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 58
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Mr. Lee has always voted the Republican ticket. He is well
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posted in public affairs, and is recognized as one of the repre- sentative young men of the community in which he lives. Fra- ternally he is identified with the Free and Accepted Masons.
ALPHEUS BEALS .- Distinguished not only as the descendant of an honored pioneer settler of Van Buren county, but as a fine repre- sentative of the native born citizens of Bloomingdale township, Alpheus Beals has for many years been actively associated with the advancement of the agricultural interests of this part of Michi- gan, and as a general farmer has met with well deserved success. He was born on the farm where he now resides, March 2, 1866, and is the third in direct line to bear the name of Alpheus, his grandfather having been Alpheus Beals, the first, and his father Alpheus Beals, the second.
Born in or near Springfield, Massachusetts, July 10, 1800, Alpheus Beals, the first, grew to manhood in his native state, where he began life for himself as a stage driver. Subsequently starting westward, he was for awhile engaged in agricultural pursuits at Farmington, Ontario county, New York, but was not quite satis- fied with the financial results of his labors. Continuing, therefore, his journey westward, he made his way to Van Buren county, Michigan, which seemed to him an ideal place for one willing to begin at the very foundation as a farm builder. Locating in the western part of Bloomingdale township, he purchased a tract of land, a very small part of which had been cleared, the remainder being covered with standing timber. Continuing the improvements already inaugurated, he was there prosperously engaged in tilling the soil until his death, October 6, 1865. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah P. Turner, was born in Cummington, Massa- chusetts, and died, in 1876, in Bloomingdale township, Michigan.
One of a family of eight children, Alpheus Beals, the second, was born June 16, 1841, during the residence of his parents in Farm- ington, New York. A young man when he came with the family to Bloomingdale township, he soon began farming on his own ac- count, and continued until forced by ill health to retire from ac- tive pursuits. He died at his home in Bloomingdale township, in 1900. He married Corintha Bell. who was born in Jefferson county, Iowa, a daughter of Eli Bell.
Eli Bell was born and bred in Springfield, Massachusetts, com- ing from substantial New England stock. Moving in early man- hood to Ohio, he lived there a short time, and then followed the march of civilization to Michigan, locating at White Pigeon. An- other migration toward the setting sun took him to the territory of Iowa, where he became one of the first settlers of Jefferson county. Returning to Ohio three years later, he made the removal with teams, going eastward in the same manner that he made his previous journeys, and on arriving in Lorain county located in Eaton township. In 1849, being again seized with the wanderlust, he came with his family to Van Buren county, Michigan, and ar- riving at Bloomingdale township, his point of destination, after nightfall spent his first night in his new home in the wagon in which he and his family had crossed the country. Buying a tract of land
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in section eight, he erected a log cabin in the wilderness, and at once began to clear and improve a homestead. He met with good success in his pioneer task, and during the many years he occupied the farm made improvements of value, including the erection of a good set of frame buildings. When well advanced in years he pur- chased a pleasant home in the village of Bloomingdale, and there resided until his death, at the age of seventy-one years. The maiden name of the wife of Eli Bell was Margaret Corning. She was born in Massachusetts, the native state of her parents, Ephraim and Margaret (Cooley) Corning, who moved from Massachusetts to New York state, thence to Bloomingdale township, Van Buren county, Michigan, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Bell died at the age of sixty-two years. Mrs. Corintha (Bell) Beals survived her first husband and married again, in 1904, Rus- sell Loomis, of whom a brief sketch appears on another page of this work. By her marriage with her first husband she had four children, namely : Alpheus, better known as Allie, being the special subject of this brief biographical record; Edwin E .; Bertha; and Ada.
Growing to man's estate on the parental homestead, Alpheus Beals obtained a practical common school education, and at the age of sixteen years, on account of the ill health of his father, assumed the management of the home farm. At the father's death, in 1900. Mr. Beals and his brother succeeded to the ownership of the home estate, which under their care is now one of the best improved in the community.
Mr. Beals married, in May, 1887, Mary Allen, who was born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of Joseph and Laura (Warren) Allen, natives of the Keystone state. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Beals, namely : Jay, John, Josie, Vera, Laura and Mary. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Beals are faithful members of the Chris- tian church.
A. S. MITCHELL .- The fruit industry of Michigan, which was started on a small scale a comparatively short time ago, and has grown to such great proportions as to be known by the superiority of its products and the earnest demand for them all over this country and in many foreign lands, furnishes a striking illustration of the enormous richness of this country and the wonderful enter- prise and resourcefulness of the people who inhabit it. Until its adaptability to the growth of fruit was discovered by tests and ex- haustive experiments much of the land which is now highly pro- ductive and profitable because of this was of comparatively little value. But when the commanding might of mind made known its real possibilities, and the energy of the Michigan farmers began " to develop them, the whole situation was changed.
Among the fruit growers of Van Buren county A. S. Mitchell, of Lawton, is easily in the front rank. The magnitude to which he has expanded his business from a very small beginning, and the skill and success with which he conducts his operations, alike en- title him to this distinction. He is one of the most extensive grape producers in Antwerp township, and one of the best ·posted men
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in the business. And he has acquired his knowledge of the indus- try and his mastery in conducting it from close and careful study of it in all its bearings.
Mr. Mitchell is a native of the state of New York, born in Cayuga county on January 23, 1842. His parents, Jacob H. and Catherine (Kniffin) Mitchell, were also born in that state, and reared and married there. The father died there in 1876, and the mother passed away in 1891. They had six children, of whom J. W., the first, A. H., the second, and Mary, the fifth, have died. Those who are living, besides A. S., who is the oldest survivor of the family, are: Theodore L., who is a resident of Minnesota, and Maria, who is the wife of H. Reightmyer, and still lives in New York state.
At the age of eighteen A. S. Mitchell began life for himself by conducting a steam shovel and a dredge, operating on railroads, canals, lakes and rivers, in his native state. He continued this thir- teen years. At the end of that period he came to Michigan, arriving in Van Buren county in 1876 and locating at Lawton. Here he became a merchant, handling butter and eggs, continuing in the. enterprise seven years. In 1883 he sold his business in this county and moved to Worthington, Minnesota, where he carried on the same line of trade in connection with a general store for thirteen years.
In the meantime Mr. Mitchell had bought twenty acres of land in Antwerp township, this county, which he set out in fruit in 1896. From this small start he has expanded his fruit culture until he now has one hundred and forty acres in grapes. He is as careful as the closest attention can make him to every detail of his busi- ness and his success in it is commensurate with his care. He plants judiciously, cultivates intelligently, picks and packs his products in such a way as to insure their safe transportation to their desti- nation, and in consequence his fruit has a high rank in the mar- kets everywhere and always commands the best prices the state of trade allows.
Mr. Mitchell was married January 24, 1865, to Miss Elizabeth Wright, and by this union became the father of four children : Carrie I., the wife of A. L. Johnson, of Minnesota; Claude W., who is still living at home; Gay, who is the wife of Vere Hurlburt, of Minnesota ; and Emma H., who married Arthur Beam and lives at Lawton. The mother of these children died in 1880, and on November 20, 1881, the father contracted a second marriage, in which he united himself with Mrs. Belle (Disbrow) Hines. the widow of the late John Hines.
In religious connection Mr. Mitchell is affiliated with the Metho- dist Episcopal church. In fraternal relations he is a Freemason and a Woodman, and in political faith and allegiance he belongs to the Republican party. He was supervisor of Antwerp township four years, from 1897 to 1900, inclusive, and gave the township excellent service as such, as the citizens of it are almost unanimous in declaring, and he has repeated this good record in other town- ship offices. Everything connected with or growing out of his business has his earnest attention and his ardent support. He has
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for years been one of the most active members of the Michigan Fruit Exchange, and is now its president and directing spirit.
In reference to the interests of his township and county Mr. Mitchell is as enterprising and far-seeing as he is in connection with his own business. He is public spirited and liberal in support of public improvements and every commendable undertaking that in- volves the progress and development of his part of the state or promotes the welfare of its people. He is also energetic and help- ful in his devotion to the cause of public education and his aid in augmenting the power and increasing the usefulness of every good agency at work in his community for its betterment. Van Buren county has no better or more representative citizen, and none who is held in higher or more universal esteem.
JOHN A. ROBINSON .- Little success will be attained by the farmer who by persistent, exhaustive cropping endeavors to get all he can from the soil and to put as little as possible back again-his is destructive, not constructive, farming. Farming is labor of the hand, it is true, but it is also labor of the mind, and the agriculturist who would get the best from his property must study soil condi- tions and by learning just what constitutes the best crops treat his land so as to produce them. The farmers of Van Buren county are now using scientific methods, taught by years of experience, and prominent among them may be mentioned John A. Robinson, of Porter township, who specializes in grape growing and the manu- facture of peppermint oil. Mr. Robinson was born in Porter town- ship, January 1, 1864, and is a son of James and Mary Ann (Ste- phenson ) Robinson, natives of Ireland (of Scotch ancestry), who came to America in 1846, and first settled in Canada.
The Robinson family was founded in Michigan in December, 1862, when James and Mary Ann Robinson located near Lawton and purchased forty acres of land in sections 6 and 8, Porter town- ship. Here they spent the rest of their lives engaged in agricul- tural pursuits, Mr. Robinson dying March 26, 1906, and his wife May 1, 1897. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom six survive: Sarah, the widow of Eugene Harris, of Lawrence; Amelia, the wife of Eugene Drake, of Arlington township; Alice Ann, wife of Samuel M. Armstrong, of Ashland, Wisconsin : Thomas, who is engaged in farming in partnership with his brother; Mary E., the wife of Edwin R. Miller, of Otsego, Michi- gan; and John A.
John A. Robinson first engaged in farming at the age of twenty. two years, and he has always remained on the home farm. At present he is associated with his brother, Thomas, and they have one hundred and sixty acres under cultivation. They also carry on a peppermint still, for the manufacture of mint oil, and this year will have between six and seven hundred pounds of this prod- uct. In addition they carry on general farming and grape raising and are very successful in all of their ventures.
On February 6, 1886, John A. Robinson was married to Miss Martha J. Delamater, and she died April 13, 1898, having been the mother of five children: Pearl Ione, born February 18, 1888, is
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the wife of G. W. Fisk of Townsend, Montana, and has one daugh- ter, named Almeda, born December 17, 1911; James Arthur, born June 7, 1889, and residing in Lawton, married May L. Harris and has one son, Byron J., born September 27, 1910; Howard Leroy, born November 10, 1891, is at home; and Hazel May, born January 12, 1894, and Gladys, born August 5, 1895, are also at home. Mr. Robinson was married (second) to Cora B. (Summers) Etter, the widow of Miles Etter, who had one child by her first marriage, John D. Etter, who was born December 21, 1896. Mr. Robinson is a Republican, and served his township as constable. His frater- nal connections are with the Maccabees and the Knights of Pythias, and with his wife he attends the Methodist church. Successful in his business ventures, public-spirited to a high degree, progres- sive and enterprising in all things and the happy possessor of many warm personal frends, Mr. Robinson can truthfully be said to be one of Van Buren county's representative citizens.
NATHAN HAWKINS .- The hustling farmer is always on the alert for new inventions which will minimize cost and production, and it is indeed interesting to visit a well-equipped farm and scrutinize the various implements used in preparing the products of the ground for practical use. There is probably no class of people who grasp anything new and progressive like the prosperous farmer, and to this class belongs Nathan Hawkins, of Porter township, who is engaged in general farming and fruit raising along modern, scientific lines. Mr. Hawkins is a native of Adrian, Ohio, and was born February 8, 1871, a son of Timothy B. and Margaret (Kim- ball) Hawkins.
Mr. Hawkins' parents, who were also born in the Buckeye state, came to Michigan in 1881 and settled in section 7, Porter township, where they purchased farming land and settled down to an agri- cultural life. Here Mrs. Hawkins died August 1, 1898, but her husband still survives her and makes his home on his farm in De- catur township. He married for his second wife Ella Dickey, who also survives. To Timothy B. and Margaret Hawkins the follow- ing children were born: Nathan; Clara, who resides at home; Gor- don, who is deceased : Jessie, the wife of Martin Lechlitner, of Mish- awaka, Indiana ; Mentie E., who is deceased; and Earl, who resides in Nebraska.
Nathan Hawkins received his education in the district schools of Decatur township, and at the age of thirty years purchased the home place, on which he has since carried on general farming and fruit raising. Many changes have been made on the property since he has taken charge, and he now ranks among the progressive agri- culturists of his township. He has always been a stanch advocate of the use of power machinery in farm work, and his property is well equipped with the most modern appliances. As a citizen Mr. Hawkins stands high in the esteem of his fellow townsmen, and he bears an excellent reputation for honesty in business deal- ings. He is a supporter of Republican principles and works hard in the ranks of his party, although he has never sought public office on his own account. He and his family attend the Methodist
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church, and fraternally he is a popular member of the Odd Fel- lows order.
On November 23, 1901, Mr. Hawkins was married to Miss Rena G. Wiles, daughter of Henry and Jennie (Jones) Wiles. Mrs. Hawkins has two sisters : Hortense, the wife of Harry Tompkins, of Decatur, Michigan; and Jessie, who lives at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins have had two children, born as follows: Vivian Leola, September 22, 1903; and Henry Gordon, July 2, 1906. The comfortable Hawkins family home is situated on Lawton Rural Route No. 2, and there are welcomed the many warm personal friends of Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins.
JOHN D. HAYNE .- In every branch of industry the advance of Van Buren county has been remarkably rapid during the last few years, and its progress has been equal to that of any other section of the state of Michigan. The present prosperity of the county is well represented in its agriculturists and stockmen, and among these may be mentioned John D. Hayne, the owner of a magnificent tract of two hundred and forty-three acres of some of the best farming land in Porter township. Mr. Hayne was born on the farm which he is now operating, September 20, 1868, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Turner) Hayne.
Mr. Hayne's parents were natives of England, and came to the United States in 1855, locating first in Detroit, Michigan, and going thence to Wayne county. In 1858 they settled as pio- neers in Van Buren county, where Mr. Hayne erected a log house that was the family residence for many years. From this humble beginning Mr. Hayne developed one of the finest properties in this part of the county, his land being all under cultivation, and at the time of his death comprising two hundred and forty-three acres, all of which had been cleared and put under cultivation by himself. Mr. Hayne was born May 14, 1827, and died June 13, 1905. He and his wife had four children, the first two of whom died in in- fancy. The daughter, Laura, is the wife of D. C. Van Antwerp.
John D. Hayne was educated in the district schools of Porter township, and has always resided on the home farm. In 1891, when his father retired from active pursuits, he took charge of the property, and when John Hayne died he was left a part of the home farm and purchased eighty acres more to make up two hundred and forty-three acres. He has shown himself an able agriculturist and a worthy representative of this old and honored family, and stands high in the esteem of his fellowmen as a man and a citi- zen. On October 26, 1892, Mr. Hayne was married to Miss Lilla G. Kinney, daughter of Horace H. and Susan (Abbott) Kinney, the former a native of Michigan and the latter of England, and to this union there have been born two children, as follows: Vera L., born May 8, 1896, and Horace K., born December 8, 1900.
Mr. and Mrs. Hayne are consistent members of the Methodist church. His political opinions are those of the Republican party, and he has served Porter township as treasurer for one term. Fra- ternally Mr. Hayne is a member of the Masons, the Eastern Star, the Maccabees and the Woodmen.
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CHARLES LYTLE .- It very frequently happens that the men in a family will show an inclination towards a certain profession or line of work, and especially is this true with regard to men who make a business of farming. There are often generation after gen- eration of farmers in a family, the sons inheriting their skill and inclination from their fathers. However, the agriculturist of to- day faces an entirely different proposition from that of a quar- ter of a century ago. Each year brings some new discovery, some improved methods, some newly invented machinery, so that the agriculturist of today, although better fitted to cultivate his land, must also keep abreast of the times in order that he may cope with his fellows. Charles Lytle, a farmer of Porter township, Van Buren county, no doubt owes much of his skill as an agriculturist to his father, D. W. C. Lytle, who for a number of years carried on farming in this township.
D. W. C. Lytle was a native of New York, and came from that state to Michigan during the 'fifties, engaging in agricultural work, which he followed throughout his life, and he died on his home farm June 22, 1894. He was married in Michigan to Mary J. Wilcox, a native of this state, and she died on the 24th of. Feb- ruary, 1904, having been the mother of six children, as follows: Charles; David, who is a farmer in Antwerp township; John, en- gaged in farming in Porter township; Wilber B., a resident of Lawton; Nancy V., the wife of W. B. Shafer, of Paw Paw; and Robert B., also an agriculturist of Porter township.
Charles Lytle was born on the home farm in Porter township, April 17, 1859, and remained on the home farm until his mar- riage, at which time he rented one hundred and twenty acres of his father, falling heir to this land at the time of his father's death. He has put his property in an excellent state of cultivation. and devotes twenty-three acres to grapes, having upwards of eleven thousand vines. It is only natural that a man of Mr. Lytle's training and natural abilities should succeed and that he should make a success of his operations. No man stands higher in the community than he, and he is recognized as a sound, reliable man, a good farmer and honorable business citizen.
Mr. Lytle was united in marriage, December 8, 1886, with Miss Estella A. Birdsell, daughter of George M. and Amelia (Quick) Birdsell. Mr. and Mrs. Birdsell had six children, namely: Estella A., who married Mr. Lytle; Clara E., the wife of C. E. Lewis, edi- tor of the Lawton Leader; Georgianna, the wife of W. K. Lane, of Van Buren county ; Grace, who married D. H. Palmer, of Avilla, Pennsylvania ; Cora, a trained nurse of Denver, Colorado; and one child which died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Lytle have had four children, namely : Anna, Homer B., Arthur C. and G. Wilber, who live with their parents. Mr. Lytle is a Republican in political matters, and has served very acceptably as a member of the town- ship board. He and Mrs. Lytle attend the Baptist church, and have been liberal contributors to movements of a religious and charitable nature. He is popular in fraternal circles and holds membership in the Masons and the Woodmen. Mrs. Lytle and
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daughter are members of the Eastern Star, and the son, Homer, is also a member of the Masonic fraternity.
ELVER E. WALDRON, one of the prominent and prosperous farm- ers of Porter township, is the proprietor of one hundred acres of valuable land, upon which is erected a large farm dwelling, a good barn and all other buildings necessary to a first-class modern homestead. The fields are finely laid off for fruit-growing and general farming, and for pasturage; the fences are substantially built and kept in good repair, and the property is fully equipped with the most highly improved machinery. Mr. Waldron, who is now serving as supervisor of Porter township, was born in Van Buren county, Michigan, May 23, 1855, and is a son of L. M. and Clarissa (Bugbee) Waldron, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of New York.
During the early 'fifties the Waldron family was founded in Michigan by Mr. Waldron's parents, who settled on a farm north of the town of Lawton. In 1873 L. M. Waldron purchased a farm of sixty acres in Porter township, section 14, and there he was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his retirement, since which time he and his wife have resided in their comfortable residence situated in Lawton. They have been the parents of three chil- dren, namely : Ida M., the widow of W. E. Kinney, of Kalama- zoo county, Michigan; Elver E., of this sketch; and Jessie M., who is deceased.
Elver E. Waldron attended the public schools of his native vicinity, and as a youth also attended the school of hard work, learning early that the only way to succeed in life was through hard, persistent effort directed along the lines of honesty of pur- pose and integrity and fair dealing in all things. By the time he was sixteen years of age he had mastered all the details of farming and fruit-growing, and when he had reached his majority he be- gan working for wages, although he continued at home. In 1891 he had accumulated enough to engage in farming on his own ac- count, and in that year purchased the forty-acre tract adjoining the old homestead in Porter township, adding to it some time later the sixty acres originally bought by his father. He now operates the entire one hundred acres and carries on general farming, spe- cializing in fruit. His operations are extensive, and he finds a ready market for his product in the large cities.
On November 6, 1874, Mr. Waldron was married to Miss Adella Campbell, daughter of W. W. and Thankful (Halstead) Campbell, natives of Ohio. Mrs. Waldron has one sister, Lottie, who is the widow of I. E. Powell, of Van Buren county. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Waldron, namely: Minnie, who mar- ried Stephen Frank, of Kalamazoo county; William Hugh, who married Grace Cooley and helps to cultivate the home property ; Harry, who resides at home; and Blanche, who married James D. McMahon, an attorney of Hammond, Indiana.
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