USA > Michigan > A history of the northern peninsula of Michigan and its people; its mining, lumber and agricultural industries, Volume III > Part 2
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development of the Emmett mine during the last year of his business life. In 1879, having always lived the life of a pioneer and endured many hardships, he sickened and died when only fifty-nine years of age, but with the appearance of an old man.
Notwithstanding the various interests fostered by him, Judge In- galls' principal occupation was the practice of law, in which he was very successful, but he was especially strong in chancery cases and in jury trials, in the latter of which he seemed to impress his earnest per- sonality npon the minds of the jury. On the organization of the county, being the only lawyer here, he was elected to the three offices of judge of probate, prosecuting attorney, and circuit court commissioner. He was the only attorney present at the opening and holding of the first term of the Menominee county circuit court by Judge Daniel Goodwin. Aside from being a lawyer of ability, he was a man of high character and was generous to a fault. His home was a stopping place for many a weary traveler, and he had nothing too good to divide with his family and friends. He commanded the respect and confidence of the entire com- munity and when he died there was universal mourning, and his funeral rites were presided over by the Masonic Order, the first lodge of which, in Menominee, he was instrumental in founding. Of his children there are now livng Josephine S. I. Sawyer, of Menominee: Martha M. Beaser, of Chicago Park, California ; and Arthur J. Ingalls of Los Angeles, Cal- ifornia. Those deceased arc Abbie R. Easton, Mary A. Milberry, Susan J. Cole, Charles L. Ingalls and Fred Ingalls.
WILLIAM H. JOBE .- Possessing sound judgment and good executive ability, William H. Jobe, superintendent of the Verona Mining Company Properties at Palatka is actively identified with the development and promotion of industrial resources of the Upper Peninsula, which is rich in mineral ores and timber. He was born, March 21, 1871, at Ham- ilton, Province of Ontario, but his father, Elisha Jobe, was a native of Michigan. His grandfather, John Jobe, was born and bred in Corn- wall, England, and, as far as known, was the only member of his father's family to emigrate to this country. Coming directly from his English home to Michigan, he located in Keweenaw county, and from that time until his death, at a good old age, was there actively employed in min- ing pursuits.
Born in Keweenaw county, Michigan, Elisha Jobe there began as a boy to work in the mines, and later was similarly employed for a while in Ontonagon county. Venturesome and daring, and ambitious to im- prove his financial condition, he went when a young man to the Pacific coast, and for two years worked in the mines of California and Nevada. Not making his fortune, he then returned to Michigan and resumed work as a miner in Negaunee, Marquette county. Forced to leave the place on account of the ill health of his wife, he went to Hamilton, Ontario, where he resided twelve years. Coming back to Michigan in 1881, he located at Republic, where he continued work in the mines until his death, in 1898. His wife, whose maiden name was Helen Mellon, was born in Cornwall, England, and as a child came with her parents, John and Martha Mellon, to Hamilton, Ontario, where she grew to womanhood. She is now living in Marquette, and has two children, as follows: William H., the subject of this sketch; and Carrie.
Obtaining a practical education in the public schools of Hamilton, Ontario, and at Republic, Michigan, William H. Jobe, at the age of fourteen years, began his active career as an office boy in the mines at
John merton
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Republic. From that position he was promoted to supply clerk, and when nineteen years of age became time keeper at the mines in Swanzy. A year later Mr. Jobe returned to Republic, and the ensuing two years was clerk for the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway Company. He then entered the employ of the Hemlock River Mining Company, becoming time keeper at Amasa, where he remained until 1901, when he assumed his present position as superintendent of the company's mining properties at Palatka.
Mr. Jobe married, in 1900, Sarah Beyer, who was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, a daughter of Charles and Anna Beyer, natives of Germany. A steadfast Republican in politics, Mr. Jobe is chairman of the Repub- lican County Committee and a member of the County Board of Super- visors, representing Stambaugh township. Fraternally he is a member of Crystal Falls Lodge, F. & A. M .; of Crystal Falls Chapter, R. A. M .; of Crystal Falls Commandery, K. T .; and of Ahmed Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Marquette.
JOHN MERTON, master mechanic of the Hecla and South Hecla branch of the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company of Calumet, Michigan, is a man who enjoys no small prominence in this part of Michigan. He is recognized as an unusually skilled representative of his calling, and his high standing in Masonic circles has given him a wide acquaintanceship in the Northern Peninsula. Although Mr. Merton has been a resident of the Wolverine state for many years, he is a native of Scotland, his birth having occurred in Lanarkshire, that country, July 27, 1858. His parents were James and Marion (Millar) Merton who emigrated to America in 1858. The voyage which can now be made in as many days required six weeks and there was no regret at bidding farewell to old Neptune when a landing was finally made at Montreal, Canada. After remaining in this romantically situated city for two years, the father being employed in the Bruce Copper mines, they came to the United States, their first residence under the stars and stripes being in Oil City, Pennsylvania, in 1868. After staying here for a short time they removed to the Lake Superior district where the father was engaged as superin- tendent and master mechanic of the Michipocation Copper Mines. In 1868 he came with his family to Calumet where he assumed the position of master mechanic in the copper mines of the Calumet Mining Company, until 1870 and then accepted position as master mechanic with Phoenix Mining Company. He spent three years in the west for health, then returned to Calumet and was again in the employ with Calumet & Hecla Company till his death in May, 1900. His wife, who survived him, died in 1906.
John Merton received his education in the common schools of Calu- met, and graduated from its high school at the early age of thirteen Until his twenty-first year he was engaged in different departments of the Calumet Mining Company, serving a three years' apprenticeship as a machinist. After completing the learning of his trade, he was placed in charge of different departments and proved faithful and efficient. In 1900 he was promoted to the position of foreman of the Hecla and South Hecla branch of the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company. Thus in the matter of vocation as well as in the stanch Scotch characteristics which distinguish him, Mr. Merton received a heritage from his father, who is still vividly remembered in the locality.
Mr. Merton gives his support to the men and measures of Republic- anism, but he has never sought office. As before mentioned he is a
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prominent Mason, holding membership in Calumet lodge, A. F. & A. M .; in Calumet Chapter, R. A. M .; in Montrose Commandery, No. 38, K. T .; and in Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine, in Detroit, Michigan. He is unmarried.
Although very young at the time Mr. Merton calls out of the mists of childhood the memory of an unusual adventure which occurred to the family not long after they came to America. In 1865 they were frozen in for six months on Michipocation Island, without any communication with the outside world and with supplies running very short. The father was at that time working in the copper mines of Michipocation. The other members of the Merton family are: Mrs. Margaret Anderson, wife of W. B. Anderson ; Mrs. Mary Killmar, wife of L. W. Killmar; Mrs. Caroline Shields, wife of R. H. Shields; Mrs. Marion Argall, wife of Wm. M. Argall. The brother, James M. Merton, died in 1906.
FREDERICK N. BOSSON, electrical engineer for the Calumet & Hecla Mining Company, is widely recognized as an authority in the scientific department in which he has specialized and enjoys prominence and popu- larity in the community, his geniality having won for him many friends. Mr. Bosson is a New Englander, having been born in Boston, Massachu- setts, in December. 1860. His parents were George C. and Mary Jane (Hood) Bosson. The father was an enterprising man and enjoyed a good deal of prominence, being one of the principal manufacturers of cotton and woolen goods. He was also largely interested in fire insur- ance. The death of this gentleman occurred in 1904. His mother was a native of historic old Salem, Massachusetts, her father being Jacob Hood. Mr. Bosson is a descendant of old and distinguished New Eng- land families.
Frederick N. Bosson received his early education in the Boston schools and finished in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His first position after leaving college was with Amos Lawrence & Company of Boston, in which his father was a partner, this being the cotton and woolen goods concern before referred to. He went to Chicago somewhat later and was employed in the construction of electric railroads. He had had some valuable preliminary training in this in the east. having been employed for several years in the building of bridges on the Massachu- setts Central Railroad between Northampton and Boston, and the Bos- ton & Albany Railroad, and later becoming associated with the Thom- son-Houston Electrical Company of Boston who sent him to Chicago as engineer in their offices in that city. In recognition of his unusual ability in 1887 he was appointed engineer of the railroad department of the Thomson-Houston Electrical Company throughout the middle- western states, from Illinois and Ohio to the Pacific Coast. Mr. Bosson then became electrical experimental mining engineer for the Chicago office, under Charles Van Der Poole, as his assistant.
Mr. Bosson's activities in the Upper Peninsula date from the year 1887 when he acted as electrical engineer for different installations in that district. He continued in this capacity for a few years, and in 1890 was appointed to his present position, electrical engineer for the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co. Mr. Bosson has been consulting engineer for a large number of important electrical and hydro-electrical works. He is a fluent and convincing talker and the possessor of an agreeable personality.
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GEORGE BLANK .- Within the pages of this publication will be found specific mention of a number of the native sons of the Northern Pen- insula, who have here attained success and prominence along normal lines of business enterprise and who stand representative of the best type of citizenship. Of this number is George Blank, who is one of the leading business men and progressive citizens of his native city, Sault Ste. Marie, where he is engaged in the general insurance husi- ness, in which he conducts a large and prosperous enterprise. He is the oldest son of Andrew Blank, one of the best known and honored pioneers of the city and to whom a special sketch is dedicated else- where in this volume.
George Blank was born in Sault Ste. Marie, on the 24th of June, 1861, and his early educational advantages were those afforded in the public schools. As a youth he became associated with the milk and ice business conducted by his father and upon the retirement of the lat- ter in 1888 he engaged in the ice business upon his own responsibility. With this line of enterprise he continued to be active until 1891, when he purchased an interest in the insurance business of Johnston & Wil- liams, in which he succeeded Mr. Williams. The enterprise was there- after conducted and under the firm name of Johnston & Blank until 1892 when Mr. Blank purchased the interest of his partner, Hosia D. Johnston, and he has since conducted the business individually. He represents about twenty-five of the leading fire insurance companies and is also an underwriter for a number of most substantial and popu- lar life insurance companies doing business in this city.
Like his honored father, Mr. Blank has shown a most loyal interest in all that touches the general welfare of his home city and he had the distinction of being elected as a member of the first city council after the incorporation of Sault Ste. Marie as a city. He received the unan- imous nomination on the Republican ticket for the office of mayor in March, 1895, but was defeated after one of the most spirited municipal contests in the history of the city,-a campaign into which local mat- ters were interjected to the utter submersion of party fealty and to the subordination of all individual merit of the responsible candidates. While he has maintained a lively interest in local affairs Mr. Blank has not appeared as a candidate for public office since that time. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church and his fraternal associations are here noted,-Bethel Lodge, No. 358, Free & Accepted Masons, of which he is past master ; Sault Ste. Marie Chapter, No. 126, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is past high priest; Sault Ste. Marie Council, No. 69, Royal & Select Masters, past thrice illustrious; Sault Ste. Marie Commandery, No. 45, Knights Templar, of which he is past eminent commander; Queen of the North Chapter, No. 82, Order of the Eastern Star, of which he is past worthy patron and of which his wife is also a member; Ahmed Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Marquette, Michigan; and Red Cross Lodge, No. 51, Knights of Pythias.
On the 8th of December, 1886, in Sault Ste. Marie, were pronounced the words that united the life destinies of Mr. Blank and Miss Char- lotte G. Ferris, who was born in Meaford, province of Ontario, Canada, and who was a daughter of John G. and Mary J. (Boucher) Ferris, both natives of Ontario, where the former was born in 1828 and the latter in 1827. Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Ferris the following record is given,-Cecelia is the wife of David Bell of Sault Ste. Marie; William F. is a resident of Buffalo, New York; Willeth resides in Chilliwack, British Columbia; Wallace H. is a resident of
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Sault Ste. Marie; Emeline is the wife of William Ruhle of Los An- geles, California; Mrs. Blank was the next in order of birth; Maud is the wife of Gerard Warick of Florence, Michigan; and Charles E. is a resident of Flint, Michigan .. Mr. Ferris was engaged in the mer- chandise business at Meaford, Ontario, for a number of years and later he turned his attention to farming in that province. In 1877 he came to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and located in Sault Ste. Marie, where he conducted a meat-market for a time, after which he located on a farm in Sault Ste. Marie township. He purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, upon which he took up his residence in 1885 and there he continued to reside until his death, which oc- curred on the 5th of February, 1893. His wife was summoned to eter- nal rest on the 5th of January, 1903. Both were zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church and were folk whose sterling attri- butes of character gained to them the unequivocal esteem of all who knew them.
Mr. and Mrs. Blank have one son and three daughters. Earl F., who was graduated in the high school, has since been his father's assistant in the insurance business, but is now a student in the Bilti- more Forest School of North Carolina; Mary Margaret is a member of the class of 1910, at Rockford College, in the city of Rockford, 11- linois; and Edith Ruth and Jewel Louise remain at the parental home.
FRANK E. KEESE .- Occupying a place of prominence and influence in the mining circles of the Upper Peninsula, Frank E. Keese is one of the leading citizens of Ishpeming, where he has just closed his second term as mayor of the city. He was born August 25, 1866, in Clinton county, New York, a son of William Keese, coming from New England Quaker stock.
William Keese, a life-long resident of Clinton county, New York, was born at Peru, 1825, on the homestead farm where his parents, New England Quakers, settled on migrating to New York state. In- heriting the home estate, he was there engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, in 1869, in the very house in which his birth occurred. His wife, whose maiden name was Carrie Patterson, was born in 1834, in Scotland, and died in Clinton county, New York, in 1908, leaving two children, Frank E. and William. He departed from the religious faith of his ancestors, and united with the Presbyterian church.
Educated in the common schools, Frank E. Keese began as a boy to assist his father on the farm and in the woods. At the age of seventeen years he entered the employ of the Wilson Iron Company, at Redford, New York, where he remained three years. The following eighteen months he worked for the Caledonia Iron Company, in St. Lawrence county, New York. Coming westward in 1888, Mr. Keese located in Florence, Wisconsin, where he was underground foreman for the Flor- ence Iron River Mining Company until the spring of 1892, when he re- moved to the Cascade Range, where he was underground captain for the Pratt Mining Company until July, 1894. Going then to the Minnesota Iron Company, he was there captain for the company three years, when, continuing with the same company, he was transferred to the Mesaba Range, where he was mining captain for a year, and subsequently gen- eral manager until the fall of 1901. Returning then to the Cascade Range, Mr. Keese was superintendent, for the Denera Mining Company, of the Vulcan mine, until it was taken over by the Steel Corporation in 1903, and continued with the new organization until 1905. Locating then at Ishpeming, Mr. Keese entered the employ of the Oliver Iron
St. 4. Reese
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Company as superintendent of the Marquette Range, under William H. Johnston, and has since retained this important position, for the duties of which he is in every way qualified.
On June 1, 1891, Mr. Keese married Martha Watson, who was born in Clinton county, New York, a daughter of John and Harriet (Ham- mer) Watson, being the fifth child in a family of seven children. Her father, a life-long farmer in New York state, died in 1906, but her mother still lives in Clinton county. She is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, to which her husband also belonged. Nine children have been born of the union of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Keese, namely : William, Mildred, Alice, Gertrude, Cassie, Frank, Har- riet, Genevieve, and Martha.
In his political views Mr. Keese is a decided Republican, and has been active in public affairs since coming to this part of the state. He has served as township supervisor of Richmond township, Mar- quette county, and as president of the Richmond township school board. Elected alderman from the Second ward of Ishpeming in 1906, and in the spring of 1908 was elected mayor, and in 1909 had the honor of being re-elected to the same high position. Fraternally he is a member of Florence Lodge No. 222, F. & A. M., of Florence, Wis- consin; of Negaunee Chapter, R. A. M .; of Marquette Commandery, K. T .; of Ahmed Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Marquette; of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks; and of other secret societies.
ROBERT N. ADAMS .- It may be said without fear of contradiction that no citizen of Sault Ste. Marie has contributed in more generous measure to its material and civic development and upbuilding than the honored pioneer to whom this brief sketch is dedicated. Mr. Adams has here maintained his home for a period of more than thirty years and the farm which he secured upon taking up his residence here is now included within the city limits and is solidly built up with attractive residences and handsome business structures, including his own modern bank and office building, which is considered one of the best in the entire Northern Peninsula. Realty is the basis of all se- curity and through his operations in connection with the same Mr. Adams has secured noteworthy success in an individual sense, the while he has proved a dominating factor in furthering the advance- ment of the city, which he has seen grow from a mere village to one of metropolitan facilities and appearance. Besides owning a large amount of valuable real estate in the American city of Sault Ste. Marie, he also has valuable holdings in the twin Canadian city of the same name.
Robert N. Adams was born in Hastings county, province of On- tario, Canada, on the 13th of May, 1844, and is a son of John and Ann (Newton) Adams, the former of whom was born in Chestershire, Eng- land, in 1798, and the latter in county Sligo, Ireland, in 1808. The mother died in 1852 and the father passed away in 1872. Their mar- riage was solemnized in Hastings county, Ontario, and of their nine children, seven are now living, the subject of this review having been the sixth in order of birth. John Adams was reared to maturity in his native land whence he immigrated to America when a young man, making the voyage on a sailing vessel and disembarking in the city of Quebec. He passed four years in Prince Edward county, Ontario, and then removed to Hastings county, where he became a prominent pioneer farmer and an influential citizen. He reclaimed a valuable landed estate from the wilderness and in that county he continued to
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reside until his death, secure in the high regard of all knew him. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The early experiences of Robert N. Adams were those secured in connection with the work of the home farm and in the meanwhile he continued to attend the common schools during the winter terms until he had attained to the age of seventeen years. At the age of twenty- three years he initiated his independent career as a farmer remaining in his native county for a period of six years, at the expiration of which he removed to Huron county, Ontario, where he continued to be identified with the great basic industry of agriculture until 1879, when he removed to Chippewa county, Michigan, and here purchased one hundred and fifty acres of land from Thomas Ryan. For this property he paid $3,500 and its appreciation in value may be readily understood when it is stated that practically all of the land is now within the corporate limits of the city of Sault Ste. Marie. Mr. Adams cleared the land of underbrush and with the growth of the city he finally subdivided the same into city lots, upon which have been erected many of the finest residences and most substantial business blocks that now add to the advantages and attractions of the thriving city of Sault Ste. Marie. Mr. Adams devoted seven years to the re- claiming of his land and at the time he took up his residence here, the "Soo" was an insignificant village, giving slight promise of the splen- did position it was later to attain as a commercial center and wonder- ful vantage point in connection with the lake marine navigation. From Mr. Adams' office on the sixth floor of his fine seven-story stone and brick building, at the corner of Ashmun and Spruce streets, may be gained a fine view of his former farm, now constituting one of the most attractive sections of the city. Within the past decade the de- velopment of this subdivision has been almost marvelous and it has been a source of unusual gratification to Mr. Adams that through his handling of his original property he has been enabled to so greatly further the upbuilding of his home city. The Adams building was erected in 1903 and is conceived to be one of the most modern and architecturally attractive bank and office buildings in the Northern Peninsula. A portion of the first floor is utilized by the splendid offices of the Central Savings Bank and all the other offices in the building are essentially metropolitan in their equipment and facili- ties. For a number of years Mr. Adams was engaged in the grocery business in Sault Ste. Marie as a member of the firm of Eccles & Adams. Ilis aid and influence have been freely given in behalf of all measures and enterprises tending to conserve the best interests of the community and through his well directed endeavors he has gained prestige as one of the most substantial capitalists and as an essentially representative business man of this section of the Upper Peninsula. Ile was one of the ten men who effected the organization of the Lake Superior Company, which attained the right of way for the canal, affording the magnificent water power now utilized in his own city. He was also one of the organizers of the W. F. Ferguson Merchandise Company of which he has been president for the past two years. He was also one of the promoters and organizers of the City Savings Bank and was its president until its consolidation with the Chippewa County Savings Company, but he still is a large stock holder of the bank and a member of its board of directors. He has likewise been a stock holder of the First National Bank of Sault Ste. Marie, from the time of its organization. Ile has at all times maintained a liberal and pro- gressive attitude as a citizen and has not denied his services in behalf
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