USA > Michigan > Kalamazoo County > Compendium of history and biography of Kalamazoo County, Mich. > Part 78
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THOMAS CLARAGE.
It was with sorrow that the Telegraph an- nounced the death of Thomas Clarage, who had been a resident of Kalamazoo for upwards of thirty-five years. Mr. Clarage was about sixty- five years of age and was the son of English parentage. His father, who was an officer in the British army, came to Canada probably about 1830 and located at Toronto. Both the father
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and mother died in a cholera epidemic, leaving him an orphan at the age of about five years. There was also a half-sister from whom he heard once or twice afterwards, but never in later life. He was adopted by a family at St. Catharine's, whose sole object seems to have been to get pos- session of some property which was left him by his parents. He was so badly whipped and ill- treated by these heartless people that he left them before he was ten years old and became a waif in the streets of Toronto at this tender age. It was only a few days, however, before he was picked up on the streets by a kind-hearted old gentleman by the name of Deacon Josiah Tryon, who lived at Lewiston, N. Y. This good Samaritan washed and otherwise soothed the poor little body which was covered with bruises and marks from the whip, and afterwards kept him with him for several years, giving him all the kindness that he could have bestowed on a son of his own. He received here a common-school education and when he be- came a young man was given his choice of going to Oberlin College or taking up the pursuit of mechanics. As he had evinced an unusual amount of talent in the latter direction, he was sent to Kalamazoo to learn the machinist's trade with the late Albert Ames, who was a personal friend of Mr. Tryon's. He remained here until this shop was destroyed by fire, after which he went to Chicago, thence to Rochester and thence to Detroit. While at the latter place, the Burts, who formerly ran a machine shop near the Dew- ing place, sent for him and he returned to Kala- mazoo, where he spent the remainder of his life. He soon became foreman of the old machine shops owned by a Mr. Robinson which stood on the ground now occupied by Lawrence & Cha- pin's buildings. He occupied the position of foreman through the various changes of firms until about sixteen years ago, when he embarked in business for himself in partnership with C. H. Bird, the firm being known as Bird & Clarage. This was afterwards changed to Thomas Clar- age & Sons, on the retirement of Mr. Bird, un- der which name and management the business has continued up to the present time.
Mr. Clarage was never strong physically .---
in fact, his frail body was scarcely adequate to his strong and vigorous mind. His nervous tem- perament would not allow him to take the case which would have been more beneficial to him. IFis life shows him to have been a man of strong principles, just and fair in all things and ever actuated by the tenderest sympathy for all his friends and acquaintances. He had been a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church since taking up his abode here. He was of a modest and rather retiring disposition, never courting honors or fa- vors, although he was twice elected as city al- derman.
He was married in the year 1854 to Eliza- beth M. Hooker, who survives him. There also remain three sons, Charles, Edson and Ernest. the first two residing here and the last named in Chicago.
During his last illness Mr. Clarage was very sweet and patient in all his suffering and appre- ciated to the utmost the kind sympathy of his many friends. Thus ended the eventful life which was begun under such adverse circum- stances, and which at the end achieved excep- tional honor and regard from all who knew him. His rest is well earned, his reward well merited.
After the father's death the business of the firm was and is yet continued as before, the ac- tive management being under the son Charles. The foundry was erected in 1902. on the corner of North and Frank streets, and is known as the Clarage Foundry and Manufacturing Company, owned by Charles Clarage. The latter was born in Kalamazoo in 1860 and was educated in the schools and colleges of this city. He began his active life in the mail service as extra route agent on the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, and was also in the postoffice five years under O. B. Kenday. He then engaged with the Bird Wind- mill Company and for some time served that concern as manager, at Lincoln, Nebraska. In January. 1884. he joined his father in the busi- ness at Kalamazoo. In 1883 Charles Clarage married Miss Ella M. Southworth. who died in October. 1903. To them was born one son, Harry. Mr. Clarage has served two terms as a member of the city council and also served as act-
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ing mayor. He has taken a deep interest in the welfare of the city and was one of the founders of the Kalamazoo Paper Box Company. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained to the Knight Templar degree in the York rite and the thirty-second degree in the Scottish rite, belonging also to the Mystic Shrine at Detroit.
WALTER E. OAKLEY.
The penalty of being an only child of well- to-do parents is frequently thought to be a spoiled youth and a manhood of less than merited worth, but this is not the fact in the case of the enter- prising and useful farmer of Comstock town- ship, this county, who forms the subject of this memoir. He was the only child of his parents. but instead of being spoiled for serviceable ac- tivity in either youth or manhood, he has zeal- ously followed the good example and fully justi- fied the careful training given by his parents, meeting at every period of his life the claims of a lofty duty to himself and his kind, and estab- lishing himself from childhood to age in the re- gard and good will of all who have known him. Walter E. Oakley was born on November 10, 1842, in Columbia county, N. Y., where his par- ents, Peter and Charlotte E. (Tenebrooke) Oak- ley, were also born and reared. The father was an extensive farmer there and successful in his business. In 1863 the family moved to this county and he bought two hundred and forty acres of land in Charleston township, which he improved and on which he carried on an exten- sive dairy industry. On this farm the mother died in 1878, and sometime thereafter the father returned to New York, where he died in 1902. As in New York, so also in Michigan, he was a prominent man in his section, working ardently on all occasions for the success of the Republican party, and serving Charleston well for a number of terms as supervisor, as well as in other local offices. He and his wife were active workers in the Baptist church and liberal contributors to its support. They enjoyed in a marked degree the esteem of their acquaintances and the gen-
eral public. In addition to his farm in this county the father owned and operated one near Fargo, N. D., in the Red River valley, which he sold some years prior to his death. His father was Isaac Oakley, also a native New Yorker, who came to Michigan with his son's family and died here. Mr. Oakley was reared in his native county and educated in the district schools. He remained at home until 1878, removing to Com- stock township in 1880, where he has since lived. In 1863 he was married to Miss Emma J. Scho- field, and soon afterward they accompanied his parents to Kalamazoo county. Of this marriage three children were born, but only one of them is living, their son Claude W., who is now en- gaged in the coal trade in Kalamazoo. His mother died in March, 1877. For a time after his removal to Comstock township Mr. Oakley was engaged in general merchandising at Galesburg, being associated in business four years with Mr. Beech under the firm name of Oakley & Beech. Since turning his. attention to farming he has been specially engaged in raising and feeding live stock on a large scale, and also in the dairy business. His second marriage, which occurred in 1878. was with Miss Sarah M. Lamb, a na- tive of Niagara county, N. Y., where her par- ents, Seth and Phoebe G. Lamb, were natives. The father was a contractor and builder and died in Orleans county, N. Y., and since his death the mother has made her home with her daugh- ter, Mrs. Oakley. By the second marriage Mr. Oakley became the father of four children, all of whom died in infancy. Mr. Oakley is a leading and earnestly diligent Republican, supporting his party every day in the year, but he has never aspired to public office. He has, nevertheless, been an effective and serviceable supporter of all matters of local interest for the welfare of the community, sparing neither influence nor ma- terial assistance to promote them and give them a healthy and productive vitality. He and his wife are zealous members of the Baptist church at Galesburg. Mrs. Oakley comes of a vigorous and long-lived family. her grandmother having lived to be over one hundred years old with her faculties of body and mind well preserved to the
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last. Kalamazoo county has had the benefit of two generations of Oakley enterprise, breadth of view and public spirit, and no name stands higher or shines with a brighter luster in the an- nals of the county. And it is manifest from his career so far in business and social and public life, that the representative of the third genera- tion wili maintain the elevated standard of excel- lence and worth reached and occupied by his fa- ther and grandfather.
WALTER M. COE.
In this electric age, when the Occident and the Orient are near neighbors and continents shake hands across the stormy ocean, when the East and the West of our own country look into each other's windows and speak audible greet. ings over mountains, plains and inland seas as if they were by the same fireside, when through the genius of Marconi even material mediums are discarded and the very air we breathe is made the messenger of thought and instantaneous communication, a trip from the interior of New York to Kalamazoo county, Mich., a hundred leagues across the continent is only a night's ad- venture, and scarcely worthy of more than a passing thought. But it was not so in 1837, when the subject of this brief article made the trip with his parents at ten years of age. Then at least half of the journey had to be made by the slow and trying process of wagon travel, and whether with horses or the lumbering ox teams. was tedious and difficult in every stage. Great stretches of the weary way were without roads, through dense forests of entangled undergrowth. inhabited by beasts of prey, and over treacherous swamps filled with venomous and deadly reptiles. And all the more credit is due to the hardy pio- neers who endured its dangers and hardships in that they knew there were, if possible, worse con- ditions at its end, all to be overcome before they could hope to wring from the fruitful earth a scanty subsistence and found a civilization in the wilderness. Mr. Coe and his parents were among these daring adventurers, and he is especially fortunate in having lived to see the splendid noon
of the civilization of which he witnessed the un- promising dawn. His life began at Leroy, Gen- esce county, N. Y., on June 11, 1827, and he is the son of Edward and Naomi (Hosher) Coe, natives of New York who moved to Michigan in 1837 and settled on Genesee Prairie, making the trip from the old home with teams to the new. After a residence of nearly two years on the prairie the family moved to the village of Kala- mazoo, and several years later the father bought a tract of land in Oshtemo township which was the family home until the parents took up their residence in Climax township, where they passed the remainder of their days, their remains being buried at Climax Corners. When the father ar- rived in this state his only earthly possessions be- sides the clothes he wore was a team of horses and ten dollars in money, but such were his in- dustry and frugality that in a few years he accu- mulated a comfortable estate, and from that time on he steadily enlarged it. Seven children were born in the household, all of whom four are liv- ing, one son and three daughters. The son, Wal- ter WV. Coe, was between nine and ten years old when he accompanied his parents to this state, and he completed in the district schools of this county the education he had begun in those of his native place. At the age of sixteen he started out in life for himself, driving a stage between Marshall and Kalamazoo. In 1850 he went to California overland, consuming four months in the journey, and after his arrival in that state mined for some time on Clark's bar. He also bought and sold mules and drove a stage over the mountains between Marysville and Sacra- mento. In 1855 he returned to his Michigan home by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New York. He then bought the farm on which he now resides, which was at the time unimproved and in a sparsely settled region of country. This farm he brought to great productiveness and beanty in a short time, enriching it with good buildings and other improvements, adorning it with tastefully disposed shade trees and shrub- bery, and all the while cultivating it with assid- nous industry and the highest skill. It is now one of the most attractive in the township and
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one of the largest. For many years he was en- gaged in raising high bred stock, particularly Percheron horses, Poland-China hogs and Here- ford cattle. Of late years he has devoted himself to general farming with no special reference to live stock. On November 3, 1853, he was united in marriage with Miss Charlotte Goodrich, a daughter of Philip and Nancy Goodrich, who be- came the mother of six children, Eugene H., Louis A., Don M., Edward E., Charles L. and Olive J. Their mother died on February 21, 1873, and two years later the father married a second wife, Miss Rachel Thomas, a daughter of John and Jane (Havens) Thomas, natives of New York. She was born at Sparta, Livingston county, that state, on June 4. 1837, and came with her parents to Michigan at an early age. She is the mother of two children, their son James H. and their daughter Naomi M. Frater- nally the father is a Freemason and politically he supports the Democratic party, without, how- ever, seeking or desiring any of the honors or emoluments of public office. Having borne his full share of the toils and trials of the pioneer days, he is justly entitled to the rest and peace which are now his portion ; and having done well his part in building up his community, the re- spect of its people which is so liberally and gen- erally accorded to him he has amply earned.
WILLIAM F. DOOLITTLE.
In the subject of this sketch the blood of the energetic, resourceful and industrious New Yorker, and the broad-viewed, cultivated and aristocratic Louisiana planter commingle, his fa- ther having been a native of the former state and his mother of the latter, and he inherited the best traits of each. He was born in this county. Rich- land township, on January 21, 1855. and is the son of Benjamin F. and Mary J. (McConsland) Doolittle, the former born in the state of New York on December 5, 1820, and the latter in New Orleans in 1829. The father came with his father, Hezekiah Doolittle, to Michigan in 1835 at the age of fifteen, his mother having died in 1831. At the time of their arrival in this state
the family comprised three sons and six daugh- ters. The father (grandfather of William) bought a tract of land in Richland township on which the only. improvements were a log dwell- ing and barn of small dimensions and rude con- struction. He lived on this farm until his death, on August 21, 1852. He had been a soldier in the war of 1812 from his native state and had borne himself valiantly in that conflict. His son Hezekiah grew to manhood on the farm and helped to clear the greater part of it, living on it until a few years before his death, when he moved to Plainwell, where he died on June 23. 1888. The mother is still living there. They had three sons and three daughters, all now de- ceased but William F. He began to learn in his youth the lessons of good government and take an earnest interest in public affairs, his father being a justice of the peace many years, and dur- ing the Civil war a recruiting officer, enlisting a large number of men for the Union army. A note signed by leading citizens of the township for the payment of money to secure them exemp- tion from being drafted by the purchase of sub- stitutes in cases their names were drawn, is still in the possession of the family. The father also early inculcated in his son a high respect for re- ligious institutions, being a regular attendant and liberal supporter of the church, although not a member. The son grew to manhood in his na- tive township and was educated in the county schools, finishing with a course at Parson's Busi- ness College in Kalamazoo. All his years down to this time have been passed in the county and farming has all the while been his principal oc- cupation. He has devoted himself wholly to this and has made his farm a model of thrift and skill- ful cultivation, home comfort and advanced im- provement. While he has but little taste for pub- lic office he has served well as township clerk and justice of the peace. In fraternal. life he is a Freemason and an Odd Fellow. In 1878 he united in marriage with Miss Mary Gott, a na- tive of Detroit but living at the time at Green- ville, this state, where the marriage was solem- nized. They have had five children, of whom Jeannette Helen, Mary Jane and Wilbur F. are
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living. Their mother died in June, 1904. The family is one of the oldest and most highly re- spected in the county, and deserves in full meas- ure the esteem in which it is held.
JOHN S. KNICKERBOCKER.
A scion of one of the oldest families in the state of New York and entitled to share in the distinction of its great name in the annals of every useful line of life in that mighty common- wealth, where since the dawn of civilization on this hemisphere it has held a leading place, John S. Knickerbocker, of Richland township, this county, has pursued the quiet and peaceful way of an industrious farmer, relying on his own worth and efforts for the regard of his fellow men without reference to the pride he might justly have in his ancestry, and does have, feel- ing more impressively the pride of well used op- portunity and the incitement to emulation in hon- est effort it affords. He was born on January I, 1850, on the farm on which lie is living. His parents, Samuel and Matilda (Whitney) Knick- erbocker, were natives of New York, the former born in Dutchess county and the latter in Gene- see. The father grew to manhood in Genesee county, where his father died in 1827, when the son was but seven years old. He farmed in his native state until 1840, when he married and moved to this county, buying eighty acres of wild land, the farm on which his son John now has his home. Ten acres of the tract were cleared and there was a little old log cabin on the clearing when he took possession of the land. He cleared the rest and reduced it all to cultivation, making good improvements from time to time and keep- ing his progress forward at a steady pace. He died on the farm on October, 1903. His first wife, the mother of John S., died in 1857, and two years later he married a second, Miss Eliza Stone, of Rochester, N. Y. She died on April 27, 1897, leaving no children. The fruit of the first marriage was a son and a daughter, the lat- ter of whom died a number of years ago, leaving John S. now the only living member of the fam-
ily. He has passed all of his days so far in this county, growing to manhood under the parental roof and obtaining his education in the district schools of his neighborhood and at Olivet Col- lege. Early in life he began assisting his father on the farm and he remained at home so occu- pied many years. For a time he was in the em- ploy of the Lake Shore Railroad at Kalamazoo, in the freight department. Since leaving that service he has been continuously engaged in farming on the home place. On April 26, 1888, he was joined in wedlock at Kalamazoo with Miss Christina Lamper, a native of the city. Her parents, Lewis and Gertrude (Van Ness) Lam- per, emigrated from Holland to this country and settled at Kalamazoo about the year 1855. Mr. . and Mrs. Knickerbocker have had three children, only one of whom is living, their daughter Clara M. Their first born, Samuel R., died at the age of two weeks, and the third child, Henry R., in September, 1904. Among the first families in the county as settlers, the Knickerbockers are also among the first in standing and public es- teem. Botlr parents are worthy citizens and de- serving of the regard and good will in which they are held.
JOHN W. MIDDLETON.
This widely and favorably known farmer of Portage township, this county, who is the repre- sentative of one of the oldest families in the county, was born on the farm on which he now resides on July 6. 1854. His parents were George H. and Margaretta (Fletcher) Middleton, the father a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Virginia. The mother was a widow at the time of her marriage with Mr. Middleton and her maiden name was Drapes. They were farmers and came to Kalamazoo county in 1833, making the trip from Pennsylvania with teams. The fa- ther purchased a tract of land in Prairie Ronde township, near Schoolcraft, on which he lived a number of years, then bought another, a tract of wild land, in Portage township, on which he made his home until his death in 1886. and on which the mother died in 1891. This is now the
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farm of their son John. They had two sons and two daughters. Two of the children are living, one daughter having died a number of years ago, and the other on March 2, 1905. The father had been married previously to Miss Rebecca Bishop, who bore him eight children, who grew to ma- turity. Four of them, all sons, are alive. Two of them are residents of this county, one lives in the state of Washington and one in Wisconsin. The father, although a man of public spirit and cordially interested in the welfare of his county, never sought public office, but he supported the Democratic party in political matters. John W. Middleton remained at home with his parents, working in their interest until he reached the age of twenty-two, then, in 1876, purchased the farm on which he now lives and has lived ever since he bought it. In the same year he was mar- ried to Miss Sarah E. Long, a native of Pennsyl- vania. They have three children, Ida M., wife of Frank Qualy, Berbice S., who is living at home,
and Margaret, who is attending school in Kala- mazoo. Mr. Middleton supports the principles and candidates. of the Democratic party, and has served as township trustee and on the board of review. With earnest interest in his own affairs, he has devoted all his time and energies mainly to their management; and with genuine loyalty to his county and state, he has never sought to roam beyond their limits in search of better conditions of life than they furnish, but if he has had aught to complain of in those conditions he has joined zealously with others to improve them, thus ex- hibiting some of the best attributes of patriotism and American citizenship. He has the reward of his fidelity in the universal esteem in which he stands in his county, and the regard and good will of its people of every worthy class. His farm gives evidence of his thrift, industry and wisdom as a husbandman, and his general reputation be- speaks his possession of a sterling, upright and . serviceable manhood.
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