Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan, Part 54

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 54

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Concerning the subject of this review the following estimate has been given by one fa- miliar with his career : "The energy with which Mr. Berry pushed the manufacture and sale of his varnish, and the indefatigable applica- tion, tenacity of purpose and complete com- prehension of detail which characterized him in every subsequent business enterprise which enlisted his interest, bore speedy results, and his rise in the commercial field was very rapid. From the drug clerk of 1855 to leadership among Detroit's captains of industry, executive head of separate firms or corporations, cover- ing a province remarkably varied and one with whose changing conditions he ever kept in · close touch,-betokens a distinct man and in many senses a remarkable man. Though his business enterprises meant so much to Detroit he was probably among the least known and understood of her citizens who have been to

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any extent identified with her growth and de- velopment. The genius of business possessed him; business was the keynote of his life. Up to the day of his death he was broadly active; years made no difference in his close personal attention to business, and his later days were consumed with the same ceaseless toil and con- centration, the same persistence and tension as if he were just initiating a business career." It has been said that Mr. Berry was a man without sentiment, but to those who knew him best the glaring incongruity of the statement is prima facie. He was indeed immured in busi- ness, and who would not be, with so great and varied interests placing exacting demands upon his time and powers, but he well understood and appreciated the springs of human motives and actions, placed a true valuation upon his fellow men and to them meted out the judg- ment and treatment naturally merited. He was not intolerant save of meanness, duplicity and voluntary wrong-doing, and in the most ob- scure way his benefactions were extended to an extent that few of even his personal ac- quaintances have known.

He was uniformly courteous, quiet and re- tiring in his disposition, and his home life was ideal, comprehending as much of his time as was not demanded by his business, while avoid- ance of publicity was one of his marked char- acteristics. His suburban residence at Grosse Pointe Farms is one of the most beautiful in that village of attractive homes, and there he built his conservatories, known to those inter- ested in floriculture throughout the country, by reason of the studied breeding of blossoms and foliage plants therein, as well as their re- markable collection of rare species, including orchids, of which latter the collection is one of the largest, most varied and most famed in the United States. The few hours of relaxa- tion which Mr. Berry permitted himself to en- joy were usually spent among his flowers, for which he had a great appreciation and fond- ness.

In spite of his great wealth and the exigent demands upon his time, he was one of the most 'approachable of men, extremely demo- cratic in the granting of an audience to any one

who had legitimate claim upon his attention, no matter how poor or humble, and in his quiet way he gave thousands of dollars to the needy and suffering. As an employer he was deeply interested in the welfare of the men and women who depended upon the wages drawn from the institutions under his direction, and their homes, their outside affairs and their gen- eral welfare were a constant study to him. Be- lieving that the liquor traffic was the influence most productive of unhappiness to the men and their families, he was a stalwart advocate of temperance. He personally used neither to- bacco nor spirituous liquors, and he put forth every effort to keep saloons out of the neighborhood in which he lived. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, to which he was a large contributor, as was he also to the work of other denominations. He was one of the most liberal contributors to the edifice of the Protestant church at Grosse Pointe and gave freely to the subsequent support of the religious work there carried on.

He was deeply interested in the beautifying of his home city, the entire east side of which owes much to his taste for public improvement. Here he redeemed a large area of waste land and was largely concerned in the upbuilding of Fairview into one of the desirable residence districts of the city as well as affording to persons of moderate means an opportunity to purchase homes on easy terms. This was char- acteristic of the man. His modesty was on a parity with his philanthropy and it was his earnest desire to keep his name out of the newspapers. Though frequently solicited by these mediums for information of public in- terest concerning himself, his invariable refusal was accompanied by the words, "Wait until I have done something worth while."

The last enterprise of which Mr. Berry was the originator and which will be of inestimable value in the future development of the eastern section of the city in a manufacturing way and a monument to a career of unusual usefulness, was the promotion of the outer-belt line, in 1906, known as the Detroit Terminal Railway. The preliminary expenses of the enterprise, including the right of way, were all borne by

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Mr. Berry, but he enjoined secrecy upon the part of those engaged in the completing of the enterprise, desiring to avoid all publicity at- taching to himself as the one who made it possible of success.

In the early part of 1907 Mr. Berry central- ized a number of his most important holdings by the incorporation of the Lake Superior Iron . this strong and worthy man was called from & Chemical Company. The companies in- cluded in this merger, and in all of which he In 1868 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Berry to Miss Charlotte Dwight, daughter of Alfred A. Dwight, who was a prominent lumberman of Michigan. Mrs. Berry died in 1875, and they are survived by three daugh- ters, all residents of Detroit,-Charlotte, the wife of Professor Henry G. Sherrard; Alice Dwight, the wife of Dr. Edwin Lodge; and Miss Lottie, who remains at the old homestead. was the president and controlling stockholder, were as follows: Ashland Iron & Steel Com- pany, of Ashland, Wisconsin; Manistique Iron Company and Burrell Chemical Company, of Manistique, Michigan; Michigan Iron Com- pany, Limited, and the Superior Chemical Company, of Newberry, Michigan; Northern Charcoal Iron Company, of Chocally, Michi- gan; Elk Rapids Iron Company, of Elk Rap- ids, Michigan; and the Boyne City Iron Com- pany, of Boyne City, Michigan. He was also FRANK D. TAYLOR. president of the Dwight Lumber Company, the This well known and honored business man of Detroit, where he now has the distinction of being the oldest dry-goods merchant in ac- tive business, is a member of one of the ster- ling pioneer families of the state and his achievement is such as to have gained to him marked precedence in commercial circles and a secure place in the confidence and esteem of the community which has so long represented his home. Detroit Heating & Lighting Company, the Antrim Chemical Company, the Welded Steel Barrel Corporation, a director in the Commer- cial National Bank of Detroit, and a stock- holder in other leading financial institutions. As a manufacturer of charcoal iron he was one of the largest producers in the United States, as was he also of wood alcohol; he controlled the fly-paper trade of the country ; was an ex- tensive manufacturer of car wheels, electric- welded steel barrels and lumber ; was the owner of large tracts of timber land, and his landed estate in Wayne county probably exceeds in acreage that of any other person.

It is difficult to determine with exactitude the secret of a man's success, but it may be said of Joseph H. Berry that he combined technical knowledge and experience with busi- ness grasp and executive ability,-qualities which are all but incompatible and which, when found blended in one individual, must invari- ably beget definite success. Mr. Berry's death is an unquestioned loss to Detroit and the state at large, and it will be difficult to find for the industries with which he was concerned another guiding hand so firm and able. He was summoned to the life eternal on the 22d

of May, 1907, and the simple funeral services were held from his late residence at Grosse Pointe Farms, services marked by that modesty which he himself would have directed. The pallbearers were selected from among his old- est employes, and many there were who felt the deep sense of personal bereavement when the scene of life's mortal endeavors.

Mr. Taylor was born at Dryden, Lapeer county, Michigan, June 11, 1842, and is a son of Nathaniel T. and Laura (Winchell) Taylor, both of whom were representatives of families founded in America in the early colonial epoch of our national history. Nathaniel T. Taylor was a son of Rev. John Taylor, who immi- grated from Massachusetts to Michigan and took up his residence in Macomb county in 1832, several years prior to the admission of the state to the Union. This honored ancestor was one of the pioneer clergymen of the Con- gregational church in the state and was the founder of the Congregational Academy at Romeo, an institution which had high standing in its day. The Taylor family is of pure Eng- lish extraction and its founder in America was Rev. Edward Taylor, who crossed the

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Atlantic in 1662 and settled in Boston, Massa- chusetts, whence he later removed to West- field, that state, where he passed the residue of his life. He was a dissenting clergyman in his native land and was one of the first represent- atives of his denominational faith in the New England colonies, where he attained to marked prominence and influence and where his name was held in lasting honor. He was a man of distinctive intellectuality and his labors counted for good in all relations and exigencies.

In 1848 Nathaniel T. Taylor removed with his family to Detroit, and in 1850 he went to California, where he opened a general store, and where he died in 1852, at the time of the great cholera epidemic, of which he was a vic- tim. His wife survived him by a number of years. They became the parents of three sons and two daughters, all of whom are now de- ceased except the subject of this review.

Frank D. Taylor was six years of age at the time of the family removal to Detroit, whose public schools he attended until he had attained to the age of twelve years, when he gave in- ception to his business career by entering the employ of L. F. Harter, a tea and coffee mer- chant of Detroit. In 1860 he became an em- ploye in the retail dry-goods house of Farrell & Brother, and when, in 1866, this firm was succeeded by that of Newcomb, Endicott & Company, Mr. Taylor became one of the part- ners in the new concern. In 1880 he became associated with A. W. Wright and J. B. Woolfenden in organizing the firm of Taylor, Woolfenden & Company, which soon gained high rank among the leading dry-goods houses of the city. In 1894 the business was incor- porated, under the title of the Taylor-Woolfen- den Company and Mr. Taylor was elected vice- president, of which office he has since been in- cumbent, having been continuously identified with the dry-goods trade in Detroit for a longer period than any other person now thus engaged here. To the upbuilding of the mag- nificent enterprise now conducted under the title noted he has given the best of his splendid energies, and he is known as a broad-minded and progressive business man, one richly meriting the high esteem in which he is held

in the city which has been his home from his boyhood days and in which he has risen to prominence and influence through his own ef- forts and abilities, being numbered among the most substantial business men of a city long noted for its financial stability and conserva- tism.

Mr. Taylor is a valued member of the Board of Commerce, and is one of the prominent members of the Woodward Avenue Congrega- tional church. He has been specially active in charitable enterprises, to which he has con- tributed liberally of time and influence as well as in a financial way. He was one of the or- ganizers of the Detroit Young Men's Christian Association and has been president of the state organization of this body. He holds member- ship in the Detroit Boat Club, the New Eng- land Society and the Sons of the American Revolution.

In 1866 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Taylor to Miss Phoebe E. Shourds, daughter of James Shourds, of Detroit, and she died in 1885, at the summer home of the family at Orchard Lake. She is survived by three daughters,-Miss Florence G., of Detroit ; Harriet, who is the wife of Bertrand S. Sum- mers, of Chicago; and Mabel, who is the wife of Clarence S. Fleming, of Detroit. In 1890 Mr. Taylor contracted a second marriage, be- ing then united to Mrs. Eleanora H. Snover, of Detroit, his present companion.

CHARLES ENDICOTT.

So intimate was the business and personal association of the subject of this memoir and Cyrenius A. Newcomb that to gain a sym- metrical idea of the business career of the one practically necessitates a reviewing of that of the other. On this score the reader will do well to refer to the epitome of the life history of Mr. Newcomb, appearing on other pages of this work. The two were the founders of the great dry-goods house of Newcomb, Endi- cott & Company and continued to be allied in its ownership until death severed the asso- ciation, Mr. Endicott having been summoned to the life eternal on the 18th of January,

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1896. Data relative to the upbuilding of the magnificent enterprise of the firm and later cor- poration of Newcomb, Endicott & Company, of Detroit, may be found in the sketch rela- tive to the career of Mr. Newcomb, and thus a repetition of the same is not demanded in the present article.

Charles Endicott played a large part in the business history of Detroit for a long term of years, and upon his record as a citizen and business man rests no shadow of wrong or in- justice. He was a man of unswerving in- tegrity of purpose and absolute rectitude of character, while in connection with material affairs he held a high reputation as a business man of marked finesse and ability, his powers being best exemplified and his reputation being best indicated by the monument which remains to-day in the magnificent business house in whose upbuilding he and Mr. Newcomb were the principal factors, in fact the only factors.

The old Bay state, that cradle of so much of our national history, figures as the native place of Mr. Endicott, who was born at Bev- erly, Massachusetts, in the year 1836. He was a son of William and Joanna (Lovett) Endi- cott, both representatives of families founded in New England in the early colonial epoch. The family line touches that of the historic char- acter, John Endicott, and in the various gen- erations have been found men of worth and prominence in the various vocations which represent the normal productive activities of life. The parents of Mr. Endicott were like- wise natives of Beverly, and they passed their entire lives in Massachusetts. The father was born in 1799 and died in 1899, within two months of his one hundredth birthday anni- versary. He was a representative merchant in Beverly and was a man of prominence and influence in the community which represented his home during a life prolonged far beyond the usual limit. Of his children four sons and one daughter attained to years of maturity, and of the number four are now living.

Charles Endicott was reared in his native town and was indebted to its common schools for his early educational discipline. As a youth

he initiated his business career by securing a clerkship in the dry-goods house of C. F. Hovey, of Boston, and he remained in that classical old city for a number of years, within which he gained wide and valuable experience in connection with the line of business in which he eventually achieved so noteworthy a success in an independent or individual way. In the early '6os he came to the west, and in 1865 he purchased an interest in the dry-goods busi- ness of T. C. Chapman, of Milwaukee, Wis- consin, with which he was identified two years, at the expiration of which he sold his interest to his partner. It is interesting to note that the Chapman dry-goods establishment is still in existence in the metropolis of Wisconsin, even as is that of Newcomb, Endicott & Company, of Detroit, whose history is of almost equal duration.

In 1868 Mr. Endicott came from Milwaukee to Detroit, where he associated himself with C. A. Newcomb in purchasing the dry-goods stock and business of James W. Farrell, and from this nucleus was built up the great retail house with which he continued to be connected until his death. This house ever received the major part of his time and attention and his energy, progressive ideas and close application had much to do with vitalizing and amplifying the great enterprise. He was a member of the directorate of the Detroit National Bank at the time of his demise and had other capi- talistic investments, though, as already inti- mated, he found ample demand upon his time and energies in connection with the firm of Newcomb, Endicott & Company. He was held in unqualified esteem as a citizen and was well known in business and social circles in his home city. Though essentially public-spirited, Mr. Endicott never took any active part in the conflicts of the political arena, and was inde- pendent of partisan lines to a great extent. He was a member of the Unitarian church and was a liberal contributor to its work in the various departments.

In 1863 was solemnized the marriage of Charles Endicott to Miss Caroline Leach, who was born and reared in Massachusetts. Her

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father was a captain in the East India trade, following the sea during the greater part of his life. Mrs. Endicott is still living and makes her home with her children. Mr. and Mrs. Endicott became the parents of five chil- dren, concerning whom the following brief record is given: Alice and Charles are de- ceased; Caroline is the wife of Charles W. Rantoul, Jr., of New York city; Grace is the wife of William B. Kendall, of New York; and Edith is the wife of Gilbert M. McMillan, of Gorham, New Hampshire.

In the present generation of the Endicott family there is only one to bear the name,- John Endicott, a nephew of the subject of this review. He also was born at Beverly, Mas- sachusetts, and is a son of Robert R. Endicott, the next older brother of Charles. Robert R. Endicott was a prominent merchant of Bev- erly, was president of the Beverly Savings Bank for a long term of years, and was also a direc- tor of the First National Bank of Beverly. John Endicott received excellent educational advan- tages, including a course at Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard University, in which latter institution he was graduated in 1889. As a young man he located in the west, and for some time he held a clerical position with the Union Pacific Railroad, at Omaha and Sioux City. In 1891 he came to Detroit and took charge of the books of Newcomb, Endicott & Company, having had thorough experience as a bookkeeper and accountant, and upon the death of his uncle he became a member of the firm, which was later incorporated under the same title. He is now treasurer of the concern and has proven a worthy executive successor of his honored uncle. In politics he gives his alle- giance to the Republican party and his religious faith is that of the Unitarian church. He is identified with various fraternal and social or- ganizations in Detroit and is known as an en- terprising and progressive business men.

In 1893 Mr. Endicott was married to Eliza- beth Martha Watson, who died in 1900. In 1902 he married Mary Elizabeth Booth, and they have two children,-Robert Rantoul En- dicott, and Elizabeth Thorndike Endicott.

WILLIAM A. MOORE.

To have gained high prestige as one of the leading members of the bar of the state of Michigan was the good fortune of the subject of this memoir, whose abilities were of the most solid and definite order and whose char- acter was one marked by inviolable integrity and honor. In his death, on the 25th of September, 1906, Detroit lost one of her most honored citizens and most distinguished lawyers.

William Austin Moore was born near Clif- ton Springs, Ontario county, New York, April 17, 1823, and was the seventh son of William and Lucy (Rice) Moore. The ancestry in the agnatic line is traced to Scotch-Irish origin, and Mr. Moore was a great-great-grandson of one of the historic McDonald clan, which was slaughtered at the massacre of Glencoe, Scot- land, February 13, 1692. The widow of this valorous ancestor fled with her children to Ire- land, where the family remained until 1718, when they immigrated to America, being num- bered among the first settlers of Londonderry, New Hampshire. The youngest son, John, married and became the father of seven chil- dren, the third of whom, William, married Jane Holmes, December 13, 1763. He re- moved to Peterboro, New Hampshire, and he became a valiant soldier in the Continental line in the war of the Revolution, having taken part in the battle of Bennington, July 19, 1777. Of the twelve children in his family the young- est was William, father of the subject of this memoir. William Moore was born April 9, 1787, and at the age of eighteen years he removed to Phelps, Ontario county, New York, where his marriage to Lucy Rice was solemnized November 7, 1806; she was born in Massachusetts. William Moore followed agricultural pursuits as a vocation and served in various local offices of public trust. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, in which he was present at the burning of Buffalo and the sortie at Fort Erie.

In the summer of 1831 William Moore re- moved with his family to Michigan and be- came one of the early settlers of Washtenaw county. In 1832 he was appointed justice of

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the peace, which office he held until Michigan was admitted to statehood, and he afterward held the same office twelve years by election. He was a member of the first constitutional convention of the state, served as a member of the first state senate, and in 1843 represented Washtenaw county in the lower house of the legislature. He was one of the most promi- nent and influential men of his day in Wash- tenaw county, where both he and his wife con- tinued to reside until their death.

William Austin Moore passed his boyhood days on the home farm, having been eight years of age at the time of the family immi- gration to the wilds of Michigan, where he lived up to the full tension of the pioneer epoch. His early educational advantages were limited to a somewhat desultory attendance in the primitive pioneer schools, where he pursued his studies during the winter terms, when his services were not in demand on the farm, which he assisted in reclaiming to cultivation. The discipline was such, however, as to develop the individuality of the youth, and when twenty years of age he determined to prepare himself for the profession of law,-an undertaking that would seem formidable indeed to a young man similarly situated at the present day. In April, 1844, Mr. Moore began a preparatory course of study at Ypsilanti, where he remained two years. He then entered the University of Michigan, in which he was graduated in 1850, as a member of the fifth class to be graduated in that institution, which is now the pride of the state. After his graduation Mr. Moore went to Salem, Mississippi, where he was en- gaged in teaching school for about eighteen months. In April, 1852, he began the study of law in the office of Davidson & Holbrook, of Detroit, and in January of the following year he was admitted to the bar. He imme- diately began the practice of his profession in Detroit, and he continued to follow the same until his death, eventually building up a large and representative business,-the result of in- defatigable effort and unswerving devotion to his chosen profession. In the early years he gave special attention to the admiralty branch of practice, which was then one of importance

in the legal business of Detroit, and he became one of the leaders in this field of practice, in which he figured in nearly all important cases tried in Michigan, besides being often called to Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago and Milwaukee. He became known as an able trial lawyer, but his tastes and inclinations made him especially strong as a counselor, in which department of practice his services were in much demand at all times. Concerning him these pertinent words have been written by one who knew him long and well: "He united a judicial and in- dependent character of mind, long familiarity with the principles of law, excellent foresight, sound judgment, and, above all, unquestioned integrity,-qualities which admirably fitted him to act the part of conciliator and har- monizer of conflicting interests. His convic- tions were not reached without careful investi- gation and consideration, but a stand once taken was not abandoned for any mere ques- tion of policy or expediency. All his influence was cast on the side of morality, good govern- ment, obedience to law, and the elevation of his fellows. No responsibility ever laid upon him was ever neglected or betrayed. Many persons of far less worth have attracted a larger share of public attention, but few have done more to conserve in various ways the best interests of the city."

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Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan, Part 54

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