USA > Michigan > Allegan County > A twentieth century history of Allegan County, Michigan > Part 40
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As Joseph W. grew to manhood he decided to follow agriculture as a pursuit, and he soon made purchase of land adjoining that of his father, paying for it as he could. Harding Burlingame lived to be seventy-five years old, spending the remainder of his days on the farm he had purchased here. His widow, who was his second wife, survived him several years. Joseph W. Burlingame's first house was built of logs, and he lived therein for twenty years, when it was replaced with a frame structure. Later he sold his place and bought another farm of seventy acres in the township of Dorr, where he lived for a number of years, finally disposing of this also in 1891 and coming to Wayland, where he purchased a seventy-acre tract lying partly in the village of Wayland. It had been formerly the property of the
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old lumberman, Mr. Kellogg, who had cut off the timber and made consider- able improvements. Since obtaining possession of this property Mr. Bur- lingame has platted a portion of it into village lots and disposed of many of them, while the remainder of the farm is leased by fields to others.
When twenty-eight years of age Mr. Burlingame took as his life partner Sarah Ward, a daughter of Richard Ward, who lived on an adjoining farm. Her family came here from Canada in an early day. Their children are six in number, as follows: Addie, now Mrs. Mack Northorpe, lives in Cali- fornia; Ada, now Mrs. Frank Helmer, is a resident of Diamond Springs ; Frank is in Illinois; J. Tracy lives in Wayland, where he is an employe of the G. R. & I. railway company ; Asa is a painter and also a resident of Way- land ; Jennie died at the age of twenty-four.
Mr. Burlingame is now retired from active labor, although he keeps occupied with looking after his property. He has done his share in the improvements of this section of Allegan county and has seen its development from a wild forest into as fine a tract of country as can be found anywhere, with excellent farms and thriving cities and villages. He possesses an inter- esting fund of reminiscence, for, like his father before him, he was in his younger days an ardent sportsman and a good hunter and he has killed all kinds of game throughout this part of the state.
HUMPHREY GARDNER .- In the death of Humphrey Gardner Allegan county lost one of her most prominent and useful citizens, and although a number of years have been added to the past since he was called to his reward he is remembered in many a home. He was born in Attica, Wyoming county, New York, December 27, 1819, a son of Daniel and Lorena (Ensign) Gard- ner, the former a native of Brimfield, Massachusetts, and the latter of New York. The father died when the son Humphrey was but five years old, and when nineteen years of age the latter went to Kane county, Illinois, there remaining for a number of years, he having reached the age of twenty- seven years when he made his advent into Allegan county, Michigan, first locating in Wayland, then a part of Martin township, where he secured gov- ernment land. His first residence was a little log cabin which he built near the site of his present residence, but this long ago gave place to a more mod- ern and commodious dwelling, and as the years passed by he added to his original purchase until he was the owner of four hundred and ninety acres in one body, besides owning several other tracts, making in all seven hundred acres. At the time of his location here the land was covered with a dense growth of timber, but as time passed it was cleared and developed, improve- ments were added to the farm, and all the accessories and conveniences of a model farm were added. Mr. Gardner realized but little, however, from the sale of the timber, with the exception of the last lot which he sold, which netted him six hundred dollars cash. He gave his attention to stock and grain farming, and he continued to actively carry on the work of the farm until his life's labors were ended in death on the 20th of March, 1898.
In Kane county, Illinois, in September, 1844, Mr. Gardner was united in marriage to Mary Brown, a native of that county and a daughter of Obi- jah Brown, their union being blessed with two children, Loren, who died at the age of twenty-five years, and Florence, who died when thirty-five years of age. On the 24th of October, 1866, Mr. Gardner married Sylvia Brown,
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a sister of his first wife, and they became the parents of three children, namely : Olive, who died at the age of fifteen years : Humphrey ; and Clay, who received as his inheritance the old homestead, but it soon passed into other hands.
Humphrey Gardner, Jr., was born February 1. 1872, and remained with his father until the latter's death, when he received two hundred and eighty acres of the old homestead. He makes a specialty of mint growing. a large part of his land being devoted to that commodity, and he is also extensively engaged in the raising of peaches, of which he has twenty-five hundred trees. eight hundred of which are in bearing. His home eighty acres is well suited to the raising of this fruit, and he is well pleased with the results of his sales, for his fruit always finds a ready sale on the market on account of its superior quality. He also keeps twenty cows on his farm ,and is conducting a first-class dairy. When twenty-three years of age Mr. Gardner married Elsie May Clark, of Ogle county, Illinois, and they have five children-Ber- nice, Louise, Lucille, Clark and Margaret. He gives his political support to the Republican party, and he is held in high regard in the county in which he lives.
HOPKINS.
The early settlement of Hopkins township, beginning in 1838, and the difficulties of the pioneers in making their first homes, are told in the histories of the Round and Haffmaster families on following pages. It was not many years after the coming of the pioneers that a grouping of popu- lation took place, resulting in the formation of three communities which may be described as centers. The first of these was Hopkins, or, as it is usually known at this time, Hopkinsburg, to distinguish it from the railroad station of the former name.
A steam sawmill was the central enterprise of this village. The pioneer Erastus Congdon, who had located on section 26 about 1838, sold a part of his land in 1856 to Dr. E. H. Wait, and the latter and Robert A. Baird con- structed the mill. Various members of the Baird family were connected with the operation of this mill, as is told in their history. In the meantime Dr. Wait opened a store, and in 1861 William Richmond built a flouring mill. The hamlet continued to grow, but the rivalry of villages located on the railroad and the decline of the lumber industry worked the detriment of the village, and since the postoffice was discontinued there has been only a small business activity, which is noted in the sketch of Mr. R. R. Edgell.
The village of Hopkins station, with a population of four hundred. half a dozen stores, a newspaper, has been growing for a number of years, and it is likely that Hopkins will soon be added to the list of incorporated villages. The early history of the site is told in the history of the Hoffmaster family, members of which owned the land from 1854. The beginnings of the village date from the railroad, a station being established in 1874 in John Hoff- master's log house. Burnip and Iliff were the first merchants, and in Octo- ber, 1874, S. A. Buck recorded the first plat of the village. A postoffice was soon established, mills and stores added to the commercial importance of the place. and Hopkins should be designated as one of the thrivingly progressive villages of the county. Of the early merchants Furber and Kidder con-
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tinued in business; they established a bank in 1890, which is mentioned on another page.
Hilliards is another settlement that owes its existence to the railroad. About 1860 a Canadian lumberman named Lonson Hilliard purchased a large timber acreage in the northwest corner of the township, and during the fol- lowing ten years before his death devoted his energies to converting its resources into marketable lumber. A station was established along the rail- road track, and there two of his sons, William H. and Eugene, had a factory and a store, and several other business enterprises were attracted to that point. The postoffice is still maintained at this point, with a population in the vicinity of about one hundred persons.
JOHN HOFFMASTER .- The name of Hoffmaster is inseparably associated with the history of Hopkins, its development and upbuilding, and he of whom we write has been most prominent in the work of advancement here, having laid out four different additions to the city and done much to improve them. A native of Mahoning county, Ohio, he was born near Youngstown, on the 28th of April, 1843, and in 1854 accompanied his parents on their removal from the Buckeye state to Allegan county. His father, Gottlieb Hoffmaster, was a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, and when eight years of age was brought to the United States, the family home being established in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he remained until twenty-one years of age. He then went to Ohio, and in that state was married to Miss Susannah Eholtz. Gottlieb Hoffmaster was a weaver by trade and later became a shoemaker. His brother, John Hoffmaster, coming to Allegan county, had purchased one hundred and sixty acres on which the village of Hopkins now stands. He had arrived here in the spring of 1854, and in the fall of the same year Gottlieb Hoffmaster came with his family and secured the east half of the same quarter. He then built a log cabin in the midst of the forest, while his brother, John Hoffmaster, had a log house on the present site of the home of our subject. He also had a small clearing where the main portion of the business part of the village now stands. The greater portion of the land, however, was covered with a heavy growth of timber, including beech, maple, ash and elm trees. These were cut down and burned simply to get rid of them, without any regard to the value of the lumber. Gottlieb Hoffmaster remained upon the old home farm until the death of his wife, which occurred when he was more than seventy years of age. He passed away March 21, 1903, when in his ninety-fourth year, his birth hav- ing occurred on the 3d of April, 1809. For twenty years he had lived with his daughter, Mrs. John Nicolai, west of Hopkins. He had placed forty acres of land under cultivation and had improved it with good buildings, but eventually he sold his farm to his sons, John and Philip, and they platted five acres of the land, which was known as Gottlieb Hoffmaster's addition to the village of Hopkins. It is now well built over, being one of the popu- lous and attractive residence portions of the city. In the family of Gottlieb Hoffmaster were four sons and a daughter. Philip, who has been blind for ten years, now lives with his nephew near Monroe, Michigan; Peter. who died at the age of sixty-four vears, was at one time a merchant at Kalama- zoo and later at Battle Creek, Michigan. John is the next of the family.
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GOTTLIEB HOFFMASTER AT THE AGE OF 84, AND HIS GREAT-GRAND-SON PETER, (Both deceased)
John Hoffmaster
7
1
1
Sarah a Hoffmaster
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Susannah is the wife of John Nicolai, and Isaac is a dealer in hardware at Ord, Nebraska.
John Hoffmaster was eleven years of age when he came to Allegan county. He assisted in the arduous task of clearing and developing the new farm and also at an early age worked out for wages, which went to the sup- port of the family. Attaining his majority, he and his brother Philip pur- chased eighty acres of land which was owned by his uncle John, who for a time resided upon a farm in this township but afterward returned to the vil- lage, where he passed away November 3, 1893. He had also reached a ven- erable age, his birth having occurred on the 3d of December, 1818.
John Hoffmaster of this review was identified with business interests in Allegan countly until 1864, when he put aside all personal considerations and enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a recruit of Company C. Thirteenth Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He joined the regiment at Look- out Mountain and later went with Sherman on the Atlanta campaign and cn to Savannah and to the sea. Subsequently he participated in the Carolina campaign and continued on the march to Washington. He was in active service with his company from the time of his enlistment until the close of the war and participated in the battle at Bentonville. North Carolina, and was in the grand review in the capital city-the most celebrated military pageant ever seen on the western hemisphere.
Returning to his home, Mr. Hoffmaster joined his brother Philip in a partnership, which was continued for about thirty years, or until 1894, and throughout this period they were engaged in general agricultural pursuits and brought their land under a high state of cultivation. In 1869 the Lake Shore Railroad was built and in 1874 they sold eleven acres from the south- west corner of their eighty-acre tract to S. A. Buck, who platted the original town site. In 1876 the brothers platted the John Hoffmaster addition, com- prising about eight acres from the south end of the eighty-acre tract, includ- ing the site of the old home. Since that time John Hoffmaster has platted two more additions, the second in 1897 of seven acres, and a third in 1905. comprising nine acres, this making four additions in all to the town platted by Mr. Hoffmaster of this review and covering about twenty-nine acres. He has erected a handsome residence on the site of the old home of his uncle John, and has built other dwellings for rent. His son now operates the home farmı.
In 1871 Mr. Hoffmaster was united in marriage to Miss Julia A. Baker, a daughter of Harvey M. Baker, one of the pioneer residents of Hopkins. who came to this township about 1838 from Gun Plains township. Mrs. Hoffmaster was born in Hopkins township in 1843. This marriage has been blessed with a son and daughter: Claud B., who now operates his father's farm, and Floy G .. who became the wife of John McKinnon and died three months later. at the age of thirty years. Mrs. Hoffmaster passed away in 1882 after a happy married life of eleven years. A year later Mr. Hoff- master was married to Miss Sarah A. Hare, of Allegan, where she was engaged in nursing. Their only child died in infancy.
In his political views Mr. Hoffmaster is a stalwart Republican and always keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. Both he and his wife are members of the Congregational church and he is identified with Briggs Post No. 80, G. A. R., and the National Protective Legion. He
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has tried to encourage enterprises for the good of the town and has served as supervisor here. He belongs to that class of representative American men who while promoting individual success also advance the general welfare by their co-operation in many movements for the public good.
L. C. WALTER .- The business interests of Hopkins find a prominent representative in L. C. Walter, who is engaged in the manufacture and sale of lumber, also in the manufacture of kitchen cabinets and in the operation of a planing mill. The extent and importance of his business interests make him a leading representative of trade relations here and his labors have been of direct benefit in the upbuilding and improvement of the city as well as a source of gratifying individual income.
Mr. Walter was born in Watson township, Allegan county, July 5, 1863. His father, Conrad Walter, is now a farmer of that township, where he is extensively engaged in the raising of onions. When sixteen years of age he operated a threshing machine, which was one of the first in Watson township, carrying on this business for his father. He seemed to possess natural aptitude in understanding and operating machinery and was always at work upon some mechanical device. In the early days he did considerable work at repairing clocks and he operated the first self-binder in Watson township. He was also called upon to operate self-binders for farmers before they became accustomed to the mechanism. He established his present mill in 1894-a saw and planing mill, which has since been in operation. As a contractor and builder he has done a large and successful business and has thus contributed in substantial measure to the improvement of the city. About four years ago he enlarged the plant by the erection of a two story building fifty by one hundred feet with a one-story addition fifty by fifty-four feet. The building is constructed of cement and the measurements of the entire plant are two hundred and forty by fifty feet. This enterprise is the outcome of a small factory, which was established for the building of life saving boats. The larger part of the plant is now util- ized in the kitchen cabinet department and at a recent date Mr. Walter has installed new machinery and power. He has about fifteen thousand dol- lars capital invested and the factory employs between forty and fifty men, having a capacity of from twenty to one hundred cabinets daily, according to the grade of the product turned out. When the business is enlarged to its full capacity it will demand an investment of about twenty-five thou- sand dollars. Mr. Walter also does interior finish work for the local trade. As a contractor ·he has erected all kinds of buildings, including churches, schoolhouses and residences in Allegan and Otsego. In this way he has employed from twenty to thirty men. He is an experienced draftsman and architect, making his own plans, and he has had wide experience in this line of activity. For twenty-three years he has been a lumber manufac- turer, having operated a sawmill for five years at a siding two miles south of Hopkins, while for two years he was at Bravo. He also conducted a sawmill prior to that time, two years being spent in Oceana county, after which he operated a mill in Minnesota for a year in the employ of another man. Thus throughout the greater part of his life he has been connected with the lumber trade in its various departments. He has various houses in Hopkins that he has built and rents and he became interested in all that
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led to developing the town. He has perhaps built nearly half of the town and has assisted in the development of one entire section of Hopkins, build- ing homes, which he has later sold. He also built a brick church here for the Methodists and rebuilt for the Congregational Society, and erected a brick schoolhouse near the town. He has likewise put up two new store buildings in Hopkins and drew the plans for the new cement block in the village. His life has been one of untiring diligence and unremitting activity and whatever he has undertaken he has accomplished.
Mr. Walter was married on the 22d of February, 1884, to Miss Hattie Fansler, a daughter of John Fansler, a resident farmer of Allegan town- ship, where she was born. Their family comprises two children, Elsie and Harold Lynn, the latter now twelve years of age. The daughter is the wife of Jesse Kibby, of Grand Rapids, and they have two sons, Basil and Cecil. In his fraternal relations Mr. Walter is an exemplary Mason, true and loyal to the teachings of the craft. His political views are in accord with Republican principles and he has served as township treasurer for two years and has been a member of the school board. Viewed in a per- sonal light he is a strong man, strong in his honor and his good name, strong in his ability to plan and perform. Ever watchful of opportunities he has so directed his labors that success has resulted and his work has proven of the utmost advantage to Hopkins as well as a source of gratify- ing income to himself.
HOPKINSBURG.
ROBERT R. EDGELL, residing at Hopkinsburg, has been closely identified with industrial activity in this part of the county for almost a half of a century, doing carpentering, blacksmithing, wagon-making and painting. He was born in Brecksville, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, December 31, 1839, a son of James and Polly (Newell) Edgell, who were natives of Virginia and New York respectively but were married in Ohio. The father was a me- chanic, who largely followed the wheelwright's trade. In the family were the following named : James, who lived for some years in Buchanan county, Iowa, came to Michigan, settling at Hopkinsburg, where he was employed at his trade of wagon-making. Subsequently he removed to Cadillac. Mich- igan, where he died May 11, 1895, and where his family still reside. Mason Edgell, the second son, was the third of the family to come to Michigan, ar- riving in 1857. He had previously spent three years in California, and he died in this state at the age of thirty-seven. His widow and family now reside in Ohio. Mary was married in Ohio to David P. Atwater, and in 1856 came to Allegan county, residing upon a farm near Hopkinsburg. Her death occurred there about 1888, when she was fifty-eight years of age. William, who came to this county in 1858, was a carpenter and he secured the second farm west of Hopkinsburg. He was married in 1862 to Miss Mary Moore, and died March 11, 1895, just two months prior to the death of his brother James. Rebecca, who came alone to Michigan in 1857, engaged in teaching school in Allegan county until she became the wife of Edwin Parmalee, with whom she is still living in Hopkins town- ship. Catherine, who came to this county with her parents, married Will- iam Frue, and died in early womanhood. Adeline, who came with her par-
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ents, married B. E. Viers, and died in 1879. The youngest son, Knowlton B., came with his parents and is living in Hopkins township.
In his boyhood days Robert R. Edgell of this review began to learn the wheelwright's trade. He spent two years in Medina county, Ohio, but afterward removed to Buchanan county, Ohio, where he worked at his trade. He had a brother in that state and remained there until April 17, 1862, when he came to Hopkinsburg, where he has since resided. He had
visited the vicinity in the fall before. At that time his brother William and two sisters were living here. William was a carpenter by trade but became a farmer and spent the greater part of his life in agricultural pursuits. He died about eleven years ago. Mary was the wife of David P. Atwater and died eighteen years ago, while Rebecca, who married Edwin Parmalee, is still living in Hopkins township. In 1862 the parents also came and the father worked at the carpenter's trade, having a shop where he had a turning lathe, etc. Both he and his wife died in this locality, the former in 1887, in his eighty-ninth year, and the latter in 1884, at the age of seventy-nine years.
Robert R. Edgell, after arriving in this county, worked for a few weeks with his brother at the carpenter's trade, and in 1864 built his present shop. He has since been busy at the bench or in other fields of industrial activity. He soon put in a blacksmithing department and he can do any- thing connected with wagon-making, including the painting. He pos- sesses much natural mechanical ingenuity, and his skill and ability are man- ifest on various occasions and in various ways as he executes some task along industrial lines. He has resided continuously since coming to the county at the little village of Hopkinsburg, east of the Lake Shore Rail- road. The postoffice has been discontinued here but the town contains one store, a blacksmith and wagon shop and a cheese factory.
Mr. Edgell has been three times married. He first wedded Miss Ar- villa Dunton, who died about eighteen months later just at the close of the Civil war. On the 26th of November, 1867. Mr. Edgell was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Page, who was born in Mercer county, Pennsyl- vania, and came to Michigan with her parents, who settled at Middleville. For some years she was a successful and able teacher of Allegan county. She traveled life's journey with Mr. Edgell for more than twenty-one years and passed away on the IIth of June, 1885. Unto them were born two sons and a daughter: Fred R., who is now engaged in moving build- ings at Hopkins; Addie, the wife of Elmer George, a resident farmer of Watson township, and Earl. All were born in Hopkinsburg. The younger son is associated with his father in business. He married Miss Edith Bar- num, and they have three children, Carl, Ina and Gale. May II, 1887, Mr. Edgell was again married, his bride being Mrs. Lottie Congdon, who died the following April.
The present family home was erected by Mr. Edgell in 1875, and is one of the best in this locality. In politics he is a Republican with Prohi- bition tendencies and he works earnestly for the best interests of the county. For years he took an active part in convention work and he has served as township clerk and in other positions of public trust. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows and the Masons. As the years have passed he has confined his attention largely to his shop, and his patrons know that
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