USA > Michigan > Kalamazoo County > Compendium of history and biography of Kalamazoo County, Mich. > Part 64
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GEORGE McCREARY.
Having passed through seventy-five years of toil and trial in lofty human endeavor, beginning in his infancy on the frontier in this county, and manfully bearing his part of the burden incident
to its transformation from a wilderness to a re- gion of happy homes, blessed with all the com- forts and conveniences of a highly cultivated era, George McCreary, of Schoolcraft, now rests from the labors of active pursuits and enjoys, amid the good will and regard of the region which he has helped to build into wealth and power, and amply provided by his own industry for all the wants of his remaining days on earth. He is a native of Washington county, Pa., born on March 7, 1830. and the son of Preston J. and Christianna ( Mid- dleton) McCreary, the former a native of Penn- sylvania and the latter of the neighboring state of New Jersey. The father was born in Erie county, Pa., on October 28, 1805, and was reared in that state. He attended the common schools and learned the trade of a tanner and currier, at which he wrought in Washington, in his native ' state, four years. In 1830 he decided to move to Michigan, which was then lifting up its voice throughout the East as a land of great promise, and accordingly he made a tour of inspection into its wilds, journeying the whole of the distance, about five hundred miles, on horseback, camping by the way, often alone and sometimes with friendly Indians. He stopped a short time at White Pigeon, then located on Prairie Ronde, where he bought of Judge Harrison eighty acres of land near Harrison's lake. As soon as he had arrangements made for their comfort he moved his family to this new home, and there he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives, she dy- ing in December, 1868, and he on October 30, 1886. They had five children, Samuel S., George, John, Adeline and Springer, all now deceased but Samuel, George and Adeline, who is the wife of George Franckboner, of Schoolcraft, a sketch of whom appears on another page. The parents were devout members of the Methodist Episcopal church and took an active part in establishing it in this section of the country, helping to build some of the first houses of worship. for it here. The father was enlisted for the Black Hawk war, but was never called into active service in the con- test. He was a leading Democrat of his day and locality, and for many years one of the prominent and influential citizens of the county. He was
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called to fill many positions of trust, the duties of which he performed with credit and fidelity, among them that of supervisor of the township, which he filled several terms, and that of magis- trate, which he occupied eleven years. In 1832 he built and for some time thereafter operated one of the first tanneries in the county. His son George grew to manhood on the Prairie Ronde farm and obtained his education by about three months' attendance at the primitive country schools of his boyhood during the winters of a few years. He assisted his father in the tannery and after that was abandoned, turned his atten- tion to farming, which he followed steadily as long as he was engaged in active work. Remain- ing at home until he reached the age of twenty- six, he then bought a farm in company with his father and his brother Samuel. This was after- ward divided among them, and Mr. McCreary later increased his portion to one hundred and ninety acres, all of which he still owns. In 1856 he was married to Miss Sarah A. Franckboner, a sister of George Franckboner, one of the leading farmers of the township. They had two children, their daughter Ada, now deceased, and their son Willis G., who is managing the home farm. In 1884 the parents moved to the town of School- craft, where they have a fine modern residence built of brick and furnished with every desirable convenience. Mr. McCreary has been a life-long Democrat in political faith, but he has never sought or desired official positions, yet he has served the townships with fidelity and ability in several school offices and the town as a member of its board of trustees, being impelled to this serv- ice by the earnest appeals of his fellow citizens. Seeing the country first when it was new to civil- ization and still inhabited with predatory Indians and the wild beasts of the forests, and feeling ever a deep interest in its development, he has on all occasions given his ready aid to every un- dertaking for its improvement and the enduring welfare of its people. He is now one of the patri- archs of the section and enjoys in full measure the benefits of the progress he has helped so ma- terially to bring about and the esteem of the people whom he has so wisely and so faithfully served.
SAMUEL STEWART McCREARY.
Passing now the evening of a long and useful life in quiet and retirement from active labor in the village of Schoolcraft, where he took up his residence in 1894, Samuel S. McCreary, one of the oldest residents of the county and one of its most venerated pioneers, may review with satis- faction and not without wonder the progress he has witnessed in this section, and which he has so long and so materially aided, since he became a resident of the county when he was but two years old, more than seventy-six years ago. When he was a boy in the early days of the county's his- tory, Indian children were his playmates, wild beasts were his sport as well as his terror, and wild land was his field of arduous labor. He has seen the Red Man swept away by the march of improvement and the ferocious denizens of the forest driven out by the determined stand and vigorous warfare waged against them by the forces of civilization. He has seen the unbroken glebe of the prairie and the woodland gradually yielding to the persuasive hand of systematic husbandry and steadily expending in fertility and productiveness. He has seen the naked expanse of hill and dale grow populous with a happy and progressive people, transformed into comfortable and elegant homes, and enriched with all the con- comitants of an advanced civilization. And best of all, he has done his full portion of the work incident to bringing about the pleasing change. Mr. McCreary was born in Washington county. Pa., on November 15. 1828, the son of Preston J. and Christianna (Middleton) McCreary, an ac- count of whose lives is given in the sketch of his brother. George McCreary, on another page. He was just two years old to a day when he ar- rived at the home of Judge Harrison, in Prairie Ronde township, this county, with his parents. the journey from their Pennsylvania home having been made overland and fraught with difficulties, dangers and privations. His father bought a tract of eighty acres of wild land of Judge Har- rison, and on it the son grew to manhood, at- tending the primitive schools of his day and lo- cality, and acquiring habits of useful industry in
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the farm work and independence of spirit and self-reliance in the life of the forest, in which he took great pleasure and found exhilarating sport as a hunter. He remained with his parents until he came of age, then bought a threshing outfit, one of the first ever owned in the county. With this and the improvements to it which he pur- chased from time to time afterward, he followed threshing grain throughout his section of the state for eighteen years. He then bought sixty acres of land south of his father's farm, on which he settled and to which he has added until he now owns three hundred and sixty acres, all of which is improved except about forty acres of timber land. On this farm he lived and labored, making every day of effort count in its improvement and to his own advantage, until 1894, when he re- tired from active pursuits and moved to School- craft, where he has since lived. He was mar- ried in this county, in 1857, to Miss Matilda A. Franckboner, a sister of George Franckboner ( see sketch of him on another page). They have had four children, two of whom are dead and two liv- ing, their sons William and Albert, who now work the farm. William married Susan Hemerite and has one child, Thomas. Mr. McCreary has been a life-long Democrat, but he has never held or desired a political office. He has faithfully performed the duties of citizenship, and in every part of the county he is highly respected and has hosts of friends.
WILLIAM F. NOTLEY.
Successful in business, active and influential in local public affairs, prominent in fraternal and social life, William F. Notley, of Vicksburg, is easily one of the leading and most useful citizens of the village and township, and enjoys a wide and admiring acquaintance and excellent repute throughout Kalamazoo and the neighboring coun- ties. He was born at Vicksburg, this county, on September 22, 1859, the son, of Francis and Jane (Carruthers) Notley, a sketch of whom will be found on another page, and the place of his birth has been the seat of all his enterprise and his life-long useful and productive activity. More-
over, he was educated in the common schools of Vicksburg, and in that village he was married to a lady who had been for years a resident of the ' place. So that, whatever he is and all that he has accomplished are products of the section of his present home, and he is in every good sense a true representative of it and its people. After leaving school he began life as a farmer, and so com- pletely and sedulously did he devote himself to the industry he had undertaken, that he seldom left the farm at any time when he had anything to do on it. At one time, during a period of eight months he was off the place only three hours dur- ing working hours, and then only to do his duty to his country by voting at a presidential election, casting his vote for General Garfield, the candi- date of the Republican party, which he has al- ways cordially supported. In 1881 he began dealing in live stock and butchering, wholesaling his meats in Kalamazoo. The next year he opened a meat market in Vicksburg, which he conducted ten years. Since closing out that enterprise he has devoted himself to the stock industry, buying and shipping to Eastern markets large numbers of cattle and horses every year, and making a specialty of handling Western horses. He was also associated with J. J. Esselborn in the wool trade for twenty years and they handled more of this commodity than any other firm in the state. In . both lines Mr. Notley's trade is very large and his transactions are very profitable, so that his facul- ties are fully occupied in the mercantile interests of the county and section, and the returns from his. several engagements are commensurate with the outlay of time, energy and ability involved. making him one of the most active and promi- nent business men of his community, and giving him continual opportunity to help in promoting the commercial wealth and power, of the region in which he operates and add to the chances of la- bor for remunerative employment. He still owns a farm in Brady township, which he manages with success and profit, adding its output also to the total of the county's productiveness , and volume of material wealth .. On the organization of the First State Bank of Vicksburg, in August, 1905, he was chosen president and is now acting
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as such. It is a state bank with a capital stock of twenty-five thousand dollars and succeeded the old Exchange Bank, being located in the same building. On April 25. 1882, he was united in marriage with Miss Ida Day, a daughter of John S. Day, one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Vicksburg, where the marriage oc- curred. Mr. and Mrs. Notley have five children, George C., Blenn, Florence, Marion and June. In politics, as has been noted, the father is an un- wavering Republican. He served as one of the village trustees in 1883, then on the board of edu- cation, and afterward as township supervisor five terms, the last term being chairman of the county board. He was president of the village of Vicks- burg in 1904 and 1905. In fraternal life he is a Freemason, an Elk and a Knight of Pythias. He is also a stockholder in the Vicksburg Creamery Company.
SPENCER J. WING.
One of the solid and progressive business men of Vicksburg, and from his early manhood en- gaged in productive industries, Spencer J. Wing has been a useful citizen wherever he has lived, contributing in various important and commenda- ble ways to the welfare of the community. He is a native of Yates county, N. Y., born on Febru- ary 16, 1840, and the son of Jaduthon and Mar- garet (Cross) Wing, the former a native of Mas- sachusetts and the latter of Pennsylvania. The father was reared in his native state and remained there until 1812 or 1814, and afterward followed farming in Yates county, N. Y., until his death in 1862, that event occurring in Cass county, this state, while he was here on a visit to one of his sons. The mother of Spencer J. Wing died at Vicksburg, this county. His father was married three times, and was the parent of ten children, seven sons and three daughters. Of these, three are living, Spencer, his brother George W., at Petoskey, and their sister, Mrs. David Gannon, of Manistee county, Mich. The parents were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The grandfather, Allen Wing, was born and passed his life in Massachusetts, where he prospered as a farmer. The family is of Scotch-English an-
cestry, but the American branch has resided in this county over two hundred years. Spencer J. Wing grew to manhood in the state of New York and there attended the common schools and Naples Academy. In 1860 he came to Cass county, Mich., and attended school at Three Rivers and Ypsilanti. He also taught school three terms in St. Joseph and Cass counties, this state, and Yates county, N. Y. After completing his course in the schools here he returned to New York and entered the Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, from which he was graduated in 1866. He then came again to Michigan and engaged in publishing and selling school charts, going over several states and continuing in the business until 1878. In 1877 he came to Kala- mazoo county and bought a farm in Schoolcraft township which he still owns and works. In 1882 he moved to Vicksburg, and in 1884, in company with Mr. McCausey, the Pages, father and son, J. M. Neasmith, and others, founded the Vicksburg Exchange Bank, of which he was made president, serving as such six years and then disposing of his stock. He is also a stockholder in the Peat Fuel Company of Detroit, and several other business and industrial enterprises in the state. For a number of years he was engaged in milling flour at Vicksburg until his mill was de- stroyed by fire, at a loss to him of over twenty thousand dollars. In 1876 he was united in mar- riage with Miss L. Carrie Hobart, a Michigan lady born in .St. Joseph county. They have two children, their daughter Josephine H. and their son Hobart J., both of whom are living. In political action Mr. Wing is independent and has never sought public office of any kind. He is well known all over the county and everywhere is highly esteemed.
JOHN HAMILTON.
This energetic and progressive citizen of Kala- mazoo county, living in Schoolcraft township, in whose care as supervisor the public interests of the township under the control of his office were safely lodged and wisely cared for during 1904-5, and who was, in March, 1905. elect-
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ed president of the village, is a native of St. Joseph county, this state, born on April 30, 1844. His parents, John and Nancy (Poe) Hamilton, were born and reared in Ohio. They came to Michigan in 1832 and the father then entered a tract of one hundred and sixty-five acres of government land in St. Joseph county, two miles distant from the village of Constantine, where he lived and farmed until his death in 1897, at the age of eighty-six years and six months. The mother passed away twelve years earlier. The father was a man of prominence and influ- ence in his county, representing it in the state legislature two terms and filling a number of its local offices. He was an ardent old-school Demo- crat in politics and on all occasions gave his party loyal and effective support. The children of the family numbered twelve, five sons and seven daughters, and all grew to maturity but one. John and one of his sisters are the only ones resi- dent in Kalamazoo county. The former was reared in St. Joseph county and educated in the common schools there. He began life for himself farming the home place and continued to do this until he reached the age of thirty, when he bought land of his own. In 1890 he purchased a farm in Brady township, this county, and on this he lived until 1902, then moved to the village of Vicksburg, where he has since maintained his home. He was married in St. Joseph county in September, 1877, to Miss Susanna Goss, a native of that county. They have no children. Mr. Hamilton has been a Democrat all of his mature life. While living in St. Joseph county he filled. the office of township treasurer four years and other local offices at different times. He and his wife belong to the Methodist church. Both are well known and highly respected. .
CHARLES H. McKAIN, M. D.
Among the professional men with whom Kal- amazoo county is so signally blessed, no member of the medical profession enjoys a more enviable reputation as a skillful practitioner or a more ex- tensive practice than Dr. Charles H. McKain, of Vicksburg. With commendable and characteris-
tic devotion to the highest claims of duty in his life work, and a genuine love of his profession for its own sake, he keeps abreast of the times in all lines of general medical research and investiga- tion, and is not only a physician of great success in practice, but also a surgeon of unusual ability. He is as well a contributor to the literature of the medical cult, having read several papers of his own preparation before state medical societies, which have won the commendations of his pro- fessional brethren and been favorably noticed by the press. Dr. McKain represents the fourth generation in descent from the American pro- genitor of the family, who was a native of Scot- land but emigrated from the north of Ireland to this country in colonial times and engaged in farming in the state of New York. During the Revolution he served as a valiant officer in the Continental army, and his skill in the use of his sword brought him into conspicuous notice. He was a Protestant in religion, a Whig in politics, and an excellent citizen in every way. At an advanced age he located at Sandstone, Jackson county, Mich., where he died a few years later. The Doctor's grandfather, Abel McKain, was born in New York state and followed milling at Alexandria there until his death, at the age of thirty-two. He was the father of two sons, one of whom, Allen McKain, the Doctor's father, was born at Alexandria, N. Y., on June 14, 1827, and was only five years old when he was orphaned. One year later he was brought to Michigan by his uncle and guardian, Martin McKain, who sold the property belonging to Abel McKain and invested the proceeds in Michigan land. The in- vading foot of the progressive white man was . just beginning to make its mark on the soil of this then far Western wild; deer and other wild game were plentiful, and bears were so numerous as well as wolves, and so bold, that it was neces- sary to carefully pen up sheep and swine to save them from the ravenous depredations of these wild beasts. At the age of eighteen Allen Mc- Kain began life on his own account, clearing a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, on which he farmed until 1880, when he retired and moved to Vicksburg, where he died in February,
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1899. He had long been an influential Republi- can, holding numerous local offices, and taking an active and serviceable interest in public af- fairs. His wife, whose maiden name was Laura Wilson, was born in Vermont on December 24, 1826, and came to Michigan with her parents when nine years old. Her father, Amos Wilson. was probably a native of Vermont, and became an early settler in Michigan, living two years in Oakland county and afterward clearing a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Pavilion township, this county. He died at Galesburg when sixty-two years of age. Dr. McKain is one of seven children born to his parents, three of whom are living. He was born in Pavilion town- ship, this county, on November 17, 1851, and began his education in the district schools. When twenty years old he entered the Baptist College in Kalamazoo, where he studied two years. On April 1, 1875, he began to study medicine under the instruction of Dr. Malcolm Hill, of Vicks- burg, and on October Ist of the following year entered the medical department of the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated on March 27, 1878. After practicing one year with Dr. Hill, he went to Kansas, where he was ex- amined and admitted to the United States army as a surgeon. He remained in the service until 1881, and was stationed at Forts Elliott and Supply in Indian Territory. In 1881 he entered Bellevue Hospital, New York city, from which he received his degree on March 15th, of the en- suing year. He made a specialty of diseases of the eye and ear in that department of the Man- hattan Hospital, where he was stationed until May 1, 1882. Since that time he has lived at Vicksburg, where he has an extensive and lu- crative practice. His attractive residence, a commodious frame house on Prairie street, was built in 1885, and his household is presided over by his cultured wife, to whom he was married on September 5, 1882. Mrs. McKain's maiden name was Nellie J. Dorrance, and she was born in Pavilion township, on May 16, 1856. In po- litical faith Dr. McKain is an unwavering Re- publican, and while not a member, he is a liberal contributor to the Methodist church, also aiding
all other commendable enterprises with generous donations of time and money. For years he has served as a member of the local school board. His fraternal relations are with the Knikhts of Pyth- ias, and in the line of his profession he belongs to the Kalamazoo Academy of Medicine, the State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, and to the Mississippi Valley Medi- cal Association. He was the first president of the County Medical Society on its reorganization, and was president of the Kalamazoo Academy of Medicine. He has represented the state society in the American Medical Society at Cincinnati and Nashville. In the fall of 1887 he and his wife crossed the Atlantic, and Mrs. McKain re- mained in Paris while he made an eight months' tour through France, Germany, Austria, Switz- erland and the British Islands. He is one of the county's most esteemed and prominent citizens, and is known throughout its borders by all classes.
STEPHEN P. COLLINS.
This excellent farmer of Brady township, now living retired from active labor at Vicksburg, has been a resident of the county since 1861, and has seen the region transformed from an almost un- broken wilderness into its present state of ad- vanced development and power, all the while do- ing his share of the work that brought about the change. He was born in Orleans county, N. Y., on February 19, 1834, and is the son of Nahum C. and Olive (Clark) Collins, also natives of New York, born in Monroe county, the mother in 1804 and the father in 1806. The latter followed farming in Orleans county, of his native state, until 1854. when he came to Kalamazoo county and bought bought a farm in Pavilion township, joining an elder brother, William G. Collins, who had settled there in 1844. He continued to re- side in Pavilion township until his death in 1859, his wife passing away there in about 1880. They were the parents of four sons and five daughters, all now dead but three, Stephen F., Benjamin F., a farmer of Schoolcraft township, and Charlotte, the wife of B. Collins, of Pavilion township. Stephen grew to manhood in New York state and
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farmed there until 1858, when he went to Aus- tralia intending to go into mining, but while in that country he passed the greater part of his time driving stage between the various diggings. He returned to this country in 1861, but did not enter the army for the Civil war, which had just begun. He had, however, two brothers in the service, Benjamin F. in the First Michigan Cavalry and George in the Sixth, the latter dying in the service. On returning to America and lo- cating in this county, Stephen bought a farm in Comstock township, on the south side of the river, on which he lived two years. Later he bought one in Brady township, which was his home until he came to Vicksburg to live in 1902. He was mar- ried in 1862 to Miss Annie Mathers, a native of New York state, and a daughter of James and Margaret Mathers, who settled in Pavilion town- ship in 1836. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have had six children, three of whom are living, Bianca, wife of . C. T. Richardson, of Brady township; Estella, wife of Walter H. McMaster, of Vicksburg, and Nina, wife of E. L. Page, of Vicksburg. Mr. Collins has served as supervisor of Brady town- ship and township clerk. He is a Democrat in politics and always takes an active interest in the affairs of his party. In all public affairs he has been, from his advent in the county, potential, forceful and serviceable. In all the relations of life he has borne himself as an upright, con- scientious and progressive men. In every element of good citizenship he has shown himself en- titled to be considered in the first rank. And in the great work of building up a great common- wealth from the trying conditions and inevitable hardships of frontier existence he has faithfully and intelligently borne his full part.
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