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 16
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 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67
On January 4, 1876, Mr. Newbre was married to Miss Cynthia Brindley, whose parents died when she was a child of four years, and to this union there have been born five children, as follows : May, the wife of Joseph Burke, of California; Robert, residing in Kalamazoo, Michigan; Edith, the wife of Clyde Fuller, of Porter township; Lynn, who is assisting his father on the farm; and Olive, residing at home. Mr. Newbre is a Republican in his political views, and for six years served very acceptably as school director of Antwerp township. Fraternally he is connected with the Tribe of Ben Hur, and his religious affiliation is with the
749
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
Methodist church. Mr. Newbre and his family reside in a com- fortable residence situated on Lawton Rural Route No. 3.
CLAIR G. HALL .- Some of the most successful farmers of Van Buren county are those of the younger generation, who are now profiting from the sacrifices made for them by the pioneers who braved innumerable hardships and privations to secure homes for their families in the new country. One of the progressive young agriculturists of section 24, Antwerp township, is Clair G. Hall, who was born at Lawrence, Van Buren county, October 11, 1881, a son of Gilbert and Anna (French) Hall, the former a native of Oswego county, New York, and the latter of Canada.
Gilbert Hall came to Michigan from the Empire state at an early day, first settling on one hundred and sixty acres of land in Cass county, farming this land in connection with following the trade of cooper until 1896, in which year he came to Van Buren county, settling in Lawrence, where he followed his trade of cooper. He later moved to Decatur, where he followed farming and the same trade, and in 1896 moved to section 24, Antwerp township, where he purchased eighty acres of land. Here he followed general farming until his death, which occurred in Au- gust, 1904, and his widow still survives and makes her home at Kalamazoo. They were the parents of four children: Ida, who is living in Arizona; Minnie, who is the wife of C. J. Stuy- vesant, of Van Buren county; Etta, the wife of Arthur Conklin, of Kalamazoo; and Clair G.
Clair G. Hall received his education in the public schools of Decatur, and remained on the home farm in Antwerp township assisting his father until the latter's death, at which time he fell heir to the property. He is now engaged in raising grapes, and has brought to his work that enthusiasm that is bound to make for success. Enterprising and energetic, he is always ready to make experiments and to test new innovations, and the satis- factory results already obtained by him speak well for his pro- gressive spirit. Mr. Hall has also been before the public as an auctioneer, and his pleasant personality, his jovial, friendly man- ner, and the faculty of introducing real witticisms into his speeches has made him much sought after by those wishing to dispose of goods by auction. In political matters he favors the principles of the Republican party, and his fraternal connection is with the Modern Woodmen of America, in which he is very popular.
Mr. Hall was married to Miss Lena Eager, the estimable daugh- ter of Orlando and Jennie Eager. Mrs. Hall's parents had four children, as follows: Lena, who married Mr. Hall; John, who lives in Detroit; William, residing in Almena township; and Hazel, who married Winnie Fisk, of that township. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have had two children: Pauline, born July 5, 1903, and Gilbert, born October 31, 1907.
C. F. HOSMER .- In the life and career of C. F. Hosmer, one of the substantial business citizens of Mattawan, Michigan, there is to be found much to encourage the youth of this generation, and
750
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
no better example could be placed before the ambitious young men of today of success finally gained after the most dishearten- ing discouragements. Starting in life as the proprietor of a small business establishment, he worked his way up to a point where success seemed just in reach, only to have his years of labor destroyed with a single hour, and when, nothing daunted, he had reached comfortable circumstances for a second time, his earnings were again lost through no fault of his own. With the courage and perseverance that have been the foundation for the fortunes of all successful business men, he made a new start, and now may be ranked among the substantial men of his community and a factor to be reckoned with in the business world.
Mr. Hosmer was born July 18, 1856, in Edwards, St. Lawrence county, New York, and is a son of Charles and Lura (Church) Hosmer, natives of Vermont. Mr. Hosmer's father, who was a mechanic, came to Michigan in 1865, and there resided at Coopers- ville until his death, in 1889, his widow surviving until 1898. They had two children: C. F. and Sherman E., the latter of Ottawa county, Michigan. C. F. Hosmer remained in Coopers- ville until 1879, in which year he was married, and then engaged in the mercantile business, which he continued to conduct until 1894. In that year he started the first grocery in Coopersville, but on July 22, 1898, a fire destroyed his entire stock, and he sub- sequently went to Hammond, Indiana, where he was in the same business for one year. Returning to Coopersville, in 1900 he embarked in the milling business, which he continued for four years, and in 1904 came to Mattawan and bought the general mer- chandise stock of W. C. Mosier, and was successfully engaged in business until December, 1908, when he was again wiped out by fire. He then started a general merchandise store, which he later sold to Ryan Brothers, and in 1909 went to Rockford, Michigan, and formed a partnership with E. L. Prichard in the grocery business, but during August of that year sold out and went to Lowell, where he was interested in the same line. In February, 1910, Mr. Hosmer returned to Mattawan, and here he has since carried on a successful general merchandise establishment. Mr. Hosmer is a man who makes friends easily and keeps them a life- time; he is enterprising and progressive in his ideas and is quick to recognize an opportunity and to grasp it; and his inherent busi- ness ability has never been questioned, but all of these would have counted for naught were it not for the fact that he has never allowed himself to be discouraged, no matter how dark the out- look, nor how great have been his misfortunes. He has gone steadily forward, rebuilding his fortune each time it has been swept away, showing an indomitable spirit that refuses to be broken, and earning the respect and esteem of his fellow men by the very earnestness of his endeavors.
On March 29, 1879, Mr. Hosmer was married to Miss Effie Dickinson, who died December 22, 1903. On January 26, 1905, he was married to Jennie Meredith. There have been no children to either union. Mr. Hosmer is a popular member of the F. and A. M. and the I. O. O. F., and in his political views takes an independent stand.
751
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
C. E. BURDICK .- In every community there are men who by reason of their ability stand out from their fellows. Upon such men many cares devolve; they are the center of activity; it is their brains and money that are back of the important enterprises, whether public or private, and to them belongs the credit of progress gained. Van Buren county has its full quota of these progressive citizens, public-spirited individuals who are always ready to cast their influence with movements that will benefit their communities, and among these may be mentioned C. E. Burdick, business man and agriculturist of Mattawan, and one of his section's best known men. Mr. Burdick's birth occurred July 28, 1861, at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and he is a son of Wil- liam H. and Harriet (Putnam) Burdick, the latter a direct de- scendant of the famous Revolutionary hero, General Israel Putnam.
William H. Burdick, a native of New York state, brought his family to Michigan at an early day, settling in Kalamazoo, where until 1868 he was the proprietor of a shoe establishment. In the year mentioned he came to Mattawan, purchasing fifty acres of farming land, and there he was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, in 1896, his widow surviving him until 1903. They were the parents of two children: William H., of Shafts- burg, Michigan, who has been an employe of the Grand Trunk Railroad for the past twenty-five years; and C. E.
C. E. Burdick was twenty-one years of age when he entered the employ of the Michigan Central Railroad Company, and for the following twenty-one years he was engaged in railroad work at various stations throughout this part of the country, but eventually located in Mattawan and took up farming for four years. He then entered the mercantile field at Mattawan, in which city he makes his home, although he is still interested in farming and owns a well-cultivated tract of eighty acres of land. He has been active in Democratic politics, serving as school director for a number of years, and was a prominent factor in the consolida- tion of the school district, the school building here being the finest in the county. He is a popular member of the Masons, the I. O. F. and the M. W. A., and his religious connections is with the Con- gregational church, of which his wife is also a consistent mem- ber. Thoroughly conversant with farming conditions and possess- ing much business ability, Mr. Burdick has made a success in both lines, and is regarded as one of his community's subtantial citi- zens.
Mr. Burdick was married to Miss Susan Mcclintock, a former schoolmistress of Shiawassee county, and to this union there has been born one son: Gordon C., January 21, 1909.
NATHAN THOMAS .- Beginning life as an Iowa farmer, follow- ing a short experience in this useful and invigorating occupation with more than three years' service as a Union soldier during the Civil war, and since then variously occupied as a farmer, a mer- chant, a public official and again as a farmer, Nathan Thomas, of Paw Paw, has seen life under many conditions and been tried in many pursuits. In all his manhood has shown himself to be sterling, his courage and self-reliance have come out strong under
752
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
the tests and his citizenship has always been of the most sturdy. patriotic and serviceable character, a credit to himself and the people among whom he has exhibited in and exercised its rights and functions.
Mr. Thomas was born at Newgarden, Ohio, on December 19, 1837, and is a son of Henry and Sarah (Johns) Thomas, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Ohio. The father died in 1858 and the mother in 1883. They were the par- ents of ten children: Rachel, who has been dead for a number of years; Jesse, who resides at Hartford in this county; Elizabeth, the wife of Joseph Shafer, of Homeworth, Ohio; Nathan, the im- mediate subject of this brief review; Stanton, whose home is in Alliance, Ohio; Maria, the widow of John Kerns, who lives at Winona, Ohio; Phebe Ann, who has been dead some years; Frank- lin, who is also deceased; Edwin, who is a resident of Winona, Ohio; and Kersey, who died several years ago.
In the spring of 1861 Nathan Thomas came West to Cedar county, Iowa, and worked on a farm by the month during the summer. In the fall he felt impelled by a strong sense of duty to go to the assistance of the government in its effort to prevent the forcible dismemberment of the Union, and on October 28th enlisted in the Tenth Kansas Infantry, under Captain Foreman. In this regiment he served three years, being much in active service and taking part in numerous engagements, the most important of which was the battle of Prairie Grove. Mr. Thomas was mus- tered out of the army in St. Louis at the end of his term in 1864 and returned to his Ohio home. He remained there all winter, but not wholly inactive. He helped to organize a company for further service in the war, which was still in progress, and went with it into camp on March 5, 1865. He was the first lieutenant of his company, and the regiment of which it formed a part was the One Hundred and Ninety-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The regiment proceeded to Winchester, Virginia, but the war closed before it saw any active field work. Mr. Thomas was again mustered out of the service, this time at Columbus, Ohio, and once more he returned to his former home.
In 1866 he was married and at once set up a domestic shrine on land which he rented for farming purposes, and during the next two years was busily and profitably employed in tilling the soil. An opening in mercantile life attracted him at the end of the time named, and he embraced it, starting a grocery store at Winona, Ohio, which he conducted for one year, or thereabouts. In 1870 he came to Michigan and located at Hartford in this county. He passed the first year in farming, and then again went into business as a merchant, selecting the hardware. trade as his line on this occasion, and adhering to it about seven years. At the end of that period he was appointed postmaster of Hartford and sold his hardware business. Soon afterward he moved to Paw Paw, having been elected sheriff of Van Buren county. He filled this office four years, then returned to Hartford and was again appointed postmaster. He held the office until after the election of Mr. Cleveland to the presidency, and on the appoint- ment of his successor, bought a farm of sixty acres in the vicinity
753
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
of Hartford. This he cultivated for two years, when he was once more elected sheriff, and again held the office four years. When his term closed he turned his attention to farming again, but con- tinued to reside in Paw Paw, where he still owns a home, although he is now living on a farm belonging to one of his sons, located in section twelve, Paw Paw township, and distant from the city about one and one half miles.
On March 1, 1866, Mr. Thomas was married to Miss Rebecca A. Votaw, a daughter of Moses and Mary Votaw, old settlers in Ohio. Five children have been born of the union, and four of them are living: Mary V., who is the widow of the late Albro A. Whitcomb and lives with her father; Wesley J. and Lester, twins, the former, who has also served as sheriff, living in Paw Paw and the latter deceased; Emmet E., a resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; and Jesse B., who is a commercial traveler.
Mr. Thomas is a firm and faithful Republican in his political faith, and is loyally attached to the principles of his party and a zealous worker in its behalf. His services are energetic and effective, and are highly appreciated by both the leaders of the party and its rank and file. Fraternally he is a Free Mason and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He takes an earnest interest in the affairs of his lodge in the Masonic order and his post in the Grand Army of the Republic, aiding their good work by all the means available to him, as he does every worthy enter- prise for the good of his city and county.
ROY HINCKLEY .- Among the prominent business men of Hart- ford, and highly respected as a citizen who has always shown an interest in whatever has been advanced to increase the general welfare of the county, is Roy Hinckley, the proprietor of a thriving livery business. He was born in Paw Paw township, Van Buren county, on May 3, 1876, the son of J. Henry and Harriett ( Webb ) Hinckley. J. Henry was the son of Asa G. Hinckley, who was of direct English descent. Roy Hinckley was one in a family of ten children, five sons and five daughters. He was reared on the farm until he was eighteen, and was educated in the district schools and in the Paw Paw high school. He was variously employed up to 1908. In that year, at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war, he enlisted with the Second Regiment of Michigan Volunteer In- fantry at Battle Creek, Michigan. He went with his regiment to Cuba, and was present in the engagement at Santiago. He was on the island from June until August, and was then mustered out at Anniston, Alabama, receiving a pension of six dollars per month. He returned to Paw Paw. In 1899 he came to Harvard and embarked in the livery business.
On March 27, 1901, Mr. Hinckley was united in marriage to Mrs. Nina Hewitt, who was born in Hartford, Michigan, January 21, 1873, the daughter of A. E. and Julia (Olds) Reynolds. A. E. Reynolds was born in the Dominion of Canada on August 8, 1826 and came with his parents to Ypsilanti, Michigan, when he was twelve years old, later coming to Hartford when it was still a patch of woodland. He took up farming, but later rented his farm and established himself in a general store, one of the first
754
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
enterprises of the sort in the town. It was he who built the Rey- nolds Block, in which the first opera house was located. He was a public spirited man and did much to promote the growth and prosperity of Hartford. He died in June, 1910, and his wife passed away in 1896. He and his wife were the parents of six children, of whom five are still living in 1911: Emma, who is now the wife of Dan Hubbard and lives in Chicago, Illinois; Clara, who is now Mrs. Henry Nichols, of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Otta Reynolds, who lives in Chicago; William Reynolds; and Nina, the wife of Roy Hinckley, was educated in the public schools of Hart- ford and in the Catholic school at Logansport, Indiana. Mrs. Hinckley was first married to Mr. Hewitt, and by him had one son, Harry Hewitt, eighteen years old, who is a graduate of the Hartford high school and is now in his second year at the Univer- sity of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
Mr. Hinckley is a stanch Republican and is the constable of the township. He owns the fine modern home on Maple street which he and his wife have made so popular by their pleasant hospitality.
CHARLES DE WITT LAWTON .- The death of Charles De Witt Lawton, which occurred August 24, 1909, removed from Michigan a man who had long been prominent in the state's political, scien- tific and intellectual life, but who left behind the memory and influence of a life work that is a bequest of value to the common- wealth.
Mr. Lawton was born in Rome, New York, November 4, 1835. The son of Nathan and Esther (Wiggins) Lawton, he was of strictly English descent and of martial ancestry, his paternal and maternal grandfathers having been Revolutionary soldiers in New York and New England regiments. The family is one of the oldest in the country. The original American Lawtons came from . Lawton, England, in 1636, settling in Rhode Island as colonists under Roger Williams. The records of that colony give ample evidence of the distinguished and formative services rendered by them both previous to and during the Revolution. That those family traits have not been lost is proved by the recent record of Mr. Lawton's nephew, Major Louis B. Lawton, who, for his bravery at Tien Tsin in bringing relief to the American forces through the open fire of Chinese bullets, was awarded a medal by Congress.
Mr. Lawton's paternal grandfather settled in Herkimer county, New York, in 1794, and his father, Nathan Lawton, moved from there to Auburn, New York, where for many years he was a well- known and influential citizen. Mr. Lawton's early life was passed in Herkimer county and in the city of Auburn, where he attended Auburn Academy. In 1858 he was graduated, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, from Union College at Schenectady, which in that day was one of the largest American colleges. One year af- ter his graduation he received the degree of Civil Engineer, and some time later that of Master of Arts. He then returned to his home city, Auburn, and with his brother George W. (the late Judge Lawton), took charge of Auburn Academy. Academies in those days comprised a large share of the higher educational in- stitutions. Many students were enrolled who have since become
755
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
famous, among them Hon. Sereno Payne of New York. Mr. Law- ton's influence and friendship with them was life-long.
In 1861 Mr. Lawton married Miss Lucy Lovina Latham, daugh- ter of Oliver Sanford and Lucy Maria (Eastman) Latham, of Seneca Falls, New York. Mr. Latham was a prominent contractor and builder, and, associated with his three brothers, was the builder of many government locks, bridges, canals and custom houses.
In 1865, his health not being good and advised by physicians to go West, Mr. Lawton, with Mrs. Lawton, removed to the village of Lawton, Van Buren county, Michigan, where his father owned a great quantity of land and which had received his name. He concluded to make his home here, and from that time on his in- terests have been identified with the growth of Michigan, with its mining interests, its agricultural interests and its development in every way, for Mr. Lawton was primarily and essentially the best of citizens.
To Mr. and Mrs. Lawton were born nine children: Charles Latham, general manager of the Quincy & Adventurer Mining Company of Hancock, Michigan; Nathan Oliver, superintendent of the Miami mine at Globe, Arizona; Frederick Percy, a physi- cian at Traverse City, Michigan; Swaby Latham, of the law firm of Hanchette & Lawton, at Hancock; Eugene Wright, of San Antonio, Texas; Margaret Brooks; Rebecca Estella; Marion Agnes, wife of Dr. Thomas J. Swantz, of South Bend, Indiana; and Gertrude Genevieve, wife of Clarence R. Van Vleck, of Jack- son, Wyoming. The family home has long been an intellectual and social center, owing much to the culture, accomplishments, dignity and charm of Mrs. Lawton, who has wielded a sympathetic influence in the growth and progress of the town.
Mr. Lawton's brilliant mentality soon won for him a prominent. place in his community, and there early were recognized in him those qualities which won for him so many successes in after life. Together with his brother George W., who had preceded him to Lawton two years, and the late Nathan Bitely, he embarked in the nursery business and began the cultivation of grapes, which has since grown into such a magnificent industry. Finding the soil to be of a sandy nature and seemingly unproductive, they be- gan to investigate in a small way, until the growing of grapes became widespread. The first big planting was done by Mr. Law- ton in 1865 and 1866, when he put out five thousand vines secured at Geneva, in the famous grape district of New York. However, Mr. Lawton was a man of varied interests. He was prominent in establishing a blast-furnace in Lawton for the manufacture of charcoal pig-iron from Lake Superior ores.
In 1870 Mr. Lawton was appointed assistant professor of en- gineering at the University of Michigan. From the university he spread into practical work, and in 1872 and 1873 assisted Major T. B. Brooks in the geological survey of the Marquette Iron region and the Menominee Range, where so much wealth was then dis- covered. He continued in the work of developing the Upper Peninsula, and in 1877 and 1878 assisted his nephew, the late Charles E. Wright, in the field work and in the preparation of his
756
HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
report as commissioner of mineral statistics, eventually taking over the active duties of the mining department and writing the im- mensely valuable reports of 1880, 1881 and 1882.
In 1884 Governor Alger offered him the position of state geol- ogist, but he preferred to continue his work as commissioner of mineral statistics, publishing each year a report covering the mines and mineral interests of the state. This office, a purely scientific one, he held until 1891, and his reports for the years of his tenure of it are now much sought for and prized by men in all parts of the world who are interested in Michigan geology and Michigan mines, as they were and still are absolutely to be relied on. His knowledge of the mineral ranges of the Northern Penin- sula was vast, and his ready pen made his reports not merely technical but delightful to read. Mr. Lawton was never a per- manent resident of the Upper Peninsula, but his numerous visits to the copper and iron region, his interest in geology and his friendship for the early mining men of that section made him in spirit one of them, and the Northern Peninsula was always glad to claim him as one of its loyal friends.
In the meantime he never relinquished his interests at home and throughout Van Buren county. Practically all the county was surveyed by him, and he made the first and the subsequent sur- veys for what was known as the Narrow Gauge Railroad. In this way he had an intimate and wide acquaintance with all parts of the county and with all its residents. His notes and surveys, be- cause of their accuracy, would, if published and edited, be a val- nable reference in the archives of the county.
Mr. Lawton always retained his interest in farming. Besides the running of his fruit farm, he owned and managed a grain farm in Porter township, and was always an active and a large con- tributing member to the various horticultural and agricultural societies of the county and state; and being a fluent writer, he was a frequent contributor to the various journals.
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.