USA > Michigan > Cass County > A twentieth century history of Cass County, Michigan > Part 76
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On the 7th of November. 1800, Mr. Hunter was united in marriage to Miss Eveline Van Ilise, who was born in Decatur township. Van Buren county, Michigan, and is a daughter of William O. and Eliza (Bell) Van Ilise. The mother came to Cass county about 1831 and here lived up to the time of her marriage. They were among the pioneer settlers of the county and Mrs. Hunter was ten years of age when she accompanied her parents on their removal to Wayne township. Unto our subject and his wife have been born seven children : Ina, now the wife of Fred B. Wells, a resident farmer of La- Grange township; Lizzie, the wife of Isaac Schurte: Ada. the wife of Darwin Garrett, of Dowagiac. Michigan: Minah V .: Phele, the wife of Arthur Rudolph, of Dowagiac; Millard wedded Iva Swisher, a resi- dent of Dowagiac; Clara, at home. All were born and reared upon the
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farm where the parents still reside and Phebe engaged in teaching school in Dowagiac and Cass county for about six years.
Mr. Hunter has been a life-long Democrat, and his fellow towns- men, recognizing his worth and ability, have called him to office. . He served for two terms as township treasurer and was justice of the peace for one terni and in both offices discharged his duties with promptness and fidelity. In his farm work he has been equally faithful and in his business life has never been known to take advantage of the necessities of his fellowmen in any trade transaction. Mr. Hunter's father was a man who was highly respected by all in his time. He was the first sheriff of old Cass county and was appointed by General Cass before Michigan was a state.
DANIEL SMITH.
There is much said at the present time about corruption in public office and about the infidelity of those in whom public trust has been reposed. This may be true to a great extent in the larger cities, but it is certainly not true in smaller cities and towns where the residents of any community have opportunity to investigate the records of a public official and where his life history is as an open book to which all have access. Daniel Smith is among the office holders of Dowagiac and his devotion to public service has been of benefit to the community which has en- trusted hin with the care of its interests. He is well known and enjoys in full measure the regard of his fellowmen.
A native of Pennsylvania. Mr. Smith was born in Lancaster county on the 28th of March, 1840. His father. John Smith, was a native of Germany and remained in that country during the period of his boy- hood and youth. being reared to the occupation of farming. He heard favorable reports, however, concerning America, its business opportuni- ties and advantages along other lines, and when twenty-one years of age he resolved to try his fortune in the new world and crossed the Atlantic. He located in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he re- sided for a number of years, coming thence to Michigan in 1857, at which time he took up his abode in Berrien county, where he resided for six months. On the expiration of that period he removed to Pokagon township, Cass county, where he was engaged in farming. His remain- ing days were given to the work of tilling the soil and caring for the crops, and he was active in his farm work until sixty-nine years of age, when his life's labors were ended in death. In early manhood he had wedded Frances Fulton, a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, who died in Cass county in the sixty-fifth year of her age. Eleven chil- dren were added to the household as the years passed by, six sons and five daughters, and of this number seven reached years of maturity.
Daniel Smith, who was the fourth child and second son. was seven- teen years of age when he came to Cass county. He had previously begun his education in the schools of Pennsylvania and after coming to
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Michigan he worked upon the home farm with his father in its de- velopment and improvement until twenty-one years of age, when he felt that his first duty was to his country, which at this time was en- gaged in the Civil war. His patriotic spirit was aroused and he could no longer content himself at the plow, so putting aside business cares he offered his services to the government, enlisting on the 21st of Au- gust, 1861, as a private of Company MI, First Michigan Cavalry. He remained with that command until February 8, 1862, when he was honorably discharged on account of disability, after which he returned to his home. He remained in Michigan until September, 1863, when he once more went to Pennsylvania and there he enlisted in the Twenty- first Pennsylvania Cavalry on the 8th of February, 1864. He partici- pated at the battle of Weldon Railroad and in the military movement in front of Petersburg he was wounded in the left leg, which necessi- tated the amputation of that member below the knee. When he hvid recovered his health he was honorably discharged December 26, 1865. and again came to Michigan, settling upon a farm in Pokagon township. Cass county.
On the Ist of December, 1867, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. McCoy, a daughter of Richard and Maria McCoy, who were early settlers of Cass county, and their daughter, Mrs. Smith, was born in Pokagon township, where her girlhood days were passed and her education was obtained.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Smith located in Dewagiac and was employed as a salesman in a store for about sixteen years-a faci which indicates his entire capability and trustworthiness. Ile has been supervisor of the third ward for ten years and this fact stands in incon- trovertille evidence of his loyalty in office. At one time he was alder man of the city from the third ward an I his personal popularity is indi cated by the fact that he was elected on the Democratic ticket in a wand which usually gives a strong Republican majority. Mr. and Mrs Smith have no children of their own, but have reared an adopted marche. Ruth, who is now the wife of Nathan I. White. Almost hilfreich Das come and gone since Mr. Smith come to (35 city ' 5. Therefore numberel ming the old settlers. He is finder with history in many of its phases, having been a withe -- five tarifem in the events which have shaped its policy and promoted it-ale deprom In all matters of citizenship he has been the embolimnen of 1on 1 01 in mille ofice as well as in military service has rendered delle vil 1 the count . He hes a deep and incre attachment for de stribes . 11 is indeed a pritriotie American citizen
WILLIAM JARVIS.
The farmi which is the price of residence @ Williun hors s. hi- birthplace. It is situated on Section 34, Wane township. a lit & Mr. Jarvis first opened his eyes to the light of day on the 501 ot De-
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cember, 1844. He is a son of Norman Jarvis, who was one of the carly settlers of this county, following the occupation of farming for many years. He was born in North Carolina in 1819, and was a son of Ed- ward Jarvis, likewise a native of the old North state. The grandfather was a farmer and about 1823 settled in Cass county, Michigan, being one of the first residents within its borders. The family home was es- tablished in LaGrange township, where the grandfather purchased some land, becoming owner of about two hundred acres, most of which was raw and unimproved. He cleared the tract, however, and reared his family upon this place.
Norman Jarvis was only four years of age when brought by his parents to Michigan and amid the wild scenes of frontier life he was reared upon the old homestead, the family living in a log cabin, while his education was acquired in a log schoolhouse. He shared with the other members of the family in the hardships and privations incident to pioneer life and also assisted in the arduous task of developing new land. When about twenty-one years of age he bought land in LaGrange township, coming into possession of about two hundred acres that was partially improved. He had been married a short time previous to Miss Margaret Simpson, a native of Ohio, born in the year 1823. She was reared in her native state and with her parents came to Cass county, Michigan, at an early day. Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis became the parents of ten children, seven daughters and three sons, all of whom are living. In his polit- ical views the father was a Democrat and kept well informed on the questions and issues of the day. Ile prospered in his business under- takings and at the time of his death was the owner of two hundred and seventy acres of rich and productive land, the greater part of which had been improved by him. He passed away in 1903 at the age of eighty-three years, respected and esteemed by all who knew him.
Upon the old homestead in LaGrange township William Jarvis spent the days of his boyhood and youth, there remaining until his marriage, which occurred on the 22d of February, 1868. He then re- moved to the farm adjoining the old homestead-a tract of land of one hundred and forty acres, a part of which he improved during the two years which he spent there. In 1872 he went to Dowagiac, where he turned his attention to the butchering business, remaining there for about seven months. On the expiration of that period he bought a farm of eighty acres east of Decatur, in Decatur township, and cleared ten acres of that place, living thereon for seven months. In the fall of 1873 he came to his present farm which then comprised eighty acres of land to which he has since added a tract of forty acres, so that his place now comprises one hundred and twenty acres, which is rich and productive. Here he has made his home for thirty-two years and has gained a good living by his careful management of his business and by his practical and progressive methods in cultivating the fields and caring for the crops.
Mr. Jarvis was united in marriage to Miss Arbesta Park, a native
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of Medina county, Ohio, born December 10, 1849, and a daughter of John and Fannie Park, who removed to Dowagiac in 1865, there spend- ing their remaining days. Mr. Park was a stock buyer and a well known business man, carrying on active work in the cultivation and develop- ment of the fields. Mrs. Jarvis was reared in Ohio, being about seven- teen years of age when the parents came to Cass county. By her mar- riage she has become the mother of two sons and a daughter: John P., who was born at Dowagiac on the 21st of May, 1872; William, who was born upon the present home farm April 17, 1882; and Bessie, who was born June 22, 1888. All were educated in the schools of Wayne township. The wife and mother was called to her final rest February 17, 1903, and her death was deeply regretted not only by her immediate family but also by many friends. Mr. Jarvis exercises his right of franchise in support of the Democratic party. Through sixty-one years he has lived in Cass county and has witnessed many changes here during that period. From his early youth he has followed farming save for a brief interval and for almost a third of a century has lived upon his present place which shows in its excellent improved condition the care- ful supervision of a careful and painstaking owner.
SOLOMON CURTIS.
Solomon Curtis, who has reached the age of four score years, is one of the pioneer settlers of Cass county. No writer has ever given adequate description of the conditions which are met on the frontier. When one faces the elements of nature in their rude and rough out- lines they are removed from the comforts of an older civilization. This Mr. Curtis has done and his labors have been a valued factor in reclaim- ing this district for cultivation and improvement. Ile was born in the town of Springfield, Otsego county, New York, January 26, 1826. His father, Stephen Curtis, was a native of the Empire state and died when his son Solomon was but thirteen years of age. The mother, Mrs. Edna ( Thorn) Curtis, was also a native of New York and died when the subject of this review was only two weeks old. The father was three times married and had a family of twelve children. By the first union there were nine children. by the second two and by the third mar- riage one child, the mother of our subject being the second wife. The daughter of that marriage died in early childhood.
Following the death of his father Solomon Curtis came to Mich- igan, making his way to Cass county in 1839 in company with one of his half brothers. He located in Pokagon township, living with his brother until about eighteen years of age, when he continued his edu- cation in the schools of Niles and also attended the seminary at Albion. Michigan. He worked hy the month in the summer seasons and care- fully saving his earnings he was at length enabled to purchase a tract of land in Rockford township. Eaton county. Michigan. He afterward
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traded that property for some land in Berrien township, Berrien county, Michigan, which he eventually sold but bought another farm in the same township on the Cass county line, where he lived for twelve years. In his farm work he was determined and energetic, carrying forward to successful completion whatever he undertook. He was practical in his methods, yet progressive in all that he did and as the years passed by he converted his places into well developed and highly improved farms.
Mr. Curtis was married in 1851 to Miss Louisa W. Wilson, a daughter of Samuel Wilson, of Oronoke township, Berrien county. Mrs. Curtis was born in New York but was reared in Massachusetts and her death occurred in this state, November 27, 1900. There were three children of that marriage, all of whom died in early life.
After living for twelve years upon his second farm in Berrien county Mr. Curtis sold that property and bought a farm in Silver Creek township, Cass county, whereon he lived for three years. He then again disposed of his farm and at that time bought land in Penn town- ship, Cass county, where he lived for nineteen years. After disposing of that property to a purchaser he removed to Dowagiac in 1885 and for twenty one years has resided in this city. He is one of the oldest set- tlers of (ass county and has been identified closely with its growth and development. He has seen the county emerge from the period of its in- fancy to that of latter day progress and civilization. That he located here at an early day is indicated by the fact that he paid only five dollars per acre for ninety acres of land, which is today worth at least fifty dollars per acre. He is well known throughout the county, having taken an active interest in public affairs and in all that pertains to the welfare and progress of his community. He voted for General John C. Fremont and for Abraham Lincoln loth times, also for Garfield, and was a stal- wart Republican from the organization of the party until 188.1. His first presidential ballet, however, was cast for Zachary Taylor. In 1884 Mr. Curtis severed his allegiance with the Republican party, and joined the Banks of the Prohibition party. He has since cast his ballot for its pres- idential can lidates, while at local elections he votes independently. He is a candidate for justice of the peace on the Prohibition ticket. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for sixty years and has been deeply interested in church work in its various departments. His life has ever been honoralle and upright, characterized by fidelity to Il That tends to elevate mankind and to promote his moral nature. He for Jeen & champion of temperance and of Christianity and now in the Keting of his life he can look back over the past without regret and forward to the future without fear. He is respected by all who know him because of his fidelity to the right and by reason of his honorable character and long residence in this county we take pleasure in present- ing the record of his career to our readers.
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WILLIAM E. BOGUE.
William E. Bogue, a prominent and representative farmer of Penn township, resides on Section 29, which is the farm upon which he was born on the 16th of March, 1841. His father, Stephen Bogue, was a native of Perquimans county, North Carolina, born on the 17th of October, 1790, and there he remained until twenty-one years of age. He was twice married, the mother of our subject being Mrs. Hannah ( East) Bogue, a native of Grayson county, Virginia, born on the 16th of December, 1798. It was in 1811 that Stephen Bogue left the south and removed to Ohio, taking up his abode in Preble county, where he was married. The year 1831 witnessed his arrival in Cass county. Michigan was still under territorial rule at that time and the work of improvement and progress was just being begun in various sections. In 1829 he had entered land from the government, having made a trip across the country on horseback to this locality and when he brought his family to Michigan settled upon the land and began the improvement of the farm, which hitherto was entirely wild and uncultivated. For many years he successfully carried on general agricultural pursuits there and died at the advanced age of seventy-eight years. His wife lived to the very advanced age of ninety-three years and was identified with the interests of Cass county from 1831 until her demise. Mr. Bogue built the first grist mill at Vandalia, laid out the town and gave to it its name. He was a very prominent and influential man, active in the work of public progress, and both he and his wife were numbered among the honored pioneer residents of this portion of the state.
The ancestry of the family can be traced still farther back. It is definitely known that the first representatives of the name in America came from Scotland to the new world and that the family was found in North Carolina during an early epoch in the colonization of that state. The grandfather, Joseph Bogue, was born in North Carolina. There were four children in the family of Stephen Bogue, who are still living, of whom William E. is the third in order of birth. The others are : Elvira B., the wife of Silas H. Thomas, a resident of Vandalia, Michi- gan ; Sue B., the widow of Amos Smith, who was a prominent citizen of the county ; and Stephen A., living in Vandalia.
William E. Bogue is the eldest son and was reared upon the home farm, where he has spent his entire life with the exception of three years passed in Chicago, when he was in the employ of the International Har- vester Company. In his boyhood days he attended the public schools and also worked in the fields through the summer months, early becom- ing familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. As a companion and helpmate for life's journey he chose Miss Elenora Sigerfoos, whom he wedded in St. Joseph county, Michigan, in 1863. She died several years later, leaving three children : Myrta, now the wife of B. H. Fowler, of Chicago: William Carlton, in the
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employ of the International Harvester Company of Chicago; and Ralph F., a druggist of the same city, who married Bernice M. Mckinney. The elder son, William C. Bogue, wedded Miss Bertha Arnold, of Porter township, Cass county. After losing his first wife Mr. Bogue was mar- ried to Lena Gladding, the widow of Joseph Mckinney and a native of Ohio, where her girlhood days were passed. By her former marriage she had two children : J. Wayne Mckinney, who is with the International Packing Company of Chicago; and Bernice M., the wife of Ralph F. Bogue, son of our subject. Mr. Bogue has four grandchildren : Cecil M., Max A. and Gerald D. Bogue, who are children of William C. Bogue ; and Kenneth Carlisle, the son of Ralph F. Bogue.
Throughout the greater part of his life William E. Bogue has car- ried on general agricultural pursuits and is the owner of a valuable and productive farm of one hundred and sixty acres located about three miles east of the courthouse in Cassopolis. He now rents the land, but still gives supervision to the farm. For many years he was active in its cultivation and management and he added to it many modern equip- ments and accessories, while his labors were energetic and resourceful, so that he won thereby a good financial return for his work. He ex- ercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party, and for one year he was clerk of the township, for two years township treasurer and for some years justice of the peace. He also belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Friends' church, in which he was reared. His life has ever been actuated by unfaltering fidelity to the principles which govern strict and unswerving integrity, and in public office his course was characterized by prompt- ness and capability in the discharge of his duties. Having lived all of his life in this county, he is familiar with many of the events which have shaped its history and formed its policy and he is classed today with the leading and representative pioneer settlers.
JOHN P. FIERO.
John P. Fiero, having chosen agricultural pursuits as a life work, is giving his time and energies to the task of tilling the soil, caring for the crops and raising stock on section 26. Wayne township. His birth occurred in Sandusky county, Ohio, on the ist of November. 1850, and he is the eldest in a family of three sons and three daughters whose parents were Abram and Fannie ( Thorp) Fiero. The paternal grand- father, Peter Fiero, was a native of the state of New York, was of Hol- land Dutch descent, and spent his last days in Branch county, Michigan. The maternal grandfather, John Thorp, was also a native of the Empire state, and it was in the same state that Abram Fiero and Fannie Thorp were horn. After residing for some time in Ohio they came to Cass county, Michigan, in the spring of 1853, locating in LaGrange township, where the father engaged in farming. His entire life was devoted to
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agricultural pursuits, and he gave to the work of the fields his undivided attention until his life's labors were ended in death, when he was sixty- six years of age. At the time of the Civil war he was a stanch advo- cate of the Republican party, which stood as the defender of the Union cause during that dark hour in our country's history, but later he be- came liberal in his political views. At one time he served as super- visor of his township and he was always active in public affairs, giving hearty support and co-operation to any movement which tended to bene- fit his community. In his family were three sons and three daughters, namely: John P .: Byron : William : Samantha, who died at the age of five years ; and Caroline and Lucy, both of whom are deceased.
John P. Fiero was in his third year when he was brought by his par- ents to Michigan, and upon the home farm in LaGrange township he was reared. His early educational privileges afforded by the district schools were supplemented by study in Dowagiac and in Kalamazoo Commer- cial College, which he attended for seven months. He afterward en- gaged in clerking for a time in Dowagiac in 1873, but later resumed farming in LaGrange township, where he remained for about a year. He then located on the farm where he now resides and he has resided here continuously since. The improvement of the property is due to his care and labor and to his progressive spirit. As his financial resources have increased he has extended the boundaries of his property and his landed possessions now aggregate one hundred and eighty acres in Wayne township. His home farm comprises one hundred and eighty acres, which is well improved. The fields have been brought under a high state of cultivation and are surrounded by well kept fences. He uses modern machinery in the care of his crops, and everything about his place is neat and thrifty in appearance, showing the owner to be a prac- tical man, who in his care of his farm is painstaking and energetic. He is also one of the stockholders of the Dowagiac creamery.
In 1875 Mr. Fiero was united in marriage to Miss Samantha Root, a daughter of Eber and Eliza (Wells) Root, who were early settlers of Cass county. The mother was the first landlady of Cassopolis. In pioneer times they took up their abode in this county and Mr. Root served as one of the early sheriffs, and his name was associated with other events relating to the county's history and its development. Mrs. Fiero was born in Cassopolis on the 8th of October, 18447. and by her marriage has become the mother of four children: Ray, who is living in Louisiana ; Cecil, deceased ; Charles, who has also passed away : and Eliza, the wife of Frank McMichael, of LaGrange township.
Mr. Fiero votes with the Democratic party and he was elected to the office of supervisor of Wayne township in 1800. He was also chosen town clerk and filled that position for several terms in Wayne township. He was treasurer of the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company for four years and is well known in the county, where in his varied relations he has ever been found worthy the trust and confidence reposed in him.
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