Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 105

Author:
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 966

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bills passed through the efforts of the sub- ject, may be mentioned the bill for a uni- formity of negotiable instruments, which had been presented and defeated in four former sessions of the legislature. In 1904 Mr. McCarthy was elected a member of the Michigan Bar Association, being assigned to the committee on legislation and law reform. In 1905, at the association meeting at Bay City, he was elected a director for the tenth congressional district.

Mr. McCarthy married Miss Gertrude E. Barden, of Ovid, this state, and to them have been born two children, Cyril J. and Harold B. Fraternally Mr. McCarthy is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Woodmen of the World. He is a broad reader, a deep and logical thinker and keeps in close touch with the issues of the day. He has devoted himself largely to the benefit of the people and they have not been slow to recognize and appreciate these earn- est efforts in their behalf. Of a genial na- ture and companionable disposition, he has not been slow to make friends and by all who know him he is held in the highest re- gard.

HORATIO S. KARCHER.

Holding distinctive prestige as a busi- ness man, educator and public official, the subject of this sketch ranks with the repre- sentative men of Ogemaw county, Michigan. Judge Karcher is a native of Clinton county, this state, and is the son of G. and Helen (Armsden) Karcher, the former of Stutt- gart, Germany, and the latter a native of New York, born near Geneva. The sub-

ject's maternal great-grandfather was a na- tive of Vermont and was a colonel in the war of the Revolution, while his paternal grandfather, George Karcher, was shot in the battle of Waterloo, having been a sol- dier under Napoleon. Out of one hundred men in his company who left Stuttgart for the Russian campaign under Napoleon, he was one of the three that survived. The subject of this sketch received his education in the schools at St. John's, this state, and also took a course at the Michigan Agricul- tural College. He then engaged in teaching school and in the pursuit of this profession he came to Rose City, Ogemaw county, hold- ing the superintendency of the schools here for twelve years, and giving the utmost sat- isfaction in the position. He then engaged in the drug business here, having also a drug store at Twining, Arenac county, in both of which enterprises he has been very success- ful. He has been very active in developing city and country property, having bought and sold a vast amount of real estate, both timber and farm lands, and is still the owner of a large amount of country land. In the spring of 1905 Mr. Karcher was elected pro- bate judge of Ogemaw county and is the present incumbent of that position, render- ing most effective and satisfactory service. A man of well-known business ability and spotless integrity, he was particularly well qualified for this important office and has fulfilled the highest expectations of his friends. During the past eighteen years he has been a member of the board of school examiners, and is also the present supervisor of Rose City, having been elected to this position this year (1905). He is a stanch Republican in politics and is quite active in behalf of his party, being a member of the

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county committee, and president of the Roosevelt Club, and during campaigns his voice is frequently heard on the hustings in all parts of the state, his services being in great demand. His fraternal relations are with the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of the Maccabees, the Life Guards and the Modern Brotherhood. His religious affili- ation is with the Methodist Episcopal church and for many years he was the efficient su- perintendent of the Sunday school.

Judge Karcher married, in Clinton county, this state, Miss Issa Whitaker and they have two children, Clyde, who is a graduate of the Rose City high school, and Daisy, who is now in school. Mrs. Karch- er's parents were Ormal C. and Lavica (Ly- ons) Whitaker, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Pennsylvania, and were highly respected by all who knew them. The subject is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, deeply interested in the welfare of the community and all that contributes to its advancement. He possesses a genial, sun- shiny disposition and is popular with all who know him.

JAMES C. WALKER.

As proprietor of one of the leading in- dustries of Alpena, Michigan, the subject of this sketch has achieved a splendid position among the leading citizens of the place and has done much to advance the city's best interests. He was born in Farmington township, Oakland county, Michigan, and is the son of Andrew C. and Angeline (Inger- sol) Walker. The father was a native of Clairmont, New Hampshire, and, with his

father, Solomon Walker, came to Michigan about 1812, when there was not a white man in the state west of Oakland county. They were both farmers and also conducted a ho- tel. Andrew C. Walker's death occurred in February, 1869. Had he lived until the following July he would have been a justice of the peace for thirty-two consecutive years. He held other positions of trust and was ac- tive along many lines of effort. The sub- ject's maternal grandfather, Erastus Inger- sol, settled in Oakland county, Michigan, in 1814, and was a prominent man locally.

In 1872 the subject came to Alpena and engaged in the business of buying and sell- ing lumber. He also engaged in the manu- facture of excelsior, being a pioneer here in that business and one of the organizers of the Alpena Excelsior Company. In 1896 he engaged in the exclusive manufacture of bird's-eye maple veneer, an enterprise in which he has achieved a phenomenal suc- cess. The factory owned by him has a ca- pacity of forty thousand feet of veneer daily and is worked to its full capacity. He was the first to engage in this business in north- ern Michigan, and also the first in the North- ern Peninsula, having erected a plant at Grand Marais, Alger county, in 1903, but which he sold the following year. The de- mand for veneer is rapidly growing as the purposes for which it is used are multiply- ing, and shipments are made from this fac- tory to all parts of the United States and to many foreign countries. Aside from this particular industry, Mr. Walker has taken a decided interest in the welfare of the city along other lines and has borne a large part in advancing the welfare of the place along material, moral, social and educational lines. He served on the board of aldermen and for

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several terms was an efficient member of the city school board. His fraternal relations are with the Free and Accepted Masons.

Mr. Walker wedded Miss Carrie E. Wil- cox, of Wayne county, this state, the daugh- ter of Julius Wilcox, a prominent farmer. To them have been born three sons, namely : Lewis is a member of the firm of Shaw, Walker & Company, of Muskegon, Michi- gan, manufacturers of office furniture ; Har- ry C. is a manufacturer's agent in Chicago; Lawrence H., of Muskegon.

The subject's brother, Frank, was a sol- dier for the Union during the Civil war, serving in the navy, and afterwards finished a law course at the Michigan State Univer- sity, locating permanently at Memphis, Ten- nessee, where he became prominent along several lines. He was president of the Ma- sonic Relief Association of Memphis and during the yellow fever epidemic there in 1878 he refused to leave the city, remaining to give aid and assistance to suffering brother Masons. His own life was the for- feit, however, as he himself succumbed to the dread disease, a martyr to his devotion to others.

D. C. HOWELL, M. D.

There is no profession or line of busi- ness which calls for more thorough prepa- ration or more devoted attention than the medical profession, and indeed the success- ful physician must possess many qualities of head and heart not included in the curricu- lum of the schools or colleges he may have attended. Among the popular and success- ful physicians of northern Michigan, none

occupy a higher position in general regard than he whose name appears above. Dr. Howell was born in Hillsdale county, Michi- gan, on the 5th day of February, 1855, and was there reared to manhood, his youthful years being passed on the farm owned by his father, M. B. Howell, a native of New York state and an early pioneer settler of Hillsdale county, Michigan. After finishing the common-school course, Mr. Howell pur- sued the full course at the Eaton Rapids high school and then, in 1877, entered the medical department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he gradu- ated with honors in 1881. Soon afterward he began the practice of his profession at Davison Station, Genesee county, and later practiced at Flint and at East Tawas, re- maining at the latter place until 1902, when he came to Onaway, Presque Isle county, where he has established a large and successful practice. For a number of years he has occupied the responsible position of chief surgeon for the Detroit & Mackinac Railway and enjoys a wide reputation as a skilled and unusually proficient member of his profession. He keeps abreast of all the latest advances in the healing art and keeps in touch with his professional brethren through his membership in the Presque Isle County Medical Society, of which he was elected president upon its organization in 1904, and the State Medical Society and the American Medical Society. Fraternally he is an appreciative and valued member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. The Doctor is married, his wife, who was a Miss Ahlen, having been a na- tive of Ohio. Because of his splendid equip-

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ment for and love of his profession, his un- McClure was a member at the time of his death.

selfish devotion to his patients, and his in- flexible personal integrity, Dr. Howell has won and retains the esteem of all who have come in contact with him.

WILLIAM C. MCCLURE.

William C. McClure, who, at the time of his death, was a member of the real-estate firm of A. J. Stevens & Company, at Glad- win, Gladwin county, Michigan, was born on October 17, 1842, in Lima, Ohio, and until the age of twelve years lived on the parental farmstead. He then attended the public schools at Piqua, Ohio, and was also at Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, for two years. During the Southern Rebellion he enlisted in the Eighty-sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After the war he engaged in the grain commission busi- ness in Illinois, and then took a position with the Mitchell & Rowland Lumber Com- pany, at Toledo, Ohio, and later became connected with John McGraw & Company. In 1879 he entered into a partnership with John A. Hamilton and Jethro Mitchell, the firm being known as Hamilton, McClure & Company. Mr. Hamilton afterward died and the firm reorganized under the name of Mitchell & McClure, Mr. McClure hav- ing management of the business. In 1902 the manufacturing interests of the firm were sold to Alger, Smith & Company, though large land interests were still retained. These lands are now being put on the market through the agency of A. J. Stevens & Company, of Gladwin, of which firm Mr.

A man of broad ideas, far-sighted sa- gacity and ability to put his ideas into exe- cution at the proper time and in the right way, it was easy for him to perform great things where others might have failed ut- terly. He was favorably known as one of the honorable and successful lumbermen and business men of the Saginaw valley, Michigan, and Duluth, Minnesota.

ADELBERT BERTRAM.

One of the enterprising and progressive business men of Presque Isle county is the subject of this sketch, who is extensively en- gaged in the lumber and timber business, operating a large mill at Rogers City. The mill was built in 1892 by the subject and his brother Gustav, who is now living in Minnesota, and has a present capacity of twenty-five thousand feet per day. The sub- ject's father, Ed F. Bertram, came to Rog- ers City in 1873 and for a number of years was engaged in farming operations. He then opened a general store and conducted an extensive business, building a fine brick building and a good residence, the best in the town. He devoted his attention very closely to his business affairs, and also served his village and township in several official capacities. His death occurred in 1902, in his sixty-fourth year. He was a native of Germany and was possessed of all the splen- did characteristics of that sturdy race. The store is now conducted under the name of I. & M. Bertram, consisting of the mother,

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Wilhelmina, and the two daughters, Misses Ida and Martha. The subject gives employ- ment in his mill to thirty-five men and has been very successful in his business enter- prises. He is a stanch Republican in poli- tics and takes a deep interest in public af- fairs, though not a seeker after the honors or emoluments of office. Because of his courteous manners, genial disposition and genuine worth, he has won and retains the sincere regard and esteem of all who have come into contact with him.

A. J. STEVENS.

A resident of northern Michigan for forty years and thoroughly familiar with every detail of the land, lumber and mill business, the subject of this sketch is es- pecially qualified for the handling of the extensive interests which are in his care. Since residing at Gladwin, Gladwin county, he has risen to a high rank among the lead- ing business men of that locality and has contributed largely to the settlement, growth and development of that and surrounding counties. Mr. Stevens came to Gladwin on September 1, 1901, having previously been located at Saginaw, Bay City and other centers of activity in this part of the state. He at once opened a real-estate office here, in partnership with Mr. William C. Mc- Clure (now deceased, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume), and from the be- ginning the concern has been highly suc- cessful in selling lands and inducing settlers JOHN M. CLARK. to locate here. The firm owns what are known as the Mitchell and McClure lands, He who in any way contributes to the comfort and convenience of his fellow men comprising about twenty-five thousand acres in northern Michigan, and are making is a public benefactor, and surely the sub-

strong efforts to induce a fine class of agri- cultural people to locate here. They adver- tise extensively in all the leading farming papers of this country and Canada and their efforts have been rewarded with very gratifying success. The lands comprising this estate are splendidly adapted for either farming or stock purposes. Mr. McClure, who was one of the best posted men in the state on land values, having said that "he considered Gladwin and Clare counties the best in the state for agricultural purposes of any of the counties that were originally timber lands." The magnificent crops of the past two years have also done much to hasten the settlement of this section and those best qualified to judge are enthusi- astic in their predictions for a phenomenal growth in the settlement and development of the resources of this locality during the next few years. Within the last two years a half dozen ranches, averaging over a thousand acres, have been sold for stock raising purposes, and already large numbers of cattle and sheep have been located thereon. The streams are pure and the grasses of excellent quality, so that condi- tions seem to point to almost certain suc- cess in this line of industry. In opening up this land for prospective buyers and in advertising the wonderful opportunities abounding in northern Michigan, Mr. Stev- ens has done as much as any other one man, and today he stands high in the estimation of those who know him.

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ject of this brief sketch is deserving the thanks of his fellow citizens for what he has accomplished toward bringing the city of his residence in touch with the outside world and reducing local communication to a mini- mum of effort. John M. Clark was born in Arlington, Indiana, on May 3, 1863, and is descended from Quaker stock, his ancestors having left North Carolina and settled in In- diana in 1835 to escape the odium of living in slave territory. Mr. Clark was reared and received his education in his native place, remaining there until he was twenty- three years of age. He then struck out on his own account and, going to Florida, was there engaged in operating a nursery and surveying. He then went to California and for two years was employed in railroad sur- vey work, but, his health failing, he came to northern Michigan for the purpose of re- cuperation. He was so much benefited that he returned here again the following year, and then decided that no other place offered to him equal inducements as a place of res- idence or business investment. Accordingly he engaged in the grocery business under the firm name of Clark & Gray, though in fact these gentlemen were acting as agents for Merritt Chandler. About a year later Mr. Gray retired and Mr. Clark purchased an interest in the business, and three years later became sole owner of the enterprise. In July, 1898, he sold this store and, erecting a large store building, put in a stock of hardware and groceries. In the meantime, however, he had become interested in the telephone business, which was now growing to such proportions and offering such prom- ise of future results that he disposed of his mercantile business and has since given his best efforts to the management of the tele-

phone system, which, under his supervision, has grown to very satisfactory proportions.

The first wire strung was from McKin- non's to Onaway, fourteen and a half miles and connecting with the Cheboygan Tel- ephone Company. At that time Onaway was but a hamlet, but the promise was bright for better days and as necessity de- manded more lines were run and telephones installed, Mr. Clark being the prime mov- ing spirit in all these moves, though having the co-operation of other gentlemen who had imbibed his enthusiasm. In June, 1900, the Onaway Telephone Company was incor- porated, with a capitalization of four thou- sand dollars, with the result that today the company, under the presidency and man- agement of Mr. Clark, has three hundred and seventy phones connected and ex- changes at Onaway, Rogers City, Tower and Millersburg, with three hundred miles of toll lines. Arrangements have been made with the Bell telephone people whereby long distance communication can be had with any point on the latter's lines without inter- fering with local service, management or rates. A modern and improved flash-light signal board is soon to be installed in the central exchange at Onaway, which will make that one of the most complete ex- changes in this section of the state.

In 1897 Mr. Clark was appointed post- master at Onaway, at a time when the re- ceipts of the office averaged but twenty- three dollars per month. In January, 1902, the office was advanced to the third class and he was reappointed to the same posi- tion, the receipts of the office now averaging about four hundred dollars per month. Mr. Clark has always rendered a firm allegiance to the Republican party and, before the vil-

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lage of Onaway was incorporated, he served as clerk and treasurer of the township. He was a member of the school board which erected the first school building here and has in many other ways exhibited a deep interest in the welfare of the community.

Mr. Clark is also interested in the exten- sive lime stone quarries at Black lake, six miles from Onaway, the plant being con- trolled by the Onaway Limestone Company, of which Mr. Clark is secretary. The subject bought seventy acres of pure limestone, the best in the state, and the business has grown to large proportions, the sugar factories tak- ing the entire output of the quarries. He has platted a large tract of land at Black Lake and is selling it for residence purposes, this being one of the favorite resorts of this section.

Mr. Clark married Miss Anna R. Stan- ley, of Lenawee county, who has proven to him a helpmate in the truest sense of the term and aided and encouraged him in all his undertakings, taking an active part for several years in the operation of the local exchange. In the completion of the enter- prises in which he has been so closely con- nected, Mr. Clark has met with many ob- stacles which might well have discouraged a less determined man, but he has perse- vered and is now enjoying the satisfaction which comes with success. Because of his accomplishments and his splendid personal qualities he has won and retains a host of warm and loyal personal friends.

B. J. HENDERSON.

It is a far cry from bonnie Scotland, with its hills and heather, to the vast ex-

panse of timber lands and rich farming country of northern Michigan, in the midst of which have arisen hundreds of bustling and thriving cities and villages, yet the sub- ject of this sketch has not found the change to be to his disadvantage in any respect. Mr. Henderson was born in the Orkney islands; off the coast of Scotland, in 1873, and in the schools of that country he re- ceived a good practical education. In 1885, his father and mother having died, he came to America and for several years worked on farms and in saw mills during the summer months and went to school winters. He lo- cated in Standish, Michigan, in 1894, and from the beginning has made his way assist- ed by neither money nor influential friends. Possessing an abundance of ambition and determination, he has simply put his natural abilities to the test and has accomplished much in the face of apparently insurmount- able obstacles. He is now engaged in the insurance business under the firm name of Chamberlain & Henderson and they have one of the largest and best conducted fire in- surance agencies in northern Michigan. He has also handled considerable real estate and has been very instrumental in the rapid set- tlement of Arenac county. He was a prime mover in the organization of the Standish Realty Company, of which he is the vice- president and a director. This company is now erecting a fine ten-thousand-dollar build- ing, which will include stores, offices and club rooms, the latter being for the use of the Standish Club. Deciding to take up the practice of the law, Mr. Henderson entered the Detroit College of Law, from which he graduated with the class of 1904, being ad- mitted to the supreme court of Michigan and the United States courts that year. In the fall of the same year he was elected to

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the position of prosecuting attorney and is now efficiently performing the duties of that office. He has exhibited a thorough knowledge of the law and a ready percep- tion of facts, with an ability to apply the one to the other, which has enabled him to suc- cessfully handle all cases coming before him. He is also rapidly building up a large private practice, having already won the en- tire confidence of the people, who have abundant faith in his ability and his in- tegrity.

Fraternally Mr. Henderson is a Mason, being the present worshipful master of the Standish lodge, and in the Scottish rite of the order he has been initiated in all the de- grees up to and including the thirty-second. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks at Bay City and the Mystic Shrine at Detroit. A Republican in politics, he takes a lively interest in party matters, standing high in the councils of his party and doing much effective work in its interest. In every avenue of life's activities in which he has engaged, Mr. Henderson has won the approval and commendation of those who know him and he is justly con- sidered one of the county's leading citizens.

RODERICK C. HEPBURN, M. D.

As one of the native sons of the Wolver- ine state and as an able and honored mem- ber of the medical profession, we are pleased to incorporate a review of the life of Dr. Hepburn, who has been successfully en- gaged in the practice of his profession at Evart, Osceola county, for more than a quarter of a century and who is one of the

leading physicians and surgeons of this sec- tion of the state.

Dr. Hepburn was born in Dearborn township, Wayne county, Michigan, about fourteen miles distant from the city of De- troit, on the 29th of May, 1840, and is the son of Roderick C. and Abigail (Clement) Hepburn, who came to Michigan from Rochester, New York, the father having been a carpenter by trade and having fol- lowed this vocation in connection with farming. He died in Wayne county, in 1874, and his wife survived him by many years, her death occurring at the home of our subject, in Evart, in 1871. The Doctor is the youngest in a family of five children, of whom three are living, and is a near rel- ative of the late Frances Willard and of Dr. Mary Wood Allen.

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Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 105

Author: Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 966

Author:
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 966