Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 25

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

USA > Michigan > Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens > Part 25

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

William Muckle is, like many of his neighbors in Echo township, a native of Canada, having been born July 24, 1865. His parents were Andrew and Mariah (Rhinard) Muckle. The father was a na- tive of Ireland, from which country he emi- grated to Canada and there followed his profession, that of an iron molder. Subse- quently he came to Antrim county, Michi- gan, and homesteaded ninety-four acres of land. It was at that time densely covered with timber and a tremendous amount of toil was necessary to clear the land and fit it for cultivation, but Mr. Muckle was de- termined in his efforts and in due time suc- ceeded in reclaiming a fine tract of farming land from the wilderness. He was the father of six children, namely: John, Jane, Wil- liam, Anna, Andrew, James, all now living.

In politics he is a Republican and, though not an office seeker, takes an active interest in the success of his party. When he first moved to this township he made his home in a trough-roof shanty, which was superceded by a log cabin, and this in 1902 replaced by the present modern and commodious brick dwelling which adorns the premises, and he is now erecting a barn

195

NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

fifty-six by thirty-six feet in dimensions, lo- age of seven months. In politics Mr. Muckle gives a staunch allegiance to the Re- publican party, believing firmly that its plat- form and policy are those adapted to the needs of the American people. He is not an office seeker, nevertheless exercises his in- fluence to the utmost to advance his party's interests. Fraternally he is a member of the time-honored order of the Free and Accepted Masons, belonging to Orange Lodge at Finkton. During his residence in Michigan his characteristics have won for him recog- nition as a man of upright dealing and by his many virtues he has won the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens.

cated in Central township just across the road from the subject's home. William M. Muckle received a good common school edu- cation and has been an earnest reader of current events all his life. He keeps closely in touch with passing events and is an in- telligent and well read man. He has fol- lowed agricultural pursuits all his life and as a result of his indefatigable industry and persevering determination he has attained a noble success in this calling. He came to Antrim county in 1870 and it is worthy of note that at that time there was no roads here whatever and he helped to lay out and construct nearly all of the first roads of this township. He is the possessor of ninety- four acres of land, of which forty are under the plow, and in addition to tilling the soil he gives· some attention to stock raising. owning some fine specimens of Durham cat- tle. He is one of the progressive farmers and has been faithful in living up to his con- ditions and his home place speaks well for his methods, as all his improvements have been of the most substantial kind. Every- thing about his place is kept in excellent repair and he gives to farming his personal supervision in every department, consider- ing no detail so unimportant as not to claim his attention. In this may be largely at- tributed his success, for it is one of the most valuable elements in business life.

On February 29, 1892, Mr. Muckle mar- ried Miss Katie Devlin, daughter of Joseph and Susan (McCusker) Devlin. . Mrs. Muckle's parents were natives of Canada and came to Antrim county in an early day, being numbered among its prominent pioneers. To Mr. and Mrs. Muckle have been born one child, John, who died at the

HENRY DAWSON.

The subject of this review, who has long enjoyed distinction among the leading farm- ers and worthy citizens of Central Lake township, Antrim county, is a native of Canada, born near Kingston, Ontario, May 25, 1831. The first fourteen years of his life were spent at the place of his birth and at the expiration of that time he went to Hamilton township, in his native province, thence to Durham, seventy miles west of Kingston, where his parents had settled the previous year for the purpose of securing cheaper land than could be obtained in the older and better developed country where they formerly lived. Henry assisted his father in clearing and improving the new farm and, after remaining at home until eighteen years of age, he started to make his own mark as a farm laborer, to which kind of work he devoted his attention during the ten years following. On November 24,

IÇ6

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF

1859, he entered the marriage relation with Miss Mary J. McArthur, of Hamilton, and the same year leased a tract of land, on which he lived until his removal to Somerville, a newly opened section of Ontario, four years later. Securing land near the latter place, he at once proceeded to improve the same, but after six years of hard labor on a thin, rocky soil, with very meager returns, he be- came dissatisfied with the country and de- cided to move elsewhere. Some years be- fore his brother and brother-in-law had set- tled in Antrim county, Michigan, and their favorable reports of the country induced him to visit them with the object in view of pur- chasing land and making a settlement. In the fall of 1871 Mr. Dawson set out for northern Michigan and, arriving at his desti- nation near Torch Lake in due time and find- ing the country all that it was represented, he secured a tract of land in what is now Central Lake township and at once pro- ceeded to erect a habitation for the recep- tion of his wife and children, who were to join him the following summer. After finishing his little log cabin, he addressed himself to the more formidable task of clearing his land and in this way he put in the following winter and spring so that by the time of his family's arrival the next July he had quite a goodly part of his eight acres in cultivation. After paying for his land and moving his family Mr. Dawson's capi- tal had dwindled down to a residue of only eight dollars, but, endowed by energy and consummated by hope, he resolutely faced the future, determined to make the most of his circumstances and achieve success if it were possible. Being under the necessity of earning money for the ordinary comforts of life he worked for some time at Grand

Traverse Bay, loading lumber and wood, and later was employed for several months by a Mr. Silkman, who kept a summer boarding house at Torch Lake. He also operated a saw mill when not otherwise engaged and in these several capacities succeeded in pro- viding comfortably for his family, in ad- dition to which he devoted considerable time to his farm, so that by the third year he had between sixteen and twenty acres in cultiva- tion. There being a steady demand for furnace wood, Mr. Dawson made consider- able money by cutting and selling the rough- est of his timber for this purpose, disposing of the better lumber at much more liberal figures. During the first three years in the new country he farmed under many dis- advantages, not being able to purchase a team, but as times improved he was enabled to procure this and other necessary adjuncts, after which his progress as a tiller of the soil was much more satisfactory and profit- able. With a wife and seven children to clothe and feed, he was frequently put to his wits' end to provide them with the or- dinary necessities, but at no time were they allowed to suffer for these and he can now look back with the satisfaction of knowing that under the most adverse conditions those dependent upon him were comfortably cared for.

With the continued development of the country Mr. Dawson's circumstances also improved and in due time he was enabled by judicious investments to add to his real estate. being encouraged in this by his sons who, although in their teens, agreed to stand by him and lend him all the assistance within their power. By thus working together, not only on the farm but in cutting timber and wood, for both of which there was a ready

197

NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

market near at hand, the original home- stead was gradually enlarged by additional purchases, until the Dawsons were numbered among the large land owners of their town- ship as well as taking front rank as agri- culturists.

Mr. Dawson's farm is admirably situ- ated in one of the richest and most beautiful part of Antrim county and his residence, which stands on a pleasing eminence, com- mands a magnificent view of Torch lake and Traverse bay, the latter dotted almost all the time with steamers, freighters, sail boats and other craft, the whole presenting a panorama once seen never to be forgotten. Mr. Dawson has made many valuable im- provements on his place, his building being among the best and most substantial in the neighborhood, while the fine condition of the fences, fields and live stock bears elo- quent testimony of his industry, interest and excellent management as an enterprising and up-to-date tiller of the soil. In addi- tion to general farming, which he carries on quite successfully, he devotes considerable attention to horticulture and at this time has nearly three acres of orchard in which are to be found the finest varieties of fruits grown in this latitude, his trees having been carefully selected and just as carefully tended, the result each year from this source alone being a large share of his income.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawson are greatly re- spected by their friends and neighbors and their long residence in Central Lake town- ship has won for them a very extensive ac- quaintance. They are foremost in every commendable work for the good of the com- munity and by their actions and influence encourage all legitimate enterprises tending to advance the interests of the people with

whom their lot has been cast. In his political views Mr. Dawson is staunchly Republican, but while zealous in defending the principles of his party and earnest in the support of its candidates he has never sought official honors nor posed as a leader, although well qualified to act in the latter capacity. Re- ligiously he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and as such have exemplified in their daily life the liv- ing faith by which they are animated and in which they rest in the assured hope of final happiness when the toils and labors of this world shall cease.

Mr. and Mrs. Dawson are the parents of ten children, the following of whom survive, viz : Elizabeth, wife of William Bennett, of Banks township, Antrim county; William, who lives near the old homestead ; George re- sides at Central Lake; Harriett, who mar- ried Clark Densmore; Clark, of Antrim county, residing in Bellaire ; Jennie, wife of E. Carrier, who also lives at the county seat, as does Nellie, now Mrs. John Emery, while Albert, the youngest of the family living, is still a member of the home circle; Ira, the fifth in order of birth, departed this life when a young man of twenty-four. and two children died in infancy unnamed.

PHILIP ROACH.

Though no land is richer in opportuni- ties or offers greater advantages to its citi- zens than does America, success is not here to be obtained through desire alone, but is to be persistently worked for. The subject of this review is one of the sterling pioneers of northern Michigan and has here worked

198

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF

his way to success and prosperity, while he has so ordered his course in all the relations of life as to command the confidence and es- teem of his fellow men. He is now one of the prominent and influential citizens of the village of Torch Lake, Antrim county, where he devotes his attention principally to the extending of financial loans, being one of the solid capitalists and representative business men of this section, whither he came more than thirty years ago as a youth entirely without financial resources and en- tirely dependent upon his own exertions.

Mr. Roach is a native of the dominion' of Canada, having been born in Wellington county, province of Ontario, on the 12th of July, 1852, and being a son of John and Mary (Kehoe) Roach, both of whom were born and reared in Ireland. They eventu- ally removed to Potsdam, New York, where the father died when our subject was a lad of eight years. Thereafter he lived in the home of his maternal grandparents until he had attained the age of twelve years, when he became dependent upon his own re- sources, leaving his mother and seeking work among strangers,' while he continued to attend the common school during the winter terms until he was about eighteen years of age, much of the time working on farms for his board. At the age of eighteen years, in the spring of 1870, he came to Michigan in company with Thomas King, his intention being to look about through this state and then return to Canada. He finally arrived in Traverse City, and thence came to the site of the present village of Atwood, Antrim county, to visit an old Canadian friend, John McLean, who was one of the sterling pioneers of this section. In company with fourteen others he crossed

the bay from Northport in a sailboat, hav- ing waited three days for the "Sunnyside," the regular transportation boat, and he landed at Antrim City, whence he made the remainder of the trip through the forest on foot. Mr. Roach, having determined to re- main here for a time, secured work in the logging camp and thereafter circumstances led to his taking up a permanent residence here. He has never had occasion to regret his decision and is loyal to the section in which he has been able to gain independence and distinctive prosperity. Some Canadian friends who were located near Charlevoix sent for him to come and visit them, and he was induced to buy school land in Charle- voix county, securing one hundred and twenty acres at the stipulated price of four dollars per acre. One dollar per acre was to be paid at the time of taking possession of the property. He had no money with which to meet this obligation, but he entered the employ of James Williams, whom he had known in Canada, and this generous friend advanced the money which enabled him to make the first payment on his place. He cut off a large amount of cedar timber at the head of Torch lake, hauling the product to old Eastport, on the bay shore, three- quarters of a mile distant, being at the time in the employ of John H. Silkman, who had recently instituted lumbering operations in this locality. When the interest on his land became due Mr. Roach walked to Traverse City through the deep snow, and after transacting his business, not even sit- ting down to rest, he started on the return trip, securing some crackers and cheese to satisfy his hunger. He reached Elk Rapids the same night, having traversed a distance of more than fifty miles, while there were

199

NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

no roads completed during any portion of the distance until the head of Elk lake was reached. He continued to make this trip to Traverse City for the two succeeding win- ters, never having taken into consideration the fact that the business could have been transacted equally as well by mail. He re- tained possession of this original tract of land for a period of sixteen years, within which time he developed the same into a productive farm. He labored strenuously in clearing the land of its native timber and endured the privations and hardships which fell to the lot of the average pioneer in this locality, while he continued to make his home on this farm for about two years, after which he made his permanent home at Torch Lake. The second spring after locating here Mr. Roach went to Traverse City to purchase provisions, and as the "Sunnyside" was detained by a storm he was compelled to wait the coming of the boat and was absent from home for a week. He bought a barrel each of corn meal and flour, besides other necessary provisions and transported the same to Charlevoix, from which the then embryonic town his farm was five miles distant. He paid five dollars for the hauling of his provisions to the cor- ner of his farm, the road extending no farther, and thence he rolled the barrels on poles to his shanty, one-half mile distant. securing the assistance of some boys. A cookstove, which he had purchased, was like- wise transported on poles to the little forest lodge which figured as his home. In the beginning the shanty had no floor save the earth, and the bed was made of the ground- hemlock. upon which he slept during the entire winter. Mr. Roach did a great amount of wood chopping by the day, hav-

ing worked for Clark Brothers, who were contractors in clearing land. He secured one dollar a cord for cutting four-foot wood, and later it was his privilege to cut off the timber on the ground where stands his pres- ent attractive residence, in the village of Torch Lake, the property having at that time been owned by Mr. Silkman, of whom mention has been made. Thereafter the sub- ject continued in the employ of Mr. Silkman much of the time for the ensuing decade, finally he was given charge of the saw mill and all outside operations. Archibald Cameron at that time had charge of the gen- eral store established by Mr. Silkman at Torch Lake, the owner being a resident of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When Mr. Silkman sold his interests here to the Cameron Lumber Company our subject re- mained in charge of the outside work for said company for one year, being succeeded by William Cameron, who at that time be- came an interested principal in the enter- prise. He thereafter continued in the em- ploy of this company until about 1895, hav- ing taken up his residence in Torch Lake in 1874, at which time he disposed of his farm in Charlevoix county. He had been most careful and conservative in his business af- fairs and had saved a considerable fund of money, so that upon leaving the employ of the Cameron Company he began to loan money upon real-estate and chattel security, and found this field of enterprise so satis- factory that he has ever since continued oper- ations in the same. He has had continuous dealings with the Elk Rapids Savings Bank and has never been asked to give either chattel or real estate mortgage to serve as collateral security upon loan asked. though he has controlled from fifty to seventy-five

200

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF

thousand dollars at times. He has estab- lished a reputation for absolute reliability and integrity of purpose, and in all his deal- ings he has never foreclosed a mortgage save in one instance. His aim has been to keep his credit good and thus to deserve the con- fidence reposed in him, and he has often rendered timely aid to those who were buy- ing lands on contract. He has never been prodigal in any way, but has saved money from the start, even when he had to labor most strenuously each day and pay the high- est prices for the necessities of life. Many other persons who were making twice as much in wages made no progress in the mat- ter of saving, and to them his progress toward the goal of prosperity seemed prob- lematical. His first advice to the young man is to be economical and to establish and maintain a good credit. He has dealt largely with those who were unable to se- cure accommodations at the banks, but the fact that he has lost very little in all his operations demonstrates that he is a good judge of human nature and one whose con- fidence is rarely violated. Genial and whole- souled, Mr. Roach has gained a wide circle of stanch friends in this section of the state, and he is numbered among the popular and representative citizens of Antrim county. Though he takes a lively interest in public affairs of a local nature and is a stalwart advocate of the cause of the Republican party, he has never been ambitious for of- ficial preferment, though he served twelve consecutive years as clerk of Torch Lake township and for several years as a member of the school board. He is frequently a dele- gate to the conventions of his party and takes an intelligent interest in the questions

and issues of the day. He is affiliated with Torch Lake Lodge, No. 354, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, in which he has held various offices, and is also a member of the tent of the Knights of the Maccabees at Eastport.

Mr. Roach has been twice married. In 1873, at Torch Lake, was solemnized his union to Miss Elizabeth Bradford, who was born in Wisconsin, being a daughter of Wil- liam H. Bradford, who was at that time head sawyer in the Silkman mill. Mrs. Roach was summoned to the life eternal in May, 1895, and of the eight children born of this union we offer the following brief data : Jennie, who is a graduate of the State Normal School, in Ypsilanti, was formerly a teacher in the schools of Antrim county and is now teaching in the grammar depart- ment of the public schools of Coldwater, Branch county, being particularly successful in her work; Caroline is the wife of O. L. Coulter, of Traverse City; Ella is the wife of J. B. Boyd, a successful attorney of Cen- tral Lake, Antrim county ; Kittie is engaged in the millinery business in Bellaire; Charles is employed in a shingle mill near Kalkaska; Philip is similarly employed at Northland, in the upper peninsular of the state; Herbert is a salesman in a clothing establishment in Traverse City, and Joseph is employed in a novelty manufactory at Elk Rapids. In the city of Charlevoix, on the Ist of December, 1898, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Roach to Miss Minnie Covey, of Luther, Michigan. She was born in Ogdensburg, New York, and was nine years of age at the time of her parents' re- moval to Michigan, where she was reared and educated. Of this union has been born one son, Lawrence.

201

NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

SAMUEL OBERHOLTZER.

The subject of this review is a native of Pennsylvania and hails from the old historic county of Lebanon, which was settled in colonial times by a sturdy class of German immigrants whose descendants to a greater or less degree still dominate the jurisdiction and give character and stability to its popu- lace. As the name indicates, he is a repre- sentative of one of those old German fami- lies, and, like his ancestors, possesses the sterling qualities which from time imme- morial have distinguished the Germanic race from the other peoples of the world.

Samuel Oberholtzer was born August 7, 1829, and spent his early years on the family homestead in Lebanon county, where he was taught the lessons of industry and frugality which had so much to do in form- ing his character and shaping his life. In such schools as his neighborhood afforded he obtained a knowledge of the fundamental branches of learning, reading, writing and arithmetic, with perhaps a smattering of geography, and until seventeen years of age assisted with the work of the farm.

At the death of his father in 1846, the support of the family, which consisted of the widowed mother, several small children, and an aged grandfather, fell mainly upon the shoulders of young Samuel, who at the age of seventeen accepted the trust with true fidelity and discharged his filial duties with- out a murmur, although the changed con- ditions interfered very materially with his plans for the future. Being in straightened financial condition, he was obliged to accept employment as a farm laborer at eight dol- lars per month, which small sum not only sufficed for his own necessities, but proved

the chief support of the family. It was not until his twenty-fourth year that the burden and responsibility were sufficiently lightened to enable him to begin life upon his own ac- count. This he did by taking to himself a wife and helpmeet in the person of an ex- cellent young lady of eighteen by the name of Susan Hoffman, after which he continued to work by the day in his native state until four years had passed, when, with one horse and with about seventy-five dollars in his pocket, which represented the sum total of his worldly wealth, he moved to Stark county, Ohio, where he was led to believe better wages and a more favorable oppor- tunity to rise in the world awaited him. In order to procure another horse and a suf- ficient outfit of tools and implements to en- able him to farm, he gave a note for the amount of the same, which, coming due be- fore his crops were harvested, placed him in very embarrassing circumstances. A gen- eral business depression terminating in a panic the following year made matters still worse and in order to meet his indebtedness he was not only compelled to work hard and make many sacrifices, but was also obliged to sell at ruinous prices all of his live stock that he could possibly spare, besides parting with other things that he could not well get along without. As every cloud has a sunny side, so this depressing period in the life of Mr. Oberholtzer in due time came to an end and that, too, without in the least injuring his credit or reflecting upon his good name. By industry and economy, he not only dis- charged every cent of his obligations, but succeeded in recuperating his finances so that at the expiration of two and a half years he was enabled to sell out and leave Stark county under much better circum-

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 25

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