USA > Michigan > Kalamazoo County > Compendium of history and biography of Kalamazoo County, Mich. > Part 44
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JOHN J. LAWLER.
John J. Lawler, manager of the Union Real Estate & Loan Company of Kalamazoo, and a resident of Augusta, Ross township, is a native of this county, born in Charleston township on Jan- uary 31, 1856. He was reared and educated on the soil of his nativity, and from his childhood has been connected with and interested in the busi- ness interests, civil institutions and social life of the county. His parents, James and Maria
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(Chase) Lawler, were natives of the state of New York and came to Michigan in 1840. The Law- ler family is of Irish origin, the American pro- genitor of its numerous members having come from that country to Connecticut in early colonial days. As the tide of emigration flowed west- ward from the Atlantic seaboard, they kept pace with it, and are now found in almost every state in the west. Early representatives of it halted in New York when its interior was the outpost of civilization, and it is this branch that John L. Lawler is descended from. On arriving in this county his father bought a tract of unimproved land two miles and a half south of Augusta. which he cleared up and lived on most of his re- maining days, dying there on June 4, 1886. He was a man of unusual ability and gave earnest and intelligent attention to the public affairs of his township for many years, serving a number of consecutive terms as township clerk and in other positions of importance. He was deeply in- terested in the cause of public education, and looked after its interests in an influential and ser- viceable way many years as a member of the local school board. His marriage occurred at Battle Creek, this state, in 1850, and he and his wife be- came the parents of four sons and one daughter. Of these, three sons and the daughter grew to maturity and are still living, as is their mother. She is an active worker in the Baptist church in- terests, as her husband was in his lifetime, an ornament to the best social circles, and one of the matrons in her locality who are held in the highest esteem. The son, John J. Lawler, worked on his father's farm while attending school, and after reaching his legal majority engaged in busi- ness as an undertaker and furniture dealer at Augusta until 1893, when he came to Kalamazoo to take charge of the Kalamazoo Casket Company, whose interests he managed five and a half years. At the end of that period he was appointed man- ager of the Union Real Estate & Loan Company, and he has conducted its affairs ever since. He has been very successful in his operations in this line, building up a large and profitable trade for the company and rising to a high place in the public regard as a capable and far-seeing busi-
ness man, a knowing and judicious counselor and an agreeable and obliging gentleman. The trade in which he is engaged is congenial to him and he has a special aptitude for its management. With tireless energy in developing it along lines of wholesome and enduring progress, and great clearness of vision in seeing opportunities and alertness in seizing them and using them to good advantage, he has demonstrated that the affairs of the company could scarcely be in more capable hands. He was married in 1887 to Miss Florence Rorabeck, a sister of Charles Rorabeck, one of the leading business men of Augusta. Although doing business in Kalamazoo, Mr. Lawler still maintains his home at Augusta, and it is one of the most attractive and complete domestic estab- lisliments in that town. Fraternally he is con- nected with the Knights of Pythias, and in poli- tics is a Republican, zealous for his party's suc- cess, but seeking no office for himself.
REV. JOHN GRAY, D. D.
This devout ecclesiastic, profound scholar and fine gentleman, who since 1900 has been the president of Michigan Female Seminary in Kalamazoo, and whose labors in that capacity have brought to the institution a largely increased patronage and a widely augmented reputa- tion, is a native of Toronto, Canada. His par- ents, John and Annie (Corley) Gray, were born, respectively, in Scotland and Dublin, Ireland, and emigrated to Canada about the year 1820. They took up their residence at Toronto, and there they passed the remainder of their lives. The father was a miller and lumber merchant, prosperous in his business, faithful in his citi- zenship, and true to his manhood in every relation of life. The son was educated in the public schools, at Toronto Collegiate Institute, in Uni- versity College and in the theological department of Knox College. Soon after leaving the theo- logical school he became the pastor of St. An- drew's church at Windsor, Ontario, where he re- mained twenty-two years, actively engaged in ministerial and pastoral work, and achieved a high reputation for the breadth and accuracy of
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his learning, the eloquence and impressive power of his oratory and the benignity and sympathetic nature of his character, and also won high com- mendations for his skill and acumen in managing the business affairs of the church. At the end of the period mentioned he accepted a call to the pas- torate of the First Presbyterian church of Kala- mazoo, and took charge of its interests in 1893. In this important position he was occupied until April, 1900, when he became president of the seminary. While ministerial and pastoral duties were almost always agreeable to him, and were well suited to his character and capacity, he soon found, after assuming those of his new field, that they were congenial although at times trying, and furnished scope for the exercise of all his best and most useful faculties. They are most important and responsible, but he has discharged them with a fidelity, an ability and a comprehensive breadth of view that have met every requirement and es- tablished him in the confidence and esteem of the patrons of the institution firmly and lastingly. The Doctor was married in his native province in 1871 to Miss Bessie S. Sutherland, a daughter of Donald Sutherland, of Newmarket, Ontario. They have two daughters, Gertrude S. and Mu- riel G. Gray, who are accomplished ladies of the highest social rank. Unostentatious and modest in manner and disposition, and not covetous of titles or distinctions in the way of the world, this eminent divine felt it his duty for the benefit of the work in which he was engaged to accept the honorary title of Doctor of Divinity when it was conferred upon him by Alma College, Michigan, in 1893. Mrs. Gray is a sister of Hon. R. F. Sutherland, of Canada, member of parliament for Windsor, and King's Counsel of Ontario, and speaker of the Dominion house of commons.
THE HOME SAVINGS BANK.
This serviceable and highly valued institu- tion, which has enabled hundreds of the wage earners of Kalamazoo to save their earnings and acquire homes of their own, was organized in 1893 with a capital stock of fifty thousand dol- lars, which still remains the same. Its first presi-
dent was Hudson B. Coleman, with Frank Orcott as vice-president. Mr. Coleman served as presi- dent until January, 1895. and was then succeeded by Hale P. Kauffer, who served until January I, 1905, and was succeeded by V. T. Booker. Some little time after the organization W. G. Howard was chosen vice-president and attor- ney. The institution does a general banking busi- ness, with special attention to the savings fea- ture, and enjoys in a marked degree the confi- dence of the community and a large share of its patronage. It is considered one of the soundest and safest savings banks in this part of the state, and this opinion is justified by the wisdom and conservatism of its management. Mr. Kauf- fer, who was its impelling and directing power, is a native of Lawrence, Mass., born on January I, 1840. He was reared in New Hampshire, go- ing to Manchester, that state, when he was a child. He secured his education in the public schools of that city, and began life as a news- boy.' Afterward he worked in a cotton mill for a short time, then in 1857 he moved to Fitch- burg, Mass., where he passed some time as clerk in a grocery store. From that occupation he. turned his attention to manufacturing curtain fixtures and mechanics, and a little later went to work as clerk in an iron foundry. In this he rose by merit to the position of manager and re- mained until 1871, except that during the Civil war he was in the service of the government in the forage department operating in Virginia. In 1873 he became a resident of Kalamazoo and started an enterprise in the tin and sheet iron trade with twenty wagons in the field dispensing his goods in various parts of the country. In 188I he became interested in the handle factory with K. W. Page, and they conducted it to- gether until Mr. Page died in 1887, after which time Mr. Kauffer carried the business on alone until 1893, when he organized the Kalamazoo Sled Company, of which he is president. This is a close corporation in its organization, but it is wide open and up-to-date in its business meth- ods and its spirit of enterprise. Mr. Kauffer was also one of the founders of the Bryant Paper Company and is its vice-president, holding the
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same office in the Superior Paper Company, which he helped to organize, as he did the Kala- mazoo Corset Company and the Kalamazoo Hack and Bus Company. He is not now con- nected with the last named corporation. In 1890 he was chairman of the discount committee of the First National Bank, and for a number of years was one of its supervising directors. He is also a stockholder in the Imperial Coating Company. He has never held a public office or taken an ac- tive interest in partisan politics. He was married at Manchester, N. H., to Miss Henrietta St. Clair, a native of Vermont. They have one child, their daughter Helen. Mr. Kauffer shows his interest in the fraternal life of the community by an active and valued membership in the order of Elks.
JARVIS H. SKINNER.
Tried by several changes of fortune and a va- riety of pursuits in many different places, Jarvis H. Skinner, of Cooper township, one of the sub- stantial and progressive farmers of that section, has made steady progress in the struggle for su- premacy among men, holding always every foot of his advance and finding strength in his very difficulties for new and greater efforts. His par- ents, William and Hannah (Tabor) Skinner, were among the earliest settlers in Cooper town- ship, locating here about the year 1839. The father was a man of original force of character and conquered adverse circumstances as he ad- vanced in life by determined and dogged persist- ency. He was born in Saratoga county, N. Y., on December 10, 1805, and died in Cooper township, this county, in 1885. He was educated in the district schools and at Gaines Academy in his native county, and there for a number of years he taught school in the winter and farmed in the summer. In the autumn of 1833 he came to Michigan and during the next two years he taught school in the vicinity of Ann Arbor. In 1835 he returned to New York and united in marriage with Miss Hannah Tabor, who was of the same nativity as himself, and born on December 15, 1817, the daughter of Peleg and Rebecca (Hicks) Tabor. They passed the first four years of their
married life in New York, then the family, con- sisting of the parents and one child, moved to Michigan and settled in Cooper township where the father bought eighty acres of land in section 16. It was heavily timbered and altogether un- improved. A small log dwelling was put up and the breaking up and cultivation of the land was begun. During his long residence of forty-six years on the farm he greatly improved it with commodious and comfortable buildings, good fences and other structures and added to its ex- tent until it comprised three hundred and fifteen acres. He also took a deep and earnest interest and a leading part in local politics as a Jacksonian Democrat, his first presidential vote having been cast for "Old Hickory," and he never after that having missed an election. He served as town- ship supervisor one term, clerk four terms, treas- frer one term and school inspector a number of terms, holding the last named office long after he had passed the age of three score years and ten. A very unusual circumstance in his case was that he was never obliged to use spectacles, but could read the finest print by lamplight even in his last years. He was one of the best read and most intelligent men in the township, and one of the most generally and highly esteemed. He was married four times, first to Miss Hannah Tabor, who bore him six children, and died on Septem- ber 16, 1850; second to Miss Harriet Wadsworth, who had by him two children, and died on July 3, 1854; third to Miss Alice Ann Athey, who died on May 7, 1861, leaving three children ; and fourth to Mrs. Ellen W. Mosher, who died in April, 1898. Jarvis H. Skinner, the third child of the first marriage, was born in Cooper town- ship on May 27, 1842, and grew to manhood on the farm, assisting in its labors from an early age and attending the district schools in the neighbor- hood when he had opportunity. During the Civil war he was in the employ of the government two years transporting supplies to military posts in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, New Mexico and other places. He then passed some years in Colorado and elsewhere mining, garden- ing and doing carpenter work. In 1874 he returned to this county and Cooper township and has since
WILLIAM SKINNER.
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been engaged in farming here. In 1875 he was married to Miss Annetta Hackley, a daughter of Julius and Dorothy (Fox) Hackley, pioneers of Alamo township, where they settled in 1837. The father had made several trips to this region pre- viously and bought large quantities of land, at one time owning one thousand, seven hundred and sixty acres in the township. He and his bride made their wedding trip from New York, where they were married, to their new home with an ox team and brought their household goods with them. They erected a shanty on their land and as soon as it was completed moved into it. At that time settlers were few and it was far between them, but Indians were still numerous in the neighborhood and did not hesitate to levy on the new comers for food and other supplies, although the Hackleys suffered no direct violence at their hands. One morning, when Mrs. Hackley was alone, five stalwart Indians appeared and de- manded breakfast. She prepared a meal for them in great fear, but they partook of it quietly, and then, after paying her twenty-five cents apiece in silver, left the house without farther trouble. On another oc mion she had a similar fright, but on seeing her visitors kneel and offer thanks before eating their food, her fears were dispelled. These Indians had been Christianized and be- longed to the Selkrig mission in an adjoining county. Mr. Skinner is a Democrat and has served as a justice of the peace for a number of years. He and ''s wife belong to the Congre- gational church. l'hey have four children, Jay H., Edna L., Bernerd W. and Orlo G.
HENRY BECKWITH.
On July 10, 1905, death claimed for his own Henry Beckwith, one of the hardy and respected pioneers of the county, who took up his abode here at the age of six years, when the land was little more than an unbroken wilderness still in- habited by its savage denizens, and much of it as yet virgin to the plow. . His life was spent in this community, where he was well known for his sterling qualities of mind and character, and respected by all with whom he was associated
in any walk of life. Henry Beckwith was born on November 27, 1830, at Alexander, N. Y., in that part of Wyoming county which is now Genesee county. His parents were Warren 'and Marv (Terrell) Beckwith, natives of the Empire state, where the father worked at the trade of a black- smith until 1836, when he moved his family to Michigan. The trip was made by steamer to De- troit, and from there by teams of oxen to this county, being on the way from Detroit eleven days, He first settled at Root's Sawmill, in Port- age township, which property has never been out of the family. The father built a blacksmith shop at Root's sawmill, in which he worked until it was destroyed by fire two years later. He then moved to his farm, where he spent the remainder of his life, except four years, when he lived at Kalamazoo and worked at his trade. He died on his farm on April 3, 1836, and his wife on Janu- ary 28, 1898, leaving three daughters and iwc sons. The father was a man of prominence and influence in the early days of the county's history, serving as supervisor, and leading in the steady development of the region in which he lived. His father, David Beckwith, a native of Lyme, Conn., born in 1752, was a Revolutionary soldier in Mil- ler's Company, De Vaas' Regiment of the Massa- chusetts line. He was wounded in battle in the war, but, nothing daunted by this disaster, when the call to arms came for the war of 1812, he promptly responded, and, in company with his son Joseph, again took the field. Joseph was killed, and his father received a wound at the battle of Black Rock, near Buffalo, N. Y., and died at Attica in 1834. He married Abigail Whitney, and they had a large family. Henry Beckwith grew to manhood in this county, as- sisting his parents in clearing the old homestead and attending, when he had opportunity, the primitive country school in the neighborhood of his home. He was familiar with all the hardships of frontier life, and was thankful to have lived to see the country he loved so well smiling in all the blessings of development and advanced civil- ization. He attended for a short time the branch of the old State University at Kalamazoo. From his youth he was a farmer, following this occupa-
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tion with commendable industry and gratifying success, managing at one time the largest farm in the county. For a number of years he was presi- dent of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, which by his energy and tact he aided greatly in growth and progress. He was a stockholder in the First National Bank of Kalamazoo. In po- litical faith he was a Democrat, never seeking or holding public office. In 1853 he was married to Miss Hannah Tabor, a native of New York, who died on March 10, 1860, leaving one child, Ray, who now manages the farm. In 1864, Henry Beekwith married a second wife, Miss Mary J. Milham, who was born in Columbia county. N. Y. Both were earnest workers in the Congre- gational church. The parents of Mrs. Beekwith, John and Almyra (Rathbone) Milham, settled in this county in 1845, on a farm three miles south of Kalamazoo, where they died after many years of useful industry.
HOSEA HENIKA.
It was a hardy race of men that came from New York state in the '30s and '40s to settle southern Michigan and carve out of the wilder- ness a new commonwealth. Many of them were inured to toil and danger, having settled already one frontier and made it "blossom as the rose," and all were of large mold, resolute in daring, persistent in effort, following and faithful to lofty ideals, and conscious of their mastery in moral attributes and physical endurance. Experience had sharpened their vision to discern and fortified their faculties to bring forth the latent and re- luetant resources of this new land, and' with the conquest assured in advance because it was so positively willed, they set to work in radiant con- fidence to make their faith practical. Among them, few if any, were men of greater determina- tion and resourcefulness than the father of the late Hosea Henika, John Henika, who, with his wife, Hannah (Overlocker) Henika, and their young family came hither from their native state in 1833 and purchased a tract of land in what is now Portage township, this county-the farm now owned and occupied by William Milham. It was
the virgin forest in which they east their lot, and knowing beforehand the possibilities of the coun- try, they began at once to develop those of their new possession and continued in this laudable work until it had almost totally changed the habiliments of its barbaric splendor for the more comely and profitable garb of cultivated life and fruitfulness. On this farm the mother died, and some little time afterward the father moved to Kalamazoo, where his final summons came. He was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and his house was the place of meeting for this seet for a number of years, before it had a church building in the county. He was also a strong abolitionist and gave liberally of his means and his energy to the cause of freedom for the slaves. In political faith he was an ardent Re- publican from the organization of the party, and made his faith practical in good works in behalf of his convictions. His ancestors were from Hol- land, his grandfather settling in this country in carly days. His son Hosea, who was born in Cayuga county, N. Y., on September 1, 1833, and was but a few weeks old when he was brought to this county in his mother's arms, was reared and educated here, acquiring a meager knowledge of books in the primitive district schools and a larger knowledge of himself and his fellows in the more rugged school of experience. He aided his parents in clearing, breaking up and cultivating the farm, remaining with them until he reached the age of twenty-four. He then came to Kalamazoo and entered the employ of E. A. Carder, of whom he learned cabinetmaking, which he followed for a number of years. Later he be- came interested in the Globe Casket Company and was connected with it for some years. He then formed a partnership with M. F. Carder in furniture and undertaking, which lasted until about two years before his death, on February I, 1901. He was also a director and first vice-presi- dent of the Rose Street Improvement Company and a stockholder in the Kalamazoo Corset Com- pany. A great student of political affairs, he was a stanch Republican and earnestly active in the support of his party. In early life he married with Miss Ruth Wright, of this county. She bore him
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one child, their son, John H. Henika, who lives at Jacksonville, Fla. He was married a second time in 1878, being united on this occasion with Miss Josephine Judson, a native of Washtenaw county, Michigan, where her parents were early settlers, and where both died. Of this union no children were born. Mr. Henika was a regular and interested attendant of the Methodist Episco- pal church, and in its fold and without throughout the county he was held in high respect.
JOSEPH B. CORNELL.
Among the pioneers of Kalamazoo county was Joseph B. Cornell, a prominent and success- ful business man of Kalamazoo, who was greatly respected and loved for his fine qualities of mind and heart. Joseph Cornell was born in Clinton, N. Y., on January 25, 1829, the son of Dr. Jo- seph Cornell, a prominent physician, who re- moved to Kalamazoo in 1840. Mrs. Cornell, who was Dr. Cornell's first wife, died when Joseph was a child, and was survived by her husband, Joseph, and his two sisters, Minerva, wife of George Bur- rell, and Abigail, wife of Lewis Starkey. He re- turned to New York, and learned the carriage- making trade, which he always practiced, becoming one of the foremost carriage manufacturers in the state. He carried on the largest business in that line in Kalamazoo, and at a time when machinery was not so extensively used, most of the work be- ing done by hand. His factory was located at the northeast corner of Rose and Eleanor streets, where he built up a splendid business, and where at his death he was succeeded by the firm of Cornell Brothers. Mr. Cornell was one of the trustees of the village of Kalamazoo, and held the position of chief of the fire department. Al- though he never sought to hold public office, he was the recipient of many positions of responsi- bility and trust. On September 17, 1856, he was married to Miss Hannah L. Trask, daughter of L. H. and Louisa (Fay) Trask. By his father's second marriage several sons were born, whom Joseph Cornell assisted in various ways to get a start in life. He was a prominent member of the First Presbyterian church, to which institu-
tion he gave freely. He was a member of the Masons, in which society he attained the degree of Knight Templar and Scottish Rite. In poli- tics he was a Democrat, and was exceedingly loyal to his party, with whom he always cast his vote. In 1872, his health rapidly failing him, he was compelled to retire from business. He then spent some time in travel in Bermuda and other points, returning to his home. He died five years later, in 1877, at his home in Kalamazoo. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Hannah L. Cor- nell, who resides in the Cornell home on South Rose street, opposite Bronson Park. Mr. Cor- nell was a man who won the love of all who knew him, and his death was deeply mourned by many loving friends.
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