USA > Michigan > American Biographical History of Eminent and Self-made Men.: Michigan Volume > Part 28
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TANDISH, JOHN D., of Detroit, an active busi- ness man for nearly half a century, was born at Granville, Washington County, New York, Octo- ber 1, 1817. His father, Samuel Standish, died at Granville, in 1862, aged eighty years. He was, for more than fifty years, a successful merchant; during which time he was Postmaster for thirty years, and Surrogate of Washington County for twelve years. In all the attributes of a sound character, he ranked among the foremost in the community. The grandfather, whose name was also Samuel, died at Granville, in 1841, at the age of eighty-seven years. He served with distinc- tion in the Continental army, and was an actor in the remarkable events which attended the tragic death of Jane McCrea, at Fort Edward. He was present at the surrender of General Burgoyne. The great-grandfather, another Samuel, was directly descended, in the fourth generation, in the line of the oldest son, from Captain Miles Standish. He was born at Norwich, Connecticut, in 1718, his family having been among the first emi- grants to that State from the Plymouth Colony. He died in 1821, at the advanced age of one hundred and three years. Mr. John D. Standish inherited the phys- ical energy and conservative habits of his ancestors. After several years of primary instruction in the schools of his native village, he entered the academy of Dr. Salem Town, a classical institution of high reputation in its day. At the age of nineteen, he determined to seek a fortune and a home in the West ; and, after a
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short residence in Buffalo, proceeded to the pioneer set- | ential member of the denomination; having, for many tlements of Michigan. He arrived at Detroit, then a years, he'd in it responsible offices. In all social and city of eight or nine thousand people, in August, 1837. civil relations, Mr. Standish's sympathies have been uniformly active on the side of intelligence, benevo- lence, and the public good. He has aided, as opportu- nity afforded, in local and other efforts to procure advancement in the development of a genuine social and Christian civilization in his adopted city and State. He values above any other success his record of industry, frugality, and integrity. Here, through a trivial circumstance, he became ac- quainted with the late Hon. S. V. R. Trowbridge, whose aid and friendship he found of much value, and in whose excellent family he enjoyed many privileges. Aided by the encouragement and patronage of Mr. Trowbridge and others, Mr. Standish established, near Birmingham, a select school, which soon became popu- lar, and was continued for nearly three years. This experience Mr. Standish has always regarded as very valuable, and it still affords him many pleasant remin- iscences. He now retains the names of more than one hundred of his pupils,-many of whom are men of character and influence. Some are prominent citizens of Detroit ; one is a professor in Yale College ; one, an ex-Sheriff of Oakland County; one, a missionary of the
HEARER, HON. JONATHAN, Pioneer and Farmer, of Plymouth, was born in Franklin County, Massachusetts, August 23, 1796. His American Board at Constantinople; and others are mer- ! great-grandfather, James Shearer, was a native of Scot- chants and farmers in various parts of the country. In land; and the father of James emigrated to that country from Germany. Mr. Shearer's grandfather was born in the county of Antrim, and came to this country at an early age, somewhere between 1830 and 1840. He had eight sons, all of whom served in the Revolutionary army. The youngest two, aged respectively fourteen and sixteen, drove the baggage wagons of General Washington a portion of the time; the others bore arms, and participated in most of the conflicts of the war. Mr. Shearer's father, William Shearer, was born at Palmer, Massachusetts, in 1748. He was the second son; and volunteered at Lexington, in 1775, when twenty-seven years old, engaging in the battles of Lex- ington, Concord, and Bunker Hill. He served under
September, 1841, Mr. Standish married, at Pontiac, Miss Emma 1 .. Darrow, of 1.yme, Connecticut. They have two sons and two daughters. Shortly after his marriage, he engaged in mercantile business in Oakland ; and later, in Macomb County, with varied success. In the winter of 1856-57, nearly all his property was de- stroyed by fire. He then removed to Detroit, and became one of its most successful merchant,; his opera- tions included the trade and packing of pork, the pur- chase of grain and wool, and the manufacture of paint and lumber. His business amounted to nearly a million dollars annually. In the meantime, he became the owner of large tracts of pine land in Bay and Otsego counties : and organized the township and village of Standish, in ; General Ethan Allen, at the taking of Ticonderoga ; Bay County, where he built valuable mills, and made under General Stark, at the battle of Bennington; and under General Gates, at the surrender of Burgoyne. He died in Franklin, Massachusetts, in 1829, at the age of eighty-one. The mother of Jonathan Shearer, Betsey Morton, was born in Boston about 1758, and was the daughter of a ship-owner, who came to Boston from Liverpool. Her father resided in Boston, a near neigh- bor to the elder John Adams; and, when the British put the military over the civil power in Boston, Mr. Adams invited the Morton family to go to his country residence at Quincy, which invitation was accepted. The two families resided for a time under the same roof; and, when the British evacuated Boston, they returned to that city. The mother of Mr. Shearer attended school with John Quincy Adams, she being about five years his senior. At the close of the war, William Shearer be- came a farmer in Franklin County, Massachusetts, and reared a large family. Jonathan Shearer, the seventh son, was born August 23, 1796. He studied at the acad- emy of Professor Hitchcock, the geologist, at Deerfield, other improvements. He also built the first mill in Otsego County, and shipped the first lumber from that part of the State. In 1872 he transferred his provision trade to his son James, and largely curtailed his business operations, which he limited to the care of his real estate, and the various trusts in his hands. In 1875, however, he accepted, and still continues, the manage- ment of one of the established commercial agencies, now esteemed one of the necessary institutions of the day. His early political training was in the Democratic party ; but, impelled by his strong antislavery convic- tions, he assisted in the formation of the Republican party, in 1856, with which he has since been connected. In 1869 he was the Republican candidate for Mayor of the city of Detroit, then strongly Democratic; and, although defeated, received a very complimentary vote above the rest of his ticket. His religious views have always been of a tolerant, but decidedly evangelical character. He became a member of the Baptist Church in early life, and has ever continued an active and influ- | Massachusetts; and at the academy of Professor Chase,
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SMITH, MARTIN S., Detroit, Michigan, Mer- | ternity, having filled the office of Grand Treasurer chant, was born in Lima, Livingston County, of the Grand Commandery of Michigan. In 1862 Mr. Smith married Mary E. Judson, of Detroit. During his career as a business man in that city, he has never been prominently connected with any political party; nor has he ever manifested any ambition for honors as an office-holder. He has preferred to devote his time to his business, which, by close attention and untiring energy, has not only brought him a handsome compe- tence, but has placed him foremost on the list of suc- cessful merchants. New York, in 1834. His parents, Ira D. and Sarah (Snyder) Smith, were both natives of Columbia County, in the same State, and emigrated to Michigan when their son was ten years of age. In his fourteenth year, Mr. Smith commenced life, on his own account, as clerk in a clothing store in Pontiac. He was subse- quently employed in the office of the Pontiac Gazette,- then owned and managed by William M. Thompson. He remained here two years, and left to accept a more profitable position in the dry-goods establishment of J. C. Goodsell, of the same town. In the spring of 1851, he entered the house of Holmes & Co., Detroit, where he remained a year, when he became connected with the jewelry store of L. P. Durkee & Co. On the failure of MITH, BRADFORD, Real Estate Agent, of De- troit, was born at Moira, Franklin County, New York. He is a lineal descendant of William Bradford, who came from England in the "Mayflower," this house, in 1859, he purchased, with the accumulated savings-one thousand dollars-of his ten years' labor, the business of the firm; and, with the assistance of the credit which his well-known energy and integrity en-, and was Governor of Plymouth Colony for thirty years. abled him to command, ha- since conducted a large and constantly growing trade. In August, 1864, he gave his brother, Frank G. Smith, -who had previously been associated with him as a clerk, -an interest in the firm. At the same time, Edward J. Smith, who had, for nine years, held a responsible position in the jewelry house of George Doty, of Detroit, was admitted to the firm. He remained a member of it until 1868, when he was
His great-grandfather was in the battle of Quebec; his grandfather was a Revolutionary soldier; and his father was at the battle of Plattsburg, in the War of 1812. His maternal grandfather, a Baptist minister of New Hampshire, received a commission from General Wash- ington, and served during the war for independence. Mr. Bradford Smith graduated from St. Lawrence Academy; and then, for four years, attended Oberlin compelled to retire on account of ill health. From a College, Ohio. After leaving the college, he became a successful teacher ; and, in 1870, received the degree of A. M. from his Alma Mater. In 1853 he removed to Detroit, and became Principal of the Houghton Union School, and Superintendent of the schools connected with it. This position he filled for eight years, when he retired from teaching and entered the real estate business. He has acquired a fair competence, and is widely known as a prompt and honorable business man. lle is an active member and one of the officers of the Fort Street Presbyterian Church. For two years, he was President of the Young Men's Christian Association; he has long been a member of its board of managers, and Chairman of the Employment Committee. Hun- dreds of young men in Detroit are indebted to him for their start in life. Mr. Smith is much interested in the intellectual and religious culture of the young. Ile is actively engaged in the Sabbath-school of his own church, and in various mission schools. He has long been identified with the temperance cause, and has, of late, acted with the Prohibition party, though a Repub- lican, in all matters of national interest. In 1876 the State Prohibition Convention appointed Mr. Smith, in connection with Rev. John Russell and President Joce-
small retail trade of seventeen thousand dollars, in 1859, the business, under the prudent and energetic manage- ment of Mr. Smith, steadily increased, until, in 1872, the sales amounted to three hundred thousand dollars. During a visit to Europe in 1868, Mr. Smith arranged for the direct importation of the various manufactures in his line of goods, thus gaining a decided advantage over other competitors in the retail trade. He was the first leading jeweler in the West, who, recognizing the merits of the now celebrated American watch, freely gave it his own indorsement, by which he aided materially in establishing that important branch of American industry. In. the past few years, through the efforts of such patrons of home industry as Mr. Smith, the sale of American watches has steadily increased, in spite of foreign competi- tion; and, at the Centennial Exhibition, the display made by the American Watch Company attracted the atten- tion and excited the admiration of all the representatives of the leading European manufacturers. Mr. Smith has traveled extensively in Europe; and, in 1866, spent several months in the island of Cuba, for the benefit of his health. He succeeded Governor Bagley as Police Commissioner, in 1872, and was re-appointed in 1877. lle is a Director of the American National Bank, and lyn, of Albion College, to bring the question of prohi- of the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company. bition again before the State Legislature. In 1875 Mr. He is prominently identified with the Masonic Fra- | Smith was appointed, by Governor Bagley, Commis-
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1, and reform- | Ohio, he practiced both in Plymouth and Dearborn,
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ars of age Assistant Surgeon, in charge at Detroit Arsenal. He criminal retained the position only one year; but, in 1852, was ' to have Smith re-instated by Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of War. He served in this capacity twenty-four years, until the *end- arsenal was abandoned by the United States Ordnance im- Department. Doctor Snow has been a member of the 'r. Wayne County Medical Society twenty-nine years. In 1874 he occupied the honorable position of Vice-Presi- · dent. He represented the society at the National Med- :al Association, held at Cincinnati, in May, 1871; and o in the one held at Louisville, in 1875. He was 'ed, in 1874, President of the Dearborn Literary y. At the winter session of 1876-77, of the ! Alumni of the State University, at Ann Arbor, 'nanimously elected an honorary member. His ve been extensive throughout the United in his official and private capacity. In has always been a stanch Republican. ; one of the oldest practitioners of Wayne mall beginnings, he has risen to wealth, position in his profession. He married of Austinburg, Ohio, October 22, 'o children.
TS XAVIER, M. D., Detroit,
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sioner of Wayne County for pauper, penal, and reform- | Ohio, he practiced both in Plymouth and Dearborn, atory institutions. Ilis duties, as prescribed by law, Michigan, and the following year was appointed Acting Assistant Surgeon, in charge at Detroit Arsenal. He retained the position only one year; but, in 1852, was re-instated by Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of War. Ile served in this capacity twenty-four years, until the arsenal was abandoned by the United States Ordnance Department. Doctor Snow has been a member of the Wayne County Medical Society twenty-nine years. In 1874 he occupied the honorable position of Vice-Presi- dent. He represented the society at the National Med- ical Association, held at Cincinnati, in May, 1871; and also in the one held at Louisville, in 1875. He was elected, in 1874, President of the Dearborn Literary Society. At the winter session of 1876-77, of the Medical Alumni of the State University, at Ann Arbor, he was unanimously elected an honorary member. His travels have been extensive throughout the United States, both in his official and private capacity. In politics, he has always been a stanch Republican. Doctor Snow is one of the oldest practitioners of Wayne County. From small beginnings, he has risen to wealth, and an honorable position in his profession. He married Elizabeth Austin, of Austinburg, Ohio, October 22, 1850. They have two children. are to look after children under sixteen years of age who are apprehended for misdemeanors or criminal offenses, to seek homes for such as need them, and to have a supervision of their general deportment. Mr. Smith has added the responsibility of overlooking their attend- ance at school. When children are convicted of crim- inal offense, they are placed in the custody of Mr. Smith, who decides whether they shall be placed under a State institution, or shall be taken under his own charge. The latter course is usually pursued; and, in 1877, he had one hundred and fifty children under his care. They are required to report to him in person. He keeps himself well informed concerning the deportment of each child, and attends to the personal comfort of each. Mr. Smith has been highly complimented upon his manner of treating these youths, who have just entered upon a life of crime, and it is thought his plan will be productive of incalculable good. Mr. Smith gives his time gratuitously to this work, and is often called upon to furnish clothing and support for the children under his care. At the opening of our civil war, Mr. Smith volunteered, was appointed Captain, and assisted in recruiting a company ; but he was not able to pass muster,-on account of lameness caused by a sprained knee,-and secured a young man to represent him in the struggle to maintain our national existence and unity.
NOW, DR. EDWARD S., of Dearborn, Michigan, was born in Austinburg, Ashtabula County, Ohio, July 5, 1820. His parents, Sparrow and Clara (Kneela .. d) Snow, were natives of Massachusetts, and were of English descent. They were married at Sand- ersfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in 1811, and moved on to a farm in Austinburg, Ohio, in 1817. Doctor Snow Jeft home in 1838 to attend the Grand River Institute, Ohio, where he graduated in 1842. He had studied surveying, and applied to the Government for a contract for surveying the district then known as the North-west Territory. His application was made to J. R. Giddings, then a prominent Representative in Congress, devoted to antislavery interests; but the abo- litionists were not in power, and the application failed. He had already served two years as Adjutant of Ist Rifle Regiment, Second Brigade and Twenty-first Divi- sion, under Colonel Tracy and General Stearns, of Ohio. He taught two years, first in Jefferson, and afterwards in Palmyra, Ohio, and then commenced the study of medicine, under the tuition of O. K. Hawley, of Aus- tinburg. After graduating in 1847, from the medical branch of the Western Reserve College, at Cleveland,
PRANGER, FRANCIS XAVIER, M. D., Detroit, son of Lawrence and Mary (Shuster) Spranger, was " born in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, on the 13th of March, 1840. His parents emigrated to America when he was nine years old. When quite young he en- tered the Benedictine College, at Carrollton, Pennsylvania, where he took a course in Latin; at seventeen years of age, he commenced the study of medicine, under the direction of Dr. H. Hoffman, and afterwards became the pupil of Dr. J. M. Parks, of Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated with the degree of M. D., at the Homeo- pathic Medical College, of Cleveland, Ohio. In August, 1862, he established himself in Detroit, where he has since continued in the practice of his profession. Doctor Spranger was one of the organizers of the Detroit Homeopathic College, and Professor of Pathology and Physical Diognosis during its four terms; he was Pres- ident of the college during the last term. He is firm in the belief that similia similibus is an essential law of cure; but does not believe in the exclusive adherence to infinitesimal doses, and the single remedy. He feels that it is the physician's most important duty to cure his patient in the speediest and safest manner, regardless of the theories and dogmas laid down. He believes, that, if the physician prescribes proper remedies in suf- ficient doses to cure without doing harm, he does
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his duty to the patient ; and that, to be able to do this | at the latter place. Being averse to the profession of for each special case, it is necessary to have not only a law, which his father desired him to study, he learned thorough knowledge of the pathogenesis of drugs, but the printer's trade. In 1845 he removed to Detroit, Mich- of the collateral sciences of anatomy, physiology, and pa- igan, where he engaged in a foundry and machine shop thology. During the last fifteen years, Doctor Spranger's, with his uncle, the late C. M. Hyde. During his inter- practice has steadily increased until his office prescrip- vals of leisure, he studied law with another uncle, the tions average, in number, seven thousand per year, and |late Hon. B. F. H. Witherell. In the winter of 1845-46, his professional visits from thirty to forty per day. He he became interested in developing the then recently discovered mineral resources of Lake Superior, and in bringing them to the notice of New York capitalists. Being appointed United States Deputy Marshal, in 1850, he arrested the Beaver Island Mormons, for interfering with the mail, thus breaking up the Mormon interest in has a large list of deserving charity patients. In 1854, Doctor Spranger, in company with his parents, visited Nicaragua, and was present at the bombardment of Greytown, which occurred on the 11th of July. In 1858 he married, at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Miss Mary Sattig. They have had seven children, -four of whom ! the State. In 1852 Colonel Sprague took editorial and are living,-and one grandchild. Doctor Spranger is a business charge of the Detroit Tribune, and was suc- cessful in restoring it to financial prosperity. On the breaking out of the civil war, Colonel Sprague tendered his services to Governor Blair, and assisted in the member of the Arbeiter Society, and also of the Con- cordia Society. He is an ardent lover of music, for which he possesses much talent. His favorite instru- ment is the Zither, and, as an amateur performer, he, organization of troops for the field. He had risen from has few equals. In social life he is of an affable, genial ' the ranks of the old Hartford Light Infantry, -a com- temperament, with none of the hauteur which charac- | pany organized in 1754,-of which he had been Cap- terizes many successful professional men. Although tain, and afterwards Colonel. He devoted much time reared in the Catholic faith, Doctor Spranger is very to the work of raising and equipping the 27th Michigan liberal in his religious views towards other denomina. ' Infantry, of which he was commissioned Lieutenant- tions. He has never taken any part in politics, nor Colonel. The record of this regiment is one of the sought public office. He was appointed City Physician by the Common Council, in 1868, to fill a vacancy, and served six months.
PRAGUE, COLONEL THOMAS SPENCER, Lawyer, Detroit, was born March 6, 1823, in Poultney, Rutland County, Vermont; and comes from a long line of ancestors, who were illustrious in the carly annals of the colonies. The descendants of his great-grandfather, William Sprague,-one of the " Mayflower" pilgrims,-settled in Rhode Island, and thence emigrated to Connecticut, Ohio, and Vermont, during the latter part of the eighteenth century. They were enthusiastic supporters of the war which termin- ated in the independence of the United States. Daniel Sprague was one of the early founders of Poultney, Vermont; the family mansion which he built is still standing, in good preservation. It is the birthplace of the subject of this sketch, and also of his father, Isaac M. Sprague. D. D. His mother, Adelia Maria Heartt. is a descendant of one of the pioneers of the Mohawk Valley. It was at her father's house that the surrender of the British took place, after the battle of Benning- ton. Colonel Sprague studied at Poultney, Vermont; Flatbush, Long Island ; Sherbourne, New York; and Hartford, Connecticut ; graduating from Trinity College, | Adelia Maria, now residing in Chicago.
tinest in the war. At the commencement of the Indian troubles, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel; and appointed - with the powers of a Provost-Marshal - to the command of the Sixth Congressional District. The printer- of Detroit showed their appreciation of his services by presenting him with a sword, sash, belt, and other military trappings. He pacified the Indians, sending seven hundred of them to the front lines. He was mustered out of service in 1865, and returned to Detroit, where he resumed professional practice, devot- ing himself entirely to patent law. Colonel Sprague occupies high positions of trust and honor. For three years he was President of the Toledo and St. Louis Air Line Railroad, and is now Vice-President of the same organization. He is President of the St. Paul and Iowa South-western Railroad; of the Capital Gas Con- struction and Improvement Company, of Washington, D. C .; and also of the Mechanics' and Inventors' Asso- ciation. He has been l'resident of the latter institution for ten years, and acts as attorney for the association, which numbers over eight thousand members. He is a member of the Episcopal Church. Colonel Sprague was an old-line Henry Clay Whig until 1854, when he united with the Republican party, of which the Tribune was the first organ in Detroit. He was married, in March, 1854, to Mary Elizabeth Hubbell, of Hartford, Connecticut, a descendant of the celebrated John Jay family. They have two children, -a son, Henry S., who served in the late civil war; and a daughter,
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