USA > Michigan > Hillsdale County > Compendium of history and biography of Hillsdale County, Michigan > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77
Twenty-six of the 181 student members of these two societies lost their lives while in the army: Six were killed in battle, six were mor- tally wounded, dying later, and fourteen died from disease, in hospital, or while at home on fur- lough. Sewell A. Jennison, Fourth Michigan Infantry, a brother-in-law of President Fairfield, was the first Hillsdale student to lose his life for his country, dying on March 30, 1862, from ex- posure at the battle of Antietam. Lieut. John T. Storer, the second, on April 7, 1862. Lieut. W. W. Wallace, Second and Twenty-fourth Michigan Infantries, was the first one killed, on July 1, 1863, at the battle of Gettysburg, and Captain James Hawley, Second Michigan Cavalry, on staff of General Stanley, the next, on September 20, 1863, at the battle of Chickamauga.
June 20, 1895, a monument, which had been erected on the college campus, was unveiled and dedicated to the memory of the warrior dead of the Alpha Kappa Phi Society. Also a monument at the grave of Capt. R. W. Melendy, in Oak Grove cemetery, was dedicated with appropriate exercises the same day.
The most trying experience the college has ever had since its opening in 1855 was when, on March 6, 1874, the center building, and all west of it, was destroyed by fire. This was in vacation, yet the students stood loyally by the college, and
74
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
although they had to recite in the remnant of the old building, in the church, in the professors' rooms at their homes, and in other hired rooms, the attendance the following term, although a spring term, was exactly the same as the term before-212.
The next catalogue, issued in the following November, said "On the 6th of March last the greater part of the college edifice was destroyed by fire. In view of the need long felt for a larger amount of room, the Board of Trustees decided to rebuild on a plan comprising five separate build- ings. Three of these were put under contract in June, and two of them are rapidly approaching completion. The corner-stone of the main college edifice was laid on August 18, 1874, and the build- ing will be ready for occupancy on January 1, 1875."
The catalogue of the next year reported the west building-Knowlton Hall-complete, except the interior finishing by the alumni and gentle- men's literary societies, which was "in process," and the cast building-Fine Arts Hall-was in- elosed and to be finished during the year. It also reported funds being raised for the fourth build- ing, to be built by the commercial department, and ir. June, 1878, this building was reported to the trustees as completed, and occupied the fall be- fore. The college furnished $3,000 towards its construction, which was never returned, and, in 1896, purchased the rights of the commercial department.
The catalogue of 1875 further said: "For the fifth building of the group, being the one cast of the center building, time is to be taken until it shall seem wise to transform the old part standing in its place into the form as represented in the eut," which was made from the photographed de- sign of the group adopted by the trustees. In 1893, Colonel Fowler gave $8,000 with the expee- tation that a new, modern style, brick building. should be erected in the place of the old East Hall in conformity with the general style of the group. and the money was so accepted, the faculty and prudential committee favoring a seienee building.
The contraet price of the first three of the new buildings was as follows: Center building, $27,-
157.98; Knowlton Hall, $10,735.99; Fine Arts Hall, $10,318-total, $48,211.97. The college re- ceived $29,940.82 for insurance on the portion of the old building burned, and appealed to its friends to help in this erisis, hired $5,000 in No- vember, 1875, for five years at eight per cent., and in: 1879 put Professor Fisk in the field for several months and raised most of the deficit.
In 1884 a subscription was raised for building a gymnasium, headed by Mr. F. B. Diekerson, of Detroit, after whom it was named, and it was ereeted and opened the following year. With baths and other improvements sinee made, it has eost about $4,000. This was the first gymnasium' possessed by any college in the state.
At the first annual meeting of the trustees, in June, 1856, the treasurer reported that $48,978 .- 88 had been subscribed for buildings, of which $30,242.74 had been collected, and that the total amount subseribed for endowment at that time was $42.411.62, making the aggregate subscrip- tions, for both buildings and endowment, at end of first year, $91,390.50. The total cost of build- ing and its appurtenances, with furniture, etc., was reported to be $36,707.76.
At this meeting Spencer J. Fowler was ap- pointed professor of mathematies, and George S. Bradley, tutor.
The work of raising endowment progressed from year to year and the following statement shows the gain in endowment each year since the college was founded, and the total endowment of all kinds as shown by the treasurer's annual re- ports :
GAIN.
TOTAL.
June 1856.
990.61
1857
1,806.70
2,807.31
1858
1,885.55
4,692.86
Aug. 1859.
3,063.04
7,555.90
1860.
3,359.12
11,115.02
June 1861.
2,100.30
13,215.32
1862
3,233.55
16,448.87
1863
8,963.57
25,411.44
,1
1864.
9,541.73
34,953.17
1865.
13,158.79
48,111.96
1866.
10,693.44
58,805.40
1867
5,193.71
63,999.11
=
1868
*- 3,337.57
60,661.54
1869
3.023.52
63,685.06
1870
2,564.85
66,249.91
1871.
3,712.80
69,962.71
1872.
7,236.34
77.199.05
1873.
6,350.57
83,549.62
.€
75
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
,
1874
2,194.97
85,744.54
1875.
2,354.78
88,099.37
1876.
2,837.95
90,937.32
1877
2,368.13
93,305.45
1878.
1,616.45
94,921.90
1879.
624.70
95,546.60
1880
3,269.52
98,815.12
1881
33,652.25
131,467.37
1882.
592.81
132,060.18
1883.
2,025.21
134,085.39
1884.
3,574.30
137,659.69
1885
777.86
138,437.55
1886.
3,307.53
141,745.08
,
1887.
735.90
142,480.98
1888
17,222.94
159,703.92
1889
6,727.97
166,421.89
1890
1,660.47
168,082.36
1891.
16,319.88
184,402.24
1892
16,198.76
200,601.00
1893
13,236.41
213,837.41
1894
216,563.63
1896
1,992.62
232,099.97
1897
662.21
232,762.18
1898
2,377.23
235,139.41
1899
1,574.11
233,565.30
1900
1,161.42
234,726.72
1901.
2,605.31
237,332.03
1902
3,530.70
240,862.73
,,
1903.
4,336.13
245,798.86
*$6,692.86 transferred to Building Fund and Bills Receivable.
*$1,450.00 shrinkage in gift lands sold.
It will be seen from the above that the amount of endowment actually paid in during the first half of the forty-eight years the college has been running was $95,546.60, while the amount col- lected during the last half of said time has been $149,652.26, or $54,105.66 more than in the first half. During the said latter half there have been five gifts of $10,000 or more each, viz., in 1880, to endow the Waldron professorship, $15,000, by Rev. C. N. Waldron, Mrs. Caroline M. Waldron and Mrs. Mary Waterman; 1881, for the theo- logical endowment, $17,000, by the Free Baptist Education Society ; 1885, to endow a professor- ship (theological), $10,000, by Rev. and Mrs. S. F. Smith ; 1888 and later, to endow a professor- ship, etc. (theological), $17,000, by A. B. and Mrs. Mary P. De Wolf ; 1891 and later, to endow a professorship (mathematics), $15,000, by John S. Hart.
These gifts, aggregating $74,000, were all pro- cured by the personal solicitation and influence of Rev. R. Dunn, who obtained enough other notes and subscriptions, together with his own gifts, to make a total aggregate of $106,849.14. The
other agents residing in the county, who raised the next largest amounts, as reported in the books, were: Rev. D. L. Rice, $42,956.59 ; Prof. S. J. Fowler, $23,018; Rev. L. S. Parmelee, $17,050. For buildings and endowment, Hon. Henry Wal- dron gave $6,000, Col. Frederick Fowler, $8,000 and Aaron Worthing, $9,500. In 1890 Rev. and Mrs. Schuyler Aldrich gave property of $10,000 to endow a professorship, and other professor- ships have been named for William Burr, David Marks, Spencer J. Fowler and Ransom Dunn. The Woman's Commission has raised $5,000 to- wards completing the endowment of the Lady Principal's chair and Mrs. Delia Whipple Whee- lock, the first lady elected lady principal has paid something over $5,000 for a memorial fund for her brother, Prof. H. E. Whipple. The Alumni have paid over $10,000 towards the endowment of their professorship, and the trustees have them- selves paid over $15,000 towards the endowment of the president's chair. Albion S. Jaquith, who graduated in 1871, gave 400 acres of land in Kan- sas, which has this year been sold for $7,000, for a library fund.
-
The library of the college has grown till it now contains over 11,000 volumes, besides maga- zines and pamphlets, and it is being used more and more by the students, and is consulted by those doing club work in the city and in towns around, and by those of culture and literary tastes over the country. Now that, by the gifts of Rev. Truman Parks, Albion S. Jaquith and others, an annual income of $500 or more is assured, addi- tions of valuable books can be made each year.
In the first four catalogues Professor Dunn's name appeared on the faculty page as "Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy and Natural Theology," and in the next three catalogues as "Lecturer on Natural Theology and Evidences of Christianity." He had classes and gave lectures more or less of the time to those who had the ministry in view, but there was no theological de- partment established. In 1862 the General Con- ference of the denomination appropriated $3,000 from the profits of the printing establishment, as the nucleus for the endowment of a theological professorship, and the next year Professor Dunn
2,726.22 1895
13,543.72
230,107.35
76
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
was appointed Burr Professor of Biblical Theol- ogy. The endowment of the chair was raised to $10,000. The first to graduate from this dc- partment were four who completed their course in 1873, and thus Hillsdale College was the first institution in the state to confer theological de- grces.
According to the annual statement of the col- lege treasurer made to the trustees in June, 1903. the value of the college property is as follows : Buildings and grounds, $80,000; library, appa- ratus, museum and other personal property, $38,- 037.10 ; endowment, $245.398.86; other credits, $4,892.58; making a total of $368,328.54, less claims against same of $14,126.50, leaving a net valuc of $354,202.04. Besides this there are notes and other resources not yet realized of $49.016.02, making on hand and promiscd about $400,000. The total amount paid for salarics and teaching for the forty-cight years has been $417,492.48. an average of $8.697.76 per year. The highest amount paid in any year was $12,735, in 1893-4. The regular salary of a professor has been $900 a year for over twenty years. The amount paid out for fucl, catalogues, printing, repairs and other miscellaneous expenses, added to the amount paid for salaries and teaching, makes an aggregate of over half a million dollars expended by the college since it was planted herc, and, from the nature of things, the most of this has gone into the channels of trade right here in Hillsdale county, fully establishing our claim that the col- lege is an important institution to the county.
Only about one-fourth of the income of the college from first to last has come from the stu- dents. That they do not pay for teaching is evi- dent from the fact that the interest on notes given for endowment, etc., until the notes were paid, and on the funds actually paid in and invested, together with the matriculation fees and the small amount of tuition paid by the few who do not have scholarships or orders for their use, slightly exceed the amount paid for salaries and teaching. It will be borne in mind that the general rule has been to use money raised in the county for build- ings, and to raise the endowment outside of the county. After the fire of 1874, most of the
amount then raised for rcbuilding was raised out- side the county. The fact is that most of the endowment has actually been raised out of the state and its income expended here. From first to last, responsible for its management, 155 dif- ferent trustees have been elected, seventy-six of whom have resided wholly or partly in Hillsdale county. In about a dozen cases those elected as residents moved out or vice versa. That these are lcading, representative citizens of Hillsdale county witness the following list, the figures after the names indicating the number of years, including the present, which they have served: Samuel R. Hawks, 1; Isaiah H. McCollum, 11 ; Edward H. C. Wilson, 11 ; David H. Lord, 17; Calvin Clark, 3 : Frederick Fowler, 48; Major Barrett, 2 ; David L .. Rice, 32 ; Henry Packer, 13 ; Daniel Beebe, 23 ; Lewis J. Thompson, 17; Daniel L. Pratt, 24: Frederick M. Holloway, 37; Jamcs B. Baldy, 6; Elihu Davis, 9; Edmund B. Fairfield, 10; Henry E. Whipple, 16; Ransom Dunn, 42; Azariah Mallory, 4; Alonzo Hopkins, 9; Spencer J. Fow- ler, 19; Linus S. Parmelee, 17; Charles T. Mitchell, 35; Franklin P. Augir, 15; Charles H. Churchill, 3; Allen Hammond, 3; Chauncey Reynolds, 22 ; John P. Cook, 22 ; Charles B. Mills, 24: Daniel M. Graham, 15; James Calder, 15; Jeremiah Baldwin, 10: Horace Blackmar, 19; Henry J. King, 15 ; Jamcs W. Winsor, 27 ; Caleb C johnson, 35 ; Leonard Olney, 20; John Corey, 5 : Ebenezer O. Grosvenor, 11 ; Henry Waldron, 15: Nicholas Vincyard, 20; Frederick R. Galla- her, I : DeWitt C. Durgin, 14 : Ezra L. Koon, 17 ; Oscar A. Janes, 26 ; Elon G. Reynolds, 25 ; Jeromc L. Higbec, 20: Hugh Cook, 15: J. William Mauck, 15: Charles N. Waldron, 7: Arthur E. Haynes, 10; Frank M. Stewart, 19; John S. Copp, 10; Ashmun T. Salley, 10; Horatio P. Parmelec. 12; Kingsbury Bachelder, 5; George F. Mosher, 17; Henry M. Ford, 13; Eli B. Rogers, 7; F. Hart Smith, 8; Edwin M. Wash- burn, 4 ; Walter H. Sawyer, II ; Aaron Worthing, 14; Harvey B. Rowlson, 1 ; Herbert O. Alger, 9; Mary A. W. Bachelder, 9; George W. Mycrs, 9; John R. Mowry, 5; Edward R. Galloway, 9; Alice L. Hulce, 7; Charles S. Hayes, 5 ; Walter H. French, 4; Grover A. Jackson, 4; Harry S.
77
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Myers, I; Dwight A. Curtis, 3; Chauncey F. Cook, I.
There have been six presidents, as follows : Reverend Edmund B. Fairfield, D.D., LL.D., D. C. L., fourteen years, (five years at Spring Arbor and two years ad interim) ; Rev. James Calder, D. D., two years; Rev. Daniel M. Gra- ham, three years, (four years at Spring Arbor) ; Rev. DeWitt C. Durgin, D.D., ten years ; Hon. George F. Mosher, LL.D., fifteen years ; Joseph William Mauck, LL.D., two years. Rev. Ran- som Dunn, D. D. and Prof. Charles H. Gurney, A. M., have each been acting presidents one or two years.
Hon. Martin B. Koon, LL.D., for thirty- three years a resident of Hillsdale county, later a judge on the bench at Minneapolis, and now an able attorney there, in 1894 was chairman of the finance committee of the board of trustees of Hillsdale College, and wrote the committee's re- port, which was signed by the committee and adopted by the board. The following is an ex- tract : "We have carefully investigated the methods pursued by the treasurers and finance committee in regard to making loans, and we believe tlie financial affairs of this college, so far as the investment and care of its funds are con- cerned, as shown by the results so far, have been conducted in a manner which shows extreme prudence, excellent business judgment, and superior care in every detail ; and we believe that the percentage of loss will be found to be less than almost any other institution of business of the same magnitude and same character will show. Instead of being a proper subject of criticism, your committee are firmly impressed with the idea that the management of the finances of this college, during the past seventeen years, to which our attention has been particularly called, should be and is a source of congratulation and pleasure to those who are interested in its wel- fare."
Hon. W. W. Heckman, of Chicago, a grad- uate in the class of 1874, also an able attorney and successful business man, now Legal Counsel and Business Manager of the University of Chicago, with its millions of dollars' worth of
property, as chairman of the trustees' finance committee in 1897, reported-"Your committee desire to commend the management of the college finances for the year, and find that the difficult task imposed by the board by the adoption of the report of its finance committee of last year, re- quiring the keeping of the expenditures of the college within its income, seems to have been faithfully executed. In view of the prevailing financial distress the result is regarded by your committee as highly gratifying."
The recent celebration of the semi-centennial anniversary of the laying of the corner-stone of the first college building on July 4, 1853, the ground having been broken on June 13, 1853, calls to mind the exercises of fifty years ago. The county turned out almost en masse, and the day was given up to a regular Fourth of July cele- bration. In the forenoon President Fairfield de- livered an oration "down town," on "True Na- tional Greatness". In the afternoon came the laying of the corner-stone, on what has ever since been called "College Hill." Hon. Henry Waldron was president of the day, Col. Frederick M. Holloway and Dr. Daniel Beebe were mar- shals. President Fairfield gave an address on "The College and the Republic". Professor Dunn made the prayer, and many people have since spoken of it as the most remarkable prayer they ever heard. Dr. Fairfield himself last year said: "The thing which will be longest remem- bered in connection with the laying of the corner- stone was the prayer of Professor Dunn. I think it was the most impressive public prayer that I ever heard".
At the laying of the corner-stone of the new Center Building, after the fire of March 6, 1874, on August 18, 1874, Hon. John P. Cook was president of the day, and Dr. Daniel Beebe was again marshall. Addresses were delivered by Professor Dunn, Dr. Fairfield, Hon. Henry Wal- dron, Rev. Dr. W. H. Perrine, (a graduate of Spring Arbor in 1852,) and Hon. W. J. Baxter. On July 4, 1903, at the exercises held on the col- lege campus, President J. W. Mauck was master of ceremonies and gave the opening address. Responses were given by President James B.
78
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Angell, of Michigan University; Rev. Henry Churchill King, president of Oberlin College ; Henry W. Magee, of Chicago, president of the Alumni Association ; a congratulatory address by United States Senator Russell A. Alger, the for- mal address of the day by Rev. Dr. Lathan A. Crandall, of Chicago, on "Has the Small College a Permanent Educational Function?," a poem, with "The College and Nation" for its theme, by Will M. Carleton, class of 1869. The pro- gram was divided by a basket picnic beneath the shade of the beautiful groves planted by the early students.
After dinner speeches were made by ex-Presi- dents Durgin and Mosher, Rev. Charles H. Churchill, a former professor in Michigan Cen- tral, Hillsdale and Oberlin Colleges, Hon. Joseph B. Moore, a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court ; Rev. George H. Ball, president of Keuka College: Prof. W. W. Payne, of Carleton Col- lege : Prof. W. L. Beals, of the Michigan Agri- cultural College and Will M. Carleton, and held the audience almost till the going down of the sun.
Badges were provided for those who were present fifty years ago, and there were from 200 to 300 people who applied for these and wore them with pride. Mrs. Gridley, mother of Captain Charles V. Gridley, who died soon after his splendid fighting in the battle of Manilla, was present and had with her the flag made for him while on board the U. S. S. Kearsarge.
From Mrs. Sophie Baker Randolph, whose name was the first entered in the college books as a student, down to Ethel, the daughter of "Lulu" Pierce (Hartley,) the "East Hall baby" of four- and-forty years ago, all had a good time. The face of "Father" Tolford beamed with its usual genial smile and the occasion was marred only by the absence of Dr. Fairfield, whose presence liad been anticipated with so much pleasure, but who, at the age of now past eighty-two years, was not able to be present. He and Professor Churchill, seventy-nine years of age, who was present, are the only ones of those who were members of the faculty at Spring Arbor, who participated in the removal of the college to Hillsdale, and of the early professors of Hillsdale college, who are now
living. All those who participated in the estab- lishment of the first college in 1844 are now dead.
How Hillsdale college has helped some of those born in Hillsdale county to achieve promi- nence may be seen by noting the following : William W. Payne, Ph. D., was born in Somerset on May 19, 1837, and graduated from the classi- cal course in 1863. After studying law at Ann Arbor and Chicago he taught school at Mantor- ville, Minn., and edited The Minnesota Teacher till 1871, when he became professor in Carleton College, at Northfield, Minn., where he has been ever since. He has edited and written for as- tronomical magazines, his present position being professor of mathematics and astronomy and director of observatory. He is a member of several scientific societies in this and other countries.
Newton J. Corey was born in Hillsdale on January 31, 1860, and, after graduating from the philosophical course in 1880, during which course he had studied music under Prof. M. W. Chase, he went to Boston, where he remained ten years and became one of the most prominent organists, as well as ablest musical lecturers, in America. In 1891 he became organist of the Fort Street Presbyterian church in Detroit, and is also teacher of organ, theory and musical history in the Michigan Conservatory of Music.
Oliver Willard Pierce was born in Hillsdale on February 19, 1869, so is now but thirty-four years of age. When eighteen years old, in 1887, he graduated from the music department of Hills- dale college. The next year he studied with Dr. Louis Maas, of Boston, taught music a year in the university at Delaware, Ohio, and then com- pleted the classical course at Hillsdale, when twenty-two years of age, in 1891, taking the D. M. Martin mathematical prize and the Cran- dall prize. In the fall of that year he went to Germany, and, after being for a time in the Royal High School of Music at Berlin, he went to the famous Moscowski, whose favored and devoted pupil he became, and whom he accompanied to Switzerland. He returned home in 1893 and restímed his position as teacher at Delaware Uni- versity. For seven years past he has been one of
79
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the three owners of the Metropolitan School of Music in Indianapolis, and is called at home Indiana's greatest musician. As a pianist his technique is especially fine, and he is a pro- fessional concert-piano soloist, and has appeared in concerts in many American cities, and twice played the concerto for the Thomas Orchestra, an honor highly regarded by musicians.
There have been some Hillsdale county stu- dents who did not graduate, yet have gone away up towards the top. Probably the one to amass the greatest wealth is the Hon. Lewis Emery, Jr., whose father built the Emery mills just east of the city. Young Lewis was a student of the college the first year and also later, taught two years in Wheatland township and worked for his father in the flouring-mill. In 1863, he married a bright lady, with whom he became acquainted while a student, as many another young man has done, one, and not the least, of the advantages of co- education, and later removed to western Penn- sylvania and "struck ile," becoming one of the leading producers in the field. The panic of 1873 "busted him up" and left him badly in debt. With lots of pluck left as almost his only asset, he leased 14,000 acres of oil lands, and again went to boring, finally having nearly 500 wells in operation. He "struck it rich," and his is one of the leading plants in the world for refining crude petroleum, covering six and one-half acres, located at Bradford, Pa. His supply is obtained from his own wells, and it takes 250 miles of pipe to bring the petroleum to his refinery. Its capacity is over 50,000 barrels a month. His company has its own pipe-lines to the sea, and sails its own ships on the ocean, marketing mil- lions of barrels of oil all over the world. The Standard Oil Company, although it has fought him for twenty-seven years, has not been able to buy him out or break down his business. He is a millionaire, possibly a multi-millionaire, and has made it by push.
Austin W. Mitchell and William W. Mitchell, sons of Hon. Charles T. Mitchell, both born in Hillsdale, entered college in the spring of 1869 and fall of 1871 respectively, and after some years in college engaged in the lumber business
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.