USA > Michigan > A history of northern Michigan and its people, Volume II > Part 26
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DR. C. W. BAHEL .- Although retired from active work in his pro- fession this leading citizen of Onaway, who is foremost in all good under- takings for the improvement and elevation of his home city and county, zealous, industrious and effective in all his enterprises, and very popu- lar socially, is still properly accorded his professional title, and because of his genial and companionable nature is familiarly known to all the people around him as "Doe Bahel." The record of his life and career, which is necessarily given very briefly here, is full of incitement and stimulus for young men who are struggling upward on the rugged road to success and prominence, and is cheering to those who have reached the eminence.
The doctor was born at Chatham, Chester county, in that great hive of industry, Pennsylvania, within whose borders almost every form of human endeavor is to be found, his life beginning there on April 10, 1852. He is a son of William and Catherine (Burke) Bahel, the former born in New Jersey and the latter in the city of Cork, Ireland, and both now deceased. They were the parents of four children, of whom the doctor was the first in the order of birth.
The father moved from his native state to Pennsylvania in his young manhood, and soon afterward enlisted in the Union army to aid in defending the Union against dismemberment by force. He joined Company H of the Thirteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, the famous
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"Bucktail Reserves" regiment, which carved its name high and deep on the tablets of our momentous and sanguinary Civil war. He was enrolled in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and served four full years with his regiment.
In the spring of 1867 he moved his family to Michigan and located in Lapeer county near the town of the same name. His hopes of ad- vancement in this state, which then held out high promise to all comers with industry, frugality and patience in their make-up and habits. were doomed to disappointment. Soon after their arrival in the state both he and his wife died and left their offspring to the cold charity of the world and the care of strangers or their own resources. The doctor at that time was about sixteen years of age.
He had obtained a limited education in the district schools of his native state, and being of a resolute and self-reliant nature, entered with alacrity and a determination to succeed on the work of providing for himself. Willing to do anything that would furnish him subsistence, he worked at day labor in the construction of the Detroit & Bay City Railroad, and later learned the barber trade. While working at this he began the task of preparing himself for a more exalted position and career. Studying industriously along several lines of knowledge, chem- Istry and drugs engaged his attention particularly, and he decided to devote himself to acquiring a thorough knowledge of them as far as his circumstances would allow.
After a due course of study and preparation he passed a successful examination before the state board of pharmacists, and in 1884 opened a drug store at Otsego Lake. He remained there until 1893, when he moved to Gaylord in the same county. In that city he opened a much more pretentious drug store, with a stock of goods worth ten thousand dollars, and built himself a comfortable dwelling. Soon afterward, however, he was accidentally shot in the hip by the discharge of a rifle in the hands of a careless person. This accident confined him to his bed for a year and a half, and during that period almost all his worldly possessions melted away.
After partially regaining his health and recovering two thousand dollars from the man who had injured him and crippled him for life, he went to Vienna, Montmorency county, and began the practice of medicine, having previously been granted a diploma by the Physiolog- ical College of Medicine of Chicago. Sometime later he sold his resi- dence in Gaylord and located at Fargo, St. Clair county, where he con- ducted a drug store and practiced medicine with promise of pronounced success until he decided to change his base of operations to Onaway, which he did on July 5, 1898.
When he left Fargo for Onaway he had a horse and buggy and three dollars in money. When he arrived in Onaway he had only money enough left to pay for one night's lodging and one meal. As the result of his diligence, thrift and frugality he now owns considerable prop- erty of value, including his attractive home on State street and the building in which his drug store is located, and has been since he started the business in December, 1901. In addition he owns one hundred and sixty acres of stumpage land in Cass township which he purchased in
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1906. The land is near Onaway and is improved with a good house and a fine barn with other necessary outbuildings. He has forty acres of this land cleared and maintains on it two span of work horses, one driving team, sixteen head of cattle, fifteen of sheep and eight of hogs. In 1910 he raised over six hundred dollars worth of produce off of this forty arres, and as his farming is progressive, he has reason to expect better results and larger returns each succeeding year.
Dr. Bahel has taken a decidedly active part in the public life of Onaway ever since he became a resident of the city. He was a member of the city council for a number of years and served on the school board during the last four. He was mayor one term, and during his tenure of the office the city hall was built, the cornerstone being laid by him. He also helped to lay out the streets of the city, and aided in giving its progress impetus and trend in many other ways.
He has long been active in the fraternal life of the community as a Freemason, a Knight of the Maccabees and a member of the Order of Elks. He was made a Master Mason in Gaylord Lodge, but dimitted from it in order to become a charter member of Onaway Lodge No. 425. In the Order of Elks he belongs to Cheboygan Lodge No. 504. Al- though he is not now actively engaged in the practice of medicine, he has kept up with the advances in the profession and gratified his desire for special knowledge in connection with it by continued study. He also pursued a course of special study in the American Optical College in Detroit, from which he was graduated on March 9, 1905. He became a member of the State Optical Association on July 4, 1908, and has ever since been a leading factor in its meetings, its work and its social functions.
On October 17, 1875, the doctor was united in marriage with Miss Catherine J. Fusee, a native of Canada. Three children, all daughters, have blessed their union and brightened their family circle: Mabel Blanch, now the widow of the late Judson Dean; Grace Ethel, and Veva Ruth Adelia. It is seen from the above narrative that Dr. Bahel has had his full share of vicissitudes in life and been severely tried by succeeding disasters. But he has triumphed over every obstacle, over- come every difficulty and borne with patience every trial. He has also at all times kept his nerve and maintained his constancy of purpose. These facts, together with his sunny nature, high character and ser- viceable citizenshp have won him the universal esteem of the people of Onaway and Presque Isle county.
MARIUS HANSON .- A man of good executive and financial ability, Marius Hanson is widely known as proprietor of the Bank of Grayling, which he established in 1900, and has since successfully managed, mak- ing it one of the leading institutions of its kind. He later acquired the Crawford County Exchange, which was established in 1897, of which his brother, Helger Hanson, is assistant cashier. He was born in 1869, in Manistee, Michigan, of substantial Danish ancestry.
Ilis parents, John K. and Mary Hanson, emigrated from Denmark, their native country, to the United States, locating first in Manistee,
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Michigan, but settling in 1879, in Crawford county, where the father had extensive lumber interests. .
Marius Hanson was bred and educated in Crawford county, which has been his home since his boyhood days. During his earlier career, he was identified with the lumber industry of Michigan, but for ten years or more has devoted his time to the management of the Bank of Grayling, and to his other financial interests. As a loyal and patriotic citizen, Mr. Hanson has never shirked the duties of public office, but has served the village in various capacities. A prominent and influen- tial member of the Republican party, he has served as chairman of the Republican County Committee, and held other offices of distinction. He married Mary Maud Parson of Grayling, Michigan, a daughter of Auer Parson, and they have one daughter, Lucile, who attends school.
CHURCH OF THE GUARDIAN ANGELS .- In view of the fact that civil- ization was ushered into so much of northern Michigan by the noble and self-abnegating missionaries of the Catholic church, whose emissaries thus penetrated the wilds of a veritable terra incognita and brought to the benighted Indians the message of the divine Master, it is gratifying to note with the passing of years the great mother church has main- tained a strong hold in this section of the state and that its benignant activities have been in charge of those instant in consecrated zeal and de- votion. One of the most noteworthy parishes of the church in the entire upper section of the Wolverine state is that of the Church of the Guardian Angels, in the city of Manistee, and its sublime title has been duly justified by the character of the work accomplished. A review of the history of this church by Father Grimme appeared after his death in pamphlet form and the appreciative estimate is worthy of repro- duction in this volume, on which score the entire article is here given place with but slight paraphrase and with certain supplementary data.
"The original settlement of the white man in this part of the country took place some forty years ago. People of various nationalities and creeds came here in quest of work and wealth, gradually forming a community and nshering in business enterprise. Catholics, as usual, were among the pioneers, and as such shared the weal and woe of pioneer life.
"This region at that period was not very inviting for comfort and pleasure ; still where wants are few, contentment is easily obtained. All luxuries and many conveniences had to be foregone; nevertheless the early settler, in his simple tastes and frugal habits, was not without real genuine enjoyments to smooth the rough edges of his hardy life, into which he entered with a zest and pleasure unknown to the youth of the present day.
"As in other respects, so also in a religious point of view everyone had to do the best he could under the circumstances.
"There were no churches, no regular public divine churches.
"Occasionally 'religious meetings' would be held in Mr. Fay's hotel, in Mrs. Hogan's hotel and in Mr. O'Neil's house. Priests were then few and far between. At intervals a priest would come from across Lake Michigan, as Father Tucker and some Jesuit Fathers; sometimes
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also the Indian Missionaries, Fathers Ignatius Mrack (afterwards Bishop) and P. S. Zorn (now chaplain at Mercy Hospital, Big Rapids, Michigan) eame down from Traverse, along the shore in canoes or worked their way through the woods, frequently on foot, occasionally on horse-back. A few times, later on, the place was visited by priests from Grand Rapids and Muskegon, amongst them the Rev. James Pulcher, now pastor of St. James' church, Grand Rapids. He was the first priest who said mass in the little frame church on the north side.
"Finally in August of the year 1868, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Borgess sent Father H. Meuffels as resident pastor of Manistee and missions. A small frame church had been built in the first ward before Father Meuffels located here. The site for this church, a plot of five acres, had been donated for the purpose by Mr. William T. Thorpe in July, 1862.
"The Catholics who were living on the south side of the river in order to get to church were obliged to cross the water in canoes, there being no bridge at that time. Later on a so-called ferry boat took them aeross for a 'fare,' and thus the boatman and the priest divided be- tween themselves the 'change' of the church-going people.
"After a few years the Catholics procured a beautiful site on the southeast corner of Maple and Third streets and arrangements were immediately made to erect a church building thereon. Stones for the foundation were bought and hauled to the grounds, and every indica- tion pointed to the speedy erection of a new church. Just then a ter- rible conflagration swept the rising, prosperous city of Manistce, the same memorable night that Chicago was visited with a like affliction. Dwelling houses, stores and mills were doomed, and many families left homeless and penniless to meet the rigors of approaching winter.
"To help others (more needy perhaps) Father Meuffels gave or sold the stones intended for a church to a mill-owner to help him rebuild his mill. Thus for the time being ended the project of erecting the in- tended church.
"Father Meuffels was succeeded by Father M. Willigan, who came here in June, 1873. He had nothing wherewith to begin his labors ex- cept the aforementioned lots. He was however not long in gathering the means to build a church. He worked hard and the people nobly seconded his efforts. He canvassed the houses, the mills, the woods and thus succeeded in building the neat and substantial brick building. on the corner of Third and Sycamore streets, which serves both for church and school, and is known as St. Mary's church.
"Owing to Father Willigan's energy and perseverance a house for the Sisters, whom he called to teach the parochial school, was also ereeted, likewise the parochial residence, and the little house now oc- cupied by William J. Kennealy and wife, which was intended for the pastor's office. He also bought forty acres of land just south of the city limits, ten acres of which he stumped and laid out for a cemetery, known as the Mount Carmel Cemetery.
"Father Willigan was succeeded by the Rev. D. Callaert, in Septem- ber, 1881, Father Callaert was also a zealous worker. Ilis principal work consisted in remodeling the buildings erected by his predecessor and in
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improving and beautifying the grounds. He also sold the five-acre plat donated by Mr. Thorpe for church purposes, realizing the sum of eight hundred dollars therefrom.
"One notable feature of his work was the starting of a temperance society, which prospered for a time and did, no doubt, a considerable good.
"The Catholic congregation had now grown to such proportions that St. Mary's church could not nearly accommodate all who came to worship. As the Polish people at this time constituted the majority of the congregation, and were especially anxious to be by themselves, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Richter permitted them to build a church for their exclusive use. How earnestly and successfully they worked for the cause of religion is evidenced by the magnificent church and school property which they now possess and the prosperous condition and unity of their large congregation.
"Again, after a few years, St. Mary's congregation had outgrown the capacity of the church, and after repeated urgent requests made by Father D. Callaert, the Rt. Rev. Bishop finally granted another separa- tion. The meeting of the two sets of delegates, appointed according to previous notices given by Rev. D. Callaert, was held at the pastoral residence on Tuesday, January 24, 1888, for the purpose of taking into consideration the division of the whole property of St. Mary's church, in order to form two separate congregations, as directed by the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Grand Rapids. The papers formally dividing the congrega- tion were made out and signed by the committees appointed for the purpose and submitted to the Rt. Rev. Bishop for his approval.
"By the terms of the articles of separation, the French portion of the congregation, were to retain all of the church property, to be known as St. Mary's church property, and to pay to their departing brethren, in lieu of their claim on said property, the sum of seven thousand dollars ($7,000). The English and German speaking Cath- olies were to have the right to use the old church. etc .. until the new church should be finished.
"Father Callaert, in view of failing health, thereupon resigned and left for his native land, Belgium, where he is now recruiting his health and resting from his arduous labors in Manistee and elsewhere.
"The Sisters of St. Francis, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, who had been teaching St. Mary's school from the time of its organization, also re- signed and left a month later, the end of May. In their place the Sisters of Mercy, of Big Rapids. Michigan, took charge of the school the fol- lowing fall.
"The marked progress of the children, notwithstanding unfavorable circumstances, gives evident proof of their efficiency and success as teachers.
"Father T. J. Hudon, of Alpena, Michigan, had been appointed pas- tor of the French congregation in the beginning of the year 1888. He went to work with a will to collect and otherwise raise the $7.000 which the congregation owed. That he worked is proven by the fact that the last remnant of the amount was paid over December 22. 1890, the day after the new church was dedicated. Rev. W. W. Grimme. of Big
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Rapids, Michigan, was sent to take charge of the out-going portion of St. Mary's Congregation.
"A good site of more than one acre, for church buildings, was soon secured at a cost of three thousand dollars, ($3,000) on Fifth street, end of Sycamore.
"Father Grimme entered his new field of labor May 1st, 1888. He had a prospective $7,000 and the good will of his people with which to begin his work. As the time for log and frame churches had had its day, and thinking that if the people could possibly afford it the House of God should be the grandest house in a community, with the advice of his zealous and noble-hearted people, he resolved to build a solid brick church : One worthy, in a manner, of God and the cause the church espouses.
"The corner stone of this building was laid September 2, 1890, and the church was blessed under the name and protection of the Guardian Angels, by the Rt. Rev. Bishop H. J. Richter, of Grand Rapids, on December 21, 1890. Immediately after the blessing, the church was formally opened by a solemn high mass celebrated by the pastor, Rev. H. W. Grimme, assisted by Rev. Edward Kozlowski, of St. Joseph's church, as Deacon, and Rev. Joseph T. Hudon, of St. Mary's church, as Sub-deacon. The Rt. Rev. Bishop preached a very beautiful and in- structive sermon on the occasion. In the afternoon, during solemn ves- pers, the peal of three new bells donated by Mrs. B. Hogan, of Fond du lae, Wisconsin, formerly of Manistee, was blessed by the Rt. Rev. Bishop. They pealed forth their harmonious tones for the first time on Christ- mas morning, at four-thirty o'clock. The inscription on the largest of the bells reads: 'Donated by Mrs. B. Hogan in memory of her son, Francis J. Finan, who died August 23, 1876, aged twenty-four years.' By request of Mrs. Hogan, who could not be present, her daughter, Mrs. T. Wing, of Manistee, Mr. Thomas Kenny and Father Grimme, acted as sponsors at the blessing of the bells. The bells were named 'Francis,' 'Margaret,' and 'Mary,' respectively.
"Thus after noble efforts and heroic sacrifices the church is now com- pleted and paid for. It is a lasting monument to the picty, zeal and generosity of the members of the church of the Guardian Angels. " All to the greater honor and glory of God, and to the salvation of souls."
Before the above splendidly written and interesting history of the Guardian Angels church could be published the great and noble soul of Father Grimme was summoned to eternal rest, his spirit having passed to the great beyond on the eve of Thanksgiving, November 25, 1891. His death was uniformly mourned throughout Manistee and this entire section of northern Michigan, where his efforts had been prolific of such far-reaching results. After the demise of Father Grimme, Rev. J. T. Hudon attended the church of the Guardian Angels until the appoint- ment of the present pastor, Rev. J. M. Steffes, September 1, 1892. Father Steffes is the present able ineumbent of the pastorate of the Guardian Angels church and he is particularly well fitted by innate ability and training to succeed Father Grimme.
Since the coming of Father Steffes important additions and im- provements have been made upon the church property. Two new altars
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and the beautiful statuary that adorns the interior of the edifice have been purchased and the present commodious sehool-building erected. The value of the property belonging to the church of the Guardian An- gels is estimated at one hundred thousand dollars. The present mem- bership of the church consists of two hundred families, or about eight hundred souls. The Catholic Mutual Benefit Association is one of the leading societies of the congregation and it was organized by Father Grimme in 1889. The Ancient Order of Hibernians, organized March 13, 1898, has an extensive membership, as do also the Catholic Knights and Ladies of America and the Ladies Auxiliary. Another addition to the church is the beautiful five thousand dollar organ installed, in 1911, by James Dempsey and family, in memory of the cherished wife and devoted mother, Mrs. Mary F. Dempsey. On the 20th of September. 1909, Carrie Filer donated to this church a beautiful chime of twelve bells, which were installed in April, 1910. The following names are surmounted by a neat cross on each of the bells,-Caroline, Thomas, Pius, Henry Joseph, Mary, Gertrude, Philomena, Alphonsus, Caecilia, Aloysius, James and Anna.
Mr. Patrick Nond donated the clock in church spire and the mag- nifieent onyx candlesticks on the altar in memory of his son Walter.
Father Steffes, although a young man, has shown evidence of rare ability and taet in the administration of the affairs of his large congre- gation, and by his kindly and sympathetic devotion to his pastoral duties has endeared himself to the people of his parish. In the com- munity at large Father Steffes is recognized as a man of rare scholarship and liberal views, and also as a friend to all movements that make for the common good.
EDWARD E. MCKNIGHT. M. D., who is engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Alpena and who is one of the representative physicians and surgeons of this section of the state, is a native of the Wolverine state and a seion one of its sterling pioneer families. He was born on a farm in Cascade township, Kent county, Michigan, on the 1st of September, 1869, and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Fitz- patrick) MeKnight, the former of whom was born at Adair, in the county of Limerick, Ireland, in 1835, and the latter of whom was born in Queens county, Ireland. Thomas MeKnight was a lad of seven years at the time of the family emigration to America. in 1844, and the long and weary voyage was made on a sailing vessel of the type common to that period. His father, James MeKnight, eame with his family to Michigan soon after the arrival in the new world, and after remaining for a short time in Detroit he removed to Kent county, where he secured a tract of heavily timbered land and reclaimed a farm from the wilderness. He was one of the pioneers of that county, in which is situated Grand Rapids, the second city in the state in point of population and industrial importance, and he did well his part in the movement of material and social development and progress, Grand Rapids having been a mere village at the time when he established his home in Kent county, where both he and his wife passed the residue
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of their lives. Their names merit an enduring place on the roll of the honored pioneers of that county.
Thomas MeKnight was reared to maturity amidst the scenes, in- cidents and labors of the pioneer days in Kent county, and he lived up to the full tension of that epoch, his days from boyhood up having been filled with "ceaseless toil and endeavor." Like his honored father, he developed a farm from the forest and in due time he became one of the prosperous representatives of the agricultural interests of Kent county. He gained a competency through his well directed efforts and is now living retired in the village of Berlin, Ottawa county, this state. He is a Democrat in his political proclivities and is a zealous communi- cant of the Catholic church, as was also his wife, who died in 1875, when her son Edward E., of this sketch, was but six years of age. Of the seven children six are still living and concerning. them the following brief data are given: John J. is a representative farmer of Kent county ; Thomas, Jr., is likewise a prosperous agriculturist of the same county ; William F. is a lawyer by profession and is engaged in practice in the city of Grand Rapids; L. Frank is likewise a member of the bar of the city of Grand Rapids, where he is also engaged in the real- estate business; Dr. Edward E., of this review, was the next in order of birth ; and Charles A., who was graduated in the law department of the University of Michigan, is now a commercial traveling salesman, with residence at Chicago.
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