USA > Michigan > Allegan County > A twentieth century history of Allegan County, Michigan > Part 43
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Dr. Wicks was reared under the parental roof, remaining at home until twenty-one years of age. After attending the district schools he became a student in the high school at Otsego, and when he had put aside his text- books he concentrated his energies upon the farm work until twenty-four years of age. In the meantime he had become imbued with a desire to enter professional circles and determined to make the practice of medicine his life work. He therefore pursued his first course of lectures in the medical de- partment of the State University, at Ann Arbor, where he remained as a student for three years, being graduated in the class of 1887, with the de- gree of M. D. He located for practice in Hopkinsburg, and later removed to the village of Hopkins on the railroad. He has an excellent practice and is thoroughly well qualified to take charge of important cases, for he is a conscientious physician, of wide knowledge and broad experience. He be- longs to the Kalamazoo Medical Academy and to the State Medical Society. In company with his brother and with Herman Stroud lie assisted in or- ganizing the Hopkins Creamery Company in 1902, and is still financially in- terested in the enterprise.
In April, 1889. Dr. Wicks was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Du- Charne, of Plainwell, Michigan, who was engaged in the millinery business there. They now have three children, Lola, and Bernard and Bernice, twins. In his political views the doctor is a stalwart Republican and fraternally is a Mason, while he and his wife are members of the Congregational church, of which he was formerly a trustee.
SAMUEL B. LOVALL .- Among the enterprising, progressive and public- spirited citizens of Hopkins is numbered Samuel B. Lovall, who in his busi- ness relations is meeting with creditable and gratifying success. He is con- ducting a furniture store and undertaking establishment at Hopkins and also has an undertaking establishment at Wayland and Dorr. This is a utili- tarian age, and it is the men of business enterprise who are the leaders in the world and the real upbuilders of any community and as such Samuel B. Lovall deserves mention among the representative citizens of Allegan county. He was born at New Haven, Indiana, August 4, 1854. His father, Samuel
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Lovall, was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and, removing westward, set- tled near New Haven, Indiana, when twenty-two years of age. He had in his possession a rifle and a few clothes and thus he started life in the middle west upon the frontier. He married Miss Nancy Rogers, who had removed to Indiana from Preble county, Ohio, and was a daughter of John Rogers, who owned and occupied a farm on the bank of the Maumee river. Soon after his arrival Mr. Rogers aided in setting out apple trees on the farm, this being the first orchard in Allen county, Indiana, and one tree which he planted attained a girth of nine feet and eight inches and is still living. Mr. Lovall and his wife established a little home in the midst of the forest on the Maumee river and there he cleared and developed a farm. He built a log cabin and Mrs. Lovall frequently went out of the house while he was cutting trees, fearing that they would fall upon the house and do injury to its inmates. The parents continued to reside upon the old homestead farm, which the father developed there until called to their final rest. The mother passed away in 1868 at the age of fifty-five years, when her son, Samuel B., was a youth of fourteen. He was twenty-two years of age when his father died. In the meantime one hundred and twenty acres of land had been cleared and had been converted into one of the best farms in Allen county.
Samuel B. Lovall was reared to the arduous task of developing and improving a new farm and at the building of the Wabash & Erie canal, which was one mile south of the farm, hauled the timber for the locks on the canal between Fort Wayne and Defiance, Ohio. At the time when the pioneer home was replaced by a brick residence in 1876 he and his sister had charge of the building, the father being an invalid, and they put a stone in the gable upon which was carved the father's name and also the date-1876. This was a modern brick dwelling, one of the finest in that section of Allen county. In the family were two children, the subject of this review and his sister, Eliza, who is now the wife of Frank Frisby, a resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The old home property continued to be the residence of the parents until the death of the father, when it was sold.
Educated in the public schools and reared to farm life, Samuel B. Lovall continued to aid in the development and improvement of the old homestead until the father's death. Soon afterward he established an undertaking business at New Haven, Indiana, about two miles from the old home, where he continued until his removal to Hopkins in 1888. The fact of having friends in Allegan county induced him to select his present loca- tion. Here he opened a furniture store and undertaking establishment, and in a short time he added a harnessmaking establishment, which he conducted for eleven years. He finally determined to extend the field of his operations by establishing branch undertaking establishments, and about ten years ago opened an office at Dorr, ten miles north of Hop- kins. He also opened a business at Wayland and carries a stock of caskets at each place, with a man in charge. He also keeps a funeral car in Way- land and two at Hopkins. The Wayland car is said to be the finest in the county, and Mr. Lovall practically has charge of all the funerals in this part of the county. He is a licensed embalmer under the state laws, his license being No. 91. His long experience makes him very capable as a funeral director. In Hopkins he has erected a store building and three dwellings and also three barns. The business block is twenty-six by seventy-
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five feet, and the second story is used as an opera house and public hall for the town. He has also erected a fine brick dwelling, which is one of the most attractive and modern residences in the village. On the Ist of Feb- ruary, 1906, his two sons, Harley and Burl, aged seventeen and fourteen, established a grocery store on their own account in a part of their father's store building, starting with a stock worth four hundred dollars. They have succeeded beyond their expectations and they are the youngest business firm in the county.
On the 12th of February, 1887, Mr. Lovall was united in marriage to Miss Serena A. Miller, of New Haven, Indiana, whose grandparents were among the earliest settlers of that section of the state. Her birthplace was near the Lovall farm, and by their marriage there are now two chil- dren, Harley and Burl, who, as stated, are conducting a grocery store.
In his political views Mr. Lovall is a Republican. having always acted with the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He was coroner for the county for six years and gave such matters his careful attention. Fraternally he has been a Mason since attaining his majority and is very active and helpful in the local lodge. He is also an Odd Fellow and a Knight of the Maccabees, and has further fraternal relations with the Woodmen and the Protective Legion. About eighteen years ago, in con- nection with Charles Knobloch, he organized the Hopkins band, of which they remained in control for fifteen years, Mr. Knoblock playing the cornet and Mr. Lovall the bass drum and cymbals. The band was called to fairs all over this part of the state and even into Indiana and won wide reputa- tion for Hopkins. Mr. Lovall was only fourteen years of age when his mother died and he was left with the care of an invalid father. His early educational privileges were exceedingly limited, for he had to attend to the work of the farm from the age of twelve years, the father being com- pletely helpless as far as outdoor work was concerned. Whatever success he has achieved has resulted entirely from his own labors and in the face of difficulties and hardships which would utterly have discouraged many a less resolute man he has made steady advancement toward the goal of prosperity, and his business record and private life are alike commendable and exemplary.
THOMAS GILLIGAN, the junior partner of Wolfinger & Gilligan, and also assistant postmaster at Hopkins, is one of Allegan county's native sons. his birth having occurred in Watson township on the 18th of September, 1862. His parents were Patrick and Mary (Rogers) Gilligan, the former a native of Ireland, and the latter of New York. The father came to Allegan county with his stepfather, Patrick Nolan, and took up his abode in Watson township. He improved a farm in that township and for many years has been accounted one of its leading and representative agriculturists. Both he and his wife are still living and they have an excellent farm of two hundred and twenty acres, to which he yet gives his personal supervision and attention.
Thomas Gilligan was reared to farm life, early becoming familiar with the duties and labors that devolve upon the agriculturist. When twenty- five years of age, however, he started out upon an independent business career and thinking that he would find commercial pursuits more congenial
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than agricultural life, he formed a partnership with Mr. Wolfinger, which connection has sinee been maintained, and since about 1887 Mr. Gilligan has devoted his energies to the conduct of the drug store. He is also aeting as assistant postmaster, his partner being his superior offieer in that eonnce- tion. They have a well appointed store, carefully managed and tastefully arranged, and their efforts have been erowned with a measure of sueeess that indicates their elose application and honorable business dealing.
Mr. Gilligan was united in marriage to Miss Viola George, a daughter of Chester George, and a native of Monterey township. They are pleasantly located in Hopkins, where they have a wide cirele of friends. Mr. Gilligan is a Democrat in his political views and soeially is eonnceted with the Knights of the Maeeabees. Twenty years' connection with Hopkins and its business interests have made him well known in the town and as a native son of the county whose life record reflects eredit upon the place of his nativity and the place of his residence he well deserves mention in this volume.
JACKSON BAKER, one of the venerable residents and pioneer citizens of Allegan county, now living at Hopkins township, has intimate knowledge of conditions which existed here when the work of development and improve- ment had seareely been begun. In faet, he aided in planting the seeds of civilization in the forests of Michigan and ever bore his part in the work of general improvement. He was born in lower Canada March 16, 1829. a son of Harvey N. and Catherine (Schufelt) Baker, the former a native of Massachusetts and the latter a representative of a Pennsylvania Duteh family. They were married in Canada and settled in Allegan eounty near the mouth of Gun river on the 8th of June, 1836. Later they resided in Martin township for two years and in the fall of 1838 came to Hopkins township, being the third family to settle within its borders, their prede- cessors being Jonathan O. Round and Erastus Congden and his family. who lived near Hopkinsburg. The first death in the township was that of Hopkins Round, who died when two and a half years old and was laid to rest a half mile east of the village of Hopkinsburg. The township of Dorr was set off from Watson township and as soon as the population was suf- fieient to justify another division Hopkins was set off from Dorr township. On that oeeasion each man of the township dropped a slip into a hat with his ehoiee of a name thereon and the first one drawn was to be the name of the new township. It chaneed that Hopkins was upon the slip which was first taken from the hat and thus the township was named in honor of the little lad whose death was the first within the borders of the township. Harvey N. Baker, on coming to the township, settled on the farm where Gottfried Knuth now resides and there made his home until his death. The buildings which he erected have been removed from their original location, but the house is still standing, being now used as a barn. Mr. Baker was an expert hewer of timber and was identified with building operations at an early day. He assisted in building the first sawmill, also in the construction of early bridges and other buildings at Otsego and in this part of the county. He placed eighty aeres of his land under cultiva- tion and died just prior to his sixty-fifth birthday. His wife, who was some years his junior, survived him for four or five years In their family
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were fourteen children, of whom thirteen reached adult age, and of these five sons are living in 1906, namely: Jackson, Alonzo, Milo, Edwin and Philander, all in Hopkins township. Of the others Eugene died in middle life. Mary was the wife of Philetus Wood. Minerva married Levi Wilcox. Melissa became the wife of Charles Brown. Emily married Judson Good- win and both died soon afterward. When she was six years of age she strayed into the forest and was not found until she had been away from home three days and two nights. She was discovered on Bear creek. Mahala became the wife of Frank Kelly and her second husband was William Loomis. Julia married John Hoffmaster, and Amanda became the wife of Philip Hoffmaster. All of the daughters are now deceased.
Jackson Baker remained on the old homestead farm until twenty-one years of age and became an expert with the use of the ax. He took jobs at clearing, logging, teaming and other work in the woods and thus made a start upon his business career. When twenty-four years of age he was married in November, 1853, to Miss Emma Adams. of Hillsdale county. Michigan. He had at that time eighty acres of land, which he had pur- chased direct from the government at one dollar and a quarter per acre. and it has never been transferred or mortgaged, but still remains in his possession, being one of the oldest settled farms of the township. In May, 1854, he built a log house upon it. He still continued to work out. however, at clearing and logging and in building roads and in other ways. Later he concentrated his energies upon the further development and improvement of his farm, upon which he continued until about eight years ago, when he removed to Wayland, where he lived for a time, and his son operates the old home place. Mr. Baker placed sixty-five acres under cultivation and carried on the work of tilling the soil, and annually gathered rich and abundant harvests. He removed from the log cabin into the present home which now stands upon the farm, in 1872. and as his financial resources increased he added to his property until the farm comprises one hundred acres of rich and productive land.
To Mr. and Mrs. Baker were born the following named: Mary, who became the wife of Albert Mudget and died when thirty-one years of age ; Clinton, a painter of Allegan ; Rosina, the wife of George Kilgore. of Kala- mazoo : Truman, who is living in Hopkins township; Belle, the wife of Silas Hilbert, also of Hopkins township; and John, who is upon the old homestead.
In his political views Mr. Baker is a Republican, but has never been an aspirant for office. He has now passed the seventy-seventh milestone on life's journey and is one of the venerable pioneer citizens of the county. His memory embraces the period of early development here. He well remembers when the entire countryside was covered with a forest growth that was the haunt of many wild animals. Mr. Baker himself has killed more than two hundred deer in this part of the state and he greatly enjoyed the sport of hunting at an early day. Time and man have wrought many changes and now where once stood the dense forest are seen fields of waving grain or fine fruit orchards, while in their midst here and there are scattered thriving towns and cities, containing all the elements of civilization and improvement known to the older east.
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R. C. ROUND, now living retired upon his farm in Hopkins township, is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Michigan and of a New England ancestry that was established in America in colonial days. His paternal great-grandparents were George and Martha ( Hopkins) Round, the former a Revolutionary soldier, while the latter was a sister of Stephen Hopkins, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Their son, Oziel Hopkins Round, wedded Anna Olin, and unto them were born fourteen children, including Jonathan Olin Round, the father of R. C. Round, of this review. He was the eldest and was born in Clarendon, Vermont, October 10, 1809. When twenty years of age he married Miss Sallie Congdon, who was born in Clarendon July 10, 1810. In May, 1834, he purchased one hundred and forty acres of land in Kalamazoo township, Kalamazoo county, Michigan, and came to this state with Erastus Congdon, his brother-in-law. In the spring of 1837 he took up his abode in Hopkins township, Allegan county, becoming its first permanent settler. For forty years he carried on general agricultural pursuits and then in 1877 retired from his farm to the village of Hopkins, where he spent his remaining days in the enjoyment of a well earned rest. His wife died February 8, 1884, while he survived until August 23, 1890, but had been totally blind for twelve years.
His son, Rollin C. Round, of this review, the eldest in a family of nine children, was born in Clarendon, Vermont, July 13, 1831. He was twenty years of age when he made his first purchase of land, securing a tract on section 36, Hopkins township, Allegan county. He made further preparations for having a home of his own by his marriage on the 7th of May, 1854, to Miss Zorada Andrews, a daughter of Norton and Caroline (Root) Andrews, who came with their family from Ohio to Michigan in 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Round traveled life's journey together for about twenty-three years and were then separated by the death of the wife, who passed away leaving an only daughter, Clara A., who became the head of the household. After losing his first wife Mr. Round was again married on the 14th of October, 1880, to Mrs. Martha Corbett, nec Baldwin, who came from New York and was married the first time in this county. She died December 26, 1902, after a happy married life of more than twenty- two years. She had two daughters by her first marriage: Ada, now the wife of Nelson Hull, of Hopkins; and Ella, the wife of William Martin, of Hopkins. Both remained at home with their mother until their mar- riage. Mr. Round's daughter, Clara A. Round, remained as housekeeper for her father from the age of eighteen years until her marriage two years later to Rosell J. Gorton, who has since carried on her father's farm. They have three children: Rollin G., who is carrying on farming on the old homestead, having built a house in the same yard, and who married Alma Yates, by whom he has a daughter, Geneva Y .; Mamie, the wife of Warren Hurley, a farmer of Otsego township, by whom she has two children, Carlos B. and Leon G .; and Clyde B. Gorton, who is a student in the State Agricultural College at Lansing, Michigan.
The homestead farm comprises eighty acres of rich land, of which Mr. Round placed forty acres under cultivation. He erected the main part of the present house and made other substantial improvements on the place. Since Mr. Gorton has taken charge he has added fifty-eight acres to the
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home place, beside two forty-acre tracts in Watson township, so that the farm now comprises altogether two hundred and eighteen acres. He has erected a large bank barn and altogether the farm is one of the best in the township. For fourteen years Mr. Round lived upon the farm belonging to his second wife and then removed to the village of Hopkins, where he was retired from active business cares, making his home in the village until the death of his second wife. He then returned to the old home farm in Hopkins township and has since lived with his daughter, Mrs. Gorton. In the early days he would take jobs at clearing land and making roads and causeways. He lived in an old log house for nearly twenty years, it being among the first built in the township, but his present residence was erected in 1873. In those early days much valuable timber was burned in order to clear the land and prepare it for the plow. Both he and his father were Democrats in political faith and he has served only as road commissioner. having no ambition or aspiration for public office. He has witnessed many changes in the county as the years have gone by and has worked diligently and persistently, allowing no obstacles to brook his path toward the goal of success. He is now comfortably situated in life and in spirit and interests seems largely in his prime, although he has passed the Psalmist's span of three score years and ten.
JOHN G. ELLINGER, living in Hopkins township, is a sturdy represen- tative of the Teutonic race, which has been an important element in the civilization of the world. Its sons have gone into many districts and their characteristic enterprise and perseverance have made them good citizens and prosperous business men. To this class belongs Mr. Ellinger, who was born in Bavaria, Germany, December 10, 1838. He was a youth of fifteen years when, in 1853, he came to America, his brothers. Daniel and Christian, having crossed the Atlantic four years before. They were both located at that time in New York City, where they were conducting a store, and the subject of this review became a clerk in their establishment. After two years spent in that way he made his- way to Michigan. His brother Daniel sold his interest in the store to Christian and also came to Allegan, where he established a clothing store six months before the arrival of John G. Ellinger, who came in July, 1855, and again entered his brother's employ. He afterward worked on a farm and in a sawmill and was thus actively and busily employed until 1861, when he responded to the call of his adopted country, enlisting at the first call for three years' men as a member of Company A, Third Michigan Cavalry. He was under the command of Captain Moyer and his service for two and one-half years was with the company, which he joined on its organization. For four and a half years his time was devoted to military service and he was then honorably dis- charged. On re-enlisting, several members of the old regiment were assigned to Company F, of the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, and he continued with that command until the close of the war. He started on the Atlanta campaign under General Grierson, but the forces under that leader had to retreat and thus ultimately made him a participant in the battle of Nashville against Hood. He was afterward engaged in military operations in Missis- sippi, when his company was out on a raid attempting to capture rebel near Corinth, Mississippi. This was in the second year of his service and
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he was disabled for three months. He was captured near Jackson, Missis- sippi, when his company was out on a raid attempting to capture rebel leaders, Mr. Ellinger being with the advance guard. He and his comrades had captured several Confederates that morning and hie advanced beyond the regular force in order to learn which road to take. He rode into a squad of rebels, who, after chasing him for six or eight miles, succeeded in effecting his capture. He found that a member of this squad was a man who he himself had captured some time before and in return for the con- siderate treatment which Mr. Ellinger had extended to him he in turn received good treatment at the hands of the rebels, but as his company pressed forward he was taken into the woods where they encamped. His gun and horse were sold to the highest bidder and he was offered a position as first lieutenant if he would join the Confederates. It is needless to say that he rejected the offer and watched an opportunity for escape. Lying down, he crawled as far as possible from the fire behind a log and toward morning he rose up and looked about him. He found that an old man was on guard. He then lay down again and arranging his blanket he crawled off on all fours. At length he heard the hounds in pursuit, but by trailing things behind him he cut off the scent of the dogs. At length he called at a house to make inquiries concerning a horse and was directed to a planta- tion, where he pretended to be one of General Forest's spies. He saw a horse there hitched to the fence and also secured a sheepskin for a saddle. He had advanced four miles on his way when he saw four horses tied to a fence and he crawled down along by the side of the fence in order to obtain one of those horses, but the owners were out of the house near by and jumped on their horses before he had a chance to carry out his design. He crouched low into the fence corner, keeping low to the ground, and thus escaped notice, after which he returned to his own pony. At length he reached camp at nine o'clock in the morning and at once was fitted out with a horse, saddle and gun and again went into line as a scout. He was generally in the advance guard, which often placed him in a very hazardous position, and for some time he served as corporal on the staff of General Coon, of the Ninth Illinois. He received an honorable discharge on the 31st of October, 1865, at Selma, Alabama, and thus after about four years' active military service he returned to his home. He was a most faithful soldier, loyally performing any duty that devolved upon him, and he now attends the reunions of the Third Michigan Cavalry, for he always regarded it as his regiment, as it was only circumstance that placed him with the Ninth Illinois. He is now a member of Harlow Briggs Post No. 53. G. A. R., of which he has served as commander, while at the present writing he is quartermaster.
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