IUlbClb r 1J r -"; ~i —" d c:::— 5- 1 ILIS) tiB r- tl-al~rrssB_lp;;8a C3L~CIL131Ldl3ql' a ii'4L: —I h~ir:-l E:5 -~i:ji ~~,a-~P 19j a* Ca kll :dl-;i~ui'" :~: uT 1 Jlic " '"P C CI ---— "-sgl Il~CIII IIII~~IIII: I 3;,* II I I A I^ T ^_~~_1X — ll-. -----—. ---- -------- -- \I ITOCETHER WITH CHICAGO: CHAPMAN BROTHERS. wRi. 889. TOC ETH E R WIT H ST_ JOEPH ~OUNTY, MIQ,1889. I A I IWIPPI- ~~~~~~~~~~ I........~~~~~~- -e A 4 N (1 admm. - - H — Iqqr- - - - - - - --- cur~ I PF(EFkE. f-~Z~i~35 -t03- -i~e~l~rfg g < ^ ^ /^^ flE greatest of English historians, MACAULEY, and one of the most brilliant writers of the past century, has said: "The history of a country is best told in a record of the lives of its people." In conformity with this idea the PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM of this county has been prepared. Instead of going to musty records, and taking therefrom dry statistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, our corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who have, by their enterprise and industry, brought the county to a rank second to none among those comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelligent public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imnitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and '^ f records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, very many, who, not seeking the aippllanse of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," content to have it said of them as Christ said of tle woman performing a deed of mercy-"they have done what they could." It tells how that many in the pride and strength of young manhood left the plow and the anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not be lost upon those who follow after. Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every opportunity possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and the publishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to the biographical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are givemn. The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For this the publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some ref used to give the information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally some member of the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of the interested one would be withheld. In a few instances men could never be found, though repeated calls were made at their residence or place of business. CI-AP XMAN BROS. CHICAlGO, February, 1889. i-t < ----___ cal wetfrhvlaty't lMr4i, n o hog hi fot teUinwsrsoe n ec L I 6110- m - - m ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.4U -F- -'I% I F 910- 0 -wp — -mm -cap -r- m a -m lh R ---.ddia NW m.9"00 I I — m m A H 0 II tI C 0 k. ffim-=! I .L.1051"A i, 3, 412 1i m 1~ii. 0 jI -lb.- - - - -- grimp- I - -11,WW — Iqw- - - - - - --- -- A COPYHTC*HTE]D ill O~~A~Mx~J~ ~429B .~~~~~~.- ~~~~aI s ~~Ii~rB\ ~~ADlB. 9 t 0 —W-4* NW- - - --- - - m NF- - — m - -bp M, odo * I 6A -0 0 "TUI' 1-l~~1 8bIb-a I I I i i i f B~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~dbh - a - I DI, " Illl Ig r g. I~g — ~ ~aql- -a rr i~i6D~I " I -P - C.- L a ---Raw FIRST -PRESIDEXT. 19 W — - ~'-G-S9R wAM --- —--- -— E /j^^^t- i<t X~i~i.^i~i~t~t~t.^t~f^ 7, i It _- l /B H HE Father of our Country was I l | 1 born in Westmorland Co., Va., 1I i l X Feb. 22, I732. His parents " '1~: X / were Augustine and Mary G' ^^(9 (Ball) Washington. The family to which he belonged has not '~ 0,v,been satisfactoriiy traced in |r ID>\l 1 England. His great-grandfather, John Washington, emigrated to Virginia about I657, and became a prosperous?S planter. He had two sons, Lawrence and John. The former married Mildred Warner and had three children, John, Augustine and Mildred. Augustine, the father of George, first a married Jane Butler, who bore him four children, two of whom, j Lawrence and Augustine, reached maturity. Of six children by his second marriage, George was the eldest, the others being Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles and Mildred. Augustine Washington, the father of George, died in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, and to George he left the parental residence. George received only such education as the neighborhood schools afforded, save for a short time after he left school, when he received private instrutction in mathematics. His spelling was rather defective. _ l Remarkable stories are told of his great physical strength and development at an early age. He was an acknowledged leader among his companions, and was early noted for that nobleness of character, fairness and veracity which characterized his whole life. When George was I4 years old he had a desire to go to sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him, but through the opposition of his mother the idea was abandoned. Two years later he was appointed surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In this business he spent three years in a rough frontier life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very essential to him. In 175 T, though only 19 years of age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for active service against the French and Indians. Soon after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter who did not long survive him. On her demise the estate of Mount Vernon was given to George. Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddie, as Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia, in I752, the militia.was reorganized, and the province divided into four military districts, of which the northern was assigned to Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this a very perilous mission was assigned him and accepted, which others had refused. This was to proceed to the French post near Lake Erie in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed was between 5oo and 6oo miles. Winter was at hand, and the journey was to be made without military escort, through a territory occupied by Indians. The i j i i i i I I I i I iI I I i I I I I ON r 1 — ~!>9~ i I L 1 I *p-AI - m 4 MAML Opp - ( Ilr F i 104 SO ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ---- - I* -20 20 L —r.rLORGE W,4SH~zVGY'Oz. 20 GEORGE WASHING iON. trip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in command of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Wasllington was commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was then begun against the French and Indians, in which Washington took a most important part. In the memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Braddock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock were disabled early in the action, and Washington alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter to his brother he says: "I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped unhurt, though death was levelina my companions on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit him. After having been five years in the military service, and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he took advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio, co resign his commission. Soon after he entered the Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an active and important part. January 17, 1759, he married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy widow of John Parke Custis. When the British Parliament had closed the port -'f Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all." It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Congress of all the colonies was called to meet at Philadelphia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties, peaceably if possible. To this Congress Col. Washington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of England were plainly apparent. The battles of Concord and Lexington had been fought. Among the first acts of this Congress was the election of a commander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and responsible office was conferred upon Washington, who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he receive no salary. He would keep an exact account of expenses and expect Congress to pay them and nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the fortunes and liberties of the people of this country were so long confided. The war was conducted by him under ever) possible disadvantage, and while his forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 1783, Washington, in a parting address of surpassing beauty, resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the army to to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all connection with public life. In February, 1789, Washington was unanimously elected President. In his presidential career he was subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new government; trials from lack of confidence on the part of other governments; trials from want of harmony between the different sections of our own country; trials from the impoverished condition of the country, owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His clear judgment could discern the golden mean; and while perhaps this alone kept our government from sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed to attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and very annoying. At the expiration of his first term he was unanimously re-elected. At the end of this term many were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March, 1797, at the expiraton of his second term as President, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there his few remaining years fiee from the annoyances of public life. Later in the year, however, his repose seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France. At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to take command of the armies. He chose his subordinate officers and left to them the charge of matters in the field, which he superintended from his home. In accepting the command he made the reservation that he was not to be in the field until it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations his life was suddenly cut off. December 2, he took a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eighteenth his body was borne with military honors to its final resting place, and interred in the family vault at Mount Vernon. Of the character of Washington it is impossible to speak but in terms of the highest respect and admiration. The more we see of the operations of our government, and the more deeply we feel the difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest, the more highly we must estimate the force of his talent and character, which have been able to challenge the reverence of all parties, and principles, and nations, and to win a fame as extended as the limits of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will be as lasting as the existence of man. The person of Washington was unusally tan, erect and well proportioned. His muscular strength was great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry. He commanded respect without any appearance of haughtiness, and ever serious without being dull. 9 —qpa~ J *^-1 k 4z ob I e. -------------------------------— ~ --- — -wA I orl 0 I N ...^~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ EOD RSDN..2 1 "!sY R SE3COND PRESIDENTL)~V T.2 3 AI A. 0 i 6k,~ c&- - -- J9U @N AdIDAS 'X I _. 9 Sb CI An"d 0'W".^i[}yP OLN ADAMS, the second I — ' I-/l: l.President and the first Vice('- - I B/,7 President of the United States, "- ytwas born in Braintree (now ~.~ iW^n~ Quincy),Mass., and about ten ~ '~~i( 2 miles from Boston, Oct. 19, A,/ 'r. I1735. His great-grandfather, Henry /%X.1 Adams, emigrated from England '/ X;l about 1640, with a family of eight ~i1(&^ ~\sons, and settled at Braintree. The )0[ parents of John were John and I Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His father was a farmer of limited means, to which he added the bus0, i iness of shoemaking. He gave his eldest son, John, a classical education at Harvard College. John graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a "school of affliction," from which he endeavored to gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the study of law. For this purpose he placed himself under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He had thought seriously of the clerical profession but seems to have been turned from this by what he termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical councils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,' of the operations of which he had been a witness in his native town. He was well fitted for the legal profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being ready and fluent of speech, and having quick perceptive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in 1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxation turned him from law to politics. He took initial steps toward holding a town meeting, and the resolu tions he offered on the subject became very popular throughout the Province, and were adopted word for word by over forty different towns. He moved to Boston in 1768, and became one of the most courageous and prominent advocatesof the popular cause, and was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leglislature) in 770. Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress, which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himself by his capacity for business and for debate, and advocated the movement for independence against the majority of the members. InMay, 1776, he moved and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies should assume the duties of self-government. He was a prominent member of the committee of five appointed June i, to prepare a declaration of independence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but on Adams devolved the task of battling it through Congress in a three days debate. On the day after the Declaration of Independence was passed, while his soul was yet warm with the glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife, which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the greatest question was decided that ever was debated in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or will be decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, 'that these United States are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty God. It ought to be solemnized with pomp, shows, ba -8a -r. I II --— A-lllll _ — I-II L I W " -— W -- 6110-_ —~ —I,~,, 24 JOHN ADAMS. I games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward for ever. You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these States; yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means; and that posterity will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I hope we shall not." In November, I777, Mr. Adams was appointed a delegate to France and to co-operate with Bemjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money from the French Government. This was a severe trial to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and exposed him to great peril of capture by the British cruisers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17, 1779. In September of the same year he was again chosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readiness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet might be found willing to listen to such proposels. He sailed for France in November, from there he went to Holland, where he negotiated important loans and formed important commercial treaties. Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed Jan. 2I, 1783. The re-action from the excitement, toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed threw him into a fever. After suffering from a continued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he was advised to go to England to drink the waters of Bath. V hile in England, still drooping anddesponding, he received dispatches from his own government urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,he made the trip. February 24, 1785; Congress appointed Mr. Adams envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face to face the King of England, who had so long regarded him as a traitor. As England did not condescend to appoint a minister to the United States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was acconlplishing but little, he sought permission to return to his own country, where he arrived in June, I788. When Washington was first chosen President, John Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at home and abroad, was chosen Vice President. Again at the second election of Washington as President, Adams was chosen Vice President. In I796, Washington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was elected President,though not without much opposition. Serving in this office four years,he was succeeded by Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics. While Mr. Adams was Vice President the great French Revolution shook the continent of Europe, and it was upon this point which he was at issue with the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French people in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their power of self-government, and he utterly abhored the class of atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it. On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence originated the alienation between these distinguished lnen, and two powerful parties were thus soon organized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies were with England and Jefferson led the other in sympathy with France. The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling had died away, and he had begun to receive that just appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till after death. No one could look upon his venerable form, and think of what he had done and suffered, and how he had given up all the prime and strength of his life to the public good, without the deepest emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar good fortune to witness the complete success of the institution which he had been so active in creating and supporting. In I824, his cup of happiness was filled to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest station in the gift of the people. The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half century since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, arrived, and there were but three of the signers of that immortal instrument left upon the earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is well known, on that day two of these finished their earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr. Adafns had been rapidly failing, and on the morning of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " INDEPENDENCE FOREVER." When the day was ushered in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons, he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glorious fourth of July-God bless it-God bless you all." In the course of the day he said, "It is a great and glorious day." The last words he uttered were, "Jefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, resigned his spirit into the hands of his God. The personal appearance and manners of Mr. Adams were not particularly prepossessing. His face, as his portrait manifests,was intellectual and expressive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteous. He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked the manners and address of Jefferson. I i i m 31-0 a [] i.-[ 1: I U 04:. O I.i -. - -- -a F -4_ --- -a —~ - —~I --- —---— ^-~ --— ~ --- — - -~ -W I 4 -......... -ON.- ~~~~ IIC~ ~*L~ a — — ~r —~ rffll?~fD P.&~cESJDEAI\PT 27 I L.;I.SID NT. 7. i)A 8 C rlU~'f EHOMAS JEFFERSON was born April 2, 1743, at ShadJ well, Albermarle county, Va. "" " w His parents were Peter and a Jane (Randolph) Jefferson, o ' ~~: ~ the former a native of Wales, 2.4 A i and the latter born in London. To them were born six daughters and two sons, of whom Thomas was the elder. When 14 years of age his father died. He received a most liberal education, having been kept diligently at school from the time he was five years of age. In 176o he entered William and Mary College. WVilliamsburg was then the seat of the Colonial Court, and it was the obode of fashion and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then r7 years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproachaable in his morals. It is strange, however, under such influences,that he was not ruined. In the second year of his college course, moved by some unexplained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen hours a day to haid study, allowing himself for exercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out of the city and back again. He thus attained very high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philosophy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls; and there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man. Immediately upon leaving college he began the study of law. For the short time he continued in the practice of his profession he rose rapidly and distinguished himself by his energy and accuteness as a lawyer. But the times called for greater action. The policy of England had awakened the spirit of resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In I772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beautiful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow. Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, there was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which commlanded a prospect of wonderful extent and beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new home; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon, became the most distinguished resort in our land. In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, where, though a silent member, his abilities as a writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he was placed upon a number of important committees, and was chairman of the one appointed for the drawing up of a declaration of independence. This committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Congress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 4, 1776. What must have been the feelings of that F-4M 3Rb. 4 I k-.4*.- -I.% -- pl _-.q i ^ - El.- C -~FIIII *1 I~- 'l I --— A4sh r a -W o L 28 p THO MAS J EPPERSON. _ - inan-what the emotions that swelled his breastwho was charged with the preparation of that Declaration, which, while it made known the wrongs of America, was also to publish her to the world, free, soverign and independent. It is one of the most remarkable papers ever written; and did no other effort of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be sufficient to stamp his name with immortality. In I779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. At one time the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to Monticello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jefferson and his family, ere his mansion was in possession of the British troops. His wife's health, never very good, was much injured by this excitement, and in the summer of 1782 she died. Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in I783. Two years later he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary to France. Returning to the United States in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned Jan. i, 1794. In I797, he was chosen Vice President, and four years later was elected President over Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In I804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity, and George Clinton, Vice President. The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstration was disturbed by an event which threatened the tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the conspiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a military expedition into the Spanish territories on our southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there a new republic. This has been generally supposed was a merepretext; and although it has not been generally known what his real plans were, there is no doubt that they were of a far more dangerous character. In I809, at the expiration of the second term for which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined to retire from political life. For a period of nearly forty years, he had been continually before the public, and all that time had been employed in offices of the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus devoted the best part of his life to the service of his country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his declining years required, and upon the organization of the new administration, in March, I8o9, he bid farewell forever to public life, and retired to Monticello. Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole families came in their coaches with their horses,fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and nurses,-and remained three and even six months. Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a fashionable watering-place. The fourth of July, I826, being the fiftieth anniver sary of the Declaration of American Independence, great preparations were made in every part of the Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer, and one of the few surviving signers of the Declaration, to participate in their festivities. But an illness, which had been of several weeks duration, and had been continually increasing, compelled him to decline the invitation. On the second of July, the disease under which he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced state that his medical attendants, entertained no hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the next day, which was Monday, he asked of those around him, the day of the month, and on being told it was the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish that he might be permitted to breathe the air of the fiftieth anniversary. His prayer was heard-that day, whose dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land, burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed forever. And what a noble consummation of a noble life! To die on that day, —the birthday of a nation,- - the day which his own name and his own act had rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him, as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings, was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life. Almost at the same hour of his death, the kindred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear him company, left the scepe of his earthly honors. Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of freedom; hand in hand, during the dark and desperate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and animated their desponding countrymen; for half a century they had labored together for the good of the country; and now hand in hand they depart. In their lives they had been united in the same great cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not divided. In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes were light, his hair originally red, in after life became white and silvery; his compIlxion was fair, his forehead broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind as well as personal courage; and his command of temper was such that his oldest and most intimate friends never recollected to have seen him in a passion. His manners, though dignified, were simple and unaffected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that all found at his house a ready welcome. In conversation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic; and his language was remarkably pure and correct. He was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is discernable the care with which he formed his style upon the best models of antiquity. I I I i i I I I I I I I I II i I I i I I I I I -—.ddL4b ON *E-* —= -IqO s —Io it AP Me, Qm "N" ANK -..a-i U I H w --- — O" 0O URp ITH PRESlDELNI. 3.t o.. L~i-~i)i - I~ih_ —~-L-l) _- lilii li- _ -i- i:.... AMES MADISON, "Father;- U;: |. of the Constitution," and fourth 4 $0l^Tl1l Q President of the United States, - T Xwas born March i6, 1757, and ~ ( -'<o' (died at his home in Virginia, June 28, I836. The name of yf>x)1t~ IJames Madison is inseparably con-,/t90g1 nected with most of the important llI/ )W events in that heroic period of our country during which the founda~ tions of this great republic were laid. He was the last of the founders ^ of the Constitution of the United States to be called to his eternal, reward. The Madison family were among the early emigrants to the New World, landing upon the shores of the Chesapeake but 15 years after the settlement of Jamestown. The father of,:,James Madison was an opulent planter, residing upon a very fine estate called "Montpelier," Orange Co., Va. The mansion was situated in the midst of scenery highly picturesque and romantic, on the west side of South-west Mountain, at the foot of Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of Jefferson at Monticello. The closest personal and political attachment existed between these illustrious men, from their early youth until death. The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of r8 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey. Here he applied himself to study with the most im prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor of constitution. He graduated in 177 1, with a feeble body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning which embellished and gave proficiency to his subsequent career. Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of law and a course of extensive and systematic reading. This educational course, the spirit of the times in which he lived, and the society with which he associated, all combined to inspire him with a strong love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of mind, and his frail health leading him to think that his life was not to be long, he directed especial attention to theological studies. Endowed with a mind singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed all the arguments for and against revealed religion, until his faith became so established as never to be shaken. In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to frame the constitution of the State. The next year (I 777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly. He refused to treat the whisky-loving voters, and consequently lost his election; but those who had witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf, and he was appointed to the Executive Council. Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained member of the Council; and their appreciation of his [J m.bmk-I I I I31- I I obo-ag —O" _ — _.. 1 -. _1_ _11_11 ~_~ -~ ---~-~1^-~~~ ---~1II_ — ^1 —slll — --- I %)LAkohll --- —----- l rrI - - CIIL - -~ — I- " 0II ~~- - -— llld~L - 1P~6-~ II 32 fAM4S M intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year 178o, he was elected a member of the Continental Congress. Here he met the most illustrious men in our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of the most conspicuous positions among them. For three years Mr. Madison continued in Congress, one of its most active and influential members. In the year 1784, his term having expired, he was elected a member of the Virginia Legislature. No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no national government, with no power to form treaties which would be binding, or to enforce law. There was not any State more prominent than Virginia in the declaration, that an efficient national government must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison carried a resolution through the General Assembly of Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commissioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss this subject. Five States only were represented. The convention, however, issued another call, drawn up by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft a Constitution for the United States, to take the place of that Confederate League. The delegates met at the time appointed. Every State but Rhode Island was represented. George Washington was chosen president of the convention; and the present Constitution of the United States was then and there formed. There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more active in framing this immortal document than the mind and the pen of James Madison. The Constitution, adopted by a vote 8 to 79, was to be presented to the several States for acceptance. But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected we should be left but a conglomeration of independent States, with but little power at home and little respect abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by the convention to draw up an address to the people of the United States, expounding the principles of the Constitution, and urging its adoption. There was great opposition to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and went into effect in 1789. Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Representatives in the first Congress, and soon became the avowed leader of the Republican party. While in New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. Todd, a young widow of remarkable power of fascination, whom he married. She was in person and character queenly, and probably no lady has thus far occupied so prominent a position in the very peculiar society which has constituted our republican court as Mrs. Madison. Mr. Madison served as Secretaryof State under Jefferson, and at the close of his administration was chosen President. At this time the encroachments of England had brought us to the verge of war. YADISON. British orders in council destioyed our commerce, and our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood boil, even now, to think of an American ship brought to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser. A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchalance he selects any number whom he may please to designate as British subjects; orders them down the ship's side into his boat; and places them on the gundeck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the battles of England. This right of search and impressment, no efforts of our Government could induce the British cabinet to relinquish. On the I8th of June, 1812, President Madison gave his approval to an act of Congress declaring war against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the bitter hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country in general approved; and Mr. Madison, on the 4th of March, I813, was re-elected by a large majority, and entered upon his second term of office. This is not the place to describe the various adventures of this war on the land and on the water. Our infant navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grappling with the most formidable power which ever swept the seas. The contest commenced in earnest by the appearance of a British fleet, early in Februaiy, 1813, in Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole coast of the United States under blockade. The Emperor of Russia offered his services as me ditator. America accepted; England refused. A British force of five thousand men landed on the banks of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into Chesapeake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladensburg, upon Washington. Tile straggling little city of Washington was thrown into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflict at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the metropolis. The whole population fled from the city. The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the White House, with her carriage drawn up at the door to await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers in a council of war. fHe met our troops utterly routed, and he could not go back without danger of being captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in Washington were in flames. The war closed after two years of fighting, and on Feb. 13, I8 I, the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent. On the 4th of March, i817, his second term of office expired, and he resigned the Presidential chair to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his l;eautiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the remainder of his days. On June 28, 1836, then at the age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madison died July I2, I849. A -..a a mbw-401 — -01-111-1-1 911 -— 101, a -1 I I ODWr-4-1BBI o _ 1 I wS b — I )E —.A -bl~~lrc3 11P~ Illlr~"lllPZPTH PASD r 35 b PIPTTFt PXRASIDENS: 35 -; ---; —. *T,.c.-.-.a — [ I-T i AMES MONROE, the fifth. $] | k i Presidentof The United States, 4X J 'gPI: I: K I was born in Westmoreland Co., o D:. jx ^ Va., April 28, i758. His early (I_.j'l ^. life was passed at the place of ~ ~ ij /'~ nativity. His ancestors had for e * n i) many years resided in the provi ince in which he was born. When, [lBi] l tat I7 years of age, in the process 7 A'T2~~ of completing his education at ' William and Mary College, the Coi lonial Congress assembled at Philadelphia to deliberate upon the unjust and manifold oppressions of Great Britian, declared the separation of the Colonies, and promulgated the Declaration of Indelendence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly prolable that he would have been one of the signers of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left school and enlisted among the patriots. He joined the army when everything looked hopeless and gloomy. The number of deserters increased from day to day. The invading armies came pouring in; and the tories not only favored the cause of the mother country, but disheartened the new recruits, who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of contending with an enemy whom they had been taught to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through difficulty and danger, the United States owe their p)olitical emancipation. The young cadet joined the ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured country, with a firm determination to live or die with her strife for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the melancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and White Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled before its foes through New Jersey. In four months after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charging upon the enemy he received a wound in the left shoulder. As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was promoted a captain of infantry; and, having recovered from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the campaigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued aid-de-camp; but becoming desirous to regain his position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however, entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; but on the invasions of the enemy, served as a volunteer, during the two years of his legal pursuits. In 1782, he was elected from King George county, a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive Council. He was thus honored with the confidence of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age; and having at this early period displayed some of that ability and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards employed with unremitting energy for the public good, i j I i i i i i. 0. Wqm'"-1 "*l- MPIPIIIllllrr ICellr eIC - 111111, 4 I4 01 0 I --- - _ IN ff r 1 lrLII - 1 ~ ~I — ~ - C- III I obw-~-rl -M — 81140 + vIJ"- a s 36 JAMESL~ MONROOER. ai,6 _AE MONO - = he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of the Congress of the United States. Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of the old confederacy, he was opposed to the new Constitution, thinking, with many others of the Republican party, that it gave too much power to the Central Government, and not enough to the individual States. Still he retained the esteem of his friends who were its warm supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member of the United States Senate; which office he held for four years. Every month the line of distinction between the two great parties which divided the nation, the Federal and the Republican, was growing more distinct. The two prominent ideas which now separated them were, that the Republican party was in sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a strict construction of the Constitution as to give the Central Government as little power, and the State Governments as much power, as the Constitution would warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England, and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Constitution, which would give as much power to the Central Government as that document could possibly authorize. The leading Federalists and Republicans were alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the good of the nation. Two more honest men or more pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In building up this majestic nation, which is destined to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the combination of their antagonism was needed to create the light equilibrium. And yet each in his day was denounced as almost a demon. Washington was then President. England had espoused the cause of the Bourbons against the principles of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn into the conflict. We were feeble and far away. Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality between these contending powers. France had helped us in the struggle for our liberties. All the despotisms of Europe were now combined to prevent the French from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse than that which we had endured Col. Monroe, more magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous and noble nature. He violently opposed the President's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in magnanimity. Washington, who could appreciate such a character, developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness, by appointing that very James Monroe, who was denouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr. Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention in France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations. I _ _____._. -, Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. Monroe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the office for three yeais. He was again sent to F rance to co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining the vast territory then known as the Province of Louisiana, which France had but shortly before obtained from Spain. Tneir united efforts were successful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteen millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans and district of Louisiana were added to the United States. This was probably the largest transfer of real estate which was ever made in all the history of the world. From France Mr. Monroe went to England to obtain from that country some recognition of our rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those odious impressments of our seamen. but England was unrelenting. He again returned to England on the same mission, but could receive no redress. He returned to his home and was again chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned to accept the position of Secretary of State under Madison. While in this office war with England was declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during these trying times, the duties of the War Department were also put upon him. He was truly the armorbearer of President Madison, and the most efficient business man in his cabinet. Upon the return of peace he resigned the Department of War, but continued in the office of Secretary of State until the exl)iration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the election held the previous autumn Mr. Monroe himself had been chosen President with but little opposition, and upon March 4, 18i7, was inaugurated. Four yeais later he was elected for a second term. Among the important measures of his Presidency were the cession of Florida to the United States; the Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine." This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe doctrine," was enunciated by him in 1823. At that time the United States had recognized the independence of the South American states, and did not w ish to have European powers longer attempting to sub. due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine is as follows: "That we should consider any attempt on the part of European powers to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety," and "that we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing or controlling American governnents or provinces in any other light than as a manifestation by European powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States." This doctrine immediately affected the course of foreign governments, and has become the approved sentiment of the United States. At the end of his second term Mr. Monroe retired to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830, when he went to New York to live with his son-inlaw. In that city he died,on the 4th of July, I831.,ft emp-i I i o p —= Ill _, Il ill ~ r " I - ~ - I' I I -w — II I I — ww -, ---- ________ L I tg,,Q, t4L~ _XI 1__~ --- —— ~II^-~~-~~~-~-~~~I _ __ - -4k: _ r.c-_r -lrr — liaII'5 IIw o — SIX TH PRESIDENIT. 39,, l - \ OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the '1 I$ 1 z ssixth President of the United, l"/$ I^ 11S RStates, was born in the rural home of his honored father. Y(jI)J J0,John Adams, in Quincy, Mass., on the I th cf July, 767. His — )I mother, a woman of exalted X ', worth, watched over his childhood during the almost constant abi 0~g) I|sence of his father. When but eight years of age, he stood with 7a?/ x. his mother on an eminence, listen^l / ing to the booming of the great battile on Bunker's Hill, and gazing on upon the smoke and flames billow) ing up from the conflagration of Charlestown. When but eleven years old he took a tearful adieu of his mother, to sail with his father for Europe, through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. The bright, animated boy spent a year and a half in Paiis, where hiis father was associated with Franklin and Lee as minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted the notice of these distinguished men, and he received from them flattering marks of attention. Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again John Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he applied himself with great diligence, for six months, to study; then accompained his father to Holland, where he entered, first a school in Amsterdam, then the University at Leyden. About a year from this time, in 1781, when the manly boy was but fourteen years of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our minister to the Russian court, as his private secretary. In this school of incessant labor and of enobling culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned to Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the winter, when in his sixteenth year. Aaain he resumed his studies, under a private tutor, at Hague. Thence, in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father to Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance with the most distinguished men on the Continent; examining architectural remains, galleries of laintings, and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again became associated with the most illustrious imen of all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal themes which can engross the human mind. After a short visit to England he returned to Paris, and consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785, when he returned to America. To a brilliant young man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world, and who was familiar with the etiquette of courts, a residence with his father in London, under such circumstances, must have been extremely attractive; but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he preferred to return to America to complete his education in an American college. He wished then to study law, that with an honorable profession, he might be able to obtain an independent support. Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty, he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, being then but twenty-seven years of age, he was appointed by Washington, resident minister at the Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached London in October, where he was immediately admitted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney, assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with Gieat Britian. After thus spending a fortnight in London, he proceeded to the Hague. In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal, upon arriving in London, he met with despatches directing him to the court of Berlin, but requesting him to remain in London until he should receive his instructions. While waiting he was married to an American lady to whom he had been previously engaged, —M ss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London; a lady endownd with that beauty and those accomplishment which eminently fitted her to move in the elevated sphere for which she was destined. _r F I) eb 1l -,ads r-lqww -o - I I! I 1 I" 1 -46 ~I - r ~~I I I - - I- r Z-$ II —^ --- l 40 - ll JOHN( QUINCY ADAMS. *'~Y He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797; where he remained until July, 1799, when, having fulfilled all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his recall. Soon after his return, in I802, he was chosen to the Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then was elected Senator of the United States for six years, from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his ability and his experience, placed him immediately among the most prominent and influential members of that body. Especially did he sustain the Government in its measures of resistance to the encroachments of England, destroying our commerce and insulting our flag. There was no man in America more familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon these points, and no one more resolved to present a firm resistance. In I809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Presidential chair, and he immediately nominated John Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resigning his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked at Boston, in August, I809. While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense student. He devoted his attention to the language and history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the European system of weights, measures, and coins; to the climate and astronomical observations; while he kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found. All through life the Bible constituted an important part of his studies. It was his rule to read five chapters every day. On the 4th of March, I817, Mr. Monroe took the Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr. Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his numerous friends in public and private life in Europe, he sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On the I8th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Monroe's administration, Mr. Adams continued Secretary of State. Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second term of office, new candidates began to be presented for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought forward his name. It was an exciting campaign. Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson received ninety nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four; William H. Crawford, forty-one; Henry Clay, thirtyseven. As there was no choice by the people, the question went to the House of Representatives. Mr. Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and he was elected. The friends of all the disappointed candidates now combined in a venomous and persistent assault upon Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in the past history of our country than the abuse which was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was an administration more pure in principles, more conscientiously devoted to the best interests of the country, than that of John Quincy Adams; and never, perhaps, was there an administration more unscrupulously and outrageously assailed. Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, abstemious and temperate in his habits; always rising early, and taking much exercise. When at his home in Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast. seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his own fire and applying himself to work in his library often long before dawn. On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice President. The slavery question now began to assume portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with unabated zeal. But he was not long permitted to remain in retirement. In November, I830, he was elected representative to Congress. For seventeen years, until his death, he occupied the post as representative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of "the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in the House, he announced that he should hold himself bound to no party. Probably there never was a member more devoted to his duties. He was usually the first in his place in the morning, and the last to leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. T'he battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against the proslavery party in the Government, was sublime in its moral daring and heroism. For persisting in presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he was threatened with indictment by the grand jury, with expulsion from the House, with assassination' but no threats could intimidate him, and his final triumph was complete. It has been said of President Adams, that when his body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little child, he was accustomed to repeat every night, before he slept, the prayer which his mother taught him in his infant years. On the 21st of February, I848, he rose on the floor of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paralysis, and was caught in the arms of those around him. For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving consciousness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and said " This is the endaof earth;"then after a moment's pause he added, "I am content." These were the last words of the grand " Old Man Eloquent." I elec 1 II, ~r ~-11 1 311 e ~ ~ ~q I ~ - i I, -.-II 9 F.., J 4 4' ii )II_ W -44* Mill"', ml, I,-IINNI -II,II, I, 11smmb SE VENTT PRESILDEJNT 43 6~6 -,~T~,_1' "~ c~LCe^-^(^,j^ ^^^^^^^s'^^^^?ei^' Adt. p ' NDREW JACKSON, the seventh President of the I"F= ^i United States, was born in '71 [ ARM) Waxhaw settlement, N. (.,,7^^^^^^" March 15, 1767, a few days after his father's death. His 2 parents were poor emigrants vT lj 1 from Ireland, and took up. ii.i their abode in Waxhaw set1TII tlement, where they lived in deepest poverty. (l, ll Andrew, or Andy, as he was universally called, grew up a very i rough, rude, turbulent boy. His features were coarse, his form ungainly; and there was but very little in his character, made visible, which was attractive. When only thirteen years old he joined the volunteers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 78I, he and his brother Robert were captured and imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of the dauntless boy. The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fearful gashes,-one on the hand and the other upon the head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert with the same demand. He also refused, and received a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite disabled him, and which probably soon after caused his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their mother was successful in obtaining their exchange, and took her sick boys home. After a long illness Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon left him entirely friendless. Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, gave more attention to the wild amusements of the times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of which Tennessee was then a part. This involved many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish witn the Sharp Knife. In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who supposed herself divorced from her former husband. Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later, to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage ceremony was performed a second time, but the occurrence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr. Jackson into disfavor. During these years he worked hard at his profession, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was especially disgraceful. In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a constitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates. The new State was entitled to but one member in the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jackson was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its I i I I I I 4 I -.MBg — m" 'U1 1 - l~~~~a8 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ II I - I~~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~C~- 1~~~~~~~~3L ~~I ~*l. 4 i t I 1IHo I lilt I — o 44 ANDRRE W JACKSON. --------— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-` —~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ sessions,-a distance of about eight hundred miles. Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Democratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose second term of office was then expiring, delivered his last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson did not approve of the address, and was one of the twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been ' wise, firm and patriotic." Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court of his State, which position he held f;r six years. When the war of I812 with Great Britian commenced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who would do credit to a commission if one were conferred upon him. Just at that time (en. Jackson offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops were assembled at Nashville. As the British were hourly expected to make an attack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was in command, he was ordered to descend the river with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The expedition reached Natchez; and after a delay of several weeks there, without accomplishing anything, the men were ordered back to their homes. But the energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him golden opinions; and he.became the most popular man in the State. It was in this expedition that his toughness gave him the nickname of" Old Hickory." Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col. Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged, he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the Indians, who had combined under 'Iecumseh from Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white settlers, were committing the most awful ravages. Decisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assistance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama. The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, near the center of Alabama, about fifty niles below Fort Strother. With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1814. The bend of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breastwork of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, with an amp)le suply of arms were assembled. The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly desperate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When bleeding and dying, they would fight those who endeavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morning until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred warrios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam the river and escaped. This ended the war. The power of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold plunge into the wilderness, with its terriffic slaughter, so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants of the bands camie to the camp, begging for peace. This closing of the Creek war enabled us to concentrate all our militia upon the British, who were the allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he was appointed major-general. Late in August, with an army of two thousand men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to Mobile. A British fleet came froin Pensacola, landed a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, and from both ship and shore commenced a furious assault. The battle was long and doubtful. At length one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired. Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued, was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his troops, which numbered about four thousand men, won a signal victory over the British army of about nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the loss of the British was two thousand six hundred. The name of G(en. Jackson soon began to be mentioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1824, he was defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however, successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he assumed the reins of the government, he met with the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of her death he never recovered. His administration was one of the most memorable in the annals of our country; applauded by one party, condemned by the other. No man had more bitter enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where he died Tune 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jackson's life were that of a devoted Christian man. I It I Ohl L)II~ II 1 6 gill-II: I1 1 II --- -— L I1 1 *00 ----~ —~a- m-44"B*L~Bt 4 —;- adverse,2 Abk- — g_,A —.do 1111010111,1 q1~91111113~ W 1"s11111111 EIGHTH PRESIDENT. 47 'II am liqrirI Innar on. II ^@>^g^^^^^^^' W 4&-Y > "."./"r/ ARTIN VAN BUREN, the Ii~~lV eiegehth President of the United States, was born at g~ gi; ^ 1 Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5, '~l ~L fI1782. He died at the same place, July 24, i862. His )} '\, body rests in the cemetery at Kinderhook. Above it is, a plain granite shaft fifteen feet high, bearing a simple inscription Iabout half way up on one face. The lot is unfenced, unbordered or unbounded by shrub or flower. There is but little in the life of Martin Van Buren of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in political and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those incidents which give zest to biography. His ancestors, as his name indicates, were of )Dutch origin, and were among the earliest emigrants from Holland to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer, residing in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intelligence and exemplary piety. He was decidedly a precocious boy, developing unusual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies in his native village, and commenced the study of law.. As he had not a collegiate education, seven years of study in a law-office were required of him before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with a lofty ambition, and conscious of his powers, he pursued his studies with indefatigable industry. After bspending six years in an office in his native village, he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his studies for the seventh year. In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of age, commenced the practice of law in his native village. The great conflict between the Federal and Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had, perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the many discussions which had been carried on in his father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the cause of State Rights; though at that time the Federal party held the. supremacy both in his town and State. His success and increasing ruputation led him after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, th:; county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years; constantly gaining strength by contending in the, courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned the bar of his State. Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mi. Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short years she sank into the grave, the victim of consumption, leaving her husband and four sons to weep over her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record of those years is larren in items of public interest. In 18I2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1815, he was appointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved to Albany, the capital of the State. While he was acknowledged as one of the most prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had I I. -, 21 -~lr~rr~-~-rr II I ---,~, II I — ~r~r~3llllllllt- ~ -1_I - lE ---.P-lw- -W - I-e-~-................ _ r _______________________l______l_ g 4 MP _ i -I mab. — - ol e I I I I( 48.M ARTIN V. the moral courage to avow that true democracy did not require that "universal suffrage" which admits the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of governing the State. In true consistency with his democratic principles, he contended that, while the path leading to the privilege of voting should be open to every man without distinction, no one should be invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue and some property interests in the welfare of the State. In 1821 he was elected a member of the United States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat in the convention to revise the constitution of his native State. His course in this convention secured the approval of men of all parties. No one could doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the interests of all classes in the community. In the Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a conspicuous position as an active and useful legislator. In I827, John Quincy Adams being then in the Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to, the Senate. He had been from the beginning a determined opposer of the Administration, adopting the "State Rights" view in opposition to what was deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governorof the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United States contributed so much towards ejecting John Q. Adams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was regarded throughout the United States as one of the most skillful, sagacious and cunning of politicians. It was supposed that no one knew so well as he how to touch the secret springs of action; how to pull all the wires to put his machinery in motion; and how to organize a political army which would, secretly and stealthily accomplish the most gigantic results. By these powers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams, Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which few thought then could be accomplished. When Andrew Jackson was elected President he appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This position he resigned in 183I, anid was immediately appointed Minister to England, where he went the same auttumn. The Senate, however, when it met, refused to ratify the nomination, and he returned AN' B UREN. t I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ --- —-- I home, apparently untroubled; was nominated Vice President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election of President Jackson; and with smiles for all and frowns for none, he took his place at the head of that Senate which had refused to confirm his nomination as ambassador. His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favorite; and this, probably more than any other cause, secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Executive. On the 20th of May, I836, Mr. Van Buren received the Democratic nomination to succeed Gen. Jackson as President of the United States. He was elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of the retiring President. " Leaving New York out of the canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Van Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gen. Jackson as though the Constitution had conferred upon him the power to appoint a successor." His administration was filled with exciting events. The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in volve this country in war with England, the agitation of the slavery question, and finally the great commercial panic which spread over the country, all were trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was attributed to the management of the Democratic party, and brought the President into such disfavor that he failed of re-election. With the exception of being nominated for the Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats, in I848, Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until his death. He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habits, and living within his income, had now fortunately a competence for his declining years. His unblemished character, his commanding abilities, his unquestioned patriotism, and the distinguished positions which he had occupied in the government of our country, secured to him not only the homage of his party, but the respect ot the whole community. It was on the 4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired from the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwald, he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics of the country. From this time until his death, on the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty years, he resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy old age, probably far more happiness than he had before experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active life. rc-~~~~4 t -- I- -- ~"~~~~~~~~~~~~~" ' -— ~~~~ - -" — -0~c~1 m""b""l cc-~-, bb11 1 4 I 00 ,t,/, /q — ,L - g11o a..-Ii -qp — T'. -v. y" -P NINTH PRESIDNi:INT. j to\)g W-UL-LI AM HENRY RS1 m ef Ae 3 ga, l - - >/,'1 Sl!i~g4 1 Si I I v77% — R. — ~~~~~~s~~~~~~t/ ~ ' Xi o k~T^ ILLIAM HENRY HARRI^ }^ ^J^ SON, the ninth President of at%1 ffiMS the United States, was born at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773. His father, Benjamin Harri/ son, was in comparatively op'\ _] ulent circumstances, and was one of the most distinguished lU'! men of his day. He was an 1 intimate friend of George f1:@1 I1 C, Washington, as as early elected g1 9. 1 a member of the Continental i!,Congress, and was conspicuous among the patriots of Virginia in resisting the encroachments of the British crown. In the celebrated lr,/ Congress of I775, Benjamin Harrison and John Hancock were b1 both candidates for the office of ai olt1 speaker. 'Mr Harrison was subsequently chosen Governor of Virginia, and was twice re-elected. His son, William Henry, of course enjoyed in childhood all the advantages which wealth and intellectual and cultivated society could give. Having received a thorough common-school education, he entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated with honor soon after the death of his father. He then repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine under the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, signers of the Declaration of Independence. Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and notwithstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi__d1L dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old. From that time he passed gradually upward in rank until lie became aid to General Wayne, after whose death he resigned his commission. He was then appointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This Territory was then entitled to but one member in Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that position. In the spring of i8oo the North-western Territory was divided by Congress into two portions. The eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced in the State of Ohio, was called "'The Territory north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." William Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was appointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was invested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now rapidly increasing white population. The ability and fidelity with which he discharged these responsible duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four times appointed to this office-first by John Adams, twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by President Madison. Whenhe began his adminstration there were but three white settlements in that almost boundless region, now crowded with cities and resounding with all the tumult of wealth and traffic. One of these settlements was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville; one at Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French settlement. The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. About I i.5 liplook- - "L_ —L —~ ---- ---— C I I ---- ---------------— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — ~~~~~~ L A owp " I I! r PC^ __~ ----~~ ----~.~-~1.. _. -— ~X; ~ I-~-~1~(_1~_1~ L 52 WILLIAM HENR Y HARRISON. --- ---- the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers, of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of these was called Tecumseh, or "The Crouching Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet." Tecumseh was not only an Incian warrior, but a man of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomitable perseverance in any enterprise in which he might engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, and had long regarded with dread and with hatred the encroachment of the whites upon the huntinggrounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was a n orator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which they dwelt. But the Prophet was not merely an orator: he was, in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent by the Great Spirit. Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippecanoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. October 28, I812, his army began its march. When near the Prophet's town three Indlans of rank made their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harrison was approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a short conference, arrangements were made for a meeting the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with the Indian character to be deceived by such protestations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's encampment, he took every precaution against surprise. His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept upon their arms. The troops threw themselves upon the ground for rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversation with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possible, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all the desperation which superstition and passion most highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the little army. The savages had been amply provided with guns and ammunition by the English. Their 'var-whoop was accompained by a shower of bullets. The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the light aided the Indians in their aim. With hideDus yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them until day dawned: they then made a simultaneous charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing before them, and completely routing tb* foe. Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked to the utmost. The British descending from the Canadas, were of themselves a very formidable force; but with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from the forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burning, llundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier was plunged into a state of consternation which even the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive. The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagration of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit. Under these despairing circumstances, Gov. Harrison was appointed by President Madison conmmander-inchief of the North-western army, with orders to retake Detroit, and to protect the frontiers. It would be difficult to place a man in a situation demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but General Harrison was found equal to the position, and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re. sponsibilities. He won the love of his soldiers by always sharing with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while pursuing the foe up the Thames, was earned in a valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five British officers, his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle. The only fare he could give them was beef roasted before the fire, without bread or salt. In I8I6, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of the National House of Representatives, to represent the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested the attention of all the members. In I819, Harrison was elected to the Senate of Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electors of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The same year he was chosen to the. United States Senate. In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him forward as a candidate for the Presidency against Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nominated by his party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency. The contest was very animated. Gen Jackson gave all his influence to prevent Harrison's election; but his triumph was signal. The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Welster at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most brilliant with which any President had ever been surrounded. Never were the prospects of an administration more flattering, or the hopes of the country more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison was seized by a pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sickness, died on the 4th of April; just one month after his inauguration as President of the United States, I 5 —Ndks~ -R )Zd L -"Wr, s "_ -A -~ --- —------------------------- FT ---- - -1kh _vqr I I I -1 I A II I Ii I i I I i:i i, iI iI ei i r ~klcll~q~blse311111)11llllllllllll -C-I _ _-r _ — _-1 C- ~iIB~IC-~ LBWCI -- -— I I- - - -- o bo. TENTHT~ PRESIDENTT 55. 55;" i~, AOHN TYLER, the tenth aI I::, Presidentof the United States. Jll Jr He was born in Charles-city Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He was the favored child of affluence and high social position. At the early age of 0 1 1 ] twelve, John entered William e.* i~ and Mary College and graduated with much honor when but seventeen years old. After 1 graduating, he devoted him[ ] 2 self with great assiduity to the I study of law, partly with his ^^'& father and partly with Edmund Randolph, one of the most distini? ' guished lawyers of Virginia. At nineteen years of age, tie commenced the practice of law. o His success was rapid and astoni 'ishing. It is said that three months had not elapsed ere there was scarcely a case on the docket of the court in which he was not retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he was almost unanimously elected to a seat in the State Iegislature. He connected himself with the Democratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the unanimous vote or his county. When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected a memberof Congress. Here he acted earnestly and ably with the Democratic party, opposing a national bank, internal improvements by the General Govern. ment, a protective tariff, and advocating a strict construction of the Constitution, and the most careful vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress were so arduous that before the close of his second term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He, however, soon after consented to take his seat in the State Legislature, where his influence was powerful in promoting public works of great utility. With a reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen by a very large majority of votes, Governor of his native State. His administration was signally a successful one. His popularity secured his re-election. John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the United States. A portion of the Democratic party was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course, and brought forward John Tyler as his opponent, considering him the only man in Virginia of sufficient popularity to succeed against the renowned orator of Roanoke..Mr. Tiler was the victor. In accordance with his professions, upon taking his seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposition. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and voted against the bank as unconstitutional; he strenuously opposed all restrictions upon slavery, resisting all projects of internal improvements by the General Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr. Calhoun's view of nullification; he declared that Gen. Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had abandoned the piinciples of the Democratic party. Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress,-a record in perfect accordance with the principles which he had always avowed. Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of his profession. There was a cplit in the Dernocratic, ii i i I i i i I i i i i i I I i i I i i i i i Ii I I I I I I i f I I B.WAR -a '" 1^ -I { F --- - -- II I I - — 1 31 I~ II Ip r ~~J 7 - - ilW -- M1- -q11 _-I - _ - '-_mo11- r I II Ii 11 r1 L 56 JOHN TYLER. I party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jeffersonian, gave him a dinner, and showered compliinents upon him. He had now attained the age of forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In consequence of his devotion to public busiiress, his private affairs had fallen into some disorder; and it was not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his ulantation. Soon after this he relmoved to Williamsburg, for the better education of his children; and he again took his seat in the Legislature ot Virginia. By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in I839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Harrison, a genuine Whig, much to the disappointment of the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To conciliate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice President. It was well known that he was not in sympathy with the Whig party in the No:th: but the Vice President has but very little power in the Government, his main and almost only duty being to preside over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it happened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a Democratic Vice President were chosen. In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice President of the United States. In one short month from that time, President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler thus found himself, to his own surprise and that of the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential chair. This was a new test of the stability of our institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our country that such an event had occured. Mr. Tyler was at home in Williamsburg when he received the unexpected tidings of the death of President Harrison. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of April was inaugurated to the high and responsible office. He was placed in a position of exceeding delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been opposed to the main principles of the party which had brought hin into power. He had ever been a consistent, honest man, with an unblemished record. Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should he retain them, and thus surround himself with counsellors whose views were antagonistic to his own? or, on the other hand, should he turn against the party which had elected him and select a cabinet in harmony with himself, and which would oppose all those views which the Whigs deemed essential to the public welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He invited the cabinet which President Harrison had selected to retain their seats. He reccommended a day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and bless us. The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the incorporation of a fiscal bank of the United States. The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with his veto. He suggested, however, that he,tould approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval. It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture. I is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this measture by a published letter from the Hon. John M. Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely touched the pride of the President. The opposition now exultingly received the President into their arms. The party which elected him denounced him bitterly. All the members of his cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a meeting and issued an address to the people of the United States, proclaiming that all political alliance between the Whigs and President Tyler were at an end. Still the President attempted to conciliate. He appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs and Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign, forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administration passed sadly away. No one was satisfied. The land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. Whigs and Democrats alike assailed him. More and more, however, he brought himself into sympathy with his old friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his term, he gave his whole influence to the support of Mr. Polk, the Democratie candidate for his successor. On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from the harassments of office, to the regret of neither party, and probably to his own unspeakable relief. His first wife, Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842; and in June, I844, President Tyler was again married, at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lady of many personal and intellectual accomplishments. The remainder of his days.Mr. Tyler passed mainly in retirement at his beautiful home,-Sherwood Forest, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in his manners, richly furnished with information from books and experience in the world, and possessing brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was the scene of unusual attractions. With sufficient means for the exercise of a generous hospitality, he might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few friends who gathered around him, were it not for the storms of civil war which his own principles and policy had helped to introduce. When the great Rebellion rose, which the Staterights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Calhoun had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confederates. He was chosen a member of their Congress; and while engaged in active measures to destroy, by force of arms, the Government over which he had once presided, he was taken sick and soon died, I p Brad* U 14 (t Obo ~I~II~~ I ~~ I1 II I 0 -~ II I ~ I 1rC- - IF _ — PT --- -— I' --- ~ ----— ~~-~ 1 --- —111111 --- -11 --- —~ `- ---II-~ ~r-~- ---— _~-II-_I _. _ I ^A I L., i I Qco ~-Z 'I* - 9 L — m P L E 17L," 2V Tlj' P.R E SID L" N 1'. 59.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.S.. X X AMES K. POLK, the eleventh ~(.7:\^~ I [ President of the United States, was born in Mecklenburg Co., r^ B y~ N. C., Nov. 2, I795. His par@ ~ ~;ents were Samuel and Jane,^. I / ((Knox) Polk, the former a son ~ ~~~ eof Col. Thomas Polk, who located at the above place, as one of the tfirst pioneers, in 1735. In the y'ear io06, with his wife and children, and soon after followed by most of the members of t[ the Polk farnly, Samuel Polk emi/ij grated some two or three hundred '?)U miles farther west, to the rich valley of the D)uck River. Here in the midst of the wilderness, in a region o 2 which was subsequently called Mauli? - ry Co., they reared their log huts, [' and established their homes. In the hard toil of a new farm in the wil- derness, James K. Polk spent the early years of his childhood and youth. His father, adding the pursuit of a surveyor to that of a farmer, gradually increased in wealth until he became one of the leading men of the region. His mother was a superior woman, of strong common sense and earnest piety. Very early in life, James developed a taste for reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain a liberal education. His mother's training had made hiin methodical in his habits, had taught him punctuality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty principles of morality. His health was frail; and his father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits. This was to James a bitter disappointment. He had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half years, in the autumn of i815, entered the sophomore class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious service. He graduated in i8I8, with the highest honors, being deemed the best scholar of his class, both in mathematics and the classics. He was then twentythree years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this time much impaired by the assiduity with which he had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the office of Felix G(-rndy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few miles from Nashville. They had probably been slightly acquainted before. Mr. Polk's fatther was a Jeffersonian Republican, and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same political faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was constantly called upon to address the meetings of his party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stump. He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and m saboll r zrI.N-r bm-~~ I ~ I ~C-m__ L '1 -; — 1 - I --- -— `--"sl DI. ' 0 oqo- on~c ---- __ ---— IC~LI-~LC-IIC — ~ _ (1 III 11~-1 1:I r I-k-%Wda A 119 6o JAMES K. POLK. - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~"~~~~ courteous in his bearing, and with that sympathetic nature in the joy s and griefs of others which ever gave him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his strong influence towards the election of his friend, Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States. In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was altogether worthy of him,-a lady of beauty and culture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was continued in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew, only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was always in his seat, always courteous; and whenever he spoke it was always to the point, and without any ambitious rhetorical display. During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was Speaker of the House, Strong passions were roused, and stormy scenes were witnessed; but Mr. Polk performed his arduous duties to a very general satisfaction, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of March, I839. In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was elected by a large majority, and on the i4th of October, 1839, took the oath ofoffice at Nashville. In I841, his term of office expired, and he was again the candidate of the Democratic party, but was defeated. On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugurated President of the United States. The verdict of the country in favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted its influence upon Congress; and the last act of the administration of President Tyler was to affix his signature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and left the country, declaring the act of the annexation to be an act hostile to Mexico. In his first message, President Polk urged that Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be received into the Union on the same footing with the other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande, where he erected batteries which commanded the Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on the western banks. The anticipated collision soon took place, and war was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first called one of "observation,' then of "occupation," then of " invasion,"was sent forward to Monterey. The feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement alone can reveal the misery which this war caused. It was by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration that the war was brought on. 'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands. We now consented to peace upon the condition that Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas, all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower California. This new demand embraced, exclusive of Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen majestic States to be added to the Union. There were some Americans who thought it all right: there were others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico. On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired from office, having served one term. The next day was Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to the Capitol in the same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same evening, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age. He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits, and his health was good. With an ample fortune, a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years of tranquility and happiness were before him. But the cholera-that fearful scourge-was then sweeping up the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted, and died on the i5th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth year of his age, greatly mourned by his countrymen. ) —AA&.abb m - - II I, I ~~ ~llll~ ~lllllb-L —IL~I-lir~~~- - — L ---------- - -q ~ L I 4~ vo I i II! -_g _ U oq -6 l 0 - k L UWEL-PPH P*l?.SvET.il". 63, i -rr~-~lull-i — --- —---— isruul-P~i --- ~I —~ ---~ —~ ---LI~l111- ~ --- __ 3 a~~A3 Kl V4 0-00,,4 ii,& ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth [l (I' /~ President of the United States, f t.^' i Mwas born on the 24th of Nov., I7 84, in Orange Co., Va. His father, Colonel Taylor, was ~ fid~ a Virginian of note, and a dis^x v< ^ tinguished patriot and soldier of ] the Revolution. When Zachary iV" was an infant, his father with his ~1 ^)], wife and two children, emigrated A )/I /(y to Kentucky, where he settled in i the pathless wilderness, a few miles from Louisville. In this fronti ier home, away from civilization and all its refinements, young Zachary could enjoy but few social and educational advantages. When six years of age he attended a common school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, cather remarkable for bluntness and decision of character He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and manifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight the Indians who were ravaging the frontiers. There is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of his childhood on his father's large but lonely plantation. In I808, his father succeeded in obtaining for him the commission of lieutenant in the United States army; and lie joined the troops which were stationed at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after this he married Miss Margaret Smith, a young lady from one of the first families of Maryland. Immediately after the declaration of war with England, in 1812, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been Iromoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilderness by Gen. Harrison,on his march to Tippecanoe. It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians, led by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of whom were sick. Early in the autumn of I8I2, the Indians, stealthily, and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. Their approach was first indicated by the murder of two soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor made every possible preparation to meet the anticipated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort, waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that in the morning their chief would come to have a talk with him. It was evident that their object was merely to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept them at a distance. The sun went down; the savages disappeared, the garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before midnight the war-whoop burst from a thousand lips in the forest around, followed by the discharge of musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that defeat was not merely death, but in the case of capture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged torture. No pen can describe, no immagination can conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages succeeded in setting fire to one of the block-housesUntil six o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict continued. The savages then, baffled at every point, and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt. Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the rank of major by brevet. Until the close of the war, MajorTaylor was.placed in such situations that he saw but little more of active service. He was sent far away into the depths of the wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one best could. There were no books, no society, no in _1 i I "111*-~ ~ C -c — I Now~111~1 -I~ee II~eell~LC- — II: —~ b-1-L I r - --- —-— "I"-" —,ag.'aLU. Ii ~ i 64 ZACHARY r4 TA LOR. tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part. For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in employments so obscure, that his name was unknown beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance. In the year i836, he was sent to Florida to compel the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and retire beyond the.Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty, had promised they should do. The services rendered here secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet; and soon after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief command of the United States troops in Florida. After two years of such wearisome employment amidst the everglades of the peninsula, Gen. Taylor obtained, at his own request, a change of command, and was stationed over the Department of the Southwest. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue. Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were, from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty imposed upon him. In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over forces much larger than he commanded. His careless habits of dress and his unaffected simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops, the sobriquet of "Old Rough and Ready.' Tiie tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista spread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonderful pol)ularity in bringing forward the unpolished, unlettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the announcement, and for a time would not listen to it; declaring that he was not at all qualified for such an office. So little interest had he taken in politics that, for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen who had been long years in the public service found their claims set aside in behalf of one whose name had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste remarked, "It is a nomination not fit to be made." Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine writer His friends took possession of him, and prepared such few communications as it was needful should be presented to the public. The popularity of the successful warrior swept the land. He was triumphantly elected over two opposing candidates,Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren. Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good old man found himself in a very uncongenial position, and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed. His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party was pushing its claims with tireless energy; expeditions were fitting out to capture Cuba; California was pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found the political conflicts in Washington to be far more trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or Indians. In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor, after he had occupied the Presidential chair but little over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of but little over five days, died on the 9th of July, 1850. His last words were, "I am not afraid to die. I am ready. I have endeavored todo my duty." He died universally respected and beloved. An honest, unpretending man, he had been steadily growing in the affections of the people; and the Nation bitterly lamented his death. Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful description of his character:-" With a good store of common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been enlarged and refreshed by reading, or much converse with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the consequence. The frontiers and small military posts had been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His simplicity was child-like, and with innumeral)le prejudices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable, chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his hat a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an outside pocket,-in any such case, this critic held the offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse), whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase, 'touch with a pair of tongs.' "Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dilworth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short, few imen have ever had a more comfortable, laborsaving contempt for learnirg of every kind." MAN- -~i ~4hl I IL 1 111 ~-~ C IC~,-, - I I I - ~ - ~ I III~C — y-. 9 I ---- " J L I` iP, - I f ~ - I- I --- — I — I I- " ----— s-" --- ---— e of*..I~ ---- II r I- '1 ~ -II I~ II I I ~ ~ 1 L1 W W I T2'IRTEENTH PRE'SIDENT. 67 _ --- —-— I I -,I —; #J T —,, J,1. I MI LIALLARn FILLMflRElR' | ',.~_ ~ml,,.~I~............................. ~,!~.,, n 4 -; F2W/EW 4 X~~~~~~~~~~r~ X l-,r(~ XILLARD FILLMORE, thirI~ I 1 ~1 teenth President of the United t '^States, was born at Summer ":-I-~ ~_ " Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y., on l 'x.' — kthe 7th of January, i800. His Dj i1 ~ father was a farmer, and owe_/ g3ing to misfortune, in humble ciri 1 cumstances. Of his mother, the Q1' 0.; daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, S'X ~of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been }, said that she possessed an intellect of very high order, united with much personal loveliness, sweetness ofdis' position, graceful manners and exquisite sensibilities. She died in 1831; having lived to see her son a young man of distinguished promise, though she was not permitted to witness the high dignity which he finally attained. In consequence of the secluded home and limited means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender advantages for education in his early years. The common schools, which he occasionally attended were very imperfect institutions; and books were scarce and expensive. There was nothing then in his character to indicate the brilliant career upon which he was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy; intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible, and had laid the foundations of an upright character. When fourteen years of age, his father sent him some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. Near the mi'l there was a small villiage, where some -a enterprising man had commenced the collection of a village library. This proved an inestimable blessing to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in reading. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate; and the selections which he made were continually more elevating and instructive. He read history, biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was enkindled in his heart a desire to be something more than a mere worker with his hands; and he was becoming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed, educated man. The young clothier had now attained the age of nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so happened that there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample pecuniary means and of benevolence,-Judge Walter Wood,-who was struck with the prepossessing appearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaintance, and was so much impressed with his ability and attainments that he advised him to abandon his trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The young man replied, that he had no means of his own, no friends to help him and that his previous education had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had so much confidence in hiin that he kindly offered to take him into his own office, and to loan him such money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous offer was accepted. There is in many minds a strange delusion about a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to be liberally educated if he has graduated at some college. But many a boy loiters through university halls end then enters a law office, who is by no means as A L ub m ~ 1 ~ -- -- - — r ---- ~ - ~ ~ II - C m - T -,.M Ob I I r i m i aqo, ebb - W I ~II —II ~ ~ - m- -ia~ -P" 68 AILLAPD FILLMORE. iI well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothingmill at the end of four years of manual labor, during which every leisure moment had been devoted to intense mental culture. In 1823, when twenty-three years of age, he was admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, his practice of course was limited, and there was no opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame. Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station she might be called to fill,-Miss Abigail Powers. His elevation of character, his untiring industry, his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate, gradually attracted attention; and he was invited to enter into partnership under highly advantageous circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829, he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the State of New York, as a representative from Erie County. Though he had never taken a very active part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with the Whig party. The State was then Democratic, and he found himself in a helpless minority in the Legislature, still the testimony comes from all parties, that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very unusual degrte the respect of his associates. In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in the United States Congress. He entered that troubled arena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our national history. The great conflict respecting the national bank and the removal of the deposits, was then raging. His term of two years closed; and he returned to his profession, which he pursued with increasing reputation and success. -After a lapse of two years he again became a candidate for Congress; was reelected, and took his seat in I837. His past experience as a representative gave him strength and confidence. The first term of service in Congress to any man can be but little more than an introduction. He was now prepared for active duty. All his energies were brought to bear upon the plublic good. Every measure received his impress. Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and his popularity filled the State, and in the year I847, he was elected Comptroller of the State. Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very considerable fame. The Whigs were casting about to find suitable candidates for President and Vice-President at the approaching election. Far away, on the waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be proclaimed in tiumpet-tones all over the land. But it was necessary to associate with him on the same ticket some man of reputation as a statesman. Under the influence of these considerations, the names of Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, I849, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States. On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but about one year and four months after his inauguration, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Constitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became President. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of State. Mr. Fillnore had very serious difficulties to contend with, since the opposition had a majority in both Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate the South; but the pro-slavery party in the South felt the inadequacy of all measures of transient conciliation. The population of the free States was so rapidly increasing over that of the slave States that it was inevitable that the power of th\e Government should soon pass into the hands of the free States. The famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr. Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan ExIpedition was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fillmore, having served one term, retired. In I856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Presidency by the "Know Nothing " party, but was beaten by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war, he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that his sympathies were rather with those who were endeavoring to overthrow our institutions. President Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other. He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, i874. r l I Sil OPP-1C" I~ ~I — ~~~~~~~II ~ I II I ~r ~ I~ ~ I ~I~ Ir Il Ir i III~ CIL_ 1-~Ld4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — -— qw - I~ i /72244k 6~f492) C isf r3 ___ __ --- -LIII~C --- —--— f --- — kfpr-.~;-~h-~lllllb~llll~1111~-* 111 — _ -~11 III ~I 1 71 Il=- -~I 1 11 1 1- - - I- -r 1 o " I FOUR TEENTH PRESIDENT. 7 -- - -,- -~ — ~ --- — - Fi FRANKLIN PIERCE.s Q~~~~ hnf~6~rilJ:~~~~~rs( 3~~~ j~~ ~JTF~I (~J~fnJIt, -.&I-til A-14t-t-it., A-C14".*w "+.I icj~n~J~c~~c~~us,~~r~~r I116V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4-C~ RANKLIN PIERCE, the fourteenth President of the? I i IGV SUnited States, was born in Hillsborough, N. H., Nov. 23, I804. His father was a Revolutionary soldier, who,; with his own strong arm,.l hewed out a home in' the ) ~f!t wilderness. He was a man 71fif] of inflexible integrity; of strong, though uncultivated mind, and an uncompromising Democrat. The mother of Franklin Pierce was all that a son could desire,-an intelligent, prudent, affectionate, Christian woman. Franklin was the sixth of eight children. Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, generous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the love of old and young. The boys on the play ground loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors looked upon him with pride and affection. He was by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact which taught him what was agreeable. Without developing any precocity of genius, or any unnatural devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body, in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy. When sixteen years of age, in the year i820, he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me He was one of the most popular young men in the college. The purity of his moral character, the unvarying courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite. There was something very peculiarly winning in his address, and it was evidently not in the slightest degree studied: it was the simple outgushing of his own magnanimous and loving nature. Upon graduating, in the year I824, Franklin Pierce commenced the study of law in the office of Judge Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of the State, and a man of great private worth. Tlhe eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant political career into which Judge Woodbury was entering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the facinating yet perilous path of political life. With all the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen. Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here he served for four years. The last two years he was chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote. In I833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected a member of Congress. Without taking an active part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty, and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom he was associatad. In i837, being then but thirty-three years of age, he was elected to the Senate of the United States; taking his seat just as Mr. Van Baren commenced his administration. He was the youngest memberin the Senate. In the year i834, he married Miss Jane Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accomplishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every station with which her husband was honored. Of the i I i i i i i I I I r E —Al W- -4I - - k-de -4_t I - - wC-II, -- U FRANKLIN PJERCr. A three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with their parents in the grave. In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his residence in Concord, the capital of New Hami)shire. President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous professional engagements at home, and the precariuos state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the same time declined the nomination for governor by the Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, I847. He took an important part in this war, proving himself a brave and true soldier. When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native State, he was received enthusiastically by the advocates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his opponents. He resumed the practice of his profession, very frequently taking an active part in political questions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic party. The compromise measures met cordially with his approval; and he strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infamous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious sensibilities of the North. He thus became distinguished as a "Northern man with Southern principles.'' The strong partisans of slavery in the South consequently regarded him as a man whom they could safely trust in office to carry out their plans. On the I2th of June, I85 2, the Democratic convention met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the Presidency. For four days they continued in session, and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far lhad been thrown for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation brought forward his name. There were fourteen more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with great unanimity. Only four States —Vermont, Massachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee-cast their electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pieice was therefore inaugurated President of the United States cn the 4th of March, j853. His administration proved one of the most stormy our country had ever experienced. The controversy between slavery and freedom was then approaching its culminating point. It became evident that there was an "irrepressible conflict" between them, and that this Nation could not long exist " half slave and half free." President Pierce, during the whole of his administration, did every thing he could to conciliate the South; but it was all in vain. The conflict every year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution of the Union were borne to the North on every South. ern breeze. Such was the condition of affairs when President Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term of office. The North had become thoroughly alienated from him. The anti-slavery sentiment, goaded by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all the intellectual ability and social worth of President Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his administrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also, unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advocated those measures of Government which they approved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. On the 4th of March, I857, President Pierce retired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two had died, and his only surviving child had been killed before his eyes by a railroad accident; and his wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left alone in the world, without wife or child. When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which divided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr. Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to that pro-slavery party with which he had ever been allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Government. He continued to reside in Concord until the time of his death, which occurred in October, I869. He was one of the most genial and social of men, an honored communicant of the Episcopal Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Generous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the alleviation of suffering and want, and many of his townspeople were often gladened by his material bounty. I ~ rII I —.,qqrw -- r -w _ I og: ,L t 11,do, I M-ow III I ~ —I I ~ fi fIIFTEENTH PRESIDENT 751 _ __ _____- w - I lQ,Z. lx 4WONK~ Iriwe nsori~~~~~~epra~~~i~. ~E VI' t-s@ 4 N AMES BUCHANAN, the fif-? ti '~~ l 4f~J|teenth President of the United ^,^ i(gl K Statcs, was born in a small frontier town, at the foot of the eastern ridge of the Allegha\t j nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on <~Xn@ the 23d of April, 179i. The place u( i< where the humble cabin of his,.} father stood was called Stony Batter. It was a wild and romantic spot in a gorge of the mountains, with towering summits rising grandly all around. His father was a native of the north-of Ireland; a poor man, who had emigrated in 1 I783, with little property save his own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, and, with his young bride, pllunged into the wilderness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a clearing with his axe, and settled down there to perform his obscure part in the drama of life. In this secluded home, where James was born, he remained for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual advantages. When James was eight years of age, his father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where his son was placed at school, and commenced a course of study in English, Latin and Greek. His progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de. veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among the first scholars in the institution. His application to study was intense, and yet his native powers en abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with facility. In the year 8Iog, he graduated with the highest honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, and was admitted to the bar in 1812, when he was but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he successfully defended before the State Senate ore of the judges of the State, who was tried upon articles of impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and there was no lawyer in the State who had a more lucrative practice. In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for ten years he remained a member of the Lower House. During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally tried some important case. In 1831, he retired altogether from the toils of his profession, having acquired an ample fortune. Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency, appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The duties of his mission he performed with ability, which gave satisfaction to all parties. Upon his return, in 1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster, Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated the measures proposed by President Jackson, of making repri tI -_m 'm, _. —.ram. wwp-m- 1 - - I- - _ I _ I ~ l~ II ~~ ~ I I -1 --- - --- - -------- --- -----------------------— ~ ----------------- -------- ---- t-, i oblZ ME Ib eo,I u i t. - _ 76 JAMES BUCHANAN. 'I - I! sals against France, to enforce the payment of our claims against that country; and defended the course of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale removal from office of those who were not the supporters of his administration. Upon this question he was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay. He also, with voice and vote, advocated expunging from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits. Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the circulation of anti-slavery documents by the United States mails. As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advocated that they should be respectfully received; and that the reply should be returned, that Congress had no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress," said he, " might as well undertake to interfere with slavery under a foreign government as in any of the States where it now exists." Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such, took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross the Rio Grande into that territory was a declaration of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the account of the course our Government pursued in that movement. Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave. his cordial approval to the compromise measures of I150, which included the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce, upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr. Buchanan with the mission to England. In the year I856, a national Democratic convention nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The political conflict was one of the most severe in which our country has ever engaged. All the friends of slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its restriction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fremont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, received I 14 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 174, and was elected. The popular vote stood 1,340,618, for Fremont, 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On March 4th, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated. Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four years were wanting to fill up his threescore years and ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been allied in political principles and action for years, were seeking the destruction of the Government, that they might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery. in this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly bewildered He could not, with his long-avowed prin ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in their assumptions. As President of the United States, bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws, he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind, unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the republic. He therefore did nothing. The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration nominal ed Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slavery party declared, that if he were elected, and the control of the Government were thus taken from their hands, they would secede from the Union, taking with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of the United States. Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery party was such, that he had been willing to offerthem far more than they had ventured to claim. All the South had professed to ask of the North was nonintervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Buchanan had been ready to offer them the active cooperation of the Government to defend and extend the institution. As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avowing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental imbecility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He declared that Congress had no power to enforce its laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with his hand upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed. " The Union must and shall be preserved!" South Carolina seceded in December, i86o; nearly three months before the inauguration of President Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair. The rebel flag was raised in Charleston; Fort Sumpter was besieged; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals were seized; our depots of military stores were plundered; and our custom-houses and post-offices were appropriated by the rebels. The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, and close the administration, so terrible in its weakness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliverance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the scepter. The administration of Presideht Buchanan was certainly the most calamitous our country has experienced. His best friends cannot recall it with pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his fame, that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion. He died at his Wheatland retreat, June i, I868. ' - I O.- M1J-o * I C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ---- e, <," -0 11 e II t t t i i i 9 I i I i i i i i F i i I i i I I i I \K '-" —"1-11 ---- - - --- —— — — --- 4- I L SIXtEENTHr PRE'SIDENT. 79 U --- —----------— --- —---— BRAHAM LINCOLN, the sixteenth President of the;I e W^^ Uinited States, was born in E l^'I! Hardin Co., Ky., Feb. 12, i)y 1 /i809. About the year 1780, a -i __.e,. man by the name of Abraham Lincoln left Virginia with his / family and moved into the then ilds of Kentucky. Only two years after this emigration, still a young man, while working one day in a field, was stealthily approached by an Indian and shot dead. His widow was left in extreme poverty with five little children, three boys and two girls. Thomas, the youngest of the r boys, was four years of age at his (i) father's death. This Thomas was the father of Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States whose name must henceforth forever be enrolled with the most prominent in the annals of Our world. Of course no record has been kept of the, life of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among the poorest of the poor. His home was a wretched log-cabin; his food the coarsest and the meanest. Education he had none; he could never either read or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for himself, he was compelled to leave the calin of his starving mother, and push out into the world, a friendless, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired himself out, and thus spent the whole of his youth as a laborer in the fields of others. When twenty-eight years of age he built a logcabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emigrants, who had also come from Virginia. Their second child was Abraham Lincoln, the subject of this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel. "All that I am, or hope to be," exclaims the grateful son "I owe to my angel-mother." When he was eight years of age, his father sold his cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana. Where two years later his mother died. Abraham soon became the scribe of the uneducated community around him. He could not have had a better school than this to teach him to put thoughts into words. He also became an eager reader. The books he could obtain were few; but these he read and re-read until they were almost committed to memory. As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was married when a child of but fourteen years of age, and soon died. The'family was gradually scattered. Mr. Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim in 1830, and emigrated to Macon Co., Ill. Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age. With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at this until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when he announced to his father his intention to leave home, and to go out into the world and seek his fortune. Little did he or his friends imagine how brilliant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of education, and was intensely earnest to improve his mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin which ardent spirits were causing, and became strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxicating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in God's word, " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;" and a profane expression he was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a single vice. Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield, where he was employed in building a large flat-boat. In this he took a herd of swine, floated them down the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mississippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham Lincoln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven J 0 "\1 t _^49 qpw — 1 a~~~~~~~~~ll~~~~~~~~~~~~llllllllllL1313~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I 1 lrll 11 II ~ r ~1 r ~ ~ I I I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LL~~~~~~~~~~~ _i _w4 - I 'I -! m6 -Am 000 1 I 1 _-, ~-~llY I 80 __ ABRAHAM LINCOLN. A_ I J!I f ture his employers were so well pleased, that upon his return tney placed a store and mill under his care. In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23 years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew Jackson the appointment of Postmaster of New Salem, His only post-office was his hat. All the letters he received he carried there ready to deliver to those he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon nmade this his business. In 1834 he again became a candidate for the Legislature, and was elected Mr. Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He walked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried then back and began his legal studies. When the Legislature assemlbled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he removed to Springfield and began the practice of law. His success with the jury was so great that he was soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit. In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question. In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, in 1856, he took an active part, and at once became one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the contest in I858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most notable part of his history. The issue was on the slavery question, and he took the broad ground of:he Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this contest, but won a far higher prize. The great Republican Convention met at Chicago on the i6th of June, i860. The delegates and strangers who crowded the city amounted to twentyfive thousand. An immense building called "The Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Convention. There were eleven candidates for whomi votes were thrown. William H Seward, a man whose fame as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most prominent. It was generally supposed he would be the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him: and aslittle did he dream that he was to render services to his country, which would fix upon hin the eyes of the whole civilized world, and which would give him a place in the affections of his countrymen, second only, if second, to that of Washington. Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received i80 electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore, constitutionally elected President of the United States. The tirade of abuse that was poured upon this good and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was greater than upon any other man ever elected to this high position. In February, 186, Mr. Lincoln started for Washington, stopping in all the large cities on his way making speeches. The whole journey was frought with much danger. Many of the Southern States had already seceded, and several attempts at assassination were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Baltimore had arranged, upon his arrival to " get up) a row," and in the confusion to make sure of his death with revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled the plot. A secret and special train was provided to take him from HarrisbLurg, through Baltimore, at an unexpected hour of the night. The train started at half-past ten; and to prevent atiy possible communication on the part ot the Secessionists with their Confederate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people. In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave to Mr. Seward the Department of State, and to other promninent opponents before the convention he gave important positions. During no other administration have the duties devolving upon the President been so manifold, and the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his trials, both personal and national Contrary to his own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the most courageous of men. He went directly into the rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he had left Springfield, in r86I, however, plans had been made for his assassination,and he at last fell a victim to one of them. April T4, i865, he, with Gen. Grant, was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It was announced that they would Le present. Gen. Grant, however, left the city. President Iincoln, feeling, witl his characteristic kindliness of heart, that it would be a disappointment if he should fail them, very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth entered the box where the President And family were seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the next morning at seven o'clock. Never before, in the history of the world was a nation plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler. Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was in tears. His was a life which will fitly become a model. His name as the savior of his country will live with that of Washington's, its father; his countrymen being unable to decide which is the greater. i i \ I 3 L I LI II 1 31 "-LL --— ~I —:p I t --— qqr I 4Y 1 - 1 1. - 1 111-~.-Ill.-~-11~ — -, -,-,~-~~11 -- " -- -~ - --,-~1-1-1- - ". I - --- 1 1-.,-,. —. -_-,- --,. "- "._-, ---._-I _ ----,,.~-1-1111 1 - - - l ' --, —Oa~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* SE VENTEENTfL PRESIDENV T. 3 -3 --— ~ll~-~3~llL~113~~~l ---_C -llll-~ —~-~-C1- —~~I-~-~ICL~CCII 11C ~I i X,XKi!( NDREW JOHNSON, seven-, ''.-) ^teenth President of the United w tgJ'tU 9 States. The early life of "~; ~ ] j Andrew Johnson contains but sthe record of poverty, destitution and friendlessness. He ' was born December 29, i8oS, Dr in Raleigh, N. C. His )parents, belonging to the class ol' the "poor whites " of the South, were in such circumstances, that they could not confer even tie slightest advantages of education upon their child. When Andrew was five years of age, his father accidentally lost his life while herorically endeavoring to save a friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the labor of his mother, who obtained her living with her own hands. He then, having never attended a school one day, and being unable either to read or write, was apprenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasionally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often read from the speeches of distinguished British statesmen. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more than ordinary native ability, became much interested in these speeches; his ambition was roused, and he was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read. He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and with the assistance of some of his fellow-workmen, learned his letters. He then called upon the gentleman to borrow the book of speeches. The owner, pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book, but assisted him in learning to combine the letters into words. Under such difficulties he pressed onward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest and recreation to devote such time as he could to reading. He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at Greenville, where he married a young lady who possessed some education. Under her instructions he learned to write and cipher. He became prominent in the village debating society, and a favorite with the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he organized a working man's party, which elected him alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which position he held three years. He now began to take a lively interest in political affairs; identifying himself with the working-classes, to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of Tennessee. He was then just twenty-sevenl years of age, He became a very active member of the legislature, gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in I840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to those of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased his reputation. In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he was elected a member of Congress, and by successive elections, held that important post for ten years. In I853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and was re-elected in I855. In all these responsible posi. tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abii. A w i ii i 11 i i I i I i i I I i I i j -f -.440 Wo~~~~~m~llomplooll., - I 11, 11,11111 -- I ' ~1 1,I~- I IcC i t 060. M -do -,. - J ~., I r -----— " 1 —.1, L1 84 ANDR EWI JOHNSON. I <l -- -- ~ —; - -- _ — ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the working classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected United States Senator. Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his reason, that he thought this annexation would probably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, and become merged in a population congenial to themselves." In i850, he also supported the compromise measures, the two essential features of which were, that the white people of the Territories should be permitted to decide for themselves whether they would enslave the colored people or not, and that the free States of the North should return to the South persons who attempted to escape from slavery. Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly origin: on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir," said he on the floor of the Senate, "I do not forget that I am a mechanic; neither do I forget that Adam was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Savior was the son of a carpenter." In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of I8to, ne wvas the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the Presidency. In I86r, when the purpose of the South-.rn Democracy became apparent, he took a decided stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery must le held subordinate to the Union at whatever cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, appointed him Military Governor of the State, and he established the most stringent military rule. His numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In I864, he was elected Vice-President of the United States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April I5, 1865, became President. In a speech two days later he said, "The American people must be taught, if they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and must be punished; that the Government will not always bear with its enemies; that it is strong not only to protect, but to punish. * * The people must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole administration, the history of which is so well known, was in utter inconsistency with, and the most violent opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech. In his loose policy of reconstruction and general amnesty, he was opposed by Congress; and he characterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In the beginning of i868, on account of "high crimes and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Tenure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were preferred against him, and the trial began March 23. It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three months. A test article of the impeachment was at length submitted to the court for its action. It was certain that as the court voted upon that article so would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was necessary to his condemnation, he was pronounced acquitted, notwithstanding the great majority against him. The change of one vote from the not guilty side would have sustained the impeachment. The President, for the remainder of his term, was but little regarded. He continued, though impotently, his conflict with Congress. His own party did not think it expedient to renominate him for the Presidency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unparalleled since the days of Washington, around the name of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten. The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was there presented to a man a better opportunity to immortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an exciting struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Tennessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Congress, and took his seat in that body, at the special session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of March. On the 27th of July, i875, the ex-President made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reaching the residence of his child the following day, was stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious. He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at 2 A.M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His funeral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August, with every demonstration of respect. F' m __ - a.)" -TC1 —IC*L ~~YI~-..I-~I-r 4 ICII IR~PIIII -~I --— C-~L - _~~" ----~-" ---sl~~~~1- ------— ~-i _~-~-~ ---.-IL-~a~-~I - C"- --- I ,2 t:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-A~k _EIGR.T-E~zVTII P~PRESIDENTnrT 87 — ~~~LI TENTfPR-iET.8 ~~S~~L~a~~AP~~ —B~~SX~~ ~~F~f~~J~~W I*: ~~~~~~~-" ~~~~~~~~~~~J''s 1 LYSSES S. GRANT, the '!'~~ 1 1~,' I eighteenth President of the United States, was born on ]J,,k^^^.y~i l, thie 29th of April, 1822, of, Christian parents, in a humble home, at Point Pleasant, on the ^^InS.^^ banks of the Ohio. Shortly after his father moved to George. town, Brown Co., 0. In this re-IN) mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses I~ 1[received a common-school education. At the age of seventeen, in the year 1839, he entered the Military Academy at West I Point. Here he was regarded as a solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of infantry to one of the distant military posts in the Missouri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating Indians. The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at Resaca de la Palma, his second battle. At the battle of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that he performed a signal service of daring and skillful horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its ammunition. A messenger must be sent for more, along a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one j side of the animnal, ran the gauntlet in entire safety. From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry, to10 aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Chapultepec. At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant returned with his regiment to New York, and was again sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The discovery of gold in California causing ail immense tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the immigrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. Grant resigned his commission and returned to the States; and having married, entered upon the cultivation of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not remunerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into the leather business, with a younger brother, at Galena, 11. This was in the year i86o. As the tidings of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said,"Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though I have served him through one war, I do not feel that I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword and see Uncle Sam through this war too." He went into the streets, raised a company of volunteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield, the capital of the State. where their services were offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the volunteer organization that was being formed in the State in behalf of the Government. On the 15th of I i Ii i j I Ii i i i I i I i i i I iI i i i I I I I I I I I Ir -I I I r 1-,'NNWa 'Lq I.... 1 I'm ob. ----— ~~~ I -d — d.......a 88 ULYSSSAS S. GRA VT. _ _ ---- June, x86i, Capt. Grant received a commission as Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such that he was soon promoted to the rank of BrigadierGeneral and was placed in command at Cairo. The rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds appeared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and stripes were unfurled in its stead. He entered the service with great determination and immediately began active duty. This was the beginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he surprised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was immediately made a Major-General, and the military district of Tennessee was assigned to him. Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well how to secure the results of victory. He immediately pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two cannon. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered, and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and proceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he was laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and by a wonderful series of strategic and technical measures put the Union Army in fighting condition. Then followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels were routed with great loss. This won for him unbounded praise in the North. On the 4th of February, 1864, Congress revived the grade of lieutenantgeneral, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant. He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials and enter upon the duties of his new office, Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to destroy the rebel armies which would be promptly assembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field. Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains were burdened with closely packed thousands. His plans were comprehensive and involved a series of campaigns, which were executed with remarkable energy and ability, and were consummated at the surrender of Lee, April 9, I865. The war was ended. The Union was saved. The almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen. Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its salvation. The eminent services he had thus rendered the country brought him conspicuously forward as the Republican candidate for the Presidential chair. At the Republican Convention held at Chicago, May 2, I868, he was unanimously nominated for the Presidency, and at the autumn election received a majority of the popular vote, and 2 4 out of 294 electoral votes. The National Convention of the Republican party which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872, placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphatically indorsed by the people five months later, 292 electoral votes being cast for him. Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Grant started upon his famous trip around the world. He visited almost every country of the civilized world, and was everywhere received with such ovations and demonstrations of respect and honor, private as well as public and official, as were never before bestowed upon any citizen of the United States. He was the most prominent candidate before the Republican National Convention in i88o for a renomination for President. He went to New York ani embarked in the brokerage business under the firm nameof Grant & Ward. The latter proved a villain, wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent to the penitentiary. The General was attacked with cancer in the throat, but suffered in his stoic-like manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as General of the Army and retired by Congress. The cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, I885, the nation went in mourning over the death of the illustrious General.! f.9. x t - sh."' I I _,w Al wvp - I tole) r7n f I P,~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~-~l~ C~a1 a[~BIB~ —~.- ~ xL-sx ~r,W-2Vr-, TPEXTH 9i NINETEENTH. _.. #_^. - ~ oA^^ ^, + — Ac W W Q.. 0u' --- —— \.2 *7-S A —2s —SC; W~ % M J^ U A Jia&JI^^ I.IJ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- ma\ Airy I^-11 | 1 I'l^ ^^11^^^11.1'^ ^ UTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nineteenth President of the United States, was born in Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al&.. t Smost three months after the death of his father, Rutherford '. Hayes. His ancestry on both | l the paternal and maternal sides, i was of the most honorable character It can be traced, it is said, } as far back as 1 280, when Hayes and Rutherford were two Scottish chief(e $ tains, fighting side by side with ' Baliol, William Wallace and Robert *}7'i Bruce. Both families belonged to the nobility, owned extensive estates, I and had a large following. Misfortune overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scotland in 168o, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son George was born in Windsor, and remained there during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, married Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his marriage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel, son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufacturer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer, blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, where he established a hotel. Here his son Rutherford Hayes the father of President Hayes, was born. He was married, in September, I8I3, to Sophia Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emigrated thither from Connecticut, they having been among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich. Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to I635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. The father of President Hayes was an industrious frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me. chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stocking, or do almost anything else that he choose to undertake. He was a member of the Church, active in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and conducted his business on Christian principles. After the close of the war of I812, for reasons inexplicable to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio. The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day, when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways, was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes determined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived in I817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial fever, less than three months before the birth of the son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore bereavement, found the support she so much needed in her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the household from the day of its departure from Vermont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted some time before as an act of charity. Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the & I 'I I Ah --- -- UI! - -- Wfm~ 7"~~~-c~ —"l""""" "ba -~~~ i-ll~ --- -- II L 92 'R UTHERFORD B. IHA YES.._= =I — I ---.-`-" ----.. _.. i I subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he was not expected to live beyond a month or two at most. As the months went by he grew weaker and weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of inquiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of him, said in a bantering way, " That's right! Stick to him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't wonder if he would really come to something yet." "You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. "You wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him President of the United States yet." The boy lived, in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy death; and when, in I825, his older brother was drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his mother. The boy was seven years old before he went to school. His education, however, was not neglected. He probably learned as much from his mother and sister as he would have done at school. His sports were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being his sister and her associates. These circumstances tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of disposition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings of others, which are marked traits of his character. His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest in his education; and as the boy's health had improved, and he was making good progress in his studies, he proposed to send him to college. His preparation commenced with a tutor at home; bit he was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He entered Kenyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen, and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842. Inmmediately after his graduation he began the study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq., in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he remained two years. In 1845, after graduating at the Law School, he was admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he remained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, and apparently unambitious of distinction in his profession. In I849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his ambition found a new stimulus. For several years, however, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at this period, had a powerful influence upon his subsequent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cincinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its members such men as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many others hardly less distinguished in after life. The marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no, one did more than she to reflect honor upon American womanhood. The Literary Cluu brought Mr. Hayes into constant association with young men of high character and noble aims, and lured him to display the qualities so long hidden by his bashfulness and modesty. In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas; but he declined to accept the nomination. Two years later, the office of city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Council elected him for the unexpired term. In I86I, when the Rebellion broke out, he was at the zenith of his professional life. His rank at the bar was among the the first. But the news of the attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take up arms for the defense of his country. His military record was bright and illustrious. In October, i86i, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and in August, I862, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle of Southl Mountain he received a wound, and while faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude that won admiration from all. Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed in command of the celebrated Kanawha division, and for gallant and meritorious services in the battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted Major-General, "for gallant and distinguished Fervices during the campaigns of I864, in West Virginia." In the course of his arduous services, four horses were shot from under him, and he was wounded four times. In I864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from the Second Ohio District, which had long been Democratic. He was not present during the campaign, and after his election was inportuned to resign his commission in the army; but he finally declared, "I shall never come to Washington until I can come by the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in I866. In i867, Gen Hayes was elected Governorof Ohio, over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular Democrat. In I869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton. He was elected Governor for the third term in 1875. In I876 he was the standard bearer of the Republican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a hard long contest was chosen President, and was in augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to h:s party, but his admic;stration was an average oPr.: tj sho-Im.4910 ~ I-r - IIII- C --- - ~ IL cCa~Wa U * -~LT~ L vr I I '37 I -1,I A;1 i i i I i i i I i i fi 11 i 5 ~r"-x~~~-~ll". — 1"....~x..`~..~ ~~.. --- —- ~ -— ~-~ -- — ~~~- -- — ~ --- —— ~-~ ~~ ~ --- — (r- ~1-1.11-~...1-^.I 1-_~110 b- I-_ i pp- I --- —------- TWENTIE TI! PRESIDENT. 95.-- - -......,,t all~~ tA nd (X 1 i JAME At ffi!AI BLB. | S wr~~~~~~~ got It OF~ - otA C*'y ^^ $ + -,.s^ ",''s'+-'~~+-'~x-g.'z',s'-n,'.'+-,,,.~'+-,-.~s>+X'~.-+,-'~.s<+'~.-, j. X ' 1 /,^^f3 T ~ AMES A. GARFIELD, twentieth President of the United 9<i 8States, was born Nov. I9, N B s fI8 3 I8, in the woods of Orange, Cuyahoga Co., O His parents were Abram and Eliza:, (Ballou) Garfield, both of New W England ancestry and from famil y')~l lies well known in the early history of that section of our country, but had moved to the Western Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settlement. The house in which James A. was born was not unlike the houses of [ poor Ohio farmers of that day. It.,s about 20 x 30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be-,tween the logs filled with clay. His father was a nard working farmer, and he soon had his fields cleared, an orchard planted, and a log barn built. Fhe household comprised the father and mother and their four clildren-Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and James. In May, 1823, the father, from a cold concracted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At this time James was about eighteen months old, and Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can tell how much James was indebted to his biother's toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty years succeeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sisters live in Solon, 0., near their birthplace. The early educational advantages young Garfield enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of them. He labored at farm work for others, did carpenter work, chopped wood, or did anything that would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed mother in he'" triggles to keep the little family to gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his origin, and he never forgot the friends of his struggling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor, the humblest friend of his boyhood was as kindly greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, plain, modest gentleman. The highest ambition of young Garfield until he was about sixteen years old was to be a captain of a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the understanding, however, that he should try to obtain some other kind of employment. He walked all the way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city. After making many applications for work, and trying to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He remained at this work but a short time when he went home, and attended the seminary at Chester for about three v)ears, when he entered Hiram and the Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in the meantime, and doing other work. This school was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of which church he was then a member. He became janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way. He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon "exhausted Hiram " and needed more; hence, in the fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest honors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hira m College as its President. As above stated, he early united with the Christian or Diciples Church at Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous member, often preaching in its pulpit and places where he happened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion: i I i i I I i I i i I i I I i I i I I -r1a 1 I VW" uI - II I oI. — "Ra -, ----— ~- -— ~~ — ~-~ —~ -— ~ --- —-- -— ~ ----~ ----~ --- --- -------------— ~-I-~~..~ —~....-~._....~ _~___~___~ ~~~_~_~_ ~~~~ _~_ — ------ --- ----- -~ ~ __~_ __~ __ ____ -4do - q........ it i go_ I 1 r m. I I — t i 96 JAMES A. GARFIELD. \ --- --- - ----- I --- —--— i~ --- I -- "President Garfield was more than a man of strong moral and religious convictions. His whole history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In my judgment there is no more interesting feature of his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to the less stately and cultured Christian communions in which they have been reared. Too often it is true that as they step upward in social and political significance they step upward from one degree to another in some of the many types of fashionable Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the church of his mother, the church in which he was trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsectarian charity for all 'who love our Lord in sincerity.'" Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. i, I858, who proved herself worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and mourned. To them were born seven children, five of whom are still living, four boys and one girl. Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 856, in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three years later he began to speak at county mass-meetings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, and in I861 was admitted to the bar. The great Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year, and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He received his commission as Lieut.-Colonel of the Fortysecond Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 14, i86i. He was immediately put into active service, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action, was placed in command of four regiments of infantry and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the work of driving out of his native State the officer (Humphrey Marshall) reputed to be the ablest of those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speedily accomplished, although against great odds. President Lincoln, on his success commissioned him Brigadier-General, Jan. Io, 1862; and as "he had been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years before, so now he was the youngest General in the army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, in its operations around Corinth and its march through Alabama. He was then detailed as a memberof the General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rosecrans, and was assigned to the "Chief of Staff." The military history of Gen. Garfield closed with his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won the stars of the Major-General. Without an effort on his part Gen. Garfield was elected to Congress in the fall of i862 from the Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio had been represented in Congress for sixty years mainly by two men-Elisha Whittlesey and Joshua R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he resigned his place in the army. At the time he entered Congress he was the youngest member in that body. There he remained by successive reelections until he was elected President in I88o. Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says: " Since the year 1864 you cannot think of a question which has been debated in Congress, or discussed before a tribunel of the American people, in regard to which you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argument on one side stated, in almost every instance better than by anybody else, in some speech made in the House of Representatives or on the hustings by Mr. Garfield." Upon Jan. 14, I880, Gen. Garfield was elected to the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of tile same year, was nominated as the candidate of his party for President at the great Chicago Convention. He was elected in the following November, and on March 4, i88i, was inaugurated. Probably no administration ever opened its existence under brighter auspices than that of President Garfield, and every day it grew in favo: with the people, and by the first of July he had completed all the initiatory and preliminary work of his administration and was preparing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams College. While on his way and at the depot, in company with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back. The President tottered and fell, and as he did so the assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the left coat sleeve of his victim, but inflicting nofarthel injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was "the shot that was heard round the world " Never before in the history of the Nation had anything occurred which so nearly froze the blood of the people for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit. ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and was at the summit of his power and hope. For eighty days, all during the hot months of July and August, he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent bearing was teaching the country and the world the noblest of human lessons-how to live grandly in the very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpassingly great in death. He passed serenely away Selt. 19, 1883, at Elleron, N. J., on the very bank of the ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The world wept at his death, as it never had done on the death of any other man who had ever lived upon it. The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and executed, in one year after he committed the foul deed. r ^-1 i -00 I J., 1, III ------- --- -------------- -----—.1 * — sb-liW ---40da 4 lp N,,W 'I.I I., r 411,1 -I~;, --- ~ ---~s~S ~~-~ ~c - -— L ~e - - ---- ------— ~ BWON-40~ T fVLN T Y-FIRS T PRESIJDENT. 99 a, HESTER A. ARTHUR,.i/ ( twenty-first PresiirlL of the;I '~ ~ j.i&$ United States. was born in a' E&k2 HFranklin Cour ty, Vermont, on OMto -,,, F\; the fifth of Oc ober, 1 830, and is the oldest of a family of two sons and five daughters. His 1 father was the Rev. Dr. William re Fi^ Arthur, a Baptist c) rgyman, who emigrated to th'.s country from the county Ant:im, Ireland, in @ his i8th year, and died in 1875, in Newtonville, neal Albany, after a long and successful ministry. i Young Arthur was educated at Union College, S( henectady, where j he excelled in all his studies. Af1 ter his graduation he taught school in Vermont for two years, and at the expiration of that time came to New York, with $50o in his pocket, and entered the office of ex-Judge i E. D. Culver as student. After being admitted to the bar he formed a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate, Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing in the West, and for three months they roamed about in the Western States in search of an eligible site, but in the'end returned to New York, where they hung out their shingle, and entered upon a successful career almost from the start. General Arthur soon afterward n1-rri'd the daughter of Lieutenant Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occasion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's nomination to the Vice Presidency, leaving two children. Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit, brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon. athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided that they could not be held by the owner under the Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal. Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed to represent the People, and they won their case, which then wernt to the Supreme Court of the United States. Charles O'Conor here espoused the cause of the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs. Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward the emancipation of the black race. Another great service was rendered by General Arthur in the same cause in I856. Lizzie Jennings, a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare. General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a verdict of $5oo damages. The next day the company issued an order to admit colored persons to ride on their cars, and the other car companies quickly -,B~% ~~~r~ss' I -~ll ----r —11 — - - L- III*II(PIII, dbl'I —~(I-L~P --- s q 111, 'I1~ — lll~~ 1~ — CU -lW _ i SPIN I I r 10;1~~ --- —-____1~-~-__^~ 1 00 CHES T'ER =: ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~... followed their example. Before that the Sixth Avenue Company ran a few special cars for colored persons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all. General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Governor Morgan, of that State, appointed him Engineerin-Chief of his staff. In i86i, he was made Inslector General, and soon afterward became Quartermaster-General. In each of these offices he rendered great service to the Government during the war. At the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney of New Yoik, was added to the firm. The legal practice of this well-known firm was very large and lucrative, each of the gentlemen composing it were able lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if not indeed one of national extent. He always took a leading part in State and city politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 I872, to succeed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous National Republican Convention held at Chicago in June, i88o. This was perhaps the greatest political convention that ever assembled on the continent. It was composed of the leading politicians of the Republican party, all able men, and each stood firm and fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their respective candidates that were before the convention for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield received the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur for Vice-President. The campaign which followed was one of the most animated known in the history of our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his party made a valiant fight for his election. Finally the election came and the country's choice was Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated March 4, I88i, as President and Vice-President. A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then came terrible weeks of suffering,-those moments of anxious suspense, wher, the hearts of all civilized na t A. AR THUR. ' tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the recovery of the noble, the good President. The remarkable patience that he manifested during those hours and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suffering man has often been called upon to endure, was seemingly more than human. It was certainly Godlike. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr. Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his credit that his every action displayed only an earnest desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to serve the remainder of the term he had so auspiciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested in deed or look of this man, even though the most honored position in the world was at any moment likely to fall to him. At last God in his mercy relieved President Garfield from further suffering, and the world, as never before in its history over the death of any other man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of the Vice President to assume the responsibilities of the high office, and he took the oath in New York, Sept. 20, i88i. The position was an embarrassing one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do, what policy he would pursue, and who he would select as advisers. The duties of the office had been greatly neglected during the President's long illness, and many important measures were to be immediately decided by him; and still farther to embarrass him he did not fail to realize under what circumstances he becamne President, and knew the feelings of many on this point. Under these trying circumstances President Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own hands; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of affairs, he happily surprised the nation, acting so wisely that but few criticised his administration. He served the nation well and faithfully, until the close of his administration, March 4, 1885, and was a popular candidate before his party for a second term. His name was ably presented before the convention at Chicago, and was received with great favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity of one of the opposing candidates, he would have been selected as the standard-bearer of his party for another campaign. He retired to private life carrying with him the best wishes of the American people, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory to them and with credit to himself. _l I — I Iqo mmolo- 1. _ — qm mir I 4 i y~~(r61m 67l~ -II - -- --- -- -- - - -dkk. abm- - -m Ast-oom.~Dw 4C-po —~"~"""p-p ---~-m-~ ___L -I II-I —~~l-~ -"lIw~ll lC~ 3 I -~ T WE~-rT Y-SECON) PRiES"IDENT~T I03 i I TWEATTY~~SECVND PRSDET 103 1-`= --- —~C~ll — CZ-I( (4 iii.-I......- _.= ==__ ~~~~,, iz ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -W"-~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~, CII 4''' r II =........ IR TEPHEN GROVER CLEVEAN D, the twenty- second President of the United States, was. / born in 1837, in the obscure town of Caldwell, Essex Co., ' N. J., and in a little two-and-a~^B1t=C half-story white house which is still standing, characteristically to mark IBi- tthe humble birth-place of one of X IA. ~ America's great men in striking contrast with the Old World, where all men high in office must be high in origin and born in the cradle of wealth. When the subject of this sketch was three years of age, his father, who was a Presbyterian minister, with a large family and a small salary, moved, by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most straggling of country villages, about five miles from Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born. At the last mentioned place young Grover commenced going to school in the "good, old-fashioned way," and presumably distinguished himself after the manner of all village boys, in doing the things he ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the capacity of the village school and expressed a most emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this his father decidedly objected. Academies in those days cost mo:ney; besides, his father wanted him to become self-supporting by the quickest possible means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed to be a position in a country store, where his father and the large family on his hands had considerable influence. Grover was to be paid $5o for his services the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to receive $1oo the second year. Here the lad commenced his career as salesman, and in two years he had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness that his employers desired to retain him for an indefinite length of time. Otherwise he did not exhibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy. But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayetteville, he went with the family in their removal to Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a high school. Here he industriously pursued his studies until the fami!y removed with him to a point on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching but three Sundays. This event broke up the family, and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a small salary, the position of " under-teacher" in an asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two years, and although he obtained a good reputation in this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his I - - -W - 040-~-rr rl~~l~lr~r~ -l --- - ----— ~- 1P-~ r-..M Akbb ---Im - - rr ~ ~ ~ 4 c -rI~lrlI = - -_- _ L ~ lrIL lr~da I 104 S. GRO tER CLEVELAND. --- -- --- -- - calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order, he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as there was some charm in that name for him; but before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to ask the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not speak enthusiastically. "What is it you want to do, my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study law," was the reply. "Good gracious! " remarked the old gentleman; " do you, indeed? What ever put that into your head? How much money have you got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got any. After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a p.ace temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $5o a year, wflCe it< could "look around." One day soon afterwaid he boldly walked into the office of Rogers, Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he wanted. A number of young men were already engaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and have the use of the law library, for the nominal sum of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for his board and washing. The walk to and from his uncle's was a long and rugged one; and, although the first winter was a memorably severe one, his shoes were out of repair and his overcoat-he had none-yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. On the first day of his service here, his senior employer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's where they all begin." A titter ran around the little circle of clerks and students, as they thought that was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans; but in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume. Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than for chasing principles through all their metaphysical possibilities. "Let us quit talking and go and do it," was practically his motto. The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two criminals. In I88i he was elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo, on the Dem-ocratic ticket, with especial reference to the bringing about certain reforms in the administration of the municipal affairs of that city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his performance of duty has generally been considered fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were ferreted out and magnified during the last Presidential campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniquitous street-cleaning contract: "This is a time for plain speech, and my objection to your action shall be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of a mos bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme to betray the interests of the people and to worse than squander the people's money." The New York Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleveland's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and thereupon recommended him for Governor of the Empire State. To the latter office he was elected in I882, and his administration of the affairs of State was generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if any, were made very public throughout the nation after he was nominated for President of the United States. For this high office he was nominated July II, I884, by the National Democratic Convention at Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he was elected by the people, by a majority of about a thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Republican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleveland resigned his office as Governor of New York in January, I885, in order to prepare for his duties as the Chief Executive of the United States, in which capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State, Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware; Secretary of the Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York; Secretary of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts; Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New York; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas, of Wisconsin; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of Arkansas. The silver question precipitated a controversy between those who were in favor of the continuance of silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his inauguration. I As_ WE _ a -a" b Cno-OF-4ft I WVl- ~ ~ I Lm -~I.-"I"~rc-qw".i T 6 -I At. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ---~ — -...-~..1-. ~ __ 1%, am~Y""I~lelr~ I~_r mL~-__~ l —Il* I~] - TWENTY-THIRD PRESIDENT. 107 A H — "- — — - --- —I11 ----cll —-s-1 —YI ---.UII-Y--Cn - - ---- -. — i-; —;l — ~- ---~-~1_*-___-- — I i~-~-______i-ali -yyr -00 — I -, QI,-, J, ~ ----~C: ~r'i;ENJJAMIN HARRISON, the twenty-third President, is _3i 1 1~r tlhe descendclant of one of the ii- h listoirical families of this coun try. The hiead of tlhe %a1 + famliily was a Maljor General Ilarrison, one of Oliver - Cromwell's trusted( followes and fighllters. In thle zenitl of C1romNC wcl's power it becamne the duty of this 1 1j la; ison to participate in the trial of tPl - Charles I. and afterward to sign the P, deatll warrant of the king. He subsequently )paid for this witll his life, being hullng Oct. 13, 1660. 1is descendants c:tlame to America, and the next of the family tlat appenars in history is Benjamin Iarrison, of Virginia, great-grandfather of tlle sul ject of this sketch, and after wlhom lie was named. Benjamin Ilarrison was a memller of the Continental Congrress durlin o tlhe years 1774-5-G. and( was one of the original signers of tlhe D1eclaration of Indeplenenelce. -He was three times elected Governor of Virinia Gen. William Heni'v Ilarrison, the son of tlie distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a successful career as a soldier (uring the War of 1812, and with a clean record as Governor of the Northwestern Territory, was elected President of the United States in 1840. His career was cut short by death within one month after his inauguration. President Ilarrison was blorn at North Bend, IHamilton Co., Ohio, Aug. 20, 1833. His life up to tlhe time of his graduation by the Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful one of a cotntry lad of a family of small means. His father was able to give himn a good education, and nothing more. IIe became engaged while at college to the dlaughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of a female sclool at Oxford. After graduating he determined to enter upon the study of the law. He went to Cincinnati and then read law for two years. At the expiration of that time young Ilarrison received the only inheritlance of his life; his caunt (lying left him a lot valued at *800. HIe regarded this legacy as a fortune, and decided to get married at once, take this money and go to some Eastern town and begin tlhe practice of law. IIe sold his lot, and with the money in his pocket, lie started out with his young wife to fight for a place in the world. Ile I / _m -. — ~-___~.~ ---~~ clr --- I~~~~C~~ lllll I I 'I - I - CI -. - - -. - -r F~_ —d blL — P- Mg -"% ~'^ I i II i j i I i I I i i iI I i i i I t i i i I I I m —.Mah -- -111-1 --------- -1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- —.- -....-... 108 I_~ BENJAMIN HARRISON. -- = decided to go to Indianapolis, which was even at that time a town of promise. He met with slight encouragement at first, making scarcely anything the first year. He worked diligently, applying himself closely to his calling, built up an extensive practice and took a leading rank in the legal profession. He is the father of two children. In 1860 Mr. Harrison was nominated for the position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then began his experience as a stump speaker. He canvassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by a handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the 17th Indiana Infantry, and was chosen its Colonel. His regiment was composed of the rawest of material, but Col. Harrison employed all his time at first mastering military tactics and drilling his men, when he therefore came to move toward the East witl Sherman his regiment was one of the best drilled and organized in the army. At Resaca he especially distinguished himself, and for his bravery at Peachtree Creek he was made a Brigadier General, Gen. Hooker speaking of him in the most complimentary terms. During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the field the Supreme Court declared the office of the Supreme Court Reporter vacant, and another person was elected to the position. From the time of leaving Indiana with his regiment until the fall of 1864 he had taken no leave of absence. but having been nominated that year for the same office, he got a thirty-day leave of absence, and during that time made a brilliant canvass of the State, and was elected for another term. He then started to rejoin Slierman, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet fever, and after a most trying siege made his way to the front in time to participate in the closing incidents of the war. In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined a re-election as reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 1876 he was a candidate for Governor. Although defeated, the brilliant campaign he made won for him a National reputation, and he was much sought, especially in the East, to make speeches. In 1880, as usual, he took an active part in the campaign, and was elected to the United States Senate. Here he served six years, and was known as one of the ablest men, best lawyers and strongest debaters in - -~- -— ~J '-~ ~"' "'" " ZC = that body. With the expiration of his Senatorial term he returned to the practice of his profession, becoming the head of one of the strongest firms in the State. The political campaign of 1888 was one of the most memorable in the history of our country. The convention which assembled in Chicago in June and named Mr. Harrison as the chief standard bearer of the Republican party, was great in every particular, and on this account, and the attitude it assumed upon the vital questions of the day, chief among which was the tariff, awoke a deep interest in the campaign throughout the Nation. Shortly after the nomination delegations began to visit Mr. Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This movement became popular, and from all sections of the country societies, clubs and delegations journeyed thither to pay their respects to the distinguished statesman. The popularity of these was greatly increased on account of the remarkable speeches made by Mr. Harrison. I-e spoke daily all through the summer and atutumn to these visiting delegations, and so varied, masterly and eloquent were his speeches that they at once placed him in the foremost rank of American orators and statesmen. On account of his eloquence as a speaker and his power as a debater, lie was called upon at an uncommonly early age to take part in the discussion of the great questions that then began to agitate the country. He was an uncompromising antislavery man, and was matched against some of the most eminent Democratic speakers of his State. No man who felt the touch of his blade desired to be pitted with him again. With all his eloquence as an orator he never spoke for oratorical effect, but his words always went like bullets to the mark. lie is purely American in his ideas and is a splendid type of the American statesman. Gifted with quick perception, a logical mind and a ready tongue, lie is one of the most distinguished impromptu speakers in the Nation. Many of these speeches sparkled with the rarest of eloquence and contained arguments of greatest weight. Many of his terse statements have already become aphorisms. Original in thought, precise in logic, terse in statement, yet withal faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as the sound statesman and brilliant orator of the day. i I i i i I i i i i I i i i i i i Ii i f f I Opp -l I ---LI _I I —- Il --- —~r — t -- -- V --- —-., - - -— I -- I — - - - 4 I I I I I ~ I 1 11111.0 II I4 _*,a I *00 —i i I i m WI I I I I I I I I i I i I I I i I i II I ti 1 - 1. 11- -1-11 - -.111-11- -- ---- -41 ---, 01111 mlqmzW P i i i I I I I I i I i II i I I i i Ii I 1 i Ii i i I i I I i z i i i i i i,A -0 ow -.Aft I II I I I -..A I I -- 11 - — l"'.... I I I ---- -- —..dnAh! I Opimamm- - -1 NOW — - - - I I "I'll, 1".. —" 11-11, l-Ill",."''- 1 --- —. -I,- -.. -1. I I -I - I'll -, -- -.1-11,11-1 --- ----........ -- "Ill.- 11. I -1-1.1 -.1 1-1 11 ----,-"-,-,., ---" --- —-, --- Ak.- = I wp — w - obo. 1-) I 2 * u d 11111 II h. 4 -I A I 1-40 1 - ft — -- - -- - ---- - —.AdLdlk - lqoso NO WW A I (5 'Ia I IJ -IWTP —, i !illegal;.......... e cc —4 1 N O I I t il GO VERNORS OF' MICHIGAN. o5 e Je1,,,*DI'<..., e eeeeO;;~^-^.t^^^VL i e e ^Bt~ |p~GB~~ TEPHEN T. MASON, the 4f rl -:' irstfirst Governor of Michigan, was _.~lr ~::a son of Gen. John T. Mason, ',L~._/ of Kentucky, but was born in *.(.o' Virginia, in I8I2. At the age ( i?/ of i9 he was appointed Secre~ /<,5- tary of Michigan Territory, and Il0 S " served in that capacity during the l'fjfi administration of Gov. George B. \., pPorter. Upon the death of Gov. K, Porter, which occurred on the 6th of July, I834, Mr. Mason became Acting Governor. In October, I835, he was elected Governor under the State organization, and immediately entered upon the performance of the duties of the office, although the State was not yet admitted into the Union. After the State was admitted into the Union, Governor Mason was re-elected to the position, and served with credit to himself and to the advantage of the State. He died Jan. 4, I843. The principal event during Governor Mason's official career, was that arising from the disputed southern boundary of the State. Michigan claimed for her southern boundary a line running east across the peninsula from the extreme southern point of Lake Michigan, extending through Lake Erie, to the Pennsylvania line. This she claimed as a vested right-a right accruing to her by compact. This compact was the ordinance of 1787, the parties to which were the original I3 States, and the territory northwest of the Ohio; and, by the succession of parties under statutory amendments to the ordinance and laws of Congress-the United States on the one part, and each Territory northwest of the Ohio, as far as affected by their provisions, on the -A- _ other. Michigan, therefore, claimed it under the prior grant, or assignation of boundary. Ohio, on the other hand, claimed that the ordinance had been superseded by the Constitution of the United States, and that Congress had a right to regulate the boundary. It was also claimed that the Constitution of the State of Ohio having described a different line, and Congress having admitted the State under that Constitution, without mentioning the subject of the line in dispute, Congress had thereby given its consent to the line as laid down by the Constitution of Ohio. This claim was urged by Ohio at some periods of the controversy, but at others she appeared to regard the question unsettled, by the fact that she insisted upon Congress taking action in regard to the boundary. Accordingly, we find that, in I812, Congress authorized the Surveyor-General to survey a line, agreeably to the act, to enable the people of Ohio to form a Constitution and State government. Owing to Indian hostilities, however, the line was not run till I818. In I820, the question in dispute underwent a rigid examination by the Committee on Public Lands. The claim of Ohio was strenuously urged by her delegation, and as ably opposed by Mr. Woodbridge, the then delegate from Michigan. The result was that the committee decided unanimously in favor of Michigan; but, in the hurry of business, no action was taken by Congress, and the question remained open till Michigan organized her State government. The Territory in dispute is about five miles in width at the west end, and about eight miles in width at the east end, and extends along the whole northern line of Ohio, west of Lake Erie. The line claimed by Michigan was known as the " Fulton line," and that claimed by Ohio was known as the" Harris line," i I I i i i i i I I i i I I I I Ii i I I I I t i I I t I i i i i I -wy --- ---- k —~ -— ~- ~ a --- o IM I rS A h I abawW-_~.1.~.~...;... 1131-1 B-049 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~B~ ~ ~ ~~~~- ----- "rVP" I i i I Ii r I I.. - MRIO Imalm., --- I 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ W 1 1 111,11 IN -A.Mb..~ --- —i --- —- ~~ —~ L 1o6 [ = S TEPHEN: l iMASON. I~~~~~~~~~~~ I from the names of the surveyors. The territory was valuable for its rich agricultural lands; but the chief value consisted in the fact that the harbor on the Maumee River, where now stands the flourishing city of Toledo, was included within its limits The town originally bore the name of Swan Creek, afterwards Port Lawrence, then Vestula, and then Toledo. In February, 1835, the Legislature of Ohio passed an act extending the jurisdiction of the State over the territory in question; erected townships and directed them to hold elections in April following. It also directed Governor Lucus to appoint three commissioners to survey and re-mark the Harris line; and named the first of April as the day to commence the survey. Acting Governor Mason, however, anticipated this action on the part of the Ohio Legislature, sent a special message to the Legislative Council, apprising it of Governor Lucas' message, and advised immediate action by that body to anticipate and counteract the proceedings of Ohio. Accordingly, on the i2th of February, the council passed an act making it a criminal offence, punishable by a heavy fine, or imprisonment, for any one to attempt to exercise any official functions, or accept any office within the jurisdiction of Michigan, under or by virture of any authority not derived from the Territory, or the United States. On the 9th of March, Governor Mason wrote General Brown, then in command of the Michigan militia, directing him to hold himself in readiness to meet the enemy in the field in case any attempt was made on the part of Ohio to carry out the provisions of that act of the Legislature. On the 3ist of March, Governor Lucus, with his commissioners, arrived at Perrysburgh, on their way to commence re-surveying the Harris line. He was accompanied by General Bell and staff, of the Ohio Militia, who proceeded to muster a volunteer force of about 600 men. This was soon accomplished, and the force fully armed and equipped. The force then went into camp at Fort Miami, to await the Governor's orders. In the meantime, Governor Mason, with General Brown and staff, had raised a force 800 to 1200oo strong, and were in possession of Toledo. General Brown's Staff consisted of Captain Henry Smith, of Monroe, Inspector; Major J. J. Ullman, of Constantine, Quartermaster; William E. Broadman, of Detroit, and Alpheus Felch, of Monroe, Aids-decamp. When Governor Lucas observed the determined bearing of the Michigan braves, and took note...s of their number, he found it convenient to content himself for a time with " watching over the border." Several days were passed in this exhilarating employment, and just as Governor Lucas had made up his mind to do something rash, two commissioners arrived from Washington on a mission of peace. They remonstrated with Gov. Lucus, and reminded him of the consequences to himself and his State if he persisted in his attempt to gain possession of the disputed territory by force. After several conferences with both governors, the commissioners submitted propositions for their consideration. Governor Lucas at once accepted the propositions, and disbanded his forces. Governor Mason, on the other hand, refused to accede to the arrangement, and declined to compromise the rights of his people by a surrender of possession and jurisdiction. When Governor Lucus disbanded his forces, however, Governor Mason partially followed suit, but still held himself in readiness to meet any emergency that might arise. Governor Lucus now supposed that his way was clear, and that he could re-mark the Harris line without being molested, and ordered the commissioners to proceed with their work. In the meantime, Governor Mason kept a watchful eye upon the proceedings. General Brown sent scouts through the woods to watch their movements, and report when operations were commenced. When the surveying party got within the county of Lenawee, the under-sheriff of that county, armed with a warrant, and accompanied by a posse, suddenly made his appearance, and succeeded in arresting a portion of the party. The rest, including the commissioners, took to their heels, and were soon beyond the disputed territory. They reached Perrysburgh the following day in a highly demoralized condition, and reported they had been attacked by an overwhelming force of Michigan malitia, under command of General Brown. This summary breaking up of the surveying party produced the most tremendous excitement throughout Ohio. Governor Lucas called an extra session of the Legislature. But little remains to be said in reference to the "war." The question continued for some time to agitate the minds of the opposing parties; and the action of Congress was impatiently awaited. Michigan was admitted into the Union on the condition that she give to Ohio the disputed territory, and accept in return the Northern Peninsula, which she did. I i I i ti i I I 6-.4do *Do —mII ~.~.. ~ __~. 1_. 11~-~* —i.~I_..L.(.. —.._.. 1.. —~._.)-._.-I._-....._..1_..(...X.__-.I ---.X_ —~ _-i-.ll__ _4~11.. ---..~_._...__i.. —.l-,_-..i-..I _1.1_,.. ^~.1L~.^^.I 11-l1. 660_~ IF.l _ - - i_ -l.. ~. - ~ - - -." ". - - - -, - ~", " -, - - - -, -, - -, a" ' - " - I - I - -. I -~ I 1 1 I I, ~I. ~,I,, ~ ~ -.,,-, ~ -,, - -.00 ,3 f I i h e TW I I. - - _ | s W-440 --- —~ -lllL --- R ~~. jl +ZCI% Y ----~ --- —UL~ SECOND GO VERNOR OF MICHIGANi. 109 f ILLIAM WVOODBRIDG;E,;second Governor of Michigan, was born at Norwich, Conn., Aug. 20, 1780, and died at Detroit Oct. 20, I186I. He i was of a family of three brothers and two sisters. His father, Dudley Woodbridge, removed to l Marietta, Ohio, about 179o. The life of Wm. Woodbridge, by Chas. Lauman, from which this sketch. ~ is largely cornpiled, mentions nothing concerning his early education beyond the fact that it was such as was afforded by the average school of the time, except a year with the French colonists at Gallipolis, 1 where he acquired a knowledge of i~ the French language. It should be borne in mind, however, that home education at that time was an indispensable feature in the training of the young. To this and and to a few studies well mastered, is due that strong mental discipline which has served as a basis for many of the grand intellects that have adorned and helped to make our National history. Mr. Woodbridge studied law at Marietta, having as a fellow student an intimate personal friend, a young man subsequently distinguished, but known at that time simply as Lewis Cass. He graduated at the law school in Connecticut, after a course there of nearly three years, and began to practice at Marietta in i806. In June, I806, he married, at Hartford, Connecticut, Juleanna, daughter of John Trumbell, a distinguished author and judge; and author of the peoln McFingal, which, during a dark period of the Revolution, wrought such a magic change upon the spirits of the colonists. He was happy in his domestic relations until the death of Mrs. W., Feb. 2, I9, i86o. Our written biographies necessarily speak more fully of men, because of their active participation in public affairs, but human actions are stamped upon the page of time and when the scroll shall be unrolled the influence of good women upon the history of the world will be read side by side with the deeds of men. How much success and renown in life many men owe to their wives is probably little known. Mrs. W. enjoyed the best means of early education that the country afforded, and her intellectual genius enabled her to improve her advantages. During her life, side by side with the highest type of domestic and social graces, she manifested a keen intellectuality that formed the crown of a faultless character. She was a natural poet, and wrote quite a large number of fine verses, some of which are preserved in a printed memorial essay written upon the occasion of her death. In this essay, it is said of her "to contribute even in matters of minor importance, to elevate the reputation and add to the well being of her husband in the various stations he was called upon to fill, gave her the highest satisfaction" She was an invalid during the latter portion of her life, but was patient and cheerful to the end. In I807, Mr. W. was chosen a representative to the General Assembly of Ohio, and in 1809 was elected to the Senate, continuing a member by re-election until his removal from the State. He also held, by appointment, during the time the office of Prosecuting Attorney for his county. He took a leading part in the Legislature, and in 1812 drew up a declaration and resolutions, which passed the two houses unaminously ~~~~-490 — oft~.r a a~t ~ ~d~ BB4*S.~aRI 4Ol~i~8 I m t -" - I~ ~ ~ ~~B IIIl ~41 I. I.~ICI I I 1 -1 I -w - 9 -L - ILIIIFII I II W- I LLA J WOOLDBRIDGE. i ald attracted great attention, endorsing, in strongest and most emphatic terms, the war measures of President Madison. During the period from I804 to I814 the two law students, Woodbridge and Cass, had become widely separated. The latter was Governor of the Territory of Michigan under the historic "Governor and Judges" plan, with the indispensable requisite of a Secretary of the Territorry. This latter position was, in I814, without solicitation on his part, tendered to Mr. W. He accepted the position with some hesitation, and entered upon its duties as soon as he could make the necessary arrangements for leaving Ohio. The office of Secretary involved also the duties of collectorof customs at the port of Detroit, and during the frequent absences of the Governor, the dischargeof of his duties, also including those of Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Mr. W. officiated as Governor for about two years out of the eight years that he held the office of Secretary Under the administration of"Governor and Judges," which the people of the Territory preferred for economical reasons, to continue some time after their numbers entitled them to a morue popular representative system, they were allowed no delegate in Congress. Mr. W., as a sort of informal agent of the people, by correspondence and also by a visit to the National capital, so clearly set forth the demand for representation by a delegate, that an act was passedin Congress in 1819 authorizing one to be chosen. Under this act Mr. W. was elected by the concurrence of all parties. His first action in Congress was to secure the passage of a bill recognizing and confirming the old French land titles in the Territory according to the terms of the treaty of peace with Great Britain at the close of the Revolution; and another for the construction of a Government road through the "black swamps" from the Miami River to Detroit, thus opening a means of land transit between Ohio and Michigan. He was influential in securing the passage of bills for the construction of Government roads from Detroit to Chicago, and Detroit to Fort Gratiot, and for the improvement of La Plaisance Bay. The expedition for the exploration of the country around Lake Superior and in the valley of the Upper Mississippi, projected by Governor Cass, was set on foot by means of representations made to the head of the department by Mr. W. While in Congress he strenuously maintained the right of Michigan to the strip of territory now forming the northern boundary of Ohio, which formed the subject of such grave dispute between Ohio and Michigan at the time of the admission of the latter into the Union. He served but one term as delegate to Congress, declining further service on account of personal and family considerations. Mr. W. continued to discharge the duties of Secretary of the Territory up to the time its Government passed into the "second grade." In 1824, he was appointed one of a board of commissioners for adjusting private land claims in ----------- -- - the Territory, and was engaged also in the practice of his profession, having the best law library in the Territory. In 1828, upon the recommendation of the Governor, Judges and others, he was appointed by the President, J. Q. Adams, to succeed Hon. James Witherell, who had resigned as a Judge of what is conventionally called the "Supreme Court" of the Territory. This court was apparently a continuation of the Territorial Court, under the "first grade" or "Governor and Judges" system. Although it was supreme in its judicial functions within the Territory, its powers and duties were of a very general character. In 1832, the term of his appointment as Judge expiring, President Jackson appointed a successor, it is supposed on political grounds, much to the disappointment of the public and the bar of the Territory. The partisan feeling of the time extended into the Territory, and its people began to think of assuming the dignity of a State government. Party lines becoming very sharply drawn, he identified himself with the Whigs and was elected a member of the Convention of 835, which formed the first State Constitution. In 1837 he was elected a member of t. e State Senate. This sketch has purposely dealt somewhat in detail with what may be called Judge W's. earlier career, because it is closely identified with the early history of the State, and the development of its political system. Since the organization of the State Government the history of Michigan is more familiar, and hence no review of Judge W's career as Governor and Senator will be attempted. He was elected Governor in I839, under a popular impression that the affairs of the State had not been prudently administered by the Democrats. He served as Governor but little more than a year, when he was elected to the Senate of the United States. His term in the Senate practically closed his political life, although he was strongly urged by many prominent men for the Whig nomination for Vice President in I848. Soon after his appointment as Judge in 1828, Governor W. took up his residence on a tract of land which he owned in the township of Spring Wells, a short distance below what was then the corporate limits of Detroit, where he resided during the remainder of his life. Both in his public papers and private communications, Governor W. shows himself a master of language; he is fruitful in simile and illustration, logical in arrangement, happy in the choice and treatment of topics, and terse and vigorous in expression. Judge W. was a Congregationalist. His opinions on all subjects were decided; he was earnest and energetic, courteous and dignified, and at times exhibited a vein of fine humor that was the more attractive because not too often allowed to come to the surface. His letters and addresses show a deep and earnest affection not only for his ancestral home, but the home of his adoption and for friends and family. I I I abo I ~IlmI I ~ -_ ' _ ~. qqp- -_____ ~_______~____~ -~- - -- 11 i I( &bp-R -1-; I GO I:ERANORS OF AlICIII GAr. r3 A I i i.,N.. I _ mJOHN S. BARRY ) E.gl t l^ "[.J',,3 ]OHN STEWARD BARRY, __ i |] Governor of Michigan from Jan. 3, I842, to Jan. 5, I846, -e a } ~and from Jan. 7, I850, to Jan. ^^')A5 _ I 1 85 2, was born at Amherst, N. H., Jan. 29, I802. His pare__a u ents, John and Ellen (Steward) (I SX '[ Barry, early removed to RockingI^ ^[! ~ ham, Vt., where he remained until d he became of age, working on his father's farm, and pursuing his studies at the same time. He mar"^^ ried Mary Kidder, of Grafton, Vt., and in 1824 went to Georgia, Vt., where he had charge of an academy for two years, meanwhile studying law. H'e afterward practiced law in that State. While he was in Georgia he was for some time a member of the Governor's staff, with the title of Governor's Aid, and at a somewhat earlier period was Captain of a company of State militia. In I831 he removed to Michigan, and settled at White Pigeon, where he engaged in mercantile business with I. W. Willard. Four years after, 1834, Mr. Barry removed to Con stantine and continued his mercantile pursuits. He became Justice of the Peace at White Pigeon, Mich., in 1831, and held the office until the year I835. Mr. Barry's first public office was that of a member of the first constitutional convention, which assembled and framed the constitution upon which Michigan was admitted into the Union. He took an important and prominent part in the proceedings of that body, and showed himself to be a man of far more than ordinary ability. Upon Michigan being admitted into the Union, Mr. Barry was chosen State Senator, and so favorably were his associates impressed with his abilities at the first session of the Legislature that they looked to him as a party leader, and that he should head the State ticket at the following election. Accordingly he received the nomination for Governor at the hands of his party assembled in convention. He was elected, and so popular was his administration that, in 1842, he was again elected. During these years Michigan was embarrassed by great financial difficulties, and it was through his wisdom and sound judgment that the State was finally placed upon a solid financial basis. During the first year of Gov. Barry's first term, the University at Ann Arbor was opened for the reception m,, I! i _ __ obw-33 —oas~~ 1~CI-L-UY-~l~-lrrlll h C ~-~s -- IU~S~1-(- r~L I I — " op-," -VA I I I i 3 114 JOHN STEWARD BARRY.~ —mm —~ -^ 114 JOIrzV STEWARD PARR 1.~~I~' of students. The Michigan Central and Michigan Southern railroads were being rapidly constructed, and general progress was everywhere noticeable. In 1842, the number of pupils reported as attending the public schools was nearly fifty-eight thousand. In 1843, a State land office was established at Marshall, which was invested with the charge and disposition of all the lands belonging to the State In 1844, the taxable property of the State was found to be over twenty-eight millions of dollars, the tax being at the rate of two mills on the dollar. The expenses of the State were only seventy thousand dollars, while the income from the railroads was nearly three hundred thousand dollars. At this time the University of Michigan had become so prosperous that its income was ample to pay the interest on the University debt; and the amount of money which the State was able to loan the several progressing railroads was one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Efforts were made to increase the efficiency of the common schools with good results In 1845, when Gov. Barry's second term expired, the population of the State was more than three hundred thousand. The constitution of the State forbade more than two consecutive terms, but he was called upon to fill the position again in I85o-the only instance of the kind in the history of the State. He was a member of the Territorial Legislature, of the Constitutional Convention, and afterward of the State House of Representatives. During Mr. Barry's third term as Governor the Normal School was established at Ypsilanti, which was endowed with lands and placed in charge of a board of education consisting of six persons. A new constitution for the government of the State was also adopted and the " Great Railway Conspiracy Case" was tried. This grew out of a series of lawless acts which had been committed upon the property of the Michigan Central Railroad Company, along the line of their road, and finally the burning of the depot at Detroit, in I85o. At a setting of the grand jury of Wayne County, April 24, I85, 37 men of the 50 under arrest for this crime were indicted. May 20, following, the accused parties appeared at the Circuit Court of Wayne, of which Warner Wing was resident judge. The Railroad Company employed ten eminent lawyers, including David Stuart, John Van Arman, James A. Van Dyke, Jacob M. Howard, Alex. D. Fraser, Daniel Goodwin and William Gray. The defendants were represented by six members of the State bar, led by William H. Seward, of New York. The trial occupied four months, during which time the plaintiffs examined 246 witnesses in 27 days, and the defendants 249 in 40 days. Mr. Van Dyke addressed the jury for the prosecution; William H. Seward for the defense. The great lawyer was convinced of the innocence of his clients, nor did the verdict of that jury and the sentence of that judge remove his firm belief that his clients were the victims of purchased treachery, rather than so many sacrifices to justice. The verdict of " guilty " was rendered at 9 o'clock P. M., Sept. 25, I851. On the 26th the prisoners were put forward to receive sentence, when many of them protested their entire innocence, after which the presiding judge condemned 12 of the number to the following terms of imprisonment, with hard labor, within the State's prison, situate in their county: Ammi Filley, ten years; Orlando L. Williams, ten years; Aaron Mount, eight years; Andrew J. Freeland, eight years; Eben Farnham, eight years; William Corvin, eight? years; Richard Price, eight years; Evan Price, eight years; Lyman Champlin, five years; Willard W. Champlin, five years; Erastus Champlin, five years; Erastus Smith, five years. In I840, Gov. Barry became deeply interested in the cultivation of the sugar beet, and visited Europe to obtain information in reference to its culture. He was twice Presidential Elector, and his last public service was that of a delegate to the National Democratic Convention held in Chicago in I864. He was a man who, throughout life, maintained a high character for integrity and fidelity to the trusts bestowed upon him, whether of a public or a private nature, and he is acknowledged by all to have been one of the most efficient and popular Governors the State has ever had. Gov. Barry was a man of incorruptible integrity. His opinions, which he reached by the most thorough investigation, he held tenaciously. His strong convictions and outspoken honesty made it impossible for him to take an undefined position when a principle was involved. His attachments and prejudices were strong, yet he was never accused of favoritism in his administration of public affairs. As a speaker he was not remarkable. Solidity, rather than brilliancy, characterized his oratory, which is described as argumentative and instructive, but cold, hard, and entirely wanting in rhetorical ornament. He was never eloquent, seldom humorous or sarcastic, and in manner rather awkward. Although Mr. Barry's educational advantages were so limited, he was a life-long student. He mastered both ancient and modern languages, and acquired a thorough knowledge of history. No man owed less to political intrigue as a means of gaining position. He was a true statesman, and gained public esteem by his solid worth. His political connections were always with the Democratic party, and his opinions were usually extreme. Mr. Barry retired to private life after the beginning of the ascendency of the Republican party, and carried on his mercantile business at Constantine. He died Jan. 14, 1870, his wife's death having occurred a year previous, March 30, 1869. They left no children. 960-4 F Irddl~ I I -, 1 C 1 P1-1 ~-e-~- 1 --— 1 - 06,6 ----------- p ---1-IIIC Q~8~~ I 1( (.04, f 8-. i t 1^~I~i GO V&:RWAORS OF M/CIIJGA N. I 7 - Governor of Michigan, was born in Limerick, Maine, Septeml)er 28, i806. His grandfather, Abijah Felch, was a sol( dier in the Revolution; and when a young man, having with others obtained a grant of land between the Great and Little Ossipee Rivers, in Maine, moved to that region when it was yet a wilderness. The father of Mr. Felch embarked in mercantile life at Limerick. He was the first to engage in that business in that section, and continued it until ' his death. The death of the father, followed within a year by the death of the mother, left the subject of this sketch, then three years old, to the care of relatives, and he found a home with his paternal grandfather, where he remained until his death. Mr Felch received his early education in the district school and a neighboring academy. In 1821 he became a student at Phillips Exter Academy, and, subsequently, entered Bowdoin College, graduated with the class of 1827. He at once began the study of law and was admitted to practice at Bangor, Me., in I830. He began the practice of his profession at Houlton, Me., where he remained until t833. The severity of the climate impaired his health, never very good, and he found it necessary to seek a change of climate. He disposed of his library and started to seek a new home. His intention was to join his friend, Sargent S. Prentiss, at Vicksburg, Miss., but on his arrival at Cincinnati, Mr. Felch was attacked by cholera, and when he had recovered sufficiently to pernmit of his traveling, found that the danger of the disease was too great to permit a journey down the river. He therefore determined to come to Michigan. He first began to practice in this State at Monroe, where he continued until 1843, when he removed to Ann Arbor. He was elected to the State Legislature in I835, and continued a member of that body during the years 1836 and 1837. While he held this office, the general banking law of the State was enacted, and went into operation. After mature deliberation, he became convinced that the proposed system of banking could not prove beneficial to the public interests; and that, instead of relieving the people from the pecuniary difficulties under which they were laboring, it would result in still further embarrassment. He, therefore, opposed the bill, and pointed out to the House the disasters which, in his opinion, were sure to follow its passage. The public mind, however, was so favorably impressed by the measure that no other member, in either branch of the Legislature, raised a dissenting voice, and but two voted with him in opposition to the bill. Early in 1838, he was appointed one of the Bank Commissioners of the State, and held that office for more than a year. During this time, the new banking law had given birth to that numerous progeny known as "wild-cat" banks. Almost every village had its bank. The country was flooded with depressed "wild-cat" money. The examinations of the Bank Commissioners brought to light frauds at every point, which were fearlessly re i | _ -------- --, 0 opp- ,Ip —ORO I ~- _______ —__ — af t,WWI" M aq wC _ — -11 ---.- C — rp —rpp~pl-~.-13~11~ _., ~Is~-p~l —~~l~-es l*P I- ~l — -I 4 C I 8 ALPHEUS I 'ELCH. -V I --- ported to the Legislature, and were followed by criminal prosecutions of the guilty parties, and the closing of many of their institutions. The duties of the office were most laborious, and in 1839 Mr. Felch resigned. The chartered right of almost every bank had, in the meantime, been declared forfeited and the law repealed. It was subsequently decided to be constitutional by the Supreme Court of the State. In the year 1842 Governor Felch was appointed to the office of Auditor General of the State; but after holding the office only a few weeks, was commissioned by the Governor as one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge Fletcher. In January, I843, he was elected to the United States Senate for an unexpired term. In 1845 he was elected Governorof Michigan, and entered upon his duties at the commencement of the next year. In 1847 he was elected a Senator in Congress for six years; and at once retired from the office of Governor, by resignation, which took effect March 4, I847, when his Senatorial term commenced. While a member of the Senate he acted on the Committee on Public Lands, and for four years was its Chairman. He filled the honorable position of Senator with becoming dignity, and with great credit to the State of Michigan. During Governor Felch's administration the two railroads belonging to the State were sold to private corporations,-the Central for $2,000,000, and the Southern for $500,000. The exports of the State amounted in 1846 to $4,647,608. The total capacity of vessels enrolled in the collection district at Detroit was 26,928 tons, the steam vessels having 8,400 and the sailing vessels 18,528 tons, the whole giving employment to i8,000 seamen. In I847, there were 39 counties in the State, containing 435 townships; and 275 of these townships were supplied with good libraries, containing an aggregate of 37,000 volumes. At the close of his Senatorial term, in March, 1853, Mr. Felch was appointed, by President Pierce, one of the Commissioners to adjust and settle the Spanish and Mexican land claims in California, under the treaty of Gaudalupe Hidalgo, and an act of Congress passed for that purpose. He went to California in May, 1853, and was made President of the Commission. The duties of this office were of the most important and delicate character. The interest of the new State, and the fortunes of many of its citizens, both the native Mexican population and the recent American immigration; the right of the Pueblos to their common lands, and of the Catholic Church to the lands of the Missions,-the most valuable of the State,-wereinvolved in the adjudications of this Commission. In March, I856, their labors were brought to a close by the final disposition of all the claims which were presented. The record of their proceedings,-the testimony which was given in each case, and the decision of the Commissioners thereon,consisting of some forty large volumes, was deposited in the Department of the Interior at Washington. In June of that year, Governor Felch returned to Ann Arbor, where he has since been engaged piincipally in legal business. Since his return he has been nominated for Governor and also for U. S. Senator, and twice for Judge of the Supreme Court. But the Democratic party, to which he has always been attached, being in the minority, he failed of an election. In 1873 he withdrew from the active practice of law, and, with the exception of a tour in Europe, in 1875 has since led a life of retirement at his home in Ann Arbor. In 1877 the University of Michigan conferred upon him the degree of LL. D. For many years he was one of the Regents of Michigan University, and in the spring of 1879 was appointed Tappan Professor of Law in the same. Mr. Felch is the oldest surviving member of the Legislature from Monroe Co., the oldest and only surviving Bank Commissioner of the State, the oldest surviving Auditor General of the State, the oldest surviving Governor of the State, the oldest surviving Judge of the Supreme Court of Michigan, and the oldest surviving United States Senator from the State of Michigan. mA i I I i I i!l ElJ.. Sao, --- - — LI4" I I I, 1 - I-a1 1 1 ~LI11 1 ~ll1~1.1 L ____u__ - - - I(. I.r -U I-.l 1 -A L I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A ~~~-~~~~~i --- —$~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -4 0 mmumobIIsl.il- ----- ~rrrr~~rr-r~aer L-r~"-~ ----~~-r ---— 4 ----*II~L GO VERNORS. 121 'Y --- —"-"-~-` ----~II —~ —~ --- —----— II,LLIAM L. GREENLY Governor of Michigan for the ayear 847, was born at Hamilton, Madison Co., N. Y., Sept. I8, 1813. He graduatedat Un~V ion College, Schenectady, in I831, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1834. In i836, having removed to Michigan, he settled in Adrian, where i he has since resided. The year following his arrival in Michigan he was elected State Senator and served in that capacity until I839. D In I845 he was elected Lieut. Gov1 ernor and became acting Governor lI by the resignation of Gov, Felch, who was elected to the United States Senate. The war with Mexico was brought to a successful termination during Gov. Greenly's administration. We regret to say that there are only few records extant of the action of Michigan troops in the Mexican war. That many went there and fought well are points conceded; but their names and nativity are hidden away in United States archives _..,d., and where it is almost impossible to find them. The soldiers of this State deserve much of the credit of the memorable achievements of Co. K, 3d Dragoons, and Cos. A, E, and G of the U. S. Inf. The two former of these companies, recruited in this State, were reduced to one-third their original number. In May, I846,the Governor of Michigan was notified by the War Department of the United States to enroll a regiment of volunteers, to be held in readiness for service whenever demanded. At his summons 13 independent volunteer companies, i of infantry and two of cavalry, at once fell into line. Of the infantry four companies were from Detroit, bearing the honored names of Montgomery, Lafayette, Scott and Brady upon their banners. Of the remainder Monroe tendered two, Lenawee County three, St. Clair, Berrien and Hillsdale each one, and Wayne County an additional company. Of these alone the veteran Bradys were accepted and ordered into service. In addition to them ten companies, making the First Regiment of Michigan Volunteers, springing from various parts of the State, but embodying to a great degree the material of which the first volunteers was formed, were not called for until October following. This regiment was soon in readiness and proceeded by orders from Government to the seat of war. I 1-ed m MIN- — W- - ------- — bpi I I-ac --- — ---— I ------— ~~llf~~*IILUL- ~ C- -~li~h — I _ r~ I t AKibb- - - 1-am i ma 010'. wvp ---.Rw -I% - -11. i I I 4 - PI' I F a 5, *ak. — a-Ob A L IR W / I t - 4I0II~IU~I~s -------— ~~ ----e% -ls GO rVERIVORS. T 2C i1 -~~~~~~~~C VEWOS I 21 t_ { - S ^ HE HON. EPAPHRODIiTUS RANSOM, the Seventh Governor of Michigan, was a ~E^ ll native of Massachusetts. In that State he received a colJ t2& legiate education, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. Removing to Michigan about (i1 7,O, the time of its admission to the e \/ Union, he took up his residence at Kalamazoo. l Mr. Ransom served with marked ability for a number of years in the State Legislature, and in 1837 he was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. In 1843 he was promoted to Chief Justice, which office he retained until 1845, when he resigned. Shortly afterwards he became deeply interested in the building of plank roads in the western portion of the State, and in this business lost the greater portion of the property which he had accumulated by years of toil and industry. Mr. Ransom became Governor of the State of Michigan in the fall of 1847, and served during one term, performing the duties of the office in a truly statesmanlike manner. He subsequently became President of the Michigan Agricultural Society, in which position he displayed the same ability that shone forth so prominently in his acts as Governor. He held the office of Regent of the Michigan University several times, and ever advocated a liberal policy in its management. Subsequently he was appointed receiver of the land office in one of the districts in Kansas, by President Buchanan, to which State he had removed, and where he died before the expiration of his term of office. We sum up the events and affairs of the State under Gov. Ransom's administration as follows: The Asylum for the Insane was establised, as also the Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. Both of these institutes were liberally endowed with lands, and each of them placed in charge of a board of five trustees. The appropriation in 1849 for the deaf and dumb and blind amounted to $81,500. On the first of March, 1848, the first telegraph line was completed from New York to Detroit, and the first dispatch transmitted on that day. The following figures show the progress in agriculture: The land reported as under cultivation in 1848 was 1,437,460 acres; of wheat there were produced 4,749,300 bushels; other grains, 8,197,767 bushels; wool, 1,645,756 pounds; maple sugar, I,774,369 pounds; horses, 52,305; cattle, 210,268; swine, 152,541; sheep, 610,534; while the flour mills numbered 228, and the lumber mills amounted to 730. I847, an act was passed removing the Legislature from Detroit to Lansing, and temporary buildings for the use of the Legislature wereimmediately erected, at a cost of $12,450. -1 - — l-I.-I. FMMN I I GO I'VERiVOKS OF' JICHIZGGAN. 129; ~~ c~j~F~jf~' I.~[~:~'i~c~:~~Y:~.);flC~e'~e L~c, jr - - - - ----- -- II9BET' l-tELLAND..,,.)I A OBERT Mc CLELLAND), M!GC;overnor of Michigan from Jan. I, I85 2, to March 8, I853, Ad~] _/ ~was born at Greencastle, Frank-!((/;,_ ' lin Co., Penn., Aug. I, I807. it Among his ancestors were several liYj officers of rank in the Revolution11T) ary war, and some of his falmily conil -' nections were distinguished in the i war of 1812, and that with Mexico. iHis father was an eminent physician and surgeon who studied under Dr. Benj. Rush, of Philadelphia, and practiced his profession successfully until six months before his death, at the age of 84 years. Although Mr. McClelland's family had been in good circumstances, when he was I7 years old he was thrown upon his own resources. After taking the usual preliminary studies, and teaching school to obtain the means, he entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle, Penn., from which he graduated among the first in his class, in i829. He then resumed teaching, and having completed the course of study for the legal profession, was admitted to the bar at Chambersburg, Penn., in I831. Soon afterward he removed to the city of Pittsburgh, where he practiced for almost a year. In i833, Mr. McClelland removed to Monroe, in the Territory of Michigan, where, after a severe examination, he became a member of the bar of Michigan, and engaged in practice with bright prospect of success. In I835, a convention was called to frame a constitution for the proposed State of Michigan, of which Mr. McClelland was elected a member. He took a prominent part in its deliberations and ranked among its ablest debaters. He was appointed the first Bank Commissioner of the State, by Gov. Mason, and received an offer of the Attorney Generalship, but declined both of these offices in order to attend to his professional duties. In I838, Mr. McClelland was elected to the State Legislature, in which he soon became distinguished as the head of several important committees, Speaker pro tempore, and as an active, zealous and efficient member. In I840, Gen. Harrison, as a candidate for the Presidency, swept the country with an overwhelming majority, and at the same time the State of Michigan was carried by the Whigs under the popular cry of " Woodbridge and reform " against the Democratic party. At this time Mr. McClelland stood among the acknowledged leaders of the latter organization; was elected a member of the State House of Representatives, and with others adopted a plan to regain a lost authority and prestige. This party soon came again into power in the State, and having been returned to the State Legislature Mr. McClelland's leadership was acknowledged by his election as Speaker of the House of Representatives 9 _4f K i woo.-II - --..' ''.. - aaarr- — i - S.- ' - - I~~ I C 3 ~ I~~LIC Jjg ---B 1 ~~~-~,._...._.;i_,_.....;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~~.~~~~ ~-qp--- ~ ----~ ~- ~ ----; —~- ---------—;-~ ------ ---— ~ — ~ —;~-~~~~ — ~ ---- ~~ --- —-- -~ --- —~-1~.~ -~~-. 1~~ —.- 1 1l-IX ----~l —A I I __" t - Oh-a- = ftbk8111 --- Is-~~~-g -~~-. ~ - I-IIpR 1-~ 1 ~Cil,IJ I~ ~ rm.r s.-~-B iis -7-1 ]Rpm I I:.to ROBERT McCLELLANiV in I843. Down to this time Michigan had constituted one congressional district. The late Hon. Jacob M. Howard had been elected against Hon. Alpheus Felch by a strong majority; but, in 1843, so thoroughly had the Democratic party recovered from its defeat of I840 that Mr. McClelland, as a candidate for Congress, carried Detroit district by a majority of about 2,500o Mr. McClelland soon tock a prominent posi tion.in Congress among the veterans of that bodyo During his first term he was placed on Committee on Commerce, and organized and carried through what were known as the " Harbor bills." The continued confidence of his constituency was manifested in his election to the 29th Congress. At the opening of this session he had acquired a National reputation, and so favorably was he known as a parlimentarian that his name was mentioned for Speaker of the House of Representatives. He declined the offer in favor of J. W. Davis, of Indiana, who was elected. During this term he became Chairman of Committee on Commerce, in which position his reports and advocacy of important measures at once attracted public attention. The members of this committee, as an evidence of the esteem in which they held his services and of their personal regard for him, presented him with a cane which he retains as a souvenir of the donors, and of his labors in Congress. In 1847, Mr. McClelland was re-elected to Con. gress, and at the opening of the 3oth Congress became a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations. While acting in this capacity, what was known as the " French Spoliation Bill" came under his special charge, and his management of the same was such as to command universal approbation. While in Congress, Mr, McClelland was an advocate of the right of petition as maintained by John Q. Adams, when the petition, was clothed in decorous language and presented in the proper manner. This he regarded as the citizens'constitutional right which should not be impaired by any doctrines of temporary expediency. He also voted for the adoption of Mr. Giddings's bill for the abolishing of slavery in the District of Columbia, Mr. McClelland was one of the few Democrats associated with David Wilmot, of Pennsylvania, in bringing forward the celebrated "Wilmot Proviso,' with a view to prevent further extension of slavery in new territory which might be acquired by the United States. He and Mr. Wilmot were together at the time in Washington, and on intimate and confidential terms. Mr. McClelland was in several National conventions and in the Baltimore convention, which nominated Gen. Cass for President, in 1848, doing valiant service that year for the election of that distinguished statesman. On leaving Congress, in 1848, Mr. McClelland returned to the practice of his profession at Monroe. In 1850 a convention of the State of Michigan was called to revise the State constitution. He was elected a member and was regarded therein as among the ablest and most experienced leaders. His clear judgment and wise moderation were conspicuous, both in the: committee room and on the floor; in debate. In i850, he was President of the Democratic State convention which adopted resolutions in support of Henry Clay's famous compromise measures, of which Mr. McClelland was a strong advocate, He was a member of the Democratic National convention in I85 2 and in that year, in company with Gen. Cass and Governor Felch, he made a thorough canvass of the State. He continued earnestly to advocate the Clay compromise measures, and took an active part in the canvass which resulted in the election of Gen. Pierce to the Presidency, In 185 [, the new State constitution took effect and it was necessary that a Governor should be elected for one year in order to prevent an interregnum, and to bring the State Government into operatic: under the new constitution- Mr. McClelland was elected Governor, and in the fall of 1852 was re-elected for a term of two years, from Jan. I, I853. His administration was regarded as wise, prudent and conciliatory, and was as popular as could be expected at a time when party spirit ran high. There was really no opposition, and when he resigned, in March, I853, the State Treasury was well filled, and the State otherwise prosperous. So widely and favorably had Mr. McClelland become known as a statesman that on the organization of thecabinet by President Pierce, in March, 185 3, he was made Secretary of the Interior, in | which capacity he served most creditably during four years of the Pierce administration, He thoroughly re-organized his department and reduced the expenditures, He adopted a course with the Indians which relieved them from the impositions and annoyances of the traders, and produced harmony and civilization among them. During his administration there was neither complaint from the tribes nor corruption among agents, and he left the department in perfect order and system, In I867, Michigan again called a convention to revise the State constitution, Mr. McClelland was a member and here again his long experience made him conspicuous as a prudent adviser, a sagacious parliamentary leader. As a lawyer he was terse and pointed in argument, clear, candid and impressive in his addresses to the jury, His sincerity and earnestness, with which was occasionally mingled a pleasant humor, made him an able and effective advocate. In speaking before the people on political subjects he was especially forcible and happy. In 1870 he made the tour of Europe, which, through his i extensive personal acquaintance with European diplomates, he was enabled to enjoy much more than most travelers Mr. McClelland married, in 1837, Miss Sarah,o Sabin, of Williamstown, Mass. They have had 4 six children, two of whom now survive. r I abo _-al. —%Ppl"ma~d" Obs —"IBP - LI U s-r- " ~~ E U V ~ ~ ~ ad,W'lp~- -~ _! '"qp.i e —*,Ioo ~ ----—. --- —-— I ----------— 4* ---ls1sC1*1~(181 GO O ERNAORS OF iJICHIIGAN. 133 A - I I,..4. _3 A- X — -f *^^^^^?^^^^^^l^^^^^ ^^^^^^?^~*^; ^^ ^s s^C~m++m_ *^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^K^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ It,.......... 0 -- ll~ * — ~, -w _ _ _qUII 2 iz jr. NJ)REW P1ARSONS, Governor of Michigan from March 8, I853 to Jan. 3, t855, was born in the town of Hoosick, 's^^^i^^w County of Rensselaer, and State of New York, on the 22d e R_5~ day of July, 1817, and died June!! 6, 1855, at the early age of 38 l.\2l years. He was the son of John 7"Tp/ Parsons, I)orn at Newburyport, A/ Mass., Oct. 2, 1782, and who was the n sonof Andrew Parsons, a Revolutionary -~ soldier, who was the son of Phineas E Parsons, the son of Samuel Parsons, a descendant of Walter Parsons, born in Ireland in 1290. Of this name and family, some one hundred and thirty years ago, Bishop Gilson remarked in his edition of Camden's Britannia: "The honorable family of Parsons have been advanced to the dignity of Viscounts and more lately Earls of Ross." The following are descendants of these families: Sir John Parsons, born 1481, was Mayor of Hereford; Robert Parsons, born in 1546, lived near Bridgewater, England. He was educated at Ballial College, Oxford, and was a noted writer and defender of the Romish faith. He established an English College at Rome and another at Valladolia. Frances Parsons, born in I556, was Vicar of Rothwell, in Notingham; Bartholomew Parsons. born in I618, was another noted member of the family. In 1 63, Thomas Parsons was knighted by Charles i. Joseph and Benjamin, brothers, were born in Great Torrington, England, and accompanied their father and others to New England alout 1630. Samuel Parsons, born at Salisbury, Mass., in 17 7, graduated at Harvard College in 1730, ordained at Rye, N. H.,Nov. 3, 1736, married Mary Jones, daughter of Samuel Jones, of Bostor, Oct. 9, 1739, died Jan. 4, I789, at the age of 82, in the 5 3rd year of his ministry. The grandfather of Mary Jones was Capt. John Adams, of Boston, grandson of Henry, of Braintree, who was among the first settlers of Massachusetts, and from whom a numerous race of the name are descended, including two Presidents of the United States. The Parsons have become very numerous and are found throughout New England, and many of the descedants are scattered in all parts of the United States, and especially in the Middle and Western States. Governor Andrew Parsons came to Michigan in 1835, at the age of 17 years, and spent the first summer at Lower Ann Arbor, where for a few months he taught school which he was compelled to abandon from ill health He was one of the large number of men of sterling worth, who came from the East to Michigan when it was an infant State, or, even prior to its assuming the dignity of a State, and who, by their wisdom, enterprise and energy, have developed its wonderful natural resources, until to-day it ranks with the proudest States of the Union. These brave men came to Michigan with nothing to aid them in the conquest of the wilderness save courageous hearts and strong and willing hands. They gloriously conquered, however, and to them is due all honor for the labors so nobly performed, for the solid and sure foundation which they laid of a great Commonwealth. — 40!Vmm ~ ~k --- —-~-SI~E-~*eii ~ -ww- VW t, _, __Mrw Jill - I~P~ e~~PI13~LLIIL-L~LII 4' 134 ANL)RE W In the fall of 1835, he explored the Grand River Valley in a frail canoe, the whole length of the river, from Jackson to Lake Michigan, and spent the following winter as clerk in a store at Prairie Creek, in Ionia, County, and in the spring went to Marshall, where he resided with his brother, the Hon. Luke H. Parsons, also now deceased, until fall, when he went to ShiawasseCounty,then with Clinton County, and an almost unbroken wilderness and constituting one organized township. In I837 this territory was organized into a county and, at the age of only 19 years, he (Andrew) was elected County Clerk. In I840, he was elected Register of Deeds, re-elected in 1842, and also in I844. In 1846, he was elected to the State Senate, was appointed Prosecuting Attorney in I848, and elected Regent of the University in 1851, and Lieutenant Governor, and became acting Governor, in 1853, elected again to the Legislature in 1854, and, overcome by debilitated health, hard labor and the responsibilities of his office and cares of his business, retired to his farm, where he died soon after. He was a fluent and persuasive speaker and well calculated to make friends of his acquantances. He was always true to his trust, and the whole world could not persuade nor drive him to do what he conceived to be wrong. When Governor, a most powerful railroad influence was brought to bear upon him, to induce him to call an extra session of the Legislature. Meetings were held in all parts of the State for that purpose. In some sections the resolutions were of a laudatory nature, intending to make him do their bidding by resort to friendly and flattering words. In other places the resolutions were of a demanding nature, while in others they were threatening beyond measure. Fearing that all these influences might fail to induce him to call the extra session, a large sum of money was sent him, and liberal offers tendered him if he would gratify the railroad interest of the State and call the extra session, but, immovable, he returned the money and refused to receive any favois, whether from any party who would attempt to corrupt him by laudations, liberal offers, or ' PARSONS -------- by threats, and in a short letter to the people, after giving overwhelming reasons that no sensible man could dispute, showing the circumstances were not "extraordinary," he refused to call the extra session. This brought down the wrath of various parties upon his head, but they were soon forced to acknowledge the wisdom and the justice of his course. One of his greatest enemies said, after a long acquaintance: "though not always coinciding with his views I never doubted his honesty of purpose. He at all times sought to perform his duties in strict accordance, with the dictates of his conscience, and the behests of his oath." The following eulogium from a politcal opponent is just in its conception and creditable to its author: "Gov. Parsons was a politician of the Democratic school, a man of pure moral character, fixed and exemplary habits, and entirely blameless in every public and private relation of life. As a politician he was candid, frank and free from bitterness, as an executive officer firm, constant and reliable." The highest commendations we can pay the deceased is to give his just record, —that of being an honest man. In the spring of 1854, during the administration of Governor Parsons, the Republican party, at least as a State organization, was first formed in the United States " under the oaks " at Jackson, by anti-slavery men of both the old parties. Great excitement prevailed at this time, occasioned by the settling of Kansas, and the issue thereby brought up, whether slavery should exist there. For the purposeof permitting slavery there, the " Missouri compromise " (which limited slavery to the south of 360 30) was rerepealed, under the leadership of Stephen A, Douglas. This was repealed by a bill admitting Kansas and Nebraska into the Union, as Territories, and those who were opposed to this repeal measure were in short called "anti-Nebraska " men. The epithets, "Nebraska" and "anti-Nebraska,' were temporally employed to designate the slavery and anti-slavery parties, pending the desolution of the old Democratic and Whig parties iand the organization of the new Democratic and Republican parties of the present. I r i a& gt.J)i- ---- -, T-r ~r~8a ~ds( l. 0 1 ------------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-...I........ ~~jE~~p~ipers ~~~~~"-"~~CI-~~~-~C~IU-LI-~~~~-~~ --- —- 2-. i I "I I -- - I GO VERNKiORS OF MIMCHIGAN. I37 _G VERNORS OF MICHIGAN. '37 1.... 'AE7 ll KINSLELY S. BINGHAM. u- A n \,<e ^tZ t f^.^ ^ -i X '"'^^^^^'^T^^i^^^^^Q."WV^6 " ~ l^^^s^^^T ~ INSLEY S. BINGHAM, Governor of Michigan from 1855 to 1859, and United States Senator, was born in Camillus, Onondaga County, ' N. Y., Dec. i6, i8o8. His father was a farmer, and his own ' early life was consequently devoted to agricultural pursuits, but notwithstanding the disadvantages related to the acquisition J I of knowledge in the life of a farmer he managed to secure a good academic education in his native State S and studied law in the office of l Gen. James R. Lawrence, now of J Syracuse, N. Y. In the spring of 1~ I833, he married an estimable lady who had recently arrived from Scotland, and obeying the impulse of a i naturally enterprising disposition, he emigrated to Michigan and purchased a new farm in company [ with his brother-in-law, Mr. Robert Worden, in Green Oak, Livingston County. Here, on the border of civilization, buried in the primeval forest, our late student commenced the arduous task of preparing a future home, clearing and fencing, putting up buildings, etc., at such a rate that the land chosen was soon reduced to a high state of cultivation. Becoming deservedly prominent, Mr. Bingham was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace and Postmaster under the Territorial government, and was the first Probate Judge in the county. In the year 1836, when Michigan became a State, he was elected to the first Legislature. He was four times re-elected, and Speaker of the House of Representatives three years. In 1846 he was elected on the Democratic ticket, Representative to Congress, and was the only practical farmer in that body. He was never forgetful of the interest of agriculture, and was in particular opposed to the introduction of "Wood's Patent Cast Iron Plow" which he completely prevented. He was reelected to Congress in 1848, during which time he strongly opposed the extension of slavery in the territory of the United States and was committed to and voted for the Wilmot Proviso. In I854, at the first organization of the Republican party, in consequence of his record in Congress as a Free Soil Democrat, Mr. Bingham was nominated and elected Governor of the State, and re-elected in I856. Still faithful to the memory of his own former occupation, he did not forget the farmers during his administration, and among other profits of his zeal in their behalf, he became mainly instrumental in the establishment of the Agricultural College at Lansing. In 1859, Governor Bingham was elected Senator in Congress and took an active part in the stormy campaign in the election of Abraham Lincoln. He wit i I I i I I i r11 0j 3- -A L --- — lo I 4 ~~i r~~~s* mzmm MM~lMW*MW9 I" ~ I fig i 138 KINSLE YC~ S. BI-IVGHA H. 138 KINSLE Y S. BINGHAM.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — nessed the commencement of the civil war while a member of the United States Senate. After a comparatively short life of remarkable promise and public activity he was attacked with appoplexy and died suddenly at his residence, in Green Oak, Oct. 5, i86i. The most noticable event in Governor Bingham's first term was the completion of the ship canal, at the Falls of St. Mary. In J852, Angust 26, an act of Congress was approved, granting to the State of Michigan seven hundred and fifty thousand acres of land for the purpose of constructing a ship canal between Lakes Huron and Superior. In 1853, the Legislature accepted the grant, and provided for the appointment of commissioners to select the donated lands, and to arrange for building the canal. A company of enterprising men was formed, and a contract was entered into by which it was arranged that the canal should be finished in two years, and the work was pushed rapidly forward. Every article of consumption, machinery, working implements and materials, timber for the gates, stones for the locks, as well as men and supplies, had to be transported to the site of the canal from Detroit, Cleveland, and other lake ports. The rapids which had to be surmounted have a fall of seventeen feet and are about one mile long. The length of the canal is less than one mile, its width one hundred feet, depth twelve feet and it has two locks of solid masonary. In May, I855, the work was completed, accepted by the commissioners, and formally delivered to the State authorities. The disbursements on account of the construction of the canal and selecting the lands amounted to one million of dollars; while the lands which were assigned to the company, and selected through the agency at the Sault, as well as certain lands in the Upper and Lower Peninsulas, filled to an acre the Government grant. The opening of the canal was an important event in the history of the improvement of the State. It was a valuable link in the chain of lake commerce, and particularly important to the interests of the Upper Peninsula. There were several educational, charitable and reformatory institutions inaugurated and opened during Gov. Bingham's administrations. The Michigan Agricultural College owes its establishment to a provision of the State Constitution of I85o. Article I3 says, "The Legislature shall, as soon as practicable, provide for the establishment of an agricultural school." For the purpose of carying into practice this provision, legislation was commenced in 1855, and the act required that the school should be within ten miles of Lansing, and that not more than $r5 an acre should be paid for the farm and college grounds. The college was opened to students in May, I857, the first of existing argricultural colleges in the United States. Until the spring of i86i, it was under the control of the State Board of Education; since that time it has been under the management of the State Board of Agriculture, which was created for that purpose. In its essential features, of combining study' and labor, and of uniting general and professional studies in its course, the college has remained virtually unchanged from the first. It has a steady growth in number of students, in means of illustration and efficiency of instruction. The Agricultural College is three miles east of Lansing, comprising several fine buildings; and there are also very beautiful, substantial residences for the professors. There are also an extensive, well-filled green-house, a very large and well-equipped chemical laboratory, one of the most scientific apiaries in the United States, a general museum, a meseum of mechanical inventions, another of vegetable products, extensive barns, piggeries, etc., etc., in fine trim for the purposes designed. The farm consists of 676 acres, of which about 300 are under cultivation in a systematic rotation of crops. Adrian College was established by the Wesleyan Methodists in 1859, now under the control of the Methodist Church. The grounds contain about 20 acres. There are four buildings, capable of accommodating about 225 students. Attendance in 1875 was I79; total number of graduates for previous year, 121; ten professors and teachers are enmployed. Exclusive of the endowment fund ($80,ooo), the assets of the institution, including grounds, buildings, furniture, apparatus, musical instruments, outlying lands, etc., amount to more than $137,000. Hillsdale College was established in 1855 by the Free Baptists. The Michigan Central College, at Spring Arbor, was incorporated in 1845 It was kept in operation until it was merged into the present Hillsdale College. The site comprises 25 acres, beautifully situated on an eminence in the western part of the city of Hillsdale. The large and imposing building first erected was nearly destroyed by fire ill 1874, and in its place five buildings of a more modern style have been erected. They are of brick, three stories with basement, arranged on three sides of a quadrangle. The size is, respectively, 80 by 80, 48 by 7 2, 48 by 7 2, 8o by 60, 5 2 by 7 2, and they contain one-half more room than the original building. The State Reform School. This was established at Lansing in 85 5, in the northeastern portion of the city, as the House of Correction for Juvenile Offenders, having about it many of the features of a prison. In i859 the name was changed to the State Reform School. The government and dicipline, have undergone many and radical changes, until all the prison features have been removed except those that remain in the walls of the original structure, and which remain only as monuments of instructive history. No bolts, bars or guards are employed. The inmates are necessarily kept under the surveillance of officers, but the attenpts at escape are much fewer than under the mnore rigid regime of former days. I IS I.. I 1~b~ ll~g 11 I-C~-~ITIII-LII 11 ~ 1111 1 $'I ea —rk 1IIIIIC-~-~IIIIIP~IIIIIIYII11 IIIk-.~~- C- ell 11* —~ -11.111 1111_._ 9*n- a ill I I : Fol,I I I -, i. I I II. -, I I iaO '%k,,.', " '... W " I - - : KI. - I IO GO VERNORS OF MiICHIGAN. 141 - -I -- ----- U^-~-~~~C —L~-~II-III_ CI _ - -qw r OSES WISNER. Governor of t^ W.A -P~ Mcichigan from 1859 to i86I, 'I7"..d:^^Pl~ ywas born in Springport, Cayu— |..^JL| ] ga Co., N Y., June 3, I85*... His early education was only G(?w// 7 what could be obtained at a e '.S common school. Agricultural labor and frugality of his parents gave him a physical constitution of unusd)Ai\d ual strength and endurance, which j i.was ever preserved by temperate hab-, its. In 1837 he emigrated to Michij(-. gan and purchased a farm in Lapeer i County It was new land and he at once set to work to clear it and plant crops. He labored diligently at his task for two years, when he gave up the idea of being a farmer, and removed to Pontiac, Oakland Co. Here he commenced the study of law in the office of his brother, George W. Wisner, and Rufus Hosmer. In 1841 he was admitted to the bar and established himself in his new vocation at the village of Lapeer. While there he was apppointed by Gov. Woodbridge Prosecuting Attorney for that county, in which capacity he acquitted himself well and gave promise of that eminence he afterward attained in the profession. He remained at Lapeerbut a short time, removing to Pontiac, where he became a member of a firm and entered fully upon the practice. In politics he was like his talented brother, a Whig of the Henry Clay stamp, but with a decided antislavery bias, His practice becoming extensive, he took little part in politics until after the election of Mr. Pierce to the Presidency in 1852, when he took an active part against slavery. As a lawyer he was a man of great ability, but relied less upon mere book learning than upon his native good sense. Liberal and courteous, was he yet devoted to the interest of his client, and no facts escaped his attention or his' meniory which bore upon the case. He was no friend of trickery or artifice in conducting a case As an advocate he had few equals. When fully aroused by the merits of his subject his eloquence was at once graceful and powerfil. His fancies supplied the most original, the most pointed illustrations, and his logic became a battling giant under whose heavy blows the adversary shrank and withered. Nature had bestowed upon him rare qualities, and his powers as a popular orator were of a high order. On the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, repealing the Missouri compromise and opening the Territories to slavery, he was among the foremost in Michigan to denounce the shamful scheme. He actively participated in organizing and consolidating the elements opposed to it in that State, and was a member of the popular gathering at Jackson, in July, 1854, which was the first formal Republican Convention held in the United States. At this meeting the name " Republican " was adopted as a designation of the new party consisting of Anti-slavery, Whigs, Liberty men, Free Soil Democrats and all others opposed to the extension of slavery and favorable to its expulsion from the Territories and the District of Columbia. At this convention Mr. W. was urged to accept the nomination for Attorney General of the --- — 31 r~~k ~.s~ibd~ It -Ah *so-st" U - 1 s ---- O Im 142 MOSES WtISVNER. 1 - ------ ---- -- ------------- ----- ---------- -- --------------- State, but declined. An entire State ticket was nominated and at the annual election in November was elected by an average majority of nearly Io,ooo. Mr. W. was enthusiastic in the cause and brought to its support all his personal influence and talents. In his views he was bold and radical. He believed from the beginning that the political power of the slaveholders would have to be overthrown before quiet could be secured to the country. In the Presidential canvass of I856 he supported the Fremont, or Republican, ticket. At the session of the Legislature of I857 he was a candidate for United States Senator, and as such received a very handsome support. In I858, he was nominated for Governor of the State by the Republican convention that met at Detroit, and at the subsequent November election was chosen by a very large majority. Before the day of the election he had addressed the people of almost every county and his majority was greater even than that of his popular predecessor, Hon. K. S. Bingham. He served as Governor two years, from Jan. i, 1859, to Jan. I, I86i. His first message to the Legislature was an able and statesman-like production, and was read with usual favor. It showed that he was awake to all the interests of the State and set forth an enlightened State policy, that had its view of the rapid settlement of our uncultivated lands and the devel. opment of our immense agricultural and mineral resources. It was a document that reflected the highest credit upon the author. His term having expired Jan. i, I86i, he returned to his home in Pontiac, and to the practice of his profession. There were those in the State who counselled the sending of delegates to the peace conference at Washington, but Mr. W. was opposed to all such temporizing expedients. His counsel was to send no delegate, but to prepare to fight. After Congress had met and passed the necessary legislation he resolv ed to take part in the war. In the spring and summer of I862 he set to work to raise a regiment of infantry, chiefly in Oakland County, where he resided. His regiment, the 22d Michigan, was armed and equipped and ready to march in September, a regiment whose solid qualities were afterwards proven on many a bloody field. Col. W's. commission bore the date of Sept. 8, 1862. Before parting with his family he made his will. His regiment was sent to Kentucky and quartered at Camp Wallace. He had at the breaking out of the war turned his attention to military studies and became proficient in the ordinary rules and discipline. His entire attention was now devoted to his duties. His treatment of his men was kind, though his discipline was rigid. He possessed in an eminent degree the spirit of command, and had he lived he would no doubt have distinguished himself as a good officer. He was impatient of delay and chafed at being kept in Kentucky where there was so little prospect of getting at the enemy. But life in camp, so different from the one he had been leading, and his incessant labors, coupled with that impatience which was so natural and so general among the volunteers in the early part of the war, soon made their influence felt upon his health. He was seized with typhoid fever and removed to a private house near Lexington. Every care which medical skill or the hand of friendship could bestow was rendered him. In the delirious wanderings of his mind he was disciplining his men and urging them to be prepared for an encounter with the enemy, enlarging upon the justice of their cause and the necessity of their crushing the Rebellion. But the source of his most poignant grne was the prospect of not being able to come to a hand-to-hand encounter with the "chivalry." He was proud of his regiment, and felt that if it could find the enemy it would cover itself with glory,-a distinction it afterward obtained, but not until Col WV. was no more. The malady baffled all medical treatment, and on the 5th day of Jan., 1863, he breathed his last. His remains were removed to Michigan and interred in the cemetery at Pontiac, where they rest by the side of the brave Gen. Richardson, who received his mortal wound at the battle of Antietam. Col. W. was no adventurer, although he was doubtless ambitious of military renown and would have striven for it with characteristic energy. He went to the war to defend and uphold the principles he had so much at heart. Few men were more familiar than he with the causes and the underlying principles that led to the contest. He left a wife, who was a daughter of Gen. C. C. Hascall, of Flint, and four children to mourn his loss. Toward them he ever showed the tenderest regard. Next to his duty their love and welfare engrossed his thoughts. He was kind, generous and brave, and like thousands of othets lie sleeps the sleep of the martyr for his country. l zb U ge -d-m I 4c ~ L t PTO r_4 1^ I I I i i 21 A i i r r - w -.dd&4k - - ----- - - — Lc C60 VERNZORS OF M ICHCG~ll". - - I45 eG VN OF A G I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*)h\ USTIN BLAIR, Governor,~! t2l& of Michigan from Jan. 2, MlI86I, to Jan. 4, I865, and S ^J; kown as the War Governor, is, and illustration of the benificent influence of republican in%'1 stitutions, having inherited neith' er fortune nor fame. He was born i in a log cabin at Caroline, Tompkins Co., N. Y., Feb. 8, I8I8. His ancestors came from Scotland in the time of George I, and for many generations followed the 'i pursuit of agriculture. His father, i George Blair, settled in Tompkins County in I809, and felled the trees and erected the first cabin in the county. The last 60 of the fourscore years of his life were spent on that spot. He married Rhoda Beackman, who now sleeps with him in the soil of the old homestead. The first 17 years of Mr. Blair's life were spent there, rendering his father what aid he could upon the farm. He then spent ayear and a half in Cazenovia Seminary preparing for college; entered Hamilton College, in Clinton, prosecuted his studies until the middle of the junior year, when, attracted by the fame of Dr. Nott, he changed to Union College, from which he graduated in the class of I839. Upon leaving college Mr. Blair read law two years in the office of Sweet & Davis, Oswego, N. Y., and was admitted to practice in 1841, and the same year moved to Michigan, locat ing in Jackson. During a temporary residence in Eaton Rapids, in 1842, he was elected Clerk of Eaton County. At the close of the official term he returned to Jackson, and as a Whig, zealously espoused the cause of Henry Clay in the campaign of I844. He was chosen Representative to the Legislature in I845, at which session, as a member of the Judiciary Committee, he rendered valuable service in the revision of the general statutes; also made an able support in favor of abolishing the color distinction in relation to'the elective franchise, and at the same session was active in securing the abolition of capital punishment. In I848 Mr. Blair refused longer to affiliate with the Whig party, because of its refusial to endorse in convention any anti-slavery sentiment. He joined the Free-soil movement, and was a delegate to their convention which nominated Van Buren for President that year. Upon the birth of the Republican party at Jackson, in 1854, by the coalition of the Whig and Free-soil elements, Mr. Blair was in full sympathy with the movement, and acted as a member of the Committee on Platform. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Jackson County in 1852; was chosen State Senator two years later, taking his seat with the incoming Republican administration of I855, and holding the position of parliamentary leader in the Senate. He was a delegate to the National Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln in I860. Mr. Blair was elected Governor of Michigan in I860, and reelected in 1862, faithfully and honorably discharging the arduous duties of the office during that most mo j i —. qp^-". —R 1w 1 1- -I' I. - - I - --- - - bh _ 146 AUSTIN PLAIR.~BD~sl r s *-^^ —1^ ^^ ^^" — "^'' ^*'' ^ ^^'X resgLI 146 A U~S TIN -rBLA IR. mentous and stormy period of the Nation's life. Gov. Blair possessed a clear comprehension of the perilous situation from the inception of the Rebellion, and his inaugural address foreshadowed the prompt executive policy and the administrative ability which characterized his gubernatorial career. Never perhaps in the history of a nation has a brighter example been laid down, or a greater sacrifice been made, than that which distinguished Michigan during the civil war. All, from the " War Governor," down to the poorest citizen of the State, were animated with a patriotic ardor at once magnificiently sublime and wisely directed. Very early in I86I the coming struggle cast its shadow over the Nation. Governor Blair, in his message to the Legislature in January of that year, dwelt very forcibly upon the sad prospects of civil war; and as forcibly pledged the State to support the principles of the Republic. After a review of the conditions of the State, he passed on to a consideration of the relations between the free and slave States of the Republic, saying: " While we are citizens of the State of Michigan, and as such deeply devoted to her interests and honor, we have a still prouder title. We are also citizeas of the United States of America. By this title we are known among the nations of the earth. In remote quarters of the globe, where the names of the States are unknown, the flag of the great Republic, the banner of the stars and stripes, honor and protect her citizens. In whatever concerns the honor, the prosperity and the perpetuity of this great Government, we are deeply interested. The people of Michigan are loyal to that Government-faithful to its constitution and its laws. Under it they have had peace and prosperity; and under it they mean to abide to the end. Feeling a just pride in the glorious history of the past, they will not renounce the equally glorious hopes of the future. But they will rally around the standards of the Nation and defend its integrity and its constitution, with fidelity." The final paragraph being: " I recommend you at an early day to make mani fest to the gentlemen who represent this State in the two Houses of Congress, and to the country, that Michigan is loyal to the Union, the Constitution, and the laws and will defend them to the uttermost; and to proffer to the President of the United States, the whole military power of the State for that purpose. Oh, for the firm, steady hand of a Washington, or a Jackson, to guide the ship of State in this perilous storm! Let us hope that we will find him on the 4th of March. Meantime, let us abide in the faith of our fathers-'Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever.'" How this stirring appeal was responded to by the people of Michigan will be seen by the statement that the State furnished 88,i 1 men during the war. Money, men, clothing and food were freely and abundantly supplied by this State during all these years of darkness and blood shed. No State won a brighter record for her devotion to our country than the Peninsula State, and to Gov. Blair, more than to any other individual is due the credit for its untiring zeal and labors in the Nation's behalf, and for the heroism manifested in its defense. Gov. Blair was elected Representative to the Fortieth Congress, and twice re-elected, to the Fortyfirst and Forty-second Congress, from the Third District of Michigan. While a member of that body he was a strong supporter of reconstruction measures, and sternly opposed every form of repudiation. His speech upon the national finances, delivered on the floor of the House March 2, I868, was a clear and convincing argument. Since his retirement from Congress, Mr. Blair has been busily occupied with his extensive law practice. Mr. Blair married Sarah L. Ford, of Seneca County N. Y., in February, 1849. Their family consists of 4 sons-George H., a law partner of A. J. Gould; Charles A., a law partner with hir father, and Fred. J. and Austin T. Blair, at home. Governor Blair's religion is of the broad type, and centers in the "Golden Rule." In I883, Gov. Blair was nominated for Justice of the Supreme Court of the State by the Republican party, but was defeated. r U B E~s~b~~%~EI~aaRBBI~sk~"ae~lirr~llasb = I~~~ ~~~~~~~rro~~~~~~l~~d8~~~~8~~~O — GO VERNORS OF MICHIGAN.:~, a T~^SM?~/ -- ^ ^ ^ ^^ 3 3 S A'~ IgMK Fs t49 0.. ii ' PIXI ENRY HOWLAND CRAPO, Governor of Michigan from I 865 to 1869, was born May 24, I804, at Dartmouth, Bris-. - tol Co., Mass., and died at a~)f~ \Flint, Mich., July 22, 1869.:te He was the eldest son of Jesse.' l l l and Phoebe (Howland) Crapo. J:1/ t X His father was of French descent X ~" C and was very poor, sustaining his '7 family l)y the cultivation of a farm in -; J n,- i 1Dartmouth township, which yielded J nothing beyond a mere livelihood. His early life was consequently one of toil and devoid of advantages for intellectual culture, but his desire for an education seemed to know no bounds. The in-! cessant toil for a mere subsistence upon a comparatively sterile farm, had no charm for himn; and, longing for greater usefulness and better things, he looked for them in an education. His struggles to secure this end necessitated sacrifices and hardships that would have discouraged any but the most courageous and persevering. He became an ardent student and worker from his boyhood, though the means of carrying on his studies were exceedingly limited. He sorely felt the, need of a dictionary; and, neither having money wherewith to purchase it, nor being able to procure one in his neighborhood, he set out to compile one for himself. In order to acquire a knowledge of the English language, he copied into a book every word whose meaning he did not comprehend, and upon meeting the same word again in the newspapers and books, which came into his hands, from the context, would then record the definition. Whenever unable otherwise to obtain the signification of a word in which he had become interested he would walk from Dartmouth to New Bedford for that purpose alone, and after referring to the books at the library and satisfying himself thoroughly as to its definition, would walk back, a distance of about seven miles, the same night. This was no unusual circumstance. Under such difficulties and in this manner he compiled quite an extensive dictionary in manuscript which is believed to be still in existence. Ever in pursuit of knowledge, he obtained possession of a book upon surveying, and applying himself diligently to its study became familiar with this art, which he soon had an opportunity to practice. The services of a land surveyor were wanted, and he was called upon, but had no compass and no money with which to purchase one. A compass, however, he must and would have, and going to a blacksmith shop near at hand, upon the forge, with such tools as he could find in the shop, while the smith was at dinner, he constructed the compass and commenced life as a surveyor. Still continuing his studies, he fitted himself for teaching, and took charge of the village school at Dartmouth. When, in the course of time and under the pressure of law, a high school was to be opened, he passed a successful examination for its principalship and received the appointment. To do this was no small task. The law required a rigid examination in various subjects, which necessitated days and nights of study. One evening, after concluding his day's labor of teaching, he traveled on foot to New Bedford, some seven or eight miles, called upon the preceptor of Friend's Academy and passed I — qo 000-4-40~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ris 1".,-,,'-~, ---.-~-~11 —'-"'''~-,,"",-"'-,-l'-' ---,,~1 —' —,-,~.~-'-~,,-~~~.. 1-11 - i Aksk - g qG I150 - HENRY Ii' 0 WLA ND CRAPO.! I a severe examination. Receiving a certificate that he was qualified, he walked back to his home the same night, highly elated in being possessed of the acquirements and requirements of a master of the high school. In 1832, at the age of 28 years, he left his native town and went to reside at New Bedford, where he followed the occupation of land surveyor, and occasionally acted as an auctioneer. Soon after becoming a citizen of this place, he was elected Town Clerk, Treasurer, and Collector of taxes, which office he held until the municipal government was changed,-about fifteen years,-when, upon the inauguration of the city government, he was elected Treasurer and Collector of taxes, a position which he held two or three years. He was also Justice of the Peace for many years. He was elected Alderman of New Bedford; was Chairman of Council Committee on Education, and as such prepared a report upon which was based the order for the establishment of the free Public Library of New Bedford. On its organization, Mr. Crapo was chosen a member of the Board of Trustees. This was the first free public library in Massachusetts, if not in the world. The Boston Free Library was established, however, soon afterwards. While a resident in New Bedford, he was much interested in horticulture, and to obtain the land necessary for carrying out his ideas he drained and reclaimed several acres of rocky and swampy land adjoining his garden. Here he started a nursery, which he filled with almost every description of fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers, etc. In this he was very successful and took great pride. He was a regular contributorto the New England Horticultural Journal, a position he filled as long as he lived in Massachusetts. As an indication of the wide reputation he acquired in that field of labor, it may be mentioned that after his death an affecting eulogy to his memory was pronounced by the President of the National Horticultural Society at its meeting in Philadelphia, in I869. During his residence in New Bedford, Mr. Crapo was also engaged in the whaling business. A fine barque built at Dartmouth, of which he was part owner, was named the "H. H. Crapo" in compliment to him. Mr. C. also took part in the State Militia, and for several years held a commission as Colonel of one of the regiments. He was President of the Bristol County Mutual Fire Insurance Co., and Secretary of the Bedford Commercial Insurance Company in New Bedford; and while an officer of the municipal governmenthecompiled and published, between the years 1836 and I845, five numbers of the New Bedford Directory, the first work of the kind ever published there. Mr. C. removed to Michigan in 1856, having been induced to do so by investments made principally in pine lands, first in 1837 and subsequently in I856. He took up his residence in the city of Flint, and en gaged largely in the manufacture and sale of lumber at Flint, Fentonville, Holly and Detroit, becoming one of the largest and most successful business men of the State. He was mainly instrumental in the construction of the Flint & Holly R. R., and was President of that corporation until its consolidation with the Flint & Pere Marquette R. R. Company. He was elected Mayor of that city after he had been a resident of the place only five or six years. In 1862 he was elected State Senator. In the fall of 1864 he received the nomination on the Republican ticket for Governor of the State, and was elected by a large majority. He was re-elected in I866, holding the office two terms, and retiring in January, I869, having given the greatest satisfaction to all parties. While serving his last term he was attacked with a disease which terminated his life within one year afterwards. During much of this time he was an intense sufferer, yet often while in great pain gave his attention to public matters. A few weeks previous to his death a successful surgical operation was performed which seemed rapidly to restore him, but he overestimated his strength, and by too much exertion in business matters and State affairs suffered arelapse from which there was no rebound, and he died July 33, I869. In the early part of his life, Gov. Crapo affiliated with the Whig party in politics, but became an active member of the Republican party after its organization. He was a member of the Christian (sometimes called the Disciples') Church, and took great interest in its welfare and prosperity. Mr. C. married, June 9, 1825, Mary A. Slocum, of Dartmouth. His marriage took place soon after he had attained his majority, and before his struggles with fortune had been rewarded with any great measure of success. But his wife was a woman of great strength of character and possessed of courage, hopefulness and devotion, qualities which sustained and encouraged her husband in the various pursuits of his early years. For several years after his marriage he was engaged in teaching school, his wife living with her parents at the time, at whose home his two older children were born. While thus situated he was accustomed to walk home on Saturday to see his family, returning on Sunday in order to be ready for school Monday morning. As the walk for a good part of the time was 20 miles each way, it is evident that at that period of his life no common obstacles deterred him from performing what he regarded as a duty. His wife was none the less conscientious in her sphere, and with added responsibilities and increasing requirements she labored faithfully in the performance of all her duties. They had ten children, one son and nine daughters. His son, Hon. Wm. W. Crapo, of New Bedford, is now an honored Representative to Congress from the First Congressional District of Massachusetts. II J -A,& Ed -a~c -l~~l _~- -r —~-~- - ~ ------— ~~~ ~l- - ~mss,~-~-~ — I _IILI-LpIlm I ~*bUPCC-~X IIIoIIo m *~-~lle I I IONS,/ I - o3 -p- I~ - -m. GO VERNORS OF MICHI/GAN. I I i i i I i i i I ~~e~~~19 aw Emnk mr r UNIL I( lml ENRY P. BALDWIN, Gov/I~ ':~ ' lf ernor of Michigan from Jan. ". -Im 4, I1869, to Janl. I, 1873, is a ~ (^) & lineal descendant of Nathaniel Baldwin, a Puritan, of Buck'~ '~. inghamshire, England, who settied at Milford, Conn., in I639. His father was John Baldwin, a graduate of Dartmouth College. He died at North Providence, R. I., in 1826. His paternal grandfather was Rev. Moses Baldwin, a graduate of Princeton College, in 1757, and the first who received collegiate honors at that ancient and honored institution. He died at Parma, Mass., in i813, where for more than 50 years he had been pastor of the Presbyterian Church. On his mother's side Governor B. is descended from Robert Williams, also a Puritan, who settled in Roxbury, Mass., about 1638. His mother was a daughter of Rev. Nehemiah Williams, a graduate of Harvard College, who died at Brimfield, Mass., in 1796, where for 21 years he was pastor of the Congregationalist Church. The subject of this sketch was born at Coventry, R. I., Feb. 22, 1814. He received a New England common-school education until the age of 12 years, when, both his parents having died, he became a clerk in a mercantile establishment. He remained there, employing his leisure hours in study, until 20 years of age. At this early period Mr. B. engaged in business on his own account. He made a visit to the West, in 1837, which resulted in his removal to Detroit in the spring of I838. Here he established a mercantile house which has been successfully conducted until the present time. Although he successfully conducted a large business, he has ever taken a deep interest in all things affecting the prosperity of the city and State of his adoption. He was for several years a Director and President of the Detroit Young Men's Society, an institution with a large library designed for the benefit of young men and citizens generally. An Episcopalian in religious belief, he has been prominent in home matters connected with that denomination. The large and flourishing parish of St. John, Detroit, originated with Governor Baldwin, who gave the lot on which the parish edifice stands, and also contributed the larger share of the cost of their erection. Governor B. was one of the foremost in the establishment of St. Luke's Hospital, and has always been a liberal contributor to moral and religious enterprises whether connected with his own Church or not. There have been, in fact, but few public and social improvements of Detroit during the past 40 years with which Governor B.'s name is not in some way connected. He was a director in the Michigan State Bank until the expiration of its charter, and has been President of the Second National Bank since its organization. In I860, Mr. Baldwin was elected to the State Senate, of Michigan; during the years of i86I-'2 he was made Chairman of the Finance Committee, a member of Committee on Banks and Incorporations, Chairman of the Select Joint Committee of the two Houses for the investigation of the Treasury Department and the official acts of the Treasurer, and of the letting of the contract for the improvement of Sault St. Marie Ship Canal. He was first elected Governor in I868 and was re-elected in I870, serving from 1869 to 1872, inclusive. It is no undeserved eulogy to say that Governor B.'s happy faculty of estimating the necessary means to an end-the knowing of how much effort or attention to bestow upon the thing in hand, has been the secret of the uniform qwl"- J- - - - - - - - - - L L-I I! 48 M' IrA HENR Y P. BALD WIN. --;Ll-- success that has attended his efforts in all relations of life. The same industry and accuracy that distinguished him prior to this term as Governor was manifest in his career as the chief magistrate of the State, and while his influence appears in all things wit:. which he has had to do, it is more noticeable in the most prominent position to which he was called. With rare exceptions the important commendations of Governor B. received the sanction of the Legislature. During his administration marked improvements were made in the charitable, penal and reformatory institutions of the State. The State Public School for dependent children was founded and a permanent commission for the supervision of the several State institutions. The initiatory steps toward building the Eastern Asylum for the Insane, the State House of Correction, and the establishment of the State Board of Health were recommended by Governor B. in his message of I873. The new State Capitol also owes its origen to him. The appropriation for its erection was made upon his recommendation, and the contract for the entire work let under this administration. Governor B. also appointed the commissioners under whose faithful supervision the building was erected in a manner most satisfactory to the people of the State. He advised and earnestly urged at different times such amendments of the constitution as would permit a more equitable compensation to State officers and judges. The law of I869, and prior also, permitting municipalities to vote aid toward the construction of railroads was, in 1870, declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Many of the municipalities having in the meantime issued and sold their bonds in good faith, Governor B. felt that the honor and credit of the State were in jeopardy. His sense of justice impelled him to call an extra session of the Legislature to propose the submission to the people-a constitutional amendment, authorizing the payment of such bonds as were already in the hands of bonafide holders. In his special message he says: "The credit of no State stands higher than that of Michigan, and the people can not afford, and I trust will not consent, to have her good name tarnished by the repudiation of eitherlegal or moral obligations." A special session was called in March, I872, principally for the division of the State into congressional districts. A number of other important suggestions were made, however, ard as an evidence of the Governor's lar borious and thoughtful care for the financial condition of the State, a series of tables was prepared and submitted by him showing, in detail, estimates of receipts, expenditures and appropriations for the years I872 to i878, inclusive. Memorable of GovernorB.'s administration were the devastating fires which swept over many portions of the Northwest in the fall of 1871. A large part of the city of Chicago having been reduced to ashes, Governor B. promptly issued a proclamation calling upon the people of Michigan for liberal aid in behalf of the afflicted city. Scarcely had this been issued when several counties in his State were laid waste by the same destroying element. A second call was made asking assistance for the suffering people of Michigan. The contributions for these objects were prompt and most liberal, more than $700,000 having been received in money and supplies for the relief of Michigan alone. So ample were these contributions during the short period of about 3 months, that the Governor issued a proclamation expressing in behalf of the people of the State grateful acknowldgment, and announcing that further aid was unnecessary. Governor B. has traveled extensively in his own country and has also made several visits to Europe and other portions of the Old World. He was a passenger on the Steamer Arill, which was captured and bonded in the Carribean Sea, in December, I862, by Capt. Semmes, and wrote a full and interesting account of the transaction. The following estimate of Governor B. on his retirement from office, by a leading newspaper, is not overdrawn: "The retiring message of Governor B., will be read with interest. It is a characteristic document and possesses the lucid statement, strong, and clear practical sense, which have been marked features of all preceding documents from the same source. Governor B. retired to private life after four years of unusually successful administration amid plaudits that are universal throughout the State. For many years eminent and capable men have filled the executive chair of this State, but in painstaking vigilance, in stern good sense, in genuine public spirit, in thorough integrity and in practical capacity, Henry P. Baldwin has shown himself to be the peer of any or all of them. The State has been unusually prosperous during his two terms, and the State administration has fully kept pace with the needs of the times. The retiring Governor has fully earned the public gratitude and confidence which he to-day possesses to such remarkable degree.' i t 1 -4 5ablsRB. lorbkrp ~ ~ -— ~- --— I- - ~ --- - -------- ~ --- I --- —---- I i 1. 1,.... 6 IN,11, de~l ~ ~~ G'O VE:HNOOS OP MIC~/HIGA A 157 4 ~"- iG.N.P.I.c.IG..1.7 va9 OHN JUDSON BAGLEY, ^.^j ov/el:. Governor of Michigan from 1873 to I877, was born in [ ^; 5..yj^ Medina, Orleans Co., N. Y.,; '.::, July 24, 832. His father, John ~q ~/ K Bagley, was a native of New e g Hampshire, his mother, Mary M. Bagley, of Connecticut. He at*'. i i| tended the district school of Lockport, N. Y., until he was eight years P old, at which time his father moved to Constantine, Mich., and he attended the common schools of that village. His early experience was like that of many country boys whose parents removed from Eastern States to the newer portion of the West. His father being in very poor circumstances, Mr. B. was obliged to work as soon as he was able to do so. Leaving school when 13 years of age he entered a country store in Constantine as clerk. His father then removed to Owosso, Mich., and he again engaged as clerk in a store. From early youth Mr. B. was extravagantly fond of reading and devoted every leisure moment to the perusal of such books, papers and periodicals as came within his reach. In i847, he removed to Detroit, where he secured employment in a tobacco manufactory and remained in this position for about five years. In 1853, he began business for himself in the manufacturing of tobacco. His establishment has become one of the largest of the kind in the West. Mr. B. has also been greatly interested in other manufacturing enterprises, as well as in mining, banking and insurance corporations. He was President of the Detroit Safe Company for several years. He was one of the organizers of the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company of Detroit, and was its President from 1867 to 1872. He was a director of the American National Bank for many years, and a stockholder and director in various other corporations. Mr. B. was a member of the Board of Education two years, and of the Detroit Common Council the same length of time. In i865 he was appointed by Governor Crapo one of the first commissioners of the Metropolitian police force of the city of Detroit, serving six years. In November, i872, he was elected Governor of Michigan, and two years later was reelected to the same office, retiring in January, 1877. He was an active worker in the Republican party, and for many years was Chairman of the Republican State Central committee. Governor Bagley was quite liberal in his religious views and was an attendant of the Unitarian Church. He aimed to be able to hear and consider any new thought, from whatever source it may come, but was not bound by any religious creed or formula. He held in respect all religious opinions, believing that no one can be injured by a firm adherence to a faith or denomination. He was married at Dubuque, Iowa, Jan. i6, 1855, to Frances E. Newberry, daughter of Rev. Samuel Newberry, a pioneer missionary of Michigan, who took an active part in the early educational matters of the State and in the establishment of its excellent system of education. It was principally al _ Im "~ ---ll --- —.p.R ----~ —~~ -s~-rrrr-u IU --- — 919-1s3 LiBsta IW —w ! i ObbU a -e- - 4 in I58 JOHN J. BA GLE Y. I.. through his exertions that the State University was founded. Mr. B.'s family consists of seven children. As Governor his administration was characterized by several important features, chief among which were his efforts to improve and make popular the educational agencies of the Slate by increasing the faculty of the University for more thorough instruction in technical studies,by strengthening the hold of the Agricultural College upon the public good will and making the general change which has manifested itself in many scattered primary districts. Among others were an almost complete revolution in the management of the penal and charitable institutions of the State; the passage of the liquor-tax law, taking the place of the dead letter of prohibition; the establishing of the system of dealing with juvenile offenders through county agents, which has proved of great good in turning the young back from crime and placing the State in the attitude of a moral agent; in securing for the militia the first time in the history of Michigan a systematized organization upon a serviceable footing. It was upon the suggestion of Gov. B. in the earlier part of his administration that the law creating the State Board of Health, and also the law creating a fish commission in the inland waters of the State, were passed, both of which have proved of great benefit to the State. The successful representation of Michigan at the Centennial Exhibition is also an honorable part of the record of Gov. B.'s administration. As Governor, he felt that he represented the State -not in a narrow, egotistical way, but in the same sense that a faithful, trusted, confidential agent represents his employer, and as the Executive of the State he was her " attorney in fact." And his intelligent, thoughtful care will long continue the pride of the people he so much loved. He was ambitiousambitious for place and power, as every noble mind is ambitious, because these give opportunity. However strong the mind and powerful the will, if there be no ambition, life is a failure. He was not blind to the fact that the more we have the more is required of us. He accepted it in its fullest meaning. He had great hopes for his State and his country. He had his ideas of what they should be. With a heart as broad as humanity itself; with an intelligent, able and cultured brain, the will and the power to do, he asked his fellow citizen to give him the opportunity to labor for them. Self entered not into the calculation. His whole life was a battle for others; and he entered the conflict eagerly and hopefully. His State papers were models of compact, business-like statements, bold, original, and brimful of practical suggestions, and his administrations will long be considered as among the ablest in this or any other State. His noble, generous nature made his innumerable benefactions a source of continuous pleasure. Literally, to him it was "more blessed to give than to receive. His greatest enjoyment was in witnessing the comfort and happiness of others. Not a tithe of his charities were known to his most intimate friends, or even to his family. Many a needy one has been the recipient of aid at an opportune moment, who never knew the hand that gave. At one time a friend had witnessed his ready response to some charitable request, and said to him: "Governor, you give away a large sum of money; about how much does your charities amount to in a year?" He turned at once and said: " I do not know, sir; I do not allow myself to know. I hope I gave more this year than I did last, and hope I shall give more next year than I have this." This expressed his idea of charity, that the giving should at all times be free and spontaneous. During his leasure hours from early life, and especially during the last few years, he devoted much time to becoming acquainted with the best authors. Biography was his delight; the last he read was the "Life and Woik of John Adams," in ten volumes. In all questions of business or public affairs he seemed to have the power of getting at the kernel of the nut in the least possible time. In reading he would spend scarcely more time with a volume than most persons would devote to a chapter. After what seemed a cursory glance, he would have all of value the book contained. Rarely do we see a business man so familiar with the best English authors. He was a generous and intelligent patron of the arts, and his elegant home was a study and a pleasure to his many friends, who always found there a hearty welcome. At Christmas time he would spend days doing the work of Santa Claus. Every Christmas eve he gathered his children about him and, taking the youngest on his lap, told some Christmas story, closing the entertainment with "The Night Before Christmas," or Dickens's "Christmas Carol.", A -'. -A ~1c~I. --- - I I I*I ILINI.Opow-lip.1I*1~311~~L IIIII~IE~~ I _-% C 6-4c-V4'W ~ ~~ ~~ '^ -— dLM -4ae-9 - l" uplI1 (~PC~-C-~ ----~ —~~3C~~ll I — -— C —~ I - -I-LI_ _ I~ " - GO VERNORS OF MICHIGAN. i6I 4 y^ ^l@ l Ad HARLES M. CROSWELL, [e /(..Governor of Michigan from Jan. 3, 1877 to Jan. I, I88i, ~I - Y..~ 0was born at Newburg, Orange County, N.Y., Oct. 3I, 825. He is the only son of John and ~ ~~ (4 Sallie (Hicks) Croswell. His father, who was of Scotch-Irish 1(~_~ extraction, was a paper-maker, and carried on business in New Yk ork City. His ancestors on [ his mother's side were of Knickerbocker descent. The Croswell /^.' family may be found connected (I with prominent events, in New York 10 and Connecticut, in the early exisK1 2 tence of the Republic. Harry Crosl well, during the administration of l President Jefferson, published a pa-. per called the Balance, and was g1 prosecuted for libeling the President X under the obnoxious Sedition Law. He was defended by the celebrated Alexander Hamilton, and the decisior. )f the case establised the important ruling that the truth might be shown in cases of libel. Another member of the family was Edwin Croswell, the famous editor of the Albany Argus; also, Rev. William Croswell, noted as a divine and poet. When Charles M. Croswell was seven years of age, his father was accidentally drowned in the Hudson River, at Newburg; and, within three months preceding that event, his mother and only sister had died,thus leaving him the sole surviving memler of the family, without fortune or means. Upon the death of his father he went to live with an uncle, who, in I837, emigrated with him to Adrain, Michigan. At sixteen years of age, he commenced to learn the carpenter's trade, and worked at it very diligently for four years, maintaining himself, and devoting his spare time to reading and the acquirement of knowledge. In 1846, he began the study of law, and was appointed Deputy Clerk of Lenawee County. The du. ties of this office he performed four years, when he was elected Register of Deeds, and was re-elected in I852. In I854, he took part in the first movements for the formation of the Republican party, and was a member and Secretary of the convetion held at Jackson in that year, which put in the field the first Republican State ticket in Michigan. In 1855, he formed a law partnership with the present Chief-Justice Cooley, which continued until the removal of Judge Cooley to Ann Arbor. In i862, Mr. Croswell was appointed City Attorney of Adrian. He was also elected Mayor of the city in the spring of the same year; and in the fall was chosen to represent Lenawee County in the State Senate. He was re-elected to the Senate in I864, and again in i866, during each term filling the positions above mentioned. Among various reports made by him, one adverse to the re-establishment of the death penalty, and another against a proposition to pay the salaries of State officers and judges in coin, which then commanded a very large premium, may be mentioned. He also drafted the act ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution, for the abolishment of slavery, it being the first amendment to the instrument ratified by Michigan. In I863, from his seat in the State Senate, he delivered an elaborate speech in favor of the Proclama q me PC-IBC -I CBII blo 0 -4* -— a" —" rrrr I II C1 I4~-~~ 1 - W L -ulr~ ~L - ~ - 162 CH ARLES Mf. CROS WELL. I 0 tion of Emancipation issued by President Lincoln, and of his general policy in the prosecution of the war. This, at the request of his Republican associates, was afterwards published. In I867, he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention, and chosen its presiding officer. This convention was composed of an able body of m'en; and though, in the general distrust of constitutional changes which for some years had been taking possession of the people, their labors were not accepted by the popular vote, it was always conceded that the constitution they proposed had been prepared with great care and skill. In I868, Mr. Croswell was chosen an Elector on the Republican Presidential ticket; in I872, was elected a Representative to the State Legislature from Lenawee County, and was chosen Speaker of the House of Representatives. At the close of the session of that body his abilities as a parliamentarian, and the fairness of his rulings were freely and formally acknowledged by his associates; and he was presented with a superb collection of their portraits handsomely framed. He was, also, for several'years, Secretary of the State Board for the general supervision of the charitable and penal institutions of Michi gan; in which position, his propositions for the amelioration of the condition of the unfortunate, and the reformation of the criminal classes, signalize the benevolence of his nature, and the practical character of his mind. In I876, the general voice of the Republicans of the State indicted Mr. Croswell as their choice for Governor; and, at the State Convention of the party in August of the same year, he was put in nomination by acclamation, without the formality of a ballot. At the election in November following, he was chosen to the high position for which he had been nominated, by a very large majority over all opposing candidates. His inaugural message was received with general favor; and his career as Governor was marked with the same qualities of head and heart that have ever distinguished him, both as a citizen and statesman. Governor Groswell has always prepared his addresses with care; and, as his diction is terse, clear, and strong, without excess of ornament, and his delivery impressive, he is a popular speaker; and many of his speeches have attracted favorable comment in the public prints, and have a permanent value. He has always manifested a deep interest in educational matters, and was foryears a member and Secretary of the Board of Education of Adrain. At the formal opening of the Central School building in that city, on the 24th day of April, I869, he gave, in a public address, an " Historical Sketch of the Adrian Public Schools." In his private life, Governor Croswell has been as exemplary as in his public career he has been successful and useful. In February, I852, he was married to a daughter of Morton Eddy, Lucy M. Eddy, a lady of many amiable and sunny qualities. She suddenly died, March i9, I868, leaving two daughters and a son. Governor Croswell is not a member of any religious body, but generally attends the Presbyterian Church. He pursues the profession of law, but of late has been occupied mainly in the care of his own interests, and the quiet duties of advice in business difficulties, for which his unfailing prudence and sound judgment eminently fit him. Governor Croswell is truly popular, not only with those of like political faith with himself, but with those who differ from him in this regard. During Gov. Croswell's administration the public debt was greatly reduced; a policy adopted requiring the State institutions to keep within the limit of appropriations; laws enacted to provide more effectually for the punishment of corruption and bribrery in elections; the State House of Correction at Ionia and the Eastern Asylum for the Insane at Pontiac were opened, and the new capital at Lansing was completed and occupied. The first act of his second term was to preside at the dedication of this buildii!g The great riot at Jackson occured during his administration, and it was only bv his promptness that great distruction of both life and property was prevented at that time. _i I I f -ab -A.1410$j~$l l ~ GO VERIVORS OF MICHIGAN.GAIV r v GO VERNORS OF MICHIGAN. r6~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~;i"C~"~("~" C~~ ~i'i~"`~ji~~i~~"ii~;~iE ~ IT VVi~'I'I'" 'MV1~'";" "4: lvv llPV`'1%6vr-f VIPP4!,~~i~~'i"~';" E*29-2:1 sp r-mI ~P-, '1I^ iDAVID H. JEROME, Gover-.I nor of from Jan. i, I88I, to Jan. I, I883, was born at De'o troit, Mich., Nov. 17, 1829. 9F~ aHis parents emigrated to Michigan from Trumansburg, Tompkins Co., N. Y., in 1828, locating at Detroit. His father died March 30, I831, leaving nine children. He had been twice married, and four of the.children living at the time of his death were grown up sons, the offI spring of his first union. Of the five children by his second marriage, David H. was the youngest. Shortly after Mr. Jerome's death, his widow moved back to New York and settled in Onondaga County near Syracuse, where they remained until the fall of I834, the four sons by the first wife continuing their residence in Michigan. In the fall of 1834, Mrs. Jerome came once more to Michigan, locating on a farm in St. Clair County. Here the Governor formed those habits of industry and sterling integrity that have been so characteristic of the man in the active duties of life. He was sent to the district school, and in the acquisition of the fundamental branches of learning he displayed a precocity and an application which won for him the admiration of his teachers, and always placed him at the head of his classes. In the meantime he did chores on the farm, and was always ready with a cheerful heart and willing hand to assist his widowed mother. The heavy labor of the farm was carried on by his two older brothers, Timothy and George, and when 13 years of age David received his mother's permission to attend school at the St. Clair Academy. While attending there he lived with Marcus H. Miles, now deceased, doing chores for his. board, and the following winter performed the same service for James Ogden, also deceased. The next summer Mrs. Jerome moved into the village of St. Clair, for the purpose of continuing her son in school. While attending said academy one of his associate students was Senator Thomas W. Palmer, of Detroit, a rival candidate before the gubernatorial convention in i880. He completed his education in the fall of his I6th year, and the following winter assisted his brother Timothy in hauling logs in the pine woods. The next summer he rafted logs down the St. Clair River to Algonac. In 847, M. H. Miles being Clerk in St. Clair County, and Volney A. Ripley Register of Deeds, David H. Jerome was appointed Deputy to each, remaining as such during I848-'49, and receiving much praise from his employers and the people in general for the ability displayed in the discharge of his duties. He spent his summer vacation at clerical work on board the lake vessels. In I849-'5o, he abandoned office work, and for the proper development of his physical system spent several months hauling logs. In the spring of I850, his brother" Tiff" and himself chartered the steamer "Chautauqua," and "Young Dave" became her master. A portion of the season the boat was engaged in the passenger and freight traffic between Port Huron and Detroit, but during the latter part was used as a tow boat. At that time there was a serious obstruction to navigation, known as the "St. Clair Flats," between Lakes Huron and Erie, over which ~~ ~-.r~-ql ~~ —~- F~ r~ ~ll- —.1 m~ps"Popmr. a' - m -d -0 - I-1 - 11 -a r I I I —IMM-M'- o- I L 1" -, I, -- 0. -,,00,..,,-,,IL~-I-~ IIrIL~~ r ---rrb ou - Ill 4lpt,-r 166 DA VID H. JEIROME. I --. -= vessels could carry only about Io,ooo bushels of grain. Mr. Jerome conceived the idea of towing vessels from one lake to the other, and put his plan into operation. Through the influence of practical men,among them the subject of this sketch,-Congress removed the obstruction above referred to, and now vessels can pass them laden with 60,ooo or 80,000 bushels of grain. During the season, the two brothers succeeded in making a neat little sum of money by the summer's work, but subsequently lost it all on a contract to raise the "Gen. Scott," a vessel that had sunk in Lake St. Clair. David H. came out free from debt, but possessed of hardly a dollar of capital. In the spring of i85 I, he was clerk and acting master of the steamers "Franklin Moore" and "Ruby," plying between Detroit and Port Huron and Goderich. The following year he was clerk of the propeller "Princeton," running between Detroit and Buffalo. In January, I853, Mr. Jerome went to California, by way of the Isthmus, and enjoyed extraordinary success in selling goods in a new place of his selection, among the mountains near Marysville He remained there during the summer, and located the Live Yankee Tunnel Mine, which has since yielded millions to its owners, and is still a paying investment. He planned and put a tunnel 600 feet into the mine, but when the water supply began to fail with the dry season, sold out his interest. He left in the fall of I853, and in December sailed from San Francisco for New York, arriving at his home in St. Clair County, about a year after his departure. During hisabsence his brother "Tiff" had located at Saginaw, ana in I854 Mr. Jerome joined him in his lumber operations in the valley. In 1855 the brothers bought Blackmer & Eaton's hardware and general supply stores, at Saginaw, and David H. assumed the management of the business. From i855 to 1873 he was also extensively engaged in lumbering operations. Soon after locating at Saginaw he was nominated for Alderman against Stewart B. Williams, a rising young man, of strong Democratic principles. The ward was largely Democratic, but Mr. Jerome was elected by a handsome majority. When the Repubiican party was born at Jackson, Mich., David H. Jerome was, though not a delegate to the convention, one of its "charter members." In I862, he was commissioned by Gov. Austin Blair to raise one of the six regiments apportioned to the State of Michigan. Mr. Jerome immediately went to work and held meetings at various points. The zeal and enthusiasm displayed by this advocate of the Union awakened a feeling of patriotic interest in the breasts of many brave men, and in a short space of time the 23d Regiment of Michigan Volunteer Infantry was placed in the field, and subsequently gained for itself a brilliant record. In the fall of 1862, Mr. Jerome was nominated by the Republican party for State Senator from the 26th district, Appleton Stevens, of Bay City, being his opponent. The contest was very exciting, and resulted in the triumphant election of Mr. Jerome. He was twice renominated and elected both times by increased majorities, defeating George Lord, of Bay City, and Dr. Cheseman, of Gratiot County. On taking his seat in the Senate, he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on State Affairs, and was active in raising means and troops to carry on the war. He held the same position during his three terms of service, and introduced the bill creating the Soldiers' Home at Harper Hospital, Detroit. He was selected by Gov. Crapo as a military aid, and in I865 was appointed a member of the State Military Board, and served as its President for eight consecutive years. In I873, he was appointed by Gov. Bagley a member of the convention to prepare a new State Constitution, and was Chairman of the Committee on Finance. In I875, Mr. Jerome was appointed a memberof the Board of Indian Commissioners. In 1876 he was Chairman of a commission to visit Chief Joseph, the Nez Perce Indian, to arrange an amicable settlement of all existing difficulties. The commission went to Portland, Oregon, thence to the Blue Hills, in Idaho, a distance of 600 miles up the Columbia River. At the Republican State Convention, convened at Jackson in August, i880, Mr. Jerome was placed in the field for nomination, and on the 5th day of the month received the highest honor the convention could confer on any one. His opponent was Frederick M. Holloway, of Hillsdale County, who was supported by the Democratic and Greenback parties. The State was thoroughly canvassed by both parties, and when the polls were closed on the evening of election day, it was found that David H. Jerome had been selected by the voters of the Wolverine State to occupy the highest position within their gift. I w i i N_ olow ~m l " - I.-I'm,."i ~,, I.0 1111 'M will - " "W Aft OWAAMP-02 —a GO VERIVORS OF MiICHIGAN9 Itc F a\ -_I: ~ ~ I|i~ pl)resent (1883), Governor of a:i /l|: ~ mhMichigan was born in Livingw'^ ~k~;St~ ston, County, N. Y., Jan. 20, i815. His ancestors were of French descent, and settled at an early period in the State of;r,!{ 1Maryland. Hisgrandfather, Capt. i Bolles, of that State, was an officer in the American army during the war of the Revolution. About / the beginning of the present cent-: ury both his grandparents, having become dissatisfied with the instiI tution of slavery, although slaveholders themselves, emigrated to Livingston County, N. Y., then 1 a new country, taking with them a 1i number of their former slaves, who volunteered to accompany them. ) His father was an officer in the American army, and served during the war of 81 2. Mr. B. received his early education in a log schoolhouse, and subsequently attended the Temple Hill Academy, at Geneseo, N. Y. Being the eldest of a family of ten children, whose parents were in moderate though comfortable circumstances, he was early taught habits of industry, and when 2 years of age, being ambitious to better his condition in life, he resolved to seek his fortune in the far West, as it was then called. In August, 1836, he left the parental roof to seek a home in the Territory of Michigan, then an almost unbroken wilderness. He settled in Genesee County, and aided with his own hands in building some of the early residences in what is now known as the city of Flint. There were but four or five houses where this flourishing city now stands when he selected it as his home. In the spring of 1839 he married Miss Harriet A. Miles. The marriage proved a most fortunate one, and to the faithful wife of his youth, who lives to enjoy with him the comforts of an honestly earned competence, Mr. Begole ascribes largely his success in life. Immediately after his marriage he commenced work on an unimproved farm, where, by his perseverance and energy, he soon established a good home, and at the end of eighteen years was the owner of a well improved farm of five hundred acres. Mr. Begole being an anti-slavery man, became a member of the Republican party at its organization. He served his townsmen in various offices, and was, in I856, elected County Treasurer, which office he held for eight years. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he did not carry a musket to the front, but his many friends will bear witness that he took an active part in recruiting and furnishing supplies for the army, and in looking after the interests of soldiers' families at home. The death of his eldest son near Atlanta, Ga., by a Confedrate bullet, in i 864, was the greatest sorrow of his life. When a few years later he was a member in Congress 4 ~-~~~~~~-~ ---~""""~l""440-09-44~a C op I I I -1 A I I I i i I i i I i i I, i i i I I.lrl _ _ ----- - --— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~-,.-' I F - I, ~a —as — - - sow-s t- ad, -1 I ~ ~-r 170 JOSIAH W. BEGOLE. 1 * I I - -- ----- --- ---- _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gov. Begole voted and worked for the soldiers' bounty equalization bill, an act doing justice to the soldier who bore the burden and heat of the day, and who should fare equally with him who came in at the eleventh hour. That bill was defeated in the House on account of the large appropriation that would be required to pay the same. In I870, Gov. Begole was nominated by acclamation for the office of State Senator, and elected by a large majority. In that body he served on the Committees of Finance and Railroads, and was Chairman of the Committee on the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind. He took a liberal and publicspirited view of the importance of a new capitol building worthy of the State, and was an active member of the Committee that drafted the bill for the same. He was a delegate to the National Republican Convention held at Philadelphia in I872, and was the chosen member of that delegation to go to Washington and inform Gen. Grant and Senator Wilson of their nominations. It was while at that convention that, by the express wish of his many friends, he was induced to offer himself a candidate for the nomination of member to the 43d Congress, in which he was successful, aftercompeting for the nomination with several of the most worthy, able and experienced men in the Sixth Congressional District, and was elected by a very large majority. In Congress, he was a member of the Committee on Agricultural and Public Expenditures. Being one of the I7 farmers in that Congress, he took an active part in the Committee of Agriculture, and was appointed by that committee to draft the most important report made by that committee, and upon the only subject recommended by the President in his message, which he did and the report was printed in records of Congress; he took an efficient though an unobtrusive part in all its proceedings. He voted for the currency bill, remonetization of silver, and other financial measures, many of which, though defeated then, have since become the settled policy of the country. Owing to the position which Mr. Begole occupied on these questions, he became a "Greenbacker." In the Gubernatorial election of 1882, Mr. Begole was the candidate of both the Greenback and Democratic parties, and was elected by a vote of 154,269, the Republican candidate, Hon. David H. Jerome, receiving 149,697 votes. Mr. Begole, in entering upon his duties as Governor, has manifested a spirit that has already won him many friends, and bids fair to make his administration both successful and popular. The very best indications of what a man is, is what his own townsmen think of him. We give the following extract from the Flint Globe, the leading Republican paper in Gov. Begole's own county, and it, too, written during the heat of a political campaign, which certainly is a flattering testimonial of his sterling worth: "So far, however, as Mr. Begole, the head of the ticket, is concerned, there is nothing detrimental to his character that can be alleged against him. He has sometimes changed his mind in politics, but for sincerity of his beliefs and the earnestness of his purpose nobody who knows him entertains a doubt. He is incapable of bearing malice, even against his bitterest political enemies. He has a warm, generous nature, and a larger, kinder heart does not beat in the bosom of any man in Michigan. He is not much given to making speeches, but deeds are more significant of a man's character than words. There are many scores of men in all parts of the State where Mr. Begole is acquainted, who have had practical demonstrations of these facts, and who are liable to step outside of party lines to show that they do not forget his kindness, and who, no doubt, wish that he was a leader in what would not necessarily prove a forlorn hope. But the Republican party in Michigan is too strong to be beaten by a combination of Democrats and Greenbackers, even if it is marshaled by so good a man as Mr. Begole." This sketch would be imperfect without referring to the action of Mr. B. at the time of the great calamity that in i88I overtook the people of Northeastern Michigan, in a few hours desolating whole counties by fire and destroying the results and accumulations of such hard work as only falls to the lot of pioneers. While the Port Huron and Detroit committees were quarreling over the distribution of funds, Mr. Begole wrote to an agent in the "Iburnt district" a letter, from which we make an extract of but a single sentence: "Until the differences between the two committees are adjusted and you receive your regular supplies from them, draw on me. Let no man suffer while I have money." This displays his true character. i ^ I *P. -1 i — 1C -L L III I__ ~~1 0 e b I I ~I ~I ~ -- ~ ---I I I I II 1 3 m1 --, — ~ —~ ----I i L I t . 41B1. IBCBIPI(PII~ CR~-~ -~ ---,, —II~Ih- I1 1 -11 1-I, -I I GOVERNORS OF )MICIIGilAN. lf r ~~I —~ ---- -------— I i It-) -- B ~J! i 1 USSELL A.ALGER,Governor of Michigan for the term comc lV | Emencing Jan. 1, 1885, was born in Lafayette Township, Medina Co., Ohio, Feb. 27,, 128 ~ 1836. Having lived a temperate life, he is a comparative young man in appearance, and possesses those mental faculties that are the distinguishing characteristics of robust, mature and educated manhood. When 11 years of age both his parents died, leaving him witha younger brother and sister to support and without any of the substantial means of existence. Lacking the opportunity of better employment, he worked on a farm in Richfield, Ohio, for the greater part of each of the succeeding seven years, saving money enough to defray his expenses at Richfield Academy during the winter terms. He obtained a very good English education, and was enabled to teach school for several subsequent winters. In 1857 he commenced the study of law in the offices of Wolcott & Upson at Akron, remaining until March, 1859, when he was admitted to the bar by the Ohio Supreme Court. He then removed to Cleveland, and entered the law office of Otis & Coffinbury, where he remained several months. Here he continued his studies with increased zeal, and did much general reading. Hard study and close confinement to office work, however, began to tell on his constitution, and failing health warned him that he must seek other occupation. He therefore reluctantly abandoned the law and removed to Gralld Rapids, Mich., to engage in the lumber business. When Michigan was called upon to furnish troops for the war, Mr. Alger enlisted in the Second Mich. Cav. and was mustered into the service of the United States as Captain of Co. C. His record as a cavalry officer was brilliant and honorable to himself and his company. He participated in some of the fiercest contests of the rebellion and was twice wounded. His first injury was received in the battle of Booneville, Miss., July 2, 1862. His conduct in this engagement was so distinguished that he was promoted to the rank of Major. On the same occasion his Colonel, the gallant Phil. Sheridan, was advanced to the rank of Brigadier General. A few months later, on the 16th of October, Major Alger became LieutenantColonel of the Sixth Mich. Cav., and was ordered with his regiment to the Army of the Potomac. After marked service in the early campaign of 1863, he was again advanced, and on June 2 received his commission as Colonel of the Fifth Mich. Cav. His regiment at this time was in Custer's famous Michigan cavalry brigade. On the 6th of July occurred the battle of Boonesboro, Md. In this conflict he was again wounded. His health received a more than temporary impairment, and in October, 1864, he was obliged to retire from the service. His career as a soldier included many of the most celebrated contests of the war. He was an active character in all the battles fought by the Army of the,} ke. 'L. - ---- - IlUI~II — Ci ------ - -p — — e-, uj.-a~r-ur-.- r" r1ull1-1-~-c- llY —11I d:~~ v jr,_ IDPknh jl-r — ~sre - I --- aa.I a --- —- --- ~U- II-~ ---Lkll- -s~-g (i!I 174 R USSELL Potomac, from the time of the invasion of Maryland by Gen. Lee in 1863, up to the date of his retirement, with the exception of those engagements which occurred while he was absent from duty on account of wounds. In all he took part in 66 battles and skirmishes. At the close he was breveted Brigadier General and Major General for "gallant and meritorious services in the field." Aside from regular duty, Gen. Alger was on private service during the winter of 1863-4, receiving orders personally from President Lincoln and visiting nearly all the armies in the field. Gen. Alger came to Detroit in 1865, and since that time has been extensively engaged in the pine timber business and in dealing in pine lands. He was a member of the well-known firm of Moore & Alger until its dissolution, when he became head of the firm of R. A. Alger & Co., the most extensive pine timber operators in the West. Gen. Alger is now president of the corporation of Alger, Smith & Co., which succeeded R. A. Alger & Co. He is also president of the Manistique Lumbering Company and president of the Detroit, Bay City & Alpena Railroad Company, besides being a stockholder and director of the Detroit National Bank, the Peninsular Car Company and several other large corporations. While always an active and influential Republican, Gen. Alger has never sought nor held a salaried office. He was. a delegate from the First District to the last Republican National Convention, but aside from this his connection with politics has not extended beyond the duties of every good citizen to his party and his country. Gen. Alger is now forty-nine years of age, an active, handsome gentleman six feet tall, living the life of a busy man of affairs. His military bearing at once indicates his army life, and although slenderly built, his square shoulders and erect carriage give the casual observer the impression that his weight is fully 180 pounds. He is a firm, yet a most decidedly pleasant-appearing man, with a fine forehead, rather a prominent nose, an irongray moustache and chin whiskers and a full head of black hair sprinkled with gray. He is usually attired in the prevailing style of business suits. His favorite dress has been a high buttoned cutaway A. ALGER. frock coat, witll the plredominating cut of vest and trousers, made of firm gray suiting. A high collar, small cravat, easy shoes and white plug hat complete his personal apparel. Ite is very particular as to his appearance, and always wears neat clothes of the best goods, but shuns any display of jewelry or extravagant embellishment. IHe is one of the most approachable men imaginable. No matter how busy he may be, he always leaves his desk to extend a cordial welcome to every visitor, be he of high or low situation. His affable manners delight his guests, while his pleasing face and bright, dark eyes always animate his hearers. Gen. Alger is a hard worker. He is always at his office promptly in the morning and stays as long as anything remains that demands his attention. In business matters he is always decided, and is never shaken or disturbed by any reverses. He has the confidence of his associates to a high degree, and all his business relations are tempered with those little kindnesses that relieve the tedium of routine office life. Although deeply engrossed in various business pursuits, Gen. Alger has yet found time for general culture. He owns a large library and his stock of general information is as complete as it is reliable. His collection of paintings has been selected with rare good taste, and contains some of the finest productions of modern artists. His team of bays are perhaps the handsomest that grace the roads of Detroit, and usually lead the other outfits when their owner holds the reins. Gen. Alger has an interesting family. His wife was Annette H. Henry, the daughter of W. G. Henry, of Grand Rapids, to whom he was married April 2, 1861. She is a slender woman of fair complexion, bright and attractive, and a charming hostess. She is gifted with many accomplishments and appears quite young. There are six children. Fay, a lively brunette, and Caroline A., who is rather tall and resembles her mother, have completed a course at an Eastern seminary, and during the past year traveled in Europe. The remaining members of the family are Frances, aged 13; Russell A., Jr., aged 11; Fred, aged 9, and Allan, aged 3. All are bright and promising children. Gen. Alger makes his home at his handsome and large new residence on Fort street, at the corner of First street, Detroit. a sl~~~~~sl- -rli ~ ~~~~~~~s~~~~R lsl ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 10 Io Mg; Fie GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN. 177 -— I ~~sI t~v~fusra Ucclee YRUS GRAY LUCE, the '^l~ present Governor of MichiliBI~~"~/~, ~ gan, combines in his charnc-; ter the substantial traits of the -New England ancestry.... " - of his father, and the chivalrous and hospitable elements v:J5 peculiar to the Southerners, which "-~~^:J came to him from his mother's side of 4 the house. The New Englanders, active in the cause of American liberty, after this desired result was accomplished, turned their attention to the growth and development of the country which their noble daring had constituted independent of foreign rule. The privations they endured and the struggles from which they had achieved victory built up in them those qualities which in the very nature of events could not be otherwise than transmitted to their posterity, and this posterity comprises a large number of the men who to-day, like the subject of this history, are making a record of which their descendants will be equally proud. Gov. Luce was born in Windsor, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, July 2, 1824. His father was a native of Tolland, Conn., served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and soon after its close emigrated from New England and settled on the Western Reserve in Northern Ohio. His mother, who in her girlhood was Miss Mary Gray, was born in Winchester, Va. Her father, tinctured with Abolitionism, found his home in the Old Dominion becoming uncomfortable as an abiding-place at that time, and accordingly, with his wife and family of young children, he also migrated, in 1815, to the wilds of Northern Ohio. There the parents of our subject, in 1819, were united in marriage, and continued residents of Ashtabula County until 1836. There also were born to them six sons, Cyrus G. of this sketch being the second. The incidents in the early life of Gov. Luce were not materially different from those of other boys living on the farms in that new country. He was taught to work at anything necessary for him to do and to make himself useful around the pioneer homestead. When twelve years of age his parents removed further West, this time locating in Steuben County, Ind. This section of country was still newer and more thinly settled, and without recounting the particular hardships and privations which the family experienced, it is sufficient to say that but few enjoyed or suffered a greater variety. Markets were distant and difficult of access, the comforts of life scarce, and sickness universal. Young Luce, in common with other boys, attended school winters in the stereotyped log school-house, and in summer assisted in clearing away the forests, fencing the fields and raising crops after the land was improved. He attended three terms all academy located at Ontario, Ind., and his habit of reading and observation added essentially to his limited school privileges. When seventeen years of age the father of our subject erected a cloth-dressing and wool-carding establishment, where Cyrus (:. acquired a full knowledge of this business and subsequently had charge of the factory for a period of seven years. In the meantime he had become interested in local politics, in which he displayed rare judgment and sound common sense, and on account of which, in 1848, he was nbminated by the Whigs in a district composed of the counties of DeKalb and Steuben for Representative in the State Legislature. He made a vigorous canvass but was defeated by eleven majority. This incident was but a transient bubble on the stream of his life, and that same year i I.s;ruurra4Bllenuarrur arpieeaaras -— ; ~Wp q ~i Crnlr plrsl. — aSP —i$C ~p"se\ I a/ so ik f) t h go-1 —~- -~1-ILL _L-~C~~~~1 C - -C.~ i 178 CYR US GRA Y LU CE. A Mr. Luce purchased eighty acres of wild land near Gilead, Branch Co., Mich., the improvement of which he at once entered upon, clearing away the trees and otherwise making arrangements for the establishment of a homestead. In August, 1849, lihe was united in marriage with Miss Julia A. Dickinson, of Gilead, and the young people immediately commenced housekeeping in a modest dwelling on the new farm. Here they resided until the death of the wife, which took place in August, 1882. Mrs. Luce was the daughter of Obed and Experience Dickinson, well-to-do and highly respected residents of Gilead. Of her union with our subject there were born five children, one now deceased. In November, 1883, Gov. luce contracted a second marriage, with Mrs. Mary Thompson, of Bronson, this State. He continued on the same farm, wlicl, however, by subsequent purchase had been considerably extended, until after his election to the office of which he is now the incumbent. In the meantime lie has had a wide and varied experience in public life. In 1852 he was elected to represent his township in the County Board of Supervisors, and two years later, in 1854, was elected Representative to the first Republican Legislature convened in the State of Michigan. IIe served his township altogether eleven years as a member of the Board of Supervisors. In 1858 lie was elected County Treasurer of Branch County and re-elected in 1860. In 1864 he was given a seat in the State Senate and re-elected in 1866. In the spring of 1867 he was made a member of the Constitutional Convention to revise the Constitltion of the State of Michigan, and in all of the positions to which he has been called has evidenced a realization of the sober responsibilities committed to his care. To the duties of each he gave the most conscientious care, and has great reason to feel pride and satisfaction in the fact that during his service in both Houses of the Legislature his name appears upon every roll-call, he never having been absent from his post a day. In July, 1879, Mr. Luce was appointed State Oil Inspector by Gov. Croswell, and re-appointed by Gov. Jerome in 1881, serving in this capacity three and one-half years. In the management of the duties of this office he is entitled to great credit. The office was not sought by him, but the Governor urged him to accept it, claiming that the office was the most difficult he had to fill, and was one which required first-class executive ability. He organized the State into districts, appointed an adequate force of deputies and no more, secured a reduction of the fees by nearly one-half, and in every way managed the affairs of the office so efficiently and satisfactorily that above all expenses he was enabled to pay into the State Treasury during his management $32,000.49. In August of the year 1886 Mr. Luce was nominated by the Republicans in convention assembled at Grand Rapids, for the office of Governor of Michigan by acclamation, and on the 2d of November following was elected by a majority of 7,432 over his chief competitor, George L. Yaple. In 1874 he became an active member of the farmers' organization known as the Grange. Believing as lie does that agriculture furnishes the basis of National prosperity, he was anxious to contribute to the education and elevation of the farming community, and thus availed himself of the opportunities offered by this organization to aid in accomplishing this result. For a period of seven years he was Master of the State Grange but resigned the position last November. Fidelity to convictions, close application to business, whether agricultural or affairs of State, coupled with untiring industry, are his chief characteristics. As a farmer, legislator, executive officer, and manager of county as well as State affairs, as a private as well as a public citizen, his career has all along been marked with success. No one can point to a spot reflecting discredit in his public career or private life. He is a man of the people, and self-made in the strictest sense. His whole life has been among the people, in full sympathy with them, and in their special confidence and esteem. Personally, Gov. Cyrus G. Luce is high-minded, intellectual and affable, the object of many and warm friendships, and a man in all respects above reproach. To the duties of his high position he has brought a fitting dignity, and in all the relations of life that conscientious regard to duty of which we often read but which is too seldom seen, especially among those having within their lands the interests of State and Nation.!7, I ' a - _ S __ - -- I I I I - l~l l~lll* 1 -~I I I — 1 -I ~ — I '-_ T 0 T 091,1111 I 1 III I - I I, I I, I, ob. j P — -11 — % * III II I, 'Jill I 1-m I I - M.A I 6 V.-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. -1 —.A I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-*P IP.cq ST JOEI- ONY MB~~~~~~~~~~~~FIGAN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -.A -- mop -I a 4 " a - i 1-1 wr-. IN w L 0 — Wr" m 11 11 I,, I-, r ehibo — diCI A J~ INPRODUG~TORY.: ];~-.Y~-.~ li~ -VVVV-WW 0V`"hh""h ^~"VV"VVV ~'?]. I N'I' 1R O D U C;T OY.e '~'L~ _ ~'~qS'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~rL 4Ji iLIT'^^'/^^ H^HE time hlas arrived when it ' 0l, becomes the duty of the 7t g XT I / i people of this county to per0 i Ail2 ( petuate the names of their pioneers, to furnish a record Ii of their early settlement, ~i idXW^^^^ # and relate the story of their | I v; m s progress. The civilization of our ~i~f dI day, the enlightenment of the age and the duty that men of the pres-, I i; ^^ 1 ent time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity, | t. ^i k ldemand that a record of their lives tt 4r >\ and deeds should be made. In bioi...... ok^ graphical history is found a power I | ^E,@ to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and i | ~ vy ~to waft down the river of time a safe vessel in which the names and actions of the peopie who contributed to raise this country from its primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the great and aged men, who in their prime entered the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their I heritage, are passing to their graves. The number rem maining who can relate the incidents of the first days f settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of events without delay, before all the early settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time. To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, in spite of their best works and the most earnest efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion f and to perpetuate their memory has been in proportion to the amount of intelligence they possessed. The pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhui mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from t buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people to perpetuate the memory of their achievements. The erection of the great obelisks were for the same purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monuments, and carving out statues to chronicle their great aclievements and carry them down the ages. It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling up their great mounds of earth, had but this ideato leave something to show that they had lived. All these works, though many of them costly in the extreme, give but a faint idea of the lives and characters of those whose memory they were intended to perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of the people that then lived. The great pyramids and some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crumrbling into dust. It was left to modern ages to establish an intelligent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating a full history-immutable in that it is almost unlimited in extent and perpetual in its action; and this is through the art of printing. To the present generation, however, we are indebted for the introduction of the admirable system of local biography. By this system every man, though he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, has the means to perpetuate his life, his history, through the coming ages. The scythe of Time cuts down all; nothing of the physical man is left. The monument which his children or friends may erect to his memory in the cemetery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated by a record of this kind. To preserve the lineaments of our companions we engrave their portraits, for the same reason we collect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to wait until they are dead, or until those who know them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to publish to the world the history of those whose lives are unworthy of public record. rJ jI I 11 -09 I 11 "I'lli'll.1 AkbA — mI ~ I~I~IPI~g~kQE.~lr I ________________L —^ L - p r 4. -4. I * - 13 - -21, w-.A o -- -up- w -"O ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 187 Ii R. IRA F. PACKARD, a retired physician and surgeon of Sturgis, and a man who is well known thrloughout Southern Michigan, both as a practitioner and a citizen, is the subject of a most interestilng history, which is substantially as follows: Born on the 7th of June, 1808, our subject is a native of Royalton, Windsor Co., Vt., and the youngest son of Benjamin Packfird, wlo was the voungest son of Elijah Packard, the latter of whom settled at an early day in the town of Bridgewater, Mass. Benjamin Packard, the father of Ira, moved to tlhe town of Royalton, in the State of Vermont, soon after the close of the IRevolutionary War. Nothing of especial note occ urred during the boyhood of our subject, his time being spent mostly in obtaining such education as the schools of tliat day afforded, wllile lie emln)loyed his time during vacation workiin on the farm. When lie was fifteen years old lie was deprived of a father's care by death, an(1d was thrown upon his own resources in coinpleting his education an(1 obtainiing a living. In the sprinlg of 1824 young Packard repaired to Boston, Mass., and took a position in the wholesale and retail store of Kittridge &: Wyman, dealers in groceries an(d \est India goods. Ile continued through the suimmer and fall with this firm, then returned home to attend the winter term of school in his native town. In the spring of the year 1825, our subject entered the service of the whale ship "Alexander," antd upon the long voy'age which followed gathered much information in regard to a seafaring life and the world inlgeneral. The ship) returned to New Bedford in the month of July following, with a cargo of oil and bone, and Mr. Packard subsequently made upon her several other short voyages. The fall of 1828 found him in Philadelphia, Pa., where he was engagled for a brief time in the Pottsville mines as the employe of Aaron Burr, and which were in charge of his nephew George. In February, 1829, he migrated to Allegany County, N. Y., settling in the town of Pike, which was the home of a brother, and where he sojourned a brief time; then going to Yorkshire in Cattaraugus County, he established himself in the mercantile business. On the 27th of April, 1829, he was married to Miss Emily M., daughter of Col. Araulnah Hibbard. 'This business venture of Mr. Packard not proving a Ibonanza, he closed out, and going into Erie County, l'a., engaged in the grocery an1 lprovision trade upon the present site of the custom house there. Here e we as again doonmed to disappointlment, the cholera breaking out and all business being suspended for the time. Not being possessed of capital by which lie could lay idle, lie was compelled to close out his business. IIe then returned to Yorkshire, and engaged as clerk with Messrs. A. & AV. Hibbard. In the spring of 1836 our subject commenced the study of medicine and surgery under the instruction of Dr. Bela II. Colegrove, of Sardinia, Erie Co., N. T., with whom he continued a period of three years. In the meantime he attended mnedical lectures in the Western College of Physicians and Surgeons at Fairlield. Upon completing his P~.IF~1~ C -- -- ~ I I-I-III ~1-w- I ----- - -1 I - r -I~ -- II rc-, III ~ U - -- I --- — ~- -- -- i e - Iii i i i I i i i i I I I I I I I ~ --- —------- i I rllll-llsllwl _,, I I I I 1,. -- -, e1b-;'~B8~ * 188 ST. JOSEJI'E11 COUNTY.'-' a * 18 ST JOEP COUTY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -- studies he removed with his family to the town of Sherinan, now Sturgis, this county, of which he has since been a resident. Having secure(l a lucrative practice, Dr. Packard followed his profession continuously until the spring of 1850, when his close application to his duties begarn to have a perceptible effect upon his health. lie now decided upon a trip to California, and accordingly spent the summer following in the gold fields of the New Eldorado. -Ie was successful in tle mines, obtaining a reasonable recompense for his time and trouble. Hle returned to Sturgis in the spring of 1851, and practically retired from practice, although occasionally treating the old friends who were unwilling to give their cases into new and strange hands. Since withdrawing from his profession Dr. Packard has been identified with various business enterprises in the city, serving as a Director of the National Bank. He has distinguished himself as a public-spirited citizen, one having a warm interest in the growth and progress of his adopted State. In religious sentiment he possesses a broad, liberal and Catholic spirit, and while being a man of decided views, with his own peculiar beliefs and convictions, he willingly accords that same privilege to others without comment or reflection. Hle was originally a Whig in. politics, and upon the organization of the Republican party cordially embraced its principles, and has been a supporter of its general policy up to the present time. Dr. Packard and his wife became the parents of a family of five children, three*sons and two daughters, the record of whom is as follows: Nelson I. was born April 8, 1830, and married Miss Lizzie A. Toby, Oct. 15, 1856; they have no children. This son is President of the National Bank of Sturgis, a man of fine talents, and a highly respected citizen. Homer H. Packard was born Aug. 10, 1832, and married Miss Sarah C. Stillman, Dec. 9, 1858; he is a druggist by profession, and a resident of Cheboygan, this State; he has no children. Emily M. was born Nov. 6, 1834, and was married to TIenry S. Church, Oct. 25, 1860; Mr. C. is a grocer in good circumstances, and a resident of Sturgis; they have no children. Frank S. was born Feb. 10, 1838, and was married, Sept. 25, 1860, to Miss Jane E. Clark; they have three children, Frank I., Gertrude A. and James J., and are residents of Sturgis; his son Frank, Jr., was born Aug. 17, 1861, became a youth of great promise, choosing the profession of medicine, and was graduated from Ann Arbor (Mich.) Medical College; he died at Cheboygan, Feb. 8, 1888. Gertrude A. married Nelson lUpham, anl( lives in Cheloygan, beingl the mother of one son, Frank Sherman; James I. was born Oct. 8, 1868, married Miss Bertha Miner, and is the father of two children, a son Frank and a dlaughlter. Lucina M. Packard was born Jan. 26. 1843, and married Thomas J. Acheson, Oct. 1, 1863; they have three sons: Frederick I., born April 29, 1866: Nelson II., May 17, 1874; and Thomas J., Aug. 7, 1 885. All live in Emporia, Lyons Co., Kan. The ancestral history of this branch of the Packard family is as follows: Probably the first representative in this country was one Samuel Packard, who, with his wife and eight children, came fromI Windham, near H1ingham, in England(, in the ship "Diligence," of Ipswich, with 133 passengers, John Martin, Master, and settled in Hingham, in the year 1638. Thence he went to Bridgewater, Mass., where he died in 1684. He was the father of twelve children, namely: Elizabeth, Samuel. Zacclleus,Thomas, John, Nathaniel (our subject), Mary, Iannah, Israel, Joel, Deborah and Deliverance. Nathaniel, one of the sons of Samuel Packard, and the great-great-grandfather of our subject, married a daugliter of John Kingman, and became the father of thirteen children, namely: Samuel; Zachariah, the great-grandfather of our snubject; George, Fearnot, Margaret, Sarah, Lydia, Faithful, Hannah, Deliverance, Elizabeth, Mary and Deborah. Zachariah married Abigail, the daughter of Richard Davenport, in 1724, and became the father of four children-Elijah, Abigail, Nathaniel and Nathan. Rev. Elijah, the son of Zachariah, was graduated from Howard University in 1750, and settled in the ministry at Plymouth, in 1 764. Ile afterward went to Marlboro, and was married to Mary Rider; they became the parents of four childrenAbigail, Benjamin, Elijah and Mary. Benjamin married Mehitable Fobes, daughter of Eliab Fobes, in 1782, and moved to Vermont in 1784. Their son Lyman was born in January of that year, and died PI II I I 4 1 _)) A1 -0 elp.-~~ —~~ —~-~ -— _. I — -1 - -lb,. ~ ~I --— ~ -d. - - - - ---— III s Et ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 189 I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ in December, 1819: Benjamin, who was born July 15, 1787, died April 13, 1869: Charles was born June 28, 1790, and died Nov. 13, 1808; Lucy was born May 21. 1800, and died March 17, 1803; Silas was born in 1795, and died Sept. 8, 183(0; Lucinda was born May 8, 1805, and died Oct. 27, 1831. 'lTheir youngest son was Ira, the subject of this!,sketch.: Benjamin lPackard, the father of our subject, who was born in Bridgewater, June 7, 1 760, served as a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War, and was on duty at the battles of Lexington and Bunker 1till, an(l witnessed the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne. Iie was wounded by a ball across the breast, and jby buckshot in the arm. He saw the smoke rise from behind a bush, and shot through the bush, and said there wafs no more sinoke came up from behind thle bush. Elijah Packard, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was murdered by a robber and highwayman, one Bolton, who was afterward hung for i robbery in Canada, confessing his guilt on the scaffold. Dr. Ira S., our subject, has a deed done in ithe liandwriting of his grandfather. Aug. 29, 1765. TI e also has the old family Bible in two large volumes, which was printed in London, England, in i 1683, and was bought by Grandfather Elijah Packard. It has written on the fly-leaf —'Elijah Packard, his book, price ~21. Bought of William Joseph j Snell, of Bridgewater, in the year 1752." That sum in American money would be $101.64. Mrs. Emily M. (Hibbard) Packard, the wife of our subject, was born in Clarence, Niagara Co., N. Y., April 23, 1811, and was the first female white child a native of that county. IHer father was Col. Araunah Iiblbard, a soldier of the War of 1812, who was severely wounded at (Queenstown Heights. lie was one of two brothers who came from England at an early day. )AIJ OLOMON JL. 1)1ENTLE is classed amiong tle most practical. wide-awake and successfu ll farmers of St.,Joseph (County. Ilis falim on sectilon 26, ( onstantillne ownsllil, is amplay provide( with sublstantial bulildings for every le('essary purpose. Its carefully tilled acres yield abundlant harvests, and it is altogether considere(l one of tle most desirable farms in this section of tile coulllty. Our -subject was born July 2, 1824, in Turbotville. Northullberland (Co.. Lta., and is a son of Solomon L. and Elsther (King) l)entler, botl of whom were natives of that county, where also both die-. They hiad a family of twelve children, seven of wlolm lived to mlaturity. The children were namled:.1olln, llow 1a residenlt of Whllite Rock, Ogle (Co., Ill.; Barbala, wife of Plhineas laitmgenbuchl. of Alexas(lria (County, \Va.;.Jacob. living ill Nortllhulberllnld C'lounty, 1Pa.; tlhen came Solomon LI.; Samuel. a resi(lent of I nion County, Iowa; 11liza (ied at tile age of ten years; (leorge, Esther and Lutcy died in childhood. and two infants died unnamne(l. Peter. whlo was a resident of Lycoming County, PIa., died in.July, 1888. ()Ou subject was reared on his father's falrm until lie was eighteen years old, and lie was then.pprenlticed to learn the miller's trade. Ile followed thlat occupation mlany years iln Pennsylvania, and until lie came to St..oseplh County in tlle spring of 1865. I lie the trneld his attention to farming, tlhe )pursuit to which lie (al l)een reared. lie purchlased 120 acres of good landl in Constantine Townslil,. and litls ever since been a resident of tllis place. IHis arduous labors in imp)roving his land lhave been amply rewar(led ill thle good income that lie (lerives from its cultivationl. le lhas erecte(l a good set of farm b)uildings. complete inl all their alpl)ointments. anid las been so fortunate in his ventures that lie has pllrchlased more land. and his farm now comrnlises 175 facres of land. as well tilled an1( fertile as any in tlie neilghborhood. Novelm)er 16. 1852, tlhe marriage of our subject to Miss Elizabeth A. Nalrber was solemnized in )anvVille. Montour Co., l Pa. I rsis. ).entler was born Nov. 14, 1834, in Lycoming County lPa, hler parents having1 been.Jacob and1 Susanna ((ood) Narber. who (died in that comuty. 1Mr. and lMrs. l)entler lave had five children, namely: Alice B.. wlio is tlhe wife of Rev. S. (eorge. of Allen, Branch (Co., Mic.; II. II. Beeclier land Colfax B., living at Ilhome, al (lGrant A., a student at Wittelnberg College. Springfield. Ohio. ''lley have lost one child. Narber L,.. wllo (lied when tlree years old. When iI -.0481 II 9- Po la oq* — ~__r, — - "~~ ~"CC 1 r L t!f r: — ----- * 4' ~~r ~4ri n C 37I m 190 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. Mr. Dentler made his first purchase, forty of his 120 acres was in timber, and this, with the exception of a few acres, lie cleared, himself, not being financially ill a condition to employ help. Almost all of the fifty-five acres subsequently purchased he also cleared, but iln this latter was llellped by his sons, then growing u' p. Mr. l)entler's success in life is attributable not only to llis capacity for work, to his sturdy enterprise and persistent will power, but also to the fact tllat lie is conscientious and ul)right in all his dealings, and does by others as lie would like to be done by, thus securing the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens. Ile has ably filled some of the local school offices, and in other ways l)erformed the duties of a good citizen. IIis political views are sts:stantially tlose of the Rlepublican party, of wlliclh lie is an earnest slupporter. Iee and his wife are members of tle Lutheran Clhurch, and actively assist in its good work, and ever since the organization of the chlurch in tiis township lie has filled some of its official positions, as Elder. Trutstee, etc. J A. MARVIN. Tle Saturday liMail of Sturgis occupies a prolinent position among the newsy journals of the State, and, as conducted by its present editor and lprol)rietor, exercises no unimportant influence upon the various questions under discussion by tlie people of the county. Mr. Marvin came to Sturgis in 1881. and has been connected with the Mail since 1886, having edited the Michigtan Democrat for four years. IIe is a very popular man, an old soldier, and a citizen who has made his mark in his community. Mr. Marvin, a native of Rochester, N. Y., was born in 1844, where lie received as good an eduication as the public schools of that city afforded until he reached tlie age of seventeen years, at which time lie enlisted as a Utnion soldier in tlle 105th New York Infantry. lie served witll his regiment in the second battle of Bull Run, was at South Mountain, Fredericksburg and Antietam, and after the 105th was consolidated with the 94th New York lie, as at member thereof, was engag;ed in the battles of (Gettysburg. At the expiration of his first term lie re-enlisted for three years, or during the war, and took part in a number of prominent battles, including that of Five Forks, in which lie received a wound in tlhe head, which came near causing him to be mustered out for all tilne. T'lle record of Mr. Marvin as a soldier was lighly creditable in all respects, and his record as a citizen lhas been no less so. After his return froml tie army lie took lup hlis abode in LeRoy. N. Y. On the 12th of August, 1872, lie was married in tle city of lHillsdale, iliclh. to Miss IEmma A., (laugllter of Horace P. IIitcllcock, one of tle pioneers of lillsdale County, and now deceased. Of tllis union there were born two children who (lied in infancy, and Estella Ilay. in 1874, and (lifton in 1886. T1le fanlily residence is pleasantly located opposite tlle School Park, and is tlhe resort of many friends. Genial and llospitable, Mr. Marvin is a universal favorite botl in business and social circles. Ile learned the printer's trade early in life, and is tlerefore well fitted to conduct a newspaper office in all its details. The Mail was established as a neutral sleet in politics, and in order to fulfill the Tpromise to its subscribers, still remains so. In 1888 Mr. Marvin was nominated for Register of Deeds as the successor of tlie able and efficient Mr. Hill, and ran seventy-seven votes ahlead of his ticket in Sturgis, lacking only 106 of being elected. - - 406~~~EI~ ~F- - ENRY SEVIS(ON is a fine representative of the farmers and stock-raisers of St. Joselph County, not only on account of tlhe wealth lie has accumulated in his honorable calling, and that lie owns one of tlle largest and most valuable farms in Southern Michigan, very pleasantly located in Florence Townsllip, but that for personal integrity, for business abilitv and uprigltness of character, lie stands pre-eminlent among his fellow-citizens. Ile is a native of Pennsylvania, born Sept. 21, 1825, in Turbotville, Northumberland County, to Henry and Elizabeth (Mowerer) Sevison, natives of Gernany, tlle father born MIarch 14, 1792, and mother in July, 1795. His parents had seven clildren, of whom lie was tile fifth in order of birth, five sons and two daughters. They i ob. 'm 40 - -Ct I $ No wLI- L1ICI-,- ~~ ~ I I I I t-~ ---~lIq mI I~l~1C-~ll —~,, -V- - ------ W-.I —~I ---— 1 — -~ —I — - ILL -T i _lls___l___l___l__l_ — - - ___ ___ - 1_11__ - _ ---II __ Y — - Il Ir _ -- I 1~1 III r ~- 1 3 r NM 4.. ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 191 i (lied while yet in thie prime of life, the father being (lrowned in the Susquelianna River, at M1ney dam. Nortllhumberland Co., Pat., when our subject was lbuit four years ol(1. At tile ag-e of six lie went to live witlh Mr. William Lnird. with whom lie lived iuntil lie was twenty-four years old. lie caime with hIis kind 1benlefactor to Miclhigan in 1838. when it had scarcely b)eguni to merge from its primitive wildness. an'd ever since that time lie las in one way and another been closely i(lentified with its agricultural and business interests. lie first went to Scllioolclraft. St..loseplh Co( nty, with Mr. Laird. but they imnme(liately came to Florence Townlship. ()Our subject was then a, strong' andl( lhealtliv lad and was of greeat assistance to his guardian. At the age of fifteen lie took clharge of his farmi. IIe clad.but little time to attend school, unt studied eveilinigs aiid spare hours throughlK tlie dtly. Tro suichl men as IMr. Laird, of whom lie took counsel lwhen lie was forming hlis business habits, and Stel)hen Vickory. of whom lie plurchased hIis farm, lie gra-tefully acknowledges that lie owes hlis success iii life. Our subject worked for John 'albot, in Centreville. and while thus eng'aged enlisted in the war wit'l Mexico. Ibut in a short time afterward the war closed and lis compl)any was disbanded. IIe first began work for himself by carrying on a farm on shares in thle summer, and in tlhe winter in making flour barrels for the firm of Moore & lProtzman, of Three Rivers. IIe lias always followed farming, though oftenl in connection with otler business., and lie boughlt his first farm of 240 acres when lie was twenlty-onle years old. 1l:a viing accumulated $300, which lie used for his first payment on tlihe land. Ile continued for some years to make flour barrels in thie winter, still having his lhome with Mr. Laird. carrying on his farm for him ill adclition to his trade. At,Kone time lie engaged for three years in tlhe merc:Kantile blusiness -at White Pigeon, while still ian'aging his:agrictultural interests. 'I'llThat venture did miot pnrove tlhe financial success that lie iad anticil)atedi and lie gave it ull), and hlas since devoted his attention to tlhe management of his large stock interests and hiis extensive farm. He became so prosperous ill his undertakings tliat at one time lie owned 1.332 acres of valuable land. but lie has given to his children farms and thus reduced his estate to 1,200 acres of land. For nineteen years Mr. Sevison ihas been an agent for thie Oliver IPlow Company,:and las a large territory that lie oversees. liaving several agents under him wlhom lie keeps supplied. In all of' his dealings lie scarcely loses a dollar, and we may mention here that duiiring hlis long business career lihe las never sued,)ut one man, a(nd then only when every other course for an honorable settlement hlad failed. Mr. Sevison has been three times married. I is first marriage took place Ap)ril 18. 1850. to Annla Blurnanm, of Floreiice 'l'ownsliilp. She was born iin ngl:and, June 22, 1831. and came to AMichigan with her p)arents, likewise natives of England. when slie was ten months old. After a pleasant martried life of a few years she passed away FIel,. 7, 18537, leaving three children, as follows: Burnani II.. G(eorg'e E. andl Mary 1E. Burnam, who lives in Florence Township, 1has been twice married, Ella (;entzler, by whom hie had one child, being his first wife, and Elizabeth (lGreenlee. his second wife; (George E.. whlo lives in Iowa, inarried -Mary E. Brid(len, and they have two children; M1ary marilied W. II. Stears. of thiis township, and they have one child. llMr. Sevison's second wife was Rebecca Thoml' pso:n hefore her marriage. She was born May 3. 1835. mand (lied March 25. 1875, haviing scarcely reached thle meridian of a life whichl had been a busy and honored one. Slie was the first white fenmale child born iin St.,Joseph Countmt y near St.,Joseph River, att a town called Ascllol, near Three Rivers; all traces of tlhe town are now obliterate(d. Seven chlildreni were I orn of tlhat marriage. namely: Flremont G(:., who married Emma Troy, and they have three children; Florence A., who married C. II. Lake. of Bancroft, Iowa; Jessie A.. wife of Jolin lheim, of Logon County, Col.; (Grant. born Sept. 26, 1863. (lied IMarch 19, 1866; Luthler J.. now eKng'ag'ed with thie firm of E. AV. W. Walker. of (;oslien. In(1., married Carrie D)immick. and they have one child; MIartha, born Aug. 21. 1867. died Sept. 4, 1867; Elliot lives at home with lhis parents. Mlr. Sevison lhas generously p)rovided for his chiltdren; besides giving them land, lie lhas given them several thousand dollars, and they are well estab J a -.A - v."*~~~ — -- q -- rwrrr ~~11 a r4- I I ~~~ __ ~~~~~~~, ~ ~ ~~~ ~~V., r k Ir. I I '~aQ"C~s~llr~lll~Ia~~3lrr~a 00A,4 I fi 192 ST. JOSEPII COUNTY. - -- " --- lisled, in prosperous circlmnstances, and are successful in life. Mr. Sevison's tlird marriage, April 22. 1879, was to MIiss Martha Whited(, who was )born in l:rbaxna, ()Oio. Nov. 8, 1840(). 11er parents, natives resl)ectively of New York and Virlginia. Vwere lmarriel in ()llio. an(l liad four children, of whllolm MrIs. Sevison was the eldest. IMr. Sevison las beein very influential in tile affairs of tlhe townshlilp) altlouglh time pressing claims of liis butsiness have not allowed him to h1old office very miucl. In public as well as in l)rivate life lie lhas sliown that keen foresigllt and discretion tlat have made a himi the respected and lhonored man tllat lie is to-da-. T o his energy anld patriotisl durinlo the (lark idavs of tle IRebellion is our (:overnment Igreatly indebted. as las e s one of tllat large class of citizens wllo were instrumental in raising thle "sinlews, of wa'r," doiing as much in tleir way as tile soldiers of the lield, staying at no sacrifice, and using all the means in tleir power to furnisll mien andl money for thle suppression of tlme RIebellion. lie wats one of tle foremost men. at tle time when soldiers were secured by draft. in filling tile quota of Florence Township, and in aiding those who were so unfortunate as to be drafted, being called ill) at ally and all hours of tile night to render assistance to lhis townsmen by taking his team and driving to Kalamazoo. the Provost Marslhal's lheadquarters. to wlich office lie was appointed (during the war, and helping hlis neighbors to adjutst tlieir difficulties. Through llis individual efforts the townshlip of Florence liad the best record of any township in tlie county for faithfulness and tlorouglhness during the olrdeal of filling quotas and raising money. \When tlle legality of a certain draft was questioned, and an indignlation meeting was hleld at Kalamazoo, Mr. Sevison was appointed by tlme board to go to )etroit and confer witlh (ol. HIill, to prociure fronm him an order to show tlie illegality of tlie draft; the board knowing the energy and indomitable will and influence of our subject, and tie (ordinarily) iunapproachable character of the one to be consultel. chose him as the one best adapted to biring about thle desired result. A large assembly had repaired to the court-house and courthlouse grounds, anxiously awaiting the return of A Mr. Sevison. to hear the news, in a state of intense excitement, but on lhis arrival with his reports tlie meeting was imlmediately quieted, andl then (,ou subject, witll lon. Chlarles 1lpton, was chosen to l)roceed to Washington, I). C.. where tlie imatter was satisfactorily adjusted landl tile drafted nlen were released. l'lhe order was lmale for three years ancl thlese men were called for only one vear, whlich was the cause of all tle troublle. At tle close of tlhe war, when thle heavy taxationl ilmposed upon1 tie peolple was a source of bitterness, again iMr. Sevison was called upon as arbitrator, when hle agail succeeded in aldjusting everytlhig satisfactorily andl for tile best interests of tlie people. 1Mr. Sevison is an hlonored member of tlie (omnmlandlery of K. T. lbeing one of tile first Iembl)ers of Stlurgis (Commandlery, and a cllarter meniber of 'Trllee Rivers (Comnmandery. Ie is a strong lo1elpuhlicaln andd a power in liis communiity. IIe ulnited with the church at about the age of twenty-one years., and has beenl an Elder of the 'Presbyterian Church for over twenty years, and lie is one of tlie earnest workers in tlie buildin(g up of the Sabbatllschools, andl tauglit tlie first one in Centreville. (ur subject's famlily are all elnmbers of tile clurcl and conscientious workers in tlleir respective places. ICHAR) BARNARI). As a gentleman who, by his enterprise and practical ability has \ materially advanced tile agricultural interests of St. Joseph County, representing, as lie does, two of its important townships, the sulbject of this biographical sketchl occulies no uniinportant place among its citizens, and should receive due recognition in this work. lHe owns two valuable and well-improved farms, one in Florence Township and one on section 25, Constantine Township. The latter is under his personal supervision, and there, in tile pleasant home that he has built up, he is passing his declining years. His parents. William and Eliza W. (Cross) Barnard, were respected pioneers of St. Joseph County, being among its earliest settlers, and for many years they were members of its farming community, with patience and self-sacrifice enduring the halrdships of life in the wilderness, that they might build up a..h.E..rr -- 4:o — at - '10 I Mll o. i t1 I-4 I mi'l 11 I I'l,, 1 1-1~ "s-. I II I I~III L --- —c-I -~~4D C1~llEll~sW ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 193 {, h lome for themselves and family. They were natives of Yorkshire, England, and in the year 1833, ilesiring to better their condition and( to give tleir children more advanttages than they could have in the old country, they elnlarke(d on a sailing-vessel w ith their family of little children, and bravely set their faces toward the New World, and after a long and tedious voyage landed in this country. The same year they made their way to Michigan, and settled for a short time in this township, near Pigeon River. Later they removed to another part of thle county, and located on the banks of the same lriver, in what is now Florence Township. In 152 IMr. and Mrs. Barnard returned to Constantine and made their lome in the village, and there she died in 1860. One year later the husband and father, in the fullness of years, after an honorable and useful life, also passed to his rest from the home of his son, our subject, in Florence Township.,I J Richard B2rnard, of this sketch, was the fourth i chlild of the family of six children born to his parents, his birth taking place in Yorkshire. England, in 1828. I-e was scarcely five years of age when his parents abandoned their English home to come to this country, so that most of his life has been ap-ssed here. Ile was reared on his father's homestead, an-ld doubtless the pioneer influences that obtained in St. Joseph County at that early date helped to mold his character, to make him, in short, a strong, self-helpful, manly man. In 1850, with many other courageous, adventurous spirits, he being then in the bloom of early manhood, ambitiously sought his fortunes in the mines of California, proceeding to his destination over the great plains. Ile remained a citizen of the Golden State two years, and met with good success in his quest.! But he tired of the rough, hard life of the miner, and at the expiration of that time returned to his home in this State. He established himself in the livery business in Constantine, and was thus engaged for a year, and then sold out to his brother John, who continued the business in Constantine for twenty-five years, our subject retiring to his farm in Florence. This is still in his possession, and contains 120 acres of arable land uncder admirable tillage, and well supplied with comfortable buildings. In 1872 le took up his abode on his Constantine ' i — b: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ * —' — farm, which comprises eighty acres of as fine farming land as is to be found in all Southern Michigan. It is carefully cultivated after the most approved methods, has a neat and handsome set of farm buildings. and everything about the pl)ace denotes the presence of a skilled hand, lirected by a clear, well-balanced mind. Besides giving inucll attention to tilling the soil, Mr. Barnard is actively and Irofital)ly engaged ill buying and shipl)ing stock. July 4, 1885, he met with a serious financial loss, his dwelling being destroyed by fire, with nearly all of its conenelts, entailing a loss of about $3,000. IIe hlas since replaced it by a commodious and conveniently arranged residence. December 31, 1854, Mr. Barnard'was married to Betsey Hotchin, who was a native of England. lWhen she was eight years old( she came to America with her parents, Samuel E. and Martha Hlotchin, in 1844. They came to St. Joseph County and settled in Constantine Village, whence they subsequently removed to Florence Township, where her father engaged in farming, and there died. After a happy wedded life of nearly thirty-two years, Mrs. Barnard died. MaLrch 22, 1886. She was widely respected and belovedl for her many amiable qualities, and as far as in her lay she left no duty undone, but was ever true in all the relations of life. She was a consistent and valued member of the Reformed Church. Tlie following is the record of the children born of that marriage: Mary E. is the wife of E. A. Ilamilton, of White Pigeon; Hattie E. is the wife of Oldos Barry; William is a farmer in Florence Township, as is also Charles I; and Hannah lives at home. Mr. Barnard was married to his present estimable wife, a woman of genuine worth, July 1 8, 1888, the ceremony taking place in Plainwell, Allegan Co., Mich. Mrs. Barnard was formerly Mrs. Alvira Bigelow, widow of Riley Bigelow, and New York was her birthplace, her parents being 1lr. and Mrs. Andrew Hicks. From the perusal of this sketch it will be seen that our subject, the son of one of St. Joseph County's p)ioneers, has energetically carried on the work in which his father was engaged, and has been of much assistance in developing and sustaining the interests of the county. He is a man of varied -.II.- I -l W _ 0 - I "I I 1-.4-0..rr r IIIII I ----- r-L~ ~ —. ---~ ~~I C_-BL I r m 194 ST. JOSEPHI COUNTY. A 194 ST. JOSEh COUNTY.. experience, of good understanding, keen, prompt, and withal, honorable in his (lealings, and may well be classedl among the most trustworthy and esteemed citizens of St. Josepll County. lie was formerly ilentified with tie Reformed Church, but is now a prominent mlemtber of the Congregational Church. 1 lON LOEHOFF is numbered among the most able, enterprising and wide-awake farmers of St. Joseph County, an(d in him Constantine Township has one of her most valuable citizens. He there owns a farm which for fertility, productiveness, neat, tasty and commodious buildings, is not surpassed by any in the neighborhood, and the dwelling erected thereon is considered one of the finest in this part of St. Joseph County, and is an ornament to the locality. Our sulject is a. native of Prussia, and his birth occurred in that distant country April 17, 1832. His parents, John and Anna M. (Lamy) Lohoff, were likewise natives of that Empire, and there spent their entire lives. Our subject was reared in his native land, and inherited from virtuous and industrious parents those traits of character which form the best legacy that children can inherit to make life a success-an independent, self-reliant spirit, strong muscles and ability to use them. At the nge of twenty years lie decided to try his fortune in America, having been previously engaged in agricultural pursuits in his native country. After a voyage of some weeks he landed in New York, and went directly to Canada. He there found employment on the Great Western Railway, and in a short time he caine to Detroit. HIe worked there six months in a brickyard, and in the fall of 1852 made his way to St. Joseph County. lie found employment on a farm in Constantine, north of the village, and continued there until 1862, when he bought a farm in the townshil, comprising fifty-three acres. By p)ersistent and untiring labor he has not only brought this land to an admirable state of cultivation, but has been so successful and has cultivated it to so imuch profit that he has been enabled to increase the acreage of his land by further purchase, so that his farm now comprises 120 acres of well-improved land, and with its neat and tasty buildings is considered one of the most desirable estates in St. Joseph County. IIe has erecte(l one of the finest residences in this part of the county. In 1859 Mr. Lohoff made a trip to Pike's Peak in search of gold. He was away from St. Joseph County in all thirteen months, six of which were spent in the diggings; not being very successful in the search for the precious metals he went to Missouri, and from there back to his Michigan homle, arriving in Constantine in April, 1860. Mr. Lohoff was united in marriage with Miss Henrietta L. Field, in Porter Township, Cass Co., Mich., Aug. 12, 1862. IHer parents, the late Harvey and Elizabeth (Davis) Field, were natives of Vermont. The mother died in Porter Township, Cass Co., Mich., and the father in Chautauqua County, N. Y. Mrs. Lohoff was the fifth child in a family of eight children, and was born March 26, 1835, in Cohocton, Steuben Co., N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Lohoff have had two children-Helen L. and Marth'a A. Grief has come to this haply household in the death of the beloved daughter and sister Helen, at the age of twelve years, and they can realize the truth of the poet's words: 'Tis sorrow builds the shining laddler up. Whose golden rounds are our calamities Whereon our firm feet planting, nearer God The spirit climbs, and hath its eyes unsealed. True is it that Death's face seems stern and cold When lie is sent to summon those we love: But all God's angels come to us disguised. Sorrow and sickness, poverty and death, One after another lift their frowning mrasks, And we behold the seraph's face beneath. With every anguish of our earthly p)art The spirit's sight grows clearer; this was meant When Jesus touched the blind man's lids with clay. Life is the jailer, Death the angel sent To draw the unwilling bolts and set us free. Our subject may well be proud of the success that he has achieved in his adopted country, alid of the honorable position that he ocucupies among tihe agriculturists of St. Joseph County who have assisted in bringing it to its present advanced and prosperous condition. Ite is a man of marked en ergy and capacity, and is l)rompt and reliable in his p a I F i I -A A I -4. ON. --- f _ -— I - --- - -- I --- —--------------------------------— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- —-- "'-~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ —9R 097' W ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 195 '-I dealings; in his domestic circle he is all that a good husband and father can be, and to his fellowmen he is kind and considerate, and is justly regarded as a man of sterling worth. In him this township finds one who is ever ready to do his share toward promoting its interests, and while holding some of the school ollices lie has aided the advancement of the cause of education. In politics he casts his vote with the Republican party. Mrs. Lohoff, who is equally esteemed by all in the community, is an eainest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. (Ol)'NEY B'CI 1(KWITI I. Prominent among if the farmers of St. Joseph (County. wlo have f\ or nan^y years taken an active part in sus\~taininio' its agricultural interests, is the goen1leiman whose na:lel fornms the caption of this hiographlical niotice. lie has one of the best farms in this part of the State of Michigan, finely located on sectioni 34, Constantine, andl section 3, Mottville Townslhilp. This land comprises 180 acre;s, in addition to which lie owns sixty-two acres on section 17. ini Mottville Townshil). lie comes of goo( old New Englanld ancestry, andl his paremnts, Levi and IucinadaI (Starkweatlier) Beckwith, were among the v(Iry etarliest plioneers of St. lJoseph County. Thley were born, the fatlher in iMassaclhusetts, and thle Ill()tlhe' problably inl Connecticut. After marriaoge t1ey settledl in the town of Austinburg, Vt., and t1hence renioved to Saybrook, Ashtabula Co., (O)hio,. of which they thus becamre early settlers. In Aug'iist, 1828.with thleir household ogoods and family by ox and hlorse teamis, they crossed the blorder, and (comnilo. ilto Miclhig'a, made their way slowly over thel~ rouglh, swampy forest roads to that part of St..Josel)li County now known as Mottville. They lo('ated on( section 3 of that township, and continued to live there a:bout six years. Thley then removed to section 34. (Constantine Township, Mr. Beekwith ha.INviyg secured land oni the dividing line between Alottville and (Constantine, and there they made thleir home until death. This land is still owned by the subject of this sketcll. After their removal to this part of the county their lives were not prolonged, very many years. MIr. Beclkwithl dying' in September, 1l839, and Mrs. Beeckwithl in August, 1847. They lad ten chlildren, five sons and five (1aug1 otemrs. Ile of wllhom we write was the volliunest soin of his estimable paIrentis. Ie was born in Aslitabutla Counity, Ohio. Oct. 1, 182(.6, n was hardly two years ol(d wlmeim they canme to St. Joseph County. so thalt lie was reared here in Mottville aIndl (Constantine Townships, a(nd lhas spent thme greater part of Ilis life here. lie was at lad of thirteen years when lie had the misfortune to lose a ogood father. His mother was sl)pare( to her children at few years longer, and she carefully trained ounr subject in all th!at goes to make a good man:aid a useful citizen. Amid tile pioneer infiiuences tlhat lie obtained here in his early days lie grew to be a strong, self-reliant iman. In 1849. when scarcely twenty-tliree (eat'rs of age, lie went to California as one of the "49ers," fired by tile ambition to seek wealth in that Eldorado of tile gold-seeker. IIe was there engagoed in mining' for about four years, and met with reasonably good success where many failed. I lis tlhoughts often turned to his old lhome, and in Au'gust, 1852, satisfied with his gains, lie returned l(home )by way of the Nicaragua route. Ile invested his caplital judiciously and resumed farming' in tlis townslhi. His farm originally consisted of 160 acres, but lie lhas prospered so well in his agricultural ventures that lie iiow owns 242 acres of as fertile and productive farming land as is to be found in Soutihern Michligan. It is untder a hi gh state of cultivation, and is providted with amp)le and sublstantial buildings, and the necessary maclhinery for co(nductino' agriculture successfully. Our subject now lias a comfortablle, attractive home, and to lier who IIas faithfully assisted him in its uip)lilding lie was iunitedl iin marriage )eec. 23, 1853. The following is recordedl of the twelve children born of their niarriage: da I. is the wife of Rev. 1). II. Reiter, of Maicelona, Antrim Co.., MIicim.; Solomon V. married1 Martha II. Wilemini. anld lives in Red Cloud, Webster Co., Necb.; Mina A. died at tile age of six years; Ioug'al R. married Ada C. Yoder, and lives il C(ass County, M1ichl.; (George A. died when about three years of age; Eliza Ann died when fifteen years old; William S. and Lillie S., twins, are dead; Jane E., Framnk E., Elliot W. 191pla- rprlI~I II IILYIYII I. ON - - IIIIIIIIIIII11111111111 J L - L 1.. i --- — __ Lr_.A..- M z, 4 1 g:- kbb- I I 1, 4. A f 196 - - mE, -R ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. E and Edith I. are all at home. IMrs. Beckwlth's maiden name was Eliza AnIn Rote, and slhe was born in lTrbotville, Northumberland (o.. Pa., ()et. 23, 1834. She was. the fourth child of the twelve (clildren, two sons and ten d(aughters, born to the late Solomon and 1Maria (D)entller) Rote, natives respectively of Nortllampton County, and of the city of Ilarrisburg,:Pa. They came to St. Josephl County in 1848, and settling- in Mottville, made tleir home tlere until (eatlh; lie died ()ct. 4, 1874, andl sle on MNarcll 8, 1880. Mr. Beckwitll als llad the fortune to witness almost tlhe entire growth of St. Joseplh County, since at the time of his earliest recollections it can scarcely hlave emerged fromn its primitive wildness. The greater part of the primeval forest withl which Soutllern Michigan was mostly clotled must still have been awaiting the ax of the pioneer, and in tleir depthls still lurked the bear, the wolf and otlier wild animals, that preyed sometimes on tile little flock of sheep or invaded the pen anl made away with some choice porker that the early settler was raising against the time of need. Deer, wild turkeys aInd otller clloice game were thlen ll)lentiful, and often graced tile table of tlhe pioneer. Our subject was familiar with tlhe Indians, wlho when llis parents first removed to Michliglan still frequented.their old haunts, and for whom lie hlas always hlad a friendly feeling. It hlas been his privilege not only to witness tlie wondrous change tlhat lhas since been broughllt about, but to have beenl an actor in it. By Ills well-directed and untiring labors lie lhas not only achieved prosl)erity himself, bult has contributed to tlhe material welfare of his townshilp and county. IMr. Beckwith is lhonored in religious, social, business and political circles in this community as a man of sound princilples and goodl labits, one wlli is trustworthy in every respect. Religiously, lie and Ills wife are members of thle Lutheran Church. Politically, lie is a stanch slupporter of tlhe )einocratic p)arty. As a good citizen, lie earnestly seeks to promote the welfare of Constantine T'ownshllp, a:nd as a member of the School Board has faithfully assisted in advancing tlhe cause of education. Mrs. Beckwith lhas actively co-operated witll her husband in his work, and has been an important factor in bringing about his proslper'ous circum stalnces. and we cannot close this biography of her husba1nd without a furthier word in l er behalf. In her are blended all tile qualities that go to make up a good and true woman. and she tills in a perfect measure tlhe duties of wife. mother anl friend. T LEWIS has been a resident of the State of ( lichigan for a period of thirty years, and of this county for twenty-two. Iis native State is Pennsylvania, where he was born on the 15th of January, 1807. While he was yet an infant, his parents, Griffith and Margaret Lewis, who were both natives of Pennsylvania, removed to Wayne County, N. Y., where his father carried on his trade, which was that of a shoemaker, in connection with the working of his farm. The subject of our sketch was the youngest of fifteen children. He had little opportunity for obtaining an extensive schooling, but early in life becane well acquainted with everything connected with farming, which he has chiefly followed through life. Hie is now the owner of forty-three acres of well-tilled, productive land, and has put up a very comfortable farm dwelling, which is a most p)leasant home. Twice has our subject stood before the altar of Hymen. On the 6th of June, 1831, le became the husband of Clarrissa Bristol, the excellent daughter of Cyrus Bristol, of New York. They became the parents of nine children, namely: Mary Jane, who narried Mr. Thomas Shipley, of Pultneyville, Wayne Co., N. Y.; Daniel, deceased; Sarah A., now the wife of HIon. Otis Moe, of this township; Amanda, wlo died when ten months old; Margaret, decease(l; Ansel, who whs a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, andl d(ied and was buried at Fair Oaks; Eliza Ann, now Mrs. Edward Cuminins; Rachael is married to Elius Shelley, and makes her home with her husband and parents on the home farm; and( Amanda Sophia, the wife of William Johnson, of Fawn River. The first wife of our subject died in Fawn River in 1869, and on the 17th of November, 1871, lie was united( in marriagt e withl Mrs. Sarlah E. Iatson, r I,a&- km. E I "I I Md I, II, sm I I'l "I"I f), I I -Mmommm e -- 1:S-~ I --- —-C ---~-~ —~ --- —-— ~ ----^ ----^ ---L --— ~oms ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 197 - ----- ---- — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the widow of Jesse Batson, of Burr Oak. This lady was born l)ec. 16, 1820, and is the daughter of (George and Polly Strayer. IMr. Lewis is one of the venerable anld much esteemed citizens of the county, and his home is at IFawn River, his property being on section 4 of that tolwnship. lie has retired fromn the more active lduties of life, leaving them to his son. Ile is a member of the Demnocratic party, and has in other days takein an active interest in matters connected therewith. --- -o,i - * n4-_ < o — 7OItN P. GLADDING, proprietor of a book and stationery store in Constantine, occupies anl honorable place among tlhe pioneers of St. Joseph County, and no one is held in higher respect and veneration as a man and a citizen. IHe is a native of the city of Providence, R. I.. where he was born of sterling New England stock July 22, 1815. Iis parents, Timothy and Elizabeth (Perrin) Gladding, were also natives of tlhat city, and there they were reared, married, and spent their entire lives. They were well known all(l onored in tile city of their birth, and beqlleathled to their children the precious legacy of o;od( and useful lives land an unsullied name. They) lhad a family of eleven children, of whom our subject was the fifth in order of birth and the eldest SOll. Our subject's early life was passed in Providence until lie was sixteen years of age, when he went to Millbury, Mass., to learn the watchmaker's trade. He remained there four years, and then for a few months lived in Fall River, Mass., working at his trade. In 1836, being a young man of more than average couralge and intelligence, with much ambition and enterprise, he determined to try life in the "Far West," as Michigan, then a Territory, was considered, and September 19 left the embryo manufacturing city of which we have spoken for his future home in this State. Traveling slowly, as was necessitated bv the limited facilities for travelers iu those times, he arrived in Constantine on the 10th day of October, poor indeed in pocket, but rich in hope land in plans for future success in life. tie found here a wild, rough, thinly settled country, and a small hamlet on the present site of the village, l)ut he met with a hearty reception from the hospitable pioneers who had preceded him, and an opening to practice his trade, in which he immnediately established himself, hiring a counter in a book store for that purpose. As settlers came in, and the country grew more rich in population and wealtl, his business increased, and was quite flourishing up to 1868, when lie was obliged to give it up on account of failing eyesight. Ile then opened a store for the sale of books and periodicals, in which business he has since been engoagoed. In 1871 he had the misfortune to lose his building in which he lhad his store, entailing a loss of $2,000, but he managed to save his stock. Notwithstanding this discouragement lie promptly re-established himself, and now has an extensive and remunerative trade. October 10, 1839, our subject and Martlla Emily Ioward were united in tlie holy bonds of matrimony, and thus for nearly fifty years they have walked life's pathway together, sharing its joys and dividing its sorrows, and(l in them tlhe true marriige has been exemplified. Mrs. Gladding is a ldalugrlter of Johnl and Patty (Loomis) Ioward, both natives of Bolton, Conn. Mrs. Gladding was also lborn in that town, Dec. 1, 1817, being tlme ldate of her birth. When she was in her fourteenth year, in the year 1831, her parents canle to St. Josephl County, and settled in what is now the township of Florence, where they continued to live until death. They had four sons and three daiughters, of whom the wife of our subject was tile sixth in order of birth. Of her marriage with our subject fourn cllildren have been born, as follows: John L. II., who died when four years old; Emily E., the wife of George O. Garnsey; Mary J., tile wife of Isaac W. Sprague, (lied of paralysis in Hancock County, Iowa, in the year 1881; Benjamin 0. is a druggist in Constantine. Mr. and Mrs. Gladding are very fine people, who combine true refinenent of character with uncommon excellence of disposition and goodness of heart, and the citizens of this place have the rare privilege of having before them in the persons of our subject and his amiable wife the beautiful spectacle of lives fully rounded out by all that goes to I i i i i i I I i i;i B-.Nd f a I. _ ( - -- h- ---— ~~~~~~~~~ I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1111o"(1 A~ opo I I --— — II --- — -— ^ -7' 0 O — C ---- _ ~_ _ - I —"-" —~-"B-~-1 198 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. make life worth living to a serene and gracious old age. In them kindness and charity are personified, and their warm hearts and open hands feel and respond to any call for aid for the weak, the unfortunate or the downtrodden. In so brief a sketch we cannot relate the deeds of bounty that have called down blessings on their venerable heads, but we will mention that, notwithstanding they have had children of their own to care for, they have reared five orphans, who found with them happy homes. not only in a comfortable abode, but in hearts which gave a father's love and care and a mother's devotion and tenderness. One of the children died young, but the remaining ones have been reared to honorable and happy lives. Would that more who are far richer than our subject and his wife in material wealth would follow their noble example, and rescue helpless and homeless little orphans from want and misery. Mr. Gladding has taken an active part in the village government, and has been a wise and trustworthy civic official, often holding responsible offices. In politics, the Republican party finds a stanch supporter in him. Religiously, he and his wife are valued members of the Congregational Church. PN7RANKLIN WELLS. One of the most prominent figures of Constantine Village and vicinity is the sul)ject of this biography, whoowns and operates a farm of 810 acres of land, a very valuable property located within three miles of the corporation. This land is devoted to stock purposes, Mr. Wells buying, feeding and raising in large numbers horses, cattle and sheep, making a specialty of the two latter. He usually keeps a herd of a hundred head of cattle, about 400 head of sheep, and twenty-five head of horses. As a wool producer it is probable that lie is excelled by few in Southern Michigan. Possessing great energy and perseverance, with admirable business capacities, while accumulating a small fortune he has at the same time been of great service in developing the resources of this section. Joseph Wells, the father of our subject, came to this county with his family in 1837, arriving here on the 1 2th of.June, shortly after Michigan had been transformed from a Territory into a State. tIe first settled on the old Chicago road in Mottville Township, but lived there only a short time, removing thence to Constantine, where both parents died a few years later, the mother in 1843 and tlhe father in 1847. Their family consisted of four children, two sons and two daughters, of whom Franklin, our subject, was the youngest born. The latter first opened his eyes to the light April 19, 1823, in Salem, Washington Co., N. Y., and spent his boyhood and youth, from the age of fifteen, amid the scenes of pioneer life, acquiring his education in the primitive schools of St. Joseph County. Ile at an early age developed more than ordinary abilities, and soon after reaching his majority was elected to the minor offices of his township, in some of which he has served most of the time since then, having been a member of the School Board almost continuously since 1844. Young Wells took kindly to the various employments of farm life, and at an early age conceived the idea of securing land of his own, to be followed in due time by a home and domestic ties. In 1842, at Constantine, lie had made the acquaintance of Miss Helen M. Briggs, and they were united in marriage Oct. 31, 1844. This lady is the daughter of David and Cynthia (Kidder) Briggs, who were natives respectively of New York and Vermont. Mr. Briggs died when comparatively a young man, at Easton, N. Y. The mother subsequently came to this county, settling in Constantine, where her death took l)lace in 1867. Mrs. Wells was born in Easton, N. Y.. June 15, 1822. She was six years of age at the time of her father's death. She is a niece of Mrs. John S. Barry, whose husband became Governor of Michigan, and accompanied them to this State, living with them until her marriage, which took place from Gov. Barry's house. Of this union there have been born nine children, the eldest of whom, a d(aughter, Helen M., continues at home with her parents; Willis IH. is farming on his land in Florence Township, this county; Jeannette is the wife of Hon. Levi B. French, of Yankton, Dak.; Fanny II. is the widow of Dr. S. I). Radley, and lives with her par__ i I i i I I I I I I i I II I I I -Jt-'-Ak 00004 I I II I -~ IICI — = I I I ' 1L-~a sleBv~ w --------- i I A. L.DRIGGS. I -4 — I I _IL.srgdek t:*IC~C.:-, III-d"l ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 201 A ~~~~ --- —---- ---------— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I ents; Louise S. marrield Mr. Charles E. Wilbur, who is now deceased; she lives in Constantine. Franklin, Jr., is engaged in the book and stationery business in Yankton, Dak.; Antoinette is with her parents; Jessie and Mary B. died at the ages of eight and five years respectively. In October, 1838, more than fifty years ago, Mr. Wells removed to Constantine, where lie engaged as clerk in a store. This vocation lie followed until 1842, when he went into business with his enployer, Albert Andrus, the connection continuing ountil the spring of 1846, when he bought his partner's interest. IIe was thereafter almost continuously a merchant until 1873, sometimes alone and sometimes having partners. The first land which Mr. Wells settled upon was purchased by him in September, 1861, and lies on section 8, Constantine Township. This constitutes the home farm, and to it he has given particular attention, effecting graldually the improvements which have made it a very valuable property. He llas added by degrees to his real estate, and by his judgment and forethought has evinced those qualities which have commended him to his fellow-citizens as a gentlemtan capable of looking after important interests. In1 18783 he was appointed by (Gov. Bagley a member of the State Board of Agriculture, and served six years. In 1879 he was reaI)l)ointed by Gov. Crosswell, and served until 1885. lie was appointed to his third term by Gov. Alger, serving six years, and in 1884 was elected President of tlie board, succeeding IIon. HIezekiah G. Wells, of Kalamazoo. In 1885 Mr. Wells was elected a lmemlber of the Executive Committee of the State Agricultural Society, and subsequently Chairman of its Business Conmmittee, which position lie still fills. Once he was elected to the office of President of the society, but declined the honor. The latter position is now filled by Unites States Senator Thomas W. Palmer. In 1887 he was elected President of the State Forestry Commission, which office he still holds. In 1878 Mr. Wells was appointed by Cov. Croswell, agent for St. Joseph County of the State Board of Charities and Corrections. He had in the meantime been identified with other important interests, beiln elected, in 1873, Secretary of the * Constantine IHydraulic Company, in which capacity lie has since served. Politically, lie votes the straight Republican ticket. lie cast his first Presidential vote for Henry (lay, and in regard to politics, as other matters, is a man of decided views, and keeps himself well posted upon current events. Both lie and his estimable wife are regular attendants of the Congregational Church, with which Mrs. Wells is connected in lmembership. The Wells estate is one of the most valuable in the county, and will continue to be a monument to the enterprise and industry of its projector long after he has been gathered to his fathers. h ()N. ALFREI) L. l)lDRIGG((. Both the township and village of Constantine are largely indlebte(d to tile subject of tills sketcl for ( the success of tlie various enterprises to which lie gave his supl)ort al11(d encouragement. After tle turmoil of a long and active career, lhe is now livilng retired in a handsomle (ho:me in tile village, respected by all wllo know hlir, and with tlie consciousness that lie las, as mnucl as man may, improved llis opportunities not only for his ownl advantagte, but to tlhe interest of those around him. 'lie record of his life if given in full wouIld conprise a very readable volume, and it is a matter of regret tlat a history so pregniant with events (nd lab))rs must necessarily receive com)paratively brief mention. 'Tle I)ritogs family have been known tllrolughout New E'nland( for many (leca(les as tlle exponent of all tllat was honorablle and uplrighlt. Elisllat D)riggs, tlie fatler of our subject. andl his wife, whlo in her girllood was Miss Esther Palmer. were doubtless natives of (0onnecticut, whliere they lived during their y-ounter years,a an(l fter their marriage. The father followed lumbering quite extensively during his early manhood, at tlme same time engaging in ag(riculltural pursuits. Up'on leaving New England they took ulp tleir abode inl Rensselaerville, Albany Co., N. Y., where they lived several years, and then removed to Middlebur(g, Schoharie Co., N. Y., where tlhe father died in his prime. The mother survived hler husband some years, an(d died at the I r m ~~cF ~ ~ 3 --— L~~l --- -' -— ~~~~~~~~~~ —" —I - I-CI~ IC~~~~~~~_ — I ~ - - Idam ---— p low qo - -__ C 1 —e 1. --— ~ IqIIII-~*-~L AP —I-~~LL_.4.~~11 * 202 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -- - v "'1 home of a daughter in the city of lBuffalo, N. Y. Their family included five sons and two daughters. Alfred L. being the fourth son. Mr. l)riggs was born in 1Rensselaerville, N. Y., Aug. 25, 15807. lie spent the greater part of his boyhood and youth at his father's farm, remaining a member of the parental household until reaching llis majority. 'llen, with the usual desire of youth for a chlange of scene and occupation, lie went into the hiniber regions al)out fifteen miles from.iolinstown, N. Y., having been appointed foreman of a set of men, and was thus occup)ied about two years. In May, 1831, lie migrated to 5Miclhigan Territory, and secured possession of a lumber-mill in the vicinity of Jackson, becoming tile lessee, and operating it until the fall of tlhat year. This was then tlhe only institution of its kind in that county, and i)ro)bably would have proved a source of )rofit, had its operations not been interrupted by the aigue, which attacked our subject and caused hlimn to leave that reogion. In coming1( to Michigan tile objective point of our subject had been White Pigeon, this county, wlere lie purposed investing in land. After abandoning Ilhis mill enterprise lie carrilied out his first plan, securing a tract of eigltyv-sevein acres inl C(onstantine Township. Tllis lay about one mile nort1l of the present village site. Ile was not in a condition to settle upon it, and reso(lved to ygo to D)etroit, whence, if his hllellthl was not better, lie would return to New York State. While sick with time ag'ue at White Pigeon, St. Joseph County, lie madle tihe ~acquaintance of a Mr. King, who. had some means. for whlich lie was seeking profital e investment, Mr. D)riggs, whose hlealtl was somewhat improved, went to Bronson Township, Branch County, to look at a mill site of which lie hlad learned. Here lie was joined by King, a partnership formed between them, and thle building of tile mill begun. Mr. King, however, later, upon the advice of friends, decided to go further West, and assigned his interest in the mill plroperty to our subject, giving him two years to pay for the same. Mr. 1)riggs, after encountering many dithiculties and hardship)s, at last was enabled to begin oIperations in his mill about the middle of ()ctober, 1832. I Tlie machinery was runl by tile old-fashioned( water wheel, and after a few logs had been gotten out, tie (lain broke, and it was only by the most superhuman efforts that thle mill was saved from being waslied away. For over four months thereafter MIr. l)riggs scarcely lost sight of it day or night, running it eighteen hours out of thie twenty-four. There were thlen none of the facilities to ship lumber enjoyed by thie unlmberlen of tile l)resent dlay, an(l thle whole business proved very expensive, lie being' able to ship little besides plank. In June, 1836, Mr. )rig sol s sold is mill property andl 400 acres of heavily timbered land for $4,500, anud other land for $1,500. Chicago, Ill.. was then but an inferior town, giving no promise whlatever of its future imlportance. To that place Mr. irioggs. journeyed on horseback, but on his arrival there it al)l)eared to him little more than a mushroom, and lie consequently did liot invest any of his calpital, returnin(g home with it as lie hlad started. In tlihe summer of 1836 lie applied a xportion of it to tihe purchase of 200 acres of land in hBranch and St..Joseph Counties, tlis State. A few monthls later lie purcase ad and built on what is now known as Broad street in Constantine Township., then a tract of timber land. lie cleared a portion of this, puttineg up a dwelling and living there until 18.62. The vear following, there being indications tliat (!onstantine Village might become a desirable place of residence, lie erected a fine d(wellinig, within wlhichl when comIpleted lie took up his abode. Mr. l)riggs had in the meantime invested a portion of his capital in labiout 1,600 acres of pine land on Flat River, in Mlontcalm County, where lie lput up a sawmill which lie operated about eighteen years. dlisposing of the product in Chicago. Prior to thils lie had purchase( a sawmlill, gristmill, a distillery, and a numtber of town lots southeast of White Pigeon, on thie roa(1 to Lima, nad. Ie only lIeld tis property about thlree years, disposing of it then to g'oo advantage. In 1872 Ihe invested in land on Sand Lake, which is slowly but surely becoming valuable. It will thus l)e seen tllhat Mr. I)riggs has led very active life, and hle has been for tlin most part fortunate in his investments. After the completion of his residence lie erected a brick block in Constantine. and later pulrchallsed tlie Commercial a Ajoh.- 1U- --- -, I,.1, I II ml I I Salo- 0 ---wCP-.h -1C -CSC CIQB II(P.~ {' mI- i ~ - L _ it BgLC;t'Bdllr*Dsl -kIIP Tr.a~r- --— ~~-g — 1 ---r@ —r ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 203 4 -^ Y~IIIIIIIIIIIII~I(LIU~~-~-l~ —~llllll — I_ I- -- _ -- flouring-mill on Water street, which is operated by a renter. His examl)le of enterprise and perseveranlce has proved the stimulant to many a man who might have retired discouraged from the field in tlhe absence of a less worthy examplle. IMr. I)riggs during the earlier years of his life took a very active part in political matters, his symni)atlies being uniformly witll tle D)emocratio party. IFor conscientiousness and integrity tlere are few who excel him, as is evinced by tlle expressions of confidence and esteem which are to be met witl on every hand among his fellow-citizens. After filling many other positions of trust, in wlicli lie acquitted himself in a manner greatly to llis credit, our subject was elected a member of tlhe Micligan legislature in tle fall of 1846, servingo hi is termn acceptably, and in connection with tlle many measures under discussion, evincing more i than ordinary good judgment and foresiglit. Ie represented Constantine Townslhip in thle (ounty Board of Supervisors a period of eleven years, and iln )oth Branchl alnd tilis county 1as offliciated as lJustice of tile Peace. There have becen few ilterests connected with Constantine an(l vicillity whicli have not soughlt his counsel, and to whliclh lie lias ever given a cheerful and attentive hearing. T'lie status of a community is delpendent upon tile men who lave been the nmost l)romiinet (luring its elmbryo state, and Mr. I)riggs as a pioneer of Constantine is eminently worthy of record as one of its builders, and associated witlh its most inl)ortant interests. Mliss Frances M. Pease becanme tlhe wife of our sul)ject May 29, 1833, tlce weddingt taking place at the home of the bride in Jackson, lMicl. Tiis lady was born in hIampshire County, Mass., Feb. 6, 1811, and was of excellent old New Engoland stock. Ier union witll our subject was blessed by tlhe birth of eighlt clildren, four of whom (lied i i infancy. The eldest daughter,.Jane, is thle wife of C(. W. Cord, of Constantine; Chlarles E. Land Mary live witl their fathler; (Georg'e, wo wl as a very )1rom1isingI and capable lbusiness manl, died in July, 1886, at the age of thirty-six years. Mrs. Frances M. l)riggs departed tis life at the hoome in Constantine, May 3, 1864. It gives us pleasure to present the acconpanying a~ _ portrait of this honored pioneer, to wliom, as much as to any citizen within its 1)orders, St. Josepli County is indebte(l for tile develol)mlent of its industries. wliicl lhave been tlhe basis of its prosperity. 7 ENRY PORTER KETCHUM, a well-known I) resident of Burr O(ak Village, is spending the later years of a well-ordered life in tlle quiet and comfort of a pleasant home, surrounded by many friends. His property embraces thirty acres of highly cultivated land with substantial buildings, and where lie has resided( with his excellent wife for a number of years. Mr. K. was born in the Mohawk Valley, near the town of Glenville, Schenectady Co., N. Y., Feb. 8, 1828, and is the son of Chancy and Mary (Wilder) Ketchliun, natives of tle same place. Isaac Ketchum, the paternal gradlfatiler of our subject, was one of the pioneers of Schenecta(dy County, N. Y., where he engaged in farming,, anid spent his last days. Joshua Wil(ler, the maternal grandfather, was also an early settler of that locality, a Justice of the Peace, and a man of note in his comm unity. The father of our subject received a commonschool education and learned the trade of carplentry, which lie followed in his native county until 1852, and then, a young man of twenty-four yeSars, anxious to see something of the Great Wrest, made an ocean voyage to the Pacific Coast, an(1 relmailed ill California about three vears. Instead of entering the mines, however, lie engaged in business more certain of returns, as a clelrk in var'ious hotels in that region, to which business lie seemed peculiarly a(lapted, becoming very popular a:tll drawing a good salary. At the expiration of the time mentioned he returned to his native State, but sooIn, however, took up his residence in Weedsport, N. Y., where during the progress of tlhe Civil War lie officiated as 'mine host" of the Mansion House, and where lie continued until 1868. Chancy Ketchum now set out once more for the West, and coming to this county settled in Sherman Township, where he employed himself in farming t ~~ -------— ~ - -- 1 L~~8 Mil I - r ob. ( - (1 i I I - --- I —1 — -----— I-` — I I —I I "- -- -- I qq- ------ --- — w ------------- L-. — IN Imm -I b~IL- _ j L I 204 ST. JOSEPI COUNTY. ir three years, then embarked in the meat-market business at Sturgis, where he operated successfully until 1877. Hotel life, however, had greater charms, and the year following he purchased the Park Hotel at Burr Oak, which he conducted very successfully for a period of ten years. He was married, in 1868, to Miss Mary, daughter of James Jones, one of the pioneers of Oswego County, N.Y., and who was born in 1828. Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum commenced the journey of life together in 1868, and have lived harmoniously together for a period of over twenty years. Providence bestowed upon them no children, but they have gathered around them hosts of warm friends, and will never suffer for lack of kindly attention and affection in sickness or in health. Mr. Ketchum has always been an active member of his community, giving liberally of his time and means to those enterprises calculated for the best good of the people, socially, morally and financially. ILLIAM STEAR is a prominent and prosperous farmer of Constantine Township, where he has cleared and improved as good a farm as is to be found within the boundaries of St. Joseph County. He is a native of England, born in Lincolnshire, Jan. 19, 1828. He was reared on a farm in his native shire, and was there married, July 2, 1850, to Miss Frances Haylock, who was born in the same shire as himself, a year and a few days later, her birth occurring Jan. 25, 1829. T'hey continued to reside in their native shire until the spring of 1861, when they came to America with the five children who had in the meantime been born to them. They landed at New York and came directly to Michigan. For three years after that Mr. Stear worked out by the day in Constantine, and by prudence and wise economy he had saved up enough money to warrant him in purchasing land and beginning the task of building up a home. He first bought a tract of forty acres, which is still included in his present farm. It was then nearly all covered with woods. In the years of toil and hardship that followed, in which lie was aided and encouraged by his wife, he not only cleared his land i from the forest and got it under fine cultivation, but was enabled to increase its area by further purchase, until he now owns ninety-three acres of fertile and highly productive land, and lie and his wife have built up a very pleasant and comfortable home, of which they may well be proud. The following is recorded of the eleven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Stear: Maria is the wife of Manford Christian, of Constantine Township; William lives at home; Mary A. died when about six years old; Hattie is the wife of Jacob Brandal, of Constantine Village; Charles lives in Montana; Lizzie is the wife of Andy Craner, of Three Rivers; Susie, who was the wife of Charles Brokaw, died in Constantine, July 2, 1884; George is a school teacher; Fannie is at home; Robert H. died in infancy, and Frank is at home. Mr. and Mrs. Stear are people whose kind hearts generously respond to any call for aid or sympathy from the unfortunate or needy, and all such find in them true friends. By their united labors, prudence and wise management they have obtained a comfortable competence, and can pass their declining years free from toil and anxious cares that beset their earlier life. Their many worthy traits of character have gained them the respect and esteem of all in the community of wlich they have been members for so many years. Mr. Stear takes a warm interest in the public affairs of his adopted country, and votes intelligently with the Republican party, considering its policy the safest and best in the guidance of National affairs. S AMUEL VALENTINE, the oldest establishel grocer in Sturgis, is one of its representative lbusiness men. He las a good store, neatly fitted upl) andl carries a large and well-sorted stock, comprising a full line of groceries, provisions, woodenware, gloves, mittens, tobacco and cigars. lie sells at reasonable prices, and 'from his long experience knows well how to: satisfy tlle demandls of Iis large trade. Our subject was born in tle town of Lysander, Onondaga Co., N.Y. May 17, 1824. Iis fatler, Josepll Valentine, was a native of Greene County, 9000 1 L a F ---'_-~8 — I --— ~ I- ' I.I I 1I I~ I, I I L~I~~II I " ~ lL~I~L"- 0EI~~ In -- ------ — ~ -----— ~ --- —--— ~ — ---_I_ ---~ ---~ — -~ U~ 44I~S I Ii ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 205 1, f~ ~~~ N.Y., and lie there married Mercy Jones, likewise a native of tlhat county. Six children were born to them, all of whom grlew to manhood and womanhood, but all are now( dead lbut our stubject. 'T'lie fatler was a farmer lan(d also a brickmnason. l I:ll(l llis wife were lpeople of gellnile merit, and wer1e lheld in tile utmost respect by tlleir neigl}o(s.and friends. (ur subject wa:s 'reared ill his native State, ald leceive(ld a su1lerior education in the A iblurl'n Acad(nllv. lie started out in life as a farmer. and was en(,gaedl in tlhat calliing monst of tlhe time until 1854l, when lie tca:e to Sturgis. Ilere lie ftound clniloymlent under J. (. aWit, as a carl)enter. lie liad learnled thle mlason's trade witlh his brothers, but it did not suit his taste. so lie worked at it only when lie oull(d find notlhing else to do, lirsuing it for ablout two years prior to embarking ill his present business in 1860. Since tliat timelie has (levoted lhimself entirely to tile lmanagement of his store, and llas gra(tlually built upl) a flourishing trade. Mr1. Valentine wa\s lar1l'ried( to his first wife )et. 12. 1848. Ie le maiden name was Ann E. I lowland, (la daughter of lumphrey Ilowland. ()f that marria.'e thrlee chlildren were bo(rn. of whomn one, Leonard, is living. Sarahl died in her nineteenth year. adi(l Frail-k died il his twenty -eighth year. Ars. \alentine departed this life ill 186 1. leaving many warml frie(lds to mourn their loss. to wlhom slhe was elndeare(l by reasonl of hler imany excellent qualities andl virtues. IMr. Valentine was married to his present wife il 1872. and to thlelll (lie child. MaIude. now (leeeased(, lias beein )0 orn. Mirs. Valentine's maiden na'me was J1ane.Jump). She is a thoroughly good woman and1( is devoted to the interests of her household. IIer Iarents were Elijail and ('lCarity,Jump. Mr. Valentine has l)een a resident of Sturgis for thirty-five years, ad(l lie Ilas ha(d an important illfluence ill (lirecting its civic life, and lhas lheld some of its most responsible offices, for whicl lie is well (ualifitedl edlcticatioll and a natural capacity for aIffairs. IIe was City Marshal for three years; Tlownslilp Treasurer for one year, and a mnember of tlle City Council for one year, besides hlavinl served (on the School Boar.-d. lie hiolds ia iml)ortanlt posi tion in the business circles of this community, his judgment in regard to business matters being keen and farseeing, and his honesty and rectitude of character undoubted. Ile is identified with tile Masonic fraternity as a lmember of the Burr Oak Lod ge. 5.c~~~~ -~~m', '6- ' LBERT C. FRENCI. A self-made man in the strictest sense of the word, our subject was-early in life thrown upon his own resources, and by his own efforts has made his way up to a good position, socially and financially, among his fellow-citizens. A native of Genesee County, N. Y., he was born April 27, 1829, and was the youngest in a family of five children, three sons and two daughters, the offspring of Olin and Arethusa (Palmer) French, who were born in Windsor County, Vt., where they were also reared and married. The French family after coming to thle United States settled in New England, where they became widely and favorably known as well-to-do and influential citizens. The parents of our subject upon leaving the Green Mountain State crossed the St. Lawrence River, and took up their abode in the township of Hull, Lower Canada, adjacent to the city of Ottawa. Thence a few years later they returned to the States, and settled in Genesee County, N. Y. Later they removed to Erie County, and from there, in 1847, to Branch County, this State, locating in Union City, where they spent the remainder of their lives. The father, however, only lived until 1854, passing away in the midst of his usefulness. The mother survived her husband a period of fifteen years, passing away in 1869. The subject of this sketch remained a member of the parental household until a youth of eighteen years, and accompanied his parents to Michigan. Soon afterward lie comnmenced the struggle of life on his own account. At the age of twenty-three lie conmmenced the study of medicine in Union City, under the instruction of the late Dr. William Church, with whom he remained one year. In the fall of 1852 he entered the office of the late I)r. J. M. Chase, remaining witl him a year also, then going to Rockford, Winnebago Co., Ill., spent one spl- owlopadC-,1 LIT - JEWI1 1 — I, * L o - I! I I —.d. -Po 206 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I -- -----— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I I summer in the office of Dr. Waite, one of its most eminent and successful physicians. I)uring the winter of 1854-55 Mr. French atten(ded lectures at Rush Medical College, Chicago. The spring following he returned to Mlottville. About that time occurred the death of Dr. Chase 1)y accident, and our subject for a time succeeded to his practice. He finally drifted out of the medical profession, and turning his attention to mercantile business, was employed as clerk in a general merchandise store at Mottville. We find him next established in a book store at Constantine, of which he had the general supervision, and was thus occupied one year. Ite then formed a partnership with Joseph R. Bonebrilght, and under the firm name of Bonebrilght & French they conducted the mercantile )usiness one year together, and at the expiration of this time Thomas Mitchell was added to the firm. The admission of Mr. Mitchell brought to them additional business, and there was organized in addition the firm of T. Mitchell & Co., as operators of the hardware business, while the general merchandise branch was conducted und(er the old firm name. The mercantile career of Mr. French embraced about four years, and upon the dissolution of the partnerships his time from 1861 to 1864 was spent largely in closing up the business of the two firms. In 1 864 Mr. French turned his attention to the lumber trade, and for two years thereafter was in partnership with the late Isaac Benham. In 1866 he again formed a partnership with his old friend, Mr. Bonebright, and they operated together until 1884. In 1884 Thomas Mitchell was admitted as a partner in the lumber business, but in 1886 he withdrew, and Mr. French now operates the business alone. Mr. French several years ago wisely invested a portion of his capital in land, and is now the owner of a fine farm of 120 acres in Lockport Township, which is conducted by a tenant. In 1861 he put up the first brick residence in Constantine, a handsome, roomy structure, which not only makes a very desirable home, but is an ornament to the town. It is built in the midst of handsome grounds, and there are about it all the indications of taste and culture for which the proprietor is noted. The marriage of Albert C. French and Miss Esther R. Benham took place at the home of the bride in Constantine Village, April 17, 1858. This lady is the eldest daughter of the late Isaac and Chloe (Case) Benham. Mrs. French was born in Constantine, Aug. 28, 1836, and is a lady greatly esteemed in her community, possessing more than ordinary intelligence and accomplishments. There are few men in St. Joseph County whose record has been more creditable or praiseworthy than that of Mr. French. As a business man he has been active and enterprising, prompt to meet his obligations, and of the highest integrity. None have taken a warmer interest in the growth and development of St. Joseph County, and to the various enterprises tending to this end he has given his uniform encouragement and support. Ile has been honored with many positions of trust and responsibility, officiating as County Recorder and as a member of the Common Council, and occupying the minor offices. Socially, he belongs to Constantine Chapter No. 61, R. A. M., in which he has filled all the offices, and for a period of five years was the Master of Siloam Lodge No. 35, F. & A. M. He also belongs to the Three Rivers Commandery No. 29, K.. T. e is one of the most conscientious supporters of Democratic principles. A man of decided views, he keeps himself well posted upon matters of general interest, and is essentially one of tlose who form the bone and sinew of a well-regulated community. 7 ENRY E. ROOT, a wealthy resident of Constantine Village, where he is living in retirement, is well known throughout Southern Michigan, not only as one of St. Joseph County's most honored citizens, but as a fine representative of the noble pioneers who have played such an active part in her development. Coming here in all the strength and pride of early manhood, he has not only witnessed the gradual giving way before the ax of the pioneer of the grand old primeval forest that for centuries had covered so much of this region, and seen large towns and busy villages take the place of the humble log cabin of *pop ] -L I - - -- _ — _ ---- __ --- — _.enr s.rr I.,- ---— IIa l -.a — a T —~ r-1-11 - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 207 the white settlers, or the wigwam of the red men, but he has been an important factor in bringing ablout this change, making St. Joseph and adjoining counties a fruitful and prosperous farming country, where commerce and manufactures also flourish. To the energy. foresight and( enterprise of such men as our subject, St. Joseph County is in(leed greatly indeblted for its material prosperity 1anld high standing. Mr. Root experienced all the I 1)ivations and hardships incidental to pioneer life; but difficulties fast disat)peared before his indomitable will and steadfast purpose to mnake life a success, and(l old age drawing nigh finds him well fortified against material misfortune. Our subject is a worthy descendant of a fine old Massachusetts family on his father's side, and of sober Connecticut ancestry on his mother's, and in the ancient town of Pittsfield, in the former State, he first opened his eyes to this world Dec. 5. 1813. He is a grandson of that gallant Colonel, Oliver Root, famous in the military annals of the colonial history of Massachusetts, who bore so honorable a part in both the French and Indian Wars, and in the Revolution. The Colonel was a son of Samulel Root, and losing his flatlier when lhe was quite young, at the age of eigllt years he was e bounl d,out to Mr. King, of Westfield, Mass., to learn the tra(le of a shoemaker. AlWhen lie was a' lad of nearly eighteen years his bold and ar(dent slpirit led him to enlist in the second French war that was then waging. 1Ie had an eventful experience in his army life, as is recorded in the "Root Genealogical Records." Arrivingi at the seat of war the sturdy youth was assigne(d to tlie famous corps of ral'gers organized 1y Maj. Robert Rogers, which had among its officers tllose men of immortal fame, ('en. John Stark, Israel Putnam, leand others of like character, who altogether made one of tle most splendid military co-manies lkiown in history. When the Revolutionary War broke out, the Colonel, then in the prime and vigor of a stalwart. athletic manhood, immediately offered his services to the Continental iArmy, and they were gladly accepted, and lie served with disticntion amlong the many noted Colonial officers. -le was present at tlle surrender of Burgoyne at Saratogla,inOctober, 1 777I. Ie was Major of his company under Col. Brown when that officer fell at Stone Arabia, in the Valley of the Mohawk, and succeeded to the command. Ite was a man of fine physique, six feet and one inch in height. of a robust constitution, and( was never sick in his life until five (lays before his death. With rare disinterestedness he refused to apply for a pension, to which he was justly entitled for the valor and patriotism that he had displayed in his country's defense while an oficer of the Continental Army, on the ground that the act of Congress could only have been intended for the benefit of those veterans who had no other means of support, while lie was well off. The old warrior is now peacefully sleeping his last sleep under the sod of the old State he loved so well, and on his tombstone is inscribed: "lie fought the enemies of his country in two wars, and his only enemies were the elnemies of his country." Iis son HIenry, the father of our subject, was born in Pittsfield, Mass., Oct. 21, 1783. He was married to Thankful Johnson in 1810. She w:as born in I laddam, Conn.. Oct. 16, 1785. They located in Pittsfield, where he was actively engaged in farming for many years, and there his venerable life was brought to a close May.3, 1863, at the age of nearly ninety years. Iis wife survived him two years, dying Nov. 30, 1865. D)uring their pleasant weddedl life of over fifty years nine children were blorn to them, of whom our subject was the third in order of birth, and is now the only survivor. Our subject passed his early life in Pittsfield on the old homestead wlere he was born until he was sixteen years old, when lie was apprenticed to learn the tailor's trade. lie served nearly live years, and then went to HIartford, Conn., where he worked as a journeyman for two years. In 1835 ihe went to Medina, Medina Co., Ohio, and stopped there until the spring of 1836. Then, in company with William G. 1Bagg, lie walked throlugh thle forests and swamps of the intervening country to Constantine. arriving here some time iln April. Ice at once began to work at his trade, and continued at it until the spring of 1838. When he first came here lie entered 200 acres of land in Constantine and eighty acres in Cass County, and in the spring of 1838 began to make improvements, and in tle following tf40,-. I "im " - -mk;~ -d0 I 4 -- --- -- ----------- ---- "O.'. I I I ' I - I 208 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. spring settled on his land in Constantine. HIe continued to live there, and actively engaged in the development of a farm until al)out 1852, when he returned to the village where he has lived since, with the exception of one season on his farm., For six years he was engaged in the butchering business here, but in the spring of 1858 he bought the hotel then known as the Wells House, but now called the Romaine House, and for twenty-two years was successfully engaged in its management. In his capacity as "mine host" he was a great favorite with the traveling public, as he was ever frank, genial and obliging in his manners, and his wife, with her cheerful, motherly presence, added to the popularity of their hotel, and vied with him in making their guests comfortable. Mr. Root leased his hotel in 1880, and has since lived in retirement, although he still looks after his farm and other property. Besides the Romaine Iouse lie owns 436 acres of very valuable land, all in Constantine Township. In all his career as a business man Mr. Root has displayed unusual tact, foresight and ability, and all his transactions have been conducted with fairness and generosity. HIe, of course, takes a keen interest in the affairs of the county and township, with which he has been identified for so many years, now numbering over half a century, and in whose uipbuilding he has borne an honorable part, and does all that he can to promote the various schemes for their advancement. Politically, he stands by the Democratic party as one of its stanchest adherents. More than fifty years ago our subject was united in marriage in Constantine to Miss Lucinda Beckwith, April 14, 1837, being the date of their wedding. Mrs. Root was born in Saybrook, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, Jan. 10, 1816, and was the sixth child in the family of ten children of the late Levi and Lucinda (Starkweather) Beckwith, who were born respectively in Pittsfield, Mass., in 1777, and in Connecticut in 1782. Her parents first settled in Vermont, and thence removed to Ashtabula County, of which they were early pioneers. They subsequently settled in the township of Saybrook, that county, where Mr. Beckwith bought a farm, whereon he and his family lived until August, 1828, when they came to St. Joseph County, this State, arriv ing at a point on the White Pigeon Prairie, Aug. 6, 1828, and there they settled near the wilderness, they being the fifth family to locate on that prairie, and Mr. Beckwith sowed the lirst wheat that was ever sown on the pr'airie, on the farm which is n6w owned by Rodney Beckwith. They settled in the southern part of Constantine Township, where they continued to live until death called them hence, the father dying in September, 1839, and the mother Aug. 10, 1846. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Root lived to an advanced age. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Root has been blessed to them by the birth of a family of five children: Henry L.; Charles 0. and Mary L., deceased; Clarissa A. and Aaron C. Clarissa is the wife of Dr. William E. Jewett, of Adrian, Mich. Aaron, who is a farmer in Constantine Township, married Anna McGill, and they have one child, Henry E., Jr. Henry L., the eldest, is unmarried and lives with his parents, helping his father in the care of his business interests. He was a soldier in Company A, 49th Massachusetts Infantry (Col. Bartlett and Capt. I. C. Weller), was severely wounded il front of Port HCudsonl, Ia., and will carry its effects to his grave. -ce was serving in the store of his uncle at the breaking out of the Rebellion, anl was one of the noted "Allen Guards" of Pittsfield, Mass., who enlisted in a body and did gallant service on many a hard-fought field.... ---a____- 6 R. JAMES AV. BECK, dental surgeon, of Sturgis, is as capable, talented andl lopular ( a member of his profession, and as truehearted and esteemed a citizen as can be found in St. Joseph County. He was born in -Toledo, Ohio, Dec. 16, 1848. Iis father, John J. Beck, was of English birth, the place of his nativity being London, England. About 1830, when quite young, he came with hlis parents to the United States, and settled near Somerset, Ohio. He afterward went to Cincinnati, and was for many years employed as bookkeeper for an auction commission firm. -le thence removed to Toledo, and in 1854 to IHudson, Mich., where he lived until 1865. when lie came with his family to Sturgis. IIe was a Sao. 0 go* ~-r~r - ~rrI -~ -- I~ - I I rI -)-~-aLB: c, — 111 —1-. ----- --- - --- -------------------------------- -- - — ~ --- —— -... —.-...-sr L I etl. / F L/ - - I- -- --— ~- " -- --- ---- -- - - ---- -I — I — I ----- — ' — -----— L.7~C! I I 31 --- - - -r --- — --— J -- - " - " L — L~~ -rCa ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 209 ------- ~ ~ man of sterling worth, universally respected for lis integrity and upright business transactions, and was for twenty-one years cashier of the Sturgis National Bank. His wife, whom he malrried while residing in Toledo, died in MaIy, 1886, and lie, resigning his position il the bank, went with his ldangllter to San Francisco, (lying there in June, 1888. Our sulject passed his early life in Toledo, andl after coming to Michigan complete(d the regular courlse of study at the High School at l-udson. In 1870 he established himself as a dentist in Monroe, this State. where he met with much success, continuing tliere four years. In 1874 Dr. Beck opened an office in Sturgis, afid le has here built up an extensive and lucrative practice, his competency in all branches of his vocation having won him a large patronage. customers who have once had tile benefit of his skill and exlperience being sure to call upon him for any further neetled dental work. Dr. Beck was united in marriage, Nov. 7, 1883, to Miss Mima, daughter of Thomas Naylor, of Middlebury, Ind. Of their union one child has been born, a bright and interesting little daughter named Ethel. Our subject takes al active interest in the growth and prosperity of this community, aiding all schemes for its improvement, and has served faithfully as Village Clerk three terms, as Township Clerk one term, and has been School Inspector two years. Both Dr. and Mrs. Beck are valued members of society, and have the good wishes of a host of friends and acquaintances. t | ON. JONATIAN G. WAIT, a prominent r esident of the city of Sturgis, came to this region during its Territorial days, il 1831. ( Ile was then a young man twenty-three years of age, having been born in Livingston County, N. Y., Nov. 22, 1811. Nature endowed him with fine calpacities and a resolute will, and from the foot of the ladder in life lie has arisen to an enviable position among his fellowmen. Josiah and Ann (Graham) Wait, the parents of our subject, were both natives of the town of Al. stead, N. H., whence they removed after their marriae t t the vicinity of Ovid, in Livingston County, N. Y. Later they changed their residence to Perry, Lake Co., Ohio, where they lived a number of years, and then removed to LaPorte County, Ind. The patronymic of our subject has been spelled in several different fashions, namely: Waite, Wayte, Wayght, Waight, Wait, Waitt, Watt, Weight andl WTaiet. It has bleen traced back as far as 1075, to William the Conqueror, who gave the earldom, city and castle of Norway to Ralph D. Waiet, who was the son of al Englishman by a Welsh woman, and who married Emma, a cousin of tle Conqueror. Among their descendants were Richard, John and Thomas, who were among the earliest settlers of New England. Tthomas was tile father of Josiah and the grandfather of our subject, Jonathan G. W\ait. Reared Ul)on the farm and educated in tile comnmon schools, our subject at the age of seventeen, being a bright and amlitious youth, commenced teaching in the district school, which occupation he followed at intervals for several years. After a brief sojourn upon his first visit to this State lie went back to Ohio, but returned the following year and located on Sturgis prairie, where he commenced to till the soil and build up a homestead. Ie has since occupied the land which he secured, and has village property where lie erected four houses the first year, and about 100 since, owning twelve business houses in Sturgis at this time. IIe soon began the manufacture of boots and shoes. and at the same time carried on a cabinet and chair manufactory, giving employment to tell or fifteen hands. This was before the days of machinery, and this business was conducted a period of fifteen years. Subsequently Mr. Wait became interested in the manufacture of lumber, and in 1850 was in the employ of thl Michigan Southern Railroad Company, not only in procuring the right of way for the projected road, but taking heavy contracts in the building of fences and depots. The enterprise and energy of Mr. Wait obtained due recognition by the people of this county. and in the fall of 1850 he was chosen by the Whigs as their representative in the General Assembly. He. k~1- _ L- lbr.r I.r _- -I 4"1..M - - --- —-----— ~1111-~- ~'~ --- —— ~. a,. ubc —.lllllO SO -V-40 - W, 210 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I served during the administration of Gov. Barry, at which time occurred the great contest between the Michigan Central & Michigan Southern Railroads, the latter coming out victorious. In 1 857 Mr. Wait helped to organize the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad Com(rnl)anS. being elected a Director thereof, a position which hle has held to the present time. l)urinmg that year he superintended the grading and bridging of twelve miles of this road. In 1860 he was elected to the State Senate, serving satisfactorily, and re-elected two successive terms, during which time he had charge of many important matters, including the bills for the extension of the time for constructing the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway. This was then considered a very important project, especially to the people of Sherman, Burr Oak. Fawn River and Sturgis Townships. Previous to this Mr. Wait had served as Township Clerk. Supervisor, and Justice of the Peace many years. In fact his whole life has been largely devoted to public duties, in the discharge of which he has acquitted himself in a conscientious and praiseworthy manner. Mr. Wait when nearly twenty-eight years of age was wedded, Oct. 20, 1839, to Miss Susan S., daughter of George and Mary (Hershey) Buck. This lady was born in Erie County. N. Y., Jan. 8, 1821. HIcr parents, natives of Erie County, Pa., emigrated to Michigan during the days of its earliest settlement, in 1828. The father was a farmer by occupation, and built up a good homestead from the wilderness of Sturgis Township, this county. Their family consisted of seven children, three of whom are living. To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born the following children: William H. II., April 25, 1842; Daniel G., March 24, 1844; George, June 18, 1846; Mary E., Sept. 28, 1847; Thadldeus P., Dec. 28, 1849; Arthur H., April 2, 1851 Jay G., Aug. 1, 1854; Jessie, Oct. 14, 1856; Frank W., Dec. 22, 1858; Lee E., July 22, 1861, and Ienry. Thaddeus adopted the profession of law, entering upon the practice of his profession at Sturgis; lie died in California. Mr. Wait was reared in the doctrines of the Baptist Church. Politically, he votes the straight Republican ticket, and energetically supports the principles of his party. He established the Sturgis Journal in 1860, and continued to run the same until 1875. Mr. Wait is, and has been for a number of years, very extensively engaged in the mercantile business, and kept four peddling wagons on the road for several years. J OHN 1M. HUFFMAN has been a resident of St. Joseph County for forty years, and until his retirement from the active cares of life to his present home on section 23, just outside of the corporate limits of the village of Constantine, was connected with its agricultural interests. He was a practical, skillful farmer, and worked his farm in Park Township to such good advantage that he gained a comfortable competence, and can now pass his remaining years without thel necessity of hard labor. Our subject comes of good Pennsylvania stock. His parents, Samuel and Polly (Jones) Iuffman, were both natives of the Keystone State, and there spent their whole lives, dying in Clarion County. The father was a substantial farmer, and he and his wife were held in general esteem by those who knew them for their many solid virtues. They had a fanily of nine children, of whom our subject was the fourth in order of birth. Mr. IIuffman was born June 22, 1824, in Clarion County, Pa., and there on the old homestead grew to sturdy manhood. HIe was reared to the life of a farmer, and remained an inmate of the parental home, affording his father active assistance in the management of his agricultural affairs until 1849. Ile was then twenty-five years old, and had obtained a good start in life, so he determined to try farming in Michigan, and build up a home here. With that end in view lie came to St. Joseph County, and settled in Fabius Township. A few years later he removed to Park Township, of which he remained a resident for twenty-eight years. He became the possessor of a farm there, comprising eighty acres of as fertile and productive land as is to be found in the limits of the county. This, by careful cultivation and constantly added improve_ _~~ show 4IIII -L-6 ~-e 113111 I IIIC-~- I P-13r I014 - — 07 --- —-----— rp~ -~ wwp — C .t ~~. —~- ~~~~~- -~~- -~~-I "M — - n 'V ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 211 I ments, lie greatly increased in value, and it was classed among the fine farms of the township, and when he desired to retire from active labor he had no difficulty in disposing of it at a good price. In Mav, 1885, he sold all of his property in Park Township and came to this village, where he owns a small place, to spend his declining years in retirement. i Mr. lluffman has been three times married. His first marriage, which took place ill Clarion County, l'.. was to Lucinda Briggs. By her he had two children: Margaret, who is the wife of Emanuel Strome, and Dorsey, who is a resident of Muskegon. Mrs. Huffman's wedded life was of brief duration, as she died while yet young, in Fabius Township, April 19, 1854. The second marriage of our subject was to Elizabeth Miller, and the following is the record of the four children born to them: Effie is the wife of Emanuel Eichholtz; Samuel died when about two and one-half years old; Ada lives at home with her father, and Charles died in infancy. Mr. Iuffmnan's second wife died in Park Township, June 9, 1877, and he was again married, June 21, 1878, being then united to Mrs. Louisa )Richmond, his present wife. She was born in Tioga County, N. Y., March 16, 1830. She has also been three times married. Hler first husband was Josiah N. Fisher, who died in Ligonier, Ind. By that marriacge she had five children, as follows: Eliza 0., who is the wife of Lewis lI. Bossett; Frank lives in IThree Rivers; Albert lives in Denver, Col.; Fred lives in Lansing, Mich., and Alva J. lives in Chicago, ll. Mrs. Huffman's second marriage was to John Richmlond, who died in Ohio. One daughter was born of that marriage, Minnie R., who is the wife of Thomas J. Keene. Mrs. IIuffman is a devoted member of the Baptist Church, and her daily life is guided by the highest Christian principles. Mrs. Iiuffman's maiden name was Louisa Tracy, and she is a daughter of Erastus and Eliza (Arnold) Tracy, natives respectively of Massachusetts and Unadilla, N. Y. After marriage her parents settled 'in Tioga County, N. Y., and thence subsequently came to St. Joseph County, this State. They settled in Constantine, where he died in June, 1884. Mrs. -Iuffman's mother still survives, at an advanced age. They were among the earliest set-; _ - = tiers of this county. They had nine children, of whom Mrs. Huffman was the second, as follows: James, Louisa, Romelia, Mary, Martha; Levi and Lavina, twins; Walter B. and John. Mr. Huffman, although not among the early settlers of St. Joseph County, has some claim to be classed among its pioneers, as in improving his farm he did his share in developing and strengthening the great agricultural interests of this part of Southern Michigan. I-e stands high among his neighbors as a man of truthful, honest, kindly nature, and one on whom they can rely for friendly aid or wise counsel. In his political sentiments lie is a sound Republican, giving stanch support to his party. J ()SEII B. (CATT()o, a retired farmer living pleasantly and comfortably in Constantinll Village, lias been a witness of almost the entire growth of St. Josephll County, from the i)rimeval, forest covered land of more thalln lalf a century ago to its present ladvanced state as a wealthy aogricultural region, where commnlerce anld manuifactures also flourislh, as in 1833, when lie was nine years of age, his l)arents, Jollln anid Mary (Barnard) Catton, came to this county and cast in their lot with the earliest p1ioneers of Soutlhern Mlichigan, and with tlie exception of a few years lie lias been a resident lhere ever since. lie was for a long time subsequent to attaining mianhood actively identified with tlie lagricultural interests of tlhe county, and still owns a valuable far of 2()00 acres in Constantine Township. Ile llas tlerefore been a factor in developing tlle county, and as such we are glad to represent him in tllis biogralilhic(al work, wl1ere the record of so many of St..Joseph County's pioneers and( leading men is preserve(l for the edification of tlie present an(1 colming generations. The parents of our subject were natives of Yorkshire, England, and tlhere grew to maturity and married. In 1832, determining to avail themselves of the nunmerous advantages that the ulnited States of America l)resented over tile mother country. they emigrated witll their family of five sons and three daughters to these hospitable shores. and for iI iJ I~~-~CI I~III C1ILI -— II — r=, II W-dow~r r ma..I. - - -I 212 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I awhile lived in the State of New York. The following year they came to St. Joseph County and settled in White Pigeon T'ownshlip, of which they thus early became pioneers. They lived there for many years, and patiently endured the discomforts and even harldships of life in a newly settled country. Thlley afterward spent seven years in Indiana, but returned to tllis State and settled once more in St. Joseph County, and finally passed to the home leyond the grave from their earthly home in (onstantine. Township. lie of whom we write was the youngest child of thlose worthy people, and is now the only surviving menmber of the family. lie was born in Yorkshire, IEngland, Aug. 12, 1824, and was quite young when lie accomlanied his parents across the Atlantic to mtake his home in the future on this continent, and as time passed on to become a respected citizen of one of the great commonwealths forming the United States. lie lived witlh his parents until their death, including seven years' residence in Indiana. In 1852 Ihe was smitten with the eager thirst for gold that sent so many of our countrymen and tlhe people of other nationalities flocking across the great p1lains and over tile Rocky 3Mountains to California, to seek for the precious metal. Two years he spent mining in that State, and his hard toil met with ldue reward, and at tie end of that time he returned to St..Jose)ll County, well satisfied witlh llis gains, to settle down in life. IIe turned his attention to farminilg in Constantine Township, and was so successful in his venture that ill November, 1886, lie retired to his present home, to enjoy tile present competence that he liad won b i honest and untiring industry, and now lives very quietly, surrounded by all the comforts that heart could wish. Mr. Catton was married in Mottville Township, Jan, l, 1855. to Mrs. Elmira Shellenberger, dcaulghter of Tobias and Catherine Ilassenger. Ier parenlts came to St. Josel)l County in 1846, and settled in the western part of Constantine Township, where the father (lie1d.Jan. 8, 1874, when lie was within three weeks of being sixty-two years of age. Sle (ied on tle 11 th of D)ecember, 1888, lacking but a few weeks of completing hler eighty-first year. Both were natives of Allegheny County. Pa.. and both when young emigrated to Richland County, Ohio, where they were married. They removed to Wood County, Ohio, and later to St..osephl County, Mich., settling upon a farm in the western part of Constantine T'ownshilp, on wlic'l place they lived until the deatll of the father, after which the mother removed to the residence of her youngest dauglter in Constantine T'ownship, whlelre her death occurred. Mr. and AMrs. lIassenger were tile parents of elevell children, three daughters and eigllt sons, and IMrs. (atton was their third child in order of birth. She was born in Richland County-, ()lio, Aug. 7, 1 832. Mr. and Mrs. Cattoni have liad four children, of whom tile following is recorded: Alaryl E. is the wife of Morris Ilayman; (_eorge F. is married to Lutie, (laughter of William aind Ruth Simmlons las two children, and lives oil his father's farm in (onstantine Townslip; Willie died in infancy. and Ilenry B. is a teacher in Constantine Townslil). Mr. (atton is in every sense of tile h)lirase a goo(d manl. lie has been industrious and thrifty, and always dealing fairly and squarely with his fellowmen, deserves tlhat prosperity should smile on him. In his wife Mr. Catton secured a true helpmate, one wlho is a judicious andl capable manager, who has actively co-operated witli him in his work. and has never neglected thle comfort of her hlousehold. She and ller husband are true Christians and are esteemed menbers of the Reformed (hurch, of which he is an Elder. Thlle are very pleasant, amliablle people, whom to know is to like. Mr. Catton interests himself in the political affairs of tie Nation. and warmly espouses the cause of the D)cmocratic party. DAM GENTZLER. In reviewing the career of this gentleman, we must admit that the lines have apparently fallen to him in p/leasant places. Of a temperament genial, pleasant and companionable, he is a man who at once secures the confidence and esteem of all whose good fortune it is to make his acquaintance. He is a universal favorite in the social and business circles of Constantine, and occupies a well-appointed home on section 11. He has a comfortable dwelling, a particularly good barn, andl the other outS I - *10 mu-or L 1,11 4 ._ _______1____1_________111__1__________1_ CII_ 3 L-w U - 1 t ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 213 1 — PILPblYYllsl --- —-LII~L~Us —~ --- —-~ buildings necessary for the modern agriculturist, and has gathered around him all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. Generous and public-spirited, he has not thought alone of his own interests, but as he has had opportunity has uniformly labored for the best interests of his community. The example of such a man is everywhere felt, and is untold in its results. The Gentzler family came originally from Wurtemberg, Germany. The first emigrant came here with his wife prior to the Revolution. -He was, we believe, named Conrad, and was the great-grandfather of our subject. Ile enlisted in the Continental Army, and served seven years, or during the entire struggle for independence. On receiving his discharge, and being about to set out for his home, he was shot and instantly killed, by mistake of a sentinel. He left a wife and three sons at his home in York County, Pa. His widow again married, and lived to an extreme old age, being past ninety at the time of her death. Of the sons, Philip lived and died in York County, Pa.; he lived to be ninetyfour years old, and was father of fourteen children. Conrad removed to McConnellsville, Pa., where he owned a hotel. He is supposed to have taken part in Shay's rebellion, as about that time he disappeared, and his property was never claimed. George Gentzler, grandfather of Adam, was the youngest son. IHe was born shortly after his father entered the patriot army, probably in the latter part of 1776 or 1777, in York County, Pa. He worked at shoemaking, but after his marriage became a farmer, settling in Washington Township, in his native county. He was successful in his chosen vocation, and accumulated considerable property. He died of cancer, in his sixty-fifth year. His wife was Margaret Law, also a native of York County. She survived her husband many years, emigrating to Michigan with her son Jacob, and dying at White Pigeon in 1857, aged eighty-four. Jacob was the only child of George and Margaret Gentzler, and was born in Washington Township, York Co., Pa., I)ec. 16, 1798. He was married to Elizabeth Speck, Oct. 14, 1819. She was born in Lancaster County, Pa., Jan. 14, 1800. After a few years' sojourn in their native State, they gathered together their personal effects and made their way to the young and growing State of Michigan. Coming to this county in 1849, the father first settled on a tract of land in White Pigeon Township, but later they removed to Florence Township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Jacob Gentzler looked his last upon the scenes of earth at the old homestead, May 16, 1871. The mother survived her husband twelve years, dying June 20, 1883. To the parents of our subject there were born eleven children, as follows: Margaret was twice married, first to Peter Stickle, of York County, Pa., and after his death to John Alvey, of Florence Township, this county; George died at his farm in Park Township; Martin was accidentally scalded to death in childhood; John was killed at the age of sixteen, by the kick of t colt; Elizabeth died in Kansas, where she had removed with her husband, Richard Stokes. The survivors of the family are: Catherine, widow of Leonard Kapp, of Fabius Township; Adam was next; William, unmarried, is a resident of Nottawa Township; Mary Ann is the wife of Solomon Chronister, of Florence Township; of Jacob a sketch is given elsewhere; Sarah A. lives in Nottawa Township, and is the wife of Henry Limbach, formerly Treasurer of St. Josepl County. Adam Gentzler, our sulject, was born in Washington Township, York Co., Pa.. July 12, 1827. His childhood and youth were spent amid the quiet pursuits of farm life, but when approaching manhood, like many of that age, desirous of a change, engaged in a woolen-mill for a period of four years. Aside from this he has been engaged in farming all his life. He remained a resident of his native county until coming to Michigan in April, 1853, joining his parents after they had resided here a period of four years. Hte had then been married, and now took up a tract of land in Park Township, upon which he operated twelve years, then removed to Constantine Township, of which he has since been a resident. Mr. Gentzler was married in Carroll Township, York Co., Pa., July 12, 1849, to Miss Lydia A. Lehmer, who was born there Feb. 19, 1828. Mrs. Gentzler is the daughter of John and Susannah (Fickes) Lehmer, who were natives of York County, Pa., and spent their last days in this county, both (ying in Constantine. This lady became the mother tJ ^1 "I" _ * I' _ _ r -Iqo --— ~~ — I~LL~ — L —I_ ILIIL~ —__-l ~ _JI I I LL L — 'M'7 r wvps —a~lr= ~ --- — ~ --- 40-~ILIIII t ST. JOSEPH COUTNTY. i - 214 214:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ST..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JOSE_____ COUNTY. _ _ - --:..- __ of five children, and departed this life at the homestead in Constantine Township, Aug. 18, 1885. Their eldest son, Jacob L., is farming on his own land not far from the homestead; Susan died in infancy; John R. is a resident of Florence Township; Elizabeth N. married George W. Hamilton, of Constantine; Mary E. became the wife of B. II. Sevison, and died at her home in Florence Township, in August, 1880. Our subject has been a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church a period of forty-five years, his parents and grandparents having also long been members of the same church. Of this church his estimable wife was also an adherent for many years before her death. She was a good woman in the broadest sense of the term, benevolent and charitable, and was connected with the Ladies' Aid Society. Mr. Gentzler attained his majority in his native State, and cast his first Presidential vote for Lewis Cass. He has ever since been a stanch supporter of the Democratic party. While a resident of Park Township he was a member of the School Board, and held the offices of Justice of the Peace and Highway Commissioner. Ile is of a retiring disposition, however, in nowise anxious for the responsibilities of public life, preferring to give his attention to his farm and his fireside. Of late years lie has turned his attention largely to stock-raising, also buying and shipping. His farm embraces 193 acres of good land, which has been brought to a thorough state of cultivation, and is valued at a good round sum. l''. ItFRIANCIS IJ NGAY, a retired farmer of Constantine, is a son of one of tle earliest pioneers of this township and county, and has himself b)een an active factor in promoting their growth and( the development of their extensive agricultural interests, and he is still tle owner of a farm in Constantine Township. His long residence here, as boy and man, of fifty-six years has made him widely known throughout thle county, and he is greatly respected as a man of irreproachable habits and spotless reputation. Tle parents of our subject, Francis and Eliza beth (Andrews) Bungay, were natives of Engltand. Some years after their marriage they emigrated to this country, in tile year 1831, and for a time dwelt in New York City. From there they removed to Somerset County, N. J., where they lived about two years. In 1833 they came to St. Josephl (ounty and settled in wlat is now tle villag'e of Constaltine. On their arrival here tley found tlhe country round about sparsely settled by a few hardy, coulattgeous people, and the primeval forests that had stood here for centuries lhad scarcely begun to yield to tle ax of the pioneer. Mr..Bungay plie(d his trade of carpenter to some extent, and also established a; bakery in Constantine, whicl was the first one in town, and one of the earliest in Soutllern Michigan. Ile also engagoed in the mercantile anll drug business with a man of tile name of Marshlall, and they were together until tle deatli of lMr. Bungay, Aug. 21, 1838. In his p)remature leatll Constantine lost an invaluable citizen, as lie was a man of versatile genius, full of enterl)rise, and if he liad lived would no doubt lhave been an important factor in building up) its business interests. Ilis wife died in Constantine in 1851. Thleir family consisted of four children, all born ill Eng1land, and all of whom accompanied them to tllis cotuntry. The eldest was Maria, wlho staid il New York after her parents had removed West. Shle sublsequently went to Detroit, where she was married, and died in Illinois; George AV. is tile well-known temperance lecturer, poet and newspaper man, whose rel)utation extends over tlhe entire coluntry; our subject was next in or(ler of birth; then ''ThomaLs, who was employed as a pilot on tlle St. Joseph River, and died in Constantine, when about twentyseven years old. Francis was born in Suffolk County, England, June 18, 1825, and was six years old wlhe lie came to tlie United States with lhis parents, anl( since accompanying them to their pioneer home in Collstantine has been a resident of St..Josel)l Counlty. lIe was thirteen years old when his fatller died, and lie was then thrown on his own resolurces, his mother being left witlout means tlrolugh tlle treachery of others. Ile and his brotler manfullyx cared for her, and with filial affection looked after her every comfort and saw tlat slle wanted for __ B!! _ I *- __ IB~~lb~~qE~~rrY~;~~-3s~~L ~ cla~~-~~~- c - I~~~ ---~~-~ L ~~ I~sC -- IIC-C —3L~~~~~~I~~~I~~ —~I II slllloill" n II ll1 I I IM 11-1100C V —_ 00 —w- - ----- -a -- ----- Ilr~ 3la~~rr~ —~ar il -~ — ~~l-~r~ -4-~L IISI~IL"~3 I1Ilt-~ll oft IC I ST. JOS~EPH- CO'UNTY. 215 I nothing that was in tleir power to suppl)ly as long Is she was spare(l to themn. In his earlier years our su, ject followed different occupations, working llar(l ait anything tlhat lie could find to do to turn an holnest p)elnny. I Ie learned tle blacksmitlh's trade, whichl lie pursuedf for many years. and for seventeel years was emiilolyed tby tlle Constantine Furnace Comp)anyv. le was also engaged in a sawmill in (Constantine for ten years, and( worked in a flouring-mlill for ten yea1rs as a packer, at which lbusiness lie became an expert. lie obtained thle title of (' aptain on account of running excursions from lThree Rivers to Constantine and return for several seaso(ns, until tlhe (lll was lbuilt across thle river at Constantine. In tlie nmeantime lie boulght a farm inl Constantine Township, which lie still owns and supervises, althougl lie lhas retired from the more active labors connected withl its mmanagnent. It contains forty acres at tlie present time, altlougl lie first t)ought 120 acres, but lie lias disposed of tlle larger part of it at a profitable p)rice. lIe also owns I a neatt and comfortlab)le house and lot in Constantine Villa'e, and is well off in tifs world's goods. (Our subject lhas been twice married, first in Constanrtine Village, to Miss Isabella Cattoll. Slie was born in England, April 18, 1828, and was a daughlter of William andl Mary Jane Catton. Mrs. Btungay was aI woIm.an of fine character, whlo devoted herself to the1 interests of lher famlily, and her (leat in Constantine, Marci 30, 1879, was a sad bereavement to liuisband, clil(lren and friends. Capt. 1iungay's second marriage. which took place in Constantine, i Aug. 9, 1881, was to Mrs. Charlotte (Jewett) I)eIoong, daulgllter of tle late Eri and IHarriett (\Vinchell) Jewett, wlio died at Vistula, Ind., and the wi(ow of I)avid l)eLonlg, whlo died in IBrimfieldl, Ind., )ct. 10, 1866. Mrs. Bungay was born in Sangerfield, ()Oneida Co., N. Y., Oct. 4, 1836. In 1858 the family emigrated thence to Astabula County, Ohio, where they remained about ten years, tlen coming to Constantine, in which place they sta.id until 1873, whlen they removed to Vistula, Ind. M\Irs. Bun-gay is in every l)articular an estimalle woman, who looks attentively after the comforts of tlie household, and merits the affection in which she is lield by all who come under her influence. Mr. Blungaay hl(ad three children by his first marriage, namely: Mfaria JL., wlo was tile wife of Frederick Ilagenbauch, and who died in Fabilus Township, l)ec. 27, 1882; George II., who married Joanna Schulltz and lives in (:oslhen, Ind.; and Failnie, who lives in South Bend, Ind. In wlltever relation of life our subject has been )l'aced lie lias done his duty in a manly, straighltforward way. As a son, lie was respectful and obedient, and cared for his mothler witlh great tellderness; toward his family lie lhas always been all that a kind fatler an(d husband can be; with hlis neighblors, lie is ever cordial and helpful; anId as a citizen, lie never hesitates to (do all that in him lies to improve the township maIterially and morally. lie is possessed of a thouglhtful. snympathetic nature. and tle wrongs of otlers find in liimn an earnest chalmpion. lie is well known for his advocacy of temperanc -, and for tlle stand tlat lie takes againlst tlhe use of tobacco. In his l)olitical faith lie strongly adheres to tlie Rlepublican party. RIeli'giously, lie was formerly identified witll tlie,Baptist and lReformed Churchl. lt is at )resent a memllber of tie Congregational Chu(lirclh, as is his wife. AC()B E. STAUFIFEIi occupies.Ian assured position in tlhe farming conm unlity of St. Josepli County, an(d his fairm on section 35. Constantine Townslil), writlI its well-tilled acres and substantial buildings. is consi(ered one of tlte best manalged anld most lpro(luctive estates in thlis locality. Our subject was born in Tuscarawas 'Townsllil), Stark Co., Ohio, July 22, 1834, and is a soii of C'hristian and Cliristiana (Ensininger) Stauffer. natives respectively of l)aupllin and Lebanlonl (outiilties, Pa. After marriage his parents settled in Lebatnon County at first, and then left lPennsylvania for Ohio, and b)ecame pioneers of Stark County. They built tup a comfortablle hoime in tlle wilderness, and continued to make thleir resi(lence tlere until deathli Mr. Stauffer having carried on farming. To tlhose worthy people twelve clildren were born, and our subject was tle seventl son. The latter was reared oin his father's farm amid tle pioneer influences that prevailed in tlese States in I I a ---.dml I j. -b- r-------- I A t-oqmII K -.L - m I ~- — ~ I ~1I ~I I - CII ~l~r~ IIIIIII rdibCIB1_4I m = MWE *-! 216 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. p I those days, and when lie attained manhood, lie chose to follow tlhe calling of farmer, to which lie had been reared, and for several years was engaged in agriculture in his native county. By industry and wise economy, at tlie early age of twenty years lie already had secured a sufficient competence to justify his establishing a home of his own, and March 22, 1855, lie was united in marriage to Miss Brarbara Hoffman, the ceremony taking place in Stark C(ounty, (hio. Sle was a native of Bedford County, Pa., and of their pleasant wedded life eiglit children were born, as follows: John, who died in childhood; Lucinda, wife of David HIinton, farmer and carpenter near Middle Branch, Stark Co., Ohio; Jacob, a farmer at Pipe Stone, Minn.; William is a Yradutate of thie Medical College at Ann Arbor, Michl., but not being in robust health, is compelled to limit llis practice, and resides witli his father; Ellen also lives at home; George died in (onstantine at the age of eleven years; Mary and I)avid both died in childhood. Into that household death again entered, Aug. 12. 1872, and removed tlhe devoted wife and motler. Mr. Stauffer's marriage to liis present wife, formerly Miss Mary Rice, a native of Fayette County, Pa., took place in Easton, Walyne Co., (Ohio, Nov. 6, 1873. (f this union four children have l)een born, namely: Cyrus It., Idla L., Artlur an S. ad Iaura F., all under the parental roof. In March, 1880, Mr. Stauffer settled up lhis affairs in ()lio, and moved across the border witll his family to make their home in the future in St.,Joselph County, Mich. lie bought a fine farm of 160 acres in Constantine Townslip, and las prlosperously carried on agriculture here ever since. Iis farm is provided witlI a substantial set of buildings, and witli all the necessary conveniences for tlhe labor of cultivating it, and the abundant harvest that lie reaps from it is sufficient evidence of his skill and wise management in tilling thle soil. Although Mr. Stauffer's residence in this county is of a comparatively recent date, yet by his honesty, industry, and upriglt conduct in every walk of life, he has won the confidence and esteem of all who have come in contact witl him, and lhis genial and frank manners have gained him many friends. Ihis success lhas been such tlhat lie is counted one of the solid citizens of C(onstantine. lie andl his wife are devoted to the cause of Chlristianity. and are among tlhe leadlinfg members of tlie denomination known as Bhrethlren in Cllrist. Ili politics our sul)ject is i(lentified wNitli tlle I:Repi)blican party. I ARLES TIMMISA, late a lighlly esteeme( resident of White Pigeon, was a native of Staffordsliire, England, anld )bo0n ()ct. 27, 1797. His father, Josial1 Tiinmis, was also of 1English )irtll and parentage, and spen1t lis entire life u)pon lis native soil. There were indicated in thle life of C(harles Tiimnis tile many excellent traits of his substantial ancestry, whlich resulted in tlie rounding lu) of a useful and praiseworthy career. Our subject coml)leted his education in a private school at Stowe, seven miles from the town of Stafford, and afterward engaged in agricultural pursuits until coming to Amlerica. lie crossed tle Atlantic in 1844, settling first in tlhe vicinity of Buffalo, N. Y., where lie sojouIrned a 1 eriod of eight years, and came in tlhe summer of 1852 to this county. PIere lie selected a tract of land along tlhe western line of W\liite Pigeon Townslip, near tlhe bank of Fish Lake, where lie lived until hlis demise. MIr. Timmis was married in lhis native England, in February, 1824, to Miss Eliza Timmis, a distant relative, and a grand-d(augliter of tile Earl of ernon. ''lie latter and l is family for several genelations had been distinguished as successful ill the tilling of tle soil, and the bulilding u1l of fine estates. To Charles and Eliza Timiris there were born nine children, namely: Frances EI., now Mr1s. Roberts; Iarriet; Louise, MArs. Stevens; Maria, lJosiali, Charles, William, Thomas and Laura. Mr. Timmis became very successful in llis agricultural olperations, andl at the time of lis deathl, (ct. 31. 1881, was the owner of 300 acres of land. The first wife of our subject died in EIngland. and lie was subsequently married to Miss larriet, daulghter of l)r. Ienry l)eWitt. This lady died Aug. 23, 1874, at tlie homestead il Whlite l'igeon Township. Of this last union there were no children. Mr. Timmis was an Episcopalian in religious belief. SOril, k - 0 —.qw wwp — ---- -- -- r - -,.a- - ~-s-I4 — LII -- IIL —I -L_-~ C C ~ICL~ — b ~-3 ~~I ~L LI~ld WI ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 217 --- S AMUEL CLYDE, of excellent ancestry, is numbered among the peacealle and lawabiding citizens of Nottawa Township, having his abiding-place on section 24. iHe was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, about 1842, and lived upon his native soil until a youth of eighteen years. Then, coming to America single handed and alone, dependent upon his own resources, he landed a stranger among strangers in the great city of New York. Thence he migrated to Philadelphia, Pa., and from there to New Jersey, being a resident of the latter State about two years, and engaged in farming. From New Jersey Mr. Clyde returned to Philadelphia, where he sojourned a pleriod of three years. In the meantime he had been married, and was the father of one child. In the spring of 1865 he set out with his little family to the State of Michigan, and settled in Nottawa 'lownship, this county, of which he has since been a resident, and continuously engaged in agricultural pursuits. -is farm embraces 120 acres of land, whereon he has erected good buildings and effected the other improvements naturally suggested to the man of.intelligence and industry. He has maintained the proper interest in the progress of his adopted county, and contributed his quota toward advancing the interests of his com munity, discharging the (duties of the various school offices. and serving as Overseer of Highways. Politically, he is a conscientious Democrat. Mr. Clyde was married, March 15, 1864, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Miss Margaret, dauglter of William and Margaret Davis, who were natives of Scotland, and are now deceased. The parents of Mrs. Clyde had a family of four children, of whom she was the second. She was born in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, March 31, 1844, and came with her parents to the United States when about one year old. Of her union with our subject there have been born eleven children, four of whom, Thomas, Lucy, Rebecca and Margaret, are deceased. The survivors are: Mary, Lily, Josephine, Willie, Beatrice, Nellie and Samuel. The eldest is nineteen years old and the youngest three. They are all at home with their parents, and form an interesting and intelligent group. Mr. and Mrs. Clyde are identified with the Presbyterian Church, attending services at Not tawa. They have gathered around them many friends since their long residence in this county, being widely and favorably known for their sterling worth and genuine goodness of heart. Mrs. Clyde is a very estimable lady, looking well to the ways of her household, and carefully training her children to those habits and principles which shall make them good and worthy members of society. The parents of our subject, Samuel and Ann (Guynn) Clyde, were natives respectively of Scotland and Ireland, and are deceased. They were the parents of nine children, of whom our subject is the youngest. Of his brothers and sisters four are living, all making their homes in Philadelphia except our subject. E LIAS WARE, a well-to-do farmer of Colon 'Township, is comfortably located on section 4 26, where he is surrounded by all the comforts of life and in the enjoyment of many of its luxuries. The property which he owns has been accumulated by his own industry, and embraces 100 acres of good land with all the necessary farm buildings, a goodly assortment of live stock, and the various other appurtenances of the modern and well-regulated rural estate. Our subject is the offspring of a good family, and his parents, Phillip and Hester A. (Grasley) Ware, were both natives of Lehigh County, Pa. There also they were reared and married. and settled for a time upon a farm. Later they migrated to Lorain County. Ohio, whence they came in March, 1861, to Michigan, and took up their permanent residence in Colon Township, this county. Here they spent the remainder of their days, the mother passing away June 2, 1884, and the father in 1866. Their family included ten children, seven sons and three daughters, five of whom are living and residents of Michigan with the exception of one, who is in Pennsylvania. Elias Ware was the ninth child of his parents, and like them is a native of Lehigh County, Pa., where his birth took place Aug. 9, 1836. He was a little lad four years of age when his parents changed their residence from the Keystone to the A - q- Be 8 --- ------ ---- -— D- — L ---_ — - I --- - -- I I~1L~ I~. k I - I L ____ _II _I_ _ ^ adki l b- --- I I - 1 I ---- I --- - --- --- I —1~l1 -16, - _4 1-4d ( 218 - - " -q ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I --- Buckeye State, and in the latter acquired a common-school education and developed into manhood. During his boyhood and youth he assisted his father on the farm, but when twenty years of age commenced working at the carpentry trade, which he followed thereafter in connection with farming until about 1880. Since that time he has devoted his time and attention entirely to agriculture. Miss Charlotte Smith, of Lorain County, Ohio, became the wife of our subject on the 1st of January, 1861. Of their union there was born one child, a son, Freeman, who is now a minister of the Reformed Church, and located at Three Rivers, this State. Mrs. Charlotte Ware departed this life at her home in Colon Township, March 16, 1862. Our subject contracted a second marriage Dec. 10, 1865, with Miss Ella Wilkey, who was born in Colon Township, this county, Sept. 1, 1847. IHer parents, William and Jane (McMillen) Wilkey, were natives of Canada. Mrs. Ware received careful home training and a common-school education, spending her girlhood under the parental roof. Of this marriage of our subject there have been born six children, one of whom died in infancy. The survivors are: John J., Mattie L., Oscar E., Norah E. and Charles A. Mr. and Mrs. Ware are members in good standing of the Reformed Church, of which Mr. W. was chosen Deacon about 1865, and has held the office mostly since that time. In politics he is a stanch Republican. lived in Lycoming County until after the death of the mother, which occurred about 1860. The father finally came to this county and made his home with his son, our subject, until his death, which occurred in 1873. The parental household included twelve children, of whom our subject was the eldest son, and the fourth in order of birth. His boyhood and youth were spent at the farm in the Keystone State, and when eighteen years old he purchased land in the northwestern part of Lycoming County, where he cleared a farm and lived until 1864. In the fall of the year above mentioned Mr. Phillips came to this county with his wife and eleven children, settling at once in Nottawa Township, of which he has since been a resident. He had always been observant and thoughtful from his youth up, with always a leaning toward the ministry, and while living on his farm in Lycoming County, having developed more than ordinary capabilities as a speaker and worker in the Master's vineyard, he was licensed to preach, and was ordained a Deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church by the late lamented Bishop Ames. Upon coming to this county Mr. Phillips changed his church relationship and identified himself with the Methodist Protestants. For seventeen years thereafter he was connected with the LaGrange circuit of Indiana. For a period of six years he belonged to the Newburg circuit in Cass County, and one year was in the Poster circuit in Van Buren County. Thence he went to Charlotte, Mich., where he was stationed two years, and thereafter belonged to the circuits of Union, Hillsdale, North Jackson, Dimondale and Eaton. He then took up the work of an evangelist, laboring in this field for one year. In the fall of 1888 Mr. Phillips was appointed a home missionary in the Northern Indiana and West Michigan Conference. tie had been married in Lycoming County, Pa., April 2, 1842, to Miss Sarah Callahan, who was born there in August, 1823. Mrs. Phillips is the daughter of Dennis and Jane Callahan, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and are now deceased. The parental family included twelve children. To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born seventeen children, twelve of whom lived to mature years, the others dying in infancy. The ~' '""`~'"'" J'"""r "" ""'"'" "J L" I - -11, ae-~ o -I- -- 0 - TD EV. STEPHEN PHILLIPS, a minister of D! the Methodist Protestant Church, is a gentleman fond also of agricultural pursuits e and the quietness of country life, and has chosen for his home a pleasant farm which is located on section 32, Nottawa Township. A native of Lycoming County, Pa., he was born Nov. 7, 1821, and is the son of David Phillips, a native of Danville, that State. The mother, Mrs. Nancy (Shaner) Phillips, is supposed also to have been a native of Pennsylvania, and was of German ancestry. This branch of the Phillips family traces its descent to Wales. The parents of our subject after their marriage l E 3Dec.. a EZ40 III ON, I.1 L - - - - 00CIp -low "_ 9 L A i -A A I I I I I I iI I I Ii 4i III i I; II I I;I I I I I 16 { 46 ~lrQ~P~~IIIIIIIII~Irr~ T- -, ~,, -—,,, ~, ~, II --- —-~I ---~ --- l~l-rr~ I ~ ~4& ~8~~ r~L"~Bob p I. il ST. JOSEPH COUNTY 219 1 r survivors were named respectively: Martha J., Ellen M., Henry B., Daniel M., Stephen D., David M., Mary A., Dennis L., John S., Elmer E., Hillindia M. and Will T. Ellen M. and David are since deceased. Mr. Phillips owns eighty-two acres of good land, most of which is in a productive condition, and has convenient and tasteful farm buildings. His record has been distinguished by a large-hearted benevolence which has inspired him in his church labors to work long and late, sometimes without other compensation than the conscientiousness of having done his duty. He is a clear and forcible speaker, convincing in argument, and his earnest manner seldom fails to impress his hearers with the truth of his utterances. He and his estimable wife count their friends by the score in this county, and their home is the frequent resort of its best people. He has reared his children in that manner which will make of them good and useful citizens, and his record altogether is one of which his children will never be ashamed. _ -)* - - -"" OD- _"3"" --- his boyhood, started overland with his family for Michigan. Soon after his arrival he selected a tract of land in Nottawa Township, this county, where he located and has since lived. His property comprises a farm of sixty-six acres, all of which is in a productive condition. His buildings are fairly good, and he has the outhouses and machinery suitable for the successful prosecution of his calling. John Gorton, the father of our subject, was born in Hartford County, Conn., and married Miss Almira Ellis, a native of the same place. They continued residents of Hartford County a few years, then, leaving New England, established themselves on a farm in the vicinity of Henrietta, Monroe County, N. Y. Later they removed to Bergen, Genesee County, where they spent the remainder of their lives. To the parents of our subject there were born eight children, four sons and four daughters, of whom,James T. was the fifth in order of birth. The parents of Mrs. Gorton were William and Polly (Jacobs) Mansfield, the father a native of London, England, and the mother of Rutland, Vt. Mr. Mansfield crossed the Atlantic early in life, and after his marriage settled in Washington County, N. Y., where he engaged in the boot and shoe trade. Later he removed with his family to Bergen, in Genesee County. where his death took place in the fall of 1853. The mother, after the death of her husband, came to this county and made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Gorton, until her decease, which took place Nov. 27, 1865. William and Polly Mansfield were the parents of nine children, of whom Mrs. Gorton was next to the youngest. She was born in Hartford, Washington Co., N. Y., May 16, 1831, and remained under the home roof until her marriage, acquiring a common-school education, and becoming familiar with household duties, the knowledge of which has so much influence in the comfort and happiness of a home. Her union with our subject has resulted in the birth of five children: Emogene is the wife of Dwight Legg, and they are residing in Colon; Fremont, a railroad man, makes his headquarters at home; Judson died at the age of seventeen years; Eliza is the wife of James H. Murray, of South Boardman, Mich.; Maude (ied at the age of seven AMES T. GORTON, a highly respected member of the farming community of Nottawa Township, is pleasantly located on section 29, where, with his family, hle is surrounded by all things needful for his comfort, and is pursuing the even tenor of his way as an honest man and good citizen. He is a native of the Empire State, and was born near the town of Henrietta, in Monroe County, Jan. 29, 1824. Reared to farm life, lie has been familiar with its pleasures and employments since his first recollection, and he remained a member of the parental household until a young man twenty-two years of age. IHe then commenced working land on shares, and was thus occupied in his native State until the spring of 1854. In the meantime, on the 18th of March, 1850, our subject was united in marriage withl Miss Hulda J. Mansfield. The young leople began life togelher in Genesee County, N. Y., where they lived until the spring of 1854, and then Mr. Gorton, disposing of his interests in his native county, and bidding adieu to the friends and associations of ip tjp _P"-I a r -— su — -- - _a - - -- -- - - - -- - I.. N I 'j, I- '' I -- Ib Immb -.I f —c --- —-- I- - -- " I — I - ----- ------ - - ---— - -- --------.&-z 4. - w 220 ST. JOSEI years. Emogene and Eliza took kindly to their books in their childhood, and developed into successful school teachers. These two daughters with their parents are members in good standing of the Baptist Church, with which Mr. Gorton has been connected since 1867. His estimable wife has also been an almost lifelong member of this church, having united with it as early as 1857. Mr. Gorton cast his first Presidential vote for James K. Polk, and has been a Republican since the organization of the party over thirty-two years ago. N. ADDISON. In the career of this most ) highly esteemed citizen of Leonidas Township we note that of the self-made man, who from an humble beginning in life has arisen to an enviable position, socially and financially, among his fellowmen. Deprived of parental care at an early age, he was an innlate of the home of his grandfather until a lad of thirteen years, and then by the death of that relative was thrown entirely upon his own resources. It is usually the rule that not only Providence, but humanity, assists those who try to help themselves, and that rule has held good in relation to the life of Mr. Addison. The main points in a history of more than usual interest are as follows: IH. N. Addison was born over sixty-eight years ago in the little town of Euclid, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, on the 12th of May, 1820. From that time on until a man twenty-eight years of age he was a resident mostly of his native county, and variously occupied, mostly, however, in agricultural pursuits. The exception to this was three seasons in which he sailed on the Lakes. Upon leaving the Buckeye State, accompanied by his wife, he made his way to Elkhart County, Ind., in 1848. He had commenced teaching when twenty-two years of age, and thereafter followed this profession twenty-six winters in succession, meeting with more than ordinary success. In Elkhart County, Ind., he settled upon a tract of land which he had purchased before his marriage. After a residence there of about sixteen months he returned to Ohio on account of ill-health, and resided there three years longer, being employed once?H COUNTY. F-11 = _ more on the Lakes as a sailor two seasons, and the last season was mate of a vessel. At the expiration of this time Mr. Addison concluded to venture once more into the wilds of Indiana, and lived in Elkhart County this time a period of four and one-half years. Hie then traded off a portion of his property for the land which he has since transformed into a good farm in Leonidas Township, this county. This latter he located upon in April, 1857, and for a period of more than twenty years has been numbered among its better class of farmers and the most reliable citizens of his township. From a tract of wild land he has built up one of its best homesteads, and added to his first purclase until he is now the owner of 240 acres, 160 of which lie has brought to a good state of cultivation. EIe carries on mixed agriculture, and is in the enjoyment of a good income. The lady who has for the last forty years been the faithful companion and helpmate of our subject was in her girlhood Miss Lovisa R. Ransom, and became his wife at Warrensville, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, March 30, 1848. Mrs. Addison was born in the above-mentioned place, June 17, 1827, and there spent her childhood and youth tunder the parental roof. Of her union with our sulject there have been born six children, four of whom are living: William R., a capable and intelligent business man, is a mail agent on the Air Line Railroad, and a resident of Leonidas; Nina C.; Bertha J., a teacher, and Mary A., make their home with their parents; Rachel L., a deceased daughter, became the wife of A. B. Southwick, and (lied at her home in Mendon, Sept. 18, 1873; Isola A. died at the age of eight years and seven months. Mr. Addison, politically, aims to support tile men whom he considers best qualified for the duties of office, and consequently is independent. Both he and his excellent wife are members in good standing of the Christian Church. They also belong to the P. of H. Mr. Addison has been School Inspector in his district a period of five years, served as Highway Commissioner the same length of time, has been Justice of the Peace a number of years, and has also represented Leonidas Township in the County Board of Supervisors. As a farmer he has been thorough and skillful, and his surroundings iln*_ -a; - _.....! — q — ~1 - IC -- - -4L_ -~~~~I~~_ ~Clg~~l gBILIII~PIPIIIILIA _~~C 3~~C~ L~LJ-~LIL~~b-L- — I =-_ ---- I C - -~IqCI i 4 lopI,: -— *l~pllC-4~lll~-~13- 'I Im --- e 1C-1 Jo - -~II ~I — L S _sl" ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 221 dicate the exercise of cultivated tastes and ample means. In 1884 he completed a handsome and substantial residence, which, with its surroundings, fulfills tile modern idea of the complete home. Public-spirited and liberal, there are few worthy projects to which he has not lent his name, his influence and more substantial assistance. William Addison, the father of our subject, was born Dec. 6, 1791, in New Hampshire, and married Miss Hannah Stiles, who was born il September, 1792, in the State of New York. Their family consisted of two sons only, our subject and his brother, Hiram M., the latter of whom is now in Cleveland, Ohio. Thle father died in Elkhart County, Ind., July 8, 1867. The mother subsequently returned to her home in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, where her death took place in May, 1876. The parents of Mrs. Addison were Oliver and Rachel (Hollister) Ransom, who were natives respectively of Lyme and Coventry, Conn. The former was born Nov. 3, 1800, and the latter May 14, 1803. Both parents are living, having arrived at an advanced age, and are spending their last years in Norwalk, Ohio. They had ten children, who were named respectively: Lusina C., Sylvester, Lovisa P., Lovisa Roxana, Cornelia R., Wealthy L., Philura L., Mary G.. Gerdon M. and Eunice A. Lovisa P. died at the age of one and one-half years; Lusina died in 1886, when sixty-six years old; Sylvester died in 1875, at the age of fifty years. The others are residents mostly of Ohio. ETER WHITE is one of the loyal and public-spirited citizens of Nottawa Township, and the owner of a farm on section 2, some 160 acres in extent, which leaves upon the mind of the interested visitor the idea that the owner thereof is a man who knows his business, and knowing it performs it in a thorough and efficient manner. He is the son of Zeboath and Susan (Oman) White. His father was by occupation an agriculturist, and prosperous therein. Both he and his wife were natives of Clinton County, Pa., were there brought up, married and started in life. Thence they removed to Crawford County, Ohio, and in the spring of 1853 came to this county and settled in Nottawa Township, which was their home until their death. The subject of this sketch was the eldest of three children born to his parents. His life began in Columbia County, Pa., on the 19th of January, 1825. He accompanied his parents on the various removals above enumerated, making his home with them until their death, the former Oct. 31, 1863, and the latter July 13, 1888. He fully learned the multifarious details of farm work, and as a young man was ever the equal of any of his age in almost any department of farm work. Weary of a single life Mr. White married, Aug. 21, 1849, Sarah Ann Melich. This lady is the daughter of Andred and Sarah (Best) Melich. She was the fifth of seven children born to her parents. The place of her nativity was Mt. Pleasant, Columbia Co., Pa., and the date of that important event the 10th of May, 1831. Our subject went with his wife and one child to Crawford County, Ohio, where he remained for two years, and in the spring of 1853 removed to this county and settled in Nottawa Township. Mr. and Mrs. White are the parents of seven children, who bear the following names: Emory, Frank, Susannah, Andrew, Esther, Peter and Edith. Emory still remains at home, his father's helper; Frank resides in Nottawa Township; Susannah is the wife of Ira Barnebee, of Kalamazoo County; Andrew is one of the progressive farmers of Nottawa Township; the other members of the family are still at home. The farm and buildings of our subject are well kept, and seem to indicate an intelligent, progressive and prosperous agriculturist at the head of affairs. His residence is not altogether unpretentious, is well arranged, comfortably furnished, and in every regard a true home. Although at all times anxious to do his part as a citizen, and bear the responsibilities that come to him in that relation, and especially desirous of doing everything that will promote the welfare of the State, he is not a politician in the ordinary acceptance of that word, but at the same time makes a point to study and understand current questions in the political world. He m r a "P - -- I — I~ CI~ p ~ -I ~ II Ir Y.I I1 w L IL r.60.- fT isel l L I I I< 222 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I I iFi - -- I is an affiliate of the Democratic party. Both Mr. and Mrs. White enjoy the perfect confidence and highest esteem of the community, and are in every circle accorded the heartiest welcome. 1 -REDERICK C. KNOX. It was a matter of l~~ silrprise to European nations used to enormous standing armies that as soon as the necessity of war was over and the last battle was fought, that the American Union Army met and had its grand review, and after a few words of commendation and patriotic remark from its chief officers, disbanded, and then was scattered throughout the length and breadth of the land, melting like mist of the morning at the approach of the King of Day. The gentleman whose life is here recorded is one who fought with the boys in blue for the old flag, and when no longer needed upon the battlefield returned to the more peaceful avocation of husbandry. The father of our subject was Charles 11. Knox, who was the husband of Mary J. Craft. They were married at Sturgis, and settled in Centreville in 1835. There they lived for many years; Mr. Knox departed this life in the year 1852, and is still survived by his widow, who makes her home with our subject. They were the parents of the following children, all of whom lived to mature years: Henry, Daniel M., Josephine, Mary, Charles F. and William. The two first named are deceased. Our subject was born at Centreville on the 24th of July, 1843, and lived in the village until he was about twelve years of age. He removed with his mother, after his father's decease, to the farm in Nottawa Township, where he has since made his home, and carried on as well as he was able the work connected therewith. Among the first to answer the call for soldiers was our subject. He enlisted Aug. 1, 1861, in Battery D, of the 1st Michigan Light Artillery, and served for three years, receiving an honorable discharge in November, 1864. On account of the heavy concussions caused by the continual firing of heavy ordnance and large guns at the battle of Missionary Ridge he sustained an injury to the tympanum I of the left ear, which caused him to lose his hearing on that side, while that of the right is also somewhat impaired. Owing to inflammation his eyesight is also affected, that of the right eye being the worse. Upon being discharged from military service Mr. Knox returned to his home in Nottawa, and resumed farming, where he lhas the charge of 200 acres of land in a high state of cultivation, operated upon the line of general farming with considerable success. HI-s farm is well stocked, and provided with necessary implements, machines and buildings, which he has been careful to erect after the most approved plans. Mr. Knox was married in Centreville, this State, becoming the husband of Juliet Ingalls, who is the daughter of Jonathan and Adelia (Brooks) Ingalls. They were old settlers in the county, having come to Nottawa about the year 1830, from which time they resided there continuously until their decease, and until her marriage Mrs. K. continued to reside there. Mr. and Mrs. Knox are the parents of two children-Hercia B. and Josephine. The subject of our sketch has been elected to the offices of Highway Commissioner and School Assessor, and has held the same for several years. He is a member in good standing of the David Oaks Post No. 132, G. A. R., of Centreville, and takes a great interest in the work of the same. His political position is that of the Republican party, which he has always espoused. t ENRY LOHR, well known throughout Notl tawa T'ownship and its neighborhood as a thorough, enterprising and successful farJ mer, is the son of William and Elizabeth (Miller) Lohr, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The parents of our subject were born at Northumberland, Pa. They were married in their native State, and there made their home for a time, removing to Illinois in 1854. They died in Stephenson County, that State. The subject of our sketch was the sixth of eight children born to his parents; this interesting event occurred on the 10th of February, 1819, in Union, ' m _ I I WI III I 4-W- - — lp 4,V ST. JOSEP or as it is now called, Snyder County, Pa. He was brought up on a farm, and has always been used to farm life, associations and surroundings. His home was in his native State until the year 1855, when he came West and settled in Nottawa Township. this county, where 4e has ever since been a resident. He also owns 160 acres of good land in Dakota T'erritory, making with his other farm 750 acres. Mr. Lohr was married to Miss Elizabeth Swartz, in Center County, on the 13th of October, 1842. This lady was the estimable daughter of David and Sarah Swartz, and was born on the 22d of February, 1826, in that county. This union resulted in the birth of seven children. viz: David, now a resi(lent of Nottawa Township; Susan J. is the wife of John Ilarshberger, of Park Township; Cyrus lives in Dakota; Sarah A. was the wife of John Young, and died in Lockport Township in December, 1875; Mary C. and Dewitt Cline, Hiram W. died when three years of age, and one other child died in infancy. Mrs. Lohr departed this life on the 19th of February, 1886. She was an old member of the German Reformed Church, and much respected in that community, as she was also in the community generally. Our subject is identified with the same religious organization and has been for many years. He takes considerable interest in questions of governmental import, and usually votes with the Democratic party. YRUS PALMER. In this biography the ( reader is introduced to one of the old settlers and esteemed citizens of the county, who in the days of its earlier history took an active part in the efforts that have resulted so favorably toward the attainment of its present position. His farm is situated upon section 13, Nottawa Township, comprises 188 acres, and is well improved and cultivated. Mr. Palmer was born in Walworth, Wayne Co., N. Y., on the 7th of May, 1815. He is the son of John and Nancy (Lamb) Palmer, who emigrated to Lenawee County, this State, in the spring of 1831, and settled on land in what is now Ridgeway Township, where, after reaching a good old age, they _j _ * I I —~~~L~"1ICII~-~.11411l1ll1 s l-Wiliam H COUNTY. 223 A} I i I died. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom our subject was the second born. He came with his parents when they removed to this State, and was at the time fifteen years of age. He continued to live with them until the year 1838, and then with his wife lie came to this county, and settled in Nottawa Township. His marriage was celebrated in Lenawee County, in what is now Ridgeway Township, on the 17th of September, 1837, when he was united with Mary Schreder. This lady was born near the city of Philadelphia, on the 21st of July, 1818. She is the daughter of John and Susan (Wambold) Schreder, who also came to Michigan in 1831, and settled in the same neighborhood as the parents of our subject, and they continued to make their home there until their death. They were the parents of seven children, their daughter Mary being the eldest. When Mr. and Mrs. Palmer emigrated to this county the country was very little better than a wilderness, and upon their settlement in the township their first work was to make a clearing, that done, to begin to improve the land and cultivate it. Their first home was constructed of logs, and in it they made their home for many years. It has now, however, been replaced by a fine brick structure, making a very pleasant and comfortable home. The farm is provided with the various machines and implements needed for effective and remunerative operations thereon, and the result is seen in the harvests that are gathered year by year. The home circle of our subject includes seven children, whose names are recorded as follows: George W., Charles A., Harvey D., Celia L., Cyrus A., Ellis A. and Fred A. George is at present residing at Wasepi, as is also his brother Charles A.; Harvey D. is living in the State of New York; Cyrus is at Three Rivers; and Ellis is living at Howard City, in this State. Celia is happily married to W. W. Howell, of Jackson, Mich.; Fred still lives in Nottawa upon the home farm. The golden wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Palmer was celebrated on the 17th of September, 1887, at which a large number of relatives and friends were present, as he is known throughout the county, and respected by all. Practically, he has grown up with the country. He has preferred always to give his ________l.ll____lpI c_ er Y m =~% — -1%L~ ----,..I -------------------- --------- ~lrr~ --- —-~"~p-yl~- ~ — f-~lllllllI MNN I III II jllllp I L.~r.-z~a- -r~~Es-~ 131~ '~ 11 3113111111 _ — ~-~ — _ c_ 1111111311111 - -. -lI 1 1111 1- C —~LL_ I_- rlCL~ q~l/R~wi i 224 ST. JOSEPHH COUNTY. a 2 S JE COUTY attention to his own farming and other business. and has not cared to enter the lists in the political arena. He has usually voted the Republican ticket, of which party he has been a member for over fifty years. When a younger man he was somewhat active in its campaigns, although not otherwise taking any special part. His character is such as to commend itself to all, and in consequence he receives that peculiar regard which amounts almost to veneration that is given to those so long identified with one community. His wife is also worthy in every way, and is the recipient of the same respect as her husband, and holds a high place in the regard of her friends and neighbors, as was expressed at the recent happy gathering referred to above. Mr. Palmer is living on 160 acres of land he entered from the Government under President Jackson, from which he has never moved, perhaps the only one in his township. OHN CATTELL, a late resilent of Leonidas -ii OHN CATTELL, a late resident of Leonidas } Township, and a man held in high esteem by all who knew him, was born in Somersetshire, England. Feb. 12,1833, and emigrated to America in 1856, accompanied by his mother and the younger members of the family. joining the father, William Cattell, who had crossed the Atlantic the previous spring. William Cattell came to this country in company with his son Charles in the spring of 1856,and was joined by his wife and the balance of his family in November following, with the exception of Emma and William, who had settled in the northern part of this county some time before. Here the parents of our subject spent the remainder of their lives, the father carrying on farming successfully and enjoying in a marked degree the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. He also was a native of Somersetshire, England, born in the parish of Oak, May 5, 1801, and married Miss Anna Totterdall, a native of his own county, born in the parish of Westhatch, April 14, 1800, and, like himself, of an excellent family. They became the parents of nine children, four sons and five daughters, who were named respectively: William, Betsey, John, Emma M., Charles, Addie, Alfred, Jessie and Lucy. Seven of these are living. Our subject lived with his parents in Nottaway Township some years after coming to this county, and then, being of an enterprising disposition, and being desirous of doing for himself, he rented a tract of land in Burr Oak Township, which he operated successfully until the spring of 1864. -He had in the meantime been married, and now removed with his wife and child to Leonidas Township, settling upon his own land, which was then in an unimproved condition. His labors met with the legitimate reward of industry and perseverance, and in the course of time he had surrounded himself and his little family with all the comforts of modern life. His farm comprised 200 acres on section 29, where he erected good buildings and brought the soil to a thorough state of cultivation. He provided himself with the most approved machinery, kept a goodly assortment of live stock, and bore the reputation of a progressive, liberalminded and public-spirited citizen. His death, which was a source of regret to the entire community, took place on the 11th of January, 1888. Hle left to his heirs a fine estate, including 200 acres of land and valuable personal property. Mr. Cattell suffered a long and painful illness, being afflicted with Bright's disease, and which he bore with true Christian fortitude. He was a firm believer in the principles of the Christian religion, although not identified with any religious organization. He made it the rule of his life to do unto others as he would be done by, and was possessed by that kind, charitable and hospitable spirit which was ever ready to bestow benefits both upon friends and strangers. By his children and all who knew him his name is held in most tender remembrance. After becoming a naturalized citizen he identified himself with the Democratic party until the last ten years, when he became a Republican. He was a stanch supporter of Union principles during the Civil War, and gave of his means and influence both to this and all other measures that should result in benefit to his fellow-beings. Mr. Cattell at his death left a devoted wife and two children, the former of whom in her girlhood days Miss Amanda E. Engle, was the (laughter of iV IdsH 4. 's —~ -.00.~ - _ I c - --— 0~-CII F - - - I — 7: I i 1_ —~P —1_-_11_- -~11 -.1_111 1 m- -- c -— ~ — - I IIC ' ~ = '-. r~ ~1 _l ~~- ~~- ~s~~~o ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 225 L I = - - - - - - I — - i i i I I i i i i i one of the first fanilies to settle in St. Joseph County. Her father, James Engle, a native of Livingston County, N. Y., was born May 16, 1815, and was a youth of sixteen years when he came to this region, as early as 1830, during the Territorial days. He married Miss Margaret Vincent, who was born Dec. 19, 1818, in Parmelia, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and who came with her parents to Michigan in the year 1836. After marriage they settled in Burr Oak Township, of which they were residents from that time on. The mother departed this life on the 6th of December, 1880, and the father is still living at the old homestead. Their family included two sons and six daughters, and only four of the children lived to mature years, Inamely: Amanda E., Ursula E., George D. and Addie B. Mrs. Amanda E. Cattell was born in Burr Oak Township, this county, Jan. 31, 1842, and remained a member of her father's household until her marriage, on the 25th of November, 1862, when she was nearly twenty-one years old. Of this congenial union there were born two daughters-Dora E. and Rachel A. The former is the wife of Charles P. Monfort. and, with her husband, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rachel, who is familiarly known as Radie, continues at home with her mother, and they are members of the Congregational Church. Both daughters are possessed of more than ordinary musical talent, and have been engaged in teaching considerably. They are favorites in the social circle of Leonidas Township, where they have a large number of acquaintances and friends. The family is widely known and highly respected throughout this part of the county, and in the death of John Cattell Leonidas Township lost one of its most useful men, one who had contributed largely toward its growth and development. [f^- ERMAN DAVIS. The Davis homestead, em'Y). bracing 105 acres of good land, is pleasantly located on section 19, and attracts the I(.) attention of the passer-by on account of the air of thrift and comfort which surrounds it. The ' present proprietor, who has been a resident of Colon Township since the spring of 1865, during his twenty years' residence in this section has earned the reputation of a praiseworthy and reliable citizen, one whom his neighbors hold in high esteem. This branch of the Davis family for some generations back has been widely and favorably known throughout the IEJmpire State. Horace Davis, the father of our subject, was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., which it is supposed was also the birthplace of the mother, who in her girlhood was Miss Eliza Gardner. They lived there for a time after their marriage, then removed to Ashtabula County, Ohio, whence in 1858 they came to Michigan. At once taking up their residence in Colon Township, this county, they lived and labored on the tract of land from which the father built up a good homestead, and where his death took place in 1868. The mother is still living, being now at an advanced age, and cared for by her children. The six children of the parental household included three sons and three daughters, and Herman of our sketch was the third in order of birth. lie first opened his eyes to the light near the town of Marcellus, Onondaga Co., N. Y., April 4, 1828. All of his brothers and sisters lived to mature years, and all survive but one. Herman continued a member of the parental household until about twenty-one years of age, then started out for himself, and began to make arrangements for the establishment of a home of his own. Ile first employed himself at farming, and continued a resident of his native county until 1865. In the meantime he was married, July 24, 1852, to Miss Emily, daughter of Sturgis and Mary (Burr) Sherwood, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood spent the whole of their married life in Onondaga County, N. Y., and their last years in the town of Otisco, where the mother died in 1855 and the father in 1861. In the spring of 1865, Herman Davis, having disposed of his property in the Empire State, gathered together his personal effects and his family, consisting of his wife and four children, and coming to this county settled in Colon Township. He first purchased eighty-five acres of land, and set himself vigorously to work to cultivate the I L. j I I -_ ~ - -- ~C I~~ I -I'M __~',lw J i M I I I I II 226 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. r 4 s - h~ -1,- m m b. -.1 = soil and build up a homestead. Later he added twenty acres to his first purchase, and has brought the whole to a fine state of cultivation, at the same time investing his spare capital in the neat and substantial farm buildings which are foremost among the attractive features of the estate. Mrs. Davis was the seventh of her parents' family of eight children, and was born in Otisco, N. Y., Feb. 11, 1826. She received excellent home training and a common-school education, and continued under the parental roof until her marriage. Of her union with our subject there have been born six children, of whom but four are living: George, the eldest, is carrying on farming successfully in Nottawa Township, this county; Addie is the wife of William Hazzard, who is engaged in teaching school in Nebraska; Minnie continues at home with her parents; Carrie is the wife of )ayton liggins, of Mason County. The deceased are Annie and Frankie. The former died when an interesting young lady of twenty-three years of age; Frankie was taken from the home circle when a little lad of two years. The wife of our subject, a most excellent lady, has been in delicate health for some time. Mr. Davis is a cordial supporter of Republican principles. IIe is a man quiet and unostentatious in manner, and has carefully avoided the responsibilities of the office-holder, although in former years he occupied various positions of trust in his township. VHEO M. SCOVILLE, an aged and highly respected resident of Constantine, was born in Collinsville, Lewis Co., N. Y., June 5, 1809. He was reared to manhood on a farm, and has made agriculture the chief business of his life. When establishing a home of his own he was married at Russia, HIerkimer Co., N. Y., March 1, 1840, to Miss Lucinda Phelps. This lady was born in Sempronius, Cayuga Co., N. Y., April 14, 1817. Mr. and Mrs. Scoville after their marriage settled in Collinsville, N. Y., where they lived until 1847, then changed their residence to Conneautville, Crawford Co., Pa., where they lived until coming to the West. They had not then decided upon a I location, and Mr. Scoville spent some time visiting various localities, but finally decided to locate in Ovid, this State, where he made his home several years. Thence they removed to St. John's, and two years later to St. Louis, this State, abiding in the latter place a period of ten years. In the fall of 1888 the family came to Constantine. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Scoville there have been born five children: The eldest, a daughter, Fannie, is the wife of M. C. Lapp, of Jackson; Benton H. is engaged in the practice of law in Constantine; Bela P. is one of the physicians of Constantine. and of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume; Jessie is the wife of George Dutch, of Constantine; Carrie, Mrs. II. W. Woodin, is a resident of St. Louis, Mich. Mr. Scoville has seen much of life in the pioneer days of Michigan, and although having been content to make very little stir in the world, has sustained the reputation of a peaceful and law-abiding citizen, one whose career has been that of which his children will never be ashamed. NOCH WARE. This gentleman is numbered among the younger farmers of Colon Township. of which he is a native, and is prosecuting agriculture in a highly successful manner. He first purchased forty acres in 1883, and since that time has given his close attention to the careful cultivation of the soil and the building up of his homestead. He labors upon the theory of the late Horace Greeley, that a small farm well tilled is more desirable than a large area partially neglected. He commenced early in life to lay his plans for the future, and is already ranked among the solid and responsible citizens of St. Joseph County. Daniel Ware, the father of our subject, and his wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Bolin, were natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and after their marriage settled in Mifflin County, Pa. Two years later they came to Michigan, taking up their residence in Colon Township, this county, about 1862. The father purchased forty-five acres on section 26, where he built up a comfortable home, and where he and his estimable wife still live. The parental family of our subject included four I _P. '1 I -"m t z *,*PI — ' # 6 t - " II I -I - - --- 1 I - I - -bb H-4* ST.. JOSEPH COUN~TY. 227 ST.OE~ CONY 22 children, two sons and two daughters. Of these Enoch was the third in order of birth, and was born Aug. 26, 1862, at tile homestead which his parents still occupy in Colon Township. He was reared to farm pursuits, and educated in the district school. -le was married at the age of twenty years, Dec. 7, 1882, in Colon Township, to Miss Ada, dauglter of Andrew and Mary J. (Snook) Snook, who were natives of Mifflin County, Pa., where they lived until after their marriage. Mr. Snook during the late war enlisted as a Union soldier from Mifflin County, and met his death on the battle-field of Petersburg. The mother came to Michigan about 1867, and was subsequently married to Daniel Wagner, a native of Pennsylvania. They became the parents of one clild, a daughter, Ada, the wife of our subject. To Mr. and Mrs. Ware there have been born two children —Lester A. and Louisa V. Mr. Ware, politically, supports the Republican party, and has served as Highway Commissioner in his district for some time. His residence and other farm buildings are creditable alike to his taste and industry, and the whole forms a picture of the complete rural home, whose beneficiaries are surrounded by all the comforts of life. -- --— ^ ---— hAVII) IIANDSIIAW, of Nottawa Townshlip, is of stanch Pennsylvania stock, the son of Peter and Ann (Kleckner) HIandshaw, who were natives of Northampton County, Pa. There they were also reared and married, and lived there for a time afterward. Thence they removed to Columbia County, and afterward to Montour County. In the spring of 1865, leaving the Keystone State, they came to Michigan and settled in Mendon Township, this county. Later they removed to Lockport Township, where the father died in 1873. The mother is still living at an advanced age. To the parents of our subject there were born eight children, of whom David was the eldest. He is also a native of Northampton County, Pa., and was born Jan. 4, 1830. When a boy of eight or nine years he made a trip on the Delaware Canal from Easton to Philadelphia, and a year later he left home, starting out in the world for himself. IIe worked on a farm in his native county, where he grew to manhood, and of which he was a resident until the fall of 1848. Then going into Columbia County lie was employed in a stone quarry until changing his residence to Montour County. In the latter lie learned the trade of blacksmith, at which he worked three years, and then abandoned it on account of an injury to his shoulder. On the 26th of August, 1852, Mr. Ilandshaw was married to Miss Catherine Fry. This lady was born in Columbia County, Pa., Nov. 14, 1827. The young people spent that winter in their native State, but in tlhe spring of 1853 removed to Summit County, Ohio, where they lived until the latter part of August, our subject emplloying himself at blacksmitliing. Is desires, however, were for farm life, but land being at a higl price in the Buckeye State he found that, with his limited means, he would be obliged to go further West. H-Ie accordingly emigrated to Lee County, Ill., and purchased a tract of prairie, upon which he farmed until the 1st of March, 1855. Then selling out he came to this county and purchased a farm in Plark Township, where lie continued to live until the spring of 1861. Ile then changed his residence to Nottawa Township, taking possession of the land which he now owns and occupies. Soon after making settlement here the outbreak of the Civil War stimulated the inborn patriotism of Mr. IHandshaw, but although greatly desirous of enlisting in the Union service, circumstances prevented. Two years later, however, lie hired a substitute, paying therefor $1,000. In the meantime Mr. Handslaw busied himself with his farming pursuits, and in due time became the owner of 200 acres of land lying along the north banks of the St. Joseph River. In 1875 he erected a fine brick residence and has made other valuable improvements. lie also operated a threshing-machine about twenty-five years in this county, having had considerable experience in this line both in Pennsylvania and Illinois, and being very successful. Both Mr. and Mrs. Handshaw are charter members of Parkville Grange, Lodge No. 22, in which they take an active interest, and in which Mr. H. has held many of the important offices, including k I i.lo d ~I~ -r ---- I~ i -r ~-~IIL I ~ ~I- -r~ — ~ b ~ ~ 1 44 1-40 -~~~~1 60 - I l I r I____ ----_ ---__-I~_-1~11 ---1 ---1--1-.___ ~-_______.^_IX___^_-I- ____I_-_I~1_-^I_ ---_____.1___1__ ---1 — ---- —--I 1,1- __1.1~_._.11_11 _.._ ______~~_I~I I"4 228 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. those of Lecturer, Master, Overseer and Chaplain. In the Masonic fraternity he is a member of Blue Lodge No. 36, of Mendon. Both he and his excellent wife belong to the Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. H. has been for many years a Deacon and Trustee. lIe is a strong temperance man, warmly interested in the success of the cause. HARLES H. McKINSTER is one of the leading citizens of Colon, and is also one of its most prominent business men, being a member of the firm of Wilkinson & Co., dealers in drugs and groceries. He is a native of New York, born in 1848, the elder of the two children born to Thomas and Mahala (Wilkinson) McKinster, natives of New York. They came to Michigan when our sul)ject was five years old, and settled in Colon Village, where the father followed his trade of cooper for twenty years. He then moved onto a farm in this county, and continued to reside thereon until his death, which occurred in 1876, when he was about fifty-six years old. This county was then deprived of one of its worthiest citizens, one who had ever led an upright life, and who stood high in the community where he dwelt. His excellent wife survived him until 1882, when she too passed away, at the age of fifty-five. She had a brother who served in the Mexican War, and now resides in Rochester, N. Y. Charles McKinster was reared in Colon, receiving from his good parents a careful training that well fitted him for the duties of life that have since devolved upon him as a man and as a citizen. He acquired a sound education in the graded school of Colon, and after the completion of his education he left the home of his parents, and making his way to Northern Michigan, found employment in a cooper factory there. He subsequently entered the profession of teacher, and was Principal of the Colon public school for nearly two years, entering earnestly and with great interest into his duties as instructor, meeting with marked success, and gaining high rank among those of the profession in St. Joseph County. During this time he also held his present partnership, and at length the demands of his business were such that he gave up teaching to devote his whole attention to his mercantile pursuits. The firm has a neat and attractive store, carries a large and well-selected stock, and has an extensive trade. Mr. 1McKinster was married in 1874, in Galesburg, Mlich., to Miss Evaline L. Davis, and to her devotion and sympathy he undoubtedly owes much of his success in life. She is a native of Michigan, born in 1855. the eldest in the family of four children of William C. and Antoinette (Lyon) Davis, early settlers of St. Joseph County. Her parents reside at Leonidas. where for many years her father was engaged as a wagon-maker. After marriage Mr. McKinster remained one year in Northern Michigan, and then returned to Colon, and engaged in business as before mentioned. He is a wide-awake business man, prompt and honorable in his dealings, genial and entertaining in his intercourse with others. He stands high in mercantile and social circles of St. Joseph County, and is very influential in the administration of the public affairs of this community, being at present Township Treasurer of Colon Township, and is also a member of the Sclool Board. He is prominently identified with the A. F. & A. M., was Secretary for a number of years, is a member of the Chapter and present Secretary thereof. IIe takes a deep interest in politics, and affiliates with the Republican party. In the pleasant home of our subject and his amiable wife five children have been born to them, three of whom are living-Fred E., Edna G. and an infant. Fred is an attendant at one of the excellent schools of Colon. Nellie died in 1882, when nearly five years of age; Ned died in 1886, when nearly six months old. ' 7 RANCISCO KLADY, a native of this county, was born in Nottawa Township, of which he is still a resident, March 12, 1841. Michigan had then been a State but a little over four years, and the boyhood days of our subject were spent amid the scenes of pioneer life, and while he was being transformed from a boy to a man his native State was also growing in like proportion. I ii L I wpml 4^ k _ -__ ~ 4 0 06I-IC- - — E 1 3- -- - —,Iq L - el I L:~-;~ ~~~Z-~ ilia- I.I — I ~ C -—, l —_ _ --- —--— "-L ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 229 I 'The scenes which he has witnessed as the country slowly settled up, and civilization began to plant its footsteps more decidedly upon the soil of Southern Michigan, if properly set forth in print would make a fair sized volume. Mr. Klady has been of a thoughtful and observant mind from his youth up, and has kept his eyes open to what was going on in the world around him. I-e was trained to habits of industry, given a practical education, and entered upon the struggle of life well equipped to meet the difficulties which are the common lot of every man. His labors have been amply rewarded, he being now the owner of a good property embracing a farm 120 acres in extent, with substantial buildings and the greater part of the land in a productive condition. He is, in fact, surrounded by all the comforts of life. William Klady, the father of our subject, was born in Montezuma, Cayuga Co., N. Y., Aug. 20, 1810, and married Miss Nancy Knickerbocker, a native of Dutchess County, the same State, and born March 17, 1800. The parents were residents for a time of Cattaraugus County, but about 1834 left tlhe Empire State witl their little family, and settled in Nottawa Township, this county, where the father began to battle with the elements of a new soil, and in common with his brother pioneers. labored in the development of a homestead. Here both parents spent the remainder of their lives. The father (lied Jan. 2, 1875; thle mother survived her husband a period of over thirteen years, her death taking place Sept. 23, 1888. To William and Nancy Klady there were born six children, of whom our subject was the fourth, and all born in Michigaon. He received his education in the district school, and remained a member of the parental household until a young man of twenty years, anticipating the time when he should have a farm of his own. The outbreak of the Civil War, however, drew his thoughts into another current, and on the 24th of August, 1 861, a few months after the rebel attack upon Ft. Sumter, he hastened to the defense of the Union, enlisting in Company A, 1th Michigan Infantry. Hle was mustered into service at White Pigeon, Mich., going with his regiment shortly after to Louisville. It was his lot to participate in many of the important battles of the war, namely: Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, and other minor engagements and skirmishes. Young Klady in the spring of 1862, a few months after his enlistment, was taken seriously ill and confinedl in the hospital at Belmont Furnace, Ky., for a time, when he was given a furlough, and returning home spent about ten weeks under the old roof tree, and under the excellent care of his friends recovered his health and strength. He then rejoined his regiment at Louisville, Ky. In the winter of 1863-64 he was detailed as an Orderly at post headquarters in the vicinity of Rossville Gap, Ga. The hardships and privations which he endured, tie weary marchings and the exposure, are but the simple story of thousands of his comrades. and form a part of American history which will always stand out prominently among the National records. At the expiration of his term of enlistment Mr. Klady was mustered out at Sturgis, Mich., and returning to Nottawa Townshil resumed the peaceful pursuits of farm life. He was broken down in health, and it has taken years to restore hin to his former vigor, which even now bears no comparison to that of his youthful days. He went into the fight conscientiously, and no man, hearing of tlhe surrender of Lee at Appomattox, rejoiced more heartily at the success of the Union Armies. During his early manhood Mr. Klady had learned the trade of a cabinet-maker, but only followed this one and one-half years prior to his enlistment. On the 20th of September, 1865, having laid his plans for a home of his own, he was united in marriage to one of the most estimable young ladies of this county, Miss Elizabeth McKercher, and the young people commenced tlme journey of life together at a modest home in Nottawa Township. They settled upon their plesent farm in 1865, and upon this Mr. K. has effected all the improvements which to-day attract the attention of the passer-by as indicative of the hand of thrift and industry. Mrs. Klady, the third child of her parents, was born in Moscow Township, IIillsdale County, this State, April 14, 1840, and is the daughter of John and Margaret (Dunn) McKercher, who were na i i _NWo k A^ MaF - -- I WPI —.-t l~-1L ---~- — ~I ~ -- — ~ --- --- 1 ---- -- - E-_ _ "Om I I I I --- —---------------- -- ~~1111~~~~~- _ _ r _ _ _ __, I _ _ IIL CII — ~l~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~IL~ 3 111~~~~~~~ ~ ~ I, __I ~~~~~~~~~~~ -~~~lpl ~~~~ 1~~~3111F-1Cb ~ ~~~~-, m - — "t ots 230 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. tives respectively of New York State and Pennsylvania. In 1838 they removed from Livingston County, N. Y., to Hillsdale^County, Mich., settling in Moscow Township, where the father began the development of a homestead, but only lived eight years thereafter, his decease occurring Oct. 8, 1846, when he was in the prime of life. The mother was subsequently married to John C. McKercher, a cousin of her former husband, and then coming to this county in the fall of 1854, settled in Nottawa Township, where her death took place Oct. 12, 1873. To the parents of Mrs. Klady there were born six children, four of whom are living. Mrs. K. remained under the home roof during her childhood and youth, receiving a common-school education and becoming thoroughly versed in those household duties a knowledge of which has so much to do with the happiness and comfort of a home. She has been the suitable companion of her husband in his worthy efforts all through life, and has done her share in making her home one of the pleasantest places to be found. Mr. Klady, politically, is a stanch Republican. He keeps himself posted in regard to current events, and socially, belongs to David Oaks Post No. 135, G. A. R., at Centreville. Mr. and Mrs. Klady are the parents of two children-Florence and William. )EV. ALPIIEUS WISNEIR. This gentle-! man, well known in the county and needing N \ no introduction to the reader, was born in _Newfane, Niagara Co., N. Y., on the 5th of February, 1825. Upon the removal of his parents to Lenawee County in this State in the year 1832, he continued with them at their new home in Franklin Township. Our subject is the son of Abraham and Leah Wisner, who were natives of New York. After their marriage they settled in Niagara County, N. Y. They were the parents of fourteen children, our subject being the second. Until he attained to manhood our subject continued to reside as above, receiving his education in the schools of Franklin Township, afterward engaging in farming. In the year 1850 he went to Athens, Calhoun County, where he passed through both the primary and select schools. School days over he engaged in farming, and continued thus employed until the year 1850, when he became the pastor of the Athens Baptist Church. ITe continued in charge of this congregation for six years, and then commenced preaching in South Climax, Kalamazoo County, where lie continued preaching for twenty-two years. Ite has resided in Leonidas ever since resigning his charge in Kalamazoo County. HIe ministered to the Baptist Church in Branch County for eight years. During that time he was settled in Leonidas Township. Since resigning his charge at Johnson lie has not been actively engaged in the ministry, and gives his attention to his farm. It is 150 acres in extent. In Franklin Township, Lenawee County, our subject was united in marriage with Miss Juliette Morrow, a lady in every way suited to' him, one capable of filling the position of a true helpmate to one so fully occupied and earnestly engaged in the work of the ministry. She was born in Black Rock, Erie Co., N. Y., Jan. 12, 1827, and is the daughter of Alexander and Mariah Morrow, of Lenawee County, Mich. The felicity of the wedded life of our subject and wife has been deepened by the birth of their seven children, whose names are recorded as follows: Mary A., Sarah M., Amelia C, Robert P., Abram C., Edna E. and Charles A. Upon three different occasions our subject has been elected Justice of the Peace, and as often did he decline to serve, feeling that it was impossible for him properly to do so. His political sentiments are symphonious with those of the Republican party, with which he has been in heartiest accord. IHe has done much to promote its interests in the districts of which he has been a resident, and largely assisted in the organization thereof in this State. In his ministerial career Mr. Wisner has officiated at over 500 funerals, and has been called upon to unite in wedlock more than 200 couples. As a preacher he used the language of the people, was happy in the selection of forceful illustrations, plain in argument and of good delivery, which may possibly account for the unusual length of time of his ministry at South Climax. He enjoys a very I I Obm- l k 1. - 42 000C m L-qg I ---- 4 AF/R" t - - - --- -- - -- A -—.d" L..jjp'd 4 ---- --— ~1111111 1 ~ up -I-dl —.-lr_ ----^ --- —-- -W —(. -L ~C — ST. JOSEPHY COUNTY. 231 1 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 231 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ fine reputation as a man, and is everywhere very much respected. IHe is no less able in the husbandry of the fields, and in that of a more spiritual nature, having thoroughly imbibed the principles and become perfect in the practice before studying for the ministry. This his farm reveals at a glance. It is as well cultivated and admirably kept, as fertile and productive, as any in tlhe district. Mr. Wisner enlisted March 27, 1865, in the late war, in Company C, 20th Michigan Infantry, and served three months. He was elected Chaplain of the regiment shortly after enlisting, and served as such during his term of service. OHN BOWER, a familiar figure among the people of Colon Township, is the third son of John and Diana (Gerhart) Bower, and was born in Bristol Hill, Monroe Co., N. Y., July 4. 1824. When a boy of twelve years he came with his parents to this county, and lived with them in Nottawa Township until a youth of nineteen, Subsequently he made his home in Colon Township with his uncle, Adam Bower, for a period of six years. He then returned to his native State, and for twelve years thereafter lived upon a farm in the vicinity of Springport, and gave his attention to agricultural pursuits, which has been the business of his life. From Springport our subject removed to the vicinity of Fleming, N. Y., where he sojourned about eight years. In the fall of 1869 he returned to Michigan and purchased eighty acres of land on section 5, in Colon Township, where he has since lived. John Bower, Sr., the father of our subject, was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., while his mother was a native of Livingston County, that State. They were married and(l settled in the latter county, living there until their removal to Genesee County. A few years later they changed their residence once more, and for a brief time made their home in Monroe County, N. Y. In 1836 they migrated to the Territory of Michigan, and located in Nottawa Township, this county, where the death of the mother took place four years later, in the year 1840. The father of our subject, after the death of his wife, removed to Mendon, where he lived for a period of fifteen years, and rested from his earthly labors Sept. 15, 1855. The parental household included seven children, all of whom are living and residents mostly of this county. John, our subject, was married rather late in life, in Fleming, Cayuga Co., N. Y., March 19, 1868, to Miss Eliza A., (aughter of Isaac and Martha (Chase) Mosher, who were natives of Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. M. after their marriage continued residents of the Green Mountain State until their removal to Scipio, Cayuga Co., N. Y., about 1859. From there they subsequently changed their residence to Fleming. Their family included six children, four of whom are now living. Mrs. Bower was the youngest child of her parents, and was born in Fleming, Cayuga Co., N. Y., March 11, 1832. She was reared to womanhood in her native township, and received her education in its common schools. Of her union with our subject there have been born two children, George M. and Louisa, the latter of whom died when a chlld of eleven years. Their son is living in Colon Township. Mr. Boyer cast his first Presidential vote for Tyler, and thereafter continued a number of years with the Republican party. About 1876 he identified himself with the Greenbackers, and supports its 1)rinciples with the natural courage and decision of his character. I-e has served as School Director in his district, and discharged the duties of the various other minor offices of his townslhip. Both lie and his excellent wife are members of the Grange, and in society llold a good position among the best citizens of an intelligent community. I)ilENRY KLINE, a lifelong farmer and a resi)' dent of Nottawa Township, has eighty acres of valuable land on section 35, a part of his ) father's old homestead, where he has been carrying on agriculture successfully for a period of sixteen years. A native of the Keystone State, he was born in Snyder County, Jan. 3, 1847, and when a lad eight years of age came to this county with his parents, where he grew to man's estate, acquiring a common-school education. 61 ll ~~ ---ul IC- IC-~CI I- -1. r ~ sll C ~ I I 1~ 'II~Y rC =- k - m "4 - W — -— Nl" - - I "p o - 1 4 -.A - — l~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-,Illlllb 232 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I The parents of our subject, Michael and Elizabeth (Speigelmeyer) Kline, were also natives of Snyder County, Pa., where they spent the earlier years of their lives and were married. About 1855 they migrated to Michigan, settling in Nottawa Township, this county, where they spent the remainder of their lives. The household circle consisted of five children, all of whom lived to mature years, namely: Reuben, Samuel, Jeremiah, Henry and Aaron. The latter died when a young man. On the 27th of September, 1870, our subject was united in marriage, at Mendon. with a very estimable lady, Miss Mary AM., daughter of William C. and Matilda (Aigler) Kline. The parents of Mrs. K. were also natives of Snyder County, Pa., where they were reared and married, and whence they came to this county in 1863, settling in Sherman Township, where they still reside. Their family consisted of five children. Mrs. Kline is a native of the same county as her husband and parents, and was born Sept. 28, 1851. She received careful home training and a fair education in the common school, and with her husband is a member in good standing of the Lutheran Evangelical Church. She is a very pleasant and amiable lady, and has hosts of friends in this vicinity. Of her union with Mr. Kline there have been born three children, two sons and a daughter, namely: Lawrence A., aged seventeen years, Myrtie E., eight, and Vance L., six. Mr. K., politically, votes the Republican ticket, and has held the office of School Director in his district. ing, making his home at Cincinnati, Ohio. The mother departed this life at Tiffin, Ohio, in August, 1881. To the parents of our subject there were born seven children, five of whom are living. Theodore J., a'native of Tiffin, Ohio, was the second child, and grew to mainhood in his native town, pursuing his first studies in the common schools. and later becoming a student of Heidelberg College in Tiffin, from which he was graduated in the classical course with honors. He entered the Theological Seminary at Tiffin, and when completing his studies there was assigned as his first charge to Fremont, Ohio, being the pastor of the Reformed Church in that city a period of three years. He then withdrew to accept a call to the Reformed Church at Massillon, in the same State. where he remained three years, then changed his residence to Wooster, Ohio, becoming pastor of the Reformed Church of the United States at that place, remaining there also three years. About 1883 Mr. Bacher was appointed a missionary to the city of Ft. Wayne, Ind., in the interests of the English Reformed Church. He was instrumental in the organization of Grace Reformed Church of that city, which now embraces a large membership. He resided there five years, and acquired church property to the value of $7,500. After five years' residence in Ft. Wayne, he resigned his charge, and coming to this county, purchased a fine farm along the southern line of Nottawa Township, in the cultivation and improvement of which he has since been vigorously engaged, although he still labors in the Master's vineyard as before. He has a handsome residence with attractive surroundings, and numbers his friends by the score in this county. As a pulpit orator he is an able expounder of Scripture, clear and forcible in his arguments, and invariably commands good audiences. Politically, he is the advocate of Republican principles, and keeps himself well posted upon State and National events. Mr. Bacher was married in Sycamore, Ohio. May 6, 1873, to Miss Minerva, daughter of George and Mary C. Taylor, of Sycamore, and who was born there April 17, 1850. The parents of Mrs. Bacher are now living in Sycamore, Ohio. To our subject and his estimable wife there were born three children, i l t i6 -.Id I D 7 EYV. T. J. BACHER, minister of the Reformed Church of the United States, and \ located at Nottawa, is a most faithful and i< efficient minister, and a man of more than ordinary capacities mentally, of excellent education, and thoroughly well informed in matters pertaining to the duties of his calling. A native of Tiffin, Ohio, he was born Aug. 15, 1850, and is the son of Jacob T. Bacher, who, with his wife, Mrs. Eliza (Rinker) Bacher, was a native of Allentown, Pa. The father is a tailor by trade, and is still liv "10-.1 i I -~I I — r 111311 C~~-~ —~l I —.I I ~~C-~C1~1 —. — r* I ob -— 4" i — --- -4 I L Z - m - -0- -— a il ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 233 one of whom, Thomas A., met with an accident while attending school which resulted in his death, Feb. 20, 1884, when he was nine years old. The other two sons, Ridgely T. and Theo A., are at ' home with their parents. i! ILLIAM P. CIAPIN, well known through\Af \\/out Mendon Township and vicinity, is a VI 'nnative of Burr Oak Township, this county, and was born Sept. 23, 1860. IIe is a lifelong farmer, having spent his boyhood amid the quiet pursuits of country life, and acquired his education in the district school. Ile lived at the farm with his parents until twenty-four years of age, and came to Nottawa Township in September, 1881. Prior to this, however, he spent a year or so in Kendallville, Ind., where lie was engaged in the livery business. With this small deviation lie has carried on farming continuously since leaving the old homestead. I e was married in Nottawa Township, April 23, 1884, to Miss Jessie A., daughter of Mark 1I. and Julia (Anderson) Wakeman, who were pioneers of Southern Michigan, and among the earliest settlers of Nottawa Township. To Mr. and Mrs. Chapin there has been born one child only, a daughter, Alice, March 10, 1886. Little Alice was born in the same room in which her mother first opened her eyes to the light, and they were dressed by the same woman, Mrs. David Rockwell, who is still living, and occupying the oldest log house in Nottawa Township, on the old Mark Wakeman farm. The Chapin homestead embraces forty-seven acres of finely cultivated land, and our subject is interested in land elsewhere. In political matters he votes the straight Republican ticket, and socially, belongs to Kendallville Lodge No. 316, A. F. & A.. He is considerably interested in fine horses but gives most of his attention to general farming. Mrs. Chapin was born in Nottawa Township, May 6,1865. tier parents had a family of three children. The eldest, Annette, is married; John Charles Fremont is occupied at a hotel in Mendon. Mark Ioag Wakeman, the father of Mrs. Chapin, was born in Bedford, Westchester Co., N. Y., in August, 1799, and was the eldest of the sons of the household, and the leader in all of their enterprises. When a youth of nineteen years, being of an adventurous disposition, he went south to Savannah, Ga., and engaged in the wholesale hat and shoe business a number of years successfully. Finally selling out he made his way, in 1834, to New Orleans, and in partnership with one Palms, embarked in' the ship chandlery business. In 1836 the establishment was destroyed by fire, entailing a loss of $40,000. Resolving to leave the scene of his misfortune, Mr. Wakeman that same year proceeded north to this county, where his brothers had already located, and engaged with them in farming and stock-raising extensively, which vocation he followed a period of nearly thirty years and until his death, in June, 1866. The late Hiram Wakeman and also Adams Wakeman, were brothers of Mrs. Chapin's father. I OHN C. COOHON, well and favorably known throughout the community as an enterprising and successful farmer, was born in Germany on the 27th of February, 1823. He received his education in the schools of that place, and subsequently engaged in farming, continuing employed thereat until he was about twenty-three years of age. He then determined to cross the Atlantic, and find out for himself the truth regarding the New World. from which had come such reports of opportunities to the farmer, and in fact all classes of skilled laborers. Landing in New York in 1856, he came on almost directly to this county, accompanied by several who had crossed in the same vessel. Mr. Coohon speedily found employment as a farm hand at a rate of remuneration that enabled him to save a considerable sum every month. After about two years he was enabled to rent land in Colon Township, and was very prosperous in the work undertaken. At the end of ten years he purchased forty acres of thoroughly good land situated on section 21, Colon Township, and speedily settled upon it, and from that time until the present has devoted his best energies to its cultivation and constant improvement. So well has he prospered _L _ IL2-BoIIo 11 - III-F -- I1 I PI I ml la oC -- p- — w I I 1 ' --- — - — ~"-` " --- *ON - M -1480 W-AIIIC~C F [ 234 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 'I Ii: I that he now owns 193 acres, has erected substantial farm buildings, and has quite a comfortable and well-built farm dwelling. The subject of our sketch was united in marriage with Miss Mena Thromp, who was born in Germany, in the year 1830, and is the (laughter of Job and Christena Thromp. They are the parents of six chiltlren, whose names are as follows: William, Mena, Mary, Hannah, Chris, and John who died when three years of age. William is a farmer in Burr Oak Township, and is doing well; Mena is now Mrs. Lewe Warkentine, and resides with her husband in Sherman Township, where he is engaged in farming; Mary is happily married to Fred Borchort, who is a farmer in the same township; the two youngest children are still at home. Mr. and Mrs. Coohon are members in good standing of the German Lutheran Church, with which they have always been affiliated. Our subject is not prominent in political circles, neither as an officeholder; he usually votes with the Democratic party, and is counted among its firm friends. - LIAS ANDIREWS. The homestead of the subject of this sketch embraces 150 acres JL_ of valuable land, finely located on section 36, Nottawa Township. Upon this he has effected good improvements, having a substantial dwelling with a good barn and outhouses, fruit and shade trees, and all the appurtenances of tle well-regulated country estate. Nothing but the hand of thrift and industry has brought the property to its present condition, and the labors of Mr. Andrews have been ably seconded by one of the most estimable and capable of ladies, who has performed her full part in the accumulation of the property and the construction of one of the pleasantest homes in the county. Our subject was born in Madison County, Ohio, Sept. 1, 1819, and is the son of Charles and Polly (Patee) Andrews, who were natives of Connecticut. His father died when he was a little lad of five years, in Madison County, Ohio, and the mother was married a second time. Elias accompanied his mother and stepfather to Michigan about 1831; they located in Wayne County, where they resided four years, then coming to this county, in September, 1835, settled in Nottawa Township, when our subject was a youth about sixteen years old. The country around was mostly a wilderness, and thus young Andrews became intimately acquainted with pioneer life, its toils and hardships. Our subject lived at home until about twenty years of age, then repaired to the vicinity of Ionia, and made his home with a brother, residing there for about two and one-half years. He then returned to this county, of which he has since been a resident. Ile was first married in Sherman Township to Miss Mary Foote, who became the mother of two children, Mary J. and Ida E., and died in March, 1862. The elder daughter is now the wife of William Harding, of Butler, Ind.; Ida E. remains at the homestead. Mrs. Mary M. Chandler became the wife of our subject May 25, 1863, the wedding taking place in Chicago, Ill. Mrs. Andrews was born at Burns, N. Y., Aug. 19, 1833, and is the daughter of Stephen and Ann Suydam Mundy, and the widow of Bradley Chandler. who died at Ottawa, Ill., Oct. 15, 1861. Their family consisted of twelve children. To Mr. and Mrs. Andrews there have been born two sons: Chancy C., born in 1865, and Edward E. They are at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews are members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which they have been connected many years, and to which they have given a liberal and cheerful support. Mr. A. is a stanch advocate of Republican principles The family are widely esteemed in their community, being ranked among the elements which have given to this county its prestige and standing, socially, morally and financially. IINDREW C. RUSSELL is pursuing the even tenor of his way in a comparatively uneventful manner at a comfortable homestead in Nottawa Township, lying on section 24, and to which he came in 1888. A native of this township, he was born Nov. 25, 1838, the i _L s b an 0 —.dk~ -.11114111,111 III 11 I, I.1 I I III I,,.'l-g-111 -,I m - I,, I I 1s U — t Ib~r~e —~Cj~_~~8crr C~lll~sll~~~llll SI 91- 0 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 235 ' - --- year after Michigan was admitted into the Union as a State. Of his father, Joseph Russell, one of the pioneers of Michigan, a sketch will be found on another page in this work. The latter is a resident of Leonidas Township, in the northeastern corner of this county. Mr. Russell studied his firstlesson in the pioneer schools of this county, and became fully acquainted with the methods of farming at that lay, which, it is hardly necessary to state, were prosecuted under many difficulties and with machinery far inferior to that of the present. lIe remained a member of the parental houselold until reacling his majority, when he was married, and settled first on a farm in Sherman Township. lie sojourned there a few years, then moved to a farm east of Nottawa, which he occupied about one and one-half years. Thence he removed to Sturgis and conducted a livery and sale stable about the same length of time; he then turned his attention exclusively to the buying and selling of horses one season. Next he embarked in the butchering business in Sturgis, at which he was occupied five years, finally exchanging the business for a farm in the vicinity of Crotch Lake, where he removed with his family and lived five years. Mr. Russell at the expiration of this time concluded to experiment upon the soil of Nebraska, and accordingly purchased a farm in HIarlin County, where he carried on stock-raising and agriculture four years, then sold out and returned to his native county. Ile now rented a farm in Bronson Township three years, then purchased land adjacent to the village, and occupied himself there at farming and stock-raising one year. Then selling out once more he purchased the property which he now owns and occupies. This embraces fifty acres of good land under thorough cultivation, and with its buildings, forms a remarkably snug homestead. The marriage of Andrew C. Russell and Miss Crysothemis Thurston was celebrated at the home of the bride in Colon Township, Dec. 13, 1861. This lady is the daughter of Marsena and Lovina (Washburn) Thurston, the latter of whom died April 15, 1885, at her home in Colon. Mr. Thurston survived his wife less than two years, his death taking place Jan. 7, 1887. They had a family of twelve children, eight of whom are living, and residents mostly of this county. Mrs. Russell was the fourth child of her parents, and was born in Colon Township, this county, April 1, 1842. She received her education in the common schools and remained with her parents until her marriage. Of her union with our subject there have been born seven children, one of whom, an infant son, Ierbert C., died when ten weeks old. The survivors are: Hector D., who married Miss Victoria Walker, and lives in Wabash County, Ind.; Clare A., Iffie I)., Rush, Carl W. and Cecil L. Mr. Russell while a resident of Nebraska served as Justice of the Peace, but cares very little for the honors of office. Ile cast his first Presidential vote for Lincoln, and since becoming of age has given his support to the principles of the Republican party. RS. ELIZA S. JACOX, of Nottawa Townl ship, owns and occupies a pleasant and ]]f/ I valuable homestead on section 24, where she took up her abode with her late husband in 1859. She is a lady numbered among the best people of St. Josel)l County. possessing more than ordinary intelligence and sterling worth of character. She was horn in Morris County, N. J., Nov. 14, 1821, and is the daughter of John and Mary (Viles) Snider, who were also natives of that State, where they were reared and married and where the father died in 1822. John Sniler was a farmer by occupation, made a comfortable living for his family, and possessed all the qualities of an honest man and good citizen. The mother after the deatl of her husband lived in New Jersey till 1832, then came to Michigan, where she spent her last days, dying in 1877, when about seventy-five years old. They were the parents of one child only, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Jacox was a maiden of seventeen when she took up her abode in this county. She was married at the residence of William Connors, of Nottawa Township, Jan. 8, 1838. to Harvey Jacox, who had come to Michigan with his parents when a small boy. He was born il Ontario County, N. Y., May 10, 1808, and after living in Michigan with his par 'i 1F~~la~sl~ns~sllle~~rr~~llllr~r~ IC~C"~b-C -~~~l ll~-CeobL4, ( - - v L -; — I Ir I —"I - %b)'W l" Mr llll-l e I I " 11r 131. -11111 II, ~-~l 3 III ONOII~I1 A ii -r 236 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I I I ents for a time returned to his native State, where he sojourned several years, then came to this county in 1837, of which he was a resident until his death, which occurred il 1883. He was a thorough and skillful farmer, and labored industriously many years to build up the homestead upon which his widow now resides, surrounded by all the comforts of life. The farm embraces 160 acres, and upon it are neat and substantial buildings, a tasteful residence, with a good barn and all the necessary structures for the shelter of stock and the storing of grain. The farm has been operated by improved machinery, and the cattle, horses and swine are of excellent description. To Mr. and Mrs. Jacox there were born the children whose record is as follows: Calista, the eldest daughter, is the wife of S. McMillan, of Colon; Eloise married Robert Schemerhorn, and lives in Nottawa; Isabell, Mrs. Edgar Chapman, is in Indiana; Frank, unmarried, remains at home with his mother; John J. married Miss Ada Shaffer, and is farming in Nottawa Township; Major also carries on agriculture in this township; Mary E. died when eight years of age; John died in infancy, and Walter is a promising young man of twenty-two years; William was fatally injured by the kick of a horse, which he only survived a short time; he was nineteen years old. Colonel died when a lad of thirteen years. among their neighbors and much esteemed. The names of the children are as follows: Alphus M., Daniel B., Reuben C., Eleazer J., Allen G., Susanna. The wife and mother departed this life in the month of July, 1846, the father surviving only until the following October, 1846. The subject of our sketch was born in Howard, Steuben Co., N. Y., on the 9th of March, 1834, and he was about twelve years of age when his parents moved West. After the death of his father he went to live with Mr. David Franklin, of the same township, where he remained for over three years, and then went to live with his brother Alphus, staying with him for about two years. Being eighteen years of age, he then started out in life for himself, obtaining a position where he could work on the farm by the month, continuing thus for eight years, working for the greater part of the time in Florence Township. Returning to Leonidas Township in December, 1860, Mr. Covey bought land and settled about half a mile north of the Grove school-house, where he made his home for about eight years, which were years of prosperity, then finding a good purchaser, he sold out. He bought eighty acres on section 29, to which he has added an additional forty acres. His life has been spent mainly in agricultural pursuits, and he is a thoroughly practical, enterprising and prosperous farmer. On the 2d of December, 1860, our subject entered into that relation which has brought him so much of the brightness and happiness of life, that being the day when he was united in wedlock with Miss Myra J. Bowers, at Constantine, this county. Miss Bowers was born in Washtenaw County, Mich., on the 19th of April, 1839, and is a daughter of John and Sarah (Wood) Bowers, who are natives of New York and Pennsylvania respectively. Their marriage has been consummated by the birth of three children, named as follows: S. Adelbert, who is now the husband of Cora Lewis, is one of the prosperous farmers of Leonidas Township; Sarah S., who is at home, and Ernest A., who met his death from injuries resulting from his horse running away while he was driving on the 24th of February, 1883. Ile went with his father to Colon with a load of hogs, and was holding the horses by G. COVEY, better known among the old i settlers and pioneers of Leonidas Township and the county generally as "Gill" Covey, has been a resident of the county for forty-two years. Allen Covey, his father, migrated with his wife and family, comprising six children, from Steuben County, N. Y., to this district in 1846, and settled in the above township. Here he took up eighty acres of land, for which he traded land in New York. The new home of the Covey family was situated on section 35, and afforded every opportunity for the exercise of both the theoretical and practical knowledge of agriculture, and not of that simply, but of the preparing of new land for the plow and after work. The family speedily became well known 990-im -la s 11 11,1 1 l, - - I; I I I ", I I.1 I, I I'l., ''I I.. I'll I. I I P-CC I ~-~ 11 1 ~.6 -iII,-qg J < -m1 9 i S I'. JOSEPH COUNTY. 237 l I i I I I I I q I Ii a i 4 4 1 I A I I,i I I I I I I I their heads when they took fright at the cars. It was sleighing time. He was dragged about thirty rods, and then the sleigh went over him, inflicting fatal injuries. I-e was picked up and carried home, where he died the following evening. Our subject and wife have taken much interest in the education of their children, believing it the best inheritance or fortune they could possibly give them. Sarah S. is a graduate of the Valparaiso College in the department of elocution, and is now a teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Covey are members in good standing of the Grange, P. of IT., and have been connected therewith fifteen years. They are much respected in the order, as they are also in society at large, where the sterling qualities that have always been exhibited in their lives and character have won for them thorough respect and esteem. -- RANCIS L. McKINDLEY, of Mendon Township, bears the proud distinction of having cast his first Presidential vote for Old Tippecanoe in 1840; with no less enthusiasm he voted for the grandson of the old warrior in November, 1888. He has thus rounded up a life of nearly seventy years, and from present indications has by no means outlived his usefulness. He is still the same kindly, genial and reliable man that he was thirty years ago, and numbers his friends by the score in this county, of which he has been a resilent for a period of over forty years. Our subject was cradled in the township of Galway, Saratoga Co., N. Y., where his birth took place July 3, 1817. His father, William McKindley, was also a native of that county, and he married Miss Martha McLean, who was born in Washington County, N. Y. Each (lied in the county of their birth, the father in 1823 and the mother in the summer of 1857. They were the parents of four children, and Francis L. was the third in order of birth. The others are all deceased. They located in their native State, and there passed away. Our subject spent his childhood and youth in the Empire State, occupying himself at the homestead with his grandfather until a youth of eightecn A _ years, acquiring in the meantime a common-school education. At the age of eighteen years he repaired to Balston Spa, and served an apprenticeship of two years at the trade of mason. This he followed for a number of seasons in his native county but in the spring of 1845 determined to cast his lot with tile pioneers of Michigan. Coming to this county he settled in Mendon Township, of which he has since been a resident. He first employed himself at his trade, and made his first purchase of land in the summer of 1845. Of this he is still the possessor, and has bent his energies toward its improvement and cultivation. He has good buildings, the requisite farm machinery and live stock, tihe typical apple orchard, and the other fruit and shade trees, all of which bear their part in the making up of the complete homestead. During thirty-six years of his life there has accompanied our subject as his most faithful companion and helpmate a most estimable lady, whose maiden name was Susan Reynolds, and to whom he was married May 6, 1852, at the residence of her parents in Mendon Township. Mrs. McKindley was born near the city of Troy, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., Nov. 20, 1826, and is the daughter of Nathaniel and Orelia (Bovie) Reynolds, who were also natives of the Empire State, and removed from Steuben County to Michigan in the fall of 1840. They settled upon a tract of new land in Mendon Township, this county, where they battled with the elements of a new soil and built up a comfortable homestead, on which they spent the remainder of their lives. Nathaniel Reynolds departed this life Feb. 25, 1851, and his estimable wife Aug. 2, 1854. They were the parents of nine children, of whom Mrs. McKindley was the eldest. Of her brothers and sisters twb are living, making their homes mostly in Washington Territory and Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. McKindley began their wedded life together under a modest roof-tree on their own farm, and have labored hand in hand through storm and sunshine to secure for themselves a competence for their declining years and attain to a worthy position among the people around them. They number their friends by the score in this county, which owes its development and prosperity to such as they, who permitted no difficulty to discourage aI aI a - - -~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~II -~~~11*~~~.IC ~I1 — ~ ----l~bg'I I-a -.r- I - 4-011~! j' I .f ---P.9-z III: 1 I I I Wn [.! 238 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I them, and who have done good as they had opportunity. To. Mr. and Mrs. McKindley there were born three children: William Francis, March 11, 1853; Mary A., July 20. 1854; John A., Feb. 10, 1866. The eldest son is single, and a resident of Kalamazoo; Mary d(ied Jan. 27, 1870, when an interesting maiden of nearly sixteen years; John A. is now a promising young man of twenty-three years. It is hardly necessary to state that he is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, and cast his first Presidential vote for Harrison. He was married, Dec. 12, 1888, to Vira A. Olds, of Athens. ILLIAM SHARER is a name well known and respected in St. Joseph County, not only because of what lie is but also on account of his parents. The property of this gentleman is situnted upon section 13 of Colon Township, and comprises 130 acres of carefully farmed land. He was born in Lyons. Wayne Co., N. Y., on the 1st of May, 1812; until he attained to man's estate he lived with his parents in his native county. He was reared upon a farm, and has therefore from earliest years been conversant with the daily happenings of such a life. and intimate with all the details of agricultural labor. In 1839 he went to Lenawee County, and located in Rome Township, where he bought a farm and continued to live for fourteen or fifteen years. In the spring of 1854 he removed to St. Joseph County, and settled on section 13, Colon Township, where he has been a resident ever since. The farm of Mr. Sharer includes some 130 acres, upon which he has expended much time, energy, intelligent effort and assiduous labor. Life has not been, and never can be, a continual May day to one similarly placed and of kindred disposition; not that it is without its sunshine or its brightness, but the sterner realities of life that are ever demanding attention have to be and are met faithfully and well. He has experienced all the hardships and trying situations incident to settlement in a new country and is familiar therewith, but is neverthe less rejoiced. as looking around lie sees the large progress made, the well-settled condition of country, the increase of wealth and power that has come to the community in the.course of years. The subject of our sketch was married, in Lyons, Wayne Co., N. Y., on the 22d of February, 1833, to Miss Lucinda Weed. This lady was born in Ft. Ann, Washington County, in the same State, on the 14th of August, 1814. There have come to their home eight children, seven of whom they have been permitted to bring to mature years, the other died in infancy. The names of those living are as follows: George W., Henrietta, Selick W., Lydia A., Mary, Harry C. and Thurlow B. George is residing in Cedar Springs, Kent County; Henrietta is now Mrs. William C. Houland, of Ovid, Mich.; Lydia is the wife of Byron B. Noyes, of Branch County; Mary is married to Oliver B. Culver, of the same county; Harry is in Chicago; Selick is in Colon and Thurlow at home. For twelve years our subject continued to hold the position of Commissioner of Highways, and is a member of Colon Grange, P. of H. In political circles he is not prominent, although at all times interested in the various questions before the people. He has always been a stanch Republican and an ardent worker for the party. He is a man of fine personal character, a good agriculturist, and a most worthy and capable citizen. The parents of our subject were representatives of that type of manhood and womanhood that has almost passed away and become obsolete since the revolution in civilization that resulted in the present never-ceasing, impetuous rush of life. His father, Henry Sharer, was a native of Maryland; the maiden name of his wife, the mother of our subject, was Elizabeth Berrock, who was born in the same State. Their first home was made in their native State, and there they continued to reside for some years, then they removed to Wayne County, N. Y. This migration was effected in the year 1810. They resided in this place until their removal to Michigan, where they settled in Rome, Lenawee County, and continued to live for the remainder of their days. They were widely known throughout the county, and in fact the entire settlement, and it is more than likely that the true............. _ __ I." __ _ B — d~Mm — m- - -~~I_ = " - I- — F _ 0 r,r~~r~ r "aB,w, W_ _ e _-T 'C _I _ — I- -- -— II --- — --- t - - -- - - a 4L14~1-.~ - '_,v..... ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 239 I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ domesticity, the large-hearted, generous hospitality which marked their home are what have given to our subject the desire, resolution and will to fashion his home after a similar plan. The parents of Mrs. Sharer were Selick and Temperance (Owen) Weed. Her father was born in Connecticut and her mother in New York. After their marriage they settled in Washington County, and afterward resided in Galen, Wayne Co., N. Y. After a happy wedded life of many years the time of parting that comes to all came to them. Sept. 29, 1853, the father and husband passed to his last resting-place, his wife departing this life on the 1st of August, 1849. DAM BOWER. The pioneer history of St. Joseph County will increase in interest as years pass by and the lapse grows longer @ between the early days and the present. Among the intelligent class of a community it is a matter of pride that their ancestors were enterprising and worthy citizens, and that they assisted in building up one of the greatest countries on the face of the earth. Thus is evinced the importance of preserving family history, which may be read in after years by coming generations; no man of forethought will give this matter a secondary place in his thoughts. The subject of this sketch came to Michigan during its Territorial days, and since that time has been closely identified with the interests of the people of this section. He has distinguished himself as one of the most useful citizens of St. Joseph County, having by his example of industry alone furnished a stimulus to his compeers and those who came after. Hle is the offspring of an excellent family, his father, John Bower, having been a substantial Pennsylvanian, a native of Schuylkill County. The mother, Mrs. Polly (Cline) Bower, was also a native of that county, where the parents were reared and married. Not long afterward they took up their residence in Cayuga County, N. Y. The mother died while a young woman, when her son Adam was but five years old. Mr. Bower spent his boyhood and youth in Union Springs, Cayuga Co., N. Y. His father came to this county in 1836, but only lived six years thereafter, his death occurring in the year 1844. Adam was the youngest of the family, which consisted of four sons and four daughters. He was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., Dec. 18, 1813, and early in life became familiar with the various employments of the farm. He was married in his native county, to whichl he had returned for that purpose, Sept. 8, 1836, and in March of the following year settled with his young wife upon the farm in Colon Township, where he has since labored with such excellent results. The first purchase of Mr. Bower was a tract of 160 acres, and the first dwelling which sheltered himself and his young wife was a log house. Mr. Bower possessed much mechanical genius, and the buildings thereafter erected were the work of his own hands, he doing not only the carpentering but the masonry. That first humble dwelling about 1858 gave way to a more commodious one. and of more modern style of architecture. The homestead as it now appears is second to none in the county, and the barns and out-buildings are especially fine, being amply adapted to the storing of grain and the shelter of stock. Mr. Bower by the exercise of incessant industry and economy in due time found himself on the highway to prosperity. With wise forethought he invested his spare capital in additional land, and is now the owner of 557 broad acres, the most of which he has brought to a good state of cultivation. Fifty-two years ago, on the 8th of September, 1836, Mr. Bower was married in Springport, Cayuga Co., N. Y., to Miss Hannah C. Richards, daughter of Simeon and Mary (Chitister) Richards, who were natives of New York, and spent the last years of their lives in Cayuga County, amid the quiet scenes of country life. Mrs. Bower was born in Ballston, Saratoga Co., N. Y., Sept. 4, 1814, and became the mother of two children, Simeon A. and John F. The elder son died in Colon Township, this county, April 3, 1874. The mother had died twenty-six years before, on the 6th of December, 1848. The father of our subject contracted a second marriage, Jan. 15, 1850, with Miss Mary E. Pitts. i I i i i I 000-11 - tl 4.. ur ----,rrp,,r,-l- 7I —~i-"T- -~ - --— ~~- I C-~MINIM I 11 I M 1 1 I I I'- molooll 11 I 11 I - go. --- C- — ~I 0; om34o j L op I/ Ekl(IIIIII L — llI-BCI~LI(~~I-II -~a —~-C 5- ~ Ll-~-~~ —4~-L-~~L~C - ~**\ 240 ST. JOSEP This lady was born in Onondaga County. N. Y.. Nov. 3, 1827. There were born of this union six children-Augustls L., Hannah E., James E., Louis A., William E. and Henry P. Augustus is a resident of Bronson, this State; Hannah (lied whep an infant of six weeks; James E. is a resident of Iron County, Mich.; Louis A. died in Colon, Sept. 27, 1857; William E. is a resident of Colon Township, andH-lenry P., of Leonidas Township. Mrs. Mary E. (Pitts) Bower died at the homestead in Colon Township, Oct. 25, 1881. Adam Bower was again married, in Mendon. this State, April 10, 1883, to Mrs. Amanda R. (Richards) Miner, widow of George Miner, who died in Porter Township, this county, in 1879. Mrs. Amanda Bower was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., March 1, 1835. and by her union with Mr. Miner is the mother of one child, a daughter. Mary P., who is now living at home. Mr. Bower, politically, votes the straight Republican ticket, and with his excellent wife is identified with Colon Grange, P. of H. lHe has never had any desire for the responsibilities of office although he has discharged the duties of some of those in his township. A man strictly attentive to his own concerns, he is one who long ago established himself in the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens, and ly his straightforward life and unquestioned integrity is ranked among the leading men of St. Joseph County. HAUNCY M. CLEVELAND represents real ( estate to the extent of 280 acres on sections 7, 19 and 12, in Colon Township, most of which is in a productive condition, and yields to the proprietor a good income for his labors as a tiller of the soil. He is a man possessing a great deal of perseverance and resolution-the legitimate inheritance from his substantial ancestry, who were people generally well-to-do and surrounded by the comforts of life. A native of Erie County, Pa., he was born April 12, 1831, and when a lad of thirteen years came with his parents to Michigan, they locating in Nottawa Township, this county. The father, Stephen Cleveland, was born in Otsego 'I COUNTY. County, Town of the Chestnuts, N. Y., in the year 1805, and married Miss Maria Sullivan, who was also a native of the Empire State. They remained residents there for a time, then removed to Pennsylvania, and later to Ohio, whence they came to Michigan. The mother was born in the State of New Jersey in 1806, and died in Nottawa Township, this county, Iec. 3, 1857. The father is still living, being now well advanced in years, and makes his home with his daughter, Jane Orton, near Three Rivers, in Lockport Township. To the parents of our subject there were born twelve children, of whom Chauncy M. was the fourth. Of the others, seven are living, and located mostly in Michigan and California. Chauncy M., like his brothers and sisters, became familiar at an early age with the employments of farm life, and was trained to habits of industry. He began also at an early age to lay his plans for the future, and when a youth of nineteen years left home and commenced working out by the month. After three years he returned to the parental roof-tree, and thereafter gave his father a good share of what he earned, and also contributed his labors for two years. Mr. Cleveland came to this county in the spring of 1844, and first occupied himself at driving and breaking team, and later in a general farming business. In the meantime he formed the acquaintance of one of its most estimable young ladies, Miss Saloma Engle, to whom he was married Nov. 1, 1855. This lady was born in Rochester, N. Y., Nov. 16, 1834, and is the daughter of George and Christina (Klipferstein) Engle, both of whom were natives of Alsace, France. They were married in 1823, and emigrated to the United States in 1827. They were for a time afterward residents of Rochester, N. Y., whence they came to Michigan Territory about 1836, and settled in Colon Township, where they spent the remainder of their lives, the father engaged in agricultural pursuits. lie lived to be fifty-one years old, his death taking place Jan. 21, 1851. The mother survived her husband thirtyseven years, remaining a widow, and departed hence April 1, 1888, having spent her last days with her daughter Saloma. To the parents of Mrs. Cleveland there were 0I ( I P I I I I I I~,_ __~ __ ~ —I lr IC~rrr~lrl~r~ --— ~~~w ? I I III ------------------- --- ---- - --- -- - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 24,1 -- born six children, four of whom lived to mature y ears, and Mrs. C. was the fourth of the family. Of her union with our subject there are two sons and a daughter: George, the eldest, married Miss Etta Avery, and is occupied at farming in Nottawa ITownship; Thomas married Miss Cora Blackwood, and lives in Colon; Jennie is the wife of A. II. Thurston, who is engaged in farming at Burr Oak, Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland began their wedded life in Colon Township, where they have since lived. In 1876 the first modest dwelling was replaced by a handsome brick residence, which, with its surroundings, forms a very attractive home. Mr. Cleveland, politically, votes the straight Democratic ticket, and as a business man and citizen is held in high esteem. Vi; ILLIAM LIGH THISER. The travelerpassI '\A ig through Leonidas Township cannot V \ fail to observe the farm of this gentleman, which lies on section 19, and embraces one of the finest homesteads in this part of St. Joseph County. The thoroughly cultivated fields yield bountifully the rich products of Southern Michigan. The residence and farm buildings are tasteful and substantial in architecture, and fulfill all the requirements of the modern ideas of farm life. The fields are neatly laid off, and the machinery, the live stock, in fact, everything about the premises, is creditable to the taste of the proprietor and indicative of ample means. The German element of Southern Michigan has done much in bringing it to its present enviable condition, and of this nationality the sulject of this sketch is a most worthy representative. He was born in Bavaria, Dec. 27, 1837, at the modest home of his parents near the town of Inchba, where the father was engaged in farming. About the time William reached his thirteenth birthday, the family had gathered together their personal effects and secured passage on a sailing-vessel bound for New York. After a voyage of thirty-seven days on the water they landed at their destination, and sooh after proceeded to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where tie father secured a tract of new land and *t.,^+..g~~ | ~_~~_ _~_~____~ ____ built up a comfortable homestead, upon which both parents spent the remainder of their days. To John and Catherine (Plosser) Lighthiser, the parents of our subject, there were born three children. William L., with the exception of two years spent in Stark County, was a resident of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, until the spring of 1883, and engaged continuously in farm pursuits. I-e was married in the latter county, March 14, 1868, to Miss Rebecca Leister, who was born Jan. 22, 1844. in Ohio. Of her union with our subject there were born six children, namely: John, William, Katie, George, Norah and Eda. Of these all are living and reside at home. Our subject after the outbreak of the Civil War enlisted, in September, 1861, in Company K, 51st Ohio Infantry, with which he (lid brave and faithful service until the close of the conflict in 1865. He first saw the smoke of battle at Stone River, and in the fight at Chickamauga was captured by the rebels, and taken first to Belle Isle, next to Libby Prison, from there to Danville, and finally to the dreaded stockade at Andersonville. In the latter he was confined for a period of seventeen months, enduring its horrors, which need not be recapitulated here, as they have become matters of history and familiar to the people of both continents. From Andersonville Mr. Lighthiser was transported with a number of his comrades to Charleston, S. C., and thence to Macon, Ga., where he was exchanged, and once more breathed the air of freedom. So great had been his sufferings from insufficient food, and that of the poorest quality, and the foul water he was compelled to drink, that he was scarcely able to stand upon his feet at the expiration of this time. He states that he knows of no words sufficiently forcible to express the scenes which he witnessed during that terrible time. He joined his regiment at Bull's Gap, E. Tenn., which was then a part of the Army of the Tennessee, and after his honorable discharge Was in the employ of the Government at Nashville for nine months. At the expiration of this time he returned to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, whence he went to Illinois at the date already mentioned. In 1882 he purchased 160 acres of land on section 12, in Leonidas Township, and has since added forty -c --- —l I - ~ ii ICIIIII'~1II1= III I II ILL4 slllllll - -- IWVP- --— qqww -l I i f._~e IC-CII 440- II '1 r r --- —-------— ll 242 v r ~ *a-* s,,. -JOSEPH COUNTY. 242 ST..OSEPH COUNTY. acres more, making 200, to which he has since given his time and attention, making many improvements, and fulfilling as near as possible his ideas of the complete home. He is a man prompt to meet his obligations, and his straightforward and upright character has secured him hosts of friends. AVID HAZZARD. There was a time when the landmarks of a white man in the i West were made by his ax upon the trees as he traveled, often alone, through the wilderness. Later he made himself known by his settlement, usually in a log cabin, when for miles around him lerhaps there would not be a man of his kind. There is nothing more interesting in this day and age than tracing the career of the pioneers who are now passing away, but the records of whom are being more religiously preserved as time goes on, and the distance between the past and the present seems to lengthen. These records in years to come will be greatly valued by generations now unborn, and will in part serve to do away with that melancholy feeling present with most men when the fear of death is absorbed by the greater fear of being forgotten. The subject of this sketch, one of the earliest pioneers of St. Joseph County, is a man who has built up for himself an admirable record, one which his descendants may revert to with pride in years to come. Although but little past his prime, he has witnessed remarkable changes within a period of thirty years, and has borne no unimportant part as a lifelong resident of Southern Michigan, assisting in its growth and development. He was born in Wayne County, Mich., April 5, 1828, and was but eighteen months old when his parents came to this county, taking up their residence in Nottawa Township in December, 1829. His father, William Hazzard, was a native of Vermont, and in early manhood was married to Miss Cassandra Coan, a native of Canada. In a few years after their marriage they emigrated to Wayne County, this State, during its Territorial days. Upon coming to St. Josepll County they located on land two miles northeast of the present site of Centreville, where the father followed farming amid the difficulties of life in a new settlement, and where both parents spent the remainder of their lives. William Hazzard departed this life in September, 1878, having survived the wife and mother eight years, her death taking place in February, 1870. The parental family consisted of fourteen children, seven sons and seven daughters, of whom David S. was the fourth in orderof birth. He was reared to manhood at the old homestead in Nottawa Township, where he resided with his parents until after reaching his majority. At the age of twenty-two his father gave him an undeveloped farm in Nottawa Township, upon which he labored one and one-half years, then exchanged it for a farm in Calhoun County, which was located in the vicinity of Athens, upon which he sojourned a period of seven years. Then selling out he returned to Nottawa Township, of which lie has since been a resident. Mr. Hazzard, in October, 1861, enlisted in Battery D, 4th Michigan Light Artillery, leaving in the course of six weeks with his regiment for Louisville, Ky. He subsequently took part in many of the important battles of the war: Perryville. Hoover's Gap, Stone River, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, and met the enemy in various other minor engagements and skirmishes. He also proved himself a brave and efficient soldier, enduring with his comrades hardships and privations, and at the expiration of his term of enlistment, feeling he had done his entire duty, he accepted his honorable discharge and returned home, having been mustered out at Louisville, Ky. In the meantime he had been married, April 4, 1850, to Miss Hulda A., daughter of Nelson and Jane (Austin) Wells. The parents of Mrs. Hazzard emigrated from Washington County, N. Y., to Washtenaw County, Mich., in 1840, living there a period of six years. Thence they came to Nottawa Township, where the father engaged in farming, and lived to be quite aged, his death occurring May 3, 1880. The mother had preceded her husband to the silent land seventeen years, her death taking place in May, 1863. To Mr. and Mrs. Wells there were born eleven children, of whom Mrs. Hazzard was the second. Her native place was Washington County, N. Y., I "O.-I _ -CC- -L ~ L —ll~lll IlllllllpPIII*~~~llllsIC- s1111~ll 1-~~-~~81 --— ~ 111111~1~~1III~IL~."Ydli-4RW I, '- I-T,", 41-1. I I ---.. -~-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ST. JOSEPH- COUNT'Y. 243 1 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 243 --- —— ~~~~~~~~~ t i i i i I i I I and the (late of her birth Oct. 1, 1833. She was a little girl of seven years when her parents came to Michigan, and has little recollection of any other home. She received careful home training and a common-school ed ucation, and occupies a good position among the pioneer wives and mothers of Southern Michigan. To Mr. and Mrs. Hazzard there have been born five children, the eldest of whom, Amanda A., is the wife of Byron D. Williamson, of Mecosta County; William N. married Miss Addie E. Davis, and lives in Nebraska; Effie C. is the wife of John Martin; Clara I)., Mrs. Simon Ely, lives in Sturgis; David E. is at home. Mr. Hazzard cast his first Presidential vote for Pierce, and being liberal and progressive in his id(eas, is now identified with the Union Iabor party, and has ever been found encouraging those enterprises calculated for the best good of its people. As a meml)er of the G. A. R., he belongs to David Oaks Post No. 135, at Centreville. IHe identified himself with the Masonic fraternity years ago, and is connected with Blue Lodge and Mt. Vernon Lodge, of Centreville. Both he and his estimable wife are members of Centreville Grange No. 76, P. of H. The Hazzard homestead embraces 120 acres of land, with substantial buildings, plenty of fruit and I shade trees, and the various appurtenances of the well-regulated country estate. In addition to this property Mr. Hazzard has eighty acres in Sherman Township. I 1N RS. REBECCA B. LIDDLE. This highly respected lady, who has been a resident of Colon Township for the last thirty-eight years, came to this county during its early settlement, and has had a pioneer experience which, could it be fully related in all its details, would make a good-sized volume. Possessing more than ordinary intelligence, and being of that energetic disposition which was so essential during the early times, she is enabled to look back upon a record filled in with useful labor and worthy deeds. Not only is she numbered among the pioneers herself, but is the daughter of the first settler of Matteson Township, Branch County, this State, Robert Wat son, who was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to Micliigan Territory when the cabins of the white men were few and far between. The father of Mrs. Liddle put up the first log house in the locality above mentioned, but before he was able to erect a cabin for himself was taken seriously ill, and obliged to lie in a wagon box with little attendance save an Indian physician. Finally it became necessary to place him under a roof, and he was taken away some distance to the residence of a Mr. Palmer, to which his wife also repaired in order to attend him. Greatly to their distress their children were left alone in the woods to take care of themselves as best they could. Robert Watson had married, in early manhood, Miss Martha Dawson, also a native of Pennsylvania, and after marriage they settled in Crawford County, Pa.; later they removed to Venango County, and from there in the year 1835 to Branch County, Mich. The father secured a tract of Government land in Mattteson Township, where they built up a comfortable home, and where the mother died in 1856. Mr. Watson contracted a second marriage, and lived upon the farm until becoming quite aged, then retired to the village of Colon, where his death took place Nov. 17, 1884. Of his first marriage there had been born four children, two sons and two daughters. Mrs. Liddle was the eldest child of her parents, and was born in Crawford County, Pa., Aug. 23, 1825. She was ten years old when her parents removed to Michigan, and she resided with them until her marriage with Gilbert Liddle, which occurred at her home, Aug. 5, 1847. She had received a limited education in the pioneer schools, and been taught those habits of industry and economy which were so essential in the early days. Gilbert Liddle was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., April 6, 1807, and was the son of John and Elizabeth Liddle, who were natives of New York, and spent their last years there. Upon leaving his native State Mr. L. migrated to Ietroit, Mich., and for a period of three years was employed as a lumberman on the Black River. In the year 1834 he came to this county and purchased a tract of land in Colon Township, where he lived and labored, until his death, which occurred July 16, 1884. He I i i i i I I I I I _wr I *F.-' WIMM-11-m 11 III -I II Mll I I ''- M - -- - - -7pp r _ _O1 Irl"-_; F I — -.16- I I NR Ln- t ob, go 244 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -- had improved a farm of 478 acres, and been a man prominent in his community and greatly respected by his neighbors. lie belonged to the Masonic fraternity, was a member in good standing of the Methodist Church, and distinguished himself as a liberal-minded and public-spirited citizen, ever willing to lend a helping hand to the enterprises of the people gathered around him. To Mr. and Mrs. Liddle there were born six children, of whom the record is as follows: Gilbert, Jr., is carrying on farming in Colon Township; Julia E. became the wife of George D. Liddle, and died at her home in Colon Township, April 30, 1887; Martha D. is the wife of Erastus Trubey, of Colon Township; Maria, Mrs. Frank Welty, lives in Hicksville, Ohio; Rebecca married George M. Sides, of Colon, and Watson II. is a resident of Kansas. Our subject was the second wife of her husband, Mr. Liddle having been first married to Miss Julia E. Matthews, who died in Colon Township in 1847. Of that union there were born three children, two sons and a daughter, the eldest of whom, Henry M., during the late war enlisted in Company 1), 25th Michigan Infantry, and died in the field hospital at Bowling Green, Ky., Feb. 28, 1863. The G. A. R. Post at Colon was named in his honor. He was a young man of great promise and beloved among his associates. The second son, Charles M., is carrying on farming in Sherwood Township, this county. ' The daughter, Iarriet, became the wife of H. D. Carr, and lives in Missouri. Charles Liddle also served in the army during the Rebellion as a member of Company D, 25th Michigan Infantry, from 1862 until the close of the war, fortunately escaping wounds and capture. These boys had inherited their patriotism from their father, who gave liberally of his means in aid of the Union cause, and who was an Abolition-' ist of a pronounced type. Many a fugitive found protection under his hospitable roof, and to whom he gave food and money and sent on their way rejoicing. In these sentiments he possessed a cheerful and hearty sympathizer in the person of his wife Rebecca, whose father also cherished a hatred of the peculiar institution, and from whom she had imbibed the sentiments of freedom and Union. Her brother, John Watson, also served as a Union soldier in the 4th Regiment, and yielded up his life for his country in the hospital at Stevenson, Ala., in 1864. When the 25th Regiment was encamped near Kalamazoo, Mr. Liddle visited the camp, and while there saw, market men peddling apples to the soldiers at an exorbitant price. IIis soul fired with indignation, and returning home he got ready a load of apples as soon as possible, which he conveyed to the boys as a free gift, and which it is hardly necessary to say they received with great enthusiasm. Mrs. Liddle sewed pockets in overcoats for twelve of the boys, and in each pocket placed a Testament. Both she and her husband during the progress of the war had many correspondents in the army, and did their utmost to cheer them in their hours of distress and danger. Their home was ever notable for the kindness and hospitality extended to both friend and stranger. The home of Mrs. Liddle is pleasantly situated in Colon Township, and there is living with her her son Gilbert. Mrs. L. identified herself with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for years has been one of its most cheerful and liberal supporters. The history of Colon Township would by no means be complete without the record of this lady, who was one of its earliest pioneers, and one of its best and most kind-hearted women.?ILLIAM B. LANGLEY, whose well-cultivated farm is situated on section 7 of Nottawa Township, was born in Germantown, Pa., upon land that is now included in the city of Philadelphia, on the 9th of January, 1823. His parents were Thomas W. and Margaret (Stigman) Langley. His father was born in the city of New York, and his mother in the State of Maryland. The family included eight children, the subject of our sketch being the eldest. He came with his father to this county in 1832, when but nine years of age, and remained with the latter in Centreville until the year 1847. tHe then settled in Nottawa Township on section 7. The subject of our sketch was variously employed obm —r -s - III i I NIM "0 0_ - I19~ J H -------------- l(^i~~ ~~ST. JOSEI until the removal with his father, but since that time he has given his attention wholly to farming. I-e is the owner of 215 acres of land under cultivation and in an excellent condition, well stocked, and provided with the various implements, etc., that are necessary to proper and scientific farming in modern days. Our subject and Miss Julia Y. R. Woodworth celebrated their wedding in Centreville July 25, 1847. Since that time, in spite of the cares, trials and difficulties of life that have come to them, the years have been fraught with much happiness to them. They are the parents of four children, viz: Margaret A., now the wife of Charles Woodworth, of Atchison County, Kan.; Nellie E., happily married to Frank H. Goodrich, of Grand Rapids; William P., who is married to Miss Mary Yauney, and resides at West Superior, Wis.; he is a graduate of the Michigan Agricultural College, and is Principal of the schools at the above place; and Major S., who was united in marriage to Ida M. Arthur, and resides in Norwalk. Mrs. Langley is a daughter of William G. and Amanda (Ostrand) Woodworth. Her father was born in Mayfield, Fulton Co., Mich., on the l th of March, 1797. Her mother was born in Dutchess County, N. Y. They settled in this county in the spring of 1844, making their home at Centreville. Mrs. Woodworth died at the house of our subject, in April, 1856. She was the mother of six children, of whom her daughter Julia, who was born on the 6th of May, 1842, was the eldest. Mr. Langley is a Notary Public, but has never held political office. Ile espouses the principles of the Republican party, and usually votes that ticket. R. ISAAC SIDES, a physician of Colon, is one of the most influential citizens of St. j j f K Joseph County, and a man of such varied talents that lie is prominent not only in its social, but also in its business circles. Tie also occupies a high place among his professional brethren, and for many years was the "beloved physician" in many a household, and, although he retired from i active practice four years ago, on account of other dwmbm-m am — w-:H COUNTY. 245 I1 COUNTY. 245 f business, yet he is often called upon to prescribe for his old patients and others. The Doctor was appointed Postmaster of Colon June 8, 1885, and July 1, 1885, he took charge of the office, under President Cleveland's administration, holding the office four years; he kept a very neat office, was prompt and efficient in the discharge of his duties, and was universally liked by the people. Dr. Sides was born in the city of Harrisburg, Pa., Jan. 7, 1820, being the elder of the two children of John and Jane (McNutt) Sides, the former a native of York County, Pa., and the latter of Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was a millstone maker, and it is remembered by some, even to this day, that he was not excelled in his calling. He accumulated a considerable property, but passed away in the midst of his usefulness, while in the very prime of life, when our subject was twenty-two months old. His wife, a most estimable woman, followed him in a short time. They were people of such integrity of character and good social standing that the highest respect was accorded them by all who knew them. They were both members of the Presbyterian Church. Their children were well provided for, and left under guardianship, Valentine Hummel becoming their son's guardian, and John Cameron, brother of ex-Senator Simon Cameron, of Pennsylvania, having charge of their dauohlter's property. The sister of our subject, Miss Martha Sides, is an esteemed resident of Millersburg, Pa., where she is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The paternal grandparents of our subject were natives of Adams County, Pa., and his grandfather served in the, War of 1812. The maternal grandparents of our subject were natives of Scotland, and coming to this country in Colonial times settled in Pennsylvania, where they spent the remainder of their lives. The early years of the life of our subject were passed with his mother's sister, Miss Sarah McNutt, of Millersburg, Pa. When he was nine years old he went to Lewistown, Pa., to the home of his aunt, Mrs. Mary Melsheimer, with whom he lived until he was seventeen years old, receiving in that town an excellent classical education in the academy, from which he was graduated at the 'age of eighteen,,-A - --- 011111,-.... sopIIL-~III-I -L ----- - lt -l*~l ~ &111~1 -'i * - I I r -it I0t4 lrIIII-0 --- —------------------- -1 1 246 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. — " --- years. He purposed to enter the medical profession, and had been improving his time in reading medicine and teaching school, and, after availing himself of the counsel and instruction of Dr. Thomas Worall, a physician of note and surgeon in the army, he entered a medical college when he was twenty years old. While residing at Harrisburg, Pa., the Doctor was married, March 18, 1841, to Miss Elizabeth Strunk, of Granville Township, Mifflin Co., Pa., and a native of Lancaster County, that State. She was born March 28, 1818, to George and Susan (Golden) Strunk, being the second in order of birth of their twelve children, eight boys and four girls. Her parents were natives of Lancaster County, Pa., and early settlers of Mifflin County, where her father carried on his trade of miller, at which he was an expert. After the building of the Pennsylvania Canal he acquired a great amount of property, bought a farm in Granville Township, and resided thereon a number of years; afterward he removed to Reedsville of the same county, bought a mill property and resided there until his death. Dr. Sides came to Michigan June 26, 1856, to secure a location, and in October of the same year he returned East for his family; he arrived at Colon Nov. 29, 1856, where he commenced the practice of medicine. The beloved wife of our subject departed this life June 27, 1885, after suffering from consumption some twelve or fourteen years, dying at the age of sixty-seven. She was a great aid to her husband, assisting him in his practice. She was a lady of great intelligence, a great reader and was well informed, and especially was she a student of the Bible. She was a woman of so beautiful and benign a character that none, either young or old, knew her but to love her, and especially among the poor, who have been the recipients of her benefactions, is her memory held in reverence. She was prominent in religious and social circles in this community, being an active member of the Presbyterian Church, and was one of the leading members of the Daughters of Rebecca, I. 0. O. F., in which organization she passed the chairs of the several offices in the lodge. She was a great lover of flowers, and in her later years passed many pleasant hours in her beautiful garden; she was connected with the Floral, Horticultural and Art Organization. The friends of such a woman can well echo the thoughts of the poet when he says: " 'Tis hard to take this burden up, When she has laid it down; She brightened all the joys of life, She softened every frown. But oh! 'tis good to think of her WVhen we are tempted sore! Thanks be to God that such have been, Although she is no more! " More homelike seems that vast unknown, Since she has entered there; To follow her were not so hard, Wherever she may fare; She cannot be where God is not, On any sea or shore; Whate'er betides Thy love abides, Our God, forevermore." The happy wedded life of our subject and his wife was blessed to them by the birth of three children, two of whom are living: Juniata E., and George Mosheim, of whom a sketch will be found in this volume. Charles died in Lewistown, Pa., at the age of ten months. Juniata E. became the wife of E. S. Schermerhorn, Nov. 16, 1869. He is finely educated, was a student of Albion College, and for seventeen years he was in the employ of the Government as a postal clerk, from 1871 to 1888. He passed the best examination of any of the clerks at that time, and was very efficient in the service. Mr. Schermerhorn was a soldier during the Civil War, and was captured at the battle of Petersburg, Va., and taken prisoner to Libby, and afterward transferred to Salisbury, N. C., whence he was exchanged, and afterward re-entered his regiment. He served his time out and was honorably discharged; he still suffers from a disease that he contracted in prison. He at one time taught school. IHe is in good circumstances, and now devotes his time to raising fine blooded stock in Colon. Dr. Sides is one of the leading members of the Democratic party, and has taken a very active part in politics. lie is friendly to all church organizations, and contributes liberally to their support. The use that he has made of his means is sufficient proof that he has labored for no selfish purpose; he is ever the friend of the needy, and his generous en 4lL E i.40 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~II I1~ —~-c c ----c --- dbakl —Nn-,Iq 1 --- ",_ 6 noi ii' ppp T A I - I —, — — I I.-. i IRWIW ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 247 { f I I i couragement is given to every worthy cause and enterprise. The Doctor is prominently identified with various social organizations of St. Joseph County and the State, as he was also formerly in Pennsylvania, joining the Odd Fellows Nov. 29, 1843, and becoming a Mason in 1854, since which time he has been a zealot in both orders, and has contributed mucll money and time in building up the many societies with which lie has been identified. Hle is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., from Subordinate to Sovereign Grand Lodge of the United States, and lie has held many of the most important offices in different lodges. HIe was Grand Master of the State in 1871, Grand Warden in 1869, Deputy Grand Master in 1870, and was Representative to the Sovereion Grand Lodge for two I years, 1872-73. He was active in organizing the lodge here. He was a charter member of his lodge in Pennsylvania, was Deputy Grand Master and Deputy Grand Patriarch, 1). 1). G. M. of Kisho Quillas Lodge No. 184, I. 0. 0. F.; was 1). D. G. P. and a member of Juniata Encampment No. 19, I. 0. 0. F., of Lewistown, Pa., and member of the Grand Lodge and Grand Encampment of Pennsylvania. The Doctor, in 1864, joined the I. 0. O. F. at Three Rivers, Excelsior Lodge No. 80, with which he was connected for a few years. April 16, 1866, he, with others, helped to organize the Dennis Lodge No 96 1.. 0. F., at Colon, and he was the first N. G., the first D. 1). l). M., and also first Representative to the Grandc Lodge of the State, representing the lodge for several years in the Grand body. Ile withdrew from the Juniata Encampment and joined the Dennis EIncamlpment No. 19, at White Pigeon. of which lie remained a member for a number of years, until the institution of Curtis Encampment No. 39, 1. O. 0. F., at Three Rivers, being one of the charter members, was first C. P. and first D. l). G. P., and was first Representative to the Grand Encampment of the State. IIe was the means of instituting the Daughters of Rebecca, Elsie Lodge No. 3, I. 0. 0. F., and he was the first presiding officer, N. G., first Deputy and D. ).. G. IM. is wife was also an active member of the society. The lo(dge was organized with twenty-six charter members, ladies and gentlemen. The Doctor is also identified with the A. F. & A. M., as we have before mentioned, and the recipient of all the rights of the Mystic Shrine, including the thirty-two degrees. Dr. Sides was also one of the originators of tle Floral, Horticultural and Art Association, which was organized by several ladies and gentlemen, Oct. 8, 1876. It is an incorporated organization, and our subject is Chairman of the Board of Directors, while his daughter, who has the finest floral collection in Southern Michigan, was President of the association for six years, and is also President of the Woman's Relief Corps. Its members give an annual exhibition, and connected with it an entertainment of the best talent that can be found in the country. They own their own outfit, and have a nice fund on interest. OSES R. DRAPER is a worthy son of one of St..Joseph County's first settlers and, most esteemed citizens. His farm is situated on section 29 of Colon Township, and includes forty acres. His parents are Hiram and Calista Wilcox Fay Draper. (See sketch of MIr. Hiram Draper.) Ile was born in Colon Township upon the old homestead of his father on the 16th of August, 1843, and was there reared to manhood. -Iis education was received in the common schools, and his training for his closen occupation was received upon the home farm. Quite early in life were simple (luties assigned lim and tasks suited to his youth imposed u pon him. Starting in life for himself, our sulbject engaged in agricultural pursuits, taking landl of his own, and it was not long before lie ladi a comfortable farm dwelling, tle usual oult- uildings for farm purposes, and was proceeding well with the work of cultivating his fields. Hre is a manu who is essentially thorough in everything he undertakes, and his farm has been attended to year after year in accordance witl that fixe(l principle, and has been to him perhaps the more profital)le on that account. The subject of our sketch was married at the old homestead on the 17th of April, 1864. His wife was born in Cumberland County, Pa., Feb. 25, 1840. They are the parents of two children, who I 0 "00~ _~~~qbr ~ I -1 -- - -- -~ -~ — in Iloilo Ir -, I1 -C- III III r.,to ME _ --- —~ - C — "IIW —I I~ i -" 7 ,L.lia mk 94-.. sorp Imm-~llllll111 a~~_~~ ll -~~I CLCI~- -L-~__C% -PI - - W I i - P a — 1g 4 L, 248 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 2 48STJOEH OUT bear the names of Calvin H. and Calista B. The former is engaged as a druggist at Wells, Minn., and is a graduate of Parsons' Business College at Kalamazoo; the latter is at home. Until the year 1886 our subject was more or less engaged as his father's chief helper. Then he bought a nice farm of forty acres on section 29, where he still resides, which, although not the largest. is in point of producing power equal to any in the county, if it does not surpass them. Our subject and wife occupy a high place in the esteem of those who know them best, and are respected in the community. They are members of the Methodist Church in good standing. Mr. Draper is a member of the Self Protection Association, of Burr Oak, and in matters political the Republican party has long counted him as one of its firm adherents. t LBERT H. PATRIDGE, an aged citizen of Leonidas Township, came to this county in 1833, and during the following summer was employed as a carpenter on the old Burr Oak Exchange Building in the town of Cen treville. Michigan was then a Territory, and a goodly proportion of the population were afflicted with the old-fashioned ague, which claimed our subject also as one of its victims. On account of this he returned as far East as New York State, where he had previously lived. A native of New England, our subject was born in the little city of Barre, Worcester Co., Mass., Jan. 19, 1811. He has thus more than spanned his threescore years and ten. He continued a resident of the Bay State until twenty years of age, then made his way to the city of Boston, and was employed in the capacity of tollman on the ferry running between the Hub and Chelsea. He was occupied thus for six months, then returned to his native town, which, however, he left soon afterward for Ontario County, N. Y. There he located in Naples, and was employed at cabinet work until starting for Michigan in 1832. After his contract in connection with the Exchange Building had terminated, he returned to Naples, N. Y., where he had a brother residing, and for three years there after was employed at cabinet work in that locality. In 1833, having not yet recovered from his Western fever, he returned once more to this county, with the determination of making it his future home. He soon secured possession of a tract of land embracing the present site of the Grove school-house in Leonidas Township, and there lived about four years, employed as a carpenter and joiner. Next he removed to Centreville, was employed in a cabinet-shop several months, then returned to Leonidas, and at that place and Factoryville followed his trade for several years. On account of rheumatism, however, he determined upon a change of occupation, and located on a tract of wild land on section 3, in Leonidas Township, where he has since lived. The country at that time was mostly wilderness, and Mr. Patridge, imbued with the genuine pioneer spirit, began to wrestle with the soil and build up a homestead. He has nearly 100 acres of his land under a good state of cultivation, and a good set of frame buildings, including a comfortable residence, a good barn, and the other structures required for his convenience and the successful prosecution of his calling. Mr. Patridge was first married in Leonidas Township, this county, to Miss Versilda D. Pierce, who became the mother of one child, a daughter, Lavina, who is now the wife of William McCoy, and lives with the subject of our sketch. The mother died in 1848. Our subject in 1850 contracted a second marriage, with Mrs. Cornelia (Noyes) Eggleston, widow of Nathaniel H. Eggleston, who died Dec. 24, 1846, and daughter of Samuel and Jane B. Noyes. Her parents were natives of Connecticut and Vermont respectively. Of her union with our subject there have been born four children: Julia I., the eldest, is at home with her parents; Martha J. is the wife of Truman Percy, of Vicksburg, this State; Mary E., Mrs. Emmett Thomas, lives on a farm in Leonidas Township; James A., the second born, was married and located upon a farm, where his death took place Dec. 5, 1877. Our subject, politically, uniformly votes the Democratic ticket. Although perhaps not the hero of any astonishing event, he has pursued the peaceable career of an honest and law-abiding citizen, and has thus added to the morality and well-being 11 4 i II I i I II i i j — g -40 —. dmi- I l El I, I l III 11 In, M I' 'l" I -11, I -- --811~IUIIIIIIIBeaarP~r~lsllLII~ 1~11 ----~a*111111~ ----~C- ---~l —~ ---- L _s-9 — m I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 249 of his community, who hold him in respect, and give him due credit for his industry and his wellordered life. Mrs. Patridge had one son by her first marriage, William H.; he died in Andersonville Prison in 1864. I[1 ENRY GEMBERLING is an enterprising -- farmer an(l stock-raiser, residing on section 1, Fabius Township. His is one of the best () managed farms in this locality, and its finely tilled acres, neat and well-kept buildings, un surpassed by any others in the township, are sure indications that he is a practical, thrifty, industrious man. Mr. Gemberling was born in Snyder County, Pa., May 22, 1833, and is the son of Philip and Susan (Erhhlart) Gemberling, natives of Pennsylvania. Our subject was reared on a farm in his native State, and thus acquired a good knowledge of agriculture in all its branches. Iis opportunities for an education, however, were limited, but in after years he acquired much through the exercise of his keen observing powers, and is to-day a well-informed man. He remained an inmate of the parental household, assisting his father in the management of his farm, until about the time of his marriage, when he started out in life to built up a home for himself and his bride. His marriage with Miss Elvina Picard took place Dec. 18, 1855. She is a native of Snyder County, Pa., and a daughter of Raphael and Rebecca (Martz) Picard, natives of Germany and Pennsylvania respectively. About a year after his marriage Mr. Gemberling moved with his wife to Ohio, and there carried on farming in Seneca and adjoining counties for about four years. Iie then came to this State, attracted hither by the fine farmiDng country embraced within the limits of St. Joseph County, hoping on its rich, alluvial soil to be enabled to pursue his chosen occupation with still better financial results than had heretofore rewarded his assiduous labors. He first settled on a place now known as the Schurtz farm, on which lie lived with his family and carried on agriculture with a good degree of success for some seven years. After the death of the owner of the place, Frederic Schurtz, Mr. Gemberling bought a part of the farm which he had been renting. I-e was enabled to do this only by the practice of the closest economy and a wise and shrewd management of his affairs, as at that time he had met with some heavy losses in cattle and horses. He had also had to pay out $300 for a substitute, as he was drafted, and was unable to leave home under the existing circumstances. His farm was provided with a little log house, and in that humble abode he and his family lived for one year, when he commenced building the substantial and commodious dwelling in which they now make their home, and to erect the other conveniently arranged farm buildings that now adorn his place. His land is under excellent tillage, and is also well adapted to stock-raising, to which lie pays much attention. The wedded life of our subject and his good wife has been blessed to them by the birth of six children, as follows: Susan, Ellen; Lizzie, now Mrs. Martin Brown, of Three Rivers; Emma, Katie and Clara. Mr. Gemberling has taken a great deal of interest in educational matters, anxious not only to secure to his own children opportunities of attending good schools, but to have all in the neighborhood to enjoy the same high privilege, and he has served acceptably on the School Board for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Gemberling are members of the Reformed Church, of Three Rivers. Their kindness and helpfulness toward others have won for them the regard of their fellow-citizens, and in every respect they are well worthy of representation in this ALBUMI. A I - - -- - - - ( -;I , -- -- J1 RAM PULVER, a prominent and extensive farmer and stock-raiser, residing on a< 'section 2, Fabius Township, well represents ($ those interests in St. Joseph County. He is a keen, enterprising, far-seeing man, of rare energy and stability of character, and to these traits he owes his success in life, as he commenced to make his own way in the world with no other capital than a clear brain and brawny muscles, and from that time to this he has never borrowed a dollar w P~~i~~s~~L~~l --- —--—. —~lab~~~~~~~~pll~*13ar~-00 _s ar — 7-T - t.1 b ML ~~~r~~~L ---"-" --- —-----------— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -— _ --- --— ~ ~ ---- ----- — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- -- *Pop I 1 1. II 'm 111 11 C11d~qo_1 ~ I~~lt ~ 1 I F 250 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. --- —-------— from any one, but has himself unassisted made all that he owns. Mr. Pulver was born in Yates County, N. Y., Feb. 11, 1827, being the second child in the family of eight born to Wandle and Ann (tIiserodt) Pulver. His parents were of Dutch origin, and natives of Dutchess County, N. Y. In 1828 they removed with their children to Wayne County, N. Y., where the elder Pulver became actively engaged in farming. Hiram Pulver was reared in Wayne County, N. Y., and there he lived until his twenty-second year. Iis boyhood days were passed on a farm and in attending the district school, where he acquired a fair education. IIe was married, in February, 1850, to Miss Emily King, and soon after. his marriage started by the Panama route for California, where he hoped to obtain a fortune for himself and his young wife. IIe remained in the "Golden State" twenty-one months, and during that time he accumulated about $2,000 worth of gold. With this he returned to his old home in New York, having resolved to devote himself to farming, and lie there bought fifty-two acres of land. In February, 1852, after a brief married life of just two years, his wife departed this life, leaving one child, WVandle, who is now married, and lives on one of his father's farms. In 1853 Mr. Pulver resolved to dispose of his property in New York, and try farming on the rich alluvial soil of Michigan, wlich Iiad not been worn out by many years of cultivation. Carrying his resolution into effect, lie located in St. Joseph County, having bought a farm in Fabius Township. -He lived here and improved and tilled his land assiduously for some years. In the fall of 1865 he sold out and moved to Cass County, where he bought over 200 acres of land where Marcellus Centre now stands. He immediately, with characteristic energy, employed himself in removing the forest trees from it and getting it ready to cultivate. In 1869, however, lie again sold out, and then came to his present place of residence. By a judicious investment of his hard-earned money lie has greatly increased his property, and the extent of his farms and his landed estate now amounts to 355 acres in different parts of the county. Ile has erected good, substantial buildings, has his land under the best of culture, and everything about his estate that is under his direct management indicates that as a practical, methodical agriculturist there are but few, if any, in this county that can surpass him. Mr. Pulver was married to his present wife, who has ably seconded his efforts to gain a competence, in October, 1855. Her maiden name was Lucina Brody. By this marriage there have been born two children: Louis Kinney, who lives with his parents, and Alma, who died at the age of twentyfive. As a prompt, sagacious, wide-awake business man, Mr. Pulver wields considerable influence in this community, and his fellow-citizens, realizing that his counsels in the administration of public affairs would be of inestimable value, have repeatedly urged him to accept office, but although he is liberal and public-spirited to a degree, yet he utterly refuses to accept any civic position, except that of Pathmaster, and that only because he likes to have good roads, and it is especially due to his exertions that Fabius can boast of as fine highways as are to be found in any township in St. Joseph or surrounding counties. In his political views Mr. Pulver is a "straight-out" Democrat, and does what he can to promote the policy of his party. / EORGE SMALL. In the present biography ( i7 s offered in compendious form the history of the ex-Supervisor of Colon Township, and in that connection very favorably known in the county, a man respected among his fellows, and having an influence which is carefully exercised among them. The father of this gentlemnan was Charles Small, who was born in the county of Kent, England. His mother, who was born and brought up near the home of her husband, was prior to her marriage Miss Louisa Else. They were married and settled in their native county, making their home there until the year 1853. Actuated with the desire to know more of the great Western Continent, which at some time or another seems to seize every enterprising, progressive and ambitious spirit, they I -- Obo -I -- q~11 qpvp~-"Rp L A f - - EsY~~LC I~ - ~-~~-1~-I -— C — I- 1 -I- - C -iI I-I ~I s- C T^OP1 - p 9 - - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 251 determined to come to this country. This they did in the year 1853, settling in Springfield, N. Y.; in 1864 they came to Michigan and located at Clayton, in Dover Township, whence they removed to Camden, in Hillsdale County, the same State, where the father died in 1874. His wife still survives. The family of which our subject is a member included fourteen children, of whom George was the fourth child born. He was also born in Kent, the day of his nativity being the llth of March, 1830. He was reared upon a farm and has been more or less connected with agricultural life ever since. He (lid not leave England until 1849, then went to tlie home at Springfield. After that lie remained with his parents until the spring of 1868, when he came to this county and settled in Colon Township on section 9, where he purchased 120 acres of land upon whicl hle has since been a resident. The marriage of our sulject was celebrated upon the 22d of February, 1854, at Springfield, Oswego Co., N. Y. The maiden of his choice was Miss Mary E. Waldby, daughter of Richard and Leali (Sitts) Waldby. Tils was a Yorkshire family; ler parents had settled il Springfield, N. Y., and afterward removed to Minden, Montgomery County. They were the parents of tlree children, tleir daughter Mary being the eldest. She was born at Springfield, N. Y., on the 20th of February, 1835. There has been given to our subject and wife one clild, who received the name Marion E. She is now the wife of Martin C. Blanchard, of Colon Township, and is the mother of five children, wlose names are as follows: Lewis V., Clifford G., Hurla E., Roy F. and Lula G. Mr. Small has held the office of Supervisor of Colon Township for tlree years, and that of Drain Commissioner for two years, besides several school offices. In politics lie is a stanch and active member of the Republican party, and has always acknowledged allegiance thereto. He is a man of large interests in the welfare of the county, and has always exhibited anxiety to further the interests thereof. Mr. and Mrs. Small are members in good standing of the P. of H., in which both are at all times cordially received. Mrs. Small is a lady who has always been very careful to support the relations sustained in the domestic circle in a manner that is indeed most enviable where a similar condition of things does not exist, although it is patent that the cause is tle same that led her to link her life with our subject. Mrs. Small's grandfather, Henry Sitts, was a Captain in the Revolutionary War and helped to capture Capt. Brant. the Indian chief who was so extensively engaged in the massacre of the white settlers. HARLES T. ENGLE, a son of one of the earliest pioneers of Nottawa Township, was born upon the homestead where he now resides June 20, 1847. Here he has always lived, and( it is hardly necessary to say that it possesses for him far more than a moneyed value. The farm itself is one of the finest in this part of the township, having undergone a process of thorough cultivation, and is 146 acres in extent. The buildings are convenient and substantial, and meet all the requirements of the modern and plrogressive agriculturist. Thomas Engle, the father of our subject, was born in Livingston County, N. Y., where he spent the years of his infancy and early youth and manhood, and was married to Miss Sarah Rynearson, who was born in Susquehanna County, Pa. Soon after uniting their lives and fortunes they (lecided to cast their lot with the pioneers of Michigan Territory. In 1830 the grandfather of our subject, Jonathan Engle, secured a tract of wild land now embraced in the present homestead. and comprising a portion of section 9. His neighbors were few and far between, and wild animals of all kinds abounded. After his marriage Thomas Engle moved into the first school-house built in the township, in which the subject of this sketch was born, and proceeded after the manner of the early settlers to till the soil and build up a home. He endured his full share of the difficulties and dangers which then beset the people of that region, but was amply prepared for the emergency, being of courageous heart and stout muscle, and in time his labors met with their legitimate reward. The parents occupied the homestead thus built up until the death of the father, which occurred Feb. 14, 1875. The mother subsequently No' -vp- II I III Y -~ --- I I1~ 11 -~ I - 9 f-., -I I -- 111~-l —~ - ~ 1~~~ --- - ~ ~ loop," m 9 16 —~- ----- I-. I- -- - L9 L 1~I - - -~~11-~clC ii FM ip~ fl\ RV k 252 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 252 ST OEH ONY went with her daughter and lived in Centreville, where her death took place April 29, 1887. To Thomas and Sarah Engle there were horn five children, two sons and three daughters, namely: Watts A., Charles T., Georgie A., Eva C. and Rosa. Of these three are living and all residents of this county. Charles T. was the second son and child, and spent his boyhood and youth in common with his brothers and sisters, assisting as he was able in planting, sowing and reaping, and acquiring a limited education in the pioneer school. When about thirty years old, thinking he would like a change of occupation he engaged in the livery business at Centreville, but one year of this satisfied him and he returned to the pursuits of agriculture, which he has since closely followed. The subject of this sketch was born June 20, 1847, and when twenty-two years of age began the establishment of a home of his own. On the 30th of August, 1869, he was married to Miss Grace M., daughter of Dr. A. B. and Lucy (Burrell) Hale, of St. Joseph County. Mrs. Engle was born on the 19th of March, 1851,in Calhoun County, Mich., and remained under the home roof until her marriage, receiving careful training from her excellent parents and a common-school education. Her parents were natives of New York and Massachusetts, and spent their last years in Kalamazoo County, Mich. Mr. and Mrs. Engle have no children. Mr. E. takes very little interest in politics, but when casting his vote at the general elections indicates his preference for the principles of the Democratic party. Hle is bearing in a most worthy manner the mantle of his honored father, and keeping up the estate in the old-time thorough and profitable manner. '-. HIJEODORE W. ROYS. The subject of this biography occupies no unimportant position aamrong the leading men of St. Joseph County. those who have contributed to its development, and who by their own industry have set an example worthy of imitation, and by their intelligence drawn around them a class of people who are a credit to any community. Mr. Roys owns one of the most beautiful homesteads in Nottawa Township, the farm being embellished with fine improvements in the shape of buildings, and the dwelling with its surroundings especially attractive. The hand of industry is apparent on all sides, while the home is replete with those evidences of taste and culture which are so pleasing to the eye, and which indicate the degree in which civilization has crept westward. In reverting to the life history of an individual it is natural to glance back to those from whom he drew his origin. Our subject is the son of Truman and Eunice (Whitemore) Roys, who were natives of Connecticut, where they were reared and educated. They were married in New York, and settled in Onondaga County, where the father secured a tract of land, and engaged in farming the balance of his life. He died at the old homestead in Onondaga County in middle life, about 1839. The mother survived her husband a period of thirty-six years, remaining a widow, and departing this life at Marcellus, Onondaga Co., N. Y., in 1875. The parental household included two sons and six daughters, five of whom are living. Mr. Roys was the third child of his parents, and was born at the homestead in Onondaga County, N. Y., not far from the town of Otisco, May 6, 1829. He was a lad only ten years of age at the time of his father's death, and was then taken into the home of his maternal grandparents, with whom he lived until a youth of sixteen years. About that time the death of his grandfather occurred, and afterward Mr. Roys worked out upon farms in the vicinity of the old home, and remained a resident of his native county until coming to Michigan in 1854. He was then a man of twenty-five years, but still unmarried, having resolved to lay the foundation of a competence before taking upon himself the responsibilities of a family. The bachelor days of Mr. Roys, however, ended Dec. 19, 1855, when he was united in marriage with one of the most estimable ladies of this county, Miss Mary Renner, daughter of Daniel and Rebecca Renner, and sister of Mrs. Charles King, a sketch of whom will be found on another page of this volume, together with the parental history. Mrs. Roys was born in Union County, Pa., Nov. 8, 1833, and came to Michigan with her parents when a child. Of her union with our subject there have i. ~~~ILLII(I ~~~~~~~~~~111~~~~~~1 1111~~11.-44 V-. i__ — ~ --- —--— ~~ --— '~~~'~ — -----------— ~ ----~-~I~ -~* --- —------ ~ I~~'~-"' "'""li~~l — -- - I-ibk I ST. -JOSEPH COUNTY. 253 ST..JOSEPII COUNTY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.23 been born two children, one of whom, Ida E., died when thirty-one years old. This daughter had always lived at home, performing her fillial duties in a most endearing manner, and her death was a heavy blow to the stricken parents. She was greatly beloved by the people of her community. possessing more than ordinary intelligence and amiability of disposition. Their only son and child, William B., was born in 1858, and lives at home with his lparents. I Mr. Roys began the building up of his homestead in 1862, with a capital of $300. In looking upon his surroundings to-day, it must be confessed that 3 e has employed his time to excellent advantage, i and been remarkably fortunate in his investments. The homestead embraces 113 acres of good land, which has been brought to a fine state of cultivai tion, and all the improvements have been made by | the present proprietor. Mr. Roys is a man held in high regard by his fellow-citizens, is thorough and skillful as a farmer, prompt and reliable as a busin ess man, and in short, possesses all the qualities of a valued member of the community. OSEPII ORVIS WARREN, whose residence is in Nottawa Township, is a gentleman widely and favorably known throughout this section of St. Joseph County, and recognized as among its most intelligent citizens, thoroughly educated and being possessed of more than ordinary ability, The younger years of his manhood were employed principally as a teacher, in which profession he excelled, meeting with more than ordinary success. He has always been fond of rural life and its pursuits, loving the pleasures and employments of the country, and is now located on a snug homestead of forty acres on section 25, where he has erected good buildings, makes a specialty of market gardening, and is in the enjoyment ai ~of all the comforts and many of the luxuries of 1830, and is the son of Albert and Emory (Hildreth) Warren, the father a native of Vermont and the mother of Connecticut. They were married in X Ia l e:, o i Brandon, N. Y., and settled at Malone. same State, where they lived a few years, then turned their faces toward what was then the Far West, going into Illinois, where the father had taken up a Government claim previously, settling among the earliest pioneers of that region, when their neighbors were few and far between. The journey of the parents of our subject from the Empire State to Illinois was made with an oxteam, and was necessarily lengthy and tedious. On the road Mr. Warren was induced to exchange his Eastern money for some of the "wild-cat" currency of Michigan, which was practically worthless, and on account of this mistake he was unable to go as far as he had at first intended, stopping in the embryo town of Monroe, where he engaged in farming, and lived there about three years. In 1837 he came into St. Joseph County and took up a Government claim of 160 acres in the vicinity of which is now situated the town of Mendon. Nearly all the members of the family were afflicted with the ague, and Mr. Warren was obliged to part with his team of oxen in order to pay the doctor. Amid these discouragements he abandoned his claim, and removing to Centreville secured employment as turnkey at the old log jail, which was, about 1836, destroyed by fire. He got his house rent free for his services in taking care of the jail. He was considerable of a mechanic, and by carpentering and cobbling was enabled to keep hunger from the door. He finally built up a very good business, giving employment to several men i! the manufacture of boots and shoes. His was the only establishment of the kind in that vicinity for years. In the course of time the father of our subject was enabled to secure eighty acres of land in Colon Township, upon which he settled, cleared it from the timber, developed a good farm, and at one time possessed the finest fruit orchard in the county. Upon this homestead he spent the remainder of his life, a period of thirty years, and died Oct. 16, 1882, at the advanced age of eighty-two, having been born in 1800. The faithful wife and mother is still living, making her home with her son, our subject, and has arrived at the advanced age of eighty-four. The parental household included five children, who were named respectively: J. Orvis, [] * F-40~~L IA b..........__L.......... -m~ I.. 0, __ ___ -- p..__ _ -. J r-.,ivq r _ ___ _ _ __ I_ _~ I;jj b. ~ I IIe s "I 254 ST. JOSEP Ezra, Lucy.1., Caroline and Leonora. Of these four are living. Ezra (lauing the Civil War enlisted in the 11th Michigan Infantry,and died in the hospital at Bardstown, Ky., while on duty in Kentucky; Lucy is the wife of Merritt Lamb, of Grand Rapids; Caroline married Alvah Mettler, and died in Nottawa Township about 1873; Leonora is the wife of Calvin Eberhardt, of Colon. Our subject came to Michigan with his father, and resided with him in Centreville until the latter removed to his farm in Colon Township. Afterward he continued in that town until 1864. In the meantime he was married in Colon Village, Oct. 25, 1855, to Miss Wealthy, daughter of John and Amanda (Wilcox) Belote. The father of Mrs. Warren was a native of New York State, and the mother of Connecticut. After marriage they settled in Clay, Onondaga Co., N. Y., living there until 1835, when they set their faces toward the farther West, moving into Michigan Territory and settling in Colon Township. A few years later they changed their residence to Nottawa Township, where they spent the remainder of their lives, the mother dying in 1852, and the father, surviving a period of thirteen years, passing away in 1865. To Mr. and Mrs. Belote theie were born eight children, who lived to mature years. One daughter, Mary A., (ied in New York, about 1838; Isaac died in 1864; Asa, formerly a resident of MIinnesota, died about 1873; Milton died in Burr Oak in 1867; Amanda is the wife of Henry Dudly, of Burr Oak; Eleanor married J. S. Klady, who is now deceased; Wealthy, Mrs. Warren, was next to the youngest; her younger brother, James, is a resident of Centreville; he served three years in the late war, and was captured and imprisoned at Belle Isle three months. Mrs. Warren was born in the town of Clay, Onondaga Co., N. Y., March 20, 1832. She spent her childhood and youth in this county, and lived with her parents until her marriage. Of her union with our subject there are three children-John A., Adelbert and Ella. The latter is the wife of John Schofield, of Cohoes, N. Y. Mr. Warren, politically, is a sound Republican, but has never aspired to office, although serving as School Inspector in his district. When a youth of sixteen years his EI COUNTY. father gave him his time, an(d he devoted the money earne(l thereafter to his education. Upon completing his studies he engaged in teaching, and followed this profession thirty seasons in succession. One year he was Principal of the school at Lima, Ind. Mrs. Warren, like her husband, was occupied as a teacher about six years prior to her marriage. Adelbert Warren, who was born in 1858, is a young man of fine business capacities and prosperously engaged as a farmer in Logan County. The family is widely and favorably known throughout this section of country, and Mr. Warren is numbered among its most capable men. \ AVID KING. The main points in tile ) history of this well-to-do farmer of Colon ( Township are as follows: He is the third child of David F. and Jane (Wetherhagg) King, and was born in Lincolnshire, England, Jan. 31, 1827. The comforts by which he and his family are surrounded are indicative of the industry and perseverance which have marked his career. In the sketch of his brother. Charles King, another well-known citizen of the township, will be found an extended sketch of the parents. When a lad of seven years David King crossed the Atlantic with his parents, and, young as he was, remembers many of the incidents of the preparation and the after voyage on the ocean. The family landed in New York, and. proceeding directly westward, came to this county, where they took up their permanent abode. Here young King received his first lessons in farming, and for a period of five or six years he aided as he could around the homestead, and pursued his lessons in the common school. The advantages of those days, however, were extremely limited, but the boy, with more than ordinary intelligence, grew up into a well-informed man, keeping his eyes open to what was going on around him in the world. Mr. King remained a member of the parental household until twenty-two years of age. In the spring of 1861 he went over into Branch County, and purchased forty acres of land in Union Township, upon which he settled and remained until the I 1 4~4- womdabp W -- 31~ I I I- I — __ 1 _-MphI~- ` clrr cap - - -----— I- II -- — ~- -- -------— ~ ---------— ~ --- —---- ----------— --- —--- - I — - —. I I - I-a~ a- a ", ST. JOSEF spring of 1865. Then. selling out, he returned to Colon Township, this county, and purchased the I land which he now occupies, and which lies on sections 17 and 18. Here he has eighty-eight acres, which he has brought to a good state of cultivation, and upon which he has set out a fine orchard, erected a neat and substantial dwelling, and tie other farm buildings necessary for his comfort and convenience. Mr. King was first married in June, 1861, to Miss Martha Sterns, who was born and reared in Union Township. Branch Co., Mich. Her parents were Asa and Susanna Sterns. Mrs. King only survived her marriage a period of four years, her death taking place July 4, 1865. Mr. King, in April, 1874, contracted a second marriage, with Mrs. Caroline (Dale) Dean. the widow of Jacob Dean, a well-tolo farmer of Branch County. Of her first marriage there was born one child, a son, Henry E., who still remains with his mother. Mrs. Caroline King I was born April 4, 1850, in Williams County, Ohio, and is the daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Barrett) Dale, who were natives of Pennsylvania and New York respectively. Her parents' family included nine children, six of whom are still living. To our subject and his present wife there has been hborn one child only, a daughter, Mary J. She is a bright and interesting maiden of thirteen years, having been born June 23, 1875. Mr. King, politically, is an earnest supporter of Democratic principles, but has little to do with public affairs, preferring to give his time and attention to his farm and his family. 'H COUNTY. 255 I Hasbrouck, who were natives respectively of Ulster County, N. Y., ald Passaic County, N. J. The maternal grandparents removed to the Empire State in early days, where their daughter Rachel was married, and settled with her husband for a time in Ulster County, N.. T.hence the parents of our subject in the spring of 1861 came to this county, settling first in Lockport Township. Eight years later they changed their residence to Centreville, where the father died in the fall of 1869. The mother is still living. The parental household of our subject included eight children, five sons and three daughters, and Joseph B. was the fourth in order of birth. He first opened his eyes to the light in New Hurley, Ulster Co., N. Y., Jan. 4, 1840, was reared at the old homestead in the Empire State, and conned his lessons in the district school. He was twenty-one years old upon coming to this county, and lived with his parents in Lockport Township for a period of eight years. Afterward he made his home principally in Centreville a period of ten years, where he conducted a meat-market. In the spring of 1878 he moved to the farm he now owns and occupies, and which from its near location to the village of Nottawa is valuable. It comprises 130 acres, with good buildings and all the other appliances of the well-regulated suburban home. Mr. Hasbrouck was first married in Centreville on the evening of Dec. 25, 1869, to Miss Jennie Blair, wlho only lived a few years, her decease taking place in Centreville, June 15, 1873. Our subject contracted a second marriage in Centreville, Sept. 9, 1877, with Miss Elizabeth Strong, adopted daughter of Renssalaer and Ann B. (Oviatt) Strong. Mr. Strong came to this county from Genesee County, N. Y., in June, 1836, and settled in Nottawa Township, of which he and his estimable wife were residents for a period of forty years, and where they looked their last upon the scenes of earth. Mrs. Elizabeth Hasbrouck was born in this county, Dec. 4, 1840, and is the daughter of Joseph and Amanda (Wheeler) Alger. Her parents were natives of Vermont, and came to this county during its pioneer days. The father about 1849 started for the Pacific Slope, and died on the plains. The mother died in Sherman Township about 1842. To I OSEPH B. HASBROUCK. This gentleman deserves especial mention as being one of the most public-spirited citizens of St. Joseph County. liberal minded and enterprising, and one wh') has been of essential value in the development of this portion of the county, with whose interests he has been closely identified for many years. He is the owner of some fine farm property located on section 27, Nottawa Township, adjacent to the village. Our subject is the offspring of a good family, being the son of John and Rachel A. (Traphagen) 4 -P~ nb --- —-— 3 CIC~~II C. Il ~ _d -71 -Y-~ ~ --- ~ - I ~ I —~II r ~., 6 4 A L I I Ian 44zs 1 I 256 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - Mr. and Mrs. Hasbronck there have been born two children, both sons, Harry S. and Frank C., who are at home. Our subject, politically, votes the straight Republican ticket, and has held the office of Justice of the Peace a number of years. Both he and his estimable wife are members in good standing of the Reform Church. For nearly ten years prior to her marriage Mrs. Hasbrouck was a very successful teacher of music. She is a very pleasant and amiable lady, and is well known all over this part of the county, where she as well as her husband has hosts of friends. In the fall of 1872 Mr. Hasbrouck took a trip to Texas, and remained in the Lone Star State a period of eight months. In the meantime tie contracted to furnish the bridge and spile timber for the Housatonic & Great Northern Railway. The enterprise proved successful, and the sojourn in the Southwest particularly pleasant. H. CHIVERS, M. D., is a fine representative of the medical profession of St. Josepli County, being one of its leading physicians and surgeons. He is pleasantly located in the town of Colon, where he enjoys a large practice. He is a native of London, England, born in 1851, to Henry and Ann (Nowel) Chivers, natives of England. They came to America with their family in 1861, and arrived in Hudson, Lenawee County, this State, on the 4th of July, that year. His father has since then been actively identified with the agricultural interests of Southern Michigan, and is now extensively engaged in farming in Hillsdale County. He and his estimable wife are genial, intelligent people, and are valued members of the community where they reside, commanding the full respect and esteem of all by whom they are known. They have had eight children, six of whom are living. Dr. Chivers, of whom we write, was the third child of these worthy people, and as he was but ten years of age when he accompanied them across the waters from the land of his birth to their new home in this country, he has grown to manhood and passed the most important years of his life in the United States. He was educated in the schools of Lenawee County, in the town of Hudson. Possessing a decided predilection for the study of medicine, he early set about obtaining the means to pursue it, and we find him when quite young successfully engaged in teaching for a number of terms. He subsequently entered the Detroit Medical School, well prepared to pursue the prescribed course of instruction, as he had employed his leisure time in studying. He was graduated from that institution in 1877, having stood high in his classes throughout the course. Ile commenced the practice of his profession in Prattville, Hillsdale County, where he continued to reside until 1881, when a fine opening in the town of Colon induced him to come here and open an office. He is a man whose clear, cool head, steady nerve, and rich mental endowments, eminently fit him for the profession of a physician, as is attested by the reputation he has won for skill and success in his treatment of difficult cases. The Doctor was married in Hillsdale County, in December, 1875, to Miss Lois Downer, who was born in Hillsdale County in 1851. She was the sixth in a family of seven children, six of whom are living, born to the Rev. S. B. and Abigail (Pix ley) Downer, natives of New York. They came to Michigan at an early date, her father at that time being minister in charge of the Prattville Congregational, formerly the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he is well known throughout Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties; he and his wife still make their home in the latter county. To Dr. and Mrs. Chivers one child, Roy, has been born. He is now ten years of age, and is attending school. The Doctor and his wife are members of the Congregational Church, of Prattville. He is identified with the I. 0. O. F., of Colon. The Doctor is independent in his political views, voting for whom he considers the best men, although he is in full sympathy with the principles of the Democratic party. He is a radical temperance man, and in his own life illustrates the advantages of possessing that virtue. He is a prominent member of the State Medical Association, and belongs to the local Board of Health, and he has done I i II I'j so! i I- - C II ---- I - I-II-C ~b~L -- IIIII - _ ~11 — ~ —I'll I -S —lw I 6 - rl ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_I I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ah..e.Ar -,C- _~ _-~'I~lsggllllB~BI~~~11111 ~ ~ ~ _ ~ II, I 1 1,11plow ST. JOS~EPH COUNTY. 257 ~~~T. JOSEPH COUNTY. 257~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ mluch to promote sanitary measures in this town The Doctor is interested in a drug-store here, which is managed under the firm name of J. E. Chivers & Co., and it carries a heavy stock of goods in the drug line, besides books, stationery, and a fine assortment of jewelry, and does an extensive business.! i OHN LEtIR, one of the solid men of Nottawa Township, owns a good farm of 110 acres occupying a portion of section 12. IIe ' is a gentleman well known and highly respected in this region, the son of John and Anna (PIeters) Lehr, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and died in what was thlen Union County, but is now Snyder County, Pa. The parental family consisted of eight clildren, of whom John was the fifth in order of birth. He was born in the county above mentioned May 19, 1832, where lie spent his boyhood and youth, being reared upon the home farm. When a young man of twenty years our subject, leaving the Keystone State, made his way to Sandusky County, Ohio, where lie learned the trade of carpenter, and sojourned for a period of four years. In the spring of 1857 he made his way to Michigan, taking up his abode first at Three Rivers, where he followed his trade until ready to buy a farm. lHe then selected a tract of land in Nottawa Township, much of which was covered with timber. He felled the trees by the laborious process known to those days, destroying by burning timber which would now bring a snug sum of money. He endured in common with the people around him the hardships and difficulties of life in a new settlement, and now, in the enjoyment of a large portion of the good things of life, is reaping the reward of his toils. Over thirty years ago, on the 24th of September, J 1857, our subject was united in marriage with Miss | Margaret, daughter of James and Jane (Conkling) Ash. The parents of Mrs. Lehr settled in St. Joseph County during its earliest days, and Mr. Ash numbered one among the thrifty pioneers who built up a homestead from the wilderness and thus contributed to the wealth and development of St. Joseph County. Both he and his estimable wife died in Three Rivers, the former in 1887 and the latter in 1882.:They were the parents of six children, all of whom are living and all residents of this county. Mrs. Lehr was the eldest child of her parents, and was born in Flowerfield Township, Dec. 14, 1838. She, like her husband, acquired her education in the district schools, and was trained by an excellent mother in those housewifely duties which have so much influence in the happiness of a home. To Mr. and Mrs. Lehr there was born one child only, a daughter, Jennie J., born July 25, 1858. This daughter grew up, as may be supposed, the light of the household, and is now the wife of Frank Avery, a well-to-do farmer of Nottawa Township. The first year after marriage Mr. Lehr engaged in the grocery trade for a time, then became interested in a threshing-machine, which he operated among the farmers of this region until 1864. The Civil War being then in progress he went South in the employ of the Government as a carpenter, and sojourned in the States of Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky a period of nine months, engaged in building bridges for the Government. Mr. Lehr has been quite prominent in township affairs, holding the various school offices and otherwise identifying himself with the best interests of the people. Both he and his estimable wife are memlers in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. L., politically, is an earnest advocate of Republican principles. OLOMON YEATTER. Among the most worthy and well-known citizens of St. Joseph County is the gentleman whose life is hire briefly sketched. He is the son of Jonathan and Barbara (Decker) Yeatter. His father was one of the very early settlers in this county, coming here in the year 1853. He was born on the 8th of April, 1806, in Mifflin County, Pa., and was there brought up to man's estate. His mother, a native of the same place, was born on the 22d of April, 1814. They were companions in early life, and after their marriage settled in their native county, making their home there until 1843, when -1 i i i i i I I i 7 i-.44 I I II-C I6- II _@ I IIII~ICC --- —~~-~~~-~-~-E ----..,..... ` lp 4s:k- UC.d L 258 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I they removed to Seneca, Ohio, living in that place until 1853. In that year they came to this county and settled in Colon Township, which they made their home until their death, which occurred on the 23d of August, 1888, and on the 2d of August, 1876, respectively. They were members of the Lutheran Churcl in Pennsylvania, but on coming to St. Joseph County united with the Reformed Church, with which they were connected at the time of their death. The subject of our sketch was the fourth child of eight born to his parents, and he too was born in the Pennsylvania home, the date of that interesting event being the 13th of April, 1839. At the time of the removal to Ohio he was four years of age, and was still with his parents when they came to this county in 1853, continuing with them until the year 1869, when he settled upon the farm where lie now lives, which is situated on section 24, Colon Township. The education of Mr. Yeatter was received in the common schools of Colon and its Seminary. After leaving these institutions he taught school for four years in St. Joseph and Branch Counties. and evidenced an ability to manage his pupils and train the developing intelligence intrusted to his care, that would seem to have warranted a longer continuance in the profession, but he was otherwise inclined, and consequently gave his attention to agricultural pursuits. The farm of our subject comprises 350 acres of well-cultivated, arable land, of which he took possession before any improvements had been made. He has erected good buildings and a comfortable, well-appointed farm dwelling, of which, however, the chief attraction is the cheerful, bright and amiable lady, who, since the 22d of February, 1866, has been united with him in the closest of all earthly relations. The marriage of our subject was celebrated at Colon, Feb. 22, 1866, his wife being Miss Martha Benedict, a daughter of Alfred R. and Cynthia (Aldrich) Benedict. Her father was a native of the Empire State, and her mother of Ohio. They first settled in Morrow County, in the latter State, where they continued to make their home until coming to this county. In 1849 they established themselves in Burr Oak Township, where Mrs. Benedict died on the 9th of August, 1864. Subsequently her husband remarried, and removed to the village of Burr Oak, where he lived until his death, which occurred on the 14th of July, 1882. Mr. Benedict had a family of ten children, nine by the first marriage. Mrs. Yeatter was tile third child of her parents in order of birth, and was born in Morrow County, Ohio, on the 23d of July, 1843. She was carefully brought up, and continued to live with her parents until her marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Yeatter have been born three children, who have received the following names: Sidney E., Effie 0. and Ethel L. Both Sidney and Ethel are engaged as teachers, and are quite successful in their work. Mrs. Yeatter is a member in good standing of the Rcformed Church, and takes much interest in the various enterprises and organizations connected therewith. She is a lady respected and esteemed in the communion of which she is a member, as she is also by all who know her. Our subject has held several offices in the township in a most commendatory manner. In his relation to matters political he is strictly independent, and it is his aim always to use his ballot for what in his judgment are truly the best interests of the people, regardless of party and policy, respecting simply principle and right. c _)HOMAS CUDDY. A community of enterprising men soon leave their mark'upon the section of country wherein they settle, and to them it is indebted for its growth and prosperity. In order to effect this they must be liberalminded, progressive and unselfish. Nottawa Township has been fortunate in this respect, and among the men who have aided in her growth and prosperity the subject of this sketch occupies a leading position. Not the least among his labors have been the building of a fine homestead, the cultivation of the soil, the planting of trees. the building of fences, and last, but not least, the erection of neat and substantial farm buildings. These include a handsome and commodious brick residence, while the barn and other structures for the storing of grain I - $Nro 0 z eb0' I 00 I I K " 11 ---. _ ________ \ I, -.b-I I I I I t i f I i I I I i I i i I i i I i i i i i I i i I ST. JOSEP and the shelter of stock indicate the enterprise of the proprietor. A large proportion of the early settlers of Michigal owe their 1birth and ancestry to a foreign land. The childhood home of Mr. Cuddy was in County Tyrone, Ireland, where his birth took place in 1829. His father was a farmer by occupation, and the boy grew up with limited advantages, but with sentiments of honesty and habits of industry. He was bright an(l ambitious, and when twenty years of age resolved to seek his fortunes on the other side of the Atlantic. Taking passage on a sailingvessel at Liverpool, he landed five weeks later upon American soil. in the city of New York. Young Cuddy soon made his way to the State of Micligan, and having in view the pursuits of farm life, located, in the month of June. upon a tract of land in Nottawa Township, near the river. He lived for a time with an uncle, not having yet formed matrimoInial or domestic ties. He proceeded with the cultivation of his land, remaining a bachelor for a period of nearly ten years longer, but on the 28th of April, 1859, was united in marriage with Miss Catherine McKinley. The wife of our subject is the daughter of Robert and Catherine McKinley, who were natives of Scotland, and settled in Sherman Township, this county, during its pioneer days. The father followed the peaceful pursuits of farm life, and died in 1883. The mother departed this life Jan. 28, 1875. Mrs. Catherine Cuddy became the mother of three children, and departed this life at the residence of her father in Sherman Township, on the 4th of September, 1869, at the age of twenty-seven years, having been born in 1842. Her native place was Amsterdam, N. Y. The children of this union were Catherine L., Robert J. and Samuel. The latter died when about eight years of age. The others are living. Mr. Cuddy, on the 28th of September, 1871, contracted a second marriage, with Miss Catherine Culbertson, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1837. She was the daughter of James Culbertson, one of the early pioneers of this county, and (lied at her home in Nottawa Township, Aug. 24, 1878. The present wife of our subject, to whom he was married March 3, 1880, was formerly Miss Ella 'H COUNTY. 259 - Platt, daughter of Henry and Lydia Platt, of Leonidas Township. Henry Platt was also one of the pioneers of this county. He and his excellent wife were natives of New York; the mother died in 1872, and the father is still living. Mrs. Ella Cuddy was born in 1859, in Leonidas Township, and was the second child of her parents, whose family consisted of two clildren. Of her marriage with our subject there have been born a daughter and two sons-Jenni L, re L., eore L. and Thomas T. Mr. Cuddy, upon becoming a naturalized citizen, identified himself with the Democratic party, and cast his first Presidential vote for Pierce. Later he considered that he had reason to support the Greenbackers, and accordingly allied himself with them. He has never been an office seeker, but prefers to give his strict attention to his own affairs. --- ---- OHN RUTHERFORD. The men who came to Michigan in the pioneer days and inaugurated the struggle with the primitive soil, battling with the first difficulties with life in a new country, deserve more than passing mention. It must have required no small amount of courage and perseverance to break loose from old friends and associations, and perhaps with no other means than stout muscles and a hopeful heart, enter upon the task of opening up a homestead from the wilderness, a task which they understood from the first would involve years of labor and no small outlay of capital. Among the men who thus distinguished themselves in this county is the subject of this sketch. Mr. Rutherford was born in Caledonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., June 26, 1814, and lived there at his father's farm until a youth of nineteen years. Then, learning the carpenter trade, he worked a year as a journeyman in his native State, and at the end of this time, resolving upon a change of location, made his way to the Territory of Michigan. Early in the spring of 1836, still unmarried, he migrated to this county, and employed himself as a farm laborer about two years, mostly in Nottawa Township. He had in the meantime purchased 160 acres of land in Allegan County, which he now -- ~_ — c~~~~~~~~-10 I -04 1e t "al -_ -p — Ir_ r II~ 'II = r ~~~~~ —1~ I —~ — ~ ~ Ir II do k ^-^I-3CII^-Y-UIIplL" IC 4 ON m i -I I/i I r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- -, RV - 260 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. IA. sold, and invested a portion of his capital in 130 acres just east of Centreville in Nottawa Township, which he occupied and cultivated a period of seven years. He had now practically abandoned his trade and given his attention to the more congenial pursuits of agriculture. At the expiration of the time mentioned Mr. Rutherford sold out again, and purchased 200 acres on section 29 in Nottawa Townslip, which comprises his present farm. The history of those first few years is similiar to that of his brother pioneers, and during which he labored early and late, enduring many privations and sacrifices for the sake of future good to himself and family. Although for the most part successful he has had his adversities and losses, havihg in April, 1862, suffered the loss of a fine residence, which was destroyed by fire. He at once rebuilt, and in due time found himself on his feet again. The greater portion of the Rutherford farm is under a fine state of cultivation. Our subject has a fair assortment of live stock, an ample supply of choice fruit, and all the other necessarie's conducive to his comfort and well-being. IIe was united in marriage with Miss Betsey Ann Engle, in Nottawa Township, March 4, 1838. Mrs. Betsey A. Rutherford, also a native of New York State, was born in Mt. Morris, Livingston County, in 1818. This lady became the mother of two children, and died at the homestead in Nottawa Township in November, 1874. Their elder child, a son, George W., remains with his father at home; he married Miss Ellen Ashley, a native of Oswego County, N. Y., and they have two children, John A. and Zoe E. Isabel J. is the wife of Francis Gooden, of Nottawa. Our subject contracted a second marriage in January, 1881, with Miss Sarah Gee, also a native of the Empire State, and born in New York in 1812; she died in the year 1888. Her parents were natives of New York State, and are now deceased. Mr. R. has been quite prominent in local affairs, representing Nottawa Township about twelve years in the County Board of Supervisors, officiating as Justice of the Peace the same length of time, and serving as Highway Commissioner at different times for the last twenty years. In religious matters he adheres to the doctrines of the Reformed Church. The Rutherford family is of Scotch nancestry as far back as the records have been preserved. James Rutherford, the father of our subject, was a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and married a maiden of his own Province, Miss Mary Hunter. They came on a bridal tour to the United States, settling in Livingston County, N. Y., where the father engaged in farming, where all their children, nine in number, were born, and where the parents spent the remainder of their lives. John was the fifth in order of birth. In the early days the pioneer farmers during harvest time fortified their harvest hands with a generous supply of whisky. The father of our subject discontinued this practice when John was a lad of fourteen years, and became a strict advocate of temperance. He succeeded in training his sons to his way of thinking, especially John, who is now a pronounced Prohibitionist, although he still casts his vote with the Republican party. TEPHEN M. SNYDER is a native-born citizen of Michigan, Lockport, St. Joseph County, being his place of birth, and May 18, 1843, the date thereof. He is now prominently identified with the agricultural interests of his native State, owning and occupying a fine farm on section 1, Fabius Township. He is a representative of an honored pioneer family of St. Joseph County, his parents, Henry and Lydia (M\oore) Snyder, being among the early settlers of Southern Michigan. They were natives of Pennsylvania, his father being born in what is now Snyder County, in 1804, and his mother in Union County, that State. Our subject obtained a fair education in the common schools, and was reared to man's estate on his father's farm, having no recollection of being out of the county until he entered the army. The breaking out of the Rebellion found him a strong, active, self-reliant lad, capable of doing his full share of labor on the home farm. E-e watched the progress of the war with intense interest, and ardently and patriotically desired to go to the assistance of his country. His wishes were finally grati IICC"1 I u I rr1 ) ---0 — ------- ------- --- - 00 0 ----I- ------- — __ _ra — 70-~r-_ —_.'F.sa -------------— ~~~~~~~~~~~- -~ -bw —w- p-lwpl-4ar "lwwP ST. JOSjEPH C'OUNTY. 261 4 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 261 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ tied, and Aug. 15, 1862, before he had attained his majority, he was enrolled as a member of the gallant 25th Michigan Infantry. In the three years that followed he experienced all the dangers and hardships of war on many a hard-fought battlefield, in many a weary march, and in malarious, unhealthy camps, oftentimes without proper food and with insufficient shelter. IIe bore up bravely under all these discouragements and sufferings, and proved himself to be a good soldier, one upon whom his officers could rely. I-e took part in the battles of Resaca, Rocky Face, Etowah River, Kingston, Altoona, Pine Mountain, Lost Mountain, Culp's Farm, Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochee River, Decatur, Atlanta, Rome (Ga.), Cedar Bluff and Nashville, and in many minor battles and skirmishes. After his retirement from the army Mr. Snyder farmed with his father until the year 1868, when lie went to Iowa to dispose of some land which lie owned there, and after completing his business, visited Kansas and other Western States. After his return home he was married, Feb. 7, 1869, to Miss Utica E. Stuck, daughter of Jacob and Rebecca (Snyder) Stuck, of Indiana. Her parents were of Pennsylvania origin and of German descent, and she was likewise a native of Pennsylvania, born in Snyder County, Dec. 9, 1847. While to Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have been vouchsafed the joys of parentage, they have also suffered its sorrows in an uncommon degree, as five bright and promising children of the seven born to them have early passed away from the sins and-sorrows of this life "'And to all the evil that's in the world They will know no wakling." They have two children living: Willis C., born April 9, 1871, and Alvin J., Sept. 20, 1875. The record of the others is as follows: Charles E., born May 27, 1873, died Sept. 22, 1882; John M., born Nov. 7, 1877, died March 12, 1879; Clarence II., born Nov. 17, 1879, died April 26, 1881; an infant who died unnamed; Lydia R., born April 25, 1886, died Sept. 11, 1887. Mr. Snyder settled on his present farm in 1887, and has since much improved it. Our subject is a man of strong, earnest, manly character, combining firmness with such a genial W-*- 1 and kindly disposition as to win the regard as well as the respect of his neighbors. He and his good wife, who is held in equal esteem, are leading members of the Reformed Church, he holding the office of Deacon in the congregation at Three Rivers. Mr. Snyder has been a stanch Republican ever since he was old enough to vote, and he is also a strict Prohibitionist. lie takes an active interest in educational matters, and is giving his children the benefit of the superior educational advantages of his and their native State. _L~ --- — -?-l -' of-6J -"- I' )v TEPHEN SHOWERMAN. The farm property of the subject of this sketch occupies eighty acres on section 27, in Nottawa Township, and forms one of the well-regulatel homesteads of this county. The proprietor is a native of Deerfield, Madison Co., N. Y., and was born Dec. 31, 1819. When but a lad his parents removed to Genesee County, where he was reared to manhood and lived until the fall of 1853. He had been married in the meantime, an(d now decided to seek his fortunes in the State of Michigan. He accordingly disposed of his prolerty interests in the Empire State, and came to this county. He settled at once in Nottawa Townslhip, of which he has since been a resident. lie has eighty acres of land, good buildings, and his industry has gathered around him a large portion of the good things in life. William Showerman, the father of our subject. was born near the city of Albany, N. Y., and marriel Mliss Susan Lampnan, who was also a native of that State. They settled in Genesee County, where they spent the remainder of their lives, engaged in farming pursuits. The household circle included twelve children, all of whom lived to mature years. Stephen at an,early period in his life became familiar with agricultural pursuits, and has been content to make these his vocation. He was first married in Oakfield, Genesee Co., N. Y., in October, 1853, to Miss Adela Munger, who was a native of that county, and who became the mother of one child, a son, Seymour, who is now in lonia, Mich. Mrs. Adela Showerman died at the homestead in r -~-l-eaq lly —~ Cc-~ ---~ --- VI" li 4194. — r at -- - --- — — — " - --- -II — —I --- —-------------- I C 1-11111q1q - - I I - 060_-1 -_ -..A-IIIIIII 262 m -ST. 'JOSEPH COUNTY. '262 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. this county, in 1856, two and one-half years after coming to the West. Mrs. Lucinda (Ellsworth) Knickerbocker became the second wife of our subject April 21, 1858, the marriage taking place at the home of the bride in Burr Oak Township. This lady was born in Manlius, N. Y., Feb. 26, 1834, and is the daughter of Ira and Sophia (Eaton) Ellsworth, who were natives of Vermont and New York respectively, and who passed the greater part of their lives in this State. They are now deceased. Mrs. Showerman spent her childhood and youth in Mosherville, this State, receivina a common-school education, and was married in 1849 to James W. Knickerbocker, who was a clothier and teacher by occupation, and died in Colon Village, June 15, 1857. Of this marriage there were born three children, a son and two daughters —Edgar, Ida H. and Carrie V. Edgar is a carpenter at Lansing; Ida is the wife of Albert Decker, of Big Rapids; Carrie, Mrs. Charles E. Smith, resides in Grand Rapids. Of the marriage with our subject Mrs. Showerman has four children, namely: Nettie S., Lottie M., Roy E. and Ralph W. Nettie is the wife of Albert Thoms, of Greenville, this State, and Lottie married George Davis, of Nottawa Township. Mrs. Showerman is a lady of fine capabilities and more than ordinary intelligence, a lover of books, and a mother looking carefully after the mental training of her children. She has hosts of friends in her community who speak of her in the highest terms. She has for many years carried on the business of dressmaking, numbering among her patrons the first ladies of the township. J ESSE NERHIOOT. Among the farmers and stock-raisers of Fabius Township none are meeting with more deserved success than the subject of our sketch. I-e owns a good farm on section 3, which is under high cultivation, is well stocked, and is amply provided with necessary buildings and machinery for properly carrying on agriculture. Mr. Nerhoot was born in Union County, now Snyder County, Pa., March 7, 1824. His parents were Michael and Catherine (Long) Nerhoot, natives of Pennsylvania, the father of German ancestry and the mother of English. Our subject received a good practical training as a farmer in his youthful days, and remained at home to assist his father in the labors of the farm until his marriage to Catherine Knitle, which took place July 16, 1844. She was born Sept. 2, 1824, in Pennsylvania, her parents being Henry and Sarah (Zimmerman) Knitle, also natives of the Keystone State. Mrs. Nerhoot is an excellent housewife, and has been a true helpmate to her husband, heartily co-operating with him in his labors to build up the comfortable home in which they are now passing the declining years of a life well spent, in the enjoyment of the competence which they gathered together in their busy years, thoroughly respected and trusted by all around them. Our subject experienced some of the hardships and sufferings of war, as he was drafted during the late Rebellion, and faithfully served as a soldier for nine months, being a member of the 172d Pennsylvania Infantry and Heavy Artillery. In 1864 our subject and his family bade farewell to their friends and their old home in Pennsylvania and moved to Erie County, Ohio. Mr. Nerhoot was employed on a farm there for one year, when he again made a move, and in 1865 we find him with his wife and children in Sandusky County, in the same State, where he bought thirty-five acres of land, which lie tilled with commendable industry and good success for twelve years. During that time he was also employed as a carpenter. In 1877 he wound up his affairs in Ohio, and crossed the border into Michigan, where he bought eighty acres of land in Fabius Township, St. Joseph County, which is still included in his present farm. Mr. Nerhoot has been prosperous in his farming ventures since coming to St. Joseph County, and at one time owned land to the amount of 160 acres; he has since disposed of a part of it at a good profit on his original investment. Our subject and his wife have had eight children seven of whom are living, of whom the following is recorded: Henry, born Nov. 2, 1845, lives in Kansas, is married and has several children; Catherine died in infancy; Sarah, born Dec. 30, 1850, 6 - Md doiUb- 4Z -_. k c --------------------------- --- 1 I r - - -~ - -- - --- I I ---~~~~~~~~~ -" — I ~~~ -— ~~~~I — - lr~"~-I. -j I; CI'jC[;;- IZ~ ~ ~ -- ~ —C -~1- II C~6 263 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I! married Ienry Moyer, and lives in Ohio; Susan, born April 7, 1853, married James Frederick, a farmer of Fabius Township; Jane L., born June 3, 1855, married Albert Avery, of Fabius Township; George M., born Jan. 15, 1858, in Pennsylvania, lives at home with his parents; Caleb, born March 17, 1860, lives on the homestead, is married and has one child; Melia E., born ()ct. 6, 1864, married Levi Wetherbee, of Fabius Township, and they have two children. Mr. Nerhoot is an observant, intelligent man, well informed in regard to the news of the day. He was the seventh in a family of ten children, but his parents were enabled to give him the benefit of a fair common-school education, otherwise he is a self-made man, having earned all that lie owns by his untiring labors, assisted, of course, by his wife. Religiously, he is a firm believer in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church. Politically, lie is a Republican. lie cast his first vote for Zachary Taylor. He is a member of the G. A. R., holding a membership in the Post at Three Rivers. O/ HARLES KING. The annals of St. Joseph ( County bear no more worthy name thlan that of the gentleman whose life is presented in this sketch. The date of his settlement in the county was 1834. lie came when tile district was being developed, and has in the (lays of pioneerdom in the county borne even more than his share of the bur(dens, disadvantages, trials and hardships incidental to such a condition of tlhings. 'The father of our subject was David F. King, who was born in 1Enlland, and was in every regard a worthy representative of that people. Ilis wife, the motler of our subject, was Jane Weatherhlog, like her husband a native of Lincolnslire, England. They were brought up, married and settled in their native land, but determined after a time to emigrate to this country. Tllis they did, arriving in thle year 1834. Almost immediately after landing at New York they proceeded westward, coming direct to tils county, and settled on the Nottawa prairie. There they lived for nearly two years. At the end of that period they removed L, to Colon Township and made their home in the northwestern part of the township, where they continued until the death of Mr. King, wlich occurred on the 16th of October, 1850. The family of which our subject is a member included nine children, seven of whom came to mature years. Their names are recorded as follows: William, George F., D)avid, Charles, Mary, John S., Saral J., Moses F. and Adeline. William was killed while in the employ of the Michigan Central Railroad in October, 1878; John and Moses died in infancy; Adeline died at the age of twentythree years at the homestead; (eorge is living in Colon Township; Mary is happily married to Isaac T. Gillen, of Branch County; Sarah is now Mrs. William Heath, of Genesee County. Mrs. King departed this life on the 19th of January, 1872. The subject of our sketch was born in Lincolnshire, England, on the 8th of August, 1829. When his parents came to America lie was five years old, so that it was impossible lie should remember much, if any, of tle old English home and life. HIe was brought up on the farm of his father, and has always been surrounded by tlhe everyday lappenings and circumstances incident to such life. Agricultural pursuits hlad been familiar to him from the beginning of the chapter, and as soon as lie was possessed of sufficient muscularity to perform any tasks lie was given them to do, so that his knowledge of husbandry in its varied departments is thorough, practical, and such as leaves no possible exigency unprepared for. It is not, therefore, a matter of surprise that his success in the occupation of his life should have been what it is, when it is remembered that lie is a man of character, intelligence and reserve force. The education of our subject was received in the common schools of tile land of his adoption, and all the familiar and oft conned over scenes and reminiscences of schoolboy days grouped themselves around the old homestead upon which his father spent practically all the years of his life in this country. This farm, which is situated on section 7, Colon Township, comprises 120 acres, and is still the home of our subject, as it has continued to be from the first. It is in a very thorough state of cultivation, and, other things being equal, leaves iI i -GOP m. _ Ui "CPWP~ ClF S"- 1II -C —N m MM_ -~ ----- - F — I Ir - ~'~ ~ ~~~~ ' ' ~' C-l I '~~~~-'Ir L 0 r wl-= O Opp~ —,Im — 4I —~IL~- IIIIL -II _-0 N -- - -- ((MMNO PIIII( -.a ---* A f - P 264 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I a rich return for all labor intelligently bestowed upon it. The farm buildings are complete in their arrangement and appointments and are substantially built. The farmhouse is pleasant for situation, admirable in design, well adapted for the domestic and social uses to which it is always being put. It is one of the best residences in the township as a building, and forms the environment of one of the happiest households in the county. It is hardly necessary to state that Mr. King was married in Colon Township. This interesting event was celebrated on the 15th of February, 1855, tile lady who took an equally prominent part with our subject at that time being Miss Margaret C. Renner, a daughter of Daniel and Rebecca (Thomas) Renner. She is a lady of happy disposition, cheerful, intelligent and womanly, just such a one as it would be expected would make home all that could be expressed or understood by that all inclusive and comprehensible term. Mr. Renner was born in Lancaster County, Pa., as was also his wife. They married, and settled first in Union County, Pa., continuing there until the fall of 1845, when they came west, and settled in Colon Township of this county. The husband and father died on the 10th of June, 1875. Mrs. Renner still survives, and resides on the old farm. They were the parents of ten children, viz: Elizabeth, now the wife of George King, and Margaret C., the wife of our subject, both of Colon Township; Mary, now Mrs. Theo Royce, of Nottawa Township; William T.; Wilsoh; Lydia, who is married to Mr. Samuel Bower; Daniel; Esther, the wife of Sample Downing, and Henry, all residing in Colon Township; and Anna, who died in infancy. Wilson and Lydia are twins. Mrs. King was born at Lewisburg, Union Co., Pa., on the 2d of June, 1833. The earlier years of her school life were spent in that place. When her parents came to Michigan she was about twelve years of age, and until her marriage continued to make her lome with them. Since the year 1886 she has been a member of the Reformed Church, and enjoys the sincerest respect of her fellow-members. Mr. and Mrs. King are both affiliated with the Colon Grange, P. of H., and have been connected with the order for about three years. Our subject has several times filled various offices of township and schools, but is not prominent in political affairs. lHe is numbered with the Democratic party, but is one who reserves to himself the right of discretion in the disposal of his ballot, and is guided by the principle more than party. The household to which the reader is here introduced is one of the typical American and Michigan homes. Our subject and wife present a very high type of character, are intellectual, hospitable, patriotic and loyal. While such homes are found scattered through the community of the different States, America has little to fear of the destruction, disappointment and disaster which the pessimist would have us believe was already hovering over the land, because there are some wrongs to be righted and evils to be eradicated that have come to us as an inheritance from the civilizations of the past. The true home, with its hallowed influences, is at once the fulcrum and lever to raise and remove a world of evils and wrongs. It has been and is still doing this in our beloved land. YRON Q. GOODRICH. a gentleman in the prime of life and a native of Nottawa Township, which still continues his abiding-place, was born at the modest homestead of his parents in the pioneer days, Nov. 27, 1840. He is the eldest son of Clark and Maria (Richards) Goodrich, natives of New York. the former of whom died in 1854, and the latter in 1855. He remained under the same roof until the death of his parents, then made his way to Kalamazoo, where he resided one year, attending school. We next find him in the young and growing town of Coldwater, where he sojourned until the outbreak of the late Civil War. The two and one-half years which followed this period formed a most interesting epoch in the life of our subject. On the 12th of August, 1861, he enlisted as a Union soldier in Company B, 44th Illinois Infantry, being assigned to the Army of the West. Not long afterward he was promoted to Corporal, and during a service of two and one-half i i 1 i i i i 4.sibb- ~ ~ ~- ------------------------ ---------- o --- —---. I -----— dbl C j-ZZ"w A ~~~ ~ — I - I- I - she S I'. -JOSEPH: COUNTY. 265 years participated in many of the important battles of the war, among them those of Pea Ridge, Shiloh, Nolensville, and Stone River. At the latter place he was wounded ly an ounce ball in the left shoulder, which passed between the backbone and the lungs, and was taken out under the right shoulder blade. This.confined him in the hospitals at Nashville, Cincinnati, Ohio and Camp Denison for one year, then, incapacitated for further service, he was compelled to accept his honorable discharge. The first year of this service young Goodrich marched with his company over 3,000 miles. I-e endured all the hardships and privations of a soldier's life, which necessarily left their effect upon his constitution, and will follow him to the end of his days. After leaving the army he returned to his old haunts in this county, of which he has since been a resident, and with the exception of two years, mostly engaged in farming in this county. The land which he now occupies was purchased by him in 1877. and comprises 120 acres on sections 11 and 15 in Nottawa Township. The wedded life of our subject commenced on the 28th of November, 1865, when tle was united in marriage with Miss Charlotte A., daughter of Cornelius and Elcee Ann (Doughty) Bolt. The parents of Mrs. Goodrich were natives of New - ork State. and came to Alichigan in 1846, settling in Colon Township, this county. A few years later they returned westward as far as Livingston County, Ill., where the father died in 1872. The mother is still living. Their daughter Charlotte A. was the third of their six children, and was born in Schenectady County, N. Y., June 13, 1844. She spent her youth from the age of two years up in Colon Township, and remained a member of the parental household until her marriage. Of her union witl our subject there have been born seven children. four of whom died in infancy. The survivors are Roy, Zoraida and Mary Irene. Mr. Goodrich, politically, is a stanch supporter of Repullican principles, and uniformly votes tle way he fought. Both lie and his excellent wife are members of the Metliodist Church, in which Mr. G. has officiated as Class-Leader andl Trustee a nlumber of years. They have been in harmony in tleir common interest in matters of education and relig S F. JOSEPH C O U N T Y.265~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ious nature, and have uniformly given of their means and influence to thle furtherance of those ideas calculated to advance every good work and purpose. Mr. Goodrich has held the office of Highway Commissioner five terms, and socially, is connected with the G. A. R. Ml MOS SMITI is very successfully engaged t7Ij in farming and stock-raising on section 6, Fabius Township, where lie has resided since 1853. IIe has built up a very pleasant and attractive home here, beautifully situated within a half-mile of Long Lake. HIe owes his prosperity solely to his own untiring industry, shrewdness and wise economy, as he is one of the self-made men, life with him becoming a struggle for existence at a very early age, when his father, througlh loverty and being obliged to support a large family, had to send him out into the world to earn his own living. Mr. Smith is a native of New Scotland, Albany Co., N. Y., born Oct. 26, 1828. Iis parents, John Z. and Nellie (Vain Iorn) Smith, were also natives of New York, and descendants of Hollanders who settled il that State early in its Colonial history. IIis father was twice married, and by the first marriage there were twelve children, of whom our subject was the sixth. John Z. Smith was a quiet, honest, hard-working man, of a mild, kindly disposition. When, through the infirmities of age, he could no longer support himself, his son, of whom we write, sent for him to come to Michigan to spend his declining years in his home, where he lived in ease, surrounded with every comfort that filial care could procure, until his death, which occurred in 1862. Hle was one of the old-line Democracy, and took a great interest in political affairs. Our subject's early years were spent partly in town and partly in the country, working for others by the month, as after his mother's death, when he was eight years old, lie had to depend entirely on his own resources. His early experience in roughing it doubtless strengthened his character, and made him manly and self-reliant much beyond his years. Ile had but limited opportunities for an education, but made good use of his time when he i 1 f. r K gpb -- ~~ --- —------- ~ ----~. ---- ~ —~ --- —-- ~ ----~~ ---- ---—, M ba-.-~~ —~-.. ----.~.- ~ -~-~I~~~~- ~ ~ -~ —~~- Ix~ --- —--- ~ --- ~~- p I -— - I -- -- -~ --- —- *b'c- - b 1 I m L 266 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. ii 266: - could get a little schooling, and by observation and reading acquired a better education than many whose early advantages were much better. At the age of nineteen he commenced to learn the carpenter's trade, serving some three years, and possessing a natural aptitude for handling tools, he gained a thorough mastery of his calling in all its details. Mr. Smith by prudence and economy laid by enough money to warrant him in marrying, while he was in the very prime of early manhood, and on the 17th of February, 1853, Miss Mary E. Peck, daughter of Oliver Peck, became his wife. Shortly after his marriage Mr. Smith came with his bride to establish their home in Michigan. HIe entered eighty-four acres of land from the Government in this county, and on this place, where he still lives, lie and his wife commenced their wedded life. The happiness that they experienced together was not of long duration, for death claimed the wife Nov. 12, 1854, who not two years before had been a bride. Of this union one child was born, now Mrs. Ann E. Parker, of Muskegon County, Mich. Mr. Smith's next marriage took place Feb. 14, 1856, to Miss Addie Johnson, daughter of James and Elizabeth Johnson. By this marriage there are living nine children, namely: Ilenry, William, Addie, Bert, Hattie, MIyrtle, Sydney, Clyde and Eva. Of these William, Addie and Bert, are married; two are living in Fabius and one in Flowerfield. Mr. Smith has improved and cultivated his farm, erected substantial and commodious buildings, and supplied it with good grades of stock, so that as a whole there is no better managed or more valuable farm in this neighborhood. This brief record shows that in every department of life he has been true to himself and to those around him; as a son, he was all that could be desired; as a husband, he is kind and thoughtful; as a father, devoted and tender; as a citizen, liberal and public spirited. lHe has taken part in township affairs as a Road Commissioner, in which position he did good work, and as a member of the School Board for many years. He has taken an intelligent interest in educational affairs, and has earnestly striven to maintain good schools in this community. -He has given his own children liberal educations, and some of them are well qualified to teach, although they have never turned their attention to that profession. In his politics Mr. Smith is a stanch Democrat, and by voice and vote stands loyally by his party. J AMES W. KING. The subject of this sketch was born in the township of Fabius, near Three Rivers, Mich., Aug. 13, 1842, on the farm entered by his father, Benjamin M. King, from Government, in 1836. The father was one of the early settlers of St. Joseph County. Iie was born in Orange County, near Middletown, N. Y., and in his teens went to Wayne County to learn the trade of shoemaker, and from there, with his young wife, whose maiden name was Martha Wetherbee, came to Michigan in the spring of 1832. They settled at Eschol, a now extinct village, the location of which was three miles south of Three Rivers. At that time there was but one house in the latter place, that having been built by Jacob Mclntaffer, in 1829. The parental stock on both sides contributed their full share for American freedom, both in the war of the Revolution and the War of 1812. One of the grandfathers, Benjamin Montonye, after whom the father of James W. was named, was selected by Washington to carry a false dispatch into the British lines a short time before the glorious victory at Yorktown. It was through this dispatch that Sir Henry Clinton was made to believe that New York was to be attacked by the combined forces of the American and French, the outcome of which resulted in the unconditional surrender of Lord Cornwallis and his army in Virginia. The bearer of the dispatch suffered himself to be captured, and was placed on one of the floating prisons at Jersey City, and kept there until peace brought the release of all American prisoners. James W. King worked on his father's farm until the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, in 1861, when he enlisted as a private in Company A, lth Regiment of Michigan Infantry, and remained in service until the downfall of the Southern Confederacy. That he performed his services as a sol I L-l. =.I 1 C ~- *PO1"~-~lllb -- - 1 1 1LC-_1I~l..... M~~lll)IIIPl~ -— qwm 0 =41W I f. -L /Is-CIPLI LLII C-L -~II — --— e —c- -1 ------ _ t--- -- llL" -~I- - 1(1 1 — —L IP~-rLal OPO-iW rV I I I II I II I I I I I ^ ST. JOSEPH'E COUNTY. 267 ' ST.~ ~. JOEP C O U N T Y.267 dier faithfully and gallantly is shown by the following statement, which appears on the back of his final discharge, signed by Gen. William L. Stoughton and every officer in the regiment: "The within named, James WT. King, was distinguished as a soldier for the ability and zeal with which lie performed every duty pertaining to his office, as well as for the integrity of his character and his gentlemanly deportment. Taking a voluntary part in the battle of Mission Ridge, he behaved with conspicuous gallantry, and received a severe wound, as also anotler before Atlanta, in August, 1864. We cordially recommend him to the favorable consideration of all civil and military authorities." In that grandest of all great charges of the war, Mission Ridge, where Grant had command of the Union forces, with Sherman on the left, Thomas in the center, Hooker on the right, and McPherson and Sheridan in lesser commands, a minie ball shattered the bone of Mr. King's right arm just above the elbow joint, rendering him a cripple for life, incapacitating him for heavy manual labor. "Robertson's Michigan in the War " says: " It has been very satisfactorily established that Quartermaster Sergeant King was among the first to reach the summit of the ridge." In the latter part of July, 1864, before Atlanta, lie had his left shoulder broken by a piece of rebel shell, but, despite these two severe wounds, served to the end of that protracted struggle, and was stationed at Chattanooga, Tenn., when Lee surrendered his sword to Grant in 1865, at Appomattox. Previous to this time Mr. King had given the subject of shorthand writing some thought, but when lie found himself disabled for manual labor lie had a double incentive to pursue the study of an art whicl afterward became his strong right arm of support in the battle of life, or, to use a more homely, but expressive and truthful, phrase, " the battle for bread and butter." Iis facilities for a book education were confined to the district sclool and study at home. IIe spent hours on Webster's Elementary Speller where his companions spent minutes. It was the same in penmanshlip, reading, arithmetic and grammar, and whatever success he has had in life, in the pursuit of any study, he attributes it to persistent and well-directed industry, which enabled him to become thoroughly familiar with whatever subject lie had in hand. His attention was first called to shorthand writing by the following incident: When but six or seven years of age lie and an elder companion were passing along the highway and they met an eccentric old man, known throughtout Southern Michigan as Dr." Lambert. The companion said: "That man used to be a reporter in Congress, and could write as fast as a man could talk." The companion could explain no further than that lie had some kind of short marks that represented words. From that time on he lhad a desire to know something of an art which would allow one man's pen to keep pace witll another man's tongue. Among his comrades in arms were Arthur Sylvester Graham, a brother of Andrew J. (G:raham, author of the system of Standard Phonography, and Capt. Ephraim G. HIall, both of whom had some knowledge of phonography, Through their advice, in 1863, lie purchased Graham's handbook of Standard Phonoglraphy, and when not on duty begaan to familiarize himself with the principles laid down therein. Two broken arms inside of one year interfered for some time with practice for speed, but lie used up his spare time in a systematic course of reading. In tlle fall of 1865 Mr. King returned to his boyhood home in Michigan aid married his former schoolmate, Miss Sarah Jane Babcock. The young married couple removed to Tennessee, with the idea of making that State a permanent home. Mr. King engaged in the culture of cotton, at Thompson's Station, thirty miles south of Nashville, and the next year removed to Alabama, and lived on a plantation five miles south of Decatur. The Southern venture proved a genuine " fool's errand." In January Mr. King and family returned to MAichiogan. $20 worse off than nothing in a financial point of view, but rich in Southern experience. Two months later lie accepted a clerkship in the office of the Auditor G(eneral at Lansing. At the head of that (lepartment at that time was that gallant soldier and able and zealous public servant Gen. William Iumphrey. For three years Mr. King held this position. Every hour of spare time was carefully husbanded by him in order to get speed. His wife devoted all the time she could to.) INlPn ~a -k Ll - C~ I -. - - L -— C I 11 — b —p is, I CI.I " -qpm , --- —--- -~~~ - -- -- - - — " How m "me-I~-~ 'rs 3~1- - r.I-I. - 3r — - - -— ~ "o — i, I % 268 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. * ---~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _6 ST JSPCONY reading to him, and when she was otherwise engaged he would spend his time in tracing or "dnmmying" the beautiful characters found in the exercises of Graham's Second Reader. It is not too much to say that every page of that reader was either written or traced by him until each character, or combination of characters, was so thoroughly photographed on his mind, as it were, that he could reproduce from reading the phonographic characters of the book from beginning to end. Mr. King began actual shorthand work in 1869, by reporting the proceedings of the department encampment of the Grand Army of Michigan, then held at Lansing. Then came the testimony in two or three legislative investigations, and a speech by the lion. Moses W. Field, before the Michigan Legislature, in favor of the principle of protection to American industry, which was published in the Detroit Post. A few weeks after reporting this speech State Senator Isaac MI. Cravath made a speech in the Senate in favor of a bill for the establishment of a State Board of Health. The friends of the measure engaged Mr. King to report the speech, a transcript of which they offered the Lansingo State Republican for publication. The then managing editor, the late W. S. George, who had been editorially connected with some of the best newspapers in the land, among them the Springfield (Mass.) Republican and the Detroit Tribune, accepted the manuscript for publication. lie had never seen the reporter to know him, but his practical eye caught at a glance the beautiful longhand, and the correct spelling and punctuation of the copy before him, and his first inquiry was as to who did tile work. A few days later he sought out Mr. King and informed him that he had for some time believed that he could use plonography to advantage in the dictation of editorial matter, and he would be glad to have him come to his house some evening in the near future and let him make the trial. The experiment was made to the satisfaction of Mr. George. About a week afterward, as Mr. King was passing7 along the street in front of the Republican office, Mr. George came to the door and said: "' Mr. King, if you will come with me I will give you the city editorship of the Republican, and $1,000 the first year." Mr. King frankly replied: "Mr. George, I have had no experience in newspaper work, outside of the shorthand reports that I have made for your paper and the Detroit Post. I have scarcely written a column for publication in all my life." The editor replied: "You are just the man I want," and in three days from that time Mr. King began his duties as city editor of the Republican. His first work was to report a German-American meeting; it was to celebrate the results of the Franco-Prussian war.. D. Bingham, the political editor of the Republican, was the principal speaker. Mr. Bingham had always been a terror to shorthand men on account of rapidity of utterance, but Mr. King succeeded in getting the speech so correctly that he received the warmest praise from the orator himself. lis reputation as a speech reporter was at once established, and for fifteen years he occupied a desk in the Republican office. For six years he was city editor, five years assistant editor, and, on the death of Mr. George, in 1881, became chief editor. The latter position he held for four years. 1)uring the fifteen years that he was in the editorial harness there was scarcely an hour but what he hurried matters by his skillful knowledge of shorthand. It was useful in a thousand and one different way s. Iis reporting covered testimony in legislative investigations, political speeches, convention and institute proceedings, and lectures of all descriptions and characters. Tllis work included the utterances of many of the most noted men and women of the land. Among those who have complimented him personally for accuracy in speech reporting, of his own State, were Senators Chandler, Ferry, Christiancy and P'almer; Governors Croswell, Jerome and Alger; Congressman Hlorr, and scores of others. The newspaper man who is hustling for news must take his notes under all conditions and circumstances. Sometimes in the crowds with which Mr. King had to deal no preparations had been made for reporters. As an illustration of the emergency in which he has been placed in a reportorial point of view, one instance will suffice: Four years ago Benjamin F. Butler, then the Greenback candidate for the Presidency, made a speech in Lansing, at the intersection of Michigan and Washington avenues. The speaker's stand was a dray in the 1 I —.W dk- I I 1"I 'MIN ----------- ---------- 11 —"~ " ~- 1,~ m -.11, IN I -ww —w~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~L- ()l~l*lll~j~ ST'. -JOSEPH COUNTY. I 269 A ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 269 center of the square, and a surging tide of humanity blocked the center and streets for many rods from the four points of the compass. There was no possible chance for a reporter to write on the street. Mr. King, after looking over the situation, gained access to an insurance office in the second story of a brick building, shoved a window and crawled out on the stone cornice. With that for a seat, with feet dangling in the air, and note book in left hand, he captured the entire speech, with scarcely a skip. The light at times, which came from the electric lamps, was so poor that he could not see the lines of his note book, or even the lead pencil marks that he was making. But he knew that he was going through the motions, and the next day the entire speech appeared in the Republican. Three years ago Mr. King gave up editorial work i and accepted the appointment of official stenographer in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit of Michigan. His time outside of court work is given to the education of his four boys in habits of industry on a 40-acre farm that lies just outside of the citylimits of Three Rivers. His family consists of one daughter, May, and four sons. The former is the wife of Adam Shaffer, of Fabius. The sons all make their home with their parents. They are named: Herbert II., James G., John W. and Henry B. Mr. King is a member of Charles T. Foster Post No. 47, G. A. R., of Lansing, Mich., and was formerly Adjutant General of the Department. In politics he is a Republican. quietly living in the comfortable home that he has built for himself and his family on section 2, Fabius Township, since those stirring (lays of the great Rehellion, anl he is successfully conducting farming and stock-raising on land which he has purchased since his return from the seat of war, undergoing all the pioneer labors of felling trees and grubbing the stumps from the soil with a grub hoe, before he could cultivate his land. Mr. Dock was born Nov. 4, 1834, in Union County, Pa., being the eldest of the three children of Jacob and Elizabeth (Snyder) Dock, natives of Pennsylvania, but of German descent. There is a curious and interesting bit of history connected with the origin of his mother's family name. The first who bore the name was a little lad who was kidnapped and taken from Holland when he was too young to talk plainly, and, as his father had been a tailor, which in Dutch is schneider, he was called the young schneider. From him there came a large family of Snyders, as the name is now spelled, and from them Snyder County, Pa., gets its name. Our subject's father died when Calvin E. was about eleven years old. and' his mother followed in a few years. Their son Henry lives in Freeburg, Pa., and is married and has three children. IHe served in the army nine months. Edward, the other brother of our subject, (lied young. Calvin E. Dock, being thus left an orphan at an early age, went to live with an uncle, and assisted him on his farm. He was always kept busy, and his means for obtaining an education were very limited, and six months will cover all the schooling that he ever had. Being naturally bright and quick to learn, and with keen observing faculties, he has acquired an amount of knowledge that many do not possess who have spent many years between the walls of a school building. At the age of eighteen Mr. Dock commenced to learn the carpenter's trade, which he followed for some two years, and then abandoned it for that of a blacksmith, of which trade he gained a thorough mastery, serving in a carriage-shop for that purpose for three years. He then went to Bellevue, Ohio, where he opened a blacksmith-shop, and was very successfully engaged in prosecuting his trade there until the breaking out of the war. During the course of his resi- ' *Do- ol- )- -e -. — ALVIN E. DOCK is a representative of the citizen-soldier element of this great Republic, which, since the close of the war, has done so much toward developing the magnificent resources of the country, and to promote its unprecedented growth during the last quarter of a century. Our subject has a fine military record, to which his children and his children's children may point with pride, as it was won by bravery and efficiency on some of the hardest fought battle-fields of the late Civil War, retiring from the army with the well-earned rank of Lieutenant. He is now - -. — -,.I I II - -- - - ----- --- -.- - - b o - 21-.o I o m - I I I i 440 S I' 270 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. dence in Bellevue he made the acquaintance of Miss Julia Picard, and to her he was united in marriage April 25, 1859. Mrs. Dock is the third child in a family of eight, born to Raphael and Rebecca (Mertz) Picard, natives respectively of Germany and Pennsylvania. She was born in Snyder County'. Pa., Dec. 30, 1835. The record of her brother and sisters is as follows: Elvina married Henry Gemberling, whose sketch is given on another page of this work; Rosa married Pharis Gembeiling, aind lives il Snyder County, Pa.; Fannie married Pharis Maines, and lives in St. Joseph County, Mich.; Elizabeth married Henry Fisher, and lives in Elkhart, Ind.; Sarah married James Rowe, and lives in Clyde, Ohio; Jane married Edward Borger, and lives on section 3, Fabius Township; Morris lives in Texas. August 15, 1862, is the date of the enlistment of our subject to take lart in the war, he then becoming a membler of the I 11th Ohio Infantry, and for three years and nine months he underwent the hardships and sufferings of a soldier's life, and so faithfully and courageously did he discharge his duties in camp and on the field that his services were rewarded by promotion from time to time. until he received the commission of Lieutenant. He has modestly withheld all account of his life as a soldier, and has scarcely given us any data with regard to it. We can simply state that he took part in many battles, among the worst of which were those fought at Richmond and Mt. Sterling, Ky. He escaped unscathed by a single wound, although he was in the midst of much hard fighting. He was, however, disabled at one time by being thrown from a bank, while in the discharge of his duty, by an unruly team. He was honorably discharged from the service April 26, 1866. After his retirement from the army Mr. Dock came to Michigan, and purchasing forty acres of uncleared land, turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. With the aid of the ax and grubbing hoe, and with untiring perseverance, he has cleared this and put it under excellent tillage. He has since added ten more acres, and his farm now ranks among the best managed in the neighborhood. To Mr. and Mrs. Dock ten children have been born, of whom seven are living: Webster L., born Aug. 14, 1860, is a teacher-by profession, commencing that vocation at the early age of fifteen; he now lives in the copper regions of Michigan, and holds the principalship of the High School in Calumet. William R. A., born Dec. 4, 1861, is a farmer in Nebraska; C. Ellsworth, born Jan. 1, 1863, is a railroad man; Charles F., born Mlay 5, 1 866, lives in Clyde, Ohio; Raphael G., born March 15, 1868; J. James was born June 7, 17l1; Sarah Cecilia, born Aug. 14, 1869, died Aug. 16, 1870; Julia M., born April 2, 1873, died Sept. 11, 1881; Leona was born July 9, 1875; and Lillie May, born in 1879, died September 13 of the same year. Mr. and Mrs. Dock are respected by all in the community, and their genial hospitality makes their home attractive to their many friends. Mr. Dock has always voted the Republican ticket, but is inclined toward the Union Labor party in his political views. He has served this township as Drain Commissioner, and has been closely connected with its educational interests, as he has served on the School Board for twelve years. Socially, he is a member of the G. A. R. __ - as ---~ =i! -OHN C. McKERCHER, who is numbered among the valued citizens of Nottawa Township, and who is a pioneer of this county, is ) the son of Malcolm and Anna (Campbell) McKercher, the father a native of Schenectady County, N. Y., and the mother born in Scotland. The latter emigrated with her parents to the United States in 1813, when a child of three years, and settled with them in York, Livingston Co., N. Y. She remained in that place a period of thirteen years, then removed to Genesee County, where she died Oct. 21, 1827. In the meantime she had met and married the father of our subject, who after her death came to Michigan, in 1837, locating in Moscow Townslip, Hillsdale County. Malcolm McKercher found his way into St. Joseph County in 1854, and passed the remainder of his life at the home of our subject, dying July 18, 1863. The parental family numbered five children, of whom John C. was second in order of birth. He first opened his eyes to the light May 14, 1818, til 1^-l I i ~~~YI _ _I~ 11~ 11,9L- L I -- I _C I -0L-~~ II*I(lwi~~ I _ Ir- ~-_ -- — ~ - _ -_I_ I ----~-~s --- I. - - ........, I.. M 1010 - ST. JOSEI in York, Livingston Co., N. Y. In that county he spent his early days, and mingled with the exercises of the school-house were those which could be entrusted to him in connection with the farm work, until, almost unconsciously to himself, he was able to take his place as an able worker in any departmlent thereof. Our subject accompanied his father's family to ilillsdale County, Mich., in 1837, and it was not until 1854 that he made his advent into this county, settling in Nottawa Township, of which he has been a continuous resident. His beautiful farm numbers 160 acres, and it is to be doubted if any of those of larger extent are more perfect in their operations and workings. The chief occupation of the proprietor has been to bring it to a high state of cultivation, and its present condition will amply I testify that his labors have not been in vain. Margery Judson is the name of the lady who first lecame the wife of our subject, the wedding taking place in Hillsdale County, Mich. This marriage was blessed by the birth of one child, a laughter, Margery. now Mrs. Austin W. Stodden, who is a resident of Centreville. Mrs. Margery McKercher died in Moscow, July 6, 1845, and our subject was again married, this time to Mrs. Margaret Mci Kercher, widow of John McKercher, of Moscow, Hillsdale County. This latter union resulted in the birth of a son, Malcolm, who remains at home with his father, his mother, Mrs. Margaret McKercher, having died in Nottawa Township. The third marriage of Mr. McKercher took place in Centreville, this State, Feb. 25, 1874, at which time Mrs. Mary Ten Brook. widow of Rev. G. V. Ten Brook, became his wife. Rev. Ten Brook organized the Baptist Church at Centreville, of which he remained the pastor until his death, and was beloved and respected by all who knew him. Mrs. McK. by her former marriage became the mother of a daughter, Lottie E., now the wife of Malcolm McKercher, the son of our subject by his second marriage. The present wife of our subject was born in Milford, Otsego Co., N. Y., Nov. 9, 1829. Mr. McKercher has been the recipient of many of the local offices within the gift of the people,, r having served for ten consecutive year s as uper PH COUNTY. 271 f~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ visor of Nottawa Township. While a resident of HIillsdale County he held the offices of Township Treasurer and Highway Commissioner. Our subject is a consistent member of the United Presbyterian Church, while his wife holds fellowship with the Baptist. Mr. McKercher affiliates with the Republican party in his position upon political questions, and has for years been one of its stout adherents and doughty friends. He and his estimable wife are prominent in local society, and are gladly welcomed into the best circles thereof. BNER P. SHEPIERDSON, ah influential citizen of Fabius Township, has for many years been identified with the farming and stock-raising interests of St. Joseph County. During his long residence here he has shown himself to be, both in public and private life, a man of sound judgment and of fearless integrity, one who is careful and considerate in his dealings with others, and who thoroughly deserves the confidence and respect with which lie has inspired his neighbors. He was born Sept. 19, 1827, in Delaware County, N. Y., a son of Joseph and Jerusha (Pratt) Shepherdson. His father was a native of Connecticut, of English descent, born Nov. 19, 1794. The mother was a native of Vermont, the (late of her birth being April 29, 1798. Our subject's father was reared in his New England birthplace, and when a single man accompanied his father, who settled in Delaware County, N. Y., and there he worked with his father at the carpenter's trade. He was three times married. Of his first marriage, with the mother of our subject, five children were born, of whom Abner P., who was the next to the youngest, is the only survivor. The record of his brothers and sister is as follows: Jerusha, born Dec. 22, 1820, married Joseph Bullock, and died July 8, 1846, leaving one child; Joseph was born July 6, 1822, and died Feb. 4, 1835; Adam C., born June 24, 1824, (lied Nov. 19, 1887, leaving four children, who live in Michigan; Timothy, born June 16, 1830, died Oct. 4, 1830. The following is the record of the five children born of the second marriage: Oliver, born March 2, 1832, now lives in Cass County, r f -g~ h^~qq lw1IBlFp-p*C- l II, - -,- - ------- ---- ---, C I E o_ - - - I I A I i I i I..... I l t L 7 272 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. --- -- -— ~~~~~~~~~~~~I === Midi., is married, and has two living children; Rebecca, born May 13, 1 833, married Valentine Beadle, whose sketch appears on another page of this volume; Francis M., born Nov. 6, 1841, died Jan. 5, 1850; Jesse C.. born Aug. 26, 1844, lives in Broome County, N. Y.; Polly, born April 9, 1846, died in June, 1870. unmarried. Mr. Shepherdson's third marriage was without issue. He was also a farmer as well as a carpenter, and in 1846, after settling up his affairs in New York, he came to Michigan, and purchasing forty acres of land in Kalamazoo County, town of Portage, immediately entered upon its improvement. He was an industrious, active man. and was doing well in his farming when the sad misfortune of losing his second wife by death determined him to break up his home here and return to New York. Afterward, in company with his third wife, he spent one summer in Michigan with our subject. He returned to Broome County, N. Y., in August, 1854, and died in July, 1855. The early days of our subject were spent on a farm, and notwithstanding that his help was often required at home, he gained a good common-school e(lucation by diligence and close application to his books when time permitted. He was quite young when his own mother, a good and true woman, departed this life. He was nineteen years old when he came to Michigan with his father, full of youthful vigor, well trained in agricultural pursuits, and ambitious to make his own way in the world by the use of brain and muscle, thus placing himself among the self-made men of St. Joseph County, who have been the making of the county and of the townships in which they have settled. His father gave him his time nine months before he was of age, and he went to work with a will to accumulate money enough to buy a farm of his own. He was then $5 in debt, but he worked by the day or month until he had not only paid that, but had almost enough to buy his father's farm when his father returned to New York, going into debt only some $300 for it. He says he found that sum much harder to pay than the $1,100 or $1,200 that he had to pay years later for a substitute when he was drafted into the Union Army. His farm nowcomprises 100 acres of land, all well improved, and its ablundant harvests bringing him in a good annual income, besides what he derives from the sale of his stock. He also owns valuable property in Three Rivers. By unremitting labor, economical and shrewd management, Mr. Shepherdson was enabled to establish a comfortable home by the time he was twenty-five years old, and to the young lady whom he invited to share it, Miss Helen M. Moon, he was united in marriage March 1 8, 1 853. Mrs. Shepherdson was born in the western part of New York, near Honeoye, Jan. 7, 1836, being the eldest of the six children born to William and Cordelia (Crooks) Moon, natives of New York, and early pioneers of Michigan, coming to Kalamazoo in 1837, when their dlanghter Helen was but a year and a half old. Mrs. Shepherdson has now living two sisters and one brother. The latter, William S. Moon, is a machinist, and resides at Lake Linden, Micd., and has three children. Her sister, Almina C. Ross, lives at Hancock, Mlich., and has five children living and one deceased. Her other sister, Mrs. AM. A. Duncan, lives at Calumet, Mich., and has a family of four children living, and two deceased. The union of our subject and his wife has been blessed by the birth of three children: Joseph W., born March 26, 1854; Lizzie C., Oct. 11, 1855; AbnerE., Sept. 19, 1 869.,Joseph married Bertha Kent, and they make their home in Hart, Oceana Co., Mich., where lie is employed as a clerk in a shoe store: their only child, Ray, born May 24, 1883, is now deceased. Lizzie married Harvey A. Wing, June 13, 1881; he is a real-estate agent in Duluth, Minn. '1 hey have one child, William, born May 24, 1883. Abner E. is an artist of much talent, and he is now in business as a photographer. Mr. Shepherdson exerts an influence for good beyond the boundaries of his own township, and has done much to promote the improvement of this section of Michigan, and has conscientiously and satisfactorily discharged the duties entrusted to him when holding public office. He has been Road Commissioner for three years, was Supervisor one year, and was appointed Special Drain Commissioner for the two counties of Cass and St. Joseph in 1883. He has taken a warm and active part in advancing the religious and moral elevation of his I ~"...1 41- 0" --— L -1= -C — ~I-IIL -- -- - - I - F-~ L1~-1111 --- C 11-~I&~- 19bom~IPIL I I 4 i ~~~ --- - - - -~ — - - - - - - - - - - -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — Am" =Loi ST. JOS~EPH COUNTY. 273 { S. JS~ ONY 7 a(dopted county, having long been one of the leadi il menihers of the Methodist Protestant Church in Faliut.s Township. of which he is Local Elder, Trustee and( Sunlday-school Superintendent, and he has also served as Steward and Class-Leader. 1) I)W\IN R. IIILL has long been closely idenF |3 tified with the financial interests of Southern X Mi iMichigan; first as an enterprising business man of Colon, and now, for some years, as a prominent and wealthy banker of that place, lie being t the senior member of the banking firm of E. Iill & Sons, of the Exchange Bank. lie was born in Chenango County. N. Y., the fourth child in a family of five children of Elisha and AMaria (Cooley) Hill, natives of New York. His mother was a daughter of Col. Cooley, an officer in the War of 1812. She died when our subject was an infant, ai and when he was about eighteen months old his father married again, Miss Pamelia Pope, a native of Cherry Valley, N. Y., becoming his wife. She was the daughter of Job and Sarah Pope, and the mother of Thomas J. Iill, junior member of the bank. The father of our subject was reared on a farm, and after attaining manhood he became prominent in the administration of the public affairs of Chenango County, N. Y., where his home was. lie served in various official capacities; was Sheriff of Chenango County, and Justice of the Peace for several years, besides holding other important offices. Under the continued strain of such an active life, his health gave way, and, closing up his affairs in New York, he came to Michigan in the hope that change of scene and climate would prove beneficial to him. IIe settled in St. Joseph County, in the town of Sturgis, and engaged in farming on a new place. Ile remained there two years, his health continuing to fail, and for three years he was an invalid. In 1849 he removed to Coldwater and opened a hotel, which he managed for two years. IIe then removed to Colon, where he engaged in the same business. Mr. Hill also engaged in an extensive mercantile business here with his sons, closing the hotel to give his entire attention to that. Finally, having accumulated wealth by their transactions, they closed up business and retired for the space of two years, settling up old matters. During the war they did a very large business, averaging $282 a day in 1862. Mr. hill was Postmaster of Colon for seven years, from 1953 to 1860. It will be seen that lie was for many years conspicuously connected with the leading interests of St. Joseph Ceunty, and that lie contributed materially to its prosperity. lie was a man of keen judgment, quick discernment, and sound understanding, and lie exerted a great influence for good in this community. He died in November, 1885, after a short illness, at the advanced age of eighty-four years. His excellent wife still survives him, and makes her home in Colon. Edwin It. Hill, of this sketch, was about six years of age when his father settled in Sturgis, and there he attended the district school, where hle obtained a very good education, which he was preparing to supplement by a course in a school at Olivet, but just then an opportunity presented for him to engage in the mercantile business, and he unhesitatingly took advantage of it. Although he was then but seventeen years old, he had already displayed a marked talent for business, and it had been the goal of his ambitions to engage in mercantile pursuits. lie continued thus engaged for some eighteen years, and lastly as banker. The Exchange Bank, of which he and his brother are now proprietors, was organized in the spring of 1870, and has been in successful operation ever since, he owning a half-interest in it. The business of the bank is conducted in the most methodical and systematic manner, and it has been of great benefit to the financial interests of Southerni Michigan, the farmers, merchants, and business men generally, finding it a great aid to them in transacting their monetary affairs. Mr. Hill was married, in 1856, in Colon, to Miss Amelia R. Bowman, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1832. She is a daughter of John HI. and Ann (Milland) Bowman, natives of Pennsylvania, and early pioneers of Three Rivers. Her father built the first gristmill there in 1836, and he was also an early settler of Colon, where he built the first gristmill ever erected within its limits, in 1839. He ts __..~.~~_~_..__.~. ~I__I__I___ I~LIII_ _111 __1mabb_-IM1111__- 91"1 I -NOMMINI'llip, I ~~ph El-" " i r *ON- A.400 M S. - b 274 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I took an active part in public affairs, and represented the county in the State Legislature at Detroit two terms. lie was a member of the Legislature in that city in 1838, when he received the news of his wife's death, and there being no railways or telegraphic communication in those days, word was sent to him across the country by a messenger, riding one horse and leading another for him to return on. Mrs. Hill's father died in the city of Lexington, Mo., in the year 1855, of cholera, he being then sixty-one years of age. Mrs. Hill's paternal grandparents were Jesse and Sally (Aton) Bowmnan. Her maternal grandfather was William Milland; his wife's name before marriage was Rittenhouse. - On both sides they were natives and lifelong residents of Pennsylvania. Bishop Bowman was a cousin to Mrs. Hill's father, and the family have been for many years prominent Methodists. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hill settled in Colon, where they have since lived, and their fine brick residence is one of the handsomest and most substantial looking dwellings in the place. Their otherwise happy married life has been saddened by the death of their two sons, bright and promising young men, the elder of whom was a great help to his father in his business. John II. died first, before reaching his majority, his death occurring Feb. 28, 1879. Elisha B. died Nov. 22, 1882, at the age of nearly nineteen years. They were dutiful and affectionate sons, and were well beloved by a large circle of friends. We cannot think, however, that these brave, devoted young lives have come to naught, but would fain have those who mourn their loss believe with the poet that "Death is but a great event in the life of the soul. It is a change and not a dissolution. It is the gate to a new sphere, in which the mind, enriched with larger powers, shall enter upon broader fields of action and duty, where nobler struggles shall task the strength, and more precious crowns award the victor-where the hopes and the dreams of earth shall be turned to sight, and the broken circles of life be rounded to the perfect orb." Mr. Hill is regarded as an honorable business man and a public-spirited citizen, and as their expression of confidence in him, his fellow-citizens have often elected him to offices of trust, whose duties lie has discharged with a single eye to the good of the public. He affiliates with the I)emocratic party, which has no more sincere and active supporter in all St. Joseph County than he. HIe has often been sent as a delegate to the State Conventions of his party. J. FIIRESi~TONE, editor and proprietor of the Colon Express, has a brilliant future before him as a journalist of no mean ability, as is shown by the successful management of his paper, which is already classed among the most popular and newsiest newspapers in the county, and it is welcomed in many households far and near, as it has nearly doubled its circulation since coninng into the possession of our subject in January, 1888. The Express is independent in politics, with views, opinions and expressions that are its own on any and all of the topics that are under general discussion to-day. Mr. Firestone was born in December, 1858, in Elkhart County, Ind., being the second in the family of seven children of Jonathan and Catherine (Peffly) Firestone, natives of Ohio, who moved to Indiana in the early days of its settlement. His father is a prosperous carpenter and joiner, and resides near Goshen, Ind., where lie is actively engaged at his trade. Ile is a valued member of the community where lie lives, as he is a man of wellbalanced intellect, capable and shrewd, discreet and honest in all of his dealings, and with his wife occupies a high social standing. The paternal grandparents of our subject, John and Catherine Firestone, were natives of Maryland, and his greatgrandfather was a soldier in the Revolution. Iis maternal grandparents were David and Mary Peffly, and on both sides his grandparents were early pioneers of Ohio and Indiana. The subject of this sketch was reared in Elkhart County, the place of his birth, and received a liberal education in South Bend, Ind. After leaving school, he commenced to learn printing at Ft. Wayne, Ind., and was thus engaged also at South Bend, and then in Chicago, where lie worked in the Inter-Ocean and Tribune offices, and was also at k I t 1 I l.,. K I I~s~ __Alk.. C C&(1 L I I I - - ~ - - - - - __ III q C/B"vp` — ~-a. -r~r ~zllZTtf:: -w-. --- I I t ~~ ---il — ~ ~~~~ I~~ ---~~~ II — I —~~~~~~I- ` — --- ~~~~~~~ ----~~~~ --- —----- ' ---~~~~~~~ -.L I " ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 275 I i i i I i i i i I i I 0 I I I one time in the employ of l)onahue & Ilenneberry; and with this varied experience lie gained a thorough mastery of the art preservative. In 1881 lie established the Argos Reflector, at Argos, Marshall Co., Ind. lie had charge of the same one year and a half, when poor health of his wife caused him to sell. Hle again removed witll his family to South Bend, Ind., where they remained until lie purchased the Colon Lake Breeze, Jan. 10, 1888, changing its name to the Colon Express, and entering at once upon its management, is now conducting it with encouraging success, furnishing his subscribers with a wholesome, wide-awake family paper, wherein home and foreign affairs are discussed in an able and intelligent manner. Mr. Firestone was married in Ohio, Aug. 29, 1880, to Miss Lizzie A. Eveland. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1861, and was the eldest of the six children of Daniel M. and Amanda R. (Zuber) Eveland, natives of I'ennsylvania. They migrated to Ohio at an early date, but are now residing in Mendon, Mich. The pleasant and happy home of our subject and his amiable wife is blessed by the presence of the two clildren, Audrey Eloise and Claude E., who have been born to them. Mr. Firestone is a man of fine mental gifts, of sound principles, and of blameless life. He does not take an active part in politics, and is independent and unbiassed in his views of the questions that agitate the various parties of the day. IIe has the welfare of lis fellowmen deeply at heart, and is an earnest worker in everything tending to promote the interests of society. Mr. Firestone is a member of the I. O. 0. F., and of the International Typographical Union of North America. AMES M. LAIRD, liveryman and horsedealer, is a resident of Mendon Village. IHe is the son of the late Henry W. Laird, and was born in Oxford, Butler Co., Ohio, Dec. 2, 1848. H-is father came to Michigan and settled in St. Joseph County, bringing our subject with him, and engaged in the business of farming in the northern part of the county. Iere our subject lived until lie was twenty-one years old, when he came to Mendon and entered into business for himself, selling flour and feed, in company with his cousin, George Laird. They continued this business together about eight months, when they dissolved, and our subject rented a farm in Nottawa Township, wllich hie operated for three years. Prospering in his farming venture, our subject purchased a tract of eighty acres in Nottawa Township, which he operated for a period of six years, when lie rented his farm and came to Mendon again, and engaged in tlhe livery business. At the end of seven montls lie fouiind a purchaser for his business, and selling out, went to Sturgis, engaging in the same line of business there, which lie carried on for about ten months, when lie again returned to Mendon opening another livery barn, which he olerated in conjunction with the one in Sturgis. lie did this for two or three years, when he again sold out. After remaining idle a short time, Mr. Laird again engaged in the old business. in which lie has since continued. HIe is a thoroul'h horseman, understands the care and management of stock in all its brancles, is a good trader, and finds his greatest source of enjoyment in handling his horses. IIe buys and sells horses, buggies, and vehicles of all descriptions, runs a line of city express, operates his farm, which he still owns, and does a general livery business, all of which occulies his time completely. The subject of this sketch was married, Sept. 5, 1870, to Miss Libbie C. Avery. This lady was born in Canandaigua, N. Y., and died in Mendon, Sept. 5, 1882. lie was married, Dec. 5, 1884, to Miss Rose Baer, who was born in South Bend, Ind., in 1865. She is a most estimable lady, is educated and refined, besides being a most excellent housekeeper. Mr. Laird is an enterprising, go-ahead business man, obliging when opportunity offers. Although engaged in the business of dealing in horses, he is notably fair in all his transactions. He is well liked and respected by the citizens of the town where he lives. Ile is large-hearted, public-spirited and progressive in his ideas, and is in all things a good, law-abiding citizen. His stables are stocked with an excellent grade of animals, his outfits are II I I f I~_ a. W-~an-~qB- -Iq w rI~- I~ r ~ -. _, _ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 4 ~P. I t I i C 19 I - 276 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.,%wpm INI.11 ii -- new and of the latest improved styles, and anyone having any dealing with Mr. Laird will find him in all respects a perfectly honest, upright and straightforward gentleman. lie has never sought or held any office of public trust, although he has been solicited to accept favors of that kind from his fellow-citizens, but lie prefers to devote himself to his chosen work. j-REDERICK CUSTER, one of the prosperJir ous agriculturists of this county, and owner i1/ ^ of 160 acres of well-tilled land in Colon Township, on section 21. is a worthy representative of that class of citizens that might be designated by the term of German-American. -le was born in the Fatherland on the 3d of May, 1836, and reared upon the farm of his father, continuing to reside in his native land until lie came to this country in August, 1863. Until that time and ever since he had left school he had been engaged at farming. Landing at New York City after a long, tedious and( trying ocean trip, he came direct to this county, and began to work out by the month. This he continued for about six years, when he rented land in Colon Township until 1876, and then purchased his present farm. It includes 160 acres and is thoroughly well improved, as he has taken the greatest possible pride in making it the most productive and best improved in the district. On the 30th of April, 1839, there was born to John and Mary Miller, at Mecklenburg, Germany, a daughter, who received in her baptism the name Sophia. She grew up in her native country, was there educated and continued to live until the year 1864, when she came to America, and made her home at Colon. This lady became the wife of our subject at Sturgis, on Whit-Sunday in 1866. Their family circle includes nine children, who bear the following names: Charles, Emma, Henry, William, Fred, Minnie, Mary, Lydia and Lizzie. Of these eight are still living, and one, Henry, died when about two years of age. Only those who have experienced it can understand the many difficulties, objections and trying circumstances that are grouped around the wrench I ing asunder of old associations, the severance from home and friends, and leaving home and country to seek a possible bettering of opportunity and position amid new surroundings. Our subject is one, whlo, while recognizing the full force of these things was not afraid, buoyed as he was by hope and expectancy, to launch out, even though it cost the pain of parting with those who had hitherto been known and held as dear. lie has certainly not made a mistake, though it might be only that he has bettered his condition in giving to his family the bright, free, unhampered life that is afforded to the citizens and children of this Republic. Mr. Custer has filled a number of school offices with ability. He is not attached to either political party and votes independently, being decided in every case by the ability and fitness of the candidate, and the needs of the people. Both he and Mrs Custer are devout members of the Lutheran Church, of which they have been faithful adherents since their confirmation. OSEPHI MUMBY. Whatever calling he may pursue the average man appreciates courtesy on the part of his fellows, and this element of character has really much to do not only with a man's standing in society, but his success in life. These thoughts were especially called to mind in the interview of the biographer with the subject of this sketch and his estimable lady. They are numbered among the most valued citizens of Mendon Township, and have a very pleasant farm homestead eligibly located on section 14. Mr. Mumby was born on the other side of the Atlantic, in Lincolnshire, England, May 4, 1833, and there spent his boyhood and youth, employed mostly at farming after leaving school. At the age of twenty years he resolved to seek his fortunes on another continent, and in 1853 he embarked at Liverpool on the sailing-vessel "Roachambo," of the Blackball Line, and after a voyage of six weeks first set foot upon American soil in the city of New York. Thence he made his way directly to Michigan, locating first in Kalamazoo Township, Kalamazoo County, where he engaged in farming. After i i i vr.~l I II~~, - -rrrIrr -- I — l- ~x — 9- - --- — ~I tobp$ —I A -..........................~~-l I~-S~ — — ~Fi —~~-~IIIIC ~ --— ~..-1~ --- -~11-l)L if I {2i ST. JOSEPHI COUNTY. 277 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 277~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ a sojourn there of about seven years, crossing the IMississippi, lie spent about two years in Colorado and New Mexico. finally settling in Montana, where he was elngaged in farming and mining about eight years. At the time when he arrived there it was not surveyed, and Mr. Mumby was one of the first company which discovered gold there in 1862, in Pike's Peak gulch, Deer Log Valley, on the headwaters of Blackfoot River. There were in tile party Mr. Bozeman, who laid out tile city of Bozeman, on the headwaters of the Gallatin; Samuel Downs, John Carruthers, Thomas Neals, Michael Ilarkens i and several others. At the time the only inhabitants were Indians. From Montana Mr. Mumby, in 1870, returned eastward to this county, and purchased, in Mendon Townslip, the farm which he now owns and occupies. He has ninety-six and one-half acres, upon which he has erected good buildings and effected a vast improvement upon its original condition. After his return from the Far West le was married, in the city of Kalamazoo, Oct. 2, 1870, to Miss Jane C. Baker, who was born there July 10, 1837. Of this union there were two sons only: William E., born June 24, 1871, and George B., Dec. 8, 1875. They are promising youths, being trained and educated in a manner befitting their station in life, as the representatives of a family of more than ordinary worth and intelligence. William and Rebecca (Everett) IMumby, the parents of our subject, were also, like their son, natives of Lincolnshire, England, where they spent their entire lives. The fathter was a farmer by occupaf tion, and the home circle embraced nine children, seven now living. James Mum )y, a brotller of our sulbject, witlh his family, came here in the spring of 1883. The parents died Nov. 27, 1880, and May 26, 1881, respectively. Mrs. Mumby is the daughter of William }I. and Marygaret (Wigley) Baker, who were natives of England, and( the father nearly all his life engaged in farming. Tley came to Michigan about 1836, and Mr. Baker died at thleir home in Kalamazoo, Dec. 18, 1887. After the death of her husban(d Mrs. Baker came to the home of her laugllter, Mrs. Mumlby, with whom she is still living. She had a family of two children, the other a resident of Kalamazoo. Mrs. Mumby acquired a common-school education, and was trained by her excellent mother in those household duties the knowledge of which has so much to do with the happiness and comfort of a home. Our subject and his highly respected lady number their friends by the score in Mendon Township, and their home is proverbially one of the most pleasant places of resort within its limits.,OHN W. HALL. Colon Village numbers among its sulbstantial citizens no man more deservincg of consideration and respect tlan the sulbject of this sketch. He owns a fine farm in the township, embracing 250 acres of valuable land, but has retired from active labor, leasing his land to a tenant, and is now enjoying the fruits of his early industry in a pleasant and comfortable home, among the friends who have known him for so many years, and amlongr whom he has built up a record of an honest man and a good citizen. The father of our subject, George A. Hall, and the motller, who in her girlhood was Miss Mary Ann Burton, were natives of New York State, and after their marriage settled in Canada, but a few years later camle back to the States, and moving westward took up their residence in Boone County, Ill. There the fatller engfage(l in agricultural pursuits, and spent tile remainder of his life, resting from his llabors in 1861. To the parents of our subject there were born seven childlen, of whom Joln W. was the second. His birthpllace was near the town of Brantford in Upper Canada, where he first opened his eyes to the light Aug. 24, 1833. Ie lived with his parents until a youth of fourteen years, and upon leaving tlhe home roof migrated to Kalamazoo County, this State, and for three years tliereafter occupied himself at farming. We next find him in Centreville, this county, wler ie le learned cabinet-makin( and undertaking, established in business for himself, anld )prosecuted these combined until 1865. Then selling out, lie invested the proceeds in the farm in Colon Township, of whicl he continues the possessor. Upon this there was great room for inmprlovementat the time of its purchase by our subject, and r _F0 I "- - *No. ----- -, -1111-11- -11-11-1-... -- -,- ------ l-.-,,- --- ——,-,--, ----,-,-,,-, —",,-, —,-, —.. --- —-, —, ---, ---.--, ---,,,-,-" —,-, —,,- ----,. —,-" —., ----''-.'','',,-'"' —''-,-",.-,-""" ---"-,,-"-"-"-,--,-, —",-, —". —,-, —.-. —, --- —----------—. —. ----"j A I I,,mM *-' _1 o o. I I H! I 0CII.I = _ Il ~~~I - ~ I I~~ I r ---— (-- -—..i b"c-S111, i ----- k 278 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. its present condition is the result of his industry and good management. One of the most interesting periods in the life of our subject comprises the time which he spent as a soldier of the Union Army. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, 11th Michigan Infantry, and entered with true patriotism upon the discharge of his duties in connection therewith. The great change in his mode of living, however, had its natural effect upon his health, and eighteen months later he was obliged to accept his honorable discharge on account of disability. In the meantime, however, he had made a visit home, and was married in Centreville, in October, 1862, to Miss Mary Ann Sanderson, an adopted daughter of Isaac Balote, of Centreville. When the soldier lad returned home for good they took up their residence in Centreville. Mrs. Hall was born in Sherman Township, this county, in 1845, and of her union with our subject there is one child, a son, Isaac Charlton, who was born in this county in October, 1863. Mr. Hall in 1885 invested a portion of his capital in a stock of general merchandise, and established in business at Colon, being thus occupied two or three years. He has been a leading man in his community and always taken a warm interest in its welfare. He was Deputy Sheriff of St. Joseph County two years, and has held the office of Constable in Colon Township a period of twelve years. He uniformly votes the straight Republican ticket. Socially, he occupies the post of Commander in Henry M. Liddler Post No. 131, G. A. R., at Colon. Mr. Hall is at present engaged in the livery business, keeping a good supply of horses and buggies for the accommodation of the public. The barn is in connection with the St. Joe Hotel. ISS MARY C. FONDA is a well-known and highly respected lady of Fabius Township, where she was reared and where she has passed most of her life, although she is a native of New York. She is a lady of intelligence and culture, and worthily represents one of the honored pioneer families of St. Joseph County. Her home, which she inherited from her parents, is pleasantly located on section 6, and the kindly, courteous hospitality of its hostess renders it attractive alike to friend and stranger. Miss Fonda is a lineal descendant of one John Fonda, a representative of an ancient Holland family, and one of four brothers and sisters who left their native land about 1690, and comning to America, identified themselves with the early settlers of New York State. He married in this country, in 1694, Marrietta Looker, and Miss Fonda traces her descent to him through his son Dow, who married Altia Underkirk in 1727. Dow's son Jacob, greatgrandfather of our subject, married Deriky Fisher in 1768. Harmon, son of Jacob, married Rachel Lansing in 1797, and of that union Lansing Fonda, father of our subject, was born May 17, 1801, probably near Cohoes, N. Y. The Fonda family were people of wealth and position in New York, and Lansing was thoroughly educated in the city of Albany, N. Y. Subsequently his father, a wealthy farmer, went security for four merchants, who failed, and he became bankrupt. This brought out the true nobility of the son, who did not hesitate to put his shoulder to the wheel and accept a life of labor as his lot instead of the one of ease and culture to which lie had been reared. Mr. Fonda married, in 1832, Nellie Ann Van Patten, daughter of Aaron and Esther (Hart) Van Patten, who was born Feb. 13, 1808. In 1848 Mr. Fonda, thinking that he could better his condition and improve the prospects of his children, determined to leave the old home in New York and settle in Michigan. After his arrival here he located in St. Joseph County, on eighty acres of land that he had entered from the Government, now owned by his daughter of whom we write, and the house that he built at that time is still standing and is occupied by Miss Fonda. He had but $1 with which to begin his new and strange life, but he bravely entered upon his career as a pioneer, and suffered all its attendant hardships without a murmur, and by years of patient toil cleared a comfortable home from the primeval forests of Michigan, with the able and willing assistance of his devoted helpmate and companion. When Mr. Fonda took possession of his land he found a few logs rolled together, which I i ow-i1 t -- II ~ I R- -I w1 I r I_._.,,4 _ -- -— --- ---R - - ---- - 3-qg-L ~p --- -~ L-_~c -- -— ~- — ~ 1 _1 i ST. 'JOSEPH COUNTY. 279 some one else had abandoned, and from them he erected a shelter for his family. I-e could procure no lumber for a floor, and lived one year without any floor to his dwelling, and with only oil cloth for roof, door, etc.; they had brought carpeting with them, which served as mats. Mr. Fonda shouldered his ax and went to Centreville, where lhe labored for fifty cents a day to supply the actual necessities of life for his family, and thus they struggled along until a clearing was made and garden stuff could be raised. Finally the farm was cleared, and under careful cultivation became one of the most valuable in the vicinity. Miss Fonda's mother planted the walnuts and butternuts from which sprang the beautiful trees that now adorn the yard and cast grateful shade over any who, weary and heated, seek repose beneath their branches. The death of Mr. Fonda, Oct. 27, 1860, was felt to be a severe loss to the community, where lie was held in honor and esteem as a high-minded, open-hearted man, of liberal views, and of more than ordinary intelligence. Hle led a strictly upright, moral life, and no one ever doubted but that he was filled witl the true spirit of Christianity, although he never identified himself with any church. He always took a deep interest in educational affairs, and served on the School Board much of the time. In his political views he was an old-line Whig. His wife survived him many years, her death not occurring until Dec. 5, 1886. She was a woman whose character commanded the respect of all about her, and was a consistent member of the Free-Will Baptist Church. Lansing Fonda was the second in a family of five children, the eldest being his sister Sarah. She was born July 13, 1788, and married Isaac Major, who left four children, one of whom, Fonda Major, still lives near Centreville, this county. Dow Fonda, a younger brother of the father of our subject, was born March 19, 1804. He never left his native New York, but spent his entire life there; lie married and had six children, three of whom are still living in that State, near Amsterdam. Jane Fonda was born April 19, 1808, married first Isaac Neff, by whom she had two children, and she afterward married John Potter, by whom she. had three children; she moved to Iowa, where she died. Derika, the youngest sister of the father of our subject, was born Oct. 5, 1810, and died July 1, 1815. To the worthy parents of our subject seven children were born in New York, but only three lived to come to Michigan with the parents in 1848. These three are still living, and are as follows: Esther Louisa, Maria Jane, and Mary C., the subject of this sketch. Esther was born June 1, 1832, married William Gear, Jan. 1, 1854, and is living in Fabius Township; she is the mother of five children, four of whom are living, namely: William, Eliza, James and Olivia. Maria was born Dec. 9, 1841, married John S. Northrup, Aug. 23, 1857, and is living in Flowerfield; she is the mother of ten children living. Mary C. Fonda, subject of this sketch, was born Aug. 6, 1847, in DeWitt Township, Onondaga Co., N. Y. She was scarcely a year old when her parents left her native town and came to Michigan to make their future home, and amid the pioneer surroundings of her early life she developed a strong and gracious womanhood. Notwithstanding their primitive style of living, necessitated by the times and condition of a comparatively newly settled country, her parents gave her a careful training, and as a supplement to her education in the schools of Michigan her father doubtless taught her much, as he was a man of superior education. Since the control of her father's homestead has fallen into her hands she has shown herself to be fully capable of managing her affairs, and is regarded as a woman of clear intellect, sound judgment and much ability. She is living quietly in her old home, deserving and receiving the regard and respect of all in the community. V ENRY K. FARRAND. The subject of this biography during his lifetime was one of ithe most prominent, successful and useful men of St. Joseph County. Honorable. and upright in all his transactions, and a man of more than ordinary capabilities, he formed no unimportant factor in this section of country, with whose interests he was identified for a period of fifty *_ _ -w-M.111 — U — W L _ll,m - A._ -pp k ( 0 0. 1 I I A I r -% Po P~ll —. --- —-% 1 — 4-1 III -C Nur1, 11111d-C,, 280 _wr" ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. three years, and in whose prosperity he entertained the deepest interest. He was instrumental in the advancement of every important enterprise in his own neighborhood and vicinity, and was frequently intrusted with the settlements of valuable estates, those in many cases requiring the most careful management and having great interests at stake. Mr. Farrand served as Supervisor of Colon Township a period of eleven years, from the spring of 1872 to the spring of 1883. During this time his influence was given to those projects tending to the moral and educational advancement of the community. He contributed liberally toward the erection of the Seminary building, and the Air-Line Railroad, and upon the outbreak of the Rebellion labored incessantly in support of the Union sentiment, making it his business to see that the quota of the township was properly filled in sending its soldiers into the army. IHe saved to the county the sum of $25,000 in connection with railroad bonds, and at every turn endeavored to serve its interests in such a manner as would reflect credit upon himself and the people around him. Mr. Farrand was a practical and scientific farmer, delighting in the pursuit of agriculture, and nothing was pleasanter to his eye than the green meadows and fields of growing grain. Whatever duty lie undertook he considered it was worthy of doing well, and in all the relations of life, whether laboring for the public or in behalf of his own interests and those dear to him, he preserved the same equable temperament and unostentatious fidelity to duty which could not but have an important influence upon those with whom he came in contact. His death, which occurred Nov. 27, 1887, after he had numbered seventy-five years, was a loss to this county felt by all, both far and near. IIe was mourned by hosts of friends, including a devoted wife, a number of children and grandchildren, and many relatives. The father of the subject of this sketch was Joseph Farrand, the son of Phineas Farrand, who was born in Morris County, N. J., and married Miss Jolia Compson, a native of the same State. The grandparents of our subject first settled in Cayuga County, N. Y., and thence came to Michigan in 1837, settling in Colon Township, this county, on section 16, where they continued to live during the remainder of their (lays. The grandmother died Jan. 8, 1845. Her husband, surviving her a period of ten years, passed away Dec. 4, 1854. Joseph and Jolia Farrand became the parents of eleven children, eight of whom lived to mature years, namely: Charles C., Ebenezer, Junius H., Electa M., Henry K., Catherine A., Abigail E. and Phineas. The latter accompanied his father to this State, and since that time has been a resident of Colon Township, a period of fifty-one years, during which time he has given his whole attention to agricultural pursuits. Further details in regard to his life will be found in his biography, given elsewhere in this volume. Henry K. Farrand was the fifth child of his parents, and a native of the same town as his father, Mentz, Cayuga Co., N. Y., where his birth took place June 19, 1812. He came to this county in 1836, and located upon a large tract of land in Colon Township. IHe did not, however, settle here at that time, but returned to his native State, and upon coming back to Michigan, in 1837, took up his residence on section 16, where lie made his home until his death. He was greatly prospered iu his labors as a tiller of tie soil, investing his capital in additional land, and in due time owned the largest extent of any man in the county. Mr. Farrand erected the residence now occupied by his widow in 1852-53. It is a commodious and substantial structure, one that will stand for years to come. Adjacent to this lie put up good barns and out-buildings, and gathered together the machinery requisite for prosecuting agriculture after the most modern methods. His industry and enterprise were proverbial,and lie passed few idle hours. In addition to looking after his own extensive interests, he kept steadily in view the matters calculated to advance St. Joseph County, socially, morally and financially. Mr. Farrand received only a district school education, and at an early age was taught those habits of industry and economy which proved the secret of his later success. His first business venture was the renting of a tract of land near his father's homestead, in Cayuga County, N. Y. In the spring of 1836, the farm which he had rented for a term of _ I "Op "l ~1 4~~~~ --- I --- -- -I --- —.-B. ~II """~~-~~~~~""""~~"-~~~-""-"""~"""""~"""II ~1"*popI'm I -qqr 6c~ aft, -.. — ST. JOSEP years having been sold, he surrendered his lease, and shortly afterward came to Michigan to seek a I location, with the results which we have already indicated. Hle was compelled, however, to return to the Empire State to harvest his crops there and dispose of them, and this being done he returned west and took up his permanent residence in this county. The journey was made with a team of horses and a wagon, and he was accompanied by his aunt, Maria Farrand, they coming by the way of Canada. While on the road lie overtook his brother, Charles Farrand, who had settled near Burr Oak. The whole party put up at the house of Loransi Schellhouse, on the 12th of October, and remained there until our subject could build a log cabin. This humble abode remained the dwelling of himself and his family for a period of seventeen:years, when it gave place to the present residence. On the 17th of December, 1837, our subject was united in marriage with Miss Maria, daughter of Levi and Eunice Mathews, whose parents were natives of Plymouth, Conn., and who spent their last days in Colon Township. Mrs. Maria Farrand was born in Plymouth, Conn.. Nov. 23, 1817. Her union with our subject resulted in the birth of five daughters and one son, namely: Ann Eliza, Margaret S., Henrietta M., Julia E., Frances Eugenia and Charles H. The mother of these children departed this life July 1, 1855. She was a lady possessing all the womanly virtues, and was admirably adapted to her position in life, as the wife of the pioneer struggling to make his way through many difficulties. She was for a number of years before her death a devoted member of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Farrand contracted a second marriage, Sept. 14, 1865, with Miss Phebe M., daughter of Leonard and Mercy Blanchard, who were natives of New York, and are now deceased. This lady was born in Marcellus, Onondaga Co., N. Y., Nov. 26, 1827. Of this union there was born one child, a daughter, Louisa K. Mitchell, who (lied at the age of four and one-half years. Mrs. Phebe M. Farrand died Oct. 1, 1884, and on the 27th of June, 1885, our sulject was united in marriage with Mrs. Anna (Burroughs) HoyNt, widow of Allen Hloyt, and a native of Moultonboro, N. II., where she was born w 'I COUNTY. 281 May 15, 1813. Mr. Hoyt came to this county in 1835, and died in Colon Township, April 12, 1880. His marriage witl Miss Burroughs took place in Colon Township, Aug. 9, 1856. They were the parents of one child, Alvin J., who is farming in Colon Township. /I^-ENRY HARTMAN. The State of Pennj()/! sylvania has furnished some of the most substantial citizens of the Great West, and Q(~) among them the subject of this sketch, a well-to-do farmer of Nottawa Township, is contributing his quota toward the development of the soil of St. Joseph County. Ile is now operating a large farm of 240 acres on section 21, and is the owner of eighty-three acres of good land in the vicinity of Centreville. Mr. Ilartman was born in Beaver Township, Snyder Co., Pa., May 9, 1843, and lived there on a farm with his parents until a lad of twelve years, when he was left an orphan without means and obliged to look out for himself. lie remained a resident of his native State four years thereafter, then made his way to the vicinity of Bellevue, Ohio, where he worked out by the month, and continued a resident of the Buckeye State five years, and until coming to Michigan, in September, 1869. Our subject first purchased, in Fabius Township, this county, a small tract of land, which he occupied until the spring following, then sold out, and for two years thereafter rented a farm in Park Township. Thence he came to Nottawa Township and rented a farm two years; he then purchased his present property near Centreville, where he lived until the spring of 1888. He had made such good headway financially, that with a desire to operate more land he rented his own farm, and removed to that upon which he now lives. He possesses all the sturdy perseverance of his German ancestry, and is a man prompt to meet his obligations and in all respects a worthy citizen. George IHartman, the father of our subject, was also a native of Snyder County, Pa., and married Miss Sarah E. HIassenger, of that region. They became the parents of nine children, and spent their I 0 -~ s, -— ~I*bW-99 —Wd oC m. t -i _ ~_II__ ~ ___I__ -o.. A:L0 A- d 282 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I entire lives in the Keystone State, dying in Snyder County. Of these children our subject was the third, and five are still living. Mr. Hartman was married in Sandusky, Ohio, Sept. 12, 1863, to Miss Leah Kline, daughter of Joseph and Catharine Kline, the latter of whom died in February, 1884. Mrs. Hartman was born in Snyder County, Pa., Jan. 9, 1843, and lived with her parents until her marriage, receiving her education in the common school. Of her union with our subject there have been born six children: Hattie WV.; Eldora, who died in childhood; Ida M., Franklin Henry W. and Mabel E. Iattie is the wife of James Weidnt, and resides in Nottawa Township. Mabel E. acquired a good education and taught school before her marriage.. Il. rtman, politically, affiliates with the Republican party. His little farm of eighty-three acres is provided with fair buildings and is increasing in value yearly. -Ie keeps good grades of live stock, and carries on agriculture in that thorough style which is characteristic of the Pennsylvanian. 01-IN HENRY WORTHING TON, Su )ervisor of MAendon Township, was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., March 10, 1837, being ( the fourth of twelve children, the offspring of Williarn and Mary (Smitl) Worthington, who were natives of tHull, England. They were reared and married in their native city, where they lived until 1836, then emigrating to America, settled in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where the father engaged in agriculture, and where they lived a period of six years. Then coming to Michigan in 1842 they settled first in Brady Township, Kalamazoo County, where the father carried on agriculture, and where the mother died in 185)8. William Worthington is still living, making his home with his son Thomas W. in Brady Township, being now advanced in years. Our subject was a little lad five years of age when he came to Michigan with his parents, and he remained under the home roof until thirteen years of age. He thencommenced working out for the farmers in his neighborhood, being thus continually employed until reaching his majority and turning over his wages to his father. After becoming of age young Worthington started out for himself, single handed and alone, and in order to better fortify himself for the struggle before him he joined hands with one of the most estimable ladies of his acquaintance, Miss Sarah Bourn, their marriage taking place at the home of the bride in Mendon, June 30, 1858. Their wedded life began in accordance with their means and position at a modest dwelling in Mendon, and Mr. Worthington occupied himself as before inl farming until making his first purchase of land in 1862. Upon this he labored industriously early and late in the cultivation of the soil, the placing of fences and the erection of buildings, until his homestead bore fair comparison with those of the enterprising men around him. He has now one of the finest farms in his township, comprising eighty acres of carefully cultivated land, which, with its surroundinos, although making no pretension to magnificence, is entirely comfortable and affords a most pleasant country home. Mrs. Worthington is the (laughter of Ezra and Lois (Hicks) Bourn, who were natives of Onondaga, and who removed from Onondaga County, N. Y., in the spring of 1 841 to Southern Michigan, settling in Meendon Township. this county. of which they remained residents the balance of their lives. The father departed this life Aug. 5, 1863, and the mother July 4, 1867. They were the parents of four children, one of whom is living. Of these iMrs. W. was the youngest, tnd was born in Onondaga County, N. 1., Dec. 11, 1837. Of her union with our subject there have been born eight children. The eldest son, Delmer L., married Miss Nettie Keefer, and resides in Mendon; Ida L. is the wife of Chester Stevens, of Fillmore County, Neb.; ClarafB., Mrs. Edward Troy, lives at Mendon; Lottie E., William H., Charles C., Grace M. and George 1. are at home with their parents. Mr. Worthington has been quite prominent in township affairs, serving as Constable three terms, Highway Commissioner nine years, Justice of the Peace four years, and has represented Mendon Township in the County Board of Supervisors also four years. He and his estimable wife are prominently connected with the Methodist Episcopal I -~II11 ~1~-11 - I~~~llll —a~uII- _~ -- ---— ~ — ---,Ir -,~-C-~()-"4 a I I -mb.- F is ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 283 ~I I Church, in which Mr... has officiated as Steward, Class-Leader and Trustee. Socially, he belongs to Blue Lodge No. 137, A. F. & A. M., at Mendon, and politically, uniformly votes the Republican ticket. I-e is numbered among the public-spirited citizens who have effected the develol)ment of Mendon Township, and given to it its reputation as a community of more than ordinary intelligence. His amiable wife and interesting children comprise a family of which any man may well be proud. AMES SIMPSON. The gentleman whose name stands at the head of this biography is a man of more than ordinary abilities, skillful as an agriculturist, thorough and reliable in the transaction of business, and one who is held in the highest esteem by the people of his community. A man seldom idle when not employed about his own concerns he gives thought to tha welfare of the people around him, and his talents have been given a generous recognition by his fellow-citizens, who frequently appoint him to positions of trust and responsibility. In his immediate neighborhood he has served as Commissioner of Htighways and School Moderator, and is a member in good standing of the United Presbyterian Church. Politically, he is independent, making it a rule to give his support to the men whom he considers best qualified to serve the interests of the people. Of excellent antecedents, our subject was born on the other side of the Atlantic, in County Tyrone, Ireland, about the summer of 1831, and continued a resident of his native country until a young man twenty years of age. His parents, John and Rebecca (Adams) Simpson, also natives of County Tyrone, spent their entire lives in Ireland. Their family consisted of five children, James being next to the youngest. Of the others three are still living. Mr. Simpson came a single man to America about 1853, and making his way westward took up his abode in Nottawa Township, this county, of which he has since been a resident. The first year and a half after his arrival here ie worked out upon a farm, then cultivated land on shares for a period of four years. -Having now gathered togethler a little capital, he purchased 160 acres of wild land in Nottawa Township, and which is included in his present farm. This lies on section 23, and Mr. Simpson has occupied it since the fall of 1859. Upon it there were no improvements at the time of his purchase, and the greater part of it was covered with timber. -le set about felling the trees and effecting one improvement after another, as he was able, in the meantime keeping bachelor's hall for several years, until he felt assured that lie would be equal to the task of taking care of a family. Mr. Simpson finally began to see his way clear to a comfortable living and something besides, and Oct. 19, 1876, took unto himself a wife and helpmate, Mrs. Nettie B. Adams, wjdow of Andrew Adams, and daughter of Charles Dearth. Mrs. Simpson was born June 20, 1845, in Darke County, Olio, and spent her childhood and youth in Berrien County, Mich. Hler first husband, Mr. Adams, was a merchant and farmer by occupation, and died in Berrien County, this State, in 1869. They were the parents of two children, both daughters; Lydia, at home, and Olive, who died Nov. 9, 1888. To Mr. and Mrs. Simpson there have been born three children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, Rebecca, died when two years and three months old. Mary N. and James R. are at home with their parents. J AMES }i. RARDEEN, one of the voters who in 1840 cast their ballot for Old Tippecanoe, and again in 1888 for his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, justly prides himself upon the rich experience which has been his during a long and changeful life. IHe is now numbered among the representative men of Mendon Township, who came to Michigan during its pioneer days and assisted in the first development of her resources. A native of Cayuga County. N. Y., he was born near the town of Mentz, Jan. 20, 1814, and has consequently more than passed his threescore and ten years. Daniel Rardeen, the father of our subject, was / m -w- - 1 -- -. I lb' ado - Fi ---- p -..a_ ago" 'IP vqw-. 284 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 284 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I also a native of the Empire State, and married Miss Rosetta Moore, who was also born and reared in the same vicinity. The father was a farmer by occupation, and the parents spent their entire lives in Cayuga County, dying at Mentz, in 1841 and 1852 respectively. The household circle was completed by the birth of nine children. James H. was the fifth child, and spent his boyhood and youth at his father's farm, remaining under the parental roof until a young man twenty-three years old. In the spring of 1837, soon after Michigan had been admitted into the Union as a State, Mr. Rardeen made his way to Calhoun County, but only sojourned in that vicinity about three months, coning then to this county, and for a period of three years was employed as a farm laborer. In the year 1840 he returned to his native State, but in the spring following came back West and engaged in farming in Mendon Township until 1852. At this time, on account of impaired health, he determined to seek the Pacific Slope, and started overland across the plains, reaching California after a journey of four months and one day. He entered the mines of Nevada County, and was also employed on a ranch during his sojourn of three years in that region. Then returning to this county lie took up his residence iii Mendon Township, but about 1859 turned his steps once more toward the setting sun, and was absent a period of five years in California, engaged in mining. Mr. Rardeen returning once more to Mendon Township, in the year 1864 located on the land which he now owns and occupies, and where he has since lived. This is eighty acres in extent, and upon it he has erected good buildings and effected the other improvements necessary to the comfort and satisfaction of the progressive farmer. There has been journeying with him a period of over forty-five years one of the most estimable of ladies, who in her girlhood was Miss Laura A. Wethy, to whom he was married April 30, 1843, in Burlington, this State. Mrs. Rardeen was born in the town of Galen, Wayne Co., N. Y., Feb. 10, 1824, and is the adopted daughter of Ancil I. and Loretta Wethy. who spent their last years in Burlington. Of this union there have been born five children, of whomi the record is as follows: Betsey A. is the wife of Rinaldo Mattison, of Mendon; George W. died when a little lad four years of age; John F. is farming in Mendon Township; Laura E. is the wife of LaFayette Ulrich, of Mendon; James A. died in infancy. Mr. Rardeen, during his early manhood, was a member of the old Whig party, but upon its abandonment by the organization of the Republicans, in 1856, lie cordially endorsed the principles of the latter and has since been one of its most earnest adherents. Mrs. Rardeen united with the Free-Will Baptist Church when a young girl fifteen years old. f RS. CATHERINE A. HAMILTON occupies a good homestead on section 3 of Mendon Township, which is pleasantly located and embraces 230 acres of good land, with all the necessary buildings. This property was left her by her late husband, John A. Hamilton, who departed this life July 27, 1885. He was a native of Delaware County. N. Y., and came to the West about 1837. Of this union there were born five children, the eldest of whom, a son, Thomas, is a resident of Kalamazoo County. Elizabeth died at the age of eighteen months; the third child, an infant, died unnamed; Elma is the widow of Jacob Weinburg, of Kalamazoo County; John V. is a resident of Mendon Township. Mrs. Hamilton was born in Monmouth, N. J., Nov. 8, 1815, and was the third in a family of six children, the offspring of William and Adeline (Van Doren) Voorhees, both also natives of New Jersey, and the father born in Monmouth. They remained residents of their native State for a time after their marriage, then removed to Lysander, Onondaga Co., N. Y., where the father was occupied at farming, and where his death took place Oct. 11, 1830. The mother, about 1840, came to Michigan, and died at her home in Mendon about 1852. Miss Voorhees came to Ann Arbor, this State, in the year 1837, where she lived three years with a friend, and was first married, March 23, 1840, to John C. F. Merritt. Mr. M. was a native of Westchester County, N. Y., and came to the West early \ ILLah kl.-r- - -- -- -- "~1 ---1i1m(lI1l1- -1 11 ~ —r11 ~ -al"l-a FIr I,- -----— ~8lb~ * -.l - 11 I -, - - -1 ----l --- —-, ---- ------ I - - Abibb..-...-1.~- 1~~-..1..~-.. --- —-— ~ — -- - ---- -- -- — ~- -~~- -- -- - S 00 g^ ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 285 1 I in life. Mr. and Mrs. Merritt in November following their marriage came to this county and settled in l Mendon T'ownship, where Mr. Merritt began farming and where his death took place on the 5th of March, 1844. not quite four years from the time of; their marriage. Of this union there had been born two children: Mary J., now the wife of Myron A. I Fuller, of Grand Traverse County, Mich., and Sarah A., Mrs. Alfred Harper, of Kalamazoo County, Mich. Our subject was the second time married, in Mend (on Township. Nov. 7, 1844, to Mr. Hamilton. In religious matters Mrs. Hamilton is a member of the Adventist Church, as was also Mr. H. She is a lady having many friends in her community, being very pleasant and intelligent. possessing good busi1 ness capacities, and managing the property left her in a wise and judicious manner. OIHN CULBERTSON. Among the prominent farmers of Nottawa Township, the subject of this record occupies a position in the front ranks. ITe represents property to the extent of 215 acres of valuable land, which is finely located on section 6, and upon which is a substantial dwelling, erected by his late honored father. Adjacent are all the other farm buildings necessary for the successful prosecution of agriculture. James Culbertson, the father of our subject, was born in County Donegal, Ireland, in the year 1801. The mother, whose maiden name was Charity Ludwig, was born in Union County, Pa., where Mr. C. settled after his emigration to United States, and where they were subsequently married. They lived there until coming to tllis county, in 1834. The i father took up land on section 6, in Nottawa Township, and was prospered in his labors as a tiller of the soil. lie built a good homestead, where both he and his excellent wife spent the remainder of their days. The demise of Mr. Culbertson occurred Sept. 20, 1869. lis wife survived him until the 20th of May following. Of their large family of children, six are living, and residents mostly of Illinois. ji j The seventh child of a family including seven daughters and five sons, our subject was born at the homestead in Nottawa Township, on the 17th of January, 1841. lie received the best education which could be obtained in the common schools, and has from his youth been engaged in farming pursuits. lie was called a bachelor some time before his marriage, which occurred after he was thirty-two years old, Mlarch 18, 1873, when he became the husband of Miss Mattie A., daughter of Rev. Samuel )unnett, of Abilene, Kan. This estimable lady was born in London, Canada, Sept. 8, 1847, and received a careful education, residing witli her parents until her marriage. Mrs. Culbertson is an extraordinary woman in many respects, aind at an early period in her life gave indications of rare intellectual capacities. At the age of sixteen years she obtained a first-class certificate, and soon began teaching school at a salary in advance of many who had followed the profession for years. From a notice gleaned from a prominent Chicago paper, we insert the following facts in relation to a career which has been largely in connection witl public life. While engaged as a teacher Mrs. Culbertson by no means dropped her role as pulil, taking for her teachers the best writers of the age, an(d pursuing a course of reading from Shakespeare to Will Carlton, from Bancroft to IIume, and was at an early age regarded as an encyclopedia of knowledge. From her father, tile Rev.. Dunnett, an Englishman originally of French extraction, one of the most able men of the Dominion of Canada, the author of several books upon theological subjects, and one, a logical treatise, entitled "Philosophy of the Memory," lMrs. Culbertson inherits her marked intellectuality, good communicative talents, and fine executive ability. From her mother, a woman remarkable for her beauty and grace, she gets the poetic elements of her nature. At the time of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Culbertson the former was interested in the growth and manufacture of essential oils. l-e had traveled extensively throughout the United States, besides visiting Central America and Europe. It was upon the evening of the day of return from Europe that he first met Mrs. Culbertson (Miss Mattie Dunnett), and was at once attracted to her. It is not necessary I I i I i I i i i I i i i I i i i I i i I I I I _r4. -~~ --- -~~~. —~-r~~llllp.- s"11~-~-~~~ ~ -~~ 111~~-1- L —.-lll ~~~ ll~ —~C111111 --- —- ---- 11-1 — - ---- L - r SPO. 'a 0-14M -0 _- Lslo.. I 1 L 286 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. r I I to narrate the experiences of this family during the panic between 1873 and 1879, following soon after their marriage. Millions of people realized how property values fell and money values rose during those dark days of our Republic; how good young men and women were wrecked by that panic, or made, as were those of this narrative, "slaves to gold." Down went values, resources turned to liabilities, quiet to litigation, until the beautiful home of the Culbertsons, called Riverside, began to tremble. It was during this period, though having the care of four small children, and though looking well to the ways of her household and assisting her husband to attend to a complicated business, including one suit in law which continued during seven years, and ended in a decision of the Supreme Court, by which several thousand dollars were recovered, that Mrs. Culbertson investigated the subjects of finance, transportation and tariff, and became one of the most thorough political economists in the Nation. Not only her friends and coworkers, but even her opponents, admit this fact. Hon. J. C. Burrows, Republican Representative to Congress from the district in which she resides, said in a private letter, "Though not personally acquainted with Mrs. Culbertson, yet I know her by reputation, and that she is a lady of high character and ability, and worthy of confidence." The Detroit Tribune added: "Mrs. C. and her husband are very influential in their party." The first public speech of Mrs. Culbertson occurred in 1878, at Wasepi, being an impromptu one without preparation. Though preceded by Col. Norton, of Chicago, and Judge Sherwood, of the Supreme Court, and a resident of Kalamazoo, Mich., she was reported at the time as making the "interesting speech of the occasion." Soon after Mrs. Culbertson's advent into politics, a fusion was accomplished between the Greenback and Democratic parties, to which she was uncompromisingly opposed, and in which she never for one moment participated. At Grand Rapids, in 1886, this lady was in attendance at the convention which nominated the talented and brilliant George L. Yaple for Governor of Michigan, and with whom, prior to fusion, she had spokenupon the same platform, and worked with in the greatest harmony. "Why," said a man from her own county to her, "are you not here as a delegate? I)o you not respect Mr. Yaple?" "Yes, very much. I am proud of St. Joe County's gifted son; but I could not disgrace myself, dishonor the cause, or discredit womanhood, by being a delegate to a fusion convention." Mrs. Culbertson later was a delegate of the Union Labor party to Cincinnati; was called upon, and responded in a speech full of thought and replete with wit and humor, laughter at times preventing procedure for several minutes. It was during one of those outbursts that Chairman Streeter gave her a slip of paper upon which was written the name of the new party, saying, "Read it to the convention-they are in a good mood and will receive it from you." She did so, and it was received with applause. Mrs. Culbertson at that time was interviewed by a reporter of the Chicago Times, who was heard to remark as he moved down the aisle of the hall, "That woman is as wise as a serpent on tariff and finance." She expressed herself as satisfied with the platform of the Union Labor party. It was all she hoped for, yet there were things not in the platform that she would rather see there than wear the best set of diamonds in the world. She was importuned by delegates from many different States to grace their platforms and aid their lecture bureaus with her presence. She, however, returned to Michigan and assisted at home. She made the canvass in the Sixth Judicial District, the result of which was the election of George P. Cobb as Judge, and a part of the city ticket in Bay City. It has been said of Mrs. Culbertson "'Ier reasoning faculties are very rare." "She is pleasing, graceful and witty." "Her eloquence is of the highest type." "The true woman's soul that glows in her words and deeds guarantees her a place among the extraordinary women of this country." "She is perhaps unconsciously writing her name among the noble of the age." "She has fine oratorical powers, and shows wonderful historical research." "She has an earnestness that reaches the heart." "Her lectures are fascinating and brilliant." "Truly talents are thine, lofty and bright, the subtile shaft of wit and that keen glance of intellect m A b-.EV eMRW 1LI. - _ --- —- ----— _.. — VI f / I -IMMIUMIl I I Iml III flqll- 6 -.,g"auwl - MR - cr" T i-L, l b.'. JUOIEl that reads intuitively the deep and mazy springs of human action." Yet all of these dwindle into insignificance and are dwarfed when compared to the gigantic dimensions of this woman's fidelity to principle and moral courage. She sacrifices for reform, as a martyr for his faith, supports as a devotee his church. Upon the altar of industrial reform she has laid her talents, and outside of her family, her love. Mrs. Culbertson is not yet middle aged. Her life has been made up of "sunshine and shadow," an idolized daughter and a beloved wife, with disposition and ability to bear her part in its struggles. For this she is thankful to God, in whom she trusts, and whose guidance she uniformly seeks in her labors. She has occupied the platform for some eleven years, and although her husband has not taken the prominent part in political life to which she has been led, he is willing to do whatever lies in his power to champion the cause which lies near her heart. Of their union there have been born four children, who bear the names, Estella A., Sherman L., Angelo 1). L. and Charles S. P. men in every commulnity distinguished for I 11 their intelligence, their liberality and their progressive ideas. Among this class may be mentioned the subject of this sketch, who has improved the years of a long and pleasant life in the acquirement of useful knowledge, and in disseminating those principles which have influenced his own career. The friend of temperance and good order, he is a pronounced Prohibitionist, and in religious matters a member in good standing of the Dutch Reformed Church, with which he identified himself many years ago. IHe is residing quietly on his pleasant farm in Nottawa Township, and which embraces about 190 acres of good land on section 21. lIe has comfortable and substantial farm buildings, and by a life of industry has secured a competence for his declining years. Our subject was born in Schenectady County, N. Y., at the modest home of his parents, five miles * from the town of Schenectady, Jan. 25, 1810. His PH COUNTY. 287 1 HCI O TY28 father, John Schermerhorn, Sr., and his mother, who in her girlhood was Miss Maria Slater, were also natives of the Empire State. John, Jr., was the second born in a family of five children, all of whom lived to mature years, but of whom four are now living. Our subject spent the early years of his life at the old homestead in his native county, engaged, until a youth of sixteen, in the various employments connected therewith. tie now commenced learning the cooper's trade, which he followed until setting out in life on his own account, when he concluded to turn his attention again to agricultural pursuits. The first property of young Schermerhorn was a farm in Rotterdam Township, in his native county, upon which he operated until 1866. He then determined on a change of location, and selling out, removed with his family westward to this county, settling in Nottawa Township, of which he has since been a resident. Our subject was married, in Schenectady County, N. Y., to Miss Rebecca Vedder, who was also born there, June 21, 1814. This union resulted in the birth of eight children, and the mother departed this life at her home in Nottawa Township, this county, Sept. 4, 1887, when a little over seventythree years old. Their eldest son, John, died in childhood; Maria is the wife of Cornelius Viele, and they are now living in TIillsdale County; Edith married Warren West, who is occupied in farming in Nottawa; Robert is carrying on farming in Nottawa Township; Francis was a carpenter by trade, and died in Nottawa Township, at the age of thirtysix years, in 1883; Omie died at the age of thirty years; John is farming in Nottawa Township, and Sarah remains at home with her father. NDREW J. GRAHAM, deceased. Few men in Leonidas Township were more widely or favorably known than the subleb ject of this record. Liberal and public spirited, he not alone labored for his own advancement, but since the time of his coming here maintained a lively interest in the progress and welfare of the community about him. He was undeniably,~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1* * 4 - 1411~ —~C-~ --- -II(~4-q~C1 -__ ---- _~- ~ ---- ---- ml - 11-I i ~r" ii i II- IIIC rA I llllllllll~llslCI~111111 ----~-~ --- 1 (I I 9 — * ^^ F - o - ( i (I A I I — 4 - i 288 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I one of those men who leave their mark where they have lived, and whose names are remembered long after they have departed hence. The fifth child of Orson and Phebe (Bartlett) Graham, our subject was born in Italy, Yates Co., N. Y., Feb. 10, 1828. He continued a resident of his native county until reaching his majority, then learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed in the Empire State afterward for a period of eleven years. He contilued thus employed for two years after coming to Michigan. After that time his attention was mostly given to agricultural pursuits. As a farmer he was thorough and skillful, and as a business man prudent and fortunate in his investments. Orson Graham was born in Chester, Windham Co., Vt., and his wife, Phebe, in the town of Marcellus, Mass. After marriage the parents of our subject settled in Italy, N. Y., whence in 1848 they changed their residence to Lima, in Livingston County, where the mother died a few years later. The father passed away in Honeoye, Monroe Co., N. Y. The parental household included seven sons and three daughters. Our subject left Livingston County, N. Y., in 1852, and coming to Michigan settled in the unimportant village of Colon, where he prosecuted his trade of carpenter until 1854, then settled upon a tract of land embracing a portion of section 29, in Leonidas Township. His first purchase embraced 120 acres, to which he added as time passed on, and erected the necessary farm buildings for the convenience of himself and family, the storing of grain and the shelter of stock. In the year 1880, during a violent storm the barn and other buildings were struck by lightning and entirely destroyed. The house also caught fire, but was fortunately saved; he also lost five horses by the fire. Notwithstanding these losses he was what may be termed prosperous, and was generously rewarded for his labors. A new set of buildings soon replaced the old ones which had been destroyed, and the farm with its appurtenances bears fair comparison with anything of the kind in St. Joseph County. For thirty-one years there walked by the side of our subject as his faithful companion and helpmate a lady who in her girlhood was Miss Helen Wilcox, and to whom he was married Sept. 19, 1857. Mrs. Graham is the daughter of Newcomb and Miranda (Stearns) Wilcox, who were natives of Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y. There also they were reared and married, and lived for a time afterward. and then, in 1837, came to the new State of Michigan, locating in Sherwood Township, Branch County. There the mother died in March, 1884. Mr. Wilcox is still living. Their family included two sons and five daughters, six of whom are living. Mrs. Graham was born in Naples, N. Y., May 21, 1833, and was the fourth child of her parents. She was but four years old when they came to Michigan, and was reared at the homestead in Branch County. She was educated at Albion, Mich., and taught school eight years, receiving $16 per month, the highest wages she ever received; she had taught as low as $6 per month. Of her brothers and sisters, seven in number, all were teachers. One of her sisters is at present a preceptor at Ludington, Mich. MIrs. Graham taught six days a week, and boarded around among the neighbors. Of her marriage there were four children, of whom the record is as follows: Orson B. married Miss Lonisa Beard, and is farming in Leonidas Township; Nannie is the wife of Clarence Kent, of Union City, this State; Lewis B. married Miss Sadie Longenecker, and is living on a farm in Leonidas Township; Harry died when a babe of seven months. Mrs. Graham has been a member of the Baptist Church since eighteen years of age, and still preserves her interest in its advancement and prosperity. Mr. Graham, politically, was an old-style Jacksonian Democrat, and defended his principles with all the natural strength of his character. Considering the fact that he came to Colon Township with the modest capital of $300, it is to be acknowledged that he did well. The following extract relating to the death of Mr. Graham is taken from a local paper: "Andrew J. Graham, a highly respected citizen of Leonidas Township, departed this life Nov. 22, 1888. He was one of a family of ten children, five of whom survive him. He was born in Italy, Yates Co., N. Y., Feb. 10, 1828. He came to the State of Michigan in 1855, and worked at his trade, that of I - '21 s4" — -40 --- - ~ I olm-. ---— ~ --- ----- - -c -r --- — --— #"I I ---- I L I*JL~~~,___: ------ L I ST.ili'i JOSEPH 01 CONY 289 sSr. JOSEPH COUNTY. 289 I I a carpenter and joiner. In 1856 he was married to Helen N. Wilcox, daughter of Newcomb Wilcox, of Sherwood, after which he located at Colon and engaged in manufacturing. In 1858 he moved into the township of Leonidas and settled upon the farm where he d(lied, which was then almost a wilderness. He had been in poor health for nearly twenty years, but bore his troubles uncomplainingly. He was an upright citizen, and lived so that he enjoyed the esteem and confidence i of his neighbors, and dlelarted this life with the a assurance of rest in heaven. He leaves a wife and three children to mourn the loss of a kind husband and father. In his last sickness he was conscious to the last, commended his family to the care of God, and spoke with rapture of the beautiful things he j saw. QI o'We shall meet, but we shall miss him, I '1'lThere will be one vacant chair,' but, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.'" i EORGE D. CLARK. The pleasant country C ( - home of this gentleman, which forms one of the attractive features of Nottawa Township, and which embraces a portion of section 12, is one within which intelligence, culture and education are at once apparent as the leading attributes. The dwellers there, while giving due attention to labor and its attendant comfortable results, have most wisely kept in view the higher life, and never permitted the acquisition of gain to infringe upon those duties and privileges by which the human race is distinguished from the lower animals. Reading, thought and study have made the home of Mr. Clark attractive to the cultured classes, both among friends and strangers. The subject of this sketch is a son of one of the honored pioneers of St. Joseph County, and first opened his eyes to the light near the homestead which he now occupies, May 4, 1840. His father, Jason Clark, was a native of Onondaga County, N. Y., and married Miss Lucy A. Dunham, one of the associates of his childhood. They emigrated to the Territory of Michigan in the summer of 1834, settling in the month of June on a tract of I = land in Nottawa Township. The father for a period of ten years battled with the elements of pioneer life, and was then called hence, his decease taking place in 1844, when his son, our subject, was a little lad four years of age. The nother is still living, having reached an advanced age, and makes her home in Kalamazoo County. The parental family included five sons and two daughters, three of whom are living. Of these George D. was the third in order of birth. He was reared upon the farm and conned his first lessons in the district school. Later he attended Colon Seminary and the Union schools at Men(lon and Three Rivers. He had just attained his majority upon the breaking out of the late Rebellion, and in September following enlisted in the 11th Michigan Infantry for one year. Soon after receiving his honorable discharge he again entered the ranks, as a member of the 1st Brigade, 3( Division, 14th Army Corps, and thereafter continued in the service of his country until the preservation of the Union was assured. He endured the usual hardships and privations incident to a soldier's life, but fortunately escaped wounds and capture, and soon after receiving his honorable discharge at Springfield, Ill., returned to his native township. Mr. Clark being desirous of adding to his store of knowledge, resumed his studies in the Albion College, where lie was graduated from the commercial department, and upon emerging from this institution resumed farming on a tract of land in Nottawa Township. His first purchase was eighty acres on section 12, upon which he has effected the improvements which we behold to-day. The residence is neat and substantial, and the barn amply indicative of thrift and enterprise. Mr. Clark keeps a goodly assortment of live stock in the shape of cattle, horses and swine, and to these gives the needful care and attention, which to him is a matter of pride as well as profit. He has now ninety acres, the greater part of which has been thoroughly cultivated, and yields abundantly the rich crops of this region. His nearest trading point is the town of Mendon. On his return from the army Mr. Clark was united in marriage, in 1869, in the little city of Burr Oak, to Miss Ida Pine. This lady was born I — _@ww 4: mo omm — olI I.1I 0 )1 -40 ! 1Lr- e IN~ I —c 3 -- I ~ -- LII I 1 I - 1 9 _ I- -F —L L I t I -J =lt 290 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 4 I in Hancock, Delaware Co., N. Y., May 15, 1846, and is the daughter of Alfred and Phebe A. (Patrick) Pine, who were also natives of the Empire State. The former died in 1864; the latter is still living, and resides with Mr. Clark. To Mr. and Mrs. Clark there has been born one child only, Warren P., who is now attending Albion College. Mr. Clark, politically, is a Republican with strong Prohibition tendencies, usually voting the Republican ticket. Both he and his estimable wife are members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which Mr. Clark has held the office of Steward and Superintendent of the Sundayschool. As an ex-soldier he belongs to William F. Curtenius Post, G. A. R., at Mendon. Both Mr. and Mrs. Clark mantain a lively interest in educational matters, and in all the enterprises set on foot tending to the moral and religious welfare of the community, there they are found giving of their means and influence. Their home abounds with books, papers and magazines, which at once indicate the manner in which they spend their leisure hours. G. D. Clark has in his possession an old family Bible in a good state of preservation, purchased by his grandfather on his father's side in 1814. It was printed in 1812. Jason Clark and Lucy Clark, our subject's parents, drew up and signed a tenperance pledge in 1837, and kept it until the day of their death; it read as follows: FAMILY TEMPERANCE —We this day solemnly agree to never more drink spirituous liquors, except in sickness. JASON CLARK. LUCY CLARK. Mrs. Clark has the original manuscript in a fair state of preservation. ENRY N. WARREN. The most interesting period in the life of the subject of this biography, and one which he considers of the most importance, was that spent as a Union soldier in the service of his country. To that he looks back upon with satisfaction as to a time in which he, with thousands of others, was tried and not found wanting. He laid down the musket for the plowshare over twenty years ago, but recalls those years; even with their difficulties and hardships as among the most satisfactory of his life, in that he did not give his efforts to his country in vain. He has since followed the peaceful pursuits of agricullture, and for a period of over thirty-five years has been a resident of this county. He has now a good farm lying on section 24, in Leonidas Township, where he has built up one of the most creditable homesteads within its limits. He is a thorough and skillful agriculturist, a genial, hospitable and companionable man to meet, and one with whom may be passed many a pleasurable and profitable hour. Ephraim Warren, the father of our subject, and his wife, Margaret (Holderidge) Warren, removed from Ontario County, N. Y., in 1853 to Michigan, and settled upon a tract of land in Leonidas Township, this county. The father only lived five years thereafter, his death taking place in 1858. The mother survived her husband a period of twentyone years, remaining a widow, and departed this life at the old homestead, in February, 1879. The household circle included eight children, five sons and three daughters, five of whom are living. The subject of this sketch, the third child of his parents, was born in Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., Sept. 22, 1840. He became familiar with farm pursuits at an early period in his life, and with the exception of the three years spent in the service of his country has bent his energies in this direction. He first trod the soil of Michigan in 1853, when a lad of thirteen years, and has since been a resident of Leonidas Township. A few months after the outbreak of the Rebellion and a little before reaching his majority, young Warren enlisted, Aug. 24, 1861, in Company G, l1th Michigan Infantry, and much of the time thereafter did Corporal duty. He participated in many of the important battles of the Army of the Cumberland, and in the fight at Mission Ridge was slightly wounded in the right foot. He was in the engagement at Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, at Atlanta (uring the latter part of the siege, and met the rebels in various other engagements and skirmishes. Otherwise than the natural results of hardship and privation he came out com-. I I.~ 1 I t m.ma*k- --- I ~ - L - - C - L... _ - -~...A _.. f 2 -- II- I --- - — I ---~ ---- -- ~-~ --- J34- NW F ST..JOSEPH COUNTY. 291 -- paratively unharmed, and received his honorable discharge in 1864, being mustered out at Sturgis, this State. Upon returning to civil life Mr. Warren resumed his residence in Leonidas Township. and in 1872 was united in marriage witl Miss Lydia. daughlter of William and Ann (Stimers) Billings. The parents of Mrs. Warren were both natives of New York, and the mother spent her last years in Michigan, dying in March, 1887. The father is still living. The family consisted of five children, and Mrs. Warren was the second child of the family. She was born Feb. 8, 1849, in Genesee County, N. Y. It is hardly necessary to say that Mr. Warren, politically, is an earnest Republican, and supports the principles of his party in the conscientious manner which has marked all his sentiments in life. The Warren h-omestead is one of the pleasantest in this part of the county, and under its hospitable roof gather from time to time the warm friends whom the proprietor and his excellent wife have gathered around them by a straightforward career which has been unmarked by a dishonest deed. incident to childhood, and gradually taking his place amidst the sterner duties of youth and manhood. As related above, he made his advent into this county in 1833, and three years later, July 1, 1836, was united in marriage with Mrs. Eliza Hartley, formerly of Philadelphia. Mrs. Wakeman removed from the Quaker State to this county in October, 1832, being a member of the first family to settle in MIendon Village. After having spent a happy married life of nine years, Mrs. W. bid adieu to this life, dying in 1845. On the 18th of March, 1857, after a lonely life of twelve years, Mr. Wakeman took unto himself anotler companion in the person of Mrs. Susan B. Reeves, widow of Lucian 13. Reeves, who died June 15, 1851, in Ashtabula County, Ohio. By this latter marriage our subject became the father of two children, Belle and Jessie, both of whom have passed away, leaving behind them naught but pleasant memories. Mrs. Susan B. Wakeman is a native of Batavia, Genesee Co., N. Y., having been born there Jan. 30, 1821. By her marriage with Mr. Reeves she became the mother of two children: Elliott D., who died at the interesting age of eight years, and Celia F., the wife of W. W. Marantette; the latter are the parents of a bright little boy and girl, bearing the names of Edward Y. and Jessie I. In 1855 our subject sold his interest in the farming business to his brothers, and removed to the village of Menidon, entering into a copartnership with E. L. Yaple. This connection lasted for three years, when Mr. Wakeman purchased the interest of his partner, and took with him into the business Charles Ii. Lewis, the firm style being Wakeman & Lewis, but which only continued for three years, when William Hlarrington was taken into partnership. They operated together in an intelligent and successful manner for the following four years, when Messrs. Wakeman & Harrington withdrew their connection. Our subject then gave his attention to operating a sawmill, which he did in a very profitable manner for seven years. He is also the projector and builder of the Western Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1873. Mr. W. at once proceeded to rebuild the hotel, the present commodious building, which is known as the Wake DAMS WAKEMAN, at present residing in l. Mendon Village, was the first of his brothers to locate in St. 4Josepl County, whither he came in the fall of 1833, while Michigan was still a Territory. Ile located his first tract of land on section 4, Nottawa Township, and in the fall of the same year purchased 240 acres additional. The farm has been nicely improved, the same being adorned with neat and well-arranged buildings. Mr. WVakeman, although now retired from farm life, is entitled to his share of public honors, which is the just due of all early settlers who have endured the trials and hardships incident to pioneer life and prepared the way that those who came after might enjoy the fruits of their industry. Our subject was born in Bedford, Westchester Co., N. Y., on the 1st of December, 1804. He spent his early days occupied with the sports and pastimes! 1, I. 4 k I -- r I -IIII I ~CI-`II-r I i ~ ---~-I --- — 4 r -—. i oh elpow, m o"""" "" """" " "" """ s! 292 ST. JOSEPII COUNTY. 29 T OEP ONY man House. In June, 1876, the lease of the hotel expiring, Mr. Wakeman took charge of it, and under the management of his son-in-law, Mr. W. W. Marantette, it is being conducted in an admirable and satisfactory manner, as all will testify who have ever had the good fortune to lodge within its walls. Mr. Wakeman was also largely interested in the stave and heading factory, which did a thriving business in the village. lie is a man of large humanity and public spirit, anxious to do his part in everything that promises to be a benefit to his surroundings. whether in the county or in society. ONATHEAN FOGLEMAN. On section 26, in Colon Township, lies the well-conducted homestead of the subject of this sketch, eighty acres of which have been his property since 1859. Subsequently he purchased forty acres more, and now has a good farm of 120 acres, which he has brought to a state of thorough cultivation, and erected thereon the necessary farm buildings. I-e has built fences, planted trees, and gradually added the improvements which have made his homestead one of the most desirable in this part of the county. A man industrious and economical, he has carved out his own fortune by his steady persistence, while at the same time his straightforward and upright course has secured him a large measure of esteem and confidence to which he is so justly entitled. Conrad Fogleman, the father of our subject, and his wife, who in her girlhood was Miss Catherine Walburn, were natives of Lehigh County, Pa., in Southeastern Pennsylvania. After marriage they went over into Berks, the county adjoining, where the father employed himself as a day laborer. He lived to be an aged man and spent his last years in Pennsylvania, passing away on the 7th of July, 1887. The mother died while a young woman, in 1836. The subject of this sketch was the eldest of the seven children comprising the family household, and was born Aug. 15, 1820, in Berks County, Pa. He remained under the home roof until a youth of nineteen years and received his education in the common school. Then, in 1839, he proceeded to Ashland County, Ohio, and employed himself at farming in the Buckeye State for a period of twenty years. Upon removing thence he came to this county, and soon afterward made his first purchase of land here. The eighty acres upon which Mr. Fogleman settled had scarcely undergone any cultivation, and he thus commenced from first principles to build up a homestead. Ile was married in Ashland County, Ohio, Nov. 25, 1841. lie first put up a house for the shelter of his family and gradually added the buildings which have completed a most comfortable homestead. The maiden name of Mrs. Fogleman was Susan Coup, and she is the daughter of Frederick and Mary (Rice) Coup, the second of their six children, born Aug. 2, 1808. To our subject and his wife there were born four children, the eldest of whom, Mary Ann, died Sept. 24, 1872, at the age of twenty-nine years. Sarah Jane, the wife of Moses Draper, is a resident of Colon Township; Frederick is a resident of Burr Oak. The youngest child died in infancy. Mr. Fogleman votes the straight Democratic ticket and vigorously upholds the principles of his party. IIe served as Roadmaster in his township a number of years. Both he and his estimable wife are members of the Reformed Lutheran Church, and of the Colon Grange. IHARLES G. LELAND, whose admirably kept and well-cultivated farm is situated upon section 1, of Colon Township, is the son of Lemuel Leland, who was born in Sherborn, Middlesex Co., Mass. His mother, whose maiden name was Chloe Morse, was born near the same place. They continued to live in that neighborhood until their death, which occurred, the former, Jan. 20, 1851, the latter, April 7, 1859. They were the parents of seven children, our subject being the fourth. The subject of this sketch made his debut in life at Sherborn, on the 15th of November, 1820. His father had followed the trade of a gunsmith, ai om' -At ftow w llr4l —0 - - -- ------- CI- ~lll L-E-~ I ~ — -— Csl C~ CIIII*II~Illll~ll*;I C 1-.4 ;.. -----~~`"I~~"^~-~"-.suB ) II* --- - —. --- —3 --- —L~- — -bl Illll- — —si~C --- —-— ~ —~ ---~-XI ---- -~~ --- —— ~IIIIC —~l lll-IC -~-~llC- — ~ — II — C —~-~ —~31s —^_- ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 293 I but our subject, feeling no special inclination in that direction, preferred an agricultural life, and was therefore fully instructed in all the departments of that work. Hle lived at home until lie was about twenty-one years of age, and from about the age of fourteen or fifteen years was engaged in teaming in different places in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In 1852 Mr. Leland went to California and was absent about two and a half years, but did not meet with the success lie anticipated. In the fall of 1857 he came to this county and settled in Colon Township, of which he has since been a resident. He owns the farm above mentioned, which is 142 acres in extent. It is provided with a wellbuilt set of farm buildings, and he has effected numerous important improvements, bringing the whole property to a fine state of cultivation. At Union City, Branch County, on the 22d of July, 1859, the union in wedlock of our subject was celebrated. Mrs. Leland is the daughter of Richard and Susan (Monks) Wilferton. She was born in Leonidas Township, on the 16th of February, 1837. They are the parents of one child, whose name is Charles L. HIe is now the husband of Eva Scott, and is a resident of Colon Township. Mr. Leland is a descendant of a New England family that has preserved its full share of those sterling qualities that made the people of that section the grand race they have ever been. These qualities, which have been passed from generation to generation in the New England families, have come also to our subject, and are possessed by him in no small measure. His citizenship he considers something to be prized, valued, appreciated and cherished. IIe is loyal and true to himself, his fellows and his country. ^s ___.ui pg ____ amiability and intelligence are equal to that of her husband, has been, as it were, always at his right hand, both in the building up of their homestead and the securing an honorable position among the leading members of their community. Next in importance to a man's own personal career is the character of those from whom he drew his origin. William Cline, the father of our subject, was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., and married Miss Jane NVanderhoff, a native of the same county. After marriage they settled on the Mohawk River in Montgomery County, where the father engaged in agricultural pursuits, and where both parents spent the remainder of their lives. They were people of great worth, and occupied a good position socially and financially. The household circle included twelve children, five of whom are living, and making their homes now mostly in New York. Our subject was the sixth child of his parents, and was born at the old homestead in Glenn Township, Montgomery Co., N. Y., the birthplace of his parents, March 3, 1818. He remained under the home roof until a youth of seventeen, acquiring a district school education and being trained to habits of industry and principles of honor. At this time, starting out for himself, he commenced learning the trades of tanner, currier and shoemaker combined, at which he served an apprenticeship of four years. IIe was occupied at the trade as a journeyman four years in his native State, then in the summer of 1839, desiring to see something of the Great West, came to Southern Michigan. Iie also resolved upon a change of occupation. He was unmarried, but determined to lay the foundations of a home before taking upon himself the responsibilities of a family. Mr. Cline made his first purchase of land in Mattison Township. Ile occupied himself tie following few months in clearing, but toward fall was seized with ague, an ailment common to that region, so left his land and resumed work at his trade in Centerville the winter following. In the spring of 1840 he came to Nottawa Township and purchased the farm which he now owns, and which is pleasantly situated near the shores of Sand Lake. The task of clearing and bringing the soil to a produc IF _ -Iqww r m /g ORNELIUS CLINE. The Cline homestead is conspicuous among the other valuable /estates of St. Joseph County as comprising one of the most beautiful homes within its borders. The proprietor, a man of wealth and influence, has distinguished himself as a citizen of more than ordinary worth, while his estimable wife, whose I I ~~.~..~- a u a e q l r~~ r~b~rsyr r II a~- I -1- -.1 —1. 1 -1 ------ ------ ---------- -11-1~.-I,.-~~,rl."91.1 —1-l, — -,", —,l-c-ll~, c - --- --- --- -~(I - 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -1-" -d ----... ~ - I WWP- m r — I% — -~~ - I-ICI-~ ar ~ l' m 294 ST. JOSEPI tive condition has involved a large amount of labor and considerable money, but in looking over his fertile fields to-day Mr. Cline must feel amply repaid for his perseverance and industry. IHe has a fair assortment of live stock, an ample supply of choice fruits, and in fact is in the enjoyment of all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. The wife of our subject was in her girlhood Miss Rebecca Whitney, daughter of James and Mary (Frisl)ie) Whitney, who were natives of New York, and emigrated from Orleans County, N. Y., to Lenawee County, this State. at an early day, settling first at Adrian, where the father occupied himself in farming, and where they resided five years. They came to this county in 1833, while Michigan was still a Territory, settling in Nottawa Township, in the vicinity of Sand Lake, living there also five years. Then they returned east as far as what is now Auglaize County, Ohio, where their decease took place, at the ages of sixty-eight and sixty-six respectively. Mrs. Cline was born in Shelby, Orleans Co., N. Y., July 22, 1815, and spent her youthful days under the home roof in Orleans and Lenawee Counties, and March 31, 1833, was united in marriage with Edmond B. Brown, who came to his death by the bite of a horse near Sand Lake, Nov. 17, 1850. Of this marriage there was born one child, Marion, who died in infancy. Of her marriage with our subject there have been born four children, three of whom died in infancy. The surviving child, a daughter, Sarah A., was born July 12, 1856, and is now the wife of Roscoe L. Frary, a well-to-do commercial salesman. They have two children, William R. and Helen. Mr. Cline at one time was owner of a much larger extent of land than at present, although his possessions now are by no means small, the aggregate being 411 acres. Politically, he is an uncompromising Democrat, and although never an aspirant for office, has been for the most time since a resident here connected with the School Board of the township. Both he and his estinmble wife take a warm interest in the upbuilding of their community, morally and socially, and although not members of any religious organization, are decidedly in favor of the establishment and maintenance I COUNTY. I of churches, believing that they are needed in every community. They have a wide circle of friends, who are often welcomed to their hospitable home, and in pleasant intercourse perpetuate the friendships which have been cemented by years of mutual hopes and labors. ILES A. DEXTER. The subject of this /' / |sketch has been a resident of Colon Township for a period of more than thirty years, having settled here with his young wife in the year 1855. During this period he has devoted his attention principally to farming pursuits, although some of the time working at his trade of carpentering. He has made good improvements on his farm, and is one of the solid, well-to-do agriculturists who live comfortably and are surrounded by the good things of life. As a peaceable and law-abiding citizen, prompt to meet his obligations and conscientious in his business transactions, he has earned the good opinion of those with whom he is the most closely associated. Austin Dexter, the father of our subject, was a native of Massachusetts, and was married in Marcellus. Onondaga Co., N. Y., to Miss Anna Tripp, a native of that county, and where they lived for some years afterward. About 156 they came to Michigan and located on a tract of land in Colon Township. Here the mother died the year following. The father returned to New York State, and remained there until his death, which took place in Cortland County, about 1880. They were the parents of four sons, two of whom are living, one a resident of Lenawee County, and our subject. The subject of this sketch was the third child of his parents, and was born in Marcellus, Onondaga Co., N. Y., April 22, 1829. He was reared to farm pursuits and at the same time learned the trade of carpenter, which he followed for a period of nearly twenty years. He received his education in the common schools an(1 left his native county when a young man twenty-three years of age. For two and one-half years thereafter he was a resident of Grand Rapids, this State. In 1854, while still unmarried, he came to this county. In Onondaga._t&.m- b- -— ~I - I- opp-~II ----- ~- 3 — I ~ ~ -- IIF "-JR — 'RF' - - --- —- - -- I --- ---- — --- i^- -_ rrr I Cll l "I ---~ —~ I *I — I- ~I --- —I I ---~ --- —~~-~~1~-1~ CIC3CI C TL- Il~~~~~~~~~ III~' II ~c —ak. ~ ~d BMa............... ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I 295 I -- I t County, N. Y., about 1848, he made the acquaintance of Miss Huldah Davis, who became his wife Dec. 11, 1855. Mrs. Dexter was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., July 24, 1832. and is the daughter of John and Laura (Henderson) Davis, who were natives of New York, the former of Onondaga County, and the latter of Washington County. They both passed away in Onondaga County, the mother about 1858 and the father il 1870. The five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Dexter are recorded as follows: Laura A. is the wife of Henry Louder, of this county; Susan A. married William Bower, of this county; HIuldah E. married P. A. Thurston, and lives in Colon Township; Belle A., Mrs. A. C. ITeinbaugh, is a resident of Bronson; Willie, an adopted son, and Lucian A. are at home with their parents. Mr. Dexter is a very intelligent man and keeps himself well informed upon current events. He is broad and liberal in his ideas concerning religious matters, and in politics votes the straight Republican ticket. He lhas held the office of Justice of the Peace for several years, and has also served as Highway Commissioner and in the other minor offices of the township. He takes a lively interest in educational matters, blelieving in the establishment of schools and giving to the young all the advantages which will make of them good and worthy citizens. His homestead forms one among the many of St. Joseph County which are noticeable as the result of the thrift and enterprise of the proprietor. yV */ILLIAM JOHNSON. Among the people of the quiet little community of Nottawa Village there are few held in higher regard than the subject of this sketch and his estimable wife. The offspring of an excellent family of Scandinavian birth and ancestry, oiur subject first opened his eyes to the light in Norway, July 4, 1842. His parents, John and Catherine Johnson. were natives of the same part of the world, and emigrated to Canada when their son William was a cliild nine years of age. Our subject remained in the Dominion until 1863, when he came over into "the States," and for six months was a resident of Detroit, working at his trade as a boot and shoe maker. Then returning to Canada, hesojourned with his parents about six months, at the end of which time he returned to Michigan. and making his headquarters at Sturgis, colnmenced getting out timber and building bridges for the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, at which he was employed about one month. Later he engaged in the boot and shoe business, about this time taking up his residence in Nottawa, where he has since lived, following the aforesaid business, and enjoys a good patronage from the best people of this part of the county. Our subject found a companion and helpmate after coming to Nottawa Township, being married, Oct. 4, 1866, to Miss Marion, daughter of Alvin and Sarah (Oviatt) Hoyt. The parents of Mrs. Johnson were natives of New Hampshire and New York respectively, and came to Michigan in the pioneer days, spending their last years in Colon Township. The mother died, however. in middle life, in 1848. The father survived her a period of thirty-two years, passing away on the 12th of April, 1880. Their household consisted of three children only, a son and two daughters-Philo, Marietta and Marion. Mrs. Johnson, a native of this county, was born in Colon Township, July 4, 1843, being exactly one year younger than her husband, consequently they can celebrate their birthdays together with American Independence. She was reared under the home roof, continuing a member of the parental household until her marriage. Of this union there have been born four children, namely: Sarah, who died when an interesting little girl of six years; Philo W., Jesse H. and Martha W. Mr. Johnson having left his native land when a babe is fully equal to a native-born American, and has become thoroughly identified with the institutions of his adopted country. He is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, and has held tile office of Director in his school d(istrict a period of three years. The parents of Mr. Johnson landed in Canada during the building of the Great Western Railroad. The mother lived only a short time after coming to this country, and the father of our subject (lied six 6- 111 -p El.- - lr" — -- -- -- - 046 — -- ~ 296 ST. JOSEP'H COUNTY. 296IST. JOEPH COUNTY months later. Three children were thus left in orphanage, two being girls, Mary and Catharine. One little daughter, Annie, an infant, died on the ocean and was buried at sea; Mary is now the widow of Robert Hunter, of Titusville, Pa.; Catherine married James Taylor, and died near Paris, Canada. After the death of the parents, our subject being the eldest child as soon as old enough exercised a brotherly supervison over his sisters, looking after their welfare and assisting them as he was able until their marriage. He began his apprenticeship at the shoemaker's trade when a youth of eighteen years, serving three years, and later worked as a journeyman. For a man who from the first was dependent upon his own resources he has certainly done well. He was furnished by kindly Nature with a resolute and persevering disposition, and those inherent qualities of honesty and integrity which are of far more value than riches, and which will serve to guide every man possessing them safely through the turmoils of life. Mrs. Johnson is a lady having all the womanly virtues, and is highly spoken of by those who have known her for so many years. They enjoy an extensive acquaintance in Nottawa and vicinity, where they have built up for themselves a record of which their children need never be ashamed. ENRY COPENHAFER. One of the neatest farms in Colon Township is pleasantly located on section 21, and includes 160 acres of land, with tasteful and substantial farm buildings. There is an air of thrift and enterprise about the place which speaks well for the careful habits of the proprietor. Here we behold the picture of a home, the proprietor of which, with his little family, enjoys all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. No small share of this is due to the wife and mother, who has stood bravely up by the side of her husband in his efforts to obtain a home and a competence, and who is at once noticeable as a lady of more than ordinary intelligence..The Copenhafer family traces its origin to the Empire of Germany. Henry, the father of our subject, was born in York County, Pa., and married Miss Elizabeth Snelbacher, who was also born there. After uniting their lives and fortunes they settled not far from the place of their birth, in York County, and there spent the remainder of their lives. The father was a farmer by occupation, an honest man and a good citizen, and the mother carefully trained her children in those habits of industry and principles of honor by which they became valued and useful members of society. The family included three sons and one daughter, two of whom are living, and residents of Iowa and this county. Henry Copenhafer, Jr., was the second child of his parents, and was born in Newberry Township, York Co., Pa., Nov. 4, 1826. He spent his boyhood and youth after the manner of most farmers sons, receiving an ordinary education in the common schools. Later he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed a good many years in different places in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. He was married in his native State. and came to this county with his wife and five children in the spring of 1867. They first took up their residence in Park Township, where our subject cultivated a tract of land, and where he lived until the fall of 1874. The family then changed their residence to the present farm, which was far less valuable than at the present time, being mostly in an uncultivated state. He has cleared the greater part of the land and erected good buildings, including a dwelling more than ordinarily tasteful and convenient. Miss Eliza Good became the wife of our subject on the 5th of November, 1854, their marriage taking place at the home of the bride in York County, Pa. This lady is the daughter of Christian and Henrietta (Zorger) Good, natives of that county, where they were reared, married, and spent their entire lives. They had a family of eleven children, seven of whom lived to mature years, and of the latter Eliza was the eldest. She was born in Connewago, Pa., Jan. 18, 1835, and like her mother before her, has also given birth to eleven children, seven of whom have lived to manhood and womanhood. The four deceased died in infancy. The survivors are: Emanuel, who is married and a resi t, i I i 1 i i I T /.-I -n -4 tl %Popp ---E-mf f ----- Iq --- —-mw * --- —-p7 ---V --- 1 0-,: I1,1 LA, at -.M-~t~-ardtB-~1 ---~111~~~6 —9 — ~k ---iil~ — i1 -~ '"- C -~- - "~~R~~ralgglI~ I ~ --- l~-~- llp~*-rat: IIF-.n -w-9 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. dent of Meendon Township; lHyman, Ira, Minnie and Milly (twins), George E. and Alvin J. With the exception of the married son, they are all at home with their parents. Mr. Copenhafer is a stanch supporter of Republican principles. He has never sought office, but has been willing to serve his township when it I seemed best, as Road Overseer and in other simple positions. Both he and his excellent wife are members in good standing of the Reformed Lutheran Church. i i - DAM MILLER. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait is presented on the oppo7 LL[ site page, is spoken of as one of the most active and enterprising farmers of Fawn River Township, and one of the most useful members of his community. Ile owns and operates a fine farm of 250 acres, upon which he has made good improvements, bringing the soil to a fine state of cultivation, and erecting the buildings necessary for the comfort of his family, the shelter of stock and the storing of grain. Mr. Miller, a native of Highland County, Ohio, was born April 3, 1825, and is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Miller, who were natives of Penn-; sylvania. Upon leaving the Keystone State after their marriage, they became residents of Highland County, Ohio, and thence emigrated in 1830 to Lagrange County, Ind., settling on a tract of land within one-half a mile of which sprang up the town of Greenfield. Their family included twelve children, nine sons and three daughters. Of these, besides our subject, George, James and David are residents of this county; Daniel, a retired farmer in good circumstances, is a resident of the city of Sturgis; Christena, the widow of Locy Young, lives in Sedgwick County, Kan.; Sarah, Mrs. Elam Robbins, is a resident of Boone County, Iowa; Henry lives somewhere in the Far West; William is farming in Will County, Ill.; the entire twelve lived to mature years but three, and all are still living. The father of our subject died when comparatively a young man, in 1838, and his remains were V laid to rest in Greenfield Township, Lagrange Co., He _^ ^ ^ ^ Ind. IIe was a man of more than ordinary abilities, was very successful in his farming operations, and became owner of an entire section of land in Lagrange County. He was straightforward and conscientious in his dealings, and a member in good standing of the German Lutheran Church. The mother survived her husband a period of thirty years, remaining a widow, and spent her last days with her son Daniel, dying in 1868, at the age of seventy-eilght years. Our subject was a little lad five.years of age when he accompanied his parents to Indiana, and lie continued with them there until his marriage, in 1848. His bride, Miss Nancy Van Ausdul, was born in 1829, in Indiana, and was the daughter of Caleb and Elizabeth Van Ausdul, who removed from Ohio to Greenfield County, Ind., and then returned to Champaign County, Ohio, where the father died in 1840, and the mother about 1860. To Adam and Nancy Miller there were born nine children, of whom eight are living. The mother died at her home in Fawn River Township, March 28, 1871. Their eldest daughter, Louisa J., is the wife of William E. Bryant, of Fawn River; Elizabeth is the widow of Porter Bodish, of Fawn River; William continues a resident of Lagrange County, Ind.; Edward A. is farming in Oregon; Alfred A. operates a farm in Fawn River Township; L. J., Mary J. and Emma R. are at home with their father. The daughters attend to the domestic concerns of the home, and watch over the comfort of their father with filial affection. They are surrounded by all the comforts of life, and enjoy the frienship of the best people of the county. |- - EV. LUTHER B. GOODRICH, with his excellent and amiable partner, is spending the l{! \\ evening of life quietly and peacefully in the enjoyment of a pleasant rural home, located on section 14, in Nottawa Township. lie came to Michigan during its Territorial days, in the summer of 1835, and shortly afterward, in the month of June, purchased 120 acres of land, which he settled upon in the autumn following. Upon this a furrow had never been turned, and Mr. Goodrich; t j EPI 'I 'I III I 1~BIB~- ~ q, ___ --- —~ag~~ c -,,,1 g _-_ t f MJ c --- — - - -- --- -----------.1.-r d11 Sb R "oh, = 6 A L 300 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I then a young man, began with all the energy of his character to battle with the elements of the new soil, and the other difficulties attendant upon pioneer life. The first modest dwelling was erected in due time, and remained the abode of himself and his little family until the fall of 1867, when they took possession of that which they now occupy, and which for a period of over twenty years has sheltered them in ease and comfort. The main points in a career of more than usual interest are as follows: Luther B. Goodrich was born in Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., June 12, 1805, and is the son of Jason Goodrich, a carlenter by trade, also a clothier and cloth dresser. The latter, however, preferred the first-named occupation, and to this gave most of his time and attention. lie married Miss Lovina Clark, and they became the parents of twelve children, of whom Luther IB. was the second born. Of this large family all have passed away, both parents and children, our subject being the sole survivor. The parents were natives of Massachusetts and Connecticut, and spent the latter part of their lives in St. Joseph County, where their decease occurred respectively about 1845 and 1835. Young Goodrich remained a member of the parental household until reaching his majority, assisting his father at carpentering, and otherwise occupying himself as required. Upon leaving home and starting out for himself, he took up his residence in Steuben County, N. Y., where he lived from 1832 until 1835, and thence came to Michigan Territory. lie was first married, in Steuben County, in 1829, to Miss Clarissa Noble, at the home of the bride. They commenced the journey of life together, and there were born to them seven children, three of whom are living-Claudius L., Dwight N. and Mary. The wife and mother departed this life at her home in Nottawa Township, July 19, 1850. Mr. Goodrich, Jan. 1, 1851, contracted a second marriage, with Miss Mary Ii. Doughty. The children of this union, five in number,were named respectively: Roscoe B.,Charles D., Hector (deceased), Helen and Claude. Mrs. Mary Ii. Goodrich died at the homestead, Sept. 14, 1861. On the 16th of February, 1865, our subject was united in marriage with Mrs. Margaret (Martin) Parker, widow of Rev. Azel Parker, a minister of the Baptist Church. Mr. Parker died in Mottville, this county, in 1862. Mrs. Margaret Goodrich was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, Oct. 7, 1823, and is the daughter of Ellison and Jane Martin, who were natives of Pennsylvania,' and spent their last years in Ohio and Indiana. Of this marriage there are no children. Mr. Goodrich, upon coming to this county, was at once recognized as a valuable addition to the community, being a man of more than ordinary intelligence and business capacities. Kind, hospitable, and possessing the true Christian spirit, he endeavored to assist those around him as opportunity presented, and while discharging the duties of the various positions of trust and responsibility, also officiated as a local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church for a long term of years. As a pulpit orator he was easy and effective, convincing in his argument, and one to whom the people always listened with pleasure and profit. lie was ordained in September, 1852. IIe was an exhorter a number of years previously. Politically, he favors the principles of the Republican party, and although steadfastly declining the responsibilities of office in his later years, he at one time officiated as Justice of the Peace for a term of five years, with great credit to himself and satisfaction to the people of his township. Ile has now more than spanned his fourscore years, and, looking back upon a life filled with good impulses, and endeavoring to discharge its duties in a praiseworthy manner, has earned for himself not only the abiding respect of the people around him, but the hope of something beyond. )ALENTINE BEADLE is a prosperous and \ ighly respected farmer and stock-raiser re/ siding on section 6, Fabius Township. Iie is a native-born citizen of St. Joseph County. his birth having taken p)lace in Flowerfield, April 10, 1831. His parents, Michael and Ruth (Bidwell) Beadle, were numbered among the earliest pioneers of this county, coming here from Seneca County, Ohio, in 1827. The father was a millwright by trade, an industrious, whole-souled man. He was I i.&-)do 4 4 Abapwr, I I I I I I i I -4 4 1 1 1 1 1 i i I II i I I r -~wll~~lsll ~ II ~,;~~, 11 -- -1 L ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 301 fond of the hunt, and was very expert in the use of tile rifle, anld did much to clear the primeval forests of this region from the dangerous animals that once haunted it. His useful career was cut short by death while he was yet in the meridian of life. His widow was thlus left to battle alone and to support her family as best she could. She, however, possessed a brave, unfaltering spirit, and proved equal to the emergency, managing to keep her children witl her and to provide for them until her death, in 1849. Our subject was the youngest child in a family of nine, and owing to his father's early death he was reared to a life of labor, and scarcely had an olportunity to attend school, but with a persistency under difficulties tllat would have deterred many from making the attempt, lie managed to secure enough education so that he can attend to business. After the death of his mother he was thrown altogether on his own resources, and being strong, energetic, and willing to work at anything that his hands found to do, he made his own way in the world. He finally gathered together enougl of this world's goods to enable him to marry and establish a home of his own, and to Miss Rebecca Slhepherdson, whom he had invited to share life's pleasures and sorrows with him, he was united in the sacred bond of marriagt Oct. 11, 1860. She has been to him a wise counselor and a ready helper, and to their children a careful and tender mother. Sihe is a daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Rathburn) Shepherdson, natives of New York, of English descent. Mrs. Beadle was born May 13. 1833, in New York, and was very small when her parents came to Michigan. She is tile second child in order of birtl of the five born to her mother. (For further parental history see sketch of her brother, Abner P. Shepherdson, which will be found on another page of this volume. Soon after marriage Mr. Beadle moved to Fabius and, thoughl he has moved three or four times since then, he has never been out of sight of his present home. He owns eighty-five acres of fine farming land; has an orchard of about 200 apple trees, from which lie derives a good yearly income. He has his land under good tillage, has comlfortable farm buildings, and everything about tile place indicates thrift and good manalgement. Mr. Beadle is a practical, keen-sighted man, honest and upright in.his dealings, and tloroughly deserves the respect and esteem in which he is held in this community. He has three sisters living in this county: Mrs. Claravina Stowell, who resides in Burr Oak Township; Mrs. Ruth Hopkins and Mrs. Dolly Ann Seelye. The union of our subject and his amiable wife has been blessed by the birth of five children, of whom four are living, of whom the following is recorded: David V., born Dec. 21, 1862, now lives in Oceana County, Mich.; Mary D., born Nov. 3, 1867, received a fine education and is a successful teacher, commencing to follow that profession when a mere girl; William M., born Nov. 29, 1870; Ruth A., Jan. 11, 1874. Mr. Beadle was drafted during the late war, but as his circumstanlces were such that he could not leave home, he hired a substitute, paying forty acres of land therefor. Our subject, holding substantially the same views on political questions as his father, an old-line Whig, was identified with the Republican party until the formation of tile Greenback party, when he joined its ranks. i I I i I I i i i I r t — 40 i I - C5 — AVID OLNEY, Supervisor of Leonidas Township, is the owner of one of its best farms, on section 19. Ie is a son of Joseph Olney, one of the honored pioneers of the county, who came to Michigan before it had been transformed from a Territory into a State, and securing ownership of a tract of land in Mendon Township, battled with the elements of a new soil for a time, and then removed to Nottawa Townskip. A few years later he purchased a residence in Mendon, and retired from active labor. His death took place at the residence of his son, our subject, May 31, 1887. Joseph Olney. the father of our subject, was born in Saratoga, N. Y., April 14, 1820, and was unmarried when coming to this county. Not long afterward, however, he married Miss Sarah Barnabee, who was born Feb. 14, 1830, and came with her parents, Stephen and Mehitable Barnabee, to this county when quite young. Their first residence in Michigan was in Kalamazoo County, at a time when its people were few and far between. The father 7I WP 1 - a I zl i i r__ 6 - pA I I i r~ 1 ---- — ---~ ---- ----— ~ --- —- --------- -------------------------— ~ -- - r. I Dw-, ii 1 ' #: jI P - i 302 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I was a farmer by occupation, and both parents spent the last years of their lives in this county, the father dying in Mendon Township, MIay 30, 1886, and the mother at the home of her daughter in Leonidas Township. To the parents of our subject were born eight children, six of whom lived to mature years: David, our subject; Elon, who died March 15, 1887; Martha, the wife of Henry Mowry, of Branch County; Mary, who became the wife of M. MIilton McIntosh, and died in Nottawa Township; Franklin, a resident there, and Elizabeth, Mrs. Henry Powers, of the same. David, our sul)ject, was born in Melndon Townslhip, April 11, 1847. Ilis boyhood and youth were spent after the manner of most farmers' sons, and lie remained a member of the parental household until twenty-two y -ars old. Upon leaving hlome lie selected a tract of land in Leonidas Township, where he entered upon the serious business of his life, the building up of a home and the accumulation of a competence. I-is labors as an agriculturist have been crowned with more than ordinary success. lie wisely invested his surplus capital as time passed on in additional land, proplerty secure from tlle blurglar, and wlich could not be carried off to Canada by the dishonest bank cashier. His real estate now embraces 310 broad acres, upon which hle las erected a fine set of frame buildings, amply adapted to the requirements of the modern and progressive agriculturist. HIis enterprise and industry have been evinced at every turn in his life, and lie has long been looked upon as one of the most substantial men of his commnunity, one who could be depended upon to further its best interests, morally, education'ally and financially. IIe has left no stone unturned in the encouragement of those projects which should bring his township to the standard adopted by the intelligent communities of Southern Michigan. For a period of sixteen years there has walked by the side of our subject in the most intimate relation of life a lady who in her girlhood was Miss Marietta Foote, and who became his wife at thle home of her parents in Leonidas Township, May 16, 1872. Mrs. Olney was born in Orleans County, N. Y., June 27, 1850, and is the daughter of Er win W. and Iester M. (MIontrose) Foote. Erwin W. Foote was born in Ridgeway, Orleans Co., N. Y., April 6, 1816. Iis wife, Hester, was born in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Co., N. Y., Jan. 26, 1816. They are now residents of MIendon, and in the enjoyment of a good home. To Mr. and Mrs. Olney there have been born five children, namely: Maude, Mildred, Pearl, Joseph and Verne. Mildred and Joseph are deceased. Mildred was born Aug. 26, 1875, and died Nov. 10, 1877; Joseph was born Nov. 5, 1877. There are few whose lives pass placidly without some break or sorrow, but with the exception of the loss of these little ones, the history of Mr. and Mrs. Olney illustrates that of people more than usually blessed by Providence. That they have been deserving of this is acknowledged by the people who have known them long and well, and who have extended to them a generous measure of esteem and confidence. // EOIRGE II. MOILNEY. Among the intellifl( <so gent citizens of St. Joseph County who are J\A! conducting its farming and stock-raising interests, and are the principal factors of its material prosperity, the subject of this sketch is well worthy of mention. IHe is quietly carrying on his vocation on section 2, Fabius Township, where his fine farm, which for lproductiveness and improvements ranks with any in the county, is beautifully located near Lake IMoliney, a lovely sheet of water, notable alike for its scenery, and as a popular resort for those fond of the piscatorial art, as several varieties of fish are found in its waters. Mr. Mohley was born in Armstrong County, Pa., March 14, 1839, a son of Abram and Mary Ann (Weinberg) Moliney, natives of Pennsylvania, and descended from the old German stock that early peopled the Keystone State. In 1844, the year that James K. Polk was elected P'resident, the elder Mohney left the Pennsylvanian home, with its many pleasant associations, left his old-time friends, and, accompanied by his wife and children, came to settle in the then wilds of St. Joseph County. But a few years had elapsed since the sound of the axes 1 9.i& — )~~6 III -11. 1-1111 I I III, -1,1191, -1-1 I -0,0 —m- --- *low-A I 1-4 I J. I " a -,, I6 I ll O q ---- III~I II I~~P-~-~~-~~-q-IBe~~~~ CI — ~ L~ —L —~ C~ Ss~ 4-..q@ - - I ItB ~ ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 303 ok I of the early settlers had rung through the primeval forests, that once to a great extent covered the State of Michigan, and then began for him and his family the life of pioneers, until they could subdue the wilderness and build for themselves a comfortable home. The father bought eighty acres of land, and in the twelve years of life remaining to him worked faithfully and assiduously to improve a farm. June 13, 1856, his death occurred, and a valued citizen was removed from the community, many outside of his own household mourning the loss of a good and honest man. The mother of our subject is still spared to her children, and makes her home in Three Rivers. Although she has attained the advanced age of seventy-two, she is still of sound intellect and enjoys good health, free from many of the infirmities that usually accompany old age, and seems in reality younger than her years would indicate. She is the mother of nine children, of whom our subject is the eldest. The record of the others is as follows: William H., the second child, who lives near our subject, served in the army two and one-half years; Leander is a gardener, and resides in Three Rivers; Susan married Lucian IHoisington, who is now deceased, and she lives in Marcellus, Cass Co., Mich.; Abby makes her home with her mother in Three Rivers; Sydney lives in Lansing; Marietta married Charles Chills, and they live in Lansing; Wallace lives on the old homestead east of Mohney Lake, and Monroe lives in Washington Territory. George Mohney was scarcely five years of age when he came with his parents to Michigan, so that nearly all of his life has been spent in this State. But a few years had elapsed since Michigan had given up Territorial government and had entered the Union, and it had not then. developed into the powerful and glorious commonwealth that it is today. The principal cities of the present were then for the most part small towns, the city of Three Rivers, for instance, being only a small village with but few business houses. Although the wise and able men at the head of public affairs had already introduced as complete and good an educational system as obtained in any State in the Union, yet in the new settlements it was difficult to establish schools, excepting of inferior grades, and our sub ject's chances for obtaining an education were limited, as lie cid not attend school until after he was thirteen years old, and then only in the winters. Ile, however, managed to pick up considerable book knowledge, and is well informed on all the topics of interest of the present day. After his father's death he worked energetically to pay off the remaining indebtedness on the home farm, and to place his mother in comfortable circumstances. Aug. 3, 1862, Mr. Mohney laid aside all personal aims and ambitions, feeling an obligation to assist his country in the conduct of the war then being waged in the South, and as a soldier in the ranks of the 25th Michigan Infantry, he manfully did his duty on many a battle-field. Ite was present at Resaca, Burnt Hickory, at the siege of Atlanta, and at Nashville, when Genls. Thomas and Hood led the opposing forces, and he took part in many other contests. Ile was honorably discharged after the close of the war, having served in the Union Army three years. In 1866 Mr. Mohney bought his present farm, comprising eighty acres of exceedingly fertile land, and he now has it all paid for. At the time of his purchase it was a tract of forest covered land, with no improvements whatever, and he had to clear it and erect buildings. Ie now has it under good cultivation, has a commodious, comfortable dwelling, and as fine a barn as is to be found in the county. All of this property is the result of his patient and well-directed labors, as he started out in the world with no capital other than a stout heart and strong arms. We should be doing but scant justice, however, if we did not mention the help afforded to him by his capable helpmate, to whom he was united in marriage March 15, 1868. Mrs. Mohney was formerly Miss Harriet Spygelmyer, a daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Wyant) Spygelmyer. She was born in Pennsylvania, Sept. 1, 1849. Of her marriage with our subject six children have been born, namely: Vanneska, born March 7, 1869; Lennie, June 5, 1870; Rella, March 7, 1872; Iona, March 4, 1874; Katie died in infancy, and Logan A. was born March 23, 1881. Our subject is a man whom his fellow-citizens do well to trust, as his life is guided by sound I U,, II ---- -- -- Oh - Kw - - - -......... __IW *o - -- I rI mr A-. a -Iqqv oI — -_L ~ e L3~- - L~L -C L LI --- —-I - I~_ IIL9_d m *l 304 304 ST. JOSEPHPE COUNLTY. I 304 ST. JOSEPh COUNTY. principles, his personal habits are of the best, and his reputation is unsullied. I-e has been IHighway Commissioner for about nine years, at different times, and was elected to this position in opposition to a strong Democratic majority. IIe votes the Republican ticket, and strenuously upholds the policy of his party. IHe is a strictly temperate man, and works for local option. ZIAS F. FRENCH, a pioneer of Constantine Townshil) of 1834, has been a continuous resident here since that time, engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is the son of Ozias and Lizzie (Dayton) French, the former a native of the Bay State, whence he emigrated to New York, where his death occurred when our subject was a child of two years, in Yates County. The death of the mother also occurred there. Our subject was born in Chester. Hampshire Co., Mass., June 1, 1803, and was the youngest of his parents' family. He accompanied his father upon his removal to New York State, and there grew to manhood, assisting his parents as time and opportunity demanded. From Yates County he removed to Cattaraugus County, remaining there four years, when he migrated to this State, and located in Constantine Township, this county, on land which he had purchased from the Government. His farm has been nicely improved, and is the source of a lucrative income, while it is adorned with neatand well-arranged buildings, which do great credit to the proprietor. His first purchase. consisted of eighty acres, but it has since been added to, and now embraces an acreage of 110. Mr. French was married in Yates County, N. Y., to Miss Rebecca Bates, a native of Bennington County, N. H. Their union has been blessed by the birth of eight children, namely: Candace L. and Lucy A. (twins), Rachel E., Eunice R., Ozias F., Charles Dayton, Erastus Milo and Seth M. Candace became the wife of George Poe, of Fabius Township; Lucy, Mrs. John Oxenford, died in Calhoun County, Iowa: Rachel E. is the wife of Medink Hoisington, of Fabius Township; Emma is Mrs. Chester C. Mitchell, of Otsego County, this State; Ozias F. is also a resident of Otsego County; Charles Dayton mnarried Miss Mary Roberts. and resides in Constantine Township; Erastus Milo is living in Montana Territory, and Seth M. is a resident of Otsego County, this State. The mother of tlese children died in Constantine Township, July 18, 1864.. She was a faithful and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Ozias French, our subject, was a second time married, to Miss Almira Enole. This lady died in Constantine TownJship, July 4, 1874. She also was numbered among the regular attendants of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as is also her husband, having been a member of that denomination for a half-century. He gives liberally and cheerfully to promote the good cause, and is one of its influential members. Our subject has held many of the township offices in his earlier (lays, the duties of which he discharged in a thoroughly satisfactory manner. Mr. French is a man of sterling integrity and sound business principles, and one whose word is considered as good as his bond. It is to such men as he that the country is indebted for its wonderful progress and develol)ment. and his name will be remembered with gratitude long after he has been gatherel( to his fathers. ENRY W. LAIRD. In the career of this esteemed citizen, late a resident of Nottawa Township, and now deceased, was embodied the creed that ' no man should live for himself alone, but also for others." He departed this life at his home in Nottawa Township, Oct. 1, 1881, at the age of sixty-nine years, having been born Oct. 14, 1812. He was familiarly called " Harry Laird," and from this simple fact may be gathered an idea of the character of the man-genial, companionable, and one who, since his taking off, has been sadly missed in his community. A native of Greene County, N. Y., our subject was the son of Glover Laird, who was born in Ireland, and emigrated to the United States early in life, settling in the Empire State, where it is probable he was married. There Harry lived with his parents until a lad eight years of age, then ac-! I3~ 0_0. i 1, _ - -- - --—. I Ii. ~~ I -supCI SW-,"RV$ I r I sc I I I — ~~ --- —- __ v r I - -. --- U IW. Uv- -w ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 305i I coinpanied his father to Ohio, and from there, in October, 1830, to Michigan. After assisting his father in breaking forty acres and fencing eighty acres, on section 2 in Nottawa Township, this county, young Laird, in June, 1831, returned to Ohio for the purpose of attending school. In 1833, leaving the Buckeye State tie second time, Mr. Laird came again to Nottawa Township, where lie sojourned the following winter, and journeyed to and from Ohio several times from that time until 1836. In 1837 he was united in marriage, in Butler County, Ohio, with Miss Susannah Mantha. This lady was born in Hartford County, Md., Feb. 10, 1817, and of this union there were born seven, children, six sons and one daughter, viz: William H., George C., Gilbert W., James M., John M., Charles W. and Caroline F. In 1852 Mr. Laird purchased his father's old homestead in Nottawa Township, where he turned his attention mostly to agricultural pursuits, and effected many improvements in the property. In the meantime he signalized himself as one of the most public-sl)irited men in his townshil, generously giving his time and attention to the enterprises calculated for the general good. He was instrumental in securing the building of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad through the township, giving much of his time and considerable money toward its construction. He was a Republican in politics, and held the office of County Treasurer several terms, besides filling many other positions of trust in connection with the affairs of his neighbors and fellow-citizens. An active member of the Old Settlers' Association, he was possessed of the intelligence and forethought which recognized the great importance of preserving history and biography, and at one period was zealously engaged for some time in securing facts and data in connection with the history of tie Nottawa Indians, the incidents associated with their removal from this part of the country, and various other interesting matters pertaining thereto. He was a keen observer of human nature and an extensive reader, and possessed of a fine fund of general information. His name is held in kindly remembrance by hosts of friends. The sons and daughter of Henry W. and Susanr nah (Mantha) Laird are residents mostly of Men don. and are intelligent and worthy members of society, whose endeavor it is to perpetuate and honor the name of him who ever appears to their minds the generous and kind-hearted father, the useful and self-sacrificing citizen. ENJAMIN F. BUTLER. One of the finest brick residences in Nottawa Township is located on section 10, and forms the nucleus of a valuable farm which stretches its broad acres on nearly all sides adjacent. The proprietor, whose name stands at the head of this sketch, ranks among the honored pioneers of St. Joseph County, to which his father came with his family late in the spring of 1841, they locating on the land which later grew up into a valuable homestead. The country at that period had undergone but little cultivation, the neighbors of Joseph Butler being few and far between. lie possessed, however. the substantial qualities required by the men who came to this region at that time, and began at once his struggle with the elements of a new soil and the difficulties which are the invariable attendants of life in a new settlement. The first primitive dwelling in due time sheltered a family of eleven children, and Benjamin F., of our sketch, was the tenth in order of birth. HIe began life upon the homestead which he now occupies, but under a more humble roof than that of the present. Of the sons and daughters belonging to this household six are living. Joseph Butler was born in Canandaigua County, N. Y., and married Miss Rebecca Newton, who was also a native of the Empire State. After marriage they first settled in Genesee County, and thence removed to Medina County, Ohio, settling on a tract of land not far from the present site of the city of Cleveland. It is hardly necessary to say that it bore little resemblance at that time to its present goodly proportions. They did not sojourn long in the Buckeye State, however, but in the fall of 1830 resumed their westward wanderings, and in due time pitched their tent among the pioneers of Southern Michigan. The face of the country in r m _ m,me I ~~ ~ rr r II = l r. -~I0 b" F II -I --" -— "111 ---- - 9 -il' OPO. I -1 IA i E — w a --- - i 306 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. _ ~ ~ ~ ~ - Nottawa Township, this county, appeared to meet their requirements, which were largely governed by their means, and the lives begun thus in a new country by the parents of our subject ended not far from the spot where they selected their pioneer home. Joseph Butler after an honorable and upright career rested from his earthly labors on the 6th of June, 1882, being then nearly eighty-six years old. When but a youth of sixteen years he shouldered his musket and proffered his services as a soldier in assisting to quell the troubles of 1812. IHe was in the fight at Black Rock, and there is no doubt that he met the foe as unflinchingly as his comrades. Later, in 1832, he served in the Black Hawk War, being under the command of Capt. Raines, father of the late James Raines. Iie was a man of conscientious and religious principles, and about 1855 identified himself with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he remained a member for a period of twenty-five years. He and his excellent wife for good reasons then joined the Baptist Church at Mendon. Joseph Butler was known far and wide as a man of true benevolence, ever ready to assist those in need, tendering his charities in that unostentatious manner which underlies the true principles of Christianity. The mother survived her husband nearly five years, her death taking place at the home of her daughter, in Mendon, May 19, 1887. Benjamin F. Butler was reared to manhood in his native township, and acquired his education in the common school. He had all his life long been engaged in agricultural pursuits, seeing nothing more desirable as an occupation than tilling the healthful soil and watching the smiling fields, which seldom failed to yield generously to the hand of the faithful husbandman. To the first purchase of the father more land was afterward added, and the homestead now embraces 230 acres of some of the finest farming land in the county. The marriage of Benjamin F. Butler and Miss Jessie Ann Cattell was celebrated at the home of the bride in Centreville, May 19, 1863. Mrs. Butler was born Feb. 28, 1843, and is the daughter of William and Anna (Totterdall) Cattell, who were natives of Lancashire, England. They came to the United States in 1856 with their family of nine chil dren, and settled in Nottawa Township, where they spent the remainder of their days. The father died in 1858, and the mother passed away very suddenly, after a brief illness of twenty-four hours, in 1874. A further history will be found in the sketch of Charles I. Cattell on another page in this volume. Mrs. Butler is a native of the same county as her parents, having been born in Lancashire, Feb. 28, 1843. Of her union with our subject there are two children: Lawrence F., who died when a babe of sixteen monthls, and Cecil A., who is now eighteen years of age. Mr. Butler during the summer of 1884 put up his present residence, and is accredited with one of the pleasantest homes in St. Joseph County. He has lived quietly and unostentatiously, meddling very little with public affairs. -He keeps himself well posted, however, upon current events, and upon election day gives his unqualified support to the Democratic party. UD. C. WVELLESLEY has been identified with the business and social interests of St. Joseph J.ir County for forty years, he having established himself at Colon, as merchant tailor in 1848, and is still carrying on that business in this town. He is a native of England, born in 1814, the second in the family of ten children of Edward and Amelia (Potter) Wellesley, natives of England. They were lifelong residents of their birthplace, their death occurring a great many years ago. The subject of this sketch was reared in his native land, and carefully trained by his good parents to a life of industry and honesty. When a young man, full of energy and ambitious to make his own way in the world, he decided to emigrate to America, and embarked from Liverpool in the American sailingvessel "Washington," bound for this country. After a long and tempestuous ocean voyage of six weeks, he landed at New York City in November, 1832. He remained in the East some two or three years, working in different cities. He also worked in Pennsylvania, and in Erie County, that State, he met Miss Jane Van Wormer, who became his wife I! 0 0 -I A A I AMlll II~I~1I1II -~-IC-I lC~~ --- II II —./C — I m - - L I l - / I t-14 k _____._~~~~~~~~~_.~~~_._~~~~ -------— ~~~~~~~~~~-,~~~fA Immorli -- 1 m --.1 ---- - --- - --— qqwa ST. J.0SEPE)-I COUNTY. o307 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 307 I in 1835. She was born in New York in 1819, the third child of the six children of Charles and Elizabeth (Sherwood) Van Wormer, natives of New York, being pioneers of the western part of the i State. Her grandfather Sherwood wasa Captain in the navy during the Revolutionary War. bhortly after marriage Mr. Wellesley came to Michigan, and worked at first at his trade in Detroit. Wayne i County. In the next year, 1 836, he settled in Manchester, Washtenaw County, where he opened a tailor shop. He staid there but a few years, bowever, moving in 1838 to Indiana, where he was engage(d as a tailor for sonie ten years. He was a resident of that State during the exciting campaign attendant upon the election of Harrison and Tyler,:ad1 rode with the lHon. Schuyler Colfax over the old Tippecanoe battle-ground. In 1848 Mr. Wellesley made another and final move, and we find him comfortably established in Colon. There being a mill here at that time it drew quite a number of residents to the town, and made trade lively for him. He built a small house and opened a merchant tailor's store, and in 1864, his business had i been so profitable that he was enabled to build a! commodious frame structure, in which he had one of the best appointed stores of the kind in this vicinity. He carried a large and well-assorted stock of goods, and was doing an extensive business when he met with a severe loss in 1886, his building being consumed by fire. He now works in Godfrey's Block in Colon. Mr. Wellesley has been three times married. The wife of his early manhood, a most estimable woman, who had faithfully devoted her life to him and their children, was in her last years an invalid. I Ten children were born of that marriage, four of whom are living: E. P. resides at Colon; Amelia, now Mrs. Greenwood, resides in Three Rivers; Charles is married and resides in Union City; William A., a tailor by trade, lives in Colon. Our sulject's second marriage took place in Elkhart County, Ind., when he was united to Anna M. J. Benedict. She was born in Saratoga County, N. Y., in 1818, being the fourth of ten children of John and Susan Benedict, natives of New York. Her father was a carpenter and joiner by trade and also a car finisher. He is deceased. Mrs. Wellesley's mother survived her husband's deathl many years, dlying in 1870, at the ripe old age of ninety-two years. Mrs. Wellesley departed this life Jan. 16, 1873, after an illness of some weeks. She was a truly good woman, and was respected by all who knew her for her many amiable qualities. Our sulject was married in Detroit, Dec. 4, 1873. to Miss Mary Ellen Benedict, a native of Saratoga, N. Y., and a daughter of Edwin and Caroline (Van Deusen) Benedict, the date of lier birth being in 1845. Her parents were natives of New York. and settled in Detroit when it was a small city. They came to Colon and1 spent their last years in the home of our subject. Mrs. Wellesley died May 3, 1881, after a short illness. She was one of the noblest of women, beloved by all who knew her, and her death was a loss to the community. Mr. Wellesley has played an important part in local affairs, always taking a decided interest in anything that in any way promotes the social or material welfare of the community, and has always served the town in some official capacity. He was Postmaster of Colon for upward of twenty-four years, receiving his appointment to that position from President Lincoln, and has held many minor offices. He is active in politics, and is one of the leading members of the Republican party in this county, having been a delegate to county conventions every year for forty years, and was a delegate to the State Convention of his party in 1888. Socially, he is a prominent Knight Templar, is an earnest worker in the organization, and has held offices in the Chapter and Commandery. He is identified with the I. 0. O. F., is Noble Grand Master at the present time, and has been representative to the Grand Lodge nineteen terms. He had one son in the service. LRAM DRAPER. Among the old and much respected settlers of Colon Township is the subject of the present sketch. His property and residence are on section 32, and 600 acres in extent. He was born on the 16th of November, 1808, in Vershire, Orange Co., Vt. His parents removed to New Hampshire when he was six years of age, and later to Western New York, ^ -.) 8*fc^. a.~-11:~, - -I —~-~lul 3',II __~1 '1 r I I~L~-~t -44 I.~~~_..31-~ — "qr elo I I -~I i1r i i i l. 1 -q8 -_ ~III~ - Ii IL 11111 1I_. -C-L 308 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. t I,I- I. I_ _== I where they settled in Allegany County, which was his home until the fall of 1836, when he emigrated to this State, settling in Colon Township, where he has since continued to reside. In first making his home here Mr. Draper purchased eighty acres of land. To this he added from time to time, as he became able, until he became the owner of over 900 acres, over 200 of which is under the plow. Hie provided good farm buildings, substantially erected and conveniently arranged. He also has continued to make good and valuable improvements from time to time, and has been careful to keep his land in the highest possible state of cultivation. He has seen the country pass from the Territory to the State, and watched with pride its magnificent onward march in civilization, commercial importance and National influence, and in his younger, more active days was not behind his fellows in helping to make Michigan what it is. The subject of our sketch was four times married; first while in Allegany County, N. Y., in 1829, to June Couch. This lady was born in that county, and was the daughter of Jonathan and Mary Couch. Of this union there were born three children, of whom his son Charles, of Kalamazoo County, is the sole surviving member. This wife died in 1834. He suffered the desolation and loneliness consequent upon this bereavement until the year 1837, when he became the husband of Mrs. Lydia (Weaver) Hollenback, a native of the Empire State; of this marriage there were born two children-Eunice and Benjamin. The former is happily married to Andrew Gibson, and resides in St. Louis, Mo.; the latter is a resident of Coin, Page Co., Iowa, and is engaged in farming. Mr. D.'s second wife died in Burr Oak Township, on the 29th of February, 1840. He was again married, the lady being Calista Wilcox, who was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., Jan. 15, 1801, and died June 23, 1867. He was a fourth time married, Jan. 8, 1868, to Frances Innman; she was born in New York, April 14, 1818, and has one daughter, Mary E., by her first marriage. Mrs. Draper's first husband's name was Francis Dupaul. Mr. Draper has held several of the offices of the township, and is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Although he has retired from any active participation in the various politi cal campaigns, he is by no means the less interested in political affairs. Hle is, and always has been, a stanch Republican. Mr. Draper was active in the matter of introducing the Air-Line Railroad from Jackson to Niles, and other enterprises. At the time of the war, as far as was possible, he showed the greatest willingness and anxiety to help in its suppression, and was extremely anxious that in some way that end should be attained without the needless expenditure and loss of life, treasure and property. - ------ -J-i-f=^^44- ------- J 01 O1IN BAUMEISTER, whose farm is situated on section 2 of Burr Oak Township and comprises eighty acres, is a native of Wurtemberg, South Germany, where he was born in the year 1834. The education within the possibility of his attainment was by no means extensive. lIe learned the trade of a weaver of linen, and became an expert workman. This article of household use was formerly in general use for fine wear for the person, and in both chamber and diningroom, but now it is almost solely relegated to the latter. Of all countries where this article is made none can compare with the beautiful, heavy German linen, which is almost entirely made by hand. The subject of our sketch emigrated to New York in 1854. Iis first home was in Pike County, Pa., but after one year spent in that district he came to this county, and located at Burr Oak, where he purchased forty acres of land, to which he has since added forty acres. This he has largely improved and cultivated assiduously. The result of his enterprise is apparent, and may be seen in every direction upon his property. The marriage of our subject was celebrated in this county, Nov. 20, 1859, the lady of his choice being Sophia Stull, daughter of Barney and Elizabeth Stull, of Burr Oak. There has been born to them one son, who bears the name of George W., and who is still living with his parents. Mr. Baumeister is one of the leading GermanAmericans of the county. He is a man who has risen to his present position as the result of his own well-directed and perseveringly sustained effort. h IIC1 4" 000LI-, -L-__-L —m-I -I-~_ -I-._ I~~ _~ Iclll = - I L i t I - ~~~ —~1~11"111~111~~- & i, I" 1 --- —---- -4 1 —~1 ICIII ~I IL~ II I I ~ ~I ~ ~ ~ Il I - I I ~-u ~. ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 309 IHe is broad and liberal in his views on matters of social and religious import. IIe is one of the chief members and supporters of the Lutheran Church, at Burr Oak, and at the same time one of the most able. Iis home is the abode of culture, refinement and elegance. lie has given his son the best educational opportunities, in which accomplishments.have also found a place, and is happy in knowing that his efforts are appreciated and the opportunities fully utilized by his son, who is now tie husband of Miss Ella Trost, daughter of John and Hannah Trost, to whom he was united in wedlock at Colon, Jan. 25, 1888. The son owns forty acres of land, and is farming in connection with his father. They make a specialty of raising American Merino sheep and Poland-China hogs, and are quite successful in this line of business. A HARLES It. CATTELL, whose beautiful home and admirably conducted fertile farm is situated on section 35 of Mendon Township, is one of the most capable and valued citizens of his district. His father, William Cattell, was a native of Somersetshire, England, as was also his mother, whose maiden name was Anna Totterdall. His parents were there married, and made their home until about the year 1856, when they came to this country, bringing with them their family of nine clildren, and settling on Nottawa prairie, where they made their home until their death. His father died in 1858, his mother in 1874, after an illness of twenty-four hours only. They were both much esteemed in the community, and their home was one of the brightest; in their death the community sustained a loss that was fully realized. Our subject was the fifth child in the above family. He was born in the same county as his parents, and on the 15th of July, 1835. His early life was spent in England and there also his education was obtained. He accompanied his father on the journey to America in the spring of 1856, the mother and remaining members of the family joining them in the fall of that year. He has made his home at Nottawa and has made agriculture his chief emnployment. His farm of 380 acres, part of which is in Mendon and part in Nottawa Township, is one of the best in this part of the county. He has expended no little thought and care upon it in the endeavor to bring it to that desirable condition. fle has made many good and valuable improvements and enjoys good success. Mr. Cattell has been twice married, once in Nottawa on the 8th of March, 1871, when he received the hand of Marion Vandermark, of Leonidas. This lady was born to John and Jane Vandermark, at Leonidas, April 4. 1844. Three children blessed their union, viz: Addie J., Agnes C. and Charles J. This wife died on the 2d of June, 1879. The second marriage was celebrated in Lucas County, Ohio, where, on Jan. 27, 1881, he stood before the altar with Alice Hain. the estimable daughter of Joseph and Susan Hain. She was born in Waterville, Lucas County, June 22, 1855. She has presented her husband with one beautiful little daughter, who bears the name of Mabel S. Mr. Cattell has been called upon by his fellowcitizens to occupy various township offices. and he has always done so in a way that has shown the wisdom of the selection. He is a genial, pleasant gentleman, intelligent, educated, a man of character and unimpeachable honor. He is usually found voting the Democratic ticket and is affiliated with the party presenting the same. He is the head of one of the most happy households in the county, and, with his wife, is nostranger to hospitalities and social influences. J AMES 0. SMITH, although not very long a I resident of Mendon Township, is recognized as one of its most valued citizens, and is the _ a proprietor of a good farm on section 1. During the years of a busy career he has labored to good advantage and acquired a competence for his old age. Our subject was born in the town of Half Moon, Saratoga Co., N. Y., Dec. 19, 1843, and was the youngest of ten children of James, Sr., and Abbie (Vickery) Smith, who were also natives of Saratoga f it -P ik- Y L A L al p 1 i I f or ant U -*~~II~II(IFCIIJ~1~ — ~ ---r~-~s ~l-r~ — I~II — ~l-~~-rl~ ---~r — k -— ~~ --- —-~ ---I I 1.C1 I I IN"' A ~~-,, i -4 310 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -MFI" = County. There also they were reared and married, and lived until the death of the mother, which occurred in 1845. The father subsequently changed his residence to Albany County, where he spent his last years, passing away about 1876. Of their three sons and seven daughters. five are now living, and located mostly in Saratoga and Albany Counties, N. Y. Mr. Smith was rarared at his father's country homestead in his native county, where he lived until a youth of eighteen years, acquiring a commonschool education and becoming familiar with agricultural pursuits. His mother had died when he was a lad of two years, and from his youth up Ihe was largely dependent upon himself, and formed the habits of industry and economy which have paved the way to his success in life. Upon leaving home about 1861, he went into Orleans County, N. Y., and for one year was employed there on a farm by the month. Later he took up the science of agriculture on his own hook, operating four years in Orleans County, N. Y., until about 1866. Our subject now migrated to Southern Michigan, and sojournel a period of a few months in Brady Township, Kalamazoo County. Then returning to his native State he lived in Orleans County, carrying on farming until May, 1881. He now decided to locate permanently in this county, and accordingly purchased his present farm in Mendon Township. Here he has 136 acres of good land with suitable buildings, a fair assortment of farm machinery, live stock, and the general appliances of the well-regulated country estate. On the 28th of January, 1863, occurred a most interesting event in the life of our subject, viz: his marriage, which was celebrated in Orleans County, N. Y., the bride being Miss Hattie V. Flint. This lady was a native of Albion, and died at their home in Orleans County, Jan. 14, 1879, leaving no children. Mr. Smith contracted a second matrimonial alliance in Kalamazoo County, this State, June 7, 1881, with Miss Emma Paine. Mrs. Emma Smith was born in Barre, Orleans Co., N. Y., Oct. 23, 1858, and is the daughter of John and Mary A. (Bates) Paine, being the third in a family of ten children. Her parents were natives of Buffalo, and are now residents of Orleans County. All of I their children are living, and located mostly in Orleans County, N. Y. Of this marriage of our subject there have been born three children, two daughters and a sonHattie, May and James O. Mr. Smith cast his first Presidential vote for A. Lincoln, and is one of the most reliable members of the Republican party. i ENRY DRIESBACtI, Superintendent of the j( )) County Farm, was placed in charge of this institution in the year 1884, and in the disQ(_) charge of his responsible duties has acquitted himself with great credit. It is a position difficult to fill, one requiring great tact and good judgment, and one to which the present incumbent seems thoroughly adapted. The farm comprises 180 acres of land located on section 5, Fawn River Township, and accommodates twenty-nine dependants of the county, some of whom are able to assist in its labors, and some of whom are not. The land is under a good state of cultivation, yielding unler its present good management sufficient to maintain its beneficiaries in a comfortable manner. Our subject was born in Clarence Township, Erie Co, N. Y., Aug. 7, 1829, and is the son of Jonathan and Susan (Hershey) Driesbach, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and of Holland-Dutch ancestry, and the latter born in the Dominion of Canada. The father began life April 3, 1800, was a tradesman, and also followed coopering until 1848, in Williamsville, N. Y. The parents lived in Erie County, N. Y., where the father died in 1885; the mother is still living. Their family included four children, of whom our subject was the eldest. His younger sister, Harriet, the widow of Charles C. Grove, is living near Buffalo, Erie Co.. N. Y.; Isaac learned the coopering trade of his father, and located in Memphis, Tenn., where his death took place about 1872; William was married in Erie County, N. Y., where he died about 1886. Our subject left the Keystone State when a man of thirty years, in 1859, and coming to this county, settled in Sturgis Township. He had learned blacksmithing in New York, but after coming to Michigan engaged in butchering, which he followed in I v j i I PI i i Y,, "I Sim I If —,, godson - I II - C - - —. I -'~sr — ------ ' ---'I~IIIL1"l~r~l sra~ __ L-~_g~ ---- ov —6FF If..-W.. .~~~~__~~~~~ — - - -~~~~~~~~- - - - - - - - - - -~~~~~~ --- —------ - ------- -~ -A- -_ ___~ _. ___ ~ ~ ___~__ I 1 - ^.d~ E10~.~,-~I~"B~d~nLrsr""T~~~~"~~'- ~IL, ~ ~ bb-LIC -*- ~12Nll l 0 l - S r..JOSEPH COUNTY. 311 — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sturgis five years. In 1863 he purchased 100 acres of land about three miles west of the present County Farm, and thereafter engaged in agricultural pursuits. Upon tis he lived until 1884, and then left it in charge of Benjamin Baker. Our subject was married, in 1852, to Miss Harriet N. Campbell, who was born in 1832, in Erie County, N. Y., and is the daughter of Matthew and Catherine (Boyer) Campbell, the father a prominent farmer and stock-raiser of Erie County, N. Y. The parents were natives of Pennsylvania. To Mr. and Mlrs. l)rieslach there have been I)orn six children, two sons and four daughlters: Harriet N. is the wife of Thomas Burton, engaged in farming at Burr Oak; Ienry is farming in Allegan County, this State; Kittie S. is nurse in the city hospital at Buffalo, N. Y.; Herr is at home; Lottie is engaged as a clerk for the wholesale hardware firm of Sheppard & Co., in Buffalo, N. Y.; and Ella M. (died il 1855. Mrs. Driesbach died in 1870. Mr. D. was a second time married, in 1871, to Mrs. Kate S. Hawk. widow of the late Lafayette H.awk, her maiden name being (eAe. Mrs. D. has two children by her first marriage-Is:ac N. and Frederick L. Mr. Driesbacl has been quite prominent in local affairs, officiating as Pathmaster and School D)irector in his township, and i(lentifying himself with the various enterprises tending to the prosperity of j its people. lie was Sulpervisor of the township four years, has also held the office of Township Treasurer two years, and that of Highway Commissioner three years. S IDNEY CARPENTER, tle owner of one of the finest farms in iBurr Oak TownI ship, came to this colunty a poor man in the year 1836. Ile had made the journey overland from Cattaraugus County, N. Y., with a team of horses and a wagon. lie had borrowed $60 in money with which to secure possession of a tract of land, and with this limited capital commenced in earnest the struggle from which lie has coime out with flying, colors. To detail the hardships and struggles which li he endured in bringinii the soil to a state of cultivation and building up for himself ^.,_f and family a comfortable homestead, would only be to recapitulate the story which has so often been told in connection with the early history of Michigan. Suffice it to say that he proved to be one of the most enterprising men of his community, and to-day bears the reputation of being one of the most prosperous. t-e looked upon this section of the country in its Territorial days, and no man has taken a warmer interest in its growth and prosperity. Mr. Carpenter was born in Worcester County, Mass., April 27, 1810, and is consequently nearing his fourscore years. From New England le migrated to Cattaraugus County, N. Y., settling with a brother-in-law in the vicinity of Farmersville, where he lived and carried on farming until 1836. lis next removal was to this county. His parents, Frederick and Eunice (Burris) Carpenter, were natives respectively of Connecticut and Mlassachusetts, and the maternal grandfather, David Burris, was an old Revolutionary soldier, who served his seven years in the army and lived to rejoice in witnessing the independence of the Colonists. Afterward 'he settled upon a farm in the vicinity of Warren, Mass., and there spent his last days. Frederick Carpenter closed his eyes upon earthly scenes at liis home in Massachusetts, in 1822; the mother died in New York in 1865. Their household included thirteen children. Mr. Carpenter upon coming to this county purchased eiglty acres of land on section 20, which is now included in his present farm, and to which lie has added until his estate embraces about 300 acres. I-Ie has about him all the comforts of modern life, including good buildings, fruit and shade trees, shlrubbery, barns, live stock and modern maclinery. Jlis course lias been marked by that industry and perseverance which seldom fail to meet with their legitimate reward. Ile was married, Jan. 16, 1833, to Miss Eunice, daughter of Peres Brown, of Farmersville, N. Y., and the they bean the journey of life together in Cattaraugus County, N. Y., and traveled thereafter in company for a period of seventeen years, when the devoted wife was called hence on the 15th of June, 1850. Of this union there were no children. Mr. Carpenter, in August, 1851, contracted a sec i -dA h 'La, -. %qi- -- - -- -- ra L i i - -- - --- —-- Opp. M 04 _-0 —. III 1C I ~~-1 b 312 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 312- SH ond marriage, with Miss Amanda Worden, who was born in New York in 1833. The parents of the present Mrs. Carpenter spent their last years in New York. Of this marriage of our subject there were born three sons and three daughters, one of whom, Eugene, died Sept. 24, 1855, when an infant of six months. Their eldest son, Frederick, is a prosperous farmer of Burr Oak Township; Ida is the wife of Lorentus Porter, and Jennie is the wife of Charles Turnbull, both well-to-do farmers of Burr Oak Township; Rose was married to Lester Perrin, of Slerman Township, and died Jan. 24, 1874, and Charles died in 1862. Mr. Carpenter cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. Jackson, and for many years has been a supporter of the principles of the Democratic party. _- -I '6- 9 - - M. GRAHAM, who holds a good position among the members of tie legal profession in Burr Oak, establishe(l at this place on the 1st of December, 1 874. lIe was born in Madison Township, Lenawee County, this State, Oct. 1, 1841, and was educated in the common schools of his native county. His parents, Wilmarth and Sarah (Coats) Graham, were natives of New York State, and of Scotch descent. The paternal great-grandfather was born in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The parents of our subject left their native State soon after their marriage, and emigrated to Lenawee County, Mich., where the father secured a tract of land and carried on farming until 1858; he then removed to Burr Oak, where lie remained until his death, which took place Feb. 22, 1866. The mother (lied Jan. 6, 1889. The household circle embraced two children only, our subject and his sister Adelia. The latter now resides at Charlevoix, Mich., and is the wife of Lorenzo B. Porter. Young Graham continued with his parents on the farm in his native township until his marriage, which occurred Dec. 11, 1866. His bride was Miss Lorena Porter; she lived not quite two years after her marriage, her death taking place in September, 1868. Mr. Graham, in July, 1869, was the second time married, to Mrs. Augusta Tobey, of Burr Oak, and tie daughter of Gideon and Jane Sanborn, who were natives of Massachusetts; the former is now dead, but the latter is still living. Of this union there has been born one child, a daughter, Jennie. Mr. Graham has worked his own way up in the world, having no capital to begin with, and has attained to his present position solely by his own efforts. He taught school a few terms, and went from the farm into a law office at Burr Oak, where he made good use of his time, keeping his eyes open to what was going on around him. In February, 1865, during the last year of the war, he enlisted in the United States Navy, with the Mississippi Squadron, which operated on the Mississippi, Tennessee, Ohio and Ctmberland Rivers. At the close of the war he was discharged, July 28, 1865, and took up his residence in Burr Oak. Our subject was a member of the Republican party until 1876, when he identified himself with the Greenbackers, and with them has since been an active worker. He lhas held the office of Justice of the Peace in Burr Oak two terms, and was Circuit Court Commissioner in St. Joseph County the same length of time. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity. His home is pleasantly locate(l at the corner of Henry and Second streets. C- AMUEL AMESS. Among the well-known, respected and patriotic citizens of Burr Oak Township, none are more worthy of a place in this volume than he whose history is here briefly sketched. Mr. Amess is a native of Norfolk, England, and was born in August, 1819. Ile came to America in the year 185. In England he had been a day laborer, and followed the same when beginning life here. By care, management and frugality, couple(d with honest manly effort, he has made his way to his present most creditable position in society. The maiden name of the excellent wife of our subject was Nancy D)oughty, the daughter of John Doughty, who was also a laborer in England. Our subject first came to America alone, and after lie had saved sufficient money he sent for his wife and little one. Their I SMmkh T l ne I. I - "RW~ _. -— r^ -I i _I _ _ I bfII am I Ib ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 313 1 A _I I home has been in the vicinity of Burr Oak since 1868. In the year 1862 tlie subject of our sketch enlisted in the Union Army, becoming a member of the 17th New York Battery. and serve(l from that time until the close of the war. He was in the Independent Battery, and took part in many of the small engagements and skirmishes. Receiving an honorable discharge at the expiration of his military service our sulject returned to his home, and once more engaged in the struggle to,etter the condition in life of himself and family, and provide something against the time when he would be unable to continue arduous toil. Realizing the opportunity that is afforded in this grandly free country, lie made the most of it. and was at all times assisted to the utmost by his wife, who has been a nobly true and faithful woman in every relation of life. Our subject and wife have but one daughter, Mary A., who is the wife of William Watson, one of the well-to-do and plrosl)erous farmer of Burr Oak Township. She was born in England, on the 5th of September, 1 855. Her parents and also herself and husband are accorded the esteem of the community. and are regarded as worthy and honorable members of the same. Mrs. Amess attends the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics Mr. A. is a Republican., ORYDON CROOKS is one of the most relia{( ( ble and thrifty citizens of Burr Oak Town-,t/ slhip. Ile is a native of Delaware County, Ohio, and was born at Oxford on the 6th of July, 1823. His father, George Crooks, was a native of Pennsvlvania and followed the trade of a blacksmith. The maiden name of his wife, the mother of our subject, was Susannah Cowles. They were tile parents of five children, two sons and three daulghters. After he left school our subject was apprenticed to learn the carpentry trade. and became quite an able mechanic. He continued to follow his trade for about forty years, during which time he lived in Indiana. In April of 1849 lie was married, in Steuben County, Ind., to Mrs. Deborah Beebe, the daughter of Amos and Martha (Ross) Beebe. The wife of our stubject was born on the 3d of January, 1829. in Knox County, Ohio. and until her marriage made her home with her parents. She became the mother of one son, whose name is Amos D., of Goshen, Ind. Mr. Crooks migrated to Michigan in 1881,and worked at his trade, but also took a tract of land, which he proceeded to improve. He now with his son owns 130 acres, all of which is well improved and highly cultivated; he carries on general farming. Mrs. Crooks is a stanch member of the Church of Holy Day Saints, and has been in that relation since 1888. The political sympathies of our subject are with tie Republican party, witl which he has always voted since having the riglit so to do. AMES E. SEAVER. The subject of this sketch arrived in this 3ounty from Lockport, Niagara Co., N. Y., in December, 1869, nearly twenty years ago, and lhas since resided within its limits. During this time he has been interested in local affairs, serving as a member of the Village Council, and is at present Jtustice of the Peace. He is a native of Orleans County, N. Y., anld is the son of B. E. and Evaline (Barlow) Seaver. who were also natives of tile Empire State. Ttle father was for some years a foundryman at Rochester, N.Y., but later turned his attention to farming, settling on a tract of land in Orleans County, N. Y., where lie spent his last days, and died in February, 1860. Thle paternal grandfather, William Seaver, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Seaver. after leaving the primary schools, attended Genesee College for a time and other schools at Buffalo. N...Three years afterward hle was engaged in teaching. Later, for another perio(l of three years, lie was employed as a bookkeeper for an importing house in New York City. When setting about the establishment of a home of his own, he was married to Miss Cornelia A. Hinman, of Lockport, N.. This lady is the daughter of Charles and Margaret G. (McKnighlt) linman, both natives of New York State, and the father of ti -I - m l - -- -- -- - - glib, I,- -qp- -, i " i L v I i I r ---- m — I% - 1, 111". 314 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 3 1 4 S T. JOSEPH COUNTY. English descent. The first representative of his family in this country crossed the ocean in the "Mayflower" in 1620. Cornelia A. completed her education in the city schools of Lockport, N. Y. She employed herself as a teacher before her marriage, which took place in her native county. After 1865 Mr. Seaver followed farming until he took up his residence in the western portion of the village of Burr Oak, where he now lives. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Seaver consists of five children, namely: Julia, Beverly E., Nelson H., Edgar and Herbert. Mr. Seaver, politically, affiliates with the Republican party. and is an active supporter of its principles. He identified himself with the Masonic fraternity, and is a member of Lodge No. 336, at Medina. I-e has always been interested in the matters of importance to the community in general, an(d has been the inculmbent of offices of trust and responsibility. OSEIPH C. STOWELL. Among the pioneers of St. Joseph County none are held in higher regard than the subject of this biography. Thrifty, well-to.do, honorable and upright in his transactions, Mr. Stowell presents the picture of the typical pioneer and one of the most valued members of his community. He settled in Burr Oak Township in 1835, and has since been closely identified with the interests of its l)eople. The town of Winchester, Cheshire Co., N. H., cradled our subject seventy-eight years ago, he having been born Oct. 27, 1810. His parents, Elijahl and Deborah (Lincoln) Stowell, were natives of the same town as their son, the father born May 28, 1779, and the mother July 29, 1774. Their family included six sons and six daughters, who presented the remarkable circumstance of all living to mature years, marrying and being settled in comfortable homes of their own. The record of their births is as follows: Lovisa, March 29, 1804; Alvah, Oct. 8, 1805; Paul, Feb. 23, 1807; Deborah, Nov. 18, 1808; Joseph C., Oct. 27, 1810; Israel, Sept. 10, 1812; Elijah, Nov. 27, 1814; Abigail, Oct. 9, 1816; Samuel L., Nov. 1, 1818; Rhoda, April 9, 1821; Hannah, Aug. 26, 1823, and Elijah C., March 16, 1827. The family left the Old Granite State in 1819, locating in Madison County, N. Y. Our subject continued a resident of New York State with his parents until March, 1835, when lhe started out on a prospecting tour, visiting this county. The following spring he repeated his journey, and selected eighty acres of land on section 14, in Burr Oak Township, and which is now included in his present homestead. He was prospered in his labors as a tiller of the soil, and in due time added eighty acres. Hie has 100 of this under a high state of cultivation, and has erected the buildings necessary for his convenience and comfort. Our subject was first married, in 1837, to Miss Alvira M. Niles, who lived only one year after her wedding. In March, 1840, he was married to his present wife, then Miss Claravina, daughter of Misllael and Ruth (Bidwell) Beadle, who were originally from the town of Marengo, Wayne Co., N. Y. In 1818 they left the Empire State, and settled near the town of Bucyrus, Crawford Co., Ohio. Thence they came to Mlichigan, lived for a time in the vicinity of Mlottville, and later removed to Young's Prairie. In June, 1828, they clanged their residence to Flowerfield, and in the summerof 1829 Mr. Beadle erected a small gristmill, which was known as the "corn-cracker." It was of the primitive style of architecture, and the flour was bolted through book muslin. Mrs. Stowell when a girl spent many an hour shaking this bolt by hand during her father's absence from tle mill. The machinery of this mill was finally modernized by putting in bullr grinding stones. The Black Hawk War breaking out in the spring of 1832, MAishael Beadle joined the army, but was not permitted to engage in any active fighting, as the famous chief was soon afterward captured and the conflict closed. Mr. Beadle then returned home and continued his milling until 1832. He then purchased a farm in Fabius Township, but lived only a short time afterward, passing away in April, 1839. The widowed mother survived a period of eleven years, lived to see her children grown, and then departed hence, with the consciousness of having done well tier part in life. Of the marriage of our subject there have been 0i t I C~ —~, m ~-1Lg1l1e — I 6010 --- — --- -- -. 441 I!; -.Ai Vl I 4 6 - I I.. -, I -t 2~ *i m - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 317 ' - -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ born four children: Melissa D., April 12, 1841; Ruth A., Jan 8 1843:. 28, 1843 Je y 1 1845, I and Benjamin E., March 6, 1847. Joseph, during the late Civil War, enlisted in February, 1864, in Company K, 7th Michigan Infantry, which was soon transferred to Company I. He participated in the l battle of the Wilderness, and marched to Petersburg, where he met a soldier's death June 22 of that same year. His remains were subsequently brought home and laid to rest in the cemetery near by. He was a fine specimen of manhood, a brave soldier, and was cut (down in the flower of his youth, being only nineteen years of age. Miss Melissa Stowell, the eldest daughter of our subject, and now the head of the household, is a lady of more than ordinary abilities, and the comfort and protection of her aged parents as they are passing down the sunset hill of life. Benjamin, the youngest of the family. resides with his family on a portion of the homestead, where he carries on agriculture. I I | UTHER GRAVES, a representative farmer of St. Joseph County, is the son of Joseph Graves, that well-known pioneer, who established himself in the embryo community of Burr Oak Township as early as February, 1833, while Michigan was still a Territory. The native State of the latter was Vermont, and he was born in the town of Barton, Orleans County, Aug. 30, 1791. The father of our subject left the Green Mountain State in 1826, and making his way to Genesee County, N. Y., sojourned there a period of six years, and carried on farming. He started for Michigan in the winter of 1832. At that time the Chicago Turnpike had been surveyed and partially constructed, although no bridges had been built.. The streams, however, were mostly fordable, and the swamps intervening were "corduroyed." Joseph Graves upon reaching Burr Oak Township located on section 11, purchasing 240 acres of land of a man by the name of Iatch, formerly of LeRoy, N.Y. I The parental family of our subject consisted at that time of seven children, two of whom are now living: Pascal is deceased; Lucinda became the wife of John Stillman, of Burr Oak, a mason by trade, but now retired; Luther; Daniel and Carlos, deceased; Julia, who married George Boyles, is also deceased, and an infant died unnamed. The mother, Mrs. Sarah (Sanborn) Graves, was born in June, 1797, in Barton, Orleans County, and was the daughter of Elijah Sanborn, a miller. She died July 6, 1836. She was a most estimable lady, faithful and kind, and was beloved by all who knew her. Joseph Graves survived his wife a period of thirteen years, his death taking place March 20, 1849. lie was a Whlig, politically, and in his native State had identified himself with the Methodist Episcopal Church. I-e passed away before the organization of a Methodist Society in this county, but still continued his adherence to its doctrines. The subject of this sketch, like his parents, was born in Barton, Orleans Co., N. Y. HIe made his home with his father up to the time of the latter's death, although working for himself after reaching his majority. HIe was married, on the 27th of March, 1845, to Miss Eliza, daughter of Col. John Start, of Onondaga, N. Y., who was at that time living near the city of Syracuse. He was a Colonel of Militia, and by occupation a farmer and blacksmith. Of this marriage of our subject, his son Linneous L., who was an engineer by profession, and a resident of Chicago, died Sept. 29, 1886. The circumstances surroundling his death are sad and somewhat mysterious, he having gone out duckhunting, and, it is supposed, was murdered. Ie had been married, and left a wife and five children, two sons and three daughters, who are still residents of Chicago, living at No. 440 Twenty-ninth street. The remains of this son were brought home and interred in the cemetery at Burr Oak. Mrs. Eliza Graves died Feb. 17, 1852. Mr. Graves was married the second time, April 27, 1853, to Miss Joanna, daughter of Benjamin Sellick, who is now deceased. Hle was a mason by trade, and the family were at that time residents of Coldwater. Of this union there have been born seven children: Frank, a farmer of Burr Oak Township; Emma, at home with her parents; Daniel, who is farming in Burr Oak Township; Minnie, who died at the age of two years and nine months;.< _ -Ir% —?~~~~~~~~nsrsla~~~~~~~~ilmaa~~~~~~ar~~~s~~~aaaas lr jI I 1 II ab 1 _ ~_ ___ — 111 ---1 —~111~~~~~(-8 obo- rn a so 4*0.-~ 318 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I -11 -h/ Mary, Maude and Mabel, the latter of whom was twelve years of age Oct. 14, 1888. The Graves property consists of 160 acres of land in a highly fertile condition, with good improvements. The proprietor is industrious, frugal, and in good circumstances. It is with pleasure that we present the portrait of this estimable gentleman in this volume. ~_______fiZ& j ^ -^. IHINEAS FARRANDI). This gentleman oc)cupies a prominent place among the citizens of his neighborhood, and is among the old residents of Colon Township, one who has played no mean part in the development and growth of the county, and who bore to the full the peculiar difficulties and trials connected with pioneer life. His father, Joseph Farrand, was born in Morris County N. NJ. His mother, before her marriage, bore the name of Jolia Compson, and was a native of the same State. They were married in Morris County, N. J., Dec. 1, 1799, and first settled in the town of Mentz, in Cayuga County. N. Y. There they made their home, and the husband engaged in farming until 1837, then came to this county and settled in Colon Township, which was their home as long as they needed one. They were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom came to mature years, viz: Charles C., Ebenezer, James H., Electa M., Henry K., Catharine C., Abigail E. and Phineas. The subject of this sketch was the youngest of the family, and is now the only surviving member thereof. IIe was born in Mentz, Cayuga Co.,N. Y., on the 22d of December, 1820. There his early years were spent, and his school days were passed. These he filled as was usual with his companions, for the most part dividing his time between his lessons and "home chores," with some little time, perhaps, for the play that every schoolboy finds a vital necessity. When he was seventeen years of age Mr. Farrand came with his father to Michigan, and has been a resident of section 3, Colon Township, since 1837, or fifty-one years, and lias given his attention continuously to agriculture. He put up one of the finest residences in the county, that which he now occupies, which was erected in 1883, and is an elegant brick structure, arranged and subdivided with the view to comfort and convenience. All his farm buildings are well built, and designed especially to meet the various requirements and uses to which they may be put. His whole farm, which contains about 700 acres, is managed with the same thoroughness and practical utility. October 23, 1845, in Leonidas Township, St. Joseph County, Mr. Farrand and Miss Betsey M. Kinne were united in marriage. His wife was born at Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., on the 4th of December, 1826. and is the daughter of Maj. Elias B. and Martha (Clark) Kinne. Her parents were natives of Massachusetts and New York respectively. Their family circle included twelve children, and their daughter Betsey was the sixth child born. She is the mother of four children, viz: Joseph K., a farmer in Colon Township; Theron G., who died March 8, 1875; Ella M. and Grant E., both of whom are at home, Mr. Farrand has been for several years County Superilntendent of the Poor, and also H-ighway Commissioner. Ile is a firm friend of the Republican party, and always votes its ticket. He is everywhere held in high regard, as are also his wife and the members of his family. OIN E. ADAMS. There is probably not a pioneer of St. Joseph County who has seen more of life in a new country and endured more patiently its varied hardships tlan the venerable gentleman whose name heads this biography, and who is now, and has been for a period of twenty-one years, a resident of Burr Oak Township, and of the county fifty-three years. IHe was born in Cairo, Albany Co., N. Y., Sept. 20, 1817, his childhood home being situated about two and one-half miles east of the village. Ils father, Edward Adams, was a farmer by occupation, a conscientious Christian gentleman, and spent much of his spare time traveling over the Catskill Mountain regions, laboring as an exhorter or local preacher in the Master's vineyard. He was called from his i I __J__L~_____ _................ l~~~~~~ I ---Rqgw i - m gpaC 41FEabdRr~IBB Il~-R-~l ---~ —~lrlll-CII~llllll~ 1111~1111811111 IlbbC__~-add - - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 319, _ earthly labors in 1857, after having rounded up the sum of fifty-five years. Edward Adams in early manhood was married to Miss Mary Mosher, the daughter of Ephraim Mosher, who was one of the most devout Quakers of Dutchess County, N. Y. She was an eminently good woman, a faithful helpmate to her husband, and a kind and loving mother of two sons and six daughters. Of these, John E., our subject, was next to the youngest. Ephraim, a brother, and Mrs. Asenath Benjamin, a sister, still live in the town of Florence, this county, where the family located in the spring of 1835. The other children have long since passed away. John E. Adams, our subject, was born Sept. 20, 1817, and lived with his parents until twenty-two years of age. On the 31st of December, 1840, being ready to establish a home of his own, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary M., daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Rowser) 5Mettler. The latter were natives of New Jersey, and of I)utch ancestry, who probably crossed the Atlantic during the Colonial times. Benjamin Mettler emigrated to Michigan during its pioneer days, settling on a tract of land in Nottawa Township, this county. lie carried on farming successfully. To John E. and Mary M. Adams there were born six children: Levi E., Sept. 21, 1841, and now a farmer of Adams Township; Loren was born Aug. 11, 1843, and is carrying on farming successfully in the vicinity of Grand Rapids; Sarah J. was born Feb. 25, 1847, and is the wife of William Hollinger, of Elkhart, Ind.; Minerva was born April 23, 1856, and is the wife of I-. P'. Duncan; they live at the homestead. Two children, Christiana and Alice C., died in infancy. Mrs. Adams died in 1885. Mr. Adams during a long and useful life has acquitted himself as an honest man and a good citizen, and gathered around him hosts of friends. His homestead comprises a snug farm of thirty acres on section 7, where he has good buildings, and the land of which has been brought to a fine state of cultivation. Here he and his estimable partner lived for a period of twenty-two years, enjoying a goodly measure of life's comforts as the result of years of industry and economy. After marriage they settled in Florence Township. and labored with a mutual interest for the building up of a home and the proper training and education of their children. Their lives were quiet and unobtrusive, but those in which they had little to reproach themselves with, making it a point through a long and well-ordered career to do unto their neighbors as they would be done by. I Oak Acorn and the Burr Oak Bakery and Restaurant, came to this county in the fall of 1862, and located ol a tract of land in Sturgis Township. Here he operated two years, and then removed to Mason County, Mich., where he took up a homestead and carried on the improvement and cultivation of the land for a period of sixteen years. Then returning to Sturgis, he embarked in the bakery, grocery and restaurant business, and was thus occul)ie( until his removal to Burr Oak, in October, 1886. Our subject was born in Brantford, Canada West, Dec. 21, 1836. and is the son of Benjamin C. and Sarah (Chapin) Bates, who were natives respectively of Canada and New York State. They had a family of seven children, all of whom lived to mature years. About 1840 the family removed to Ohio, thence to Indiana, and from there to St. Joseph County, Mich., where the father of our subject spent the remainder of his days, his death occurring in the fall of 1875. The mother is still living, making her home in Sturgis, Mich. lThe early years of our subject were spent under the parental roof, where he became familiar with farming pursuits and also acequired a common-school education. In the winter of 1861 he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Thurston, at that time a resident of Sturgis. Mrs. Bates was born in 1842, and is the daughter of George and Sarah (Jones) Thurston, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and came West about 1832. Of this union there were born four children, namely: Lillian Huntley died when two years and eight months old in Sturgis; George B., engaged in a carriage factory in Kalamazoo; Edwin P., editor of the Burr Oak Acorn, and Gordon D. G., a compositor in the office of his fattier. Family difficulties resulted in the separa I a~~pra~~ b~pl~lr~sans~~~~s~-~ ~l~~l r~~ir~l ---- ~ll~lsaa~~wslr ~ — r~F-~~ lc. - I III,.. I -I Lihm dB _ -CT~~- p- mI! -.4 - ~ --- - b — OPINION, v, I-~lr~r-~- ~ Iglanal~-~ _-~~glll — lII 1 ~bll~b~rrll~lllllP1 * - - ir I! 3820 ST. JOSEPH COUNPUTY. 320 ST JOEP COUT tion of our subject from his wife in the winter of 1875, and in the winter of 1886 he was married to Mrs. RebeccaJ. (Morrs) Webster. The first husband of Mrs. Bates was a direct descendant of Daniel Webster. Our subject left home at the age of eighteen years, and going to Lena, ll., was there employed as a clerk in a dry-goods store seven months. Thence he migrated across the Mississippi to Osage, Iowa, and had charge of a store there for the same length of time. From the Hawkeye State he went into Kansas, and in the vicinity of Manhattan carried on farming a period of four years. We next find him at Pike's Peak. prospecting for gold, but an experience of six weeks satisfied him as to this errand, and hle returned to Kansas in the company of another young man, crossing the plains on horsel;tck. The journey consumed eighteen days, one of which was the 4th of July, and which the two travelers celebrated in a higlly independent manner. They fired thirteen salutes with their revolvers, and otherwise ma(ie the day one of enjoyment, as far as possible, on the desert plains. Mr. Bates was in the vicinity of the scene of John BIrown's operations, and sheltered the old hero after lie had driven the soldiers into Ft. Scott, Mr. Brown sleeping in thle bunk occupied by our subject. From Kansas Mr. Bates returned to the home of his parents in Indiana. whence he repaired later to' Canada, and resumed merchandising, having charge of a store in the I)ominion a period of six months. Upon the outbreak of the late war he returned to the farm of his father, while his two younger brothers went into the army. The younger, Gordon, lost both eyes in the service, but turned his musical talents to good account, and became celebrated as a singer and performer on musical instruments. le diedl at Pentwater in 1873. The other brother. Charles, was injured by being thrown from a load of wood at MAurfreesboro, and is now living in Iowa, independent of the Government. Mr. Bates on account of failing health proceeded to New Mexico, where he staid nine months at Socorro, but returned no better in health. In 1885 he took a trip through Kentucky and Tennessee. Mr. Bates in his younger years identified himself with the Republican party, with which he affiliated until about four years ago, when his warm interest in the temperance cause led him to rally to the support of the Prohibitionists. He was at one period of his life an active politician, but has deemed it the wisest course of late years to remain neutral, and in this spirit conducts the Acorn. He also has considerable music talent, and taught singing when a youth of sixteen years. Since that time he has been a member of the Baptist Church, and has served, more or less, as Sunday-school Superintendent, teacher and chorister. gI ILAS W. BENNETT. The subject of this sketch is a man prominent and popular in his community, and for tle last fifty years has been farming in an intelligent manner on section 33, Nottawa Township. A native of Brunswick, N. J., le was born Feb. 15, 1822, the eldest son in a family of nine children, the offspring of Rev. Asa and Sallie (Goram) Bennett, who were born in Connecticut. The father was of French descent, while the mother traces her ancestry to England. After their marriage they settled in Brunswick, where the father prepared himself for the ministry, but later they removed to the Empire State, locating about twelve miles north of the city of Albany. From Albany the parents of our subject changed their residence, first to Lodi, and thence, in the spring of 1838, to tlis county, settling on a farm in Nottawa Township. The father here founded the l)utch Reformed Church of Centreville, being its first pastor, and remained in charge of it for several years. IIe spent most of his life thereafter in Nottawa Township, although he resided in the village one or two years. The parents both died on a farm in the township. Our subject, when a lad of fourteen years, preceded his parents to Michigan, coming to 3Monroe in the fall of 1836. Upon his parents joining him some time later, le made his home with them, and occupied himself as a clerk in a dry-goods store. His education was acquired mostly in the common schools, and his occupation, with the exception of his two-years clerkship, has been farming continuously. Iis homestead embraces 150 acres of ', '. I I -1111, I '.,, - a I I'l:, I I II -,., ON-111 1~ I L c 9 -sl l a, - A p illn "I 11,II I...- j; I i' ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 321t good land, with fair improvements, a comfortable house, a good barn and orchard, together with other fruit and shade trees, a fair assortment of live stock, and machinery necessary for the successful prosecution of his calling. For the last thirty-six years our subject has been accompanied in the journey of life by a most estimable lady, who in her girlhood was Miss Laura M. Tyler, and to whom he was married, in Colon Township, this county, Oct. 12, 1852. Mrs. Bennett was born Feb. 23, 1833, in Onondaga County, N. Y., and is the daughter of Rev. Job and Sallie (Davis) Tyler, who left the Empire State and came to the Territory of Michigan in 1836, settling in Colon Township when their daughter Laura was a little child of three years. The father had, prior to this, occupied the pulpit of the First Baptist Church in Onondaga County, N. Y., but after coming to Michigan gave his attention mostly to farming. In the fall of 1852 he went to California, and died on the Island of San Diego, in July, 1853, where his remains were laid. to rest. The mother | remained a resident of Colon Township a number of years, and died in the village in April, 1876. They had a family of eleven children, of whom Mrs. Bennett was the youngest. Eight of these are living. They have grown up worthy and useful citizens, an honor to their parental training, and form valued factors of their community. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett commenced the journey of life together in Nottawa Township, this county, and have labored with one mutual purpose in the building up of their homestead and the education of their children. Of these there are eight in number, six sons and two daughters, namely: )emnont T., DeWitt C., James C., Asa G., Sherman, Dora, Carrie and one infant. The eldest son is farming in Mecosta County, this State; DeWitt is prosecuting agriculture successfully in Colon Township, this county; James, Asa, Sherman and the two daughters are at home with their parents. Mr. Bennett cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. Harrison, in 1840, and since the organization of the Republican party has given to it his unqualified support. In the building up of one of the best homesteads of St. Joseph County, he has thus V contributed his quota to its growth and develop ment, and may properly be numbered among its representative men. As an agriculturist he has exercised both industry and good judgment, and as a business man is prompt and reliable, one whose word is considered as good as his bond. lie has served as Road Commissioner in his township, and with his estimable wife, is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which they have ever given a liberal support, and are numbered among its chief pillars. G HARLES AHLGRIM is one of the prominent representative Germ ain-American citi~. zens and farmers of Burr Oak Township. He was born in the North of Germany on the 3d of May, 1838, and became prosperous as a farmer in his native country, as prosperity goes there. He was not rich, but on the other hand, was not suffering. He determined to try the New World, and accordingly emigrated to these shores in 1863. He made his home first in Colon. In beginning life here he was face to face with the dlifficulties incidental to a change of country and language, and what was equally, if not even more embarrassing, the difficulty of being minus funds. He began by working out by the day, and as soon as lie had saved a little he rented a farm, and so gradually climbed the ladder round by roun d. In 1866 our subject was united in marriage with Miss Mary Frost, of Colon. There have come to our subject and wife nine children, whom we mention as follows: Fred, Charles, Henry, Will, Lena, John, Minnie, Frank and Martha. Mrs. Christina Frost, the mother of Mrs. Ahlgrim, who has reached the advanced age of seventy-seven years, makes her home with our subject. Besides Mr. Ahlgrim there are two other members of his family in America: His sister Raehael, the widow of Joseph Nenodolf, of Burr Oak, and Minnie, the wife of Christ Broker, of Leonidas Township. Our subject has taken deep interest in the institutions and government of his adopted country, and is a member of the Democratic party. ' He has represented his party in the county conventions, and j, iI l~~li~~BI*L-"~~~j~.., ~"*l iabll~~ I. __1 IM, I I -M 26 —~- 18 -— ~~ ~dL -. U - WVITPIrlR e -- -1 e ~-M -qq- ~I —,- -L C -, I *, - — ~-I - L-MaeILlrP _ - I L m 322 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I,| ---! is recognized as an able citizen for such work. iHe is highly esteemed as a friend and neighbor, and is now happily comparatively well off and thoroughly successful il his business affairs, owning 120 acres of splendid farming land on section 2 of Burr Oak 'I ownship. B]JNER DAVIS, deceased. No man stood 4 higher in the estinmation of the people of i Burr Oak Township than he of whom we submit the following comparatively brief record. A native of Onondaga County, N. Y., born in the town of that name, he began life on the 26th of June, 1815, and was the son of David S. and Charlotte (Abbey) Davis, the father a native of Washington County', N. Y. The maternal grandfather, William Abbey, was a farmer by occupation, and a soldier in the Revolutionary War. On the other side of the house Grandfather Dr. John Davis was also a native of Washington County. N. Y., and married a lady of Greenwich, Conn. The father of our subject was a farmer by occupation, and the eldest of a family of four sons and two daughters. He migrated with his parents to Onondaga County, N. Y., when a lad of fourteen years. He and his estimable wife became the palrents of eight sons and two daughters, and spent their last years in Onondaga County. Their children were named respectively: Abner (our subject), Susan, William T., George W., Ordelia, Jonathan, John, Edson and Edwin (twins), and Frank M. Of these five are living. The subject of this sketch at an early age was taught those habits of industry and principles of honor which have been the secret of his success in life. He became familiar with agricultural pursuits at an early age, and received a common-school education. He made his first trip to Michigan in 1839~ at that time purchasing eighty acres of land in Ingham County, then returned to Milford. He settled in Burr Oak Township in October, 1868. He was married over fifty years ago, on the 2d of January, 1838, to Miss Esther Ann Ray, the wedding taking place at the home of the bride, in Amber, Onondaga Co., N. Y., and they became the parents of three children. The eldest, David S., lives upon and manages the homestead; J. M. is a salesman in the feed store at Grand Rapids; Alice is the wife of Fred Worden, a resident of Burr Oak. The D)avis homestead includes eighty acres of good land with comfortable buildings, where the proprietor passed his declining years in peace and quiet, surrounded by the comforts of life, and his days made pleasant by the solicitous attention of his children and hosts of friends. Ile was a man observant of what was going on around him in the world. and one who was fearless in fighting for the right. Politically, he was a Republican. Mr. Davis' death took place on the 15th of November, 1888. AMES ENG(ILE. One of the best conducted farms in Burr Oak Township belongs to the subject of this sketch. It comprises 169 acres of land lying on section 4, and is provided with good buildings and fences, live stock and machinery. Mr. Engle came to Michigan in the spring of 1830, during its Territorial days, making the entire journey overland on the back of a three-year-old colt, and consuming one month's time. Genesee County, N. Y., was his starting place, and he was a lad of fifteen years at the time. lie was accompanied by Benjamin Sherman, an old settler of Nottawa Prairie, who is now deceased. He has thus mainly grown up with the country, watching its progress and development with that interest which is felt by every intelligent citizen concerning the section of country where lie his closest relations in life. Our subject was born in Genesee County, N. Y., May 15, 1815, and is the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Brunge) Engle, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The father was a farmer by occupation, and the parental family consisted of nine children, namely: Rachel, William, Joseph, Margaret, Jonathan, George, Thomas, James and Betsey A. Our subject, next to the youngest one of the family, is the only one living. The parents spent their last years in this county, and passed away, the father in 1840, and the mother in 1842. Young Engle after setting foot upon the soil of Michigan employed himself at work by the month 1 a k. ALbk — -:Iz 1b —D 4v -T — r -LfP. t ------ --------- — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- o7 — -:q 32 3 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I - until 1835, then secured eighty acres of land in Burr Oak Township, where he has since lived. He has all his life been familiar with agricultural pursuits. Hle was married, July 4, 1838, in Nottawa Township, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Philip and Phebe Vincent, who were formerly of Pamelia T ownship, Jefferson Co., N. Y., and who emigrated to tohe Territory of Michigan in 1836, locating at North Centreville, where he engaged in farming. The parents spent their last years in this county, and in Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo County. Of this marriage there were born seven children, namely: John A. and Rachel, deceased; Amanda, Ursula and George, residents of this county: Addie, of Illinois; and an infant who died unnamed. The wife and mother died Dec. 6. 1881. Mr. Engle on the 16th of April, 1882, contracted a second matrimonial alliance, with Mrs. Truey I (McNaughton) Rutherford, the widow of William Rutherford, of New York, and daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Jemison) McNaughton, the latter natives of Scotland and New York, now deceased. This lady was born in 1818 in Caledonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., where she spent the first years of her life. She acquired an excellent education, completing her studies at Caledonia, and is a very amiable and excellent lady, who enjoys the warm friendship of a large circle of acquaintances. The Engle homestead in all its appointments indicates X the industry and intelligence of its proprietor, and is one of the most desirable in this region. The family are surrounded by life's comforts, and are regarded as valued members of the community. i I j ^1'BNER J. VAN VORST, proprietor of a i X M good farm of 120 acres on section 7, in Burr Oak Township, is a native of Glenville, Schenectady Co., N. Y., where his birth took place July 14, 1833. His parents were Giles and Sarah (Bice) Van Vorst, natives of New York, and the father a wagon-maker by trade, which he followed the greater part of his life very successfully, accumulating a fine property. From Glenville the parents of our subject re moved first to Jefferson County, N. Y., and thence to Oswego County, locating near the town of Mexico. In 1843 they left the Empire State, bring. ing with them their nine children, and located in Colon Township, this county, where they both died. To Giles and Sarah Van Vorst there were born eleven children. Those accompanying their parents to Michigan were William II., Mary A., Abraham B., Abner J., Charles C., Augustine D., John J., Sarah, Minerva and George. Those since deceased are Mary A. and Augustine. Sumner died in New York State. Our subject left the parental roof at the age of seventeen years, and entered the employ of the Michigan Southern Railroad during its construction from Elkhart to Janesville. lie was finally promoted to foreman. and later )became baggagemaster, operating at Coldwater and Burr Oak until August, 1865. He then engaged with the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway. In 1857 Mr. Van Vorst engaged in farming on rented land in Mendon Township, where he lived five years, and thence removed to Nottawa Township, engaging there also in agriculture until 1862. The late Civil War being then in progress, he enlisted in the 6th Michigan Light Artillery, and was in the service about one and one-half years, doing duty mostly in Kentucky, and, although not regularly engaged in any battle, frequently met the enemy in skirmishes. lIe escaped wounds and capture, but his health was greatly affected by hardship and privation, and he was obliged to accept his honorable discharge for disability in 1863. He now receives a pension from the Government. The marriage of Abner J. Van Vorst and Miss Elizabeth White was celebrated at the home of the bride in Burr Oak Township in 1855. Mrs. Van V. was born in Light Street, Columbia Co., Pa., Jan. 19, 1834, and is the daughter of Zebba and Susannah White, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and spent their last years in this county. Our subject and his wife commenced their wedded life in Burr Oak. Their union has been blessed by the birth of six children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, Lucy, is now the wife of Charles Ward, of Sturgis; Albert, also a resident of that city, is t-qplsl!!1 I Who-.. _ - -pp- II I eggs%*JI~s~l I ads! -.~~w 1 UM=- F — a I O- - - (; k 324 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. engaged in farming; Zeaboth, William, George and Susanna are at home with their parents. Mr. Van Vorst operates his land on the line of general farming, and is doing well. =7 ON. NELSON FERRIS. one of the most I public-spirited men of this county. has built up one of its finest homesteads, which is located on section 15, Mendon Township, and invariably attracts the attention of the traveler through this portion of St. Joseph County. Mr. Ferris came to this county in April, 1878, and has since been closely identified with its growth and progress. His property embraces 360 acres of valualle land, which, with its buildings, live stock and farm machinery, forms one of the most attractive spots in the landscape of this region. He is widely andl favorably known, and enjoys the confidence of hosts of friends. Thle subject of this sketch is the offspring of an excellent family, being the son of Leonard and Elizabeth (Ryan) Ferris, the former a native of Dutchess County, N. Y., and the latter of Ireland. The mother crossed the Atlantic in her youth, and after marriage the parents settled in Wayne County, N. Y., where there were born to them nine children, and where they spent the remainder of their lives. the father dying about 1877, and the mother about,1872. Five of their children are living, and located mostly in Michigan. Mr. Ferris was born in the town of Mentz, Cayuga Co., N. Y., Nov. 8, 1817, at the modest homestead of his parents, removing with them to Wayne County when about two years old. When sixteen years of age he repaired to Seneca Falls, and served an aplprenticeship at the miller's trade, which he followed thereafter a period of twenty-five years. Upon leaving Seneca Falls about 1842, he made his way to Mishawaka, Ind., where he sojourned until April, 1878. The most of the time at this place he was engaged in milling, but also had other business interests. In the meantime he became quite prominent in politics, and was elected Sheriff of St. Joseph County, Ind., holding the office four years, during which time he acquitted him self in a manner highly satisfactory to the people. In the fall of 1866 he was elected on the Republican ticket to represent St. Joseph County in the Indiana Legislature, and during his term of two years had the honor of voting for the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. During his term of office he was a member of the Committee on Claims, also tie Committee on Prisons and on Appropriations. In 1850 lie was appointed one of the Deputy Marshals to take the United States Census of St..Joseph County, Ind. Mr. Ferris was married in Seneca Falls, N. Y., Jan. 22, 1841, to Miss Sallie Wicks, who was born in Pamelia, Jefferson County, that State, in 1814. Mr. and Mrs. Ferris commenced their weddled life in Allowny. Wayne Co., N. Y., and of their union there were born four children, the eldest of whom, a son, Morton E., died in Mishawaka when a promising lad of thirteen years; Elizabeth J. is the wife of James K. Gore. a resident of Elkhart, Ind.; William W. is at Mendon, Mich.; Rowena A. is the wife of A. L. Osborne, Jr., and lives in the city of LaPorte, Ind. These children have been carefully educated, and occupy a position in society in keeping with their station and acquirements. Our subject voted for iold Tippecanoe" in 1840, and for his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, at the late election (1888). In view of these circumstances, it is hardly necessary to state that he is a Republican "dyed in the wool." lie has always signalized himself as a man warmly interested in the building up of his community, and gives both his moral and substantial support to those enterprises best calculated to tis end. 7 OSEPH A. BROOKS. This gentleman is one of the leading farmers of this county, and is generally known by the name of Allen Brooks. He was born in the town of Van Buren, in Onondaga County, N. Y., on the 25th of December, 1839. He came to Michigan with his parents when they migrated hither in 1844, he being but a small lad at the time. His parents, Joseph and Sarah E. (Allen) Brooks, were of English birth, and came to this country in the year 1829. They i II I I I II I I I -.AN Sr l ~L~ I I II 3~l - I r 11~1 1111 I — — bl. I L. -A - h -- ---- - --- --- — b IIIIIL11~ —~ C -~-cC~~ = IICI-~ -~I~, _,, ----~ L-C -pr — "R w 19 ST. JOSEPH~ COUNLTY. 325 A S. 3 1 -- - - -- - _ _ ~ _ _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ lived in the Stal e of New York for about seventeen years, where the father followed farming, locating first in Onondaga County, where they reared nine children, six of whom were born in the old country; they then came to Michigan in 1844. 'The mother of our subject died after having been in this country but a year. About two years later the father was wedded to Maria Putnam, who died in 1864, but left no children. The father of our subject died on the 7th of April, 1877, after a very brief illness. Upon the death of his father our subject succeeded to the ownership of the homestead of 276 acres and the improvements thereon, and continued to work the farm. On/the 20th of January, 1865, he was married to Phlebe C. Houston, the daughter of Richard and Elisabeth Houston, of Burr Oak. She was born upon the farm of her father in Burr Oak. There have been born of this union three children, two of whom areliving, viz: Walton A. was born on the 4th of June, 1866, and Nora A., born on the 18th of December, 1871. Besides these one little daughter, Hattie Bell, was born on the 17th of January, 1873, but died when but eight months old. The condition of Mlr.Brooks' farm bears testimony to his enterprise and business ability, as well as his prosperity. lie has just completed, at an expense of upward of $8,000, one of the finest farm dwellings in the county. It is built after the most approved designs, is spacious, conveniently arranged, and supplied with the countless conveniences that modern homes demand. It contains twenty-one rooms, including three reception rooms and a large dining-room. The apartments are finished in natural woods, oak, cherry and white wood, and are quite pleasing and effective. The staircase is quite lavish in carvings, well executed, and in excellent taste. The carving is from the design of his daughter Nora. Opposite this beautiful modern residence stands the old home which was erected by the father in 1848. While building this house, which was at that time one of the finest in the county, the family lived pioneer fashion in a little log house that was standing there when he came; he next built the old barn that stands in the rear of the old home, for our subject has erected a new, more modern and spacious barn, in keeping with the new house. This was completed in the year 1882. Probably no citizen of this county has applied himself to his duties more than has done our subject. It has been a story of hard work and plenty of it. Acre by acre he has purchased his property, which comprises now 265 acres. IHe is a man popular and much respected. lie is well informed, and takes no little interest in questions concerning matters of political importance, and usually votes with the l)emocratic party. OHN BOTZNER is a worthy representative of the German-American citizens of this county, and the owner of eighty acres of arable, fertile land upon section 27, Burr Oak Township. He was born irn Bavaria, Germany, on the 22d of August. 1827. He didl not leave his native country until he was twenty-five years of age. His education was received in the common schools of his native county, after which he went into the shop of his father and learned the butcher business. His father had quite an extensive establishment, and our subject continued with him for twenty years. For reasons satisfactory to himself, doubtless, he would not issue to his son the customary certificate of efficiency, and as a consequence our subject left his home when twenty years of age. He then served three years more at butchering, and from the firm received the well-earned paper. In 1852, believing that the New World would afford him better opportunities for making his way in the world, Mr. Botzner emigrated to this country, landing at tle port of New York. Thence he went directly to Buffalo, where he arrived with but $2.50 in his pocket, which was required for his hotel bill. He was very successful in obtaining employment, and for two years continued to work for the sum of $800 per annum. After two years in Buffalo our subject came to Marshall, this State, where he worked at the well-known Michigan Central Eating House for three years. The subsequent three years he worked at his trade. When the war broke out our subject was among 'i j --— LC ----_ — _, ~ L_, Ir — ~I~ I_ e l~ — m --- t_ 060. dIl- I I I - - C II1-~IIII~ INIC I1 1-~ -MI — Ic-~ III 1llIl -~ IIII. —I —1 ~ 326 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I the first to volunteer, and entered the 1st Michigan, Battery A, which was under the command of Col. Loomis. He fought under the old flag for three years in the Army of the Cumberland, and saw much service. Among the engagements in which he was an active participant might be mentioned those of Chickamauga, Stone River and Perryville. He went through the entire Cumberland campaign. At the battle of Chickamauga he received a sabre wound upon the right thumb, that for the time gave him considerable trouble. Hereceived an honorable discharge in June, 1864. Leaving the military service, Mr. Botzner returned to his adopted State, and at Sturgis during the next five years built up an extensive butcher business, from which he removed to his present farm in the year 1872, and has here resided about fifteen years. In 1866 Mr. Botzner was united in marriage with Elizabeth Schmidt, a native of Sturgis, and a daughter of Conrad and Christend Schmidt. She has presented her husband with six children, all of whom are living, and who bear the following names: Edward, Phillipp, Conrad, Addie, John and Frank. genial gentleman and his estimable wife are living comfortably together on a well-regulated homestead on section 6 in Mendon Township, where, during the years of an extended residence. they have gathered around them hosts of friends. They have been among the people of a community who were liberal and progressive in their ideas, and, as they have passed along the wayside of life, have done good as they have found opportunity. In noting the changes occurring during their long residence in Southern Michigan, they have been vitally interested in its growth and development. As peaceful and law-abiding citizens, laboring to build up one of the most desirable homesteads, they have thus contributed to the prosperity of their township, and are numbered among those to whom it is indebted for its importance among the intelligent communities of this region. The father of our subject, Joseph H. Clowes, was born in Loudoun County, Va., and married Miss Ann E. Dunkin, a native of the same place. In 1832, leaving the Old Dominion, they made their way to Southern MIichigan, during the Territorial days, and for a short time sojourned in Nottawa Township. Later they moved to what is now Colon Township, where the father operated as a tiller of the soil, and where his death took place Sept. 17, 1850. The mother is still living, having survived her husband a period of thirty-eight years, and remaining a widow. She is now quite aged, and makes her home with her son Charles J. The parental family included two children only,our subject and his sister Ruth. The latter, the elder of the two, married Samuel Fisk, and died at her home in Vicksburg, in January, 1882, aged about fiftythree years; she was born in Virginia. The native place of Charles J. was in the then unimportant town of Schoolcraft, Kalamazoo County, where he first opened his eyes to the light Oct. 28, 1834. His father was for many years engaged in the drygoods trade, and Charles J. assisted him in the store until his death. After that he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. After the removal of the family to this county he lived in Colon Township until purchasing the farm which he now owns and which he has since occupied. The Clowes homestead embraces eighty acres of good land, with an excellent set of farm buildings, a fair assortment of live stock, the improved machinery necessary for carrying on agriculture successfully, and all the other appliances of the progressive farmer. One of the most important events in the life of our subject was his marriage with Miss Demetra Potter, which took place at the home of the bride in Brady Township, Kalamazoo County, March 9, 1862. This lady is the daughter of Jeremiah and Nancy (Johnson) Potter, who were both natives of New York State. They came to Michigan in 1844, settling in Brady Township, Kalamazoo County, where the father followed farming, and where his death took place July 7, 1870. The mother is still living, having arrived at an advanced age, and makes her home with her daughter. To the parents of Mrs. Clowes there were born eleven children, six sons and five daughters, and she was the third child. Her native place was in Herkimer I n a1 - I.-~I I- 111~ -Cl1II IL~~L_ -~ —_ C III~ A b I-* ..Mb — t I, ---- - -lt - - -1 III mm Am ST. JOSEI County, N. Y., where her birth took place Jan. 24, 1834. She was a little girl ten years of age when her parents came to Michigan. At school she was studious and attentive, and (eveloped into a teacher, which calling she followed in Kalamazoo County some time before her marriage. Of this union there has been born one child only, a daughter, Carrie, in 1875; she is now thirteen years of age. Before the completion of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad Mr. Clowes was for several years Postmaster at Park. In 1859 lie made quite an extended trip to the Far West, and spent about one year looking over the country beyond the Mississippi. There has been a vast change during the period of thirty years which has elapsed, and in which the Indlians have been compelled to "move on" before the advancing feet of civilization. Mr. Clowes witnessed many strange scenes during that sojourn on the other side of the Father of Waters, which hle has always felt was time well spent as a means of gaining useful information. He has always kept himself well posted upon current events, and since becoming a voter has supported the )rinciples of the Democratic party. PH COUNTY. 327 iA IH COUNTY. 327 ents of eight children: George, our subject; Lucy, who died in childhood; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Fitzgerald Jennings, of Sandusky, Ohio, and is now deceased; Sarah, who is the widow of Dr. Terrill. of Breedsville, Mich.; Annie, who married John A. J. Metzger, of Burr 6ak, and is now deceased; Henry, now a resident of California, in the town of Diamond Springs; ILydia, who was Mrs. Daniel Faust, of Branch County, now deceased; and Marietta, wife of S.S. Start, of Oak Park, Cook Co., 1,11. The parents of our subject, after residing fourteen years in Sandusky County, and eleven years in Wayne County, Ohio, came to Burr Oak, where they died, the father in September, 1860, and his wife in June, 1881. Their remains were interred in the Burr Oak Cemetery. The father was a scientific farmer, shrewd, careful, frugal and an excellent manager. He won and retained the respect of all his neighbors. George Boyles, our subject, in the year 1847 purchased 120 acres of land on section 35 of Burr Oak Township, and the energy and other excellent qualities inhllerited by him enabled him to add at various times until his real estate was not less than 1,000 acres, of which at least one-half was thoroughly improved and cultivated. In addition to this he owned valuable property in the village of Burr Oak. The subject of our sketch has been twice married. On the 24th of December, 1835, he was united in wedlock with Miss Lucinda Jennings, daughter of Gen. Lewis Jennings, who was conspicuous in the early history of Ohio, and commanded a brigade of State Militia, with which he was enabled to do good work, especially in the Toledo War. His daughter was a lady of education, accomplished, with a bright, sunny disposition. She died on the 1st of August, 1857, deeply and truly mourned for by all her relatives. She left ten children to the care of her husband, viz: William L., born Sept. 4, 1836; Martha, Dec. 17, 1838; Helen L., April 14, 1841; Elizabeth, Jan. 7, 1843; Annetta, Nov. 7, 1844; George E., Jan. 20, 1847; Adeline L., Jan. 23, 1849; Franklin H., June 11, 1851; Amelia E., April 4, 1853; Anna, July 19, 1856. The second wife of our subject was Julia A. Graves, of Genesee County, EORGE BOYLES. In St. Joseph County there is probably no citizen who has been more active and persevering in the development of the district in which he resided, more practical or prosperous as an agriculturist, than he whose life story is here briefly presented in this sketch. He is one of its oldest settlers, is a gentleman of wide experience, large intelligence and unfailing affability. The native place of our subject is Berkeley Springs, W. Va., where he was born on the 29th of August, 1815. Many of the noble points in his character, and the sterling qualities that have made him what he is as a pioneer, may be clearly traced as being hereditary to a certain extent. He is the son of William and Amelia (Eagle) Boyles, both of whom also were natives of Morgan County, W. Va. The former was born on the 2d of December, 1792, and the latter in the year 1796. Their union dates from the year 1814, and they were the par a"0D-g F *1 IIr I - I- I 11. I 111111.l I rrr 1 I _1 ~ —El-,d 1-.qww bw-a -l _de.,. -----------—.~ 328 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. --- N. Y.; she was born Dec. 15, 1832. She died on the 13th of March, 1878, leaving no children. The subject of our sketch retired from active business in 1876, and now lives at the Park Hotel, which he owns. Until the establishment of the Republican party he was a stanch friend of the Whig element in politics, but joined the former party, and has since continued to act with it, although never taking a leading part in political movements. lie is everywhere held in high regard, and has always been a true friend to the community, more especially in the days of its early history. j IDEON SANBORN, late a prominent and highly respected resident of Burr Oak Township, was born in Vermont in 1808, and departed this life on the 4th of April, 1871. He was recognized throughout this county as an honest man and a good citizen, and during the earlier (lays of its growth and development was prominently identified with its agricultural and business interests. Mlr. Sanborn came to this county in 1833, and took up 200 acres of land in Burr Oak Township, where he built up one of its finest homesteads, and became known as one of the most useful members of the community. Standing by his side for a period of nearly forty years was one of the most estimable of women, who in her girlhood was Mliss Jane Upham, to whom he was married in January, 1833. Mrs. Sanborn was born 3May 17, 1815, in this county, and is the (augllter of Chester Upham, WIho for some years lived on a farm in the vicinity of Tyringham, Berkshire Co., Mass. Thence the family, about 1830, removed to the vicinity of Elba, Genesee Co., N. Y., where the father died not long afterward. The mother was subsequently married to Ira Hlowe, of that locality, and they came to Michigan, where Mr. H. engaged in farming. She died in 1878, at Charlotte, and her remains were taken to Eaton Rapids for interment. Gideon Sanborn was one of the pioneer settlers of this county, and possessed all the elements of mind and character required by the men of those times in the development of the soil -and the building up of a homestead. He identified himself thor onghly with the business and agricultural interests of this section, and signalized himself as one of its most public-spirited men, making for himself a record which his posterity may look upon with pride. He was very successful as an agriculturist, and acquired a fine property, leaving to his widow a valuable estate, which she has managed with rare good judgment, and in a manner by which its value has been steadily augmented. To Mr. and Mrs. Sanl)orn there were born ten children, the record of whom is as follows: Their eldest daughter, Augusta, is the wife of A. M. Graham, and Adeline is the widow of Charles Newhall; both are residents of Burr Oak, and the latter engaged in the millinery business. Frank married Miss Abbie Leply, and manages the farm; Henry is engaged in farming, and lives in this county; Hattie is the wife of Edward Kibby, who is engaged in farming in Burr Oak. Mrs. Sanborn is a lady of much intelligemce and culture, and has watched the growth and development of Southern Michigan with that interest which is ever maintained by those who have been most instrumental in bringing this great commonwealth to its present condition. She, with her husband, rejoiced at every evidence of prosperity, and in the building up of one of its most desirable estates thus contributed their quota to the grand result. - ~'""..0+..., --- — wEONARD BUTZ. The fine estate of the subject of this biography comprises 300 ___ a acres of highly cultivated land on section 15, in Fawn River Township, with first-class modern buildings and all appurtenances of the wellregulated rural' homestead. It has been built up by the hand of industry, and its proprietor is well known throughout this section of country as a man of liberal education, public-spirited and enterprising, and one of the most useful members of his community. He came to this county in 1864, and while watching its growth and development has been no unimportant factor in bringing it to its present condition. Our subject was born and reared in Columbiana County, Ohio, and first opened his eyes to the light? a *ON5 A 'Wr l- ` --- - 1 I Ajb —j _ ---- ----— ---- ----- --- -- --------— I- — I dI - I I I 329 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -- -- ---------— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I Nov. 1, 1828. He was reared to farm pursuits, and coltinuedl there under the parental roof until a youth of nineteen years. Later he took up his residence in Seneca County, same State, where he was married, and where he lived, engaged in agricultural pursuits, until 1864. His next removal was to Southern Michigan, of which he has since been a residlent. The father of our subject, George Butz, was a mason by trade, which he followed during the latter years of his life in Columbliana County, Ohio, and until his deatll, which took place in 1845. The wife and mother survived her husband a period of forty-one years, remaining a widow, and spent ler last days at the home of ler daughter in Dallas County, Iowa, where her deatl occurred Oct. 3, 1886, after she lad reached tle adv-ance( age of ninety years. The household circle was completed by the birth of eleven children, of whom five are living, three sons and two daughters. Four sons served in the Union Army during the Rebellion, and three of these yielded up their lives in the service of their country while in the army; the fourth died afterward from disease contracted in the service. The survivors are residents mostly of this county. Mr. Butz, of tills sketch, while a resident of Ohio was unitedl in marriage with lMrs. Ruth A. Nash, Jan. 2, 1859. Mrs. Butz was born Dec. 3, 1828, in Pennsylvania, an(l is the daughter of Justiln J. Nash, a native of Pennsylvania, and who, with his wife, spent his last years in tliat State. Of this union there were born five child(ren. The eldest, George E., I)orn Feb. 25, 1861, is now occul)ield at farming in Fawn River; larry S.. born March 29, 1863, is occupied at farmingi in Dalla s, Polk Co., Ore.; Mary E., born Jan. 4, 1865, is tile wife of Charles E. Sinith, of Burr Oak; Frank J., born Sept. 28, 1865. learned the miller's trade, and is now occupied at this calling in Fawn River; William F., born Nov. 6, 1871, is at Ilome, and is engaged in farming. Mrs. Ruth A. Butz departed this life at the hlomestead in Fawn River Township, Feb. 19, 1880. On the 19th of November, 1882, our subject contractedl a second marriage, with Miss Martha J., daughter of John Mitchell, of l)allas, Iowa. This lady was born in Indiana in 1843, and possesses __ t.M, -.-.-...,,_ *fi _.. _ _.-,.. those sterling qualities which have constituted her a faithful and affectionate helpmate, a trusty friend and neighbor, well sl)oken of by all around her. Tlie Butz homestead is one of the most attractive in this part of the county, and the family is widely and favorably known as belonging to its best elements. \ OIIN DUNLAP. Fifty-two years ago, before |Michigan had been admitted into the Union as a State, the subject of this sketch made d his way to St. Josehll County, being then a young man twenty years of age, and since that time has remained closely identified with its agricultural and business interests. lIe is now in the enjoyment of a snug property located on section 11, in Fawn River Township, and in his declining years, having passed beyond threescore and ten, is surrounded by the ease and comfort which are justly his due. His life has been that of an honest, hard-working man, and while laboring as a tiller of the soil, and dealing socially and financially with the men around him, lie has fully established himself in their esteemfand confidence. Butler County, Pa., was the early tramping ground of our subject, where his birth took place April 20, 1816. His father, James )nunlap, was of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and emigrated from County Derry, Ireland, in early manhood, settling in the Keystone State, where lie carried on farming until his death. The mother, whose maiden name was l)orcas Kilbrith, was born in Pennsylvania, her parents being among the earliest settlers of that region. She was of Englisll descent. The parental family consisted of ten children: Sarah, tle first-born, died young, and the second, also named Sarah, died when about sixty years old; AWilliam and Dorcas died in Butler County, Pa.; Nancy, Mrs. John Supple, died in Trumbull County, Ohio; James carried on farming for a time in Rochester, Ind., but is now deceased; Rebecca was the wife of Nathan Offutt, and is deceased; Elizabeth married Samuel Davis, and they located in Missouri, but are both now deceased. John of our sketch was the youngest child. Our subject when a youth of sixteen years left the parental roof, and by the death of his father, LF k-o__ I 3) C1 ----- ~~~~~~llslrrr~~~4llr~~~ll~~ l~IIII~IPIIIIIP~LCI~~~ --- — P-114"l~ I r *0-. Age400 i - 330 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. which occurred the previous year, was thrown upon his own resources. Ile managed to attehd the district school for a time, and about 1832 emigrated to the then little town of Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, where he learned the trade of carpenter, which he followed thereafter at intervals for a period of thirty years. After coming to this State he located first in Bronson, Branch County, and subsequently erected what was known as Rose Tavern. That same season he put up a sawmill, which long ago gave place to the present old Greeley mill. Mr. Dunlap was uniformly successful in his labors, and in his vocation as carpenter handled large contracts. From 1844 to 1850 he was in the employ of the Michigan Southern Railroad Company, building and sub-contracting for the erection of station-houses all along the line. These contracts he executed with dispatch and profit. About 1838 he located on a piece of heavily timbered land in Bethel, now Branch County, securing 150 acres. By the exercise of untiring industry and the perseverance that would admit no such word as fail, he cleared ninety acres of this, felling the trees, removing every stump, and transforming the land into a fine prairie farm. In the spring of 1863 Mr. Dunlap changed his residence to Burr Oak Township, locating on the present Fogleman farm of 100 acres, to which he added the Lancaster place of forty acres. This lie also brought to a high state of cultivation, residing there until 1866. Then selling out once more, he purchased the old Arnold place in the village, and invested his surplus capital in a stock of groceries, becoming successful in trade. His early habits, however, would not allow him to be contented in town, so after two years he purchased 270 acres of choice land from Joseph Annis, of Fawn River Township, where he erected a fine brick residence, made other improvements, and developed one of the most valuable homesteads in St. Joseph County. Here we have the picture of the model country estate, supplied with everything suggested to the gentleman of taste and means, and one who endeavors to surround his family with. all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. Mr. Dunlap, in 1837, was married to Miss Mary Smith, of Bronson Township, the ceremony being performed by Esquire Tisdell. Mrs. Dunlap is the daughter of David and Elsie (Williams) Smith, who were natives of New York, the father a school teacher by profession, a thoroughly educated man and astronomical lecturer. He was of New England stock, and during his early life resided for a time in Syracuse, N. Y. Upon coming to Michigan the parents settled in Branch County. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Dunlap, Maj. Williams, was Captain of a company of troops during the Revolutionary War, a brave and efficient officer. To David Smith and his estimable wife there were born five children, two sons and three daughters, who were quite young when the parents came to Michigan, but are now all deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are both deceased. The record of the children born to our subject and his wife is as follows: John, the eldest, died when an interesting little lad six years of age; Elsie married Mr. Frank Abbott, a liveryman of Lagrange County, Ind.; Mary is the wife of B. F. Bordner, of Fawn River Township, this county; Delia died at the age of six years. The mother of these children passed away on the 24th of January, 1888. Mr. Dunlap votes the straight Republican ticket but has steadily declined becoming an office-holder, although often solicited to do so, with the exception of serving as Township Supervisor some years ago. John F. Abbott, the son of his daughter Elsie, and a very promising young man, has been educated by his grandfather, and now holds the post of Assistant Professor of Surgery for the Michigan Central Railroad. Iie was graduated from the medical department of the Michigan State University in the class of '87, and is now twenty-six years of age. J AY J. STANTON, a prominent attorney in the village of Burr Oak, established himself in business here in December, 1880. Ile was admitted to the bar a few months previous to this time, and two years later to practice in the Supreme Court of the State. In 1884 he was admitted to practice in the United States Court at Grand Rapids, Mich. ile was graduated from the Burr Oak High School in 1874, and from the Stur l f j - L — s00 m ----q- 4Z *pop... -1... ^ _1_ _ _,_11_-__-.111. ----------- I —. p --- -------- --- -I ~-L -- IL -b- I~-~lb~L L~I.I I - 11 ST.l` JOSEPH- COUN~TY. 331 i I ST. JOSEPH C O U N T Y.331 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ gis Hiigh School in 1878. lie entered the law department of the Michigan State University in 1879, but on account of ill-health was obliged to abandon' lis studies there, and spent the year following in the office of 1). E. Thomas, a leading lawyer of Sturgis. Thence lie came to Burr Oak, where he has by close attention to business secured a lucrative practice, and is in every respect a popular citizen. He is an extensive reader, and keeps himself well posted upon the matters relating to his profession, and all others of interest to the intelligent member of society. The subject of this sketch, a native of the town in which he still resides, was born Jan. 7, 1858. TIis parents, Le and Libby (Kezartee) Stanton, were natives of Ashtabula County, Ohio, and of English and Scotch origin. His grandparents on both sides of the house settled at an early day in Ashtabula County, Ohio, where they became owners of large tracts of land, which they improved into valuable estates. The parents of our subject emigrated to Michigan in 1857, settling in Burr Oak Township, where the father successfully engaged in farming until his death, in 1879. The only child of the family was our subject, Jay J. Le Stanton was a man of more than ordinary capabilities, a prominent Republican in the politics of his adopted township, and served as Justice of the Peace and School Inspector. The mother is still living. Our subject was married, at Sturgis, this State, to Miss Hattie D)., daughter of Isaac and Eliza (Dudley) Ayres. They were natives of New Jersey and New York respectively, and the father a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, belonging to the Northern Indiana Conference, until their removal to Sturgis, where he was engaged in mercantile business until his death, in 1874. IIe was also a prominent Mason. Their family consisted of two children only-Mrs. Stanton and Charles 1). Mrs. Hattie Stanton was born Sept. 20, 1859, in Angola, Ind. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church. lie was Township Clerk for a period of five years, declined serving the next two years, but was re-elected in 1888, and is the present incumbent of the office. Mr. Stanton for four years was a member and Treasurer of the Republican County Committee, id _ and has ever been a cheerful worker in behalf of the principles in which he has the most sincere faith. He owns a farm of eighty acres half a mile west from the corporate limits of Burr Oak, also a farm in Ashtabula County, Ohio. IHis neat and tasteful residence is located on Fifth street in Burr Oak, opposite the park, and he has other property interests. Mr. Stailton was in 1888 the nominee of the Republican party for Circuit Court Commissioner of this county, and was elected over Gershom P. Doan, of Mendon, the Democratic and Greenback nominee for that office. tie is actively engaged in the performance of the duties of that office. < R. lINCHER. The main points in the history of this solid citizen of Burr Oak Village are substantially as follows: -Ie was born in Greece Township, Monroe Co., N. Y., Nov. 2, 1825, and lived there until a man twenty-six years of age. Thence migrating to Ohio he sojourned in the Scioto Valley a period of five years, employing himself a greater part of the time in a sawmill. At the expiration of this time, desiring to see something of the farther West, he made his way to Southern Michigan, and coming into this county settled upon a tract of land in Burr Oak Township, of which lie has since been an honored and respected resident. Mr. IIincher, however, had visited the Wolverine State in the spring of 1848, prospecting, and spending a brief time with his brother John, who had preceded him to this region. le at that time made up his mind that here he could content himself to stay and build up a future home. While a resident of New York he was united in marriage with Miss Mary )ewey, tile wedding being celebrated at the home of the bride on the 24th of September, 1851. This lady was the daughter of Hon. Joseph and Mariah Dewey, the father an ex-member of the Legislature, and at one time an Associate Judge of the County Court. Prior to his election to office he had carried on farming successfully in New York. lie is now retired from active life, and i i i t r r f i r i sslte si~prrP~- /$~q~^l*Immi- -rr__ ll_~LB~~~ UP-311~-~-~-Y- H U `iM -p L 10 - r I r t *-s -.~ -. -.- 4 Im 'I w -b 332 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — lives in a pleasant home at Churchville, N. Y., surrounded by all the comforts of life. Our subject and his estimable wife began the journey of life together in 1851. They have six children living: The eldest daughter, Electa M., is the wife of Elmore Coles, who is engaged in farming in Burr Oak; Rosaline, Mrs. Thomas Bastian, is a resident of Duffield, Genesee County, this State; Frank died at the age of twenty-seven years, in June, 1888; llettie, Myrtle, Lee and Otis are at home with their parents, although Myrtle is usually engaged in teaching. Mr. Hincher, politically, is a sound Democrat, and has been the candidate of his party for various offices, but the Democracy being in the minority, he suffered the fate of the balance of his ticket. He is a man of ripe judgment, excellent principles, and more than ordinary capabilities, and a citizen in whom is placed the utmost confidence. ILLIAM II. WELLS owns and occupies a snug homestead on section 2 in Burr Oak Township, where to a great extent he has carried out the theory of Horace Greeley, "that a small acreage well tilled is more desirable than a large area of land partially neglected." His 13 -acre farm is consequently brought to a high state of cultivation and he has good improvements, including the necessary buildings and a cider mill, which he operates profitably both for himself and his neighbors. Our subject, essentially an Ohio man, was born in Seneca County, that State, Jan. 3, 1840, at the modest homestead of his parents in Thompson Township. His father, William Wells, was a farmer by occupation, and a native of Bellefontaine, Pa., and married in early manhood Miss Susan Barger. The parents settled among the pioneers of Seneca County, Ohio, where they lived until 1860, and then came to this county. The father died at the home of his son W. H., in Burr Oak, Sept. 24, 1888, when over seventy-seven years of age, having been born in May, 1811. The mother is still living. Four sons of the parental family served as solor diers in the late Civil War. The eldest, Benjamin F., is now a brick manufacturer of Scott City, Kan. One daughter died when twenty years of age. Benjamin F., in 1861, enlisted as a Union soldier at Three Rivers, in the 11th Michigan Infantry, which was under command of Col. Stoughton, but organized under Col. May, of White Pigeon. Their duties lay mostly with the Army of the Cumberland. Benjamin F. was in active service, escaped wounds and capture, and at the expiration of his term of enlistment received his honorable discharge. He was all through the Georgia campaign, his regiment being most of the time with the 23d Army Corps. Our subject, following the example of his brothers, also entered the ranks, becoming a member of Company F, 1st Michigan Light Artillery, in which he rendered a faithful service of three years. He also went with his regiment through the Georgia campaign, and participated in many of the important battles of the war, including the siege of Atlanta and the battle of Nashville. He also was fortunate, receiving only a wound by the accidental discharge of a pistol, on account of which he draws a pension. After a faithful service of three years he was given his honorable discharge near the close of the war, on the 14th of January, 1865, at Nashville, Tenn. Iis brother George belonged to the 103d Ohio Infantry, and, less fortunate than the others, fell a victim to the rebel atrocities of Libby Prison, being captured and confined in that terrible stockade, where he was deprived of his shoes, and where his feet were frozen, rendering him a cripple for life. He also is a pensioner. and is now living on his farm near Pulaski, Williams Co., Ohio. Jacob Wells, the other brother, also enlisted in the 103d Ohio Infantry, and, at the battle of Beverly, W. Va., was wounded in the small of the back, and received an honoorable discharge after a service of three years. He also draws a pension, and is a resident of Illinois. Our subject, after returning from the army, took up his residence in this county, and in the fall of 1867 was united in marriage with Miss Esther E. Ware, who was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born April 22, 1840. Mrs. Wells is the daughter of Phillip and Esther A. (Gracely) Ware, who were $P"! w_ I i qqww I pil I III I rmxr a Aamwm~w*O -7f m -..W I_~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ K971 - 4 fillllt ( f 111da~I)~lllr~~~lll llllllr - - — ~111)11 9~- — ~-1 ~~-~I~~IIIC-~~~~'ll I- -~-11I 11 001 I1 4 0 ~ M&N; A SI%` JOSEPH- COUN~TY. 335 ' ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 335~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ natives of Lehigh County, Pa., and emigrated to Michigan about 1860, the father taking up a tract of land in Colon Township, this county, where he labored until his death. The mother is also deceased. To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born ten children-Milton A., Wilson, Edwin, Rose, Matilda, Malinda, Esther A., Susan, Marinda and Clinton, the latter of whom is deceased, 1 r7&; ILLIAM REITERMAN, Ph. D., is a gentleman of thorough education, great culture, n \ le in many respects possesses more than ordinary ability. He occupies a pleasant home in Burr Oak Township, and has been a resident of this county since March 1, 1866. A native of the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, our subject was born May 22, 1832, and there spent the early years of his life, until a youth of seventeen, acquiring a thorough common-school education. He was a bright and ambitious lad, and, not being satisfied with his prospects in his own country, determined to emigrate to America. Embarking at the port of Bremen, he crossed the Atlantic unaccompanied by any friend or acquaintance, landling in New York City penniless. His most pressing business was to secure employment, and his first (lay's work was on a railroad, but with this employment he was not at all pleased. The next (lay he sought for something more congenial to his tastes, and finally engaged with a farmer, John Schneider, who lived near Carlisle, in Schoharie County, N. Y., and with whom he remained one and one-half years. He was very careful and economical in his expenditures, and kept steadily in view his determination to secure a good education. In due time he became a student of Harwick Seminary, near Cooperstown, Otsego County, an(l upon leaving this entered Geneva College where he took a classical course, and from which he was graduated in the class of '57. Our subject now commenced teaching at Sand Lake Collegiate Institute, in the vicinity of Troy, N. Y. He had married Miss Sarah E. Whiteman, of East Springfield. N. Y., Oct. 15, 1857, with whom he moved to Findlay, Ohio, where he lost his companion, who left a daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, four weeks old. IIer grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whiteman, of East Springfield, took her, and with them she is still living. Prof. Reiterman remained five years at Findlay, and spent the following two years at Toledo. He came to this county in the spring of 1866. Prof. Reiterman, on the 1st of November, 1859, was united in marriage with Miss Mary E., daughter of Josiah and Sarah (Houser) Moorehead, the wedding taking place at the home of the bride in Findlay, Ohio. The parents of Mrs. Reiterman were natives of Pennsylvania, and the father cariied on harness-making in Findlay, Ohio. -Ie had during his early manhood learned the trade of saddler, which lhe followed until 1874. The parents spent their last years in Benton Ridge. Ohio. Mrs. Reiterman was born May 22, 1843, in Findlay, Ohio, and received a common-school education, remaining under the parental roof until her marriage. The Professor and his wife began their wedded life together at Findlay, where they lived until 1864, when they removed to Toledo. Their union has been blessed by' the birth of six children, the record of whom is as follows: Henrietta S. was born Oct. 4, 1860, and is now the wife of Frank Brown, a farmer of Champaign, Ill.; Gertrude was born Nov. 1, 1862, and married Willis Appleman, who is engaged in farming at Turkey Creek, Ind.; Josiah was born Oct. 7, 1864, and is manager of a hardware store at Grand Rapids; Julia, born Feb. 6, 1867, died at the home of her parents in Sturgis, May 4, 1870; Isabella, born July 8, 1872, and Frances, Oct. 20, 1883, are at home with their parents. Prof. Reiterman, in the year 1878, invested a portion of his surplus capital in land, and now owns a fine farm of 220 acres on section 5 in Burr Oak Township. He identified himself with the Presbyterian Church in.1870. in which he is an Elder, and has at times occupied the pulpit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. He is a gentleman of fine tastes, and possesses considerable talent as an artist. It is a real pleasure to meet a refined gentleman like Prof. Reiterman, and the biographer Hill 11 bib min. - p- m f i I *W. m - 1, "I - illmill mil-"-" ---- -Il...... —~ --- —-~-~-~" — - - -- 0-1110 —. t L 336 ( ~ ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. r - L 336 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ especially enjoyed the hour spent with him. His portrait graces an accm(:I)nanySig 1)pge, and will be welcomed by his many friends throughout the county. OWARD HOPKINS, a veteran of over eighty years of age, and a resident of this county since the summer of 1845, was one of the earliest pioneers of Michigan Territory, to which he came in 1836. He was a resident of Washington County for the first ten years after his arrival here, and has made of agriculture a lifelong pursuit. He is now located on section 3 in Mendon Township. Abner Hopkins, the father of our subject, was a native of Rhode Island, and married Miss Caroline Ames, who was born in Massachusetts. After marriage the parents settled in Otsego County, N. Y., and from there moved to Seneca County, where the mother died. Abner Hopkins after the death of his wife came to Washtenaw County, Mich., where his death took place about 1844. The parental household consisted of eight children, three of whom are still living. Our subject was the sixth child of his parents, and was born in Burlington, Otsego Co., N. Y., May 26, 1808. Hie came to Southern Michigan, and in December, 1845, purchased 101 acres of land in Mendon Township. Of this he has now seventy-two acres, upon which he has erected good buildings, planted fruit trees, and gathered about him. as years passed by, the colnforts and conveniences of rural life. Mr. Hopkins was first married in Wayne County, N. Y., to Miss Damaris Tripp, who became the mother of three children, and died at the homestead in Mendon Township, March 11, 1854. Their eldest daughter, Martha, is now the wife of J. W. Brown, of Wichita, Kan.; Clarissa married George W. Wing, and lives in Mendon; Sarah, Mrs. C. E. Wolcott, makes her home in Vicksburg. The present wife of our subject, to whom he was married April 8, 1857, was formerly Mrs. Martha Tryon, widow of Henry Tryon, and daughter of Alson and Almira Wing. Mr. and Mrs. Wing came to Mendon Township from Sturgis about 1848, and here spent the remainder of their days, the father departing hence in 1873, and the mother in the year 1880. Mrs. Martha Hopkins was born in Washtenaw County, this State, April 8, 1838. Of her first marriage there was born one child, a daughter, Henrietta, who is now the wife of Charles Hopkins, of Owosso. Of her union with our subject there have been born seven children, namely: Elinor, the wife of Franklin Clark, of Vernon; Caroline, Belle, Berenice, Howard A., Harry A. and Lillias. The latter died Aug. 6, 1877, when ten years old. Mr. Hopkins attended the first Republican mass meetineg held in the State of Michian, and from this is indicated his political principles, he having been a stanch Republican since the organization of tile party. As one of the honored pioneers of St. Joseph County lie is accorded that tacit reverence and respect involuntarily given to those whose experience has been so long and varied, and whose career has been one uniformly useful and honorable. Mrs. Hopkins is a very estimable lady, looking well to the ways of her household, and making her home one of the pleasantest to be found within the precincts of St. Joseph County. ---- -— K^^^^ ---9 4RANSOM CRAW, of Florence Township, was!-.~ born on tle homestead which he now owns and occupies, Jan. 30, 1843. This property This father secured at an early day, when the country around was in its primitive condition, and the settlers few and far between. It is pleasantly located on section 6, and by the exercise of years of industry and a wise investment of funds has been brought to a valuable and productive condition. Our subject is the son of Marshall Craw, a native of New York State, who emigrated to Michigan when a young man, while it was a Territory, settling in St. Joseph County as early as 1833. At that date he secured the tract of land which has since been in the family, and where he spent the remainder of his life. Here he labored for a period of twenty-two years, passing away on the 15th of April, 1853, at the age of fifty-five. He was _ _.. Is dbrk.- - - II mm -3~-9- L c __ ------ mpo-~ —ll op —l~lsl --------------- - * ---Iqw in - IJ i lI l I i i i.. i I - imB leD --—.k — l-p — — I ~ ---rI ---r 8I)~~~~~~ll lr-* Ik 14 OR ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 337 I married in Wayne County. N. Y., to Miss Mary Ann Sloan, daughlter of Robert Sloan, a native of the same State. Of this union there were born four children, two of whom, Hiram and Mary, died in infancy. The others were Plhebe, and Ransom, our subject. The former was the wife of Richard Weatherbee, and died Feb. 26, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. W. became the parents of two children. May and George. Mrs. Weatherbee died in Mendon, this county, in 1877. The mother of our subject (lied Dec. 30, 1847, and Marshall Craw was married a second time in Florence, in 1849, to Miss Eunice Weatherbee, who was born in Kingsbury, N. Y.. Nov. 2, 1801, and is still living, making her home with her stepson Ransom. Our subject acquired his education in the common schools mostly, but completed his studies in the graded school of Three Rivers. Aside from this he spent his boyhood and youth after the manner of most farmers' sons, being trained to habits of industry, and becoming familiar with the various employments of farm life. After reaching man's estate, he was married, in Fabius Township, this county, Dec. 16, 1863, to Miss Mary L. Weatherbee, who, like her husband, is a native of this county, and was born April 21, 1844. They are the parents of six children, all of whom are living, namely: Mary D., Henry, Frank, Marshall, John and Carlos. Mary D. was born Jan. 1, 1865; Henry, Sept. 23, 1866; Frank, April 13, 1868; Marshall, Nov. 4, 1869; John, Aug. 31, 1875, and Carlos, May 28, 1881. Mr. Craw cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln, and uniformly supports the principles of the Republican party. I-e is a member of the Masonic fraternity at Three. Rivers. TEPIIEN M. NASH occupies a foremost place among the thrifty and intelligent agriculturists of this section of Michigan. He lives on his highly improved farm located on section 17, in Mottville Township. It is one of the most valuable and highly improved tracts of land in the county. lIe was born in Stark County, Ohio, Jan. 26, 1823. His father, Sampson C. Nash, was born in Maryland, Jan. 1,1789. He was a farmer, and when his time was not occupied on the farm he followed the occupation of a carpenter. Iis mother was Lovina Allerton. She and the father of our subject were married in Stark County, Ohio, in 1819, and lived in Ohio until, in the spring of 1843, they moved to Elkhart County, Ind. During tie residence of the family here the father was killed in a railway accident, Jan. 24, 1853. Our subject is one of a family of six children, named as follows: John P., born in Ohio, Sept. 4, 1820; Stephen, our subject; Aaron, born Oct. 7, 1827; Ira, Augl. 21, 1830; George, March 9, 1833; William, Aug. 31, 1837, and Amos. The mother is deceased. Amos was a soldier in the Union Army during the Rebellion, and died May 10, 1862, of camp fever; William was also a soldier, and died Feb. 10, 1863, from camp fever; Jolhn lives in Monroeville, Ind., and is a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church; Aaron lives in Mt. Ayr, Ringgold Co., Iowa, where he is a carpenter; George lives in Minneapolis, Miinn. In his earlier life he leairned the trade of a carpenter; he is now traveling for a wholesale house in that city. The subject of this sketch began life as a poor boy. lie did not have wealth or position to aid him, and he relied solely upon his own efforts to attain success, and he has made his life what he started out to do, both in the sense of accumulating wealth and property, and in doing good to those about him. He found no royal road to fortune, nor was it a pathway strewn with flowers, but the commanding position which he now holds was reached by the way of a rough and tedious road, every step of which presented obstacles. By his will and perseverance he overcame them all, and now we find him one of the most wealthy and highly respected men of the times. The first wife of our subject was Caroline Voorheis, to whom he was married April 21, 1853. She was born Aug. 7, 1826, and died March 27, 1882, aged fifty-seven years. She was the mother of one child, a daughter, who is now the wife of John W. Baxter, to whom she was married Oct. 10, 1877. Mr. Nash was again married, April 15, 1884, the lady of his choice being Caroline Eliza Wright. She is of Scotch and English descent, and is a -" --- 1- -- J.,,,, I., 1, J., 0 b,. -pp — - ------— ~ --- —-— "I-"11-~~1~-~1~~~~1~-"L 41 -— ~"LCI """ %"". -~ ---I, II I p CL I39 I -- 1,1_ __ 1 11 I -I~ll~ 'j y~ ' 338 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. worthy member of the Church of the l)isciples. Ile is an active member of this church, having held the office of Elder and other important positions in the society. The first wife was also a member of this church. The farm occupied by the subject of this sketch is one of the finest located and highest improved in the county. His residence is large and roomy, of a modern design, is handsomely furnished throughout, and many of the latest improved conveniences intended to contribute to the welfare and comfort of its inmates are found within its walls. The building is located in the midst of a beautiful lawn, and is surrounded by trees and flowers, and the barns and other outhouses are of the most substantial character, erected with a view to care for the stock and handle the crops raised on the farm economically, and to the best advantage. The success that has accompanied his efforts has been but little short of phenomenal, and his life may be taken as a copy by the youth of the present day, which, if adopted and zealously followed in all its details, cannot fail in crowning their efforts with unbounded success. This gentleman has served as Justice of the Peace for many years, but is not in that office now, having declined a re-election. Hle has served as Chairman for the Board of Supervisors of the county for several, terms. He is a man having great force of character and personal influence over all with whom he becomes associated. the farm, as was also the major portion of his life, up to the time of his retirement. He received but a limited education in the district schools. He never attended any college, but he possessed a natural studious habit, and he was a close observer of men and events, and by the constant exercise of these two traits he has attained a practical knowledge that has served him to a good purpose. In 1845 he first came to Mottville, where he lived until 1849, when he, with many others, was attacked with the gold fever, and went to California in that year. There he remained for nearly two years, when he returned to Michigan in 1851, and purchased a tract of 203 acres of land located in Cass County. It was partially improved at the time of purchase, and is now one of the best improved farms in the county. It was his home until he retired and removed to Mottville Village. Mr. Field is the son of Darius Field. The father was born Aug 12, 1792, in Vermont. The lmother was Saloma (Clark) Field. She was born Jan. 5, 1797, in Vermont. The parents were married in Vermont, Nov. 22, 1815. About a year after their marriage they moved to New York, settling in Prattsburg, Steuben County, where they lived until 1845, when they moved to St. Joseph County, Mich., and settled in Constantine Township. The father purchased a farm in Cass County, which he held for a number of years. lIe sold this farm, and moved into Mottville Village, where he resided until Feb. 16, 1874, on which day he died. The mother died July 2, 1864, in the village of Mottville. Both parents were membersof the Methodist Episcopal Church; the father held many different offices in the church, and his entire life was exemplary in all respects. A large family of children were born to the parents of our subject, and were named as follows: Rhoda A., Diana, Lavinia, Desdemona, tLermione, Darius, Saloma, Adeline, Caroline, Chester A., Martin D. and Emory G. Rhoda A. was born in Prattsburg, N. Y., Feb. 14, 1817, and was the wife of Orris Briggs; both husband and wife are dead. She was the mother of eight children, live of whom are living, four in Michigan and one in Iowa. Diana was born in Steuben County, N. Y., June 6, 1819, aud died when quite young; Lavinia was born — 3 --- —~~=t~~t~I~-~c ---4 —e C ARVEY K. FIELD. In the incidents due to the labor of compiling a biographical work such as tllis, there are none which afford to the writer any greater pleasure than to meet and converse with the large number of old settlers of the country, and among the greater number of such, residing in St. Joseph County, we have found none that were better informed on all matters of history pertaining to the early days than the subject of this sketch. He is now living in the village of Mottville, having retired from the active life of a farmer, which he followed for many years. This gentleman was born in Ontario County, N. Y., in 1826. His boyhood days were passed on I i. gbw~III~~~ l-. o *Ido I III I I" I -1 --- —-1 I 1 —u _ —l ~IIL, ~=1~eI III~I -CI~D CR.~11*!-_ W - -- I I L — LlIll L —II I(I- I~CL II C-ll-n11mnlb- ~mIIIIIIII~I+11111 1041!0,"- 411~ —w ST. JOSEPLIH COUNTY.,339 U ST.IJOSEPH COUNTY. 339 4 March 20, 1821, in Steuben County, and is now living in Mottville Village, the widow of Tlomas Burns; Desdemona and lHermione are twin sisters, born Dec. 31, 1828. Hermione is the wife of Joseph Parker, and resides in Ontario County, N. Y., and is the mother of five children, two girls and three boys. Desdemona is the wife of Nathan Hess, to whom she was married Jan. 1, 1845; they reside near Jackson, Mich. Her sister Hermione and her husband were married on the same day. Darius W. was born il Steuben County, N. Y., April 26, 1831, in the town of Cohocton: he was married in December. 1852, to Sarah Ray. He is now a farmer, living near Kalamazoo, the father of two boys and one girl. Saloma is the wife of Hollis H. Tyler, to whom she was united in marriage April 26, 1831. in Cohocton. N. Y.; she now resides in Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., and is the mother of three children. Her two daughters are married, and reside in Montana; her son is on the old homestead. Adeline and Caroline were also twins; Adeline died Dec. 25, 1841, aged ten years; Caroline lives in Nebraska with her husband, Christopher Woolgamood, where he is a prosperous farmer. She is the mother of four children, one of whom is (lead. Chester A. is married to Rosa Braginton; they were married Oct. 27, 1858, and have two sons and two daughters. He is a farmer and merchant, residing in Russell County, Kan. Martin D. died April 4, 1839, in New York State; Emory G. married Elizabeth Braginton, Sept. 7, 1861, in Sturgis, Mich.; they lived in Mottville until 1883, when they moved to Fairmont, Neb., where he died on Thanksgiving Day, 1885. lie was the father of four children, one son and three daughters, all living in the West. The subject of this sketch and his good wife are the parents of four children, three of whom are dead. Their daughter, Ella L., is the wife of Rodolph Klett, and resides on the home farm with her husband, near the village of Mottville. She is the mother of one child, a son. Mr. Field is a strong Prohibitionist, and has a conscientious belief that the time is not far distant when the saloon will be dispensed with, and the liquor element, which forms such an important factor in the political questions of the day, will become a thing of the past. Both himself and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Mottville Village, conscientious and sincere in their religious belief. They are both generous and large-hearted, and take an active part in all matters pertaining to the spiritual and material welfare of their neighborhood. They are very sociable in their disposition, and the visitor to their home is made doublv welcome. Mr. Field has been Sunlday-school Superintendent for the last twenty-five years. H-e is a man who has, and merits, the highest opinion of his fellowmen. In the family of our subject's father there were five pairs of twins. TEPHEN W. GILKISON is one of the industrious, frugal and successful agriculturists of Burr Oak Township, and is worthy a place in an ALBUM of this description. He is a native of Mansfield, Richland Co., Ohio, where he was born on the 12th of June, 1843. His father, George C., was the son of James Gilkison, a native of Kentucky, and a pioneer of that county. He was fully established in business as a mason, to which he was succeeded by his son, the father of our subject. Besides George he was the father of twelve children, of whom four daughters are now living. George C. Gilkison, the father of our subject, came to Michigan and located at Centreville in the year 1844, remaining there about twelve months. Thence he removed to Elkhart County, Ind., where he remained for about two years, and then went to Clingers Lake. After that he came to Sherman in this county, finally locating in Burr Oak, in the year 1866. The maiden name of his wife and faithful life companion was Mary Keasey, who bore him nine children, of whom our subject was the fourth born. The subject of our sketch is a man of character, wide information, and with large ability as a farmer, a faithful and true friend as well as citizen. In the spring of 1864 he enlisted in defense of the Union, becoming a member of Company G, 1lth Michigan Infantry, and served almost two years. During that time he saw many of the larger and FJ' -~Z~~r~C9 —1~- - I rrpr II 00 0-,. 111 1 -- cEa 4 L OO ime'lMIIIII I "r —~-r -rr I CIJ~ I I C I I — - ~ ---C-~~ -- -~-I IUlCBBB I 340 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. more important engagements, besides other service. Among tie battles in which he fought may be named those of Peachtree Creek, Resaca, Atlanta and others. Hle came out of the military service unscathed, excel)ting as his constitution ha(d been strained by exposure and camp life. I-e received an honorable discharge in 1865 at Nashville, Tenn. On the 10th of April, 1J70, Mr. Gilkison and Priscilla Freed were unite(l in marriage at Burr Oak. The wife of our subject is a daughlter of John and Priscilla Freed. It was her misfortune to lose her father by death when she was about three years of age. Ier mothersubsequently removed to Ohio, and later married Mr. James C. Blanchard, of Burr Oak, one of the venerable and much respected pioneers of this county. Our subject's marriage has been blessed by the birth of ten children, whose names are as follows: Salathiel S., Zavala V., George R., Leston T., Clarion M., Amey, Nina L., Joy L., Sherman Blaine and Mary Gertru(le. Our sulject, although not a leader in political affairs, is always glad to bear his full part anti resplonsibility as a citizen and as a member of the Republican party, with which he has worked and voted for many years. _. _ I is, politically; a Democrat, and is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and now resides in St. Joseph County. The good mother of our subject died Aug. 18, 1885, having rounded out a useful and busy life of fifty-seven years. She was also a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. To her and her husband were born five children, two sons and three daughters. John R. Gentzler, of this biographical sketch, was the third child of these worthy people, and was born in Pennsylvania, April 19, 1853. Consequently lie was scarcely a year old when his parents came to St. Joseph County to live, and his boyhood days were passed at his father's homestead in Park Township. His education was conducted in the schools of Constantine, where he stood well in scholarship. After leaving school he entered upon his life work as a farmer, and for seven years managed his father's farm with gratifying success. At the expiration of that time he purchased his present farm in Florence Township, and has since labored assiduously to bring about its present high state of improvement. It comprises 160 acres of as fine farming land as is to be found in St. Joseph County, is supplied with a good set of buildings, and everything about the place denotes thrift and careful management on the part of the owner. I-e is a skillful and practical farmer, employing the best and most approved methods both in cultivating his land and in raising stock, to which he also pays much attention. Mr. Gentzler has the hearty co-operation of a good wife in his work, and to her encouragement and assistance he gratefully acknowledges that he is much indebted for his success in life. They were married at Constantine, Dec. 14, 1876. Mrs. Gentzler was formerly Miss Catherine Miller, daughter of George and Susanna (Walters) Miller, natives respectively of Virginia and Ohio. She was herself born in Ohio, Nov. 24, 1859, and of her union with our subject three sons have been born, namely: Fred W,. born Sept. 13, 1881; Charles R., Nov. 17, 1883; Clare A., Sept. 19, 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Gentzler have a pleasant home, and they often extend its charming hospitalities to their numerous friends. They are active members of the Lutheran Church at Constantine, and their daily (s -m- O." < OHNI R. GENTZLER occupies a prominent place among the young farmers of Florence I Township, and his farm on section 31 is classed as one of the most valuable in this locality. lHe is a son of Adam and Lydia A. (Lehmer) Gentzler, natives of Pennsylvania; his father was born in 1827 and his mother in 1828. In 1854 Mr. Gentzler settled up his affairs in Pennsylvania, having resolved to make his residence for the future in the State of Michigan, and in due time he located in St. Joseph County, where he soon became identified with its growing agricultural interests, purchasing land in Park Township, which he improved into a good farm. Although he was not among the first settlers of the township, he found that it had not advanced very far from the primitive condition of its early days, and well did he perform his part in the pioneer labors of clearing the land and developing its rich agricultural resources. He I iI i ) ddsa au II M ~.~*~~c -~1. — ~1 qo w lmII -* -L — -- - ~1 ~ -- ---- -i IO ---- PP I,-,, —, -ll ---" —, —.- --................ -.-................... "I '__ __~1~_1__-".-_.~ --— ",_l_-..-,., -_ —,_ _ __-_ _ ____I 1_1~........1 ST. JOSEPH Cf OUNTY. 341 E lives indicate that they are guided by the highest principles of conduct. Mr. Gentzler exerts a good influence in the community, as he is liberal and public spirited, and cheerfully does all that he can to advance the various schemes for the improvement of the township. Politically, he is an ardent Democrat. I fl, ON. WILLIAM MORRIS, of Burr Oak j } ' )) Township, is the son of William P. and ' Nellie Morris, and was born in the county ( of Surrey, England. on the 24th of September, 1804. He was brought up on a farm. He was educated in the High Schools, has a good English education, an(d is a clear, intelligent student of the various questions that are before the-people from time to time. In 1823 the parents of our subject, with their six children, came to America and located in New York City. Of these six children only two are now living, viz., ourt subject and his sister Elizabeth, who is a maiden lady and resides at Oakland, Md. By occupation Mr. Morris, Jr., is a farmer. This he followed upon coming to the New World. They lived on Sturgis Prairie until the spring of 1852, and from there they removed( to Burr Oak and settled upon the present farm. Various positions of publie trust and honor have been filled by Mr. Morris since he came to St. Joseph County. He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1842 and continued in the office several years. He was Postmaster at Sturgis from 1845 to 1857, and in 1847 was chosen by the Democratic party to represent his district in the State Legislature. After coming to Burr Oak hle served for four years as a Justice, and for two terms, viz., 1853 and 1854, he was Supervisor of Burr Oak Township. The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Nellie Chappell, who was born in England. There were given to her six children, whose names are recorded as follows: Elizabeth; William, the subject of our sketch; Mary, Anne, Frances and Emily. Our subject and Miss Marcia St. John, of Cattaraugus County, N. Y., were married on the 30th of Decemlber, 1840. There have been born to them thirteen children, of whom nine are still living, viz.: Ellen, who was born on the 16th of October, 1842. who is at home; Albert, born Jan. 24, 1847, and lives in England; Fred, born on the 30th of August, 1839, of Fredericksburg, Tex.; Charles, born June 14, 1853, of Fredericksburg, Tex.; Frances, born Dec. 8, 1855; Elizabeth, born Jan. 1 7, 1858; George, born June 9, 1860; Gilbert, born Aug. 23, 1863; Clayton, born on the 22d of March, 1866. The home of our subject is upon his highly cultivated property of 700 acres situated one and onehalf miles west of Burr Oak Village. This he has brought to its splendid condition by his assiduous care and constant effort. He is a man well-to-do, and his home, which is very pleasantly situated, presents in its interior arrangements the true refuge that home is designed to be. Politically, our sub. ject is a Democrat, and it is safe to say there are few, if any, in the large circle of his acquaintances who do not thoroughly esteem him and his family. V. CORNELL, of Burr Oak, came to this point in 1888. lHe had previously for a period of three years been engagred as a hotel-keeper in the city of Coldwater. He had also been on the Pacific Slope, at Diamond Springs, forty-five miles from San Francisco, Cal. Our subject was bortn in Niagara County, N. Y., March 14,1827, and is the son of Daniel and Anna (Smith) Cornell, natives respectively of New York and Canada. They came to Michigan in 1834, settling in Lenawee County, where the father carried on farming two years in Raisin Township. Thence he removed to the vicinity of Coldwater, where he followed agriculture until his death, which occurred March 14, 1872. During his early manhood he had been engaged in mercantile pursuits. The mother passed away one month before the decease of her husband. The parental family included nine children, all of whom lived to mature years, and four are now living, residing mostly in Branch County, Mich.' The educational advantages of Mr. Cornell were extremely meager during his childhood and youth, -------— J C5 -- I-, ri I i i i 11 I k I I I _ 0~ —ft-,.0.s ll limlil _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ * m - _-o o "I I I' A I C --- —. ---d-di ----,jib,-;J~I 342 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. he not being able to write his name until after reaching his majority. Subsequently he attended school, studying arithmetic and geography and taking lessons in writing until he obtained a good knowledge of the common branches. He had been trained to habits of industry and economy. and there had been implanted within him those elements of character which enabled him to enter upon the struggle of life with manly courage and resolution. At the age of twenty-three he considered himself justified in the establishment of a home of his own, and was married, in 1850, to Miss Cordelia Barnes, of Girard Township, Branch County, this State. This lady was born in Michigan, and was the daughter of Chancy and Eliza Barnes, natives of Vermont, the father a blacksmith )by trade and also a farmer. Of this union there were born three children, all living. Alfred B. married Miss Mary Rooney, who was born July 4, 1861; they have one child, Paul D., born Oct. 22, 1882. This son is proprietor of the livery, sale and feed stable in Burr Oak. Za was born in California, married Mr. C. I. Miles, of Cold water, who is now a merchant of McAllister, Ind. Ter.; Frederick W. is a traveling musician, at present in Illinois. Mrs. Cordelia Cornell, the mother of these children, departed this life at her home, April 25, 1872. On the 26th of March, 1873, our subject was married the second time, to Mrs. Kate P. (Parker) Sutton, daughter of Hiram and Sallie (Crockey) Parker, who were natives of Canada and New York. The former is still living, but the latter died Aug. 11, 1854. Mrs. Cornell is a well-educated lady, and taught for a period of ten years in the High School at Burr Oak, and other schools in this vicinity. Her culture and refinement are fully recognized in the social circles of her community, where she is a general favorite. Mr. Cornell for a period of thirteen years was connected with the music store of C. J. Whitney, of Detroit, commanding a salary of $110 per month. During his residence in Branch County he officiated as Constable, and is at present Justice of the Peace and member of the Town Board. He takes an active part in political affairs, and is a stanch supporter of Democratic principles. A man of good judgment and sound sense, he commands respect in the social ard business circles of his town, numlering among his acquaintances hosts of friends. He id(entified himself with the Masonic fraternity about 1872, and is a member in good standing of the lodge at Burr Oak. As one of the pioneers of St. Joseph County, lie lhas been pelrmitted to note the wonderful transformation of the wilderness to a civilized community, and during the early days endured in common with the people about him the toils and sacrifices incident to life in a new settlement. He has chopped wood for thirty-one and one-fourth cents a cord, at a time when money was scarce and people were glad to obtain sufficient to keep them in food andl clothing. Many times for days together he lived entirely on i"Johnny cake," and was thankful to get that. Now, in the enjoyment of a comfortable home and competence, he is receiving but that which is due him as one who has labored faithfully and conscientiously, and built up for himself the record of an honest man and good citizen. IA ARY (GOODGER) BRAGINTON. The ' roll which carries the names of the many devoted wives, fond mothers, and true Christian women, so widely scattered throughout this broad domain, holds none that casts a brighter light or awakens deeper feelings of respect than that of the lady whose name heads this sketch. She is the widow of William Braginton, who was born in England. She is also a native of England, where in 1828 she and her husband were married. After this event they remained in England for several years, where the husband worked at his trade, which was that of a carpenter. They had heard so much regarding the possibilities of the New World, and the opportunities which it presented, and which could not be realized in their home country, that they determined to try the truth of the reports for themselves. In pursuance of this resolution, our subject with her husband crossed the ocean, and settled first in Westchester County, N. Y., whence they moved to Philadelphia, Pa., where they resided several years. Thev then moved to Ohio, making their home near i I I I ofo 0- r - IlI I arI I, -1 I WIPP — --- _____________;_l _ — — d~d - VIA:~1ljlb~ ---- ~~I~LCI --- -_~L -~~IIIC-II —I — ~~lll~ll-1 I -~ -- -- - aL —s-,,IW 0- W!-PR4W. 00 j I' i a. ST1. JOSEPHH COUNT'IY. 343 S J Akron, where they resided for fourteen years, when they migrated to Cass County, Mich., and purchased a farm, and there lived until they moved into the village of Mottville; they lived here until the husband's death, which occurred Feb. 12, 1876, and here our subject still resides. Mrs. Braginton is the mother of twelve children, eight of whom are living, namely: Mary A., Ed| ward, William B., Rosalie, MaIrtha. Elizabeth, John I and Stephen. Mary is the wife of Albert Conway, a prosperous machinist; she is the mother of five children, four sons and one daughter. Edwin is married and lives near Crown Point, Ind., where he is engaged in farming; he is the father of three children, two sons and one daughter. William B. lives in Dunklin County, Mo., is married, and the father of three sons and three daughters; Rosalie is the wife of Chester Field, a prosperous farmer living in Russell County, Kan., and is the mother of two sons and two daughters; Martha is the wife of George Brown, and resides in Red Oak, iowa, and is the mother of two children; Elizabeth was the i wife of Emory Field; her husband died on Thanksgiving Day, 1884. He was by occupation a commercial traveler. John married Frances Knox, and they live in Grand Rapids, Mich., where he is in business as a real-estate dealer; he is the father of one daughter. Stephen married Sarah Leland, and lived in Grand Rapids, where he was engaged in a factory; he is now dead, and left a family of four children. George was a soldier in the Civil War, and was killed in 1864, during the siege of Nashville, Tenn.; he was a valiant soldier, and among the thousands of brave men none were more courageous than he. Mrs. Braginton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and endeavors by her daily walk and conversation to bear witness to the mercy and goodness of the Lord. She is in deed and in fact one of those good old mothers in Israel, who have done so much, and have suffered so greatly, that the cause of Christ might flourish. She devotes all her time and labor to the extent of her somewhat limited strength to furthering the cause of religion, and there are none more happy than she when the heart of any erring one finds rest and peace in Jesus. Sie is well advanced in years, and enjoys the perfect confidence and esteem of everyone with whom she comes in contact. Hler life is rounded out with the fulness of the love of God and her fellow creatures, and now, in the evening of her life, she has the blessed consciousness that she has faithfully performed her duty in the Master's vineyard, and is patiently awaiting the messenger that will call her hence to a better and everlasting life. OHN J. STEARS is a fine representative of the agricultural community of St. Joseph County, as he brings to his labors an intelligent, well-trained mind, and is in every respect a thorough, business-like, systematic, practical farmer, as is clearly shown by the appearance of his farm on section 29, Florence Township, with its broad, carefully tilled acres, its neat, well-appointed buildings, and the fine stock grazing in the fields. Mr. Stears is a son of the honoied pioneer citizen, Mr. Thomas Stears, and he is a native of this township, May 9, 1852, being the date of his birth. lie spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, and doubtless assisted in its cultivation when not attending the public school, where he obtained the preliminaries of his education. Ile was a bright, apt scholar, and being ambitious to secure a higher education, became a student at HIillsdale College in 1869, spending a year very profitably in the literary departmeqnt of that excellent institution of learning. In the winter of 1871-72 he took another course in that college, this time in the commercial department. After leaving college Mr. Stears chose farming as his life vocation, and by the quiet force of persistent efforts, directed by sound discretion and constant devotion to duty, he has met with marked success, and already has his farm of 160 acres well improved. He is engaged in mixed farming, and has some finely graded stock, to the raising of which he pays much attention, though not to the neglect of his grain fields, where he reaps abundant harvests. To the lady who presides over his home, and makes it pleasant and attractive to his family and their many friends, Mr. Stears was united in mar F J, 4b~~ dk. B -- - rrrII,, I ~Le- 400 - I ---- ------ - 11 - I I q -— --- —-----— ` --- —-- ---- — F m!J % II L-. *b'-U as ZL0 BONN.000 - r In" L 344 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. --- riage Feb. 16, 1882. A son and a daughter have blessed their union: Bessie, born Oct. 28, 1883, and Iarry, born Aug. 6, 1885. Mrs. Stears was born in Washington County, Pa., Dec. 18, 1859, and came to Florence Township in 1881. Her maiden name was Emma A. Greenlee. Mr. Stears had been previously married, Miss Mattie E. Glaze, of Northumberland County, Pa., becoming his wife Oct. 24, 1878. After a brief and happy wedded life she passed away at Florence, Feb. 7, 1880. Mr. Stears is a man of clear; vigorous intellect and of unimpeachable integrity, and his fine business education well fits him for the civic offices that have been entrusted to him. He has long been connected with the management of the schools of his township, and has been School Inspector for seven years. He is now Township Clerk, which office he has filled to the satisfaction of his fellow-citizens for five years. He and his wife are greatly respected by all who have the pleasure of knowing them, and they are valued members of the Reformed Church at Constantine. ILLIAM H. ROYS. The agricultural interests of Constantine and vicinity have been admirably represented by the subject of this sketch, who is a scion of stanch New England stock, and came to the West during the early years of his life. The offspring of a good family, he is the son of Lent Roys, a native of Sheffield, Berkshire Co., Mass., and horn in 1775. He was reared to farming pursuits, but upon approaching manhood repaired to the town and learned the trade of a tanner, which lie followed in Sheffield a number of years, carrying on the business for himself. In 1830, however, lie resumed farming in Sheffield Township. He was married there in 1800 to Miss Mary, daughter of Lewis Holmes, a native of Plymouth, Mass., and her parents were of old Puritan stock. She removed with her father to Sheffield in her girlhood. and there spent her last years, dying at the age of sixty-seven. Lent Roys survived his wife a number of years, and passed away at the home of his daughter, Eliza Angevine, in Dutchess County, N. Y., at the age of ninety-four years. The parental family of our subject consisted of twelve children, seven sons anl five daughters, all of whom lived until upward of thirty-six years — a remarkable circumstance. Of this large family only three are now living: Norman, of Florence, this county; William H., our subject, and Eliza Angevine. William H. was born in Sheffield, Berkshire Co., Mass., July 12, 1823, and spent his boyhood and youth at the old homestead, becoming familiar with the various employments of farm life. In 1844. at the age of twenty-one years, he started out for himself, and was employed as a farm laborer by the month for six years following. In 1849 he crossed the plains to California and engaged in mining in Tuolumne County until 1853. In the fall of that year he returned eastward as far as this county on a visit to his brother Norman, with whom he remained until the spring following. Mr. Roys being pleased with the outlook in this section of country, concluded to make it his future abiding-place, and accordingly purchased of his brother Norman 175 acres of!and on section 18, in Florence Township. He gave his entire attention to this for a number of years thereafter, bringing the soil to a good state of cultivation, and erecting modern and substantial buildings. Later he added to his landed estate until he was the owner of 262 acres. He has now one of the best regulated farms in this region, and is considered a man well-to-do, capable and efficient in the transaction of business, and a skillful agriculturist. On the 4th of October, 1854, Mr. Roys was married, at Lyons, Wayne Co., N. Y., to Miss Eliza, daughter of Harvey and Angeline (Roys) Geer. Mr. Geer was born in Connecticut, March 16, 1802, ant is still living, making his home with his son-inlaw, our subject. The mother was a native of Sheffield, Mass.; she was born in 1806, and died at the home of her daughter Eliza, at the age of seventyfour. Their family consisted of ten children, eight of whom are living: Levi R. is at Grand Island, Cal.; Henry resides at Upper Lake, Cal.; Everard resides in Grundy Centre, Iowa; Albert, at Union City; Harvey resides in Berry County, Mich.; Selesta Follett resides in this State, and Ella J. Dimick in Florida. Mr. Roys shortly after his marriage brought his _l,._ 1 Adkkh — bo ~WWPI~IIP — III I I I ir! I U-40 i a i i i II I -l ------ -mm ---- rr - --- -r — N - I~- Lq*C 1 I% "aB 1 --- —~ --- — -------- ST. JOSEPH~r COUNTY.`~ 345 ' _ ~ST JO...ON T. 4 I bride to his new home in the West, and they have since resided in Florence Township. The household circle was completed by the birth of three children, all of whom ale living. Clara, the eldest, was horn in 1 855. and is the wife of Hlenry C. Drake. who is carrying on farming and gardening in the vicinity of Constantine; Mablel was born March 1, 1861, and continues at home with her parents; Emma was born April 16, 1871, and is also at home. Mrs. Drake took kindly to her books in her girlhood days, and was graduated from the graded school at Constantine. The paternal great-grandfather of Mrs. Roys was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and spent his last years near Lyons, N. Y. OHIN C. KINNE. The form of this highly esteemed resident of Leonidas Township has been a familiar figure among the people of St. Josepll County for a period of over fifty years. hie first trod the soil of Michigan soon after it was transformed from a Territory into a State, and is thus entitled to be ranked among its early pioneers. lie has been steadfastly loyal to the section of country adopted at that time as his home, having here spent the best years of his life, beginning his labors upon the soil of this region when a youth of seventeen years. Since that time he has remained continuously identified with the best interests of St. Joseph County. Life began with John C. Kinne at the modest homestead of his parents near the little town of Naples, in Ontario County, N. Y., Jan. 26, 1820. tle is the offspring of an excellent family, being the third child of Capt. Elias B. and Martha (Clark) Kinne, the former born in Patridgefield, Mass., Dec. 31, 1788, and the latter in Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., April 14, 1796. The parents after marriage lived for a time in the latter place, but in 1837 left the Empire State, resolved to cast their lot among the pioneers of Southern Michigan. Coming to this county, the father secured a tract of land in Leonidas Township, where he lived and labored the remainder of his life. He closed his eyes upon the scenes of earth in 1849. In the War of 1812 he served as Captain of an independent company, with which rank he was mustered out, and retained the title until his death. A quiet and unobtrusive man, conscientious and of the strictest integrity, he performed creditably all life's duties, and shed a good influence upon those around him. I-e never sought office, but was content in supporting by his vote the principles of the Democratic party. To Capt. Elias B. and Martha Kinne there were born twelve children, six sons and six daughters. All of these were reared to mature years except one, and made homes for themselves. Seven now survive. John C. was a youth of seventeen when he accompanied his parents to this county, and still continues his residence on the old homestead, which was inaugurated by his honored father and which, it is hardly necessary to say, possesses for him a far more than moneyed value. The original area has been extended, and the farm now embraces 200 broad acres, with the buildings and machinery necessary for the successful prosecution of agriculture. The first humble dwelling was abandoned in 1873, and replaced by our subject with a modIern residence, substantially built and most conveniently arranged. Everything about the premises indicates comfort and prosperity, and the whole forms a delightful picture of country life pleasing to contemplate. Mr. Kinne has been quite prominent in the affairs of his community, holding the offices of Township Treasurer and Highway Commissioner, and filling other positions of trust and responsibility. IIe is an adherent of the Democratic party. lie is connected with the Masonic fraternity, being a charter member of Blue Lodge and Colon Chapter, and a prominent light among the brethren. He and his excellent wife are also members of Leonidas Grange No. 266, P. of II. Miss Serena Van Yleet, a native of Ridgeway, Lenawee County, this State, became the wife of our subject April 10, 1870. Mrs. Kinne is the daughter of Peter and Abiah (Miller) Van Vleet, who were natives of the State of Massachusetts, and moved to Lenawee County, Mich., during an early period in its history. Thence they changed their residence later to Hillsdale County, where the father followed agriculture until his death, which occurred at his home in Adams Township. The mother dt _ - 40 Ill, I p'm - ~ - ----— ~, *No r I- W I 000 -- 111-_ Im ago — e,, ~rs-r -a -.! 346 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -— " 'iIA f4~, subsequently took up her abode in Litchfield Township, where she passed the remainder of her life. Mrs. Kinne was born April 12, 1840, and her earliest recollections are of the pioneer home in Lenawee County, where her parents battled with the difficulties of life in a new settlement, and reared their children amid the disadvantages incident to that time and place. Mrs. K. acquired a commonschool education, and remained under the home roof until her marriage. Of her union with our subject there were born three children, of whom only one is living, Edith May, who is now at home. The deceased daughter, Martha A., died when an interesting child twelve years of age, and an infant. Mr. and Mrs. Kinne number their friends by the score among the people of this part of St. Joseph County, where they have erected one of its most desirable homesteads, and fulfilled their obligations to the community as worthy and conscientious citizens. 5 HOMAS STEARS, a pioneer of St. Joseph County, is one of the influential and leading S citizens of Florence Township. with whose agricultural interests he has been identified for many years. Although he is of foreign birth, he has been a loyal citizen of the United States for fifty-three years, coming here before he had attained his majority, and lie was a resident of this State when it was admitted into the Union in 1837, when, under its constitution, all foreigners became citizens without naturalization; and it has been his privilege to watch the development and growth of Michigan from an insignificant Territory in the wilderness to one of the grandest and most powerful commonwealths in the Union. And not only that, but he has contributed to its material prosperity. Our subject is the son of Thomas Stears, whose name is held in honor as that of one of the early settlers of St. Joseph County. The father was lorn in Yorkshire, England, in 1775, and was married there to Miss Elizabeth Harrison, a native of Waxholme, that shire, and there reared a family of twelve children. In 1835, with this large family, Mr. Stears emigrated to the United States, and located in White Pigeon, this county. In England lhe had served at the grocer's trade, but after coming to Michigan he turned his attention to farming, and took up 120 acres of land in Florence Township, thus becoming one of its pioneers. HIe was a very industrious, hard-working man, and accumulated considerable property during his life. He improved a fine farm, and added twenty acres to its original dimensions. He died May 25, 1862, at Centreville, in this county, at the ripe old age of eighty-seven years. He was deservedly respected and esteemed, as in all of the relations of life he had shown himself to be upright and honorable. His estimable wife, who was likewise greatly respected, died at White Pigeon, Sept. 5, 1871. Of their large family of children six are still living, as follows: Thomas, the subject of this sketch; John resides in Waterloo, Iowa; Betsy married William Hull, of Three Rivers; Isabel married Richard Holcom, of Three Rivers; Ann married Mr. Burchell, who is now dead, and she lives in Cass County, Mo.; Charles lives in St. Paul, Minn. Thomas Stears, of our sketch, was born Jan. 6, 1816, in Yorkshire, England, and there he was reared and educated. In 1835 he accompanied his father to America, and in the following year commenced life for himself by working a farm on shares with an uncle, continuing thus for a year, and making his home with that relative. March 26, 1839, he was married, in Constantine, Mich., to Ann Waltham. Her parents were natives of England, and, emigrating to this country in 1830, became early pioneers of St. Joseph County. Mrs. Stears was born at Newbold, Yorkshire, England, Aug. 9, 1818. After marriage Mr. Stears made his home in Mottville, St. Joseph County, and was living there when the death of his wife occurred, Aug. 13, 1842. Their pleasant wedded life had been blessed to them by the birth of two sons, one of whom died at the same time as his mother. Edmund H., the other son, was born March 14, 1840, and now lives in Constantine, where he is prosperously engaged in farming. After his wife's death Mr. Stears worked at the carpenter's trade until 1851. In that year, on the 5th of July, he married again, Ann Jackson becoming his wife. and to her devotion and ability he owes much of his prosperity. She -.I - I opo-1W 4 I aj~ -— rp Illll~ll-C- II ---I I - - ~ IN 3s l ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 347 1 -- - - -- — — was born Oct. 11, 1818, and is the daughter of John and Alilehe Jackson; they were both natives of England, coming to America in 1833. Both are now deceased, and buried in the cemetery at White Pigeon. Of the second marriage of our subject four children were born, namely: John J., born May 9, 185-2, is an enterprising farmer of Florence Township (his sketch appears on another page of this work); William H., born July 4, 1854, is a successful farmer of Florence; Mary A., born May 18, 1857, married John W. Gentzler, of Constantine Township; Libbie E.. born Jan. 12, 1861, lives on the farm that her grandfather first owned, and then her mother, the land having been taken up in 1830. Since this second marriage Mr. Stears has devoted himself entirely to farming, and has ever since occupied his present farm on section 29. At the age of seventy-two he presents the spectacle of a life fully rounded by its various experiences into a serene and active old age. He is still capable of attending to his business, and has the care of a large garden. He is well gifted with mental and physical vigor, and is open-hearted and genial. He has always exerted a strong influence in the administration of public affairs, and some of the most important and responsible offices have been entrusted to him. He was President of the County Mutual Fire Insurance Company, for St..Joseph County, for three years. tie has been Township Supervisor for three years, was Township Clerk for a number of years, Justice of the Peace, and also Highway Commissioner for a term of years. He is a member of the order of Knights Templars, and belongs to what was the Reformed Church of Constantine, but now has taken the name of Congregational, having united with the Presbyterians. Ile has voted for every Democratic Presidential candidate since Jackson's day, except Horace Greeley, for whom he (lid not vote as he did not consider him a true Democrat. From his own exleriences of pioneer life in St. Joseph County, and from what oursubject knows of its early settlers, much valuable material might be gathered for a history of the county and its pioneers. Hle.says that among the early pioneers whom he knew was one John Coates, who came to |-^- ---- — ~~ P.i _. i _ St. Joseph County in 1829. At that time he had to go as far as Detroit for flour, and for some six weeks had no flour except what was ground in a coffeemill. Mr. Stears has known the price of pork to be $1.50 per hundred pounds, and even as high as $25 per hundred pounds. In 1837 wheat was worth about $2.50 per bushel, and Mr. Stears had about 100 bushels, which he sold to his neighbors, and would only take $2 per bushel for it from them. In 1854 lie drew wheat twenty miles and sold it for fifty cents a bushel, and at the same time had to pay fourteen cents a pound for meat. In 1837 people came from Jackson and Ypsilanti for oats, and offered to pay $1.50 per bushel for them on account of their great scarcity, and corn and other kinds of food were proportionately high. In the early days of settlement oxen were commonly used in improving the land, in marketing, etc. ~.EUBEN STOUT. In the month of May, 1846., the father of the subject of this sketch JL\\ emigrated from Center County, Pa., to the young State of MIichigan, locating on a farm on Pigeon Prairie. Ile occupied this until removing to the Ingalls farm in Florence Township, and from there changed his residence to the Kechum farm, which he operated twenty-five years. At the expiration of this time he was enabled to purchase the Kechum farm of eighty acres on section 2, Florence Township, where he spent the remainder of his life, passing away on the 12th of February, 1872. Joseph Stout was born in Northampton County, Pa., in 1800, where he spent thle early years of his life. Upon approaching manhood he learned the trade of gunsmith, which he followed' in his native State while a resident tlere, but in the meantime, after his marriage, removed to Center County, when his son Reuben, of our sketch, was a little lad about six years old. In Center County he carried on farming until his removal to Michigan. The mother, Mrs. Susan (Kelley) Stout, was also a native of Pennsylvania. The parents were only separated by death a few days, the mother preceding her husband to the silent tomb on the 7th of "Il - shL - — "i a. -Cppo ---- — go maim, --- om - i I F (< 348 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. ru I~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ --- V February, 1872. Their family consisted of seven children, six of whom are still living. William, the eldest born, died in California at the age of thirtytwo years. Reuben Stout, the subject of this sketch, was born Dec. 21, 1832, in Northampton County, Pa, His education was begun and completed in the schools of Florence Township, this county, where, with the exception of six years, he has spent his entire life. In March, 1856, he made a journey to the Pacific Slope, and remained in California until the fall of 1862, then returned to Florence Township, and purchased the farm he now owns and occupies. This lies on section 2, and is 120 acres in extent. In California Mr. Stout engaged in mining, meeting with fair success. Up to this time our subject had remained unmarried, lbut in 1865 was wedded in Florence Township to Miss Malinda I)ufferd, who was then a young lady of twenty-three years. She was born in Wisconsin, and was the daughter of Joseph Dufferd. Of this union there were born three children, and the wife and mother departed this life at the homestead in Florence Township, in 1872. The eldest son, Frank, died when an interesting youth of fifteen years; Edward died at the age of four years; George remains at home with his father. Mr. Stout in 1879 was married a second time, in Constantine Township, to Miss Jennie Jones, and they became the parents of two children-Nellie and Callie. Mrs. Jennie Stout is the daughter of Jerry Jones. Our subject, politically, is an earnest supporter of the principles of the Democratic party. A man of decided views, and one who maintains his principles with all the strength of his character, he has acquitted himself as an honest man and a good citizen, and is held in high respect by the people of his community. R. HARVEY LOOMIS, the oldest practicing physician of Burr Oak. was born in the little village of Atwater. Portage Co., Ohio, Sept. 27, 1824. His parents, Austin and Elizabeth (Hough) Loomis, were natives respectively of Connecticut and Massachusetts, the father born at Torrington, Conn., Sept. 14, 1794, and the mother in Massachusetts, April 30, 1802. Both families were af English origin. The father was a farmer by occupation, and one of the pioneer settlers of Portage County, Ohio, to which he emigrated from Connecticut when the country was wild and new. The family of the parents of oursubject included six children, all of whom, with the exception of the eldest, grew to mature years. This child died when about two years of age. Harvey upon emerging from the district school was a student in the schools of Twinsburg and Cleveland, Ohio, and subsequently took out a license from the medical department of the Western Reserve College in 1847, with the degree of M. D. He afterward taught in the preparatory department of the Kenyon College at Gambier, Ohio. Dr. Loomis, in September, 1849, came to this county and established himself as a practicing physician at Burr Oak, where he has followed his lrofession faithfully for a period of thirty-nine years. I)uring this time he has built up an extensive and lucrative business; and has accumulated a fine property. As a physician he stands second to none in Southern Michigan. In 1861 he purchased twenty acres of land in the woods, just outside the village limits, from which he has cleared the timber, brought the soil to a high state of cultivation, and erected a fine brick residence, which he now occupies. A large barn, an orchard of choice apple trees, and an abundance of the smaller fruits, together with the various other appliances of modern life, conduce to the comfort and enjoyment of the family. He has a model home, and enjoys the society of hosts of friends. Dr. Loomis has been three times married; first, Aug. 28, 1849, to Miss Mary D. Mansfield, of Atwater, Ohio. Of this union there were born three children: Emma died at the age of one and onehalf years; Minnie C. still lives at home, and has for ten consecutive years been a teacher in the Burr Oak High School; she is a lady of great culture and refinement. Edgar A. is at present clerk in a dry-goods store at Grand Rapids. Mrs. Mary D. Loomis departed this life at her home at Burr Oak, June 30, 1867. The Doctor, on the 24th of May, 1 ru I Aaftb F ILI-C --- rr r. km — ~C~IIC~~ ----~ILI~l~~ll U —q Ir~ --- —- r. oboe.1C-. aa — IIIIol lols -— a - - ST'. JOSEPH COUNTIY. 349.~~T JOEHCUNY 4 1868, contracted a second matrimonial alliance, with Miss Mary L. Barr, of Atwater, Ohio, who died in 1869. Ie was then married, April 6,1870, to Mrs. AMary A. Van Pelt, of Coldwater, Mich., whose husband was killed at the battle of Stone River, while serving as a soldier in the Union Army. Both Mr. and Mrs Loomis are members in good standing of the Baptist Church, and Dr. L. belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and the Home Self-Protective Association. Politically, he is an uncompromising Republican, and an active and conscientious worker for tie party to which he belongs. He lhas taken special interest in educational matters, and been an honored member of the School Board in Burr Oak Township since its organization in 1863. He was for a number of years Township School Inspector. He is recognized as one of the most useful citizens in his community, still follows his practice, and lives comfortably in one of the most attractive residences of the towiiship. He is a pioneer who has built up for himself a good record, and is in all respects one of whom the county may well be proud. E DWARD GRAY. The history of St. Joseph County would not be complete if a sketch of this gentleman, whose name is here given, should be omitted. Coming as he did to Michigan, and settling in Mottville Township when it was comparatively new, he has taken an important part in bringing about the present prosperous state of affairs. HIe is now living on the farm he originally purchased in 1850, located on section 5, Mottville Township. and containing 150 acres of choice agricultural land, well improved and very productive. The father of our subject, Edward Gray, Sr., was born in Ireland, and came to America about the year 1780, and settled in Northumberland County, Pa. His wife, Ellen (McClanahan) Gray, was also a native of Ireland, and accompanied her husband when he came to the New World. They were the parents of a large family of children, who were nalmed John, Mary, Elizabeth, Edward (our subject), Andrew and Nancy. John was born in IreI:' land, and came to America with his parents, remaining at home until he attained his majority; Mary was born in Ireland, as was also her sister Elizabeth, who came to this country with her parents; Andrew, Edward and Nancy were born in Northumberland County, Pa. Nancy was a dutiful daughter, and resided with her parents until she died, in 1874. When our subject left his native State he came directly to Mottville Township, in 1850, where he purchased the farm on which lie has resided ever since. While in Pennsylvania he learned the trade of a boat builder, and for twenty years was engaged in tlat branch of business, building boats for use on the Pennsylvania Canal. The subject of this sketch and his good wife are the parents of eight children, six of whom are living: Andrew was born May 22, 1836, is a mechanic, and resi(es in Goshen, Ind.; James S. was born on the 6th of April, 1838, is living on the old homestead, and is unmarried; John died when an infant., John Ed(mund was born Jan. 5, 1842, is married, and lives a short distance from the home farm; Elizabeth Ellen was born Feb. 8, 1844, is tnmarrie(d and living with her father, the mistress of his home; William was born July 23, 1846; he is unmrarried and lives at home with his father. Mary J. was born May 28, 1850; she is married to John McTaffer, and is the mother of two children, a son, aged eight years, and a little daughter three years old; they live in the village of Nappanee, Ind. The wife of our subject died Sept. 7, 1877; slie was a devout member of the Dutch Reformed Church. Mr. Gray has held the office of Supervisor in his township for sixteen years in succession; he has also served as Justice of the Peace for two terms. He was a member of the Lutheran Church in the State of Pennsylvania, but in his later years he joined tie Dutch Reformed Church, and has since been a steadfast, earnest member. He is now and has been for many years an Elder in that society. He has been living a retired life for the past seven years, and is a hale and hearty old gentleman, giving a fair promise of enjoying life for many years to come. The sons living at home are operating the farm. While he was in active life there i i i 1 Ii I ii i i I i i i II i I I I Ii I i i i I I i I i i I I I i I I I I I I r ~~d [] ~~~IA~~~~~~~ICI1~~~~qwp 1 -401 am - I rJ~ --- —---------— 0 d"GO1111111111111111 _~-11 1 1~ 0 350 ST. -JOSEPH- COUNTY. 350 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. were but few of his neighbors, if any, who could excel him in energy and ambition. He has always lived a frugal, sober life, anl by his persistent efforts has accumulated a snug competence, and is fully able to enjoy the years that are yet left to him in quiet and rest. 6<I HOMAS REDFEARN. This gentleman, although born across the ocean, is one of the early pioneers of St. Joseph County. He has given the best efforts of his life to agricultural pursuits, and as a reward for his industry and application he has a splendid farm located on sections 2 and 11 in Mottville Township, where he conducts a business of general farming and dairying. Our subject was born in Yorkshire, England, July 2, 1825. His father, John Redfearn, emigrated with his family to America in 1830. and settled in Tamaqua, Pa., where the mother died soon after their arrival. After her death the father left our subject with his uncle, Thomas Gray, and went by way of the ocean around to the delta of the Mississippi River, thence up that stream to Dubuque, Iowa, where he was among the first miners in that region, but was driven from the mines by the Indians, when he enlisted in the Black Hawk War, which lasted but a short time. The subject of this sketch came with his uncle Thomas to St. Joseph County. Mich., in 1834, where the father had come a short time before their arrival. They settled on section 2, Mottville Township, near where the noted Indian chief White Pigeon was buried. Our subject planted a cottonwood tree to mark the spot of the last resting-place of the bones of a noble red man. This tree died of old age, and he planted a black walnut tree in 18t6; it also died, when he planted the noble elm which now marks the Indian's lonely grave. The grave and the tree marking it have been a landmark for many years. The chief whose remains rest beneath this tree, to whose memory it is a fitting monument, was one of the most intelligent Indians of his time; he proved his friendship to the white settlers in many ways. The history of his actions toward them forms one of the most interesting legends connected with the early settlement of our country. The town and surrounding prairie are named in memory of this man and his many good deeds and tried friendship. When the gold fever became epidemic in 1849 our subject, with thousands of others, was attacked, and he went overland with an ox.team to California in that year; tie train with which he was connected was composed of about 100 persons. It was necessary to go in large numbers like this, as a matter of safety against the depredations of the various hostile tribes of Indians, which at that time infested the plains which our travelers were obliged to cross. He remained in the gold mines for two years, when he returned to the States in 1851, via the "Central American" route. Although they experienced many hardships on their way westward overland, those experienced on shipboard on their return were far more desperate and intense. The journey eastward was made in a sailing-brig; they were becalmed so long that their stock of provisions became nearly exhausted, and they were put on short allowance. The water provided was black and dirty, and of that, such as it was, they could not get enough. At the end of the voyage he found himself very weak and emaciated. He quickly recovered and returned to his home in Michigan, and in the spring of 1 852 he bought his present farm of 175 acres, where he has since resided. Mr. Redcfearn was married, on the 28th of March, 1854, to Amelia Hachenburg. They are the parents of four children, three of whom are living, namely: Arthur. Mary A. and Sarah. Sarah is the wife of Albert Potts, and resides in Constantine Township. Mrs. Redfearn has proved herself an able counselor and adviser, and she has contributed largely to the success which they have realized; she has taken special pains with the education and training of her children, and it is through her influence and example that they are so well adapted to hold the honorable positions in society which they do. This is another and apt illustration of the old precept, "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that moves the world," for as parents educate and train their children, so will be the future people of the world, and so the laws of society be made, and as the children of to-day will become the rulers of f '' -4 I i I g ihmb — IW F - I-. III I 1 I I I I 200 — -Iqw- -- I — ki / * MRS.L C.RIFENBERGH. L.C. RIFENBERGH. .._ I I I r I —ol --- —------- f:IS -acrr U- — L ~ - -- L- II --— ll —~-~-~11 -- 1 II M I IIM W- - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 353, l -- ~ -- the future, the mother's care, wisdom and careful training are the force that molds their future destiny. Our subject has a large number of valuable and curious articles, the relics of a people who once inhabited the land, but have now passed away to make room for the present age o)f civilization and progress. The collection contains many articles of stone and copper. including axes, flesh and butcher knives, copper cooking utensils and implements of warfare. Our subject is proud of the fact that lie is one of the pioneers of the county, and that it has been his lot in life to contribute so much to its present prosperity and growth. lIe has a.good command of language, and it is very interesting to hear him describe, in his graphic way, the adventures and hardships endured from the time he started to California until his return. iIe venerates the memory of the Indian chief White Pigeon, and guards the grave holding his remains with a jealous care. The improvements our subject has placed upon his farm are of the most substantial and solid character. His residence is a fine piece of architecture, is nicely and comfortably furnished throughout, is surrounded by a lawn filled with ornamental trees, shrubbery and flowers, and well-kept walks. The barns, cattle sheds and other necessary out-buildings are models of their kind. The entire farm is enclosed and divided into fields of convenient size by substantial and well-kept fences. He devotes his time to general farming, stock-raising and dairying. He is prominent in the Masonic fraternity of White Pigeon, never has sought or held any public office, is public-spirited, and is active in all matters pertaining to the welfare of tile community. E1VI C. RIFENBERGH, a prominent and w ell-to-do farmer and stock-raiser of St. Joseph County, has been a resident of Constantine Township most of the time since 1850,and has been an important factor in developing its agricultural interests. having improved a valuable and highly productive farm on section 6. LHe has erected thereon a substantial set of farm buildings, and has it well supplied with the various conveniences for cultivating the land, gathering in the crops, etc., and his home is one of the most cozy and comfortable in the township. Our subject was born Dec. 29, 1828, in Middlesex, Yates Co., N. Y., being the sixth child in the family of nine children, six sons and three daughters, of George J. and Phebe (Francisco) Rifenbergh. His father, it is supposed, was born in Schenectady County, N. Y., and his mother was also a native of Eastern New York. In the fall of 1845 they came to Michigan, and the erlsuing five years made their home in Oakland County. In 1850 they came to St. Joseph County, and took up their abode in Constantine Township, and passed the remainder of their lives here, the mother dying Jan. 21, 1868, and the father July 15, 1880. Levi Rifenbergh spent his early years on his father's farm in New York, and under his practical guidance gained a thorough knowledge of farming in all its branches. He was seventeen years of age when lie accoml)anied his parents to their new home in this State, in Oakland County. He also came with them to this county in 1850, and with tle exception of two years spent in Cass County has been a resident of Constantine ever since. He has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits, and now owns 210 acres of the finest farming land to )e found within the limits of St. Joseph County, on which he has elected good buildings, and imade various other substantial improvements, and besides this farm he and his wife own fifty-two acres of valuable land in Cass County. Mr. Rifenbergh's ability and skill as a farmer are of a high order, as is shown by the appearance of his well-managed farm an(l the success that he las met in its cultivation, which places him in the front rank of the intelligent and rep)resentative agriculturists of Southern Michigan. Mr. Rifenhergh has been twice married. His first marriage took place in Cass County, May 13, 1854, and was to Miss Harriet Draper, a native of Cass County. She bore him one child, who died in infancy. Mrs. Rifenbergh was a woman of high personal character, and her death, while yet in the bloom of young womanhood, after a brief wedded life, Aug. 23, 1856, in Constantine Township, was a source of sorrow to her friends. Our subject was I I I -,.1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -r ~ J (. I - f-; --- —------,t 1* 'IsDo. A A o r — ~r IL _ * II Ib C-91111111 ~ IIII IIII II)-~1 1l I I -,-:1 8~. k 354 11I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I married to his present wife, formerly Miss Lydia Carr, in Porter Township, Cass County, Nov. 15, 1857. and she has been to him a true helpmate, and a most excellent wife in every sense of the word. She was born in Porter Township, Cass County, Oct. 2, 1838, a daughter of George E. and Polly (Fuller) Carr. Her parents moved from their native State, New York, to Cass County in 1836, and thus became early settlers of the county, where they passed their remaining days. They had a family of nine children, of whom Mrs. Rifenbergh was the fourth in order of birth. To her and her husband have been born nine children, namely: Hattie, the wife of A. B. Hoffman, of Reece, Greenwood Co., Kan.: Henry F., Phylena, Jennie. Jesse and Alnora are all yet under the parental roof. Viola, Loren and Olen are deceased. Mr. Rifenbergh is highly respected and esteemed for his many good qualities of head and heart. Iis reputation is of the best, and both in public and in private life he has ever been found to be a man of principle and honor. Ile has interested himself greatly in township affairs, and has taken part in their management, having served with credit and fidelity in numerous minor offices. In politics he sides with the Democratic party and uses his influence in its behalf. It is with pleasure we present on an adjoining page the portrait of this worthy representative farmer of St. Joseph County. A man of unblemished integrity he is eminently worthy of this honor. As a most fitting companion picture is given that of his estimable wife. ter his arrival. The mother then returned to Buffalo and made her home there, where her death took place about 1841. The early years of Mr. Castle were spent in Sullivan County, N. Y., and he came to Michigan during its Territorial days, while a single man, in 1835. He purchased a tract of wild land on section 13 in Colon Township, where he made his home until his death, his labors being attended with prosperity. He wisely invested his accumulating capital in additional land, and left an estate including 210 acres, with ample farm buildings, machinery and live stock, and all the appurtenances of the modern country home. A glance at his property conveys the idea of plenty and comfort, with ample means and all the good and desirable things of life. The lady who for nearly fifty years was the companion and helpmate of our subject, Miss Mary T. Webster in her girlhood, became his wife April 6, 1837, the wedding taking place at the home of her parents in Colon. The latter were Jesse and Cynthia (Webster) Webster. both natives of Delaware County, N. Y. From the Empire State they removed to Lorain County, Ohio, when Mrs. Castle was a little child five years of age. There the father carried on farming, and died about 1824. Mrs. Webster was subsequently married to Lorenzo Schelhouse, and with her little family accompanied him to this county as early as 1831. It is hardly necessary to state that they were among the earliest pioneers who first ventured into the wilderness and eliminated a homestead from a wild and uncultivated tract of land. Here they spent their last days. The mother lived to the advanced age of eighty-four years, and passed away at her own home in 1875. To Jesse and Mary T. Webster there were born two children only, both daughters-Mary T. and Sarah M. The latter is the widow of Orrin W. Legg, a well-to-do farmer of Colon Township. Mrs. Mary T. Castle was born in Amherst, Lorain Co., Ohio, April 24, 1819. She was twelve years old when her parents came to this county. Her education was acquired in the district school, and she remained with her mother until her marriage. Of her union with our subject there have been born five children: Amelia A. is the widow of Edward 7" TI I ~ 1-~.c-)- - ILLIAM H. CASTLE. The subject of this sketch, who at the close of a wellspent life departed hence, in 1887, was born in Litchfield, Conn., April 12, 1811. He was a son of Isaac and Phebe (Beech) Castle, who were natives of the same State. Upon leaving New England they made their way to the vicinity of Buffalo, N. Y., and thence came to this county during its pioneer days. The father here had in view the building up of a homestead, but his plans were cut short by his death, which took place six weeks af Qo- 0 IrI-p-~ 1-11131 - - C~~c-~'~a-I~-~~- L V. - I I IL.-99-0 ll- III IN BP- I-~~I -~s ~ I-ll-L~3 I.~-Ce - - -.ISI~-3L~ r —~r ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 355 4 Strunk, of Leonidas Township, this county; Isaac H. is farming in Merrick County, Neb.; Willie F. died at the age of five years; Henry B. died when a bright lad of thirteen years; Jesse L. is farming in Colon Township. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Castle has superintended the operations of the farm. She has long borne the reputation of a lady of more than ordinary ability, and is amply fitted to look after the valuable estate left her by her husband. She has witnessed with interest the many changes transpiring during her residence of sixty years in this county, and none have rejoiced more heartily at the evidences of its wealth and prosperity. She has performed her part well as a wife, mother and friend, and is held in warm esteem by a large number of people throughout this region. She has been identified with the Baptist Church since 1858 with her husband, and through their united efforts and liberality it has attained much of its present standling to-day. MI. Castle was Clerk of the church society for a period of thirty years. Politically, he conscientiously supported the principles of the Democratic party. Hie held tile various township offices during his younger years, and invariably signified his willingness to aid by his means and influence every worthy enterprise in connection with its welfare and prosperity. The children have grown up to be an honor to their parents. w EORGE DICKINSON. We are glad to be able to place on these pages a brief record of the life of the gentleman whose name heads this sketcl, as he is a fine representative of the native-born citizens of St. Joseph County, who are now among its most practical anud enterprising farmers and stock-growers, and upon whom has fallen to a great extent tlle honor of sustaining its large agricultural interests. A son of one of its earliest settlers, born almost in the first decade of its settlement, when it had scarcely begun to merge from its primitive wildness, ie may be said to have grown up with the county, within whose limits his entire life has been spent, and where he built himself and family a home that in all its appointments and surroundings is one of the most comfortable and attractive in the vicinity of its location. He is, as we have intimated, prominently identified with the stock and grain growers of the county, making a specialty of raising fine horses, owning and managing a valuable farm on section 31, Florence Township, the place of his birth. The subject of this sketch is a son of George and Sarah (Bowman) Dickinson, natives of England, the father born in the town of Stockton. They emigrated to this country in 1831, and the following year found them among the primeval forests of Southern Michigan, seeking a home in St. Josepl County. They were not married until after their arrival in this county. Mr. Dickinson, after his removal here, carried the mail on horseback from White Pigeon to Three Rivers, and lie was also engaged in driving a stage for a number of years. In 1834 he and a brother bought a tract of land, comprising 180 acres, from the Government and from four individuals, and from that time until his death in 1861 he was active in developing the rich agricultural resources of St. Joseph County. While thus promoting tie growth of the county, he was prospered in his work, accumulated a valuable property and improved a fine farm. He lived respected, having led an upright life, and he (lied lamented, as he was a good citizen, a kind neighbor, and always pleasant in his family relations. He went to take part in the Black Hawk War, but at the end of three (days, not being neede(l, the company was disbanded. He never touched tobacco, and always used his influence to discourage the use of it in others. His worthy wife. Mrs. Sarah (Johnson) Dickinson, died in January, 1867. She was the mother of six children, three sons and three daughters, all of whom are married and living in St. Joseph County, except Mary Bowman, who is deceased. Mrs. )lckinson was first married to John Bowman, in Yorkshire, England, which was the place of her birth, as well as that of our subject's father. By this first marriage one child, a daughter, was born, Mary Ann, who became the wife of J. J. Davis, of White Pigeon. George Dickinson, Jr., is the second child and eldest son of these good people, and he was born I -I4 I '.qr I __ I... -11 e I II, I I - ~I s - p. A. I _ w i t I - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - 16-1r( "~-I c 'II~ _-JCII I —__, _-le -~1 -1111~~1 A 356 ST. JO0 in Florence, St. Joseph County, Jan. 22, 1839. I spent his boyhood days on the old homester where he first saw the light of day, and his educ tion was conducted in the schools of White Pigec a part of the time in a select school. After his fathei death our subject assisted in settling up the esta and dividing the property, in which he had an i terest. He entered into possession of his prese farm April 1, 1880, and has ever since managed with good financial results. It comprises 196 acr of highly tilled and very productive land, admir bly adapted to mixed farming, to which Mr. Dic inson devotes himself, with what success may 1 noted in tire rich grain fields, yielding abunda harvests, and in the sleek and well-kept cattle ar fine-bred horses roaming in his pastures. The far is well supplied with neat and tasty buildings f all purposes, and everything about the place wea an air of thrift and plenty. Aside from the ma agement of his farming interests Mr. Dickins( does business as an agent for agricultural impl ments for Mr. Deere, of Moline, Ill., and has t)e very active in introducing these implements in the county. Mr. Dickinson was married, March 10, 1864, Lydia. daughter of George and Frances (ArneJ Hardy. H-er father was born in England and h mother in Vermont, and they were among the ear settlers of St. Joseph County, coming here in 183 Mrs. Dickinson was born in Lockport Townshi this county, May 12, 1839, and lived with her paren until she married an(d gained a home of her ow Their marriage has been blessed to our subject an his excellent wife by the birth of five children, foi of whom are living: Carrie E., born Jan. 13, 186 married Edward Hotchin, of Florence; George 1-1 born July 26, 1868, lives at home; Sarah F., bor Feb. 9,1870; May, July 16,1872; Ernest L.,bor Sept. 18, 1875, (lied Sept. 22, 1887. Mr. Dickil son and family occupy a high standing in this con munity, and they are all valued members of tl Methodist Episcopal Church at White Pigeon. Tt pleasant abode of our subject and wife is the sceI of a generous hospitality, and its inmates are ofte called upon to welcome the coming and speed tl parting guest, as they number many friends amon their acquaintances. Mr. Dickinson is a man ( ~EP I — H COUNTY. -] much shrewd foresight and keen enterprise. possessing a resolute will and a sound understanding. His geniality, tact, and obliging manners, have won him a warm place in the hearts of his neighbors. Politically, Mr. Dickinson is a stanch Republican, heartily in favor of the policy of his party. S~_ AMUEL EARLY. Occupying a proud place among the names of those who have contriluted so much toward making the State of Michigan such a proud member of the great family of States of the American nation, there are none more conspicuous than that of the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. IHe now resides in Mottville Village, where he transacts business as a merchant, carrying a stock of goods adapted to the needs of the country. lThe subject of this sketch was born in Northumberland County, Pa., Sept. 24, 1824. The father, David Early, was a native of Lancaster County, Pa., where he was born in 1768, and followed farming for many years. lie was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. Hle died at the residence of his son, our subject, in St. Joseph County, Mich. The mother's name was Elizabetll (Frees) Early. She was born in New Jersey in 1762. She (lied at a ripe old age. John, brother i of our subject, was born in Northumnberland County, Pa., in 1822; he is a farmer, now residing in Cass County, Mich. lis brother William was born in Pennsylvania in 1826, and died in the county of lris birth. Rebecca was born in Pennsylvania in 1817, and died at the age of fifty-three years. The wife of Richard Jones, of Pennsylvania, she was the mother of four children, one only surviving. Adaline was born in Northumberland County, Pa., in 1831, and was married to Jerry I)yer, who is a farmer in that State. Mr. Early was married to Miss Margaret Gray, Sept. 27, 1844. This lady was a native of Northumberland County, Pa., where she was born in 1827. The early days of our subject were not passed in p)aths of ease and pleasure, but, on the contrary, were filled with many troubles and much hard labor. When old enough to handle a team he was II~I1I I 00C~'-C -~IIC0-4I-~II~ -~1~lC I I"C _I — qr -~T f I I I 11h. 3;: i ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 33 7 the driver of a stage. In the year 1841 lie was a "towboy" on the Pennsylvania Canal, and was the driver of the team attached to the boat that carried the remains of President William Henry Harrison from Harrisburg, Pa., to Clark's Ferry, on the way westward to his final resting-place on the banks of the Ohio River. IHe recalls distinctly the many expressions of regret and sorrow shown by the people along the route. Public buildings and private residences were draped with all the sad paraphernalia of mourning, and when the boat passed people would stand with bowed and uncovered heads until it had passed from sight. The boat that carried the remains was named "General Jackson." Our subject followed canal and stage driving for three years, when he asked for leave of absence, intending to come to the great Northwest, which request was granted. He wrote his employers that if he did not come back in three weeks they might think lie had said good-bye. lie came to Mottville, St. Joseph County, and then went to Bristol and engaged in keeping a hotel. At the end of one year lie sold his hotel interest, and returned to Mottville and engaged in farming, which lie followed for twelve years. In this he was prosperous, and accumulated a goodly store of this world's effects. Leaving his farm, he moved into Mottville Village, but having been accustomed to an active, stirring life, lie could not obtain his own consent to remain in idleness, so lie purchased a stock of dry-goods, boots, shoes and groceries, and commenced business as a merchant. This venture proving very successful, Mr. Early found a good opportunity of disposing of it to an acquaintance from California, after which he returned to Bristol and purchased the Western Hotel. After conducting this hotel awhile he sold it to Joseph Wheeler and returned to Mottville, after which lhe was out of active business for a short time. Ile then purchased another general stock of goods and opened a store, in which he is located to-day. Ile is doing a good business, and is considered a good, straightforward, prosperous man. Ile is also Postmaster at this point. Mr. Early loves to tell to his customers and friends the history of his past life, and being a fluent talker and having a good command of language, his descriptions of many of the adventures of that time, describld in his exceeclingly graphic manner, are highly entertaining, and do not fail to enlist the entire attention of the listener. IIe has a nice home, comfortably furnished, situated in the midst of pleasant surroundings, and now in the evening of his life he is enable to enjoy t that which was denied him in his earlier years. To our subject and his wife were born eight children, seven girls and one boy, four of whom are now living. Mary Jane is the wife of C. Kohler, and resides in Elkhart, Ind.; Martha A., now the wife of Ira Sloan, resides in Three Rivers, Mich.; Sarah Belle is the wife of J. II. Madden, and lives in Mottville, Mich., and Lucinda is residing with her parents, and is the only child at home. She clerks in her father's store, has received a good common-school education, and is a fine penswoman. W. TEAL, one of the pioneer settlers of Burr Oak Township, came to this county in 1872, and located upon the land which conprises his present homestead. A native of Yorkshire, England, he was born Jan. 2, 1814, and is the son of John and Nancy Teal, who spent their entire lives in their native England. At the age of fourteen years our subject was apprenticed to a sea captain on a lumber vessel, the "Tilton," with which he sailed about three years. During this time he made four trips between England and the Dominion of Canada. On their last voyage they came very near being shipwrecked, and the vessel was declared unseaworthy. Shortly afterward, in 1833, young Teal took up his abode in New York City, and was employed about the wharf nearly a year. Thence he went to Oneida County, where he was variously employed, sometimes as a boat hand, sometimes as a grocery clerk, and whatever he could find to do. He finally migrated to the vicinity of Cold water, Mich., and thence to Lagrange County, Ind., where he purchased forty acres of land. This was all timber, which he cleared away, brought the soil to a state.H4. on- I MINN - --- - -1-~1-l-~ I.~ — ~C~ - sh-- -p- I I F-4 slc r 0 — m — -- I wTI I ' 3;53 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. of cultivation, and added forty acres to his first purchase. In due time he was the owner of 120 acres, and continued there for a period of twelve years, then came to this county. Mr. Teal has been twice married first, in!837, to Miss Ruth Pilbeam, a native of England, and the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Pilbeam, who spent their entire lives there. This lady died at her home, in 1867, after having been his faithful wife and helpmate for a period of thirty years. The present wife of our subject, to whom he was married in 1870, was formerly Miss Caroline AI. Mellon, at that time of Lagrange County, In(l. Mrs. Caroline Teal is the daughter of Arthur and Rachel Mellon. Of this union there have been born seven children-Olive, Mary Jane, John William, Arthur, Hattie, Caroline and George. Mr. Teal, politically, was in earlier years an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party. Of late, however, he has taken but little interest in politics. Ile served as Justice of the Peace in Lagrange County, Ind., a number of terms, and in Burr Oak has been Street Commissioner and a member of the Town Council. He is a reliable and substantial citizen, a man of strict integrity, and one generally respected among his neighbers.;UDGE WILLIAM CONNOR. Upon the 11th day of July, 1803, there was born in one of the prettiest farmhouses in Hillsboro County, N. H., a child who shortly afterward received the name which stands at the head of this sketch, who, in the years which have succeeded, has abundantly justified the rejoicings of which he was the occasion at that time. In the above county our subject spent his early days, occupied with the sports and pastimes incident to childhood, and gradually taking his place amidst the sterner duties of youth and manhood. Young Connor remained in his native county until 1828, when, starting out for himself, he came West as far as Detroit, remaining there a short time, as he did also in the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. He acted in the capacity of a pedagogue during the winter of 1828-29, and in the _ _ spring came to what is now St. Joseph County to look at the lay of the land. The surroundings meeting, if not indeed surpassing, his highest expectations, lie purchased eighty acres in Nottawa Township. IHe then returned to Ypsilanti, and commenced teaching school, but Sept. 1, 1829, located permanently upon his land in Nottawa Township, where lie is one of the old time residents. It is through tie energy and self-sacrifice of such men as Mr. Connor that St. Joseph County is indebted for her present prosperous condition. In the election of 1836 Mr. Connor was elected Judge of the Probate Court, but resigned in 1837. He has also been County Commissioner, and a menmber of the County Board of Supervisors for nearly twenty years. Beyond the good which lie might accomplish in his own community, in discharging the duties of an unsalaried office, lie has no aspirations for political preferment. Judge Connor manifested his interest in the upbuilding of the county by superintending the erection of its present court house, and also that of the county jail, which shows him to be able to take his place as an able worker in any department. Judge Connor was united in marriage, in 1835, with Mrs. Sarah Ann (Rapalje) Wicks, who only survived her wedding seven months. In due time our subject was the second time married, to Miss A. Powers, who bore him four children, namely: Mark W.; Clara A., who is the wife of R. C. Barnard; HIelen J., now Mrs. C. A. Ensign; and Clinton M., now deceased. Mrs. A. Connor departed this life in 1869. Politically, our subject does not meddle in politics, otherwise than to cast his vote at the National elections. / ILLIAM M. WATKINS. Among the many well-to-do and highly respected citizens of Leonidas Township is the gentleman whose biography is here presented in outline. His residence is upon section 21, where he owns 190 acres. His father, Levi Watkins, came from Ontario County, N. Y., to this county, in the fall of 1832, and built his house on the Nottawa Creek, in this township, in November of that year, and there made a _b — _ __ _.WI I I lI I ~1111- I — ~ --- II_ I -r -~ I I= ~ %~ T-A I L a E- I I I M ST. JOSEI his home until his death in 1851. His wife, whose maiden name was Lucina Kibbee, died on the 19th of February, 1862. They were the parents of four sons and two daughters, of whom our subject was the youngest. Levi Watkins was one of the leading citizens in his district. He built the first bridge across the St. Joseph River, between Mottville, St. Joseph County, and Jonesville, Hillsdale County. He was a man who took the deepest interest in the welfare of the community of which he was a resident, was intelligent, active and reliable. It was his endeavor in his family to so train and develop the various powers of his children as to make them of use in the world, and capable of taking their places, so as to leave it better than they found it. The subject of our sketch was born in Naples, Ontario Co., N. Y., on the 17th of August, 1816, and was there until he was about sixteen years of age. Hle then accompanied his parents to this State. Ile attended the Naples schools, and returned from Michigan to Naples to attend school in the fall of 1833, remaining until the following June. In 1838 he also attended a branch of the State University, located at White Pigeon, from December, 1838, until March 1, 1840. Leaving school, our subject went to Texas, where he engaged in clerking until the spring of 1841, when he returned home, where he has lived ever since with the exception of the four years that lie was Sheriff of the county. Then he lived at Centreville. Mr. Watkins is the owner of 190 acres of choice land, and has also erected a very fine dwelling. In November, 1866, he was re-elected Sheriff of the county. He has also held the offices of Township Clerk, Supervisor, and Justice of the Peace, which latter he has held almost continuously since 1864. IIe was elected Township Clerk in 1843, and in July, 1892, his present term of office as Justice of the Peace will expire. Ile is also one of the leading members of the State Agricultural Society and a member of the St. Joseph's Mutual Fire Insurance Company, from which it will be seen that lie is certainly very actively engaged in the interests of the community. Furthermore, in the matter of railroads Mr. Watkins has been no less interested. He aided largely PH1 COUNTY. 359 ' i ~ ~ ~ ~ - in putting through this section of the county the St. Louis, Sturgis & Battle Creek Railroad, and also the Air-Line Road. Ile now lives a retired life, and is enjoying the competency he has accumulated and the well-nighi perfect health with which it is his happiness to be blessed, and which was only marred by the result of an accident, that occurred at Leonidas, in the year 1888, by which his left foot was crushed. On the 26th of October, 1841, the subject of our sketch and Miss Barbara E. Iill were united in marriage. This lady is a native of Manchester, Ontario Co., N. Y., where she was born Feb. 24, 1821. There have been born to them eight children, five of whom are living, viz: Edward W., Marcus L., Levi II., Emery O. and Eva. Eva is the wife of Fred B. Greenleaf. Those deceased are Ida M., Sarah and Marcia A. Ida and Sarah died when young; Marcia was born in 1844, and died in 1887, after a happy married life of seven years. tHer husband was Phineas J. Simons. Mr. Watkins is identified with the Masonic fraternity, and is a member of the Blue Lodge at Colon, the Centreville Chapter, and Three Rivers Commandery. lie has been a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church since 1846, as has also his wife. Both take the greatest possible interest in religious and educational institutions, and not infrequently have they filled offices in connection therewith. Politically, our subject is a stanch Republican. - b;9A - LI --- -- - L ON OLNEY, deceased. This gentleman was one of the worthy and esteemed citizens of Leonidas Township. lie was the son of the late Joseph Olney, and was born in Mendon Township, this county, Aug. 7, 1844. His early life was spent upon the farm, and he engaged in agriculture throughout his life. He was a man of shrewd intelligence, with a large capacity for work, possessed of many social virtues, and a general favorite. Although not a professor of religion, he was a man of high moral character, and directed his life according to the precepts of Christianity. He had been careful to bring his farm to a high ""-~srrlplipp --- —-. --- —---- - —. -_- -1 11 1- s - -- -- - r - ~C _ S O I I I I I i,- * 4 in 360 ST..JOSEPH COUNTY. i state of cultivation, to have it fully supplied with substantial buildings, and also provided for his family a pleasant and comfortable home. IIe was in the full prime of manhood when he was stricken by death, which was caused by measles. This saddening event came to his family on the 15th of March. 1887. Mr. Olney was united in marriage, in Nottawa Township, to Mary Post, on the 10th of January, 1871. Tllis excellent lady was the daughter and fourth child of Russell and Ruth (Trusdale) Post, who, after their marriage, settled in Nottawa Township, Mr. Post having come to this county and made it his home at a very early date. There he died in 1873. Their family included nine clildren, five of whom were sons. Mrs. Olney was born in Nottawa Township, March 17, 1844. She was educated in the schools of the district, and there made her home until her marriage. There have been given to our subject and his wife five children, whose names are recorded as follows: Sarah, Georgiana, Leroy, Clarence and Glenn. When the dark cloud of bereavement overshadowed the home, it was a somber background that only threw into more striking relief the character and many womanly virtues of Mrs. Olney, who, throughout all her trials, exhibited a most beautiful spirit of Christian patience and affectionate trust. G EORGE M. SIDES is identified with the industrial interests of St. Joseph County as a kI., carriage painter, decorator and paper hanger, and is actively engaged at his trade in Colon, where he is prospering, and has a pleasant, attractive home. He is the son of Dr. Sides, whose biography appears on another page of this work. He was born in Lewistown, Pa., in 1850, and was but a boy of six years when he came with his parents to Michigan to settle in their new home in Colon. I-e was reared here and had the benefit of an education in the excellent schools of this town. He was of an independent, energetic turn of mind, and being anxious to make his own way in the world, when but fifteen years old commenced to learn the trade at which he is now engaged, and in 1868 went to Three Rivers in pursuance of his calling. In 1869 he went to work for Mr. Shepard, of Battle Creek, and remained in his employ for four years. He also worked for Upson & Brown, of the same place, for two years. Iie then found employment in the establishment of E. Clapp, carriage-maker, of Battle Creek, with whom he staid for two and one-half years. With all this experience he became a superior workman, and was highly prized by his employers for his intelligence, efficiency and trustworthiness. Mr. Sides returned to C(lon in 1882, and established himself at his trade, and has been working at it ever since. By his steady devotion to his business he has made money, for as an expert in his line his services are in constant demand, and he never fails to find work when others are forced to be idle. Mr. Sides has been twice married. His first wife, to whom he was united in 1872, in Battle Creek, was Miss Cora Lobdell, a native of Battle Creek. She was born in 1850, the third in a family of four daughters of Jacob B. and Maria (Knapp) Lobdell. IHer parents were natives of New York, and were among the early settlers of Battle Creek, where her father, who was known as a patent-right man, followed his trade of carpenter. The pleasant wedded life of our subject with his first wife was of brief duration, as she died Jan. 7, 1879, after lingering some fifteen months in consumption. She was a lady of superior culture, a graduate of the Battle Creek High School, and was conversant with the French and German languages. She had a frank, generous disposition, and was well beloved by all who knew her. Mr. Sides' second marriage, which occurred April 14, 1886, was to Miss Rebecca Liddle, a native of Colon Township. Mrs. Sides was born in September, 1860, and was the fifth in a family of six children born to Gilbert and Rebecca (Weston) Liddle, natives of Meadville, Pa. They came to Michigan in the very early days of its settlement by the white man, Indians still lingering in the country when they came. Detroit, then a small place, and Cleveland, Ohio, were the nearest towns. Mr. Liddle settled on land which he procured from the Government, and from the primeval forest that then prevailed in this part of the State he built up Id d 1^] -qL _IrCr lwe r = i L Obo _I I -I -— I I —~ -YCII-~ I I ---- -I - P.- II _ _I -— _ - I I~,ia( ~b~I lrr rr-s -' ~ _ t -I — ~I l r~I rI4 U7-, lE ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 361 --— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ a home. lie died in July, 1884, at an advanced age, thus rounding out a useful and busy life. His wife resides on the old homestead in Colon. Mrs. Sides lhad two half-brothers who took part in the war, the Henry M. Liddle Post, of Colon, being named in honor of one of them. Mrs. Sides is a woman of line character, of pleasing manners, and makes their home comfortable and cheery for her husband, and for their numerous friends, with whom they often share its hospitalities. Mr. Sides stands high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens, as he is a man of unexceptionable habits, of a sturdy and independent character, and in all the relations of life, as son, brother, husband, he is.all that can be desired. lie takes an intelligent interest in politics, and affiliates with the Republican party. LLIAM IIINKLE, deceased, who was a \ resident of Mendon Township since April, W\V 1869, by his life of industry and economy accumulated a comfortable property, and during hlis last years lived retired from active labor at his pleasant homestead on section 16. lie owned about ninety-five acres of good land, where he erected a substantial set of frame buildings, and gathered about himself and his family the thousand little comforts and conveniences so essential to their welfare and happiness. The household includes a highly intelligent wife and three children, all at home, forming a family group amply worthy of representation in a work which will claim the attention of scores of the best citizens of this county, whose history it is designed to perpetuate. In the years to come a future generation will turn these leaves with more than a passing interest, and note the names of those who have been prominent in the progress and development of St. Joseph County. Among them the Hinkle family will occupy their rightful position. Our subject was the scion of an excellent family, a native of York County, Pa., and in which county, when reaching man's estate, he formed the acquaintance of a most estimable lady, Miss Matilda Hites, with whom he was united in marriage March 24, 1844. Mrs. Ilinkle was a native of Crawford County, and was born March 1, 1820. They remained residents of their native State until 1866, making their home on a farm in -Iayfield Township, Crawford County, afterward removing to Fairview Township, Erie County, where our subject engaged successfully in the pursuit of agriculture. In the spring of the year above mentioned, deciding to try the experiment of life in the West, they removed to Lagrange County, Ind., where they sojourned a period of three years. The spring of 1869 found them settled in Mendon Township, this county, where they have since lived. Our subject and his excellent wife watched with deep interest the growth and development of Southern Michigan, and bore no unimportant part in bringing Mendon Township to its present status, having built up one of the best farms within its limits, fulfilling the idea of the Sage of Chappaqua, that a moderate extent of land well cultivated is more desirable than a large area partially neglected. Their little farm is therefore more valuable than many embracing a larger acreage. Mr. I-inkle, the eldest of nine children, was born in York County, Pa., May 12, 1820, and was the son of Andrew and Catherine (Shue) Hinkle, who were also natives of the Keystone State, the father being born in the eastern part. After marriage the parents settled in York County, but later removed to Erie County, and after having lived in different places in Pennsylvania, removed from Erie County to Lagrange County, Ind., where the mother died about 1873. The father later came to the home of his son William in Mendon Township, where he spent his last days, passing away about 1884. There are living seven children of the parental family, most of them making their homes in the West. Mrs. H-inkle is the daughter of Jacob and Mary Hites, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and are now deceased. They spent the greater part of their lives in Crawford County, Pa. The home circle included eight children, five of whom are living. To Mr. and Mrs. Hinkle there were born nine children in Pennsylvania. Their sons and daughters were named respectively: Andrew J., George 6 I I i i i i I 6 I _ — Iqww m 11 - I al..- L, -"de. — I -Es --- 4 ko I:-"VWb II 362 -1 - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. W., Mary C., Martha P., Jacob W., Amos S., Matilda A., Melinda E. and Winfield S. The eldest is forty-three years of age, and the youngest twentyfive. All are residents of Mendon but three daughters, who are married, and living in Indiana, Ohio and California respectively. After his marriage, and while a resident of Erie County, Pa., Mr. Hinkle suffered quite a loss in the destruction of his dwelling and household goods by fire. 1)uring his early manhood he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed a number of years, but later preferred to give his attention to agricultural pursuits. -Ie cast his first Presidential vote for Henry Clay, being a member of the Whig party until identifying himself with the Republicans, to whose principles he gave his unqualified support. Ile held the minor offices of his township, and was an active member of the Christian Church for many years. A man prompt to meet his obligations, and one whose opinions are generally respected, he formed one of the most important factors of a community more than ordinarily intelligent and progressive. Dec. 13, 1888, he was stricken with paralysis from which he never rallied, and peacefully passed away December 22, aged sixty-eight years, seven months and ten days. J l OHN W. HARRISON, a prominent and wellto-do citizen of Florence Township, was for many years actively identified with its leading interest, that of agriculture. He still retains a general supervision of his farm, on section 29, which is justly considered one of the most valuable in the township, but he has retired from the more severe labors connected with its management, and he and his estimable wife are enjoying the handsome competence that they have accumulated by their united labors. Mr. Harrison's father, John Harrison, was early identified with the pioneers of St. Joseph County, and was for many years a leading citizen of Constantine, where he had a large farm, taking a conspicuous part in public affairs, and doing a great deal toward its development. Our subject being reared amid the primitive scenes of pioneer life, has many interesting incidents to relate of the brave, sturdy, generous, self-sacrificing people who first came here to subdue the primeval forests of Southern Michigan. and on this rich soil build up homes for themselves, their children, and their children's children. Many of them were poor, and had a hard struggle for existence. Owing to the breaking up of so much new land, the country was very unhealthful, which caused much sickness, and these people were very dependent on each other. Notwithstanding the privations and hardships they had to undergo, they were uniformly cheerful, friendly and social, and many were the good times that they contrived to have to lighten the tedium of life. They were contented, and made the best of their circumstances, and so it happened that many of the leading people, even, went to church barefooted, and tie sensible women did not trouble themselves about tie prevailing styles of bonnets, but wore handkerchiefs on their heads when they attended divine service. The parents of our subject were born in England, the former in the town of Waxholrne, Nov. 6, 1796, and the latter in Hull, in 1792. They were married Sept. 23, 1819, in their native country, and continued to reside there for several years. In 1835 they concluded to emigrate with their family to America, and after a voyage of seven weeks landed in New York, and were soon after on a boat in the Erie Canal, that great highway of the Western pioneers, bound for Michigan, coming by way of the lakes from Buffalo to Detroit. Mr. Harrison left his family in that city, and taking a stage, crossed the intervening wild country to St. Joseph County, where he bought a farm in Constantine Township, andl then returned for his wife and children. After settling on his land, a part of which was improved, he rented it until his sons were old enough to carry it on. In 1868 he sold his extensive and valuable farm and moved into the village of Constantine. About two years before his death, which was Dec. 2, 1868, at the age of seventy-two years and twenty-five days. he disposed of his property, and spent his last days with his son, our subject. Mr. Harrison was a man whose high character, strong common sense and shrewdness made his presence in the councils of his I ii:kkl to 'A 4 IA I a _IU I_ ____ _ ____I I; _ 1__11 _ I gj 14~11 — 1 Illr~ ~~I- Ilrr. II ~ I~ -v-w 1 f ST. JOS~EPHI COUNTY. 363 z_ _. = t I fellow-townsmen almost indispensable, and for sixteen years he was Supervisor of Constantine Township, still retaining that position after he became a resident of the village, anti, indeed, until about two years before his death, when he came to Florence to make his home with our subject. His wife passed away in Constantine, Mich., Oct. 25, 1866. They had five childlren, four of whom were living when they came to America, as follows: Eleanor, born July 5, 1825, died in Florence, Jan. 25, 1850; John William, tie subject of this sketch, born Nov. 25, 1828; Thomas, born Sept. 12, 1830, lives in Constantine; Mansfield, born Jan. 25, 1835, died Feb. 8, 1851. John W. Harrison, of this sketch, was reared in Constantine on the old homestead, and the pioneer influences that he obtained in the early days of his youth molded his character into boldness, strength and self-reliance, whereby he has been enabled to make Ins own way in the world, and attain to a position of prominence in its social and business circles, as represented in Southern Michigan. He remained in his father's home in Constantine Township until he was married, Aug. 23, 1854,being the date of that important step in his life. He was then united to Miss Ellen, daughter of John and Mary Burnlham, natives of England. The father was born in Yorkshire, in 1800, and the mother in England, in 1803. They migrated to this country and settled in St. Joseph County, in 1831, and here the father died Aug. 28, 1832, a few weeks after his arrival in this country. His wife died Jan. 28, 1853. They had two children, the wife of our subject, and Anna, who was born June 22, 1831, became the wife of Henry Sevison, and died Feb. 7, 1857. Mrs. Harrison was born in England, April 28, 1829. The pleasant home circle of herself and her husband is completed by the presence of the three sons and three daughters who have blessed their union, of whom the following is recorded: John B., born April 4, 1858; Edward, Aug. 23, 1860; William, March 27, 1863; Mary Eleanor, April 25, 1865; Annie Elizabeth, Feb. 14, 1868; Minnie, Oct. 28, 1871. After marriage Mr. Harrison commenced farming on the farm he still owns. It comprises 200 acres of as fertile and highly productive land as is to be I found in the county; is amply supplied with substantial buildings and farm lmachinery, and is well stocked, as he has devoted i uch time to that branch of agriculture, although not to the neglect of his grain fields, where lie has reaped many abundant harvests. Hle has now retired from the active labors of farm life, merely supervising and planning the work to be do(ne. His long residence in this country has given him a wide experience in farming, and he has witnessed many changes, noticeably in the wonderful improvement of the machinery which so lightens the labors of the farmers. He remembers when wheat in the early times commanded 83 a bushel, and the holders would not let it go out of the county. but kept it for their neighbors who had none. Mr. Iarrison and his family are members of the Reformed Churhll of Constantine, and they are ever foremost in all the good and charitable works that are carried forward in this community. Mr. Harrison is accounted one of Florence's most reliable and trustworthy citizens, and he has been called upon to fill some of its most responsible offices, having been Supervisor and Highway Commissioner. IHe is a prominent member of the social organizations of the F. & A. M., and of the P. of H. In politics he is a thorough Republican. EORGE W. SPALSBURY, M. D., whose skill in his profession is attested by the many patients who seek his aid, was born in Kingston, Canada, on the 11th of March, 1821. While he was yet an infant his parents removed to Jefferson County, N. Y., and there are laid the scenes of his childhood, youth and early manhood. He attended the common schools, and afterward took a course in the High School, which occupied him until he was about twenty years of age. From eighteen to twenty-four years of age he was engaged in teaching school during the winter seasons, and showed no little talent in that direction. In 1843 the subject of our sketch began the study of medicine, reading first with Prof. Amasa Trowbridge, of Watertown, N. Y. He remained with that gentleman for about three years, during which ST~~~_. JO.P CUT. 363_ I i i i i i I ~_~ — Iqww r U- 9 "sF" —'-vlip- - I-~~ I~I -— ~II~ Irl --- -- r ~ ~ -I Ir I ~ I I ~~~ - M.- a I od C A k o - I i i I II Ti C I-f -- - -- -- f f i-~L —._.~~ — 364 ST. JOSEPtI COUNTY. -__t --- — time, however, lie attended lectures at Willoughby, Ohio,, and a second course at Berkshire Medical College, at Pittsfield, from which institution he was graduated in the fall of 1847. The Doctor first olpened an office in Lo( us, Wayne Co., N. Y., where he remained until the year 1856. and then removed to Three Rivers, in this State, entering into partnership with Dr. S. L. Herrick, and continued in that relation for about a year and a half. In the spring of 1859 he came to Leonidas Township, where he has been ever since, actively engaged in the practice of his profession. He is everywhere highly esteemed as a physician, and enjoys the full confidence of the people. In September, 1851, the subject of our sketch was married, in Lodus, N. Y., the lady who gave him her hand upon that occasion being Miss Silby Ann White, who was born in Columbia County, N. Y. She has become the mother of three children, whose names are: Ella, now Mrs. Eugene D. Barron, of Three Rivers, and DeWitt and )uane. who are twins. Duane is at Kalamazoo, where he is engaged in learning the drug business. His brother is a student in the dental department in the University of Ann Arbor. Dr. Spalsbury is the second in a family of eight children, six of whom were sons, and all of whom are living. Although lie has made his way thus far in his profession, enjoying a large and lucrative practice, and is honored in the community, he is not idle, but gives good attention to the keeping up of his medical studies, so that he may be abreast of the times in the treatment of his patients. I ) OBERT S. GRIFFITH is an honored citizen p Hi of Fabius Township, with whose agricult] U\/- ural interests he is prominently identified, )both as a farmer and a stock-raiser. He is the owner of one of the valuable farms for which this section is somewhat noted. It is finely located on section 18, and its well-tilled, productive acres have amply repaid the care and money that le has bestowed upon them. Mr. Griffith was born in Buckingham Township, Bucks Co., Pa., Jan. 11, 1824, and is a son of Joseph and Mary (Scarborough) Griffith, the father a native of Wales, and the mother of that part of Pennsylvania included in William Penn's grant. The mother was of Quaker antecedents, her people belonging to that denomination, and her ancestry coming from England to settle in Pennsylvania at an early day in its colonial history. They had a family of thirteen children, of whom our subject was the eldest. IIe was reared on a farm and received the benefit of a fair education, such as his father could afford to give him in those days, before free schools were known. Ile worked by the month some before he was allowed to start out in life for himself. Being an active, enterprising youth, at the age of nineteen he bought his time of his father, paying him the sum of $125. He was married, March 20, 1851, to Miss 8usan Cox, daughter of Jonas and Elizabeth (Larue) Cox. Following is a short chronological record of her parents and their chlildren: Jonas Cox was born on the 15th day of October, 1797. Elizabeth Larue was born on the 20th day of August, 1797. They were united in marriage at Fallsington, Bucks Co., Pa., on the 15th of April, 1819. Jonas Cox died on the 19th of December, 1834. Elizabeth, his wife, survived him many years, dying on the 11th of May, 1869. Their union was productive of eight children, as follows: Sarah was born on the 7th of February, 1820, and died on the 10th of March, 1845; John L. was born on the 17th of July, 1821; Hannah, on the 1st of September, 1823; Ellwood, on the 29th of May, 1825; Mary Ann L., on the 13th of February, 1827; Susanna, wife of our subject, on the 30th of March, 1829; Samuel li. was born on the 8th of June, 1831, and died on the 20th of September, 1833; Elizabeth was born on the 30th of March, 1834. John L. Cox married Catherine Itiles, who was born on the 27th of April, 1838. Two children have been born of that marriage: Joseph, on the 6th of May, 1858, and Charles W., on the 28th of September, 1863. For two years after his marriage our subject was employed as a day laborer. Hle was economical and thrifty, and carefully saving his earnings bought a horse, and went into debt for another, and thus equipped rented some land and was industriously engaged in farming it for four years.,r I I i I i 3 i i i iI i i i I I M - I- -`- - I - ~- - - ---------------- --------------- - -------------------- -.L --- ~~ — ~ ~ ~I~LL — ~ LI _ ---~l-~L-__ ~ —~~-w-C [] l Cll__i___ I_ CI-L _C lqti-',rlC1L —~ll 31 ---- -- ~-~t — LT IIIC -— ~ 7 'r I - — L4C 97P:{ {'b! } { f f i J w 365 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I At the expiration of that time he had saved $1,150, besides owning some personal property, such as houselold goods. In 1857 he concluded to try agricultural pursuits on the unsurpassingly fertile soil of St. Joseph County, in this State, of which hle had heard many glowing accounts. After his arrival here with his family lie purchased 114 acres of land, one and one-half miles east of Three Rivers, and there he lived until 1878. For a time he was very prosperous and made money fast. During the war he built a handsome and commodious house at a cost of $4,000, but afterward came the financial panic, times were hard, and the expense that lie had been at in improving his place proved too heavy a burden, and lie was obliged to dispose of his property to pay his debts. After having honorably discharged every dollar of his indebtedness, he found that he had about $1,200 left with which to start life anew. Ile then bought his present farm, which, with the same indefatigable industry that has always characterized him, lie has improved into one of the best places in the neighborhood. It comprises 100 acres of fertile soil, well adapted to both the raising of grain and cattle Over the pleasant household of our subject the shadow of death fell Nov. 24, 1887, and the devoted wife and tender mother was removed from tle scene of her usefulness. She was a woman whose sincerity, tact, and great goodness of cha'racter, made her beloved by all who knew her, and in her death the community lost one whose place will be hard to fill. Although she dedicated lier life to her duties as a wife and a mother, she was ever ready to respond to the needs of others outside of the home circle, and hler memnory will be fondly clerished by relatives, friends and neighbors. The Methodist Episcopal Church, of whllich she was a member from the time she was thirteen years of age, lost in her a bright and sliinig light. Eight children were born of her mnarriage with our subject, of whom seven are living, namely: Mary Anna, born March 28, 1852, is the wife of Josephl Fisher, of Park Township, and has four children living; Sarah L., born Dec. 12, 1853, died )ec. 25), 1871; Eliza C., born March 19, 1856, is the wife of Frank l)ougherty, lives with her father, and has one child; John Cox, born March 6, 1858, _.~ is married to Minnie Cox, has one child, and lives on the home farm; Lizzie, born Oct. 19, 1860, is the wife of Mills Howard, of Cass County, Mich., and has one child; William A., born June 6, 1863, is at present working -by the month; Rachel, born June 24, 1865, lives at Three Rivers; Katie M., born Jan. 13, 1868, is her father's housekeeper. Mr. G(riffith is a thoroughly upright, conscientious man, one in whonm his neighbors place the highest confidence. lie is a sincere and earnest Christian, and for twenty years has been a member of the Metlodist Episcopal Church. TIe takes a deep interest in improving the agricultural methods of to-day, and is a valued member of the grange. Politically, lie sympathizes with the Republican party, and has always voted the Republican ticket. Apropos to the past campaign and his party candidate, Mr. (Griffith says he well remembers taking part in the "log cabin and hard cider" campaign of 1840, although he was not old enough to vote. lie has never sought office, although -he has served very acceptably on the School Board. Mr. Griflith was drafted into the Union Army in 1864, the last draft in the district. lie gave $200 toward providing a substitute, the town giving the balance and filling its quota. J OSIAS SIMPSON is one of the well-known farmers of Leonidas Towlnship, and operates 500 acres of land as a general farmer. His father, whose name was identical with that of our subject, was born in County T yrone, Ireland, as was also his mother, whose maiden name was Ellen Cuddy. They were married in the year 1829, in their native county, and emigrated to America in 1854, coming direct to Michigan and settling in Leonidas Township. Here they made their home for the remainder of their lives. The mother of our subject dlied on the 5th of September, 1858, and the father on the 23d of January. 1877. Their family included nine children. The subject of our sketch was the youngest of the family of which he was a member, and was born on the 5th of May, 1830, in County Tyrone. I I I r I I _VPP 24 1 '1 "go In -, - b- 01~~ ----~-~ 1-31~1r.- -~ -.d A —L —L po.. Ir.i I a_ 0 do- IIIIIILII 1 ~1 1II LIIL 1 1 ~C-~ ~ ICIUCL~ 366 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 1; ----— ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since coming to this country he has lived in the above township. From his youth he has been connected with farming and farm life, and his property is one of the finest in the district, his buildings, fields and pastures all revealing the fact that a master hand has been at work. The township offices have been held by our subject, that of Supervisor for three years. He was elected Justice of the Peace, but did not qualify. Mr. Simpson has taken a great interest in educational affairs, and has held several offices in connection therewith. He is one who enjoys the entire confidence of his fellows, and as a result has been asked to serve in the offices held by him. Mr. Simpson Was married in Centreville, on the 1st of January, 1857, the lady of his choice being Miss Jane Gibson, daughter of John and Margaret (Moore) Gibson, both of whom were natives of County Tyrone, and representatives of good old Irish families. They emigrated to America in June, 1850, and settled in New York State, coming to this county in April of the year 1853. They located in Nottawa Township, and there made their home. The birth of the wife of our subject occurred on the 28th of September, 1827, in County Tyrone. Her marriage with our subject has been very happy, which happiness has been in nowise diminished by the birth of five children, whose names are: Ellen M., Mary I.; Sarah J., now the wife of James Ethvine, of Nottawa Township; William and James A., both of whom reside at home. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson are in accord with the religious views embodied in the Congregational Church, and are members of that communion. Their children have been brought up according to the same teaching, and are somewhat attached to the church. M ATTHIAS BECKER PUTNAM stands f among the foremost of the agriculturists of St. Joseph County who have been instrumental in building up its great farming interests. He is a prominent citizen of Constantine Township, where he owns a large farm on section 36, and is extensively engaged in agriculture. Ile has one of the finest residences in the township, and his home is very attractive. Mr. Putnam is the son of a pioneer family well known here in early times, and our subject, though but nine years of age when he accompanied his parents to their new home in the forest depths of Southern Michigan, may well be denominated a pioneer himself. IHe has been a dweller in St. Joseph County and Constantine Township, boy and man, for over fifty years, and in that time has witnessed the wonderful change that has been brought about by the energy and indomitable perseverance of the early pioneers and their successors, rendering this one of the richest and most prosperous farming regions in the country, with extensive commercial interests and flourishing towns and cities. It must be a pleasant thought to him that he has materially contributed to this prosperity. Our subject was born in Johnstown, Montgomery Co., N. Y., March 17, 1827, and was the seventh of the eight children, four sons and four daughters, born to Peter F. and Maria (Becker) Putnam. His parents were also natives of Montgomery County, and were born respectively in Johnstown and Florida Township. They married and settled down in their native county, and there all of their children were born. In August, 1836, they broke up their old home, and with their family came to St. Joseph County, Mr. Putnam having the April previous visited this part of Michigan, and purchased a tract of land in the southeastern part of Constantine, paying therefor $12.50 an acre. He and his wife made their home here the remainder of their lives, he dying in November, 1858, and she several years prior to that date. Matthias Putnam was a lad of nine years when he accompanied his parents to this State, consequently most of his life has been passed here, and he has been as much interested in the progress and growth of the commonwealth of Michigan as if he were native and to the manor born. He was reared on a farm, and in the pioneer influences that obtained in his early home here grew to be a vigorous, selfhelpful and capable young man. Hie adopted the calling to which he was reared, and in following agriculture has accumulated considerable wealth. He owns 300 acres of valuable land all in one body in _aB k. 1-'' — ~ ~ Ir I r, I ~ - ~- r ~, - I ~ r -~I - I = 5=- 02 0 ~ i -~ -iwI — II, t U dJ I 367 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I i t I i i i i T I i Constantine Township, and has it under fine cultivation, supplied with substantial and commodious buildings for all purposes, and the most approved farm machinery for lightening labor. Matthias Putnam and Miss Sarah A. Dickinson were united in marriage Oct. 12, 1859, the ceremony being performed in Florence Township. Mrs. Putnam is in many respects a superior woman, and she presides with characteristic graciousness over her and her husband's commodious and well-appointed liome, dispensing its hospitalities with a free hand and a happy heart, and she is warmly seconded in her efforts to entertain friends or strangers who may come to them by her husband and family. Mrs. Putnam, w whwas born in Florence Township, this county, March 11, 1837, was the eldest of the five children, three sons and two daughters, born to George and Sarah (Johnson) Dickinson, natives of Yorkshire, England. Her father came to America when he was sixteen years old, and in 1832 came to Michigan, and was a pioneer of White Pigeon. His wife came to this country in 1833, and they were married in the town of Gilead, Branch County, near the residence of Gov. Luce, in 1836. They began their married life in Florence Township, and, indeed, continued it there until death did part them, lie dying May 3, 1861, and she Jan. 12, 1867. Mrs. l)ickinson had been twice married, and at the time of her marriage to George I)ickinson was the widow of John Bowman, who died in England. By that marriage she had one child, Mary, who died in 1868 at White Pigeon; she was the wife of John J. Davis. By her marriage with Mr. Dickinson she had five children, viz: George, a farmer in Florence Township; Anna, wife of Charles Kellogg, of the same townshilp; Richard, in White Pigeon Township; Charles, also in Florence, and Mrs. Putnam. Mlr. and Mrs. Putnam are the parents of six children: Anna, who lives at home; Maria, who died when about two years and a half old; Mary, Nellie, George and John. Their daughter M\ary was married at their residence, Dec. 5, 1888, to Frank P. Hotchin, of Florence Township, and there was a large gathering of friends to witness the impressive ceremony. Mr. Putnam is a man of clear head and sagacious judgment, and possesses weight and influence in the affairs of this community, with which his interests have been bound up so long. No one is more liberal and public-spirited than he in encouraging the various schemes for the benefit of the township and county, and he is thoroughly respected for those characteristics that mark the true man and honest citizen. Ile has been School Director for many years, and has held some of the minor offices. In politics lie casts his vote with the Democratic party. Mrs. Putnam is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has been for upward of thirty years. '-a**;==^=^^@ ^^ 1 -- AMIUEL KLADY. The subject of this sketch is one of those who have achieved 8.the goal after years of toil, labor and anxiety, and all the attendant incidents of a busy life, and now has retired from active service, residing in the village of Nottawa. Ie has been engaged in the peaceful pursuits of an agriculturist sincee his advent here. in 1837, while Michigan was still a Territory. Althlougl now retired from the active dutie devolving upon a farmer, he is one of those men whose intimate knowledge of his calling and success in the same are worthy of mention in connection with any volume treating of the township. The ancestry of an individual is next in importance to his own personality, and can never be properly omitted from the record of his life. Our subject's father. Isaac Klady, was a native of the Quaker State. while Iis mother, whose maiden name was Mary Morgan. named New Jersey as the State of her nativity. Isaac Klady looked his last upon the scenes of earth in Livingston County, N. Y., whence he had removed with his family. The mother journeyed westward after the death of her husband to this county, and made her home with her son until her death. The parental family of our subject numbered eight children, five sons and three daughters, of whom Samuel was the eldest. Consequently, upon the death of the father a great deal of the responsibility of the family fell upon the shoulders of the — plc"-~ — - ~qllU '-~= 9 - C- - ~L1I m ~.C '4, I 0Y --- - *am I I I I f i - I13 1400 k- -LIIl-~I I I IL- I --- —-_ 1-1 I ~jpr * ' 368 SiT. JOSEPH COUNTY. 368 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ oldest son. He was born May 15, 1806, in Cavuga County, N. Y., in which place he lived until attaining the age of twenty years. Livingston County, however, held out greater] inducements than he could hope for in his native county, whence we find him migrating. So correct did his foresight in regard to bettering his condition prove, that he remained in Livingston County until 1837, being engaged in the meanwhile upon a farm. At the expiration of that time, however, feeling that the largely undeveloped State of Michigan would prove an excellent field to carve out for himself a financial prosperity, he migrated hither, locating in Nottawa Township. Nor was Mr. Klady in the least mistaken in selecting Michigan as his future home, as the reader will see that he began with practically nothing, and whatever has been attained is the result of his earnest, manly efforts, which have, however, been supplemented by the faithful affection and counsel of his devoted wife. In 1852, Mr. Klady desiring to see something of the farther West, crossed the plains to the Pacific Slope, remaining there five years, when he retraced his steps to this county, and with that one exception has been a resident here since his first advent into the county in 1837. As before stated, our subject has always been engaged in the cultivation of the soil, and is the proprietor of a tract of 179 acres, which, although not very extensive, it is to be doubted if any in the county is more perfect in its operations and workings. Mr. Klady, in August, 1888, had the dire misfortune to lose his house by fire. In the fall of the same year, however, he erected a beautiful dwelling on the old site, complete with all modern improvements and conveniences, and which is not only a credit to its proprietor, but something to be admired by the entire county. He was married in New York City, to Miss Mary Sisco, and to them were born two children, William E. and Charles J., the former of whom died in Washington Territory, when twenty-four years old, and the latter died in infancy. The mother of these children died at her home in Nottawa Township, Aug. 1,, 1847. Mr. Klady was a second time married, at Centreville, this State, to Mrs. Jane Reed, the wedding being celebrated Nov. 13, 1860. Mrs. Kladv was the widow of William A. Reed, by whom she had four children, three dying in infancy. The remaining child, a son, William M., died in Centreville when a young man. The parents of Mrs. Klady were Richard and Hannah Nieeler. The father departed this life in Erie County, OhLo. The mother survived her husband many years, and passed from this life in Nottawa Townshil), in the fall of 1885. The wife of our subject was born in Hopewell, N. J., June 30, 1812. Mr. Klady has served his township in the capacity of Constable and Justice of the Peace, and on all matters of political interest takes his stand with the Democratic party, but never at the expense of principle. He is a friend to good morals, and anxious to do all in his power as a citizen to further the interests of his community. W ILLIAM II. STEARS. Prominent among the native-born citizens of Michigan who are now some of the most active members of its agricultural community, is the subject of this biographical record. HIe was born in Florence Township, July 4, 1854, and is now one of the leading farmers and stock-raisers of his birthplace, owning and occupying as fine a farm as can be found in this locality. I-e is a son of Thomas Stears, a prominent pioneer of St. Joseph, whose sketch appears on another page of this volume. Our subject was reared on the old homestead in this town, and was carefully instructed by his father in all the details of farming, so that when he had to choose his life work lie naturally preferred the pursuit of agriculture. IHe received a substantial education in the public schools of Florence, and lived under the parental roof until twenty-two years of age. Ie then, in 1876, came to take possession of his present farm on sections 32 and 33, one of the pleasantest and most valuable sites in the neighborhood. He immediately entered upon its improvement, and with persistent energy and skill has brought his land under high cultivation. I-e has his farm well stocked with stock of good grades, as he pays much attention to that branch of agri I. I I III C- I I~ I ~~r'' IIII '~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3 111~lp~~~~~~~~~ ^4~~~~ —_ I 1 A .Ia, i I I p I ---| * _ ~ iJ.. ll ent~gllllLlrrrll~lr I~ III I I 1 ~ I ~- ~ I ~C- - -- ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 371. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ culture, as well as to raising grain and other farm products. Iis buildings are all in good order, and adapted to their various uses, and he has a good supply of machinery for carrying on his farming operations. Mr. Stears was married in Florence Township, Dec. 13, 1876, to Miss Mlary, daughter of H-enry Sevison, of Florence Township, whose sketch will be found on onother page of this work. Mrs. Stears is likewise a native of Florence Township, her birth occurring here Dec. 13, 1856. She was educated in the public schools here, and is an intelligent and well-bred lady, whose kind hospitality, together with her husband's genial courtesy, makes their home one of the most attractive in the community.. One child, Thomas H., was born to them Iec. 23, 1879. Mr. Stears has shown himself to be a man of much decision of character, prompt and capable in the management of his business affairs, and a thoroughly practical and systematic farmer, who is meeting with deserved success in his calling, and will undoubtedly be counted among the moneyed men of the county in the course of a few years if he continues to prosper, and lie has the good wishes of many friends that he may do so. As an intelligent citizen should he takes much interest in politics, and is an ardent supporter of the Democratic party. lte is identified with the P. of I. -Mr. and Mrs. Stears are earnest Christians, who strive to do their duty in their home and toward their neighbors, and they are members of the Reformed Church at Constantine. AMES JOHNSON is one of the representative citizens in this county, and held in high regard by all who know him. He is ' one of that most appreciable class of citizens who hail from the Buckeye State. I-e was born in Somerset, Fairfield Co., Ohio, on the 22d of February, 1814. He is the son of James and Sarah (Schaefer) Johnson, natives respectively of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Our subject was brought up on a farm, and amid surroundings of an agricultural nature. Ile came to Michigan, and in April, 1832, located at Sturgis, taking the land that was then the wildest prairie, but which is now one of the best cultivated and most productive farms in the county, and owned by Mr. Peter Baker. In 1862 he removed to his present farm, part of which is on the Fawn River, comprising 250 acres, and 140 acres in Burr Oak, sixty-five acres located near the Sturgis Pike, and 130 acres at Bronson. lIe has always been very active as a business man, and has been very successful. Ile made his first start as contractor on the Chicago Turnpike, with which enterprise he was connected from 1832 until 1836. Since that time lie has been continuously and extensively engaged in the lumber business and agricultural pursuits. The years 1853 and 1854 were spent in California, where he was engaged in mining. His interests aS a lumberman have been chiefly in Kent County, of this State. There, in 1885, lie sustained a loss by fire of $50,000. IIe still has extensive yards at Mendon, in this county. lie has the reputation of being one of the pioneers, and perhaps the most prominent of pioneers, in that industry in Michigan. The marriage of our subject was celebrated on the 19th of February, 1839, the lady of his choice being Miss Jane Moe, the daughter of Charles and Maranda Moe, the former one of the venerable pioneers of Sturgis. This lady was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, on the 5th of September, 1820. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have no children of their own, but have furnished home and educational opportunities to others, and aided them to start in life. Their home is very pleasantly located on the Chicago Turnpike, about four miles east of Sturgis. They live a comparatively retired life, but are very highly esteemed throughout the county. Mr. Johnson is a man well informed on all general subjects, and broad and liberal in his religious views, believing that true Christianity consists in a large measure of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. lie has been particularly fortunate in his selection of a life partner, Mr. and Mrs. J. seeming most admirably adapted to each other. They have troldden the path of life together for a period of fifty years, sharing each other's joys and sorrows, and, if appearances are correct, making it the study of their lives each to insure the L t. WWW-l II lbll-C~ l1 '- ~- 3 - I I ~~ - I~ Ii — - I -p -M t -— t I! -- -II — I 1in-J_ -MP-lop oqo- I-. -A-L ~ -LI Ila~L- I~~ILr ~ Ill-1~-i --- —— LI-~IL —I ---ILLr~~-L ~~ILl - r-I i I 372 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. A 4 ra I --- happiness and comfort of the other. They appear more like a newly wedded couple than people who have spent so many years together, apparently as careful and considerate toward each other as in the days of their early wedded life. Few homes are more pleasant to look upon, both within and without, and the sunset hill of life for Mr. and Mrs. Johnson seems to be a very pleasant and easy path. They are surrounded by hosts of friends, whom they have made by their uniform hospitality and kindness, and who will recall their names with affection long after they have departed hence. It is eminently fitting that the portraits of Mr. Johnson and his estimable wife should be presented in this volume as the representatives of all that is reliable, worthy and good, and we are pleased to be able to perpetuate their features in this manner. O RSAMUS C. M. BATES. Among the prominent and successful farmers residing within the limits of this county, the name of our subject holds a proud place. His handsome and highly improved farm is located on section 12, Constantine Township. HIe is a husbandman of much ability, and keeps his home in the best condition, and has from- the beginningl of his agricultural life made the business a study, and reduced it to a science. He was born in Bennington County, Vt., Feb. 21, 1806. IIe lived in his native State until he was nine years old, when his parents with their family moved to Middlesex, Yates Co., N. Y., where he lived until, in September, 1833, he came to St. Joseph County, and settled in this township, first on a farm on section 1, which he yet owns. Nine years later he bought his present homestead of 108 acres, on sections 12 and 13, on which he has ever since lived. Mr. Bates was married to Sarah M. Ilarwood, in September, 1831, just prior to his leaving for the West. This lady was a native of Vermont. They were married in Gorham, Ontario Co., N.Y. Y She was a refined and highly educated lady, and in all things proved to be a helpmate to her husband, and a prudent and careful adviser. She had a great pride in her family of children, and carefully in structed them in their early childhood in the ways of uprightness, honor and virtue. She was attacked with that dread disease. consumption, and departed this life Jan. 5, 1875, leaving her husband and a family of five children behind her. Each and all revere the memory of the wife and mother; The children were named: Philorman B., Esther M., Rachel M., Bradford L., Avis R. and Orsamus M. C. Philorman B. is a farmer residing on the home farm in Constantine; Esther is the widow of A. Selleek; Rachel is the wife of George Kinney, and resides in Sumner County, Kan.; Bradford died before his mother, when lie was six months old; Avis is a farmer in Sumner County, Kan.; Orsamus M. C., Jr., resides with his father in Constantine Township. The father of our subject, Caleb Bates, was born in Bennington County, Vt.; his mother was Rachel (Millington) Bates, and was a native of Vermont. Both parents were earnest, thorough-going, prosperous people, looking well to all the details of life, which quality they transmitted to our subject. His grandparents. Joshua and Avis (Sherman) Bates, were natives of the State of Rhode Island, and before the War of the Revolution removed to Vermont, in Bennington County, where both died. The night before the battle of Bunker Hill Joshua Bates was employed in running bullets, expecting to take part in the figlht, but got to the field as the battle closed. Since his settlement in Michigan, which was at a very early day in the history of the State, Mr. Bates has brought into play the many sterling qualities inherited from his New England parents, and by close application and the exercise of an indomitable will and perseverance, he has gathered about him a snug competence and all the comforts of life, and now, when he hlas reached the evening of life, he can look about him and feel that the world is better for his having lived in it. Always generous and public-spirited, the various interests that have advanced the State to its present proud position have found in him an earnest and hearty supporter. In political matters our subject has always acted with the Republican party, feeling that it has for its object the advancement and enlightenment of the masses. He has taken a prominent and active - --— )~. - C ~-~'I I --- -c- C~ ~I r -e I p~~C~l~ — ~ - W7 ICII-LLL~CI~; uB-X V — AbP-~ I I I 1 t mill 'Ob. S-lslI4 -11 ~1 —111 1 --- -~I- - --- IILI10C ~11H F, ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 373 fI part in the educational interests of the township, and has made them bear the impress of his individuality and force of character. During his life in Michigan Mr. Bates has had a varied exl)erience, can recall many successes and many failures, many joys and many pleasures. In the earliest days he suffered discomforts from sickness and poverty. But the trials incident to the life in a new country were borne by himself and wife with fortitude, as he felt assured in his own mind that the time would come when lie would be relieved of the burdens then imposed. Iow well his feeling was justified, it needs but a glance about him to witness. The residence of our subject is finely situated, and in its outward appearance is one of the most elegant in the township. The interior is handsomely furnished, is large and roomy, the ideal American country home. The grounds surrounding the house are large, and are ornamented with a number of trees, shrubbery, flowers and beautiful walks. The other farm buildings, barns, granaries, etc., are extensive, well designed, and constructed in the most substantial manner. His residence is on what is known as Broad street. ily are our subject and his brother John, the latter a resident of Van Buren Township, Lagrange Co., Ind. William at the age of twenty-five years decided to emigrate to America, and upon reaching New York City proceeded westward to this county, within whose limits he arrived with a capital of $2.50 in his locket. lie at once secured employment as a farm laborer at $7 per Imonth, which wages during the sunmmer were increased to $9. For the labor of twelve months, the first year in America, lie received $127. The year following he made $130; this he invested in land in Lagrange County, Ind., paying therefor $150 down, and had two years in which to pay the balance of $130, the whole sum required being $280. Mr. Bellairs, while a resident of Van Buren Township, Lagrange Co., Ind., took unto himself a wife and helpmate, Miss Ruth Julian. Their wedding was celebrated in White Pigeon, Mich., Dec. 19, 1852. This lady was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, Oct. 8, 1831, and is the daughter of John Julian, who spent his last years in Nappanee, In(d. The young couple commenced life together on the new farm, where our subject put up a house, into which they removed the spring following their marriage. In the fall of 1857 he returned to White Pigeon, settling near Fish Lake, where he remained six years, then returned to Indiana. In the fall of 1864 lie recrossed the Atlantic to look after the estate of his father, who had died that year. He spent a few weeks in his native country, and then returned to his farm in Indiana, which he now owns, comprising 240 acres, after which he came back to White Pigeon Township and sccure( l)possession of his present farm. This comprises 142 acres of good land, which, with its substantial buildings, its goodly assortment of live stock and the convenient farm machinery, presents a picture of comfort and plenty which is pleasant to look upon. There have been born to our subject and his estimable wife an intelligent family of eight children, who were named respectively: Olive, Annie, George, Henry, Caroline, Joselphine, Levi and Mary. Annie is the wife of Williamn Benham, of Lagrange County, Ind., and is the mother of one child, a son Frank; Olive married Charlie Linn, is the mother of one child, Otto, and a resident of White Pigeon - --— "-i-'t"Fic-;Ft-r-rc-~ A LILLIAM BELLAIRS is recognized throughout White Pigeon Township as a fine specimen of the typical English farmer, who came to the West in his younger years, equipped with a good supply of muscle, and the sturdy perseverance which seldom fails to succeed. He is now the owner of a good farm on section 7, which he has built up from a tract of uncultivated soil, llacing thereon good buildings, making fences and setting fruit trees, laboring early and late, and laying the foundations of a good property. He is now practically independent, and sitting under the vine and fig tree of his own planting, certainly may look upon the result of his labors with satisfaction. A native of Lincolnshire, England, our subject was born July 31, 1820, and is the son of Vincent and Ann (Jillins) Bellairs, who were natives of the same county as their son. They were the parents of eight children, and spent their entire lives upon their native soil. The sole survivors of their farn _y-1 - — I I -- w6' _a I — -Iqrw — `-~~~~~"-11~31" - - -40H I L I - ---- -------— Ahm - ~ ~ I 0 ~ 1 ~ II b1I118bo BI~ r I 374 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. Township; George married Miss Fanny Belote, lives in Lagrange County, and has three children-Ethel, Inez and Hugh; Henry married Miss Minerva Walter, and occupies the old homestead in Lagrange County, Ind. Mr. Bellairs, politically, is a warm supporter of Republican l)rinciples, and in religious matters a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has never had any weakness for office, preferring to give his attention to his farming affairs. He is regarded by his neighbors as a law-abiding and reliable citizen, who in the building up of one of the best homesteads of White Pigeon Township has thus contributed much toward the development of its most available resources. OSEPH BROWN. It is a well-known fact that Michigan is one of the greatest sheepraising States in the Union, only Ohio, California and Texas outranking her in this respect. The gentleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch is one of the leading representatives of this great industry, as carried on in St. Joseph County. He is a prominent farmer and stock-grower of Florence Township, where he owns a valuable farm on section 31. Mr. Brown is of English birth and ancestry, as were likewise his parents. He was born in Nottinghamshire, May 9, 1834. His father, Charles Brown, was a lifelong resident of England, born in 1807, and dying in 1835, while yet a young man. The worthy mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Elizabeth (KemnpsLell) Brown, was born in 1807. In 1845 she left her native England, taking with her her little boy, our subject, and made her way to this country and to Michigan, where she had determined to make her home for the future; she now has a home on her son's farm, where she is spending her declining years, surrounded by every confort that filial love can provide for her. The little English lad who was thus brought to this country when he was but eleven years of age, grew up under Republican institutions, and is to-day one of the foremost sheep-growers of this great and powerful commonwealth of Michigan. He spent the first few years after coming to this State in his mother's home at White Pigeon. At the age of sixteen years he commenced to earn his own living by working on a farm for the sum of $8 a month, and was thus enployed for about fouryears, receiving nearly $100 a year for a full year's work. At the age of twenty he had saved money enough to carry out his ambitious project of seeking a fortune in California, and in 1850 he started for the land of gold, going by boat from New York to the Isthmus of Panama, and then walking across the isthmus to take passage in a vessel for San Francisco, arriving there in January, 1851, having been fifty-eight days en route. IHe remained in California three years. working diligently in the mines all of the time, and managed to accumulate some money. Tiring of the hard life of a miner, his thoughts turned once more to home and friends in Michigan, and he soon retraced his steps and once more settled in this State. He purchased a threshing-machine, and during the harvesting season for twenty-two years was employed in running it at a great profit, and worked a farm on shares the rest of the year, having purchased his present farm after his return from California. It comprises 198 acres in an excellent state of tillage, and amply provided with all the necessary farm buildings. Mr. Brown carries on mixed husbandry, his land being admirably adapted both to raising grain and stock, and he makes sheep feeding a specialty, feeding from 1,500 to 1,800 annually, and shipping them to Buffalo. He has made this branch of industry a great success, and is now numbered among the solid, moneyed men of St. Joseph County. In 1858 our subject was married to Catherine Dale, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Amos and Mary (Shineberger) Dale. Her father was born June 13, 1813, came to Florence Township in 1848, and died June 18, 1853. Her mother was born in 1811, and died Sept. 24, 1860. She and her husband were the parents of seven children, of whom Mrs. Brown was the third in order of birth. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have spent their entire married life at their present place of residence, and in their pleasant home five daughters have been born to them, as follows: Mary E., born It *j ib m ~ i E ''. w =c = I. I. _ _. _. i.. --- i I r -. -L. ~ ~ ~ r~-s1 1' ~I -A - ~ ~ ~ ~I I - - P ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 37;5. I Feb. 1, 1862; Anna H., July 21, 1864; Alice E., June 10, 1866; Vinna, July 7, 1869; Helen L., May 1, 1872. The family are all members of tlie Presbyterian Church at White Pigeon. Mr. Brown is a stanch Democrat, and uses his influence to promote party measures, although lie never seeks public honors, as he prefers to devote his time to the management of his extensive interests. He is a man of wide experience, systematic in his methods, of prompt business habits, and one who can thoroughly be relied upon to act in the most honorable manner in any transaction with others. ~ ONATHAN A. HARTZLER. Prominent among the many substantial and prosperous farmers who are resident within the limits of I Mottville Township, the subject of this sketch holds no secondary position. IIe resides on section 13, where lie owns and operates a splendidly cultivated farm containing 110 acres. HIe comes from that sturdy race of people that originally settled in Pennsylvania, from the German countries of Europe. The various peculiarities characteristic of those people are fully exemplified by the life and conduct of our subject. Quiet and persevering, he has yet to learn what the word failure means. THe is very conservative in his life, and before he engages in any enterprise, he calmly weighs the matter, and when he decides to act. the invariable result is success. This gentleman was born in Mifflin County, Pa., Jan. 25, 1833. Ite is the son of Abraham flartzler, who is now living in Cass County, Mo. The father was born Nov. 26, 1807, in Mifflin County, where he was married to Magdelena Zook, in the year 1832. She is a daughter of Abraham Zook, was born Aug. 13, 1805, and is also a native of Mifflin County, Pa. They lived in Pennsylvania until March, 1 855, when they moved to Elkhart County, Ind., where he purchased a sawmill and a farm. They lived in that county until 1866, when they moved to St. Joseph County, Mich., where heypurchased a small farm, and lived there until 1881, in which year he traveled a great deal for the benefit of his health. lie now resides in Cass County, MIo., a hale and hearty old gentleman, aged eighty-one years; his wife is dead. The grandfather of our subject, David Abraham Hlartzler, was born Jan. 26, 1768, in Berks County, Pa. tIe died Oct. 21, 1855. His wife was Mary Yoder; she was born Sept. 16, 1771, and died June 25, 1856. Jacob Hlartzler was a native of Switzerland, and was born in "The Palatine," at that time a Province of France, where he was married. He came to America, and returned a widower to his native country. There he was married again. The dates of his marriage and his trips to and from America are lost. The father of David IIartzler was John, the son of Jacob Hartzler. IHe was married to Veronica Reichenbach. Slhe is now deceased. John died April 1, 1801, in Berks County, Pa. Our subject is one of a family of six sons, who are nalmed as follows: Jacob, IAbraham I)., David E., John J.. Jonathan (our subject), and Samuel Z. 1)avid E. married Mary Yoder, and lives in Cass County, Mo., whllere lie is enoaeoed in farming; lie is the father of a son and (laughter. Jacob married Susannahl Blough, and resides in Elklhart County, Ind., where he is a farmer; he has two sons and two daughters. Abraham 1). married Mattie Schrock, and to them were born three sons; the mother died in Elkllart County, Illd. Hle afterward married Miss Lydie Blough, and to them have been born two daughters, and they now reside in (Goshen, Ind.. where he does general work, andi has a family of five children, two sons and tllree daughters. John J. is the husband of Mattie Mast, and they live in Cass County, Mo., where he is a farmer and:t minister in the Mennonite Church; he has a large family. Samuel Z. is a single man, and lives in Nebraska, where lie teaches school and is also engaged in railroading; Jonathan A. Ilartzler, our subject, was married in Mifflin County, Pa., June 6, 1831; his wife died April 7, 1872, and her name was Nancy Hartzler, daughter of Adam and Mary (Ilooley) IIartzler. lIe is the father of eight children, who are named: Rachel, Mattie, Elizabeth, Katie, Nancy, Abraham, Matilda and Lydia. Rachel is married to Levi J. Peachey; he is a laborer, and has no family. Mattie is unmarried, and resides in Cass Coulnty, Mo.; Elizabeth is the wife r M m wvp-~"~ I~~ — ' - - - I -I --- - I I e 4 t 4 - I A II I ts Ia - - I 040 'vm661 11 I -- - -— c = ~ _-L_ I _ rr II I II _ -~r c_ -_~-~ ~r~ —III1Ls9$ z " C 376 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - ----- -------- -- of Elias R. Miller, a farmer in Cass County, Mo., and she is the mother of one son; Katie is unmarried and lives in Cass County, /Mo.; Nancy is unmarried and lives with her father; Abraham is single, and is employed as a carpenter; Matilda unmarried, and Lydia, the youngest, are both at home with their father. Mr. IHartzler has been a farmer all his life, in which he has proved fairly successful. lHe has held various offices in the town in which he resides, and has lived on his present farm for the last twentyfive years. The whole farm is under a very high state of cultivation. The buildings, although not elaborate, are of a very substantial and permanent character. The house is roomy and very comfortably furnished; nicely located, the barns and other necessary out-buildings are very capacious and well adapted for their intended use. He has always lived a very frugal and contented life, and he has gathered about him a handsome property, and one which speaks very highly for his industrious habits. lie is Signal Service Reporter for his locality. IHe is a member of the Mennonite Church, of which his wife was also a member, and they were very earnest and devout in their religious duties. lIe is a man of considerable note in his neighborhood, and he prides himself on the fact that all his undertakings are almost always crowned with prosperity. In politics he is a Republican. THAN B. PIER. Some things must be seen to be appreciated. Wordy descriptions, whether abbreviated or more lengthy, fail to do justice even when used by a master in rhetoric. The property of Mr. Pier is a case in point, and one glance at his excellent farm, which stretches away acre after acre until 260 have been told, his farm buildings, excellent in construction and adaptability, his commodious, well-furnished and admirably situated home, would be better than all the merely verbal descriptions that could be given in this ALBUM. Our subject is the son of Solomon Pier, who was born in Steuben County, N. Y., in the year 1814. IHe grew to manhood in that and Genesee County, where he lived until he was about twenty years old, when lie came to Michigan, and for the next few years lived here and at other different points in the State. During the first few years he devoted himself to farming, afterward following the carpentry trade for about twenty years, during which time he constructed quite a number of bridges for different railroads. Subsequently he returned once more to farming, and continued in agricultural pursuits. In 1869 he came from Texas, Kalamazoo County, with his family, and settled in Leonidas Township, where he died on the 20th of February, 1880. December 3, 1855, 1Mr. Pier, Sr., was married to Miss Frances Bird, at Saginaw City, this State. This lady was born at Mansfield, Warren Co., N. J., Sept. 17, 1818, to John and Frances Bird. Two children were born of this union, viz: Hiram J. and Ethan B. Hiram died atGirard, Branch Co., Mich., in 1879, when twenty-two years of age, and the second child is the subject of this sketch. Mr. E. B. Pier was born in Mattawan, Van Buren Co., Mich., on the 1st of April, 1859. He received a good, practical, English education in the common schools, and has been engaged chiefly in agricultural pursuits. Since the death of his father he has operated the farm, which he owns, and which, as before stated, contains 260 acres. The chief buildings thereon were put up by the father of our subject, but numerous improvements have been made since that time, and additions as required. On the 26th of November, 1881, the nuptials of our subject and Julia A. Crafts were celebrated at Fulton, Kalamazoo County. This lady was born in Sherwood, Branch County, on the 31st of January, 1857. Of this union one daughter has been born, whose name is Fannie M. Mrs. Pier is the daughter of Myron and Mary Crafts, who were natives of New York. The family circle included four children, and of these their daughter Julia was the eldest born. Mr. and Mrs. Pier are members in good standing of the Reformed Church, and are very active in advancing the interests of the cause as opportunity presents. They are held in high regard, both there and'in society at large, where they move in the best circles. Mr. Pier has been elected Justice of the Peace, but is not given to office-seeking, neither is u~~ ' "" b^~" ' ""~ ~"'"M *go \ m.L I I 1 ~ _Iq I I-~ I, ~i1 lo)~-l)*lll"I In - l I 4-J..~hm I 11 I~~~ -~ ~~ --- —I- ^~-~-1-"-I-'~~~"`~' ~ — ~-~ ----~ —. — ----- -— ~~ --- —— ~-~ ---~, I" ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 377 I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- he very prominent in political circles, taking delillht first in his family, and secondly in his farm. He usually votes the Republican ticket, of which party he has long been an affiliate. By its members he is regarded as a good and loyal citizen, and stanch friend of the party. OHN TROST. There are few more worthy representatives of the German Empire than the subject of this sketch, who is now an American citizen and enterprising farmer in Colon Township, this county. He was born at Mecklenburg, Germany, on the 21st of August, 1830, and was educated in the schools at Mecklenburg, leaving them when about twenty-four years of age. He remained at home with his parents until about 1854, and then started in life for himself. He was reared upon the farm, and the greater part of his life has been given to agricultural pursuits. In the spring of 1854 Mr. Trost came to America and landed at New York City. He came on from that place direct to this county, and determined to settle in Colon Township. On landing in New York his exchequer was reduced to $4.40, and upon arrival in St. Joseph County he had but three shillings. This condition of affairs was speedily remedied, for he at once found work as a farm hand, and continned thus employed for about eight years. As soon as he felt himself able he rented a farm until he could purchase eighty acres of land. This was situated on section 16, Colon Township, and here he began to work in earnest, and made headway from a financial standpoint. I The eighty acres which were first purchased by Mr. Trost have been added to by other purchases, and the present farm is 120 acres in extent, and all has been brought to a high state of cultivation. Upon the farm he had erected a very pleasant and commodious farm dwelling, which is to him all that home could possibly be to any man. His farm buildings are built upon sanitary principles, and are calculated to meet his requirements fully. He has two large barns and all necessary other out-buildngs. N1 In the month of June, 1856, Mr. Trost became the husband of Miss Henrietta Coohon, in Branch County. His wife was born in Germany, Feb. 12, 1831, and came to this country in June, 1856. She is the daughter of Clris and Dora Coohon. Of this union there have been born eight children, viz: Rachael, now the wife of William Trahnes, of Colon Township; Charles, now of Elgin, Ill.; Henry, who died in September, 1880, when twenty-two years of age; Albert is at home; Ella, the wife of George Baumeister, an enterprising farmer of Burr Oak Township; Mary; Lena; and Maude, who died at home on the 29th of October, 1887, when fifteen years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Trost are both esteemed members of society, and are also held in much regard in the German Lutheran Church, with which they became united while in the Fatherland. They sustain their profession by strict adherence to the rights and rules of the church, and are among its most devout members. Our subject. although deeply interested in all the institutions of his adopted country, and appreciating them to the utmost possible extent, has never taken a prominent part in politics. He is, however, a member of the Republican party, and usually votes its ticket, endeavoring always to do so intelligently, and with a view to the necessities of the case and the ability of the candidate proposed to meet the same. ~' _ _ -v < i i -d -, —q I 44" _ 0 - - -. *. 0 J AMES W. WOOD, owning and occupying a good farm on section 4, Fabius Township, St. Joseph Co., Mich., is one of the farmers and stock-raisers of Southern Michigan who have been instrumental in developing its splendid agricultural resources, and he is well worthy of representation in this biographical work. He was born in Wayne County, N. Y., Aug. 22, 1821, and is a son of William and Hulda (Merrill) Wood, natives of New York, and of English ancestry. By his father's death, when he was quite young, our subject was left without a home, and he went to live with his grandfather, and at the expiration of two years an uncle took charge of him, and brought him to Michigan as early as 1836, while it was under Territorial government. This part of I a —r --- —-— A_ -------------- - ------ -~ --- - — dliAft so - -I m ~~ I ~- ~ - ~ICI --- —"l ---L --- —-----— "I --- —— ~I ST. JOSEPLI COUNTY. 3 J COUTY Michigan was then in a wild, unsettled condition, settlements were few and far between, the greater part of the primeval forests was still standing. Indians still made their home in their depths, and savage animals prowled amid the trees and swamps. Educational advantages were then very limited, and our subject lived here about two years without even seeing a school-house. At length lie attended a school that was established in Coldwater. Iis rough experience in the pioneer life of his first years in this State early developed in him sagacity, strength of character, and a reliance on his own faculties and resources, that made a man of him long,ere he had attained his majority. Ile commenced to work for himself when he was about eighteen years old, being employed by the month, and as the result of his hard labors and frugal economy in the few years that followed he had bought eighty acres of land, and had it all paid for by the time he was twenty-one years old. He immediately commenced the improvement of his place to prepare it for a home, and on the 22d day of October. 1848, he was united in marriage to Miss Roxanna Puffer, daughter of Ira and Charity (Pangborn) Puffer. Mrs. Wood was born Sept. 16, 1821. Mr. Wood disposed of his first farm after living on it a few years, and bought another in Florence Township, St. Joseph County. Ile managed that farm with good financial success for eighteen years, when he sold that, too, and bought one in Flowerfield Township, which he afterward traded for a large farm in Tuscola County, Mich. Subsequently he sold all of his property in that county, and returned to St. Joseph County in 1860. At that ti me he bought his present place, which was then a tract of wild land. By unremitting and skillful toil he has wrested a farm from a state of nature which in cultivation and all of its appointments will compare favorably with any other in this part of Michigan. He has erected a substantial house, barn and other necessary buildings. He owns stock of good grades, and finds a ready sale for all that he raises. The married life of our subject and his worthy wife has been blessed by the birth of three children: Arvilla, Ellen M. and Ira Leroy. Their son died at the age of five years. Arvilla married William II. Wetherbee, who lives on section 6, Fabius Township, and they have three children; Ellen married Frederic M. Bent, of Cass County, Mich., and they have five children. Mr. Wood is a man of good business qualifications, of keen, resolute nature, one who does his own thinking, and in general stands well with his fellowmen. -le is a hearty supporter of the doctrines promulgated by the Republican party, but is independent in local affairs. OSEPH- RUSSELL. One of the temightiest factors in bringing about the present high civilization is the religious influence of Christianity. Our land has everywhere its representatives of this power. Among those identified with the religious interests of this county is the gentleman whose biography is here briefly presented, who for niany years has been upon the roster of religious officials and churchmen. The father of our subject, Andrew Russell, was born in Pennsylvania. and was of English descent. His mother, whose maiden name was Isabell Sunderland, also of English ancestry, was a native of New Jersey. They were married and first settled in the Keystone State, but removed to Ohio, and locate(1 in Montgomery County at an early day in the history of that settlement. From there they removed to Allen County, where they were the first white settlers. Mr. Russell died in that place in the year 1824. His widow subsequently removed to Michigan, but returned later to Allen County, where she died June 6, 1859. The family of which our subject is a member included eleven children, all of whom lived to mature years, Joseph being the fifth child of the family. He was born near Dayton, Ohio, on the 24th of June, 1816. When he was about three years of age the removal to Allen County was made. and when his father died he was seven years of age. After that trouble had come to the family he lived part of the time with his maternal grandfather, Mr. Sunderland, in Montgomery County. Subsequently he made his home in Allen and Williams Counties, I I I I!L.1 r IL __.-i " ~~C~ I I r ~ Ir ~ ~ - - - -- - I ~ I ~ I -r ---- C~~~~~~~~~~l~p q~~l~IVPF- l" -—, -, I I - - - -r _________ - --------------- ---------------— ~ --- — --- - 11Ph-1 ds 1 ~1 -r~ll~~rr~r lI lr~ ----~ ---- 1 —~ P Ii i I i I I S 1'..JOSEPH COUNTY. 379 A l -- in the same State, until lie came to Miichigan, which he first visited in the spring of 1833, but only remained a short time, returning to Allen County. In tie summer of 1834 Mr. Russell returned to Micliigan and visited St. Joseph County, but did not come to make his home permanently until the following spring. Then he located on section 36 ini Nottawa Township, and there made his 'home until the fall of 1883. HIe has always been engaged in a(gricultural pursuits, and is a thorough, practical farmer. In the fall of 1 883 he removed to his present home on section 33 in Leonidas Township, where he owns 100 acres of splendid tillable land, admirably adapted to his purpose. Here, by the aid of his machinery, he is enabled to gather in abundant larvests, except upon rare occasions, when. owing to causes absolutely beyond human control, it was impossible. Mr. Russell has been twice married; first on the 15th of Novembler, 1837, at Ottawa, in this State, When he became the husland of Lucinda Knox, who was born in tle Empire State, on the 20th of October, 1819. By this marriage there were born three children, viz: Andrew C., a prosperous farmer in Nottawa Township; Orlando I)., who is engaged in business as an agricultural implement dealer at Sturgis, and David E., who (lied when about nine months old. Mrs. Russell died after seven years of happy married life, on the 11th of March, 1844. The present wife of our subject entered that relation on the 3d of June, 1845, at Sturgis. Her name prior to that date was Lucinda A. Lyman. She was born at Fenner, Madison Co., N. Y., on the 26th of April, 1828, and received her education at Batavia, N. Y. Mrs. Russell is a lady of character and culture, and has made the home of our subject bright and homelike by her presence. She is respected and admired by a large circle of friends, and is one who is more esteemed as she is better known. She has presented her husband with the following children: Langdon E., who is a farmer in Sherman Township; Francis E.. who died when but two years of age, and Frederick J., who resides at home. Mrs. Russell is a daughter of Colvin and Betsy (Swift) Lyman. Her father was born near Pitts field, Mass.. and her mother was a native of the same State. They came to Michigan. and shortly after settled in Mendon Township, where they made their home until their death, which occurred April 6, 1872, and Aug. 25, 1876, respectively. The subject of our sketch has held several offices in Nottawa Township. With his wife he is an earnest and efficient member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which lie has been identified for nearly half a century, and Mrs. Russell since she was fifteen years of age. Since the first few years of his church life he has been almost continuously in office in connection therewith, and is one of the most able and trusted in the communion. He is one who endeavors to adorn his profession and sustain his official position by a consistency that is much commended, and in this his wife is by no means behind him. The political position of our subject is almost identical with the Republican party. He cast his first vote for Gen. Harrison, and also voted for the grandson of that gentleman in the Presidential election of 1888. Orlando D. Russell. the second son of our subject, was one of the first to answer the call for troops. He enlisted in the 1st Michigan Volunteers and served for three months. = AMUEL Y. BOWER. This gentleman is one of the young and enterprising but prosperous farmers of Colon Township, and is the owner of a well-kept farm of 120 acres in extent, situated upon section 12. His father, Samuel Bower, was born in the year 1779. On the 28th of August, 1855, he became the husband of Elizabeth Brumgard, of Clinton County, Pa., where she was born on the lth of February, 1831. After their marriage they settled in Union County, Pa., and there lived until their removal to Colon in 1880. The mother of our subject was the daughter of John and Mary (Barner) Brumgard. They were the parents of twelve children, and their daughter Elizabeth was their sixth child. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Bower had in their family circle six children, of whom our subject was the fourth. He was born in Uinion County, Pa., on the 24th of,Ili. --- Ur I-q- s~u s -_ _ I II ~C- I rr - Ir ~ - I.s i 0 - - 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p~ ~~,,-^-~-'- ~ I _-,~ —~" x,"-,~~:~~~-~, ----~, 380 ST..JOSEPII COUNTY. — L4 - ---------- I August, 1859. He received a common-school education and started in life for himself when seventeen years of age, giving his attention to agricultural pursuits. Our subject was married in Colon, on the 30th of November, 1882. His wife, who is a native of that place, was Adell, the daughter of Samuel and Matilda (Shipman) Hafer. Mr. and Mrs. Hafer were married in Buffalo Township, Union Co., Pa., and afterward settled there upon a farm, where they made their home for ten years. At the end of that period they removed to Colon, and settled on section 8, in the township of that name. Mr. and Mrs. Bower settled on section 12, in Colon Township, in the fall of 1883. Their family includes two children, who bear the names of Maude E. and Amy F. Mr. and Mrs. Bower are not members of any religious denomination, but are friendly to all orthodox organizations and systems, and firm friends of whatever will sustain and advance the higher types of morality and assist in the preservation and upbuilding of society. The political aspirations of our subject are in accord with those of the Democratic party, and he usually votes that ticket. Hle takes the greatest possible interest in his farm and devotes himself chiefly to its improvement and cultivation. His farm buildings are substantially built and well arranged. They are supplied with a multitude of appliances, conveniences and implements familiar only to the modern and progressive farmer. L. GOI)FREY M, M.D., a practicing physician and surgeon of Colon, is one of the leading members of the homeopathic school of medicine in St. Joseph County. He is very popular here, and has an extensive and lucrative practice. He succeeded his father, the widely known physician, Dr. L. M. Godfrey, a representative of the same school, who has given up the practice of his profession. His wife, whose maiden name was Lydia Warren, is also living, beloved and respected by a large circle of friends. They are natives of Wyoming County, N. Y., but in July, 1855, they left their old home in that State and came West, locating first in Wisconsin, remaining there two years and then coming to Michigan. Dr. Godfrey first established himself in Bronson, Branch County, where he practiced his profession until 1861. In that year he removed to Colon and opened an office, and for several years was one of the lelading physicians in this part of the county. Our subject was born in Attica, N. Y., in 1852, the eldest of the three children of his parents. Ile comes of sterling stock, his forefathers on both sides of the house being representatives of families of good standing in the East. Ile was a mere child when his parents came to Michigan, and he was reared in this State. Hie received the preliminaries of his education in Colon, and was then sent to the Jackson Business College, whence he was graduated after pursuing a thorough business course, but when it came to choosing a career in life, he determined to adopt the medical profession, having a decided taste for it, perhaps both acquired and inherited. To fit himself for his work he entered the IIahnemann Medical College, of Chicago, where he was a careful and hard student until he was graduated with honors won for ripe scholarship in February, 1876. HIe immediately settled in Colon, where he would not only have the prestige of his father's name and the advantage of his wider experience and wise counsels, but would step into a good practice among people with whom he was reared, who welcomed him again to their midst as an old friend, and regarded him with trust and confidence. The Doctor is the only representative of the homeopathic school of medicine in Colon. During his twelve years' practice, by constant attention to his duties, he has accumulated a fine property, his superior business talents and training enabling him to invest his money in a judicious manner. In 1885 he built a handsome brick residence, in which he and his pleasant family dispense a generous hospitality to their many friends. The Doctor was married, in September, 1873, to Miss Belle M. Grover, a native of Branch County, Mich., where she was born in 1852. She was the second child of the five born to Joseph and Harriet (Benedict) Grover, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and New York. They came to Michigan _m, I ri U, I { I - I i-I _ I ~-r1~e I _ il 11 ~ rp 3~~il-T k - i ( b _ m._. I I A 1Ai II i I i I i i II i Ii i ii iqi iIII;i Iii i I I II i i I Il ----_I- I_ _ 1_1_ I I- I I it -d - -~ -_ I, I 1 ~-I __ r III v ST. JOSEPHI COUNTY. 381 -- - ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in pioneer days, and her father still resides in Colon, where he is engaged in farming. Her mother died in 1884, at the age of sixty-four years. To the Doctor and his wife five children were born, as follows: Clare E., thirteen years old; Ina A., eleven; J. IL., nine; Glenn E., six; Eva E., four. Mrs. Godfrey departed this life Oct. 28, 1888, leaving a husband and five children, and a large circle of friends to mourn her death as a kind, affectionate mother and loving companion, and good citizen. Our subject and his wife occupied a leading position in the society of Colon, and he is a prominent member of the A. F. & A. M. of this town. IIe does not take a very active part in politics, but he always casts his vote with the Republican party. Ile is entirely engrossed in his profession, and although he has a large practice, he is still a student, and keeps abreast of the times in everything pertaining to medicine, l11 —N ICIARID MI. I)ICKINSON. The history of i Wi White Pigeon Township would not be com' / plete should tle biography of the gentleman whose name heads this sketch be omitted. He resides on section 6, White Pigeon Township, and is one of the representative agriculturists of the county, and a gentleman well and favorably known on account of the interest that he takes in all matters pertaining to the substantial advancement and improvement of the country. lie was born in Florence Township, St. Joseph Co., Mich., Feb. 24, 1846. The subject of this sketch is the son of George and Sarah (Johnson) Dickinson. The father was born in Yorkshire, England, and came to America in 1833, settling in this county. For many years he drove the stage between Detroit and White Pigeon. lie died May 3, 1861. The mother was a native of Liverpool, England, and came to America, where she met and married our subject's father. The children were: Richard, our subject; Sarah, Mrs. Putnam; George; Annie, Mrs. Kellogg, and Charles E. The mother was a widow before her marriage with our subject's father; at the time of her second marriage she was the mother of one daurghter, Mary A. Bowman. This daughter was the wife of J. J. Davis, of White Pigeon, but is now deceased. (See sketch of J. J. Davis on another page in this work.) The mother died Jan. 12, 1867, aged fifty-three years. The education the subject of this sketch received was obtained in the common schools, and he eagerly availed himself of every advantage offered. Besides the time spent in school his entire life was passed in farming, excepting about eighteen months, during which time he operated a meat-market in White Pigeon. IIe was successful in this venture, but felt that he could spend his life to better advantage and more profit on the farm; in consequence he closed the business in town and went back to the farm, where lie has since lived. Mr. Dickinson married Miss Ellen Fieldhouse, Jan. 7, 1869. She is a daughter of William Fieldhouse, who was one of the earliest settlers in the county, and is now deceased. They are the parents of one child, Jennie E., who was born Aug. 21, 1879. IIe and his family reside in a comfortable frame house, handsomely furnished, and containing all of the latest improved devices to lighten the labor of housekeeping, and add to the comfort and pleasure of the inmates. The grounds surrounding his residence are beautified with a large number of ornamental trees, shrubbery and flowers. The barns and other necessary out-buildings are conveniently located, and nicely designed for the purposes for which they were intended, and are very substantially and solidly built. IIe owns a farm of 204 acres, which he devotes to general farming and stock-raising, giving particular attention to feeding sheep, of which he has a large number, and their appearance gives evidence of the great amount of care bestowed upon them by their owner. This gentleman, and also his wife, are the descendants from the most popular families of old settlers in the county, and it is a matter of pride to them to refer back to their ancestors who settled in Michigan at an early date, and have contributed so largely to the present glory of the State. In his domestic affairs he is exceptionally fortunate; his wife is a refined, elegant lady, devoting herself in every way possible to the best interests of her i I i I -I I __e! W-P z b l d __~: 1 ~~ __ l_. .-z go -I II 1~~.~1 Ilrr II lr~13 I~~C III 1 1111 1~- 1111 11 3 ~_L. -I _ 1 - -- (i L 382 ST..JOSEPII COUNTY. -Ip - husband. Both parents are devoted to their little daughter Jennie, who is an unusually bright and precocious child. She has the sweetness of temper and disposition which is one of the characteristics of her mother, and the child in return for the love lavished on her fairly worships her parents. She has evinced a great aptitude for music, and although so young in years she is a splendid performer on the piano. Mr. Dickinson has steadily refused to accept any position of trust from his fellowmen, although being repeatedly requested to do so, preferring to devote his time entirely to the development and successful prosecution of his various business interests. Himself and wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he always acts with the Republican party. AY BABCOCK. The farming community of Nottawa Township has among its memi bers no more solid and reliable man than the subject of this sketch. He owns a good property on section 24, where he has effected substantial improvements, and where he has applied himself for the last thirty-five years industriously to general farming, and met with the reasonable reward of his labors. The main points in the history of our subject are substantially as follows: lie is the only child of Samuel B. and Elizabeth (Groves) Babcock, the former of whom was born in New York State, Aug. 29, 1787. The mother, who was of Holland-Dutch ancestry, was born on the banks of Buffalo Creek, in Union County, Pa., Dec. 15, 1797, and is still living, making her home in Nottawa. The parents, after their marriage, removed, in 1836, from Monroe County, N. Y., to Jackson County, Mich., during its Territorial days, where they resided until 1854. They then took up their abode among the pioneers of this county, settling in Nottawa Township, where the father lived and labored for a period of twenty years, and then closed his eyes upon earthly scenes, about 1874. The subject of this sketch was born in Clarkson, Monroe Co.. N. Y.. Dec. 15, 1835, and was one and one-half years old when he was brought by his parents to Michigan. TIe accompanied his parents in their removal to this county, and lived upon the old farm until 1854. This property is now in the possession of Mr. Babcock. Mr. B. purchased the land which he now owns and occupies in 1854. It embraces 120 acres of land, and he has himself effected the improvements which we see around him to-day. I-e was married, in Sturgis, Nov. 8, 1862, to Miss Henrietta Hayfer. This lady was born in Colon Township, this county, Feb. 7, 1846, and was the daughter of Samuel and Matilda (Shipman) Ilayfer. She died very suddenly of pneumonia, on the 3d of March, 1888. To Mr. and Mrs. Babcock there were born fourteen children, ten of whom are living, namely: Henry C., William N., Caroline T., Clara A., Laura L., John J., Chris R., Homer J., Marion A. and Bessie A. Those deceased are Mary E. and Franklin, who died early in life, and two who died unnamed in infancy. Mr. Babcock, politically, advocates the principles of the Democratic party. The father of our subject carried a musket in the War of 1812. and on account of his services at that time his widow receives a pension from the Government. Mrs. Elizabeth (Groves) Babcock is a very bright and intelligent old lady, with quite a remarkable memory, being able to recall past events with much clearness, and a person with whom it is both pleasant and profitable to converse. She has witnessed many changes during a long and worthy life, and can relate many interesting incidents of the pioneer days of Michigan. ELSON MATHEWSON. The biography of this honored pioneer of Mendon Township is not widely different from that of many who came early in life to Michigan Territory, and to whom she is indebted for the development of her rich resources. Mr. Mathewson first set foot upon the soil of Michigan when a young man twenty-five years of age, settling in this county in October, 1842, with his wife, taking up land first in Colon Township, where he lived some six or seven years. Thence he camne to Mendon Township, and i aMmkT- r - Poll I - CO -I0 - I V I - I. - I -- - -- II -- L -L'~~~L~LI - '- - r -- L -— 1 _~~~~ — II ~.I r I I ~ ~ I' - -- ~ I OI M - ST. JOSEP located on the land which he has since occupied. His farm is now 175 acres in extent. Upon it have been erected three good and comfortable dwellings, and the structures for the storage of grain and the shelter of stock, which, together with their surroundings, the apple orchard and the abundance of smaller fruit, comprise a homestead comfortable and pleasant in the extreme. Mr. Mathewson knows all about the toils and hardships of life in a new country, but his labors have met with their legitimate reward. A native of Onondaga County, N. Y., our subject was born July 25, 1817, and was the eldest of a family of six children, the offspring of John and Lois (Hicks) Mathewson, who were also natives of the Empire State. The father died when a young man in his native county of Onondaga, when his son Nelson was a lad of twelve years. The mother was sulsequently married a second time, and later coming to Michigan, died in Mendon Township, this county, in the month of July, about 1867. Mr. Mathewson was reared to farm pursuits, which he carried on in his native State until coming to Michigan. He was first married in Oswego County, N. Y., to Miss Polly Works, by whom he became the father of three children-John H., Wilber and Helen R. Wilber was killed in the pineries of Kent County, Mich., by a falling tree; Helen died in infancy; John H. is married, and operating a farm in Mendon Township. The mother of these children died at the homestead, Sept. 4, 1850. Our subject contracted a second marriage, at Three Rivers, this State, Aug. 25, 1851, with Miss Lucy S. Ballon, who was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Jan. 23, 1831. Her father, Danford G. Ballou, was a native of Ierkimer County, N. Y., and the mother, who in her girlhood was Miss Cynthia Worrallo. was born in Ontario County, N. Y. They came to Southern Michigan in 1838, settling in Park Township, this county, where they spent the remainder of their lives, the father dying about 1876, in his seventy-fourth year, and the mother passing away at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Mathewson, in the spring of 1887. Of this marriage of our subject there have been born three children. The eldest daughter, Mary R., is the wife of J. J. Hanshue, of Kalamazoo; l H COUNTY. 383 I James W. is in the furniture and undertaking business in Antrim County, this State; Argie L. died at the age of two years and eight months. Mrs. Mathewson is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. M. cast his first Presidential vote for Henry Clay, being a member of the Whig party. Since its organization in 1856 the Republican party has received his uniform support. E MANUEL WAGNER. For genuine comfort and those things which complete the jl- well-ordered home, attractive within and without, there is probably no better illustration than the home of the subject of this sketch, which is finely located on section 27, in Colon Township. Mr. Wagner, rather than turning his whole attention to money-making, seemed to have in view those things which shall conduce in the best manner to the pleasure and happiness of his family. A lover of home and closely bound by domestic ties, he thus possesses in a marked degree one of the best qualities of citizenship. In consequence of this he thus enjoys the confidence of his fellowmen, and has faithfully performed the closest obligations of life. Daniel Wagner, the father of our subject, when a young man was married, and he and his wife settled not far from the place of their birth, in Mifflin County, Pa. In 1838, however, the year after Michigan had been transformed from a Territory into a State, they came to this county with their little family. The father purchased seventy-eight acres of land in Coloni Township, and commenced building up a homestead, where he and his estimable wife spent the remainder of their days. His death took place Oct. 8, 1864, and the mother is still living. They were the larents of six children, all of whom survive. Our subject was born April 18, 1828, and remained with his father until attaining the age of twenty years. He had in the meantime received a common-school education, and had become entirely familiar with the various employments of farm life. Upon reaching his majority he began the establishment of a home of his own, by his marriage with Miss Mary Hafer, which took place in September, r~ _ I* I *~1- --------- LLl —Lr.- o ff-ow~_~-~. L-. ~-__ IJ ~ ~ _ L_ I. I~~ L -- I I m gas -,II~ - 11 ~I IIIL -11 1111L - C~I --- —---— ~ --- — I 384 ST. JOSEPH COUNTLY. T J P 1850. The young people began the journey of life together, but Mrs. Wagner survived her marriage only a few months, her death taking place in May, 1851. She was the daughter of Samuel and Catherine (Hinkle) Hafer, who were natives of Union County, Pa. The second marriage of Mr. Wagner was with Miss Louisa, a daughter of Benjamin Marks, who with his wife, Tina (Packard) Marks, was a native of New York State, and is deceased. Of this union there was born one child, a son, Alston, who died at the age of five years. The third marriage of Mr. Wagner, which took place Aug. 28, 1858, at Colon, in this county, was with Miss Caroline Frye, daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Bothman) Frye, natives of Schuylkill County, Pa. Mrs. Caroline Wagner was the seventh of a family of eight children. To Emanuel and Caroline Wagner there were born two children-Elmer E. and Tillie E. The former assists his father in the operation of the farm; he married Miss Sophia L. Teller, and they have one child, George C. Tillie E. is the wife of I. W. Teller, who lives in Colon Township; they have one clild, John E. Mr. Wagner is an uncompromising Democrat, politically, and has held the various school offices of his township. He identified himself with the Masonic fraternity, being connected at present with Blue Lodge No. 73, at Colon. The homestead includes ninety acres of well-cultivated land, upon which Mr. Wagner has made all the improvements, which are viewed with interest by the passing traveler. ty OHN M. WELLS, a prominent citizen of St. Joseph County, with whose best interests ihe has been identified for many years, is 'j widely and favorably known inl business and social circles, and he has been an important factor in extending and sustaining the large commercial interests of Southern Michigan. IHe is a member of the firm of Wells & Calam. Constaintinie Village. They have a fine, well-appointed, double store, and carry a full stock of well-assorted goods, of many classes, and are thus enabled to meet in every re spect the demands of a large custom, which they have drawn to themselves by inspiring confidence in their patrons by their strict, honorable and upright methods in their dealings. Our subject was born July 4, 1818, at White Creek, Washington Co., N. Y., his parents being Joseph and Lucy (Hollister) Wells, for whose history see sketch of F. Wells. When their son, of whom we write, was four years old they moved to Granville, and a year later to Salem, Washington County, and there the father was engaged in keeping hotel. In that town most of the boyhood days of our subject were passed. In 1837 he came with his father's family through by teams to St. Joseph County, and lived in their pioneer home on his father's farm in Mottville until about 1840, when he went to Constantine, and established himself in the hotel business on the corner known as "Langley Corner." He remained there about seven years, when he built the hotel known as the Romaine House, which he managed successfully until 1850. In that year he leased the hotel, and went overland to California for the purpose of mining. He remained in the Golden State only a short time, however, returning in the same fall to Michigan. He turned his attention to farming, which occupation he conducted profitably until 1853, when he again engaged in the hotel business. Two years later, in 1855, he andl his brother Franklin embarked together in the mercantile business, continuing for about six years, when they d(issolved partnership, and our subject, in the winter of that year (1861) formed a partnership with T. H. Calam, under the firm name of Wells & Calam, and they have ever since carried on the business with gratifying success, as we have seen. Their house, which has been in existence for nearly thirty years, must be one of the oldest established in the vicinity. Our subject was appointed Postmaster of Constantine in 1862, and held that office with much satisfaction to the people until his resignation three years later. In politics he is a strong Republican, and voted in 1840 for William H. Harrison, as he did in 1888 for his grandson, Benjamin Harrison. Mr. Wells and Lydia Arnold were united in the bonds of matrimony in Constantine, in 1843. Mrs. Wells is the daughter of the late Inman Arnold, l -Ad *k-1 o I -i11W I — qw- I -1 -,- - - -- - - - t I I I I i i i I m I lI l i I l i i l i l I l i i Ii a r i, _ I --- —------------------------------— a', c - Idk.lb. v 385 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. who came to Constantine from New York in 1843, and she was born in Unadilla, Otsego Co., N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Wells have three children living, as follows: John H., who married Miss Hattie Lyke, and lives with his parents; Lucy, the wife of J. H. Hahn, of Detroit; Leda, the wife of T. H. Purple, of Chicago, 111. Mr. Wells' life record is that of a man who places honor and honesty above all things, and his character is wilhout stain. He is at once cautious and enterprising in his business, and these traits have brought him success. Lte owns a handsome and commodious residence, and lives surrounded by all the comforts of life. Both he and his wife, who is a pleasant, prepossessing lady, are exceedingly hospitable and entertaining to the stranger within their gates. _*__.. ----— _-* Do ILTON McINTOSH. Self-preservation may be the first law of nature; self-de/j A1 pendence is one of the vital factors of nature-at least of human nature. The present sketch designs to present the salient features in the life of one whose self-reliance has enabled him to succeed where a less determined man would have failed. A manly independence of thought and action has been, and is, one of the traits of his character and notable features of his history. He is to-day one of the enterprising and progressive farmers and stock-raisers of St. Joseph County, and operates 160 acres of land on section 14 of Nottawa Township. The father of our subject, Peter McIntosh, was born at Navarre, Ohio, and the mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Meese, was also a native of Ohio. They were residents of DeKalb County, Ind., for about forty years. The family circle included six children, of whom our subject was the second. -Ie first saw the light in Smithfield, in the above county, on the 19th of April, 1857. His early (lays were spent on the farm, and he has been from his youth brought in contact with agricultural labor in all its various departments. The education of our subject was received in the common schools of DeKalb County, and upon its completion he remained with his parents until six-_ teen years of age, when he struck out for himself, and began life in earnest. For fully seven years he worked out as a farm hand, and in 1882 came to Nottawa Township, and here purchased 160 acres, which he began at once to improve, and in which le saw much more success than he had anticipated or considered possible. Although he has always given some attention to general farming, he devotes his efforts mainly to stock-raising, making a specialty of breeding thoroughbred Poland-China hogs, which he does in large numbers, and is abundantly rewarded for every effort which his enterprise leads him to undertake. The subject of this sketch was first married, in Nottawa Township, to Mary Olney, a daughter of the late Joseph Olney. This lady presented him with two children, but one of them died in infancy. The name of the living child is Neva M. His wife departed this life on the 8th of July, 1885, after which he contracted a second alliance, and was united with Lena Spike, of Kalamazoo. This event took place in 1888. SMr. Mclntosh was elected Justice of the Peace, but felt compelled to resign the office. IHe is a member of the Iemocratic party, and takes no little interest in public affairs, especially where the welfare or honor of the people is involved. Both as a man and citizen he is held in high regard, and enjoys a high social position. LISS N. STONE is one of the much esteemed citizens of Burr Oak Township, who have Torne the burden and heat of the day in the rush of business life, and is now living in retirement, enjoying the competency he has been privileged to accumulate. He was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., in Madrid Township, on the 30th of April. 1826, and is the son of Solomron S. and Nancy (Nash) Stone. The father of our subject was brought up and educated in his native county, where he first settled in life, and continued to live, following farming until 1840, when lie started upon a prospecting tour. He returned, and shortly after was taken sick and i i i i I I I — Iqww I t 7Oft _~ r 1 1, qIY -om - I 13. — -- ) ---- --- =-(I I4 I F Cf IIba- I I n ~ I I MC - I ~ ~; 1 111111 1 eT ~-~ -- I - 0 8 - 386 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I died. His wife, the mother of our subject, was a native of Vermont. She became the mother of eight children, of whom four are living, viz: Louisa, now Mrs. William Stacey, of Brecksville, Ohio; her husband was a soldier in the late war, and lost his life at Chantilla. Our subject; Harriet, the wife of Julius White, of Brecksville, Ohio; and Stanley G., of the same place. The four deceased were: Lucinda, who was the wife of Guy Carpenter, of Blissfield, died at Blissfield, Mich., at the age of thirty-eight years; Celestia was married to Mr. Joseph Carpenter, of the same place, and died leaving one child, Hattie; Marvin, of the same place, died at Blissfield, and Lorenzo, who was a merchant. Mr. Stone came to Michigan in May, 1847, and lived in Branch County for about three years, after which he came to Burr Oak, where he embarked in the mercantile business, and not without seeing a large measure of prosperity. He first came to Michigan in 1847. Before he settled he saw considerable of the country, and made himself fully acquainted with the condition of the soil, etc., as to its being favorable or otherwise for his purpose, and finally located in Burr Oak. In 1850 Mr. Stone was united in marriage with Lucy C. Webb, the excellent daughter of H. B. Webb, Esq., of Blissfield. There was born to them a daughter, Bell, who is now the wife of B. D. Misner, also of Burr Oak. For nine years Mr. Stone held the position of Postmaster at Burr Oak, and later became a Justice of the Peace. He has seen much of the checkered experience of life, and has developed a fine character, that wins for him from all who know him the most cordial admiration and regard. KM ORGAN PLANT. Among the leading far/ mers of Burr Oak Township the subject of this sketch holds a prominent position, he having aided largely in the development of its agricultural interests. Whatever he has undertaken has been done thoroughly and well, his present possessions not being extensive, but nevertheless valuable. His farm comprises eighty acres of land on section 34, and of which he took possession in 1869. He has a little more than rounded up his threescore years, and such has been his course in life that he is enjoying a happy and green old age, with his children comfortably settled around him, useful and intelligent citizens, and in addition to them, scores of friends whom he has made during the years of a well-spent life. The town of Stafford, Genesee Co., N. Y., contained the early home of our subject, and where he first opened his eyes to the light April 30, 1825. His father, Stephen Plant, was born in Litchfield, Conn., June 24, 1782, and married Miss Melinda Brown, who was born in New Marlboro. Mass., Sept. 6, 1782, the same year as her husband, being his junior by only a few months. They took up their residence in Stafford, Genesee Co., N. Y., where the father carried on farming, and built up a gt )d homestead which sheltered him until his death, (c the 14th of February, 1853. The mother surviv I her husban(l thirteen years. her death taking place at Pike, Wyoming Co., N. Y., March 30, 1866. The parental household included three sons and four daughters, and our subject is the only survivingmrember of his family. He spent his early life on the farm in his native township, and a few months after the death of his mother, came, in June, 1866, to Michigan, locating first on a tract of land three miles north of the village, and which embraced the farm afterward occupied by Abner Davis. This remained his home until 1868. Our subject was married in his native county, Dec. 28. 1848, to Miss Alice C. Emerson, who was born at Brownsville, N. Y., Nov. 25, 1823. Her parents were Ira and Dianna Emerson, natives of New York. and the father a cooper by trade. He carried on business a number of years in Stafford, N. Y., and with his excellent wife spent his last days in New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Plant commenced the journey of life together in the year 1848, and came together to their pioneer home in the West, accompanied by their children, who were all natives of Stafford, Genesee Co., N. Y. Their eldest, Frances A., was born March 21, 1850, and became the wife of Charles C. Needham, of Burr Oak, Mich., Nov. 28, 1867, and died at her home there Sept. 13, 1887; Alice K. was born March 5, 1853, and (lied March 8, 1854; Caroline A. was mi-km I'll~11~- 11 -1 13 11 -~~LI III~ T4 — "qrq I i I i II ,-)-o 4 - Ir, -- B r sllb~B-rUI —CI~IIIIoomw ~ c~-e --- CI-~ —~ ---~ lII I~I -I 1 ~ 4- O —No l) ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 389 ' ^ — i- --- --- born Dec. 8, 1851, and married, Dec. 14, 1870, to Elias P. Williams, of Sturgis, Mich.; she now resides at Denver, Col. Albert E. and Alma E. (twins), were born Aug. 14,1856. The former married, March 12, 1879, Emma Wilson, of Burr Oak, this State; the latter was married, Aug. 14, 1872, to Jasper 11. Emerson, of Caledonia, N.Y. David P., born July 13, 1859, married, Iec. 28, 1885, Sarah Pyle, of Burr Oak, Mich.; he is now a resident of Goshen, Ind. Our subject and his estimable wife, although not members of any religious denomination, usually attend the Methodist Episcopal Church, and contribute liberally to the support of the Gospel. Mr. P., politically, votes the straight Republican ticket, and has been the uniform encourager of the enterprises calculated to benefit the people around him. Ile is a man of the strictest integrity, one wliose word is as good as his bond, and with his estimable family occupies a leading position in a community of intelligent and worthy people. (ON. rWILLI1AM ALLMAN, ex-memlber of ) tlie Michlioan Legislature. and a retired capitalist an11( banker at Sturgis, anl wliose J) 0portrait aippears on1 tlle opl)site page, lhas made for himself an enviable record as a successful JIusiness man and useful citizen. lIe first openedl his eyes to the ligllt on tlle otler side of the Atlantic, in Yorksllire, Engl'and, May 12, 1818. AWhen a \youngo man1 twelve years of age e le emigrated to America, and for tlle following eight years lived in (ant1ada, engaged at clerkiing. IIe left there during tlie Patriot War ill 1838, and caine to Stiurgis; he beciame a student of Asbury l niversity at (G:reenc:stle, IInd., from wlic le was glralduated il 1845. Ile became at resident of tlis county in 1838, an(l at once identified h inlself with thle matters most nearlv allied to its prosl)erity an(l advancement, and in 1857 and 1877 represented in thle State Legislature tlhe district comprlising one-lalf of t le county of St;. Jose)ll, Mich. In 1854 lie was appointed Secretary and Treasurer of the Grand Rapids & lIndiana Railroad. which position lie oc culied from tlie time of its organization until 1859. a period of four years. Mr. Allnman was appointed a Trustee of Albion College, witll wlicll lie was connected a number of years. I)uring his term of service in tlle Iegislature there occurred the great contest concerning thle land grant to railroads in tle State o( Michigan, and concerning whlich his conscientious and temperately uttered opinions lhad their due effect in its settlement. IIe became connected witll the First National Bank of Sturgis at its organization, and( subsequently served as its President for nine years, and until failing healtl compelled him to retire from tlie Presidency. IIe was originally a Wllig, and upon tle abandonment of the old party lie identified himself witlh tlhe Iepublicans, of wlhose principles lie lhas been a warm supporter for over thirty years; lie is a zealous worker for prolibition. Marclh 15, 1846, witnessed tlhe marriage of our sullject witl Miss LIouisa Fairchilds, wlho was born in Albany, N. Y., Nov. 13, 1820. HIer parents were Julius and Iucretia (Brainard) Fairclilds, natives respectively of New York and Connecticut, the father born O(ct. 25, 1 7931, and the motlher, June 15, 1 798. The father died at his home in Sturgis, Jan. 4. 1873, and the mother Sept. 16, 1868. The former was in his early manhood Captain of a steamer on tlie Iudson River. Their family included twelve clildren, namely: Jane A., Mlary E., Louisa, Benjamin, Sally, Asal B., Emily. IlHarriet, Julius, Lucretia, Ezra and E1mily. Of tllese six are livinIg, and residing in (ifferent States of thle lnion. The )arents of our subject were Major Allman and Margaret (Ilaxby) Allman, and tlley were of pure English stock. Tlie father was born Nov. 22, 1791, an(l departed tills life Dec. 28, 1858, at his home in Sturgis. In early manhood lie learned the tailor's trade, but being religiously inclined, occupied the pulpit of the Methodist Episcopal Church for a number of years as a local preacher. From Sturgis lie moved to Crown I'oint, Ind., where he officiated as l'ostmaster a number of years, but finally, on account of failing health, was compelled to retire. At the time of his death there were left six children, four of whom are still living, namely: Elizabeth, Mrs. Groce, a resident of Canada, and who has been blind for a number of years; Matilda, W L -ILR_ — L M L- I= ~ —l -ft ~ _Y-.d i --- -p- -—, b s"l-"ll"~-~ --- —---— ~_I f " II — ^ I 90-_ A1- b f + 390 ST..JOSEPH COUNTY. - the widow of S. Cade; William and Amos. Jolhn died in 1875, and Jabez il 1885. 'Io Mlr. and \Mrs. Allman there were born three children, the eldest of wlom, Harriet L., (lied in infancyl. Iucretia is the wife of Dr.1. 1.. 'hornton, a practiciing physician of Sturgis; William IM. married Miss Annie, daughlter of Thomas S. Beals, of Detroit, and is cashier of the NNational Bank of Sturgis. Mr. Allman, in 1865, hell)ed to establish the First National Bank of Sturgis, and twenty years later, in 1885, renewed the charter and las since been Vice President. -Ie has been a 1)irector of Schlools many years, and been active in the erection of school buildings, believing soundly in the education of the young. lie has contributed more to the suplport of tle Methodist Episcopal Church than any other member of its congregation, giving liberally and cheerfully as his means justified, and has held tlhe most important offices therein for forty-five years, and was Superintendent of its Sunday-schlool for over thirty years. In the pulllic meetings called for tle discussion of the enterprises calculated for the general good of the conmmunity, lie has taken a promninent lart, possessing as a speaker rare talents, being forcible and convincing in argument. With the exception of Constable. lie 1ias lield nearly all the offices of the towlnshipl. HIe still retains possession of the spot of ground upon which hle first settled, and where lie 11as built up one of tie most comlfortlable and attractive homes in tlhe city. J ACOB BURGER. There were few among the early settlers of St. Joseph County who took a more thorough hold upon the esteem and affections of the people than the subject of this biography, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Southern Michigan with his parents in 1847. He was born in York County, in the Keystone State, March 15, 1830, and departed this life at his home in Constantine Township, Feb. 8, 1882. The beautiful and well-appointed homestead which he built up from a tract of uncultivated land, left as a rich heritage to his children, is not as dear to them as the record of his life, which was that of an honest man and a good citizen. The Burger family it is supposed is of German descent, the forefathers of our subject crossing the Atlantic at an early period in the history of America. Henry Burger, the father of our subject, was also born in Pennsylvania, and upon reaching manhood was married to Miss Sarah Benage, a native of the same State. Soon after uniting their lives and fortunes they decided to seek a home in the West, and after coming to this county lived about one year in Mottville Township. Thence thely removed to Constantine Township, where the father died in the spring of 1866. Mrs. Sarah Burger survived her husband a period of eighteen years, remaining a widow, and passing away at the home of her son Jacob, March 20, 1884, aged eighty years and two months. To Henry and Sarah Burger there were born seven children. Jacob was one of the elder members of the family, and grew up a genuine farmer's boy, strong of muscle and healthy of mind, and when reaching manhood was fully competent to enter ln his cosen c en alling-that of a farmer. At the age of twenty-four years he was married, Nov. 8, 1854, to Miss Lavina, daughter of William and Catherine (Brower) George, -who, like the Burgers, were natives of Pennsylvania and emigrated to this county during its early settlement. They located in Constantine Township, where they spent the remainder of their days, dying at an advanced age, the father when ninety years old and the mother when ninety-one. They were the parents of five children, of whom Mrs. Burger was the third. She was born in Pennsylvania, Nov. 2, 1830, and was a small child when her parents came to Michigan. She with her husband watched the growth and development of this now prosperous com monwealth with that warm interest only felt by those liberal and public-spirited citizens who, while having much to absorb their minds in their own concerns, were nevertheless not too selfish to interest themselves ill the welfare of the people around them. Five children came in due time to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Burger, the eldest of whom, a daughter, Sarah C., is the wife of William B. Allerton, of Constantine Township; of William H.. the second child and eldest son, mention is ma(le hereafter; —.I S& )& m I j., ",I I mr- *07 V i 1 im U _* ^~ aa~~~~~~~~a~~~~~ --- —---- 7 L~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~P - r, —I p ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 391 A L I - I Charles M. is carrying on farming on his own account not far from the old homestead; John J. died when an infant of fifteen months, and a little daughter, unnamed, also died in infancy. These young lpeolle are exceptionally bright, which qualities, added to their careful home training and practical education, constitute them most promisingl memibers of the community. William Hi. Burger was born in Constantine Township, July 12, 1858, and was reared at the homestead, becoming familiar with agricultural pursuits. lIe received a conmmon-school education, at an early age developing those qualities which have placed him in the front ranks among the leading men of his township. Although comparatively young in years lie has obtained a substantial foothold financially, and in company with his brother Charles owns and operates 315 acres of improved land on section 14. IHe carries on general farming and stock-raising, and is in the enjoyment of a good income. Politically, he gives his support to the Republican party. lie is unmarried. C AM U EL TEEISDA LE, senior lmember of the firm of Samuel Teesdale & Son, manllfacturers of bent woodwork and wagon-makers' supplies, in Constantine, is a well-known and honored citizen of St. Joseph County, and has been identified with its business and industrial interests for many years, formerly manufacturing wagons, carriages, etc., as well as the present articles witl which lie supplies the market. Mr. Teesdale is a son of one of the early pioneers of St. Joseph County, and may be denominated a pioneer himself, as lie was nearly grown to manhood's estate when lie accompanied his father from his native land across the Atlantic to Michigan, in 1834, and not long after established himself in business here. IIe was born in Lincolnshire, England, near the old city of Boston, March 9, 1815. His father, Samuel Teesdale, was likewise a native of that shire, as waSs his mother, whose maiden name was Mary Evason, who died in England in 1832. In 1834 the father of our subject emigrated to the United States with his children, and coming to Michigan, located in that part of St. Joseph County now known as Florence Township, on the edge of White Pigeon Prairie, and thus became one of the earliest settlers of that township. I-e lived there some twenty years, clearing his land and carrying on agriculture, and then sold his property there, and bought a place in Constantine Township, on the line between that township and Mottville. iHe afterward sold his farm there, and retired to private life in the home of his daughter, the late Mrs. William Heywood, with whom he lived until his death, in 1865. He was the father of eight children, of whom our subject was the second in order of birth. Samuel Teesdale passed the early years of his life in the land of his nativity, living with his parents until he was thirteen years old, when he was apprenticed to learn the wagon-maker's trade and wheelwrighting. lie served an apprenticeship of five years, and then accompanied his father's family to this country, in 1834. He worked one year at White Pigeon, at joiner work, and at the expiration of that time came to Constantine, and started in the wagon-makkig business in a small way. For nearly fifty years he was engaged il the manufacture of wagons and carriages, and gradually, by strictly honorable (lealings and close application to his business down to the minutest detail, le built up an extensive trade. Hle used none but the best material in his work, and his vehicles were so well made and so durable that they met with a ready sale. In 1882 lie added the manufacture of bent woodwork to his business, still continuing the manufacture of carriages and wagons for a short time. In the sane year lie admitted his son into partnership with him, and then discontinued the latter branch of his business, they now giving their attention entirely to the manufacture of bent woodwork and wagon-maker's supplies, which they carry on very profitably. Our subject has been twice married. His first wife, to whom he was rmarried on Pigeon Prairie in 1840, was Miss Elizabeth Wellburn, a native of Yorkshire, England. She bore him three children, as follows: Mary, now the wife of Mr. Hall, of Grand Rapids; Eliza, the wife of Levi Machimer, and Joseph, both residents of Constantine. Mrs. I I.A ra qlblC"lfBIL, —~l(,,,_ e.- b — A I --- pp — 'i - --- - - -- - --- - --- - --------- --- - -— ~ -- Ippop = OR* ---- --— LI I IL~- l_-~~l L~ —I~Ic —_-L — ~ I -~r~~ L — L- ~ I ~ C 4 IIN 392 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I Teesdale, a woman of excellent character, who was highly respected by all who knew her, departed this life in Constantine, in 1849. Mr. Teesdale was married to his present wife, formerly Miss Frances E. Bryan, in 1850. She was the fourth child of a family of twelve, born to the late John and Sarah (Babcock) Bryan, and her birth occurred in Moscow, Livingston Co., N. Y., Feb. 16, 1820. Her parents were among the earliest settlers of Michigan, removing from their native State to Ypsilanti in 1823. The team that carried their goods from Detroit to that place was the first that made its way through the woods, cutting a road and blazing the way, and occupying five days in going less than thirty miles. Before that goods had been shipped down the river, a roundabout and expensive route. When the emligrants arrived at their destination they found but five families who had preceded them, and they were settled on an eligible place about a mile outside the present limits of the flourishing city of Ypsilanti. They remained there until 1834, and came to St. Joseph County in December of that year, casting in their lot with the very few pioneers who had preceded them in Constantine. They afterward removed to a farm in Constantine Township, and subsequently took up their home in Constantine, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Teesdale are the parents of five children by this marriage, two of whom are living, Lois and John B. The latter is in business witl his fatiler, and Lois is the wife of H. J. Felker, of Grand Rapids. Tlhe other children died in infancy. It has been Mr. Teesdale's fortune to witness the greater part of the development of St. Joseph County from the wilderness, and, coming here in the strength and vigor of early manhood, and with great enterprise establishing a business which in time became one of the important industries of St. Joseph County, lie has been no mean factor in promoting the material advancment of the county, and in him Constantine has found a useful, exemplary citizen. A man of fine character, well dowered with firmness, activity and enterprise, together with sound principles and lofty religious convictions, his life has been a success, both from a financial and moral standpoint. lie is blessed witl a wife of more than ordinary intelligence and capability, who can sympathize with and share his beliefs, and who at the same time knows well how to manage her household affairs, and to make home pleasant and attractive to its inmnates. Mr. and Mrs. Teesdale are, and have been for many years, among the leading members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and lie has borne a conspicuous part in tile management of its affairs, holding church office continuously for forty years, having served as Trustee, Steward, Class-Leader and Chorister, having led the choir for about forty years. In ante bellum days Mr. | Teesdale was a strong Abolitionist, and was one of the first five in Constantine who voted the Abolition ticket. He was one of the first to join the Republican party, and through the war and afterward was a strong supporter of its policy. The prohibition movement appealed to his sympathy as a strong temperance man, and he was one of the first to join the party after its organization, and still continues to act with it. A thoroughly good man and citizen, le deserves this place among te i honored citizens of St. Joseph County. RANCIS G. tIEALD, D. I). S. Prominent among the rising memnlers of the dental profession in Southern Michigan is the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this brief biographical notice. He is a native of New York, born in Kingston, Ulster County, Nov. 12, 1862. His parents, Abel and Celestia (Granger) Ieald, were both natives of the Empire State, and remained there many years after their marriage. In 1867 they removed with their family to Indiana, and settled in Elkhart, where Mr. Heald engaged in the hardware business. He established a flourishing trade, and continued thus engaged until his death, in September, 1879. To him and his wife were born six children, of whom three are living, namely: Francis G.; Cora, who resides with her mother in Elkhart, and Sheldon, a student in the School of Pharmacy in Chicago. Our subject was but four years of age when his parents removed to Elkhart, and lie there received the preliminaries of his education in its public. _____ ^____________^ii_1 dkilb I1 I~ --- - - --------— ~. I -, dw11 ---111bb -- - <i ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 393 I ------ ----------------------- — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ schools. Hle afterward attended the Indiana Dental Gentzler. College, at Indianapolis, from which he was gradu- of Adam ated in March, 1882. After receiving his dliloma he under wh worked one-half year with I)r. Harris, of Chicago. given.) Meeting with unusual success while there, Dr. Heald The bo was encouraged to establish himself in business on father's f: his own account, and accordingly, in the spring of a commno 1883, he visited Sturgis, and being pleased witl its teen yearl location and business inducements, he determined in 1849, 1 to make his home here. Since establishing himself the cardli here he has met with good success, and has built up at that fo a large and( lucrative business, andl is now one of engaged ( the most popular dental surgeons in the county. gagingl in 1)r. Heald keeps apace with the newest methods Ile owns used by his professional brethren, and he stands County, deservedly high in his calling, his skill and excel- fine herds lent workmanship being especially commended by and the n all his patrons. the model I The marriage of our subject with Alice MI. with all ii daughter of John C. alnd Caroline (AMatllewson) house, Bennett, was solemnized Feb. 28, 1888. She was 1 1873. 1I born and reared in Sturgis, and is a young lady of I and more much culture and refinement. )Dr. Heald an(l his gant resid wife are much esteemed throughout the community Our su for tleir many pleasant social qualities. Though Elizabeth l not connected witll any religious organization, both 27. 1 8154 are interested in the moral as well as the e(duca- York Co. tional and material advancement of their town and of tlhe for county. of John a --— t.-.I enlts were thelre maia J ACOB S. GENTZLER is one of tlhe leading several y! farmlers and stock-raisers of St. "JosephMlll ichigan I [ County, owning and managilng one of the where tle i @ i /largest and most valuable farms in or near the five c Constantine Township, finely located on section 25. but two, i On this lie and his family have a beautiful home, the other; as lie hais erected one of the handsomest residences A. Stealrs in Southern Michigan, and has fitted it up with all Townshil[ tlie modern conveniences. His farm is supplied I Townshil with substantial and commodious barns, and otlher \Mr. G( necesslary buildings, and all kinds of machinery for exercise ( cultivating the land, or in any way facilitating the I e is a l labors of the farm. strong oi: Our subject was born in Washington Townshipl, press on York Co., Pa., Sept. 29, 1833. being the sixtl child worth an i ill the family of Jacob and Elizabeth (Speck) ence in h _ i i i (For further parental history see sketch Gentzler, elder brother of our subject, ose name a full history of the family is yhood of our subject was passed on his arm in his native county, and lie received n-school education. He was about sixs old when he came here with his parents, )ut before coming to Michigan he learned ng and fulling business, and was engaged r five years; aside from that lie has been chiefly in farming and stock-dealing, enthe latter for upward of twenty years. little less than 500 acres in St. Joseph ind the broad, well-tilled fields, with the of cattle and horses, all of good stock, eat and conmmodious buildings, with all rn conveniences, constitute a model farm, ts accessories. Mr. Gentzler erected a fine hich waRs destroyed by fire March 23, e immediately replaced it by one finer costly, and now has one of the most eleences in St. Joseph County. bject was united in marriage to Miss Lellmer, in Constantine Township. April. lShe was born in Carroll Township,, Pa., March 12, 1835. being the youngest u.r children, two sons and two daughters,,nd Susanna (Fickes) Leimer. IIer parnatives of York County, Pa., and were ~'ied, and made their residence there for ears afterward(. In 1855 they came to, and settled in Constantine Township, ey spent the remainder of their lives. Of hildren born to our subject and his wife, John WV. and Adam 1H., are now living, s dying in infancy. John married Mary, daulhter of Thomas Stears, of Florence L, and they 1now reside in Constantine ). entzler has accumulated his wealth by the of rare business talent and clear judgment. nan of great decision of character, witl )inions, which he does' notihesitate to exproper occasions. A man-of his ability, d wealth, necessarily wields a strong influis community. This is especially true in WV 1111 -~11311 C IIII ~ - r - ~ -, -—.dag ' --- -i soo - I i I! 1m ) 11 111_-Cdd 5 --- L 1 111~ 111 1-111 ~ I IC-Labs-.l( _ t 394 ST. JOSEPI COUNTY. I I regard to educational matters, in which he is deeply interested, as he believes that education is the surest foundation for a successful and useful life. He is a sincerely religious man, and he and his wife,are prominent members of the Lutheran Church, having done much toward building it up and sustaining it financially. I-e has been Trustee of the church, and as a member of the building committee, was active in securing tile erection of the present house of worship in Constantine Village. ON. THOMAS MITCHELL. The wealth and prosperity of Constantine are wholly due to the men whose judgment singled it out as an eligible point for business in the midst of a country possessing rich resources ready for development by master hands and minds. Prominent among these is the subject of this sketch, who was for many years influential in building up its business interests, and thus while contributing to the advancement of the growth and prosperity of St. Joseph County, materially added to his own fortune, and was enabled to retire on a handsome competence in 1867, while scarcely past the meridian of life. Thou(gh not among the earliest settlers of this county he may well be considered one of its pioneers, as it can scarcely have emerged in any great degree from its original wildness when he first came here, and he 'has witnessed and aided its present advanced state of civilization. Our subject is of Scotch-Irish descent, his father, John Mitchell, having been born in the North of Ireland, where his ancestors had settled, coming originally from Scotland. Mr. Mitchell's grandmother was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His mother, whose maiden name was Lois Hall, was born in Washington County, N. Y., and she there spent the earlier part of her life. The grandparents of our subject emigrated to America in 1798, bringing their infant son John with them. The latter was born in 1797, and on arriving at a proper age was apprenticed to the trade of carpenter and joiner, which he followed for many years. He was a contractor and builder at Oswego, N. Y., subsequently becoming a farmer, which latter occupation he en gaged in until his death, which occurred at Fulton, N. Y., in 1858. H-is wife died in 1831. Both were justly leld in high consideration, as tley were people of prurdent, thrifty habits, and were kind, careful and thoughtful in their relations witl their neighbors and friends. Our subject was the second of the five childtrel born to those worthy people, and Greenwiclh, Washington Co., N. Y., was his place of birth, and June 25, 1819, the date of that impnortant event in his life. Iis early years were spent on his father's farm until he attained his majority. At about that time he engaged in the foundry business in Oswego County, N. Y., following it there for two years. His next move was to Syracuse, in his native State, where he lpursued the same business for three years. In October. 1843, Mi. Mitchell, seeing in the then young State of Michigan a fine opening for his business, came to St. Joseph County, and estalblished a foundry in Constantine, which he manage(l with marked financial success until 1860. He then abandoned that )business, and subsequently turned his attention to the hardware trade, which he carried on very profitably from 1865 until 1867, when lie sold out and retired to private life, at least as far as actively engaging in any extensive business transactions was concerned, devoting his leisure to looking after his l)operty, or emerging from the quietude of his home to take part in the management of public affairs. Mr. Mitchell was one of the charter members of the First National Bank of Constantine, and has been continuously a I)irector since its organization in 1866, and has been for a long time and is now one of the Bank Examining Committee. The HIon. Thomas Mitchell and Miss Melinda E. Stafford, a native of Madison County, N. Y., were united in marria'ge in Constantine Village in June, 1847. She is the daughter of the late David and Kate (Gates) Stafford, who came to Michigan il 1843 and cast in their lot with the pioneers of St. Joseph County, and our sulject was in the foundry business with the father for a short time. Mrs. Stafford died in Constantine, and Mr. Stafford returned to his old home in New York, where he died. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have a pleasant home in a substantial, well-appointed residence, and their __0-A —.AO ~ I I II ~ IC PI 4 — qw~ --- —-- -~~-c~ 8SP --- —-------------------------------- - t 3 t I ----"I --- —-— ~-,- -- a - bb-it-odo *lsCslr~l~111 ~ _ 1111111111111111111111 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 395 a )~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ — happy weddted life has been blessed to them by the birth of four children, of whom the following is recorded: Mary M. is the wife of E. W. Keightley; Stafford 'T. is a student in the law (lepartment of tlhe State U'niversity at Ann Arbor; one child died in infancy; Kittie (lied when fifteen years ol(d. Mr. Mitchlell is a gentleman of dignified bearing, of true refinement, and of unimpeachable integrity. His fellow-citizens recognize Ihis worth and( ability, and(1 llave called himi at various times to fill responsil)le offices, and tile town and county have in such cases invariably commandedl his most efficient and faithful service. He has been Supervisor of the township,. and has been Justice of the Peace. le was elected to the Legislature in the fall of 1858, a(nd served one term with distinction. lie is a nember of the Masonic fraternity, being' idenltified with Siloam Lodge No. 35, F. & A. A., Constantine Chapter No. 61, R. A., and Three Rivers Commandery No. 29, K. T. IlIe takes an active part in political matters, an(l in him the Republican liarty finds one of its ablest advocates. NIEL, WA'. RANK. \lni)llo ' tllllmiv ex-:.nil)les we have alout tus of whl:lt ener -y aand lese viriewll"1 Will.accoml)lislh. none l,i;Veselt evidlene o,f glreater sulccess thlanl1 is replresented ill tlle life in(i l)atst career of thle gentlewilnlil whose na11lle llea(ds tllis skettel. whlo. silnce l e was fourteen \eal'rs of age. as 1)eeli O)liged to provide for hlls wa:ilits Ihy his own- effo(rts:.11:l exertions. whiclh le has so stuccessfully (dole t-li<-t lie is linow tile o()wner of.a first-class Ibakery and ~groervy stor()re ill Wlite l'ig(eon. Ilis fatlher. Alldlrevw Illankl. was a native (of \\llite l)eer Valley. Mililt)on (o. lPa.. where o()uilr stulject was born AIMyT 22. 185 I. Tile ed'lcation tlhat lie received was Olbtaine(l t I)alDnville, a. wllere lie l'resi(ded intil lie c'a.ne to Whllite l1iTeo)n ill 186I;5. AIl. 1a11k was fourteenl vearl's ()l(l whllen lie arriiv e(l helre. land( fro)m- tllat (lay to tile present lie hl:as been (oblige(l to dtel)ell( entirely on. his own exertions. lli tlle early (ltays of Ilis residenclle hlere lie sold pl)enllts at tlhe l del)ot. ill whllicll business lie p)ut as muchl vinl and enerogy as thlough' l lie were traln sacting a b)usiness aimountiing to thousands of dollars. and lie made a success of it. Being offeredan ol)lpportulity to better hlis condition lie went to Elk-!hart. mInd.. in 1869. an1d worked in thle L,ake Shore &t 51i(lliglul Solltlern l ound It ouse, and later in tile st'archl mill for severa.l years. Whlile in Elkhart lie learne(l tlle )akingl trade. In thle spring of 1878 lie came back to Whlite Pigeon and established hlis lpresent business. At tlhat time hlis entire worldlv possessiis aiiios a nted to $140. IFrom the llumble beginning mentioene d our subject low ()owns llis prolperty and has a ltrge and increasing trade. wllich represents tle investment of bletweenl 81.5100 anl $2,000(-). All hlis de-llings are notably fair and lhonest. and in mercantile circles lie is klnow1 to l)e al man of ldoubted inte itegrity and sullstanitial business ability, and in hlis life we find all excellent examl)le tlat tile younI i a,n julst emniharkiig in the field of active life may follow- to go('(ld a(lvntagre,,afnd it sllows what may b)e accomi)lishle(l by iman w ho began p)oo, andl a(lol)tel tlhe l)rilcil)les ()f lholesty, prudelice an( in(dustry as lis guti(le. whiclle l)tincilples are gui(le boardls aloneg tlle 1o'(a t() success. '[lie sublject of tiis sketchl was married to MIiss C(arrie D)i(ler, Al)ril 6(, 1881. Shlle was )ori here, Nov. 21. 1857. Shei is the lltauglhter of Jolll I)i(ler. a hlliilly resplected resideniit of the town. The )reseilt success tlhatt lief' husbal(nd lhas achieved is to a g'reat extenit (hie to liel, faitlful and indlustrious attention given tile bl)siness. Shle assists him im aterially ini the store. and miay le fold at ler ),ost at all timles,. an1( never under any circumstances avoidliiig a (litty. hllowever mIpleasantt it may he, that will colltrilllte in any wtay to tlleir uiltiimate sluecess. It is tle desire of blotl lhusbandl and wife to ieC(lulire Ia comll)etellncy, wlich. in thle evellilln of life. will:llow tllem a seasoln of rest an1(l quiet. and it is admitted tt hat they are on tlle broad road to a realizatil ion of their lhoples. 'lle g'lrldfatllher of olur stub)ject left lim s(ome mnolieV, l)lt as hlas often happl)ened before. tle adminlistrator to wlioml tlle settlement of the estate wa's enltlrust(ed, al)lie(l tile flnds to his OWll p)eistmial se. illnOl'ino tlie rights o(f our subject. Some otlelr valuable p)rop)erty in Pemlsylvan ia> sloul(l ldiave come to Mrtr. RIank. but it hlas beein slc I — II.~lws.dxgL 4-.......__ i..-IIIII Ill l llll I I _ W f Ak L --- —---— r0c-_I 60 C c I - - -- - - — L --- —--- ~slsu-~.~..-4 ( iI I 396 ST. JOSEPHI COUNTY. L 96ST JSEH OUTY cessfully withheld until the Statute of Limitations intervened, and lie is now left without recourse. (ur subject attends strictly to his business, and has steadily refused political l)refernients that have been tendered him by his friends. lie does not boast of the flourishing condition of his business, but wisely hol(s his own council as to his pllas and future prospects. It is enough to say that lie is very prosperolls. lie is an esteenmed menlber of the Masonic fraternity. Mrs. Rank is an earnest and consistent member of the Reformed Churcll. IAMES KENNEDY, of Sturgis, agent for the Phillips Fanning Mill, is a solicitor of many years' experience, and has been very successful in introducing the said mill into general use throughout Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. He came to Sturgis in 1854, and for several years was identified with its industries, both as a manufacturer and agriculturist, before entering upon his lresent business. Our subject was born in Monroe County, N. Y., near the city of Rochester, Dec. 11, 1830. His father, John Kennedy, a Scotchman by birth, emigrated from his native heaths in old Scotland in the early days of the settlement of Monroe County, and became one of the original settlers of the present site of Rochester. There was then but one house, a rude log cabin, covered with shakes, on the spot where a great city now stands, and there were no streets, the highways consisting of Indian trails. John Kennedy married Cynthia Ball, and to them came five children, of whom our subject was one. Mr. Kennedy had three children by a previous marriage. He of whom we write received but a limited education in the schools of his native county, as he had to work hard and could attend school but little. This defective education of his earlier years he has greatly improved by observation and intelligent reading. He came to Michigan in the fall of 1850, a little ahead of the railways. In 1854 he came to this township from his home in Branch County, and has since lived here. Ile was actively engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1864, when he came into the village of Sturgis, and the following fifteen years was engaged in selling pumps, and a part of the time in their manufacture, although he was on the road mostly. Since 1877 hle has been engaged( in the fanning-mill business, and travels by team over Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, doing a fine business, as his pleasant, frank manners and his undoubted hlonesty quickly gain himn pol)ularity with the people among wlom he travels, and lie easily makes sales. The marriage of our subject with Miss Martha C. Morse took place April 20, 1854. Mrs. Kennedy was born in New York State, Aug. 16, 1831. She is the daughter of E. Z. Morse, of Cass County, and Permelia (Tyler) Morse, the first still living and the latter deceased. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, three of whom live, namely: Ella, Frank and Edward. The name of the deceased child was Myrtie, who died at the age of ten years. Ella married Edwin G. Thompson, editor of the Ligonier Leader, and they have three childrenMartha, Grace and Jamie. Frank married Lizzie Nolton, and they live at Adrian, Mich., and have one child, Bessie. Mrs. Kennedy is a woman of sulperior character, and an active worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she is an esteemed member. The employers of our subject place the utmost confidence in his worth and ability, and he has never betrayed their trust. Ice has always worked for their best interest, and is regarded by them as one of their best salesmen. He is well esteemed by his fellow-citizens, and he andl his wife are pleasantly situated in a cozy home. O()N..JOH)IIN IAMI UL)N, ex-member of tile f l Michigan ILegislature. did good service in tllat body during the session of 1879, ollicieating' as a member of some of its most illportant committees, namiely, supplies and eXlendiitures, and agriculture, anmd was interested( in various other measures undler discussion at thlat time. IIe has long' leen recognized as one of tlle most enterprising farmers of (Constantinle Township, but ili the spring of 1882 retired from the active labors _M.. __I IL_. IBkrilllllB obo-O - 1 ~ — -- -o ----_-I_ I -I- - - - ---- - - --- ---- 4 I i - l I l-l ---~I?- - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 397 T, _ _ -- connected therlewithll a1nd is now tltking his ease at a pleasant home not far from tle town limits. IIe is tle owner of 126 acres of valual)le land, which is 1I'ovidcd witl a fine set of lbuildings, and whicll is n1ow o)perate(d y lhis So11 William. u()r sulbject was )0orn in W'ooster, Wa'yne Co., ()lio. Sept. 1, 1812, ait tlhe modest homestead of llis parents, Williaml and Nancy (Ingellrel) lIamilt(on, wiho were natives respectively of Beaver (County, 1Pa., and of Iaryland. The'l camne to MAichllioan Territory in the spring of 1832, arrivinog here ]May 28, and settled in C'ostantine 'ownslil, whlere tlhe fatiher battled with the elements of a new soil and succee(de( in 1building ' ul) a comfortablle hlomieste(ad. Iere b)otlh parents spent tile re-:mainder of their days, William Hamilton passingl away I)ec. 4, 1862, and his excellent wife A pril 17. 1 852. They reared a fine fiamily of eigltt cllil(lreiin four sons an(l four dauglters, two of whloml are living, our slubject aind Williair, a residlent of l)undas. Minn..John Hamilton was a young man twenty years of age when lie accolmpanied lis p)aents to this county. and silce that timie lhas been a resi(lent of (onstantine 'ownslilp. The people of tils region lIave thus 1lad abundant opplortunity to make his ac(quaintalce., and the fact that they hlave entrusted him at variomus times with matters of great iml))ortance indicates tie esteem iand confidence in wllich lie is leld(. Politically, lie is a member of the l)emocratic larty, 1and was clectel to the Legislatulle il I:lepullican county, running on a National ticket. lie is lbroad and( liel)ral-minllled in his views, Ia mlan well informed and not easily turned from llis )lpurpose. Fe 11 me11 arc' more wi(lely or favorably kinown throughout tills region. Ie llas built 1p) for hilmself a good record as a man and citizen, one of whlichl his posterity will lhave 110 rcalso(n to be aslhamed. Iiss Nancy Pooe, of Constantine Townslilp, becamwle tlle wife ouf ri subject Nov. 13, 1834. IMrs. IaIlmilton was b)oi'i in Stark County, ()Ohio Nov. 13, 1812, being a few months tile junior of her husbaind.. Tlheir union was blessed 1b tlie birtll of twelve clil(lren, o:f whoml tlhe record is as follows: Elizabeth bec.lme tile wife of William Sloate, a resident of Florence Township; Saralh married Andrew Morrison, of Fabius Township; Margaret is the widow of Francis ( reene, and resides in Constantine; Williaim P'. married Miss Julia Rynerson. and thley are comfortably located on a farm not far from the Ilamilton homestead; they have one child. a daughter, Blanchle AI. Ma'tilda A. married Isaac Born, a well-to-do farlmer of Florence Township; Jolhn was first married to Miss Eliza l)entler. now deceased; his second1 wife was Miss Susan (l ross, and they live in I'ark 'Townslhip. Nancy, 1Mrs. C(urtis Powell, is a resident of (ass Coulntty. this State; (Ceorge married Betsey (Centzler, and tlley live on a farm in C'onstantine Township; Iarriet. Mrs. Franklin l)entler, is a resident of Parkiville; Ienry T. is in business in (onstantine. Two are deceased: (Charles when nine montlhs old, and Ella wlhen fifteen years of age. Mrs. Nancy (Poe) Hamilton departed tllis life at tlie family residence in Constantine, Jan. 10. 1881. Slle was a native of Stark County., Oh)io. and a lady greatly respected by the peoplle of this county, wlio knew her so long and well. She encouraged hler husband in his worthy ambitions and was hlis true and faithful helpmate during all tle years of their wedded life. IIer plarents were natives of lPennsylvania, and tlhe mother died in O)iio. tlhe father in Cass County, Micll. The IHamilton family is of Irish orligin. and is represented in America at a very early period in its listory, before tle opening of tile Revolutionary Warl. Tl}le subject of this sketclh is one of its most wortlhy descendants. a man who has left his mark among tlhe early settlers of Southern MIicliigan, and who will be rcmemberedl long after lie lhas departed lience. On both sides tlhe grandl)arents of Mr. Hamilton took part in the struggle for indcepeendence. IHis grandfatler, 'I'lTomais Hamilton, entered tlle patriot army a s a private lbut for gallant and meritorious cond(lct was promote(d to the rank of Captain, and served from the beginning of tie war until independence was achieved. William, fatler of our subject, speaking of his father, often told his cllildren wlhat had been toldl im by his parents; tliat from tie time he was six months old until he was over three years of age lie never saw his fatherl. who during all that time was with his command in the field. Returning to the pursuits of peace he "o-V7l~l 4: I - -: -..q 8 --------------— ~II ----~" SO.. I 1i i I I w|I 0 adds I, - I I __- -~ r ~ ---``~ -- — 3 — I~~__ _~L~~L~ —~I~I- ~ L P~ 398 ST. JOSEI settled down on a farm in Wayne County, Ohio, and there the old soldier lived many years to enjoy the blessings of peace whicll his swordl lad helped to win. )urilng tlie secon(l war witli (r eat Britain lie.ag'ain elna'ed in the service of hlis country, and was one of tle galltant band wlho defended the frontier against the incursions of the savage allies of the British. Full of years anl h1onor0 s tile brave patriot passed away about the year 1826, leaving to lhis descendants at name of which they may well be l)rou(d. M\l. I aamnilton's maternal grandfather, Inllgmyer, was also a Revolutionary soldier, and gave his life to lhis country, being killed in battle. Mr. I amnilton and his descendants thus inherit on both sides a love of liberty, one of the best bulwarks of a free country. ( HOMAS CATTON is numbered among the substantial farmers of St. Joseph County, and is successfully carrying on agriculture on section 35, Constantine Township. His farm is well tilled and improved, yielding abundant harvests in repayment of his care and toil, and, aided by his good wife, he has built up as neat and comfortable a home as one could desire. ()ur subject is a native-born citizen of Constantine Township, his birth having occurred here April 28, 1841, within a distance of fifty rods of where lie now lives. and he may be said to have grown up with the township, as in his early (days it can hardly have been of any size or importance as regards population and business. The parents of our subject, John and Fany (Stears) Catton, were both natives of England, having been born in Yorkshire. It is not stated when they came to this country, but after marriage they settled in Florence Township, this county. They lived on different places in Pigeon Prairie until their death, the mother dying in 1877, and the father in 1887. They had four children, of whom our subject was the eldest. He was reared on a farm, and received the benefit of a commonschool education. Since attaining man's estate he has been engaged chiefly in farming, with the exception of six years' experience in business as a dealer in agricultural implements. He did very well PI COUNTY. I I at that, but he preferred the freer and more healthful employment to which he had been reared, to the close confinement necessitated by his business, an(l he again resumed the pursuit of agriculture, giving up his place in town, but still dealing to some extent in irnplements. IHe has met with the success that his labor and strict attention to work merit, and is now the possessor of 120 acres of well-tilled land on section 35, provided with comfortable buildings, and the necessary appliances for farming. The marriage of our subject with Miss Lottie O'llarra was solemnized in Constantine Village, July 17, 1865, and their happy union has bteell blessed to them by the birth of two children, Fannie 0. and Hattie B. Mrs. Catton is a daughter of the late Hughl O'Harra, of Allen County, Ind., where she was born Dec. 28, 1840. Mr. Catton is a practical man of shrewd common sense, who deals justly and fairly with his neighbors, who recognize him as eminently trustworthy and entitled to their full respect. IIe and his wife, who is likewise held in high estimation, are sincere Christians, and conduct themselves in accordance with high principles. They are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been Steward and Trustee. IIe is influential as a citizen, and while a resident of Constantine Village was a member of the Village Board, and held the responsible oflice of Treasurer of that board for one year. 3- tpq_+_ 8 - ELIA 1'. SC(OVILLE, 51. I).. is one of the,</! leadinrg pllysicians of St.,Joselph Coulty. [~ ))and lie is also l)rominent in social 'and l)olitical circles. lie is pleasantly situated ill Constantine, where lie and his wife llave one of the most attractive homes to b)e found within its limits. IIe was an officer in thle late (ivil W\ar, and won al distilngluishled reputation for blravery:ad fortitude in the time tlhat tried men's souls. (ur subject is a son of Theodore MI. Scoville. cof wh:om see sketch on anotler )age of tills work. I I was born in Collinsville, lewis Co(., N.., Aug. 11 1843. 'T'le first five years of his life were passed there on his fatler's homestead, and his parents then removedt to (Conine:utville, (rawrford Co.. 'a. t i " up" II1W 711I r1,-11-1,IIr I-11lrr 1111S e1191 Q11' — I1-91lll1lI-. 1I-8c I 9. ~-_I(~I_ - ~ -*Br~r~ ---~l-l llllllCI"II ~ ~ 11III I I p~I I oil 1_ - I I I - I.S~iT. JOSClEPH- COUNTY., 399 ST..OE~ CONY 9 When he was twelve years of age his larents took IuI their residence in Bulrke, D)ane Co., Wis. 'Three veatrs later the family settled in WAarren. Ohio. T'wo vears after that, our slubject, a lad of seventeen years, started( out ill the worl(l for limself. Previous to that time lie had( gained the preliminaries of his education in tlIe common scllools, and had attended tlhe Normal School at Mladison. Wis.. and also at W-arren, O()io. IIe then went to IUinion Mills, IErie (o., Pa.. for the p)urpose of stludying lmedicine with tlhe late 1)r. 1. 1. Phelps, and was witl him one year. li-e was making r.ap)id progress in his studies when tile great Rebellion broke out. atnd thloughl lie was ambitious to fit hiinself for his p)rofession and to enter u1pon his duties, his intense patriotism and love of country bore down all thlin-s else, and at the first signal of distress lie tflltun aside all youtlful hlopes and aims and sprang to the defense of tlle stars and stripes, enlisting in tlie spring of 1861 for a term of three montlls. Janl. 9 1862, the young hero agCain enlisted, and btecame a mnemnb er of tlle 12tll 'ennsylvania C'avalry, witlh tle rank of Sergeant. Ile was subse(luently p)romoted to be Second Lieutenant of his regimlent. Ilis second term of service extended to JulV 20, 1865, wheni lie was lionorably cdiscllarged. Ilis regiment was an independent organization, and most of thle time acted as scouts, and in tigllting Mosby's comlmand and otiler guerrillas ill tile Shenandoall Valley. ()1ur slubjeet took part iln many irnl)ortant battles and was never found wanting in bravery or devotion to thle cause, and was always ill his place in tlie heat of battle. AWhile scouting, just previous to the battle of (Gettysburg. havilln twenty-five men under hlis charge, lie was quite severely woiunded, but lie did not flinch and would not allow his wound to prevent his taking part in the battle. At Winchester, Va., lie also received a sliglht worund in the sloulder. After his retirement from mIilitary service Mi'r. Scoville returned to Crawford County, lPa., and resumed llis med(ical studies under tlle direction of Dl)r. Wlitley, of Conneautville. lie renmined withl himl one year, and then entered tlle medical department of tlie I'niversity at Ann Arbor. lie was graduated from that institution in the spring of 1868, and thus well equilpped entered uplon the practice of his p)rofession at Mottville, in tlhis county. IHe continued there eleven years. lie then established Ilimrself in Constantine, where lie lhas built ull) an extensive practic(e. le is very pop)lllar, and is tle belove(d )hysicialn in many a household, wlere hlis presence has broulglt lealing and stayed the coming of tie Angel of I)eathi. l)r. Scoville and M1iss.Jennie Iutchison were united in marriage in Constantine, in 1880. She is a daughter of tlie late Janmes IIutchison, and was born in lottville lTownshilp, this county. The I)octor an(d lis wife have a fine, well-appointed residence on WVashlingtonl street, and their pleasant household circle is compllete( by the )presence of their little son, Charles S. 'I'le l)octor has attained his )present high position as a membler of thle medical profession in St. Joseph County solely by the exercise of talents of a hligh order, seconded by worthly ambitions anld anl indomitable will. At one time lie wars obliged to relinquisll a part of an extensive practice. as his health threatened to ogive way on account of Iris devotion to his beloved calling. but lhis healtl llas improved, and lie is once again in active practice. lie is l)rominiently identified witl tle Masonic fraternity, being a qmemiber of Constantine Chalpter No. 61, 1t. A.; of Three Rivers Coimnandeiry No. 29, K. T.. and lie is at l)resent, and lias been for tlhe last three years, Master of Siloanm lo(lge No. 35, F. & A. I. lie llas taken quite an active plart in lolitical matters, and is ill full symlnathy with the D)emnocratic I)arty. I EVI T. IULL, editor and proprietor of the St. Joseph County.lCdvertiser, is a native of Monroe County, N. Y., born Feb. 14, 1830, his parents being Benjamin D. and Polly (Hecox) Hull. The Hull family are of English descent, but for many generations have been settled in America, in fact long prior to the Revolution. The father of our subject was born in the State of New York, living there until 1838, when he removed from Niagara County to Washtenaw County, Mich., where he rented and ran a sawmill. He died, however, in August of the following year, at Augusta, in that 1 i i I i i I i i 1 —ade VICs`~rB~'rr-~~-~,,a,,. -- -_. I 0 1 1 IN-~-.-lIqww_ —__, -_ -I II I~__ _ Illl~_ I-od r - -I I r a__ rm -— m - k - - L 400 ST. JOSEPI COUNTY. I-,qo-~l ki Il Ia I I county. Iis widow survived him but two years, (lying in Saline Township, in the same county, in June, 1841. Our subject was thus at an early age thrown on his own resources, and had to make his own way in tlhe world. How well he l)rofited by the lessons of adversity is shown by his slubsequent career. Soon after the death of his father he was taken into tile family of Austin Converse, in Bridgewater Township, Washtenaw County. Here he lived and worked until 1848, helping to clear and develop a farm in the heavy timber which then covered that county. In the year named, being eighteen years of age, he determined to learn a trade. and entered the office of the Ann Arbor Arlus to acquire the trade of a printer. In that' establishment he remained until the spring of 1850, when he came to St. Joseph County, and leased the office and business of the St.,Joseph County Advertiser, which was then published at Centreville. In June, 1851, he removed the paper to Constantine, where lie has ever since published it, having subsequently purchased it. June 16, 1853, Mr. H-ull was married to Helen Gray, daughter of Burr D. and Amy Gray. The former died in Constantine, in 1871, and the latter in Coldwater, Mich., in 1870, she being at that time stayirg there temporarily. Mrs. Hull was born at Charlotte, Chittenden Co., Vt., July 7, 1831. This marriage has been blessed by the birth of six children, of whom one died, an unnamed infant. The survivors are: Lee G., who followed in his father's footsteps, and is now foreman in the office of the lIerald at Morris, Ill.; Fred A. is employed in the office of the Newspaper Union at Fort Wayne, Ind.; Warren C. is Superintendcnt of Schools in Albion, Mich.; HIelenl L. is the wife of Rev. Bastian Smnits, pastor of the Congregational Church in Constantine; and Henry B., also a printer, assists his father in the newspaper office. The entire adult life of Mr. Hull has been passed in Constantine, where lie is as well and favorably known as any citizen in this part of the county. His journal, which he conducts in a clean an( wholesome manner, circulates largely in the village and county, and exercises a wide influence for good. While Mr. Hull is personally a stanch Republican, his aim is to make a local newspaper which will be a welcome visitor in every family in the county, and in that desire he is meeting with gratifying success. Mr. Hull has been called by his fellow-citizens to fill positions of trust and responsibility. He has been Township Clerk, for about twenty years a Justice of the Peace, was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1867, Assistant Assessor of Internal Revenue for years, and until the office was abolished; Collector of Internal Revenue for the Second District of Michigan from 1873 until the district was discontinued in 1876, and was Deputy Collector from 1876 to 1881. In all the positions he discharged their (uties in a manner highly creditable to himself and satisfactory both to his constituents and his superior officers. As a man he is respected by all who know hini, and as an editor his opinions have much weight in the community of which for nearly forty years he has been an honored member. M j lVS. MARIIY A. (!(O()4K,. Too much credit / men. whio, during' tile early settlement of St..Joselph County, strenglltened the hands of their husbands in )battling witll tlhe (lifticulties of lpioneer life. and bravely encouraoled tlem in their worthy ambitions of subl(lduini( a l)ortion of the G rleat West and providing th le way for thle alvance of a later civilization. As a typle of one of these. tile lady whose life history we lbriefly nollte deserves more than a passing menltion. Sle is now alpproachling her tllreescoree years anld ten, alnd after a well-spent life is quietly passing her (leclining, years at a l)leasant hlome in Mottville, surroundled by lhosts of friends, whlo only name lher but to 1raise. Mrs. (ook was born' il Norltlll t'berland (Counvy, 1Pa., Aug. 19. 1820, and is a (laulllter of.John an(l Catlerine (Moyer) I lass.,Jolhl IIass, also a native of tlhe Keystone State, was born in thle year 1777, andt pursuIe(t the peaceful occup)ation of farminlng. IHe was a good mlan in all that tie term implies. a mnember of tle Lutheran (.hlurcl. aiid after tlle organizationi of the Republican plarty lbecame one F I II L _l-A __~-I 1 - --- " —b T — t — Rw i:/ I -- -- II --- —-— --- —------------— ~-"11-~~1 - I 11~41 ALM-r rlr~. W I I 401 I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - ----------------— ----- I I of its stanchest adherents. His wife, Catherine, wats born the same year as himself, and both passed away in 1844, the decease of the father occurring lMay 15, and that of the mother Marcll 5. Miss Mary A. Ilass was first married to.Jolhn Slirhts, 1y whom slie became the mother of two children, hllo are both residents of MIonltana; Amelia marrie(l John C(urr, and is tile mlother of two cllilldren; Tobias married Miss Susan Lubrink, and lie is tle fatller of eighlt children. ()Our subject after having live(l a widow some time was married to William Cook, l)ec. 8, 1850. 1Mr. Cook was born in (Genesee County, -N. Y., in 1804, and (lied Sept. 7 1881. IIe came to Miclligamn Territory as early as 1833, and for forty-eigiht years tlhereafter lived the life of an upright and praisewortlhy citizen. Politically, lie affiliated with the l)emoc'ratic party, and socially, was a member of the I. (). (). F. In religious matters lie was a consistent inemnber of the MIethodist Episcopal Ch}lrch, to which Mrs. Cook also belongs. To Mri. andl Mrs. Cook there were born five childlren, one of whom, Willard, is a resident of Soutll Frankfort, tlhis State; his twin brother, William, is deceased. Emma is tile wife of Samuel Early, a'nd they reside witll Mrs. Cook; Alice is the wife of Joln Barker. and lives at Edwardsburg, this State; IIermeo married William Frost, and thley live in Soutl Frank fort. J OSEPH W. REIFF is a native-born citizen of St. Joseph County, Constantine Township, where he has passed the most of his life, having been the place of his birth, and Jan. G, 1838, the (ate thereof, and since early manhood he has been an important factor in developing and sustaining its great agricultural interests as one of the most intelligent and skillful farmers of this community. His farm on section 15, in point of cultivation, valuable improvements and neat appearance, ranks with the best in his neighborhood. Our subject's parents, Abram and Catherine E. (Rutter) Reiff, were pioneers of St. Joseph County, coming here in 1836, when the country roundabout was still in its primitive wildness, it being but sparsely settled here and there in the wilderness, and casting in their lot with the early settlers of Constantine Township who had preceded them. They were natives of Pennsylvania, and after marriage made their home for awhile in Berks County, that State. Three years after settling in this township they returned to Pennsylvania to revisit their old home and friends, and there, amid the scenes of his youth and early manhood, the father of our subject departed this life. To him and his wife had been born four sons: Isaac R., who resides near Constantine Village; Franklin II., who died in Vandalia, Cass County, this State, in February, 1883, leaving a wife and three children; Joseph W.; and Horace, who died when a lad of six years. The mother of our subject was married a second time in the spring of 1864, becoming the wife of Nathan Syas. She and her husband settled in this county near the village of Constantine, where he died. Mrs. Syas died in' Vandalia, Cass County, June 12, 1874, while there on a visit. Joseph was an infant of about six months when his father died, and lie was finally brought back from Pennsylvania to his native place by his uncle, George Rutter, and lie was reared to manhood on his father's farm in this township, where his mother continued to reside until her second marriage. He was educated partly in the common schools, and subsequently had the benefit of one term at a good graded school in the village of Constantine. Since attaining man's estate he has engaged chiefly in agricultural pursuits with gratifying success, and now owns 120 acres of fine farming land, on which lie has a substantial set of buildings. October 1 1863, our subject took an important step toward the upbuilding of his present home by his marriage to Miss Elida Fitzsimmons, in Constantine Village. She is, like her husband, a native of St. Joseph County, having been born in Florence Township, March 28, 1844. She is a daughter of William and Anna (Morrison) Fitzsimmons. natives of the State of New York. They came to St. Joseph County in 1844, and settled in Florence Township. They afterward removed to Centreville, where Mrs. Fitzsimmons died Sept. 18, 1846. Mr. Fitzsimmons is still a resident of Centreville. They had I 33 k I I I sh. Hait "P"IRfTBB"-~4rlk~lr*I 1 I_ - L~~ - II -- _ -, - -~~~ __ --- -— IL-l II ~~~-~I -- I r~ -- ~ r oR —N -r-6 L *BP. - "S 'I.* i: (a 402 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I? t a! two children: Henrietta, who died when five years old, and Elida, Mrs. Reiff. Mr. Reiff is possessed of sagacity, forethought and energy, so combined with prudence, thrift, and steadiness of purpose, that his success in his calling was assured from the start, and he is now in comfoitable circumstances. He and his wife are people of easy, pleasant manners, and their home, the seat of true hospitality, is attractive alike to friend and stranger. Mr. Reiff is influential in public affairs, and takes an active interest in politics, being one of the leading Republicans of this place. He has been Commissioner of Highways for five years, and has been zealous in improving the traveling facilities of this region. He has also held various school offices, and has done what he could to promote the educational interests of the township. I 2() ORMAN IIARVEY, deceased, was for more J than three decades one of the most promi1~ nent and ednterprising citizens of St. Joseph County, and as one of its pioneers and business men Icore a distinguishll d part in promoting- its growth and advancing its agricult-ural, manufacturing, commercial and financial interests. Coming here in 1833, while still in tle prime of early manhood, le at once identified lhimself with the interests of Constantine Township, and made them his own until the day of his death. Thus, under his eyes and with his energetic assistance thle present site of the township that lie found in tle depths of the forest primeval with a few stragglingo log cabins as tlhe only evidence of the white man's presence, las graldually changed to a fine, highly productive farming country, with many pleasant homes and a busy, popllous village, where commerce and manufactures flourish. Mr. Harvey wats a fine representaltive of an honorable New England ancestry, and lie was llimself born in that section of tile country, June 23, 1807, tle pretty town of Rupert, Bennington Co., Vt., being his birtlplace. His father, Ephlraim Hlarvey, was a native of the same State, and his mother, Pamelia HIarwood, was of a well-known Vermont family. His father was a farmer, and our subject was reared on the old homestead. His opportunities for an education were somewhat better than were accorded to farmers' lads in the early years of this century, for besides the common-school privileges that lie enjoyed in his boyhood, he attended the academy at Salem, N. Y., and diligently pursued a good course of instruction there whicl amply qualified him for the profession of teacher, and in his younger dlays lie taughlt school duringl tle winter months for several years. In 1828 his marriage with Rhoda, daughter of Seth and Rhoda Moore, of Rupert, was consummated, and in 1833, witl his wife and two children, our subject removed to St..Joseph County, this State, where het began the life of a pioneer. By active labor he cleared a valuable farm of 400 acres, two and one-, half miles north of Constantine, on which lie resided twenty-two years. In 1855 Mr. Harvey removed to Constantine Village, and became extensively engaged in various kinds of businessfarming, milling, manufacturing, real-estate and mercantile operations, one and all engaged his attention. lte always took a lively interest in any scheme looking toward the advancement of the material interests of the county and township, and as one of thle founders of tle First National Bank of Constantine was very active in procuring its establishment in this village, and lie was one of its Directors until the time of his death. Our subject was scarcely past middlle age, in the period of his greatest usefulness, and his friends miglit reasonally have hoped tlhat lhe would be spared to them many years longer. But it was not to be, and April 17, 1866, le passed to the life beyond. This sad event was a severe blow to the business interests of Constantine, and in his deatll many lost a valued friend. Mr. Harvey was a man of warm heart and large brain, uniting firmness and dignity of character witli great natural sweetness of disposition and suavity of manner, and as lie ways always genial and helpful to those about him, his friendships among all classes were many and warm. Ile was, however, seen at the best advantage in his ihome amidst his loved ones; as a husband, lie was thoughtful and tender; as a father, he was affectionate and always devoted to the interests of his children. In lhis business re I -. No I C'Ii --. I 4-ar-111111PIC 3C I 1kIID-II CIZ115 I -Z ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 403.......-- — ~ --- —------- -- ------- ------------ -- 1 lations Mr. HIarvey was faitliful and trustworthy. anld as sulch a mail was needed in the oguidance of public affairs, lie was often pressed by his fellowcitizelis to take civic positions, tile office ever seekinIg thle mani, andl not the lman the office, and for several years lie actedl in the -.varlious capacities of Supervisor of tie townshlilp, Justice of tile 'Peace, -1,11(1 VTI;lS III ill(fliln1:Xelit of.-vlrioll. lnliior OtI-iCeS. and was an incuminet of various minor offices. ()ur sul)ject was never lackingo iln devotion to Isis ()wn religious convictions. anid also never unmlninldfill of the respect and sympatlhy due to those wllo differed most widely froill hi. In early m'anhood lie Iuited with tile Congregational Chulrch aIt IRupert, Vt., but after leaving his oll 1home amongl the New EnIgland hills and com(ing to this State. lie became an attendant at and supporter of the Reforlmed Clturcll at Constantine. The wife of our subject, lRhoda Mloore, was t)orn in Rlltpert, Vt., in Februlary, 1808. and died in Constantine, MIarcll 5. 1863. She bore an estimable character and was a sincere Cllristian, wllose (leathi was widely mourned. She was tile mother of ten sons and two dauighters. five of whom now survive, tad all residents of Constanti ne. NI. an(l dI). lI.:are farmlers; J. M. is connected with tile ilouringmill and tle First National Ba1nk; V. WX. is cashier of tllat!bank, anld also connected with tile mill, and illnerva A. is thle wife of (George I. Crossett, of wholi see sketch on another page. IThose deceaSsed were naimlled: (Cllarles M., Setll M.,,yman I., Willianm S..St. ISeth L oda P. atlnd Celllhs. O( N EI)A AR) N. A. PEND)LET()ON. Tlis gentlemnan retired from active!bsiness some time since, and is now living at a fine holme inl tie city of Sturgis. lie is familiarly known to a large proportion of the residents of this county., having cast his lot with its people in I1852. HIis earliest recollections are of a modest ihome in Fultoll County, N. Y., where his birthl took p)lace I)ec. 13, 18825. ITenry and Hannah (\Vheeler) P'endleton, tie I)arents of our subject, were natives of Connectitcut and New York respectively, the father being born in Octoler, 1800. I e was a farmer by ocnu1 4: ---- -----------! pation, a man of good business capacities, and lived to attain his tllreescore years and ten, passing away (Oct. 20, 1870. 'l'lle fatller of our subject left the Empire State in 1855, -and( coming to MAichigan, settled in Burr ()Ok T'ownsllil, where lie became owner of a goodly trlact of land. A.t tle time of his (leatlh lie had dispose(d of all but 120 aefres. He traceld his ancestry to F'England, his grandfatller lhving been AIaj. IBay e Pendleton. lie spent his last years in B1urr )ak, this collty. 'Tle fatlier of our subject was in(dependent in l)olitics, and althoughl not a member of any religious denomilnation, lie lived an upright life, aiming to perform his (duty toward his fellowmen, and socially, a member of tlhe I. (. (). F. Mrs. IHannah l'endleton, our sllbject's lother, was born in 1804, a(nd died when compnaratively a young woman, in 1849. in Orleans County, N. Y. She was of English and Scotch descent, and an Baptist in religion. Of her unio.n with Ilenlry Pendleton there wefe born eleven clildren, namely: Sarall L.. living near l)enver, Col.; Edwar(d W., our subject; Eliza C.. Charles II., iJonathan M.,.aames AL., W\illiam II., Ira W\. and Dallas M.; two died in infancy unnnamedl. Nine of the children lived to mature years, and six are now living. Tlie subject of tllis sketcll was reared to manliood on tlhe farm, and lpursue(d his first studies inl tlie district school. Later lie attended Albioil Senminlary one term. In lMarch, 1849, lie went to California, )by way of tlle Isthmus of 1Ianama. and tlhjroughout tlie winter follow1in conducted( a boarding-house in San Francisco. )uring'tllis tilme there were two calnl)s in tile neiglhborhood of similar namtes, one being Culver and tlhe other C(ollier. The first-named was presided over by the IRed Jacket Company, and tlhe latter hlad been doing some mischief to the Chlilians. The latter, in order to revenge tlhemselves, fired into the C'ulver camp through mistake, killing two of the Red Jacket men, tihe subject of this sketch being absent at that time in San Francisco; tllis event naturally created much excitement in that region. Mr. Pendleton in the spring following returned to the mines, where he remained one year on a claim which lie had taken up, and then returned home, after having been absent twenty-eigllt months. Thle R-14P 4 A 4. _44 It;; --- — ---- I --------— —`-`- - sm1-1 _ I I~ _ oqo" -- LI — -~-I -A - ( 4 - I- % 404 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I --U —LI" experiment in the meantime had proved quite profitable. In the fall of 1851 he made his way to Clhicago, Ill., where lie purchased horses, which lle shipped to Albany for sale. In 1852 lie came to Michigan, located il Sturgis, and established himself in the hotel and livery business. On tlle 1st of October, 1855, our subject having laid the basis of a future comlpetence, was unite(d in marriage witi Mlrs. Eveline L. (Beard) Moore, who was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., Jan. 9, 1831. Hier parents were John and Persis (Petengill) Beard, natives of Vermont. The father was born in 1795, was a farmer by occupation, and died at his home in Kalamazoo County, Mich., in 1872. Tl'le mother, who was born in 1800, survived her husband a period of eleven years, her death taking place in 1883. They were the parents of twelve children, namely: Caroline, Adaline, George, Warren, Samuel P., Eveline L., Louisa E., 1Iolden, Maria A., William J., )exter and Leverette. They all lived to nature years. Dexter died in the army during the Civil War in 1862, and nine are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Pendleton after their marriage settled in Sturgis, wlere tley have since lived. Of tills union there is one child only, a son, Edward AV., Jr., who was born March 6, 1863. Ile is now a pharmacist by profession. Hie was graduated from the Military Academy at (rchard Lake il 1883. Both father and son are Knights Temlplars in Masonry, with which fraternity Mlr. Pendleton became identified as early as 1854, and has been one of the active workers in the order. His estimable wife belongs to Eastern Star Lodge, and has officiated as Grand Matron of the State of Michigan, besides occupying all of the other offices of the order. She has also been State Treasurer for the last six years, and takes a lively interest in matters pertaining thereto. Mrs. Pendleton is a very intelligent and cultured Christian lady, keeping up witl hler husband upon the leading questions of the day, and coinciding with him in politics, they being botll independent. NMr. Pendleton was elected to the Michigan ILegislature in 1878, and during his term of service was on important committees. IIe held the office of Justice of tlle Peace for a period of eigllt years, anld has beell prominently connected with the School Board for a long season. IIe served in 1885 as I)eputy Sheriff, and was particularly efficient in ferreting out a gang of counterfeiters who were operating at tllat time in St..Joseph County. lie was one of the prime movers in tlle building of tlle public library at Sturgis, wlichl was establislhed in 1884. (f this lie was the first President, and was instrumental in securing a p)ermanent fund so that the public should be supplied with free reading matter. Mrs. P'enllleton has been a leading spirit among the temperance people of tills county, doingo efficient service, and contributing liberally of her time to this most important work. t^ENRY STULL, a representative farmer and pioneer citizen of Burr Oak Township, came to this section of country when the cabins (() of the settler were few and far between. His homestead comprises 120 acres of good land on section 17, where lie has labored to excellent advantage, and surrounded himself and family with all the comforts of life. Our subject was born in Mifilin County, Pa., township of Keeler, Jan. 29, 1820, and is the son of Barnhardt and Elizabeth (Goss) Stull, the former a native of Pennsylvanlia, and the latter of what was then Union County, Pa. The father was a farmer by occupation. Barnhardt Stull and his excellent wife were people highly res)ected in their community, and after well-spent lives passed away at their home in Pennsylvania. The subject of this sketch when a young man twenty-four years of age left his native State and took up his residence in Seneca County, Ohio, locating on a tract of land in Thompson Township, where he carried on farming twelve years. lie had, prior to leaving his native county, been married, in 1839, to Miss Elizabeth Decker, who was born in Union County, Pa., Jan. 25, 1821, and who is the (laughter of Henry and Mary A. (Wagner) Decker, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and spent their last years, the former in (hio, and the latter in Michigan. To our subject and his estimable wife there were born four children, namely:, I 4e kh- m - a -rMIW i ____ =. t >.,..,.., > _ ---— " I --- — ~~- -— 7, I A a -p,' 0* ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 407 i { A -— ~ ~~- -~~-~ - Harvey, Amanda, Lovina and Charles. The youngest son is the only child living, and hle remains on the homestead with his parents. IIe was married, in 1875, to Miss Eliza, daughter of Frederick IH. and Clara Bastian, of Clinger Lake, and they have three children. Charles is the owner of eighty acres lying north of his father's land, and, like the latter, is full of energy and enterprise. Mr. Stull, politically, votes the straight Democratic ticket, and is a member in good standing of the Dutch Reformed Church at Colon. ON. JONATIIAN W'. F AND)lERS, attorl ney-at-law, is a wortly representative of Li tlhe intelligelnt independent and enterprising citizens of Sturgis, wlhere ic las lived, a respected and honored man, for more than tlirty years. IIe is of goo(d New England origin, aving been born in Colebrook, N. II., Ap)ril 18, 1822. Hlis ancestors were natives of (Gerinany, who emigrated to Wales, thence, during tlhe reign of (leorge III, came to the TUnited States, andl at once took their rightful position among tlhe intelligent, moral and law-abiding citizens of tlle country. A greatuncle of our subject was at one time a professor in I)artinouthl College, and otlher members of tlhe family have occupied worthy positions, having been educated and( uprighlt men. Ezekiel Flanders. tlle,grandfather of our subject, enlisted as a plrivate in thle Continental Army when only sixteen years of age, and foughlt durillg the entire Revolution. Francis Flanders, fatller of our sublject, a native of Sutton, Vt., was a soldier ill tle War of 1812. After his marriage lie lived for some years in New IIlampshirel then, desiring a change, in F'ebruary, 1828, moved with hlis family to New York, and located in Canllandaigtal. lie remainedl there until 1841, whenl lie 'again elmiigrated wnitlh his family still fartler West, settlilng in Fawn River Townlship, this county, wlere lie engaged in tlle woolen business. IIe was aD l)einocrat in lpolitics, and leld tlhe office of Justice of the lPeace during the last twenty years of his life; also Postmaster for several years; botl of said offices lhe held at the time of his death. Ile was a charter member and First W\orshlipful Master of Mieridian Sun Lodge. of Stlurgis. The sublject of our sketch was a young child when lie left the lills of his native New Hampshire.:and lis educiation was begun in tle district schools of Canandaigua, N. Y., whlere e lived until the removal of lhis parents to this State. For four years after coming to Fawn River our subject assisted lhis father in his business, then, in 1845, returned to Canandaigua and compllete(d his law studies, being admitted to tle New York bar in 1849. After practicing liis profession in that State for one year, our subject came to Fawn River and helped his father to build a large woolen factory, and assisted in tlhe mana'lgement of tle business until 1856. Auglust 5 of tllt year lie opened a law office in Sturgis, where lie h1as since beenl busily employed in liis profession. lie is tlhe pioneer attorniey of tils place, and, witli tlhe excel)tion of one retired lawy er, of St. Joseph County. Ile was admitted to practice in tlis State in 185X2, and in tie tnited States Court in 1866. lIe lhas a clear. discernling intellect, great decisionl of character, is an:able and fluent speaker, and handles lhis asscase witli a lig(h degree of judgment, evincing in tlie plainest manner close research and careful stuldy in their prel)aration. 1Iis work is never faulty or negllected. but compares favorably with the best efforts of the attorneys of tlhe State... Flanders has l been retained in many important cases, and while living in Fawn River was counsel for l'lyne, in tlie celebrated dam:age suit, Lee s. Pl'aye, thle case lhaving been carried to the Supreme Court. I e is also frequently retained in criminal suits, lhaving been, during tile war, counsel in thle murd(er case, tile People vs. Allen, and in many other important cases. Tlie marriage of tlhe lolln.. W. F.lalnders with Miss Elizabeth Sutherlalnd daughlter of the late Josialh Sutherland, of (anandaigua, N. Y., took place Sept. 22, 1857. Mrs. Flanders was a woman of rare personal worth, a devoted wife, intelligent companion. a loving, tender mother, and her death, whicl occurred MIay 2, 1879, was a sad blow to her afflicted household. She bore her husband one child, John S., who married Miss Henrietta, daugh i t * _ "Mo., ~ -- - I-, t-. -.40 - 7-7 - - - Sp f;I A I 1 1, trll 1 q o_,-Ir I 1C~11 ~1 1 - -— ~ —1IluJ IwrF — I1 408 ST. JOSEPH- COUNTY. 408 ST JSP COUNTY. ter of William Sturgis, and granddalughter of the late Judge John Sturgis. one of tile first settlers of this county. Tlle have one child, Henry I. Inl politics lie is a p)rogressive and aggressive l)emocrat, and lias aidedl his son in establislhing the newspaper known as the Michigan Democrat, published at Sturgis. Socially, our subject is a charter member of the Commnandery, a Masonic order, of Sturgis, and liad the order of knightlhood conferred on him in the Coldwater Commanelry. Although lie has several times accepted the nomination for Prosecuting Attorney and for Circuit.Judge, at one time running oni the I)emocratic ticket, le cares not for public office. lie hias also been a candidate for the State ILegislature, and in 1884 for 'Presidential Elector. lie is a thoroughly honest, square-dealing man, possessing in the highest degree the confidence of his clients, who frequently entrust with him large sums of money to invest for them. The portrait of Mr. Flanders is l)resented on an adjoining page. / ^RANK B1. AINGCER, publisher, prol)rietor I- 1and editor of the Sturgis Journal, one of tie most influential and ably conducted country papers in the State of Michigan, is not only conspicuous as a journalist, but as a leading and public-spirited citizen of St. Joseph County. )Our subject was born in ('lhagrin Falls, Cuyahoga Co. ()Ohio, Aug. 29, 1852. llis father, William W. Ainger, a leading lawyer, well-known and patriotic citizen of that State, died in tle prime of life in 1861, while recruiting soldiers for the late war. The mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Nancy Brainard, was a native of Fremont, O()io, and a woman of wide information and fertile intellect. To her and her lhusband were born five children, of whom Frank B. was tile yotungest. Tlie others are Daniel B., Charles F., Marcia A. (Mrs. Armour) and Clara A. (Mrs. Wheeler). l)aniel B. is Adjutant (leneral of Mlichigan. lie was formerly Postmaster at Washington I), l. C., and was once also a superintendent of railway mails. Mr. Ainger, of whom we write, went witll his parents to Fremont. Ohio, in 1865, and thence to Napoleon, in tle same State, in 1867. In tlie latter town lie learned tlle printer's trade in the lIenry County Signal office, that paper having been establisled by his lbrother and uncle. Sulbsequently our subject went to Manumee, (hio, in 1873, to accept the position of foreman on the Maumee City Advertiser. In the same fall he went to Bryan, )Ohio, as foreman and city editor of tle Bryan Press. In January, 1874. lie boughlt tllt I)efiance (()hio) Express, and conducted it until after thie layes and Tilden campal;ign in 1876. In the spring of 1877 lie sold that p)alper, and returnilln to Bryan, resumed his former position on tlle Press. In the fall of 1878 lie established the MIiddleville Blade, in Barry County, Mich., and conducted it until the month of )ecenb)er, when lie disposed of it in order to accept the editorial and business manatgement of the Charlotte (Mich.) Republican, the property of his brother, the General, who had been aplpointed Superinten(dent of Railway Mails. Our subject acted in his conmbined capacity of editorial manager until April, 1883. At that date lie came to Sturgis and leased the Journal for one year, but before the expirt.tion of that time lie was appointed railway mail clerk on the Miclligan Central, between G rand Rapids andl Jackson. After a few months he resigned that position to return to the fields of journalism, buying the Journal, whichl le llas since conducted witl signal success. This paper was established in 1860 ) by Ion. J. (. Wait, of Sturgis, one of tile most l)rominlent business men1 and politicians in Southern Michigan, a:nd it was under his manangement for several years. Mr. Ainger was married in Godfrey, Ill., Minay 25, 1876, to Miss HIattie N. Sims. daughter of Robert Sims, now of Alton, 1ll. Tlhey have one child, Frank B., Jr., born May 25, 1877. AMr. Ainger possesses great exectivti e ability, and a varied experience in journalism, and lie lhas given his paper a character and ifllHuence tlhat places it among the best journals in the State, an(l its e(litorials and other matter are often quoted inl tlhe l)etroit dailies and State )papers. lie is President of the Sturgis Imrprovemient Committee, composed of fifty of tlie most prominent business, professional and moneyed men of this locallity, wlose object is Im I *q^A I I h I -~I - -- — 1 — I I =II ~111~1,- ~ll~l~ ~~ L t I --- — _r L~-~I~~Pl~r~~rl~irpl~lglla, ----, —~-r~-~-r- IIIII~~I1~IIII -_-~_ --- C1~ II_~IP~IIt El ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 409 to advance the interests of Sturgis. While holding this position Mr. Ainger lhas been very active in advancing every schemle for tle (levelopmuent of tlhe town and the surrounding country, and, witll llis confreres, lhas assisted in securing all tllose conveniences and improvements tllat make tills a model town and a very desirable locality in whicl to make one's lhome, besides assisting in the establishment of several manufacturing industries here, and securing tlhe building of the C. & St.,. R. WV., thus making Sturgis the market for quite an extensive area of farming country and the junction of tllhree railwys. ()Our subject was the original projector of tlhe Sturgis Electric Lighlt plant, and is a stockhoilder and director of the company. I-le lias just closed his fotirth consecutive year as D)eputy State Oil Inspector, having served two years under (ov. Alger alnd was re-appointed lby (;ov. Luce. o5~cLZ -~~~~~~~~~~~~ r z ARRISON H1. LAWRENCE, a son of one ) of the earliest pioneers of Michigan Territory, and late a well-to-do resident of Flor() ence Township, was born in Monroe County, this State, Sept. 1, 1825, and when a little lad three years of age came with his parents to this county, of which he has since been a resident. When a youth of fifteen years the father of the family was called hence, and Harrison HI. naturally assumed the management of the homestead, remaining upon it until a man of twenty-seven years. In the fall of 1852 he purchased seventy-five acres of land on section 5 in Florence Township, from which he built up a good homestead, and where he spent the remainder of his days, passing away on the 1st of April, 1888, when nearly sixty-three years old. The subject of this sketch is the son of Jeremiah Lawrence, who was born in Connecticut, Sept. 25, 1798. IIe came to Monroe County, Mich., in 1812, and moved to White Pigeon in 1829, living there five years. In early manhood he married Miss Alpha Calhoun. Ile and his excellent wife spent their last (lays in Florence Township, Grandfather Lawrence dying Nov. 1, 1841. Their family consisted of nine children, three of whom are living: Allen and Horatio in California, and Jeremiah in Florence Township, this State. Our subject when ready to establish a hearthstone of his own, was married in White Pigeon, Feb. 4, 1850, to Miss Mary A., daughter of Louis and Clara (Anthony) Garrison. This lady was born in Albany, N. Y., July 23, 1831, and was the second in a family of six children. They came to this county about 1836, settling in Constantine Township, where the father was only permitted to sojourn a few years, his death taking place when he was comparatively a young man, at the age of thirtysix years. The paternal grandfather came to this county, and spent his last years in Constantine Township, (lying at the advanced age of seventysix years. Mrs. Clara Garrison Corwin is still living, making her home in Three Rivers, and has now arrived at the advanced age of eighty-two years. After the death of her first husband she was married to Edwin Corwin. To Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Lawrence there were born three children, one of whom, a daughter Lucy, died at the age of fourteen years, nine months and two days. Lorenzo C., the eldest living, was born Dec. 26, 1851, and is occupied at Florence in farming and stock-raising; Jennie May, Mrs. Breese E. Moore, was born Feb. 6, 1867, and lives with her husband at the old farm. They are the parents of a bright little girl, Hazel Fern, who was born Dec. 12, 1886. Lorenzo Lawrence, a respected citizen and a man of decided views, affiliates with the Democratic l)arty. Besides Harrison IH. the children of Jeremiah Lawrence were Lorenzo W., Charles A., Wolcott H. (the first white child born in Florence Township), Lucy C., Horatio F., Cynthia J., Jeremiah A. and Althia A. (twins.) AMES PHILLIPS. Among the citizens of St. Joseph County who in years gone by have materially aided its growth and added to its prosperity, the gentleman whose name is at the head of this sketch occupies no mean position, and we are pleased to be able to present a brief record of his life to the readers of this volume. He is now living in honorable retirement in IqR3l m ---- 61 ~ a' C lJ-.b- ~ - - pp L I-; — o.... -I--_ I _ __._ - _ -__ I — lsl ---- I —__ ___:p!![- 0 0 -- L ii 410 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I - -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I his pleasant home in Sturgis, having by the quiet force of persistent effort, directed by some discretion and a conscientious devotion to duty, gained a well-deserved competency, so that he can now pass his declining years free from the cares and toils that beset his early manhood. He is still the possessor, however, of a farm, which, with its welltilled acres, neat buildings, and other valuable improvements, is considered one of the finest pieces of property within a radius of many miles. Mr. Phillips has been a resident of St. Joseph County for over fifty years, and it has been his privilege to watch the great change that has been been brought about since, when a lad of thirteen or fourteen years, he came here with his parents. Michigan had that year been admitted into the Union as a State, but the greater part of it was still an unreclaimed wilderness, as the people were but beginning to dimly comprehend the vastness of the many and varied resources of the State, although there had been settlements made on her borders more than a century, yea, more than a century and a half before, the first permanent settlement being made at Sault St. Marie in 1688. But as late as the first quarter of the present century it was the confirmed belief that the interior of the State was a vast swamp, this belief being supported by tile geographers of the day and by the Government surveyors who had penetrated the primeval forest to survey bounty lands for the soldiers of the Union. Thllis had so retarded emigration to this fair and goodly country that when our subject came here the gigantic task of clearing away the forests, draining the swamps and cultivating the wild prairies, found here and there, had but scarce begun. It required the herculean labors of brawny, brave, stout-hearted pioneers to subdue the powerful forces of Nature in the wilderness. As a result of their work and that of their successors Southern Michigan can now boast of as fine and productive farms as can be found in the Union, and her commerce and manufactures in her thriving towns and prosperous cities are as flourishing as in other States. Our subject may well be proud that he has had a hand in developing the agricultural resources which form so important a source of the wealth of the State of his adoption. He has also been conspicuously identified with the civic life of his township, having served as Township Treasurer for two years, as School Director for some years, and as School Assessor for nine years. Tte is a quiet, unassuming man, wlhose downright honesty and simplicity of character, combined with shrewd common sense and good business qualifications. render him thoroughly respected by all with whom he comes in contact. He is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and has taken the ninth degree, that of Knight Templar. He of whom we write was born in Ulster County, N. Y., Jan 7, 1823. His father, Elijah Phillips, was a native of the same State, and was there reared and married, Catharine Hogan, a native of New York, becoming his wife. To them were born seven children, three of whom are living, namely: James, Hiram and Margaret. In 1837 Mr. Phillips came to Michigan with his family, traveling on the Erie Canal to Buffalo, whence they embarked on a lake steamer for Toledo. There the father bought two yoke of oxen, and with the household goods started for his destination in this county, passing through the famous Cottonwood Swamp. That was before the days of macadamized roads, and the poorly constructed highways were almost impassable, it requiring three days to get through the swamp. The women came on the primitive railway that extended between Toledo and Adrian, the cars being drawn by horses, and from the latter city they came to St. Joseph County by stage. Mr. Phillips purchased wild land in this township, six miles west of Sturgis, and in the pioneer home that he established there our subject grew to stalwart manhood. Iie received his education in a subscription school that was taught in a log cabin, with slab seats, and a board on pins against the wall for a desk. January 1, 1851, Mr. Phillips and Mary Brown united their lives for better or for worse. She was a daughter of Archibald Brown, and was born in New York, in 1826. Her parents came to Michigan in 1835, and were early pioneers of this county, settling first in Burr Oak Township, and the next year coming to this township. The union of our subject and his wife proved a happy one, and aC~c-rrII II LI Ilr IIII 1~1 1~ 1 31 11 ~l~lle ~ I r~-~ICI-r~ Ir~lXII)Fa"~f' ^~~qllq~vi, V --- L r ------— ` — -~ - ll$Z7Gu I o ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 411 I -------- -7 -- it has been blessed by the birth of three children, two of whom are living, Archibald and Mary J. Archibald married Adda Haner, a daughter of Lewis IHaner, of White Township, and to them three childrenl have been born —Iomer, Virgil and Edna. Mary J. married Herbert B. Henry, of this township, and they have three children-James, Catharine and Mary. '- ELSON I. TOBEY, a druggist of Sturgis, is a fine representative of the young business t men of St. Joseph County, native and to the manner born. who are fast stepping to the frolnt to take an active part in sustaining and extending the extensive commercial interests of Southern Michigan. lie is a worthy descendant of an old pioneer family of tis county, his grandfather, Bracy Tobey, Iraving been an early settler in this part of Michigan, and a taken an active part in its development. The parents of our subject were William andI Augusta (Sanborn) Tobey, natives of Schenectady, N. Y., and Vermont. When the father of our subject was fourteen years old he accompanied his parents to their new home in the wilds of Southern Michigan, and here, amid the exigencies of the pioneer life that prevailed in those early (lays of the settlement of St. Joseph County, he grew to manhood. H-e married Augusta Sanborn, daughter of Gideon and Jane Sanborn, and they began their wedde(l life in Burr Oak Township. Some years later lie moved with his family into Sturgis. Nelson Tobey was born in Burr Oak Townslip, May 7, 1861, and when in his seventh year came to Sturgis to make his home with his grandfather Tobey, that lie might attend the city schools, where lie gleaned a substantial education, as he was a bright, intelligent lad. IHe began his career as a druggist in the store of Mr. Anthony, for whom he clerked a period of six months. He subsequently clerked in Iiblbard's drug store for seven years, and became thoroughly familiar with the drug business in all its details, and is a first-class pharmaceutist in all that the name implies. In September, 188.5, Mr. Tobey established himself in his p'l sent business. lie has a neat and pleasant store, well fitted up, and carries a full line of drugs, medicines, paints, oils and a general line of sundries, having a capital stock of 1,800, and his annual sales amounting to $4,000, he having quite an extensive and prosperous trade. Mr. Tobey was married, April 14, 1882, to Miss Clara B., daulghter of the late Malachi and Sarahl (Williams) Roat. She was born in this county. She has become the mother of two children, Alta and Teddy. Our subject is a young man of good personal habits and of high character, and his tactful and gentlemanly manners have won him a large degree of popularity. lie pays strict attention to his business, and his long experience in that line has given him an enviable knowledge of the drugs that he dispenses and of their various uses, so that his customers patronize him with the utmost confidence. Mr. Tobey is identified with the Knights of Pythias as a prominent member of the order. IRVING J. GOOI)ENOW, the enterprising editor and proprietor of the White Pigeon Jouri nal, was born in Henrietta, Monroe Co., N. Y., April 10, 1850, where he resided and received his education. IHe was graduated from the Academic Institute at LeRoy, N. Y., in June, 1868, after which he engaged in printing and publishing in Holly, Mich. This business he has since followed. He was foreman in the Daily Democrat office in Grand Rapids for several years. When he left that position he went to Marlette, Sanilac County, and purchase( the Incdex, which he remodeled, and changed the name to that of the Marlette Leader. which he published for four years, and made it one of the leading papers of that section of the State. His venture here proving successful our subject disposed of his business, and in the spring of 1884 he went to Cedar Springs, Kent County, and was employed in the office of the Clipper until September, 1888, when lie came to White Pigeon and purchased the Journal, which he is now publishing. It is an eight-column folio, and is one of the most spicy and well edited newspapers of the many published in the county. He enjoys a liberal share of advertising patronage, and has a very large and increasing _ira. r I I~ib~s~- ~IP4p~ ~ -I I-~r r-~ —~ ll - r~ ~ ~ r 1 li I III-6db -~ —L~r-~ —s~I _ - w< I. I ^ - 412. ST..JOSEPHCOUNTY. I 412 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. paid subscription list. The editorials in the paper are always short and direct, having for tleir subject the current events of the day. The editor is a level-headed, clear-thinking individual, and his paper has a great influence on all questions of public and vital interest. This gentleman was married to Alice A. Smith, Feb. 22, 1871. She is the daughter of Elijah Smith, who is now deceased. They have become the parents of four children-Fannie, Ralph, Maud and Harold. They are very bright and intelligent and are a source of much comfort to their parents. They are attending the schools of their native town, laying a foundation for acquiring such knowledge as will make them useful members of society. The subject of our sketch has never sought any public office, preferring to wield any political influence that he might possess through the columns of his paper, the circulation of which would allow him to reach every week the hearts and minds of his many intelligent readers. He was a delegate to the Republican State Convention which met in Lansing in 1882. He is an honored member of the I. O. O. F., and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. g- h ___ _ he having determined to seek a new home in the United States, and crossed the Atlantic for that purpose. After his arrival in this country he made his way to Sturgis, Mich., and was engaged by his uncle to work on a farm. Two years later he abandoned farm work to resume his trade, and building a small shoe-shop in Sturgis, he was actively engaged in making shoes there for about two years. Ile then came to Constantine and established himself here as a manufacturer of boots and shoes, and built up quite an extensive trade, sometimes employing as many as ten hands to fill his orders. He continued in that line of business until the winter of 1861, when he formed a partnership with John M. Wells, and they have since continued together in the mercantile busine.ss. They have a commodious, neat and well-arranged store, do a large business, and are prospering financially. Mr. Calam was appointed Postmaster of Constantine July 29, 1867, and held that office until April, 1886, when he was succeeded by the present incumbent, E. J. Heimbach. Prior to his appointment his partner had been Postmaster for several years, but during that time Mr. Calam discharged the duties as deputy, making more than a quarter of a century in all in which the office was under his managernent. While holding that office our subject discharged its duties with a faithfulness and efficiency that made him popular with the people. In politics he is a true Republican, and has taken quite an active part in party affairs. He was formerly a member of the Reformed Church, and since its consolidation with the Presbyterian and the change of name to the Congregational, he has been identified with that. He is entitled in the fullest degree to the respect and confidence of his fellowmen, as his character is without blemish, and his life is guided by upright motives. IHe early displayed the tact, keen sagacity, and prompt business habits that have made him so successful in his mercantile career, and has placed himself among the most prosperous and well-to-do citizens of Constantine Village. Mr. Calam has been three times married. tie was first wedded in Florence Township, St. Joseph County, to Miss Ann, daughter of the late Robert Shellcock. She was born in Constantine, and her INDIL 11. CALAM, a member of the firm of Wells & Calam, dry-goods merchants of A'~ Constantine Village, is a man whose business ability has given him prominence in mercantile and financial circles in St. Joseph County, and rendered him no unimportant factor in its material prosp)erity. Our subject was born in Yorkshire, England, July 20, 1826, being the eldest of the four children of John and Mary (Harwood) Calam. They were lifelong residents of Yorkshire, where his father carried on the trade of butcher. Much of the earlier life of our subject was spent with his grandparents on a farmi until he was fourteen years old, when he was apprenticed for six years to a shoemaker to learn the trade. After the completion of his term of apprenticeship he followed that vocation for a year and a half in his native land, but in the early part of 1850 the course of his life changed, I 'd L, _ I I ' —de~E~8 000 —A~ -- 1 — ~ --- — e - I4 ve r i -IV - - - -- - 1-111-111170 11 IN P 1- ----- - -- ---------- I L I 1-1114 I -- d. ~ ~ - I ---L - I a I -- -. a 1.0" b- -, iI9~-~ A ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 413 II 0 death occurred in that village Jan. 2, 1864. She bore him five children, of whom Robert F. and Charles E. are the only ones now living. Those deceased are Mary and( Annie, who died young, and John M., who died at the age of twenty-seven. Mr. Calam's second wife, whose maiden name was Martha J. Metcalf, died in Constantine. IIe was again married in this village, Miss Lizzie Wachtenhauser becoming his wife, and she still presides over his pleasant home, making it comfortable and attractive. G E ()I(.E W. IM AK. Although not having I a place lamongl tie old-time settlers of the townl of White Pigeron, thlis gentleman takes an important 1)osition inl tlie business circles of the town. where lie ls largie business interests. IIe is one of the promoters and active managers of the (Cycvlone Fanning \Iill (olplllany, one of tle thrivillng and( growilng business ellterprises in tle southen plart of the State. lie is at present one of tile foremen in the factory. ()ur subject is a native of tlie towll of Sharon.il Schloharie Co.. N. Y., where lie was )born Sept. 18. 1844. Botll his parents. Jollin and1 Nan1c (lMereness) Molk. were natives of tlhe samne county. lie is one of a family of seven cllildren. live of whom ~ ire livilng. nlaely: (eorge W.. our sbject;.Jacolb, Jolln. Abram an(d N'ancy I. )One son, Nicholas, diedl in thle ariy durling tlle.lebelliol. lie was mlarrie(d iand left a wife and five cllildllen. The brotlher I)avid was killed on tile Albalny ( Susquelianna:ailit)road(l. lie was deaf. lhaving lost his lhearg i while in tlhe tlionl Ariy dlurinig thle latte war. lle lost Ills life by steppingl flrom one track of tlle road, to get out of tlt e way of tain approaching train, ldirectlv il front of lone allproachlingo from tlle lopplosite directionl. mid was run over andi killed. Tlhe education obtained b1y tlie subject of tllis sketch wtas in the c11ommon schools, iln wllicl lie 1availe(l lhimself of every advlantage offered. and acquireld habits of stutly and observation, which lie exercises d(aily. le cane to White Pigeon in 1866, where lie ihas lived contimlously, excel)t the years between 1867 and 1872. which lie spent in Berrien County, Michl. Ie is a carpenter, and lie followed that occupation until October, 1886, when lie engaged in his present business. Tlhe factory operated )by thle Fanning Mill Companyll is well equilpped witl the latest improved labor saving devices, including one single-surfacer, a band-saw. mortising-mlachine, rowting-mlachine sticker. and1 with a full complement of rip and cut-off sa3ws. Trle power is supplied by a 20-horse power Ames enginle. Th'le mecllanical perfection of the mill mnanufactured is due, to a large extent, to the knowledge i)ossesse(l and applied by our subject. It is designled to be simple, and at the same time substantially constructed, that it may be able to witlstand tlle rough usage often subjected to in tlle hands of thle farmers. Mr. Mloak was married to Louisa ('eist, Nov. 8, 1868. She is a dauigllter of Thomas (Geist. Her f:tlher is now deceased. Tley are tlie parents of five cllildren. four of whom are living-Charlie, Vina. AMety andl Frank. T'le (leceased child was a son,. Pearl, who died at tle age of five years. The dormestic life of this gentleman is exceptionally lhalppy. anrd with their four children about thenm, the lparents lave one of tlie most pleasant and algree lble li(omle circles in tlie neighborlood. T'le subject of this sketch was a soldier in tlhe late war. Ile enlisted in C'olmpany E, 1l5:d New York 1 Infantry, in which lie served two years, alnd plarticil)ated in tlhe baltles fought lduring tlte historical Red litver exlpedition. and in the Shenandoali Valley, Va.. as well as mnany of tlie smaller skirmishes. Ile was not woundlled in any of them, but was sick ill the hospital for five mo1nths. Ite was hlonoralbly dischargled, and is now an active mlember of the (G A. It..Post at AWhite Pigeon; he is also associated witlh tle A. F. & A. MI. ()ur subject is one of those men who have from earliest bohllood earlned their living by the labor of tleir hands. In tills case lie las )erformed his part in life nolly. As a carpenter and builder lie has. b1 attention an(l study of tlhe many mechanical principles connected with his calling, mastered the lrofession in all its details. lie considered tlat anr ythilng worth doingt at all was worth doing well, all when engaged upon any work lhe devoted his entire time and attention to its successful comple I WIP""- I- -q- — Iv * loop l ~ -P~1P1-~~ IIIIIIIIIIYII1~ll1 -- ON - _.L_..-T L cc ---* --- — 4. mo 111 Im -1 n am fb,,Tw L 414 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I [ tion, and labored both mentally and lhlysically to attain that result. As a consequence there is no one in the vicinity who has a better knowledge or a more thorougll understanding of the trade, and has a better reputation as a mechanic tlan our subject. The business in which lie is now interested is destined to make limn one of the wealthy and financially solid men of the county. Ilis residence is in a neat and tasty building located on East Chicago street. IIe affiliates with the Replublican party. AVID P. HAMILTON. While traveling through St. Joseph County the biographical writers of this AL BUA met but few active business men who were born natives of tile county. A large majority of those who to(lay are tilling the soil and raising stock or engaged in business or commercial enterprises, or members of the professions, were born without the borders of the county. Among this number is the subject of our sketch, who is now one of the leading and enterprising men of White Pigeon, where he owns and operates one of the finest flouring-mills in the State. He was born in Cumberland County, Pa., Jan. 10, 1828. His parents migrated to Ohio in 1835, our subject accompanying them. They settled in Fairfield County, in that State, where David was reared and received his education. While a resident of this county he learned the carpenter and joiner trade, which he followed for eleven years. In 1847 lie went to Vicksburg, Miss., where he worked a short time. He also visited Louisiana, in which State he passed one year. At the expiration of that time our subject returned to Fairfield County for a short visit. He then went to Columbus, Ohio, where he remained six months. In December, 1848, he went to St. Mary's, Ohio, where he followed his trade until 1855, in which year he engaged in milling. IIe pursued this business until 1860, when he moved to South Bennd, Ind., where le bought an interest in the Harper flouring-mill, which he held until 1862, in which year he came to White Pigeon, Mich., and in company with John H. Keedy he built the mill lie now owns. He retained his interest in the South Bend Mill until 1865, when he disposed of it and concentrated his interests in their present shape. There had been a mill on the site now occupied by his property, which lhad been burned. Our subject purchased his partner Keedy's interest in this mill in 1865, which he still owns and operates. Thle system employed in the mill is the full roller process, which was put in operation in 1883. Water supplies the motive power, which is brought to tlhe mill through a race three-fourths of a mile in length. At all seasons of the year he has six feet head, the power of which is transmitted to the mill by means of a modern turbine wheel. The mill is capable of producing 150 barrels of flour every twenty-four hours. The product of the mill is of the very best quality. and commands the highest price in the markets where it is sold. Mr. Hamilton was married, May 19, 1853, to Catherine Bechdoldt. She was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, and died July 2, 1866. She was the mother of four children: Robert J., Mary and Alice are living; and Frank died at the age of eight years. Our subject married Miss Mary E. Salyer Oct. 20, 1870. She died Dec. 24, 1884. She was the daughter of George Z. Salyer, who is now deceased. In the spring of 1857 our subject went to Law. rence, Kan., leaving his family in St. Mary's, Ohio. He remained there until August of the same year, when he returned to Ohio, and in the spring of 1858 he went back to Lawrence and from there to Denver, Col., in August of the same year in the winter of which the city of Denver was located. In October following he returned to St. Mary's, where he remained until he secured his business interests in South Bend, Ind. His daughter Mlary is married to Elliot O. Grosvenor, and now resides in Monroe, Mich., and is the mother of one child-Ira Rufus. Our subject is the son of Samuel Hamilton, who was a native of Cumberland County, Pa.; he is now deceased. His paternal grandfather, George, was born in Scotland and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Hamilton's mother was Mary (Weaver) HIamilton. She was also a native of Cumberland County. The parents reared a family of eight children, six of whom are living, ~~~ ~L- IA b II 17 I I 't.~l~~~~ — "I Illllllllr -~IICC)Ll"~~WV r I - - I- -- I- -- - I I — --- —---- d 31. - I- -r ~ I ~I I Dc~l 40~ w ST. JOSEPLI COUNTY. 415 i,/ S. O. 415. namely: David, our subject; Margaret, Eliza, Voctorine, Robert J. and Augustus. The second son, John, was drowned in the canal in Licking County, Ohio, in 1857, at the age of twenty-five years; while filling the lock he fell into the water and was drowned before he could be rescued, and the son George W. was drowned at Tecumseh Miich., in the Raisin River, in June, 1874. He was fifty-four years old. He lost his life while taking some tim)ers out of the whirlpool at their mill dam. Mr. Hamilton takes a first place among the many prominent citizens of the locality where he lives, and during his long and eventful business career he has ever strictly observed that most important factor in the successful public or business life of any man —honesty. He combines strictness of moral principles with energy and decision of character. He is a careful, conscientious business man, ever adhering to the dictates of his conscience, in matters both of public and private nature; he has made profitable investments, become interested in remunerative enterprises, and has won honorable success in business, and secured a competence as the product of personal industry and good judgment, put forth in a field wisely selected. In politics he is devoted to the Republican party. RI C. WHEELER. Among the many prosperous and successful business men of White Pigeon, who have, through their own efforts and the exercise of economy and energy, accumulated a competency, is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. IHe is now engaged in business as a general merchant, in the conduct of which he exercises a rare degree of business shrewdness and a complete knowledge of all its details. He was born in New Hampshire, March 8, 1841, and is the son of George Wheeler, a native of Goffstown, N. Ii., where his birth also occurred in 1809. His father is now deceased. Our subject attended the common schools of the community where he lived, and laid the foundation for tle rich store of knowledge he now possesses. Although never attending any college, he has, by his experience and observation, added to his ever increasing stock of information, until he is now one of the best informed men in the town where he lives. At the age of twenty-three he entered into the business of railroading, which he followed continuously for eighteen years. The last fifteen years of his service was as a locomotive engineer on the L. S. & M. S. R. R., whose service he entered Sept. 1, 1867, and which he left Aug. 31, 1882. Two years prior to his leaving the road he opened a store in White Pigeon, devoted to the millinery and fancy goods trade, which was looked after and successfully managed by his wife. In 1882 lie left the railroad service and opened a dry-goods and grocery store making the millinery store a department in the new venture, of which his wife still has charge. They have a capital of about $12,000 invested, and their annual sales will amount to $25,000 or over. They employ one clerk steadily, and a portion of the time the services of two are necessary. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler were married June 6, 1867. Her maiden name was Julia MI. Smith; she is a daughter of Henry Smith. Her father was a soldier in the Union Army during the Rebellion. lie is now dead. The couple have no children, but have adopted a boy, Charles, who is now twelve years old, a remarkably bright, intelligent lad. Whatever Mr. Wheeler does he does with all the energy of which he is capable, thinking that whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. The economical disposition he possesses is shown by the fact that when he began railroading he had comparatively nothing, and now, by his efforts and the valuable assistance of his wife, they carry a fine stock of goods and do a business, the sales from which amount high up into the thousands of dollars annually. While employed on the railroad he was one of the leading men in his profession, and stood high in the estimation of the officials of the road. He endeavored, by leading a life of sobriety and devoting his attention closely to his business, to merit a continuance of this feeling toward him, and succeeded in doing so to his fullest expectation. From the nature of his calling in years past Mr. Wheeler acquired habits of regularity and close attention to his work, which he has brought with I Opo.-fa p 'p.d,,- - Oh~ L C" ---- A_~ 4 *" III A 'I! I m - - -........... ------- -40 r,. I 416 ST. JOSEF him into his new business, and it is these that contribute so largely to his present successful career. The part that his good wife has taken in the past sliould not be overlooked, but full credit be given her for her devotion and tact shown by conducting the first business stlrted in the able manner in which she (lid. Th'ev are loth generous, public spirited, and take a prominent place in the social life of White Pigeon. OLOMON DILTZ FLOWERS, manufacturer and dealer in boots and shoes, carries on quite an extensive business in that line in Sturgis, and is numbered among the wide-awake and prosperous citizens of this town. His wife assists him in the business, and has charge of a hair del)artment in connection with the neatly arranged, commnodious store. Mr. Flowers was born Oct. 12, 1847, in Champaign County, Ohio, his birthplace being eleven miles west of Urbana, the county seat. His parents, William T. and Sarah (Martindale) Flowers, were natives respectively of Ohio and Greencastle. Ind., his father having been born near the city of Dayton. IIe is now deceased, but the mother of our subject is still living, and makes her home in this town. They were the parents of five children, three of whom are living: George, William and our subject, and all reside in Sturgis. Solomon Flowers was brought up and educated in his native county, il the town of St. Paris, to which his parents removed when he was a small child. His father was a shoemaker, and he learned the trade of him when a boy, and has always followed it. lie came to Sturgis in 1868, and has since lived here. He began life for himself in 1872, establishing himself in his present business. He carries a full line of boots, shoes, gaiters, slippers, etc., having a stock of $1,500, and an annual business of $2,000 or more. Besides making shoes himself he keeps three hands at work, as he has a demand for all that he can manufacture. lIe also makes for the trade all kinds of boot, shoe and gaiter uppers. Mr. Flowers was united in marriage to Mary K. II COUNTY. "-" =~z_ F — - i Wait, May 31, 1874. She is a daughter of Hiram B. Wait, a resident of Point View, Pawnee Co., Kan. She was born near Saratoga, in Balston Spa, N. Y. As before stated, Mrs. Flowers assists her husband in his business; she is a woman of more than average capacity, and her husband is much indebted to her for her valuable aid in bringing about his prosperity. They are esteemed members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are active workers in every good cause that interests this community, among which is the Y. M. C. A., of which he is an active member. Mr. Flowers is emphatically a self-made man, as he began life with no other capital than industrious habits, good business principles, a thorough knowledge of his trade, and a steady determination to succeed. It is therefore more to his credit that, notwithstanding the reverses he has met he is now in comfortable circumstances, although he has not yet reached the meridian of life. He has a profitable business, andt his credit is good in financial circles. ERRITT WEMPLE. The history of any locality or place is nothing but the biographies of the lives of the people making it their home. The history of White Pigeon would not be complete should we overlook the life of the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, who claims the town as his home, and where lie is enigaged in business, operating a general plrovision and meat market. This he conducts in a very quiet, unostentatious manner, which is peculiar to the individual. This gentleman was born in Mendon, Monroe Co., N. Y., near Rochester, Feb. 28, 1833. lIe lived in his native place, attending school and working at various avocations until 1854, in which year he came to Michigan, and settled in Van BIuren Countyt, on a farm twelve miles west of Kalamazoo. He prospered in this undertaking, and in the year 1868 he disposed of his interests, and established his present business, where he has since lived, excepting one year (1873) which he spent in Chicago. Mr. Wemple is the son of Garrett B. Wemple, I I "10-l1 WA qp - -~- ------ - W 110,1111- -1111 1 111 — ~- I 4p- _ _ 0 a i~~ -— ~ ------- ---- ~ I- - I Ir~ -I~II —~ -III 417 f ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I who was a native of Dutchess County, N. Y. IIe was a sailor and mate on the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence River. The grandfather was a native of Holland The mother of our subject was Dorcas Irwin; she was born in the town of Mendon, N. Y. The subject of this sketch was married, April 29, 1865, to Sarah J. Harrison. This lady was born in Sackett's Harbor, Jefferson Co., N. Y.; she was the daughter of Alanson Harrison, who is now (leeeased. Ie was a native of Jefferson County, N. Y., where he followed the trade of a stone-cutter. The years of her girlhood were spent on a farm. IHer mother was Nellie Luno; she was born in Jefferson County, N. Y., of German ancestry. This lady is a devout member of the Presbyterian Church: she blends her Christian belief intimately with her everyday life, and is a model woman and wife. The subject of this sketch is a very quiet, unassuming man, seeking to avoid notoriety or public attention. Ile is singularly modest and retiring in his disposition, although genial in address and generous to a fault, and his friends are as numerous as his acquaintances. He is very enterprising, and takes a leading part in all matters calculated to advance the best interests of the community. In politics he acts with the Republican party. taken place in Calhoun County, Nov. 9, 1844. The same pioneer spirit that actuated the original ancestor of our subject to cross the ocean in those far-off d(ays must have descended from fathler to sorn for some generations, some eerogenitor of our subject must have settled in New York State in an early day, l)avid Anthony. fatlher of our subject, having been bor1)n there. and lie, in his turn. became tlhe pioneer of tle still newer State of Micligan. lie llad leen nmlarried iln his native State to (yntlia Maynard, likewise of New York birthl, and to them were b)orn live children, three of wvllom atre living, namely: Emma and Oscar, on tile home place il Kalamazoo County, and our subject. 'llle fatllher lhas attained tlhe advanced age of seventy-nine years. Whlile the war was ragingl our subject enlisted, slite of llis youth, becolmning a member of Complany A, 7tll Michigan Cavalry, and served faithlfully tlhe interests of his country on0 Soutlhern battle-fields three years and three months, and took an active lart ill nearly all tlhe battles fought by tle Army of tlhe 'otomac in that time. except durinlg the summer of 1864-, when lie was oll detacled service, having been partly( disablled by a wotund(. IIe was wolunde(l twice, once ill tlhe hip, which d(isabled him for six niontlls. lie enlisted as a private. and passed tllroughl all tle non-colmmlissioned offices. and Sept. 1 7. 1863, was commissioned( Second Lieutenanlt. I is regiment,coimposed a plart of tlle famouos cavalry blrigae commanlded by tlle late G(en. (George A. Custer. In the fall of 1866 I'M. Anthony came to Sturgis, where lie has since lived. Ilis first eml)loyment here was that of teaclling lpenmlialsilsli and bookkeelpiln in tile Stullis is siness (Colleie, after wh-ich for nearly four tyears lie was a clerk and b1)ok-keeper in tile dry-goods store of I lerbert I1ros. In November, 1873, lie establislhed hllis l)resent business, and lias silice followed it. lIe carri.ies a full line of drugs. medicines, paints. oils, druggists' sundries, fancy goo(ds etc., carrying aI stock of $5,000, and havingl' an annual sale of $10,00(0 Ilis establishmIent is finely and tastefully fitted up, and as lie sells none but the best and purest drugs, medicines, etc., lie las a large patronage. Th'e marriage of Mr. Anthlony and Miss Louisa Pinney was solemnized Oct. 14, 1876. They have I I i i I I i I i I I i i I _.40 -"* *1 S(. -0 - T a; - -- - - -- - I E lNRY L. ANTHIONY, tihe popular dru(ggist of Sturgis, is one of its leaing citizens, an is i ilentified with manyl of its varied inter| (^) ests. IIe las a fine military record, and although a youth wlen lie enlisted, attainiing his Imajority about tile close of the war, his loyalty andI devotion to the st'ars and stripes, hlis courage, efficiency, and otlher soldierly qualities in tle face of danger on many a lhard-foughlt battle-field, won himl tle commendations of his superiors, and raised him from the ranks through tile various grades of noncommissioned offices to the position of Second Lieutenant. Our subject derives his descent from an old New England family, who were pioneers of Rhode Island, coming to tllat State fromn England very early in Colonial days. Mr. Anthony is himself a nIative-born citizen of this State, his birth having 4. 1 ---- - 11 — - - -- - - -- - -0 I — _P eo-Y I& 's I 418 ST. JOSEP one child, Ethel, born Feb. 6, 1886. Mrs. Anthony was born Feb. 1, 1852, at DeKalb, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. She too is of New England parentage, her ancestors leiing of Scotch descent, and coming to this country very early in its history. lIer father, S. I. Piniinev, (lied at Ames, Kan., Aug. 17, 1879, at the age of seventy-one years. ()ur subject las taken an active interest in the administration of local affairs, his cool judgment, clear intellect, superior education and practical sagacity, eminently fitting himn for civic life. IIe was a member of the Town Council for four years, and Township Clerk for tile same length of time. tIe is a valued member of the (:.. R., and is prominlently identified with the Masonic fraternity, holding tile office of Grand Junior Warden of the (rland (Commandery of tlhe State of Michigan, and lie has filled all thle chairs of tie subordinate lodges except that of tle Worshilful Master of the Blue Iodge. Mr. Anthony is President of the electric lighlt llant of Sturgis. Ile has always been identified with tle business interests of his adopted town, being a recognized leader in every measure looking to its material growth and prosperity, giving generously of llis means for the upl)building of every enterprise for the benefit of the village, and thereby add(ing to its already increasing prosperity. ^- -- --- S, -, ANI EL BERI(:1ER, undertaker. of Sturcgis, is a well-known and hirghly honored citizen of St. Josepl County, of which lie has 1been a resident for a quarter of a century. lle comes of good old Pennsylvania stock, and is himnself at native of tle Keystone State, born in Luzerne Coulnty, Feb. 4, 1835. His father, Charles Berger, at present a resident of Tama County, Iowa, was likewise a native of that county, having been btorn there in June, 1801. Ie married Catherine Kester, who was born in luzerne County, Pa. In 1838 lie remioved with his family to Delaware County, ()hio, and for a few years cast in his lot witl the early pioneers of tlat part of the Buckeye State. In 1851 lie again took up the westward marcl, and crossing the border into Indiana, settled in Steuben County on a farm, and was actively and 1H [COUNTY. prosperously engaged in agricultural pursuits there. lie of whom we write was scarcely three years of age when his parents moved from his birtplllace to the wilds of Ohio, and eleven years lad passed over his head when they took lup their residence in Indiana. IIe there grew to a strong anl vigorous manhood on his father's farmn, and received a good practical training ill agricultural labors when not attending tlhe public schools, where he obtainecd lis education.' After the breaking out of the late war lie joined a regiment, Complany A, 29tll Indiana Infantry, and for thirteen months was patriotically engaged in fighting his country's battles. At tlie age of twenty-four lie liad acquired the carpenter's trade, spending a year in Butler, Ind. In the fall of 1864 lie came to Sturgis. where lie lhas since made his home. IIe established himself in tle undertaking and furniture business in tlis town ()ct. 16, 1880, and in tle latter line did quite anl extensive and flourislingg business until he sold: that branch to Frank II. Chlurch, in Septemlber, i 1888, and now devotes his entire attention to the 111ndertaking, he doing abtout all tile business in that line in Stuirgis and vicinity. lie owns and riuns a fine hearse in connection witli his establishment, and by tile exercise of energy, ability anwd natural shrewdness, lie has placed linmself among tile substantial citizens of the county. Our subject llas leen twice married. I)ec. 28, 1853, lie was united to Ann (:unn, daugllter of Morrison Gunn, of Steubcn County, lid, and to them two children were born IEva E. and Bertlha A. After a brief but pleasant married life, tlle amiable wife of our subject's early years passed away from the scenes of earth. in January. 1856. Mr. Berger's marriage to his present estimable wife occurred Feb. 1. 1864. Shle was formerly (live (C. Eldridge, daughter of.John G. Eldridge, of Sturgis, and she was lborn in 1845 in (leveland, Olio. M\r. Berger not only las 1 fine residence but an attractive and clleerful home. rendered so by tlhe l)leasant courtesy of the host and hlostess, and tlle truly hosl)italle welcome extended to wllomsoever crosses its threshold, whether they be of lligh or low degree. Mr. Berger is a man of unimpeachllale integrity. who has always led a strictly upright moral life. y ~ ~ __ _ t -rl..,IIII ~ I ~~~ ~- ~ 1111 -1-~~ I' ~I ~ ~ ~ ~ - ___ ----LI~~~~~CF~~S~s~4oap qmqp — -— qw "'' t -- -- - I ` --- --- —---— — ~I -1Lc-~llc-" cc _ II I II~~~I c_, -I II~~~ ~ I 1-dl I I_ ~ ~ I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 419 T....E.. C N 4 lle is a sound Christian and a valued member of tile Methodist Episcopal Chlirrch. lie is a man of much social iniportance in this community, and is a membler of tie (1 A. t., tile I.. 0. F., and also of tile Masonic fraternity. In politics lie is a stanch 1'epublicatn, firmly believing that the policy of that party is the best for the guidance of National affai 1s. 1 H. SAM 1ITEL B. FOLLE'"TT, who is a prlac — | ) ticing physician of tile Old School and a Itgraduate of (Geneva College, N. Y., has for maniy years labored among the people of Sturgis. whlere lie has built ulp a large and lucrative lbusiness. alnd is held in warm regard by tile peol)le of lIis community. A native of the IEmpire State, lie was bornl iln Roxbilry, Delaware County, Nov. 6, 1827, and is the son of William and Sybil (Blackman) Follett, wlho were natives of tie same State as their son. T'lle family is of English origin, and the father of our subject a farmer by occupation. Tlle parents slpent their last years in New York State. The subject of this sketch was reared a farmer's )oy, and lpursued lhis first studies in the district school. I,ater lie attended Bethany Academy. Ile entered upon tile study of medicine under the instruction of l)r. Street. of Roxbury, with whom he remained three years. After this lie became a stu(delt of G(eneva Mledical College, from which lie was graduated withl first honors abourt 1853. IIe entelred upon the plractice of his profession at Bloom ville, N. '.. where lie labored successfully for about three years, then, in 1856, coming to MIichigan, located in the then unpretentious little village of Sturgis. lie had been married, Oct. 13, 1853, to Miss Alneda C. White. 'Tlis lady was,born in Blooinville, N. Y., March 2, 1835, and contilued tile loving an(l affectionate companion of our subject for a e)riod of nearly twenty-seven years. She passed away at her home in Sturgis, Aug. 14, 1880. She was a lady of fine intelligence and much culture, well educated, having completed lier studies at tlle academy at Delhi, N.. Of this union there had been born two children: Charles S., Marcll 4, 18.5, and whlo died at tle age of six years, Jan. 20, 1863; and Edwin W., born Sept. 23, 1863, who is still living, a regular graduated pllarmacist, located now in Cllesterton, Ind. MNrs. Almeda Follett had for many years been a prominent light in tie AMethodist Episcopal Church, and was warmly devoted to tile service of the Master. Ielr parents were natives of New York State. and her fatlher, Sliadrach \White, was a member of a prominent family of tlhat name there. Mr. Follett, on the 10th of November, 1881, contracted a second matrimonlial alliance, witll Mrs. Mary E. ((sborne) Williams, wllo was born in Sturgis, AIichi., April 1, 1842. HIer parents were Edward and Sarah I. (Ellis) ()sborne, natives of Genesee County, N. Y.. tle fatiher being a farmer by occupation and a dealer in produce for ma1ny years. lIe was born Feb. 5, 1817, and his wife, Sarah I., Jan. 19, 1821. lley were married in St..Josepl County, tils State, MIarch 22, 1838. Edward Osborne departed tils life l)ec. 14, 1873. His wife had preceded him to tile better land. her death occurring M1arch 11, 1868. I'hey were thle parents of ten children, three of whom died in infancy. They were namled respectively: Sol)llia C., Mary E., Electa M., Cliarles -W.. (Charles 1., Caroline. Milton E., Thleodore S., Ella L. and Reuben C. Mary E. was first married, ()ct. 4, 1860, to Spencer Williams, and they became te te parents of three children, of wlhom Edward I. died in cllildhood;,John J. married Miss Nina Drake, and is living' in Sturgis, Mic1.; Lois E. is unmarried, and remains with her mother. Spencer Williams was born in Ohio, in Mlarch, 1834, an(d lied at lis home ill Sturgis, in 1876. Mrs. Follett received a careful home training and a goo( education in the common schools, completing her studies at Kalamazoo. She was a most excellent lady, a(nd a conscientious member of the Baptist Church. Dr. Follett soon after coming here was recognized as a valued addition to the community, and in 1858 was elected a Justice of the Peace, wlich office he held by successive re-elections for a period of twelve years. IHe served as Supervisor of Sturgis Township four terms, and was a member of tlle committee of investigation appointed to look into the acts of tile defaulting County Treasurer, there being discovered a deficiency of $2,000. During tJ WPPI" — goob-rll~dL~-2 *- M 40 obo_- a lli 1113l IIIII1 l-~Ie ILC4I I I0 MN II LL ~1 -IIIIIIIII~1NOrllr~ ~ m 420 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. this time also lie superintended the laying out of the new cemetery, which is now one of the most beautifll burial places in the county. For two terms lie has been President of the Village Board, andl las exerted his influence in the establishment of the electric light and other improvements connected with lhis village. In the City Council he has been foremost in the encouragement of the establishiment and maintenance of schools, and every other enterprise calculated for the advancement of the l)eolle, morally and socially. Althouglh no politician, he takes a genuine interest in mattels connected with National and State (Government, and upholds zealously tlhe principles of the Republican party. In 1874 I)r. Follett was appointed Mail Agent of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, a position whicli he has occupied for a period of fifteen years, andl in which lie heas made a fine record for good judgment, skill and ability. Socially, lie belongs to the Masonic fraternity. His pleasant and comfortable home is located on Mlaple avenue, and is replete with all that makes life comfortable and desi rable. HARLES R. HOLMES, a retired farmer of ( Constantine Village, was one of St. Joseph County's pioneers in the early (lays of its settlement, coming here in the summer of 1834, and tlus for fifty-five years it has been his privilege to watch and aid its development from the wilderness to its present advanced state of civilization and material prosperity. ITe was at first identified with its industrial interests as a carpenter, and the chair and cabinet shop that he opened later must have been among the first manufacturing establishments in the county. In 1841 or 1842 he connected himself with the farming interests of the county, and for many years took an active part in their advancement and sustenance. He still owns a large and valuable farm of 380 acres on Pigeon Prairie, from the rental of which he derives a good income. Our subject was born in the town of Cambria, Niagara Co., N. Y., Aug. 1, 1821, being the third child in the family of ten children belonging to John and Betsey (Strouse) Holmes, who were also natives of New York, and his father was born in Niagara County. After marriage they first settled in Lockport, but subsequently removed to Cambria. In 1824. with their little children, they left their native State, and making their way to Ohio, settled in the wilds of what is now Lucas County to found a new home, and there those worthy people passed the remainder of their lives. Charles R. Holmes was but two or three years of age when his parents left the comforts of their home in New York to battle with the hardships of life in a new and sparsely settled, forest covered region, and amid the pioneer scenes and surroundings of their dwelling-place in the years that followed he grew to be a stalwart, self-reliant, courageous youth, and starting out early in life to make his own way inlthe world, the summer of 1836 found him across the borders in this State. He came to White Pigeon, and at first worked at carpentering, as before mentioned. and afterward established himself in business as a chair and cabinet maker. For five or six years he was very profitably engaged at that, and then became a farmer. In time he, by assiduous and well-directed labor, developed a fine farm on Pigeon Prairie. In the fall of 1872, though not yet past middle age, he had accumulated a sufficient store of wealth to warrant his taking life easier, and he retired to the pretty village of Constantine, of which he has ever since been a valued resident. The marriage of our subject to Miss Mary Coats took place on Pigeon Prairie, Nov. 10, 1842. She was a daughter of John and Ellen (Romans) Coats, who were among the earliest pioneers of Pigeon Prairie, entering land there in 1829. They built up a comfortable home in which they spent the remainder of their lives. They had eight children, of whom Mrs. Holmes was the fourth, her birth taking place in Yorkshire, England, Sept. 17, 1816. She was an earnest and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the life that closed Dec. 17, 1880, numbering sixty-four years and three months, was well spent and full of all things that go to make a good woman in the fullest sense, and her memory will be cherished by her relatives, friends and neighbors. Of her union with our subject six children were born: John C., who died July 30, I iI s9 i I /f CI ~ C- I - ILIIII~ —~l — ~-~cl --- —C -'c~-~L-~. 0. - I I I L -— "qrw A A 4p &ho i 1 I,~ --- —c. ----~ --- ~~ ---- - 19:~Lr --- —- ~lllllI ---~~ I~~~~ — - -~lCI — C- ~ ---~ =N~w - I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 421 r.i.. - __ 1879; Elizabeth, the wife of Franklin Caseman, living on her father's farm in Florence Township; Julia R., who died when a year and a half old; Harriet L., who died in infancy; Adella and Adelbert, who died young. John C. had been married, Miss Julia Lafler becoming his wife May 27, 1872, and of their marriage two children were born, Lillie I. and Charles W., the boy dying when nine years of age. His widow and their child make their home with his father. Mr. Holmes is an unassuming, practical man, who is no less respected as a citizen than as a pioneer, and he has always displayed, both in public and in private life, those traits of character that mark a true and honest gentleman, and his fellow-citizens have shown their confidence in his sterling worth and capacity by electing him at different times to various civic offices. In him the Democratic party finds one of its stanchest supporters.,- 1BRAHAM B. GEORGE. In the subject of this biography, the proprietor of an extensive foundry, large machine-shops and manufactory of agricultural implements, we recognize a benefactor to the community. Mr. George was born at Unionville, Berks Co., Pa., July 29, 1825, is the son of William and Catherine (Brower) George, and is the eldest of five children. His brothers and sisters were named: Mary, John B., Lavinia and Abiram R. Mary is a resident at Constantine, Mich., with her husband, Thomas Welbourn; and Lavinia is now Mrs. Jacob Berger. The father of our subject was born at Philadelphia, Oct. 19, 1797, and was the second child in his family. Grandfather George emigrated from Scotland in early manhood, married, and settled near Philadelphia, Pa., where he amassed considerable wealth, and enjoyed a high position socially. The portion of Philadelphia known as George's Hill is in the vicinity of his residence, and was named after him. Although it was in his power to rear his son in comparatively easy circumstances, he early impressed upon him the necessity of work; accordingly, after spending his early years at home 1_ lv uvi~~ J iJ~li L-~~ ~ III I under the immediate care and instruction of his parents, lie removed( to Berks County, Pa., where he learned the trade of whitesmith (now called locksmith). HIe continued working at this trade for some time, afterward clerking in a dry-goods store, where he remained until after his marriage. Shortly after this important event he entered into business for himself in the same line, continuing until about 1830, when he removed to Tamaqua, Schuylkill County, engaging in the same business. At the same time he was in the employ of the Little Schuylkill Coal Company, as Supekintendent, in which office he remained about five years, having the supervision of over 500 men. In 1835 he moved with his family to St. Joseph County, Micli., the journey being performed with wagoll and team. Their route lay through Pittsburgh, Pa.. Canton, Ohio, and across the Black Swamp, and on via Cleveland, which at that time was but a small hamlet. The journey occupied thirty (lays. They arrived in the month of June, and settled on 160 acres of Government land, about a mile and threequarters west of the village of Constantine. Until Mr. George could prepare a home for his family they took up their residence in a small house that had been built by a cousin, A. K. Brower, who had previously come to St. Joseph County. With his usual energy, Mr. George promptly began to improve his land, and raised the first season a small crop of buckwheat, upon which to live through the following winter. He continued upon this farm for several years, wlen he put his youngest soil in charge of it, and made his home in Constantine. The farm at this time was in a very high state of cultivation, and was 1)rovided with substantially built and convenient farm buildings. In addition to the farm he possessed forty acres of beautiful timber land, also his home inl the village, where he resided until the death of his wife in September, 1887, when he removed, to live with his daughter, Mrs. Welbourn, which he has since continued to do. He has reached the advanced age of ninety-one years. In his earlier years he was associated with the Democratic, but later affiliated with the Republican party. He has always entertained and advanced high sentiments of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, and at all times evinced i I r I I I I iI I *b. — -VW — - -lllICI~~c..II- p ---re - ~I ---C-II ~v~~ 1 F -T - ~ - --- —---- --- —..t - _m _ Oi -- i d I II L - IICII ' III~~~~~~~~~~~~~~l ~ II -- I~~~~~~~~hL~~~L- - --- ------ ----— p- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~g~~Hhi~.1ml-oi (< 422 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. iI f~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~_ his scrupulous desires for that condition of Government and those measures which would insure the greatest good to the Republic. By no means an office-seeker, he has, however, been called at different times to fill divers offices, and has always done so in a careful and honorable manner. Religiously, both Mr. George and wife were members of the German Reformed Church. His wife, who for so many years with nobly, womanly spirit stood by his side, cheering and helping in all the difficulties of business and pioneer life, was the daughter of Abraham and Anna Brower. She was born ill Pennsylvania, and spent her early womanhood at home, only leaving it when she was married, to take the management of her own household. She was a lady whose temperament and essentially maternal and womanly qualities commended themselves to all who knew her in family, church and socialrelations, either as mother, wife or friend. She was respected, admired and beloved, and has left upon many hearts and lives the imprint of her noble spirit. With such parental influences, we should be disappointed if no fruit were shown in the history of our subject. Reared under these happy influences, in spite of the limited educational opportunities of pioneer life, he grew strong, manly and vigorous in both body in mind, and received the impulses and impetus which have never left him, and which we must consider the secret of the prosperity, peace, and harmony of his life. About 1843 he left the farm and went to Constantine, and commenced learning the trade of molder in the foundry and machine works of Messrs. Stafford & Pitcher. He continued his position with this firm until the subsequent change in the same in the year 1851, when he was elected Township Treasurer. He subsequently became Sheriff and Constable. After this he mastered the intricacies of the photographic camera, and conducted a gallery for about four years with considerable success. His mechanical genius, however, was not satisfied with pictures, consequently, about the year 1858 we find him selling reapers and other implements of agriculture for Messrs. Stafford & Mitchell, which firm was practically the same as that wherein his first acquaintance with machines was made. In this business he re mained until October, 1861, when he bought his employers out of the business and continued the works on his own account, adding largely to them in various departments as occasion required, until the present. Mr. George is now the owner of extensive property in addition to his foundry, machine and implement shops, and is counted among the wealthy men of Constantine. He is a pronounced Republican, and in him the party has a very strong and able supporter. In the Masonic fraternity he is deeply interested, and by his brethren highly esteemed. Besides his membership in Siloam Lodge No. 35, lihe is one of the honored companions of Constantine Chapter No. 61, and a Sir Knight of the Three Rivers Commandery No. 29, K. T. He has been re-elected several successive years to the office of Secretary of his lodge. In the year 1848 Mr. George was married to Mary A. Boyd, daughter of Jacob Bonebright. When she was about one year old it was her great misfortune to lose her father by death. Her mother remarried, and came to St. Joseph County with her husband. For a time he squatted on Government land, but afterward took up a claim. His career was cut short by death in 1868. Her mother was a member of the Baptist Church, a good, benevolent woman and kind neighbor, a true friend to the sick and suffering. Her death occurred in January, 1864. Mrs. George developed similar qualities to those which marked the life of her mother. Her home has been cheered by the birth of two sons. The elder, Edward S., was educated at Lake Forest, Ill., and is now living at Englewood, a suburb of the city of Chicago; and Linville II., who was educated in the Constantine schools. continuing with his parents ever since. EMAN HARWOOD, whose peacefully decl dining years are being spent amidst the pleasant surroundings of a comfortable @) home in Constantine, came to Michigan Territory as early as 1832, accompanied by his brother Ira, they making the trip in a sleigh from X-4 1; I I~CI, I~I LII _P - r, i I I ws h~l --- —— "11 —__ ' —~~LI --- —--— ~ ---- - -------- -- - 4- Ib m W 40 IF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 423 1,~~~~~,,.~~~~~~ _1~~~ *_~~~-Uc~~~~~ l_~~~1~~~ —s_-_I ----~~~~~~~~~~_____ ~~~~~~ Canandaigua, N. Y. He has been since that time a continuous resident of Constantine Township. He had been reared from boyhood to the pursuits of farm life, and followed these contentedly from his youth up, with the exception of ten years in which he was engaged in the lumber business. This latter enterprise was conducted by himself and his two sons, Oliver and Merritt, under the firm name of HEarwood & Co. The subject of this sketch was born at Meredith, Delaware Co., N. Y., June 21, 1810, and is the son of Heman, Sr., and Esther (Millington) Harwood, further mention of whom is made in the sketch of Hiram H. Harwood, on another page in this volume. The Harwoods were an old and highly respected family, who after their settlement in America were residents first of Vermont, whence the later descendants migrated to the Empire State. Heman, Jr., upon reaching manhood was married in ()Ontario County, N. Y., in September, 1835, to Miss -Rebecca Fisher, who was born there. The young people commenced the journey of life together at their new home in the West which Mr. Harwood had prepared previously for his bride. They became the parents of four children, three of whom lived to mature years, namely: Oliver, Merritt and Francis M. Mrs. rHarwood departed this life at the homestead in Constantine, Sept. 12, 1887. Mr. Harwood during the progress of the Black llawk War was drafted into the army, but his services were only required one month. Later he was a Captain of the Michigan Militia. Both he and his estimable wife identified themselves with the Methodist Episcopal Church at an early day, and he has been a warm supporter of the principles of the Republican party since its organization. In the spring of 1869, after years of arduous toil, during which he had been successful in building up a good homestead, he retired from active labor and took up his abode at a snug home in the village of Constantine. Ilis has been a rich and varied experience, and ill common with the pioneers al)out him he endured hardship and privation while the country was becoming settled up with a class of industrious and intelligent people. He was one of the men most needed at that period-strong of muscle and brave of heart-one who suffered no ordinary circumstance to discourage him. In his declining years he is surrounded by hosts of friends, and, sitting under his own vine and fig tree, is enjoyilng the fruits of his labors, often casting back a glance at the old days, and is enabled to relate many an interesting incident which is listened to with intense interest both by young and old. The name of l-eman Harwood will stand prominent in the annals of St. Joseph County long after he has passed away, and will be held in kindly remembrance by all who knew him.,-~ g ---- -- LBERT B. DUNNING, attorney-at-law, Sturgis, is one of the most able and successful members of the bar in St. Joseph County. lie has a very large practice in the Circuit and State Courts throughout Michigan and Northern Indiana, and also in the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Dunning is a native of Monroe County, N. Y., born Marcli 5, 1844. His father, George Dunning, who came to this county in the spring of 1860, is now a prominent farmer of this township, and a sketcli of his life will be found on another page of this volume. Our subject received the preliminaries of his education in his native State, and after coming to this State he pursued an excellent course of study at the Baptist College in Kalamazoo, where lie attained a high rank for scholarship. Ile then decided to enter the legal profession, and read law under J. W. Flanders, of Sturgis, and was admitted to the bar in the spring of 1870. He commenced to practice in this county with Mr. Flanders, remaining with him until 1873, when he entered into partnership with D. E. Thomas, under tlhe firm name of Dunning & Thomas. They dissolved partnership in 1874, and Mr. Thomas is now in Toledo, Ohio. Mr. Dunning continued in practice here, and besides acquiring an extensive clientage, has won an enviable reputation for learning and for his eloquent exposition of the law. Mr. Dunning was united in marriage to Miss Myra R. Bird, Nov. 11, 1868. She was born in Unadilla, Livingston Co., Mich., and is a daughter of David D. and Agnes Bird, of Livingston County, ""rn m -- I I- I I ~ ~I -w g 111 ----~-^ --- —' -1 1_1__111_1 - 111-_ — _1.m..-.; up f 424 vrF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -- Mich. Mrs. Dunning is a lady whose lovely character and many pleasant social qualities endear her to a large circle of friends. She is a a sincere Christian and a valued member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The household circle of our subject and his wife is completed by the presence of their two charming daughters, Gertrude and Ruth M., who are aged fifteen and( twelveyears respectively. Our subject is a fine example of the self-made men of the country, and this brief review of his life shows him to possess more than ordinary talent, and though still a young man, has already, by sleer force of character and an indomitable will, won an enviable distinction in his profession, and is accorded a high place at the bar. Ile is an ornament to this citizenship, combining, as he does, solid attainments. and a clear and vigorous mind with sterling sense and unaffected kindliness. [ M IRAM H. HARWOOD, a retired farmer of )) Constantine, has by the exercise of keen / foresight and excellent business tact, accumulated a comfortable property, and with his good wife is enjoying it in one of the pleasantest homes in the township. In the life records of the pioneers of a country we have a valuable source of its history; therefore, it gives us much pleasure to present to the readers of this BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM of St. Joseph County a brief account of one who, although one of the earliest pioneers of the county, is still living, and an honored citizen, preserving much of the old-time vigor that made his aid so valuable in developing the agricultural resources of this region. Our subject comes of a sturdy New England ancestry, but is himself a native of New York State, his birth occurring in New Lebanon, Columbia County, Sept. 25, 1812. His parents, Heman and Esther (Millington) Harwood, were born in the historical old town of Bennington, Vt., and there the days of their childhood were passed, and there they united their fortunes for better or for worse. They afterward became pioneers in New York State, settling first in Meredith, then in New Lebanon, and from there to Ontario County. After spending several years in New York State they again launched out into pioneer life, and made their way, in June, 1832, to St. Joseph County, Mich., whither two of their sons had preceded them, to prepare a shelter against the time of their arrival on land which had been selected the previous year, in Fabius Township. The following year, in 1833, the father bought a tract of land in Constantine Township, and in the years that followed built up a comfortable home on Broad street. In that dwelling the life of the faitlful wife and devoted mother closed to mortal scenes, June 12. 1835, at the age of forty-nine years. The father spent his declining years in Constantine Village, dying March 5, 1869, aged eighty-three years. He was three times married, his second wife being Mrs. Polly Eddy, and the third Mrs. Amanda Rich; all are now dedeased. Hiram, the third of the ten children born to his parents, was reared to the life of a farmer, and was, actively engaged in that honorable calling until his retirement. In January, 1831, then being a youth of nineteen years, he started with his brother Heman in a sleigh from Canandaigua County, N. Y., to drive to Michigan, for the purpose of locating on his father's land, and prepare for the arrival of the remaining members of the family. The boys began that memorable journey on the 3d (lay of January, and on the 25th (lay of the same month arrived at their destination, the then village of Lockport, now known as part of Three Rivers, on the St. Joseph River. They immedi itely erected a log cabin about a mile from there, in the township of Fabius, an( commenced to clear land enough for a garden. The following year our subject removed with his father to his farm in Constantine, and remained with him until he became of age, when he settled on land purchased by his father in Fabius Township. He built a house, improved the land, married, and lived there some four or five years, when he lost his wife, and after that sad event returned to his father's home. He lived under the parental roof some two years, when he again married, and returned to his farm in Fabius Township. After living there two years he bought a tract of land in Constantine Township of his uncle e1 II, 11-1., III I'll' lo Ir W1 11,11 11 I I I 1,11111 e1 WIN I rI r _ - - -P- — ll ---. - I_ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ____ ~ ~ ~~_l~r ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 425 I~~~~~~~ Millington, and removed to that place. He inldustriously set about clearing his land, and, by I judicious management and downright hard labor, succeeded in improving a valuable and highly productive farm. He owns at the present time quite I a large tract of land in Constantine Township, and owns and occupies the fine old mansion which was! owned and built by the late Gov. Barry, pleasantly located on North Washington street. I Mr. Harwood has been twice marrie(d. He was first wedded, in Fabius Township, to Elvira Rice, a native of Pittsford, N. Y. She died in Constantine Township after a brief but happy married life. Mr. Harwood's marriage to his present estimable wife took place in Wlite Pigeon, Jan. 1, 1839. I er maiden name was Arvillo Denio, and she was born in Bennington, Vt., Sept. 28, 1813. Her parents were Arial and Lovina (Harwood) Denio. They spent their last years in Rutland County, Vt. Mr. and Mrs. Harwood have passed the golden milestone that marks a happy wedlock of half a century. For fifty long years they have been spared to bless each other and the many friends whom they have gathered around them, to whom they have endeared themselves by the thousand and one acts of kindness and helpfulness so characteristic of their warm, genial, loving natures. During these many years that they have been together their life has not been all joyous; sorrow has often supped with tlhem, and in the death of three of their beloved children they have been reminded of the mutability of life, and of the hope that lies at the heart of man of a home beyond the grave, and their faith in the immortality of the soul has been strengthened. Their son Mylon died in infancy; their son Daniel W., a young man of much promise, who was engaged in the mercantile business, died when but twentysix years of age; Heman C., a bright young lad, died when about fourteen years of age. Our subject and his wife still have four children left to soothe their declining years: Albert E., who resides in Constantine Township; Cerintlha, who is the wife of T. H. Ritter, of Constantine; Mary J., who lives with her parents; and Jennie A., who is the wife of Samuel Harvey. Our subject has an excellent record as a public official in his township, he being a man of sound ~^{ ^^ ^^ principles, good business habits and clear judgment. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace two terms, that of Township Assessor for several years, and has also been the incumbent of all the school offices. In politics he uses his influence in favor of the Republican party. He and his wife are members of the Reformed Church, and in their daily lives nobly exemplify its teachings. 7 ' EORGE W. GRAY, a retired farmer and ( hotel managter, is spending the declining ^^^J years of a successful life in the beautiful town of Sturgis, in the pleasant home to which he has retired to enjoy the ample competence that he has gained through the shrewd management of his affairs. Through his having been identified with the business and agricultural interests of St. Joseph County for many years, and' the proprietor of a popular hotel, he has become well known to the people at large and to the traveling public in particular, and all have accorded him the high place in their estimation due to a just, generous and upright man. He is the owner of the Berridge House, which he purchased in 1880 and managed successfully until the fall of 1888, when he leased it and retired to his present residence. Mr. Gray was born in the town of Scipio, Cuyahoga Co., N. Y., July 13, 1825. William Gray, his father, a native of Saratoga County, N. Y., was a brave sollier in the War of 1812, serving under Gen. McLain in the navy department, on board the gunboat 'Sackett Harbor;" the same boat, bearing a different name, may still be seen in Sackett's Harbor. Our subject's uncle, Samuel Gray, was a soldier in the same war, serving in the infantry under Gen. Scott, and he participated in the battles of Lundy's Lane, Chillewa, Quebec, etc. Our subject's father was also in the bombardment of Quebec and Sackett's Harbor. They doubtless inherited their military ardor from Benjamin Gray, grandfather of our subject, a Revolutionary soldier, who served under Gen. DuQuesne. and his brother, Reuben Gray, took part in the Revolution under Gen. Francis Marion, and was killed in the battle of Cowpens. He left five sons, and ex-Gov. Gray, of Indiana, is lineally wpW-1, 11 I 1'. 01001-111IL-oo a X — R f! I *CII111111. -- I~ --- I_-_I I -- -)- __ I ---~ ---( - - --— II_ _1- Il - - 1 SOON — I 1 ~ ~ I,- i I I m ~ — ~,, r ~ r ~r -I m oC r C- I-~ - -- 426 n ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. ra`" ii f descended from him. The mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Iedger, was a dautghter of another Revolutionary hero, Edward Hedger, who took part in the battles of Bunker's Hill, Yorktown, Monmouth, White Plains, Spuytenduyvil, Germantown an1( Bennington, and though he fought bravely and well he never received a wo(und. It will be seen from the foregoing that the blood of sturdy patriots flows in the veins of our subject, and that he has just reason to be proud of his Revolutionary ancestors. Doubtless he inherited from them the bold and enterprising spirit that has made him successful in his various undertakings. He is, however, a self-made man, and obtaining such education as the schools of the time afforded, he started out in the world with no other fortune than a courageous heart and a willingness and capacity to work. He came to this county Sept. 23, 1851, and settling in Sturgis, sold boots and shoes and blought hides, etc., for Rittersbaugh, Baker & Co., of Clarence Hollow, N. Y. After engaging in tlat business six years his health failed him, and he resumed his old trade, that of brick and stone mason. Hle worked at that for four years and then went into a shop again. Three years later his failing health drove him to the farm, and he was profitably engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1880, when, as before mentioned, he invested some of his capital in a hotel, and turned his attention to its management. IHe still owns his farm, which is one of the finest in the county, comprising 212 acres of highly productive land in Burr Oak and Sherman Townships. Mr. Gray was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. Baker, May 5, 1852, and of their pleasant wedded life three children have been born, two of whom live-Kit C. and Eddie B. Kit married Alice Thurston, and they make their home on section 30, Burr Oak Township; they have four children, namely: Faith, Thomas, George and Spencer. Mrs. Gray is the daughter of Benjamin and Nancy (-lirshey) Baker, both of whom are deceasedt. She was born in New York in 1826. When our subject entered the then little village of Sturgis nearly thirty-eight years ago and cast in his lot with its pioneer business men, being a young 111 II~ 1 LI11LU3 IIVI~~~L I~UI~V L~e ~~~~11) lUl~Zn Zn~L man of exceptional habits and high principles, he gained the confidence of the people among whom he had come to make his home from the very first. lie took as active a part in (leveloping the town and its various interests as any of his contemporaries, and his name will always be honorably associated with the energetic, enterprising and worthy pioneers of the town. He is a man of strong convictions, and is broad minded and liberal in his religious views. Politically, he is a stanch advocate of the doctrines promulgated by the Republican party. rGr-EORGE WILLARD MATTICE, editor and proprietor of the St. Joseph C(ountjy Netws, which is published at Mendon, established this journal in September, 1886, and although still in its infanc, iti is recognized as a very vigorous enterprise, one evidently bound to succeed. Its projector is a man of more than ordinary ability, one who has seen much of life, and especially the Western World, having visited nearly all of the States and Territories west of the Missouri River. IIe has made good use of his opportunities, is well read and well informed, and on account of his uniformly courteous demeanor toward all with whom lie comes in contact, has made iosts of friends in this county. The first five years of the life of Mr. Mattice were spent in the village of Middleburg, Scholiarie Co., N. Y., where he was born Aug. 11, 1854. Five years later his parents removed to Fultonham, the same county, where lie attended the district school until a youth of sixteen years, and then spent one year as a teacher. Ile had always taken kindly to his books, and was ambitious to obtain a thorough education. In the eighteenth year of his age lie entered the State Normal School at Albany, N. Y., where he took a full course, and from which he was graduated June 29, 1875. The following two years were spent by young Mattice as a teacher in his native State, which lie was then obliged to leave on account of failing health. He was then for three years connected with the advertising department of the Union Pacific Railroad Directory, and it was in the employ of,f I.~~ - l III 1Ill 13~ ~ I ~' II CI~ ~I I(L~sllL --— Iqw w I - ^ ----__ -__-_ —_______ ST. JOSEPHI COUNTY. 427 ~~~~ — "I -— ` --- —----------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~ ----~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ II I I I i i i i t i I I t I i i i i I f I i i this company that he prosecuted the travels which we have already spoken of, not only in the West, but over many of the Eastern States. In the winter of 1879 he journeyed to Oregon, and in June following proceeded to Takoma, Wyo.. and made his initial experiment as a publisher. In 1882 Mr. Mattice began suffering from his old physical affliction, and migrating to the eastern lart of Washington Territory, established the Press at Medical Lake. Ile was married il Janu-.ary, 1883, and in the fall of that year, leaving the confinement of ollice work, embarked in stock-raisilg, at which he occupied himself until the summer of 1886. He then sold out his interests in that section of country, and for a time sojourned in Marslall, this State, tile former home of his wife. His next enterprise was the establishment of the.Xes. The family of Mr. Mattice includes his estimable wife and two bright boys. Ie has never taken a very active part in politics. IIe officiated as Justice of the Peace in Washington Territory, and socially, is a member of the Masonic fraternity. P~ 7[_ REDER1CK D. LHASSENGER. To this gentleman belongs the distinction of being one of the oldest settlers of St. Joseph County now living within its borders, lie having' taken up his residence here in 1838, and diuring these fifty years he has been prominently identified with its farming community. He has not only witnessed almost the entire growth of this section of the country from the prlimeval forest that he found here in all its grandeur to its l)resent wealthy and advanced condition, but lie has been no unimportant factor in developing its agricultural resources, and so contributing to its material prosperity. Iis farm is on section 19, Constantine Township, where, witl his solns, he owns 640 acres of some of the finest farming land in Southern Michigan, also owning 160 acres in Presque Isle County, Mich. Our subject was born in MAifflin Township, Mercer Co., Pa., July 7, 1818. His parents, Alraham' and Eve (Blechler) I-Hassenger, were also natives of that county, and there beIgan their wedded life. They afterward removed to Richland County, Ohio, where the father died. The mother died in Wood County, Ohio. They had a family of eleven children, of whom our subject was the youngest. le was eight years old when his parents made their home in Richland County, and cast in their lot with the lioneers of the county who had preceded them. Ile was reared on a farm to manhood's estate, and then learned the carpenter's trade, which lie followed most of the time as long as he was engaged in active labor, although he carried on farming at the same time. lie lived in Richland County, Ohio. until lie was about twenty years old, when he came to St. Joseph County, being then a single man, and has since been a resident of this township, with the exception of a few years which he spent onl the line in Cass County. He has been very successful in his agricultural ventures, and derives an ample income from his farm, which is finely located in a rich and fertile region, and is provided with a neat alnd comrmodious set of buildings for every necessary!prpose. Mr. IHassenger was married in Cass County, this State, Dec. 12, 1847, to Miss Margaret Lintz. She is a native of Alsace, and was born in that Province of French p)arentage, when it formed a part of France, Feb. 1'9, 1828. She was eleven years old when her parents, Peter aid Elizabeth (Marlow) Lintz, likewise Alsacians by birth, came with their family to Anerica in 1839. They settled in Coistantine Townslip, this count-, and here spent the remainder of their lives. They had seven children. of whom Mrs. Hassenger was the eldest. Five sons have been born to her and her husband, of whom the following is recorded: John P. married Minerva Young, and resides in Constantine Township, and( has been a teacher for twelve years; Jonas M. lives at home with his parents, and has also been a teacher for six years; Franklin A. married Ida Young, eand resides in Constantine Township. and for fifteen years past has taught school fall and winter, at present teaching in Mottville; Levi D. married Lettie Young, an(l resides in Constantine Township; Jerome N. lives at home with his parents. Mr. Hassenger is a man of great intelligence, with a good fund of information and soun(l common sense, and with his wife, a lady of miore tlian ordinary mental endlowimelnts, occuplies a: high sociial i i I r -do I L W '-l I -odo _:77-I f.-I -&.- 'esem (:- - - ( IIIIR - _ —~-~ --- —~ ~lll~L-~llllllsllh —~lMI ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.A Ir 42,8 428 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. position in this community, where they are both deservedly regarded with confidence and respect. Their sons are young men of ability an(l force of character, who have inherited from their parents those high principles and industrious habits that do and will make them valued citizens wherever they may be. Mr. Hassenger is a consistent and esteemed member of the Dutch Reformed Church. He is liberal and public-spirited, and any movement looking to the advancement of his township finds in him ready and substantial support. He has taken an earnest interest in educational matters, and has done good service while acting in various official capacities on the School Board. In politics he strongly advocates the policy of the Democratic party.,AVID L. WHITE, a respected citizen and prosperous farmer, and a member of the Cyclone Fanning Mill Company, resides in White Pigeon. He was born in Iuntington County, Ind., Jan. 5, 1850. lie is the son of Lewis White, who went to Indiana in 1838, from Cayuga County, N. Y., where he was born. His mother was Elizabeth (Gibson) White. 'lhe father was born in 1800, and died in April, 1878, at the age of seventy-seven years. The mother died Iec. 29, 1878. They reared a family of five children, of whom only two are living. Our subject, and his sister Mary J., who is now the widow of I)olphus 0. Clark, are the survivors. The parents of the subject of this sketch settled first in Lockport Township in 1851, and moved to White Pigeon Township in 1861. Oursubject has always followed agricultural pursuits until five years ago, when lie leased his farm and moved into town. He now owns a farm of 200 acres, one and a half miles east of the town, which lie has leased. The farm is well improved and finely located. He is one of the company which established the Cyclone Fanning Mill factory, in the spring of 1886; they now employ eleven men and keep eight salesmen on the road. Their produce runs over 100 mills a month. During the year 1888 they found the demand for their goods increasing so rapidly that they were unable to fill all their orders, and now have under consideration plans to increase their product and supply all who wish them. The mill is one of the most novel in construction that has ever been made. It applies to a valuable purpose one of the laws of nature which so far has proved very destructive to life and property, namely, the spiral, whirling motion of air in the cyclone which gives the mill its name. In this mill it is produced to clean out of grain all the foul seeds, chaff and straw, by which the grain is left in a first-class marketable condition. It is the simplicity of construction that is the chief reconmendation, and it is so obvious to every observer that its value is at once conceded. It is in all respects a thoroughly scientifically constructed machine, and it does its work so rapidly and well that every farmer will have one and appreciate its value. Our subject was married to Miss Rachel A. Dale Nov. 14, 1877; she is the daughter of Amos Dale, now deceased. She is the mother of one childClement L. Herself and husband are members of the Presbyterian Church, in which organization they hold an important place. Both husband and wife are members of the County Grange, P. of II. Mr. White devotes himself exclusively to the prosecution of his business and enjoying the quiet of his home. i\ ONROE EVANS. As is well known, the / soldier element has always played a consspicuous part in the upbuilding of Michigan, from the days of the famous General and Governor, Lewis Cass, and even before, down to the present times, when a popular officer of the Union Army recently ably filled the gubernatorial chair. The volunteer soldier who marched in the ranks, and by his strict obedience to the orders of his commanders, his intelligent efficiency, steady courage, discipline under fire, ardor and patriotism, was an important factor in suppressing the Rebellion, and ofttimes received promotion to important official grades for gallant and daring conduct in some hard-fought battle, has also borne an important part in securing the advancement and material prosperity of this great commonwealth. As a fine representative of this class, we are glad here i I I iI II i I11 I I -.Ad a ~I — I I I It III 1,, _,- _3 ~~~~~~ a I II Ir ~ ~ ~ I ',, ---— ~IIII111Lss- b.1 j,. -Ilw - - — l -- ----------- -I-I --- —-]. lNdo folm,010 Wk -— qm ST. JTOSEPH)f COUNTY. 429 A ST. JOSEPh COUNTY. 429 1 with to present a sketch of the life of the gentleman whose name is at the head of this biographical notice. ITe is now living in retirement in one of the pleasant homes of the pretty town of Sturgis. Mr. Evans was born amid the beautiful hills of Windsor County, Vt., July 15, 1834, he being derived from a sturdy, intelligent New England ancestry. Iis father, Calvin Evans, was a native of Maine, but when a young man he left the home of his birth and took up his abode in the Green Mountain State. Tle there met and married Abigail Wyman, a daughter of David Wyman. In 1838 Mr. Evans removed with his family to Westfield, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., and there he kept a hotel, which during the Patriot War was the headquarters of the American officers. The lion. William Seward was his next door neighbor. The parents of our subject were greatly respected by all in their community. Iis father was a man of clear head and sound judgment, and in his capacity of "mine host" was popular with all classes of people. To him and his wife were born nine children, eight of whom live, namely: George W., Mary C., James W., Ludelia M., Helen M., Harriet M., Calvin W. and Monroe. Our subject received a liberal education in the Newark Academy, N. Y., which well fitted him for any walk in life that he might prefer. IIe was in the prime of early manhood when the late war was raging, and lie enlisted to assist in the defense of the institutions of the country, becoming a member of Company F, 2d New York Mounted Rifles. IIe was actively engaged in several important battles, and his efficiency and bravery while in action were rewarded by promotion through the various grades to that of Second Lieutenant, he acting in that capacity in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, North Anna River, Talopotomy Creek, Cold Harbor, edc. I-e was in the heat of battle in front of Petersburg from July 15 to Aug. 31, 1864, and hewas at Weldon Railway, and Poplar Springs Church. lie was captured on the Preble Farm, in front of Petersburg, Oct. 4, 1864, and experienced the hardships of life in the various prisons at Petersburg, Libby, Salisbury, N. C., Danville, Va., and from the latter pen was sent back to Libby. and from there sent down the river on the first boatload of prisoners for general exchange under Gens. (Grant and Lee. Arriving in Annapolis, Md., Feb. 22, 1865, he was sent home on a leave of absence, and the war closing before he had recruited from the effects of diet in the rebel prisons, he received his discharge by mail, and thus closed his life as a soldier and an officer in the great civil strife in which lie won an honorable military record, one of which he and his friends may well be proud. Mr. Evans came to Sturgis in the spring of 1869, and has ever since been a useful and influential citizen of this community. For four years he served as l)eputy Sheriff, performing the duties of that office with signal ability, and in such a manner as to win the encomiums of his constituency. He is conspicuously identified with the various societies represented in Sturgis, the Masonic, I. 0. O. F., and tile (G. 1. R. claiming him as one of their most valued members. In 1884 he was one of the grand officers of the G rand Encampment of the I. 0. 0. F. of Michigan, and lie was Officer of the D)ay for two years in the (. N. R. lHe is a man of fine capacity, and has a clear, well-balanced mind, and his genuine kindness of heart and good comradeship have gained him many warm friends. Our subject has been twice married. lie was first wedded to Miss Cornelia AI. Thompson, a daughter of Jeremiah and Emeline Thompson. Mrs. Evans was born in Sodus, Wayne Co., N. Y., in 1834, and died May 5, 1885, and thus was closed a life well spent and full of all things that go to make a good woman. By that marriage four children were born, of whom but one survives, Frances E. She is the wife of Wilfred B. Wilde, of Sturgis, and they have five children, namely: Grace, Nina, Arthur, Cornelius and Ralph. Tle marriage of our subject to his present wife was solemnized in June, 1887. She is a gracious, frank, warm-hearted woman, and makes their home pleasant and cozy. Mrs. Evans' maiden name was Mary E. Morse, she being a daughter of Emory and Emily Morse. She has been twice married, and by her first marriage to hI. E. Boyd became the mother of one daughter, Carrie M., who is now sixteen years old. Religiously, Mrs. Evans subscribes to the Methodist doctrines, and is an at a!J,b ~1IB~k-, — re LIIIIII --- C1rr~ —~- -----— ~-IL - ~- b, -—,,~ 0 ""R -r- -— l -ah i - g - rr r 31LI~-" ~ I ~ --- _I-L-L-_ ----- -- --- M~~~ II~~ICIIC i; ' 430 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 430 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. tendant at church although not a member, and is also a member of the W. R. C., an auxilliary of the A. A. R M. Evans always responds generously to any call for financial aid from the various churches and benevolent institutions. AVID PAGE. Among the pioneers of St. )Joseph County no one is looked upon with more respect and veneration than lie whose name appears at the head of this sketch. lie has taken true and heartfelt pride in watching the sturdy growth of the county, and lie having been an important factor in building up its business interests, a record of its rise and progress would be incomplete without mention of him. Hle located in Sturgis, his present place of residence, in 1837, and at that time built the first foundry and machine-shop in the county. (ur subject was born at Iel)ron, Grafton C(o.. N. IH., April 18, 1811. HIis father, Thomas Page, deceased, was also a native of New England, born in the town of Ilebron, Conn., of English parentage. He was a prominent man and influential citizen of his town, and after the War of 1812 was appointed collector of the direct tax. lie married Sallie Gale, of Concord, N. 11. They were the parents of ten children, three still living. David Page, of whom we write, received a lilmited education in the common schools of his native State, but a practical training at home in the industrial branches. At the age of eighteen years he determined to learn the trade of an iron molder, and for that purpose went to Painesville, Ohio, and remained in the iron works of that place for eight years. Ile then came to Michigan, as before stated. and built a foundry and a machine-shop, the only one in this part of the State, the nearest one at that time being at Mishawaka, Inc., forty miles distant. The foundry is still in operation, AMr. Page llaving had charge of it ultil 1852, wlen lie sold out, and for the ensuing three years engaged in the dry-goods business. In 1855 our subject opened a hardware store, whichll lie carried on for several years. Subsequently, in partnership with Silas Stow, he engaged in the manufacture of furniture and chairs, under the firm name of Page & Stow. He met with his former good success in this business, continuing it until 1865. when lhe sold out his interest, and the next four years conducted a flour and feed business. Haviinig by that time amassed a sufficient sum for all his temlorary needs. lie hias since lived a retired life, alnd, tlhoiug1 now in feeble ealtlh, is enjoying the rewards of an honest business man, who toiled while it was yet niorning that in tile evening lie might take rest and comfort. The marriage of our subject with Miss Amanda, daughter of the late iuthler Jewel, took place in Painesville, ()Ohio, Jan. 28, 1835. Mrs. Page was a most estimable woman and a true helpmate to her husband, presiding with womanly g'race and tenderness over her household until her deatll, Marcli 7, 1872. Shie bore her husband five clildren, of wliom four are now living, of whoml tle following is recorded: Olive.J., born in Painesville, ()lio, Oct. 20, 1835; Saral J.. bornl in Sturgis, )ec. 25. 1838. married Crebillion Jacolbs. l)avid Clayton, Iborn in Sturgis, Febl. 5, 1846. attended tlie Law School at Ann Arbor. and was admitted to l)ractice ill tile Ilnited States District Court. lie is now an attorney of note in Petoskey. Micll., alnd is Jutdge of Probate for Enmmet County, anld hlvillg )been elected in a l)emocratic district sliows without comm(ent that lie must be a very popullar and highly esteemed citizen of the county, as he is a stanch Iepubllican in his political views. IIe married Mrs. Saral Reynolds, and they have one clild, Lottie. Mlrs. PI'age had one child by her first husband, who, laving been adopted by Mr. Page, now bears the name of Eugene Reynolds Page. Laura J. M., born in Sturgis, Dec. 15, 1849. manrried lCharles Nicllols, of Chicago. Our subject resides witll his eldest dalughter, Olive, widow of the late Gen. William L. Stoughtoln who died from the effects of a wound received during the late war. (Gel. Stoughton was born inl Bangor,, N.., Marchl 20, 1829, nld tllere lie spent the early years of his life. lie was a laln of intellectual ability, steadfast integrity and firm moral principles. IIe received a legal education. and after coming to Michigan soon took a hiogh rank amnongy its prominelnt and influential citizens. I r a -..A ' L. - mo1w r --- —16~- - - ~ I I I ---- ---— ~ — - - - - - - ~ ~ - t. _11 _i_ I I I _I_ I _ _11____1 _1_ _ _ _I __ _ I 4:B- -- i i l m ii ii IL iCii ii' I,I I ll - b. (rl I W ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 431 having been twice elected Prosecuting Attorney for St. Joseph (County, alnd in 1861 was appointed by l'resident lincoln United States l)istrict Attorney for Michigan. At tle breaking out of the late Civil War l lilaid aside all plersonal ambitions an( enlisted in tie service of his country. lie lad tie confidence and esteem of all his fellow-citizens, and after tle organization of tlhe llth Mlichigan Infantry lie was mustered in as Lieutenant (olonel of the regiment. Ile was subsequently promoted for brave conduct to tlhe rank of Brigadier (eneral, and later, for.gallant service in the field. was breveted Major (eneral. After tle close of the war (en. Stougllton was not allowed to retire to private life. but in 1866 was elected Attorney General of Michigan, serving until 1868, when lie was elected to Congress from tlle Fourth Mlicliigan D)istrict, and again re-elected in 1870. I e served witl d(istinction on tile Commlittee on Military Affairs, and under his efficient leadership two b}ills were passed equalizing tlhe bounties of soldiers. A fuller and more extended account of G en. Stouglton may be found in tlle "American Biographical Ilistory of Eminent and Self-made Men of thle State of MIichig.an." To (eneral and IMrs. Stoughlton were born five children, of whom three are now living. William1 '., born Sept. 22. 1857. married Miss Dell, daughter of Johln McKerlie. a pioneer of this county; Sanford F., born. Jan. 1 7 1862, is a clerk in Farwell's lldry-goods store in Cllicago; Bllanchie, born Feb. 26, 1873. William I'. is hIead postal clerk on tle fast mail train on tlhe Lake Shore Railway. Arthur was tile second son; lie lied June 24. 1886. Olive died at tle aage of five months. SA P. KENYON, a member of the firm of E. T. Parker & Co., livery stable keepers, Sturgis, is the pioneer liveryman, and one of the oldest settlers of the town, and is widely known and esteemed throughout St. Joseph County. Lie and his partner, who is his stepson, do the main business in their line in this and surrounding towns, besides having a large transfer business. Mr. Kenyon was born Oct. 11, 1815, il the town of Ellisburg, Jefferson Co., N. Y. His parents, Barnabas and Betsey (Parkhurst) Kenyon, were natives of Rhode Island and Oneida County, N. Y. His father went to the State of New York when a child, and there, when he grew to man's estate, he carried on the clothier's trale and also that of a miller. Both parents are deceased. Our subject received a good common-school elducation in his native county, and he grew to be a sturdy, self-reliant, active young man, and at the age of nearly twenty-one he started out to see something of the world, making his way to Lagrange County, Ind., in July, 1836. IHe worked on a farm in the summer seasons, and in winter utilized his education by teaching school for about eleven years, becoming very successful in that profession. In 1849 Mr. Kenyon came to Sturgis, and has been an honored resident here ever since. tIe was actively engaged in carpentering for several years, and then turned his attention to wagon-making, which he followed four or five years. In 1865 he entered upon his present business as a livery stable keeper, and has been prosperously engaged in that ever since. Ie is now in comfortable circumstances, and his credit stands high in business circles, as he has always dealt fairly and squarely by all who have had dealings with him. His geniality, kind-heartedness, and obliging manners render him popular in this community, where he has many warm friends. Mr. Kenyon has been twice married. HIis first marriage was to Rachel Cummings, (laughter of Robert Cummings, to whom he was united in April, 1843. After a brief but happy wedded life of a year's duration, Mrs. Kenyon was called hence by death, March 31, 1844. She left one son, J. Milton, who was married in Michigan City, Ind., to Nean Higgins, and they live in Toledo, Ohio. and have three children-Kate, Nettie and Rachel. The marriage of our subject to Mrs. Isabelle Parker, his present estimable wife, was consummated in October, 1819. She was the widow of Erastus Parker, and a daulghter of James McKerlie, an early pioneer of St. Joseph County. By her first marriage she had one son, Erastus T. Parker, our subject's partner, whose sketch will be found on another pa^e of this volume. By this second marriage Mr. and Y~~~~ i I F-440 _~.. i.- _~ I P-"-k I I ~ ~ Ir - ~ I ~ - ' —._ I I__ W 1- --------- --------— ~ w- -- - -- --..... _ --- -------- -- --- --- -- - ----- - -- _ _ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Ob- -M 432 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. i --- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — --- Mrs. Kenyon have had three children: DeWitt, who died at the age of four years; Mary and Frank. Mary married Emnions S. Hudson, of Riley, Kan., and they have three children-Harlow K., Bessie B. and Nettie. Frank married Eliza Bottornly, and they live in this town. *IOIOMAS J. JONES, who was for many years (/ prominently identified with the agricultural ~' interests of St. Joseph County, and still owns one of its finest farms, pleasantly located in Constantine Township, has relinquished the active labors connected with the management of his property, and is now living in retirement in Constantine Village, in the enjoyment of the means that he has accumulated by energetic and well-directed toil. Mr. Jones is a native of Maryland, born in Washington County, Feb. 1, 1818, and, although not among the earliest settlers of this county, may yet be numbered among its pioneers, as he first came here in 1853, and a year or two later, after a brief residence in Indiana, became interested in developing its agricultural resources, as a member of its farming community. tis father, John Jones, was a native of the same county where our subject had his birth, and there died. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Rutter, was also a native of Maryland. In 1874 she came to White Pigeon, this county, and in 1881 passed away from the scenes of earth. She was the mother of four children, of whom Thomas J. was the second. The death of our subject's father left him practically on his own resources at the tender age of six years. As was the custom at that time and in that locality, he was bound out until he was sixteen years of age. These years were spent on a farm, where he acquired not only a thorough knowledge of agriculture, but also laid the foundation for the rugged health he has always enjoyed. When sixteen he began learning the trade of shoemaking with his uncle, Benjamin Rutter, in Northumberland County, Pa. With him he staid three years, and then began as a journeyman. Two years later he returned to farm work, until three years after _. his marriage, when lie was employed in the Montour Rolling Mills, at Danville, Pa. This was his vocation for seven years, until he made up his mind to emigrate West. During his residence in Northumberland County Mr. Jones was married, Jan. 5, 1843, to Miss Jane E. (uffy, daughter of John and Nancy (Grier) Guffy, who died in Northumberland County, Pa. They were the parents of eight children, of whom Mrs. Jones was the fifth in order of birth. She was born in Northumberland County, May 23, 1823. She is a woman of superior capability, a deft and thrifty housewife, who looks well to the ways of her household, and in so doing has co-operated with her husband, and in no small measure contributed to his prosperity. The following is recorded of the seven children who have been born of their wedded life: Elizabeth Agnes is the wife of Joseph Stangal, of Constantine; Emma Jane is the wife of William I-oats, of Three Rivers; Sophia is the wife of Clark Shellenbarger, of Indiana; Clara is the wife of Arthur Redfern, of White Pigeon; Mary L. is at home; John I). died in Constantine Township, May 1, 1881, and Frederick died when five years of age. In the spring of 1853 Mr. Jones disposed of his property in Pennsylvania, and migrated with his wife and three children to St. Joseph County, this State. During the following summer he lived in White Pigeon, and then removed to Elkhart County, Ind., where he engaged in the lumber business. Eighteen months later we again find him in St. Joseph County, on a farm which he had bought in White Pigeon Township. lIe remained there seven years, vigorously and successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. At the end of that time he had a fine chance to dispose of his property there at a good profit, and immediately availed himself of the offer, and then sought a home in Constantine Township, where he purchased another farm. Ie carried on that place twenty-two years, and so improved it by careful cultivation, and the erection of substantial buildings, that its value was greatly increased, and it became one of the most desirable farms in the township. It comprises 280 acres of highly productive land, is finely located, and admirably adapted both to raising stock and grain. I -sh do W&Nbb —= abo- -40 — do I_ WPP II1- - CLL 5C C-wILL~L- — L — L~L~~LICC-~: ~ L~ t d - -- -- --- - ---- - - - 7 - X — — ------ ------ ------------------ IIIIILm-~l --- - * 0 — 10 01 111 Ill 1r IlII rrrrrrrr wk-~r4-~ Sr. JOSEPH COUNTY. 433 - - -- - - -- - - — ~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~! In November, 1887, he built a handsome brick residence, near the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway station in Constantine, and he and his family have one of the most attractive homes in the place. The native ability, foresight, and decision of i character of our subject have been important facI tors in making life a success with him. IIe has ever been true to the principles of good citizenship, and in his relations with others has done his duty like an honorable man; as a husband and father, he is kind and devoted to the best interests of his family, and lie and his wife have reason to be proud that their children have been reared to lead useful and upright lives, and have not departed from.the example set by their parents; as a neighbor, he is kind and obliging. Mr. Jones is deeply interested in politics, and stanchly upholds the policy of the Republican party. lie has contributed to the maintenance of law and order in this community by his faithful discharge of the duties connected with the office of Justice of the Peace, which he held for one term. Mrs. Jones was formerly a member of the Reformed Church, but is not now identified with any religious denomination. As illustrating the habits of economy and thrift which have governed his life, Mr. Jones mentions that the first money he ever had of his own was fifty cents, which was given him by his employer when he was fifteen years old. This money he kept for many years, finally giving it to his mother lwhen he was about twenty-two years old. This habit of saving has been the basis of the financially independent position now occupied by Mr. Jones. ONAS WOLF occupies a leading position among the public-spirited and liberal citizens who by the free use of their wealth have given great impetus to the growth and development of St. Joseph County. He was for a few years closely identified with the farming interests of the county, owning and managing a large and valuable farm in Florence Township, but he disposed of that several years ago and removed to the village of Constantine, where he has since re sided, lie having an ample fortune, so that he now lives in retirement from the active duties of business. Our subject comes of an old German family who lived in Wurtemberg, Germany, and his par-,ents, John and Catherine (IHalln) Wolf, were natives, respectively of Wurtemberg, Germany, and of Bethlehem, Northampton Co., Pa. We are not told when the father emigrated to this country, but he was married in the Keystone State, and there spent his last years, dying in Columbia County. The mother died in St. Joseph County, Mich. They were people of solid worth, and were deservedly held in high estimation. They had a family of eight children, of whom Jonas was the youngest. Our subject was born in Mifflin, Columbia Co., Pa., Nov. 12, 1812. IIe was reared on a farm until he was twelve years of age, when thus early in life he began his initiation in the mercantile business, and for six years was engaged as a clerk. At the youthful age of eighteen he established himself in business on his own account at Roaring Creek, in his native county, and was engaged as a merchant there and at other points in Pennsylvania for some thirty-seven years. Hle bought a farm for $125 an acre, the said farm being located on the west branch of the Susquehanna River, and after managing it for three years in connection with his business, he sold the place for $200 an acre. IHe disposed of all of his interests in his native State, and coming to Michigan in the fall of 1865, bought a farm in Florence Township, paying $17,000 for it. This he carried on with the usual success that attended all his efforts for three and one-half years, when he sold it for $27,000, and removed to Constantine Village, of which he has since been an honored resident. Mr. Wolf has been twice married. His first marriage occurred in Northumberland County, Pa., on the north branch of the Susquehanna River, when he was united to Miss Margaret Gearhart, a native of that county. She died in Danville, Pa., leaving six children, of whom the following is recorded: John W. resides on Broad street, Constantine Township; Joseph D. resides in Florence Township; herman G. resides in Constantine Village; Mary C. is the wife of Jackson Darrah, of Pennsylvania; t. oil - B ~ I -II. 1 ~ -~ - -~- - r_ --- r~r li~l I Ir LcI I mma ~ -19 -lipl "01 1 I I I-L 1 040 rII I II 1-111III- obb.-11-1 3 =L I. vlr --- 434 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. Ir! - Fannie A. died in Pennsylvania in May, 1876; Ella R. is the wife of D)avid Eckmoan, of Riverside, P'a. lMr. Wolf's miarriage to his p)resent wife took p1lace on thle west lr1anch of tile Susquehanna River, in Northumll berland County, Sept. 20, 1851. Mrs. Wolf at, the time of her marriage witlh our subject was tlhe widow of William Lemon. whio died in l'oint 'ownslip., Northl umlberland Co., Pa. IHer maiden name was Nancy Vincent, and sile was born in I)elaware Townsllip, Nortllhumberland County, Sept. 9. 1816. ler parenlts, Isaac and Rebecca (C(omlly) Vincent, departed tils life in Northutmb)erland Counity. Tely had ten children. of whom Mrs. Wolf was tle secolnd in order of birth. 1) thlis marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wolf have had two children, Carrie -an(d Sally. C'arrie is tle wife of S. 1. I)avis, of Constantine; Sally, who was tile wife of Albert lReynolds, diel ()ct. 26, 1878. Mr. Wolf first visited St. Josephl County in 1832, when it was in its primieval wildness, anld purchiased a tract of land in Lockport Township, on which lie resided for about three nionths, when lie tired of the limitations and restrictions of pioneer life, as lie found tlhat lie could make more money at tile mercantile business in his native State. to which lie returned. IIe is influential in politics and in local affairs, and Ias been o one of the I)irectors of the First National Balnk of Constantine for some ten years. IIe was an ardent D)emocrat until the breaking out of tlie Rebellion, when he sent two of his sons to tile front, where they served faithfully for foulr years, andl lie on his 1)art vigorously suplorted tile Relpublican policy in regard to the mana:gement of tile war, from his l'ennsylvania hlome. He continued( to act witl that party until 1884, when lie returned to his allegiance to the D)emocratic party... Wolf and his wife are among tile lead(ing mel bers of thle Reformed Church. lie was IEl(der in the chlurchl for several years, anld was instrumnenltal in securing tle erection of tlhe preseit edifice, in which tie conglregation worslil). IIe dlonates liberally toward tie sul)l)ort of thle (:slpel in this town, and every g'ood work meets withl his cordial syml:athy and substantital aid. Mr. Wolf owes his success as a )bsiness man t tile fact that lie vwas oifted with rare judgment, keen discernmlent. great tact and an enterprising spirit. HIe is also greatly indebted for his prosl)erity to tile clheerful aid and active co-operation of his capa ble wife, wAVl is possessed of a large share of common sense and decision of character. i i ---!]j}^ }ANIII IEL MILLERI, a retiled and well-to-do farmer, came to Sturgis Nov. 16. 1881, to ( 'Y spend his declining years in this pleasaint town. In the few ryears that have elap)sed( since that time lie las gained tile good-will of tile people amnonig whom lie has come to make his lhome, and lie is lleld in the highest esteeml for his considerate and kindly ways and his honorlable character. Mr. Miller was born in Ilighland County, (Oh)lio,,June 28, 1827, in the pioneer hoime of Iis larents, Jacob and Elizabeth (l'Proucis) Miller. They were natives of Pennsylvania. and hiad been early settlers of Ohio. In the spring' of 1831 they once inore became pioneers. taking upl their abode in the wilds of Lagirange County. Indl. They had twelve clhildren, nine of wlom are living, namely: Ciristiana. now Mrs. Young; I)Dvid; ( George; Sarah, now Mrls. Robbins; Adam, Joseph., IIenry, William and our subject. The names of the deceased were.John, Catherine (Mrs. Robbins) andl.James, all of wlhom were married and lhad families. T'lie fatherl of our subject (lied on tle old liomestead in Lagrange County, Ind., May 13, 1838, and Mlother Miller d-ied A ug. 16, 1869, haviing rounded out a life of more tlan ordinary lengtll. I)aniel Miller was nlearly four years of lage whlle his parents moved to Indiana, and lie lhas a good recollection of thle condition of tlle country in his boyhlood, forests of primleval growth aboundlinlg. Indians numerous, and also wild animals, such as deer, bears, wolves, coons, etc. Tli same plioneer condition theni prevailed liere, and as late as 1817 two or three bears from tlhe forests passed tlllougl' tlhe streets of Sturgis. Our subject received Iiis education in tile priinitive schiool-llhoise of tile times, a log' cabin witl a clap)boar(l roof land withi poles as weilghts to hlold it down, firepl'ace aIt one elnd of the room, witli stick and clay chlminney, 1 L _O. -I I I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - r ~I- II r Ilr r ~ - - I — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- Illqt~~~~L ----Bi-~-lk6 r -- — W- OMT I`Z At p 01 tll --- Ahal.. 1 I+*" ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 435 1 ~U I i-i-;~.IIl-.c. ----~ and slal)s served as I)enclles, a board on pill against the wall for desk on whlich to write, and a puncheol floor. (-)ur subject grew to manhood, with a character molded( by tle inflluences that prevailed in strelngthl an(l sturdliness. le adopted tlhe calling of farmier as llest sulited to his tastes, and it is unnecessary to say thlt lie met with marked success in hlis cliosen calling, as lie lhas been enabled to retire oni a comfortable competence, removing from lhis ol(d home in Indiana to Sturlis in 18H81, as before mentioned. IMr. Miller lhas been twice married. lie was wedded to Miss Elizabeth Young, May 21, 1848, adl to them came eleven children, ten of wlhon are livilng, namnely: Selina. MAanfred, Ienry, 1)ianltha, (arleton, D)aniel, Mary, Almon, l)elos and Charles. Selina married (Carles Stroud, of G reenfield Townsllil), Lagrange Co., Inm1., and tlley have hlad one child, Mary 1B., whlo is dead; Manfred married (lara Platchlli, and tlhe live in Sedg(wick County, Kan.; they lhave seven children, namely: Locey, William. Asel, Nellie. Zella, and a girl and boy, infants unnamed. Ilenry married MAary Moore, of tlle same (county, andl they have three clildrenZadie, Bertla and lIeman. l)iantlla married Carleton Lillie, of Lag-range County, Ind.; Carleton married LIodema Snider, and they are living in Sedgwick (ounty, Kan., and lave one clild; l)aniel married Louisa Carlenter, wlo (lied, and lhe then married her sister Alta; they now live in (Coldwater, Iichl., and liave one child, Clarence. lMrs. 5Miller was a da1igliter of Locey Young. I er (leatll, April 27, 1874, was a severe blow to her faimily, to wliose members shle was greatly devoted, andll they now cherish her memory witli the utmost l'' verence. Mr. MIiller's secoll( marriage, whicl took place April 22, 1875, was to Miss Helen MI. Field, a (laughter of the late David S. Field. IHer mother, wlhose maiden name was Martha (Wheeler) Field, is now living in Wolcottville, Ind., at the advanced ag'e of seventy-nine years. To our subject and lis present wife lhlave been born three children, two livingI-Helen 3I. 1and Claud(e E.; one died in infancy. Mr. Miller, brought tp as lie was in a pioneer country and underi pioneer influences. early ac quired a bold, self-reliant, self-hellfull spirit, which, with hlis persevering nature and Iris good cap)acity for labor, were imlportant elements in his after success, and lie so manage(d liis farming interests as to acquire a comfortab)le coml)etence, and is now enjoying the well-earned fruit of llis early labors. lie is a stanchll melber of the Metlhodist 1,Episcol)al (Churclh, and lhis daily life sllows the sincerity of his religious professions. Mrs. Miller is a faithful member of the Baptist (Church, andl none are more active in promoting goodl works than sle. Mr. Miller is an adherent of the Republlican party, and lis views of the political situation of thle day are sound and intelligent. h. ON.. C..BISOP, ex-member of the MichiQ:)) gan Legislature, and long Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, was elected Supervisor first in tile spring of 1867. lie has served in this capacity, with the exception of one year, 1878, since that time. lie was Justice of the Peace for a term of four years, and Iighway Commissioner for a term of three years. He was elected to represent the people of the then eastern district of St. Joseph County in the State Legislature, and served acceptably his term of two years, in which there were two sessions of the Legislature. IIe has been Chairman of the Board of Supervisors for four years. In the village of Burr Oak he holds the office of Assessor, and in 1875 was elected President of the Village Board, but declined to qualify. Mr. Bishop has discharged the duties of his various offices in a manner highly creditable to himself and satisfactory to his constituents. Generous and public-spirited, he is numbered among the leading men of St. Joseph County, and one intimately connected with its welfare and prosperity. The subject of this sketch was born at Franklinville, Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., April 1, 1828. ile came with his parents to this county in 1836, when a little lad eight years of age, and, with the exception of six years in Colorado and Nebraska, has since resided within its limits. He acquired early in life a knowledge of agricultural pursuits, in which he has always been interested, and notwithstanding ~~r~C~ -~CC ~rl -~r 'TI~IL I -~I I - W~ - w I " I L A 4 __. t - - I. —l= ON. ~.40z - 4e -- obo — I 436 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ a large proportion of his time has been devoted to the discharge of public duties, he has continuously been interested in farming. Mr. Bishop, in 1874, took the State Census of the township of Burr Oak, and in 1880 the United States Census. Four years later he was again connected with the taking of the State Census. The parents of our subject, James L. and Mary (Carpenter) Bishop, were natives respectively of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The father was born Jan. 17, 1799, and the mother August 5 of the same year. Their family included eight children, two of whom died in early childhood, and two sons yielded up their lives upon the battle-field in the service of their country, and one was killed during the Kansas troubles, supposed to have been murdered. The marriage of J. C. Bishop and Miss Cordelia Clark was celebrated in this county, Jan. 11, 1851. Mrs. Bishop was born Nov. 8, 1830, and is the daughter of William and Margaret (Whitney) Clark, who were natives of New York State, and spent their last years in Michigan and New York. Their family consisted of two children only. Mr. Clark came to Michigan in 1840, beilng one of the earliest settlers of Burr Oak Township. To our subject and his wife there were born two children-Mary and William C. Mr. Bishop is a member of the SelfProtection Association of Burr Oak and vicinity. Politically, he is a warm supporter of Republican principles. In 1883 he took up his residence at Burr Oak, and has now a most pleasant and attractive home located at the corner of Third and Eagle streets. R. ROBERT A. GREEN. The subject of this personal history is a homeopathic V physician and surgeon, of good repute and enterprise. He is well esteemed by the pullic at large for his success in his chosen field of industry, and for his unquestioned ability and accurate knowledge of his work. He is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of White Pigeon. The ancestry of this gentleman can be traced back to the earliest Colonial times of the country. At a time before the colonies which compose the Union had grown into States, three brothers, including one Nathaniel Green, came from Scotland to America, and settled in Rhode Island, and it is from one of these brothers that our subject has descended. Nathaniel Green went to Charleston, S. C., and has never been heard from, and it is not known if he left any posterity or not. The third brother is supposed to have gone to New York. The brother to whom our subject traces his ancestry is noted as being the original propagator of the famous apple known as the "Rhode Island Greening." The father of our subject, Benjamin Green, was born in Peru, Clinton Co., N. Y., and pursued the vocations of a tanner, currier and shoemaker. In his later years he was a farmer. Our subject was born in the town of Macedon, Wayne Co., N. Y., eighteen miles east of the present city of Rochester, Dec. 16, 1824, where he lived with his parents, and attended the public schools and the academy at Marion, N. Y. At an early age he expressed a desire to enter the medical profession, and all his studies were such as to prepare him for it. When lie was twenty-four years old he began reading under various preceptors; to secure money, which was not plentiful, to pay his way, he worked by the month for farmers in the neighborhood of his home, devoting all his spare time to his books. After reading three years in the office of Dr. A. G. Austin, a noted lecturer of that time, then located in Williamson, Wayne Co., N. Y., he practiced with him for a year and a half. At the end of this time our subject thought it advisable to practice alone, which he did for awhile. In December, 1860, he came to Michigan, and March 21, 1861, located in White Pigeon, where he has since continued to live, and has built up a large and remunerative practice. When he entered into his practice he did not discontinue his reading and researches, but kept them up, and was graduated from the Western Homeopathic College at Cleveland, in March, 1858, whose diploma he holds. The Doctor was married to Miss Jane Ann Joslin, Sept. 23, 1846. She is the daughter of George Joslin, now deceased. He and his good wife are the parents of four children-Marietta, Ruth E., Burnice S. and Benjamin F. Marietta is the wife of William A. Sheap, of Terre Haute, In(., and is the mother of is elk. )6 de — L- -— 0 -C1 11 9 0- -- 7 — 111111~111~141~ L __ICJ~~~~~~CI~~~~ I~~LI~~c --- — ~1~~~~~~~ ----~~~ ----" --- —- ~~~~~~~~I1~~-~~~~I~~- LIII I ~~~~~~ ~~I '1 IC~~~~~~CII — I - -- -------------— cslF-qa~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~imllli! ST. JOSEIPH COUNTY. 437 ST.IJOSEPH COUNTY. 437 three children-Lucy, Ina and Robert; Ruth is married to Lou Arnold, and resides in Englewood, 1ll.; she is the mother of six children-Bessie, Burton, Grace, Glenn, Robert and Jennie. Burnice married Miss Mary E. Reed, and now lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., and is the father of one child. Harry A.; Benjamin married Winnifred J. Long; he lives in his native town, and is the father of two children -Charles and Don P. The Doctor never seeks any office, as the acceptance of any public duty would interfere materially with the practice of his chosen profession, of which he is a devoted disciple, honestly believing that the principles enunciated in his chosen school of medicine are the only correct ones. He is proud of his family, all of whom hold high places in the social life of the various neighborhoods in which they live. He has a large conception of the value of education, and of the great benefits derived by the country by virtue of the intelligence of the people, and from the time he settled in White Pigeon to the present he has taken a deep and abiding interest in the welfare and success of the schools. He has been Chairman of the School 3Board for forty years, and is President of the Village Board of Trustees. His granddaughter Bessie was taken by him in infancy, and has assumed the name of our subject instead of Arnold. She fills the place of daughter in the home circle and life of our subject armi his good wife. | IpAICOT(T C CA. CRPENTER, one of the foremost lawyers of Southern Michigan, has his place of business in Sturgis, where he is extensively engaged as an attorney and collecting agent. His fatler. Younglove C. Carpenter, was well known as a sturdy pioneer of St. Joseph County, coming here as early as the year 1836 with his wife and children from Delaware County, N. Y., settling among the Indians and wild animals that then infested the primeval forests of Mendon | Township and the surrounding country. Our subject was but an infant when his parents thus planted a home in the wilderness, and ihe has a distinct recollection of the pioneer scenes amid which his pioneer days were passed; of the deep, centuries 1: e_..._,_.A n.^A..w. old forests that surrounded the clearing where his father had built a log cabin, and of the deer, wolves, bears and other wild animals that made their home among those trees; and he also remembers the aboriginal sons of the forest who used to visit his parents to beg and trade. Our subject is derived of good New England stock, his father having been a native of Connecticut, and his mother, whose maiden name was Rhoda Sabim, was born in Massachusetts. They reared a family of nine children, four of whom are living besides our subject, namely: Sarah, now Mrs. Worcester, of Crinnell, Iowa; Elizabeth, Mrs. Howard, of California; Lucetta L., Mrs. Howard, of California; Maria T., Mrs. Poorman, of Marcellus, Mich. Our subject received the advantages of a fine education in the best literary institutions in Micligan, taking t; thorough course in the literary department of the Normal School at Ypsilanti, and two years in the literary department of the Michigan University, at Ann Arbor, with an additional year in the law department of the world-renowned University at Ann Arbor, leaving there in the spring of 1861. The education that he thus secured was the result of his own exertions, as he had to depend on his own resources for the means of going throug' h school. I-e was an ambitious, high-spirited youth, whose intense desire for learning, lie having inherited a vigorous mentality from an intelligent New England ancestry, overcame every obstacle thereto. While in college he sawed wood for a living a part of the time, boarding himself and living on mush and milk for months at a time. Ile also worked in Prof. Winchell's garden, and as opportunity offered taught school. HIe taught at Cuba and at Ipava, in Fulton County, 111., from 1857 until 1860, and also taught winter sessions in Bloomfield Township district school, Oakland, Mich., before entering the University and after leaving Ypsilanti. After his graduation from the law school Mr. Carpenter entered the law office of the I-on. Henry F. Severns, read a short time with him, and was admitted to the bar in the spring of 1861. lie remained in Mr. Severns' office a few months longer, and then came to Sturgis in the same year, and went into the office of the Hon. -.A - I -s~-r~r~~-~r~~~ll~~-r~~u-~ p IIL-'-~~ eOo A rllrlLPaE0r ~ 1 F --- --- -- -- - -- - - - -- -.BP ff g40 Z4t A 438 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I Willialm I,. Stouglltoii, who subsequently went into tlie arnmy and became a (eneral, leaving our su-lject in charge of his business. Mr. (arpenter lhas ever since been a resident of tills town, and lhas built upl a large practice.,January 4, 1863. ourl suh ject was llarried il Cuba, 11l., to Helen M. Wllitney. Slle is al daughlter of Nathan B. and Esthler Whitney, then of Cuba, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are the parents of three children-John II., Ella I. andl Carrie I. John is Station Agent at Stryker, ()llio. All are graduates of the Sturgis Higlh School. Our subject is regarded as one of the most eminent members of the bar now practicing in this part of the State, his profound knowledge of jurisprudence and his success in the courts justifying this lelief. Ite lhas lield some of the most responsible legal offices with great distinction. IIe was Circuit Court Commnissioner for six years, Prosecuting Attorney for four years. an(d las hel l ocal offices. IIe is a leading member of thle Masonic fraternity, and has taken thle degrees of Knight 'Templar and of K. of l'. IMr. Carpenter and his excellent wife belong to tile Bal)tist Chulrchl. In him tile Rlel)ublican party has a devoted adherent, wlio strongly supports its policy by voice andi vote. J()I(IN.J. I)AVIS. St. Josepll County has withlin her I orders numerous enterprising men, wllo in an early day came in to "(lengthlen lher cords and strengthen ler stiakes," and prominent among tilem is found tile name of tile subject of this sketchl, wlio is now a resi(lent of White Pigeon, where lie is engaged in t)usiness as a grain and produce dealer. lie was born in Marblletown, Ulster Co., N. Y., July 18, 1816. His father, Jacob Davis, was a native of the same county, and was a descendant from a well-known Iolland family. The mother was Cornelia Tack, who was also a native of Ulster County. They were the parents of four 'children, of which number our subject is the only survivor. The father and two of the sisters, Sarah A. and Margaret A., died in September, 1838. The tllird sister, Mary, was married to (ornelius C. Newkirk, and at ller (eatlh was tile mother of four children: Corneliu.s; Sarahl, who is M11rs. Besel, and resides in LaC.rosse, Wis.; Emma alld Mary. 'Tlle mother of our subject died some time in tlie seventies, over eighty years of age. Mr. )avis married Louisa Kerr inl September, 1841. Sle was a daugllter of John Kerr. IHer fatller is now dead r. r. and IMrs. Davis are tile p)arents of one clild, lIevlett J. I)avis, now the trusted agent of the lnite(l States Express Company at Soutll Bend, Ind. lIe married Miss Lottie Rhoades, and is the father of three children: Charlie. Gail and Lorene. Mrs. I)avis died in 1846. MAr. Davis married Mary Bowman in October, 1852. Slie is a daughter of John Bowman, a native of Yorkshire, England, where lie died. After his deatl tle mother emigrated with lher family to America. Our subject and his secon( wife were tile parents of a family of eight children, four of whom are living, namely: Nettie, Sarah C., Emma M. and Johln J., Jr. Nettie is the wife of Fred llotchiin, and is the motler of one cliild, Jennie; tley reside in White Pigeon. Sarah is the wife of J.-Wesley Siegel, and resides in Three Rivers, M icli.; Ema M. is the wife of Frank Tracy; she is the mother of one clild, Anna Marhea; they reside in Sturgis, Miclh. After a long and( tedious illness, whicli she bore with remarkalble fortitude, Mrs. Davis died in Jlaniuary, 1868. ()One year prior to tle (leatl of his wife our subject sold his farm and( engaged inl his present business, which lie has zealously prosecuted up to tis time. lie is widely known as an honest, straiglhtforward man, and is a splendid( example of what may be accomplished by energy and close application to business. lie may well consider himself one among the pioneers who have been instrumental in opening to civilization and bringing to its 1)resent hligh state of advancement the original wild country comprised withlin tlhe borders of tills county. Coming here in 1836 he settled on a farin one mile east of town, which at that time was the only trading-post within the county. A larger amount of business was done then than now, as all trading was concentrated at this point. On)e fiirm, Kellog & Bros.. employed _ i I ns "C-lq 1 II f _L _1CBE -rgPI_____,______________ —16a ^-I ST. JOSEPHL- COUNTY. 439, ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 439 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ eight or ten clerks in their store constantly. There were other firms transacting business who were almost as extensively interested. Mr. Davis belongs to that large class of intelligent and enterprising people who came into Michigan from New York and the New England States during its pioneer period, and who have been such important factors in developing to such a high degree the resources which Nature has so generously lavished upon the State. This element has contributed so vastly to the development of tile material resources of the country that it today takes a front rank as a producing section of the country, and it has stood as a champion of an enlarged and elevated civilization and education, and no one man has contributed more to bring about this desirable state than our subject. Although not a member of any churcl, Mr. Davis contributes largely to the support of the Presbyterian Church. His views on all questions are extremely liberal. Both his wives were members of the Presbyterian Church, earnest and zealous in the profession and practice of their faith. Iis son John is a member of the firm of Bracken & Davis, general merchants of White Pigeon; they make a specialty of dry goods and groceries. Our subject steadily declines all official honors, preferring to act independently as lie may deem it proper for the best interests of White Pigeon, to the present prosperity of which he has contributed so much and with which he is so thoroughly identified. Ite is proud of his family, all the surviving members of which reflect the greatest credit and honor on their parents. ROF. SIIERII)AN OSBON, Superintendent of the schools of St. Joseph County, Mich., is an honorable, learned man, an able eduI i cator, an influential citizen of Sturgis, where he makes his home, and as such, it affords us great pleasure to place a brief record of his life before the numerous readers of this BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM. lie is a native-born citizen of this State, his birth having occurred in Sturgis, Oct. 3, 1842. The father of our subject, George W. Osbon (2d), was born in Painesville, Ohio, Aug. 3, 1811. IHe remained in his native State until ready to establish himself in life, when he joined the tide of emigration that was flowing into the unsettled portions of the Peninsula State, and in 1838 became a pioneer of St. Joseph County, engaging for several years in the mercantile business in Sturgis. HEe remained an esteemed and honored resident of the place until his death, which occurred March 9, 1870. ile was an enterprising, conscientious business man, and performed efficient service in aiding the growth and development of his adopted town. HIe married Miss Cornelia IT. Ilawes, a native of Iamilton, Ohio, born April 14, 1821, who still resides in Sturgis. She bore him seven children, of whom two only are now living, IHenry R. and Sheridan. One son, Frank, was a soldier in the Union Army during the late Rebellion, and died from disease contracted during the service. Superintendent Osbon, of this sketcl, was reared and received tile rudiments of an excellent education at Sturgis, having been graduated from its lHigh School in 1858. lie subsequently attended the Agricultural College at Lansing, Mich., completing the sophomore year in 1859. The ensuing year our subject, imbued with a strong desire to see life in some of its rougher aspects, visited the Western mining regions, and as an active worker in one of the gold mines, proved himself, at the youthful age of seventeen years, fully adequate to combat all the obstacles to be met with in the typical mining camp. IHe was not, however, sufficiently enchanted with the life there to stay many months, and returned home to take up the profession of teaching, and for five years taught with eminent success in Mongo, Ind. In 1866 Prof. Osbon further pursued his studies at lillsdale College, completing the junior year, and in 1867 and 1868 took charge of the schools at Muir, Mich. From that time until 1877 Superintendent Osbon gave his time and attention to farming on a tract of land near Sturgis, thus utilizing the knowledge of scientific farming gained at the Agricultural College. In September of that year, receiving an urgent call to take charge of the educational institution of Mongo, Lagrange Co., Ind., he gave up his agricultural works and devoted himself to the improve-.r m m "-^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~B ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ill~~~~~~~~~~~~~~$ r+-t~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~E -~r4 ~~~~IIIIMl1 lvl-II.4 I. s. OPM —,a W-.44 -0 I lllll- 1 — 31 ---1 ll1 I 1 -- =mmR1~U I~PIi ----~l~R t 6 ass 'i 440 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. ment of the schools of that place, remaining there three years. In tle meantime lie organized a Iiglh School in l.Iongo that was second to none in tlat part of the State, and that his successful labors were appreciated is amply slown by his having received a call for two consecutive seasons to take the principalship of the summer Normal Institute, held at the county seat. In 1880 the Professor accepted the principalship of the Sturgis schools, but after teaching one year was promoted to the superintendency of the city schools, an office in which he served with signal ability until 1887, when he resigned to acceplt his present position as County Superintendent of Schools. During his professional career the Superintendlent has taught in all grades, from the lowest to the high(est, and the experience thus gained, and the knowledge of what a school ought to be, has well fitted him for his present duties. Being a gentleman of polish and culture, an excellent organizer, and thoroughly conversant with the most approved Normal mIethods in use, he has won an enviable reputation as a scholar, an educator, and supervisor, and his management of the county schools is above criticism. Prof. Osbon was united in marriage, in Sturgis, Sept. 24, 1869, to Mliss Aldaline C., daughter of Andrew and Phillippine (Schoneberger) Negle, both natives of Germany. Mrs. Osbon was born in Europe in 1849. _-. --- —4 ---- r RANK IV. NORTHIIROP. The present commeIrcial importance and prosperity of White / Pigeon are unquestionably (lue to the wisdom, foresight and enterprise of her merclhants,and it is a fitting tribute to those who have so honorably distinguishedl tlemselves in the commercial arena, tlhat their names and successful career should be commemorated among those of the leading men in all branches of commerce. It is a fact worthy of consideration that nearly all of our prominent business men have struggled up to their commanding positions and foremost places in business from a dark obscurity. As a representative of this class we present the following brief outline of one who has won, unaided, the leading position he holds to day among the merchants of tils city, where lie is engaged in the sale of hardw'are, stoves and tinAvare, as well as in all the late improved agricultural imrplements. This gentleman was born in Warrensville, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, Sept. 5, 1856. He is the son of Charles II. Northrop. The father is a direct descendant of one of five brothers who came to America fromn Wales at a very early day. They are noted for their longevity. Iis mother was Caroline (Smith) Northrop; she died in 1866. After her death Frank lived among strangers, being obliged virtually to suplport himself. Iie learned the tinner's trade with George Claar at Berrien Springs, Miich., wlere lie went to work when lie was seventeen years old. After lie hal completed his apprenticeship he came to White Pigeon in June, 1877, and worked for six years for J. R. \Watson & Bro. After he had worked three years for Messrs. Watson lie went, in the fall of 1880, to Michiganl City, Ind.; in the spring of 1883 lie returned, and again entered time employ of tlhe Messrs. Watson, where he eremained three years loncger. ()Our subject bought his present store building Feb. 1, 1886, and established his present flourishing I business on the slender capital of $600. By close attention and his strict, unswerving integrity Iie has been prospered, so that now he carries a stock wortl $3,00(), and transacts a business the sales from which exceed $15,000 per annum. No merchant in the city stands higher in reputation, or has higher rating of credit, compared with tlhe amount of capital invested, than Mr. Northrop. When lie began business for himself lie knew tlhat if success attended tle venture there was but one way to make it so, and that way was to adopt as a rule of action in all cases absolute truth and honesty. These principles lie has made his guide, and the results oltained prove conclusively that his line of reasoning is correct. Mr. Northrop was married to Miss Katie Marshall, May 5, 1880. She is the daughter of Abra- i ham S. Marshall, one of the earliest settlers in Mottville Township. They have become the parents I of two children, Alene and Iarry, both very I briglit and intelligent children, who bid fair in V -Ib 0 L. Ca*-91 -— 40 0 ---~ —~ ---110 ------— i X\.ev+ r f~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~wllwl ST. IJOSEPR COUNTY. 441 _ —S.C T years to come to be a source of comfort and enjoyment to their parents. Mrs. Northrop is one of those women who may be considered as the salt of the earth; generous and kind-hearted, she takes a leading part in a an and all matters that have for their object the material good of the many unfortunates who surrounld us in life. Our subject began his life under exceedingly adverse circumstances. Left at the tender age of ten years to provide for himself, he has had a constant struggle from that time up to the day he began business for himself. To those who are born to wealth, accustomed to having every want anticipated and supplied without exertion on their part, the circumstances surrounding the early life of our subject are unknown, and cannot be appreciated by any save those who have traveled the same iough way. The education he was able to obtain was secured in a disjointed, rambling manner, but with will and determination to succeed he lost no opportunity of adding to the knowledge gained by observation and study. IIe is a close observer of men and events, and to-day he possesses a large fund of practical knowledge, and ranks among the I ntelligent and thinking class of people. Iis business has increased very rapidly, and he is now doing the largest trade in his line in the southern part of St. Joseph County. Himself and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. IIe is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and has obtained the Chapter degrees of that society. | /^ EORGE FOUST. The farm of our subject, {((,, consisting of 200 acres on section 23, Flowers'wJ field Township,has been nicely improved and is the source of a lucrative income, while it is adorned with neat and well-arranged buildings, and the fields are separated into convenient size by rows of good fencing. Mr. Foust is entitled to his share of public honors, which is the just due of all early settlers, who have endured the hardships and trials incident to pioneer life and prepared the way that those who came after might enjoy the fruits of their industry. \ Mr. Foust comes of an ancestry successful in life, honorable in career and heroic in national loyalty. lie names Mliontour County, Pa., as the place of his birth, the date thereof being July 8, 1827. His parents were John and Mary (HIoats) Foust, natives of the Keystone State, and both passed away in Park Township, the father aged eighty-four years and the mother fifty-six. John Foust, Sr., grandfather of our subject, came with his son and grandson, our subject, to this State, and died at the advanced age of ninety-eight years. Mr. Foust of whom we write was the fifth child in order of birth of his parents' family of six children. In common with his brothers and sisters he attended the district school, and in the fall of 1847 migrated to this county with his parents, locating on section 18, Park Township. lIe has always been engaged as an agriculturist, and is identified with the various interests and projects that have been formed for the benefit of the community and advancement of its surroundings. The social qualities that make our subject so popular, his genial, affable manner, supported by his strong force of character and strict business integrity, combine to make him one of the most prominent and worthy citizens, whose place of residence in his community is so eminently satisfactory and enjoyable. George Foust was married in Three Rivers to Miss Polly, daughter of (George and Hannah Rormig, the wedding being celebrated in November, 1858. Mrs. Foust was born in Snyder County, Pa., D)ec. 29, 1844. Their union has been blessed with five children, one of whom died in infancy. Those surviving are: William A., who was born July 19, 1863, and took for his wife Miss Lilly Ryan; they are at present residing in Flowerfield, and are the parents of two children-Rena and an infant. Elizabeth, born May 17, 1866; Addie, June 23, 1870, and Lucina, April 9, 1878, are at home with their parents. The grandfather of our subject did good service as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, being one of the very first to respond to the call for volunteers. In all matters of political interest Mr. Foust is inclined to take his stand with the Democratic party, but never at the expense of principle. IHe is a friend of good morals and anxious to do all in his power as a citizen to forward the highest i i i II i I I I I i I i I i i Ii i I i J ii I i i i I I i iI L 1lla - "-" -~I- 3-a3arr 11D _1 _-4 -; --- -It --- — --- I ICIC- =P I -— I I IIC_-_ L --— t --- — - ~ I 1 11IP a_ - I, I 1 41 1 1 11111qs ~ II- IP~L]LI~ ~I1I~- -, I 442 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. f lmf-d interests of the county. Mrs. Foust is a consistent member of the German Reform Church. Both herself and husband are prominent in local society and are gladly welcomed to the best circles thereof. They are identified with the various interests and projects that have been formed for the benefit of the community and advancement of its surroundings. As regards honor and social virtue, they occupy as high a place as any in the county. EWlIS RHOADES. Among the prominent, successful and enterprising men residing within the limits of this county, there are none more favorably and well known than our subject. I-Ie has been a resident of the county from the earliest Territorial days, and is now engaged in buying grain and stock in White Pigeon. IIe was born in Monroe County, Mich., Nov. 26, 1820, and is the son of Orrin Rhoades, a native of Genesee County, N. Y., who came to Monroe County, Mich., in 1795. He was a farmer by occupation, which pursuit he followed on a well-located farm two miles east of White Pigeon, where he lived until Feb. 22, 1832, the day of his death. lie took an active part as a soldier in the War of 1812. The mother of our subject was Lucretia (Lewis) Rhoades. She was the daughter of Silas Lewis, one of the early settlers of Monroe County. The parents reared a family of seven children, who were named: Rebecca (Murray), Emma (Russell), Cyrene (Reynolds), Clarissa (Creelman), Orrin, Louisa, and Lucretia, the mother of our subject, who died in 1860. The uncle of our subject, Silas Lewis, was a soldier in the War of 1812. Our subject was the eldest son and third child in his father's -family.. In his earlier years he attended the subscription schools that were taught in the log cabins of the time. Our subject and Sarah Runyan were married April 4, 1844. She is the daughter of Hon. Phillip E. and Priscilla (Brush) Runyan. Her parents came to this county from Buffalo, N. Y., in 1835, and settled in White Pigeon Township. The lady was born in Geneva, N. Y., and she was one of a family of nine children, four of whom are living. Her sister Priscilla, now Mrs. Barker, and her brothers Casper and Phillip, all live in this township. Her father was elected in the fall of 1 842 to the Legislature, which then met in Detroit. In his journey to that city he was five days on the way. A portion of the distance was by stage, another portion of it was made on a freight train, which traveled at the rate of two miles per hour, and a portion was made by a lumber wagon. When our subject came to this county it was in a wagon drawn by oxen. They followed the old Detroit and Chicago Indian trail. When they arrived where they now live there was but one house where the town of White Pigeon now stands. In the year 1830 the town began growing, until it has reached its present fair proportions. The nearest point at which they could secure flour or meal was the mill at Niles; the first corn cracker in this county was built in Constantine, in the fall of 1830. It was operated by water power, which was applied by a water-wheel of very primitive and crude construction. A horizontal shaft extended from the mill over the water; the outer end of the shaft was providedl with paddles, which projected down into and below the surface of the water, and, the current pressing against the paddles, caused the shaft to revolve. During these years Mr. Rhoades became acquainted with many Indians, who at that time were very numerous. They caused no special trouble, excepting that arising from the natural proclivity of an Indian to steal anything that is loose, altholugh the white settlers often became scared. Religious services were held in the private houses. The building that is now used as a cart factory was built in 1833 by the Presbyterians, and used by them for many years as a church. The steeple on this house was the first one built west of Tecumseh. The first school-house ever erected here was sold to make way for a larger building, and was purchased by Jos. Cloyes, our subject afterward purchasing it. and a portion of the timbers he has used in constructing his present barn. Our subject and his good wife are the parents of three children-Lottie, Charley and one dead. Lottie is now married to Hulett J. Davis, the trusted agent of the United States Express Company, at f ob, A -as3 ' 'ILI -I ZI~'II IC IIC I ~~ IC~P(B '' t' i I- 1 11f- ~ -, - - - - ~, - ~ - - - " ~ -1 -. - ~... ~. - - - l~1-.I ~ ~ - -., ~ - -,,,.l- I ~ 1 - -- --- - - ~ ~ -. - --. 111 1 1 ~ - - ~ - ~ ~ -,.~1 - - ~ -~ — - l 1 1.~- " ~ -' - - -. I. -. ~ - - - NMEOM loon - ------ OR*= 1 7 I(IC~I)II I i I A a ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 413 S T.- JO Y South Bend, Ind.; she is the mother of three children-Charley. Gail and Larene. Our subject's son Charley is now a student in the Chicago Art Institute, and gives great promise of future success. Mrs. Rhoades is a valued member of the Presbyterian Church, and takes an active interest in all matters pertaining to the religious welfare of the neighborhood. Mr. Rhoades is Justice of the Peace, which office he has filled for the last eleven years, and has at divers times filled many of the minor offices in his township. IIe is noted as having the most retentive memory of any of the many old settlers in the county. Having been born within its limits when the Territory was in its infancy, he has been in a position to know all of the hardships and privations to which the pioneers in a new country are subject, and has been identified in a prominent manner with the advancement of the county. He possesses a good education, and has watched the march of events for the last half-century, which he is able to graphically describe to the willing listener. fiROF. JOSEPH G. PLOWMAN is the Prinj) cipal of the White Pigeon schools, which he conducts on the latest and most approved Normal method. This gentleman is one of the most energetic, pushing citizens resident in White Pigeon; in addition to his duties as Principal of the schools, he is Secretary and Treasurer of the Cyclone Fanning Mill Company, a very prosperous institution; he also has a financial interest in the Sultan Cart Company, which latter concern is manufacturing a line of goods which are in growing demand. This gentleman was born in Ionia County, Mich., Oct. 9, 1846. His father, John Gee, was a native of New York; he is now deceased. The mother was Caroline (Haddock) Gee. She was born in Buffalo, N. Y., and died when our subject was a babe. The Professor's name was originally Gee, but after his mother's death he was adopted by John N. Plowman, and as a consequence he assumed the name of his foster father. His early education was received in the common school near his home, and he was graduated in 1867 from the State Normal School at Ypsilanti. After he left the Normal School he was in charge as Principal of the Central School building in Battle Creek, Mich., for three years. In 1S70 he left the latter city and came to White Pigeon, where he has since lived, and has had charge of the schools here for nineteen consecutive years. being the longest time which any Principal in the State has had charge of one school. The Professor made the larger part of the designs for the new school building, which was built here in 1872. It is a large modern building, containing six schools, including the Professor's room. The system of ventilation introduced into this building is upon a scientific basis, and its adoption was largely due to him. The school is supplied with a library, cabinets of geology, organ and piano, and different apparatus used for illustrating the studies of anatomy, geography, mathematics and astronomy. Everything connected with the school is reduced to a system, which is followed out to the smallest detail. The scholars in the Professor's room march to and from their different recitation rooms in perfect order, keeping step to martial music played on the piano by one of the pupils. The building is heated throughout by the "Ruttan" system. Many of the improvements which add to the cleanliness and comfort of the school room are the results of the Professor's ingenuity. The removable chalk rack, of which he is the inventer, obviates entirely the disagreeable and unhealthy dust arising from the use of crayons on the blackboard, the use of which is a boon to both teacher and pupil. It unquestionably should be adopted by the school officers of every school in the country. Mr. Plowman was married to Miss Ida Munson, April 5, 1869. She is the daughter of Charles H. and Jane L. (West) Munson. The lady's father is now deceased, losing his life in the army during the Rebellion; he was a member of the Michigan Engineer Corps. The mother lives with her daughter. Our subject and his wife are the parents of two children-Jessie and Grace. The former is now deceased. The Professor stands high in the estimation of the people of White Pigeon and vicinity, both as an able instructor, and an enterprising and I_ 4: __ ~ ____.__..__ ~__ ~_______ -__ 000 —a I 000~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. _ r —Iqww F r I- ~~~l~~"~ "r~""I~~-ammm sb --- — ---- -~46 ---- ---—.Md --- — (i 444 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. --- -— ` valual)le citizen. 'Tle two business enterprises referred to in the begrinning of this sketch owe their success to a great extent to him. The Fanning Mill Company was organized in 1886; they have a series of new and valuable patents on which to base their claim for a share of public patronage. The company is doing a large and increasing business and virtually has no competition. The Cart Company is doing an immense business, the demand for their goods exceeding the company's capacity to supplly them. Prof. Plowman was a member of the County Board of School Examiners four years, when he was unanimously re-elected, but resigned. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, stands high in the Masonic fraternity of the town, and in politics he is Republicnn. Both himself and wife are the life and spirit of the social circle in which they move; every proposed enterprise having for its purpose any good and laudable end finds in them hearty support and assistance. rX AVID L. FLANDERS, M. 1)., the cele-! @ brated physician and surgeon of Stur( Y' gis, is the original inventor and proprietor of Flanders' Diffusible Tonic, a well-known and valuable remedy for typhoid fever, it being the only positive cure for that dread disease ever discovered, and it has also proved an absolute cure in every case of yellow fever to which it has been applied. Dr. Flanders is a native of New Iampshire, born in Coos County, Feb. 25, 1824. Iis paternal grandfather, Ezekiel Flanders, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, having enlisted when only sixteen years of age, and served eight years. Francis Flanders, deceased, the father of our subject, inherited a patriotic spirit from his progenitor. and fought for the defense of his country in the War of 1812. He moved with his family from New Hampshire to New York in 1828 and settled in Ontario County, where he lived for many years. For further parental history see sketch of the Hon. J. W. Flanders, brother of our subject. He of whom we write was four years of age when he accompanied his parents to New York, where he was educated, attending first the district schools of Canandaigua, and subsequently supplementing that i education at the academy. In 1841 he came with his parents to Michigan, where he continued his education still further, and in 1859 commenced the practice of medicine in Newberg, Cass County, remaining there four years. In 1863 1)r. Flanders moved to Mottville, St. Josepl- County, and after practicing his profession there for five years, came to Sturgis, and remained here until 1871. The ensuing two years he spent in Vandalia, Cass County, returning thence to Sturgis. In 1877, desiring a new field of labor, our subject moved to Iowa, and established himself as a practitioner in Maquoketa, where he met with much success. Besides attending to his professional duties, Dr. Flanders continued his experimental work, which he had commenced while in Michigan, and after many years of trial he has succeeded in obtaining a compound which is an absolute cure for typhoid or yellow fever, having been used with complete success in over 500 cases of the former, and proved an infallible remedy in every febrile disease in which it has been tried. In October, 1888, during the presence of yellow fever in Jacksonville, Fla., Dr. Flanders visited the afflicted city and used his medicine with most beneficial results, curing every patient that tried his tonic. In 1886 Dr. Flanders returned from Iowa to Sturgis, and in March, 1888, under the laws of Michigan, formed a stock company for the manufacture of his medicine, which is in great demand among those who are aware of its efficacy, and the company is doing a prosperous business. The marriage of Dr. Flanders with Miss Julia A. Chandler was solemnized at Maquoketa, Iowa, June 14, 1852. Mrs. Flanders is a daughter of Gen. Samuel Chandler, a patriot who served in the War of 1812, and afterward, during the Canadian rebellion, was taken prisoner in Canada and condemned. His sentence was, however, commuted to banishment to Van Diemen's Land, but after living there two years, he escaped in a Yankee whaling vessel, and again became an honored resident of the United States. IIe was at one time possessed of much wealth, but subsequently lost nearly all his property. To Dr. and Mrs. Flanders i z I 4 I 4I~.Abb CT b.- l. T4*0~ OPP7"I SiT. JOSEPH COUNTY. 44.5) ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 445 have been born three children, two of whom are still living, Francis W. and Mary Emma Smith, of Wall Lake, Iowa. Francis, a resident of Sturgis, married Miss Emma Disbrow, and they have two children-John S. and Leola. l)r. Flanders is a man of strong intellectual vigor and good business capacity. lie occupies an excellent position in the community as an honorable and upright citizen, liberal and benevolent in his ways, and lie las (lone an inestimable service to suffering humanity through the discovery of his i important medical compound. Mrs. Flanders is an esteemed member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. r R. SAMUEL R. R.OBINSON. The suband surgeon, as well as tle esteemed Post-? ^^^ master of White Pigeon. l-e has been one of the highly respected citizens of the city since Jan. 25, 1881, on which date he settled in this community. Since that time lie has, by a life devoted to his profession, and a consistent, straightforward course, challenged the respect and won the admiration of his fellowmen. This gentleman is a native of Indiana, and was born in Allen County, March 23, 1852. The I)octor is a son of Jonathan Robinson, who was a native of Carroll County, Ohio. Ile moved to Allen Conlty, Ind., in 1838. IIe died in February, 1881. The mother was Sarah J. (Shaffer) Robinson; she died in June, 1886. The earlier years of tlhe Doctor's life were spent on a farm with his parents. lIe attended the common schools of the neighborhood, the Butler High School and also the Chauncey (Ind.) Normal School. In March, 1878, lie graduated fronm the Columbus (Ohio) Medlical College, a student under Prof. John W. lHamilton, and then went to South Milford, Lagrange Co., Ind., and entered into partnership with Dr. John Dancer, a practicing physician. This professional arrangement continued for eighteen months, when I)r. Robinson moved to Lagrange, Ind., continuing in the practice of medicine, where lie resided for ten months. During the time he spent in both places, South Milford and Lagrange, he lectured two terms in the Ft. Wayne (Ind.) College of Medicine on pathology and microscolpy. Removing from Lagrange, we find him located in White Pigeon as named above. After settling in tle city the Doctor devoted himself most assiduously to the practice of his profession, and conducted himself in such a manner as to speedily and thoroulghly win the full confidence and esteem of the people among whom he had settled. A vacancy occurring in the post-office, he was appointed to fill that position Dec. 20, 1886, by President Cleveland. Our subject was married, Jan. 1, 1879, to Miss Fannie IM. Smith, daulglter of l)avid Smith, of Lagrang'e, Ind. IHer father is now deceased. Our subject and his wife are the parents of four children -Lulu L., IIelen E., Dora A. and Robert L. The entire family circle presents the embodiment of a pleasant home. The I)octor deserves great credit for the position lie llas won in the hearts of his neighbors and friends, not only as a physician and surgeon, but in holding the entire confidence of tle people whom he serves. G ATIIAN FRIANIK is one of the most enterprising and successful merchants in Sturgis, or, indleeld, in St. Joseph County. Ile is a dealer in clothing, hats, caps, furnishing goods, piece goods, woolen cassimeres, etc., carrying a full line of all these articles, and having the largest establishment of the kind in the county. Ile does a very large business, which is constantly increasing, the main reason for his enormous trade being because he sells tlme best class of goods at the lowest prices, so as to astonish the most exacting purchasers or searchers after rare bargains. Mr. Frank was born in the Netherlands, May 2, 1851. Iis parents, Simon and Lina Frank, were natives of the same country. They emigrated to the lUnited States in 186(0, and settled in Kalamazoo, Mich., where the father died in the same year. Our subject was educated in the Kalamazoo schools, and lived in that city until Feb. 19, 1875, when he came to Sturgis and bought a half-interest in his present store, with S. Hirsh as partner. He,;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I I K I; t i t 1, I),,y "P. —, c f. S. aBl$r -UIBPII-""~"~""su w w_ i C oppl — i i i i I I I I r p, -M e I '' I - I'l "I 1-1-L~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ L 446 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -I l afterward bought the latter's interest in the business and the building in which he conducts it. Mr. Frank was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Meyers Dec. 14, 1879. She is a daughter of Samuel Meyers, formerly the largest clothing merchant in Goshen, Ind. Mrs. Frank was born in Albany, N.Y., Dec. 4,1860. Mr. and Mrs. Frank have three bright and interesting children, Harry, Hattie and Belle, and theirs is an attractive, happy home. Out subject is a thorough business man, prompt and systematic in his methods, and always dealing squarely. His whole-souled generosity, his courteous and obliging manners, and his attempts to entertain and satisfy his customers, render him a general favorite. He is a member of the I. O. 0. F. and of the I. O. B. B., the latter being a benevolent institution. ENJAM3IN F. FIELDIHOUSE is a prosperous liveryman and grain dealer, residing in i White Pigeon, where he is doing a thriving business. lie is a native of this county, in which lhe was born Sept. 14, 1839. IIe is the son of William Fieldhouse, a native of Yorkshire, England, who came to America in 1835, and settled in the town of White Pigeon, where he lived until the spring of 1840, when he bought a farm two miles south of town and moved to and operated it for a number of years. IHe was a strong Union man during the war, and was a stanch Republican. He was a conscientious and consistent member of the Church of the Second Advent. He died in the village, March 30, 1882. Our subject resided on the farm with his father, and obtained his education by attending the common schools and the academy in White Pigeon. He has been very prosperous in his farming operations, and has become the owner of 140 acres of well-improved land, which at this time is leased. He followed farming and stock-raising until 1886; he has been a resident in the town for the past nine years. The time since 1886 has been devoted exclusively to his livery and grain business, and both his business ventures have proved very successful. When he began buying stock for shipment there was a very poor market at White Pigeon for stock of any description, but owing to his efforts and square, straightforward manner of transacting business, he made the market of the town the best for many miles around. Our subject is one of the most public-spirited citizens of the town, and takes a lively interest in all matters pertaining to the prosperity of the people. lie was married to Miss Mary A. Swartz, Feb. 2, 1865; this lady is a daughter of Solomon Swartz, of Fairbury, Jefferson Co., Neb. Mr. Fieldhouse and his good wife are the parents of two children, one of whom is living, Flora E., who is now teaching in the White Pigeon city schools and is very successful in her chosen profession. Our subject is a member of the Baptist Church, has been a Trustee of the society for many years, was a Deacon for some time, but resigned; he is now Superintendent of the Sunday-school. He is a strong temperance man, and takes an active part in all religious and moral work. Mr. Fieldhouse has been a member of the School Board for the past five years. With this exception he has steadily refused to accept any position of official trust at the hands of his neighbors, although repeatedly requested to do so. All his life he has taken a great interest in educational matters. lie is public spirited, and is foremost among his neighbors in all plans designed to bestow any lasting benefit on the people about him. Ij IUGHES FOLWELL. Of the number of men t who have contributed largely to the material wealth and prosperity of White (9) Pigeon, the subject of our sketch has not done the least. He has been a resident for several years, and has conducted his business, that of general blacksmithing, with great benefit to the town and prosperity to himself. IIe is the son of James and Elizabeth (Davenport) Folwell. The father was of Welsh ancestry, and is now deceased; the mother was of English descent, and our subject, in his characteristics and peculiarities, possesses the -" dwokw —~ia ar~~l urrrrrrrr arrr srllrr, - ob j4)9Il-~s-NaBf I I - — ^ I.000 —m I i i It i I I i I i i I I J-4 k I"!s ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 447 If ----- I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ many good qualities of both races. Ilis father died when he was very young, after which lie had to work hard to assist in the support of the family. Our subject was born in Holmes County, Ohio, Nov. 30, 1824, in which State he lived until he reached his majority. 1)uring the earlier years of his boyhood lie devoted what time he could take from his work to securing an education, and by dint of hard study and close application to his books, and an unalterable determination to succeed, he took a course of instruction in the Vermillion Intitute, at Ilayesville, Ohio. After this he went to Lagrange County, Ind., in April, 1851; lie worked at his trade of blacksmithing in Lagrange County for two and one-half years. At the end of that time he removed to Lima, in the same county, living there until 1867. lHe learned his trade in a country shop in his native county. Mr. Folwell came to White Pigeon March 12, 1867, and entered upon his business, which he has steadily followed to the present time. lie was married, Oct. 2, 1849, to Mary E. Bennett, a daughter of Aquilla Bennett. Her father is now dead. They are the parents of two children-Rufus lI. and Cora E. Rufus married Anna Belle Caseman; he is telegraph operator and Station Agent for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, Kalamazoo branch, at Flowerfield, in this county. Cora is now the wife of Prof. David A. 1Iammond, who is at present Superintendent of the city schools in Charlotte, Eaton Co., Mich.; she is the mother of one son, Harry E., who is a very bright boy, four years old. Before her marriage she was a prominent and very successful teacher in White Pigeon and Blissfield, Mich. She is not engaged in teaching at present, as her household duties occupy her time to its fullest extent. The subject of this sketch is deeply interested in the Masonic fraternity. tie is connected with the Columbia Commandery at Sturgis, is a member of the A. F. & A. M., at White Pigeon, and has been Master -of the lodge for some time, and he has also held other important offices in the lodge. Mr. Folwell is one of those enterprising, industrious, and at the same time unassuming men, who possess an inherent force of character, which, without any great amount of loud talking, makes itself felt, and exerts a marked influence in all affairs in which they become interested. lie is favored with a good physical constitution, which lie maintains by leading a life of strict sobriety. lie combines strictness of moral principles with energy and great decision of character; he is not hasty to arrive at conclusions, but when he is determined upon any subject, he remains firm until good reasons for a change are given. Although he has followed a comparatively humble following, the influences of his life and example are indelibly stamped on the history of the town. lie occupies a pleasant. comfortable home, nicely furnished, and it is the abode of contentment and peace. Mk RS. CLARA B. GARI)NER.. It gives us I much pleasure to record in this BIOGRAPHI/ CAL ALBUM. a brief sketch of the life of this estimable lady. She owns and occupies a handsome residence in Sturgis, where she has lived for more than twenty years, enjoying the respect of those around her, called forth by her many good qualities of head and heart. Our subject was born in the town of Batavia, Genesee Co., N. Y., March 18, 1818. Her parents were David R. and Sarah (Chapman) Cooley, natives of Springfield, Mass. They settled in New York after marriage, but in the spring of 1837 brought their family to Michigan, and became pioneers of Branch County, settling in the township of Sherwood. They had fifteen children, of whom our subject was the twelfth in order of birth. Mrs. Gardner passed her girlhood in her native State, and was nineteen years of age when she accompanied her parents to their new hojme in the wilds of Branch County. At that time Southern Michigan was sparsely settled, although emigration from other States was in progress, but not enough settlers had come in to affect the general wildness of the country, or to transform the primeval forests, swamps or open prairies into smiling farms, busy towns and populous cities, so that this great change has been brought about within her _a,.~I I r 0 1 ii i iI ii ii -OW1 j _ — ~~~~,~~ ----~ --- —------- -- -- --- — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~. -- d 71 A L -"weF a - U H 448 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — remembrance and in part under her observation. On the 28th of June, 1841, her union with James Bishop was solemnized. IHe was the son of William and Sybil (Iurd) Bishop, and he was born in Dryden, Tompkins Co., N. Y., Oct. 27, 1816. Of his marriage with our subject four children were born, three of whom are living-Charles, Dellie and Jessie. Olney died in 1880, at the age of thirty-eight years; he married Efie Ferguson, and they had one child, Clara, who is now Mrs. Howe, of Lapeer County, Mich.; Charles, a merchant, grain and live-stock dealer, of Buchanan, Mich., married Della Long, and they have one son, John; Dellie married Frank McCrary, of Chicago, and they have one child, Zora; Jessie married Fred W. Shoecraft. the leader of the Sturgis band. Mr. Bishop was smitten with the gold fever, and bidding farewell to his little family, lie started for California overland with the last ox-team train that crossed the plains in 1849. He remained in the gold diggings until the fall of 1851, meeting with fair success, and then retraced his steps over the long and lonely way that separated him from his wife and children, with whom he was anxious to be reunited. On the way out to the Pacific Coast his party had been attacked by the Indians, and two of his comrades were killed. Mr. Bishop was wounded by a gunshot in the leg, and the ball remained in that limb until his death. After his decease our subject had his remains disinterred and brought to Sturgis for burial, and the ball was found among his bones, and is now in the possession of his son Charles. In the spring of 1852 Mr. and Mrs. Bishop removed to Leonidas Township, this county, and there Mr. Bishop died in 1867. In 1868 Mrs. Bishop moved to Sturgis, and has ever since been a resident of this town. May 27, 1869, her marriage with Bolser B. Gardner was consummated. He was a native of Virginia. IIe had been previously married, and had the following children by his first wife: Phoebe, now Mrs. Gilhams; Peter; Adaline, now Mrs. Parker; Loretta, now Mrs. Cresler; Sophronia, now Mrs. Smith, and Calvin B. Mr. Gardner departed this life April 27, 1879. Mrs. Gardner is a woman of good understanding, and is amply gifted with sound common sense and unfailing judgment. She has the heart to feel and the hand to respond to calls for aid from those less fortunate than herself. She is liberal in her religious views, holding to good deeds rather than to meaningless creeds for her salvation. C HARLES J. LOCKWOOD. The subject of this sketch was born in the township of Burr Oak, St. Joseph Co., Mich., May 18, 1863. His father, John AI. Lockwood, was born at St. Albans, Vt., Sept. 27, 1827, and move(l with his parents to the State of Indiana in early boyhood. He received a common-school education, and subsequently came to the State of Michigan. and martied Julia Moe. daughter of Capt. Charles Moe, of Fawn River, in 1853, soon after locating on a farm in the township of Burr Oak, where they have since resided. Three children blessed their union: Otho M., who died in infancy; Maranda J. and Charles J. The latter, the subject of our memoir, has distinguished himself in various ways. As a school boy he was bright and of keen perception, and possessed the winning grace which made him a favorite with teachers and schoolmates. IHe was graduated at Sturgis Union School in 1881; then attended the Michigan Military Academy, and was graduated therefrom in 1882. Having acquired a taste for military discipline, he presented himself as a candidate for West Point at a competitive examination held in Kalamazoo, in July, 1883, where he won the distinction over a class of fourteen brilliant competitors. Accordingly, the following June he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, and by diligent application did credit to himself during the first year. But not all was smiles that fate bestowed upon him, for he was now doomed to disappointment. His eves began to fail, and he was obliged to go to New York for treatment; but from constant strain they refused to improve, and he was forced to abandon this project, the dream of his life, for he had built great hopes of eminence upon completing the course and attaining a commission in the Regular Army. With his acquittal at West Point ended our sub I! ii I Ii g o-am ~-" -------- MD- -— 0-~0ll 1IIII12m SIIIl mmommomopp eO ___~~~~~~~~~__.._____~~~~~~~~~~~~~._~~~~.___~~~~~~..______-_____~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ —~~ i.S. JOSEPII~I COUNTY. 449 * ST.__~ JOSEPH COUNTY. 449_~ ject's school d(ays. I-e came home and engaged in teaching for a time, until he assumed the responsibilities connected with tile publication of tie Michigan Democrat, the recognized party organ of St. Joseph County, having the largest circulation of any paper in the county, and which, by his determined and tireless efforts, is rapidly growing in po)i polarli ty. Mr. Lockwood is heart and soul a Democrat, as was his father before him. I-e thoroughly believes in his party and loves its principles, and seeks through the medium of his paper to promote tle growth of the methods of governmental execution, to which he so firmly adheres. In political tactics his opinions are sought and his counsels heeded. In staturie Mr. Lockwood is six feet one inch, well proportioned and a fine figure. Ile is still unmarried. Socially, he is benevolent and fraternal, a devotee to Free Masonry, having studied its teachings as far as the order of Knights Templar. IHe is genial, kindly and gracious, Episcopalian in religion, and practical in precept. R. T. FRANKLIN THORNTON, physi1 cian, surgeon and druggist, of Sturgis, is one of the most intelligent and enterprising bulsiness men of St. Joseph County. In his profession he ranks well, his skill and thorough knowledge of surgery placing him in a high position among his medical brethren. IIe was born in Buffalo, N. Y., Aug. 21, 1850. Htis parents, the late John W. and Margaret (Braithwaite) Thorntoin, were born in Lancaster, England, and spent the earlier part of their lives in their native country. In 1846 they emigrated to the United States and settled in Buffalo, where they remained for several years. They had a family of eight children, five of whom are now living, namely: Our subject; | John W., of Hastings, Neb.; James B., of Sturgis; Alice T., wife of Prof.. J. R. Knight, of Sturgis, and Fanny, wife of Samuel Johnson, of Morris, Ill. The subject of our sketch moved with his parents to Grundy County, Ill., when about eight years of age, and there, in the town of Morris, received a good education, first in its puIlic schools and then in its classical institute. ITe was subsequently graduated from the Normal University of Bloomington. Ill., which was then in clarge of the noted educator. Prof. Richard Edwards, the lresent State Superintendent of Schools in Illinois. In 1869 our subject went to Hamilton, Province of Ontario, Canada, and read medicine with Ir. C. F. Bullen, Surgeon of the Great Western Railway, and afterward practiced for two years in the Hamilton hospital. Dr. Thornton then took a course of study at the Aledical College at Detroit, being graduated from there March 5, 1873. Our subject did not wait long afterobtaining his diploma before establishing himself in business, but in the ensuing month, April 9, lie formed a partnership with Dr. Nelson I. Packard, of Sturgis. After the dissolution of the partnership Dr. Thornton opened a drug-store in connection with his profession, which he has since managed successfully. He carries a large and select stock of valuable goods, including a full line of drugs, medicines, toilet and fancy goods, jewelry, watches, silverware, wall papers, paints, oils and notions, all of which he sells at reasonable prices. Soon after settling in Sturgis the Doctor was appointed United States Examining Surgeon for this place, an office which lie held for seven years, when he resigned, to accept the position as Special Examiner of the Pension Bureau, which place he filled with acceptance to all concerned (luring 1882 and a part of 1883. Our subject is, and has for several years lieen the surgeon of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway. Besides attending to his professional duties and the care of his store, Dr. Thornton does a good deal of literary work, and was the publisher of the Sturgis Journal from 1875 to 1883. He now publishes the Island Park Assembly, or the Western Chautauqua, which is conducted with great literary ability, and the Rural Home, a paper which is devoted to the interests of the farm and the family. Our subject is a prominent member of the American Medical Association, and also of the St. Joseph Valley Medical Association. The marriage of Dr. Thornton with Miss Lue, daughter of the Hon. William Allman, of Sturgis, was celebrated on Dec. 11, 1873. Their union has been blessed by the birth of five children, 7"qwbCI * I --- I --- - - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - ~JII]I~~~ - - - - - - - - - - -~~~-~~- "IIMI ~7p L o 0 - i I -4- L0 skcL~ _- -3IL - '~I~ I L - - II 450 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. "F-~mrr- w-.qo I Ia namely: Allie L., Nellie M., Bernice M., T. Franklin, Jr., and William, deceased. Dr. Thornton and family occupy a leading social position in their community, and though not an office-seeker our subject lends his influence toward promoting the welfare of his town and county, and gives substantial aid for all beneficial schemes for its improveinent.;JOSEPH B. ZINK, deceased, was for several years a well-known and highly respected resident of Sturgis, with whose stock-raising and farming interests he was actively identified. He was a man of an energetic and enterprising disposition, possessing a keen vision and good business tact, and in his various undertakings ever met with substantial success. He was born in Indiana County, Pa., March 16, 1816, and was derived from a notable Puritan ancestry. he being a lineal descendant of the celebrated Joseph Zink, who was once Lord Chancellor of England, and was afterward a passenger on the "Mayflower," landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620, and became one of the founders of New England, he having fled to the wilds of this then almost unknown country for conscience sake. Our subject's father, Jacob Zink, was a native of Lancaster County, Pa. H-e was reared to manhood in his native county, and married Margaret Blackburn. who was born in Pennsylvania. They spent the early years of their married life in Pennsylvania, and in 1829 migrated thence to Steubenville, Ohio, our subject, then a lad of thirteen years, driving a yoke of oxen all the way. Their stay in Steubenville was short, as in the same fall they settled in Fredericktown, Knox County, where the father died about 1849 or 1850. The mother died in 1836. As before mentioned, our subject passed the first thirteen years of his life in his native State, and his youth was spent in 'Ohio. He grew to a vigorous manhood, possessing a fine physique, an iron constitution and a strong will; and thus well equipped for life's battles, he entered the arena early, and sustained his part honorably until death closed his earthly career. While residing in Knox County, Ohio, Mr. Zink engaged in freighting for several years, and he was one of the first to cross the mountains to Philadelphia. Baltimore and other Eastern points with a six-horse team, and he also made many trips to places on Lake Erie. He finally turned his attention to farming, and buying eighty acres of timbered land in Middlebury Township, Knox Co, Ohio, began the hard task of carving out a home from the wilderness. In the few years that followed, by incessant labor and through the force of an indomitable will, he cleared 200 acres from the primeval forests. In the year 1856 he began to engage in the stock business very extensively, shipping horses to the East. The following spring he began to deal in sheep, cattle and hogs, with a partner, but after the financial crash of 1857 he conducted the business alone until 1861, when he formed a partnership with Philip E. Frederick, now manager of the stockyards of St. Louis, and during the late war they furnished 5,000 horses to the United States Government. In 1862 our subject removed' to Coles County, Ill., and there purchased 280 acres of land, which he sold at a good advance a year and a half later, and then returned to Ohio. In the spring of 1867 he removed to Kankakee, Ill., and from there came to Sturgis in October of the same year, settling on what is now known as the Fisk farm. In 1872 our subject visited Nodaway County, Mo., and coming back to Michigan in the following year, took up his abode in Branch County. Early in 1875 he returned to this county, where he resided until February, 1879, when he went to Columbia County, Wis., and there made his home until his death, Jan. 6, 1886, from cancer of the stomach, and thus a busy and eventful life was rounded out and finished. During its course he had displayed those sterling traits of character that made him exemplary as a citizen, honorable as a man, kind as a neighbor, and as a husband and father, tenderly devoted to the interests of his family, and to his beloved wife, son and grandchildren he left the priceless legacy of a good name. Mr. Zink was brought up in the Quaker faith, but never identified himself with any church. Socially, he was a member of the I. 0. 0. F. - - 9 o-A.41Y0 I, I I - on' Opp 1 1I C.-O- g "TI 1I IILI-l ~~I -II t~~l. I - I. -U 4Z — 1~ — ~1 ~ —~13 lsp I - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 451 ---- -- --- --- ---- Our subject undoubtedly owed much of his success in life to his noble wife, who, during the period of nearly forty-six years that they traveled life's path together, faithfully afforded him all the assistance in her power. Their marriage was solemnized Nov. 10, 1840. Mrs. Zink's maiden name was Anna M. Parker, and she was born March 9, 1820, in Baltimore County, nine miles south of Baltimore, Md., her parents having been Robert and Elizabeth (Shultz) Parker. Of her marriage with our subject one son, Jacob Blackburn, was born Sept. 10, 1841. She is now spending her declining years with him at his pleasant home in Sturgis, surrounded by every comfort that filial devotion can devise. Jacob Zink assisted his father in his stock business for many years, and did much hard farm work. He has been twice married. His first marriage, which took place Sept. 10, 1861, was to Miss Mary E. Strubel, a daughter of Henry and Harriet Strubel. She was born in New York, and died May 16, 1870, leaving two sons, William B. and Frank D. The former is engineer on the Wisconsin Central Railway and the latter is fireman on the same. Mr. Zink's second marriage, July 31, 1871, was to Miss Sarah A. Allgire, a daughter of John F. an'd Nancy (Thuma) Allgire. Mrs. Zink was born in Richland County, Ohio, Sept. 5, 1847. Of this union five children were born, namely: George P., John M1., Thomas S., Charlie R. and Mary E. Mr. and Mrs. Zink are among the most respected citizens of Sturgis r.. Zink is a man of sterling character, inheriting much of his father's strong sense and capacity, and in him his present employers, Chapman Bros., of Chicago, publishers of this work, find one of their most able and faithful employes. 11 R. ISAAC I). HOWARD. In the person of this gentleman we find that of a man of more than ordinary intelligence and mental capacities, a man of thorough education and much culture, a student and well informed. -le began life on the soil of the Old Dominion, near the town of Bath, in Morgan County, Va., in 1839, and was taken thence when a child by his parents to Trumbull County, Ohio, they settling on a farm in Ellsworth Township. There young Howard remained until a youth of sixteen years, in the meantime pursuing his early studies in the common schools. Ile now entered Cottage Hill Academy, about two miles from his home, and later we find him a student in the Western Reserve College, where he completed the literary and classical course. At an early period in his life our subject had determined upon following the profession of medicine, and after leaving college entered the office of Dr. 1). B. Wood, of Warren, Ohio, under whose instruction he remained until twenty years of age, making good progress and giving his close attention to the best medical works of the day. Late in 184-8 he repaired to Philadelphia, Pa., entering the medical college there, which le left in the spring, returning to Warren. In the fall of that year, however, he went back to the Quaker City, and pursued his studies in the same college until March, 1849, when he was graduated with honors. )1r. Howard returning now again to Warren, gave still further attention to his medical studies, being associated for a short time with Dr. Wood, but finally returning to Pennsylvania, began the regular practice of his profession in the city of Pittsburgh. lie was located in the Seventh Ward, and remained there until the fall of 1851. Then returning to the West, he took up his abode in Portage City, Wis., where lie was continuously engaged in the practice of his profession for about three years. The spring of 1856 found him a resident of Parkville, this county, where he practiced six or seven years, then transferred the scene of his operations to Flowerfield Village, of which he has since been a resident. Dr. Howard met his fate in Portage City, Wis., in the person of Miss Harriet Childs. She was born in Danville, Pa., June 13, 1830, and is the daughter of Andrew and Margrett (Arnwine) Childs, who were also natives of the Keystone State. The mother is living in Danville, Pa.; the father died in May, 1864. The Doctor and his wife began their wedded life together in Portage City, Wis., and in due time became the parents of five children, one j i i m I] __ I opol-rF --- gooI- P I. I -C-F — 31 -^ I —II `-C~ - -— l IL I:..4e I i { lop 1 I1 448 IC-CICIIIIII-~CC~ r 111~ ~~ —Il~~IIL- - P-C~ F~cll —~ --- Rhh - Mt - -% - w-A_ b -> 452 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - ~ ~ ~-~ ~~~~ ~~~~- ~ of whom died when two years and five months old. Ella M. is engaged in the ministry of the Protestant Methodist Church, and located at Lansing; John is engaged as clerk and book-keeper in a lumber establishment at Prescott in the northern part of the State; he has chosen the medical profession for his calling, and is at the same time prosecuting his studies; Lola, an estimable and accomplished young lady, remains with her parents at home; Childs Howard, youngest child of our subject, was born May 28, 1876, and lle is yet attending school. The parents of our subject were William and Mary (Rose) Howard, the former a native of Yorkshire, England, and the latter born near Bath, Va., and both spent their last years in Ohio, the mother dying at the age of sixty-five and the father at the advanced age of ninety-five. William Howard emigrated to the United States at an early period in his life, and did good service as Second Lieutenant in the War of 1812. The maternal grandfather of our r subject did good service in the Revolutionary Warand spent his last years in Ohio. Dr. Ioward has been identified with the Republican party since its organization in 1856, and both he and his excellent wife are members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. As a practitioner, our subject is faithful and conscientious in the discharge of his duties; as a business man, prompt to meet his obligations, and as a citizen, he possesses those qualities most useful and valuable in an intelligent community. M!j ILO INGRAHAM, a pioneer of 1833, made his advent into Michigan Territory when a youth of fifteen years, having been born April 29, 1818, in Vermont. His early home was on the shore of the beautiful Lake Champlain, but before he was able to appreciate the worldrenowned scenery of that region, circumstances induced his parents to change their residence from the Green Mountain State to Ohio. They settled in the town of Madison, Lake County, where they lived until coming to Michigan in the spring of the year above mentioned. Here they settled in Kalamazoo County, where the father improved a farm, and where the education of our subject was completed in the common school. Upon alpproaching manhood he began an apprenticeship at the cooper trade, which he followed afterward in Flowerfield. In the spring of 1844 he, in company with his brother Alvin, purchased the cradle manufactory of Ami Palmer, which they conducted successfully three years together, when Milo purchased the interest of his brother in the business, and has since carried it on himself. This has proved a very profitable enterprise, he some years turning out as high as 600 cradles, which he shipped to different States, and which have attained a wide reputation throughout the West. Mr. Ingraham has been a resident of Flowerfield Township for a period of over forty years. Here he was first married, Aug. 4, 1844, to Miss Jane Leonard, who became the mother of four children, and died at the present homestead Sept. 14. 1863. Mr. I. was married a second time, Nov. 2, 1867, to Mrs. Ann (Hair) Briggs. This lady was born in Lincolnshire. England, May 26, 1830, whence she came to the United States in i852. She was first married to John E. Briggs, who served as a Union soldier in the late Civil War. and died of fever at Fairfax Court House at the age of thirty-seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs were the parents of the following chiidr.,n: ~Hannah is the wife of John Beam, and lives in HIowardsville, Mich.; Sarah Elizabeth, Mrs. Frank Roach, is a resident of Flowerfield, Mich.; Edward W. is married, and engaged in the Upton machine works at Port Huron, Mich. Our subject's children by his first marriage were: Mary, who became the wife of Harrison Surdam, and they are living in Western Oregon; Isabelle, Mrs. Robert Pashby, is a resident of Iowa City, Cal.; Irene is the wife of John E. Jones, and they live in Iceland, Ore.; Celia married Mr. Mark Stoughton, and they are residents of Waverly Township, Van Buren County, this State, living on a farm. To our subject and his present wife there has been born one chiltl only, a son, Joln M., Fqb. 1, 1870. Ie is a bright and protnising young man, and has obtained a practical education in the schools of Flowerfield. Daniel and( Betsey (Day) Ingraham, the parents of our subject, were natives of Vermont, and spent! vV. C- -1, "''I - IIII. -, --- ~-L — I -—, 'I I ~ll-b~Q- o pe —n - 1I6La~D 1 —= - I -- I -'4.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ — N m ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 453 1 -- -- 1 the last years of their lives with their son Milo, in Flowerfield, w.ho lprovidled for their needs with j filial care until they no more required his affectionate services. Daniel Ingraham departed this life in 1845, and the faithful mother Oct. 8, 1867. They were the parents of nine children, six sons and three daughters, of whom there are living three sons and two daughters. Norman and Alvin have arrived at the advanced ages of eighty-three and sixtyseven years respectively; the former makes his home in Three Rivers, and the latter in Flowerfield Village. Marie, Mrs. John Barto, is seventy-six years old, and a resident of Lansing; Martha Ann, the wife of Joseph Williams, lives in Iowa. The father served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and i one brother of our subject, Lysander, was a soldier in the late war, and died at Three Rivers when sixty-one years oldl, from disease contracted while in the army. ULIUS M. BARROWS, a prominent and p1op|ular citizen of Sturgis, is one of the leading architects, contractors and( builders in Southt (7 / ern Michigan. HIe does a large and extensive! business not only here but in other States. even as far west as Kansas, he having been the sulerintendent of building of the Fifth Avenue Hotel in Emporia, that State.: Mr. Barrows is a worthy descendant of good New England families, an( is himself a native of the famous State of Connecticut, the city of Hartford being his birthpl)lce, and Oct. 23, 1829, the (late of his birth. His father was the well-known Dr. Ashal Barrows, a native of Vermont. born Oct. 9. 1794, and his mother was Mrs. Amelia Lamiphier, a native o f Rhiode Island. To them were born six children, of whom our subject was the fourth in order of birth. In 1 830 or 1836 the Doctor moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and practiced medicine there until 1849, he having begun its l)ractice in 1825, while still a resident of Vermnont, although before tllat lie had been a Sergeant in the War of 1812. He was quite young then. not having attained his majority. In 1849 he removed with his family to near Grand Cs@, -~w_ Rapids, this State, and settled on a farm adjoining the city, where lie spent the remainder of his days. He lived a retired life mostly, practicing only a limited portion of. his time. Mrs. Lamphier was a widow with one child, and the father, Aslal Barrows, was a widower with five children at their marriage. The childhood of our subject was passed mostly in Cleveland, and in the city schools he gained the preliminaries of a liberal education. At the age of fourteen he left home to attend the Nutting Academy at Romeo, Mich., pursuingl a thorough course of study in that institution. After leaving school he learned the carpenter's trade, and then acquired a good knowledge of the cabinet-maker's tra(le. HIe became a citizen of Grand Rapids in 1849, and signed the petition for the city charter and voted on its adoption. He there estallished himself as a contractor and builder, which business he has carried on for thirty years with ever increasing success, and by his enterprise and industry he has accumulated some property and is classed among the well-to-do citizens of St. Joseph County. He came to Sturgis in 1851, and has made his home here ever since, althouigh the demands of his business have frequently called him to other plarts of the country. iIe has been the architect and constructor of the finest residences here, and he built the Methodist, Baptist and Lutheran Churches, besides doing most of the work on tile Free Church. He built the residence of the late John B. How in Lima, Ind., which is the finest dwelling in that part of the country, and he also erected two fine churches in Lima and also the Presbyterian Chullrch in Lagrange, Ind., a handsome structure, besides being the architect and builder of some fifteen churches in other places and States. I-e has erected a handsome residence for himself and fanily in Stlurgis, which is a fine specimen of modern architecture; the interior decorations are especially fine, and we may mention some handsomely executed hand carving in his parlor and a series of carvings on the folding doors as deserving special notice. Our subject is regarded as an architect of superior attainments, and he is commended for his good, substantial and durable work as a builder. Mr. Barrows was married, Sept. 2, 1849, to Miss Ull-r - U .O..III -- i i-~-b~ I 454 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I Eliza, daughter of Elijah and Mary Hammond. She was born near London, England, March 7, 1830. Their union has been productive of four children, three of whom are living. The eldest, Mary, died at the age of eighteen months; Anna M., Frank R. and Charles V. Anna, a teacher in the public schools of Sturgis, lives at home with her parents; she married Alva T. Cathcart, and has one child. Jay M. Frank, a photographer of Ft. Wayne, Ind., married Abbie Hanson, and they have two children, Lulu G. and Raymond; Charles is also a photographer at Ft. Wayne. Mr. Barrows is noted for his liberality and public spirit, and any movement set on foot for the improvement or advancement of the town is sure to receive his hearty support and encouragement. He has long borne a conspicuous part in the administration of public affairs, has been City Councilman for many years, and was Chief of the Fire Department for two years, and is still popular with its members. He belongs to the I. O. 0. F., and ihe and his family are people of social prominence in this community. Although not a church member he contributes generously toward the support of the Gospel and of benevolent institutions. In his political sentiments he is a firm believer in the policy of the Republican party, and supports it at the polls. 7 EVANT E. WHITE, Justice of the Peace, real-estate and collection agent, is one of the leading citizens of Sturgis, and he has been prominently identified with the various movements to advance its interest for several years. IHe is a native of the State of New York, his birth taking place in Genesee County, Sept. 26, 1833. His parents, Ezekiel and Clarissa J. (Strong) White, were natives of the same county, and were there reared and married. Three children were born of their union, namely: John, a citizen of Ottawa, Kan.; Jay, a resident of Lincoln, Neb., and our subject. The latter received his education in Albion College, Mich., which well fitted him for the business career which he afterward pursued. In the fall of 1853, after leaving college, he accepted a position as clerk in a store in llillsdale County, and acted in that capacity for four years, thus gaining a good, practical knowledge of business in all of its details. In 1859 he came to Sturgis and engaged in general merchandising business on his own account, being engaged in that very prosperously for twenty years. IIe became prominently identified with civic affairs in St. Joseph County, and was elected County Clerk in 1879. He served two terms, or four years, with distinction, and then returned to Sturgis, where he has since lived, and here he has also taken a conspicuous part in the administration of public affairs, his fellow-citizens having a just appreciation of his ability and worth. He was Supervisor of the township for three terms, and held the office of Township Clerk for four years, and President of the Village Board for six terms. He was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace in 1885, and is also one of the County Superintendents of the Poor. He is one of the financiers of the town, is a Director in the First National Bank of Sturgis, and holds a considerable amount of the stock in that institution. Mr. White is largely engaged in a general collecting business, and sells and transfers property, etc. In the perusal of this short sketch it will be seen that our subject leads a busy and varied life. His duties are numerous, and he discharges them all, whether of a public or private nature, with the same conscientious fidelity, and thus his fellow-citizens have learned to confide in him as an honorable man, above reproach. le is liberal in his donations for charitable or religious objects, although not connected with any church. He is a valued member of the Masonic fraternity, both of the Chapter and Encampment. Mr. White has been twice married. He was first wedded to Miss Louisa Buck, in December. 1864. She was a daughter of the late Philip H. Buck, a well-known pioneer of St. Joseph County, and our subject owns the old homestead where he settled in the early days of the settlement of this county. Mrs. White was a lady of high character, who possessed many amiable qualities that endeared her to a large circle of friends, who mourned with the bereaved family over her untimely death, Aug. 19, 1871. By that union two children were born, Mary L. and Lee W. The former is a pupil in the _ _l~i W:A sibm — ~ -- -- 10 ~ IIC- -3- 4" vv- __ lCI-~_ -C ----- FP I-ZIIL z I 0 t 1 111-~1"-- - I _~S~-~L ~ ll)~IIFII-~ell - -~l ~ ---C- C-l 1 11 - I C - I II~ ~~ 0.1 1C m, 49 I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 457 ST.IJOSEPH COUNTY. 457 Normal School at Ypsilanti, and the latter is attending school here. 'Mr. White was married to his present wife Sept. 26, 1876. She presides over their attractive home, in one of the finest residences in the town, with the graciousness and courtesy of the model hostess, and looks well after the comforts of her household. Mrs. White is a native of Sturgis, and her maiden name was Fannie Hill.,BRAM H. VOORHEES. Among the leading men of Mendon Township and St. Joseph County entire, there are none held in higher respect than the gentleman whose name stands at the head of this article. His is a peculiar character, strong in its convictions of right, a Christian although not a member of any church, but a man seeking to do good as he has opportunity, irrespective of creed or prejudice. He is noted for his liberality to the poor and his contributions to educational enterprises. Providence has blessed him in his labors through the vicissitudes of a long and useful life, and hie has his reward even here in the esteem and confidence of all who know hin. A native of the town of Lysander, Onondaga Co., N. Y., our subject was born March 23, 1824, and is the son of William and Alche (Van Doren) Voorhees. His father was born near Monmouth, N. J., and the mother near Trenton, that State. They were reared and married in New Jersey. Afterward, in 1822, they moved to Onondaga County, N. Y., where William Voorhees engaged in farming, but was cut down in the prime of life, dying about 1830, when his son, our subject, was a little lad six years of age. Soon after the death of his father Abram H. Voorhees was taken into the home of his maternal grandfather, William Van Doren, in the village of Lysander, where he was kept in school until twelve years old. Then, deciding that he would like to become a farmer, he went to live with a man by the name of David Relyea, about five miles from the village. This farmer was a good man, and master of his calling, and the agreement was that he was to give the boy his board and clothes and three months' schooling each year, providing he remained withhim until twenty-one years old. At the expiration of this time he was to present him with an extra suit of clothes and $100 in money. Young Voorhees staid with Mr. Relyea three years, and then his mother was married toga Mr. Jacob Springstead. The latter offered the youth his board and clothes and $100 when eighteen years of age, if he would come and live with him. This offer he accepted. In the spring of 1840 the family all came to Michigan, and sojourned in Washtenaw County one year. Then coming to St. Joseph County, they settled on a tract of land three miles north of the present site of Mendon Village. In the spring of 1842 the three years had expired. The stepfather of young Voorhees met his obligations by giving him one pair of oxen worth $50, one pair of threeyear-old steers worth $35, three yearling heifers worth $15, and in addition made him a present of a two-year-old heifer besides. He was now his own "boss," and ready to start out with what seemed to him a very fine capital. He commenced operations on his own hook by building a good1 log s^tble and sheds for his cattle on a tract of.land which he had rented of his stepfather. The next spring, after planting ten acres of corn, on the farm of Moses Taft, our hero found work by the daywhich supplied him with the necessary capital for future operations, his oxen by their labor contributing to the general income. He thus paid for his board, and for the use of a horse to cultivate his corn. During that summer he put up in stack nearly twenty tons of marsh hay for himself. During the winter he bought a lot of whitewood trees, cut them in saw logs, and got them to the mill. In the spring of 1843 he put in a crop of oats and corn, sold his steers, and with the proceeds purchased a few sheep. The summer following lie added to his live stock by the purchase of a number of young cattle, and in the fall his mother gave him $300 in cash as his share of hers and his father's estate. Soon afterward he purlchased seventy acres of land adjoining the prairie on section 26, Mendon Township, for the 1 b~ar~~ 1~-~L I ~ CC --- — - ~-L-4~L- IL I- - - -- I ~ ~ _3 1 ~ bor M ---.1 I r cl --- I - ---- ------- --- - -- -----------— — -0 --- — Oo-11-_ 3~1II I I-l IL - m AGOlL 458 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. consideration of $600, paying $300 down and giving his note for the balance. Mr. Voorhees was united in marriage with Miss Sophia Taft, Feb. 27, 1844, at her home in Mendon Township. By the request of the parents of the bride the young people took up their abode with them for a couple of years. In January, 1845, Mr. Voorhees purchased 120 acres of land on section 12, and in December, 1846, he moved with his little family into the house he had built on the land he first purchased. In April, 1847, he added to his real estate, securing eighty acres on sectionl 11, for which he paid $800. In 1849 he purchased another eighty acres on section 11, paying therefor $600. That same year he was obliged to accept forty acres of land in Kalamazoo County to square a debt, giving in addition to the amount of the sum due him $400. It will thus be seen that he was uniformly prosperous from the outset, while his industry and energy made him the object of general interest and admiration in all that section of country. Mr. Voorhees now conceived the idea that he would like to visit the Pacific Slope, and accordingly sold a portion of his land and all of his stock. He set out on the long journey early in the spring of 1851, making his way first by way of New York City to Chagres, and then across tlie Isthmus of Panama, in the meantime spending seven days in Panama City, where he met with many curious people, an(d gained a good i(dea of life in that portion of the world. After a voyage of twenty.five days on the steamer " Republic " he arrived in San Francisco, and went from there to the mines by way of Sacramento. Afterward he was engaged in a search for the yellow ore until April, 1852. This enterprise was attended with fair success, and he now returned home by thle Nicaragua route. Soon after his return the mother of Mr. Voorhees was taken with fatal illness, and died in September, 1852. His stepfather then insisted upon his purchasing the homestead, which he did, paying therefor $1,200. In the spring of 1854 Mr. Voorhees sold the seventy acres he had first purchased, and soon afterward became owner of the farm upon which he now lives, besides forty acres one-half mile north of the village, for which he paid the snug sum of $2,300. In 1859 he purchased eighty acres in Brady Township, Kalamazoo County, for which he paid $400. In 1860 he bought sixty acres on section 2 in Mendon Township, paying $600. In 1868, in company with A. W. Maring. he secured a one-third interest in the Gilbert Laird estate, for which they paid $6,000. In 1874 lhe added to his possessions by the purchase of Mr. Maring's interest in said estate, and in the division of tile land acquired 160 acres additional on section 24. Mr. Voorhees' public career began when he was a young man. As early as 1854 he was elected Treasurer of Mendon Township, and the year following was elected Supervisor, holding this office until the spring of 1857. The year following he failed to secure the nomination, being defeated by the whisky element. It is proper to mention in passing that Mr. Voorhees is a confirmed temperance man, and has always given his encouragement to the Prohibition sentiment. In the spring of 1859 the anti-whisky people rallied to the fray and placed their favorite in his old position. In 1860 the whisky element came uppermost again, but in 1861 our subject weighed down the scales by a larger muljority than ever before, and retained peaceable possession of the office a l)eriod of three years. In the meantime he was appointed United States Marshal of his district, also enrolling officer of the township. The Civil War being in progress it became one of tile duties of Mr. Voorhees to enroll all the men subject to a draft, notify them of their fate, and arrest and return (leserters. In the various discharge of these delicate and important duties he ever preserved that (ignity and discretion which made himn perhaps as few enemies as any man who ever occupied these posts. In the spring of 1864 Mr. Voorhees with several of his neighbors and acquaintances set out once more for the farther West. Upon reaching Ft. Laramie, there was made up a train of 124 wagons, manned by 418 men under command of Capt. Hulbert, of Illinois, who appointed Mr. Voorhees as liis Marshal. The latter was thereafter in effect Captain, being invested with full authority, with power to direct the movements of the train by advice of his superior. They left the California trail 9bo4 III -~, -11 - - i 17I -— 0` 7fi —Jb -- _F" --- flop WPF i I 0 140Lr~lll~s ~ lllC3 1131 1~-e — ~L ~~C -— CIC-~C- IICIII~~~-~ I~C ---~-CC-b -4 t '- -— II ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 459 * - - -- near Ft. Laramie and directed their course to the north of tie Big Horn and Bear River Mountains. Soon after crossing the Big Horn River Mr. Voorbees was chosen Captain of the train, of whiclh he had the entire command until their arrival in Virginia City, Mont., when the train was disbanded. Mr. Voorhees sojourned in this region only a few days, and then returned to his old haunts in Michigan, quite well satisfied to remain thereafter within the bounds of civilization. Our subject now took up the mantle of a citizen whose public services had been such that the people were not willing he should remain absorbed in the concerns of private life. In the spring of 1866 he was again called to the front, being elected Justice of the Peace for a term of four years. In 1867 there was conferred upon him the office of Highway Commnissioner for a term of two years. At its expiration he was re-elected for three years. We must not omit to state that in the year 1860 he was elected Deputy Sheriff of St. Joseph County, in which office he served a number of years, and to which he proved himself admirably adapted by his courage and coolness in the discharge of his duties. Upon the approach of the National Centennial, Mr. Voorhees, like thousands of other patriotic citizens, aroused himself and proceeded with his fanily to the City of Brotherly Love. This was an epoch in his life from which he takes just satisfaction. He crowned the expedition on his return with a visit to the home of his childhood, which he had not seen for a period of nearly thirty-seven years. In the spring of 1880 he was again elected Justice of the Peace.for a term of four years, reelected in 1884 and 1888, and up to this time there has not even been an appeal from his decision to the Circuit Court. A man sensibly alive to the beauties of Nature, the smiling fields and growing crops, Mr. Voorhees has also loved the other things connected with farm life, especially fine stock. In his younger years he raised and owned some of the best young cattle and oxen in his township, and later exhibited some of the finest horses to be found in St. Joseph County. Among them was the high-bred stallion 'Michigan Hero," who became famous in this region. Mr. Voorhees has now at the head of his stables a standard-bred and registered young stallion, sired by "Epicure" and lie by "Princeps," one of the most noted of Kentudky stock. In this industry Mr. V. has taken great pride, and has been instrumental in raising the standard of fine stock both of horses and cattle in this county. At the commencement of his voting days Mr. Voorhees was a member of the old Whig party, who gave him his first office, that of Constable, in which lie served a number of years. IIe identified himself with the Republicanrs at their organization in 1856, but is now a Greenbacker, with strong Prohibition sentiments. This sketch would by no means be complete without further mention of the excellent lady who has borne his name now for a period of forty-five years. Mrs. Sophia (Taft) Voorhees was born in the township of Ellicott, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., Feb. 4, 1825. She came to this county with her parents in June, 1835, and was reared to womanhood at their homestead in Mendon Township. Of her union with our subject there were born four children, the eldest of whom, a son, Charles G., is now operating his own farm in Mendon Township; Maria is the wife of E. A. Fletcher, and they live on their own farm near our subject; Alche E. died in infancy; Ellen S. is the wife of G. W. Hinkle, a well-to-do farmer of Mendon Township, and they are pleasantly situated near the Voorhees homestead, the latter of which will be her property when her parents no longer need it. Mr. and Mrs. Voorhees are people of intelligence and good information, are liberal in their religious views, and though the supporter of church organizations, have never been identified with any one of these. Mr. V. became a member of the Masonic fraternity in 1861, and is now a member of Mendon Lodge No. 137. -le also belongs to Centreville Chapter No. 11, R. A. M. December 14,1887, marked one of the pleasantest days in the life of our subject, when he was presented by the members of the G. A. R. Post of Mendon with a heavy, gold-headed, ebony cane, as a testimonial of respect from the veterans of that body. They met at their hall in the afternoon of that day and organized a relief corps, and in the evening sat down to a bountiful repast. Later the ~II+F~l I - I -hi.,I*Illslc-~3lc~a~ —; *J-o/ - P11 -A 4 L t i 1e - - -IL ~ c —,A — ------- - - - - ----------------- ---- --- b --- —- --- *o. NOO --- --- m oI I _ (1 r I k 460 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -- company were invited to attend a public installation of officers, the meeting being called to order by the Commander of the post, George Ford. Mr. Voorhees was elected to preside over the meeting, and took his seat by the side of the Commander; the Chaplain, Rev. A. II. Wisner, was called upon to deliver an address. In opening he referred, to the trials and hardships of the Union soldiers during the Civil War, their sacrifices and sufferings, and later referred to the trouble in organizing the Grand Army of the Republic. He spoke feelingly of Abram H. Voorhees as the stanch friend of the boys in blue when others failed them, and of the deep satisfaction it gave him to bear testimony to his services, and present to this gentleman a slight token of the regard in which he was held by the members of F. W. Curtenius Post. He then turned, and taking in his hand the beautiful cane, presented it formally to Mr. Voorhees. It bore the following inscription: A. IH. VOORIIEES, from F. W. Curtenius Post No. 193, G. A. R. Dec. 14, 1887. Mr. Voorhees returned thanks for the handsome gift as follows: "' Commander, officers and members of this Grand Army Post, as well as the ladies who are present with you to-night: Let me say that most of you should be well enough acquainted with me by this time to know that I have not words to express sufficient thanks to you for the honor that you have conferred upon me this evening, not only by making me presiding officer of this meeting, but by the presentation to me of this beautiful cane, that I have just received from the hands of your reverend representative of this evening. Its beauty of design, the skilled workmanship thereon, the intrinsic value it represents, together with the knowledge that it is presented to me by members of the Grand Army Post, make it of more value to me than I shall ever he able to repay, and of more worth than if it were given to me by a Prince or a King. "You say this is given me in appreciation of favors from me to you as soldiers. Let me say that whatever favor I may have done for you or for any other soldier, was nothing more than what I considered my duty. Not only that, but a privilege and a pleasure. Therefore, I think it is you who should be the receiver of gifts and tokens of respect and friendship instead of me, for it was the soldier, yes, it was you, and not me, that left your homes and firesides, your families and friends, and went to the field of battle, there fighting the insolent foe to keep the union of our United States from being dissolved or severed in twain. It was you, and not me, who marched over hill and plain, through mud and mire, through rain and sleet, and exposed yourself to rebel bullets and bayonets to keep our Government from being destroyed by rebel or guerrilla bands. "It was you and not me who stood and fought before the rebel cannon mouths, and might have received their shot and shell as well as did many a comrade by your side, whose bodies to-day lie buried in unknown graves if buried at all, far away from home and friends. It was the soldier, and not me, who suffered untold agony, not only from ghastly wounds received upon the field of battle, but from sickness and disease, torture and extreme cruelty, and starvation in rebel prison pens, until death came to their relief. Many a brave soldier in the pride of his manhood laid down his life that the life of our Constitution and Government should remain as our forefathers had willed it. Therefore let me say, that it is the soldier who should receive tokens and emblems, not only of respect and friendship, but of gratitude; but I accept this gift, and will ever regard it as a memento of friendship from the Grand Army boys of the F. W. Curtenius Post, hoping that it will prove as true to my support when leaning upon it as I pass along the pathway of old age, as you were true to our Government when it leaned upon you for support, when its life was assailed by a rebellious foe, and, while I thank you over hnd over again for this mark of your esteem, may I not sincerely hope that the friendship which now exists may ever remain." Moses Taft, the father of Mrs. Voorhees, was born in Mendon, Mass., July 8, 1792. In 1816 lhe went to Jamestown, N. Y., and afterward married Miss Esther' Staples, a native of Westmoreland, that State, and who was born Sept. 6, 1796. For a I I( -- I.I II~ I I CIII II 'I -~ ~ --- — I t A-_l -1111~ — ill L 'I~ I rr rrsrrrr~r ~ ~'-r ~ ~" ~ — hl I {i" 1 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 461 I number of years he was occupied in rafting lumber down the Ohio River to Cincinnati. In 1830 he went via the Ohio River and up the Mississippi to the Falls of St. Anthony, making the latter part of the journey in an Indian canoe. Upon his return he passed through this county, and was so well pleased with its appearance that in 1834 he came and located on Nottawa Prairie. On the 17th of June, 1835, he was joined by his wife and five children. There they took up their abode, and their children, June 17, 1885, celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their arrival. This was made the occasion of a family gathering, and an address was delivered by Mr. A. II. Voorhees, the whole of which is well worthy of reproduction, but from which we can only extract a few eloquent sentences. In speaking of their settlement here, he remarked: "This home was commenced upon the unbroken sod of the beautiful prairie when nearly all of its surface was covered with native grass and wild flowers. It has now been made more beautiful by improvement. At first it was a home of toil, care and many privations, but it was dearly loved by the parents, for here their children grew to maturity, and here each child lived after marriage and reared a portion of their families. In this home the parents lived something over forty years, only leaving it when they were conveyed to that home of eternal rest whence no one ever returns. How will it be fifty years from to-day? Will this home then be owned and held by the legal representatives of those parents? Will there be a celebration here then of a home of 100 years, a centennial celebration instead of a semi-centennial? You three, as well as a number of others that are here to-day, will never know but some of your children and grandchildren that are now here may be here on the 17th of June, 1935, to celebrate a home of 100 years." Mr. Taft was a man of great energy and benevolence. Ite could never say "no" to a poor person who asked of him a favor. In politics a stanch Whig, he abhorred the institution of slavery, and later joined the Republican party. He was liberal in his religious views, but was a little inclined to the Universalist doctrine. He was successful financially, and had many friends. His death took place Sept. 21, 1874, and that of his wife May 17, 1875. They left a good property, which was satisfactorily divided among their children, the homestead reverting to the only son, Seth, and at this place was the gathering already spoken of, and which was attended by all the living children and grandchildren.. — _ s M LE _ EORGE THURSTON is an honored and venerated citizen of Sturgis, to whom belongs ~~ the distinction of having been one of the very first settlers of St. Joseph County, the late Judge Sturgis sharing that honor with him. No history of the county would be complete without mention of him, and feeling sure that a sketch of his life and.work would add greatly to the interest and value of this volume, we have secured from his lips and those of his friends the material for this biography. No one now living within the bounds of Mlicligan can have had a more extensive experience of pioneer life than our subject, as when he was but a boy of eight years he accompanied his parents to the then Territory of Michigan, in Februr ary, 1817, and settled with them in their pioneer home among the early settlers of Brownstown, at the head of Lake Erie, in Wayne County. At that time it was the general impression that the interior of Michigan was worthless for purposes of colonization, as it was supposed to be a vast swamp, and but few white men had penetrated the primeval forests of this part of the country, and none had made any attempts at settlement, leaving the wilderness to the domain of the Indians and the wild animals, the aborigines not moving beyond the Mississippi until several years later. In 1827 our subject, then a stalwart youth of nineteen, accompanied Judge Sturgis to this county, with two yokes of oxen, and wagons in which they had brought seed wheat, provisions, plow and harrow teeth, intending to secure a location for farming purposes. They made their way through the forests by Indian trails until they came to the eastern part of what is now known as Sturgis Prairie, and our subject being much impressed with the beauty of its situation and its value as an agricultural region, persuaded I m - -- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I -IILIObp a. I-40~ T~-.~ IL~_I~ = —7 I ob-! [ 1~- - -- iie -Gqw __ __ c_ _ L III LI - sm o f tC ---$IAQ~_ 1_ A 4C2 ST..JOSE; PH COUNTY. f his friend to pitch their tents. and they spent the season there. They made immediate preparations to prepare the land for cultivation, and our subject turned the first furrow plowed on Sturgis Prairie, and helped to sow the first wheat ever raised within its precincts. Mr. Thurston and Mr. Sturgis cut twenty-five tons of hay that same season, and it being stacked on the closely cut stubble, was saved from destruction by the fire that swept across the prairie in the fall. They started homeward on the 19th of September, and overtook the fire about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, but for four consecutive nights they were obliged to rest, and their oxen had nothing to eat during that time except the grass in the streams. After that experience our subject finally regained his father's home in Wayne County, and Judge Sturgis his. For further particulars concerning the latter see biography of his son Amos on another page of this work. Later Mr. Thurston became a prominent member of the farming community of St. Joseph County, and to him and men of like energy, forethought and capacity, is the county greatly indebted for its high standing as a rich and prosperous agricultural region. In the first few years of the settlement of Southern Michigan Mr. Thurston greatly aided its upbuilding, for, as was necessary in those days, the early pioneers seemed banded together for mutual selfhelpfulness, and in five years after coming here our subject assisted in raising eighty-six houses, some of which still stand. He helped to raise the first house in Kalamazoo County, forty miles distant, that of Judge Harrison, the first settler in the county. He was of Scotch ancestry, inherited an iron constitution, and lived to the advanced age of one hundred and three years and fifteen lays. Our subject and his neighbors went over into that county where the said house was to be raised one day, did the work. and returned the next day. We must now refer to the birth and antecedents of our subject. He was born in the town of Lisle, Broome Co.,N. Y., April 11, 1808. He comes from good Revolutionary stock, his grandfather. Joel Thurston, having been a patriotic soldier in the Continental Army when the American colonists were having their great fight for liberty, and his son Joel, the eldest of his eight sons, was likewise a brave soldier in that conflict. Samuel B. Thurston. the father of our subject, tile youngest member of his father's family. was born in Dutchless County, N. Y. He was reared in his native State, and was there married. His wife was also a native of Dutchess County, and the first years of their wedded life were passed in New York. In the second month of the year 1817, as before mentioned, they came to this State. From malaria, caused by the undrained swamps, newly broken ]and, and from other causes, there was much sickness in Michigan in early times, and Mr. Thurston and his family were greatly afflicted, his eldest daughter dying three months after their arrival in Brownsville, the failure of his wife's health and her ultimate death two years later, and his own confinement from sickness for five years. After the sad death of the good mother, whose loss could never be replaced, the care of his father and four small children fell on our subject, and nobly did he perform the hard task of attending to their wants and supplying the necessaries ot life, working when he was so sick himself that he could hardly stand. What education he obtained he was obliged to pick up the best way he could, as his school privileges were very limited, he having attended school only two months when a child in his native State, as for four years after settling in Michigan no man or woman could be found competent to take charge of a school. In the December following his return from Sturgis Prairie our subject and his brother Ira started for this place again, but when they reached Hillsdale County they met a traveler who told them that the hay that he (our subject) and the Judge had stacked on the prairie had been burned by the Indians and traders, so he and his brother concluded to stay where they were for awhile, as they could obtain employment of Moses Allen, then the only settler in Hillsdale County, his place being fifty-five miles west of Ypsilanti, and there was no settlement between the two points. That winter they made rails in snow that was over knee deep, our subject getting $13 a month, and his brother $11 a month. One of our subject's oxen died that winter, and lie bought another from Mr. Allen, paying $50 for it. Mr. Thurston and his brother put in a crop of corn the next spring, and then came on foot to White Pigeon, I ob.: 4h ~I 1~ III I 6 I ---~ --- —- - - --- --- ----- -I — ~ --- —--- - of I I Ic L_~~~IL~C~lrlP I ~ 'II~~C-~lrll~ C-r L~I I- - IF., -qp jST. JOSEP looking at their wheat as tile l)assed. and spending two days there, they started back to see after their corn. East of here they met Judge Sturgis and family, May 9, 1828, and they turned and came back to help the Judge put in his spring crop, lie having stopped at Mr. Allen's place and brought their two yoke of oxen along with him. They helped him for three weeks, and then returned to Allen's farm, forty-five miles distant, to attend to their own crop. Our subject's fatler, having regained his health, came here in the fall of 1828 and bought a tract of land, which he afterward improved into a fine farm. With the assistance of his sons he built an unhewed log cabin, with knees and weight poles to keep the clapboard roof in place. In those days Indians were numerous, but were peaceable and very sociable. Bears, wolves, minks, beavers, muskrats. otters, deer, and other wild animals, were very plentiful in the forests, but our subject was too busy to hunt much. He once, however, killed a fine bear, weigling about 300 pounds. and the next day Gov. Cass, on his way to hold a treaty with the Indians at Bertrand, near where Niles now is, paid him a visit, remaining over night, and was feasted on bear steak. The next morning when he departed on his mission Mr. Thurston gave him half of the bear to treat the Indians on. September 9, 1832, was an eventful day in the life of our subject, as on that date he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah, daughter of Thomas and Lydia (Jones) Jones. She was a native of Pittsley, Pa., and was born April 22, 1812. Their marriage was blessed to them by the birth of ten children, six of whom live, namely: Lydia, Sarah, Catherine, Phebe, Matilda, Alice and Griffin D. G. The wife of our subject closed her eyes to the scenes of earth Sept. 10, 1883. They had lived together fifty-one years and one day, and their unusually long period of married life was one of happiness from beginning to end. She was a type of the noble pioneer women who, by their presence, cheerful assistance and self-abnegation, inspired and encouraged their husbands, fathers, brothers or lovers, in the gigantic labors of clearing and preparing the land for culture, and building up comfortable homes- in the wilderness that once prevailed here. She was a good Christian woman 'II COUNTY. 463 fi --------------- anld a faithful member of the Baptist Church. As no sacrifice was too great for her to make for her home and loved ones, so the needy, sick and poor were never allowed to suffer when she could succor them. In her good work she was heartily seconded by her husband, whose great heart feels for the sorrows and troubles of the unfortunate, and he is never so happy as when he can relieve them. In the early pioneer days, when the hardships and privations of the settlers were often very bitter, their kindness and bounty to those less able and poorer than themselves called down blessings on them. Besides giving to the poor around his own door Mr. T. gives of his means to support benevolent institutions. Our subject is an exemplary member of the Baptist Church, and as "' By their fruits ye shall know them," no one has ever had reason to doubt the sincerity of his Christianity. Mr. Thurston has always led a busy life, and has never engaged in any other occupation but farming. He began to plow when only ten years of age, and continued to till the soil until his retirement to private life in the fall of 1888, thus making over seventy years of active farm labor. He has always loved the Sturgis Prairie ever since lie set his eyes on it for the first time in that summer so long ago, and he still owns eighty-six acres of land, which he lets to tenants, but he has given much of his original homestead to his children as each began life for herself or for himself. H-e was active in the public life of Sturgis in its early days, and was the first Assessor of the township. He was prominently identified with the State Militia, and was Ensign of a company. OHIN WESLEY JEWELL. The Empire State has produced some of the best elements of social and business life, men who have migrated from her borders to all portions of the Great West, and contributed of their intelligence and capital to the development of its resources. Among these the subject of this biography deserves more than a passing mention. A native of Allegany County, he was born in 1823, and when a little lad of six years came with his par _PPI -s 1 9 -~ ~~~~~ uNOW m lo - -- -- -- -- evo -c 464 ST. JOSEP ents to Michigan, and developed into manhood amid the scenes of pioneer life in St. Joseph County. In the meantime he obtained such education as was given in the public schools, and from his youth up has been a tiller of the soil. In connection with this he operated a threshing-machine for a period of forty-three years. Sias Jewell, the father of our subject, also a native of New York State, was born and reared in Dutchess County, where he learned the trade of weaver and also shingle-making. At the same time he was employed considerably in farming pursuits, sufficient to gain a good idea of the proper manner in which to carry on agriculture. In the fall of 1832 he emigrated westward, locating in Lockport Township, this county, and entered forty acres of Government land. He occupied this six years, effecting considerable improvement, then sold out and purchased 160 acres in the vicinity of Moorepark in Park Township, of which property he retained possession until his death, which took place in 1862. He had married in early manhood a French lady; she died in the East when a young woman. They were the parents of two children, Sally Ann and Henry. The former went West, and nothing more is known of her; Henry went North after marriage with his family. The father of our subject after the death of his first wife contracted a second marriage, with Miss Charlotte Davis, a native of his own State, and of this union there were born eight children, four of whom are living. The eldest, Mary Jane, is the wife of Mr. Sylvester Wood, and- they reside in Three Rivers: John Wesley, our subject, is the second in order of birth; the residence of Catherine is unknown to our subject, and William 1). is carrying on farming in Allen County, Kan. Mrs. Charlotte Jewell departed this life at the homestead in Lockport Township, in 1834. Sias Jewell was the third time married, in Flowerfield Township, to Miss Polly Walker. The subject of this sketch was first married in Flowerfield Township in 1851, to Miss Clarissa Maynard, a native of New York State, who only survived a brief time thereafter, dying at the early age of twenty-two years. Gilbert and Cyntha were the two children born by this union; both are H COUNTY. 1 dead. In the summer of 1858 he contracted a second marriage, with Miss Lucy J. Brown, daughter of L. G. Brown, the wedding taking place at the home of the bride. This lady was born in Park Township, this county, Feb. 19, 1839. Her mother was in her girlhood Miss Hester Reigle. Her parents are botj living. Of the second marriage of our subject the following children were born, two of whom are deceased: Isadore H., born Sept. 8, 1859; Charles, Jan. 31, 1862; Ellen M., April 4, 1864; Ida May andEdith Bell, twins, Aug. 31, 1865; Ida Flora, Oct. 20, 1867; Oscar, Sept. 6, 1870; John, July 31, 1872; and Charlotte, March 12, 1875. Mr. Jewell, as one of the pioneers of St. Joseph County, and one who has been no unimportant factor in its growth and development, is looked upon by the people around him with that affectionate regard always due the peaceable and law-abiding citizen who has made it his business to countenance every enterprise calculated to benefit the community at large. He cast his first Presidential vote for James K. Polk, and almost since the organization of the Republican party has been a stanch supporter of its principles. A man prompt to meet his obligations, frowning upon everything wrong and encouraging everything right, he is one of those who has made for himself a record which will be reverted to in after years with pride by his descendants..4i&- +T*+ *<~~~t~S~ T'~/- *"> 1o R. JOHN R. WILLIAMS. Resident within the borders of St. Joseph County there i are many men whose names are an honor and credit to its records, and prominent among them will be found that of our subject. He is a well-known and widely respected gentleman, and is noteworthy not only for his straightforwardness and honorable characteristics, but for that prosperity and success which gild their possessor with the light of public admiration. He is one of the leading physicians and surgeons in this part of the State, and resides in White Pigeon, where lie has a large and growing practice, to which he is devoting his life and energy. This gentleman was born in Columbiana County, <^ so- I I b i -,we now* 0__ ~ ~ 1 3 ~ - -r II — _ - --- c cl --- ~ ~ IIIII IIIIIC- ~~IIIIIsi r _ 4 -~I- — ~- ~~TZTWu -bit.616~1' -.dt - IC- -- -- IIC h I ~~~ l- lWe~ 9F-,,wp _ I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 465 1 — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I Ohio, Jan. 7, 1846. His father, John R. Williams, was a native of Carnarvonshire, Wales, and came to America when he was seventeen years of age, and lived in Baltimore, and later in Pittsburgh, for twenty years. HIe then went to Ohio and settled near Salem, where he lived until 1872, when his death occurred. Our subject was reared in his native town of Salem, and prepared himself in the good schools in that town for a collegiate course. IIe then entered Mit. Union College in Mt. Union, Ohio. In 1869 Mr. Williams began the study of medicine. After reading under Thomas B. Williams, of Angola, Ind., he attended the Cleveland (Ohio) Medical College; then going to Chicago in later years, he was graduated in 1874 from the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In addition to his regular course in the college, he received special instructions from various leading specialists in that city. Under the instruction of Prof. A. Reeves Jackson he was thoroughly instructed in the science of gynecology; and from Prof. N. Senn, of Milwaukee, he received special instruction in operative surgery; a special course in genito-urinary surgery under the tutelage of Prof. J. T. Jelks, of Chicago; a thorough knowledge of the proper treatment and cure of the diseases of the eye was received from Prof. Harper, of Chicago. Prof. H. J. Reynolds, of Chicago, gave him full information relative to diseases of the skin, and Prof. Gibson, the thoroughly informed Professor of Chemistry of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago, inducted him into the secrets and mysteries of analytical chemistry. Taken as a whole, the education the Doctor has received has been very complete in alldirections, and the immense practice he now enjoys is evidence that the people appreciate it at its full value. The Doctor came to White Pigeon in the spring of 1879, where he has built up a large and lucrative practice among the best families in this portion of the county. He seems to be peculiarly adapted in disposition to the successful practice of his profession. Kind and sympathetic at all times, his entrance into the sick room inspires a great degree of confidence in the patient and his friends, and when it becomes necessary to perform a serious surgical operation, the l)octor, though kind and gentle as the exigencies of the case will allow, proceeds with his duty with a firm and unfaltering hand, and for the time puts all question of pity aside, and is wholly and entirely a scientific surgeon. It was due to the skill which he has evidenced in many successful operations that the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company appointed him their local surgeon, which position he now holds for the third year. The subject of this sketch was married to Miss Mattie E. Fox, June 3, 1876; this lady is a daughter of Peter Fox, a resident of Grand Traverse County, Mich. They were the parents of one child, Chester G., who died at the age of two years. Himself and wife are d6vout members of the Christian Church; he is a member of the I. O. 0. F., and stands high in the councils of the Knights of Pythias. There are but few men in the county who can count on such a large circle of friends as our subject. The degree of popularity to which he has attained he richly deserves. He is conscientious and earnest in the discharge of his professional duties, and makes no distinction between his patients, treating the poor and humble with all the skill, care and courtesy that he would extend to the family of a millionaire. He recognizes the fact that every human creature is one of God's children, and in times of sickness and suffering no one is more deserving than another. He and his good wife take an active part in the social life of the town, are both kind-hearted and generous, and any community in which they live may well be proud of their presence. OHN DIDER is one of those energetic, hard-working, industrious German-American citizens who have contributed so largely to the welfare of their adopted country; he is now a resident of White Pigeon. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, May 5, 1817, in which country he lived until 1843, when he came to America, and settled in Monroe County, Mich. Our subject entered the service of the Lake Shore Railway, which was then under construction, mn — _ - -- - I m 9- 4 - -- - - -- --- - -Ivp - --- obo a 146S I-LIMLbb. -..Ado 10 466 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -I-ARB Ii Ii I — ia the nature of his employment requiring his presence in several places, at different times. In 1852 he came to White Pigeon, where he has lived ever since, engaged in the service of the railroad company until December, 1884. lie was married in the spring of 1846 to Mary Hetzner; she was a native of Germany. They were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are living, named: John, Mary, Carrie, George, Andrew, Hattie and Emma. John married Anna Stewart, and resides in Chillicothe, Mo., and is the father of two childrenCarrie and John; Mary married Lewis Taber, and resides in Huntington, Ind., and she is the mother of two children-George and John; Carrie married Daniel W. Rank, a prosperous baker and business man of White Pigeon, to whom no children have been born. Mrs. Dider, the wife of our subject, departed this life Sept. 27, 1885. She, her husband and a larger portion of the family, were members of the Lutheran Church. Earnest and consistent in her belief, she died with the Christian's hope of a brighter and better life in the world to come. Mr. Dider has earned the confidence and respect of all good people. procured employment in a machine-shop in Brooklyn, L. I., where he worked for three months. Going from there to Richmond, Va., for four months he was on a plantation in Caroline County. From there he went to Montreal, Canada, where he entered the service of the Grand Trunk Railway, running a locomotive between Montreal and Island Pond, Vt., and Brockville, Canada. At the end of two years he went West, and was engineer in the service of the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha westward. After three months' service there, he came east to Port Huron, Mich., where he was Acting Master Mechanic on the Port Iuron & Lake Michigan Railroad, now the Central & Grand Trunk Railroad, where he remained for six months. IHe then went to Adrian, Mich., and Nov. 10, 1869, he took charge of an engine on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, and has been in their employ continuously ever since. When only eleven years old our subject began working in a machine-shop in Wolverhampton, on the London & Northwestern Railroad, where he remained until 1866. In the autumn of 1869 he came to White Pigeon. He was married, Nov. 10, 1861, to Sarah Reeves. She was the daughter of John Reeves, and he is now deceased. She was the mother of one child, who is no longer living. She died Jan. 17, 1884. Our subject was married again, Feb. 18, 1884, to Minnie Klayman, the daughter of John Klayman, one of the early settlers of the vicinity. This lady was born in White Pigeon. Her father is now dead. She is the mother of two children-Edith J. and Charlie. In addition to their own children this worthy couple have adopted two orphans, Thomas and Mary Chapel, now Pettifer (by law), the children of Edwin Chapel. Mrs. Pettifer is a member of the Lutheran Church. In Mr. Pettifer the community has a citizen who is earnest and thorough-going, devoting his time to his ever hazardous calling. lie belongs to a sturdy class of men to whom the country at large is greatly indebted. They are men who under any circumstances and conditions, in fair weather or foul, early and late, are found at their posts, facing danger and death every moment of their lives while on duty. He pursues a vocation that de HARLES PETTIFER is a locomotive en((F gineer on the Kalamazoo Division of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, residing in White Pigeon. He is a representative of that empire on which the sun never sets, although for many years he has been a resident of this, his adopted country, and has become thoroughly imbued with the spirit of American progress. He presents many of the national characteristics of his race. He came to America to procure a home, and, being English, it is needless to add that he has clung tenaciously to his purpose, until the object was attained and he now owns a neat and comfortable home, of which he may justly feel proud. Our subject was born at Great Caybrook, in Leicestershire, England, Feb. 14, 1840. His father, Nicholas Pettifer, was a native of Northamptonshire, England. Charles came to America in February, 1886,landing in New York City. He r 1 __ U Obw a - 4- -0 Opp I-III 11 1I-I~I r~sl — II J I f l 4 -:M m s~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~W El — Rw ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 467 r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I mands a complete knowledge, and sufficient nerve to meet and overcome dangers and troubles. lIe has led an economical life and has accumulated about him a pleasant and comfortable home. He is an esteemed member of the Masonic fraternity, also an active member of the B. of L. E. J 1 OHN G. SCHItURTZ is one of the substantial and financially solid citizens of White Pigeon, where he is engaged in the business of general banking, and the manager of well-located and highly improved farms, containing 540 acres, situated in White Pigeoon Township. I-e was born where he now lives, Oct. 6, 1857. His home has always been in this place, where he enjoyed all advantages for receiving a classical education, which he completed by going through a full course in the Michigan University at Ann Arbor, where he was graduated with honors in June, 1881, receiving the degree of A. M. He then entered upon the study of law, with a view to practicing in that profession, which he continued to tile time of his father's death. IHe then entered the Farmers' National Bank of Constantine, where he remained four years; he was Cashier a portion of the time, and was elected Vice President. He is still a stockholder in that concern. By the death of his father he was prevented from continuing the study of law, as the various business interests demanded his full attention. Our subject is the son of DIaniel and Charlotte (Markham) Schurtz. The father was born near Milton, Curberland Co., Pa., Dec. 12, 1815. Ile was a farmer, and when a young man he was a merchant, but his later years were devoted to agricultural pursuits. Ite emigrated to this county in the spring of 1839, when the country was new. I-e died Jan. 25, 1882. Hle was married to Charlotte Markham, in November, 1846; she is a daughter of Aralzamon and Flora (Case) Markham. Both her parents were born in Connecticut; her father died in 1867. and the mother Aug. 11, 1887. at the advanced age of ninety-one years. The father was the son of Tobias Schurtz, of German descent. He is now deceased. Our subject is the second son of his father's family. His brother, Charles R., was graduated from Hillsdale College, and later married Augusta Walker. iHe died in 1885, from consumption, at the age of thirty-seven years. I-e left three children-Arthur, Zoe and Daniel. His wife and children now live in Goshen, Ind. The mother of our subject came to this county with her parents in 1838, from Connecticut. The family settled at the west end of White Pigeon Prairie in Mottville Township, where her father bought a large tract of land. Ite lived there and brought his farm to a high state of cultivation. The lady was born in Massachusetts, Nov. 10, 1823. Our subject lives with his mother on the old homestead; the residence first erected on the farm was burned in 1885, by the explosion of a gasoline stove. By this fire they lost the greater portion of their household effects, and were left without even a plate or a knife and fork. They erected their present magnificent residence in 1886. It is built of brick, is 40x48 feet, two stories and a basement. The entire establishment is lighted with and the cooking is done with gas, which is made on the premises from gasoline. The building is warmed by hot air from one of the latest improved furnaces, located in the basement. Hard coal is used for fuel. Each room in the house has a cold and a foul air chamber which connects with a flue adjoining the chimney, and by this system all the vitiated air is drawn off, and the entire house is kept constantly supplied with pure air from the outside. The house is also equipped with all necessary bathrooms, water-closets, sewers, and the latest appliances calculated to bring the residence to the highest possible sanitary condition. A large tank in the top of the house is filled with soft water, which is carried from the roof during the rainy seasons into the tank. When the tank is filled the surplus water passes through an overflow pipe into large cisterns underneath the house. From this tank the soft water is supplied to all parts of the building. The entire house is furnished in an exceedingly lavish manner from kitchen to parlor. The old homestead, on which our subject resides with his mother, contains 200 acres, and his brother Charles, at the time of his death, owned a farm ad N. opo-: - -R L g a L ---------------------------------------- _ — q *ON H 0400 ___. i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *b -,a I ( 468 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I joining which contained 340 acres, the management of which, in addition to the home farm, devolves on our subject. Tile entire tract of land under his control is devoted to general farming, is thoroughly equipped with all labor-saving devices, and a full complement of the necessary barns, cattle-sheds and other out-buildings for the profitable conduct of the business. From the foregoing sketch it is obvious that Mr. Schurtz has always fully availed himself of all the privileges of instruction to which he found access. A distinguishing characteristic of his is the possession of a great quickness of mind and a talent to grasp the details of any matter or business that may claim his attention. He takes a leading place among the noble, high-minded citizens of the country, who are foremost in all matters pertaining to the educational and political advancement and general welfare of the public in the communities where they live. ANIEL R. PARKER, Justice of the Peace I) of Sturgis, is an old and time-honored citizen of St. Joseph County. He was for many years a prominent member of its farming community, but in 1884 retired to his present home in town, although he still owns one of the finest and best improved farms in Southern Michigan. His parents, John and Elizabeth (Leiser) Parker, were among the earliest pioneers of this county, and were well known and highly respected in their day. Our subject, coming here with them in 1830, when a bright, intelligent, observing lad of twelve years, has witnessed almost the entire growth of this and adjoining counties from the wilderness that then prevailed, and as soon as he became old enough he shared the labors of clearing away the primeval forests, draining the swamps and otherwise preparing the land for cultivation, and has done his part in promoting the material prosperity and advancement of St. Joseph County to one of the richest and fairest agricultural regions to be found in the Northwest. Mr. Parker talks very interestingly concerning those old pioneer days, and the hardships and trials endured by the courageous, patient, self-sacrificing men and women who came here more than half a century ago, determined to conquer the wilderness, and build up for themselves and their children comfortable, happy homes. He tells us also of the great and almost marvelous change that has been wrought by them and their successors within the sixty years that he has been here, wherein' the primeval forests have given way before the march of civilization to busy towns and thriving cities, as have also the malarious swamps and wild prairies, which have likewise been turned into smiling and productive farms in many places. Thus by the hand of man the very face of Nature has been greatly changed. The native tribes of the forest who once made their home here were still numerous in the third decade of this century, they not having been removed beyond the Mississippi, and there were many wolves, (leer, wildcats, turkeys, some bears, and a panther was killed at King's Lake by an Indian after Mr. Parker came here. Much of the food of the pioneers cohsisted of game, and our subject became an expert hunter, and kept the larder well supplied. The people generally made their homes in rude log cabins, there being but few frame houses here in the early (lays of settlement, and they lived in the most primitive manner, as they were obliged to dispense with many luxuries, so far were they from the centers of civilization. But few of the clearings of the pioneers were fenced, Messrs. Buck, Sturgis, Hopkins and Stewart being the only men who had fences around their farms at that early date. Our subject was born Oct. 27, 1818, in Lycoming County, Pa. He comes of good stock, and his uncle, James Parker, was a gallant soldier in the War of 1812. The father of our subject was born in Lancaster County, Pa., of which State his mother was also a native. In 1823 they removed to Livingston County, N. Y., and from there in 1830 came to this county. They settled on a tract of wild land on section 11, Sturgis, township 8, range 10, and began the pioneer task of developing a farm. Our subject grew to a stalwart and active manhood under the pioneer influences that prevailed in this county in the early days of its settlement. He pl r -L- I 0 sbw-4& - ~1 ~- I — milli ~-ll I 1 i -I I ~MOPO P- F -~ - _V-.- -. A 4 l * - p"- -- — — I- I- I — Lii - t ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 469 A - -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ received his education in a subscription school, which was conducted in a log cabin, with slab benches on pins for seats, and a board against the wall for the pupils to use for a desk to write on. He was reared to the life of a farmer, and has always pursued that calling. He has a valuable farm of 140 acres on section 12, this township, and also owns eighty acres on sections 14 and 15, sixty acres of which are well improved. All the land devoted to tillage is under a high state of cultivation. The farm is finely situated, and is amply provided with a good class of buildings, admrnirably adapted to their various uses, and among them we may mention a commodious and pleasant dwelling, and a large and substantially built barn. Our subject was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Aikin, April 13, 1848. Their pleasant wedded life was of brief duration, for Sept. 5, 1856, the beloved wife closed her eyes to the scenes of earth. She was in every respect a womanly woman, a true homekeeper, of whom it may be said "It is good to know they have been although they are no more." She was a daughter of John and Elizabetl Aikin, and was a native of Delaware. Of her marriage with our subject four children were born, three of whom are still living, as follows: Olive, who keeps house for ler father and looks after his comfort; Henry, who married Lizzie Wikle, and lives in Toledo, Ohio; HIomer, who married Mary Schermerhorn, and lives on the old homestead; they have one child, J. Bruce, who was born June 5, 1885, and is a fine little fellow, his grandfather's pet and pride. Mr. Parker is a man of great practical sagacity, of sound common sense, and is advanced and progressive in his views. He is a stalwart Republican, uniting with the party on its formation; in early days he was a Whig, and voted for the hero of Tippecanoe in 1840, and for his grandson, Benjamin Harrison, in 1888. Religiously, he is broad and liberal in his sentiments. He is an esteemed member of the Masonic fraternity and also of the Grange. He was elected Justice of the Peace in April, 1883, and served so satisfactorily that he was re-elected to the same position in 1887. He has held the various school offices, and was Highway Commissioner for two terms. Ile, however, is not an office-seeker, m _-. much preferring the quiet of his comfortable home to the distractions of public life, and when he was elected Supervisor of the town he declined to serve. His career through life shows him to be a man of unblemished honor, whose acts are guided by high principles, and none know him but to respect him. OHIN FREEMAN. The most successful farmers are those who were inured to its labors from boyhood, and of this class the subject of this sketch is an admirable example. Born in Yates County, N. Y., July 2, 1833, he was reared upon one of the most pleasant farms of the Empire State, situated in Milo Township, near the city of Penn Yan. His education was acquired in the common school, and he was trained to those habits of industry and economy which insured his success in life. He is now one of the most prominent and highly respected residents of Flowerfield, a man looked up to by his fellow-citizens, and one whose personal and business life has been eminently worthy of record. John Freeman, the father of our subject, was a native of New Jersey, and was born Feb. 24, 1788. HIe was a farmer by occupation, and departed this life at the homestead in Milo Township, Yates Co., N. Y., in February, 1869, at the age of eightyone years. The mother, Mrs. Lydia (Briggs) Freeman, was born May 30, 1804, in Yates County, within whose limits she spent her entire life. She too passed away at the old homestead, before the decease of her husband, her death taking place about 1858. The household circle included ten children, five sons and five daughters, eight of whom are now living. Benjamin F., the eldest, married Miss Esther McIntyre, and is farming in Barrington Township, N. Y.; Oliver married Miss Sarah Clark, and is living in Clinton County, this State, engaged in farming; Elizabeth became the wife of Augustus Bain, and died in Yates County, N. Y., in May, 1887; Marietta married Stephen J. Raymond, and they live on a farm in Yates County; John, our subject, was the fifth child. Our subject continued a resident of his native county until reaching man's estate, and was mar-.t) _.A l__ ~, "F-wPCT'- N m -— IC I C-qq-`T -- w I - o - 4 I I LJ 1: -A - I I I r I —1I I ~ I r rccl --- —--------- ~ --- 470 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. ried in Milo Township, March 20, 1860, to Miss Adelia Wheeler. This lady is a native of the same county as her husband, and was born Sept. 20, 1839. Her parents, George C. and Polly (Shaver) Wheeler, were natives of Easton, that State. The former, born Jan. 15, 1804, died June 19, 1885; the latter, born Dec. 21, 1807, resides in Yates County, N. Y. Of this union there were born three children: Edson W., the eldest, was born April 19, 1863, in Milo Township, N. Y.; he is now a resident of Dubuque, Iowa, and in the employ of the Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas City Railroad. Ella D., the second child, was born in Flowerfield Township, this county, April 20, 1868, and married William H. Weinberg, Nov. 8, 1888. Della E. was born April 20, 1868, and is now the wife of Mr. Fred Hammond, a well-to-do farmer of Schuyler County, N. Y.; Mr. Hammond is a native of New York State. Ella D. and Della E. were twins. Mr. Freeman came to the State of Michigan in the winter of 1863, settling in l)ecatur, occupying himself thereafter for a period of one year in the lumber business. Later we find him otherwise engaged as an employe of the Michigan Central Railroad Company. After three years of this service he came to this county, settling on his present farm of 170 acres on section 24, Flowerfield Township. Upon this he has effected good improvements, and has a ready market for his produce at Three Rivers. He has been fortunate in his farming operations, having accumulated a good property and gathered around himself and his family all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. A member of the Republican party since its organization, Mr. Freeman cast his first Presidential vote for John C. Fremont, and has remained faithful to his first principles for a period of over thirty years. Soon after coming here he was elected Highway Commissioner for a term of three years, and re-elected, serving from 1868 to 1875, with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. Later he was made Township Treasurer, holding this office six years, and was subsequently elected a Justice of the Peace, being the incumbent of this office sixteen years. In the spring of 1887 he was elected Township Supervisor, and re-elected in the spring of 1888. In addition to his farming operations he has been largely engaged in the buying and shipping of grain. Mrs. Freeman is a lady greatly respected in her community, and a member in good standing of the Baptist Church. The wife of our subject was the youngest of seven children, and her father spent his last years in the Empire State. The mother is still living at the old homestead in Milo, being cared for by her daughter Janet. One brother, Aaron, died in infancy; Catherine E. became the wife of William P. Capell, a native of Yates County, N. Y., and died in Milo in 1882; Angeline married John E. Harris, and died in the year 1874; Carlton is carrying on a grain business at Wall Lake, Iowa; he married Miss Caroline Trowbridge, who died in Decatur, Mich. Iis second wife was Miss Cora Bugbee, a native of this State. Minerva married Archibald Thayer, of Milo, N. Y., and resides in that place. 1 OHN CULOW. The subject of this sketch is one of the most thrifty German farmers I of Flowerfield, the record of whose life is in its main points as follows: He was born in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg, in 1826, where he spent his boyhood d and youth and was reared to man's estate, receiving a practical education in his native tongue. While still a youth he learned the trade of tailor, which he followed until coming to the United States in 1857. His first experience as a farmer in the New World was upon the soil of Michigan, he coming directly to this county and locating in the vicinity of Centreville. Here he was employed by the mlonth for one Mr. Patchen, and later operated the farm of the latter on shares a period of five years, and until 1863. In the fall of that year he made his first purchase of forty acres, and the spring following purchased another forty acres adjoining the first. In the fall following he added to his real estate by the purchase of 120 acres in Flowerfield Township. In 1876 he sold this to his son-in-law. He has been abundantly prospered, and is numbered among the well-to-do citizens of the county. Mr. Culow was married in White Pigeon, April l I Il ob — fk I ~- I r ~- II ~-Y 1 31 ~ I I e~-~~ —~CC ---())LL~ Ilow V - -- - ---— ~ f f - --- - -— --— --- ---- _!:L - ^ I ~ L —F II a - ~ ' — I L - - - -— ~ — ~ ----L- L ----~I_~~-I-IL LC --- —_L a b ST1. JOSEPHf) COUNTY.L' 471 X ST. I JOSEPH COUNTY. 471 i -- I 17, 1857, to Miss Sophia Timm. This lady was also a native of Germany, and born in 1829. She is the daughter of Lewis and Hattie Timm, and of her union with our subject there have been born four children, of whom but three are living. The elder daughter, Elizabeth, is the wife of Christopher Timr, a well-to-do farmer of Flowerfield Township; Lydia, Mrs. Thomas Iolmes, is a resident of Marcellus, her husband being a popular salesman in a dry-goods house. Their only son, Charles, remains at home with his father; he married Miss Henrietta, daughlter of Henry Cooper, of Flowerfield, and they have three childrenMIyrtie, John and Elsie. Mr. Culow is one of the most reliable members of the Republican party, a man in favor of the enforcement of law and order, and willing to give his support to the measures calculated to advance the people. As a farmer he has attained a fine reputation for thoroughness and skill, and stands second to none, both as connected with his vocation and as a member of the community. Ile and his excellent wife are members in good standing of the Evangelist Church, and the family is held in the highest respect in the township, whlere they have made for themselves a good record. I OHN G. NORTtIHRU P, widely and favorably known throughout Flowerfield and vicinity, came with his stelfather, Joseph Noyes, to Manchester, Washtenaw Co., Mich., when a little lad six years of age, from Genesee County, N. Y., where he was born Oct. 17, 1829. Ite was reared to manhood in this county and acquired his education in the common schools of Flowerfield Township. The family removed to the village about 1836, where Mr. Noyes carried on blacksmithing. The parents of our subject wert Samuel and Sarah (Hicks) Northrup, the latter of whom died when over sixty years of age. The father was a farmer by occupation, and upon first coming to Michigan lived in different parts of the county, employing himself at whatever he could find to do in order to gain a foothold. Our sub ject in the fall of 1854 took up eighty acres of Government land in Flowerfield Township. Hle was married, Aug. 23, 1857, to Miss Maria J. Fonda. This lady was born in Rome, N. Y., Dec. 6, 1841, and in 1847 came with her parents to this county, they settling in Fabius Township. Her father, Jacob L. Fonda, was also a native of New York State. Hle was a farmer by occupation. lie died in Fabius Township in 1860, at the age of fifty-nine years, five months and ten days. The mother, Mrs. Nellie Ann (Van Patton) Fonda, died at the homestead in Fabius Township, Dec. 5, 1886, at the advanced age of seventy-nine years and nine months. She was a miember of the Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Northrup began their wedded life in Flowerfield Township, and of their union there was born a family of fourteen children, ten of whom are still living and residents mostly of Michigan. Three of the deceased died in infancy. Lydia Ann was married, June 30, 1888, to Mr. George lardy, and they are living on a farm in Marcellus Township; Sarah J. is the wife of Emery Swinehart, and they live in Marcellus Township; Charles A., a promising young man nearly twentyfour years of age, makes his home at Flatbush; Mary L. is the wife of Jackson Romick, of Marcellus; Oscar F., Florence, Blanche, Clifford, John and Freddie, are all at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Northrup have had a full experience of pioneer life, Flowerfield at the time of their coming here giving little evidence of its present importance, being only a station from which to obtain supplies. Mr. Northrup has signalized himself as a thrifty and useful citizen, one held in due respect among his neighbors. -.4-+-~ I~~~_t_;l~~t ~ C SAAC G. BLISS. The spring of 1854 found the subject of this sketch establishing his residence on section 16 in Flowerfield Township, where he had purchased eighty acres of land, twenty acres of which had been broken and upon which stood a log house. He had purchased this property of William Whited, and at once proceeded with its further improvement. He was prospered ~~119~811.-~11~~~ C 1IIII IICI+~F'IV- 711II~~~~- ~~C- I- II le ~ -- ~~~ — - II C —..d m 1 L opm., rI m -19~~ --- --- ---- - - - -- - -- -. —d.- -— ~ 472 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -4E in his labors, bringing this farm to a good state of cultivation, erecting the necessary buildings, and in due tine adding to his possessions until he became the owner of 480 acres, nearly the whole of which has been brought to a good state of cultivation. It is located about one and three-fourths miles from Howardsville, and constitutes one of the most desirable estates in the county. The Bliss family has become widely and favorably known throughout this region as the synonym of all that is substantial, and the exponent of the best element of the civilization of the present day. A native of Ontario County, N. Y., Isaac G. Bliss was born in the town of Bristol. in 1823, and grew to manhood in his native State, acquiring a common-school education. He was at an early age made familiar with the various employments of farm life, and thus upon coming to the new State of Michigan was fairly well fitted to enter upon the duties before him. -le had been married in his native county to Miss Louisa Pixley, who lived to be only a little over thirty years of age, her death taking place at their home in Flowerfield Township about 1867. Mr. Bliss, on the 7th of June, 1868. contracted a second marriage, with Miss Margaret Huber. This lady was born Nov. 29, 1852, in Pennsylvania, and was brought by her parents when an infant, to Michigan. The latter, George and Fanny (Rigle) Huber, were natives of Pennsylvania and the father a farmer by occupation. He died in Marcellus, this State, at the age of fifty-four years. The mother is still living there, being aged about sixty-two. Mrs. Bliss has five brothers and two sisters. The eldest brother, Nelson, is a farmer in Marcellus Township; Loren lives in Otsego, this State; Alfred, Kersy and William are also residents of Marcellus Township, the latter making his home with his mother and occupying himself as a teacher; Lucy is the wife of Ransom Butler, and they live in Wexford County on a farm; Mary is the wife of Benjamin Van Valkenburg, and they live in the village of Marcellus. One brother, John, died in Marcellus when thirty-three years of age. There were also five brothers of the Bliss family. Joseph, the'eldest, was farming in Texaswhen last heard from; Isaac, our subject, is the next in order of birth; Joslhua is married and lives at Tona wanda, N. Y.; John died at the home of our subject in Flowerfield, at the age of fifty-six years. One sister, Zilpha, is the wife of Andrew Conklin, and lives in Van Buren County, this State; Jenett, the wife of Anson Owen, is a resident of Canada. The brothers deceased are: Otis, who died when an infant, and Seth, who died in Buffalo at the age of fifty-eight years. To Mr. Bliss and his first wife there were born a fine family of five children: Hiram 0. married Belle Hull, is a resident of Three Rivers, and a practicing attorney and insurance man; Grant is married and carrying on farming near the homestead of his father in Flowerfield Township; Ruth Alice died when about three years of age and Phebe Elsie at the age of four; William died when a little child of two. The mother of these children died at the homestead in Flowerfield Township, in 1867. Of the second marriage of our subject there were born four childrenNellie, Ada, Bertha and Earl. Nellie was born Sept. 6, 1870, married Wesley Guthrie, and died at her father's home, June 28, 1888, at the early age of seventeen years, nine months and twenty-eight years. Ada was born July 8, 1874; Bertha, March 28, 1878; Earl, May 6, 1879. In politics Mr. Bliss is a stanch Republican. J AMES THORNTON, a dealer in grain. has long been intimately connected with the prosperity of Sturgis as one of its foremost busiliess men. He is a native of Lake County, Ohio, where his birth occurred Feb. 15,'1826. He comes of sturdy New England stock, and from his ancestry inherited those traits whereby he has made life a success. His father, Mathew T. Thornton, was a native of New Hampshire, and an early settler of Lake County, Ohio. Thence he brought his family to Jackson County, Mich., in 1838, and settled in Pulaski Township as one of its pioneers. In those early days the country roundabout was mostly wild and unsettled, as our subject, then a bright, observing lad of twelve years, well recollects. A few Indians still lingered, and used to come to his father's house to beg or trade. Wild animals were plentiful, and our subject remembers i! obo — ~C1. I - -~I Irr~~~~ ---- -— ~1~~ —~~~ — 1111~~-~e L~ -~~- L~~C-LL~ IC~-~~~e~-~ I~~ II)ommI a-bolb. I. i-ig V-4 I_ 4 t pp '1E-e9 ji i ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 473 II - having seen droves of as many as ten or fifteen deer at different times. Hillsdale was at that time lut a feeble settlement, and the only railroad in the State was the primitive one of wooden strapped rails, with cars drawn by horses, which connected Adrian and Toledo. He of whom we write gleaned his education in a subscription school that was conducted in a log cabin, which was provided with slab benches for seats, and had a huge fireplace across one end of the building, the chimney being of sticks and clay, and the roof of clapboards. After he became of age our subject engaged in farming until 1853, when he followed the gold seekers to California, going by the Panama route. He mined for gold until the fall of 1854, when he came back to Jackson, Mich. In the spring of 1855 he traveled through Illinois, and then returning to Michigan, embarked in the lumber business at Otsego, continuing in that line until October, 1856. Then, after a visit in Jackson, he came to Sturgis and opened a small grocery store in an old wooden building on the northwest corner of Chicago and Nottawa streets. He carried on the grocery business until the spring of 1864, when he sold out in order to cross the plains to Montana, to prospect awhile. He returned in the fall of that year, and established himself in the grain business in this place. The following winter he went to Iowa to engage in buying and feeding stock at Wilton Junction, and closing out his stock business in June, 1865, he once more came back to Sturgis, and resumed his (lealings in grain at the old stand, and has ever since been profitably engaged in it, carrying on a large business. He owns five-sevenths of the brick block on the corner where he now has his headquarters, it being on the same ground where he first began business here more than a quarter of a century ago. The building is three stories in height, 33x75 feet in dimensions, and contains a store, meat-market, the printing-office of the Journal, and a commodious hall in the third story. Mr. Thornton has been twice married. His first marriage was to Miss Julia Jones, a daughter o4 Horace Jones, of Mendon Township, the date of their wedding being Oct. 16, 1860. Of the two children born of that union but one, Hattie, is now living. Mrs. Thornton died in 1872. Mr. Thornton's marriage to his present wife took place in the fall of 1873. Mrs. Thornton's maiden name was Melvina Wing, and she was born in the State of New York. Her father was Jason Wing. Mrs. Thornton is a zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and works earnestly for the good of the cause. Mr. Thornton has always been an active, wideawake man, and has had an extended and varied cxperience in life. In all his business transactions he has conducted himself with the same honesty and probity that long ago gained him the trust and respect of all with whom he came in contact. He is a valued member of this community, and through his enterprise has added to its material wealth. He takes a genuine interest in the welfare of his adopted town, and is active in promoting the various measures for its advancement, freely using his influence and money for that purpose. In him the Republican party of this locality finds one of its most useful members. \7,/RI'REDERICK WOODS. This venerable pioneer of Michigan Territory came to what was then the Far West as early as 1833, at a time when the deer were roaming plentifully over the country and the Indian still hovered around the place from which the smoke of his wigwam had not long since departed. It is over fifty-five years since Mr. rWoods took up his abode in this county of which he has since been a resident. He is now well advanced in years and has had an experience which, if properly related, would fill a good-sized volume. In his prime he was more than ordinarily active and industrious, and met with success in his labors of subduing the soil and building up a homestead. He was at one time the owner of 208 acres of land; he now has 172 acres, but every foot of this is in productive condition and fully adapted to the rich crops of this section of country. It is located in Mottville Township and forms one of the old landmarks which will endure long after its builder has been gathered to his fathers. Our subject is of old New England ancestry, and _.p-,mUlg ~ - P I U -r - _ _ - ~ -----— ~-I ----— ~ — --— ~II --- — — ~ ~ I- II 1-000 - rkb a W P- m sI... ii (< I" 474 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. was born in Merrimack County, N.H., Sept. 10, 1806. His parents were William L. and Betsey (Dutton) Woods, also natives of the Old Granite State, the father born Jan. 7, 1776, and died March 29, 1847. His wife, Betsey, was born April 11, 1783, and (lied at the age of sixty-six years. They had a family of ten children, the record of whose births is as follows: That of Frederick, our subject, is already given; Maria W. was born Jan. 21, 1808; Dutton, Oct. 19, 1809: Fidelia, Dec. 1, 1811; Jeanette, Oct. 12, 1814; Lovillia, June 26, 1816; Julia A., Oct. 1, 1818; Benjamin F., Aug. 8, 1820; William D. I., Jan. 17, 1823; George A., July 29, 1826. Maria, Dutton, Jeanette and Julia are deceased. Fidelia is a resident of Port Hope, Canada; Lovillia resides in New Hampshire, and also George. The father of our subject during the latter years of his life was a stanch Republican, and a regular attendant of the Presbyterian Church. In occupation he was a clothier and miller combined. The mother belonged to the Baptist Church. Frederick, our subject, attended the common schools of his native State during his boyhood and was also employed on the farm. With the exception of four years spent in a factory, this has been his life occupation. His attention was attracted to the Great West in 1833, at a time when there were three Indians to one white man in Michigan Territory. This was about the time of the close of the Black ' Hawk War, and although various wanderers of the different tribes passed through this county after Mr. Woods had settled here, he never experienced any trouble with any of them. Shortly after his arrival in the county Mr. Woods took up forty-seven acres of land, and his career was one eminently successful from that time. Ten years later found him the owner of 280 acres, which even at that time was considered valuable. As a young man, hie was fond of woodland sports; was an expert with his rifle and brought down many a deer which pulled the scales at 150 pounds. At one time upon a wager he drove fifty deer to an island, and in one week he had killed six big fellows, winning the wager. His experience was similar to that of the other early settlers of this county, and he displayed in a marked degree their sturdy perseverance, never admitting any such word as " fail," and closely clinging to his first determination to stay " and grow up with the country." Like his father before him, his later years have been signalized by a close adherence to Republican principles. He has never been identified with any religious organization, but has always been careful and conscientious in his walk and conversation, aiming at all times to do what is right. The ancestral history of the Woods family is one of more than ordinary interest, and from David P. Perkins, of Manchester, N. H., our subject obtained the earlier records which we herewith submit. Samuel Woods was the original proprietor of the town of Groton, Mass., where he settled prior to his marriage about the year 1662. He is supposed to have been the ancestor of all of that name in Groton and the adjoining towns. The town as laid out originally was eight miles square. He owned an 11-acre right which entitled him and each of the other original proprietors to an equal division of the common lands of the township in proportion to the number of acre rights which they severally owned. His residence lot was situated a little south of the Lawrence Academy. To Samuel Woods and Alice, his wife, there were born the children named as follows: Thomas, March 9, 1663; Elizabeth, Sept. 17, 1665; Nathaniel, March 27, 1667; Mary, Aug. 2, 1670; Abigail, Aug. 19, 1672; Hannah, July 18, 1674. To Nathaniel Woods and Alice, his wife, there were born: Nathaniel, Oct. 19, 1694; Daniel, Aug. 10, 1696; John, March 4, 1698; Isaac, Feb. 20, 1699; Bathsheba, April 5, 1702; Hannah, March 16, 1704; Phebe, Feb. 13, 1705; Aaron, May 26, 1707; Moses, July 6, 1709; Reuben, April 11, 1711; Phebe, March 13, 1713; Jonathan, June 4, 1716. John Woods married Sarah Longley, June 3, 1725, and his offspring were: Sarah, born May 6, 1726; John, Aug. 27, 1728 (this one only living four days); Susanna, May 5, 1730; Alice, May 30, 1732; Lucy, May 18, 1735; John, Aug. 1, 1737; Benjamin, Oct. 13, 1739; Abigail, Jan. 21, 1745; David, Dec. 31, 1746. David Woods married Deborah Swallow, and to them were born David, April 25, 1771; married Miss Brooks, and died Oct. 19, 1848. Deborahl a N4 I — RF I --— I ..w r*~ll~~~~~.~j~~C~~I(II~~~C~~cllllr~ ~ ~ ~ ICIII IIC-~~~~~-~ll~~ IIIIC ~~~e~~ I ~~I, bI ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 475 SJ P-T OU Mrs. McClure, was born Oct. 5, 1772, and died Aug. 18, 1853; Sarah, Mrs. Barron, was born May 11, 1774, and died April 16, 1825; William L., born Jan. 7, 1776, married Betsey Dutton,and died March 29, 1846: Ezra, born Jan. 12, 1778, married Miss Lyon, and died Nov. 6, 1866: WVarren, born March 12, 1780, married Deborah Brooks, and died June 22, 1866; Silas was born Nov. 23, 1781, and was killed at the battle of Little Rock, Canada West, April 27, 1813, unmarried; Emerson was born March 21, 1783, married Miss Richardson,and died July 10, 1862; Charlotte, Mrs. Isaac Farley, born Aug. 25, 1785, and died Dec. 2, 1856; Ziba was born Feb. 22, 1787, married Harriet M. Smith, and died Aug 4, 1869; Imri was born June 14, 1789, m.arried Hannah Patterson, and died Feb. 10, 1869. The wife of Uncle Ziba was the grand-niece of the celebrated Ethan Allen. The paternal grandfather of our subject died about the year 1790, and his widow subsequently married an Eastman, and moved to Hollis, N. H., where she died. After their father's death the children separated and provided for themselves as best they could. William L., Ezra, Warren, Emerson and Imri lived and died in New Hampshire. David died in Ohio; Deborah and Sarah in Vermont; Charlotte in New Hampshire; Ziba in Illinois. Philindia Fowler was born March 22, 1803, and married to Frederick Woods April 22, 1833; she died March 2, 1843. Mr. Woods then was married to Mrs. Lucy Stuart, Jan. 30,1844. Mrs. Lucy Woods died Nov. 7, 1859, at the age of fifty-seven years and eight months. Jeanette died March 10, 1847; William L. died March 29, 1847. Mr. Woods was a third time married, to Miss Caroline A. Vankirk, July 18, 1860. She was born July 14, 1835. f, S - <*) to this county with his parents, they locating on a tract of Government land near the present site of Three Rivers. It will readily be guessed that his parents were of more than ordinary intelligence when we find that lie was given a first-class education, completing his studies in EIillsdale College. About this time the outbreak of the Civil War called forth the best elements of patriotism in the country, and young Blue was among the first of those who signalized their desire to have a land in the preservation of the TUnion. His hopes, however, were doomed to disappointment, as being a non-resident of Hillsdale he was not accepted as a volunteer. I-Ie consequently remained at the homestead, and in due time was married. I-e and his young wife commenced the journey of life together on the old farm which he still occupies, and which remained the home of his honored parents until they departed hence. Isaac Blue, the father of our subject, and a native of Pennsylvania, was born May 5, 1809. I)uring the years of his early manhood lie evinced more than ordinary skill as a mechanic, and his services were much in demand. lie was equally as good a farmer, and spent the closing years of his life engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was called from his earthly labors April 5, 1875. He was an influential member of the Presbyterian Church, in which he had held all the offices and contributed liberally to its support. Iis wife, Catherine Bellmyer, was born in Montour County, Pa., in November, 1812, and they were married in 1836. They remained in their native State until after the birth of their six children. The record of these is as follows: Miss Ellie Blue became the wife of Frank Wilson, real-estate dealer of Faribault, Miinn., and they have two children; Margaret married Horace Reynolds, who operates a vegetable farm of forty acres in the vicinity of Golden City, Col., and they also have two children; Daniel B., our subject, was the third child; John B.., the youngest son, married Miss Jennie Boudman; they reside in Constantine Township and have three children, all daughters. When the parents first located in this county the Indians were still roaming over the country, and on his way to school Daniel B. often encountered deer and bears, which fled at his approach. They I, f ^ Al _0.1~. I J ANIEL B. BLUE has been a prominent )) figure in the growth and development of (I ottville Township, and there is in connection with his life and character a record of more than ordinary interest. A native of Northumberland County, Pa., he was born April 7, 1840, and leaving that region in his childhood came I ~""af~l~j~%-+l~lp l3~lla~llllllllllllll 3lr I I -— Qo - p —.A --------------- --------- --— ~- ------- - 1. - --------- --- ----— ~- - ------ opm. 'a Iq -__10 11 111101 ~1INWI M-IN --— *b-3 —1- ae dSB -, 4G STr. JOSEPHET COUNTY.L`Y 47I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. sojourned on the land which they first purchased a period of seven years, then purchased a partially improved farm of 112 acres, eighty of this being in timber. In due time there were added thirty-two acres, and in 1862 seventy acres. This land is all in one body, and makes one of the finest estates in the county. The parents of our subject after the marriage of their sons removed from the farm to White Pigeon, where they remained until the death of the mother, which occurred Oct. 11, 1879. She was a member in good standing of the Presbyterian Church. The father then lived around among his children, and spent considerable time in traveling. Iis death *occurred in Constantine Township on the old homestead, April 3, 1885, when lie was nearly seventysix years of age. I-e was a man universally respected 1)y all who knew him, and an expert hunter. Daniel B. excels in the use of the rod and line. Our subject upon emerging from the district school took a course of study at Hillsdale College, and afterward was for a number of terms engaged as a teacher. On the 22d day of October, 1867, he was married to Miss Kittie L. Laverty, of Constantine Township, and in due time there were gathered around their hearthstone seven children, all of whom are living and at home with their parents. Their eldest son, Charles T., was born in Mottville Township, March 13, 1869, and in 1887 was graduated from the White Pigeon school; he is now one of the most popular teachers of the county. Mattie was born Aug. 14, 1871, and is pursuing her studies in the above-named school, being one of its brightest lights; Harry was born ()ct. 20, 1873, and is also attending school at White Pigeon; Minnie May was born May 22, 1877, and is pursuing her studies in the district school; Frank was born May 9, 1879, and Katie M. Sept. 23, 1882; they are attending the district school. John J. was born Feb. 25, 1885, and remains the baby of the family. Mr. Blue, politically, is a decided Republican, and although no office-seeker, keeps himself well posted upon current events, and gives his support to the projects calculated to advance the interests of his party. In the spring of 1880 Mr. Blue purchased 213 acres of land, which he now occupies, it being the old homestead. This farm is all under a high state of cultivation, supplied with substantial and convenient buildings, neatly enclosed and crossed fenced, and having all the other essentials necessary to the modern rural estate. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party, and with his excellent wife, is a regular attendant of the Presbyterian Church, to the support of which they contribute liberally. EILLIAM BEARD, Under Sheriff of St. Joseph County, and a man finely adapted to his responsible position, is numbered among the prominent men of Mendon Village and vicinity. Ilis native place was the town of DeKalb, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., where he was born May 12, 1840. His parents were John and Percis (Pettengill) Beard, who were natives of Vermont, where they were reared and married. John Beard soon after his marriage left New England with his young wife, and took up his abode in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where he carried on farming successfully and lived to be seventyeight years old, his death taking place April 19, 1875. Leaving the Empire State in 1843 he came to Michigan, locating in WVaukesha County, where both parents spent their last years. The mother survived her husband until 1881, passing away when eighty-four years old. The family is of Scotch descent, and were originally numbered among the solid element of New England. The father was successful in his labors, financially, and accumulated a comfortable property. Their children, twelve in number, were named respectively: Caroline, Adeline, George, Warren, Samuel, Eveline L., Louisa, Holding, IMaria, William, I)exter and Leveret. William Beard was reared a farmer's boy, and completed his studies in the district school. I-e came to Michigan with his parents in 1844, and commenced farming on a tract of wild land, following this occupation until 1878. IIe then directed a portion of his capital into mercantile channels, engaging in general merchandising at Leonidas, tnd was thus occupied a period of nine years. At the expiration of this times selling out, V_ L Obo W -4mw!.I — li-llm ' ' —' I I1 1 mo mm o- -m *1 0 —C1I~ --- -- --- -~-~~sll ~ fs~bC1 FL e14.0 — iC ----- Ml - k mommmosoml -111, M " 110~ —,11 -— le - -—, --- —- -i ISO I I I "P. I0 I —LL CILl/ltl~I~ ST. JOSEPHI- C'OUN-UTY. 477 { _~~S.JS~ ONY 7 I le made arrangements to enter upon his official career as Under Sheriff of St. Joseph County. In the discharge of his duties he has made some daring arrests, and proved himself a courageous and efficient officer. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party, and has been quite prominent among its councils, officiating as Chairman of the Republican Club, and otherwise working in the interests of his party. He has been Township Treasurer two years, and is President of the Driving Park Association. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he is a Senior Warden, and by virtue of that office has frequently officiated in the Master's Chair in the absence of its regular imcumbent. He is a great admirer of the principies of Masonry, and during his twenty-two years' association with the fraternity has fully acquainted himself with its designs and labors, finding them nothing but good. Ile is also a K. of P., and a n member of the I. 0. 0.. In the latter he has occupied the various offices of his lodge. | Miss Lydia Nichols became the wife of our subject in 1868, and of this marriage there were no children. Within the last year Mr. Beard has erected a fine cottage in the eastern part of town, with a good barn and other conveniences, the whole forming a snug home for some fortunate family. In Mecosta County he has 320 acres of good land, iimproved with the necessary buildings, and ope rated by I. W. Ferris. yI\7? EVI J. KNAUSS, the leading harness and 1IK ( turf goods manufacturer of Mendon Village, L deserves no unimportant notice in a work of this kind. H-e carries on quite an extensive business, being not only a manufacturer of, but a dealer in all kinds of road vehicles, besides their locomotive power-horses. His establishment is located I on the south side of Main street, and he enjoys the patronage of the best element of St. Joseph County. Of excellent Pennsylvania stock, our subject was born in Northampton County, that State, Feb.' 27,:1851, and is thus a man in the prime of life. IIe was reared on a farm until a lad of fourteen years, then with the natural desire of youth for change, repaired to the town of Bath and commenced an apprenticeship at the trade of a harness-maker, serving three years. At; the expiration of this time he journeyed eastward to Newark, N. J., where he was employed as a journeyman one year. He now decided to visit the West, and accordingly in the spring of 1869 came to Michigan. Mr. Knauss upon coming to this State located first at Vicksburg, Kalamazoo County, but not being particularly pleased with the country in that section made his way to Mendon, this county, and worked at the harness trade two years. He had been fortunate in saving something from his earnings, and invested his little capital in livery stock, carrying on business in this line four years. Then selling out he established a harness business at Colon, where lie operated two years. Selling out. there also he returned to Mendon, Oct. 2, 1877, of which he has since been a resident. In this place Mr. KInauss made the acquaintance of the lady who afterward became his wife, he being married, Feb. 18, 1874, to Miss Esther Woolford. Mrs. Knauss was born Nov. 1, 1855, in Randolph County, Ind., and is the daughter of John and Mariah (Gable) Woolford, who were both natives of Indiana, and are now living in Michigan. Mr. and Mrs.. are the parents of two children: Nettie B., born April 3, 1876, and Anna M., May 29, 1883. The family residence is pleasantly located in the central part of the town, and its inmates number many friends among the people of this vicinity. Mr. Knauss carries about $5,000 worth of stock, and gives employment to ten men, operating the largest shop of the kind in St. Joseph County. As a harness-maker he has few equals, and has manufactured harness worn by the fastest trotters in the United States, among them "Roy Wilks," who shows a record of 2.12k. It is hardly necessary to say that these fast horses require the finest and best made harness, both for safety and good work. The product of the shop of Mr. Knauss finds a market all over the United States, from Maine to California. Considering the fact that he commenced in life a poor boy, dependent upon his own exertions, his career has been one remarkable for perseverance and industry. While serving his time without I W- —,% 010,10,110im Immill I I - ~~~ 11 I 11*1-e in ~1 - 1 III I1 I l -w- -.ml 9-b k 478 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. r } compensation from his employer, he was obliged tc work in the harvest field at intervals to obtain his clothing. He now occupies a good position among his fellow-citizens, socially and financially. -e votes the straight Democratic tikket, and has been a member of the City Council a period of five years. He is also Secretary of the Driving Park Association, in which position he has served three years. ILLIAM B. WYANDT. Over thirty years ago. in the spring of 1856, the subject of this sketch journeyed from his native State of Pennsylvania to the promising young commonwealth of Michigan. Like most of his brother pioneers, his pockets were not filled with silver and gold, and he commenced life in the West on a modest scale, locating on a tract of wild land on section 23 in Flowerfield Township. Since that time he has mostly been a resident of the Wolverine State, watching its growth and prosperity, and contributing his industry and worthy qualities as a citizen to her development and reputation. Our subject is the offspring of substantial stock, his father, John Wyandt, also a native of Pennsylvania, having been born in Union County, Jan. 30, 1799. He married Miss Julia Ann Barbin, a native of the same county, and who was born May 8, 1801. The parents accompanied their son to the West, and died in Flowerfield Township, this county, the mother Oct. 8, 1876, and the father Jan. 30, 1887. The household circle included twelve children, eight of whom are living. Catherine became the wife of Samuel Spiggelmyer, and is a resident of Fabius Township; John chose his home in the Buckeye State, and is now a resident of Tuscarawas County; Lewis died at the old homestead, Sept. 16, 1883; Polly is the wife of David Kline, and lives in Flowerfield Township; Joseph is carrying on farming in Flowerfield Township; Elizabeth is the wife of Isaac Smith, a well-to-do farmer of Mottville Township; Hannah is a resident of Mottville Township, and resides with her brother-in-law, Isaac Smith. William B. Wyandt was born in Decatur Township, Mifflin Co., Pa., Dec. 24, 1828, where he developed into manhood and acquired a commonschool education. In the meantime he learned the trade of blacksmith, which lie followed in his native State until coming to Michigan. Although afterI ward working at his trade considerably, he was soon seized with a desire for farm life, but not until I he had operated for a time as a blacksmith in Van Buren, Lagrange Co., Ind. Thence he returned to Michigan in the fall of 1865, and purchased a farm on section 23 in Flowerfield Township, where he also erected a shop, which he conducted in connection with agriculture, and which proved a great convenience to both himself and his neighbors. In the spring of 1878 Mr. Wyandt disposed of his property in this county, and crossing the Mississippi purchased 160 acres of land in Garfield Township, Pawnee Co., Kan. Two years later, however, he came back to Flowerfield Township, and in the spring of 1880 purchased his present farm. He still retains his Kansas property. In the spring of 1883 he moved to the old homestead on section 23, where he has since resided. Over thirtyfour years ago, on the 3d of August, 1854, he was married, in Snyder County, Pa., to Miss Judith Rauch. This lady was born in Middleburg, Union County, March 29, 1835, and is the daughter of H-enry and Rebecca (Siep) Rauch, who were also natives of the Keystone State, and who spent their last years in Pennsylvania. To our subject and his excellent wife there were born six children, one of whom, a little daughter, Lucina, died when eleven months old. The eldest son, John IT., was born Jan. 27, 1856, and was married to Miss Jennie Rand, of Minneapolis, Minn.; he is now a resident of St. Paul, Minn., and is occupied as a railroad engineer. Mary Ann was born Sept. 12, 1858, and married Daniel T. Fox, a native of St. Joseph County, this State, and the son of the well-known Charles Fox; they are living in Independence, Kan., where Mr. Fox is employed as a mason; they have one child, Myrtle Orrilla, born Oct. 31, 1882. Irven, born July 28, 1861, remains at home with his parents; Charles, born June 28, 1864, is also a railroad man, making his home near his brother in St. Paul; Fred Loren was born Sept. 28, 1866, and is now at home; Lucina, born May 29, 1870, died March 28. 1871. k 4"L"~~"""""lll~llll~~l"1""~111111111111111 III-~~L~~~JB~B-~Eb * I Bb~-11 "~-LI1 1121 — ~ - IC II. LII- _ rlC ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 479 1 --- --- I I ig i A i i I i i z i I i i i i During the progress of the late war Mr. Wyandt enlisted as a Union soldier Sept. 3, 1864, in Company A, 142d Indiana Infantry, serving until the close of the war, doing duty mostly in Tennessee, and being mustered out at Nashville, June 28, 1865. Politically, he is a sympathizer with the Greenback and Union Labor parties. Both he and his estimable wife are connected with the United Brethren Church, attending services in this townshliI. -t ' IRAM CASE is an old and honored resident of St. Joseph County, he having lived here, / with the exception of three years spent in Indiana, ever since 1834, there being but few men now living who were here at that early period in the settlement of Southern Miohigan. For many years he was actively and prosperously identified with the farming interests of the county, but having gained a competency he has lived in retirement in his comfortable home in Sturgis since 1874. lie still owns, however, a farm in this township, which, in point of improvement and cultivation, is as valuable as any within a circuit of many miles, and from it he derives a good income. Mr. Case was a boy of fifteen when he came to Michigan in Territorial days, fifty-five years ago, and he has therefore witnessed the great strides that this part of it has made from its primeval wildness to its present high state of civilization, and as soon as he was old enough he took a hand in its development, and has done his share toward promoting its growth. Mr. Case was born in the town of Spencer, Tioga Co., N. Y., March 20, 1819. His father, William Case, was a native of Hebron, N. Y., and was there reared and married, Miss Polina Rolelee, a native of Washington County, N. Y., becoming his wife. When our subject was quite small they removed to Ontario County, N. Y., and there the father died in 1831. His wife died in 1850. Hiram Case spent the early years of his boyhood in Tioga and Ontario Counties, gleaning an education in the primitive schools of those days. After his father's death he went to Washington County, in the same State, and from there came to Con stantine, in this county, in 1834. April 7, 1842, he was married in that place to Miss Laura Ketchum, and in their pleasant wedded life of forty-seven years nine children have been born to them, six of whom are living. The deceased were Richmond (who died Sept. 7, 1886, at the age of thirty-eight years), William and Harriet. Those living are Mary, Caroline, George, L. Alice, Sarah and Eben T. Mary married Albert Ives, and they had one child, Hiram. Mr. Ives died, and Mrs. Ives married John Edwards; by this marriage she has three children-George, Laura and Carrie. Caroline married Delos Weatherwax, who is now deceased, leaving one child, Lewis Edwin; George married Matilda Beck, and they live in this township, and have two children-Hiram E. and Zella; Alice married Minor Hibbard, of this township, and they have two children-Clarence and Arthur; Saralh married George Hopkins, of Sturgis, and they have one child, Eben; Eben T. is Postmaster at Esconada, Cal. Mrs. Case was born in Allegany County, N. Y., July 23, 1823. IHer parents, George and Sarina (Gray) Ketchum, were natives of Connecticut and Massachusetts. In 1835 they left their home in Allegany County, N. Y., and settled on White Pigeon Prairie, thus becoming pioneers of this county. They died in Illinois, the former Nov. 18, 1865, and the latter July 4, 1861. In the spring of 1843 Mr. Case removed to a farm in Park Township, this county, and was actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in that place until March, 1854. At that time he moved to Lagrange County, Ind., and remained there until March, 1857. Then, settling his affairs there he returned to this State, and took up his residence in Sturgis Township. In the busy years that followed he devoted himself to the management of his farm, and so well did he succeed in its cultivation that he was enabled to lay up a handsome competence, and ere old age, with its attendant afflictions, came upon him he was justified in retiring from the hard labor and cares of a farmer's life to as cozy and neat a home as can be found in the town df Sturgis, going there to live Dec. 14, 1874. In the half-century or more that Mr. Case has been a resident of St. Joseph County he has become well known, and has ever been justly regarded with I qpr ~~.~ r~ll~ IIl q I r, ----e ~ ~,, _ k 1 1-_ Ak mh..- I I 11 I 1. 1 - 1II I~I* Il~C 9~I ~I-LI3 --- —-I-I — I~1I1I~-~-~~Bk~~a~_l f. Ik 480 STI. -JOSEP=LH COUNTY.T~ 4 - ' --- the greatest respect and consideration, as he is a man of solid worth, one in whom his fellow-citizens may safely trust. He is a man of much practical wisdom, and holds positive views on all subjects that interest him, and he is especially outspoken in his political sentiments, he being an uncompromising Greenbacker, thinking that the only party fora man to belong to "if he has no ax to grind." Mrs. Case is a sincere Christian, and a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. L AMDEN A. HECOX. One of the finest hI r ) farms in Nottawa Township b)elongs to the m_5 subject of this biography, and comprises a ) valuable tract of land 360 acres in extent. Upon it he has erected good buildings, with an especially fine residence, which, with its surroundings, forms the ideal rural home, and indicates on all sides taste, culture and means. Mr. Hecox is a gentleman born anl bred, as is indicated in his daily life, meeting both friends and strangers in that courteous manner which at once gives the most decided indication of his true character. Our subject's ancestors emigrated from Ireland at an early day (not on the "Mlayflower," however), and settled at Durham, Conn. Just 102 years ago., his grandfather, Adna Hecox, started for the then wilderness of Central New York, stopping at L" Big Tree" on the Genesee River, and engaged in surveying a large tract of land purchased of the Seneca Indians by Robert Morris. The Indian war came on, and Adna Hecox and six others of the surveying party were taken prisoners, and for three years lived, dressed and assimulated themselves as far as possible with Indian life, to save themselves. The defeat of the Indians in the West by Gen. Wayne having restored order, Adna Hecox married, in 1797, Polly Andress, and with his young wife started for the far western Territory of Michigan, and settled on Grosse Isle, eighteen miles below Detroit, where Hiram A. Hecox, the father of our subject was born, in the year 1800. The family continued to reside there until war was declared in 1812. Being surrounded by Indians who were massacreing the settlers on every hand, they has tened to Detroit, and were in the fort when Gen. -ull surrendered. After tle war they moved to Brownstown, sixteen miles below Detroit. and there Hirarm A. Ilecox married Relief Hazzard, who was born in Connecticut. in the year 1800, and moved to the Territory of Michigan in 1816 with her parents. And here on a farm, the deed of which, signed by President John Q. Adams, he now has in his possession, Hamden A. Hecox was born, July 19, 1826. His father, Hiram A. Hecox, in December, 1829, with his wife and two children, Hamden and Polly, moved to St. Joseph County, and here continued to reside until their death. Neither lived to be aged, the mother dying in 1836, and the father two years later, in 1838. To the parents of our subject there were born five children, only three of whom lived to mature years. These latter were Polly; Hamden A., our subject, and Harriet. Polly became the wife of Lewis Harris, and (lied near Ottawa, ll., about 1858, leaving a large family of children; Harriet, Mrs. Frank Nichols, resides in Perry, Iowa. Hamden A. Hecox was reared to manhood in Nottawa Township, where, with the exception of two years in California, he has spent the most of his life. Mr. Hecox crossed the "plains" in 1849 with an oxteam, requiring months to reach the Pacific Slope, wliee he engaged in mining and trade. For a period of nine years he was a traveling salesman in the agricultural implement trade, while at the same time he superintended the operations of his farm, hiring men to do the work. Mr. Hecox was married in Nottawa Township, March 15, 1848, to Miss Mariamnee Gee. Mr. Hecox after his marriage engaged in farming, and the young people commenced their wedded life in a log house on the farm upon which Mr. Hecox has resided for sixty years. Of their union there have been born six children, two only of whom are living, a son and daughter, Frankand Katie. Those deceased are; Mabel, Frank, Guy and Charles, who all died young. Mr. Hecox, politically, is a Republican "dyed in the wool," a man of decided views, liberal and public spirited, and foremost in the encouragement of the enterprises calculated to benefit the people around him. He has served as Township Clerk and filled other positions of trust. -. I 6 -..a- -r -i __ srr _ I - - _-~~ -C -~~l~eL~ -— LI --- ~_ I~e~~P-^~~~-~-l-~ --- —------ -- -- ~II nalsI~*lo I* pol/ A ~ r`'- — AI 'P ~---( --- —-qX Cc mft' Is ~~jl —Qbl]LI(J~~~~la~~llC111111311*lllllll~~~~~~l s Ill~~~IIL~~I~~l~ll~~ -~-~IIIII 1- --— CLLL I -~ -~r -Llcl~~~~~~~~~~~ll~*lrrr~ --- ---- -- - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 481 He and his family are regular attendants of the Baptist Church at Centreville. Mrs. Hecox was born in Ann Arbor. Mich., Nov. 25, 1831. Her parents were Benjamin and Sarah (Cross) Gee, who were both born in the State of New York. Their parents moved to Canada while they were yet young, where Mr. and Mrs. Gee were imarried in 1827. In 1828 they moved to the then Territory of Michigan, and settled at Ann Arbor. In 1836 they moved to Centreville, Mich. In 1858 MIr. Gee moved to the then Territory of Kansas. taking up a large tract of prairie land near Ft. Scott. The Rebellion soon broke out, and being a Union man the ' border ruffians " nade it hot for him, and he was obliged to abandon everything, and returned to Michigan, where he (lied at the residence of his son-in-law, in October, 1868. Mrs. Gee was afterj ward marrie(l to John Rutherford, of Centreville, and (lied at her home in October, 1687. | Mr. and( Mrs. Hecox, in an industrious life of more than forty years, have secured a reasonable competency, and have retired from active business, and say, that having struggled hard to climb up to where their shadows begin to lengthen, they would like to slide the balance of the way down the " hill of life." in the early days large numbers of the sub1 (f^J^ stantial Pennsylvania element of whomr the subject of this sketch is a most worthy descendant. I-e is now a well-to-do farmer of Flowerfield Township, to whose growth and development he has contributed by the opening up of a good farm and establishing one of its well-regulated homesteads. A quiet and unobtrusive citizen, he has pursued the even tenor of his way, attending chiefly to his own concerns, but always willing to give his influence and his more substantial support to the projects having for their object the best interests of the community. The native place of our subject was Snyder County, Pa., and his birth occurred Dec. 9, 1828. He was reared to manhood on the farm and acquired a common-school education, being at the same time trained to habits of industry and economy. He re nmained a member of the parental household until the death of his father, which occurred about 1827. In the fall of 1858 he came to this county, and for two years lived on the farm of his father-in-law, Mr. John Wyandt. He then removed to a point on the Chicago road about three miles west of White Pigeon, now known as the Shoemaker farm, which he occupied one year, and then in the spring of 1862 purchased his present place. The property of Mr. Kline comprises eighty acres of good land, upon which he has erected substantial and convenient buildings, has fruit and shade trees, a goodly assortment of live stock, and the farm machinery necessary for prosecuting agriculture in a satisfactory manner. In 1857 he returned to his native county, and was united in marriage with Miss Polly Wyandt. This lady was a native of that county, and was born April 28, 1835. After their marriage the young people re*paired to the home which our subject had provided in this county, and where they have since lived. The household circle was completed by the birth of nine children, two of whom died in infancy. The survivors are recorded as follows: Mary is the wife of Marshall Beadle, and they are living on a farm in Fabius Township; Albert S., Lewis W., Charles, Allie, William and Olie, are at home with their parents. They form a bright and interesting group, the youngest a lad of twelve years. The family belong to the Lutheran Church, and number their friends by the score in the township where they have made their residence for a period of thirtyone years. Both the parents of Mr. and Mrs. Kline were people held in the highest esteem in their community, and all were members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Kline, politically, votes the straight Republican ticket, and has supported the principles of that party since exercising the right of suffrage. John and Polly (Bowersauck) Kline, the parents of our subject, were, like their son David, natives of Snyder County, Pa. They both passed away many years ago, the mother dying in the year 1833 and the father about 1846. Their family consisted of twelve children, only four of whom are living: Rebecca, Mrs. John Kline, a widow, continues her residence in Snyder County, Pa., as do 4 [.d. IW 0 [] 0 wp - IF ----- alII -----. _4 400- m 0I4~~ ' 11 -- - I,, I ---9-I-_.Ad k.. (^ L 482 ST. JOSEIPH COUNTY.. 482 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. i also the other sister and brother of our subject; Sophia married Mr. George Stuck, and has been a widow many years; Samuel is a farmer by occupation, although mostly retired from active labor, being now fifty-eight years old. The two sisters and Samuel live within a short distance of each other, the home of the latter being about one mile of the sisters. ARON P. EMERY. The industrial interests of Mendon and vicinity find a worthy 1 representative in this gentleman, who is an extensive grower of peppermint, and distiller and wholesale dealer in essential oils. He is of substantial New England ancestry, anda was born in Northampton County, Pa., Nov. 3, 1833, being the son of Philip S. and Elizabeth (Miller) Emery. The parents were also natives of the Keystone State. and the father a farmer by occupation. They were most excellent and worthy people, and in early life identified themselves with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which the father served as Class-Leader many years. Philip Emery. leaving Pennsylvania in the year 1860, came to Michigan. and located in Marengo Township, Calhoun County, where he followed agricultural pursuits and continued to live until his decease, which took place in 1871. He acquired a comfortable property, and was a man held in high respect among his neighbors. The wife and mother is still living, making her home with her son, A. P. Emery. They were the parents of six children, three of whom are deceased. They were named respectively: Silas R., George W., Reuben P., Lewis C., Susan and Aaron P. Our subject was the eldest child of his parents, and acquired his early education in the public schools. Being of a mechanical turn of mind he directed his attention to civil engineering, learning the business in Belvidere, N. J., where he lived until 1853. Thence he came to Schoolcraft, this State, and for one year thereafter, changing his occupation somewhat, was bookkeeper for Judge Dyckman. Later he taught school in Michigan, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 1855 he purchased 120 acres of land on section 17 in Mendon Township, this county, the greater part of it being improved. To this he subsequently added, and now has in Mendon Township a fine tract 300 acres in extent. His residence in the village forms one of the ideal homes of the place, and its inmates are surrounded with all the comforts of life. Besides this property Mr. Emery has a hardware store which is the source of a comfortable income. Our subject commenced the growing of peppermint twenty-five years ago, and about that length of time has been engaged in its distillation. It has proved to him a very profitable enterprise. He purchased and sold in 1878 and 1879, 15 000 pounds, and the year following probably came up to the salne figure. He also deals in other essential oils. His operations extend not only throughout the United States, but to all parts of the world, London, and other principal cities of the Eastern Hemisphere. His long experience in the business has made him an expert, while his'remarkable business talents attract more than ordinary attention. He is strong, physically, and has a large and active brain. He has occupied many positions of responsibility and trust, and is at the present time (January, 1889,) engaged in settling up the business of the bankrupt dry-goods firm of Lewis Van Ness, who failed in 1885, being the choice of the eighteen creditors, whose claims amounted to $35,000. The fact that Mr. Emery was not required to give a cent of security is ample evidence of the esteem and confidence in which he is held in his community. In the spring of 1875 Mr. Emery was elected Supervisor of Mendon Township, and by successive elections held the office for a period of nine years. Jie is an uncompromising Democrat, politically, and the fact that he received the majority of votes in a Republican township is a fact worthy of mention. He was selected as Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, and also to represent them in the State Board of Equalization, which convened at Lansing in 1881. A man liberal and public-spirited, he has been from first to last the encourager and supporter of religious and educational institutions, and contributed largely to the building of the church at West Mendon, which would never have IR 1 I I. — 1C LI ~ I- — r~- 1 C r~ I r-,-.^w;i _^ __I_ I ~_ __I ___ -Z - - Ahml I Ig- il ii I I I L ST..JOSEPH COUNTY. 483 I been completed had it not been for his liberality. He in early manhood identified himself with the Methodist Episcopal Church. in which he has officiated as Class-Leader and Superintendent of the Sunday-school, holding the latter office a period of seventeen years. Hie identifiqd himself with the Masonic fraternity in 1872. Our subject was married to Miss Elizabeth J. Hutchinson in 1885, and they became the parents of six children. The eldest of these, a daughter, Emma, died when about eighteen years old; Lewis P. married Miss Minnie Child, and is living near Centreville; Alice is the wife of Lib Gakill, and they live in St. Joseph County. Mich.; Georgia, Mrs. Ryan, lives in Kalamazoo County; Lottie and Ella continue at home with their father. The present wife of our subject was formerly Mrs. Anne (Smith) Manson, the widow of James Manson, by whom she became the mother of two children-,John and James. These boys are living at Mendon. Mrs. Anne Emery is the daughter of John and Sarah Smith, the former born in Scotland and the latter in England: she was reared in the faith of the Catholic Church, to which she still adheres. HARLES J. SLOVER, the druggist of Mendon, is a native of this county, and was born in Colon Township during its pioneer days, Sept. 5, 1858. His parents, John S. and Eunice (Brown) Slover, were natives respectively of New York and Massachusetts. The father engaged in the mercantile business. He (lied in 1860, whilein New York City purchasing goods, and when his son, Charles J., was a child of two years. John S. Slover came with his widowed mother to Michigan, locating in Centreville, this county, where he pursued his early studies in the common schools. He took kindly to his books, and also learned to speak the German language. When a youth of seventeen years he entered the employ of Calvin Brunson, of Toledo, Ohio, as a traveling salesman, and in this capacity visited several of the Western States with a team, selling tobacco, and having a man to do his driving. He was thus occupied six years, and later was employed in a wholesale to bacco house at Toledo, Ohio. After marriage the parents of our subject took up their residence in Burr Oak, this county, and the father engaged in mercantile pursuits. Later he removed to Mendon. He made his purchases in New York City, and it was while upon one of these trips that his sudden death took place. He was a man of note in his commu. nity, officiating as Justice of the Peace a number of years, and occupying other positions of trust. He was reared in the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity. The mother is still living, and is now the wife of Louis A. Leland, who is a leading citizen of Colon, and in good circumstances. To the parents of our subject there were born three children: The eldest, a son, Ossian L., died when a lad of eight years; Olivia K. is the wife of Mr. Leland, of Colon; Charles J., our subject, was the youngest of the family at the time of his father's death, and lived with his mother until starting out in life on his own account. At the age of fifteen years he entered the drug-store of Mr. Beall at Mendon, with whom he remained until the business changed hands, in 1885. Then going to East Saginaw he was engaged there in the drug business about six months, then selling out changed his residence to Coldwater, where he occupied himself as a clerk. He returned home in the fall of 1886, and purchased a stock of drugs and other articles connected with the business, establishing himself in Mendon on the south side of Main street, where he is now building up a profitable and lucrative business. He, like his honored father, is destined to become one of the leading men of his community. He votes the straight Republican ticket, and is at present a member of the Village Council, having been elected to his second term. He has held the offices of Township Treasurer and Justice of the Peace, being elected to the latter in the spring of 1887, and still holding the office. In the Masonic fraternity he is a leading light, serving as Junior DeacQn and Secretary of his lodge in Mendon, and otherwise laboring for the good of the cause. On the 12th of January, 1879, Mr. Slover was united in marriage with Miss Georgia B. Beall, who was born in Mendon, this county, April 2, 1859, and is a well-educated lady. Mrs. Slover is the daughter -- -- -~ — --------- -— ~-~I -~ — -- -- ~ -- - ---- - Im i i i i I I I i Lt I I in. _ _ _ _ - L I 111 1111111111 _ I I ~ i ~ ~ ~ - ~ -r4C _I L _S96 W A A 1_sq OSN ba lie- _ C C~I0l _ _ au 484 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -9W -- I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ of Orson and Mary (Miner) Beall. Mr. B. was born in Vermont, and came to Michigan at an early day. In addition to his business as a druggist he speculated considerably in land. His death took place at his home in Mendon in 1886. Mrs. Mary Beall is still living, and a resident of Mendon. They were tile parents of three children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, Juelma K., died some years ago. Mrs. Slover was the younger of the daughters. Of her union with our subject there have been born two children-John S. and Juelma. Mr. Slover has a full stock of drugs and groceries, and also a full understanding of his business. He is at present (1889) engaged in a very successful enterprise, the compounding and selling of a remedy for the cure of headache, neuralgia and rheumatism, which has effected some remarkable cures, and bids fair to gain him quite a reputation. It isknown as "c Slover's Cure for Sick Headache." 'NDREW J. KAISER, of the firm of Evans & Kaiser, the leading grocers and bakers l(fi of Sturgis, is a man of much prominence in this community, where he is justly held in the highest esteem and respect by all who know him. He was a gallant soldier in the late war, in which he acquitted himself nobly, and received praise from the officers under whom he fought for his faithful and efficient services in the twenty-seven battles in which he took an active part. Our subject was born in the neighboring State of Ohio, in Wayne County, Nov. 2, 1841. His father, Andrew Kaiser, was a native of Baltimore, Md., and at the age of sixteen he went to Ohio. He there married Axey Harzett, who was born in Portage County, that State. To them were born nine children, of whom the following still live: Jacob, Harriet, Mary A., Elisabeth, Solomon, Jerusha, and our subject. Isaac was killed in the battle of Shiloh, while fighting for the Union, he having been a member of a Wisconsin regiment. Solomon was in Company G, 4th Wisconsin Cavalry, and served three years with credit. In 1861 the father of our subject moved with his family to Jackson County, Wis., and there he died in 1863. Ile was a veteran of the Mexican War, and was a man of strict integrity and( genuine worth. His estimable wife, who has attained the advanced age of eighty years, now makes her home here. When our subjectSjarrived at man's estate the great Civil War was raging in the South, and he resolved to enlist in'the defense of the institutions of his country, and he became a member of Company C, 4th Michigan Infantry, and was in active service for three years. He took part in the batties of Bull Run (1st), Newbridge, Hanover CourtHouse, Gaines' Mills, White Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill, Harrison's Landing, Culpeper Court House, Antietam, Shepherdstown Ford, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Kelley's Ford, Mine Run, Peach Orchard, Gettysburg; and he was in all engagements under Gen. Grant to Petersburg. Our subject was wounded at Malvern Hill by a ball in the left lower leg, and also by buckshot in the left thigh, the shot being in his person yet. At Malvern Hill he had three guns shot from his hands, and a ball, passing through seventeen layers of his blanket, knocked him down, stunning him, and he was left for (ead on the field of battle. His death was reported to his friends at home. who mourned him as dead, and held funeral services in honor of his memory, in Sturgis. Both in camp and in the field he proved himself to be a brave, capable soldier, always ready at the command of his Captain to attempt any feat or duty, no matter how difficult, dangerous or disagreeable, obeying all orders with promptness. After the war our subject returned to Michigan and engaged in the trade of brickmason, going to Hillsdale in 1869 in pursuit of that calling. In 1881 he returned to Sturgis, and established himself in his present business with Mr. Evans. They are doing well in their line, and have a large patronage. By honest industry and shrewd management our subject has acquired a comfortable competence, and he and his family have a cozy and attractive home. Mr. Kaiser and Helen Barton were united in marriage July 3, 1865. She is a woman of fine character, a sincere Christian, and a devoted wife and friend. She was born in the State of New York, in Wayne County, May 9, 1843. She is the daughter of Josiah and Susana Barton, of Hills I ii I r~ il IlllC~~lrCL_~lllpL~ CP ~ c-LI — - ------ - - -- -1111111- 'II I I PIIIY,~( -~_ 040, llpif III I l= ll-~PI~~rmeb m IIll- -~.3C- -Y I t,- ST. JOSEPH-I COUNTY. 485 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 485~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ dale, Mich., and the youngest of a family of nine children. EIer parents were devoted Christians, and strict members of the Episcopal Church. Her father is still living in Hillsdale, Mich. Mr. Kaiser is prominently identified with the G. A. R., as Commander of the local post in Sturgis, and he is a member of the orders of K. of P. and K. of L. -lTe and his wife are active members of the Episcopal Church, he having united with that church seventeen years ago. i SECK HILL, a practical, successful member of the farming comImunity of St. Joseph County, has one of the best managed and most desirable farms within its bounds, said farm being pleasantly and advantageously located on seetion 8, Sturgis Township. Mr. Ilil! was born in Pennsylvania, March 25, 1835, but though a native of the Keystone State, but very little of his life was passed there, as when he was still in his infancy his parents became pioneers of this State, and here he was mostly reared. The parents of our subject, Thomras and MaryI (Peak) Hill, were natives of England, and were reareda and married in the land of their nativity. In the year 1830 they left their home and friends in Derbyshire, and emigrating to the United States, settled in Pennsylvania. where they lived until 1836. In that year they came with their family to Michigan. After living for awhile in Tecumseh, Ienawee County, in the following year, 1837, they removed to a tract of land in Sturgis Township, which land is now owned and occupied by John Sturgis. The country was then in a wild, sparsely settled condition, with but few improvements. as the climate alnd soil had been so misrepresented as to retard emigration to what afterward proved a veritable garden spot. With the exception of one year spent in Illinois, moving there in 1838, and returning to this place in 1839, Mr. Hill and his wife spent the remainder of their lives here, the father dying in the fall of 1874, and the mother passing away in 1878. They were held in universal respect, not only as pioneers of St. Joseph County, but for their many fine personal qualities. Of their marriage thirteen I ___ children were born, nine of whom are living, namely: Mary, Mrs. Denio; Elizabeth, Mrs. Bunn; George, John; Jane, Mrs. Jacobs; Robert; Ellen, Mrs. Douglas; Eseck and Thomas. Eseck Hill was educated in the conmon schools of St. Joseph County, and when a young man learned the mason's trade. The same enterprising pioneer spirit that had led his parents to cross the seas more than a quarter of a century before, to found a new home in the wilds of Pennsylvania, and then to Michigan, moved our subject to try life on the wild prairies of some still newer State, ant( in 1859 we find him in Iowa County, Iowa, which was then a desolate region, where wild animals roamed at will, and the Indians made their home, there being but few white settlements there. For one year lie assisted in the management of a hotel in the village of H-omestead for the benefit of the emigrants and such other travelers as found their way to that part of the country. He then bought some land, which he farmed somewhat, although he still worked at his trade most of the time. But tie State where he had been rearedl possessed stronger attractions for him than the lHawkeye State, and in 1863 lie returned to this townshitl, and has ever since made his home here. He was actively and profitably engaged in the mason's trade until 1874, when he removed to the village to engage in the lumber business, which he carried on for two years. At the expiration of that time he accepted a position as conductor on the supply train of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad when it was being constructed, and he acted in that capacity for one season. He then turned his attention to tle grocery business in Sturgis. Later lie went to Illinois to run a supply train on tile Chicago, Danville & Vincennes Railroad for three nmonths, when he returned to Sturgis Village. The next year he removed to his farm on section 7, this township, and in the spring of 1881 settled on his present farm, where he has since made his home. He has made many valuable improvements, among which is a substantial set of buildings, comprising a handsome and commodious brick residence, on which he (lid all the mason work himself, and a fine frame barn. His land is under admirable tillage, and its rich soil yields abundant _^h I j I I WPPB"I --- on r-r- lur — I~IIII- I~I ---- II C 'I -- _I~~ Cm obw-~CI ---I -4 — r 4 t- "" O P-1 f-c113 --- — ~ — - ----— ~I —D —` --- —----- -J 0 "ROW _ __ ~ Il I I _- b-~I- - m v~-Wp *-~,-<( 486 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. harvests. His farm comprises 189 acres, and he has a half-interest in a farm of 160 acres in Sherman Township. Mlr. Hill, besides attending to the management of his own property, is administrator of his brother William's estate, and a guardian for one of his children, Ida Morris. January 1, 1856, Mr. Hill and Miss Eliza Hibbard were united in the bonds of matrimony. Mrs. Hill was born in 1835, in York State, Cattaraugus County, and is a daughter of Arunah and Rachel Hibbard, of Sturgis. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are the parents of seven children, six of whom live, as follows: Nellie, Dora L., Charles, Harry W., Jennie M. andl Ethel G. Nellie married Porter Garter, of Sioux Falls, Dak., and they have one child, Linens; Dora is the wife of George Garter. of the same city; Charles, who lives in Sturgis, married Miss Hattie W. Wallace, and they have two childrenWallace A. and Hazel M. Mr. Hill is an unassuming, frank, kindly man, and by his tact and consideration in his dealings with others he has won the favor aln liking of his neighbors, who regard him with thorough respect and reliance. Besides possessing those traits in a high degree that mark him an honest man and a good citizen, he combines forethought and sagacity with thlose qualities of thrift, prudence and steadiness of purpose that have made him prosperous. He and his wife are prominent socially, and he is a member of the Commandery in the Masonic fraternity. IL''ON H. ANDERSON, attorney-at-law, is f a prominent and influential citizen of Sturgis. where he has a large and remunerative law practice. He was born in St. Joseph, Mo., Aug. 21, 1859. He is of mingled Scotch and German origin, some of his ancestors having settled in the United States in Colonial days, and the Anderson family has since taken an important part ill National affairs, seventeen of its members having represented their respective districts in Congress, and two of the family having been rmembers of the United States Senate. Samuel Anderson, the paternal grandfather of our subject, from whom some of. the wealthiest families of Lagrange County, Ind., have descended, was a pioneer of that county, and built the first frame house there, in 1832. His son Hiram, the father of our subject, was the first white child born in Lagrange County, Ind., and there he was reared to manhood. He married Miss Mary E. Miles, who was born in Jefferson County, near Watertown, N. Y., in 1835. She is the daughter of the late William Miles, and great-granddaughter of Samuel Miles, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and loaned the Government a large sum of money to assist in paying the soldiers who fought so nobly in that struggle for freedom and independence. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Anderson took place in St. Joseph, Mo., in 1854, and of their union three children were born, namely: Allie and Mollie, both deceased, and our subject. Mr. Anderson was a representative man and a promibent citizen of St. Joseph, where he continued to reside until his death, in 1859. Mrs. Anderson, who now lives in Odebolt, Sac Co., Iowa, was again married, in 1864, to Mr. John Fraley, a hardware merclhant of that place, and of her second marriage two children have been born: William II., a clerk in the American House, St. Joseph, and Leona. Our subject spent the first thirteen years of his life in his native city, attending its public schools; he then went with his mother and stepfather to DeWitt, Clinton Co., Iowa, where he entered the High School, from which he was subsequently graduated, with a good record for scholarship. In the winter of 1876-77 our subject took a regular course of study at Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College, at Davenport, Iowa, and at the same time attended a course of law lectures. The following spring he entered the law office of K. W. Wheeker, of DeWitt, as a student, and in the spring of 1879 he was admitted to the bar of Iowa. In October, 1 880, our subject went to St. Joseph, Mo., and entered the law office of ex-Gov. Woodson, with whom he remained one year. The marriage of Mr. Anderson to Miss Libbie, daughter of the late John Barr, was celebrated in Sturgis, Sept. 12, 1881. In the fall of that year our subject established himself in business in Lagrange County, Ind., but his wife's health having failed he removed to Traverse City, Mich., where he remained Until 1883. In the fall of that year I r *ban IN I 4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I I f --- - - - " ---------— ~-~~1""1-"~"1-31"-~1 —~-~11-~ I I,I "r U &B U —A - IU~ *"-i - -'~ ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 487 I ' Mr. Barr, father of Mrs. Anderson, having died, he returned to Lagrange County with his family to take charge of the estate, and remained there until it was settled. In the spring of 1885 Mr. Anderson came to Sturgis, which he has since made his home, and opened an office here for the practice of his profession, and was admitted to the bar of Michigan in 1885. I-e is the representative for Sturgis of the Williamson Legal Directory and Collecting Agency of New York City, also general agent for Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana for the MaIufacturers' Accident Insurance Company, and general agent for the American Building and Loan Association for the State of Michigoan. Mr. Anderson is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and also of the Y. M. C. A., of Sturgis. Our subject is a man of keen, searching intellect, and has a marked genius for unraveling the knotty points of law. and is steadily gaining a tine reputation for legal ability. He already enjoys a lucrative practice, which is steadily increasing, and has been retained as counsel on some of the most important cases tried in the courts of Missouri and Indiana, as well as of Michi(an. Mr. Anderson has always, and repeatedly, declined to allow his name to be used in political conventions as a candidate for public office, yet he is a stanch Republican and an active worker in that party. |T,EN JAMIIN C. BUCK. To this gentleman b eltonts the distinction of being the oldest settler of Sturgis. He has been identified with the rise and progress of St. Joseph County from the very beginning, and as a relpresentative pioneer we are pleased to give a llace in this ALBUM to his biography. Our sulject and his father, George Buck, who figures in the history of this part of the county as one of its early, wellknown pioneers, came here in 1828, and the latter built the first house ever erected in this township. He lived a little over three weeks in a tent while building tile house on the edge of the prairie. It was a primitive cabin, made with unhewed loos, with a stick and clay chimney, shakes for a roof, with knees and poles for weights to keep it on, and the one room had a dirt floor, and a blanket for a door. Our subject's brother, Col. Philip H. Buck, an officer in the Black Hawk War, surveyed and laid out the town of Sturgis in 1836. Our subject has lived here since 1828, a period of more than sixty years, and for a long time he was a leading farmer of the place, but for the past thirty years he has been extensively engaged in the stock and produce business. Besides the property that he owns in Sturgis Mr. Buck owns a farm in Nebraska of 320 acres, finely located in the most productive region in Butler County. Benjamin C. Buck was born in Erie County, N. Y., Sept. 8, 1819. His father was born in Kingston, and his mother, whose maiden name was Mary Hershey, was born in Lancaster. Pa. The father was killed in a well with one Mr. Waterman in the summer of 1829, leaving a widow with eight children, and the boys had to work hard to make a living, and two of them, Philip and Peter, took an active part in the Black Hawk War. The mother of our subject died in 1862. When the Bucks came to this part of the country it was a vast wilderness, scarcely any attempts having been made to reclaim it, and there was but one family here, and that was in Fawn River Township, that of Judge John Sturgis, for whom this place was named. Our subject loved the hunt, and was an expert in the use of the rifle, and there was plenty of game here for him to exercise his skill on, such as deer, turkeys and prairie chickens. Wolves were often seen and heard, but he never succeeded in killing any bears. He early gained a practical experience of the hlard labors of a pioneer, and being a great worker undoubtedly performed his share of the hard task of clearing away the forests, draining the swamps and preparing the land for culture, in time becomingi a skillful farmer, and contributing greatly to the advancement of agriculture in Sturgis Township. He is classed among the best citizens of St. Joseph County, he having been eminently successful in his career as a business man, and independent in his enterprises, as well as energetic in carrying them out. The marriage of Mr. Buck and Miss Adelia Greea took place Aug. 7, 1841. Mrs. Buck, who was a most estimable lady, was a native of New K PrBBL-SPrT" L Y; I —~CI -eCI)IY - I CL —~II- 1)31 1 -I _ _ I=_ I ~ L ~ I ~ -- II _ _ ~ r — r I ICCL F` - - vP DoI I k r.__..t p Nq* I -II II1 I ~I- 3lili CII - ~~ -111 ~CL3 1 I -~ ~ICI 11 Ill - C - 1~1 q.,,, Im 488 ST. - JOSEPH COUNTY. 4ow-Lss 488 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.~~~~~~~ York State, and was born in Allegany County. Her parents, Alfred and Alfredia (Peck) Green, were natives of the State of New York. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Buck was blessed to them by the birth of nine children, as follows: Marion, Isabel, Charles, Estella, George, Fred, Frank, Katie (deceased) and Silas. Marion married Jasper La Dow, and they have two children, Lulu and Herbie; Isabel married Charles E. Stowe, and they have one child, Flora; Charles B., who is the proprietor of the Elliott House in Sturgis, married Miss Ella Cole, and they have one child, Hermie; Estella married Elwin Murdock; George, who lives in Rising City, Neb., married Miss Edna Rising. and they have one child, Clarence; Fred, who lives in Chicago, married Miss Emma Bell, and they have two children, Loi P. and Earl B., twins; Frank, who lives in Chicago, married Miss Lottie Gore, and they have one child, Rolla; Silas, who lives in Chicago, married Miss Blanche Gray, who died, leaving him one child, Erma G. The first wife of our subject died in August, 1866, leaving many friends to mourn the loss of a kind-hearted, virtuous woman of many amiable qualities. Mr. Buck's marriage to his present wife occurred May 19, 1869. Slie is a true helpmate and companion, devoting herself to her husband's interests most assiduously. Mrs. Buck's maiden name was Hannah Ann Kelley, and she is a daughter of EHarrison and Nancy (Edgar) Kelley, and was born in Marion County, Ohio. Her father was an early pioneer of Burr Oak Township, of which he is still an honored citizen, and he has attained the venerable age of ninety-two years. The mother passed to spirit life in March, 1 887, at the age of ninety years. Our subject made his mark in St. Joseph County when it was a new country, coming here when its vast, primeval forests, which have mostly disappeared before the ax of tie pioneer and the woodsman, were the home of the Indians. He has materially assisted in the growth and advancement of this locality, and long after he shall have become a disembodied spirit, his memory and name will be cherished and reverenced for the part he has taken in its upbuilding. He is a man of weight and influence in business circles, as his transactions are con ducted by strictly legitimate methods, and his integrity is inflexible. He never seeks official honors, but has held the offices of Justice of the Peace, Constable, Township Treasurer, and he was Postmaster under Taylorand Fillmore's administrations, and at the same time was telegraph operator on the old Snow's line from Chicago to Monroe. Politically, he affiliates with the Republicans. He is President of the Harmonial Society, and an exponent of the belief that the spirits of the dead remain on earth, and that "Man is the highest grade of intelligence." ORM G. COOPER. Among the men who have contributed to the bone and sinew of the business interests of Sturgis, the citizens of that place recognize in Mr. Cooper no unimportant factor. A native of Waterloo, N. Y., he was born July 5, 1838, of the tribe of Levi. The family removed to Fulton, N. Y., and young Norman entered upon his business career peddling newspapers. A little later he commenced an apprenticeship at the jewelers' trade, and finally went to Hannibal, Mo., with his employer, in 1856. After a brief period spent on the other side of the Mississippi our subject returned to his home in the Empire State, sojourning both at Hannibal and Red Creek. About this time occurred the outbreak of the Rebellion, and our subject enlisted as a Union soldier in Company F, 24th New York Infantry, in May, 1861, under the first call for troops. He met the enemy in battle and continued with his regiment until shot in the right arm and also taken prisoner at the second Bull Run fight, Aug. 29, 1861. IIe was exchanged in a few months and joined his regiment, after which he was presented with a Lieutenant's commission. He was mustered out in May, 1863, and repairing to his native county engaged in the jewelry business and clothing trade at Red Creek. In 1867 Mr. Cooper changed the scene of his operations to Burr Oak, Mich., opening a store with jewelry and sewing-machines. Later he sold out and came to Sturgis, taking up his residence here about 1880, and engaged in the life, fire insurance and pension business. We next find him i ~~-a~a f I I1 IIC- - 1-1 ~ —rr -r~ ----~cl- I~eri~311~1- ~-~rr~r -----— ~-r~ — - W — 'j 9 if t I — I — ~~~L~I~ r ~I~ 1 - II II-I 13 ~ ~~ — -.0. i.."d I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 489 A occupying the editorial chair of the Coffee Cooler, a paper mostly devoted to the interests of the G. A. R. Mr. Cooper is identified with the Masonic fraternity, and has occupied the various offices of his lodge, being Past Master of Eagle Lodge No. 124, at Burr Oak, Past Grand of Sturgis Prairie Lodge, I. O. 0. F., and a member of the Chapter in Sturgis. Ile is prominently identified with the G. A. R., being Past Inspector of the Michigan Department, Past Commander of A. B. Sturges Post No. 73, aid on the staff of Commander-in-Chief William Warner, and also aid on the staff of Commanderin-Chief George B. Abbott, Sons of Veterans, U. S. A.; also Captain of Wood Camp No. 111, Sturgis. Mr. Cooper is often invited to speak at camp fires and other gatherings of the Sons of Veterans, being a fluent talker and possessing eloquence in a marked degree. It is hardly necessary to say that he is an ardent Republican and is also interested in the success of the temperance movement. Mr. Cooper was married at Quincy, this State, in 1866, to Miss Lucelia A. Quereau. They have a daughter and son: Ethel A., aged (1889) sixteen years, and Leon N., nearly fifteen. Mr. Cooper observes that he " manages to keep poor but somewhat respectable." Certain it is, however, that he manages to maintain a position of popularity among his townspeople, and forms a member of the body politic with which they could not very well dispense. J>7 RS. JANE VANDERMARK. There are few residents of Mendon Village and vicinity unacquainted with the name of this estimable lady, who occupies a beautiful home, and is the owner of valuable property in the township. A lady of culture and refinement, and possessing a good education, she represents the better element of this county, to which she came in the days of its early development. She has watched with warm interest the growth of Southern Michigan, and as the wife of one of its most prominent men assisted by her encouragement and influence in his labors toward bringing a portion of its territory to a state of cultivation, erecting thereon a comfortable homestead and accumulating a generous portion of this world's goods. The main points in a history of more than ordinary interest are as follows: Mrs. Vandermark was born Dec. 24, 1817, in Murray, Orleans Co., N. Y., and is the daughter of Joel and Clarissa (Reed) Warren, who were natives respectively, of Vermont and Connecticut. The father in early manhood learned the trade of carpenter, and was a skilled mechanic, becoming in due time an architect of excellent reputation. He emigrated to Michigan in 1848, and subsequently turned his attention mostly to farming. When about forty years old he met with an accident which rendered him a cripple for life, but such was his courage and energy that he was enabled to carry on this business successfully and provide a good living for his family. His death took place at the homestead in Holly,Oakland County, in 1863, when he was sixty-three years old. His wife, the mother of Mrs. V., (lied in the fall of 1872, at the same place. To the parents of our subject there was born a family of eleven children. These were named respectively: Adeline, Jane, Erastus, Charles, Lemuel, Joseph, George, Mary, Sarah, Rhoda A. and Almira. The childhood and youth of Mrs. Vandermark were spent under the parental roof, and on the 23d of February, 1837, she was united in marriage with John Vandermark. They started in September following for Michigan, which had then been a State but a few months, having been admitted to the Union in January of that year. They made the journey by water, canal and Lake Erie to Detroit, and thence overland by team to this county. Mr. V. purchased forty acres of land in Mendon Township, only one acre of which had been disturbed by tie plowshare. The Indians still lingered in this vicinity, and their white neighbors were few and far between. Mr. Vandermark put up a log cabin, and the young people commenced the journey of life together with little capital save their affection for each other, their courageous hearts and willing hands. They experienced the usual hardships and privations of pioneer life, and lived upon their first purchase ten years. Mr. Vandermark then selling tJ L ~~cl~~ a~~ —~~~j~s ~ ~ rr. Il ~~ 1114C I~~-&- ME rs L I —- —` ---— --- —"I- ---- -- I I I I - - -— - I "No. 'IP o qo- - - llt-~ I I I~ II~ I A - 6 490,*ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 490~~ ST JOEP COUTY out purchased 155 acres in Leonidas Township, where he improved a fine farm, which is still in the possession of his widow and children. Upon this has been erected a substantial set of frame buildings, including three barns and a modern residence. Mr. and Mrs. Vandermark occupied that homestead a period of nearly forty years, and in the autumn of 1883, retiring from the more active labors of life took up their abode in the village, where the death of Mr. Vandermark occurred Oct. 9, 1886, after an illness of five years, during which he had at times been a great sufferer. John Vandermark was born in Marble Township, Ulster Co., N. Y., Jan. 6, 1813, where he acquired a common-school education and was reared to manhood. He followed farming all his life, and after coming to Michigan was greatly prospered in his labors and accounted one of the leading farmers of St. Joseph County. He was a very benevolent man and a father to the poor, giving of his means to those less fortunate and never turning away from his door anyone who was in need. IIe was a conscientious member of the Democratic party, a man decided in his views, and one who advocated his principles with all the strength of his character. Genial and hospitable, he is kindly remembered by hosts of friends, and passed away in peace with full hope of a blessed hereafter. We gladly copy from a sketch of Mr. Vandermark which appeared in a local paper at the time of his death. This clearly shows the estimation in which he was held by his neighbors: I Our esteemed fellow-townsman is no more. He passed away peacefully and quietly, after giving full directions as to the preparations for his funeral, which he desired to take place quietly and without ostentation. He was held in highest esteem by all who knew him, and always proved to be a worthy citizen, kind neighbor, husband and father, as well as of industrious, economical and regular habits. John Vandermark was born in Ulster County, N. Y., Jan. 6, 1813. He went to Orleans County, N. Y., in 1835, was married Feb. 23, 1837, to Jane Warren, and in the following September moved to Michigan, in this county, and first settled in Mendon. He lived on the prairie, just across the town line in Leonidas Township, on a farm which he developed, improved and occupied since the year 1847, leaving the farm only to occupy. a fine residence in this place, where he finally breathed his last. His occupation was farming during all these years. The fruits of his marriage were but two children; one of them, the late Mrs. Charles Cattell, departed this life about seven years ago. The elder daughter, Mrs. John Simpson, still survives him. The funeral was very largely attended, and the general verdict is Mendon has lost one of her most highly respected citizens. His aged consort still survives him, and has the sympathy of this entire community in her bereavement, though she is well provided for, and has hopes of living some years yet to enjoy the fruits of their joint industry and economy." To Mr. and Mrs. Vandermark there were born two children only: Lydia A. is now the wife of John Simpson, a farmer in good circumstances, carrying on agriculture successfully in Nottawa Township; they have three clildren-Alice, William and Elwin; Marion, the younger daughter, became the wife of Charles Cattell, and died at her home in Mendon Township, June 4, 1879; she left three children, two daughters and a son-Addie, Agnes and John C. Marion was born April 4, 1844, and was married March 8, 1871., EORGE DUNNING, a prominent farmer of Sturgis, has for nearly thirty years been actively identified with the agricultural interests of St. Joseph County, and is a most worthy representative of the class which has done so much for its development and for the promotion of its material prosperity. Mr. Dunning was born in Penfield Township, Monroe Co., N. Y., Sept. 16, 1816, coming of a good New England ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Martin Dunning, was the son of an Englishman, who was one of three brothers who came to America before the Revolution, and cast in their lot with the Colonists. The Hon. Josiah Dunning, one of the early Governors of Indiana, was a lineal descendant of one of the historical three brothers 168 u — obm-c-lll I I II —gc m O P"-7-WI — q Abw I I I II i I I I I I I i I I i Ii i i I I F tcL --- —-- * --- - ME 61 - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 491 I just mentioned. Amos Dunning, the father of our subject, was born in Vermont, and became an early settler of Monroe County, and at one time could have bought the city of Rochester for $500. He actively assisted in the development of the surrounding.country from the wilderness that in those days prevailed in Western and Central New York. Our subject received a substantial education in his native county, and was thus amply fitted for a teacher, which profession he adopted as an avocation, teaching, however, but a short time, preferring to devote himself to his calling as a farmer. In 1846 he moved to Chautauqua County, in his native State, and thence came to this county in April, 1860. He immediately purchased his present place of residence, and has lived there ever since. By persistent and well-directed industry, combined with sound judgment and prudence, he has improved one of the finest and most desirable farms in St. Joseph County. It comprises 160 acres of exceedingly fertile soil, which he cultivates after the most approved methods. IIe has erected a commodious and well-appointed house, a fine barn and other substantial farm buildings, and has his farm well supplied with modern machinery for lightening labor. Mr. Dunning is in prosperous circumstances, and is numbered among the solid, well-to-do citizens of the county. Our subject and Miss Maria Shoecraft were united in marriage Jan. 8, 1840, and thus for nearly half a century they have traveled life's journey together, dividing its sorrows and doubling its joys. Mrs. Dunning is a daughter of John Shoecraft, a native of Monroe County, N. Y., where she was also born. Of her happy wedded life with our subject five children have been born, four of whom are spared to bless their declining years: Laura; Albert B., a prominent attorney of Sturgis, of whom see sketch on another page; Frank A. and Marion. Helen, the youngest, died at the age of twenty-seven years, She was engaged to be married to James M. Guffy, natural gas dealer of Pittsburgh, Pa. Laura married George Gardner, of this township, and they have two children: Matie, a prominent school teacher, and Bertie. Mary married Hubert Reed, of Sturgis, and they have one child, Bertie. Mr. Dunning is well gifted mentally, possesses rare stability of character, and is in every way an invaluable citizen. IIis fellow-townsmen, regarding him as a man particularly well endowed with strong common sense and other attributes that conduce to success in public life, have often besought him to take some office within their gift, and without his seeking official honors he has had them thrust upon him, so to speak, as they have often elected him without his knowledge or consent to some position, and thus he became Highway Commissioner in 1882, and served efficiently one term. HIe and his family occupy a high social position in the community, and are known and beloved by a large circle of friends. ---------- ILAS STOW has been an important factor in the upbuilding of Sturgis, where he is now prosl'erously engaged as a dealer in produce, and in him the town finds one of its ablest and most trusty civic officers, he having held the responsible position of Supervisor for eight years. Our subject is a worthy descendant of well-known New England families, who settled in that part of the country when it was under Colonial government. Our subject is a native of the good old State of Connecticut, the land of steady habits and blue laws, and the pretty town of Colebrook, in Litchfield County, was the place of his birth, and April 20, 1817, the (late thereof. He comes of a stalwart, hardy, long-lived race. His father, Calvin Stow. a native of Middletown, Conn., lived to be seventynine years old; his father's sister Lottie, Mrs. Bell, died in Jefferson. Ashtabula Co., Ohio, in 1886, at the remarkable age of one hundred and four years, and another sister, Katie, Mrs. Williams, of Bloomington, Ill., attained the advanced age of one hundred years before death claimed her. The paternal grandfather of our subject, Calvin Stow, was a native of England. Our subject's mother, whose maiden name was Esther De Wolfe, was of French ancestry, but the family made their appearance in New England prior to the Revolution, in which war her father, Daniel De Wolfe, was a gallant soldier. Our subject's father in early life was a car i i m ii L-_. - -v - _, lrrL ~,_lr~ — llrr —~-b __1L -L -~~IL.I IILI)IIIII~L__ L _ L.~_ I__L LL ----L - - A. -v _ 1 _I_ _ _ I _ __ _ _ I _ __ __ I _I_ 1 s k - - now - -- ~ ~ iI I I I I I~I ~-I ' -vwI * 492 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.;7 ir-q 1 $ v I penter and joiner by trade, and followed that calling until he, was fifty-five or sixty years old, when he turned his attention to farming. To him and his wife were born nine children, of whom the following grew to maturity: William, Edward, Charles, Harriet, Mary, Cornelia, Silas and Emily, the latter dying after reaching womanhood, leaving a family of children. Silas Stow grew to manhood amid the scenery of his native county, and received an excellent education, the Connecticut schools even in that day being famous for their superiority. After leaving school he worked two years in a chair factory in Barkhamsted, in his native county, and then went to Hartford, in the same State, to act as clerk in the dry-goods store of Bowles, Sexton & Co., on Siloam street, and during the seven years that he remained in their employ he traveled quite extensively for the firm. At one time they sent him into Michigan on a collecting tour, and he was infatuated with this country, and resolved to settle in St. Joseph County if he should ever come West. In 1846 our subject entered into business on his own account, and building a chair factory in Middleville, N. Y., ran it two years. In 1848 he moved to Montville, Ohio, and erected a chair factory in that town. In 1850 he traded it for a farm, but in 1854 he resumed the manufacturing of chairs, coming to Sturgis and building and operating a factory in this place for several years, employing from fifty to sixty hands and doing a large business. During the war he exchanged his factory for a farm in Barry County, this State, and for some land in Minnesota. In the latter part of the war he bought cavalry horses for the United States Government. He embarked in his present business in 1867. Our subject was married, Oct. 20, 1840, to Mary L., daughter of Elisha and Catherine (Coe) Ransom, natives of Connecticut. They are both deceased. Mrs. Stow was born in Sherburne, N. Y., Dec. 29, 1815. Her union with our subject has been a happy one, extending over a period of nearly fifty years, and it has been blessed to them by the birth of two children Franklin N. and Charles E. The latter, who married Isabella Buck, lives in Chicago, and to him and his wife has come one child, Flora; Franklin is a commission merchant at No. 138 South Water street, Chicago, Ill.; he married Sophia Buck, and they have two children living-Jessie and Franklin G. Their son Philip S., who died at the age of nineteen, was a promising young man of high character, and was bright and well educated. Mr. Stow has been an invaluable citizen of Sturgis since his advent here thirty-five years ago. He has taken a hearty interest in extending its business and commercial relations with the outside country, and has ever lent.his influence to all good schemes for its advancement. He is not a member of any church, but contributes generously to the support of religious institutions. His charity and benevolence are well known, and his means are heavily taxed to relieve the sufferings of the unfortunate and downtrodden. He is an unassuming man, and cares not for the emoluments and honors of public office, but was prevailed upon by his many friends to accept his present position of Supervisor, and for four years he was a member of the Town Council. While a resident of Ohio he was elected Justice of the Peace, but refused to serve. Ile is a Mason, and has been as high as the Commandery. ENJAMIN F. WEINBERG. This name will be recognized as belonging to one of, the finest old families of Pennsylvania. I The gentleman herein treated of is a most worthy representative of his race, numbers of whom are widely and favorably known throughout the State of Pennsylvania. His father, Samuel Weinberg, was born there, in Armstrong County, in 1812, and carried on farming until the removal to Michigan in 1840. Here he located in Lockport Township on the Buck farm, in the vicinity of Three Rivers, but later 'removed to Park Township, where he lived three years, engaged in farming. Subsequently he changed his residence to the Lantz farm, which he operated one year, then returned to Park Township, purchasing farm property, and sojourning there again three years. We next find him in the vicinity of Three Rivers again, where he purchased a half-interest in a spoke and I.t1 ~1 ~1 II II I I~- ~ ~ ~ ~I IL ~~13~1 ~11111:1L CI- III -— Rww i" --- * ~~~ ----~~~~~~~~'II"-~~~~~d r I~1I 1 r ~ I -rae It I ~: -- -- -1 a -- l - ~~~~~ —mmop- m I - - 119 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 493 I I ax handle factory, the business of which he conducted two years. Upon withdrawing from this he purchased 120 acres of land in Flowerfield Township, on section 35. To this he subsequently added twenty acres, making a snug farm of 140 acres, where, with the exception of three years, he spent the remainder of his life. During this interval he was a resident of Three Rivers. His death took place on the farm in Flowerfield Township, Sept. 30, 1887. Mrs. Anne Elizabeth (Grinder) Weinberg, the mother of our subject, is also a native of Pennsylvania, and remains a resident of Three Rivers, making her home with her son-in-law, William Hepler. The parental household included nine children, one of whom died in infancy, and a daughter, Anne, died at the age of thirty-five years. The others still survive: Adam G. is a mechanic, and makes his home in Florida; Hiram is engaged in blutchering and farming combined, and makes his home in Flowerfield Township; Susan is the wife of Dudley M. Francisco, who is carrying on a livery business at Three Rivers; Hannah married Frank Huffsmith, who is engaged as a farmer and stock-buyer in Flowerfield Township; Ellen is the wife of William Hepler, who is conducting a delivery business at Three Rivers; Edwin Wesley is a prosperous farmer and stock-raiser of Washington Territory. The subject of this sketch was born on the banks of the St. Joseph River, in Lockport Township, this county, Oct. 10, 1844. His childhood and youth were spent at the old homestead, and his education was conducted in the common schools. With the exception of five or six years spent as clerk in a general store at Three Rivers, he has made farming his occupation. In 1873 he took up his permanent residence on the old homestead. He was married, Dec. 16, 1880, in Flowerfield Township, to Miss May Eckley. This lady was born in Clearfield County, Pa., Sept. 26, 1853, and is the daughter of Joseph and Mary (Reigle) Eckley, the former of whom died when his daughter May was an infant. The mother was subsequently married to Samuel Conser. They came to the West about 1869, and Mrs. Conser died in Flowerfield Township, May 11, 1883. Mr. C. makes his home with his stepdaughter, and is now sixty-seven years old. The mother was a member in good standing of the Lutheran Church, To our subject and wife there have been born four children: Toria, born Oct. 7, 1881; Winnifrid, June 2, 1883; Fern, Oct. 14, 1886; and an infant, born April 4, 1888. The Weinberg homestead is located about five miles northwest of Three Rivers, and comprises one of the pleasantest places in this part of the county. Our subject cast his first Presidential vote for Seymour, and since that time has been a uniform supporter of the Democratic party. His brother, Adam G., served as a Union soldier in the late Civil War. The family comprises one of the landmarks of St. Joseph County, to whose development and progress they have contributed their full quota. EUBEN tI. ESTES. The fact that the sub-! . ject of this sketch was the first man who \ ever sowed clover seed in Mendon Town-.ship is sufficient indication that he is worthy to rank among its honored pioneers. After years of long and arduous labor, in which he was prospered, he retired from the active duties of life, and is now living amid the comforts of a pleasant home at Mlendon. IIe first opened his eyes to the light on the rugged New England Coast, in Augusta County, Me., March 27, 1817, and is the son of Benjamin and Sarah (Kirby) Estes, who were born and reared in the city of Boston. The father in early manhood learned the trade of saddletree-maker, but later turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. The parents spent their last days in Livingston County, N. Y., the father dying in the fall of 1852. Benjamin Estes was a man of strong character, decided in his views, and was one of the most worthy exponents of the doctrines of the Quaker Church, of which he was a chief pillar. A question finally arose among the brethren concerning the divinity of Christ; the father, clinging to his old belief, in which he had been reared from childhood, continued with the old division of the Friends' Church, with his estimable wife, until the day of his death. They were people greatly respected in their community, and in their daily walk and conversa I~ 1 I ~a~llbIIF~e~~l --- CI~~ -- C-~II~ ~-I-~"1~1 I=1 — C- LrlI~I-I- I- I 1 ~ ~II - w mm J 4 m in' m-E~ P -~L~l I I _ -- - - -- I C I 494 ST. JO-SEPH- COUNTY.! 49IS. OEP CUNY tion were admirable examples of the principles which they professed. Their family included ten children, who were named respectively: Alice, Allen, Deborah, Hannah; Sarah, who died at the age of five years; Eda, Benjamin, Robert; Reuben H., our subject, and Thomas. Mr. Estes, of this sketch, was the ninth child of his parents, and spent his boyhood and youth upon the farm, acquiring his education in the common schools. Soon after reaching his majority he commenced farming on his own account in the vicinity of.Caledonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., to which he had removed with his parents about 1826. Two years later, Feb. 12, 1840, he was married to Miss Lydia Dewey, Squire Allen officiating. Mrs. Estes was born April 2, 1817, near Utica, N. Y., and was orphaned by the death of both parents when a little child six years of age. She was then taken into the home of a maternal aunt, Mrs. Wright, remaining with her until her marriage. She, like our subject, in early years was a member of the Quaker Church, but later they both identified themselves with the Congregationalists. Of this union there were born five children, namely: Alice, Mrs. Wesley P. Custard, and the mother of two children; Almeron, a resident of Hartland, Niagara County; Adelaide, who died in New York State, in childhood; Arthur, who died in 1853, and Eva, who died at the age of thirteen years. Mrs. Lydia Estes departed this life at her home in Mendon, Sept. 6, 1887. Mr. Estes left the Empire State in the year 1853, with a snug sum of money, and coming to Mendon Township, this county, purchased 313 acres of land lying on sections 28 and 33. This property he still retains. Later he purchased 157 acres of his cousin, which he sold five years later for the snug sum of $8,000. He has speculated considerably in real estate, and in addition to his home farm has 302 acres in Leonidas Township. About 1862 he added 106 acres to the homestead, which now embraces 420 acres-one of the finest bodies of land in the county. He has aighty-seven acres in Kalamazoo County, and 246 acres on Nottawa Prairie, making in all an estate of 1,046 acres. Mr. Estes in due time turned his attention to the development of Mendon Village, in which he has been no unimportant factor. Here he has a business block and two fine dwellings, the latter two stories in height and built of Milwaukee brick. Our subject has assisted in the building of every church in Mendon Village, and various other enterprises tending to its growth and development uniformly receive his support. He labored industriously to have the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad constructed through this place, and was congratulated by numbers of citizens upon his success. Politically, he is an advocate of prohibition, but cast his vote for the grandson of old Tippecanoe during the late election (1888). Socially, he is a Royal Arch Mason, and stands high among his brethren. In noting men who have been important factors in bringing St. Joseph County to her present condition, Mr. Estes is worthy of more than passing mention. I UTHER T. WILCOX, Cashier of the Three Rivers National Bank, and having the principal management of the institution, which is regarded as one of the most solid in the city, engaged in banking in this place first in 1883. He came to Three Rivers in 1857, and was variously occupied for a number of years thereafter. Hie was born near St. Johnsville, Montgomery Co., N. Y., Oct. 2, 1832, and is the son of Peter Wilcox, a native of Vermont, who carried on merchandising in Montgomery. County, N. Y., a number of years. The mother, whose maiden name was Mary Youker, was the daughter of George Youker, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and was also born in Montgomery County, N. Y. The Wilcox family traces its ancestry back to England, and Caleb Wilcox, the paternal grandfather of our subject, spent his last years in Vermont. Peter Wilcox after his marriage settled in Montgomery County, N. Y., where he resided until 1837, when he removed to Jefferson County, in the same State. In May, 1852, he emigrated to Michigan, locating with his family in Van Buren County, but only lived thirty days thereafter, his death taking place in the following month. There were six children, three boys and three girls, in the parental family, who are still living, and of whom our sub L — 'Oa — Amw~Cr. lcl I II. 1. llle 1 ~ ~ r ~ ~- II I ~ 11 111 ~1 — ~ - C —1IS~B~ OR I L I A I t II~I~III-P -— I ~I ~ IC~C 1~e-1 ~1~ 4a~~~C I IL w! ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 495 ject was the youngest of the brothers. They are mostly residents of Michigan, with the exception of Nathan, who is engaged in contracting in Tennessee. One sister, Sarah, is a resident of Woodbury County, Iowa. The subject of this sketch was twenty years of age when he came to Michigan, and having received a practical education, was comparatively well fitted for the coming struggle of life. Hle had commenced an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade when a youth of sixteen, and then learned millwrighting, which he followed a number of years. Subsequently lie went South, spending two years in the States of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. During that time he was engaged upon Government buildings and bridges, and upon returning to Three Rivers engaged with partners in the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds, under the firm name of Arnold, Wilcox & Co. -Ie was thus occupied for a term of nine years, then sold out, and was not in any active business for two years thereafter. Our subject in the year 1877 was elected Sheriff of St. Joseph C.ounty on the Republican ticket, serving two years. Upon retiring from this office he crossed the Mississippi into D)akota Territory, where he speculated in lands considerably, and then returning to Three Rivers, engaged in banking. By purchasing stock in what was known as the Manufacturer's Bank, he assisted in its reorganization in 1884, when it was named the Three Rivers National Bank, and Mr. Wilcox was made its cashier. IIe has since conducted the business mostly, and with such good judgment that it is named among the solid institutions of the county. Miss Rebecca N. Caldwell, of Three Rivers, became the wife of our subject in December, 1859, the marriage taking place at the residence of William Boudman, Flowerfield, St. Joseph Co., Mich., Mrs. Boudman being sister of the bride. Mrs. Wilcox was born in Columbia County, Pa., in 1829, and is the daughter of Samuel and Jane Caldwell, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and spent their last years in Columbia County, Pa. (f this union there have been born three sons and one daughter. The latter, Laura E., was the wife of John W. Adams, an attorney-at-law in Kalamazoo; she died July 31. 1888. Edward E. married Miss Carrie Wolf, of Centerville, and is the assistant cashier of his father; Charles W., a stenographer, also makes himself useful in the Three Rivers National Bank; Henry C. is studying in the Commercial College at Three Rivers. Mr. Wilcox uniformly votes the Republican ticket, and has served as Assessor and Alderman. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Three Rivers Lodge No. 57, and the Comrandery No. 29. For a number of years he has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Church. The mother of our subject after the death of her husband remained a widow for a period of thirty years, continuing a resident of Van Buren County, this State, where her death took place in 1882. His ellest brother, Nathan W., married Miss Irene Freeman, and is living in Tennessee, engaged in contracting; Calvin married Miss Rosana Stuyvesant, and with his sister, Mary M., the wife of J. Messneger, is a resident of Van Buren County, this State; both he and his brother-in-law are farmers; Sarah A. married Charles Horning, of Iowa, and Martha A., the youngest of the girls, is the wife of W. G. Caldwell, of Three Rivers, this county. AMI[EL GIBSON is one of the substantial farmers and solid citizens of Constantine Township, where he resides on his highly cultivated farm, located on section 11. I-e was born in Northumberland County, Pa., Sept. 22, 1830. The earlier years of his life were passed on a farm, and his education was received in the common schools of the community. He came to St. Joseph County with his father's family, and settled in Constantine Township in the spring of 1849, where lie has since resided continuously. Mr. Gibson has been engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life, although he has been and is interested in many other lines of business. His home farm comprises 433 acres, all of which is under a most complete state of cultivation. His improvements are of the most extensive and substantial nature. His residence is built of brick, in modern style, and is handsomely and completely u - g L - -r — -q-., -w- I I - I Sab - r IK ur n I. 496 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - furnished throughout-every convenience obtainable may be found within its walls. The barns and outhouses necessary to the successful operation of his farm are models of their class, and represent the investment of a large suni of money, yet in the convenience of handling the crops of the farm and caring for the animals, it pays a handsome interest on the cost. Our subject was married, Dec. 20, 1860, in Constantine Township, to Mis Martha J. Green, a daughter of William W. and Jane A. (Gray) Green. She was born in Cumberland, R. I., Sept. 20, 1838. Ier mother died in Dover, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. Mr. Green was then married to Miss Betsey Taylor. Of the first union there were born four children: Thomas G., now a resident of Centreville, this county; Christopher F., living in Constantine; Mrs. Gibson, the wife of our subject, and Mary, the widow of Henry Driscol, who died in Porter Township, Cass County. Of the second marriage there was one child only, Lillie, the wife of Henry Sooy, of Cass County, this State. William AV. Green was born in Providence, R. I., where he was married and lived until about 1840, engaged in farming pursuits. That year he removed with his wife and four children to Ohio, and was a resident of Cuyahoga County eight years. The family then changed their residence to PawPaw Township, Van Buren Co., Mich., where the father later retired from active life, and has since made his home with a daughter. Mr. Gibson is the father of six children, named Elizabeth J., Caroline I., John S., Frances V., Gertrude I. and William G. The father of our subject, John Gibson, was born in Ireland; his mother, Elizabeth I)eFrance, was a native of Pennsylvania. The father came from Ireland to Pennsylvania when he was but two years of age. The grandfather of our subject was a Scotchman. The parents came from Pennsylvania to St. Joseph County in 1848, and in 1849 they settled in Constantine Township, where they lived until the time of their death. In addition to his farming operations Mr. Gibson owns valuable real estate outside of Constantine. I-e owns a brick block in the center of Three Rivers; he has also bought the Central State Bank, located in Geneseo, Rice Co., Kan., after it had been in operation about a year. His son, John S. Gibson, is cashier of the bank, and under his careful and conservative management it takes rank among the solid institutions of the State. Mr. Gibson also makes a specialty of loaning money to the citizens of St. Joseph County. Mr. Gibson's residence is located on what is known as Broad street. It presents the most handsome appearance of any residence in the township. This elegant home is presided over by his estimable wife, who is a lady of refinement and taste. She is one of the leaders in the social life of the locality in which they live; genial and good-hearted, she is always found in any enterprise having for its purpose the benefit of those in need. Those of the children who are at home form a charming family circle, and to a stranger visiting their house they extend every courtesy and attention. Mr. Gibson possesses a strong personality, and where he is associated with his fellowmen in any enterprise of business or pleasure, he, by force of his character, impresses his individuality on the entire proceedings so strongly, that one having seen the gentleman would not fail to recognize the ruling spirit of the undertaking. In politics he is identified with the Democratic party. Although frequently solicited by his neighbors and friends to accept official favors at their hands, lie has steadfastly declined to do so. John Gibson, the father of our subject, was born June 24, 1799, and came to this country with his father, Samuel Gibson, in 1801, they settling in Lycoming County, Pa., where John was reared on a farm. Upon reaching manhood he purchased land for himself, which he afterward sold and removed to Northumberland County, where he purchased another farm of 106 acres, which he occupied until coming West. This journey was performed in 1848, and he lived the first year in Northern Indiana, adjacent to the Michigan line. The following spring lie rented 200 acres of land in Constantine Township, this county, which comprises the present homestead. He was married to his wife, Elizabeth B. DeFrance, Dec. 15, 1825. This lady was of French extraction, and was born Oct. 1, 1799, near Jersey Shore, Lycoming Co., Pa. 'ja".Ilir I *DTw 4* op CI --— ~ —~ ---- ---- -- i I L 11 ~~~~~~~~~~~A -~~6~~~ p -1 - > - - ST..JOSEPH COUNTY. 497 1 In 1849 John Gibson came to Constantine, Mich., with his family, consisting of his wife, seven children and his father. The latter died at the age of eighty-two years and eight months. His wife died Dec. 3, 1859, at the age of sixty years. Both were devoted members of the Presbyterian Church, in which the father had been for many years an Elder in Northumberland County, Pa., and was also an Elder in this county up to a short time before his death. To this worthy couple there were born seven children: Ellen M. is the widow of William Daniels, and lives in Ilillsdale County, this State; Nancy 1). is the wife of John F. Wolf, a farmer and banker near Centreville; Samuel, of our sketch, was the third child; Sarah J. is the wife of Otis Arnold, of Three Rivers; Julia married T. G. Greene, of Centreville; William F. is a resident of Three Rivers, as is also Mary E., the wife of George Shurtz. EVI COLE. As an exponent of the results of industry and perseverance, the subject of this biography occupies a position in the front ranks. After years of arduous labor he finds himself in possession of a competence, and now, practically retired from the active labors of life, is occupying a comfortable home on Nottawa street, in Mendon Village. IHe looked upon St. Joseph County in its pioneer days, and has contributed his full quota to her development and prosperity. A native of the Buckeye State, Mr. Cole was born in Orange Township, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, March 12, 1834, and is the son of Jonathan and Lydia (Frisbie) Cole, who were natives of Connecticut. The Cole family is of English origin, and the ancestry of our subject it is believed emigrated to America during the Colonial days. Jonathan Cole was a farmer by occupation, and emigrating from New England in early life, settled on the Western Reserve in Ohio, near the bank of the Chagrin River, where he spent his last days, living to be an old man. Ite was twice married, his second wife having been Miss Lydia Baker, who is still living, and residing in Cumberland, Md., with a married daughter. The father of our subject was success ful in accumulating a good property, and is remembered as a good man, a kind and indulgent parent, one who did good as h ad opportunity. ie had identified.himself with the Masonic fraternity, and politically, supported the Democratic party. The mother of our subject died about 1838, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Levi Cole was the seventh child of the parental household and the younger of his own mother's two children. Of the second marriage of his father there were born five children, three of whom are living, two residents of Missouri and one of Maryland. Levi, in common with the others, was at an early age made familiar with farm pursuits, and acquired a very good education. lie completed his studies in the city of Cleveland, after having been a student of the school at Chagrin Falls, and then entered the office of the Cleveland Herald, as clerk and book-keeper. After a year's experience in that line he decided upon coming to the farther West. Young Cole upon leaving his native State made his way first to Detroit, then to Kalamazoo, where he was first employed as clerk in a lumber-yard, and afterward for a time in a grocery store. In the fall of 1857 he came to Mendon, engaging here in the grocery business, his partner being Charles Gibbs, his former employer, and in the course of time managed to save a little money, which he invested in village property. This proved a fortunate move, and from that time on he gave his attention principally to the building up of Mendon, having now four good business blocks and two residences. In the former is included the Opera House, a structure three stories in height and covering an area of 66x80 feet. It has a seating capacity of 800, and has become one of the indispensable institutions of the place. Our subject was first married in Mendon, Sept. 6, 1863, to Miss Emma A. Gibbs, who became the mother of one child, a daughter, Grace L., and died at their home in Mendon, Jan. 6, 1872. Their daughter Grace is the wife of Benjamin F. Osgood, the village Postmaster. On the 29th of January, 1873, our subject contracted a second matrimonial alliance, with Miss Margaret McFall. This lady was born in Erie County, Ohio, Feb. 14, 1841, and is the daughter of William H. and Sarah 6 Hi I IPIsM -C — I --- —-d ia- I-T- -~~III- _. 1~ 1 ~ [[1[[ [I A w-~ 4 B-[1 4 FM, L -----— I i (1 F Jcl --- —---------- -I-"-~~~B *ban.bf W 40Il ~ 1 - I p1 l — L" U4l. 498 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - 9- wd -a-R" H. (Mackey) McFall, who were natives respectively of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Mr. McFall was born in 1814 and is still living, making his home in Sandusky, Ohio. The mother died in 1853 in Erie County, Ohio. They were the parents of eight children, one of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Cole was the second child. After the death of his first wife Mr. McFall was married the second time, to Miss Clara Miles, by whom he became the father of four more children. I-e has been a Deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church for a period of thirty years, and belongs to the Masonic fraternity. Politically, le affiliates with the Republican party. Of this marriage of our subject there have been born three children: Fanny D., Nov. 22, 1875; Tula M., March 29, 1877, and Leva M., June 26, 1879. The Cole residence is one of the finest in the village of Mendon, and our subject and his estimable wife are numbered among its most highly respected citizens. Both are members in good standing of the Episcopal Church, in which Mr. Cole has served as Treasurer and Trustee for some time. Politically, he is a stanch Democrat. -le has held the various minor offices, including those of Township and Village Treasurer and Village Trustee. GEORGE ALBERT ANGEVINE, a lifelong resident of Mendon Township, it being his native place, is a son of one of the earliest pioneers of Michigan, who came within its borders prior to the time it was transformed from a Territory to a State. The latter, Stephen D. Angevine, was a native of Putnam County, N. Y., and born near the city of Poughkeepsie. He married Miss Jane A. Woods, a native of Center County, Pa. The father of our subject at an early period in his life became a resident of Niagara County, N. Y., and thence emigrated to this county. Miss Woods came about 1829 with her father, who located in Washtenaw County during the period of its early settlement, and a few years later removed to Nottawa. The young people were married in Centreville, and settled in Mendon Township upon a tract of new land, in 1843, from which they con structed a homestead, and where they spent the remainder of their lives. The father rested from his earthly labors June 19, 1878, in the sixty-third year of his age. The mother passed away some years after the decease of her husband, April 8, 1883, in the sixty-fourth year of her age. They were the parents of three children, one of whom, a son, (lied young. Samuel H., the brother of our subject, is a resident of Mendon. The subject of this sketch first opened his eyes to the light at the modest homestead of his parents in Mendon Township, Nov. 16, 1843. The farm was located on section 32, and is now the property of Samuel H. George, like his brother, spent his boyhood and youth making himself useful to his parents, and acquiring his education in the district schools. lie took kindly to the pursuits of agriculture, and has wisely been content to make of farming his life vocation, finding ample satisfaction in the quiet pursuits of country life and the results of his labors. In no haste to marry, his wedding occurred after he had reached the twenty-fifth year of his age, Dec. 15, 1868, the lady of his choice being Miss Marion R. Hendrickson, and the ceremony taking place at the village of Mendon. This lady became the mother of three children-Clarence L., Orley C. and Lulu M. She passed away on the 16th of May, 1881. She was a native of Pennsylvania, and the daughter of Abram and Mary A. (Moore) Hendrickson, who spent their last years in Mendon. Our subject contracted a second marriage, at Three Rivers, April 4, 1888, with Mrs. Marion A. Briggs, widow of Charles D. Briggs, who died in Constantine, this State, Feb. 20, 1874. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs were the parents of one child only, a daughter, Kittie L., who is now sixteen years of age. The present wife of our subject was born Sept. 22, 1852, in Three Rivers, and is the daughter of Sylvester and Louisa (Carpenter) Troy, who were natives of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts respectively. and came to Michigan about 1834. Mrs. Troy departed this life twenty-eight years ago, at her home in Three Rivers, in 1860. Mr. Troy was again married, and he and his wife make their home in Three Rivers. Mr. Angevine has been identified with the Masonic fraternity since a young man < I iI g:1-0r _ a a1T 1-~ A Ill Il - i Il - — ~I r C — - ~ ~- Il I L I _II L -— "RRF'w L _I_ I I __ __ I_ ___ ___ b - U 3 IJ- as I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 499 - - -- -- twenty-one years old, when ie associated himself with the lodge at Mendon. He is a member of Blue Lodge No. 137, and also Centreville Chapter No. 11. Politically, he belongs to the Democratic party. Ilis homestead comprises 130 acres of fertile land. upon which there are fairly good buildings, and everything around pleasant and comfortable. Our subject and his estimable wife number their friends by the score in this county, where they are widely known. and with whose interests they have been identified from youth up. The father of our subject was a man prominent in his community, and held the various township offices, discharging his duties in that conscientious manner which was one of his leading characteristics. George A. has never sought office, preferring to give his attention to his farm and family. Among the men who have assisted iu the development of St. Joseph County none have maintained a warmer interest in its prosperity. ITEYMOUR -II. ANDREWS, one of the most worthy residents of Flowerfield Township, was born in Posey County, Ind., Oct. 22, 1822, and removed with his parents a few years later to Ontario County, N. Y., where he grew to man's estate. He received a common-school education, and continued a resident of the Empire State until the spring of 1854. Then, resolving to cast his lot with the people of the young and growing State of Michigan, he came to Flowerfield Township, and located on section 34, where he has since resided. His property embraces eighty-seven and one-lalf acres in the homestead proper, while he has fifteen acres on section 26. -He has erected substantial buildings, and has signalized himself as a straightforward and industrious citizen, one who in constructing a model homestead has contributed thus far toward the development of St. Joseph County. Nathan Andrews, our subject's father, was born in Rhode Island, in 1782, and died in Ontario County, N. Y., at the age of sixty-six years. IHe also was a mason by trade, and a quiet and unobtrusive citizen, who made a good living for his family and fulfilled the duties of life in a praiseworthy manner. The mother, Mrs. Orpha (Butler) Andrews, was a native of York State, within whose limits she spent her entire life. She also died at the homestead in Ontario County, having survived her husband many years, and passing away at the advanced age of ninety-three. They were the parents of six children-Seymour, William, Frank, Truman and two girls. Seymour Andrews when about thirty-one years of age was married, in Ontario CIounty, N. Y., to Miss Chloe Benson, who only lived a few years, her death taking place in 1856. Of this union there were born two children: George, who is now occupied as a mason in Flowerfield, and James B., who is following the same trade in Goshen, Ind. Mr. Andrews contracted a second marriage, July 9, 1866, with Mrs. Keziah Lewis (Hazen) Griffith, the widow of William Griffith, and at the time of her second marriage a resident of Flowerfield. By Mr. Griffith she became the mother of five children, four of whom are living. Louisa N. is the wife of George Douglas, a resident of Jackson County, Ill.; Henry C. married Miss Hattie Dewey; they reside in Newburg Township, Cass Co., Mich., and have one son. Lucinda and Josephine are at home. Mrs. Keziah Andrews was born Aug. 9, 1827, in Canada, and is the daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Jennings) Lewis, the father of Irish birth and parentage and born in 1791. The mother was born in New York State in 1801. Both are now deceased. They were the parents of eight children, who are recorded as follows: Sarah and Mary are deceased; Phebe is married, and lives at Tekonsha, this State; Ililda, a resident of Calhoun County, is married and the mother of two children; Keziah, Mrs. Andrews, was the fifth child; Rachel died in infancy; William, a resident of Michigan, is married and has one child; Annie is the wife of David Dunton, of Union City. The maternal greatgrandfather, Israel Butler, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and after the struggle was ended was the recipient of a pension until his death. His son Nathan later carried a musket in the War of 1812. Thomas Lewis also served in this war. He was a worthy citizen and a member in good standing of the United Brethren Church. [J u -Al I.W op, — -: U- U A _ _ I I - 1 I p1 --- -l"', — I-,lt -, - 41~~l~1(; 500 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. Mr. Andrews upon reaching manhood identified himself with the Democratic party. IIe remains loyal to his first political faith, and has held the various school offices of his township, besides filling other positions of trust and responsibility. He bears the distinction of being one of the oldest living settlers of Flowerfield Township, coming here before the laying out of the village of this name, when he was obliged to transport his produce to the little village of Three Rivers, obtaining there also his provisions. Hle can tell many interesting tales of life in the pioneer times, and no man has taken more genuine satisfaction in noting the growth and progress of the Wolverine State. ILLIAM M. IKELER. The medical profession of St. Joseph County is probably as fairly represented as in any community of the State. The subject of this sketch, a physician and surgeon in the enjoyment of a good practice, was born near Bloomsburg, Columbia Co., Pa., Sept. 12, 1843, and was the fifth in a family of nine children, the offspring of John and Mary (Lauback) Ikeler, who were both of German descent. John Ikeler was a farmer by occupation, and with his excellent wife is now living with his son, the Doctor. The boyhood of our subject was spent after the manner of most farmer's sons, attending the district school in winter, and working around the homestead in summer. He completed his literary education at the academy at New Columbia, Pa., and at the age of twenty-six years began reading medicine under the instruction of Dr. W. E. Barrett, of Cambria, Pa. Upon being sufficiently advanced he entered the medical department of the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and was graduated from this institution in the spring of 1870. Our subject began the practice of his profession on the 1st of March, 1870, as the partner of his old instructor, Dr. Barrett, with whom he continued two years. He then purchased the business of Dr. B., continued in Cambria two years longer, and thence, in 1874, turned his steps toward this county. He established himself in Three Rivers at once, being successful from the start, and on the 16th of Feb ruary, 1880, formed a partnership with )r. Lawrence D. Knowles. This firm is now recognized as among the leading ones in the profession in this county. Dr. Ikeler is a member of the American Medical Association, the State Medical Association and the Kalamazoo Academy of Medicine. Socially, he is a prominent Knight Templar in Masonry, and religiously, an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, being President of the Board of Trustees, and officiating as Chorister for the past ten years. His love for music was developed at an early age, and to this art he gives much time and attention. The lady who has presided over the home of our subject for a period of sixteen years was in her girlhood Miss Harriet M. Fellows, and their marriage was celebrated at Schoolcraft. Mich., in 1872. Mrs. Ikeler was born Oct. 19, 1848, near Schoolcraft, Mich., and is the daughter of Abiel and Anne (Insley) Fellows, who were natives of Pennsylvania, whence later they removed to Kalamazoo.County, this State. Of this union there have been born three daughters, Anne, May and Hazel, who are now living at home. The home of the Doctor is pleasantly situated in the central part of the city, and both in its interior and surroundings indicates the exercise of cultivated tastes and ample means. G EORGE W. LELAND, the proprietor of a good farm in Mendon Township, is located in the western portion of section 30, where he has 120 acres of good land with fair improvements, and with his little family, consisting of his wife and one son, Roscoe G., lives comfortably and in the enjoyment of many of the good things of life. He is a man held in universal respect by the people of his community, courteous and kindly in disposition, thorough as a farmer, and prompt and reliable as a business man. Our subject comes of excellent Pennsylvania stock, being the son of Andrew M. and Sarah K. (Pellet) Leland, who were natives respectively of Columbia and Pike Counties, Pa., and who came to Michigan in early life, about 1835-36, with their respective parents. The two families settled in < -f i i I i i I i I! I e -4l I - I I II -~ 1 IIC-~T..III1 I C 111 p (l [ _.w~ __I _llC_ _L.r d:IC:-IIC rrrr r Irl — r 3 -r L-L 1 '111 11, 3 ~ Lr o Tg L ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.,\N 501 -- Lockport and Mendon Townships, this county, where Andrew M. Leland and Miss Pellet were married. They lived for a time in Park Township, whence they removed later to Mendon, where the father purchased land, and engaged il farming many years until the fall of 1882. Then, retiring from active labor, lie took up his abode in town, where he now lives. The parental household included originally six children, only three of whom lived to mature years, namely: William P., George W. and Charles W. Our subject was born in Park Townslip, this county, Sept. 27, 1846, andl spent his boyhood and youth in a manner common to the sons of lioleer farmers, acquiring his education in the district school, and making himself useful at an early age about the homestead. He was first married in Nottawa Township, in 1872, to Miss Cassie Clark, daughter of the late William T. Clark, of Nottawa Township. Mrs. Cassie Leland (lied at her home in Nottawa in 1874, when about twenty-four years old. Our subject contracted a second marriage, Dec. 22, 1875, in Mendon Township, with Miss Lydia M., daughter of David and Hannah Heimbach. This lady was born in Pennsylvania in 1849. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and are now in Michigan. Their family consisted of nine children. The only son of Mr. and Mrs. Leland, Roscoe G., was born June 17, 1885, and is a promising lad of three years. Mr. and Mrs. Leland are members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Park, to which they give a liberal support, and are numbered among its chief pillars. They also belong to Park Grange No. 22, P. of 11. Mr. Leland, politically, is a warm adherent of the Greenback party. William P. Leland, brother of our subject, died in Mendon Township in August, 1883. ki[ -ENRY L. COOPER. The well-known and 1i' popular gentleman whose name prefaces l this sketch is numbered among the success) ful farmers of Flowerfield Township, of which he has been a resident since early manhood. He came to this county when a young man of twenty-four years, and has been closely identified with its development and prosperity. Of substantial parentage, he was born in Bucks County, Pa., Sept. 2, 1830, where he developed into manhood, receiving the education commonly acquired in the public schools. His boyhood was spent mostly on his father's farm, but when a youth of sixteen years, with the common desire of the young for change, he repaired to Bristol, in his native county, where he commenced an apprenticeship at the trade of cooper, serving five years, and becoming thoroughly acquainted with the business in all its details. Young Cooper, upon reaching his majority, left his native State for Ohlio, taking up his abode in the city of Dayton, in December, 1851, and living there about one year. Next we find him at St. Mary's, where he remained until the fall of 1853, occupied at his trade. Thence he proceeded to Ft. Wayne, Ind., where he busied himself as a cooper until the spring of 1856, when we filld him at Union Mills, forty-two miles from Ft. Wayne, which remained his residence until 1855. The spring of the year above mentioned found our subject in Three Rivers, this county, and there being little call for the services of a journeyman cooper, he engaged at Wheeler's distillery, where he remained until April, 1857, when the property was destroyed by fire. His next stopping-place was in Flowerfield, of which he has since been a resident most of the time. Here he entered another distillery, where he worked, however, only about four weeks. Returning for a time to Three Rivers, the Wheeler distillery in the meantime being rebuilt, he assisted in beginning operations there, and rennained until December, 1857. On the 24th of that month he was married to Miss Sarah, daughter of William and Salome Parker, and the young people began housekeeping at Three Rivers. Two years later they removed to the old Shurtz farm, near the then unimportant village of Three Rivers, where Mr. Cooper carried on agriculture for a time, then entered the employ of Peter Plummer, who was proprietor of a machine-shop. In the spring of 1860 Mr. Cooper, who had always been interested in enterprises calculated to advance the people, assisted in the erection of the first High School building in Three Rivers, and the I!) ---- -- -- -dk k. - L' —C C I IY — I-C~ mb r b. o; I t c 1111` --- _ _ _ — I I aq a- I I -1&- - ~1 r 502 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I year following made his first purchase of real estate, a small tract of land three miles from Three Rivers, which was his first real home after leaving his father's roof. Here he put up a cooper shop, and had laid many plans for the future which the outbreak of the Rebellion put to flight, as in the case of thousands of others. On the 2d of August, 1861, laying aside his personal plans and interests, he enlisted as a Union soldier in Company G, 25th Michigan Infantry, the company under command of Capt. Tulkerson, and the regiment commanded by Col. Moore. He remained in the army until September, 1864, and then, on accountof disability incurred from hardship and privation, was obliged to accept his honorable discharge. He was mustered out at Louisville, Ky.. and at once returned to his home, where he lived until 1866. Our subject, now having accumulated some capital, sold out, and purchased 120 acres on section 20, Flowerfield Township, where he commenced farming, but only retained possession of his property until the following year. In 1869 he purchased a farm in Cass County, to which he removed, and where he lived until April, 1880. Then, returning to Flowerfield Township, he purchased his present homestead on section 22. Here he has effected good improvements, and has been quite prominent in local affairs, holding the office of Town Clerk since 1886, and occupying other positions of trust. He was a Whig before the organization of the Republican party, and since that time has been a stanch supporter of Republican principles. A man prompt to meet his obligations, upright in his dealings with his fellow-citizens, he is held in high esteem, and numbered among the representative men of St. Joseph County. Mrs. Cooper was born Sept. 15, 1839, in Bucks County, Pa., and of her union with our subject there were born twelve children, only seven of whom are living, five sons and two daughters. The five sons are all at home. They were named respectively: William A., born April 16, 1858; Samuel D., Dec. 23, 1861; Pearson, Aug. 11, 1867; Delaware, April 25, 1872; Henrietta Matilda, Jan. 23, 1863; Ida May, June 22, 1865; Bismark, Sept. 20, 1878. Mr. Cooper, the father of our subject, followed farming all his life, and spent his last years at Holmesville, Pa., where his decease took place in 1869. The mother of Mr. Cooper, our subject, died of cholera in 1 32, when he was a little child two years of age. %t) EORGE C. BRISSETTE. The clothing trade of Three Rivers finds a most energetic representative in this gentleman, who, in fact, stands in a position not far from the head. He possesses a practical knowledge of the business, has excellent taste in the selection of goods and also in the manufacture of material into garments. His patronage comes from the best citizens of the place, among whom he is a favorite both in social and business circles. Mr. Brissette is a native of the Dominion of Canada, having been born in the Province of Ontario, Sept. 26, 1840. His parents were Peter and Margaret (Chenever) Brissette, the former a farmer and miller by occupation. Their family consisted of eleven children, seven of whom lived to mature years, and George C. was the youngest. He received a good education, and after emerging from the primary school entered Joliette College, where he pursued his studies three years. Upon leaving his native place Mr. Brissette migrated to Plattsburg, N. Y., where he became a clerk in the post-office, and afterward was employed in a general store a year. We next find him at Detroit, Mich.,as an employe of Mr. E. Lieberman, a merchant, with whom he remained eighteen months, having charge most of this time of a branch store in East Saginaw. Later he returned to Detroit and entered the main store. Subsequently he became a clerk in the store at an advanced salary, remaining with that firm until April, 1865, as head clerk of the retail department. Mr. Brissette came to Three Rivers in the latter part of 1865, and soon afterward associated himself with William H. Cook in the clothing trade, which partnership was dissolved a year later, Mr. B. purchasing the interest of his partner. His present store occupies No. 52 St. Joseph street, and is equiped with all the conveniences for the rapid transaction i I t 1 I i i 1 j 41r OpM —I ~~~~ II-1 IIII- ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' Ip -4 k I _ _ J ( _ ~~~~~~~I_ _ _ I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I I IIIL__I______CWIIII__ ll__ ll___l__~IL-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -0 ---......... I 2:I.040 - - OR u k ST. JOSEPH COUNTY 503 I of business. He has a residence on Main street, which was put up in 1887, in the Queen Anne style of architecture. Mr. B. has been quite prominent in local affairs, officiating as a member of the City Council, and occupying other positions of trust. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he officiated as Eminent Commander two years. February, 1871, witnessed the marriage of our subject with Miss Louisa Antes, the ceremony being performed at the bride's home in Centreville. Mrs. B. is the youngest in a family of eleven children. To our subject and his wife there have been born two sons, tile elder of whom, George A., died when an interesting little lad of six years. The surviving child is Charles A. Mr. Brissette took his first lesson in English at Plattsburg, N. Y., and subsequently gained a good knowledge of French, being able to read and talk fluently. His father at one time was wealthy, but signed his name to notes for a friend, meeting with the usual results of such a transaction. On account of this our subject was called home from college and compelled to abandon his studies and assist in the maintenance of the family. EANDER R. WEINBERG, a pioneer of '44, I came to this county in the spring of that year from his native place, Easton, Pa., where he was born March 18, 1821. His first enterprise in the West was as a teamster in Three Rivers, and he labored to such good advantage that the year following he was enabled to invest a little capital of $200 in forty acres of land on section 36, in Flowerfield Township. The homne which he then established has been his to the present time, a period of over forty-four years. The homestead proper embraces eighty-eight acres of land, to which he has given his special attention, gathering around him all the comforts and conveniences of modern life. He has been greatly prospered, and from time to time added to his first purchase until he became the owner of 192 acres, which he now has. Our subject was reared in Northampton County, Pa., and secured a common-school education in his native town of Easton. Before coming to the West he took unto himself a wife and helpmate, being married in Armstrong County, Pa., Dec. 21, 1842, to Miss Catherine Kunselman. This lady was born in Schuylkill County, Pa., in 1826, and accompanied her husband to the West, remaining his faithful and affectionate companion a period of about fortysix years, passing away at the homestead in Flowerfield Township when sixty-two years old, Dec. 3, 1888. Of this marriage there were born eleven children. Mr. Weinberg, on the 29th of September, 1886, contracted a second marriage, with Mrs. Sybil C. (Furman) Beauder. This lady is the daughter of Robert and Mary (Potter) Furman, the former a native of New York State, and was herself born in Niagara County, that State, Dec. 11, 1855. The family came to Michigan about 1869, and the mother died in Jonesville, Hillsdale County, at the age of sixty-five years. Mr. Furman is still living, making his home in Virginia, and is now about seventy years old. George Weinberg, the father of our subject, was born in Northampton County, Pa., and married Miss Susana Sweetzer, a native of Northampton County, Pa. The household circle was completed by the birth of nine children, only four of whom are now living. Leander R., of our sketch, was the fourth child of the family; one brother, Monroe, is a prosperous grain dealer at Moorepark, this county; George lives near that place on a farm; Mary Ann is the wife of Abraham Mohney. of Three Rivers; Jerry died at Moorepark in October, 1886, when about thirty years of age, and Reuben lives at Three Rivers; he is a retired farmer. Our subject is the father of eleven children by the first wife and none by the second. Of these seven are living. The eldest, Joseph, is a resident of Fabius Township, where he is carrying on farming; Miss Polly continues her residence at the homestead; Catherine, or "Kate" as she is familiarly called, is the wife of Edward Tackaberry, and the mother of two children-Floyd and Mattie; they live in Flowerfield Township. Sarah Jane, Mrs. Winfield Hopkins, lives on a farm in Fabius Township, and is the mother of one child, a son, Neal; Charles C. married Miss Ellen Gemberling, -a1 old "Pll"" ---,I~" c.Y I < .bo- it 40o -- L Ieb'A 504 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I who became the mother of one child, a son, Ray, and died April 29, 1888, when but twenty-two years of age; Pharus R. married Miss Minnie Gemberling, and lives on a farm inl Flowerfield Townslip; they have two children-Maude and Winfield. Elmer Egbert continues at home with his parents. Mr. Weinberg has been quite prominent in local affairs, holding the office of County Coroner two terms, also those of Town Treasurer and Highway Commissioner. He and his family belong to the United Brethren Church. Mr. W. votes the straight Republican ticket, and during the late Rebellion suffered the loss of his eldest son, William Harrison, who, in the fall of 1861, enlisted at Three Rivers in Company E, 11th Michigan Infantry, which was at first commanded by Capt. Spencer, and later by Capt. Hicks. William fought with his comrades bravely and faithfully until during the siege of Atlanta, when he met his death on the field of battle, Aug. 7, 1864, when but twenty-one years old. His remains now fill a soldier's grave at Atlanta, Ga. N. Y., May 20, 1829. Iis parents were Eben and Mary (Cheney) Thomas, who were of New England birth. After the birth of their family of seven sons, of whom our subject was the youngest, they removed from their old home in Niagara County, N. Y., to Calhoun County, Mich., and settled on a farm among the pioneers of that part of the State. The father afterward died there on his homestead, and the mother subsequently went to Sank County, Wis., and spent her remaining years with one of her sons. Our subject was a lad of nine years when he came to Michigan with his parents, and he was reared to manhood on his father's farm. He was an apt scholar, and with praiseworthy ambition devoted himself to gaining an education, having to pay his own way at school with money that he earned by working out summers and teaching winters. He thus prepared himself for college, and was an early student at Olivet College, in Eaton County, Mich. After leaving that institution he began to study medicine with the late Dr. Timms, of Hillsdale County, Mich., and in the fall of 1856 he entered the medical department of the State University at Ann Arbor. IHe received his diploma, and was graduated from there in the spring of 1858, and established himself in his profession at Edwardsburg, in Cass County. He remained there some six years, and then removed to Hillsdale, Mich., where he practiced about a year and a half. In the fall of 1866 he took advantage of a fine opening for a good physician in the village of Constantine, where he has since lived in a comfortable home, and enjoys quite an extensive practice. Dr. Thomas has been twice married. He was first married in Ontwa Township, Cass Co., Mich., to Miss Ann Ormsby. She was born in Cleveland Township, Elkhart Co., Ind., Nov. 24, 1836. She died at Chardon, Geauga Co., Ohio, of consumption, Aug. 4, 1863, leaving one son, Everett D., who resides in Constantine. The Doctor's marriage to his present wife took place in Edward(sburg, Cass County, Aug. 18, 1864. Mrs. Thomas, whose maiden name was Martha E. Mead, was born' in Ontwa Township, Cass County, Aug. 13, 1842. She was a daughter of Henry H. and Mary (Paine) Mead. Her father died in Cass County, in 1842. ___.1& -I L- T - 1 5. +c 4 - ANIEL E. THOMIAS, M. D., who is suc-! )cessfully practicing medicine in Constanb tine Village, ranks in skill and learning among the leading physicians of St. Joseph County. Besides attending to his professional duties the Doctor takes an active part in the administration of civic affairs, and holds a prominent position in the village government. The community is greatly indebted to him for his deep interest in educational matters, he having been a member of the School Board for some vears, and is at present Chairman of the Town Board of School Inspectors, and has always used his influence to secure good schools for the education of the young in this locality. His wisdom and advice are valued in the sessions of the Village Council, of which he is an esteemed member. He is a sound Republican in his political views and relations. Religiously, he and his wife are among the most prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Dr. Thomas was born in Royalton. Niagara Co., I I I - Eb.-rII- ~ I ~ IL111~ 131~~1- _I -~ III IIIIML _- T —.__ I h. I. -S SR ~ ' ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 505 I -- Her mother survives at an advanced age. To Dr. and Mrs. Thomas have been born three children: Herbert M., who (lied when over two years of age; Wilber F., who studied law at Constantine with Prosecuting Attorney F. W. Knowlen, has been admitted to the bar, and is now engaged in practice at White Pigeon, St. Joseph (ounty, and Herbert D., who is a clerk in a store in Chicago, 111. ALVIN W. EVANS, of the firm of Evans & Kaiser, grocers and bakers, Sturgis, has already established an excellent reputation as a young man of exceptional business talent, keen, shrewd and prompt in his dealings, and ever courteously attentive to the wants of his customers. Although lie has been in business here but a few months, yet, with the aid of his able partner, he has secured a large and profitable trade, and bids fair in the course of a few years, if his success continues uninterrupted, to become one of the moneyed men of Sturgis. Our subject comes of good old New England stock, and his name and lineage are indissolubly connected with the early history of that part of the country. Calvin Evans, father of our subject, was a native of Maine, his ancestors coming from England at an early day, belonging to the aristocracy of that time, and leaving England on account of political difficulties. In about 1841 he became a resident of Newark, Wayne Co., N. Y., and was there prosperously engaged in business as a shoe maker and dealer for nearly forty years. He married Abigail Wyman, who was born near the village of Randolph, Vt., on a farm that nestled at the foot of the Green Mountains of Vermont, in the year 1812. IHer parents were of old Welsh stock, and died when she was a child, and she was adopted by Mr. Spencer, father of the noted Spencer, the great perfume and extract manufacturer of New York City. Her marriage with the father of our subject was productive of nine children, eight of whom are still living, namely: Monroe, George W., James W., Mary (now Mrs. Warren), Helen (Mrs. Hinton), Ludelia H. (Mrs. Stroud), Hattie (Mrs. Gates) and our subject. Their daughter Elizabeth married Mr. Simpson, and died at the age of thirty-nine, leaving five children. The father of our subject died in 1881, thus rounding out an honorable life of seventy-one years. Iis wife died in 1876, having attained the age of sixty-four years. Calvin Evans, of whom we write, was born in Newark, N. Y.; March 18, 1854. His boyhood was passed in his native place, and there he received a sound, practical education, well fitting him for a business life. In 1868 he left the parental home and made his way to Sturgis. The following year we hear of him in Springfield, Mo., where he obtained a clerkship in a dry-goods store. He retained that position eighteen months, and while there saw the first train come in on the Frisco Railway; 1870 found him again in Sturgis. In the same year he returned to his birthplace. Desiring to still further supplement his education, he attended school two years, and in the fall of 1872 once more made his appearance in Sturgis and has made his home here the most of the time since. Ile obtained employment in the grocery and bakery of Rice & Co., with whom he staid nine years, thus gaining a thorough knowledge of his present business down to the minutest detail. He began business for himself in January, 1882, as a grocer, and sold out in 1884. The three following years he was employed in Sturgis' furniture factory. At the expiration of that time he received the appointment of mail messenger on the Lake Shore Road between Chicago and Cleveland. In October, 1888, he resigned that position, his resignation being accepted November 12. He then went into the grocery and bakery business, with James Ryan as partner. The latter sold his interest in the store to Mr. Kaiser Dec. 2, 1888. They do a good business and have a large wholesale and retail baking trade, as they supply this town and neighboring village with bread. Mr. Evans was united in marriage to Miss Ida L. Dice April 27, 1875. She is a daughter of John A. Dice, a grocer of Chicago, Ill. Mrs. Evans was born at Sturgis, Jan. 14, 1856. The pleasant wedded life of our subject has been blessed to him by the birth of two children: MIabel D., who rr~-Talp_ I ----~F~ — a --- —,~- Ir. -- II ~ ~ — - ` -- - A t S.-p U 'ES h% IL. w -ppa 506 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~-: I! was born Feb. 12, 1876; and 'James B., who was born Nov. 27, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Evans move in the highest society that the town affords, and number among their friends the best people of the place. It is the united testimony of those who know our subject that he is an upright man whose life is without blemish. He is an earnest thinker, has a cultured mind, is broad and enlightened in his views, and a sincere Christian and firm believer in the doctrine of universal salvation, he being a member of the Universalist Church. Socially, he is identified with the I. O. 0. F. ~r --- —~ --- —~ NDREW LAVERTY. In this gentleman, now a retired farmer and highly esteemed citizen of White Pigeon, we find an example for the young men of to-day, who are just embarking in the field of active life, of what may be accomplished by a man in the humble walks of life. by being honest, true and industrious. In early life he enjoyed but a few advantages, his school (lays were limited, and he lhad not wealth nor position to aid him at the outset. He relied solely upon his own efforts and his own conduct to win him the success in life he so much desired. The success obtained does not consist exclusively in the sense of accumulating wealth, but in doing good to others and in treating his neighbors well, and in winning their respect and esteem. Our subject was born in Montour County, Pa.. Nov. 29, 1816. He is a son of William and Deborah (Demun) Laverty. The father was a native of Philadelphia, and died when our subject was very young. He was the father of four children, of whom our subject is the only one living. The mother married Luke Brass, and became the mother of two more children, one of whom, Margaret, is living; she is now the wife of J. C. Else, and resides in Waubaushene, Ontario, on the shores of the Georgian Bay. After the death of his father, which occurred when our subject was six years old, he left his home to earn his own living. He first learned the trade of a tailor, which he followed successfully for several years. His health beginning to fail he'quit it and engaged in farming for two years. He then worked as a carpenter for some time. In 1866 he came to St. Joseph County and settled in Constantine Township, where he engaged in farming until in the spring of 1882, when he moved into White Pigeon, where he has since resided. He owned a fine grain farm, but when he moved into town he disposed of it. Mr. Laverty was married, Jan. 8, 1838, to Sarah A. Schuyler. She was a daughter of Adam and Eve Schuyler. They lived near Paradise, Northumberland Co., Pa. The father was born in New Jersey and is now (dead. The mother was born in Northampton County, Pa. Our subject and his good wife are the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living. named: Kezia S., Margaret B., Effie S., Mattie H., Frank G., Charles W. and Oliver Perry. Kezia is the wife of Daniel Blue, of Mottville Township, and is the mother of seven children -Charlie, Mattie, Harry, Minnie, Frank, Kate and John. Margaret is the wife of John F. Barnett, and resides at Antwerp, Ohio; she is the mother of three children-Eva, Nellie and Maggie. Effie is the wife of William D. Wilson, and is the mother of two children, Harry and Rene, and resides in Antwerp, Ohio; Mattie is the wife of Dr. Reuben Schurtz, and is the mother of one child, Carl; they reside in Streator, 111. Frank married Alta Maroney, and resides in Florence Township, in this county, and has one child, Vera Zoe; Charlie is Principal of the schools in Randolph, Dodge Co., Wis.; 0. Perry is a telegraph operator. Our subject and his good wife celebrated their golden wedding Jan. 8, 1889, and at the same time recalled to mind the seventy-third anniversary of the battle of New Orleans. The remembrances left with this worthy couple at that time were of intrinsic value in themselves, but that does not constitute their value in the eyes of the recipients. The feelings which prompted their bestowal render them priceless to those who received them, as every article given serves to recall to mind the love, affection and esteem of the giver, and they are all treasured and valued in the hearts of Mr. Laverty and his wife as beyond money value. Mrs. Laverty's two brothers, John and Lewis Schuyler, each lived to I ~8c-la~pr- lr 1 -— 3 — I —e- I I I 00 ---m~ —~~~ ---~e 11 - V.-_ _ _ ~ ~ _ — ! - 1, f ICL~~EC -)IIIIII~c ~-~~-IIP- -~-II-~- ~ — - I I INI -:)lb A* -L - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 507, I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 507 — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ celebrate their golden wedding; the first named died at the age of eighty; Lewis is yet living and is past eighty years old. Her brother William celebrated his golden wedding in February, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Laverty have been active, zealous members of the Lutheran Church for forty-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Laverty live in their palatial brick residence on East Chicago street. Their home is finely furnished throughout, and tile barns and other out-buildings are models of their kind, very substantially constructed and convenient in design. This gentleman is one of those men we find so thickly scattered through Michigan, and who form the best element of her society. It is they who have laid the foundations of the State so broad, deep and solid that the colossal edifice of the great commonwealth is reared upon it without danger of collapse, making it possible to attain the highest pinnacle to which Government or human society reaches. To these men Michigan owes her greatness, and of this class our subject is a splendid representative. 1A ERRITT P. HARWOOD. The present ID lU prosperous and pron)ising condition of Constantine Township is due to the knowledge and energy of a class of men of whom our subject is a fair representative. He was born in this township, Oct. 24, 1840, and has always resided here. His father was Heman Harwood, and his mother Rebecca (Fisher) Harwood; she is now deceased. (See sketches of Hiram and HIeman Harwood, on other pages in this volume.) Our subject was the younger of his parents' two children. His entire life has been passed on a farm, excepting the time when he was attending school. His parents were educated and intelligent people, and they transmitted to their son a desire for knowledge, to gratify which lie never loses an opportunity. lie is a close observer of men and events, is very liberal in his ideas, and freely accepts the experience of others in the same line of business with hinself, and profits by their failures as well as their successes. Mr. 11 wood was married to Miss Savilla White, in Constantine Township, Sept. 11,1860. This lady was born in Lycoming County, Pa., Oct. 24, 1844. This couple have become the parents of two children Fannie M. and Leonard A. Fannie is now the wife of Edward Boles, and resides with her husband in Constantine Township; Leonard married Miss Minnie Thomas, and likewise resides in Constantine Township. The parents of Mrs. Harwood were Abel and Esther (Bower) WhTite. They came from Pennsylvania to St. Joseph County in 1848, and settled in Florence Township, where they cleared a farm in the heavy timber of that section, which they sold and removed to Constantine Township where they resided until the time of their deaths. IHer father was a carpenter, but followed farming the greater portion of the time. Hle met his death by falling from a building on which he was working, living but four hours after tile fall. He was born Oct. 17, 1814, and died Aug. 6, 1873. Her mother was born Sept. 11, 1816, and died in Constantine Oct. 27, 1877. The record of their family is as follows: Amelia was born Jan. 9, 1842, was the wife of Edwin Moshier, and died Feb. 14. 1883. Her sister, Mrs. HIarwood, relates an interesting incident of her falling from a primitive bridge while returning from school, and floating down stream half a mile, when she was rescued in an exhausted condition by the latter. The next in order of birth was Mrs. Harwood: then Mary Belle, born Dec. 16, 1844, now wife of Melvin Moshier, residing in I)allas County, Iowa; Almira was born Jan. 10, 1846, and died Jan. 16, 1858; and Jefferson, born March 31, 1847, died Nov. 23, 1861. Mrs. Harwood has been an invalid for the last two years, being confined to the house, and the greater lortion of the time to her room, by that most excruciating disease, rheumatism. She has borne all her sufferings and trials with Christian resignation. Prior to the time slhe was attacked with this sickness and confined to the house, she took an active part in the social life of the people about her, and had an especial pride in the management and care of her elegant home. The improvements Mr. Harwood has placed upon his farm of 120 acres are very complete in their character, and substantial in their construction. He believes that the small things cared for go far to J] som z 4 d- ' -_. M I- -"-,~ _ _" I t t 1- li r --- —-----------— --- --- - - ------- -- ----- ------------- --- ---,, *go.- 'm oqo ~- ONO- luI. I-d II ~~r '~r — II~ f A 508 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - - I I i — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ward securing the success of a farmer; in consequence, he watches very closely for the small leaks, which, if allowed to grow, would wreck the enterprise. All the animals on the farm are sheltered in good, warm houses through the cold months of winter and spring, and all of the many implements employed on the farm are carefully cleaned, repaired, and stored away ready for use when required. The success which has attended him proves the correctness of his conclusions. In politics Mr. Harwood is Republican. tIe has declined to accept any public office other than that of School Director, which he has held for several years. Lie accepted this office feeling that any efforts he might put forth would be of lasting good. Himself and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has been for many years a Steward and Trustee in society. B. RUGGLES, of Three Rivers, is an old resident of St. Joseph County. He was born in Hanover Township, Luzerne Co., Pa., June 22, 1818. Iis parents, Lorenzo and Polly (Bennett) Ruggles, were both natives of Connecticut. Tle grandfather, Ashbel Ruggles, emigrated from Connecticut and removed thence to Luzerne County, Pa., and afterward to Ohio, where he died. On leaving Pennsylvania he also left his son Lorenzo, who was serving his time as an apprentice to a blacksmith. After completing his term the latter began business for himself, building a shop on a half-acre of ground which Ihe had purchased. As his means permitted he added to this until he became the owner of 100 acres, all the time carrying on his blacksmithing trade. There he was married to Polly Bennett, who had likewise emigrated from Connecticut with her parents, and they continued to live in Hanover Township until Mr. Ruggles retired from active life, when he made his home in the then village, now the flourishing city, of Wilkesbarre, Pa., where he died at the age of seventy-four. Mr. Ruggles had been twice married, his first wife. Polly, dying at the age of forty. His second wife was Mary Ann Wagner. a native of Northampton County, Pa., who survived her husband about five years. All of his ten children were by the first wife, and all grew to maturity except one, who died in childhood. The others, all born in Luzerne County, Pa., were: Almon, who was a farmer and blacksmith, and died in his native county; Alfred, a farmer living in Ohio; Josiah, a retired lumber dealer, living in Luzerne County; Z. B. was next in order of birth; then came Catlin, now a farmer in Fabius Township, in this county; Lorenzo, a carpenter 1)y trade, living in Will County, Ill.; Mary Ann, wife of Rev. John Labar, of Forty Fort, Luzerne Co., Pa.; Sarah Jane, wife of John Reimer, a farmer in the same county; and Paulina, wife of Charles Whitesell, a mason and plasterer in Pittston, Pa. The subject of this sketch learned the trade of a carriage-maker in Bloomsburg, Columbia Co., Pa., and afterward was in the same business there on his own account for six years. In 1845 he decided to try his fortunes in the West, and emigrated to Michigan, settling in Three Rivers, which has ever since been his home. On first locating here he worked at his trade for four years for Mr. Pettit. For two years after that he followed farming, but then returned to his trade, building a shop, and afterward buying out the business of his former employer, and carrying it on until 1883, when he sold it out. Idleness not suiting his industrious disposition, he is now engaged in selling tombstones, monuments, etc., for the firm of J... luylar & Sons, of Three Rivers. Mr. Ruggles has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Mary Gearhart, a native of Columbia County, Pa., who died in 1850, about five years after they had came to Michigan. Her only child died when four years old. His second wife is Lydia Maria Cole, a native of Yates County, N. Y., who came to Michigan with her father about the year 1838. They have one child, a son named Ezra C., who is married to Saidee Nelson, of Flowerfield Township, this county, has one child, and lives in Three Rivers. Mr. Ruggles stands extremely well in the community. IHe has from youth been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Churcl, and since his residence in Three Rivers has been Trustee, Steward and Class-Leader in the church here. He takes an act Ii i F;s L — MN.-u, m a: — oI-m _pp — V I~ O V-" t - - 0 — a II m.Ow =PI IN it ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 509 A I~~~ ive interest in the Sabbath-school work, and has been both teacher and Superintendent. tie was one of the organizers of the first Sabbath-school ever established in Three Rivers. IIe has never taken a very active part in public affairs, but has been a member of the Town Council of Three Rivers. In politics he is a Republican. - L)EV. LEWIS C. ROUTZAHN, Pastor of St. l, John's English Lutheran Church at Three \ Rivers, was born in Mt. Morris, Ogle Co., )Ill., May 23, 1859, his parents being John and Catherine (Harbaugh) Routzahn, the father of German, and mother of Swiss descent. On both sides the family is of ancient lineage, the paternal ancestors coming to this country about 250 years ago, and locating first in New Amsterdam, as New York was then called. A generation or two later the then head of the family removed to Frederick County, Md., where the family are to this day numerously represented. The grandfather of our subject, Jonathan Routzahn, was born in that county, became a farmer, and lived there all of his life, dying at a comparatively early age. He married Miss Elizabeth Herring, also a native of that county, and they were the parents of seven children, namely: Nathaniel, now a photographer in Winchester. Va.; Luther was a machinist, and (lied in Springfield, Ohio, in 1886; John, father of Lewis C., was next in order of birth; Lewis was a merchant and planter in Georgia, and died in that State in 1886; Daniel is a harness manufacturer in East St. Louis, Ill.; Maurice is in the Government employ at Washington, D. C.; and Elizabeth, who was the wife of George Chamberlain, died in Middletown, Md. John Routzahn was born May 30, 1829, in Middletown, Md. He became a merchant tailor, and carried on business at Baltimore, Md., for several years, when he removed to Mt. Morris, Ill., and'was there engaged in business for many years. Later he removed to Iowa, where he lived about five years, when he started to revisit his old home and friends in Mt. Morris. Before reaching there he was attacked with heart disease, and died at Chana Station, twelve miles from his old home, Aug. 1, 1873. He was a devout Christian, an industrious, upright man, of decided opinions. who stuck strongly to what he believed to be right. In his political belief he was what was known as a Douglas Democrat. He was kind-hearted and generous to those in need, and lost much money by helping his friends. He was married in Maryland to Catherine Harbaugh, who was descended from an ancient Swiss family who emigrated to this country when Switzerland was struggling for independence about 300 years ago. Having taken an active part in the troubles of that time they were compelled to flee to save their lives. On coming to this country the Harbaughs settled in New Amsterdam; later they were found in Pennsylvania, and afterward removed to Maryland. The family have been prominent in that locality, and embraced in their numbers many famous men-statesmen, ministers, large contractors, etc. One of the latter built the Treasury building at Washington, afterward burned by the British. Another was the famous David HIarbaugh, D. D., mentioned in "Webster's Dictionary" among the noted men of Maryland. Catherine Harbaugh died in Mt. Morris, I11., Dec. 17, 1866, aged thirty-six, being born in 1830. She and her husband were the parents of seven children, as follows: Algernon, now a practicing lawyer in Beatrice, Neb.; William and George were both killed by lightning at Oregon, Ill., in June, 1885; Lewis C. was next; Olen is a farmer near Lincoln, Neb.; Mary makes her home with our subject, and Ma'tha lives at Dayton, Ohio. Lewis C. Routzahn lost his mother when he was but seven years of age, and his father seven years later. He was thus thrown upon his own resources at an early age, and for three years after his father died lived upon a farm. He then learned the trade of a baker, and when but eighteen years old began business for himself in Mt. Morris, Ill. In 1878 he gave it up, and visited relatives in Maryland, staying there for several months. He then went to Springfield, Ohio, where many of his father's relatives lived, among whom were the founders of Wittenberg College at that place. There he began studying for the ministry, attending the College for one year, but his health being impaired by too close application to his studies, he returned to his old home in Illinois. The next fall he taught school, (! r_ wppw-~ k ~ - ~~C — I ll IP IL II1 ~I ~ — -,AP~ I - - - --- -------------------------— ~ --- 4 i *o-! I I 41 -cl8 106 0IIL III —r l I,6'-4do ~~aL — a a I 10 ST11. JOSEPHT COUNTY. L 5 -TJ H and a year later entered Mt. Morris College, where le continued his stulies for two years, then going back to Springfield, Ohio, and entering the theological department of Wittenberg College, was graduated therefrom in 1884. A month later he received a call to the church in Three Rivers, Mich., of which he has ever since been the pastor. It was then but a mission church, having but thirty-three members. Under his care it became in two years self-sustaining, with a membership of 100. Now it has over 200 members, with the largest Sabbathschool in St. Joseph County, a record redounding to tie credit of Mr. Routzahn, and illustrative of the zeal with which he has labored. The church is free of debt, and flourishingin every way, and the pastor beloved and respected, not only by his own congregation, but by all who know him. August 12, 1885, Mr. Routzahn married Miss Lillian McClure, (laughter of Thomas and Minerva (Comstock) McClure, of San Jose, Cal. She was born in Polo, Ill., Sept. 10, 1858, and is the youngest of five children, none of the others being residents of St. Joseph County. Mr. and Mrs. Routzahn have had two children: Olen, born Aug. 2, 1886, and died November 5 of the same year; and Warren Willitts, born in 1887. Mr. Routzahn has made many and warm friends during his residence in Three Rivers, and is justly held in high esteem. He is zealous in his work, kind, charitable and considerate with his fellowmen, and has accomplished much good. Socially, he is a member of Davis Lodge No. 57, F. & A. M., and of Salathiel Chapter No. 28, R. A. ONRAD SCHAAD. In our selection of representative houses we find the name of this gentleman inseparably connected with the boot and shoe industry, which has a fine showing in Three Rivers, and of which Mr. Schaad is a leading representative. Hie occupies a prominent place in the shoe trade of the city, dealing in durable goods of first-class quality, and as the result of this, has built up a lucrative patronage. A native of Switzerland, he was born in Obeshallan, Canton of Schaffhausen, Feb. 26, 1829, and there received his early education, after which lie learned the trade of shoemaker, serving the regular apprenticeship of five years in that country, and becoming master of the trade in all its branches. Mr. Schaad traveled as a journeyman shoemaker through nearly the length and breadth of his native land and France, working sufficiently to pay his expenses, and gained a fine knowledge of the country, viewing its interesting sights and becoming possessor of a practical knowledge which afforded a more thorough school of training than books could have been. His wanderings ended, he then returned home, spent one year, and in 1854 set sail for America. When leaving his childhood's home he proceeded to Havre, France, and there embarked on a vessel bound for New York City, where he arrived after a four weeks' voyage. Ie spent very little time in the metropolis, but proceeding directly westward halted at Toledo, Ohio, where he spent four months working at his trade. We next find our subject in Constantine, this county, where he sojourned eighteen months, and in the winter of 1856 came to Three Rivers and occupied the shoemaker's bench until 1862. At the expiration of this time, having been successful in accumulating some means, he established in business on his own account, opening up a well-selected stock of boots and shoes in the Kelsey Block. lHe occupied this place until 1864, then purchased his present store, to which he removed his business and where he has since held forth. The building occupies an area of 22x75 feet, and is three stories in height. Mir. Schaad carries a well-selected stock, to which he is constantly making additions and gradually extending his trade. Mr. Schaad owes his success to his close application to his business, his promptness in meeting his obligations, and his courtesy to his customers. Besides his store building, he owns good residence property and four other business houses. For the man who arrived upon American soil with but a few dollars in his pocket, he has certainly made good progress. In politics he is conservative, and socially, belongs to the T. 0. 0. F., with which he has been identified a number of years. Mr. Schaad in 1864 contracted matrimonial ties U -d* _ I w -1 U ~ - - r - I r L FG I ) -- -- -- -- - -----— ~ ~ — FF AM --- — U It-40 up- IR -meIl~e-C~~~- __lL —__a- LL_-7-~I~_ C~~11 IlI E)IIII l ST.,JOSEPH COUNTY. 511 i I --------------- I with Miss Mary A. Blizzard, of Three Rivers. Mrs. S. was born in Montour County, Pa., and of her union with our subject there are three children living: Caroline J., the wife of Charles Bateman; Lilly, at home with her parents, and Arlina, the wife of Charles W. Cox. One young daughter. Arvina, died at the age of twelve years. The parents of Mrs. S. were Daniel and Prudence Blizzard, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and spent their last days in Danville, Pa. Jacob and Ursula (Baunlan) Schaad were natives also of Switzerland, born in the same canton as their son. Their family consisted originally of five children, only four of whom lived to mature years. One of these still survives, and makes his home in Decatur, Mich. Mr. Schaad has fully identified himself with the interests of his adopted country, and has long been recognized in Three Rivers as a valued addition to the community. M OS STURGIS, one of the solid, substantial men of St. Joseph County, and a leading agriculturist of Sturgis, owning one of the largest and most valuable farms in the township, takes an honest pride in being a member of one of the prominent pioneer families of the county, his father, the late Judge Sturgis, having been one of the very first settlers within its boundaries. Our subject is a native-born citizen of Michigan, his birth having occurred at Brownstown, Wayne County, Jan. 17, 1828. His father, Judge John Sturgis, was born in Philadelphia in 1787, and passed the first thirteen years of his life in that city. In the opening year of this century his parents. John and Ardillacy (Miller) Sturgis, were married in Mt. Pleasant, Canada; they then moved to Brownstown, Michigan Territory, in 1818, making the journey with a yoke of oxen and a sled, crossing the river at Detroit when the ice was so near the point of breaking up that Mrs. Sturgis, taking their only child in her arms, walked across rather than run the risk of breaking through the ice with the team and drowning. They settled r on land belonging to Gen. Cass. In the year 1827 Judge Sturgis and an enterprising young man named George Thurston came to this part of Michigan and broke the first prairie land in what was afterward St. Joseph County, sowed a crop of wheat, and put up a quantity of hay. For further particulars of their journey and sojourn into this then uninhabited country see sketch of Mr. Thurston on another page of this volume. They returned to Wayne County, and in the spring of 1828, in the month of May, the Judge came back here with his family to take up his permanent abode here, and thus became one of the earliest settlers of the county. Ie at first located on the southwest quarter of what is now Fawn River Township, but at the end of two years he moved to Nottawa and entered 240 acres of Government land, which he afterward sold for $1,500. Hle remained in that place a period of only three months, and then came to Sturgis and located on land where our subject now lives. -le was an industrious, energetic man, with excellent business ability, and met with eminent success in all of his transactions, thus working his way up from poverty to comparative affluence, and at the time of his death was the owner of 1,400 acres of land, which lie willed to his sons, entailing it so that it should descend fromn father to son in direct line as long as the race should last. The Judge was an important personage here in his day, and the township of Sturgis was named in his honor by Gov. Cass, who on his return from the trip in which he had made his famous treaty with the Pottawatomie Indians, camped near the Judge's house, and learning that the prairie hadi no name, called it Sturgis. To Judge and Mrs. Sturgis were born ten children, six sons and four daughters, namely: William, Jane, Catherine, John, George, Amos, David, Hannah, Sarah A. (deceased) and Henrietta. Judge Sturgis closed his eyes to the scenes of earth April 17, 1872, and thus passed away a notable citizen of this town. whose name will be held in remembrance as long as the town shall last. His wife departed this life Feb. 15, 1877. The subject of our sketch was reared on his present homestead, and received his early schooling in the typical school-house of pioneer days, a log cabin, with rude slab seats, situated in the village i 6 - ' m- E 4..i m r _ ~ ~ ~ ~ _! i " i i i Pi --- R — l — ww- - ~ I - _ - -L L —~ ---L I lum om l.512 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.' 512 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -- ~ — ~ — ~ ~ ~ — — ~~~ of Sturgis, and later attended the public school, receiving a substantial education. tIe is a man of undeniable ability, undisputed financial judgment, and unswerving integrity, who has always devoted his time and attention to agricultural pursuits, and his large and well-tilled farm of 530 acres in one body, 186 of which he inherited from his father, shows the skill and judicious labor that has been spent upon it. ITe raises all the crops of a Michigan farmer, but makes a specialty of potatoes and wheat. HIe has erected commodious and convenient buildings, and carries on farming after the most approved modern methods, his place being a credit to him and an ornament to the town and county. Mr. Sturgis was married, Feb. 9, 1869, to Miss Martha Smith, a native of New York State, and their union has been blessed by the birth of five children, namely: Nettie, Charles, Amos, Mattie and Myra, all of whom are at home and receiving the benefit of the excellent educational system of their native town. In politics Mr. Sturgis is a firm Democrat, and though he does his duty at the polls, never seeks official honors. He and his wife are highly esteemed in social circles in their community, and their hospitable home is the resort of the large circle of friends whom they have drawn to them by their geniality and courtesy. E V. J. EMORY FISHER. Prominent among! gg those who have contributed to the spread~ ing of the Word of God in this part of 9 p Michigan, none have been more active or zealous than the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, and who is now the oldest pastor and one of the most respected citizens of White Pigeon. His unceasing labors for many long years in the Master's vineyard have been crowned with glorious results, and his humble piety and Christian walk in life have endeared him to the thousands who have from time to time listened to his eloquent discourses and fervent prayers, as he has repeated to them the "old, old story of Jesus and His love," and with great humility of spirit and earnestness of purpose has pointed them to the Cross, and guided their wayward feet toward the realms of eternal bliss. I-e is now pastor in charge of the interests of the Presbyterian Church at White Pigeon. This gentleman was born in Wayne County, Ohio, near the town of Edinboro. He is the son of Philip R. and Mary (Walters) Fisher. The father was a native of Washington County, Pa. The mother was a daughter of Daniel Walters. The parents reared a family of eight children, five of whom are living, named: J. Emory, our subject; David, Jennie, Alfred and William. D)avid is an artist, and now resides in San Francisco, Cal.; Alfred is an invalid at home; William is a farmer, and lives on a portion of the old homestead near West Unity, Ohio. The subject of this sketch received his education at Hayesville (Ohio) Academy, and afterward attended the Western Theological Seminary at Allegheny City, Pa., from which institution he was graduated in 1869. Before leaving the seminary he received a call from Savannah, Mo., which lie accepted, and assumed charge of the Old School Presbyterian Church. After the consolidation of the New and the Old School societies, which occurred Dec. 12, 1869, the united church was under his pastorate, and on New Year's Day, 1870, received sixty-three persons by profession of their faith, as members of the church, among whom were Judges, bankers, merchants, coloners, and business men of various callings. IHe moved from Savannah to Lathrop in the same State in 1870, where he built the church. A few days after it was dedicated to the service of God he was taken ill and went home. After his recovery he supplied the churches at Kendallville and Elkhart, Ind., for a short time. Our subject then went to Fostoria, Ohio, and in March, 1872, he became pastor of the church in that place, where he remained for one year, adding over thirty members to the church. Thence he went to Auburn, Ind., in 1873. While there he was called to Woodstock, Ill., and in 1875 he removed to that place and was installed pastor of the church there, which he held until 1877, about forty uniting with the church under his ministry. From Woodstock lie removed to Mineral Point, Wis., and had charge of the church there for one year, during 5 Ii i i i II t t.f II I I I II I Lo.d I t L _|t q- 61 C — -IL- _3 — -LI — L- -~- — C-_ _I_ _ I _ e- ___, -s ------- - -- --- i-ll "s _sm I 1 -A - I AbLP-I-BL- s - PM ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 513 1 - -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ which time the church was raised up, a basement put under it, and the audience room enlarged and repaired within, and twenty-four members were added to the church. In 1878 he spent several months in evangelistic work. In the spring of 1879 he accepted the pastorate of the church at Columbus Grove, Ohio, and during his three years work the church was swelled from about 110 to 157. In the spring of 1882 he removed to Quincy, Mich., where his work was equally blessed, and in July, 1885, he came to White Pigeon, Mich. His work has been mostly of a missionary character, and he has devoted his whole energy and life to making it a success. When our subject assumed the pastorate of the church at Auburn, Ind., it had a membership of but twenty-two, and they were decidedly lukewarm and half-hearted in the interests of the society. Our subject at once practically took off his coat and went to work with a will, determined if possible to rejuvenate the people and inspire them with some life and ambition. At the end of his pastorate he had increased the membership to eighty-eight names. It is through his labor that the present magnificent Presbyterian Church was erected in White Pigeon in 1887; this society has prospered both temporally and spiritually under his ministrations. To the already large membership on the rolls when he assumed charge, he has been instrumental in securing more than thirty additions, twenty-four names having been added during the last year. The society of which our subject is the pastor is the oldest Presbyterian Church in the State west of Ypsilanti, having been organized in 1880. The old church was erected in 1832, and was the oldest Presbyterian Church in the State when the congregation left it on the 4th of March, 1888, for their new church. When Daniel Webster, the renowned American Statesman, and his wife and daughter, stopped overnight in White Pigeon, on July 5, 1836, he went up into the steeple on the old church building and viewed the landscape embraced in White Pigeon Prairie, and he pronounced the scenery the finest lie ever saw, in the following words: "How beautiful! Never before have I seen such a garden as this." The subject of this sketch was married to Miss Linda E. Foster, on Nov. 24, 1873. She was a daughter of Daniel Foster, who was a resident of Findlay, Ohio. Her father was the first man who ever utilized the flow of natural gas, which of late years has added so much to the wealth and substantial prosperity of that place. H-e discovered it escaping from a well as early as 1843, in such quantities that he was able to use it by conducting it through a rudely constructed tube. He is now dead. Rev. Fisher is a gentleman possessing advanced literary tastes, and has a great fluency of speech in his discourse; he has a generous and magnanimous nature, a manly ease and freedom of address, peculiarly his own. lie is widely known for his integrity, his honesty of purpose and uprightness of character. We find him engaged in every good work and laboring zealously for the suppression of evil, in whatever form it may be found, and the extension and perpetuation of G(od's kingdom upon the earth. l7 ENRY D. CUSIHMAN, a leading druggist I )') of Three Rivers, and making a specialty of the essential oils produced in St. Joseph [ County, Mich., came to this place in July, 1869, soon after having been graduated in pharmacy from the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor. He at once formed a partnership with James C. Reed, and they engaged in the drug business until 1875, when Mr. Cushman purchased the interest of his partner and continued the business until 1884. He then disposed of his stock to Mr. W. H. Shepherd.. In 1872 Mr. Cushman became associated with B. M. HIicks, and began dealing in essential oils, gradually drifting into the manufacture of the same, dealing in peppermint, spearmint, wormwood and tansy and erigeron, which he furnished to the jobbing trade. He is the inventor of the Menthol Inhaler, upon which he secured a patent in 1886. This he also furnishes to the jobbing trade, and from it enjoys a large sale, it being a most pleasant and agreeable remedy for such ailments as catarrh, hay fever, headache, neuralgia, etc. His transactions extend throughout the entire United States, '. --.II-m 4 -rIr r 4 I — _t - II-~Y- 1L r rI I ~~ Ill ~~ I —IIIICI ---- -- L —'-' ---L - - -- 'aI~C~~ I (I 514 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. Iam — q" i I: *i Great Britain, Canada and Mexico. lie is a gentleman of good business capacities, keeps himself well informed upon all matters concerning the intelligent citizen, and is considered a valuable factor in his community. Our subject was born in Jackson County. this State, Aug. 16, 1846, and is the son of Isaac W. and Maria H. (De Puy).Cushman, who were of New England ancestors. Isaac W. Cushman came to the Territory of Michigan with his father, Joseph W., at an early date. Fenton Cushman, the great-grandfather, was of English descent. Isaac W. after his marriage settled in Jackson County, and for many years operated a gristmill and engaged in general merchandising. lie departed this life in 1857, and the mother in 1882. They were the parents of three sons and one daughter, of whom Henry D1. was the eldest. The boyhood of the atter was spent in his native county, and after emerging from the district school he attended school at Albion College, and prepared for his university course. Ile was married, Feb. 23, 1870, to Miss Thirza A. Wright, a native of Calhoun County, Mich., and a graduate of Albion College. Mrs. Cushman was born July 30, 1848, and is the daughter of Josiah and Eliza Wright, who are now residents of Albion, Mich. Their family consisted of three children. To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born three childrenHerbert WX., Harry D. and Jessie M. Mr. Cushman represented his ward as Alderman three terms; is Secretary of the water works, and a member of Three Rivers Masonic Lodge. E mZEKIEL FLANDERS. This honored pioneer of 1844 arrived in this county in the X spring of the year, after a tedious and somewhat dangerous journey, which was performed in the manner of those days, widely different from that of the present, and during which was encountered one of the severest storms known to this section of country. For thirty-six hours Mr. F. held to an iron bar. His clothes in the meantime were frozen, and himself almost in a perishing condition. This was about November 17. The storm lasted from Fri day morning until Sunday about 7 P. M., when they had to give up the trip for that time and returned to Buffalo. After it had abated the journey to this county was resumed, and Mr. Flanders for a time made his home with friends. Our subject in the spring of 1852 purchased 160 acres of wild land on Nottawa Prairie, where he commenced farming amid the difficulties common to life in that region of country, taking care of his widowed mother and settling up the debts of his father's estate. In the meantime, in order to augment the family income he chopped wood at thirty cents per cord and boarded himself, economizing in every way possible. In due time his industry and perseverance brought their legitimate reward, and he found himself upon his feet. lie is now numbered among the well-to-do citizens of this county, owning 160 acres of good land in Nottawa Township, besides a good home in the village of Mendon. Iie carried on agriculture continuously some years, but in 1883 took up his abode in Mendon Village, where he now resides, surrounded by all the comforts of life. Our subject was born in Farmersville, Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., June 7, 1823, and is the son of Ezekiel and Lydia (White) Flanders, who were natives of New Hampshire, and the father a farmer by occupation. The latter was born Oct. 22, 1782, and departed this life in New York State, Dec. 8, 1840, at the age of fifty-eight years, one month and sixteen days. He had been a man of note in his neighborhood, holding the various local offices and bearing the reputation of a peaceable and lawabiding citizen, a man prompt to meet his obligations, and with his excellent wife a believer in the Christian religion. The mother was born July 16, 1818, and survived her husband six years, her death taking place at the homestead in St. Joseph County, Mich., Aug. 30, 1846, at the age of fiftyone years, eight months and ten days. Ezekiel Flanders, Sr., when about twenty-nine years of age entered upon a seafaring life, which he followed for about seven years, being mate of a vessel. He was a man of good education and more than ordinary intelligence, and followed teaching after resuming his residence on terra firma. He accumulated good property, and politically, affili r a I43l116- 1 ollo t- I I-~ I I rL r I M1 1 -. V — L / A t --------------- ----- -- ------------ ------ ------ - -- - -- ---— ~- ---------------- - ----- ---- -------------- —, - L I - -..~. I I - ~ L I I ~~ ~ ' I r t -o s al-lllmrl I!.............. --- — ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 515 _ _ ated with the Democratic party. The parental household included eleven children, ten of whom lived to mature years. The eldest, Zoroaster S. B., was born June 11, 1814; Sophia, Jan. 20, 1816; David W., July 16, 1818; Elizabeth R., March 20, 1820; Ezekiel, Jr., June 7, 1823; Calvin 11., Aug. 5, 1825; Lydia L., Aug. 8, 1828; Lucinda W., Aug. 15, 1830; Mary, Aug. 20, 1832; Ann, Jan. 10, 1838. This latter child died in infancy. The parents were married Feb. 15, 1813. Mr. Flanders, our subject, was reared at the home farm in Cattarangus County, N. Y., where he was taught habits of industry and economy, and obtained his book learning in the common school. IHe was content to follow farm pursuits, and when ready to establish a fireside of his own was united in marriage with Miss Amelia Ransom, Dec. 20, 1846, at the home of the bride in Janesville, Mich. Mrs. Flanders was born May 6, 1829, in New York, and is the daughter of Hubble and Charlotte (Graves) Ransom, the former of whom was born in 1777, and the latter Dec. 5, 1779. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Ransom consisted of the children, born as follows: Charlotte, Jan. 25, 1810; Justin H., May 7, 1812; Harry, July 7, 1814; Eliza A., Dec. 14, 1816; Alonzo, Feb. 13, 1819; Charlotte, July 4, 1821; Rebecca, March 5, 1823; Lyman G., April 16, 1827; Amelia, May 26, 1829; Martha, Aug. 12, 1833. Our subject and his estimable wife commenced their wedded life together in Nottawa Township, this county, and in due time the household circle ineluded five children. The eldest of these, Helen, was born Sept. 27, 1847; Catherine, Jan. 1, 1850; Frank P., Sept. 16, 1852; Fannie E., July 27, 1855; Ferdinand F., Dec. 27, 1860; Catherine died April 14, 1852, when a little over two years old. Frank P. died March 2, 1860, before reaching the eighth year of his age; Helen became the wife of Almeron Estes, of Mendon, and died at her home in Nottawa, Nov. 10, 1872, leaving one child; Lydia L. died when an infant of a few months. Mr. Flanders is a stanch Democrat politically, and has held the various local offices, the duties of which he discharged with great credit to himself and satisfaction to all concerned. He was elected Overseer of the Poor in the spring of 1874, and has since been continued in the office, proving himself finely adapted to the position, being a man of great kindness of heart and one to whom the sufferings of the poor never appeal in vain. Ile is a member of the City Council of Mendon, and socially, is a Royal Arch Mason. Mrs. Flanders belongs to the Episcopal Church, and is a lady who adorns her position as the wife of an honest man and a good citizen. UDLEY B. FRANCISCO, of Three Rivers, is the son of Daniel Francisco, deceased, of whom a full sketch is given on another page in this volume. He was born in Ontario County, N. Y., June 27, 1842, and was therefore but four years old when his parents brought him to Michigan. The death of his mother two years later deprived young Francisco of maternal care, yet,-though a weak boy, he grew to be a sturdy man. He attended the public schools of Three Rivers, and later took a course in the Commercial College at Albion, Mich. He was graduated from there in the fall of 1862, and the following spring took charge of his father's farms, for which his early training had admirably fitted him. In this way the time was passed until the spring of 1865, when he began on his own account on a farm of 177 acres, in Fabius Township, owned by his father, and subsequently bequeathed to our subject. Connected with his farming he also engaged in stock dealing and raising. Mr. Francisco continued to live there until the spring of 1883, when he sold his farm and removed to Three Rivers, which has since been his home. Being in rather poor health. Mr. Francisco did not engage in any active work until the following year, when he bought the omnibus and baggage line, and a short time after built the commodious farmers' sheds, which have proved a great convenience to persons coming to town. In connection with this he put in a platform scales for weighing hay, etc. This business he sold out in November, 1887,'and bought the livery business which had formerly been carried on by William Laird. This he largely increased, having now a J 010 b ~ ^ --- —— ~~~ —~ --- —-3~ --- —-rp- ~ — -- II I i _ f — -r IL- - -lr I rl ~~~~~ III 1 — I - III - - _wnd~h — - L 516 ST. -JOSEPH-I COUNTY, -NW i a 516 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ fine lot of horses. carriages of all kinds, and takes a pride in keeping everything in good shape. On March 21, 1866, Mr. Francisco was married to Miss Susanna Weinberg, daughter of Samuel Weinberg, of Flowerfield Township, formerly from Pennsylvania. She was born Oct. 1. 1843. They are the parents of six children, of whom Maudie is deceased. The others are all under the parental roof, and are named Mary L., Minnie E., Birtle Otis, Arthur W. and Lulu. STA ON. A. C. PRUTZMAN, ex State Senator, has represented his district in the Legisla/ lure for six consecutive years. Hle was first -() elected in 1868 to represent the county of St. Joseph, which then composed alone the Fourteenth Senatorial District. Two years later he was elected from the same district. but the rapid growth of the State necessitated a reorganization, and during his third term, to which he was elected in 1872, he represented the counties of St. Joseph and Cass, which was known as the Eleventh District. Mr. Prutzman is an old resident of Michigan, having come to St. Joseph first in 1834. He was born March 6, 1813, in Columbia County, Pa. His parents were Joseph and Maria Prutzman, also natives of Pennsylvania, both of whom died in Columbia County. Our subject in early life was brought up to mercantile pursuits, and spent several years as clerk in stores in Danville and in Pottsville, Pa. Deciding to try his fortunes in the then Far West, he emigrated to Michigan, accompanied by his sister and her husband, E. S. Moore, they intending to open a store at Prairie Ronde, Kalamazoo County. As an illustration of the difficulties encountered by emigrants in those days, it is worthy of note that the stock of goods which they had purchased and shipped from New York was over six months in reaching its destination. They were shipped in the fall, but were laid over at Grand Haven during the entire winter. In the spring they were unloaded at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, and were brought across the country by teams. The place where the partners had decided to locate was on the edge of the woods, at Prairie Ronde, and (luring the winter they cut the timber, had it sawed, and put.up their store adjoining a small house which they had bought, and to which they made an addition. Having spare time on their hands, with the industry characteristic of the early pioneers, Mr. Prutzman and his partner went into the woods and logged all the remainder of the winter. On the arrival of their goods they opened their store, which they carried on until April, 1838, when Mr. Prutzman removed to Three Rivers,which offered a better field for business, and where they had already sent some goods. Mr. Moore had, a year previous to this, removed to a farm which he had bought in Park Township, St. Joseph County. The place where he settled is known as Mloorepark, and was named after him. The partnership of Moore & Prutzman continued for twenty-five years, and in 1844 they bought the Three Rivers Mill, which they had previously rented, and to which they made additions and improvements, and there carried on the milling business until the dissolution of the partnership in 1859, when Mr. Moore took the mill property and Mr. Prutzman the store, which he carried on for several years, and then he sold it and embarked in the manufacturing business with his sons, Joseph E. and John P., under the name of the Michigan Pump Company and Three Rivers Plow Company. The firm is now known as A. C. Prutzman, and is engaged largely in the manufacture of wood pumps and chilled and steel plows, their goods bearing an enviable reputation wherever introduced. July 14, 1836, Mr. Prutzman was married, in Chester County, Pa., to Miss Mary L. Phillips, a native of that county, born in November, 1816, her parents being John and Margaret Phillips. Their union was blessed by the birth of five children, four of whom are living, one, Edward M., giving his life for his country, having been killed in the battle of Resaca, Ga., May 15, 1864. He enlisted in the 25th Michigan Infantry, under Col. O. H. Moore, a nephew of his father's brother-inlaw. He took the field as Sergeant of his company, and for gallant conduct was promoted through the grades of Sergeant Major, Second and First Lieutenant, and was Adjutant when he was killed, while I _- - I I' _ a *ifto- mg- 4 ~ L 1 I - i W ( I l i,. l l i i l l, l ii i l. l i I I' W-2. - --- _. - -- ------ ---— "-" — -~~~~~~~~~" ---~~-`-`~~- -^ - I. ode,II I ---~ ---- ---- — L ---- -~ ST. JOSEPH I gallantly leading a charge on a rebel battery on foot, having left his horse to take part in the charge. His remains were brought home by his father, and interred in Riverside Cemetery, at Three Rivers. The G. A. R. Post at that place was named after this gallant offcer, "Ed. M. Prutzman Post No. 72, G. A. R." He had taken part in many a hardfought battle, and was universally esteemed for his bravery and many soldierly qualities. The other children of Mr. and Mrs. Prutzman are: Joseph E., who is married to Miss Emma Hutchinson, a native of the State of New York, has two children, and lives in Three Rivers; John P. married twice, his first wife, Julia Goodell, of Massachusetts, dying and leaving one child, Mary E., who is an inmate of her grandfather's home; the second wife is Florence Wyckoff. who has two children, and the family live in Memphis, Tenn., where the father is engaged in manufacturing pumps, and in roofing and paving. Margaret M. is the wife of C. B. Tucker, chief clerk in a large grain house at Minneapolis, Minn., and has one child, Gertrude; and A. Clifford, who is married to Miss Laura Davis, a native of New l -ampshire, and they have one child. Ernest R., and is associated with his father in business. Since coming to Three Rivers Mr. Prutzman has been honored by his fellow-citizens with many positions of trust and responsibility, and( in every public place to which he has been called has discharged its duties with a fidelity and faithfulness which have not only justified the confidence of his fellow-citizens, but have honored alike himself and those whom he represented. Ile has been a member of the Town Council of Three Rivers, Tax Collector, and has held other minor offices. For ten years he was a member of the Michigan Stnte Board of Agriculture, first appointed for four years to fill a vacancy, and afterward for the full term of six years. His Senatorial career has already been mentioned. Mr. and Mrs. Prutzman are members of the Presbyterian Church at Three Rivers, of which he is now and has long been an Elder. During his long and active life Mr. Prutzman has borne an unblemished reputation. Asa business man, a trusted official and representative, as a citizen, husband and father, he has always been true to his trust, and _ _~_ _ COUNTY. 517 now, in the enjoyment of an ample competence, is reaping the reward of a well-spent life, respected and esteemed by everyone who knows him. We are pleased to record in this work this sketch of this well-known and honored citizen of St. Joseph County. ' ROF. CIARLES 1H. SAGE, Principal of i )| the Three Rivers Business College and 1 4 Normal School, is a native of West Troy, 1 l Wis.. born Jan. 17, 1859, his parents being Charles Henry and Hannah (Teachout) Sage, both born in the State of New York. On the paternal side his ancestors are of English descent, and on the maternal of German. The father of our subject was originally a blacksmith by occupation, working at his trade in Wisconsin, where his parents had settled when he was quite young. He began business for himself in that State, but afterward removed to Ionia County, Mich., where he conducted business for seven years. This was, however, not destined to be his life work. Selling out his business, lie joined the Methodist Episcopal Conference, and became a licensed preacher in that body. A few years later he joined the Free Methodist Church, was appointed a preacher in that denomination, and later made Chairman of the district, a distinction conferred upon him for conspicuous ability and zeal. In this connection he is yet doing good work. He is a man of marked force of character, an indefatigable worker, generous almost to a fault, and is always trying to help and elevate his fellowman. Ile has left his impress on all religious and social circles of which he has been a member, and is held in high esteem by all with whom he has come in contact. Devoting himself with all the ardor of his nature to his chosen work, he has been more than ordinarily successful, and has accomplished much good. When twenty-three years old he was married to Miss Hannah Teachout, who has proved a worthy helpmate, a true wife and a devoted mother. They are the parents of six children, four of whom are deceased: George and Henry died in childhood; Lewis was married, was a farmer in Iowa County, and died at the age of I I I -I-q RWW -Od ob* m ill 1C -I — ~I - ~I- ' ~ - '- — ~- - -r E"r(r I -IP = - --- --- ~ _ —. — L —" —~-" --- F7 -16 - p, P F a.SL.......... -T LI - -- f - - - % mo —milli - i i 1- - ----- ----------------------- 31118111111131111 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 - d 518 ST. JOSEPH COUN;TY. 1E twenty-three; Leslie died at Spring Arbor, Mich., aged seventeen. Besides our subject there is living a son, Franklin E., married, has one child, and lives at Ft. Scott, Kan. The early life of the subject of this sketch, until he was seven years old, was passed at the village of West Troy, Wis. The following seven years were spent in Ionia County, Mich., at which time his father joined the Methodist Episcopal Conference, and he was then mainly thrown upon his own resources. When fifteen years of age he attended Spring Arbor Seminary, remaining there for several years, under the careful and thorough instruction of Prof. Clark Jones. On the death of his elder brother he began teaching school and doing other work until he became of age. Then he became a student in the Valparaiso (Ind.) Normal School, pursuing a thorough course of study in Normal and commercial branches. Leaving there, he entered the Excelsior Institute of Pen Art, whence he was graduated in 1882 in a high gradeIIe was subsequently a member of the faculty of Oak Grove Seminary, at Paw Paw, Mich., assisting Miss Abbie Barker in carrying on that institution there for a year, when she removed it to Three Rivers, calling it the Three Rivers Seminary. A year and a half later Miss Barker failed, the teachers disbanded, and Prof. Sage at once opened a school in a hall down town, commencing with but few pupils. His school grew in public estimation, and in eighteen months he was strong enough to engage the building formerly occupied by Miss Barker, where he has now a highly successful institution, under the name of the "Three Rivers Business College and Normal School," with an annually increasing attendance. The aim of Prof. Sage is to give his pupils a thorough and practical training in those branches of knowledge which are essential to success in business life, also in the Normal department to give such a complete course of instruction as will fit his pupils, male or female, to become teachers in any grade. To these are added such special studies as penmanship, not only in its everyday use, but in the highest branches of the art, making students really professionals; stenography and typewriting for both sexes; vocal and instrumental music; Ger man and French languages; physiology and hygiene, and other kindred studies. In fact, the aim is to give to every pupil what may be justly termed a practical, finished education. Each department is in charge of a thoroughly qualified instructor, and special attention is given to thoroughly grounding each pupil in the principles of the studies pursued, and fitting them to fill honorable, useful and lucrative places in the world. The terms for tuition are low, and for out-of-town pupils especial arrangements are made for rooms and board at low rates. The school building is well situated and admirably adapted for the purpose, and the institution is constantly growing in favor, because of the admirable manner in which it is conducted. Prof. Sage has in his possession many testimonials from former pupils, their parents, and others who have examined his school, both as to his personal char acter and fitness for the work in which he is engaged, and as to the success which has attended his efforts. Socially, Prof. Sage is a member of the K. of P., and is Keeper of Records and Seals in the lodge at Three Rivers. lie is also a member of the State Militia, and is Quartermaster-Sergeant in the 2d Regiment Michigan State Troops. HIe does not take an active part in political matters, but is a believer in the doctrines of the Republican party. f ON. GEORGE L. YAPLE. There are few ) people in Southern Michigan keeping themselves in the least posted in regard to publie matters who are unacquainted with the name of this gentleman-a man of unusual ability, and who was in the fall of 1882 elected to represent the Fourth District in the Forty-eighth Congress. In this memorable election he ran ahead of his party ticket to the number of 1,800 votes, an occurrence unprecedented in the history of the district. He served his term acceptably, and was nominated for the Forty-ninth Congress in 1884, being defeated by a small majority. In 1886 he was nominated for Governor by the Democratic party, being this time also defeated by a small majority. In 1888 he was nominated by acclamation I i i I I I i i i j i i i i i i iI i "010-1 L — Ii qww -W' I I I ~ -III, I I -- INL*'C ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ —= —, *_t -A - &Akl I lll I I -t —~ ~I ~ - -~I ~ ~ II - - II - - ~ ~ I -, r - - W R r A -;m - - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 519 --- -- --------- --- --- I for another term in Congress, and declined the nomination. The first man to introduce the work of tariff reform in this State, Mr. Yaple has in every campaign made of this a leading question. -le has labored early and late, and left no stone unturned in the advocacy of the principles by which he abides. This quality of character is not only evinced in his political relations, but in his private and business life. A man in his prime, he is a native of this county, and was born about six miles east of Mendon, in Leonidas Township, Feb. 20, 1851. lis parents were Elisha L. and D)elilah A. (Eddy) Yaple, the father a native of the State of New York, and born March 27, 1822. Ile is still living, and, with his excellent wife, makes his home in Mendon, Mich. The latter is a native of Massachusetts, and born July 13, 1826. Elisha Yaple has spent a large portion of his life in mercantile pursuits, and been successful in business. George L. attended the common schools during his earlier years, and later, in 1871, was graduated from the Northwestern University, at Evanston, Ill. In that class was his wife and also his sister, Alice A., who became the wife of Dr. Levi S. Wilcox, who was also a graduate of that class. Mrs. Wilcox died in 1888. Our subject, after completing his studies at the University, entered the office of Judge Severns, of Kalamazoo, and was soon admitted to practice in the courts of Michigan. Circumstances, however, occurred which changed the current of his life for the time, and returning to the farm, he occupied himself in farming until the fall of 1876. Mr. Yaple now visited Nebraska, and sojourned at Beatrice until the fall of 1878. HIe then returned home and commenced the practice of his profession at Mendon. Ile had in the meantime been married, Jan. 1, 1873, to Miss Mary E. lIankinson. This lady was born July 16, 1851, in Rockfotd, Ill., and is the daughter of Reuben and Alvira (Mason) Hankinson, and the third in a family of seven children. She was graduated in the Female Seminary at Rockford, and later, like her husband, entered the Northwestern University, where they formed an acquaintance, and where she also was graduated. Of this union there have been born seven children, all of whom are living, namely: Edward L., Alfred II., Carl, Marie, Iarry, George and Allie M. In 1886 Mr. Yaple received the votes of the Democratic members of the Michigan Legislature for United States Senator, and was elected by acclamation as a Delegate-at-Large to the Democratic National Convention in 1888, at St. Louis, where he was selected as a member of the committee on resolutions, together with the sub-committee. IIe has been a close student and an extensive reader, and is a lecturer in this and other States upon subjects of general interest to the people at large. Socially, Mr. Yaple is a Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity, and for the last ten years has been prominent among the councils of the Democratic party in this section of Michigan. Ile is a man progressive in his ideas, and one who keeps himself well posted upon current events. Elisha L. Yaple, the father of our subject, was born in Delaware County, N. Y., March 22, 1822, and is the son of HIenry and Charlotte (Tubbs) Yaple, who were natives of the Empire State and Connecticut respectively. Henry Yaple was a farmer by occupation, was born March 22, 1792, and married in 1821. lie emigrated to Michigan in 1846, taking up his abode in Leonidas Township, where he died in 1851. Grandmother Yaple was born Feb. 13, 1791, and died in 1851. Mr. Y. was a capable business man and a worthy citizen, and although not accumulating as much of this world's goods as many of the men around him, was no less respected by the people of his community. To him and his excellent wife there were born nine children, three sons and six daughters. These children were named respectively: Emily C., Julia A. Philip II., Esther S., Elisha L.. Mary A., Ellen N., James and Luana. Mrs. Delilah A. (Eddy) Yaple, the mother of our subject, was born in Adams, Berkshire Co., Mass., in 1826, and is the daughter of John E. and Esther (Clark) Eddy, who were natives of the same State. John Eddy was born Jan. 13, 1798, and died Jan. 20, 1837. He was a farmer by occupation, and a member of the solid and reliable element of his community. Ilis wife, Esther, was born June 21, 1803, and died Aug. 27, 1871. They Wmrrps --- _= _-I-. -m1 -,, — r-qq C — L A - -;; --- —-------------- -- -- --- 1.0 520 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 520 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.~~~~~~~~~~~~ emigrated to Michigan Territory in 1836. They were the parents of three children: Samuel, who is now deceased; Delilah and William. Elisha Yaple and Miss Delilah Eddy were married July 30, 1848. To Elisha L. and Delilah A. Yaple there were born five children, namely: George L., Alice A., Edward D., Henry K. and Lola M. Alice and Edward are deceased. Elisha Yaple came to Michigan in the spring of 1846, and located in Leonidas, where he engaged in mercantile business and lived until 1857. Thence he removed to Mendon. Mr. Yaple, politically, is a stanch Democrat and a member of the Masonic fraternity. I - ir OBERT S. GRIFFITH is an honored citizen f of Fabius Township, with whose agricult-!I \\ ural interests he is prominently identified, \ both as a farmer and a stock-raiser. He is the owner of one of the valuable farms for which this section is somewhat noted. It is finely located on section 18, and its well-tilled, productive acres have amply repaid the care and money that he has bestowed upon them. Mr. Griffith was born in Buckinghlam Township, Bucks Co., Pa., Jan. 11, 1824, and is a son of Joseph and Mary (Scarborough) Griffith, the father a natives of Wales, and the mother of that part of Pennsylvania included in William Penn's grant. The mother was of Quaker antecedents, her people belonging to that denomination, and her ancestry coming from England to settle in Pennsylvania at an early day in its colonial history. They had a family of thirteen children, of whom our subject was the eldest. Esther Ann was born Feb. 14, 1825, and married Albert Cooper; they have one daughter, Emma. Mercy P., born March 30, 1827, married David Holcome; they are the parents of seven children. John, born April 21, 1830, married Caroline Holcome; they have eight children. Silas Levi, born March 3, 1833, married and has five children; they live in Nebraska. Joseph, born March 28, 1834, died in 1836. Eli Paxon, born Sept. 7, 1835, married Elizabeth Cox, and has six children, they reside in Pennsylvania. Sarah, born June 1, 1837, married James Hagerman; they had one child, who died Feb. 21, 1885. Joseph, born Feb. -11, 1839, is married; lie is a minister and is now pastor of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, of Nebraska. William Harrison, born June 25, 1840, married Cassie Hooker, of Pennsylvania; they are the parents of three daughters, now residing in Nebraska. Mary, born Nov. 23, 1841, married James Shanon, of Nevada; they have two sons, and reside in Nemaha, Neb. Henry Clay, born Sept. 30, 1843, died Nov. 12, 1861. Elizabeth W., born Sept. 23, 1845, and died in 1847. Robert S. was reared on a farm and received the benefit of a fair education, such as his father could afford to give him in those days, before free schools were known. He worked by the month some before he was allowed to start out in life for himself. Being an active, enterprising youth, at the age of nineteen he bought his time of his father, paying him the sum of $125. He was married, March 20, 1851, to Miss Susan Cox, daughter of Jonas and Elizabeth (Larue) Cox. Following is a short chronological record of her parents and their children: Jonas Cox was born on the 15th day of October, 1797. Elizabeth Larue was born on the 20th day of August, 1797. They were united in marriage at Fallsington, Bucks Co., Pa., on the 15th of April, 1819. Jonas Cox died on the 19th of December, 1834. Elizabeth, his wife, survived him many years, dying on the 11th of May, 1869. Their union was productive of eight children, as follows: Sarah was born on the -7th of February, 1820, and died on the 10th of March, 1845; John L. was born on the 17th of July, 1821; Hannah, on the 1st of September, 1823; Ellwood, on the 29th of May, 1825; Mary Ann L., on the 13th of February, 1827; Susanna, wife of our subject, on the 30th of March, 1829; Samuel L. was born on the 8th of June, 1831, and died on the 20th of September, 1833; Elizabeth was born on the 30th of March, 1834. John L. Cox married Catherine Hiles, who was born on the 27th of April, 1838. Two children have been born of that marriage: Joseph, on the 6th of May, 1858, and Charles W., on the 28th of September, 1863. For two years after his marriage our subject was employed as a day laborer. He was economical and thrifty, and carefully saving his earnings bought — Ik. A t _am-A I _ ~I-' I — OPP ~ ~ 1 11 - — _I- c -1"WsR*~' Q-_ A/ 777771 771 -=- --- -, - -.1 7 --- -1-1 - - I - I 11 --- — l-I —. 11 I I" 11 k f - - - - - - - - -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -L~~~~~ m010- gz - I - ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 523 -- a horse, and went into debt for another, and thus equipped rented some land and was industriously engaged in farming it for four years. At the expiration of that time he had saved $1,150, besides owning some personal property, such as household goods. In 1857 he concluded to try agricultural pursuits on the surpassingly fertile soil of St.' Joseph County, in this State, of which he had heard many glowing accounts. After his arrival here with his family he purchased 114 acres of land, one and one-half miles east of Three Rivers, and there he lived until 1878. For a time lie was very prosperous and made money fast. During the war lie built a handsome and commodious house at a cost of $4,000, but afterward came the financial panic, times were hard, and the expense that he had been at in improving his place proved too heavy a burden, and he was obliged to dispose of his property to pay his debts. After having honorably discharged every dollar of his indebtedness, he found that he had about $1,200 left with which to start life anew. He then bought his present farm, which, with the same indefatigable industry that has always characterized him, he has improved into one of the best places in the neighborhood. It comprises 1 00 acres of fertile soil, well adapted to both the raising of grain and cattle. Over the pleasant household of our subject the shadow of death fell Nov. 24, 1887, and the devoted wife and tender mother was removed from the scene of her usefulness. She was a woman whose sincerity, tact, and great goodness of character, made her beloved by all who knew her, and in her death the community lost one whose place will be hard to fill. Although she dedicated her life to her duties as a wife and a mother, she was ever ready to respond to the needs of others outside of the home circle, and her memory will be fondly cherished by relatives, friends and neighbors. The Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she was a member from the time she was thirteen years of age, lost in her a bright and shining light. Eight children were born of her marriage with our subject, of whom seven are living: Mary Anna, born March 28, 1852, is the wife of Joseph Fisher, of Park Township, and has four children living; Sarah L., born Dec. 12, 1853, died Dec. 25, 1871; Eliza C., born March 19, 1856, is the wife of Frank Dougherty, lives with her father, and has one child; John Cox, born March 6, 1858, is married to Minnie Cox, has one child, and lives on the home farm; Lizzie, born Oct. 19, 1860, is the wife of Mills Howard, of Cass County, Mich., and has one child; William A., born June 6, 1863, is at present working by the month; Rachel, born June 24, 1865, lives at Three Rivers; Katie M., born Jan. 13, 1868, is her father's housekeeper. Mr. Griffith is a thoroughly upright, conscientious man, one in whom his neighbors place the highest confidence. I-e is a sincere and earnest Christian, and for twenty years has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He takes a deep interest in improving the agricultural methods of to-day, and is a valued member of the grange. Politically, he sympathizes with the Republican party, and has always voted the Republican ticket. Apropos to the past campaign and his party candidate, Mr. Griffith says he well remembers taking part in the "log cabin and hard cider" campaign of 1840, although he was not old enough to vote. He has never sought office, although he has served very acceptably on the School Board. Mr. Griffith was drafted into the Union Army in 1864, the last draft in the district. Ile gave $200 toward providing a substitute, the town giving the balance and filling its quota. AMUEL A. WALTON. The man who has made a success of life should be happy, for how many there are who fail, where one succeeds. And he who, in the midst of success, bears in mind with kindly charity those less fortunate, lays up treasures for himself which no thief can steal from him. The biographer is constrained thus to philosophize in noting the facts connected with the history of the gentleman whose name prefaces this sketch. We find in Mr. Walton an old resident of Three Rivers, one of its earlier merchants, but retired f IRI~alFF~L~ I-rr II --- - II bob II ", Ode V - i F -..a- ~__ _~ I mS~ 3 -k I!I - I 524 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - - from active business about fifteen years. He owns and occupies a fine home, a handsome brick residence, complete in its finishings and furnishings, indicative within and without of the refinement of modern life. He is a man cultivated and intelligent, one who has seen much of the world, having traveled over a goodly portion of the United States from Florida to California. His career has been distinguished by that broad and liberal spirit which has led him to donate early and often of his means to worthy enterprises, churches, schools, and the other projects tending to elevate man in the social scale, and fit him to work out his destiny as evidently designed by the Creator. Our subject first began life in Ross County, Ohio, at the modest home of his parents near the town of Chillicot-he Nov. 17, 1826. He is the fifth child of John and Cassandra (Ritter) Walton, the father a native of New Jersey, and the mother born in Kentucky. They were married in 179S, and soon afterward settled in Ross County, Ohio, where they lived until 1833. Thence they removed to Wyandot County, that State, where the* father followed his trade of cooper, and also carried on farming. Our subject there spent his bloyhood attending the district school, and making such good progress that he in good time developed into a teacher, which profession he followed four winters. Desirous now of a change of scene, young Walton left his native State, and proceeded to McLean County, Ill. Having in view the pursuit of agriculture, he purchased 160 acres of land near Bloomington, to which later he added 100 acres more. In the meantime all this preparation for the future was stimulated by the prospect of a happy home and congenial companion, and when he had made the requisite arrangements he returned to Ohio, and was united in marriage with one of the most estimal)e young ladies of Wyandot County, Miss Mary A. Kissell. Mrs. Walton was the daughter of Rev. George G. Kissell, who for many years was a minister of the German Reformed Church. The young couple at once sought their new home in Illinois, and Mr. Walton gave his attention to the improvement and cultivation of his farm for six years thereafter. At the expiration of this time he sold out for the snug sum of $7,000. Having in view a change of occupation, Mr. Walton now came to Michigan, and invested a portion of his capital in a stock of general merchandise, establishing his store in Three Rivers. It must be remembered that he was totally unacquainted with an enterprise of this character, but his natural abilities and good judgment enabled him to make of the experiment a success. He was thus occupied until the winter of 1866, when he sold out to good advantage, and for a year was not engaged in any active employment. Afterward he purchased a selected stock of dry-goods, and carried on a good trade in this quality of merchandise until 1873. Then selling out once more, he retired permanently from active business, and is now living at his ease, surrounded by all the comforts of life. To Samuel A. and Mary A. (Kissell) Walton there were born four children, three sons and one daughter. The eldest, Myron K., is a resident of Grand Rapids; Marion I. and Sherman G., the second and youngest sons, comprise the firm of Walton Bros., who are numbered among the leading merchants of Three Rivers. The daughter, May E., is the wife of Dr. E. A. Balyeat, and they reside in Kalamazoo. The mother of these children died at her home in Three Rivers, Aug. 8, 1884. Mr. Walton contracted a second marriage, May 26, 1886, witll Miss Jennie H. Wheeler, who was born Jan. 18, 1858, in Jackson County, this State. Mr. Walton has always been a stirring business man, and while his private matters have demanded much time and attention, he still retains a warm interest in the growth and prosperity of his adopted city, and has been foremost in encouraging the projects best calculated to give it standing and l)osition in the commercial world. He has been connected with the First National Bank as a D)irector since its organization, and is one of its leading stockholders. He formerly served as a member of the City Council, and in religious matters has been one of the pillars of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years, and one of its most liberal supporters, donating at one time the large sum of $3,000. In political matters the Republican party receives his unqualified support. During the winter of 1883-84 Mr. Walton gave his time to rest and recreation on the Pacific Slope, F) I I I~ w 0 -- _ q -- -,I_ - Ip ~ Ie I._ra U -L_ Ir 16.- ---, I, - r ~- Y' ~ fk ST.` JOSEPH COUNTY. 525 L SC and in the winter of 1886-87 he and his wife repaired to Florida, and spent several weeks enjoying its mild climate, greatly to their satisfaction, and which also proved beneficial to their health and spirits. J ONATEHAN A. HARTZLER. Prominent among the many substantial and prosperous farmers who are resident within the limits of Mottville Township, the subject of this sketch holds no secondary position. lie resides on section 13, where he owns and operates a splendidly cultivated farm containing 110 acres. I-Ie comes from that sturdy race of people that originally settled in Pennsylvania, from the German countries of Europe. The various peculiarities characteristic of those people are fully exemplified by the life and conduct of our subject. Quiet and persevering, lie has yet to learn what the word failure means. IHe is very conservative in his life, and before he engages in any enterprise lie calmly weighs the matter, and when he decides to act, the invariable result is success. This gentleman was born in Mifflin County, Pa., Jan. 25, 1833. Ite is the son of Abraham Ilartzler, who is now living in Cass County, Mo. The father was born Nov. 26, 1807, in Mifflin County, where he was married to Magdelena Zook, in the year 1832. She is a daughter of Abraham Zook, was born Aug. 13, 1805, and is also a native of Mifflin County, Pa. They lived in Pennsylvania until March, 1855, when they moved to Elkhart County, Ind., where he purchased a sawmill and a farm. They lived in that county until 1866, when they moved to St. Joseph County, Mich., where he purchased a small farm, and lived there until 1881, in which year he traveled a great deal for the benefit of his health. I-e now resides in Cass County, Mo., a hale and hearty old gentleman, aged eightyone years; his wife is dead. The grandfather of our subject, David -Iartzler, was born Jan. 26, 1768, in Berks County, Pa. Ite died Oct. 21, 1855, in Belleville, Mifflin Co., Pa. His wife was Mary Yoder; she was born Sept. 16, 1771, and died June 25, 1856. David Hartzler was the son of John Hartzler, born in Switzerland, died in April, 1801. He was married to Veronica Reichenbach. John Hartzler was the son of Jacob Hartzler. Jacob was born in 1703 of Swiss parents, in Switzerland. IIe and his family emigrated from Switzerland to the Palatinate, a Province in the northeast of France, on the River Rhine, adjoining Baden, and resided there for some years during the reign of Louis XV. Jacob -I. and family emigrated to America, taking tie route via Rotterdam, Holland and Plymouth, England. Ite came over in the ship "St. Andrew," James Abercrombie, master, from Rotterdam, landing in Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 9, 1749. Our subject is the eldest of a family of six sons, who are named as follows: Jonathan, our subject; Jacob, Abraham I)., David E., John J. and Samuel Z. l)avid E. married Mary Yoder, and lives in Cass County, Mo., where lie is engaged in farming; he is the father of a son and daughter. Jacob married Susannah Blough, and resides in Elklart County, Ind., where lie is a farmer; he has two sons and two daughters. Abraham 1). married Mattie Schrock, and to them were born three sons; the mother died in Elkhart County, Ind. Ile afterward married Miss Lydia Blough, and to them have been born two daughters, and they now reside in Goshen, Ind., where he does general work, and has a family of five children, three sons and two daughters. John J. is the husband of Mattie Mast, and they live in Cass County, Mo., where he is a farmer and a minister in the Mennonite Church; he has a large family. Samuel Z. is a single man, and lives in Kansas, where he teaches school and is also engaged in railroading. Jonathan A. Hartzler, our subject, was married in Mifflin County, Pa., Jan. 28, 1856; his wife died April 7, 1872, and her name was Nancy Hartzler, daughter of Adam and Mary (Hooley) Hartzler. Ile is the father of eight children, who are named: Rachel, Mattie, Elizabeth, Katie, Nancy, Abraham, Matilda and Lydia. Rachel is married to Levi J. Peachey; he is a laborer, and has no family; Mattie is unmarried, and resides in Cass County, Mo.; Elizabeth is the wife of Elias R. Miller, a farmer in Cass County, Mo., and she is the mother of one son; Katie is unmarried and lives in Cass County, Mo.; Nancy is married, to Ephraim D. Plank, a farmer, and lives I F- Id I I r- 111117 "s m 0 blrl -,,_ * - splA F - i1 L111 - - --- -- -06 - i -1 < r *W i ' m ~ 3I"M - I -~L~L_ i -ll~~ I 526 1 526 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 5 2 6 S T. JOSEPH COUNTY. in Lagrange County, Ind.; Abraham is single and is employed as a carpenter; Matilda, unmarried, and Lydia, the youngest, are both at home with their father. Mr. Hartzler has been a farmer all his life, in which he has proved fairly successful. He has held various offices in the town in which he resides, and has lived on his present farm for the last twentyfive years. The whole farm is under a very high state of cultivation. The buildings, although not elaborate, are of a very substantial and permanent character. The house is roomy and very comfortably furnished; nicely located, the barns and other necessary out-buildings are very capacious and well adapted for their intended use. He has always lived a very frugal and contented life, and he has gathered about him a handsome property, and one which speaks very highly for his industrious habits. He is Signal Service Reporter for his locality. lie is a member of the Mennonite Church, of which his wife was also a member, and they were very earnest and devout in their religious duties. He is a man of considerable note in his neighborhood, and he prides himself on the fact that his undertakings are almost always crowned with prosperity. In politics he is a Republican. Wi Hi ILLIAM A. MOWRER, manager of the telephone exchange at Three Rivers, is a native of Ianville, Montour Co., Pa., born Feb. 12, 1857, his parents being Peter and Mary Mowrer. His father was a farmer in Montour County, where he was born and where his entire life had been spent. tie died in April, 1873, aged forty-nine. He had been a farmer all his lifetime and had never aspired to any public position. IHe had for many years been a member of the Reformed Church, and was esteemed as a good man and a good citizen. His wife was Mary Everette, a native also of Danville, who is now living with her son William A., in Three Rivers. They were the parents of six children, as follows: Henry A., who is married and lives in Gallatin Valley, Mont., engaged in stockraising, cattle, sheep and horses; Margaret, Charles, Alonzo, Leander, all unmarried and living in Three Rivers, and William A., our subject, who was the eldest of the family. I-e attended the public schools in his youth, and afterward was graduated in the commercial course at the Danville Academy. On leaving there he went as clerk into a store in that place in which he had previously worked in his school days, and in 1877 decided to go farther West, intending to locate in Peoria, Ill., but finally decided to make his home in Three Rivers, where he had some relatives. Ilis first work in that place was as a clerk for G. C. Brissette, the clothing merchant. From there he went to Elkhart, Ind., to close out a stock of clothing for R. Blackburn. This being finished he returned to Three Rivers, and with a grand-uncle started on a tour to see the South and Southwest country. Four months after they had started, and while in Columbia, Tenn., the elder, named Isaac Mowrer, was taken ill, and as soon as he was able to travel they returned to Three Rivers, where Mr. Mowrer suffered a relapse and soon died. The following year was spent by our subjectn E art in Elkhrt in charge of the cloak department of Dorn, Gemberling & Co., and Nov. 1, 1886, he engaged with the Telephone and Telegraph Construction Company of Michigan, and the Michigan Bell Telephone Company, the former operating all the local lines and the latter the State lines connecting the towns with each other all over the State. Since then Mr. Mowrer has been engaged as district manager for both companies, with'leadquarters at Three Rivers. In September, 1883, Mrs. Mowrer and her children came to Michigan, and the family are living together in Three Rivers. Mr. Mowrer is a member of the Reformed Church, is also a member of the Masonic fraternity; Three Rivers Lodge No. 52, F. & A. M.; Salathiel Chapter No. 28, R. A., and Three Rivers Commandery No. 29. lIe is held in high estimation as a young man of excellent character and unblemished reputation. The Three Rivers Exchange, of which Mr. Mowrer has charge, was established May 23, 1882. It began business with thirty-one subscribers, and in the two years following had increased to fifty-one. At this time and during the years 1885 and 1886 the business decreased, the number of subscribers Nov. 1, 1886, being but eleven. The company,I * -diah -,_ ~; I L~ — — CL-c -r_ _-_- --— l - I~ I II^$jl (. _1 - I - I { A I,,- -ip- I -4 527 7 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - - had then decided on abandoning the exchange, but on consulting with Mr. Mowrer lie assured them that a business could be built up in Three Rivers, and lie was at once put in charge. The cause of the decline was mismanagement and neglect on the part of the managers. The result justified Mr. Mowrer's confidence. Today the exchange has sixtyfour subscribers in Three Rivers; is connected with Sturgis, wliere are four subscribers; with Centreville, where there are two; Constantine two; at White Pigeon, Nottawa, Mendon, Colon, Burr Oak, Moorepark and Schoolcraft, in which places there are public telephone stations only, as there are also in the other places wiere there are subscribers. The exchange has under Mr. Mowrer's careful management proved a great advantage to the business men of the county especially, and is widely used and always favorably spoken of. The prospects of the exchange in Three Rivers are bright for future business, and to-day the number of subscribers is far above the average of towns of its size. 71 OHN M. LELAND. One by one the pioneers of St. Joseph County are falling before the ruthless hand of Time, as the trees of the forest before the hand of ax men. Another has heard the summons and has "gone to that bourne whence no traveler returns." John M. Leland, who settled in this county in 1834, before the narrow trail of the Indian had given way to the broad track of the white man, departed this life on the 7th of November, 1873, at the same place which he forty years ago selected in the wilderness as a home for himself and his family. Mr. Leland was born in Mooresburg, Pa., March 15, 1.807, and consequently at the time of his death had attained to the ripe age of sixty-six years. Although he shared to a limited extent the'advantages of the common schools of his day, he yet availed himself of that which enabled him to be much more useful as a settler of a new country than if he had possessed all the culture and refinement our best academic and colle riate institutions could have given —he learned the trade of a millwright. On his arrival here he was the very man wanted, the very man sought after to aid in rearing the mills of this country, which at that time were very few. In 1830, when the writer of this tribute to Mr. Leland had just settled in Western Michigan, the nearest gristmill was at Ann Arbor, or Tecumseh. Mr. Leland was not a man to stop and look on, doing nothing, but at once went to work and busied himself ever afterward, assisting to make this county what it is to-day. Almost every watermill built during the first fifteen years of its settlement bears the marks of his skill and handiwork. lis mind and labors were not confined entirely to the routine of his trade. His genius, for he was a man of genius, if not cunning, was constantly peering into tile unknown, seeking to bring forth something that would be useful to his fellowmen. He foresaw that when the forest should be stripped from the broad acres of Michigan, and the land, together with the prairies, should be covered with grain, that something must be invented to gather and prepare the grain for market, something not then known, or the labor of the husbandman would be in vain. Mr. Leland accordingly entered the field of invention. One of the first products of his genius was the cylinder threshing-machine. Ile invented the first reaper tie writer ever saw or heard of; and the last, the crowning act of his genius, was the invention of the sickle which is now used in cutting all of our grain. When Iiram Moore, of the county of Kalamazoo, invented the harvester (so called) lie used a straight bar with sickle teeth on one side for cutting the grain, but it did not work well, clogging and endangering the successful operation of the machine. It was said that Mr. Moore was greatly concerned about the failure of the sickle bar, and while standing one day looking at it, racking his brain and trying to devise something better for cutting the grain, the subject of this notice came along, and after regarding it a few moments attentively, said: "Mr. Moore, I think I can improve your cutting apparatus." The year following Mr. Leland brought out the V sickle, which was immediately adopted, and has since been in use without any material alterations. Unlike most inventors, he was purely unselfish. —.a-:b: ~2 4:Z37 i! r r ~ L - -~- - r t — a-~I "W m - = - 01 11 1 ~ I - - - - --- - - - - -- - -- - -rru m -. 528 ST. JOSEPHI COUNTY. I lie worked for the welfare of others, and not for himself. lis inventions he made free to all, and never sought to secure any special advantage by obtaining patents. In other labors Mr. Leland spent a long and useful life, and as a citizen, a husband and a father, he was no less to be remembered than as a millwright and an inventor. Iis hand was ever open to the poor and needy. In his family he was kind and affectionate, and the example of his life to his children was the guiding star to respect and usefulness. As a brother pioneer the writer takes a melancholy pleasure in paying this small tribute to his memory, feeling that he outstripped the majority of men in his usefulness among the various interests of St. Joseph County. The subject of this sketch was the son of George Leland, a native of New Jersey, and born in 1769. He was reared in Philadelphia, Pa., and at an early age had been adopted by a wealthy family, with whom he grew to manhood. He chose farming for his vocation, and upon reaching manhood was married in his native State to Miss Lydia Moore. They became the parents of fourteen children, all of whom grew to become men and women. The family emigrated to Michigan Territory in 1836, and located on section 1, in Lockport Township, where the death of George Leland occurred in 1860, and that of his wife Lydia when she was seventy-nine years old. John M. Leland, the subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood in Mooresburg, Montour Co., Pa., where he completed a practical education in the common school, and where he learned the trade of a millwright. HIe was married in Northumberland County, Pa., near Danville, Feb. 18, 1834, to Miss Sarah G., daughter of John and Catherine (Gulick) Gaskin, of that county. Mr. Gaskin was of Irish parentage, while his wife was a native of New Jersey. They both died at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Leland, in Lockport, the mother Aug. 8, 1848, when sixty-eight years old; the father Feb. 12, 1858, at the age of seventynine years. They were the parents of seven children, five sons and two daughters, all of whom grew to mature years. To Mr. and Mrs. Leland there were born four children: Harriet E. remains at home with her mother; William G. married Miss Margaret Castle, and has one daughter, May; he resides with his mother and occupies a part of the old farm. Samuel G. married Miss Sophia Straehly. HIe lives under the old home roof, and is the father of one child, a daughter MIyrtie. Elner F. is unmarried and remains with her mother. Mr. Leland, politically, was a stanch Republican. The parents of Mrs. L. were members of the Presbyterian Church, of which Mrs. L. is also a member. -. --- —-^^ --- —. JHARLES U. FISHER. The Three Rivers H-ouse in the city of this name is one of the most popular hotels in the place, and was originally conducted many years by the father of our subject, and after his death Charles U. succeeded to its management. The latter has had a ripe experience in the business, and seems peculiarly adapted to manage successfully the various emergencies which naturally arise in an enterprise of this description. The hotelunder lis management sustains its early reputation as one of the most hospitable places for a weary traveler which can be found within the limits of St. Joseph County. Our subject was born Aug. 26, 1840, on the banks of Fisher Lake, Lockport Township, which lake took its name from his honored father, who settled in close proximity to it during the pioneer days of this county. To Leonard Fisher and his wife, Sarah Underwood, the parents of our subject, there were born eleven children, of whom Charles U. was the fifth, and seven of whom lived to mature years. Three of these are living, residing in Chicago and Detroit. The parents were born in Montour County, Pa., where also they were reared and married, and soon after uniting their lives and fortunes emigrated to Michigan in 1834, during its Territorial days. The years 1809 and 1812 designate the birth of the father and mother respectively of our subject. After coming to Michigan they lived a number of years on Fisher Lake, being the first settlers in that region. The father battled with the elements of a new soil for many years and built up a comfortable homestead, upon which he remained until 1855. 1 ~4,-Jkk h ~ ~ '1 ~ I Ii il I~ I.~~~ 3I- -~I -I- 181- LILQ$ -- - - --- -V i - -- - - ---— ~ --- r K,bAt-~ IIT I W- I e I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 529 ------- -- I I Then leaving the farm he assumed charge of the Three Rivers House, which he conducted successfully until 1879, selling out to his son Charles U., but continuing to live with him until his death, which occurred June 24, 1882. The mother in the meantime had been called hence Sept. 11, 1875. Out subject was a youth of fifteen years when his parents left the farm and took up their residence in Three Rivers. Thereafter he acted in the capacity of clerk in his father's hotel, thus growing up in the business and gaining a valuable experience in connection therewith. His marriage with Miss Jennie Hendrickson was celebrated at the bride's home in 1867. Mrs. Fisher is a very capable and intelligent lady, and has proved a most efficient'assistant to her husband, looking well to the ways of her large household and doing everything in her power to make her guests feel welcome and comfortable. The Three Rivers House is a substantial structure, comprising fifty rooms, neatly fitted up, and it is a very rare occasion when any of them are unoccupied. "Mine host" of the Three Rivers House is a gentleman widely known throughout this part of the county, and both he and his excellent wife are kindly remembered by those who have ever partaken of their hospitality. There was born to them one child only, Jan. 30, 1869, who died of lung trouble, Jan. 14, 1888. REDERICK A. BELLMAN is proprietor of the firm of F. A. Bellman, cigar manufactjl - urer, and in the enjoyment of a good business at Three Rivers, the firm being established in 1870. Mr. B., a native of Union County, Pa., was born near Berlin, the old county seat, April 23, 1843, and is the son of Samuel Bellman, a native of the same county, where the latter spent his entire life, and died when his son Frederick A. was a little lad five years of age. The mother of our subject, Mrs. Susan (Benfer) Bellman, was also a native of Union County, Pa.; she was married the second time, and some years later removed with her husband, John Walborn, to Seneca County, Ohio. They settled on a farm, and Mr. Walborn died in 1876. The mother then came to this county, and made her home with her son, our subject, until her death, which took place in February, 1888. Frederick A. Bellman was the fifth in a family of seven children, ard( after the death of his father his lot was cast among strangers. H-e was taken into the home of George Leitzel, near Kratzerville, with whom he remained until fourteen years of age. In winter he attended the district school, and in summer worked upon a farm. Upon leaving Mr. Leitzel he worked at farming two years for other parties. Later he took up house painting, which he followed until the outbreak of the Civil War, then enlisted under the call for three-months men in the 84th Ohio Infantry. After serving out his time and receiving his discharge Mr. Bellman migrated to Toledo, Ohio, where hle re-enlisted with the three-years soldiery, in the 55th Ohio Infantry, and gave to his country his faithful service during this time. He took part in twenty-three regular battles, among the most important being the second fight at Bull Run, the battle of the Wilderness, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, the siege of Atlanta, and went with Sherman on his famous march to the sea. He escaped wounds and imprisonment, and was never ill enough to be confined in the hospital, nor ever absent at the time of roll call. He received his honorable discharge at Washington, D. C., in June, 1865. After the war Mr. Bellman resumed painting in Toledo, Ohio, until 1869, which year found him at Three Rivers in this county. He now at once commenced the manufacture of cigars, associating himself with his brother George H., and they operated together until the firm was merged into a stock company, called the Bellman Cigar Company. The business was continued successfully until the death of George H. Bellman and another partner, when our subject purchased the interest of the two deceased, and continued the business alone for a time, then took in a partner, the firm becoming Benfer & Bellman. Later it was changed to Bellman & Handy, the latter gentleman at that time acting as Postmaster at Three Rivers. Subsequently Mr. Handy disposed of his interest in the business to Mr. Francisco, whose interest Mr. Bellman has pur ^ L^a L ~ 1I. I 1III 111 n i,1-. — - - - L Lr - p — I -r I I I.a 3~~ C --- 1PL~Ir I 1 s L I -- - -"e d [-, " -- --— "- I -I 530 ST. JOSEP chased. The firm does a general manufacturing business, and gives employment usually to twenty men, disposing of its goods both at wholesale and retail. The marriage of Mr. Bellman and Miss Frances McGuire occurred in Toledo, Ohio, in 1865. Mrs. Bellman was born in Canada, in 1844, and by her union with our subject became the mother of one child, a son, Leon E., who was born in 1866, and is a practical harness-maker, doing business now in Three Rivers. Mr. Bellman is a member of the Masonic fraternity of several years' standing, belonging to the Chapter and Commandery, and as an ex-soldier is identified with the G. A. R. He belongs to Company D, 2d Michigan State Militia; and held the rank of Second Lieutenant, was then made First Lieutenant and finally commissioned Quartermaster, which position he still holds. lie uniformly votes the Republican ticket. HIe served three years as Alderman from the First Ward, and was Chairman of the Fire and Water Committee for two years. ti) ICHMONI) E. CASE, editor of the News Reporter of Three Rivers, has been a resident of LA \\ St. Joseph County for forty-four years. Ile |was born in Richmond, Ontario Co., N. Y., April 26, 1828, his parents being William and Paulina (Robblee) Case, who were natives of Washington County, N. Y., whence they had removed. The elder Case was a farmer, pursuing that avocation until his death, which occurred in 1830, at the age of forty-two years, having been born Jan. 5, 1788. He was married Jan. 18, 1814. His widow some time after his decease became the wife of William Blair, and died June 5, 1851, in Constantine, St. Joseph Co., Mich., where they had settled. At the time of her decease she was fiftysix years of age, being born March 15, 1795. William Case was a plain farmer, who never aspired to any public position or notoriety. lIe had eight children, as follows: Abraham, who was killed by the bursting of a cannon July 4, 1834; Chloe, a twin sister, became the wife of Isaac Benham, and resides at Constantine, St. Joseph County; 'H COUNTY. I Iiram is living in Sturgis, this county; Thomas was married and died at Centreville, same county, at the age of twenty-five years; William, likewise married, died in Norwalk, Ohio; he had been in Florida several years on account of his health, and while there was correspondent for the New York Tribune, Toledo Blade and Norwalk Reflector; the next was Dennis, who is a farmer in Lapeer County, Mich.; Laura, who was the first born, died in infancy, and the youngest of the family was our subject. By the death of his father, R. E. Case lost the paternal care and guidance at a very early age, but the place was filled by his stepfather, Mr. Blair, who brought up the family as his own, and was loved and respected by all' the children as a real parent. Our subject was mainly reared by an uncle, Abraham Case, of Norwalk, Ohio, with whom he lived until he was eighteen years of age. He then came to this county, and at Centreville learned the trade of saddlery and harness-maker, and afterward carried on that business there for five years, also having in connection therewith a drug business. In 1851 Mr. Case removed to Three Rivers, and engaged in the harness and mercantile business, which he carried on until 1857. During the last two years of that time he also carried on a farm in Lockport Township, which lie had bought. In the year named he disposed of his harness and mercantile business and removed to Constantine, where he again engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1861 he was appointed Postmaster under the administration of President Lincoln, but resigned the position in 1864 and returned to Three Rivers, where he bought a livery business, which, however, he disposed of in a year, it not being congenial to him. I-e then engaged in real-estate and insurance business, and in 1879 became the proprietor and editor of the News Reporter, and has remained there ever since, conducting both branches of business named. In 1883 Mr. Case was appointed a member of the Board of Control of the State Public Schools, which position he filled for six years, his term expiring Jan. 1, 1889. In May, 1849, Mr. Case was married to Laura Iewings, a native of Ashtabula County, Ohio, where she was born in 1826. Their union has been blessed with six children, three of whom are de 1 I "*- 0 -W ~r~; - I~ I I _ - CI L- ~- ~~Ir -~ I~II r~lcl~L -Itf~? sc _ ~~~ ~ --- —- ___ ~ --- — _________ ---------------— ~~~~~~~~~~ - __ __ -- ~ — -I. ---~~~~~ — i I 1..if 4 Abbor- / I I I I I S " r F lb l "Il-~~~~- YIIIFI-~~~~~l --- -— ~~~~~- ~ ~ ~ ------- — ~1~~~~~~~~~ —~~~11~~~~~ —~ --- —-~11111 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ------- a - -b ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 531 ceased: Lydia died at the age of twelve years; Omen W., in childhood, and an infant died at birth. The survivors are: Roxie M., wife of F. J. Selden, now living in Kansas City, Mo.; Frank B., married to Minnie Hauk, is a. lawyer in Kansas City, and Fred II. is a postal-route agent between Grand Rapids and Elkhart, and is associated with his father in the publication of the News Reporter. Mr. Case has been a member of the Town Council of Three Rivers, and a member of the School Board. I-He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity, having joined in 1854. Ile belongs to Three Rivers Lodge No. 52, F. & A. M., and is one of the three oldest members of that body. The Newvs Reporter, of which Mr. Case is editor, is the oldest Greenback paper now published in the United States. Since he has taken it in hand it has been doubled in size and more than doubled in its subscription list. It is a bright, newsy, local sheet, and is a favorite with the people of the county, where it exercises a wide influence in the field it essays to fill. Mr. Case bears among the people with whom he has so long lived the reputation of an upright man and good citizen. tial brick dwelling, a good barn and other outbuildings, fruit and shade trees, live stock, and the machinery necessary for prosecuting his calling in a comfortable manner. Although a man attending strictly to his own concerns, he has never refused to be of service to his fellow-citizens when called upon, although he has usually avoided becoming an office-holder. Ile votes the straight Republican ticket, and wvith his estimable wife is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is, and has for many years, been Trustee, Steward and Class-Leader. A native of Berkeley County, (now West) Va., our subject was born Oct. 22, 1824, and is the son of Andrew and Charlotte (Snyder) Miller, the former a native of Maryland, and the latter of the Old Dominion. The parents commenced their wedded life together in Berkeley County, Va., then removed to Ohio, but finally decided to cast their lot among the pioneers of Southern Michigan. They settled in Constantine Township in the fall of 1864, where the father carried on farming with fair success until quite well advanced in years. Ile departed hence Jan. 20, 1883. The mother survived her husband a period of five years, and died March 6, 1888, near the old homestead. Their family included eight children, five of whom are living, four make their homes in this county, and one, Daniel, lives in Sandusky County, Ohio. George W., our subject, was the third child. Mr. Miller was a child of one year when lie was taken by his parents from his native State to Perry County, Ohio. Not being satisfied with their surroundings in that region, they removed, first to Seneca County, and then to Sandusky County. They finally returned to Seneca County, where they lived until coming to Michigan. George W., our subject, was first married, in Sandusky County, to Miss Susanna Walter, who was born in Union County, Pa., and moved to Ohio with her parents when quite young. Of her union with our subject there were born six children, and the wife and mother passed away in the fall of 1864, less than a year after their removal to this county. Their eldest son, Levi, makes his home in Constantine Township; Harvey died when about fifteen years of age, and Emily when a child of six years; Cath I i i i II i I I I 'I r --— I+ ro 06 rEORGE W. MILLER. The home of this gentleman and his estimable wife, remarkably pleasant in its appointments and surroundings, but reflects the spirit of its inmates, people remarkable for their genial cordiality, which, extended to friend and stranger alike, is indicative of the best birth and breeding. Mr. Miller came to this section of country in the spring of 1864, and has been mostly engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life, although for a time prior to his advent in this county he followed blacksmithing. A knowledge of this trade has been of great benefit to him in connection with his farm labors, and the home repairing of his farm machinery enabling him to prevent frequently an outlay of a good many dollars. Mr. Miller, upon coming to St. Joseph County, settled at once in Constantine Township, on the land which he now owns and occupies. Here he has 160 acres with good improvements, a substan [ - 6~~ 4"1 Q rlFII _ ~ii II L._ - ~ — ~ I I I I I I- -~-~_ _ -obo-I I L ___CII~"~-" ~~-_- ~_ ~C. _~~- ~ ~ ~ ~ -I ---I - - I --- A_ F-44 v 44POW.'sp 049- ---—, 0,- -------- ----- L- 16 --- — a_- L 53'2 ST. JOSEP~rH COUNTY.!: 3 ST. JOEP. CONY erine is the wife of John Gentzler, of Florence Township; John is occupied in farming, and lives not far from the old homestead; Peter died in infancy. Our subject, in the early part of 1865, returned to Seneca County, Ohio, and was there married a second time, January 12 of the same year, to Mrs. Matilda (HIartman) IIorner, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Baker) Hartman, and widow of Jerry Horner. Mr. Horner was a tailor by occupation, and died in Seneca County, Sept. 29, 1863. Of this marriage there were born five children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, Frances, is the wife of W. J. Engleman, of Constantine Township; George died when a lad of seven years; Joseph is a resilent of Leadville, Col., where Samuel also lives, and Amanda E. died when an infant of sixteen months. Mrs. Matilda Miller was born in Snyder County, Pa., Sept. 14, 1833. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and are now both deceased. Of this latter union there have been no children. Mrs. Miller is a lady looking well to the ways of her household, making her home pleasant, not only to her family, but the stranger who may happen within their gates. E BENEZER OSBORN. The name of this worthy pioneer, who is now deceased, deserves honorable mention among the early settlers of St. Joseph County. He came to this region when a young man from New York State, where he was born on Aug. 10, 1822. He took up a tract of land on section 21, in Flowerfield Township, opening up a good farm of eighty acres near which the village of Howardsville afterward sprang up. He battled with the difficulties incident to that time, and after making a good record departed this life at the homestead which he had built up, Feb. 11, i887. Mr. Osborn was married at Three Rivers, after coming to this county, July 10, 1862, to Miss Nancy Clark, who passed away prior to the decease of her husband, her death taking place at the old farm, June 21,1884. They were the parents of two sons: Charles, the elder, was born April 13, 1863, and was reared upon a farm. becoming familiar with its various employments and receiving his education in the common school. Frank, the younger son, also grew up on the farm, and( upon reaching manhood was married at Buchanan, Berrien County, this State, to Miss Fannie Cave. This lady was born in Marcellus Township. Cass County, the 9th of September, 1867, and is the daughter of John L. anl Lucina Cave. Her father was a native of England, whence he emigrated to the United States early in life. lie came to Cass County during its early settlement, and after opening up a good farm spent the latter years of his life in prosperity and quiet. Mrs. Cave was born at Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and is still living, making her home in Lamoni, Iowa. Besides Mrs. Osborn there are three other daughters: Addie, the wife of Isaac Judson, of Covert; Nettie and Jessie, who live with their mother in Iowa. Both the Cave and Osborn families represent the better element of society, being people well-to-do and of good standing among their neighbors. AVID KNOX. Three Rivers contains some very able "legal lights," and prominent ffi > among them as a lawyer, orator and gentleman, stands David Knox, a native of Michigan, and born in Sturgis Township, this county, Feb. 26, 1848. It will thus be seen he is in the very prime of life, and his career thus far has been signalized by ability and success. David Knox, Sr., the father of our subject, was a native of New York State, and departed this life at his home in September, 1886. lie migrated to Detroit from Seneca County, N. Y., as early as 1822, and to Michigan Territory ten years later, locating in Sturgis Township, where he followed agricultural pursuits in connection with officiating as minister of the Methodist Church, and became owner of a good farm property. The mother, Mrs. Thirza (Jacobs) Knox, was also a native of the Empire State, and the daughter of Benjamin Jacobs. The parental household included seven children, three sons and four daughters, David being the fourth child. He spent his boyhood largely in.-., I I /~ Impop- I. I..qo~ ~ I - PIP me- q V --- -Ap ,bop. I I $do m - - -- -- - * STr. JOSEPH COUNTY. 533 - --- -— ' attendance at the district school, and later was a student in the Union School at Sturgis. IIe finally entered Albion College, from which he was graduated in 1869. We next find him as a teacher in the Union School where he had formerly been a pupil. Mr. Knox entered upon the study of law in the office of William Sadler, at Centreville, and was afterward associated with 0. F. Bean, of Three Rivers. Ile was admitted to the bar in 1872, and at once opened an office for the practice of his profession at Three Rivers, of which he has since continued a resident. In connection with his legal blusiness he operates as a real-estate dealer and money loaner, and from the three combined enjoys a comfortable income. The family of our sulject comprises an intelligent wife and three interesting children, the latter named respectively: Stuart K., Agnes L. and Edward Moore. The maiden name of his wife was Louise Kelsey, and their marriage was celebrated at Three Rivers, in June, 1878. Mrs. Knox is the daughter of Stephen Kelsey, Esq., a well-known resident of this county, and of an excellent family. Mr. Knox keeps himself well informed in regard to matters of general interest, and uniformly votes the Republican ticket. I-e has always been interested in the promotion of education, and for the past eight years has served as Trustee of Albion College. He has held some of the minor offices, but is not ambitious of honors in this line. HIe is a Knight Templar of the lMasonic fraternity, belonging to Lodge No. 57, and Commandery No. 29, at Three Rivers. As the agent for the Free Will Baptist societies for this vicinity he has charge of large amounts of money devoted to the cause, and in this, as in other positions of trust and responsibility, has acquitted himself as an honest man and a good citizen. OUTHARD CIAPIN, one of the most intelligent and public-spirited men of Nottawa Township, owns and occupies a snug home at Prairie Corners, Nottawa Township, and which is pleasantly located on section 3. Until the fall of 1881 he carried on farming quite extensively on 200 acres of land in Burr Oak Township. which lhe cleared and upon which he erected a fine set of frame buildings. He disposed of the greater portion of this about the time of his removal. A native of Granville, Washington Co., N. Y., our subject was born March 12, 1822, and was but fourteen years of age when he came to this county with his parents. lie lived with them in Sherman Township until his marriage, which took place at the home of the bride in that township, Sept. 1, 1844. The maiden of his choice, Miss Rozilla McCloud, was born in Iarby Township, Madison Co., Ohio, Aug. 22, 1825. The parents of our subject, David and Collie (Burch) Chapin, were natives respectively of Vermont and Dutchess County, N. Y. The father migrated from the Green Mountain State early in life, and was married to Miss Burch in the Empire State. They settled in Granville, but later removed to Livingston County, and from there in Juiie, 1836, came to the Territory of Michigan and located in Sherman Township. The father put up the third house within its limits and on section 10. He improved a farm from the wilderness, and there both parents spent the remainder of their lives. They had four children, three sons and one daughter. Charles McCloud, the father of Mrs. Chapin, was born in Vermont, and married Miss Mary Pattee, a native of Massachusetts. They began the journey of life together in Darby Township, Madison Co., Ohio. Upon leaving the Buckeye State they came to Michigan. settling first in the vicinity of Brownstown, Wayne County, and from there came to this county in 1 835, while Michigan was still a Territory, locating on a wild tract of land just north of the present site of Nottawa. Mr. McCloud built up a good farm, but later returned to Ohio to live with his children, and died in Madison County. The mother later came back to this county, and died at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Chapin, in Sherman Township. They were the parents of three daughters, of whom Mrs. Chapin was the eldest, and the only one living to mature years. To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born six children. The eldest daughter, Dyelsa, is the _ _ -— Raw wool [ I:- n144 Iii I I II iiIi C. 40 - --------------------— ~ --- —------------ ""' V __ 4 L I - I i I r I o k aaf 534 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY wife of William C. Hofer, of Goshen, Ind.; Adelphia, Mrs. F. J. Lang, lives in Minneapolis, Minn.; Emneline married Mr. A. T. Mann, and died in Hutchinson County, Dak., in May, 1887; Alice, Mrs. Charles Simpson, lives in California; of William P. a sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Chapin have been members of the Methodist Episcopal Cliurch a period of thirty years, contril)uting liberally and cheerfully to its support, and laboring as they have had opportunity in the cause of Christianity. Mr. Chapin cast his first Presidential vote for Henry Clay, and is an ardent supporter of Republican principles. ASON HORTON HUYLAR has been for the past thirty years a resident of Three Rivers, St. Joseph Co., Mich., and prominently identified with its business interests. He was born in New Brunswick, N. J., Feb. 23, 1825. His ancestors were of Dutch and English extraction, his paternal grandfather, William Huylar, coming from Holland and settling in New Brunswick, N. J., where he successfully carried on the business of a baker until his death. His wife Gertrude survived him many years, dying at the extreme age of ninetyseven. On the maternal side our subject's ancestors, of English lineage, were for many generations residents of the eastern end of Long Island, N. Y., settling near Southold over 225 years ago. The first of the family to come to America was Barnabas Horton, and the house which he built about 225 years since stood until six years ago, when it was demolished to give place to a more modern structure, at which time there was present a large gathering of his descendants. The house being the oldest on Eastern Long Island, its demolition excited great interest and was much commented on by the press. William and Gertrude Huylar were the parents of a numerous family, numbering in all twenty-four children, all now deceased. Their son Adam was the father of Jason H., and was born in New Brunswick in 1779, and d(ied March 7, 1847, in his sixtyninth year. He followed the occupation of his father, and carried on baking in the city of New York. afterward removing to Key Port, N. J., where he died. IHe was a man of good character, industrious and sober, always in comfortable circumstances, but never accumulating much wealth. He was a member of the Methodist'Episcopal Church. He was twice married, his first wife being a Miss Vanderbilt, a relative of the ancestors of that now famous family. She died in 1816, leaving six children: Gertrude, William, Abraham, Charles, and an infant unnamed, all now deceased. The only survivor is John Vanderbilt Huylar, a farmer near Battle Creek, Mich. The second wife of Adam Huylar was Mrs. Elizabeth Denniston, widow of John Denniston, and daughter of Jason and Mary Horton. Her father was a man of exemplary character ald of great piety, a conscientious, consistent and sincere Christian, beloved and respected by all who knew him. Hle is held in such veneration by his descendants that in every family tracing its descent from him one of the sons is named Jason Horton. His daughter Elizabeth was born in Meidham, N. J.,in 1791, and attained a great age, dying in her ninety-third year. By her marriage with John Denniston she had four children. three of whom are now living. She was a woman of positive character, who impressed her personality on her children, who in a great degree inherited her characteristics. By her marriage with Mr. Huylar she had seven children, as follows: Elizabeth F., who was the wife of Hiram Allen, of Newark, N. J., and both now deceased; Adam is a dealer in sash and blinds at Key Port, N. J.; Mary (lied in childhood; Jason Horton was next in order of birth; then Isaac W., who died in childhood; Edward P., a well-known physician, was the originator and proprietor of the celebrated remedy known as ' Clark Johnson's Indian Blood Syrup," and died in New York City, Aug. 11, 1888, after accumulating a large fortune. The youngest, Mary Voorhees, died in childhood. The subject of this sketch received his education in the public schools of the city of New York, and early began to work at the business of marble cutting. His first venture on his own account was in Key Port, N. J., in 1855, at which time he established a shop there. Three years later he determined to try his fortunes.- U] I __Ci I -- ~T_ k' I r_,1 ~e~ 'p- I _- 1 "R I t. Ih I-, * E U n ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 535 I in the young and growing State of Michigan, and removed to Sturgis, St. Joseph County. There he staid but a year and a half, when he removed to Three Rivers, where the balance of his life has been passed, and where he built up a lucrative trade, and acquired the reputation of a thorough-going, enterprising and upright business man. On May 26, 1849, Mr. Huylar was married to Sarah C. Ransom, (laughter of Elisha and Cata Ransom, of Riverton, Conn. She was born in Hlartford, Conn., in 1827, her ancestors being early residents of that Slate, in which both her parents were born. Mr. and Mrs. Huylar have had five children, three of whom are deceased. Catherine L. died at the age of eleven, Charles Edwin in his third year, and Lillian Ransom in the sixth year of her age. The survivors are: Mary E., wife of Dr. William H-. Kestler, a prominent dentist of Detroit. Mich., and Allen Horton, who is his father's successor in business in Three Rivers. In 1886 Mr. Huylar gave up active business, turning it over to his son, but still takes a warn interest in the success of the business which he founded. He is now enjoying the fruits of a life of well-directed effort, and as the architect of his own fortunes can take a just pride in the success which has resulted from a life of industry and probity. He enjoys in a marked degree the respect and confidence of the community among whom so many years of his life have been passed, and who appreciate the sterling qualities of the man and citizen. Mr. Huylar takes a considerable part in the affairs of the town. He has been a member of the Council several times, is a director in the Three Rivers National Bank, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in every way a useful and desirable member of society. <^^ ELSON CREVLING. The family of which this gentleman is the head is considered one I 4/e of the finest in St. Joseph County. He came within its borders during the pioneer days, and assisted ill the struggles of its early development, contributing to its prosperity his strength and his capital, and he has an ample reward in the esteem and confidence with which he is universally regarded by its people. A man of property and influence, he has been chief among those rearing the standard of morality and virtue, while in financial circles his standing and reputation are unimpeachable. John Crevling, the father of our subject, was a native of Easton, N. J., and upon migrating to New York State during the early years of his manhood settled in Columbia County, Pa., with his parents. He was content, like his father before him, to take up the occupation of agriculture, which he followed all his life. He spent his last days in Columbia County, Pa., dying there Aug. 27, 1827, at the age of fifty-five years, five months and seventeen days. He was born March 10, 1772. Mr. Crevling, Sr., the paternal grandfather of our subject, spent the early years of his life in Easton, N. J. Thence he removed to Columbia County, Pa., settling near the village of Espey during its pioneer days. Ile also pursued farming, and died in Columbia County at a ripe old age. His son John was born in 1772, and upon reaching manhood married Charity Moore, of Columbia County, Pa., and they became the parents of nine children, six sons and three daughters. Of these Nelson, of our sketch, was the youngest child. He was born on the old homestead near Espy, Columbia Co., Pa., Feb. 14, 1817. This property lay about midway between Bloomsburg and Espy, and was consequently quite valuable. The common school supplied for our subject his early education, and he remained a resident of his native county until a young man thirty years of age, when he determined to seek his fortune among the pioneers of Michigan. We find him within the bounds of Lockport Township, this county, in October, 1845, lie locating first on section 5, where he purchased 160 acres of land from William Eck. He improved the greater part of this. beginning from first principles, as there were neither buildings nor fences upon it., Two years later, however, he sold out and purchased on another part of the same section. lie now has a fine farm of 325 acres, lying one and one-half niles from the village of Three Rivers. This has been brought to a high state of cultivation, and is supplied with modern r m MM Cull_ ~- _ 4-C ---- -~I - - ~~~~~ --- ~= — — 1 Y~ -C1 IIU- - -- 'c` I t 'I - --- -- ---------------— ~- -------- - ----- ----------- --- --- -f "I 060i Wg -k (I 536 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I farm buildings, a goodly assortment of live stock, the latest improved machinery, and all the facilities necessary to the success of the modern agriculturist. Our subject was wedded in his native county, Jan. 16, 1840, to Miss Phebe, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Rittenhouse) Eck. Mrs. Crevling was the sixth child of her parents, and first opened her eyes to the light July 29, 1817. There came to the household of Mr. and Mrs. Crevling ten children, seven of whom are living. Albert J. (lied at the home of his parents in Lockport Township, at the age of twenty-three years; James H. died when an infant of eighteen months; Mary C. is the wife of Samuel Nye, and they reside in 'Tree Rivers; Martha A. is living with her parents at the old homestead; Harriet, Mrs. John Hawkins, died at her home near Constantine, Oct. 14, 1888; John F. is unmarried and living at home with his parents; William E. is a well-to-do farmer of Mitchell County, Kan.; Anna M. is the wife of Martin Robbins, of Three Rivers; Delilah, Mrs. Harry Catton, lives with her husband on a farm in White Pigeon Township; Joseph Nelson continues a member of the parental household. Joseph and Mary Eck, the parents of Mrs. Crevling, were natives of Chester County and Philadelphia, Pa., respectively, but spent their last days in Berwick, Columbia County. Mr. Eck reached his fourscore years, and his excellent wife had nearly approached that age at the time of her death. They were the parents of eight children, three sons and five daughters, four of whom are living: William R. is a resident of Colon, this county; Eliza continues at the old home in Berwick, Columbia Co., Pa., of which she is the owner; Amelia is the wife of Archibald Henry, and lives in Mitchell County, Kan., on a farm three miles from Beloit. The paternal grandfather was a soldier in the War of 1812. Our subject and his estimable wife have been members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Three Rivers since 1850. Politically, Mr. C. was first identified with the old Whig party, and cast his first vote for Gen. Harrison, in 1840. Upon the abandonment of the old party he allied himself with the Republicans, and voted for the grandson of "Old Tippecanoe" in the fall of 1888. John Crevling, a brother of our subject, was born Oct. 22, 1810, and is a prosperous farmer, owning a good property in the vicinity of Ashland County, Ohio. Jonathan, born June 26, 1803, died Jan. 20, 1807, when about three years of age. A younger one, Jared, born Jan. 24, 1813, died in Columbia County, Pa., March 14, 1826, when a promising lad of thirteen years. The other brothers and sisters of our subject are named as follows: Martha, born Feb. 1, 1799, died Dec. 2, 1853; Margrett, born Dec. 17, 1801, died Nov. 17, 1840; Andrew, born Jan. 22, 1806; Moore, May 6, 1808; Delilah, Nov. 4, 1814. Our subject's mother was born Dec. 1, 1773, in Chester County, Pa. She was married Dec. 17, 1797, in Columbia County, Pa., and died July 12, 1858. ANIEL FRANCISCO, deceased, was a wellknown resident of Three Rivers, St. Jo&( J seph Co., Mich., the story of whose life is full of encouragement to boys who have to make their own way in the world under difficulties. IHe was in every sense of the word a self-made man. HIe was born June 4, 1817, in Rensselaer County, N. Y. His mother died wlen lie was but four years old. an(1 the death of his father two years later left him alone in the world, and dependent even at that tender age on his own exertions. He was bound out at the age of seven to a man named Erastus Green, the bargain being that he should have at least three months' schooling every year. Green was a severe taskmaster, and young Francisco was compelled to work early and late, and was never sent to school, except for three months in tile first year, it being all the schooling he ever received. He remained with Green until his eleventh year, when lie ran away from hinm, working out by the day, month or year as he could secure enployment. In this way several years were passed, and when he was about twenty-one years of age he, in company with a man named Ira B. Gage, bought a threshingmachine, with which they made some money, giving him his first real start. About the time he entered into this business he was married. With the money he made by the thresher he bought some land on contract, paying a part d(own. His kindheartedness led him to sign notes for a friend, and I 'LC_'II.1 ~r ~ ~ I I ~~ ~- Ill L~l - 1 tY _r'. I —, ^ - ---------- - - -------- -—,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p.-x ~S Sb~ - III I r ~ ~ ~ ~I 1 ~1 lC IF 1 ST. JOSEPI - - - — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ having to pay them lie was unable to make the payments on his land, and he lost it, leaving him again with but a small capital. In company with his wife's larents, two of her unmarried brothers and two sisters, AIr. Francisco and his little family, consisting of wife and four children, started overland( for Michigan. The party had three wagons, each drawn by a span of horses. Of these one outfit belonged to Mr. Francisco, which, with a small sum of money, was all his worldly wealth. They stoppled first in Lenawee County, 3Mich., where lie entered 160 acres of land. The necessary expenses of travel andl entering this land mnade serious inroads on his limited capital. Not liking tlhat part of the country, because of its wild and unsettled condition, the party deci(led to go further South. This was partly due to letters they had received from relatives of lMr. Francisco, who were settled in St. Joseph County. Coming to this county they located five miles northwest of Constantine, on what is now known as the Sherrick farm. Here the entire party lived in a two-story log house until the following spring, when Mr. Francisco bought an 80-acre farm Ihalf way between Three Rivers and Centreville, on which lie lived until his removal to the former place, in the fall of 1868, to the house now occupied by his widow, in which the remainder of his life was passed. His death occurre(l Feb. 7, 1 883, in his sixty-sixth year. At the timIe of his death Mr. Francisco owned 667 acres of land in St. Joseph County. The land in Lenawee County lhe had sold for a slight advance. He was also the owner of property in Three Rivers, besildes a considerable amount of personal property. All this hie acquired by his own labor, thrifty hlabits, and the exercise of common sentse in all his business transactions. While livingi on his farm lie engaged largely in the growing of peppermint, tleing at one time the largest mint grower in the West. This was one of his greatest successes, and helped largely in making the liberal competence which he acquired. Mr. Francisco was twice married, first while a resident of New York, to Hester Maria Wager, blorn in that State July 18, 1819. Their union was celebrated Nov. 9, 1837, and she accompanied him to this State, and died here June 23, 1848. They I COUNTY. 537 had five children, as follows: Charles Oscar, born Sept. 6, 1838, is married, and is a resident of Three Rivers; Mary Emma is the wife of Nathan B. Cary, a farmer in Lockport Township, this county; Dudley B., of whom a sketch appears elsewhere in this volume; Margaret A., wife of Capt. D. M. Hicks, of Three Rivers, residing, in Minneapolis, Minn.; and Hester M., who (lied in infancy. In 1848 Mr. Francisco was married to Miss Hannah Ryder, a native of the State of New York. They had three sons, the eldest of whom died when eighteen months oldl; William Byron, born Oct. 9, 1852, is married to 'Miss Etta Knapp, and has two children, Gracie and Frank; and lives in Three Rivers; Frank E., born July 15, 1860, is married to MIiss Nellie Clapp, and is a resident of Jackson, fMich. After removingr to Three Rivers, as soon as his boys became of age MIr. Francisco put each of them on a farm, keeping, however, a general oversight of the work himself, and willing the properties to them on hlis death. After comring to Three Rivers Mr. Francisco engagedi filrst in the banking and brokerage, then in loaning money for Eastern capitalists, which lhe contillnued until a few years before his death. He took considerable interest in plublic affairs, was a member of the Council, and President of the Village Board. He was greatly interested in educational matters, an(d for more than twenty years was a member of the School Board. IIe was a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and was liberal in its support. He was noted for his kindness and benevolence of heart, was a kind husband Qan(d faithful father, andl his death was regretted by every person who hiad ever known him.? ON. RUSSEL R. PEALER, one of the prominent citizens of St. Joseph County, was born in Greenwood Township, Columbia Co., Pa., Jan. 1, 1842, his parents being George and Rebecca (Hampton) Pealer, likewise natives of that county. On the paternal side the family is of German lineage, thle grandfather being named Pealer andl the grandmother Kooder. On __ If. 3 rl I-;rjrbh-e~ - P-,- - I~L_- LL C_ 1___I, — ~L~_ ----I- -L _ I.-41 I A I I a ml I m l-'V r; N E "I"r 538 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. the maternal side the family is of English descent, coming from the Hampton and Hopkins stock, early and well-known settlers in Columbia County. The father of the subject of this sketch, George Pealer, was born Aug. 13, 1818, and is yet living in his native county. He has been a farmer and lumberman all of his life, and is living on the farm which has been his residence for over forty years. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years, and has always been looked upon as an honest, upright man and a good citizen. In his political views he is an ardent Republican. Mr. Pealer has been twice married, first in 1841 to Miss Rebecca B. Hampton, who died in 1876, aged fifty-two; she was the mother of eight children, but three of whom are now living. Those deceased were: Mary A. who was the wife of Wesley Auten, and died near Fredericktown, Ohio; Clarinda S. died in girlhood; Daniel Webster, at the age of seven; Alvaretta also died young, and likewise an unnamed infant. The survivors are: William 0., partner of our sulject, in Three Rivers; Matilda is the wife of Clarence Price, of Danville, Pa.; our subject was the eldest of the family. Of the second marriage of Mr. Pealer there is no issue. Russel R. Pealer was brought up on a farm, attending the common school, as farmers' boys do. In February, 1859, he began attending the New Columbus Normal School in Luzerne County. Pa., where he remained until the following winter, when he returned to his home and taught school for the term. The next year he returned to Columbus and the following winter again taught school. The following spring he was made Principal of the High School at Light Street. in his native county, and in the following fall went to New Jersey, New York and other places, to recruit his health, which was somewhat impaired by close study. On his return he attended the High School again, and was preparing to enter the Albany Law School, having decided on the law as the profession to which he would devote his life work. He had inherited from his mother a love for education and reading, which she wisely encouraged, and to her is due the,fact that our subject acquired a fine education. On the 9th of September, 1862, Mr. Pealer offered his services to his country, and enlisted in Company E, 16th Pennsylvania Cavalry, known as i"Greggr's Cavalry." He served until Aug. 11, 1865, and during this time was repeatedly promoted for meritorious conduct, passing through all the grades to that of First Lieutenant, and was recommended for promotion to a Captaincy, but the close of the war stopped all further l)romotions. During this time he served in over thirty-five battles and cavalry engagements, comprising all of the great battles fought by the heroic Army of the Potomac. On the 6th of February, 1865, at Hatchers Run, Va., near Petersburg, while in command of a squadron and leading a charge on Pegram's division of infantry, Lieut. Pealer was wounded in the left thigh by a rifle ball, which was afterward extracted at Baltimore. Before his wound was healed he rejoined his regiment, so anxious was he to be with them. During his time in the hospital Mr. Pealer studied surveying and engineering, which he afterward put to good account in securing means to continue his law studies. On our subject's return to his home he again began the study of the law, entering the office of Robert F. Clark at Bloomsburg, Pa., where he spent two years, and was there admitted to the bar Sept. 3, 1867, and a short time after came to Three Rivers, decided to make it his home, returned to Pennsylvania, and bringing his wife, settled permanently in Three Rivers Nov. 12. 1867. The January following he was admitted to the Michigan bar, and at once engaged in the practice of his profession. A few years later Mr. Pealer was elected and reelected Circuit Court Commissioner, and before the expiration of his last term was appointed Prosecuting Attorney of the county, and afterward re-elected to that position. He leclined a renomination to that office, and continued to practice until Jan. 1, 1882, when he assumed the position of Circuit Judge for the Fifteenth l)istrict, to which he had been elected the previous April. He served his full term of six years with great credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents, and his decisions while on the bench have always been regarded as sound by the legal fraternity of the district. In 1888 Mr. Pealer resumed the l)ractice of his profession in Three Rivers in company with his brother William 0., under the firm name of Pealer ia! ~.m..]*)m6 —.m. — *q _ __.. — _ Ak* I I I I I i I I I II I I I i i 1 1 I I I i I i r Tcl- - -~II --- — F mllglll~lnrl ~~_, f_.AO am ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 539 A Bros., and the same year was elected to represent his county in the State Legislature, beginni nghis services in that capacity in January, 1889. The county had been for some years represented by a Democrat, and Judge Pealer was put in nomination for the purpose of overcoming that, as his reputation led his friends to believe he could do it. The result justified their anticipations, he getting a majority of over 200, thus changing the political complexion of the county. He has also held many minor offices, and being particularly interested in educational matters served for many years on the School Board. Judge Pealer has been three times married. His first wife, to whom he was married on the 25th of December, 1865. was Miss Sallie A. Stevens, a native of Luzerne County, Pa.; she died in Three Rivers, Mich., Nov. 6, 1871. By this marriage there were four children, two of whom, Nora Josephine and George Stevens, died in childhood; the other two, Anna Geraldine and Mary A., are yet under the parental roof. August 28, 1872, Mr. Pealer was married to Miss Amanda Stevens, a sister to his first wife, but she too was called, death claiming her March 28, 1874. Judge Pealer's present wife was Miss Sue F. Santee, to whom he was married April 15, 1 875. By the last two marriages there is no issue. Notwithlstanding his busy public and professional life Judge Pealer does not neglect its social side. From his boyhood he has been a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has taken an active part in its work. He has held every official position, from Superintendent of Sabbath-school to Delegate to the General Conference. He is a member of and at present Commander of Ed M. Prutzman Post No. 72, G. A. R., and belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Three Rivers Lodge No. 52, F. & A. M.; Salathiel Chapter No. 28, R. A., and St. Joseph Valley Commandery No. 29, K. T. In politics he is, like his father, an ardent Republican, and his first vote was cast while in the army, in an open field in Virginia, for Abraham Lincoln. Judge Pealer is a living exemplification of our beneficent institutions and what can be accomplished under them by well-directed effort and perseverance. Starting without any social advantages, he has acquired an excellent literary and legal education; he has been called by his fellow-citizens to fill many positions of honor and responsibility, and has by their suffrages occupied the bench in one of the courts of his adopted State, and now represents the country in the councils of the State. Just in the prime of life, with a large and lucrative practice, an unsullied reputation, the esteem of his fellowmen, with apparently many years of life before him, his future is undoubtedly bright, and his well-deserved success should serve as an incentive to every boy striving to elevate himself in the social scale, and to do work worthy of emulation. EVILLO J. NICHOLIS, M. 1). This popul ar physician and surgeon of Three Rivers located at this point in March, 1877, and opened an office for the practice of his profession, which he has followed with flattering results. Michigan is his native State, he having been born in Marengo, Calhoun County, Sept. 4, 1847. His father, Dr. A. S. Nichols, was one of the pioneers of the Badger State, coming here from his native place, in Madison County, N. Y., as early as 1844. I-e settled in Marengo with his little family, where they resided many years. The elder Nichols followed a successful practice, and was called hence in 1874. During the period of his thirty years' residence in Michigan he distinguished himself as a most worthy and useful citizen, making a record which his children should be proud to look upon. Of the latter, two in number, both are living, our subject being the elder. After leaving the primary school our subject entered Albion College, where he studied four years, fitting himself for the literary department of the Michigan State University. This course ended he entered upon the study of medicine under the instruction of his father, and later returning to the university took a course in the medical department, whence he was graduated with honors in 1871. IIe commenced the practice of his profession in Tekonsha, where he spent two years. During this time he was united in marriage with Miss Alinda Randall, of that place. This lady was born — RWW I F a __gold. F I WP1M I-M"~~ -~~~~ —II ~-~lr -r ---- eeII ~ ~ -d xI -- -- Np i_ alho —.A- 1111 lININI loop- I- -— ~ -- -- -- -- -— ~llI1~ I FM 6 540 ST. JOSEPH~ COUNTIY. il 5 in April, 1847, in Tekonsha, and is the daughter of Harvey Randall, a native of New York. After his marriage Dr. Nichols took up his residence in Iillsdale, becoming the partner of R. T. Gill. This partnership was dissolved in 1874, and Dr. Nichols then became associated with his brother-in-law, A. G. Randall, they operating together two years. Then being able to sell out to good advantage, Dr. Nichols changed the scene of his operations to Three Rivers, and later formed a partnership with Dr. W. E. Parker, with whom he is at present associated. To the Doctor and Mrs. Nichols there have been born three children, one living, a daughter, May L., born Aug. 6, 1876. They occupy a pleasant home in the southern part of the city, which is the frequent resort of its cultivated people. Dr. Nichols meddles very little with matters outside of his profession, but keeps himself well posted in regard to National affairs, and uniformly supports the principles of the Republican party. lie has a wellequipped office on St. Joseph street, and numbers his patrons among the best element of Three Rivers. OHN COX, retired manufacturer and capitalist of Three Rivers, was for many years one of its most active business men. His early home was in the southeastern corner of the Keystone State, he having been born in Bucks County, July 17, 1821. His parents, Jonas and Elizabeth (Larue) Cox, had a family of eight children, of whom John was the second eldest. The Cox family is of English ancestry, generally industrious, thrifty and well-to-do. The mother of our subject was of French extraction. The parents of our subject were both natives of Pennsylvania, and died when John was a lad of thirteen years. Thus left an orphan he was thrown early in life upon his own resources, while his brothers and sisters were taken into the homes of strangers. John worked upon the farm in summer and attended school in winter, but was thus enabled to pursue his studies only a few months each year. At the age of sixteen years he commenced an ap prenticeship at the blacksmith trade, serving five years, and receiving only his board and clothes. Upon becoming a journeyman he took up his residence in Trenton.. J,, where he acquired valuable knowledge as a machinist, and where he spent about six years. Thence he migrated South to the State of Georgia, and was employed in the iron works of Cooper, Sprout & Wiley, where he spent two summers and one winter. Our subject now returned to his native county, which he left not long afterward in company with Cyrus Roberts, and they repaired to Belleville, Ill., in the autumn of 1848, where they began on a small scale the manufacture of threshing-machines. They prosecuted this industry a period of eight years, building up quite an extensive business throughout the States of Illinois and Indiana. In 1856 they sold out, and our subject returned to Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1857. Mr. Cox now made his way to Michigan, where his friend Mr. Roberts had preceded him, and established himself once more as a manufacturer of threshing-machines. Later he associated himself with other parties, under the style of Roberts, H-ibbs & Co., and they for some years carried on a thriving andl profitable business. In 1866 Mr. Cox withdrew. During this time the firm enjoyed a very successful l)atronage, and after a time combined with the thresher the separator, and put out one of the most complete machines of the day, upon which they realized a very large sale. Mr. Cox while a resident of Three Rivers was united in marriage with Miss Mary C. Hiles, who was born in Danville, Pa., and came to Michigan with her parents. Of this union there were born two children, and the mother died in 1868. The elder son, Jasper IH., died at the parental home in Three Rivers, in the twenty-fourth year of his age. Charles W. makes his home with his father, and is engaged as a clerk. Mrs. Cox was a devoted wife and mother, and a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. I-Ier death was the occasion of great sorrow to her husband and a large circle of friends. Our subject identified himself with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1842, and for a period of forty-six years has given cheerfully and liberally of a --- olm, ~~~~~~~~~; 11 I I ~~~~~~~~ 110011,71111 1 I 11 I I dambom-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~,~ j J bbo — a i J -! f m~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IIS-l~~l1111 -— 4-~- ~ll~L~lL-~~~LL-( ~-49 -v i ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 541 I his means to the support of religious and educational institutions. Politically, he is a stanch Republican with prohibition tendencies, and has lived a strictly temperate life, using no stimulant in any form. He is a fine illustration of the self-made man, having begun his struggle with the world entirely dependent upon himself, and working upward through many difficulties. His career has been one which he should look back upon with satisfaction, as he has succeeded where many have failed. HARLES RICE. Men gaze with admiration at the work of the builder and the architect, and sometimes give little thought to the genius and the training which must have been employed in the erection of the edifices upon which the reputation of a city is largely dependent-as the coral -insect, a little creature, seemingly insignificant, rears a bulwark with which even the hand of man cannot compete. The beauty and the prosperity of the cities of the United States are dependent upon the architect, the contractor and the builder. In this department bf the industrial world Mr. Rice has been an important factor, especially in this county. The name of Charles Rice, builder and contractor, is familiar to a large portion of the people of Three Rivers, among whom he has lived and labored for the last forty-two years. A native of New York, he was born in the town of Pittsford, near Rochester, Feb. 28, 1833. His father, Isaac Rice, was a native of Vermont, as also was his paternal grandfather, Charles Rice, Sr. The latter distinguished himself as a soldier and a patriot in the Revolutionary War, and also the War of 1812, and for a number of years before his death received a pension from the Government. Charles Rice in early manhood was married, and he and his wife settled in Pittsford, N. Y., where they lived until 1832. HIe then gathered together his family and household effects and started for Michigan Territory. The trip was made overland in wagons, and upon their arrival in this county they located a tract of land on Johnny Cake Prairie and opened up a farm, which was subsequently included in Fa bins Township. Here Grandfather Rice lived and labored, succeeded in building up a comfortable homestead, and died at the advanced age of ninetythree years. Ie was the father of three sons and four daughters. Isaac Rice, the father of our subject, was reared to manhood in Monroe County, N. Y., where he learned the trade of stonemason. Upon reaching man's estate he was married to Miss Maria, daughter of Thomas Jones, Esq., who was a native of that county. IIe sojourned in the Empire State until 1850, then joined the grandfather's fanmily in this county and settled in Lockport Township, where he lived until 1870. The family then returned eastward as far as Ohio, where Isaac Rice was called hence in 1874. The mother of our subject died while a young woman, in New York State. Isaac Rice, after coming to this county, contracted a second marriage, with Miss Overmeier. Of the first marriage there had been born three children, two sons and one daughter, of whom Charles, our subject, was the eldest. The others were Elizabeth and Malcom. Of the second marriage there were born five children, four sons and one daughter. Two of the children of Isaac Rice are living. The subject of this notice spent the early years of his life in Monroe County, N. Y., he becoming familiar with farm pursuits and studying his lessons in the district school. When a lad thirteen years of age, in 1846, he accompanied his uncle, Joseph Rice, to this county, and thereafter "paddled his own canoe." He commenced learning the trade of stonemason at the age of seventeen years, under the instruction of Mr. Hile, one of the pioneer masons of this section. Upon attaining his majority young Rice began business on his own account as a contractor and builder, which business he has been engaged in, with the exception of a few years, up to the present time. It seemed a calling to which he was particularly adapted, and in which he gained a large measure of success. After the outbreak of the Rebellion Mr. Rice entered the Union Army as a member of the band in the 11th Michigan Regiment, which was subsequently disbanded by order of the War Departinent. Failing to serve his country in this capacity quow4 I I -4" I,. 11 I -I- IBM I M, " 1"l Jim, 11 0.-d A L i t f -.A- - - ~ ~ ~ ~ I sk.- ~ _~L II ~ — IICC~- - I I ~-ra l-1 W k 542 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 542 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. he became a member of a brigade, and served tlereafter in the ranks until the close of the war. He participated in many of the important engagements which followed, and was wounded before Atlanta in July, 1864, by a stray ball, which struck him in the back, passed through his right lung and lodged in his clothing. He still has the ball in his possession. He was sent to the hospital at Jefferson, Ind., where he remained until the surrender of Lee, and was mustered out in June, 1865. He has never been able to perform manual labor since being wounded. Upon leaving the army Mr. Rice returned to Three Rivers and resumed his former business as a builder and contractor, which he followed almost continuously up to 1884, and then retired. He was married in the nineteenth year of his age, in 1852, to Miss Harriet. daughter of John Neuman. This lady was born in Lewisburg, Pa., April 2, 1833. They became the parents of three children, two of whom are living: Dan, a resident of Fabius, this county, and Elizabeth, the wife of Robert Crawford, of Kansas City, Mo. Estella met with a most painful death, by burning, in 1862, when eight years old. Mr. Rice is a stanch suplorter of Greenback principles. He has been quite prominent in local affairs, representing the Third Ward in the City Council several terms, serving as Deputy Sheriff two years under Charles Coddington, was Under Sheriff of St. Joseph County four years, and is Deputy Game and Fish Warden at the present time. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the G. A. R. --- --- " RS. LYDIA BAUM, widow of John Baum, is one of the oldest residents of this part of f the State of Michigan, having lived in the town of Lockport, St. Joseph County, for more than fifty-one years, coming here with her parents in April, 1837. Her husband came in the year 1836, prior to that. The latter was born in Chester County, Pa., Nov. 23, 1811, and (lied Nov. 14, 1888, lacking but a few days of completing his seventy-seventh year. He lived in his native county until his twenty-sixth year, when he deter mined to try his fortunes in the then Territory of Michigan. -le had learned the trade of shoemaking, but on coming West became a farmer, entering 160 acres of land in Cass County, which he subsequently exchanged for a farm of 160 acres in Lockport Township, near Three Rivers in St. Joseph County, to which he added eighty acres by purchase. He also became the owner, in partnership with a Mr. Brower, of a farm of forty acres about two miles south of Three Rivers. About this time Mr. Baum was married, March 10, 1839, and the young couple began housekeeping on the 40-acre place. There they lived but for six months, when they removed to Three Rivers, in what is now the Second Ward, and near where his widow now lives, and where he himself died. In this place they lived for about two and a half years, during which time and afterward he was Constable and Collector. Giving up their village residence, Mr. and Mrs. Baum in 1842 went to live on their own farm in Lockport Township, and there they remained until March, 1885, when Mr. Baum retired from active life, and bought and rebuilt the handsome and commodious residence in which he spent the remainder of his days. Mr. Baum was a prominent and highly respected citizen of Lockport Township, and was often called upon to hold positions of trust and responsibility. In addition to the offices already mentioned he was at different times Supervisor of the township, holding that office eleven years in all. Once he was elected Justice of the Peace, but never qualified. He had also held other minor positions. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in that body was held in high esteem, and was a Trustee of the church in Three Rivers at the time of its erection. He was an upright, conscientious man, straightforward in all his words and acts, and was universally esteemed and respected in thecommunity of which for so many years he had been a member. His death deprived his widow and children of a devoted husband and faithful parent. On March 10, 1839, Mr. Baum was united in marriage with Miss Lydia Jane Spencer, who was a native of Wayne County, N. Y., and born Jan. 26, 1823, her parents being Asa and Betsy Spencer, who were natives respectively of Connecti_ k. _w 1 I i X I i t s?, k l I, t; _h lf - _ I -L t ' ~~~~~~~~ILT _-I 1' 131 __ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~_- 1 -----— r, --— I-mil IPP — L / t.- I -. i ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 543, ------ __ icut and Vermont. In 1837 the family came to Michigan, settling on a farm near Three Rivers, where the father died, the mother going to Iowa with one of her sons, and dying in that State. Mr. and Mrs Baum were the parents of six children, namely: Elizabeth Ann, born Jan. 5, 1840, who is the wife of Charles Smith, a resident farmer of Walworth County, Dak.; George S., born June 11, 1842, is married to Susan Casper, and is also a farmer, living in Hutchinson County, Dak.; he enlisted in the 11th Michigan Infantry in 1862, in Company E, of which his uncle, Henry N. Spencer, was Captain, and served for the entire term of three years, taking part in many of the most desperate battles in the Southwest, but was fortunately never wounded, although his health has been undermined by the hardships endured. William Penn was born Aug. 2, 1844, and was likewise in the Union service, serving in the navy on the Mississippi, enlisting Feb. 22, 1862, and (lying on the gunboat "Judge Torrance," Aug. 17, 1862, another martyr for his country; Henry N. was born Nov. 25, 1846, and died Oct. 26, 1849; Charles A., born June 12, 1851. is married to Mary Miller, a native of Iowa, and lives in the house with his mother, in Three Rivers; John Franklin, born April 10, 1853, is married to Hinlinda Ann Stryker, and is a resident of the Second Ward in Three Rivers. The family is one of the most respected in the county, and the heads of it have always been looked up to in the community. Mrs. Baum, like her worthy husband, has been for more than forty years a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, and is now enjoying the fruits of a wellspent life, and calmly awaiting the summons that will call her to rejoin her loved companion of nearly half a century. i )HITMAN E. CLARK, M. D., homeopathic physician at Three Rivers, has been a full fledged member of the medical profession for a period of fifteen years, having been regularly graduated from the Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago, Ill., on the 21st of March, 1873. He had practiced, however, several years previously, but took a course in this institution in accordance with the new laws relating to members of the profession in Illinois and other Western States. Dr. Clark was born in the city of Ingersoll, Canada, March 23, 1851, and is the son of Moses C. and Lucy A. (Easty) Clark, who were natives of New Brunswick, and are now residents of Detroit. Their family consisted of seven children. The boyhood of Whitman E. was passed in his native city, where he attended the public school, and being graduated from this entered the Canadian Literary Institute at Woodstock, where he prosecuted his studies for two years. He then became a student of medicine in the office of his two brothers at Aylmer, and upon leaving here entered Hahnemann College. Our subject was first located at Three Rivers in 1872. After receiving his college diploma he returned, and associated himself in partnership with Dr. E. B. Graham, which continued eighteen months. Dr. Clark then removed to Centreville, this county, where he conducted a very successful practice four years, and at the end of this time returned to Three Rivers, which has since been his home, and where he has established a large and lucrative practice both in town and country. On the 1st of December, 1887, the firm of Drs. Clark & Chaffee came into existence, and is still operative. The members of the State Homeopathic Society elected Dr. Clark Vice President of their association in 1878, and he holds the office of President of the Southwestern Michigan Homeopathic Society. IHe is a Mason of high standing, being Eminent Commander of the Knights Templars, Chancellor Commander of the Knights of Pythias, and has passed all the Chairs in the I. O. O. F. A few years after being graduated from Hahnemann College there was conferred upon him by the Chicago Homeopathic College the honorary degree of M. D. He has accumulated a handsome property entirely by his own efforts and good management. He is one of the principal owners of the Magnetic Springs and Sanitarium located on Flint avenue. This institution was remodeled and refitted in 1887, and has become a popular resort for the afflicted, the waters of the springs containing many healing properties.,1 VLV V n 0 C1. IWPIr bo --- II 14 I" L * Ii - e I | I; r t-1 11' 3"0 I-er — - ~1 - - I IAldah mC ---- -- -- d k 544 SLT. JOSEPH C6UNTY. 4 Dr. Clark has been twice married, his first wife having been Miss Sula Davis, of Aylmer, Canada, by whom he had one daughter. Mrs. Clark died Sept. 27, 1878. The present wife of our subject, to whom he was married in Centreville, this county, Oct. 13, 1880, was formerly Miss Ella. daughter of John Wolf, Esq., of that place. They occupy a pleasant home in the central part of the city, and are held in high esteem in its social circles. W ARREN D. PETTIT, a prominent farmer of Lockport Township, and in good circurnstances, settled on the land which he now occupies nearly thirty years ago, in the fall of 1859, owning it since 1855. He has been a lifelong agriculturist, excepting about thirty years when he carried on a carriage works, and bis career has been that of a public-spirited and praiseworthy citizen, who has accomplished much in a quiet way, having a good influence upon the community around him, and contriblting his quota as he has had opportunity to its general advancem ent. The son of William Pettit, he was born in Benton Township, Yates Co., N. Y., Oct. 14, 181'2, and spent his boyhood and youth on his father's farm. His education was conducted in the common school, and he remained a member of the parental household until after the decease of his father, which occurred in his fiftysixth year. William Pettit was born in Canaan Township, State of Connecticut, in 1770, and in early manhood removed to Yates County, N. Y., locating on a tract of land in Benton Township, where he built up a good homestead and spent the remainder of his life. In the Empire State he was married to Mrs. Delilah Bateman, who was a native of New York, and the daughter of Ezra Cole, and they became the parents of five children. Of these Warren D., our subject, was the eldest born by his mother's second marriage, and he is the only survivor of his family with the exception of a half-sister, Mrs. Amy Draper, who is a resident of Benton Center, N. Y., and who is now eighty-two years of age. Young Pettit after the death of his father, leav ing the farm, repaired to the town of Wheeler, Steuben Co., N. Y., and began an apprenticeship at the trade of wagon maker, under the instruction of John Burnside. He was then a lad of fourteen years, and remained in the employ of Mil. Burnside for three and one-half years. returning to Benton Center when about eighteen years of age. tIe pursued his trade for nearly four years thereafter, with such good results that he was enabled to purchase the well-regulated wagon manufactory of Horace Holmes, and carried on the business until about 1837. In the fall of that year, deciding on casting his lot with the pioneers of Indiana, he repaired to ~Mishawaka, St. Joseph County, where he carried on a wagon factory until the spring of 1842. He then came to Michigan, settling at Three Rivers, which at that time was but a small hamlet. IIe was the pioneer wagon manufacturer of the place, and conducted a prosperous business until the fall of 1859. Then, desirous of changing his occupation, lie secured land in Lockport Township on section 29, and from that time on until the present has given his attention exclusively to farm pursuits. Mr. Pettit was married at Liberty Corners, in Steuben County, N. Y., April 9, 1835, to Miss Caroline M., daughter of James and Anna Coon, who were natives of New Hampshire. The mother died at the home of her son Charles J., at Elkhart, Ind., in August, 1886. James Coon departed this life at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Pettit, in Three Rivers, in the fall of 1853, at the age of fifty-six years. Mrs. Pettit was born in Steuben County, N. Y., June 1, 1817. Of her union with our subject there were born nine children, five of whom are living. The eldest of these, a son, Charles P., is conducting a drug-store at Elmira, N. Y.; George W. is an expert machinist, and makes his home in Elkhart, Ind.; Mary Ettie is the wife of Dr. C. A. Hughes, and they are living in Spokane Falls, W. T.; both the Doctor and his wife are graduates of Hahnemann College, Chicago. Henry P. obtained an excellent education, and is a young man of more than ordinary ability; he, however, has chosen farming for his occupation, and married Miss Eva M. Fulkerson, who is now dead, leaving one child, Ettie M., who makes her home with her grandparents Pettit. tle is living, i i i i i I \ — dd -go ~ ~ ~ ~ L~ LL~, IIIII I~ -I -- ~ 1 k-00Q s --- I - - a~ A A —a- - -i -_ d 4 I Ir[-I - Ww"' ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 545 A I in Lockport Township. Minnie E. also took kindly to her books, and completed her education in the High School at Flint; she makes her home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Pettit are people held in high esteem, and members in good standing of the Presbyterian Church. The farm is pleasantly located and well improved, and with its appurtenances forms one of the most complete homes in Lockport Township. Our subject has been prominent in local affairs. and held the office of Justice of the Peace. He comes of excellent ancestry, and his honored father during the War of 1812 evinced his patriotism by shouldering his musket and assisting in driving the aggressive Briton from American soil. V ILLIAM Ii. SMITH. Next to the dread of dissolution is the dread of being forgotten. The surest manner in which we can prevent this calamity is by strict adherence to duty, by lives of charity and kindness, and doing good unto our fellowmen as we have the opportunity. The subject of this record, although deceased a period of over eighteen years, is still affectionately remembered by his family and friends, who take this method of perpetuating his name and his kindly deeds. lIe came to St. Joseph County during the period of its early settlement, in 1838, journeying from his native State of Pennsylvania in company with the family of Robert Ainsley, when a young man twenty-three years of age. Hte located for a time in Allegan County, and was employed in a sawmill about six months, then coming to Mendon, this county, commenced lumbering, which he prosecuted three years. lie finally took up his residence in Lockport Township, and was employed by Washington Gaskin on his farm. In the meantime he also assisted in the transportation of flour by rafts down the St. Joseph River, and such were his skill and success that he was familiarly known as Capt. Smith thereafter. Capt. Smith made his first purchase of land in Lockport Township in 1845, taking up eighty acres from the Government on section 16. ITe paid for this at the rate of $1.25 per acre, and after lie had improved his first purchase added to his landed estate until he had 200 acres, all of which, with the exception of forty acres, was purchased from the Government. lie brought 160 acres of this to a good state of cultivation, building up a good homestead, where lie spent the remainder of his life. Iis death occurred April 12, 1870, after having been ill but six days, of peunmonia. Ile was born in Belvidere, N. J., in 1818, and when a little child three years of age was taken by his parents to Pike County, Pa., where he was reared to man's estate and received his education in tle common schools. I-e followed lumbering in lPennsylvania until coming to the West.,John Smith, the father of our subject, was born in New York State, and lived there until changing his residence to Belvidere, N. T., and then to Pike County, Pa. Ile only lived to be middle-aged, dying in Pike County at the age of forty-five years. lie married Miss Elizabeth Chamberlin, a native of Belvidere, N. J., and who, after the death of her husband, removed to Illinois and made her home with her youngest daughter, Mrs. Olive Courtwright, at (;alva, where she died at the age of seventy years. Tlle parental family consisted of six daughters and two sons, all of whom grew to mature years, were married and reared families. None of these died under forty years of age. The survivors are residents mostly of Illinois and Pennsylvania. William I1. Smith was married in Lol.kport, this county, March 19, 1850, to Miss Margaret A., daughter of James L. and Elizabeth (Paul) Graham. MIr. and Mrs. Graham were natives of Washinuton County, N. Y., and camne to the West about 1840. The father engaged in farming, and died in Loekport Township, this county, at the age of forty-two years. The mother survived her husband a long period, remaining a widow, and living to be eighty-two years old. Their children, twelve in number, lived to be men and women with one exception, and ten still survive. Mrs. Smith was the third child of the family and of her union with our subject there were born four children. Sarah E. died at the old homestead when thirty-one years of age; William died when a child of two years; Agnes J. is the wife of Lewis Collisi, a grocer of ~rL mI a i "kk — - - - --------- -imp ""O --- —-— ~ ~ 11, * j L 0 - - ( m 14 I0 I.., C ~eI IIIIII~ c I 0 Im 546 ST. JO!SEPH; COUNTY. I 546~ _T.JSP ONY Topeka, Kan. Elbridge II. was born in Lockport Township, July 11, 1867, and was a lad who took kindly to his books, passing through the graded school, and taking a commercial course in the seminary at Three Rivers. He was occupied as a clerk one year in Topeka, and has made three trips over the Western country, sojourning in Leadville, Col., at one time six months. IIe is now operating the old homestead one and one-half miles from Three Rivers. Mr. Smith identified himself with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1850, and was prominent among its councils, officiating as Steward and Trustee, and contributing liberally to its support. Mrs. Smith united with this church at the same time as her husband, and her daughter Sarah was a member of the same at the time of her death. I UCAS TIIEURER is a successful farmer and stock-raiser of Fabius Township, where, on l section 16, he owns one of the finest farms in this part of St. Joseph County. Ile is a German by birth, having been born in Wittenberg, Germany, Oct. 9, 1825. Iis parents were George and Anna M. (Seyboldt) Theurer. Both lived and died in Wittenberg. Our subject is one of the younger members of a family of eight children, and has one sister and two brothers living in Germany. IIe received a substantial education in the excellent schools of the Fatherland, and a careful training as a farmer from his father. lie grew to be a vigorous, enterprising, ambitious young man, and, desirous of seeing something more of the world than was embraced in his native place, and to try his fortunes in America, the Mecca of so many of his countrymen, in 1848, when he was about twenty-two years of age, he came to this country. For awhile he lived in New York with a brother, and farmed for a living. He returned to Germany to visit his old home in 1851, and after staying awhile among his old friends, he came back to the United States, and was married, April 12, 1852, to Miss Barbara Steinhilber, who has been to him a devoted wife, and has done her share in accumulating the property which I will enable them to lpass their remaining years in ease and comfort. To this worthy couple have been born ten children, three sons and seven daughters, namely: Augustus, Louisa (now Mrs. Warren Smith), Adolphus, Mary, Emma, George, Cornelia, Rosa, Nettie and Polly. After his marriage Mr. Theurer settled in New York, and worked hard to obtain a comfortable home for himself and his wife, but in this he was unfortunate, and finally lost all his hard earnings. Ile was in the employ of Gov. Throop, of New York, who, finding him faithful and trustworthy, placed his large farm in this State under his care, and he removed here in 1855. He managed the Governor's farm with great success, and to his employer's entire satisfaction. Ile continued to superintend that property until 1858, when the Governor sold it. Mr. Theurer then moved to Three Rivers, where he established himself in the butcher business, but this venture did not prove to be a very prosperous one, and he failed. He continued in the same business, however, in Three Rivers, working in the employ of others for six years. That did not suit his independent spirit, and he subsequently turned his attention to the calling to which he had been reared, and bought a farm of ninety-four acres, on which he has ever since resided. After that Mr. Theurer became his brother Philip's heir; he having been a soldier in the Civil War, was shot at the battle of Resaca, and dying from the effects of his wound, had willed all of his property to his brother Lucas, our subject. This was a great help to the latter, and enabled him to buy his present farm. By unremitting and welldirected toil, he has improved this to a first-class place, with as good buildings as are to be found within the limits of St. Joseph County, with a fine orchard of five acres, and his land all under excellent tillage, all showing him to be a practical, wide-awake man, employing the best methods of conducting agriculture. Although Mr. Theurer is of foreign birth, this Government has no more loyal citizen than he has proved himself to be during the course of the forty years that have elapsed since he first came to make his home in this country. IHis honest and upright character has won for him the unalloyed esteem of a'..s -,AA I I I __r. i I — Wc_, ~ I~ ~, -e * __ _ rl.-**1 _, "Llb I I __ _. ___ .. 1-11-1 —- -1-11. ---.-,.1-_ _____ 1__ _ J I f - ___ I — " I --- —- -- — d"m i- 33 L-S"Jo" WrV,u ii! A II ST. JOSEPLI COUNTY. 547 --- all in the community. In his domestic relations he is all that a devoted husband and loving father should be, and takes great pleasure in his family, thinking that while others may have more dollars and cents, they are no richer than lie. Mr. Theurer is a prominent member of the Reformed Church at Three Rivers, of which he was one of the organizers, and is now one of its Elders; his family are likewise members of that church. Mr. Theurer also takes a great interest in educational and political matters. lie has been for a long time a member of the School Board, and has filled the office of School Inspector two terms. lie has served as Justice of the Peace one term, and has been a member of the Central Committee of the Greenback party, whose principles lie upholds, although he is independent in his political views. He was Highway Commissioner one term. Upon the organization of the Corey Grange, in 1873, he became one of its charter members, and held several offices in that Grange; later he demitted, and joined the Riverside Grange, and for seven years was Chaplain of that organization, also was Marshal for one year, and is now serving his second term as Steward. He is likewise a member of the Pomona County Grange No. 4, of St. Joseph County, and for several years held official positions in that organization. ACOB KERN. The National Hotel at Three Rivers, of which the subject of this sketch is the present proprietor, is one of the mrost ( popular institutions of its kind in St. Joseph County. It requires no little tact, forethought and business ability to conduct successfully a public house. That Mr. Kern possesses these in a marked degree is evident by the success which has attended his labors and efforts, and under his careful supervision the hotel is the source of a handsome income, and has become valuable. Essentially an Ohio man, our subject was born in Seneca County, that State, March 16, 1845, and is the son of Yost and Mary (Romig) Kern, both of whom were natives of that part of Snyder County, Pa., which has since been erected into the county of Union. On both sides of the house the family were of German ancestry. Yost and Mary Kern was married in 1834, and the year following, leaving the Keystone State, took up their abode in Thompson Township, Seneca Co., Ohio, where the father purchased land in tle forest. Years of hard labor were required to clear this and bring it to a state of cultivation, but the elder Kern was well equipped with the perseverance and resolution handed down to him from his ancestry, and in the course of a dozen years or so had reason to regard his labors with satisfaction. He now sold out at a fair profit, and lpurchased another farm in the same township. In 18,58 the father of our subject disposed of his property again and purchased in Adams Township, in the same county. He made considerable money by these various operations, but in 1862 disposed of all his interests in the Buckeye State, and with his wife and family came to Michigan, locating in Lockport Township, this county, about two miles north of Three Rivers. He was always ready to sell or trade to advantage, and was a good judge of property. In 1867 he disposed of his first purchase and bought a farm in Fabius Township. He then retired from active labor a couple of years, leaving the farm in the hands of his son Jacob. Town life, however. was not suited to his active temperament, and later we find him in possession of another farm in Kalamazoo County, to which he removed and lived upon a few years. He then made another change, selling once more, and buying another farm near Howard City, in Montcalm County, where, however, he remained but one year. Thence he removed to Vicksburg, Kalamazoo County, and shortly after buying a farm southwest of that place, made this his home until his death, which occurred when he lacked but one day of completing his seventy-seventh year. The' father of our subject possessed remarkably fine business qualifications, and at one period of his life was the owner of a large amount of property. His great good nature, however, and his trust in those whom he believed to be his friends, together with his willingness at all times to oblige, caused him many severe losses, by becoming surety. At one time he lost in this manner the sum of L._ ---- r I r I — I" I 11111~ II ~ I 14c — -II -~a- i ` ----— ~ — - -- -— 'q w _ --- —------------------- - _ __ _ I A__I ~. I "- M — w 548 [ 548 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.,P $15,000. This resulted in placing him in a position of comparative poverty during the last years of his life, but he possessed hosts of friends, who, had it been necessary, would never have allowed him to want. He was a good neighbor and upright citizen, and for many years a member of the Reformed Church. ILLIAM I1. GARDNER, editor and pro/ prietor of the St. Joseph County RepubV'/W lican, and located at Centreville, although having been only a brief time resident of this place, has already established himself in the esteem and confidence of its citizens. lie is a gentleman of good ability and of excellent family, a native of Steuben County, N. Y., and born March 15, 1830. Hiram Gardner, the father of our subject, was born in Bristol County, R. I., whence he removed to Steuben County, N. Y., when it was a wilderness. I-e constructed a comfortable homestead after years of industrious labor, and there spent the last years of his life. The wife of his youth was Miss Sarah Patchen, and they became the parents of two children; both are living, the brother residing at Cooper's Plains, N. Y. The subject of this sketch grew up amid the scenes of pioneer life in the Empire State, receiving such education as the imperfect school system of that day afforded. His education was carried on mostly during the winter season, while the balance of the year he made himself useful around the homestead, manufacturing rails and shingles, driving oxen, and utilizing himself in whatever manner required. When out of school he by no means neglected his books, making a practice of reading as time and opportunity presented. At the age of nineteen years he commenced teaching, and officiated thereafter as a pedagogue for a a pa fr period of more than twenty years. Leaving his native State in the spring of 1856, he migrated to Lee County, Ill., where he employed himself in farming and teaching, and became a prominent citizen in connection with educational affairs. He was twice elected Superintendent of Schools. During the war he got out timber for the United States Government, and upon one occasion seven days from the time the trees stood in the forest a bridge was made of them, spanning a river in Tennessee. Mr. Gardner has been engaged in the newspaper work since 1866, being formerly part owner of the Grand Rapids Democrat. He withdrew from this to enter the office of I. N. N. F. Lewis, publisher of the Western Rural, at Chicago, and took the first order for advertising for that paper, nailing up the first office sign of that paper in Chicago. He conducted the affairs of this office one year, when the main office was removed from Detroit to Chicago, and Mr. Gardner became traveling correspondent and editor. Later he was connected with the Humane Journal for a period of eleven years. He purchased his present paper, the Republican, in May, 1888, of which he took charge in July following. It is a spicy six-column octavo, devoted to the interests of the county and Republican party. The marriage of William H. Gardner and Miss Margaret Holmes was celebrated in Iomer, N. Y., Dec. 31, 1855. This lady was the daughter of Amasa Holmes, of Homer, and of her union with our subject there were born two children, one of whom, Frances, became the wife of William Chadband, Superintendent of Rose Iill Cemetery; they reside in the beautiful suburb of Rogers Park, near Chicago. Mrs. Margaret (Holmes) Gardner departed this life at her home in Rogers Park, March 2, 1888. She was a lady highly esteemed by her acquaintances, a member in good standing of the Baptist Church, and an active Christian worker. EWTON IT. BARNARD, lawyer, Three Rivers, Mich., was born at Lyndonville, N. Y., Jan. 28, 1855. IHe is the eldest son of Rev. O. Holmes Barnard, a Presbyterian minister (now a resident of Ottawa, Ill.), and Elizabeth (Johnson) Barnard. His parents were both natives of Saratoga County, N. Y. At the age of twelve years Mr. Barnard removed with his parents to Paw Paw, Mich., and there attended the public school until 1872, when he went to Monroe, Wis., and while there was graduated from the Union School, and commenced the study of law with I-on. Edmund Bartlett, in September, /L a SO-" q - I — I Zl J J 1 t -jb-.i,- A ak ds~~~~~~b& ~r~~~~~~C~~~ --- ---- ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ = IL — 1(~711II 1 I-I II iA v a, IF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 549 I~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ -- 1873. Hie entered the law department of Union University at Albany, N. Y., and on May 5, 1874, was graduated therefrom with the degree of LL. B., and was immediately admitted to the practice of law by the Supreme Court of New York. Soon afterward he took up the study of law in the office of John A. Talbot at Cassopolis, Mich., remaining there until the spring of 1875, when he located at Ft. I)odge, Iowa, and practiced his profession until the fall of 1876, when lie formed a copartnership with Marshall L. Howell and John R. Carr, under the firm name of Howell, Carr & Barnard, and commenced the practice of law at Three Rivers, where he has since remained, and where said firm has built up an extensive business. Mr. Barnard is a careful, hard-working man, and by his energy and close application to business has established an enviable reputation in his chosen profession, and is bound to rise still higher. I-e has taken a great interest in politics, and has served as Village Attorney three years. Circuit Court Commissioner of St. Joseph County two years, and School Inspector of Lockport Township ten years. In the fall of 1888 he secured the unanimous nomination of the Democratic party for State Senator for the Eighth District, comprising Kalamazoo and St. Joseph Counties, making a strong run for the position. Mr. Barnard is one of the Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church, and for two years filled the position of Treasurer of the society. On May 22, 1879, Mr. Barnard was married to Verna M., only daughter of Dr. and Mrs. L. 1). Tompkins, of Cassopolis, and he now resides with his wife in a pleasant cottage on the corner of Fifth and East streets; their married life has been blessed with one son, who died in infancy. OHN M. HOWARD. who has been a resident of Florence Township all his life, is a son of one of the foremost of Michigan pioneers, Orin Howard, who came to this county as early as 1833. The latter was born in Connecticut in 1812, and was consequently a young man twentyone years old when casting his lot with the pioneers of Michigan Territory. He took up a tract of land on section 6 in Florence Township, and in due time secured unto himself a wife and helpmate, Miss Cornelia Peek, who was born in New York in 1818. To the parents of our subject were born eight children, all of whom with the exception of one son, Carl, who died at the age of ten years, are still living. Mary J., the eldest daughter, is the wife of John Yauney, and lives on a farm in Florence Township: Charles E., also a farmer of this township, married Miss Mahala Cloud; Arthur E. H. is engaged in the insurance business at Three Rivers; Clarence A. married Miss Olie Fulkerson, and is engaged as clerk in a drug-store in Constantine; John M., of our sketch, was the third child. He occupies a part of the old homestead. The subject of this sketch was born in Florence Township, Sept. 30, 1849, and spent his boyhood and youth amid the scenes of pioneer life, assisting his parents around the homestead and obtaining such education as the schools of that day afforded. At the age of twenty-two years, ready to establish a home of his own, he was united in marriage, Dec. 3, 1871, with Miss Florence Stears, who was also a native of Florence Township, and who was born Dec. 14, 1852. Her parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Pashby) Stears, were natives of England and New York, and spent their last years in Florence Township. Of this union there were born three children: Lizzie C., born April 4, 1874; Mary J., Aug. 25, 1876, and Evelyn, Aug. 29, 1879. Mr. Howard carried on farming successfully, and became quite prominent in local affairs, serving two terms as Township Treasurer, and giving his unqualified support to the Republican party. The parents of our subject were good people in the strictest sense of the term, and devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The father served as Justice of the Peace a number of years, and for two terms was elected by the Republicans of his county to the State Legislature. He lived to be sixty-three years of age, and after a well-spent life died at the old homestead in Florence Township, in 1875. The mother passed away in February, 1866. Orin F. Howard contracted a second marriage in 1866, with Miss Martha Gray. Her father died in Florence Township at the age of sev I i I i I I 1_ I W, go ~ IIL elivi~r s-arl-l II Imp, rrr. ~ I F -l0 11 - III- C I 11 L - -- - -~~~~~me A 6r~ obl- a 3- U gow = LI 550 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I enty-three years. The mother is still living on the old homestead on section 7. Of this union there were born two children, Orin F.. and Elmer G., who now attends the business college in Three Rivers, Mich.;ILLIAM L. WORTHINGTON. The mercantile circles of St. Joseph County recognize in the subject of this sketch one of their most able and efficient representatives. He has been located in Centreville since 1863, carries a well-selected stock of general merchandise, having his headquarters on Main street, and enjoys a generous patronage from the best people, both in town and in the rural districts. Chenango County, N. Y., was the early tramping ground of our subject, where he first opened his eyes to the light Nov. 24, 1823. He is the scion of an excellent family, his parents having been Theodore and Eliza (Ervin) Worthington, the father a native of Massachusetts and the mother of New York State. Grandfather Ervin followed the sea, within whose depths he met his death when a young man. After their marriage the parents of our subject settled in Chenango County, N. Y., where the father followed his trade of carpenter, and where they resided until 1836. They then changed their residence to Tioga County, Pa., where they sojourned two vears, and upon their next removal sought the young State of Michigan, locating in Flowerfield Township, this county. The father was stricken down in the prime of life, his death occurring in 1855. The mother had preceded her husband to the silent land in 1850. Their family comprised six children, four sons and two daughters. Our subject was a twin of his brother Warren, and spent the early years of his life in his native county. He was a lad of fifteen years when the family removed to Pennsylvania, and he accompanied them later to Michigan, completing his education in the schools of Flowerfield Township. Upon approaching manhood he began learning the trade of a carpenter, at which he worked until 1854, when he clanged his occupation to that of miller, and also carried on merchandising in Flowerfield. He had prior to this been elected, in the fall of 1862, Sheriff of St. Joseph County, and was reelected for a second term in 1864. So faithfully did he perform his duties in connection with this office that he was next chosen as the Treasurer of St. Joseph County, which position he held four years. Next we find him conducting a hardware store in Centreville, in which business he engaged in the fall of 1870, continuing until 1882, and then selling out. Mr. W5orthington, in the fall of 1884, invested a portion of his capital in the drug and grocery business, which he has Lsince successfully carried on. He has a neat and substantial residence, located in the western part of the city, which, with its surroundings, forms a very attractive home, frequented by hosts of friends of the proprietor and his worthy wife. Our subject was married in 1845, at Flowerfield, to Miss Catherine Hale, whose parents were natives of New York State, and who was born in 1823, in that State. This union resulted in the birth of.ten children, six sons and four daughters, nine of whom are still living. The eldest, Caroline, is the wife of John J. Hasbrouck, of Centreville. The others were named respectively: Henry W., Florilla; Charles R., a resident of Kansas; Elva L., who died when nineteen years of age; George, William, Sarah J. and Catherine. Most of them are at home with their parents. Mr. Worthington cast his first Presidential vote for J. G. Birney, and is a stanch supporter of Republican principles. He has served as a member of the Town Council, also represented Nottawa Township on the County Board of Supervisors. Socially, he belongs to Mt. Hermon Lodge, A. F. & A. M. J OHN STEWART MAJORS. The man who traces his ancestry to Scotland has something of which to be proud, as in the case of the subject of this sketch. His paternal grandfather, John Majors, was born in the "L land of the thistle," and came to this country in early manhood, settling in Amsterdam, York State, where he spent his last years. His son William, sI NI as-II ~ r I ~ ~ II ~ ~ I,, -C-r-G f - I --- —-- II -- -- - —"- ---_1_1__ I _-._ _I_ ---_ -- --— --- —- _ rl -If ' - -.d^ --- --- IIl- I —, ~~ - ~ I C- I ' - - ~ - I I I n 3, -.OWt I ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 551 1 I the father of our subject, was born in Saratoga County, N. Y., in November, 1796, and marrie(1 Miss Margaret Stewart, who was born in the town of Mayfield, 'Montgomery County, Jan. 1, 1803. She was the daughter of Thomas Stewart, also a descendant of substantial Scotch ancestry, and who traced his lineage back to the royal house of Stewart. After their marriage, in 1 824, the parents of our subject settled in Montgomery County, N. Y., but in May, 1834, gathered together their household effects and started overland( for Michigan Territory. Coming to this county, they settled first on a tract of land in the vicinity of the embnryo town of Centreville, and the patent secured by the father at that time is still in the possession of the family. It called for 160 acres, and upon it the parents labored diligently in the building up of a homestead, where the father (ied in Decemb)er, 1876. The mother is residing in Lockport Township, at the advanced age of eighty-six. William Majors was a good man in the broadest sense of the term, a model farmer, and a conscientious and useful citizen. He learned the trade of tanner in early life, but upon coming to Michigan abandoned it for the more congenial pursuits of agriculture. He was a man held in high respect in his community, quiet and unobtrusive in his denmeanor, unambitious of office, but consented to discharge the duties of Townshil Supervisor, together with minor positions of trust. Their family consisted of six children, of whom one (laughter, Mary E., lied when about twenty-nine years old. The only daughter now living is Margaret, the widow of Rev. Joseph Kershow, deceased; she now resides with her mother. The subject of this sketch was born in the old Ft. Johnson, Montgonmery Co., N. Y., Sept. 23, 1830, and was the third child of his parents..John S. spent his boyhood at the homestead, and later attended the public school in Centreville, making his home with his'parents until his marriage. This interesting event of his life occurred in February, 1864, his bride being Elizabeth, daughter of George Yauney. Mrs. Majors was born in St. Johnsville, N. Y., Nov. 17, 1840, and the result of her union with our subject was three children, one daughter and two sons: Katie is now teaching in Saginaw, Mich.; Thomas S. is now attending school in Centreville; and George was born Jan. 22, 1877, and died Nov. 29, 1883. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Majors settled at the farm which they now own and occupy. It is pleasantly located on section 19, and embraces 280 acres of good land, upon which Mr. Majors has erected first-class buildings, effecting many improvements since its purchase by him. It was formerly known as the old Angevine farm. Since 1861 he has operated largely as a stock dealer, shipping annually large numbers of cattle, swine and sheep to Chicago, Buffalo and New York City. Ie is known far and wide as one of the most thorough and skillful farmers of this section, and is a favorite both in business and social circles. Mr. Majors, politically, is a uniform supporter of Republican principles, and in religious matters attends the services of the Reformed Church. The daughter Katie received an excellent education, and was graduated from Ypsilanti (Mich.) State Normal. f ATHIAN B. CARY. The fall of 1854 witnessed the advent of the subject of this l sketch into Lockport Township, of which he has since been a resident. H-e at that time first purchased 100 acres of land of Daniel Johnson, on section 12, about eighty acres of which were under a state of cultivation. The winter following he spent in Allegan County, this State, but in the spring returned to Lockport, where he was joined by his father's family, who had removed from New York State, and they all took up their abode on the new farm. There the parents lived until they passed away. Isaac Cary, the father of our subject, was a native of New York State, and married Miss Mary Bassett, who was born in Massachusetts. They settled in Fulton (formerly Montgomery) County, N. Y., after their marriage, and became the parents of seven children, three sons and four daughters. After the death of his first wife Mr. Cary was married a second time, and there were added to the -, ~ - U: C - - - - -- -0 I r;m~~ _-_-__~_-~_ --- — -I% --- i-_ — ~ 552 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I52 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. household circle three more children, a daughter and two sons. Nathan B. Cary was the second child of his father's second marriage, and was born in what was then Montgomery County, N. Y., but is now Fulton County, Aug. 15, 1827. The homestead lay in Mayfield Township, and there our subject was reared until a youth of eighteen years. In 1845 the family changed their residence to the vicinity of Attica, Wyoming County, where Nathan B. completed his education and developed into manhood. When not in school he assisted his parents around the homestead. lie came to Michigan in the fall of 1853, and after a brief sojourn in Mendon Township took up his abode in this township, as heretofore stated. In the meantime, however, he had made a brief visit to the State of Ohio, spend ing the winter in Lorain County. In returning to the farther West he made the journey via Chicago and St. Louis, for the purpose of looking more thoroughly over the country, as he had not fully decided where le would locate. Hle finally decided there was no more desirable place then this county, and he has had no reason to change his opinion during the more than thirty years of his residence here. Young Cary proceeded with the development of the new farm, having in view the establishment of a home of his own when the proper time should arrive, On the 10th of January, 1861,lie was married to Miss Mary E., daughter of Daniel and Esther Francisco, the wedding taking place at the tride's home in Three Rivers. Mrs. Cary was born in Ontario County, N. Y., Sept. 27, 1840. Hler parents were natives of New York State, and spent their last years in this county. The mother died in Lockport Township when a young woman only thirtvtwo years old. The father lived to be sixty-nine years of age, and died at his home in Three Rivers. Both were members of the Presbyterian Church. They had eight children, of whom six are living: Charles O. is engaged in the livery business at Three Rivers; Mary E., Mrs. Cary, was the second child; William M. is operating a prosperous business at Three Rivers; Magagaret A. is the wife of B. M. Hicks, an active business man at Minneapolis, Minn.; William B. is the traveling agent for a carriage manufactory, and makes his home in Three Rivers; Frank is traveling salesman for a Chicago dry-goods firm, and makes his home in Jackson, this State. Mr. and Mrs. Cary became the parents of six children, three of whom are living. Cora Westella died when four weeks old; Edward F. died at the age of nine and one-half months; Maggie M. passed away when an interesting child of fourteen years. Of the survivors, Albert H., the eldest of the family, was born Jan. 24, 1863; Charles M., Jan. 29, 1869. and Irwin B., July 3, 1878; these are all at home with their parents. Albert H. was married in Detroit, Nov. 25, 1885, to Miss Fannie P. Curtis, who was born in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 14, 1861; her parents, George G. and Debby Annie (Wescott) Curtis, were natives of Vermont and New York, and are now in Stafford County, Va. Their family consisted of seven children, of whom Fanny P. was the third. Four of these are living, and three make their homes in Virginia. Our subject and wife are members of the Reformed Church at Certreville. Mr. C. is a member of the grange. In politics he is a Prohibitionist. Isaac Cary, father of our subject, died Sept. 19, 1856, aged seventy-four; his wife, Mary, died June 21, 1858, aged seventy-one years. ]I/LLIAM F. ARNOLD. As a pioneer of \ / 1832 Mr. Arnold deserves more than a A!~ passing mention in noting the main facts connected with the first settlement of St. Joseph County. -Ie came to this region when a young man of twenty years, and has since been closely identified with its various interests, giving his attention mostly to agriculture. When making arrangements for a home of his own, lie took up a tract of Government land, and operated thereon until 1876, when advancing years admonished him it would be wise to lay aside the cares and responsibilities attendant thereon. He then retired to a pleasant home in Three Rivers, of which he has since been a resident. The Empire State, which has furnished so many of the solid men of the West, claims Mr. Arnold as one of her sons, he having been born in Otsego County, Aug. 6, 1812. His father, Caleb Arnold, was a native of Washington Couity, that State, and the son of Abimelech Arnold, an old Revolutionary hero, who carried a musket during the Colo MO.-I - =, -,,., c ---~ --- --- -- ----- --- --------- ~Ia*20u I -.A - Illll~~IC~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I I ~IIIIC~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~ II~~~~~~~~~~-~C — -C-lll II~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C- Cq -~ IIIC~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ —~IIC I LI ILI)-~~l~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ---- I~~~~~~~~~~~C-~~ so - -dkI Im I 1 i ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 553 I nial times, and made for himself a worthy record in driving the Briton from Americ:n soil. The mother of our subject was in her girlhood Miss Rachel Bennett, a native of Vermont, and the daughter of Phineas Bennett, who was the son of Joseph Bennett, the offspring of a substantial old English family who crossed the Atlantic probably about the time of the Revolutionary War. Caleb Arnold upon leaving his native place emigrated to Washington County, N. Y., where he was married, and where the family lived until William F., our subject, was a little lad three years of age. Afterward they sojourned at Berkslire, in Broome County, and in Tioga County, where our subject attended the common school, and in the latter reached man's estate. In the autumn of 1832 the family came to Michigan Territory, locating first on a tract of Government land, 160 acres, in Fabius Township; later entered 110 acres near the present site of the village of Constantine, removing to this in November following. In 1836 this farm was sold, and Mr. Arnold purchased 160 acres in another portion of the same township. At this latter William F. began in earnest for himself. The parents remained upon the ol homestead, the father passing away Jan. 31, 1852, and the mother Feb. 9, 1864. William F. Arnold was the second living of eight children born to his parents, six of whom lived to mature years and four of whom survive. Hte was married, May 15, 1834, to Miss Rhoda Churchill, whose parents had removed from Ohio to this county about 1831. The young people began their wedded life together at the new farm, and endured in common with their neighbors the hardships and toils of life in a pioneer settlement. There came to their hearthstone in due time the brighlit faces of nine children, seven of whom lived to manhood and womanhood. Two of these died in infancy, and James when about twenty years of age. The survivors are Lucy, Cornelia, Sarah, Philo, Edwin P. and Frank M. The wife and mother departed this life at her home in Three Rivers, Oct. 6, 1854. Mr. Arnold on the 17th of March, 1856,4 contracted a second matrimonial alliance, With Mrs. Margaret J. Green, widow of R. C. Green, and daughter of James and Margaret Stump. Mrs. Margaret Arnold was born in nSteuben County, N. Y., in 1830, and of her union with our subject there is one child, a son, Ira B. Of her first marriage there was born one child, a son, Wilbur, who is now in Texas. Mr. Arnold cast his first Presidential vote for Martin Van Buren, and for a period of over fifty years has given his unqualified support to the Democratic party. IIe has been prominent in local affairs, serving as Justice of the Peace twelve years and Supervisor eighteen years. He has served as County Commissioner over three years, and although in the seventy-sixth year of his age, possesses inl a large measure the energy and activity of his younger years. I' ESTER B. PLACE. There are few enterprises of more importance in the business world than the iron industry, and the man who has made of himself a master mechanic in this department of the industrial world contributes largely to the bone and sinew of a nation's successes. What the world would do without machinery it is almost impossible to conceive, and( the man who has a thorough ulnderstanding of his business in connection with this is worthy of honorable mention. The subject of this biography, as foreman of the Sheffield Velocipede Car Company, of Three Rivers, occupies a responsible position, for which he is evidently amply fitted. An Ohio man by birth and education, Mr. Place first opened his eyes to the light near Sunbury, Delaware County. that State, Feb. 14, 1842, proving a very interesting valentine to his worthy parents. The latter were Jacob and Mary (Foust) Place, the former of whom was of French extraction, and tile latter traced her ancestry to Germany. The elder Place was a farrner by occupation, but died in 1843, when his son, our subject, was but an infant. The latter was the youngest of the parental family, which included five children. The mother is still living. The boyhood of our subject was spent in the manner common to most farmers' sons, pursuing his studies in the district school, and assisting his par Ir_ IlilPlrah~lll -11L_. 4 F" I, III, """"""~"~ 0I — l'-llllllll-MCDYIIII- 11 11- yll eT0)L~~ I 1-40 MP It i! I L --- -I,! I- ---- I I- --- ^ ----I I 1( ----- ---------- L ---_ lie__-~C —~ C__-_L I ---~ ~ 554,ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I 55 T OEP ONY I I ents around the homestead. By the death of the father the family were thrown mostly on their own resources, and Lester B. when a lad twelve years of age started out for himself, working at whatever he could find to do. When a youth of seventeen he began an apprenticeship at the molder's trade in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, which he followed there until reaching his majority. Thence lie migrated to Mt. Vernon in the same State, where he sojourned four months, and from there went to Galion, where he lived five years. He was now recognized as a master in his calling, and in the latter place was given charge of one of the departments of the shop, where he was employed until the outbreak of the Rebellion. Mr. Place in 1862 enlisted as a Union soldier in the 136th Ohio Infantry, and'was employed mostly in garrison duty. In 1 870 we find him at Lockport, N. Y., where he entered the employ of the Holly Water-Works Company, with which he continued two years. In the spring of 1872 he decided to push further westward, and coming to Michigan was given charge of the foundry department in the machine-shop of the Jackson Foundry and Machine Company, which position he held five years. At the expiration of this time lie changed his residence to Allegan, and was there employed by a stock company until the suspension of the works. Our subject next was employed on Lake Michigan for a period of six months, at the expiration of which time he returned to Allegan. Ile embarked in business for himself in company with H. L. Peck, and they operated under the style of Place & Peck two years. when the works were destroyed by fire. Upon resuming Mr. Place became associated with M. Willis, and they also operated together two years, but not with the success they had hoped for, and finally abandoned the project. The year 1883 found Mr. Place first in Three Rivers as the Superintendent of the foundry department of the Sheffield Velocipede Car Works, which position he is filling with credit to himself and satisfaction to all concerned. He occupies a snug home in the southern part of the town, and his family consists of his estimable wife and their only son, Frederick A., who was born Aug. 9, 1862. They have been greatly afflicted by the loss of four children, who died young. The wife of our subject was in her girlhood Miss Emily J. Carpenter, and they were married in 1861 in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. Mrs. Carpenter is a native of Mt. Gilead, and the daughter of John Carpenter. As may be supposed, Mr. Place has very little time to give to public affairs, but he is an intelligent man, keeps himself posted upon matters of State and National interest, and gives his support to the Republican party. Socially, he is a K. of P., and also belongs to the G. A. R. A. ASPINWALL. The inventive genius of man has perhaps been a source of the most value to the world at large of any one thing that can be mentioned, facilitating labor, not taking from the hand of the laboring man as many maintain, but on the other hand providing him with additional employment, although perhaps in a different channel. It is conceded by all that the inventor, like the 1" prophet in his own country,' has never received the credit, especially during his lifetime, which is his just due. As the world goes on, however, they are coming to the front, and beginning to occupy their rightful position among men, a position which is fast bringing to them their financial reward as well as the honors to which they are justly entitled. The subject of this sketch, President of the Aspinwall Manufacturing Company, of Three Rivers, is a man who has given the results of his invention to the farming community in the shape of a potato planter and a potato digger, which are destined to become very popular all over the West in the near future. The factory for their construction was established in 1885, at Three Rivers, and in connection with this the company also luts out a corn planter, the invention also of Mr. Aspinwall. It is probable that his forefathers flourished in New England generations back, but his parents, L. E. and Margaret R. (Enders) Aspinwall, were natives of 1New York State. There also L. A. was born, Oct. 14, 1842, at Hastings, in Westchester County, near the banks of the beautiful Hudson River. The father of our subject was a bell foundryman, i i Ii i i i i I I I I I I I ii i I I IOa8i ow-I qg I o -ommolo, I - - I I olow i II11 i i 1, obl. ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 555 -I — - a profession which he followed during his early manhood, but later he turned his attention to farm pursuits. He found the culture of potatoes to be very profitable, and accordingly gave to this commodity a large share of his labors and attention. The family, as the records indicate, have been as it were a race of inventors, and the father of our subject possessed mechanical skill of no mean order. On the other side of the house the maternal grandfather of our subject was a man largely interested in politics, very intelligent and well informed, but loved farm life notwithstanding, and made his home in the rural districts. The early years of Mr. Aspinwall were spent at the homestead in Westchester County, N. Y. He received a good practical education, completing his studies in the Albany Academy. When but a lad of twelve years lie constructed an implement for drilling garden seed, which was utilized at the homestead many years, and of which he might have made considerable money had lie applied for a patent, which lie did not do. He also was at the same time considerably interested in bee culture, dealing with Italian stock, and at one time had upward of seventy stands. At the age of nineteen years Mr. Aspinwall began to develop his idea of the potato planter, to which he devoted his time, thought and money for a period of twenty years before it became a practical success. In the meantime he also invented the first successful corn husker, which is able to husk at the rate of one bushel per minute, and the patent of which lie sold for $20,000. After experimenting some fifteen years, he crossed the Atlantic, and in the various districts of the Old World investigated all kinds of machinery, and while there occupied himself in perfecting his potato planter, making of this also a success. The digger was more fully developed later. EHe owes the success of the digger to the experiments he was enabled to make in England. Owing to the fact of the climate being humid. he was compelled to abandon the original principle, and adopt a plan which seemed to be more in accordance with the needs of that climate, and to his great satisfaction lie succeeded in his efforts. He returned to America, and prepared to establish the factory, which is now in successful operation. Mr. Aspinwall came to Three Rivers in 1884, and soon afterward organized the Aspinwall Manufacturing Company. He acknowledges that he owes his success in a large measure to the generosity of Mr. C. W. Brega, of Chicagp, a heavy capitalist, and now the Vice President of the company. The works are located at what is called Lockport, in the Second Ward of the city, and the buildings occupy one and one-half acres of ground near the junction of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and Michigan Central tracks, thus affording the best of shipping facilities. The establishment gives employment to about thirty men, and their shipments extend from Maine to California, embracing all the intermediate points of importance. Mr. Aspinwall was made the first President of the company, a position which he has since held. USTIN WV. STADI)EN. A really good hotel is so rare and high priced that when one is found which combines excellence with cheapness it surely deserves a word of commendation in a work of this nature. Such a hotel is the Stadden I-ouse, at Centreville, under the able direction of its genial and courteous proI)rietor, the subject of this sketch. It has a patronage commensurate with its merits, and the tired traveler who has once been domiciled under its hospitable roof will repeat the experiment at the first opportunity. A Pennsylvanian by birth and breeding, Mr. Stadden was born in the village of Milton, Northumberland County, that State, Aug. 24, 1843, and was the eldest of six children, two sons and four daughters, comprising the family of James and Ann (Waldron) Stadden. Four of these died in infancy, and the two besides our subject are residents of Nebraska. The parents were likewise natives of the Keystone State, the Staddens of Holland descent, and the Waldrons tracing their ancestry to England. The immediate forefathers of our subject settled first in New Jersey, while the Waldrons upon their arrival in this country took up their abode in Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather of our subject, John I l__d WPP"-p 4 1 7 I 1Ld~~llraL~lllllllll~Ibdl~~~lr~LIIIIII~~~ ~ pi~~s__p C-~~-~~CI _J1 1=11~. sko I I I-d — I- - --- I -- - -- — ~ --- - - ------ -- - ---- - p LI * g e r 11 11~1~-~ -~11 111~11 3 11 ~r I ~-~II I I i =~r I t I 556 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY A Stadden, was born, reared, and spent his entire life in Pennsylvania. Grandfather Cornelius Waldron spent his last years in Pennsylvania. The former carried a musket in the War of 1812, and after laying down his weapons of warfare took up the implements of agriculture, following the peaceful pursuits of farm life until he was gathered to his fathers. James Stadden, the father of our subject, was born Aug. 25, 1818, in Northumberland County, Pa., and the parents were married in that State in 1841. The mother (lied in this county when her son Austin was a little lad ten years of age. Her birth occurred in 1817, a year before that of her husband. They emigrated to Michigan in 1844, settling first at Prairie Ronde, in Kalamazoo County, where they lived until 1847, then coming to this county, located in Nottawa Township, three miles northeast of Centreville, where the father continued to reside, with the exception of two years, until 1880. lie then retired from active labor and took up his abode in Centreville, where he now lives. Their daughter, Hannah J., is the wife of Jefferson Hull, of Nebraska; and George W., the only brother of our subject, is bookkeeping in Omaha, Neb. Austin W. Stadden spent his boyhood days after the manner of most farmers' sons, assisting in the development of a new farm and acquiring his education in the district school. Ile remained a member of his father's household until twenty-six years of age, and, in 1869 was married to Miss Margery IMcKercher, of Nottawa Township. Mrs. Stadden was born June 14, 1845, and is the daughter of John C. McKercher, now a resident of Nottawa Township. Of this union there were born two children, daughters, Kate and Anna, who are now at home. Mr. and Mrs. Stadden after their marriage settled on a farm in Florence Township, where they lived five years, then, coming to Centreville, our subject for a short time conducted a meat-market. This not proving entirely congenial to his tastes, he, in 1877, started a hack and omnibus line, running from Centreville to Nottawa, and in connection with it operated a general livery business five years. This latter still goes on under his supervision. In November, 1886, he purchased what was then called the Metzgar House, of which he took possession on the 8th of February following. It is a comfortable and substantially built structure, comprising thirty rooms, neatly fitted up with everything comfortable for the traveling public. Mr. Stadden is a general favorite, both in business and social circles, and uniformly votes the Republican ticket. In December, 1885, he was made Treasurer of St. Joseph County Village Fire Insurance Company, was re-elected after the expiration of his first term of two years, and still holds the position. He is considered a man worthy to fill any position of trust, and is numbered among those who form the bone and sinew of the well-regulated community of Centreville. J OHN ANNIN KLINE. The pioneer element of St. Joseph County is perhaps one of the most interesting features of this work, ( which was instigated l)y the reflection that the old settlers are passing away, and it is important to preserve the record of their experiences during the first settlement of Mlichigan. Mr. Kline is enabled to relate an interesting tale of his early adventures in this section of country, to which he came in the autumn of 1838, the year after Michigan had been admitted into the Union as a State. He followed agricultural pursuits during the years of his active life, and after a time well spent and prolific of a competency, he retired from active labor, and is now passing the later years of his life at a comfortable home in Three Rivers. It will be well, perhaps, to commence at the beginning of the life of our subject by stating that he was born in Seneca County, N. Y., near Townsendville, Nov. 13, 1822. His father, Jacob D. Kline, was a native of Somerset County, N. J., and born in April, 1795. His paternal grandfather was David Kline. The mother, Mrs. Elizabeth (Annin) Kline, was the daughter of John Annin, Esq., a prominent and highly respected citizen of New Jersey, who traced his ancestry to Scotland and Holland. The Klines were of German descent. 'The father of our subject after his marriage settled on a farm in Seneca County, N. Y., where he \t " i r I i I I I i 1 i I I P i I j md abl. A.0~ 08 -0101 - -inl -311~ ~C LI, A A i 1 I 9 -99 --- — __ --— ~--~I - ----~~ —~~~ --- —------- ' ~ Lbl l — - ---- 1 r I - II t- ' ~ i:b 4 L ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 557 1 lived until 1838, then resolved to cast his lot among the pioneers of Michigan, John being then a youth of sixteen years. They traveled by steamboat to Detroit, thence overland by wagon to Centreville, settling on a tract of land near Fisher's Creek. The father and sons erected a log house, and at once began the improvement and cultivation of their property, which they occupied for many years. Upon leaving it they took up their abode first in Kalamazoo County, and later moved to Three Rivers, where the death of the father took place in 1868. The mother is still living, making her home with her daughter, and has nearly attained to the advanced age of ninety years. She is in the enjoyment of quite good health, and retains her faculties of mind to a remarkable degree. To Jacob D. and Elizabeth Kline there were born five children, three of whom are still living. John A. was the second born. He acquired his education mostly in the schools of his native county. only pursuing his studies a short time after coming to Michigan. He continued a member of the parental household until his marriage, and was married, Jan. 1, 1852, to Miss Mary A., daughter of John and Jane (Major) McKee. Her parents came to Michigan from New York State, when she was a small girl, and settled among the pioneers of this county. They are now deceased. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kline settled at the old homestead of his father; they subsequently removed to Cass County, and five years later came to Lockport Township, this county. In the latter Mr. Kline operated the farm of his fatherin-law seven years, and until 1869, when he had made such good headway that he was enabled to retire. In his agricultural operations he made a specialty of buying and shipping stock, and in the meantime superintended the operations of three farms, one in Cass County, the one in the vicinity of Centreville, and his father's homestead. The latter comprises 365 acres, the Cass County farm 300 acres, and the other 160 acres. Mr. K. owns forty acres in Sherman Townshlip. There came to the fireside of Mr. and Mrs. Kline in due time four interesting children, two sons and two daughters. John J. operates the Cass County farm, and William A. is a clerk and book-keeper for J. Griffith. The two daughters, Helen J., the second child, and Katie E., the youngest, remain at home with their parents. Mr. Kline, politically, is an ardent Republican, and with his estimable wife and children is a member in good standing of the Presbyterian Church. The family residence is a handsome brick structure, built in modern style of architecture in 1883, and with its grounds and surroundings, forms one of the most complete homes in Three Rivers. ____ - ^ I J l^. ______ I a -m- o cy ICB HARLES E. PERRIN, County Treasurer of 4 ((t ~St. Joseph County, is a native of this county, having been born in Sherman Township, Sept. 2, 1843. He is consequently in the prime of life and the midst of his usefulness. The Perrin family is supposed to be of French origin. Thomas Perrin, the great-great-great-grand father of our subject, married a Miss Porter, ancestor of the Commodore. They settled at or near Hebron, Conn., in 1710, where they lived and died, after rearing a large family. The names Thomas and Porter seem to have been favorite family names through all the late generations. After several generations we find the family located in Granville, N. Y;, where Benjamin Perrin, the father of our subject, was born Oct. 15, 1814. His father having died in early life Benjamin came to Michigan with his mother's family in 1836, while it was still a Territory. After they were comfortably located he returned to his native State, and on the 17th of January, 1838, was united in marriage with Miss Louisa Lyman. The young couple began the journey of life togetler in Sherman Township, this county, where they resided for a period of seven years, then removed to the town of Park, near the present village of Parkville. Benjamin Perrin followed agriculture successfully, accumulating a snug fortune, and after laboring many years left the farm on account of failing health, and took up his residence in the village of Moorepark, where his death took place April 8, 1886. The father of our subject was a faithful Christian man in the highest sense of the word, and a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church,.0 www- - is — ~~~ _ ---- _p *P. I I I I k I --— --- —-— ~ --- —--- ---- -- I II: 'l, 00Z - - k 558 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I I~~~~~~~~~ with which he was connected for a period of thirty years. Iis final illness was brief but very painful, but his heart was filled with peace and the hope of everlasting life. A large concourse of relatives and friends paid to him their last tribute of respect as his mortal remains were hidden from their sight. To Benjamin and Louisa Perrin there were born three sons and two daughters, namely: Wiliiam II., Charles E., Lewis B.; Mary B., now Mrs. Coy Heinbauch, of Park Township, and Emma L., Mrs. McElrath, of Moorepark. The family is being perpetuated by numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, honored a.nd useful members of society, and most of them prominent in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The subject of this sketch pursued his early studies in the schools of Three Rivers and Kalamazoo, at the same time working for his board and embracing every opportunity for the acquirement of general and useful information. HIe made his home at the farm until reaching his majority, then repairing to Appleton, Wis., commenced learning telegraphy. He made such good progress that six months later he was given charge of the station at Desplaines. Ill., on the line of the Northwestern Railroad. -Ie continued there as agent and operator for a period of five years, in the meantime also officiating as Posstaster of that village. When leaving Desplaines he located in Three Rivers, this county, and, changing his occupation somewhat, engaged in the grocery and bakery business. This not being entirely congenial to his tastes, he secured a position as bill clerk with the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company, and took up his residence in Grand Rapids. Six months later we find him at Eaton Rapids, in charge of the ticket and telegraph office of the Michigan Central Railroad, where he remained a period of eight years. Thence he returned to this county, and taking possession of his residence in 1882, there resided until 1888. Mr. Perrin, on the 10th of October, 1867, at the home of the bride in Lockport, this county, was united in marriage with Miss Clara R. Fisher, who was born Sept. 1, 1845, in Lockport Township, this county. This union resulted in the birth of two interesting children: Charles L., born June 12. 1869, and Eva M., Jan. 13, 1878. They are living at home with their parents. The farm of our subject comprises 100 acres of good land, which is highly productive, and upon which stands an excellent set of frame buildings. Mr. Perrin votes the straight Republican ticket, and has filled the various local offices. He is serving at present his third term as Supervisor, and with his excellent wife is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. To this as to all other worthy enterprises he has given a cheerful and liberal support. He is manifestly in favor of everything to improve and elevate society, and as near as he is able strives to follow in the footsteps of his honored sire. Mr. Perrin was elected Treasurer of St. Joseph County in 1888, since which he has moved to Centreville, where he now resides. EVERETT A. CLAPP, President of the First National Bank of Centreville, is the l1 subject of a busy and interesting career, and has a life record eminently worthy of preservation. lie is a gentleman of fine abilities, and has had ample experience in the business world, in which he has gained for himself a high position, socially and financially. Ile is a native of this county, of which his parents were early l)ioneers, and was born June 24, 1837. To Ashel and Charlotte (May) Clapp, the parents of our subject, there were born four sons and three daughters, of whom Leverett A. was the second son. Both Ashel Clapp and his estimable wife were natives of the Bay State, the father born in Northampton, in 1804, and the mother in Pittsfield, in 1814. They were married in their native State in July, 1833, and leaving New England emigrated to Michigan Territory, settling first in Monroe County, in October, 1834. In November, 1835, they removed to a tract of land in Mottville Township, this county, where they lived until the election of the father as Register of Ieeds, in 1854. Then, in order to enter upon the discharge of his duties, he removed to Centreville, and continued in office for ten consecutive years. Prior,. i. a i I I i I I Is. i l —.dd I l~""~~ I _W i ma,Ilai 1 111 W a -Kt40 - -.AI a -- ---- -~ 1-~-~-11 - -rs s ---~ --- ---— C ---— r~ i -~- 11 I I -~ —wom —pom 14L~II~ - -W W ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 559 9 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 559 4 I thereto the elder Clapp officiated as Supervisor of Mottville Township, and occupied other positions of trust and responsibility. Leaving Centreville in 1869, the father of our subject settled in White Pigeon, where he engaged in general merchandising and banking, being senior member of the firm of A. Clapp & Son. HIe was thus occupied until his death, which occurred in November, 1876. The wife and mother is still living, and resides at White Pigeon. Leverett A. spent his boyhood at Mottville, where he attended the district school, and later, in 1854, repaired to Shelbyville, Ind, as the clerk of Abram Goble, who had formerly lived at lottville, but later engaged in the mercantile business at Shelbyville. Our subject remained in the latter place two years, then returned to this county, and entered the office of the Register of Deeds, becoming the assistant of llis father, whom he succeeded, being regularly elected to the office in 1864. Upon retiring from the above-mentioned office our subject compiled an abstract of titles of St. Joseph County, a work which proved of great value to owners of real estate. In 1872 he was elected.Commissioner of the State Land Office of Michigan, which position he held four years, having been re-elected in 1874. Upon the organization of the First National Bank, at Centreville, in 1873, he was chosen a Director, and three years later was made its President, which position he has since occupied. Under his careful management the bank has become one of the solid institutions of the county, patronized by its best men. One of the most important events in the life of Mr. Clapp was his marriage, Dec. 6, 1864, with Miss Amanda E. Hampson, who, like her husband, is a native of this county, and born in the village of Centreville, Aug. 12, 1810. Her parents, Henry W. and Mahala (Fletcher) Hampson, were natives of Pennsylvania and New York respectively. Of this union there is one child only, a son, Edwin L., who was born Sept. 24, 1865, and is now assistant cashier, also a member of the firm of Clapp Bros. & Co., who conduct a banking business at Sturgis. Mr. Clapp is a man of decided opinions. He was reared under the wing of the Republican party, of which he has been a warm adherent since his boyhood. Socially, lie belongs to Mt. Hermon Lodge No. 24, A. F. & A. M., at Centreville, also to Centreville Chapter No. 11, Royal Arch Masons. He has held the offices of Worshipful Master and IHigh Priest, and is a warm defender of the principles of the fraternity.,WILLIAMI H. SNYDER. Next to being himself a pioneer the son of one justly feels a pardonable pride, as in the case of the subject of this sketch. The thrilling scenes tlrough which the early emigrant worked his way to success and prosperity, will ever hold their rightful place in the memory of those who live to survive them, and to whom their experience is one of the most precious legacies which can be left in the shape of a record. To pave the way for those who followed, to make settlement in the West a pleasure as well as a matter of policy, the early settlers endured and suffered much, but having passed away, many of them full of years and honors, they leave their children and their children's children, also strangers, to succeed them and enjoy the fruits of their toils, savings and privations. These thoughts frequently dwell in the mind of the subject of this sketch, as he recalls the experiences allotted to his honored parents, who were among the very earliest settlers of St. Joseph County, arriving within its limits as early as 1832. They were then in the vigor of youth and hope, and their subsequent life indicated how well they devoted themselves to the task before them. Henry Snyder, the father of our subject, was a native of Pennsylvania, and married Miss Sarah Slote, who was born in the same State, her home, like that of her husband, being in Snyder County. They emigrated first to Columbia County, N. Y., but after a brief sojourn in the Empire State pushed on further westward to this county. The father secured a tract of land in Fabius Township, where the family lived a number of years, then removed to a farm north of Three Rivers, where the death of the mother took place in October, 1840, soon afer the birth of her son William H., which occurred October 2 of that year. After the death of his I I 6. ai t. —4 --- -----------. P tw - _ _ __ il L I w-v r U -Ai p OR ' ' I I ~ - slow W11II i4 IIo I L 560 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - -' --- —-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IN \ —qq I first wife Henry Snyder contracted a second marriage, and there were added to the household circle four more children. He died at the old homestead in 1872. Mrs. Lydia Snyder is still living there. Mr. S. was a stonemason by trade, but upon coming to Michigan Territory, finding comparatively little demand for his labors in this line. turned his attention mainly to agricultural pursuits. He was one of those men most needed in the settlement of a new country, being generous and hospitable, liberal-minded, and uniformly interested in the enterprises calculated to advance the interests of the people. By those who still live to recall his life and character, his name is held in the most kindly remembrance. The subject of this sketch was reared amid the scenes of pioneer life, spending his boyhood at the farm, and acquiring his education under the imperfect school system of that day. Upon reaching manhood, desiring a change of scene and occupation, he repaired to Constantine, entering the employ of Mr. Sheldon, and served an apprenticeship of three years at the tinner's trade. After reaching his majority he crossed the plains to Montana Territory, where he first engaged in mining and freighting, but later became interested in live stock. He lemained on the frontier a period of nine years, then returned to Three Rivers, and since that time his interests have centered in this county. The 5th of February, 1874, was an important date in the life of our subject, he having on the evening of that day been married. He and his wife settled soon afterward on a farm in Fabius Township, where they lived until removing to that which they now occupy. This latter comprises sixty-two acres of prime land, which has been brought to a fine state of cultivation, and which is largely devoted to stock-raising. The fine residence now occupied by them was put up in 1883, and is one of the handsomest brick structures in Three Rivers. It is two stories in height, handsomely finished and furnished, and the object of admiration to all who view it. As a stock-raiser Mr. Snyder has made for himself an enviable reputation in this part of the county, being interested in blooded horses, and is the owner of the celebrated roadster "Mexican Chief," an animal of remarkably fine points. Mr. S., however, deals more extensively in cattle than horses, making a specialty of calves, and shipping to Chicago. Our subject in politics during the years of his early manhood affiliated with the Democratic party, but since the war he has been mostly a Greenbacker. Both he and his estimable wife are identified with the Reformed Church at Three Rivers. Mrs. Snyder was born in this county, and was reared to womanhood at her father's homestead here. Of her union with our subject there were born two children, who are deceased. EORGE A. B. COOKE. The subject of this sketch was born in Belvidere, Warren Co., N. J., Feb. 8, 1842, and is the eldest son of J( seph and Sarah A. (Bowman) Cooke, the latter a sister of John HI. Bowman, one of the earliest settlers of Three Rivers. The parents of our subject moved from New Jersey to Washington, Pa., in 1848, where the father, a stanch old-line Whig, was engaged in the publication of the Washington Commonwealth until the year 1853, when he removed to Waynesburg, Greene Co., Pa., and began the publication of the Waynesburg Eagle, continuing the same for several years. In the fall of 1862 he enlisted in the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry, for three years; was captured during his service by the Confederates, and spent six months in Andersonville Prison. In 1865 he received the appointment of Postmaster at Waynesburg, and held the office continuously until 1884, where lie still resides. Of the six children born to the parents of our subject, George A. B. was the eldest. He attended the common schools during his boyhood, and when a lad of nine years began learning the printer's trade under the instruction of his father. I-e continued at work in his chosen occupation until the second year of the war, in August, 1862, when he enlisted in the nine-months service as a private of Company H, 123d Pennsylvania Infantry, serving out his time, and taking part in the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He,was mustered out in May, 1863, as Fourth Sergeant, and in June of that same year made his way west (1 *^4 ~r 04 I I ~ r I ii 1 3 1 ~ Ir I I ct It I Il -r)L. A_-J$~ne u' I ~c-rr~~ —~ --- —~ll ---- ~ --- —--— ~~~~~II ---- ~ ~ ~ __ -- -P L AAMhr! f ------— ---r Ir Ire Ir III1 r,, - --- — - I - I r Il I- I ST'. JOSEPH C OUNTY. 561 ST.IJOSEPH COUNTY. ~6l warl to this county, taking ip his abode in Three Rivers. In the fall of that year lie became foreman in the office of the Three Rivers Reporter, which was then conducted by Clute Bros.. with whom he continued until November, 1868. Mr. Cooke now entered into partnership with W. H. Clute, and they operated together under the firm name of W. H. Clute & Co., until tie 1st of January, 1876, when Mr. Cooke retired. After spending several months among old friends in the East, and at his old home in Pennsylvania, he returned to Three Rivers, and in July, 1877. established a job printing-office, which was followed the year after, in August, 1878, by the first issue of the Three Rivers Tribune, which was projected in the interest of the principles of the Republican party, the field being vacant by reason of the apostasy of the Three Rivers Reporter to the Greenl)ack party several years before. The Tribune has since continued a lively expounder of these principles, and is now one of the solid institutions of the county. The Tribune is a forty-eight column sheet, neatly printed and ably edited, and the job department is well equipped with steam-power presses and all the other facilities for executing first-class work. The plant was located in the Prutzman Block, St. Joseph street, until its removal in May, 1888, to the tlreestory brick building on Penn street, formerly known as the McMurtrie Block, of which Mr. Cooke is now the owner. Miss Sarah M. Rice, of Trucksville, Luzerne Co., Pa., became the wife of our subject Feb. 23, 1870, the wedding taking place at the bride's home. Their only surviving child is a daughter, Florence E., who was born June 3, 1878. C 1/ HRISTIAN J. SCHAFER. The manufacturing interests of a great country bear no unimportant part in its growth, its wealth and its prosperity. Agriculture, which is usually begun in the settlement of a new section, cannot be prosecuted profitably without the implements furnished by the mechanic and artisan. The man whom nature has endowed with natural genius in the handling of tools is an individual holding no.1t[ secondary position in the building up of towns and cities, and he who has shown his intelligence by excelling in this department of labor is amply worthy of mention in noting the progress of a State or county. The subject of this sketch, foreman of the wood department of the Roberts & Thropp Manufacturing Company, of Three Rivers, belongs to that nationality which has borne such an important part in developing the resources of America, and especially those of the Great West. A native of Germany, he was born at Frankfort on the Main, April 6, 1833, and is the son of George and Janette (Loft) Schafer, the father also of substantial German ancestry. Their family consisted of eight children, and Christian J. spent the first eighteen years of his life in his native country, receiving a thorough education in the German tongue, attending school from the age of six to fourteen years. lie then began an apprenticeship at the trade of a carriage-maker, at which lie served faithfully four years, receiving his board, but no clothing, for his services. In addition to this his father had been required to pay $50 for the privilege of having him learn the trade. Young Schafer not being satisfied with his condition or his prospects upon hlis native soil, resolved at an early period of his life to seek his future home in America. As soon as completing his trade, bidding adieu to the friends and associations of his youth, he embarked on a vessel at I-avre, France, and sixty-two days later was landed in the city of St. Louis, Mo. Thence he proceeded to Belleville, Ill., a few miles east of the Mississippi, and was employed by the firm of Cyrus Roberts, Cox & Co., with whom lhe remained until they removed to Three Rivers, this State. Mr. Schafer accompanied them here, and since that time has occupied his present position with them. He understands fully the making of patterns, and, in short, is an adept at the whole business, while at the same time a prompt, reliable and industrious man, who has made himself useful to his employers. Our subject was married, in 1857, to Miss Mary H. Ash, who is a native of Michigan, and the daughter of Jamcs and Jane Ash. To Mr. and Mrs. Schafer there have been born four children, I I I i i I I f _ __-C" -~ —l~- ~ e~~I I I ~~-~I~~~~~~~~~~~- ' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I I- - - -- ON._ -9 - V. " --- --- - ------------- A I 1111140 Iob i - 4o r k 562 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. d..;..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ three sons and one daughter, namely: George, Nettie J., Earl P. and Ora. The two youngest boys are carrying on a farm of eighty acres, the property of their father, which is well stocked and thoroughly improved. From this the family enjoy a handsome income, and it is the source of many a comfort and luxury to the household. Their town residence is a neat one, and beneath its hospitable roof they frequently welcome the many friends whom they have made during their sojourn here. /,J ARDEN SABIN, M. I). Centreville has / seened a point of attraction for numbers ID X~ of professional men-men, too, of more than ordinary ability. The medical profession is amply represented, and has no more worthy or popular member than the subject of this sketch. Hiis services as a physician and surgeon have been most generously recognized by the people of this county, among whom he enjoys an extensive and lucrative business. The native place of Dr. Sabin was the village of Orland, Steuben Co., Ind., where he was born Jan. 2, 1840. The eldest of a family of five children, he is the son of Stephen C. and Martha M. (Stocker) Sabin, who were both natives of Vermont, the father born June 7, 1812, and the mother, whose childhood home was near Jamaica, Jan. 9, 1819. Stephen C. Sabin was a carpenter by trade, which he followed during the years of his early manhood and for a time after his removal to the West. The parents left New England in 1836, taking up their abode in Steuben County, Ind., where the elder Sabin became prominent in political affairs, holding various positions of trust and responsibility, and was finally elected to the Indiana Legislature, in which position he served four terms. The parents both lived at the old homestead in the Hoosier State until three years ago, since which time they have lived with this son. The mother has suffered from total blindness for the last nine years. To the parents there were born five children, four sons and one daughter, only two of whom are living, our subject and his brother Oscar C., who is book-keeper and cashier in a wholesale jewelry establishment in Chicago, 1ll., with which he has been connected for the last ten years. Marden, our subject, spent his boyhood and youth mostly at the farm of his father in Steuben County, Ind., pursuing his first studies in the common school. ITe took kindly to his books, making good progress, and later became a student at Orland Seminary, where he prepared himself for college. In 1859 he entered the Michigan University, passing through the Freshman, Sophomore and Junior years, and undergoing a successful examination for the Senior year. During the interval of his return home to spend his vacation, there came a call for men to assist in putting down the Rebellion, and young Sabin, laying aside his personal plans and interests, enlisted as a Union soldier in Company B, 100th Indiana Infantry. Ile was made a Sergeant upon the organization of the company, and soon afterward they were sent to Memphis, Tenn., where Gen. Grant was organizing troops preparatory to the assault upon Vicksburg. The 100th Indiana spent the winter following in Tennessee, then passed down the Mississippi River to take part in the siege of Vicksburg. They joined the command of Gen. Sherman, engaged in the siege of Vicksburg until its surrender, and later joined in the pursuit of the rebel General, Johnston, operating around Vicksburg until August, 1863. Thence they returned to Memphis and crossed the country to Chattanooga, taking part afterward in the battle of Mission Ridge. Later our subject participated in the siege of Knoxville, and was in the Atlanta campaign, after which he marched with the troops of (Gen. Sherman to the sea. This expedition ended, they moved up through the Carolinas to Washington, taking part in the grand review, and being mustered out in June, 1865, at the capitol city. In the meantime our subject had been promoted to Fifth Sergeant, Sergeant Major, later to First Lieutenant, and in June, 1864, to Captain. His army record was creditable in the extreme, and is one eminently worthy of preservation. Upon retiring therefrom, Capt. Sabin resumed the study of medicine with Dr. John Bennett, of Centreville, who was during the time appointed Professor of "'The Theory and Practice of Medicine," in the -b- ".,1C0 Im -I L 4 - - '-f Ip i I I -- 1-^1-" —1 1- - ----- -Abb — V-ow - l-llsrrr~llll I ~~LC II cl ~~~ c I~ --- I ---~~L- I I ST. JTOSEPH COUNTY. 563 ST..ISEH CUNY.56 Cleveland AMedieal College. With him he read medicine two years, and in the meantime took a course of lectures in the medical department of the Michigan University; also another in the Cleveland Medical College, from which he was graduated in February, 1867. Later he officiated as Demonstrator of Anatomy in a spring course in the Cleveland College, and sojourned there with 1)r. Bennett until July, 1867. l)r. Sabin now returned to Centreville and associated himself with lDr. George M. Trowbridge, with whom he continued in lartnership for a period of ten years, and since that time D)r. Sabin has operated singly and alone. The 23d of May, 1867, witnessed the marriage of our subject with Miss Mary M., daughter of the late Judge P. M. Smith, of the Fourth Judicial District. Mrs. Sabin was born in LeRoy, N. Y., May 23, 1846, and came with her parents to this county when a child three years of age. They are the parents of two children, a son and daughter, Leland I-. and Edna B. Dr. Sabin gives the most of his time and attention to the practice of his profession, and keeps himself well posted upon modern theories and methods of practice, being a close student and an extensive reader. lIe thus has little time to give to politics, but usually votes with the Republican party. Ile has served on the School Board for a period of twenty years, has been President of the Village Board several terms, and in religious matters he and his estimable wife are worthy members of the Baptist Church, in which our subject officiates as Deacon. Ile also belongs 'to the G. A. R., in which organization he has been Post Commander three years. HS AMUEL CROSS, Secretary of St. Joseph County Village Fire Insurance Company, makes his headquarters at Centreville, and has maintained a lifelong interest in this section of country, having been born in what is now Branch County, near the present site of Coldwater, Dec. 31, 1833. He was reared to man's estate amid the scenes of pioneer life in Michigan, and his early training was such as was calculated to develop the best points of a character naturally strong and self-reliant. He has had ample experience in the business world, and in connection with the duties of his present position is acquitting himself in a satisfactory manner to all concerned. Next in interest to a man's own personality is that of those from whom he drew his origin. William H. and Nancy L. (Landon) Cross, the parents of our sub)ject were natives of Tompkins County, N. Y., and Samuel was the eldest of their five children and the only son. There consequently clustered around him many hopes and expectations which it would be safe to presulme have in a large measure been fulfilled. William Cross traced his ancestry to Ireland. He came to MAichligan at an early age and after his marriage, which took place in Lenawee County, settled near Tecumselh, where he sojourned a short time with his family, and then removed to Branch County, of which they were residents quite a long period. The father of our subject put up the first warehouse in IIillsdale County along the line of the Lake Shore & MIichigan Southern Railroad, and was thereafter engaged extensively in the grain trade, being also Commissioner. The father of our subject decided in 1842 to change his residence to this county, and settling first in Leonidas Township engaged in general merchandising in connection with other enterprises. He constructed a dam across the St. Joseph River where he put up a sawmill, the operations of which he superintended until 1850. Next we find him journeying overland to California, where he entered the mines, spent seven years, and then returned to Leonidas with a snug sum of money. William Cross was bound to make his mark wherever he located, and soon after returning to this county he became interested in politics, and was elected Judge of the Probate Court, which position he held a period of twelve years. He retired from this office with his health much impaired, and died at his home in Centreville in October, 1886. The wife and mother is still living, making her home on the old homestead. The children are all residents of St. Joseph County. Samuel Cross pursued his first studies in the public schools at Coldwater, and began his experience in the business world as a clerk in the dry-goods and [_ 4 ~ --- —~~ — -~~ --- — llr-~ — ll~'- ~I -~ ----— C3- 1~ 11111111 I-11 ft.- 1 II II —0 -~~ — [ —,d A f i rrr. -1 a: I a (I 564 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I. grocery house of 0. B. Clark of that town, with whom he remained one year. We next find him in Leonidas as the clerk of Lewis L. Yaple, with whom he remained three years. He then migrated to Flint, Ind., becoming the employe of Roberts Bros., and was occupied thereafter as a clerk with different parties until 1856. He then turned his attention to the buying and shipping of live stock, which enterprise he followed quite successfully until after tie outbreak of the Rebellion, when he became a clerk in the Quartermaster's department, located at Chattanooga, Tenn. In 1865. Mr. Cross returning to Leonidas embarked in mercantile business on his own account, associating with himself a partner, Mr. William McDowell, under the firm name of Cross and McDowell. They operated together until 1867, and the year following Mr. Cross moved to a farm in Waukesha Township, Kalamazoo County. This experiment was prosecuted until 1870, when Mr Cross abandoned farming and established a meat market in Mendon. This he conducted two years, transacting also a business in flour and feed, and then entered the employ of Brown, Bourn & Co., as a clerk and book-keeper. In October, 1877, he came to Centreville, and thereafter officiated as Clerk of the Probate Court during the incumbency of his father. After the decease of the latter he continued in the office, holding various positions under D. M. Bateman. In 1880 Mr. Cross was elected Secretary of the St. Joseph County Agricultural Society, which position he still holds, and is also Secretary of the AntiHorse Thief Society, serving several years in this capacity. In December, 1885, he was elected Secretary of the St. Joseph County Village Fire Insurance Company, which was organized in 1863, and has become a solid institution. Mr. C. takes quite an interest in politics, votes the Republican ticket, and has held nearly all of the township offices. The marriage of Samuel Cross and Miss Lorene Finout was celebrated at the home of the bride in Mendon, this county, in September, 1858. Mrs. Cross, like her husband, is also a native of Branch County, this State, and was born Dec. 31, 1835. They became the parents of one son, Frederick W. Mrs. Cross departed this life Jan. 18, 1880. Fred erick W. is now a promising young business man, and the agent of the Michigan Central Railroad at Frankfort, 111. Mr. Cross contracted a second marriage, in 1884, with Mrs. Fanny A. (Ward) Page, widow of Charles A. Page, who died leaving no children. Mrs. Fanny Cross was born in New York, Nov. 7, 1837. Our subject is a warm defender of the principles of Masonry, and belongs to Mendon Lodge No. 131. l OHN B. HANDY. The flourishing commuI nity of Three Rivers is made up largely of men of more than ordinary intelligence, the city in its prosperity being the result of their enterprising labors. The subject of this sketch is now President of the City Council, and at one time was Postmaster. In fact, during most of the years of his sojourn here, he has been prominent in the matters most nearly concerning its wellbeing, and has proved himself fully worthy of the various positions of trust and responsibility to which he has been called. He is a native of New York State, having been born near the town of Paris, in Oneida County, June 30, 1832, and there he spent the first years of his life. Lord Lindley has said, "If the virtues of strangers be so attractive to us, how infinitely more should be those of our own kindred; and with what additional energy should the precepts of our parents influence us, when we trace the transmission of those precepts from father to son through successive generations, each bearing the testimony of a useful and honorable life through their truth and excellence." This is forcibly pertinent to the ancestry of Mr. IIandy. His father, Daniel P. Hlandy, was a native of Connecticut, and operated mostly during the years of his active life as a boot and shoe dealer. He married Miss Abigail, daughter of John Bailey, Esq., who was also born in Connecticut. After marriage, leaving New England, the parents of our subject settled at Paris IHill, Oneida Co., N. Y., where they spent the remainder of their days. Their family consisted of four children, A4,_rC ~ ~I~ ~ C-~l III 1 ~ 111 -- ~I~-~I0 q I5 "I. I, _. A I k ___~I ^ —~-_II_.__1III I_- _ I — I --- I_ -C ------ -- --- 1_1. --- - -~-~- 1 ~L II -~l- - 1I rII - I I ~- M I I Ir II 'lr ` lr 'I ST. JUOSEPH COUNTY. 565 ST.~~ ~.JSP ONY 6 John B., who was the third child, and his three sisters. Of these latter Nancy is still living; Amoret died at the age of sixty-four years; Elizabeth is still living. John B. spent his boyhood mainly in attendance at the village school, and entered upon his business career a few years later as clerk in a store in Rochester, where he remained until 1850. He then went to Dansville, Livingston County, and was similarly occupied five years. In 1855 our subject became a traveling salesman for Bradner, Smith & Co., paper manufacturers and dealers, Chicago, 111. lie continued with this firm two years in that capacity, and was then sent to Three Rivers, as their agent at that place, remaining in their employ until embarking in business on his own account. He was desirous of engaging in mercantile pursuits, and with this end in view became the partner of Moore, Bassett & Co., dealers in gentlemen's furnishing goods, boots, shoes and clothing. His time was thus occupied until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he laid aside his personal plans and interests and enlisted as a Union soldier in the 25th Michigan Infantry. Upon the organization of the company he was elected First Lieutenant, and soon thereafter they were detailed to Louisville, Ky., and assigned to the command of Col. Mundy, in the 1st Brigade, 2d Division and 23d Army Corps. In August of that year they were ordered to cross the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee, where they became identified with Gen. Burnside's army. Lieut. Handy was again the object of promotion, and we find him, in 1864, Quartermaster of the regiment, which position he held until mustered out of service at Salisbury, N. C., in 1865. Upon his retirement from the army he returned to Three Rivers, and was appointed Postal Clerk of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, operating between Chicago and Toledo for a period of six years. In June, 1875, he was appointed the Postmaster at Three Rivers, which office he held for a period of thirteen years. IHaving this record, little needs to be added concerning his efficiency and fidelity to duty. Mr. Iandy remained a bachelor until quite late in life, having nearly reached his forty-second year when he was married. His wife was born in School craft, Mich., and is the daughter of John A. and Sarah Lomison. She had been previously married, by which marriage she was the mother of one child of her union with our subject there are none. The twain live comfortably at a neat home in the northeastern part of the city, and enjoy the companionship of hosts of friends. Mr. Handy is now the traveling agent of the Aspinwall Manufacturing Company at Three Rivers; he is also Register of Deeds. -r --- ^. —4 t —4 ILLIAM ARNEY. The history of any section of country is inseparable from that of its people, and especially its pioneer settlers. The sturdy spirits who dared the dangers and difficulties of the wilderness are passing away, but they will not be forgotten; on the contrary, there is a greater effort than ever being made to perpetuate their names and the record of their labors. A man who to-day can call himself the son of a pioneer occupies an enviable position among his fellows, and to the comparatively few early settlers of St. Joseph County who still survive there are extended the reverence and respect which man naturally feels for the peculiar character which has been formed amid scenes which are now impossible of reproduction. The most we can do for these is to preserve in biographical form the tale of their early toil and struggles, also their triumphs, a tale which will be read with wonder and admiration by the firesides of the future. As one who looked upon Michigan in its Territorial days, we present with satisfaction the name of Mr. Arney, who is now living retired from active labor at a handsome and comfortable home in Three Rivers. A product of New England, he was born in Essex County, Vt., June 1, 1812, and is thus over seventy-six years old. His parents were John and Ruth (Schoff) Arney, of English and German ancestry respectively. When William was a little lad of about six years the parents removed to Columbia County, Pa., settling near Berwick, where they spent a number of years, then changed their residence to the coal regions at Pottsville. In the fall of 1833, when our subject was a i I i I i i i i I i i i i i I i i r m ~ ~ ~ I — amob- -~ ~ - I - I;L I 0 - ~ -IL I I - F-of I t _ _ t -~~~~ —~~~ — I --------- o b r "-I 4 --- —-:u, 566 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. A I young man of twenty-one years, the family all came to Michigan, settling on a tract of wild land in what is now Lockport Township, this county. The trail of the Indian was still faintly seen, and their white neighbors were few. The father and sons prosecuted agriculture after the primitive methods of that day, and succeeded in building up a comfortable homestead. Their property lay in that part of the county which is now Lockport Township, and there the parents spent the remainder of their lives, the mother passing away in 1856, and the father surviving twenty-one years, dying in 1877. Their family consisted of three sons and one daughter, of whom William was the eldest; the sister makes her home in Three Rivers. Our subject received a common-school education in the State of Pennsylvania, being largely under the instruction of his father, who, having by an accident lost one of his hands, was employed much of the time thereafter as a teacher. Upon coming to Michigan young Arney assisted in the opening up of the new farm, and remained a member of the parental household for six years thereafter. Then, desirous of establishing a fireside of his own, he was married, in his twenty-seventh year, to Miss Emeline Smith, and came to this county early in life. The young people began housekeeping in a very modest dwelling, on a tract of new land which our subject took up from the Government, but five years later he was called upon to suffer a great affliction in the death of his wife, who passed away leaving two children, one of whom died in infancy. The survivor, a daughter, Emily, is married and a resident of New York State. Mr. Arney, in the spring of 1842, contracted a second matrimonial alliance, with Mrs. Mary A. (Lewis) Ash, widow of George Ash, and daughter of Charles Lewis. She was a native of.New York State. Our subject continued to occupy his farm, which lay in Fabius Township, the long period of forty years. It embraced 160 acres. By years of industry and economy Mr. Arney succeeded in bringing the soil to a good state of cultivation and putting up the requisite farm buildings. I-e raised large quantities of wheat, which he found to be a profitable crop, and continued to operate as an agriculturist until 1880, when advancing years ad vised him it would be wise to retire. Selling his farm he removed to Three Rivers, of which he has since been a resident. Nine children comprised the family of our subject by his present wife, five sons and four daughters. Their eldest, Daniel L., is a resident of Sturgis; Charles W. enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army during the late war, and died in Tennessee; Mary is the wife of John Machin, a resident of Kansas; Frances J. married William Machin, and lives in this county; John W. and Edgar J. hold the honorable positions of ministers in the Methodist Episcopal Church; Sarah E. married William Ritchie, and they live in Three Rivers; Ruth A. is the wife of Frank Ritchie, of Big Rapids, this State. Up to the time of the Rebellion Mr. Arney had affiliated with the Democratic party. Ile was then convinced that he was on the wrong side of the fence, and wheeled into the Republican ranks, in which he has done efficient service as opportunity has occurred. He and his excellent wife identified themselves with the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1840. In this Mr. A. has been a chief pillar, holding its various offices, officiating as Class-Leader, and occupying other positions of trust in connection therewith. I-e is well versed in the history of Methodism, of which he has made quite an extended written record. Although having more than numbered his threescore and ten years, he is still hale and hearty, and an admirable example of a life of temperance and good habits, and possesses a rich experience of life among the early settlers of St. Joseph County. Iie is one of those honored men whose names will be held in kindly remembrance long after they have been gathered to their fathers. OL. NORMAN S. ANDREWS. This late highly respected resident of Three Rivers was born in Monroe County, N. Y., Nov. 24, 1824, and departed this life at his home in the place above mentioned, May 5, 1882, after a brief illness from pneumonia. He was therefore at the time of his decease aged fifty-seven years, five M _1, -1111 40 II- 1-LCI, I'll "o.-,I~- ~~ II, -r LII l- 1 1 I I. rC-4 ---~-~-n --- —~-~ —^-~I"~ --- — ~ ---- ~-~ --- - -- Akm6 - - I ~r -- - — I ~r, II L I I 4 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 567 -- months and eleven days. Nature had endowed him with more than ordinary capacities and fine tastes, and at an early age he acquired a knowledge of surveying and civil engineering, at which he became very proficient, having few equals and perhaps no superior in the State of Michigan. Col. Andrews came to White Pigeon as early as 1851, as it is known that he assisted in platting Sargent's addition to that town in that year. In 1852 he was an engineer on the Eel River Valley Railroad, and (luring that year also he accepted a position with the Michigan Southern. During that and the next year this road was located between White Pigeon and Schooleraft. Col. Andrews was employed at one time on the Air Line, and in his duties as engineer operated on railroads in Illinois and Wisconsin, and probably other States. Our subject was married after twenty-eight years of age, in December, 1852, to Miss Martha Carlile, stepdaughter of Elias S. Swan, of White Pigeon, and with his wife took up his abode in Three Rivers in 1856. His talents and his industry received a ready recognition, and in the fall of this year he was elected County Surveyor of St. Joseph County for a term of two years. When his term expired he was re-elected for another termr, which closed Dec. 31, 1861. Being a man of sterling patriotism Mr. Andrews, on the 15th of October, 1861, responded to his country's call for men, enlisting in Battery F, 1st Michigan Artillery, with thirty others, and was chosen Jun ior First Lieutenant. I- is brother, Join S. Andrews, of Coldwater, was selected as Captain, and the company thus gathered together was known as the Andrews Battery. It was mustered into the service of the United States Jan. 9, 1862, and experienced some of the most terrible vicissitudes of warfare. During its eventful career this battery participated actively in the battles of Richmond. Ky., Resaca, Lost Mountain, Atlanta, Nashville and many others. In the year 1864 Mr. Andrews assisted in the organization of the 12th United States Colored Artillery, and was appointed its Colonel July 24. His superior skill as an engineer attracting attention, lie was appointed Chief Engineer, with the rank of Colonel, on the staff of Maj. Gen. Burbridge, commanding the Department of Kentucky, which position he held until he was honorably mustered out of the service, July 19, 1865. The soldierly qualities of Col. Andrews, as had been those of his private life, were of the highest order. After the war, in 1866, he was appointed by President Johnson United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Michigan, during the memorable conflict between the President and the Senate. There were a number of Democratic aspirants for the position, more than one of whom had received executive recognition, only to be rejected by the Senate. Col. Andrews, having some influential Democratic friends w'ho interceded with the President, his appointment was secured, and received prompt confirmation. In 1868, however, when a new administration assumed control, the Johnson appointments were all supplanted, and Mr. Andrews returned once more to private life. In 1874 Col. Andrews was again elected to the office of County Surveyor, which position he held continuously, with the exception of one term of two years, up to the time of his death. fIe had, we are told. a very thorough knowledge of law, at one period in his life practiced as an attorney, and was regarded as an able advocate. lie platted and mapped out a number of villages. among them Three Rivers, and drafted the first map of this village made after its consolidation, and which still continues in general use. ~ ^ s^^ i, ^ Le I ILLIAM G. CALDWELL, manager of what / was formerly the Three Rivers Mills, and what is now the Emery Flouring Mills, is favorably known among the business interests of the city. A native of the State of Pennsylvania, he was born near Danville, in what was then Columbia, but is now Mlontour County, Aug. 30, 1831. His parents, Samuel and Jane (Gingles) Caldwell, were natives of the same State, and the offspring of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Samuel Caldwell was reared to farming pursuits, and followed these his entire life. William G. was also reared a farmer's boy, and pursued his first studies in the district school. Later he attended 0 I U r *L I ~ "pl - --- ~ —II - CL- - L 4 --- I -I C-e ---- — ~-r- ~ -,, ~, —~ T _-^~ t I — )IL I 1~~LCI 1 111 11 II II I~- I ZIC-' 1~ ~3 ~1 ~ I~ I~~e~LL ~ I II I A 568 568 — wcw- x1 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. Danville Seminary, and after pursuing his studies two years in this institution commenced teaching. He thus spent one winter, then engaged as clerk in the Montour Iron Works. After one year there he migrated, in 1852, to this State, locating in Flowerfield, St. Joseph County, where, changing his occupation somewhat, he labored as a carpenter and millwright, and thus operated for several years. This proved a valuable experience, as he acquired a thorough knowledge of the machinery belonging to flouring-mills, I-e subsequently established in Three Rivers, engaged in the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds, at which he was occupied until the summer of 1856. Then selling out, he identified his interests with those of Twitchell & Swartout, the firm name becoming Caldwell, Twitchell & Co. They engaged in foundry work and the manufacture of agricultural implements for two years. Our subject then purchased the interest of Mr. Green in the sash, door, blind and lumber business, and in connection with J. W. Arnold and L. T. Wilcox, operated extensively until 1876. At this time Mr. Wilcox sold his interest to Arnold & Caldwell, and the business was thus prosecuted until the death of Mr. Arnold. Our subject then became sole proprietor, and operated alone until 1882, when he sold out his stock and rented the property. The year following his withdrawal from the above business, Mr. Caldwell took charge of the rebuilding and remodeling of what is now the Emery Mills, and upon its completion became manager. These mills contain a complete roller system, with a capacity of 500 barrels in twenty-four hours, making a very superior article of flour. Mr. Emery, the owner of the mill, and a thorough business man, is a resident of Bradford County, Pa. The implicit confidence which he placed in Mr. Caldwell is a flattering commendation to the praiseworthy manner in which this business was conducted. The 28th of December, 1858, witnessed the marriage of our subject to Miss Martha A. Wilcox, who was born in Jefferson County, N. Y., in November, 1841. Mrs. Caldwell is the daughter of Peter and Mary Wilcox, who were natives of New York, and are now dead. The family consisted of six children. To our subject and his excellent wife there have been born two daughters, the elder of whom, Mabel, is the wife of Lewis M. Miller, a merchant of Kansas City, Mo.; Jessie married John F. Drinkle, a dealer in hard and soft coal at Kansas City. Mr. Caldwell, politically, is rather conservative in his views, does not desire office, but labors energetically for the election of his friends. In early manhood he belonged to the Republican party, and later affiliated with the Greenbackers. IIe has served one term as Mayor of the city, and two terms as Alderman. Socially, he belongs to Three Rivers Lodge No. 57, and Chapter No. 29, A. F. & A.M. ~EORGE YAUNEY, a resident of Centreville of over thirty years' standing, a carpenter by trade and a skilled workman, the evidences of whose genius may be seen in numberless buildings in this town and vicinity, wisely retired from active labor in 1882, and is now enjoying the comforts of a pleasant home in the western part of the city. He came to Michigan Territory in 1841, when a young man twenty-three years of age, and has watched with warm interest the growth and developmentof his adopted county. He formed one of those resolute and persevering spirits which did not allow themselves to be dismayed by any ordinary difficulties, but battled with the elements of a new country and came out of the conflict with flying colors. The main points in a life history of more than usual interest are essentially as follows: Our subject was born in the village of Ephratah, in what was then Montgomery County, but is now Fulton County, N. Y., May 16, 1813. It will thus be seen that he is a veteran of nearly seventy-six years. His father, Henry Yauney, was born in Johnstown, N. Y., Sept. 11, 1779, and met his death by an injury received while riding a fractious horse. being thrown violently against the lommel of the saddle, with fatal results. The Yauney family is of German ancestry, and the first representatives in America settled in the State of New Jersey. There Henry Yauney, the I I d m AM 4 I*b - - I 5c ,_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- I IL- U - - Ir ~ c-I- - I -- _1 ~ r' I ~ —r I- ~ e ~e ---- ~ M-a Ik ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 569 1 paternal grandfather of our subject, was born Sept. 13, 1749. He was the second son of Christian Yauney, who was born in Alsace, near the city of Strasburg, Germany. The mother of our subject was in her girlhood Miss Elizabeth Alien, a native of Columbia County, N. Y. She was born June 24, 1783, and was the daughter of Daniel Alien, a scion of a fine old family of Providence, R. I., and of English ancestry. They were related to the Spooner family, which emigrated to America in 1600, prior to the advent of the Pilgrim Fathers. The parents of our subject, after their marriage, settled in Montgomery County, N. Y., where the father was cut down in his prime, when his son George, our subject, was but three years of age. The widowed mother with her four children resided in New York State until the year 1836, then coming to Michigan, located near Centreville, and was afterward married to Dr. S. Cummings. Of her second marriage there were also born four children, and the mother (lied in 1859. The children of the two marriages are now eight in number. The early years of our subject were spent in his native county. where he mastered the branches of the common school, and at the age of twenty years went to St. Johnsville, where he learned the ctarpentry trade, and where lie met his fate in the person of Miss Catherine Klock, to whom he was married in 1837. Mrs. Yauney was born in St. Johnsville, N. Y., June 6, 1816, and lived there until her marriage. Four years later, in the fall of 1841, they came to this county and settled on a tract of new land in the vicinity of Three Rivers, which he brought to a good state of cultivation, and upon which he erected good buildings. They continued to' occupy this until 1855, then changed their place of residence to Centreville, where Mr. Yauney gave his attention almost exclusively to his trade, which lie followed successfully until 1882. To our subject and his estimable wife there were born three children, one son and two daughters. The son, Charles E., died in 1852, at the age of ten; Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, is the wife of John S. Majors, of Centreville; Charlotte E. is at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Yauney have traveled the journey of life together for over fifty years, and celebrated their golden wedding in February, n"" '""' `'"'~" 1887. They are remarkably well preserved, and are a most worthy and excellent couple, who by their consistent Christian lives have drawn around them hosts of friends. Both are members in good standing of the Dutch Reformed Church. Mr. Yauney cast his first Presidential vote for Martin Van Buren, and since the organization of the Republican party has been a stanch supporter of its principles. I-e has been content to live the life of a quiet and unobtrusive citizen, having no ambition for official honors, although in his school district he has made himself useful as a member of the board for several years. UGH P. STEWART. The subject of this sketch, at present one of the leading attorneys in the county, began life in the township of Lockport, in this county, in July, 1856. His youth was passed in the vicinity of Centreville, except that he spent a number of years in the neighboring village of Fawn River, where his father conducted a large flouring-mill and a woolen-mill. As a schoolboy, our subject never was considered a glittering success. His individuality even atthiat time was marked, and lie never willingly bowed before a schoolmaster simply because the latter was clothed in a little brief authority. Nevertheless, he succeeded in gaiiiing a fair education at the Centreville Union School, and one which was greatly increased by his own labors in historic research and a close study of the English classics. He studied law for two years under Alfred Akey, Esq., of Centreville, antl was admitted to the bar in 1878. passing a bI)illiant examination. Mr. Stewart continued lhis studies with assiduity, and was at a later period in partnership with Mr. Akey for a time. Mr. Stewart for several years held the position of Township Clerk, and has held various village offices, including that of Village Attorney. lie has always been an enthusiastic Republican, and in the fall of 1888 consented to accept the nomination for Prosecuting Attorney. His election by the largest majority received by any one on his ticket is a sufficient indication of his per V ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ — '-I~-~ ---~r- I I~I C- II e ' ~ ~-I6 l C- -' i - 1 -w o o ft i! I oqo - - th ~I..LI -~II-I -~~p~ II -p I r 5 -,s 570 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. sonal popularity and professional reputation. He now occupies that position, and is senior member of the law firm of Stewart & Meacham. As a lawyer, Mr. Stewart is highly esteemed both by his clients and his brother attorneys. It is a frequent comment that no other member of the bar has gained so rapidly in professional ability. His methods are frequently original, and occasionally looked upon by the fraternity as more novel than legal, but as the Supreme Court has a habit of agreeing with him upon these occasions, he does not complain. While not what is generally termed brilliant, he is possessed of a good knowledge of law, and a way of presenting it that generally brings him success. As regards his ancestry Mr. Stewart is purely of Scotch descent, though his parents, David and Mary (McFarland) Stewart, were born in the State of New York. David Stewart, who (lied in 1876, was for many years the leading merchant and business man of Centreville. Mr. Stewart was married, in 1884, to Miss Anna Hasbrouck, of Centreville, and their union is blessed with one daughter. Mr. Stewart is a membler of several Masonic organizations, and was for several years Master of Mt. Hermon Lodge at Centreville. OHN ARMITAGE. The solid and reliable element of Three Rivers, its cultivation and enterprise, are admirably illustrated in the subject of this sketch, who is one of its oldest and most highly respected citizens. After the labors of a well-spent life he is domiciled in a beautiful residence, surrounded with all needful coinforts and many luxuries, and is living at his ease, being the owner of a large amount of property in the shape of city houses and lots, and a fine farm of 215 acres in Fabius Township. His land is well improved, with good buildings, and together with his city property yields him a liberal income. Our subject traces his birthplace to the city of Leeds, Yorkshire, England, near which he was born, Jan. 19, 1824. His father, William Armitage, was a native of 'the samne shire, whence lie emigrated to America in 1831, when our subject was a little lad seven years of age. They located first in Pottsville, Pa., where they lived some five years and thence came to this county, locating on the banks of the St. Joseph River, three miles north of Centreville, and after a time each member of the family was afflicted with fever and ague with no one to assist or wait upon them. This was only one of the many afflictions endured by the pioneer settlers. William Armitage possessed a sturdy perseverance, however, and was not a man to flee from difficulties or duty. lie clung to his property, and there with his excellent wife spent the remainder of his days. 'he mother, Mrs. Bathsheba (Green) Armitage, died in middle life, in 1856. The father survived a period of fourteen years, passing away in 1870. The parental household included ten children, five sons and five daughters, and of this large family there is only remaining John Armitage, our subject, and two brothers. 'He was the eldest son and second child. His boyhood and youth were spent in the manner common to the sons of pioneer farmers, receiving a limited education in the imperfect schools of that day, and becoming familiar at an early age with the various employments of rural life. Upon approaching manhood he learned the trade of carpentry, but his preferences were for agricultural pursuits. Soon after reaching his majority he took the first steps toward establishing a home of his own by his marriage with Miss Mary J. Bondman. This lady was born in Montour County, Pa., and came with her parents to Michigan in 1835. The latter spent their last years in this county. The young people began their wedded life together on a farm in this county, where they continued until 1864, wlien our subject removed to Three Rivers and thereafter engaged as a contractor, while at the same time he superintended the operations of his farm. Their present residence, a fine brick structure, was completed in 1872, and with its surroundings forms one of the most attractive homes in the city. The family includes two children: Sarah M., who is,now the wife of John Griffiths, a hardware merchant of Three Rivers, and George G., who is a resident of HIastings, Neb. Mr. Armitage has been for years a member of the Presbyterian Church, together with his excellent wife, and to its support has contributed liberally of i. -A 000-1 -rL41~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ __ 11,I II00,-.-0 i 1 00 - li i i i II I I i i j I II I i t I I II I I v ii I 3 4et.~ ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 571 his means, finding satisfaction in its advancement and prosperity. In local politics he believes in giving his support to the men best qualified to serve the interests of the people. In State and National affairs he gives his undivided adherence to the Republican party. T.;EUBEN MACOMBER, the youth of ninet ' I teen years who came to the young State of Michigan in 1844, is now a veteran of nearly sixty-four, and the possessor of a ripe experience in connection with life during the early settlement of this county. Ile migrated to this region from Genesee County, N. Y., where he was born Feb. 18, 1825. He attended school for a time afterward and began his career as a farmer in Park Township, after which lie became interested as a stock-dealer, operating in connection with his father, who owned a very large tract of land in Park Township. This land was finely adapted to the raising of corn, which was largely consumed by the stock. Their shipments were made during the winter months, and this business was prosecuted by our subject for a number of years, and until 1866, when he retired from the active labors of life and is now living at his ease, domiciled in a pleasant home in Three Rivers. Our subject is the son of Charles and Mary (Burt) Macomber, who were natives respectively of New York State and Vermont, the father born July 6, 1800, and the mother March 9,1805. The latter is still living, making her home with our subject in Three Rivers. Charles Macomber was a very intelligent man, and, although giving his attention principally to farming pursuits had a good understanding of common law, and frequently officiated as attorney for other parties before Justices of the Peace. The parents left the old farm in Park Township after a residence upon it for twenty years, settling in Three Rivers, where the father died in October, 1874. Ten children comprised the household circle of Charles and Mary Macomber, and eight of these are still living, making their home mostly in this State. Reuben, our subject, was the second _ child and son. IIe was first married in 1852, to Miss Maria Boutwell, who only survived her wedding six months. Mr. MI. did not seek another partner for several years, this bereavement proving a source of great sorrow and disappointment in his hopes and plans. In 1868 he, contracted a second marriage, with Miss Ora Griffin, of Kalamazoo County, and to them were born three childrenCharles, Grace D. and Ned. Our subject is an uncompromising Republican, politically, and a man who keeps himself well posted both in State and National affairs, and those matters pertaining to the world of business and trade. He has mainly preferred the life of a quiet and unobtrusive citizen, and with the exception of serving as a stockholder and director in the Three Rivers National Bank, has confined his attention to his private business. E l)DWAARI) B. LINSLEY, Secretary and Treasurer of the Sheffield Velocipede Car Com/ pany, of Three Rivers, is a gentleman in the prime of life andt a capable and efficient business man. Ile came to this place in the spring of 1867, and began his business career here as clerk for the firm of Wing & Major, druggists, with whom lhe remained a period of four years. Ile then formed a partnership with A. W. Snyder, and they operated together as druggists a number of years, and then Mr. Linsley sold his interest to his partner, and soon after the organization of the Sheffield Car Company became a member of that firm. This soon afterward was merged into a stock company and our subject was chosen for the responsible offices which he still holds. The subject of this sketch was born near the city of Rochester, Monroe Co., N. Y., July 27, 1847. HIe is the eldest child of Darius M. and Margaret (Baldwin) Linsley, whose family included only the one son and three daughters. The father was a native of Vermont, a graduate of Middlebury College, for many years a teacher, and at one time Superintendent of the city schools of Rochester. Subsequently he moved to Watertown, N. Y., where he took a charge of the Watertown Institute. in those days a widely known educational institu i i I i-44 i. on&" I Il~~~ppr~~~srjr%~~~~s l1 I II,: 11 I I _111 _ _ re - -qo s"Pc - II -c I i 0416 -Agdk~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 cI --- —— A --- — t 572 -1 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. A tion. In 1856 he moved to Iowa, spent some three years in the liawkeye State, and in 1859 came to Michigan, locating in Kalamazoo. Soon afterward he was made general agent of the Michigan Female Seminary, a position which lie held several years, and during which time Edward B. attended first the public schools and later the High School. IHe began his mercantile experience as a clerk in the store of Roberts & Ilillhouse, at Kalamazoo. Ile was an employe of this firm for a number of years, leaving them to take up his residence in Three Rivers. Mr. Linsley, in the summer of 1876, led to the altar Miss Emma Burch, daughter of lHosea Burch, Esq., of Three Rivers. Mrs. L. was born Jan. 17, 1852, in Lapeer, and spent the early years of her life at Three Rivers under the parental roof, remaining a member of the homen circle until her marriage. IIr. Linsley llolds the office of President of the Building and Loan Association of Three Rivers and also of the Southwestern Miclio'an Fair Association. His residence is in the central part of the city, where lie has a pleasant and attractive home. Mrs. Margaaret Linsley, the mother of our subject, departed this life at her home in Kalamazoo, Mich., Aug. 25, 1865. The father, in 1867, returned to New York State, and located on a farm in Orleans County. IIe is now sixty-four years of age. The Linsleys trace their ancestry back to an old English family whose descendants crossed the Atlantic it is believed in the Colonial days. OIJINSON BENNETT. The residence portion of Three Rivers forms one of its most attractive features, and the visitor could employ considerable time in making a note of the numerous fine dwellings which indicate the leading element in the general character of its people. In one of these is domiciled the subject of this sketch, a gentleman who during the years of his more active life was closely identified with the growth and prosperity of the young city, and contributed in no small measure to the development of its resources. A native of the Empire State, Mr. Bennett was born in its most lovely portion on the balks of the lordly IHudson, April 17, 1827. The son of a leading family, his father was Asa Bennett, a native of Connecticut, a gentleman of fine education and intelligence, and( a graduate of the New Jersey Business College. He was a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, a man of great force of character, and one who made his influence sensibly felt in the various communities where it was his lot from time to time to reside. He married, in early manhood, Miss Sally Goram. a native of his own State, and the (laughter of a fine old English family. The parents of our subject finally removed to Seneca County, N. Y., where they lived about nine years, tlhence came in the spring of 1838 to this county, makilng the journey overland with teams. The father selected land in Nottawa Township, and was engaged thereafter in its cultivation and improvement until called from his earthly labors. The subject of this sketch was the fourth in a family of seven children, five of whom are still living. His boyhood was spent amid the peaceful employments of farm life, and his education was l)egun in the common schools of Seneca County, N. Y. Later lie attended school at White Pigeon. Afterward he was a student in Branch University and Albion College. LIe then returned to the farm, but remained there only a comparatively brief time, preferring the more stirring scenes of town life. andl becoming a clerk in the employ of J. W. Talbot, with whom lie remained until 1852. Finally, in the spring of 1865, he came to Three Rivers, and purchasing ground, built upon the site of his present store. About that time he formed a partnership with Amos Wolf, and they embarked in the dry-goods trade, operating together for about one year, when the interest of Mr. Wolf was purchased by J. W. Talbot, and the firm name became lIennett & Talbot. The partnership continued until 1873, when it was dissolved, and Mr. Bennett conducted the business singly. The business career of Mr. Bennett was attended with more than ordinary success, he being a man of sound judgment, and one who has kept himself thoroughly posted in regard to commercial transactions. Although largely engrossed all his life with business matters, he yet found time to establish a home and a fireside of his own, being mar l\ j j I I i t 7 i. i'.' a,, S S i, i.,' ))~ I I C1 I ~ ~ ~ I I C IIICI -CI L -— ~ B —s r4_CL i _ I w i kl=.......- - ~ L 7 abw I.4: ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 573 I ried in 1854 to a most estimable lady, Miss Jane Antes, who was born in Lycoming County, Pa., and at the time of their marriage was a resident of Centreville, this county. Two children were born of this union, a son and daughter, Charles J. and Claudia. Tie former is an attorney in New York City. He is a young man of more than ordinary abilities, possessing a fine education, and spent three and one-half years in Europe, and four years in Ann Arbor College. The daughter is also highly accomplished, being a graduate of the celebrated Wellesly College, near Boston, Mass. Mr. Bennett has always been recognized as one of the most efficient members of the community, one adapted admirably to fill positions of trust and responsibility. In 1885 he was elected President of the Village Board, and again in 1887. He is one of the pillars of the Presbyterian Church, to wlich he has given a liberal and cheerful support, and has served on its official board a number of years. H IANCY E. SARS, a wealthy and prominent citizen, and one of the active business men. of St. Joseph County, is familiarly known as the proprietor of the Three Rivers Canning establishment, an industry which gives in its season employment to between 400 and 500 men. It has a capacity of 40,000 cans during the season, and the main building occupies an area of 40x130 feet. It is a large brick structure two stories in height, and was erected in 1882. Attached to it are two wings, 45x50 feet, and the works are supplied with a good engine, and the other requisite machinery for the rapid transaction of business, turning out 20,000 to 25,000 cans, largely of corn. They also handle pears, peaches and the other fruits. Interested in this project and associated with him is the wife of our subject as a partner, she being a very capable lady witl a good understanding of business. They are people of ample means, and when the canning season is over spend their time pleasantly in travel. Our subject was born in Lewis County, N. Y., April 27, 1833, of which he remained a resident for a period of forty years, removing thence to Ohio. His parents were Christian and Emily (Hollister) Sars, natives respectively of New York and Vermont, the latter born in Bennington. She is still living, and has now arrived to the advanced age of eighty-five years. Christian Sars is deceased. The parental household included eight children, of whom Chancy E., our subject, was the sixth in order of birth. Christian Sars was a farmer by occupation, and the boyhood of Chancy E. was spent at the old homestead in the Empire State until reaching mature years. His first business enterprise was in the seed trade, and he finally became connected with a firm at Mt. Morris, which made a specialty of drying corn. In 1873 Mr. Sars embarked in business on his own account, carrying on what was known as the Circleville (Ohio) Drying and Canning Works, which under his excellent management, became, one of the important industries of that section. Mr. Sars came to Michigan fortified with a thorough experience of the business in which he is now enogaoed. He has been a man quite active in politics, and at one time was nominated by the Republicans of his county as a candidate for the Legislature, making a good record, and running considerably ahead of his ticket in a strongly Democratic county, being defeated by a small majority. He has taken a decided stand in favor of temperance, and at one time gave himself up to the work, visitinlg many of the principal towns and cities in Ohio in its behalf. Mrs. Sars was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., where she was married to our subject, and in 1873 removed with him to Ohio. They have no children. Since the above was written the subject of it has passed from this life, dying Feb. 7, 1889, while yet in the prime of a vigorous manhood. His widow is left to mourn the lpartner of her earlier years. i i I i I i -.4 j --- -I ---- - -I- 00 ILLIAIM J. TURNBULL, a pioneer settler of this county, and who with his excellent wife stands high among the people who have known him for so many years, is in the enjoyment of a good home in the shape of a well-cultivated farm lying on section 29 in Burr Oak Town Ohl I,,,-~,-.- --- 4~~~,~~~,~~~ ____~~_~~.11 —~~~ --- —~~ --- —---— ~~~~- 1-N -d- ---- ____.__ M. to *pop-= I -1e ---- -- I I~rr - a t - t - l — - --— ~ — -M~ --- - A~ 574 r w^ J. 's S, ST. JOSEPH' COUNTY. 574 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. ship. Here he has eighty acres of land, and all the buildings necessary for his comfort and convenience. He has lived the life of a quiet and law-abiding citizen, at peace with his neighbors, and seeking to do good as he had opportunity. A native of Glenville, Schenectady Co., N. Y., our subject was born July 25, 1824, and is the son of Robert and Elizabeth Turnbull, the former a native of Duanesburg, N. Y., and the latter of Princetown. They were the parents of five children, and the father followed farming all his life. The eldest son, George, is in Princetown; Mrs. Picket and Ellen are in Schenectady; Eveline (Mrs. John Clow), continues a resident of Glenville, N. Y.; Agnes (Mrs. Calvin Slawson), lives in Todd County, Minn. Our subject is the eldest child of his parents. He was married in Glenville, N. Y., Oct. 29, 1850, to Miss Harriet N. Bullman, who was a native of Glenville, and the daughter of Benoni and Mary Bullman, who were also natives of Glenville, and passed from earth at their home in that place many years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Turnbull spent the first seven years of their wedded life in Glenville, then came to Southern Michigan, locating in Burr Oak Township, upon the land which they occupied until 1866, and wlich Mr. T. sold that year, purchasing his present homestead, which at that time embraced 120 acres. He sold forty acres of this in 1 884, and has eighty acres left, which is amply sufficient to furnish him with the necessary income for his comfort and enjoyment. His career has been one marked by honesty and integrity, while his estimable wife has been a true companion and helpmate, standing by his side in storm and sunshine, and inciting him to every worthy endeavor. _ *@-4+$888St++k-<^-> —^-ar cm SAAC NULL. In the career before us, necessarily briefly sketched in a work of this kind, we have that of a man descended from excellent Pennsylvania stock, who came to Michigan when about twenty-seven years of age with the determination to found a homestead upon a portion of its soil and become a worthy citizen among its people. EIe came to this county in the spring of 1855, and purchased 103 acres of uncultivated land in the vicinity of Flat Bush, Flowerfield Township, upon which he labored assiduously for its improvement and cultivation, and was so successful that he was enabled to add to his landed estate until he became the owner of 1,131 acres, which he divided up into nine farms. He brought the most of this to a good state of cultivation and engaged in mixed husbandry, also in stock-raising, and in due time attained an enviable reputation as one of the most thorough and skillful agricultirists of this region. He occupied his farm until the spring of 1885, then, wisely judging that he had contributed his full share toward the farming interests of St. Joseph County, withdrew from active labor and sought a home in Three Rivers, where he is now living retired and in the enjoyment of the fruits of his industry. To begin with the first experience of our subject in this busy world we find that he first opened his eyes to the light at the modest homestead of his parents near Lewiston, Union Co., Pa., Oct. 13, 1825. His parents, Jacob and Sarah (Baker) Ntll, were also natives of the Keystone State, the father born in Berks County and the mother in Union. The former (lied in Pennsylvania in middle life; the mother subsequently removed to Ohio with her little family, taking up her abode in Sandusky County, where they resided a period of twelve years. Thence they came to Michigan, and the death of the mother took place at her home in Flowerfield Township in May, 1884. To the parents of our subject there were born nine children, five of whom, three boys and one girl, all died in infancy. Two sons and three daughters are living, and residents of this county. Isaac was the fourth in order of birth. He spent the first fifteen years of his life in his native county, attending the district school and assisting his parents around the homestead. Being the eldest son, he was necessarily made the head of the family after the death of his father, by which affliction they were left in rather straightened circumstances, and obliged to exercise great industry and economy to maintain themselves comfortably. Mr. Null developed into manhood in Sandusky,i kU i I 8- Ae __. " _I CIC - ~ La CI~C~- C-~ -— ~ - -~I~-~- 5 — a ~-, 1~~~~1'I 11 I 1111~~ — 1 - ~ — II -~11 1 ~I- 1 1 ~C1lll ll ~ I o il t i4 k ,ihU.a 0 -w i I iii i i i i i i i i i I i i i i i i I I I k - w -: --- —---— ~-~- ------— ~~~~~~~-~ —~ --- ~~~~-~~ ---~~ --- —---- -~-~~~~-~ --- —----— I-~~~~~~ ---~~~~~~" I~~~"-'-'~ ~ STI. JOSEPIIf COUNTY. 575 a ST..~~~~~ lJOSEPH COUNTY. 575~~~~~~~~~ I i.. - I County, Ohio, where he made the acquaintance of Miss Martha, daughter of Jonathan Alexander, and to her he was united in marriage when he was twenty-four years old. This lady was also a native of Pennsylvania, and born near Williamsport. The young people began their wedded life togetner on a small tract of land in Sandusky County, Ohio, upon which Mr. Null was enabled to pay $50 down. He was to pay $18 per acre, and to have seven years' time at 6 per cent. interest. Seven years later lie sold out for double the price he gave. Few men have contributed in a greater manner to the development of the agricultural interests of the county than the subject of this sketch. and in business channels he has shown himself no less industrious or lacking in good judgment. In the year 1872 Mr. Null concluded to invest a portion of his capital at Three Rivers, and put up the fine brick block a part of which is now occupied by the National Bank. This structure was followed three years later, in 1875, by a handsome and substantial residence, also of brick, and which, with its surroundings, forms one of the most attractive homes of the city. He constructed an entire block in 1886, which is occupied by six stores, is two stories in height, and forms a decided addition to the business portion of the town. He also has other buildings within the corporate limits. The family of Mr. Null comprised six children, one son and five daughters, most of whom have fled from the home nest. The eldest, Mary M., is the wife of Calvin Bingaman, a well-to-do farmer in Flowerfield Township; Sarah A.. Mrs. George Peters, lives on a farm in Flowerfield Township; Lucy is the wife of Alexander Baker, of Flowerfield Township; Martha Elizabeth is the wife of Howard Benfer, and lives in Flowerfield Township; Rosa J., the youngest, is Mrs. George Skeer, of Three Rivers, and William married Miss Vie Power. Although usually voting the Republican ticket Mr. Null avails himself of the rights of the free American citizen to support the men whom he considers best qualified for office, irrespective of party. He has given liberally to schools and churches, and is a member of the United Brethren, of which his wife officiated as Trustee and formed one of its chief pillars. He is a man of large benevolence and kindly charity, and it should be a source of pride and satisfaction that he can say the poor have never been turned away from his doors. Mrs. Null died Jan. 11, 1886, at her home in Three Rivers. J OSEPH W. FRENCH. In noting the various industries that have, one after another, been instrumental in contributing to the progress and importance of Three Rivers, none deserve more favorable mention than that of which the subject of this sketch is President-the Three Rivers Paper Company. The very fact that there is a demand for this commodity to such a dleree as to make an establishment for its manufacture necessary here, is evidence of the intelligent class of people who form the bone and sinew of St. Joseph County. Among these Mr. French occupies no secondary position. His energy and enterprise are proverbial, and no one can deny that he is doing honor to his New England ancestry. Mr. French was himself born not far from the rugged Atlantic Coast, in New Haven County, Conn., June 8, 1833. Hle is the son of David and Elizabeth (Wooster) French, who were also natives of that State. The father delved a comfortable living from his native soil, following the peaceful pursuit of agriculture his entire life, and closing his eyes to earthly scenes in the county which gave him birth, in 1845. The mother survived her husband nearly thirty-nine years, her death taking place in December, 1884. Their family included five children, two sons and three daughters. Of these Joseph W. was the third of the family. His boyhood days were spent in his native township, where he attended the common school, and was more than usually attentive to his books. He finally developed into a teacher, which profession he followed during the winter season for some time. The business career of young French began in I i I I I I i I i I IT _~u [ T t -~ --- —-- --------------- -— ~r ~ I" ~I~I~ ~I~-' I ~- - ------ -- — 11-1 I I -.1.1.1"n-~~~~~~ 0 a s.. k F OPP. 4 a 576 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I the manufacturing establislment of his maternal uncle, Henry Wooster, who carried on a good business as the producer of combs of all descriptions, from plain horn to the finest ivory. With him our subject remained a period of five years. Ile then determined to leave New England, and the fall of 1854 found him in Three Rivers, this county, where he soon afterward formed a partnership with J. S. Shailer, of Boston, Mass., and J I. H. Mater, of Connecticut, to engage in the manufacture of axletrees for wagons and other vehicles. The firm prosecuted busiiess successfully about five years, then branched out into the manufacture of wagons and carriages. A few years later the firm was reorganized, under the style of Bradner Smith & Co., and turned their attention, in connection with the previous products of their factory, to the manufacture of paper likewise. This industry was inaugurated in a modest manner, they putting out first simply the different kinds of wrapping paper. As soon as they discovered it was destined to become a success, they commenced upon good grades of printing paper, and from that day on have met with undiminished success. The firm was again reorganized, in 1867, into a stock company, and operated thus until 1885, when it was succeeded by the present Three Rivers Paper Company, which is now composed of Joseph W. French and his three sons. The plant is located in the Second Ward, in the southern part of town, conveniently near to the tracks of the Michigan Central and the Lake Shore Railroads, thus affording first-class shipping facilities. The factory is now equipped with modern machinery, and the product is of a very superior quality, one that is fully recognized all over Michigan and other States in the sending in of large orders, this company probably filling the leading contracts in this section. They give employment to seventy operators, and ship as far east as Cleveland, Ohio, taking in Chicago on the way, also St. Louis, Kansas City, Denver, and other important points. Their machinery has a capacity of about six tons per day. Mr. French has been connected with this enterprise from its first inception, and there is no question that its success is largely due to his business abilities and good judgment. Ile is also interested in various other leading enterprises at Three Rivers, being President of its National Bank, and holding the office of Vice President of both the Roberts & Thropp Threshing Machine Company and the Wood Pump Company, of Niles. lIe has also served as President of the City Council a term of six years, is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Northern Asylum, located at Traverse City, and Vice President and Director of the Manufacturers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Detroit; likewise a Director of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Chicago, Ill., and a Director of the Michigan Central Railroad. To give proper attention to these various interests there is required a levelheaded man, and the fact that Mr. French has been retained from year to year as a trusted official is indicative that he possesses this quality in no ordinary degree. Over thirty years ago, in 1856, Joseph W. French was united in wedlock with Miss Emily J. Wright, who was born in Deep River, Conn., and there reared to womanhood. Three sons have been the issue of this union-Willard W., Frank J. and J. Edward. They are more than ordinarily bright young business men, being associated with their father; the eldest as Vice President of the Three Rivers Paper Company, Frank J. as Secretary, and J. Edward as Treasurer. 7 AVINIA (FIELD) BURNS. In writing the history of any given locality, it is of necessity the history of the people inhabiting the place described; the tendency is to refer only to the lives of the male members of the population. In this case we find it our pleasurable duty to depart from the usual routine, and refer to the life work of the lady whose name heads this sketch, and who now resides in Mottville Village, and the part taken by her and her husband, Thomas Burns, now deceased, in bringing about the exceedingly favorable conditions that are enjoyed by the people of the township. This lady was born in Steuben County, N. Y., township of Prattsburg, in 1823. She is a daughter of Darius Field, who was born in the State of i i I [ ~I.da,I - III~ I _ I~ qoIrr ~I l~t -~ I - -^ wpp I i Al. ~~L~IP~r~llJJBF-rrllCI~~~g"~ l I-ilr~~ I-cl~~l~r~~rr I ---- - r 'b-~-Ah 4 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 577 - -- -- Vermont, and lived tilere until he reached years of manhood. Ie married Saloma Clark, and removed with her to Steuben County, N. Y. They lived in Steuben County for thirty-five years, where he followed farming, coming then to Michigan and settling in Constantine, where they rented a farm for two years, at the end of which they purchased land in Cass County, Mich., where they lived for some time; they then moved to Mottville, where they lived a retired life untillthe days of their death, which occurred Feb. 16, 1874, and July 2, 1864. Both were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. This lady is one of a family of ten children, who were named: Lavinia, Rhoda Adelia, Harvey K., Hermione, Destimone, Darius, Saloma, Chester A., Emory G. and Caroline. Rhoda A. married Mr. Orris Briggs, in Prattsburg, N. Y.; after they had been married about twenty-eight years they moved to Michigan. anl reared a family; she (lied in Lenawee County. at the residence of her daughter. Caroline married Christopher Wolgamood: she, with her husband, lives in Nebraska. Chester A. lives in Russell County, Kan.; he is married to Rosalie Braginton, a native of Michigan, her father being a farmer in this State. Henry K. was born in Wayne County, N. Y., and came West with his parents; at present he resides in Mottville Township. Hermione and Destimone are twins: the former was married to Joseph Parker, a resident of Steuben County, N. Y., where he died; she is still living, a widow. Destimone is the wife of Nathan Hess, who is a native of Steuben County, N. Y.; they now reside in Jackson County, in this State. Darius and Saloma are another pair of twins: Darius married Sarah Ray, a native of Michigan, and they live in Kalamazoo; he is not in active life. Saloma is living in Ontario County, N. Y., in the town of Naples; she is the wife of Hollis Tyler, who is a farmer near that town. Emory G. was a resident of Nebraska until his death, which occurred on Thanksgiving Day, 1885; he married. Elizabeth Braginton, who survives him. Mrs. Burns is the mother of three children, all living. They were named: Clayton J., now living in California, and in the mercantile business; Hermy is living in Benzie County, near South Frankfort, Mich., and is married to Willard Cook; he is a farmer. Hollis T. is in the State of Oregon, and is a single man; he is a great traveler. Mrs. Burns was married to her husband Aug. 19, 1847. The latter was always a farmer until he moved into Mottville Village. when he retired from active life. At the time of his marriage with our subject he was a widower; his first wife, Rebecca Odell Burns, died in the year 1844, on their home farm in Cass County, Mich. After her death he exchanged the Cass County farm for another in the same county, which he owned for thirteen years, when he disposed of it to William Simmons. After selling this farm he bought land east of White Pigeon, where he resided for four years, when he sold it and bought other property in Cass County, which contained 136 acres and was well improved. It was located on the Chicago Road. After operating this for a number of years he sold it, and moved into the village of MAottville, and retired from active life, and there he died Jan. 1, 1888. Mr. Burns' first purchase of land in Michigan was a body of 500 acres from the Government, which he improved, and finally sold at a price which made him some recompense for the many wearisome days of hard labor, and weeks and months of trouble and hardship endured. All of his tastes from his earliest life were inclined to farming, but in the year 1849, when the gold fever was epidemic in the country, he did not escape the contagion, and lie would not feel content until he had visited the new Eldorado. He crossed the plains to California with an ox-team; he was captain of the train. During his absence his family lived on what is now known as the Ricker farm. During his stay in California, which lasted about two years, he was successful in the object for which he visited the Golden State. He would have remained there longer had his family kept well, but serious illness obliged him to return. Jan. 1, 1888, he died, at the age of eighty years, seven months and twentyone days. During his life he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which organization he had held the office of Steward for many years. He was a Class-Leader in the same church for fifteen years. In the earlier years of his life he cast his vote with the Democratic party, but becoming disgusted ff __ ~I \1 Bb- - - 11, I k u ' -I U -It 0 ll~ - ~ -I I1 IC C~ cs -I 3C ~Obwl-MI —C~sII- -. C ---- ~ llll~~-r~llsk ~ 1~, 578 ST. JOSEPI COUNTY. U se U! a, I I with the course of that piarty on certain vital questions, he cast his ballot ever afterward with the Republican party. Mrs. Burns has passed through all tile hardships and stufferings incident to the life of a pioneer. which she has borne uncomplainingly, and she has richly earnedt the reward of years of quietude and peace, whlich are now her portion. She enjoys the fullest confidence and respect of all who know her, and none can enter her presence without feeling that they are before one of the many noble women and mothers who have contributed so largely and done so much to provide for the present generation the comforts and the many advantages they now enjoy. go YRUS ROBERTS. Close upon the heels of O(I other leading enterprises in Three Rivers, as \W) the city began to develop in wealth and population, was established the threshing-machine and corn sheller works, and of the company carrying it forward the subject of this sketch is the President. lie is a man eminently fitted for a position of trust and responsibility, one possessing more than ordinary intelligence and business qualifications. A native of the State of Pennsylvania, he was born near the well-known town of Taylorsville, in Bucks County, Aug. 14, 1820, and is the son of Samuel and I)elilall (IIolcomb) Roberts, who were also natives of the Keystone State. Samuel Roberts was a well-educated man, and followed the profession of a teacher a number of years during his early manhood. Cyrus, our subject,was the second child of a family comprising two sons and one daughter. -is boyhood days were spent mostly in school until the age of thirteen years, when he commenced a regular apprenticeship at the trade of cabinet-maker. Five years later he started out for himself, following in the meantime his trade until a man of twenty-eight years. Ten years of this time were spent as pattern-maker in different places in his native State, during which he displayed more than ordinary ingenuity and skill. In the fall of 1848 Mr. Roberts emigrated west to Bellevue, Ill., where he engaged in the manufact ure of threshing-machines upon a capital of $200. This was regarded as a rather hazardous experiment, but by careful economy and good management, lie made of it a success, in the meantime taking in a partner, John Cox, they operating together under the firm name of Roberts & Cox. Four years later our subject purchased the interest of his partner, and in the winter of 1856 returned to his native State and spent one year, after which he began making preparations for settlement in the farther West. On the way hither he stopped in St. Joseph County, Mich., to visit an old friend and shopmate, Stephen lIibbs, and later purchased what is now known as the Roberts, Thropp & Co.'s plow shops in Three Rivers. Later lie visited many of the Western States and Territories in the interest of Roberts, Thropp & Co., taking in besides Old Mexico and other points of interest in the Southwest. In 1884 Mr. Roberts completed the invention of a corn-sheller, which takes corn in the husk and produces it clean and in good condition for grinding. With the most thorough understanding of his business and a practical knowledge which can be gained in no way so well as by experience, he is well fitted for the position which lie now occupies in connection with the industry which bears no unimportant part among the various manufactures of Three Rivers. Mr. Roberts was married in the twenty-third year of his age to Miss Rebecca Thorp, a native of New Jersey, and they became the parents of four children, one daughter and three sons. The eldest, James B., is connected with the establishment of which his father is President, as is also George A., Treasurer; Horace is in Denver, Col., and Carrie remains at home with her parents. NDREW THOMA. About one of the first m enterprises in the building up of a com7kf r munity is the blacksmith-shop, an institution wholly indispensable, both in town and in connection with the farm. The blacksmith is almost invariably a man in comfortable circumstances if he be honest and frugal, as this class usu 1: i E _-d~L j _ s o-, ~W-I U 4 14 - 44-9 I I Im om 1111111111r 0 -rrrl-r — j~a I 6 r T obo I I I I J- -l.-. "'-d —dI-' ---1 —~~~ m -I- ---- ---------- Y06I0rr- 1~~.-. 1 -~c --- — -~~I III1I- IIIIIIIIII~~I- — l~L m IL.l. ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 579 - - ----- -- - -- ally are. The subject of this sketch forms one of the most worthy members of the craft, alnd has a proler understanding of his business in all its details. Ile is the owner of a good prol)erty,anld has always been able to maintain himself and his family in comfort. This fact, added to his reliable qualities of character anal his promptness in meeting his obligations, has made of him a highly respected citizen in Three Rivers and vicinity. He combines with his blacksmithing the business of a general machinist, and since his estallishment at this point has been tendered the generous patronage of its people. Mr. Thoma is a native of Germany, having been born in the Grand Duchy of Baden, Jan. 24, 1830. His father, Martin Thoma, was a miller by tra(le, and married a lady a native of his own Province. Andrew, like his brothers andl sisters, was placed in school at the age of six years, and pursued his studies until sixteen. When nine years old lie comnence(l learning the miller's trade, working every other night in the mill, and attending school by the day. This, however, was not entirely congenial to his tastes, and when eighteen years of age he abandoned it and began learning blacksmithilg. Upon reaching his majority he determined to emigrate to America. After landing in New York City lie proceeded westward to Toledo, Ohio, where he spent two years, and thence emigrated to White Pigeon, this county. lIe continued a resident of the latter place five years, working in a blacksmith-shop and at whatever else he could find to do, and practicing the most rigid economy in order to make both ends meet and save something besi(les. The genuine German thrift and prudence of Mr. Thoma met with their legitimate reward. He found friends wherever he went, and was seldom out of work. In the spring of 1862 he changed his residence to Lockport, and became an employe in a manufacturing shop. He remained with this firm a period of fifteen years, and upon his withdrawal established a blacksmith-shop of his own. Our subject was married, in 1 856, to Miss Hannah Schuler, then of White Pigeon. Mrs. Thoma is a native also of the Fatherland. Her parents died in St. Louis, Mo. Mr. and Mrs. Thoma became the parents of ten children, six sons and four daughters. The eldest of these, Carrie W., is the wife of George IHaun; Rachel is the wife of Joseph Leckner; Charles and William, twins; George tI. and Jennie J.; Mary is the wife of Arthur Hahn; John lives in Kalamazoo; Adam A. is engaged as a jeweler in Ottumwa, Iowa; Freddie died at the age of eighteen months. Mr. and Mrs. Thorna are members of the Reformed Church. They have a neat and comfortable residence, and Mr. Thoma owns his shopl with its equipments. He is regarded as a reliable citizen, and has many friends. 1U FGUSTUS II. IIENSENII()USE, a lumber dealer of many years experience, became a resident of Three Rivers in 1885, and in i6 the spring of 1887 formed a partnership with Fred II. Moss. They have since operated together under the firm name of Rensenhouse & Moss, and they are transacting a lucrative business, dealing also in wood and coal. The leading characteristics of the firm are the prompt attention to the wants of their patrons, their square dealings generally, and their value as members of the community. Mahoning County, Ohio, was the birthplace of our subject, and the date thereof Aug. 28, 1848. He was the third son and fifth child in a family of twelve, the offspring of Frederick and Caroline (Barron) Rensenhouse. The father was a man possessed of much mechanical genius, and for many years foreman of a blast furnace in Youngstown, Ohio, where he died in middle life, having been burned to death while at the furnace. The balance of the family left the Buckeye State about 1854, settling first on a tract of land in Allegan County, this State, where they lived for many years. The mother is still living at the old homestead in Allegan County. The first fifteen years of the life of our subject were spent in Youngstown, Ohio, where he attended the common school. Later he entered the nail department of the rolling-mill of Brown, Bonnell & Co., where he spent five years. Upon coming to Michigan he lived for a time with his mother's family in Allegan County, and later engaged in the lumber trade as the associate of Ira Chafee, at k. I 0,, III I I I'I'lpoll 11... 1110" j, pp*- - - *ON. I................ 4 I iIO 0 1 - i i i I I iI i I 4 1 L 580 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. m go& llllll1111111I-I 1-~ I 11 -I lr~ I~-LL I I Allegan, the county seat. This partnership continued until the removal of our subject to Three Rivers in 1885. Mr. Rensenhouse at the age of twenty years formed domestic and matrimonial ties, being married in 1868 to Miss Hattie Clarke, of Allegan, and they commenced the journey of life together in Allegan County. Mich. This lady was born April 8,1850, in Holland, and is the daughter of Adrian and Fanny Clarke, who are now still living in Allegan County. To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born four children: Cora, deceased; Grace, Glenn and Raymond. Mr. Rensenhouse votes the straight Democratic ticket, and in connection with his business interests is also the Grain Commissioner of St. Joseph County. Hie belongs to Lodge No. 80, at Three Rivers. itILLIAM A. AKEY, the twenty-one-yearold editor of the Centreville Times, is a n'ative of this place, and was born March 13, 1868. His parents were Alfred and Imogene (Allison) Akey, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of New York State. They came to this section about 1867, settling in Centreville, of which the elder Akey is now a prominent attorney. Our subject, the only son of his parents, was reared and educated in his native town, and after emerging from the public school entered the office of the Crusader, at the age of fourteen years, to learn the printer's trade. Four months later he became connected with the Republican office, remaining there two years. We next find him with the Sturgis Journal, and seven months afterward he was local editor of the White Pigeon Journal, conducting this seven months. In July, 1887, he took charge of the Centreville Times, of which he served as editor until Jan. 20, 1889, when he sold to Morten Walls, of White Pigeon. The Times was established in September, 1884, by Martin & Twitchell, and the latter two years later disposed of his interest in the business to his partner. It is Democratic in politics, and the aim of its editor is to furnish to the people of this county the current news in succinct and interesting style. MlANUEL M. GEORGE. The mercantile interests of Three Rivers have in nowise been is __ behind those of her sister cities, and present a fair showing in comparison with the other enterprises which have given the city her advanced position among the communities of the West. Among those who first established as a general merchant was Mr. George, who, after conducting a successful business a period of twenty years, retired upon a competency in 1884, and now occupies a comfortable and attractive home in the northern part of town. Pennsylvania, which has contributed so much of her best element for the development of the farther West, owns our subject as one of her sons, he having been born near Bellefonte, Center County, March 23, 1826. His parents, Jonas and Rebecca (HIettinger) George, lived there a number of years after their marriage, then removing to the vicinity of Bucyrus, Ohio, when their son Emanuel M. was a mere child, they settled on a farm, where they lived until he was a lad of twelve years. Thence they removed to Ashland, then Wayne County, wlereour subject attained to man's estate and learned the trade of carpenter. Mr. George then drifted to Seneca County, Ohio, where he met his fate in the person of Miss Mary Null, to whom he was married in 1849. They sojourned there until 1857, then came to Three Rivers, and Mr. George engaged in mercantile business until the outbreak of the Rebellion. He then went South in the employ of the Government as a mechanic, but six months later returned home after his wife, who accompanied him back to the South. He was now placed in charge as foreman of a gang of men employed in the building of hospitals, bridges, etc., remaining another six months. Upon returning again to Three Rivers Mr. George resumed merchandising, which he carried on successfully a period of eight years, and then traded his stock of goods for a farm of 200 acres, one and...,... I! i li l tI X In I.4" __- sbw- ~1~~ 111111 1" ~ —r ~ 111I~LC~ -~ I f ------------- — ~ --- -------- -- ----- -- -- ---------------------— —a ILL CIII11) ___ C-_ — I II — -— I - I -III -;I_, - I - I ~ I ~I I - L ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 581 one-half miles west of Three Rivers. In June, 1888, he opened a notion and variety store which is now located in Null's Block on St. Joseph street. He still retains possession of his farm, and has a good town residence, all his property being free from incumbrance. AIr. George began business with a limited capital, and even borrowed a pair of pantaloons to be married in. Ile is now independent, through his own unaided industry and perseverance. lie possesses considerable inventive genius, the result of which is an adjustable hinge for farm gaits and a self car-coupler, upon whicli he has taken out a patent. Iie also invented a device by which use any and all crank machinery overcomes the (lead centre. This latter invention, especially, is of great interest. To Mr. and Mrs. George there has been born one child only, who died in infancy. Mrs. G. was born in Union County, Pa., Feb. 22, 1827, and in 1844 removed with her parents to Sandusky County, Ohio. iHer parents were Jacob and Sarah (Baker) Null, who spent their last years in Union County, Pa., and St. Joseph County, Mich., respectively. I SAAC SCHIOONM1AKER, a well-to-do farmer of Park Township, the son of an honored pioneer of St. Joseph County, and in the enjoyment now of a fine property, may be termed most properly a self-made man. His father came to Michigan with very little means, but with the strong hands and resolute will which seldom fail of bringing success. Like him, our subject has been one of the most useful members of the community in which he has lived and labored so many years, and enjoys in a marked degree the esteem and confidence of the people around him. His property, in the shape of a fine farm of 140 acres, with modern improvements, is pleasantly located on section 20. Our subject was born in Park Township, Oct. 16, 1851, and is the son of Abraham and Cornelia (Tuttle) Schoonmaker, both natives of Ulster County, N.Y. There also they were reared and married, and thence emigrated to Michigan in 1837. The father purchased eighty acres of land in Park Township at $6.25 per acre, from which he cleared the timber at a time when his neighbors were few and far between. Ile and his excellent wife endured hardship and privation, together with the toil and anxiety common to those who were struggling to build up a homestead from the wilderness, with poor facilities for market, and the many inconveniences incident upon the absence not only of railroads, but every other means of speedy locomotion. Abraham Schoonmaker was an energetic and capable man, and became prominent in the affairs of his township, serving as Supervisor and Justice of the Peace for nearly twenty years, with credit to himself and in a manner satisfactory to the people around him. lie was kept in the office until declining its cares and responsibilities. Tle identified himself with the Presbyterian Church when it was established at Three Rivers, and during the remainder of his life contributed liberally and cheerfully to its support. In his death the county lost one of her best citizens and most public-spirited men. Iis decease took place Feb. 4, 1882. The wife and mother had passed to the better land the previous year, her death occurring Aug. 30, 1881. The parental household of our subject included seven children, four of whom are living, namely: Harvey, a resident of Park Township; Edward T., of Park Township; Rachel, widow of the late Scott Rankin, of Centreville, this State, and Isaac, of our sketch. The father, politically, was a stanch Democrat. and was familiarly known as "Old Squire Schoonmaker." He performed the marriage ceremony for many a couple in the pioneer days, and was the favorite of young and old, being of that cheerful temperament which made friends of all with whom he came in contact. Our subject was reared to manhood under the parental roof, pursuing his first studies in the dis trict school. Later he attended Hillsdale College, where lie prepared himself for the profession of a teacher, which lie followed for a period of fourteen winters in succession, and in the summer usually worked upon the farm. IIe was married, April 12, 1877, to Miss Martha Deats, also a native of this county, and the daughter of Grantum and Theresa (Mack) Deats, of Park Township. Of this union there was born one child, a daughter Mabel, April I-ow W IW - I fl............. - ----- 1-aft I-I- - I -~ *ON ii Ii I] r~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~. -—: — -- -,,-,- "' I " - I —11- --- -,,-I —, — -, --- —,,,, ---, -I ---- -~ ---. --- - ---—.- - 1 - -060 —, -im.-.* II II 582 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. - ~ -- — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ a i 17, 1881. Mr. Schoonmaker owns a one-third interest in 220 acres of land, where he lives and where he has carried on farming continuously for a period of fifteen years. Like his father before him, he is a stanch Democrat, politically, has served as School Inspector two terms in his district, and Township School Superintendent for three terms. He officiated as Township Clerk seven years in succession. Socially, he is a member in good standing of the F. & A. M., Lodge No. 206, at Moorepark, in which he is Master. June 25, 1888, he was appointed Postal Clerk on the Grand Rapids & Elkhart Railroad. ON. WARREN J. WILLITS, an ex-member of the Michigan State Senate, and now President of the Sheffield Velocipede Car Company, having its factory and headquarters at Three Rivers, is regarded as one of the most capable business men of the city. Ile is a native of this State, having been born in Cambria Township, lIillsdale County, Aug. 19, 1853. His father, Jonathan Willits, was twice married, his first wife being Laura Finley; she died a few years after their marriage, leaving a daughter, who is now the wife of John Tracy, of Jackson, Tenn. Some time afterward Mr. Willits was united in marriage with Ann E. Finley, a sister of his first wife. All were natives of Wayne County, N. Y. This latter union was blessed with several children, of whom, however, only two lived to maturity, our subject being the elder. Jonathan Willits was a farmer, pursuing that vocation in the State of New York for many years. Believing, however, that there was a better field for his labors in the young and growing State of Michigan, he at an early day emigrated to Hlillsdale County, where he tilled its primitive soil successfully. His first visit to Michigan was made in 1833, while it was a Territory, and two years later he made settlement in HIillsdale. There he remained until 1864, when he sold his farm and removed to Three Rivers, where he engaged in the manufacture of wooden pumps, conducting that business with reasonable success until 1877. He is now retired from active labor, but still makes his home in Three Rivers, an honored citizen, and in the enjoyment of a competence acquired by years of industry. He has never taken a very active part in public matters, but has been a member of the Town Council for several terms. When a youth his opportunities for education were limited, but his native shrewdness and close observation have made him a well-informed man. At the time of his parents' removal to Three Rivers, Warren J. Willits was but a boy of fourteen years. His life has since been spent within the limits of the city which he still calls home, and which is proud to own him as one of its best citizens. IHe began his business career as clerk in the feed store of V. B. Clark, with whom he remained two years. Subsequently he clerked in the postoffice under A. B. Ranney, and filled that position acceptably for a period of three years. Next as book-keeper he entered the employ of the Michigan Pump Company, with which he was connected four years. Having now accumulated some capital, Mr. Willets formed a partnership with his father, and they conducted the manufacture of pumps one year, when the business was merged into the firm of Willits & Webb, which partnership continued about five years. In 1879 our subject associated himself with George S. Sheffield, the inventor of what is called the railroad velocipede, and began the manufacture of the same in a small way under the firm name of George S. Sheffield & Co. They sold the first few machines manufactured to the Michigan Central Railroad, and the result of this was a growing demand, which compelled them to enlarge the capacity of their works, and conduct the business on a more extensive scale. Mr. Sheffield finally disposed of his interest therein in 1882, and a joint stock company was formed under the name of the "Sheffield Velocipede Car Company," the entire stock being owned by Warren J. Willits, E. B. Linsley and R. H. Webb. Mr. Willits is President, Mr. Linsley Secretary and Treasurer, and Mr. Wrebb Vice President. Shortly after the organization of the company, they began the manufacture of hand cars and push cars. Five years later they began put w~ F I woo - - --.- I I II, r, III M I: - 1llll~rr rr~s llrr~I I r -11111 --- —- ~- 1. I I ---, oiko —C~i i 1:P^ I Hz I -sh 4$ —~a4 —.I —P --- —— ~II —' —~- I 'B- /; o A ST. JOSEPH~ COUNTY. 583 1 ST. JOSEPh COUNTY. 583 ting out railroad stand pipes. The works are located in the southern part of the city, near the tracks of the Michioan Central and Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroads, which affords them admirable shipping facilities. The buildings have been greatly enlarged, and are substantial structures of brick and wood, comprising an area of about 60,000 square feet of floor space. The amount of business transacted by the company is indicated by the fact that they give employment at times to a force of 200 men. Their products are sold all through the United States, besides being shipped to foreign countries, including Australia. They frequently send out as many as 100 machines at one shipment. This is the leading industry of the county. A private office is finely fitted up and equipped with every convenience for the rapid transaction of business. Mr. Willits was married in 1876, at the age of twenty-three years, to Miss Addie E. Webb, of Three Rivers, who was born in Middlesex County, Conn., in 1853. Iler father, R. H. Webb, Esq., now a resident of Three Rivers, was also a native of that county, and came to Michigan about 1866. The maiden name of her mother was Adeline A. French, and Mrs. Willits was an only child. Of this union there have been born a daughter and son, Eleanor, in July, 1877, and Webb, in March, 1883. Mr. Willits and his wife are members of the English Lutheran Church in Three Rivers, of which he is both Treasurer and Trustee. IHe also takes a warm interest in the Sunday-school, which is the largest in St. Joseph County, and of which he is Superintendent. An upright man and a good citizen, Mr. Willits enjoys the confidence and esteem of all who know him. The First National Bank of Three Rivers numbers Mr. Willits among its Directors and stockholders. He uniformly votes the Republican ticket, and was elected by that party to the office of Town Clerk many years ago. lie was next made a member of the City Council, and in 1886, as the nominee of his party for the State Senate, was elected by a handsome majority. While in the Legislature he served on various important committees, one of them being Railroads, Roads and Bridges. lie was also a member and Chairman of the Agricultural College Committee, having in charge matters connected with the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane. IHe has distinguished himself all through his career as a liberal-minded and public-spirited citizen, warmly interested in all projects set on foot for the general welfare of the people. He began life dependent upon his own resources, and by the exercise of industry and perseverance has attained to a leading position among his fellowmen. lHe maintains there is always "room at the top" for every man who will sufficiently exert himself. HARLES E. SAB1N. This gentleman, a man of more than ordinary intelligence, is numbered among the fortunate few who possess a record of their ancestors for several generations back. The Sabin family is ancient in its settlement in the United States, the first representative, it is believed, having been one William Sabin, who first prominently appears at the organization of Rehoboth, Mass., in 1643. Tradition says he came from Wales, where he had found a refuge in flight as a HLiuguenot from France. He was a man of wealth and culture, also very benevolent, as is shown in the records of the States, giving of his substance to those who suffered from the ravages of the Indians. le was a leading spirit in the Rehoboth schools and the church affairs of Plymouth. Who his first wife was is not known, but she died soon after 1660, and he was married to Martha, daughter of James Allen. Ile was the father of twenty children. His will was probated in Boston, July 17, 1687, during the administration of Gov. Andrews, and is still on file among the State records. The subject of this sketclh, now a resident and drluggist of Centreville, is a direct descendant of William Sabin, as shown by the genealogy of the family. He was born in Orland, Steuben Co., Ind., June 6, 1838, and is the son of Elihu and Lucy (Eaton) Sabin, the father a native of Vermont, and the mother of Massachusetts. The parents, after the birth of our subject, lived in Indiana, and spent their last years in Orland, that State. Charles E. was reared in his native county, and a. -- - imr —Iqgw — -- -- — ll~l~ ~, -L I* rC"-~LII —..... -- --- -— __ __~ __ ____ _______ _ I o-o 584 vF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. after emerging from the district school entered the academy at Orland, where he completed his studies. Thereafter he employed himself at clerking in a store until the outbreak of the Rebellion. Imbued with the patriotism of his forefathers, who had been in a marked degree the upholders of liberty and justice, he proffered his services to his country, enlisting in Company A. 29th Indiana Infantry, giving a service of nearly three years. His regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, and operated mostly in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Mr. Sabin within a year after enlistment was promoted to the post of Hospital Steward, and met the enemy at the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Stone River, Chickamauga, and in other desperate en(gagements. He escaped wounds and impri-onment, but on the 1st of January, 1864, received a severe fall on the ice at Stevenson, Ala., from which his right leg suffered permanent injury. He remained in the army, however, until September, 1864, and then, on account of an affection of the eyes, was obliged to accept his honorable discharge. Later his injured limb began troubling himn, and he was obliged to have an amputation )erformed in February, 1883. After leaving the service Mr. Sabin returned to his native town, where he was employed as clerk in a dry-goods store. Later he migrated to Edgerton, Ohio, remaining there, however, only a short time. Thence he came to Centreville, this county, in February, 1870, and in September following engaged in mercantile business at Nottawa, which he conducted until 1879. In the meantime lie had officiated as Postmaster of that place, from January, 1871, until the time of his removal. In the spring of 1871 he was elected Justice of the Peace, and served continuously as such (being reelected in 1876) until March, 1879, when he removed to Franklin County. Neb., in hopes that a change of climate might be a benefit to his health. In November, 1879, he returned to Edgerton, Ohio, and engaged in dairying, and the manufacturing of cheese one season. Subsequently he resumed mercantile business in that place. Hle returned to Michigan in October, 1883, locating in Centreville, of which he has since been a resident. He soon established a drug business, in which he is at pres ent engaged. He carries a full line of drugs, medicines, paints, oils, books and stationery, wall papers, notions and family groceries. His capital stock is $3,000, and his annual sales aggregate about $5,500. His courteous dealing and promptness in meeting his obligations have secured for him the esteem and confidence of his many patrons, and he occupies a good position in both social and business circles. Mr. Sabin votes the straight Republican ticket, and is a member of the G. A. R. He has officiated as Town Treasurer two years, and has held the office of Clerk since the spring of 1888. He is also the Assessor of his school district. He was married in Edgerton, Ohio, Feb. 24, 1869, to Miss Aurelia A. Long, a native of Ohio, and who was born Sept. 12, 1848. Mrs. Sabin is the daughter of George and Anna (Backus) Long, who were natives respectively of France and Maryland, and both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. S. are the parents of three children-Frank A., Harry C. and Clara A. Mr. Sabin identified himself with the Masonic fraternity in 1867, and is a member in good standing of the Dutch Reformed Church. "I lop I i i 1 i I TI OS C. WOLF came to this county in May, 1833, a little pioneer four years of age, accompanied by his parents. His father, Ajd John Wolf, of whom ample mention is made elsewhere in this volume, settled on section 27, in Lockport Township, taking up a tract of wild land, from which he constructed a comfortable homestead, where he spent the remainder of his days. He was born in Columbia County, Pa., Nov. 17, 1794, and died at tile age of fifty-six years. The mother of our subject, Mrs. Barbara Ann (Drescher) Wolf, also a native of Pennsylvania, survived her husband a number of years, and died at the old homestead in Lockport Township, at the age of seventy-four. John Wolf was greatly prospered in his Western venture, and in time became the proprietor of 800 broad acres lying on sections 27 and 22, the whole of which he brought to a good state of cultivation. His energy and industry were proverbial, his honesty and integrity unimpeacha-! J -- I I: _L -L w-~ I -40 __~ I obo-~ I r f --- —----------------— I... I- ~I — ~C~~I~-~I I11 ~ IT ~ ~ ---gI~C —~-~r~-CI II~I I,-~~II b i, 585 m STI. JOSEPHIF- COUNTY. *: ~~~~~~S. JOEP CONY 8 ble. Iis life and labors had a distinct bearing upon the development and prosperity of St. Joseph County. The parental household of our subject included ten children, all of whom, with the exception of one boy, Stephen, grew to mature years, presenting one of the finest families in this region, and representing the high qualities handed down to them from a noble ancestry. Amos C., our subject, was born in the village of Mifflin, Columbia Co., Pa., Nov. 1, 1829, and was the eighth child of the family; Samuel, the eldest, died at the homestead when twenty-one years of age; Stephen, already spoken of, died at the age of eleven years; he was the second child. Josiah is a well-to-do farmer of Florence Township, and is written of elsewhere in this volume; Catherine, Mrs. Isaac Fort, died at Lockport when forty-two years old; Daniel F. died in Centreville at the age of sixty-two; John F. is a resident of Lockport; Aaron died at the old homestead when eighteen years old; Mary Ann became the wife of David Antes, and died in Lockport when forty-three years old; Thomas B. is a resident of Lockport Township. The subject of this sketch acquired his education in the common schools of Lockport Townslhip, and has been a tiller of the soil the greater part of his life. His property comprises his father's homestead, embracing 320 acres of valuable land. About 1865, withdrawing somewhat from the active labors of farm life, he became interested in other enterprises, and is now one of the principal stockholders in that popular institution at Centreville widely and favorably known as the A. C. Wolf & Bros.' Bank. This was established in March, 1881, and receives the patronage of the substantial business men of this part of the county. When a young man of twenty-four years Mr. Wolf assumed the more serious responsibilities of life by his marriage, Oct. 5, 1853, to Miss Marietta, daughter of Garrett and Elsie (Garrison) Sickles. Her parents were natives of Yates County, N. Y., and she was their third child. She was born there Feb. 28, 1830, and when an infant of seven months was brought by her parents to this county, her father taking up the second farm west of Three Rivers. The parents spent their last years in Fa bius Township, the father dying in 1865 and the mother in 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf became the parents of one child only, a son, George T., born Sept. 8, 1854. He was given an excellent education, completing his studies in the Commercial College at Kalamazoo. lie was married, Nov. 29, 1882, to Miss Amanda, daughter of Robert McClinley, a native of Scotland. George T. Wolf has been quite prominent in local affairs, and gives promise of a worthy and honorable career. Mr. Wolf during his early manhood identified himself with the Democratic party. After the war the Greenback question claimed his attention and sympathies, and as the candidate for this party he was elected County Treasurer in 1878. IIe has also served as Highway Commissioner a number of years, and in all the relations of life, whether public or private, has maintained the reputation of the dignified and law-abiding citizen, giving his encouragement and support to those enterprises best calculated to advance the interests of the community, socially, morally and intellectually. Mrs. Wolf, a lady held in high esteem, is a member in good standing of the Reformed Church at Centreville. 1Her paternal grandfather, Garrett Sickles, (lid good service in the American Army as a soldier during the Revolutionary War. An ENRY B. SMITH, late a successful business l] man and prominent citizen of Three Rivers. ' was born in Seneca County, N. Y., and was *,t)) the second son of Rogers Smith. Iis childhood was spent in his native county, and in coming to the West a few years later lie was accompanied by his brother-in-law, John N. Wheeler, who settled in this county, where our subject was reared to man's estate. lie became interested in farming pursuits and located in Kalamazoo County, where he dealt extensively in live stock, buying and shipping. In 1870 he came to Three Rivers, and began dealing in grain largely in the interest of Kalamazoo firms. Upon coming to this county Mr. Smith was soon actively identified with its business interests, and [ } _loo I I! ~"A"_-l t - L-. 1~~~~~~~II~~~ C~~__ __ _ ~ C X~ II II ~ _I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~l~~t-l-~~~~~L -~~~~ II ~ I~~~~ t II-.do I *v II I i i i I -1 - III 11 11 1 * -,C ~~ - c — i -l'o-mom 11 — 1 —~-11,c 586 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY was one of the principal movers in the organization of the Farmers' Bank of Three Rivers, becoming a stockholder and director, which position he held until the time of his death, in the spring of 1876. Ile was married, in 1853, to Miss Maria, second daughter and fifth child of Charles and Mary Macomber. Of this union there are 'two sons living, twins, Henry B. and Frank B. One child died in infancy. Mr. Smith, politically, was an active Republican, and financially, a successful business man, leaving a large estate in lands and money. After his death Mrs. Smith purchased what is now known as the Henry Dickerson residence, a handsome two-story brick, one of the most desirable dwellings in the city. Immediately opposite is another fine brick residence belonging to the Smith estate. Mrs. S. was born in Genesee County, N. Y., and removed with her parents to Michigan when twelve years old. Besides the property already mentioned, she has a good farm just across the line in Kalamazoo County, and the two sons own a valuable tract of improved land in Cass County, which they are operating to excellent advantage. X F- R. DARIUS C. GEE. Three Rivers has ) no reason to be ashamed of her professional ~~ men, and as connected with the practice of medicine, the gentleman whose name prefaces this sketch occupies a good position among his brethren. Ile is a native of this State, having been born at Ann Arbor, April 11, 1829. His parents were Benjamin and Sarah (Cross) Gee, the father a native of Vermont, and the mother of Genesee County,;N. Y. The elder Gee left New England early in life, and was married in the Empire State. Thence he migrated to Michigan Territory as early as 1826, eleven years before it was admitted to the Union as a State. Ann Arbor at the time Benjamin Gee came to this section of country was but a small village of a few illy constructed houses. The family lived there ten years, and in 1836 came to this county, locating in Centreville, also at that time but the beginning of a town, where the father pursued his trade of mason and plasterer. IIe lived thirtyseven years thereafter, his death taking place in 1873, when he was quite well advanced in years. The mother survived her husband a number of years, her death taking place in Nottawa Township, in October, 1887, when she was probably seventysix years old. To the parents of our subject there were born eleven children, six sons and five daughters, seven of whom grew to mature years, and five are still living. Of these, Darius C., our subject, was the second born. Ile was a mere child when coming to this county, and his early education was conducted in the schools of Centreville. When reaching man's estate lie decided to adopt the medical professi'on, and accordingly entered the office of his paternal uncle, R. S. Gee, under whose instruction he read medicine, and then took a course of lectures in the Homeopathic Medical College, at Cleveland, Ohio. When the course was ended he returned to Centreville, where he entered upon the practice of his profession, and in consequence of close attention to business, accumulated a comfortable property, and still continues in the enjoyment of a good patronage. In years gone by Dr. Gee has taken a great delight in hunting the game which abounded in this country in the early days, deer, bear and antelope, and in Kansas the buffalo and wild turkey. The Doctor when but a boy took his first lessons in the art of killing the deer from Columbia Lancaster, one of the founders of Centreville and President of the Red Dog Bank, one of those wild cat banks that were scattered over the country in an early day. The Doctor has a fine collection of birds in his office, also buffalo horns, deer heads, etc., that succombed to his unerring aim. The writer saw in his possession a flint which he procured at Three Rivers, Mich., which measured twelve and one-fourth inches in length and five and threefourth inches in width, being flat and oval in shape. Dr. Geeltook unto himself a wife and helpmate Jan. 23, 1853, Miss Henrietta Powers, of Nottawa, this county. Mrs. Gee was born Sept. 21, 1835, and died Nov. 23, 1874, in Wasepi, this township. She was the daughter of Henry and Almina (Fields) Powers, who were natives of Vermont, and spent _ _ --- - --- --- - 4 ---- --- 11 ----—, --- — - ---- — 1 --- —--— 4MONIM 7 — -— ~ ---a~ —rpl~)-~* ~- ~ R ~" -.,.... r ,Now — Iq- _liI --- I e b Im CI ko.r~C k:ST. JOSEPH COUN~TY. 587 -T. JOSEPH COUNTY. 587 - -~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ their last years in St. Joseph County. lenry Powers built the first hotel in Nottawa Township. To the I)octor and Mrs. Gee there have been born five children, only three of whom are living. Mary M. is the wife of Joseph Koche, and a resident of Tennessee; to them four children were born: Harry died in infancy; Maud, born Sept. 10, 1875; an infant deceased; Charley, born June 12, 1885. Festus A. is a resident of Corinth, Iowa; Charlie M. continues at home with his parents. The D)octor is a member of the Board of Health of Nottawa Township, and a citizen of note in his community. S)EORGE W. GILLISPIE. Among the peace{Il ^- able and law-abiding citizens, who have pursued the even tenor of their way, making comparatively little stir in the world, but performing life's duties in a faithful and praiseworthy manner, the subject of this sketch is most worthily numbered. I-e has followed carpentering nearly all his life since reaching mature years, with the exception of six years spent as a dealer in dour and feed. Hie is a skilled workman, and the city of Three Rivers and vicinity, where he has operated for nearly forty years, bears evidence in many substantial structures of the ingenious work of his hands. The State of Pennsylvania, which has contributed so many of her sons for the development of the G reat West, contained tle early home of our subject, he having been born near the town of Milton, in Northumberland County, March 12, 1822. His father, 1)aniel Gillispie, was also a native of that State, and married Miss Anna Emery, who was born in New Jersey. The former followed agricultural pursuits, but was cut down in the prime of life, dying when his son George W. was a mere boy. By the death of his father our subject was thrown upon his own resources at a tender age, and was taken into the home of a farmer of his native county, with whom he remained until a lad of fourteen years. He was the second child of the family, which consisted of two sons and three daughters, four of whom survive. The eldest, William, died in D)e:Xember, 1887, at his home. George W. served the regular apprenticeship of three years at the cabinet-maker's trade, which lie followed continuously for thirteen years. In the meantime he was married, in his native county, July 20, 1841, to Miss Sarah Newman, who was a native of Union County, Pa., and the daughter of John Newman. Mr. and Mrs. Gillispie spent the first years of their wedded life in their native State, but in the spring of 1849, bidding adieu to the friends and associations of their youth, migrated westward to this county. Locating in Three Rivers, our subject employed hlimself a year at cabinet-making, then began working as a carpenter, and followed this continually until 1874, in which year he embarked in the flour and feed business. Upon retiring from this lie began the manufacture of the arm lock spring bed machines, for E. A. Jones, to which business he devotes the greater part of his time. Ilis family consists of himself and wife only, their only daughter, Mary C., having died at the age of nine years. Our subject and his excellent wife are members in good standing of tile Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. G. is a Trustee, and to which he has given, according to his means, liberal and cheerful support. Socially, lie belongs to Lodge No. 57, A.. F.& A. AM.. and also to the Chapter at Three Rivers. Ile cares little about official honors, having served only as a Councilman of the city. IjEORGE W. FULKERSON. The subject of l {( 7 this writing is among the most valued citizens the county possesses. He is making his chief business the cultivation of 220 acres of land on sections 27 and 28, and his intimate knowledge of his calling in the same is worthy of mention in any volume treating of the county. He came to this county in the spring of 1865, locating in Lockport Township, where he has been a continuous resident. The ancestry of an individual is next in importance to his own personality, and can never properly be omitted from the record of his life. Our subject comes from an old Pennsylvania stock, his parents having been John and Lydia (Snyder) Fulkerson, F-40 r l WV",- m - "of.- I Ir * A b- w I I [ r C/eC -1 ---- ------ -- --- --- ------ ------------ ---- ---------------— ~ —~! Il~IIIII " __,q __ l IC C I-II CII1)5 -- ~r — ~ I- -c-"9~~~~ 'I ' 588 '4W1" ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. natives of Northumberland County. Upon leaving their native State John Fulkerson and family removed to Summit County, Ohio, which'place they made their home until the death of their father, Aug. 24, 1863. The mother then came to this county and made her home with her son, our subject, until her demise, Sept. 19, 1887. The parental family included twelve children, of whom our subject was the youngest in order of birth. IIe first saw the light in Summit County, Feb. 16, 1841. IHe spent his early days in the above-named county, occupied with the sports and pastimes incident to childhood, and gradually taking his place amid the sterner duties of youth and young manhlood. Mingling with the exercises of the school-house were those which could be intrusted to him in connection with farming, until, almost unconsciously to himself, he was ready to take his place as an able worker in any department thereof. He remained at home until the deathl of his father, with the exception of one and one-half years, and always lent a willing land toward lightening the many duties devolving upon his father. The farm of our subject was embellished with all the necessary buildings and machinery used by the modern agriculturist. George WV. Fulkerson and Miss Nancy DeIIaven, daughter of John and Nancy (McKnight) )ellaven, were united in marriage May 26, 1864. This event took place in New Bedford, Pa. The parents of Mrs. Fulkerson were born, the father Sept. 13, 1793, and the mother Sept. 20, 1799. They also settled in Summit County, Ohio, remaining there until their death, that of the father taking place in March, 1875, and the mother Feb. 10, 1857. Mr. and Mrs. I)elaven became the parents of twelve children, of whom Mrs. F. was the youngest but one. She hailed from the same State and county as our subject, July 16, 1840, having been the date of her birth. Our subject and his wife are the proud parents of a daughter, Olie A., who is the wife of C. A. Howard, of Constantine; and a son, Clark B., who resides at home with his parents. Our subject takes great interest in the political situation, and casts his vote upon the side of the Union Labor party. HIe has held the office of Justice of the Peace for three years, and discharged all duties of that office in a highly satisfactory manner. Iis wife is a member and regular attendant of the Presbyterian Church. Both Mr. and Mrs. Fulkerson are known and respected by everybody, and no more hospitable home than theirs may be found in this region. A man of sterling integrity and sound business principles, the word of our subject is considered as good as his bond, and his name will be remembered with gratitude long after he has been gathered to his fathers. In 1862 and 1863 our subject belonged to Company II, of the Ohio Militia, under Capt. Stall. f OSEA BURCH. As a worthy representaftive of the pioneer element of this county, a man who came to it in his boyhood and has steadily clung to the State of his adoption, the gentleman whose name heads this sketch is worthy of ample recognition. A self-made man in the strictest sense of the word, he was thrown upon his own resources early in life, learning selfreliance and independence of character, and at the same time learned the important lesson that honesty is the best policy, and uprightness the surest safeguard in all relations of life. Mr. Burch has had an ample experience in the business walks of life, and has made the most of his opportunities, keeping his eyes open to what was going on around him, and learning things of more practical value oftentimes than classical book knowledge. At present he is conducting one of the most flourishing livery, sale and feed stables within the limits of Three Rivers. Such has been his deportment among his business associates and in the community at large, that he is a man invariably well spoken of, and thus enjoys a generous patronage from the best class of people in Three Rivers and vicinity. Washington County, N. Y., was the childhood home of our subject, and where his birth took place in the town of IHebron, Aug. 17, 1828; Ilis father, Peter Burch, was a native of the same State, and a farmer by occupation. The mother was in her girlhood Miss Anna Scott, and she i 11 j Ii I i i I 1 i I I I I I i I i I p% 1 I..i.. W -I IF ~r"~ I~r,, - I ~~~~C 1 ----~I I~~~~~zre 31 - = I - -~~~~~~~ II 1 I bo - I-. + V —. s,. j L j F I w 010-gr -r IC i:::;".. I 1111111 _-16_.___,- 1._____ STI. JOSEPH'E COUNTY. 589 ST. JOS.~ h COUNTY. 589 passed away when her son Hosea was a mere infant. H-e thus remembers nothing of a mother's care. When a lad of nine years he came to Michigan, accompaniec by R. W. Chamberlin, stopping first with him in Jackson, Jackson County, where he lived until reaching manhood. Soon afterward we find him in Lapeer County, where he spent three years, in the town of Elba. During his sojourn there he formed the acquaintance of Miss Ellen Stone, who became his wife Jan. 1, 1851. This lady was a native of Canada, and the daughlter of Samuel and Demantha (Knowlton) Stone, her father a man of note in his community and of good family. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Burch took up their abode in this county, and our subject entered the employ of the Michigan Southern Railroad Company, his duties lying on the St. Joseph Valley Branch, he making his headquarters at Three Rivers, and holding the position eighteen months. Later he engaged in the grocery business in the same place, but disposed of his interests there in 1855. In February of that year began his first experience in the livery business, which lie conducted successfully until 1863. The Civil War being now in progress, Mr. Burch sold his interest in the above-mentioned enterprise, and enlisted as a Union soldier in Company 1I, 28th Michigan Infantry. I-e was made First Lieutenant upon the organization of the company, which was assigned to the 23d Army Corps, then at Nashville, Tenn. From this place they were ordered to Washington, I). C., and thence later were sent to Wilmington, N. C. Iere began their first serious encounter with the enemy, they figlltiiig their way through the State from Raleigh to Goldsboro, under the command of Gen. Sherman. In 1865 Lieut. Burch resigned his commission, and returned home, after which he resumed business as a liveryman, purchasing new stock and the old stand which he had formerly occupied, and where we still find him. The stables and general outfit of which Mr. Burch is the proprietor comprise a well-assorted selection of horses and road vehicles of all kinds, and the enterprise has yielded him handsome returns. lie has put up a fine residence near his place of business, a two-story brick house on Penn street, which, with its surroundings, forms a most pleasant and attractive home. His fireside has been brightened by the birth of four children, the eldest of whom, a son, Frank W., lives at Beulah, Kan.; Emmra L. is the wife of E. B. Linsley, of the Sheffield Car Company, at Three Rivers; Charles W. resides at Three Rivers, and Fannie is the wife of Robert II. Green, member of the firm of Hartman & Green, of Three Rivers. Mr. Burch is a man who has a peculiar faculty of attending to his own concerns, meddling little with politics, although he has decided views, and gives Ills support to the principles of the Democratic party. lie has served as Village Trustee, and occupied tile same position in connection with the Three Rivers Cemetery for the past ten years, ITe was a charter member of Excelsior Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., Three Rivers, belongs to the Encampment, and is also a Mason in good standing. -ltIHOMAS B. WOLF. Nothing is more deliightful than to traverse the agricultural dis\i tricts during the harvest season, and note the thrift and industry of a majority of its people. From the abundance of its products may be safely argue(1 the character of the inhabitants, for the soil, however rich in its natural resources, must be judiciously tended, or man's expectations will come to naught. Prominent among the skilled farmers of this region imay be properly named the subject of this sketch, who has been liberally endowed with the qualities which have insured his success, both as a tiller of the soil, a business man, and a member of tile community. Our subject traces his birthplace to Columbia County, Pa., where he first opened his eyes to the light May 1, 1832. He did not live there long enough, however, to have fastened upon his mind any recollections of his surroundings, for when a child two years of age he was brought by his parents to this county. The father settled on a tract of liand in Lockport Township, where he opened up a good farm, and where the boyhood of Thomas B. was spent in attendance at the common school, and iI I i I I L ff,t -._ 400-1I am~~~~~~~~~_ -~~ --- —-— ~-~ --- —-~ --- —~ --- —--— ~I —~ __ 114. i i ---" --- —- I --- — -------- - — ---` ---- *po-.m LI. IF I 46 1~ 590 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. — ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in assisting his parents as his strength and knowledge permitted. He remained under the parental roof until the death of his father, being then a youth of nineteen years. Soon afterward he and his brother Amos assumed the management of the homestead, which at this time comprised 250 acres on section 27. The brothers operated in partnership five years, and then Thomas B. disposed of his interest in the property to Amos. The two then purchased together 160 acres on section 34, Lockport Township, after which another brother purchased the interest of Amos in this 160 acres, only twenty-two of which had been brought to a state of cultivation. Thomas B. and A. C. improved together the balance of this land, and our subject remained upon it for a term of ten years. lie then sold forty acres to his brother John, and traded the remaining 120 to his brother Daniel for eighty acres on section 35. From this latter he constructed a good homestead, where he has since lived. The 22d of March, 1854, witnessed the marriage of our subject with Miss Charlotte Klock. This lady was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., Sept. 14, 1829, and is the daughlter of Cornelius and Elizabeth (Right) (Fox) Klock, who were natives of Montgomery, N. Y., an(l who spent their entire lives in the Empire State. Her father was a native of Montgomery County, where lie followed farming, and (lied at the age of seventy-three years. The motler had preceded her husband to the silent land in middle age, wlien forty-five years old. Mrs. Wolf came to Michigan when a young girl of fifteen years, in company with her sister Catherine, Mrs. Yauney, who is living in Centreville at the age of seventy-three. She was the sixth child of the parental household, which numbered nine children, six of whom grew to m-ature years. The survivors make their homes mostly in Centreville and vicinity. To Mr. and Mrs. Wolf there was born one child only, a daughter. Carrie A., March 29, 1862. She was given a good practical education in the common schools of Lockport and Centreville, and is now the wife of E. E. Wilcox, of Lockport; they were married Nov. 23, 1887. Mr. Wolf has mostly affiliated with thle Democratic party, although being somewhat conservative in his ideas, and giving his support to the men whom he considers best qualified for office. In addition to his farming operations he has found that the feeding and shipping of stock is a profitable industry, and followed this about twenty years, finding a rea(ly market at Chicago, Albany and Buffalo. Mrs. Wolf, a very estimable lady, is a member of the Reformed Church. Mr. W. is a member of the A. F. & A. M., at Centreville. -~~s *a^ ---~~te~~-== EE 0. MILLER, a dentist commanding a lucrative practice in Three Rivers, and occupying a good position in its business and social circles, is a native of tie State of Indiana, and was born in St. Joseph County, May 1, 1849. His parents, Adam and Mercy A. (Mead) Miller, were natives respectively of Ohio and Indiana, and are now living in St. Joseph County, the latter State. The father is a farmer by occupation, and the parental family consisted of eight children, of whom our subject was the fifth in order of birth. There were two daughlters and six sons, and of these four are now living. Tlie boyhood days of Mr. Miller were spent upon the farm, and he conned his early lessons in the district school. Later he became a student in the Northwestern University of Indianapolis, and soon after leaving this institution entered the college at Eureka, Ill., where he took a two-years course. ile was then obliged to abandon his studies on account of failing health, and as soon as able engaged in farming. In the midst of this employment he became stout and hearty, but his tastes inclined to a professional career, and he made up his mind to prepare himself for the practice of dentistry. With this end in view Mr. Miller entered the office of S. nM. Cummins, of Elkliart, Ind., where lie was thoroughly initiated into the intricacies of this important calling. Ile selected Three Rivers for the scene of his future operations, opened an office, and soon found himself sufficiently busy. lIe has a practical knowledge of dentistry, and his office is properly fitted up with all the appliances necessary for the execution of first-class work. ' I L — 3b..-F-~ k-~. - p s Om -I 1 - I WLL~-gCrg Mww -'- I.'-~~- -~ is I-L-l IIL- 7~ -I /I ST1. JOSEPHt COUNTIY. 591 i ST._JOSE~h OUNTY. 591 I-e keeps himself well posted upon the latest inventions and contrivances in connection with the profession, and a short time since purchased an electric vibrator-a new departure in the practice of dentistry for the extraction of teeth without pain. This shock to the system, which is dreaded by most people, is, with the use of this invention, greatly alleviated, comprising a vast improvement on the old system. Dr. Miller, on the 23d of D)ecember, 1880, was united in marriage with Miss S. Clara Thorp, daughter of Joln Thorp, Esq., of Three Rivers. Mrs. Miller was born Jan. 17, 1856. lier marriage with our sulject hlas resulted in the birth of one child, a son, tJasper Allen. Dr. Miller is a favorite in the social and business circles of his community. AMUEL A. FITCH, a veteran of seventyseven years, and one of the best known and most highly respected residents of Lockport Township, is the owner of 483 acres of valuable land, but makes his home mostly with his chillren, who are also located in this township. A native of Mahoning County, Ohio, he was born Oct. 18, 1811, and came with his parents to Michigan Territory in 1830. His father, Charles B. Fitch, a man of property, located first 500 acres of land on Pigeon Prairie, a part of which he improved, and of which he retained possession only about two years. Then selling out to different parties, he came in the fall of 1832 to Lockport Township, and traded an 80 -acre tract of land on Pigeon Prairie for a half-interest in a mill site, together with 157 acres adjoining on section 31 in Lockport Township. Here he erected a sawmill, with a run of stone for grinding wheat, which enterprise proved a very profitable investment. After a time he added 203 acres to his realestate possessions, and occupied this property a period of about ten years. About 1842 Samuel A. Fitch, our subject, purchased the greater amount of land in Lockport Township owned by his father, and the latter removed to Bremer County, Iowa, where he lived two or three years, and then changed the scene of his operations to Chicago, Ill. In this latter city he and his excellent wife spent the remainder of their (lays. The father of our subject had been a very prominent man in his day, a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and who kept himself well posted upon current events. In Seneca and Sandusky Counties, Ohio, he filled the office of District Judge, and was also Judge after becoming a resident of this county. The parental household included twelve children, five sons and seven daughters, of whom -Samuel A. was the sixth in order of birth. Further facts in relation to the career of Charles B. Fitch must properly be Inentioned. lie was born in Litchfield, Conn., in 1780, where lie was reared to manhood, and married Miss Harriet Bissel. Up to this time he had been engaged since a youth in farming pursuits. I-e removed first to Trumbull County, Ohio, and later to Mahoning County, where he engaged in farming. Later he changed his residence to Sandusky County, and then embarked as a sailor on the lakes, following the water a period of three years'and becoming Captain of a vessel. Farming pursuits, however, suited him better, and when resuming life upon terra firma he settled near Tiffin, Seneca Co., Ohio, of which he was a resident six years and until 1830, when he migrated to Michigan with his family, during its Territorial days. During his early manhood and before the removal to Ohio, he shouldered his musket in the War of 1812, and later was on the frontier supplying the army with provisions. In whatever capacity he was called to fill lie preserved the same energy of character which made of his life a more than ordinary success. The subject of this sketch was reared to man's estate at the homestead in this county, acquiring an education common to the young men of these days. The ambition of those young men was usually the worthy one of seeking to establish a home of their own early in life, and our subject when twenty-six years old proved no exception to the rule, and was united in marriage with the maiden of his choice, Miss Catherine R., daughter of Samuel Reemsnyder. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and came to Michigan at an early day, where the father farmed in pioneer style, meeting with the usual results of perseverance and industry, and i i i I@ I __. *0-i* -: M I tllll~ m - - f II A 24:.7 I - -7" 592 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I - -- I I-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ passed away at the age of sixty-seven years Of Mrs. Fitch's union with our subject there were five children, of whom but two are living. One son, Samuel, (lied when a promising young man of twenty-two years, of heart disease, while serving as a soldier in the Union Army; the second child died in infancy unnamed; Edward H. was taken from the household circle when a little lad eight years of age. The survivors are: Milton B., who married Miss Susan Caseman; he occupies a good farm on section 31, in Lockport Township, and is the father of three children. Franklin N. married Miss Alice Tackelberry; they have four children. AMIUEL P. AI)AMS, a pioneer of '35, when coming first to this county located on a farm in Flowerfield Township, where he spent two years. In 1856 lie changed his residence to the suburbs of Three Rivers, purchasing forty acres of land, a part of which now lies in the corporate limits, and is valuable property. ITe is now practically retired from active labor, is a man of nmeans, and able to live at his ease. HTe owns a farm of 240 acres in Flowerfield Township, and 220 acres in Fabius Township, besides his present home. lie still superintends the operations of his farm, which is largely devoted to stock-raising. The farm of Mr. Adams in Fabius Township lies along the banks of Clear Lake, now a popular resort for fishing parties. This lake is fifty feet above the level of Three Rivers, and the water is of the quality indicated by its name, fed by springs which threw up in summer time a liquid nearly as cold as ice water. Mr. Adams may properly be named among the self-made men of St. Joseph County, for he commenced in life with no other means than his own resources, and has gradually made his way up to a good position, socially and financially. His family consists of himself and his estimable wife, they having no children. The childhood home of Mr. Adams was in the vicinity of Rochester, Monroe Co., N. Y., where he was born July 15, 1823. His father, Dr. John Adams, was a noted physician and surgeon, and rmarried Miss Sarah Porter, who, like himself, was a native of Berkshire, Mass. The family is an old and highly respected one, of English extraction, and was first represented on this side of the Atlantic probably during the Colonial days. The parents of our subject after their marriage, leaving New England, settled in Henrietta, N. Y., but two years later removed to Lyons, in Wayne County, where the father followed the practice of his profession many years, and where he spent his declining years; the mother is also deceased. The parental household included four children, of whom Samuel P., our subject, was the eldest born. lIe attended the common schools at Lyons, and later became a clerk in a general store, which occupation he followed about four years. After this he engaged as a contractor for canals, railroads, bridges, and other public works, until making up his mind to settle in the farther West. He was married in Newark, N. Y., in 1857, to Senesa, daughter of Liberty and Lucy Straw; she was born in New York in 1831. yz@v- - I 0 4^))4^ o — y E' LIAS R. WILLEMIN. From the Keystone State there have emanated some of the most ~? slsubstantial men of the West. Within her borders the subject of this sketch was born, in Union County. Oct. 8, 1818. His first recollections are of the modest homestead in the township of Union, Pa., where he was reared amid the simple pursuits of farm life, and obtained his education in the common school. In the spring of 1840, when a young man of twenty-two years, he removed with his parents to Indiana, and remained a member of his father's household until the death of the latter, which occurred in 1844. Two yearslater, Elias R., starting out for himself, commenced farming in Indiana, but in the fall of that year determined to seek his fortunes on the soil of Michigan. The month of November found him located in the vicinity of Moorepark, Park Township, upon a rented farm belonging to E. S. Moore, and which he operated two years. He then removed to the farm of his uncle, George Hill, conducting this also two years. In November of 1850 our subject purchased of Benjamin Gould, of Utica, N. Y., eighty acres of wild land one mile south of Moorepark. This i i I 1 - Md - 9" _o-1 V ~_ ~ II I --- —h -- II~~~~~~~I r Irrrr z Ilr~~~~~~~ 9 -AM" _ I rcl 40P.Sr,r, -- ~~- -- r ~ -~ k~ I~ I IIIr I~ I 1 l1-L Im -e!i S. JOSEPII COUNTY. L 593 A I property lie improved, and later traded for his present farm, which now embraces 210 acres on sections 6, 3 and 1, of Lockport, Fabius and Florence Townships, respectively. Later Mr. Willemin added to his real estate by the purchase of forty acres, and now has a fine body of land 250 acres in extent. Here lie has been very successful in his operations as a tiller of the soil, and has gathered about him the modern conveniences and improvements essential to the prosperity of the agriculturist of to-day. His buildings are substantial, while his farm machinery is of the latest improved pattern. He keeps a goodly assortment of live stock, and avails himself of modern methods, keeping himself well posted in regard to the late inventions and the best methods of pursuing his calling. Of substantial Pennsylvania stock, our subject is the son of Francis and Catherine (Reniger) Willemin, who were also natives of the Keystone State, the father born in Lancaster Countv, May 8. 1795, and the mother in Union County, Nov. 27, 1797. Francis Willemin was brought up on a farm, receiving his education in the common school, but upon approaching manhood learned the cooper trade, which he followed during the winter seasons, while in summer he employed himself at agricultural pursuits. The parents were married in Union County, Pa., and removed thence early in life to Davis County, Ind., settling on a tract of new land about two miles from Washilngton, the county seat. The father purchased 160 acres, from which he cleared a farm and built up a good homestead. He was not permitted, however, to live to be aged, his death taking place in 1844, a few years after his removal to Indiana. The grandparents of our subject on both sides of the house were natives of Southern Pennsylvania. The Willemins were originally from France. To Francis and Catherine Willemin, the parents of our subject, there were born nine children, all natives of Pennsylvania, and with the exception of our subject, all died and were buried in. Indiana. The mother lived to be nearly seventy years of age, and spent her last years at the old homestead in the Hoosier State. On the 7th of March, 1850, occurred one of the most interesting events in the life of our subject, namely, his marriage with Miss Nancy J., daughter of Samuel and Eleanor (Brown) Allen, the wedding taking place at the bride's home in Moorepark. Mrs. Nancy J. Willemin was the eldest child of her parents, and was born April 15, 1823, in Pennsylvania. Samuel Allen and his wife were natives of Harrisburg. Pa., and left the Keystone State a few years after their marriage, settling in Knox County, Ind. The mother died at Vincennes when about seventy years of age. Mr. Allen afterward made his home with his daughter, Nancy J., and died at the age of seventy-three. The parental household includes five children, of all of whom are living. The father during the War of 1812 did good service in the American Army. Mr. and Mrs. Willemnin commenced their wedded life together in Park Township, St. Joseph Co., Mich., and in due time became the parents of six children, who still form a household circle unbroken by death. The eldest daughter, Ella, is the wife of Cap Champlin, proprietor of a flourishing hardware business in Mendqn; Mary, Mrs. Tallman, lives on a farm in Sedgwick County, Kan.; Martha H. is the wife of Solomon Beckwith, a carpenter and buildle, of Red Cloud, Neb.; William M. is engaged in general merchandising at Wetzell, Antrim Co., Mich., where he is also Postmaster; Anna, a young lady of good business talents. is cashier for the firm of Hickrnott and Dewitt, general merchants at Mendon; George R. continues at home with his parents. Mr. Willemin is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while his estimable wife belongs to the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Willemin is the offspring of an excellent family, and her brother, Samuel Allen, who died at Westfield, Ill., in 1886, was President of the college there, having acquired a fine education, and was a graduate of Oberlin College. V ~ILLIAM HI. VAN BUREN is one of the native-born citizens of St. Joseph County, who, sons of its noble pioneers, having been reared within its limits, developing with its growth, are now numbered among its most influential and honored citizens. -Ie is a farmer and stock-grower m -jb d — la lI a gg I s - - (.1 IA I I I i, i IU - ~"I-1 11~ ftow-, ~ -C-IIICBr - - - 0 594 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I -- -------------— --- —- - in Florence Township, his fine farm being located very pleasantly on section 13, and he is closely identified with the public life of the place, he being Supervisor of the township, of which oflice he has been an incumbent for a number of years. Henry Van Buren, the father of oursubject, was born in New York, Feb. 9, 1803. In 1835 he came to White Pigeon, this county, and located some land; he then returned to his native State. After his marriage in 1837, he again came to MIiclligal, this time accompanied by his young bride, witlh the intention of staying and casting in his lot with the early pioneers of St. Joseph County. lie took an active part in developing the farming interests of the county, and was for many years a useful and valued citizen until his death, Sept. 12, 1876, at Constantine. His respected wife still survives him, and makes her home with her son, our subject. But one other child was born of her marriage, Eliza, now the wife of Iavid II. Jones, of Hamilton, M:o., to whom she was wedded April 10, 1856. William H. Van Buren, the subject of this brief biography, was born in Florence, March 5, 1847. He spent his boyhood days at home on the farm and at school. In 1855-56 lie was a student at Iillsdale College, Michigan, and he thus received a sound, practical education. On his return from college he passed some time on the old homestead, assisting his father in the management of his farming interests. In 1871 he commenced his career as an agriculturist, purchasing at that time his present farm. This comprises 155 acres of arable, highly cultivated land, with neat and substantial buildings and many other indications that our subject has prospered abundantly in the pursuit of his chosen calling. Ile has been extensively and profitably engaged in breeding finely graded cattle, but now makes general farming his business. In 1870 Mr. Van Buren was married at Centreville to Caroline, the youngest daughter of John Major, a native of New York. Ier father was born in 1810, and died at Centreville in 1857. His wife, who survives him at an advanced age, was born Dec. 25, 1811. Mr. Major was a farmer and mason by trade, and he first came to Michigan with his family in 1835. They soon returned to New York, where they remained two years. In 1837 they came back to Michigan and settled in Centreville, where Mr. Major engaged in business. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Major, and the date of the birth of their daugllter Caroline, wife of our subject, was Dec. 12, 1848. Mr. and Mrs. Van Buren have one child, Rosslyn H., born Jan. 28, 1875. Mr. Van Buren is a man'of exemplary habits, and in this county, of which he has been a lifelong resident, it is the general testimony of all who know him that he is upright and manly in his conduct, always true to his obligations, whether in public or private life. He is often called to positions of trust and responsibility, and in whatever office lie is placed he discharges its duties with the signal ability that has always characterized his undertakings. Ihe has held the offices of School Inspector, Township Clerk and Supervisor for a number of years, being Supervisor at the present time. - ( LBERT G. BARTON. The name of this i, |i pgentleman is familiarly known to the busif ness men of this county as that of the inventor and manufacturer of the Champion I-ay Rack and Chief Land Roller, the works being located at the Lockport part of Three Rivers. Agriculture has received its best impetus from the hands of the inventive genins, and Mr. Barton is recognized as a man of more than ordinary talent and skill in connection with this industry, which has such a vast influence upon the success and prosperity of a county and State. The early tramping ground of our subject was in Greene County, Ohio, where he was born Sept. 12, 1836. The family is of English extraction, and the parents of our subject were Henry and Hannah (Hopping) Barton, both of whom died when their son Albert G. was a mere lad. The mother was a descendant of the early settlers of Virginia, people of prominence and influence, who contributed greatly to its growth and development. Thus early left an orphan, young Barton was thrown upon his own resources, after leaving his grandfather Hopping, to whom he was bound until i B _^p L I 2"oks -qP. I 4: 1 1 I -.44 I. 1 - -- --- — -- -- ---- -— `-- ---- - -- ---- -1I U j olob"p —.l~LIIII- W-4lll19 I 1lllle ~1- ~~ LI1_-1 I — J w~L~e m ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 595 I I the age of fourteen years. He then started out for himself, and was employed on a farlm until nineteen years old. when, leaving his native State, he migrated to South Bend, Ind., and( thereafter for a time made his home with his uncle, John R. Gardner. The latter alout 1859 came to tllis county, and purchased a flouring-mill in Constantine, which he operated a number of years, our subject in the meanwhile remaining with him as partner. Mr Barton finally sold out his interest in the business and returned to Ohio. The Civil War being now in progress Mr. Barton enlisted as a Union soldier in the 75th Ohio Infantry, and for some time therea:fter remained in camp near Cincinnati. Later they joined the balance of tle regiment at Parkersburg, where Mr. Barton was taken ill and after a time sent home, subsequently receiving his honorable discharge. He returned to Michigan in March, 1863, and engaged in the milling business at Constantine until 1870, when he sold out, and invested a portion of his capital in a stock of general merchandise. establishing himself in a store at White Pigeon. In 1886 he changed his residence to Three Rivers. HIe had in the meantime been giving all the time he could spare to the development of his invention and( now commenced the manufacture of his hay rack, branching out later so that he could also manufacture his land roller in connection with it, both of his own invention. Mr. Barton has also invented a hay tedder and rake combined, and has also secured the patent upon this, as he has upon other inventions. The factory in Three Rivers, Lockport Township, was established in 1886, and shipments are made by the carload to different States, both East and West. The rack is very strong, with a capacity of handling two to three tons of hay. This industry gives employment to quite a number of men, mostly during the winter season. The racks are packed in convenient form for shipping, and can be set up very easily, as they are simple in construction, which is the growing beauty of every invention. It is predicted that in the near future Mr. Barton will realize handsome returns for his labors and his inventive genius in connection with these. The Christmas of 1863 was a peculiarly interest ing day to Albert G. Barton. being the time at which his marriage took place with Miss Mary Jane Schurtz, then a resident of White Pigeon Prairie. Mrs. Barton was born in August, 1841, in this county, and is tile daughter of James and Sarah (Kreps) Schurtz, who are now living on Pigeon Prairie. Her union with our subject resulted in the birth of one clild only, a son. Henry James, who continues under the home roof. The time and attention of Mr. Barton are mostly absorbed in his business interests, he having little leisure to give to political affairs, but he keeps himself fairly well posted upon current events, and gives his support to the Republican party. Socially, he belongs to John C. Joss Post No. 124, G. A. R., at Constantine, and also to the Consistory. ORMAN ROYS, of Florence Township, was born in Schofield, Berkshire Co., Mass., in 1807, and reared upon a farm, attending first the common school, and later the High School at Lenox. He came West when a young man, and settling in Florence Township, this county, took up 120 acres of land lying on sections 5 and 6. He had before coming to the West been employed as a teacher, and followed this profession considerably afterward. Mr. Roys was married, in Florence Township, March 16, 1837, to Miss Caroline, daughter of John Peek, and they became the parents of two sons and one daughter. George E. was born April 17, 1838, married Miss Sophia Hall, and is living in Florence Township; the daughlter, Annie E., was born Nov. 17, 1839, and was married to Frederick A. Austin, a native of White Pigeon, who was a passenger conductor on the C. & I. R. R., and met his death at the hands of a drunken man; Mr. Frank Roys, the youngest of the family, who was born Jan. 16, 1849, is largely interested in the breeding of blooded horses, having some of the best stock in the country. He married Miss Alice, daughter of James Ennis. Norman Roys for a period of thirty-two years occupied one of the most important local offices in Florence Township, and was Justice of the Peace, i' L, — 3Lr U. P JF " I _ _-I L I t _1 J — --- --- obo- mf I No., II - - 596 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. besides holding other positions of trust. Coming here in the pioneer days he assisted in the organization of the township, and has always been identified with the Democratic party. His boys are of the same political persuasion. George is largely interested in the growing of peppermint, and both the sons deal quite extensively in this article. The father, in June, 1881, was stricken with paralysis, and has since been quite helpless. He was one of the first men in the State of Michigan to introduce the culture of peppermint and its distillation. ONATHAN HOATS, one of the earliest settlers of Park Township, a man well known and greatly respected, was born Oct. 26, 1804, in ( j Northampton County, Pa., and died at his home in this township, April 17, 1886. He traced among his ancestors an old Revolutionary soldier. He spent his early life amid the scenes of his birthplace, and in early manhood was married in Columbia County, Pa., to Miss Mary Sechler, who bore him seven children, five of whom are still living: The eldest, John, is a resident of Three Rivers, tills State; Hannah married Charles Thonis, of Saline County, Kan.; William B. resides in Park Township; Ellen is the wife of James D. Marsh, of Topeka, Kan., and Edward is a resident of Park Township. The deceased children, George and Sarah C., passed away at the ages of twenty-six and thirty-one, respectively. Mr. Hoats came to Michigan in 1837, a few months after it had been converted from a Territory into a State, and in the fall of the year settled on a tract of land two and one-half miles south of what is now the Hoats homestead. He lived there for a period of sixteen years, then removed to section 19, securing a partially cleared tract. Here he lived and labored, enduring all the vicissitudes of pioneer life, and in due time met with the reward of his toils in the establishment of a comfortable homestead. He was a carpenter by trade, at which he worked several years after coming to the new country, frequently shouldering his tools early in the morning and walking seven miles before breakfast to begin his day's labor. The road over which he traveled, as may be supposed, was guiltless of pavements, and he tlhus performed what in these days would be considered a good day's work on his seven-mile journey. The men of those (lays, however, were of hardy muscle and determined spirit, and accomplished great feats in a very quiet and unostentatious manner. A member of the church and a liberal contributor to all the enterprises calculated for the general welfare of the community, Mr. Hoats was highly esteemed among his neighbors as one of the best citizens of his township. He was public-spirited and liberal, and frequently served unpaid in the various local offices, being Highway Commissioner, and occupying other positions of trust and responsibility. Politically, he was an uncompromising Democrat. The mother died in 1883, at the age of seventy-three, having been born in 1809. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church at Three Rivers. William B. Hoats was born in Park Township, St. Joseph County, Sept. 20, 1 844, and was reared amid the wild scenes of pioneer life. He grew up with well-developed muscles and those habits of industry and economy which had served his honored sire so well all through life. He acquired a practical education in the district schools, and remained with his parents until a man of twenty-eight years,.when he was married, Feb. 27, 1873, to Miss Amanda Deats. This lady was the daughter of Grantum and Theresa (Mack) Deats, of Park Township, who were natives of Northampton County, Pa., and are yet living. Of this union there have been born three children-Edna, Roy and Florence. William Hoats is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the lodge at Three Rivers. He has a one-sixth interest in the 235 acres of land comprising the homestead. A HAUNCEY ORTON. Numberless fine old families are represented in St. Joseph County by a younger generation, who are bearing the mantles of their sires in a most praiseworthy manner. Among these the subject of this sketch is deserving of more than a passing mention. His, AL ~ ~ 111 -k k. - t" -- - 1-~1 ~ - I " I' Ll E -qp r, w r t I -- Abo I I — ~ i -. I I.- - - I — ~ ---~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- 4.............. - - 1 440 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ------— ~ --- — I ST. JOSEPII COUNTY. 597 ST. JOSE-h COUNTY. 597 father, David H. Orton. a native of Oneida County, N. Y., was born July 14, 1817, and spent his boyhood and youth amid the quiet scenes of farm life in his native State. When a young man of twenty years he determined to locate in the West, and accordingly coming to this county selected land on section 33. in Lockport Township, about 1837, the year that Michigan was transformed from a Territory into a State. He first secured eighty acres, and later added to his property until he became one of the most extensive land-owners in the county, possessing the warrantee deed to 900 broad acres, embracing portions of Loekport and adjoining townships. The homestead proper was located on section 33 in L(eckport Township, and there the father, after a long and useful life, passed to his. final rest, Oct. 13, 1865. David H. Orton after coming to this county was married to Miss Maria Dickerson, who only lived about thirteen years after her marriage, her decease taking place at the early age of twenty-eight years. Mr. Orton was married a second time, Dec. 28, 1852, in Nottawa Township, to Miss Marilla Jane, daughter of Stephen and Maria (Sullivan) Cleveland. This lady was born in Erie County, Pa., March 9, 1830, and was taken by her parents when a small child to Miami County, Ohio, where she lived until 1844. In the fall of that year the family came to Michigan, settling in.Nottawa Township, where the mother died at the age of fifty-one years. Stephen Cleveland is still living, making his home at the old farm in Lockport Township. He was born in Otsego County, N. Y., in 1805, and although now eighty-three years old, is in possession of good health, and his mental faculties to a great extent are unimpaired. To him there was born a family of twelve children, eight of whom are living, two by the first marriage, and six by the second. Emery D. Orton, the eldest brother of our subject, is a prosperous farmer of Sac County, Iowa; Eliza, Mrs. C. Lohr, is a resident of Dakota Territory; Lucy J., Mrs. Theodore Godschalk, is a resident of Rice County, Kan.; Stephen lives at Three Rivers, and is occupied at the freight house; David, Jr., is also a resident of that place; Adelbert L. and Adelbert are twins, the former now a practicing physician in the copper regions of this State, and the latter the wife of Charles Isbell. of Danville, Ill. Mr. I. is an engineer by profession. The subject of this sketch. the youngest child of his mother, was born May 10, 1864, and still occupies the old homestead with her. Ice was married, Nov. 12, 1884. to Miss Ada, daughter of George and Esther E. (Brook) Barton. Mr. and Mrs. B. are natives of New York State and England respectively, and are now residents of Three Rivers. At this place Mrs. Orton was born. Oct. 10, 1866,. where she was reared and received a common-school education. Of her union with our subject there is a bright little girl, Lotta, who was born June 8, 1885. All the Orton boys, like their father before them, are stanch adherents of the Democratic party. Our subject is a man of decided views, and one who keeps himself well posted on current events. IIe possesses more than ordinary business capacities, and in his farming operations served a thorough apprenticeship under the instruction of his honored father, and is making of it a success, as (lid the latter. J. A. PARKER, editor and proprietor of the Three Rivers Herald, a native of Cass | County, Mich., was born Jan. 17, 1856, and is the son of John and Sarah (Ingling) Parker, The father was born in Ohio, Jan. 26, 1816, and died Feb. 13, 1857, and was a farmer by occupation; the mother was born in New Jersey, April 15, 1820. They were married in 1851. To them two children were born: W. E. Parker, a leading physician of Three Rivers, who is married and has two children, Earl and Lucile, both at home; and our subject completing the household. Our subject was educated in the common schools of his native county, and High Schools of Valparaiso, Ind. On leaving school he worked in a printing-office in Cass County for a period of six months. At the expiration of this time he purchased the News at Marcellus, Mich., which he ran successfully for six years. Then he purchased and took possession of the Three Rivers Herald, March 19, 1888, and has over 1,000 subscribers to the paper, with a fair amount of advertisements. r~~~ A *p I - -- _- - -L- - _ __ - r I - - - TIL! ~11T b I l - )CtPl ~~ A ~ -I -- _- 411 oboIlllll-1IL L 598 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY,.98.T. JOSEPH COUNTY Our subject was married to Miss Cora M, daughter of Peter and Anne E. (Brewer) White. Slie was born Dec. 17, 1858, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Our subject is a D)erocrat. OSIAII WOLF, one of the solid farmers of Florence Township, commenced business for himself when a young man twenty-seven years of age as a farmer on section 34, in Lockport Township, having secured 130 acres, of which he took possession in the spring of 1846. lie occupied this farm until the spring of 1881, then changed his residence to Florence Town-ship where he has 100 acres under a good state of cultivation, with suitable farm buildings and all the other conveniences for carrying on agriculture in a profitable manner. IIe still retains ownership of his Lockport Township farms and has also other property in the county. Our subject first opened his eyes to the light in the Keystone State, at North Branch, Columbia County, Aug. 8, 1819, where he lived until a lad twelve years of age, and where his early education was conducted in the common schools. He was the eldest child of his parents and remained with them until twenty-seven years of age. After the death of his father he naturally assumed the management of the estate, but in 1833, having a desire to locate permanently in the West, he made his way to this county. Here, not long afterward, he found a wife, being married in Lockport Township, D)ec. 13, 1842, to Miss Mary Ann Wescott. This lady was born in Fayette, Onondaga Co., N. Y., Nov. 1, 1820, and when a maiden of sixteen years came to Michigan with her father, Samuel Wescott. The latter was a native of Westchester County, N. Y., and born in 1772. Upon approaching manhood he learned the trade of shoemaker, which he followed in his native State a number of years. There he also married, Nov. 18, 1802, to Miss Deborah Brown, and they took up their abode at Fayette, Onondaga County, where, departing from his former occupation, Mr. Brown purchased a farm, upon which the family lived until coming to this county. They made the journey hither in the fall of 1827 and the father purchased 160 acres of wild land from which he improved a farm, and where both parents spent many years in comfort. The mother died there at the age of fifty-two years. Mrs. Wolf for many years, and until her marriage, was her father's house keeper. lie then made his home with her in Lockport Township until his death, which occurred Jan. 19, 1867. After the death of his first wife, he was married Aug. 30, 1843, to Sarah Clark, who is now deceased. Ile was the father of five children, Mrs. Wolf being the youngest, and she is now the only one living. Her parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The stepmother also died at the home of MIrs. Wolf when seventy-three years old. Our subject and his estimable wife are the parents of one child only, a son, Samuel J., who was born Nov. 23, 1847, and still lives at home with his father. He was married in Florence Township Jan. 1, 1867, to Miss Emeline I., daughter of Morgan L. and Laura (Powers) Ketchum, and they have one child, a son, Frank, who was born Nov. 14, 1867. The son has been well educated, having completed his studies in the Business College at Poughkkeepsie, N. Y., and is now Cashier of the Exchange Bank of Centreville. In this bank our subject and his brothers, Amos and John, are among the principal stockholders: the first mentioned being President, Amos Vice-President and Samuel J., the son of our subject, is a Director. Mrs. Wolf is a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, attending services regularly at Florence Methodist Episcopal Church. Our subject is a supporter of Democratic principles. He has never sought office, preferring to give his time and attention to his farm and his business affairs. AMES 0. CHILDS. There came to Michigan Territory in the fall of 1834 a lad six years of age, bearing the name of the subject of this sketch, accompanied by his parents, they settling on a tract of wild land two miles from the present site of Centreville, the county seat. The father, Lloyd Childs, had visited this county the year previously, and purchased the northwest I malZh- EZ I m'-= "/ I _vIqww I1 I - -- -- -~ — ---- f ~ORet-lrl - -I I I - OR IL-IwLI w 599 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. -- I -- quarter of section 35, Government land in Lockport Township, for the consideration of $1.25 per acre. He built the third house between Centreville and White Pigeon, and there began the struggle commlon to life in the Western wilds. There the boyhood and youth of James 0. were mostly spent, and he completed a common-school education at Lockport. Our subject upon reaching manhood started out in life for himself by purchasing, in the fall of 1853, 120 acres of land on section 2 in Florence Township. Twelve acres of this had been subjected to cultivation, and Mr. C. occupied it until the spring of 1864. Then selling out he purchased the old homestead of the other heirs, and has since occupied the land which his father secured from the Government during the Territorial (lays of Michigan. This comprises now 200 acres of good land, with the various improvements suggested by the modern and progressive agriculturist. In the spring of 1850, anxious for diversion and recreation, Mr. Childs journeyed across the plains to California, remaining in tile vicinity of Placerville until the winter following. Thence he emigrated to Oregon, and sojourned in Astoria until the spring of 1851. Ie then returned to California, and spent his time until the spring of 1 852 in the mines. After another visit to Oregon, he returned to this county, where lie has since been content to remain. One very important event in the life of our subject occurred on the 30th of May, 1855, when he was united in marriage with Miss Roxana, daughter of Joel and Elvira (Curtis) Crouch. Mr. and Mrs. Crouch were natives of New York State and were born in Steuben County, where they are still living. At the homestead where Mr. anld Mrs. Childs commenced the journey of life together were born their seven children, all of whom are living, Lloyd, the eldest, was born March 23, 1856, and remains at home with his parents; Frank was born Sept. 13, 1857, and married Miss Mary Ray; he is living on a farm near Three Rivers. Jaines Orton was born March 11, 1859, and i3 farming in Mendon Township; Ranson L. was born Sept. 12, 1860, and is employed as a railroad engineer, making his home in Kane County, Ill.; Rose was born Aug. 15, 1862, and is living in Missouri; Minnie H-. was born Aug. 26, 1865, and is the wife of Louis P. Emery, a native of Mendon Township, where they are living; Charles A. L. was born Jan. 18, 1874. Lloyd Childs, the father of our subject, departed this life at the old homestead Jan. 20, 1847; the mother died at the home of our subject, in Lockport, in March, 1864. The parental family included six children, four sons and two daughters, of whom.James 0. was the youngest. Two of these are living. His sister Caroline became the wife of Adam Van Dusen, but is now a widow and a resident of Astoria. Ore.; she and her husband, in 1847, crossed the plains with ox-teams, a great undertaking, and a very tedious journey, in strong con. trast to that which can be performed at the pllesent day by the aid of the iron horse. RASTUS T. PARKER. The livery and sale stable of this gentleman is noticealle among I-' the leading enterprises of Sturgis, where it has been established since 1883, and been continuously, witlh the exception of three years, conducted by the subject of this sketch, he during that interval employing himself at farming. On the 1st of September, 1888, lie associated himself with a partner, Mr. Asa P. Kenyon, and the business is now being operated with a capital of $10,000, thus furnishing to the public everything of a first-class description in their line. Their horses and vehicles are all valuable and well cared for, and it is hardly necessary to say the firm receives the patronage of the best peol)le of the community. They act as agents for tile United States Express Company, an(l convey the mail from Sturgis Township to and from 'all the trains, besides olerating a well-patronized transfer line. Mr. Parker was born in Sturgis Township, this county, Aug. 13, 1843, and is the son of Erastus Parker, Sr.,a native of New York State, whose early home was near Gcneseo. The latter removed with his parents to the vicinity of Cleveland, Ohio, when about eighteen years of age, and then came, in 1839, to this county. IHe married Miss Isabelle *...gifl - -- c T - W- —,-or - - *ON-! I Ir" ----~ — ----------- -------- --- FM Nill~ Il _~ I I ~ -~I L I I __I Ib- Mdl - 1-.- II1~ —~1~zb 600 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I McKirlie, daughter of Samuel McKirlie, one of the pioneers of this county. Erastus T. was educated in the Sturgis schools, and for a time after attaining man's estate was engaged in farming. He is widely known throughout this section, is a man of means and influence, being President of the Minnewaukon Lake Club, which has the monopoly of the lake and its surroundings, utilizing them as a pleasure resort. Mr. Parker is also a stockholder in the electric light plant, and during a period of four years officiated as the Mayor of Sturgis. Our subject was married, Oct. 5, 1864, to Miss Adeline, daughter of Balses B. Gardner, who settled in Sturgis Township during its pioneer days, on the Thornton farm. Of this union there have been born three children, two only of whom are living: Burt and Nancy B The family occupies a high position socially, and Mr. Parker is numbered among the popular men of the county, being one of a family of pioneers who assisted in its early growth and development. He is identified with the I. 0. 0. F. and the Masonic fraternity, and has uniformly signalized himself as a liberal-minded and public-spirited citizen, giving his aid to the enterprises best calculated for the general good. rying on agriculture in Stark County, Ohio; Samuel, a resident of Massillon, that State; Lydia, Mrs. Kerstetter, residing near Massillon. The deceased are Phillip, Rachel, Susan and Polly. The father of our subject was one of the pioneer settlers of Stark County, Ohio, locating in the wilderness, from a portion of which, with the assistance of his boys, he built up a good homestead. Jonathan F., like his brothers and sisters, acquired a limited education in the primitive schools of that time and place, his studies being conducted a few weeks in the year during the winter season. He was fond of his books, however, and availed himself of every opportunity for the acquirement of useful knowledge. From that day to this he has been a great reader, and is consequently an intelligent, well-informed man, with whom it is both pleasurable and profitable to converse. As early as the age of fifteen years he became interested in veterinary work, for which he seems peculiarly adapted. The period of his labors has now stretched over a term of forty-seven years. This, however, was interrupted by his services in the army, as not long after the outbreak of the Rebellion he enlisted, Oct. 15, 1861, in Company I, 7th Ohio Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the West. He continued with his regiment, participating in many of the important engagements of the war until its close. He was present at the battles of Ft. Donelson, Arkansas Post and the siege and capture of Vicksburg and Atlanta, besides in many minor engagements and skirmishes. He was frequently detailed on forage duty, and likewise officiated as wagon master, being often intrusted with grave responsibilities. During the latter part of his service he in company with three others had the charge of a medical wagon. He was with the army of Gen. Sherman in its march to the sea, and at the close of his term of enlilstmeit received an honorable discharge, Jan. 3, 1864, at Woodville, Ala. He subsequently veteranized, however, continuing in the service until the close of the war. Mr. Miller now returned to Stark County, Ohio, where he resumed farming and the duties of a veterinary surgeon. IHe had been married, Jan. 17, 1850, to biss Sarah A. Armstrong, and of this union there were born six children. Of these but U-40& J ONATHAN F. MILLER. By a happy dispensation of Providence one man's tastes lead him in one direction and those of his neighbor in another. The subject of this sketch, a farmer of good repute in Park Township, has for a number of years been interested in the diseases of the equine race, and for some time has operated as a veterinary surgeon successfully in his community. He has studied the matters connected with his profession, in which he takes pride and labors conscientiously. In connection with this he operates a good farm on section 29. Our subject was born in Stark County, Ohio, June 15, 1827. His parents, Frederick and Rebecca (Hess) Miller, were natives of Centre County, Pa., and his uncle, Daniel Miller, served as a soldier in the War of 1812. The parental family consisted of nine children. five of whom survive, namely: Daniel, a farmer of Crawford County, Ill.; David, car [ foo-i - II II~~ II - - I ~~~ I ~ 'I I — c~~ — - -~III~~rIIIomob ~ aaarBII WV F- — Iqqlw -.L A . I_ - - I -.p..-Z4 6 - _ -4 a u —, W Ik ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 601 --- -- three are living, namely: Rebecca E., the wife of George Kline, of Park Township, this county; Fortunatus and Jonathan P.. who are in Park Township, this county, and Helena, Mont., respectively. Mrs. Miller was born Aug. 13, 1822, in New York State, and is the daughter of Henry and Mary Armstrong, who were natives of New York State. Their family consisted of eleven children, six of whom are living, and mostly residents of the West. Mr. Miller in the spring of 1 873 left the Buckeye State with his little family, and coming to this county settled on the farm which he now owns and occupies. Here he has 160 acres of well-improved land, which he has brought to its present state, mainly by his own labor. He is a Republican politically, and has served as Moderator in his school district. Although frequently called upon to discharge the duties of other offices, he has invariably declined, preferring to give his time and attention to his farm and profession. A quiet, unassuming man, studiously careful in his habits, he has hosts of friends among the people wherever he is known. He has for many years been a member of the Lutheran Evangelical Church. serving as Elder and Deacon. Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the G. A. R. Post at Three Rivers. He was Treasurer of his lolde at Moorepark two years, and Surgeon of the G. A. R. Post, Three Rivers. X R. LAWRENCE D. KNOWLES. The subject of this sketcl, a practicing physician and surgeon of Three Rivers, holds a good position among the younger members of the profession in St. Joseph County. lie is but thirty-nine years of age, having been born Nov. 30, 1849, near Mauch Chunk, Carbon Co., Pa. His parents were Lawrence D., Sr., and Amexro F. (Fellows) Knowles. The father of our subject was a merchant, banker and boat builder. The boyhood of Lawrence D., Jr., was passed in his native town, where he pursued his first studies in the Union School, then entered Decker's College from which he was graduated in 1868. After leaving school he went into the employ of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, continuing in their employ until 1871. Young Knowles, bent upon the study of medicine, now entered the office of Dr. William E. Barrett, of Cambria, Pa., when he came to Michigan and entered the State University at Ann Arbor, where he pursued his studies until 1872. Thence he went to New York City and became a student at Bellevue Hospital College, from which he was graduated in the spring of 1874; then returning to Michigan he located at Kendall, Van Buren County, where he commenced the practice of his profession, and remained until January, 1880. Soon afterward he established himself at Three Rivers as the partner of Dr. W. M. Ikeler, and the firm of Ikeler & Knowles has since operated with more than ordinary success, building up an extensive and lucrative business. Dr. Knowles was united in marriage with Miss Francis Wager, of Three Rivers. She is a lady of much intelligence and refinement, and a favorite in social circles. JAMIES CRAWFORD. There came to the Territory of Michigan in the spring of 1830 the subject of this sketch, then a young lad eleven years of age. lie had made the journey from his native county of Ashland, Ohio, witl his parents, and they located on section 28 in Constantine Township. The latter, Robert and Mary (Shannon) Crawfor(l, were natives of Maryland and Virginia respectively. After cominn to Michigan the father built up a good homestead from an uncultivated tract of land, where with his estinlable wife he spent the remainder of his days. Of their children, eight in number, James was the sixth in oiler of birth. He first opened his eyes to the light June 22, 1819, and from his youth up has been familiar with farming pursuits. Our subject developed into manhood at the old farm in Florence Township, and, when ready to establish domestic ties of his own, was united in marriage with Mrs. Amanda (Coffin) Chambers, the wedding taking place April 6, 1858. This lady was the widow of Theron Chambers, and the daughter of M. S. and Elizabeth (Wiltse) Coffin, V 6000 —aff - - -.I — qw - vp — *n I I i i i I r^c --- —--------- ---- P o qo I1 I r-~ I 11~~1 II I ~I-~ I '~' 602.1 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. I the latter two of New York State. Upon leaving there they took up their residence in Wisconsin, where the father followed farming, but died in Sherman Township, this county, at the age of seventy-six years. The mother died at the home of her son, J. S. Coffin, in Charles City, Iowa, at the age of seventy-three. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom Mrs. Crawford was the second. Her native place was in the vicinity of Albany City, N. Y., and the date of her birth Dec. 1, 1831. Of her first marriage with Francis A. Chambers there was born one child, a daughter, Frances, who was the wife of John Robbins, and the mother of three children, two only of whom are living, Charles and Jessie. Francis died in Lockport Township Jan. 18, 1888, at the early age of thirty-seven years. Of her marriage with our subject w'ere born two children: Mary E.. March 17, 1862, and Norman J., Feb. 25, 1870. The daughter is at home. The son is in Washlington Territory employed as a bookkeeper for his uncle, Stephen Coffin, where is also employed Charles Robbins. Norman Crawford took kindly to his books, and completed a practical business education in the college at Three Rivers. A grandson, Charles Robbins, is also a graduate of that college. W I ORN F. WOLF. To every intelligent incdividual nothing is more gratifying or a greater source of worthy pride, than to be able to trace his ancestry in an honorable line, as nearly as possible to his origin. The German Empire has contributed largely to the bone and sinew of American prosperity, sending from her borders hundreds of stalwart citizens, noble in nature as well as in lineage. Among the descendants of these may be classed the subject of this sketch. To go back several generations we find that the paternal grandfather of our subject, also John Wolf by name, was a native of Wittenberg, a fortified town of Prussian Saxony, and was born April 18, 1769. He did not long reside in his native country, however, having been brought to America by his parents when a child two years of age. They settled in Columbia County, Pa., where the youth developed into manhood, and where with his par ents he spent his entire life, passing away April 18, 1824. He married and became the father of a fine family, and among his sons was one John, Jr., the father of our subject. He was born in Columbia County, Pa., Nov. 17, 1794, and incorporated in his early education was a knowledge of the language of his ancestors, which he thoroughly learned, in fact almost to the exclusion of English, he picking up a knowledge of the latter late in life, and chiefly instructed by his children. His intercourse with his English-speaking neighbors also assisted him in this. His mother, the paternal grandmother of our subject, was in her girlhood Miss Catherine Hoan, daughter of David Hoan, a man of note in the Keystone State. She was born May 8, 1776, and after the death of her husband came to Michigan and spent her last days in Lockport Township, this county, passing away Sept. 28, 1835. The father of our subject in early manhood learned the trade of miller, which lle followed almost exclusively (luring the last eight years of his residence in I'ennsylvvania. In the spring of 18(34, resolved upon1 seekingl a permanent home in the West, came to tis county during the eearly settlement of Ioc(kport Townslilp, and before Michigan had been admlitted into the Union as a State. He was possessed of some means and located 320 acres of land oil section 27, where he made his home continuously until his death. l:e had in the meantime engage(ed considerably in milling; in addition to farmingl his p)ractical knowledge of the former business being of great service to him in this new country. Hle was frequently called upon to dress the stones for various mills in the county, and put the machinery in operation. A man very intelligent, active and industrious, he made hosts of friends and was with his excellent wife for many years one of the pillars of the Methodist Episcopal Churclh at Centreville. lie rested from his earthly labors Oct. 16, 1854, passing peacefully away at the old homestead. Mrs. Barbara (Drescher) Wolf, the mother of our subject, was also a native of Pennsylvania and born in August, 1790. She was married in her native county and accompanied her family to Miichigan, passing away some years after the decease of her husband on the 2d of April, 1866, at the resi I. _O I - I I "II II ~~I~~~-ICIC ----~ LIIl= — ~ L I ~ —IC-~IL14B- I I V — _ A' ---— ~ --- —--—, Il- M-(CL4-CPIII —, _e~_ ___ 1111 -~ - C ~~~ ~~~l- 1~~II -Cr I ICLC ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 603 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 603 dence of her son Daniel F., in Centreville, with whom she had made her home for about eight years. John Wolf, the father of our subject. although meddling very little with public affairs, was a man of decided views and although for the most part a Democrat, voted for 'Tippecanoe and Tyler too" in 1840. He discharged the duties of various local offices and was a public-spirited citizen, interesting himself in all projects calculated for the development of his adopted county, laying out the public highways and serving as Commissioner a number of years. In all the relations of life he was kindly, hospitable and charitable, and pursued a career which endeared him to all who knew him. Iis name is held in kindly remembrance by his children and others who still survive and remember his generous deeds. To the parents of our subject there have been born ten children, John F. being the sixth in order of birth. He, like his parents, first opened his eyes to the light in Columbia County, Pa., Jan. 1, 1825, and was a little lad nine years of age when he came with his parents to Michigan Territory. He received his education in the primitive schools of St. Joseph County, and remained a member of his father's household until a young man of twentyfour years. He then started out in business on his own account, upon a tract of land given him by his father, that upon which he now resides, and beginning its improvement and cultivation in a manner corresponding to his means, This embraced eighty acres upon which there had been no improvements, and about his first business was the erection of a dwelling. About this time he secured to himself a wife and helpmate, being married March 9, 1854, at the home of the bride in Constantine Township, to Miss Nancy D., daughter of John and Elizabeth Gibson. John Gibson was a native of County Belfast, Ireland, and was brought to America by his parents when a child two years of age, they locating near Williamsport in Lycoming County, Pa. Upon reaching manhood he was married there to Miss Elizabeth I)e France, and they became the parents of seven children, of whom Mrs. Wolf was next to the eldest. She was born in Lycoming County, Dec. 31, 1827, and remained with her parents until her marriage, receiving a common-school education, and being instructed by a careful mother in all useful housewifely duties. In due time Mr. and Mrs. Wolf became the parents of three children, one of whom, John E., died Nov. 4, 1859, at the age of three years and four months. Mary Ellen, the daughter, was born March 18, 1855, and is now the wife of Dr. W. E. Clark, of Three Rivers. Morris )., the second of the family, was born July 7, 1857; lhe took kindly to his books and after emerging from the village school at Centreville, entered the graded school at Centreville and completed a good education. Our subject is a worthy and highly respected citizen, a resident of Lockport and has held the office of Ilighway Commissioner, also that of President of the Anti-Horse Thief Association. lie was formerly a Director of the old Air Line Railroad Company, from the time it was finished until it went into the hands of the Michigan Central in the winter of 1887, and is now a member of the School Board and he and his son are stockholders in Wolf Bros.' Bank at Centreville. Mr. Wolf and his son are members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, attending services at Centreville, while Mrs. W. belongs to the Reformed Church at Centreville. The family occupies a prominent position in this part of the county, being people well-to-do and in all respects substantial and reliable citizens.,P BENEZER OSBURN. The name of this |] worthy pioneer, who is now deceased, de/i_~ serves honorable mention among the early settlers of St. Joseph County. IIe came to this region when a young man from New York State, where he was born Aug. 10, 1822. Ile took up a tract of land on section 21, in Flowerfield Township, opening up a good farm of eighty acres near which the village of Howardsville afterward sprung up. He battled with the difficulties incident to that time, and after making a good record, departed this life at the homestead which he had built up, Feb. 11, 1887. Mr. Osburn was married at Three Rivers after coming to this county, July 10, 1862, to Miss i i i I I i I i i 1m B — _* ~qi - III,, I111 I ~~ ___;e _~~l —. — P- I A I I-. jL-. S P I A1 I cp --- —-----— I- —. - _-_ _ - Ae i 'w- ob-o- 0 —d p 604 ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. A I I Nancy Clark, who passed away prior to the decease of her husband, her death also taking place at the old farm, June 21, 1884. They were the parents of two sons. Charles, the elder, was born April 13, 1863, and was reared upon a farm, becoming familiar with its various employments and receiving his education in the common school. Frank, the younger son, also grew up on the farm, and when reaching manhood was married, at Buchanan, Berrien County, this State, to Miss Fannie Cave. This lady was born in Marcellus Township, Cass County, Sept. 7, 1867, and is the daughter of John L. and Lucina Cave. The former was a native of England, whence he emigrated to the United States early in life. He came to Cass County during its early settlement, and after opening up a good farm spent the latter years of his life in prosperity and quiet. Mrs. Cave was born in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and is still living, making her home in Lamoni, Iowa. Besides 'Mrs. Osburn there are three other daughters: Addie, the wife of Isaac Judson, of Covert; Nettie and Jessie, who live with their mother in Iowa. Both the Cave and Osburn families represent the better element of society, being people well-to-do and of good standing among their neighbors. ANIEL MI. EVELAN1), editor and pro1 ) prietor of the Weekly Globe, Mendon, St. Joseph Co., Mich., was born in Schuylkill County, Pa., Aug. 22, 1836. His parents soon after removed to Port Clinton, in the same county, where our subject attended school until his sixteenth year. Ile then entered the office of I). C. & J. M. Reinhart, at Tamaqua, Pa., to learn the trade of printing, they being proprietors of a weekly journal called the Tamaqua Legion. The facilities were of the most primitive kind, and young Eveland soon had an opportunity to develop his muscle by "pulling" the forms of the paper on an old "Ramage" press, a relic of the times of Franklin. For three years our subject worked for those people as an apprentice, getting such an insight into his chosen vocation as could be had in that office. At the end of this time he went to Philadelphia, where he secured employment for a short time in various offices, but no permanent position. His next move was to Wilmington, Del., where he worked on the Delaware Gazette, the organ of the Delaware Lottery Company, and on other journals. IIe then returned to Tamaqua, where lie worked on a new paper, which, being destroyed by fire, he returned to his old employers. Finally engaging in school teaching in Tamaqua and Drehersville, also attending Normal School, paying for tuition out of his savings. While here he was married, and for several years after that event continued his teaching, varied for a short time by publishing a small paper called the Mountain Echo. The outbreak of the Rebellion found him at his teacher's desk, and following the example of his four brothers, he enlisted in the Union Army. He left the army unwounded, but suffering from disabilities incurred by reason of sickness and exposure. lie then served as clerk in a store, worked on a coal bank, taught school, and was in the employ of the express company on the P. & R. R. R. Co. He finally bought the office of the Tamaqua Courier, in partnership with a man who afterward killed himself, and he then had as a partner Robert 'Harris. The firm did a large business for some time. This was during the troublous times of the '"Mollie Maguires," with the leaders of whom our subject was personally acquainted. lie was for his utterances several times attacked by this lawless mob, but never seriously injured. Once by his courage and address, after the murder of policeman Yost, he prevented further bloodshed by delaying and finally preventing a meeting of the murderous gang. After the hanging of Doyle for one of his numerous murders, he was again attacked, but again fought his way out from the infuriated "Mollies." In fact, all through those troubles in the Pennsylvania coal regions he was in their midst, was acquainted with the leaders on both sides, and was active in upholding the law. He continued publishing his paper in Tamaqua for seven years, when he sold out and bought an interest in the Akron (Ohio) Argus, where he lost all he had. Not dismayed, he managed to get possession of a small office at Churubusco, Ind., but K: I I9 I I - I-,..dlk- -- - I I I, o bo-_ -41l -__ I-.' i I- - -— ~~~~it — r bajl-lCb -lsl I -l 3 "lw- - - I R W' ST. JOSEPH COUNTY. 605 A sold and went to Hicksville, Ohio. Thence he removed to Republic, Ohio, where he lost a son by death, having previously lost a son and daughter in Pennsylvania. From this place Mr. Eveland went to Walkerton, Ind., where he suffered a severe loss through the rascality of a person who took snap judgment on him. Hle then took charge of the South Bend Era, a Greenback organ, owned by B. F. Shively, who now represents that district in Congress, from whom he purchased the good-will and subscription list, which he sold to J. B. Stoll, editor of the Times, of that place. His next remove was to Schoolcraft, Mich., where he started a paper called the Express, which he published for more than a year. The paper was an ardent advocate of temperance, and Mr. Eveland was President of the Blue Ribbon Club, which fact militated against the financial success of his paper, and on the invitation of Mr. T. M. Sheriff he removed to Mendon, St. Joseph County, in April, 1885, and has since made this place his home, and is proprietor and editor of the Mendon Weekly Globe, organ of the Greenback party of the county. March 10, 1859, Mr. Eveland was married to Miss Amanda R. Zuber, who proved a worthy helpmate, an estimable, devoted and pure-hearted wife and mother. Of their family of six children, three are deceased, as already mentioned. Of the survivors the eldest daughter is the wife of J. J. Firestone, editor of the Colon Express; the second daughter is wedded to L. G. Clapp, druggist, of Mendon, and the youngest, a son, is now sixteen years of age, and is under the parental roof. The life of Mr. Eveland has been one of viscissitude and adventure. His service in the army was not half as dangerous or romantic as were his adventures during the veritable reign of terror inaugurated in the mining regions of Pennsylvania by the "Mollie Maguires." He is frank and outspoken in expressing his opinions, and that he was not more seriously injured in those times was somewhat due to good fortune, but more to pluck. The Mendon Globe, where it is to be hoped Mr. Eveland is located to stay, is an independent, outspoken journal, advocating the principles of the Greenback party. The office is well supplied with presses and type, and the paper and printing establishment are an important factor in the prosperity of the flourishing village of Mendon. YRUS DUTTON, of Mendon Township, k( came to this section of country in 1848, and has since resided upon the same farm. It comprises 200 acres of valuable land, and with its appurtenances is considered one of the most desirable homesteads in this part of the county. Our subject comes from a good family, being the son of William Dutton, a New Englander, who married Miss Mary Cheney, whose childhood home was near that of her husband. In 1834 they emigrated to Michigan, settling first in Calhoun County. Thence they removed, in I)ecember, 1841, to this county, settling in Mendon Township. where they remained until October, 1854. They then took up their residence in l)ecatur, Van Buren County, where they spent their last days. They were the parents of eight children, Cyrus being the eldest. The subject of this sketch was born in Rutland County, Vt., Dec. 7, 1808. He was but an infant when his parents removed to Franklin County, N. Y., they settling in a place called French's Mills, where they remained about four years. In September, 1833, he left his home for Michigan, arriving in Detroit in November following. He proceeded directly to Calhoun County, making his home in Marshall that winter. He rented land in Sheridan Township, remaining there until coming to this county, in December, 1848. At different times during his residence in Calhoun County Mr. Dutton was engaged in conveying the United States mail to different points in that section of the State. He disposed of his Calhoun County land in 1848, and joined his parents in this county, making arrangements afterward to purchase his father's land in Mendon Township. Upon this he soon afterward took up his residence, remaining until the present time. He was first married in Brady Township, Kalamazoo County, in October, 1850, to Laura F. Axtell. This lady was born i soL ~~ l~r -----— r —c-r~- -~~~r --- ll~ —I I-~r~r-r- -I ~rr II 1 _L7 - L j —U 610 - 11w 40-' -, C Ill~i,-=-~. - w q k- -' -"4 0~ I /I 1 I 60C ST. JOSEPH COUITY. I in Peru, Berkshire Co., Mass., and died at the homestead in Mendon Township, in June, 1861. Mr. Dutton contracted a second marriage, March 8, 1863, in Mendon, with Miss Cordelia Estes, widow of Zaccheus Estes. who died in Chicago, Ill., in September, 1861. Her father was Seymour Boughlton, who died in Batavia, N. Y. HIer mother, Mrs. Betsy (Hubbard) Boughton, also died there. In that place also Mrs. Dutton was born Dec. 7, 1829. Of her first marriage there were four children-Mary, Marcus, Alton and Lydia. Of the present marriage of Mr. Dutton there are also four children-Emma, Ella, William and Lee. The daughter Lydia became the wife of Martin Langdon, and died in Menton, Oct. 7,1881. Marcus married Miss Jennie Wallace. Mr. D. has held the office of Township Supiervisor three terms, and officiated as Justice of the Peace several years. Politically, he is a stanch Republican. He is afflicted with partial blindness, but has made for himself a good record as an early settler and an honest citizen. J ' ACOB HEINBACI. It has been remarked of this substantial old settler of Park Township that his word is as good as his bond; and this perhaps is as suggestive of the character of the man as anything further which could be said. He came to this section of country in its pioneer days, purchased eighty acres of timber land, and, after operating on this for a time very successfully, added to his real estate 240 acres more. This formed the nucleus of a competence which he now enjoys, and, whenever he so wishes, he can retire from active labor with the assurance that his declining years may be passed in ease and comfort. A native of Columbia County, Pa., our subject was born April 10, 1818, and is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Faust) Heinbach, who were natives of Pennsylvania, and long since passed to their final rest. He was reared to manhood in his native county, receiving a limited education, and carried on farm pursuits, with which he had become familiar during his boyhood. He was married when twenty-seven years of age, in September, 1845, to Miss Mary A. Reedy, who became the mother of three children, of whom only one is living, William, a resident of Park Township. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Heinbach emigrated to Michigan, and in due time settled upon the land which is now included in their present homestead. They labored with one lurpose in view from year to year, gathering gradually about them the conveniences and comforts of life, and as the country grew up around them, and the wilderness was transformed into smiling fields and valuable homesteads, they became the center of a pleasant circle of friends and acquaintances. Their hospitable doors were ever open to their friends, while the needy stranger was never turned empty away. Besides the property already named Mr. Heinbach is a part owner of a flour and grist mill. Upon his first purchase he paid $100 down, and was given four years in which to pay the balance, $350. He met his notes as promptly as lie has been in the habit of meeting all his obligations. He met the deepest affliction of his life on the 11th of December, 1885, when the faithful and affectionate wife and mother passed away to a better land. His life has not been free from adversity and affliction. His daughter Elmira, after an illness of twenty years, died, April 10, 1886, and thus within a year he was deprived of the companionship of both his wife and daughter. Mrs. Heinbach had been a great sufferer from a cancer. Our subject cast his first Presidential vote with the Democratic party, and since that time has given his cordial support to Democratic principles. He has never been a member of any church, yet has been a cheerful contributor both to educational and religious objects, and has endeavored in all respects to do good as he had opportunity. None are more worthy of a place in a work of this kind than Jacob Heinbach. -A lm -h -r.'7 _.- I I I- I -----------------— 4-. If t...__ ---- -- ---- i -— "1 ----~-~11~-~1~-- _ -II L L,p 0 ---------- -------- I -- ----------- -1_-* 5 6 I I I 4 J 1, =Q- - r: L ~~~zN - R - m- I., 9~~~-~3Mc_?-V u mqe~I~r I i I i i I A Adams, J. E................ 318 Adams, John................23 Adams, John Q..............39 Adams, Samuel P...........592 Addison, H. N...............220 Ahlgrim, Charles..........321 Ainger, F. B...............408 Akey,-William A............580 Alger, Russell A............. 73 Allman, Hon. William...... 389 Amess, Samuel..............312 Anderson, Milton H.........486 Andrews, Elias.............234 A ndrews, Norman S.........566 Andrews, Seymour H........499 Angevine, George A.........498 Anthony, H. L..............417 Armitage, John.......... 57 Arney, William..............565 Arnold, William F...........552 Arthur, Chester A.............99 Aspinwall, L. A.............554 B Babcock, Jay................382 Bacher, Rev. T. J...........232 Bagley, John J.............. 57 Baldwin, Henry P........... 53 Barnard, Newton H........548 Barnard, Richard............ 92 Barrows, J. M..............453 Barry, John S...............113 Barton, Albert G.............594 Bates, 0. C. M............372 Bates,W. W.............. 319 Baum, Lydia.................542 Baumeister, John............303 Beadle, Valentine............300 Beard, William............476 Beck, Dr. James W..........208 Beckwith, Rodney........... 95 Begole, Josiah W............69 Bellairs, William........... 373 Bellman, F. A................529 Bennett, Johnson......... 572 Bennett, Silas W............ 320 Berger, Daniel............... 48 Bingham, Kinsley S..........137 Bishop, Hon. J. C.......... 435 Elair, Austin................145 Eli.ss, I. G..................47i Bli:e, D. B................... 475 Botzner, John...............325 Bower, Adam.............. 239 Bower, John...............231 Bower, Samuel Y...........379 Boyles, George........... 327 Braginton, Mrs. Mary.......342 Brissette, George C.........502 Brooks, j. A.............. 324 Brown, Joseph........ 374 Buchanan, James.............75 Buck, B. C.................. 487 Bungay, Francis............ 214 Burch, Hosea............588 Burger, Jacob........... 390 Burns, Lavinia (Field)........576 Butler, B. F..................305 Butz, Leonard.............. 328 C Calam, Tindil H............4T2 Caldwell, W. G.............67 Carpenter, Sidney..........311 Carpenter, T. C.............437 Car>, N. B................ 551 Case, Hiram.................479 Case, R. E...................530 Castle, W. H.................354 Cattell, Charles H........... 309 Cattell, John................224 Catton, J. B............... 11 Catton, Thomas............. 398 Chapin, Southard............533 Chapin, William P......... 233 Childs, J.............. 598 Chivers, W. H., M. D.......256 Clapp, L. A..................558 Clark, George D.............289 Clark, W. E., M. D..........543 Cleveland, C. M.............240 Cleveland, S. Grover...... 103 Cline, Cornelius........... 293 Clowes, Charles J...........326 Clyde, Samuel..............217 Cole, Levi...................497 Connor, Judge William......358 Coohon, John C.............. 233 Cooke, G. A. B............. 560 Cook, Mrs. Mary A.........400 Cooper, HL. L........501 Cooper, Norm G.............488 Copenhafer, Henry...........296 Cornell, S. V...............341 Covey. A. G............... 236 Cox, John....................540 Crapo, Henry H.............I49 Craw, Ransom...............336 Crawford, James............60o Crevling, Nelson.............535 Crooks, Corydon............13 Cross, Samuel..............563 Crosswell, Charles M........ 16 Cuddy, Thomas..............258 Culbertson, John............285 Culow, John................ 470 Cushman, H. D..............513 Custer, Frederick............276 D Davis, Abner...............322 Davis, Herman..............225 D avis, J. J..................43 Dentler, S. I.................89 Dexter, M. A...............294 Dickinson, George............ 355 Dickinson, R. M.............38 Dider, John................465 Dock, C. E...................269 Draper, Hiram...............307 Draper, M. R............... 247 Driesbach, Henry...........310 Driggs, Hon. A. L...........20 Dunlap, John............... 329 Dunning, A. B...............423 Dunning, George............490 Dutton, Cyrus.............. 605 E Early, Samuel.............. 356 Emery, Aaron P.............482 Engle, C. T................. 251 Engle, James............322 Estes, Reuben H.............493 Evans, Calvin W.............505 Evans, Monroe...............428 Eveland, D. M.............604 F Farrand, H. K...............279 Farrand, Phineas..........318 Felch, Alpheus...............17 Ferris, Hon. Nelson..........324 Field, H. K................ 338 Fieldhouse, B. F..............446 Fillmore, Millard..........67 Firestone, J. J.............274 Fisher,C. U...............528 Fisher, Rev. J. E...........512 Fitch, Samuel A............. 591 Flanders, Dr. D. L.........444 Flanders, Ezekiel............514 Flanders, Hon. J. W.........407 Flowers, Solomon D.........416 Fogleman, Jonathan........ 292 Foil tt, S. B., M. I)..........419 Folwell, Hughes............446 Fonda, Miss Mary C.........278 Foust, George................441 Francisco, Daniel.,............536 Francisco, D. B..............515 Frank, Nathan...............445 Freeman, John............. 469 French, A. C.................205 French, J. W................575 French, 0. F..............304 Fulkerson, George W........587 G Gardner, Mrs. Clara B.......447 Gardner, W. H..............548 Garfield, James A............95 Gee, Dr. D. C................586 Gemberling, Henry..........249 Gentzler, Adam.............. 22 Gentzler, Jacob S............393 Gentzler, John R...........340 George, A. B..............421 George, E. M..............580 Gibson,' Samuel.............495 Gilkison, S. W...............339 -_. U 1 I I I -Nd~. E2* U:..G I I __ _ ---— 4 O - I i I 7 I k L I INDEX. -7 - - - I I*- -b"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_^1_11~_1____~11.~( ~ l C.. = Gillispie. G. W..............587 Gladding, J. P................ 97 Godfrey, E. L., M. D........380 Goodenow, I. J..............411 Goodrich, B. Q...............264 Goodrich, L. B..............299 Gorton. J. 1............... 219 Graham, A. J...............287 Graham, A. M..............312 Grant, Ulysses S.............87 Graves, Luther..............317 Gray, Edward..............349 Gray, George W..............425 Green, Dr. R. A............436 Greenly, William L..........12 Griffith, Robert S............520 H Hall, John W.:............ 277 Hamilton, David P...........414 Hamilton, Hon. John........396 Hamilton, Mrs. C. A........284 Handshaw, David...........227 Handy, John B..............564 Harrison, Benjamin........ 107 Harrison, J. W..............362 Harrison, William H.........5 Hartman, Henry.............281 Hartzler, J. A................525 Harvey, Norman...........402 Hasbrouck, Joseph B........255 Harwood, Merritt P..........507 Harwood, Heman............422 Harwood. H. H..............424 Hassenger, Frederick D..... 427 Hayes, Rutherford B.........91 Hazzard, David..............242 Heald, F. G................392 Hecox, H. A................ 480 Heinbach, Jacob............ 606 Hill, E................ 485 Hill, E.R.................. 273 Hincher, A. R...............33 Hinkle, William..............361 Hoats, Jonathan.............596 Holmes, C. R...............420 Hopkins, Howard.......... 336 Howard, Dr. Isaac D........451 Howard, John M...........549 Huffman, John M...........210 H ull, L. T..................399 Huylar,J. H................534 I Ikeler, William M............50oo I ngraham, Milo.............. 452 J Jackson, Andrew............. 43 Jacox, Mrs. Eliza S..........235 I I Jefferson, Thomas............27 Jerome, David H............ 65 Jewell, John W........... 463 Johnson, Andrew.............83 Johnson, James.............371 Johnson, William............295 Jones, Thomas J.............432 K Kaiser, A.J................484 Kennedy, James...........396 Kenyon, Asa P..............431 Kern, Jacob.................547 Ketchum, H. P...............203 King, Charles.............. 263 King, David................. 254 King, J. W..................266 Kinne, J. C..................345 Klady, Francisco.............228 Klady, Samuel...............367 Kline, David................481 Kline, Henry...............231 Kline, John A...............556 Knauss, L. J................ 477 Knowles, Dr. Lawrence D...6oi Knox, David................532 Knox, Frederick C...........222 L Laird, H. W.................304 Laird, J. M................. 275 Langley, W. B..............244 Laverty, Andrew............506 Lawrence, H. H...........409 Lehr, John...................257 Leland, Charles G............292 Leland, George W............5oo Leland, J. M............... 527 Lewis, G.....................196 Liddle, Mrs. Rebecca B......243 Lighthiser, William..........241 Lincoln, Abraham............. 79 Linsley, E. B...............571 Lockwood, Charles J........448 Lohoff, John................. 94 Lohr, Henry................222 Loomis, Dr. Harvey.........348 Luce, Cyrus Gray............77 M Macomber, Reuben.........571 Madison, James............ 3 Majors, J. S..................550 Marvin, J. A............... 19 Mason, Stephen T.......... 105 Mathewson, Nelson..........382 M attice,G. W................426 McClelland, Robert.......... 129 McIntosh, Milton........... 385' -L I I McKercher, J. C............270 McKindley, Francis L........237 McKinster, Charles H........228 Miller, Adam...............299 M iller, Daniel...............434 Miller, George W............531 Miller, Jonathan F.........600 Miller, Lee 0................590 Mitchell, Hon. Thomas...... 94 Moak, George W........... 413 Mohney,G. H..............302 M on roe, J ames................35 Morris, Hon. William.......341 Mlowrer, W. A...............526 Munlby, Joseph............. 276 N N ash, S...................337 Nerhoot, Jesse..............262 Nichols, D. J., M. D......539 Northrop, F. W..............440 Northrup, John G...........471 Null, Isaac............... 574 0 O Olney, David............... c3 Olney, Elon................ 359 Orton, Chauncey.............596 Osbon, Prof. Sheridan.......439 Osburn, Ebenezer............6c3 Osburn, Charles..............603 P Packard Dr. Ira F..........187 Page, David................430 Palmer, Cyrus................22.3 Parker, Daniel R...........468 Parker, E. T.................599 Parker, J. J. A..............597 Parsons, Andrew............. 133 Patridge, Albert H...........248 Pealer, Hon. R. R............537 Pendleton, Hon. E. W........403 Perrin, Charles E...........557 Pettifer, Charles.............466 Pettit, W. D.................544 Phillips, James............409 Phillips, Stephen.......... 218 Pier, E. B.................376 Pierce, Franklin..............71 Place, L. B................... 553 Plant, Morgan............386 Plowm'n, J. G..............443 Polk, James K................59 Prutzman, Hon. A. C.........5I6 Pulver, Hiram............. 249 Putnam, M. B..............366 R Rank, D. W.................395 Ransom, Epaphroditus....... 25 = I Rardeen, James H...........283 Redfearn, Thomas...........50 Reiff, J. W..................401 Reiterman, William......... 335 Rensenhouse, Augustus H...579 Rhoades, Lewis............. 442 Rice, Charles................541 Rifenbergh, L. C.............353 Roberts, Cyrus...............578 Robinson, Dr. S. R..........445 Root, Henry E...............206 Routzahn, L. C..............509 Roys, Norman.............595 Roys, T. W..................252 Roys, William H.............344 Ruggles, Z. B................508 Russell, A. C...............234 Russell, Joseph............. 378 Rutherford, John...........259 S Sage, C. H................. 517 Sabin, Charles E.............583 Sabin, Marden, M. D........562 Sanborn, Gideon............328 Sars, C. E..................573 Seaver, J. E................33I SeviSon, Henry..............190 Schaad, Conrad..............510 Schafer, C. H............... 56I Schermerhorn, John.........287 Schoonmaker, Isaac......... 58 Schurtz, John G..............467 Scoville, Bela P., M. D.,.....398 Scoville, Theo M............226 Sharer, William.............238 Shepherdson, A. P...........271 Showerman, Stephen.........261 Sides, George M.............360 Sides. Isaac..................245 Simpson, James..............283 Simpson, Josias.............365 Slover, Charles J.............483 Srpall, George..............250 Smith, Amos.................265 Smith, H. B................58 5 Smith, J. O................. 309 Smith, William H............545 Snyder, S. M............... 260 Snyder, William H.........559 Spalsbury, G. W., M. D.....363 Stadden, A. W.............. 55 Stanton, J. J............... 330 Stauffer, Jacob E............215 Stear, William...............204 Stears, John J...............343 Stears, Thomas..............346 Stears, William H............368 Stewart, H. P................ 569 Stone, B. N..................385 Stout, Reuben................347 Stow, Silas*...................491 Stowell, Joseph C.......... 314 Stull, Henry...............404 Sturgis, Amos...............511 I_ I i I I i i Ii II t i i Ii i I i iI iI I i I I^ - 1 — 41 — qlr pp I a — I I --- —-— ~ ---- ---,. — - - - 1. 40 slow 1III~~-I~l ~I ~I~ I~ I_ ~rL. INDEX. - --- T Taylor, Zachary...............63 Teal, V. W..................357 Teesdale, Samuel............391 Theurer, Lucas.............. 546 Thoma, Andrew..............578 Thomas, D E., M. D.......504 Thornton, James......... 472 Thornton, Dr. T. F.........449 Thursion, George............46I Timmis, Charles.............216 Tobey, Nelson I............411 Trost, John..................377 Turnbull, W. J.............573 Tyler, John..................55 V Valentine, Samuel........... 204 Van Buren, Martin..........47 Van Buren, W. H............93 Vandermark, Jane...........489 Van Vorst, Abner J......... 323 Voorhees, A. H..............457 W Wagner, Emanuel.........383 Wait, Hon. J. G..............209 Wakeman, Adam.............291 W alton, S. A.................523 W are, Elias..................217 Ware, Enoch.................226 Warren, Henry N............290 Warren, J. 0................253 Washington, George.......... i Watkins, William M..........358 Weinberg, B. F.............492 Weinberg, L. R..............503 Wellesley, E. C..............306 Wells, Franklin........I.98 Wells, John M............384 Wells, William H..........332 Wemple, Merritt............476 Wheeler, E C.............415 W hite, D. L..................4.V8 White, Levant E............454 White, Peter............ 221 Wilcox, L. '.................494 Willemin, Elias R............592 Williams, Dr. John R........464 Willits, Hon. J. Warren....582 Wisner, Rev. Alpheus.......230 Wisner, Moses............... 14 Wolf, A. C...................584 Wolf, John F.................602 Wolf, Jonas.............. 433 Wolf, T. B...................589 Wolfe, Josiah................598 Wood, James W..............377 Woodbridge, William........1og Woods, Frederick............473 Worthington, J. H...........282 Worthington,W. L...........550 Wyandt, W. B................478 Y Yaple, Hon. George L......5r8 Yauney, George..............568 Yeatter, Solomon...........257 z Zink, J. B...................450 0 r _Iww Adams, John................. 22 Adams, J. Q..................38 Alger, Russell A............. 72 Allman, Hon. William.......388 Arthur, Chester A...........98 Bagley, John J.............. 56 Baldwin, Henry P...........152 Barry, John S...............112 Begole, Josiah W............. 68 Bingham, Kinsley S........I36 Bishop, J. C................ 435 Blair, Austin................ 44 Buchanan, James............. 74 Cleveland, S. Grover.........102 Crapo, Henry H............. 48 Crosswell, Charles M........6o Driggs, Hon. A. L......... 200 Felch, Alpheus.............. 16 Fillmore, Millard.............66 Flanders, Hon. J. W.........406 Garfield, James A............ 94 Grant, Ulysses S..............86 Graves, Luther...............316 Greenly, William L...........120 Harrison, Benjamin.......... o6 Harrison, W. H................50 Hayes, Rutherford B..........90 Jackson, Andrew..............42 Jefferson, Thomas........... 26 Jerome, David H............164 Johnson, Andrew.............82 Johnson, James..............370 Johnson. Mrs. James........ 370 Lincoln, Abraham.............78 Luce, Cyrus Gray............ 76 Madison, James...............30 Mason, Stephen T............104 McClelland, Robert.......... 28 Miller, Adam................208 Monroe, James................34 Packard, Dr. I. F............ 86 Parsons, Andrew............. 32 Pierce, Franklin...............70 Polk, James K................58 Ransom, Epaphroditus...... 124 Reiterman, William.........334 Rifenbergh, L. C.............352 Rifenbergh, Mrs. L. C......352 Taylor, Zachary.............62 Tyler, John................ 54 Van Buren, Martin........... 46 Voorhees, A. H............456 Wait, Hon. J. G.............208 Walton, S. A................522 Washington, George..........8 Wisner, Moses.............. 140 Woodbridge, William.......1o8 Awtealeje;-g'K~i I) SG~M I odd&, I - M------ --- ------- -- A I F __ _I_,- jbw-jmk —O" - -4p- w -14P I I I i iI I i I 0 I i i i -a —.40- VI --- ------ S FM I Fii~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I 4~~~~~~ 2S~6 ~ ~ ~ ~ - I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MEN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MEN=~~~~~~