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 59
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Politically a Republican, Mr. Waldron has been active in the ranks of his party in Van Buren county, and has been elected to the offices of township clerk and supervisor, in which latter ca-
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pacity he is at present serving. He has proven himself as able an official as agriculturist, and deserves the confidence and esteem in which he is held by the people of Porter township. He is a leading member of the Gleaners, and a consistent attendant and liberal supporter of the Methodist church, of which Mrs. Waldron is also a member.
DARWIN MCKEE .- The average Michigan farmer, be he enter- prising and progressive, is usually loath to give up his operations, even when he has reached years that to men in different lines of employment would seem advanced, but when he does turn over his operations and retires from activities he can look back over the years that have passed with a satisfied sense that he has accom- plished much in the development of his section. Darwin McKee, of Decatur township, a widely known farmer and stockraiser who is now leading a retired life, was for many years engaged in till- ing the soil of Van Buren county, and assisted materially in bring- ing about the changes that have made the once wild country into a land of prosperity and plenty. He was born in Niagara county, New York, August 8, 1828, a son of Chauney and Lucy (Loomis) McKee, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of Ver- mont. Chauncy McKee, who was a farmer all of his life, died August 26, 1875, and his wife passed away in 1845. They had three children : Edwin, who is deceased; Darwin; and Delose, who is deceased.
Darwin McKee was seventeen years of age when his mother died, and he remained on the home farm until his marriage, at the age of twenty-five years, when he began running a boat on the Erie Canal. After three years spent in this occupation he returned to farming in New York, continuing until 1865. In that year he came to Van Buren county, and on March 28th of the same year located in Decatur township. Purchasing eighty acres, he began the clearing of this land, and eventually erected substantial build- ings and good fencing, and made it into a well improved farm. He has resided here continuously since. Later, however, he bought one hundred and fifty-three acres in section 12, on which his sons have engaged in farming and stock-raising. Mr. Mckee was greatly interested in breeding draft horses, and did a large business in this line. He was, and is still, considered an excellent judge of live stock, and he raised some of the finest animals that Van Buren county has yet produced. His opinion was often consulted on the stock market, while buyers from all over the state preferred to deal with him than with others. Mr. McKee has been a witness of won- derful changes, and it is due to the efforts of just such industrious, hard-working agriculturists as he that these changes have come about.
Darwin McKee was married in 1853 to Miss Adelia Andrus, daughter of Abel B. and Sophia (St. Clair) Andrus, natives of Vermont. Six children have been born to this union: Benjamin H., of Decatur; Leonard C., residing in Decatur township; Dar- win, Jr., also of Decatur township; Hattie, the wife of Allison Ives; Ella Dell, who is deceased; and Elinor, who married Cass
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Rosewan, of Portland, Oregon, and she is now deceased. Mr. Mc- Kee is a stanch Republican in political matters, and although he has never cared for public office for himself he has always wielded a strong influence in matters which have affected the welfare of his township. The family home is situated on Decatur Rural Route No. 2.
EMORY H. SQUIER, who is a widely and favorably known resident of Decatur and as an industrious farmer and public-spirited citi- zen, is pleasantly located on section 22, upon forty acres of highly cultivated land, which he devotes to the raising of mint and celery. Mr. Squier was born in Volina, Cass county, Michigan, August 31, 1865, and is a son of David and Mary (Rich) Squier, natives of Cass county.
David Squier was reared to an agricultural life, and he fol- lowed that occupation as a youth, later entering the mercantile field. During his latter years, however, he again became a farmer, and this was his vocation at the time of his death, which occurred at Decatur, November 19, 1907, he having been buried on his sev- enty-third birthday. He became widely and favorably known, and possessed the esteem and confidence of his fellow townsmen to such an extent that during the last fifteen years of his life he was elected to the office of supervisor. His widow still survives and makes her home at Decatur. They had two children : Harley E., living in Decatur township, and Emory H.
Emory H. Squier received a public and high school education, and after leaving the latter institution entered Parsons Business College. His first employment was as clerk in a stave factory, but after one year his health failed and he returned to the home farm, where he continued to assist his father until 1889. Mr. Squier then entered the mercantile field, establishing himself in a clothing business at Decatur, but after three years he again re- sumed farming and he is now profitably engaged in raising mint and celery on a forty-acre tract in section 22, Decatur township. Mr. Squier is a worthy representative of the old family whose name he bears, and throughout his life has displayed the same characteristics that made his father so highly esteemed. Fair in his business dealings, possessed of a high sense of honor and civic pride, and withal an excellent business man and farmer, Mr. Squier possesses to the fullest degree the esteem of the community in which he resides, and he is now serving his fourth term as supervisor of Decatur township.
Mr. Squier was married to Miss Cora Knight, daughter of Anson and Catherine (West ) Knight, and to this union there have been born two children: Lena, who is deceased, and Frances, re- siding with his parents. Mr. Squier is a Democrat in his political views, and is considered one of the influential party men of Decatur township. Fraternally he is connected with the Maccabees and the Woodmen, and is also a Pythian. He and Mrs. Squier attend the Universalist church. Mrs. Squier's brother, Alden Knight, is a well known citizen of Decatur.
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EDWARD MCADAMS .- Agricultural conditions in Van Buren county have changed to such an extent during the past several decades that the enterprising farmer has been compelled to change, to a large degree, his methods of treating the soil. New discover- ies have been made, powerful machinery invented and new inno- vations introduced, and he who would reap the most beneficial re- sults from his property must keep himself conversant with the changes of the times. One of the up-to-date farmers of Van Buren county, who is now engaged.in fruit and grain raising on a well- cultivated tract of thirty acres situated in Decatur township, is Edward McAdams, a native of Genesee county, New York, who was born December 9, 1856, a son of William and Betsy (Ray) McAdams.
Mr. McAdams' parents were natives of Ireland, of Scotch ances- try, and came to the United States shortly after their marriage, settling in Genesee county, New York, from whence they came to Michigan in 1857. Here in Decatur township William McAdams bought twenty-five acres of wild land, and after he had cleared and cultivated it he added another forty acres, which he also put in a state of cultivation. Here he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives, both dying in 1897. They were the parents of ten children : John, who is deceased; Mary, the widow of Leonard Hurlburt, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Susan, the wife of Adel- bert Howland, of Cass county; Betsy, who married Charles Earl, a resident of Decatur; Jennie, who married William Stewart, of Grand Rapids; Edward; George, living in the state of Minnesota ; Joseph J., of Decatur; Eliza, the wife of Frank Jones, of Grand Rapids; and Frank, who is deceased.
Edward McAdams was about one year old when brought to Michigan, and his education was secured in the district schools of Decatur township, which he attended until he was sixteen years old. He then began farming, and continued as an agriculturist for five years, but on attaining his majority he went to northern Michigan and for nine years was a member of a lumber camp crew. Next he spent one year and six months in a Wisconsin lumber mill, but on account of failing health he returned to Michigan and set- tled on his present thirty-acre farm in Decatur township, where he is engaged in raising fruit and grain. His operations have been uniformly successful, and he is considered one of the substantial men of his township.
On December 3, 1877, Mr. McAdams was married to Miss Win nie Roberts, daughter of Thomas and Lydia (Carpenter) Roberts, and two children have been born to this union : Leslie, who resides in Decatur, and Herbert, now in the employ of the Grand Trunk Railroad Company. In his political views Mr. McAdams is a Re- publican and his religious connection is with the Presbyterian church.
LESLIE MCADAMS .- Farming has drawn out the best efforts of some of the leading men of Van Buren county and developed their abilities. Through their endeavors in an agricultural line they have become well-to-do and prominent in their communities. Such
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a man is Leslie McAdams, of Decatur township, who is well and favorably known in his neighborhood as an exponent of scientific farming. Mr. McAdams has intimate knowledge of the soil of this section, as this, with the exception of one year, has been his home all of his life. He was born on his father's farm in De- catur township, August 24, 1878, a son of Edward and Winnie (Roberts) McAdams, natives of New York and now residents of Decatur township. A sketch of their lives appears preceding this.
Leslie McAdams remained on the home farm until he attained his majority, at which time he went to the lumber woods of Wis- consin and there spent one year. On his return he took up farm- ing as an occupation, and this he has followed with much success to the present time. Mr. McAdams' farming operations have kept him so busy that he has not found time to engage actively in politics, but he is a stanch supporter of Republican principles and 110 movement for the betterment of his township fails to receive his support. He is popular fraternally as a member of the Masons, the Eastern Star and the Gleaners, and his religious affiliation is with the Presbyterian church, which he and Mrs. McAdams attend. Mr. McAdams has a comfortable residence situated on Decatur Rural Route No. 2, and he has also erected substantial barns and outbuildings and put up neat, durable fencing and made numerous other improvements.
On September 17, 1903, Mr. McAdams was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Gates, the estimable daughter of Michael and Edna (Campbell) Gates. Mr. Gates died in May, 1908, and his widow is now residing in Decatur. Mrs. McAdams was the young- est of four children, her brothers and sister being: Elmer, who lives in Lawton; Allie, a resident of the village of Decatur; and Lillie, the wife of Frank Silkworth, of Lawton. Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Adams have had three children, born as follows: Madge, in March. 1904; Leo, in November, 1906; and Irene, in November, 1908.
WILLIAM L. CONGDON is a well-known farmer in Decatur town- ship. Michigan boasts, and with reason, of its wonderful agricult- ural resources, and that it has become such a successful farming country is attributable to the fact that men of acknowledged abil- ity have identified themselves with the cultivation of the soil. Mr. Congdon, a farmer by nature, by inheritance and from choice, stands prominent in the state which he has helped to make famous.
On the 9th day of December, 1880, William L. Congdon began life on a farm in Springfield, Missouri. His parents, George M. and Mary C. (Fultz) Congdon, were both natives of New York, and soon after their marriage they came west, took up their resi- dence in Missouri, in 1882 came to Michigan, where they bought forty acres of land in Decatur township, and proceeded to farm. In a short time Mr. Congdon, Sr., sold his tract of land, moved to Marcellus, where he remained three years, then returned to Decatur township, and bought fifty acres of land in section 18. This land he also sold at a profit, and some of it he traded off for other property. He is now living at Lawton, but his wife died on Vol. II-30
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the 21st of March, 1905. Father and Mother Congdon were the parents of six children,-Etta, wife of P. J. Flynn, of Chicago; Clinton W., residing at Springfield, Missouri; George W., deceased ; Isaac E., now living in Decatur, Michigan; Lillian May, married to William Anderson, of Chicago; and William L., whose name initiates this biography.
William L. Congdon has no recollection of his native home, as he was but two years old when the family moved to Van Buren county, Michigan, and his boyhood was passed in Decatur town- ship. He entered the district school and later attended the pub- lic school of Decatur. After completing his educational training he determined to make agriculture his chosen calling. Commenc- ing to farm with his father, he later bought the homestead of forty acres above mentioned, to which he has added twenty-five additional acres. He does general farming and stock raising, bring- ing all his intelligence to bear on his work, so that he is enabled to produce large crops from the land.
On Christmas eve of 1901, Mr. Congdon married Pearl, daughter of Guy and Eveline ( Mayhart) Exceen, residents of Lawton. Mr. and Mrs. Exceen had a family of three children,-Myrtle, deceased ; William F., residing at Ottumwa, Iowa; and Pearl. Mr. and Mrs. Congdon have two daughters,-Lillian M., born March 3, 1904, a student in the public school; and Anna Maxine, whose birth occurred July 13, 1911.
In political sympathies Mr. Congdon is a Republican, but he has never evinced any desire for public office for himself. In fra- ternal connection he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Maccabees. The family attend the Methodist church. He is a man who is greatly esteemed by his many friends.
WALTER A. WOOD is a product of Van Buren county, Michigan, and was born October 2, 1875, a son of Henry and Ellen (Torrey) Wood, natives of New York, whose other two children are: Arthur, of Allegan county ; and Fred, of Van Buren county. Walter A. Wood secured a district school education, after completing which he took up farming as a means of livelihood, and continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits until February 28, 1910, at which time he began handling and trading horses and shipping hay and grain. He came to Bangor September 1, 1911, and shortly there- after bought an interest in the livery business with which he is now connected. Mr. Wood is a Democrat in his political views, and belongs to the Order of the Moose, Kalamazoo Lodge. July 25. 1900, he married Miss Lena Pease who was born in Otsego, Allegan county, Michigan, being a daughter of Jerome and Lottie Pease.
JAMES CANNING is one of the well-known and representative farmers of Decatur township, Van Buren county, where he has lived for upwards of half a century. Since he first engaged in agricultural pursuits the status of the farmer has undergone a radical change. A farm and a mortgage used at one time to be synonymous terms, but a man burdened with debt is not apt to
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be beautiful either in looks or disposition. Now all of this has been changed and "back to the farm" means a return to efficiency, health and life; we reach the farm by going forward, not by going backward. The business of the farmer who produces food must be regarded as a fine art, not to be left to the whipped-out and the discouraged, as in former times. Much of this changed condition has come about within the recollection of Mr. Canning, and it is due to the work and example of such as he that ideas on this subject have so completely changed.
Ireland is the country which Mr. Canning proudly claims as his birthplace, his nativity having occurred in County Antrim, in 1833, but he is of Scotch ancestry. The first twenty-four years of his life were passed in the Emerald Isle, where he learned farming, according to the methods which have been practiced by the Irish from time immemorial. Mr. Canning, however, was progressive in his ideas, and determined to leave the land which is bound by cus- tom to remain in the rut formed by primitive methods, and he took passage in a sailing vessel bound for New York, in which city he landed in 1857. He remained in the east for the ensuing nine years, during which time he succeeded in earning money, and as his wants were simple he was enabled to save a large proportion of his wages. In 1866 he came to Michigan, bought eighty-two acres of land in Decatur township, in section 7, and here he has remained ever since, engaged in general farming and in stock raising.
The year 1857 was doubly memorable to Mr. Canning, as he then came to America, as above mentioned, and he was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Richard on the 2nd day of July. Mrs. Canning is a daughter of Alexander and Jane (Reed) Richard, of County Antrim. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Canning: Robert, living in Idaho; Alexander, also a resident of Idaho; Jane, wife of Ed Kernes, of Van Buren county; Mary, married to Milo Youels, of Van Buren county ; James, who makes his home in Indiana ; and William, who lives on the old homestead.
Mr. Canning is a Republican in his political sympathies, stanch in his allegiance to the party to which he has always given his sup- port since he first became an American citizen. In religious con- nection he is a Presbyterian, a devout member of the church in Decatur. During the years of his residence in this neighborhood Mr. Canning has made many friends, and his uprightness of char- acter and his kindly personality have won for him the respect and esteem of all who come within the sphere of his sympathetic nature and his genial kindliness.
PHILLIP MAGUIRE .- The late Phillip Maguire was a prominent and highly respected farmer of Van Buren county and an old resident of Decatur township. He built up for himself a lasting reputation as a man possessing most excellent traits of character, was honorable and upright in his business transactions, and was imbued with that generous public spirit that made him always ready to assist in whatever was calculated to promote the welfare of his county and community. Mr. Maguire was born in county Mayo, Ireland, in May, 1823, and died January 25, 1901, in De-
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catur township. He came to America in 1851, settling in New York state, where he was engaged in farming until 1858, and in that year made his way west to Michigan and purchased eighty acres of farming land in section 4, Decatur township, where he continued to do general farming and stock raising for the remainder of his life. He was married on September 8, 1858, to Miss Mary Burns, daughter of Michael and Julia (Healy) Burns. Mrs. Maguire's mother died when she was an infant, and her father took for his second wife Miss Bridget Boyle, by whom he had a family of eight children.
Mr. and Mrs. Maguire had five children : James and John, who are deceased ; Mary, who lives with her mother; George, who resides in Decatur; and Phillip, who is engaged in operating the old home farm. Mr. Maguire was an ardent Democrat in politics, but never aspired to office. During the more than fifty years that he resided here he made friendships that were warm and sincere, and all of his old friends remember him with naught but kindness. Having the ready sympathy that goes with the Irish blood, Mr. Maguire was ever ready to assist those who were less fortunate in life than he, and the extent of his charities will probably never be known. He was a faithful member of the Catholic church, to which his widow, who is now residing in the comfortable family residence at Decatur. also belongs.
JOHN BARKER .- The late John Barker, who was for many years engaged in agricultural pursuits in Porter township, showed so much ability in handling his own affairs that during a long period he was elected to positions of honor, where he displayed marked fidelity to his trust in taking care of the affairs of his fellow towns- men. Possessing the full confidence of his community, he worked always for the public welfare and the influence of his life will be felt long after his name has been forgotten. Mr. Barker was born in Yorkshire, England, April 15, 1817, and was a son of Jeremiah and Mary (Bentley ) Barker.
The parents of Mr. Barker immigrated to the United States some time after their marriage, and first settled in New York, from whence they made their way to Michigan during the early days of this state and settled in Porter township, where they spent the remainder of their lives, the father dying in 1849 and the mother in 1862. They had a family of ten children, as follows: Thomas, John and Ann, deceased; Mary, who married Robert Gould of Ceresco. Michigan, and she died aged ninety years; Elizabeth, Susan, George and Joseph and Josiah, the latter twins, all de- ceased; and Ezra, deceased.
When his father's estate was divided John Barker inherited eighty acres of the old homestead, and this land he was engaged in cultivating throughout the remainder of his life. He was a good farmer, a public-spirited citizen and an honest official, and he possessed in the fullest extent the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens: An ardent Republican in politics, he was always a hard worker in the ranks of his party, and was considered one of the most influential men of his organization in this part of Van
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Buren county. For many years he served in positions within the gift of the people of Porter township, including the offices of township clerk and township supervisor. He died firm in the faith of the Baptist church.
Mr. Barker was married to Mrs. Grace (Hayne) Marshall, widow of John Marshall, and they had a family of five children, as follows: George, who died in infancy; Ella J., who is now the owner of one hundred and fourteen acres in section 9, Porter township, which she cultivates as a general stock and fruit farm; Mary, who married George Hathaway, one of Porter township's leading agri- culturists; Irwin M., also engaged in farming in this township; and Joseph H., who is deceased. The Barker family is one of the best known in Porter township, and its representatives have been prominent in almost every line of endeavor.
IRWIN M. BARKER .- When the visitor to a farming property sees neatly-arranged buildings, well-built fences, graded land, sleek cattle and carefully cleaned machinery and implements, he is not apt to be far wrong in the surmise that he is looking at the land of a successful farmer, for the agriculturist who is thus conscientious in his work cannot fail to achieve success, especially if he be the owner of such fertile land as is to be found in Van Buren county. Such a general air of prosperity is to be found pervading the homestead of Irwin M. Barker, farmer and stockman of Porter township, who has lived on his present property all of his life. Mr. Barker was born in Porter township, March 19, 1862, a son of John and Grace (Hayne) (Marshall) Barker, members of one of Van Buren county's old families.
Jeremiah and Mary (Bentley) Barker, the grandparents of Irwin M. Barker, immigrated to the United States from England, settling first in New York, and then going to Michigan as pioneers and settling in Porter township, where Jeremiah Barker spent the rest of his life in farming and died in 1849, his widow sur- viving him until 1862. They had ten children, as follows: Thomas, John, Ann, Mary, Elizabeth, Susan, George, Joseph and Josiah, twins, and Ezra.
John Barker was born in Yorkshire, England, April 15, 1817, and accompanied his parents to the United States as a lad. He had always lived at home, and when his father's estate was divided he came into possession of eighty acres of the homestead in Porter township, where he became a leading and influential farmer and served in various township offices. He married Mrs. Grace (Hayne) Marshall, widow of John Marshall, and they had five children, as follows: George, who died in infancy ; Ella J., the owner of a gen- eral stock and fruit farm; Mary, wife of George Hathaway ; Irwin . M., of this review; and Joe H., deceased.
Irwin M. Barker was born on the homestead farin and grew to manhood there, attending the district schools of that vicinity. At the time of his father's death he inherited a part of the property and bought more land until he now owns a tract of eighty acres, all under a high state of cultivation. He is a skilled farmer, and in addition to farming along general lines he specializes in grapes.
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