Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 81

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

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CAPT. MANNES J. BONNER.

Capt. M. J. Bonner, proprietor of the Beaver Hotel, St. James; and owner of the schooner "Rouse Simmons," one of the fleet and popular vessels that ply between Beav- er island and various ports on the Great Lakes, is a native of the island on which he lives and the son of John B. and Sophia (Harkins) Bonner, both born in county Donegal, Ireland, but for many years resi- dents of the United States. John B. Bon- ner came to America when a young man and after spending some years in New York made the tour of the great lakes as a sailor, locating about 1847 on Mackinac island which he made his headquarters during the winter seasons for several years, spending the spring and summer months on Gull island. The Mormons who had settled on Beaver island some time previous to his arrival determined to appropriate the land and prevent if possible any of the Gentiles from securing a foothold thereon; accord- ingly they annoyed the early comers in many ways, burning their cabins, driving off their

live stock, and in some instances inflicting severe bodily injury. Mr. Bonner with the majority of early comers made common complaint against them, although he did not carry his enmity to the extent of taking part in their forcible ejection from the island.

While making Mackinac and Gull islands his headquarters, Mr. Bonner trav- elled quite extensively through the South and spent several winters in Savannah, Georgia, returning to the lake region in the spring for the purpose of engaging in fish- ing. He also made a trip to the land of his birth and, after spending some months there, shipped as a sailor from Liverpool, Eng- land, in which capacity he sailed over vari- ous European waters, touching at many points and visiting a number of places of interest in the different countries visited.

Returning to the United States, he set- tled on Beaver island about four and a half miles southwest of St. James, where he took up a fine tract of land which in due season was cleared and reduced to cultivation, the meanwhile devoting a part of his time to fishing and supplying the lake steamers with wood. He was a public-spirited man, took an active interest in the affairs of the island and in an early day held the offices of town and county treasurer, in both of which posi- tions he displayed signal ability and an earn- est desire to promote the general welfare of his fellow citizens. In politics he was a Democrat, in religion a Roman Catholic and to him as much as to any one man is due the founding of the Holy Cross church at St. James, the growth and success of which he ever had at heart. He was also influential in inducing a number of substantial families to locate on the island and for many years

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was a leader and adviser among his country- men who came from the north of Ireland and settled in the vicinity of St. James. The death of this good man and praiseworthy citizen occurred about 1893, at the age of seventy-six, and his widow, who has been a resident of Beaver island for a period of forty-eight years, is still on the farm which he redeemed from the wilderness. Of their family of nine children, eight grew to years of maturity and of the latter number seven survive.

Capt. Mannes J. Bonner was born on the family homestead, July 5, 1859, and at quite an early age turned his attention to fishing, in connection with which pursuit he also be- came skilled as a sailor, having made a num- ber of trips with his father when but six or seven years old. At the age of twenty he succeeded his father as master of the schooner with which the latter carried on the fishing industry and subsequently about 1893, in partnership with his brother John W. Bonner, purchased a larger and better equipped vessel which the two sailed jointly for five years, the subject disposing of his interest in 1898. He then bought the schooner "Peoria," with which he carried on a large and successful business until 1901, when it was wrecked in Bailey's har- bor. resulting in a total loss of the vessel and cargo. At the time this disaster occur- red Captain Bonner was engaged in the con- struction of a hotel on Beaver island, which enterprise he pushed to completion ' and opened in 1903 and which under his effi- cient management is now the leading estab- lishment of the kind in the northern part of the state. In 1904 the Captain became identified with the Beaver Island Lumber Company and the same year purchased in

connection with that concern the schooner "Rouse Simmons," which he rebuilt at Stur- gis bay and which is now one of the best equipped vessels of its tonnage on the lakes. After making several trips as master, he placed the schooner in charge of his brother, John W., in order the better to devote his attention to the hotel business which since the completion of his place of entertainment has so steadily grown in magnitude and im- portance as to require his entire time. In ad- dition to the hotel and his extensive lumber interests. Captain Bonner does a large and lucrative business in posts, railway ties, tan bark, which he handles in immense quanti- ties, working several gangs of men in differ- ent parts of Beaver island and disposing of his product at liberal prices. The Beaver Hotel, which was first opened in the month of July, 1903, for transient guests, was erected at a cost of ten thousand dollars and since that time has become widely and fav- orably known as one of the most pleasant summer resorts in the state of Michigan, containing twenty-six commodious rooms. and amply supplied with all the comforts and conveniences found in first-class houses of the kind. It is filled to overflowing every year. the demand for accommodation far exceeding the ability of the landlord to meet.

Captain Bonner is a Prohibitionist in his political principles and believes the liquor traffic to be the crying evil of the times and a curse which only the most stringent legis- lation can eradicate. He has well earned the reputation of an enterprising business man and an honorable citizen, since from the beginning of his career he has been con- spicuously active, not only in advancing his own interests, but also in promoting the

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welfare of the public and the social and annual product. Amply supplied with all moral good of his fellow men.

Captain Bonner was married in the city of Chicago, to Miss Anna Kilty, who, like himself, is a native of Beaver island, where her parents, Patrick and Mary (McCarty) Kilty, settled a number of years ago, hav- ing moved here prior to the Mormon occu- pation. Captain and Mrs. Bonner have no children, but their home is ever open to the young, in whose welfare both manifest a deep and abiding interest. Religiously they are Catholics and as members of the Holy Cross church have made their influence felt for good, their daily lives exemplifying in a marked degree the practical value of the faith in which they were born and reared and to which they have ever yielded the most implicit obedience.

MARTIN BROTHERS.

The fishing industry at Beaver island takes precedence over any other line of busi- ness and for a number of years its leading representatives have been the Martin Broth- ers, whose outfit at this time is one of the largest and most valuable on the northern part of Lake Michigan. The firm, which is composed of Daniel J. and James J. Martin, was established about the year 1888, since which time its operations have been gradu- ally extended until the business now amounts to something like eight or ten thousand dol- lars per year, while the property of the com- pany, including the large and well-equipped establishment at St. James, the tug "Clara A. Elliott," nets and other fixtures, repre- sents a capital considerably in excess of the

the necessary contrivances and with a ca- pacity second to that of none of their com- petitors, the Martins have prosecuted the business with most encouraging results, and, as already indicated, the firm is now one of the most successful of the kind on the lakes, giving employment to from six to ten men and setting upon an average of ten gangs of nets of five and a half miles each, the de- mands of the trade frequently necessitating a still greater number than this with a cor- responding increase in the force of operators. The Martins are experienced fishermen, and from their childhood they have been famil- iar with the water and everything pertain- ing thereto. They have practically spent their lives on the Great Lakes and as a con- sequence are not only skilled in the line of business to which their time and energies are being devoted, but are also efficient as boatmen and sailors, their knowledge of seamanship making them especially profi- cient in the science of navigation.

James Martin, father of the Martin brothers, was born in county Donegal, Ire- land, the mother, whose maiden name was Kate McCarthy, being a native of the county of Mayo. The former came to the United States when a young man of twenty-two or twenty-three and later settled on the island of Mackinac in Lake Michigan, where he married and where for a number of years he followed fishing for a livelihood. While plying his chosen calling he had occasion to stop at Beaver island, though in common with the majority of fishermen he rather avoided the place on account of the Mor- mons, who sought by every means in their power to prevent any but their own people from locating, not infrequently resorting to

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acts of violence in order to accomplish their purposes. Mr. Martin's first visit to the island was by no means intentional, having landed during a dense fog while on his way to Gull island. As soon as his presence was discovered the Mormons seized his boats and appropriated their cargoes, which amounted to the sum of seven hundred dol- lars, after which they set him and his brother adrift in a gale without ballast, to the imminent danger of being overwhelmed and drowned. After being tossed about at the mercy of winds and waves they finally brought up at the isle of St. Helena in the strait of Mackinaw, forty miles distant, where they again fell into the hands of the Latter Day Saints who compelled them to go through the mockery of a trial for al- leged trespass and other misdemeanors. A jury was hastily called together, before which prejudiced body the two unfortunates were obliged to answer to the trumped-up charges, but the trial resulted in a division of sentiment, six of the jurymen standing for the death penalty, the other seven being in favor of setting the prisoners adrift, which was finally done and that too in the midst of a raging storm which to all ap- pearances was about the same as if the ver- dict of the minority had been carried out. Suffice to say, however, that the brothers eventually escaped with their lives through a very narrow margin, and subsequently had the satisfaction of seeing the fanatical sect forcibly ejected from the island.

Being pleased with Beaver island, Mr. Martin decided to make it his place of abode and in due time settled on the eastern part. where he built a comfortable home and cleared a considerable body of land, though in the main he devoted his attention to fish-

ing, to which calling his sons were also brought up. The family of James and Kate Martin consisted of seven sons and the same number of daughters, all of the former and four of the latter still living, three of the sons being residents of Beaver island at this writing. The mother died at the old home- stead on the island March 16, 1888, and on October Ioth of the same year the father de- parted this life at Onekama, Michigan, to which place he had removed a short time previous to the date of his demise. All of the Martin brothers have licenses as masters of vessels and are engaged in fishing and the lake trade, and to their credit be it said that they are not only energetic sailors and suc- cessful business men, but stand high in their respective places of residence as upright and honorable citizens.

Daniel J. Martin, senior member of the fishing firm of Martin & Martin, at St. James, was born on the island of Mackinaw, May 28, 1856. The fall following his birth the family moved to Beaver island and here he has since lived and prospered, being, as already stated, one of the leading business men of the town in which he resides with a wide and honorable reputation in commer- cial circles wherever his name is known. Trained from his infancy to the water, he has become a skillful sailor and it is worthy of note that during his long and varied ex- perience on the lakes, where he is perfectly at home, he has never lost a vessel or met with any serious mishap. In connection with the fishing business he is deeply inter- ested in the life saving station on the island and at various times has rendered efficient service in the work of rescue and the sav- ing of property from wrecks. Mr. Martin is a married man, but has no children, his

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wife having. formerly been Miss Bridget Gillispie, of Beaver island. Both are mem- bers of the Holy Cross Catholic church at St. James and active in all lines of good work under the auspices of the parish.

James J. Martin, junior member of the firm, is a native of the island on which he now lives and which has been the scene of his struggles and triumphs, having first seen the light of day on March 15. 1864. Like his brother, he was reared on the water and what has been said by one may with . pro- priety be said of both, as their lives have been practically identical, and their aims, ambitions and success the same. A man of fine mind, wide intelligence and keen, practical discernment, he has made his in- fluence felt in the business world and as a leader in the great industry with which his life has been identified, his name and reputa- tion are known at every city and port on the Great Lakes, while the high esteem in which he is everywhere held attests the con- fidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens. Mr. Martin possesses sound judgment in business affairs and by doing with might what his hands find to do he has met with success such as few attain, being in inde- pendent circumstances as far as worldly wealth is concerned, with an ample compe- tence at his command against future contin- gencies and old age. He is now in the prime of vigorous manhood with many years before him in which to work out his destinies and his many friends who are watching his career with interest bespeak for him still greater achievements than those which have attended him in the past.

The maiden name of Mrs. James Mar- tin was Miss Nellie Johnston, their marriage being blessed with three children, namely :

Wilbur; Elmer, who was drowned when about two years old while attempting to board a tug, and John, the oldest and young- est, with their parents, constituting a happy domestic circle. Mr. and Mrs. Martin are members of the Roman Catholic church and among the most zealous workers in the Holy Cross congregation at St. James, of which his father was one of the founders.

WILLIAM GOODERHAM CAMERON.

The subject of this review enjoyed dis- tinctive prestige among the enterprising business men of this part of the country and as a neighbor and citizen was highly es- teemed by all who knew him. He earned the right to be called one of the progressive men of Antrim county, having fought his way onward and upward to a prominent po- sition in industrial circles and in every rela- tion ·of life his voice and influence were on the side of right as he saw and understood the right. William G. Cameron was born in the city of Toronto, Canada, June 29, 1850, and on reaching the years of young manhood came to northern Michigan where he continued to reside until his death, on March 2, 1892. Mr. Cameron received a good common-school education, and while still a mere lad became familiar with the practical affairs of life, having early turned his attention to the lumber business in which his success was very encouraging. When his brothers, Archibald, James and John Cam- eron, established a mill at Central Lake, he took an interest in the enterprise and the firm thus constituted forged rapidly to the front and soon became one of the largest

WILLIAM G. CAMERON.

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and most successful lumber concerns in An- trim county, which reputation it still sus- tains. Mr. Cameron devoted his entire at- tention to the lumber industry and in due time was looked upon as one of the most en- ergetic and capable young men in a com- munity long noted for its high order of busi- ness talent. Much of the success achieved by the partnership was attributable to his sound judgment, resourceful nature and wise forethought and as long as he lived his every interest prospered and his name be- came widely and favorably known as a man of rectitude whose character was ever above reproach and whose word carried all the sacredness of a written obligation.

On September 15, 1884, Mr. Cameron contracted a matrimonial alliance with Miss E. Adele Richardson, whose parents, Amos and Emily A. (Pickett) Richardson, were among the early pioneers of Antrim county, settling in Banks township about the year 1868. After their marriage the subject and wife set up their domestic establishment in Torch Lake, where they continued to reside during the remainder of Mr. Cameron's life, in the meantime building a beautiful home which, plentifully furnished with modern conveniences and comforts, became one of the most attractive residences and popular places of resort of which the town could boast. After a mutually happy and agreeable wedded experience of eight years' duration, Mr. Cameron was called from the scene of his labors and triumphs, departing this life, as already stated, in 1892, while in the prime of vigorous physical and mental manhood, being in his forty-first year when the sum- mons came to join the silent majority on the other side of Death's mystic stream. He was essentially a man of affairs, and withal a

watchful guardian of the public weal as well as an active participant in all that concerned the interests of his firm, proving in all of his relations a man of noble purposes and lofty ideals. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Cameron has made her home with her parents in Norwood where she is esteemed by a large circle of friends who have learned to prize her for her many estimable quali- ties of mind and heart. While a child she received instruction from her mother, who was one of the early teachers of Antrim county, and later walked two miles to a country school where she made considerable progress in her various studies.

The parents of Mrs. Cameron were na- tives of Clinton county, New York, where they lived until 1868, and at which time dis- posed of their interests there and moved to northern Michigan, where they still reside. Mr. Richardson served three years and nine months in a Michigan regiment during the war of the Rebellion and while at the front his wife managed the farm, and by teaching school of winter months earned sufficient money to provide her children with the necessary comforts of life. Besides Mrs. Cameron, there is a son, Charles A. Rich- ardson, who holds an important position in the State Savings Bank at Detroit; also an adopted son who has been a member of the family circle ever since the death of his mother, whose life went out at the time of his birth.

Mrs. Cameron still retains her husband's interest in the lumber firm of Cameron Brothers, her income from the same being quite liberal. She is well provided with worldly comforts and, having no children to support, spends no small share of her means in charitable and benevolent enterprises, be-

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ing greatly interested in work along these ready to lend a helping hand to all worthy objects of a public or private character.

CON. C. GALLAGHER.

As the name indicates, the subject of this review is of Irish lineage although an American by birth and since early childhood a resident of the state of Michigan. He was born at Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, in De- cember, 1861, and a few years later was brought to Michigan by his parents, Cor- nelius and Grace (McGladey) Gallagher, who settled on Beaver island, where the fa- ther engaged in farming and fishing. The place on which the family located is situ- ated about two and one-half miles south of the present town of St. James, and consists of two hundred acres of good arable land, one hundred of which has been cleared and is now under a high state of cultivation with good buildings and other improve- ments which makes it one of the most desir- able farms on the island. Con. Gallagher was about four years old when his parents moved to Michigan and from that time to the present his life has been spent at or near his present place of residence. When a mere lad he accompanied his father on the latter's fishing excursions, thus early becoming in- ured to a life which tended to develop not only a strong and vigorous physique, but also a spirit of hardy self-reliance. In addi- tion to this line of work he also assisted in clearing the farm and cultivating the same. He remained under the parental roof until young manhood when he began life for him- self.

For the past fifteen years Mr. Gallagher and other commendable lines, and ever has been engaged in business for himself and is one of the successful business men of St. James and through his honorable deal- ing with his fellowmen has gained the con- fidence and good will of all with whom he comes in contact.

Mr. Gallagher was united in marriage to Miss Jessie McDonald, daughter of Dan- iel and Bridget (O'Donnell) McDonald, and who was also for many years a resident of Beaver island. To Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher have been born five children: Lizzie, the eldest, died in childhood; the other four, Ann, Cornelius, Raymond and John L., con- stituting with their parents a mutually happy / and agreeable family circle. In religion Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher are members of the Catholic church.

As indicated by this brief review, the subject has always been an industrious and temperate man, keenly interested in his busi- ness affairs and an influential factor in all that concerns the material advancement and social improvement of the thriving commu- nity honored by his citizenship. His family as well as himself are regarded with favor by the people of Beaver island and the uni- versal esteem in which the name is held speaks well for all who bear it.

PETER S. DUBOIS.

This honored veteran of the war of the Rebellion is another of the prosperous farm- ers and representative citizens of Antrim county, having a well-improved farm in Cus- ter township and having been a resident of the county for the past twenty years. Mr. DuBois comes of French ancestry in the ag-

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natic line and is a scion of a family which has long been established in America and long identified with the history of the state of New York, of which he is himself a na- tive. He was born on the Ioth of March, 1844, and is a son of Samuel and Sarah (Stokes) DuBois, both of whom were like- wise born and reared in the old Empire state, where they passed their entire lives, the father having died when the subject was a child, while the mother passed away many years later. They became the parents of six children, of whom four are living. Sam- uel DuBois was a farmer by vocation and was a man of strong mentality and sterling integrity, while in politics he was originally a Whig and later a Republican, having ex- erted no little influence in public affairs of a local nature and having commanded unqual- ified confidence and esteem. The subject was reared to manhood in his native county, where he duly availed himself of the privi- leges of the public schools, in which he laid the foundation for the broad fund of infor- mation and practical knowledge he has since gained by personal application and active association with men and affairs. He learned the trade of carpenter and joiner when a young man and was following the same as a vocation at the time when the in- tegrity of the nation was menaced by armed rebellion. On the 5th of August, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Fifty-sixth New York Volunteer Infantry, with which he proceeded to the front, con- tinuing in active service until the practical close of the great internecine conflict and re- ceiving his honorable discharge on the 5th of June, 1865. His regiment was assigned to the Department of the Gulf and served under General Banks until 1864, and was

thereafter with General Sheridan in the memorable campaign through the Shenan- doah valley. Here Mr. DuBois was cap- tured by the enemy and was taken to the city of Richmond, where he was held in prison for forty days, after which he was taken to Belle Isle prison, where he was held for twenty days, at the expiration of which he was paroled, going thence to Camp Roll, Annapolis, in Maryland. He took part in the battles of Fort Bisland, Port Hudson, Pleasant Hill, Winchester, and other en- gagements of importance, having been ta- ken prisoner at the time of the battle of Winchester.

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Biographical history of northern Michigan containing biographies of prominent citizens, Part 81

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