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 45
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On February 11, 1882, Mr. Hale took as his wife Mary E. Wins- low, daughter of Lewis and Martha (Gilbert) Winslow, Mrs. Hale being one of a family of four children, namely: Hardin L., of Antwerp township; Helen I., wife of Charles Hunt, of Covert township; and Warren T., of Rathdrum, Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Hale have reared three daughters and one son. whose presence adds greatly to the cheer and attractiveness of their pleasant home. The eldest, Nevada E., is married and is the wife of C. R. Graves, of Charlevoix, Michigan; Valda A., now lives in Chicago, and Martha M. and Myra I. are at home.
In political matters Mr. Hale is to be found aligned with the Republican party and he has been called upon to fill several public offices, such as township clerk and supervisor for three years. Fra- ternally he is a member of the Masonic brotherhood. He and his family are affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church.
ADAM DILLMAN .- It would be impossible to enumerate all the benefits our cosmopolitan civilization has received from the Ger- man element of our population. In our cities they make up one of the most law abiding and industrious classes, and ever since the days when they colonized Pennsylvania they have sent their sons to fight for the country which they made their own. In our farm- ing communities their superior methods have taught us to realize a little of the possibilities of intelligent farming and if we will but take lessons from the older land in the matter of making two blades of grass-say rather wheat or potatoes-grow where but one grew before, as we are beginning to do, we shall find our farms an
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undreamed of source of wealth. One of Van Buren county's best managed farms is that of Adam Dillman, who was born in Ger- many in 1829, but has lived in America since the age of two.
Peter and Elizabeth (Bame) Dillman were both born in Ger- many and lived there until some years after their marriage. They came to America in 1831 and located in Jefferson county, Ohio, making their home there for eight years and then moving to Han- cock county in the same state. Here they remained and here the father died in 1852. The mother lived to the age of eighty-eight and a half years and died in 1895. Adam is the eldest of the nine children who constituted the Dillman family. Anne, the next old- est, is the widow of Augustus Miller, of Hancock county, Ohio, where Philip also resides. Henry lives in Bluffton, Ohio, and Bar- bara, the other sister is the widow of Samuel Huff, of Hancock county. The four other children are all deceased, two having died in infancy.
Adam Dillman followed the old-time custom of giving his time until he was twenty-one to his family. At that age he took up farming for himself and in 1854 was married and bought eighty acres of land in Hancock county, which he worked for eight years and then sold. After disposing of his own place he worked his father-in-law's farm for five years and then came to Bangor, Michi- gan. Mr. Dillman lived in Bangor for two years and then bought a quarter-section in Bangor township, where he does general farming and stock raising on one of the finest farms in the entire county.
Mrs. Dillman was formerly Miss Catherine Smith, the daughter of John and Wilhelmina Smith, both natives of Germany. Her marriage to Adam Dillman took place on January 17, 1854. Two children were born of this union: Peter J., for over twenty years the supervisor of the township, died in 1907, and Henry. the other son, now lives with his father and manages the farm. Adam Dill- man is a Democrat and has held minor offices in the township. He and his son Henry both attend the Congregational church of Ban- gor. They are in every way valuable citizens and highly regarded in the county, as was also Peter Dillman, who spent his life on a farm in the county.
Sarah Funk Dillman, the widow of Peter Dillman, lives in this township with her six younger children, Mary, Bertha. Sadie, Frances, Ruby and Juna. Her oldest daughter, Viola, is the wife of Henry Clinard, of Van Buren county, and Blanche is Mrs. Clifford Davis, of South Haven. Mrs. Dillman was one of a fam- ily of ten children, four of whom were girls. The parents came to Van Buren county in 1856 and are now both dead. The father, Daniel Funk, was a native of Germany and the mother, Hester Yeider Funk, of Ohio. Of the children, the three sisters of Mrs. Dillman, Maria, Elmira and Susan, are deceased. Henry lives in Van Buren county ; Simon, in Bangor; Joseph, in Greene town- ship, and George and Daniel both live in Van Buren county. Isaac, the other son, is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Dillman had been married twenty-nine years when he was taken from this life, as their union occurred in 1878, on November 24. Like the other mem-
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bers of his family, Mr. Peter Dillman was a Democrat and at- tended the Congregational church. Fraternally he was connected with the lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Knights of the Maccabees. He was a man in whom the community reposed the highest confidence and his long term as supervisor is but one expression of the esteem with which he was regarded.
HENRY F. WEBER .- The Germans in America form an important class of good, reliable and industrious citizens, who can be de- pended upon to work hard, save what they earn, and so invest it as to obtain excellent results. The natives of the Fatherland pos- sess those excellent traits of character which go so far in the mak- ing of good and prosperous citizens, and they have transmitted to their offspring the habits of industry and thrift which have aided them so materially in the attainment of success. One of the pros- perous agriculturists of Van Buren county, Henry F. Weber, of section 6, Bangor township, is an excellent example of the thrifty, hardworking German-American citizen. He was born in the Fatherland, June 17, 1844, a son of Henry and Christina ( Muller) Weber, who were also born in the old country.
Mr. Weber is one of the five survivors of the twelve children born to his parents, and he came to America in 1867, settling first in Chicago, where for the next fifteen years he was engaged in the lumber business. He came to Van Buren county in 1882, purchasing one hundred and five acres of good farming land in section 6. Bangor township, and here he has continued to reside to the present time, carrying on general farming and stock raising. He has been consistently successful in his operations, and year by year has added to his farming equipment and livestock, repairing such buildings as were in good condition, and erecting new ones to take the place of those no longer useful, and he now has as fine a property as any of its size to be found in Bangor township. He stands high in the estimation of his fellow citizens, who realize that he may be depended upon to support all beneficial movements in his community, and is looked upon as a good representative of the Van Buren county farmer.
On January 14, 1868, Mr. Weber was married to Miss Louisa Depper, who died June 22, 1904, having been the mother of twelve children, as follows: Henry, Louisa, William, Minna, Annie, Freda, Fredericka. John, Herman, Anna, Bertha and Freda. Of these Louisa, the first Freda, Fredericka, and Anna are deceased. In his political views Mr. Weber is a Republican, and he and his children attend the German Lutheran church. The family home is situated on South Haven Rural Route No. 1.
WILLIAM SUMMERS .- In the science of agriculture, both practi- cal and theoretical, William Summers stands second to none in his part of Van Buren county, and that he has made a success of his operations a visit to his excellently improved farm in Bangor township will prove. Mr. Summers is one of the self-made men of his community, and stands high both as a farmer and citizen. He
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is a native of Kosciusko county, Indiana, where he was born Octo- ber 11, 1856, a son of William T. and Catherine (Lower) Sum- mers, natives of Ohio. William Summers was a farmer all of his life and died in Indiana about 1856, after which his widow, who still survives him and makes her home in Columbiana county, Ohio, was married (second) to Henry Booze. To the first union there were born Marietta, who is deceased; Matthias, of Bangor; and William. Mr. and Mrs. Booze also had three children: Sa- mantha, the wife of Cassius Sanor, of Ohio; and Ira and Ulysses, who are deceased.
William Summers came to Michigan at the age of six years and remained on the farm of his stepfather until he was nineteen years of age, when he came to Michigan and for four years was engaged in working for others. He then purchased eighty acres of land in section 15, Bangor township, on which he made numerous improve- ments, including the erection of some of the best farm buildings in the township. Later he purchased fifty acres in section 14, and he now operates it as one property, being engaged in general agri- cultural pursuits. Mr. Summers has an intimate knowledge of soil conditions here, and he also knows the scientific use of fertilizers, the benefits of crop rotation and how to nurse and nurture old lands, and he has also been one to look to the interests of posterity.
On May 6, 1881, he was married to Miss Sarah Westcott, daugh- ter of William and Huldah (Dean) Westcott. Mrs. Summers was the next to the youngest child of her parents, her brothers and sis- ters being: Benjamin, who died in infancy; Lyman and Eugene, living in Van Buren county; Lodema, the widow of John Van Auken of Bangor township; Mary, the wife of Lewis Wood, of Bangor township; Esther, the wife of Robert Springett, of Ban- gor; Sarah, who married Mr. Summers; and Rebecca, who mar- ried A. Fausnaugh, of Bangor. Mr. and Mrs. Summers have had three children : Carrie, who lives at home; Ermie, the wife of Frank Wood, of Bangor; and Lola Luzette, a teacher in the schools of Van Buren county. Mr. Summers is a Democrat in his political views, but he has been kept so busy by his private interests that he has no time to engage actively in public matters.
MILLER OVERTON belongs to a family who heeded the injunction of the famous editor to go west and grow up with the country. Both F. N. Overton and his wife, Louise Wood Overton, were na- tives of New York. The mother of the latter, Grandmother Wood, lived to the age of ninety-six and passed away in 1909. Her father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and she was a loyal mem- ber of the order of the Daughters of the American Revolution. There were three children born to F. N. and Louise Overton, Verne, Rene and Miller. Verne is a resident of Allegan and is associated in the creamery business with her brother Glen, of Van Buren county, and Rene is deceased. Miller Overton was born on December 29, 1874, and before he was three years old his mother died, passing to the other life on May 15, 1877: The father took as his second wife Nettie Van Benschoten, and two children were Vol. II-23
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born of this union. These are Esie, deceased, and Glen, of Allegan, Michigan.
Miller Overton attended the district school and then graduated from the Bangor high school, finishing his course there in 1892. After this he spent a year in the University of Chicago, in its pre- paratory school, and then returned to the farm to devote himself to agriculture. Mr. Overton is a farmer who follows modern prin- ciples and methods. He is the owner of one hundred and forty acres of land and he specializes in the growing of fruit and in dairy products. He also gives considerable attention to the rais- ing of peppermint.
On April 17, 1896, Mr. Overton was married to Ivy, the only child of E. S. and Lida (Fry) Harvey, of this county. This union has been blessed with five children, Paul, Merit, Delila, Kenneth and Carol. Delila died in childhood, but the others are all still at home.
Mr. Overton is Independent as to his politics. He belongs to the Grangers and attends the Christian Science church.
FRANCIS A. BURGER, who owns and operates one hundred and sixty-four acres of well-cultivated land in sections 16 and 35. Bangor township, is one of the good, practical agriculturists and fruit-raisers of Van Buren county, and one of the most popular men in his part of the county. When a man of one political faith is elected to positions of responsibility and trust in a community where the opposite party is greatly in the majority, then it is very evident that that man has so lived his life as to gain the re- spect and confidence of his fellow citizens in general. Francis A. Burger is a native of Hillsdale county, Michigan, where he was born February 5, 1857, a son of Francis G. and Hattie (Stuck) Burger, natives of New York.
The Burger family was first founded in Michigan in 1849. by the parents of Mr. Burger, who first settled in Hillsdale county. and later moved to Van Buren county and settled in Bangor town- ship, where Francis G. Burger spent the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits. At the time of his death, in February, 1899, he was the owner of a valuable tract of one hundred acres of land. His widow, who survives him, is now eighty years of age and makes her home with her youngest son in Berrien county. Francis and Hattie Burger had the following children: Jerome. who is deceased; Maryette, the wife of Merrill Miller, living in Idaho; Emily Jane, who is deceased; Eleazer, who lives in Bangor ; Francis A .; Douglas and Notha. who are deceased; Judson. a teacher in the Bangor high school; Minerva. the wife of Fred Durren, of Cass county, Michigan; and Melvin, a teacher in the public schools of Berrien county.
. Francis A. Burger attended the district schools of his native vicinity, and later spent one year in the Bangor high school. after which he spent twelve years in school, teaching in conjunction with farming. In 1882 he bought thirty-five acres of land in sec- tion 14, Bangor township, which he operated in the summers while. teaching school in the winters for six years, but eventually traded
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this land, with two thousand five hundred dollars, for one hundred acres of good land in section 16. He began to engage in general farming, giving up school teaching, and soon began to specialize in fruit growing, which he has continued to the present time. He has added sixty-four acres to his original purchase, the latter be- ing located in section 35, and he now cultivates his land along scientific lines and making his labor pay him well. He stands just as high in his community as a citizen as he does as an agricul- turist, and although he is a Democrat in politics he has been elected in a Republican county to the office of township supervisor for five terms, township treasurer, school inspector and overseer of highways, and in none of these has he betrayed his trust in any way. A good agriculturist, a sterling citizen, an upright and efficient public official and a kind friend and neighbor, it is no wonder that Mr. Burger is known as one of his county's represen- tative men. Fraternally he is connected with the A. F. & A. M., the I. O. O. F., the K. O. T. M. and the Grange, and he is very popular in all.
On April 12, 1883. Mr. Burger was married to Miss Mary Graves, a daughter of Ansel M. and Aurelia (Hough ) Graves, and three children have been born to this union: Mirth, wife of Fred Srack- angast, of South Haven, Michigan ; Francis Vere, a graduate of the Bangor high school, and now a student of the Agricultural Col- lege at Lansing; and Nilva, who also lives at home. Mrs. Bur- ger's parents, who were natives of the state of New York, had seven children, namely; Chauncey who is deceased; Isabel, the widow of John Fairgailes, a resident of Nebraska; George, who lives in Geneva township, Van Buren county; Alice. who is the widow of Horace Vincent, of Nebraska; Adelbert, living in Iowa : Henry, who makes his residence in Bangor; and Mary, who mar- ried Mr. Burger. The pleasant family residence is situated on Bangor Rural Route No. 1, where Mr. Burger welcomes his many warm personal friends, especially the old settlers of this section. to whom he often remarks that he "has lived here as long as any of them-all of his life."
G. W. ARNOLD .- A larger proportion of the successful agricul- turists of Van Buren county are men who have had to make their own way in the world and trust to their own perseverance. in- dustry and inherent ability to aid them in taking their places among those who were more fortunate in having advantages dur- ing their youth. One of these successful self-made men is found in the person of G. W. Arnold, the owner of a seventy-seven-acre tract of good land located in Bangor township and who also gives a great deal of attention to the fishing business. He was born January 22. 1852, in Jackson county. Michigan, and is a son of Steven V. and Mary (Buss) Arnold, natives of Vermont. whence Mr. Arnold's parental grandfather came from Scotland. while his maternal ancestor was a native of Spain.
Steven V. Arnold. who was a soldier during the war of 1812. in the service of the United States, came to Jackson county, Mich- igan, during the early 'forties, and in 1854 removed to Van Buren
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county, the government having ceded him one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 7, Bangor township, but at the time of his death he left only seventy-seven acres, the remainder having been sold. Mr. Arnold passed away June 31, 1881, and his widow sur- vived him until April 19, 1898. They had four children, as fol- lows: Sarah, the wife of John Smith, of Bangor; G. W .; James, residing in Van Buren county; and Chloe, who married Sebastian Michaels, of South Haven.
When he was only ten years of age G. W. Arnold started mak- ing his own way in the world, and took up fishing on the Great Lakes, an occupation which he has followed off and on for forty years. During the proper season he has also operated a thresh- ing machine, with which he has had unqualified success, and at the time of his father's death he inherited a part of his land, later buying out all the other heirs. At present he still carries on fishing in conjunction with his agricultural operations. Mr. Arn- old is versatile in his abilities and is as good a farmer as he is a fisherman. He stands equally high in the opinion of his fellow- townsmen as a citizen, and the support which he gives to all move- ments of a nature calculated to be of benefit to his community testi- fies to his civic pride. He has made the most of his business oppor- tunities, and has a handsome residence on Covert Rural Route No. 2. and a competency that assures his future comfort.
In June, 1886, Mr. Arnold was married (first) to Miss Nettie Gillard, who died in April, 1889, leaving two children, namely : Mary, who married A. Cornell, a resident of the state of Wash- ington ; and Kate, who is married and resides in Colorado. On July 6, 1898, Mr. Arnold was married to Miss Eva Nanson, and they have had four children: Claude, Lucille, Glenn and Esther, all living at home. Politically Mr. Arnold is independent, prefer- ring to vote rather for the man whom he deems best fitted for the office than to be bound down by party ties, and his fellow citizens have expressed their confidence in his official ability by electing him to the office of highway overseer. Socially he is a popular member of the U. S. Fish Club, of Chicago.
LEWIS E. WILLIS .- Many of the progressive young agriculturists of Van Buren county are operating farms that were originally settled by their fathers, who developed them from the raw tim- ber and brush land. Profiting by the years of experience gained by their fathers, reared themselves to the life and work of the farm, and having the advantage of modern machinery and scien- tific methods, they are obtaining excellent results, and the en- thusiasm and enterprise of youth are assisting them to make this section one of the garden spots of the state. Lewis E. Willis, a successful young farmer and stock-raiser of Bangor township, was born on the Willis homestead in section 9 which he is now conducting, November 9, 1881, and is a son of Isaac W. and Ellen (Quick) Willis, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Canada.
Isaac W. Willis came to Michigan in 1864, and settled in Bangor township, where, after renting land for a few years, he
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purchased eighty acres of land, but later sold five acres of this, the remainder being the farm now operated by his son, Lewis E., although it is still owned by the father, who now rents a tract of seventy-five acres in section 17. He and his wife, who also survives, have had six children: Rester, who is deceased; Lewis E .; Melvina, the wife of Clifton Pierce, of Geneva township; and Arthur, Chester and Glenn, all deceased.
The youth of Lewis E. Willis was spent on his father's farm, and his early educational training was secured in the district schools. Later he attended the Bangor high school for three years, and then took up farming. From 1903 until 1912 he conducted the old homestead, where he carried on general farming and stock- raising, and the application of modern methods brought him fair success in his operations. He is a popular member of the Gleaners, and in politics is a Republican, having always been a stanch sup- porter of the principles of the Republican party and is now serv- ing in the office of constable. Mrs. Willis is a member of the Congregational church.
On April 2, 1902, Mr. Willis was married to Miss Ella Pierce, a daughter of Irving and Melissa (Morse) Pierce, natives of Mich- igan and early settlers of Geneva township. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were the parents of four children: Myrtle, who is the wife of Charles Hammond, of Hartford, Michigan; Orion, who is deceased ; Ella, who married Mr. Willis; and Clifton, who resides in Geneva township. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Willis, namely : Donald, Marguerite and Irving William.
ROBERT H. TRIPP .- One of the native sons of Covert township, of the type in which it has every reason to take pride, is Robert H. Tripp, foreman of the great fruit farm of C. J. Monroe, and the owner of a fine ten-acre fruit farm. He is one of the most successful of Michigan horticulturists. Mr. Tripp is of that type of citizen who inspires and retains the confidence of his fellow men and he has with great satisfaction to all concerned held the important offices of township treasurer and highway commissioner.
Mr. Tripp was born in this township, October 17, 1870, the son of James W. and Emily (Beebe) Tripp, who came here from the state of New York. Both are now deceased. These good citizens became the parents of the following ten children: Effie, wife of William Frary, of Covert; Lillian, wife of Joseph Turner, of Covert; Nellie, who married Charles Goodrich and resides in Wau- kegan, Illinois; William, of East Lake, Michigan; Charles, of Mason, Michigan; Lester, of Lake City, Michigan; Roy, of South Haven; Robert H .; Nancy, wife of Frank Williams, of Owosso, Michigan; and Newton, of Hartford.
Mr. Tripp acquired his education in the public schools and early began upon his career as an agriculturist. In fact, his prac- tical experience began at the age of fourteen years and in a short time he was initiated into the many mysteries of seed-time and harvest. Fourteen years ago Mr. C. J. Monroe, proprietor of the well-known and very extensive Monroe fruit farm, proffered the subject the position of manager and superintendent of the same,
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and he has ever since fulfilled its responsibilities in the most satis- factory and successful manner. His own ten acre fruit farm is a model of its kind and shows the results of those scientific investi- gations made in recent years in the fields of agriculture and horti- culture.
On July 15, 1890, Mr. Tripp laid the foundation of a happy household and congenial life companionship by his union with Susan Bender, daughter of Frederick and Sarah (Echingbeer) Bender, the former of whom was a native of Germany and the latter of Pennsylvania. To Mr. and Mrs. Bender were born the following six children: George, of Covert township; Mary, wife of John Bender, of Indiana; Minnie, wife of Oscar Farrer, of Covert; Frank, of Chicago; Susan, Mrs. Tripp; and Christie, wife of Charles Cole, of Covert. Mr. and Mrs. Tripp share their delightful home with one son, Max L., born September 29, 1891.
Mr. Tripp is a Republican in political conviction and has been found marching beneath the standard of the "Grand Old Party" . since his earliest voting days. His public offices have been men- tioned in a preceding paragraph. Mr. and Mrs. Tripp attend the Congregational church.
HENRY H. ALBRIGHT .- In naming the highly respected citizens of Van Buren county, Michigan, many old soldiers of the Civil war are to be found, and it is also noted that those who fought in their country's defense made good citizens in times of peace, as they had made good soldiers in time of war. One of the veterans of that great struggle, who is now living practically retired after many years spent in agricultural pursuits, is Henry H. Albright, the owner of a well-cultivated tract of land in Bangor township known as "Summit Home." Mr. Albright was born in Marion county, Ohio, March 1, 1840, and is a son of Solomon and Rebecca (Cramer) Albright. the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio, and both are now deceased, the father passing away when ninety-one years of age, and the mother reaching the age of eighty-seven. They had a family of ten children: Esther, Hannah and Noah, who are deceased; Henry H .; John, now re- siding in Ohio, a veteran of the Civil war, through all of which he served; Joseph, deceased; Silas and William, residing in Ohio; Amanda, the widow of Joseph Westcott, of Ohio; and Samuel, who also resides in that state.
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