USA > Michigan > Gratiot County > Biographical memoirs of Gratiot County, Michigan : compendium of biography of celebrated Americans > Part 27
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Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone were the par- ents of these children : Gertie M. is the wife of Louis Lepley ; Adelaide married William Bowen; and Ida is the wife of Alden Deve- reaux. Mrs. Ida Gladstone died in North
Star township when about twenty-two years of age, and Mr. Gladstone married for his second wife Miss Mary Beck, born March 3, 1853, in Fulton county, Ohio, daughter of John and Catherine (Eckley) Beck, the latter of whom died in Newark township, while her husband still survives.
S AMUEL PORTER. Among the prac- tical farmers of Pine River township, Gratiot county, is Samuel Porter, who is op- erating a fine eighty acre farm on Section II. He was born in Lorain township, Lo- rain county, Ohio, July 17, 1835, son of Na- thaniel and Clarissa (Kneeland) Porter.
Nathaniel Porter was a native of Ire- land, while his wife was born in Connecti- cut, and they both died in Lorain, Lorain county, Ohio, she aged about fifty years, while he was eighty-four at the time of his death. They were the parents of eight chil- dren, Samuel being third in the order, of birth.
Samuel Porter was reared in Lorain county, Ohio, and was married there, Octo- ber 25, 1857, to Miss Martha A. Foster, who was born in Lorain township, June 20, 1841, daughter of Elisha and Anna M. (Mason) Foster. Mrs. Porter's parents died in Lorain county, the mother being ninety-six years of age, while the father had passed away aged thirty-seven. They had five children, three sons and two daughters, and of this family Mrs. Porter was the youngest. She was reared in her native county, and there received her education. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Porter settled in Lorain county, on a farm which he had purchased, and continued to reside there until April, 1884, when they came to Gratiot county, Michigan, and settled in Pine River
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township. For the first three years Mr. Porter rented land, and then purchased eighty acres on Section II, where he has since made his home. He has carried on general farming, in which he has been quite successful, and has improved his land with good, substantial buildings. Mr. and Mrs. Porter have two children: Devillo B., of Lorain county, Ohio; and Mamie A., the wife of John W. Doyle, of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
F FRANCIS J. TUCKER, the clerk of
Sumner township, is one of Gratiot county's prominent and enterprising young business men. Mr. Tucker was born May 23, 1880, in Detroit, Michigan, son of Irett F. and Emma (Hicks) Tucker, residents of Sumner, who had two children, of whom Francis J. was the youngest and is the only survivor.
Mr. Tucker was about three years old when he was brought by his parents to Sum- ner township, where he received his early education. He attended Yerrington's Col- lege, in 1899 and 1900. He was reared in Sumner, and has been associated with his father in the mercantile business since 1897. In April, 1904, Mr. Tucker was elected clerk of Sumner, township, a position he has since held with great credit. He has also served as school inspector for two terms. Frater- nally he is connected with the M. W. A. and the K. O. T. M. M. He is well known and is very popular in Sumner township.
I ESLIE A. HOWE, M. D., who was elected in 1905 for his fourth term as coroner of Gratiot county, was born in Al- len, Hillsdale county, Michigan, October 16,
1866, son of George N. and Melvina (Todd) Howe.
George N. Howe was an officer in the state prison for eight years at Jackson, Michigan, and was superintendent of the prison school. He was a teacher by profes- sion, in which occupation he spent most of his life, dying October 22, 1900, in his sixty- fourth year.
Leslie A. Howe was taken by his parents to Jackson, Michigan, when fifteen years old, and he attended the high school in that city, graduating therefrom in 1886. He then en- tered the Homeopathic Department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated with great credit in 1890. He spent three months practicing with a physi- cian at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and then located in Breckenridge, Michigan, and has been in practice here since January, 1891. He is a member of the State Medical Society and the Gratiot County Medical Society. Fra- ternally he belongs to the Masons, the Odd Fellows and the Foresters. The record which Dr. Howe made in his first three terms as coroner entitled him to the support not only of his own party-the Republican -but of all good citizens, and he was re-elected by a large majority.
W ILLIAM CULVER, a prominent and substantial farmer citizen of Bethany township, Gratiot county, who owns and operates a fine tract of land on Section 32, consisting of eighty acres, was born in Schuyler county, New York, May 29, 1836, son of Enos and Grace (Evans) Culver, the former of Connecticut and the latter of Massachusetts. Both of the par- ents died in Schuyler county, New York,
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leaving a family of eight children, of which William was the third member.
William Culver was reared on his father's farm, upon which he remained until the early seventies, when he came to Gratiot county, Michigan, with his wife and two children. He lived about two and one-half years in St. Louis, Michigan, where he worked at the carpenter's trade, and then purchased eighty acres on Section 32, Beth- any township, upon which he settled, and where he has made his home ever since. At the time of its purchase the land was wild, and resembled little the fine farm Mr. Culver now owns. Mr. Culver was married April 17, 1862, in Schuyler county, New York, to Miss Lecta Louisa Leonard, who was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, Oc- tober. 6, 1840, and to this union two chil- dren have been born: Minnie (the wife of Frank McLean) and Newell Leonard.
Mr. Culver has been a justice of the peace in Bethany township for twelve years, and has always taken an active interest in all township and county affairs. Fraternally he is a member of the Grange and for many years was associated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, resigning his mem- bership in that order.
JAMES STUART. One of the fine farms
of Bethany township, Gratiot county, is the one owned and operated by James Stuart, consisting of two hundred acres, and located on Section II. Mr. Stuart's birth occurred January 19, 1843, in County Ca- van, Ireland, and he is a son of Alexander and Margaret (Ellis) Stuart, the former of whom was born in Scotland and reared in Ireland, where he died. The paternal grand- father, also named Alexander, Stuart, re-
mained in Scotland, his native country. The mother of James Stuart was a native of England and died in Bethany township, Gratiot county, Michigan, in November, 1878, aged sixty-five years. She and her husband had six sons and two daughters, James being the fifth child in the family. The other members were: Samuel, a farmer of the County of Perth, Ontario; Ellen, also of that county, wife of Samuel Baker, a farmer; John, a blacksmith residing in Whiteside county, Illinois; Irwin, a Bethany township farmer; Arthur, living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; Fanny, liv- ing in Pine River township, who married George Acker, a farmer; and William, a banker of Grundy county, Iowa.
James Stuart came with his mother from Ireland to America, landing at New York, whence they traveled to the County of Perth, Ontario, residing there until 1865. In Oc- tober of that year, the family settled in Mich- igan, where Mr. Stuart was employed in the sawmills and in the woods for three years. On coming from Canada Mr. Stuart was the possessor of but ten dollars in Canadian money, a pair of strong and willing hands and indomitable courage. After, working three years in the woods he was able to pur- chase forty acres of land on Section 16, Bethany township, near St. Louis. This was wild land and, after he had cleared thirty acres of it, he traded it for the farm upon which he now lives, then consisting of one hundred and twenty acres. Since that time (April, 1882) Mr. Stuart has addded steadily to the original purchase, and he now owns one of the finest farms in the township -two hundred acres of well-improved land, a fine brick residence and substantial barn and outbuildings. He has been a hard
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worker, an intelligent saver and a good manager, and is worthy of the respect and esteem in which he is held in Bethany town- ship. His successful career very clearly shows what may be accomplished by energy, industry and thrift.
Mr. Stuart was married in Bethany town- ship April 16, 1869, to Miss Maria Gamble, born in Vaughan, Ontario, June 8, 1848, daughter of Robert and Esther (Mussel- man) Gamble, also natives of the Dominion, and to this union these children have been born : John I., living in Bethany township, who married Lovina Husted and is the father of one daughter, Essie M .; Alexan- der .; William, who married Edith Sandy, of Belding, Michigan; Fannie; Walter, and Sankey. Politically Mr. Stuart is a Repub- lican and takes a great interest in township and county affairs. He and his estimable wife are members of the Methodist Episco- pal Church, in which he has been steward.
E DGERTON C. CRANDELL, who has
been engaged in business in North Star for a number of years, is the efficient treasurer of North Star township, Gratiot county. Mr. Crandell's birth occurred July 19, 1862, in County Brant, Ontario, son of Laban B. and Margaret (Trimble) Cran- dell, residents of Ithaca, the former of whom was born in County Brant, while the latter was a native of Ireland. They were the parents of nine children, all of whom are living, and our subject was the second mem- ber of the family.
Edgerton C. Crandell received a com- mon school education, and up to the age of eighteen years, remained in his native coun- ty. He then came, with his parents, to Gra- tiot county, settling in North Star township,
where Mr. Crandell resided for several years. He had learned the harness maker's. trade in Ontario, and followed that line in different places. Since 1889 he has lived in North Star, township, part of that time being spent in farming on his eighty acres of finely improved land. In Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 29, 1888, Mr. Crandell was united in marriage with Minnie Hassalbach, a na- tive of New York City, daughter of Fred- erick and Ellinora (Brauer) Hassalbach, the former of whom died in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1865, while the latter still survives. To Mr. and Mrs. Crandell have been born two children, Laura and Paul.
Mr. Crandell is a prominent member of the Democratic party, and held the office of township clerk for three years. Since the spring of 1904 he has been township treas- urer. He is a member of Ithaca Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Heath Lodge, No. 252, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; of the Knights of the Modern Maccabees; and the Ancient Order of Gleaners. He and his wife are valued members of the Bap- tist Church.
I YMAN C. COHOON, who owns a fine
farm of eighty acres, of which he has improved seventy, is one of the old settlers. of Gratiot county, Michigan, and has re- sided in Arcada township since the spring of 1904. Mr. Cohoon was born May 28, 1832, in Oakland county, Michigan, and was about eleven years old when his parents- removed to Jackson county.
Mr. Cohoon was reared in Jackson coun- ty, and had a few limited educational advan- tages. He remained there until, in 1854, he came to Gratiot county. He settled in the north part of Pine River township and
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF GRATIOT COUNTY.
bought a farm which is now included in the site of the flourishing little village of Alma. Through many pioneer experiences Mr. Co- hoon made his way at that early date, and continued to live on that farm for some forty years. In the spring of 1904 he bought his present farm from D. R. Sulli- van, a valuable piece of property which will continue to increase in value every year. Mr. Cohoon and family have a very com- fortable home here.
In 1857 Mr. Cohoon was married in Pine River township, to Nancy Holmes, who died in 1898, in Alma, Michigan. Their six children were: Alfred; Nettie, wife of Charles Lindsay ; Henry ; Bert; Pearl; and Nina, wife of Charles Williams. Mr. Co- hoon was married (second) at Alma, Mich- igan, February 28, 1900, to Mrs. Belle D. Hulbert.
T THOMAS CRAWFORD, who is promi-
nent among the successful farmers and business men of Gratiot county, resides lin Breckenridge, he and his son A. F. Craw- ford having a well-improved farm of eighty acres in Wheeler township. He was born in Milford, Oakland county, Michigan, No- vember 13, 1837.
Mr. Crawford was reared to manhood in Milford, and when a young man pur- chased a farm in Livingston county, Michi- gan, where he lived from 1859 to 1865, sell- ing out in the latter, year, when he located in Milford, following farming until 1871. He then engaged in the grain and lumber business there, continuing in that location until 1884, when he engaged in the same business at Breckenridge, forming a part- nership with Clarence Hopkins in the spring of 1900, and with his son, Alfred F. Craw-
ford, cashier, of the First State Savings Bank, purchased a farm of eighty acres in Wheeler township. Mr. Crawford was one of the founders of the bank in Breckenridge, of which he is a director.
Thomas Crawford was married (first) in 1860 to Mary E. Watson, a sister of Dr. Charles Watson, and she died in Milford, Michigan, in the spring of 1884. The fol- lowing children were born to this union : James B., of Ithaca, Michigan, secretary and manager of the Ithaca Milling Company, president of the Commercial State Bank, Ithaca, director of the Ithaca Savings Bank and president of the First State Savings Bank, Breckenridge; Fred E., superintend- ent of the Chicago and Milwaukee Tele- phone Company; Cora W., the wife of James Downie; Herbert J .; and Alfred F. Mr. Crawford was again married in De- cember, 1896, to Agnes E. Swope, daughter of Barney Swope, of Wheeler township, and to this union one child has been born, Mar- guerite A. Mr. Crawford is a member of the Presbyterian Church. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the Royal Arcanum, being connected with St. Louis Council, Ithaca Chapter and Breckenridge Blue Lodge.
JOHN A. BRIGGS, who is engaged in the successful operation of his eighty- acre farm in Bethany township, Gratiot county, was born in Shelby, Orleans county, New York, April 5, 1850, son of Giles and Rebecca (Wilson) Briggs, natives of New York State, who came from Orleans county, New York, to Jackson county, Michigan, and in 1856 removed to Ingham county, where the mother died. Giles Briggs died in Gratiot county in his seventy-eighth year.
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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF GRATIOT COUNTY.
John A. Briggs was the youngest mem- ber of his parents' family of three children, and he was six years old when the family located in Ingham county, where he grew to manhood. In the spring of 1886 he came to Gratiot county and rented a farm in Bethany township for one year, removing to another farm for two and one-half years, at the end of that time settling on the land which he now occupies. This land, an eighty-acre tract, he had purchased on first coming to Gratiot county, since which time he has improved over half of it, and has erected good, substantial farm buildings.
Mr. Briggs was married to Melissa Rounds, a native of New York, and they have had three children: Olive, the wife of Hermon Hufford; Louis J., and Jennie M. Mr. Briggs is a citizen who has the best in- terests of the section at heart.
D ANIEL GOGGIN, who owns and operates a farm of one hundred and twenty acres on Section 31, Pine River township, Gratiot county, has been a resi- dent of that county since 1877, and is rated among its substantial citizens. His birth oc- curred August 29, 1853, in Auburn, New York, sixth child of the ten born to his par- ents, David and Elizabeth (Coughlin) Gog- gin, natives of Ireland.
When he was about four years old, Daniel Goggin's parents removed to the Province of Ontario, Canada, where he re- sided until about seventeen years old, at which time he came to Michigan. He worked in the pine woods for about seven years during the winters, while during the summer, months he was engaged in hand- ling logs on the Saginaw river. He located in Gratiot county about 1877, working out
among the farmers, for about two years, and at the end of that time he purchased eighty acres in Pine River township. On October 2, 1878, he was married to Miss Josephine Sloan, born in Montcalm county, Michigan, August 31, 1861, daughter, of William and Diana (Caldwell) Sloan. Mrs. Goggin was the younger of their two chil- dren, and was about three years old when her parents located in Pine River township, where she was reared to womanhood. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Goggin settled on the farm in Pine River township, on Section 31. The land was wild, but Mr. Goggin has improved and cultivated it and supplied it with good buildings, and it is now one of the finest in this section.
Mr. and Mrs. Goggin have two children, Charles A. and Ralph L.
JAMES F. WILSON, a well-to-do and
influential farmer of Gratiot county, residing on his farm of fifty acres in Wheeler township, was born in Richland county, Ohio, on his father's farm in Worth- ington township, November 2, 1849, son of Samuel and Zeriah (Flaharty) Wilson, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Ohio. Our subject's mother died in Wheeler township, aged between fifty and sixty years, while her husband still survives at the remarkable age of ninety-nine years.
James F. Wilson was reared in Richland county, Ohio, where he lived until eighteen years of age, and then located in Gratiot county, where he made his home in 1868, purchasing a farm in Wheeler township. Mr. Wilson owns thirty acres of the old homestead, and his own farm consists of. fifty acres, all of which is improved. Mr. Wilson was married November 4, 1875, in
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Wheeler township, to Miss Ida Bradford, a native of Jackson county. Michigan, daugh- ter of William and Cornelia (Vedder) Bradford, who came to Wheeler township at quite an early day. Mr. Bradford died in July, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have had these children : Hattie B., who died when two years old; Bert; Jennie, the wife of Lynn Perry ; and Lena.
Mr. Wilson was highway commissioner for several terms, township drain commis- sioner for two terms, and school director for six years. He has been very successful in his farming operations, and ranks among the best farmers of Wheeler township.
W TILLIAM SHERMAN SOMER- VILLE, of Emerson township, Gratiot county, is a progressive farmer and one of the first-class citizens of that commu- nity. He was born January 20, 1868, in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, the fifth member in a family of seven children. Mr. Somerville's ancestral history will be found elsewhere, in the sketch of his brother, Thomas S. Somerville.
William Sherman Somerville came to Gratiot county with his parents and resided at home until his marriage. He was reared to the life of a farmer and has always fol- lowed that occupation, in which he has been eminently successful. He was married March 24, 1897, to Miss Carrie Shook, who was born September 3, 1878, in Bethany township, daughter of John and Eliza (Chase) Shook, the former of whom, a pio- neer of Gratiot county, died in Emerson township March 30, 1904, in his seventy- fifth year, while the latter still survives. They had five children, as follows : Albert,
Walter, Bessie, Mortimer and Carrie (the wife of Mr. Somerville).
After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Somer- ville settled in Emerson township, where he owns one hundred and twenty acres, most of which is improved. Mr. and Mrs. Somer- ville have had three children: Raymond (deceased), David C. and Donald. Mrs. Somerville is a member of the Methodist Church, while he attends the church at Beebe. He belongs to the Modern Wood- men of America, No. 4713, and to the An- cient Order of Gleaners. Mr. Somerville has been very successful in his farming op- erations and is classed with the substantial men of the township.
G EORGE EDWIN ROLFE, a pros- perous and enterprising young farmer of Gratiot county, Michigan, owns and operates a farm of eighty acres in La- fayette township. Mr. Rolfe was born April 4, 1869, in Eaton county, Michigan, son of Henry Rolfe.
Henry Rolfe and his wife, whose maiden name was Charlotte Bracey, came to Gratiot county in 1881, from Eaton county, Michi- gan. He was a native of New York, and died in Lafayette township, December 12, 1900, in his sixty-fourth year. Mrs. Rolfe was born in Ohio, and still survives. She and her husband had three children, of whom our, subject was the second.
George Edwin Rolfe lived with his par- ents until 1881 in Eaton county, Michigan, and came with them in that year to Gratiot county, since that time residing in Lafayette township. He owns eighty acres of land, sixty of which are in a good state of cultiva- tion, and his farm is improved with good
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substantial buildings. Mr. Rolfe was mar- ried May 8, 1890, to Miss Addie May Aus- tin, born in Clinton county, Michigan, Feb- ruary 10, 1874, daughter of Benjamin and Effie (Post) Austin, natives of New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Rolfe these children have been born: Iva, July 28, 1891; Inez, June 14, 1897; Forrest, June 1, 1900 (died May 4, 1901) ; and Irene, October 4, 1904. Mr. Rolfe is a member of Edgewood Lodge No. 257, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Mrs. Rolfe belongs to Forrest Lodge No. 146, Daughters of Rebekah.
AI DELBERT G. MOORE, the senior member of the Cabinet Company, one of the leading and representative business organizations of Breckenridge, Michigan, was born September 27, 1871, in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, near Cleveland.
Mr. Moore was reared to the life of a farmer. In the fall of 1885 he came with his parents to Gratiot county, Michigan, set- tling in Emerson township, where he lived until the spring of 1891. In that year he returned to Lorain county, Ohio, and worked for his grandfather, on the farm, during the summer and fall of the year. Re- turning to Michigan, he was married No- vember 21, 1891, in Emerson township, to Miss May M. Bailey, who was born in Hills- dale county, Michigan, daughter of James H. and Melissa (Cunningham) Bailey. Af- ter marriage Mr. Moore engaged in carpen- tering and farming until locating in Breck- enridge, in 1896, when he engaged in the planing and saw mill business in partnership with George W. Torbert, being thus en- gaged until the mill was burned. In com- pany with Mr. Torbert he built a new saw and planing mill, which they operated to-
gether, for about six months, and then Mr. Moore sold his interest but continued in Mr. Torbert's employ for one year. Mr. Moore was then employed in a hardware store in Breckenridge for several months, at the end of which time he re-engaged with Mr. Tor- bert, and was still in the latter's employ when the Cabinet Company was formed.
In 1891 A. G. Moore, L. J. Bailey and F. A. Bailey, all young men of ability, formed the Cabinet Company. This com- pany carries lumber, lath, shingles and builders' hardware, is the agent for the Mc- Vicker Gasoline Engine, manufactured at Alma, Michigan, also engages quite exten- sively in contracting and building, and owns one hundred and twelve acres of land in Wheeler township. Mr. Moore is a type of the class of men who succeed in life, one who knows how to join a working arm to a thinking head, and one who also has the ability to make and keep warm friends. He is highly esteemed throughout Wheeler township.
To Mr. and Mrs. Moore two children have been born, Lorena and Howard. Mr. Moore is a member of Peterman Tent, No. 290, Knights of the Modern Maccabees, of which he is commander, and of which he has been record keeper for several years. He and his wife are members of the Baptist Church, and are active in its work in Breck- enridge, Mr. Moore being one of the dea- cons and superintendent of the Sunday- school.
J L. SMITH, supervisor of Emerson township, Gratiot county, who is gener- ally and highly esteemed in that section, has been a resident of Emerson township since July, 1872. He was born in Morayshire,
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Scotland, February 9. 1856, son of John L. and Rachel (Fernside) Smith, both of whom died in Scotland, the parents of five children, as follows: James, now a resident of Edinburgh, Scotland; Jane, who married Prof. John Bocock, principal of schools at Bedale, Yorkshire, England, and is the mother of eleven children; J. L .; Margaret, wife of William Cameron, a farmer with ex- tensive interests in Roberts county, South Dakota; and Bessie, who died an infant.
J. L. Smith was reared in Scotland, and came to the United States when he was six- teen years old, settling in Michigan in 1872. He located in Gratiot county in July, 1872, and for five years resided with James Rid- dle, of Emerson township. Since his loca- tion in that township his residence there has been continuous, with the exception of two years spent in the county of Oakland, and two years in the State of Washington, and he has always followed agricultural pursuits, owning at the present time eighty acres in Section 14. It was through persistent work that his land became the productive farm that it is, Mr. Smith cutting the timber, clearing the land and erecting the buildings himself.
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