USA > Michigan > A history of the northern peninsula of Michigan and its people; its mining, lumber and agricultural industries, Volume III > Part 57
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Mr. Woodford has been an appreciative member of the Masonic Fra-
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ternity for more than forty years, having been made a Master Mason in the Blue Lodge at Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, in 1868, and he joined Menominee Lodge in 1870, while it was working under dispensation. His original capitular affiliation was with the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in Marquette, Michigan. He is a member of Menominee Lodge, No. 269, Free & Accepted Masons, of which he has served as worshipful master, and he is also a charter member of Menominee Chapter, No. 107, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is past high priest and of which he was principal sojourner for many years. He was one of the organizers of Menominee Commandery, No. 35, Knights Templars, and served as its eminent commander for one year. In the city of Marquette he is affiliated with Ahmed Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and he also was one of the organizers of the Circle of Confidence Masters, and is Master at the present time, having held the office since one year after its organization.
On the 8th of January, 1871, Mr. Woodford was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Freeman, who was born in Waterville, Maine, and who is a daughter of Joseph W. and Bethia (Williams) Freeman, both of whom were likewise born in the old Pine Tree state. Mr. Freeman was a hotel keeper in his native state, whence he removed with his family to Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, about 1866. There he was engaged in the grocery business for a number of years, and he and his wife now main- tain their home in Menominee, where he is living retired. Mr. and Mrs. Woodford have three children, namely: Grace, the wife of William J. Frost of Portland, Oregon, and they have two children; Edward, who is engaged with the Girard Lumber Company, at Dunbar, Wisconsin, mar- ried Miss Jane Gram and they have one child; and Chester, who re- sides in Webbwood, Ontario, married Miss Beryl Vaughn.
PAUL H. EXLEY .- Assuming his share of life's responsibilities when young, Paul H. Exley, one of the leading business men of Hancock, has steadily pushed onward along the pathway of success, by his earnest industry and energetic enterprise winning a firm position among the substantial and well-to-do citizens of the community. A son of Fred- erick Exley, he was born March 30, 1864, at Meeme, Manitowoc county, Wisconsin.
Frederick Exley, the father, emigrated from Wurtemberg, Germany, his native land, to America, coming with his wife in a sailing vessel, and being three months battling with the waves. Locating in Sheboy- gan, Wisconsin, he bought a farm, and there resided a short time. Sell- ing at an advantage, he subsequently bought a tract of timbered land in Meeme township, Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, put up quite a pre- tentious log house, and immediately began clearing a farm. Soon after the breaking out of the Civil war he gave a practical expression of his loyalty to the country of his adoption by enlisting in a Wisconsin regi- ment, and going to the front with his comrades. He took part in sev- eral engagements, continuing with his command until honorably dis- charged from the service on account of physical disability caused by an accident. Returning home, he resumed his agricultural labors, and ere many years had passed had a highly cultivated and productive farm, with a substantial set of frame buildings, and improvements of value, the estate being a credit to his sagacity and good management. The maiden name of his wife was Fredericka Rumpf, who was born in Wurtemberg, Germany. She died at the age of seventy-three years, having survived her husband, who lived but sixty-four years. They were the parents of six children, as follows: Albert, Morris, Paul H., Frederick, Emma, and Sophia.
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Attending the winter terms of the district schools, Paul H. Exley began in boyhood to assist his father on the farm, being trained to habits of industry as a child. Being of a mechanical turn of mind, he was apprenticed to a Sheboygan blacksmith when fourteen years old, and in due course of time became a skilled workman. He subsequently did journeyman work in different places, perfecting himself at his trade. Coming to Hancock, Michigan, in 1882, Mr. Exley was in the employ of M. J. Gemuend for six years. Then, in 1888, he formed a copartnership with J. H. Roberts, he bought his employer's business, his shop, and his land. Three years later, Mr. Exley bought his partner's interest, and became sole proprietor of the plant, which was located on the west side of Reservation street, at the corner of Water street. His business in- creasing with surprising rapidity, more commodious quarters were needed, and Mr. Exley erected, on the opposite side of the street, the large building which he now occupies. This building, thirty-two feet by ninety-five feet, two stories in height, with a basement under the whole, is fitted with all of the modern implements and equipments for carrying on general blacksmithing, and wagon and carriage-making. Here he is actively engaged every working-day, employing twelve men to assist him in his labors.
Mr. Exley has made wise investments, and has materially assisted in the upbuilding of Hancock, having erected a large block on Front street, the building, which is constructed of steel, brick and stone, be- ing three stories high in front, and five stories in the rear. The first floor front is for commercial purposes, being used for stores, while the two upper stories are residential apartments, modernly and conven- iently arranged. Mr. Exley also erected, on the former site of his shop, the beautiful, modernly built home which he and his family now occupy, the location being one of the most pleasant in the vicinity, commanding as it does an extensive view of the Portage, and the country beyond.
On October 15, 1889, Mr. Exley was united in marriage with Annie K. Steimle, who was born in Hancock, Michigan, July 25, 1868. Her father, Eugene Steimle, emigrated from Wurtemberg, Germany, to America when young, and lived first in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Com- ing from there to Hancock, he resided here until his death, which was caused in 1876, by an accident at the Quincy Stamp Mill, in which he was employed. He married Fredericka Kneisel, who was born in Sax- ony, and came with her parents, Karl and Johanna Kneisel, to the United States, settling in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She died in 1898, leaving five children, Annie K., now Mrs. Exley; Emma, Clara, Bertha, and William. Mr. and Mrs. Exley are the parents of four children, namely : Walter, Myrtle, Erma and Edna.
Mr. Exley and his family are valued members of the German Lu- theran church. Fraternally Mr. Exley belongs to Hancock Lodge, No. 381, B. P. O. E. For about twenty years he has been a member of the Hancock Fire Department, of which he is now assistant chief.
FREDERICK HENRY BROWN .- Considered one of the most skillful and expert engineers and surveyors of Chippewa county, Frederick Henry Brown, of Sault Ste. Marie, has served as county surveyor for upwards of twenty years, filling the position with credit to himself and most ac- ceptably to the people. A native of Michigan, he was born, June 28, 1852, in Orangeville, Barry county. He comes of substantial New Eng- land ancestry, his grandfather, Calvin Brown, and his father, Henry Brown, having been of Massachusetts birth and breeding.
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Thomas L. Las
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Henry Brown was born at St. Charles, Massachusetts, in 1814, and as a young man learned the trade of a tanner. In 1837, following the march of civilization westward, he came to the new state of Michigan, locating in Orangeville township, Barry county, where he secured a tract of wild land. He afterwards followed his trade of a tanner in Kalamazoo for several years, but later returned to Barry county, and from his tract of timber reclaimed a good farm, in common with his neighbors enduring all the privations and hardships incidental to pio- neer life. A man of intelligence and worth, he filled various offices of trust, serving as township supervisor fifteen or more years, and being a member of the school board many terms. He was identified with the Whig party in early life, but afterwards became a Republican, while in his religious views he was quite liberal, being a Universalist. He lived to the good old age of eighty-six years, dying in 1900.
Henry Brown married, in Ravenna, Ohio, Rebecca Fling, who was born, in 1831, in East Calais, Vermont, and died in Orangeville, Mich- igan, in 1878. They became the parents of eight children, as follows: Edgar N., of Orangeville towship, Barry county; Frederick Henry, the special subject of this sketch; Frank F., of Orangeville township; Walter W., of the same township; G. Herbert, of Prairieville, Mich .; Charles L., of Plainwell; Cora E., wife of William J. Ford, of Delton, and Nettie M., wife of Jesse E. Johnson, of Plainwell.
Having laid a substantial foundation for his future education in Pine Lake School, at Orangeville, Michigan, Frederick Henry Brown completed his early studies at the Michigan Agricultural College, in Lansing, partly paying his college expenses by teaching school during two winter terms. In 1879, pushing his way northward, Mr. Brown was employed as a mining engineer in Sheboygan for about two years, after which he spent five years in St. Ignace, Mackinac county, as a surveyor. Coming to Sault Ste. Marie in 1886, he was on the surveying line of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway for about a year, afterwards locating here as a general surveyor. In 1888 Mr. Brown was appointed city engineer, and served in that capacity until 1895, proving himself a thoroughly capable and efficient public officer. Since 1888 he has filled his present position as county surveyor, having been honored with a re-election each succeeding term since that year.
Mr. Brown married in March, 1900, Anna L. Isson, who was born in Kentucky. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Brown are esteemed and valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically Mr. Brown is a stanch Republican, and fraternally he is a member of the Woodmen of the World.
THOMAS LEAN LUXMORE .- With the mining interests of the Northern Peninsula are associated an unusually large number of citizens of a preeminently excellent type, whose ideal of personal and civic living is above reproach and whose progressiveness and public spirit have contributed in due measure to the prosperity enjoyed by this section of the state. The foreign element has a large representation, and no country in a more gratifying fashion than the mother country, Eng- land, of which he whose name initiates this review, is a native son. Thomas Lean Luxmore was born in Beeralston, Devon, England, on the 20th day of December, 1853. His father's name was John Luxmore and that of his mother previous to her marriage was Mary Lean. She was born February 14, 1817, and died in 1894. The former, who was a smelter by occupation, was born in England on February 9, 1816, and he passed to the Great Beyond, November 11, 1859, the sub-
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ject being only a young boy at the time of the occurrence of this sad event. There were six children in the family, four daughters and two sons. Two of Mr. Luxmore's sisters are deceased; one, Mrs. Thomas Dawe, lives in England; one, Mrs. Stephen Trathen, is a resident of Calumet, Michigan. The brother, John Luxmore, is a citizen of Iron- wood, Michigan.
To the public schools of Beeralston is Mr. Luxmore indebted for his education, which was of a limited character. The father's death had left the little family in straitened circumstances, and since there is no arguing with necessity, Mr. Luxmore started to work as soon as by any stretch of imagination he might be considered old enough. He was only eleven when he began to work in the British mines and even at this tender age he learned to face resolutely the responsibilities of life. When seventeen years of age young Luxmore concluded to seek the land of opportunity across the seas, and putting his resolution into the sphere of realities he arrived in Calumet, Houghton county, on June 20, 1871. On the very next day he started to work in the Hecla mine, which at that time was only at the fifth level. He remained in Cal- umet until the 4th of April, 1874, when he left for California, and dur- ing his stay in "the golden west" was employed in the quartz, placer and quicksilver mines. Leaving California in June, 1875, he returned to Calumet and again secured a position in the Hecla mine, which he retained until April, 1881. On the date mentioned Mr. Luxmore made the step which was to prove a wise and fortunate one, by coming to Iron Mountain. On the first of May, 1881, he secured work in the Chapin Mine, aud proving faithful and efficient in little things, was given more and more responsibility. In the year 1887 he took charge of one department as pit boss and in 1890 he was advanced to the office of mining captain, which he holds at the present time. Mr. Luxmore has a fund of interesting reminisences of the early days. When he first arrived at Calumet, to quote from his own words, "There were streets of log houses, all hedged in by a dense forest, and the stumps of such trees as had been chopped down, were still standing in the ground, with the exception of a few streets which had been cleared. Upon coming to Iron Mountain in the spring of 1881, I found practically the same condition, except that there were not as many log houses."
At Calumet, Michigan, on the 28th day of March, 1874, Mr. Lux- more established a household of his own by his marriage to Hannah Trestrail, a countrywoman, her birth having occurred in England on July 20, 1858. When very young she came to America with her par- ents, whose names were William and Isabella Trestrail. They both died in Iron Mountain, Michigan, the father in 1881 and the mother in 1885. A worthy and useful life was terminated on April 23, 1897, by the death of Mrs. Luxmore, her demise being untimely, for her years numbered but thirty-nine. To the marriage of Mr. Luxmore and his wife were born six children. Phineliea Ellen, born June 20, 1877, died March 23, 1881; Etta May, born September 6, 1879, is the wife of W. J. Bennett and resides at Virginia, Minnesota; Thomas Henry, born May 1, 1882, died September 19, 1882; Cora Gertrude, born June 20, 1884, is still living at Iron Mountain, where she is a teacher in the public schools; Elsie Myrtle, born May 15, 1887, is now Mrs. H. T. Hopper, and makes her home at Virginia, Minnesota; Au- brey Clyde, born March 10, 1891, died May 21, 1909.
Mr. Luxmore was a second time married on June 16, 1900, the lady to become his wife being Mrs. Julia A. Hicks, who was a teacher in the
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public schools of Iron Mountain thirteen years. She was born at Scales Mound, Illinois, November 12, 1862, the daughter of David and Elizabeth Rowe. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe came to Iron Mountain from Linden, Wisconsin, in 1886, and it was here that both died, the father in 1887, and the mother surviving until 1895. The present Mrs. Lux- more has three sisters residing at Iron Mountain, namely: Mrs. J. W. Thompson, Mrs. J. H. Cundy, and Mrs. Warren Flanagan. She also has three brothers living, Stephen and Simon being residents of Fremont, Nebraska, and William being located at Madison, Wiscon- sin. David, the eldest brother, died at Fremont, Nebraska, October 31, 1910. All were formerly residents of Iron Mountain.
Mr. Luxmore takes great pleasure in his social and fraternal rela- tions, the latter extending to the Calumet lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, No. 134, which he joined January 14, 1879. He joined the Lake Superior Mining Institute when it was organized in 1893 with comparatively few members, but it has since grown until now theirs is a membership of over five hundred. On March 9, 1910, he became a member of the august Masonic order, joining Iron Moun- tain Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 388. He has always been a solid Re- publican, giving his enthusiastic allegiance to the men and measures advanced by that party. In religious view he is a Protestant.
The subject has recently undergone a successful operation which has restored him to health and usefulness. July 30, 1910, he was op- erated upon for gall stones at St. George's Hospital, Iron Mountain, Dr. J. A. Crowell and his assistants performing the operation and removing four hundred and twenty-four stones. This is a remarkable instance and one almost without parallel and the skill with which the operation was performed is viewed with gratification by Mr. Lux- more and his many friends, whe believe Dr. Crowell to be one of the most efficient and enlightened surgeons in this part of the country.
JOHN W. MULLEN .- As a member of the well known firm of Mullen Brothers, furniture dealers and undertakers at Ironwood, John W. Mullen is one of the leading business men of this section of Gogebic county, and is held in high respect as a man of tried and trusted in- tegrity and worth. A son of Thomas Mullen, he was born, November 14, 1855, at Norwalk, Ohio, of Irish ancestry.
Thomas Mullen, whose parents were life-long residents of the Em- erald Isle, was born, reared and married in Ireland. In the early fifties, accompanied by his wife and their little daughter, he emigrated to the United States, locating in Norwalk, Ohio, where he was engaged in rail- road construction until 1856. In that year, again taking up the line of march, he followed the emigrant's trail to Wisconsin, becoming a pioneer settler of Sheboygan county. Purchasing a tract of standing timber, he began the arduous task of clearing the land, and by dint of persever- ing industry improved the farm upon which he continued his residence until his death. His wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Gannon, was born in Ireland. She survived him several years, spending her last days in Ironwood, Michigan. They reared seven children, as follows : Margaret, John W., Michael, Sarah, Patrick, Mary and Thomas.
A mere infant when his parents settled in Wisconsin, John W. Mul- len obtained his early education in the pioneer schools of Wisconsin, and as soon as old enough to do chores began assisting in the labors in- cidental to farm life. He afterwards worked in a wooden ware factory at Glen Beulah, Wisconsin, until 1886, when he came to the Upper Peninsula in search of a favorable location. Greatly impressed with the
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seemingly rapid growth of the new town of Ironwood which had just then sprung up in the forest, he, in company with his brother Patrick, immediately opened a furniture store on the west side of McLeod ave- nue, between Suffolk and Lowell streets, under the firm name of Mullen Brothers. Since that early day this firm has been an important factor in the business circles of Ironwood, for several years past carrying on undertaking in connection with their furniture business, their commo- dious store now being located on Suffolk street, and well stocked with up-to-date furniture of all kinds.
Mr. Mullen married, April 1, 1883, Catherine Keenan, who was born in Glen Beulah, Wisconsin, where her parents, Peter and Mary Keenan, natives of Ireland, were pioneers. Four children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Mullen, namely: Thomas, Robert, Genevieve, and Raymond. Mr. Mullen is actively interested in local affairs, having been honored with an election to the first city council, in which he has served continuously since, with the exception of four years. Fraternally he belongs to Division No. 1, Gogebic county, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and to Ironwood Lodge, Knights of Columbus. Religiously he and his family are faithful members of St. Michael's church.
PATRICK MULLEN .- Holding a place of prominence among the fore- most business men of Ironwood is Patrick Mullen, one of the earliest merchants to locate in this section of the Upper Peninsula, coming here soon after the organization of the town, and, with his brother, John W. Mullen, embarking in business under the present firm name of Mullen Brothers. This enterprising firm carries a large assortment of all the latest styles in furniture, in which it has a large and lucrative trade, and is ever ready to attend to all branches of undertaking. Mr. Mullen was born June 24, 1859, in Sheboygan county, Wisconsin, a son of the late Thomas and Margaret (Gannon) Mullen, of whom a brief account may be found elsewhere in this volume.
Brought up on the home farm, Patrick Mullen early became familiar with agricultural labors, assisting his father in the care of the homestead during the long vacations, at other times attending the pioneer district schools, in which he obtained a practical education. After leaving the farm, he found employment at Glen Beulah, Wisconsin, where he worked in a wooden ware factory for a time. Coming with his brother, John W. Mullen, to Ironwood in 1886, they organized the firm of Mullen Broth- ers, and established themselves in business as furniture dealers, in which they have since built up a substantial and lucrative trade, and are also carrying on undertaking. When Mr. Mullen came to Ironwood, his sis- ter and their widowed mother came also, and all lived together until the death of the mother, having a most happy home. Mr. Mullen is a mem- ber of St. Ambrose Court, No. 362, Catholic Order of Foresters; and of Ironwood Lodge, Knights of Columbus.
CHARLES M. DYSINGER .- Far-sighted and alert, quick of perception and keen in his powers of discernment, Charles M. Dysinger, of Kinross, has been a dominant factor in the development and promotion of the varied resources of Chippewa county, as secretary of the Chippewa County Homes Advertising Committee having been instrumental in bringing into this part of the Upper Peninsula many of its most en- ergetic and valued citizens. A son of Daniel Dysinger, he was born, April 1, 1870, in Odessa township, Ionia county, Michigan, of sturdy German ancestry.
Born in Germany in 1813, Daniel Dysinger learned the trade of a
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cooper in his native land. Subsequently coming to America, the land of glorious opportunities, he followed farming and coopering in Ohio for a time. Coming to Michigan he entered one hundred and sixty acres of wild land in Odessa township, Ionia county, his patent being signed by President Franklin Pierce. Indians were then plentiful in this part of the country, while the deer, bears, and other wild beasts of the forest had not fled before the advancing steps of civilization. Erecting a log house for himself and family, he began the task of hewing a farm from the wilderness, and lived to see the country roundabout well settled, and himself the owner of a fine property. He was a man of deep religious convictions, an earnest student of the Bible, and frequently filled vacant pulpits, preaching to the people sermons of interest and power. In his early life he was identified with the Congregational church, but later became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. When well ad- vanced in years, he built a cottage at Lake Odessa, and there spent his last days in retirement, dying, in 1899, at the venerable age of eighty- six years.
Daniel Dysinger married first, Charlotte Galoo. Four children were born to them, as follows: Thomas, a soldier in the Civil war, was liv- ing in Alabama when last heard from; Ina died in infancy; Laura, wife of S. W. Backus, of Ionia, Michigan; and Albert, who was accidentally killed at the age of twenty-one years, having been kicked by a horse. Daniel Dysinger married for his second wife, Esther Jane King, who was born in Bloomville, Ohio, 1851, and there resided until after her marriage. She survived him, passing away in 1908. Of the five chil- dren born of their union, four are living, namely : Lillian Bell, wife of Allison P. Knapp, of Limon, Colorado; Alice, wife of B. Austin, of Odessa, Michigan; Charles M., the subject of this sketch; and Arthur, engaged in mercantile pursuits in Newago, Michigan.
Brought up on the home farm in Odessa township, Charles M. Dysinger obtained his education in the district schools, while under his father's instructions he early became familiar with the many branches of agriculture. He began working as a wage-earner when sixteen years old, husking corn for a neighboring farmer for the sum of fifty cents a day, walking to and from his work mornings and evenings. When ready to assume the responsibilities of a householder, Mr. Dysinger bought forty acres of finely improved land from his father, it being a part of the parental homestead, the tract of land being practically a gift, as he paid but three hundred dollars for it. After spending four years in farming, he bought a home at Lake Odessa, and there, in company with his cousin was engaged in the agricultural implement business for a year.
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