USA > Michigan > Hillsdale County > Compendium of history and biography of Hillsdale County, Michigan > Part 37
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His parents were Peter and Esther (Jones) Barkman, both natives of New York. The fa- ther was a farmer and lived by that occupation until his death in his native state. The paternal grandfather, Mr. Jacob Barkman, was both born and reared in Wales, coming to the United States while yet a young man. He was a captain in the Continental army of the Revolution, sharing with Benedict Arnold the great privations and sufferings of his memorable Canadian cam- paign. He endured the hardships of that service, shared all the hopes and fears of the devoted army, sustained the cause of the struggling pa- triots in the dark hours of defeat, also taking part in the general rejoicing after the triumphant fall of Yorktown.
Ephraim Barkman, of this review, was one of five children and third in the order of birth. He had three brothers and one sister, all now de-
ceased. He was reared and educated in his na- tive state, having no opportunity for scholastic training beyond that furnished by the primitive schools in the rude, illy-furnished log school- houses, which were then the only institutions of learning in the rural districts. He began busi- ness life for himself as a sailor, shipping from New Bedford, Massachusetts, on a whaler for a nine-years' term of service. He became familiar with the exigencies of wind and wave on every ocean and also with the men and manner of life of almost every foreign country. When the discovery of gold in California in 1848 thrilled the world, he left the sea at Honolulu, hastened to that land of promise and began mining at Hangtown, now Placerville, seventy miles north of Sacramento. He continued mining operations there for two years, with only a moderate suc- cess, for the necessaries of life were as costly as the land was promising, and the residue left from even rich results, after providing these were cor- respondingly small. The commercial value of flour was $400 per barrel, pork bringing readily $600. In the summer of 1849, Mr. Barkman made a trip to his eastern home, before the au- tumn returning to California, voyaging with the first party coming by the isthmus route. He passed the winter on his claims and in the spring of 1850 was compelled to return to the states by reason of a serious illness, from which he did not fully recover for two years.
As soon as he was able to transact business he engaged in the grocery business at Rochester, New York, where he remained until the spring of 1857, then came to Michigan and located at Jonesville. He purchased a farm near the vil- lage, which had been partially cleared by its former owner, on which he lived and worked for five years, then removed to Jonesville and en- gaged in a successful business, which he con- tinued until 1884, winning a comfortable com- petency in his mercantile career of nearly a quar- ter of a century, and fixing himself firmly in the esteem and good will of his fellow men. He was married in New York, in 1852, to Miss Eliza Anthony, a native of that state, who died at Jonesville, in 1868, leaving one child, Fred C.
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Barkman, now a prosperous and highly es- teemed citizen of Detroit. In 1873 he contracted a second marriage, being united to Miss Ann E. Bentley, also born and reared in New York. They have one child, their daughter, Edie A.
In politics Mr. Barkman is an ardent Demo- ยท people on the frontier was decidedly limited. In crat, firmly attached to the principles and policies of his party, giving on all occasions loyal and ac- tive support to its candidates. In fraternal rela- tions he belongs to the Masonic order and for many years has taken a serviceable and earnest interest in the progress and prosperity of the craft. After his long and creditable career he is enjoying the evening of his life, unvexed by cares of business, surrounded by hosts of admir- ing friends, and happy in the recollection of a well-spent life.
LUTHER BARKER.
A well-known citizen and representative farm- er of Hillsdale county, Luther Barker, the sub- ject of this sketch, is a resident of the township of Adams. He is a native of the county of Her- kimer, in the state of New York, and was born on May 3, 1830, his parents being Vining and Sally (Davis) Barker, natives of New York. The father followed the occupation of farming and removed his residence from his native state to Michigan, where he settled in Hillsdale coun- ty, in 1839. Here he engaged in the same pur- suit of husbandry and continued as a resident of this county up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1895, the mother passing away in 1873. To this worthy pair were born five sons and two daughters, four sons are still living, all residents of Hillsdale county. During his lifetime the father filled several local offices of honor and trust, being one of the leading citizens of the community where he resided. The pater- nal grandfather was Paul Barker, a native of Connecticut, who removed from that state to New York when a young man. He was by trade a ropemaker and met with considerable success in that pursuit.
Luther Barker grew to manhood on the farm where he still resides, the farm house in which
he was reared being the first framed dwelling erected in the township. He attended the dis- trict schools in the vicinity of his home, there ac- quired what little education was possible, but the educational opportunities then offered to young 1850 Mr. Barker was united in marriage with Miss Sarah J. Noyes, a daughter of Gresham and Lydia (Franklin) Noyes, the former being a native of Connecticut, and the latter of Penn- sylvania. The parents removed to the then terri- tory of Michigan in 1831, where they first es- tablished their first home in the new county of Lenawee, where they continued to maintain their residence until 1840, when they removed to the county of Hillsdale. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Barker came three children, Anna M., now Mrs. L. E. Corbett, of North Adams ; J. Ella, now Mrs. L. Thompson, of Hillsdale coun- ty : Vining A., now a resident of the city of Hillsdale. His wife was formerly Miss Ida Morey.
Politically, Mr. Barker is identified with the Republican party, having been for many years a loyal supporter of that party organization. He has, however, never sought or desired any office, preferring to devote his time and his energies to the exclusive management of his private busi- ness interests. For a period of more than fifty years he has been an active and leading member of the Baptist church, and he has taken an active part in all movements calculated to promote the religious and moral growth and upbuilding of the community where he has been a resident. He has seen the county of Hillsdale grow from a wilderness to its present condition of prosperity and wealth, and has contributed largely by his own efforts to that result. By all classes of his fellow citizens he is honored for his long and useful life, and for his many sterling traits of character.
DR. CHARLES W. BARNABY.
For ten years Dr. Charles W. Barnaby of Somerset Center has been in the active practice of his profession, for more than seventeen years
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a diligent student of the science of medicine. state medical societies, and has given their meet- ings and proceedings a close and careful attention and their researches valuable aid. On August 7, 1890, he was united in marriage with Miss Cornelia Chapman, a native of this state, and When he began practicing, he was well prepared for the exercise of the important and delicate functions of a physician and surgeon by his long studies and preparation, for these had thoroughly trained his naturally quick and resourceful mind. . a member of one of its prominent families. In Since he has been busily occupied in the work. fraternal relations he is a Freemason, an Odd Fellow and a Knight of the . Maccabees. He has a high rank in professional circles, a secure and elevated place in the confidence and esteem of the public. to which he has devoted his life, he has kept up with its progressive currents by judicious and reflective reading, and he has been so keenly observant of its manifestations in his own ex- perience that no means of mastering the pro- fession available to him have been overlooked DR. NATHANIEL H. BARNES. or neglected. By this course of well-applied and systematic industry he has won skill and accur- acy in the practice, extensive knowledge and breadth of view in the literature of his do- main of beneficent activity, and through these qualifications he has secured a strong and well-founded hold on the confidence of the community, which has repaid his energy and devotion with a generous patronage and with a cordial personal regard. He is a native son of this state, born in Monroe county, Mich., on September 7. 1865. His parents are John and Mary (Randall) Barnaby, prosperous farmers and esteemed citizens of Monroe county, the former being a native of New York and the lat- ter of Michigan.
Doctor Barnaby received his scholastic train- ing in the public schools of Monroe and Ann Arbor, beginning the study of medicine, in 1886, under the direction of Doctor Sawyer, of Mon- roe. In 1887 he entered the medical department of the State University at Ann Arbor, where he remained two years. He then quit school for a time to act as an assistant to Doctor Sawyer, getting in this way a most valuable experience in practice, later, in 1890, entering the Detroit Medical College where he was graduated in 1893. He at once began the practice of medicine in Monroe county of this state, remaining there nearly four years, then, in 1897, he settled at Somerset Center, in Hillsdale county, since that time being one of the busy, progressive and highly esteemed professional men of this part of the state. He is a member of the county and
Devoting his long and useful life to the cause of humanity in two lines of serviceable profes- sioual activity, in spite of his own unstable health and failing strength for many years laboring earnestly for the benefit of his kind, the late Dr. Nathaniel H. Barnes of this county won a high place in public esteem and in the regard of his fellow men by merit, dying in the fullness of years universally respected. He was born at Grafton, Mass .. on November 10, 1816. his par- ents, Nathaniel and Levina (Forbush) Barnes, having moved to that town from their native state of Connecticut soon after their marriage. The father was prosperously engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes, after years of successful business at Grafton changing his base of operations to Ashville, N . Y., where he died at a good old age. The mother passed away at Portland in the same state.
Doctor Barnes was educated in the public schools of Chautauqua county, New York, and from the academy at Jamestown he was graduated at the end of a full academic course of instruc- tion. He then began the study of medicine un- der the direction of Dr. Stephen Eaton, of Silver Creek, near his home, later attending lectures at the Cleveland (Ohio) Medical College, there- after becoming a student of the Auburn Theo- logical Seminary, from which he was graduated ir. 1834. Entering the ministry, he assumed charge of the Presbyterian church at Portland. New York, remained there and in the state until 1851, when he came to Brooklyn, Michigan, and,
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after a short residence at that place, settled at Dowagiac, where he entered actively on the prac- tice of medicine. In 1861 he again entered the ministry, during the next fourteen years dividing his time between this state and New York. In 1875 he settled permanently in Michigan, mak- ing his home at Brooklyn until 1882, when he re- moved to Hillsdale, where he maintained his resi- dence until his death in 1884. He was much esteemed as a pulpit orator, his pastoral duties were performed in a manner that brought him general commendation ; while in the practice of medicine and surgery, he was eminently suc- cessful, standing high in the display of that ele- ment of human sympathy and intuitive knowl- edge of the disposition of a patient which gives a physician so much advantage in the treatment of disease. He kept himself well posted in both lines of his professional work, reading the best literature of both the theological and scientific fields, assimilating by careful and studious ob- servation its teachings, and taking great interest in the proceedings of the medical societies in the states of New York and Michigan, and of the na- tion, of which he was a valued member.
Doctor Barnes was twice married, first in October, 1847, with Miss M. Ann Bennie, of Olean, New York, who died in 1853, while in 1856 he married Miss Sarah E. Laad, a native of Oneida county, New York. They had two children, their daughter Eleanor G. and their son Ernest H. For many years preceding his death the Doctor was in an invalid condition, but he was nevertheless a tireless worker in the medical profession and in church affairs, giving all of his time and energy to the service of others in these departments of usefulness, yield- ing himself to their demands with uncomplain- ing self-denial and devotion to duty. During his short life in Hillsdale he made many friends among the people.
CHAUNCEY O. BEECHER.
The pioneers of the West in the United States, like their prototypes of an earlier day on the Atlantic coast, were men of heroic mold,
fitted by nature for daring, endurance, self-re- liance, unyielding perseverance and final con- quest. No danger ever daunted them, no toil de- terred, no hardship overcame them. They planted their feet in the wilderness, and, assuming the lordship of the heritage, they went boldly for- ward, making good their assumption. Of this class were Walter and Mary E. (Hopkins) Beecher, parents of Chauncey O. Beecher, the subject of this review. They were natives and prosperous farmers of Orleans county, New York, and, when their son, Chauncey, was a year old, in 1837, they came to Michigan from their Eastern home, bringing their family, and, coming through Canada, they made the whole journey in a sleigh. They settled in Jackson county, entering and thereafter clearing forty acres of government land, which, in 1848, after greatly improving and bringing to a good state of cultivation, they traded for a farm in Hills- dale county, which was fully cleared and par- tially improved. Here they then took up their residence, and in this county they remained un- til death ended their labors, that of the mother occurring in 1877 and that of the father in 1897, the last ten years of the life of Mr. Beecher be- ing passed at North Adams. Three of their children reached years of maturity and are yet living in this township, Joseph L., Mrs. Daniel Hoxie and Chauncey O. Beecher. The father was a great worker, lived to the age of eighty- four years, while both he and his wife were zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Beecher's grandfather, also named Chauncey, was a farmer and a native of New York, where he died.
Chauncey O. Beecher was born in Orleans county, New York, on March 13, 1836. Before he concluded his first year of earthly existence he made the long journey to Michigan, already alluded to, in a sleigh with his parents, and, since then he has lived in this state, part of the time in Jackson county, and the remainder in Hills- dale. He received his limited education in and from books at the little log school houses in the vicinity of his homes, between the terms assist- ing in the ardous but exhilarating work of the
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farm. The country was wild and unsettled, the population was sparse, neighbors were few and it was far between them, wolves and bears were plentiful and Indians were not unknown. The privations of frontier life and its many trials and dangers were present in the experience of his early years. Yet the life of the pioneer had a rich spice of adventure in it for him, being full of wholesome nutriment for the spirit as well as of vigor for the body. It bred strength and suppleness of limb and force and breadth of character. It made men self-reliant in emer- gencies and gave them courage and endurance wherewithal to confront them. Scarcely a week passed without its measure of excitement or its hurried call to quick and extra exertion. But the forces of civilization were resolute and re- sourceful and the conquest of savagery was steady and continuous.
Mr. Beecher remained at home until his par- ents grew old and when the father retired from active business became the owner of the home- stead. It still belongs to him, is the home of his age, as it was of his youth, and like all the country around him, it has advanced in develop- ment, grown in value with the flight of time and the continued application of systematic labor, until it is now in itself a competency for life. In 1856, in Eaton county, this state, Mr. Beecher married with Miss Jane Weeks, a native of Or- leans county, New York, being a daughter of Solomon and Electa (Olds) Weeks of the same nativity, who came to Michigan with their young family, in 1852, and passed the rest of their days in Eaton county, retiring from life after long and useful lives in the enjoyment of the full con- fidence and the high respect of their fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Beecher have had three children, their daughters Harriet A., Myra E. and Lula M., all of whom are living. The head of the house has been an ardent Republican from the very foundation of the party, reaching his ma- jority soon after its birth in 1856, and casting his first vote for some of its earliest candidates. He has taken an active interest in the affairs of the party, being also honored with places of trust and importance in its gift, such as town-
ship treasurer and other local offices. For many years he has been a devotee before the sacred altars of Freemasonry, and has given the affairs of the fraternity, especially those of his lodge, close and helpful attention. He is well known throughout the county and holds a high and se- cure place in the esteem of its people.
LEVI BELDEN.
Coming to Michigan in 1835, when he was but twelve years old, and living in Hillsdale county all the rest of his life, the late Levi Bel- den, of Somerset township, may fairly be classed among the products and the representative men of the state. He saw practically the beginning of her civilization, and lived on her soil long enough to see it transformed from a wilderness to a garden, fruitful with the products and fragrant with the flowers of an advanced civili- zation, its industries glowing with life, its com- merce whitening the seas, the populations that feed upon its bounty striding forward with a wholesome and steady development that chal- lenged all moods of the financial world, and now commands them all. Mr. Belden was born at Whitley, Massachusetts, on February 16. 1823. His parents were Jeremiah and Anna (Belden) Belden, natives of the same state, where they were engaged in farming until 1835, when they migrated to Michigan and settled in this county. They entered a tract of 138 acres of government land, and, after building a little log cabin, set- tled down to the work of clearing their home- stead and making a farm of it. Their situation was full of difficulty and danger. It was a destiny of toil and privation to which they had come, for awhile at least, and the natural beauty and wealth of their surroundings, great as they were, did not compensate for all the conveniences and comforts of cultivated life from which they had voluntarily separated themselves. But they accepted the lot they had sought with resignation and engaged in its activities with courage and determination. In a very little while nature grew tame under their caresses and they began to feel joy in the conquest they were winning over her
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wild conditions. The land became productive, assumed a homelike appearance, and, by the time their labors were ended, they had built a comfortable and comely establishment on the very soil from which the savage beasts and the wigwam of the Indian had been forced by their energy and persistency. Both parents ended their days in this new home, which then de- scended to their son Levi, who had been reared from the age of twelve on its developing area, where he had been educated for life's duties by its labors and in the country schools, which these hardy pioneers had helped to create and main- tain. There were four children in the family, all of whom have now paid the last debt of na- ture, except one daughter, now in California.
Levi Belden assisted in clearing the farm and in making the improvements which now adorn it. He remained at home until the death of his parents, taking filial care of them in their old age. He inherited the homestead and he con- tinued on it the systematic and productive in- dustry which his father had begun, never un- mindful of the long jaunt across the country through which they had come to this section, when a single ox team and one wagon hauled all their earthly possessions, eyer grateful for the larger opportunity to which that jaunt with its attendant hardships had opened the way. He married on February 16, 1856, with Miss Abigail R. Walsh, like himself a native of Massachusetts, a daughter of William and Har- riet (Thayer) Walsh, of the same state, early pioneers in Jackson county of this state. Mr. and Mrs. Belden had three children, Harriet E., now wife of Delos Smith, of Hillsdale county, who has two children, Floyd E. and R. Bell; Rosa A., deceased; Elmer L., one of the pro- gressive farmers of Hillsdale county. In politics Mr. Belden was a Whig for years, then became a Republican upon the organization of that party, and, although a man of firm convictions and steadfast loyalty to them, he was never an active partisan and neither sought nor desired public office at any time. One feature of his farming operations, which gave him a high and extended reputation, was his skill and success in breeding
sheep of superior grades. In religious faith he was a Universalist, being active in the affairs of this church, serving for years as a trustee and taking a leading part in all its works of benevo- lence. Throughout his life he was a close student of the Bible, the teachings of which he followed with devotion and humility. His use- ful life ended on the homestead on June 22, 1901, when he was seventy-eight years old, and he was laid to rest with every evidence of popu- lar esteem1.
SPENCER D. BISHOPP.
"Merrie England" has contributed in many ways to the growth and development of our country, in none, however, have her contribu- tions been more valuable and considerable than in the domain of the learned professions. The Pulpit, the Bench, the Bar, the domain of Medi- cal Science, all branches of college instruction are deeply indebted to the Mother Country for brain, character and scholarship. Spencer D. Bishopp, a former prosecuting attorney of Hills- dale county, is one of her valued contributions to the legal profession in this part of the land. He was born at Lenhome Farm in Kent, Eng- land, on October 17, 1845. his parents, Edward W. and Matilda E. (David) Bishopp, being also natives of England, who emigrated to the United States in 1853, and, locating in Illinois, there engaged in farming and passed the remainder of their days, the father dying in 1882, and the mother in 1893. They were the parents of seven sons and two daughters, of whom six of the sons and one of the daughters are living.
Mr. Bishopp passed his early school days in Illinois, in the winter of 1867 entering Hillsdale College, from which educational institution he was graduated in 1874, having been engaged in teaching during a portion of that time, for the necessary financial reinforcement to continue his course. After his graduation he began the study of law in the office of Col. E. J. March of Hillsdale, and, in 1877, was admitted to the bar. He began the practice of the law at once and has followed it steadily from that time. He served
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as circuit court commissioner four years from 1878, and, in 1888, was elected prosecuting at- torney, serving in this office until 1893. From 1898 to 1900 he was county drainage com- missioner, and he is now serving as supervisor for the Third ward.
In politics Mr. Bishopp is an active and loyal Republican, who has annually taken the stump in behalf of his party since 1874, giving also wise and valued counsel and service to its cause in committee duty and its general management. He is allied with the Masons and the Knights of Pythias of the fraternal societies, and to the wel- fare of each he gives a close and helpful atten- tion. On October 17, 1877, he married with Miss Margaret C. Chase, a native of Saco, Maine, who died on June 12, 1901. Two children were children were born to them, Spencer C. and Hat- born to them, Spencer C.' and Hattie J.
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