USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. I > Part 59
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
Stephen H. Ballard was born July 19, 1836, at Bennington, Vt. In 1839 his father, the Rev. James Ballard, with his family, came to Grand Rapids, where Stephen resided until 1880. His education was obtained in the schools of Grand Rapids and at Ann Arbor. In 1858-59 he was engaged with a party in surveying the then wild lands of Northern Minnesota. After spending about one and a half years in that business he returned to Grand Rapids and commenced the study of law. After a short time he attended the law school at Ann Arbor for one year, and then entered the office of Holmes & Champlin, where he read law until his enlistment in the army, Aug. 4, 1862. He was admitted to practice by the Kent circuit court in the summer of the same year. He was mustered into the military service as second lieutenant of Company A, Sixth Michigan cavalry, and was a mem- ber of that company until he was honorably mustered out of the serv- ice, June 21, 1865, by reason of the close of the war. He was commis- sioned first lieutenant and appointed captain. He returned to Grand Rapids and after reading law and attending the law school at Ann Arbor, in January, 1866, he commenced practice as a member of the firm of Holmes & Ballard. From then until 1880 he was in the ac- tive practice of his profession. He was for a time a member of the firm of Standish & Ballard and assistant United States district at- torney for the western district of Michigan. In 1876 .he was elected prosecuting attorney for Kent County and served one term. In 1880 he was forced by failing health to a change of climate, and he went to Colorado, where he remained until a short time before his death, which occurred Nov. 9, 1890.
Frank F. Kutts was born Nov. 17, 1837, in the village of Brook- lyn, Jackson County, Michigan. He obtained his early education in the common schools of Brooklyn, and afterward attended the Michi- gan Union College, at Leoni. About 'the year 1868 he entered the university at Ann Arbor and graduated in the law department in 1870, being admitted to the bar at Jackson the following Fall. He came to
Hosted by Google
452
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
Kent County and settled at Rockford in December, 1870, and in 1876 he came to Grand Rapids. He was elected prosecuting attorney in 1878, serving one term, and he continued to reside in Grand Rapids until 1899, when he resumed his residence in Rockford.
Isaac M. Turner was born in England, April 6, 1851, and came to this country in 1868, going to Shelby County, Illinois, just on the borders of "Egypt," to join his brother, for whom he worked on a farm. In 1878 he came to Grand Rapids, after a course in the Michi- gan University Law School, and entered the office of Judge Grove. The same year he was admitted to the bar and at once began practice on his own account, and by his ability he won for himself an enviable position at the bar. He was elected prosecuting attorney by the Democratic party in 1882, and served two terms, 1883-1887. In 1889 he was elected alderman from the old Eighth ward, and when the ward was divided he was elected from the new Ninth ward. In 1892 he was the Democratic candidate for mayor, but was defeated by William J. Stuart, the city being overwhelmingly Republican in that year. Mr. Turner was stricken with illness while on a professional visit in Washington, D. C., and he died in that city Feb. 5, 1895.
Samuel D. Clay was born in Peremont, N. H., May 6, 1838, and early in life took up the study of law, in which he was unusually suc- cessful. After three years' study with an uncle, who was a promi- nent attorney in Maine, he was admitted to practice at the State bar at Augusta, in the Spring of 1861. He opened an office at Gardiner, Me., where he operated until 1868, when he transferred his business to Grand Rapids. Before coming here he was engaged for a short time in the newspaper business, at one time publishing a little paper on one side of the street while he had as his rival in the newspaper business across the way, James G. Blaine, who was one of his clos- est personal friends. Soon after locating in Grand Rapids Mr. Clay made a name for himself by his brilliant oratory, and he was one of the most prominent "stump" speakers of the day. He was elected prosecuting attorney in 1886, and was known throughout the State as one of the best criminal lawyers of this commonwealth. The lat- ter part of his life was spent with his brother, D. P. Clay, who made his home on a 600-acre farm in Newaygo County. Mr. Clay's death occurred April 21, 1911.
William J. Stuart was born in Yankee Springs township, Barry County, Michigan, Nov. 1, 1844. The days of his boyhood and early youth were spent on the farm, until 1859, when he entered the public school at Hastings. There he remained two years, and then entered the high school at Kalamazoo. He continued his course there until June, 1863, when he graduated with the first class from that institu- tion. After teaching one term of country school, he entered Michigan University in March, 1864, and pursued the classical course of study until the middle of his junior year. After spending several months in Illinois, in the Fall of 1866 he was employed as superintendent of the Union school at Hastings. He occupied this position one year, and then returned to the Michigan University, completed his course of study, and graduated in the class of 1868, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then returned to Hastings and occupied his former position in the public schools for two years, and, at the close
Hosted by Google
.
COURTS AND LAWYERS
453
of his school season, commenced reading law in Kalamazoo. In the Fall of that same year he returned to Ann Arbor and entered the law school of the State University. He remained there until he com- pleted his course and graduated in the Spring of 1872, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He then returned to Kalamazoo and practiced his profession until November, when he came to Grand Rapids, and on Jan. 1, 1873, entered the office of E. A. Burlingame as assistant prosecuting attorney of Kent County. He received the appointment of city attorney of Grand Rapids, in the Spring of 1880, and held the position two terms. In May, 1888, he was appointed prosecuting attorney for Kent County to fill the vacancy caused by the removel of the incumbent, and was afterward elected for a full term. In April, 1905, he was elected judge of the Superior Court of Grand Rapids, was re-elected in 1911, and filled that position until his death, Jan. 20, 1915. In addition to these offices, Mr. Stuart held other positions, both political and educational. For two years he was a member of the Board of Education of Grand Rapids. In 1892 he was elected mayor of the city and re-elected in 1893, serving two terms.
William F. McKnight was born in Cascade, Kent County, Michi- gan, July 23, 1863. He attended the common schools of Cascade un- til he was sixteen years old and then taught school two years. He then entered the normal college at Valparaiso, Ind., in which he grad- uated with the degree of A. B. in 1884. He graduated in the law de- partment of the University of Michigan in 1887, and was admitted to the bar in 1888 at Grand Rapids. He practiced alone for a short time and then formed a partnership with G. C. Godwin and Allen C. Adsit, which partnership continued until 1890, when Mr. McKnight was elected prosecuting attorney and Mr. Adsit to the bench. He served one term in office and then practiced his profession to the time of his death, which occurred May 19, 1918.
Alfred Wolcott was born in Summit County, Ohio, March 17, 1858. He attended the country schools of his native county until fif- teen years of age, after which he taught school a short time. At the age of sixteen he entered the preparatory department of the Western Reserve College at Hudson, Ohio, and graduated in June, 1880, with the degree of B. A. He then went to Cincinnati, where he read law for one year in the office of E. P. Bradstreet. He came to Grand Rap- ids in 1882, and entered the law office of Stuart & Sweet, where he completed his studies and was admitted to the bar in May, 1883. He was elected circuit court commissioner in 1888, and served as such two years. In 1892 he was elected prosecuting attorney and was re- elected in 1894. A partnership was formed with Charles E. Ward, under the firm name of Wolcott & Ward, and this continued until Mr. Wolcott was elected Judge of the circuit court, in 1899. He assumed the duties of this office on Jan. 1, 1900, and in 1905 was re-elected without opposition for another term of six years. He died March 8, 1908.
1
CIRCUIT COURT COMMISSIONERS.
The constitution of 1850 stipulated that "The Legislature may pro- vide by law for the election of one or more persons in each organized county, who may be vested with judicial powers not exceeding those
Hosted by Google
454
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
of a judge of the circuit court at chambers." In compliance there- with the Legislature created the elective office of Circuit Court Com- missioner. The incumbents of the office have been as follows: 1852, Charles C. Rood; 1854, Thaddeus Foote; 1856, Eben S. Eggleston; 1858, Eben Smith, Jr .; 1864, Eben Smith, Jr., and Henry E. Thomp- son ; 1866, Eben Smith, Jr., and G. H. White; 1868, Eben Smith, Jr., and Omar H. Simonds ; 1870, James B. Willson and Omar H. Si- monds ; 1872, James B. Willson and L. W. Wolcott; 1876, James B. Willson and Edward M. Adams ; 1878, Daniel E. Corbitt and Edward M. Adams; 1880, James B. Willson and Lyman D. Follett; 1882, Frank F. Kutts and Lyman D. Follett; 1884, Everett D. Comstock and Joseph Wurzburg; 1888, Dwight Goss and Alfred Wolcott; 1890, Walter H. Hughes and John H. Rozema ; 1892, Everett D. Comstock and Charles W. McGill; 1894, Gerrit H. Albers and Charles W. Mc- Gill; 1896, Gerrit H. Albers and William B. Brown; 1898, John W. Powers and William B. Brown; 1900, John W. Powers and Harry L. Creswell; 1902, Earl R. Stewart and Harry L. Creswell; 1904, Earl R. Stewart and John A. Verkerke; 1910, Edward L. Eardley, present incumbent.
Charles C. Rood was born in Vermont, Aug. 24, 1815. The fam- ily came to Michigan and settled in Oakland County, about 1821 or 1822. He studied law for a time in Detroit, later in Marshall, and in 1846 came to Grand Rapids, where the remainder of his life was spent. He died Feb. 21, 1891.
Henry E. Thompson came here as a young man and married a daughter of Rev. James Ballard, the pioneer Congregational minister and old-time circuit rider. In the Civil War Thompson was captain of Company A, Sixth Michigan cavalry. On June 10, 1863, he be- came lieutenant-colonel, and was wounded in action at Hunterstown, Pa., July 2, following. On March 6, 1864, he was brevetted colonel of United States volunteers, and he was honorably discharged for dis- ability June 6, 1864. He practiced law for a considerable time in Grand Rapids, but in 1901 he removed to California, and he died in San Jose, that State, Jan. 6, 1913.
George H. White was born in Saratoga Springs, N. Y., July 17, 1836. He was educated in the schools of that famous resort of olden days, and studied law in the office of Chancellor Walworth. He came to Grand Rapids in 1856, and here he resided until his death, May 28, 1902.
James B. Willson was born in 1823, at Willoughby, Ohio. He graduated at the Western Reserve College, at Hudson, Ohio, in 1846, and afterward fitted for his profession at Yale Law School. He came to Grand Rapids in 1859 and practiced law here until about 1885. He was elected circuit court commissioner in 1870, and by re- elections served continuously until 1879, and he was again elected in 1880.
Laurens W. Wolcott was born in the State of New York, Feb. 8, 1843. He received his early education in the schools of New York, and finished preparation for college in a school at Batavia, Ill. On Sept. 10, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company D, Fifty-second Illinois infantry, and served in the Army of the Tennessee, from its organization for the Fort Donelson campaign until the close of the
Hosted by Google
455
COURTS AND LAWYERS
war, having by successive promotions received the grade of first lieutenant. In 1868 and 1869 he attended law lectures at the Uni- versity of Michigan. In 1869 he was admitted to the bar and be- came a resident of Grand Rapids. In 1872 he was elected circuit court commissioner for Kent County and was re-elected in 1874. He served several years on the Board of Education and was at one time its president. He died March 29, 1909.
Dwight Goss was born in Portage County, Ohio, Feb. 18, 1857. He attended school in Portage County until ten years of age, when his father moved to Clinton County, Michigan, where Dwight again at- tended school and was graduated in the Ionia High School in 1879. The following year he occupied himself in farming and teaching school, then entered the literary department of the University of Michigan, studying two years, after which he took a course in law at the same institution. Then he came to Grand Rapids, where he spent one and a half years in the office of Smiley & Earle, as clerk. In 1886 he was admitted to the bar and commenced practice Jan. 1, 1887. He was appointed assistant United States attorney for the Western District of Michigan in May, 1898, and filled the position until the Spring of 1902. In 1906 he published a history of Grand Rapids, in two volumes. He died March 29, 1909.
John A. Verkerke was born in the Netherlands, June 30, 1857. He came to Grand Rapids at the age of nine years and here received his education, graduating in the high school at seventeen. He held various positions of trust in the employment of business firms until Jan. 1, 1893, when he was appointed deputy county clerk, which posi- tion he filled creditably. He was also in the same year elected alder- man from the old Eleventh ward and during his service pursued his studies of the law at his office and at home, and in 1896 was admitted to the bar by Judge Adsit. In 1904 he was elected circuit court com- missioner and served in that capacity until his death, which occurred Oct. 25, 1909.
SHERIFFS.
The first executive officer of the courts in Kent County was Ezra Reed, who settled near Reed's Lake in 1834, and was elected sheriff at the first election, in 1836. Aaron Russell was elected in 1838, and served until 1841, when Harry Eaton assumed the duties. Messrs. Reed and Russell were among the earliest settlers in the county, and their successors in the office of sheriff, with the years of their election to office, are as follows: 1840, Harry Eaton; 1842, Solomon Withey ; 1844, C. P. Babcock; 1846, DeWitt Shoemaker; 1848, Harvey K. Rose; 1850, Leonard Snyder ; 1854, Daniel S. T. Weller ; 1856, Anson N. Norton ; 1860, Sluman S. Bailey; 1864, William Thornton; 1866, Sluman S. Bailey ; 1868, Jesse F. Wyckoff ; 1872, Isaac Haynes ; 1876, Freeling W. Peck; 1880, Isaac F. Lamoreaux; 1882, Lyman T. Kin- ney ; 1886, Loomis K. Bishop; 1890, John McQueen; 1892, Isaac F. Lamoreaux ; 1894, Nathaniel Rice; 1895, Irving Woodworth; 1900, Leman H. Chapman; 1904, Albert A. Carroll; 1908, William J. Hur- ley ; 1912, Ed. O'Donnell; 1914, Charles R. Berry, present incumbent. Harry Eaton was bred a farmer in Vermont, came here in 1836, and engaged in mercantile trade and lumbering. He was elected sher- iff of Kent County in 1840, and was the first treasurer of Walker
Hosted by Google
.
456
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
township. He was also one of the charter members of Grand River Lodge, No. 34, F. and A. M., and at his death, in 1859, his funeral was attended by the Grand Lodge of Masons, then in session here. He was best remembered as a genial and entertaining host at a neat little grocery and restaurant which stood where now is the middle portion of the Pantlind Hotel Block.
Solomon Withey came to Grand Rapids from Vermont and for a time was landlord of the Grand River Exchange, subsequently named Bridge Street House. The first year or two he lived at the north end of Ottawa, next to Coldbrook street, where he made brick. He was elected sheriff in 1842, and after the expiration of his term moved to Ada, where he died in 1851, aged 74 years. He was a man of charac- ter-set in his ways, with positive likes and dislikes, bluntly out- spoken, yet was universally esteemed and admired.
Charles P. Babcock was a bustling, busy man for many years, sometimes in trade, sometimes in manufacturing, sometimes as land- lord entertaining guests, and always one whose ambitions were great- er than his physical strength. He removed to Washington, D. C., in 1867.
Leonard Snyder was born at Rensselaerville, Albany County, New York. At the age of twelve he removed with his parents to Schoharie, where he received an excellent common school education for those days. He served his apprenticeship as a mason and plas- terer, and became an expert. He came to Ann Arbor about 1838, and in September, 1842, came to Grand Rapids. He was elected con- stable of the then village of Grand Rapids, two terms, and served as deputy sheriff under DeWitt Shoemaker in 1847-48. He was elected, by large Democratic majorities, as sheriff for two terms, serving from 1851 to 1855. He was then elected and served as city marshal three terms, 1861-62-63. During the latter part of his life he lived retired, and he died May 16, 1895, at the age of 90 years.
Sluman S. Bailey came into Paris township in 1846, and lived on a farm there fourteen years, when he moved into Grand Rapids. He was born at Somerset, Niagara County, New York, Dec. 14, 1821. Farming was his favorite occupation, but he was a busy man in pub- lic as well as private life, in various township offices, as sheriff, and fifteen years as collector of internal revenue.
Isaac F. Lamoreaux was born in Canada, near Toronto, April 8, 1851. In 1852 the family moved to Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and settled in Byron, Kent County, in 1854. The future sheriff was sent to school in Algoma and finished his education in Grand Rapids. His father was engaged in the lumber trade and the boy was thus em- ployed until 18 years old, after which he entered a store in Grand Rapids as clerk. In 1872 he was appointed deputy sheriff under Jesse F. Wyckoff, serving for about one year, and then he engaged as clerk in the grocery trade two years. In 1874, he was appointed collector for the old Sixth ward, and in 1875 he was made turnkey at the jail, under Isaac Haynes. In January, 1877, he was appointed deputy, under Sheriff Peck, and served throughout the term. In the Spring of 1877 he was elected alderman of the old Sixth ward, which he represented in the city council two years. In November, 1880, he was elected sheriff of Kent County, serving one term, and in 1892 he
Hosted by Google
457
COURTS AND LAWYERS
was again elected to that position. Afterward he served as city clerk of Grand Rapids, and he remained here until about 1910, when he re- moved to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Leman H. Chapman was born in Cannon township, Kent County, June 5, 1849. He attended the public schools at Cannonsburg and also studied at G. H. Ranney's select school. Following his graduation he entered upon the profession of school teaching, which he followed for three years. He then became associated with George S. Frost & Company, of Detroit, dealers in pine timber land, and immediately went into the forest, locating timber land. Ten years later he formed a partnership with his father and brother and continued in the same line of business. After several years spent in farming he took charge of the land office in the upper peninsula for the Detroit & Mackinac Railroad Company, and from 1881 to 1890 he had charge of the af- fairs of the Fuller & Rice Lumber Company, in that district. In 1900 he made the race for sheriff of Kent County and was elected, being re-elected two years later. Following his retirement from the office of sheriff he engaged in the livery business in Grand Rapids and so continued until his death, May 23, 1912.
MEMBERS OF THE BAR.
The bar of 1836 included Julius C. Abel, George Martin, A. D. Rathbone, C. P. Calkins, S. M. Johnson, and Hiram Osgood. Martin had but just attained his majority, and the others were probably not much over the age of thirty. Calkins, born in Vermont, received an academic education and ranked high as a member of the bar. Osgood and Rathbone are both reputed to have been men of superior ability and professional attainments. Rathbone ranked high among his fel- lows, and for a brief time was associated in practice with John Ball as senior partner. His death, which occurred in April, 1856, was a serious loss to the community. Osgood was appointed the first dis- trict attorney of the county, in 1837, by Governor Mason, and was a prominent citizen and leading lawyer until he died, in the early part of 1843.
The ranks of the profession were further increased in 1843 by the admission to the bar of Solomon L. Withey, John T. Holmes, and Sylvester Granger, who were all admitted to practice on the same day ; and they had been preceded, in 1842, by Thomas B. Church, who had located for the practice of his profession in the embryo Valley City. Mr. Church at once took a prominent position in the ranks of the legal fraternity, and he maintained that position until his death. "Mr. Church was a genius-a man of marked mental powers; he wrote much for the newspapers and had great literary ability ; he was an orator whose eloquence often astounded and delighted his audience, both upon the stump and in the court room. He was not always elo- quent in trying cases, however; sometimes the fire did not flash, but let his powers be aroused by a just cause weighing in the balance, an act of injustice, the obstinacy of a witness, or the force of a worthy opponent, and he would suddenly call together the vast stores of his memory and overwhelm court and jury with his oratory. It did not need a great case or a large audience to arouse his talents. In jus- tice court he sometimes overwhelmed court and jury with his elo-
Hosted by Google
458
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
quence, if he detected injustice or oppression in an adversary. He was appointed prosecuting attorney soon after coming to Grand Rapids and conducted the first murder trial in the county. The memory of no member of the Kent County bar is surrounded with more ro- mance and regard than is that of Tom Church." Such was the opin- ion of Thomas B. Church, one of Grand Rapids' best and most hon- ored lawyers, given by one who knew him well.
Sylvester Granger came to Grand Rapids in 1836, and the fol- lowing year was elected clerk of Grand Rapids township. In 1838 he helped build the first court house in Grand Rapids, and in its days he wrote much for the Grand Rapids Enquirer. On May 17, 1843, with John T. Holmes and Solomon L. Withey, he was admitted to the bar, as heretofore mentioned, and the next year he was elected justice of the peace. Those already mentioned were the men who practically constituted the bar of Grand Rapids during the first ten years of its history. A few others came, but their stay was short or their pro- fessional rank and influence unimportant.
In 1847 Lucius Patterson located in Grand Rapids, and for near a quarter of a century he was a man of mark among the members of the bar in Kent County. He was born at Constantia, Oswego Coun- ty, New York, Nov. 29, 1814, and was reared on a farm. He began the study of law in 1836, came to Michigan in 1844, and settled in Otisco as a farmer. He was admitted to the bar in Grand Rapids in 1846, and in the following year moved into the village. He built a neat stone house for a residence on Scribner avenue, near Fifth street, about 1850, and lived there some twenty years. He was an able law- yer-not learned, but acute, quick, clear and concise in statement and argument, fertile in expedients in behalf of his clients, impressive and sometimes eloquent in speech, a man of much reading and va- ried information, and more than moderately successful in winning cases. He had a strong will and positive likes and dislikes, but was genial and generous in disposition. He died in Grand Rapids, March 23, 1871.
Ebenezer S. Eggleston and James H. McKee were added to the list of members of the Grand Rapids bar in 1852. The former is giv- en personal mention on another page. Mr. McKee was born in West Arlington, Vt., June 19, 1823. He received his early education in the academy at Bennington, Vt., and later entered Yale, being graduated in the classic department of that institution in 1844. He later took up the study of law in New York City. In 1849 he moved to Michi- gan, locating at Laingsburg, and in 1852 came to Grand Rapids, where he began the practice of law. At one time John Ball was his partner in the law firm of Ball & McKee. Mr. McKee died Aug. 31, 1908.
Christopher W. Leffingwell was born in Albany, N. Y., Sept. 9, 1808. In his early manhood he taught school and studied law in Ohio. Having been admitted to the bar he came to Michigan in 1836 and settled in DeWitt, Clinton County. In 1854 he came to Grand Rap- ids and practiced law until the days of the Civil War. At one time he was a partner of Lucius Patterson, and in 1856 he was chosen city attorney. In 1861 he was elected justice of the peace. Although ad- vanced in years, before the Civil War he took an interest in military
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.