USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > Compendium of history and biography of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan > Part 97
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115
602
DETROIT AND WAYNE COUNTY
-
improved workmanship and superior materials of the Fitzsimmons & Finck products prices ranged from eight to nine dollars a dozen. That the latter products made their value and economy apparent is evident from the fact that the demand has been constantly cumulative from the time of introduction and has resulted in the upbuilding of an industry of magnificent scope and importance. The original quarters secured in Detroit soon proved entirely inade- quate to accommodate the constantly expand- ing business, and in 1886 Fitzsimmons & Finck purchased of the late Daniel Scotten two lots of ground near Dix road, on Twenty-fourth street. On this land was erected a frame fac- tory building one story in height and seventy- five by one hundred feet in dimensions. Opera- tions were instituted in this factory with a force of only twenty-five hands. In 1891 Mr. Finck withdrew from the firm and associated himself with Hamilton Carhartt, forming the firm of Hamilton Carhartt & Company. From 1891 until 1902 Mr. Finck had direct charge of the manufacturing department of the busi- ness of Hamilton Carhartt & Company and in the latter year he retired from the firm to effect the organization of the present corporation of W. M. Finck & Company, in which his asso- ciate from the start has been James L. Lee. From the review of the history of the concern on other pages of this volume may be gained an idea as to the wonderful growth of the enterprise within the few intervening years. Mr. Finck is essentially loyal and public-spir- ited as a citizen, is far-sighted and aggressive as a business man and has won a success of which he may well be proud. He is an appre- ciative member of the Detroit Board of Com- merce, is a Republican in politics and is identi- fied with the Society of Colonial Wars and the Michigan Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
In the year 1897 was celebrated the mar- riage of Mr. Finck to Miss Katherine Rheiner, daughter of Edward Rheiner, of Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Rheiner was a native of France. Mr. and Mrs. Finck have no children.
A. ARTHUR CAILLE.
A native son of Detroit who has here at- tained to a position of distinctive prominence as one of the most aggressive and successful young business men of the state, is A. Arthur Caille, president and general manager of the Caille Brothers Company, the most extensive manufacturers of coin-controlling machines in the world. A brief review of the history of the company is incorporated on other pages of this volume, and to the article in question ref- erence may be made for information definitely supplemental to this sketch of the career of the head of the concern.
Mr. Caille was born in Detroit on the Ist of April, 1867, and is a son of Joseph M. and Catherine (Moret) Caille. The father was a native of Switzerland, having been born in one of the French-speaking cantons of that fair little republic, where he was reared and edu- cated and where he learned the trade of cabi- netmaker. In 1851 he came to America and took up his residence in Detroit, where he en- gaged in the work of his trade. Finally he established himself in the retail furniture busi- ness on Gratiot avenue, where he continued operations for a term of years, after which he removed to Owosso and later to Saginaw, this state, where he continued in the same line of enterprise. He retired from active business in 1897 and the closing years of his long and useful life were passed in Detroit, where he died in 1907, at the age of seventy-six years. His wife was born in Switzerland and her death occurred in 1885. Of their children three are living,-Adolph A. and A. Arthur, who are interested principals in the Caille Brothers Company, and Louise M., who is the wife of Robert C. Yates, identified with the operation of machines of the same company. The father was a Republican in his political proclivities and both he and his wife were members of the Saint Anne church.
A. Arthur Caille was about ten years of age at the time of the family removal to Owosso and Saginaw, in whose public schools he se- cured his early educational discipline. In 1883
603
DETROIT AND WAYNE COUNTY
he entered upon an apprenticeship at the wood- working trade, under the effective direction of his father, and he early evinced that distinctive mechanical skill and inventive ability which have been the prime conservators of his re- markable success in the field of independent manufacturing. He was the inventor of the modern cash-carrier system for use in mercan- tile establishments, having secured patents on his invention in 1889 and having instituted the manufacture of the same in the same year. His invention met with ready approval and the Caille system was by him installed in leading stores in all sections of the Union. In 1893 he brought out his first patents in the coin- controlling slot machines, and in the placing of the same he was successful from the start. From this beginning has been evolved the gi- gantic industrial enterprise of which he is now the executive head and principal stockholder. The original factory was at Saginaw, from which city he removed his headquarters to De- troit in 1895. Here operations have since been continued and the plant of the company is the largest of its kind in the world. In 1906 Mr. Caille also became interested in the conducting of theaters devoted to vaudeville and moving pictures, and in this line also has his success been most pronounced. In the enterprise he is associated with J. H. Kunsky, under the firm name of The Casino Company, and the firm now controls a series of well equipped theaters in Detroit, Toledo and other cities.
In politics Mr. Caille maintains an inde- pendent attitude, and in a fraternal way he is identified with Detroit Lodge, No. 34, Benevo- lent & Protective Order of Elks, of which he is a life member. He is also an enthusiastic member of the Detroit Yacht Club and takes much interest in nautical affairs.
WILLIAM CALLAN.
The subject of this review is secretary of the Newton Beef Company, of which specific men- tion is made on other pages of this work, and is one of the clean-cut, aggressive young busi-
ness men of the Michigan metropolis. He was born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 16th of September, 1878, and is a son of Samuel W. and Ellen Ida (Weeks) Callan. He was afforded the advantages of the excel- lent public schools of his native city and those of Detroit, after which he was matriculated in the University of Michigan, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1900, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Later he was for one year a student in the law depart- ment of the university. In 1902 Mr. Callan was in the employ of the American Bicycle Company, having charge of the southern ter- ritory of the same, and later he was connected with the sales department of the American Hominy Company. In 1903 he was elected to his present office of secretary of the New- ton Beef Company, and he has since handled the office affairs of the concern with marked ability and discrimination. He is a member of the University Club and the Detroit Coun- try Club, being popular in both business and social circles, and his political allegiance is given to the Republican party.
DAVID MEGINNITY.
The real-estate business in Detroit has an able and prominent representative in the sub- ject of this sketch, who is a native of this city and who retired from the office of collector of internal revenue for this district in August, 1908.
In Detroit, on the 3d of September, 1861, David Meginnity was born, being a son of Robert and Elizabeth ( Hanna) Meginnity, the former of whom was born in the north of Ireland and the latter in Detroit. Robert Meginnity devoted the major portion of his active business career to the manufacturing of smoking tobacco in Detroit, where his father- in-law, John Hanna, was one of the pioneers in this line of industry, having been at the head of the old and well known firm of Hanna & Company. Robert Meginnity was a citizen of worth and influence and in 1869 he repre-
604
DETROIT AND WAYNE COUNTY
sented the fifth ward of the city on the board of aldermen. He continued to reside in De- troit until his death, which occurred on the 4th of July, 1875, and his venerable widow still maintains her home here. Of their chil- dren six are living,-three sons and three daughters.
David Meginnity, the immediate subject of this review, duly availed himself of the ad- vantages of the schools of Detroit, and in 1879, at the age of eighteen years, he entered the employ of Lindsay & Gamble, lumber mer- chants, with whom he remained for a period of eight years, at the expiration of which, in 1887, he engaged in the wholesale lumber business on his own responsibility. In 1890 he retired from this enterprise and engaged in the real-estate business, in which he has since continued most successfully. He has assisted in opening a number of now important streets in the city and has built up a large and im- portant business in the handling of both im- proved and unimproved realty. In 1903 he was appointed to the office of collector of internal revenue, of which he remained in- cumbent until August 15, 1908. He is an interested principal in the firm of Blakeslee & Company, an instalment house, on Grand River avenue.
In politics Mr. Meginnity has long been an active and valued worker in the cause of the Republican party. He was the prime or- ganizer of the Alger Club and served for some time as its president. In 1893 Governor Rich conferred upon him appointment to member- ship on the board of jury commissioners of Wayne county, which office he retained for a term of six years. In 1895-6 he was secretary of the Michigan League of Republican Clubs, and in the latter year he was elected a delegate to the Republican national convention, being the youngest representative of Michigan in that body.
On the 9th of September, 1890, Mr. Megin- nity was united in marriage to Miss Grace A. Graves, who was born and reared in Detroit, being a daughter of Henry A. Graves, a rep-
resentative citizen. The children of this union are: David, Jr., Norman K., Blanche G., Henry G., and Robert.
GEORGE D. MASON.
Mr. Mason ranks as one of the representa- tive architects of the Union, and his labors in his profession have transcended local limita- tions, so that his reputation is on a parity with his splendid accomplishments in his chosen field of endeavor. He has had an experience of more than a quarter of a century in his pro- fession and the practical results of his work are seen in some of the best modern buildings in Detroit.
Mr. Mason was born in the city of Syra- cuse, New York, on the 4th of July, 1856, and is a son of James H. and Zada E. (Griffin) Mason, natives of Syracuse, New York. They came to Detroit in 1870 and here the father was engaged in manufacturing for a number of years. Both are now deceased. The sub- ject of this sketch was reared to the age of fourteen years in his native city, duly availing himself of the advantages of its public schools, and he then came with his parents to Detroit, where he continued his studies until he com- pleted the curriculum of the high school, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1873. After leaving school he studied the art and science of architecture under the able preceptorship of the late Henry T. Brush, of Detroit, making rapid advancement in his technical learning and the power of applying the same in a practical way. In 1878 he formed a professional partnership with Zacha- riah Rice, under the firm name of Mason & Rice, and they continued to be associated in business as architects until 1898, since which time Mr. Mason has been engaged in the work of his profession in an individual way. In the year 1884 he made a tour of several months in Europe, devoting special attention to the study of architecture in its best forms in the various lands included in his itinerary, and having visited England, France, Germany, Italy and other countries. To further fortify
605
DETROIT AND WAYNE COUNTY
himself for the work of his profession he took a special and exacting course in higher mathe- matics a number of years ago. He is identified with the American Institute of Architects, be- ing one of the valued members of the Michi- gan chapter of this body. It is needless to enter into details as to the results accomplished by Mr. Mason farther than to call to the at- tention of those in the least familiar with mod- ern Detroit the fact that he planned and su- pervised the erection of following splendid structures, which are but a very few of those which stand as monuments to his skill: The Masonic Temple, the First Presbyterian church, Trinity Episcopal church, the Detroit Opera House and the magnificent Hotel Pont- chartrain, opened for business in the autumn of 1907. He also designed and erected the office building for the firm of Hiram Walker & Sons, the great distillers and manufacturers of Walkerville, Ontario.
In politics Mr. Mason is a staunch adherent of the Democratic party but has never been an aspirant for public office, though he consented to serve as a member of the first board of building inspectors in Detroit, being incumbent of this office for one year. He is a Freemason of high rank, having completed the circle of the Scottish Rite, in which he has attained to the thirty-second degree. He also holds mem- bership in the Detroit Club, the Witenagemote Club and other social or semi-business organi- zations in his home city.
In 1882 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Mason to Miss Ida Whitaker, daughter of the late Captain Byron Whitaker, of Detroit, a memoir of whom is given in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Mason have one daughter, Lillian.
JOHN GILLESPIE.
As general manager of the Detroit Regalia Company, in which he is a stockholder and of which mention is made on other pages of this volume, Mr. Gillespie is to be designated as one of the representative young business men of Detroit, of whose attractions as a place of
residence and as a manufacturing and dis- tributing center he is deeply appreciative.
In a section of the old Bay state which was made famous through the long-time residence of that erratic genius, the late Horace Greeley, the subject of this sketch was born, the place of his nativity having been Chicopee, Mas- sachusetts, where he was ushered into the world on the 3d of November, 1877. He is a son of George and Agnes (Adams) Gillespie, both of whom were natives of Scotland. When he was but a lad his father died. Mr. Gillespie was afforded the advantages of the public schools of his native village and early became dependent upon his own resources. At the age of thirteen years he secured a position in the office of the Ames Sword Company, at Chico- pee, Massachusetts, with which concern he continued to be identified until 1900, having gained a thorough knowledge of the business, including swords and general lines of regalia, and having risen to a position of distinctive trust and responsibility. In the year last men- tioned Mr. Gillespie came to Detroit and con- nected himself with the Armstrong Regalia Company, by which he was employed as a salesman until 1903, when he effected the or- ganization of the Detroit Regalia Company. In 1904 he consolidated the same with the Morgan, Puhl & Morris Company, and became general manager of the business. After the fire, which did great damage to the company, in March, 1907, a reorganization took place and the Detroit Regalia Company was incor- porated, with officers as noted in the article descriptive of the same. Mr. Gillespie has continued as general manager and it is in large measure due to his technical knowledge and his executive ability that the company has gained precedence as the third largest of the sort in the United States.
Mr. Gillespie is a staunch Republican in his political proclivities, is an enthusiastic mem- ber of the Detroit Board of Commerce and is identified with the Fellowcraft Club and the Detroit Motor Boat Club. He has risen to high degree in the Masonic fraternity, being
606
DETROIT AND WAYNE COUNTY
identified with Michigan Sovereign Consist- ory of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Da- mascus Commandery, Knights Templars, and. Moslem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also holds membership in the Knights of Pythias, the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan, and both the lodge and encampment of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is a colonel of the Patriarchs Militant. Mr. Gillespie is not married.
EPHRAIM B. EASTER.
Mr. Easter is auditor and credit manager of the Detroit Creamery Company, of which noteworthy concern an adequate description is given on other pages of this volume, and his entire business career has been one of close identification with the line of enterprise which now engages the major portion of his time and attention. He is recognized as one of the alert and liberal young business men of De- troit, where he enjoys unqualified personal esteem and popularity.
Mr. Easter was born in Greenfield township, Wayne county, Michigan, on the 20th of De- cember, 1872, and is a son of Alfred and Susan Cox (Brown) Easter. His father re- mains in active service as executive head of the Detroit Creamery Company and was the founder of the business. After duly availing himself of the advantages of the public schools of Detroit, Ephraim B. Easter supplemented this training by entering the Detroit Business University, in which he completed a thorough course and was graduated as a member of the class of 1888. He forthwith entered the em- ploy of his father, who had long been estab- lished in the dairy business in Detroit. In the following year the subject of this sketch was admitted to partnership in the business and the firm name of A. Easter & Son was then adopted. The son assumed charge of the of- fice, accounts, collections and correspondence, and upon the incorporation of the Detroit Creamery Company, in 1900, he became audi-
tor and credit manager, of which dual office he has since continued the efficient incumbent. He is represented by a large holding of the stock of the company and its affairs engross the greater part of his time, for the business of the concern is most extensive, as may be seen by reference to the article descriptive of the same. Mr. Easter is also a stockholder in the Detroit & Buffalo Steamboat Company.
The political views of Mr. Easter are indi- cated by his allegiance to the Republican party, and in a fraternal way he is prominently iden- tified with the time-honored Masonic order, in which he has risen to advanced degrees in the Scottish Rite. His Masonic affiliations are as follows: City of the Straits Lodge, Free & Accepted Masons, of Detroit, Michi- gan; King Cyrus Chapter, No. 133, Royal Arch Masons, Detroit; Damascus Command- ery, No. 42, Knights Templar, Detroit; Buf- falo Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Buffalo, New York; and Moslem Tem- ple, Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Detroit. He has held various offices in the several Masonic bodies and is distinctively popular in the circles of the fraternity, being the first worshipful mas- ter of the blue lodge above mentioned. He and his wife are members of the Central Methodist church of Detroit.
In 1902 Mr. Easter was united in marriage to Miss Mabel E. Fargo, daughter of the late Perry Fargo, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and a niece of James T. Fargo, treasurer of the American Express Company.
CHARLES A. STRELINGER.
As president and general manager of the Charles A. Strelinger Company, of which he was the founder, the subject of this review is recognized as a representative business man of Detroit, and the success and prestige which he has gained are the more gratifying to con- template in an incidental way from the fact that he is a native son of the city in which he has made this advancement.
607
DETROIT AND WAYNE COUNTY
The Charles A. Strelinger Company dates its inception back to the year 1884, when Mr. Strelinger initiated business upon a somewhat modest scale, in a building on the corner of Woodward avenue and Larned street. He brought to bear excellent business experience, marked energy and progressive ideas, so that the success of the enterprise was cumulative and it eventually attained to such proportions as to demand wider facilities. He conducted the business individually until 1897, when the present stock company was organized, being incorporated under the laws of the state with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dol- lars, which was later increased to its present figure,-one hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars. The company does a general wholesale and retail business in the handling of all kinds of tools, machinery and mechanics' supplies, and the concern now ranks as one of the fore- most of the kind in the United States, con- trolling a large and substantial trade and hav- ing unrivaled facilities. The headquarters of the company are established at Bates and Con- gress streets, where about forty thousand square feet of floor space are utilized.
Charles A. Strelinger was born in Detroit, on the 4th of May, 1856, and is a son of Julian and Bertha (Schultz) Strelinger, both of whom were born in Austria. The father was reared and educated in his native land, where he remained until 1848, when he came to America, taking up his residence in Detroit in the same year. For some time he was here engaged in the manufacturing of vinegar and later he became identified with other lines of enterprise, including the ownership and opera- tion of a brewery. He continued to reside in Detroit until 1897, when he removed to Chi- cago, where he passed the remainder of his life. He died in that city in 1906, at the ven- erable age of eighty-three years.
The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in Detroit, where he was afforded the advantages of the public schools, and his first business experience was as errand boy in the hardware establishment of Glover & Powell,
with which concern he remained until T. B. Rayl & Company succeeded them, in 1875, after which he remained with the latter con- cern until 1884. He was advanced to a po- sition of distinctive responsibility and gained an intimate knowledge of all details of the business, so that he was well fortified for the successful management of his own allied en- terprise, which he founded at the expiration of that period, or in 1884, as has already been stated. He was also one of the founders of the Leland & Faulconer Company, later merged with the Cadillac Motor Car Com- pany, and was secretary and treasurer of the company for a number of years.
Though never an active factor in the arena of practical politics, Mr. Strelinger at all times manifests a loyal interest in public affairs of a local nature and observes his civic duties by exercising his franchise in support of the prin- ciples and policies of the Republican party. He is a member of the Board of Commerce and the Detroit and Boylston Clubs, and both he and his wife are members of Westminster Presbyterian church, of which he is a trustee.
On the 16th of September, 1884, he mar- ried Miss Mary Penfield, a daughter of Willis- ton S. Penfield, of Detroit, and they have two sons,-Gilbert Penfield and Seth Williston.
WILLIAM L. CASWELL.
Through technical ability and distinctive ad- ministrative talent Mr. Caswell has exerted a most potent influence in building up one of the successful industrial enterprises of Detroit,- that conducted by the Peninsular Milled Screw Company, concerning which detailed record is made on other pages of this publication. He is vice-president of the company and general manager of its manufactory, being recognized as one of the alert and progressive business men of the Michigan metropolis.
Reverting to the nativity of William L. Cas- well, it is to be noted that he was born in the city of Rochester, New York, on the 22d of December, 1854. He is a son of Joseph and
608
DETROIT AND WAYNE COUNTY
Emma (Lang) Caswell, both of whom were likewise born in the old Empire state of the Union, where they were reared to maturity and where the father became a prosperous farmer and cattle-raiser. He later followed the same vocation in Perth county, province of Ontario, Canada, whither he removed when the subject of this sketch was about twenty years of age.
William L. Caswell, the immediate subject of this sketch, secured his early educational discipline in the public schools of Mitchell and Stratford, Ontario, and in 1870, at the age of sixteen years, he entered upon an apprentice- ship to the machinist's trade, in Mitchell. He made good use of the opportunities afforded and in due time became a skilled artisan in the trade mentioned, serving a full apprentice- ship of four years. As a journeyman ma- chinist he was employed by the firm of Thomp- son & Williams, of Stratford, Ontario, from 1877 until 1879; this concern was engaged in general mill work and in building locomo- tives. In 1879 Mr. Caswell took up his resi- dence in Detroit, where he entered the employ of William Rodda, who conducted a general machine shop at the corner of Antoine and At- water streets. He remained thus engaged until 1881, when he secured a position in the shops of the Detroit Locomotive Works, but before the close of that year he became a machinist in the E. T. Barnum Wire Works, another of the representative industrial con- cerns of Detroit. In 1885 Mr. Caswell secured a responsible position in the Detroit Screw Works, and before the close of the year he was promoted to the foremanship of the machine shop. In 1887 still further recognition and ap- preciation of his ability and fidelity were given, since he was then made general superintendent of the plant, of which office he remained in- cumbent until 1901, when he became one of the organizers of the Peninsular Milled Screw Company, which was incorporated in Jan- uary of the following year and of which he has been vice-president since the reorganization, in 1903. From the inception of the business
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.