USA > Michigan > Branch County > A twentieth century history and biographical record of Branch County, Michigan > Part 90
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On the third of July. 1854. occurred the marriage of Mr. Van Aken and Miss Lucy Clement, a daughter of Jonathan H. and Catherine Clement. They became the parents of one daughter, Mattie, who married William Storr and died leaving two sons, Van J. and George S., who were reared by their grandparents. The elder is now operating Mr. Van Aken's farm, while the younger brother is at Battle Creek. Michigan. Mrs. Van Aken died in 1885, and in 1887 Mr. Van Aken married Mrs. Celia A. Tilton, who died in 1898. In 1901, Mr. Van Aken was united in marriage to Mrs. Marion Foster, who was born in Bronson, Branch county, Michigan. She is a daughter of Hiram Hadley.
Mr. Van Aken voted with the Democracy until the organization of the new Republican party, when he cast his ballot for John C. Fremont and has since supported each presidential nominee of the Republican party. Called to public office he served as supervisor of Girard township for fourteen
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consecutive years and was a member of the state legislature from 1873 until 1875. His political service like his private life has been characterized by fidelity to duty and a devotion to the public welfare. He was identified with the Grange of Girard township, serving as its master for fourteen years and was also master of the county Grange for eight years. He has been identified with the Presbyterian church since 1848 and his life has been actuated by honorable principles. His career will bear the closest in- vestigation and scrutiny and is indeed in many respects well worthy of emulation. As one of the pioneers of the county he deserves representation in this volume, having for more than two thirds of a century resided in Branch county. What to many people are matters of record are to him matters of experience, for he shared in all of the hardships and trials of pioneer life and in later years has been an active participant in many events which have shaped the policy and molded the history of this part of the state. He has passed the seventy-seventh milestone on life's journey and receives from his fellow men the veneration and respect which should ever be accorded those of advanced years whose course has been marked by all that con- stitutes the good and thereby really great citizen.
WALTON J. BARNES.
Walton J. Barnes, one of the oldest and most highly esteemed citizens of Quincy, was born at Quaker street, in the town of Duanesburg, Schenec- tady county, New York, in 1825. Of English ancestry, his forebears were of excellent stock and in their time and generation filled worthy places in their respective spheres of activity and influence.
Thomas Barnes, his father, a native of Connecticut, at an early age learned the trade of carpenter, then became a merchant, then a farmer, and in 1831 superintended the laying of the track for a line of railroad be- tween Albany and Schenectady, one of the early lines to be constructed in the Empire state. After assisting in this railroad enterprise he made a trip west, via the Erie canal to Buffalo, thence by boat to Detroit, and on to Chicago by stage, and his return to New York state was entirely by stage. His household goods, placed on a canal boat at Albany, were a week in reaching near Rochester, New York. He finally located in Wayne county, New York, where the rest of his honorable career was spent. A man of varied activities and of much influence in community and . society, he was elected from Newark to the state legislature, for a number of years was supervisor of his township, and in politics was first a Henry Clay Whig and later a staunch Republican, having been sent to the legislature in 1856 on the Fremont ticket. He attained a competency. His religious adherence was given to the Universalist church. His wife, Abigail (Briggs) Barnes, who was born in Duanesburg, New York, of English descent, and a member of the Episcopal church, moved west to Quincy after the death of her hus- band, and lived there with her daughter until her death in 1876. Their six children are named as follows: James W., who is a retired physician living in southern Colorado; Walton J .; Lucy J., now deceased, was the wife of
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Richard Post. a farmer : Carrie E., a resident of Chicago, and the widow of G. W. McCarn, a physician : Thomas N., deceased, was a farmer ; Mar- garet A., deceased, married J. B. Salisbury, of Quincy.
Walton J. Barnes was reared on a farm, attending school in his home district and also an academy in Wayne county. Coming to Michigan in 1854, as one of the early settlers of Quincy township, this county, he built a sawmill, located on section twenty-six, and also bought a farm. During the ten years of his residence at that place he increased his land holdings un- til he owned five hundred acres. Then he bought the old Mudge place two miles south of Quincy and remained there until moving to Quincy in 1873. Although he has been interested more or less in the insurance business, he has for some years been practically retired. taking life easily and grace- fully. He has one of the most beautiful homes in Quincy. A Republican in politics, he served as county drainage commissioner two years, but has never sought office or identified himself with practical politics to any extent. An ardent fisherman, he has been a constant visitor with rod and line to Marble Lake for the past fifty years and in 1895 built the first cottage on that charming body of water.
Mr. Barnes was married in 1860 to Miss Emily A. Mudge, who was born in Lenawee county, this state. in 1840. Her father, Ebenezer Mudge, was an honored former citizen of Branch county. A native of New York and then coming west and settling in Madison, Michigan, he moved to Quincy in 1842 and located on a farm two miles south of town that had- been entered by his father Ebenezer. He was a brickmason by trade, and besides conducting his farm carried on the building trade, erected the first brick building in Coldwater-the old Dr. Sprague building-and also the Ed Clark store building. Mr. Mudge was a man of more than ordinary means and influence in his community. In politics a Whig and a Repub- lican, he served for many years as justice of the peace, was village clerk and was one of the organizers of the village of Quincy, drafting the first charter. He was one of those who, in the early seventies, established the Quincy Times and as its editor devoted his attention thereto for a number of years. When he died in 1897, at the advanced age of ninety-three years, he carried to the grave the respect and reverence of all who had known him or who had come in contact with him in the varied relations of life. He was a man of education, was generous and charitable, was enterprising and pub- lic-spirited to a marked degree. and took a delight in promoting through per- sonal influence and effort the welfare of his town of Quincy. Mrs. Barnes' mother was Lucretia Heaton, a native of New York state and of Scotch- Irish stock. There were twelve children in the family, but only four reached maturity, namely : Moreau, deceased ; Sarah, widow of Ralph Turn- er, a former Quincy druggist; Melvin, now a retired ranchman in Cali- fornia, who, enlisted in 1861, was captain of Company B, Eleventh Mich- igan Infantry, as part of the Army of Cumberland, was wounded at the bat- tle of Chickamauga. then promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and at the battle of Missionary Ridge, after Col. Stoughton had received a mor- tal wound, succeeded to the command of the regiment, and continued in
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that rank to the end of the war; Mrs. Barnes is the fourth of her parents' children.
Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have two sons. Mell is general manager of a scale manufacturing business at Detroit and is a prosperous business man. Thomas W., who is the eighth Thomas in the Barnes family, is associated with his brother at Detroit.
JOHN F. MCINTYRE.
John F. McIntyre, the president and general manager of the Sherwood Heading Company of Sherwood, has in an active business career manifested keen sagacity and diligence which are always essential elements in a success- ful enterprise. He is a native of Alabama township, Genesee county, New York, born on the 6th of April, 1840. His father, Daniel McIntyre, was a native of Lyme, Connecticut, while the grandparents were born in Scot- land. David McIntyre was married to Miss Caroline Hall, a native of Lyme, Connecticut, and of English descent. They became the parents of ten children, five of whom reached adult age.
John F. McIntyre, the ninth member of the family, and the only son now living, was reared in Ashtabula county, Ohio, whither he came with his parents when a little lad of three years. He acquired a common school education, attending only through the winter months, while in the summer seasons he worked at various kinds of labor in order to provide for his own support. His mother was left a widow with nine children and as soon as old enough to earn his living John F. McIntyre started out in the world on his own account. Ambitious for an education he made the most of his op- portunities when in school and by reading and study in his leisure hours largely broadened his knowledge, so that at the age of seventeen years he had qualified himself for teaching and entered upon the active work of that profession in Ashtabula county, where he taught for three or four years during winter terms. In the meantime he learned and followed the car- penter's trade in the summer months. Thinking to find a better field of labor he removed to Michigan, in 1867, settling first in Owosso and after- ward in St. Johns. Later he went to Chesaning, Michigan, where he fol- lowed his trade and also taught school for two winter terms. Later he fol- lowed teaching at St. Charles, Michigan, for about three years, after which he went to Lerawee county, Michigan, and then came to Sherwood, where he was soon actively identified with building operations. He also taught school here for many years, following the profession through the winter months, while in the summer seasons he was connected with building pur- suits. As an educator he has ever been practical and progressive, impart- ing 1endily to others the knowledge that he had acquired so that his services gave general satisfaction. For about fifteen years he likewise engaged in the business of evaporating apples, and in 1902, in connection with George Seymour, he purchased the business of the C. B. Wilcox Manufacturing Company. In 1905 they organized a company now known as the Sher- wood Heading Company, with Mr. McIntyre as president and general man-
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ager, George F. Seymour vice-president and treasurer and Guy E. McIn- tyre superintendent and secretary. They manufacture shack barrels and keg headings and have on the payroll the names of about twenty employes. The business has now grown to extensive proportions and has become a profit- able investment. being one of the leading productive concerns of this part of the county.
Mr. McIntyre has been married twice. In 1860 he wedded Abbie Woodworth. and they had three children. of whom two are living. Ralph and May. The mother died in 1874. and in 1877 Mr. McIntyre wedded Harriet Barton. by whom he has two daughters and a son: Annie, now the wife of Lynn Lowry; Guy E., who is in business with his father ; and Ada, at home.
Mr. McIntyre has been a resident of Sherwood for about thirty-one years and has been closely associated with its public interests. its improve- ment and its upbuilding. He has been frequently called to public office. serving as township treasurer for one term. as highway commissioner, vil- lage assessor and village trustee and his public service has been performed with the same fidelity and conscientious purpose that has characterized the discharge of his business duties. He is a member of Sherwood lodge. No. 421. A. F. & A. M., Union City chapter. No. 28. R. A. M., Three Rivers commandery, No. 29. K. T., and is in hearty sympathy with the purposes of the craft, exemplifying in his life its beneficent spirit. A long residence in the county combined with marked enterprise in business and activity in public affairs has made him well known. He is a man of much force of character, strong individuality and his pleasant social manner has won him a host of warm friends.
J. H. MONTAGUE.
J. H. Montague, who is engaged in the real estate and insurance busi- ness in Coldwater, belongs to that class of representative American citizens who owe their success to strong enterprise. close application and indefatigable diligence. He was born in Oneida county, New York. November 30. 1833. his parents being Stillman and Hannah (Skinner) Montague, both of whom were natives of Massachusetts and were representatives of old New Eng- land families. They moved to Oneida county. New York, and spent the greater part of their lives in that state. passing away there. The father was a farmer. and always followed the occupation in order to provide a livelihood for his family.
J. H. Montague was reared upon the home farm in the usual manner of farm lads of that period and locality, and in the district schools he ac- quired his education. He continued to assist his father up to the time of his marriage, which occurred December 22, 1858, Miss Laura Gaylord be- coming his wife. He then took up his abode upon a farm in his native county. continuing agricultural interests there until 1869. when he removed to Michigan, settling in the city of Coldwater, where he has since resided. Here he turned his attention to the insurance business and has since repre-
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sented a number of the old reliable companies and at the same time has dealt quite extensively in real estate, negotiating many important realty transfers.
Mr. Montague has been active in community affairs and for fourteen years he served as constable, while in 1891 he was elected justice of the peace, in which position he still serves. His decisions have been strictly fair and impartial, being based upon the equity of the case and the law applicable thereto and he has " won golden opinions from all sorts of people." His political views are in accord with the principles of the Republican party, which he has supported since casting a ballot for its presidential candidate, John C. Fremont.
Mr. and Mrs. Montague are the parents of but two children: Harold L., of Chicago; and Myrtle K., who is a teacher at the head of the German department of the Detroit University, Detroit, Michigan. Mrs. Montague is a member of the Presbyterian church and with her Mr. Montague at- tends its services. Fraternally he is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
MYRON J. WITHINGTON.
Myron J. Withington, formerly a factor in the work of public instruc- tion in Michigan, but now devoting his energies to agricultural pursuits in California township, Branch county, is a native son of this county, having been born in Kinderhook township on the 15th of May. 1856. The an- cestry of the family can be traced back to William Withington, great-great- grandfather of our subject, who was born in 1715 and died in 1793. The family is of English lineage and was established in Massachusetts at a very early period in the colonization of the new world. William Withington ( 1) was united in marriage to Sarah Locke, who was born in 1718 and died in 1797. Both she and her husband were about seventy-eight years of age at the time of their demise. Their son, William Withington (2), who was born in 1744. married Martha Locke and died in 1823. William Withing- ton (3), grandfather of our subject, was born in New Hampshire in 1777, representatives of the name having removed from Massachusetts to New Hampshire in the meantime. He wedded Abigal Stone in 1799. She was born in 1779 and from New Hampshire they removed to Oswego county, New York. The year 1833 witnessed their arrival in Michigan, their resi- dence being established in Homer, Calhoun county, where they remained for five years, when in 1838 they came to Kinderhook township, Branch county. They were among the earliest settlers of this part of the state, living here when it required considerable personal courage to meet the hardships, dif- ficulties and dangers incident to life on the frontier. The forest sheltered many wild animals and the Indians were not infrequently seen. While they caused little trouble to the white settlers yet they were a source of constant menace, owing to their unreliable dispositions. The Withington family went through the usual pioneer experiences and in clearing and developing a farm for himself William Withington also assisted in the material prog- ress of the county. He died in 1845, while his wife passed away in 1839.
Edwin Withington, father of Myron J. Withington, was born in Os-
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wego county, New York. January 20. 1820. and was the youngest in a family of twelve children. When his parents removed from the Empire state to Michigan they left several married children in New York, but Ed- win Withington, being next to the youngest and then but twelve years of age, came with them to the middle west and was reared upon the home farm in Calhoun and in Branch counties, sharing in the usual hardships and trials incident to frontier life. He soon became familiar with the arduous task of clearing and developing new land and was always a farmer, yet possessed considerable versatility in business matters and his mechanical in- genuity enabled him to follow successfully the pursuits of shoemaking. coop- ering and carpentering. His early years were spent in Kinderhook town- ship and in 1860 he removed to California township. where he resided until his death. He was a leading citizen here for many years and was highly esteemed as a man of more than ordinary ability, of honor in business and of loyalty in citizenship. His political allegiance was given to the Repub- lican party. He took a deep interest in educational affairs and for many years served as a school officer, doing everything in his power to promote the cause of public instruction in this part of the state. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist church and died in that faith. the father passing away February 28, 1897. while his wife's death occurred September 29, 1901. He had been married on the 26th of November, 1845. to Miss Ann Dorothy Walter, who was born in England, November 26, 1822, and came to America with her parents, Abraham and Dorothy ( Mears) Walter. the family home being established in Fremont. Indiana. Edwin and Dor- othy Withington had six children, three of whom died in infancy. while those still living are Myron J. and Homer E. Withington, of Coldwater. Another son, Levi, died at the age of seventeen years.
Myron J. Withington was but four years of age when his parents removed from Kinderhook to California township and at the usual age he began his education in the common schools, while later he entered the Coldwater high school, from which he was graduated in the class of 1879. He afterward entered the State Normal College at Ypsilanti, Michigan, from which he was graduated in 1893 and in his senior year he was editor of the college paper, The Normal News. an honor which comes in recognition of superior ability. Following his graduation at the normal he engaged in teaching school both in the district schools and in the graded schools of the city. In the profession he made rapid advancement, which came in recognition of his merit, and at different times he served as principal of the public schools at Almont, Michigan, and of the high school at Ludington, Michigan. In 1896. however, he returned to California township, where he has since fol- lowed farming. Here he has a valuable tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres, which was cleared by the father, assisted by his sons, only twenty acres having been placed under cultivation when it came into possession of Edwin Withington. It is located on section nineteen and is now a valuable and productive tract equipped with modern improvements and giving every evidence of the careful supervision and practical methods of the owner. For several years in addition to general farming Mr. Withington and his son
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have devoted considerable attention to the raising of potatoes and their pota- to crop is the largest produced by any individual in this vicinity.
Mr. Withington was married October 13, 1880, to Miss Mattie King, who was born in Coldwater township, April 18, 1858, and is a daughter of William and Kate (O'Mara) King. The father was a native of England and the mother, born in Canada, was of Irish descent. In their family were eight children, of whom two died in infancy. Unto Mr. and Mrs Withington have been born four children: Ernest E., who is living at home and assists in the operation of his father's farm, although he owns eighty acres in the northern part of California township; Mabel L., who died at the age of nine years; Harry Gerald, who died in infancy; and Harold Gerard, at home, these latter twins.
Mr. Withington is a man of keen intellect, whose reading has covered a wide range and who keeps in touch with the trend of modern thought along the various lines of interest to the general public. Sociological, economic and political questions as well as those bearing upon his chosen life work are of deep interest to him and he has informed himself thoroughly concerning many of these points. In his political views he has always been a Republican and has held numerous offices. For several years he was school inspector, was appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of supervisor and has been justice of the peace for several years. He has long taken an active part in church and Sunday school work and contributes liberally to the support of religion. He has been identified with the county and district Sunday school work and has been president and secretary of the district Sunday school association for several terms. He was also at one time a member of the Grange. A man of strong individuality and marked force of character, the salient elements of his life work with its underlying motives have been such as awaken uniform esteem. Everything that he does is characterized by an intelligent under- standing of the position and he is fearless in defense of his honest views and opinions.
EZRA JOHNSON.
Ezra Johnson, who from pioneer times down to the present has been a resident of Branch county, his memory forming a connecting link between the past with its privations and hardships and the modern era with its pros- perity and advanced civilization, is now living on section twelve, Union township. He is a native of Ohio, the old Buckeye state, his birth having occurred in Florence township, Erie county, on the 14th of October, 1830. His father, James Johnson, was a native of New York, but became an early settler of the Buckeye state, where he took up his abode in 1815. There he resided for many years and in 1850 he came to Branch county, Michigan, where he spent his remaining days. In early manhood he had wedded Ida Squires, who died in Ohio. She was a native of the Empire state and by her marriage she became the mother of eight children, six sons and two daughters, all of whom reached adult age and were married with one ex- ception.
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Ezra Johnson, the third son and fourth member of the family, was reared in the county of his nativity until nineteen years of age and when a lad of about six summers entered the district schools, wherein he pursued the elementary branches of learning. In the summer months he worked upon the farm and his training in the fields made him well qualified to carry on farm work when he started out in life on his own account. He arrived in Branch county when a young man of nineteen years and here he began working in the woods, cutting down the trees, clearing away the brush and thus preparing many acres for the plow. In company with a companion he prepared two hundred and fifty cords of wood in one winter. He had been trained to the value of industry and perseverance in the active affairs of life and his entire career has been marked by unfaltering diligence. He can recall many incidents of pioneer times, and, once in the carly days of Union township he and his friend were about one and one half miles south of Union City, and a deer started up from the bushes. Uncle Ezra had a dog which pursued the deer and caught it by one of the hind quarters, and held the deer until they came up and shot it.
Mr. Johnson was married in Union township December 7. 1853. 10 Miss Loretta Burnett, with whom he traveled life's journey for about forty- six years, almost a half a century. They began their domestic life upon a farm, and he has always carried on agricultural pursuits, clearing many acres of land in Branch county and erecting a number of buildings thereon. He has built houses, barns and sheds and his efforts have been a factor in pro- ducing the modern development and progress of this portion of the state. He has now been a resident of Union township for fifty-six years, save that he spent a brief period of ten months in Kansas. He owns eighty acres of good land where his son resides and his property is the visible evidence of his life of industry.
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