USA > Michigan > Van Buren County > A history of Van Buren County, Michigan a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests Volume II > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
MICHIGAN
VOL.II.
2 V217 P.883 Vol.2
ROWLAND
03
A HISTORY
OF
VAN BUREN COUNTY MICHIGAN
A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People, and its Principal Interests.
BY CAPTAIN O. W. ROWLAND
VOLUME II
.
ILLUSTRATED
PUBLISHERS THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK 1912
1
-
.
I. H. Hakunaut
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
FRANK N. WAKEMAN .- Born and reared on a farm, or as a farm- er's son, obtaining a good high school education, then teaching school for a number of years and afterward filling an important county office with great credit to himself and satisfaction to the people for two terms, Frank N. Wakeman came to the duties he now performs as editor and publisher of a progressive newspaper with his faculties well developed and trained in an extended and varied experience. In all the lines of endeavor he has followed from his boyhood he has been attentive to their requirements and studied them with an earnest intention to obtain as thorough a mastery of them as possible. This wise and fruitful method of procedure has made him ready for almost any kind of work involving mental acuteness, scholarship and good judgment, and is one of the strong elements of his success in his present exacting and important engagement.
Mr. Wakeman's life began in Lawrence, Van Buren county, Michigan, on July 4, 1870, and he is a son of Nathan B. and Isa- belle (Braybrooks) Wakeman, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of England. The father, who was a farmer all his life, and for a number of years was also engaged in raising live stock for the markets, came to Van Buren county in 1864, and located on a farm in Lawrence township, on which he passed the remainder of his days, dying in February, 1901. At the time of his death he owned eighty acres of land especially well adapted to general farming and raising stock. The mother is still living and has her home in this county. She and her husband were the par- ents of seven children, all of whom are residents of this county but one. They are: Frank N., the immediate subject of this review; Nellie, the wife of A. H. Abrams; Jennie, the wife of C. J. Rowlee; Carrie, the wife of A. E. Abrams; Cora, the wife of William Nower : Veda, the wife of Irvin D. Moore, and Abbie, who is living at home with her mother. Nellie, Jennie, Carrie and Cora all live in Law- rence, and Veda has her home in Hillsdale, Michigan, one of the attractive cities of the state.
After the death of their father the mother married a second time, uniting herself in this union with James H. Brown, of Lawrence, where she now resides, finding great comfort in being near and associating freely with several of her children, and enjoying in a marked degree, in company with her husband, the regard and good will of all classes of the people, among whom she is well known
631
-
632
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
and warmly appreciated for the excellence of her character and her cordial interest in everything that ministers to the comfort and betterment of the inhabitants of the town and county.
After his graduation from the Lawrence high school Frank N. Wakeman taught a district school for two years, then was superin- tendent of the schools in Covert for six years. At the end of that period he was elected county clerk, and at the end of his term was re-elected, holding the office four years in all. When he retired from the public service he started an abstract business in Hillsdale, and this he conducted for two years. His ability and careful at- tention to all his duties in public and private life won him a high reputation to all his duties, resourceful and capable man, and opened the way to him for his present engagement as editor and publisher of the True Northerner, a newspaper published in Paw Paw under the direction of a stock company of which he is one of the leading members. He is, in fact, the controlling spirit and real inspiration of the paper, directing its policy and giving expression to its views, and by his clearness and force as a writer he has made it influential and popular, while his business acumen has made it prosperous financially.
On July 31, 1895, Mr. Wakeman was united in marriage with Miss Mamie E. Cross, a daughter of George A. and Mary L. (Jen- nings) Cross. Her father was born in Michigan and her mother in the state of New York. They have had five children, four of whom are living: Mrs. Mamie Wakeman; George and Ina, twins, George having died in infancy, and Ina being now the wife of N. Nicholas, a resident of Arlington township; and Harry A., who is at present (1911) county clerk of Van Buren county. Mr. and Mrs. Wakeman have one child, Wynn Francis, who was born on April 2, 1908. Mr. Wakeman is a Republican in politics and an energetic and efficient worker for the success of his party in all campaigns. Fraternally he is an enthusiastic member of the Ma- sonic order in all the branches of the York rite. He belongs to the Lodge and Chapter in Paw Paw, the Council in Lawrence and Pe- ninsular Commandery, Knights Templar, in Kalamazoo. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the order of the Eastern Star in Paw Paw, and in all the stages of his Masonic affiliation he takes a deep interest and a serviceable part in the work of each. He is universally known as one of the most useful and representa- tive citizens of the county from every point of view, and well de- serves his rank.
JEROME C. WARNER .- Following the peaceful and productive occupation of a quiet farmer until his services were required in the army in defense of the Union, then going valiantly to the field and rendering the best service he could to the cause he had es- poused, Jerome C. Warner, of Paw Paw, has shown in his career as a man and a citizen that he is ready for any call to duty and can be depended on to perform his part ably and faithfully, what- ever it may be. When he returned from the war, bearing on his person the mark of his service in the scar from a dangerous wound received in one of the late battles of our sanguinary and disastrous sectional strife, he again turned his attention to farming for a
633
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
short time, then became a merchant. In this last line of endeavor he has risen to high rank in the part of the state in which his operations are conducted, and has thus given another proof of his adaptibility to circumstances and capacity to meet require- ments, even in hitherto wholly untried fields of labor.
Mr. Warner is a native of Van Buren county and has passed the whole of his life within its borders, except during the period of his military service. He was born on a farm in Almena township on December 14, 1840, and is a son of Rev. Junia and Arminda (Merry) Warner, natives of Herkimer county, New York. They came to Michigan and located on the Van Buren county farm in 1835, the place of their son Jerome's birth. On their arrival in this county they entered three hundred acres of land belonging to the government and on that they made their home and bestowed their labor until the death of the father in 1847. After this event the mother remained on the farm and continued cultivating it and rearing her children to usefulness in life by having them perform their full share of the work in conducting it. She survived him thirty-six years, surrendering her trust at the behest of the Great Disposer of Events in 1883. Nine children were born in the family, three of whom died in infancy and four of the others have since died, the latter being Philura, Elam L., Francis and Mary. The two still living are Jerome C. and his brother Wilbur F., who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Both were educated in the district schools and reared on the farm. Both have also sought other pur- suits in life and have won gratifying and well-deserved success in them.
Jerome C. Warner remained on the farm until 1864. On Jan- uary 1, that year, he enlisted in Company H, Thirteenth Michigan Infantry, as a volunteer to fight for the preservation of the Union. This company was connected with the army corps commanded by General Sherman and he remained in active service until the battle of Bentonville, North Carolina, when he was wounded and removed to a hospital in New York city, where he remained about three months, or until the fall of the Southern Confederacy and the close of the war, being discharged in June, 1865. When he left the army he returned to the farm and conducted its operations for a short time. Finally he sold it and moved to Paw Paw, where for a number of years he was extensively and profitably engaged in merchandising, which business is now carried on by his sons. He now owns one of the largest and most imposing brick business buildings and one of the most attractive and valuable private resi- dences in the city. He also owns one hundred and thirty acres of fine farming land, which he has purchased since he became a mer- chant and to the cultivation of which he gives his personal atten- tion to the extent of supervising and directing it.
Mr. Warner has taken a great interest in the affairs of the city, township and county of his home and has rendered their people excellent service in several important and responsible public offices. He has been under sheriff of the county, township treasurer two terms, township supervisor nine years and successively president, treasurer and assessor of Paw Paw. In fraternal circles he is con- nected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he also
634
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic. His religious fealty is given to the Presbyterian church. In politics he is a Republican of pronounced convictions and zealous in the service of his party at all times.
On May 24, 1876, Mr. Warner united in marriage with Miss Jen- nie Kelly, and by this union became the father of five children, all- of whom are living at Paw Paw. Wilbur J., who is conducting the business formerly carried on by his father, married. Vivian, daughter of R. W. Broughton, of Paw Paw. They have one daugh- ter, Jean. Glenn E. and Guy are twins, the former being a lawyer and the present prosecuting attorney of Van Buren county, and the latter in the furniture business at Paw Paw. Guy married Mabel Showerman, of Paw Paw. Leland is associated with his brother Wilbur J. in business, and the youngest member of the family is Blaine. Glenn E., Leland and Blaine still reside be- neath the parental roof-tree and assist in making the household one of the most popular in the neighborhood and an attractive resort for numerous admiring friends of the family. All the members stand high in the regard and good will of the people and are looked upon as among the best and most useful citizens in the county. They are accepted everywhere as worthy representa- tives of its sterling manhood and the enterprise and progressive- ness which distinguish its inhabitants and sustain its excellent reputation in all parts of the state.
OSCAR ADAMS .- This sterling citizen of Van Buren county has passed the psalmist's span of three score years and ten, and more than half a century of his life has been passed in the county which is now his home and in which he is known and honored of men. He may well be designated as one of the pioneer citizens of the county and he has done his part in furthering its industrial and civic development and upbuilding, the while his earnest and well directed efforts as one of the world's productive workers have not been denied a gracious fruition. He has long been known as one of the representative exponents of agriculture in Keeler township and his fine homestead well shows the thrift and good management that have been brought to bear by him, the while he here finds himself surrounded by all that should compass old age. He is passing the gracious evening of his life in peace and prosperity and surrounded by friends that are tried and true and to whom his loyalty is in- violable. Such are the citizens whose careers merit special con- sideration in publications of this nature, and it will be a source of gratification to many residents of Van Buren county to find within these pages a brief review of the worthy life record of him whose name introduces this paragraph.
Oscar Adams was born in Allegany county, New York, on the 22d of March, 1839, and is a scion of one of the staunch old fam- ilies of the Empire commonwealth, which has given to Michigan so large and valuable a contribution, many of the early settlers of the southern part of the state having come from New York, as the annals of Michigan well indicate, as do also names of towns, cities and villages which in their titles give honor to old homes in New York. Mr. Adams is the youngest in a family of three sons and
1
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
635
two daughters born to Willard and Esther (Baker) Adams, and he is now the only surviving member of the immediate family. His father was born in Vermont and was a representative of one of the pioneer families of that state, as well as one established in New England in the colonial days, when that section was the matrix in which was cast so much of the early history of the nation. Willard Adams was reared to adult age in the old Green Mountain state, and after he had passed his legal majority he accompanied two of his brothers in a migration to the state of New York. Owing to the exigencies of time and place he had received but limited educational advantages, but he had the intrinsic elements for the gaining of worthy success and made for himself a secure place in connection with economic industry. He acquired land in Allegany county, New York, where he reclaimed a productive farm and where he became a citizen of prominence and influence in his community. Upright in all the relations of life, industrious and God-fearing, his career was one marked by earnestness, sincerity and worthy accomplishment, as well as by temporal prosperity that was justly his due. In politics he was a Jeffersonian Democrat, he was affili- ated with the Masonic fraternity. Esther (Baker) Adams was likewise a native of Vermont but was a child of seven years at the time of the family removal to the state of New York, where she was reared to womanhood and where her marriage was solemn- ized. Her father, Thaddeus Baker, was graduated in a college in England and was a man of much ability, and he became one of the prominent pioneers of Allegany county, New York. He secured a tract of wild land in the southwestern part of that county and there developed a good farm. He found much re- quisition for his services as a skilled surveyor and was called upon to serve in various offices of public trust. He was for many years a justice of the peace and also served for a number of years as judge of the probate court of his county. Willard and Esther (Baker) Adams continued to reside in Allegany county until their death and both attained to venerable age.
Oscar Adams was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and his early educational advantages were limited to a somewhat irregular attendance in the common schools of his native county. When but fifteen years of age he manifested his youthful inde- pendence, self-reliance and ambition by severing the home ties and setting forth alone to seek his fortunes in Michigan. He made the voyage by lake steamer to Detroit and thence came on the Michigan Central Railroad to Decatur, Van Buren county, where he arrived in March, 1857, with his cash capital reduced to less than ten dollars. The venturesome lad was ready to turn his attention to any honest employment and he soon secured work on a neighboring farm, where he received fourteen dollars a month for his services, this being the first money he had ever earned in an independent way. For six years he continued to be thus em- ployed as a farm hand,-in Hamilton and Keeler townships,- and for three years of this period he worked for Philotas Haydon, one of the well known pioneers of the county. He had carefully saved his earnings and at the expiration of six years he made his first purchase of land, securing one hundred and sixty acres, for
1
636
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
which he paid one-fourth of the purchase price and assumed in- debtedness for the remainder. The land was but slightly im- proved and he set himself vigorously to the task of metamorphos- ing the same into a productive farm. He has continued in pos- session of this land during the long intervening years and the same constitutes his present homestead, which is recognized as one of the valuable farms of the county, with excellent improvements and with every evidence of thrift and prosperity.
The first dwelling owned by Mr. Adams represented an expendi- ture on his part of the sum of twenty-four dollars. This was a wing of an old house and was transported to his farm by means of an ox team. At that time deer, wild turkeys and other native game were still plentiful, and he was enabled to add much to his larder from this source. His experience also compasses the use of the old-time cradle, which he has swung from sunny morn till dewy eve in the garnering of grain and he utilized the old- fashioned scythe in cutting hay, both kinds of products being raked up by hand. He has witnessed the marvelous development in agricultural machinery and implements and finds satisfaction in the use of modern improvements and facilities, though he ever reverts with pleasure to the "dear, dead days beyond recall," and appreciates the generous friendships and mutual helpfulness that marked the associations of the pioneer epoch. He still has in his possession one of the grain cradles of the old times and the same is worthy of preservation as a family heirloom. By the use of this primitive implement he made a record of cutting two and one- half acres of grain in a day, and his memory constitutes a link between the pioneer past and the present era of opulent prosperity and manifold advantages. The first schoolhouse in the vicinity of his home was erected in 1858, and he drew the stone for the foundation of the same. He has used the goose-quill pen, prior to the manufacturing of steel pens, and has fashioned many of these quills for such use. As a boy he absorbed wisdom from Daboll's arithmetic, Kenyon's grammar and Town's spelling-book, and few of the present day remain to recall these early text-books.
Within three years after the purchase of his farm Mr. Adams had labored so industriously and had so carefully husbanded his resources that he could have met all indebtedness. He had bor- rowed money of his friend and former employer, Mr. Haydon, and he toiled and planned until he was able to pay back dollar for dollar, the while he was laying the secure foundation for future independence and prosperity. Hard work, integrity of purpose and fairness and honor in all things have characterized the career of this sterling pioneer, and he has not only won but also deserved success, as well as the high regard of his fellow men. In the stern school of experience and through self-discipline he has gained valuable lessons, and he is one of the well informed men of his county, taking a lively interest in its affairs and also in the ques- tions and issues of the day. He has done his part in the further- ing of enterprises and measures advanced for the general good of the community and is known as a broad-minded and public-spirited citizen. Mr. Adams cast his first presidential vote for Stephen A. Douglas, and his second was in support of the immortal Lin-
1
637
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
coln, but since that time he has been unwavering in his allegiance to the Democratic party. He served several years as justice of the peace of his township and for thirty-three years has been an official of his school district. He has shown deep interest in educa- tional matters and has done much to forward the upbuilding of the public schools in the county that has so long been his home. He is a zealous and consistent member of the Methodist Episco- pal church and has been earnest in its work. He assisted in the erection of the first church building in the vicinity of his home, and this was used by those of the various religious faiths, without discrimination, tolerance and unity of spirit being in evidence and the cause of the Divine Master being held as the one essen- tial. He has been an official member of the Methodist church at Keeler for many years, having served as one of its trustees and having been liberal in his contributions to the various depart- ments of its work. He has thus shown a high sense of steward- ship, as has he also in the daily walks of life, and this church is still open for the use of all denominations at funeral and other occasions. Mr. Adams' fine homestead is located nine miles distant from the city of Dowagiac and eight miles from Decatur. It comprises ninety acres and the attractive home is known for its generous hospitality, being a favorite rendezvous for a wide circle of friends whom he has "grappled to his soul with hoops of steel."
Mr. Adams has been twice wedded. On the 16th of February, 1862, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Sarah Geer, who was born in Van Buren county, on the 2d of April, 1839, and who here passed her entire life, her death having occurred on the 20th of February, 1894. She was a member of one of the well known and honored pioneer families of Hamilton township and her life was one of loving consecration to home and family. Concerning the nine children of this union the following brief record is given : Isabelle B. is the wife of Fred H. Baker, who is one of the repre- sentative business men of Dowagiac, where he is one of the princi- pal stockholders in the Colby Milling Company, and his wife is the owner of large land interests in Van Buren county as well as the owner of a landed estate of one thousand acres in Manitoba, Canada. Mrs. Baker was afforded excellent educational advan- tages, including a course in an excellent academic institution at Goshen, Indiana. Prior to her marriage she was a successful teacher in the schools of her home township and she is now a promi- nent factor in the leading social activities of the city of Dowagiac, being a woman whose culture has been enhanced by the extended travels which she and her husband have indulged through the various sections of the country. Oliver, the eldest of the sons, is one of the prosperous and progressive farmers of Keeler town- ship, where he secured his early education in the public schools. He married Miss Nora Someral and they have five children,- Wesley, Isabelle, Dorothy, Allen and Oscar. Wesley L., the sec- ond son, is engaged in mining enterprises in Alaska and is located thirty-four miles distant from Fairbanks, that territory. He was afforded the advantages of the Northern Indiana Normal School, now known as Valparaiso University, and has been in Alaska since 1898. Deyo, the youngest of the children, is in active charge of
638
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
his father's old homestead farm and in this connection he has shown an energy and judgment that have made him justify the name which he bears. He is a Republican in politics, and he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Miss Valorie Earl and they have one son, Maurice.
On the 26th of March, 1896, Mr. Adams contracted his second marriage, having then been united to Mrs. Marcia (Buck) Beattie, who proves a most gracious chatelaine of their beautiful rural home. She was born and reared in Van Buren county, and is a daughter of the late Lucius E. and Celina (Wise) Buck, who came to this county from the vicinity of Geneseo, New York, and who here passed the residue of their lives, secure in the high re- gard of all who knew them. Mrs. Adams is a specially earnest and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is a woman of marked culture and social attractiveness. She has served as both president and vice president of the Thursday Literary Club, in the village of Keeler, and for twenty years prior to her marriage she was one of the valued and loved teachers in the public schools of her native county, where her circle of friends is coincident with that of her acquaintances. She is a pleasing public speaker and has been a popular factor in social and literary circles for many years. By her first marriage she became the mother of one child, Mrs. Nellie B. Sill, of Billings, Montana, and she has two daughters, Beatrice and Margarie. Since their mar- riage Mr. and Mrs. Adams have visited various sections of the Union, including the Pacific coast and the eastern states, and they have thus found both enjoyment and information, the while they have shown the proper recognition of the uses of such temporal prosperity as is theirs. Mr. Adams is a man of unassuming and thoroughly democratic bearing but his mind is a veritable store- house of knowledge and mature judgment, with a specially large department from which may be drawn most interesting reminis- cences touching the pioneer days in Van Buren county.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.