USA > Michigan > Kalamazoo County > Compendium of history and biography of Kalamazoo County, Mich. > Part 66
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who is engaged in the stock industry; Lunna, wife of J. H. Gledhill; Samuel G., for seventeen years in the employ of the Grand Trunk Railroad and now a farmer in this county; Jennie, wife of C. J. Clark; and John H., a successful lawyer in Kalamazoo. The mother died February 4, 1890. The father has been a Republican ever since his arrival in the United States, but he has never sought or desired a political office. He is the oldest settler in the village in length of residence there. He owns nearly one thousand acres of land and considerable property in Vicksburg.
ARTHUR LONGMAN.
In the great struggle between the sections of our unhappy country from 1861 to 1865, which for the time paralyzed all our industries and kept the world aghast at the ferocity and bitterness of our civil strife, many citizens of foreign birth took leading parts and gained renown. Among them the subject of this notice won a high reputa- tion for coolness and undaunted courage in the face of the enemy, for quickness of perception and promptness in action, and for other soldierly qualities which gained him the commendation of his superiors and reflected great credit on his regiment, although at the time of his enlistment he was but eighteen years old. He has since proved himself equally valuable as an agent in the devel- opment of the agricultural resources of Wakeshma township, being one of its most progressive and sensible farmers. He was born in Yorkshire, England, on October 6, 1845, and is a son of John Longman, a well known and prosperous farmer of this part of Michigan. The father came from his native land, where his family had long been resident, in 1853, bringing his family with him and landing at New York. The ocean voyage consumed seven weeks and two days, and was en- livened by a collision with another boat in mid- sea, the elder Longman and the captain of the vessel being the only person on deck at the time. After two years' residence in Brooklyn, N. Y., where he was employed in a linseed mill, he brought his family to this county and located at Climax. He had nothing to start with, as he had
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no means and was ten dollars in debt when he arrived here. But he found regular employment, and by unremitting labor, frugality and close cal- culation, lie got a start, and in 1857 was able to buy eighty acres of land in the woods. He built a log house, developed that farm, bought addi- tional ground, and in time owned one hundred and eighty acres of fine farming land, which he improved with first-rate buildings and other ac- cessories, becoming a well-to-do and prosperous farmer through his own unaided efforts. His wife, Jane Fenwick. like himself a native of Yorkshire, England, where they were married, came of a scafaring family, both her father, Thomas Fenwick, and her grandfather having been captains of vessels. They reared seven of their eiglit children, Rebecca E., Arthur, William, Jennie, Mary, John and Sarah E. Another son named Jolin died. Arthur attended school one year in England, and at the age of seven accom- panied his parents to this country. He spent two years in the schools of Brooklyn, and after coming to Michigan attended school in this county in a primitive log house with rude, home-made furnishings, the school being conducted on the rate-bill plan, the teacher boarding around, and each pupil obliged to provide a certain share of wood to heat the building. Mr. Longman was early set to work on the farm and in clearings. and from the age of twelve worked out summers by the month, his wages at first being only four dollars a month. He also worked several sum- mers at the carpenter trade. On August 19. 1864, he enlisted in the Union army as a member of Company H, Seventh Michigan Cavalry. The principal battles in which he fought were those at Winchester, Bucktown Ford. Front Royal and Waynesboro, where General Earl's forces were captured. He also took an active part in all the battles from Petersburg to Appomattox. In one of these he was kicked badly by a horse, but such was his fortitude that he never left his post al- though suffering great pain. At the charge at Saler's Creek, he won distinction by capturing two prisoners single-handed, one of them having a loaded gun ; and he was in sight of Appomattox when General Lee surrendered. After the war
he returned to his home, well worn by the hard- ships and privations he had endured. On No- vember 8, 1866, he bought eighty acres of his present farin, which was then a mere tract of heavy timber surrounded by woods, the nearest road being distant half a mile. He made some clearing, and after his marriage settled on the land, building a plank house for a dwelling in 1870. He has since converted his land into a fine and well improved farm, increasing it by additions until it comprises a quarter-section, one hundred acres of which are cleared and yielding excellent crops. The place is well stocked with Durham cattle, and some fine Cleveland Bay and Norman and Percheron horses. Mr. Longman was married on December 25, 1869, to Miss Sa- ralı M. Wisner, a native of this state, born at Athens, Calhoun county, and a daughter of Rev. Alpheus and Julia ( Morrow ) Wisner, natives of New York. The parents of her father came to Michigan in 1840, and located in Lenawee county, while those of her mother came in the early '30S and settled in Washtenaw county. Mrs. Long- man's parents are dead, the father dying in 1893 and the mother in 1904. The father was a sol- dier in the Twentieth Michigan Infantry during the Civil war, and was a Baptist minister for nearly fifty years. Mr. and Mrs. Longman have had six children, five of whom are living, Minnie S., Gratia A., Robert E., Frank C. and Arthur R. The parents are active members of churches, the father of the Methodist and the mother of the Baptist sect. In politics the father is a Repub- lican, with strong Prohibition proclivities. Fra- ternally he belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic.
SILAS F. WORDEN.
No account of the lives of the pioneers and progressive men of this county would be complete without some mention of Silas F. Worden, one of the old settlers of this part of the state, and long a prosperous farmer of Wakeshma township, who is well and favorably known throughout the county. He was born in Jefferson county, N. Y., on August 14, 1826, and is the son of Russell and
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KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Polly (Fairbanks) Worden, natives of New York state and early pioneers in Wakeshma township, locating there in 1844, making the trip by way of the Erie Canal to Buffalo, from there to Detroit by steamer, thence by rail to Marshall, and from there to this section by team. He spent the first summer on Nottawa Prairie, where his family joined him in October, having driven the entire distance from New York with teams. The same month he removed to his final home, buying eighty acres of land in section 32, which lay in the woods and on which he put up a log house twenty by twenty-six feet in size, which is still standing on the place as a relic of pioneer times. His was the fourth family that settled in the township, and they were obliged to undergo the usual privations and difficulties of frontier life. He lived some years on his farm, beginning its improvement without capital, and by unremitting labor and economy acquiring a competency. He was past fifty years old when he died, leaving be- hind him a good record as a worthy, hard-working pioneer and an upright man. He was a Democrat in politics and took an active part in local affairs. His wife, Polly Fairbanks, also a native of New York, was the daughter of Silas Fairbanks, a very skillful cabinetmaker of that state, who lived to be nearly a hundred, and kept his faculties in vigor almost to the last. A secretary made by him when he was eighty-five years old is still in the possession of Mr. Worden. · One of his sons, Reuben G. Fairbanks, inherited his mechanical talent, and became one of the greatest civil en- gineers in the world. He built railroads in this country and Europe, the Czar of Russia sending for him to survey a line and construct a railroad in that country on one occasion. Russell Worden and his wife were the parents of five children, Charlotte (Mrs. Charles Carver), who, with her husband, is now deceased; Adolphus, deceased ; Silas F., Charles, and one that died in early life. Silas Worden attended school in his native state, and was eighteen when he came with his parents to Michigan in 1844. He faithfully shared with them the hardships and tribulations of their life in a wild, new country, where Indians were plen- tiful, as many as seven visiting the family soon after their arrival and spending the night with
them. The newcomers became familiar with the ways of the savages and learned to speak much of their language. Wild beasts of prey and those fit for food were also plentiful, and while some furnished meat for the table, others were a fre- quent menace to the lives of the family. . They were in poor circumstances, having but ten dol- lars with which to begin life in their new home, and nearly all were sick on their arrival, thus ne- cessitating that all who were able should work out to aid in supporting the household. They lived in primitive style in a typical pioneer cabin, with but few of the conveniences of a home at- tainable to them. When flour was needed Silas was obliged to go to a mill five miles distant for it. Money was very scarce, and Mr. Worden once split five hundred and fourteen rails for fifty cents, a rare sum for him to possess at that time. Once when his father was sick he went for a doctor whom he found building a dam. The doctor agreed to attend and minister to the sick man on condition that the son would remain and wheel dirt for him in his absence, and on his re- turn he called the account square. Mr. Worden also helped to lay out many of the roads in the township, felling many trees while doing so, and helped to build a number of the first bridges in the township. He lived at home until his father's death and after that with his brother Charles, with whom he was in partnership many years. They were accounted the best ,wheat cradlers in the county, and so proficient and rapid were they in the work that they often cradled twelve acres a day. Mr. Worden located on his present farm in section 34, Wakeshma township, in 1866, he and his brother owning it together until he bought his brother's share. He has one hundred and ten acres of choice land, nearly all of which is under cultivation, and he has made substantial improve- ments which compare favorably with the best in this part of the county. He was first married on March 31, 1872, to Mrs. Julia (Meers) House, a native of Canada who came to Michigan with her parents in 1850, and died on June 3, 1879, leaving two children, Oakley D. and Gracia J. In 1885 Mr. Worden was married to his present wife, for- merly Mrs. Cordelia Hand, who was born in Branch county, this state. Her parents, Isaac
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and Hannah (Dilly) Gilson, came to the state from Ohio. The father died in Branch county and the mother at Centreville. Mrs. Worden had three children by Mr. Hand, Mary, now Mrs. Hodgeboon, of Jackson, Mich .; William, and one who died some years ago. Mr. Worden is dis- tinguished in the lumber trade, building the first steam sawmill in this part of the country in part- nership with Andrew Kellicott, which he operated two years in company with that gentleman, then sold his interest in it. He attended the first elec- tion held in the township, at which there were eighteen voters present, nearly every one going to the meeting place with a gun on his back. A din- ner of bear's meat was served to the voters by Mrs. Gardner, of Gardner's Corners, where the first house was built in the township. Mr. Wor- den was a constable in the early days and has held the office of commissioner of highways. He was for a long time one of the leading spirits of the Democratic party in this section, and was honored by his party at different times with nominations for the offices of supervisor and treasurer; but as the vote was heavily Republican he was not elected. He was for a time an earnest advocate of the Greenback party, but of late years he has been independent in politics. He is now the old- est settler in the township, and is widely known and highly respected. It may well be a source of pride to him that he has had so forceful a hand in bringing about the great changes in the re- gion, transforming it from a howling wilderness to a beautiful and fruitful garden.
ALBERT C. MINNIS.
It is nearly three-quarters of a century since the advancing army of conquest of the American wilderness, moving steadily westward from the Atlantic seaboard until it reached the Ohio, then the Mississippi, then followed fast on the heels of the flying buffalo, reached and crossed the Rocky mountains, never resting in its beneficent march until it camped on the shores of the peaceful Pa- cific,-it is nearly three-quarters of a century since the outposts of this army were planted on the virgin soil of Michigan to begin the work of
settling and civilizing the until then untrodden wilds of this great state, and among the early progeny of the pioneers here was Albert C. Min- nis, of Wakeshma township, this county, who was born in Washtenaw county on January 9, 1845, the son of Robert and Ruth (Young) Minnis, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of England. He came into being at a time when the section in which he was born was still under the control, in great measure, of the savage denizens of the forest, and unpeopled with white men, so that he grew to manhood amid the scenes and incidents of frontier life, and gained strength of sinew and flexibility of function from the ardu- ous toils and stirring adventures of such an exist- ence, acquiring at the same time resolute self- reliance, and that broad education which comes from contact with nature and the rugged school of experience. His parents were early settlers in this state, the father coming hither when he was a boy and aiding his parents in clearing up a farm in Washtenaw county and bringing it to productiveness. They were married at Ann Ar- bor, and the father died in that county, the mother passing away in Ingham county. They had seven sons and four daughters, and all of them are liv- ing but one son and one daughter, but only two of the sons are residents of this county. The fa- ther was a leading abolitionist and Republican, taking an active interest in all public affairs but never seeking or accepting office for himself. He was a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church, and in all respects a leader of thought and action in every beneficent channel of enter- prise. The son was reared and educated in his native county, and followed farming there until 1870, when he moved to Kalamazoo county, and located on the farm which is now his home. This was all wild land at the time and covered with heavy timber. He cleared it all and put up the dwelling and other improvements which now so plentifully and tastefully adorn it. It com- prises two hundred and eighty acres and is one of the model farms of the township, being skill- fully cultivated and brought to a high state of development. Mr. Minnis was married in Lan- sing in 1873 to Miss Mary Dennis, a native of
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Wayne county, N. Y., and a daughter of Joseph and Emily (Richardson) Dennis, early settlers of Ingham county, this state. Mr. and Mrs. Minnis have two children, twins, their son Claud and their daughter Claudia. The daughter is now Mrs. Albert Oswalt. Mr. Minnis has taken an active part in the public life of the township, serving five terms as highway commissioner. He is a Republican politically, and fraternally be- longs to the Masonic order. In the latter he has served twelve years as the worshipful master of Fulton Lodge, guiding its course along a path of of wholesome progress and peaceful prosperity, and holding its good name high above all adverse criticism. He is one of the most respected and widely known citizens of the county.
WILLIAM J. GUTHRIE.
All honor to the men of heroic mold, who, whether pioneers to this state from other sections, or among the early offspring of pioneers, bore the arduous burden of redeeming the land from the wilderness, subduing its hostile forces, and by the persuasive hand of their skillful and re- sourceful agriculture, converted it into fertile fields, rich in smiling harvests and plentifully decorated with happy homes, laying the founda- tions of a civilization which has never halted in its beneficent progress until it has made the state one of the mightiest of the great Mississippi val- ley commonwealths, and a leading contributor to every form of material, intellectual and moral greatness. Among the number of the early sons of the soil, who came into being while the region was yet under savage dominion and the work of transforming it into a peaceful and progressive factor in the wealth and power of our country, William J. Guthrie is entitled to full credit and special mention for duties well performed, results wrought out through persistent and well applied industry, and an enlightened citizenship which has helped to create and foster the wisest and best civil institutions. He was born in Washtenaw county on June 29, 1843, and is the son of John and Elizabeth (Logan) Guthrie, natives of Ire-
land who emigrated to this country in early life, the father coming over in 1836 and the mother in 1838. The father came first to Canada, then to Detroit, where he was married on September II, 1839. He followed contracting and building in various lines of construction, building a large part of the Michigan Central Railroad in Washtenaw county. In the course of time he met with disas- ter in his business and lost all he had. He then engaged in farming and cleared his farm, after which he died on it, as did his wife. They were old-school Presbyterians, and took an active part in church work. Of their nine children, five sons and four daughters, six are living. William grew to manhood in his native county and obtained his education in the district schools. He aided in clearing the farm, working on it with his father until June 9, 1862, when he enlisted in the Union army for the Civil war as a member of Company K, Twentieth Michigan Infantry. His regiment was first a part of the Army of the Potomac and took part in the battle of Fredericksburg, Va., after which it was ordered west to join General Grant, and participated in his Mississippi river campaigns, winding up with the capture of Vicks- burg. There Mr. Guthrie was taken ill and soon afterward was sent north and assigned to the Re- serve Corps, from which he was mustered out of the service in June, 1865. He then returned home, and in 1867 came to Kalamazoo county and bought eighty acres of the land now owned by him, which was at that time in heavy timber and without roads or other necessary conveniences of the kind. He has cleared all of this tract, and by a subsequent purchase has added one hundred and twenty acres, the greater part of which he has also cleared. In 1872 he was married to Miss Julia De Pew, a native of Washtenaw county. They have four children : Anna, now Mrs. Joseph M. Smith, of this county; Warren; Nora, now Mrs. Barnaby, of St. Joseph county ; and Julia R. Mr. Guthrie has been a Republican from the organization of the party, but he has never sought or desired public office. In fraternal relations he belongs to the Masonic order and the Grand Army of the Republic.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF
ALBERT CROUCH.
Leaving the land of his birth, with all its carly and agreeable associations, and the civil in- stitutions with which he was familiar, about thirty-five years ago, and coming direct to this county, Albert Crouch has found in his new home a suitable field for his enterprise and ability, and has reaped in this section the due reward of his intelligence and industry, in a competence of worldly wealth and a position high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. He is a native of England, born there on January 25, 1846, and the son of Stephen and Rebecca (Munn) Crouch, also na- tives of that country, where their ancestors lived for generations, and where they passed the whole of their own lives. They had thirteen children, five sons and eight daughters, of whom two of the sons and one of the daughters are residents of Kalamazoo county. Mr. Crouch grew to ma- turity and was educated and married in his na- tive land, and farmed there until 1870. He then determined to seek his farther advancement in the new world, and emigrating to the United States, came almost direct to this county and lo- cated at Vicksburg. Here he rented a farm of William Jenkinson, on which he lived seven years. At the end of that period he bought eighty acres of his present farm, a part of the tract being cleared. By a subsequent purchase he added eighty acres of wild land to his place, and he now has the whole tract cleared, well improved and transformed into a model farm. The dwelling he has erected on his land is one of the best in the community, and the other buildings and im- provements are in keeping with it. In 1866 he was married in his native land to Miss Harriet Giles, a native of that country. They have five children living: Albert, Jr., who is married and has four children ; William, who is married and has two sons and a daughter; Lavinia, wife of Frank Lemon, of Brady township; Cora, wife of Earl Skidmore, of Brady township; and Grace, living at home. In political faith Mr. Crouch is a Democrat, but although earnestly interested in the welfare of his party, and active in promoting it, he is averse to public life and has never sought
or desired office. He has shown in this county the best traits of his race, and has performed faithfully and capably all the duties of an ele- vated and broad-minded American citizenship, and enjoys in a marked degree the esteem of all the people.
WADE PORTER.
The pen of the biographer has seldom a more agreeable subject than the life story of a man who has passed his years in usefulness to his kind and reached the evening of life amid strong and progressive civil, commercial, educational, mor- al and industrial institutions which he has helped to create out of crude conditions and build up to great development and vigorous health. Such a subject is presented in the career of Wade Porter, of Brady township. this county. who more than fifty years ago located in that sec- tion of the county, which at the time was without roads or other ordinary conveniences, and from the wilderness carved out a home and helped to give form and substance to the community which now blossoms and is fruitful around him. He was born in Norfolk, England, on April 6, 1825, the son of William and Lucy ( Bell) Porter, na- tives of Somersetshire in the mother country. The father was a peat digger and followed that occu- pation during the greater part of his life. Both parents died in their native land. They had eleven children, of whom two, Wade and his brother Christopher, came to this country. Chris- topher was a soldier in the Civil war and also in the regular army of the United States. He died in April. 1905. Wade was reared and received a limited common-school education in England, and assisted his father and followed various other employments there until 1852, when he came to the United States and almost directly to this county. He located at Schoolcraft, where he lived ten years, working on farms. In 1860 he bought a quarter section of wild land in Brady township, the only access to which was by old Indian trails. He was the first settler in the neighborhood and had no near neighbors. Wild game was plentiful, but beasts of prey were also plentiful and com-
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KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
mitted depredations on his cattle, and at times also threatened his own life. Indians also were numerous, and, while not unfriendly in the main, sometimes added by shows of hostility to the dan- gers of his situation. Before him lay all the ar- duous work of planting himself and building a home in the wilds with roads to cut and construct and every step of frontier life to take. He set himself resolutely to his task, and has lived to see the erstwhile wilderness blooming and fruit- ful all around him, and all the conveniences of life for a thriving and enterprising people in plentiful abundance where he once knew none. His first work was the erection of a small dwell- ing, a frame structure which some years later was destroyed by fire, and had to be replaced with another. He cleared the farm, brought most of it under good tillage, and has made it his home ever since he first took possession of it. In 1849 he was married in England to Miss Rebecca Dent. They have had eight children, seven of whom are living, Dent, William, Harriet (Mrs. Robinson), Estella (Mrs. Boughton), Eli, Mamie (Mrs .. Best), and Christopher. Their mother died in May, 1892, and in November, 1893, the father was married to Mrs. Louisa Beebe, the widow of William Beebe. She was a daughter of Allen McKain, a pioneer of this county, and both of her parents are now deceased. By her first mar- riage Mrs. Porter had three children now living. Mr. Porter has been a Republican from the foun- dation of the party, but he has never indulged a desire for a political position of any kind. He is now eighty years old, but still vigorous and active.
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