Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 54

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

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PROF. WILLIAM J. HOOVER.

William J. Hoover, superintendent of the Kalkaska public schools and one of Michigan's leading educators, was born in Gaines township, Kent county, this state, on the 3rd day of January, 1866. Reared in close touch with nature on a farm, he grew up to the full stature of well-rounded man- hood with a proper conception of life and its responsibilities and while laboring in the fields made wise and judicious provisions for his future course of action. After fin- ishing the common branches of learning in the district schools he turned his attention to

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teaching, which calling he followed in his During vacations he worked one year in an institute.

native county for a period of two years and then entered Albion College, where he pros- ecuted his studies one year.

Returning to Kent county at the expira- tion of the time noted, Mr. Hoover accepted the principalship of the Caledonia high school and after discharging the duties of the same during the ensuing four years be- came a student of the Brockport State Nor - mal School, Brockport, New York, in which he prepared himself more thoroughly for his life work as a teacher. After finishing his course in that institution he became princi- pal of the schools of Lewiston, New York, but one year later resigned the position and, returning to his native state, took charge of the Grayling public schools, which place he held until elected superintendent of the schools of Kalkaska, in the year 1902. Pro- fessor Hoover is not only a man of schol- arly attainments and superior professional training, but possesses great force of char- acter and executive ability of a high order and under his able supervision the schools of Kalkaska have steadily improved until they now rank in efficiency with the best in the state. Through his efforts and influ- ence a class of teachers of exceptional abil- ity has been secured, a number of reforms and needed improvements have been intro- duced and no pains are being spared to keep the local educational system up to the high standard which it has attained since he took charge.

As a school official Professor Hoover is widely and favorably known throughout Michigan and his suggestions and opinions on matters educational command respectful attention in the various conventions and in- stitutes which from time to time he attends.

Professor Hoover is a member of the county board of examiners, in which ca- pacity he has labored diligently to raise the standard of teaching within his jurisdiction so as to bring it as nearly as possible to the dignity of a profession. His efforts in this as well as in the work immediately under his charge have been greatly appreciated by the people who regard what he has already achieved as indicative of the still wider field of endeavor which he is destined to fill in the future. Professor Hoover is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Modern Woodmen and in politics gives his support to the Republican party. He was married at Holly, New York, July 14, 1894, to Miss Leonora Sheffield, the union being blessed with three children, Marion, Vesta and Helen.

FRED E. BOOSINGER.

The subject of this sketch, who is a member of the well-known and reliable firm of Boosinger Brothers, of East Jordan, Charlevoix county, Michigan, is a native of Brimfield, Ohio, where he was born No- vember 2, 1859, the son of Nathan Boo- singer. At the age of six years he was brought by his parents to Michigan, locat- ing at Lansing. He received his education in the Lansing public schools, which was supplemented by special courses, and in 1882 came to Charlevoix county. At the age of nineteen Mr. Boosinger entered the store of Chamberlain & Parmalee at Lans- ing and in 1883 came to East Jordan with Mr. Chamberlain, who started a branch

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store at this place. Mr. Boosinger remained three years with this firm and then was ap- pointed postmaster by President Cleveland. In the meantime Mr. Parmalee had retired from the firm and, in company with D. C. Hurd, of Lansing, Mr. Boosinger purchased of Mr. Chamberlain the store, this being about the time that he became postmaster. The firm, under the name of F. E. Boos- inger & Company, remained in business un- til 1892, when the subject's brother, John A. Boosinger, purchased Hurd's interest and the firm of Boosinger Brothers continued business for three years, at the end of which time John A. retired, leaving the subject sole owner, but two years later the brother again purchased a share in the business which they are together conducting at the present time. They are conducting a mod- ern and up-to-date store, including all de- partments for which there is a demand in this locality, such as clothing, men's and la- dies' furnishing goods, dry goods, shoes and groceries. The store is about one hundred feet deep, including two stories and the base- ment, with sales room on each floor. They carry a stock valued at about twelve thou- sand dollars and the annual trade amounts to about forty thousand dollars, all retail. The Boosinger Brothers are also engaged in the buying and selling of wool and fur, and ship annually from five thousand to twenty- five thousand pounds of wool, practically all that is grown in this region. They also hold stock in the flouring company and in other ways are vitally interested in the business enterprises of the community. The subject also held the position of postmaster under Cleveland's second administration, thus evi- dencing the fact that his former administra-

tion of the duties of the office had been en- tirely satisfactory both to office patrons and the postoffice department.

Mr. Boosinger is now holding the office of justice of the peace and notary public. He has given a careful study to the princi- ples of the law, and in April, 1904, was ad- mitted to the state bar and is now practicing law successfully as a member of the Charle- voix county bar. While engaged in the postoffice duties he happened to pick up a copy of the Chautauquan, the order of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, in which he became interested, with the re- sult that he attempted to organize a local reading circle. He failed in this enterprise. but continued to read the entire four-years course in law, studying by correspondence with the Chicago School of Law and the well known Sprague School of Law, and after examination was, as before stated, ad- mitted to the bar. With a determination to still further perfect himself, he secured a Bay View reading course and attended the Bay View summer school. He is now in the active practice of his profession. While never active in politics, he has ably per- formed his part as a private citizen and has always had in view the best interests of the community. He is a keen admirer of ath- letic sports, believing that in this way phys- ical well being is preserved. Fraternally he is a member of the time honored order of Free and Accepted Masons.

In 1889, at East Jordan, Mr. Boosinger was united in marriage to Miss Violet Ward, daughter of Captain James Ward. who is a native of Canada and previous to her marriage was a teacher in the East Jor- dan schools. To them have been born four

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF

children, Lucile, Blanche, John and Nathan. The subject and his family are members of the Presbyterian church and in the Sunday- school Mr. Boosinger is now serving as su- perintendent.

GEORGE A. MYERS.

Among the well-known and highly re- spected farmers of Kalkaska county, Michi- gan, is George A. Myers, who is now com- fortably situated on his well-improved farm in section 28. Kalkaska township. He was born in Portage county, Ohio, on the 11th of September, 1841, and is the son of Charles T. and Dolly (Prior) Myers. The former was a native of Ohio and the latter of Massachusetts; and eventually removed from Ohio to Allegan county, Michigan, their deaths occurring in Otsego. They were the parents of nine children, George A. being the second born of the number. The latter was but three years of age when his parents removed to Allegan county, making his home in Otsego until eight years of age and then moved on a farm. On October 7, 1861, during the dark days of the Civil war, he enlisted in Company I, Thirteenth Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and faithfully served as a de- fender of the flag until receiving his honor- able discharge from the service, July 25, 1865. He saw much arduous service dur- ing this period, though he was on detached duty the greater part of the time. Upon his discharge from the army he returned to Al- legan county. Michigan, and for a year was engaged in farming. He was then engaged in the same occupation in Kalamazoo

county until April, 1873, when he came to Kalkaska county and for five years was en- gaged mostly in carpentering. During this time he purchased eighty acres of land in section 28, Kalkaska township, on which he located in the spring of 1878. He has pur- chased additional land and is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres, of which about seventy acres have been cleared and improved with good buildings, fences and other accessories found on an up-to-date farm. At the time of purchase the land was all covered with timber and nearly all the labor of clearing this from the seventy acres was done by the subject-certainly a for- ınicable task.

On February 25, 1866, at Otsego, Al- legan county, Michigan, Mr. Myers was united in marriage with Miss Calista Cross, who was born at Hickory Corners, Barry county, this state, on February 22, 1849, the daughter of Charles M. and Sophia (Fargo) Cross. Her parents were natives of New York state. The mother died at Blissfield, Michigan, when over forty years of age. The father came to Kal- kaska county in 1877 and remained here until 1888, when he removed to Kalamazoo county, this state, where his death occurred at the age of eighty-one years. Mrs. Myers was the eldest of their eight children. To the subject and his wife have been born six children, of whom those living are Frank, Rilli (the wife of Frank Graff), Ernest and Harry L., while those deceased are a son and daughter. Mr. Myers has taken a live interest in public affairs and has served his fellow citizens in the capacity of highway commissioner and deputy sheriff, perform- ing the duties of both positions in an effi- cient and satisfactory manner. His old

GEORGE A. MYERS AND FAMILY.

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army associations are kept alive through his membership in the Grand Army of the Re- public, he being affiliated with Colonel Baker Post at Kalkaska. Mrs. Myers is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps. Both are recognized throughout the community as persons of sterling character and because of their courteous manners, genial disposi- tions and genuine worth they have won and retain the loyal friendship of all who know them.

FIFTEEN MONTHS IN REBEL PRISON.

The battle of Chickamauga, where I was wounded and taken prisoner, was fought September 19 and 20, 1863. At that time our regiment (the Twenty-second Michigan) belonged to Steadman's division, Fourteenth Army Corps. Towards evening of the 20th General Rosecrans withdrew the army, falling back on Chattanooga, where he fortified during the night, expecting an attack from Bragg the next day, and leav- ing Steadman's division in line of battle to hold the ridge, which had now been the cen- ter of conflict for two days, the object appar- ently being to sacrifice this division with a view of keeping up a show of line of battle while the army fell back on Chattanooga.

After holding Bragg's army in check until sundown, during which time our am- munition became exhausted, and after using all we could obtain from the cartridge boxes of the dead and wounded, we were ordered by Colonel LeFavor, of the Twenty- second Michigan, commanding the brigade, to fall back. After going some eighty rods to the rear, an orderly approached in great

haste bearing a sealed letter which he handed to Colonel LeFavor, who halted us while he opened and read it, which proved to be an order to hold our position on the ridge at all hazards, from which we had charged the enemy several times during the day and re- pulsed as many charges made by them. Le- Favor, reigning his horse towards us, said "Men of Michigan, our orders are to go back to the crest of the ridge and hold it with the cold steel; we shall go and may God go with us. Right-about face." And back we went to the top of the ridge, where we again formed in line of battle, among the dead and dying, with heavy hearts, feeling that it was almost certain death. No am- munition whatever and only bayonets for defense, but a handful of us to face the now victorious army of General Bragg,-the re- sult was inevitable.

There we remained and obeyed orders, while our ranks were fast thinning out by the continued volleys of the rebel infantry, who were now advancing on us and which we could not return. The sun had dis- appeared from that terrible field of carnage and death and yet it was not quite dark. There, in the dusk of the evening, that noble band repelled charge after charge with the bayonet. It was then that the rebel infantry closed up in our front, with their cavalry in the rear, and within bayonet reach of us, both from before and behind, and here was the crowning struggle of it all. At this point, language fails me to give an adequate description ; all was frenzy and desperation for a time, though it must have been short. The few of us that were left found ourselves in the hands of the enemy, our guns being wrenched from our hands. Even after we had given up our guns, I saw some of our

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boys bayoneted for using insulting language towards the rebels. We were now exhausted from fatigue, excitement, hunger and thirst, our faces blackened with powder-myself bleeding from three wounds. It was now quite dark and they were marching us down the slope and we had gone perhaps forty rods when a division of rebel infantry ar- rived on top of the ridge in our rear and, perhaps not realizing that we were prisoners, fired into us a volley of death. With a view of saving ourselves, we fell flat on the ground and after some ten minutes, which seemed to us an age, the troops in charge of us succeeded in stopping that terrible and useless slaughter in which we again suffered heavily. When the firing commenced we were in close column and it was my fortune to fall flat on the ground with a couple of other fellows on top of me. For this I was extremely glad, as I thought it might be the means of saving my life, yet hope was low within me for I could not see how any of us could long survive such a terrible fire. At that time we believed this destruction to be intentional on the part of the rebels and that it was the design of the Confederate army to take no prisoners alive, but time works changes on us all and with it comes a desire to look back on those scenes from a more hu- mane standpoint.

· The rebels also suffered equally with ourselves, and how well do we remember the result of that terrible fire for as we arose and reformed in line, we were, at every step, stumbling over some poor fellow who had fallen to rise no more. We were now marched over that portion of the field where we had been repeatedly charging the rebels during the day, arriving at a small stream known as Chickamauga creek and here for

the first time we were halted and allowed to drink from the creek, something for which we were very thankful as we had had no water or food since daylight that morning and, strange as it may seem, it was not until then that it flashed to my mind that I was a prisoner of war and was now being marched to some southern prison, there to suffer the sad fate of those who were in cap- tivity before us and whom we had heard so much about.

My regiment had gone into action with four hundred and ninety-five men and, in two days had lost three hundred and eighty- nine. We were now compelled, in our ex- hausted condition, to make a forced night's march, arriving at Ringgold, Georgia, a small town at which we had an encounter with the enemy four days previous. We often think of that night's march, many of us, like myself, wounded and staying in line only for fear of a worse fate. At Ringgold we halted and they gave us bacon and hard- tack for breakfast, the first food that we had eaten for twenty-four hours. Here we were allowed to wash at a creek, something we very much needed owing to our discolora- tion from burnt powder. We rested here for some three hours, again taking up our line of march for Tunnel Hill, where we were corralled in a slave pen and our captors relieved and in their place conscripts were placed in charge of us, men who never saw service and who presented a striking con- trast to the brave men who had thus far guarded us. In their breasts there was not one particle of human sympathy and their abuse, sneers and ill treatment knew no bounds. If we had been wild beasts we would have been treated with more consideration. They were armed with shot guns, double

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barreled and single, squirrel rifles and other articles of ancient manufacture. They threatened to shoot us on the slightest prov- ocation, saying that they had not killed a "Yank" yet and now they had their oppor- tunity. They took pleasure in telling us that they now had us and that our bones would bleach on Georgia soil.

Huddled in this pen, we remained under a drenching rain. One at a time, we were admitted to a small enclosure and carefully examined and relieved of all money, knives, watches, even mementos and keepsakes,-all were taken from us. Even the lining of our blouses and trousers were torn, so thorough was the search. A large amount of money was taken from us here, but "Yankee inge- nuity" was too much for them. Knowing that we were going to be searched, many a bill was tightly wadded, the top of a button on the blouse removed, the bill placed therein and the top or cap of the button replaced. Many others were tightly wadded and placed under the tongue. Other devices were resorted to. We hoped that we would fare better after leaving there, feeling that we could not fare worse. We remained in this slave pen about thirty-six hours, then, being placed on flatcars, we were taken to Atlanta. Here we were again placed in a slave pen over night and again searched just as we were at Tunnel Hill and the same methods of secreting money resorted to. We had not yet lost our money, but everything else was taken from us. After they had kept us on exhibition, apparently for the satisfaction of the people of Atlanta, who came by thou- sands to view us, we were again placed on flatcars and started for Richmond, Virginia. Day and night we occupied those flatcars whether moving or not. The scorching sun

by day and the chilly night air alike found us on them without protection, many of us suf- fering from undressed wounds.

Ten days thus passed before we reached Richmond. On three occasions while the train was passing through a cut, people gath- ered on the banks and threw stones and sticks down onto us as our train slowly moved along. Many of our boys were badly hurt, not seeing the people on the banks until they commenced stoning us. As we passed through Petersburg and saw the im- mense fortifications, preparations and muni- tions of war, our hearts sank within us as we feared that our army could never take those works. I really thought they were im- pregnable.

October Ist, ten days after our capture, we reached Richmond. On this trip they gave us only sea-biscuits to eat and I never will forget either the taste or flavor of them. We broke them with the heels of our shoes. The boys thought they must be some that Noah had left over when his ark rested on Mount Arrarat, and to this day I have not doubted but such was the case and yet, for aught I know, they might have been made by some pre-historic race, which at some time in the remote past inhabited this coun- try. This theory, I think, the most plausible, as the art of making them seems now lost. Of course, if they had lain a few thousand years exposed to the elements, it would not have affected them.

At Richmond we were placed in a large brick building, with three floors and an attic. This building had been used as a tobacco warehouse and was situated near the James river and on a street running parallel with it and almost directly opposite Libby prison. Castle Thunder was on the same side of the

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street ; our building was known as the Pem- berton Prison. The basement was full of large hogsheads filled with sugar. On each of the three floors four hundred men were placed and in the attic two hundred, which made us pretty numerous for the space we had to occupy. A solid wall, from bottom to roof, ran lengthwise through the building, giving us only one-half the floor space that we otherwise would have had, also leaving ventilation on one side only. I cannot now recall the size of the floor that we were on, but it must have been about twenty-eight or thirty feet wide, for, as we lay down to sleep we were in four rows, one row with heads to the outside wall on each side, two rows with heads to heads in the center, which left two alleys about three feet wide between the feet of each outside row and the feet of each inside row. So packed were we when lying down that we had to lie, as we called it, "spoon-fashion." When first lying down we lay on the left side, and, when do- ing so, one could not turn over unless the whole line the entire length of the building turned. The four rows occupied the entire length of the building and for the want of room, no one could turn on his back. The rule was that when ten men called out "Spoon," the entire row would turn onto the right side. As for bedding, we had none whatever of any description; we lay on the bare floor with our shoes for our pillows. On this same space we stayed during the day and slept at night, and we had no seats or benches. For the want of bedding and as a protection against cold, chilly nights, we slept with our clothes on, which consisted simply of trousers, a shirt and blouse. We had no water with which to wash even our hands or face, combs we did not have except

as we made them from pieces of the floor or bone and then fifteen or twenty would use the same comb. Owing to our crowded con- dition and lack of sanitary arrangements, we soon became filthy, and vermin, known as the "greybacks" soon became very numerous. The air was so foul, so many people and no ventilation ; the sick, the wounded and those who were well all fared the same, all were equal except in the matter of endurance. It was here that I recovered from my wounds without medical or other aid other than what nature did for me.

Every morning Lieutenant Barrett would come up the stairs with a squad of men with fixed bayonets and we were or- dered to "fall in," four lines lengthwise of the room, while they counted us off, I sup- pose to see if any had escaped. They would then count the dead, and frequently made a bungling job of adding. On some three oc- casions it was found that there was a man or two short and, in order to compel us to tell how this shortage came, Barrett kept us without rations for two days each time. Of course every one claimed he knew nothing about how the shortage came. It was done in this way: There were two night guards at the entrance, who were, in my opinion, Union men at heart and were pressed into the service, who would furnish clothes and countersign. Why they did so, I leave you to conjecture; however, it may be some of those bills that were so successfully secreted when we were examined came now into play and did good service. Of course no one would give these guards away; we would starve first.

Our daily rations consisted of a small piece of corn bread, two and one-half inches long, two inches wide and three-fourths of

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an inch thick, together with a very small piece of meat, frequently horse meat, about the size of an ordinary egg. This was given to us once a day and we ate it all at one time ; one meal a day and only one-quarter enough at that, comprised our daily bill of fare. Our time was occupied largely in hunting for and killing greybacks, which we did by search- ing our shirts and trousers, both inside and out, carefully. On two occasions I got a half sheet of paper and an envelope to write home. I was permitted to write only six lines. One of those letters my parents re- ceived, the other one I took out of the post- office myself after my release from prison and fourteen months after I had written it. The one that my people received was given to me by my mother years afterwards and I herewith give the contents of it :

RICHMOND, VA., November 2, 1863. DEAR PARENTS : I am a prisoner of war at Richmond. I was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of Chickamauga. My wounds are improving; think I will get well. Lovingly, from your son,

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Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 54

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