Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan, Part 51

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago H. Taylor & Co.
Number of Pages: 858

USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan > Part 51

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In 1865 occurred the death of Mr. Van Husan's first wife, who was survived by five children. In 1866 he contracted a second mar- riage, being then united to Mrs. Emily C. Burr, of Gloversville, New York. Of the. sec- ond marriage one child, Harry C., survives him. Concerning the children of the first mar- riage the following brief data are entered : Laura J. is the widow of William A. Moore; Flora B. is the widow of Silas B. Coleman; Katherine is the widow of William H. Wells; Fannie is the wife of John Ward Whitbeck; Edward C. is individually mentioned in this publication.

Mr. Van Husan was a stockholder in the Buhl Iron Works, one of the great manufac- turing concerns of Detroit, and was a director of the same at the time of his death. In the '6os and 'zos he served as a member of the Detroit water board, but he was never a seeker of public office. In politics he gave his sup- port to the Democratic party.

His own lack of early educational advan- tages led Mr. Van Husan to place a high val-

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uation on the same and he took unqualified satisfaction and pride in affording his chil- dren the best possible opportunities in this line. He was for many years a member of the board of trustees of Madison University, at Hamil- ton, New York, and he also took an early and active interest in Kalamazoo College, as well as all that touched other phases of the work of the Baptist church throughout the state of Michigan. He united with this denomination when but fourteen years of age, at Knowles- ville, New York, and ever remained a faithful and zealous worker in the church. He was one of the pillars of the Baptist church in Saline and upon removing to Detroit he united with the First Baptist church. He was afterward instrumental in organizing the Lafayette Avenue Baptist church, now known as the Woodward Avenue Baptist church, and of the former he was senior deacon at the time of his death. He gave months of personal super- vision to the erection of the church edifice on Lafayette avenue and made a liberal subscrip- tion to the erection of the magnificent church on Woodward avenue, completed since his demise.

The following appreciative estimate, written by one familiar with the life and labors of Mr. Van Husan, is properly given reproduction at this point : "Mr. Van Husan was emphatically. a domestic man; his home was his kingdom; there he delighted to gather his family and his friends; there he was ever at rest, preferring the quiet of his fireside to the duties of social life. To a large degree he lived in and for his children. For two or three years prior to his death he suffered greatly from heart dis- ease. His days and weeks of suffering were suddenly and unexpectedly ended in the early dawn of August 20, 1884. The twin angels, Death and Sleep, exchanged their guardianship of a human spirit, and the soul of Caleb Van Husan passed through mortal sleep into the eternal waking of the heavenly land."

Kindly, gentle and unostentatious, Mr. Van Husan significantly exemplified the faith that makes faithful, and on the record of his career there rests no suspicion of wrong or injustice. He made his life one of usefulness in all its

relations, and mortal man can not do more. He left an impress upon the business life of Detroit, and here is given lasting honor to his memory.

CHRISTIAN H. BUHL.

Any piece of biographical writing shold be both an impression and an interpretation, quite as much as a summary of facts. Facts, to be sure, are of use as wholesome correctives of prejudice or whimsey; but in the condensed narrative of life there is danger that they may tyrannize. In studying a clean-cut, sane, dis- tinct character like that of the late Christian H. Buhl, interpretation follows fact in a straight line of derivation. There is small need for indirection or puzzling. His character was the positive expression of a strong nature and his strength was as the number of his days. His name looms large in connection with the industrial and civic history of the city of De- troit and the state of Michigan, and in a work of the province assigned to the one at hand it is imperative that an outline of his career be given, marked, as it was, by splendid achieve- ments and guided and governed by the highest personal integrity and honor.

Christian H. Buhl's lineage may be traced to staunch German derivation and he himself was a native of the old Keystone state. He was born in Butler county, Pennsylvania, May 9, 1812, and was a son of Christian Buhl, who was born in Germany, in 1776, and who im- migrated to America in 1802, settling in west- ern Pennsylvania, where he passed the residue of his life, his death occurring in 1864. He was a merchant and farmer and was a man of worth and influence. The subject of this memoir secured his early educational discip- line in the common schools of his native com- monwealth, where he was reared to maturity and where, in his youth, he learned the trade of hatter, which he followed for some time in the city of Pittsburg. Upon attaining to his majority he determined to come to what was then considered the far west, and he arrived in Michigan in 1833, several years prior to the admission of the state to the Union. He made the trip from Pennsylvania down the Ohio

trung Loves

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river to the Mississippi and thence to Chicago, which was at that time practically nothing more than a frontier trading post. From the future metropolis of the west he crossed the lake to St. Joseph, from which point he made his way, by stage and on horseback, to De- troit, where he arrived in the spring of the year mentioned. He at once identified himself with the business interests of the city with whose material upbuilding and commercial and social advancement he was destined to be so largely concerned. He associated himself with his elder brother, Frederick, in establishing a small manufactory of hats and caps, and with- in a comparatively short time they also engaged in the fur business, in which department Chris- tian H. was the leading spirit in the initial stages, though his brother's name later became and long continued one of great prominence in this connection. Their operations in furs steadily broadened and strengthened, and ere long covered practically the entire northwest. In 1842 they joined the successors of the American Fur Company in the purchasing of furs throughout Canada and the states border- ing on the Great Lakes, and for a decade they controlled a very extensive business in this line, extending as far to the south as St. Louis. After the termination of the combination noted Christian H. Buhl continued in partnership with his brother until 1855, when he retired from the firm and associated himself with Charles Ducharme in the wholesale and retail hardware business, soon succeeding to the ex- tensive trade of Alexander H. Newbold and that of Ducharme & Bartholomew, and thus creating one of the most extensive enterprises of the sort in the west. The retail branch of the business was abolished in 1871, and after the death of Mr. Ducharme, in 1873, Mr. Buhl secured control of the entire enterprise, with which his two sons, Theodore D. and Frank H., eventually became identified, under the firm title of Buhl, Sons & Company, which still continues, though Frank H. Buhl is now the only surviving member.

In 1863 Mr. Buhl and others bought the Westerman iron works at Sharon, Pennsylva- nia, and the name was then changed to the

Sharon Iron Works. The business has been developed into one of the most extensive of the sort in the country, and has long been under the supervision of Frank H. Buhl, who has other large and diversified capitalistic in- terests in Pennsylvania. In 1864 the honored subject of this sketch purchased a controlling interest in the Detroit Locomotive Works, which he vitalized and expanded through his executive powers and fostering capitalistic sup- port. In 1880 the business was incorporated as the Buhl Iron Works, and Mr. Buhl remained president of the concern until his death. About 1881, in company with his son Theodore, he organized the Detroit Copper & Brass Rolling Mill Company, of which he was president for a long term of years. This enterprise likewise has been developed to magnificent proportions. He also gave inception to the Peninsular Car Com- pany, purchasing the old Walker car works, and his son Theodore D. was the first president of this corporation. Mr. Buhl had a notable initiative and administrative ability and as suc- cess crowned his labors in one field he ampli- fied his efforts in promoting other undertak- ings which conserved progress and substantial industrial and commercial prosperity. He was largely concerned in railway construction in the earlier days, having been chiefly instru- mental in the building of what is now the Ypsilanti & Hillsdale branch of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern system and also of the Detroit & Logansport Railroad, of both of which companies he was president, besides being a stockholder in other early railroads in the state.

It was but natural that Mr. Buhl should be- come largely concerned in banking enterprises in his home city as his prestige increased as a leading capitalist. In 1845 he was one of those instrumental,in the reviving of the old Michi- gan State Bank, and nearly two score years later he took a prominent part in the organiza- tion of the Second National Bank of Detroit. When the charter of this institution expired he assisted in the organization of its successor, the Detroit National Bank, of which he was elected president in 1887. He was a large stockholder in the Union Trust Company at the

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time of his death and was the owner of a large amount of valuable realty in Detroit.

A man of broad mental ken, Mr. Buhl did not hedge himself in with purely personal or business interests, but he lived up to the full tension of civic duty and responsibility and. ever took pride in the beautiful city which was so long his home. In 1851 he was elected to represent the Second ward in the board of al- dermen, and from 1860 to 1862 he was the city's mayor, giving a most creditable admin- istration, and that at the climacteric period marking the inception of the civil war, in which he gave a most loyal support to the Union. It was within his term as mayor that the erection of the present city hall was instituted. In poli- tics he was originally a Whig, but he identified himself with the Republican party at the time of its organization and thereafter continued a staunch advocate of its principles, though he was never an active politician. Of him it has been written: "Mr. Buhl always responded to the demands of charity, and made liberal dona- tions to Detroit institutions. He also gave a very valuable and complete law library to the University of Michigan. He was one of the original promoters of the Art Museum and a trustee of the Detroit Medical College. He was a consistent and valued member of the Fort Street Presbyterian church."

In 1842 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Buhl to Miss Caroline De Long, of Utica, New York, and they became the parents of two sons and three daughters, all of whom are now de- ceased except Frank H., who maintains his home in Sharon, Pennsylvania. Mr. Buhl at- tained to the age of more than four score years, his death occurring in 1893, and his widow was summoned to the life eternal in 1899. . The names of both bear distinction on the roll of the honored pioneer citizens of the beutiful "City of the Straits." Mr. Buhl was a man of no little reserve, but he had the power of drawing to him close and loyal friends, who were appreciative of the sterling attributes of his character. His success was won by worthy means and upon his career rests no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. He knew men at

their true worth and his life was marked by tolerance of judgment and by an impregnable integrity of purpose.

WILLIAM A. BUTLER.

A dominating figure in financial circles in Detroit and Michigan for a long term of years was the honored pioneer and sterling citizen to whom this brief memoir is dedicated. He be- came a resident of Detroit prior to the admis- sion of the state to the Union and in this city he was identified with banking interests in an active way for nearly a half century and up to the time when he was called from the scene of life's endeavors. His was a career of signal usefulness and honor and he kept throughout a life of prolonged and prolific application an escutcheon upon which appeared no semblance of blot or stain. He died at his home at 185 Lafayette avenue, Detroit, on the 6th of May, 1891, in the fulness of years and accomplish- ment and secure in the esteem of all who knew him or had cognizance of his exalted citizenship.

William A. Butler was born in Deposit, Delaware county, New York, May 17, 1813, and was a son of Samuel Butler, who was a lieutenant colonel in a regiment of New York infantry in the war of 1812, serving princi- pally on Long Island. For a number of years he was engaged in agricultural pursuits in the old Empire state, but he eventually came to Michigan, passing the closing years of his life in the home of his daughter, in Calhoun county. His wife died at the time of the birth of the subject of this sketch. William A. Butler was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and attended the common schools, as opportunity presented, until he had attained to the age of fourteen years, in the meanwhile having de- veloped that spirit of self-reliance and that power of consecutive endeavor which so sig- nally conserved his success in later life. His education was rounded out under that wisest of all head masters, experience, and thus he effectually made good the handicap of earlier years, becoming a man of broad intellectual

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ken and splendid business acumen. At the early age of fourteen years he left the paternal roof to become dependent upon his own re- sources, having found employment, for varying periods, in Catskill, New York city, New Haven, Connecticut, and Northampton, Mas- sachusetts.

Mr. Butler first came to Detroit in 1835, and here he maintained his residence consecutively from 1836 until the time of his death. For about a decade after coming to Detroit Mr. Butler was engaged in mercantile pursuits, and in 1847 he initiated his banking career, thus associating himself with the line of enterprise in which it was his to attain to so marked dis- tinction and so great a measure of success. In the year mentioned he formed a partnership with Alexander H. Dey, with whom he was associated in the private banking business for a short interval. He retired to establish a bank of his own, in 1848, under the title of William A. Butler & Company. When the Detroit Savings Fund Institute was started, the follow- ing year, with Chancellor Farnsworth as presi- dent, Mr. Butler, who was a close friend of Mr. Farnsworth, became the first cashier of the new institution. This was open only three mornings in the week and Mr. Butler con- tinued as cashier only a short time, owing to the increasing demands placed upon his time and attention by his own banking business.

From the history of Michigan banks and bankers written by that honored contemporary of Mr. Butler, Emory Wendell, is drawn the following brief record of the banking career of the former :

"In those days the banking business was very profitable, and as Mr. Butler was shrewd and energetic he soon laid the foundation of a handsome fortune. From time to time he in- vested his profits in real estate, one of his earliest purchases being about thirty-five acres and seventy lots on the Cass farm, from Mrs. VonLimburg, formerly Belle Cass. In later years he became a large property owner on Woodward avenue and in other parts of the city. In 1859 he built the Butler block on Griswold street, opposite the postoffice, and moved his bank into it the following year. He

had no partner until 1863, when his eldest son, Edward H. Butler, was admitted to partner- ship, the firm name remaining as before. In 1870 the Mechanics' Bank was incorporated, with William A. Butler, president, and Edward H. Butler, cashier. In 1871 it was reincor- porated under a new law just passed. The capital from the start was one hundred thou- sand dollars and remained at that figure until the bank's charter expired, October 1, 1901, when it was increased to two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. During all these years the Mechanics' Bank was very prosperous. It paid large dividends and if the stock had been in the market it would have commanded a high figure, but the stock was always held closely in the family, the only exception being the interest of Herbert Brown, the bank's attorney."

The Mechanics' Bank, of which the subject of this memoir was president from its organi- zation until the time of his death, went into voluntary liquidation in 1901, the business being transferred largely to the State Savings Bank, now known as the People's State Bank. At the time of his demise Mr. Butler had been longer engaged in banking in Detroit than any other citizen. For a long series of years he was president and one of the most active trus- tees of the Elmwood Cemetery Association. For about twelve years he was vice-president of the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Com- pany and he was then elected president, of which office he was incumbent up to the time of his death. For many years he served also as president of the Detroit Fire & Marine In- surance Company. Up to the moment he was confined to his home by his last illness, catar- rhal pneumonia with complications, he was actively engaged in looking after his many business interests.

Although never active in the domain of practical politics, Mr. Butler took a keen and loyal interest in the issues and questions of the day, and in local politics he served on many important boards, marking deeply his in- fluence upon the administration of the munici- pal government during a period of many years. During the opening years of the civil war he rendered most effective service and aid in or-

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ganizing and equipping the volunteer forces of Michigan. He was one of the zealous mem- bers and supporters of the First Congregational church and was liberal in upholding all re- ligious and moral enterprises. He was identi- fied with various civic and fraternal organiza- tions in Detroit and always took great interest in the progress and wellbeing of his home city.

On the 12th of September, 1839, was sol- emnized the marriage of Mr. Butler to Miss Mary Ann Harter, of Adams, Jefferson county, New York, who died January 19, 1908. They are survived by three sons,-Edward H., William A., Jr., and Frederick E. Butler, all of whom were intimately associated with him in his business operations. He and his wife celebrated the fifty-second anniversary of their wedding and his death was the first break in the family circle. Mr. Butler was a man of fine presence and utmost urbanity and courtesy, so that he won and retained the friendship and esteem of those with whom he came in contact in the various relations of life. He was a man of many admirable qualities. He had fine per- ceptions of principle, and if one of his nobler characteristics stood out in distinct prominence above others it was his loyalty to principle. It would be difficult to say anything better than that of any man. In social life he was one of the kindest, most polished and courteous of gentlemen. The new era which puts a ma- jority of men so long under the lash that they have no time for the polite conventions which made the old school of gentility so admirable, did not swerve him. His life record would suggest that long ago he must have adopted that fine old rule of living :

"This above all : to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."

HENRY B. BREVOORT.

In the early history of Detroit the name which initiates this article was well known and represented a power and beneficent influence in local affairs. In compilations of this order fitting memorials to such sterling pioneers are most consistently incorporated.

Henry B. Brevoort came of staunch Holland Dutch stock and the family was founded in America prior to the war of the Revolution. He was born in New York city, in January, 1775, and was a son of Henry Brevoort, the maiden name of his mother having been Ber- gaw. The parents were natives of Holland, whence they immigrated to America about 1700, taking up their residence in New York city, where they passed the remainder of their lives. The subject of this memoir was reared to maturity in his native city, where he re- ceived good educational advantages, as gauged by the standards of the period. As a young man he left the national metropolis to seek adventure and fortune in the western wilds. He located in Detroit and entered the United States army, in which he was an officer at the time of the war of 1812. At the time of the surrender of Detroit to the British he was one of those who protested against the action of the commander, but was compelled to accept the situation with as much equanimity as pos- sible, being taken as a prisoner of war and be- ing eventually granted a parole. His attitude in the regard, as showing his disregard for a parole given under such circumstances, was indicated by his soon joining the American forces at Put-in-Bay. Official reports show that he rendered valiant service after the un- called for capitulation of Detroit. After the close of the war he returned to Detroit, where he became prominent and influential in busi- ness and civic affairs and where he continued to reside until he was summoned from the scene of life's endeavors, his death occurring in Jauuary, 1857.

In the year 181I was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Brevoort to Miss Catherine Na- varre, a daughter of Robert Navarre, who was born and reared in Detroit, where his father, Robert Navarre, Sr., settled in 1728. Mr. and Mrs. Brevoort became the parents of four sons and one daughter, and all continued to make their home in Detroit until death, with the exception of Elias, who went into the south- west, being one of the early scouts in New Mexico, where he was a companion of the historic Kit Carson. He was a prominent fig-

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ure in the Indian wars on the frontier and he finally established his home in Santa Fe, where he served as register of the United States land office under the administration of President Hayes. His death occurred in 1904 and he was known as one of the representative citi- zens of New Mexico. Another son, Henry B., Jr., was a civil engineer by profession, and he died in Detroit, December 27, 1851. He surveyed all the northern counties of the lower peninsula of the state and also did consider- able work of the sort in the upper peninsula, attaining to a high reputation in his profes- sion. John, the eldest son, passed his life in Detroit and became the owner of a large amount of valuable realty, leaving a substan- tial estate at his death, which occurred in March, 1899. Robert, the youngest of the sons, was one of the argonauts to California in 1849, and he died in that state, his rela- tives having heard nothing from or concern- ing him after he left for the Pacific coast. The only daughter of the subject of this sketch was Mary A., who became the wife of Charles Leroy Bristol, in 1838: her husband was a prominent business man of Detroit for many years.

Henry B. Brevoort was a man of fine men- tality and staunch integrity, and he wielded no little influence in public affairs in the city which so long represented his home. He never sought official preferment, but was known as an ar- dent and uncompromising advocate of the principles of the Democratic party.

Henry B. Brevoort, Jr., of whom brief men- tion has already been made, was reared and educated in Detroit, and his professional train- ing as a civil engineer was gained mainly through practical field experience. That he developed exceptional strength in the line is evident when recognition is had of the fact that at the age of seventeen years he was granted a government surveying contract, which he car- ried to successful completion.

July 13, 1841, was celebrated the marriage of Henry B. Brevoort, Jr., and Miss Sarah Jane Macomb, who was born and reared in Detroit. She was a daughter of William Ma- comb, who died when she was a child of about

five years. Her grandfather, William Ma- comb, Sr., was one of the early settlers of Detroit, where he was a prominent business man at the time of the war of the Revolution. In company with his brother Alexander he secured possession of Grosse Isle in 1776, from the Pottawatomie Indians. The Macomb fam- ily has been one of prominence and influence in connection with the history of the state of Michigan. To Henry B. and Sarah Jane (Ma- comb) Brevoort were born three children. William M. sacrificed his life in defense of the Union in the civil war, having met his death in the battle of Cold Harbor, June I, 1864. He rose from the rank of second lieu- tenant to that of lieutenant colonel of the First Michigan Cavalry and was a brave and gal- lant soldier; he was not married. Thornton E., the second son, died in July, 1906. He was cashier for the Michigan Central Railroad at Grosse Pointe for a period of nine years and served as an internal-revenue officer under the administration of President Cleveland. Henry N., the second of the three sons, is now the only representative of the third generation of the family in Michigan. He was born in Detroit April 3, 1848, and in this city his early educational discipline was secured. In 1872 he took up the study of law in the office of the well known firm of Van Dyke, Brownson & Moran, and in 1874 was admitted to the bar of his native state, well fortified for the active work of his chosen profession, which he has honored and dignified by his services as a legist and jurist. In 1876 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Wayne county, re- maining incumbent of this office for two terms. In 1887 he was honored with election to the circuit bench, on which he served six years, making a most creditable record and manifest- ing marked judicial acumen, reinforced by a thorough knowledge of the law. He is still engaged in active practice in Detroit and is known as one of the representative members of the bar of the state. Judge Brevoort is a staunch supporter of the principles and policies of the Democratic party and has done effective service in its cause. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church, of which both he

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Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan, Part 51

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932 Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago H. Taylor & Co. Number of Pages: 858

Author: Burton, Clarence Monroe, 1853-1932
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago H. Taylor & Co.
Number of Pages: 858