Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 7

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

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NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

In 1861 Mr. Leonard was united in mar- suits until 1876, in which year he removed with his family to Michigan and settled in Branch county, where he purchased land and became a successful and influential riage to Miss Eliza Leonard, who died in 1886. He was later married to Miss Sarah Johnson, who died in 1902, and in 1904 he wedded Miss Anna Reed, daughter of Wil- farmer, there continuing to reside until his liam Reed, who came with his family front death, his wife also being now deceased, as are five of their ten children. The father was a stanch advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, and at various times was incumbent of local offices of trust and responsibility, though never an active fac- tor in political affairs. England to the United States and finally be- came a resident of Antrim county. Of the four children of the subject two are living, namely : Arthur, who married Miss Jane Hart, who resides at the parental home, be- ing associated with his father in the manage- ment of the farm and also his own property ; and Alice, who is the wife of William Campbell, a prominent farmer and sterling pioneer of the county, where he took up his residence in 1870.

JAMES MARTIN.

Among the thrifty and energetic agricul- turists of Antrim county none is more de- serving of mention than the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. His well improved and admirably equipped farm property is located in Custer township, and he is one of the loyal and public-spirited citizens who have promoted the develop- ment and material prosperity of this section of the state, where he has maintained his residence since 1885.

Mr. Martin was born in Ohio, on the 18th of October, 1858, and is a son of Ben- jamin F. and Esther (Crow) Martin, both of whom were likewise born in the old Buck- eye state, the date of the father's birth hav- ing been 1835. Benjamin F. Martin was reared and educated in Ohio and there con- tinued to be engaged in agricultural pur-

The subject of this review was reared to maturity upon the old homestead farm in Ohio, and there duly availed himself of the advantages afforded in the public schools, thus fortifying himself for the active du- ties and responsibilities of life, while he has won prosperity by his personal efforts, the while basing his undertakings and actions upon the firm and upright principles of in- flexible integrity and determined and con- secutive application. Mr. Martin accom- panied his father on the removal to Michi- gan, and continued to be engaged in farm- ing in Branch county until 1884, when he came to Antrim county, where he purchased wild land in Custer township and forthwith began the arduous work of reclaiming the same to cultivation. His energetic efforts have brought about the desired ends, and he is today the owner of a well improved farm of one hundred and twenty acres, of which fifty acres have been rendered available for cultivation, while the owner gives his atten- tion to the raising of the various products best adapted to the soil and climate of this beautiful section of the state, securing large annual yields of wheat, corn, potatoes, hay, fruits, etc., his orchard being an exception- ally excellent one and showing a good va-

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF

riety of fine fruit trees, while he also raises the smaller fruits and makes a specialty of the propagation of potatoes, which gain the maximum of size and general superiority in the soil of his locality. Mr. Martin has also been very successful as an apiarist, hav- ing a large number of swarms of bees and providing for the willing insect workers the best of accommodations, so that he secures a large yield of honey each year, the aver- age annual yield being about five thousand pounds. In 1903 he sold four thousand two hundred pounds of this delectable prod- uct. The permanent improvements upon the farm are of substantial order, and include a commodious and attractive residence, and everything about the place betoken the care- ful attention and energetic labors of the thrifty and progressive owner, who has made the most of the opportunities afforded and thus gained a position of independence and definite prosperity. His residence is equipped with telephonic connections and he has the further desirable facilities af- forded by the free rural mail service. In politics he is a stalwart supporter of the principles and policies for which the Re- publican party stands sponsor, but he has never been an aspirant for public office, though he has consented to serve as a mem- ber of the school board of his district, taking a deep interest in all that makes for the well being and progress of his home township and county and being one of the popular citizens of the community.

In the year 1878 Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Mary Baker, who was born and reared in Defiance county, Ohio. being a daughter of Jacob and Margaret Baker, natives of Germany, whence they emigrated to America and settled in Ohio,

where the father engaged in farming, both he and his wife being now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have four children, Wil- liam, Nora, Esther and Ruth, all of whom remain at the parental home. Mr. Martin is a member of the Helena Grange of his county.

BENJAMIN J. TURK.

The old Empire state of the Union has contributed largely to the population of the state of Michigan, whither came many sterling citizens to become pioneers of the newer commonwealth, while in later years other worthy representatives of the state of New York have here found homes and grateful surroundings and associations. Among the native sons of New York to be found in Antrim county is the subject of this sketch, who is one of the substantial farmers of Custer township, where he has main- tained his home for the past thirty-six years, being thus numbered among the honored pioneers of this section of the state.

Mr. Turk was born in Ulster county, New York, on the 8th of May, 1845, and is a son of Alexander and Angeline ( Humph- rey) Turk. The father was born at Platts- burg, Clinton county, New York, in the year ISII, and his wife was likewise a native of that state, where she was born in 1818. Jacob Turk, the grandfather of our subject, was born and reared in Massachusetts, the family having been founded in New Eng- land in the early colonial days, and he re- moved thence to New York and settled as a pioneer in Clinton county, where he en- gaged in farming and where he continued to reside until his death. The parents of our

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subject both died in Oswego county, New York, the father having been a farmer by vocation during the greater portion of his active career. He was originally a Whig and later a Republican in his political pro- clivities, and served in local offices of trust, and both he and his wife were devoted mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. They became the parents of eight children, namely : Jennie and Elihu, both of whom are deceased; and Walter, Benjamin J., Charles, James E., Alexander and Sarah, of whom our subject is the only represent- ative in Michigan.

Benjamin J. Turk was reared on the old homestead farm and received a good com- mon-school education, while he early began to contribute his quota to the work of the farm and learned the lessons of practical industry and personal responsibility, so that on attaining maturity, though not reinforced with financial means, he was well equipped for the battles of life, as the years have proved, since he has won definite prosperity through his own efforts, while he has so or- dered his course as to ever retain the con- fidence and good will of those with whom he has come in contact. He continued to be identified with agricultural pursuits in New York state until 1868, when he came to Michigan, and the same year took up his residence in Antrim county, where he se- cured a homestead claim of eighty acres of wild land, in Custer township. Of this tract he retains forty acres, having sold the re- maining portion a number of years ago. He erected a modest little cabin on his land and then set himself vigorously to the work of reclaiming the sylvan wilds to cultivation. That he succeeded admirably is evident to all who chance to look upon his present at-

tractive farmstead, which is one of the best in the township in the matter of permanent improvements, productivity and general air of thrift and prosperity. For two years after locating on his farm Mr. Turk was com- pelled to go to Elk Rapids for supplies, the town being fourteen miles distant, but he now finds an adequate market in the village of Alden, which is only a few miles distant from his place. In 1902 Mr. Turk erected his present attractive and commodious resi- dence, which is of modern design and equip- ment, and the other buildings on the farm are of substantial order and well adapted to the various uses to which they are applied. In the matter of political adherency we find our subject aligned as a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party, and while he has not been ambitious for personal preferment in an official way he has shown marked in- terest in the supremacy of the party cause, and has served as pathmaster of his town- ship and as a school director for ten con- secutive years. Both he and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episco- pal church, being regular attendants and supporters of the church in Alden.

In 1868 Mr. Turk was united in mar- riage to Miss Sarah Fry, who was born in the state of New York, whence her parents, John D. and Hannah M. (Dingman) Fry, removed to Michigan when she was a child, settling in Antrim county, where they passed a number of years, the father being engaged in agricultural pursuits during the greater portion of his active career. He was born in Amsterdam, Montgomery county, New York, on the 5th of May, 1808, being of stanch Holland Dutch lineage and a scion of a family established in America at an early epoch in its history. He is still living

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF

and resides in Antrim county, having at- tained the patriarchal age of ninety-six years and being held in the deepest filial veneration by his children and children's children. His devoted wife, who was born in Hadley, Saratoga county, New York, on the Ioth of July, 1812, met her death in 1896, as the result of a pitiable accident, having been burned to death in her own residence, being eighty-four years old at the time and in perfect control of all her facul- ties. This worthy couple became the par- ents of ten children, of whom eight are living at the present time. Mr. and Mrs. Turk have had two children, James A., who is associated with his father in the manage- ment of the home farm, and Myrtle, who died at the age of fourteen months.

HENRY R. MADDOCKS.

The old Pine Tree state figures as the birthplace of this well known and highly esteemed farmer of Custer township, An- trim county, where he has resided for nearly two score of years, being thus numbered among the early pioneers of this section of the state and having here contributed his quota to the development of the material and civic prestige of the county.

Mr. Maddocks was born in Waldo county, Maine, on the 7th of August, 1841, and is a son of Winthrop and Mary E. (Rat- cliff) Maddocks, both members of stanch old New England families founded in America in the colonial epoch of our na- tional history. The father was a sailor and continued to follow the sea during the major portion of his active career, while both he

and his noble wife continued to reside in Maine until they were summoned to that "undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns." They were folk of sin- ple and honest ways and stood exponent of that sterling character which has made New England famous. They became the parents of ten children, of whom six are yet living.

Henry R. Maddocks, to whom this brief sketch is dedicated, passed his youth in his native state and early became familiar with the life of the sea, while he began to fight the battles of life when but a boy, his edu- cational advantages having been such as were afforded in the public schools of the locality and period. He continued to reside in Maine, giving his attention principally to sailing and lumbering, until 1867, when he came to Michigan, and in 1867 he came to Antrim county, which was at that time prac- tically a wilderness, the only industrial en- terprise of importance being carried for- ward here in that early day being that of lumbering. He secured a tract of land in Custer township and set himself vigorously to the work of reclaiming the same to cultivation, the tract having been covered with a dense growth of native timber. He has personally effected the clearing of more than one hundred acres of his present fine farm, which is one of the best in the county, the same comprising four hundred acres, of which one hundred and twenty-five are under a high state of cultivation, giving rich returns for the labors expended. The prin- cipal crops raised on the farm are potatoes. corn, rye, buckwheat and hay, while on the place is a fine orchard, which was planted by Mr. Maddocks, the majority of the trees being now well matured and yielding good returns. He secured from his orchards in

NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

1903 four hundred bushels of apples, besides good yields of other choice varieties of fruit, and he has raised as high as one thousand bushels of potatoes in a single year. These statements indicate how fertile and valuable is the land in this favored section of the state, whose attractions rival those of the southern portion of the peninsula, settled many years previously. Mr. Maddocks has been ever appreciative of the value of con- secutive toil, and has so applied his energies as to attain a high measure of prosperity, being one of the substantial and highly hon- ored citizens of the county to which he came as a young man without capital and depend- ent upon his own resources. He assisted in the laying out of the principal highways in the county and in other early improvements, and has ever been a loyal and public-spirited citizen, giving his aid and influence in sup- port of all worthy measures for the general good, commanding that objective respect and confidence which come only to the man who is intrinsically and undeniably deserv- ing. In his political allegiance Mr. Mad- docks is found stanchly arrayed as a sup- porter of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and while never ambitious for office he has been called upon to serve in positions of local trust and responsibility and has proved a capable and faithful official. He was for five terms treasurer of Custer township, and has been a member of the school board of his district from the time of its organization until the present. He is one of the principal stockholders in the Farm- ers' Telephone Company, of which he is treasurer, the headquarters of the company, which has an excellent system and numerous subscribers, being in the city of Central Lake. In a fraternal way the subject is

identified with the Grange, in whose affairs he takes a lively interest.

In the year 1870 Mr. Maddocks was united in marriage to Miss Emma J. Waite, who was born in the state of Vermont, whence she came to Michigan when a child, being a daughter of Enoch and Olive Waite, who removed from the old Green Mountain state to Michigan in 1854, locating in Grand Traverse county, where they passed the re- mainder of their lives, the father having been a farmer by vocation. Mr. and Mrs. Maddocks have six children, namely: Eu- gene E., who married Miss Bertha Gulmire and who is a successful farmer of Custer township; Henry E., who remains at the parental home and is associated with his father in the management of the farm; Mary, who is the wife of Charles Rewald. a representative farmer of this county, and Lulu and Ada, who are still members of the home circle. Mr. Maddocks has made the best of improvements on his farm, including the erection of a commodious and attractive residence, which is a center of gracious hospitality and a favorite resort of the wide circle of friends whom the family have gathered about them.

SAMUEL D. CHAPMAN.

Another representative of the agri- cultural industry in Antrim county is the subject of this review, whose fine farm property is located in Custer township, while he has also attained a high reputation as an apiarist, being one of the most successful in the state and taking much interest in the extensive enterprise which he conducts in this line.

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF

Mr. Chapman is a native son of the state of Michigan, having been born in Newberg, Cass county, on the 22d of February, 1850, and being a son of Lemuel and Juliana (Hastings) Chapman, both of whom were born and reared in Ohio, whence they came to Michigan in an early day. The father has been identified with agricultural pur- suits during the major portion of his active career and for a number of years was suc- cessfully engaged in fruit-growing near Eaton Rapids, Eaton county. He and his wife came to Antrim county in 1880 and he is now the owner of a good farm in Eaton county, giving his attention to its super- vision and being seventy-seven years of age at the time of this writing. He is a stanch Republican in his political proclivities, and has held local offices of public trust. Of the four children the subject of this sketch is the eldest, the others being Elgin L., Ada and Emma, the last mentioned of whom is deceased.

Samuel D. Chapman passed his boyhood days on the homestead farm and received excellent educational advantages in his youth, completing the curriculum of the pub- lic schools and proving himself eligible for pedagogic honors. In 1875 he removed to Iowa and located in Ida county, and there he was engaged in farming for the ensuing seven years, while during the winter terms he rendered most able and acceptable service as a teacher in the local schools. At the expiration of the period noted he returned to his native state and cast his lot with the people of Antrim county, having taken up his residence in the village of Mancelona in the spring of 1882. He there continued to be engaged in beekeeping until 1888, when he took up his abode on his present farm,

which he had purchased a short time pre- viously. His estate comprises one hundred and sixty acres of excellent land, of which sixty-two acres are under a high state of cultivation, while he makes a specialty of raising potatoes, for which the soil of this section is most admirably adapted, as the fine annual product in the line practically demonstrates. As an exponent of successful bee culture Mr. Chapman is specially promi- nent, and at the time of this writing he has on his place two hundred swarms of bees. He has made a careful study of the habits of the busy little workers, is an authority on the subject of their cultivation and manage- ment, and has secured magnificent returns from the same. He has produced twenty- three thousand five hundred pounds of honey of the finest grade in the past year, this record being seven thousand pounds in ex- cess of that of any other apiarist in the state. He is a subscriber to five different periodicals devoted to the cultivation of bees and has contributed to one or more of the same, giv- ing the results of his experiments and ex- perience in a practical and helpful way. On his farm are ten acres of timber, including some of the best cedar to be found in the county. Mr. Chapman has made excellent improvements on his farm, including the erection of an attractive residence and a barn forty by sixty feet in dimensions, the latter having been builded in the summer of 1904. He is a man of marked intellectuality and sterling characteristics, and is held in high esteem in the community, while he ex- erts no little influence in local affairs. In politics he accords an unswerving allegiance to the Republican party, and he takes an active interest in the cause. While not a seeker of official preferment, he served as

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justice of the peace while a resident of Man- celona, and has also been a valued member of the school board of his district. Both he and his wife are zealous members of the Adventist church.

In the year 188I was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Chapman to Miss Alvarata Mallernee, who was born in the state of Michigan, being a daughter of Jared and Anna Mallernee, who now reside near De- catur, Illinois, the father being a carpenter by trade and following this vocation in con- nection with farming. Mr. and Mrs. Chap- man have three children, William S., who is an electrician, being employed in Mancelona ; and Anna and Ada, who still remain be- neath the parental roof, the children being numbered among the popular young folk in the social circles of the community and all having been born in Antrim county.

EUGENE D. MUCKEY.

More than a quarter of a century has elapsed since the subject of this review took up his residence in Antrim county, and thus he is to be mentioned consistently as one of the pioneers of this section of the state, while he has gained prominence in business and industrial circles, being one of the in- fluential farmers of Kearney township and a member of the firm known as the Muckey Brick Yard Company, whose headquarters are in Bellaire, the attractive county seat.

born and reared in New York, where they have ever made their home, the father being a farmer by vocation and being one of the highly respected citizens of Oswego county, New York. Of his eight children six are living at the time of this writing.

The subject was reared to the sturdy dis- cipline of the old homestead farm and re- ceived such educational advantages as were afforded in the public schools, and he con- tinued to be identified with farming in New York until 1876, in which year he came to Michigan. He took up his residence in An- trim county in that year and secured em- ployment in connection with the great lum- bering industry, which then represented the only enterprise of importance in this section of the state. He continued to follow lum- bering until 1881, when he turned his atten- tion to farming, having secured land in Kearney township and located on the same, which is a portion of his present finely im- proved estate. He has sixty acres, about half of which is under cultivation and de- voted to general agriculture and fruit rais- ing, while by energy and good management he has developed one of the excellent farms for which Antrim county is now well known, having gained success through his own ef- forts and being one of the highly esteemed and influential citizens of Kearney township. He has been identified with the manufactur- ing of brick for the past several years, being a member of the Bellaire Brick Yard Company, which has built up a most flour- ishing and profitable enterprise. In politics Mr. Muckey is an uncompromising adher- ent of the Democratic party, and he has served in various positions of public trust and responsibility, having served for eight

Mr. Muckey is a native of the old Empire state, having been born in Oswego county, New York, on the Ist of November, 1854, and being a son of John and Amelia (Sim- mons) Muckey, both of whom were likewise years as justice of the peace, while he has

BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF

been officially identified with the school af- fairs of his district for the past sixteen years. Fraternally he is affiliated with Bel- laire Lodge, No. 398, Free and Accepted Masons.

In the year 1881 Mr. Muckey was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Eldred, who was born and reared in this state, being a daugh- ter of Stephen and Lorinda ( Baird) Eldred, honored pioneers of Antrim county. Mr. and Mrs. Muckey have three children, Floyd, who is still at the parental home; Clair E .. who is in the employ of the Pere Marquette Railroad Company, and Lawrence, who is at home, all of the children having been af- forded good educational advantages and all being popular young folks of this, their na- tive, county.

CLARK E. DENSMORE.

Clark E. Densmore, the popular and efficient clerk of Antrim county and one of the representative citizens of Bellaire, is a native of Michigan, born in DuPlain, Clin- ton county, in the year 1859. Paternally he is descended from staunch New England stock and traces his lineage to an early period in the history of Massachusetts, where the antecedents' of the American branch of the family settled in a very early day. His grandfather, Rufus Densmore, a native of the old Bay state, came to Michigan as early as the year 1836 and was one of the first white men to penetrate the wilderness of what is now Ionia county and make & permanent settlement. Cornelius E. Dens- more, son of Rufus and father of the sub- ject, was reared in Ionia county, and later

changed his residence to the county of Clin- ton, where he purchased land, improved a good farm and became an enterprising and public spirited man of affairs. Clark E. Densmore was reared to agricultural pur- suits on the family homestead in Ionia county and while a mere lad became familiar with all the details of farm labor. His early life was spent amid the scenes of activity and honest toil in the summer time, and dur- ing a few months of the winter seasons he attended the district schools, where he made rapid and substantial progress in the com- mon branches of learning. Actuated by a laudable desire for more thorough scholastic training, he subsequently entered the schools of Saranac, three miles from his home, and attended the same for some months, travers- ing the entire distance twice a day on foot. The discipline thus received was afterwards supplemented by a high school course in Ionia, where the ambitious young student paid his own way by working of mornings and evenings in a bank, in addition to which he also did considerable copying in a law- yer's office.

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Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 7

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