USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. II > Part 14
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
H. Monroe Dunham .- As compared with many of the biogra- phies of men in this work who have, in the legal profession, attained eminence and secured for themselves high reputations, as well as material prosperity, H. Monroe Dunham is but a beginner in the field at Grand Rapids. Yet of none of the younger generation can it be said that the foundation for whatever success, popularity or honor the future has in store, has been more firmly, perseveringly or with greater wisdom laid than in his case. Mr. Dunham was born at Cadil-
Hosted by Google
101
BIOGRAPHICAL
lac, Wexford county, Michigan, March 26, 1885, a son of Hon. Major L. and Sophia (Heimes) Dunham. Judge Major L. Dunham was born, March 19, 1850, in Oakland county, Michigan, a son of John and Mary A. (McDermott) Dunham. He attended the public schools of Highland and studied law in the office of G. H. Beardsley, and, being admitted to the bar in October, 1875, was for four years prosecuting attorney of Ontonagon county and for three years city attorney of Cadillac. He was in partnership with his brother, H. M. Dunham, until 1887, in which year he came to Grand Rapids, and here, in June, 1907, formed a law association with his son, H. Monroe, which con- tinued until the elder man was elevated to the bench, in May, 1914. Judge Dunham was married, Oct. 16, 1875, to Sophia Heimes, and they have two children : Gertrude, who is the wife of T. H. Camp, of San Francisco, Cal., and H. Monroe. H. Monroe Dunham was two years of age when brought to Grand Rapids and here attended the graded and high school, graduating in the latter with the class of 1903. The two years that followed were spent at the University of Chicago, and for three years he attended Northwestern University, at Evans- ton, Ill., being graduated in the law department in . 1908. He had been admitted to the bar, April 17, 1907, and in June of that year commenced practice with his father, his cousin, John M. Dunham, later being admitted to the firm. Since May, 1914, Mr. Dunham has practiced alone. He has already a large clientele and a very enviable reputation as a successful lawyer, the first attributable to the fact that he possesses the faculty of making and keeping friends, his life being ordered and governed by those principles which men recognize as sound, just and right, and the second to his natural ability, enabling him to quickly grasp his subject, apply the points of law applicable to his case with a flow of eloquence, a conviction of manner and sound- ness of argument which usually results in a verdict in his favor. Mr. Dunham is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Michigan State Bar Association, belongs to York Lodge of Masons and to the Elks, and holds membership in the Highlands Golf and Peninsular clubs. He was united in marriage, Sept. 23, 1908, with Miss Daisy, daughter of Charles W. and Marian (Mosher) Findlater, of Detroit, Mich. They have two children: Dorothy E. and Har- rison M.
John M. Dunham .- The high professional average of the young- er element of the legal fraternity of Grand Rapids, as exemplified in the prominence attained by a large proportion of its numbers, their marked ability as orators, exhaustive knowledge of the fundamental principles of the law, and the vigor, energy and shrewdness with which they present and try their cases, has made the Grand Rapids bar well known throughout the country, and in comparison with that of other large cities the envy of many in this respect. The name heading this sketch is that of one of the best known of the generation of law- yers to which reference was made, from the fact that his success at the bar has shown him to be possessed of most, if not all, of those qualifications which are requisite to the conduct of a large and varied law practice, and the more than ordinary degree of success which has attended him thus early in his career is merely evidence of his ability to properly apply them in his chosen profession. John M. Dunham was born at Cadillac, the county seat of Wexford county, Michigan,
Hosted by Google
102
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
July 16, 1888, a son of Hon. Harrison M. and Kittie (Parks) Dunham. His father was born in Livingston county, Michigan, April 25, 1857, and received an ordinary education, following which for several years he taught school in the country districts of Iron county. His ambi- tions, however, were placed much beyond those of the country school- master, and during his brief period of probation he gave all of his ยท spare time to study, so that when he entered the law offices. of his father-in-law, George Parks, he was already well grounded in the principles of the vocation which he had determined to follow. Mr. Dunham began practice at Cadillac about the year 1878 and for nearly two decades followed his profession there, building up a good clientele and winning the confidence of his fellow-practitioners and of the public. In 1897 he took up his residence at Grand Rapids, where he entered practice as a partner of Judge M. L. Dunham, and continued in this association until 1902. In that year he practically retired from practice and went to Alma, Mich., where he died, March 4, 1904, and where Mrs. Dunham still makes her home. A Republican in poli- tics, Judge Dunham took an active part in public affairs and was accounted one of the strong men of his party in the several commun- ities in which he resided. As police judge of Cadillac and as judge of the Probate Court of Wexford county, he established excellent records, and few jurists had in greater degree the respect of bench, bar and public. He was widely known in fraternal circles of the state, holding membership in the Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Mac- cabees, the Odd Fellows and the Woodmen, and his religious connec- tion was with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Dun- ham, who was born at Marquette, Mich., Feb. 23, 1866, and who sur- vives him and lives at Alma, is also a member. They were the par- ents of seven children, as follows: Alberta, who resided at New Or- leans, La., and died June 10, 1917; Sophia, who is the wife of Prof. F. W. Moore, of the Minnesota Normal School, Winona, Minn .; John M .; Homer M., of Alma, Mich .; Esther, of Springfield, Minn., a teach- er in the public schools; and Ruth and Donald, who reside with their mother. John M. Dunham received the rudiments of his education in the public schools of Alma, and after his graduation in the high school entered Alma college, graduating about the time he attained his majority, in 1909. He then entered the department of law of the University of Michigan, being graduated in 1911, and at once com- menced practice at Alma, where he was appointed acting prosecuting attorney of Gratiot county. Mr. Dunham came to Grand Rapids, Dec. 1, 1913, to enter into partnership with M. L. and H. Monroe Dunham, and this combination continued until M. L. Dunham was elevated to the bench, in 1916, since which time he has been practicing alone. His large professional business, while it has been principally in the county courts, is rapidly extending to the whole varied field of general liti- gation, both in the state and federal jurisdictions. Mr. Dunham is a member of the Kent County Bar Association, is a Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias, and belongs to the O-Wash-ta- nong club. His marriage was solemnized, Jan. 30, 1917, on which date he was united with Miss Adeline, daughter of Frank E. and Zora (Dakin) Rogers, of Grand Rapids.
Hon. Major L. Dunham was elected a judge of the Superior court of Kent county in 1915. During forty years previous to that
Hosted by Google
-
Hosted by
1
Hosted by
103
BIOGRAPHICAL
he had been engaged in the practice of law. For more than four decades it has been his business to discern the actions and purposes of men, and it is generally recognized by practitioners and litigants that no one on the Grand Rapids bench is better informed on criminal procedure or inspires greater confidence in the prompt and impartial administration of justice than he. Judge Dunham was born at High- land, Oakland county, Michigan, March 19, 1850, a son of John and Mary (Lockwood) Dunham. His parents were farming people of Oakland county and passed the last years of their lives at Alma, where both died. He was reared on the homestead farm and secured a good education in his youth, attending the county schools in the vicinity of his home, the high schools at Hartland and Howell, Michigan, and the seminary at Fenton, Mich., where he remained one and one-half years. After leaving the latter institution, he adopted the vocation of school teacher as a medium through which to make a living while he was preparing himself for the law, his chosen profession. He found a number of obstacles in his path and the time passed slowly and dis- couragingly, yet not once in the thirteen years did he falter in his. purpose, and his perseverence and patient effort were finally rewarded, for, after he had served for three years as principal of the schools at Greenland, in Ontonagon county, he was admitted to the bar there in October, 1875. He was almost immediately appointed prosecuting attorney of the county, where the people had come to have confidence in the young lawyer's ability and integrity, and he continued to hold that office for a period of eight years, during which he established an excellent record. He then resigned and went to Cadillac, but not until he had had some experience in the field of journalism, having founded the Ontonagon Herald, a newspaper which he published until he left. At Cadillac he was engaged in practice in association with his brother for six years, during three years of which time he also served as city attorney, but in December, 1887, sold his practice at that place and came to Grand Rapids. Here he formed a partnership with Godwin & Adsit, with whom he was associated for two years, and then opened a law office of his own. He continued in the enjoy- ment of a constantly growing practice until April 12, 1915, when he was elevated to the Superior bench by the vote of the people. With all his years of experience with the delinquent element of human society, Judge Dunham, while his insight of the faults and guile of mankind has been sharpened, has preserved and constantly manifests a kindliness and sympathy in his dealings with litigants that make him one of the most esteemed judges in Kent county. His, unfailing com- mon sense preserves him from the pedantry of law, and having been a close and thorough student under the impetus of his own determina- tion, he has become fully and practically equipped to meet any emer- gency within the scope of his judicial duties. He holds membership in the Kent County Bar association and the Michigan State Bar asso- ciation, and is a Mason and an Elk. With his family, he belongs to the Presbyterian church. Judge Dunham was married, Oct. 16, 1875, to Miss Sophie Heimes, daughter of August Heimes, of Greenland, Mich., and of this union there have been born two children : Gertrude, wife of Talcott H. Camp, of San Francisco, Cal., and H. Monroe, an attorney-at-law in Grand Rapids.
Hosted by Google
104
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
George M. Edison .- While the history of the late George M. Edi- son is connected with the past of Kent county rather than the present, his death having occurred in 1912, he is entitled to representation in a work dealing with the lives and achievements of the men of this locality, for during a long and active career he was identified with the agricultural interests of this locality, and on his retirement to Grand Rapids became one of the useful and helpful citizens of his community. It was not his fortune to have been connected with public life or to have emblazoned his name on the records of great financial achievements, but his life was a wholesome and instructive one, teach- ing lessons on the value of industry, fidelity and honesty, and show- ing the satisfying rewards to be gained through following paths of rectitude. Mr. Edison was born in Ontario, Canada, June 10, 1829, a son of Moses and Jane (Saxton) Edison. His parents, natives of Nova Scotia, moved to Ontario not long after their marriage, and in 1839 came to Kent county, Michigan, locating on a farm which is now situated on Bridge Street, Grand Rapids. There they passed the re- maining years of their lives in agricultural pursuits and died with the full regard and respect of the people in whose midst they had lived. George M. Edison received his early education in the public schools of Canada, but completed his educational training in Kent county, where he attended the district schools from his tenth year until he was in his early "teens." He was reared as an agriculturist and to habits of industry and sobriety, and when he attained manhood engaged in farming on his own account, and so successful was he in his operations that, at the age of fifty-four years, in 1883, he was able to retire from active pursuits. At that time he moved into the city, where he sur- rounded himself with the comforts earned through his years of hard and faithful labor, and continued to live in quiet retirement until his demise, which occurred May 19, 1912, when he was nearly eighty- four years of age. Mr. Edison was a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church, supported its movements generously, and for several years served as a member of its board of trustees. He was a Republi- can, but did not care for public life, and only served his party by casting his vote for its candidates. Mr. Edison was married, Nov. 12, 1851, to Miss Lucinda, daughter of Henry and Sarah (Denton) Helmka, of Kent county, who died March 26, 1886. They became the parents of the following children: William H., who is deceased ; Julia E., who has also passed away; Georgianna E., who is the widow of Ferdinand A. Hall, of Grand Rapids; Lafayette E., of Grand Rapids, who has one daughter, Helen Jean; and Sarah Elnora, also of Grand Rapids. In 1888, Mr. Edison married Mrs. Mary E. Bryan, a native of Canada, and she is now a resident of Los Angeles, Cal.
William H. Edwards .- The practical development of an early idea and the utilization and application of specially gained knowledge have gained for William H. Edwards a place of importance in the business world of Grand Rapids, although his activities have not been confined to the limits of this city, his influence in the general stationery field extending over a wide territory. His success has been due entirely to his own efforts and abilities, and in the capacities of vice- president and manager of sales and factory of the Proudfit Loose Leaf Company he has found an appreciative medium through which his natural talents can be fully exercised. Mr. Edwards was born at
Hosted by Google
105
BIOGRAPHICAL
Saginaw, Mich., Jan. 9, 1872, son of William Henford and Harriet (Beardsley) Edwards. His father, a native of Huntington, Conn., was a textile manufacturer in the East, and on coming to Michigan became the owner of the Saginaw Courier-Herald, which he conducted several years. Later he became interested in lumber, and his holdings in this respect grew to such an extent that eventually he gave up newspaper work for the lumber industry, which he engaged in up to the time of his death, at the age of eighty-four years. He was a Democrat and served as alderman of Saginaw for several years, in addition to which he displayed his good citizenship by other acts of public service. He belonged to the Commercial club and to the Ma- sonic fraternity and was a member of the Episcopal church. Mrs. Edwards, who was born at Bridgeport, Conn., still survives at an ad- vanced age and is a resident of Saginaw. There were four children in the family: Mayme, who is deceased; Charles Henry and Florence Isabelle, of Saginaw; and William H. William H. Edwards received his education in the graded schools and high school at Saginaw and as a youth learned the printing and binding business with his father, with whom he was also for a time engaged in the lumber business. In 1904 he first came to Grand Rapids, where he secured employment with the Grand Rapids Lithographing Company, with which concern he was connected for one and one-half years, at the end of that time going to the Michigan lumber country and becoming the proprietor of a general store at Greenwood. This he conducted with a fair meas- ure of success for several years, then the big city called him and, in 1909, he returned to Grand Rapids and once more entered the employ of the Grand Rapids Lithographing Company, this time in charge of the binding department, a position which he retained for two years. Mr. Edwards then became owner of this department by purchase and organized a concern under the name of Edwards-Hine Company. The company started to do binding only, but subsequently put in a com- plete plant to do printing, stationery, office supplies, etc., and while he was thus in business Mr. Edwards attended the first National Busi- ness Show, at Chicago, where he saw the Proudfit binder. At once realizing the possibilities of this improved device, he made arrange- ments to handle the Michigan territory and within a year had secured the entire United States for the selling rights of the patent. After about three years he entered the Proudfit Loose Leaf Company, as vice-president and sales and factory manager, positions which he holds at this time. Mr. Edwards is one of the live, energetic men of the city, a product of the enterprising Middle West, and one of the best informed men in his line in the country. He is an active member of the Grand Rapids Association of Commerce and is fraternally con- nected with the local lodges of Elks and Foresters, and with his family belongs to the Episcopal church. He is a Republican. Mr. Edwards was married, Oct. 14, 1896, to Gertrude Cynthia, daughter of John F. and Eliza (Mather) Lucia, of Grand Rapids, and they are the parents of six children, all residing at home: Harriet E., William Harold, Doris Lucia, John Franklin, Jean Isabelle and James Maxwell.
Riley Eldred .- One of the old and highly respected families of Kent county is that bearing the name of Eldred, whose arrival here occurred during the section's first settlement, when the original pio- neers were still blazing the trail for civilization. For the greater part
Hosted by Google
106
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
its members have been identified with agricultural pursuits, and this has been the vocation of a worthy member of the family now living in the Cedar Springs community, Riley Eldred. Mr. Eldred has been a resident of this part of Kent county throughout his life and is num- bered among the men whose progressive methods and energetic spirit have assisted in advancing the country and in developing its inter- ests. He was born on a farm in Courtland township, July 19, 1877, son of Charles Eldred, the first of the family to locate here. Charles Eldred came to this state from Ohio, where he had been only reason- ably successful. As a young man he became a shingle shaver, but as he noted the possibilities of the fertile soil here when well managed and treated in a proper manner, he turned his attention to agriculture, a field in which he met with merited prosperity. He cleared his land from the timber and brush, cultivated it, built improvements and erected buildings, and lived to see his once worthless property develop into a smiling and productive farm, bringing in a substantial revenue and representing an acquisition well worth working for. Mr. Eldred married Areno Phelps and they became the parents of eight children -Mary, Martha, Riley, Harvey, Clayton, Ernie, Claude and Vera. The boys in this family all followed the example of their father and engaged in agricultural pursuits, in which all succeeded, this probably being because of their excellent early training. Riley Eldred, like his brothers, was given a thorough instruction in all the things that combine to make the successful farmer. In his boyhood his mind was given training in the district schools, but in the summer months he put in much time at hard work, and thus was brought up in a healthy and useful way, both in body and mind. When he had passed his majority he became a farmer in his own right and this vocation has been his chief one ever since, and he has had no desire to leave it. At this time Mr. Eldred's home place is what is known as the Decou farm, an eighty-acre farm which is an excellent producer. Under Mr. Eldred's able management it has been made to yield large crops, for which his business ability allows him to gain fine prices. Mr. Eldred married Miss Jacobs, daughter of A. E. Jacobs, of Nelson township, who has been engaged in farming here for many years. Of this union there have been born eight children, as follows: Bernice, wife of William Day, who is now in the United States army, field artillery ; Eula, who is attending the Nelson high school; and Leon, Thelma, Norma, Lyle, Donald, Erwin and Max, all attending the graded schools, except the last named. Mr. Eldred on various occasions has served his community in civic capacities and at the present time is a member of the board of directors of the Evans schools. He has always been a temperance man and is a strict Prohibitionist in politics.
Peter Eyke .- A recent recruit to the farming industry of Kent county who has already demonstrated the possession of qualities which will without doubt lead him to success and standing among his fellow-citizens, is Peter Eyke, now a resident of Lowell township, where he is engaged in the cultivation of eighty acres of land in sec- tion 6. While he has been an agriculturist for only two years, Mr. Eyke is not unknown to the people of Kent county, for during a period of nearly thirty years he was engaged in various pursuits in different parts of this section and in this time established a well-earned reputation for sobriety, fidelity to engagements and industrious ap-
Hosted by Google
107
BIOGRAPHICAL
plication to the duties of his different employments. Mr. Eyke was born in the Netherlands, June 22, 1863, son of Hulbert and Gurty Eyke, who both passed away in their native land, where the father had been a laboring man. Mr. Eyke is the only one of his family to come to America, an elder brother, William, being deceased,, while five brothers and one sister still reside in the old country, these bein Fritz, Harry, Gurty, Adrian, Henry and John. Peter Eyke was given only ordinary educational advantages in the schools of his native land and when still a youth started to work there. He soon became con- vinced that the future promised nothing for him in the land of his birth, and when twenty-four years of age, in 1888, emigrated to the United States, arriving in Kent county, April 17 of that year. Being industrious and ambitious, he had little trouble in securing employ- ment, and first went to work in a lumber yard, where for twenty-two years he worked on a machine. Subsequently, he accepted whatever honorable employment presented itself, and in the meantime carefully saved his earnings, it always having been his ambition to become a property owner. This ambition was realized in 1916, when he bought his present farm of eighty acres in Lowell township, on which he has since been engaged in successful farming operations. He has shown a tendency to adopt new methods in order to make the most of his labor and is engaged in installing improvements which have enhanced the value of his property, the latest of which is a new residence. Mr. Eyke is a substantial and public-spirited citizen of his community who has made his own way in the world and who has no one to thank for his success but himself. He has had no desire to mix in political affairs, although he takes an intelligent interest in the public ques- tions of the day, and as his farm and his home form his chief interests he is not identified with fraternal or social life. Mr. Eyke was mar- ried, April 22, 1889, to Cornelia, daughter of Peter Vermeun, of Kent county, and they have a son, Harry, who resides at home and assists his father in his farming operations.
Reuben Farnam .- The famous old Empire state has been gener- ous in its contributions to the citizenship of Michigan from the earliest date of the settlement of the latter commonwealth. Many young men there have been, particularly during the first forty years of Michi- gan's life, who, finding neither success nor encouragement in the East, turned their faces hopefully toward the West, journeyed to the hos- pitable state of Michigan and here subsequently found prosperity and contentment. Kent county had its full share of early and later settlers from New York, and among these was Reuben Farnam, who came as a young man during the '80s, and who has since remained to make a fortune and position for himself. Mr. Farnam, who is now one of the substantial agriculturists and highly respected citizens of Algoma township, was born in the city of Rochester, N. Y., April 3, 1860. He received ordinary educational advantages and was reared in the home of an honorable family, but it was his wish to accomplish something on his own account, and he accordingly, in 1880, before he had reached his majority, severed home ties and started upon a journey which brought him to Michigan. His first settlement was in the ex- treme north end of the state, but he found that the climatic conditions there did not agree with his health and he finally changed his place of residence to Algoma township, Kent county, just across the township
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.