USA > Michigan > Gratiot County > Biographical memoirs of Gratiot County, Michigan : compendium of biography of celebrated Americans > Part 18
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G EORGE J. ACKER, who is actively engaged in the cultivation of the soil in Pine River township, Gratiot county, where he owns and operates a fine tract of one hundred and twenty acres of land on Section 12, was born on a farm in Crawford county, Ohio, April 12, 1848, son of George and Catherine (Gebhart) Acker. George Ack- er was a native of Bavaria, Germany, while his wife was of German parentage. She died in Crawford county, Ohio, aged twenty- one years, George J. being then two and one-half years old. George Acker settled in Gratiot county in the early eighties, and died in Bethany township at the age of sixty-one years.
George J. Acker was the only child by
his father's first marriage. George Ack- er's second marriage was to Catherine Laib, who died October 18, 1905, the fruits of this union being the following children : Mary C., deceased, married Isaac Clough ; John M., single, resides with George J .; William C., is a farmer of Pine River town- ship; Sophia L., deceased, married Edward Stebbins; Miss Eliza, resides in Isabella county, Michigan; Caroline is the wife of William Cleland, of Ingham county, Michi- gan ; Franklin is a farmer in Bethany town- ship, Gratiot county ; David E. is engaged in farming in Isabella county, Michigan; Ed- ward C. died at the age of eighteen years.
At the age of five years George J. Acker was taken by his father to Kent county, Michigan, settling in Lowell township, where the boy reached manhood. He at- tended the common schools of his district and learned the carpenter's trade and in the fall of 1868 married Miss Ann Graham, daugh- ter of William K. and Margaret ( Bolton) Graham, natives of England, where Mrs. Acker was born in the year 1845. Soon after his marriage Mr. Acker located in Gratiot county, and for seventeen years lived in St. Louis, where he followed his trade. While living in St. Louis he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Sec- tion 12, Pine River township, upon which he settled and which he has since cultivated. Most of his time is given to agricultural pursuits, although he has followed his trade to some extent. He has improved his farm, erected a fine brick house and a substantial barn forty by sixty feet in dimensions and planted numerous shade trees and fruit trees around his residence and grounds.
To George J. and Ann (Graham) Acker these children have been born:
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF GRATIOT COUNTY.
Charles E., Percy W. and Sarah E., who died at the age of thirty years, the wife of Dennis Woodmansee. Mrs. Ann (Graham) Acker died October 17, 1876, at the age of thirty-one years, and Mr. Acker married in January, 1878, Mrs. Frances (Stewart) Gamble, widow of John Gamble, born in Ireland in 1853. Two children were born to this sec- ond marriage: Gracie E., wife of Charles Mapes, of Pine River township, and George, Jr.
George J. Acker is prominent in town- ship affairs, having been justice of the peace several terms and held numerous minor of- fices. Politically he is a Prohibitionist. He and his estimable wife are valued members of the First Presbyterian Church, in which Mr. Acker is an elder. He is a member of the Court of Honor. Mr. Acker has been a hard worker, a consistent economist and a wise manager, and is worthy of all the respect and esteem in which he is held.
T THOMAS LANG, treasurer of Sumner township, and a representative and influential farmer of Gratiot county, is a man widely known throughout his commu- nity, and is held in high esteem by his ac- quaintances as a man of integrity and sound principles. He was born in Devon- shire, England, March 15, 1863, son of John and Jane (Clevenden) Lang, who came to Gratiot county in June, 1869, and settled on Section 20, in Sumner township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. Lang died in September, 1884.
Thomas Lang was the third member of a family of six children, and came from England to America with his par- ents. He was reared in Sumner town-
ship, and at the age of eighteen years he went to Hart, Oceana county, Michigan, and was employed in the construction of the Pere Marquette Railroad, at that point, then known as the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad. He remained there but one summer, and then went to Newaygo county, and was employed in Woodville several months. Mr. Lang next went to the Straits of Mackinac, being employed in building the locks at that point, for about four months, at the end of which time he removed to Saginaw county and, in company with his brother Richard, rented a farm and remained one year. He then returned to Sumner township, and since then has been engaged in farming and threshing. In company with his brother he owns two hun- dred and twenty acres of land, one hundred and eighty of which are under cultivation.
Since locating in Sumner township Mr. Lang has been quite prominent in politics. He held the office of highway commissioner one year, and was elected treasurer of the township in the spring of 1904. He was elected justice of the peace, but failed to qualify. Mr. Lang is a stanch Republican and has always been active in the ranks of that party. He is a member of North Star Lodge No. 306, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
W ILLIAM HORTON was born in the State of New York, on a farm in Oswego county, December 31, 1852, son of William M. and Mary A. (Williams) Horton.
William M. Horton was also born in New York State, and in Scriba, Oswego county, that State, met his wife. Her par-
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ents were both of Irish lineage, and the daughter was born on the Atlantic during their voyage from their native land to Amer- ica. They are still living in their New York home. William Horton was the sec- ond of their six children.
William Horton grew up in Oswego county, and was sent to the public schools to acquire as good an education as was to be obtained there. On attaining the age of eighteen years he left New York for Mich- igan and was employed for a couple of years in the lumber regions of the latter State, but at the expiration of that time he went back to his home in Oswego county, and remained there for another period of two years. He then a second time sought Michigan, spent one winter at Port Huron, and thence removed to Saginaw county. While still with his father Mr. Horton had learned from him the cooper's and stave joiner's trades, and he followed these occu- pations exclusively for several years in this last location. In 1882 he accepted a posi- tion as bookkeeper for the firm of Hood & Parsons, of the village of Merrill, Michi- gan. He continued in their employ for sev- en years, then for two years was in the em- ploy of P. J. Conlan, who kept a large gen- eral store in Merrill, two years more at stave jointing, and then took a position as book- keeper with Gardner, Peterman & Company, for whom he worked as bookkeeper and man- ager of stave, heading and lumber mill dur- ing the decade from 1892 till 1902. This firm was engaged in the manufacture of staves, headings, hoops, lumber and shin- gles and ran four establishments, located at Riverdale, Onaway, Millersburg and San- tiago, in Gratiot, Presque Isle, and Arenac counties. Mr. Horton had the general over-
sight of both the Riverdale and Santiago mills. In 1902 he returned to Riverdale to take up his permanent residence.
Mr. Horton has been twice married. His first wife was a Miss Ida M. Wallace, who was born in Bay City, Michigan, and died in Merrill in 1899. Their marriage was solemnized in Saginaw July 3, 1883, and to them were born four children, Nellie G., Mabel, Maud and a son that died in in- fancy. On December 9, 1892, Mr. Horton was 'united in marriage with Miss Anna L. Turner, like himself a native of New York. To them also three daughters and a son were born, Isabella, Pauline, Esther and Charles.
On matters of public import and on po- litical questions Mr. Horton has always held decided opinions and his interest along such lines has always translated itself into action. Formerly a follower of the Repub- licans, he has for some time been independ- ent in his stand. While a resident of Sag- inaw county he was elected supervisor of Jonesfield for two terms, and in Merrill he was chosen the first president of that vil- lage when its form of government was or- ganized, and held the position for two terms. On moving to Seville township he displayed the same interest in local affairs, and in the spring of 1904 his services were recognized by his election to the offrice of township clerk, a post he is still filling. Mr. Horton is a keen, intelligent man and represents a fine type of citizenship.
JESSE J. WOODWARD, who is well and favorably known in Emerson township, Gratiot county, is actively engaged in cul- tivating his farm in that township.
Allen Woodward, the father of Jesse
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF GRATIOT COUNTY.
J. Woodward, was a soldier of the Civil War, who died in Emerson township, March 5, 1884. He was born in Ontario county, New York, December 17, 1819, and enlisted in Company B, Tenth New York Volun- teer Cavalry, serving gallantly throughout the war. He married (first) Almira Lewis, who died in Washtenaw county, Michigan, in June, 1861. Mr. Woodward's second marriage, which occurred December 12, 1866, was to Mrs. Elizabeth (McCall) Cronkite, the widow of Francis Cronkite, the latter also a soldier in the Civil war, who died after the battle of the Wilderness. Mrs. Woodward was born November 17, 1830, in Argyle, New York, daughter of John and Susanna (Kay) McCall. By her first mar- riage she had one son Franklin Cronkite, now deceased.
Jesse J. Woodward was the only son of his parents, and he was born November 12, 1867, in Berlin township, Ionia county, Michigan. He came with his parents to Gratiot county in 1874, and ever since that time has resided in Emerson township. Farming has been his life's occupation, and he has been very successful in this line, own- ing about forty acres, all of which is im- proved. He is a man of ability, and is a prominent factor in the public life of the town. He is a progressive, public-spirited young man, and a most worthy representa- tive of the old pioneer stock of which Mich- igan is proud.
C HARLES A. VAN DEVENTER. Among the substantial farmers and esteemed citizens of Emerson township, Gratiot county, may be mentioned Charles Van Deventer, who owns and operates a farm of eighty acres. He was born Janu-
ary 8, 1868, in Macon township, Lenawee county, Michigan, son of Benjamin E. and Martha (Linn) Van Deventer, who came to Gratiot county in 1881, and settled in Emerson township, where they lived until 1897, in that year removing to Ithaca, where they now reside. They had four chil- dren, of which family Charles A. is the youngest.
Charles A. Van Deventer came to Gra- tiot county with his parents when he was thirteen years old, and was reared to man- hood in Emerson township, receiving his education, however, in Ithaca. He was married in Arcada township, May 4, 1897, to Lena Sharrar, born in Lenawee county, Michigan, daughter of Daniel L. Sharrar. Mr. Van Deventer's interests have always been centered in farming, with every branch of which he is familiar. His fine eighty- acre farm bears evidence of the care and at- tention it receives, and stands among the best in the township.
Mr. Van Deventer is identified with the Republican party, and has been school in- spector and justice of the peace of Emerson township. He was a candidate on the Re- publican ticket for Registrar of Deeds, in the fall of 1898. Fraternally he is connected with Ithaca Tent, No. 12, Knights of the Modern Maccabees, and Ithaca and Pomona Grange. He was master of the Pomona Grange, and has been master of Ithaca Grange for one year. Mr. and Mrs. Van Deventer are members of the First Presby- terian Church of Ithaca, and Mr. Van De- venter has been superintendent of the Sun- day-school. He is one of the upright and reliable citizens of the township in whom much trust is placed, and he is held in gen- eral esteem.
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF GRATIOT COUNTY.
F RANK E. SQUIRE. New Haven township is fortunate in having on its board of supervisors men who unite sub- stantial ability with public spirit, and of the number none takes a more vital interest in all matters pertaining to the township, or is more truly representative of its best pro- gress, than Frank E. Squire. He is one of Michigan's own sons, born in Hillsdale county March 6, 1853, his parents being Franklin and Eliza (Herrington) Squire, natives of Ohio.
Franklin Squire was born in the county of Geauga, Ohio, February 15, 1827, son of Aaron Squire, deceased, a native of Con- necticut. Until he had reached manhood the son remained with his parents, assist- ing his father with the farm work and at- tending the neighboring schools. On Feb- ruary 23, 1851, he married Miss Eliza Ann, daughter of John Herrington, deceased, and he and his wife found a home in Lenawee county, Michigan. They remained there for three years and in 1854 located in Gratiot county, Mr. Squire entering a one hundred and sixty-acre homestead. His early settle- ment teemed with all the average pioneer hardships, common, but no less difficult to bear. But he finally mastered them, became prominent in local affairs, and was honored by election to the offices of clerk, supervisor and school director of the township, in all which positions he served ably and conscien- tiously. In religious sentiment Mr. Squire is an ardent adherent of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Squire had eight children born to them, six of whom are still living, as follows: Frank E., of New Haven township, Gratiot county; Eli E., of Montcalm county; Alice L., wife of
Nehemiah Hainer, of Clinton county ; John A., of Clinton county; Lucy, wife of Her- bert Jeffers, of Battle Creek, Michigan ; and Sarah E., wife of Albert Robinson, of But- ternut, Montcalm county, Michigan. Adell, who married Clarence Harpham, died in her twenty-first year, leaving two chil- dren, who were reared by Franklin Squire; and Helen, who married Henry Greenlee, died in July, 1889, leaving three chil- dren, who also found a home with their grandfather. From the time of his settling in this county in 1854, until the year 1892, Mr. Squire was a resident of North Star township, on the farm upon which he first located. Selling the old homestead, he bought a forty-acre farm well located near Butter- nut, Montcalm county, where he and his last wife now reside, his first wife having passed away in Gratiot county in April, 1867.
Frank E. Squire was in his second year when he accompanied his father's family to North Star township, Gratiot county, where he passed his boyhood and his youth until he had attained the age of nineteen years. After leaving home he first located in Kent county, Michigan, afterward lumbering in Muskegon and Mecosta counties. After gaining considerable experience in this line Mr. Squire experimented at various occu- pations for some time. He then decided on a business career, and, believing there should be a demand for agricultural imple- ments, opened an establishment of that kind in Ithaca and for eight or nine years carried on a flourishing business. In November, 1884, on removing to New Haven township, Mr. Squire did not entirely relinquish that line of trade, but continued to deal in farm- ing implements, in connection with his own
I. E. Squire
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agricultural operations. His property in New Haven township now consists of one hundred acres of valuable land, and he has about seventy acres of it under cultivation. He is one of the energetic, scientific farmers of the section, and by his progressive methods secures results both sure and profit- able.
Mr. Squire has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Mary Myers, of New Haven township, to whom he was wedded in August, 1875. Of the two children born to them, Delbert, the only survivor (the other died in infancy), married December 24, 1902, Lillian M. Rummer. He is a farmer of New Haven township and has one child, Rhea Louise. The domestic hap- piness of Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Squire, however, lasted but for a brief time, as Mrs. Squire was only twenty-four years of age when death claimed her. On July 17, 1882, Mr. Squire married again, his second wife being Miss Violet A. Holmes, a daughter of Myron R. and Caroline J. (Marshall) Holmes, of North Star township. Mrs. Squire was born in that locality April 4, 1863. Their only child, Bernice A., was married November 26, 1902, to Irvin H. Dintaman, of Kent county, Michigan, and is the mother of two children, Hazel Le Mae and Howard Holmes.
In political matters Mr. Squire has al- ways supported the Democratic party, and as he is a man who takes a keen interest in questions of public import he has been prominent in local affairs and has wielded considerable influence. In the spring of 1903 he was elected one of the board of supervisors of New Haven township, and so ably did he meet the responsibilities of the position and such confidence did his consti-
tuents place in him that he was again chosen in 1904 and 1905-a fitting recognition of his services in behalf of the public welfare. Fraternally Mr. Squire is a member of the Knights of the Modern Maccabees.
W ILLIAM T. NALDRETT. There are few men in Gratiot county who have had a more varied business experience, and who have passed through it all with credit and honor, than William T. Nal- drett, of Ithaca. His rugged manhood has been thoroughly tested by misfortune, and he has met every ordeal with bravery, forc- ing his way to substantial success. At the present time he is lumber manufacturer, farmer and dairyman, a dealer in coal, ce- ment and all kinds of building material, and banker, having been vice-president of the Ithaca National Bank from its organization.
Mr. Naldrett was born in Alma, Gratiot county, Michigan, on January 5, 1863, the son of Hugh and Sarah Jane (Jones) Nald- rett, natives respectively of England and the State of Ohio. When about fifteen years of age the father emigrated to America with his parents, who were among the pioneers of Gratiot county, their first location being Newark. There, upon the State Road, he took up one hundred and sixty acres of land, but in 1858 removed to a tract which em- braces the site of the present thriving city of Alma. After remaining at that locality for about five years Hugh Naldrett sold his farm to Lyman Cahoon, after which, for four years, he was a resident of Washtenaw county, Michigan. His next and final abid- ing place was Ionia county, where he died in April, 1871, at the age of thirty-eight years. Farming was his lifelong occupation.
The wife of Hugh Naldrett married as
9
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her second husband Henry Bailey, the fam- ily returning to Gratiot county in 1876 and locating on the old Jones farm. There she had passed her early years, and there she died on the Ist of April, 1900, aged sixty- eight years. Mr. Bailey also resided with William T. Naldrett, at his home in Ithaca, dying there in December, 1904, at the age of eighty years. The deceased were both old and firm members of the Baptist Church.
Besides William T. Naldrett (the second born) the children of Hugh Naldrett and wife were: Thomas, who died at the age of eighteen months, and Joeb, a merchant of Durand, Michigan. The paternal grand- parents were Clement and Hannah (His- cock) Naldrett, natives of England, who came to the United States in 1849 and settled in Livingston county, Michigan. Three years later they removed to Gra- tiot county, township of Newark. They continued to reside there about twenty-three years, when they removed to Eaton county, and there completed their lives.
Returning to their descendant in whom the interest of the present chiefly centers, it is to be stated that in October, 1883, William T. Naldrett was married to Dora, daughter of Henry and Annette (Pike) Stitt, of Ful- ton township, Gratiot county, formerly from Ohio. One child was born to the union, Bion H. Mr. Naldrett's first wife died December 24, 1885, at the age of twenty-one, and his second marriage oc- curred in Ionia, Michigan, on the 15th of October, 1888, to Emma M. Keefer. His second wife was born in Orange township, Ionia county, on September 24, 1865, the daughter of William and Julia (Carbaugh) Keefer, natives of Ohio and Virginia, re- spectively. Mrs. Naldrett's parents were
married in Ionia county, August 13, 1862, and are still residents of Orange township. The mother was born September 14, 1838, and the father December 16, 1837. The latter came to Michigan with his parents when a boy of ten, has been a farmer all these years, and has not only intelligently conducted his own affairs, but been called upon by his fellow citizens to manage vari- ous branches of the public service. He has served as supervisor, justice of the peace and treasurer of the township schools for many years past, and still resides on the farm where he passed the years of his boyhood. At present he is the owner of more than six hundred acres of productive land.
To Mr. and Mrs. William Keefer have been born the following: Ulysses Grant, a farmer of Ionia county, Michigan; Wil- liam S. and Sheridan S., also farmers, resid- ing in Portland township, that county; Em- ma M., wife of William T. Naldrett; Ida E., Mrs. William Kneudson, her husband being a farmer of Lyons, Michigan. The pater- nal grandfather, Abraham Keefer, of Penn- sylvania, migrated to Michigan in 1847, lo- cating in Ionia county on the farm upon which his youngest son resides. The mater- nal grandparents, George and Magdalena (Foreman) Carbaugh, also natives of the Keystone State, became residents of Ionia county in 1856.
William T. Naldrett lived with his mother until he was nineteen years of age. afterward marrying and settling on his farm of sixty acres in Fulton township. There he remained for three years, when, upon the death of his wife, he removed to California. After residing in that State for one year, he returned to Gratiot county, locating on a farm in Fulton township. He afterward
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platted a portion of his farm, and founded the village of Middleton. In 1889 he re- moved to Ithaca as a sawmill operator, and continued in the same industry at Saginaw, Michigan, becoming proprietor of a sawmill there. In the following year the establish- ment was completely destroyed by fire and Mr. Naldrett returned to Ithaca, two thous- and dollars in debt, to begin life anew. His first employment was as a lumber inspector, and various companies continued to engage his services in that capacity for a period of six years. By economy and good business management he was then enabled to estab- lish himself as a retail lumber merchant. His trade in that line has continually in- creased and, as noted, he has also added other departments to his business. His agricultural interests are centered in a fine tract of four hundred and fifty acres of land, scientifically tiled and drained at a cost of four thousand dollars, and most advantage- ously located about one mile from Ithaca. Besides engaging in general farming opera- tions Mr. Naldrett is a raiser of live stock, keeping fifty cows constantly on hand. The Ithaca National Bank, of which he has been vice-president since its organization, has made steady and prosperous growth from the start. All of which indicates unusual energy and perseverance and marked exe- cutive and business ability. To these facts may be added that Mr. Naldrett is up-to- date in the methods employed in the conduct of his varied interests-one of the most sub- stantial and progressive citizens of Ithaca. He is independent in politics, as in all other activities of human life. He attributes a large portion of his business success to his wife, who acts as bookkeeper in his office, and who
takes a keen interest in all business trans- actions.
By his second marriage Mr. Naldrett is the father of the following children: Dora M., who died September 28, 1895, aged five years; Jessie I .; Dorothy M., and Bessie M.
G EORGE S. ALDRICH. In every community, great or small, there are found men who by reason of their per- sonal attributes, enterprising spirit and nat- ural ability have risen above their fellows in business, social or public life. St. Louis, Michigan, has an example in George S. Ald- rich, of the real estate, loan and law firm of Aldrich & Mey. Mr. Aldrich was born at Clarence, Erie county, New York, Septem- ber 4, 1853, son of the Reverend Sidney and Lydia (York) Aldrich, who located in Jack- son county, Michigan, in 1864. Sidney Ald- rich died at Spring Arbor in his seventy- sixth year, while his wife died when about sixty-five years old.
George S. Aldrich was the sixth member of a family of eight children, and came with his parents to Jackson county, Michigan, where he remained until 1872. He received his preliminary education in the common schools and graduated from the Jackson high school in the spring of 1873. He then taught school for one year in Ingham coun- ty, and in the fall of 1874 entered the law department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated in the class of 1876, receiving the degree of LL. B. For about one and one-half years thereafter he was in the office of the prosecuting attorney of Jackson county, and then located in Ver- montville, Eaton county, Michigan, practic- ing law for one year. Mr. Aldrich then
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