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 I > Part 54
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 (link on the Part 1 page).
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
526
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
volumes in school library, 835; value of school property, $15,000; district indebtedness, $2,500; teachers employed, ten; aggregate number of months of school, nine; salaries paid teachers, $5,032.50.
Dr. Milton F. Palmer settled in Hartford and commenced the practice of medicine in 1857. He was the second postmaster in the place and a great sportsman. He killed several deer in the vicinity, and ducks, wild turkeys and squirrels without number. His gun was named the "Rodlong." He planted an apple orchard in the center of the village, and said at the time that the fruit it would produce would be much better for the children than his medicine, all of which was verified in time. At least, it cost them less than his pills, for he was never known to drive a child out of his orchard.
Dr. W. A. Engle settled in the place soon after Dr. Palmer and the two practiced their profession there for more than forty years. Dr. Engle was postmaster for several years. He was somewhat of a poetical turn of mind, published two very creditable volumes of poems and had a third volume nearly ready for the press at the time of his death, which occurred at Hartford, on the 20th day of November, 1907, in his eighty-second year.
The first lawyer to settle in the village was Alonzo H. Chandler, who is yet practicing his profession in the place. Not long after- ward Cenius H. Engle was admitted to the bar and for several years they were the only practitioners in the town.
The first saw-mill in the township of Hartford was erected in 1855, on the Paw Paw river, one mile north of the village, by Cal- vin Cross and John Andrews. In 1870 it was purchased by Will-
.
ANDERSON'S MILL, HARTFORD
527
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
iam Anderson, who converted a part the structure into a grist- mill, and for a number of years ran the two in connection. Since the death of their father, which occurred in the spring of 1900, the property has been managed by two of his sons, Julian H. and Edgar A. Anderson. A few years ago, the brothers greatly im- proved the water power and started an electric plant which sup- plies the village with both street and inside lights. They are en- titled to much credit for their venture, which has been a success, as at the time of the construction of the plant neither of them had had any experience, or knowledge, practical or theoretical, of the business. At the present time, Marion O., son of Julian H. Anderson, has immediate charge of the working of the plant. He is a graduate of one of the best electrical schools in the country and thoroughly qualified for the work.
The first steam grist-mill in the village was built in 1878 by E. J. Walker and is still in operation in connection with a hoop and heading mill.
The first livery in the place was established by Jacob Craiger, who ran a daily line of stages between St. Joseph and Paw Paw until the completion of the Pere Marquette Railway, after which he continued the line between Hartford and Paw Paw until the opening of the "narrow gauge" in 1883. Craiger was a very energetic man; no storm prevented him from being on time if pos- sible. "No lion was ever in his way." His old livery barn was torn down a few years ago and one of the finest residences in the town erected on its site, owned and occupied by George Ocobock and his wife, Craiger's youngest daughter.
Hartford has one of the most beautiful parks in the state. cer- tainly the finest in the county. It contains about three acres of ground and is situated midway between the main part of the vil- lage and the railroad depot. The park is a great resort for pas- sengers in the summer season while waiting for trains. They are often heard to say "We are glad we did not make connections, for this is certainly one of the most charming places in the state of Michigan;" and they are right about it. It is not only a park, but it is a regular botanical garden as well; a perfect beauty spot, adorned as it is with an almost endless profusion of flowers of all varieties and colors. The park was presented to the village by Horace M. Olney, one of its foremost citizens, and is called "Ely Park," in memory of his mother, whose maiden name was Elv.
Hartford has also a neat Opera House.
The town has an excellent fire department, which was installed in 1899. The water tower is of sufficient height so that a stream can easily be thrown to the top of the highest buildings in the town.
There is a first class weekly paper, the Hartford Day Spring,
528
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
published in the village. A more extended notice of this sheet will be found in the chapter of this work devoted to the press of the county.
There are two banks in the village, the Olney National and Mer- riman's banks, the latter a private institution.
The postoffice is located in what is known as the Postoffice block, on the southeast corner of Main and Center streets. The building was erected in 1906 by Horace M. Olney. It is a fine two story structure sixty feet square, of marbleized Portland cement. The ground floor is occupied by the Olney National Bank, the post- office and the office of the Hartford Day Spring. The second floor is used for office purposes. The building is modern in every re- spect, steam heated and elegantly furnished. The National Bank quarters seem to have been fitted up regardless of expense and the
ELY PARK, HARTFORD
postoffice is one of the very best in the county. Thirteen mails per day are handled-during Christmas week of 1911, 279 pouches and sacks of mail matter were disposed of. Four rural mail car- riers are employed throughout the country adjacent to the town and they travel one hundred and thirteen miles each day, Sundays excepted. V. W. Olds, postmaster, and Estella M. Olds, his as- sistant, are about closing their eighth year in the office. During their administration the receipts of the office have increased forty- five per cent.
CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES
When the good people of Hartford desire to attend public wor- ship, they have the choice of five church organizations: The
529
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
Methodist Episcopal, the Christian, the Congregational, the Bap- tist and the Latter Day Saints.
A Methodist society was formed as early as 1859 and used the old schoolhouse as a meeting place. Among the first members were Charles Doty, the first class leader; Sarah Doty, John and Maggie Van Ostrom and Fanny Goodenough. Some of the early clergy- man who attended the charge were Revs. J. Hoyt, C. C. Kellogg, H. H. Joy, T. T. George, G. A. Buell, J. W. Miller, F. I. Beard, J. W. Webster and J. P. Force. The church, however, was not recognized as a separate charge until 1873, when Rev. E. A. Tan- ner became its pastor. For a number of years afterward the churches at Hartford and Lawrence were united as one charge under the ministration of the same preacher. Since 1874 the fol- lowing pastors have served the church: Revs. S. C. Woodard, N. M. Steele, F. I. Bell, V. G. Boynton, L. W. Earl, L. S. Matthews, H. H. Parker, W. W. Lamport, W. A. Prouty, J. R. Oden, A. E. Hawley, H. L. Potter, G. F. Craig, G. D. Draper, H. A. Lyon, Geo. Killian, R. E. Quant and F. L. Niles (present pastor). The church now has 200 members and the Sunday school has an en- rolment of 190. The first superintendent of the Sunday school was C. H. Engle, who acted in that capacity for thirty-five years.
The First Baptist church was organized in the old district school- house, on the 17th day of November, 1858, by Rev. Harvey Mun- ger, with seventeen members. The present membership is 119. Since the pastorship of Elder Munger the church has been served by the following named ministers: Rev. Albert Gore, whose min- istrations were terminated by his enlistment in the Civil war; Revs. W. M. Simons, W. Gates, P. S. Dean, J. F. Ross, J. G. Port- man, S. Hendricks, Samuel Jackson, L. W. Olney, Charles Bailey, Walker, - Armstrong, Chappell, J. Howard,
Dean, Charles Rock, E. E. Branch, C. B. Kendall, C. A. Salyer, - McConnell, F. A. Carlisle, J. B. Reynolds, Preston, and the present pastor, D. C. Henshaw. There is a flourishing Sunday school in connection with the church with a membership of about 100. J. D. Stewart is the superintendent. The first Sunday school was organized soon after the church with forty scholars and Jefferson Dowd as its superintendent. The present officers of the church are as follows: Deacons, Henry Brown, Kendrick Smith and Arthur Dowd; deaconesses, Mrs. Freeman Stowe, Mrs. L. Prichard and Mrs. George Webster; trustees, Ed. Ewald, Henry Brown, and James Clark. During the pastorate of Rev. J. F. Ross, in the early seventies, the present house of worship was purchased of the Universalist society, which, for a time, had been in quite a flourishing condition, but was finally abandoned, disposed of its church property and went out of existence.
Vol. 1-34
530
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
The Congregational church was organized in 1885 with twelve members, among whom were Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Spaulding, Mr. and Mrs. Van Vrankin, A. J. Dyer, Mrs. Smith and others. The following year the society built a fine house of worship on South Maple street. The church now has forty-five members.
The Christian, or Disciple church, as it is sometimes called, was organized in Reynolds' hall, now the town hall, in the spring of 1886, after a series of meetings held by Elder Levi Dewey of Dowagiac, who was its first pastor and who served the church for about four years. A house of worship was erected in 1887, on Shep- ard street. The church started with a charter membership of about fifty, mostly men and women in middle life. The following pastors have served it during the twenty-five years of its history : Levi Dewey, J. H. Hammond, J. H. Reese, Nathan Fellows, Garry L. Cook, Willard McCarthy, F. F. Schultz, Frank A. Taylor and James A. Brown, the present pastor, who has been its minister for the past five years. The church has a flourishing Sunday school, is free from debt and the future outlook is very promising.
The local congregation of the reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints is known as the Hartford branch. It was organized on the 6th day of September, 1885, with sixteen members, Henry Manea as president (pastor), and George Conolly as secretary. The pres- ent membership is forty-four. Francis Earl is president and secretary. The church building is located at the corner of Mary and Barnard streets.
The town is also well represented by the ladies and gentlemen of mystic grips, signs and pass-words. Charter Oak Lodge, No. 231, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted on the 7th day of May, 1874. The lodge now has a membership of about 100.
Hartford Rebekah Lodge, No. 281, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was organized on the 22d day of February, 1879, by au- thority of Grand Master James M. Servoss. The lodge now has 115 members.
Florida Lodge No. 309, A. F. and A. M., was instituted Jan- uary 17, 1873, with E. C. Hurd as worshipful master, Thomas J. Johns, senior warden, and James C. Crandall, junior warden. The lodge has 137 members at the present time.
Benevolence Eastern Star Lodge, No. 46, was instituted on the third day of October, 1877, with Allie Manley as worthy patron. A year later the name was changed to Benevolence Eastern Star Chapter and the number changed to 19. After a time the chap- ter, by reason of lack of interest, ceased to exist and was dormant until January 30, 1902, when it was revived with twenty-nine char- ter members and rechristened as Benevolence Chapter, No. 46, Order of the Eastern Star. Since the reorganization, it has been
531
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
prosperous and now has a membership of 156. One of its members, Mrs. Emma Ocobock, has filled the position of worthy grand matron of Michigan and at the general grand chapter meeting at Jack- sonville, Florida, was elected to the office of grand worthy con- ductress.
A tent of the Knights of the Modern Maccabees, No. 230, was organized on the 15th day of August, 1890, by authority of W. S. Linton, great commander, and Major N. S. Boynton, grand rec- ord keeper. They now have about seventy members.
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIES
The village business is transacted at one department store, two general dry goods stores, four groceries, two clothing and furnish- ing stores, three meat markets, three hotels, three eating rooms, one saw-mill, two stave and heading mills, two jewelry stores, two furniture stores, three shoe and repair shops, one bazaar, one 5 and 10-cent store, three canning factories, three cider mills. two grain elevators, three blacksmith-shops, one feed store, one grist- mill, two lumber yards, one garage, two machine shops, two livery barns and two banks, while five doctors look after the physical well being of its citizens and three lawyers settle the few disputes that arise among a happy and prosperous community.
Of the three canning factories, the one known as the Traver factory is built of stone and is one of the largest and best equipped plants of the kind in the state of Michigan. From eighty to one hundred hands are employed for about six months in the year. What is known as the Traxler factory was built some time prior to the "Traver" and employs practically the same number of people during the same time. Arrangements have been made to run what is called the "Old Dunkley factory," the first cannery erected in the town, to its full capacity during the coming year. A large pickle factory is projected for 1912.
These canning factories not only put up many varieties of fruit, berries, peaches, plums, cherries, apples, pears, etc., but can large quantities of various kinds of vegetables. The proprietor of the Traxler factory reports that he did $90,000 worth of business last season, paid out $8,000 for help, and put up and shipped half a million cans of fruit, mostly in gallon cans, and the Traver fac- tory was equally busy. It can readily be seen that such a busi- ness is of immense advantage to the farmers and fruit growers of the surrounding country.
Another firm shipped forty-four carloads of apples, thirty-six of peaches, six of grapes, four of pears, besides local shipments of not less than five carloads of different varieties of fruit.
532
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
One of the elevator firms reports twenty-five carloads of beans shipped out, fifty carloads of wheat and rye, sixty of grapes and other fruits, and shipped in, ten carloads of flour, seeds etc., seventy carloads of coal and thirty of fruit baskets.
The other elevator reports shipments out and in as follows: Shipped out, 175 carloads of grain and 500 bushels of clover seed ; shipped in, 3,000 tons of coal and fifteen carloads of fruit baskets.
At one lumber yard eighty-eight carloads of lumber and other building material were received and at the other forty-five cars of like material were delivered. Another buyer purchased last fall, 50,000 bushels of apples and shipped thirty-eight carloads of cider.
At one meat-market nearly a hundred head of beef cattle, fifty sheep, one hundred calves and over a thousand chickens were slaughtered for local consumption, and this was at only one of the three markets that supplied the people with meats of various kinds.
The foregoing brief resume of the business of the village serves to show the energy and push of its live business men and places the town in the foremost rank of the hustling, thriving towns of the county.
It seems but a few years, indeed it is not so very many, since all the business places in the town were inferior wooden struc- tures, and the houses of the people of the most ordinary character, but now its rows of fine brick business houses on either side of the principal streets, and its numerous modern, up-to-date dwellings that are to be seen in all parts of the thriving town, most forcibly impress the beholder with the immense progress that has been made within the last half century. None can even imagine what will be the developments and improvements of the next fifty years.
1
CHAPTER XXIX
TOWNSHIP OF KEELER
LAKES AND RESORTS-CIVIL ORGANIZATION-FIRST SETTLERS OF TOWNSHIP-WOLCOTT H. KELLER-SETTLERS OF 1836-44-TAX- PAYERS, PROPERTY AND SCHOOLS-KEELER AND OTHER TOWNS- GENERAL VIEW.
Keeler is the southwestern corner township of Van Buren County and is designated by the United States survey as township four south, of range sixteen west. It is bounded on the north by the township of Hartford, on the east by the township of Hamil- ton, on the south by the township of Silver Creek in the county of Cass, and on the west by the township of Bainbridge in the county of Berrien.
The act of the legislature organizing the county of Van Buren, approved March 11, 1837, divided the county into seven town- ships, of which Covington comprised township four south, of ranges fifteen and sixteen west, being the present townships of Keeler and Hamilton. Two years later Covington was blotted from the map, the territory embraced within its limits being equally divided, the east half being called Alpena and the west half, together with township three south of range sixteen west being organized into a new township under the name of Keeler. The north half of Keeler as then organized is now the township of Hartford and had been theretofore a part of the township of Lawrence, as originally organized. The township was named in honor of Judge Wolcott H. Keeler, one of its earliest settlers and most prominent citizens. He was elected as one of the associate judges of the circuit court at the first election held in the county, March 18, 1837.
Keeler contains some of the very finest farming lands in the county, which have been brought to a very high degree of cultiva- tion. The surface is quite generally level and originally was tim- bered mostly with scattering oaks, constituting what was then known as the "oak openings." The soil is a peculiarly rich, sandy loam and is practically all under cultivation, there being no waste land in the township. For agricultural purposes Keeler is not sur- passed by any township in the county.
533
.
534
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
LAKES AND RESORTS
There are no important streams in the township, but there are a number of handsome lakes, some of them unsurpassed for beauty. The principal ones of these are Round, Crooked and Magician lakes, the latter two lying partly in Keeler and partly in the town- ship of Silver Creek, in the county of Cass. Other lakes that have been deemed worthy of a name are Keeler, Brown, Sikes and Red. Round and Crooked lakes are usually spoken of as Sister lakes and they constitute one of the beauty spots of the county. The names of the lakes indicate their general outline. Round lake is about three-fourths of a mile across, while Crooked is double that distance from one end to the other. The two lakes approach with- in a few rods of each other; the ground between them is high and dry and covered with a beautiful grove. Between the two is lo- cated one of the popular pleasure places of the county known as Sister Lakes resort which is largely patronized during the resort season. Another resort is also platted on the opposite side of the lake called Hield's subdivision, and adjoining the original resort is a plat called Bowling's subdivision. On the north shore of Round lake is yet another platted resort called Benton Beach. All these places are so near each other that they might well be considered as one. They are located on sections thirty-one and thirty-two. A postoffice is located there called, after the name of the resort, "Sister Lakes." It is the only postoffice in the township.
Another resort on the north side of Magician lake on section thirty-four, called Gregory's addition to Magician Beach, is a popular place in summer time.
At the first township meeting held in the newly organized town- ship there were twenty-nine votes cast, and the following named officers were chosen : Supervisor, James Hill; township clerk, E. H. Keeler; justices of the peace, Lyman G. Hill, Benjamin F. Chadwick, Burrill A. Olney and Richard B. Everitt; collector, Thomas Conklin; highway commissioners, Wolcott H. Keeler, Richard B. Everitt and Tobias Byers.
CIVIL ORGANIZATION
In 1840 the legislature detached township three south, of range sixteen west and organized it into that of Hartford, leaving Keeler as it has remained, township four south, of range sixteen west.
At the town meeting held on the first Monday in April, 1840, the first one after Hartford and Keeler were separated, the officers elected were as follows: Supervisor, Benjamin F. Chadwick; township treasurer, James Hill; township clerk, E. H. Keeler; as- sessors, E. H. Keeler, S. C. Hill and Adam Manley ; commissioners
535
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
of highways, William Green, Benjamin Hungerford and W. H. Keeler; collector, William B. Green; school inspectors, George W. Springer, Wolcott H. Keeler and Stephen Hungerford ; constables, William B. Green, H. S. Wright, Andrew Harrison and Zenas Sikes.
The following named gentlemen have served the township in the office of supervisor : Benjamin F. Chadwick, Theodore E. Phelps, Lyman G. Hill, James A. Lee, Charles Duncombe, Albert E. Greg- ory, Charles G. George, Isaac J. Cox, William Tuttle, Jr., Orendo M. Sikes, John Baker, John V. Rosevelt, Henry S. Keith, Lucius E. Buck, John McAlpine, Fred H. Baker, Adolph Danneffel, Dwight Foster, George J. Danneffel and George Heagy. Of the foregoing those who served more that two years were Hill and Mc- Alpine, each three years; Phelps, four years; Duncombe, Foster and Adolph Danneffel, each six years; George Danneffel, seven years. George Heagy, the present incumbent, is serving his sec- ond term.
At the first general election after Keeler became a township by itself-the presidential election of 1840-thirty-two votes were polled, twenty-four Democratic and eight Whig. At the presi- dential election of 1908 the vote had increased to 227, divided as follows: Taft, Republican, 128; Bryan, Democrat, eighty-six ; Chafin, Prohibitionist, eight; Debs, Socialist, four; Hisgen, In- dependent, one.
The old Territorial road passed from east to west through the central part of the township, and prior to the completion of the Michigan Central Railroad a large traffic was carried on over that route between Detroit and St. Joseph, the latter city being only about thirteen miles from the west line of Keeler. In those early days the little village of Keelerville was a place of some import- ance.
Keeler is one of the three townships in Van Buren County that is untouched by a railroad. It was on the direct route of the Michigan Central, as that road was originally planned and sur- veyed and had the route of the road not been changed the history of the town would have been materially different from what it is.
FIRST SETTLERS OF TOWNSHIP
While the townships along the lake shore were visited at an early day by parties in search of eligible locations for the manu- facture of lumber, the shipment of wood, etc., and who were not intending to make any permanent settlement, the localities back from the coast were not even sparsely settled until some years later.
536.
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
About the years 1833-4 parties began to come from the east seeking locations in the then unbroken wilderness of western Michigan. The first white man to settle in the county, as has been heretofore related, was Dolphin Morris, who located in Decatur, the second township east of Keeler, in the spring of 1829. It was five years later that the first settlement was made in Keeler. The first white men to locate within its present boundaries were John and James Nesbitt, natives of the Emerald Isle, who entered one hundred and twenty acres of government land on section four- teen in the summer of 1834. Their dwelling place was of the rud- est and most primitive construction. It consisted simply of two crotched sticks driven into the ground, a pole across the top and other poles down the sides, tent-shaped, and the whole structure thickly covered with marsh grass. This shelter they occupied until the summer of 1835, when they sold their claim to Wolcott H. Keeler. John Nesbitt became a resident of Porter township, where he spent the remainder of his life, while James located in the adjoining township of Hamilton and was afterward found dead in the bottom of his well, under somewhat mysterious circum- stances that were never made clear.
The next settler in Keeler was Tobias Byers. He was a native of Pennsylvania, but when quite young had become a resident of Livingston county, New York. He left his eastern home late in the winter of 1835, and went to the state of Illinois, where he remained a few months when he came to what is now the town- ship of Keeler and, being favorably impressed with the outlook, went to the land office at Bronson-now Kalamazoo-and located one hundred and twenty acres of land on section nineteen and two hundred and forty acres on section thirteen. After locating his land he returned to New York, returning to Michigan in the fall of the same year. His brother, David, and Isaac De Long came with him on his return. David Byers afterward settled in the adjoining township of Bainbridge, Berrien county. For some fif- teen years Tobias was principally occupied in locating land for settlers and in clearing and breaking up land for other parties. He was married in 1856, to Jeannette Wilson. He spent the re- mainder of his life in Keeler, where he died on the 21st of Jan- uary, 1898, being at the time of his death within a few days of ninety years of age. He was a quaint, shrewd and somewhat ec- centric man, but greatly respected by all who knew him, of whom the writer was one. He was a man of influence in the community and was chosen to fill numerous important local offices.
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.