USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. II > Part 20
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this period was connected with one of the city's prominent financial institutions. In his youth it was his ambition to follow medicine as a career, but after coming to the Furniture City he was drawn from a professional life and at the time of his death was acting in the ca- pacity of cashier of the Grand Rapids Savings Bank. Mr. Hall was born near the city of Rochester, N. Y., Sept. 10, 1846, a son of Rev. Augustus F. and Dyelsie (Symson) Hall, both natives of the Em- pire State. As a lad he attended the public schools of his native com- munity, but subsequently went to the oil country of Pennsylvania, and while there evidenced a desire to become a physician and sur- geon. Subsequently he studied for that profession at Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1880 came to Grand Rapids and commenced practice, but not long thereafter turned his attention to financial and business matters and in time became identified with the Grand Rapids Savings Bank. In that institution he won promotion through industry, fideli- ty and ability, and served as cashier of the institution, being the in- cumbent of that position at the time of his death, July 19, 1906. Mr. Hall has one brother, Willis N. Hall, and he resides at Independence, Kan. Mr. Hall had a wide acquaintance in banking circles, and was known as a man of much ability, winning and holding the confidence of his associates 'and the people in general in a marked degree. He was a Democrat in politics, although he took no part in public life; was a Mason, and, with his wife, attended the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Hall was married Nov. 2, 1881, to Miss Georgianna, daughter of George M. and Lucinda (Helmka) Edison, of Grand Rapids, a sketch of whose career will be found on another page of this work.
John M. Halloran .- One of the most vitally necessary adjuncts to the government of any law-abiding community is that which is re- lated to the prevention of crime and the apprehension of law-break- ers. Naturally this comes with the powers of the city government and other authorities, but it often occurs that the regularly consti- tuted police authorities are unable to cope with certain situations and frequently parties desiring information or protection are not desir- ous of attracting the publicity that invariably follows the placing of matter in the hands of the police department. In these cases is found the matter that constitutes in large degree the work of the private detective agencies, the regular operations of which have been brought down to a practical point of accuracy and scientific accomplishment that is constantly a marvel to the layman. Of the concerns of this nature which have been established during recent years, one which has advanced phenomenally during the three years of its existence is Halloran's National Detective Agency, the general office of which is located at Grand Rapids, and the president of which is John M. Halloran, one of the best and most skilled men in the tracking down of criminals in the Central West today. Mr. Halloran was born in Leighton township, Allegan county, Michigan, May 18, 1875, son of Cornelius and Katherine (MacGrevey) Halloran, the former a na- tive of County Clare and the mother of County Roscommon, Ire- land. Cornelius Halloran immigrated to America about 1860 and located first in Montreal, Canada, for a time, but subsequently came to this country and settled at Detroit, from which city he went to Kalamazoo. Eventually he came to Grand Rapids, where he secured
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work on the G. R. & I. railway, but after several years turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, securing a farm in Leighton town- ship, Allegan county, on which he continued operations during the remainder of his life. He was a good citizen and a faithful member of the Catholic church, to which Mrs. Halloran, who survives him and lives on the farm, also belongs. Mr. Halloran was a Republican in his political views. There were the following children in the fam- ily : Anna, wife of Harry Dillon, of Minneapolis, Minn .; Margaret, wife of Leat Pullen, of Colona, Mich .; John M., of this notice; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Clarence Gannon, of Gaines township, Kent county ; James, who resides on the farm with his mother ; Daniel, of Detroit, Mich., and Ella, wife of Frank Mclaughlin, of Chicago. John M. Halloran received a district school education in Leighton township and was reared as a farmer boy, but the quiet existence of the agricultural life held out no attractions for him, and like many other youths from the rural communities he left home at the earliest opportunity and came to Grand Rapids, where his first employment was that of motorman on the street cars. He also served as a con- ductor, but soon changed the uniform of the transportation company for that of the police department, becoming a city patrolman Oct. 25, 1895. He did not travel a beat for any extensive length of time, for he soon displayed abilities that warranted his superior officers de- tailing him on special work, and he was then placed in the regular detective department of the city of Grand Rapids, and during his con- nection therewith established one of the most wonderful records ever made by a detective in the State of Michigan. In the meantime, the business men of Grand Rapids, who had been suffering continual losses in a hundred different ways, were becoming more and more im- pressed with the need of a private detective agency for services in Western Michigan, and finally came to the conclusion that Mr. Hal- loran was the logical man to head such an institution. It took some pressure to make Mr. Halloran leave the city detective department, but he was finally prevailed upon, and in 1915 the Halloran National Detective Agency came into being. As before noted, Mr. Halloran established a wonderful record in the detective department, and in this connection it may not be out of place to quote the following "Resolutions to John Halloran: Whereas, John Halloran, detective, who is in the employ of the City of Grand Rapids and has been for several years, at the risk of his life, not only once but on many occa- sions, finally brought about the capture of the murderers of three citizens and business men of the city of Grand Rapids; and Whereas, Said detective devoted his energy and time and risked his life without additional compensation or hope of further reward than a duty to be performed ; and Whereas, The final step has been taken by the courts in the disposition of said matter, now therefore, Resolved, That the citizens of the City of Grand Rapids through its Common Council do hereby extend to John Halloran their deepest appreciation and many thanks for the splendid and courageous work which he has so nobly performed ; and further, Resolved, That an engrossed copy of this resolution be made and presented to said officer. Adopted by a ris- ing vote. Signed, George E. Ellis, Mayor. James Schriver, Clerk." In the formation and detailed completion of an organization that nec- essarily had to be much more than local in its nature, Mr. Halloran II-10
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faced a number of difficult problems. One of the first tasks he had before him was to secure the services of the right associates in order to make this agency one of the best in the country. After inquiring through different sources, he found that Carl E. Stone, of Chicago, was one of the most successful operatives in the private detective business in the country, and who, for the past ten years, had been superintendent of one of the largest secret service companies in the world. Mr. Stone was eventually secured as manager of the Hal- loran Detective Agency, and took up his duties. The phenomenal growth of the agency soon made it necessary to employ a trained operative for the keeping of the police records. One of the best men available was V. J. Twining, who, for ten years, had been doing this work for the police department of the city of Grand Rapids. Mr. Twining is now superintendent of the Halloran agency. Another de- partment that has been added to this agency and which has had splendid success is the credit department. Lou Dolan, formerly clerk of the Superior Court and later credit manager for a large wholesale house of Grand Rapids, occupies this position, and the splendid suc- cess of the department is largely attributable to his capacity. It is a rule of the company to employ only those operatives whose records will bear the strictest scrutiny and investigation as to integrity and ability. Altogether the agency prides itself upon being one of the best equipped and most completely organized in the country, and stands upon its record of having become the largest and most suc- cessful of any agency in Michigan, although in business only a com- paratively short time. While the general offices are situated at Grand Rapids, 506-7 Grand Rapids Savings Bank Building, branches are maintained in numerous other cities in this country, and in Canada, England, Cuba and France. The scope of its business is extensive. Thefts, forgeries, anonymous, threatening or slanderous communica- tions are thoroughly investigated and located, and a policy of abso- lute secrecy and an avoidance of newspaper publication is a feature of the work done. Managers of corporations are kept posted as to in- side existing conditions, both as to labor troubles, contemplated strikes and other irregularities, such as loss of property and waste of material. A special police patrol is furnished to protect property in time of strike, and in factory inspections recommendations are made in the way of improving systems and eliminating unnecessary waste, expense, etc. The department store service is another feature, and this is profitable, not alone because of the restoration of goods stolen by shoplifters and others, but because of the prevention of thefts ; and extra operatives are furnished for the holiday seasons and for special sale occasions. The large furniture houses have found the services of this agency to be an invaluable aid, and the service for railroads is that of electric car and steam train testing and general detective work to assist the management in maintaining adequate service; also in the investigation of accident cases or any irregulari- ties in the conduct of a railroad. The agency also has a large insur- ance clientage and renders valuable service in connection with the in- vestigation of all forms of claims, as well as in the adjustment of losses. Various other branches, too numerous to mention, cover in a comprehensive manner every phase of the business of detecting and preventing crime, and all this has been worked up under the per-
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sonal supervision of Mr. Halloran. Personally, and through his op- eratives, Mr. Halloran has cleared up a number of cases that have mystified city and county officials. He has means at hand for the ferreting out of secrets and the untangling of complexities and pos- sesses himself the true detective sense. Mr. Halloran is a member of the Grand Rapids Association of Commerce and of the Greater Grand Rapids Association. He holds membership also in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Grand River Driving club, and in his political views is a Republican. He was first married Jan. 12, 1906, to Miss Grace O'Hara, daughter of James and Mary O'Hara, of Grand Rapids, and of this union were born two children, Lionel and Grace, both residing at home. Mrs. Halloran died July 1, 1908, and Mr. Halloran was married Nov. 28, 1910, to Miss Josephine Miller, daughter of Alexander and Mary Miller, of Grand Rapids, and two children have been born to them-Kenneth, at home, and an infant son who died at the age of four and one-half months.
Harvey C. Hamilton .- One of the principal reasons for Grand Rapids' prestige as a manufacturing, commercial and industrial city is found in the fact that it has men who have won their own way without outside help, who have taken things into their own hands and who have made opportunities instead of looking for them or waiting for them to appear. This kind of initiative is something that adds to the business prowess of any community, and the Furniture City has been singularly fortunate in having men of this kind con- tributing to its welfare. Included in the list of this nature should be mentioned Harvey C. Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton was reared as a farm boy and was given but a public school education. He entered com- mercial life in a clerical capacity and has worked his way to the front by his own efforts, now being treasurer of the Alabastine Company. Harvey C. Hamilton is a Kent county man all the way through. He was born at Grandville, April 4, 1866, son of Isaiah and Mary E. (Grey) Hamilton. Reared in a family which felt that sturdy right- eousness and honor were more to be desired than anything else pro- curable, and brought up in the healthy agricultural atmosphere of his father's farm, he came to his manhood with brain and body fully de- veloped. The farm held Mr. Hamilton until 1894, in which year he made his first venture into the commercial field. That year saw him make his first business connection. He was given a position by the Diamond Wall Finish Company as bookkeeper; when this company was taken over by the Alabastine Company, in 1898, his fidelity and ability were appreciated and he was retained. But not for long. The company needed men who were capable, willing and earnest, and Mr. Hamilton found ready and deserved promotion. In 1914, the man who had started as bookkeeper was put into the office of treasurer. Among his business associates he is known as a man who is thor- oughly alive to everything that is happening. It is his policy to keep himself fully informed in regard to current affairs and to have an intelligent knowledge thereof. Like other well-informed men, he knows that Grand Rapids' interests are his interests, and the move- ments which are started to help the city civically, educationally or so- cially, find in him a hearty supporter. In politics Mr. Hamilton is a Republican. Fraternally he is identified with the Masons and the Odd Fellows. He was married Feb. 12, 1888, to Miss Myrtie A. Coates,
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daughter of Leaman and Eliza (Salman) Coates, of Grandville, Mich., and they have two sons, Carl and La Verne, the latter a resi- dent of Chicago.
R. T. Hamilton .- The prosperous capitalist illustrates by his ex- periences and successes the ups and downs of life, its fascinating promises of reward, as well as its equally abundant opportunities for failure. His extended relations with outside concerns bring new cap- ital to his community, and if he has sound judgment and is sufficiently conservative to limit his investments to enterprises he feels sure will succeed, he is reasonably sure of the attainment of success. Such, at least, has been the experience of R. T. Hamilton, banker of Sand Lake and one of the leading and substantial citizens of that thriving village of Kent county. His prosperity, however, has not come with- out a large amount of hard work; industry, in fact, has been one of the ruling characteristics of his career, and perhaps that is why that he, at an age when many men are merely getting under way upon their life work, finds himself the possessor of a good business, the repository for large interests, and the holder of a place in his com- munity where his fellow-citizens retain him in their closest confi- dence. Mr. Hamilton was born at Sparta, Kent county, Michigan, July 1, 1874, son of Henry F. Hamilton. His father, in the pursuit of business, moved his family several times during the boyhood of R. T. Hamilton, and as a result the lad attended the public schools at Ce- dar Springs and Sand Lake, at which place his father eventually set- tled as the proprietor of a mercantile establishment. It was in this place of business that R. T. Hamilton received his introduction to commercial methods and received his first training along business lines under his father's preceptorship. Later, when he had attained his majority, he secured a position with the G. R. & I. railroad, a position which he held for three years. He also worked in various other business establishments and for a time conducted his father's business for the elder man, but in 1905 he entered the Bank of Sand Lake, a private institution which was conducted by a Mr. Phelps. Here he held clerical positions for three years, at the end of which time, in partnership with Frank E. Shattuck, he bought out Mr. Phelps' interests, and the firm of Shattuck, Hamilton & Company has since conducted this institution. Conservatism and absolute safe- guarding of the interests of its depositors has brought the bank a good patronage, and it is today accounted a sound and stable house, which, under its present good management, should be able to weather the storms of financial distress and come through with colors flying. Mr. Hamilton is a keen student of banking conditions and is looked to for advice and leadership in matters of financial importance. He has won the confidence of the agricultural element of this part of the county, as well as that of the larger centers, through a display of nat- ural ability and aptitude for his chosen line of work. This confidence was evidenced at the last election when a count of the votes cast showed that he had been elected by a handsome majority to the of- fice of village treasurer, a position which he holds at this time. Polit- ically, he is a Republican, and his fraternal affiliation is with the Knights of the Maccabees. Mr. Hamilton married Eva M., daugh- ter of Fred W. Hicks, of Kent county .-
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George Hanna .- To be able to look back over more than a half a century of compensating effort in any vocation is something of a privilege. When this retrospect covers a period of constant activity in the agricultural field, it would seem as if a particular sense of ac- complishment must be felt, for heart and spirit must have been en- gaged as well as brain in order to persevere so long on a path that needs unfailing industry in order for its followers to reap a commen- surate reward. Attention may thus be called to the career of George Hanna, who is now living retired at Center Springs, but who for many years was one of the leading agriculturists of Solon township. He has been a resident of Kent county for sixty-nine years and during his residence here has not only been prominently identified with farm- ing interests, but with public affairs as well. Mr. Hanna was born Jan. 10, 1848, in Cortland county, New York, son of James Hanna, also a native of that county, who brought his family to Michigan in 1849. From that day to the present the family has been connected with the development, progress and welfare of the county, and par- ticularly of Solon township, and its members have on numerous occa- sions filled important positions of trust and responsibility in public life. George Hanna was but one year old when his parents brought him to Michigan, and he grew up amid pioneer surroundings and primitive conditions. His education was limited to the instruction that could be gained in the local district school, the term of which extended over only a few months each winter, and as a youth he early learned to do his share in the hard work incidental to preparing the home land for cultivation. He still has a remembrance of the time when it was necessary to cut trails through the forest to reach Solon township from Rockford, and during the early and later days did his part in developing this region into a rich agricultural country with numerous fine and productive farms. Mr. Hanna married Miss Aman- da Robb, of Solon township, daughter of Jacob and Mary Jane Robb, an old and respected family of Kent county and among the early set- tlers here. During their early married life Mr. and Mrs. Hanna saw much hard work, but they were industrious, thrifty and both good managers and in time settled themselves in an independent posi- tion, not being dependent on any one. They own two splendid farms in Solon township, as well as their comfortable modern home at Ce- dar Springs in that part of the village that lies in the township named, and are accounted among the well-to-do people of their locali- ty. Those bearing the family name have always shown themselves progressive in the affairs of their community, and Mr. Hanna's son is now treasurer of Solon township. Mr. Hanna, himself, has filled most of the township offices of any importance, and his public record, like his private life, is open to inspection and will stand the closest scrutiny. In the evening of life, surrounded by the comforts of life, he can look back over the years that have passed with a sense of sat- isfaction, content in the knowledge that his career has been a useful and worthy one.
Samuel J. Hanna .- Among the prosperous, progressive and en- ergetic agriculturists of the younger generation whose operations are being carried on in the southern part of Kent county, one of the best known is Samuel J. Hanna, of Gaines township. Not only has he achieved prosperity in agricultural pursuits, but also in business cir-
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cles, while his services to his community in public positions have gained him public confidence and esteem. Mr. Hanna was born in Gaines township, Kent county, Michigan, July 22, 1884, son of John and Jane (Stuart) Hanna, natives of Ireland. In the country of his birth John Hanna was an iron-worker, and at Belfast met and married Jane Stuart, who had worked in the linen mills of that city from the time she was seven years of age. Hoping to better their condition, in 1872 they came to the United States, where for many years Mr. Hanna was compelled to continue daily labor, as when he arrived he had no capital with which to establish himself as a proprietor of a business or as owner of property. His splendid and persevering ef- forts were finally rewarded, however, and in 1901 he purchased forty acres of land in Allegan county, which formed the nucleus for his present fine farm, on which he and Mrs. Hanna are now living in quiet retirement, enjoying the comforts which they so well deserve and for which they labored so cheerfully, unceasingly and persever- ingly. They are devout members of the United Brethren church and have the esteem and respect of their neighbors and the genuine affec- tion of a large circle of friends. Mr. Hanna is a Democrat, but in his busy life has found little time for politics. There were ten children in the family: Lizzie, deceased; James, a resident of Gaines town- ship; two children who died as infants; John, an attorney in Wash- ington, Douglass county ; Margaret, deceased; William; Mary, de- ceased; Samuel J., and Max, secretary of the Grand Rapids Street Car Insurance company. Samuel J. Hanna was educated in the dis- trict schools of Gaines township and at Ferris Institute, and when his studies were completed engaged in teaching school, a vocation which he followed with success for nine years. He then turned his attention to farming and at this time is the owner of 160 acres of im- proved land in Allegan county and his fine farm of eighty acres in Gaines township, Kent county, properties which he is developing ac- cording to the latest accepted methods of scientific agriculture. In addition to his farming activities, he is also acting in the capacity of vice-president of the Farmers' Mutual Telephone Company, and among his associates is known as a dependable young man of much energy and good judgment, whose progressive ideas have done much to foster the growth and assure the success of the enterprise. Mr. Hanna is a Republican and in 1915 was elected township clerk, this being followed, in 1916, by his election as a member of the board of supervisors. He was married June 1, 1911, to Arletta, daughter of Valentine Geib, of Gaines township, and they have three children- Donald, Marion and Ellen.
Frederick Hart .- The call of the soil appeals strongly to some men, particularly if their earliest endeavors have been enlisted in agricultural work, and it is not infrequently found that after having experienced labors in other fields, individuals will return to the farm and find their greatest prosperity there. This statement applies to the career of Frederick Hart, one of the representatives of the young- er agricultural generation in Kent County. He was reared as a child of the soil, but in his early youth desired to try himself out in the field of commercial endeavor. His experience in that direction, how- ever, served to convince him that farming was his forte, and he now finds congenial and profitable employment on his well-cultivated tract
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