USA > Michigan > Branch County > A twentieth century history and biographical record of Branch County, Michigan > Part 31
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George, Henry-Born in township of Remsen, Oneida county, N. Y .. Cct. 26. 1809; died April 14, 1860, in Ovid township. Came to Ovid in 1338.
George, Henry B .- Born in Lenawee county, Mich., Oct. 9. 1838; liv- ing in Coldwater. Came to Ovid with parents in 1838.
Gibbs, Luman-Born in Scotland in 1791 ; died in 1848. Came to Kin- cerhook township in 1842.
Gibbs, Luman B .- Born in Pulaski, Jackson county, Mich., April 9. 840. Came to Kinderhook in 1842.
Gordinier, William H .- Born in New York state in 1810; died in Algansee township February 13. 1892. Came to California township in 1837.
Gray, Darwin L .- Born in Franklin county, Mass .; died in Algansee May 1, 1897. Came to Branch county in 1836.
Giltner, John F .- Born in Lehigh county, Penn., .Aug. 13, 1834. Came to Sherwood township in 1836.
Gilbert, John T .- Born in Mansfield, Conn., March 19, 1806; died at Coldwater, March 20, 1891. Came to Coldwater in 1860.
Golden, William-Born in township of Wilton, Saratoga county, N. Y., in. 1804: died June, 1883, in Quincy township. Came to Quincy in 1849.
Golden, Samuel M .- Born in Huron county, Ohio. Jan. 18, 1841. Came to Quincy with father in 1849.
Gorbal, James-Born in Suffolk, England, Jan. 3. 1815. Came to Girard township in 1836.
Goodwin, Seth-Born in New York state, in 1796; died in Matteson township Oct. 12, 1859. Came to Matteson about 1836.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
Goodwin, Charles H .- Born in Matteson township April II. 1854.
Graham, L. L .- Born in St. Joseph, Mich., in 1838. Came to Gilead township in 1843.
Green, Alexander R .- Born in Ellicott, N. Y., in 1835; living in Gilead township. Came to Gilead with parents in 1841.
Green, James H .- Born in Mercer county, Penn., Feb. 14, 1813: die:1 Feb. 6, 1884. in Bronson township. Came to Bronson in 1843.
Greenwood, Richard-Born near Rochdale at Plumpton, Lancashire. England, Dec. 18. 1809: died in Coldwater. April 1, 1877. Came to Cold- water about 1842.
Grove, Archibald R .- Born in Batavia township, March 17, 1839.
Goodman, Cleophas T .- Born in New York state Aug. 21, 1815: died in Algansee, Jan. 29, 1895. Came to Branch county in 1837.
Gordinier, Jacob-Came from Herkimer county, N. Y., in November, 1841, to Gilead township. He is still living in Bronson.
Green, Silas Seeley-Born Jan. 21. 1804: came into Bethel township in 1835
Haynes, Harvey-Born in Ulster county, N. Y .. Jan. 24, 1817. Cane in 1836 to Coldwater township with father, James Haynes.
Holmes, Jonathan-Born in Peterborough, N. H., June 8, 1807. Cane to Bronson township in 1836.
Hawks, Joseph S .- Born in Otsego county, N. Y., April 19, 1814: diel in Kinderhook, Oct. 5. 1874. Came to Kinderhook about 1837.
Hadley, Hiram H .- Born in Addison, Vt., June 14, 1810. Came to Batavia township Nov. 20, 1837.
Harmon, William P .- Born in Ontario county, N. Y., Sept. 1. 1824; died Feb. 4. 1892, in Quincy township. Came to Quincy in 1855.
Hall, Thomas-Born in Washington county, N. Y., Jan. 12, 1814 Came to California township in 1844.
Haviland, John B .- Born in Danville, Vt .. Oct. 28, 1816. Came to Sherwood township in 1836.
Hiesrodt. Edwin-Born in Orleans county, N. Y., Oct. 30, 1821. Came to Ovid township in 1844.
Holmes, Cicero J .- Born in Bronson township, Nov. 13, 1844.
Hubbard, Horatio N .- Born in Chenango county, N. Y .; died in Ba- tavia township, June 1, 1882. Came to Batavia in July, 1838.
Huyck, Henry F .- Born in Saratoga county, N. Y., March 18, 1818. Came to Kinderhook township in 1844.
Henry, Warren-Born July 6, 1819: came into Sherwood township in 1851, where he is still living.
Halsted, Lorenzo Dow-Born in Tompkins county, N. Y., July 20, 1820: died in Coldwater, April 5, 1906. Came to Coldwater Sept. 10, 1836.
Jones, John H .- Born in Hopewell, N. Y .. April 27. 1828: died in Quincy, March 19. 1895. Came to Quincy township about 1835.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
Joseph, Lawrence-Born in Tompkins county, N. Y., April 27. 1825 : came to Quincy township in 1851.
Joseph, Lucas-Born in Northampton county. Penn., Oct. 14. 1817. Came to Quincy township in March, 1839.
Joseph, William-Born in Tompkins county, N. Y., June 26. 1828; died at Quincy, April 30. 1880. Came to Quincy about 1850.
Jacobs, Lysander-Born in Chautauqua township. Chautauqua county, N. Y .. Jan. 28, 1825 : married Miss Amelia Hull in 1853, and came to Union township in that year : died June 27, 1906.
Jones, Loring Grant-Born in Lester, Livingston county, N. Y .. Sept. 7. 1828 : came to Bronson in 1836: still living there.
Jones. Joseph Thompson-Born Sept. 7. 1822, in Monroe county, N. Y. : married Miss Sally Briggs April 2. 1845; came to Quincy township, where he is still living. May 2. 1846.
Keagle, Thomas H .- Born near Plymouth, England. Feb. 3. 1836. Came with parents to Quincy township in 1843.
Kellsy, Ira-Born in Wyoming county, N. Y., Nov. 7. 1823. Came to Ovid township in 1848.
Kerns. Levi-Born in Mahoning county. O .. Feb. 17. 1824: died in Ovid township Feb. 15. 1888. Came to Branch county in 1852.
Kelly, James-Came from Marion Co., O., in 1833 into Gilead town- ship where he lived three years : died in Steuben Co., Ind., about 1870.
Kennedy. Charles Decatur-Born in Cumberland Co., Penn., Feb. 19. 1834: still living in Butler township. Came into Butler with his father. George Kennedy, in 1849.
Kerns. Levi-Born Mahoning Co .. O., Feb. 17. 1824: died Feb. 15. 1888. in Ovid township: came to Branch county in 1852.
Kellsy. Ira-Born in Wyoming Co., N. Y .. Nov. 7. 1823. Came to Branch county in 1848.
Knowlton. Ephraim A .- Born in Essex county, Mass .. Dec. 25. 1813: died in Coldwater March 14. 1893. Came to Coldwater in 1856 and estab- lished planing mill and sash factory.
Keeslar. Joseph-Born in Madison county. N. Y .. April 6, 1825. Came to Gilead township in 1838, with father. Peter Keeslar.
Lampman, Henry S .- Born in Greene county, N. Y., Feb. 22, 1810. Came to Butler township as pioneer in 1836.
Lockwood. Henry-Born in Ulster county, N. Y., Nov. 1. 1812, died May 29. 1891. in Ovid township, where he was the oldest pioneer.
Lawrence, James H .- Born in Livingston county, N. Y., in 1815 : died April 10, 1897. Came to California township in 1835. one of the first settlers. Leonard. Joseph C .- Born in Chenango county, N. Y., August II, 1817: died at Union City December 28. 1893. Came to Union City in 1842.
Lee, Stephen B .- Born in Ontario county. N. Y., Dec. 22. 1819. Came to Union township in 1851.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
Lewis, Henry C .- Born in Orleans county, N. Y., May 5, 1820; died in Coldwater, in August, 1884. Came to Coldwater in the forties.
Lincoln, George W .- Born near Penn Yan, N. Y., Aug. 17, 1819. Came to Branch county in 1838 and resided in Union township. His father, Caleb Lincoln, was an early settler of Union City, where he died in 1884.
Lockwood, Ennis J .- Born in Ulster county, N. Y., May 14, 1834, came to Ovid township with father, Uriah Lockwood, in 1836.
McCarty, James A .- Born in Detroit, Dec. 11, 1814; died in Coldwater, Sept. 16, 1893. Came to Girard township with parents in 1831 and to Cold- water in 1833.
Mann, Peter I .- Born in Schoharie, N. Y., Feb. 17, 1815; died at Gi- rard. Jan. 8, 1897. Came to Branch county in 1836.
Martin, Ira-Born in Jefferson county, N. Y., in 1827; died in Batavia township May 1, 1897. Came to Batavia in 1843.
Marsh, Emerson-Born in New York: died at Coldwater, January 26, 1892. Came to Branch county in 1838. Marsh's Corners, between Gilead and Bethel townships, named after him.
Moore, Henry N .- Born in Penfield, N. Y., Sept. 27, 1816; died at Coldwater, June 13, 1891. Came to Coldwater township in 1837 and set- tled permanently in 1844.
Murphey, James-Born in Cayuga county, N. Y., March 4, 1819; died in Coldwater township May 2, 1892. Came to Batavia township in early forties.
Mallow, Peter-Born in Alsace, Nov. 10, 1815. Settled in Noble town- ship about 1840.
Mason, William B .- Born in Monroe county, N. Y., January 19, 1820. Came to Branch county with his father, Octavius Mason, in 1840. McCrary, Alexander C .- Born in Tompkins county, N. Y., March 9, 1815. Came to Sherwood township in 1848, and later to Union township.
Mills, Adolphus-Was born in Matteson township Feb. 20, 1848.
Monroe, Jesse-Born in Cayuga county, N. Y., March, 1821. Came to Matteson township in 1843.
Monroe, Seth-Born in Cayuga county, N. Y., Ang. 4, 1827. Came to Bronson township in 1852.
Moore, Sharod-Born in New York in 1808. Settled in Bethel town- ship in 1844.
Morrill, Ichabod P .- Born in Sandusky county, O., March 18, 1836. Came to Gilead township in 1852 and was later resident of Noble.
Mosley, Thomas-Born in Pittsfield, Mass., Aug. 17, 1794; died at Union City, Oct. 18, 1865. Came to Union City in 1841.
Meredith, Jesse-Born in Summit county, Penn., April 5, 1812. Came to Matteson township in 1850.
Mowry, William P .- Died Sept. 24, 1905; came into Ovid township in 1845.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
McMechan, William-Born Jan. 5, 1805, in Bann Bridge, County Down, Ireland ; died Nov. 19, 1887; came to Union City in the spring of 1846.
Mosely, William Augustus-Born in Westfield, Mass., Jan. 4, 1815; died in Minneapolis, Minn., in 1898.
Mitchell, Mrs. Sophronia ( Hawley)-Born in Clifton Springs, N. Y., Oct. 27, 1811; died in Union City, April 23, 1906; came with her husband, Archibald Mitchell, to Union City in 1836.
Morrison, Jonathan-Came from Penfield, N. Y., about 1846, and set- tled on the farm in Girard on the east side of Morrison Lake.
Morrell, Jeremiah-Born in Vermont and came into Union township in the spring of 1837.
Newberry, Peter M .- Born in Saratoga county, N. Y., Dec. 14, 1810; died in Quincy, April 23, 1895. Came to Quincy township in 1837.
Nivison, Nathan-Born in Buffalo, N. Y., in 1810; died in Algansee township. Dec. 19, 1886. Came to Algansee in 1853.
Noyes, Austin-Born in Chenango county, N. Y., Jan. 11, 1816. Came to Batavia township in 1844.
Nicholls, Ansel-Born in Essex county, N. Y., May 14, 1804. Came to Quincy township in 1836.
Noyes, Gates Peter-Born Feb. 25. 1818: died May 7. 1906; came Sept. 18. 1843, with his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth (Southworth) Noyes. to the farm in Batavia township, where he died.
Olmsted, Nirum P .- Born in Calhoun county, Mich., July 18, 1839. Came in 1840 to Union township with father, G. P. Olmstead.
Parker, Samuel D .- Born in Erie county, O., Nov. 1, 1817; died Feb. 18, 1895. Came to Branch county in 1833.
Perry, Edwin R .- Born in Franklin county, N. Y., July 9. 1810: died in Union City. Feb. 22, 1894. Came to Union City in 1851.
Phillips, Daniel C .- Born in Onondaga county, N. Y., May 26. 1820; died in Algansee township Dec. 31, 1893. Came to Gilead with parents in 1838.
Porter, Philo-Born in Genesee county, N. Y., April 26. 1813 : died at Coldwater Dec. 20, 1890. Came to Batavia township in 1836.
Paddock, Alfred-Born in Columbia county, N. Y., Dec. 16, 1823. Came to Girard township in 1853.
Paddock, Ephraim J .- Born in Wayne county, N. Y., March 3, 18,22. Came to Branch county with his father, Ira Paddock, in 1836.
Palmateer. Franklin-Born in New York in 1838. Came to Branch county with father, John Palmateer, in 1846.
Parrish, Asa-Born at Honeove Falls, N. Y., March 4. 1811 ; died at Coldwater Nov. 18, 1885. Came to Coldwater in 1836, and was connected with early milling and built the first furnace for manufacture of iron work. Andrew S. Parrish, of Coldwater, was a son.
Parsons, Solomon-Born in Chenango county, N. Y., Oct. 15. 1810. Came to the vicinity of Union City late in 1836.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
Paul, David-Born in New York, April 16, 1819. Came to California township in 1844.
Pierce, Henry-Born in St. Johnsbury, Vt., Dec. 5, 1808. Settled in Girard township in 1839.
Polhamus, Albert-Born in New York, Jan. 8, 1823. Settled in Quincy township in 1850.
Pratt, Jacob Franklin-Born in Cortland county, N. Y., May 8, 1829; still living in Coldwater. Came to Coldwater in 1852.
Purinton, David B .- Born in Cortland county, N. Y., May 8, 1829. Came to Coldwater in 1848.
Pixley, Augustus-Born in East Bloomfield, N. Y., Oct. 18, 1822; died in Bronson, Nov. 27, 1905. Came to Bronson Feb. 9, 1843.
Ruggles, James-Born in Toronto, Can., April 22, 1803; died in Bron- son, March 16, 1891. Came to Branch village in 1835 and to Bronson in 1837.
Rose. Lorenzo A .- Born in Niagara county, N. Y., Oct. 25, 1822 ; died at Bronson March 13, 1893. Came with parents to Bronson in 1835.
Rowell, A. S .- Born in Penfield, N. Y., Sept. 25, 1812; died at Cold- water, May 9, 1893. Came to Coldwater about 1843.
Rogers, Dr. Dennis W .- Born in Jerusalem, N. Y., Feb. 25. 1826; died at Union City, Jan. 24, 1898. Came to Branch county in 1859.
Reynolds, Francis-Born in Jefferson county, N. Y., April 10, 1822. Came to Matteson township in 1844.
Richardson, Elias-Born in Bronson township in 1830, son of John G. Richardson.
Roberts, John-Born in Niagara county, N. Y., March 14, 1818. Came to Coldwater township with father, Francis Roberts, in 1836.
Root, Roland-(See sketch of E. R. Root).
Root, John-Born in Onondaga county, N. Y., Aug. 18, 1823 ; died at Coldwater, March 23, 1866. Came to Coldwater in 1844.
Rowell, Jared M .- Born in New York; died in Union City, Jan. 13, 1874. Came to Sherwood township in 1844.
Rumsey, John-Born in Marion county, O., March 8, 1822. Came to Matteson township in 1846.
Russell, George-Born in Claremont, N. H., Oct. 9, 1805. Came to Branch county in 1844 and settled in Girard township in 1846.
Russell, Jonathan T .- Born in Sherwood township Sept. 15, 1836, son of Joseph Russell, who came to the county in 1834.
Ransom, Francis D .- Born in Onondaga county, N. Y., Jan. 5. 1816. Came to Algansee township in 1837.
Reid, William-Came from Batavia, N. Y., to Bethel township in Octo- ber, 1837.
Shoecraft, Barnabas B .- Born in Monroe county, N. Y., May 19, 1818; died in Coldwater township, Jan. 5. 1895. Came to the county in 1854.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
Southworth, J. B .- A pioneer of the county, died in Coldwater town- ship May 16, 1892.
Sager, George-Born in Wayne county, N. Y., May 2, 1824. Came to Bronson township about 1840.
Sebring, John-Born in Wayne county, N. Y., April 10, 1824. Came to Quincy in 1854 and was connected with the first saw mill of the village. Shaw, William E .- Born in Ovid township, Nov. 27, 1846.
Sheneman, John-Born in Wayne county, Penn., in 1800; died in Bata- via township July 29, 1875. Came to Batavia township in 1843.
Shumway, Alfred-Born in Wayne county, N. Y., July 12, 1818; died April 26, 1874. Came to this county in 1849.
Sisco, Henry-Born at Troy, Vt., Sept. 28, 1810. Came to section 22, Union township, in 1836.
Smith, Benjamin H .- Born in New Jersey, April 14, 1898; died in Girard township Sept. 22, 1879. Came to Branch county in 1833 and was associated with Abram Aldrich in the first mill at Hodunk.
Smith, Abram L .- Son of preceding, born in this county Oct. 21, 1838. Sorter, William C .- Born in Steuben county, N. Y., Jan. 3, 1837. Came to Ovid township with father Jacob S. in 1838.
Stanton, Edward D .- Born Cayuga county, N. Y., Aug. 10, 1833. Came with father, John Stanton, to Sherwood township in June, 1836.
Strong, Myron W .- Born in Allegany county, N. Y., Sept. 30, 1829. Came to Kinderhook township with his father Calvin Strong in 1838.
Stockwell, Parley-Born in Mass., Dec., 1803; died at Coldwater Janu- ary 8, 1890.
Smith, Walter W .- Born in Vermont. Settled permanently in Noble township in 1842.
Sanders, Abishai-Came into Gilead in 1831.
Swan, Levi-Came from New London township, Huron county, O., to Quincy township in April, 1849.
Sheneman, John Harrison-Came with his parents, John and Cath- arine Kenter Sheneman, Oct. 14, 1844, to the place now occupied by him in Batavia township near the station.
Streeter, Cornelius-Born Oct. 12, 1823, in Sterling, Cayuga county, N. Y .; died in Algansee township May 10, 1906; came into Quincy town- ship in 1850.
Taggart, David-Born July 9, 1809; died July 22, 1900; he came to Bronson township with his wife, Mrs. Sarah (Perry) Taggart, in the fall of 1836. Their children as follows were all born before 1850:
Taggart, John-Born Jan. 20, 1840, in Bronson township on what is known as the Secor farm; he has lived longer in the township than any other man in it at present ( 1906), having lived in it continuously since his birth except two years in the army.
Taggart, Frederick William-Born Feb., 1842; died in July, 1862, in Camp Douglas in Chicago.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
Taggart, Benjamin Perry-Born Aug., 1844; still living in Bronson township.
Taggart, George David-Lives in Linneus, Linn Co., Mo.
Taggart, Henry C .- Born May 14, 1848; lives in same place as pre- ceding.
Taggart, Sarah Maria-Born May 17, 1850; now Mrs. William Bush- nell and living in Bronson.
Taylor, Leonard-Born in Monroe county, N. Y., April 13, 1829. Came with father, Leonard Taylor, to Batavia township in 1835, his father being proprietor of the Taylor Tavern on the Chicago road.
Tift. David-Born in Allegany county, N. Y .; died in Algansee town- ship in February, 1859. Came to Branch county in 1837, settling in Algan- see in the following year. Was father of Roswell D., Albert J. and Jerome B.
Tilton, George W .- Born in Herkimer county, N. Y., March 2, 1812. Settled on section 15, Matteson township. in 1841.
Tripp, George-Born in Otsego county, N. Y., April 10, 1809; was at the time of his death, Sept. 11, 1889, the oldest settler of Kinderhook. Came to Kinderhook in 1836.
Tucker, John B .- Born in Connecticut September 28, 1811; died at Union City, July 1, 1895. Located in Union City during the forties.
Treat, Samuel-Born in Oneida county, N. Y., March 13, 1876. Came to Ovid township in 1837.
Turner, Ashley-Born in Ontario county, N. Y., Feb. 5, 1813. Came to Matteson township with father, Nathaniel, in 1835.
Van Orthwick, A. A .- Born Seneca county, N. Y., Dec. 19, 1829. Came to Branch county in 1852.
Whitehead, Reuben-Came into Coldwater township from Penfield, N. Y., in 1836.
Williams, Ryan-Came into the township of Sherwood in 1833.
Warren, John G .- Came to Coldwater in 1835 with his wife, Lois P. (Howland) Warren; died in 1869. They were both charter members of the Methodist church of Coldwater, and later withdrew to form the Wesleyan church.
Wing, Jason Ward-Came to Bronson township in 1844.
Wheat, Benjamin F .- Born Ontario county, N. Y., August 18, 1817; died in Quincy Oct. 27, 1894. Came to Quincy in 1852.
Williams, George Q .- Born in Essex county, N. Y., Aug. 27, 1828; died at Coldwater, Jan. 15, 1894. Came to Quincy with his father Alpheus Williams in 1836. Edward was another son of Alpheus.
Williams, Clark H .- Born in New Paltz, N. Y., April 23, 1813; died in Coldwater township April 17, 1897. Came to Coldwater in March, 1836.
Woodard, Bernetty-Died in Ovid township October 22, 1897, aged
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
one hundred and two years. Her death occurred within a few hours of that of Dr. W. B. Sprague, the other noted centenarian of Branch county.
Wilson, Daniel L .- Born in Penfield, N. Y., Jan. 9. 1813: died in Coldwater township, Dec. 4. 1889. Came to Coldwater township in 1837.
Waggott, Robert-Born in Somersetshire, England, Sept. 1. 1828. Came to Coldwater township in 1841.
Weatherwax, Joseph A .- Born in Orleans county, N. Y., July 5, 1822. Settled in Butler township in 1850.
Wilcox, Newcomb-Born in Ontario county. N. Y., Nov. 3. 1803. Came to Branch county in 1837, becoming a well known pioneer of Sher- wood township.
Wilson, James R .- Born in Yates county, N. Y., Jan. 12, 1836. Came to Ovid township in 1836, with father, Reuben Wilson.
Woods, Dr. Richard-Born in Bradford county, Penn., April 24. 1835 : died in Quincy township Dec. 4, 1880.
Wright, Charles S .- Born in Connecticut, April 7, 1832. Came to Ovid township in 1847.
Waterman, Alonzo-Born near Syracuse, N. Y., April 10. 1810. Came to Bronson in 1832.
Warner, Harvey-Born in Warren county, N. Y., April 5. 1809. Came to Coldwater township in 1831.
Whitcomb. Luke H .- Born at Brandon, Vt .. Feb. 6, 1808. Came to Coldwater in July, 1836.
Young. Seth C .- Born in Cayuga county, N. Y., June 3. 1808. Came to Bethel township in the thirties, later locating in Bronson township.
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
CHAPTER XXX.
THE COUNTY IN THE COUNTRY'S WARS.
The military record of Branch county during the Civil war was remark- able. If any county of the Union offered the flower of its manhood to the cause with greater unanimity of numbers and devotion of patriotism, it would be difficult to name it. For four years the interests and resources of Branch county were directed to the preservation of the Union. It will always be a matter of lasting pride and a part of the permanent historical record of the county that the patriotism of the citizens was manifested in such splendid manner. The names of those who enlisted from this county to fight on the battlefields of the south deserve space in every history that shall ever be writ- ten of the county, and for this reason the individual records of Branch county soldiers in the Civil war are appended in full to this chapter.
While this record describes in detail the performance of the companies and regiments and individuals from Branch county, it should not be for- gotten that those who staid at home had an equally important work to per- form. There were the indigent families of absent soldiers to be cared for. Thousands of dollars, not to mention the more valuable personal attention and assistance, were turned toward this work. Here as everywhere over the country the women organized to carry on their work of practical helpful- ness. Their committees visited and carried the necessities and comforts of life to the sick and poor at home; sent their generous contributions of food and home-made delicacies to the soldiers' hospitals in the field; made cloth- ing for those fighting at the front: and in the hundreds of ways that cannot be described here gave evidence of patriotism as necessary to the winning of the war as that displayed by the soldiers on the field.
In the period of time with which the history of Branch county deals, the Civil war is, of course, the pre-eminent military event. The Revolution was fifty years old at the time the county began to be settled. Some of the sur- vivors of the war of 1812 settled in the county, but aside from this the coun- ty had no connection with the second war with the mother country. The war with Mexico in 1846 made comparatively small demand on the volunteer forces of the country, and no organization and probably no individuals from Branch county participated in that war.
Branch county's connection with the Spanish-American war and its sequence in the Philippines is a matter of individual mention with the ex- ception of the part taken by the "Coldwater Light Guard." This organi- zation, which was formed in August, 1871. of forty-one members and was mustered into the state militia in that year, is the best known military com-
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HISTORY OF BRANCH COUNTY
pany in Branch county outside of those that originated in Civil war times. The first commissioned officers were: George H. Turner, captain: A. E. Stowell, first lieutenant: C. H. DeClute, second lieutenant. In November, 1877, this became the basis of the civil organization known as the Coldwater Light Guard Association, whose first officers were F. D. Newberry, C. N. Legg and Alonzo Thompson. " Armory Hall" on Hanchett street was constructed by this association. The association is one of the most popular and strongest societies in the county, the military purpose which is the ba- sis and essential purpose of the organization being supplemented by the so- cial comradeship which is characteristic of the fraternal societies.
When war against Spain was declared in April, 1898, the Light Guard tendered their services to the United States and were organized as Company A of the Thirty-second Michigan Infantry. They were sent south, but like the majority of Michigan regiments in that war, did not reach the field of actual hostilities. Their period of service away from home was six months.
The old Coldwater Light Guard is now Company A of the Second Reg- iment of the Michigan National Guard. Besides the legal corporation rep- resenting the company, and the Reunion Association of the Spanish War soldiers, there is also " The Coldwater Light Guard Veterans' Association," which was organized April 8. 1905, with the following officers: Edwin R. Root, president ; T. A. Hilton, vice president: Mark S. Andrews, secretary and treasurer. All who have been at any time members of the Light Guard Company or Company A, are eligible to membership.
At its last reunion, in May, 1906, Company A voted all Spanish-Amer- ican veterans in this section members of its association. The officers of the association elected at this reunion were: Jay Van Aken, president; Frank L. Earley, vice president ; James B. Smullen, secretary and treasurer ; Mark S. Andrews, historian.
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