A twentieth century history of Berrien County, Michigan, Part 77

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

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Moses Chamberlain, a son of Samuel and Martha (Mellen) Chamberlain, was born in 1757, and died in 18II. He was the grandfather of Henry Chamberlain of this review. He married Rebecca Abbot, who was born in 1760, and died in 1846. She had two half brothers and two own brothers, all of whom served in the Revolu- tionary war, and three of them died in service.

Moses Chamberlain, son of Moses and Rebecca (Abbot) Chamberlain, of Loudon, New Hampshire, was born in 1792, and de- parted this life in 1866. He married Mary

Foster, who was born in 1797, and passed away in 1870. She was a daughter of Abiel and Susanah (Moore) Foster. Her father was born in 1773, and died in 1846, while his wife was born at Canterbury, New Hampshire, April 9, 1775, and died June 22, 1853. Her grandfather, Rev. Abiel Foster, was a resident of Canterbury, New Hampshire, and for eighteen years was a member of congress under the confedera- tion and constitution. In the maternal line the ancestry can be traced back to Rev. Na- thaniel Rogers, who went to Ipswich, Mas- sachusetts, in 1836, and was the first min- ister there. His son, John Rogers, was also a minister here and was the second presi- dent of Harvard University. His son, John Rogers II, also engaged in preaching the gospel at Ipswich, Massachusetts, and was the father of Samuel Rogers, who was like- wise a public officer and a man of affairs. It was his daughter Mary who became the wife of Rev. Abiel Foster, mentioned above. Thomas Dudley, another ancestor, was eighth governor or deputy governor of the colony of Massachusetts Bay from 1630 un- til 1651. He was connected with Revolu- tionary fame.

The marriage of Moses Chamberlain and Mary Foster was celebrated June 18, 1817, at which time Mr. Chamberlain was a "trader" at Pembroke, New Hampshire, where he had lived for a year or more. The old familly residence there, which was built by the father in 1820, is still standing in an excellent state of preservation. The chil- dren born unto Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain were : Mary Foster, born November 3, 1818, married Hale E. Crosby at Concord, New Hampshire, November 1, 1838. Mellen was born June 4, 1821. He was a gradu- ate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School; commenced the practice of law in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1848; was chief justice of the municipal court of that city for some years; was librarian of the Boston city library from 1876 to 1890, when he re- signed ; member of the Massachusetts house and senate; gave the Boston city library a large and valuable collection of autographs and manuscripts ; wrote many valuable his- torical works. Henry was born March 17,

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HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

1824. Elizabeth, born October 18, 1826, was married October 18, 1849. William, born February 7, 1834, on coming to Michi- gan lived on the farm with his father until 1864, when he came to the village of Three Oaks, where he became a partner with his brother Henry, still owning the homestead farm, which he continued to manage until his death in 1902. He was a member of the Michigan house of representative in 1871 and 1873 and the senate in 1879 and 1881, and held many public positions. He was warden of the Michigan State prison at Jackson from 1893 until his death.

Henry Chamberlain, born at the old homestead in Pembroke, New Hampshire, March 17, 1824, was educated in the district schools near by, but his opportunities were limited, owing to the methods of instruction and the text-books-the Peter Parley books -which were then in use. When he was but a babe his mother, in 1825, took him to Concord, a distance of six miles, to see Gen- eral Lafayette, who was then making a tour of the United States, and in after years she related to him that the General took the baby hand in his and said: "He is a fine boy." The General stopped at the tavern over night in the vicinity of Chamberlain's home.

In 1820 his father built a new store, and that he took an advance step is shown by the fact that he determined to cease his traffic in spiritous liquors, which at that time every trader dealt in. Mr. Chamberlain re- members as one of the "important" events of his life his visit to a menagerie in 1831. In 1833 he obtained his father's reluctant consent to go to Concord to see General Jackson, Van Buren and a part of his cab- inet. The father had been a federalist and was a Whig and therefore had no sympathy with the Democratic party, and Mr. Cham- berlain says that he was disappointed in General Jackson, having heard him so often denounced, that he had formed an opinion that he was somewhat like the lion or the tiger that he had seen in the menagerie. In 1834 the family were visited by Stephen S. Foster, who afterward became famous as an anti-slavery man and who was a second cousin of Mrs. Moses Chamberlain. He dis-

cussed the question of anti-slavery with Mr. Chamberlain, and the next day the latter announced himself as a supporter of the anti-slavery cause. Such was the feeling in the north at that time that the minister took Mr. Chamberlain to task, saying that he was consorting with infidels in denouncing an institution which was permitted by the constitution and the Bible, though Moses Chamberlain stood firm in his support of the principle which he believed to be right. Some of his neighbors then shunned him and he lost prestige in the community where he had long been regarded as a most prominent and influential citizen. In 1835 he had an offer to dispose of his store and homestead, and in the fall of that year contracted a part- nership with a townsman who owned a store in Seneca county, Ohio. He therefore re- moved to that place and as the accommo- dations for the family were somewhat lim- ited Henry Chamberlain of this review went to the home of his maternal grandfather, where in the outdoor life of the farm he developed a sturdiness and robust constitu- tion at variance with his former condition of health.

In the spring of 1836 Moses Chamber- lain made a trip through southern Michi- gan to New Buffalo, where some of his wife's cousins had settled in the fall of 1835. There he purchased five quarter sections of government land in New Buffalo township but now in the townships of Three Oaks and Chikaming. In the summer he re- turned to New Hampshire, and in August commenced business at Concord as a trader, Henry Chamberlain and his elder brother acting as clerks, and when the elder brother started for college Henry Chamberlain, at the age of thirteen, became senior clerk. He acted in that capacity until sixteen years of age, when, in 1840, he went to Ashby, Mas- sachusetts, and took charge of a country store for his brother-in-law. He made a success of the business, which he conducted until the spring of 1841, when he returned home and spent two terms as a student at Pembroke. He was afterward in his father's store until August, 1843, when he determined to go to Michigan. It required five days' travel to reach Cleveland, Ohio,

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HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

and after visiting there with relatives for a brief period he took a steamboat for Chicago, where he arrived seven days later, and after two days' travel by wagon reached New Buffalo on the 7th of October, 1843. The winter brought many hardships and trials to the family who were thus located on a frontier, and on the 16th of January, 1844, Mr. Chamberlain, his father and a carpenter went to section fifteen, township eight, south of range twenty west, New Buffalo town- ship, where they put up a shed, which they occupied until they cleared a place for a house sixteen by twenty-four feet, when they erected a pioneer dwelling. In the meantime the father had established a store at New Buffalo. Henry Chamberlain re- mained at home working at chopping wood and clearing the land until October, and later aiding in clearing other tracts. In February, 1845, he went to New Buffalo, where he worked at making grain cradles and also at loading vessels with wood and timber. At the April election that year he was chosen supervisor and served for that and three succeeding years, being elected the first term by a majority of one vote and at last term by a unanimous vote. From the fall of 1845 until the spring of 1848 he as- sisted in the usual labor incident to clearing and developing a new farm and at a later date took charge of a stock of merchandise in the village of New Buffalo for the firm of Stewart & Adams, who were contractors for grading on the Michigan Central Rail- road. He not only led an active business life but was also a factor in community af- fairs, and in November of that year was chosen to represent Berrien county in the state legislature, attending the second ses- sion of the general assembly after the re- moval of the capital to Lansing. Mr. Chamberlain is now the only survivor of the state officers or members of the legisla- ture of that year and also the only survivor of the members who formed the Michigan State Agricultural Society, at which meet- ing he acted as secretary.

Returning from Lansing Mr. Chamber- lain was engaged in work on the home farm until January, 1850, when it was decided that he had better go to section two, then

New Buffalo township, and make a clearing. This was the present site of the village of Three Oaks. He took a contract to put on the cars four thousand cords of steamboat wood. The cars had been run on the rail- road from April, 1849, but there was only one house on the line of the railroad between Dayton and New Buffalo, a distance of six- teen miles. Mr. Chamberlain, with four men, on the 10th of January, 1850, took pos- session of a little log shanty, which had been built upon section two and then began the task of erecting a substantial log house which work was completed in the course of a few weeks. For fifty-five years Mr. Chamber- lain has here made his home. He began the arduous task of clearing the land and within four years, sixty acres of timber had been cut and most of the tract was cleared.

An important event in his life occurred in January, 1851, when he married Sarah Jane Nash, and in the following November their first child, Henry Nash Chamberlain, was born, being the first child born in the present limits of the village of Three Oaks. The wife and mother died in June. 1852, and in November, 1856, Mr. Chamberlain wedded Rebecca Van De Vanter Ames, who died in 1896. They had three children : Mary, now the wife of E. K. Warren; Re- becca B., the wife of Lee Chamberlain, of Los Angeles, California : and Paul Mellen, who is professor of mechanical engineering in Lewis Institute, in Chicago.

Mr. Chamberlain continued active in business and in public life as well. In 1851 he was elected justice of the peace, and in 1852 was chosen supervisor of New Buffalo township. In the following year he was appointed mail agent on the route from De- troit to Chicago, which position he resigned in August, 1855. In 1854 he had turned his attention to merchandising, having in company with Joseph G. Ames built the house and store on lot eight (now the Wood- land House) and the eastern portion of the warehouse, now the Michigan Central freight office. In the fall of that year they opened up a stock of merchandise and fol- lowing the death of Mr. Ames in August, 1855. Mr. Chamberlain became sole owner of the buildings and stock. For a quarter

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HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

of a century thereafter he was a leading mer- chant of Three Oaks. He admitted his cousin, Samuel W. Chamberlain, to a part- nership, the store being conducted under the firm style of Chamberlain & Company until

1861, and in the meantime the business was removed from this first location to a new store in 1858, where it was first continued

as Chamberlain & Company, and afterward under the name of Henry Chamberlain until March, 1864, at which time the firm of Chamberlain, McKie & Company was or-

ganized, with J. L. McKie and William Chamberlain as partners of Henry Chamber-

lain. This partnership continued until March, 1868. The various succeeding firms had been Chamberlain & Company, Henry

Chamberlain, McKie & Warren, Chamber- lain & Churchill and Chamberlain, Warren

& Hatfield until 1880, when Mr. Chamber- lain sold his interest and retired. In the meantime he had given more attention to

clearing land and farming and to the dis-

charge of his official duties than to merchan-

tivable tracts of land than has Mr. Chamber- proved districts and convert them into cul- done more to reclaim the wild and unim- dising. Few men of the community have

lain. In 1885 he sold his homestead farm

of six hundred acres to Edward K. War- ren, and in 1887-8 erected his present resi-

dence at the corner of Ash and Oak streets.

In 1882 he began clearing the farm, which he now owns on sections 12 and 13. He has cleared and put under cultivation more

than a thousand acres of land in the present

township of Three Oaks, doing the actual

work himself in the early days, while in

later years the task was carried on under

his personal supervision. Shortly after the

Michigan Central Railroad was built through his portion of the state a side track

was put in at Three Oaks and trains stopped

place was designated as Chamberlain's side here. There was no town, however, and the

tracks. In 1854 Mr. Chamberlain applied

for the establishment of a postoffice here and

asked that it be known by the name of

Three Oaks, because of three famous great

oak trees that stood on his place. The town-

ship of Three Oaks was detached from New

Buffalo in 1856 and upon his request was

given its present name. Mr. Chamberlain was chosen the first supervisor and one of the justices of the peace, acting in the lat- ter capacity for three or more terms, and also serving as supervisor for a number of years after 1856. In 1864 he was a candi- date for the state senate on the Democratic ticket, and in 1868 and 1870 he was a can- didate for governor, and in 1874 and in 1876 again for congress. As history re- cords, the Democratic party is in the minority in Michigan and yet at all times Mr. Cham- berlain has received a large and flattering vote in excess of that usually given to the candidates of the Democracy. He has three times received the votes of his party for the United States senate, and though he has filled various local offices and been his party's nominee for positions of state and national political preferment he has never but once sought a nomination for any office. He has held the commission 'as notary pub- lic since 1846 and was a member of the state board of agriculture from 1883 until 1889 and again from 1891 until 1897. He has attended almost all of the local and state conventions of his party for over a half century, has three times been a delegate of the national Democratic convention and has attended two others. Mr. Chamberlain has seen and shaken hands with every gov- ernor of Michigan except Steven T. Mason, who died before Mr. Chamberlain came to the state, and has had a personal acquaint- ance with most of them. He has known every congressman, senator and representa- tive since the organization of the state in 1846, with the exception of one, who died before he came. This fact would perhaps be true of no other resident now living in Michigan. He was grand master of Masons in Michigan in 1872, and this he counts the greatest honor that has been conferred upon him. It would be difficult to find any one in all the commonwealth who has a wider, more intimate or more accurate knowledge of Michigan, its development and progress along material and political lines than has Mr. Chamberlain. He has written a portion of the history of the village, township and adjoining country. He has addressed three thousand letters at one sitting from memory

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HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

without reference to a list and made no mis- take in the name of the person or the post- office. He has a most remarkable memory and has been spoken of as a "walking ency- clopedia of information on Michigan's his- tory." While a stanch Democrat he has been invited by Republican legislatures to address them and has delivered many public speeches at state fairs. The occasion of the eightieth anniversary was fittingly cele- brated by his friends of many years and many have spoken of him in words that well voice the public opinion. "When you have known a man for nearly fifty years and during much of that time have had close relations with him, both in time of prosperity and adversity; have become thoroughly acquainted with his busi- ness methods ; have seen in what manner he has met and dealt with the vicissitudes of a lifetime, you feel that you may speak of him with full assurance that you know whereof you speak. My acquaintance with Mr. Chamberlain began on the 17th day of April, 1855, in the village of Three Oaks, or, what has since become the village of Three Oaks; it was then only a sidetrack on the Michigan Central Railroad, with an al- most unbroken forest closely surrounding it on all sides. A few pioneers were then located here and in this vicinity-most of them are long since gone. Mr. Chamber- lain was then looked upon-as he is today -as a man possessed of all the knowledge necessary for any of the emergencies of life. Those of the early settlers who yet remain will recall that his advice was sought and freely given at all times. Many a knotty problem incident to the acquisition of a home in a new country by the man from Bavaria or Mecklenberg have been pre- sented to him for solution and his solution has stood the test of years. Many a pio- neer of his descendants holds his farm today by a deed written by Mr. Chamberlain or by his dictation, and rests in the assurance that it is written right and that his title is good. Further than that and, yet more important, is the fact that while like all strong and positive men, there have been at times those who have entertained opinions differing

from his, yet he has through all these years retained the esteem, respect and confidence of his neighbors, religiously, morally and financially. He has set a business example and instituted business methods which have been of material advantage to all his suc- cessors. In spite of his unfavorable location geographically and in spite of the fact that the political party to which he belongs has been the minority party in the state for more than a generation, he enjoys a wider political distinction and his ability is more generally recognized than that of many men who have held the best offices within the gift of the people of the state. So he comes to his eightieth birthday which we celebrate today, and sees the erstwhile wilderness filled with a prosperous and happy people, the descendants of those who in the earlier years he so materially assisted in securing homes ; and they are all his friends. He has lived, too, to see the full realization of the oft- repeated prayer of his good old Puritan father in the days of old, that this wilderness might some time blossom as the rose. Three Oaks, March 17, 1904. J. L. McKie." Other words bearing testimony of his position in public regard and the esteem in which he is held by those long associated with him were penned on the occasion of the eightieth anni- versary of his birth and from the pen of Ada Simpson Sherwood came the following :

"Hail to the pioneer!

To the many who leads the way, Who opens an untried road,

And heralds a better day; Who, from the marshes wild And the forest grim and old, Rears the village, and plants the farm With fields of waving gold.

All honor to the man Whose efforts bless the race, Who in the hearts of men

Wins an exalted place; Who in the foremost ranks

Of progress takes a stand, And to the cause that's just E'er lends a helping hand.

All praise to the man of deeds, To the man of achievement rare, Who in life's field of toil Faithfully bears his share; Who through the mists of years, And the glow of the setting sun, Can view a purpose grand And a noble work well done.

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HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

Honor and love and praise

To the crown of eighty years. Wrought with toil and pain, Studded with griefs and tears, Brightened with hope and joy, Love and friendship true.

O crown of eighty years, Shining with golden hue!

Honor and love and praise To the legacy of years.

The good their labors wrought Other hearts now cheers. With greetings loving and warm Kind friends would tribute pay To the crown of eighty years Which circles his brow today."

March 17, 1904.

LOTT F. SUTHERLAND. The name of Sutherland has been closely associated with Berrien county and its prominence from pioneer times. His father was among the pioneers who set out for the ever reced- ing west and aided in subduing the land and extending the frontier. He was one of the sturdy, grave men who fought and toiled and hoped and who realized in varying measure the hope that led them to this sec- tion of the country. He aided in making the country known for its vast possibilities and for many years was closely associated with its development but is now living re- tired. He dates his residence in Michigan from 1838 and in Berrien county from 1842. He was born in Barker, Broome county, New York, on the 28th of February, 1831, and was a son of Lott and Lydia (Bliss) Sutherland. The grandfather was a farmer by occupation and spent his earlier life in the Empire state, when in 1836 he came to Michigan, settling in Kalamazoo. After four years he came to Berrien county, lo- cating in Bainbridge township near Mill- burg, where he followed farming until his death in 1873. His wife passed away, shortly after their arrival in Michigan and the father reared their family of eight chil- dren, three of whom are now living. He voted with the Democracy but was never active in politics.

Lewis Sutherland, father of our sub- ject, was reared and educated upon the fron- tier, pursuing his studies in a log school- house. He assisted in the farm work, aid- ing in the arduous task of developing new fields and caring for the crops and through-

out his active business career he carried on general agricultural pursuits and fruit rais- ing. Becoming convinced of the adaptabil- ity of the county for horticultural pursuits, he began raising various kinds of fruits and this proved to him a profitable business. He continued to reside upon the farm until 1901, when he removed to Benton Harbor and purchased his present fine home on Su- perior street. He was the owner of about four hundred acres of valuable land in Ben- ton township, which he has now divided among his sons. A few of the old time set- tlers can remember the conditions which ex- isted in this part of the state at the time of Mr. Sutherland's arrival here. Only at rare intervals could be found a tract of land that had been placed under the plow. Wild ani- mals roamed through the forest and herds of deer and many kinds of lesser game were seen. A wonderful transformation has been wrought since those early days, for the trav- eler today sees little or none of the native forest but finds instead well cultivated or- chards, bearing their fruits in season and the change is due to the enterprise and la- bors of such men as Lewis Sutherland. In 1860 he married Matilda A. Howard, a daughter of Joseph S. Howard, of Ohio, who came to Michigan at an early day and here followed farming. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland have been born six children : Sterling, who is represented on another page of this work; Darwin B., largely engaged in the cultivation of peaches in this county ; Lott F., of this review; Mrs. Addie E. Pearl; and two children who died in youth.

Lewis Sutherland, while practically re- tired from business cares, is a director in the State Bank of Benton Harbor. In 1902 he built the Masonic Temple of Benton Har- bor and has been an active representative of Masonry since 1852. He belongs to the Universalist church and has been a cham- pion of many progressive measures. His ballot supports the Democracy and he has served as highway commissioner and as school director. He is numbered today among the honored and prominent pioneer settlers of the county.

Lott F. Sutherland was born on the old family homestead at Pearl Grange in Ben-

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HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY

ton township, May 16, 1871. No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for him in his youth, for he worked in the fields through the peri- ods of vacation and during the school year pursued his studies, thus becoming equipped for life's practical and responsible duties. He remained upon the old homestead farm until twenty-six years of age and when twenty-two years of age he was married to Miss Lena V. Conklin, a daughter of Josiah Conklin, of Hartford, Van Buren county, Michigan. She was born in Hart- ford but was largely reared in Benton Har- bor, where she completed her education by a high school course.

At the time of his marriage Lott F. Sutherland located upon the old homestead which he operated in connection with his father for several years, after which he re- moved to his own farm, purchasing one hun- dred and forty-two acres of rich and pro- ductive land in Benton township. He had previously become owner of the greater part of this property and it was partially im- proved. All is under cultivation and about seventy acres is planted to fruit, for he en- gages quite extensively in the raising of peaches, apples and pears, his orchards be- ing mostly young trees. > He sold over six- teen hundred barrels of apples in one sea- son and thirty-two of thirty-three hundred bushels of peaches in a season. The soil is well adapted for the purpose for which it is used and Mr. Sutherland is among those who have made this section of the state a splendid fruit producing center, for fruit raising is now one of the chief sources of income in Berrien county. He has made a close study of the needs of the trees as to soil, climate and nourishment and has se- cured the nursery stock best adapted to this district, so that he has now good orchards in fine bearing condition.

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A twentieth century history of Berrien County, Michigan, Part 77

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