they became the parents of
three children, Grenville W., Hattie L., wife of
William W. Dayton, and Millard B., living at the
parental home. Their father was a Republican in
political faith, but was not an active partisan and
16
he never sought or held office. Mrs. Dayton's parents were Granville D. and Sarah (Marsh) Weston, the former a native of New Bedford, and the
latter of Dalton, Mass., belonging to families conspicuous in the history of that state from Colonial
times. Her father, a prominent woolen manufacturer and merchant, was also engaged in agriculture. Both her parents died in their native
state. In the War of I812 her paternal grandfather, Nathaniel Marsh, was a Federal soldier who
made an excellent record in council and on the
field. His son, the father of Mrs. Dayton, kept
up the martial spirit of the family by a long service as a colonel of the state militia, in which he
was prominent for disciplinary powers and soldierly qualities.
WILLIAM H. DEVOE.
William H. DeVoe, one of the leading farmers
of Pittsford township in Hillsdale county, is a native of Newark, New Jersey, born on December
29, I840. His parents were Peter and Harriet
DeVoe, the father a native of New Jersey and the
mother of New York. The father, a shoemaker
by trade, was employed for many years as a foreman in a rubber factory. He served in a gallant
New Jersey regiment in the Civil War, and, although in active field duty much of the time, he
escaped unhurt. William H. DeVoe was reared
and educated in his native state, reaching the age
of nineteen years before leaving home. In I859
he came to Michigan and settled near Ypsilanti,
where he remained three years, removing to Hillsdale county in 1862. He then purchased the farm
of which he is now possessed, and, since that time,
has made it his home. It was all wild and unbroken timber land when he bought it, without
a building of any kind or any other improvement.
He began at once to clear off the timber, and, in
the course of but few years, he had a goodly portion of the new place under cultivation, furnished
with such buildings for the comfort of his family
and his stock as he was able to put up under the
circumstances. These have been replaced by others more pretentious, complete and satisfactory;
the land has all been cleared except about five
244
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
acres, its fertility has been greatly increased by
careful and judicious tillage; and, through the
continued application of his systematic industry,
excellent judgment and good taste, the estate has
been made one of the attractive and valuable
farms of this part of the county. In I862 Mr.
DeVoe was united in marriage with Miss Mary
F. Britten, a daughter of Richard R. and Ellen
(Collins) Britten, later Mrs. Lorenzo Barkman.
Richard R. Britten came to Michigan in
1835 and entered a tract of government land in
Pittsford township on which he settled a year later, after his marriage, which occurred on August
28, I836. On this land he expended the labor of
his mature life, clearing and improving it, adding to its fertility and attractiveness by continued
and well-applied industry; here, also, on November 19, I875, he died at the age of sixty-three
years, leaving eight children, being mourned by
the community as a public spirited citizen who
was always ready to aid in the promotion of every
worthy enterprise, also as a very intelligent gentleman, diligently studious of political literature
and well posted on leading questions of the day.
Two years after his death, upon November
29, 1877, his widow married with Lorenzo Barkman, a native of Albany, New York, and an early
settler in Michigan. He lived at various places
in this state, finally locating at Hudson in this
county, where he was for fourteen years engaged
in the grocery business. After his marriage he
lived with his wife and family on the farm on
which she settled with her first husband when she
was a bride of eighteen years, which was her
home for a period of sixty-seven years and where
she died a -few years ago. She was born in Seneca county, New York, on February 29, I820, and
came with her parents, James and Elizabeth
(Chandler) Collins, to the territory of Michigan
in I833, and was thus able to see the country in
all the wildness of its natural state and to bear
her portion in the work of reducing it to fertility
and fruitfulness. She experienced all the privations, hardships and dangers of frontier life, when
provisions and the conveniences of daily living
were scarce and hard to get, when the struggle
for existence and advancement was constant and
arduous, and when every hour, at times, was
fraught with peril from savage beasts or still
more savage men.
And in this state she has lived to see the
region developed and fructified, teeming with the
products of peaceful and systematic industry,
equipped with every facility for comfortable living, great and active in the might of its commercial, agricultural and industrial energy, rich in
all the blessings of civilization and moral progress. Her story, if fully told, would thrill with
interest, glow with pathos, sparkle with incident
and darken with tragedy. It would be the ofttold tale of the progress of a state from barbarism
to 'cultivated life, and it would link together two
epochs of history far apart in time and much more
widely distant from each other in conditions and
features.
Mr. and Mrs. DeVoe have one child, their
daughter, Ella M., the wife of A. H. McConnell,
of Homer, in this state. Her father has been a
lifelong Democrat in politics. He has been the
choice of his party for a number of local offices,
but the overwhelming adverse majority in the
township and county has rendered the success of
any man of his faith impossible at the elections.
He is an active member of the Patrons of Husbandry, belonging to the grange at Pittsford.
Mrs. DeVoe, has vivid recollections of the dangers of the early times, when bears, wolves and
Indians were frequent visitors to the neighborhood of every household, and the wild animals
often made night hideous with their horrible and
discordant noises, holding all human life cheap
in comparison with the gratification of their appetites for slaughter and prey.
JACOB J. DEAL.
Jacob J. Deal, the founder of the carriage
manufactory conducted at Jonesville, Mich., by
the J. J. Deal & Son Co., is a native of Seneca
county, N. Y., born on January 17, 1827, being a
son of Peter and Elizabeth (Stahl) Deal, natives
of Pennsylvania. The father was a farmer who
died when his son, Jacob, was a child, leaving
four sons, two of whom are living. Mr. Deal
r
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
245
was reared and educated in his native state, where
his loved mother passed from earth to those activities that have no weariness, getting only a limited amount of book learning from the primitive
schools of his day, when he could be spared from
the work on the farm, where he lived and was
occupied until he was eighteen years old. He
then learned the trade of a blacksmith and worked
at it until 1854 when he came to this state, locating first at Clinton in Lenawee couny. After a
residence of three years at that place he moved
to Sturgis, and, a year later, in I858, he came to
Jonesville and opened a blacksmith shop, wherein
he did all kinds of custom work until 1865.
Mr. Deal then sold the shop, erected two
small buildings on the site now occupied by his
factory, and there began to build wagons and
buggies, doing all the work by hand and employing from twelve to fifteen men in repairing, as
well as on new work. Soon thereafter he began
the manufacture of road carts and sold his first
carload at Norfolk, Va. There came a quick demand for his excellent products, and, as the business grew, he enlarged his plant from time to
time, until in I890, he erected the factory he now
owns and operates, which employs over Ioo men
and annually turns out more than 4,000 products
of various kinds. The most of his early sales
were made in Indiana and adjacent territory, but
he has now jobbing houses in many western and
eastern cities and finds his output commanding
a ready market in all parts of the United States.
In I891 his son, George V. Deal, was taken into
the firm and since then has been an active part-'
ner in the business. By rigid attention to business and the inflexible rule of meeting the want
for their goods with the best product attainable
for the price, the firm' has built up a very'large
and gratifying success, and now has a trade
which may well create a feeling of decided satisfaction. Mr. Deal has been married three times.
The first occurred on October 23, 1849, at Syracuse, New York, with Mrs. Catherine (Franz)
Holman, a native of Canoga, N. Y. She died in
I889 leaving one child, her son, George V. Deal.
The second marriage was to Jane Sinclair, who
died in I899. The third marriage occurred in
1I9OI, with Miss Caroline Champlin, a resident
of Jonesville.
Mr. Deal has been a lifelong Republican, but
is not an active partisan and has never sought or
accepted public office. He has for many years
been a zealous member of the Masonic fraternity
and has taken great interest in the progress and
workings of the craft. As the oldest manufacturer in the county, he has to his credit a long record of usefulness in building up the mercantile
and industrial interests of this section of the state,
having aided materially in every form of public
improvement and in the promotion of every
means of elevation of the community. His life
has been eminently useful and he is held in high
esteem as one of the potential factors of progress
and development and one of the most representative citizens of the county.
WILLIAM R. DITMARS, M. D.
Born in Lenawee county on April I, 1846, and
a resident of the state continuously since that
time, William R. Ditmars, M. D., of North Adams, has passed more than half-a-century in
Michigan, having now to his credit a record of
usefulness among her people which it is not the
lot of many men to make, unostentatious and unpretentious as he is in the performance of his
daily duties. His parents were William V. and
Catherine A. (Pelty) Ditmars, and his paternal
American progenitors came from Holland, settled
at what was then New Amsterdam, now New
York city, and later moved to New Jersey; on
the maternal side he descends from gallant men
and devoted women who lived from time immemorial in the Scottish Highlands. The Doctor's
grandparents emigrated to Ohio in the early days
of its history, there prospered and founded families.. Baptists and Scotch Presbyterians in religious affiliation, they were uncompromising Whigs
in politics. The Doctor was one of four children,
of whom two others, daughters, are living. The
parents came to Michigan and located in Lenawee
county in I840, where their industrious lives ended, that of the father on October 5, I865, and that
of the mother on July I8, I876. He received his
246
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
scholastic training in the public schools and at.
the Hudson high school in his native county, began the study of medicine under the efficient instruction of Doctors Whelan and Brewer, of
Hillsdale, and then entered the medical department of the University of Michigan, from which
he was graduated in 1872.
After receiving his diploma as an M. D., Doctor Ditmars settled at North Adams and began
that active and skillful practice of medicine and
surgery to which he has since faithfully devoted
himself among a people with whom he has since
remained. Through all gradations of the practice
he has labored sedulously, has become strongly
established in the village of his adoption as one
of its leading professional men, a factor of potency and recognized ability in public local affairs.
He is an ardent Republican in politics, giving to
the welfare of his party good and steady but not
self-seeking service. His ability both as a party
worker and as a physician has, however, been
recognized in his appointment as a member of
the board of pension examiners of Hillsdale county, while his wisdom and public spirit as a citizen
has been acknowledged by his election for seven
years as the president of the village. These positions he now holds and he has also served for a
number of years as village and township health
officer. He is an enthusiastic working Freemason
in lodge, chapter and council. For ten years he
has been master of his lodge, during this time
ably guiding its course along the lines of loftiest
light in the mystic symbolism and of financial
safety and progress. He also belongs to the order
of the Eastern Star.
Doctor Ditmars was united in marriage on
July 4, I866, with Miss Ellen M. Higley, a native
of Michigan and a daughter of Harvey and Maria M. (Terwilliger) Higley, whose ancestors according to the family tradition came over in the
Mayflower and ably helped to make the history
of New England. Her parents came to Michigan
in I840, where in his new home her father was a
successful and prosperous mechanic. His only
son was killed at the battle of Fredericksburg,
Va., in the Civil War. " Two children were the
fruit of this first marriage of the Doctor, Joseph
ine E. (Ditmars) Williams, who resides in Moscow township, in this county, and William H., a
prosperous and popular physician at Jonesville.
of whom a personal memoir appears in this volume. Mrs. Ditmars died on November I8, 1890.
and on September 8, i892, Doctor Ditmars
married with his present wife, who was formerly Miss Della E. Kies, also a native of Hillsdale
county, a daughter of Francis and Esther (Barmore) Kies, natives of New York of Scotch ancestry. Her father came to Michigan after his
graduation from Yale College, took up 800 acres
of land on Moscow Plains where he was prospered in the cultivation and use of it. He was
a Whig in political faith and a Presbyterian in
church connection. He died at the age of eightytwo and his wife at ninety-two. For a quarter of
a century Mrs. Ditmars was a valued teacher in
Kansas and Michigan, having taught in the high
school at Lincoln in the former state for two
years.
DR. WILLIAM H..DITMARS.
Among the favorable factors of progress and
prosperity in Hillsdale county, must be numbered
its successful, diligent and conscientious professional men. Every line of professional life is' well
represented in the county, the representatives being men of high character, fine capabilities and an
unfaltering sense of duty. One of the leading
practitioners of medicine and surgery in the county is Dr. William H. Ditmars, of Jonesville, who
was born in the neighboring town of North Adams, on November 28, 1873, a sketch of his parents, William R. and Ellen M. (Higley) Ditmars,
appearing upon other pages of this volume. He
received his scholastic training in the public
schools in this county and at Hillsdale College,
where he passed two years beginning in I889,
then taught school for two years, then, in I893,
began the study of medicine with his father, and
the same year enteredtheDetroit Medical College,
from which he was graduated in I896. He at
once began practicing as a physician and surgeon
at Jonesville and has since made that place his
home, the center of his active and representative
practice. Throughout the county he is known as
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 247
a physician and surgeon of high rank, well versed
in the technique of his profession and very successful in its practice. He was married in I897
to Miss Etha Mae Smith, daughter of'Seth H.
and Ellen (Pardee) Smith, of Hillsdale, who died
of typhoid fever on May Io, go90i.
Doctor Ditmars is a Republican in politics and
has filled a number of local offices at the behest
of his party, among them being that of health
officer for the village and township, positions in
which he has rendered efficient service to the community, winning high commendation as an executive officer of vigor, determination and breadth
of view. He has also for some years been a member of the county central committee of his party,
being also appointed to the pension board for this
county in I897. He is an active member of the
State Medical Association and the American
Medical Association, taking great interest in the
proceedings of these bodies. He belongs to the
Masonic fraternity and has filled important offices
in his lodge with credit to himsef and benefit to
the craft. Both in professional circles and among
the people of the township he is highly esteemed
and commands general confidence. His interest
in all public affairs involving the welfare of the
community is strong and abiding; in social life
he is genial, entertaining and considerate; in politics is patriotic rather than partisan, never, however, surrendering any of his own convictions.
He is an estimable type of Michigan's most serviceable citizenship.
JAMES H. DENNING.
James H. Denning is a well and favorably
known farmer of Moscow township, in this county, having been an active factor in the growth and
development of this section for more than thirtyfive years, coming here in I867 with his parents,
when he was but seventeen years old. He was
born in Somersetshire, England, on November
29, 1850, son of Robert M. and Ann (Notley)
Denning, who were also natives of old Somersetshire, reared there to lives of industry in agricultural pursuits. The grandfather, Henry Denning, was a Dorsetshire man, belonging to a fam
ily of long and creditable residence in that part of
the country. In his early manhood he moved into Somersetshire, where he passed the remainder
of his life. In i867, the parents of James H.Denning emigrated to the United States, making
their way almost immediately to Hillsdale county,
settling in Scipio township, where the father purchased eighty acres of land, which he soon after
sold and then removed to Moscow township,
where he lived until his death in 1877. The
mother survived him eight years, dying in i885.
They had fourteen children, of whom six sons
and three daughters are living, all but one daughter being residents of this county. Their maternal grandfather, William Notley, was also a native of Dorsetshire. For a portion of his life he
was connected with the British military service,
holding a commission and a rank of importance
in the army.
James H. Denning grew to the age of seventen in his native land and received a limited education in its schools, in I867 accompanied his
parents to this country, where on the homestead
which they here established, he lived and worked
until the death of his father. He then began
operations for himself, and, in I879, purchased
the farm of 140 acres on which he now resides.
This, by careful, skillful and well-applied labor,
he has made very fertile and productive, and
has improved with comfortable and commodious
buildings, which are among the best in the township. His life has been one of peaceful industry
and of profitable pursuits, conducted in harmony
with the best interests and aspirations of his locality. It has brought him good returns for his
work and the general respect and approval of the
community.
Mr. Denning was married on July 4, 1875, to
Miss Axie Shults, a native of Moscow township
and a daughter of George and Mary (Fullerton)
Shults, who were early settlers in the county.
Four children have blessed their union, their
sons, Charles A., Frank E., married to Hazel M.
Cook, of Jonesville, a daughter of N. R. Cook
(see sketch elsewhere), and resides at Racine,
Wis.; James E. and Henry Guy, all of whom are
living at home. In politics the head of the house
248
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
has been a Republican all of his mature life, but
he has never sought office or taken any especially
active part in party affairs. He has, however, an
abiding and thoughtful interest in whatever pertains to the good of the country and the advancement of his section. Mrs. Denning's father,
George Shults, was in the Union army as a membery of Battery G, First Michigan Artillery, this
keeping him in the service throughout the Civil
War, in which he confronted innumerable dangers and suffered untold hardships in Kentucky,
Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and
received a wound in the shoulder from a shell.
Mr. Denning is one of the highly esteemed and
most representative citizens of the county.
AUGUSTUS W. DOUGLASS.
The late Augustus W. Douglass, of Hillsdale
county, was wholly a product, and essentially a
representative of Wheatland township. In this
township, in one of its primitive log houses of the
early days, he was born July 22, I837, in its public schools he received an elementary education,
on one of its untamed, uncultivated farms, which
his parents took up as government land, he acquired the habits of industry, frugality and thrift
which distinguished him through life, on another
of its farms he was prospered and grew comfortable in worldly wealth, and, to it after a time, he
added a part of the old homestead by purchase.
Here he passed his useful and instructive life,
and here, at its close, he was laid to his last, long,
dreamless rest with many manifestations of popular esteem and affection.
Mr. Douglass's grandfather was Samuel S.
Douglass, a native of New England, supposed to
have been born in Maine, when that now great
commonwealth was merely a district of Massachusetts. He was a soldier in the Revolution and
died in New Hampshire, after a long and eventful
career and a life of great usefulness as a far-seeing and progressive farmer. His son, Samuel
S. Douglass, was born and reared in Connecticut,
and, when he became a man, he married with Tamar French, of New Hampshire, and sought the
rich lands of the far West for the purpose of fol
lowing the vocation of his father, coming to
Michigan in I835, and, after halting at Ann Arbor for a year, located on I6o acres of public
land in Wheatland township, of Hillsdale county.
There were no roads, except the old Chicago
road, the only other lines of travel through the
trackless forest being Indian trails. With the aid
of his faithful wife he erected a little log cabin,
as their first home in this new country, and began
to clear the land for cultivation, applying their
labor on the north half of their tract.
For twenty-seven years they lived and labored
on this farm, gradually bringing it into systematical productiveness and comeliness, and, in 1863,
when they retired to a life of rest at Hillsdale, it
was one of the most fertile, fruitful and highly
improved farms in the township. The evening of
their days was passed at their town home, where
their final summons reached them, that of the
father in I873, that of the mother in I887. Their
family consisted of seven sons and one daughter.
One son, Dwight E. Douglass, was a soldier in
the Eighteenth Michigan Infantry of the Union
army. He died while in service, at Nashville,
Tenn., of smallpox. Those now living are Francis J., a respected citizen of Iowa; Sarah F., now
Mrs. Slayton, of Illinois; Justus F., a prosperous
farmer of this county; George A., in business at
Toledo, Ohio; Edwin N., living at Paw Paw, in
this state. Their father, a Free Will Baptist, took
an interest in church affairs, helping in the
erection of all the early church buildings for his
denomination in this part of the country.
Augustus W. Douglass was reared on the paternal homestead and rendered material aid in
making it fertile and homelike. When he reached
years of maturity he purchased a farm in the
neighborhood and, some years later, bought a
part of his father's place. On this land he made
his home until his death in May, I9OI. He was
married in December, 1862, to Miss Sarah J. Potter, a native of Lenawee county, Michigan, and
a daughter of James and Sally A. (Walling) Potter, who came to Michigan in I835 and passed the
rest of their lives in Lenawee county. Mr. Douglass was one of the representative farmers of the
township and held a high place in public estima
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
249 *
tion. He was an ardent and unyielding Prohibitionist in political faith, and was an active and
devout member of the Congregational church.
JUSTUS F. DOUGLASS, like his brother Augustus, was born on the farm belonging to his father
in this township, his life beginning on April 2I,
1842. He attended the public schools of the
neighborhood, finished his education with a four
years' course at Hillsdale College, and with one
year passed at Oberlin, Ohio. After leaving college he began farming and has kept to that vocation ever since, only varying it by a few years of
teaching, which he performed in connection with
his farming operations in his early manhood. He
was married, in 1867, to Miss Mary Emma Bradley, a native of Monroe county, Michigan, and a
daughter of Eber and Hannah (Whitney) Bradley, the former born and reared in Connecticut,
and the latter in New York. They were married
in the east and came to this state about I835, settling in Monroe county and making that their
permanent home. In politics Mr. Douglass is a
Republican. He served four years as town clerk,
and he has been for a long time an active and appreciated school inspector. He is a deacon of the
Congregational church, of which his wife is also
a valued member. They have six children: Grant
E., living in Huron county; Dwight J., a resident
of Van Buren county; Hugh S., at home; Watie
E., now Mrs. H. J. Cunningham, of this county;
and Olive T. and Ned E., at the paternal home.
Mr. Douglass has lived an unostentatious, useful life, among this people, by whom his family
name is held in high esteem on account of the
public service to the community and county for
which it stands, and by reason of the good' example of worth and merit it has given to the section. Of its members none is more honored or
more justly revered than himself.
ANDREW C. EDWARDS.
One of the best-known and most honored citizens of Hillsdale county, Michigan, is Hon. Andrew C. Edwards, the subject of this sketch. A
native of the state of Michigan, he was born in
the county of Lenawee on March I9, I84I, the son
of Asa G. and Margaret (Peters) Edwards, the
former a native of the state of New York, and
the latter of New Jersey. His father followed
the occupation of farming, and removed in early
life from his native state to Michigan, where he
was among the first pioneers of that section of the
country. He passed away in March, I88i, after
a long and successful life in the state of his adoption. The mother is still living, at the advanced
age of ninety-two years.
Andrew C. Edwards grew to manhood in
Hillsdale county, and received his preliminary
education at the public schools in the vicinity of
his boyhood's home. Subsequently he attended
the Hillsdale College and pursued a course of
study at that institution of learning. After the
completion of his education, he engaged in the
business of farming in Adams township, assisting
his father in the care and management of the
home farm. He remained here for many years,
meeting with success, and is still the owner of the
old family homestead, where so many years of
his active life were passed. In I890 he purchased
the place where he now resides, which is situated
about one and one-half miles east of the city of
Hillsdale, and thither removed his family. He
has here a fine suburban home, consisting of some
sixty acres, thoroughly improved, with appropriate buildings, having all conveniences necessary
to make life comfortable.
Mr. Edwards was united in marriage, in I861,
with Miss Franc A. Botsford, a native of Waterloo, New York, a daughter of Hon. George H.
Botsford, who, for many years, was one of the
leading citizens of Hillsdale county, Michigan,.
who at one time held the office of county superintendent of schools. He was widely known as a
leading educator and successful church worker.
To Mr. and Mrs. Edwards were born five children, Clara, wife of W. H. Porter, of Adams
township; Grace W., who, prior to her death, in.
April, I899, married M. E. Welper and became
the mother of two children; Bertha M., recently
graduated as a trained nurse and appointed assistant supervisor of the insane hospital at Kalamazoo; Georgia B., wife of Fred Dubois, of
Bankers; Erma, at the paternal home.
~ 250
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Politically, Mr. Edwards has been identified
all his life with the Republican party,'and many
years he has been one of its most trusted leaders in Hillsdale county. On many occasions he
has held positions of honor in the gift of the party,
and has always discharged the duties of public office with fidelity and ability. For a period of two
years he served as clerk of the township, and was
treasurer for one year. He has also held the position of highway commissioner, and, for a definite length of time he was one of the directors ot
the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Co., one of the
important business concerns of that section of the
state. For a period of thirty years he has been a
member of the Grange, for fifteen years he has
served as master, a position of much importance
in the local community. The family are active
members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Their responsive sympathy with all good causes,
and also their kind and generous cooperation with
all movements tending to the uplift and elevation
of individuals or departments of church and society work, place the entire family high on the roll
of the county's best citizenship.
DWIGHT A. CURTIS.
The American members of the branch of the
Curtis family to which Dwight A. Curtis of
Hillsdale county, this state, belongs, are descendants of Samuel Curtis, who emigrated to America, in I690, from Sheffield, England, and settled
at Windsor, Connecticut. One of his offspring,
Deacon Elnathan Curtis, moved to Stockbridge,
Massachusetts, and his son, Major Elnathan, Jr.,
was the great-grandfather of Dwight A. Curtis,
and the Major's son, Elnathan, his grandfather.
Dwight A. Curtis was born in the state of
New York, seven miles west of Rochester, on
October 25, 1834, the son of William and Sallie
(Brown) Curtis, also natives of New York. His
father came to the Empire state with his parents
and was there reared and educated, his father,
Elnathan Curtis, being a prominent merchant
at Genoa in that state. He died in 1812 at Stockbridge, Masaschusetts, of typhus fever, while
on a trip to the East to purchase merchandise
for his store, leaving a widow and two sons.
They took up their residence at Stockbridge after
his death, and, later, his widow remarried with
Captain Brownell, who removed the family to
Cayuga county, New York, where William Curtis grew to manhood, was educated, and began
life for himself as a farmer. He continued in
this occupation, and in the hotel business at
Town Line and Lancaster, until 1851, when he
brought his family to Michigan and settled in
Hillsdale county, purchasing the farm of 280
acres on which his son Dwight A. Curtis now
lives. They have added to this estate until the
farm now contains 700 acres. The land was
partially developed and improved and he diligently addressed himself for four or five years
to its farther development and improvement.
Getting it into an advanced state of cultivation
by that time, ready for an enterprise which he
had long been contemplating, about 1856 he began the breeding of Shorthorn cattle for a highgrade market. His first stock of this kind was
bought of J. O. Sheldon, of Geneva, New York.
Later he made his purchases in Canada and
Kentucky. The product of his breeding farm
was sold in almost every state in the Union, everywhere holding a high rank in the stock markets. His sons Frederick and Dwight were associated with him in this business, the firm name being William Curtis & Sons. Frederick E. Curtis died ih I887 and his father in I888. Dwight
A. Curtis has since conducted the business, and
his herd is renowned throughout the cattle world as "The Hillsdale Herd of Shorthorns,"
and the farm, which is its home, is one of the best
managed and most highly improved stock farms
devoted to this interesting and profitable business.
It displays a fine brick residence, commodious,
substantial and well-arranged barns and other
needed outbuildings and is equipped with every
device for producing the best results in its industry. Everything about the place gives evidence of progressive, far-seeing and energetic
management, excellent judgment and good taste.
To the business which so engrosses him and
of which he is preeminently the head in Michigan.
and one of the ornaments in this country, Mr.
"-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
25I
Curtis brought an education secured in the public
schools and at Albion college. From college he
at once entered the business, becoming a partner with his father and his brother, and since
then he has given his attention solely to its development and improvement. He is a close student of its needs and its details, carefully and
studiously reading its literature, closely observing all its features and phases, applying theories
with judicious and discriminating care, trusting
rather to his own judgment than to the suggestions of others.
In I88I Mr. Curtis's brother organized the
Exchange Bank of Addison, and in this institution
Mr. Curtis had an interest during the life of his
brother, and he conducted it a short time after his
brother died, but he has since disposed of all
his interest therein. He has, however, been active
and serviceable in behalf of all enterprises in the
community directly tending to the public good,
especially such as have been in the line of his
own business and its adjuncts. For four years
he served as the president of the county agricultural society, and, during his tenure of this office,
he raised the organization to a high state of
efficiency and usefulness. He is one of the most
widely known and most highly respected citizens
of the county, and his beautiful bachelor home,
with its evidences of intellectual culture, its
wealth of creature comforts and its bounteous
hospitality, is one of the prominent social institutions of the township, a great resort for his
friends, who are to be found in every part of this
and adjoining counties.
WILLIAM H. DURYEA.
William H. Duryea, one of the well-known
and highly respected pioneers of Jefferson township, this county, is a native of New York state,
born on June 19, I824. His parents, William and
Sally Duryea, were also New Yorkers by nativity
who came to Michigan in I834, settling on government land, which they entered to the northeast
of Osseo. They cleared up this land and resided
on it some years, then moved to Hudson and remained a few years, when they returned to Osseo
and there made their home until death. The elder William Duryea was twice married, his second wife surviving him. A shoemaker by trade,
he followed this craft for many years. When the
War of 1812 broke out he joined the Federal
army and rendered an appreciated service in the
cause of his country, incurring disabilities in the
service, for which he subsequently received a
pension from the U. S. government. Of his seven
sons and one daughter, two sons are living, William H. and Simon, a resident of California.
William H. Duryea was but eight years of age
when the family came to Michigan, the country
was wholly unsettled, full of the barbarous life
which had filled it for ages. Indians were here
to greet his people, who were among the first arrivals, and every energy of the family was required in the contest with the unfavorable conditions which confronted them. His father erected
a large log house near Osseo, which, for a long
time, served as a tavern for the neighborhood and all of the travelers, it being the first and
most pretentious structure built in the section. The opportunities for schooling here were
necessarily few and limited, Mr. Duryea not
being able to take advantage of these in full
measure. He assisted in clearing the farm and
continued to reside on it until he was of age, In
I849, while the California gold fever was at its
height, with a number of other men from Osseo,
he made a trip to that land of promise, driving
across the plains with horse and ox teams, and
occupying four months in the journey. They had
many adventures of thrilling interest, encounters
with Indians and with wild beasts, but escaped
without more serious mishap than the loss of
some of their stock. He was successful in mining
and gardening in the new Eldorado, where he remained for two and one-half years. He then returned to Michigan and to his wife and child,
whom he had left on the farm, making the return
trip by the ocean and the isthmus route.
Determined now to remain in Michigan, he
began clearing up the farm of eighty acres, on
which he now lives in Jefferson township, which
he had bought of a Mr. Hodges before going
to California. Since then he has added land, by
252
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
purchase from time to time, until he owned at one
period 340 acres. During almost the whole of his
life, he has been engaged in farming, but, during
the construction of the railroad from Adrian to
Jonesville, he was employed on that enterprise,
first in making, the survey, then in grading and
afterwards for some years as a fireman. In I850
he was united in marriage, in this county, with
Miss Catherine Brokaw, a native of New York,
who was left an orphan in childhood and came to
Michigan after her sister, Mrs. Joseph Slaght, of
Jefferson township. Mr. and Mrs. Duryea were
the parents of seven children, all of whom are living but one. Those living are Cascus, Minor J.
and Theron, of this township, Charles, of Allen
township, Andrew, of Woodbridge township, Lilly, the wife of Elmer Osmun, of Cambria. Mr.
Duryea has never taken an active part in politics
or filled public office, and, with his wife, belongs
tc the Christian church.
REV. MINOR J. DURYEA, second in order of
birth of the living children of William H. Duryea,
and also a noted preacher and temperance lecturer, was born on September I9, 1854, in this
county, where he was reared and educated. In
1876 he married with Miss Anna Miller, a daughter of Martin and Margaret Miller, who moved
from Ohio to this state and county in I866. They
have two children, Lucy V. and Jasper I. Duryea. Mr. Duryea began life as a farmer, and, for
a number of years, he conducted his farming operations without a thought or desire for other
occupation, although taking all the while an active
interest in church work. In I87I he was converted to the Christian religion and at once began
to look toward the ministry as his life work. Having been ordained, in I885, he was stationed at
Orangeville, in Barry county, the next year being
changed to Millbrook charge in Mecosta county
where he remained two years. His ministry here
was very successful, resulting in I80 conversions
and the erectioh of a large church building.
From there he went to Jackson, where he remained four years.
His work: up to this time had been done for the
Wesleyan Methodist church, but, after leaving
Jackson, he joined the Congregationalists, and
in this connection was sent to Ashley, this state,
and there he also built a church and had a successful ministry. In 1890, and again in 1892, he
visited the battlefields of the South for purposes
of observation and study. His ministry at Ashley lasted a year and a half and resulted in 165
conversions. In 1893 he was called to Linden,
Michigan, where he remained two years. He
then went to Chicago and for two years assisted
Rev. D. L. Moody in his evangelizing work in
and near that city, being connected with missions.
The next year was passed on his farm; in 1898 he
returned to Chicago, and for two years thereafter
was engaged in active church work. One portion of his mission work between I896 and 1898
was at Elkhart, Ind., where he built a church and
had over 300 conversions as the result of his ministry for over two years of grand success. He
then was appointed the superintendent of the Bay
City (Mich.) Sailors' Bethel Mission. Later, for
six months, he was engaged in lecturing in and
near Toledo, Ohio. He now contemplates an
early return to Chicago to meet a renewed demand for his services in that field. Everywhere
he has been his labors have been highly appreciated and have resulted in great good to the cause he
has advocated. While at Jackson, Mich., he was
earnestly solicited to become the chaplain to the
prison at that city, and in other places his services have been sought for special work in the line
of his sacred calling. Of the fraternal societies he
holds membership in but one, the Knights of
Pythias.
As a temperance lecturer Rev. Mr. Duryea is
held in the highest esteem, being often spoken of
as ranking next to the late John B. Gough in this
line of work. His life has been and continues to
be, full of active usefulness, and, while he has interests of his own which need attention and are
sufficient to engage all his faculties, he has no idea
of abandoning the work of the ministry, in which
he has been so long and so successfully engaged,
where he can accomplish so much good and where
his services are so much appreciated. His home
is one of the most pleasant and, for beauty, is
among the first of this section. Recently, while
at work in one of his fields, Mr. Duryea found
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 253
a piece of petrified wood which is not only a curiosity but a distinct novelty. It is a couple of feet
in length and about a foot in diameter, one piece,
which weighs twenty-eight pounds, of a V shape,
separated from the main body, the edges being as
smooth as though cut with a saw. The larger
piece weighs I24 pounds.
HILLSDALE COUNTY GAZETTE.
After thirty-five years of editorial labor, with
an interesting experience embracing many of the
ups and downs of newspaper life, James I. Dennis
has a well-established county paper with a good
and solid body of patrons for its advertising columns and a valuable and a steadily increasing
circulation. He established this paper, the Hillsdale County Gazette, published at Jonesville,
Mich., on March 13, 1878. It was started as
an advocate of the Greenback theories, and, 'as
long as they were an issue in the politics of the
country, it warmly and forcibly supported them.
Recently the paper has become independent with
a tendency to support Democratic policies. It
bears the same name as the first paper published
in the county, and a copy of which is still on file
in the Gazette office, which was first issued on
April I3, I839. It was founded by Hon. W. W.
Murphy and James K. Kinman, Esq. The plant
was moved from Branch, in Branch county, and,
when Hillsdale became the county seat, it was
located at that place and used to publish a paper
called the Hillsdale Gazette and later in producing the Hillsdale Democrat.
Mr. Dennis, publisher and proprietor of the
Gazette, is the pioneer newspaper man of the
county. He was associated with the Independent
for many years, purchasing the paper of H. N.
F. Lewis in 1864, in partnership with J. F. Burnett. In I876 he severed his connection with
the Independent and leased the Reading Press
for a short time. He then founded his present
enterprise, publishing his paper for a short time
at Waldron, and, for three years thereafter, at
Pittsford. Since I893 it has been published at
Jonesville, and in this ancient little village, the
center of a rich and productive country, it has
thriven and prospered, gratifying and elevating
the taste of a critical circle of readers, serving as
a medium of communication between the tradesmen and their customers, accurately recording
current events, leading the thought of its community along lines of healthy and progressive
development. The establishment is as well
equipped as any office of similar proportions anywhere, and the work it produces will bear close
and critical comparison with that of many more
pretentious plants.
For more than half a century Mr. Dennis has
been engaged in the printing business in this state.
In that long period of arduous, and by no means
always duly appreciated, service to the public,
he has kept abreast with the progressive thought
of the country, and laid before his people, as an
editor, all he could find of value in general science,
education and morals, industrial and commercial
enterprise, invention and discovery, politics and
finance, and every other line of productive activity, as well as whatever was interesting or helpful
in social life. It is high praise to say of any man
that with such an engine of power as a live newspaper at his command for more than thirty-five
years he has never used its forces except on the
helpful side of right and progress, but it is a just
tribute to say this of the editor of the Gazette.
ANDREW V. FERGUSON.
Andrew V. Ferguson, of Wheatland township,
in this county, is native to the soil, having been
born on August 23, I844, on the farm which he
now owns and operates. His parents were Robert
E. and Phoebe (Van Vleet) Ferguson, natives of
New York, coming from ancestors, who originally emigrated from Scotland, in that country belonging to one of the earliest families, descending
from that Fergus I, who was chosen as the first
king of Scotland for his services in driving tie
barbarous Picts out of the land.. See History of
Scotland. The father, 'a farmer, in 1835 came to
Michigan, by way of the lake to Toledo, thence
by ox teams through the Black Swamp to Adrian.
From there the way was difficult and toilsome,
there being no roads and obstructions were almost
254
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
innumerable. The party persevered, however,
and in due time reached the goal for which it had
started, where Mr. Ferguson settled on the eighty
acres of government land he selected as his portion, there began to make a clearing and to get
the-ground into condition for a crop. He had but
five dollars in money, with little besides with
which to begin life in the wilderness after paying
for his land. But he joined hands with a neighbor, the two between them having a team, each
owning one ox.
A log shanty was speedily built and from
this home as headquarters he worked out for a
neighbor, receiving his pay of fifty cents a day
in salt pork at twenty-five cents per pound. By
these slender and trying means he managed to exist and progress until he produced a crop, after
which the way was more easy and the progress
more rapid. His neighbors and intimate associates included many Indians, Baw Beese and others being frequent visitors to his cabin. His nearest milling point was Adrian and the trip to that
place consumed two weeks going and returning.
He lived to clear up a good farm, added another
tract of eighty acres to his estate, improving the
whole with good buildingsandother necessary appliances. He married in this county, his wife's
people having come to the state about the same
time that he did. His family consisted of three
children, of whom two are living, his son, Andrew, and a daughter, who is the wife of George
Combs, of Adams township. The father died in
June, 1885, and the mother in September, 1887.
The grandfather, Parmenus Ferguson, was a native of New York who came to Michigan in 1835
with his family and died in Hillsdale county.
Andrew V. Ferguson was reared on the parental homestead, began his education in the public schools, completing it with two terms at Hillsdale College. Since leaving college he has devoted his life to farming and has made the business profitable and found it agreeable. His farm
is a model of thrift, enterprise and foresight, and
its buildings, which were erected in I893 at a cost
of over $4,000, are among the best in the township. He was married, in this county, in 1873,
to Miss Anna E. McGregor, a New Yorker by na
tivity, a daughter of Hon. Hamilton McGregor,
at one time a resident of the county. They have
no children. Mr. Ferguson is a Republican in
politics but has never desired or filled public office.
He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, is a good
man, an excellent farmer, a citizen of high character and public spirit, who is universally respected.
PROF. S. J. GIER.
Every person knows the immense value of the
public schools and looks for them as among the
best features of every community. Whatever
else a town may offer as inducements to new settlers, this must not be overlooked. Let sites for
manufactories be as free as the air, let all plants
be entirely exempt from taxation, let franchises
be thrown away with prodigal liberality, let shipping facilities be provided to the widest limit at
the cheapest rate, the question will still arise:
"What school advantages can be had?" Tried
even by this severe standard Hillsdale will compel a high regard. Its public school system is
comprehensive in scope, progressive in movement,
modern in method, luxurious in appointments and
judicious in administration; its work is supervised by a force, constructive as well as conservative, practical as well as theoretic, sympathetic as
well as exacting, inspiring as well as elevated,
which gives example as well as precept, in the
office of the superintendent.
Prof. S. J. Gier, the superintendent, is a native
of Ransom township, this county, born on June
13, 1865, a brother of Dr. Frank M. Gier, of
whom mention is made elsewhere in this work.
He was educated in the public schools of Allen
and Quincy, this state, being graduated from the
latter in 1884. He then taught for one year at
Quincy and for another one at South Butler, in
Branch county. In I896 he entered the State
Normal School at Ypsilanti, from which in I890
he was graduated, in the meantime, during I888
and I889, teaching one year. After graduating in
the fall of the same year, he came to Hillsdale to
become the principal of the high school. For
nine consecutive years thereafter he filled that position with great credit and acceptability. In 1899
T-TT T ('fl AT V7 I-/ITTATT1 nLTT TC' A AT
ILIL1 L.\3 RLL, ~ LiLV X I, IVILlIIIU/llV.
255
he accepted the superintendency of the public
schools of St. Clair, remaining there until he was
made city superintendent at Hillsdale, the post
he is now occupying. In I89I he took a special
course of instruction in science at the Lansing
Agricultural College.
Thus properly prepared for his work as superintendent, he has not disappointed the hopes of
those who placed him in the office, but has made
a state reputation as a vigorous, progressive and
efficient school officer. While a gentleman of
quiet and genial manners himself, he possesses;
great executive powers and inspires others with
enthusiasm and zeal. He has done excellent institute work in various portions of the state and in,his way has rendered very acceptable and highly
appreciated service to the cause of public education. Professor Gier was married,. at Hillsdale,
in I895, with Miss Leila I. Smith, a native of New
York state, a graduate of the music department
of Hillsdale College and afterwards a successful teacher of music in the public schools of the
city. They have one child, their son, Samuel
Richard Gier. The Professor, a Republican
in politics, has been a member of the county board
of school examiners for his resident county and
also for St. Clair county. He is a past worshipful
master of his Masonic lodge, and he is enthusiastic in the work of the chapter and the commandery to which he belongs, being commander at
present of the latter organization.
WILLIAM H. FRANKHAUSER.
The American progenitor of this William
H. Frankhauser was his grandfather, Nicholas
Frankhauser, a native of Germany who came to
the United States while he was yet a young man
and located in Ohio, where for many years he
conducted successful and progressive farming operations, where, also, in the fullness of years and
of public esteem, he died and was laid to rest. In
that state his son, Jacob Frankhauser, was reared
and prepared for his life work as a minister in the
Evangelical church, in Ohio, also, he rose to note
and prominence in his sacred calling. There, too,
he met and married with Miss Mary A. Bish, a
native of Virginia, who came to Ohio with her
parents in her childhood. In Wood county of
that state their son, William, was born on March
5, 1863. In 1875, when he was twelve years old,
the family moved to Monroe, Mich., where they
remained until I88o, then took up their residence
at Litchfield, in Hillsdale county, where the father
died in I889, leaving a widow who is still living,
having her home at Hillsdale. They were the parents of three sons and three daughters, of whom
two of the sons, William and Dr. S. B. Frankhauser, are residents of this county.
William H. Frankhauser began his scholastic
training in the public schools and continued it at
Ypsilanti Normal, Oberlin (Ohio) College, and,
what was then the Northwestern University, at
Naperville, Ill. After leaving college he was engaged for ten years in pedagogic labors. In I889
he began the study of law in the offices of E. L.
Koon and Judge Chester, of Hillsdale. Two years
later he was admitted to the bar, beginning the
practice of his profession as a member of the firm
of Boyd & Frankhauser Bros., which had only
one year's existence, being succeeded by that of
Frankhauser Bros., which lasted three years.
Since the dissolution of this latter firm Mr. Frankhauser has been in partnership with Mr. Cornell,
under the firm name of Frankhauser & Cornell.
In I89o and I89I Mr. Frankhauser was deputy
county clerk, then, for a year, deputy city clerk,
at the end of that time being elected city attorney,
a position which he held for two years. In I892
he was a candidate for the office of county prosecuting attorney, but was beaten in the convention
by Judge Chester. In I896, however, he was
again a candidate for this office, was successful in
the election, and, since that time, he has held it
three terms, having had two reelections.
Mr. Frankhauser has performed its trying
and important duties with skill and diligence, has
won high tribute and general commendation as a
vigilant, energetic and successful prosecutor, at
the same time building up an excellent reputation
as a well read, careful, astute and successful lawyer in general practice, being acknowledged also
as a gentleman of high character, solid attainments and most pleasing manners. He is a pro
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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
gressive, far-seeing and public spiritedcitizen,giving earnest and helpful support to all movements
looking to the advancement and improvement of
the town and county. In politics he has been an
ardent Republican from the dawn of his manhood, to the welfare of his party he has made
valuable contributions both of time and effort,
serving at times as chairman of its county central
committee, advocating its cause with force and
eloquence on the hustings in every important
campaign. Almost as soon as he reached his legal
majority he was made a Freemason, and, from
that event, he has taken great and active interest
in the affairs of the fraternity, holding memberships in its symbolic, its capitular, its cryptic and
its templar branches, filling with credit to himself
and benefit to the craft official stations in each,
also helping to hold its membership and its work
in his neighborhood up to a high standard of excellence. He also belongs to the Knights of the
Maccabees. On January I6, I9oo, he married
with Miss Mary E. Powers, a native of Hillsdale
county, and they have two children, a son, Richard, and a daughter, Isabelle. Mr. Frankhauser
is an ornament to his profession, a potent factor
in the progress and development of the county, a
high type of the best citizenship of the state.
MALCOLM GRAHAM, M. D.
Malcolm Graham, M. D., a leading physician
and surgeon of Jonesville, is wholly a product of
this county. He was born in Scipio township on
February I, 1848, a son of Jonathan B. and Maria
(Lomis) Graham, both natives of Connecticut.
His father, a farmer in his New England home,
-came to this county about I836 and purchased a
farm three miles northeast of Jonesville, which he
cleared of its heavy forest growth, improved and
lived upon until April, I849, then bought the farm
adjoining the village of Jonesville, where he
passed the remaining days of his life, dying there
in I89I at the age of eighty-one years, having
survived his wife since I880. They were the parents of four children, of whom two sons are now
living, the Doctor being the only one who is a
resident of this county. The father was active in
politics, serving the state several times in the lower branch of the State Legislature. The family
came from Great Britain to Connecticut in the
early settlement of that colony, where its various
members were serviceable in public life for generations.
Doctor Graham was reared and educated in
his native county, finishing his academic course
at the Jonesville high school. After leaving this
institution, he began the study of medicine at
Jonesville, and, in 1863, entered the medical department of the State University, later attending
the Long Island (N. Y.) Medical College, from
which he was duly graduated with the degree of
M. D. in 1865. He began his medical practice at
Independence, Iowa, where he remained five
years, at the end of that period removing to Illinois and practicing in that state until I885. He
then came to Jonesvillewhere he hassince resided.
Here he built a lucrative and representative practice and endeared himself to the people in his
community, and throughout the county, by faithful attention to their wishes in his line of activity, his high character as a man, and his genial
and obliginig disposition. He is a diligent student of the literature of his profession, a close
observer of all its phases in his practice. He is
also interested in farming and in fruitgrowing,
conducting his fine farm upon a lofty plane of
skillful husbandry, but giving, however, a special
attention to the production of fruit of superior
grades. He was married at Jonesville, in I86I,
to Miss Cornelia Hooby, who was born and reared
in New York state. They have three children,
Norris M., Cornelia G. and Robert H. The Doctor stands in the front rank of his profession in
the state and is well and widely known and highly
respected by the people of Hillsdale and adjacent
counties.
DR. BURT F. GREEN.
Although but a recent acquisition to the medical faculty of Hillsdale, Dr. Burt F. Green is sufficiently far from shore to be under full sail in his
profession and has given abundant evidence of his
capacity to steer his barque to its desired haven.
His story is just like that of thousands every
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
257
where among us. It forcibly illustrates the possibilities of American life and the no less wonderful
versatility of the American mind. Entering upon
the stage of action at his maturity in one important and exacting capacity, after a few years he is
found pursuing a very different vocation, equally
important and exacting, or more so. He is a native of Van Buren county, this state, born at Paw
Paw, on December I6, I869, his parents being
Ebenezer W. and Frances (Randolph) Green, natives of Western New York. The father, a farmer, came with his family to Michigan about I866,
and settled in Van Buren county. Since I891,
however, the father and mother have been residents of Hillsdale. They are the parents of two
children, both sons and both physicians.
Doctor Green received his early education in
the public schools and was graduated from the
Paw Paw high school in 1888. He then entered
Hillsdale College and was graduated from that
institution in I894. He began the study of medicine at once, and then passed two years as the
principal of the North Adams high school. He
read for some months under the instruction of
Doctor Sawyer before going to North Adams, and
there continued his professional studies while
teaching the school. In the fall of 1896 he entered the medical department of the State University, and in I9oo was graduated with the degree
of M. D. He came immediately to Hillsdale, became associated in the practice of his profession
with Doctor Sawyer and they are still in partnership. Their practice is large and growing.
Doctor Green is acquiring a strong hold on
the confidence of the people as a skillful and careful practitioner, with a love of his profession that
is sure to bring to his aid all that is valuable in
theory and of demonstrated utility in practice.
He is an active member of the state and county
medical societies, being also a close observer and
a careful and reflective student, and, both in the
ranks of the profession and among the people generally, he is considered one of the most promising professional men in the county. He belongs
to the Masonic order and to the Knights of Pythias; and, while a student at college and at the
university was a member of college societies and
fraternities. In social circles he is everywhere
warmly welcomed, and by his genial and entertaining manners, his fund of anecdote and general
information, and his courteous and considerate attion to the comfort of all he meets, he has become
a general favorite with all classes of people.
EDGAR B. GREGORY.
Edgar B. Gregory, the popular postmaster of
Jonesville, and the senior member of the firm of
Gregory & Eggleston, publishers of the Jonesville
Independent, the leading Republican paper of the
township, is a native of Wilson, New York, where
he was born on March 31, 1852. His parents
were William E. and Eliza (Bartlett) Gregory,
the former being a native of New York and the
latter of Massachusetts. The father was first a
school teacher, then a druggist, and latera farmer.
He came to Michigan in 1857 and settled two
miles north of the village of Jonesville, which location was his home-until his death in 1876. He
survived his wife, whose death occurred in I861.
He served three years as the supervisor of Scipio
township, and took an active interest in all public
affairs affecting the welfare of the community.
His family consisted of three children, all of
whom are living. The paternal grandfather was
born and reared at Bennington, Vt. He was a
blacksmith by trade, but came to Michigan in
I857, where he was actively engaged in farming
until his death in I865, at the age of eighty-seven
years.
Mr. Gregory was reared and educated in
Hillsdale county and worked on the home farm
until I885, when he came to Jonesville and purchased an interest in a mercantile enterprise in
the boot and shoe line in partnership with E. D.
Howard. The partnership continued for five
years, when it was dissolved by mutual consent,
and, in I890, Mr. Gregory purchased the interest
of George E. Harding in the Independent, which
he still holds. The paper was founded in I849 as
the Jonesville Telegraph, its name being changed
in 1852 to the Jonesville Independent. This is the
leading newspaper published in this part of the
county, the accepted organ of its party in political
258
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
matters. It has a large and loyal body of patrons
and is appreciatedas ameans of entertainment and
education to the people of the township. Mr.
Gregory was appointed postmaster of Jonesville
in December, I889, and, prior to that time, he had
served as township treasurer one term, supervisor
one term, village trustee and as president of the
township board. He was secretary of the schoolboard for ten years. He was married in 1874
with Miss Sarah Mumford, the daughter of E.
C. L. and J. A. Mumford, of Moscow. They have
two children, their son, William M., and their
daughter, Helen.
In politics Mr. Gregory has been a lifelong
Republican and has given to the affairs of his
party diligent and faithful service. For six years
he served as a member of the county central comr
mittee, during that time being a potential figurc
and factor in the campaigns in behalf of the policies and candidates of his party. In everything
pertaining to the interests of the press he is deeply and intelligently interested. he is a member
of the Michigan Press Association, the Republican Press Association, and the Postmasters Association, also belonging to the Knights of Pythias.
He is well and favorably known throughout the
county, being highly esteemed as one of the leaders of thought among this progressive people.
His son, William Mumford Gregory, is now finishing his fifth year of service as superintendent of schools of East Tawas in Iosco county,
this state. He is a graduate of the State Nor-,mal school, and is a student at Harvard University. It should be said to Mr. Gregory's credit,
that, with an active and able newspaper at his
command, he has never used his power except
on the side of right and justice, and in behalf of
all that was progressive and elevating to the
communnity. He is well esteemed wherever he
is known as a gentleman of high character, fine
capability and cultivated manners.
JOHN HAGGERTY.
The late John Haggerty, of Pittsford, whose
death on March 7, 19oo, at the ripe age of sixtyfour years, was universally lamented and ended
a life of signal worth and usefulness, was one of
the substantial and highly respected citizens of
Hillsdale county, who had an enviable career of
public service and private industry to his credit.
He was born on September 3, 1836, in the state
of New York, where his parents, John and Eliza
Haggerty, settled in early days, on their arrival
in this country from Ireland, where their families had lived for many generations. Some few
years after the birth of their son, John, they removed to Michigan and settled on a farm in Pittsford township, in this county, where, after clearing the land and creating a comfortable and productive home, they died at advanced ages, being
the parents of three sons and two daughters, of
whom one son and two daughters are living.
John Haggerty grew to manhood from childhood in Michigan, was educated at the public
schools of this county and near Northfield, in
Washtenaw county. In I86I he went to California, crossing the plains with teams, and, after
spending eight years on the cattle ranges in that
state, he returned to Michigan in I869, by way
of the "isthmus" and New York. Soon after his
return he purchased a farm in Pittsford township
on which he resided until his death in I9oo. His
farm comprised 120 acres of land, and, at the
time of his death, it was all in an advanced state
of cultivation, and supplied with good buildings
and other desirable improvements, representing
in its excellent condition the results of his more
than sixty years industrious and systematic labor
and care.
In 1871 he was married to Miss Amanda
Briggs, a daughter of George W. and Christina
(Stuck) Briggs, the former a native of Vermont
and the latter of New York. They emigrated
to Michigan during the thirties and settled in
Pittsford township, where, in the course of time,
both died. Mrs. Haggerty died in I880, and, on
April 3, 1883, Mr. Haggerty married his second
wife, Miss Helen Briggs, a sister of the first.
They had three children, Amanda B., Inez and
another, who died in infancy. Mr. Haggerty was
a Democrat in politics, but not an active partisan
and he never sought or filled public office. He
was active in promoting the welfare of the com
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
259
munity, in all of his public acts and aspirations he
had no other motive than to secure the best advantages and the most substantial progress and
prosperity of the people among whom he lived.
His friends in all parts of the county were numerous and cordial in their esteem for him, and at his
death gave proof of their feelings by the demonstrations of public regard and good will amid
which he was laid to rest.
George W. Briggs, deceased, the father of
Mrs. Haggerty, was a native of Vermont, being
a son of Nathaniel Briggs, also a native of that
state. His grandfather was Cyrus Briggs, a Revolutionary soldier, who saw much active service
in the war and was killed in the storming of Fort
Ticonderoga in I777. After the coming of peace
his family lived for many years in their native
state, conducting successful farming operations
according to the circumstances of the time and
place in which they lived. In the thirties George
W. Briggs emigrated with his family to Michigan
and settled on a tract of government land, which
was part of the great extent of unbroken forest,
given up to the predatory savage and to the
beasts of prey that filled the wilderness with
danger, and made the first advances of civilization difficult and slow. The life of the hardy pioneers was beset with peril and full of privations.
Their toil was doubly arduous because of the untamed state of nature and the lack of suitable appliances. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs and their children accepted their lot with cheerfulness, met
its requirements with courage, energy and determined perseverance, and before a great while
they had the satisfaction of seeing the forest melt
away before their persistent industry and the land
grow fertile and productive under their careful
and diligent husbandry.
Other settlers came to the region, and the
combined energies of many made the work less
difficult and more efficient. Roads, bridges and
other conveniences multiplied in the township;
schools, churches and more commodious residences rose around them; all of the concomitants
of a more cultivated life came gradually among
them, sweetening theirtoil with bounteous and enduring benefactions. To these results the Briggs
17
family made most substantial contributions.
They are numbered among the builders of the
county and looked upon as vital factors in its
growth and progress. When Mrs. Haggerty's
parents saw the evening of life at last closing upon them, it was in the midst of a new civilization,
which they helped to plant in the wilderness,
in a home which their own hands had wrought
out of the hardest and most obdurate conditions.
On her mother's side there was also heroism and
devotion to the general weal in an active and potential way, for her grandfather Stuck was a soldier in the War of I812, in that struggle aiding
most valiantly in maintaining and establishing
the liberties and political institutions which her
father's ancestors had helped to win and create.
FRANK M. HALL.
Frank M. Hall, of Hillsdale, the circuit court
commissioner, is one of the younger lawyers of
the bar who is well established in his profession,
conducting an active and lucrative practice with
vigor and success, meeting the requirements of
every case with the most careful preparation and
presenting his side of it with skill, force and resourcefulness. The place of his nativity is Richland county, Ohio, and there he was born on
February Io, I870. His parents, Amos C. and
Susan (Sterick) Hall, were natives of Pennsylvania, and removed to Ohio, soon after which
their marriage occurred. They there engaged in
farming until I875, when they came to Michigan
and settled in Eaton county, where they still live.
Mr. Hall's paternal grandfather, Thomas Hall,
was a Pennsylvania Quaker who passed his life in
his native state. His father, John Hall, a native
of England, came to America with William Penn,
living thereafter and dying in Pennsylvania.
Frank M. Hall was one of four children, two
sons and two daughters, all of whom are living
in Michigan. At the age of fire years he came
with the rest of the family to this state, his subsequent childhood and youth being passed in
Eaton county, where he was educated, attending
the primary, grammar and high schools. After
leaving school he taught for a time, and then in
26o
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
1891, began the reading of law in the office of F.
J. Slayton, of Eaton Rapids, a little later continuing his studies under the direction of F. A.
Lyon, Esq., of Hillsdale. Mr. Hall was admitted
to practice on July I8, 1895, and at once started
his professional career in Hillsdale. In 1899 he
was made city attorney, and on October 12, I899,
was appointed to the office of circuit court commissioner by Governor Pingree. The duties of
both positions have had his careful and conscientious attention, and have been performed with an
ability and promptness that have won him general commendation. Mr. Hall married on October 19, I898, with Miss Bertha Fink, a native of
Ohio, the marriage occurring at Ionia. They
have one child, their daughter, Marian. In political faith Mr. Hall is an ardent Republican. He
has rendered his party good service both in committee duty and on the hustings, showing himself
to be shrewd, tactful and effective in each line
of campaigning. His fraternal affiliation is with
the Masonic order, of which he is an enthusiastic
and valued member.
HILLSDALE SAVINGS BANK.
The Hillsdale Savings Bank, one of the
strongest, safest, ablest managed and most progressive financial institutions in the southern part
of the state, was founded in July, 1884, with a
capital stock of $6o,ooo and the following officers:
John P. Cook, president; Chauncey F. Cook,
cashier; and these two, with Henry Walworth,
J. H. Armstrong and Col. F. M. Holloway, were
the directors. John P. Cook served as president
until his death' in the ensuing autumn, when he
was succeeded by his son, Chauncey F. Cook,
who is still filling that position. Frank H. Conklin succeeded Mr. Cook as cashier, and, after a
service covering several years, was succeeded in
turn by A. B. /LaFleur, the present efficient and
popular incumbent of that office. A general banking business is conducted by the institution, whose
progress in business success and in popular favor
since its opening has been steady, constant and
substantial. It has rendered great service to the
community, by multiplying the financial resources
available for its mercantile operations, and by aiding wage-workers and others to lay up a portion
of their earnings for future needs.
HON. JOHN P. COOK, the founder of this bank,
and the prolific parent of many other excellent
commercial and industrial offsprings that have
blessed and materially aided the community, and,
it may be truthfully said, the founder of the city
of Hillsdale itself, whose long and useful life was
ended by death on December 15, I884, was a native of Plymouth, Chenango county, N. Y., born
on January 27, I812. His parents, of English
descent, moved from their New England home
at an early day and settled at Plymouth. His father, Joseph Cook, died when the son was but two
years old, and two years later, his mother,. whose
maiden name was Lydia Benson, married a second
husband. The exigencies of his situation obliged
Mr. Cook to begin working for his living at an
early age, and his opportunities were therefore
limited for securing much education of the
schools. But the same hard fortune made the
lessons of adversity salutary in teaching him
self-reliance, in begetting in him business thrift
and acumen, and in leading him into habits of industry and economy.
His youth and early manhood were passed
in farming, teaching and in learning carpentry
in his native state. In the spring of 1832, at the
age of twenty, having saved a little money, he
started west, and, on July I, arrived at Detroit.
There in association with others he built a foundry, but a few months later sold his interest, in
the summer of I834 removing to Jonesville in this
county. In that village, in partnership with C. W.
Ferris, he built a store and filled it with the first
stock of merchandise ever brought into Hillsdale
county for sale over the counter. Two years later,
foreseeing the ultimate removal of the county
seat to the place where Hillsdale now stands, he
bought property in that locality, although it was
then covered with a dense forest and the neighborhood was peopled with but two families. In
1837 he changed his residence to this place, and,
engaging in partnership with Mr. Ferris, they
erected a mill for grinding grain, in connection
with this conducting a store, which they estab
5
B
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
26I
lished about. the same time. Mr. Cook continued
these operations until 1862, in the meantime, the
state having begun the construction of the Michigan Southern Railroad, Mr. Cook became a large
contractor in the work. In I855 he engaged in
banking in company with Messrs. Mitchell and
Waldron, remaining with the firm until 1863, then
became interested in the hardware trade, and, in
I866, he began to deal extensively in lumber.
And throughout his life in this county he was
more or less actively engaged in farming and in
the raising of stock, owning always tracts of farning and timber lands, working them with' the
same ardor and systematic enterprise that characterized his efforts in other lines of effort.
For a quarter of a century or more following
the organization of the state government, Mr.
Cook took an active part in political affairs, and
became one of the best known and most highly
respected men in the commonwealth. His political affiliation was with the Democratic party,
and in the councils of that organization he had
an influential voice. He was one of the prime
movers in the organization of Hillsdale county,
and was enthusiastically chosen its first treasurer.
In I838 he was appointed the first postmaster of
Hillsdale. In 1845 he was elected to the lower
house of the State Legislature, and, in the ensuing session, served on the judiciary committee,
being the only non-professional man among its
members. At this session the statutes of the state
were revised and this committee had unusually
important duties to perform. In the fall of 1846
he was elected to the State Senate, and would
have been easily reelected in 1848, had not private
business interests obliged him to decline a second
nomination for this office.
In I850 Mr. Cook was chosen a delegate to the
State Constitutional Convention, in which he
served as chairman of the c6mmittee on corporations, one of the most important offices of the
body. This convention framed a new state constitution, which is substantially the present organic law of the state. An attempt was made to
form a new one in I874, and a special session of
the senate was held for the purpose. To this senate Mr. Cook was sent, overcoming a large ad
verse majority in tile contest. He strenuously
opposed the new constitution, which, when it was
submitted to the people, was rejected. For many
years Mr. Cook was a member of the board of
education of Hillsdale, and for a long period he
was one of the trustees of Hillsdale College, serving many times as chairman of the board. He
also took part in other public enterprises for the
benefit of the county, being particularly energetic
in securing the completion of the Detroit, Hillsdale & Indiana Railroad.
In 1837 Mr. Cook was united in marriage
with his first wife, formerly a Miss Betsey Wolford, of Cayuga county, New York, who died in
the summer.of I850, leaving three children. In
1852 he married with his second wife, Miss Martha H. -Wolford, a sister of the first. They had
nine children, six of whom are living.
Mr. Cook was aggressive and enterprising in
business; yet he conducted all of his industries
on such a plane of integrity and straightforwardness that he always held the high respect of his
competitors. He was zealous, active and forceful in politics; yet so broad, fair and candid in
party contests that'he never lost the regard of an
opponent, or suffered severe criticism, even in
the most heated campaigns. His life was both a
service and a benefaction to the state; his death
was a universal, loss to the interests of humanity
and a deep personal bereavement to all who knew
him well. His name will long linger in the loving memory of this section, a watchword to the
faithful, an incitement to generous-endeavor, a
rich inheritance to his offspring.
CHAUNcEY F. COOK, a son of Hon. John P.
Cook, and his successor in the presidency of the
bank, was born at Hillsdale on March 9, I857.
He was reared in his native town and received
his elementary education in its public schools.
*After leaving them he attended Hillsdale College
until 1876, then entered Ann Arbor University,
matriculating in the literary department, from
which he was graduated in I879. Thereafter for
a year he read law in the office of L. M. Keating,
Esq., at Muskegon, during this time giving personal attention to many of his father's business
interests. In I88o he entered the law department
262
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of the State University at Ann Arbor, and, in
I88I, was graduated therefrom and was admitted
to practice in the county which contains the university. Soon after he entered the office of Hon.
Frank Hurd, at Toledo, Ohio, where he remained
one year, being admitted to the Supreme Court
practice in 1883. The state of his father's health
then called him back to Hillsdale, and here he has
since remained. He took part in the organization
of the bank in July, i884, as has been stated, and
since that time, he has given its affairs his close
and continuous attention. He has also conducted
a flourishing farming industry in the county on a
high scale of progress and enterprise.
But extensive and exacting as Mr. Cook's business interests are, they have not wholly absorbed
his time or energies. He has taken a leading part
in all matters promotive of the welfare of the
community, giving to the principles and candidates of the Democratic party, to which he holds
allegiance, an earnest and serviceable support.
In I884 he was elected mayor of the city, and was
reelected in 1885, being the youngest mayor the
city ever had. His first term was made memorable by the installation of the city water-works,
and the second by the introduction of the excellent system of sewerage, for which Hillsdale is
noted. He also served twelve years on the school
board, while for many years he has been a member of the county and state central committees of
his party. In I891 he was appointed a trustee
of the State Insane Asylum, and, from that time,
has been continuously reappointed at the end of
each term. In I888 he was an alternate to the
national Democratic convention at St. Louis that
nominated Grover Cleveland for the presidency
a second time, and, in 1892, he was a delegate
to the one at Chicago that nominated him the
third time. In I891 Mr. Cook married with Miss
Louise Stock, a native of Indiana. They have
two children, Chauncey F., Jr., and Florentine M.
Cook. Mr. Cook is a member of the Masonic order, belonging to the lodge, chapter and commandery in the York Rite and to the several branches
of the Scottish Rite. He has served acceptably
as the eminent commander of the Knights Templar body to which he belongs, and held other im
portant offices in the fraternity. Ini all the relations of life he has sustained the family name
untarnished, and has won the universal respect
and esteem of the people, not only in this part of
the state, but wherever else men have the pleasure of an acquaintance with him.
MARVIN E. HALL.
Having served the city during three terms as
mayor, in a manner which won high commendation for his public spirit and progressiveness, and
being now the leading clothier of the place, Marvin E. Hall is one of the leading public and business men of Hillsdale, universally recognized as
a potential factor in the mercantile and public
life of the community. He is a native of Calhoun
county, this state, born in September, 1853, his
parents being Horace and Lucetta (Faurot)
Hall, the former a native of Washington county,
New York, and the latter of Erie county, the
same state. For many years the father was a
lumberman in his native state, but in I840, he
came to Michigan and settled at Tekonsha, where
he operated a sawmill for some years. He then
moved to Burlington, and, in I877, came to Hillsdale county, where he has since continuously resided. His family by his first marriage consisted of five children, two of whom are living,
one, a daughter, being a resident of Jackson.
The death of Marvin Hall's mother when he
was but four years old induced an uncle to take
him as a member of his family, and he attained
the age of fourteen years at the home of this
uncle in DeKalb county, Indiana, and there received as good an education as was possible within the time allowed. He then removed to St.
Louis, Michigan, began his independent career
as a farm hand, and, while thus working, continued his studies and 'prepared himself for teaching, in which he engaged as soon as he was of
suitable age. When he reached the age of twenty-five, he determined to travel and see something
of the world, accordingly he passed two years in
that agreeable and profitable pursuit. He then
located at Boston, Mass., and engaged in the
wholesale furniture trade for a time. Then re
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
263
moved to Springfield in the same state, and
opened a wholesale establishment for the production and sale of photographer's supplies, being
the first man to manufacture commercial dryplates. He also established a branch house at
Montreal, Canada, and, after a residence of a few
years at Springfield, made his home at this Canadian metropolis.
In 1883 he came to Hillsdale and engaged for
a few years in the nursery' industry, then turned
his attention to the manufacture of military and
secret society uniforms, an enterprise which he
continued until I893. At that time he entered
largely into an extensive clothing business, and
he has since then given this his undivided and
capable attention, with the result of securing a
steadily expanding patronage and an ever increasing reputation. He is recognized as the
leading clothier not only in Hillsdale city, but
throughout a large extent of surrounding country, and his trade methods and operations are considered the most systematic and advanced known
to his department of the commercial world.
In the winter of I899 and I9oo he organized
the Hillsdale Business Men's Association, and,
for two years he was its efficient president. To
the work of that association may be directly
traced the present rapid growth and expansion
of the manufacturing industries of the city, in a
number of which Mr. Hall holds stock. being also
the vice-president of one of them.
In 1880 Mr. Hall was married to Miss Lena
Haas, who died on February 6, 1903. She was
a native of New York City, leaving no children
of her own, but an adopted daughter, Marie. Mr.
Hall has been a lifelong Republican in political
creed, and, while averse to public life in every
form, has for the good of the community, served
three terms as mayor of the city, being, also for
a number of years, the secretary and chairman of
the county committee of his party organization.
He is an enthusiastic member of the Masonic fraternity in all its branches, and is a member of the
grand commandery of the Templar department.
He is also a Knight of Pythias and one of the
Sons of Veterans, having served the last named
order as national commander-in-chief, being en
titled to membership by reason of his father's
gallant service in Church's Battery of Michigan
Volunteers, which was a part of the Army of
Tennessee, in one of whose battles the father was
seriously wounded, and, on account of-his wound,
was retired from the service. In January, 1887,
Mr. Hall was appointed a member of the staff
of Governor Luce with the rank of colonel.
DR. HERBERT HARRIS.
Among the physicians of Hillsdale county,
one of the oldest, best-known and highly esteemed
in professional and social circles is Dr. Herbert
Harris, of Hillsdale. For a full generation of
human life he has lived and practiced his profession among this people, in that long service
endearing himself to them as few men can: He
has been zealous and capable, obliging and attentive, courteous and considerate to an unusual
degree, and has the reward of his devotion, and
fidelity in the good will and cordial regard of the
whole body. He is a Canadian by nativity, born
in County Oxford, Ontario, on- December 26,
1839. His parents, Ira and Magdalena (Groat)
Harris, were natives of New York, who in 1835
removed to Canada, where they passed the remainder of their days as prosperous farmers,
dying at length in their adopted land, in the full
enjoyment of an universal esteem among the
people by whom they were known. Their family
consisted of nine children, four of whom are living, only the Doctor and one daughter being now
residents of this county.
Doctor Harris remained in his native land
until he was twenty-two years of age, receiving
his scholastic training in its public schools and
diligently working on his father's farm. In I86i
he came to Wheeler, in Porter county, Indiana,
there purchasing a farm and managing its industries for several years, during which he studied
medicine under the competent instruction of Dr.
Thomas Hankinson. In 1863 he entered the
medical department of the North Western,University, from that institution being graduated in
1866. He then.began the practice of his profes-.sion at Hebron in his home county, Indiana, and
I
264
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
continued it there for four years. His health
failed at this juncture and he returned to Canada,
where he remained for three years at the end of
which time, in 1873, he came to Hillsdale. Here
he has sinoe resided, except for a year or two,
and followed with diligence and energy a general
medical and surgical practice, which has grown to
be both large and representative,, embracing
many of the best people in the county among its
patrons. In his native country in I86o, he was
married to Miss Eliza Quartermoss, a native of
that country, but of Vermont ancestry. They
have had four children, Herbert S., Clarence W.
and Sterling W., who are living, and Reuben H.
deceased. The Doctor is a Republican in politics,
but has never accepted public office of any kind,
being devoted to his profession, finding in it
abundant opportunity for the employment of his
faculties and for the gratification of his desires,
as well as for substantial service to his fellow
men.
DR. JAY J. HEATOR.
Dr. Jay J. Heator, of Litchfield, has been a
resident of Hillsdale county since 1894, and an
active physician and surgeon, ministering to the
relief and benefit of the people here since I890.
The place of his birth is Portage county, Ohio,
where he was born on May II, 1858, and his parents are Julius and Cecilia (Work) Heator, highly respected residents of Branch county, in this
state, whither they came from their native heath
in Ohio in I857. They settled in Ovid township
on a tract of unimproved land, which they have
cleared and brought to an advanced state of cultivation and fertility, improved with good buildings and equipped with all necessary appurtenances for farming, until it is now one of the best
and most complete establishments of its kind in
that part of the state. Their offspring numbers
two sons and one daughter, the Doctor's brother
being now in charge of the homestead, whose operations he is conducting with the enterprise, skill
and success that characterized his father's management. The paternal grandfather, Joseph
Heator, was a native of Germany who came to
the United States sometime in the forties to plant,
upon the soil of this country the qualities of
thrift, frugality, enterprise and persistent application for which the family had long been distinguished in the old country. When came the
Civil War he enlisted in an Ohio regiment and
was killed in one of the bloody battles along the
North Anna River in Virginia, laying on the altar
of his adopted land a life which had been as useful in the development of its interests in peace
as it was faithful and serviceable in defense of
his convictions in war.
Doctor Heator grew to man's estate and received his scholastic training in Branch county,
this state, and became so proficient in scholarship, and was so resourceful and manly in character, that before he was eighteen he held a firstgrade certificate as a teacher, for one year thereafter teaching in the public schools during the
school months. At the end of that period he began the reading of medicine under the direction
of Dr. J. P. Wheeler, of East Gilead, in Branch
county. In I886 he went to California, where he
remained two years and a half, studying his profession under the tutelage of Dr. G. A. Rene, of
that state. He then entered the Eclectic Medical
College at Indianapolis, Ind., and was graduated
from that institution in I890, at once began active practice, locating at Butler, Branch county,
this state, where he remained three years. At
the end of that period he took a special post-graduate course of instruction at Rush Medical College, Chicago, which lasted a year, and at its close
returned to Michigan and passed a year in practice at Litchfield, in this county. Removing then
to Mosherville, in Scipio township, he was in practice in that section for two years, when he returned to Litchfield, his residence since.
Doctor Heater is a man of active and continuous energy in his business, both in its outside
work and in the study of its text-books and literature, availing himself also of every means for
broadening and deepening his knowledge in connection with it. His memberships in the county
and state medical societies and the American
Medical Association draw his close and careful
attention to these organizations, and make him
zealous in securing the benefits of their meetings
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 265
and proceedings, to which he contributes whatever he deems of value in his own experience and
observation. His practice is large and includes
many of the best people in the township. He was
married in Branch county in July, I892, with
Miss Pearl Drinkwater, a native of Cleveland,
Ohio. They have one child, their son, Don A.
Of the fraternal orders, numerous and valued
among men, he has membership in but two, that
of the Freemasons, in whose progress and welfare he takes an active interest, and in the meetings of his lodge he is an appreciated participant,
and in the Knights of Pythias, of which order he
is an esteemed member. Although engrossed in
the claims of a large and steadily expanding practice, and conscientious in his devotion to its demands, the Doctor has time for intelligent and
helpful service in the general affairs of the community, being one of the effective workers for its
advancement and improvement. Both he and his
wife are esteemed members of the best social circles, while he is one of the well-known and representative citizens and professional men of the
township, well established in the good will and
approval of the people, influential in all phases
of its public life.
CARL HIRSCH.
Carl Hirsch, the proprietor of the Hillsdale
Floral Park and the landscape gardener for the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, is
a native of Chemnitz, Saxony, born on November
I, I864. His parents are Carl and Anna
(Melser) Hirsch, of the same nativity as himself.
The family came to the United States in Igoo,
and the father is now associated with his son in
the employ of the railroad company, aiding in
beautifying the grounds at its stations and keeping them in order, through an art that is at once
productive and decorative. Mr. Hirsch was
reared and educated in his native land, there
also learned the art of landscape gardening,
which has been a source of much pleasure to
those who have witnessed his work and its products. He worked at his trade in Leipsic,
Nuremberg, Metz and other European cities, and,
when he came to the United States, in I888, he
soon secured employment with the Garfield Park
Rose Co. of Chicago, with which he remained
five months, at the end of that time moving to
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and being there employed by S. W. Allerton for a short time.
In the spring of I894 he came to Hillsdale to
assist in caring for the houses and grounds belonging to the railroad company, and, in I896,
he was given entire charge of the company's interests in this respect. Prior to this, however,
in I895, Mr. Hirsch purchased his home, where,
during the same winter, he began the erection of
his own greenhouses in which he now has
25,000 square feet of ground under glass, in the
whole plant an area of 33,000 square feet. The
establishment cost him over $I6,ooo, being one of
the most complete and prosperous in southern
Michigan. Here he raises nearly everything in
greenhouse products of a floral and decorative
character for which there is a demand, finding
a ready sale for all that he raises in Hillsdale and
other cities. He also owns twelve acres of land,
the former location of the Buchanan Screen
Door Factory, on which he has started an orchard, and, although nothing from this is yet
ready for market, it is well under way and very
promising.
Mr. Hirsch has prospered in his business and
has used its fruits to secure holdings of interest
and value in other lines, and he is a stockholder
in the shoe factory in Hillsdale. He married in
his native town on July 4, 1889, a Miss Emma
Lorenz, like himself, a native of Saxony. Owing
to his duties as landscape gardener for the Lake
Shore Railroad, the active management of the
Hillsdale greenhouse is very satisfactorily and
successfully carried on by Mrs. Hirsch. They
have one child, their daughter Pearl. In politics
Mr. Hirsch is a Republican, but not an active
partisan. He belongs to the Masonic order, the
Odd Fellows, the Foresters, the Knights of the
Maccabees and the Knights of Pythias. In his
art he is accomplished and resourceful; in his
business upright and progressive; in social life
courteous and entertaining; in public spirit he is
broad and active; and, in his citizenship gener
266
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ally, he is elevated and commendable. One of
the best-known men in the town, he is also one
of the most highly and generally respected, and
it is but just to say that he fully deserves the
high opinion in which.he is held.
HON. DANIEL L. PRATT.
Hon. Daniel L. Pratt, the venerable ex-circuit
judge of Hillsdale county, whose passing from
earth on November 7, 1902, was not only an event
of sorrow to the whole county, but one of the
milestones of the contemporaneous history of this
part of the state, was one of the few remaining
links which had previously connected the teeming
present of the county with its early history of
primitive conditions, undeveloped resources,
sparse population and struggles with every hostile element that stood in the way of progress and
civilization. He saw almost the beginning of the
county and city of Hillsdale as political entities,
was not only a witress of every phase of their
subsequent growth and improvement; but a potential factor in producing those beneficent results. Since he took up his residence in the iniant county many men have grown from childhood, and, after distinguished careers of public
usefulness, have been laid in their graves, receiving every testimonial of popular esteem and
affection. Almost three-score years have passed
from the date of his advent in the state, and they
have been years crowded with events of startling
magnitude and importance, with all of which
Judge Pratt was in close touch, whether they
were civic or scientific, social or political in
character, being ever a leader of thought, a molder
of public opinion, an impressive influence on the
general mind and action of the community.
Judge Pratt was born at Plainfield, Hampshire county, Massachusetts, on June 24, 1820,
the son of William and Lavina (Coulson) Pratt,
both natives of that state. The father was a
prosperous farmer and lumberman, who carried
on an extensive business in his native state until
I830, when he moved to Ohio, there passing the
remainder of his days, as did also his wife. They
were the parents of fourteen children, of whom
only four are living. His grandfather, Franklin
Pratt, was a native of Massachusetts, a soldier
in the Revolution from Lexington to Yorktown,
and, after the war, an industrious and well-to-do
farmer, dying at a good old age in his native
state. The Judge was ten years old when the
family removed to Ohio, and had seen but little
attendance at school. His early education was
gained for the most part in the public schools
of his new home, his scholastic training being
finished at an excellent academy at Granville,
in Licking county, Ohio, where he spent two
profitable years. After finishing his course at
that institution he taught in the adjoining county
of Fairfield for two years, and, during that time,
was also a student of law. He was admitted to
practice at Lancaster, Ohio, in 1844, the next year
came to Hillsdale, making the trip as far as
Toledo with a horse and buggy, intending to go
on to Goshen, Indiana, where he had previously
been looking up a suitable place in which. to
locate, but, being favorably impressed with the
outlook at Hillsdale, then the western terminus
of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad,
having a surrounding country full of promise, he
decided to settle here, there being, as an additional
inducement to his decision, but two attorneys in
the county.
The young attorney entered into a partnership
with H. S. Mead, as Mead & Pratt, this association continuing until Mr. Mead's death some
years later. The future judge rose rapidly in
his practice, and, being an active Whig in politics,
the party then in active control of the county affairs, in 1856 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the county and was reelected in I860.
At the spring election in 1867 he was chosen a
delegate to the state constitutional convention,
which met at Lansing, and, in that body, served
ably on the judiciary committee and others of
importance. In the spring of I869 he was
elected circuit judge of the First Judicial Circuit,
which embraced the counties of Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe, and, in 1875, he was elected to
a second term without opposition, the Democrats
making no nomination against him. At the end
of this term, on account of his failing health, he
ofhmle~ o~. at2c,^
I5
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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
267
declined further service on the bench. He however, resumed the practice of his profession,
which he continued until he retired to the rest
of country life on his fine farm three-quarters of
a mile west of the courthouse, this being a
tract of 103 acres, which he cleared and improved,
and which is now one of the most attractive and
valuable rural homes in the county. For twelve
years he was a trustee of the Michigan asylum
for the insane, being appointed by Governor Blair
in I86I, and reappointed by Governor Crapo.
Speaking of Judge Pratt as a lawyer, the History of Hillsdale County says, under the title of
"The Bar": "He achieved his objects by devoted
industry, by the exercise of sound judgment, by
the most unwavering adherence to whatever he
attempted to do." Of him in his judicial character another authority says: "As a judge he
was distinguished for his true impartiality and
his love of justice, often bending the technical
rules that right and true justice might prevail."
He was at all times highly public spirited
and actively aided by his time, money and
influence in the promotion of all enterprises for
the improvement and prosperity of this section.
For over twenty-four years'he was a trustee
of Hillsdale College, for which he worked with
assiduous attention to its every interest and with
a sincere regard for its welfare. To the cause of
advanced agriculture he was also most devoted,
having inspired by his wisdom and breadth of
view many valuable improvements in this domain
of productive industry. As the president of the
county agricultural society, during the years of
1863 and 1864, he inaugurated a number of radical changes in the management of the corporation which have proven of great service in its
practical workings and aided in transforming
it from a struggling to a highly prosperous institution. In politics he was a Whig until the
formation of the Republican party, when he became an ardent, active and permanent supporter
of its principles and candidates. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, but has aided
in the erection of every church edifiice in the community. Judge Pratt married in 1844, at Lancaster, Ohio, with Miss Jane Newkirk, a native
of that state, who died at her Michigan home in
1878. Of their nine children, only Mary, Daniel,
Charles and Jennie are living. The Judge was
a Freemason of long standing, even at a very advanced age honoring the craft occasionally by his
presence at meetings of the lodges near his home.
Judge Pratt may not inaptly be styled one of
the fathers of the town of Hillsdale. He witnessed its birth and participated in its growth
from a little rural hamlet to its present dignified
proportions and splendid development. He lived
nearly sixty years among this people, active,
honored and useful, and there was not one person
but did and does him reverence. He "survived
his own wake" and overheard the judgment of
posterity. And that judgment was highly favorable to him in every relation of life, pronouncing
him to have been a good citizen, a faithful, capable, upright and an industrious official, a professional man of superior ability and high integrity, a social force of usefulness in exemplifying,
in most pleasing manner, all of the amenities of
cultivated life.
JOHN HERRING.
At the early age of seventeen, while the hopes
and aspirations of youth were still high in his
breast, John Herring came with his parents from
his native state of New York to the wilds of
Michigan, here to be confronted with the privations and dangers of frontier life. He accepted
his lot cheerfully, even eagerly, entered upon the
strenuous conditions around him with ardor and
with the stimulus of having something to fight
that was worth conquering. Since then, throughout his long life of more than three score years
in this state, he has confronted every difficulty
with the same lofty spirit, accepting every opportunity for advancement with the same readiness
and quickness of apprehension that marked his
course at the beginning. He was born in Cortland county, New York, on November 8, I819,
and his parents, Samuel and Deborah (Gridley)
Herring, were also natives of that state.
The father, a farmer, moved his family to
Michigan but two years after it assumed the dig
268
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
nity of statehood. Their first year in their new
home was passed at Homer, then they settled on
I60 acres of wild land, which he had purchased
in Eaton county. Here he passed the rest of his
days, busily occupied in clearing his land, making it habitable and productive; here his faithful
and devoted wife died in 1894, and he in 1899 at
the age of ninety-nine years. They were the parents of seven children who reached maturity, of
this number three are now living. The father
was among the first settlers of the county of
Eaton, and, for many years, his house was used
as a halting place or tavern for emigrants passing
through this region. The entertainment of the
traveling public in that early day was at times a
difficult problem, and its solution was correspondingly profitable.
The shrewd Mr. Herring rapidly accumulated wealth through this means, and it must be
said to his credit that he used it with liberality for
the improvement and development of the community. He was also engaged in the manufacture of maple syrup and sugar which he sold in
quantities and exchanged for flour and pork. He
took an active interest in local affairs and never
withheld his services when any interest of the
township required them in a local office or otherwise.
John Herring remained at home, assisted in
clearing and cultivating the farm and in the performance of various other duties until some years
after he passed his majority, then moved to Homer, where he was employed in a mill for two
years, at the end of that time purchasing forty
acres in Litchfield township, which he cleared
and improved, and, some years later, exchanged
for the farm he now owns and occupies in Allen
township. On this he erected a sawmill, which
he operated for a number of years, greatly to his
own profit and to the advantage of the neighborhood. After abandoning this enterprise he built
a factory on the farm for the manufacture of
grain-cradles, and scythe-snaths and horse-rakes,
which he conducted until I888. He also built a
flouring mill near the town of Allen, opening also
a general store at what is now South Allen, which
he managed for a number of years, and he also
erected a gristmill at South Allen.
Mr. Herring was married at Homer, this
state, in I840, to Miss Nancy Brown, a native of
Cayuga county, New York, and they became the
parents of two children, their sons, William, who
is living with his father, and Adolphus, who was
killed some years ago by an accident on the home
farm. William rendered valuable and appreciated service to the cause of the Union in the Civil
War as a member of the Seventh Michigan Infantry.
Mrs. Herring, who was an invalid for many
years, died in I900, and was laid to rest amid the
scenes of her early labors and her later triumphs
and peaceful life. Mr. Herring was for a long
time a Democrat and then a Whig in politics,
holding allegiance to the latter party until its dissolution. He then became a Republican, to which
faith he has held fast ever since, but he has never
been an active partisan and has never consented
to hold office. He has steadily pursued the even
tenor of his way, faithfully performing every
daily duty, dealing with all men on a high plane
of integrity. By all good people he is well esteemed as one of the most useful and representative citizens of the township.
MILTON P. HERRING.
One of the honored pioneers of Litchfield
township, in this county, whose useful and productive life ended on April 21, 1892, on the farm
which he redeemed from the wilderness, was Milton P. Herring, who was born at Virgil in Cortland county, New York, on June 2I, I808, the son
of John and Temperance Pomeroy) Herring,
well-known and highly esteemed citizens of that
portion of the Empire state. His parents were
in very moderate circumstances and his early advantages in life were limited. He assisted in the
labors on the paternal homestead until he was
twenty years old, then started in life for himself
as a farm laborer. At the end of his first month
of labor, however, he took his wages, ten dollars,
and applied them on the purchase of a farm, comprising fifty acres in his native township. By in
f
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
269
dustry and frugality he paid for his land and
bought and paid for twenty-five acres additional,
which he improved and made fertile and productive.
In I836 he visited Michigan, and, being
pleased with the outlook here, notwithstanding
the undeveloped condition of the country, he determined to locate in this state. Accordingly he
sold his New York farm and moved his family
consisting of his wife and one child to Hillsdale
county, settling in Litchfield township in October, I837. He purchased 200 acres of land, which
is a part of the farm until recently owned and
occupied by R. W. Freeman, and to this he afterward added eighty acres more. (See sketch of
Mr. Freman on another page.) About I865 he
sold his farm to Mr. Freeman and moved to the
one on which he died, and on which his wife also
died, she passing away on June 29, I899. This
farm includes a quarter section of land, and is regarded as one of the best farms in the township.
It is now the property and residence of his sons
Milton and Benjamin. On March 5, I834, Mr.
Herring was married to Miss'Lucy J. Parker, a
native of Virgil, New York, where the marriage
occurred. They became the parents of nine children, five of whom are living: Allen P., who
married first with Miss Myra Crandall, who had
two children, both now deceased, as she is. He
married, second, with Miss Frances Townsend;
they have two children, a son and a' daughter.
The second son, Noah Herring, married Miss
Mary Milson, they have four living children, all
residents of Oklahoma. Milton Herring married
Miss Nora L. Cook, of Vermont, has one child, a
daughter. Flora A. Herring is now Mrs. C. M.
Metts, of Grand Rapids. Benjamin Herring
married Miss Mary E. Breckenridge, of Litchfield.
Milton and Benjamin live on the family homestead and operate it with skill and industry, keeping it up to a high state of cultivation and its improvements in excellent condition.
Milton Herring was a soldier for the Union
in the Civil War and saw hard and active service, participating in many of the important battles
fought by the Army of the Cumberland and by
the Army of the Potomac. He was first for a
year, attached to the latter army, and, after considerable service with the former, was again
transferred to the Army of the Potomac. He
fought with credit and courage at South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Va., Vicksburg,
Jackson, Miss., Campbell Station, Tenn., Knoxville, The Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Petersburg,
and in many minor engagements. After the war
he lived for several years in Vermont. Both sons
are Republicans, as was the father. He served
as a justice of the peace for the township, and
they have been highway commissioners, Benjamin being the present (I903) incumbent of the
office. Milton belongs to the Masonic order, the
Grand Army of the Republic and the Patrons of
Husbandry, and Benjamin is a Knight of Pythias. The oldest son, Allen P. Herring, was also
a Union soldier during the Civil War, and is a
Republican in politics. The sons are worthy exemplars of the sturdy manhood, productive industry and upright, progressive and useful citizenship for which their, father was distinguished.
HILLSDALE CITY GAS CO.
This corporation is the successor of an old and
useful company, which furnished light for the
city of Hillsdale for more than a quarter of a
century, and easily met the requirements of the
town in its early history, but this, however, was
found to be inadequate in character and equipment at a later day, when it was superseded by
the present complete and well-managed establishment and new plant in I899. An entire reorganization of the company was had and a full set
of new mains laid, iron pipes taking the place of
the old wooden ones and the capacity of the service
being greatly increased. The new company was
organized with a capital stock of $30,000 and the
following officers: Gordon W. Lloyd, president;
Ernest F. Lloyd, secretary; Robert Seitz, superintendent, the president and his two sons, E. F. and
A. G. Lloyd, being directors. Since the reorganization occurred the plant has been practically
rebuilt and enlarged, a new holder being put in as
well as new mains. The system now has six
miles of mains laid down and supplies more than
4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
270
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
500 families with light and heat. The old company was founded in 1872 and for many years
was a profitable enterprise under the conditions of
old-style prices for gas, and having also the lighting of the city. In I898 the city established a
municipal lighting plant and that, combined with
the demand for cheaper gas, made it impossible to
continue the business with profit under the conditions of the work and mains. A period of difficulty followed, resulting in the property passing
into the present hands, by whom it has been practically rebuilt and it is now equipped with every
modern appliance and is as nearly down-to-date,
in every respect, as is possible in a plant of its
capacity. Gas is now sold at rates which will
compare favorably with those in any part of the
country and its use, in consequence, is largely
extending.
Gordon W. Lloyd, the president, is a Detroit
business man of large experience in constructive
matters. He has been one of the leading architects of that city since 1858, and is the president
of the Lloyd Construction Co. of Detroit, which
erects gas buildings and machinery of all kinds.
His three sons own and operate the gas plant at
Adrian, in this state, and give to its management
the same care and progressive business sense that
characterize that of the Hillsdale enterprise.
Their belief in the gas business is that the interest
of their consumers is their own interest, and, to
the best of their ability, the enterprises are conducted on that theory, their aim being to have
their plants noted as instances of satisfactory public service in private hands.
HENRY H. HOPKINS.
One of the leading business men and substantial property owners of Hillsdale, Michigan,
is the subject of this sketch, Henry H. Hopkins,
a native of the state of New York, born in Yates
county, on September 28, 1839, the son of Thomas
and Orphia (Pierce) Hopkins, both natives of
the county of Putnam, in the same state. His
father was engaged in merchandising, and he
also followed the occupation of farming to a
limited extent, during the early years of his life.
In 1878 he disposed of his business and property
in New York, and removed with his family to the
city of Marshall, Michigan, where he and his
wife continued to reside up to the time of their
deaths in I882. During the New York residence of Thomas Hopkins, he was somewhat
active in local politics from time to time, and for
several years he held various local offices. For
the long period of seventeen years he was the
court-crier, and was one of the respected citizens
and trustworthy officials of that section of the
state. The paternal grandfather of H. H. Hopkins was Jeremiah Hopkins, an early settler of
Putnam county, New York, and for many years
one of its leading citizens, being also prominent
in the circles of the Masonic fraternity. His
maternal grandfather, Bizer Pierce, was one of
the early showmen of New York state, widely
known throughout the Eastern and Middle
States. He lived to the great age of ninety-nine
years.
Henry H. Hopkins, of this review, was one
of a family of ten children, four of whom are
still residents of the state of Michigan. He received his early education, and attained man's
estate in New York. After the completion of
his education, he first engaged in farming, subsequently learning the harness trade, thereafter
following the occupation of manufacturing harness. Subsequently, he disposed of this business
to advantage, and for twenty-five years engaged
successfully in selling musical instruments. In
I873 he removed his residence to the city of
Toledo, Ohio, and, in 1876, he again removed
to the city of Hudson, Michigan, where he remained until I879, when he established himself
in his present home at Hillsdale, Michigan. In
I88I, he entered upon the manufacture and sale
of "Professor Hopkins' Indian blood remedy,"
which is now fully established as a popular and
a reliable medicine, and he has been very successful in this enterprise. The remedy enjoys an
extensive sale throughout the United States and
Canada, and the business is fast attaining large
proportions. In the year 1877, Mr. Hopkins was
united in marriage at Hudson, Michigan, with
Miss Malinda Knapp, a native of Wheatland
i
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
271
township, this county. Politically, Mr. Hopkins
is identified with the Republican party, and takes
an active and leading interest in public affairs,
although he has never been a seeker for office.
By industry, ability, and careful attention to
business, he has built up a large, successful and
constantly growing business, and he is one of
the representative men of the community of his
residence.
FREDERICK J. HOWARD.
Born and reared on the farm which is now his
home, which is also the product, in its highly
developed and well-improved condition, of the
diligent and well-applied labor and good judgment of three generations of his family, Frederick J. Howard, of Allen township, in this
county, is altogether a product and a representative of the section in which he lives, a fine type
of the best character of southern Michigan farmers. He was born on the paternal homestead on
October 2, 1863, the son of Barnard and Annetta
(Jefferson) Howard, the former a native of New
York and the latter of Ohio. His grandparents,
Phineas and Mary Howard, came to this county
from New York in 1834 and settled on a tract
of wild land, which they took up on a government
grant, making the trip hither in an ox cart, enduring on the way great privations and weariness,
but resolutely pushing on through every difficulty to their desired destination. They found
the land without roads or any other conveniences,
it being a virgin forest, dense with undergrowth,
and the region round-about was yet full of Indians and wild beasts.
They erected a little log shanty and went to
work to clear the land and make it habitable and
fruitful. The head of the house had been a
soldier in the War of 1812, also a pioneer farmer
of his native state, and both himself and wife
were inured to the hardships of frontier life, as
well as skilled in providing for its necessities and
guarding against its dangers. In time the shanty
was supplanted by a comfortable log residence
supplemented with good outbuildings, and the
land was 'smiling with a rude but substantial
abundance of the proper fruits of diligent husbandry. In time also they rested from their
labors, the work of development and improvement being taken up by their son, Barnard, and
his wife, and carried forward on the same plan
of steady and systematic progress which had already marked its course. The grandparents died
on the farm, the grandfather in 1873, the grandmother in I868, and the new family, consisting
of the mother of Frederick Howard (the father
having died in I870) his two sisters and himself,
were left as occupants of the homestead, since
which time it has been conducted under the active and careful personal management of Frederick J. himself. The mother is now living in
the village of Allen with one of her daughters.
Frederick J. Howard was educated in the
schools of the vicinity, and, as soon as he was
able, he began to make himself useful on the
farm, and to this industry he has given the energies and capacities of his life up to this time.
In I886 he was married to Miss Belle Pomeroy,
a daughter of Jesse' and Rosamond (Wright)
Pomeroy, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere
in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Howard have one
child, their only son, Barnard B. Howard. Mr.
Howard is a Republican in politics, but is not an
active partisan. He is a Knight of the Maccabees
and gives the affairs of the order due attention.
But his chief ambition has been to be a good
farmer, and to show the fact in his work and in
the condition of his farm. In this desire he has
fully succeeded, for he is considered one of the
best farmers in the county, and his land is among
the best cultivated and most highly improved
tracts in this portion of the state.
DR. LABON A. HOWARD.
Dr. Labon A. Howard is one of the most
capable, popular and serviceable public officials
to whom the control of any portion of the public
weal of Litchfield township has ever been confided, as is attested by his continuous election to
the position of school director for a period of
nineteen years, the universal approval of his
official course, and the great benefits the town
I s
272
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
has derived from the careful and efficient discharge of his duties. He was born in Livingston
county, New York, on September 22, 1841, the
second child of Labon and Jane (Witter) Howard, who had also two other sons and one daughter. One son died in infancy and one in Chicago in I899, and the Doctor and his sister are
residents of Michigan. While he was yet an
infant, his parents removed to Avon, in his native
state, and there his childhood and early school
days were passed. On the verge of youth
he came to Michigan with the rest of the family, and found a new home in Allen township,
this county, where his education was continued
in the public schools and completed in the
union school at Jonesville. During the first six
years after he left school he worked on farms
through the summer and taught public schools
in the winter.
He then' entered the office of Dr. E. M. Shaw,
of Allen, as a medical student, and, after ten
months of careful reading there, enlisted in the
Union army in August, 1864, as a hospital steward with the Fourth Michigan Infantry. The
practice he had in this positiop was of material
benefit to him, and, as he had his text-books
with him, his studies went on as regularly and
'industriously as the circumstances would permit.
Nine months after his enlistment he was promoted to the post of assistant surgeon of the
Th:rd Michigan Infantry, and remained,in the
place to the close of the war. In June, 1866, he
was with his regiment on the plains of Texas,
and was obliged to march a distance of thirty
n lies without water, an ordeal that cost the command the lives of three gallant men who suffered
sunstroke for want of this beverage. The expedition was undertaken in the pursuit of Gen.
Kirby Smith's division of the Confederate army,
which held out nearly two months after Lee's
surrender.
That fall Doctor Howard returned North and
entered the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, from which he was graduated as a member
of the class of I867. He at once settled at Lichfield, in this county, entered regularly on the
practice of his profession, and, on May IO, I868,
was united in marriage with Miss Carrie E.
Stillwell, a native of this county, born in Scipio
township, the youngest child of her parents.
They removed to Litchfield not long after her
birth, and she was educated in its schools, at
the union school in Jonesville and at Hillsdale
College. After leaving college she was engaged
in teaching for a year and then was married. Her
parents, Samuel and Cornelia Stillwell, were natives of New York, who came to live in this
county in pioneer days. Here they acquired the
ownership of a good farm, but, late in life, her
father went to California and was there killed
by a runaway team in 1885.
The Doctor's parents were also natives of
New York, the father born in Livingston and the
mother in Wyoming county. After their marriage they settled in Livingston county, where
they carried on a farming industry until 1843,
when they. removed to Lagrange, and, for two
years thereafter, conducted a hotel at that place.
The father then purchased a farm in the vicinity
of Avon, two years later removing to Perry,
remaining there until I854, when he came to
to reside in Michigan and located in this county.
The mother died previous to the removal of the
family hither, in 1.848, at the early age of twentyseven years. She was the second wife of Mr.
Howard, the first having been a Miss Mary
Shepard, who left one child at her death, who is
also deceased. His third wife was Mrs. Mary
Anna Rogers, who became the mother of five
children, four of whom now reside in Hillsdale
county.
Doctor Howard is connected with the State
Eclectic Medical and Surgical Association, of
which he was at one time president; has been
medical director of the state organization'of the
Grand Army of the Republic, is a charter member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at
Litchfield, which was organized mainly through
his efforts, and of which he was at the first and
for many years afterward the commander. He
has risen to prominence in his profession and enjoyed a large and lucrative practice among the
best families in the township; but it is with his
public career that the people have been most gen
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
273
erally concerned. He was president of the village of Litchfield four years, and a member of
his district school board three. In 1885 he was
elected school director, and he has been regularly
reelected at every election since. In this office he
has had scope for the exercise of his scholarship,
public spirit, breadth of view and philanthropy,
giving to the community, which he has so faithfully served, the full benefit of all his capacities
and powers, stimulating public sentiment to
healthful and vigorous action in school matters
along lines of commendable and judicious progress. Under this stimulus the school property
has been greatly enlarged in volume, improved
in character and advanced in equipment. The
schools have been more thoroughly systematized, the methods of conducting and teaching them have been improved, better textbooks and other facilities have been provided,
every element of progress and efficiency in
them has been evoked and quickened to greater activity. In addition to his great and continuous usefulness in this department of public
work, he has been forceful and 'influential for
good in many others.
He was largely instrumental in securing the
incorporation of the village in 1877, and, as its
first president, an honorable position to which
he was elected for four successive terms, he
greatly restrained the liquor traffic within its
limits. He also had the park in the center of the
town laid out and planted with its beautiful shade
trees. He gave liberally to the railroad, was helpful in securing the location of the F. W. Stock
mill at this point, became one of the first investors in the creamery enterprise, and has aided in
beautifying and adorning the village with good
and attractive buildings, of which he owns several in addition to his commodious home and the
pleasant house occupied by Doctor and Mrs.
Atterbury. Both he and Mrs. Howard are graduates of the Chautauqua Literary Course and are
well-read, cultivated and refined members of the
best social and literary circles. They are members of the Baptist church at Litchfield, in which
the Doctor served many years as trustee and in
which he was long superintendent of the Sunday
school. They have been the parents of four children, Loie E., deceased, Clifford G., Walton W.
and Harry W. The sons reside in Duluth, Minn.,
well established in useful occupations, profitable
to themselves and to their communities.
WILLIAM HUGHES.
William Hughes, of Allen township, who is a
well-known and prosperous farmer in that portion of the county, is a native of Canada, born on
February I9, 1823. His parents were Lawrence
and Fanny Hughes, who were born and reared in
the North of Ireland. When he was yet a young
man, the father emigrated to Canada, there he
met and married the mother of his children, and
soon after moved to Monroe county, New York,
where he aided in the construction and operation
of the Erie canal. He died in that state, and the
mother some years later passed away from earth
at the home of her son, William, in this county.
They had three sons, one of whom is now living
in Indiana, and another died in the South. William Hughes was partially reared in the Dominion and partially in New York state, and received
portions of his limited school education in each
place. In 1842 he came to Hillsdale county,
Michigan, and, in the winter of that year, purchased eighty acres of land, which he has transformed from a state of nature, rank with the
growth of ages, to a well-improved and highly
cultivated farm, with all the concomitants of a
comfortable home. He has added forty acres to
his estate, has made that also fertile and productive, and, on this land he now resides in comfort
and prosperity, after many struggles and hardships. His marriage with Miss Sally Ransom
occurred in I848, in this county, the ceremony
being performed on April I9. Mrs. Hughes died
on January 12, I894, and he has since remained a
widower. They had four children, two of whom
are living, their sons Lawrence, of Branch county,
and Eli, now of Oklahoma. 'Mr. Hughes is well
known and widely respected, and has taken a
zealous and active interest in the development
of the portion of the state in which he has made
274
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
his home, but he has never been active in party
politics, and has not sought or held office.
LAWRENCE HUGHES, the oldest living son of
William Hughes, was born in this county on his
father's farm on March 3, I849. He was educated in the public schools near his home, from
his early youth he has been engaged in farm work,
first aiding in clearing his father's land and afterward in cultivating it, thus learning by practical
experience the groundwork of his life business.
He has stuck to the farm, giving it his best energies and his most progressive thought, and has
come to be an excellent farmer, now having the
evidence of his capabilities and enterprise in this
line of productive activity exhibited on every acre
of the land he cultivates. On June 22, I890, he
married with Miss Ellen Daniels, a native of
Steuben county, Indiana, and a daughter of Sheldon and Nancy Daniels, early settlers in this part
of Michigan. Mr. Hughes has carried forward
successfully the farming operations so prosperously begun and for years conducted by his father, being regarded as one of the most advanced
and progressive tillers of the soil in this part of
the state. He allows no side lines of any kind to
draw him away from his chief interests, and contributes his share of the stimulus and energy
necessary for the promotion and development of
the best elements of prosperity and progress
among his people. Among the younger generation of successful farmers of southern Michigan,
he holds a deservedly high rank, and is well esteemed also by a large circle of friends, for his
engaging social qualities and for the generous
hospitality he and his excellent wife dispense at
their inviting and comfortable home.
WILLIAM KEOUGH.
William Keough, supervisor of Fayette township, in Hillsdale county, is a native of Galveston,
Texas, a member of a family which has through
other members rendered distinguished service to
the American people,'as he has done himself. He
was born on May 13, 1842, a son of Michael and
Jane (Hall) Keough. The father, a native of
Ireland, came to the United States about 1833,
and, after remaining one year in the middle Atlantic states, went to Texas, locating at Galveston and obtained employment as a civil engineer.
Soon after the commencement of the trouble between Texas and Mexico he warmly espoused the
cause of Texas, associating himself with Davy
Crockett, Gen. Sam Houston, and the other noted
men who were leaders in the struggle for Texan
independence. During these exciting times he
was engaged in the hotel business, often having
the most distinguished men of the period as his
guests. His force of character and unquestioned
capacity secured him public recognition as a man
of importance, and he filled a number of local offices, the first being that of sheriff of the county
in which he lived. In this position the duties were
arduous and trying, for society was turbulent
and the lawless element bold and dangerous, but
he served the county with great credit to himself
and with advantage to the people. His marriage
to Jane Hall, a Pennsylvanian by birth, occurred
in New York, and he became the father of three
children, two sons and one daughter.
William Keough grew to manhood and received his education in Mansfield, Connecticut.
In I86, at' the age of nineteen, he enlisted in the
Union army as a member of Co. B, Tenth Connecticut Infantry. His regiment was at first a
part of the Army of the James, but later was of
the Army of the Potomac under General Grant.
He served until the close of the war, almost constantly in field service, participating in most of
the important and noted engagements of the
army to which he belonged. At Kingston, N. C.,
his regiment led the charge that won the day and.captured most of General French's artillery and a
part of his force. In this charge, in which it
was unsupported, it bore the brunt of the battle
alone. He received a medal for conspicuous gallantry at the capture of Fort Sumter in I863.
He was once wounded in the left leg by a piece
of shell, and, while it was not a serious wound, it
disabled him for some time, and occasionally yet
reminds him of the exciting scenes of the past.
His regiment fired the last shot in the neighborhood of Appomattox where the Confederate cause
was finally and forever subdued.
HILLSDALE CO UNTY, MICHIGAN. 275
After the war Mr. Keough returned to Michigan, and, locating at Jonesville, in this county,
was employed as engineer at the cotton mill for
five years, then entered mercantile life as the proprietor of a bazaar, which he conducted for ten
years, from which time he has been almost continuously in public office, as recorder of the village, as supervisor of the township, postmaster
for four years under Cleveland, then again as supervisor, being elected to this position each time
by a handsome majority although a Democrat,
and the township usually Republican. His repeated election to this office is evidence of the
skill and fidelity with which he discharged his
duties. His record in every other official position
is above reproach. He has been secretary of the
Hillsdale Soldiers' Relief Committee during the
past eleven years, is a member of the Grand Army
of the Republic and of the Union Veterans. In
politics he has been a lifelong Democrat, firm, in
the faith, loyal at all times to his party. His wisdom in its councils, and his zeal in its service, have
placed him in a high rank among its leaders. He
was married in I870 to Miss Mary E. Ketchum,
a native of New Jersey.
REV. GROVER A. JACKSON.
Rev. Grover A. Jackson, secretary and treasurer of Hillsdale College, enjoys the unique distinction of being graduated from this college in
the same class with his father, Rev. Chester Jackson, the class of I888. His mother was Sarah G.
(Grover) Jackson, a native of New York state
as was her husband, and in Cattaraugus county of
that state their son was born On November 24,
I865. The father is a Free Baptist minister and
is now connected with the college, but in earlier
years he followed farming in connection with his
ministerial work. His father, the grandfather of
the secretary and treasurer, was Nelson Jackson,
a Free Will Baptist minister and farmer of New
York, where he died.
Rev. Grover A. Jackson passed his early
school days in his native county and at Pike (N.
Y.) Seminary. In the fall of 1884 he matriculated in the classical department of Hillsdale Col18
lege, in I888 being graduated in that course
with the degree of A. B. Three years later he
received his Master's degree. After his graduation he entered the theological department and
in I892 was graduated therefrom. He at o;ce
devoted himself to ministerial work, near Adrian,
in this state, and also in New York. In April,
1899, the trustees of Hillsdale College appointed
him the assistant secretary and treasurer of the
institution, and, in June of the same year, made
him secretary and treasurer, a position he has
most capably held continuously since that date,
having succeeded S. E. Kelley, who also served
as field agent. Since taking charge of his office,
Mr. Jackson has performed its duties with great
energy, zeal and success, showing admirable tact
and wisdom in the service of the college in every
way. He still occasionally accepts calls to preach
as he did during his college life; while he was
in New York he took a prominent and very active part in the state work of the Sunday-schools
and of the Christian Endeavor Society. He was
also secretary of the State Association of the Free
Baptists in Michigan from I892 to 1895. He was
married on August 7, I890, to Miss Arda Hyatt,
a native of Vermont, the marriage occurring at
the village of Gilford, N. H. Mrs. Jackson enters warmly into the work of her husband, both
official and evangelical, and is of great assistance
to him. They are highly esteemed in church and
social circles, where they are both known and
valued as elevating and refining forces in the
community.
DR. CALEB C. JOHNSON.
The life story of a good man who has grown
old in the service of his fellows, by his fidelity and
zeal winning their universal esteem and affectionate regard, is always interesting and inspiring,
however it may lack the element of tragedy and
all that is spectacular or extraordinary. The
very smoothness and regularity with which it
moves along the beaten track of its daily routine,
seeking no notice, claiming no special merit, is a
high tribute to its fidelity and usefulness, a strong
factor in its hold on public confidence and the
276
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
good will of men. Such a life story it is the province of these paragraphs to narrate in brief form
and plain words in the hope that its good example
may not be without effect on those who read it.
Dr. Caleb C. Johnson was born at Kendall,
Orleans county, New York, on July I, 1817, of
respectable, well-to-do parents, who were natives
of the same state. His father was an industrious
and frugal tailor and farmer in the rural part of
northern New York. Both of his parents lived
lives of serviceable diligence and were held in
high esteem by all who knew them. In the fulness of years their final summons to another
world came to them on the very spot which they
had hallowed by their long and useful labors.
Of their twelve children, only two are now living,
both being residents of Branch county.
Doctor Johnson was educated in the district
schools and at an excellent academy at Rochester,
N. Y., and soon after leaving the academy began
the study of medicine, being graduated in due
course from a medical college with the degree of
M. D. He began the practice of his profession in
his native village, and there remained until 1864,
when he came to Michigan and settled at Hillsdale, making this town his home until he died in
August, I898. Thus, for more than a generation
of human life, he was closely identified with this
people, during the whole of the time being at the
service of all who were in need of his medical or
surgical knowledge and skill. He was a close
student of the literature of his profession, a careful and thoughtful observer in every phase of his
practice. He belonged actively and serviceably
to several medical associations, notably the county, the state and the tri-state organizations, and
gave them careful attention and valuable aid,
serving for a time as president of the county association. With a commendable aspiration to
keep in the front rank of the profession, he attended several courses of lectures from time to
time on special subjects or branches of practice,
and applied intelligently the knowledge he thereby gained, but he never found time to take a
regular post-graduate course of instruction.
Doctor Johnson married in New York state
in 1843 with Miss Julia Bates, who was born and
reared in his native county, the daughter of a soldier of the War of 1812, who was a prominent
man in his part of the state. She was one of four
children, among them, being Herbert B. Bates,
who, a graduate of Union College, New York,
and of Albany Law School, was well established
in the practice of law in Chicago at his death in
I897, and Julia M. Bates, who died in 1874. The
mother is still living at the old home in Hillsdale.
In early life the Doctor was a Whig in politics,
but, at the organization of the Republican party,
he became an ardent supporter of its principles,
so continuing to the end of his life. But he was
never willing to accept official station of a political
character, and was in no sense an offensive or narrow partisan. During the Civil War he volunteered his medical services nad assisted in caring
for the wounded at the battle of Gettysburg and
on other fields. For many years he was a devoted
Freemason in fraternal connection, and, in church
affiliation, was a Free Baptist.
CHAUNCEY A. KIES.
The pleasing subject of this review, whose
life of more than seventy years, all but one passed
in Hillsdale county, makes up a record of good
deeds, useful labors and generous consideration
for others highly commendable and full of helpful
suggestiveness, is a native of Cayuga county,
New York, where he was born on March 28,
I833. In 1834 his parents, John and Betsey
(Lock) Kies, the former born and reared in New
York, the latter in Massachusetts, came with
their young family to Moscow township, Michigan, and Mr. Kie's is therefore one of the oldest
citizens of this part of the state, both in length
of days and by continuance of residence, his
Michigan life covering.nearly the whole period
of the white man's occupancy of the soil. His
father was a farmer in New York until he migrated to this state, coming on the Erie canal to
Buffalo, thence by boat across Lake Erie to Toledo, from there with ox teams through the Black
Swamp to Moscow Plains:
Entering a tract of government land comprising I60 acres of oak openings, he erected a small
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
277
log cabin and made a little clearing, but soon sold
this land and entered 240 acres south and east of
Moscow. Here he cleared about seventy acres,
then disposed of it and purchased a farm a mile
and a half east of Moscow on the Chicago road.
Himself and wife here passed the remainder of
their days, she dying on November 23, I865, and
he on January 23, I866, aged seventy-five years,
at the home of their son, Chauncey. Of their
four sons and four daughters, three are living,
one son and two daughters. The father was well
educated and in his early manhood taught school.
The grandfather, John Kies, was a native of Scotland who came to America when a young man
and at once became deeply interested in the struggle for independence. When hostilities with the
mother country started, he promptly joined the
Colonial army and fought in its ranks during the
seven years of the Revolutionary War. After its
close he settled in the state of New York where
he was a farmer and died at a ripe old age. The
maternal grandfather, also a Revolutionary soldier, suffered all of the hardships incident to the
service in that memorable contest.
Chauncey A. Kies grew to manhood in this
county and became thoroughly inured to pioneer
life, mingling freely with the Indians, making
their sons his playmates. He attended the rude
schools and aided his parents in clearing and cultivating the home farm, remaining with them as
long as they lived. Seven years of his youth and
young manhood weie passed in the old foundry
at Moscow in the manufacture of plows and other
farm implements, acquiring during this period a
one-third interest in the establishment. In 1864
he purchased the farm on which he now resides
and which his thrift has made one of the best in
the county. In I859 he married Miss Mary J.
Bolton, a native of the township, a daughter of
John R. Bolton, one of the most respected of the
pioneers of this county. They have two children,
Charles L. and James 0., the former living at the
parental home, the latter being in South Dakota.
Mr. Kies is independent in politics and without active partisanship. He has been chosen to
several local offices, by reason of his recognized
ability and integrity rather than on account of po
litical predilections or conditions; the manner in
which he has performed his official duties fully
justified the confidence of his friends. He holds
membership in the Masonic lodge at Moscow and
for many years has been a devoted supporter of
the mystic tie. His life has flowed on in a calm
and even current of active goodness, bringing
peace and contentment to himself and his family,
also many benefits to the community. The respect
of his fellows he has always enjoyed, their confidence he has always deserved, their advantage,
along with his own, he has always promoted,
their general welfare he has always had actively
in mind. Now living at ease in the evening of his
life, there is none among them that does not do
him reverence.
ALAMO MANUFACTURING CO.
The Alamo Manufacturing Company of Hillsdale, for the production of high grade gas engines and gasoline engines, was organized on
April I6, I901, with a capital stock of $25,000.
This was later raised to $75,00o, and, in February,
1903, was again raised, being now $150,ooo. The
officers of the company are: A. D. Stock, president; Dr. W. H. Sawyer, vice-president; C. H.
Rittenhouse, secretary;.E. T. Prideaux, treasurer; E. J. Gulick, superintendent; and A. D.
Stock, Dr. W. H. Sawyer, C. H. Rittenhouse, F.
M. Stewart and J. Will Marvin, directors. In
I902 the company erected a factory by the side
of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad
tracks, which is 50x450 feet in dimensions, constructed of brick with a slate roof and cement
floors. It is equipped with electric lights, traveling cranes, and the best and most complete machinery and tools for its purposes. In this plant
engines to be driven by gas or gasoline, and all the
proper appurtenances of such engines, are made
on a scale of considerable magnitude, the capacity
of the works being now snot sufficient to supply
the demand for their output. Their market embraces the United States from ocean to ocean and
from the Gulf of Mexico far across the Canadian
line; while a new field for the sale of the engines
has recently been opened in Mexico. Wherever
278
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
they have been used or are well known the products of this factory have an unexcelled reputation, and easily hold their elevated place in the
commercial world, owing to their high standard
of excellence and the superior material and workmanship employed in their manufacture.
A. D. Stock, president of the company, and
the controlling spirit of the enterprise, is a native
of Indiana who came to Hillsdale city in his
childhood with his father, F. W. Stock, and was
educated in the schools of that city and at Peekskill Military Academy in New York.
He commenced practical business life in assoication with his father, and has from that time
been known as one of Hillsdale county's leading
business operators. He was one of the number
who established the first electric lighting system
in the city, and he is now a member of the firm
conducting it, F. W. Stock & Sons. He is also
a stockholder in the shoe factory at Hillsdale.
The business and manufacturing interests of
Hillsdale count him as one of their most active
representatives.
JOHN F. KING.
One of the leading business men of southern
Michigan, now retired from active pursuits, enjoying the fruits of his many years of activity,
is the subject of this sketch, John F. King.
A man of large ability and of keen business
judgment, he has not only built up a comfortable fortune for himself, but contributed in
no small degree to the upbuilding and development of the section of the state in which he made
his home. He is a native of the Empire state,
born in the town of New Lebanon, Columbia
county, on August 26, I830. His father, Luther
King, was a native of the same county, born on
November 8, I806. Amos King, the paternal
grandfather, was a native of Massachusetts, a
soldier in the armies of General Washington during the Revolutionary War. He was at the battle of Bunker Hill, and it was the regiment of
which he was a member which was largely instrumental in bringing about the surrender of
General Burgoyne at the battle of Saratoga.
A Continental note for the sum of six dollars,
which was received by the old hero in part payment for his services in the Revolutionary army,
is now in the possession of the subject of this
sketch, being highly prized as a family heirloom.
The mother of John F. King was, before
her marriage, a Miss Emeline Campbell, like her
husband being a native of New Lebanon, New
York, where she was born on April 27, I809.
She was the daughter of John Campbell, also a
native of New York state, but of Highland
Scotch descent. The ancestors of the family
came to America during the sixteenth century,
and settled near' Stonington, Connecticut, while
the ancestors of the King family made their home
in M/assachusetts at about the same time. In the
family of Luther King there were but two children, a daughter, Elizabeth, now the wife of
Norman Kent, of Hillsdale county, and John F.
King. The latter grew to manhood in Columbia
county, there received the limited early education 'which was then possible to acquire in the
common schools, and at the age of twenty years,
removed with his parents to Niagara county,
New York, where he completed his education
and resided until I867, engaged in the occupation of farming with considerable success.
In 1855, Mr. King was united in marriage
to Miss Sarah Knowles, who died within one
year. In I858, he married a Miss Roxana Post,
a resident of Niagara county. To this union
were born two daughters, Emma F. and Hattie
F., Emma being now the wife-of Russell S.
Peterson, who resides in Hillsdale county. She
had one daughter, Hattie E. King, who married with Everett L. Ranney, of Allen township,
and died without issue. In I866, Mr. King
resolved to seek a new home in the country
farther west, and, disposing of his property in
the state of New York, started with his family
for the western states. He first settled in Illinois,
where he remained about one year, then removed
to Hillsdale county, Mich., which has since been
his home. Settling on a farm in Hillsdale township, he engaged successfully in agricultural
pursuits until I880. By that time he had acquired large property interests, and decided to
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 279
retire from business. He therefore purchased
the fine home in the city of Hillsdale which he
now occupies, which he has since made his residence, still owning and operating his farms in the
county. During his residence in Hillsdale county, Mr. King has taken an active part in public
affairs, by the promotion of every movement
calculated to be of benefit to the community. At
different times he has yielded to the solicitations of his neighbors and served them as justice of the peace, as school trustee and on the
board of water commissioners.
In every position Mr. King has discharged
its duties with the same conscientious care that
he has given to the management of his private
business interests, and has met with the same
success. His aged father passed away on December Io, I89I, at the age of eighty-five years, his
mother dying on February 15, I893, at the age of
eighty-five. Both were members of the Universalist church, as is also Mr. John F. King. They
assisted in the founding of that church in Hillsdale
township, being active and prominent among the
workers of that society in the locality where they
lived so long. Mr. King is one of the directors
and stockholders of the Savings Bank of Hillsdale,
of which he was one of the founders. He still takes
an active interest in the management of the affairs of this successful institution. In the maturity of his years and judgment, having had an
extended and honorable business experience, and
contributing in no small degree to the promotion
of the settlement and the development of the
resources of southern Michigan, and especially
of Hillsdale county, he is looked upon by all as
an honored citizen, as a successful and progressive man of business, as a high-minded public official, faithful in the performance of every
duty, loyal to every interest in the community
in which he has maintained his home.
MANASSEH KEMPTON.
Manasseh Kempton is a native of the township
of Adams, Hillsdale county, Mich., where he now
lives and where he was born on August I8, 1848.
His parents, David B. and Charlotte (Godfrey)
Kempton, were early settlers here, among those
who planted in the county the seeds of its present
prosperity and development. The father was
born in Maine, the mother in New York. In his
early manhood the father worked at the hatter's
trade, then for some years was a farmer in Ohio.
From there in 1837 he came to Michigan, locating
in Adams township, where he purchased I20
acres of land from speculators. This he cleared
and improved, and here continued his farming operations with success. In politics he was an old
line Whig, as such holding the office of justice of
the peace for twenty years. Fraternally, he belonged to the Masonic order and both he and his
wife were Wesleyan Methodists. His wife died
in 1876 and he in I889. Their family consisted
of five children, of whom three are living. Both
parents were previously married, the father having seven children by his first wife, the mother
two children by her first husband.
Manasseh Kempton received a fair education
in the schools of his native county, between the
sessions assisting in the work on the farm. When
he reached the age of twenty-six years his father
retired from active pursuits and he took charge
of the farm and cultivated it on shares, which
arrangement was continued until the death of
his father. Mr. Kempton now owns a farm of
oo00 acres, located half a mile due west of North
Adams, which, by skillful cultivation, has been
brought to a high state of productiveness and
yields abundant annual crops of cereals and hay,
with other farm products of every kind suitable
to the climate and the soil. In politics Mr. Kempton is an active Republican, who has served his
community in various positions of trust and responsibility, being a highway commissioner two
years and serving for two years on the board of
review, while, during the last five years, he has
been supervisor. A Freemason, he belongs also
to the Grangers and the Maccabees. On September 26, 1875, he was married to Miss Hattie E.
Bagley, a native of the township in which they
live, a daughter of Joseph L. and Lydia K. Bagley, natives of New York, who came to Michigan
while it was yet a territory.
Joseph L. Bagley is living in retirement in
North Adams, and is a Democrat in political faith.
His wife died on July 22, 1889. Mr. and Mrs.
280
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Kempton have four children, Emorene, Edgai
J., Rockwell and Lawrence R. Mrs. Kempton
belongs to the Congregational church. By the
people among whom his life has so far been
passed, Mr. Kempton is highly respected for his
upright and manly character, his strict integrity
and his genial and friendly disposition. It was
not his lot to inaugurate a state or a new political entity of any kind; but it is much to say, as
we can justly say of him, that he has steadily
helped to carry forward the work of progress
and improvement that was begun by those who
lived before him, and that he has lost no ground
in the effort.
MYRON W. KELLY.
This prosperous and successful farmer of
Pittsford township, who has raised his occupation to the dignity of an art and a science and
made'it an exemplification of the wisdom of both
advanced methods and steady application, of
breadth of view and reflective study to its operations, was born on September i, 1848, on the
farm which he is now so successfully conducting.
His parents were Oliver P. and Serepta (Silvernail) Kelly, both natives of New York, where
the father was born on May 30, I816. In boyhood he came to this state with his parents, who
settled on government land in Pittsford township, which the father and sons by systematic
industry transformed into a good home, and on
which the parents died, the father at the age
of ninety-six and the mother at an advanced age.
The paternal grandfather was well acquainted
with Baw Beese and other noted Indian residents of this section and frequently entertained
them at his house. His son, Oliver P. Kelly,
the father of Myron W., was married in March,
1841, and became the father of five children,
four of whom are living, Orin C.; Myron W.,
Melvin W. and John P. His wife died when
her son, Myron, was eleven years old, in I859.
Orin Kelly was a member of Co. D, Eleventh
Michigan Cavalry, during the Civil War, and saw
hard service, participating in many battles and
being wounded at the battle of Saltville, Ky.
Myron W. Kelly was educated in the schools
near his home and grew to manhood on the farm
he now occupies, on which his whole life has so far
been passed, except a period of four years, during
which he was engaged in milling. On October
6, 1878, he was married to Miss Eliza Pixley, a
native of this county and a daughter of Sampson
and Mary J. (Thompson) Pixley, whose grandfather, Joseph Pixley, was one of the first settlers in Wright township. They have one child,
May J. Kelly, who is living at the parental home.
Throughout his mature life, Mr. Kelly has given
his allegiance to the Republican party and taken
an active part in its campaigns. He 'served for
four years as a justice of the peace and has ever
had an influential voice in local affairs. He belongs to the Masonic order, holding his membership in Lebanon Lodge No. 26 at Hudson.
As a farmer he has a high rank in the county,
as a citizen he is well esteemed for his integrity,
high character, breadth of view and progressive
ideas, in social life he is both genial and entertaining. All classes of people respect him, those
who know him best holding him the highest.
SAMUEL KENNEDY.
A leading representative of the agricultural
interests of Adams township, in this county, is
Samuel Kennedy, an enterprising and progressive farmer, whose well-directed efforts,
sound judgment and capable management insure him success, whose public spirit and active
interest in the welfare of the community show
him to be one of the useful and patriotic, as
he is one of the most esteemed citizens of the
county. He is a native'of Massachusetts, born
on June I4, 1858. His parents were Andrew
and Matilda (Allen) Kennedy, both of Irish
birth and ancestry. In his infancy the father
was brought to the United States and in this
country he was reared and educated. After he
left school he learned a trade, but, during the
greater part of his life, he was engaged in farming. In 1867 he came to Michigan, locating in
Fayette township, in Hillsdale county. Some
timre later he removed to Scipio township, where
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
28I
he resided until his death on January 17, I902.
His widow died on November 23, 1902. Their
family consisted of their son Samuel and two
daughters. One daughter is Mrs. D. Bunting,
a resident of this county, the other being Mrs.
George Dobson, of Scipio township, who resides
on the old homestead.
Samuel Kennedy is almost wholly a product
of Hillsdale county, for, while he did not come
to the county until he was about nine years of
age, his whole subsequent life has been passed
within its borders, from its soil he has drawn
his stature and his strength, from its public
schools he obtained his education, from its political institutions he learned his first lessons in
citizenship. In return he has used his energies
and capabilities with much zeal and fidelity, in
the development and improvement of the county,
and in the support and advancement of all its
educational, commercial, industrial and social institutioils. He began life's activities for himself
on the home farm and worked there until he
came of age. He then purchased a farm in
Adams township, later removing to the one on
which he now lives. To both he applied systematic and skillful labor and both rewarded his
faith and his toil with generous abundance in
productiveness, growing comely and attractive
under his persuasive taste. He has not essayed
success in many lines of activity and makes no
claim to distinction in any. But,-in the one line
he has so capably followed, he has won a high
rank and has shown himself to be a master.
He married on October 13, I88o, Miss Hattie
Haskell, a daughter of Samuel and Julia
(Sprowls) Haskell of this state. Samuel Haskell was born in New Hampshire, reared and
educated at Syracuse, N. Y., he spent five years
in California when he. was a young man, thence
coming to Hillsdale county where he married
and located on the farm in Adams township,
where he still lives. His wife died on January 8,
1882. They were parents of four girls and three
boys, all now living and residents of Hillsdale
county. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy have five children, Augusta -M., wife of Alton Sillivan, of this
township, Myrtle, wife of Robert Newman, of
this county, Cora J., Frank A., Frederick S. In
political faith,. Mr. Kennedy yields allegiance to
the Republican party, but he has never been active
in political affairs, and has.always been strongly
averse to public office for himself. He takes
great interest in the proceedings of the order of
Patrons of Husbandry, of which he is a valued
member, having a potent voice in the local grange
to which he belongs.
PETER KREITER.
Peter Kreiter, the well-estemed and highly
capable city treasurer (1903) of Hillsdale, and
until recently a member of the firm of Kreiter
& Weatherwox, dealers in wall-papers, paints,
etc., is a popular citizen of the county, who has
been an active Democrat in politics all of his
mature manhood. He was born in New York
city on November I6, 1853, the son of Philip and
Catherine (Snyder) Kreiter, themselves born and
reared near Frankfort, in Germany, from whence
they emigrated to the United States about I835.
They settled in New York city where the father
worked at his trade as a shoemaker and died in
I860. His widow survived him for thirty-three
years, dying in this state in I893. Their family
consisted of five sons and ane daughter, of
whom only two of the sons are living, both being
residents of Michigan. When Peter finished his
education in the public schools of his native city
he began to learn the trade of a baker, but he
never worked at it, for in 1878, he came to
Hillsdale county, engaged in farming in Cambria
township, after three years of successful operation in this line returning to New York, where
he remained four years, in 1885 again coming
to Hillsdale county, where he followed farming
until I892.
He then concluded to retire for a time from
active pursuits, and moved into the city of Hillsdale. He lived here retired until I899, when he
engaged in the sale of wall-paper and paints,
selling the business in the spring of 1903.' In
I90o he was electedrity treasurer of Hillsdale
and was reelected in I902. This office affords
282
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
scope for his financial ability and he has conducted its affairs with a vigor and care which
has won him high commendation from all classes
of the people and has reflected credit on him and
the constituency he represents. Mr. Kreiter was
married in January, I879, to Miss Lillian. Keefer,
a native of Pennsylvania. They -have~ three
children, Victor P., Frances D.. and Florence L.
He'is a Mason and an Odd Fellowv; 'belonging
to lodges of these orders at 'Hilllsdale. He has
always shown an active and-helpful 'ititerest in
whatever promises benefit to.his city and, county,
and, by his public spirit and progressive ideas,
he has been a factor of continual value in the
growth and development of both. He is one of
Hillsdale's most esteemed citizens and one of
her best representative men, a valued Freemason
and a cherished Odd Fellow.
GEORGE A.- MARK.
George A. Mark, the oldest county surveyor
and drainage commissioner by continuous service
in the state of Michigan, with a long record of
faithful service in these offices to his credit that
is in every way admirable, has won by effort and
accomplishment the high place he holds in the
estimation of the people of the county and the
large circle of cordial friendships which he so
richly enjoys. He is a native of Fredonia, New
York, born on July 11, I830, the son of James
and Lucy (Woodcock) Mark, the former born
in Connecticut and the latter in Vermont, The
father was a merchant and passed the greater
part of his life in New York state. He was a
gallant soldier in the War of 1812, and, after a
life of service to his kind and of benefit to his
community, he died about the year I853. He
was the father of four sons and three daughters,
of whom four are living, three sons and one
daughter, one of the sons being a resident of
Marquette, Michigan.
George A. Mark grew to manhood and received a common-school education in his native
state. His scholastic training there was finished
in his native town, at the famous Fredonia
Academy, and, in I855, he entered the University
- of Michigan, matriculating in the engineering
department, in 1858 being graduated from that
institution as a member of the first class graduated in that department, receiving the-degree
of Bachelor of Science. He returned to New
York and taught in that state until I860, then
came back to Michigan and taught at Owosso,
from there going to Indiana and teaching at Lima
and Middlebury in that state until 1863. He
then came to Hillsdale and took up civil engineering as a profession, and to this he has since
sedulously devoted himself. He passed the summer of I865 in the employ of the U. S. government in a survey on Lake Superior, and in the
fall of that year was elected county surveyor of
Hillsdale county, a position he has held continuously since that time except during three
terms. He was also made city surveyor when
the office was established and has filled it without
interruption until the spring of I903, when his
successor was appointed. During the last ten
years he has been the county drain commissioner
and has performed his duties in this office in a
way that has been of great benefit to the agricultural interests of the county and of decided advantage to its sanitary conditions.
In 1858 Mr. Mark married with Miss Julia
Baldwin, a native of New York. They have one
child living, Charles E. Mark, a resident of Alliance, Ohio, a civil engineer in the employ of the
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad. Mrs.
Mark died in 189o, at the age of fifty-eight years,
her departure being universally lamented because of the good she was always actively engaged
in and accomplished and for the stimulus her
example gave in benevolent works of every kind.
On December 24, I900, Mr. Mark remarried,
being united on this occasion with Miss Fannie
F. Birdsell, also a native of New York. He has
been a loyal Republican from the foundation of
the party, having been up to that time a Freesoiler. He is a deacon in the Presbyterian church
and takes an active part in all the church works
of charity and benevolence as well as aiding to
carefully guard and promote the business interests
of the'organization.
'r
k~
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
283
NORMAN B. KEMP.
A quarter of a century has winged its flight
into the ever receding past since occurred the
death of this pioneer and progressive farmer of
Allen township, which eventuated on April 26,
1878, but his memory is still enshrined in loyal
hearts, while the forces for good, which he
started in material and moral fields of enterprise are still effectively at work in the industry
of others whom his example has stimulated to
augmented activity, and in the creative and productive energies which he himself put in motion.
He was born on August 28, I829, in Niagara
county, New York, the son of David and Fannie
(Crossman) Kemp, also natives of New York,
where they were prosperously engaged in farming, on a tract of 400 acres of good land which
they owned, on which the father also operated
a sawmill. He was a colonel in the New York
militia, and took a prominent part in conducting
the local affairs of the county in which he lived,
'filling a number of county offices, always having
an influential voice in the direction of political
and social matters. Both he and his wife died
in their native state. Their family consisted of
four sons and four daughters, all now deceased
but two of the daughters. The grandfather was
Burgoyne Kemp, a native of New Jersey, who
married a Miss Jones in that state and moved
to New York prior to the War of the Revolution. In his new home he won property aind
prominence by his industry, business capacity,
political activity and ability. He died in New
York, and his ashes rest beneath its sod.
Norman B. Kemp grew to manhood in his
native state and was educated in the district
schools near his home. He began life for himself at an early age by taking charge of the
homestead and operating it for a few years. In
1850, soon after passing his majority, he made
a visit to Michigan to see the country and find
a site for a home, but returned to New York
without arranging to become a citizen qf the new
state. In I866 he removed to Illinois, and a year
later came again to this state with a view to
making it his permanent residence. He pur
chased a farm of 215 acres in Branch county,
and resided on it until his death on April 26,
1878, increasing its fertility, beautifying it in appearance, adding to the extent, character and completeness of its buildings and other improvements, in every way making it worthy of the
labor and skill he expended on it. Five years
after his death, in 1883, the family moved to
Hillsdale county, where they now live.
Mr. Kemp was married in 1854, in New
York, to Miss Elizabeth King, a sister to John
F. King, of this county, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. They had five
children, Luther D.; Sarah E. deceased, who
married with Charles Stone; Bert E., married
Carrie Bowen and is a resident of this county:
Clara B., deceased; William C., who married a
Bertha Ketchum, of Warsaw, Ind. and lives at
Jackson, in this state. Mr. Kemp was a valued
member of the Masonic order and a gentleman
of high standing in the regard and good will
of the community. The farm is now conductedby Mrs. Kemp and her son, Luther. Mrs. Kemp
was born on September 3, 1833, at Canaan in
Columbia county, New York, and came to Michigan with her husband in 1867. She has now
reached the limit of human life as fixed by the
psalmist, but, with her vigor of body and mind
and the ambitious spirit that still impels her, she
would seem destined yet to many years of usefulness. She enjoys in a marked degree the
esteem of the community, having a host of admiring friends throughout the county.
LEVI KESSELRING.
From the land of great toilers, valiant soldiers, exhaustive students, and men and women
of persistent effort in every form of useful
energy, the German empire, came the ancestry
of Levi Kesselring, one of the enterprising, substantial and well-to-do farmers of Moscow
township in this county, who was born on November 3, 1854, on the land which he now owns
and farms, which comprises 220 acres and is
well-improved and in an advanced state of cultivation. His father, Daniel Kesselring, was
284
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
born in Germany, while his mother, whose
maiden name was Amie S. Havner, was a native
of Maryland, who came with'her parents to this
state while she was yet a child. The father accompanied his parents from their native country
to the United States when he was but four years
of age. They were Jacob and Christina Kesselring, also native in the Fatherland, where their
forefathers lived and labored for many generations. They came, to this country in I829, first
locating in New York state, where they remained
for seven years; in 1836 they removed to Michigan, settling on land which they entered in
Scipio township, Hillsdale county. Later they
purchased a portion of the farm in Moscow
township which is now the home of their grandson,'Levi, which they cleared up and brought to
productiveness. This farm was sold to an uncle,
George, and later purchased by Levi Kesselring.
Daniel Kesselring passed his life in the township of Moscow, after the family made their home
there, and was educated in the schools in the
vicinity of the homestead. When he reached
years of maturity he was married to Miss Amie
S. Havner, as already noted, and on the paternal
estate they also reared their three children, two
of whom are living, Levi and one daughter.
Levi had the usual farmlife experiences and the
educational advantages of the country boys in
this county at the time of his boyhood and
youth, and early in life began to work on the
farm as the beginning of his career in an industrial way. His father died in 1893 and his
mother since that time has made her home with
her son. In his earlier experiences Indians and
savage beasts were still to be seen in this part
of the state, and during the first years of the
family's residence here these disturbing elements
and obstacles to the advance of civilization were
numerous and troublesome. His parents and
grandparents were called on to undergo all the
hardships and privations of frontier life, and
encounter all its inconveniences. They were
obliged to get their provisions mainly from
Adrian and other distant points, and to haul their
products to those places for sale and shipment.
Wild game was, however, abundant, and this
in some measure mitigated the rigors of the situation.
In 1893 Mr. Kesselring was married to Miss
Sarah L. Schwab, a native of New York, also of
of German ancestry. They have three children,
Ruth MI., Louis A. and Howard L. While holding the welfare of his community in high regard,
being ever zealous in the service of its. best interests, Mr. Kesselring is not a partisan of any
decided activity and has never desired or accepted
public office. He has an excellent farm of 220
acres, in its proper management and cultivation finds enough to occupy his time and employ
his faculties to advantage, and thus pays his
tribute to the county and state in the faithful performance of the daily duties of good citizenship and the stimulus which his example gives
to those around him, by whom he is well appreciated and highly respected, as he is elsewhere among the people who know him,
HILLSDALE GROCERY CO.
This mercantile enterprise, which has done
much to simplify and facilitate the exchange of
commodities and supply domestic needs in this
comrrnnity, was organized on March 29, I894,
with a capital stock of $7,00oo. Its founders were
E. A. Dibble, L. F. Cole and Frank Costwright,
and the company was known by the firm-name of
Cole, Dibble & Costwright, with Mr. Cole as president, Mr. Costwright vice-president, Mr. Dibble
secretary and treasurer. On September 24, 1894,
the company was reorganized, and its name was
changed to The Hillsdale Grocery Co. Of this
new house William MacRitchie became president,
L. F. Cole vice-president, E. A. Dibble continuing as secretary and treasurer, and these gentlemen constituted the board of directors. In 1897
the business was closed out. In October, of the
same year, Mr. Dibble started another enterprise
under the same name, which he conducted until
March, 1899, when a new company was organized to take his business and bear its name. Mr.
MacRitchie was made president, B. C. Dibble
vice-president, E. A. Dibble secretary and treasurer. The capital stock was again made $7,000,
9
i
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
285
and this, in the December following, was increased to $12,ooo, and, in March, I9OI, to $25,ooo, and in March, I903, to $50,ooo, the official
staff continuing as heretofore.
E. A. Dibble, the organizer of the company
and its inspiring and managing force, has for
many years been one of the active and forceful
business mei of Hillsdale. At the time he organized this company he was in the produce business,
and, conceiving the idea that it would be of mutual advantage to merchant and customer to arrange for a system of exchanging groceries for
produce, he put this company into life and action
for the purpose. He is a native of this county,
born on October 7, I866, and his parents, Alvin
K. and Mary A. (Dunn) Dibble, were natives of
New York and Pennsylvania, respectively. They
came to this county about I843, cleared a farm
in the wild woodlands of Wheatland township,
and later removed to North Adams, where the
father died in 1893 and the mother in 1897. They
were the parents of two children, their son here
mentioned and a daughter. Mr. Dibble was
reared and educated in this county and the whole
of his life is identified with its activities and interests. His scholastic training was completed by a
course at Hillsdale College. After leaving that
institution he engaged in the produce business
at Hillsdale in I888, continuing his enterprise until it was merged in the company with which he
is now connected. He is also a stockholder in
the Scowden-Blanchard Shoe Co., and has interests in other mercantile institutions. In politics
he is a Republican, but is not an office-seeker nor
an active partisan, although, for the good of the
city and at the solicitation of friends, he did consent to serve for two years as a member of the
city council. He was married in October, I89I,
to Miss Edith B. Speer, a native of Hillsdale
county, and they have four children. He belongs
to the U. C. T., the Knights of Pythias and the
Masonic order. Standing well in the business
world, highly respected as a man and citizen,
warmly welcomed everywhere in social life, Mr.
Dibble may well be taken as a representative man
of the county and of its best elements of business
and social activity.
DEWITT C. KIES.
Dewitt C. Kies, a prosperous farmer of Moscow township, has been connected with the
growth and development of this part of the
county during the whole of his past life. He
was the first white boy born in the township,
was reared on his father's farm within its limits,
received his education in its public schools, imbibed the spirit of patriotism and learned the
duties of citizenship by a participation in its
government and political institutions, and he has
been an industrious and capable tiller of its fertile and productive soil since his boyhood. He
was born on July 25, 1834, the son of Alonzo
and Sally (Taylor) Kies, natives of Cayuga
county, New York, who came to Michigan with
the parents of the father, Stephen and Betsey
(Potter) Kies, in 1833, and located on government land on section No. I9, of what is now
Moscow township in this county, the letters of
patent to it being signed by President Andrew
Jackson. The father, a cabinet-maker and good
farmer, found his trade of great service to himself and his neighbors in their new home in the
~wilderness. He erected a small log house and
began the arduous task of clearing his land and
getting it under cultivation.
The journey to this county led through unbroken timber without roads and across the
dreaded Black Swamp so full of danger. They
were inured to hardship, however, and bravely
pushed forward over every obstacle to their
destination. There was manly and determined
spirit in the strain and every generation of the
family has been distinguished for it throughout
the course of authentic history. It is Scotch in
its origin, and, it is related that the American
progenitor, on his way to this country, was shipwrecked, but with great courage and endurance
swam five miles to shore with his wife on his
back. Alonzo Kies'and his wife lived to clear
their land and make it one of the best farms in
the county, supplanting the crude and primitive
buildings in which they first lived with a commodious and comfortable residence, good barns
and other necessary outbuildings. The father
0
I I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
286,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
became an influential citizen, helping to organizt
the township, giving it the name it bears in conipliment to a similar division of his native county
which was the home of his childhood and early
manhood. He filled with great credit the offices
of director, assessor, collector and constable and
was also a prominent member of the Masonic
order, being one of the first on the roster of Fayette Lodge No. 5, and he also rendered good
service as an officer in the state militia.
For sixty-six years Mr. Kies lived in this
township, dying in December, I899, aged eightynine years. His.wife passed away in 1883, at
the age of seventy-seven. Their family consisted
of two' children, one son who died in infancy,
and Dewitt Clinton, the subject of this review,
who was named after the distinguished governor
of New York. He grew to manhood on the
farm and assisted in its exacting labors; throughout his life he has followed no other occupation
except that of farming. He was married in
Jackson county, on March 25, 1858, to Miss
Frances Stookey, a Pennsylvanian by nativity
and daughter of Benjamin and Martha (Groover)
Stookey, early settlers in Jackson county, this
state. Two children have blessed their union,
only one of whom is living, their son, Fred A.,
a resident of Jackson. Mr. Kies is a Freemason,
but he has never taken any active interest in
politics or accepted public office. He is widely
known as one of the best farmers and most
estimable citizens of the county.
STEPHEN KNAPP.
Stephen Knapp, one of the earliest and most
esteemed of Michigan's pioneers, saw much of
frontier life in two states and had his full measure of its burdens, privations and dangers in
each one. He was born on August i8, I786, at
Haverstraw, Rockland county, New York, the
son of Jared and Jane (Rundall) Knapp, natives of Horseneck, Connecticut, who settled in
New York state during the Revolutionary War.
On the land which they took up then practically
in the wilderness, although it is now almost in
the shadow of the great Empire city, they lived
long and prospered, in the fullness of time died
and were buried. Their son Stephen was reared
in his native place and at its primitive schools
received a limited education. As soon as he was
old enough he was apprenticed to a wheelwright
and learned the trade of wagon-maker. He received for his work during the first year a
shilling a day, during the second year two snillings a day. He worked at the trade for two
years in New York city, then purchased a farm
of sixty acres in Ontario county, a wild and unisettled region far to the west.
Atter a residence of some years in that section he purchased 300 acres of wild land in Monroe county, on which he settled. He sold out his
interests in New York in I834, and came to
Michigan, moving his family all the way in a
wagon, shipping his household goods by water
by the way of Detroit and Adrian. The family
remained at Adrian until a log house was erected
in Wheatland township, in this county, and the
furniture was hauled to it from Dertoit, at that
time a small trading-post. The country was new
and unbroken, the roads primitive and soft, in
many places almost impassable. Teams were
frequently mired, and other difficulties were encountered. Every day, frequently every hour,
was troublesome in one way or another. They
persevered, however, with resolute courage and
stern endurance, and, at length, after a long and
trying trip, landed the goods at the house on
their homestead. After taking possession of their
house they were often interrupted at their labor
of clearing the ground and getting the farm in
order for ctultivation, and, after that, in cultivating it, by wolves and other wild beasts that
would come to their very door and threaten their
lives. Many times the experiences were amusing,
but generally much more tragical than comical.
It required six years of arduous labor to
clear sixty acres of the land and get it into productiveness. During that time the conveniences of life were remote and most difficult of
access. There was no flouring mill nearer than
Adrian, and the trip to and from this mill, covering a distance of more than forty miles, occupied
several days each way, sometimes as many as
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 287
eleven. But Mr. Knapp and his family were
persevering and determined persons. They kept
at their work of development and improvement,
and, in the course of time, developed a comfortable home out of their unpromising conditions and furnished it forth with good buildings.
Their framed barn was the first one of the kind
erected in the county, and the rest of their buildings were, in character and compass, far in advance of those on other farms. Mr. Knapp lived
on this farm until his death in I866. His experience here was not the first of frontier life for
him, for he had already encountered many of the
conditions in western New York, and, when the
War of 1812 was in progress, he was drafted into
the military service and obliged to leave his work
and family for the seat of war. But he was not
called into action, and, at the close of the war,
returned to his Ontario' county home and continued his farm work.
Mr. Knapp's first marriage was to Miss Jane
Williams, a sister of Hon. Zeb Williams, of New
York. They had seven children, one of whom,
Mr. Percy Knapp, is now living at Hudson. His
wife died in New York state and he then remarried with Miss Clarissa Davis, who died in childbirth, the child dying soon afterward. His third
marriage was to Mrs. Mary (Townsend) Knapp,
the widow of his brother, Charles Knapp. They
were the parents of seven children, five of whom
are living, all residents of this state except one,
Mrs. Mary E. Fuller, the wife of Levi P. Fuller,
of Goshen, Indiana. The others are Stephen F.
Knapp and Mrs. Harriet L. Wallbridge, the wife
of F. Wallbridge, of Branch county; Charles H.
Knapp, of Vestaburg; and Mrs. Melinda A. Hopkins, the wife of Prof. H. Hopkins, of Hillsdale,
a sketch of whom is to be found elsewhere in
this work. Mr. Knapp was a Whig in politics,
but never sought or accepted office.
Perry Knapp, the only living offspring of
Stephen Knapp by his first marriage, was born
in Monroe county, New York, in 1822, on
August 12. At the age of twelve he came with
the family to this state, in this county he was
reared and educated, attending the primitive
schools of his day taught in the little and poorly
furnished log schoolhouses, which, however, have
been a source of 'vital strength and support to
American institutions. In 1840, when he was
eighteen years old, he started out in life for himself, his first work being at a brick yard in
Adrian. He remained in that city two years,
during the most of the time working at carpentry
with his brother, and this vocation he later followed for twenty-five years in southern Michigan
with the exception of a short time spent at
Toledo, Ohio, in 1846. On his return from that
city he settled on a farm in Wheatland township,
and later purchased his father's old homestead
which he still owns. He was married in1'I848 to
Miss Sarah C. Church, a daughter 'of Lbrenzo
Church, of Church's Corners, in this:intfy,'-'who
died in 1899, leaving two of her fourti''hilifen
living, Fred C. Knapp, of Ashland'4 'Vi66sin,
and Mrs. Jessie F.; the wife of Elmdt' I'3Sabin.
Mr. Knapp is a Reptiblicaft in politksi'-and
has served the count in local offices of6 iipbrtance from time tS;:time. He was 'one 'f tihe
founders of the Grange located near his home,
and has filled all the offices in the organization.
One episode in his history must not he overlooked. In 1853 he went to California overland,
leaving Church's Corners on March 9, and being
II5 days on the way. He was in a party made
up from this and Lenawee counties, and, while
they got through without serious mishap of any
kind, they had several narrow escapes from hostile Indians. Their route took them along the
Platte River as far as possible, and, while they
suffered many privations, on the whole they
much enjoyed the trip. After his arrival in California he spent some months in mining, but was
engaged during the most of his residence of two
years and a half in working at his trade as a
carpenter. He returned to Michigan by the
isthmus route, and, since then he has been glad
to maintain his home in this state, where he has
hosts of friends and is cordially esteemed.
EDMUND LAWRENCE.
One of the leading farmers and live stock
growers of Fayette township, Hillsdale county,
Michigan, is Edmund Lawrence, the subject of
this brief review. Coming to Hillsdale county
288
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
during early life, he has by reason of his industry,
business ability and thrift and by careful attention to all the details of his business, built up a
fine property and is now.one of the substantial
property owners and large taxpayers of the
county. A native of the state of New York, born
in old Columbia county, on November 20, 1827,
he is the son of John and Mary (Lasher) Lawrence, both natives of the Empire state. The
family was a large one, comprising eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, Edmund
being the seventh child. During his childhood
his parents removed their residence from the
county of Columbia to Wayne county, in the
same state, where they continued to reside during the remainder of their lives. Here young
Edmund grew to man's estate, received his early
educational training, and was graduated from
the academy in Wayne county, having pursued
a throrough course of study at that somewhat
noted school. Upon the completion of his education he continued to reside with his parents in
New York state until 1869, then determined to
build for himself a new home in the country
farther west, and removed with his family to the
state of Michigan, and settled in the county of
Hillsdale in the month of April of that year.
Here he purchased the fine farm which he
still owns in Fayette township, embracing some
120 acres of land, and which has since been his
home. In his business operations he has met
with uniform success, and, in addition to his
regular farming pursuits, he has engaged somewhat extensively in the buying, raising and selling of live stock, and has made a specialty of the
finer grades of Cotswold sheep.. Prosperity and
success have attended all his efforts, and onw, in
the evening if his life, he is enjoying the ease and
comfort earned by his long life of activity and
usefulness. Mr. Lawrence has been three times
married. His first wife was Miss Catherine Sanford, to whom he was united during early life
in Wayne county, New York. They had three
children, Wellington A., John F. and Edward S.
The eldest child died at the age of eighteen
months, and the second at the age of twenty
years. The third son, Edward, is married, and
now managing the home farm. Mrs. Catherine
Lawrence died in Wayne county, New York, on
January I6, I856. Subsequently Mr. Lawrence
was united in marriage at Wayne county to Miss
Mary E. Wells, also a native of the Empire state.
They had no children and Mrs. Lawrence departed this life in Fayette township, on February
2, 188I. On February 22, 1882, Mr. Lawrence
married Miss Elizabeth Jones, a native of Livingston county, New York, where she was born
on December 23, I850. She was the daughter
of Lucian and Mary (White) Jones, natives of
the same state. Her father died in Livingston
county on March 31, I857, her mother in Barry
county, Michigan, on November 3, I875. In the
family there were six children, four sons and
two daughters, Mrs. Lawrence being the eldest
daughter and the fourth child.
The family are active and leading members
of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr.
Lawrence has filled the positions of class-leader,
steward and trustee for many years. In all works
of religion and charity in the community where
he resides he has taken a foremost part, and
the family are among the most highly esteemed
in that section of the county. Politically, Mr.
Lawrence is a stanch adherent of the Republican
party, and, for many years he has been one of the
trusted leaders of that party in Hillsdale county.
He has held the offices of justice of the peace
and highway commissioner, the latter for six
terms, and has ever discharged the duties of
every public position to which he has been called
with ability and fidelity. In political, as well as
in church and business affairs, Mr. Lawrence is
one of the prominent men of Hillsdale county,
whose counsel is often sought by younger men
of the community in matters of importance. His
high character, conservative judgment and keen
business sagacity, especially qualify him to advise those less experienced than himself.
CHANDLER C. LINDSEY.
In the three score years of his earthly existence Chandler C. Lindsey, of Litchfield township, at present serving his second term as a
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 289
member of the county board of supervisors, has
seen life in many of its interesting phases and
death in many of its horrors. He was born on
December 15, 1843, at Sandy Creek, Oswego
county, New York, the son of Robert and Harriet (Briggs) Lindsey, the former a native of
New York and the latter of Vermont. The
father, a farmer, passed his life in his native
state, the mother, who survived him some years,
dying in Michigan.' The paternal grandfather,
Stephen Lindsey, a soldier in the Revolutionary
War, was afterward a farmer in New York,
where he died at an advanced age.
Chandler C. Lindsey, the immediate subject
of this sketch, was reared and educated in his
native state, and, in the autumn of I86I, he came
to Michigan and located near Hadley's Corners,
but did not remain long, for he returned to New
York, and, in 1864, enlisted in Battery E, First
Rhode Island Light Artillery, in which he saw
active service for eighteen months as a part of
the Sixth Army Corps, in the Army of the
Potomac. He participated in the campaigns of
that army to the close of the war, his regiment
being particularly prominent in the bloody battles of The Wilderness, Cold Harbor, the North
Anna River, and the siege of Petersburg. After
his discharge he returned to his New York home,
and there, on September 20, I865, was married
with Miss Frances M. Pratt, a native of that
state. In I867 they came to Michigan to permanently reside. Since that time they have made
their home in Litchfield township, this county, on
the farm where they now live. For awhile, after
his second arrival in this state, Mr. Lindsey
worked at his trade as a carpenter, and while
so occupied, prepared his newly purchased farm
for a residence for his family. Since settling on
this farm he has steadily devoted himself to its
cultivation and improvement with a skill and industry that have brought a very gratifying
measure of success and prosperity.
Before going into the army Mr. Lindsey was
employed by the U. S. government in a collateral
line, holding position in this service in 1862 and
1863. At that time, and for some years after the
war, he was a Republican in politics, but he is
now an ardent Democrat, and he has shown the
sincerity of his faith by a loyal and devoted
service in the interest of his party. While living
in Branch county he was elected, and rendered
satisfactory service, as the treasurer of Butler
township, and he is now (I903) serving his
second term as the supervisor of Litchfield township, in Hillsdale county. He is an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic and has
filled with credit several offices in the post of
that organization to which he belongs. His
family consists of two sons and three daughters:
Ernest C.; Arthur D.; Edith E., wife of E. L.
Rainy; Grace I., wife of H. H. Dolph; Bertha,
living at the family home. In business Mr.
Lindsey has been prosperous and progressive;
in office capable and conscientious; in social life
genial and hospitable; in public spirit broad and
enterprising. All the duties of citizenship have
been well and faithfully performed by him,
throughout the county he is esteemed as one of
the leading and representative men of this part
of the state.
HON. HENRY McCOWEN.
The life of this good man, strong character,
public spirited citizen and elevating moral force,
was an inspiration and a benefaction wherever
its influence was felt. He was born at Easton,
Pennsylvania, on February 7, I820, and was
there reared and educated. In early manhood
he removed to Elmira, N. Y., in which city he
engaged in business, and, on May I, 1842,
married with Miss Sarah Ann Weir. Three
years later they came to Michigan, then a new
and struggling state in the far West, and resided first at Marshall, then at Tecumseh. In
I851 he moved to Hillsdale county, purchased
the farm in Moscow township, on which he
lived to the last year of his life, and on which
he died, on November 7, 1887, of typho-malarial
fever. During his residence of thirty-six years
and nine months in Moscow, he was one of its
most influential and prominent of its citizens,
being deeply interested in its moral and mental
growth, and the development and prosperity of
290o
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
all its mercantile and industrial agencies. He
gave his time, energy and substance freely to
build schools, churches and public improvements, and was ever at the front in behalf of any
undertaking for the general advancement of the
community, whether in its fiscal or ethical departments of progress..He was an ardent Republican in politics, but
no party interest or personal consideration
swerved him from the line of strictest regard for
the public weal, especially in local matters, and,
as a man of broad mind and progressive views,
he was chosen to many offices of importance in
the township. In I868 he was elected to the
State Legislature, and in the ensuing session his
course was distinguished for the same elevated
plane of thought, breadth of view and straightforwardness in action, that characterized his conduct elsewhere in all the relations of life. He
had great strength of will, clearness of perception
and promptness of decision. With him to resolve
was to act and leave all doubt behind, and, once
embarked in a pursuit, he knew neither halt or
hesitation at any behest. Yet his will was dominated by an excellent judgment, so that his firmness and diligence were almost never on the
wrong side. Through these qualifications he was
able to accomplish great things, making every
stroke count and losing no time, working so
steadfastly in the right direction that he had but
little to regret. His wife died on July 4, i886,
being the mother of eight children, of whom are
living, two sons and three daughters, all are
residents of Hillsdale county, except one son,
who lives at Hudson, and one daughter in
Indiana.
On February Io, 1887, Mr. McCowen was
married to his second wife, Mrs. Sarah A.
Timms, the widow of the late Dr. Daniel Timms,
of Moscow. After this marriage he purchased
a home at Hillsdale where he hoped to pass many
years in the pleasant companionship of his
numerous friends and in the enjoyments of social
life. But he was already fatally stricken, and, as
a beautiful autumn was deepening into winter,
he was released from earthly cares and laid away
to his final rest. Mr. McCowen's oldest son,
William H. McCowen, was a volunteer soldier
in the Union army during the Civil War, a member of the Twenty-seventh Michigan Sharpshooters. He saw arduous, continuous and
highly perilous service, dying of wounds received
before Petersburg in the latter part of 1864.
Arthur L. McCowen, the youngest son of
his father, who now resides on the Moscow
homestead, was born in this county on January
29, I855. He was reared in Moscow township
and educated in its public schools, finishing with
a year's instruction at the State Agricultural College. Since leaving school he has been actively
engaged in farming without interruption, his
skillful and systematic industry making his farm
to be one of the best and most productive in the
township. He was married on December 25,
I890, to Miss Jeannette Ford, a native of Jackson
county, Mich. Her parents are Ransom T. and
Celestia (Little) Ford, the former a native of
Jackson county and the latter of Hillsdale county
of this state. Mr. McCowen has never taken
any active interest in party politics; but he has
not withheld his due share of the impulse and
the substantial aid necessary to promote public
improvements, keep in motion enterprises of
value in developing the resources of the county,
or to sustain and advance the general weal of
his community.
DANIEL McNABB.
Daniel McNabb, an honored pioneer of Moscow township, in Hillsdale county, was born at
Johnstown, Fulton county, New York, on August
I8, 1814, the son of Peter and Margaret (Campbell) McNabb, natives of Scotland, born near
Edinburg, who came to the United States in
I803 on the same vessel, and settled in the county
above named where they were married in I808.
The family consisted of two sons and one daughter, all now deceased. The father, a prosperous
farmer, some years after his marriage moved
his family to Livingston county, N. Y., where
they all lived unitl 1842, when they came to
Michigan and located on a farm in Moscow
township, on which the father died in 1862, aged
0o
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
291
ninety-three years. His widow survived him
nine years, dying in I87I, aged ninety-one.
Their son Daniel grew to man's estate in
New York, there, receiving a limited education
in the primitive schools of his day. In I835 he
came to Hillsdale county, entered a tract of
eighty acres of government land in Moscow
township, and during the next year he moved to
this tract and began clearing it and getting it
under cultivation. He added to it by subsequent
purchases until he owned 2IO acres, all new,
wild and heavily timbered land when he bought
it, which, under his sturdy: strokes, was cleared
and in an advanced state of cultivation, making
it one of the model farms of the township when
death called him from his useful and productive
labors, on February 15, 1893. His wife followed
him to the better world on April 9, of the same
year. She was, prior to her mariage, a Miss
Joanna Rowley and she was united with him in
marriage on November 29, 1838. Her parents
were Daniel and Lois Rowley, emigrants in 1836
from Erie county, New York, to Moscow township, where they entered a tract of government
land, on which they settled, lived, labored in its
development and improvement, and, finally, after
bringing it into fruitfulness and beauty, they
died in advanced age, secure in the esteem and
good will of the whole neighborhood.
In politics Mr. McNabb was a Whig until the
birth of the Republican party. He then joined
that organization and gave its principles and
candidates a zealous and helpful support until
his death, although never desiring or seeking its
honors or advantages for himself. He was a
justice of the peace in the township for a number of years at the earnest solicitation of his
neighbors and friends, and, in this position he
was of a very greatly appreciated service to the
community as the conservator of law and order
and the arbiter of neighborhood disputes and
misunderstandings. He was a progressive and
energetic citizen and gave a great impulse to
the development and improvement of the township through many serviceable channels. He
dignified and adorned agriculture by his masterful and elevating pursuit of it, stimulating others
19
by his good example, unifying the efforts of
many in the promotion of its best interests. He
worthily won and modestly wore the popular
approval he so richly enjoyed, and was, without
seeming conscious of the fact, one of the most
representative and most highly esteemed men in
the county.
WILLIAM MAcRITCHIE.
Among the elements of American citizenship,
to which it owes much of force and firmness of
fiber, as well as much of its fertility in resources
and sturdy thrift, none, perhaps, ranks'higher in
the scale of value than that which has been obtained from the Scotch race, which ever makes
its mark broad and deep wherever it plants itself,
writing its presence and its capabilities in enduring phrase. To this race belongs William MacRitchie, of Hillsdale, one of the best-known men
of the town, who is concerned in many of its most
important mercantile and productive enterprises.
He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on August
I9, I844, the son of William D. and Elizabeth
Elder (MacRitchie) MacRitchie, also natives of
Scotland. His father was a surgeon in the employ of the East India Co. and was stationed at
St. Helena, going to the island six weeks after
the death of Napoleon, thus having an opportunity to secure some of his effects. He was retired
on a pension after a long service with the company, dying in Scotland in I863, at the age of
sixty-three. He left four sons and three daughters, two of the sons now reside in the United
States.
William MacRitchie passed the first sixteen
years of his life in Scotland and was educated in
the schools of that country. He then was apprenticed on board a tea vessel and went from
place to place around the world, completing, by
a large comparison of nations, climates, customs
and peoples, the education which had been cut
short by his slender school facilities and the early
age at which he was deprived of even these.
From his home he came to New Brunswick, from
there went to Calcutta, Hongkong and numerous
other Asiatic ports, then shipped to Melbourne,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
292
Australia, where he quit the sea and proceeded
to Queensland, where he passed seven years in
the gold fields, mining and merchandising, during
a portion of the time herding and driving stock,
an occupation attended in those days with great
hardship and danger. In I869 he returned to
London, thence went to South America and for
a year was engaged in the horse and cattle business, when he disposed of his interests in this line,
and, in company with others, worked his way
north on the coast to the isthmus of Panama, from
whence he went to Kingston, Jamaica, and on to
New York, where he landed in March, I87I.
After Pa short stay ih the great city he came
west to Omaha, soon after to Kansas City, to
Fort Scott, and finally to Butler county, Kan.,
where he entered government land and later purchased a tract which he still owns. He remained
in Kansas until I888, engaged in farming and in
stockraising. From I888 to I890 he lived near
Richmond, Va., and, in the year last named, came
to Hillsdale, where he has since resided. Here
he is now connected with a number of the leading
mercantile enterprises of the city, among them
the First National Bank, the Alamo Gas Engine
Co., the Hillsdale Screen Door Co. and the
Omega Cement Co. He was married in Kansas,
in 1873, to Miss Emma A. Miller, a native of
Illinois. They have seven living children, two
sons and five daughters. In politics he is a Republican but has never held or desired public office. Neither does he belong to any fraternal order. He is one of Hillsdale's most respected citizens, one of her leading mercantile factors.
JUDGE MICHAEL McINTYRE.
That "A good name is better than great
riches and good favor is above silver and gold,"
has not only the sanction of Holy Writ, but of
long ages of human experience. The truth of
the proverb was impressively and abundantly established in this section of the country by the
admirable life and valued services of the late
Judge Michael McIntyre, of Hillsdale city, whose.death, on November 14, I902, was a cause of
universal regret and public grief, for his name
is reverently enshirned in the hearts of this people as a synonym for all that is elevated in man,
upright and able in the legal profession, courteous, considerate and genial in all social intercourse, and broad, liberal and progressive in
citizenship. He was for long years of great
activity and usefulness in professional and private life one of the leading and most respected
men in the county, and stood forth in the public
gaze as one of the best types of American manhood anywhere to be found. He was faithful, to
the last degree, in the performance of every duty,
well equipped in each essential of a complete
armor for every contest, ready for every emergency in all the relations of life, never wanting
to the least extent in two of the great elements
of all social virtue, respect for the rights and regard for the feelings of others.
Judge McIntyre was a native of Canada, born
on April 21, 1842, as the son of Lanty and Isabelle (Renton) McIntyre, the former, Irish by
birth but of Scotch parentage, the latter a native of Scotland. The parents emigrated to the
New World in early life, the father coming to
Canada at the age of eighteen. In 1842 they
settled at Hudson, Michigan, a few years later
removing to Hillsdale, where the father was engaged in mercantile business until about 1877,
when they moved to Warsaw, Indiana, where
they both died. In 1876 Judge McIntyre married Miss Mary L. Russell, a native of Williamstown, Mass., a daughter of Samuel and Maria
L. (Brown) Russell, native respectively in New
Hampshire and Massachusetts, pioneers of I855
in Michigan. They settled at Hilldale on their arrival in the state and for a number of years the
father was postmaster of this town.
A student at Hillsdale public schools and college, and later of the law school at Ann Arbor,
JudgeMcIntyre became finely equipped for his
profession. When the Second Michigan Cavalry
was organized, he enlisted as private in Co. M,
but was soon transferred for promotion to the
Third Michigan Cavalry, of which he was sergeant-major. In 1862 he received two promotions, being advanced to second and then to first
lieutenant of Co. K in the last mentioned regi
HILLSDALE CO U.
ment. While holding this rank he was appointed
judge advocate of a general court-martial, which
office he held till his muster-out of the army, in
1865, after nearly four years' service. There
could be no stronger evidence of his ability than
his thus holding his position as judge so long, but
he also earned distinction through other efficient
service, bravery and daring. He was honored at
home first as supervisor, then prosecuting attorney, and later, for sixteen consecutive years he
most capably held the office of judge of probate.
He was emphatically a scholar, an incessant reader of the best literature, reading for information.
Probably no other library in the county contained
so many rare, valuable and well-selected books.
Few men in the state were better informed on.
current topics and on ancient history. He hated
sham, pretense, was sarcastic to a high degree in
his comments upon assumed character or qualifications not possessed. No one of worth, even in
humble station, that he would not champion.
This characteristic made him many friends.
OMEGA PORTLAND CEMENT CO.
This valuable productive institution, the only
one of its kind in this county, which has been
operating here since the opening of the Twentieth Century, has been steadily gaining in the
volume of its business and in the breadth and
firmness of its hold on the confidence and good
opinion of the public generally and of the business
world of this section especially. It was organized
on February 19, I899, with a capital stock of
$3oo,ooo, and the following official staff: F. M.
Stewart, president; Israel Wicks, vice-president;
Charles F. Wade, secretary, treasurer and general
manager. These gentlemen and Dr. W. H. Sawyer, F. A. Roethlisberger and C. E. Lawrence,
of this county, W. M. Eaton, of Grand Rapids,
Dr. W. H. Lane, of Angola, Indiana, Charles B.
Stowe, of Cleveland, and Louis P. Hall, of Ann
Arbor, directors. Upon completing its organization the company purchased 00o acres of land in
Scipio township, and, in July, I899, began the
erection of a plant for the manufacture of a fine
grade of cement, which they started in June,
NTY, MICHIGAN. 293
900o. The plant has a capacity of 600 barrels a
day, and employs from sixty to seventy-five men
regularly. The most of the raw material used in
its product is found in Hillsdale county, and its
market covers the central and middle western
states. Its output has a high rank wherever
it is known and commands the best prices, the
utmost care being used in its manufacture
and in keeping its quality up to an elevated
standard of excellence.
Charles F. Wade, the secretary, treasurer and
capable general manager, and the man on whom
its success mainly depends, is a native of Hillsdale county, born at Jonesville, on May 9, I86o.
His parents were Mr. James H. and Elizabeth
(Sibbald) Wade, the former Irish by his nativity and the latter Scotch in birth, and in rearing and education a product of New York. His
father was for many years a leading merchant of
Jonesville, and is now secretary of the State University at Ann Arbor. Their son, Charles, grew
to manhood at Jonesville and he was educated
in the schools of this county. He was associated
in business for some years with his uncle, Mr.
Sibbald, and, during a subsequent period of eighteen years as a member of the firm of Grosvenor
& Co., as also cashier of the Grosvenor Savings
Bank, resigning that position to take the one he
now holds. In this his capacity, fidelity and enterprise, and the success which has followed his
labors, have attested the wisdom of his choice for
the place, while the congenial nature of his engagement satisfies his own desires. He was
married in I882 to Miss Minnie A. Curtis, a
daughter of William S. Curtis, of Jonesville.
From his young manhood Mr. Wade has
evinced an intelligent and helpful interest in local
public affairs, and, while he has never sought or
desired public office, he has been called to fill several local positions, important in character if not
especially prominent in rank, among them being
that of president of the city council. He is an
active and serviceable member of the Knights
of Pythias, belonging to the lodge of the order
at Jonesville. In every walk of life in the county
he has many friends and is held in the highest esteem wherever he is best known. No business
294
HILLSDALE CO UNTY, MICHIGAN.
man in the township in which he lives has a more
exalted position in public estimation or a firmer
hold on the confidence and good will of the business men and the community in general.
AZARIAH MALLORY.
Azariah Mallory, one of the builders and makers of Moscow township, this county, whose enterprise, public spirit and breadth of view ever
gave a stimulus to the spirit of progress among
the people who witnessed them, was a native of
the town of Adams, Mass., born on November
27, 1804. His parents were Herbert and Hannah
(Hoxie) Mallory, devout and conscientious Quakers, filled with a religious feeling which pervaded their household, was assimilated by their children, and which had a decided and beneficial influence on the lives of their descendants. While
their son, Azariah, was yet a child they moved to
Wayne county, New York, where he grew to
man's estate and received his education, at the
same time getting stature and strengh from his
labors on the farm and from his active outdoor
life. On January I, 1826, he was united in marriage with Miss Azubah White, like himself a
native of Massachusetts, born in Douglass, Worcester county, that state, on March 12, 1807, but,
at the time of the marriage a resident of Wayne
county, N. Y., whither her parents, Abisha and
Elizabeth (Howell) White, had moved in her
chilihood. Her father was a soldier in the War
of I812 and died soon after its close. In June,
I837, Mr. Mallory moved his family to Hillsdale
county and settled in Moscow township, where he
resided until his death in I853. His widow survived him forty years, dying in 1893. They were
the parents of nine children, of whom four are
living.
When the family came to their new home in
this state they found themselves veritably in the
wilderness, almost entirely deprived of the advantages of cultivated life, having all of the privations and dangers of the frontier in their lot.
They had not come hither without a knowledge of
the conditions, however, and were armed with the
proper spirit wherewith to meet and conquer
them. Thiey cleared their land, made it productive, and Mr. Mallory increased his estate from
time to time, through his industry and thrift, until, at one period, he owned nearly a thousand
acres of the best land in the township. But he
was not only a man of property and worldly
wealth. He was a citizen of liberality, public
spirit and breadth of view. To all religious and
educational institutions he gave freely of his sub-:
stance, and to their service he gave his time
and energy as freely. He donated land for
churches and money to help build them; his contributions to the college at Hillsdale were frequent and generous; and he was present and
participated in the ceremonies attendant upon the,
laying of the corner-stone of that institution. His
advocacy of the cause of temperance and his support of every moral agency were pronounced and
beneficial, and his general demeanor was of the;
most stimulating and helpful character. His was
the fiber of which the best American citizenship
is made and he was highly esteemed as among
the best and most serviceable men in the community.
SAMUEL A. MERCER.
Samuel A. Mercer, of Somerset township, one
of the prosperous and highly respected farmers
of the county, is truly "to the manor born, his
life having begun on the land which he now owns
and farms, on November 23, 1847, and having
been passed so far almost wholly on that place.
He is a son of the late Judge William and Sarah
(Gamble) Mercer, an extended notice of whom
will be found elsewhere in this work. He was
educated in the district schools of the neighborhood, and, since leaving school, he has devoted
his energies to farming, under the supervision
of his father while he lived, but since the death
of that estimable gentleman under his own efficient management. On the death of his father the
paternal homestead was divided between Samuel
and his brother, John G. Mercer, and since then
each has individually cultivated his portion with
diligence and a faithful application of intelligence
and skill, keeping the land and its products up to
the high standard of excellence attained by the
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
295
father in his day. Mr. Mercer was married on
January I9, I88I, to Miss Tilly Bilby, a daughter of Leonard and Amelia (Ralph) Bilby of
Somerset township.
Her father was a native of the state of New
York, a farmer by occupation, an early settler in
Hillsdale county, coming hither in 1835, with his
father, Robert Bilby, who entered a tract of land
in Somerset township, which he cleared and
brought to cultivation, later changing his residence to Van Buren county, in this state, where
he died. He was a man of prominence and influence in local affairs, who served most valiantly
as a soldier in the War of 1812. Leonard Bilby
also cleared a farm in Somerset township, in this
county, dying in 1865 at his homestead, where
his widow is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Mercer
have four children, William Ralph, Freely Glenn,
Ora E. and Eola L., all living at the family home.
In politics Mr. Mercer is a Democrat, devoted
to the welfare of his party, although not himself
desirous of office. He, however, is actively interested in the development and improvement of
the township and gives time and effort freely in
behalf of any good enterprise which tends to its
advancement. He is well esteemed as a progressive and public spirited citizen, a genial and
companionable man, an active force in the general uplifting of the community in which he lives.
John G. Mercer, a brother of Samuel, was born
on the family homestead, where he has lived all
the days of his life, which began on December
20, I854. He, like his brother, was educated in
the public schools, since leaving school he has
been diligently engaged in farming. He owns
one-half of the original homestead farm of his
parents, and his father's two sisters live with him
and look after his household, as he has never
married. He is an excellent farmer, a highly respected citizen, a serviceable man and a civic influence of decided value and usefulness. In fraternal relations he is active in the order of Odd
Fellows and in that of the Patrons of Husbandry,
giving to their welfare an intelligent attention,
helping to make the meetings of both his lodge
and grange interesting and profitable. He is also
a Democrat in politics, giving the nominees and
platforms of his party an earnest and active support, but, like his brother, he is content to leave
to others the responsibilities and the honors of
public office, finding sufficient to occupy his faculties in the duties of his farm, honor enough in the
general esteem in which he is held throughout
the township by all classes of the people.
FRANK L. MASTERS.
One of the leading young Republicans of
Hillsdale county is Frank L. Masters now serving
his third term in office as county clerk. He has
long been an important factor in party management and policy in the county. He was born on
July 27, I862, in Williams county, Ohio, the place
of his mother's nativity, she having been the
first white child born within the limits of that
county. Her maiden name was Susan Perkins,
and his father, Mr. Ezekiel Masters, a native of
Knox county, also in the same state, passed nearly
the whole of his life in Williams county, coming
hither in childhood with his parents. He became a prosperous farmer, rose to consequence
in local politics, represented his county in the
Legislature of I862-3 and I866-7, and filled a
number of local offices, giving his allegiance with
unbroken loyalty to the Republican party. His
father was Robert Masters, a native of Richmond,
Virginia, who came to Ohio among its early
settlers, and after a long life of industry and
usefulness died in Knox county.
Frank L. Masters was the youngest of seven
sons and seven daughters born to his father by
two marriages. His childhood and youth were
passed in his native county, attending school and
working on the farm, until he was fourteen years
old. He then was engaged in a clerical capacity
in stores, first at Pioneer, then at Bryan in his
home county. In I89o he came to Hillsdale county and engaged in merchandising at Waldron,
continuing this business at that place until he was
elected county clerk in I898. He was reelected
in I9oo and in I9o2. He has given universal
satisfaction in the discharge of his official duties
so far during his tenure of this responsible office.
Previous to his election as clerk he filled local or
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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
township offices of importance, being also always
prominent in the management of his party, serving for years as president of the Republican
League and as a member of the county central
committee.
Mr. Masters was married in Williams county,
Ohio, to Miss Viola Barto, a natIe of that county, who died in 1895, leaving two children, Fay L.
and Paul W. The second marriage was consummated at Waldron, Mich., on June 2, I896, with
Miss Lenora C. Gilbert, a native of Michigan.
They have one child, Robert G. Masters. Mr.
Master's fraternal affiliations are with the Masonic order, through lodge, chapter and commandery; the Knights of Pythias, in which he has
filled all the chairs; and the Odd Fellows, in
whose proceedings he also takes a deep and helpful interest. He has proven himself, in every
station and relation in life worthy of the confidence and respect he has always enjoyed, fully
entitled to the place as a leader among his fellows,
which, with becoming modesty, he has held.
HON. LEONARD MILLER.
One of the pioneers, and representative men
of Hillsdale county, Michigan, was the subject of
this brief sketch. Residing on his farm in Fayette
township, he was actively interested for many
years in the live stock industry, as well as in general agricultural pursuits, and was well known
throughout southern Michigan, held in high esteem by all classes of his fellow citizens. He did
much for the growth and development of that
section of the state. He was a native of the
state of New York, born at Romulus, Seneca
county, on March 3, I820, the son of Elisha and
Nancy (Baldwin) Miller, natives of that state.
His father followed the occupation of farming,
and raised a family of three sons. He had the
misfortune to lose both his parents while yet a
young child, and was early thrown upon his own
resources. His early education was received at
the district schools in the vicinity of his boyhood
home, and he had the benefit of a short term at
Ovid Academy, in Seneca county. When he had
attained to the age of nineteen years, he resolved
to seek his fortunes in the new country farther
to the west, and, in 1839, left his native state and
came to Michigan. Here he first located near
Moscow, in Hillsdale county, and secured employment on a farm at the wages of twelve dollars per month. He also was for a short time
engaged in teaching, but, resigning his position,
he purchased a tract of unimproved land in
'Scipio township, which he proceeded to improve
as fast as his circumstances would permit. He
made this his home up to I864, when he removed
his residence to Fayette township, where he became the owner of one of the best farms in that
section of the county, consisting of some 360
acres of land.
While engaged all his life in agricultural pursuits, Mr. Miller had other business interests as
well, and for many years was largely interested in
the buying and selling of live stock. As early as
1848, he purchased a large number of cattle and
drove them from Michigan to New York state,
where he disposed of them at a handsome profit.
The first trip which he made at that time occupied
a period of three months. In 1865, he purchased
the foundry at Jonesville, which he conducted
successfully for eight years, at the same time
carrying on his farming and live stock operations.
In December, 1854, Mr. Miller was married at
North Adams, Hillsdale county, with Miss Abigail Pope, a daughter of William H. and Hannah
(Kendall) Pope, natives of London, England.
The parents of Mrs. Miller left their native land
in I834, and came to the city of New York. After
remaining there a short time, they removed their
residence to North Adams, Michigan, where they
were among the pioneer settlers of that locality.
They continued to reside here up to the time of
their deaths. Five children were born to them,
two sons and three daughters, Mrs. Miller, and
her sister, Mrs. Emma Ostram, being the only
survivors. Mrs. Miller was born November 20,
I834, at Syracuse, New York, and, when an infant, came with her parents to Hillsdale county.
Mr. and Mrs. Miller have had five children,
Clara, now the wife of W. D. Winfield, of Butler
county,.Kansas; Harvey, a resident of Fayette
township, whose wife was formerly Miss Laura
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 297
Allen; Edgar, who married Miss Elizabeth Kesselring, and is now residing in Scipio township;
William, who married Miss May McCullough,
and is living at Winfield, Kansas; Mabel, still at
home with her parents. The family is one of the
most prominent in that section of the county,
their home being noted for the gracious and refined hospitality there dispensed. Mr. Miller occupied many positions of trust and honor in the
gift of his fellow citizens during his long and
active life. In i86o, he served as a member of the
State Legislative Assemnbly, many measures of
legislation beneficial to the people of the state
owing their origin to his industry and zeal in the
public service. For three terms he held the responsible position of supervisor of Scipio township, the duties of which he discharged with
ability and fidelity. He also served as a justice
of the peace, and held other minor offices. His
death occurred on May I8, I903.
FRANK E. MOREY. D. D. S.
F. E. Morey, a son of Mr. and Mrs. A. H.
Morey, was born in Adams, Michigan, on September 30, 1867. He graduated from the Dental
College of the University of Michigan in I889,
and, since that time, he has practiced his profession at Hillsdale.
CHARLES H. MORGAN.
A leading citizen of Hillsdale county, Mich.,
prominent alike in the business, social and public
life of the county, is Charles H. Morgan, of this
biography. He is a native of Hillsdale township,
in the county where he now resides, born on the
place which is still his home on May 31, I845.
His parents were Samuel and Sarah (Roode)
Morgan, natives of the state of New York, who
removed many years ago to the then territory
of Michigan, and were well known pioneers of
Hillsdale county. The father of Mr. Morgan was
born in the city of Albany, New York, on February 15, I814, of parents who were natives of
the state of Massachusetts. In his early life he
was a schoolmate of Samuel J. Tilden. When
but a young man of nineteen years he determined
to build for himself a home in the western wilderness, and, leaving the scenes of his childhood
and early manhood in New York state, he made
his way to the frontier settlements of Michigan,
established himself first in the county of Calhoun.
subsequently removing to Adrian township, in
the county of Lenawee, while still later, he moved
his residence to Hillsdale county, where he continued to maintain his home until his death on
September 13, 1887.
Mr. Morgan. was one of the successful and
prosperous farmers of that section of the state,
being the fourth child of his father's family. He
grew to manhood in this county, where, during
his early childhood, he attended the district
schools of the neighborhood. At the age of fourteen years he attended the village school, four
years later becoming a teacher. Subsequently
he matriculated at Hillsdale College, where he
remained for two terms. At the end of that time
he was compelled by circumstances to leave college, thereafter teaching during the winter seasons, while in summer he followed the vocation of
farming. In this he was occupied tor seven
years. On June I, I871, Mr. Morgan was married in Moscow township, Hillsdale county, to
Miss Celestia J. Nutten, a native of that township, a daughter of Jonathan and Susan (Underwood) Nutten, the former a native of the state
of New York and the latter of Rhode Island.
The father of Mrs. Morgan, who was born on
April 8, 1812, removed to Hillsdale county, Michigan, in 1843, and engaged in agriculture in Moscow township up to the time of his death on
August 31, 1884. He was a man of ability and
accumulated a fine property, which he left as an
inheritance to his children. The mother, who
was a woman of strong character and of deep
piety, passed away in July, I860.
To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were
born five children, Charles L., Sarah L., Samuel
R., Earl S. and Hubert H. The oldest son,
Charles L.,. who married Miss Elizabeth Hodges,
of Hillsdale county, is now residing in Adrian,
Mich. Previous to her marriage, Mrs. Morgan
was a teacher. She received a thorough educa
298
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
tion in the college at Hillsdale, where she pursued a literary course of study, extending over a
period of three years. She is a woman of refinement, as well as of education, and her home
is well known for its culture, and the gracious
hospitality which is there dispensed. Since 1876,
in addition to his farming pursuits, Mr. Morgan
has been engaged in the sale of agricultural implements, and in this he has met with a marked
success. He has also been somewhat extensively
engaged in dairying. He is one of the most
progressive and successful men in his section of
the county. Politically, he is a man of independent thought and action, although he has
usually been identified with the Republican party.
Ever more or less active in public affairs, he has
held the offices of superintendent of schools,
supervisor and clerk of Hillsdale township, and
also that of justice of the peace, a position he
still holds. In every position to which he has
been called by the favor of his fellow citizens,
he has been found faithful to every duty, having
devoted himself to his public functions with a
fidelity that is unusual as well as commendable.
FREDERICK WILLIAM STOCK.
Frederick William Stock, the proprietor of
the Hillsdale City Mills and also of the Litchfield
Mills, has been a resident of Hillsdale since I869,
when he purchased what was then the Cook &
Waldron mills. In the latter part of that vear
he remodeled and rebuilt the mills and supplied
them with the most improved machinery of the
day. He also increased the water power by deepening the millrace from Baw Beese lake. Some
years later, he again improved them by introducing steam power, which he uses in connection
with water, and installing new engines of increased capacity. In 1882 a roller system was introduced and this raised the capacity of the mills
to 400 barrels a day. Two years later he erected
an elevator, 40x50 feet in dimensions, with
a capacity of 50,000 bushels, the mills and elevator proper occupying an- area of eighty-five feet
square, being four stories high. He has since
added many improvements, both in method and
equipment, so as to bring his plant and its facilities strictly down to date in every respect, and
these have increased the capacity to 1,200 barrels.
One of these later improvements was the installation of an electric lighting plant, which was first
used to furnish light for the mills and his residence; this being found so successful and satisfactory that he took a contract to provide electric
lighting for the city, and, to accomplish this object, he put in a plant costing $23,000, which he
afterwards sold to the city at a loss to himself.
In connection with his mills and milling business he also operates a cooper shop, in which he
manufactures all the barrels necessary for his
trade, employing thirty men in the industry and,
oftentimes, a third as many more. In I894 the
cooper shop was destroyed by fire, but was at once
rebuilt on an enlarged scale and with improved
appliances. Finding the demand for his output
far beyond his ability in production, Mr. Stock
in I880 built his Litchfield mills, and, in connection with them also, he conducts a cooper
shop. These he has completely fitted up with the
latest models of machinery, raising their capacity
to 250 barrels. These enormous enterprises afford a ready market for the local production of
grain and are actual benefactions to the communities in which they operate. Their output is
shipped to all parts of the Eastern and Southern
states, to many European ports and to the islands
between the two continents, the insular and
foreign trade being supplied from a branch office
at Norfolk, Virginia, which is in charge of Mr.
Stock's son, Alexander, who resides there.
Mr. Stock has amply demonstrated his ability
to conduct large enterprises and to make them
pay. He is a gentleman of wide experience, fine
executive capacity, having business qualifications
of a high order. In his make-up he combines, in
a most serviceable way, the persistency and
dogged determination of his German ancestry
with the energy, alertness, enterprise and resourcefulness of the American mind. He is a
native of the great German empire, born in a
Rhine province of Prussia on September 1, I825.
the very same province in which his parents,
John W. and Mary Catherine (Dorp) Stock,
<fli'~Pi
I:
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
299
were also born and, after long lives of usefulness, were buried, and where also the forefathers
of the family had lived during time out of mind.
The father was a farmer who was also engaged in the grain and flour trade. Six sons were
born in the family and no daughters, all of the
boys remaining in their native land but Frederick. There he was reared and educated, and,
ill I855, at the age of twenty, after serving one
year in the Prussian army, he came to the
United States. His first location was at Cincinnati, where he began his life in the New World.
by clerking in a flour store at twelve dollars a
month. In 1858 he rented a mill at Leesville,
Crawford county, Ohio, which he conducted until the autumn of the year when he removed to
Iowa and there he passed the winter. In the
spring he went to milling at liffin, continuing
to be thus employed until I86o, when he went to
McGregor and engaged in the same business.
At the end of a year the mill he was operating
exploded, and as a result the fireman was killed
and several other men were injured.
The next few years Mr. Stock passed at Delphos and Defiance, Ohio, and at Peru, Indiana.
From the latter place, Mr. Stock removed to
Rochester, and there remained five years. From
thence he came to Michigan and this state has
since been his home and the seat of his extensive
commercial and industrial pperations.
In 1858 Mr. F. W. Stock married with Miss
Minnie Augusta Charlotte Seidel, a native of
Pommern province in Prussia. Of their eight
children, four are living and one died in infancy;
August was killed by an accident in the mill in
1883; Alfred F. and Josephine died of consumption in 1884; Adolphus has charge of his father's
business at Hillsdale and Litchfield; Frederick
W. is at Lewiston, Maine, in charge of a branch
office; Alexander is at Norfolk, Virginia, in
charge of another branch office; Louisa A. is married to Chauncey F. Cook, of Hillsdale. Mr.
Stock is a man of great public spirit, always interested in whatever may improve or benefit
Hillsdale and the county. All of his grain is
bought in the state and his money is here kept
in circulation. He is an uncompromising Repub
lican in politics, but, with the exception of serving one term as alderman soon after his arrival
in the city, he has never accepted office of any
kind. He enjoys universal esteem and confidence.
ST. ANTHONY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.
St. Anthony's Catholic church of Hillsdale
was established, first as a mission in 1856, and,
during the half' century of its existence, it has
had a life of interest, and of continual, although
somewhat irregular, progress. Within that period
seven priests have blessed it with their ministrations, while its congregation has grown from a
feeble, and numerically small, beginning, to a
membership of eighty families, possessing one
of the finest church edifices and homes to be seen
in this part of the country. Its founder and first
pastor was Rev. J. Kindekans, of Adrian. He
established it as a mission, with a few families in
its membership, remaining in charge of its infant interests until 1858, when Rev. Charles Rykaert took charge of it and purchased a church
that had been built by the Presbyterian Society,
and placed the bantling in a home of its own. He
also had charge of the Coldwater mission and
remained in active control of both until I87I. He
was a native of Belgium, reared and educated in
his native land. After leaving Hillsdale he went
to Mt. Clemens and there he died in I890.
He was succeeded by Rev. W. St. Driessen,
who remained in charge until I873. He was born,
educated and prepared for the priesthood in Germany. Following him came Patrick Duhig, a
native of Ireland, who remained until 1878. He
died at Chelsea, in this state. The next ministrant in the sacred office for this church was Rev.
P. J. Slane, also a native of Ireland, educated in
Europe. Under his careful management and vigorous business capacity the present church edifice
was erected and the home was built, both being
completed in 1883. His pastorate lasted until
1896, and from here he went to Owosso, this state,
where he now resides. His successor was Rev.
D. J. McLaughlin, a native of the state, born at
Wyandotte. In June, I899, the present accomplished and popular pastor took charge of the
300
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
church and its interests, and under his management it has made steady and substantial progress,
becoming more and more firmly established in the
affection of its people and in the confidence and
high esteem of the community in general.
Rev. James Cahalan is a native of Ionia county, Michigan, born in I870, the son of John and
Mary (Needham) Cahalan, who were Irish by
birth and emigrated from Ireland to the United
States about I856 and came to Michigan in I860.
They settled in Ionia county and were prosperously engaged in farming when the father died in
May, 1895, leaving a widow who still lives there.
Their son, James, received his preliminary educational training in the district and parochial
schools of his native county, and, in 1885, at the
age of fifteen years, he entered the St. Francis
Seminary at Milwaukee where he remained a
year, after that passing seven years at Assumption
College at Ontario, Canada, then completed his
preparation for his sacred office at St. Mary's
Seminary, Baltimore, in I893. His first pastoral
work was at Trenton, Wayne county, in this state,
where he remained until he was assigned to Hillsdale in June, I899. The Hillsdale church is now
prosperous and healthy in condition, having a
membership of eighty families, and it is pervaded
by a spirit of lofty devotion to the cause it represents and to its own particular mission among
this people. The pastor is literally such, for he
carefully leads his flock and cares well for their
spiritual wants. By his broad and liberal spirit
he has won the friendship of all classes outside
his church as well as within its own membership.
DR. GEORGE W. MOSHER.
A pioneer of 1869 in this county, for more
than thirty years the capable, genial and popular
proprietor of one of its leading hotels, Dr.
George W. Mosher, now of Hillsdale, has been a
potential force in the progress and development
of the -county, and has lived a life of great usefulness to its people. He was born in Dutchess
county, New York, on September 30, 1823, being
a son of Stephen and Phoebe (Gifford) Mosher,
natives of Massachusetts, of pure English an
cestry. Soon after their marriage, his parents
settled near the place of their nativity, from
whence they removed a few years later to Dutchess county, New York, thence in a short time
to Tioga county. They remained there but a few
years, then took up their residence in Cayuga
county, where their son, George, grew to manhood and received the greater part of his
scholastic training. After completing his education in the public schools and at Moravia
Academy he engaged for a number of years in
teaching school.
In 1848 he began the study of medicine in the
office of Dr. Cyrus Powers, of Moravia, N. Y., remaining with him under his instruction three
years, finishing his professional and technical
education at the medical department of the University of New York, being graduated from that
institution in due time, to. enter upon the practice
of his profession in Pennsylvania. Here in a
short time, he secured a large and lucrative
patronage, to which he gave assiduous attention
for twenty years. He then came to southern
Michigan, arriving in Hillsdale county in I869,
taking up his residence for a year in Litchfield
township. From there he removed to Jonesville
and engaged in the hotel business, there conducting a public house for two years. He then
removed to Allegan, and conducted the Chaffee
House for a year. Next he purchased what he
rebaptized the Mosher House in Hillsdale, and,
in that commodious and well-appointed hostelry,
he ministered to the wants of the traveling public
until 1902, when advancing age induced him to
retire from active business, since which time he
has been living a life of pleasant leisure.
Doctor Mosher has ably demonstrated that he
possesses excellent business capacity, together
with an extensive and accurate knowledge of human nature, qualifications which gave him unusual fitness for the business of keeping a hotel,
and, in this business, he was eminently successful ard highly esteemed, making his house one
of the most appreciated of its kind in this portion
of the state, becoming one of the most widely
known and popular bonifaces and hosts ever located in this county. From his early residence
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
301
here he was always actively interested in the
welfare of the community, ever ready to aid in the
promotion of every enterprise for its benefit.
While living at Jonesville he served with credit
as president of the village, and there left a good
record of fidelity and ability.
Since 1852, for more than half-a-century, he
has been connected with the Masonic order in
lodge, chapter and commandery, being three
times the eminent commander of the body of
Knights Templar to which he belonged. He was
also, at one time an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He married,
on January 25, I855, at Millgrove, New York,
Mrs. C. T. (Rea) Wright, who was born in that
town, the daughter of Walter and Mary Rea, the
former a native of Scotland and the latter of New
York. They had one child, a daughter, who is
deceased. Mrs. Mosher had one daughter also by
her first marriage, who is now Mrs. G. W. Kelley,
of Hillsdale. At the venerable age of eighty
years, after a life of usefulness and industry,
with a long record of good deeds in every public
and private capacity to his credit and with feelings of benevolence toward all mankind, Doctor
Mosher is well worthy of the general and cordial
regard in which he is held by the people of this
county, and he has earned by the faithful performance of every duty the peaceful rest which
he now enjoys.
JOSEPH B. PATTERSON.
Joseph B. Patterson was for years a highly
esteemed farmer of Pittsford township, deeply
interested in all that aids in improving the
methods and conditions of the branch of industrial effort to which his energies were devoted.
He was born near Bedford, in Cuyahoga county,
Ohio, on February 2, 1833, a son of James and
Susan (Sheets) Patterson, natives of New Jersey.
The father moved from his native state to Ohio,
when he was a child, with his parents, who died
soon after, and he was bound' out to a farmer of
the neighborhood, where he grew to manhood,
without the advantages of education. He served
his time, married and engaged in farming, re
maining there until 1853, when he came to Michigan and settled on I60 acres of land, which he
purchased in Pittsford township in this county.
The land was partially improved, he worked it
skillfully and extended its improvement, greatly
increasing its fertility, attractiveness and value.
Both he and his wife died on this estate. She
was a devout member of the Baptist church and
both were generally respected throughout the
country-side where their home was located. Five
of their nine children are living.
Their son, Joseph B. Patterson, reached years
of maturity, received a common-school education in Ohio, and began farming there upon
leaving school, continuing his enterprise in that
state until 1856, when he came to Hillsdale county, where he has since resided. Here he also engaged in farming and carried on this industry
successfully until August 15, 1862, when he enlisted in the Union army in Co. I, First Michigan
Light Artillery, in which he served until the
close of the Civil War. He was for a time in
the Army of the Potomac and took part in some
of the most noted battles fought during the war.
He was at Gettysburg, the siege of Atlanta, Buzzards' Roost and many other sanguinary points
of contact with the enemy in the great contest.
When he was mustered out of the service at
Detroit in I865, he returned to his Hillsdale
county home and resumed his farming operations. By his industry and thrift he made his
work profitable, by his skill and good judgment
he raised his farm in value and so improved it in
appearance that it became one of the most desirable in his part of the county. He recently sold
it and removed to the village of Pittsford, where
he is living comfortably in retirement from
arduous labors.
Mr. Patterson was married in Ohio, on February 22, 1853, to Miss Melvina Haynes, who
died three years later, leaving a daughter, Nettie,
the wife of James Freeman, of Cleveland, Ohio.
On May 30, I859, his second marriage occurred,
being then united, in this county, with Miss
Sophronia Cunningham, a sister of Parmenus
Cunningham, a sketch of whom will be found on
another page of this volume. They had four
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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
children, Ida, wife of Bert Tripp, of New York
state; Anna, wife of Lawrence Salisbury of
Gratiot county, Michigan; Lois, wife of Herbert
Joughen, of Gaylord, Otsego county, this state;
Jay, who died at the age of six years in May,
1882. Mrs. Patterson died on April 26, 1889.
The third marriage of Mr. Patterson was with
Miss Addie Taylor, a native of Adrian, Lenawee
county, Michigan, a daughter of J. F. and Barbara (Bump) Taylor, the former being a native
of Pennsylvania and the latter, of New York.
They were pioneers of Hillsdale county, both being now deceased.
In political allegiance Mr. Patterson is an
ardent Republican, always found in the ranks of
the workers for the principles and candidates of
his party. He has served the township as highway commissioner, and, for nineteen years, he
was one of the board of directors of the county
agricultural society. He belongs to the order of
Patrons of Husbandry, holding an active and
valued membership in the grange at Pittsford.
By all classes of persons in the township, and
throughout the county where he is known, he is
highly respected as a leading and representative
man, an excellent farmer, a straightforward, upright, public spirited and progressive citizen.
JESSE D. PAYNE.
Jesse D. Payne, one of the first settlers in
Somerset township, Hillsdale county, Michigan,
was born on September 26, I811, in Ontario
county, New York, where his parents, John and
Phoebe (Lane) Payne, settled about the year
I8oo. They were natives of New Jersey and remained in their New York home, which was then
on the frontier, in a region but little advanced
in development and cultivation, until 1836, when
they removed to this state and located on section
No. 30, of what is now Somerset township. They
put up a log house I6xI8 feet in dimensions, began at once to clear their land and make it into
a comfortable home, bravely daring the dangers
of their situation in a wild country still inhabited
by Indians and the habitat of wild beasts, patiently
enduring its incident privations and arduous la
bors. Into the cultivation and improvement of this
land they put the energies of the few years of life
left to them, the father dying here in I84I and the
mother in 1873. Their son, Jesse, was a man of
twenty-five years, and but recently married, when
he accompanied them to their new home, seeing
at that time almost the very beginning of civilization and of the white man's dominion over this
section. The wagon owned and used by his parents was the first wagon brought into the township, and many of their belongings were the first
of the kind ever seen here.
Reared on the farm in New York and educated at the district schools in its vicinity, after leaving school Mr. Payne was engaged for a number of years in boating on the Erie canal, then
one of the new and mighty highways of commerce from the Atlantic seaboard to the West.
On his arrival in Michigan he also took up a tract
of wild land, which, in a greatly changed condition, is a portion of the farm on which his widow
and son are now living. He added to his original
tract by subsequent purchases until he owned 240
acres, all of which he cleared but eighty acres,
on which he built a comfortable residence, good
barns and other necessary outbuildings, as prosperity followed his labors and provided the
means. Before leaving his native county, he was
married, in 1836, to Miss Rebecca A. Palmer, a
native of that county, like himself, and a daughter
of John B. and Margaret (Wallas) Palmer, the
former a native of Ohio and the latter of Washington, D. C. His wife and his mother were
among the first white women who ever lived in
Hillsdale county, and their longing for companionship of their own sex, and their need of such
help as only women can give in times of trouble,
can now be imagined but faintly, and it cannot
be described in words.
Mr. and Mrs. Payne became the parents of
eight children, six of whom are now living and
all are well established in life. They are: William W., professor of astronomy at Northfield
(Minn.) College; John A., a prosperous business
man of Kalamazoo; Zachariah B., extensively engaged in the stock industry at Colorado, Texas;
James F., one of the leading farmers of Lenawee
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 303
county; Phoebe E., wife of R. C. Ostrom, of
Branch county, Mich.; Henry L., who is still
living with his mother on the family homestead.
Mr. Payne was a Republican in politics, but not
an active partisan and never desired public office.
He did, however, serve the township as its treasurer and highway commissioner and in other local
positions. His life came to its end on December
12, I872, and his name is now enshrined in the
cordial regard of the whole community. His
widow is eighty-seven years of age and the evening of her life is made pleasant by the loving attention of hosts of friends who have witnessed
and experienced her usefulness and love.
WILLIAM O'MEARA.
William O'Meara, alderman from the first
ward of Hillsdale, is a well-known and highly
respected business man, who has passed almost
the whole of his life among the people of the
city, and has demonstrated in every walk of life
ris right to the exalted place he holds in the good
will and cordial regard of the community. He
was born on April 8, I860, in Wayne county,
New York, his parents being Daniel and Ellen
(Powers) O'Meara, who had emigrated to the
United States from their native Ireland in early
life. They came to Hillsdale to reside when
their son, William, was but four years old and
have continued to make that city their home.
They are both devout members of the Catholic
church, giving their faith full proof in their good
works, having assisted in building the church
edifice in which they now worship, also being
prominent in working out its progress and development in official station and as faithful members of its congregation. Their family consists
of three sons and one daughter. The second son,
Matthew, is associated with his brother William
in the firm of O'Meara Bros., painters and paperhangers, and the third son, John O'Meara, is living at the parental home. The daughter Mary
is the wife of J. A. Patton, of Hillsdale.
William O'Meara grew to manhood in Hillsdale and received his education in the schools of
the city. After leaving school he learned the
trade of painting and paperhanging, and, after
completing his apprenticeship, he conducted a
general painting and paperhanging business. In
I889 he opened a retail store, having a complete
stock of wall-paper, paints, etc., took his brother
Matthew in as a partner, and they have been
since then carrying on a very flourishing business,
meeting, in a satisfactory manner, the wishes of a
large and continually expanding body of patrons.
In addition to this enterprise, Mr. O'Meara gives
attention to others in which the welfare of the
community is involved. He is a stockholder in
the shoe factory and connected with other beneficial mercantile undertakings. Some years ago
he served a term as an alderman; from the first
ward of the city and performed his duties with
such satisfaction to the people of his ward that he
was again chosen in I9OI to! represent them, although not seeking or desiring the office. He is
also a member of the city school board, and gives
to the affairs of that body a close and conscientious attention and the full benefit of his
public spirit, intelligence and breadth of view.
At Coldwater, in I886, he was united in marriage with Miss Ella Fitzpatrick, a native of this
state, like himself of Irish ancestry. They have
two children, William F. and John H. O'Meara.
In politics Mr. O'Meara is an active and loyal
Democrat, zealous in the service of his party,
and wise in directing its activities. In fraternal
relations he is a Knight of the Maccabees, holding membership in the Hillsdale tent.
HON. LEMUEL S. RANNEY.
Prosperous in business, active and influential
in politics, prominent and well esteemed in official life, warmly welcomed in social circles, Lemuel S. Ranney is one of the best known and most
representative citizens of Hillsdale county. He
is a native of Ashfield, Franklin county, Mass.,
born on January 17, 1831, the son of George and
Asah (Sears) Ranney, also natives of Massachusetts. The father, a farmer in his native state,
moved to Michigan in 1836. Here he followed
lumbering on Grand River, but, after a short residence in this state, returned to the East, locating
304
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
a4 Phelps, N. Y., where he died in 1842. The
next year the mother came back with her younger
children to this county and settled in Allen township, where she purchased I60 acres of land and
where she died in I869. The family consisted
of eight sons and one daughter, of whom only
the daughter and two sons are now living. The
paternal grandfather was George Ranney, a native of Chatham, Conn., and a West India trader.
He was a soldier in the Revolution, having a
brother who served also in that service. After
that war he settled in Massachusetts and passed
the remainder of his life in farming. He was
born in 1746.
Lemuel S. Ranney p1assed the first five years
of his life in his native state, the rest of his childhood and youth at his father's home in Michigan.
He was educated in the public schools, and, when
he reached a suitable age, he was apprenticed to
a shoemaker. In I850 he moved to Illinois and
afterward to Madison, Wis., working at his trade
in each place. In 1852 he went overland by way
of the Platte River, South Pass and Salt Lake to
California, making the trip with teams and occupying five months in the journey. He remained
in California three years, mining with success, returned to Hillsdale county in I855, from whence
in 1859 he made another trip overland to California, driving one team from Hillsdale to Sacramento, where he remained until spring and then
went to Virginia City, Nev. In I86I he made a
trip through Oregon and Idaho, then through
Washington to Walla Walla, from there returning to Nevada, where he remained until I866. In
that year he once more returned to Michigan,
making the trip by water, and here he has since
lived. He has been engaged from time to time
in farming, has been active in politics and occupied with official duties in various ways. He was
supervisor of Hillsdale township for six years,
alderman for two years and city supervisor for
the first and second wards for four years.
In 1875 Mr. Ranney was chosen to represent
the county in the lower house of the Legislature, and, in I895, he was elected county superintendent of the poor. In 1882 he married Miss
Margaret Gilmore, a native of Michigan, and
they have one child, S. Owen Ranney, now attending school. Having come to the county nearly seventy years ago Mr. Ranney takes high rank
among the oldtimers. He has been much interested in preserving the record of their achievements,
being for years the secretary of the Pioneers' Society and active in gathering and recording those
interesting events and incidents connected with
the early history of the county which were fast
fading from memory. He has been a lifelong
Republican, always zealous and helpful in the
service of the party, holding membership on its
county central committee for many years, working assiduously for its success in every campaign.
He is an active and a working Mason in lodge,
chapter and commandery, and has filled the highest offices in these organizations.
RUSSELL S. PETERSON.
Conducting a prosperous farming industry on
the paternal homestead, where he first saw the
light of this world, and where the whole of his
life so far has been passed, Russell S. Peterson is
a representative citizen of Hillsdale county, a
good "type of the wise, who soar but never roam,
true to the kindred points of heaven and home."
He was born on the farm he now occupies in
Hillsdale township on July 3, I855, his parents,
Lafayette and Elizabeth (Granger) Peterson, being natives of New York state. The father came
to Michigan with his parents when he was but
ten years old, his wife's people coming some time
later. The Petersons arrived in I836 and Russell's grandparents settled with their young family on a farm five miles west of Hillsdale, where
they kept a tavern and gradually cleared their
land and brought it under cultivation. In this
work their son, Lafayette, assisted in the intervals
between his short and irregular terms of school.
When Lafayette Peterson was old enough to
take charge of a farm, he bought the one on which
he has ever since lived, where he now makes his
home with his son. He made the purchase in
1848, and, at that time, the land was an unbroken
expanse of dense woods, not having an acre fit for
immediate cultivation. By close attention, dili
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
305.
gent labor and determined perseverance he made
it in course of time a model farm, one of the
choice estates of the township. His wife died on
February 24, I883, leaving their only child, Russell S. Peterson, the immediate subject of this
sketch. He, like his father, was reared and educated in this county, and at an early age began
to work on the farm. He was of material assistance in clearing and improving the place. It now
represents almost the whole labor of his life and
is very creditable to the outlay.
In I879 Mr. Peterson was married to Miss.
Emma King, a native of Niagara county, New
York, and a daughter of John F. King, whose
sketch appears on another page of this volume.
They have one child, their daughter, Hattie K.
Peterson. In political faith Mr. Peterson is a
loyal Republican, but he has never been an active party worker, having no desire for official
station of any kind. He is content to carry his
unostentatious and serviceable activity forward
in behalf of every good enterprise for the advantage of the community and the county, also to
push his own business to its best and highest development, leaving affairs of state and all political
contentions to those others, who have a taste for
such engagements, but, so far as the requirements
of the duties of good citizenship are involved, he
tries to fully perform them with fidelity and conscientiousness.
ALONZO P. RAWSON.
Born and reared in Michigan, passing all of
his mature years among its people, Alonzo P.
Rawson, of Adams township, this county, has
been closely identified with the history of southern Michigan through its most eventful period
of existence and he has contributed essentially
and largely to the growth and development of the
section. He first saw the light of this world in
Lenawee county, on May 4, I848, his parents being Henry H. and Mary J. (Cornelius) Rawson,
natives of Dutchess county, New York, where the
father was engaged in farming until I840, when
he came to Michigan, to settle on a partially
cleared farm of eighty acres, which he purchased
in Lenawee county, on which he resided until his
death in August, I895. His widow died on this
farm near the last of December, I902. The father
was a Republncan in politics, a man of force and
influence in his county, and, during the Civil War,
he filled the important position of deputy revenue
collector. He was also town clerk for many years
and supervisor for a definite length of time. The
grandfather, Theodore Rawson, was also a native
of Dutchess county, New York, also an emigrant
of the early days to Michigan, here settling in
Lenawee county, where he passed the rest of his
life engaged in gardening and small farming.
Alonzo F. Rawson was one of the seven children, all sons, in his father's family, four of whom
are now living, three residents of Hillsdale county. fHe received his education in the schools of
Lenawee county, where he was reared on his father's farm, and, when he reached the age of
twenty-two, he came to Hillsdale county and
purchased sixty acres of land, the nucleus of the
farm of eighty acres on which he now lives. His
business through life has been farming, to this he
has given his best energies, his closest and most
careful attention. He was married, in I869, with
Miss Harriet Tuttle, a native of Adams township,
where the marriage occurred, a daughter of John
and Margaret (Alsbrough) Tuttle, early settlers
in Adams township. Mr. and Mrs. Rawson have
had two children, only one of whom is living,
their daughter, Alice A. Rawson, who is residing
at the parental home. Mr. Rawson has been a
Republican in politics during all of his mature
life, and has twice served as township treasurer.
He is a member of the Free Baptist church, being
also highly respected and well esteemed throughout the township and wherever he is known.
CLAYTON A. POWELL.
When he had been a member of the bar of this
state but little over a year, Clayton A. Powell, of
Hillsdale, had, even as a young man, so impressed
the people of his county with his legal ability and
his force of character, that he was, in I902, elected
prosecuting attorney of the county, and, by his
course in the office since his election, he has fully
306
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
justified the confidence and public esteem which
selected him for the position. He was born in
Jackson county, this state, on March I, 1875, theson of Thomas and Louisa (Strait) Powell, natives of New York state, where the father was a
prosperous and enterprising farmer. The family
came to Michigan and lived in Jackson county
until 1879, when they removed to Hillsdale county
and located in Jefferson township, where they still
reside. Their son, Clayton, and a daughter comprise the family.
Mr. Powell grew to manhood in Jefferson
township, of this county, and was educated at the
schools of Pittsford and at the high school and
college at Hillsdale. After leaving college-he
was a popular teacher for four years, beginning
his pedagogical labors when he was but seventeen. In 1897 he began the study of law in the
office of Henry B. Graves, Esq., of Detroit, and
at the same time attended the Detroit Law College, from which he was graduated in I9oo. He
then took a trip of several woekls through the
West, on his return from this settling at Hillsdale, where he began the practice of his profession in June, I90o. In September, I902, he was
nominated by his, the Republican party, as its
candidate for the office of prosecuting attorney,
being elected by a handsome majority. Since
then he has been engaged in the active discharge
of his official duties, performing them with credit
to himself and with benefit and satisfaction to the
people of the county. He prepares his cases with
care and exhaustive study, presents them with
skill and good judgment and supports them with
learning, eloquence and force. And, while he is
earnest from conviction and a high sense of duty,
he never violates the utmost requirement of professional propriety.
Mr. Powell was married on November 20,
I90I, with Miss Mattie A. Calder, of Detroit, a
daughter of Rev. J. G. Calder, a prominent Baptist clergyman of that city. He is a member of
the Masonic fraternity,, the order of Odd Fellows and the Foresters. Having already firmly
established himself well up in the ranks of his
profession, in his practice displaying a high order
of ability and skill, being also well esteemed in
business and valued in social circles, with his
vigor of body and mind and his worthy and commendable ambition, he would seem to have a
bright and very promising future before him.
HARVEY RANSOM.
This highly esteemed pioneer of Hillsdale
county, the builder of a large part of the town
of Jonesville, was a native of Cortland county,
New York, his parents being Hubbell and Charlotte (Grover) Ransom, the father born and
reared at Grand Isle and the mother in Massachusetts. His father secured a common-school education in his native county and there learned his
trade as a carpenter. Soon after completing his
apprenticeship, he removed to Cortland county,
and, in that region of the great Empire state, then
new and slightly developed, he rose to prominence
as a contractor and builder, remaining successfully employed until I837, when he followed the
march of empire westward and came to Michigan.
He located at Jonesville, in this county, then
scarcely more than a new-born bantling, where
he found his mechanical services in great demand,.
for there was a steady tide of emigration in this
direction, and the need of houses was continual
and pressing. He erected for himself the first
framed dwelling built in the village and was soon
engaged in building similar ones for others. As
there was constant and remunerative work for
him at his trade he sought no other occupation,.
but was employed at this until his death on August 27, 1862. He was an active and devoted
member of the Masonic fraternity, a charter
member of Lafayette Lodge, No. I6, at Jonesville and its first treasurer. His wife passed
away in I844, and he never remarried. Of their
eleven children, their son, Harvey, was the third
in the order of birth, being born on July 7, I814.
Harvey Ransom was reared and educated in
his native county and there learned his trade as a.
carpenter under his father. He accompanied his.
parents to this state in 1837 and was here associated with his father for many years in contracting and building, they putting up many of the
best and most imposing structures erected for
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
307
residences and business purposes now standing in
the town. He was married in New York state,
on November 28, 1838, to Miss Lydia B. Goss,
a native of Brattleboro, Vt. They had two children, William M., now a respected resident of
Jonesville, and Angelia H., who died on October 3, I894. Mr. Ransom died on December 23,
I883, and his widow followed him to the spirit
world on January 9, I889. In political faith he
was a Whig until the death of that party, then
became an ardent Republican, remaining one to
the end of his life. He took an active part in public local affairs, and for twenty-four years was
under sheriff and constable in his township. He
served as a carpenter and as a general mechanic
for several months in the Civil War, being discharged on account of sickness while his command was at Ringgold, Ga. In fraternal relations
he was an Odd Fellow and a Freemason, belonging in the latter to lodge, chapter and council.
His religious affiliation was with the Protestant
Episcopal church.
WILLIAM M. RANSOM, the only surviving son
of Harvey Ransom, is a native of Jonesville,
where he was born on October I6, 1842. He received his education in the public schools of the
town, and was for a period of twenty-one years
here connected with the drygoods trade, serving
for twelve and one-half years of the time as a
clerk in the employ of Van Ness & Turner, and
for the rest of the time, until 1882, being the
head of a mercantile establishment of his own.
In the year last named he gave up merchandising
and turned his attention to the insurance business, in which he has since been pleasantly engaged. The first two years of his connection
with this line of activity were passed in Kansas
City, Mo., and since then he has carried it on
with increasing patronage and energy in his native county, doing a general insurance business,
dealing also in real estate and kindred lines of
commercial enterprise. He is a Republican in
politics, and for sixteen years he has served and
is now still serving his people faithfully as a justice of the peace, being four times reelected to
succeed himself in terms of four years each. He
has served at various times for several years each,
20
as township treasurer, township clerk, and also
as city clerk. On September 2I, I865, he married
with Miss Caroline Turner, of Logansport, Ind.
They had three children, two of whom are living,
their daughters, Nina L. and Angie T. May B.
died suddenly on August Io, I888, at the age of
twenty years. Mrs. Ransom died on November
10, 1879, and Mr. Ransom was married a second
time, on May 14, I884, when Miss Josephine A.
Ackerly, a New Yorker by nativity, became the
bride. He is a zealous and enthusiastic Freemason, belonging to the blue lodge, the royal
arch chapter, of which he is a past high priest
and now the very capable and popular secretary,
and to the council of royal and select masters.
CHARLES H. ROY.
Descended from a long line of thrifty farmers, Charles H. Roy, the present capable and popular register of deeds of Hillsdale county, followed the family vocation for some years after
leaving school, and was, while doing so, as good
a representative of the farming element in the
community as he is now of the public officials,
who grace and render efficient service to the
county. His life began on February 17, I849, in
Bradford county, Pa., whither his parents, John
A. and Hannah (Jones) Roy, moved from their
native state, New York. They lived on a farm
in the Keystone state, there flourished until death,
and both are buried there. Mr. Roy's grandfather, Alexander Roy, a native of Orange county,
-N. Y., also moved to Pennsylvania and died in
Bradford county, after a long life of usefulness
as a prosperous farmer.
Charles H. Roy was the first born of five children, the only one living in Michigan. In the
public schools of his native state and New York
he received his preliminary education, and finished his course at a private school in Elmira.
In I868 he came to Hillsdale, Mich., and took a
course of 'instruction at the Hillsdale Business
College, at its conclusion returning to New York,
where he remained until I880. He then returned to Michigan, and, locating at Jackson, was,
a traveling salesman of agricultural implements
308
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
for four years. In 1884 he settled on a farm he
purchased in Moscow township, personally conducting its operations until he was elected register of deeds for the county in I9oo. He at once
took up his residence at Hillsdale to attend to the
discharge of his official duties, but he did not
dispose of his farm, which is a fine property,
highly cultivated and well-improved.
In politics Mr. Roy has been a lifelong Republican, laboring assiduously in all of its campaigns
for the success of his party. For years he has
served as chairman of its township committee and
as a member of the county central committee, and,
in both positions, he has been highly appreciated
as a wise counsellor and a stimulating force. In
1874 he was married to Miss Libby J. McGowan,
a native of this state. They have three children,
Nellie L., Edna L. and Emma A. Mr. Roy is a
member of the Masonic order, belonging to Hillsdale Lodge, No. 176, at Hillsdale. He is active
and zealous in behalf of the welfare of his lodge
and takes interest in the proceedings of the craft
in general. In the performance'of the important
duties of his office, as well as in the social amenities which pertain to it, he is winning favorable
comments on every side, being careful, skillful
and conscientious, serving all those who have occasion to seek his official services with promptness, grace and courtesy.
WILLIAM M. RUTAN.
The history of the proud old commonwealth
of Maryland is glorious in peace and war. Her
soldiers in the Revolution met the scarlet uniforms and glittering steel of Great Britain on
every field from Bunker Hill to Yorktown and
never disgraced her name. In the subsequent
struggle with the mother country, in which American freedom and independence were established
on the sea as by the Revolution it was on the land,
her people bore an honorable part, and their metropolis was the only Atlantic seaport of consequence not captured by the enemy. In the short,
but sharp and decisive, conflict with Mexico, she
gave a long list of heroes to the cause of our common country, some of whom, like Watson and
Ringgold, sealed their devotion with their lives.
In our great Civil War her valor and her treasure were under tribute to both sides, both being
freely poured out for the cause to which they
were dedicated. In civil affairs she has been no
less progressive and conspicuous in behalf of every element of national greatness and strength.
It was on her soil that the banner of religious liberty was first unfurled and her firm and far-sighted policy firmly secured for the country the
great northwestern territory of which Michigan
was a part. And, when the hour was ripe, many
of her people came hither to help occupy, fructify
and civilize the vast domain and there establish in
it the mighty states that have since done so much
for the elevation and comfort of mankind.
Among the natives of Maryland who have
found a home in this state and aided in developing
its resources and expanding its greatness, William
M. Rutan, now of Somerset Center, and his parents are entitled to a high regard. Mr. Rutan
was born in Allegany county of that state on January 30, I846, the son of Stephen and Rebecca
(Welch) Rutan, also native there. The father, a
farmer, moved from his native state to Pennsylvania, and later from there to Ohio, where the
family lived until I855, when they came to Michigan. Their first year in this state was passed at
Hudson in Lenawee county.. They then moved
to Hillsdale, then to Wheatland township, locating finally in Somerset township, where they entered government land and went to farming.
Prospered in their venture, they were rapidly subduing the wilderness when intruded the Civil
War. In 1863 both the father and his son, William, enlisted in Co. K, Twenty-seventh Michigan
Infantry, their regiment being in the Ninth Army
Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Mr. Rutan's
father and his brother, John, died from sickness.
He took gallant part in the battle of the Wilderness, the Seven Days fight before Richmond, at
Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, where he was
wounded, the North Anna River, the two days'
fight in front of Petersburg and many smaller engagements. After the close of the war he participated in the Grand Review in Washington, and
was soon after discharged at Detroit.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
309
He then returned to his Hillsdale county home
and resumed the farming operations which he
has successfully conducted since, except during
one year which he spent in California. He has
200 acres of excellent land improved with good
buildings, equipped with the necessary appliances
of the most approved pattern. His farming is
conducted on a large scale in the most progressive manner, and it has secured for him a high
standing as a man of enterprise and intelligence.
In I874 Mr. Rutan married in this county with
Miss Clarinda Taylor, a daughter of Philetus and
Caroline (Dibble) Taylor, very early settlers in
the county, and they have been blessed with eight
children: Orpha married with Orim Parish;
Avilla, now Mrs. George Boker; Arlie, wife of
Jay Pullen; Ina, Archie, Rantie, Zella, Donald,
all living, most of them still brightening the
home household with their presence. Mr. Rutan's
mother died in Hillsdale county in 1894, aged seventy-four years. In politics he is a Republican,
but he is content with the post of useful private
citizenship, in which he is well esteemed, here
finding abundant opportunity for the exercise of
the breadth of view and public spirit for which
he is well and widely known.
ZACHARIAS SCHAAD.
Every clime and language of the civilized
world has contributed brain and brawn to the
development of the United States; this universality of function and power it is that gives our
citizenship such commanding supremacy in the
battle of life over every difficulty, enabling it to
meet all the requirements in any condition that
confronts it. From the land of William Tell and
Arnold Winkelried, from free and progressive
Switzerland, came Zacharias Schaad, now of
North Adams, a prominent farmer and progressive and skillful carpenter and wagonmaker. He
was born on May 14, I837, the son of Melchior
and Anna (Auer) Schaad, also Swiss by nativity.
The father, a farmer and merchant, served as
postmaster of his home town for a number of
years and he was the father of nine children, two
of whom are living. Faithful to every duty and
devout members of the German Reformed church,
the parents were universally respected in life, and
their deaths, that of the mother in 1872, of the
father in 1876, were generally mourned.
Mr. Schaad attended the public or state
schools and when he was sixteen years of age
went into the service of his father. In 1854 he
came to the United States and located at Toledo,
Ohio. In the autumn of the same year he removed to Grand Rapids, Mich., passing one year
there as an apprentice to a harnessmaker, the
wages paid him being $30 a year and his board.
From there he went to Ionia county, this state,
and remained six months employed at the same
trade. From the spring of I856 he worked at
carpentry for four years in that locality, in I860
changing his base of operations to Ann Arbor,
where he continued in the same line until the
spring of I863. He then came to Adams township, Hillsdale county, and for ten years carried
on a flourishing business as a carpenter and wagonmaker in partnership with M. Wintersdorf.
Since the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Schaad
has conducted the business alone, and has managed a profitable farming industry in addition.
In politics he is a Republican, while fraternally,
he belongs to the Masonic order. He was married on March 12, 1874, to Miss Sarah M. Judd,
a native of Hillsdale county, this state, and the
daughter of Ethel and Eunice (Gilson) Judd, natives of New York state. Mr. and Mrs. Schaad
have one child, Judd M. Schaad, who was born
on September I, I880.
Mrs. Schaad's father came direct from his
Eastern home to Michigan in the early days, and
located about a mile and a half east of the present
town of North Adams. This whole section of
country was then but a tangled forest of wild
woods and he practically started the town by
clearing the land of its timber and building many
of its earlier houses. This was prior to the admission of Michigan territory to the Union as a
state, which occurred in I836. During the Civil
War he served as captain of Co. K, Tenth Michigan Infantry for a short time, but remained in the
service as a recruiting officer until nearly the
close of the sanguinary conflict, when he was
3Io
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
honorably discharged. He was an ardent Republican in politics, holding a number of local offices,
among them that of supervisor of Adams. He
also represented the county in the Legislature of
I857. He was an active member of the Congregational church and built the first house of worship for this denomination in North Adams,
which is still in use.
WALTER A. SCOTT.
From the western and the eastern ends
of the great state of New York came the ancestry
of Walter A. Scott, of Litchfield township, and
the thrift, enterprise and business capacity which
have been so long displayed in these sections of
that state, and which were characteristics of his
forebears, have also been well exemplified in his
own career. He is a native of the township
in which he lives, born on the farm which is now
his home on August 5, I847. His father, Archibald Scott, was born and reared in Cattaraugus
county, New York, and his mother on Long
Island. The father was a carpenter by trade, and
worked at this calling at Buffalo until 1835 or
I836, when he came to this country and settled
at what was called Todd Town. There he purchased a portion of the estate known to the older
settlers as the Frisbie farm, which he cleared of
the heavy timber covering it, which had been
keeping the soil and the sunshine apart for ages,
reduced it to cultivation and made it attractive
with a residence, good barns and the other appurtenances of a comfortable home. He then traded
this estate for the farm now owned and occupied
by his son, Walter, comprising eighty acres, on
which he lived until his death on October 4, I859,
aged fifty-eight years. His name was Archibald
Scott, and he was twice married, the first time,
on October i8, 1822, to Miss Cynthia Todd, by
whom he had four children, one son and three
daughters, of whom two of the daughters survive, one living in this county and one in Iowa.
This Mrs. Scott died in this county and, in I839,
he married with Miss Esther Jones, who died on
June 23, I888. She was the mother of his son,
Walter, and of a daughter who died in infancy.
In politics the father was first a Whig, later an
Abolitionist, and both he and his wife were active
members of the Baptist church and active aids
in all its good works. They assisted in building
all the early church edifices in their neighborhood
and many in other parts of the township.
Walter A. Scott, their son, was reared on the
farm and attended the district schools in the vicinity, finishing with a course at Jonesville and
one winter at a business college at Syracuse, N.
Y. He then for a shirt time engaged in farming, and from the farm went to clerking for H. N.
Turnell, of Litchfield, in whose employ he remained three years. At the end of that time he
again turned his attention to farming and has
been engaged in that vocation ever since. He
was married on July 12, I868, to Miss Luella
Miller, a native of Erie county, New York, and
a daughter of Sandusky and Martha (Ames)
Miller. Her parents came to the county in 1853
and settled in Allen township where her mother
died. Her father is now living in the northern
part of the state. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have one
child, their daughter, Carrie, now the wife of William Moore, of Allen township. Mr. Scott, a Republican in party allegiance, has served the organization well as a private in the ranks and also
in official stations of importance. He was a highway commissioner and a justice of the peace for
a number of years, and has also been a candidate
for supervisor. Fraternally he belongs to the Masons and the Knights of the Maccabees, holding
membership in lodges of these orders at Allen and
Litchfield. He and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church at Sand Creek.
They are both widely known and highly respected
in all portions of this and adjoining townships
and throughout a much larger extent of country.
WALTER D. SHARP.
The generations of the Sharp family to which
the efficient and popular postmaster of Litchfield
belongs have assisted in the development and
growth of various portions of this broad land and
their record for fidelity and industry in their
work stands highly to their credit. Walter D.
rT T T C' A T 7 -n TTAT'1'TT 7I /r T/'TT C A Ar R
T T
H rLL1.YDALL CUL IVI -Y I VI I LIH 1 r~ly.
311
Sharp was born on his father's farm north and
east of the village of Litchfield on December I,
1856, and has lived among its people ever since.
His father, Warren Sharp, was a native of New
York who was reared as a farmer and came to
Hillsdale county with his family in I836. He
took up land, cleared it for cultivation and made
it his home until I862, when he enlisted in the
Union army as a member of Co. C, First Michigan Sharpshooters, with this regiment joining the
Army of the Potomac. The fortunes of war took
him at once to the front and kept him in active
service until near the close of the mighty conflict, and he was ever at the post of duty, participating heroically in many engagements and
seeing the unparalleled rigors of war, especially
in the sanguinary campaigns of 1864, when he
took part in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and the others of that
year so, glorious to the banner under which he
fought and so awfully disastrous to the men who
followed its fortunes. He was wounded in the
last struggle before Petersburg and died of his
wounds a few days afterward. Before leaving
his native state he was united in marriage with
Miss Roxana Fisher, a native of Pennsylvania,
who is now living at Concord, in Jackson county,
this state. They were the parents of two children, their son, Walter D., and a daughter.
Walter D. Sharp was called upon early to feel
the burden of war, and to take a leading part in
carrying on the business of the farm and the support of the family. His school days were cut
short and his entrance into life's arduous work
hastened by his father's death, and, after that
event, as soon as he was old enough, he learned
the trade of cabinet making in connection with
his farm labors, and, when he had finished his
apprenticeship, pursued the trade in the town of
Litchfield. He gave his energies and the resources of his naturally fertile mind and skillful
hands to his craft with diligence and close attention until he was appointed postmaster of the
town on January 17, I898, since which time he
has been wholly occupied with his official duties.
Prior to this he managed an extensive business
in his line for Mr. Gardner for a number of years,
and later for Mr. Mills, both of Litchfield, during
the same period serving six years as township
clerk, being an ardent Republican in political affiliation. He was married in I877 to Miss Alice
Hizmalholch, a native of the county and a daughter of Thomas Hizmalholch, a prominent business
man. Mr. and Mrs. Sharp have three children,
Clare E., Earl L. and Mildred, all living at the
father's home. Throughout the township and a
large extent of the surrounding country the family is cordially esteemed, their home being a center of social life, elevated in tone and genuine
in its warmth and sincerity. Mr. Sharp is a valued member of the Knights of Pythias.
EDGAR A. SHATTUCK.
The American progenitor of the branch of the
Shattuck family to which Edgar A. Shattuck, of
Litchfield, in this county, belongs, and also his
ancestor in a direct line was William Shattuck,
a native of England, born in I622, who came to
this country when he was about twenty-one years
old and settled in Massachusetts, where he married and where his descendants lived for a number
of generations. Luther Shattuck, the paternal
grandfather of Edgar, was the proprietor of the
Shattuck Mills, of Leyden, Mass., and died at that
town at the age of forty-six years. His son,
Charles A. Shattuck, was there born and reared
and, when he reached years of maturity, he married with Miss Emeline E. Gaines, also a native of
Leyden. After their marriage they settled in Livingston county, New York, where they were engaged in farming for two or three years and
where his wife died in I849, leaving three sons
and one daughter, all now living. The father
was a man of capacity and nerve, who gratified
his desire for a life in the West, on the edge of
civilization, by bringing his family, first, to the
neighborhood of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in
1845, and, three years later, to Hillsdale county,
Michigan, where his parents were residing, being
thereby enabled to be near his invalid mother.
He was genial and companionable, making
friends wherever he went, he was also a good
business man, through his sagacious thrift ac
312
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
cumulating property of magnitude and value.
Being an active member of the Free Baptist
church, fervent in his religious feelings, during
the last fifteen years of his life he officiated as
a minister, to which work he was ordained in
1872. He died at the home of his son, Edgar
A. Shattuck, on April 9, 1887, aged seventy-two
years, leaving the memory of a well-spent life.
Edgar A. Shattuck was born at Diana, Lewis
county, New York, on August 28, 1841. Among
his first recollections are those of the removal
of'the family to Wisconsin in 1845, and he also
well recollects the subsequent removal to Hillsdale county in I848. In this county he began
his. education in the public schools, but his
course therein was interrupted in I849 for a
time by the death of his mother. After this sad
event he became a member of the family of Mr.
Shulters, of Scipio township, with whom he was
to remain until he reached his majority. Mr.
and Mrs. Shulters cared for him as if he were
their own child, gave him not only a good home
but the advantage of a good schooling in the
public schools of the neighborhood and at an
excellent private school. After a few years
they removed to Litchfield township, and he
there remained under their care until the beginning of the Civil War. He was then twenty
years of age, and yielding to the patriotic feelings which pervaded the whole community, he
enlisted in Co. A, First Michigan Engineers and
Mechanics for a term of three years. He went
with his regiment to Louisville, Ky., and passed
several months marching over that state and
Alabama, thus beginning a military career which
ended practically, with his participation in Sherman's march to the sea. He saw much active
service and was frequently called upon to resist
the attacks of the enemy while guarding prisoners, especially was this.the case at Laverne, Tenn.,
during the battle of Stone River.
Mr. Shattuck remained with his regiment
until the close of the war and was mustered out
of the service at Jackson, Michigan, in October,
I865, after participating in the grand review at
Washington. He was the first man to receive an
officer's rank in his company, being promoted to
commissary sergeant which he held until service
in that capacity was no longer needed. At the
expiration of his first term of enlistment he
veteranized on December 31, 1863, and throughout his subsequent service made a creditable
record. After the close of the war he returiied
to Michigan, purchased a farm of sixty acres
in Litchfield township, and out of its proceeds,
after paying for it, he bought another farm of
Ioo acres, which forms a part of his present
homestead. On December 30, 1867, he was
united in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Tripp,
a native of Albany county, New York, and the
daughter of Gardiner C. and Emeline (Brimmer) Tripp, also natives of that state. She was
an infant twenty months old when her parents
removed to this state, and was but a child of
four years when her mother died in June, I856,
at the age of forty-three. She was reared as a
member of the Shulters family, being taken
there at her dying mother's request, receiving
from the good people to whose care she was committed every attention they could have given
their own offspring.
Mr. and Mrs. Shattuck have had five children, four of whom are living. Philip Eugene
is the representative of Marshall, Field & Co.,
in their drygoods department in the state of
Texas, having risen to this position from that
of an office boy in their employ; Charles Gardiner died at the age of seven years; Jessie Belle
is the wife of D. H. Mills, assistant county clerk
and lives at Hillsdale; Roy J., is a hardware
and furniture merchant and an undertaker at
Litchfield, married with Miss Brownie Lovejoy
(see sketch elsewhere in this work); Edna Merle
is living at the parental home. Mr. Shulters was
also a member of the household, pleasantly
spending the evening of life amid its comforts
and pleasures until his death, in May, 1903. In
I899 the family removed to the town of Litchfield and has since lived there.
Mr. Shattuck is a Republican but has never
sought office. He is, however, the popular
president of the village of Litchfield, accepting
the position for the good of the community. He
is also a member of the Grand Army of the
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
313
Republic, and has been the commander of the
local post to which he belongs. He is also a
member of Franklin Lodge No. 41, F. & A. M.,
and he and his wife are members of Pomona
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He is a stockholder in the creamery company and owns two
brick business blocks in the town, besides a considerable body of real-estate in the township,
notably one tract of 280 acres on the Jonesville
road, which is well-improved and in an advanced state of cultivation. Mrs. Shattuck's
father passed the closing years of his lifeat her
home and died there in I895. All the members
of this excellent family are well esteemed where
they are known and fully deserve the high estimate the general public has placed upon them.
PARKER B. SHEPARD.
The native home of this representative and
progressive farmer and respected pioneer of
Hillsdale county was the little town of Nunda,
in Livingston county, New York, where he was
born on September 13, I828. His parents were
Aaron and Hattie (Parker) Shepard, the former
a native of Connecticut and the latter of NewYork, both descending from English ancestry.
Their progenitors were early arrivals in America, in Colonial times, who imbibed promptly
the spirit of freedom and independence already
vigorous and determined in the land of their
adoption. When the Revolutionary struggle began various representatives of the family entered
the army, and, throughout all the long and trying contest, fought valiantly, whatever the odds,
giving to their descendants an example of patriotism and heroic endurance well worthy of
their highest regard and their faithful imitation.
When the second War with Great Britain came,
members of the families were again in arms in
defense of American rights and the principles
of independence, who turned again to the pursuits of peace as promptly when the war closed,
as they had gone to the front when it opened.
Mr. Shepard's father, a farmer, passed the
greater part of his life in New York state, dying
there, as did his wife, leaving a good record of
fidelity to every duty and secure in the respect
of all classes in the community. Seven sons and
two daughters blessed their union, of whom
five sons and one daughter are living, their sons
Parker and James being residents of Hillsdale
county.
In his native county Mr. Shepard grew to
man's estate, and, the family being prosperous,
he was educated in the best schools available
in his neighborhood. He adopted the family
vocation of farming as his business for life and
followed it in New York until 1856. He then
determined to seek better opportunities in the
West and brought his young family to Michigan. They settled on the land in Moscow township, which is now his home, which he purchased at the time, and on which he has ever
since resided. This was partially cleared and
improved when he'became its owner, and to the
work of its farther development and improvement he has devoted his energies and intelligence with the most gratifying results. In 1853,
in New York, he married with Miss Elmyra
Rynex, a native of his own state and county.
They have five daughters and one son living:
Elizabeth,wife of James Winfield, of this county;
Francella, widow of John Knapp; Douglass, now
in charge of the home farm; Minnie, wife of
Arthur Mumford, of Moscow township; Nellie,
the wife of Eugene Strait, of Stony Point, this
state; and Leona, the wife of William Strait, of
Moscow township. Mrs. Shepard died in I898
after sharing the trials and triumphs of her
husband and the struggles and progress of the
community for a period of over forty years.
In political faith Mr. Shepard has been from
~his youth an unwavering Democrat; such has
been his standing in the township and in the
esteem of his fellow citizens, that, although confronted by a large majority of voters adverse
to his party, he was three times elected supervisor and has been chosen to other local offices
under the same conditions. He selected this
part of the country after a tour of inspection
through Iowa, and the benefits of his citizenship among this people have not been overlooked or unappreciated. He is one of the lead
314
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ing farmers of the county, also one of its most
representative men both in public and private
life, in business and in social circles. He is
enjoying now in full measure the esteem and
good will of his entire community.
HARMON FOWLE.
Full sixty years have passed into the garnerhouse of time since, on May 15, 1843, Harmon
Fowle, the subject of this review, was born in
what is now Moscow township in Hillsdale
county, the place which has been his continuous
residence from that date. They have been years
of stirring interest in individual life, mighty with
events of magnitude to the human race. The
scope of this work and of this article precludes
extended recital of these events, even forbidding
even a brief allusion to them in detail. We have
here to do with the course and consequence of
individual effort in this particular section of the
great theater of human endeavor, and to deal
with a few of the silent units, rather than with
the loud sum of human destiny. But, among the
men of heroic mold and sterling worth, of strong
character and strenuous industry, engaged in redeeming this waste from the wilderness, making
it over into its present condition of fruitfulness
and influence, of commercial wealth and moral
power, few, if any, should have more honorable
mention or credit for more useful activity, than
the venerable and universally esteemed pioneer
and farmer, civic force and creative agency to
whom these paragraphs are dedicated.
Harmon Fowle is the son of Benjamin and
Caroline (Kellogg) Fowle, natives respectively
of Monroe county, New York, and East Haddam,
Middlesex county, Connecticut. They were the
tillers of the soil, as their forefathers had been
for generations, and settled in Michigan in June,
1833, making the trip into this far western country, as it was at that time, by boat from Buffalo
to Detroit, coming from there by team to the
place where the village of Moscow has since
been built. They purchased a hotel then partly
erected at that point on the Chicago road, together with eighty acres of wild land lying
around it. For a year they conducted this rude
hotel and did much toward improving the land.
Mr. Fowle then entered nearly I,ooo acres of the
land around the village, and, in the course of
time cleared the greater part of section No. I4,
on which he resided until death called him from
his labors on July 20, I875, having then accomplished seventy-one years of useful and creative
activity. On this land he built one of the first
sawmills in the county, locating it on the southeast quarter of section No. 14, and this he operated ia person for a period of thirty years. Its
products became a part of the dwellings and barns
of the neighborhood, the mill being of enormous
benefit to the young civilization that was growing
up around it. A few years after its work in preparing lumber was inaugurated, Mr. Fowle added
a grain-grinding outfit to its mechanism, which
also did an immense work for the convenience
and benefit of the community. He and his wife
were the parents of ten children, five sons and
five daughters, and of these, two sons and two
daughters are now living in this county. Their
mother died in the spring of 1882, aged seventytwo years. In the early life of the county Mr.
Fowle was a prominent and influential man,
active in all its public life and he was called upon
frequently to administer various local offices.
In February, 1835, he was appointed a justice
of the peace by Hon. Stevens T. Mason, secretary and acting governor of the territory of
Michigan, and, in August of the same year, he
received the appointment of paymaster in the
militia of the territory. He performed the duties
of these positions with characteristic fidelity and
satisfaction to all concerned for several years.
He was for many years a justice of the peace
and supervisor, being also, in I86I, the candidate
of the Democratic party, to which through life
he gave a loyal allegiance, for the office of state
senator. To every undertaking for the advancement and development of the county he ever gave
the most active and helpful assistance, two notable
instances of his public spirit and energy in this
respect being his great service and large contributions of money in the construction of the
Fort Wayne Railroad, and his zeal and industry
le;Z,
A
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
315
in organizing the county agricultural society of
which he was the first president and in whose
welfare he was through life deeply and intelligently interested. He was also liberal in public
and private charities, but unostentatious as well
as sincere in both.
The paternal grandfather of Harmon Fowle,
Benjamin Fowle, born in England in 177I, when
he was nineteen came to the United States, settling in Western New York, where he became a
prosperous farmer. In 1831 he entered section
No. I of the government land in Moscow township, but he remained in the county only a few
months. Late in his life he moved to Wisconsin, where he died in I880. The maternal grandfather, Charles Kellogg, was born and reared in
Connecticut. He was a carpenter by trade. In
his young manhood he moved to Western New
York, where he died at the end of a long life of
industry and thrift, well-esteemed and generally
respected.
Harmon Fowle grew to manhood in Moscow
township, receiving his education in the district
schools, attending principally the one erected on
the homestead by his father, who also employed
and paid the teacher. He assisted in the work of
clearing the farm and getting it under cultivation,
steadily following farming from his youth, carrying on his operations without an interruption in
this township from the beginning of his career.
He married, in Pennsylvania, in 1864, Miss Belle
M. Ladd, a native of Jackson county in this state.
They have had five children, two of whom are
deceased. Those living are Orris J., of this county; Byron C., of Racine, Wisconsin, and Lula,
wife of W. D. Harris, of Moscow township. Mr.
Fowle has been a Democrat from his early manhood and has served in a number of township
offices, as well as a four years' term as postmaster,
discharging their duties with credit to himself
and benefit to the community.
Dr. Orrin Fowle, a brother of Harmon
Fowle and one of the leading physicians and surgeons of the county, was born in Livingston
county, New York, on December 20, 1831, and,
when he was two years old he came with his
parents to Michigan, since which time his home
has been in Moscow township in this county,
with the exception of a few years spent in other
states, several in Ohio and one in Georgia. He
received his elementary academic education in
the district schools near his home and his more
advanced literary instruction at a select school on
Moscow Plains and at the Michigan Central College, at Spring Arbor, spending nearly four years
at the last named institution. Immediately thereafter he taught two terms of school in southern
Ohio, then for two years read medicine under
the capable direction of Dr. B. L. Hill, of Berlin
Heights, Ohio, who was a professor in the Western Homeopathic College at Cleveland, in which
Doctor Fowle matriculated in I857, and from
which he was graduated in I859.
After graduation he returned to Moscow, began immediately the practice of his profession
and since then has been actively engaged in it at
this location except one year which he spent in
Georgia. In connection with his profession he
has for many years successfully carried on extensive farming operations in the township. In
I86o, in the state of Georgia, he was united in
marriage with Miss Jeannette C. McLean, a
native of Glasgow, Scotland, and they have one
child, Susanna C., the wife of William H. T. Walker, of Augusta, Ga. Doctor Fowle has never
taken an active part in political affairs, but has
served the township creditably as its health officer. He is one of the well and favorably known
men of the county, standing high in the general
estimation of the people.
CHARLES H. SMITH.
Among the well-known citizens and substantial business men of Hillsdale county, Michigan, is the subject of this sketch, who resides on
a farm a mile and a half south of North Adams.
He is a native of the state of New York, born in
Saratoga county on September I2, I834. His
parents were Abijah and Sarah (Corey) Smith,
natives of the Empire state, where the father,
whose father was also born in New York; followed contracting and building, being a carpenter and joiner by trade, being also to some ex
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
tent engaged in farming. During the infancy of
the subject of this review, in 1836, his parents
removed from their native state, and established
a new home in Michigan, on a farm about one
mile north of the present site of North Adams.
Here the father, in addition to the cultivation
of his farm, also engaged in building operations,
many of the houses and barns in this section of
the county being erected under his supervision.
He continued to reside here, active in business
pursuits, up to the time of his death, which occurred at North Adams about I88o. The mother
also passed away at the same place in 1876.
Three of their five sons are still living, all of them
residing in Michigan.
Charles H. Smith grew to manhood in the
woods of Michigan, and among his first duties
here as a young boy was to frighten the flocks
of wild pigeons from the wheat fields of his
father's farm. His opportunities for obtaining
an education were limited, but he availed himself of such means as were at hand, and attended the schools, taught in the log schoolhouse, whenever his other duties permitted him
to do so. Upon arriving at years of maturity,
he first secured employment as a farm laborer,
and subsequently was engaged in the manufacture of the brick with which was constructed
Hillsdale College. From the earnings which he
had saved in these employments, he purchased
a farm of his own, and was engaged in the cultivation of the soil for a number of years. In
I878 he purchased his present farm property,
where he has made his residence since that time.
On April 22, 1857, Mr. Smith was united
in marriage in the county of Hillsdale with Miss
Mary Judd, a daughter of Ethel Judd. To their
union have been born seven children, six of
whom are living, Harriet M., now Mrs. Houts;
Eunice B., now Mrs. Crisp; Sarah E., now Mrs.
Fisher, of Chicago; Frank A.; Frederick E.;
Charles' E. The last two named now reside in
the city of Tacoma, Washington. The one deceased, James H., died on January 27, I864. On
May 24, 1895, his wife, Mary (Judd) Smith,,passed from her earthly home, and, on January
30, 1900, Mr. Smith married Angie H. Stafford,
a resident of Hillsdale, Michigan. The family
are members of the Methodist Episcopal church,
being in other ways highly respected by a large
circle of friends and acquaintances. Politically,
Mr. Smith is affiliated with the Democratic party,
being a staunch believer in the doctrines of
Thomas Jefferson. He has never sought any
political office, but has preferred to devote his
entire time and attention to the care and management of his private business interests, in
which he has met with marked and deserved
success. He is now one of the oldest settlers
of the county, and his long and useful life in
Hillsdale county have brought to him the esteem
and regard of all with whom his long years of
residence have brought him into business or
social contact.
ROBERT A. SINCLAIR.
For more than a century the excellent family to which the subject of this sketch belongs
has lived on American soil and added to the
productive labor of our peole. Although himself a native of New York, born on July 28,
1834, his father, Daniel H. Sinclair, was a native
of Scotland and came to America with his parents in I797, founding a home in the state of
New York. The mother, whose maiden name
was Jane Proudfit, was born and reared in
Pennsylvania. The father was a farmer, being
engaged in that pursuit in New York until I839
when he came to this state and located in Moscow township, Hillsdaie county, where he resided for five years, then removed to Jonesville, residing there until his death in I868, being a railroad man, as well as a farmer, after
coming to Michigan. His wife died in I895
aged eighty-eight years. They were the parents
of ten children, six of whom are now living,
their son Robert A. being the second born and
the eldest son.
Robert A. Sinclair was reared and educated
in this county, and, while yet a young man, began working on a railroad. He followed this
occupation for fourteen years, during seven of
them officiating as the conductor of a freight
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
3I7
train on the Lake Shore road. At the end of his
railroad service, in January, I869, he came to
Jonesville, to become the clerk and salesman in
the hardware store of J. S. Lewis, where he was
employed for thirteen years. In 1873 he was
appointed postmaster of Jonesville by President
Grant, and held the office for eleven years thereafter. He also served for one year as the village
recorder and also one as the village marshal. In
politics he has ever been a lifelong Republican.
With patriotic zeal during the Civil War, he
made two attempts to join the Union army, but
was each time rejected for physical defects.
Mir. Sinclair is now one of the few pioneers
living in the county, being a fine type of that
hardy race which reclaimed this section of the
state from the wilderness and made it fruitful
with the products of civilization and cultivated
life. His high character, genial manner, obliging disposition and his constant regard for the
rights and feelings of others have ever secured
for him the respect and esteem of all classes.
His life has been an inspiration and a stimulus
to useful endeavor. It has blessed the community with a citizenship, elevated and elevating
to all interested in progress and development
of the township and county, and it has been productive of great good in itself, and, of much
greater good, in its resulting effect upon the
conduct of others.
HON. FREDERICK HART SMITH.
"Not honored less than he who heirs, is he
who founds a line." Among the men of different types, accomplishments and achievements
in our complex American citizenship, which, in
the sweep of its enormous and intense activity,
lays every faculty under tribute, no class, perhaps, strikes the imagination more forcibly or
enlists the fancy more agreeably than the pioneers
of a new section of country, who command the
wilderness to comeliness and on its virgin soil
found families and become the patriachs of a
race. To this class belonged Azariel Smith, a
manufacturer in Connecticut, who lost all his
property by fire in I838, and then determined to
remove with his family to the new West where
a fresh start could be made. He had heard of
Michigan ag a promising field for enterprise, and
came alone to this state on a prospecting expedition. Finding the conditions satisfactory,
he purchased I6o acres of timber land located
in what is now Somerset township, Hillsdale
county, paying for it a small sum of money left
to his wife as a legacy. Inspired by a renewed
hope, he labored industriously in making a little
clearing in the dense woods, building also a rude
and unfinished house of modest dimensions,
then returned to Connecticut for his three
young sons, George A., Frederick H. and LeGrand J., and one daughter, Julia A., who afterward became the wife of Alonzo Strong. All
these are now deceased, the sole survivor being
Charles A. Smith, of Hillsdale, who was born
in this state.
The journey from the old Connecticut home
to the new one in the wild West was an event
of magnitude. The route led by the Erie canal
to Buffalo, across Lake Erie to Toledo, from
there on the old strap-iron railroad to Adrian,
the trip lasting three weeks. From Adrian to
Somerset township the family traveled by an ox
cart, and this was far from being the least
tedious and difficult part of the journey. And
when the end was reached and the new house
occupied, the difficulties of the situation were not
lessened, but rather increased, by the hard conditions of life on the frontier. The father was
obliged to walk to Brooklyn in the morning and
back at night, eight miles each way, to work at
his trade as a stone-mason, the mother and
children being left to clear the land and put in
the crops, to fight the wild beasts and to entertain the Indians, who were always friendly.
The food was of the simplest character, their
shelter from inclement weather was not complete, their only means of starting a fire was by
a spark struck from flint and steel. Most of the
conveniences of life, such as they had been used
to, were unattainable for years. Yet here they
lived and labored, bearing their lot with cheerfulness, performing their duties with diligence
and zeal, steadily improving their condition and
3I8
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
adding to their comfort. Their children grew
large and strong, developing toughness of fiber
in body and elasticity, independence' and self-refiance of spirit as they advanced in stature.
And in course of time death ended the earthly
toils and triumphs of these good parents, the
father dying in May, 1874, the mother in March,
I866. Their work was done. The family was
firmly planted in its new home. Its activity and
'further development was transferred from New
England to the new West through their exertions, and the way prepared for its farther progress in the larger freedom and opportunity to
which it had been brought.
Hon. George A. Smith, the oldest son, remained under the parental roof until he was
nearly thirty years of age, in the meantime being married on July 3, 1851, to Miss Catherine
B. Simonds, a native of Chautauqua county,
New York, who died on February 4, I864, at the
age of forty-one years, leaving six children,
Julia O., wife of Augustus T. Daniels, of Topeka,
Kansas; Fred S., a prominent farmer and stockgrower, of Hillsdale county; Azariel, a miller by
trade and cashier of the bank at Addison; Mary
A., living at home; George LeGrand, a Congregational minister at Newton, Iowa; Stewart
K., a mining engineer in the state of Washington. Mr. Smith became one of the most extensive farmers and stockgrowers in this section
of the state, owning I,ooo acres of land, the
greater part of which was under cultivation at
the time of his death on January 29, 1893. He
was also interested in a store and flouring mill at
Addison and a grain elevator at Somerset. He
was a Republican in politics, influential in the
councils of his party. He served the township in
various local offices, was postmaster at Somerset for over twenty years, being also for years
the very popular president of the county agricultural society. He represented his district in the
State Legislature in I863, and was twice elected
State Senator for the senatorial district embracing Branch and Hillsdale counties. He was a
man of fine public spirit, liberal and progressive
views, deep and abiding interest in the welfare
of his county and state. To schools, churches
and other moral agencies he gave generous support in money, influence and active effort. And,
to every undertaking for the substantial good
of the community which he helped to found, he
was a substantial and serviceable friend.
M/r. Smith was born at Danbury, Connecticut, on March 8, 1825, and came with his parents to Michigan in I839. On April 5, 1865, he
married with his second wife, Miss Catherine
B. Randolph, a daughter of Samuel B. and Margaret (Van Deuzer) Randolph, pioneers of
Somerset township, the former born near Sandy
Hook, New Jersey, and the latter in New York.
Mrs. Smith's father was one of the ten children of Reuben and Catherine (Brown) Randolph, natives of New Jersey, who moved in their
early married life to Wayne county, New York,
where they were farmers. In I835 they moved
with their family to Michigan, settling in Somerset township, where the father and his son,
Samuel, each entered government land, which
they lived to clear and improve. The father,
Reuben Randolph, was a soldier of the War of
1812, and Mr. Smith's great-grandfather, Joseph
Smith, was a captain in the Colonial army during the whole of the Revolutionary War. Mrs.
Smith has one brother and one sister living of the
seven children in the family of her parents. Her
father and mother both reached ripe old ages
after living lives of signal usefulness. Mr. and
Mrs. Smith had two children, Frank R., and
Catherine B.
Hon. Frederick Hart Smith, second son of
Azariel Smith, who departed this life on December I8, 900o, was born at Bethel, New Haven
county, Connecticut, on December 14, 1834, and
came with his parents to Michigan in 1838. He
received his first educational instruction from his
mother, later attended the very primitive district
school miles away, through the forest, from his
home, spending also two years at Albion College. He assisted in clearing the Somerset homestead, where he remained until his marriage, in
1863, to Miss Celina Burr, of this county. In
I865 he purchased a farm of I6o acres across
the road from the old homestead. Here he remained until his death, developing and improv
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
319
ing his land, erecting good buildings as his circumstances allowed. He was successful in his
operations and added to his estate from time to
time until it comprised 640 acres, which was all
in an advanced state of cultivation at the time
of his decease.
He was much interested in live stock and
gave special attention to raising fine breeds of
cattle and horses, making a reputation coextensive with the state as a producer of fine beef
cattle. While still a young man he became
deeply interested in church and Sunday-school
work, and to the end of his life giving them attention and generous financial support. In the
cause of education he was always prominent,
serving for a long time on the local school board,
being one of the first and most enthusiastic subscribers for the founding of Hillsdale College,
which he supported zealously through life and
served faithfully as a trustee for many years.
He also took an active and prominent part in
public affairs, being a member of the State Legislature from 1891 to 1893, and filled a number
of other offices in the township and county. He
was also for several years a member of the
state prison board and gave earnest attention to
the educational and reformatory features of the
institution under its supervision, enlarging their
scope, increasing their activity and magnifying
their power for good. He never sought popularity, but the force of his character, the generosity of his disposition, his active benevolence,
his freedom in furnishing employment to those
in need of it, and his fine public spirit and diligence in behalf of every good enterprise, made
him hosts of friends, and secured for him the
cordial and lasting esteem of the community.
Four of his children survive him, and all
were provided with the means of an advanced
education. Mary Lena was graduated from
Olivet College, in I886, and later became a postgraduate student at the State University and
afterward was a popular teacher of English
literature; George Burr was graduated from
Hillsdale College in 1892, spent a year at Oberlin
College and was afterward educated for the law,
which he is now practicing in Chicago; Howard
R. was graduated from the State Agricultural
College in 1895, for one year was a post-graduate
student at the University of Wisconsin, was four
year later a teacher of science, being now the
professor of agriculture in the University of
Missouri; Floyd Hart, who is now manager of
the home farm, was formerly a student at the
State Agricultural College. In the death of Mr.
Smith, as in that of his brother, George A.
Smith, the whole county felt a sense of loss, deep
and permanent. Mrs. Smith is living on the old
homestead, and, like her late husband, she is
secure in a lasting public esteem.
Hon. Le Grand J. Smith, late of this county,
deceased, was the third son of Azariel. and Mary
(Andrews) Smith, and was. born at Bethel,
Connecticut, on January 8, I837. At the tender
age of two years he accompanied his parents
from his natives tate to Michigan, and from his
very childho44dv)wg-called on to endure the privations and haprq ips, and undergo the inevitable toil incident-tt.- frontier life. He, however,
lived and throve, reaching man's estate on the
old homestead in Somerset township, which he
owned and occupied at the time of his death, on
June I8, I898, and in the schools of the day,
deep in the primitive woods, he received his
preliminary scholastic education, finishing at Albion College. The business of his life was farming, and in this he was always actively engaged
from the time he.left college.
At the death of his parents he inherited the
homestead, and, on this tract which had been
redeemed from the waste by the united efforts
of the family, and was hallowed by their devoted
labors, he continued to live and work until death
ended all things for him. On November Io,
1863, he was married to Miss Emma Maria
Torrence, a native of Cuba, New York, born on
January 27, 1838, and died on April 8, i88o.
They were blessed with four children, Leroy T.,
Leon C., Caroline (deceased), and Mabel A.
Mr. Smith was prominent and energetic in public affairs, and was never wanting in interest in
the success of the Republican party, to which
through life he gave a firm and serviceable alle-
giance. He was one of the county's ablest rep
320
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
resentatives in the lower house of the State
Legislature, there conspicuously maintaining the
high standard of the family name and the reputation there won by his brothers. In religious
affiliation he was long a zealous member of the
Somerset Congregational church, serving many
years as a deacon and as superintendent of its
Sunday-school, inspiring the school and the
church itself with the fire of his own devotion,
and quickening both with the spirit of his energy
and his disinterested generosity. His life in this
community was a force that cannot die and his
example will linger long in the memory of its
people.
Leroy T. Smith, the son and successor on
the farm of Hon. F. H. Smith, was born in the
village of Addison, in Lenawee county, on January 14, 1865, and was reared and educated in
this state. He attended the district schools and
finished his education at Oberlin College. After
leaving this institution he started in business life
as a farmer and has been so occupied ever since.
In I894 he erected a cheese factory on his farm,
which he has since been conducting in connection with his farming operations. This business
has been a decided success, requiring frequent
enlargements of both the plant and its capacity
and equipment. He owns forty cows and uses
the milk from more than Ioo others. The products of this factory find a ready and appreciative market all over the country. On December
18, I889, Mr. Smith was united in marriage with'
Miss Bessie Winifred Sickley, a native of 'Lenawee county, born on September 22, 1869. They
have two daughters, Emma Gale and Winifred
L., both adding to the attractiveness of the
parental home.
WILLIAM H. SMITH.
William H. Smith, of Hillsdale, Michigan,
has for many years aided in keeping up to a
high standard the horse market in this comunity
and supplying it with the best that is to be had
in breed and training of its particular commodity.
He was for years one of the principal buyers and
hippers in Michigan and adjoining states, New
York being the principal market to which he
consigned his purchases. He was born in Tompkins county, New York, on March 7, 1836, the
son of Benjamin arid Charlotte (Gibb) Smith,
the former a native of Wilkinsburg, Pa., and the
latter of New York and of Scotch ancestry.
After their marriage the parents located in
Tompkins county, New York, and there the
father carried on a prosperous farming industry,
being also prominent and active both as a horsedealer and a cattledrover. They passed the remainder of their lives in that county, and, of
their family of ten children, they reared eight to
years of maturity. Of these eight children William H. Smith is the only survivor. He passed
his boyhood and youth on the farm and received
in the schools of the vicinity a common-school
education. At the age of sixteen he undertook
the business of life for himself, by turning his
attention to dealing in horses for the New York
market, conducting this business on a large scale
and with gratifying success to the time of his
father's death in 1852, and until his own removal to Huron county, Ohio.
In the spring of I86I Mr. Smith came to
Hillsdale county and opened a livery and sale
stable in Hillsdale, once more operating largely
through the New York market, and also buying
extensively for the army, there being a great demand for cavalry horses on account of the Civil
War which was then in progress. In 1874 in
partnership with his brother, he built what is
known as Smith's Hotel, a fine three-story brick
structure at the intersection of Howell and Bacon
streets, with a frontage of 70x175 feet, which,
when completed, was the principal hostelry in the
city. This they conducted in connection with
their livery business and managed it with the
same vigor, system and considerate attention to
the public taste and the demands of the situation
that characterized their control of the other enterprise. Their stables were well built, conveniently arranged, completely equipped and furnished with the best horses and conveyances attainable. They also owned a farm not far from
the city, on which they kept their blooded stock,
which comprised high grades of French and
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
32I
English coach and Percheron horses that they
here produced and sold in large numbers. In November, I897, the partnership was dissolved,
since which time Mr. Smith has conducted the
business alone. He still owns the hotel building,
but has no active connection with the management of its affairs, it being leased to others. He
devotes all of his time and energies to his livery
business and to the buying, selling and shipment
of horses.
Mr. Smith married, in 1856, Miss Sarah Lavina Bates, a native of Huron county, Ohio, and
a daughter of William and Sarah (Potter) Bates,
of that county, a most estimable lady, who has
shared his trials and triumphs with a gracious
and cheerful companionship. She is an adherent
of the Quaker faith and has been through life
faithful and earnest as an exemplar of the teachings of that admirable sect. They have one
child, their daughter, Lottie Louise (Smith)
Marvin, a graduate of the Union School at Hillsdale, and an accomplished musician, well-trained
abroad in her art. In politics Mr. Smith is
Republican, seeking to secure by his suffrage and
his influence the best results for the county, state
and nation. The home of the family in Hillsdale
is a center of refinement, of generous and considerate hospitality.
CHAUNCEY STIMSON.
Chauncey Stimson was a native of Allegany
county, New York, born near the town of Belmont on January I, 1814. His parents were
Barney and.Amanda Stimson, also natives of
New York, prosperous farmers of that state,
where the father died, the mother passing from
life in Hillsdale county, Michigan. In his native
state Mr. Stimson grew to manhood, received a
common-school education, learned his trade as
a carpenter. After completing his apprenticeship he worked at his tiade in New York state
until about I836, then came to Michigan, settling
in the town of Hillsdale, which at that time consisted of a few rude shanties. His home was
on the site now occupied by the residence of
F. W. Stock. Here he worked industriously at
his trade, building many of the more pretentious
structures in the early history of the town. He
erected the first courthouse and several of the
best business blocks. When the village was incorporated he became its first president. He
also served as supervisor of the township from
time to time. Later, he moved to a farm in Fayette township, where he resided until his
death on May 7, I895. He was twice married,
first to Miss Amanda Potter. His second mar â
riage was with Miss Mary Simons, a native of
New York, and occured in 1851. They had four
daughters, only one of whom is now living,
Belle, the wife of A. C. Ackerly, who with her
family now resides on the home farm with her
mother.
Mr. Stimson was a Republican in political
views from the organization of the party. He
gave it a loyal and ardent support, without seeking any of its honors or emoluments for himself.
He was also an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also of the
Methodist Episcopal church. He was both wellknown and highly respected throughout the
county. His long life within its borders of
nearly sixty years, was not only a stimulant, but
an incitement to productive endeavor on the part
of others, and exemplified in many commendable ways the most desirable and serviceable
traits of American citizenship. He was laid to
rest at the honorable age of four-score years,
with many demonstrations of popular approval
and esteem. His name is still revered among the
people to whom his life was useful, as that of one
of the most valued to the early pioneers and as
one of the most respected men of the county.
ELBERT STEVENS.
Descended from a good old Connecticut ancestry, which sought peace and prosperity with
freedom of opinion and action in the New World
early in its Colonial history, whose offspring
have at every subsequent period been potential
elements of productive industry in New England,
Elbert Stevens, now of Hillsdale township,
Michigan, has exemplified in his western home
322
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the qualities of thrift, industry and foresight, for
which the family has ever been distinguished,
and, as well, the manly virtues of local pride,
serviceable interest in the welfare of his com.
munity, the broad and abiding patriotism which
have characterized its members wherever they
have lived. He was born in Fairfield county,
Conn., on November 8, 1839, the son of Alfred
S. and Amanda (Kellogg) Stevens, who were
born and reared in the same neighborhood. His
father, a farmer, followed that industry with dili â
gence and profit in his native state for a long
time. In the spring of 1874 his wife died, and,
a year later he removed to Michigan, where his
son was already living, and in this state he remained until his death in I89I. In fraternal relations he was a valued member of the Masonic
order. His family consisted of three sons, two
of whom are yet living in Connecticut. Their
grandfather on the paternal side, Abner Stevens,
a noted carpet-weaver of Connecticut, died in.
that state after a long life of usefulness in his
chosen line pf; work.
Elbert Stevens grew to man's estate in his
native county and was educated in its public
schools. As soon as he was able, under his
father's directions, he learned his trade as a
mason, and at it he worked in connection with
prosperous farming operations in his home
county until 1870, when he came to Michigan and
settled in Hillsdale county, renting a farm not
far from the town of Hillsdale. In 1874 he
bought the farm on which he now lives and since
that time it has been his home and the object of
his care, the seat of his efficient labors and the
source of his livelihood. He has added much-to
its improvement and value, making it desirable
and attractive with the comforts of life and the
evidences of his taste. In 1863 he married with
Miss Cordelia F. Huested, a native of Connecticut, born on June 24, 1842, a daughter of Jonathan and Ann (Wilmott) Huested, of Fairfield
county, in that state, of which they were also
natives. Mr. Stevens is a progressive and
broad-minded citizen, who, for sixteen years,
has served the township as a justice of the peace.
He is a Republican in political faith, a mem
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church in religious affiliation, giving helpful support and appreciated counsel to both organizations. He is
looked up to as a leading and representative
man in this section and has the regard and good
will of all who know him.
WILLIAM TAYLOR.
The American republic, with its once boundless wealth of unoccupied land, which has not
inaptly been called "the great charity of God to
the human race," has laid every clime and nation of the civilized world, and many portions
not civilized, under tribute for its development
and for the expansion of its greatness, being
particularly indebted to good old England for a
sturdy and productive element of its population.
In this element William Taylor, now one of the
well-to-do and enterprising farmers of Fayette
township in this county, has an honored place.
He is a scion of old English families, being born
near London, on April 23, I848. His parents
were George and Sarah (Hough) Taylor, also
natives of England, belonging to families resident in that country from time immemorial.
Farmers in the old country, they came to the
'United States in I854, settling in Ontario county, New York. After a residence olf some years
there they moved to Wayne county, where, in
course of time the mother died, since which
event and for a number of years the father
has been a resident of Michigan. They were
the parents of seven sons and one daughter, and
three of the sons live in Hillsdale county. Two
sons served gallantly in the Union army during
the Civil Wai as members of New York regi â
ments, winning high praise by their valor and
other soldierly capabilities.
William Taylor grew to manhood and received a common-school education in Ontario
county, New York, and, after leaving school he
continued to work on the paternal farm. In 1875
he moved to Akron, Ohio, rented a farm in the
neighborhood of the city, living on this and
working it successfully for eleven years, then,
in I866, he came to Michigan and purchased
I~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~'......... a-.....
HILLSDALE CO UNTY, MICHIGAN.
323
the farm of sixty-six acres on which he has
since resided, it being a part of the old Chauncey
Stimson place. This he has greatly improved
and developed, for it is now one of the most
desirable little farms in this part of the county.
In 1871 he was married in New York, to Miss
Julia Case, a native of that state. They have
two children, Laura, wife of G. E. Donahue, of
this county, and Irma, living at the father's
home. His wife died on November 20, 1900.
The second marriage occurred on October 15,
I902, with Mrs. Ada (Wixson) Rennison, a
native of Kalamazoo county, Mich., being a
daughter of Asa and Jane (Reed) Wixson, the
father a native of Canada and the mother of
Michigan. The lives of both ended in Kalamazoo county. In political faith Mr. Taylor
has been a lifelong Republican, but he has never
taken an active part in the management of his
party or sought any official position for himself,
although giving its policies and candidates his
firm and helpful support. He is cordially and
intelligently interested in the welfare of his community, especially in the progress and improvement of the line of industry in which he is engaged, being therefore an active and zealous
member of the grange in his neighborhood.
Among the men of thrift and enterprise in the
township none stand higher in public esteem and
confidence.
LUCAS H. TERPENING.
Lucas H. Terpening, the active, energetic and
capable supervisor of the Third ward in Hillsdale, who is now capably serving his sixth term
in the office, is a native of Cayuga county, New
York, where he was born on February 15, I830,
his parents being John E. and Harriet (Hollister) Terpening, also natives of New York and
born in Saratoga county. The father, a farmer,
was one of the pioneers of Cayuga county, settling there in I824 when he was twenty-one
years old. His first wife died there in 1837, having been the mother of five children, two of
whom are living, her son Lucas and a daughter.
The father remarried, his choice being a Miss
21
Mary Rich by whom he had one son who is also
living. John E. Terpening served as a justice
of the peace for twenty years and was highly
respected for the justness of his course in the
office and for his general uprightness of life and
conduct. His father, Lucas Terpening, was also
a native of New York and a prominent farmer.
In the War of 1812 he was a major in the U. S.
army and rendered efficient service to the American cause.' He died at a good old age in Cayuga
county of his native state.
Lucas H. Terpening was reared and educated
in his native county, finishing his school days
with a term at the Red Creek Seminary. He remained at his father's home until 1854, when he
removed to Whiteside county, Illinois, purchased
a farm and remained two years. In I856 he came
to Hillsdale county and bought a partially improved farm in Reading township, on which he
lived twelve years. He then took up his residence at Hillsdale where he has since maintained
his home. In politics he is a firm and unwavering Republican, having been one of the organizers of the party in this state. His first vote was
cast for John C. Hale for president, his next for
Gen. John C. Fremont for president. In 1896
he was elected as supervisor of the Third ward
of Hillsdale city, served continuously for a period
of five years, then declined another nomination.
In I903 he was again elected to this position and
is now filling it with credit to himself and general
satisfaction to the people. While living in Reading township he served four years as school inspector and once as census enumerator.
Mr. Terpening was married in I85I to Miss
Amanda Cadwell, a native of Saratoga county,
New York. They have had two children, one of
whom is living, Charles H., agent of the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad at Hillsdale. His first wife died in I897, and, a year
later, Mr. Terpening married with his second
wife, then Miss Ann Bryant, a native of Vermont. In many public capacities Mr. Terpening
has given the community of his residence good
service, his excellent judgment and breadth of
-view being highly commended in reference to all
matters of general interest. He was a member
I
324
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of the building committee that erected the new
courthouse at Hillsdale, and was the one who
suggested the addition of a ladies' reception room
to the building. His suggestion being adopted,
he was chosen to superintend the construction
and equipment of this room, and its beauty and
harmony stands forth in the general approval of
the public as a memorial of his foresight and
artistic taste. His work on the committee in
every way was diligent, faithful and effective.
He is one of the most respected citizens of the
community, considered as one of its most truly
representative men.
ARVID S. THOMAS.
With a creditable record as a Union soldier
in the War of I86i-65, with a career of usefulness and productive energy in the pursuits of
peace in this state since he was'eighteen years
old, Arvid S. Thomas, the county treasurer of
Hillsdale county, is entitled to honorable mention in any record of the achievements of the
progressive men of southern Michigan, and he
has well earned the high place he now occupies
in the confidence and good will of his fellow
citizens. He is a native of Orleans county, New
York, born on February 24, 1834, the son of
Zimri and Mary A. (Sanderson) Thomas, the
former born and reared at Rome, Mass., and the
latter in Ontario county, New York. His father,
a farmer and merchant, also conducted a hotel
for a period of twenty-five years. He brought
his family to this county in I852, located on a
tract of sixty acres of uncultivated woodland in
section No. 35 of Allen township, and also
bought eighty acres of section No. 26, which
lay near by. It was all wild and unbroken forest
land, given up to the unrestrained luxuriance of
Nature, wholly untouched by the hand of the
husbandman. He devoted fourteen years of
arduous labor to clearing it and reducing it to
systematic productiveness, and then, in I866,
moved to Hillsdale, where he resided until his
death in 1892. He was prominent in the local
affairs of the county and represented it in part in
the lower house of the Legislature in I866. He
also served as coroner for a number of years,
and was for a long time a justice of the peace.
His wife died on December 25, I876. Their
family consisted of seven children, five of whom
reached years of maturity, of these three are
now living, their son Arvid, one of his brothers
and a sister. The grandfather, David Thomas,
was a native of Massachusetts, but, for many
years he was a prosperous farmer in the state of
New York where he died. Arvid Thomas had
one brother, Albert P. Thomas, who, as a member of the First Michigan Sharpshooters of the
Civil War, was seriously wounded at the battle
of Spottsylvania, Va., being discharged on account of the disability thus incurred. But he
immediately reenlisted in an Illinois regiment, in
this serving to the end of the war. He afterward
died in Van Buren county in this state.
Arvid S. Thomas was reared and educated
in his native state, finishing his education, begun
in the public schools, at the Springville (N. Y.)
Academy. He came to Michigan with his parents in 1852, and assisted in clearing up the farm
in this county. In 1859 he went to California,
making the five months' trip overland by way of
the Platte River. The party with which he traveled was composed of Hillsdale county people,
its only survivors at this time being L. S. Ranney and himself. Mr. Thomas then engaged in
mining on the American River, California, and in
parts of Nevada, remaining in that country until
1863. He returned by the isthmus of Panama
and New York, and, in 1864, enlisted in Co. G,
Thirtieth Michigan Infantry, and served six
months in Kentucky, Georgia and other Southern
states, engaged mainly in guard duty. He then
came back to his former home and started the
farming industry which he has since steadily
conducted, in which he has risen to high rank.
Mr. Thomas was married in I866 to Miss
Frances Hamlin, a native of Hillsdale county
being a daughter of James D. and Lucy A. (Chester) Hamlin, both pioneers of I843 in Allen township. They are now both deceased. This Mrs.
Thomas died in March, I890, leaving no children. In December, I893, Mr. Thomas concluded a second marriage, uniting himself with
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
325
Mrs. Adella Maylett. In politics he has been a
lifelong Republican, and has served the township as supervisor, as highway commissioner,
and, for eight years, as a justice of the peace.
These various offices he filled with such ability,
and in a manner so satisfactory to the people
generally, that, in I902, he was elected county
treasurer. In this more important position he
has. not disappointed the expectations of those
who elevated him to it. He belongs to both the
Masonic order and to the Grand Army of the
Republic and takes a leading part in the working
of each order. Throughout the county he is
well-known and highly respected by a large circle
of cordial and appreciative friends who know his
worth and value it.
PHILIP B. TOLFORD, M.D.
Philip B. Tolford, M. D., of Pittsford, this
county, is the third representative of his family
in descent who has resided in Michigan. His
grandfather, Hugh Tolford, was a pioneer in
Lenawee county, and the Doctor's father, Joshua
P. Tolford, was the first white child born in that
county. The Doctor himself is a native of Lenawee county, born on June 3, 1873, and there the
life of his mother, whose maiden name was Harriet M. Camp, also began. His parents, prosperous farmers, are living on the old homestead
with a record of usefulness and productive industry which does them great credit and has
won for them the universal respect and good will
of all who knew. them. Their family consisted
of two sons and one daughter, all of whom are
residents of this state.
Doctor Tolford received his preliminary
scholastic training in the public schools of his
native county, finishing his literary education at
Adrian College. After leaving college he began
the study of medicine, under the competent instruction of Dr. A. C. Wood, of Sand Creek,
and in I895, he entered Starling Medical College,
at Columbus, Ohio, and was duly graduated from
that institution in April, I898. He settled at
Pittsford, Michigan, immediately thereafter and
entered upon a practice, which has steadily
grown in volume and value, becoming more and
more representative of the best classes of the
community from year to year. He is well established in the confidence of the public as a careful and skillful medical practitioner and surgeon, while among his professional brethren, he
is regarded as a studious and progressive member of one of the most learned and intellectual
professions known to mankind. While deeply
and intelligently interested in the literature of
the profession, a close observer of all phases of
the practice, he is no sense an experimenter
or an empiric, but gives to his life work his
undivided and most conscientious attention.
Doctor Tolford married on October 27, I899,
with Miss Mabel A. Peebles, a native of Lenawee
county, Mich., and they have one child, their son,
Wayne E. Tolford. In politics the Doctor is an
active Democrat, zealous and diligent in the service of his party, serving it ably as chairman of its
township committee, giving its campaigns his
close personal attention and its candidates his active aid. In religious affiliation he belongs to the
Congregational church and is one of the trustees
of the local congregation of which he is a member. He is one of the rising young men of the
community, and by his elevated professional tone
and ability, as well as his social graces, force and
integrity of character, he justifies the high esteem
in which he is generally held.
JOHN TONER.
Among the successful and prominent farmers
of Adams township, Hillsdale county, Michigan,
is John Toner, the subject of this sketch. A native of Seneca county, New York, he was born on
February 24, 1845, the son of Michael and Mary
(Donnelly) Toner, both natives of Ireland. His
father, a mason by trade, with his family came
from Ireland to the United States in 1845, settling
in Seneca county, N. Y., where he followed his
trade, mostly at the inchoate city of Seneca Falls,
up to 1862. In that year he answered to the call
of patriotism and went to the defense of his
adopted country in the great Civil War as a member of Co. G, of the One Hundred and Forty
326
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
eighth New York Infantry, and there served for
a period of twenty months. During this time he
participated in the battles of the Wilderness, Antietam, Spottsylvania and several smaller engagements. Owing to wounds received in the service, he was discharged, and returned to his home
in Seneca county, where he continued to reside
until his death. The mother passed away during
the period of the Civil War, in 1864. In their
family were two sons and five daughters. The
subject of this sketch and one sister are now re sidents of the state of Michigan. Both sons, as well
as the father, were soldiers in the Union army.
The brother was severely wounded at the battle
of the Wilderness, dying some years thereafter
from the effects of the injuries there sustained.
The subject of this sketch grew to manhood
in Seneca county, N. Y., and received his early
education in the public schools in the vicinity of
his boyhood home. After the completion of his
school life, he engaged in farming, which he
followed up to I864, when he enlisted in the
Ninth New York Heavy Artillery, and was in
active service for one year. He was under fire
at the battles Qf Winchester, Cold Creek and Petersburg, yet was fortunate enough to escape
without serious injury. After receiving an honorable discharge from the army, he returned to
his former home in Seneca county, where he remained up to 1870, when he had an opportunity
to dispose of his New York property to advantage, and he removed his residence to Michigan,
and settled in the county of Hillsdale. He located
on a farm in Cambria township, and made that
his residence for about twelve years. At the end
of that time he removed to Adams township,
where he now resides and has been successfully
engaged in agricultural pursuits. In addition to
Ehis own property, he has had charge of the farms
of Chauncey Cook, and has met with marked success in all his business undertakings.
In the year I866 Mr. Toner was united in
marriage' in the state of New York with Miss
Bridget M. Collins, a native of Canada, a daughter of Martin and Catherine (Moroney) Collins,
natives of Ireland. The parents of Mrs. Toner
died in Auburn, N. Y., where they were welldie inAiunN
known and highly respected citizens. To Mr.
and Mrs. Toner have been born seven children,
Catherine, now Mrs. Ralph Brown, of Hillsdale
county; Ellen, now Mrs. Oscar Anderson, of the
same county; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Harry Gibson,
of Toledo,Ohio; Isabel, now Mrs. Frank Powderly, of Hillsdale county; Agnes L., Grace C. and
Ariel S., who are still at home with their parents. Mr. Toner is an independent and has never
fully identified himself with any political party.
He believes in voting for the best men, for those
principles, which, from time to time, according
to the varying conditions of the country, best
commend themselves to his judgment. All of
the members of his family are active members
of the Roman Catholic church, and take a foremost interest in all works of religion and charity
in the community where they maintain their
home. He has never affiliated with any secret
society, but is one of the representative men of
his county, widely known, successful in business,
held in high esteem by all classes of his fellow
citizens.
GEORGE R. TRAVIS.
This enterprising and progressive farmer of
Moscow township was born in Hillsdale township
on September 23, I846. His parents were Isaac
B. and Nancy (Havner) Travis, the former a
native of New York, the latter of Maryland and a
sister of Mrs. Amie Kesselring; of this township.
(See sketch of Levi Kesselring on another page.)
The father, a carpenter and farmer, came to this
county in I836 and purchased land two miles
north of Hillsdale, which he assisted in clearing
and getting ready for cultivation. A few years
later he moved to Moscow township, and settled
on the farm on which he lived until his death in
I897. He was averse to public life and never
sought office, but yielded to the importunities of
his friends and fellow citizens and served for a
number of years as a justice of the peace. His
widow survived him for two years and died in
I899. The paternal grandfather, Cornelius L.
Travis, also a native of New York and a farmer,
came to this county in 1836 with his family, and
for many years carried on a prosperous farming
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN., 327
industry, also administering with credit, and to
the satisfaction of the people, the official duties of
a justice of the peace at Hillsdale and Jonesville.
His death occurred about r883. Both he and his
son and also their wives were members of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
George R. Travis was taught from his childhood habits of systematic industry on his father's
farm, and, as soon as he left school, he began
business for himself as a farmer, an occupation
which he has followed with steady diligence ever
since, having been one of the highly esteemed
land owners and tillers of the soil, both as boy and
man, for nearly half-a-century in Moscow township, having justified his title to the excellent reputation he enjoys as a farmer and an upright and
useful citizen. In I868 he was united in marriage with Miss Adeline Holley, also a native
of Hillsdale county, and a daughter of Benjamin and Lydia (Coryell) Holley, who were
among the earliest settlers in this part of the state.
Her father has been dead for a number of years,
but her mother is still living. M1. and Mrs. Travis have one child, their daughter, Annah, the
wife of Charles T. Kimball, of Moscow township.
Mr. Travis himself was one of five children, all
of whom are living and residents of this county.
He has been a lifelong Democrat but has never
taken any especially active part in political campaigns or sought office. He belongs to the Patrons of Husbandry, holding membership in the
grange at North Adams. He is a valued member and serviceable trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church at Moscow Plains, taking a leading
part in the management of church affairs.
DR. GEORGE W. UNDERWOOD.
Dr. George W. Underwood, deceased, late of
this county, one of the pioneers of Hillsdale, contributed in many substantial and enduring ways
to the progress and growth of the town and to the
establishment of some of its most valued institutions. He was a native of Enfield, Mass., born
there on March 30, 1814. His parents were
Kingsley and Elizabeth (Allen) Underwood, also
natives of Masachusetts, where they passed the
whole of their interesting and useful lives, rearing
a large family, of whom not one is now living,
meeting with fidelity and cheerfulness the daily
duties of their calling. The father, a manufacturer of garden hoes, after many years of serviceable industry, passed awav from life, as did his
wife, both being laid to rest in the soil on which
they had lived and labored with such beneficial
results.
Doctor Underwood entered Amherst College
in 1833 and remained there three years. In 1836
he went to Union College at Schenectady, N. Y.,
and was graduated from that institution in I837.
In I840 Amherst conferred on him the degree of
Master of Arts, and during the same year he
took a course of instruction in theology at East
Windsor, Conn., afterward preaching for three
years in the Congregational church. In 1843 he
came to Michigan, settling at Hillsdale, then nothing more than a municipal infant, where he engaged in the drug business, an enterprise which
he continued for many years, retiring therefrom
in I865. During most of the time he was also
interested in farming, owning a large and valuable farm not far from the city. He took much
interest in agriculture and was twice president
of the county agricultural society, to whose usefulness he made large and appreciated contributions. He was also the first mayor of Hillsdale,
and, by his wisdom, breadth of view and firmness, he gave its political life great vigor, steadiness and progressiveness and established its municipal being on a firm and broad foundation. As
a means to the intellectual improvement of the
community and for the greater culture of its people he greatly desired the establishment of a college in the town, laboring assiduously to secure
one until his efforts and those of other public spirited men were crowned with success.
To the commercial advancement of Hillsdale
Doctor Underwood gave much enterprise and judicious expenditure of his capital. He built the
first business block erected within its limits, completing it in 1848, and, later, he erected a large
brick store and office building and opera house.
In politics he was a Republican, loyal to his party
and always desirous of its success, but he could
328
3HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
not be called an active partisan or an office-seeker.
Twice he bowed beneath the flowery yoke of Eros,
marrying, on the first occasion, in 1840, with
Miss Mary M. Dickinson at Enfield, Mass. Their
family consisted of three sons, all now deceased.
This wife died on August I8; 1855, and, in 1856,
he married Mrs. Jane Woods. They had two
children, one, a son who was killed by accident,
the other, a daughter, being now Mrs. Mary D.
Lyons, of Hillsdale. Ever throughout his life
Doctor Underwood was an ardent and moist zealous advocate of the cause of temperance, and by
his labors in this behalf, he was of great service
to many individuals, as well as to the community
in general. He died in 1884 and his widow
passed away in 1898. Both are buried at Hillsdale, the town of which they were so long honored citizens and highly esteemed representatives.
HORACE N. TURRELL.
Horace N. Turrell, one of the pioneer merchants and leading business men of Litchfield,
owner of the Exchange Bank, several business
blocks and residence properties in the town, and
one of the prime movers in the public and social
life of the community, is a native of Cuyahoga
county, Ohio, born on July 28, I834. His parents
were Nelson and Emma (Hawley) Turrell, both.New Englanders by nativity, the former born
near Burlington, Vt., and the latter at Litchfield,
*Conn. They moved to Pennsylvania soon after
their marriage and from there a few years later
to Ohio. Then, in 1835, they came to Michigan
and settled in Lenawee county, where the father
entered 400 acres of government land on which
the hand of the husbandman had never rested,
which he redeemed from its natural wildness and
made comely and productive through his systematic and well-applied industry. He resided on
this domain until 1858, when he removed to Hillsdale, where he remained until I862, then took up
his residence at Litchfield and assisted in founding the mercantile enterprise now conducted by
his son, Horace N., with which he was connected
until his death on March 5, I895. He was instrumental in establishing the creamery in the town
and also in installing the telephone service here,
and he was connected with the erection of several
of the larger buildings which now adorn Litchfield. His widow survived him for three years,
dying in 1898. They were the parents of nine
children, of whom two sons and three daughters
are living.
Their son, Horace N. Turrell, was educated
mainly'in the schools of Hillsdale, finishing at the
college in that city and with a year's course at the
agricultural college. After leaving college he
was engaged in teaching for a number of years,
following this pursuit in Hillsdale and Lenawee
counties and at Ann Arbor. He also clerked for
awhile in Lenawee county. In the spring of 1863
he settled at Litchfield, and, in conjunction with
his father founded the mercantile establishment
which he now conducts, which they managed
jointly, under the firm-name of N. Turrell & Son,
until his father's death in 1895. In 1894 he added
banking to his business operations, for this purpose establishing the Exchange Bank of Litchfield, of which he is sole owner and manager,
which does a large general banking business.
Both his store. and his bank were the first of their
kind in the village, and both have won the guerdon of the enterprise and public spirit of which
they are the expression. They are conducted on
a high plane of uprightness and business capacity,
having the confidence and approval of the community in full measure.
In political faith Mr. Turrell is a devoted Republican, as an enterprising and progressive citizen he has given the community in which he lives
the benefit of his wisdom and breadth of view by
highly acceptable service in several local offices.
He has been the president of the village and the
town clerk, also a member of the board of review
and the school board, on the latter of which he
still renders efficient and appreciated service. In
I86I he married Miss Phoebe Bundey, a native of
this county, and, of their five children, three are
living, Minnie A., wife of D. R. Hawley, of
Litchfield; Ida M., wife of H. N. Cole, of Battle
Creek; Bernice P., wife of F. P. Parker, of Litchfield. Their mother died on November I3, I900,
and, on June io, 1902, he married with his second
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 329
wife, Mrs. Della Aldrich, of Somerset township.
He is a member of the Masonic order and the
Congregational church; both he and his wife are
valued members of the best social circles of the
town and of the surrounding country.
CHARLES T. VAN AKEN.
Charles T. Van Aken, of Hillsdale, Michigan,
is one of the substantial farmers of this county,
in which he has passed nearly thirty years of his
life. He was born at Hudson, this state, on December I4, I855, the son of Nathaniel and Julia
A. (Rumsey) Van Aken, natives of New York,
who became residents of Michigan in 1852. The
father, a prominent employe of the Lake Shore &
Michigan Southern Railroad for many years,
serving it in the important capacity of track-master, was accidentally killed in I856, at the age of
twenty-seven, having been born at Clarkson, N.
Y., on January 5, I829. His only child was his
son, Charles T., of this review, whose grandfather, John M. Van Aken, a New Yorker by birth,
became a railroad contractor and died in Hillsdale
county, Mich., in I85I.
Charles T. Van Aken grew to manhood and
was educated in this state, receiving some schooling also in Indiana. He was one of the early
students of Hillsdale College, and, in 1873, he
came to Hillsdale to reside, starting here, in partnership with Mr. Knight, a boot-and-shoe emporiutm, conducted under the name and style of G.
W. Knight & Co., which prospered from its inception. In 1884 Mr. Van Aken sold his interest in this establishment and went to South Omaha, where he was a pioneer, and there started an
enterprise in the same line, which he conducted
successfully until he sold it in I895. He then returned to Michigan and, again locating at Hillsdale, purchased farms near the city which he is
now superintending. He was married, in I880.
to Miss Frances A. Cook, a daughter of Hugh
and Anna (Lyon) Cook, pioneers and highly respected citizens of this county until death ended
their labors a few years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Van
Aken have three children, Bertha, Grace and Elsie. Mr. Van Aken is a Democrat in political
faith; in fraternal relations he belongs to the Masonic order.
HUGH COOK, the father of Mrs. Van Aken,
who died in I895 at the age of seventy'years,
came to Michigan as a young man and bought
government land, the patent for which is still in
possession of the family. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1825, the son of Samuel and Catherine (Albright) Cook, also natives of Pennsylvania, but residents of New York from their early
married life until they came to this state, where,
after a short residence in Lenawee county, they
settled in Allen township, this county, and cleared
a farm from the original woodland and devoted
their energies to its improvement until I854. At
that time they moved to Hillsdale township, where
they died, the father in I866, and the mother at
an old age. They were highly respected as pioneers and as good citizens, performing with credit
every duty of life, helping others by their example and by their active aid. Their family consisted of five children, three sons and two daughters, all of whom are now deceased. Their son,
Hugh, an industrious and skillful farmer, also
acted as a salesman in this country for Eastern
mercantile establishments. He was a progressive
and public spirited man, who gave active and valuable assistance to every enterprise that seemed
likely to advance the interests of the county.
He was one of the founders and most zealous
supporters of both Hillsdale College and of the
County Agricultural Society, and, with great energy, pushed the construction of public highways
in the county. In i855 he was married in New
York with Miss Hannah Lyon, a native of that
state, a member of one of its oldest families. She
preceded her husband to the spirit world by two
years, passing away in I893. They had but one
child, their daughter, Frances A. Cook, now Mrs.
Charles T. Van Aken. Mr. Cook was a Republican in politics and during his long life in this state
filled with credit many local offices. He and his
wife were faithful members of the Baptist church,
zealous workers in all its active charities and
benevolent organizations. Their citizenship was
elevated and elevating, their sense of duty strong
and stimulating, their dispositions sunny and in
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
330
spiriting. Among the good people of Michigan
who were active in building up the state and promoting its welfare in every way, none were more
highly esteemed in life or are held in greater reverence in memory than this good couple, whose
names are suggestive of every worthy attribute
in human nature throughout a large extent of
country.
Mr. Cook was a great lover of things funny or humorous, always seeing the bright, sunny
and the comic and ridiculous sides of life and
heartily enjoying and appreciating all kinds of
jokes. He had a happy and jovial disposition,
and his fund of merriment and anecdotes added a
keen zest to the warm hospitality of his home.
CORVIS M. BARRE.
Corvis M. Barre, of Hillsdale, president and
general manager of the Hillsdale Screen Co., and
vice-president of the First State Savings Bank,
was born on a farm in Ripley township, Huron
county, Ohio, on November 29,.848, the son of
John and Amy (Stout) Barre, the former a native of New York and the latter of New Jersey.
They were married: in Niagara county New York,
and soon after removed to Ohio, settling in Huron county, where they were among the earliest
pioneers, and where they passed the remainder
of their lives, the father being prosperously engaged in farming.
Their son, Corvis M. Barre, was reared on
the farm and educated at the public schools of the
neighborhood and also at Milan (Ohio) Normal
School. When he was fifteen years of age ht enlisted in the Union army, beginning his term of
service in May, 1864, and remaining in the field
until the close of the war. He then taught school
in his native state for; a period of six years, and,
in I87I, came to Michigan and located at Reading. Here he engaged' in raising and handling
live stock and dealingin grain aiuntil 1878.
In the fall of I878 he was elected to the dual
offices of county clerk and register in chancery,
a position which he held for six successive years
with credit to himself and advantage to the peo
ple, having had two reelections, three terms in
all. In 1892 he was appointed by President Harrison as U. S. consul at Valparaiso, Chili, and
held the office until removed by a subsequent hostile administration. This post is a very important and responsible one, requiring the utmost
care and tact in the management of its duties, the
port being the best on the Pacific coast. It is
almost unnecessary to add that in Mr. Barre's
charge every phase of official duty and propriety
was strictly observed and every public interest
diligently cared for. Before accepting this position, he had had seven years experience in active
practice of the law, having done the necessary
preparatory reading while in the clerk's office and
he was admitted to the bar in 1885.
After his return from Chili Mr. Barre resumed his professional activity and continued it
until 1902, when he determined to give his attention wholly tothe business enterprises with which
he had become connected, one of these being the
Hillsdale Screen Compary, which he organized in
I900, of which he was the president and general
manager, another being the First State Savings
Bank of Hillsdale, which he helped to organize
in I902, and of which he has been a stockholder
and the vice-president from its foundation. To
these enterprises he has given close and careful
attention, and under his intelligent and progressive influence they have thriven and flourished
with a steadily increasing ratio, until they are now
among the soundest and most esteemed institutions of the county.
In politics Mr. Barre has been- a firm and active
Republican from his young: manhood, and has
given his party devoted and: loyal service. He
belongs to the Masonic order through all the gradations of the craft up through symbolical, capitular, cryptic and templar Masonry in the York
Rite. He is also very active as an Odd Fellow.
In August, 1882, he was married to Miss Kate
E. Mitchell, a native of Hillsdale county and a
daughter of Hon. C. T. Mitchell, a sketch of
whom will be found on another page of this work.
She died in March, 1885, and in April, 189I, he
was married to his second wife, Mrs. Carrie A.
(Boutwell) Woltmann, a native of Wisconsin,
4
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
33I
but for many years a resident of Hillsdale.
Among the tried and proven citizens of the county none stands higher or is more justly esteemed
than Mr. Barre.
CHARLES S. VEEDER.
Charles S. Veeder, of Hillsdale, the pioneer
broom manufacturer of this county and southern
Michigan, carries on his business on a scale of
magnitude somewhat surprising to those who
have no direct knowledge of its proportions. His
life began at Fonda, Montgomery county, New
York, on January 19, 1844, and his parents were
Peter and Eveline (Schuyler) Veeder, also natives there. His grandfather was Aaron Veeder,
a New York farmer, who closed a long life of active usefulness in his chosen vocation in his na-.
tive state. Peter Veeder was also a farmer, and
he conducted a prosperous business in New York
until after the death of his wife in I846. He removed his family to Illinois in I856, and there,
after some years of steady industry, his life ended,
dying in I87I. Nine of his children reached
maturity, Charles S. Veeder being the only one
resident in Michigan. His school days were
passed in New York and Illinois, and his education was received in the public schools.
In I86I Mr. Veeder came to this state and
soon thereafter enlisted in Co. G, Sixteenth Michigan Infantry, being enrolled at White Pigeon.
His regiment was a part of the Army of the Potomac, one of the fighting regiments that was at
the front in all the campaigns of that great fighting organization. It participated in the sanguinary and hotly contested fields of Yorktown, the
Seven Days' fight before Richmond, Second Bull
Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Petersburg, Richmond and many intermediate and
interesting engagements. His company was on
the skirmish line near Appomattox, and received
the flag of truce which opened the way for the
surrender of General Lee and was of the fortunate army that witnessed the surrender at Appomattox. Mr. Veeder took part in forty battles
and skirmishes, yet was never wounded nor absent from duty. He was discharged from the.service in August, I865, and later took part in the
Grand Review in Washington, coming out of the
service with the rank of first lieutenant, to which
he had risen by meritorious service.
Mr. Veeder returned to Michigan, passed a
few months at Adrian College, then turned his
attention to printing, working in the office of the
Hudson Post for a time, after which he engaged
in farming. In 1873 he began the manufacture
of brooms at Hillsdale, at first doing all of his
own work in the business. In 1876 he built both
his present factory and his home, and, from that
time, he has carried on his industry on a larger
scale. He now employs nine men, the factory
having a capacity of 6,ooo dozen brooms a year.
This number he makes and sells in Michigan,
Indiana and Ohio. His product has a high rank
in the market, there being a demand for more
than he can supply. In I869 Mr. Veeder was
married to Miss Nettie M. Lauder, a native of
New York, and they have two children, Edwin J.
and Stelle E., wife of S. R. Ramsay, of Hillsdale. In politics Mr. Veeder was an active working Republican from his early manhood until
I896. Since that time he has affiliated with the
Democratic party. He has not sought public office but has capably served as alderman from his
ward in Hillsdale. He is an Adventist in religious faith, and also is a square, upright man, well
posted in current events; who carries on a profitable business and enjoys the respect of all who
know him.
FRANK H. WALSH.
Frank H. Walsh, of Allen township, is a
brother of Joseph J. Walsh, farther mention of
whom will be found on another page of this work,
and is one of the two sons of John and Susan
(Wheellock) Walsh, who helped to clear and
cultivate the family homestead and he now lives
on this and owns a part of it. He was born on
this estate on November I2, I857, and was reared
amid its inspiring scenes and invigorating labors,
drawing his stature and his strength from its fertile soil, and, returning with interest to that portion of our mother Earth in his productive toil,
332
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the bounty which she bestowed. He received a
limited education at the schools of the neighborhod, but he has since enlarged it with many useful lessons from his experience and with many
wise conclusions from his close and judicious observation. His father died in I886, on May ii,
and his mother is still living on the homestead
with himself and his brother Joseph. From his
childhood he has been engaged in farm work, and,
by study and intelligent application of his knowledge and judgment, he has become a model farmer, who has put into visible results on his farm
the evidence of his skill and industry in his line
of enterprise.
Mr. Walsh was united in marriage with Miss
Bessie Lane, in December, I890. She is a native
of Linn county, Mo., and a daughter of Acie K.
Lane. Their union was blessed with two children, their son, Leon K., and their daughter, Bessie A. The mother died in 1897, and, on March
20, I902, Mr. Walsh married a second wife, Miss
Emma Hillman, a native of Iowa, whose parents,
Albert and Sarah Hillman, are now residents of
Branch county, in this state, where they have been
living for many years. One son has been born to
this union, Harold F., born on March 30, I903.
In political allegiance Mr. Walsh is an unwavering Democrat, always giving the principles and
candidates of his party loyal support, but he is in
no sense a self-seeking politician and has never
desired or accepted office in any capacity. He is
a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, standing well in the regards and good
will of his neighbors and friends and among all
classes of people in the community in general.
He is one of those substantial and useful citizens
of the township, who are ever deeply concerned
in its progress and development.
JOSEPH J. WALSH.
Joseph J. Walsh, a prosperous and highly respected farmer of Allen township, is descended
from a long line of Irish ancestors, who were
conspicuous in all the trials and triumphs of their
race in County Wexford, of their native isle,
whether engaged in the quiet and fruitful pur
suits of peace or leading the fortunes of their
clan in war. His parents were John and Susan
(Wheellock) Walsh, the father emigrating to the
United States in 1835, the mother coming over in
I850, with his. grandfather, Michael Walsh.
Michael and Joseph J. Walsh made their way almost directly to Hillsdale county by way of the
Erie canal to Buffalo, then across the lake to
Detroit, coming from there to the land on which
Joseph now lives. The father, John Walsh, was
then a young man, one of five brothers who are
now all dead. Their father entered a large tract
of government land in Allen township, this county, and his sons aided in the clearing of it and in
the bringing of it to fertility, making it comfortable and comely with rich improvements. When
Michael died, the sons still worked together, continuing their joint occupancy and operation of the
farm until I86I, when they agreed on a division,
each taking his portion of the land and becoming
its sole manager.
John Walsh resided on his portion until his
death on May I, I886. His widow still survives,
and with their two sons is living on the family
homestead. She is now seventy-four years old.
The father, originally a Episcopalian, in religious
affiliation, late in life became a Methodist. He
was a Democrat in politics, but not an active partisan and never sought or held office. His son,
Joseph J. Walsh, was reared on the farm and received his education at the district schools near
his home. He has been engaged in farming all
of his life, and has learned the industry of agriculture from its elementary principles up to its most
advanced development. His farm fully shows the
benefit of a systematic application of intelligence
and a wise breadth of view to an industry too
often deemed to need no forethought or mental
activity in its operations.
Mr. Walsh married in I886 Miss Minerva Gilchrest, a native of Tarrytown, New York, a
daughter of Harvey and Emeline J. (Twitchings)
Gilchrest, a sister of Mrs. Bert E. Ford, of -whomr
farther mention is made elsewhere in this tork.
Her parents came with their family to this county
in i866. Since then they have been among its respected and productive citizens. Mr. and Mrs.
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
333
Walsh have four children, Grace B., Willimena,
John H. and Josephine, all living at the parental
home. In political faith Mr. Walsh is an ardent
and loyal Democrat, not active in political contentions, however, and he has never sought or consented to take office. Heand his wife are members
of the Methodist Episcopal church, active in all
its branches of benevolent work. They are well
and widely known in the township and have hosts
of friends here, and in other parts of the county.
JOHN H. WARD.
The late John H. Ward, of this county, whose
death on his farm in Moscow township, in 1887,
was generally lamented and closed a life of quiet
and peaceful activity, which, both in its products
and example, was of great service to the community in which he lived for nearly a quarter of a
century, had learned wisdom and self-reliance in
several lines of active industry before coming to
Michigan. He was a native of Ontario county,
New York, born on March 20, 1822, descended
from vigerous old New England stock, which
drew in love of liberty and independence with the
air they breathed in the Green Mountain region
of Vermont, where his parents, Chauncey and
Mary (Brown) Ward, were born and reared,
as their forefathers had been for several generations. The father, an inn-keeper and farmer,
resided in his native state for a number of years,
then moved his family to New York, where he
carried on the same vocations, and, where, at ripe
old ages, he and his devoted wife passed away
and were laid to rest. The mother of John H.
Ward was his first wife, and their family consisted of three sons and four daughters, all of
whom have paid the last debt of nature, their son,
John, having been the last survivor.
John H. Ward was reared and educated in
his native county,'and, while yet quite a young
man, journeyed to LaGrange county, Indiana,
and there he engaged for a short time in teaching,
after which he returned to his New York home.
In 1865 he came to Michigan, and, after spending
a year in Calhoun county, purchased a portion of
the farm in Moscow township on which his widow
now resides, adding to this tract by subsequent
purchases, until he finally owned I50 acres, all
of which he brought to an active state of productiveness and advanced improvement. His only occupation after he quit teaching was farming, and
to this he devoted all of the energies and aspirations of his life and in it he achieved a gratifying
success and prosperity. He never allowed the seductions of political office or the blandishments
of social life to win him from his chosen vocation, yet he was never wanting in earnest and intelligent interest in the welfare of the community
around him, and never withholding his support
from any worthy enterprise which promised to
promote it; performing with fidelity and with
cheerfulness the serviceable duties of citizenship
and leaving to others the cares as well as the honors of public station.
He was married in December, 1847, to a Miss
Sarah A. Scott, a daughter of David R. and Rachel (Cheney) Scott, the former a native of Massachusetts and the latter of New York. The
greater part of their lives was passed in New
York state, the father dying in I880, the mother
passing away at the home of her son-in-law, Mr.
Ward, in 1885. Mr. and Mrs. Ward were the
parents of four children, all now living in this
state. They are John Scott, a resident of Petoskey in Emmet county; Emma A., the wife of
Frederick S. Blackmar, of Moscow township,
(see sketch elsewhere); Clinton F., of Hillsdale;
Eva R., living with her mother on the homestead
farm. 'Since the death of the'father, Mrs. Ward
has given the management of the farm her own
personal and careful attention, has kept vigorously in action upon it the spirit of enterprise inaugurated by him and pushed its cultivation and
improvement forward with the same skill, energy
and success that he exhibited in conducting it.
It is one of the desirable country-homes of this
part of the county, excellent in quality, modern
and convenient in buildings.
REV. JOHN T. WARD.
Rev. John T. Ward, the professor of systematic theology and homilectics at Hillsdale College, presents to the pen of the biographer an interesting theme from every point of view.
'.70~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~::.:
334
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
0
Whether considered as a student in an academic
course or a devout searcher for truth in the
broad field of theology, as an active evangelizer
or a Christian editor, as a college professor or
a man and citizen, his life is full of interest, well
worthy of regard, both as a study in human nature and as an example of high endeavor. He
is the son of the late Deacon Charles P. and Elmina (Tefft) Ward, and was born at Norway,
New York, on January 20, 1847, and was converted to a firm faith in the Christian religion on
the eleventh anniversary of his birth. His preliminary education was secured in the public
schools of his native town, and, after due preparation, he entered Whitestown Seminary, being
graduated from that institution in I867. He was
not satisfied, however, with his scholastic attainments, therefore took a course at Hillsdale College, from which he graduated in I870. He then
determined to enter the ministry of the Free Baptist church, and, after a thorough course of training in his profession at Andover Theological
Seminary, he was there graduated in I873.
After this graduation he settled at Lexington,
Michigan, being ordained to the ministry on December 14, 1873 From that time he has been
most active in his sacred calling and has wrought
great good through its medium. His pastorates
were at Ashland, N. H., Georgiaville, R. I., Park
Street, Providence, R. I., and Jackson, Michigan.
All of these charges prospered under his ministrations, many mote than Ioo converts being baptised by him, and about 200 members added to
the church. For nine years Rev. Mr. Ward was
a member of the foreign mission board and also
a member of the general conference board; while
for a number of years, he was a trustee of Hillsdale College. He closed his Jackson pastorate
on October 3I, I889, to become the editor and
publisher of the Free Baptist, the denominational
organ for the West, published at Minneapolis.
His management of this periodical began on November I, 1889, and ended on August I, I898.
On the first of September following, he became
professor of Systematic Theology ond Homilectics at Hillsdale College, and still fills this important chair in the institution. In 1889 he pub
lished the Free Baptist Cyclopaedia, regarded
throughout the church as a most valuable theological and historical compendium. In Jiune,
1893, Hillsdale College honored itself in confering on him the degree of D. D. Doctor Ward
married, in I876, with Mrs. Mary (Tewksbury)
Cowell, of New Hampshire, who has been a
faithful and an efficient helper in his pastoral
work. She has been very active in temperance
work and in the state work of the Woman's Missibnary Society. Their daughter, Mary, graduated from the University of Minnesota in I897,
and received the master's degree in I898. After
teaching in Hillsdale College, and serving as state
secretary of the Young Women's Christian Association, in Minnesota, she went to reside in Kyoto, Japan, having married with Mr. G. Sidney
Phelps, general secretary of the Young Men's
Christian Association, appointed to that work.
On his mother's side Professor Ward is descended
from the French Huguenots, on his father's from
Sir Edward Ward, of England, who came to
Connecticut and established the American family
there in early Colonial times. The Professor's
work in the college is of a high order of excellence and is generally commended.
DR. HENRY M. WARREN.
The oldest practicing physician of Jonesyille,
Michigan, and a man who for many years has
held a prominent place in the professional and
business life of Hillsdale county, is the subject of
this sketch, Dr. Henry M. Warren. He is a native of Columbia county, Pa., where he was barrn
on April 19, I840. His parents were Joseph and
Ann (Spear) Warren, the former a native of the
state of Maine, and the latter of Pennsylvania.
His father was an editor by profession, who, at
different times during his life, was the owner and
editor of the Auburn Advertiser, of Auburn, N.
Y., the Detroit Advertiser, which later became the
Detroit Tribune, of Detroit, Mich., and of various other periodicals. He removed his residence
to the city of Detroit in 1852, and was one of the
active founders of the Republican party of Michigan. His father, whose name was also Joseph
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
335
Warren, was a native of the state.of Maine, and
was related to Gen. Joseph Warren, the commander of the patriot forces at Bunker Hill, where
he gave his life to the cause of freedom. The
father of the subject of this sketch afterwards
removed to Washington, D. C., where he secured
an important position in the Department of the
Interior, in which he remained up to the time of
his death in 1884. Of his family of five sons and
two daughters, all are now deceased, except Dr.
H. M. Warren and two brothers. Two other
brothers died during the Civil War, one being
killed at the battle of the Wilderness, the other
dying from wounds received during his term of
service in the army. The mother passed away in
Jonesville, Michigan, in 900o. Her father was R.
C. Spear, formerly a prominent citizen of Columbia, Pa.
Dr. Henry M. Warren grew to manhood in
Pennsylvania and Michigan, and received his
early education in the public schools of Columbia
and of Detroit. In the latter city he attended the
Gregory Commercial College and afterwards engaged in business at Irwin, Pa., where he was
given a position as an outside superintendent of
one of the coal mines at that place and continued
in that employment until I859. In the latter year
he entered the Hahnemann Medical College of the
city of Chicago, remained for one term, and, in
I86I, entered the Western Medical College, of
Cleveland, Ohio, from which he was duly graduated as a member of the class of 1862. The same
year he removed to Jonesville, Mich., where he
established himself in the practice of his profession, succeeding to the practice of Dr. E. M. Hale.
He has been located in Jonesville ever since that
time, being very successful in his professional and
business pursuits. He is a member of the Michgan State Homeopathy Society, and is recognized
as one of the leading physicians of that school
in his section of the state. In 1865 Doctor Warren was united in marriage with Miss Georgia
Harris, a native of the state of New York, and an
adopted daughter of the late Ransom Gardner.
Two children have been born to them, namely,
Lillian E., now Mrs. Fred H. Lewis, of California, and Henry B., now engaged in business as a
commercial traveler, with headquarters at the
city of Louisville, Ky. Doctor and Mrs. Warren
have an adopted son, Don H. Warren.
Politically the Doctor has long been identified
with the Republican party, one of the leaders of
that organization in the community where he resides. During his residence in Jonesville he has
held various positions of trust and honor in the
gift of his fellow men. For a period of six years
he was superintendent of schools, and for two
years president of the village council, being. also
the efficient health officer. In every position he
has been a high-minded and capable official
who has always served the community with ability
and fidelity. In addition to his other business investments the Doctor is one of the stockholders
of the Omega cement plant, which is one of the
most successful business enterprises of the county.
He is a member of the Presbyterian church and
for many years has taken an active and leading
part in the affairs of that denomination. For
twenty-two years he has been the popular superintendent of the Sunday-school, and much of his
time has been given up to religious and charitable
work. He.is very widely known, being highly
respected throughout both the county and state.
JOHN M. WARREN.
One of the most substantial and highly respected citizens of Hillsdale is John M. Warren,
who has served as supervisor of Hillsdale township for five years. He is a native of Genesee
county, New York, where he was born on October 30, I845. His parents were John M. and
Sally L. (Ingalsbe) Warren, both natives of New
York state. His father followed the occupation
of a millwright, and, as early as 1832, he came
first to Michigan, where he purchased eighty
acres of wild land from the government, walking
a long distance from what is now the township of
Hillsdale to Monroe, Mich., for the purpose of
making the entry, covering the entire distance of
sixty miles in one day. During that early time he
assisted in erecting the first mills constructed at
Jonesville and Hillsdale. He followed his chosen
profession of millwright during most of the active
ft
336
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
years of his life, giving, however, considerable
attention to farming. He was a prominent citizen
of the community where he maintained his residence, for three terms held the office of justice of
the peace, discharging the duties of that position
with ability and fidelity. At the time of the Civil
War he passed some time.in the government service at Nashville, Tenn. The paternal grandfather
of John M. Warren was named Peter O. Warren,
and he was also a native of the state of New York.
where he followed the occupations of farming and
building. During his later years he removed to
Michigan, where he passed away from life's labors in I866. The mother of the Mr. Warren,
of this review, died in 1884, the father in 1894.
They reared a family of five children, and were
among the pioneers of Michigan.
John M. Warren grew to man's estate in Hillsdale county, receiving his early educational training in the public schools of the county. At the
age of sixteen years, he was forced by circumstances to leave school, and he then engaged in
farming, which has largely occupied his attention
since that time. He is now the, owner of a portion
of the old family homestead, which has been his
residence for so many years. On May I6, 1875,
Mr. Warren was united in marriage with Miss
Emily White, of Cambria township, the daughter
of Orlando and Lydia (Allen) White, highly esteemed citizens of that community. The father
still resides in Cambria township. Mr. and Mrs.
Warren have had five children, Lewis E.; Brooks
A., now attending college at Hillsdale; Owen V.,
at the paternal home; Gertrude S. and James G.
Warren. Politically, Mr. Warren has been identified all his life with the Republican party, one of
its stanchest and most loyal leaders in his section
of the state. He has held every office in the gift
of the people of his township, and, for a period of
more than five years, he has been its supervisor.
In every position to which his high sense of public duty has called him, he has displayed signal
ability and true fidelity in the discharge of every
trust, and has been in every sense a high-minded
public official. He is an active member of the
Baptist church, and takes a leading part in all
matters calculated to promote the social and relig
ious life and growth of the community in which
he resides. No citizen is held in higher esteem
by all classes of his fellow citizens, being honored
both in private and in public life.
EDWIN M. WASHBURN.
Edwin M. Washburn, treasurer of the Hillsdale Window Screen Co., was born at Lenox,
Mass., on March II, I836. His parents were
Miles and Emily (Hatch) Washburn, the former
born and reared in Massachusetts and the latter
in Connecticut. The father, a farmer, passed his
life in his native state, highly respected in his
neighborhood and often chosen to fill some important local office. The grandfather, Jacob Washburn, was a native of Salisbury, Conn., a blacksmith by trade and one of the leaders in local affairs in his community. The maternal grandfather was an officer in the American army during
the War of 1812 and rendered valuable service in
that contest. The Washburn family of New
England stands in the very highest station o!f the
early Colonial families. From the very earliest
days it has been prominent in civil, military, professional and business life.
Edwin M. Washburn was one of the two sons
born to his parents, being the only representative of the family who ever lived in Michigan,
For many years his brother was a faithful missionary in India and he is now living a retired
life in Connecticut. Mr. Washburn was educated
in the schools of his native state, finishing at an
advanced academy at Lenox. His first occupation after leaving school was milling, in which
he was engaged for a number of years. He then
turned his attention to the importation and breeding of Holstein cattle, being successful in the venture, continuing the business in Massachusetts
until 1887, when he came to Hillsdale and purchased the home which he has ever since occupied. He lost his right hand in a mill early in his
life, which accident induced him to seek other
employment, and, as has been stated, he was engaged for some years in the cattle industry.
After coming to Hillsdale county, Mr. Washburn purchased the coal business of Mr. Andrews,
HILLSDALE CO UNTY, MICHIGAN.
337
having George F. Washburn associated with him
in the enterprise. They carried on the business
with steady success and prosperity until 1897
and then Edwin F. Washburn retired, and since
that time, he has not been actively engaged in any
kind of business with one exception. When the
Hillsdale Window-Screen Company was organized he was chosen to be its president, and that
position he has filled continuously from the or-:ganization of the company. The duties of this
place fill up the measure of his desire for active
employment, yet leave him sufficient leisure for
the enjoyments of life, in which he finds both recreation and the rest he has so honestly earned.
He married, in Wisconsin, in I859, with Miss
Angeline Judd, a native of Massachusetts. They
have six children, four sons and two daughters.
In politics Mr. Washburn has been a lifelong Republican, loyal to his party and deeply interested
in its success, but never desiring any of its honors
or emoluments for himself. His beauiful home
in the city of Hillsdale is a center of a refined
and generous hospitality, being one of the social
institutions of the city and highly appreciated by
all who have the pleasure of experiencing and
sharing in its comforts and attractions. Mr.
Washburn and his wife are among the most
highly esteemed citizens of the county and state.
ARCHIBALD WEIR.
The useful life of Archibald Weir, which ended in this county in 1883, after a long career of
faithful devotion to duty and of productive industry, began in Scotland, where he was reared and
educated, and where he learned his trade as a
stone-mason. He was engaged in mining in his
native country until 1842, when he emigrated,
coming to the United States to join his older
brothers, Thomas and Andrew, then located at
Hillsdale, but now all deceased. Two sisters,
now also dead, remained in Scotland. At once, on
his arrival here, Mr. Weir formed a partnership
with his brother Andrew, and here together for a
number of years, they conducted a tannery as the
Weir Brothers. Archibald then went into the
employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern
Railroad, working in the baggage department,
and, when he quit that corporation, he formed a
partnership with John Lamberts and George
Tompkins for the purpose of carrying-on a meat
business.
After some years of active industry in this
enterprise Mr. Weir retired from mercantile life
and again began working at his trade as a mason,
following this occupation until his death in 1883.
He married in Scotland with Miss Margaret B.
Lee, a native of Glasgow, and they became the
parents of six children, five of whom are living:
Marian B., wife of A. Carrette, of Brooklyn, N.
Y.; Robert, living at Battle Creek, Mich.; Maggie, wife of M. J. Fanning, of Boston, Mass.; Archibald B., a mail deliverer and a resident of Allen, in this county; Katie, also living in Boston.
Mr. Weir was an ardent Democrat in politics, but
never sought or accepted official station of any
kind. He belonged to the Odd Fellows fraternity and to the Presbyterian church. His widow
survived him eight years, dying in I89I.
ARCHIBALD B. WEIR, son of Archibald Weir,
was born at Hillsdale, this county, on June 5,
I86o. In his native town he gr,ew to manhood
and was carefully educated, beginning his course
in the public schools and finishing at the Hillsdale
high school and the commercial department of the
college. Soon after leaving school he began
farming and has since steadily pursued that calling. He was married, in I886, to Miss Jennie S.
Whitney, a sister of Dr. J. C. Whitney, a sketch
of whom appears on another page of this volume.
Their union was blessed with one son, A. J. Whitney Weir. His mother died in I891, and Mr.
Weir, in I893, married with Miss Ida M. Watkins, a daughter of Charles Watkins, whose history is given elsewhere in this work.
In politics Mr. Weir is a Republican and has
been one from his young manhood; in the campaigns of his party he has taken an active and
serviceable part, but has never sought office for
himself. Since the establishment of the U. S.
rural free delivery in this county, Mr. Weir has
been a popular carrier. He belongs to the fraternal society of the Knights of Pythias and is a
member of the Knights of the Maccabees, giving.
338
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
to the work of his tent in the order a careful and
helpful attention. Throughout the length and.breadth of Allen township he is well and favorably known, by all who know him he is respected
as an upright and useful citizen, devoted to the
best interests of his community, thoughtful and
of material assistance in promoting its welfare in
every commendable way and possessing a generous breadth of view and spirit of public good.
GEORGE W. WESTFALL.
George W. Westfall, of Adams township,
Michigan, is one of the progressive and representative farmers of this highly favored section of the
state, who has made good his right to stand, as
he does, high in the esteem of his fellow citizens
of the county, by his uprightness and integrity
in all the relations of life, his enterprise and progressiveness in his own business and in the affairs
of the county, and the example of steady, intelligent and productive industry he has ever given
to this people. He was born in Wayne county,
New York, on April 15, 1842, the son of David
and Laura (Daniels) Westfall, who were also
natives of that state, descended from families long
resident within its borders. His father, a farmer,
followed that vocation through life, both he and
his wife dying on their native heath after long
careers of appreciated usefulness. Two sons and
one daughter blessed their union, of these children their son, George, is the only one living in
Michigan. He was reared 'and educated in his
native state and began life for himself as a farmer there. He was successfully engaged in this occupation in that state, except during the time occupied by his service in the Union army in the
Civil War, until I876 when he came to Michigan
and purchased and settled on the farm which is.now his home. He also traveled for a few years
in the employ of the Austin Road Machine Co.
In April, I86I, he enlisted in the Union army
as a member of Co. I, Seventeenth New York Infantry, for a term of two years. The regiment
was assigned for service to the Army of the Potomac and it was engaged in all the campaigns of
that great fighting organization. At the end of
his term, Mr. Westfall veteranized, reenlisting in
the First New York Veteran Cavalry, with which
he was assigned to duty under General Sheridan
in the Shenandoah Valley. At the front in all
the engagements of the campaigns in that historic
region, Mr. Westfall there saw all of the hardship, suffered all of the privation and confronted
all of the danger of the service. At the close of
the war he returned to his New York home and
resumed his farming operations, having, by great
good fortune, escaped without being wounded or
captured by the enemy and all serious disability
in the service. In I864, in New York state, he
was united in marriage with Miss Mary C. Phillips, a native of the state. They have three children, sons, William D., Henry K. and Roy A.
Since coming to Michigan Mr. Westfall has
prospered in his business and grown strong in
the respect and good will of the community. He
is active and serviceable in behalf of every good
enterprise for the advancement or improvement
of the township and county, to the educational
and moral forces of the section giving especially
his zealous and intelligent support. He is a Democrat in political faith, but seeks no official position for himself. He belongs to the Grand Army
of the Republic, the Knights of the Maccabees
and the Patrons of Husbandry, and gives close
and careful attention to the affairs of each of their
local organizations.
ROBERT B. WHITBECK.
This venerable and venerated patriarch of
Hillsdale county, whose life of more than sixtyseven years among her people was full of usefulness, thrilling incident, manly spirit and healthful
inspiration, and who was gathered to his fathers,
on November I, I902, at the age of eighty years
and eight months, was a native of Herkimer county, New York, born on March 3, 1822. His parents were Harmon and Deborah (Germon) Whitbeck, also natives of New York, where they were
well-to-do farmers until 1835, when they came to
the then territory of Michigan and settled in
Pittsford township, this county, on a tract of government land which had been bought by their son,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
339
Harmon. Their journey ehither was an event of
great magnitude, full of interest and difficulty.
They came on the Erie canal to Buffalo, thence
by boat to Toledo, from there by teams to their
new home, making their way along the last portion of the route, with great toil and persistent
effort, through an unbroken forest and over almost insuperable obstacles. When they reached
their destination, they found the future as full of
trouble and difficulties as the journey had been.
There were no roads, mills or other conveniences
of life in this section of the land, and the ground,
dense with centuries' growth of rank forest and
brambles, was unprepared to yield even a scanty
subsistence to its daring occupants.
Their nearest milling point was Tecumseh, a
travel of at least twenty miles each way, requiring
days for its accomplishment, while the nearest
physician was located at Adrian, a not much nearer distance, and no more easy of access. -And
while all the conditions of life were hard, and provision for its comfort scant and difficult to obtain,
the menace of death was constant, abundant, ever
close at hand. Wolves, bears and Indians were
plentiful, the wild beasts being strongly determined in their opposition to the new settlers, while
nature yielded but a slow and grudging submission to the white man's supremacy. The first
homes in the new region were log shanties hastily
constructed, and the roads, bridges and other
means of travel and communication were the rude
work of their own busy hands, constructed mainly by individual effort, without proper implements
or other adequate means. Through the combined
industry of the parents and the children, as soon
as the latter were able to work, the land was
cleared and rendered productive, in course of
time, however, assuming the comeliness of cultivated life and the fruitfulness of fertility and responsive abundance. Eighty acres were cleared
and farmed by the family, and, on this farm the
mother finally died, at an advanced age. The father passed away soon afterward, while on a
visit at Norwalk, Ohio. The household comprised six sons and one daughter, who reached
years of maturity, of these three sons are yet living, all being residents of Hudson.
22
Robert B. Whitbeck was a lad of twelve or
thirteen years when he came with his parents to
this state, and, from the day of his arrival, he
was busily occupied with the arduous duties of
helping to make a home in the wilderness. He
ceived but a limited training at the primitive
schools of the day, being obliged, by the exigencies of his situation, to devote his energies for the
most part to clearing land, a portion of that on
which he labored in this way being now occupied
by the village of Hudson. On January 2I, I847,
he was married, in Lenawee county, to Miss
Rhoda Silvernail, a cousin of Philo Silvernail,
whose life story is briefly outlined on other pages
of this work. They became the parents of six
children, a son who died in infancy, and five
daughters who are yet living: Deborah, the wife
of William Deacon, lives on the old homestead;
Emma, the wife of George Rowley, of this county; Ella, now wife of D. Vickers, of Pittsford;
Kate, wife of J. E. Wells, of Pittsford; Clara, the
wife of Frank Shuster, of Pittsford. The parents were attentive and consistent members of the
Baptist church. The mother died on November
I6, i88o,'and the father, as has been noted, on
November I, I902. A Democrat in his political
faith, he was never an active partisan or officeseeker. At the time of his death he was one of
the oldest residents of the county, and, throughout its whole length and breath, he was universally respected by all classes of its people.
DR. ARVIN F. WHELAN.
The late Dr. Arvin F. Whelan, of Hillsdale,
who, although but fifty-nine years old at his death
in I890, if life be measured by usefulness and
beneficial results, lived much longer than men
who crowd a century closely in the number of
their years. He was a native of Oneida county,
New York, born on July i, 1831, of Irish ancestry, being the son of parents who were prosperous
farmers of his native county, where they died,
after long and quiet lives of fidelity to duty, secure in the respect of all who knew them. In the
native county.of his.birth the Doctor was reared
and received a common-school education. In
340
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
i853, a year after he reached his majority,.he
came to Michigan, took up his residence at Adrian, in Lenawee county, there attended school for
higher instruction, and, when he had received it,
began to dispense what he had gathered by unsealing and exploring the fountains of knowledge,
teaching in the primitive schools for a limited period, at the same time preparing for his profession
by a close and judicious reading of medical textbooks under the capable direction of an old physician.
In 1854 he entered the medical department of
the University of Michigan, and was graduated
from that institution in I856 with the degree of
M. D. He at once started his practice at Otsego,
in this state, where he remained three years. In
I857 he removed to Hillsdale and there practiced
until the War between the Sections of our unhappy country called into service in the field vast
bodies of our able-bodied and patriotic men of all
classes. In I86I he enlisted as an assistant surgeon in the Eleventh Michigan Infantry, and, after two years of arduous service with that regiment, in which he saw much suffering and endured many privations, he was commissioned as
surgeon of the First Michigan Sharpshooters
with the rank of major. In I864 he was surgeonin-chief of the Third Division of the Ninth Army
Corps, thereafter holding this position until his
muster-out in I865, when he ranked as lieutenantcolonel. His command was in the Army of the
Potomac and he was always in the field, at the
very front, working often day and night, with
a sleepless diligence, receiving three wounds in
battle. At the close of the war he returned to
Hillsdale, there resumed his professional duties,
which he continued until his death.
Doctor Whelan was very active in his practice,
which was of a general character, and took a zealous and productive interest in the State Medical
Society, of which he was the valued and capable
president in 1883 and 1884, and also in the American Medical Association, of which he was also a
member. An ardent Republican in politics, he
stood high in the management of his party, being both an active worker and a forceful and valued campaigner on the stump as well as in council.
He served as county treasurer from I866 to 1870
and was mayor of Hillsdale from I879 to I88I.
In fraternal relations he was long connected with
both the Grand Army of the Republic and with
the Masonic order, in the latter belonging to
lodge, chapter and commandery. In I856, in
New York, he was married to Miss Dell H. Anderson, of that state. They had three children:
Dr. Bion Whelan, of Hillsdale; J. Bennett Whelan, who died in infancy; Carrie B. Whelan, of
Grand Rapids, where the Doctor's widow is now
living.
Dr. Bion Whelan is a native of Hillsdale,
born on July 13, 1858. He was educated at the
public schools, at Hillsdale College and at the
Agricultural College, being graduated from the
latter institution in I877. He at once began reading medicine under direction of his father, and,
after a short preliminary preparation in this way,
matriculated at the medical department of the
University of Michigan, and he was graduted
therefrom in I879. Returning to Hillsdale, he
became associated in practice with his father,
and, upon the death of the latter succeeded to
the business. Like his father, he is an active general practitioner, and, like him also, he takes
great interest in the proceedings of the State
Medical Society and the American Medical Association, being a zealous and influential member
of each. He is a Republican in politics, a diligent
and forceful worker in the service of his party,
serving as a member of the State Board of Medical Registration for two years, as chairman of
the county central committee for four years, being
a member of the pension board for two years and
of the common council of the city for two years,
while, during the last nine years, he has very capably performed the duties as a member of the
board of education. He is an enthusiastic Freemason, having held many offices in his lodge,
serving as high priest of his chapter in the Royal
Arch, being prominent also in the commandery
of Knights Templar. He is also a Knight of
Pythias. In I88I the Doctor was united in marriage with Miss Minnie L. Allen, an accomplished
lady, who was born and reared in the city of
Hillsdale. Their children are four, all sons, Bennett, Arvin, Don B. and Charles M.
HILLSDALE CO Up
CHARLES E. WHITE.
One of the stockholders of the Jonesville Milling Co. and also one of the leading manufacturers
of that section of the state, is the subject of this
sketch, Charles E. White, of Jonesville, Michigan,
who is a native of Hillsdale county, where he
was born on Steptember 4, 1847, a son of Simeon
B. and Jeannette (Sinclair) White, the former
being a native of Massachusetts and the latter of
the state of New York. His father removed from
his native state to Michigan in the year I837, and
engaged in farming. Upon his first arrival in
Michigan, he settled on what is now known as the
John T. Ball farm, which he cleared and made
his residence for a considerable time. Subsequently he disposed of this property and removed
his residence to Jonesville, where he passed the
remainder of his life, until his death in 1882, retired from. active business pursuits. The mother
died in the city of New York in '875. Their family consisted of three children, two sons and a
daughter. Their son, Lyman S. White, is now a
resident of New York city, while the daughter,
Mrs. Frank Bently, is now a resident of Chicago,
Illinois.
Charles E. White, the subject of this brief
sketch, grew to manhood in this county, and received his elementary education in its public
schools. Subsequently, at the Whitestown Seminary, at Utica, New York, he pursued a complete
course. When a young lad he was honored by an
appointment as a page in the House of Representatives at Washington, D. C., and served in that
capacity during a part of the troublous times of
the Civil War. In this connection he was a witness to many exciting scenes, not only on the floor
of Congress, but elsewhere in and about the capitol city of the nation. Upon returning to Jonesville he accepted a position with the leading mercantile concern of E. O. Grosvenor & Co., as a
clerk and remained in their employ about four
years. He then left their employment to accept a
position as the teller and cashier of the Exchange
Bank of Grosvenor & Co., in which he continued
for thirteen years, being then engaged in farming five years. In 1889 he was offered and ac
NTY, MICHIGAN. 341
cepted the position of manager of the firm of
Grosvenor & Co., proprietors of the City Mills.
He conducted this business with marked success
until 1897, when, in company with William S.
Coleman, he leased the entire plant of the company.
In this business he is still engaged, conducting
an extensive and successful business. The capacity of the mills is 200 barrels each twenty-four
hours and the market for the product of the mills
is largely found in the New England and the
Southern states. In I873, Mr. White was married to Miss Harriet C. Grosvenor, a daughter of
E. 0. Grosvenor, the well-known manufacturer
and capitalist of Jonesville. Two children have
come to them, Charles G. and Oliver S., and the
home which their presence cheers and graces is
noted for its gracious and refined hospitality. In
addition to his other business interests, Mr. White
was, for a considerable time, largely interested as
a silent partner in the Jonesville Cotton Mills, and
in all ways and in many directions he is one of
the most enterprising business men in his section
of the state. He is a large employer of labor and
a man whose progressive spirit and interest in the
public welfare has done much to promote the best
interests of the community and also to develop
the resources of the state.
ABRAHAM WILLIAMS.
Comfortably settled in the village of North
Adams as the owner of one of the fine and highly productive farms of Hillsdale county, lying
two miles and a half southwest of the town, and
possessing property in various other places, Abraham Williams is secure against the winds of adversity; enjoying as he does the uniform respect
and esteem of his fellow men, he can rest content
with the record of the useful and well-spent life
that stands to his credit. He was born in Newfane township, Niagara county, New York, on
January I8; I840, the son of Felix and Eliza
(Brown) Williams. The father was a native of
Pennsylvania and the mother of Seneca county,
New York. His ancestry was Welch and hers
was English and German. Abraham Brown, the
342
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
maternal grandfather, was reared and married in
New Jersey, where he worked at his trade as a
carpenter and carried on a farm. From New
Jersey they removed first to Seneca county, New
York, and later to Niagara county. Their family consisted of nine children.
Mr. Williams's father's birth occurred on December 25, I806, and that of his mother on January I, 1812. Making their home in Niagara
county on April 6, 1837, the father engaged for
a number of years in weaving, then turned his
attention to farming. He was a Whig in politics and both of the parents were Baptists in
church affiliation. They came to Michigan and
settled in Hillsdale county in 1857, with their
family of three children. The father died in June,
1862, aged fifty-five years, the mother in June,
I90o, aged eighty-nine, both being highly respected by all who knew them. Their son, Abraham,
was educated at the public schools of his native
state, and, although his advantageswere limited,
by diligence he received a fair degree of scholastic training. For the benefit of his parents he
remained at home until he was twenty-six years
old, giving them the best care and assistance
in his power. When he reached man's estate he
engaged in farming-and in the produce business,
shipping various commodities to Alabama. He
also carried on a real-estate business, dealing
mainly in farms. His home farm now consists
of I30 acres of excellent land, which produces
every variety of farm product grown in this
neighborhood in abundance and of superior quality, for there is no element of the most careful
and skillful husbandry wanting to its cultivation.
Mr. Williams also raises stock of high grades, his
favorites being thoroughbred Dearborn cattle.
In addition to this farm he owns timber and mineral land and town property in different places
in the South, some of this land having a high
value on account of rich coal deposits upon it.
In politics Mr. Williams is a Republican, and,
fraternally, he belongs to the Order of Odd Fellows and to the Patrons of Husbandry. He was
married on August 28, I863, to Miss Eliza R.
Post, a native of Hillsdale county, Michigan, a
daughter of Israel and Marillia Post, who were
both born and reared in New York state. They
came to Wisconsin in 1843, from there to Michigan in I845. The father, a well-to-do farmer,
was a Democrat in politics and a member of the
Order of Odd Fellows. They had three children,
Eliza R., Israel and Millard S. Mr. and Mrs.
Williams have three children, Frederick I.,
Charles N. and Eber C. Mrs. Williams is a member of the Christian church, and Mr. Williams
is affiliated with the Congregational church, both,
however, taking an active interest, not only in
church work, but in every good enterprise for the
benefit of the community.
ALBERT R. WHITNEY.
One of the leading and representative farmers of Hillsdale county, Michigan, Albert R.
Whitney, whose address is Osseo, is the subject
of this sketch. He is a native of this county,
where he was born on May 2, 1848, as the son
of Horace W. and Polly (Crum) Whitney, natives of the state of New York. His father followed the occupation of farming in his native state,
and, in I844, disposed of his property there and
removed his residence to the then frontier country
of Michigan, where he settled upon the fine farm
piow owned and occupied by the subject of this
review. This section was then a wilderness; the
father cleared the land, and, by the most industrious efforts, builded himself a home in and out of
the forest. He resided here during the remainder of his life, and passed away from earth in
1856. The mother died on August I, I878. To
this worthy pair five children were born, three
sons and two daughters, of whom only Albert
R. is now living.
Albert R. Whitney grew to man's estate in
his native county, received here his early education, and, after the completion of his school life,
began work on the home farm, ably assisting in
the care and management of the place, to which
he has since made large additions and improvements. It is now one of the best-equipped farms
in that section of the county, having the best modern buildings, and being one of the finest pieces
of farm property in that prosperous neighbor
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
343
hood. On December 8, I869, Mr. Whitney was
united in marriage to Miss Alice M. Travis, a
native of Hillsdale county, and a daughter of
Gilbert and Harriet Travis, both well-known and
highly respected citizens. To them have been
born two children, Nellie A., now Mrs. Curtis
Rich, residing in the township, and E. Belle, who
is at the present writing in the state of California. Mrs. Whitney passed away on January I9,
I90o, and awaits the resurrection near the old
homestead.
Mr. Whitney is an Independent in politics,
having never identified himself with any party.
He believes in supporting the best men for office,
and those political principles which best commend
themselves to his conscience and judgment, varying from time to time, according to the varying
conditions of the county. He comes of a longlived race, his great-grandmother having lived
to the advanced age of 114 years, while his maternal grandfather accomplished the age of ninety
years. Mr. Whitney is an active and prominent member of the Grange and he has been closely identified with many movements of a public
character, which were calculated to advance the
prosperity of the community and to promote the
general welfare. During his entire life he has
been a public spirited citizen, ever ready to contribute of his time and means to the general good,
being ever held in high esteem by all classes of
his fellow citizens.
HENRY K. WILSON.
Henry K. Wilson, city clerk of Hillsdale, and
the first representative of his party, the Democratic, to fill the office, is one of the best known
and most highly respected citizens of the county,
having passed within its borders' much of his
youth and all of his mature years. He was born
on February II, I850, in Sullivan county, Indiana, where his parents settled in I834. They
were William and Martha J. (Mann)' Wilson,
the former a native of Tennessee and the latter
of Kentucky, both being members of honored old
families in their respective states. The father,
a general merchant in Indiana, carried on a
flourishing business at Sullivan until I863, when
he came to Hillsdale and was engaged in the drygoods trade until I876. He then retired from
active business to live as a gentleman of leisure
until his death in I892. His wife died in 1871.
Their family consisted of four sons, of whom
but two are living, one being a resident of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The paternal grandfather,
Adam Wilson, a native of Greenville, Tennessee,
left his native state when a young man to make
permanent his home in Indiana, and there he
died, after a long and serviceable life as a farmer.
Henry K. Wilson passed the first thirteen
years of his life in Indiana, beginning in the public schools of that state the education which he
completed in those of Michigan, whither he came
with his parents in I863. After leaving school
he commenced the business activities of life as a
clerk and salesman in his father's store, and, after
an apprenticeship of some years in this line, he
became a traveling salesman for a large establishment that manufactures road-making machines,
selling its product in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio
in this country, also having an extensive trade in
Canada. He followed this business until I9oo,
then determined to relinquish it and make a permanent home at Hillsdale, among the people who
had witnessed his activity and enterprise. He
rested for a year, and, in I90o, was elected city
clerk, the position which he is at the present writing filling with credit to himself and satisfaction
to the people. He is the second of his race to
serve the city government of Hillsdale in an official capacity, his father having been a valued
member of the city council in 1876 and I877.
In 1871, Mr. Wilson was married with Miss
Mary A. Clark, a daughter of Philip and Mary
A. (Johnson) Clark, the latter having been born
and reared in Massachusetts and the former in
New York. -They settled in Adams township,
this county, about the year 1836, and here they
both died. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have one child,
their daughter, Martha, now the wife of J. W.
Hanston, of Hillsdale.- In politics, Mr. Wilson
is an unwavering Democrat, and for some years
he has been the chairman of the county central
committee of his party and one of its recognized
344
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
leaders in the county. He belongs to the Masonic lodge and to the Royal Arch chapter at
Hillsdale, being also a Knight of the Maccabees
and a member of the U. C. T. His record in business circles, in official life, in fraternal relations
and in social connections is excellent, in politics
he had been a forceful influence for good to the
best interests of his party; all of the duties of
citizenship have been performed by him with a
manliness and able fidelity that have won him the
esteem and high regard of all his fellows.
JESSE WILLARD.
This honored pioneer of Hillsdale county,
who has passed a half-a-century of usefulness
among its people, helping to develop its resources
and build up its industries, is a native of England, born in County Sussex, on September I7,
1862. His parets were William and Sarah (Moncer) Willard, who were both born and reared
in the same locality as himself, and whose ancestors had lived in County Sussex for many generations. The father, long an overseer on a large
estate in his native parish, died there, in I898,
aged ninety-four years, surviving by forty-three
years his faithful wife, who passed away in 1855.
They were the parents of seven sons and three
daughters, all of whom are now deceased, except
their son, Jesse. He grew to manhood and received his education in England and, after leaving
school, he engaged in farming there until 1848,
then came to the United States and located near
Rochester, New York, where he remained three
years.
Mr. Willard then returned to England, but
soon after came back to this country, and, in 1835,
came west and took up his residence in Hillsdale
county, purchasing forty acres of land in Allen
township, which he improved, sold, and purchased
a farm in Woodbridge township, which he also
sold, after partially clearing it and making some
improvements upon it. For awhile thereafter he
operated the farm now owned by the county, and,
in I868, bought eighty acres of land, on section
33, in Allen township. This has been his home
ever since, its highly improved condition now
creditably represents his labor and enterprise
through many years of active work, expended in
clearing and improving it and bringing it to its
present state of advanced cultivation and productiveness.
Mr. Willard was married, in this county, in
1853, to Miss Ann Maynard, English by nativity,
like himself, who came as an emigrant from the
old country to this county about the time of his
arrival. They have two children, their son,
Charles W., and their daughter, Eliza J., now the
wife of George Rumfeldt, of Allen township.
Mr. Willard is a Republican in politics, and he
has been postmaster of the village, although he
has never been an office-seeker or an active partisan. He is a devoted member of the Free Baptist church, having been for many years one of
the serviceable forces of the organization. In
all parts of the county he is well-known, while
by all classes of people he is highly respected.
AMARIAH M. WINCHESTER.
Comfortably located on a fine farm of seventy
acres adjoining the town of Allen, owning another of eighty acres in Litchfield township, devoting to both his energies and the results of his
intelligent and discriminating observations, Amariah M. Winchester is an impressive example of
the general tendency of men in the middle West
to devote their energies to agricultural and pastoral pursuits, and, in the creature comforts and
peace of mind which he now enjoys, he is a suggestive proof of the advantages of such vacations,
He was born in Dutchess county, New York, on
May I9, 1844, the son of David and Harriet (Andrews) Winchester, who were also natives of
that county. The father, a tanner by trade, followed his craft in his native state until I845,
when he moved his family to this county and locating at the village of Allen, bought the old
Whitehead Hotel, which he conducted successfully for seventeen years thereafter. He was also
postmaster of the village for a number of years,
at a time when the stages carried the mails. He
purchased a tract of seventy-six acres of land near
the village, which he improved, and on which he
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
345
resided, after leaving the hotel, until his death,
on March 9, I873. His widow survived him for
two years, then passing away on February 3,
I875. They had six children, three sons and
three daughters, who grew to maturity, and of
these, the sons are living, while the daughters are
dead. One son, Andrew, lives in Chicago, and another, Charles, at Elkhart, Indiana. In political
affiliation. the father was a quiet Republican,
never taking active part in party matters and
never holding office. He was for many years a
zealous working Freemason. The grandfather
was also Amariah Winchester, a hatter by trade.
He died in New York state.
Mr. Winchester grew to manhood and received his education in the village of Allen, and,
early in life, he was diligently engaged in farming, a vocation which he has followed steadfastly
ever since. He now owns the old homestead, having also an additional farm of eighty acres in
Litchfield township, both of which he cultivates
with industry and skill, both of these places
showing, by their condition and the excellent
crops they produce, the large measure of intelligence and judgment he applies to their cultivation. He was married, in this county, in 1878
to Miss Louisa J. Miller, a native of Lancaster
county, Pennsylvania, and a daughter Micheal
and Phoebe (Kelley) Miller, pioneers of 1846 in
Litchfield township, where the father carried on
the dual industries of farming and carpentry.
They cleared a farm in that township on which
both lived until death ended their labors, the father ceasing his activities on March 9, I88I, and
the mother closing her eyes in her last sleep on
October IO, i886. Mr. Winchester belongs to the
Masonic order, holding membership in the lodge
at Allen. He is very well-known throughout the
township and within a much larger area, standing well up in the regard and good will of his
fellow men.
DANIEL A. WISNER.
The subject of this brief sketch was one of
the earliest of the pioneers of Hillsdale county,
Michigan, first locating near the village of Mos
cow in the year I837. He was a native of Mt.
Morris, New York, where he was born in I809.
His parents were also natives of New York state.
His father, William Y. Wisner,removed his residence from the state of New York to Michigan
in 1837, and took up a farm near the village of
Moscow, where he lived for many years. The
subject of this sketch grew to manhood in his
native state of New York, where he learned the
trade of shoemaking, and continued to labor in
that pursuit up to the time of his coming to Michigan. Here he engaged in farming, which he
followed with success for a number of years, then
removed to Jonesville, where he engaged in merchandising, under the firm-name of D. A. Wisner & Son. He carried on this business successfully for a period of twenty years, then associated
his other two sons, Edgar A. and A. Eugene, in
the business, under the firm-name of D. A. Wisner & Sons. He died in I88I, and his sons'continued the business at the old stand until I896,
when they sold it.
In his early life, Mr. Wisner was married in
the state of New York to Miss Mary Sherd, by
whom he had a family of two sons and one daughter. Some time after the death of his first wife,
he again married, his second wife being Miss
Ann A. Sherd, also a native of New York state,
and a sister of his first wife. To the second marriage were born three sons, one of whom died
at the age of nine years. Politically,Mr. Wisner
was a stanch adherent of the Republican party,
for many years being a most loyal advocate of
principles of that political organization. He was
often solicited by his friends and neighbors to
become a candidate for public office, but never
permitted the use of his name for any public position except that of school trustee. Fraternally,
he was affiliated with the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, being one of the foremost in promoting the fraternal and social life of the community in which he resided. A member of the
Free Baptist church, he was conscientious and
faithful in the discharge of every duty devolving
upon him as a member of that organization. He
lived a good and useful life, and was honored by
all classes of his fellow citizens.
346
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
REUBEN STRAIT.
The life of this enterprising, broad-minded
and successful farmer, progressive citizen and
upright business man of Moscow township, is
full of suggestiveness and inspiration for the
young men who are now struggling for advancement among men, and of encouragement and
helpfulness to those who are already well advanced in active and profitable work. It illustrates in a signal manner the value of character
and self-reliance, industry, integrity and knowledge and of a well-applied effort in all of the relations of a man with his fellows, and the allconquering power of fidelity to duty under all
circumstances.
Mr. Reuben Strait was born on October 27,
1834, in Steuben county, New York, and came
to Michigan in 1848 with his parents, Thomas J.
and Mariah Strait, who left their native home in
New York when he was three years old for Ohio,
where they remained five years. From Ohio they
moved to Jennings county, Indiana, where another five years were passed, at the end of which
period they emigrated to this state, settling on a
farm, which they bought in Jackson county, there
making their home until their deaths, that of the
'father occurring in 1867 and that of the mother
in 1872. They were the parents of three sons and
four daughters, of whom Reuben was the second
born. The paternal grandfather was a Revolutionary soldier, warmly espousing the cause of
the colonies against the mother country, giving
material aid to their cause through all the long
struggle for independence. Reuben began his
education in the district schools of Ohio, continued it in those of Indiana and finished it in
Jackson county of this state. At the first blush
of his young manhood he became a farmer and to
this chosen line of productive labor he has adhered with constancy ever since. His industry
has been blessed with abundant success in the
acquisition of property, also in the more enduring
and gratifying guerdon of public approval and
esteem. He owns nearly 650 acres of well-improved land in Hillsdale and Jackson counties,
nearly all of which is cleared and under advanced
cultivation, each tract being well supplied with
good buildings and other appurtenances for the
most successful farming.
While he has been conducting his business
enterprises with so much success and progressiveness, his capacity, knowledge of affairs, public
spirit and unusual fitness for the administration
of public office have won the confidence and good
will of the people to such an extent that he has
been made the standard bearer of his party for
many an important political contest, and while the
large and unyielding adverse majority has made
success in these contests always difficult and
usually impossible, with self-sacrificing devotion
to the cause he has never hesitated to lead a forlorn hope in order that the party organization
might be kept up and the vital principles at stake
might have vigorous support and defense. For
many years he served the township on the school
board, as a highway commissioner, and as a
justice of the peace. In 1882 he was the Democratic candidate for the office of state senator, and
three times he made the race for the lower house
of the State Legislature against great odds. In
fraternal circles he belongs to the Masonic order,
being for ten years the master of Hamilton Lodge
No. 113, of Moscow. He is also prominent in
the order of the Patrons of Husbandry, in which
he has filled all the chairs of the grange.
On June 30, I853, Mr. Strait was united in
marriage with Miss Mary A. Clapp, a daughter
of William and Abigail (Smith) Clapp, natives
of New York, who came to Michigan in 1837
and settled on section No. 31 of Hanover township in Jackson county, where they passed the remainder of their lives, the father dying in I882,
aged seventy-seven, and the mother in I883, aged
seventy-eight. Mr. Clapp was a prominent citizen of Jackson county, well known as a promoter
of every good enterprise for the advancement
and development of the county. With a view to
securing better facilities for market and travel
for his Section of the state, he donated to the Fort
Wayne & Saginaw Railroad the right-of-way
through his property, contributing in addition
$I,ooo toward the construction of the road. He
and his wife were the parents of one son and
I
/,$tJt fAcAL
MRS. REUBEN STRAIT.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
347
three daughters, Mrs. Strait being the second in
order of birth.
This venerable lady first saw the light of this
world on January 27, 1835, at Macedon Center,
Wayne county, New York, and at the tender age
of thirty months she was brought by her parents
on the long and wearying journey from her native home to this state, where she received such
educational training as the facilities of the period
afforded. By her marriage with Mr. Strait she
became the mother of nine children: William,
who died in infancy; Josephine, wife of James
Buchanan and mother of seven children, Wayne
J., Mary A., Albert, Ethel M., Anna, Jessie and
Dorris; Eugene B., a farmer in Jackson county,
husband of Nellie (Shepherd) Strait and father
of four children, Leon, Ross, Clyde and Ruby;
Thomas J., also a farmer in Jackson county,
husband of Effie (Densmore) Strait and father
of three children, Mary E., Alice and Bessie; William H., managing the homestead, husband of
Leona (Shepherd) Strait and father of one child,
Glen; Levi S., married May Windfield, has four
children, Lloyd, Jennie, Erma, Harold; Jennie,
wife of Willard Conklin of Scipio township and
mother of five children, Mark, Grove, Grace,
Reuben and Lee; Dewitt C., married with Myrtle Thompson, has one child, Myrtie; Ralph
Waldo, married with Myria Windfield, a sister
of Mrs. Levi S. Strait, has one child, Elmer.
Mrs. Strait died on February 27, I895, after a
life of great usefulness.
GEORGE P. WOLF.
While every clime and tongue of the civilized
world has made contributions of its energy, talent and people to aid in developing and improving the American continent, to none is the United
States more indebted for sturdy manhood, productive labor and persistent effort than to Germany, whose people are great and industrious
toilers in every line of activity. One of the members of the German race, who is surely entitled
to specific mention in any record of the achievements of the people of Hillsdale county, is
George P. Wolf, who was born in Saxony, Ger
many, on March 23, 1827. In his native country he was reared and educated, and learned the
trade of a carpenter under the competent instructions of his father. He followed this useful craft
near his home until I857, when he came to this
country, and located at Sandusky, Ohio, where
he worked at his trade for some time, then assisted in organizing the Sandusky Wheel Co., of
which. he was the very efficient foreman for ten
years.
In 1875 Mr. Wolf came to Michigan, and, locating at Hillsdale, he founded the planing-mill
and lumber business of which he is still the prosperous proprietor. This enterprise has grown in
importance with the flight of years through the
constant application of his systematic energy and
business acumen until it has reached proportions
of a gratifying magnitude and commands a large
trade throughout the surrounding country. It
has a high rank in the business world, both for
the quality of its output and for the elevated
plane cn which its business is conducted. It is
creditable alike to the locality where it works, the
man who conducts it and to the people who enjoy
benefits of its activity. Mr. Wolf was married in
I85I, to Miss Christina Fisher, a native of Germany, in which county the marriage was solemnized. She died at Sandusky, Ohio, in I863, leaving four children. In 1864 his second marriage
occurred. On this occasion he was united with
Miss Christina Seigler, also a native of Germany,
born and reared in Baden. They have two children.
Mr. Wolf has been a Republican in political
views from the organization of the party, having
cast his first vote for president for Gen. John C.
Fremont. He has never taken any active interest
in the contentions of politics, however, having no
desire for his own personal advancement to political or public office. He has a good business,
a large and active trade, a firm hold on the confidence and respect of the people, a pleasant domestic life. These furnish sufficient incident and
interest to fully occupy his time, engage his faculties and satisfy his desires without much reference to public affairs, except so far as they involve the progress and permanent good of the
348
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
community, and, when this is the case, he deals
with them in a patriotic manner, rather than with
a party spirit. Both in business and in private
life, Mr. Wolf is well-esteemed as a worthy man,
a respected citizen, an active influence in all that
is good in human endeavor.
MYRON G. WOOD.
The three-score years of life which this son
of one of the worthy early pioneers of this county
has seen, appear to have passed lightly over his
head, even though many of them involved hardship and privation, hard labor and all the elements
of the strenuous life in its most trying form. He
is a native of Hillsdale county, born on April
23, 1843, the son of Seth and Lydia (Gates)
Wood, natives of New York. The father, a farmer and carpenter, came from New York to this
county in I840, settled in Wheatland township
and there cleared up the farm on which he died
in 1852. His widow survived him for nearly
fifty years, dying on the same homestead in I90o.
Seven of the children that blessed their union
grew to maturity, two sons and five daughters.
All are now residents of this state.
Myron G. Wood received what education he
could in the primitive schools of his childhood
and youth in this county and assisted on the farm.
In the course of time he purchased the homestead and still owns it. Having displayed a taste
and capacity for public life, he was appointed
deputy sheriff by Sheriff George W. Bullock, and
under sheriff by Sheriff E. C. Miner; and, in
1884, he was himself elected sheriff, in which responsible office he has served four years, being
an important part of the police force of the county. At the conclusion of his official life, he engaged in selling sewing machines for some years,
but for some time now he has lived retired from
all active business, except to conduct a small repair industry, which is carried on more for the
accommodation of the neighborhood than for his
own profit. In the sheriff's office, both as deputy
and as chief, he displayed courage and wisdom.
On the civil, as well as the criminal side of his
duties, he won high praise from all who were
concerned With them, for the manner in which
they were performed.
Mr. Wood was united in marriage in I866
with Miss Susan Crater, a daughter of Mathias
Crater, one of the best known and most highly
esteemed citizens of Wheatland township. They
have four children, their daughters, Mary, the
wife of W. D. Perry; Hattie; Elsie, the wife of
Herbert Marsh; Bessie, living at the paternal
home. In political faith, Mr. Wood is a loyal
Republican, who has rendered his party good
service for many years, being a wheelhorse in its
organization and a forceful and effective campaigner. He belongs to the Masonic order in
lodge, chapter and commandery, and he is zealous in his participation in the work of each. He
has prospered in business and is well-to-do, but
still he has been ever generous with his means in
the support of enterprises of value to the community. He and his wife are both stockholders
in the Worthing-Alger Co., and in other industrial and mercantile enterprises of value.
HON. GEORGE C. WYLLIS.
Almost at the very limit of human life as fixed
by the sacred writer, on March 9, 1895, Hon.
George C. Wyllis, of Moscow township in this
county, closed his useful career and was laid to
rest amid the scenes he loved and had helped so
materially to make worthy of man's highest regard. As an educator, a public official, a popular
representative and as an enterprising and progressive farmer, he had dignified and adorned
American citizenship, and, when the end came,
he left to his offspring and admiring friends the
priceless legacy of a good name and a memory
that will long be an inspiration in the community.
Mr. Wyllis was born in Potsdam township, St.
Lawrence county, New York, on August I, 1825,
the son of Erastus and Hannah (Cobb) Wyllis,
the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of Vermont, both of English ancestry. His
father belonged to that old Wyllis family that
was. so prominent and so forceful in the early history of Connecticut, and both he and his son
exemplified in their lives the commendable traits
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. 349
of character, which have, in each generation,
made the family name great and respected
wherever it was known.
The father was a prosperous and enterprising
farmer in times of peace, and, when the War of
I812 broke out, the same patriotic feeling that
made him a useful citizen in all the civic relations of life sent him to the front as a citizen
soldier in defense of his country and to aid in
establishing her freedom and independence on
the sea, even as his forefathers in the Revolutionary contest had established them on the land. In
1833 the family removed to Genesee county, New
York, and, in 1838, to Michigan, here settling in
Pulaski township, Jackson county, where the father died in November, I839, and the mother in
August, I843. They were the parents of four
sons and three daughters, all of whom are now
deceased but one daughter.
Their son, George C. Wyllis, had opportunity
for but a limited common-school education, but
he enlarged and improved his estate in this line
by close study and judicious reading, and, as soon
as he was able, began teaching, an occupation
which he followed with growing reputation and
usefulness for twenty years. In 1843 he attended one term of the Michigan Central College, located at Spring Arbor, in Jackson county, and,
during the following winter, was a popular educator of Calhoun county. The summer months of
the next two years were passed at college, the
winters being devoted to teaching in Jackson
county and in Moscow township, of Hillsdale
county. On July Io, I852, Mr. Wyllis married
with Miss Emily Buck, of Moscow township, a
daughter of Israel and Jane E. (Green) Buck,
natives of NewYork, the former born in Clinton
county on October 15, 1807, and the latter in
Dutchess county, on August 3, I808. Mr. and
Mrs. Buck were married in 1828, and engaged
in farming in' Columbia county, in their native
state, then, in I835, removed to Michigan and
purchased 200 acres of land in Hillsdale county,
on which they passed the remainder of their lives.
They reared a family of six children, and,
although obliged to undergo all the usual hardships and privations of frontier life, they gave
their children the advantages of good educations
bringing them up in the best style attainable, and
inculcating a proper appreciation of their duty
to themselves and their responsibilities with reference to others.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Wyllis are:
Helen S., now Mrs. R. H. Snell, of Kansas City,
Missouri; Lucy J., now Mrs. W. W. Armstrong,
of Deerfield, Michigan; James V., living on the
family homestead; Florence, in business in Chicago; Arthur L., one of the respected citizens
of this county and the postmaster at Somerset
Center; Maud C., now Mrs. W. L. Bibbins, of
Je ome, in this county, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work; Carrie N., also living in Chicago. The eldest daughter, Helen,
was graduated from Hillsdale College in I875,
and took a post-graduate classical course at Ann
Arbor Uhiversity, being graduated therein in
1884. For five years she was the very satisfactory principal of the schools at Warsaw, Indiana, and for one year of those at Wabash in
the same state. She concluded her professional
career by serving for a year as principal in the
schools of Austin, Illinois. The ancestors of the
Buck family were English Quakers and one
branch settled in New England in early Colonial
days. They were sturdy people, firm in the tenets of their religious faith, true to every duty.
For a number of years Mr. Wyllis was engaged in the nursery business in Somerset township, on forty acres of land, which he sold in I850.
He then purchased the farm in Moscow township, which he owned at the time of his death.
This comprises I20 acres of excellent land, well
improved with good buildings and all necessary
equipments. A special feature of his enterprise
here was fruit-culture, to which he gave careful
and intelligent attention, and in horticulture generally he became an acknowledged authority. His
range of interest, however, was not limited to
any one department of agriculture, but embraced
in its beneficent and active sweep all branches
of the subject. He was for many years deeply
concerned and zealously serviceable for the welfare of the County Fair Association; he devoted
to its affairs much time and energy with an un
35o
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
selfish spirit of public enterprise. In politics he
was an ardent Republican, one of the founders, of
the party in Michigan. He exalted it by his membership and his devotion to its principles, and it
honored him with positions of trust and responsibility as long as he would accept them.
He served as a member of the local school
board from I855 to I868. Through his influence
and efforts the Union School at Moscow was organized, and, later, this child of his solicitude and
zealous care was under his fostering control as
its principal for several terms. He was first
elected a justice of the peace in I86I and he continued to hold the office for more than twenty
years. In I882 he was elected to the lower house
of the State Legislature, while a member of this
body serving as chairman of its committee on
rules and joint rules, and as a member of the
committee on the State Agricultural. College. He
secured much valuable legislation for his people,
notably a law of importance relative to the title
to real property by descent, also a law imposing
tax on dogs, for the purpose of raising a fund
to pay sheep owners for sheep killed by the. dogs.
In fraternal relations hie was an enthusiastic
Fi eemason and also an active member of the ordei
of Patrons of Husbandry, serving with great
credit as master of Hamilton Lodge, No. II3, in
the former and as master of Moscow Grange in
the latter. He died on March 9, 1895, at the age
of sixty-nine years, seven months and eight days,
universally esteemed for all that is worthy in
manhood and admirable in citizenship. "To live
in hearts we leave behind is not to die."
AARON WORTHING.
Welch industry, thrift, business capacity and
persistent adherence to purpose have done much
for the development and commercial progress of
portions of the United States, and, among those
who have exhibited these commendable and productive traits in large measure, Aaron Worthing, of Hillsdale, the president of the WorthingAlger Co., manufacturers of fine fur-coats and
robes, must be accorded a high rank. His energy
and capability of conceiving and carrying out
large industrial and mercantile designs of great
value to the community in which they are found,.is well-known and highly appreciated in Hillsdale, whose pulse of productive activity in almost
every line has been quickened, and at the same
steadied, by the resources of his ready mind
and the touch of his tireless hand. He is of
Welsh ancestry on his mother's side, and was
himself born in the little mountainous constituent
of Great Britain, being a native of Radnorshire,
Wales, where his life began on January 23, I837.
His father, William Worthing, a native of England, belonged to an old family resident in that
county from time immemorial, and his mother,
whose maiden name was Margaret Davis, was
a scion of an old family long resident in Wales.
They emigrated to the United States in I845 to
settle in Kenosha county, Wisconsin. There the
father purchased unimproved government land
and gave up the remainder of his life to its development and' improvement with such success,
that when he died, it was one of the choice farms
of its neighborhood. They both died in Fond du
Lac county, Wisconsin. They were the parents
of nine children, eight of whom came to the
United States; seven are still living, Aaron being
the only one residing in Michigan.
Reaching this country when he was but eight
years old, the education of Aaron Worthing was
almost wholly secured in the public schools of
Wisconsin, and, in that state, he began life for
himself as a farmer on an unimproved farm of
his own, in Dodge county, on which he continued
to live and work until 1871. Early in that year
he trned his attention to merchandising at Oakfield, in Fond du Lac county, and carried on a
large business in this way until I886. He.then
reduced his stock to harness and feed, and carried on trade in these lines for two years longer.
He was eminently successful in both ventures,
and in I888 sold out his establishment, thereafter
passing some months in travel in the South. In
I889 he came to Hillsdale, and, purchasing lots
on Oak street, erected for himself a handsome
residence which he still occupies. In the fall
of 1890 he began the erection of a portion of the
plant now occupied by the extensive fur business
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
35I
of which he is the head, and began the manufacture of fur robes, soon after adding to the output
fur coats of high grade.
From the beginning the business prospered.
It was ere long necessary to enlarge the plant,
which was done to its present capacity and to
steadily increase its working force, until it now
employs eighty laborers in addition to the traveling salesmen and the office force. In I89I H. O.
Alger became a member of the firm, which became Worthing & Alger. Under this arrangement and name the establishment was conducted
until I9oo, when a stock company, with a capital
stock of $70,000, was formed, with Mr. Worthing
as president, Mr. Alger, vice-president, and J.
Will Marvin secretary: The directorate also includes F. M. Stewart, G. N. Smith, O. N. Brown,
of Elkhart, and L. D. Woodworth, of Hillsdale,
The anual product of the factory exceeds Io,ooo
coats, besides a large number of robes. In addition the firm does a considerable amount of
local tanning. This is an enterprise of great commercial importance to Hillsdale, keeping in circulation in her midst a large amount of money
and bringing her name impressively before the
gaze of the whole country, for the coats and robes
are shipped to all parts of the United States. It
is not, however, the only manufacturing enterprise in which Mr. Worthing is interested and
has been influential in forming. He is one of the
original stockholders of the Alamo Gas Engine
Co., is the vice-president of the Hillsdale Screen
Co., being also connected with the Omega Portlant Cement Co., all of this county.
In everything that contributes to the advancement and improvement of the community, Mr.
Worthing takes a leading place and makes his
presence felt effectively. In I890 he was elected
a trustee of Hillsdale College, and is still rendering valuable service in that capacity. During the
time he has been officially connected with the
college, his contributions to its needs and benefits have been numerous and important. The
most conspicuous of these is the Worthing Divinity Hall, one of the most appreciated and useful of the college departments, which was created
by his beneficence in I898. A trustee of the col
lege, he is also a member of the prudential committee of the college government, and, also, for
the past three years, he has been a mmber of the
permanent endowment committee. In politics Mr.
Worthing is a Prohibitionist, but he has never accepted office. For many years he has been a
trustee of and an ardent worker in the Baptist
church. He is a large real-estate owner in the.
city, having fully eighteen houses, and he also
owns 250 acres of good, well-improved farm
land. In September, I86o, he married, in Illinois,
with Miss Lydia Arnold, a native of Vermont.
They have one child, their daughter, Eva, wife
of W. H. Bach, of Hillsdale.
THE HILLSDALE LEADER.
The first number of the Hillsdale Leader was
printed on September 29, 1882. It was a fivecolumn quarto, and issued by Messrs. Ackerly,
Bowman & Co.; the firm consisting of Henry H.
Ackerly, and William H. Bowman and George
Strange, all active and ambitious young men.
This firm was organized by the consolidation of
the job office of Mr. Ackerly, at Hillsdale, and
the Hammer, owned and run by Mr. Strange,
at North Adams, and for whom Mr. Bowman, a
practical printer, was at work.
Col. E. J. March, through the Ackerly contribution to the firm's assets, was behind the enterprise, in a financial way, from the beginning.
The Hammer was discontinued, and the Leader
established at Hillsdale. On March 9, I883, the
size of the paper was changed from a five-column
sheet to a six-column quarto. Soon after the
paper started, Mr. Strange became dissatisfied,
and, at the solicitation of Messrs. Ackerly and
Bowman, Colonel March purchased the one-third
interest of Mr. Strange therein, and became a
partner in the publishing firm. On July II, i884,
the firm was changed from Ackerly, Bowman &
Co. to E. J. March & Co., and this has ever since
been the firm name, Mr. Ackerly retiring from
the paper in July, 1884. In I885, Colonel March
built the Leader building, expressly to make a
home for the paper, and from that year The Hillsdale Leader has been printed in the Leader build
352
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAIN.
ing, one of the best homes of any paper in Michigan. In I893, Mr. Bowman sold his interest to
Mrs. Gertrude M. Sutton, a daughter of Colonel
March, and she has ever since been more or less
actively engaged upon the paper. John, R. Sutton and George K. March each owns an interest,
and are members of the firm of E. J. March & Co.
The Leader has always been Republican. It
has stood vigorously for cleanliness and integrity in politics, sometimes too much so to please
certain politicians. It has prospered financially,
and is one of the best paying newspaper propositions and plants of the state. Repeated offers
to purchase have been declined, and it is considered a safe prediction, that, so long as the present owners may live, The Hillsdale Leader will
be owned and edited by E. J. March & Co. Its
sworn statement of circulation, made on January
7, I903, showed an average weekly circulation
from September 30, I9OI, the date of its last preceding statement, to January 2, 1903, of 2,151
copies per week.
JOHN BENJAMIN ALWARD.
On Friday, February 7, I896, the insatiate
archer, Death, who is said to love a shining mark,
ended the useful life and productive career of
John Benjamin Alward, one of the prominent
and highly respected citizens bf Camden in this
county, whose name was as familiar as a household word in all southern Michigan, and was a
synonym for all that is elevated in citizenship,
genial in companionship and enterprising and progressive in business. Mr. Alward was past sixtyfour years old, having been born on October 26,
1832, in Harrison township, of Licking county,
Ohio, and he had been a resident of Michigan for
about twenty-seven years, living all of the time
in Camden township. His father, Ezra H. Alward, lived for many years in Licking county,
Ohio, and then moved to Hancock county in the
same state, where both himself and wife, Nancy
(Eastman) Alward, resided until their deaths.
John Benjamin Alward, their son, was reared
on the paternal homestead and educated at the
public schools and Granville (Ohio) Male Acad
emy. At the age of twenty-four years he married
with Miss Maria Kalb, of Macomb, Hancock
county, in his native state, and they became the
parents of five children, four of whom are living:
Addie, wife of E. Biery; Estella, wife of Ira
Black; Charles B.; Metta, wife of George A.
Brown. After his marriage he engaged for a
number of years in mercantile business. In I869
he moved his family to Hillsdale county and settled here on a farm near the village of Camden,
adjoining the original village plot. The next year
he moved to another farm, which is still a part of
his estate, located two miles east of the village.
There he built a family residence, and for a number of years conducted both agricultural and a
flourishing insurance business. On December
27, 1873, his wife died, and on October 5, I875,
he married Miss Ella R. Stewart, of Camden,
who is still living.
After his second marriage Mr. Alward was in
business several years as a hardware and grocery
merchant, and, thereafter, until a few months
prior to his death, he was bank cashier and confidential man to 0. D. Chester, who had extensive
business interests. He was also a silent partner
in the firm of C. B. Alward & Co., of which his
son was the head. He was a gentleman of fine
public spirit and throughout his mature life was
a valuable aid in the development of all good enterprises for the benefit of the community in
which he lived. He served as town clerk of Camden five years, as supervisor four terms, and, in
I88I, was the nominee of his party for representative of the State Legislature. In the best
elements of the county's public life he was an influential and valued advisor and help, being especially interested in the cause of public education.
His activity In life as a citizen began in this domain of the public service, he having taught for
several terms, serving also ably as school inspector in Hancock county before leaving Ohio.
The love for the cause which he then acquired
he never lost, and the grasp of the subject and
knowledge of its needs, gained in his practical
experience, proved of great value to the school
system of this county after he became a citizen
here. It gave him a breadth of view and a spirit
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
353
of enterprise and progress which enabled him to
inspire others, and thus widen the sphere and elevate the standard of usefulness in the schools that
were subject to his influence and to enlarge the
power for good of all who were connected with
them. From an early period of his manhood he
was connected with the Masonic order and the
Order of Odd Fellows, and his devotion to the
cause of these fraternities and the abilities for
wise and progressive administration he displayed,
raised him to distinction in each. When the Odd
Fellows lodge at Camden was instituted in 1878,
he was a charter member and its first noble grand.
And in 1887 he was grand patriarch of the Grand
Encampment of the state. In 1883 he was grand
marshal of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Michigan, in 1884 junior grand warden, in i885 senior
grand warden, and in I886 was grand high priest
of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons.
The next year he was chosen as Grand Representative of the Michigan Odd Fellows to the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the'order, which met that
year at Los Angeles, California, and in I889 he
was again elected to this position, but declined to
serve on account of his failing eyesight.
Mr. Alward's father was a devout Methodist,
for many years a class-leader in the church.
Thus brought up under the influence of that great
religious organization, and dwelling ever in its
atmosphere, the son became a member of the
church in his youth and continued loyal and devoted in his allegiance to it through life, ever
being one of its most liberal supporters and most
active workers. When he came to Camden he
found an organized class of this faith holding
services twice a month in a schoolhouse. He at
once began to agitate the building of a church,
and was made a member of the first board of trustees, which was constituted in I869. The lot on
which his late residence now stands was purchased as a. site for the church edifice, but soon
afterward the railroad ran its survey so close
to this lot as to make it undesirable for this purpose. He then took it off the'hands of the trustees and aided them in buying the one on which.
the building was erected. Then, when they were
ready to build, he helped to haul the necessary
brick and other material, and rendered substantial aid in many other ways. He remained on the
board of trtstees until his death, and was the
last survivor of the seven members who composed
it at the beginning. He also organized the first
choir for the church, was its leader for a number of years, and was a teacher in the Sundayschool. Through all the history of this church he
was an ardent worker in all its benevolent and
evangelizing activities, being a particularly generous supporter of its fund for the benefit of
superannuated preachers. By his last marriage
he was the father of thret children, Ben. R., a
banker of Camden, and Bliss S., a druggist of
Camden, and Clara, who are living at home.
MILON ARCHER.
The late Milon Archer, of Reading township, Hillsdale county, who died on April 24,
190I, full of years and of credit with the people
among whom the greater part of his useful life
was passed, was practically a product of the county, although born elsewhere, having come hither
with his parents in boyhood, and grown up with
the country, assisting in its development, helping
to shape and imbibing the spirit of its institutions,
aiding in the direction of its public life and exemplifying in his own its best attributes and tendencies, and bearing at all times his due share of
its burdens in the preservation of peace and prosperity, in pushing forward its early conquests
over savage Nature and broadening its later expansion in commercial and industrial activities.
He was born on January IO, 1826, at Canandaigua, New York, and was the son of Garner and
Annie (Warfield) Archer, the former a native of
New York, where he was married, and the latter
of Virginia.
About 1837 Garner Archer, accompanied by
his wife and seven children, left the home of his
childhood and strode with adventurous foot toward the western wilderness, traveling by boat
from Buffalo to Toledo, and from there by team
to Hillsdale county, then just awakening to the
call of civilization and cultivated life. He took
up eighty acres of heavily timbered land on sec*
354
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
tion 2 in Reading township, and built a little log
cabin, in which his family dwelt for a number of
years. He wrought with patient and persistent
industry in clearing his land and getting it under cultivation, and, as time passed and he grew
prosperous, he made improvements of a solid
character, building a more comfortable residence
and also increasing his farm to I60 acres by the
purchase of additional land. One natural feature,
which aided in determining the selection of his
land in the first instance, was the presence on it
of an excellent spring of never-failing water, which
proved to be a great convenience to his family
and of great value to the farm. He was four
times married, the first two in New York, and
he had one child by the second marriage when
he came to Michigan. In later years he moved
to Cambria township and died near Cambria village, in I890, aged ninety-for years.
Milon Archer,his son, was about eleven years
old when the family came to Hillsdale count),
and from that time to his death he was continuously a resident of the county and an active participant in its affairs. He was reared on the
paternal homestead, educated to a limited extent
in the neighboring district schools, exigencies of
the time allowing but few opportunities for systematic mental training to. the sons of the pioneers.
At the age of eighteen he bought sixty acres of
land on section 3 in Reading township, which two
years later he traded for eighty acres on section I.
About this time he was married and located on
the land, to clear it of its dense growth of timber,
reduce it to cultivation and make it his permanent home. He put up a small framed house of
two rooms, into which he and his young bride
moved, and here they took up the battle of life on
the edge of the wilderness, and began to enact
over again the part their parents had already performed in redeeming the waste and developing
the region in which they found themselves. More
land was purchased as the first became productive; in course of time they owned 200 acres, and
were well established in worldly comforts, happy in the fruits of their own industry and frugality. A more commodious and better arranged
dwelling was erected, and other improvements
were made in keeping with this.
When their two sons were old enough to take
charge of the farm, the parents retired to a small
place in the township, where this esteemed citizen ended his days, as has been stated, on April
24, 19OI, aged seventy-five years. He and his
wife were charter members of the Free Will Baptist church of the township, helping to organize
the congregation and build the church, and remaining its active and loyal supporters through
all phases of its history. Mr. Archer's marriage
occurred in Reading township 'on November 4,
I846, and was with Miss Phidelia Thompson, a
native of Genesee county, New York, a daughter of Aaron and Arilla (Baker) Thompson, natives of Vermont, who moved to New York when
they were young and were there reared and married. They came to Hillsdale county in the
spring of I837, and for two years lived on a
rented farm near Jonesville. Mr. Thompson then
bought eighty acres of timber land on section 4
in Reading township, the place now owned by
Asa S. Lindsley. He cleared and improved the
farm and lived on it until a short time prior to
the Civil W\ar, when he sold it and he and his
wife became a part of the household of their
daughter, Mrs. Archer. The mother died in I879
and the father in I880. He was a deacon in the
Free Will Baptist church from his early manhood. Mr. and Mrs. Archer were the parents
of four children: Lura, the wife of Asa Northrop, a farmer of Reading township; Arilla, who
married Angus H. Abbott and died at the age
of twenty-two leaving one child; Orson, who
owns a part of the old homestead; Orville, who
owns the rest of it and lives in the paternal
residence.
Orson M. Archer, eldest son of Milon and
Phidelia (Thompson) Archer, was born in
Reading township, Hillsdale county, on February I, I860. He grew to manhood on the
paternal homestead and received his education
in the district schools in its vicinity, finishing
*his course with a year's attendance at the Jonesville High School. At the age of twenty-one he
took entire charge of the home farm and for four
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
355
years it was wholly under his management. Then
his brother, Orville, united with him in its control,
and they farmed the place together until it was
divided. Mr. Archer now owns I00 acres of it
and forty acres adjoining his portion in Allen
township. He has good, modern buildings on his
farm, and is a progressive, enterprising and downto-date farmer and breeder of good stock. He
gives special attention to sheep, handling principally the Delaine Merino strain, of which he
feeds a large number every winter. He was
married on April 23, 1885, to Miss Dora E. Buell,
a native of Branch county and daughter of Orlando F. and Sarah D. (Clizbe) Buell, who came
from New York to this state in childhood with
their parents. In I870 Mr. Buell engaged in the
shoe business at Reading, which he continued for
a number of years. His wife died at Adrian in
I869, and he now lives at Menominee. Mr. and
Mrs. Archer have one child, their son, Verne B.
Mr. Archer is a Republican in political faith.
HENRY W. BARRE.
A native of Ohio, to whose intellectual and
general welfare he contributed as a valued teacher for a number of years, a soldier in the Civil
War, helping to bear the brunt of battle at the
front of unrolling columns of deadly strife and
do guard duty where important interests were
held in the momentous contest, wherein the life of
a nation was the stake, and since then a progressive and enterprising merchant and developer in
Michigan, Henry W. Barre, of Reading, Hillsdale county, exemplifies in his daily life, and has
ever shown in his useful and productive career
the best attributes and the loftiest spirit of American citizenship, which is ready for any duty and
prepared to meet any emergency that may be
found in its path. He was born on June 30, 1838,
at Ripleyville, in Huron county, Ohio, and is the
son of John and Amy (Stout) Barre, more extended mention of whom will be found in the
sketch of Corvis M. Barre, on another page of
this volume.
Mr. Barre grew to manhood in his native
county, and received his preliminary education
23
in its district schools. After completing their
course he entered a noted college near Cleveland,
Ohio, where he was a student for a year. He then
attended the Wesleyan University at Delaware,
Ohio, for one term, after which he engaged in
teaching, following this useful but exacting occupation in Huron and Seneca counties in his native state for ten or twelve years. In I864 he
enlisted in Co. C, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth
Ohio Infantry, and served in that command to
the close of the Civil War. During the greater
part of his term he was stationed at Arlington
Heights, opposite Washington, and was on duty
between that place and the historic Bull Run.
After the close of the war he returned to Ohio,
and for a year served the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne
Railroad as a fireman.
In 1867 he took up his residence in Michigan,
and, after remaining at Hillsdale for about six
months, located at Reading and started the hardwood lumber business in which he is still engaged, which he has made one of the important
commercial enterprises of this part of the state.
In connection with this he also operates three
valuable farms near Reading, and takes an active
part in political affairs and the local government
of the county. For more than twenty years he
has served as an under sheriff and deputy, holding
the last named position at the present time. He
is an earnest working Republican in political affiliation, always giving his party loyal service and
holding a place of influence in its councils. He
is also a man of progressive ideas and breadth of
view, one of the inspiring and forceful factors in
the development.and advancement of the county.
Fraternally, he is connected with the Masonic
order, holding membership in the blue lodge at
Reading and in the chapter and commandery at
Hillsdale. He is prominent and zealous in the
Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to the
local post at Reading.
On December 7, I870, Mr. Barre married with
Miss Lura E. Chapman, who was born in Reading
township, the daughter of Hiram B. and Amanda
E. (Chamberlain) Chapman, the former a native of Sandwich, New Hampshire, who came to
Michigan at the age of eighteen, and soon after
356
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
became a teacher in Monroe county, where he met
and married his first wife, Miss Elizabeth Chamberlain. In 1847 they became residents of Hillsdale county, locating in Reading township; and
here, on February 28, I865, after twenty-five
years of happy wedded life, his wife died, leaving
ten children as the fruit of their union, of whom
Mrs. Barre was the sixth. Her eldest brother, Elbridge R. Chapman, died on March 29, 1865, one
month after his mother, and another one, Alanson,
met his death in the Civil War at Pendleton,
South Carolina. On July I, I865, Mr. Chapman
married a second wife, Miss Elizabeth A. Morse,
of Detroit. Mr. Chapman, who is now deceased,
was one of the largest property owners and most
useful and influential men of the county during
his later life.
Mr. and Mrs. Barre have three children: Mabel A., wife of W. A. Munger, of New Orleans,
Louisiana; Maud, wife of Dr. L. R. Hill, of Read,
ing; and Percy, living at home and manager of
the grocery store of Mr. Munger.
JAMES A. BATES, M. D.
Ten years in the practice of medicine in a
country district is sufficient to test the capacity
and skill of a man, and to make them known to
the people among whom he lives and works, to
such an extent that there need be no longer any
doubt or misunderstanding on the subject. But
far less than this length of time in active practice,
is sufficient to fix the rank and renown of a man
of unusual capacity, diligence, breadth of view,
quickness of perception and discriminating judgment. And this has been the lot of Dr. James A.
Bates, of Camden, one of the active practitioners
of southern Michigan, on whom, although he
has been but a decade in the profession, his patrons and fellow citizens have long since set the
seal of an approval that frequently comes only to
the departed, seldom to any but those whose title
to it has been established by a long course of public or professional service.
The Doctor was born at Columbia, Williams
county, Ohio, on October 24, 1867, the son of Dr.
Orson and Hannah (Hoadley) Bates, natives of
Medina county in that state. His father was
graduated from the medical department of the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the
spring of I854, and began practicing at Columbia, Ohio. In I869 he removed his family to
Reading, Mich., and there resuming his practice,
he continued it until his death on November 22,
1871, being associated during a portion of his
life in this county with Doctor Strong, of Reading. The widow of Doctor Bates, the elder, survives and makes her home with her son at Camden. They were the parents of five children,
four of whom are living, the young Doctor being
the fourth in the order of birth. He was two
years old when the family came to Hillsdale
county, and lived at Reading until the death of
his father. The family then moved to a.farm
in Camden township, and there the Doctor grew
to manhood and received the earlier part of his
scholastic training in the public schools. This
he followed with a two-years' course at the high
school in Hillsdale and one year at Hillsdale College, He then began the study of medicine under the direction of Dr. Wood, of Angola, and
Dr. McKellen, of Camden, and, in I889, entered
the Medical College of Indiana, now a part of the
State University, and, in I892, he was graduated
from that institution with the degree of M. D.
He at once located at Cambria in this county
and entered upon the practice of his profession,
remaining there two years. In I894 he moved
to Camden and became associated in practice
with Dr. Charles McKellen, of that village, with
whom he remained until the death of Dr. McKellen, on December 26, 900o, dissolved the partnership. The eminent man with whom he was
associated had been an active practitioner at
Camden for twenty-seven years at the time of
his death, and was highly endowed by nature
with a rare combination of qualifications for success in his business. He was a native of Ireland and came with his parents to the United
States in infancy. He was graduated from the
Medical College of Indiana in the spring of 1873,
and, in the following autumn, located at Camden, and formed a partnership for the practice of
medicine with Dr. Coe, of that village, which
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
357
lasted until the death of the latter in 1875. Dr.
McKellen was a bachelor and aged about fortyfour at the time of his death. He had been for
years an active and serviceable member of the
county and state medical societies, and was held
in highest esteem as a physician and a citizen.
Since his death Doctor Bates has been practicing alone, and has established himself in a
large and very representative business. His practice is general in its scope and he prepares for it
by close study of the literature of the profession,
and a judicious application of its best thought
and suggestions. He belongs to the Tri-State
Medical Society and gives to its proceedings not
only a close and discriminating attention as a
listener, but the benefit of his own study, observation and reflection. In fraternal relations he
is connected with the Odd Fellows, the Knights
of the Maccabees, and the Woodmen of the
World,' holding his membership in all at Camden. He was married on June 2, I903, to Miss
Elizabeth Palmer, a native of Camden township
and a daughter of Julian and Catherine (Throne)
Palmer, prosperous farmers in that township.
In politics Doctor Bates is a pronounced Republican, but he takes no active part in partisan
contests except so far as he deems the duties of
good citizenship require. He is, however, earnestly interested in the welfare and development'
of the section in which he has cast his lot, and
omits no effort on his part to promote them
vigorously and wisely. As a professional man
he has a high rank in his county; as a citizen
he is recognized as wise and progressive, upright and serviceable; and in social life he and
his wife are among the inspiring forces, being
widely esteemed for their accomplishments.
THOMAS H. E. BELL, M. D.
One of the leading professional men of all
southern Michigan, who during the last six years
has been an active practitioner of medicine and
surgery in Hillsdale county, Dr. Thomas H. E.
Bell, of Montgomery, was born at Auburn, Huron county, Canada, on- June I8, 1874, the son
of Joseph and Mary (Hawsen) Bell, who were
also Canadians by birth, the former of English
and the latter of Scotch descent. His father is
a miner now residing in Montana. His mother
died when her son, Thomas, who was the first
born of her three children, was but four years
old. After her death he went to live with his
uncle, John Lashanm, a wealthy speculator at
Londesborough in his native county, who saw
that he was properly educated, sending him to
the public school as soon as he was old enough
and continuing him in the course until he was
graduated from the Clinton high school in I892.
IIe then began reading medicine under the instruction of Dr. O. Young, of Londesborough,
since deceased, with whom he remained a year,
at the end of which time he entered the Michigan
College of Medicine and Surgery at Detroit,
where he was graduated with the degree of M. D.
in I897, after a thorough course of four years.
In April of that year Doctor Bell located at
Montgomery, where he has since maintained his
home, and at once began the practice of his profession. He has been very diligent and faithful in ministering to the needs of the people in
his line, and has built up an extensive practice
in the county and won for himself a high place
in the confidence and regard of the citizens
throughout its limits. His success is not the result of accident or favoring conditions, but the
legitimate and hard-earned guerdon for fidelity
to duty, industry in study and skill in practice.
He is a close observer, a judicious reasoner and
an industrious employer of all the means available to him for advancement in his chosen line of
work, holding active and zealous membership
in the county and state medical societies and the
American Medical Association. While abhorring empiricism of every kind, the Doctor realizes
that medicine and surgery are progressive
sciences, and welcomes with cordial and studious
hospitality every new idea or suggestion that
seems to be of value, and applies it with judgment and skill in his practice until its utility has
been fully tested, and then adopts or rejects it.
On August 17, I898, Doctor Bell was united
in marriage with Miss Anna M. Webb, a native
of Staffa, Ontario, and. daughter of Robert and
358
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Elizabeth R. (Muir) Webb, also natives of that
province, tre father of English and the mother
of Scotch ancestry. The mother died when her
daughter, Mrs. Bell, was quite young, and the
father, who subsequently married again, is still
living in Ontario. The Doctor and Mrs. Bell
have one child, their son, Kenneth L. The Doctor is a member of the Masonic order, belonging
to the lodge at Camden, and is also an Odd Fellow with the rank of past grand. He belongs to
the Modern Woodmen of America and is the
camp physician of his lodge irr the order. He is
a medical examiner for the New York Life, the
Penn Mutual, the Equitable and the John Hancock life insurance companies. In politics he is
an ardent Republican, at all times manifesting a
deep practical interest in the success of his party,
although it cannot be said that he is desirous of
its honors or positions of profit for himself.
Among the young professional men of Hillsdale
county none seems to have a future of greater
promise, and none deserves success more than
Doctor Bell, whether the gauge of merit be professional ability, and persistent determination and
effort to increase it, or high character and culture of manner, with a lofty ideal of professional
ethics and the duties of citizenship in general.
BENJAMIN C. BRADLEY.
Benjamin C. Bradley, one of the honored
pioneers of Camden township, came to Hillsdale
county in the spring of 1835 and entered I6o
acres of land on section 34, two miles south of
the present village of Camden. He made the trip
all the wav from the town of Lyons, Wayne county, New York, by team, and was about two
months on the road. The party consisted of
himself, Benjamin F. Fisher, Charles W. Westfall and Robert Sutton, each of whom entered
I6o acres. Soon after they all went back to their
New York homes, and some time afterward all
but Sutton returned to Michigan and settled on
their land. Sutton sold his claim, but later also
became a resident, of Hillsdale county. In the
spring of 1837 Mr. Bradley came to the county,
built a log cabin on his land and cleared about
five acres of it. After wintering again in New
York, in the spring of 1838 he brought his family westward, determined to make a permanent
settlement there.
The household consisted of his mother, his
wife and his two children. They journeyed by
way of the Erie canal to Buffalo and from there
by steamer to Toledo over Lake Erie. A man
named Thompson, whom he had hired for the
purpose at Adrian, met them with ox-teams at
Toledo, and by these conveyances they came to
their destination in the wilderness, coming by
way of Jonesville, being obliged to cut out their
road through the woods after leaving Judge
Mickle's house, in what is now Reading township. They began life in their new home under
great difficulties, but with cheerful hearts and determined spirit. Their first crops were corn,
potatoes and a small quantity of spring wheat.
There were many Indians then in the neighborhood, probably exceeding in number the whites
of the present day, but they were not unfriendly,
and their neighborly disposition, although annoying at times, was of considerable advantage to
the new settlers. Mr. Bradley continued to live
on the farm which he thus entered until his
death, on June 2, I893, at the age of nearly
eighty-seven years. He bought additional land
from time to time, and at his death owned nearly
400 acres.
He made his home one of the most valuable
and attractive in the township, and became a man
of influence in the local government and social
life of the section. He was a Democrat in politics until the attack on Fort Sumter at the beginning of the Civil War, when he became an
ardent Unionist and remained in affiliation with
the Republican party during the rest of his life.
He rendered excellent service to his people in
several official stations of importance and responsibility, being township supervisor two terms,
justice of the peace three terms, township treasurer one term and school inspector a number of
terms. His life began at Springfield, Connecticut, on July 5, I806, and he was the son of Benjamin and Deborah (Winchell) Bradley, the
former a native of the north of Ireland and the
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
359
latter of Virginia. The father came to the
United States about the beginning of the Revolution and took an active part in the contest on
the side of his adopted country. The mother
was a daughter of an old Indian fighter on the
border in the early days who served with David
Crockett and other men of his class and times.
After his marriage this Benjamin Bradley and
his wife settled in Connecticut on a farm, on
which they lived until death ended their labors.
They were the parents oi thirteen children, all
now deceased, their son Benjamin being the
youngest and,last survivor.
When he was twelve years old Benjamin
moved with his sisters to the town of Lyons, in
Wayne county, New York, where he grew to
manhood and also received a limited education.
There also he worked by the month on farms,
and for several years by the year for Robert Sutton, who was later for a long time a resident of
Hillsdale county. He was married in Wayne
county to Miss Catherine Cole, a native of New
Jersey, a daughter of William and Margaret
Cole, who were born, reared and married in
Germany, and on coming to America located in
New Jersey, where four of their children were
born. They afterward moved to Wayne county,
New York, and bought I60 acres of land, on
which they died at advanced ages. A portion of
their farm is now within the limits of the village
of Lyons. Mrs. Bradley died at the Camden
township home on December 27, I86o. She and
her husband were the parents of five children, the
first and second of whom were born in New
York, and the rest in Michigan. They were
James C., a resident of Camden, a sketch of whom
follows; Margaret, widow of George S. Crane,
also residing at Camden; Jane, deceased, who
was first married to Charles B. Johnson, and after his death to David Smith; Julia, who married Ormund C. Crane, both deceased; Esther
W., wife of Henry T. Crane, and after his death
of Walter St. John. She resides on the old homestead.
James C. Bradley, son of Benjamin C. Bradley, and a prominent and influential farmer, merchant and public official for many years in Cam
den township and-village, was born in the town
of Lyons, Wayne county, New York, on November 29, 1832, and was six years old when the
family moved to this county. There were but
few white people then in the neighborhood of
his home, and his playmates in boyhood and youth
were mostly Indians. He associated with the
young braves freely, became attached to some of
them and acquired considerable proficiency in the
use of their language. In 1842, when the U. S.
government moved the tribe to a reservation in
the farther West, he made an effort to leave his
home by stealth and accompany his young Indian
friends to their new location. In this he was
foiled by his parents, and he has since been
thankful for their vigilance.
His life on the farm was one of toil and privation, and from his early boyhood he was inured
to hard work and danger. It was a three-days'
journey to the mill at Jonesville or Hillsdale, a
large part of the trip being made over old Indian trails through the otherwise trackless forest,
subject to all the numerous hazards of the untamed woodland. Being the oldest chiki of the
family, he was obliged to assist in clearing and
conducting the farm, and take his part in any
kind of work there was to do. His facilities for
schooling were compassed with a little log schoolhouse with an open fireplace and a row of crude
and uncomfortable benches made of slabs ranged
around the sides of the room. His first teacher
was Miss Mary A. Olmstead, an aunt of O. D.
Chester, who taught the first school in the township. She gave him a primer, which he still
owns, and which he cherishes highly as a memento
of those early days and as a curiosity in itself.
The pages are two and one-half by four inches in
size, and are adorned with crude illustrations.
The book has a paper cover and was published
by George B. Daniels, at Providence, in i839,
"edition sub-limited."
Mr. Bradley remained at home and worked
on his father's farm until after the beginning of
the Civil War. On August 5, I862, he enlisted
in Co. H, Eighteenth Michigan Infantry, and
with his regiment went to Lexington, where he
was on guard duty eighteen months. He was
360
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
then transferred to Chattanooga, where he was
on detached duty until after the fight with Hood.
While in Kentucky, in October, 1862, during
Morgan's raid, he was kicked by a mule and had
four ribs broken, being at the same time run
over by a wagon, by which one of his limbs was
badly injured. Fifty-nine prisoners were taken
by the Confederates at the time, forty-nine of
them members of his company, and he narrowly
escaped capture. Following his injuries he had
a severe attack of typhoid fever, and, on December 25, 1863, he was mustered out of the
service on account of the disability incurred
therein, and was an invalid for three years thereafter. He returned home and as soon as he was
able took charge of his father's farm. In 1873
he opened a general store at Camden and was
soon made postmaster, a position he held for
twenty-one years, three months and sixteen days.
He has also been in the drug business at Camden for a number of years. At present he is retired from active commercial pursuits, but is still
earnestly engaged in the service of the township
and village as clerk and as a notary.
Mr. Bradley was first married, in I866, to
Miss Ellen Thompson, a native of Lenawee
county, this state, and by this marriage became
the father of two children, Minnie, now wife of
John F. Fast, of Camden; and Benzora, who
married William Roggie and is now deceased.
Their mother died in I897, and Mr. Bradley
thereafter married Miss Maggie B. Chapman, a
native of Camden township. They have one
child, their son; James C., Jr., now four years old.
Mr. Bradley owns considerable real estate of
value in Camden village, a portion of which is
an entire block of business houses. He also
owns farm property of extent and worth. He
has always been active in local affairs and has
filled a number of official positions with credit,
serving two terms as township treasurer, and now
in his fourth as township clerk and his first as
village clerk. For many years he was a member of the sc1ool board, holding several offices
from time to time on the body. He is a member of
Camden Lodge of Odd Fellows, and in the Masonic fraternity belongs to the lodge at Camden,
the chapter at Reading and the commandery at
Hillsdale. He is also a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic and the Union Veterans'
Union.
In politics he has been a Republican from
the organization of the party, having cast his
vote for its first presidential candidate, Gen.
John C. Fremont, in I856, and supporting all its
candidates at every subsequent election. No
citizen oif Camden township has been more steadfastly loyal to the county, more serviceable in its
public life, more true to its best ideals of citizenship
in private life, or more worthy of the general esteem of its people than he, and none has that esteem in greater measure or with more real sincerity from all classes of his community.
FREDERICK CHESTER.
This esteemed pioneer of Camden township
was born in Mexico township, Oswego county,
New York, on September 12, I83I, and is the son
of Gurdon and Annie (Rathburn) Chester, the
former a native of Windham county, Connecticut, and the latter also of that state. In his childhood Gurdon Chester moved with his parents to
Oneida county, New York, and there, when he
reached maturity, he married with Miss Catherine Darling, by whom he had three children,
Eason T., Lucy A. and Freelove. The last:
named died in childhood; Lucy married James
Hamlin and died at Allen in this state; and Eason died in Camden township, after many years of
life as a successful farmer. After his marriage the
elder Chester located at Mexico, New York, and
there his wife died, and he contracted a second
marriage, his choice on this occasion becoming
the mother of Frederick Chester and three other
sons and three daughters. In 1837 they came to this.
county and settled in Camden township, the party accompanying them being composed of the
son, Eason Chester, and his wife, a son-in-law,.
Oliver R. Cole, and his wife, Samuel S. Curtis
and his family, Timothy Larrabee and his family.
They all took up land near the center of the
township. Gurdon Chester's second wife died
HILLSDALE COUNTY,.MICHIGAN.
36I
about I844, and he followed her to the other
world on August 30, I854.
Their son, Frederick Chester, became a resident of Hillsdale county when he was about six
years old. The country in which the family then
settled was a wilderness, and to make it habitable and productive, required all the efforts of all
residents, so that he began to do hard work at
an early age, and was able to attend the primitive school of the time only when he could be
spared from duties at home. The school he first
attended was the first one taught in the township,
and was kept in a little log house with slab seats
and an open clay fireplace. He was allowed to
supplement the instruction received in this school
by attending a more advanced one at Jonesville
in the winters of I844 and 1845, and also one of
the higher grade in his own township a little
later in life. When he was thirteen his mother
died, and soon after this he was obliged to start
in life for himself, which he did by hiring out to
work on a farm at seven dollars a month and his
"keep.".
He was diligent and frugal, and in the course
of a few years had saved enough of his meager
earnings to buy a farm of eighty acres, lying
north and east of where the village of Camden
now stands. A year after he bought this land
he sold it for $600 and loaned the money out
for a few years. Then he purchased the farm
which he now owns, half-a-mile west of Camden, which is eighty acres in extent and was at
the time he bought it heavily timbered, without
even a road to it. In the meantime he had been
in the employ of his half-brother, Eason, and he
made his home with that estimable man until he
married and started one of his own. He cleared
his land, and has since been actively engaged in
its cultivation, although he has continued to reside in the village of Camden. On January I,
1855, he married Miss Martha Fowle, who was
born in Monroe county of this state, a daughter
of James and Mary Ann (McKnight) Fowle, a
sketch of whom will be found on another page of
this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Chester have four
children: Ortensa L., who is the wife of Dr.
Oliver, of Camden (see sketch elsewhere); Guy
M., circuit judge of the first judicial district (.see
sketch elsewhere); Eva, the wife of Harmon
Crane, of Camden; Monteze D., a resident of
Camden. Of these children the first three had
the advantage of a good college education.
Mr. Chester has been during all of his mature
life an active participant in public affairs, serving for sixteen consecutive years as a justice of
the peace, and at another time for eight years,
winning the reputation of having been the best
justice in the county during his tenure of the office. He was also township treasurer for two
terms, and a number of years ago was nominated
for representative in Congress on the Greenback ticket without his knowledge or expectation. In the election that followed he carried his
township by a handsome majority. But in politics he has always been a Republican, and a zealous worker for the success of his party. To the
cause of public education he has ever been ardently devoted, and has proven his faith by active
work for the advancement of the cause. He was
earnest and zealous in the movement that resulted in providing the fine brick structure in which
the schools of Camden are housed, serving as a
member of the building committee while the
house was in process of erection and for a number of years after it was completed as school director. He also served as postmaster at Camden, having been appointed by President Abraham Lincoln. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, holding memberships in the lodge at
Camden and the chapter at Reading, and he has
filled several of the important and prominent offices in both organizations. He also belongs to
the local grange of the Patrons of Husbandry.
CHARLES COOK.
Losing his father by death when he was about
fourteen years of age, Charles Cook, the supervisor of Camden township, has from his youth
made his own way in the world, and the success
he has attained is a strong proof of his native
ability and force of character. He is a native
of Sandusky county, Ohio, born on November
29, I850, the son of Constant S. and Phoebe A.
362
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
(Allbee) Cook, the former a native of New York
and the latter of Sandusky county, Ohio. T.he
father came with his parents from his native
state to Ohio when he was twelve years old,
and soon afterward the family settled in Sandusky county, where the son grew to manhood,
was educated and married. He lived on the
Ohio homestead until the fall of 1864, then
moved to Michigan and bought a farm in Camden township of this county, on which the son
now resides. On October I8, I864, a few months
after his arrival in the state, he paid the last debt
of nature and was laid to rest in the soil he had
come to with high hopes of success and prosperity. His widow survived him a number of
years, married a second husband after she had
moved to California, where she died about I885.
Their family comprised five children, three
daughters and two sons, Charles being the second born.
Charles Cook was about fourteen when he
came to live in Hillsdale county, and since then
he has continuously resided in the county, except during a few short intervals. In the public schools of Ohio and of this state he received
all his education, his opportunities 'for attending
school being necessarily limited and irregular,
as after the death of his father he was obliged
to look out for himself, and did so by working
on farms near his home and in Indiana by the
month. On March IO, 1873, he married with
Miss Libbie Ramsey, a native of Hillsdale county, and a daughter of John and Susan Ramsey,
pioneers of the county and among its most respected citizens, both being now deceased. Soon
after his marriage he purchased a farm of thirtysix acres adjoining his father's homestead and
began fatrming on it for himself. Later he
bought the paternal homestead and has since
made his home on it. He owns II6 acres in all,
and his farmi is one of the best in Camden township, the natural fertility of the' soil being aided
and increased by skillful farming, its original
value having been greatly enhranced by wellplanned and well-constructed improvements. His
first wife died in May, 1876, leaving no children,
and in March, i877, he married with Miss Mag
gie Clark, a native of New York, whose father
died when she was quite young. Her mother
afterwards contracted a second marriage and
has since died. Mr. and Mrs. Cook have six children: Edna F., wife of Elmer Houtz, of Camden; Libbie S., wife of Clarence B. Todd, of
Montgomery; Bessie, 'a.popular teacher, and
Ethel M., L. Grace and Hazel F., living at the
paternal home.
In politics Mr. Cook is a firm and loyal Republican, and throughout' his life of manhood he
has given his party active' and effective service.
In I894 he was elected.stpervisor of Camden
township, and at the end:of his term was appointed and served a seccnd term, having failed
to be reelected. In September, I9OI, he was appointed to fill a vacancy.:In 1902 he was elected
to a full term, and in 1903 was again chosen, being the present incumbent of the office. In the
discharge of his official duties he has shown the
same care, good judgment and unyielding uprightness displayed in his own business, and the
excellent results of his tenure are lasting proofs
of the wisdom of his selection for the important
post. He has also taken great interest in the cause
of public education, serving many years as school
inspector and for more than a quarter of a century as school director. He is an active, working
member in the order of the Patrons of Husbandry, holding membership in Acme Grange, No.
269, at South Camden.
JOHN McDOUGAL.
John McDougal is one of the best known and
most highly respected citizens and farmers of
Somerset township, in this county, and has earned,
by his thrift and his enterprise, the competence in
worldly wealth which he enjoys and also the high
position in the public- estimation in which he is
securely fixed. He is a native of this soil and
was reared among this people, having been born
on November 7, 1842, on the farm which is now
his home, having passed his whole life so far in
the township. He began his education in the
public schools of the township and finished it with
their higher courses, his duties in the work of
JOKH"m*D UGAL:
SJOHN msblbuG ~ ~ l~~y~-~~~n
PM~~~~~~~~~~~~~~a
ig
00
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
363
clearing the farm and carrying on its operations
preventing him from seeking a more advanced
instruction. His parents were Andrew and Mary
(Gamble) McDougal, natives of Livingston county, New York, where the father was born in I817
and the mother in I8I9. They were reared and
educated in their native county and there were
married in I837. They at oince came to Michigan,
making the trip by canal to Buffalo and thence
across the lake to Toledo, whence they proceeded
on the old wooden railroad operated by horses to
what is now Lenawee Junction, making the rest
of the trip with teams to the wild forest that is
now the productive farm owned and conducted
by their son, John.
This land had been entered by the two grandfathers, John McDougal and David Gamble, who
were natives of Scotland and emigrated to the
United States as young men about the close of
the Revolution. In I835 they came together to
Michigan, where each entered a section of government land, after which they returned to their
New York homes, and, two years later, when their
families were united by the marriage of the son
of one with the daughter of the other, they gave
the young couple 320 acres of the land and it fell
to them to clear it and make a home of it. The
undertaking was an arduous one, the situation full
of difficulties. The land was an unbroken forest
and wild beasts jealously resented their invasion.
But their spirits were determined, youth was vigorous 'and hope was high. They went to work
with resolute and persistent effort, first erecting
a log cabin for shelter and clearing a small part
of the land as a beginning. They soon succeeded
in making an opening in the forest and in changing the productions of the land from the wild
growth of nature to the desirable and sustaining
fruits of civilized life, and, before death ended
their labors, the farm was one of the best, most
highly improved and extensively and profitably
cultivated in this part of the county. They died
on this farm, the father in I887 and the mother
a year later. Their offspring consisted of one
son and two daughters, the son, John, being now
the only survivor of the family. The father was
a man of prominence and consequence in the com
munity, a Democrat in politics but not an officeseeker, although called upon at times to fill local
positions of trust and responsibility. He assisted
in organizing the township and took a lively interest in its welfare and progress. In religious
belief he was a Presbyterian, being for many
years an officer in the church. No man in the
community stood higher or was more generally
esteemed.
John McDougal grew to manhood on the farm
and assisted in clearing it. He took charge of it
early in his life and has operated it successfully
for many years, holding it up to the highest standard of excellence in cultivation, keeping its improvements in good condition, modern in appearance and equipment. He married in I876 with
Miss Eliza Gregg, a native of New York, born
in Genesee county. They had no children, and
Mrs. McDougal died in I890, since which time
he has walked life's way alone. In politics he
is a Democrat, but has never desired or filled office. An active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, he is held in the highest regard by
not only his religious brethren, but by all classes
of his fellow citizens in the township and surrounding country.
ORSON D. CHESTER.
Imperial in the range and sweep of his financial transactions, holding a princely rank among
the financiers of southern Michigan, and at the
same time conducting industrial enterprises of
colossal scope and power, the late Orson D. Chester was one of the most important and potential factors in the business life of this portion
of the country. His heart was as large and his
benignity as omnipresent as his business capacity
was productive and his success was pronounced.
He had the energy and versatility of P'roteus
without his malignity, and the touch of Midas
without his sordidness. He could do whatever
he wished in a business way, and was one of the
few men who in making money outgrow the love
of it. He may appropriately be said to have
been born to a high career of financial success and industrial activity, and to have been
364
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
trained for it from his cradle by circumstances.
His father, Eason T. Chester, was one of the
best known, most eminent and most wealthy of
the pioneers of this section, and was also engaged in schemes of magnitude; and the son,
who was born at Camden, Mich., in April, 1838,
during his childhood and youth lived ever in the
atmosphere of large transactions and amid lively
currents of commercial activity.
Orson D. Chester was well educated in an
academic sense, the foundation of his scholastic
training being laid in the public schools of his
native township, and its superstructure reared
at Hillsdale College. After leaving this institution he at once began operations in financial and
manufacturing circles which steadily expanded
from year to year, pouring out widening streams
of benefaction among the people of his section.
and in other places where they were conducted,
which made him before his death one of the richest men and largest landholders in his part of the
country. At Camden, where he lived, he owned
and successfully conducted a bank, a large flouring mill, a sawmill, a wood-working factory, a
creamery and cheese factory, a lumber yard and
an extensive dairy farm. To each of these he
gave his personal attention; and, although they
were far-reaching in variety and multitudinous
in detail, so systematized were all his operations,
and so highly endowed by nature was he with executive ability, fiscal genius and capacity for
large affairs, that' he carried them on with more
ease and less friction than many a man has who
conducts a corner grocery. He also owned a
row of modern brick business blocks and several
residence properties in Camden, and large tracts
of land in many of the states. From his early
manhood he operated very extensively in lumber,
wholesale and retail, and it was in this business
that the bulk of his fortune was made.
Mr. Chester was at all times and in every way
deeply and actively interested in the development of his township and county, and during the
last years of his life spent much money and
time in an effort to connect Camden with the
rest of the world by rail. Notwithstanding tile
exactions of his enormous business, he never lost
sight of his native village nor was he indifferent
to its welfare. To every element of its progress
he was a liberal contributor, and to every means
of elevation for its people, and the improvement
of its moral, mental and social life he gave earnest and effective aid by personal influence and
activity, and by substantial material support. He
was also ambitious to see all classes around him
thrifty and contented, and by his liberality he
opened a door to successful enterprise for many
a worthy man, who afterward became a force for
good in the community. For the comfort and
prosperity of his own employe's he had ever great
solicitude, which increased as time passed and
was greatest in the closing period of his life.
Among the special bequests in his will may be
mentioned one of $I,ooo to each of his three sisters; one of $3,000 and a house and lot to Mrs. C.
E. Divine, his housekeeper for nine years; a
ninety-acre farm to Frank Chester; a double
brick block, factory and two residence properties
to John Curtiss, his factory superintendent; a
house and lot and a team to Dan Baker; a house
and lot to George Riggleman; a $400 mortgage
and a team to William and James Sutton; a forty-acre farm to Henry Roggie, his farm superintendent; a half interest in fifty acres of land
inside the corporation to the village of Camden;
and there were many minor bequests to those who
had faithfully served him. The residue of his
large estate was left to Ben R. Alward, his cashier, business manager and confidential man at
the time of his death, who entered his employmnt as a boy, grew to manhood in the business,
and is now a prosperous banker at Camden. A
sketch of him appears on another page.
In fraternal relations Mr. Chester was a loyal and devoted Freemason, with membership in
the blue lodge at Camden, the Royal Arch chapter and the commandery of Knights Templar at
Hillsdale. At his death he was buried under
the auspices of this commandery, which attended the funeral in a body and conducted the obsequies. He was for many years a member of
the board of trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church and was a liberal contributor to the
support of the church, although not a member.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
365
In politics he was a lifelong and enthusiastic
Democrat, standing with commanding influence
in the councils of his party, serving a number of
times as a delegate to its national conventions,
several years as a valued member of its state
central committee, and, in the fall of I902, as its
candidate for county treasurer. On Friday, November 7, I902, his useful and inspiring life was
ended, and he passed from being a living force
in his community into an affectionately cherished
memory, still potent in the influence of his example. It is a coincidence worthy of note that
his death occurred on the same day of the week,
the same day of the month, and at the same age
as that of the late John B. Alward, who was for
more than twenty years his confidential assistant in all his business operations. It has been
forcibly said that the prodigality of the rich is
the providence of the poor; and in this view Mr,
Chester was a beneficent agency in promoting
the comfort and happiness of thousands of his
fellow men, and those dependent on them, who
now revere his name and hold his memory in
lasting esteem.
EARL H. DRESSER.
Earl H. Dresser, a prosperous, progressive
and highly respected farmer of Litchfield township in this county, was born in Iroquois county,
Illinois, on May I8, I864, and when he was one
year old came with his parents, Henry H. and
Mary A. (Earl) Dresser, to Hillsdale county, and
has since resided here. He was reared on the
home farm and educated in the district schools of
the vicinity, as so many of the substantial and
representative men of the county have been, passing his childhood and youth in the quiet pursuits of the region in which he lived, without incident worthy of special note. His father was
a native of Jefferson county, New'York, and his
mother of Lafayette, Indiana. The former was
born in 1828, and, in I837, at the age of nine
years, accompanied his parents to Michigan,
where they settled on 240 acres of land, on section 24 in Litchfield township, which the father
had entered two years previous.
They traveled by boat to Toledo and from
there with ox teams through the terrible Black
Swamp on over the rugged and unbroken country to their future home, making the trip with
great difficulty, through the hardships that were
enough to discourage any but persons of resolute hearts and determined perseverance. They
went to work, clearing up the land, and also supplied a much felt want by keeping for years a
tavern on their farm, which afforded a place
of rest and entertainment for the great tide of
emigration through this section, then swelling
into proportions of magnitude. They lived on
this land until I866, when they moved to Jonesville, and there the father and mother lived retired from active business until their final summons to everlasting rest came, his in 1872 and
that of his wife, whose maiden name was Lydia
Cronkhite, in 1873, both dying active in the faith
and membership of the Baptist church. They
were the parents of nine children, of whom one
son and one daughter are living.
Their son, Henry H. Dresser, the father of
Earl, grew to manhood in this county and received a common-school education in the public
schools near his home. He assisted in clearing
the farm and in other duties for the family until 1849, when the great rush of the Argonauts
to California occurred. This he joined, going to
the new Eldorado by way of the Mississippi and
across the Gulf of Mexico and the Isthmus. He
remained in California nine years and was successful in mining operations, then returned to
civilization and located at Lafayette, Indiana,
where he was engaged in merchandising for four
years. The next three years he passed at Buckley, Illinois, and in I866 he came again to Hillsdale county and purchased the old homestead,
on which he then resided until his death in I896,
having survived by more than thirty years his
estimable wife, who died in I864. Two sons had
blessed their union, Marion, who was drowned in
childhood, and Earl H. Dresser. Some time
after the death of his first wife the father married her sister, Louisa Earl, who bore him three
children, their sons Niles and Arthur, and their
daughter, Martha, now a resident of San Fran
366
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
cisco. The father was a Republican in politics,
a man of local prominence and incumbent of
various local offices from time to time. Deeply
interested in the cause of agriculture, he took
an active part in all efforts to raise its standard
and improve its condition in the state, and to this
end was an earnest worker in the order of the
Patrons of Husbandry, holding charter membership in the grange at Litchfield. He was also
a member of the executive board of the Michigan
State Grange for a number of years.
Earl H. Dresser was reared and educated in
this county, and for some years after reaching
man's estate was engaged in the nursery business
at Jonesville, conducting there the Dresser Fruit
Farm. In I896 he purchased the homestead,
and since then has resided on and managed the
operation of that excellent and highly developed
estate. He is also interested in a leading way
in the manufacture and sale of a patent cement
post, which was the first post made of Portland
concrete ever introduced to the manufacturing
public. He was married in i888, in Washtenaw
county of this state, to Miss Hattie Moon, a native of that county, and they have one child,
Thomas H. Dresser. Mr. Dresser has been a
lifelong Republican in politics, and filled a number of local offices while living at Jonesville.
Like his father, he was an earnest, intelligent
and productive interest in the agricultural industry, and is a valued member of the local
grange in the Patrons of Husbandry. His life
has been useful, though unostentatious, and perhaps all the more serviceable because of the absence of display and spectacular features in its
even course, and he has won by its high standard
of excellence, and unvarying progress of industry and fidelity, the lasting respect of all classes
of his fellow citizens.
COL. FREDERICK FOWLER.
Col. Frederick Fowler, late of Reading township, was one of the oldest settlers of this county,
one of its most extensive and successful general
farmers and stockgrowers, and one of its most
esteemed and representative citizens. For three
score years and ten, until his death on November 17, I902, he lived and labored among this
people, and there is not one who does not do him
reverence, so acceptable, so useful, and so far
above reproach had ever been his life. Like Sir
Condy Rackrent in the tale, he practically "survived his own wake and overheard the judgment
of posterity." He was born in Perry township,
Geauga county, Ohio, on February 5, 1817, the
son of Richard and Anna (Hill) Fowler, the former a native of Massachusetts and the latter of
Hudson county, but of Massachusetts parentage.
Not long after their marriage they migrated with
their small family to Ohio and settled in Geauga
county, among the very early settlers in that region, the most of which was then a dense wilderness still cocuiped by wild beasts and Indians,
affording scarcely any of the conveniences of
civilized life.
After residing a number of years in Ohio,
and clearing up a home in the wilderness, having
a good opportunity to dispose of their farm, and
being desirous of trying the favors of fortune
in a new field, they sold their Ohio estate and
came to the wilds of Michigan, making their way
overland by ox teams and locating on section 30
of what is now Adams township in Hillsdale
county, being the first settlers in the township
as it is now laid out. In I835 there was a road
cut out between the sites of the present towns of
Jonesville and Hudson, and Colonel Fowler, then
a youth of eighteen, carried the chain for the
survey. On acount of the abundance of work
for everybody in making the home and getting
the land into fertility, the opportunities for
schooling to the children of the time and locality
were necessarily limited, while the facilities were
primitive. By studious and judicious reading,
however, Colonel Fowler supplemented his slender advantages in this line and made himself a
very well informed man by the time life's duties
came to him in a public and influential way.
He remained a member of his father's household until his marriage, on January 13, 1842,
with Miss Phoebe L. Willets, which was solemnized at her home in Cambria township. Mrs.
Fowler was born at Lockport, N. Y., on May
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
367
14,, 1824, and when a young girl she came with
her brothers to Michigan, her parents having
died in New York. Mr. Fowler, following the
commendable example of his esteemed father,
took an active part in the public affairs of the
county from his early manhood, and made himself so serviceable, and so impressed the people
with his worth and wisdom, that in 1857 he was
chosen as one of the county's representatives in
the state Legislature. In the ensuing session
he served as chairman of the committee on the
State Agricultural College, and his views were
sought and heeded on all matters of general state
and national importance. Prior to this he had
served as a justice of the peace and had acquired
a good knowledge of common law. He was
soon after elected president of the County Agricultural Society, being the second incumbent of
the office, serving for four successive terms in
this position.
In July, I86I, early in the Civil War, he
raised a company of volunteers for the Union
army, numbering 112 gallant men, and the organization was known as Co. G of the Second
Michigan Cavalry. He received a captain's commission and went with his command to Benton
Barracks near St. Louis. After Ioo days spent
there in training for active service, they were
sent to the front, Captain Fowler serving also as
major of a battalion. Their baptism of fire came
at New Madrid, Mo., at which point they routed
the enemy, and their next engagement was at
Corinth, Miss., where the regiment was in the
thickest of the fight, Captain Fowler leading
his men and the company suffering as much
from the heat as from the fire of the foe. The
regiment was then ordered into Kentucky, and at
Champion Hills, in that state, it again met with
considerable loss. Soon thereafter Captain Fowler was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, which he retained until his discharge in
June, I863.
On his return home he was cordially welcomed with every demonstration of approval of
his excellent work in the field, and was rewarded
by his grateful fellow citizens with a seat in the
State Senate for the session of 1864-5. In this
body he served on several important committees,
among them that on military affairs. Politically
he was an earnest and loyal Republican from
the formation of the party, and gave it faithful
tnd valuable service on all occasions. On taking
leave of his men upon retiring from the army,
he told them that if he should live long enough
he would erect a monument in honor of the
regiment and in memory of its gallant members
who had been killed in the contest. This promise
he was able to keep after the lapse of twenty
years, erecting a beautiful granite shaft in the
cemetery at Reading, which, by the special request of his fellow soldiers, is thus inscribed:
"Erected to the Memory of the Soldier Dead by
Col. F. Fowler, Second Regiment Michigan
Cavalry." In 1883 the Colonel visited several
of the principal cities of Europe, London and
Paris among them, and gained from the trip a
vast fund of useful and pleasing information.
He also traveled in his earlier days extensively
in the United Sttaes.
I Possessed of a commanding figure, with a
keen but kindly eye and a genial countenance,
the appearance of Colonel Fowler proclaimed
him to even the. casual observer to be a man of
unusual force of character and capability. He
was the'father of six children, one of whom
died at the age of two years and another at the
age of four months. The oldest living son,
Henry, married with Miss Adelaide Bryan, and
is living on a farm in Camden township; Helen
is the wife of Julius C. Merriman, a farmer of
Cambria township; Fremont married Miss Kate
Richardson, and is also a cultivator of the soil
of Cambria township; Frederick R. married Miss
Margaret Devine, and is farming in Reading
township. Colonel Fowler's property comprised
over I,ooo acres of valuable land in Reading,
Cambria and Camden townships, and some very
desirable real estate in the town of Reading.
The greater part of this land is in an advanced
state of cultivation and yields abundant crops
of the characteristic products of southern Michigan. Resting peacefully in the evening of life
amid the fruits of his labors, and'with many valued institutions flourishing around him which
368
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
-he had helped to build and foster, this patriarch
in Israel found an exalted pleasure in the retrospect of his well spent years until the angel of
Death came for him, being secure in the knowledge that his career was duly appreciated by the
people of his county and state in whose esteem
and cordial regard he was securely and permanently fixed, and in whose memory he now holds
an exalted place.
JOHN F. FITZSIMMONS.
In the settlement and subjugation of every
new country some family names stand out in bold
relief, even among many of distinguished merit,
as embodying in the history of those to whom
they belong all of the early privations, dangers
and struggles incident to colonizing the section,
all the hopes and aspirations of its people, all the
triumphs and substantial gains in the onward
march of mankind for which it may be noted.
One such name in Hillsdale county is that of
Fitzsimmons, which runs like a thread of gold
through the county's history from 'the time.when
the first adventurous settlers opened a vista in
its primeval forests and began the contest for supremacy over the wild forces of nature, until
now, when it is fruitful with the products and
crowned with the blessings of the most advanced
and beneficent civilization.
The hardy, broad-minded and progressive
man who planted this family name on the annals
of the county in enduring phrase, was George
Fitzsimmons, a native of Elmira, Chemung county, New York, a prosperous and prominent man
in the section of that state in which he had his
home, and a member of the same family as
Thomas Fitzsimmons, one of the framers of the
constitution of the United States, being a delegate to the convention from the state of Pennsylvania. This George Fitzsimmons came to the
county in April, 1837, accompanied by his son,
John Fitzsimmons, who was then eighteen years
of age, having been born on September 5, I8i8,
at Dundee, Yates county, New York. They settled on a quarter-section of wild land which is
a part of the present family homestead in what
is now Reading township, and adjoining the site
of the present village of Reading. They began
to clear the land, then heavily timbered, the son
John felling the first tree on the farm, the stump
of which stood until a few years ago to show the
first mark of the Fitzsimmons ax in the county.
A little log dwelling was completed by April
I9, of that year, and soon after, the mother, with
the rest of the family and no other attendants,
and with all their household effects in wagons,
bade farewell to their Wayne county, New York,
home and set out with ox teams to join her husband and son in their new abode. She followed
the Canadian route, engineering the expedition
successfully, reaching her destination on June 2,
I837. At an early date the father and Judge
Kinne secured the establishment of a postoffice
in this neighborhood, for two years carrying the
mails free of charge. The office was named Reading, and this was the beginning of the present
town of that name. Mrs. Fitzsimmons and her
husband passed the remainder of their lives in
the county, his ending on October Io, I870, and
hers on November I, 1879; each having reached
an age of over eighty years. He was prominent
in the early civil life of the county, serving as
township trustee, as justice of the peace for sixteen years consecutively, as a member of the
state House of Representatives and as a state
senator; and he also contributed liberally of his
means, time and energy to the promotion of the
leading industrial and commercial projects of
value in his section of the state.
By his industry, thrift and business capacity
he amassed a fortune, owning at the time of his
death 560 acres of excellent land in Reading
township, all of which is well improved, eighty
acres of it lying within the corporate limits of
the village of Reading and being adorned with
some of its most important and imposing buildings. When he laid down his trust at the behest
of the Great Disposer, his work was taken up
by his son John, who inherited the sterling qualities of his parents, and thereafter it was carried
forward by him with commendable enterprise and
vigor. During the whole of his life in the county he was prominently identified with its various
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
369
interests, especially those of his own township.
He was an earnest Democrat in politics, but as
the county was overwhelmingly Republican, he
seldom held office. But one occasion gave a striking evidence of his popularity. Being a candidate for member of the legislature, at a specia'
election held to fill a vacancy, he received every
vote but three cast in the township, and was beaten by only twenty-three in the county, where
there was a majority of 2,800 against his party.
He aided in the erection of every church and
other public building in Reading, and was particularly active in securing the construction of
the railroad through tne town; and in his efforts
in this behalf, through continued exposure to the
weather and frequent loss of rest, he laid the
foundation of the fatal illness that terminated his
useful life on February 8, 1887, in the sixty-ninth
year of his age.
He worked arduously for the community at
all times and in all lines of useful activity, anc
was never accused of selfishness or personal anbition in his labors, but was always the trusted
citizen, first to be sought for counsel and most
relied on for judgment and direction in relation
to any new project. He was several times president of the County Agricultural Society, and
contributed largely to its success, at one time,
when it was tottering and liable to fall, actually
saving it from ruin with the assistance of Colonel
Holloway, and bringing it forward into the sunlight of a renewed and augmented prosperity.
Mr. Fitzsimmons first married a Miss Rachel Merryman, of this county, and by the union
became the father of one child, who died in early
life, and the mother also died young. He then
married with his first wife's sister, Miss Charlotte A. Merryman, who bore him four children,
three of whom are living, George R., John F.
and Mrs. Georgia A. Burch, who resides on the
old homestead. His death was mourned by the
entire county, and his remains were laid to rest
in the presence of an immense concourse of his
fellow citizens with every manifestation of popular esteem and affection, the funeral being conducted by Eureka commandery, Knights Templar, of which he had long been an active and
very zealous member. His widow survived him
scarcely more than one year, passing away on
March 9, I888, after an illness of only one day.
Both were regular attendants at the Baptist
church for many years.
John F. Fitzsimmons, their son, was born in
Reading township on June I6, I85I, and was
reared on the homestead, receiving his early education in the public schools of the neighborhood.
When he had completed his preparatory course,
he matriculated at Hillsdale College, and, after
a thorough academic course of study, graduated
from that institution in I870. He then read
law in the offices of George A. Knickerbocker
and Col. E. J. March, and later entered the law
department of Ann Arbor University, from
which he was graduated in I874. He at once
entered upon the practice of the legal profession
at Hillsdale, in association with his former preceptor, George A. Knickerbocker. After a successful practice of eight years his health failed
and he was obliged to seek an active outdoor life.
During a portion of the time since then he has
been engaged in farming, but the greater part
was spent in travel. Two or three years he was
connected with the Safety Bottle and Ink Syndicate, of Birmingham, England, and is now the
American representative of P. and J. Arnold, the
well-known manufacturers of chemical inks. On
December 25, 1874, Mr. Fitzsimmons was united
in marriage with Miss Ann E. Gilmore, a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Swift) Gilmore, a
sketch of whom will be found elsewhere in these
pages. They have one child, their daughter,
Clare Gilmore Fitzsimmons, born on September
25, 1879, who is a resident of Hillsdale.
Mr. Fitzsimmons, like his father and his
grandfather, has been serviceable in the affairs
of the community, and has cheerfully borne his
share of the burden of pushing forward its commercial, industrial and educational life. In I888
he was elected secretary of the county agricultural society and has been of inestimable service
in placing the institution on a firm basis and making it successful. Through him it received the
name by which it is generally known, "The
Most Popular Fair on Earth," and its rank among
r T T 1~C'7 A T V' '1 Tr A T' UA(f A ArT L 7/* ' A r
370 n1LL.3NJiLtL bUutJ
associations of its kind is largely due to his wise
and prudent activity in the discharge of his duties in connection with it. In politics he is a consistent Democrat, with an abiding faith in the
principles of his party and an unremitting diligence in promoting its welfare; fraternally, he
has been for years an active member of the Masonic order. A gentleman of education and refinement, prominent in the fraternal life. of the
community, broadened by travel and communion
with men in many places and conditions of life,
thoroughly patriotic in his devotion to his country and his state, he is an ornament to American
citizenship and his life a benefaction.
SAMUEL S. SMITH.
The scion of old New England families, whose
American progenitors sought relief from cramped
conditions and religious persecution in their native land in Colonial times by braving the wilds
and privations of the New World, whose descendants in this country have bravely borne their part
in every struggle for its advancement, protection
and enlargement, moving in the van of the onflowing tide of emigration to new fields of conquest and enterprise as old ones became occupied, some of them being ever on the frontier redeeming its treasures from the waste, Samuel S.
Smith, of Pittsford township, Michigan, has,
from his childhood, well sustained the traditions
of his family, having worked in the same lines of
progress and with the same manly spirit that characterized their efforts.
Mr. Smith was born on December 3, I844, in
Niagara county, New York, the son of Richard S.
and Margaret I. (Proper) Smith, also natives of
that county but of Vermont ancestry. The father
was a farmer and brought his family to Michigan
in 1847. They settled at Grass Lake, in Jackson
county, where they lived until 1852, then removed
to Pittsford township, in this county, and located
on the land which is now the fine farm of their
son, Samuel, but which was then unbroken forest,
heavily timbered and densely covered with undergrowth. It comprised eighty acres, to clearing
1V L, 11 L -I i Lt'IV.
and cultivating of this tract all of the energies of
the family were devoted. Ere long it became attractive and fruitful, they here found a pleasant
home, after a few years of arduous effort, and
here continued to reside until 1884, when the parents moved to Jefferson township, where they
closed their eyes in the long dreamless sleep
which comes at last to all, the mother dying in
1893 and the father in 1899. Four sons and two
daughters of their numerous offspring attained
maturity, and all of these are living. The father
was a soldier in the Union army for three years
during the Civil War, serving in Co. A, Eighteenth Michigan Infantry, but he saw little field
service, being on detached and guard duty for the
most of the time. The grandfather, David L.
Smith, was a native of Vermont, a farmer, a soldier in the War of 1812, a pioneer of 1854 in
Michigan, settling in Jefferson township, Hillsdale county, where he and his wife, Charlotte
(Sperry) Smith, ultimately died in the fullness of
time, being well esteemed in their neighborhood.
Samuel S. Smith grew to man's estate on the
farm which is now his home, assisting in the labor of clearing and cultivating it, attending the
schools of the vicinity as he had opportunity. His
whole life since his arrival in the state has been
passed in Pittsford and Jefferson townships,
and he has been closely identified with every
movement for the development and advancement
of these sections. His farm comprises 178 acres
of excellent land, which is skillfully tilled, improved with good buildings, equipped with every
necessary appliance for its_thorough cultivation.
He was married in 1870 in this county to Miss
Emma Phillips, a daughter of Elisha and Mary
Phillips, Vermonters by nativity, who came to
the county about I853. Her father served in the
Civil War on the Union side, and has since died.
Her mother is still living in the eighty-ninth year
of her age, being one of the venerated matrons of
the community where she makes her home. Mr.
Smith takes no active part in politics, but holds
firm allegiance to the principles of the Republican
party and is, at present, serving as a highway
commissioner. His long life of nearly sixty years
in this county has been creditably spent, being
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
371
full of usefulness to this portion of the state. It
has earned for him the esteem of the community.
It is the steady, honorable, industrious lives of
such citizens as Mr. Smith that the perpetuity of
the American republic must owe its continuance.
Their honest lives give a noble support to the
highest types of the morality and manhood necessary to preserve our land.
SIDNEY O. FULLER.
Comfortably located on an excellent farm on
section 34, in Cambria township, which comprises eighty acres of fertile and well tilled land, and
is provided with substantial and convenient buildings of ample capacity, Sidney O. Fuller, one of
the "old-timers," and skillful and progressive
farmers of the township, is passing the evening
of his life in cheerfulness and peace, secure
against the adverse winds of fortune and well established in the confidence and esteem of his fellow men. He is a native of Washington county,
New York, born on June I8, 1823, and was
reared and educated in his native county, receiving there a common school education and also
learning on his father's farm lasting lessons of
industry and frugality. There also he was united in marriage with Miss Miranda Fuller, a native of the same county.
His parents were Cornelius and Lydia
(French) Fuller, both children of Revolutionary
heroes. His maternal grandfather, John French,
was captured by the Indians while serving in the
Colonial army and was held in captivity by his
savage tormentors for three years. He finally
escaped by creeping through the forest and wet
swamps at night, going three days without food,
but he was very soon thereafter taken prisoner
again by another tribe, later escaping from his
second captors in the same manner as before.
When the War of 1812 began he again shouldered his musket and fought gallantly in that
contest against the enemies of his country.
Cornelius Fuller grew to manhood in New
York state and learned his trade as a carpenter.
He was drafted in the War of I812, and served
the required time with credit and courage. His
24
family numbered ten children, of whom Sidney
was the ninth born. In 1845 he came with his
parents and three others of their ten children
to Michigan and settled with them on a tract
of new and unbroken land near Woodbridge
township, in this county. They remained on this
land a few years, then sold it and bought another
tract in the same neighborhood. A little later
they removed to Woodbridge township, and here
both parents died, the mother at middle age in
I853, and the father in I865, when about seventy.
He was a Republican in political faith in the closing years of his life and the mother was a devout member of the Baptist church.
Mr. Sidney O. Fuller's own life has passed
wholly amid the elevating and tranquilising pursuits of agriculture, and more than fifty of its
best years have been given to the development
and improvement of this county. He came here
when the whole section was a wilderness and has
lived to see it rejoicing in the products of peace
and cultivated life, full well advanced on a career
of prosperity and commercial, agricultural, educational and moral greatness, that may well
make him justly proud of his share in working
out the beneficent results of the systematic labor
which has been expended upon it. He and his
wife were the parents of two children, Danvers
and Matilda, who died young. They then adopted as their own, Albert E. Fuller, a son of Samuel Fuller, whom they carefully reared and educated. When he reached years of maturity, on
May 3, I877, he married with Miss Mary McNamara, a native of Stoughton, Mass., and a daughter of John and Mary McNamara, who came to
Michigan while she was yet a child. They have
one child, Eugene, who is living at home.
On this family the shadow of the Civil
War, which almost rent our country in twain,
rested heavily. Mrs. Fuller's father, John McNamara, was a soldier in the Union army and
died a wretched prisoner amid the horrors of
captivity at Andersonville, and Albert E. Fuller's father, Samuel, and brother, James, who
were both members of the Tenth Michigan Infantry, also died in the service, the former from
exposure and the latter from wounds received
372
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
in battle. The father was buried in the National
Cemetery at Chattanooga.
Sidney O. Fuller's faithful and devoted wife,
after walking life's troubled way with him for
more than half a century, died on December 26,
1896, and since that time he has been quietly
waiting for his own final summons, serene in the
retrospect of a well spent life and peaceful in the
hope of a blessed immortality. He has long been
a Republican in politics, but has throughout his
life resisted all importunities to accept official
stations of every kind. He is a zealous and consistent member of the Baptist church, as was his
wife during her lifetime, and his good work in
church affairs has been extensive, wisely applied
and intelligently appreciated. He is venerated
as a patriarch among this people. His name
is a household word for all that is worthy in manhood, upright in business, inspiring in example.
THE LITCHFIELD GAZETTE.
There is no greater bulwark or defense of
public morality and the general weal than a free,
untrammeled and independent press. It has a
thousand eyes to see and a trumpet tongue
wherewith to proclaim all forms of evil, to espouse all forms of good, to champion personal
rights, advance the public interest and direct
and elevate the sentiment and taste of the community. This place in the public economy of its
portion of Hillsdale county, is well filled by the
Litchfield Gazette, and the functions suggested
are well performed by it in the measure of its
opportunities and capacity. It is the successor
of a number of experiments, which exhibited
more or less vitality according to circumstances,
and had itself a precarious and uncertain existence prior to corning under its present control and management.
The first newspaper published at Litchfield
was the Litchfield Pioneer, which was edited and
issued by Dr. Zenas Brown in 1848, and was devoted to general news in a small way and to the
special advocacy of the eclectic system of medical practice. It had a short and troubled existence and died for want of patronage. In
June, 1872, Silas H. Eggabroad started the second experiment in local journalism here and
called it the Litchfield Investigator. This lived
just about four months, being discontinued in
the following October. During the next two
years the town was without a paper of any kind,
but in October, 1874, Edward H. Graves began the publication of the Litchfield Gazette.
He soon sold out, however, to G. L. Woodward
& Co. After a number of years of varying fortune under their control, the paper was sold to
Gregory & Eggleston, of Jonesville, who published it at that village until i899, with L. B.
Agard as local editor. In the year last named R.
A. Bibbins purchased the subscription list and
good will, bought a new outfit of type, presses
and other necessaries, and removed the base of
operations to its former place, and the Gazette
was again published in its home town. Mr. Bibbins continued in control until February, 1901,
when he leased the plant to H. J. Crippen, of
Hillsdale. Under his management the publication languished, and would have died, but for
its transfer to the present proprietor, L. C.
Feighner, in the ensuing August, and since that
time it has steadily increased its patronage both
in subscriptions and advertisers, and has grown
into popularity with a ratio commensurate with
its expanding excellence and power.
The Gazette is now one of the well established
institutions of the township, and has a firm and
well-founded hold on the public confidence and
regard. As an organ of local interests it is influential and sagacious; as an expression of public sentiment and opinion it is clear and forcible;
as an advertising medium it is widely known
and highly appreciated; and as a home newspaper it finds a welcome place at a large number of
the leading firesides of the county. Mr. Feighner, the editor and publisher, brought to the discharge of his arduous duties a capacity for the
work, acquired from practical experience in its
every detail, and an enthusiasm born of a resolute and determined spirit that does not retreat
from difficulty or danger. He learned his trade
as a printer in the office of the Journal at Hastings, in this state, and then worked at it for two
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
373
years in Omaha and Council Bluffs, returning to
Michigan at the end of that time to take charge
of the office of the Nashville News, belonging to
his brother, becoming foreman of the press room.
In the ensuing fall, -889, he and his brother
started the News at Woodland in Barry county,
and at the end of a year of success with that publication he bought his brother's interest and continued the issue on his own account until 1895,
when he sold out at a handsome profit and
bought what was then known as the Barry County Democrat at Hastings.
This proved to be an unfortunate venture,
and in September, I896, Mr. Feighner sold out
and soon after accepted the foremanship of the
Hanover Local, which he bought a year later,
but after seven months of proprietorship, sold
again at a profit of fifty per cent. For nearly a
year thereafter he acted as editor and foreman of
the paper for his successors, and then joined a
company of mineral prospectors bound for the
state of Washington. One summer was passed
in prospecting, which resulted in the location of
500 acres of mineral land and townsite property,
on the strength of which a company was organized with a capital stock of $2,000,0Qo, and the
employment of a working force of practical miners who have been kept busy since August, 1901,
developing the property, which has proven to be
of great value. Mr. Feighner was one of the
first directors of the company and still retains
his interest in the property.
After passing two summers in Washington
he reentered the newspaper field, taking control
of the Press at Potterville, owned by his brother.
It had been a loser during all of its five years
of life, but in five weeks Mr. Feighner placed it
on a paying basis, then sold it for his brother at
a profitable figure. In August of the same year,
I9go, he bought the Gazette to which he has
since given his attention. He was married in
November, I890, to Miss Bertha J. Putnam, of
Nashville, Mich., and they have one child, a son,
who is now eleven years old. Mrs. Feighner is
a cultivated lady, possessing both scholarship and
business ability, who renders her husband valuable assistance in the work of conducting the pa
per. Both she and her husband are highly esteemed in the community and are recognized as
being among its most valued educational and progressive forces.
EDWARD R. GALLOWAY.
Edward R. Galloway, a prominent farmer of
Reading township in this county, was born on
the farm on which he now lives, on June I9,
1855, being the son of James C. and Mary P.
(Reeves) Galloway. His father was born at
Palmyra, N. Y., in I816, and there grew to manhood. His father was Archer Galloway, a native
of Newtownm now Elmira, N. Y., born in I790,
and soon after his birth the family moved to near
the present location of Palmyra, where Archer
spent his youth on a frontier farm. When he
was twenty-two years old he enlisted in the army
for the War of 1812, in which he served under
Colonel Scott until the end of the contest, distinguishing himself in a number of engagements.
He was an officer in the service and had command of the battery that fired the first shot in the
war. At the storming of the forts near Queenstown on the Canadian side, on October 13, I8I2,
he made a record of conspicuous gallantry and received a bayonet wound.
After the war he dealt in cattle, buying and
driving them to the Philadelphia markets, and
also kept a store and was engaged in various other
occupations until 1838, when he married and
moved to Hillsdale county, Mich., entering the
north half of section 2 in Reading township, on
which he built one of the first framed houses in
the county. Some little time after this, early in
the forties,he built the more pretentious dwelling
which is now occupied by his son Edward. One
of the rooms of this house was papered with
wall-paper manufactured in 1814, the design representing a Swiss scene. This paper still hangs
on the wall and is in an excellent state of preservation. The scenic display is tque to life and
is very picturesque. In the early part of the
Civil War the old gentleman organized a company of Silver Grays, composed of veterans of
the earlier wars, which met frequently for drill
374
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
and kept itself in readiness for service in the
field. The company offered its services to the
President, but was never called into action. Mr.
Archer Galloway died some time in I864.
His son, James C. Galloway, the father of
Edward, accompanied his parents to Hillsdale
county in 1838, and entered I6o acres of land
adjoining his father's place, but just over the
line in Allen township. A few years later he
came into possession of the homestead in Reading township, where he lived until consumption
ended his life, in I866, in the prime of his activity and usefulness. His wife lived until November I9, I9OI, and died at the age of sixty-five
years. Her father, Stephen Reeves, was an early
settler at Pontiac, Mich., and for fourteen years
he was the probate judge of Oakland county.
Their offspring numbered but two, one of them
died in infancy, leaving Edward as their only
child. He grew to manhood on the homestead,
and was educated at the neighboring district
schools. As soon as he was old enough he took
charge of the farm and he has since remained in
the control and the active management of it.
In politics he is a Republican and has made his
force and influence felt in the councils of his
party. He is now serving his second term as
justice of the peace, and during the last nine
years he has been on the board of trustees of
Hillsdale College.
With the paternal homestead of I20 acres
and a farm of forty acres in Allen township, all
in an excellent state of cultivation and provided
with good buildings and all necessary appliances
for the most advanced agricultural work, Mr.
Galloway is finely situated financially, and, with
the people of the township holding him in high
regard and good will, he can feel that the elevated character,of manhood and citizenship
which he has shown is fully appreciated. He
belongs to the Knights of the Maccabees, with
membership in the tent of the order at Reading.
On January i, j876, he united in marriage with
Miss Wealthy J. Archer, of Allen township,
where she was born and reared, being the only
child of Jonathan and Caroline (Balcom) Archer, natives of New York and pioneers of Hills
dale county. Garner Archer, the father of Jonathan, came to the county in 1837 and took up
the south half of section 2 in Reading township
on which he lived a number of years, but died
in Cambria township at the age of ninety-four.
Jonathan Archer came with his parents to this
county and married here. He and his wife have
since lived in Allen township, and-are now well
advanced in life.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Galloway have four
children: Ella M., wife of Glenn Cowell, an attorney at Quincy, Mich.; Carrie C., wife of Scott
E. McEwen, a farmer of Reading township;
Edward F., a resident of Mojave Valley, Ariz.,
where he is interested in extensive real estate and
irrigation enterprises; and an infant named Niel
A. Galloway.
For three generations the Galloway family
of this line has resided in Hillsdale county, aiding in the development of its resources, building
up its interests, adding to its moral and educational forces and helping to administer its public
affairs. In all of its history no member has
brought reproach upon its good name, either
by open wrong or by indifference to any public
or private duty. And the escutcheon which has
thus been in the public eye so long and ever untarnished is safe, and its brightness is well maintained by its present representative, who has the
confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens and
is worthy of every commendation his manhood
and usefulness have received.
GEORGE F. GARDNER.
This pioneer hardware merchant and manufacturer of Hillsdale is a native of Jackson,
Mich., born in I847, the son of George F. and
Emeline ( Wallace) Gardner, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of New York.
He was the only son of his parents who reached
years of maturity. The parents came to Jackson,
Mich., about I836, where they were afterward
married. The father engaged in merchandising,
and later was a wholesale grocer at Detroit.
Both are now deceased. The father was prominent in Masonic circles, serving as grand lectur
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
375
er for the state, and being the first incumbent of
that office. The grandfather was George Gardner, who lived in the East. Mr. Gardner passed
his early days in Jackson and received his education in the schools of that city and at the University of Notre Dame at South Bend, Ind.
In 1864 he came to Hillsdale and here began
clerking in the hardware store of Hammond &
Co., continuing this employment afterward with
Bunt & Lawrence. In 1878 he started in the
hardware business for himself and in this he
is still engaged. He is also interested largely in
the Hillsdale Wheel Co. and took an active part
in organizing the Scowden & Blanchard Shoe Co.
From I870 to 1874 he was engaged in the manufacture of grain cradles and scythe snaths. In
all matters of public improvement and in enterprises of every kind for the benefit and advancement of the community, he has always taken an
active, intelligent and serviceable interest. He
was among the first to agitate the question of
water works for Hillsdale city, and it is probably
due more to him than to any other that a plant
for the purpose was installed at that time. He
got up a petition for an appropriation of $I50
by the city for employing the services of an expert to look over the ground and advise as to
methods of procedure. In this he was ably assisted by the late Dr. A. F. Whelan. He originated the idea and was the first to call the attention of the railroad company to the advantage of
having the Ypsilanti & Fort Wayne railroads
built into the city, and their general offices located at Hillsdale after the purchase of those
roads by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.
And while this enterprise was heartily supported
by the citizens generally it was doubtless his
preliminary work and the inspiration he gave to
the movement that resulted in its success.
Although a man of decided convictions, Mr.
Gardner has never taken any active interest in
party politics, and has refused to accept public
office. In fraternal relations he is a Freemason,
belonging to lodge, chapter and commandery,
taking a cordial interest in the workings of each.
He married in I880 with Miss Jennie Chamberlin, a native of Monroe, in this state. For a quar
ter of a century he has been connected with the
business interests of Hillsdale, being a gentleman of elevated character and progressive views,
and is regarded as one of the leading commercial
and industrial agencies of this community and
one of its most representative citizens.
SAMUEL GILMORE.
Samuel Gilmore, of Hillsdale, is one of the
venerated pioneers of the county, of whom but a
few are left, but their work in settling and civilizing this region will ever be held in the loving
and admiring remembrance of their descendants,
and of the people generally, who are now enjoying its benefits. For they were men of heroic
mold, well fitted by nature and attainments to
carve a commonwealth out of the wilderness and
to properly start it on the highway to greatness,
prosperity and commanding influence. With admirable breadth of view and common sense they
laid its foundations broad and deep, and builded
in their day for a long and glorious future.
Mr. Gilmore was born in Cayuga county,
N. Y., on January 17, 1814, the son of Samuel
and Judah (Yarns) Gilmore, the former being a
native of Ireland, who came to the United States
when a young man, settling at Utica, N. Y.,
where he married his wife, who was a native of
Stonington, Conn., and migrated with her parents to New York in her childhood. Her father
was an artilleryman in the War of the Revolt
tion under General Washington's special command. He had a brother killed in that war and
also other relatives who were engaged in it. Mr.
Gilmore's parents were farmers and lived and
died in Cayuga county. Their family consisted
of thirteen children, and they were among the
earliest of the pioneers of that county.
Samuel Gilmore, their son, was reared on the
home farm and received a limited education in
the primitive schools of the time and locality, remaining at home until 1836, when, true to the
traditions and customs of his forefathers, he also
became a pioneer, coming with his brother, John,
to Michigan and settling in Hillsdale county on
300 acres of land, which they took up together
376
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN. i
and owned jointly. It was on section 36 of what
was then Fayette, but is now a part of Hillsdale
township. They were bachelors and lived alone,
Samuel doing the cooking and housekeeping after they had a house, which they built in the fall
of that year soon after their arrival, it being a log
shanty I2XI2 feet in size, roofed with boards
sawed at the mill near Jonesville owned by Ransom Gardner. Their land was all heavily timbered and their first work was to make a clearing
and get a small portion of it ready for cultivation.
There were no roads or other such conveniences
in the section and they were obliged to make their
way slowly through great difficulties, and to endure many hardships and privations of which
the centers of civilization scarcely dreamed.
Even their journey to their new home was
one of trial and required patience. They traveled by canal from Montezuma to Buffalo, from
there on the old steamer North America to Detroit, which they found a veritable mudhole and
only a small hamlet, occupying three days in
their journey between the two cities. From Detroit they came by wagon to Jonesville, and this
was by no means the least tedious and trying part
of the journey: After their arrival, through the
long years of their occupancy, by faithful and
persistent industry they got their farm into a
good state of cultivation, comfortable with good
buildings. Here, in I876, Mr. Gilmore's brother,
John, who never married, died, and seven years
later, Samuel purchased a home in Hillsdale and
moved thither, dividing the farm between his
two married daughters, Margaret, the wife of
L. S. Ranney, and Ann Eliza, the wife of John
F. Fitzsimmons, all of Hillsdale. He was married on April 7, I842, to Miss Mary U. Swift, a
native of Seneca county, N. Y., a daughter of
Thompson and Lydia (Hastings) Swift, the
former having been born and reared in Vermont
and the latter at Hartford, Conn. He came to
Seneca county, N. Y., when a young man and
there married. There also he died, about I828,
while still a young man. His widow came to
Michigan to live with her children in 1838, and
died in this state in I855.
Both Mr. Gilmore and his brother were originally Democrats, but, on the organization of the
Republican party, they joined it, they being pronounced Abolitionists, and ever remained loyal
to their new alliance from its formation. John
served as supervisor of Fayette township for a
number of years, and after the formation of
Hillsdale township, he was the supervisor of that
for some time. Samuel seldom held or desired
office of any kind, yet has not been indifferent to
the welfare of his portion of the state and he has
given substantial aid to every undertaking for
its promotion. He has lived quietly and unostentatiously in this county, performing his duties in
every way with industry and fidelity, and yielding to no man in the uprightness of his character
or the fairness of his dealings with-his fellow
men. He is one of the most highly respected
of the county's pioneers, and, even at his advanced age, disabled as he has been for a number of years by persistent rheumatism, he is
earnestly and intelligently interested in whatever pertains to the good of his state or to the
advantage of its people.
DR. FRANK M. GIER.
Having practiced his profession in Hillsdale
county for a period of twenty years and been
eminently successful and attained distinction in
it, winning golden opinions from the people and
also from his professional brethren, it was
learned with regret that Dr. Frank M. Gier had
decided to retire from medical practice in this
county and devote himself to a different line of
activity, notwithstanding the work in which he
is engaged is a beneficent one also, full of promise of advantage to suffering humanity. Doctor
Gier disposed of his practice and the good will
of his office to Dr. S. B. Frankhauser in February, 1902, and at once gave his whole attention to
the management of the Abilene Mineral Water
Co., of Abilene, Kans., of which he is the presi-lent. The company has a capital of $250,000 and
its purpose is to ntroduce the valuable medicinal
mineral waters which it controls into the hospitals of the country for general use.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
377
Doctor Gier is a native of Hillsdale county,
born in Ransom township on January 8,.859.
His parents are Henry W. and Lydia A. (Halleck) Gier, the former a native of Ohio and the
latter of New York, her father being a cousin to
Gen. Henry W. Halleck, of Civil War renown.
The Doctor's father was by trade a carpenter and
joiner, and came to Hillsdale county about I835,
settling in Ransom township. He enlisted in
I863, in Co. I, Eleventh Michigan Infantry, but
served less than a year, being discharged on account of a disability, which made him an invalid
for life. He was in the Army of the Cumberland and participated in some of its most noted
engagements. His wife's people came from New
York to this county in 1850 and here passed the
rest of their days. The Doctor has three brothers and one sister, two of his brothers being residents of Hillsdale. Their grandfather, Henry
Gier, was a native of Philadelphia and his parents came from Germany.
xJoctor Gier passed his early school aays in
the county, and, after leaving school was engaged for a number of years in successful teaching. In I880 he entered the medical department
of the University of Michigan, and in 1884 he
graduated therefrom with the degree of M. D.,
he having worked his way through college by
various occupations. He began practicing at
Ransom Center in association with Dr. Wilfred
Bates, and after a some time residence at this
place he went to Waldron, where he remained
only four months. In 1885 he located at Pittsford, there remaining until I9oo, when he came
to Hillsdale, which has since been his home and
the center of his large and representative practice. In politics he has always been a zealous
and active Republican, and for thirteen years he
was a member of the pension board for this county. He has also served as the mayor of the city,
his term covering the year I899, he having been
an alderman from I897 to that year; for four
years he was health officer and for six he was
county physician.
In the organizations belonging to his profession he has taken a warm and helpful interest,
holding memberships in the State Medical Soci
ety, the Tri-State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, and also serving eight
years as secretary of the Tri-State Society and as
its president for one term. He is an active working Freemason, having held high offices in all
branches of the order up to and through the commandery, of which he is now (I903) eminent
commander. He also belongs to the Sons of Veterans, and was for a time colonel of the Michigan
division and later was made the surgeon-general
of the organization for the United States. In
I894 he was married to Miss Harriet G. Ricaby,
a native of this county and daughter of the late
Col. Richard W. Ricaby, a prominent attorney
of Chicago, where he died. They have one child,
their daughter, Frances H. Mrs. Gier's father
was the colonel of the Seventeenth Michigan Infantry in the Civil War.
CHEENEY W. HALL.
Cheeney W. Hall, the first white boy born in
Camden township in Hillsdale county, came into
being there on March 26, 1837, the son of James
Wesley and Deborah (Caldwell) Hall, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of
Rhode Island. When they were children they removed with their parents to Seneca county,
N. Y., where they were reared and married. In
the spring of 1835 they came with the two children they then had to Michigan and settled on
the bank of Devil's Lake in Lenawee county. In
April, I836, they moved to Hillsdale county, locating in Camden township, being the fourth
family there to settle. The father entered forty
acres of government land, on which he built a
home for his family and started to improve and
cultivate the soil, clearing the forest off of it for
the purpose. On August 24, 1843, he died on
this farm, his being the first death of a white man
in the township. His wife survived him a number of years and married a second husband. Her
death occurred in Reading on April 7, 1887.
Cheeney W. Hall, their son, was reared in his
native township, and after the death of his father and subsequent to his mother's second marriage, he was obliged to make his own way in
378
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the world by hard labor. His opportunities for
schooling were few and irregular, as he was compelled to work on farms in the neighborhood for
a livelihood from an early age.
On August 19, 1862, he enlisted in the Union
army as a member of Battery I, First Michigan
Light Artillery. He served to the end of the war,
being mustered out at. Detroit on July 14, i865.
His first year and a part of his second in the
service was passed in the Army of the Potomac.
In the fall of 1863 his command was transferred
to the Army of the Cumberland, and it was sixteen days in going by rail and boat from Washington to Nashville. The battery to which he belonged saw hard service, taking part in many of
the hottest fights of the war, among:.them Aldee,
Va., Gettysburg, where it was tanddr terrible fire
on the left of Cemetery Ridge,;Resaca,' Buzzard's
Roost, Marietta, Kenesaw Mii;-aii;ll the battles of the Atlanta campaign,; itoi-ng among the
first of the Federal- toop'-to enter Atlanta after
its capture. This carihpaigni lasted for months
and Battery I was coinstantly:ngad:ahnd aalnost
continually under iffr. Aft f.tvi ictory at-Atlanta it was ordered to C1 d -og where it
remained to the close of the ir tMr.,E iMr;1Hall was
never wounded or taken:pise-iier 'during the
contest, but his older brotherSeth Ifall,; a member of the Twenty-secofid' New kYork Cavalry,
was captured at the battle' 6t fHte Wilderness and
confined in Libby and Salisblury, N-. C., prisons,
where he actually died of.stArvation. He was
married just before etitering the ser.vice, and a
diary that he kept while in prison was recovered
and sent to his wife. It is a astccession of bloodcurdling recitals of the:terrible oideal through
which the prisoners were compelled to pass. Another brother, Daniel Hall, made several efforts
to enlist, but was always rejected by reason of
disabilities. He was, however, successful in getting into the department of construction, and
worked for a time in Tennessee and Georgia.
After the war Mr. Hall returned to Hillsdale
county and engaged in farming, purchasing a
small place in Camden township on which he
lived about five years. He then sold that and
during the next five years lived in Berrien coun
ty. At the end of that period he came back to
Hillsdale county and bought a farm of forty
acres east of the village of Camden on which he
remained five years. Selling this, after a short
residence at Montgomery, he went into Crawford
county, this state, and took up I60 acres as a
homestead and occupied it about four years and a
half. While living there he was elected and in
office as highway commissioner one year and
township treasurer two years. In I886 he moved
into Hillsdale county once more, and bought the
farm of sixty acres on which he now lives. His
farm is well improved and diligently and skillfully cultivated. It is regarded as one of the best
in the township and plainly attests his breadth
of view and success as a progressive and enterprising farmer. In political affiliation he has always been a Republican, and has given his party
years of active and intelligent service.
In fraternal relations he belongs to the Masonic order with membership in the lodge at
Camden, and also to the Grand Army of the Republic andcthe Patrons of Husbandry. On September 2, 1866, he was married to Miss Louisa
Trim, a native of Camden township and a dauglter of Richard and Fannie (Parmalee) Trim,
pioneers of the township, both now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Hall have had five children, two
of whom, Martha 0. and an infant named Ellis,
have died. Those living are Fannie, the wife of
Frank DeForest, of Camden township; Ella, the
wife of William Auten, of Jonesville; and John
J. Hall, a resident of Albion, in this state. The
parents are active members of the Methodist
Episcopal church at Montgomery, and Mr. Hall
has been one of its board of trustees during tlie
last three years.
HON. WILLIAM MERCER.
The life story of this interesting subject records the course of a career of unusual service to
his fellows, of unusual success in many lines of
active and profitable industry. As a leading farmer of Somerset township in this county for more
than sixty-five years, as the incumbent of many
local offices of importance to the section, as super
_ls
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
379
visor of the township for more than twenty years,
as associate judge of the Circuit Court and as
county judge, as a promoter of all commendable
undertakings for the improvement of the county,
and as a social force of benignity and courtliness,
he was a potential factor in every phase of the
life, enterprise and productiveness of this portion
of the state and an illustrious example of its best
citizenship. He was born on October 6, I8II, in
County Donegal, Ireland, where his forefathers
on both sides of the house had long been resident.
When he was eight years old his parents,
Samuel and Hannah (Culbert) Mercer, emigrated
to the United States and settled in Livingston
county, New York, where they purchased a farm
and lived for sixteen years. They then came to
Michigan, reaching Hillsdale county in October,
1835, here they took up a tract of 320 acres of
government land in Somerset township, built a
log house of modest dimensions and began the
arduous work of hewing out a home in this
western wilderness. In this log house, which was
the scenes of his trials and his triumphs, the place
of his domestic shrine and the center of all his
earthly joys, the father's death occurred in 1852
when he was sixty-seven years old. The house
has recently yielded to the all-consuming tooth of
time and disappeared. Samuel Mercer was a
man of great industry and energy and became
thoroughly identified with the interests of his
adopted country. Almost from the day of his
advent into the county he was numbered among
its most useful and valued citizens, and, in the
services rendered to the community in which he
lived, in many ways he fully justified this estimate. The mother was also Irish by nativity and
born in County Donegal, where she was reared,
educated, married and became the mother of two
children. Seven more were added to the husehold after their arrival in America, all of the
'nine being now deceased but two of the daughters,
Margaret and Isabelle, who reside in tnis county.
She survived her husband thirteen years and died
at the home of her son, the Judge.
Judge Mercer remained at home with his
parents until he was thirty-four years of age,
having reached the age of twenty-four in New
York, and received his education in the schools
of that state, supplementing its limited extent by
studious and reflective reading after leaving
school. When he was thirty-three he was united
in marriage with Miss Sarah Gamble, a native
of New York and a daughter of David and
Rebecca (Carroll) Gamble, the former a native
of Ireland, who came to the United States in
early manhood and settled in Livingston county,
New York, where, in 1862, he died at the age of
eighty years. His wife, a Pennsylvanian by birth,
died at their New York home in 1832, a young
woman. She was one of twelve children all of
whom are deceased but one son, living in New
York, and one daughter, who lives in Hillsdale
county.
Judge Mercer and his wife were the parents
of seven children, all born in Somerset township,
this county. One died when seven days old, the
others are living. David G., born on February
21, I846, married Miss Frances Campbell and is
the father of two children; Samuel A., born on
November 23, 1848, married Miss Estella Bilby
and is the father of four children; Elizabeth, born
on March 23, 1849, became the wife of William
Robbins, of Wheatland township; William W.,
born on March Io, I853, married Miss Betsey
Voorhes 'and is the father of one son; John G.
was. born on December 20, 1854; Sarah, wife of
William Bilby, of Somerset township, was born
on December 3, I858, and became the mother of
two sons and a daughter, now dead.
Judge Mercer was prominent in the public life
of the township and county all the time of his
residence here. On the organization of the township he was chosen assessor and served two years.
He was subsequently justice of the peace for fifteen years and township inspector two years. In
1842 he was elected supervisor on the first board
formed under the state law, serving the township
for ten different terms in this capacity and
until I869, with short intervals of intermission. 'In January, 1844, he was elected to be
an associate judge of the Circuit Court, and in
November, 1850, he was chosen county judge,
filling this office until it was abolished by law in
1852. After 1869 his son, David G. Mercer, was
380
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
supervisor for a number of years, and another
son, William W., is now the incumbent of this
same important office. The Judge gave his allegiance to the Democratic party and was stanch
and unyielding in support of his party faith. He
was generous in aid of church organizations, although, during the great part of his life, he
was not a member of any. On October 6, I90I,
his serviceable life ended amid the almost universal regret and lamentation of the people among
whom he had so long lived and labored, by whom
he was always highly respected.
WILLIAM W. MERCER, son of the late Judge
William Mercer, is a resident of Somerset township, and lives on an excellent farm highly cultivated and well provided with good buildings and
the necessary appurtenances for successful farming. He was born in this township on March io,
1853, and grew to manhood on his father's farm,
assisting in the labor of cultivating it and, when
he could do so, attending the district schools in
the neighborhood. He began life for himself as
as a farmer and has been engaged in agricultural
pursuits ever since. On January 17, 1877, he
was married to Miss Betsey Voorhes, also a native of Somerset township, born on May 20, 1859,
and a daughter of John W. Voorhes, who became
a resident of Michigan when he was a lad of fourteen and assisted his father in clearing up the
homestead. In 1855 he married Miss Mary
Bross, who was born in Adams township, this
county, and they became the parents of seven
children, two of whom died young and the rest
are living. Mr. and Mrs. Mercer have one child,
their son, Leon A. Mercer, who was born on February 19, I879. Mr. Mercer is a Democrat in
political allegiance and has taken an active interest in the, success of his party, giving its principles and nominees faithful and helpful sup-.port. He has himself been called to official stations of moment and importance in the township,
and has discharged the duties thus devolving upon
him in a manner at once creditable to himself and
beneficial to the community. He was an energetic, progressive and broad-minded member of
the school board for a number of years, and in
1882 was first elected supervisor, serving then
for three years in succession. In 1898 he was
again elected to this office and has since been
continuously reelected. He is a member of the
order of Odd Fellows and also of the Patrons of
Husbandry.
HENRY E. HAYNES.
Henry E. Haynes, one of the enterprising,,
energetic and progressive farmers of Camden
township, is to the manor born and was reared
and educated among the people who have had
the benefit of his services in various local capacities and of his inspiring example of industry
and thrift. His life began in Camden township,
on September 30, I856, and he is the son of Judson B. and Juliette (Sutton) Haynes. His father was a native of Greene county, N. Y. When
a young man Judson Haynes emigrated to Huron
county, Ohio, where he married his wife, a native
of that county. A short time later he came to
Hillsdale county and bought eighty acres of land
on which he settled his family in I856, it being
located in Camden township. Since that time
he has resided in this township except during a
residence of one year in Kansas, and he has been
actively engaged in buying and selling real estate, in the course of his operations living on a
number of different farms.
He has been one of the most enterprising and
public spirited of the township's citizens, giving
his time and energies actively to the development
and improvement of the section and filling with
credit and acceptability all the local offices from
time to time. At the present writing (90o3) he
is highway commissioner of the township and
the benefit of his services is manifest and is acknowledged by all classes of the people. In politics he has from its formation belonged to the
Republican party, and has done much by his wisdom in counsel and his zeal in campaign work
to build up and strengthen the party in the county and bring repeated success to its cause. Useful in every public function and through the
breadth and energy of his patriotism, inspiring
by his example of enterprise and resourcefulness,
and an esteemed model for all in his private life,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
381
he is justly held in the highest respect throughout the county, regarded as one of its most progressive and representative citizens. His wife
died in November, I868. They were the parents
of four children, one of whom was burned to
death when only three years old during the clearing of the farm on which they lived in the early
days of their residence in Michigan. Mr. Haynes
has since married a second wife. She was Miss
Mary Alward and they have had five children.
Henry E. Haynes is the oldest child of the
first marriage. He was reared in Camden township and there received a common school education. After leaving school, and reaching man's
estate, he passed three years in Ohio, working
on a farm by the month, and one year in Kansas,
in the same occupation and under the same con-ditions. Returning to Michigan he bought in
I880 a portion of the farm on which he now
lives, the original purchase containing seventyseven acres, to which he has added forty by a
subsequent purchase. All this he has well improved with excellent buildings and brought to
an advanced state of cultivation, and here he
conducts a vigorous and flourishing farming industry, which is carried on according to the most
approved methods, with every care to secure the
best results. Mr. Haynes has also taken an active and helpful interest in the development of
the township, the elevation of its people and the
promotion of every judicious undertaking to subserve their comfort and convenience. He assisted in organizing the Camden Rural Telephone
Co. in 1903, being one of the leading spirits in the
enterprise, taking a large block of the stock and
serving as the first president. He is also a stockholder in the Baker Economy Furnace Co. of
Camden, where the factory is located, this being
one of the leading industrial enterprises in this
portion of the state.
On December Io, 1882, Mr. Haynes married
with Miss Nettie Salmon, a native of Amboy
township in Hillsdale county, a daughter of
Charles and Annie (Thompson) Salmon, natives
of England, who were born, reared and married
in that country and came to the United States in
1849, locating in New York. The father worked
at blacksmithing a number of years for the Lake
Shore Railroad, and later bought a farm in Amboy township, where both he and his wife ended
their days. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes have four
children, Benjamin A., Mabel O., Florence A.
and Charles H., all living at home.
Mr. Haynes is a Republican in politics, zealous and energetic in the service of his party.
He served as justice of the peace for four years
and at the end of that time declined a reelection,
preferring the honorable post of private citizenship. For twenty-five years he has been an earnest and active member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, belonging to the lodge of the order at Camden, of which he is at present noble
grand. He also belongs to the Knights of the
Maccabees, his son, Benjamin, being the present
record keeper of the tent of which they are both
members. In all the relations of life Mr. Haynes
has lived acceptably among the people of his
community, winning early and holding firmly the
high respect and appreciative good will of his
fellow citizens, and ever maintaining his position
among them as one of their progressive men.
H. B. LEFLEUR.
Standing high in the esteem of all ranks of
the citizens of Hillsdale county, whom he has
served faithfully as county treasurer, as a valued
member of the, school board for many years, as
deputy collector of internal revenue, and in several other official positions of trust and importance, and with his empty trousers leg as an eloquent though silent tribute to his bravery in the
Civil War, H. B. LeFleur, of Hillsdale, can find
unusual pleasure and satisfaction in his present
comforts through the recollection of the hardships and dangers by which he came to them.
He was born at Ellicottville, in Western New
York, on July i, 1841, at a time when that portion of the great Empire state was almost as unsettled and as undeveloped as are now some of the
newest parts of the farther West. His parents
were Ambrose and Sarah (Welch) LeFleur, the
former being a native of France. Both died while
he was but a child, and he was rearied and received
382
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
a common school education in Erie county of his
native state.
In I860 he came to Hillsdale as a student to
college, and in the following spring, in obedienct
to the first call for volunteers to defend the Union
he enlisted as a member of Co. H, Fourth
Michigan Infantry. His regiment became a part
of the Army of the Potomac, and he saw active
and arduous service in that great 5ghting department of the Union forces, for the greater part oi
four years participating in all its battles, and being most of the time in the very thick of the
fight. In the deluge of death at Gettysburg he
was shot through the body, and for many weeks
thereafter hovered between life and death in an
army hospital. Recovering at length, however,
he rejoined his regiment just before the terrible
battle of the Wilderness, and in the fifth day's
fight of that sanguinary contest he lost his right
leg at Laurel Hill. He was mustered out of the
service with the rank of sergeant to which he
had risen by meritorious conduct, and returned
to this county to pass the residue of his life as a
quiet farmer in Litchfield township.
He engaged in farming in that portion of the
county until I879 when he was elected countv
treasurer for a term of four years, at the end of
which he was appointed as deputy collector of
internal revenue. This office he held until I893,
when he resigned to take the position of cashier
of the Savings Bank, of which ho was one of the
founders. He is still performing the duties of
this position, and, by his attention to them and
his excellent business capacity, he has raised the
institution to a high rank in its class and greatly
increased its business and its popularity.
He owns his farm in Litchfield, but does not
give its management his personal attention. He
has been a lifelong Republican in politics, and
has rendered his party good and faithful service.
Without reference to party considerations he was
twice elected mayor, was for many years on the
school board, and filled several other local offices,
as has been stated. On February 22, 1865, he
was united in marriage with Miss Laura E. Hadley, a native of Oswego county, New York.
They have four children, two sons and two
daughters. Mr. LeFleur is an enthusiastic Freemason, belonging to lodge, chapter and commandery, and is an active and zealous member of the
Grand Army of the Republic. No citizen of the
county stands higher or is more esteemed.
ISAAC H. KELLOGG.
Isaac H. Kellogg, one of the oldest citizens of
Reading township in continuous residence, William C. Berry being the only man in the township
who has lived within its limits longer, was born
in Onondaga county, New York, on September
I3, I834, the son of Jefferson and Maria (Hoffman) Kellogg, both of the same nativity as -himself. They were the parents of two sons in their
native state, Orlando H. and Isaac H., and, after
the birth of the second, they concluded that the
new territory of Michigan offered better opportunities for their, success in life and brighter hopes
for their children than did the Empire state, and
in I836 they moved to Reading township, in this
county, making the journey by lake to Monroe
and from there to their destination by team.
They found a home for a time with Judge John
Mickle, the first settler in the township, and assisted him in clearing a heavily timbered piece
of land whose century crowned growth of forest
was first in the township to fall before the ax.
In the fall of that year Mr. Kellogg located on
a tract of his own, which he had previously purchased from Judge Mickle in the fall of 1835,
and by persistent application he succeeded in
clearing it and making of its virgin soil an excellent farm, which he increased to I20 acres,
although he cleared with his own hands 200
acres. He retired from active work ip 1863 with
a competence, and thereafter made his home
with his youngest daughter, Mrs. John Watson,
until his death on March 3, I89I. He was for
many years an active member of the Baptist
church but late in life became a Methodist. In
politics he was a Whig until the formation of
the Republican party, after that being connected
with that organization in a leading and serviceable way, and he was at the same time a pronounced Prohibitionist. With the public life of
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
383
the township he' was actively connected, filling
from time to time some of its most important offices. His wife died at Litchfield, on April 30,
I885, aged seventy-two years. For forty years
she was a devoted member of the Baptist church,
and in her life she exemplified its highest rules
of conduct and faith. Their family consisted of
four sons and two daughters, all of whom reached
maturity and married, and all are now living except the oldest and third sons.
The second son, Isaac H. Kellogg, grew to
manhood on the old homestead, which he helped
to clear and make productive, and on which he
lived until after the death of his wife on June I2,
I895, since which time he has made his home
with his only child, Clarence J. Kellogg. Isaac
received a good education and after leaving
school engaged in teaching for a number of years.
He was married in Reading township on March
23, 1862, to Miss Phoebe Herendeen, a native of
Palmyra, N. Y., the first child and only daughter
of Welcome and Elizabeth (Burchard) Herendeen, who were born and reared in Ontario county, of that state, Mr. Herendeen being the first
white child born in that county. After a residence of some years there subsequent to their
marriage they moved to Wayne county, and, in
1845, brought their family to this county, locating in Reading township, where they remained
until death, the father dying after he reached the
age of sixty years and the mother when she had
attained seventy-eight. He was a Quaker in religious faith and his wife a Methodist. Their
daughter. Mrs. Kellogg, was well educated at
a seminary in Albion, and for a.number of years
was a successful teacher. She was a member of
the M. E. church at Reading, while her husband
is a member of the Free Will Baptist church.
Both have been prominent and active in all their
good works.
Mr. Kellogg was prominent in public local
affairs during his years of activity, filling with
credit a number of township offices, among them
township treasurer for a number of terms and
justice of the peace for a period of twenty-five
years. He is a Republican in politics and an
earnest and zealous advocate of legal prohibi
tion. He and his wife became the parents of one
child. Clarence J. Kellogg, who owns a fine farm
of I40 acres in Reading township, which he successfully manages, as he does also the paternal
homestead which his farm adjoins. He was
educated at Hillsdale College, and in his career
he has displayed superior business capacity and
worldly wisdom and breadth of' view of a high
order. Like his father he is a Republican and a
Prohibitionist. Succeeding to a family name that
has been honored in two generations in this county, he has well sustained its reputation for all that
is best in elevated citizenship. His wife was
Miss Lidia Murray, and they have two children,
their sons, Murray I. and Orson Tyler:
ANDREW L. KINNEY.
Andrew L. Kinney, one of the leading attorneys at the Hillsdale county bar, realizing forcibly that the Law is a jealous mistress and will
seldom brook a divided sovereignty, has devoted
himself exclusively to the practice of his profession since he was admitted as an attorney, and is
reaping in good measure the reward of his devotion, having a large and lucrative practice which
includes in its clientele many of the best and
most representative citizens of the county, having a well established reputation as a skillful and
resourceful lawyer, widely and accurately learned
in cases and firmly grounded in the principles of
the law.
Mr. Kinney was born in Oneida county, New
York, on June 6, i865. His parents are Harvey
and Charlotte (Lambie) Kinney, also natives of
that state. The father is a cooper and in the
earlier years of his manhood worked at that
trade, but for many years he has been engaged
in farming, beginning this occupation in his native state and continuing it in Branch county,
Mich., after coming hither in 1877, where he
lived until 189o. He then moved to Arkansas,
where he and his wife now reside, and where he
is still carrying on a successful and prosperous
industry in this line. The family consists of two
sons and three daughters.
384
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Andrew L. Kinney accompanied his parents
to Michigan when he was twelve years of age
and from that time he has been continuously a
resident of the state, except during the period of
his absence in college at Valparaiso, Ind., where
he completed the scholastic education he had begun in-the public schools of New York and continued in those of Michigan. After leaving college he taught school four years in Branch county, and in I886 began to study law in the office
of Hon. W. H. Lockerby, of Quincy, Mich. He
was admitted to the bar in I888, after two years
of industrious reading in this office, and at once
formed a partnership with his preceptor and entered upon the practice of his profession. The
partnership with Mr. Lockerby continued ten
years, and in 1892 they established a branch office at Reading, of which Mr. Kinney took
charge, removing to that town and managing the
business of the firm there until the partnership
was dissolved by mutual consent in 1899. He
has continued to reside there since that time, and
has been busily occupied with his practice, being
associated therein for one year with Eugene
Saunders and the rest of the time being alone.
In political faith Mr. Kinney is a Republican,
but he has never been an active partisan and has
no desire for public office. In 1891 he was united
in marriage with Miss Clare Wolcott, a native
of this state and of Hillsdale county, born at
North Adams, the daughter of Martin and Jennie (Conley) Wolcott, natives of New York and
Michigan respectively, who were early residents
of Michigan. Both among his professional brethren and the people generally Mr. Kinney is highly respected as an able lawyer and an upright and
straightforward citizen.
DR. JAMES B. McCARTY.
Learning in early life the enduring lessons
of adversity and self-reliance, and through the
manly qualities with which he was endowed and
and which he developed and trained by practice,
making his way in the world from an early age,
Dr. James B. McCarty came to this state with'
the enthusiasm of youth, the vigor of maturity.
the knowledge of men gained by personal con
tact with them in competition, and the firmness
and flexibility of fiber engendered by dependence on his own exertions. He was one of the
first physicians and surgeons in Hillsdale, and
one of the most highly respected and esteemed.
It was in the state of New York that his useful
life began on September 23, I8i6, and his father
was of Scotch descent. The father died when
his son, James B., was an infant, and the mother
a year or two later was remarried to a Mr. Lord.
At the age of twelve Doctor McCarty began
working for his own livelihood, and from that
time he has been entirely the architect and builder
of his own fortune.
He diligently worked his way through
good academies, and, when he had secured his
preparatory education in this way, he became a
student of medicine at the Geneva (N. Y.) Medical College, and was graduated from that distinguished institution in 1841. He at once began the practice of his profession at Ontario,
N. Y., and remained there until 1848. He then
came to Hillsdale and was in active practice here
until he died in 1854, gaining in his short resid'ence a large circle of admiring friends and an
extensive and lucrative practice. On March 17,
1841, he was united in marriage with Miss Emily
Sheldon, a native of Wayne county, N. Y., a
daughter of Norman and Roxy (Stow) Sheldon,
prosperous farmers of that state, who died there
at good old ages. The Doctor and Mrs. McCarty
were the parents of four children, of whom three
died in infancy. One daughter is living, Mrs.
Julia A. Pond, of Hillsdale.
In political faith Doctor McCarty was a Democrat, but he never sought or accepted public
office. He was greatly and usefully interested in
everything that involved the welfare and progress of the county, being prominent in the movement to found Hillsdale College, and continuing
to be one of its most loyal supporters after it was
founded as long as he lived. He was also potential in behalf of other movements and undertakings for the advancement and improvement
of his town and county, and was highly commended for the breadth of view, the excellent judgment and the general wisdom he ever displayed
in reference to public affairs of.every character.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
385
JUDGE JOHN MICKLE.
The first white settler in Reading township,
and who was for fifty-seven years one of its most
esteemed and useful citizens, the late Hon. John
Mickle exhibited in his long and useful career
in Hillsdale county the best traits of the hardy
and determined pioneer and the progressive and
public spirited citizen. He located on the farm,
which was his home for more than half a century, on October 5, 1835, and here he died on
December 15, 1892, at the age of more than
eighty-eight years, having been born on September 2, I804. The place of his birth was Hannibal in Oswego county, N. Y., his native county
being at that time as much of a wilderness as
almost any portion of the West is now, and he
was one of the nine children of John and Catherine Mickle, industrious farmers and frontiersmen of that locality. On his father's farm he
grew to manhood and acquired the habits of stur-'
dy industry and thrift which characterized him
through life and also the spirit of manly self-reliance and independence which was his mainstay
in many a crisis.
On becoming his own master young Mickle
started out to make his own way in the world,
possessed of no capital for the struggle except
nine cents in money and an abundance of health,
strength, energy, honesty and pluck. He was
ready to perform any kind of manual labor, and
began by cutting wood and doing other jobs
at a small wage, carefully saving his earnings
and making judicious use of his opportunities.
For ten years he patiently toiled on, eight of
them in his native state, then came to Hillsdale
county and began to buy tracts of land to keep
them out of the hands of speculators, afterward
selling them at reasonable prices to actual settlers who desired to locate here with their families. In this way he gave an impetus to the development of the section and in a short time had
around him a colony of substantial and honest
citizens, who were imbued with his own spirit
and combined their efforts with his to make their
chosen home in the wilderness prosperous both in
worldly wealth and beneficent activity, bright
with the blessings of an advanced civilization.
He had come to this state in I83I and settled on
government land in the territory claimed by both
Ohio and Michigan; and during the four years
of his residence there he took an active part in
the Toledo War, serving as a fifer and being the
only one in his regiment.
Some time after the close of this exciting conflict a surveyor told him of the rich and beautiful
country lying around Jonesville, and selling out
his possessions he came to this part of the state,
accompanied by his wife, one child and a hired
man named Ephraim Wiltsie, and located near
North Reading. He here purchased of the government the north half of section 9 and the south
half of section 3, then in Allen township but now
in Reading. His first dwelling was a cabin of
unhewn logs, I9x23 feet in size. This he afterward replaced by a house of hewn black walnut
logs which was for many years the most pretentious and attractive building in the township.
It is still standing and marks the spot and shows
the style of a prosperous pioneer's early home.
Aided by his industrious sons he fully cleared
250 acres of his land, placed it in under cultivation and adorned it with the residence spoken of
and other good farm buildings. He also took
pride in raising good stock.
From his advent into the county Judge Mickle
was active and serviceable in all phases of its public life. The first town meeting, which was held
on April 3, 1837, convened at his house, and this
was the beginning of the township's organization. At this meeting he was elected to the various positions of justice of the peace, highway
commissioner and township assessor. The office
of justice he filled for thirteen years, during eight
of which he was also a notary public. In 1839
he was again elected assessor, and two years later
he was chosen associate judge of the circuit
court. In I842 he represented the county in the
state Legislature, and in I85I was again elected
judge. His last office was that of justice of the
peace to which he was again elected in I867. In
politics he was a Whig until the formation of the
Republican party and thereafter he was a member of that organization.
386
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
The Judge was first married in his native
county to Miss Elizabeth S. DeMott, and they
became the parents of five daughters, all of whom
but one died in infancy, and she is now deceased.
The one that died in I836 was the first person
to die in the township, and two years later Mrs.
Mickle followed her offspring to the better world.
On September 8, I839, the Judge was united
with a second wife, Miss Mary Fitzsimmons, a
daughter of George Fitzsimmons and sister of
A. M. R. Fitzsimmons, of Reading township,
thus solemnizing the first wedding in the town.
Their offspring numbered ten, all sons, of whom
one died in infancy, nine grew to manhood and
six are now living. John G. is a resident of Quincy, Mich.; Eugene O. traveled as a scenic painter
and was last heard of in Liverpool, England;
Daniel W. married Miss Sena Kidder and lives
at Reading; Benjamin F. married Miss Flora
Hogeboom and is a farmer in Reading township;
Luther S. lives at Ottawa, Ill. His first wife
died and he has married again; and George L.
runs a creamery at Castalia, Ohio. Their mother
departed this life on February 29, i888.
The Judge joined the Masonic fraternity in
early life and ascended its mystic ladder to the
degree of Knight Templar, joining Eureka Commandery in 1854. Reading Lodge, No. II7, of
the order was instituted in I858 at his home with
him as its first senior warden. For many years
he was a leading member of the Baptist church
to which he was much devoted and a liberal contributor. His funeral services were conducted
by Eureka Commandery of Hillsdale, and were
participated in by a multitude of admiring
friends, neighbors and pioneers. His remains
were laid to rest in the cemetery which bears
his name, on the land which he had entered as a
home fifty-seven years before.
GEORGE B. GARDNER.
One of the best known and most prominent
citizens of Michigan is the subject of this sketch,
Prof. George B. Gardner, the well-known artist
of Hillsdale, who for many years has stood at the
head of the art department of the Hillsdale Col
lege. A native of Germany, he was born at
Darmstadt, on August 15, I835, the son of George
B. and Dorothy (Bower) Gardner, natives of the
Fatherland. His father followed the dual occupations of millwright and miller, and was a highly
valued member of the community where he resided. He passed away from life in Germany
after a long and useful life. The mother also died
in Germany, both parents being buried there.
Professor Gardner attained man's estate in
the land of his nativity, and there received his
early education. He early showed a tendency
toward the calling which he has followed with
such conspicuous success in later years. At the
age of three years he began to make drawings
with so much skill as to attract the attention of'
his parents and others, and, at the age of eight
years, he painted a small water-color of his early
home, which was so true to life as to command
a ready sale. The paints and brushes which he
Used were manufactured by his own hands, and
he now has one of these early efforts hanging on
the walls of his Hillsdale studio, as an evidence of
the'precocity and talent of his childhood. At the
age of seventeen years, in 1852, the young artist
determined to seek his fortune in America, and,
leaving the land of his birth and young manhood,
he set sail for the new world. Arriving in this
country, he first settled in Pittsburg, Pa., where
he remained for several years in the successful
pursuit of his art. During his residence in this
city he made several. trips to the southern states
for the purpose of studying slave life, he having
become much interested in the slavery question
during the early years of his life in Ameripa, and
in his collection he has several paintings of negro
meetings, which he made from life in the days
antecedent to the Civil War. He first came to
Hillsdale in I856, and, two years later, he accepted.
the position of principal of the art department at
the Hillsdale College, with relation he continued
to hold with great distinction and marked success
for thirty-two years, resigning it in I900 for the
purpose of giving his entire attention to individual work.
Professor Gardner has been foremost in the
upbuilding of art in the state of Michigan, hav
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
* 387
ing instructed more than three thousand students
during his long term of service in Hillsdale College. He has also been active and prominent in
the public life of his section of the state, occupying at the present time (1903) the office of supervisor of the second ward of the city of Hillsdale,
having also served for four years as a member of
the city council, a portion of the time being the
acting mayor of the city. Politically, he has always been identified with the Republican party,
taking for many years an active and prominent
part in the leadership and management of the
affairs of that party in Hillsdale county. In 1855
Professor Gardner was united in marriage with
Miss Henrietta Sayre, a native of the state of
Ohio. To their union have been born eight chiliren, all of whom attained maturity and are now
living. The Professor is devoted to his family
and to his home. In religious creed himself ana
family are members of the Free Baptist church,
and take an active and sincere interest in the work
of religion and charity in the community. Professor Gardner is also affiliated with the Masonic
order, being a member of the chapter and commandery, holding the chaplain's chair in his lodge.
He has 'been for many years, and is now in his
mature years, one of the leading citizens of Hillsdale county, who has done much to advance and
promote the best interests and artistic culture of
the community, and he is honored by all classes of
his fellow citizens.
JOHN G. McWILLIAM.
Planting his unfaltering footstep in the wilderness of Hillsdale county in the spring of
1842 when he was but twenty years of age, and
maintaining his residence on the same land from
that time to this, John G. McWilliam; of Camden
township, is a fine representative of the early pioneers who laid the foundation of the county's
greatness and labored to develop its resources
with a breadth of view and an enterprise characteristic of the heroic band to which he belonged
and of the people of character and force from
whom he sprang. He was born in Saratoga
county, N. Y., on August 9, 1822, the son of Ab25
ner J. and Agnes G. (Gilchrist) McWilliam,
both natives of that county, reared on its soil, educated in its schools and married among its people. On August 20, 1822, eleven days after his
birth his mother died, leaving him as her only
offspring. His father afterward married a second time and one child was added by this marriage to the household. His second wife also
preceded him to the other world, and he contracted a third marriage by which he became the father of two additional children. In the fall of
1832 the family moved to Michigan and settled
on a farm in Lenawee county which is now covered by the town of Deerfield, they being among
the earliest settlers in that region. In 1836 they
sold this farm and bought another of I60 acres in
the same township, which they improved and cultivated and on which the father lived until his
death in I875.
The son, John G. McWilliam, was ten years
old when the family residence was taken up in
this state, and he remained at home, receiving
a public school education and working on the
paternal homestead until the spring of 1842.
He then started out in life for himself, and, coming to Hillsdale county, purchased the place of
147 acres, on which he still resides in Camden
township. It was in the virgin forest of the time,
still the haunt of the untamed Indian, filled with
beasts of prey, and without roads or other conveniences on which the comfort and welfare of
civilized men is largely dependent. But he was
inured to the toils and privations of pioneer life.
The path he had chosen was choked with difficulties, but his body and soul were hardened to
met them; it was beset with dangers, but these
were the very spice of life to such as he, gladdening the heart with exulting self-confidence, sending the blood through the veins with a livelier
current. He entered upon the herculean task
of clearing his land, and making it habitable and
productive, with energy and confidence, and, after one year's arduous effort, while waiting development of the plans he had begun, he returned
to Lenawee county and remained there for a
year. In the spring of 1844 he came back to his
farm and thenceforth applied himself assiduously
388.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
to its improvement and cultivation, and now he
has one of the choice country homes of Camden.
As time passed he prospered in his efforts,
and after many years of faithful industry, retired a short time ago from active pursuits, determined to spend the rest of his days in quiet contentment on the broad acres which he had redeemed from the wilderness and planted with beneficent fertility and all the products of careful
and judicious husbandry. In 1845 he built a
little log dwelling in which he lived until 1867,
when he replaced it with the commodious modern
house which he still occupies. On April 27, 1845,
he married with Miss Sallie Westfall, a native
of Ontario county, N. Y., and daughter of Jacob
D. and Mary (Middaugh) Westfall, who lived
in that county and state until toward the close
of their lives but died in this county. Mr. and
Mrs. McWilliam have had three children: Abner J., who died at the age of thirty-four; Albert,
who died at the age of two years; Ellen Estelle,
now the wife of Silas W. Huggett, and a resident
of Camden township. Mrs. McWilliam. died on
May 2, I902. In politics Mr. McWilliam has
been an active Democrat all of his mature life.
He served as highway commissioner for a number of terms and for eight years as a justice of
the peace. He is widely known, highly respected
and generally esteemed as one of the representative men of the township. He is a prominent and
valued member of the Patrons of Husbandry.
CAPTAIN LUCIEN MEIGS.
In November, 1847, Lucien Meigs purchased
sixty acres of land in Reading township, of this
county, and from that time, until his death in
I89I, he was a resident of the township, one of
its prominent citizens, public spirited men and
an influential factor in developing its resources
and building up its interests. The farm on which
he then settled was a tract of unbroken forest,
without roads or other conveniences, virgin to
the plow, yielding nothing for the sustenance of
man except the wild growths of the woodland and
the game with which it was filled. Every foot
of it required heroic toil to bring it to produc
tiveness, and he addressed himself to the task
with ardor and energy. Erecting a little log
cabin as a habitation for himself and his bride,
whom he had married in Allen township on the
seventh day of that month, he went to work with
vigor at the clearing of his land, and in preparing
it for cultivation. And during the forty-four
years of his residence here Captain Meigs has
continued his industry and has created from the
wilderness a fine and well improved farm, on
which fields of waving grain grow golden in the
sunshine where once the primeval forest stood,
and a commodious and substantial modern dwelling marks the site of the first residence, the humble log cabin.
He was born in the town of Van Buren, Onondaga county, N. Y., and was the descendant.of an old New England family. His grandfather, Phineas Meigs, was a soldier in the Revolution from the beginning to the end of the momentous struggle, and died in his native township after an honorable and useful life of seventy-seven years. His son, Phineas Meigs, the
Captain's father, was an intelligent, hard-working farmer, highly respected as a citizen and a
good and honest man in the community where he
lived for many years. He was three times married, first to Miss Waitstill Williams, who bore
him three daughters and one son, and died in
1831, while she was yet a young woman. His
second marriage, which occurred in his native
county, was with Miss Polly Ingoldsby, who
was born in Jefferson county, N. Y., of Massachusetts parentage. They were the parents of
four sons and two daughters, of whom the Captain was the first born. This wife died in 1861,
and Mr. Meigs married a third, Miss Lydia Gardner, who died on February 14, I872, aged sixtynine, leaving two sons. One of these was a private in a New York regiment during the Civil
War and died at City Point, Va., of a disease
contracted on the battlefield.
Lucien Meigs was reared in his native township and received an excellent education, which
he put to a good use by'teaching, in which occupation he was engaged for a number of years after reaching his legal majority. When twenty
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
389
two years old he came to Michigan and purchased eighty acres of land in Girard township,
Branch county. He lived in that county five years
but made no effort to improve his land, as he was
engaged in teaching during the winter and in
farm labor around the country in the summer.
After his marriage he located on the farm which
was his last home, and during the rest of his life
he followed farming with industry and success,
except during his term of service as a volunteer
in the Union army of the Civil War. In January, I863, he enlisted as a member of Co. G, First
Michigan Sharpshooters, and was commissioned
captain of the company on March 31 following,
taking his position with this rank in May. The
regiment was stationed at Fort Dearborn, Mich.,
until early in July, when six of its companies
were ordered to southern Indiana and Ohio in
pursuit of Morgan and his raiders. They were
stationed for some time in Jennings county, Ind.,
and were instrumental in driving the invader out
of that part of the state and in capturing some
of his scouts. After his capture the regiment
returned to Fort Dearborn, and, after remaining
there until August 17, following, it was ordered
to Camp Douglas at Chicago, where it was on
guard duty until March 17, 1864, and was then
sent to Annapolis, Md., and consolidated with
the second brigade of the third division of the
Ninth Army Corps, and soon after joined the
Army of the Potomac. On May 6 and 7 it was in
action in the battle of the Wilderness. Not long
after this Captain Meigs was disabled by illness
and on August i, I864, he was honorably discharged from the service with a good reputation
for fidelity and zeal as a soldier and an officer in
camp and on the march and the battlefield.
On his return to the North he made a visit
to his old New York home, and then resumed his
life as a farmer and citizen in this county, where
he was ever actively, serviceably and effectively
identified with the progress and development of
this section and a local force of power and influence in the political affairs of the township, holding in succession almost every office in the gift
of the people. He was throughout his manhood
a zealous and devoted Republican. On Novem
ber 7, I847, he was married to Miss Amanda
Thomas, a native of Ontario county, N. Y., and
the second child of the eleven born to her parents, David and Polly (Webster) Thomas, the
former born in Massachusetts and the latter in
New York. The parents lived from I834 to I84I
at Mentor, Ohio, near the home of President Garfield, where Mr. Thomas improved a farm. In
the year last named he moved with his family to
Allen township in this county, and located on a
new farm where the parents passed the rest of
their days, the father dying at the age of seventyeight and the mother at that of seventy-two.
They were highly respected and their lives were
conspicuous for honesty, industry and generous
hospitality.
Mrs. Meigs was well educated in Ohio and
Michigan, and when she became a young lady
she engaged in teaching, following this profession until her marriage with Captain Meigs, by
which she became the mother of three children,
Ella A., wife of Frank M. Frazier, a prominent
farmer of Crawford county, Pa.; Morris I., a
sketch of whom appears in this volume in connection with one of the Reading Robe & Tanning
Co.; and I. May, wife of Edgar B. Bailey, an esteemed farmer of Reading township. After a
record of usefulness, honesty and enterprise of
which any man might be proud, Captain Meigs
died at his home in Reading township on August
3, I89I, leaving a good name which would be a
priceless legacy to any family. Mrs. Meigs herself passed away on April 8, I9OI.
ISAAC MOORE.
The late Isaac Moore, of Pittsford township,
whose untimely death on August 5, I900, was
generally lamented and closed a life of signal
usefulness, was born in Wayne county, New
York, on October 21, I842. His parents were
William and Dinah (Strange) Moore, both born
and reared in England. They came to the United
States in I834 and settled in Wayne county, New
York, where the father was an industrious and
prosperous laborer in various fields of enterprise.
and where both parents died. Their offspring
390
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
consisted of five sons and one daughter. Two
of the sons, Robert and Isaac, became residents
of Hillsdale county. The latter was but fourteen
years of age when he came to this county and
joined his older brother, Robert, then a resident
of Pittsford township, for whom he worked until
the beginning of the Civil War. In November,
I86I, he enlisted as a member of the Sixth Michigan Battery of Light Artillery, and with that
organization fought for the Union until he was
taken prisoner on August 23, I862, at the battle
of Richmond, Ky.
After his exchange some months later he reenlisted in the same battery, and remained with
it until the close of the war, participating with it
in many hard fought battles and seeing much of
the privation and hardship necessarily incident
to military life. After his final discharge he returned to Hillsdale county and during the rest
of his life was engaged here in various pursuits,
performing his daily duties with fidelity and
cheerfulness, adding in his way much of worth
and usefulness to the wealth and prosperity of the
township, and exemplifying in his unostentatious career many of the most admirable traits of
a serviceable and approved citizenship, the kind
on which the safety and progress of our country
has so largely depended, and to which it owes
so much of its real greatness and power.
In I868 Mr. Moore was married with Miss
Martha Phillips, daughter of James and Philenda (Monroe) Phillips. The father came to
Michigan in 1835 and settled in Lenawee county
where he remained four years, thence removing
to Hillsdale county in I839. Here he married
with Miss Monroe and continued to reside on
land which he purchased in Pittsford township
until his death. His family consisted of two
daughters; Mrs. Moore being the only one now
living. Mr. and Mrs. Moore had five children:
Myrtie and Mariam, deceased; and Mortimer,
Marvin and Milford, all living at home. The
family has a; good record and stands well in the
township, contributing to its industrial and social life in a substantial way, and holding well the
respect of the people of all classes.
DR. JAMES W. NIBLACK.
The subject of this review, who is one of the
pioneer physicians and surgeons of HBillsdale
county, and has a long record of active and beneficial service among its people to his credit, is a
native of Washington county, Pa., where he was
born on February 26, 1832. James and Margaret (Speinger) Niblack, his parents, were also
natives of Pennsylvania, and in that state they
were prosperously engaged in farming until the
desire for a more open and promising life with
larger opportunities on the frontier impelled them
in 1853 to emigrate to Trumbull county, Ohio.
They cleared a farm in the wilderness and made
it their home until death, the father passing
away in I842 and the mother in I877. The father
was a soldier in the War of I812, and in that
short but decisive contest with the mother country, in which her aspiring offspring demonstrated his ability to assert and maintain his rights
on land and sea, the gallant Pennsylvanian bore
himself with credit on many a bloody. field. The
paternal ancestry was of Scottish origin and settled in this country early in its Colonial period
of struggle and conquest.
Doctor Niblack was one of the eleven children who composed his father's household, and
of this number he alone remains. He became a
resident of Trumbull county, Ohio, when he was
but three years old, and remained there until
I86I, receiving his education in the public schools
and at the Farmington Normal School. After
leaving this institution he taught in the public
schools for a time and then, in 1852, began reading medicine, placing himself under the direction
of Doctor Briscoe. He took a course of professional instruction at the Western Reserve Medical College of Cleveland, and in I86I came to
Michigan, locating in Cambria Mills, in Hillsdale
county, where he remained until I888, when he
removed to Reading, which has since been his
home. During the two years from 1863 to July,
I865, he served in the Federal army, being a
member of the Twenty-seventh Michigan Infantry which he joined as its assistant surgeon. In
this service he participated in many important
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
39'
engagements, and was finally discharged with
the rank of a lieutenant of cavalry. He was in
the Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the
Potomac, most of the time under General Grant.
In 1884-5 the Doctor attended a course of
lectures at the Bennett Medical College of Chicago, where he was graduated with the degree
of M. D. His practice has been of the most general character, as that of nearly all country physicians must be, and he has adorned the profession
with breadth and fullness of learning and with
skill and exactness in its application to his business. For many years he was an active and zealous member of the county, state and tri-state
medical associations, giving to their proceedings
and deliberations the benefit of his wide experience and his close and discriminating observation.
His success mainly has been due, however, to his
intelligent study of his cases and the excellent
judgment he displays in their management. He
married in Ohio in 1855 with Miss Mary Keefer,
who died leaving three children, Dr. Charles F.,
a prominent physician of Reading; Nellie, wife
of A. B. Scattergood, of Alma, Mich., and
George L., one of the leading farmers of this
county. The Doctor was united in marriage
with his second wife, Miss Arilla Betts, of Cambria, this county, in I88o. He is a Republican
in politics, strong in the faith, active in the service of his party. He has filled several local offices in the village and township. He belongs to
the Masonic order and to the Knights of Pythias.
CHRISTOPHER MYERS.
Christopher Myers, the oldest son of Joshua
and Jane (Penoyar) Myers, a sketch of whom
will be found elsewhere in this work, was born
in Camden township, Hillsdale county, Michigan,
on December I6, I840, about two months after
the arrival in this county of his parents and his
three older sisters. He was reared on the woodland farm on the very verge of civilization, on
which they had pitched their tent and begun to
make a new home. His opportunities for attending school were few and it was far between them,
as all the available strength and spirit of the fam
ily were needed for work on the farm while the
season lasted. So, growing to manhood amid
the scenes of natural beauty of southern Michigan, and free from the blandishments and seductive pleasures of social life, he developed a strong
physique and a healthy love of home and freedom, which took in the whole country as the object of its devotion. It was no surprise to his
friends, therefore, that when armed resistance
threatened the existence of the Federal Union,
he was one of the early volunteers.
On August 12, I86I, when he was not yet of
legal age, he enlisted in Co. C, Seventh Michigan
Infantry, and soon afterward was in the field as
a part of the Army of the Potomac. His regiment was in the very thickest of the fighting during the first two years of the war, and took part
in twenty-seven engagements, among the most
important being those at Yorktown, Fair Oaks,
the James, where for seven days, there was almost continual battle and much of it desperate,
Second Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam. At the terrible battle of Antietam he was
shot through the thigh and for four weeks thereafter was in the hospital, and then, in November,
I862, he was discharged from the'service on account of the disability thus incurred. He returned home but was an invalid for several
months, and unable to do continued work of any
kind. Recovering his health, he reenlisted on
December 12, I863, becoming a member of Co.
K, Twenty-seventh Michigan Infantry, in which
he then served to the close of the war. With this
command he participated ift many engagements,
the most noted being the battle of the Wilderness.
After this contest he was detailed for service in
the commissary department for about three
months, then returned to his company and took
part in the capture of Fort Mahoney, being at
the very front in the charge and one of the first
men to get within the fort. His company also
fired the first shot at the battle of Petersburg,
After the capture of that city his regiment was a
part of the force that followed General Lee until
his surrender. Mr. Myers was under fire almost
every day for months, being at the front for three
years. At the close of the war he went to Wash
392
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ington, took part in the Grand Review of the
army, then returned to his Camden township
home and settled on a farm of forty acres which
he had bought during the war. Here he lived
for a period of thirty years. He still owns the
farm but has it now in the hands of a tenant,
having retired from active pursuits.
On January I, I866, he was married to Miss
Hannah Louesa Pound, a native of Wayne county, N. Y., the daughter of Addison T. and Chloe
(Gurnee) Pound, the former a native of Ontario
county and the latter of Cayuga county, N. Y.
They moved to Hillsdale county in 1856 and
bought a farm in Camden township on which
they lived until death, the mother passing away
in November, I888, and the father in November,
900o. Mr. and Mrs. Meyers have one child,
their daughter, Chloe, wife of S. E. Haughey, of
Camden. Mr. Myers belongs to the Masonic fraternity, holding his membership in Lodge No.
245 at Camden, and is also connected with the
Order of the Eastern Star, the Grand Army of
the Republic and the Patrons of Husbandry. In
politics he has been a Republican from the dawn
of his manhood, casting his first vote for Lincoln
for president. He has been actively interested in
the development of his township and county,
and has taken a prominent part in various enterprises looking to this end. As a wise and useful
citizen, who never shirks his duty in reference
to public or private responsibilities, he is widely
known and highly esteemed.
JOSHUA MYERS.
Arriving in Hillsdale county, Michigan, in
October, I840, with his wife and three daughters,
and without a place whereon to lay his head or
shelter them from the storms of winter, which
were already foretold in the frosty air and deepening tinges of the forests, Joshua Myers, late
of Camden township, deceased, was a man of
resolute spirit and determination, or he would not
have accepted his lot in the wilderness with so
much cheerfulness and courage as he is said to
have done, and he would not have wrought out
of his adverse circumstances, and conditions of
difficulty and danger, the substantial estate of
worldly comfort which he enjoyed in his later
years, or have developed his wild land into the
excellent farm with good improvements which
he left as the monument of his skill and industry.
He was born near Lyons, N. Y., on January Io,
I8Io, the son of Christopher Myers, a New
Yorker by birth but of German ancestry, whose
wife was born and reared in Vermont. The father was a well-to-do farmer in his native state
and died there while he was yet a young man.
After his death his widow joined her children in
this state and died some years later at the home
of her daughter in Allegan county.
Joshua Myers grew to manhood in his native
state and there was united in marriage with Miss
Jane Penoyar. In the autumn of 1840 he moved
with his wife and three daughters to Hillsdale
county and settled on eighty acres of land which
he bought in Camden township around the site
of the present grange hall. This land was all
heavily timbered, and there were no conveniences of life at hand to make it more habitable,
or less difficult of access and treatment, than other wild lands of the dense forest. Mr. Myers
went to work resolutely, however, and built a
little log house for a dwelling for his family,
hurrying his operations on the building with
might and main in order to get it completed before cold weather set in, for it was in October
that they reached the county. After the cabin
was completed the family moved into it and it
continued to be their home until the prosperity,
that followed their persistent energy in clearing
and cultivating their land, enabled them to build
a better residence and otherwise enrich their
farm with good improvements.
In his later years the father sold this place
and moved to Indiana, but after residing a few
years in that state he returned to Camden township and there passed the remainder of his days,
dying in I880, having survived his wife for a
quarter of a century, as she died about I855.
They were the parents of six children, two of
whom are dead and the other four residents of
Hillsdale county. They are Harriet, now the
widow of Aldice Johnson; Clarissa, wife of Wil
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
393
liam C. Johnson; Christopher and Walter, farmers of Camden township, where their sisters also
live. The deceased children are Charity, who was
the wife of S. B. Johnson; and Annie, who died
unmarried. Mr. Myers was a useful man in his
day and generation. HIe freely did what he could
to develop the county and the state in which he
lived, and he was correspondingly appreciated
and esteemed by his fellow citizens.
WALTER MYERS, the son and youngest child
of Joshua and Jane (Penoyar) Myers, was born
in Camden township, Hillsdale county, on October I, I843, and was reared on his father's farm.
He was educated in the district schools of the
neighborhood and trained to a life of industry
and thrift. On September I, I86I, when he was
less than eighteen years old, he enlisted in the
Union army as a member of Co. K, Eleventh
Michigan Infantry, and in the momentous contest in which our unhappy land was then engaged
he served for three years and one month, being
mustered out at Sturgis on the last day of September, 1864. He participated in twenty-two
hard fought battles, among them those of Stone
River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Ga., Dallas,
Roop Station and the siege of Atlanta, besides a
great number of skirmishes and minor engagecents. He was never sick a day while in the service, was never wounded and never taken prisoner.
He thoroughly enjoyed the life of danger and
thrilling incidents of the war and returned from
it strengthened and developed in body and with
a spirit of manly self-reliance which has been his
mainstay ever since. His regiment was a part of
the Army of the Cumberland, than which no department did more or harder fighting.
After Mr. Myers's return home he worked
on the farm for his father three or four years,
then rented a farm and after occupying it for a
time, bought the one of thirty acres on which he
now lives. He was married on February 2,
1868, with Miss Ella Wright, a native of Lorain
county, Ohio, and a daughter of Micajah and
Phoebe J. (Campbell) Wright, natives of New
York and early settlers in Ohio. They came to
Hillsdale county in the early days of its history,
and here the father died about I885. The mother
is still living and makes her home with Mr. Myers. He is a member of the Union Veterans
Union, and is earnest in his devotion to the Republican party. He has served the township as
a highway commissioner, and has ever shown a
laudable and serviceable interest in the welfare
of all its interests. He is universally respected
as a good citizen and an estimable man.
WILLIAM ALLEN OLIVER, M. D.
Dr. William Allen Oliver, of Camden, is a native of Fulton county, Ohio, born on November
5, I853, and is the son of Nathan and Sarah
(Carmichael) Oliver, both natives of Ohio, the
father born in Stark county and the mother in
Morrow county. Soon after their marriage in
1843 they settled in Fulton county in that state,
where they were early pioneers and cleared an
excellent farm from the woodland, making it a
very comfortable and valuable home. Selling this
in 1877, they moved to Hillsdale county, Michigan, settling in Reading township, where the
mother died. A few years later the father moved
back to Ohio, taking up his residence in Williams
county, where he died.
The Doctor was reared on the paternal homestead and took an active part in its useful labors until he reached the age of sixteen. The
family then moved to Pioneer, and he, having
made a choice of his profession, attended school
to more fully prepare himself for the work. At
-the age of eighteen he began to study medicine
under the direction of Dr. George Young, of Pioneer, with whom he remained for five years, two
months and ten days, during this period attending
a course of lectures at Hahnemann Medical College in Chicago. He has since taken another
course at the same institution. In I877 he located at Reading. in this county, for a while, but
owing to the uncertainty of his health he did not
practice. In the spring 'of I878 he moved to
South Camden, and, after remaining there about
eighteen months, he established his residence at
Camden, where he has ever since been actively en
394
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
gaged in the practice of his profession and aiding
in building up the community.
Doctor Oliver is an active and faithful worker
in the ranks of the Republican party, but has
never sought or desired official station. In the
cause of public education, however, he has taken
a great interest, and has rendered valuable service, having been a member of the local school
board for about fifteen years. He has also served
the community for eighteen years as health officer. Fraternally, he is connected with the Masonic fraternity and the Order of the Eastern
Star; also with the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, holding memberships in the lodges of
these orders at Camden. On June 5, 1883, Doctor Oliver was married to Miss Ortensa L. Chester, a native of Camden township and daughter
of Frederick and Martha L. (Fowle) Chester, a
sketch of whom will be found on other pages of
this work. Five children have blessed their union
and brightened their home, four of whom are living, Clark C., Walter W., Flossie F. and Leota L.
A son named William W. died at the age of four
months and nine days. The Doctor stands-high
in his profession, and as a citizen enjoys the confidence and esteem of the entire community.
DR. DANIEL W: TIMMS.
The late Dr. Daniel W. Timms, of Hillsdale
county, whose death at the age of fifty-eight, in
I882, left a vacancy in the professional and agricultural circles in the county which it has been
difficult to fill, was born at Oxford, England, on
November 24, 1824, the son of John and AnnTimms, also English by nativity. They came
with their family to the United States about the
year 1831, and settled at Palmyra, New York,
and five years later they came to Michigan, taking up their residence on land in Wheatland
township, this county, which they at once began
to clear and improve. The next year, at the very
threshold of his labor of improvement, the father
died, but his widow and their sons carried on the
work he had begun until the death of the mother
on July 30, 1884. Of the six children in the family three are living, their sons, William and John,
and their daughter, Mrs. Voorhees, a resident of
Grand Rapids.
From his twelfth year the Doctor passed his
life in this county, receiving his preliminary scholastic training in the public schools and finishing
his academic course at Spring Arbor, and at Albion Seminary. Upon leaving school he immediately began the study of medicine under direction
of Doctor Hall, of Hudson, and Doctor Delevan,
of Moscow, and, in I848, entered the medical college at Columbus, Ohio, where he was graduated
in 1849 with the degree of M. D. He returned
from the medical college and started the practice
of his profession at Rollin, in Lenawee county,
but, after a short time, he removed to Wheatland
township, in this county, where he remained for
fourteen years. At the end of that time he took up
his residence at Moscow, and that town was his
home until his death on October 27, I882. In
1855, to better prepare himself for a special line
of practice then much in need in his community,
he took a special course of instruction in eye and
ear diseases and their proper treatment at an excellent New York institution, on his return finding ample justification for his expenditure and
enterprise by many calls for relief in this domain,of human suffering. Some few years before his
death he gave up active practice and devoted himself to farming of a high standard. He was married, on July 3, I849, to Miss Sarah A. Mallory, a
daughter of Azariah and Azubah (White) Mallory, further notice of whom appears upon another page of this volume.
Having no children of their own, the Doctor
and Mrs. Timms adopted a son, Frank M. Timms,
now prominent and prosperous in the livestock
commission business in Chicago. In political faith
the Doctor was a loyal Republican and took great
interest in the success of his party. He served a
number of years as township clerk, was president
of the county agricultural society for two years,
being also for some time justice of the peace. His
church affiliation was with the Baptist sect. In
professonal, in official and in private life he was
a man of high character and great activity, an ornament to the community and one of its most
serviceable citizens.- His widow, some years after
I
J^O"cy7^
o/I ~
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
395
his death, married Henry McCowen, a native of
Pennsylvania, born in I820 and a pioneer of 1845
in Michigan, a sketch of whom will be found
upon another page. Mrs. McCowen, for the second time a widow, lives at Hillsdale, universally
esteemed.
CORNELIUS B. REYNOLDS.
One of the honored pioneers of Hillsdale
county, and devoting to the development of its industries and the advancement of its people nearly
fifty years of his useful life, Cornelius B. Reynolds
of Reading township, who passed away from the
trials and sorrows of earth to the triumphs of an
everlasting rest on September 28, I894, was an
inspiration in the life of his community and the
memory of his lofty example is still an incitement
to its people. He saw all the difficulity and danger of frontier life, endured all its hardships and
privations, performed every form of its exacting
toil, and at the last enjoyed in full measure the
comfort fairly won by his labors and the respect
and esteem of his fellow men properly due to his
uprightness and manly character.
Born in Washington county, New York, on
September 9, I820, he was the son of Jeremiah
and Sarah (Tafft) Reynolds, who were born,
reared, married and passed their lives in that
county, the mother dying there about middle age,
and the father remaining until the shadows of the
grave began to darken around him, then coming
to the home of his son in Hillsdale county, where
he passed away on January 14, 1864, more than
eighty-four years old. Corfielius B. Reynolds
was reared in his native county, and there received
a common-school education and learned the trade
of a miller, at which he afterward worked in a
number of different places. At the age of sixteen
he moved with his parents to Wayne county, New
York, and, later, on August II, 1841, was there
married to Miss Parnel Marsh, who was born in
that county on October I6, I820.
Mr. Reynolds had purchased eighty acres of
land in Reading township, Michigan, agreeing
to pay far more than it was worth, giving a mortgage for a considerable part of the purchase price.
In I845 he and his wife located on this land, and
began the struggle to clear it of timber, and of its
far heavier incumbrance, the debt. The region
was unproductive at the time, and the struggle
for advancement was difficult and prolonged.
But the young couple patiently toiled on, and
even moved to Jackson county, where there were
better opportunities, and lived there for a few
yeers. They then returned to this county and
their homestead in i848, and from that time until the death of Mr. Reynolds they remained on
the farm that had cost them so much anxiety and
arduous labor. They prospered after they got
fairly started, and accumulated a goodly share of
worldly wealth, Mr. Reynolds owning at his death
500 acres of land and much other valuable property. He was a great lover and a renowned
breeder of fine horses, fancying particularly the
Morgan strain, and had for the training of his
products a half-mile track on his farm.
In politics Mr. Reynolds was to the, last a
Jacksonian Democrat of the most pronounced
type, and, while never aspiring to political preferment, he was induced to accept township offices at times, but was always found active in defense of his party faith and its principles and candidates. From his early manhood he was an enthusiastic member of the Masonic fraternity, and
he climbed its mystic ladder through lodge, chapter and council, holding the principal offices in
each gradation, aiding materially in pushing along
the progress and spread of each. He was a
member of and for some time the worshipful master of the lodge at Reading, and he helped to organize the lodges at Camden and at Hall's Corners, now called California. He was also the first
high priest of the chapter of Royal Arch Masons
at Reading, and the first thrice illustrious master
of the Reading Masonic council.
Throughout the county he was well known
and very influential in all lines of life, inspiring
all good energies, restraining the bad, and helping forward every element of progress in the section which was blessed and brightened by his industry and force of character. His wife survived
him several years, dying on January 3, 1900.
They were the parents of six children, only two
396
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of whom are living, Eugene W., of Camden township, and Adelbert B., living on the homestead.
A sketch of each follows. The children deceased
are George and Delos, who were buried in Jack-*
son county, and Frank and an infant, who were
buried in Reading township.
ADELBERT REYNOLDS.
Born and reared on the farm on which he now
resides in Reading township, and having passed
the whole of his life in association with the people who are now his friends and neighbors, Adelbert Reynolds is closely identified with the section
of his home, and has been an important factor in
its development and progress. His life began on
September 23, I856, and he received his education
in the district schools near his home. When he
approached the estate of manhood, and his older
brother, Eugene, had started in life for himself,
and was developing a farm of his own, he remained with his parents, after the death of his
father taking entire charge of the home farm of
I20 acres, which he conducted for his mother until she, too, passed away. He then came into possession of it, and since then has been its owner
and has managed it on his own account. The
farm is under good cultivation and enriched with
improvements of an excellent grade, making it
one of the most desirable country homes in this
part of the state.
Mr. Reynolds is fully up-to-date in the quality
of his farming and imbued with the spirit and
progressive tendency of the section in which he
lives. He was united in marriage with Miss Rose
Bell, a native of Calhoun county in this state, on
October 20, I878. She is the daughter of Robert and Letta (Law) Bell, natives of Ireland, who
came to this country with their parents in youth,
reached years of maturity and were married in
Genesee county, Michigan, and afterward moved
to Calhoun county. Her father died in Hillsdale
county on April 13, 1895, and her mother has
since made her home with Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds is a Democrat in politics,
but, while deeply and actively interested in the
success of his party, he is hot an active partisan
in the sense of seeking the honors or emoluments
of political life for himself, finding enough to occupy all his faculties and satisfy all his ambitions
in the pursuit of his own interests on his farm
and in the general attention that he, like all other
good citizens, gives to the welfare of the community and the conservation and development of
its best interests. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are
the parents of two children, their son, Gene B.,
who is employed in a store at Reading, and their
daughter, Leila, who is living at home.
The life of an honest farmer in the agricultural sections of Michigan, who meets the requirements of every daily duty, and performs
with cheerfulness and skill his part in the economy of life, does not seem to attract much attention elsewhere or bear an important relation to
the great events of history. And yet it involves
much of the prose and poetry of every-day existence, and, combined with other lives of the same
character, makes up the sum total of elevated citizenship and continuous progressiveness, which
has made our country great at home and respected abroad, and constitutes its title to what it has
most aptly been called, "the great charity of God
to the human race." In this part of American effort and American influence Mr. Reynolds bears
his part with unyielding fidelity and ever present
usefulness. He is universally esteemed throughout the country as one of' its best citizens and
most reputable and serviceable men.
EUGENE W. REYNOLDS.
Eugene W. Reynolds, the eldest living son of
Cornelius and Parnel (MIarsh) Reynolds, and a
worthy scion of an honored name in the history
of southern'Michigan, was born in Jackson county of this state on July 23, 1847. When he was
about a year old the family moved back to Hillsdale county, where they had formerly lived, and
here, in Reading township, Eugene grew to manhood and was educated in the.district schools. He
was reared to a life of useful labor, and was inured to hardship and privation in his early years.
He remained at home until he reached the age of
twenty years, then bought a farm of forty acres
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
397
on which he made some improvements and sold it,
soon afterward buying a portion of the one on
which he now lives. This contained a saw and
a feed mill when he purchased it, and he operated
these industries for about twenty years to his
own profit and greatly to the convenience and
advantage of the neighborhood. Mr. Reynolds
has added to his farm until it now comprises over
500 acres, and he has devoted his energies and
intelligence to the improvement of this land, and
its wisest cultivation, until he has made it one of
the most valuable in the township, a model of
thrift and skill in agriculture.
On October 9, 1871, he was married to Miss
Mary M. Hewes, a native of Reading township
and a daughter of Mr. Charles and Experience
(House) Hewes, the former a native of Massachusetts and the latter of Genesee county, New
York, whither the father went from his native
state with his parents in childhood, and where
they were married. In 1843 they emigrated with
their three children to Hillsdale county and settled
on a farm in Reading township, afterward moving
to Camden township, near the village of Montgomery, where they died, the father on May 14,
1888, aged eighty, and the mother on March I9,
I892, aged seventy-six. Mrs. Reynolds was educated in the public schools and at Hillsdale College. She had three brothers on the Union side
in the Civil War, one of whom died in a hospital
at Lexington. In politics Mr. Reynolds is independent and takes no active part in party contests.
Following in his father's footsteps in uprightness
and breadth of view, he is universally esteemed.
READING ROBE AND TANNING CO.
Nature is prodigal in her gifts to man in all
parts of our country, although differing widely
in various sections in the form of her benefactions, and it is the crowning glory of American
enterprise that whatever she has bestowed for
the benefit of man it has found means to utilize
and develop. When the settlement of southern
Michigan was begun it was found to be a region
almost boundless in possibilities for agricultural
wealth, and to realize this was the first ambition
of its pioneers. In the course of a little'time,
however, after its forests were in a measure
cleared away, and its rough face had been caressed by the persuasive hand of systematic cultivation in some comeliness of appearance and
some bounty of productiveness, the generosity of
the material spread out for manufacturing purposes began to attract attention and employ the
brain and brawn of the people, so that now the
state is not only one of the finest farming sections
of the country, but also a busy hive of industrial
enterprise, producing for the use and comfort of
mankind many forms of serviceable commodities,
and conducting a wonderful commercial business
incident thereto. Among these utilities none is,
perhaps, in the measure of its power and capacity,
more important or fertile in good results than the
tanning industry. And of the establishments devoted to this work the Reading Robe & Tanning
Co. is in the front rank. This company was organized in I892, and is the successor of a small
business of its kind begun a year before by Russell Wilbur and Morris I. Meigs, who, seeing the
opportunity to carry it on with greater fruitfulness and to a much more considerable extent by
an increase of capital and more thoroughly organized effort, succeeded in forming the company and
having it incorporated. Accordingly a stock company was formed with a paid up capital of $12,ooo, and J. W. Chapman as president, H. F. Doty
as vice-president, and Morris I. Meigs as secretary and treasurer. This company has conducted
an active and profitable business in buying hides
and tanning and manufacturing them into robes,
coats, rugs and similar products, which are sold
all over the country. The factory is of considerable extent and in ordinary times gives employment to an average of Ioo hands, a capacity somewhat decreased at 'this time, owing to the high
price of hides. The business is carried on with
vigor and enterprise, and is one of the best managed and most profitable in this part of the land.
In the flight of time since the company was first
organized there have been some necessary
changes in its directorate and official staff. The
officers in I903 are J. W. Chapman, president;
Arthur A. Berry, secretary and manager, and
. 398
HILLSDALE CO UNTY, MICHIGAN..
Morris I. Meigs, treasurer. These gentlemen,
with Mrs. Agnes C. Meigs and Mirs. Alice G.
Chapman, form the board of directors, each giving the affairs, of the company close personal attention and assisting in their judicious management.
Morris I. Meigs was born in Reading township, Hillsdale county, on January I9, I852, and
is. the son of Lucien and Amanda D. (Thomas)
Meigs, of whom more extended notice is given
elsewhere in this work. They were pioneers of
the county and reared their children here, educating them mainly at the district schools. Their
son Morris attended these schools and passed one
year at Hillsdale College. He remained at home,
working on his father's farm, until he reached the
age of twenty-one. He then accepted employment, as a clerk and salesman in a drygoods
store at Reading, where he worked two years.
During the next three years he was engaged in
-farming on.his own account, at the end of that
time again became a clerk in the store. In I880
he started a drug store at Camden, which he conducted successfully until the fall of I89I, when
he sold it and started the enterprise in which he
is now engaged. Since then he has given his
whole attention, in a business way, to this enterprise, and it is largely through his efforts and
capacity that the business has reached its gratifying proportions and sound financial condition.
In politics Mr. Meigs is an earnest Republican, and to the success of his party, county, state
and national, he is a valued aid at all times. 'He
served Camden township as its treasurer for one
year, and since becoming a resident of Reading,
he has been a member of the village board for six
years. He is not, however, ambitious for polifical honors, but prefers the useful post of private citizenship to anv official position. In the Masonic fraternity, with which he has long been
connected, he holds membership in the blue lodge
and Royal Arch chapter at Reading and the commandery of Knights Templar at Hillsdale. He
is also a member of the Reading lodges of Odd
Fellows and Knights of the Maccabees. On
April 23, 1878, he was united in.marriage with
Miss Agnes C. Martin, a native of Washtenaw
county, Michigan, daughter of William and Frances M. (Sears) Martin, both deceased, the father
dying several years ago in Washtenaw county,
and the mother in 1893, at the home of her daughter in Reading. Mr. and Mrs. Meigs have three
children, Ethel S., wife of G. B. Tuthill, a dentist
living at Wauseon, Ohio, and Alice F. and Lucien
S., living at home.
LANSON PENOYAR.
Lanson Penoyar, of Camden township, Hillsdale county, one of the substantial and progressive
farmers of this part of the state, is native in the
section and to its manner born, his life having
begun in Camden township on July 6, I853. He
is the son of Reuben and Eliza (Malcom) Penoyar, New Yorkers by birth and parentage, who
came to Michigan in childhood with their parents
and were reared, educated and married in Jackson county. In I848 they immigrated into Hillsdale county and settled in Camden township, and
six years later, when their son Lanson was one
year old, moved from there to Scipio township,
where the father died and the mother is still maintaining her home. Lanson Penoyar was reared
to manhood in Scipio township and received his
education at its public schools. When twenty-one
years old he began working for himself on farms
in the neighborhood of his home, hiring out by
the month and then taking land to farm on shares.
When he had accumulated some money in this
way, he bought fifty acres of good farming land
in Williams county, Ohio, just across the state.
line, and for four years he engaged actively in its
cultivation. He then sold it, and, returning to
Hillsdale county, purchased eighty acres in Camden township, which he continued to farm and improve until he moved to the paternal homestead
of his wife's people, on which he now lives., He
was married on December 31, I875, to Miss Mary
A. Pound, a native of Wayne county, New York,
and a daughter of Addison and Chloe (Gurnee)
Pound of that county, who came to Hillsdale
county in I856, where they made their permanent home. Mr. and Mrs. Penoyar have these
four children, Addison, Eliza, Roscoe and Louesa.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
399
Eliza is the wife of Eugene Rowe, a barber now
of Waterloo, Indiana. They have two children,
Jessie Louese and Emma May. Mr. Penoyar is a
Republican in politics, but takes no active part
in party contests, finding enough to occupy his
time and energies in his farming operations and
the other interests which he has in charge, and
in aiding to promote the general interests of the
community without reference to politics.
WILLIAM ROGERS.
Called from the scenes and industries of earth
on June 26, I903, at the age of sixty-five years,
the late William Rogers, of Reading, senior member of the firm of William Rogers & Sons, publishers of the Reading Hustler, went to his final
rest leaving a long record of usefulness behind
him as a priceless legacy to his offspring, and an
inspiring memory to the county in which nearly
forty years of his productive life was passed. He
was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on December
8, 1838, and was the son of Dr. George and
Elizabeth (Van Meter) Rogers, who were for
many years residents of that portion of Ohio, and
moved late in life to Indiana, where the father
died at an advanced age. The mother afterward
went to Missouri and there passed away some
years after the death of her husband. Their son
William was born to a destiny of toil and'privation which began early in his boyhood, as the circumstances of the family obliged him to begin
earning his own living while he was yet quite
young, and from the start he was an earnest, diligent and hard-working boy. It followed as a
matter of course that his opportunity for getting
an education at the schools was meager and his
attendance was fragmentary and irregular. But
he valued as an inestimable treasure the few handfuls of learning he was able to scoop from the
sparkling stream of knowledge as it bubbled
across his path of industry, using his few facilities for getting them to good purpose, and adding
to their value and power by private study and
reading when he could.
He was endowed by nature with an acute and
discriminating observation, and his experience
gave him self-reliance, resourcefulness and knowledge of men; so that he came to man's estate
well prepared for any fate that might be in store
and armed for any duty he might have to perform.
Realizing that a good trade was an estate out of
which.he could not be swindled and that would
place him almost beyond the reach of adverse
fortune, he apprenticed himself to a cabinetmaker,
and after learning the trade worked at it in Fort
Wayne and Angola, Ind: In I859 he was married to Miss Dema Braman, the daughter of
Stephen Braman, a pioneer of Hillsdale county,
who settled here in 1844, coming from his native
state of' New York as a pioneer, and bringing his
family with him, Mrs. Rogers being at the time
six years old. Her mother died when she was
quite young. The wedding ceremony was performed by a Hillsdale county justice of the peace,
just inside the county line, and out of doors in
the snow. The wedding festivities took place at
the home of the bride's sister, just over the line
in Branch county. After their marriage Mr. and
Mrs. Rogers took up their residence in Angola,
Indiana, where they remained until early in the
sixties, when they moved to Hillsdale county and
located in Camden township.
On September 15, I86I, Mr. Rogers enlisted in
Co. K, Eleventh Michigan Infantry, and, after
serving until July, 1862, he was discharged on
account of disabilities incurred in the line -of duty.
Recovering his health he again enlisted, on August 15, I864, this time as a member of the Twenty-eighth Michigan Infantry, and as -the second
lieutenant of his company. On June 8, I865, he
resigned, leaving the service with an honorable
discharge, and returned to his Michigan home in
Camden township. Here he worked at his trade
until the fall of I868, then moved to Reading and
followed the furniture business for a number of
years, serving also as the village and township
clerk and'as member of the soldiers relief committee for Hillsdale county. His services in all
these positions were valuable and were highly appreciated, and they were of unusual importance
on the committee, for it was under his supervision
that Maple Wood cemetery was surveyed and the
lot was graded for the monument in memory of
400
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the old soldiers, which was afterward erected and
dedicated with imposing ceremonies. He was a
prominent member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and also of the Grand Army of the
Republic, being commander of the local post at
the time of his death on June 26, I903. His widow is still living and makes her home at Reading. They were the parents of two sons and one
daughter, the daughter dying in childhood. The
sons are Fred A. and Lester M. Rogers. Mr.
Rogers was at the head of the firm of William
Rogers & Sons, publishers of the Reading Hustler, from the inception of the enterprise until his
death, the other members of the firm being his
two sons.
Fred A. Rogers, the present editor of the
Hustler, was born on May 2, 1864, in Cass county,
Michigan, and was reared and educated in Hillsdale county. He attended the public schools of
the county which furnished his only means of
scholastic training. In the fall of 1883 he entered the office of the Reading Telephone to learn
his trade as a printer, and passed through all the
gradations of the business, learning all branches
of it by practical experience, continuing his connection with that paper for a long time and serving its interests in various capacities, and for five
years as foreman. In the autumn of I891, in connection with his father and brother, he founded
the Reading Hustler, the first issue coming out
on November 1 of that year. He is still actively
engaged in conducting the paper, and at the same
time enters with interest and active support into
every enterprise for the general advancment of
the community in which he lives, and takes a serviceable part in its public life. He has served both
as a member of the common council and as the
village clerk, rendering efficient service in both
positions and displaying enterprise and public
spirit that were highly commendable. He is a
member of the Order of Odd Fellows, and at this
writing is the grand conductor of the order for
the state. He also belongs to the Masonic fraternity. On January I, I886, he was married to
Miss Abbie Sherman, a native of Bristol, Vt.,
daughter of O. A. and Martha (Downey) Sherman, also Vermonters by birth, and still residents
of that state. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have three
children, Glenn S., Vetta and Ernest.
The enterprise with which the Rogers family,
father and sons, has been prominently identified is
the Reading Hustler; and, as it is the expression
of their individuality, and and index of the public
and social life of the community in whch they
have lived and labored, as well as their principal
engine of usefulness in directing public sentiment
and the agencies of the time for good, a short account of its career is of interest and appropriate
to mention in these pages. The Hustler came into
being without ostentation or formal announcement, and in a field supposed by many already
sufficiently supplied with its sort of inspiration.
But the plan on which it was to be conducted
gave its founders promise of good returns and
an appreciative following that events have fully
justified. The first issue came out on November
11, I89I, with established rates for advertising,
which have been steadily adhered to without deviation, an earnest devotion to home enterprises
of all kinds, which has been steadily maintained
and intensified, a determination to give all the
news all the time, a strictly non-partisan attitude
politically, which has been held without variation
or shadow of change, a spirit of liberal consideration for subscribers and patrons of every form,
dealing with them on a strictly business basis and
without fear or favor, and with an indomitable energy behind it for business and work toward the
loftiest ideals, which is properly indicated in its
name.
It was a five-column quarto at first,. having
seven subscribers; in four months' time it became
a six-column quarto, with i,ooo subscribers. Two
years and three months after the paper was established, and its frail barque was launched on the
uncertain sea of local journalism, a committee of
six representative business men counted its subscription list and certified to finding on it the
names of 1,723 actual subscribers. Since that
time this list has steadily grown, the advertising
patronage has had a healthy increase, and the influence of the paper in all the lines of life and usefulness in the community has widened and deepened in a corresponding ratio, there being now no
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
401
more highly esteemed, widely circulated within
its scope, generally read, reliable index of public
thought and inspiration, or a more potential stimulus to wholesome progress and development in
southern Michigan. And there is every indication that it will have expanding usefulness and
augmenting power in the future.
PETER B. SEELEY.
Coming to Michigan in 1842, when he was
but two years old, and being from that age
reared to manhood on its soil and among its people, educated in its district schools and partaking in all respects of the spirit and sharing the
aspirations of its citizens, Peter B. Seeley is a
truly representative man of his section, and in
his career of peaceful and productive industry he
properly typifies the genius and the power of its
energies and its resources. He was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, on March 23, 1840, and is
the son and only surviving child of Curtis and
Lorinda (Hills) Seeley. They were natives of
Yates county, N. Y., where they were reared,
educated and married, and where they settled
down in life with the prospect of spending their
days there as their forefathers had done for two
or three generations before them. But in I836,
not many years after their marriage, they looked
with favor on the farther West as a land of promise for their enterprise, and moved to Ohio, settling on a farm in Ashtabula county, where they
remained until I842. They then took another
flight westward, coming to Hillsdale county, in
this state, and located on a farm of eighty acres,
which they bought in Woodbridge township. It
was new and entirely unimproved timber land
and the conditions of life in the neighborhood
seemed less favorable than in some parts of the
county, so, two years later, they traded this farm
for another one of equal size in the southern part
of Camden township, which they improved and
cultivated, living on it until death called them
from their diligent earthly labors, the father dying in 1878, at the age of sixty-eight, and the
mother in I901, aged eighty-six. Their offspring
numbered nine, all now deceased except their
son, Peter.
He was sent to the district schools near his
home when he was old enough and as regularly
thereafter as the circumstances allowed, but, as
his father was an invalid for many years prior
to his death, 'the opportunities for attending
school afforded to his sons were limited, and their
education was the same. Peter remained at home
and assisted on the farm until the beginning of
the Civil War. In the fall of I86I he enlisted in
the Union army as a member of Co. K, Eleventh
Michigan Infantry. He was on field and camp
duty and in numerous engagements in his preliminary training, in due time getting to the heart
of the great contest at the battle of Stone River
where he received three wounds. One was from
a minie ball which made an ugly cut along the
right side of his head and took away a piece of
his skull, as a result of which he was left on the
field as dead. Another wound was a shot
through the right arm; the third was received
from a piece of a shell from one of the guns of
his own command, which wounded him seriously in the hip. While suffering from this triple
disaster he was taken prisoner and conducted to
Mobile, Ala., from whence he was soon afterward transferred to Thunder Castle at Richmond, opposite Libby Prison. Forty days of,
anguish were passed in this confinment, during
which his wounds received little attention. He
was then paroled and taken to a hospital at Annapolis, Md., where he was as properly treated
as the facilities permitted. On his recovery he
rejoined his regiment and served to the end of his
term of enlistment and three months longer; but
owing to a mistake in the records only received
pay and credit for three years service.
After returning from the war he bought a
farm of eighty acres in company with his father and engaged in farming. His regiment was
in very active service during the last years of his
term of enlistment, being at the battle of Chickamauga and in all the engagements of the terrible
campaigns following that to the siege of Atlanta. The ordeal through which he passed was
awful. The strain of march and battle was con
402
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
tinuous, with.danger ever present and with death
always nigh. But when he settled down to systematic labor on the farm he was face to face
with another contest, one with Nature, which
was also full of exactions and trying in the extreme.' For the land which he had purchased
was an unbroken forest of giant timber, against
which the first weapon required was the ax, whose
lusty strokes had to prepare the way for the
plow. But as he had not quailed before the opposing force of an opposing army, so Mr. Seeley
entered the new contest with spirit, courage and
confidence. By perseverance and systematic industry he..'iade his way to comfort and prosperity over thle obstacles of the wilderness, as he
had to victory through the ranks of the enemy
in battle. 'He cleared his land, furnished it with
good buildings, and in course of time had an
excellent fafn; whitening with the harvests and
beautiful with the adornments of cultivated life.
This he still owns but it is occupied and cultivated by one of his sons.
On New Year's day, I866, he married with
Miss Jane Seely, a native of Hillsdale county,
born in Camden township, and the daughter of
Harvey and Margaret (Cough) Seely, who were
born, reared and married in New York, and came
to this county about the year I844, settling on
a farm west of Camden Center, being among the
pioneers of that section. The father died in
April, I898, aged seventy-nine, in Camden township, where his widow still lives, having accomplished seventy-six years of age. Mr. and Mrs.
Seeley have four children: Susie, the wife of
John Robinett, of Huntington, Ind; Arthur, a
resident of Harbor Springs, Mich.; Frank, living
on the homestead; and Elsie, who is still residing
with her parents.
In political allegiance Mr. Seeley is a pronounced Republican with strong convictions as a
Prohibitionist. He and his wife are charter members of the United Brethren church of Camden
township, and are active in all its works of benevolence. Mr. Seeley is as much interested in
the welfare of his country in peace as he was in
war, and he has contributed the force of his inspiring example and the benefit of his active ef
forts in behalf of the advancement and improvement of the section in which he lives. He is
held in high esteem as a useful citizen, and has
a host of cordial and admiring friends. Two of
his brothers were like himself gallant soldiers
for the Union in the Civil War. James enlisted
at the same time and in the same company with
Peter, and after eighteen months service died
in a hospital at Louisville. Gilbert enlisted in
the fall of I862 in Co. D, Twenty-seventh Michigan, and died in a hospital at Spottsylvania
Courthouse, ten days after being wounded at the
battle of the Wilderness.
JAMES LEONARDSON.
The late James Leoiadso6 ':fi jefferson township, who was a resident of this part of the county
for nearly sixty years; being l'ng;a prominent
and forceful factor in' itsgrowth, development
and government, departed:this existence on January 30, I903, at the advanced age of about eighty-six years, and was lanid to iest amid scenes that
were hallowed by his labors; with every testimonial of popular esteem and goodwill. The story
of his life, if told in full, Would be one of great
interest, which would present to the thoughtful
observer every element of dramatic action. The
scope of this article and of this work allows only
a mere narration of salient events, but, even in
that brief form, the recital has incitement and the
stimulus of a good and potential example. He
was born on April 12, I817, in Montgomery county, New York, the son of William and Polly
(Flint) Leonardson, of the same nativity as himself; descended from old Holland stock, planted
in American soil during the Colonial period of our
history. When James was six years old his
mother died and six or seven years later his father
also passed away, leaving his family of seven children wholly orphaned. Six of these grew to maturity and were married, one son later sealed nis
devotion to his country's welfare with his life on
one of the bloody fields of the Mexican War, and
the others have died in peace at their respective
homes.
P
e
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
403
Left an orphan at the early age of twelve or
thirteen years and being the oldest member
of the family, James was obliged to begin at once
the battle of life for himself and also for aid in
the support of the others. He wrought with his
hands at many crafts, making a good record in
each as a diligent and skillful workman. In 1836
he resolved to tempt the smiles of fortune in what
was then a western city, and made his way to Toledo. A few years later he returned to his eastern
home, where, on June 22, 1843, he was united in
marriage with Miss Lucinda Hilts. In September
of the same 'ear they came together to Michigan
and purchased eighty acres of unbroken forest
lan4 in Jefferson township of this county, on
which they settled, which they began to convert
by their mutual industry into a home and reduce
to systematic fruitfulness. The land yielded
readily to their persuasive labor, soon beginning
to repay them in good measure for their outlay of
time and energy. They added to their domain
from time to time, improving what they'got, until
they owned one of the best and most highly cultivated farms in the township. Their golden wedding'was celebrated in I893 with something of
pomp and splendor, with the cordial congratulations of their offspring and friends, on the farm
on which they had passed practically the whole of
their married life; here, on November 2, I894, the
devoted wife and mother surrendered her trust
and was laid away to rest. Of the three children
who came to sanctify their domestic shrine, the
only daughter died in infancy, and one son, Warren D. Leonardson, died at the age of fifty-five
years, leaving as the only survivor of their household, their son, Sanford, who has more extended
rrention on another page of this work.
The father was a prominent man in local affairs and had a potential and commanding voice
in all the interests of the community. In early life
he was a Whig in politics, later was one of the
founders of.the Republican party, being a member
of its first convention held under the oaks at Jackson, in this state. He was ever afterward active
in the councils of the party, a vigorous worker for
its principles and candidates, a familiar figure at
its county and state conventions. He was the
26
first Republican to be elected highway commissioner of Jefferson township, and he also served
seven or eight terms as supervisor and twelve
years as under sheriff. During the Civil War he
was an efficient U. S. deputy provost-marshal.
In every public office which he held he rendered
excellent and highly appreciated service to the
people, retaining their respect and cordial confidence and regard. He was a far-seeing, broadminded and progressive man, of excellent judgment, great liberality and strong personal influence. Working his own way from poverty to affluence without any of fortune's favors or adventitious circumstances, he knew how to appreciate
in others the qualities through which he had
wrought his success, and was quick to extend aid
to merit and firm in standing by real manhood
in adversity. Hillsdale county has had no more
capable, faithful or serviceable citizen in any public station or any walk of private life.
JOHN J. RIGGS.
John J. Riggs, of Scipio township, one of the
most sucessful and progressive farmers in that
portion of the county, was the second born of
the eight children of his parents, Joseph and
Mary (Smith) Riggs, natives of Lyons, Wayne
county, New York; where he was also born, his
life beginning on September I4, 1841. His father who was well educated was a teacher for
some years in his native county and subsequently
was there engaged in the drug business. In
I842 he brought his wife and two children to
Michigan and settled on a tract of land in Scipio
township, in this county, where he carried on a
farming industry for two years, then moved to
Litchfield township where he lived until I863 engaged in farming and teaching. In the year last
named he returned to Scipio township, locating
at the village of Mosherville, where his death
occurred on November 23, 1882. His wife died
there on January 20, 1872. They were the jparents of eight children, two born in New York and
six in this state. Two of the sons, Hurlburt and
Wesley W., were soldiers in the Union army
during the Civil War. The former rose to the
HILLSDALE CO UNTY, MICHIGAN.
4O4
rank of first lieutenant in the service, and the
latter died on a boat en route from the field of
Petersburg, Va., to Philadelphia, and rests in a
soldier's grave in the latter city.
John J. Riggs was also a Union soldier and
rendered efficient service to his country, first as
a member of Co. G, Eighteenth Michigan Infantry, in which he enlisted on August 9, 1862,
and from which he was detached after a year's
service and assigned to duty at the headquarters
of Gen. R. S. Granger, where he remained until
the close of his term of enlistment. He was
reared on the paternal homestead and educated
at the district schools and Hillsdale College.
After the war he returned to Scipio township
and engaged in farming until I873. He then
purchased a stock of goods and occupied himself,
in mercantile business at Mosherville for five
years, at the end of which time he returned to
his former pursuit; in which he is still engaged.
He was married first in Litchfield township on
February 6, I866, to Miss Kate E. Mead, who
was born at Auburn, N. Y., and who died at her
Mosherville home on May 12, I876. They were
the parents of three children, Edmund H., Leroy
J. and Harry M. The two last named are deceased. Edmund H. is a prosperous farmer of
Fayette township. He married Miss Estella
Barton and they have three children. On December I8, 1877, Mr. Riggs was married to his
second wife, Miss Celina Sturges, a daughter of
James Sturges, a prominent and highly respected citizen of Scipio township, where Mrs. Riggs
was born on June 28, I845. They have had three
children, Mabel M., Stanley J. and Joseph. The
last named is deceased. Mrs. Riggs is a graduate
of Hillsdale College. Mr. Riggs is a Republican
in political connection and served the township
as its supervisor from 1888 to I893. In I894
he was elected county treasurer and filled that
office for four years. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Mosherville, of which he is one of the trustees. He
belongs to the order of Good Templars and to
the Grand Army of the Republic. For more than
fifteen years he was a member of the school
board, and, with an abiding interest in the prog
ress and permanent welfare of his county, he is
ever found active in the support of all worthy
enterprises for their promotion.
GEORGE E. SMITH.
The parents of George E. Smith, of Reading
township, one of the prosperous and leading
farmers of the county, whose success is wholly
the result of his own industry and thrift, were
Charles and Rebecca (Higgins) Smith, natives
of New Jersey, where they were reared and married. Soon after their marriage they moved to
the state of New York and settled near Lockport,
in Niagara county, and there George was born
on January 5, 1822, the youngest of the six children of the family. His mother died in his childhood, and about 1827 his father married a second wife, Miss Patience Akins, who became the
mother of one child, a daughter. In I829 the
father, step-mother and three of the first wife's
children came to Michigan and settled in Lenawee
county, on a tract of forty acres of wild land
which the father bought on the edge of the hamlet of Adrian, as it was then, its human habitations consisting of a country tavern, a grocery
store and a few log cabins. The farm is now all
within the city limits and covered with substantial
buildings. The neighborhood was at the dawn
of its civilization. Wolves, bears and other savage beasts were plentiful and dangerous, and
Indians were numerous, although friendly in the
main. All the conditions of life were full of difficulty and hazard, and all the work of development and improvement was yet to be done.
In I83I the father took a severe cold while
digging a well, and the doctor in the settlement,
according to the practice of the time, administered calomel, atid in such quantities that his patient really died from the effects of the drug, being at the time but fifty years old. Immediately
after his death his widow sold the farm and all
his other property, and, placing her stepson,
George, then a boy of nine, in the care of an
English couple on a neighboring farm, took her
own daughter and left this part of the country,
and that was the last he ever saw or heard of her
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
405
or her daughter. He was so badly treated by the
Englishman that the neighbors came to his assistance and sent him to a brother-in-law in New
York. His condition was not much improved
by the change, for, although his relative did not
treat him badly, the family was so poor that he
found it necessary to seek a permanent home
for himself, and started out in the world early
one morning for the purpose. At sundown he
reached a place where he was taken in on condition that he would remain until he was twentyone, and then be released with $Ioo and two suits
of clothes as compensation for his services, he in
the meantime to have his wants provided for and
receive such schooling as the circumstances
would allow.
The contract was faithfully kept on both sides
with the exception of the $Ioo, which he failed
to receive, and when he reached his majority he
returned to Michigan and again located in Lenawee county, where he secured a situation in a
grist mill and was glad to get it as his funds were
exhausted. He retained his position three years
and thoroughly learned the business of milling.
This he followed for twenty years in various
places, running mills at Jonesville and Hillsdale
at times. In I86I he bought Ioo acres of land
in Reading township, which is a part of his present home, and devoted his attention to farming.
About ten acres of this land was cleared and the
improvements on it were poor and scant. He
began his enterprise under difficulties which,
however, slowly disappeared under his determined energy, and in the course of time he had
his farm raised to a high state of cultivation and
well supplied with good and commodious buildings. He also bought additional land, at one
time owning 200 acres, but he has sold all except
120. Here he has since lived and worked, improving his financial condition and rising steadily
in the regard and confidence of his fellow men
around him. He is now past eighty years of age,
and rejoices in the success he has won, and the
fruits of his labor, which are abundant and gratifying. Retired from active pursuits, and secure
in the good will of his neighbors and acquaintances, and moreover, safely anchored against the
winds of adversity, he finds all the more comfort in his present estate because of the hardships and toils through which he came to it. He
is yet very active and erect, and all his faculties
are in full vigor. No one ignorant of the fact
would take him to be as old as he is, and among
the residents of the township no one is more esteemed for wisdom in counsel and excellence in
example.
On November IO, I850, he married with Miss
Anna Swain, a native of Wyoming county, N. Y.,
the daughter of John and Anna (Seva) Swain,
of that state, where they passed the whole of their
lives. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were the parents of
three children, Charles W., a farmer of Reading
township; Schuyler D., living at the paternal
home; Horatio B., a resident of Reading. Mrs.
Smith died on September 15, I9OI, aged nearly
seventy-five, after nearly fifty years of happy
wedded life. Mr. Smith is a consistent and earnest member of the United Brethren church, and
during the last seventeen years he has been the
superintendent of its Sunday-school. He is a Republican in politics, having been attached to the
principles of that party from its formation. Miss
Clarissa Swain, a sister of his wife, and for
about twenty-six years a missionary to India in
a medical capacity, is a member of his household.
JAMES A. STODDARD.
James A. Stoddard is a well known and
highly respected farmer of Litchfield township
in this county, whose life has so far been wholly
passed in the county, except three years which
he spent in Virginia. He was born in Litchfield
township on July 7, 1845, the son of Henry and
Emeline (Andrew) Stoddard, the former a native of Litchfield, Conn., and the latter of Woodbridge, in the same state. The father was reared
and educated in his native place and learned the
trade of a hatter at which he worked in Litchfield until 1842, when he came to Hillsdale county and purchased of his brother, Jesse Stoddard,
forty acres of uncultivated and unimproved land,
then heavily timbered and involving great and
continued labor to bring it to fertility and. pro
4o6
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ductiveness. He settled on this land and in time
had it cleared and in an advanced state of tillage, and later added to it by purchases until he
owned I20 acres, all of which he cleared and cultivated, residing on it until his death on March
I, I875. His wife passed away on March 26,
I89I. They had a family of one son and three
daughters, all of whom are now deceased except
the daughter, Mrs. Susan Mosher, of Mosherville, in Scipio township, and their son, James
A., who is residing on the home farm. The father was a Republican in political faith, but he
was never an active partisan and never desired
or held public office. The grandfather was Gideon Stoddard, who was born, lived his life and
died in Connecticut, where his family settled in
Colonial times. His family consisted of six sons,
five of whom became citizens of Michigan, three
of Hillsdale county and two of Lenawee, and
each in his day and locality added to the productive forces of the state and made substantial contributions to her progress.
James A. Stoddard is essentially a product
and a representative of Hillsdale county. He
grew to man's estate on one of the excellent
farms of the county and learned the lessons of
thrift, systematic industry and frugality which
have distinguished him through life in its useful
labors; the scholastic discipline which he received
was administered in her public schools; his early
struggles for a foothold among men were made
amid and in company with her people; the duties of citizenship, which he has for many years
faithfully performed, were taught him by participation in her government and by contact with
her political institutions; his domestic altar has
risen and been maintained on her soil; and the
fruits of his labors have helped to swell the volume of her wealth and importance and have been
for the most part dispensed among her people.
When he left school he became a farmer and he
has steadily followed agricultural pursuits ever
since, his farm in its improvements and its advanced state of cultivation and its skillful management showing the fidelity and diligence with
which he has worked in his chosen vocation.
Mr. Stoddard was married in Hillsdale county to Miss Mary Deyo, a native of New York
state, and a daughter of Hiram and Electa Deyo,
who were among the leading and most highly
respected citizens of this part of the state. Of the
children who have blessed their union there are
living three sons and one daughter: Mortimer,
a resident of Virginia; Dorothy, wife of Doctor
Frankhouser, of Hillsdale; Henry, living at the
parental home; and Clarence J., like his brother,
Mortimer, a resident of Virginia. In politics
Mrs. Stoddard is a faithful Democrat, but he is
not an office seeker. He belongs to the Knights
of the Maccabees, being a charter member of the
tent at Litchfield, taking great interest in its affairs.
JOHN SPROWLS.
John Sprowls, of near Hillsdale, is one of the
few representatives left among us of that fastfading band of early pioneers who redeemed
this country from the wilderness, made it fruitful with the products of systematic industry,
blessed it with the advantages of civilization and
started it forward on a career of greatness and
usefulness that has been among the signal blessings of mankind.and the subject of song and
story in many languages. He is a fine type of the
heroic age of the county, in which men, beasts,
and Nature herself seemed arrayed in arms
against the advance of civilization, and every
man was obliged to rely for the most part on his
own precautions, acuteness and strength for safety and his own endeavors for the very necessaries of life.
John Sprowls was born in Ontario county,
New York, on September 2, 1833, the son of Peter
and Mahala (Huff) Sprowls, also natives of
New York. They were industrious and well-todo farmers in their native state, but believing
there was better opportunity for advancement
in the West, in the fall of 1836 they came to
Michigan and located in what is now Hillsdale
county, first in Moscow and later in Adams township, and here after long lives of usefulness they
passed away, the father in I88I, at the age of
seventy-five, and the mother in I886. They had
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
407
three sons and five daughters, and two of the
sons and two of the daughters are living. Their
son, John, was reared and educated in this county, and remained at home assisting on the farm
until he was twenty-two. He then settled on
the farm which he now occupies and which has
been his home continuously since that time. It
was all dense woods when he took up his residence on a small clearing he made in it, and by
the continued application of regular and skillful
labor he has made it one of the best and most
highly improved farms in the township. In
I870 he erected a good brick house, which is yet
one of the most substantial and comfortable farm
houses in a circuit of many miles, and added
good barns and other outbuildings. All the
while he has been improving the land by judicious
cultivation, and has added to its extent by timely
purchases until he has a tract of over 200 acres,
all in excellent condition. When he located here
this part of the county was without roads or conveniences of any kind, and the way to a neighbor's house, which was distant and difficult of
access at the best, was by an Indian trail or a
blazed pathway through the forest. Such concomitants of modern life as schools, churches and
stores at convenient places were among the hopes
for a far future.
Mr. Sprowls is a Democrat in political faith,
but has never sought office of any kind, preferring to serve his country from the honorable
post of private citizenship. He was married in
1855 to Miss Elizabeth Williams, a daughter of
John and Mary Williams, natives of Wales and
emigrants to the United States and Michigan in
I835. Mr. and Mrs. Sprowls had one child,
their daughter, Mary, wife of Mrs. E. L. Worden. Mrs. Sprowls died on October II, I9OI,
universally respected and generally well beloved.
Her daughter, Mrs. Worden, has two children,
Reno M. and Glen S. Mr. Sprowls is close to
the limit of human life as fixed by the sacred
writer, and rests calmly in its mild and beauteous
evening in peace with all mankind, refreshed by
the recollections of a well-spent and serviceable
existence, which has been devoted to the good of
his fellow men and the development of the section
of country endeared to him by all the struggles
and triumphs in which he has participated.
JAMES SPROWLS.
This pioneer of Hillsdale county, who is a
brother of John Sprowls, of this township,
whose sketch immediately precedes this, has
passed the whole of his life from the time when
he was two years old in the county. He was
native in Canandaigua, Ontario county, New
York, on March 19, I835, the son of Peter and
Mahala (Huff) Sprowls, also natives of New
York and prosperous farmers there. In the fall
of I836 they came to Michigan, bringing their
young family, and settled in Adams township.
On his father's farm he grew to manhood and in
the district schools of the neighborhood he received a limited common school education. Life
was then strenuous here and provisions for its
necessaries was the first duty of every one in the
wilderness, and so all were obliged to bear their
part in the general effort for production and in
the constant vigilance required for safety.
The Indians were abundant in the region and
sometimes bitterly hostile to the whites, and wild
beasts and other dangerous concomitants of savage life were not wanting. The opportunities
for attending school in any regular and systematic way were not present. But the conditions
of their lot made heroes and men of iron nerve
of the pioneers, and so nature compensated in one
way for what she was obliged to deny in another.
Mr. Sprowls remained at home and assisted in
clearing up and cultivating the farm until 'he
was twenty years of age, when he took charge on
his own account of eighty acres of land his father had located in Moscow township, but did not
take up his residence on the tract. He remained
in charge of this land and a farm in Fayette
township until I872, then moved to Woodbridge
township, where he now owns 334 acres of fine
land, which is well improved and has been
brought by systematic skill and industry to a high
state of cultivation and transformed from the
408
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
wilderness into one of the most desirable farms
in the township.
Mr. Sprowls was married in 1859 to Miss
Marguerite Slingland, a daughter of Abraham
and Thankful Slingland, of Ontario county, New
York. They have two children, Herbert E. and
Carrie E., and Mrs. Sprowls died June 23, I903.
This old pioneer is a Republican in politics but has
never taken active part in political affairs. He
is busily occupied with his farm work and other
business operations, and these occupations give
ample scope for the exercise of all of his faculties, and furnish full satisfaction of all his desires, except where the general welfare of the
community is involved, when that is the case he
has time and service for the cause. For nearly
seventy years he has lived in this county and aided in its progress and development, and among
its people on all sides he is respected as one of
their most forceful factors for good and one of
their best types of citizenship.
ROBERT B. SUTTON.
The father of Robert B. Sutton was a native
of New Jersey, and his name was Thomas. He
belonged to an old Colonial family, distinguished
in the early history of the Middle Atlantic states
for valor and gallantry in war and for masterful
capabilities in the pursuits of peace. Several of
his brothers were soldiers in the Revolution and
one was on the staff of General Washington and
enjoyed the confidence of the great commander
in a high degree. During the war he was involved in a duel at Albany, N. Y., and later went
to Mexico and became famous in the Mexican
army, rising to the secoid place in its command.
Robert B. Sutton was born near Trenton,
N. J., on March 29, I792. When he was eight
years old his parents removed to Lyons, Wayne
county, N. Y., where he was reared and educated and learned the cooper's trade at which he
worked for a number of years during his residence in the state. He joined the Federal army
at the commencement of the War of 1812 and
was in active service throughout the struggle, receiving a wound in the gallant charge at Lundy's
Lane. He was a man of remarkable physical and
mental endowments and development, possessed
of an indomitable will. In early life he was a
boatman on the Mohawk river, and later became
interested in lumbering, becoming the head of an
extensive enterprise in this line carrying on trade
between Canada and the United States. Some
time afterward he became the owner of a valuable farm near his native place, and was also interested in lumbering in the then territory of
Michigan. Here he purchased large quantities
of pine logs and converted them into lumber,
which he sold at a large profit. He also came
into possession of extensive tracts of land in Illinois and Iowa, which were the only return he
could get for a sum of money loaned by him.
In his young manhod he was married in New
York state and there reared a large family of
children, who also married in that state, where
also his wife died. He removed to Michigan in
I859 and here took up his residence in Hillsdale.
Here he actively engaged in the lumber business
and conducted it on an extensive scale for a number of years. He was interested in the development and improvement of the town and county,
and assisted in all ways looking to this end. He
assisted in the organization of the First National
Bank, and became and remained a stockholder
and a director in the institution until his death
in I876. He also erected the Sutton Opera
House block, a handsome and substantial threestory building, accommodating four stores and
the auditorium, from which it derives its name.
In I860 he was united in marriage with Miss
Anna B. Wragg, who survived him seven years,
dying in 1883, leaving one son, John R. Sutton,
who is one of the prominent and successful
younger business men of the county. The elder
Sutton is remembered by the people of Hillsdale
as a progressive and broad-minded citizen, one
of their capable and enterprising business men.
John R. Sutton, the son of Robert B.,
was born in Hillsdale, Mich., on February 25,
I868, and was reared and began his education
here, but later attended Eastern schools. He
then prepared for his profession in the law department of the Michigan University at Ann Arbor, graduating there in I890. He was at once
admitted to practice before the Supreme Court
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of the state, and on his return home was admit- five years old. They se
ted to the bar of this county. He soon, however, N. Y., where both of her
turned to insurance as an occupation, and in this mer of 1840.
branch of industry has been very successful. He Mr. Whitney's fath
is now state agent and adjuster for the Fireman's was an honored pioneer
Fund Insurance Co., of California. He owns one of its prominent an(
the Sutton black, receiving it from his father's became a resident of the
estate. In I89o he was married to Miss Gertrude coming here accompani
L., the only daughter of Colonel and Mrs. E. J. bride, whom he married
March, of Hillsdale, Mich., and they have one his New York home to
child, a son, John R. Sutton, Jr., born on June in what is now Allen tc
I5, I899. Mr. Sutton is a member of the Ma- wild land, and there the
sonic order, belonging to lodge, chapter and of their lives, improving
commandery at Hillsdale. He gives close and their children, maintainil
careful attention to business, omitting no effort and helping to build u[
to expand it in volume, increase it in value and munity. They were the
keep it up to the highest standard of excellence of whom William was ti
in every way. He is an observing student of the er died on July 9, I879,
practical, side of insurance in its many phases, the father married a s
and is not only an authority on the subject, but Hooper, who was also
has always available for his patrons the best He was prominent and
features of the business for their advantage; at life of the county, aiding
the same time exercising the most careful guar- ery good enterprise for 1
dianship over the interests of the companies he ple, and serving the pub
represents. official positions of im'
time until his death in a(
WILLIAM G. WHITNEY. His son, William G.
a life of industry on th,
With a record and public testimonials for the public schools and
conspicuous gallantry as a soldier in the Civil colleges. After spendin
War, a high rank in agricultural circles as a suc- in Illinois he returned to
cessful and progressive farmer, an elevated and fired with patriotic spirit
well established place in the public regard as a then threatened by arme
citizen, and a strong hold on the social life of the on August 24, I86I, as
community as a cultivated and companionable B, Eleventh Michigan I:
gentleman, Capt. William G. Whitney, of Allen, to the contest with all oi
is passing toward the evening of his life with idly through merit, first
many elements of, peace and happiness in his and, on January 7, i863
lot, and with the general esteem and good will tenant. He commanded
of the people among whom he lives as one of their tle of Missionary Ridge,
most useful and representative men. He is a plimented in the presenc
native of the township in which he has his home, meritorious conduct befc
and was born on December 13, 1840, son of the On July 3, 1864, in fron
late Jonathan and Ann J. (Garrett) Whitney, the moted to the rank of fit
former a native of Ontario county, N. Y., and the the fall of the city, he wa
latter of the town of Ramsey, on the Isle of Man, ductor on the Chattanool
England. His mother accompanied her parents serving as such until 1
to the United States in 1828, when she was about commissioned captain an
409
ttled in Niagara county,
parents died in the sumler, Jonathan Whitney,
of Hillsdale county and
d esteemed citizens. He
county in October, I839,
ed by his wife, then a
while on the way from
this state. They settled
)wnship on 280 acres of
ey passed the remainder
g their property, rearing
ng a home of hospitality
p and advance the cornparents of four children
he first born. The mothand on October 5, I88o,
econd wife, Miss Ruth
a native of New York.
serviceable in the early
r in the promotion of evthe advantage of its peo)lic interests faithfully in
portance from time to
dvanced life.
Whitney, was reared to
e farm, and educated in
at Hillsdale and Albion
g the winter of I860-6I
his Michigan home, and,
in defense of the Union,
ed resistance, he enlisted
a private soldier in Co.
nfantry. He entered inf his ardor and rose rapto the rank of sergeant,
3, to that of second lieuhis company at the batand at is close was comce of his brigade for his
)re the fire of the enemy.
t of Atlanta, he was prorst lieutenant, and, after.s appointed military conga & Knoxville Railroad,
larch I, I865. He was
id made provost marshal: I.
4I0
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of Cleveland, Tenn., holding the position until
August'of the same year. At this time he rejoined his regiment, which was then stationed at
Knoxville, where-it remained until it was mustered out of the service. He participated in all
of the engagements in which his regiment took
part, including the battle of Chickamauga where
he received a slight wound in the right hand.
After his discharge he remained a resident of
Knoxville for two years, being employed as baggage master and conductor on the Knoxville &
Chattanooga Railroad. At the end of that period
he returned to his native township and engaged
in farming until the spring of 1887, having a
farm of I30 acres of superior land. He then
transferred the farm to the care of a tenant, and
removed to the village of Allen, where he has
since lived.
On April 23, 1874, Captain Whitney was
united in marriage with Mrs. Bessie Kay, a
daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Marshall, and
widow of Thomas Kay, who died in London,
England, on July 7, 1870, the marriage being
solemnized in Allen township. By her first marriage Mrs. Whitney had one child, her daughter
Lottie, who is living in this township. Through
her union with Captain Whitney she has become
the mother of four children, three of whom are
living, Anna L. M., H. Jennie May and Frederick W. G. A daughter named Mary died in infancy. The Captain and his wife are members
of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he belongs to C. J. Dickerson Post, G. A. R., of Hillsdale. In politics he is an unwavering Republican. Their home is a center of refined and appreciated hospitality, and in all sections of the
community they are held in the highest esteem.
HON. LUCIUS E. RUSS.
Hon. Lucius E. Russ, the genial and accommodating postmaster of North Adams, was born
in Livingston county, N. Y.,on December I4,
1827, the son of Elisha and Laura (Sampson)
Russ, natives of Vermont. The father removed
from his native state in 1815, going into the wilderness of Western New York, then as unsettled
as any portion of the Rocky Mountain region is
now, cleared land in the woods and brought it
under cultivation. In I829, fourteen years after
his initial efforts to redeem and civilize the western wilds, he removed to Ontario county where
he cultivated the soil with moderate success. He
was a man of public spirit and connected with' all
the moralizing and improving enterprises in the
community, serving as a deacon in the Christian
church, lending his aid to every educational and
social element of advantage to the people. His
wife was a devout Presbyterian, who ably seconded his efforts * in all beneficial movements.
In political faith he was a Whig and in many
local offices he rendered good service to his town
and county. Eight children, five sons and three
daughters, comprised the household, and of these
the postmaster is now the only one living. The
eldest child died in infancy. The second and third
sons were college graduates and attained distinction in the world of letters. Loren W. was for ten
years rector of St. John's church at Lafayette,
Ind., and John M. was professor of languages at
the Romeo branch of the University of Michigan.
The fifth son, Wheeler S., died atFairport, N. Y.,
in 1872, where he was conducting a thriving
mercantile business. The parents died many
years ago, the mother at sixty-three years of age
and the father at seventy-four.
Lucius E. Russ remained on the home farm
until 1852 and was educated at the public schools
in the neighborhood. On June 7, I85O, he was
married to Miss Catherine Burrows, a native of
Lowell, Mass., the daughter of Philip and Mary
(Princeley) Burrows, who were born and reared
in Ireland and early in their married life came
to the United States, settling first at Lowell,
Mass., later at Bridgeport, Conn. There the father became connected with woolen manufacturing in a leading way, at which he was successful.
He was a Whig in politics, a man of progressiveness and public spirit, and died in the prime of life
in his adopted home, his wife dying at Elmira,
N. Y., in the fullness of years. She belonged to a
long-lived family, her father having reached the
very unusual age of IIo years. Three of their
five children survive, Mrs. Russ, Mrs. Mary Lane
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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
4II
and Philip Burrows. Two years after his marriage, in 1852, Mr. Russ, impelled by the gold
excitement prevailing at the time, left his wife and
his ten-months-old daughter in New York, and
started to California by the route leading through
the San Juan River in Central America and Lake
Nicaragua. He took the ill-fated steamer, the old
North America, which had on board about I,000
passengers. On the fourth day out, when about
forty miles below Acapulco on the western coast.of Mexico, she was wrecked and the passengers,
after having been landed with considerable difficulty, were obliged to walk to Acapulco, where,
for five weeks they lay stranded, waiting for another steamer to take them to their destination.
Reaching California at last Mr. Russ conducted
a thriving trade for two years in mining supplies
and similar commodities, then returned to New
York by the same route he took in coming, arriving at his destination without accident or incident
worthy of special notice. He then took up his
residence in Michigan on a farm of eighty acres
in Hillsdale county in the township of Somerset.
A few years later he disposed of this farm and after buying and selling a number of others, he, in
partnership with John Lane, started a sawmilling
business at North Adams, which they conducted
until I870 under the firm name of Lane & Russ.
In 1872 he turned his attention to the grocery
trade and for a number of years he also gave attention to carpentry work afnd building.
Politically, Mr. Russ has always been an active
and zealous Republican, and has given his party
good service both as a worker in the ranks and
as an influential public official. His first presidential vote was for General Scott at Stockton,
California. He was a member of the Legislature
in I889, and he was elected justice of the peace
eight times in succession during his residence in
North Adams. In 1897 he was appointed postmaster at North Adams and is still the valued and
popular incumbent of the office, performing his
official duties with assiduous attention, and with
credit to himself and general satisfaction to the
people. In I866 he became a Freemason, and he
has held in succession all the leading offices in the
lodge, becoming a pastmaster many years ago.
His family consisted of five children, two deceased in infancy, and three living, Lella E., wife
of Dr. E. Bagley, of Alma, Mich.; William L., of
North Adams; Kittie, wife of Dr. W. J. Chittock,
of Jackson, in this state. At the present writilng Mr. Russ is actively engaged in the insurance
business, having a large and appreciative body of
patrons. For nearly forty years he has lived and
labored among this people, and now there is
scarcely one that will not do him reverence. When
he came to North Adams the streets were unpaved, often almost impassable, the schools were
of low grade and indifferently taught, and the
general state of progress was of the same character. Through the energetic and fruitful labors of
Mr. Russ and others of his enterprise the present
conditions of improvement and development have
been wrought and the spirit of enterprise now
dominant in the community has been awakened,
vitalized and kept in existence.
JOSEPH FRENCH.
Closing his earthly record of usefulness and
interest in March, I9OI, after having been a
resident of Hillsdale county for a period of sixtvseven years, the life of the late Joseph French,
of Cambria township, whose home was about five
miles south of the city of Hillsdale, covered almost the whole history of the county from its settlement by the white man at the dawn of its civilization, and he witnessed and was a party to its
development from an unbroken wilderness to its
present splendid estate of wealth, enterprise and
advanced political, commercial and intellectual
greatness. He came to the county when Hillsdale
was but a country tavern, the old Howder House,
on the route of travel, where emigrants found
comfort for the night on their way to more advanced settlements or farther into the wilderness;
and he was on familiar terms with the Indian
chiefs and braves of the early days, who although
friendly for the most part at the time, did not
wholly abstain from annoying the settlers and
frequently endangered their property and their
lives. Baw Beese was an intimate acquaintance
of his and they frequently exchanged hospitalities
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
4I2
in mutual companionship and good will. And
he knew every form of savage life in man and
beast then prevalent in this country, and was
forced at times to contend with them all. A succinct and complete narrative of his adventures in
the early days of his residence here would be
full of interest in these times, and a graphic picture of a phase of human existence that has
passed away forever. Its sterner and more tragical features would be relieved by many tinges of
romance and tinted with the rosy hues of sentiment; and it would not be wanting in comedy,
although harsh and unrelenting life then was for
the pioneers, and shadowed deeply as it must
have been by savage hate and Nature's inhospitality.
Mr. French was born in Leicestershire, England, in November, I82I, and came with his parents, Thomas French and wife, to. the United
States when he was in his youth. The family
settled at first in Pennsylvania, and, in 1834,
moved to Michigan, locating in Fayette township, of this county. He was then but a boy of
thirteen, with a limited education acquired at
chance times in the public schools of his Pennsylvania home, but he possessed the proper spirit to
make his way on the frontier and found a rich
and continuing enjoyment in its very conditions
of untamed abundance, wild life, and arduous
toil and privations. The family settled on a part
of the present fair grounds, and here he worked
on the farm in summer and went south with his
brother, William, in winter to cut wood for the
Mississippi river steamboats. His service as a
lumberman were also employed in the building
operations of the new section around him, wherein every energy was required to make headway
in subduing the -wilderness, establishing civilization and developing the resources of the country.
He helped to cut and hew the timber for the old
mill, which was built where Stock's mill now
stands, and for many other structures which performed important service for the pioneers.
After a residence of several years at his first
location he moved to a farm in Cambria township.
which he increased by subsequent purchases until
he owned 200 acres of excellent land, all of which
he brought forward to a state of cultivation and.
enriched with good buildings and other improvements of value. In I885, having reached the age
of sixty-four years and having acquired a comfortable competence, he moved to Hillsdale, determined to pass the remainder of his days in retirement from active pursuits and the peaceful
enjoyment of the fruits of his labors. He was.
three times married and became the father of a
large family of children, three sons and four
daughters of whom are living. 'The living children of the last marriage are: John F., of Cambria township, living on the old homestead; Fred,
of Reading township; Frank, of Hillsdale; Mrs.
Lucretia Wyllys, widow of the late John A.
Wyllys, a sketch of whom follows, of Woodbridge; Mrs. Mary Mills, also of Woodbridge;
Mrs. Sarah Garvey, of Hillsdale; and Mrs. Silence Northrup, of Ransom. Mr. French died
in March, Io90, aged nearly eighty years. He
was one of the revered pioneers of the county and
among its most respected citizens.
JOHN A. WYLLYS, late of Cambria township,
lived in Hillsdale county and was an active and
serviceable force in its progress and development
for a period of half a century, coming to this
county in I85I, when he was twelve years old,
and dying here in August, I90I, at the age of
sixty-two. He was a native of Lorain county,
Ohio, where he was born on February 26, I839,
and came with his parents to Michigan when he
was twelve years of age. The education which
he had begun in the country schools of his native county, was meagerly added to in this. The
family settled in Woodbridge township, Hillsdale county, where he resided until his death on
August I, I901, except during four years which
were passed in Cambria township. In I868 he
was united in marriage with Miss Lucretia
French, a daughter of Joseph French, who is
still living on the home farm in the township.
Their offspring numbered two, their sons, William and George, the former now living at home
with his mother, and the latter a prosperous and
progressive farmer of Woodbridge township and
the husband of Miss Della Knapp. Mr. Wyllys
was an unostentatious man, but was ever true
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
4I3
to the best attributes of American citizenship and
constituted an ornament to the community in every relation of life. He was a gentleman of public spirit and enterprise, successful in his own
business and a serviceable factor in the public
life of the community, aiding in every worthy enterprise and holding the respect of all classes of
the people.
MARTIN WIGENT.
"If you seek a beautiful peninsula, look
around you," or, "Behold it here," is the motto
which Michigan stamps on all of her state papers, and her faith which has made the legend
current is well founded, for out of the very
wilderness her enterprising people have erected
a commonwealth that is beautiful with every attribute of mental, moral, industrial and commercial greatness, and which has borne an important part in the political history of our country.
Among the heroic race of pioneers who laid her
foundations broad and deep, and started her on
her career of prosperity was the late Martin
Wigent, of Reading township, and among the
men who have followed in his footsteps and in
those of his associates, aiding in developing the
state they founded, are his son, Andrew J., and
also his grandson, Fred M. Wigent, sketches of
whom follow this one.
Martin Wigent was born and reared in Onondaga county, N. Y., and in his early manhood
he married Miss Mary M. Bartholomew, of the
same county. His life began on November 30,
I802, and his marriage occurred in I828. His
wife was a daughter of Daniel and Lucy (Holyday) Bartholomew, and her family tradition
states that her ancestors came to this country in
the historic Mayflower from England, and were
conspicuous in the early history of New England. Martin was a son of German parents. In
April, I834, he emigrated with his family to
Ohio where they lived for four years not far
from Toledo. They then came to Michigan and
he purchased the eighty acres of wild land from
the government on which the village of Reading,
in Hillsdale county, has since been built, one of
the imposing structures erected on his land being
the station of the Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw Railroad. His first residence in this county
was a little log cabin which he built mainly by the
labor of his own hands, and for a few years his
family dwelt there in a very primitive way, as
did the other pioneers, owing to the unsettled
and undeveloped condition of the country.
As there were no flouring mills in the vicinity, Mr. Wigent made one in the form of a huge
mortar by burning and digging out the end of a
large log. This was then placed on end and by
means of a springpole the grain put into it was
pounded into meal. This mill, crude as it was,
met the requirements of a large section of the
surrounding country for a few years until others
were built in the regulation way. Mr. Wigent
was a man of great enterprise and resourcefulness. He farmed his land vigorously and also
manufactured brick with which he supplied an
urgent need in the township. He reared a fam-.
ily of six children, but, while life was bright anc
promising to him, and there seemed to be many
years of usefulness before him, on April I, I86I,
at fifty-eight years of age, his career was suddenly closed by an untimely death at his home in
Reading. His wife survived him but a few
years, dying on November 2, I867. Five of their
children are living and all are married and have
families.
ANDREW J. WIGENT, the second son of Martin and Mary M. (Bartholomew) Wigent, was
born in Onondaga county, N. Y., on August 30,
I833. He was but little more than four years
old when the family came to live in this county,
and at that time school facilities in the neighborhood were very limited. He was, however, a
studious boy, and, mainly by his own efforts, aided by the light of the backlogs his own ax had
helped to prepare for the fire, he acquired a good
knowledge of the ordinary branches of book
lore, and at twenty years of age began to teach
a country school. He followed this occupation
for twelve years in the winter seasons, being employed during the summers in making brick and
in working at his trade as a mason, at which he
became a skillful and reliable craftsman, helping
414 HILLSDALE CO1
to build many of the principal residences and
other structures in the section of the county in
which he lived. On March 25, 1860, he was
united in marriage with Miss Belinda Foust, of
Cambria, and soon afterward moved to 'his farm
in the northern part of Camden township, where
he still lives. He owns eighty acres of excellent
land which he has brought to a high state of cultivation, making it a model farm, and, with its
comfortable and convenient buildings a very desirable country home.
Ten children have brightened Mr. Wigent's
household circle, of whom seven are living,
Fred M,, Frank S., Shannon L., Ida M., Rhoda,
Bliss and James W. Those deceased are Mary
C, Ada J. and Eda. Mr. Wigent belongs to the
Masonic order, holding his membership in the
lodge at Reading. He is a Democrat in political
allegiance, and has for many years been prominent and active in the service of his party. A
gentleman of high character and unusual intelligence, he has frequently been called to the administration of important local offices, having
served as supervisor five years, justice of the
peace eight years, highway commissioner two
years and a school inspector one. In every position he has sustained his reputation as a wise
and careful official, and won strong commendations from all classes of his fellow citizens.
Among the men of worth and esteem in his township none stands higher or is more entitled to the
public confidence and good will of the people.
THOMAS BURT, SR. AND JR.
Thomas Burt, the elder, for many years a resident of Ransom township, in this county, was a
native of England, born on November 28, I805.
He was the son of James and Elizabeth (Burge)
Burt, who were prosperous farmers in the parish
of Marnhull, England, living on and operating a
farm which had been in possession of the Burt
family for more than a century. The education
of the son was limited, the most of it being acquired at a day school prior to his reaching the
age of twelve. When he was nineteen he went to
London to seek his fortune, and there learned the
UNTY, MICHIGAN.
baker's trade at which he wrought four years,
after acquiring facility at the craft, on his own
account in the English metropolis. On October
29, 1829, he was married to Miss Sarah Bartlett,
daughter of John and Sarah (Martin) Bartlett,
of Weymouth, in Dorsetshire, where she was
born on April Io, 1803. Her parents were
wealthy, and, up to the time when she left home
and friends to come to America, she had never
done any manual labor.
In 1833 Mr. Burt embarked in a merchantman for New York, where he arrived on March
25 of the same year, and, in the following May,
he purchased a farm of wild land two miles from
Toledo, Ohio. On this farm he lived for three
years in a shanty, improving his land and getting
along as best he could. The first'year he cleared
three acres and sowed it in wheat. He cut, harvested and threshed the crop, and took the grain
in a small boat to a mill, where he had it ground
into flour. This he baked into bread and sold,
a feat from beginning to end recorded to the
credit of but few men. While living here he
and a companion were hunting one day, and when
they came to the Maumee river they saw on the
other side a party of armed men who proved to
be Michigan soldiers, enlisted for the Toledo
War. Mr. Burt's companion proposed that they
have a record of at least one shot in that struggle,
and they emptied their guns at the soldiers, although they knew they were out of range.
In May, I836, Mr. Burt returned to England
for his family, and arrived with them at Toledo
in the following October, with but seven dollars
in his pocket. He at once sold his farm and lived
on a rented one until the fall of I837, when he
started with his family to what was then the
wilderness of southern Michigan. On a cold
winter night they arrived at a tavern kept by a
Mr. Finney, where the village of Hudson now
stands. He had no money to pay for food and
lodging, but Mr. Finney gave them entertainment, the next morning accepting Mr. Burt's
note for three dollars and fifty cents as evidence
of the debt. On Christmas day Mr. Burt moved
his household into a small shanty he had hastily
erected on his new farm, which was then a wet
HILLSDALE CO UNTY, MICHIGAN.
415
and swampy tract of uncultivated land, but
which now comprises 360 acres and has been
made into one of the finest farms in the township.
Mr. Burt was always an energetic, industrious man, and by his labor and business capacity accumulated a comfortable fortune. He
was actively connected with the best interests
of his town and county, holding at different
times the various local offices in the gift of his
fellowtownsmen. He was prominent in helping
to organize the county agricultural society, and
was an earnest supporter of the cause of public
education. In politics he was a Democrat until
the Kansas troubles made him a Republican, and
from that time he was ever loyal to his new party allegiance. He died on February I4, 1880,
aged nearly seventy-five, and his wife on February Io, I895, aged nearly ninety-two. Their
family consisted of eight children, all of whom
are living in Hillsdale county, except Matthew,
who is a resident of Lenawee county, and James,
who lives in Gentry county, Mo. James, Edward and Matthew served in the Union army
during the Civil War, the last named running
away from home to enlist.
THOMAS BURT, 'Junior, as he has long been
called, was the second son and child of Thomas
Burt, Sr., and his wife, Sarah (Bartlett) Burt,
and was born on October 12, 1833, at Weymouth, Dorsetshire, England. He was but three
years old when the family arrived at Toledo,
and but four when they settled in Hillsdale county. From his childhood, hterefore, he was inured to the hardships and privations of frontier life, and to the exacting toil incident to the
task of opening up of a new country and making it habitable. He was literally brought up in
the woods, having only Indian boys as his playmates, and he learned their language and spoke
it fluently. He is the oldest living settler who
has had a continuous residence in Ransom township, and his history is co-extensive with its own.
He saw the section when first the foot of the
white man trod its virgin soil for conquest and
civilization, and he has witnessed its growth and
development to its present condition of fruitfulness and advancement. And among the evi
dences of progress it shows, one of the most gratifying and attractive is his own home of 135
acres, which not only represents his own industry and skill, as applied to the land for many
years, but typifies the progress of the county itself from a state of savage wilderness to the home
of a great, prosperous and enterprising people.
On August 22, I859, Mr. Burt was married
to Miss Lydia E. Bugbee, daughter of Danforth
and Margaret' (Saunders) Bugbee, a native of
Jefferson township, this county, born on December 27, 841. They have had four children, Cary
D., James E., Burton T. and Verna M. James
E. and Verna M. died of diphtheria in the autumn of 188I. The other two are living, carrying on good farms in this township. In politics
Mr. Burt has always been a Republican, while
in religious affiliation he is a communicant of the
United Brethren church.
JAMES C. COOPER.
The career of James C. Cooper, of Ransom
township, one of the honored pioneers of Hillsdale county, who helped to lay the foundations
of her prosperity and greatness deep and broad,
and to build on them a superstructure creditable
alike to her founders and the subsequent masters
of her destiny, is full of interest to the thoughtful
mind, and forms a striking lesson to the struggling and to the ambitious, being rich in suggestions of the opportunities ever open in American
manhood to those who have eyes to see and skill
to use them. Mr. Cooper is a native of Seneca
county, N. Y., born on September 4, 1831, a son
of John C. and Mary (Servend) Cooper, both natives of the Empire state, where the father died
at the town of Tyre on August 24, 1874, and the
mother in Junius township, Seneca county, in
May, 1892. The paternal grandfather, James
Cooper, was a gentleman of English birth and ancestry, a cousin of the late Peter Cooper, the
great New York philanthropist, whose name and
career are familiar to all the intelligent people
of this continent.
James C. Cooper was the fifth child of his
father's household, and remained on the New
4I6
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
York farm until he reached the age of seventeen.
Then; wishing to see something more of the
world than he had opportunity for at home, and'
desiring to work out his own destiny in accordance with his own tastes and aspirations, he engaged in boating on the Erie canal and for two
years followed this occupation. In I85I he became a resident of southern Michigan, arriving
in Hillsdale county about September I. He was
unmarried at this time, and his only capital was
his good health and his willing hands. He soon
secured employment at Wheatland at a compensation of fifty cents a day. In December of that
year, having completed the job on which he had
been engaged, he repaired to Ransom in search
of another, but found nothing available except
splitting rails at fifty cents a hundred. He was
not an adept at the work, and found difficulty in
doing enough of it to pay for his board. So in
company with another man he opened a sugar
camp on land belonging to speculators. Here
the two kept bachelor's hall and worked at the
sugar industry, but with only a moderate success.
Soon after their venture was begun Mr. Cooper
was offered work on a farm, and he at once left
the sugar-making business and entered the employ of Thomas Burt, in which he continued until
late in the autumn of the following year.
In November, 1852, he made a visit to his old
home in the East, and remained with his parents
until March, I854. Then returning to this country, he bought eighty acres of land, being a part
of his present farm. It was all covered with
heavy timber, and, not having the capital to devote his time wholly to clearing and cultivating
it, he once more went to New York and spent the
ensuing summer. In December, I854, he came
again to Hillsdale county, and a second time entered the service of Mr. Burt, with whom he remained until spring, when he went to work on a
farm in Wright township for a Mr. Whitbeck.
In the fall of I855 he began operating a sawmill
on shares, and was thus occupied until the next
June. In the meantime he purchased twenty
acres of land in section I2 of Ransom township,
and, taking up his residence in the solitary cabin
with which the tract was provided, lived there un
til March, I857, when he moved to his first purchase on which he had built a log house. Prior
to this time, however, he had been married on
December f, 1855, to Miss Miranda Crommer,
who shared his humble cabin on section 12 until
their better and more commodious dwelling was
made ready for occupancy. Since the spring of
I857 they have been continuous occupants of their
present farm, which now embraces 243 acres and
is one of the best in the township.
Mrs. Cooper is a daughter of John and Roba
(Hoard) Crommer, former residents of the township and pioneers of the county, who died in California, the father in January, 1873, and the mother in January, I877. For further details of Crommer family see sketch of David Crommer, elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Cooper was born
on June ii, 1835, on the Geauga county, Ohio,
farm, near Burton. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper have
had four children, three of whom are living.
They are Mary F., wife of Hon. William H. H.
Pettit, a sketch of whom will be found elsewhere
in this work; Darley Brooks, a Congregational
clergyman at Perry, Oklahoma; John C., who
married Miss Martha A. Stump, and is farming
in this township. The second child, Jasper, died
in the sixth year of his age.
Mr. Cooper has ever been a devoted patriot
and ardent lover of his country; and in the Civil
War he enlisted on August 22, 1862, in Battery
I, First Michigan Light Artillery, in which he
served until obliged to accept his discharge on
account of disability in February, I864, having
been transferred in December, I863, to the Veteran Reserve Corps. He objected to the transfer, as he said he had gone to the war to fight,
and, if he was considered unable to continue
with his regiment, he had business at home to attend to. He had been ill in a hospital for a number of weeks, and his weakened condition was
given as the reason for the transfer. He was in
active service about a year before being taken
ill, driving the team for gun No.,. At Gettysburg he faced Pickett's magnificent charge, and,
the battery being short of gunners, he served as
a, cannoneer. Prior to that time, in the spring of
1863, he had been on reconnoitering duty and
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
417
was in a number of skirmishes, among them those
at Aldee and Raccoon Ford, most of the time
chasing Mosby. In politics he was. originally a
Democrat, but became a Republican when the
party was organized, and voted for its first presidential candidate, General Fremont. He belongs
to the Grand Army of the Republic at Ransom,
and for twenty years he was a school director.
DAVID CROMMER.
Starting in life with nothing but his own natural endowments of energy, capacity, self-confidence and a determination to succeed and get on
in the world in spite of adverse circumstances and
the frowns of Fortune, David Crommer, of Ransom township, in this county, has won his way
fairly to competency in worldly wealth and a
high and secure place in the regard of his fellow
men who have witnessed his struggles along with
their own and have felt the influence of his manly
character, unyielding enterprise, breadth of view
and worldly wisdom. He was born in Steuben
county, New York, on February 6, 1830, and is
the son of John and Roba (Hoard) Crommer,
natives of that county and pioneers in three states.
John Crommer was left an orphan at an early
age, and was thrown on his own resources long
before "manhood had darkened on his downy
cheeks." He was independent and self-reliant,
however, and always found opportunity for work.
When he reached years of maturity he was
married to the daughter of Daniel and Esther
Hoard, and, in I833, accompanied by his wife
and children he emigrated to Ohio, traveling by
way of the canal and lake to Cleveland, and from
there overland to Geauga county in the wilderness, where he contracted for a farm. The family was very poor, their facilities for work on the
farm were few and primitive, and the times were
hard, the opportunities for success to persons in
their situation being few and difficult to use. So
in I840 he abandoned the struggle on which he
had entered, and, leaving his farm in Ohio to its
fate, he brought his household to Hillsdale county and located in Pittsford township, where he
believed he could do better. In the following
February he settled on eighty acres of land in
Ransom township in the wild forest with its
savage denizens in full force and vigor all around
him, while the conditions of life were by no means
comfortable or free from actual hardship. Mr.
Crommer built a log cabin with a shake roof and
constructed the chimney of clay and sticks. The
mother, having no stove, did her cooking in the
fireplace; she also spun wool and flax, and wove
most of the cloth used by the household for clothing. In.I872 the father set out for California,
and his family never saw him again, as he died
in that state in the following January. His wife,
who accompanied him thither, also died in that
state, passing away on January 24, 1877, four
years after his decease.
When the family located in Ransom township
the son, David Crommer, was eleven years old,
and had seen already much of frontier life and
imbibed its spirit of independence and freedom,
and its air of self-reliance and readiness for every emergency. This township has ever since
been his home. On its soil he grew to manhood,
in its primitive schools he had what educational
advantages were attainable, and, although he
was often obliged to leave the section for work,
he ever regarded it as the center of his hopes
and the seat of his future activities. While his
opportunities for schooling were meager and
crude, his mind was strong and active, and by
reading and observation, as well as in the effective school of experience, he acquired a goodly
store of worldly wisdom and general information,
and became a very useful man in all places of his
residence. He remained at home until he reached
man's estate and aided in clearing his father's
land and paying for it, working at times by the
month on neighboring farms. By frugality and
thrift he saved the sum of $Ioo for himself and
with this made the first payment on a tract of
eighty acres of timber land which he purchased,
and on which he located with nothing left but a
few clothes and a good ax. He built a small
frame dwelling, 18x24, and, when it was finished,
married and moved his young wife into it. They
began at the beginning as their parents had done,
cleared their land, made the best of the difficul
41I8
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ties they encountered, and gradually rose to consequence, prosperity and substantial comfort. As
soon as he was able he bought forty acres of land
adjoining his first purchase, and recently he has
added twenty acres more. All of this land is in
an excellent state of cultivation and the improvements he has made on it are an ornament to the
region and well worthy of the effort and labor
they cost him.
On February I8, 1857, Mr. Crommer was
united in marriage with Miss Fannie Hammond,
a native of Cortland county, N. Y., the daughter
of John and Parmelia (Dickerson) Hammond,
who emigrated from their native state of New
York to Michigan among the early settlers, and,
after living a few years in Lenawee county,
moved in the: spring of I841 to Ransom township,
in this county, where they ended their days. Mr.
and Mrs. Crommer were the parents of one child,
their daughter, Edna MI., the wife of A. Z. Nichols, a veterinary surgeon, having an active practice in the county. Mrs. Crommer died in January, 1892, and in November, I893, Mr. Crommer
married with Miss Sarah Densmore, a native of
the township in which he has passed the greater
part of- his life, and the daughter of George W.
and Betsey (Hammond) Densmore, both now
deceased. There are no children of the second
marriage. In politics Mr. Crommer has been a
Republican from the formation of the party. He
has ever been active in public local affairs, giving
earnest and effective support to the promotion of
the general weal of the community, taking his
part cheerfully in the duties incumbent on good
citizenship. He served his township as highway
commissioner for six years, and, for a long time,
he has been an influential member of the Ransom
grange of the Patrons of Husbandry.
SANFORD LEONARDSON.
This enterprising and progressive farmer of
Jefferson township is a native of the section of the
county in which his useful life has peacefully progressed to this period, and he enjoys in a marked
degree the confidence and esteem of its people.
He was born in this township on January 23,
I85I, the son of James and Lucinda (Hilts) Leonardson, natives of Montgomery county,.New
York, a sketch of whom is published elsewhere
in this volume. Only seven years and four
months prior to his birth, his parents came from
their former home in the Empire state to this
county, where they settled on eighty acres of the
land which he now owns and successfully farms,
being confronted with all of the arduous exactions
of frontier life in a heavily wooded country, but
with characteristic energy, they went to work to
clear up a farm and build a home in the wilderness.
They were energetic and capable and the inroads
they made upon the forest were decided and permanent. Nevertheless the early years of their
son, Sanford, the only member of the family now
living, were replete with the peculiar experiences
of the pioneers, his facilities for education in the
schools being meager and primitive. He realized
in his budding youth that no one, in a new country yet full of nature's wild conditions, can escape
a destiny of toil and danger, so he entered resolutely upon the work involved in his situation,
aiding in the labors of the farm, sharing in the
privations of pioneer life and bravely confronting
its perils.
The family consisted of three children, a
daughter who died in childhood, a son, Warren
D. Leonardson, who died after reaching years of
maturity, and Sanford. His slender opportunities for schooling were supplementedby judicious
and reflective reading in the intervals between the
labors on the farm and amid these elevating and
tranquilising pursuits his life so far has been
passed. He has greatly prospered in his industry
and has honestly won his success by his energy,
capacity and well applied and skillful work. He
owns 500 acres of land, the greater portion of
which is located in the township, and the home
place is provided with every requisite for the comfort and convenience of its occupants, every needed appliance for the proper management of its
business, and is adorned and beautified with numerous evidences of good taste and refinement.
While building his material fortunes, Mr. Leonardson has been studious of the general weal of
the community, giving freely of his time, his en
I
d
i
C/ f/,q & 1'e- d... 4"10
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
419
ergy and his substance in support of every good
enterprise for the advancement of the township
and the improvement of its people. And thus,
through two of the most approved and productive
channels of honest and persistent effort, he has
reached a high place in the public regard and been
able to exert a wholesome influence on the public
life of the community.
In politics Mr. Leonardson has been a lifelong Republican, active and serviceable in behalf
of his party and its candidates. He has also
filled important local offices, serving as township
treasurer and school inspector. He belongs to the
Masonic order in blue lodge and chapter, and for
long years has been a devoted and active craftsman. His industrious and beneficial life of more
than half a century in the township has given
him opportunity to observe, with pleasure and
deepening interest, its progress and transformation from a waste of wild woodland to what it is'
now, and to aid materially in bringing about the
change. The story of what he has seen accomplished by persistent and intelligent diligence is
an oft-told tale in American history, but it never
loses interest, and ever presents its suggestive lessons for the observing mind and for the student
of human life, showing the inevitable trials and
triumphs on every field of action. Mr. Leonardson was married on October I, I87I, to Miss Helen McNeal, a native of New York, a daughter of
Milo and Sarah (Playter) McNeal, who came to
this state in I86o and, later, settled in Jefferson
township, where the father died some years ago
and the mother is still living, at the age of ninetyfive years. Four children have blessed their union, Sara L., Fred, Watson R. and Anna R. On
May 7, I9oo, Fred married with Miss Myrtle
Derthick, of this township, and they are engaged
in farming on their own account. The rest of the
children are living at the parental home.
EDWARD H. CUNNINGHAM.
Edward H. Cunningham, of Hillsdale, for a
long time one of the influential and leading factors in the commercial prosperity and activity of
the county, is now living a retired life of peace
27
and comfort amid the scenes of his most important achievements, secure in the confidence and
cordial regard of the people who have known him
from his early manhood. He is a native of Onondaga county, N. Y., born on January 17, I850.
His parents, Alexander and Adaline (House)
Cunningham, who were natives of New York,
removed with all of their family to Michigan in I868, and continued in Calhoun county in
this state the active farming operations they had
formerly carried on in their native state. After
a residence of some years on the farm they moved
to Homer, where the father died on April 21,
I902, and where the mother is still living. Three
of their four sons reside in Michigan and one is
a citizen of Dakota. They were also the parents
of three daughters, of whom two are living.
Edward H. Cunningham was the fourth son
in the order of birth, and reached the age of
eighteen years in New York and received his
education in the public schools. For four years
after his arrival in this state he lived on the farm
with his parents, and during most of this time
was actively engaged in the lumber business. In
I892 he took up his residence at Hillsdale, having purchased the coal business of Henry Keefer.
To this he gave an earnest attention, building it
up in every way, enlarging its trade, raising its
standard of excellence and conducting its operations with marked success until April I, 1902,
when he sold out, and since then he has been retired from active business pursuits. He still has,
however, important and valuable interests in a
number of industrial and manufacturing enterprises, among them the Motor Vehicle Co., of Chicago, in which he owns a large block of stock,
and he has a considerable body of rich.and productive farming land in this county. He belongs
to the Masonic fraternity and gives serviceable
attention to the affairs of his lodge; although a
Republican in politics, loyal to the principles and
candidates of his party, he takes no interest in
an active working way in party matters.
Mr..Cunningham was married in I872 to Miss
Ada Dunakin, a native of Michigan, where the
marriage occurred. They have one child, their
daughter, Mabel. Mrs. Cunningham, who is one
420
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of the most estimable ladies of the county, active
in all good works for the benefit of its people, is
a daughter of Daniel and Eliza (Cook) Dunakin, New Yorkers by nativity, who came to this
state in 1836, and settled on a good farm in Calhoun county four miles north of Homer, where
both parents died, the father in I877 and the
mother in I883. Mrs. Cunningham was one of
nine children, all of whom are dead except herself and one sister, Mrs. George Lay, of LaPorte,
Indiana. Their father was a prosperous farmer
and a man of great public spirit. He served as a
member of the Michigan Legislature, being also
one of the founders and among the most active
supporters of Hillsdale College, at his death bequeathing the institution a substantial sum of
money. He was also one of the founders of the
First National Bank of Albion, one of its original stockholders and directors. He was a zealous
member of the Baptist church, standing in the
front rank of its most useful workers. He died
at a ripe age, well respected, having accomplished
a life of usefulness.
HON. WARREN McCUTCHEON.
The late Hon. Warren McCutcheon, of Ransom township, who for twenty-two years was a
resident of Hillsdale county, and an active participant in every phase of its political and social
life, serving the people well and wisely in various official positions, exemplifying in his daily
life the most elevated spirit of patriotic citizenship, was born at Epsom, in Merrimack county,
N. H., on September 17, I815, and the son of
James and Hannah (Tripp) McCutcheon, natives of that state. His father was a Free Will
Baptist minister, and also a lumberman, and, for.his time and section was well-to-do. The son,
Warren, was reared in his native county. and
there received a common school education.
When nineteen years old he started for the West
and during the winter of I834-5 he taught school
at Republic in Seneca county, Ohio. He then
worked on an Ohio farm one season and after
that returned to his Eastern home, going soon
afterward to Boston, where he was employed in
the construction of the Bunker Hill monument.
While working on this structure he injured
his back, and for a number of years thereafter he
was unable to perform hard or heavy labor. He
then came again to Ohio and went on to Michigan, traveling in a wagon with two or three acquaintances through portions of the two states.
He then learned the trade of a shoemaker, and
for two or three years wrought at it at Republic,
Ohio. In 1845 he journeyed with his wife and
one daughter in a covered ox-cart to Fulton
county, in the same state, and there bought a
farm of sixty acres, on which he lived for nine or
ten years, developing and improving the estate,
making it valuable with comfortable buildings
and rich in agricultural productiveness. In August, 1854, he moved to Hillsdale county and purchased I20 acres of undeveloped land in Ransom
township, on which he settled permanently and
became prosperous and influential.
He was originally a Whig in politics, and also
an intense Abolitionist. During his residence at
Republic, Ohio, he was actively connected with
the workings of the historic underground railroad, so extensively used in aiding negro slaves
to freedom. On the organization of the Republican party he joined its forces ardently, casting his
vote for Fremont for president, and through life
he remained a firm and loyal adherent of the
party and an earnest advocate of its principles.
After coming to Hillsdale county he became very
prominent in local affairs, serving ten years as a
supervisor of Ransom township, a portion of his
tenure of this office being during the Civil War,
and he was known far and wide for the vigor of
his administration which gave him the name of
the "war supervisor." He also served as an enrolling officer during the Civil War, and, in 1867,
he was a member of the lower house of the State
Legislature. In this body he was very active
and serviceable, having membership on important
committees, giving the work of the session his
most careful and conscientious attention. He
was loyal to his duty there every hour, and was
present to vote on all measures without dodging
or evasion.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
421
On November 23, 1842, Mr. McCutcheon
was married with Miss Ann Rogers, the ceremony being performed at Reed in Seneca county,
Ohio. His wife was a daughter of Jonathan
and Martha (Haviland) Rogers, natives of New
York, who moved to the Western Reserve of
Ohio in I833, and later resided in Fulton county,
where the father died, the mother afterward coming to Hillsdale county, where her last days were
concluded. Mr. and Mrs. McCutcheon became
the parents of four children, Luella, Eustace
(deceased), Orville (deceased), and Albert J., see
following sketch. Luella and Albert are living
on the old homestead in Ransom township. Luella lost her eyesight while living in Fulton county, Ohio, from the ravages of scarlet fever in her
childhood. She was educated at the School for
the Blind at Flint, in this state. The parents were
members of the Baptist church, both uniting with
it in youth. The father died on May Io, 1876,
and the mother on March 12, 1878.
Mr. McCutcheon had four brothers who became residents of Michigan and were more or
less prominent with its affairs. They spelled the
name Cutcheon, omitting the Mc. Dr. L. M.
Cutcheon is now a resident of Grand Rapids. S.
M. Cutcheon was a lawyer and the president of
a savings bank at Detroit, served several terms in
State Legislature and was speaker of the HIouse.
Byron IM. Cutcheon, the youngest brother, who
resides in Grand Rapids, has served eight years
in Congress and is a prominent Republican.
Albert J. McCutcheon, the only living son
of Hon. Warren McCutcheon, was born in Ransom township on November 28, 1857, and reared
on the homestead where he now lives. He was
educated in the district schools and at Hillsdale
high school. On November 6, I879, he was united in marriage with Miss Susie A. Drake, a native of Amboy township, in this county, where
the marriage occurred. She is the daughter of
Hon. William and Lucy A. (Alfred) Drake, a
sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. McCutcheon have had six
children, five of whom are living, Frederick W.,
M. Blanch, Florence, Rush W. and Miriam.
The third child, Lulu, is deceased. Mr. Mc
Cutcheon is one of the progressive and enterprising farmers of his section, and, in addition
to his farming operations, he conducts an active
dairy business, having a fine herd of Jersey cattle. He is a Republican in politics, and also a
member of the grange at Ransom Center. The
whole family are regular attendants at the Congregational church. In the spring of 1878 he
was elected superintendent of schools for the
township, serving two years, was later elected
supervisor on a union ticket, but soon after his
incumbency of the office he tendered his resignation. He has also served three terms on the
board of review, and was once elected as a
justice of the peace but declined to serve in the
office. In I887 he was the Prohibition candidate for the state House of Representatives. He
is held in high esteem throughout the county as a
progressive farmer, an excellent citizen, an upright and independent man.
CHARLES P. HULCE.
Charles P. Hulce, commissioner of schools of
Hillsdale county, is a native of Walworth county,
Wisconsin, born on August 14, I867. His parents were Elisha and Alice L. (Parkyn) Hulce,
born and reared in the state of New York. The
father was a farmer and emigrated to Wisconsin
about the year I857. He purchased land there
which he improved and on which he passed the
remainder of his days, dying in I893. He was
well esteemed in the county and displayed his
public spirit and capacity for administration in
several local offices to which he was chosen from
time to time. His family was of German origin,
his early American ancestors coming to the
United States generations ago. His wife is still
living in the city of Hillsdale. They were the
parents of two sons and one daughter, their son,
Charles, being the only one living in Michigan.
He received a good education in the best
schools available to him, finishing in the preliminary or preparatory course at the Whitewater
(Wis.) Normal School. He taught in the district
schools of that neighborhood until 1887, and then
entered the preparatory department of Hillsdale
422
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
College. After a thorough collegiate course of
instruction, which was interrupted by several untoward circumstances, he was graduated in I895,
and in the autumn of that year matriculated at
the Ann Arbor University to complete his classical course, which he did at that institution, being graduated therefrom in I897, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He immediately began
teaching the same year as principal of the school
at Redridge, in Houghton county, where he remained one year, at the end of which time he was
made the superintendent of schools at St. Ignace,
and served in this capacity for one year. He
passed. the next year as a teacher at Arcadian
Mine in Houghton county. The next year he
was appointed to fill the unexpired term of W.
H. French as commissioner of schools. His signal ability caused him to be elected to the office
in I9go and reelected in I903.
In October, I9OI, Mr. Hulce was united in
marriage with Miss Grace S. Hall, a native of
Michigan, who, at the time of the marriage, was
residing at Union in Cass county, where the ceremony was performed. To this union a daughter
has been born, Alice Mary. In his politics Mr.
Hulce has been a lifelong Republican, and in fraternal relations belongs to blue lodge and royal
arch chapter in Masonry and to several insurance orders. He is also a Knight of Pythias. In
the discharge of his official duties he has the benefit of his long experience as a student, and also
the advantage of the breadth of view which
comes from a close observation and a wide
knowledge of men. He has been an inspiration
in the school circles subject to his control, and a
valuable and a valued aid to struggling teachers
and local school authorities. He is one of Hillsdale county's most esteemed and respected citizents being one of the state's most appreciated
school officials.
WILLIAM H. PALMER.
The honored subject of this brief review is
the oldest living white person born in Ransom
township, and, by a long life of useful and productive labor on its fruitful soil, he has accumu
lated a comfortable estate in worldly wealth, created a fine and valuable farm out of the wilderness and firmly established himself in the confidence, regard and good will of his fellow citizens
of the township. He was born at the paternal
homestead on August 26, I839, the son of Alexander and Luceba (Hathaway) Palmer. Both
were natives of New York, who came in early
life with their parents to the territory of Michigan, locating in Lenawee county among its first
settlers, and there reaching maturity and marrying. In the spring of I836 they came with their
little family to Hillsdale county in search of a
home, and after exploring the southern portion
of the county, settled on the family homestead,
which in course of time they converted into a
valuable and desirable farm. The removal hither
was made through the trackless forest, the only
sign of civilization in the region being a faint
trail marked by blazed trees. Mr. Palmer entered his land from the government and at once
began to make preparation to live on it and turn
it into a comfortable home. A little log cabin
with a puncheon floor was built, having a roof
of shakes and a chimney constructed on the outside of clay and sticks. In due time the eighty
acres he had taken up were cleared, and the family continued to live here until the beginning of
the Civil War. The farm was then sold and Mr.
Palmer purchased other land in the township on
section 4. The declining years of his life were
passed in peace and comfort, and he passed away
on June 9, 1878, having survived his excellent
wife twenty-seven years, her death occurring in
I85I. Their offspring numbered nine, eight of
whom lived to maturity.
William H. Palmer was the third of the children of his parents. Like his sisters and brothers, he acquired the rudiments of a common
school education in the little log schoolhouse in
the woods, which, with its slab benches and
puncheon floor, was made as comfortable as the
circumstances allowed. When he reached the
age of twelve he went to Ridgeway, in Lenawee county, and from then until November, I861,
made his home with his uncle, John C. Palmer,
at that place. He then returned to Ransom town-.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
423
ship and enlisted in Co. G, First Michigan Light
Artillery, in which he served in defense of the
Union until January 28, I865. The command to
which he was attached saw continued and active
service, and Mr. Palmer was in a number of severe engagements, notably those of Vicksburg,
Cumberland Gap, Port Gibson, Champion Hills
and Black River Bridge. He was also in numerous skirmishes and for twenty-nine days was in
pursuit of the Confederate raider, Morgan, in
Ohio and Kentucky. They started with three
days' rations, which were soon exhausted, and
for some time they subsisted on two ears of corn
per man a day, which they were obliged to eat
without salt. On May I, I863, he was wounded
in the left shoulder at Port Gibson near Vicksburg, and three days later was taken prisoner in
a hospital on Brown's plantation, and was sent
to Andersonville as soon as he was able to be
moved. After a week of captivity one night he
stole a Confederate horse and succeeded in getting away, reaching his battery in safety the
next day. He sold the horse for thirty dollars,
and was soon afterward sent to a hospital at St.
Louis. In the fall he went to a parole camp in
Ohio, and was allowed to come home on a furlough, during which he married Miss Alice M.
Hart, born a native of Lorain county, Ohio, the
wedding occurring on September 4, I863. Mrs.
Palmer was a daughter of Samuel and Emily
Hart, the former a native of Vermont and the
latter of Ohio. They were for many years residents of Ransom township. Four weeks after
marriage Mr. Palmer rejoined his battery and
served until the close of the war.
On being discharged from the army at the
close of the war, Mr. Palmer returned to this
county and purchased the farm on which he now
lives, having saved enough out of his slender
pay as a soldier to pay for it in its undeveloped
condition. He has since labored assiduously to
improve it and increase its value, and now has a
fine place of fifty-four acres with excellent buildings, fences and other necessary improvements.
He and his estimable wife have been the parents
of six children, of whom only three are living.
They are Perry, Cora and Budd. Hattie and
Delbert were killed in the explosion of a steam
boiler in a sawmill on November 23, 1871, aged
respectively six and four years; Jessie A. died
on July 27, 1897, aged fourteen. The explosion
also seriously injured Mr. and Mrs. Palmer,
nearly costing them their lives.
Mr. Palmer cast his first presidential vote for
Abraham Lincoln in I86o, and he has since then
steadfastly adhered to the Republican party in
politics; but he gives little time to political matters, finding his mind and his energies fully occupied with his home duties and interests. He has
always been prudent and economical, carefully
avoiding placing himself under obligations to any
man, preferring to do without the things he has
not the ready money to purchase and to live
strictly within his income at all times. It vas
this rule of action that enabled him to save
enough while in the army to purchase his first
land, an achievement of which he has always
been justly proud. He has been a member of the
Masonic order since the Civil War, holding membership in the lodge at Waldron. He is also a
member of the Grand Army of the Republic and
of the Patrons of Husbandry at Ransom.
HON. WILLIAM H. H. PETTIT.
For over fifty years Hon. William H. H. Pettit has been a resident of Hillsdale county, living all of the time in Ransom township, and helping with manly industry and persistent determination to build up its interests, develop its resources
and magnify on its soil and among its people the
blessings of civilization and progress. He was
born on October 9, I840, in Columbiana county,
Ohio, and is the son of Jacob and Axcy (Lowrie)
Pettit, the former a native of Berks county, Pa.,
and the latter of Columbiana county, Ohio. The
father came to that part of Ohio with his parents
when he was but four years old, and he was there
reared, educated and married. For a number of
years he was a merchant at Elkton, in that county, but in 1846 moved to Williams county in the
same state, where he remained for several years,
then returned to Columbiana county. In April,
1853, he moved his family to Hillsdale county,
424
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Michigan, and bought 240 acres of land in Ransom township for the sum of $I,ooo. About forty
acres of the tract were cleared and improved,
having a good hewed log dwelling. He proceeded to clear and improve the rest and in time made
a fine farm of it, living there until death ended
his labors. His wife died on the farm in December, I864, and he in I888. They were the
parents of seven children, all but one of whom
are living and are residents of this county.
Their son, William H. H. Pettit, lived in the
parental home until he reached the age of thirteen and then accompanied the rest of the family
to this county. He bore his part faithfully in
the early work of the farm and in all its subsequent labors while he remained at home, and received his education by faithful attendance at the
district schools of the neighborhood, when he
could be spared for the purpose. On October 14,
I86i, fired by patriotic zeal.for the safety of the
Union, he enlisted in Co. C, First Michigan Infantry, in which regiment he served until November i9, I864, being a part of the Army of the
Potomac. With the exception of about six weeks
following the battle of Gettysburg, where he
was seriously wounded, he was with his regiment
during the whole of its history and participated
in all its engagements.
After his discharge from the army, he returned to his Michigan home, and for a year
worked for his father on the farm, then took
charge of it and managed its operations on his
own account until I880. At that time he bought
eighty acres of the farm on which he now lives,
which was improved with a small house and
barn. He has continued to live on this land
since then, making improvements from time to
time, increasing the comforts of his home and
adding to its value with good judgment and commendable enterprise. He has added sixty acres
to the estate, and, on the death of his father, he
inherited forty more, so that he now owns and
cultivates I80 acres. In I889 Mr. Pettit was
married to Miss Mary Cooper, a native of Ransom township, and a daughter of James C. and
Miranda (Crommer) Cooper, the former a native
of New York and the latter of Geauga county,
Ohio, whose parents were among the earliest settlers of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are
still living among the residents of Ransom township, and, highly esteemed, are in full enjoyment
of the fruits of their long lives of useful labor,
frugality and uprightness.
Mr. and Mrs. Pettit are the parents of two
children: Their daughter, Annie M., the wife of
Lewis Thompson; and their son, James L. Pettit; both of whom are living with their parents.
In politics Mr. Pettit is a Republican of pronounced faith and firm convictions. In 1875 he
was elected supervisor of his township, and for
ten consecutive years thereafter he was reelected
to this office, which he also filled for one year at
a later period. In the fall of I886 he was chosen
a member of the State Legislature, and in that
body he never dodged an issue, but gave to all
questions his conscientious attention and his
vote. He is a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic post at Ransom Center, and has filled
all of its important offices, as he has in the
grange, to which he belongs in the same place.
JONATHAN SALTZGIBER.
Jonathan Saltzgiber, of Hillsdale county, one
of the well-to-do and enterprising farmers of
Wright township, who has won all he possesses
by industry and thrift, is a native of Lebanon
county, Pa., born at Newmanstown on September
I6, I828, being a son of John and Sophia (Wise)
Saltzgiber, also natives of Pennsylvania and of
Dutch ancestry. John was a son of George and
Hannah (Keller) Saltzgiber, who were both
born and reared in Lebanon county, Pa., where
their parents settled in the early days of the commonwealth. The grandfather was by trade a
dyer and weaver, and the father a cabinet maker
and joiner. In 1835 the latter moved his family
to Mansfield, Ohiq, and two years later to Williams county, in the same state. In 1848 they settled in Fulton county, Ohio, where they passed
the rest of their lives. Their offspring numbered eleven children, of whom five are living,
and of these Jonathan, who was the second born
of the family, is the oldest. The parents were
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
425
very religious, and great workers in the church.
Jonathan Saltzgiber was seven years old when
the family moved to Mansfield and he there began
his education, his first teaching was in the German language, ]English being taken up some
years later. He followed his parents in their
wanderings, attending school as he had opportunity, until he reached the age of eighteen. When
he was fifteen his father placed him at the bench
and taught him the trade of a cabinet maker and
joiner. He remained with his father until he
was twenty-two, receiving only his board and
clothes for his work, and in 1850 he came to
Adrian, in this state, where he wrought at his
trade for thirteen years. In the meantime, on
June 13, I853, he married with Miss Hester N.
St. John, who bore him five children, the first
two being twins and both named Mary E., then
Lena, William M. and Ella, the last named being
now deteased. In April, I863, Mr. Saltzgiber
moved to his present residence, then an uncultivated farm of eighty acres, going into debt for
$750 of the purchase price. Here he has since
made his home and applied his energies so wisely
and faithfully that he is now out of debt and has
one of the best farms in this portion of the township. In I877 he married a second wife, Miss
Esther Kearney, who was born on July 27, I840,
at Mishawaka, Ind., and who died on July 30,
1893. His third maorriage occurred on March
26, I895, and was with Mrs. Eva Saltzgiber,
whose maiden name was Eva Beilharz, and who
was born in Germany and came to the United
States when four years old with her parents, Tobias and Agatha Beilharz, also natives of the
Fatherland. They were early settlers in Ohio,,and.highly respected for their industry, honesty
and thrift. Mrs. Saltzgiber has one child by her
first marriage, her daughter, Ellen. The mother
is an earnest and serviceable worker in the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Saltzgiber was for years a member of the
order of Odd Fellows, but some years ago withdrew from his lodge with the intention of affiliating with another, which, however, he has neglected to do. After settling on his farm in
Wright township he worked for awhile at his
trade in connection with his farming operations
but he abandoned this kind of labor some eighteen years ago, and has since devoted his energies wholly to his farm. As he is now prosperous and comfortable, and well advanced in years,
he has determined to take life easy and seek the
enjoyments his tastes desire. He and his wife
have recently returned from a visit to his old
Pennsylvania home, and while in the East they
spent some time at Atlantic City and other pleasure resorts. During the summer of I903 he also
visited his grandfather's old home in Pennsylvania. The family is a long-lived one, Samuel
Saltzgiber, a great uncle of Jonathan,, having
lived to be one hundred and three years old, and
Mr. Saltzgiber has a photograph of him taken
when he had attained his one-hundredth year.
He died at Van Wert, Ohio.
HENRY S. TUTTLE.
Henry S. Tuttle, of Wright township, who
came to Hillsdale county when he was a year old
and has passed the whole of his subsequent life
among its people, was born in Ontario county,
N. Y., on July 4, 1843, and the son of Benjamin
and Arminda (Freer) -Tuttle, who were natives of
New York. They came to this county in 1844,
and settled near Lime lake in Wright township
until the father could build a dwelling on his
new claim of eighty acres of wild land in section
9. Here he put up a little shack, I8x24 feet in
size, with a half story above, into which he moved
his family and then began to clear his land. The
conditions of life were far from favorable. There
was n6 mill nearer than Adrian, in the adjoining
county, and roads and other conveniences were
almost unknown. He bought cows, and persevered in his diligent labors, winning prosperity
out of his hard conditions, and dwelling on the
same farm, as did his wife, until their respective
deaths. Their family consisted of eight children,
five of whom are living, Henry having been the
fifth in the order of birth.
Henry S. Tuttle was reared on the home farm
and attended the schools of the period and locality until he was fourteen, then went to work as
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
a regular hand on the farm, remaining there until
he was twenty-two. On July I9, I868, he united
in marriage with Miss Lucy A. Root, a native
of Wright township, and a daughter of John P.
and Harriet (Pixley) Root, who were early settlers in the township, having been married in
Lenawee county in I843. They were born in
New York state, the father in 1817 and the mother in I826. The father died on November 24,
I866, and the mother on August I, I898. They
were the parents of ten children, all of whom are
living. After his marriage Mr. Tuttle moved
into the house with his parents and remained
there about three years and until after the death
of his father. In 1871 he changed his residence
to his present home, it comprising at the time
only twenty acres of land, which was partially
cleared and under cultivation, having a small
house I8x26 feet in size, with a half-story above,
and in this his family lived until I895, when he
erected the dwelling he now occupies, which is
45 feet by 33 in dimensions, and two stories high.
His farm has also been enlarged to I70 acres and
brought to a high state of cultivation. It is in one
body and is pleasantly located. The land is of
excellent quality, and as it has been wisely tilled,
it is very productive.
The other improvements are in keeping with
the residence, both in character and dimensions
and in every respect Mr. Tuttle is well situated
for his business, having all of the comforts of life
plentiful around him, and the additional satisfaction of realizing that his estate is wholly the product of his own skill and enterprise. Mr. and Mrs.
Tuttle are regular attendants of the Congregational church, and their family consists of five
children: Henry E., who married Miss Effie
Hinkle; Ida, the wife of Willis Burd, a farmer
in the township; Lollon, who married Miss
Blanch Dunn and is cultivating the home place;
Lula M., who is living at the parental home. Mr.
Tuttle has always been a Democrat in politics,
and has given his party loyal and earnest support
from his young manhood, although not desirous
of public office for himself. He has lived the useful life of an honest and industrious farmer, seeking only to make a proper provision for his fam
ily and to perform his daily duties as a good citizen and as an upright and fair-dealing man; and
as such he enjoys in a marked degree the confi7
dence and esteem of his fellow men throughout
the community.
CHARLES E. FULLER.
Having come to the county in his infancy with
his parents, thereafter passing the whole of his
subsequent life within its limits, a-period of more
than three-score years, Charles E. Fuller, of Adams township, one of the most highly respected
pioneer farmers of this portion of the state, has
seen the whole of the transformation which has
taken place in this region as it came forth at the
command of man's sovereign will from a condition of wilderness and barbarism to one of comeliness and systematic productiveness, and he has
aided materially in bringing about the change.
He saw almost the beginning of its civilization,
and he has lived in vigor and cheerfulness to see
its large and bountiful fruition. He is a native
of Onondaga county, New York, born on August
8, 1834, the son of Reuben J. and Sarah A. (Allen) Fuller, the former a native of New York
and the latter of Massachusetts.
Reuben J. Fuller was engaged in agricultural
pursuits in New York until I836, when he came
by team to this state through Canada to Detroit
and from there to Hillsdale county. He purchased a tract of forty acres of land southeast of
North Adams from the government and, although
it was in the dead of winter, he began at once to
build a log house for his family and made preparations to clear up the land for cultivation. He afterward purchased forty acres additional and on
this farm he passed the' rest of his days, excepting seven years which he spent in Kalamazoo
county, dying here in I894. His wife preceded
him to the grave by nearly twenty-five years, passing away in I87I. Their family consisted of four
sons and one daughter, all now living and residents of Michigan. The father contracted a second marriage, his choice on this occasion being
Mrs. Axie Locklin, who died in I896. He was an
Abolitionist in politics and assisted in the opera
MR. AND MRS. CHARLES E. FULLLER.
I
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
427
tion of the underground railway before the Civil
War, in which two of his sons gave gallant service as soldiers. After the formation of the Republican party, he became an enthusiastic member
of that organization, remaining in it until his
death. He was prominent in local politics and
filled many township positions with credit. He
and his family were members of the Methodist
Episcopal church. His father was Reuben Fuller,
who came to Michigan about 1837 and also settled
in Adams township where he spent the rest of
his life.
Charles E. Fuller was reared and educated in
this county and remained at home until he was of
age. In i86I he purchased eighty acres of land,
all wild and most of it heavily wooded, and began
to clear it up for a home. He has resided on this
land ever since and has made of it oneof thechoice
homes of Adams township.' In 1856 he married
in this county Miss Phebe E. Burger, a daughter
of Benanciel and Almyra Burger, early settlers in
this part of the state, and they have had five children, Mary A., wife of J. T. Winch, of New
York; W. Eugene and Charles H., residents of
this county; Helen G., living at the paternal
home; Edwin S., a prosperous business man of
Toledo, Ohio. Their mother died in I897. Mr.
Fuller has been a lifelong Republican in politics,
but has never held office, except that of justice of
the peace, which he filled for four years. He and
his family are active members of the Baptist
church and he was for one year clerk of the organization.. His long life of usefulness and uprightness has won him the esteem of the whole
community, giving him a position in public estimation as one of the representative men of the
county.
ANGUS H. ABBOTT.
Angus H. Abbott, a prosperous and progresgressive farmer and a leading citizen of Reading
township, in Hillsdale county, is a native of the
township born on March 6, 1851. His parents
were Henry K. and Olive P. (Grinnell) Abbott,
the former born in Vernon township, Tolland
county, Conn., and the latter in Jefferson county,
N. Y. When the father was twelve the family
moved to Cayuga county, N. Y., and there he
grew to manhood, received his education and
learned his trade as a carpenter at which he
worked for ten years. In August, 1842, he was
married to Miss Olive P. Grinnell, daughter of
Ezra and Cathryn (DeGolyer) Grinnell, and with
his bride came to Hillsdale county, settling in
Reading township on a farm of 286 acres which he
bought and cleared, and on which he reared his
family and lived until his death on June 20, 1899.
Here his wife also died, passing away on October 13, I899. The grandparents on the father's
side were Delano and Polly (Bingham) Abbott,
both natives of Connecticut, that peerless old
New England commonwealth.
Angus H. Abbott was the third born of six
children in his father's household, and was reared
to habits of industry on the farm. He attended
the district schools in Reading township and finished his education at Hillsdale College. After
leaving school he engaged in farming and this
has been his chosen vocation ever since. He was
first married on July'29, 1874, at North Reading
to Miss Rilla Archer, of that place. She died in
February, 1878, leaving one child, their daughter, Eugenia K. Abbott, now wife of Emory
Flint, of Reading, and mother of one daughter,
Gertrude Flint, who was born on January Io,
1898. On March 19, I879, Mr. Abbott was married to his second wife, Miss Mary Hosmer, of
Bankers, born on March 30, 1846. Her father,
William S. Hosmer, was a native of Grafton.
Windham county, Vt., born on May 20, I809, and
her mother, whose maiden name was Alma Tuttle, came from Oneida county, N. Y., where her
life began on September 7, I815. They were
early pioneers in Michigan, and died at Bankers,
the father on June 20, I885, and the mother on
September 24, 1888. The fruit of Mr. Abbott's
second marriage is one son, William H. Abbott,
who was born at the homestead on December 24,
I879. Mr. Abbott has served the township in various official capacities and is at present (19o3)
serving his second term as supervisor. He is
recognized throughout its extent as a leading and
public spirited citizen, useful to every commendable movement for the improvement of this part
428
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of the county and worthy in every way of the
high respect and good will in which he stands
among the people. He is an active member of the
Methodist Episcopal church of West Reading.
IRA J. STONER, M. D.
Dr. Ita J. Stoner, of Ransom Center, Hillsdale county, was born at Dalton, Wayne county, Ohio, on July 9, I868, and is a son of Eli and
Mary C. (Heister) Stoner, who were natives of
Stark county, Ohio. In I869 they returned to
Stark county, and lived there until I88I, when
they moved to a farm northeast of Bryan, in Williams county, where the parents still live. The
Doctor is the oldest of five sons and two daughters born in the family. He was reared on the
farm and educated at the district schools until
he reached the age of sixteen. He then attended
Fayette Normal School two terms, but began
teaching school when he was seventeen, and for
six years followed this vocation in Williams,
Stark and Van Wert counties, his last engagement being as principal of a graded school. At
the end of the period named he entered a drug
store belonging to an uncle at Massillon, remaining three years. After that he entered the Ohio
Normal University at Ada, where he completed
the course in pharmacy in I894.
On leaving this institution he bought a drug
store at Bradford, Ohio, which he sold in I896
after conducting it about two years. During the
last year he was there he studied medicine with a
view to making it his profession, and continued
his studies in that line at Louisville, Ky., after
selling the drug store, and later at St. Louis, Mo.,
finally being graduated at the Memphis Hospital
Medical College in March, I898. While there
he had the advantage of good clinical training
and a practical experience in the hospital for. six
months or more. He practiced medicine for a
short time at Pulaski, in his native state, then, in
the autumn of I898, settled at Ransom Center,
in this county. Here he has since been actively
engaged in medical practice and has built up a
large and lucrative business, rising to good standing in the profession and winning a large and rep
resentative body of patrons and friends. He is
a diligent student of the literature of his profession and a close and discriminating observer of
all features of the practical side of it.
Holding active membership in the county and
state and the Northern Inter-State Medical associations, the Doctor fakes an earnest and helpful
interest in their proceedings, and gathers aid and
inspiration from their meetings. He is a medical
examiner for the Northwestern, the New York,
the Union Central and the Odd Fellows Mutual
Life Insurance Companies, and is a prominent
member of the order of Odd Fellows, belonging
to the lodge at Ransom, of which he is at present noble grand. He is also a member of the
Knights of Pythias at Bryan, Ohio, and of the
Masonic fraternity at Waldron, in this county.
In politics Doctor Stoner is a devoted and
loyal Republican, and for many years he has
been active and earnest in the service of his party. He is now the clerk of Ransom township,
having held the office four years, and he has
been health officer of the township also during
the last four years and is serving now his second
term as county coroner. In March, I899, the
Doctor was married to Miss Lizzie A. Hoover, a
native of this township and daughter of Franklin
A. and Julia (Hart) Hoover, natives of Ohio,
but for years residents of Hillsdale county. They
are retired farmers and are now living in the city
of Hillsdale. The Doctor and his wife have one
child, their daughter, Nellie M. Stoner.
EDWARD BURT.
Edward Burt, of Ransom township, who now
owns and lives on his paternal homestead, which
he helped to clear of its primeval forest and farm
into a comfortable and productive home, is a native of Iondon, England, where he was born on
June 30, 1832, the son of Thomas and Sarah
(Bartlett) Burt, a sketch of whom appears on
other pages of this volume. Edward accompanied his parents to the United States when he was
yet a child, making the trip across the Atlantic
in a sailing vessel and occupying five or six weeks
in the voyage. They came at once to Toledo,
i
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
429
which was then on the frontier, and, in the ensuing October, moved on to Michigan, reaching
the homestead on which they settled in Ransom
township on Christmas day, I837. They had
come from the center of the highest civilization
and now found themselves in the midst of a vastforest and wilderness, with many forms of savage life in vigorous activity around them. But
with the characteristic energy and pluck of the
British people, they accepted the situation as they
found it, and went to work with a will to improve their condition and make their new home
worthy of their efforts and themselves. A log
house had been earlier built, while the family was
at what is now Lickly's Corners, and into this
they moved and began to clear their land and get
it ready for cultivation. In the course of time
they were able to put up a more substantial and
commodious dwelling and supplant their earlier
efforts at other improverl ents with structures
mere in keeping with their prosperity.
Edward Burt received a limited and fragmentary education at the crude and irregular schools
of the time, and remained at home assisting in the
work on the farm until he reached the age of
twenty-two. He then went to Ohio, but without
money, and equipped for the battle of life with
nothing but his resolute spirit, excellent health
and the habits of systematic industry which he
had formed at home. In Ohio he found work on
farms by the month, and, on February 28, I863,
having made some progress in the accumulation
of means for independent action, he was married
in Lucas county of that state, to Miss Anna M.
Hake. They settled on a farm in Lucas county,
where they lived for twenty-one years. Their
offspring numbered four, Charles, George, who
died at the age of eleven, James and Elizabeth,
the last named being now the wife of Edward
Venier, a prosperous farmer in Wright township
of this county. Mrs. Burt died on November IO,
I882, and in the spring of 1883 Mr. Burt returned to Ransom township, Hillsdale county,
with his family, and located on the old homestead,
which he purchased.
Here he has since resided, industriously cultivating his land and keeping it in the best condi
tion, and also maintaining the improvements at
the highest standard of excellence attainable under
the circumstances. On February 4, 1884, he married a second wife, Miss Harriet Hoard, who
died in I893, leaving no children. His third wife
was Miss Lydia Keckler, a native of Ohio, and
she also is without children. 'Until recently,
throughout his mature life, Mr. Burt had a struggle for advancement and won every foot of his
way in the world by his own persistent energy
and push. He had also a taste of the Civil War,
enlisting in May, 1864, as a member of the One
Hundred and Thirtieth Ohio Infantry, Co. A, and
serving IOO days in the *rmy of the Potomac.
In politics he has always been a Republican, belonging to the post at Ransom Center. His farm
comprises I53 acres of land and is a model of
thrift and foresight in husbandry, enriched with
all the essentials of an excellent rural home. He
is highly esteemed throughout the township and
in other parts of the county.
ALBERT W. DOTY.
Albert W. Doty, a farmer of Hillsdale county,
who has dignified and elevated his calling with
an enterprise and progressiveness, and adorned
his citizenship with a public spirit and breadth
of view that are highly commendable and inspiring, is a native of Ransom township, where he
was born on August 4, I845, and where the whole
of his life has been passed except a few years
during which he was away at school. He is a son
of Orsamus and Lydia (Ingersoll) Doty, who
were pioneers in the county, and among its most
respected citizens, and is their only offspring. He
is also a descendant of Edward Doty, one of that
historic band who'came to this county in I820
in the Mayflower, and whose name is signed to
that Compact of the Pilgrims signed at Provincetown Harbor by the forty-one heads of families
constituting the embryo Plymouth Colony, before
they yet had landed. His father was a native of
Rutland county, Vermont, where he lived with
his parents until he was nineteen years old, working on his father's farm. He then left home, and
during the next two years was employed on a farm
430
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
in Worcester county, Massachusetts, earning the
money from which he got his start in life. While
living there he rode on the first railroad train that
ran from Boston to Worcester. On September
20, 1838, with his two brothers, Orsamus Doty,
came to this county, which was then an almost
unbroken wilderness, and, in partnership with
his brother Nelson, located the southeast quarter
of section 8, and a few years later they together
bought the southwest quarter of section 9. On
these two tracts they worked together until 1843,
when they divided the land, Orasmus taking the
southwest quarter of section 9, which he owned
and operated until his, death on December I0,
I888, at the age of seventy-three.
On their way thither the brothers traveled by
boat from Buffalo to Toledo, and found on their
arrival at the latter city that the old strap-iron
railroad was just building. They worked at Tecumseh in this state a year or two, helping in the
construction of a mill, and after it was completed
Orsamus learned the milling business, and for
some little time thereafter operated this same mill.
In the meantime they had bought forty acres of
land in Ransom township,.on which they had built
a log cabin for a dwelling. In 1840 they settled
on the larger tracts already alluded to, and began
building permanent homes, Orsamus carrying the
window sash for his house twenty miles on his
back, and paying his last cent for them, going
without his dinner in order that he might have
enough to complete their purchase. Their only
neighbors were Indians, but they never had any
trouble with them. At the second town meeting
held in the town Orsamus was elected justice of
the peace, and for ten years thereafter held this
office by successive reelections. No life in this
community has been more worthily or usefully
expended, and no record stands more to the credit of humanity than his. He came into the town
with almost no means; he cleared up a large farm
and made it comfortable and well equipped with
good buildings; he labored diligently and lived
frugally; he acquired more than a competence
of worldly wealth; he served the people and the
township faithfully and creditably in official positions and as a private citizen; and, when the end
of his usefulness came, he was as well established
as man could be in the lasting esteem and confidence of the whole community.
On October 31, I844, Mr. Doty married with
Miss Lydia Ingersoll, and they had one child,
their son Albert W., who was born on August
4, 1845, and she died on August 30 of the same
year. Mr. Doty was subsequently married three
times. In August, I86I, soon after the beginning
of the Civil War, although he was then past fortyfive years of age and no longer subject to draft
for military service, he enlisted as sergeant-major
in the Seventh Michigan Battery of Light Artillery. At Richmond, Ky., on August 30, I862, his
command was engaged with the enemy, all but
him and a few others being taken prisoners. His
health failed from exposure and he was in a hospital at Memphis for a few weeks, and was soon
thereafter discharged on account of his disabilities. In politics he was a Whig until the formation of the Republican party, and for the remainder of his life he was a member of that organization. Among the official positions he filled, in addition to that of justice of the peace, were those
of highway commissioner and a director of the
county agricultural society, both of which he held
for a number of years. His first wife, the mother
of Albert, was a native of New York, and came
to this county with her parents when she was
young, early in the forties.
Albert W. Doty, son of Orsamus, was reared
on the home farm in this township and was educated at the district schools and at Hillsdale College, where he spent two years. He also attended
the commercial department of Oberlin College,
Ohio. After returning from this institution, he
rented land and began farming, also working on
farms by the month for a time. He then cultivated his father's place for several years, after
which be bought sixty acres, and now has eighty,
which he has improved and made very productive.
In April, I867, he married with Miss Laura Wilcox, who was born in Lorain county, Ohio, the
daughter of Gordon and Jane (Bassett) Wilcox,
the former a native of New York and the latter
of Vermont. They became residents of Hillsdale
county in I856, and some years later moved to
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
43I
Missouri, where most of the family have since
died. The father, however, is still living at Hot
Springs, Arkansas, and is far advanced in years.
By his wife Mr. Doty became the father of two
sons, Irving A., now a farmer in Gratiot county,
this state, and Arthur G., a physician at Frontier
in this county. Their mother died in 1873, and,
on October 4, I876, Mr. Doty married with Miss
Ella Huffman, a native of Summit county, Ohio,
and a daughter of John and Mary (Myers) Huffman, the former born in Pennsylvania and the
latter in Ohio. Both died in her native county,
the father in 1897 and the mother in 1899. Two
children have been born to Mr. Doty by this marriage, one that died in infancy, and a' daughter,
Grace, now a popular teacher in the public schools
of Jonesville. Mr. Doty is a Republican in politics, but he has never been an aspirant for public
office, although he served a term as township
treasurer. He was also for fifteen years a director of the Hillsdale County Agricultural Society.
He is a member of the grange at Ransom Center, of which for two years he has been master.
JOHN McNAIR.
John McNair, of Prattsville, is one of the signally successful merchants oif Hillsdale county
who has seen many ups and downs in business,
but always had the thrift, energy and business
capacity to overcome his difficulties and to make
substantial progress against great odds. He was
born on April 13, 1849, in the state of New York,
where his parents, Robert and Lucy Ann (Bliss)
McNair, also first saw the light of this world and
passed the earlier years of their married life. In
his boyhood the father made a trip into this part
of Michigan and remained six months, becoming
well acquainted with the salient features of Wright
township. In 185I, some little time after his marriage, he moved his family to that township and
settled on twenty acres of land situated a mile
and a half southwest of the present village of
Prattville. From there he moved to the Coman
farm, eighty rods south of the village site, and
soon afterward to another place near Hudson.
Later he returned to the vicinity of Prattville,
I
and from there entered the Union army, in which,
after a year's service, he was killed at the battle
of Shiloh or Pittsburg Landing. He left a widow
and five children, his son John being the eldest
and only thirteen years of age.
After this bereavement John McNair began to
do for himself, working diligently at job and day
work for two years, then going into the pine forests of northern Michigan to labor in connection
with the lumber industry.: He passed some time
there, then returned to Hillsdale county, and
three or four years later here married with Miss
Amanda Long, the daughter of Nicholas Long,'a
native of Ohio and an early settler in Michigan,
who came to this state in I859. This wife lived
only nine years, when she died of consumption,
leaving three children, two of whom are yet living, Ella, the wife of Lemuel Boon, and Cora,
the wife of George Austin. The other child,
Frankie, died when a year old. After the death
of his wife the children were boarded out, and
Mr. McNair worked by the day for a time, after
which he started a butchering business at Prattville. He had expended all of his money during
his wife's illness, and started this enterprise with
$25 in cash, his horses, wagons and other equipment being bought on credit. From July to December in I879, Mr. McNair handled nothing but
meats, but he then added to his stock a small supply of groceries, which cost him $21, five of which
was borrowed for the purpose of paying for these
goods. In the spring he sold the business and
had $280 in clear money. He then intended to
work in the lumber business in Indiana for Mr.
Gillin, but was taken ill and for two months was
thought to have the consumption. He however
rallied, regained his health, and again entered
the grocery business, this time with $I20 as his
cash capital. Succeeding beyond his expectations,
he borrowed money and built a store of his own
in which he conducted his business successfully
for three years. At the end of that period he
formed a partnership with Eli Bennett, but a year
later he bought Bennett out, giving a mortgage on
the stock for the recessary purchase money. After this transaction he found himself in debt $2,300
more than he was worth, and had but four months
432,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
in which to discharge his obligations, but by the
end of the year he made deals that put him practically out of debt.
In the meantime Mr. McNair had married
a second wife, Miss Lovica Thompson, a daughter of Henry and Nancy Thompson, pioneer settlers of Wright township. Three of the children
born to this union are living, John H., Ada, and
Edna; two are dead, Millie J., who was killed
in an elevator, and Ruha. Mr. McNair next
formed a partnership with Hile Bennett, with
whom he was associated fourteen months. Bennett then sold to John Kizer, who was in the
firm two years, and during this time the partners
also engaged in lumbering and in milling, being
successful along all lines, except that during the
period they lost heavily by the dishonesty of
clerks. The partnership with Kizer was dissolved, and a year later Mr. McNair sold out to
one Bullin, and had $3,800 in property and
money. The next year he built a part of his present business block, and formed a partnership with
Jasper Smith, which lasted four months.
Mr. McNair was then obliged to go again into
debt, for which he gave his obligations to run
from one to five years, but he paid them off in
eight months. He conducted his business three
years by himself, then sold it to F. L. Stone, and
during the next three months he took a rest.
After that he started a store in Pittsford and
turned it over to his brother-in-law, Orrin Perrin, who managed it about four years, Mr. McNair during that time being engaged in the lumber industry. Later he repurchased $I,200 worth
of stock from F. L. Stone, and, regaining the possession of his building, removed the store from
Pittsford to Prattville. A few months afterward
he bought Perrin out, and since then has been
conducting the business alone, at odd times doing something in lumbering.
Mr. McNair now owns his dwelling, the business block which is the headquarters of his mercantile operations, and merchandise worth at least
$9,ooo, besides the old Clark farm, and is about
out of debt. In politics he was originally a Republican, but he left that party at the time of
*he Greenback movement, and since then he has
been independent of all parties. The only office
he has ever held is that of township constable,
and he did not desire to hold that, preferring always to devote his time to his business.
JOHN H. WATKINS.
John H. Watkins, of Ransom township, one
of the prosperous, progressive and successful
farmers of Hillsdale county, is a native of the
county, born here in Jefferson township on August 22, 1861, and with the exception of a short
time spent in farming in Ohio, his life has passed
among the people of the county, entering fully
into the spirit which animates them, helping to
advance the interests of the section and taking an
active part in its public life. He is the son of
Jason R. and Margaret A. (Feltis) Watkins, an
interesting account of whose lives will be found
elsewhere in these pages. He remained at home
until he reached his legal majority, getting his
education at the district schools and Hillsdale
College, where he attended one year. After leaving college he rented land in Ohio, and during
one year was engaged in farming in that state. He
then returned to his native county, and here followed the same pursuit, farming rented land, until I896. In that year he bought the eighty-five
acres on which he now lives, and which he has
since managed with skill and intelligent industry,
making it an excellent farm and a very comfortable and attractive home.
Mr. Watkins is energetic, progressive and
thrifty, being out of debt and with capital to properly push his enterprises and make himself useful in the community and helpful to others who
are going through the struggle he has had. He is
a Republican in politics, with an earnest interest
in the welfare of his party, and breadth of view
and public spirit in helping to conduct its affars.
He has rendered faithful service to his township
as highway commissioner during the past two
years, performing his official duties with an rc.e
single to the general good of the community and
without reference to personal interests for himself
or others. He is a valued member of the lodge
of Foresters at Hillsdale. On January Io, I883,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
433
he was married to Miss Etta Foust, a native of
Montpelier, Ohio, daughter of Edwin and Elizabeth (Cope) Foust, the former a native of Ohio
and the latter of Pennsylvania. For a number of
years they have been residents of Jefferson township in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins have
three children, their daughters, Alta M., Grace
and Avice E. The parents are members of the
South Jefferson Congregational church.
LIBEUS H. ROOT.
A prosperous farmer and a highly respected
citizen of Hillsdale county, Libeus H. Root, of
near Waldron, was born on February 23, I849,
in Medina township, Lenawee county, Michigan,
and is the son and only living child of Henry W.
and Ellen F. (English) Root, the former a native
of Jefferson county, New York, born on October
5, 1822, and the latter of Ireland, born on April
22, 1823. Henry was a son of Amos, a New
Englander, who moved his family to Lenawee
county in this state about the year I836, and
several years later went into Indiana, locating
near Lima, where he died. His son married in
1847 and settled in his native county, remaining
there until about 1855, when he came to Wright
township in this county and took up his residence
on the farm on which Libeus now lives. He secured I60 acres of land, all in section 23, 120
acres being in the home place and forty in another tract. Twenty acres were already cleared,
and during his lifetime he cleared and improved
most of the rest, remaining on the farm until his
death in I864. His widow survived himi many
years, dying on the homestead on January I,
I892. They were the parents of three children,
two of whom died in childhood. In politics, the
father was a decided Republican, and in religious
faith he belonged to the Church of Christ.
He was a good man, an upright citizen, of
influence and wide public esteem. From the time
he was twelve years until he reacled his legal majority he worked for his uncle, A. W, Powers,
and at the close of his term of service the uncle
gave him the choice between forty acres of land
and $Ioo as the reward for his fidelity. He chose
the land and found himself better off in the end
for doing it. In the early period of his life with
his uncle he was obliged to go out into the unbroken forest of evenings from three to five miles
to hunt up and bring in the cattle. He was a
charter member of the first Church of Christ organized in Wright township, and for a number
of years was an elder in it. The son Libeus
moved with his parents to this farm when he was
six years old, and as soon as he was able began
to work on it. He attended the public school in
the vicinity until he was sixteen, and was then
obliged to leave on account of the death of his father, as his services were needed at home to look
after the farm under his mother's supervision. A
year later he was allowed to attend the Hudson
High School six weeks, and still later he had the
benefit of two terms at a select school taught by
Professor D. E. Haskins. On reaching manhood
he assumed charge of the farm and his mother
made her home with him until her death. The father was $2,200 in debt at his death, and the
mother and son assumed the debt and paid it off.
The estate-was therefore never probated, descending to the son by operation of law. On April
21, 1897, he was married to Miss Ella Staples, a
daughter of John and Mary Staples, the former
a native of England and the latter of Pennsylvania. Her father came to America with his parents, and at the age of ten moved with them to
Medina township in Lenawee county, and there
he married in course of time and settled as he
supposed for life; but later the family moved to
the vicinty of Waldron, where the parents died.
They were members of the United Brethren
church and active in church work. After his marriage Mr. Root rented his farm to a tenant and
made his home at Prattville, not having engaged
in farming actively since I892. But after living
a year at Prattville, he moved back to the farm,
and in the spring of I9O3 he took charge of it
again, and he now expects to manage it during
the rest of his life. In addition to his farming
operations he has at time dealt in lumber and at
one time owned a sawmill. Since he was eighteen
years old he has been a member of the Waldron
Church of Christ, and after her marriage his wife
434
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
also joined, she having previously belonged to
the United Brethren. Both are active in church
work.; Mr. Root belongs to the Knights of Pythias at Waldron, and he and his wife are members
of Lima Creek grange, he being a charter member. He is a Republican in politics and served
two years as township treasurer.
REUBEN W. FREEMAN.
The first born in a family of eight children,
thrown upon his own resources at the age of thirteen, with nothing to depend on but his own natural abilities of mind and spirit and his physical
power to do and to endure, Reuben W. Freeman
is essentially a self-made man, who neither found
nor inherited, but hewed out his opportunities for
advancement in the struggle for supremacy
among men. He was born at Canton, Wayne
county, Mich., on January 26, 1835, the son of
Gideon and Hannah (Huston) Freeman, who
were prominent among the pioneers of that county. When their son, Reuben, was five years old,
they moved to Hillsdale county where they resided three years, then moved to Washtenaw county
and lived there for a time. The father was a
prosperous and prominent farmer, a leading spirit in all works of progress and improvement. He
was connected with the construction of the Michigan Central Railroad and with other enterprises
of value to the county and state. At a ripe old
age he died in Clinton county, his wife closing her
eyes in her last sleep in Calhouncounty. Three
of their eight children, two sons and one daughter, are living.
Reuben W. Freeman received a good common-school education, mainly through his own
exertions, by which he afterward gained in the
hard but effective school of experience a goodly
store of that worldly wisdom which can only be
acquired from that exacting task-master. In his
twenty-first year he went to California, where he
was engaged for two years in mining. He then
returned to his native state, and, locating in Litchfield township, he purchased his first farm of John
and James O'Neil and later purdiased of Milton
P. Herring the farm on which: he resided until
I899, when he moved to the town of Litchfield,
having sold the farm and bought the fair grounds
located there. In political allegiance Mr. Freeman is independent, taking no part whatever in
the contests between the old parties. He is serving the township as a justice of the peace, discharging his official duties with credit to himself
and benefit to the town. He also takes an active
and constant interest in all matters pertaining to
the domain of agriculture. He was the efficient
president of the St. Joseph Valley Agricultural
Society of Litchfield during its existence, in this
connection also being a useful and stimulating
member of the Patrons of Husbandry, holding affiliation with the grange at Litchfield.
In June, I858, he was married with Miss
Mary L. Mead, a native of Phelps, Ontario county, N. Y., who was brought to Michigan by her
parents when she was but.four years old, at tht
time of her marriage being a resident of Eaton
Rapids in this state. They were the parents of
six children: William R., of this county; Mary
L., wife of G. M. Gardner, of Grand Rapids,
Nora, wife of Charles Sheppard, of Allen township; Fred E., living at Litchfield; Allie M., wife
of A. G. Griffin, of Kent county, this state; Ralph,
a resident of Battle Creek. Their mther died in
I88o, and, in I881, Mr. Freeman married his second wife, Mrs. Ursula (Rumsey) Van Aken, who
died in I893. His third wife was Miss Sarah Lydabrant, who died in I899, while his fourth life
partner was Miss Mary J. Farnum, with whom
he married in 19oo, who still abides with him.
They are members of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
M. F. CUTLER.
Having been a resident of this county since
he was two years old, receiving his scholastic
training in the public schools and at Hillsdale
College, and since leaving school actively engaged in business and at time creditably conducting the administration of important public
offices within the limits of the county, M. F. Cutler, the pioneer merchant of Pittsford, has been
an active, zealous and useful factor in promoting
the growth and progress of this part of the state,
MR. AND MRS. R. W. FREEMAN.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
435
developing its material resources and augmenting its mercantile enterprise for many years.
His life began on May 30, 1845, in Wyoming
county, N. Y., where his parents, William H. and
Mary E. (Fisher) Cutler, were profitably engaged in farming at the time. The father was
a native of that state and the mother Arst saw
the light of this world in Massachusetts. Both
belonged to old families connected with the history of their respective sections of the country
from Colonial times.
They removed to Michigan in 1847, and on
the virgin soil of this new domain continued the
farming industry they had been successfully conducting on the older one of their former home.
They entered eighty acres of government land
in Girard township, Branch county, on which
they settled, and to the development and cultivation of which they devoted their energies until
the autumn of I860, when they removed to the
city of Hillsdale, where they passed the remainder of their days, the father dying there in 1863
and the mother in I875. They had two children,
their son, M. F. Cutler, and a daughter. The father was not an active partisan, taking very little
personal interest in political affairs beyond what
a conscientious discharge of the duties of citizenship required, but in this he was never lacking. The grandfather, Luther Cutler, was also
a native of New York and a farmer there. He
came to Michigan in 1848 and settled in Branch
county, where he died at a ripe old age.
M. F. Cutler's first business enterprise after
leaving college was a general store on College
Hill in Hillsdale, which he early started, and
conducted for a period of two years in partnership with C. H. Sayles, and together they opened
and for three years operated a general store in
that village. At the end of that time Mr. Potter
became interested in the establishment and a
member of the firm, and later N. C. Spears purchased the interests of the other two partners
and the firm of Cutler & Spears was formed.
This firm cotinued to carry on the business until
I8I9 when Mr. Spears retired and since then
Mr. Cutler has conducted it alone. He also has
another store in which he has an extensive trade
28
in hay, farm produce and similar commodities.
His intelligent and helpful interest in public affairs has brought him into prominence as a citizen of enterprise and breadth of view, and he
has served as a popular postmaster of the village, holding this office from 1872 to I885. He
was also fownship clerk for two years. In 1870
he was married in Rhode Island to Miss Mary
B. Sayles, a sister of his former partner, and'a
native of that sturdy and busy little state. They
have two children, their sons, William H., who
is in the business with his father, and Alvin S.,
now a civil engineer in the employ of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad. In politics Mr. Cutler has been a Republican during all of his mature
life, and in religious belief he is affiliated with
the Wesleyan Methodist chuch.
L. S. HACKETT.
L. S. Hackett, for many years a prosperous
and successful farmer in Ohio and this county,
and previous to that an esteemed public school
teacher, who is now living at Pittsford and is engaged in commercial and insurance business, is
a son of Benjamin and Sabrina (Miller) Hackett,
and was born in Wayne county, New York, on
February 5, I844. His father was a native of
New York of Irish ancestry, and his mother, of
the same nativity, was of Scotch origin. The father aided in the construction of the Erie canal,
and during the whole of his mature life was engaged in works of construction of great public
utility. Moving to Fulton county, Ohio, in 1849,
he there purchased a farm, on which he passed
the remainder of his days, dying on July I8, I896,
having survived his wife eleven years, her death
having occurred on March 21, I885. He was
a son of Benjamin Hackett, a soldier of the Colonial army during the Revolution, and he inherited
the patriotic spirit of his sire, taking an active interest in the promotion of every public enterprise
where he lived, and filling with credit a number of
local offices in his township. His family consisted
of eight children, six of whom are living, four
of them at Metamora, Ohio, one at Toledo, and
L. S., the subject of these paragraphs, at Pitts
436
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ford in this county. The two who are deceased
passed away in childhood.
L. S. Hackett was five and a half years old
when he moved with his parents to Fulton county, Ohio, from his native state, and he there grew
to manhood, diligently working on his father's
farrr and attending the public schools until he
reached the age of seventeen. He then began
teaching, and for eight years he continued to follow this occupation, having made special preparation for the work by attending a select school
three miles from his home, walking that distance
twice a day during the term. While teaching he
continued to help his father on the farm during
the summers until he was twenty-one. He then
began farming for himself, working by the day
or the month until his marriage, on November
25, I867, with Miss Emily Patterson, of Fulton
county, who was a daughter of Able and Amy
Patterson, natives of Ashtabula county in the
same state. Her parents had moved into Fulton
county when there were no roads in their neighborhood and county and state lines were not yet
definitely laid down; and it chanced that they
built their residence directly on the state line of
Ohio and Michigan. At this home the father died
and the mother lived for sixty-two years; but she
is now making her home with Mr. and Mrs.
Hackett.
After his marriage Mr. Hackett rented iand
for two years in Fulton county, and again taught
school for two years. In 1869 he purchased forty
acres of land in that county, which was partially
cleared. He paid $1,200 of the purchase
money down, leaving a debt of $400. After a
residence of two years on this. place he moved to
Wright township, in this, Hillsdale county, and
he bought eighty acres of land, soon afterward
selling his place in Ohio. He borrowed all the
money that he put into the Hillsdale county farm,
but soon had sufficient of the land cleared to make
a living for his family and begin to pay ofl the
debt. He lived on this farm twenty years, clearing it of timber, improving it with tile draining
containing 40,0oo tile-pipes, adorning it with fine
buildings and fruitful orchards, and adding to its
extent by a subsepuent purchase of forty acres
more, and putting the whole extent into first-class
farming condition. In I9oo he determined to
retire from active farming and moved to Pittsford village, where he has since been living, acting as the agent for the Plano and Champion
machine companies, and since 1893 doing considerable business as an agent of the Michigan
Mutual Cyclone Insurance Co.
Mr. and Mrs. Hackett are the parents of two
sons, John E., now a hardware merchant at Prattville, this county, and Frank L., a hay merchant
at Pittsford. In politics Mr. Hackett has always
been a stanch Democrat, and in 1892 was elected
supervisor of Wright township, and reelected in
I893, while in I898 and I899 he was again chosen
to this office. He is a member of the Masonic
lodge at Waldron, of which he was secretary for
twelve years, and he belongs to the R. A. chapter
at Hudson. He is also the secretary of Pittsford
Lodge of Odd Fellows, and a member of Waldron
Lodge of the Knights of Pythias, the Maccabees,
the Arcanum and the Grange. While supervisor
in 1898-99, he was on the building committee
that arranged for the erection of the Hillsdale
county courthouse.
WILLIAM DRAKE.
The pioneer life of Hillsdale county and other
parts of southern Michigan is so well and so
fully exemplified in the history of the old Drake
family, of Amboy township, that we feel called
upon to give an account of it somewhat more at
length than is customary in a publication of this
character. William Drake, the immediate subject of this writing, was born on March 28,
I828, at Lyons in Wayne county, N. Y., and is
the son of Amos and Catherine (Whaley)
Drake, natives of New York, and of English ancestry, who were early settlers in New Jersey.
The father, Amos Drake, grew to manhood in
New York and there married and settled down
to farming and carpenter work. In I838 he
bought I30 acres of land in what is now Amboy
township, in this county, purchasing it of John
Merchant, of his native state, who had previously entered it, and on this wild land he moved his
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
437
family in the autumn of that year. The entire
township was at the time a dense forest and still
in the possession of its wild inhabitants, man
and beast, James Fullerton being the only white
settler within its limits.
Mr. Drake built a log cabin, I6x20 feet in
size for a dwelling, just high enough to have one
log above the door, and furnished with a puncheon floor, part of which rested on the leaves.
There was a hole in the roof for the escape of
the smoke from the fire, which was built against
the end of the house, the logs being covered
with mud to keep them from catching fire. So
door had been cut in the building when the family arrived and they were obliged to climb up
on the roof and enter through the hole. They
came to their new home on the Erie canal to
Buffalo, from there to Toledo on Lake Erie. The
father brought a team of horses to Adrian, one
of which he sold, trading the other for a cow
and a pair of three year old steers. These steers
he broke to work, and with them, and a small
pung which he made, he made the early clearings
of his land. He arrived with but five dollars in
money, but wild game was plentiful and they
had a little flour on hand at the start. This was
well, for there was no mill nearer than twentvfive miles, and it required a toilsome and tedious
journey of forty miles to reach that, for there
was but one road in this part of the country, the
old Territorial or Chicago road.
In the spring of 1839 they got about four acres
cleared and in corn and two more in turnips and
other garden vegetables. These crops and the
efforts made at cultivation attracted deer to this
section in great numbers for food, and in the
next winter Mr. Drake killed nine. In I842 a
number of other families moved into the neighborhood, bringing brighter prospects for greater
comfort. Amos Drake built the first framed
barn of the section and his son, Sidney, the first
framed house. The father died in 1873, aged
seventy-two, and his widow in 1882, aged eighty-two. They were the parents of seven children,
William, the fourth born, being the only one now
living. One daughter, Jane, was the first person
married in the township, and a justice named
Fowle came sixteen miles to perform the ceremony. Another.daughter, Sarah, was the first
person who died and hers was the first burial in
the town. Amos was the first postmaster at Bird,
being appointed in 1841, and he was also for a
number of years a justice of the peace. He
helped to organize the first Baptist church, and,
from the organization until his death, he was one
of its deacons. The church was built upon his
land and he contributed liberally toward its erection. The last public function he attended was
the dedication of the present church which replaced the old one. Both himself and his wife
were helpful to the sick and needy, and were
among the most esteemed and influential citizens
of the county.
Their son, William, came to the county at the
age of ten and grew to manhood on the farm.
He was sent to school in New York and Ohio,
and attended two terms at Plymouth, living there
at the home of an aunt. When the first school
was opened in the township he was a pupil in it
until he came of age. It was taught by Miss
Lucia Cohoon, who afterward became the wife of
his brother, John. William also entered the first
high school opened at Hillsdale, but was called
home on the day of its opening by the death of
his brother, Sidney. The next winter he taught
school, and in the following spring contracted for
eighty-five acres of land, a part of the farm on
which he now lives, on which he made a cash
payment of fifty dollars, which was a considerable
sum in those days. For teaching school Mr.
Drake received $I6 a month and boarded himself,
and he was paid fifty cents a day for chopping
wood and splitting rails, seventy-five for haying
and one dollar for harvesting. He built a cabin
i8 by 24 feet large on his land, and, on October
26, 1851, he married Miss Lucy Alfred, a native
of Wayne county, N. Y., a daughter of Pomeroy
and Mary Alfred. She was born on December
15, 1829, and her father died when she was only
eleven months old, leaving a widow and seven
children without any special means of support,
the eldest child being but thirteen years old. The
mother kept the family together and reared them
mainly by her diligent industry in spinning and
438
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
weaving. She and Mrs. Drake came to Amboy
in I846, and the mother acquired forty acres of
land. She finally gave up housekeeping and lived
with her children, dying at the home of her sonin-law, James Snow, on April 3, 1878.
After his marriage William Drake started life
on his farm in a very good house for the period,
and one of its appurtenances of very special interest was a new cooking stove, which was a novelty in the neighborhood. By hard work and persistent application he cleared up the farm and
increased it in size by purchases. He now owns
150 acres in the home place, and has in addition
forty acres, which his son cultivates. The old
gentleman has passed his life on the farm, and
much enjoys its quiet pleasantness.
He has always taken deep interest in agriculture and was for many years director. of the
Hilldsale County Agricultural Society and was
twice chosen its president. Mr. Drake and wife
have reared a family of four children, losing a
fifth one by death in its infancy. Those living
are Jehiel, Frederick, Susan and Mary C. All
are married and have children. Both of the parents are active members of the First Baptist
church of Amboy, of which Mr. Drake has been
a trustee from the organization of the congregation in 1850, and a deacon for fifteen years.. He
was also superintendent of the Sunday school
for twenty-five years, and his wife was for forty
years a teacher of one of the classes. Their son,
Jehiel, is now the superintendent. In its earlier
history Mr. Drake took a very active interest in
the Grange movement, but not much lately.
In politics Mr. Drake was a Whig until
the Republican party was formed, and since then
he has belonged to that organization. He voted
for Henry Clay for president and has ever been
active in political matters. He was supervisor of
Amboy township for nearly ten years, seven years
by election, the other terms by appointment. He
was also township treasurer two terms and school
inspector and clerk two terms. In 1871 and
1872 he was a member of the state Legislature
and rendered efficient service on the committee
on state fairs and the special committee for controlling the order of business in'the body. He is
now seventy-six years old, but he is still active
in politics and takes as great an interest as ever
in public affairs. He acted as chairman of his
county convention in I902 and also presided over
the convention, which chose delegates to nominate state officers. He has belonged for a long
time to the Michigan Pioneers Society. A remarkable fact to be noticed in the history of the
family is.that neither Mr. Drake nor any of his
children, his sons-in-law or his grandsons, twenty-five in number, have ever used tobacco in any
form or drank intoxicating beverages.
DR. WILLIAM B. HAWKINS.
One of the leading physicians of the state of
Michigan, now deceased, was Dr. William B.
Hawkins, formerly a resident of Jonesville, in
Hillsdale county. He was a native of England,
born in Cornwall, on August 25, I819, the father
being a representative citizen of that picturesque
portion of England. In 1828 he disposed of his
property interests in England, and, with his family, came to America to establish a new home.
Upon his arrival in America, he settled at Sandwich, in the province of Ontario, Dominion of.Canada, where he engaged in farming and stockraising. For many years he continued in this
pursuit with considerable success, and up to the
time of death. His wife also died in Canada,
and both husband and wife are buried there.
Doctor Hawkins grew to man's estate in the
Dominion of Canada, and there received his elemetary education. Later he attended school in
the city of Detroit, Mich., and subsequently entered Hope College at Geneva, N. Y., and pursued a complete course in the study of medicine.
Previous to this time he had studied medicine
at Wilkinsburg, Pa. While a resident of the
latter place his interest in historical matters had
induced him to go to the city of Buffalo, N. Y.
and there' to purchase the stationery, ink-stands,
etc., used by the members of the constitutional
convention which had met at Detroit for the purpose of framing a constitution for the new state
of Michigan. He was graduated in medicine
about I846, and first e-gan the practice of his
HILLSDALE CO b
profession in Bloomsburg, Pa. Here he remained engaged actively in medical work up to
the year 1852, when, owing to failing health, he
removed to Jonesville, Michigan.
As early as 1835 he had travelled through
this section, and was therefore familiar with the
general character of the country and with its resources and advantages. After establishing his
home at Jonesville he engaged in an active medical practice and met with marked success, his
practice being the most general and extensive in
Hillsdale county. In addition to his duties as a
practitioner, he was a regular and able contributor to the medical journals of New York city
and other places, and was generally recognized
throughout the country as one of the leading
minds of the medical profession. His death in
the year 1896 was a distinct loss to the profession, not only of the state of Michigan, which
had been the scene of his labors for so many
years, but of the entire country.
At Bloomsburg, Pa., Doctor Hawkins was
united in marriage with Miss Ellen Robinson, a
native of Pennsylvania, whose parents were well
known and highly respected citizens of that
state. To their union were born five children,
among whom are: W. Barton, now the vicepresident of the Detroit Folding Cart Co. and
a resident of that city, and Victor, residing at
Jonesville, who is one of the leading attorneys
of Hillsdale county. Doctor Hawkins always
declined to take an active part in partisan politics, although he was an active and powerful factor in all matters affecting the advancement of
the community or the promotion of the public
welfare. In his religious views he was broad
and liberal, entertaining no narrow prejudices,
and in every sense was one of the leading citizens of the community in which he maintained
his home, honored in both his private and professional life.
Victor Hawkins, his son, is now the only representative of the family residing in Jonesville,
and is a prominent lawyer of that city. He there
grew to manhood, receiving his early education
in the public schools of Hillsdale county. Subsequently he entered the State University at Ann
INTY, MICHIGAN. 439
Arbor and pursued a complete course of study
at that great institution of learning. After completing a course in the law department he was
admitted to the bar at Ann Arbor in 1889. Returning to his old home at Jonesville he at once
there began the practice of the law, in which he
has met with uniform success. In addition to his
other business and professional interests he is a
large stockholder in the Omega Cement Co., and
is also interested in other successful enterprises.
Politically, he is identified with the Republican
party, and is one of its trusted leaders in that section of the state. He has filled several local offices, among them that of assessor of Jonesville,
but he is in no sense an office seeker. Fraternally he is affiliated with several fraternal societies, among the the Masonic order, in which he
serving as master of the local lodge of Knights
of Pythias. In I897 Mr. Hawkins was united in
marriage with Miss Jennie Eckler, a native of
Jackson. They have tWxo children, Edwin R. and
Ellen J.
J. W. LICKLY.
J. W. Lickly, of Hillsdale county, the largest
taxpayer and one of the most extensive farmers
in Wright township, came to the county when
he was ten years old, and has since been continuously a resident of it, living on the farm
which he now occupies for fifty-two years, except
during a short time which he passed at Waldron.
He began life here with nothing, and what he
has he has accumulated by his energy and thrift,
by working hard and living frugally during the
period of his active efforts, and never yielding
to the glamor of political honors or the blandishments of social life. He is a fine representative
of the sturdy farmers which have made our country the wonder of the world in its progress and in
its unexampled prosperity. Mr. Lickly was born
on August 22, 1827, in Putnam county, N. Y.,
where his parents, Michael and Lois (Denny)
Lickly, were also native. The Lickly's are of
Scotch and the Denny's of Holland ancestry.
Michael Lickly was an industrious stone mason
in New York, and came with his family to Hills
I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
440
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
dale county in 1837, settling in Wright township,
where he entered government land, on which he
and his estimable wife passed as farmers the remainder of their days. They were the parents
of nine children, of whom J. W. was the first
born, and only he and another are now living,
his brother, George, now residing on the old
homestead in Wright.
In I837 J. W. Lickly accompanied his parents
to Wright township, and he there remained with
them, working on the farm, sharing the hardships and privations of frontier life, and attending the crude country school for a few months in
the year until he became twenty-one years of
age. He then traded a yoke of oxen to his father
for forty acres of land, and his father gave him
another forty. This was the nucleus of his present estate, and, to a man less resolute and determined than he was, and less inured to the conditions of the life around him and before him, an
unpromising outlook his wvould have been. For
his land was nearly all in heavy timber, much of
it being wet and swampy. It had to be cleared
and dried before it could be tilled, and the labor
of preparing it for the first crop was prodigious.
The first duty was the erection of a dwelling
wherein he could house himself and his prospective bride, but this was soon accomplished, and a
new home of hope and promise, I8X22 feet in dimensions, rose on the virgin soil, ensuring a comfortable welcome to its future occupants. It was
crude and small, built oi logs and chinked with
basswood and mud, but it is doubtful if ever the
more comely and commodious residence which
has succeeded it has afforded the family a keener
pleasure or a feeling of greater confidence in the
battle of life against whose storms it was the
first shelter. When this habitation was ready
for occupancy, Mr. Lickly married the lady
of his choice and they took up their residence
under its roof. The marriage occurred on May
23, I852, and was with Miss Ruth A. Barclay, a
daughter of the Rev. Robert and Amy Barclay,
natives of New York of English ancestry, who
was born in Ellington, Chautauqua county, N. Y.
The parents came to Hillsdale county in 1843
with their young family, and purchased land in
Jefferson township, where the father died after
many years of usefulness in developing the section, the mother dying afterward in Lenawee
county. They had a family of twelve children,
of whom only two are now living, Mrs. Lickly
and her brother, Robinson, who is a resident of
Allen, this county.
The young couple began the struggle for supremacy in their humble shack, with ten acres of
their land cleared up and fifteen all topped, and
equipped with a team of horses and two cows.
The husband and George Kemp, a neighbor, also
owned a threshing outfit, which they operated
throughout a large extent of the surrounding
country every fall for about ten years in order to
get a little of the scarcest article in the whole
section, money for pressing needs. By I886 Mr.
Lickly had made such progress in his business
that 'he was able to erect his present residence,
which, although put up nearly forty years ago,
is one of the best in this part of the township.
In 1858 he bought eighty acres of land adjoining
his former tract on the east, and later another
tract of thirty-eight acres, so that he now owns
198 acres all in one body, and fifty-two acres in
Pittsford township. Nearly all of his land is in
a good state of cultivation, well drained, fully
equipped for the most advanced and productive
husbandry. He also owns a business block and
a dwelling in Waldron, with property of value
elsewhere. For a number of years he has been a
money-lender to those in need of help, always
lending his own money. He and his wife, who
have lived together fifty-one years, a greater
length of time than any other couple of the township, have had seven children, five of whom are
living: Theron D., living in Nebraska; Emma
J., at the parental home; Jesse J., a dentist at
Morris, Ill.; Susan, the wife of C. K. Davies, of
Columbus, Neb.; Michael, also a resident of Nebraska. Two are deceased, an infant son, and
Sarah A., who was the wife of Alden Barber.
Mrs. Lickly has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church since she was eighteen
years of age, and her husband has ever been a liberal contributor to its beneficent activities. She
and his parents were always active workers in
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
44I
church affairs, and held in high esteem where
they held their membership. The daughter,
Emma, became a popular teacher when she was
but fifteen years old, and she is still following this
occupation, having been engaged in it for about
thirty years. She was graduated from the State
Normal School in I898, and is now teaching at
Litchfield. She has taught country schools with
more than seventy pupils on the rolls.
Mr. and Mrs. Lickly are now in the autumn
of life, he having fulfilled seventy-six and she seventy-four years. He is still active and superintends
all the operations of his large farm and other business; and she has enjoyed excellent health until
I903 when she suffered a stroke of paralysis. In
their early married life she spun and wove most
of the cloth for the family use, as did Mr. Lickly's mother for her family. In politics he was
formerly a Democrat, but for a number of years
he has affiliated with the Republican party, but he
has never sought public office. This worthy
couple had their share of the privations of frontier life in the early times. On one occasion,
when there was no wheat in their neighborhood,
Mr. Lickly made a trip all the way to Tecumseh
to get some; and when he obtained it he was
obliged to help to thresh it out with a flail, then
take it to a mill and have it ground. He was
gone nine days on this trip, and, during a part of
the time of his absence the family lived on potatoes roasted in buttermilk. About ten years ago
he contributed $500 to the construction of the C.
& N. Railroad and in other public enterprises and
private charities he has aided.
JAMES FOWLE.
The first settlement within the present limits
of Camden township in Hillsdale county, was
made by James Fowle on 480 acres of land in
sections 28, 29, 32 and 33, near Long Lake. Mr.
Fowle was a native of Monroe county, N. Y.,
who, at the age of twenty-four years, married
with Miss Mary Ann McKnight, of the adjoining
county of Livingston, and brought her at once
to Michigan to find a home on its cheap lands.
They settled first on the River Raisin, at Bliss
field in Monroe county, not far from Kidd's
Grove postoffice. In 1835 Mr. Fowle left his
family at Kidd's Grove, and, taking an ox team
and a wagon, started out to look up a farm in
the new country to the west. He was obliged to
cut his own road through the woods in the latter
part of his journey, and, finding a location that
pleased him, he at once entered it, the record being made on. December 3I, I835. Through, the
winter months he remained on his land, living in
a shanty he had erected and clearing as much as
he could for spring planting. In the spring he
returned to Kidd's Grove, and with the help of
his brother, Charles Fowle, he moved his family
to his new location, making the trip by way of
Jonesville to Clear Lake, then skirting the shores
of that body of water and Long Lake, until they
reached their destination in the wilderness of
woods far from human homes.
During her first year's residence in the township, Mrs. Fowle did not see a white woman.
"Land-lookers," as men in search of farms were
called, were plentiful, nearly every night some
found shelter at her house. Indians often came
to the cabin and squaws were frequent visitors.
There was no other white woman in the neighborhood, and it was not until new settlers came,
in the spring of 1837, that she had the pleasure
of seeing and conversing with a person of her
own race and sex. In that year a post route was
established between Toledo and Lima, Indiana,
and a post road was cut through the woods passing through the southern part of the township.
A postoffice was established near their home, with
Mr. Fowle as postmaster, which was called Crawbrooke, after the place in England from which
the Fowle family emigrated to America. Mr.
Fowle continued to serve as postmaster until after the election of Polk to the Presidency, when
he was removed.
Mr. Fowle had very much to do with the government of the township in its early history. He
was its first supervisor and was also elected justice of the peace for a full term at the first town
meeting, and at the end of his first term he was
reelected. He also served three terms as a representative in the Michigan legislature. He was a
442
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
volunteer in both the Black Hawk and Toledo
wars, and in his later years received a pension on
account of his services in these contests. His
family consisted of eight children: Cordelia, who
married Melvin Tillotson, and died at Fremont,
Indiana; Martha L., who married Frederick Chester, and lives at Camden; Elizabeth, who martied George Clark, and is living at Reading; Louisa, who was the first white child born in Camden, her birth occurring in October, 1837, and
who married Erastus Farnham, and makes her
home at Chicago, Illinois; and Western, Foster,
Mary Ann and Luella, all of whom died in
Camden in childhood. Mr. Fowle's first wife
died on September 17, I856, and he subsequently
married Miss Mary Youngs, by whom he had
one child, a son named Elcho, who is living in
California. His mother died in I868. Mr.
Fowle departed this life on May i8, I865, at the
age of fifty-eight years leaving an excellent name.
WILLIAM GLASGOW.
On November 24, 1897, death closed the long,
eventful and useful career of William Glasgow,
one of the honored pioneers of this county, who
was also one of the most active of its builders and
makers, whose good work was a valuable contribution to all of its institutions of learning and
its commercial and industrial enterprises. He
was for many years prominent as a representative
farmer, for he brought to the line of productive
labor in which he was engaged the benefits of a
wide acquaintance with its progressive features,
giving to its local needs and conditions a close
observation and an excellent judgment in the application of the lessons thus learned. By this
studious and discriminating diligence he made
out of the wild woodland on which he settled
when he came to the county a model farm in a
comparatively short time, by his example stimulating others to the same kind of effort, so that
his influence for good on the agricultural interests
of the county was potential and effective, felt and
acknowledged throughout his township and far
beyond its borders.
He early became a man of capital, and this he
freely used in generous loans to the frugal and
industrious, thus enlarging the productive energies of the section. He helped many a worthy
man to a good start in life which resulted in the
acquisition of a competence. In the matter of
public improvements, either for the commercial
and industrial development of the township and
county, or for the educational and moral advancement of his people, he was most active and beneficial. He assisted materially in building the Fort
Wayne Railroad. He was one of the founders of
Hillsdale College, being one of its main supporters
in its early history. He remained loyal to its interests and devoted to its welfare until his death.
In religious faith he was a Presbyterian, long
serving the church to which he belonged as an
elder. He was largely instrumental in building
the first Presbyterian church edifice in the town
and others of the same faith elsewhere, and he
was liberal in his contributions to those of other
denominations.
Mr. Glasgow was born, like many of his ancestors, in County Tyrone, Ireland, where his life
began on February i, i8 1. He remained at
work on the farm in his native county until he
was of age. When he reached man's estate he
came to the United States on a sailing vessel,
which took six weeks for the voyage, soon after
his arrival finding employment on a farm near
Auburn, N. Y. Here he passed ten years in farm
life, part of the time being foreman of a large estate adjacent to the city. In 1837 he made a trip
to Michigan, purchased eighty acres of land in
Fayette township, and, in 1842, accompanied by
his wife, one child and his brother, John, he came
hither to live on his eighty acres of land, having
been married, August 4, 1836, at Auburn, N. Y..
with a Miss Eliza Glasgow. Awaiting him in
his new home he found the struggles and difficulties, the dangers and privations incident to pioneer life, but he yielded not an inch to opposition,
and resolutely persevered in clearing his land and
building his home. He added to his acreage,
from time to time, until his farm comprised 400
acres, all highly improved and well cultivated,
though he had disposed of his original eighty, and
began operations on a new tract in the same
township. His family consisted of six children,
WILLIAM GLASGOW.
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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
443
four of whom reached years of maturity. Wesley C., the eldest, died on October 26, I881. The
others are Silas W., now living retired at Jonesville, see his separate sketch in this volume; Julia
A., wife of William Howlett, of Trinidad, Colo.;
Cassius L., a prosperous merchant at Nashville,
this state, and the present State Senator from the
Fifteenth Senatorial District. Mrs. Glasgow died
at her Allen township home on February 4, 1887.
She was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on August 28, I814, and came to America when she was
eighteen, in company with two brothers and her
future husband. She was highly esteemed as a
lady possessed of many amiable and admirable
qualities and as a devoted member of the Presbyterian church.
SILAS W. GLASGOW, son of William Glasgow,
is one of the prominent, progressive and successful farmers of Allen township. Like his father,
in political faith he is a staunch Republican, and,
as the candidate and the representative of that
party he has filled many important local offices,
serving as a member of the village council, as
president of the village, as justice of the peace for
several terms, as school trustee for six years,
holding that office at the present writing, being
also superintendent of schools for a number ot
years, and a frequent delegate to county and state
conventions. He and his wife are zealous members of the Presbyterian church, while he has been
the popular superintendent of the Sabbath-school
for many years. He was born in Fayette township, this county, on October 2, I843, and was
reared on his father's farm, securing his education at the district and union schools of Jonesville,
finishing with a course at Hillsdale College.
After leaving college he went to work again on
the farm, and was for some years a partner with
his father in the farming industry, and in a loan
business, which the latter had inaugurated. From
the beginning he showed excellent business qualifications and was successful.
At Jonesville, on September 7. 1870, Silas W.
Glasgow was united in marriage with Miss Emma L. Mitchell, a native of Aurora, Erie county,
N. Y., born on June 22, 1851, the daughter of
Jonas F. and Cordelia (Rowley) Mitchell, also
New Yorkers by birth, the father being a native
of Erie county and the mother of Wyoming. Her
parents lived at Aurora, Erie county, until I860,
then removed to Delaware county, Ohio. In December, I86I, they came to Hillsdale county and
to Jonesville. A few months later, however, they
removed to a farm which the father had purchased, two and one-half miles west of Jonesville. After directing the operations of this farm
for a few years, the father's health failed and he
abandoned active labor, again making the family
home at Jonesville, where he died, and where his
widow is yet living. Mrs. Glasgow is their only
surviving child, her brother, George M. Mitchell,
having died at Jonesville, on July 5, I877, when
he was a very promising young man of twentytwo years. Mrs. Glasgow received an excellent
education and for three years was a popular
teacher in the union school at Jonesville. They
have three children, Amarette J., Eva L. and William M. Mr. Glasgow belongs to the Masonic
fraternity, being an enthusiastic Freemason.
HON. ORVILLE B. LANE.
Hon. Orville B. Lane, the esteemed and faithful representative of Hillsdale county in the State
Legislature of Michigan, is a native of Geneva,
Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he was born on
October 13, I850, the son of Henry and Clotilda
C. (Sawyer) Lane, a sketch of whom will be
found on another page. He remained in his native state until he reached the age of fifteen years,
and attended the district schools near his home
there, beginning in them a solid and practical
education which he finished in those of this county, in the meantime, as soon as he was able, assisting in the work of the farm, and in the useful
and stimulating labors of agricultural life, gaining the breadth of view, independence of thought
and action and strong self-reliance for which he
has been noted through life and which have won
for him the lasting confidence and respect of his
fellow men wherever he is known.
He remained at home until he was twentyone, working on the farm, and then bought the
tract of 130 acres of land on which he now lives
444
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
in Pittsford township, and at once began farming for himself. He has since then purchased an
additional tract of fifty-three acres, located about
a mile east of his home place. On this land he
has expended the necessary effort and intelligence in husbandry, and the good taste and practical common sense in improvements that have
made them models of thrift, foresight, thorough
knowledge and its faithful and skillful application, silent but eloquent preachers of the benefit
to a community of the wisdom typified by the
man who understands his business and is true to
himself in attending to it. He, like all other progressive and public spirited men, takes an active
interest in public affairs, and gives to every commendable enterprise in which the welfare of his
community and county is essentially involved
an earnest and helpful support. In politics he is
a firm and loyal Republican, and has rendered
his party active and zealous as well as intelligent
and productive service, and has given to the people of his county and state honest, capable, faithful and highly appreciated care of their interests
in several-important official stations. For fifteen
years he was supervisor of Pittsford township,
and for seven years he has held the positions of
president and treasurer of the Farmers' Mutual
Fire Insurance Co., which he is now filling with
so much credit to himself and benefit to the patrons of the company.
In the fall of I902 Mr. Lane was chosen to
represent the county in the lower house of the
State Legislature, and in the ensuing session of
the body took a prominent part in the proceeddings and won reputation as a wise and far-seeing law-maker, of especial diligence and capacity in promoting judicious and preventing hurtful legislation. His honesty, conservatism, excellent judgment and long habit of thinking and
acting for himself, his knowledge of men and of
the needs of the state were conspicuous in this
forum, and his services were correspondingly
valuable both for local and for general interests.
He married March i6, 1872, with Miss Ellen
Palmer, a native of Hudson township in Lenawee county, a daughter of Silas and Adelia
Palmer, New Yorkers by birth and early pioneers
of that county, and they are the parents of four
sons, Carl P., Clifton H., Harold 0. and Victor
W. Looked up to as a progressive farmer and
a most serviceable public official, Mr. Lane enjoys in an unusual degree the cordial esteem and
regard of the people of all southern Michigan.
LORENZO D. WEAVER.
The restless spirit of independence and selfreliance that brought the Pilgrim fathers across
the stormy ocean and planted them on the rocky
shores of New England, and that enabled them
to there build up a new dominion of freedom
and power in the wilds of this western world
has been ever present and ever potential in their
descendants. It colonized that portion of our
country and made it effective in winning and establishing American liberty, by founding new
states among the nations of the earth, and giving
to mankind a new political system, wherein the
citizen is sovereign and the common sense of the
whole people is the governing power. And then
it pushed on to other fields of conquest in the
boundless domain of the farther West, repeating
in the wild woods and on the virgin prairies of
this section the same process of settlement, development, harmonious assimilation and established
dominion it had successfully worked on the coast
of the Atlantic, pushing on its beneficent advance until it has linked the Pacific to the Atlanfic by a continuous chain of mighty commonwealths and all-daring, all-conquering civilizations.
In the very van of this triumphant army were
four brothers named Weaver, emigrants from
the old England to the New England, who upon
their arrival made the cause of humanity here
their own, devoting themselves with zeal and
loyalty to the interests of this land, fighting valiantly in its struggle for independence, and working with ardor and intelligence in building up its
commercial, industrial and political supremacy.
From one of these is descended Lorenzo D..
Weaver, now of Somerset township, Mich., one
of the venerated and few remaining members of
that fast-fading band of heroes that laid the foun
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
445
dations of this state deep, broad and enduring,
and established Hillsdale county on a sound basis among the political entities of this part of the
country. Mr. Weaver was born on March 24,
1817, at Cambria, Niagara county, N. Y., where
his parents, Russell and Lydia (Dowell) Weaver, settled in early life. The former was a native
of Vermont and the latter of Connecticut. They
became residents of New York in I808, and in
that state passed the rest of their lives. The father was a farmer and a minister of the Christian church, and his family consisted of five sons
and nine daughters, all now deceased but his son,
Lorenzo, and two of his daughters. He was also
a soldier in the War of 1812 and fought for the
cause of his country on the field of military conflict as earnestly and as effectively as he did for
that of his Master on the battlegrounds of the
church. His father was Thomas Weaver, a native of Rhode Island, who moved from that state
to Vermont and later to New York,' where he
ended his days.
Lorenzo D. Weaver was reared and educated
at his New York home, and in his early boyhood
began life by working on the farm. He remained
with his parents until he was eighteen years of
age, then, in 1835, in company with an elder
brother, Hiram Weaver, he came to Hillsdale
county by way of Canada and Detroit and from
there along the Chicago road. He settled near
the present site of the village of Cambria on I60
acres of land which he took up from the government. He soon took rank among the leading
citizens of the region, and, when the new township of Cambria-was formed, he gave it the name
it bears, thus memorializing the pleasant recollections of his old New York home. A few years
later he sold this tract, returned to New York,
where he remained until I850, then again became
a resident of this state, purchasing and locating
on the farm where he now lives, in the development and improvement of which he has successfully expended the strength and energy of all his
subsequent years.
In 1840 Mr. Weaver married with Miss
Laura A. Moore, of Delaware county, Ohio, a
native of Palmyra, N. Y. They have six chil
dren, Celia, wife of C. A. Price, of Hudson; Alice A., wife of Loyal Hinkley, of Somerset township; Adelia, wife of Judge Sidney Keith, of
Rochester, Ind.; Grace, wife of Nathan Norris,
of Jackson, Mich.; Georgiana, wife of Homer
Strong, also of Jackson; Forest L., a successful
farmer of Somerset township. After sixty-two
years of happy wedded life, Mrs. Weaver died
on March 26, I902. In politics Mr. Weaver was
first a Whig, but assisted in organizing the Republican party and has since given that organization his unwavering allegiance, but he has never
held or desired public office, but during the Civil
War he served as an enrolling commissioner.
For many years he has been a devoted attendant
before the altars of Freemasonry, and has also
for a long time been a faithful and active member
of the Free Will Baptist church. He has endured the trials of frontier life at a time when
bears and wolves were a constant menace to human safety, he was more than once chased by
them; and it is fit that he should now enjoy the
triumphs of the civilization he helped to found.
THOMAS J. LOWERY.
A farmer, lawyer, promoter and manufacturer, and with a creditable record in each of
these lines of enterprise, Thomas J. Lowery is
one of the leading and most representative citizens of Jerome, in Somerset township, Hillsdale
county, and he has exemplified in his active and
productive life not only the benefits of well applied industry, but also the versatility and resourcefulness of the American mind, which can
successfulily conduct a number of occupations
of widely different natures at the same time,
without the interference of one with the other,
or with detriment to any.
Mr. Lowery was born on September 3, I837,
in Livingston county, N. Y., the son of Thomas
and Elizabeth (Johnson) Lowery, natives and
prosperous farmers of New York state, where
the father died soon after the birth of his son.
When Thomas was two years old, his mother,
in 1839, brought the family to Michigan, and settled on a small tract of uncultivated wood land,
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
where she began to make for herself and her offspring a new home in the wilderness. It was a
task of magnitude and difficulty for a widow
with the cares of a growing household upon her,
and the unpromising conditions of the situation
around her. But she was possessed of a strong
and determined nature, and entered upon her
onerous labors with spirit and resolution. Under
her management and with her active personal
aid the land was cleared, cultivated and improved
with comfortable buildings, in the course of time
being made to smile and blossom with the products of good taste and refined sensibilities.
The progress of the work was slow for a
time, the appointments of the home were crude
and primitive, the conveniences of life were few
and high in price, but it is doubtful if all the
blandishments of cultivated life would have
given this noble one the keen and wholesome
pleasure she had in seeing the wilds of nature
gradually yielding and becoming docile under
her persuasive diligence, her children at the same
time imbibing the spirit of the independent and
self-reliant existence of the region and growing
into the resolute, strong-natured, broad-minded
and firm-fibered manhood and womanhood of
the frontier into which they developed. She
lived and worked upon this land until her death
in 1867 at an advanced age, passing from earth
mourned and beloved by the entire community
in which so many years of her beneficent activity
had been passed.
With the rest of the family Thomas grew to
years of maturity on this little homestead, sharing with other children of the neighborhood in
the limited ministrations of the district schools,
near by for that time, although perhaps miles
distant from the maternal home. He was able,
however, as many were not, to supplement the
insufficient advantages they afforded by a course
in a more advanced school at Tecumseh and another at Hillsdale College. After finishing his
education he engaged solely in farming for a
time and to this vocation he has adhered through
life with a considerable degree of loyalty and devotion. But his mind was too logical and resourceful, his spirit too restless to find full scope
for its powers in agriculture, and so he studied
/
law, and for the past twenty-five years he has
been actively engaged in legal practice. He has
also given attention to industrial and mercantile
pursuits, being active in founding the Jerome
Brick & Tile Co. in I902 with a capital stock of
$25,000, and serving as its president from its organization. This company owns very large and
valuable beds of fine clay lying adjacent to the
town of Jerome, from which it is making the
best qualities' o brick. The output of the yards
is so superior in character and workmanship, and
has so high a rank in the markets, that the company has been unable to fully supply the demand,
and has recently enlarged its plant to such an
extent as will enable it to produce 30,000 brick
a day, which it can readily dispose of without
any danger of becoming overstocked. Mr. Lowery married in I860 a Miss Eliza J. McGregor, a
daughter of Robert McGregor, one of the highly
respected pioneers of Hillsdale county. Their
only child died in infancy, and Mrs. Lowery also
died on April 27, i899.
Mr. Lowery has been always deeply interested in the welfare of his country, and has shown
his interest by active participation in public affairs throughout the years of his maturity, whether the gauge of battle was the supremacy of his
political principles in the peaceful contests at the
polls, or the integrity of the Union on the ensanguined field of military conflict, for on August I8, I864, he enlisted in defense of the Federal cause in the Civil War as a member of Co.
A, Fourth Michigan Infantry, and served to the
end of the war, coming out of the service with
the rank of sergeant. His command took a
prominent part in the campaigns against Hood
around Atlanta and in Alabama and Tennessee.
In politics a Republican, Mr. Lowery has never
held or desired political office. He belongs to the
order of Odd Fellows and to the Grand Army
of the Republic. He has been a successful farmer and a progressive manufacturer, but it is his
professional success and standing that form his
strongest title to the public esteem which he enjoys, and which, by ability and conscientious devotion to his large and representative practice,
he has justly earned.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
447
NELSON R. ROWLEY.
The early life of Nelson R. 'Rowley, of Wheatland township in this county, where he lived from
the time when he was twenty-five years old until
death called him to his final rest at a serene old
age, was clouded by the loss of his parents when
he was but eight years of age, and was filled with
struggle and privation. But he met his misfortunes and the often almost unsurmountable difficulties in his path with fortitude, force of character, successful enterprise and an unconquerable
will. He was born in Otsego county, N. Y.,
on March 20, I8Io, and, after the death of his
parents, he lived three years with an uncle, then
went to Seneca county in that state and hired out
by the year to work on a farm. During the winter months he attended the district school and
made such good use of his limited opportunities
that he became a well-educated man in all of the
elementary branches of knowledge and also in the
common-sense and practical wisdom of life.
When he reached the age of twenty-five years
he turned to what was then the wilderness of
southern Michigan, there to found a home and acquire an estate. He came to Wheatland township
in this county and bought of the U. S. government
the northwest quarter of section 25, which he
maintained as his home during the residue of his
life. This was in I835. All around him was the
unbroken forest which was still the home of the
Red Man and the haunt of wild beasts. Every
foot of the land was in a state of the wildest primitive nature and required the arduous, strenuous
efforts, for which the early pioneers were renowned, to bring it into subjection and fruitfulness. But he was one of a hardy breed and his
discipline in his early privations and toils had
given him grreat strength of sinew and firmness
of spirit. In due time the wilderness bloomed
around him and the rude log cabin to which he
brought his bride from her more luxurious home
in Williamsport, Pa., gave place to a commodious
and comfortable residence filled with and surrounded by the usual concomitants of civilized
life. This marriage occurred on October 17, 1843,
when he was united with Miss Phoebe Hall, a cul
tivated lady, who had been for six years a highly
popular and successful teacher in the high schools
at Williamsport, and who was a native of Geneva,
New York. They became the parents of four children, Stephen N., Ella Jane, Anna Russ and Harriet H.
In 1876 Mrs. Rowley was attacked by a fatal
disease, from the effects of which she died on July
24, I877. Two years later Mr. Rowley married a
second wife, Mrs. Isabella Reed, a native of Geneva, Pa., who came to Michigan in",t851 as the
wife of Howard Reed, and settled in Pittsford
township, Hillsdale county, where she is still lif4
ing. Mr. Rowley was for many years a member
of the church and did much to advance the cause
of religion in his township. He was one )of the
organizers of the first church society in Bean
Creek Valley, and for years held his membership
in that organization. Upon the organization of
the Congregational church at Wheatland he joined
it and remained a member until his death, serving
for a long time as one of its deacons and trustees.
In politics he was a steadfast Republican, but
never an office-seeker, although during his early
days in the county he was for a number of years
a justice of the peace.
CLARENCE W. TERWILLIGER.
Among the well-known and representative
business men of Hillsdale, Michigan, is Alderman
Clarence W. Terwilliger,who represents the First
Ward in the city council. He was born on February I6, I850, being the son of Annis W. and B.
Jane (Robinson) Terwilliger, both natives of the
state of New York. The parents removed their
residence from their native state to Ohio in I837,
and located in the city of Toledo, where they remained until I843, when they removed to Hillsdale, Mich., and there established their permanent home. The father for many years followed
the dual occupations of contracting and building,
and was one of the pioneer builders of this section
of the state. For some years he has now been retired from active business pursuits, and is enjoying the leisure which he has so well earned
by his long life of activity and usefulness. The
448
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
mother was called from the activities of life to her
eternal rest from the family home at Hillsdale.
Two children were born to these worthy citizens,
Clarence W., and a daughter, who is now dead.
Clarence W. Terwilliger received his early
education in the public schools of Hillsdale, being duly graduated from the high school. Since
that time he has been closely identified with the
educational interests of the community, taking an
active and leading interest in Hillsdale College,
especially in the athletic sports connected with
that institution. He assisted in organizing the
first rowing team of the college, and this for three
years subsequently held the championship of the
United States. When Mr. Terwilliger was the
captain of the team, in 1882, they were sent to
London, and they there rowed against a crack
team which was selected from leading colleges
of England. In this contest they met with defeat,
which, however, was not from their inferior skill,
being largely due to an accident sustained on the
course. He continued to row with this team during I886 and 1887, in which season they won
many victories. After the completion of his education, Mr. Terwilliger accepted a clerkship in a
hardware store, and was not long thereafter promoted to the distinction of bookkeeper, in which
he continued until I880, when he accepted the responsible position of teller and assistant cashier
of the Second National Bank of Hillsdale, where
he continued up to the year of I883, then resigning it to embark in the business of painting and
decorating, in which he met with a marked success, and in which he has prosperously continued
since that time.
Politically, Mr. Terwilliger is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, one of its active and
trusted leaders in Hillsdale county. He is always
foremost in all matters connected with the public
welfare, and for a period of eight years he has
served the city as a member of the city council,
and, since the year I896, he has been the secretary
of the County Agricultural Society, and is still
serving in that capacity. In all of the various
public positions which he has held he has rendered
valuable and unselfish public service to the community and to the state. In the year 1882 he was
united in marriage to Miss Callie W. Webb, a native of the city of Brooklyn, New York, and to
their union has been born one child, C. Maud.
Fraternally, Mr. Terwilliger is affiliated with the
Masonic Order, being a member of the chapter,
and he is also a member of the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows. He is well known in his residence section of the state, and no man in Hillsdale
county is held in higher esteem.
JOSIAH SHANEOUR.
Having come to Hillsdale county to live when
he was but eighteen months old and since passing the whole of his life within its limits, being
actively engaged in farming from the age of
eighteen and earnestly serviceable to all the local
interests of the section in which he lives, Josiah
Shaneour, now of Wright township, may be said
to be a full product of the county and thoroughly
identified with its people in every way. He was
born 'on November 26, I855, in Stark county,
Ohio, a son of David and Lydia (Goodenberger) Shaneour, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Maryland. Both parents
moved with their parents to Ohio in early life,
and were there married when they reached maturity. They settled down to pioneer farming
life and remained in that state until the spring
of 1857, when they came to Hillsdale county in
this state and located in Wright township on the
farm now owned by Thomas Taylor. The father
here took up eighty acres of land which was partially cleared, and there the family lived until the
death of both parents, the mother passing away
in 1877 and the father in February, I896. During his lifetime, David Shaneour succeeded in
clearing his land and making it into an excellent
farm, improving it with good buildings and cultivating it with industry and skill. He and his
wife were in sympathy with the creed of the
German Lutheran church, and lived in accordance with its teachings.
Their son, Josiah Shaneour, attained manhood on the homestead, attending the public
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HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
449
began to work for himself, carrying on his father's farm. On January 8, I876, he married
Miss Clementine Willson, a daughter of M. H.
Willson, an old settler of Wright township. After his marriage Mr. Shaneour rented a house
nearby, still continuing to farm the home place.
A year later he built a house on the land, in
in which he lived for three years, then moved in
with his father and lived with him three years,
-his mother having died. At the end of that time,
he bought eighty acres for himself in section 30,
on which he remained eight years, but as he did
not prosper as he wished, he moved back to his
father's house and traded his eighty acres for fifty acres of the homestead. He then remained
with his father until the death of the latter, when
he purchased seventy-nine acres adjoining his.
Mr. Shaneour now owns I29 acres of as good
land as can be found in the township, all of which
he has in prime condition, well drained,' highly
cultivated and enriched with good improvements.
At times he rents out portions of his land. His
mature life has all of it been passed on the farm,
and with the free life of the independent farmer
he is well pleased. He and his estimable wif.e
are the parents of four children. The oldest, Myron, is in the West; Lena, Clarence and Vernie
are living at home. The father belongs to the
Knights of Pythias at Waldron, and has always
been a Republican in politics, but never partisan.
He has taken an active part in the cause of public
education and has served as a school assessor
two terms. He is one of the highly respected
farmers and influential citizens of the township,
and has the confidence and esteem of all classes.
WILLIAM W. BOWER, M. D.
Dr. William W. Bower, of Camden, is a native
of Michigan, born at Detroit on October 26, I865,
and is the son of Livingston and Margaret (Nicholson) Bower. His father was a native of New
York and his mother of Scotland, from whence
she came to this country in infancy with her parents. The Doctor's father was a prosperous
farmer, and both his parents are now deceased.
Their family comprised nine children, of whom
he was the first born. He was reared on a farm
near Detroit and educated at the public schools,
completing his course at an excellent high school
at Wayne, Michigan, where he was graduated in
due time. He entered the Michigan College of
Medicine and Surgery in I89I, was graduated
therefrom, with the degree of M.D., after a
thorough course of study, in I895. He began
practicing at Ecorse, in this state, and remained
there until 900o, when he removed to Camden,
where he has since lived and built up a large general practice, which numbers among its patrons
many of the leading families of the township
and the surrounding country. Just after his removal to Camden he entered Emergency Hospital at Detroit as house surgeon, and remained
there a year occupied in that capacity. He was
also connected with that institution for a year just
after his graduation.
Doctor Bower is a member of the county and
state medical societies and of the Tri-State Medical Society. In these organizations his value has
been frequently recognized, and he has been highly commended for the discriminating judgment
he has shown in the investigation and discussion
of interesting questions of medical scence, perplexing problems in practice and peculiar phases
of professional ethics. He is a diligent and an observing student, a thoughtful and reflective reader,
and a very judicious and observant practitioner.
He has a presence and manner in the sick room
which impresses and inspires confidence in a patient and assists nature in the effort to overcome
disease. One of the genial and entertaining men
of the township in companionship, he is also one
of the most popular in his profession, being one
of the most esteemed in his citizenship. He is a
Republican in politics, but he never been an active
partisan, nor has he sought or desired office of
any kind.
Doctor Bower is deeply and intelligently interested in the welfare of his community, and is
always ready to do his part to advance its prosperity in every manner. He holds memberships
in the Masonic order, the Knights of the Maccabees and the Modern Woodmen of America, his
society homes being in the lodges of these orders
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4 HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
at Camden. On'July I, I886, the Doctor married
with Miss Grace Prouty, a native of Wayne county, Mich., a daughter of Daniel G. and Margaret
Prouty, leading farmers of that county, where
they are now living. Mrs. Bower died in I900,
leaving two children, Forrest and Hazel. In I9OI
the Doctor married with Miss Catherine Powers,
a native of Hillsdale, and a daughter of John and
Catherine (Holmes) Powers, the former of whom
is now deceased and the latter living at Hillsdale.
SANFORD D. HOPKINS.
The late Sanford D. Hopkins, whose useful
and inspiring life ended on August 7, I897, at the
advanced age of eighty years, was a native of
Genesee county, New York, born on January 9,
1817. He was the eldest child of Joseph and Cloenda (Blair) Hopkins, the former born and
reared in New Hampshire and the latter in Vermont, where her marriage occurred, from whence,
also, soon afterward they migrated to Genesee
county, New York, where the mother died in
1825, leaving three children, all now deceased, except a daughter who lives in California. Their
son, Sanford D. Hopkins, passed his boyhood on
the farm where he early began to acquire habits
of useful industry and thrift. His education was
secured at the country schools during the winter
months, and, when he reached his majority, he began to look toward the far West, as it then existed, as the place of his future home and, opportunity for a career. Soon afterward he came to
Michigan, arriving in Hillsdale county in the fall
of I838. He entered a tract of government land,
which remained in his possession until his death,
and, in I839, he was united in marriage with Miss
Elizabeth Moore, the youngest child of Aaron and
Hannah (Carney) Moore, who was born on December I6, I820, near Palmyra, New York. Before their marriage her father was a widower and
her mother a widow, each having seven children
when their wedding occurred. Their union resulted in three more, so that there was no dearth
of either companionship or work in the paternal
household, the atmosphere surrounding Mrs.
Hopkins from her childhood being ever one of
industry and unyielding duty. Early in 'life, she
was obliged, by the limited circumstances of the
family, to work out from home and earn her own
living, and it was during her fidelity in this service that she met her future husband.
Mr. Hopkins was a man of public spirit and
enterprise; who always gave active and serviceable support to every commendable undertaking
for the good of the community. He served a
number of years as highway commissioner, and,
in I860, was elected supervisor of Somerset township. For a period of ten years thereafter he held
this important office, administering its affairs with
credit to himself and to the advantage of the
township. In 1874 he was again spoken of for
the position, but he withdrew from the caucus
of his party in order that another man might be
selected. He was a director of the Farmers' Insurance Co., and he was also for many years on
the managing committee of the county fair. During the Civil War he was very diligent in collecting supplies for the soldiers in the field and in otherwise upholding the cause of the Union. From
the organization of the party he was a Republican
in political faith and always gave its principles
and its candidates an earnest and loyal support.
At his death he owned about 700 acres of land
and a large amount of property, although he had
made liberal distribution to members of his family. Mr. Hopkins was a leading man in his township, universally respected as a wise counsellor, an
upright and straightforward business man, a farseeing and progressive citizen, a moral force of
great and lasting value. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins
were the parents of one child, their daughter,
Martha, now the wife of Amasa Chandler, of
Somerset, in this county.
LUDD CHANDLER, the grandson of Mr. and
Mrs. Hopkins, was born in Somerset township,
Hillsdale county, on February 5, I86I. His parents are Amasa and Martha (Hopkins) Chandler,
the former a native of New York, and the latter
of Hillsdale county, this state. The father, a
farmer, came to Michigan with his widowed
mother when he was young. They located in
Somerset township where he married, for years
there followed his chosen occupation, and, with
MR. AND MRS. S. D. HOPKINS.
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his wife, is now enjoying a well-earned ease and
quiet in a retired life at Jerome. They are the
parents of two children, their sons, Ludd and Jay.
The younger one was reared at home, and, on
reaching years of maturity, married with Miss
Amanda McCurdy and is now the father of two
children.
The elder of the sons, Ludd Chandler, was
reared by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins, and, after leaving school, he took charge of
his grandfather's farm, which he is still efficiently conducting. On September 9, 1883, he married
with Miss Ida Aldrich, also a native of Hillsdale
county, a daughter of Benjamin F. and Elizabeth
(Van Alstein) Aldrich, the former a native of
New York and the latter of Michigan. The father came to this state with his parents in infancy.
and was reared and educated, as was the mother,
in this county. Mr. Aldrich was a leading business man, who actively engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile for a number of years and
has held many offices of trust and responsibility,
notably that of school director, in which he rendered efficient service to the cause of public education. He and his estimable wife are attentive
friends and supporters of the Methodist Episcopal church, prominent in its works of benevolence.
He is a Republican in. politics, having for years
been active in the service of his party. Their only
offspring is their daughter, Ida, Mrs. Ludd
Chandler. Mr. Chandler owns 680 acres of valuable land, commencing his business operations
with 280 acres. He has an attractive residence,
a good barn, and is filling his grandfather's place
in the confidence and service of the community.
BEN R. ALWARD.
Scarcely anything in the business life of
America is more striking or suggestive than the
opportunities it affords to young men of capacity and enterprise, and the decided adaptability
to its requirements which they exhibit. All our
life from youth is a preparation for more responsible and important work, 'for it is all active and
exacting experience, requiring readiness and
quickness of'perception, clearness of vision and
broad and responsive resourcefulness. The age
is rapid, does not halt for studious reflection, and
those who are embarked on its hurrying currents
must work with the tide or be left behind. One
of the impressive illustrations of this truth presented by the business circles of Hillsdale county
is found in the career of Ben R. Alward, of Camden, the owner of the private bank of that village,
which is one of the best known and widely useful
financial institutions of the county. Mr. Alward
had a' continued and thorough course of preparation for the banking business under the direction of a master of fiscal affairs, and his course
since he became the head of the bank which he
operates has demonstrated that the lessons given
to him were not wasted and that his vocation was
wisely chosen.
Ben R. Alward was born in Camden township, Mich., on December 4, 1876, the son of
John B. and Ella R. (Stewart) Alward, a sketch
of whom will be found elsewhere in this volume.
His education was begun in the public schools of
the township and completed by a course of three
years at Hillsdale College. In the intervals between the terms of the schools he was attending
he was employed in the office of Orson D. Chester, whose business interests were extensive and
varied. After leaving college it became necessary
for young Alward to take the place of his father
as the cashier of Mr. Chester's bank, a position
long held by the father and which he was obliged
to give up by failing health. He resigned in the
fall of I895, and the son served as cashier from
that time until the death of Mr. Chester on November 7, 1902. Mr. Alward then established
the Bank of Camden as the successor of Mr.
Chester's bank in the popular favor, and he has
since conducted it with increasing popularity and
an expanding business. It is a private banking
institution, with sufficient capital and flexibility
and breadth of spirit and management to meet
the requirements of the community, having a
liberality in accommodation that makes it a valuable adjunct to every phase of the industrial
and commercial life in the midst of which it is
conducted. Its security is well established, its
methods are modern, its resources good and ex
452
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
pansive and its facilities have scope for rapid and
accurate work at all times.
In addition to his business activity Mr. Alward exhibits a commendable practical interest
in the general affairs of the community, giving
to its public and social life a due share of his time
and attention, and materially aiding by his personal efforts and influence all undertakings for
its advancement or the welfare of its people. He
is a zealous member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, belonging to Camden Lodge. In
all parts of the county he is looked upon as one
of the rising men of southern Michigan, elevated
and elevating in his citizenship, and worthy of
the'high esteem in which he is universally held.
RUFUS F. SEELYE.
Rufus F. Seelye is a native of Pittsford township, Michigan, born on June 6, 1838, on the
farm which'is now his home and on which his
whole life so far has been passed. His parents
were Elijah anid Sarah 0. (Fancher) Seelye, the
father beinfg a:.ati of Vermont and the mother
of New York. Tfey were married in 1835, and,
after ten yearsf of happy wedded life, the mother
died, in 1845, leaving two sons. The second wife
was Miss Mary M. Hall, of Rochester, N. Y.,
who lived but a year and died, leaving one son as
her offspring. In 1847 Mr., Seelye was united
with his third wife, erst Miss'Lydia Kelsey, of
Herkimer county, New York,': ho became the
mother of two sons, Seymour K. and Alexander
H. Seelye, now residents of Chicago. The elder
Seelye was a prominent and influential citizen of
this county from his first arrival. He was the first
supervisor of Pittsford township,. serving from
1836 to I838, again filling this office in I840 and
a third time in I849, while, in I839, he was elected to the lower house of the State Legislature.
He was active in church affairs, helped to
fouhd the First Presbyterian church of Bean
Creek, now the Congregational church of Hudson, and was one of its first elders. He continued
to serve this organization either as an elder or a
deacon for a period of forty years, during all of
this time being a very potent and important fac
tor in its work and progress. By industry and
thrift he succeeded in redeeming from the forest
one of the best farms in the township, converting
the wilderness tract into a pleasant home for his
family. His useful life ended on April IO, I876,
after a long career in public service and private
industry, in which he proved himself ever a safe
counsellor for the general weal, afirm and faithful
friend to every worthy man who sought association with him or came in contact:wifh his strong
and helpful character. He was a,t.'Deocrat until
the organization of the Republican party when he
transferred his political allegiance to this new organization, which, throughout' the rtl of his life,
received his loyal and earnest 'suppQ't.
Rufus Seelye reached manhid dn.the paternal homestead without incident iw6rhy of note.
He attended the district schools andifinished his
education in books with a course of instruction
pursued in a business cofiege in Chi.cgp. He remained at home until the death of his father, then
purchased a portion of the' home farm; on which
he has since continuously adwelt. In'-:December,
1873, he was united in marriage with Miss Gertrude A. Brooks, a native of Oneida;county, New
York, the daughter of John S. and Julia (Webber) Brooks, who came with their family to Hillsdale county in I868, where both have since died.
Mr. Seelye has always been a Republican in politics, serving the township as supervisor for seven
terms beginning in 1878 and for a number of
years as clerk. He and his wife-are members of
the Congregational church at Hudson, of this religious body he has long been a deacon. By his
upright and consistent life he has well maintained
the traditions of his family, and, in the respect
and confidence of the community, he has won and
now holds the same high place his father held.
WILLIAM C. JOHNSON.
Born in western New York when it was a
part of the almost unbroken wilderness, and
moving from there to northwestern Ohio when
it was.in the same condition, William C. Johnson, of Camden township, in Hillidale countv,
passed all of his childhood, youth and early man
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hood on the frontier, and imbibed the full free
spirit of its wild life, exhilarating freedom and
ready and resourceful self-reliance. Losing his
father when he was but eleven years old, and being thus obliged to start in life for himself at an
age when most boys are still in school, and preparing for life's battle rather than engaging in
it, the success he has had and the substantial
gains he has made in his life work, are entirely
the result of his own enterprise, nerve and capacity. Mr. Johnson was born on January i, 1835,
in Orleans county, N. Y., the son of Amos C. and
Betsey (Hicks) Johnson, the former being a native of Vermont and the latter of Orleans county,
N. Y. While yet a boy the father came to the
home county of his future wife and was there
reared, educated and married. In 1843 he moved
his family to Williams county, Ohio, and settled
near Hillsdale county, Michigan, close to the
boundary line of the state. There he died in
September, I846. Later in life his widow married again, and finally passed away from earth at
an advanced age in Indiana.
After the death of his father and the second
marriage of his mother, William Johnson was
thrown entirely on his own resources, and at once
took up the burden of earning his own livelihood
with energy and spirit. IHe was employed on
farms in the neighborhood of his home, and
gradually got farther and farther from the family
hearthstone. The winter of 1853 he passed in
the woods near Rockford, Ill., getting out timber
for the railroads, and thereafter worked in various places in Michigan and Ohio, until he determined to settle down to regular farming for
himself, and, to this end, in partnership with his
brother, bought forty acres of land in Camden
township, of this county. At the beginning of
the Civil War he sold his interest in this land
and in the fall of I86i enlisted as a private in
Co. K, Eleventh Michigan Infantry. He served
for three years and one month, was promoted
first corporal and later sergeant, and, although
his regiment was in much of the hardest fighting that the Army of the Cumberland, to which
it was attached, was engaged in, he escaped unhurt and without being taken prisoner, or suf
fering any great inconvenience beyond the ordinary hardships and privations of an army in
tne field or on the march. But he saw many a
gallant comrade fall by his side and witnessed
death in some of its most horrid forms, having
many close calls himself. He was in the hottest
of the fight at Stone River, Chickamauga and
Missionary Ridge, and took part in many more
engagements of importance as well as numerous
skirmishes and small contests.
After the war Mr. Johnson returned to the
pursuits of peaceful production in his rural home.
and for some years owned a threshing outfit,
which he operated in the useful service of the
farmers as far away from home as the interior
of Iowa, where he sold it. In I868 he made a
trip to Kansas with the intention of locating
there, but, being discouraged by the ravages of
the hordes of grasshoppers, he returned to Michigan and settled on the farm he now owns in
Camden township. He was married in January,
1855, to Miss Clarissa Myers, a native of Wayne
county, N. Y., and a daughter of Joshua and
Jane (Penoyar) Myers, being a sister of Christopher and Walter Myers, of all of whom sketches
appear on other pages of this volume. Mr. and
Mrs. Johnson have had two children, their
daughters, Rebecca J., who died at the age of
fourteen, and Lorinda I., the wife of Jacob H.
Laughlin, of Reading. In political faith Mr.
Johnson is an earnest and uncompromising Republican, but he is not an active partisan. He
served for five years as a justice of the peace, and
was the postmaster at South Camden for nearly
seven. Both Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are members of the Liberal United Brethren church, and
take an active part in its works of benevolence.
FRED M. WIGENT.
Fred M. Wigent, one of the prominent, energetic and successful farmers and stockgrowers
of Camden township in this county, was born in
the region where he now lives, and has passed
the whole of his life so far in its development and
improvement. His life began in Camden township February 5, I862, and he is the oldest son
454
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
of Andrew J. and Belinda (Foust) Wigent, a
sketch of 'whom appears elsewhere. He was
reared on his father's farm to habits of industry
and frugality. His education was received in the
district schools and at such times as he could be
spared from the work at home, for there was
plenty to do and the aid of all the household was
required in the busy seasons. When he reached
the age of twenty-one he bought fifty acres of
land and began farming on his own account.
Two years later he purchased fifty acres more,
and ten years after that I6o more. All of this he
has cleared and reduced to productiveness, and
he has also worked several winters in the woods
getting out lumber and firewood, in connection
with his farming operations. During the last
few years he has devoted considerable attention
to raising stock, especially sheep, of which he
has fed large numbers; and for two years he has
been extensively engaged in dairying, having
twenty-seven milch cows of high grade. In order
that all his stock may be properly cared for and
the feed he raises for them may be always abundant and in proper condition, he has a silo on his
farm with a capacity of about 120 tons. Everything about his place indicates that there is a
master spirit in control of it, and his success is
the legitimate product of his energy, capacity
and good management. His life work has been
in accordance with his tastes and he has put in it
all the enterprise and skill of a very progressive
man. On October 5, I882, he was married to
Miss Elva Throop, a native of Steuben county,
Ind., the daughter of Allen and Chloe (Dickinson) Throop, natives of New York. Her father
died in 1876, in her native county, where her
mother is now living on the old homestead. Three
children have blessed their union: Carrie, who
is the wife of Frank Shaub, of Camden township; and Homer and Ralph, who are living at
home. Mr. Wigent is a Democrat in politics,
but he is not an active partisan in local affairs,
giving his vote to the candidate he deems best
fitted for the office. He belongs to the Odd Fellows at Camden, the Maccabees at Reading, and
the Modern Woodmen and the Patrons of Husbandry at Montgomery. As he is a man of thrift,
vigor and enterprise in the management of his
own affairs, so he displays the same qualifications
in reference to those of the community, being one
of the most progressive and useful among the
public-spirited men of his township, and holding
by his merit a high place in the regard and good
will of his fellowmen in all parts of the county.
WM. E. RESSEGUIE.
A representative and prominent citizen of the
city of Hillsdale, Michigan, is William E. Resseguie, who is now one of the heads of the city
government, representing the Fourth ward as an
alderman and a member of the city council. He
is a native of the state of New York, born on
August 5, 1849, the son of William and Laura
(Hart) Resseguie, both natives of the Empire
state. His father, who was of French Huguenot
ancestry, followed the occupation of farming in
the state of New York up to the year I860, when
he removed his residence to the state of Michigan, and established himself at the city of Kalamazoo, where he remained up to the year 1864,
when he disposed of his property in Michigan,
and returned to his former home in New York
state.
In 1872 he was again influenced to go to the
western country, and once more removed to
Mivchigan, settling at Grand Ledge, in the county
of Eaton. Here he continued to reside up to the
time of his death, which occurred in 1896. He
was a highly respected citizen of that locality,
and during his residence there held various positions of trust and honor. The mother is still
living, and makes her home at Grand Ledge. To
this worthy pair were born six children, three of
whom still survive. The family are of French
extraction.
WVilliam E. Resseguie, the immediate subject
of this sketch, grew to manhood in his native
state of New York, and received his early education in the public schools of the vicinity of his
place of nativity. After the completion of his
terni of education he was apprenticed to learn
both coopering and painting, and followed these
employments up to the year I880, when he dis
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
455
posed of his property in New York, removed his
residence to the state of Michigan and settled
at Grand Ledge, where he remained in the active
pursuit of his former occupations until I88i. He
then removed to Coldwater, where he accepted a
position in the employ of B. H. Calkins, and there
remained up to the year of I897. He then removed his residence to the city of Hillsdale, there
accepting a position with the F. W. Stork Milling Co. as its head cooper and is still holding
this position.
On January I, I869, at Medina, New York,
Mr. Resseguie was united in marriage to Miss
Hannah Goose, a native of England. To this
union have been born six children, Laura E.,
Lena E., Lillian M., Frank B., Anna B. and
Henry E., and their home has been one noted for
its many evidences of affection and refinement.
Fraternally, Mr. Resseguie is affiliated with the
Masonic order, having attained chapter relations,
and takes an active interest in the fraternal and
social improvements and welfare of the community where he resides. Politically, he is closely
identified with the Democratic party, and is an
active and leading member of the local organization of that party. He was elected in I901 on
the Democratic ticket to represent the Fourth
ward of the city of Hillsdale in the city council,
and he has ably and faithfully discharged the responsible duties of that position. He is held in
high esteem by all classes of his fellow citizens,
and greater honors doubtless await him, if he
cares to accept them.
EDMUND C. DAVIS.
The capable and obliging county treasurer of
Hillsdale county, who retired from office on January I, I903, is a native of the county, born at
Wheatland, on November 15, I845. His parents
were Homer C. and Minerva (Smith) Davis,
natives of New York, the former of Saratoga
county and the latter of Livingston. The father
was a farmer and cooper, who came to Michigan
in 1839 and purchased a farm of forty acres in
Wheatland township, Hillsdale county, which
he cleared up and afterwards sold, then bought
I20 acres in Amboy township, where he made his
permanent home and where he and his wife
passed away. He filled several local offices with
ability and credit, among them that of justice of
the peace in Wheatland township and that of
township clerk in Amboy, holding the latter for
seventeen years. He was one of six children,
three sons and three daughters, all now deceased,
he being the only one who ever lived in Michigan.
His father, Elihu Davis, was a native of Danbury, Conn., and was engaged for many years in
the wholesale and retail grocery business in New
York city. He was a colonel of the New York
militia in the War of I812, making an excellent
record in the service, and some years after its
close he died in Orleans county, New York.
Edmund C. Davis is wholly a product of this
county. Here he was born and reared, in its public schools he received his education, from its
soil he drew his stature and his strength, and,
when armed resistance threatened the existence
of the Union and the contest grew arduous and
the condition of affairs serious, he obeyed a call
to the field 'with the warlike spirit of his ancestor,
and enlisted in February, 1864, as a member of
Co. B, Twenty-fifth 0. V. V. I., and creditably
represented the county in the service. His regiment was in service in the Virginia and South
Carolina campaigns, and he participated in many
important and hard-fought engagements, notably
those at Honey Hill, S. C., on November 30, I864,
and Gaines Mills, same state, on December 2 following, at both of which Mr. Davis was slightly
wounded. After the war the regiment was stationed at Columbia, S. C., and did duty over the
state during the early part of the reconstruction
era. It was mustered out of the service at Columbus, Ohio, in June, I866, the subject of this
sketch holding the rank of first corporal.
Mr. Davis returned to Hillsdale and a short
time afterward removed to Kalkaska county,
where he entered government land and started to
improve it. He soon sold it, however, and came
back to this county, purchasing the old homestead, which he still owns. While living in Kalkaska county he held the office of supervisor for
two years and served three years as township
456
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
clerk of Amboy township and seven years as its
supervisor. In the fall of 1898 he was elected
county treasurer of Hillsdale county, and was reelected in I900.
The interest of Mr. Davis in the cause of
agriculture induced him to serve as one of the
directors of the county fair for six years. In all
of the positions he has held he gave satisfactory
service to the people and won for himeslf their
cordial commendations. In politics he is a lifelong Republican, and for ten years he has served
his party as a member of its county central committee. His fraternal affiliations are with both
the Grand Army of the Republic and the Odd
Fellows, and in the latter organization he has
filled the chairs in his lodge.
Mr. Davis was married on July 24, 1872, to
Miss Bettie Culver, a native of Branch county,
this state. They have five children, Homer, Gertrude M., wife of C. P. White, of Battle Creek;
Dolly M., Mrs. R. I. Havens, of Cincinnati, Ohio;
Fern A. and Winifred L. Davis. In every relation of life Mr. Davis is highly respected by all
who know him, and he is one of the best known
men in the county.
CAPT. CHARLES H. GORSUCH.
Born and reared in Ohio, and at the dawn of
his young manhood being summoned to the defense of his country against armed resistance,
serving with commendable fidelity and bravery
through the most gigantic and sanguinary war of
the century, bearing patiently, and with resolute
endurance, some of the most trying, arduous and
dangerous parts of the service and wearing still
the marks of its burdens, and, since the close of
the Civil War, being successfully engaged in the
inspiriting contests of peace in both rural and city
life, in farming and in trade, Capt. Charles H.
Gorsuch, now of Waldron, Michigat, has had a
wide and varied experience, and has well learned
its lessons of worldly wisdom and self-reliance.
His life began on November 17, I838, near
Mount Vernon in Knox county, Ohio, where his
parents, Jacob and Louisiana (Nelson) Gorsuch,
settled when they emigrated from their native
state of Maryland soon after their marriage. They
belonged to old English families, whose descendants ware among the early settlers of the Maryland colony. The respective families have been
conspicuous in the history of that commonwealth since Colonial times, and the father of
Mrs. Gorsuch was a prominent Methodist Protestant clergyman in Maryland, the Rev. Burgess
Nelson, who preached until he was ninety-eight
years old.
Jacob Gorsuch was by nature and practice a
conqueror of the wilderness. He was a tanner
by trade, but passed the greater part of his life
in clearing up new farms and reducing them to
systematic productiveness and fertility. When
he settled in Knox county, Ohio, in I837, he took
up land that had never been touched by the ax
of the pioneer or the hoe of the husbandman, and,
after bringing it to an advanced state of cultivation, he sold it and removed to Fulton county, in
the same state, and there repeated his beneficent
enterprise. He died in that county in 1874, having survived his first wife thirty years, she having passed away in Knox county, in I844. They
had six children, four of whom are living, three
sons and one daughter. Some time after the
death of his first wife Jacob Gorsuch married
with Miss Catherine Ely, who died after a few
years of married life, leaving two children.
Captain Gorsuch was reared in what is now
Morrow county, Ohio, until he reached the age
of twelve years, and then moved with his father
to Fulton county in that state, where he passed
the rest of his minority, received his education
and learned carpentry.- He worked at this trade
until the Civil War broke out, when, hearkening
to the first call for volunteers to defend the
Union, he enlisted on April 17, 1861, in Company
E, of the Fourteenth Ohio Infantry, for a service of four months. The regiment was ordered
to West Virginia and there participated in the
battles of Phillippi, Laurel Hill and Garrick's
Ford.
At the close of his first term of enlistment
Captain Gorsuch returned to Ohio and in Fulton
county recruited a company for a more extended
service, which was mustered in as Co. K, Thir
HILLSDALE CO UNTY., MIC?HIGAN. 457
ty-eighth Ohio Infantry, and he was its first-lieutenant. The regiment to which it was assigned
became a part of the Army of the Cumberland,
was in the Fourteenth Army Corps, and was
continually in the thick of the fight in the southwest, where it took part in the battles of Wild
Cat, Ky., Stone River, Pittsburg Landing, Murfrcesboro, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and
those of the Atlanta campaign.
Subsequently, at Jonesborough, Ga., the regiment was almost cut to pieces, losing 165 of its
300 men in the battle at that place. The remnant that remained then accompanied General
Sherman in his famous march to the sea, and
took part in the capture of Savannah. After
that Captain Gorsuch was in charge of a company of foragers ranging through North Carolina, and, at the close of the war, he participated
in the Grand Review of the army in Washington.
He was shot through the shoulder near Decatur,
Alabama, and was also taken prisoner, but was
soon after paroled. In the fall of I863 he was
promoted as captain of his company for meritorious service, and held that rank when he was
mustered out.
After the close of the war Captain Gorsuch
returned to Ohio, and for six or seven years was
engaged both in farming and in dealing in stock.
In 1872 he came to Hillsdale county, Michigan,
and purchased a farm in Wright township, which
he conducted for ten years. He then removed
to Waldron and engaged in general merchandising for a year, then turned his attention exclusively to the drug business, in which he is still engaged under the firm name of C. H. Gorsuch
& Son. Their establishment is one of the favorite commercial institutions of the town, and is
conducted on a high plane of enterprise and uprightness.
Captain Gorsuch was married in October,
I864, to Miss Lydia Masters, a daughter of Hon.
E. Masters, of Fulton county, Ohio, where the
marriage occurred, being also a sister of Frank
Masters, of this state, of whom a sketch appears
elsewhere in this work. Captain and Mrs. Gorsuch have two children, Edwin I., the accommodating postmaster at Waldron, and William E.,
the druggist.
Captain Gorsuch is a Republican in politics
and has held important local offices, serving
four years as justice of the peace, four years
under President Harrison as postmaster, and,
during the last two years, he has been the supervisor of his township. He has been a member of
the county central committee of his party for
years. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and
to the Grand Army of the Republic, being commander in the local post of the latter organization. He is an active worker in the Methodist
Episcopal church, the superintendent of the Sundav school, and in manv directions his influence
is felt.
WILLIAM C. BERRY.
Mr. Berry is one of the pioneers of Reading
township, Hillsdale county, and is one of the
few men now living who settled here when this
was an unbroken wilderness. He is a native of
Seneca county, New York, having been born there
January i, I818. The parents of Mr. Berry were
William and Rhoda Berry, natives of England.
The father came to the United States when a
child and grew to manhood in the state of New
York, where he operated a carding factory for
dressing cloth and also operated a distillery. In
1835 the family came to Michigan and settled
on a tract of wild land in Reading township and
was the sixth white family to settle in this township. Here the father cleared up a farmt on
which he made his home the remainder of his
life. He was three times married and had a
large family, sixteen in number.
The subject of this mention grew to manhood in this township. He received a limited
education in the primitive schools of those days,
but early in life was compelled to assist in the
maintainance of the family and did so by working for others in clearing land. He later bought
land of his own which he cleared and improved
and in all has cleared and improved -three different farms.
Mr. Berry was married in this county on
November 8, I846, to Mary Ann Bailey, whose
family were among the pioneer settlers of Hillsdale county. She died June 13, 1852. Two chil-
dren were born to this union, Wm. L. and Wm.
458.
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
E., both deceased. He was again married in
1854 to Harriet C. Hart, a native of Onondaga
county, Van Buren township, New York. Three
children have been born to them as follows:
Nettie (deceased), Ettie (deceased) and Edmond,
who is now living on the old homestead looking
after his father's interests.
Mr. Berry has been a lifelong Democrat,
but has never sought or- filled public office. He
has been a consistent member of the United
Brethren Church for many years and has aided
in the erection and maintainance of many of the
churches in this part of the county and has
served as trustee of his own.
LAFAYETTE POST.
Among the well-known, old-time citizens of
Ilillsdale county is Lafayette Post, the subject of
this sketch. A native of the village of Castile, in
Wyoming county, New York, he was born on the
ioth day of September, 1837, and is the son of
Aaron and Elizabeth (Sevea) Post, the former
a native of the state of Vermont, and the latter
of the State of New Hampshire. The father was
a farmer by occupation, and grew to man's
estate in the state of his nativity. Subsequently
he removed his residence to the state of New
York, where he remained up to the year I844.
He then disposed of his property there, and, with
his family, started overland for the then frontier
country of Iowa. He remained but a short time
here, however, and spent the winter of 1844 and
1845 in the state of Illinois. The following
spring he removed to the town of North Adams,
Hillsdale county, Michigan, where he purchased
a tract of wild land consisting of some two
hundred and forty acres, and began to clear it of
timber in order that it might be cultivated for
farm purposes. Attacked by sudden illness, he
passed away in the year I849. The mother and
her four sons continued the work of clearing,
and in time completed it, and paid for the land,
a portion of which is still owned by the subject
of this sketch. The mother survived until
October 25, 1878, when she passed away. Of
the family of nine sons and one daughter, all
are now deceased, except three, Elizabeth A.
(now Mirs. Lathrop), Aaron W., and the subject.
The paternal grandfather was named Aaron
Post, who was also a native of the state of
Vermont. He was a member of the famous
"Silver Greys," and served during the War of
the American Revolution, as well as during the
War of I812. The maternal grandfather, whose
name was Nathaniel Sevea, was a native of the
state of New Hampshire, and he also served as
a member of the American army during the
wars of both the Revolution and of I812. During a part of the War of the Revolution he was
a member of the body guard of General Washington.
The parents of the subject of this sketch were
active members of the Christian church, and
the family were instrumental in founding the
first Christian church of Adams, which was
erected on land belonging to their farm.
The subject of this sketch was brought up
in Hillsdale county and received his early educational training in the public schools of the
vicinity of his boyhood home. Subsequently, he
attended the college at Hillsdale, where he pursued a thorough course of study. Upon the
completion of his education he returned to the
family homestead, and entered upon the business
of farming, in which he has since been occupied.
He has met with -success in his business, and still
resides upon the old home place.
In the year 1873 Mr. Post was united in
marriage to Miss Grace E. Short, a native of
the county of Oakland, whose parents were well
known and highly respected residents of that
locality. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Post
has been born one child, namely, Bessie, who is
now Mrs. William Shepherd.
Politically, Mr. Post is identified with the
Democratic party, and has taken an active
interest in the work of that political organization,
although he has never been a seeker for office,
and has never permitted the use of his name for
any public position.
He is an active worker in the church, and for
a period of thirty-seven years was the superintendent of the Sunday-school. He is now a
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
459
I
I
I
I
trustee and deacon in the church, and is always
foremost in all matters calculated to promote the
religious and social life of the community in
which he maintains his home.
The family of Mr. Post are widely known
throughout the county for their works of benevolence and charity, and are highly respected by a
large circle of friends and acquaintances.
CHARLES H. WILLIAMS.
Charles H. Williams, of Wheatland township,
Hillsdale county, is one of the best-known and
most highly respected farmers of this county, and
one of the most renowned breeders of DelaineMerino sheep in the business. Since I890 he has
been engaged in producing this breed of sheep,
and his product has taken more prizes at county
and state fairs than that of any other man in
Michigan. It also received a medal and very
complimentary mention at the Columbian Exposition of I893 at Chicago. Throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota and as far east as New
York he is known to all sheepbreeders, and has
a high rank among them as a successful producer
of the best grades of stock in his line.
Mr. Williams was born in Wheatland township on October 14, 1858, a son of Zebulon and
Louisa (Sawyer) Williams, natives respectively
of Monroe and Orleans counties, New York.
The father came to Michigan in 1834 with his
parents. The mother's people came later. In
this state they were married and here they reared
their family and carried on a flourishing farming
industry to the end of their days, the father
dying on April 8, 1893, and the mother on July
17, I897. They were held in universal esteem
and looked up to by all who knew them as persons of high character, progressive ideas and
great generosity to the needy. The mother was
a devout member of the Congregational church
and was greatly beloved.. One of her brothers,
John B. Sawyer, of Orleans county, New York,
was circuit judge for seventeen years and at
times represented his district in the Congress of
the United States.
When Mr. Williams's parents settled in
Wheatland township the county was as yet undeveloped and but sparsely populated. His
father was the first man in the county to drive a
team along the road on which he now lives, and
as they were pioneers of an early day in this
section of the state, they were compelled to
endure many of the hardships and privations and
face many of the dangers incident to frontier
life. Their son, Charles, was reared and educated in his native county, and had the advantage of one year's schooling in New York state.
When he reached the age of nineteen years he
took charge of the homestead and has been an
active and energetic farmer ever since. His success in his chosen vocation and the side lines of
activity connected with it, has been steady, constant and progressive. He is a wide-awake
man of the present day, fully up-to-date in his
business and with a wide sweep of vision ahead.
His sheep industry has already been noticed. In
addition to his enterprise in this respect he has
been a breeder of a high grade of road horses
which have an elevated rank and a sure place in
the stock markets. On November 5, I879, he
was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Annette
Livermore, a daughter of John and Mary (Martin) Livermore, natives of New York and early
pioneers in this county. Two children have
blessed their union, Orpheus A. and Clifford. In
politics Mr. Williams has always been a Republican. He has served the township as drain
commissioner and in Igoo was elected supervisor.
In both positions he discharged his duties with
intelligence and fidelity. In fraternal relations he
is connected with the Masonic order and that of
the Modern Woodmen of America. It should be
noted that he is about to change his residence to
Scipio township, not far north of Jonesville. He
is now located on the farm in Scipio township.
THE REED FAMILY.
In compiling a history of Hillsdale county it
has become necessary to make individual mention
of many of its pioneers both living and dead, and
none occupy a higher position or took a more
prominent part in the settlement of southern
1
Nf
460
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Michigan than the "Reed family," of Allen township.
The first of these sturdy pioneers to find his
way to this then unbroken wilderness was
Thomas Reed, a native of Pennsylvania. He
was by nature a pioneer and early in life left the
parental fireside, and founded a home for himself
in the then unsettled region of Ohio. This,
however, did not prove to be his home but for a
short period for he again joined in the great
stream of emigration which even at that early
day was steadily flowing westward, and in the
summer of I829 we find him among the first, if
not the first settler to locate in Allen township,
Hillsdale county, Michigan.
The journey was made the greater part of the
way with ox-teams and this was indeed an undertaking as there were no roads, the only path to
be followed was the Indian trail leading from
Detroit to Chicago, and as this was only a bridle
path which turned out for each stump or fallen
tree, the difficulties to be overcome can be better
imagined than described, there were streams to
be forded, swamps to be crossed and a road cut in
many places through the heavy timber to allow
the wagons to pass, but each difficulty was overcome and he at last reached the end of his journey.
The land on which Thomas Reed settled was
adjoining the "White Marble springs" of Allen
township. They were twelve in number and furnished an abundant supply of clear, cold water.
It was also a favorite camping ground for the
Indians in those days. The first tract of land
entered or owned by Thomas Reed consisted of
I6o acres, to this he later added 120 acres more,
part of which remains in the family to this day.
He at once began clearing the land and made this
his home for some time. He later, however,
disposed of part of it and removed to Indiana, in
which state he passed the remainder of his days.
He was the father of two sons and five daughters,
all of whom are now dead. One of the sons,
John S. Reed, who came to this county with his
father, remained on the old homestead in Allen
township after the removal of the family to Indiana. He assisted his father in clearing and
opening up the farm and later conducted this
work alone and resided on that farm until his
death in about I890. At the time of the Black
Hawk War he enlisted but was not called upon
to do any active service. He was twice married,
but no children were born to his first marriage.
His second wife was Hannah Broilghton, a native of New York state, to this union was born
three children, namely: Lida (deceased), John
T., who resides on the old homestead where he
was born in November, 1842. He married
Nancy J. Perry, widow of F. N. Perry, her
maiden name was Nancy Gilbert, a native of
Ohio. They have two children, Fred T. and
Lenna M., who is now Mrs. Will Mannering, of
Jonesville. The third child born to John S. Reed
is Mrs. A. B. Whitmore, of Allen, Mich., who is
well-known to the people of Hillsdale county,
having been engaged in general merchandising
and the drug trade for a number of years in that
village.
It is impossible in this short space to embrace
many of the instances of interest which the
pioneers of this region passed through. Gristmills were very few and it often consumed from
two to three weeks' time to go and return. Their
nearest neighbor was riiles removed and wolves
and other wild animals were often the source of
danger and annoyance to them.
i ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Conservator's Report
Bentley Historical Library
Title: Hillsdale County, Michigan - Reynolds
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Date work cplleed: A 1994
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