USA > Michigan > Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens > Part 35
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In 1870 Mr. Ellison was united in mar- riage to Miss Ella Wheeler, of Allegan county, this state, she being a daughter of Alton and Jane (Simmons) Wheeler, and her death occurred in 1872. In the year
remained until 1864, when they came to An- trim county, locating on a tract of wild land in section 6, Custer township, where Mr. Chapin instituted the reclamation of what is now one of the best farms in this sec- tion,-the property owned and occupied by the subject. Mr. Chapin was a shoemaker by trade and followed this as a vocation until coming to Michigan, and he passed the closing years of his long and useful life on the farm now owned by Mr. Ellison, his death occurring in 1893, at the age of seventy-nine years, while his cherished and devoted wife was summoned into eternal rest in April of the preceding year, so that in death they were not long separated. They became the parents of three children, Lydia A., Daniel J. and Elizabeth, the last named being the wife of the subject. Mr. Chapin was a Republican in his political pro- clivities and early became identified with the Masonic fraternity, having affiliated with a lodge in Elmira, New York, where he lived prior to his removal to Michigan. He was a man of utmost rectitude of character, being signally true, faithful and sincere in all the relations of life, and his name merits a place
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of honor on the roll of the sterling pioneers of Antrim county, to whose upbuilding he contributed in no small measure, while he ever held the unqualified confidence and re- gard of all who knew him. Of the five chil- dren of the subject we enter the following brief record, in conclusion of this sketch : Ella is the wife of Edward C. Foster, a prosperous farmer of this county; Roy is assisting in the work and management of the home farm; Edna remains at the par- ental home; Jay W. is engaged in the bar- bering business in Bellaire, and Rose is still at home. The children have received good educational advantages and all are popular in the social circles of the county in which they have thus far passed their lives. It may be noted in conclusion that when Mrs. Ellison's father came here there were but few white men living here. Some Indians were farming, and the mechanical arts were represented by a few carpenters and one blacksmith. The first house in this township was built by Mrs. Ellison's father and it is now standing on the subject's farm. Then the nearest postoffice was at Elk Rapids, where there was also a store, and they were obliged to go there by boat, as there were no roads.
GEORGE M. FRIEND.
In examining the life records of self- made men it will invariably be found that indefatigable industry has constituted the basis of their success. True there are other elements which enter in and conserve the advancement of personal interests,-per- severance, discrimination and mastering of
expedients,-but the foundation of all achievement is earnest, persistent labor. At the outset of his career Mr. Friend recog- nized this fact, and he did not seek any royal road to the goal of prosperity and in- dependence, but began to work earnestly and diligently in order to advance himself, and the result is that he is now numbered among the progressive, successful and influential young farmers and horticulturists of Forest Home township, Antrim county, where he has a well improved and valuable landed estate.
Mr. Friend claims the Hoosier state as the place of his nativity, having been born in the city of Elkhart, Indiana, on the 17th of March, 1877, and being a son of Jacob and Sarah (Bowser) Friend, who now re- side in Bellaire, the county seat of Antrim county, the father following the vocation of teamster and also being identified with agricultural pursuits. The subject of this review has passed the major portion of his life in northern Michigan, his parents hav- ing removed to this section when he was thirteen years of age, and he early learned the lessons of industry and earnest applica- tion, while his educational advantages were such as were afforded in the common schools, which he attended as opportunity presented, having been for some time a student in one of the primitive log school houses which were to be found in many parts of northern Michigan only a decade ago. His well improved farm comprises two hundred and sixty acres, and he has been particularly successful in the manage- ment of his business affairs, giving special attention to the raising of fruit and potatoes. The soil of this section is unexcelled for the propagation of the great domestic tuber, the
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potato, and the subject has secured a yield of as high as two hundred bushels to the acre, while in 1903 he raised on his place fully two thousand bushels. In his political proclivities Mr. Friend is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and while he takes a lively interest in local affairs of a public nature he has never sought or held office.
In the year 1898 Mr. Friend was united in marriage to Miss Grace Pinnell, daughter of Charles F. Pinnell, a well known and honored citizen of this county, to whom in- dividual reference is made on another page of this work, and Mrs. Friend was reared and educated in Antrim county, having com- pleted her school work in the public schools of Bellaire. Mr. and Mrs. Friend have two children, Margie and Marie.
ALEXANDER O. CAMPBELL.
The stanch integrity and marked prag- matic ability of the Scotch type are almost proverbial, and these attributes are manifest in the character of this well known and representative citizen of Antrim county, where he is numbered among the successful farmers of Milton township, in which sec- tion of the county his honored father was one of the first settlers. Mr. Campbell was born in the famous old city of Edinburgh. Scotland, on the 5th of February, 1853, and is a son of Alexander and Jennie (Gray) Campbell, both representative of fine old Scottish lineage. Only a few months after the birth of our subject the family immi- grated to America. arriving in New York in
August, 1853, while on the 30th of June, 1855, the parents took up their residence in Detroit, the metropolis of Michigan. In 1855 the family came to Antrim county, which was then essentially in its wild and untrammeled state, and located in Milton township, at a point about five miles distant from the present city of Elk Rapids. Alex- ander Campbell aided in the cutting through and improving of the first roads in this sec- tion and otherwise played well his part in furthering the progress and material pros- perity of the rapidly developing district in which he thus became a pioneer, enduring his full share of pioneer labor and vicis- situdes. In 1874 he was elected sheriff of the county, and for many years he served most acceptably as supervisor of Milton township, while he at all times commanded the unequivocal confidence and regard of all who knew him. He also served as justice of the peace and as township clerk and treasurer, while he was called to fill other local offices, his tenure of which indicated the trust reposed in him by the people of the community. He was a man of high intel- lectuality, was progressive and public- spirited and took much interest in local af- fairs. He was summoned into eternal rest on the 19th of December, 1902, at the vener- able age of seventy-six years, and his widow now makes her home with her children, of whom four are residing in this county.
Alexander O. Campbell, the immediate subject of this sketch, has passed the major portion of his life in Antrim county, having been two years of age at the time of the family removal to this section, where he was reared to manhood under the invigor- ating influences of the pioneer epoch, receiv-
ALEX. O. CAMPBELL.
ÀLEX. O. CAMPBELL RESIDENCE.
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ing his educational training in the public schools of the locality. He has aided in clearing one hundred acres of land in this county and well recalls the strenuous toil and endeavor which marked the early days in this section. He is now the owner of a well improved farm of one hundred and twenty acres, eligibly located in Milton township, and about seventy acres of the tract are under cultivation, while forty remain in chopped- over timber and ten acres are still covered with native timber, which is appreciating in value each year. On the place Mr. Camp- bell has set out a good orchard, devoting two and one-half acres to this purpose, and he raises the best of apples, pears, plums, cher- ries, etc. The permanent improvements on the farm are of excellent order and were well made by our subject, who is regarded as one `of the substantial and progressive farmers of the county. In politics he is independent, giving his support to those whom he con- siders best qualified for the several offices, and for five years he served as supervisor of Milton township, while he has been for many years a valued member of the school board and has held other positions of local trust and responsibility. In a fraternal way he is identified with the Grange.
CHARLES F. PINNELL.
Though settlement was made within the confines of the present state of Michigan early in the seventeenth century, when the Catholic missionaries came hither in pur- suit of their labors among the Indians, and though many portions of the commonwealth have long been thickly populated and well developed in an industrial way, it must be understood that in a comparative sense many of the counties in the northern part of the state are to be considered as new, so that there are to be found within their confines today many worthy citizens to whom may consistently be applied the cognomen of pioneer. This section had its initial develop- ment through the advancement of the great lumbering industry, and with the passing of years the magnificent forests were prac- tically denuded and the lands left shorn and desolate until the enterprise and genius of men turned them to practical use in other ways. The result has been the magnificent development of the agricultural resources of the land, and thus have been builded many thriving towns and cities, while men of worth and industry have made for them- selves pleasant homes and gained prosperity through association with the various lines of industrial enterprise which supplement that of agriculture. Antrim county is one of these wonderfully transformed divisions of the northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan, and among the honored and influential farmers of Forest Home town- ship stands the subject of this review, who has gained prestige and prosperity through his well directed efforts.
On the 27th of March, 1887, Mr. Camp- bell was united in marriage to Miss Abbie Hussey, daughter of William and Salina (Moore) Hussey, both of whom were born in England, whence they came to America when young. Mr. Hussey is a harness- maker by trade but is now a successful farmer near Montague, Texas. To Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have been born five children, namely: Ada B .; Grace M .: Gordon, who died in early childhood; Iris M., who died Additional interest attaches to the con- at the age of eight years, and Alexander G. sideration of the life of Mr. Pinnell from
18
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the fact that he is a native son of the Wol- verine state and a representative of one of its pioneer families. He was born in Berrien county, Michigan, on the 16th of August, 1851, and is a son of S. F. and Elizabeth (Sargent) Pinnell, the former of whom was born in West Virginia, in 1820, and the latter of whom was born in New Hampshire, her death occurring in 1862. The ancestry in the paternal line is traced back to English origin, and on the maternal side to French extraction. The father of the subject came to Michigan in an early day, having accompanied his parents to this state when but twelve years of age, in 1832. He became a successful and in- fluential farmer of Berrien county, where he continued to reside during the greater portion of his active career, and he is still a resident of Michigan, being nearly eighty- five years of age at the time of this writing. In politics he was originally a Whig, but identified himself with the Republican party at the time of its organization and has ever since been a stalwart supporter of its cause, while he has been active as a worker in its ranks. He served for twenty-six years as justice of the peace in Berrien county. where he also held the office of township clerk and other positions of distinctive pub- lic trust and responsibility. He is a con- sistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which his wife was also identified as a devoted worker. They be- came the parents of six children, namely : Frank, who is deceased; James, who is a resident of Benton Harbor, Berrien county, l:eing a cooper by trade ; Charles F., who is the immediate subject of this sketch; Cyn- thia, who is deceased, and Olive and Flora, both of whom are married and are residents of Aurora, Illinois.
Charles F. Pinnell passed his boyhood days on the old homestead farm in Berrien county, early beginning to assist in its work, while his educational advantages were such as were afforded in the public schools of the locality and period. In initiating his inde- pendent career he continued to be identified with the great basic industry of agriculture, and through the same he has won success and independence, having been dependent upon his own resources from his youth up. He came to Antrim county in 1882, and here has developed and improved a fine farm, having eighty acres of most fertile land in Forest Home township, and having reclaimed the same from the primitive wilds, about fifty-five acres of the place being under a high state of cultivation, while the per- manent improvements include a comfortable and attractive residence and other excellent farm buildings. Mr. Pinnell devotes no lit- tle attention to the horticultural industry, having fine orchards from which he secures large yields of apples, peaches, plums and cherries, while he has also met with signal success as an apiarist, placing from two to three thousand pounds of honey upon the market each season. He is public spirited in his attitude, and his energy and progres- sive ideas do not show themselves in the forwarding of his personal interests alone; for he takes an active part in the supporting and fostering of those measures which con- serve the general welfare and is one of the popular and influential citizens of his town- ship. He has been incumbent of the office of justice of the peace for the past sixteen years, has also served as highway commis. sioner, and has been for more than a score of years an officer in his school district. In politics he accords an unwavering allegiance to the Republican party and fraternally he is
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identified with the tent of the Knights of the Maccabees at Bellaire, the county seat. He and his wife are valued members of the Baptist church at Alden, contributing to its support and taking an active part in the various departments of its work.
In the year 1877 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Pinnell to Miss Cora A. Holden, daughter of Horace and Martha (Shirell) Holden, the former of whom was a prominent farmer of Cass county, where his death occurred, while his widow now makes her home with her daughter, the wife of the subject. To Mr. and Mrs. Pinnell have been born six children, namely : Ross. who is deceased; Grace, who is the wife of George Friend, a successful farmer of For- est Home township: and Elizabeth, Alice, Belle and Mildred, who still remain at the parental home. All of the children have been accorded excellent educational ad- vantages, and Elizabeth and Alice are suc- cessful and popular teachers in the public schools of this county. The family is held in high regard in the community, and their pleasant home is one in which a gracious and generous hospitality is ever in evidence.
ANDREW F. ANDERSON.
ant returns for the labors expended in their reclamation and cultivation. The subject of this review, who is farming on a small tract of land, where he has maintained his home since 1880, is also postmaster at Clam Lake, where he conducts the only store of the village, handling a large stock of general merchandise and securing a representative trade, while he is held in unqualified esteem by all who know him. Clam Lake is of later years coming into well earned prominence and popularity as a summer resort, the beau- tiful lake which gives name to the diminutive village being one of the most at- tractive to be found in northern Michigan, whose pre-eminence in the way of attrac- tions for summer tourists and visitors is recognized throughout the Union. As one of the leading citizens of Helena township we accord Mr. Anderson a place of due rela- tive precedence in this publication.
Andrew F. Anderson was born in the province of Ontario, Canada, on the 24th of May, 1852, and is a son of Andrew and Elizabeth (Fife) Anderson, the former of whom was born in Ireland, in 1819, while the latter was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1829, their marriage having been solem- nized in the city of Toronto. The subject's mother died in his infancy, and he was afterward under the care of a stepmother, who died in 1892. Six children were born to the first wife. namely : Margaret. E. Jane, Mary A., Eleanor, James and Andrew, the subject thus being the youngest of the chil- dren of this union. To the second union were born five children, namely : Matilda, George, Henry, Robert and Sarah. Of the eleven children, nine are living at the time of this writing. In 1867 the father of the
The past two decades have witnessed a wonderful development in the northern counties of the state of Michigan, and in Antrim county the conditions obtaining today are far different than they were even ten years ago, for originally the chief in- dustry in this section was that of lumbering, while at the present time are found well im- proved and fertile farms which yield abund->subject removed from Toronto, Canada, to
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Michigan, in which state he passed the re- Helen M. (Donnelly) Thayer, widow of mainder of his life, his death occurring in Kalkaska county, in about 1902. After coming to this state he was for some time identified with the lumbering industry, and later engaged in farming. He was a man of unbending integrity of character, was a good citizen and held the respect of all who knew him. In politics he was a stanch ad- vocate of the principles of the Republican party, and he served in various local offices, including those of township clerk and com -. missioner of highways. In religion he favored the Episcopal doctrine.
Andrew F. Anderson, whose name initi- ates this review, passed the early years of his life in the city of Toronto, Canada, where he was afforded the advantages of the excellent public schools. At the age of fif- teen years he came with his father to Michi- gan, and this state has ever since been his home, while he has here attained to success and definite independence through his well directed efforts, having been a resident of Antrim county since 1867 and being well known and highly honored in this section, where his circle of friends is coincident with that of his acquaintances. He has been in a limited way identified with farming, being the owner of a fine landed estate of about two hundred acres. For the past thirty years he has conducted a general store in the little hamlet of Clam Lake, where he is one of the sterling pioneers and loyal and en- thusiastic citizens of this county, maintain- ing a deep interest in all that tends to con- serve its progress and material and political affairs and being a stalwart Republican in his political proclivities.
On the ist of February, 1882, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Mrs.
Lucius Thayer. She is a daughter of Wil- liam and Cecelia Donnelly, both of Irish ex- traction, and she was born in Troy, New York, while she has been a resident of An- trim county since 1859, being one of the pioneers of this section, as may be under- stood when we state that she was the first white woman to become a permanent resi- cent of the township of Helena, the town- ship having taken her name. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have no children. The subject has ever had a deep regard for the dignity of honest toil and endeavor, since through this medium he has worked his way to in- dependence and marked prosperity, being essentially the architect of his own fortunes and having so lived as to well merit the good will and esteem in which he is uniformly held in the community which has so long been his home.
L. H. DISBROW.
Mr. Disbrow has maintained his home in Helena township for more than a score of years and has aided materially in the de- veloping of the resources of this section. having reclaimed a good farm and having ever represented the best order of citizen- ship.
He is a scion of colonial stock and is a native of the old Empire state of the Union, having been born in Yates county, New York, on the 22d of February, 1826, and being a son of Daniel and Jane (Leek) Dis- brow, both of whom were likewise born in that state, whence they removed to Michi- gan in 1855, locating in Lenawee county,
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thence removing to Branch and then to Van local nature, and while he has never been Buren county, where they passed the re- mainder of their lives, the father having been a blacksmith by trade but having de- voted the later years of his active career to agricultural pursuits. This worthy couple became the parents of eight children, of whom four are living. The father of the subject attained the age of seventy-five years, and the devoted mother was about seventy-three years of age at the time of her death.
The subject was reared to maturity in his native county, where his educational ad- vantages were those afforded in the com- mon schools. He came to Michigan in 1858 and this state has ever since continued to be his place of abode. For fifteen years he made his home in Branch county, where he followed farming and brickmaking, and later he removed to Bangor, Van Buren county, whence he came to Antrim county in 1883. Here he secured a tract of wild land, which he cleared and improved, labor- ing with all of his energy to establish a good home here. This property has now become one of the valuable places of the county and in the homestead are comprised seventy-six acres, improved with a commodious and at- tractive residence and other substantial farm buildings. The active management of the place is given over to the subject's youngest son, who has a fine farm of two hundred and one acres adjoining the homestead which his father has reserved for himself. In politics Mr. Disbrow has been affiliated with the Republican party from the time of its organization to the present, having cast his first presidential vote for General John C. Fremont. He has ever shown a proper in- terest in public affairs, especially those of a
ambitious for official preferment he served as township treasurer and road commis- sioner while residing in Bangor, Van Buren county. He identified himself with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows many years ago, but has not been active in the same for some time. His life has been one of distinctive integrity and honor, and he has ever held the high regard of those with whom he has come in contact, while he has labored persistently and consecutively and has gained a competence, so that in the golden evening of his day he is able to enjoy the fruits of his former toils and endeavors. Of his immediate family he is one of two surviving, his brother Edward being a resi- dent of Bangor, this state.
On the 23d of August, 1854, Mr. Dis- brow was united in marriage to Miss Emma Randolph, who was born and reared in the state of New York, being a daughter of John and Polly Randolph, the former of whom was born in New Jersey, in 1797, while the latter was a native of New York. The father was a brickmaker by trade and vocation and became one of the pioneers of Branch county, Michigan, where he took up his residence in 1848, both he and his wife passing the remainder of their lives in this commonwealth. Mr. and Mrs. Disbrow are the parents of two sons. Lewellyn married Miss Betsey Green and they have seven chil- dren, four sons and two daughters. He owns two hundred and two acres. Nathaniel, the younger son, married Miss Viola Disbrow, who is now deceased, and he later married Miss Lucy Adams. He lives with his father and manages the farm. The names of his children are Daniel, born July 2, 1877, and now in Montana, and
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Wilbur, born January 21, 1879, who is mar- ried and has two children; he is a lumber- man and lives in Antrim county.
SOL M. DEWEY. 1
The history of the loyal sons and repre- sentative citizens of Antrim county would not be complete should the name that heads this review be omitted. When the fierce fire of rebellion was raging throughout the Southland, threatening to destroy the Union, he responded with patriotic ferver to the call for volunteers and proved his loyalty to the government he loved so well. During a useful life in the region where he lives he has labored diligently to promote the inter- ests of the people, working earnestly and with little regard for his personal advance- ment or ease. He has been devoted to the public welfare and in all his relations his highest ambiton has been to benefit the com- munity and advance its standard of citizen- ship and today he stands prominently among the leading citizens of his community. He is a native of New York state, born Septem- her 23, 1832, and is of English descent. His parents were Sol and Mary A. (Shory) Dewey, the former a native of New York state. The father came to Michigan in 1844 and settled in the woods in Jackson county where he followed farming, owning at the time of his death two hundred acres, nearly all of which he had acquired by his own ef- forts. He was a Democrat in politics and held the office of justice of peace for many years, having also been superintendent of the poor. He was the father of six children, four of whom are still living. The subject is
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