A twentieth century history of Berrien County, Michigan, Part 103

Author: Coolidge, Orville W
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1314

USA > Michigan > Berrien County > A twentieth century history of Berrien County, Michigan > Part 103

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Eugene C. Dana attended school in vari- ous places, although his education in the schoolroom was limited to about five years' attendance. He has, however, always been an earnest and discriminating student and has become a well informed man, of schol- arly attainments largely in advance of many college bred men. He has read extensively, pondered earnestly and thought deeply, keeping in touch with the advance of mod- ern thought. While still in his teens he entered the United States revenue service during the period of the Civil war and while thus engaged saved quite a little sum of money from his earnings, so that at the age of twenty years he was enabled to purchase an interest in a newspaper, the Niles Repub-

lican, becoming associated in this enterprise with Major Duncan. On account of his health, however, he afterward gave up the work and took up the study of telegraphy, becoming an operator on the Michigan Cen- tral Railroad. He was located at various points on the line, acting first as night oper- ator and afterward as day operator. Finally the order came for him to take charge of the Western Union telgraph office at Niles, the business of which had become greatly disordered through mismanagement by his predecessors. Mr. Dana continued as chief operator at Niles in the Western Union of- fice for twenty-five years and soon brought order out of chaos in the affairs entrusted to him and successfully managed the interests of the position for a quarter of a century. He had hoped to become a writer and indeed has written for the press many letters of his travels in New Mexico and on the Pacific coast but his close application to the key- board and the demands thus made upon his mental forces rendered it impossible for him to devote more attention to mental work. However, he now has in his possession many manuscripts which he has written and at the present time since his retirement from the telegraph office he has given his atten- tion to literary . and professional work. While acting as operator he made many friends and acquaintances all over the world and was in continuous correspondence with eighty or more people, including many celebrities in different parts of the world. He is today a man of brilliant education, well versed on many subjects, and his repartee of ready wit and clear and logical thought have made him a favorite toastmaster, his services in this direction being sought for many banquets. He has on various oc- casions acted in that capacity for the order of the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a member, and he has served as keeper of the records and seal, acting in that capacity for fourteen years. He is likewise a mem- ber of the Elks lodge at South Bend, In- diana. For almost thirty years he has con- ducted a campaign glee club, himself pos- sessing a fine voice and considerable rhetor- ical power so that on many occasions he

Eugene Cyrus Dance auce

681

HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

has acted in theatricals. As a reader he has been in demand and has done good work at banquets here and elsewhere, his specialty being dialect recitations, as he is rather an adept in five or six dialects.

In his political views Mr. Dana is an earnest Republican, always voting to up- hold the principles of that party, and from the age of sixteen years he has been a de- voted member of the Presbyterian Church. He has a very wide acquaintance in Niles and throughout the county, and the circle of his friends is an extensive one, the rich resources of his mind awakening the ad- miration and interests of his fellowmen and rendering him a most companionable gen- tleman.

MORGAN W. MATRAU still resides in Bainbridge township, where he was born April 29, 1847. His parents were Joseph and Amanda (Woodruff) Matrau, the latter a daughter of Deacon Levi Woodruff, a dis- tinguished and pioneer settler of this section of the state. Joseph Matrau was also one of the early residents of this part of Michi- gan and was married here to Amanda Wood- ruff. He had come to Berrien county from the district of Montreal, Canada, and he went to Chicago when it was a little hamlet, crossing thence to Michigan in order to get a home. He first had gone near the village of Pen Yan in Bainbridge township, and it was there that his son Morgan was born. When the boy was five or six years of age his parents removed to another farm in the northern part of the same township, where the father cleared and developed a tract of land of eighty acres. His life was devoted to farming and thus he provided a comfort- able living for his family. Mr. Matrau be- came a Methodist but his wife became a member of the Congregational church, in which she had been reared and of which her father, Deacon Levi Woodruff was a promi- nent representative in this part of the state. Mr. Matrau passed away when about seven- ty-two years of age and his wife had de- parted this life in her seventy-third year. In their family were five children: Henry M., of Norfolk, Nebraska; Rev. Frank Mat-

rau, an Episcopal minister of Saginaw, Michigan; Morgan W., of this review ; Ed- ward, who is living in Watervliet; and Lucy, the wife of William Cook, of Bainbridge township. Captain Matrau enlisted for three months' service in the Civil war and on the expiration of that period re-enlisted and con- tinued at the front until the close of hostili- ties. His brother Frank was also a soldier during the latter part of the war.

Morgan W. Matrau, spending his boy- hood days upon the home farm, became deeply interested when a lad in his teens in the progress of events in the south when hos- tilities were being carried on in that section of the country. He had two brothers at the front and when but seventeen years of age he, too, enlisted, becoming a member of Company B, Twelfth Michigan Infantry in 1864. He largely served in the west, be- ing under command of General Steele in Arkansas, and he was ever loyal and faith- ful to the duties that devolved upon him in this connection.

On the 2d of November, 1870, was cele- brated the marriage of Mr. Matrau and Miss Amelia Byers, a daughter of David and Eliza Ann ( Miller) Byers, who were pio- neer residents of Michigan, having in 1840 removed from Cayuga county, New York, to this state. Mr. Byers helped organize Bainbridge township. He was a justice of the peace and married the first couple to be married in the township, who were Henry Selter and Mary Youngs. The mother was a native of that county, while the father was born in Pennsylvania. His sister Mattie al- so accompanied them to Michigan and re- mained here until her life was ended in death. David Byers settled on a farm on the Territorial road, bordering the county line about twelve miles east of Benton Harbor. He kept open house for the entertainment of travelers, his being one of the landmarks of pioneer times. His place was situated in the midst of the forest and there he erected a residence, which is still standing, and is one of the oldest houses of that section of the country. It is a landmark there and has been a mute witness of the changes that have occurred and the methods which have

682

HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

been engaged in carrying forward the work of improvement and progress. His family were all reared in that house and there he died March 24, 1874, at the age of sixty-nine years. His wife survived until February 29, 1904, and retained her faculties to the last although she reached the very advanced age of eighty-seven years, ten months and

twelve days. She was a very active and de- voted member of a church association known as the Mennonites. In the family were two daughters : Melissa, the wife of I. N. Selter, of Benton Harbor ; and Amelia, the wife of Morgan W. Matrau. She was born upon the old homestead farm where she still lives. This marriage has been blessed with six daughters and one son, namely: Edith, the wife of William Docktor, of Bainbridge; Alta, the wife of John Fernham, of Bain- bridge; Katie, the wife of Elbert Kaiser, of Bainbridge ; Olive, the wife of A. H. Peters, of the same township ; Lida, the wife of Fred Seel, of Bainbridge township; A. B., who married Blanch Palmer and operates the home farm; and Eva, who is still with her parents.

Mr. Matrau has today the compass his father carried for his guide through the wilderness when only footpaths were used and in many places not those. St. Joseph was their market place. His father would carry a small pail of butter twelve miles to get a pence a pound. Deer, wolves and wild turkeys were plenty and his father being a fine marksman the family never was with- out wild meat of some kind to eat. He also has the tin reflector his mother set before the fireplace and baked her bread in. For years she did all her cooking by the fire- place. Later they built a clay oven and he heard his mother tell what fine bread the old clay oven baked. She would fill up the oven with wood; when burned up, wash out the ashes, then fill with bread, cake, pie, pud- ding and bake at the same time. His father many times made the remark that bread had a much better flavor then than nowadays baked in the steel range. The large spin- ning wheel and small flax wheel his mother used are also in his opssession. She taught his sisters and himself to spin wool on the

large wheel and saved a rack of tow with the intentions of teaching them to spin tow on the small wheel, but did not as that seemed more difficult.

His mother's younger days were spent in industry for of a family of ten, she the only daughter and nine brothers. She and her mother spun and made both wool and linen apparel, such as aprons, dresses, underwear, table linens, toweling, bedticks, sheets, pil- low slips, men's wear, shirts, pants, vests, coats, etc. She united with the Mennonite church at an early age and lived a consist- ent Christian life. Her mother died here February 23, 1883, nearly ninety-two years of age. Morgan saw a herd of twenty-two deer pass by his father's door in his re- memberance.

Mr. Matrau was one of the first in Michi- gan to breed Shropshire sheep. He adver- tised and exhibited his flock and raises a large number of fine sheep, being one of the promoters of this industry in Michigan, be- coming widely known in this connection. At one time he owned about three hundred acres of land but much of this has been given to his children, to whom he has been a most generous father. He has lived a life of marked business activity and enterprise and his success has come to him as the mer- ited reward of his labor. In politics he has been a stanch and stalwart Republican, un- faltering in his allegiance to the party and its principles. For twenty years he has been a devoted member of the Christian church and devotes much of his time to reading the Bible, of which he has been a constant stud- ent for thirty-six years. His life is per- meated with its teachings and is in harmony with its principles and the men who know him respect him because of his fidelity to his honest convictions and his straightforward dealings in all his business relations.

LEWIS VALENTINE has developed a very desirable farm with excellent im- provements in Benton township, where he has a commodious residence amid attractive surroundings. The farm in its neat and thrifty appearance indicates his careful sup- ervision and progressive methods and his

683

HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

work has ever been of a practical nature, producing excellent results. A native of the neighboring state of Indiana, he was born in Eel River township, Allen county, on the 19th day of October, 1840. In 1856 the family removed to Iowa. His parents were John and Susanna ( Peters) Valentine. The father was born in Ohio, and was married in that state. Removing to Indiana he became the third settler of Eel River township, Al- len county, and in fact when he took up his abode there he did not know of but one other settler in the entire township. He continued his residence there, aiding in the pioneer de- velopment and settlement of the district until 1856, when he removed to Knoxville, Iowa, where he resided for three years. The same year, however, the government took the land out of the market and in 1859 Mr. Valentine returned to his old farm in Indi- ana, where he spent his remaining days, passing away there when not quite seventy years of age. His eldest sister is eighty- six years of age, and his brother, Jackson Valentine, eighty-two years of age, still re- sides in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Lewis Valentine returned to the state of his nativity with his parents. He was six- teen years of age when they went to Iowa, and while in that state he began to learn the brick mason's trade, which he afterward followed in Indiana, working for some time at that occupation in Fort Wayne and in Kendallville. He was thus employed until his marriage, which important event in his life was celebrated on the 3d of July, 1864. He had served for one year as a soldier of the Civil war, having enlisted in response to the first call for troops to aid in crushing out the rebellion in its incipiency. He was not accepted at that time, however, and after- ward enlisted for one year's service in re- sponse to President Lincoln's second call for volunteers. He joined Company F, of the Twelfth Indiana Infantry, and was soon afterward mustered into the United States service doing active military duty in Mary- land and Virginia. He was largely em- ployed in the Shenandoah valley, the regi- ment being mainly engaged in holding the front and keeping the rebels from making

an advance on Washingtour and other points to the north. On the expiration of his term of service he returned to his home. He had suffered much from the exposure, hardships and rigors of war and his health being im- paired he did not re-enlist.

On the 3d of July, 1864, Mr. Valentine was married in Bryan, Ohio, to Miss Cyn- thia Ellen Loveridge, who was born in Knox county, Ohio, near Mount Vernon. He continued to work at his trade at Ken- dallville for a time, and afterward engaged in contracting as a brick mason at Bryan. He continued there and at Kendallville until 1877, when he went to Berrien county, Michigan. At that time there was not a building on the place on which he now makes his home. He exchanged property in Indiana for land in this county and there- by became the owner of thirty-three acres, which was partially cleared, but all around him were large timber tracts. His farm now borders Highland avenue and is pleasantly pleasantly and conveniently located about three miles from Benton Harbor. It is de- voted to fruit growing, although formerly he engaged in the cultivation of berries and later in the raising of peaches. He has worked to some extent at his trade and spent one year as a contractor in Wichita, Kansas, after first coming to Michigan, but his at- tention is now largely given to his farming and fruit-raising interests and he has de- veloped a very desirable property, on which are excellent improvements. His home is a large and pleasant residence situated in the midst of fine land and everything about the place is neat and attractive in appearance. He built the house, laying every brick him- self

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Valentine have been born the following named: Edgar Meade, who was employed in the paper mill at Watervliet, and was drowned there when thirty-two years of age. Maude G. died at the age of fifteen years. M. Winnie died at the age of seventeen years. Coze L. is a mechanic, machinist and farmer. Zulu May, at home, was graduated on the completion of the business course in Benton Harbor College and is now a student of music.

684

HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

Mr. Valentine exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and meas- ures of the Republican party. He voted for Abraham Lincoln in 1864 and has cast a ballot at each presidential election since that time, always supporting the men and meas- ures of the Republican party. Socially he is connected with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He has worked persist- ently and energetically year after year and in any analyzation of his life record it will be seen that his perseverance has enabled him to overcome the difficulties and obstacles in his path and eventually win the success which is now crowning his labors ..

JOHN MORGAN, deceased, who for many years was a resident of Bainbridge township, where he engaged in general ag- ricultural pursuits, was born in Rochester, New York, on the 26th of September, 1819. His father was Michael Morgan, also a na- tive of New York, where he wooed and won Miss Margaret Reaves. She, too, was born in the Empire state, and their last days were spent in Michigan, their home being in Fen- tonville, at the time of their demise.

John Morgan at the age of fourteen years became a sailor on the lakes under his uncle, Captain Morgan, and so continued for four years. He then engaged in driving a stage in New York and gradually worked his way westward, going to St. Joseph as a stage driver. There he met Miss Emma Sutherland in the hotel where she worked. Mr. Morgan continued to drive a stage from St. Joseph to Kalamazoo for a time and af- terward worked for Hiram Wheeler in a warehouse for about nine and a half years. He was then married on the 28th of February, 1847, to Miss Suth- erland, whose acquaintance he had previ- ously formed, the wedding ceremony being performed by Tobias Byers, justice of the peace. Mr. Morgan continued to work for several years for Mr. Wheeler, and with the money which he saved from his earnings he purchased a tract of land, whereon he made some improvements and there built a log house. In the spring of 1849, he and other Berrien county men to

the number of eight, organized a company and started for California, outfitting with ox teams and a yoke of cows. They started from St. Joseph on the IIth of March, made the long journey across the prairies of the Mississippi valley, the hot sandy plains of the west and through the mountain passes, reaching San Francisco on the 22d of Sep- tember. They lost one of their company by name Enos, but the others of the party reached their destination in safety. Mr. Morgan was the last survivor of that com- pany, his death occurring on the 26th of April, 1900. He remained in California for three and a half years. Upon his return in 1852 he brought back with him one thous- and dollars and the following spring he in- vested in eighty acres of land additional. His wife had remained upon the home place with her one daughter during the absence of her husband in California, and upon his re- turn he devoted himself to clearing the farm and placing the soil under cultivation. There was at that time no market for timber but later he sold the timber for ties, cutting valuable timber and using it in that way. Out of a tract of two hundred and forty acres he cleared one hundred and seventy acres and placed it under cultivation. He erected three different houses upon his place, the third and last one having been built in 1868. The second one had been destroyed by fire but stood on the same foundation as the home that is now found upon the farm.

In 1893 Mr. Morgan was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the IOth of February of that year. She had been a faithful companion and helpmate to him on life's journey and had carefully reared her family of seven children, namely : Helen, who is the wife of Henry Bradley, a photographer, at Buchanan, Michigan ; Charles, living in Sodus township; George, whose home is in Pipestone township : Mer- ritt, deceased; Clara, who died in 1888, at the age of twenty-six years; Edwin and Chloa, both of whom are on the farm. One son, Merritt, was lost on the Chicora. His life was passed mainly on the farm but in 1893 he became steward on the Bradshaw and thus served for two years, after which

685

HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

he became steward on the Chicora and served all of that season. The vessel was lost January 21, 1895, with all on board.

John Morgan was a stanch Democrat in his political views. His life was largely eventful in its experiences, embracing a resi- dence in Michigan during pioneer times, as well as in California during the early days of mining excitement there. Following his return to this state he performed the ardu- ous task of developing a farm property in the midst of the forest, hewing out the fields in heavy timbered regions, and as the years went by he achieved the success which made him one of the substantial agriculturists of the community. His long residence here made him widely known and he reached an advanced age, being about eighty years and six months of age at the time of his demise.

THOMAS GRANGER. It is the boast of Great Britain that the sun never sets upon her possessions, she who may claim with equal pride that her children are numbered among the valued citizens of almost every section of the globe, where they have been effective factors in planting the seeds of civ- ilization or in carrying forward the work of general progress. Thomas Granger, one of the sons of England, was born in the town- ship of Cottingham, in Cambridgeshire, March 26, 1838. There he grew to man- hood, no event of special importance occur- ring to vary the routine of farm life for him in his boyhood days, when his time was de- voted to play, work and the duties of the schoolroom. When twenty-four years of age, however, he was married to Elizabeth V. Whiting. He had been reared to farm life, although he had two older brothers who took up trades. Mr. Granger, however, pre- ferred outdoor life and for thirteen years he was in the employ of one man, engaged at general farm labor and caring for fruit. He was thirty-four years of age, when, in 1872, he determined to try his fortune in the new world and crossed the Atlantic to the United States, making his way from the seaport into the interior of the country. He located first at Chicago. It was his wish to get land and engage in farming on his own account, but

he had only money enough to bring him to Illinois. There he worked for about a year, and in 1873 he came to Berrien county. He had met John T. Wisner, of Hagar town- ship, who was looking for a man to care for his place. For a year Mr. Granger was employed on Mr. Wisner's farm and then rented it for two years. During that time he prospered in his labors and at the end of that period purchased fifteen acres of land, where he now resides. It had been "deviled" with but little cleared. It was covered with stumps and there was a log shanty upon the place. He had incurred an indebtedness of three hundred and fifty dollars in order to secure the property and he had no teams with which to do the farm work. In fact, he possessed nothing but a pair of willing hands and a strong determination. As soon as a little house could be built he moved on to the farm and he worked out for two or three years in the summer months in order to gain money with which to meet the expense necessary to pro- vide for his family and carry on his own farm work. He cleared his own land as much as possible in the winter sea- son and he planted strawberries which were soon in bearing condition and gave him an income. Living frugally and economically he paid for his land and then began to buy more land in five different pieces, thus add- ing to his holdings until he now has sixty acres. Much of this land was in a swamp and he had to make ditches to drain it and get rid of the water on account of the flat, level condition. He has carried forward the work of improvement and cultivation until the entire place is now in fine condition and is regarded as a valuable farm prop- erty. He has depended upon berries as his chief crop and has sold over seventeen hundred crates in

a single season. His entire life. has been de- voted to the farm and he has gained the suc- cess which comes as a direct and sure re- ward of persistent, earnest labor.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Granger have been born two sons. Francis W., the elder, is a farmer on the Lake Shore drive in Hagar township, where he has fifty acres of land

686

HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

bordering on Lake Michigan. He married Attila Vergusen. Arthur Edward Granger, now operating the home farm, wedded Mrs. Elizabeth Woodly, the widow of Frank Woodly, and by her first marriage she had three children, Roy, Guy, and William.

Mr. Granger is a Republican, always supporting the party since becoming a nat- uralized American citizen. He has the sub- stantial qualities of the English race, includ- ing the ready adaptability, the quick insight into business conditions and the perseverance which enables him to continue in the line of work marked out until he has attained suc- cess therein.

JOHN MARTINDALE, whose home stands on the brow of a bluff thirty-three feet high, commanding a fine view of the surrounding country, his place being about three and a quarter miles from Benton Har- bor and near the Paw Paw river, is now suc- cessfully engaged in horticultural pursuits. He was born in Ontario, Canada, on the 5th of April, 1839, and the following year his parents remove to Buffalo, New York, whence in 1849 they came to Berrien coun- ty, Michigan. The father, William Mar- tindale, located upon the farm which is now occupied by his son John in Benton town- ship. Here he lived until his death and had one hundred and twenty acres of land, con- stituting one of the good farms of the lo- cality. He was in poor health, however, for thirty years, so that the actual work of de- veloping and improving the place had to be left to others. He passed away at the age of seventy-six years. His wife bore the maiden name of Alice Lake and was born and reared in New York. She survived her husband for about eight years. In their family were five children, who reached adult age: Lydia, who married Corneal Ding- man and died at the age of fifty years; Phoebe Ann, the wife of Cash Williams, a farmer residing in Watervliet. township; John, of this review; William, who is also living in Benton township; and Thomas, who is with his brother John.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

A twentieth century history of Berrien County, Michigan, Part 103

Author: Coolidge, Orville W Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1314

Author: Coolidge, Orville W
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1314