USA > Michigan > Allegan County > A twentieth century history of Allegan County, Michigan > Part 64
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Edmund S. Rogers was only nine years old when he accompanied his parents from Ohio to Michigan, and he remained upon the home farm in Allegan township until he had attained the age of seventeen years. The great Civil war had been raging for several years and the lad became fired with a desire to go in the aid of his country. But not until he was seven- teen did the opportunity offer, and then he was quick to take it. enlisting in February, 1865, in Company F. Twenty-fourth Michigan Volunteer In- fantry. He was sent with his regiment to Springfield. Illinois, where they remained for about four months, when the war closed. While at Springfield Mr. Rogers, with other members of his regiment, acted as a guard of honor during the burial of the lamented President Lincoln.
After the close of the war he returned to the old home in Allegan county, and for several years to follow worked in sawmills and lumber camps. Then in 1873 he purchased his present home in Cheshire township. the same being located on section 9. His first purchase of land was only forty acres, the same having only seven acres cleared and with a log house twelve by twenty feet in size, with a small porch in front and a grapevine growing over it. Later he bought an additional twenty acres, and the sixty comprises his present holdings. Mr. Rogers has cleared this place himself and made all of the improvements thereon. He has an up-to-date house, good barns and other buildings and the whole place reflects the good man- agement and care of the owner. It is styled "The Old Homestead Farm."
Our subject was married July 16, 1869. when he took for his life part- ner Miss Josephine Davis, a native of Belfast. Allegheny county. New York, where she was born December 12. 1849. Her father was Orrin Davis. a native of Bristol. Connecticut, who was for many years a success- ful teacher and in later years a physician in the state of New York. Here he met and married Mariah Buck, and in later years, when their daughter was seventeen years old, they came to Michigan and located in Allegan
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county, making their home in Cheshire township on a farm. Here the father died at the age of ninety-two and the mother at the age of sixty- four.
The union of Edmund S. and Josephine Davis has resulted in the birth of three children, all of whom are living, as follows: Edna May is the wife of Charles Peas, of Casco township, and they have three children, Veryl, Rollin and Esther : Grace is the wife of Homer Connery and they have one son, Roger, their home being in the township of Pine Grove; Ruby, the youngest, lives at home with her parents. Previous to their mar- riages, the two eldest daughters were for a number of years successful teachers in this and adjoining counties.
Mr. Rogers in politics is an independent Republican. He has served his township two terms as highway commissioner and has also been a school director for twelve years. He has wide fraternal relations and be- longs to B. F. Chapin Post, G. A. R., of Cheshire township, the F. & A. M. Lodge at Allegan and also to the Grange.
CHARLES U. SCHERMERHORN .- The gentleman named above is a life- long resident of the township of Cheshire, where he was born March 7, 1854. That he is a man who commands the high regard and thorough confidence of the people of this section is evidenced by the fact that he is now filling his sixth consecutive term as supervisor of Cheshire township, a position which he occupies with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents. It is a notable fact that he is the only native of the township to be chosen as supervisor and that with but one exception he has held the office longer than any other incumbent.
The Schermerhorns are of Holland descent and the prefix "Van" was until some years ago attached to the name. They were among the leading Dutch families in the days of New York, or, as it was then styled, New Amsterdam, and many of the descendants of the original family still reside in eastern New York state.
Our subject's father, James U., was born in Little Falls, Herkimer county, New York, January 8, 1820. His young manhood was spent as a boatman on the then celebrated Erie canal, and it was in Herkimer county that he met and married Sarah Ann Dayger, a native of Columbia, that county, where she was born July 29, 1828. In the fall of 1852 they came west to Michigan City, Indiana, and after a brief residence there they came the following year into Michigan, locating on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Cheshire township, which he cleared and improved and where he died July 17, 1879. He was one of a family of thirteen children, eleven boys and two girls. An idea of the crude state of this section at the time he came here may be gained from the statement that at that time he was obliged to carry provisions for his family from Kalamazoo, a distance of thirty miles, on his back and traversed the dis- tance afoot. James U. Schermerhorn enlisted in 1864 in the Ninth Michi- gan Volunteer Infantry for service in the Civil war and went at once to the front in the Army of the Cumberland, and was with his regiment all of the time until the close of the war. He was the father of ten children, all but two of whom are still living: Ida A. Allen lives in North Dakota ; Olive Elizabeth Case is a resident of Allegan; Charles U. is the subject
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of this review ; Ann and Sarah are both deceased : James J. and Benjamin live in Holland : Labin H. is in Louisville, Kentucky; John is in Chicago, and Frank lives in Allegan. Their mother is still living and is a resident of Allegan, where several of the children live.
Charles U. lived on the farm with his parents until he was twenty-one years old and assisted in the clearing and improvement of the place. Then he began life for himself and worked in a sawmill on the lake shore for a number of years. He was with one firm for six years and was employed the most of the time in superintending mill and dock work. He was mar- ried in 1878 to Miss Emma Reafel, a native of Brant Center. New York, where she was born September 18, 1862. She was the daughter of Martin and Ann (Green) Reafel, both of whom were of German birth. She came to Michigan with her parents in 1865. Soon after their marriage Mr. Schermerhorn purchased a farm of eighty acres on section 23. Cheshire township, which he improved by the erection of fine buildings. For a number of years he rented this farm and lived on the B. D. Prichard farm, of which he was foreman. He also has engaged largely in the rais- ing of live stock, being for seven years in this line with Peter A. Olcutt, of Allegan. In 1904 he sold his farm on section 23 and purchased his present place of fifty acres on section 10, where he has already made many improvements. Here he has one thousand thrifty peach trees and also makes a specialty of stock raising. He has numerous fraternal affilia- tions and has been a member of Chicora Grange for nearly two years. He was a member of the Cheshire Banner Grange for about ten years before taking a transfer to Chicora Lodge. He also belongs to Chicora Legion, No. 1,014, Legion of Honor, and to the K. O. T. M.
ALBERT O. REBEL .- Few men in the county of Allegan have led a more eventful and romantic career or seen more of the world for a man of luis years than Mr. Albert O. Rebel, who now resides upon a fine farm in the township of Cheshire, where he seems to enjoy life even more than during his world-wide wanderings.
Mr. Rebel is a native of Prussia, Germany, where he was born April 23. 1869. His father was Herman Rebel. also a native of Prussia, where his entire life was passed. There were two sons in the family. The mother died when our subject was but an infant. His brother, Max. is still a resi- dent of Prussia. Albert Rebel's boyhood days were passed in Germany, where he attended the public and high schools, securing a good common school education. When fifteen years of age he decided to try his fortunes in the new world and he accordingly came alone to America, locating first in Chicago. Staying there but a short time. he went into the lumbering and mining districts of northern Michigan, where he first took a position as assistant cook in a mining camp. He stayed here only about a month, but long enough to imbibe a touch of the mining fever, and then he went to Leadville, Colorado, where he prospected and mined for gold and silver and also did placer mining. He was thus occupied for some six or seven years and then went into British Columbia and from there to Alaska when the latter country was beginning to become noted as a mining country. He prospected most of the time in British Columbia and Alaska and this period of his life was filled with some stirring incidents and thrilling experiences.
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In addition to the stirring life of the miner, there was mountain climbing, encounters with wild animals and many other incidents peculiar to a life of this character.
During the panic of 1873 the depreciation of silver made it evident that mining would not be a profitable occupation for a number of years, at least, so he decided to give his attention to other matters. After leaving Alaska he spent a vear in travel, spending some time in Great Britain and Ireland and also visiting nearly every country in Europe. Of course he visited the Fatherland, and during his stay in Prussia he married Miss Johanna L. Genekow, a native of that country, their marriage occurring in 1901. They soon thereafter returned to the United States, where Mr. Rebel decided to turn his attention to farming. He came to Michigan and located in Allegan county, purchasing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 30, Cheshire township. The place was cleared and well improved, with a fine residence of commodious proportions and three good, large barns. In addition to its good condition when he purchased it, Mr. Rebel has made many minor improvements in the way of fencing, clearing the land of stumps and the like, and he now has one of the finest pieces of farm property in the township. He is a member of Deer Lake Grange, of which organization he is also secretary, and he is a director of the Grange Fire Insurance Company, of Allegan county. He is also a mem- ber of the F. & A. M., of Bloomingdale, and is a member of the Christian church.
Mr. and Mrs. Rebel are the parents of two sons-Herbert. born July 7. 1902. and Chester, born July 27, 1906, who died September 17, 1906.
WILLIAM W. G. ROWE .- Like so many of the sterling residents of Michigan who have spent a lifetime here, Mr. Rowe is a native of the state of New York, where he was born in Cazenovia, Madison county, October 17, 1837. His father was William C. Rowe, a native of Cortland county, New York, while his mother, a native of Connecticut, was previous to her marriage Miss Mary Andrews, whose parents were from Connecticut, although they spent their latter days in the state of New York. William C. Rowe and his wife were married in New York and came to Michigan in [841 with their little family, making the journey in the rather primitive manner of the times, the initial portion of it being via the old Erie canal to Buffalo, then by boat to Monroe. Michigan, and the latter part of the trip by wagon to Allegan county. They located at Allegan, where they lived four years. and then settled on a one hundred and sixty acre farm in Wat- son township. Here they made a home. the father clearing the land. assisted in later years by his sons. Here William C. Rowe was a man of influence and probity in the community and he did much in shaping the history of this part of Allegan county. He was a lifelong Republican and in the earlier years of the formation of Watson township he held various offices, being township treasurer a number of terms and for many years the highway commissioner. In connection with his duties as the last named officer he assisted in laying out many of the original highways of this township and also assisted in many other public improvements. He spent the remainder of his life upon the farm which he had first selected. his death occurring when he was seventy-three years old. The mother of our
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subject did not live long in her new home, she dying here in her thirty- second year, when William W. G. was only fifteen years old. Of the seven children in the family the subject of this review was the eldest, his brothers and sisters being as follows: Charles H. was a participant in the Civil war, serving in the Twenty-eighth Michigan Infantry, and he now lives upon the old homestead in Watson township: Ralph died at the age of fifteen years : Alex H. is a resident of Trowbridge township, this county : Mary J. married Winslow Feek and both are deceased: Sarah Maria died at the age of four years : Elizabeth became the wife of Daniel Broclin and both are dead.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the eldest son. William, was only four years of age when he accompanied his parents from New York state to Michigan, but even at this day he remembers the details of that long journey into a new and strange country. After spending four years in Allegan village, during which time he attended school, he went with his father and mother to Watson township to live. An idea of the condi- tion of the country at that time may be gained when we learn that the only highways were tracks through the woods and around trees, with the near- est neighbors one and four miles distant. Here on the farm on section 9 the lad remained until young manhood, when in 1861 the outbreak of the great Civil war fired his imagination and his patriotism. He enlisted at Allegan in August of 1862 in Berdan's Sharp Shooters, when it was found that the register was full. He re-enlisted in Company I. Fifth Michigan Cavalry, and was later transferred to the Fourth Michigan Cavalry. He went to the front with his regiment. He was in the Army of the Cum- berland, under Thomas and Sherman, and one of his first active duties consisted of soirtees after Morgan. Later he was in Kentucky and Ten- nessee scouting, and afterward joined in the historic march of Sherman to Atlanta. He was in numerous engagements and battles, including Chicka- mauga, Murfreesboro and Atlanta, being fourteen days in the rifle pitts. and it was his regiment that cut the railroads around Atlanta. With the exception of a brief period of illness, he was with his regiment all through the campaign and also participated in the capture of the Rebel leader, Jef- ferson Davis. He was mustered out with the other members of his regi- ment at Edgefield. Tennessee, in July, 1865. After the close of his duties as a soldier he returned to the family home in Watson township and on June 28. 1866, he was married to Miss Alice Barbero, daughter of Edwin and Rachel (Balding) Barbero. She was born near Chagrin Falls, Ohio. and came to Allegan county with her parents when she was only four years old. Our subject's early life had been passed upon the farm, with occa- sional employment in the lumber camps and woods, so it was natural that he should decide upon agriculture as a life's vocation. In the autumn fol- lowing his marriage he selected a farm for himself on sections 24 and 25, Cheshire township, the same consisting of one hundred and twenty acres. It was new land, there being only a few acres chopped off when he bought it. He soon built a log house and then proceeded to clear his farm, which he accomplished almost unaided. In later years he built a most comfortable residence and also excellent barns and other buildings, including a blacksmith shop. General farming was followed until a few years ago, since which time he has devoted more attention to
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the dairy line and fruit growing. For ten years he has had a fine stock of Jersey cows and pays considerable attention to milk production, his product going to Merson. His farm is now in an almost perfect state of cultivation and in addition he also has various outside interests, including stock in the celebrated Allegan Creamery. Like all intelligent farmers, he believes in organizations for their especial benefit, and he was one of the charter mem- bers of the Grange of Watson township, although now belonging to Banner Grange, of Cheshire. He has also been a stockholder in the Grange store at Allegan and has been a member of the board of directors of this insti- tution for the past nine years. Politically he has always been a loyal Repub- lican and his first presidential ballot was cast for Abraham Lincoln, since which time he has voted for every Republican candidate for this exalted office. His fellow townsmen have reposed confidence in him as a man and faithful officer and he has filled numerous local offices, being township treasurer of Cheshire for six years, assessor of his school district several terms and overseer of highways several times. He was a school officer dur- ing the building of the new school building in District No. 8. Fraternally he is affiliated with B. F. Chapin Post, No. 278, G. A. R., and has filled nearly every office in the post, being the present quartermaster.
Mr. and Mrs. Rowe have three children, as follows: Cora, wife of John Wehner, of Otsego township; Ed., who runs the home farm and resides here, and Shirley, of Minnesota.
LEONARD M. WEBSTER is the youngest child of Charles and Sophia (Harriden) Webster, both of whom were natives of Vermont, having been married there and after several years removed to Medina county, Ohio. They were the parents of five children, of whom Caroline, Solomon and Harriet are deceased, while Marcena is now a resident of Trowbridge town- ship, this county. The father died in Ohio, April 5, 1851, and the same year the widowed mother and her five children made their way into Mich- igan, crossing Lake Erie by boat and then journeying on the old wooden rail Michigan Central Railroad from Detroit westward into Allegan county. The youngest son, Leonard, was only sixteen years of age at that time and he still bears a vivid recollection of the journey, which in those days was considered a long and tedious one. Leonard was born in Medina county, Ohio, November 23, 1834. In the journey into western Michigan, the rail- road ran only as far as Kalamazoo, and from that point they were compelled to travel by wagon into Allegan county. They located in west woods, Trow- bridge township, where eighty acres of new land were secured and a cabin erected in which to live. Our subject remained there one year, working at home and by the month in the woods with team. In April of 1853 he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah O'Dell, the daughter of Benajah and Caroline (Smith) O'Dell, both of Ohio, where Mrs. O'Dell died, the wid- owed father afterward coming to Michigan with his family. Sarah O'Dell was born in Catteraugus county, New York, February 23. 1837, and she was only fifteen years of age when she was brought to Michigan by her father. Their home was in Allegan county, where the daughter grew to young womanhood and where she met and was married to the subject of this review. After marriage they both worked by the month for some time and then they bought a forty-acre farm in Trowbridge township.
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In this township they owned several small farms and finally they sold out and came into Cheshire township, buying their present farm on section 26 in 1877. Here Mr. Webster has done much in the way of improve- ment, erecting good buildings and setting out many trees, this place now being known as "Maple Lane."
In August, 1864, Mr. Webster enlisted in Company I, First Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, and was in the Army of the Cumberland and also in the memorable march of Sherman to the sea. He was honorably discharged from the army at the close of the war, at Louisville, Kentucky, June 3, 1865. Like many others who endured the privations and hardships of camp life, Mr. Webster had his health and constitution shattered thereby and since the war he has not been able to do any great amount of hard labor. Four children have been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Webster, as fol- lows: Nellie Melissa Decker is deceased, leaving four children; Lillie is the widow of Eugene Relong of this township, and they have four chil- dren ; Mary is the wife of M. D. Cooley, and Caroline is the wife of Irving Fox. The families of the last three live on farms adjoining on Eagle Lake in this township. This is a popular resort and all of the places are popular with summer resorters, who find comfortable quarters here.
Mr. Webster has been a Republican all of his life and his first vote for president was cast for Fremont. He has been called upon to fill numerous offices, having been justice of the peace one term, United States census enumerator in 1880 and 1890, and a school officer for fifteen years. He is a member of Banner Grange of Cheshire township, and a comrade in Ed- win Colvin Post, G. A. R., of Bloomingdale. He and the members of his family are also members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Blooming- dale.
JOHN F. DOUD is another of the pioneer residents of Allegan county who has not only been a witness of the development of this section from an almost unbroken wilderness to its present status of productiveness and general prosperity and enterprise, but is also one who has been an active participant in this important transformation.
John F. Doud is a native of Hum Mountain township, Alleghany county, New York, where he was born January 1I, 1829. He is the son of John and Charlotte (Trawl) Doud, who were among the worthy pioneers of Alleghany county, New York, that region being almost entirely new when they settled there. They made this county their permanent home, passing through all of those privations incident to life in a new country, and having just such an experience as was to be that of their son in Mich- igan a half-century later. They were the parents of six children. as fol- lows : Warren, the eldest, came to Michigan in the early fifties and located in Allegan. He was a shoemaker by trade and worked at this line in Alle- gan and also in the woods in Cheshire township, where he later made a home. He afterward moved to Eaton county and from there to Chatta- nooga, Tennessee, finally returning to Michigan and locating at Coldwater, where he died. Four daughters, Marilla, Marian, Charlotte and Lucretia, have all passed away and the only surviving member of this large family is John F. Doud, the subject of this review, who was next to the youngest of the children.
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John F. Doud remained upon the home farm in New York state with his parents until he had attained the age of twenty-seven years, when he became infected with the western fever, then so rampant in the east. He went first to Buffalo and then by boat into the middle west, stopping first in Iowa City, Iowa, where he spent a summer and a winter. Then in the spring of 1857 he retraced steps for a distance and came to Allegan county, whither his brother, Warren, had preceded him several years. Eager with the desire to possess land of his own he stayed only a few days in Allegan and then, in company with his brother, started out afoot to locate a farm. They traveled over thirty miles the first day and on the way shared their dinner with Indians, which were then very numerous in this locality. An idea of the newness of the country may be obtained when we state that at the time this journey was made there were only twelve families living in the northern half of Cheshire township. John F. selected forty acres of school land on section 16, paying forty dollars down. So limited was his exchequer that after making this first payment upon his land he had left only two dollars and fifty cents in cash. His other belongings were also very few, for all he had he carried in a satchel. He went to work for Richard Ferris in a little sawmill, receiving one dollar per day, and thus he saved enough money to get lumber with which to build a shanty. This ac. complished, he at once sent to New York state for his young wife and she came at once to him, bringing with her a very few belongings. He had been maried in the Empire state on his twenty-fifth birthday anniversary to Sally Ann Wood. She was born in Warsaw, Wyoming county, New York, in 1826, the daughter of William and Maria Wood, who moved from Wyoming county to Allegheny county when their daughter was young. Here the twain met and their acquaintance ripened into love and culminated in an early marriage. When the young wife first joined her husband in Mich- igan it was plain to be seen that there was a hard battle before them to make for themselves a comfortable home here. They even had to go into debt for a stove and other household furniture and the money to pay for this outfit was earned by Mr. Doud by chopping in the woods.
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