USA > Michigan > Cass County > A twentieth century history of Cass County, Michigan > Part 67
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William H. Stretch was reared in Pokagon township and pursued his education in the common schools. He assisted in clearing the farm in his boyhood days and in performing the various duties incident to the work of the old homestead. He continued under the parental roof until twenty-four years of age. when he was married. He first wedded Miss Margaret J. Collins, who died leaving one son. Clyde L. After losing his first wife, Mr. Stretch was married to Mrs. Edith ( Jewell) Goodrich, who was killed by lightning. His present wife bore the maiden name of Emma Grace White, and at the time of their marriage was the widow of W. W. Van Slyke. Mr. Stretch made his home in Pokagon township until about eight years ago, when he sold his property there and removed to LaGrange township, settling on section 27, where he yet resides. He has been a life-long resident of Cass county. having made his home here for fifty-nine years. Any movement or plan for the public good receives his earnest attention and endorsement. and his aid can always be counted upon to further any movement that promises to result beneficially to the county. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Cassopolis, and his life has ever been honorable and upright, in harmony with his professions. He has had a full realiza- tion of his duties of citizenship, and also of his duties to his fellow men. and has never been known to take advantage of the necessities of others
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in any trade transaction. In fact his life is in many respects worthy of emulation and his fellow townsmen speak of him in terins of regard and esteem.
JOSEPH HESS.
Joseph Hess, influential and enterprising, has found in his intense and well-directed energy the key that has unlocked the portals of suc- cess. Without special advantages to aid him at the outset of his career he has nevertheless persevered in his work and has today valuable land holdings in Cass county. He resides on section 34. Jefferson town- ship, where he has eighty acres of land and in addition to this he owns eighty acres of the old family homestead, ninety-three acres on section 21, Jefferson township, and ninety-two acres in Ontwa township, so that his landed possessions now comprise two hundred and sixty-five acres, some of which he rents. Ohio has furnished a number of repre- sentative and valued citizens to Cass county, including Mr. Hess, who was born in Huntington township, Ross county, of the Buckeye state, on the 16th of August, 1846. His parents were Joseph and Belinda (Staines ) Hess, both of whom have now passed away. The father was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, where he spent his youth, subsequent to which time he removed to Ohio, locating in Ross county about 1838. There he lived for more than a decade, when with his family he came to Michigan in 1849, settling in Cass county. He then located in Jefferson township, where he purchased a farm, his land lying in both Jefferson and Ontwa townships. It was largely raw and unim- proved when it came into his possession but his labors soon wrought a transformation in the appearance of the property and the once uncul- tivated tract began to yield him good harvests as a reward for the care and labor he bestowed upon the fields. His entire life was devoted to farining and he kept in touch with modern progress as the primitive machinery was replaced by improved agricultural implements and large and commodious buildings were erected to supercede the small log cabins of pioneer days. In all matters of public progress he was deeply inter- ested, rejoicing in what was accomplished in the county and giving his active co-operation to any plan or measure for the public good. His study of the political issues and questions of the day led him to support the Democracy and upon that ticket he was elected supervisor and also to other local offices, the duties of which he discharged with promptness and fidelity. As a member of the school board he proved his interest in the cause of education by his advocacy of measures that tended to raise the standard of public instruction. He was a member of the old school Baptist church and his life was characterized by integrity that was un- assailable, while his business reputation would hear the closest investiga- tion and scrutiny. He was twice married, his first union being with Miss Belinda Staines, who was a native of Pennsylvania and was of Ger- man and Swiss descent. She died at the age of sixty-two years. after
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which Mr. Hess was again married, his second union being with a Mrs. Lewis. There were eight children born of the first marriage and one son by the second marriage. Of this number four are still living : Sarah, who was the wife of Richard Turner, a resident of Chillicothe, Ohio: Anna, who was born in Pennsylvania, May 3, 1838, and is now keeping house with her brother upon the old homestead farm; Joseph, of this review; and John, of Chillicothe, Ohio. The father reached the very venerable age of eighty-five years and in his death the county mourned the loss of one of its representative pioneer settlers.
Joseph Hess, the youngest member of his father's family, was a young lad when he came with his parents to Ohio. In fact he had scarcely attained his third year. His sister AAnna, too, was a young child and both were reared in Jefferson township upon the farm where they have been keeping house for many years. Mr. Hess was educated in the district schools and received ample training at form labor under the direction of his father, working at the plow from an early age and performing all such farm work as his years and strength permitted. He afterward purchased the interest of the other heirs in the old home prop- erty. Both he and his sister Anna own eighty acres of land in Jeffer- son township, to the cultivation and improvement of which he gives luis energies and his close application and strong purpose are winning for him success that increases year hy year. He also has ninety-three acres of land on section 21, and ninety-two acres in Ontwa township, so that his farm property covers two hundred and sixty-five acres, some of which he rents. He is likewise one of the stockholders in the creamery at Edwardsburg, a productive industry which is of value to the com- munity, furnishing a market to the farmers who keep a large number of cows and who sell their milk to the institution.
Mr. Hess has been a lifelong Democrat, giving inflexible support to the principles of his party. He belongs to Edwardsburg camp, No. 1492, M. W. A. If one could see a picture of the county as it appeared fifty-six years ago when Mr. Hess was first brought here there would be large tracts of forest in which not a tree had been felled, while upon the prairie would be seen the native grasses, as the land had not yet been broken. No bridges had been built across the streams and few roads had been laid out and it seemed that the work of development and improvement lay entirely in the future. The Hess family bore their full share in the work of upbuilding and the name has ever stood as a synonym for progressive citizenship and reliability in business during the long connection of the family with Cass county.
GEORGE M. FIELDS.
George M. Fields, the prosecuting attorney of Cass county, is pos- sessed of legal learning, an analytical mind and a readiness in grasping the points in an argument-qualities which combine to make him a cap-
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able lawyer of the Cass county bar. While his professional duties call him largely to Cassopolis he continues to make his home in Dowagiac. His natal day was December 14, 1868, and his birth occurred upon a farm in Ottawa county, Ohio. His father, Edward Fields, was also a native of that county and is a farmer by occupation. He still resides upon the old homestead where his entire life has been passed. His parents died when he was only ten years of age, and he then started out in life on his own account, since which time he has been dependent entirely upon his own resources. Ile was a soldier of the Civil war, serving for about four years, and he lost his left arm while participating in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. He married Miss Louisa Hunt, a native of Seneca county, Ohio, who is also living. In their family were two sons, the elder being Hosea, who is an attorney by profession but a farmer by occupation.
George M. Fields, reared upon the old family homestead, began his education in the country schools and afterward continued his studies in the high school at Monroeville. Huron county, Ohio, where he com- pleted his course in 1880. He then engaged in teaching school for one year in the Buckeye state, after which he entered the Michigan State University at Ann Arbor for the study of law and was graduated from the law department in the class of 1803. He was then admitted to practice at Columbus, Ohio, and opened a law office in Toledo, that state, in 1804. In June. 1895, he came to Dowagiac, where he entered into partnership with Charles E. Sweet, which connection was con- timed for one year, since which time he has been alone in business. He was elected circuit court commissioner in 1900 and prosecuting attor- ney in 1902. since which time he has been re-elected, so that he is now serving for the second term. He was also city attorney of Dowagiac in 1900.
In 1895 occurred the marriage of George M. Fields and Miss Emily F. Bond, of Dowagiac, by whom he has one son, Harold B. In polit- ical affairs Mr. Fields is deeply interested, keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day and giving his aid to every legitimate measure which he believes will promote the success of the party and thereby advance the good of the state and nation. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks Lodge, No. 889 at Dowagiac, and he has per- sonal characteristics which make him popular with his fellow towns- men, gaining for him wide friendships and favorable regard. Since locating in Dowagiac his practice has been quite extensive and of an important character and he prepares his cases with provident care and wide research.
WILLIAM F. PUTERBAUGHI.
William F. Puterbaugh, supervisor of Calvin township and living on section 18. is a native of the neighboring state of Indiana, his birth having occurred in Concord township. Elkhart county, on the 25th of
yours Jauly
Hay Putestaugh
Sincerely yours
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September, 1852. He is a son of Joseph and Sarah ( Patterson) Puter- baugh. His paternal grandfather, George Puterbaugh, was a native of Pennsylvania, and the great-grandfather, a native of Germany, was the only representative of this family that ever came to Amer- ica as far as the knowledge of his posterity extends. George Puterbaugh was reared in the Keystone state, learned the millwright's trade in early life and built many mills. He was also a farmer and was quite a successful business man, providing liberally for his family. He was also a minister of the German Baptist church and took an active part in the moral development of the communities in which he lived and labored.
Joseph Puterbaugh, father of our subject, was born in Ohio and in the year 1849 removed to Elkhart county, Indiana, where he en- gaged in farming. For many years he followed that pursuit, but eventu- ally put aside business cares and in the enjoyment of a well earned rest made his home in the city of Elkhart during the last ten years of his life. He also filled the office of justice of the peace and was assessor of Concord township. Local progress and national advancement were both causes dear to his heart and his active co-operation could be counted upon for the benefit of any plan or movement intended for the general good of his county. He married Miss Sarah Patterson, who was born in central Indiana and died in Elkhart county in her sixty-fifth year. She was of Scotch lineage and was a daughter of William Patterson, who was born in the state of New York. He left home when a small boy under peculiar circumstances and therefore little is known con- cerning the ancestral history of the family.
William F. Puterbaugh, whose name introduces this record, is the eldest in a family of three sons and two daughters. He was reared in Concord township, Elkhart county, Indiana, and at the usual age en- tered the district schools, wherein he mastered various branches of learning that qualified him for life's practical and responsible duties. He afterward remained at home until about twenty-six years of age and assisted in the work of the farm from the time of early spring plant- ing until crops were harvested in the late autumn. Thus he gained practical knowledge of the business which he has made his life work and which now claims his time and energies.
March 17, 1878, occurred the marriage of Mr. Puterbaugh and Miss Ida M. Dodge, a daughter of Eliphalet and Sarah J. (Riggs) Dodge. Mrs. Puterbaugh was a native of Elkhart county, where her parents located at an early day, and there her girlhood days were passed. She, too, was a student in the public schools and in her father's home she was trained to the duties of the household, so that she was well equipped to care for a home of her own at the time of her marriage. Supplementing her training in the common schools she took a full teacher's course at the Goshen Normal, at Goshen, Indiana, graduating
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in the class of 1874, and was a successful teacher in her native county of Elkhart, Indiana, from 1872 to 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Puterbaugh began their domestic life in Concord township, Elkhart county, where he engaged in farming. He lived in three different townships of that county, remaining for four years in Concord township, two years in Osolo township and one year in Bango township. He then removed to California, in 1884, and spent one year on the Pacific coast, crossing the continent each time by rail. When he again came to the middle west he established his home in Calvin township, Cass county, where he purchased the farm upon which he has since resided. Here he has one hundred and seven acres of good land, which he has improved in many ways. lle has brought his fields under a high state of cultivation and annually harvests therefrom good crops. He also has good grades of stock upon his place and the improvements are in keeping with the mod- ern farm properties of the twentieth century. He votes with the Re- publican party, and in 1905 was elected to the office of township super- visor, which position he has since filled. He has also been officially connected with the schools of this community, and he is a valued and exemplary member of the Masonic lodge at Cassopolis and of the Odd Fellows lodge at Redfield, Cass county. His residence in the county covers about twenty-two years, and his record has ever been such as would bear close investigation and scrutiny, for he has conducted his business affairs honorably, has lived at peace with his fellow men and has wrought along lines contributing to individual success and to the public good as well.
JOHN LONGSDUFF.
Long a resident of Cass county. John Longsduff has therefore wit- nessed much of its growth and development as the years have gone by and changes have been wrought that have transformed it from a frontier district into one of the leading counties of this great commonwealth. He lives on section 8. Calvin township, where he has a good farm prop- erty comprising one hundred and twenty-eight acres of rich and arable land. Here he took up his abode in 1865 and in partnership with his wife he owns this property and gives his attention to its further develop- ment and cultivation.
His life record began in Pennsylvania on the 20th of August. 1836. Ile is a son of Martin Longsduff, also a native of Pennsylvania and a brother of George Longsduff, one of the enterprising citizens of this county. His paternal grandfather. Martin Longsduff. Sr .. was a native of Germany and in that country was reared and married. Crossing the Atlantic to the new world he became one of the early residents of Pennsylvania. In his family were ten children, of whom Martin Longs- duff. Jr .. was the eldest. He was a native of the same state and was there reared and educated. He was married twice and in 1834 re- moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio, taking up his abode in Union town-
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ship, Logan county, where he secured a tract of land and improved a farm. He remamed a resident of that state for almost four decades and came to Michigan in 1872. Here he spent his remaining days, passing away at the age of eighty-five years. In his religious views he was a Lutheran and he exemplified in his life his belief in the teach- ings of holy writ. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Matilda Quigley and was a native of Hagerstown, New Jersey, where her girlhood days were passed. She was the second wife of Mar- tin Longsduff, his former union having been with a Miss Searfoss, by whom he had one daughter, Elizabeth. By the second marriage there were born eleven children, one of whom died in early youth, while ten reached adult age and four of the number, two sons and two daugh- ters, are still living and are residents of Cass county.
Jolin Longsduff was only about a year old when his parents removed to Logan county, Ohio, where they remained for eleven years, and he then accompanied them on their removal to Michigan. The family home was established in Cass county near Vandalia and he grew to man- hood upon the farm from the age of twelve years. His educational privileges were those afforded by the public schools of the different localities in which he resided. The period of his minority was spent upon the old family homestead and he assisted in the operation of the farm and in the support of his mother. After attaining his majority he purchased land and improved a farm in Penn township. On the 9th of February, 1865, he was married to Miss Martha E. Hull, who was born on the farm where she now resides. Her parents were Isaac and Maria Hull, who came from Ohio to Cass county at an early day. In the year of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Longsduff located where they now reside and his labors have further improved the property until it is now a splendidly cultivated farm. In connection with the tilling of the soil he engaged in buying and shipping hogs for a number of years and found this a profitable source of income.
Mr. Longsduff exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democracy and is regarded as an enterprising citizen of the county, who has taken an active interest in public affairs, his efforts proving far reaching and beneficial. He is connected with one of the prominent old families of this part of the state and is justly entitled to mention among its representative citizens.
BARAK L. RUDD.
Barak L. Rudd, proprietor of the Forest Hall Hotel. at Diamond Lake. near Cassopolis, was born in Newburg township. October 21, 1846, and belongs to that class of citizens who find in the faithful per- formance of each day's duties opportunity for the exercise of their tal- ents and energies and gain through their industry, perseverance and diligence the success which is the desired goal of all business endeavor. Mr. Rudd is descended from New England ancestry. His father,
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Barker F. Rudd, was a native of Rutland, Vermont, born in 1810, and i11 1834 he came to Cass county, being then a young man of twenty- four years. He found here a district largely wild and unimproved, and- he established his home in what is now Newberg township, being one of the first settlers of the county, and aiding in its primitive development and progress. He assisted in organizing the township, in formulating its plan of government and he was afterward called to the offices of justice of the peace and supervisor. In politics he was originally a Whig, and upon the organization of the new Republican party joined its ranks, continuing to give it his support until his death, which oc- curred when he was seventy years of age. In early manhood he mar- ried Lucinda Brakeman, a daughter of Lewis Brakeman, who was cap- tain of a schooner and was lost on Lake St. Clair. The Rudds were of Scotch and Irish descent. In the father's family there were four daugh- ters and four sons.
Barak L. Rudd, the second son and fourth child, was reared upon the old family homestead and in his youth attended the common schools, while in the summer months his attention was devoted to the work of plowing, planting and harvesting. He was a young man of but seven- tcen years when in response to his country's call for aid he enlisted in 1863 as a member of the Fourteenth Michigan Battery of light artillery. He joined that command as a private and served for two years, or until the close of the war, being largely engaged in duty in the vicinity of Washington. Following the cessation of hostilities he returned to his native township, where he was engaged in farming. He continued to till the soil until 1880, when he turned his attention to commercial pursuits, opening a store in Vandalia, where he carried on business for six years, or until 1886. The same year he was elected supervisor of Penn township, and was also chosen to the office of county clerk, which position he held for four years, or two terms. In 1891 he purchased the Forest Hall Hotel. which he has since been conducting. It is a well known hostelry, containing about forty rooms, and is pleasantly situ- ated on the north shore of Diamond lake. A liberal patronage is ac- corded, the hotel having become a favorite summer resort. and in con- nection with its conduct Mr. Rudd also maintains a boat livery. He closely studies the needs and wishes of his patrons, and does everything in his power for the comfort, welfare and happiness of his guests. At the same time he manages the business interests of the house with capa- bility and is meeting with good success.
En 1880 Mr. Rudd was united in marriage to Miss Alice G. Gep- hart, a daughter of Jacob and Margaret Gephart, and unto them has been born a son, Leo B. Rudd, who died when eleven years of age. When age gave to Mr. Rudd the right of franchise he acknowledged his belief in the principles of the Republican party, and has since been one of its stalwart advocates. He is a member of the Albert Anderson Post. No. 157, G. A. R., and maintains pleasant relationships with his
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old army comrades at the camp fires and in the work of the organiza- tion. His devotion to his country is manifest in the same loyal spirit of helpfulness and progress which he displayed when upon southern bat- tlefields he fearlessly defended the old flag and the cause which it rep- resented. He has always lived in Cass county and the fact that many of his stanchest friends are numbered among those who have known him from his boyhood days down to the present is an indication of an hon- orable and upright life.
HENRY CLAY WALKER.
Henry Clay Walker is one of the prominent old settlers of Cass county and a veteran of the Civil war. lle resides on section 5. Cal- vin township, being owner of Brookside farm, which is a well improved property. His birth occurred in LaGrange township, Elkhart county, Indiana, on the 13th of September, 1841, and he is descended from an old New England family. His father, Lucius Walker, was a native of Vermont, in which state he spent the days of his boyhood and youth. He became a farmer by occupation and has devoted his entire life to that calling. About 1846 he removed to Indiana, establishing his home in Elkhart county. He married Miss Lydia S. Sanborn, who was also a native of New England, born either in Vermont or New Hampshire. They became the parents of eleven children, nine of whom reached man- hood or womanhood, while five are living at this writing in 1906.
Henry Clay Walker, the ninth in order of birth in his father's family, spent his youth in the county of his nativity. In 1858 his par- ents removed from the farm to Bristol, Elkhart county, and he remained at home until the time of his enlistment for service in the Civil war. His patriotic spirit was aroused by the continued attempt of the south to destroy the Union, and in August, 1862, he enrolled his name among the boys in blue of Company I, Eighty-eighth Indiana Volunteer In- fantry. He joined the army as a private and served until the follow- ing January, when he was honorably discharged on account of physical disability occasioned by illness.
Following his return to Bristol, Mr. Walker continued his educa- tion by pursuing a course of study in the Northern Indiana College at South Bend, where he remained for one year. He afterward entered business life as a merchant at Vandalia, Michigan, opening a general line of goods there. He was also postmaster of the town for nine years and discharged the duties of the position in connection with the man- agement of the store, in which he met with a fair measure of success, enjoying a growing trade by reason of his fair dealing and his earnest desire to please his patrons In 1873, however, he retired from com- mercial life and took up his abode upon the farm on which he now resides on section 5. Calvin township, and has since given his attention to general farming. His fields are well tilled and the place is equipped
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