USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. II > Part 37
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Orlin D. Moore .- Modern farming methods have an exponent in Solon township in the person of Orlin D. Moore, who has passed his entire life in this section of Kent county and is thoroughly familiar with conditions here. Mr. Moore has always been an agriculturist and has worked his own way to the ownership of a good property and a high standing among his fellow-citizens. He was born at Oak- field, Mich., April 13, 1874, son of David S. Moore. The latter was born in Rochester county, New York, May 5, 1848, and was variously engaged in his native state, at different times being a farmer, a hotel keeper and a grocer. While he made a success of his various ventures, he decided to get into a country where his activities would not be confined, and accordingly during the latter '60s made his way west- ward until he reached Oakfield, Mich. This locality made a favorable impression upon him and he secured a tract of government land, upon which he immediately began operations. It was necessary for him to clear a space in order to build his first home, and then followed years of hard labor in cutting down the timber and preparing the soil for crops. Eventually this was accomplished, and Mr. Moore lived to see his broad acres covered with crops and his farm one of the model ones as to equipment in the locality. His death occurred in 1913, at which time his community lost a good citizen and one who was held in universal respect. Mr. Moore married Esther Guiger, daughter of Herman and Ann Guiger, of Oakfield, and of this union were born the following children: Nellie, wife of Mike Swan, of Grand Rapids; Orlin D., of this notice; Josephine, wife of Eugene Morris, of Courtland township, this county, engaged in farming ; Anna, who married William Day, a druggist of Caledonia, Mich .; and Margaret, who married Guy Morris, a farmer of Courtland and Nelson townships. Orlin D. Moore was educated in the district schools of Oakfield, after leaving which he began assisting his father on the home farm. He remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-seven years of age, at which time he was married and began farming on his own account. His industry and good management have been rewarded by the attainment of a substantial and worth- while success, and his possession of a well-cultivated and well im- proved farm makes him one of the well-to-do men of his locality. Mr. Moore married Miss Bertha Smith, daughter of Joseph E. and Martha (Redman) Smith. Mr. Smith was formerly for many years engaged in farming in Courtland township and still owns a valuable property there, but is at present employed by the Michigan Central railroad. He and Mrs. Smith are the parents of six children : Bertha, who is Mrs. Moore; Sidney, an inspector in the shops of the Michigan Central railroad; Harold, deceased; Hazel, who married Clyde Hostram, a farmer of Oakfield; Harley, who is attending the Cedar Springs high school; and Gleason, a student in the graded schools. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have had two children, of whom one survives- Neville, a student in the graded schools. Mr. Moore has not sought public office, but takes a keen and helpful interest in all that pertains to progressive community life. He is a member of the local grange and in politics is a Republican.
John E. More .- As a strong and active member of the Grand Rapids bar during the greater portion of the last forty-five years, John E. More wields an influence that only men of unusual strength
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of character and power can exercise in a community of 150,000 peo- ple. During the period of his practice here he has been identified with several strong law combinations, but for the last nineteen years has practiced alone and has, individually, been connected with some of the most important litigation that has come before the courts. Like numerous other of Grand Rapids' successful professional men, he is a native of New York, having been born at Roxbury, Delaware county, Aug. 5, 1848, a son of John B. and Louisa (Kelly) More. When he was seven years of age, Mr. More was brought by his parents to Illinois, the family locating in Polo. John E. More first attended the public schools of that place, following which he went to Mount Morris Seminary, there preparing for entrance in Cornell University, New York. He took a literary course in the latter institution and graduated in 1871, in the fall of which year he came to Grand Rapids and began his law studies in the office of Champlin & Butterfield. He was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1873. In 1875 he entered the law department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and was graduated in 1876. On his return to the city, he became identi- fied with the firm of Champlin, Butterfield & Fitzgerald, and in the following year, when this firm dissolved, formed a partnership with Mr. Champlin. The association of Champlin & More continued in existence until Jan. 1, 1884, when Mr. Champlin took his seat on the Supreme Bench of the state. After a period of practicing alone, Mr. More formed a partnership with Charles M. Wilson, who had been a clerk in the office for two years. This continued until 1899, when the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. More has since practiced alone, his present offices being located in the Michigan Trust build- ing. He belongs to the Grand Rapids Bar Association and the Michi- gan State Bar Association, and among his professional brethren is held in high esteem and respect. As a lawyer he has ever been a master of details and of fundamental principles, incisive and logical in his arguments, effective in his delivery and straightforward in his methods and manner. Those who know Mr. More need not be told that he is a broad-minded citizen of sterling worth, steadfastly inter- ested in all public measures which promise to be of practical good, and those who are not acquainted with him may have the full assur- ance of his legion of friends to that effect. For several years he served in the capacity of alderman of the Third ward of Grand Rapids, a capacity in which he rendered excellent service to his city and his constituents; and in 1887 was appointed a member of the Police and Fire Commission, on which he served for a term of five years, being known as one of the active members of that body who made a study of conditions and put himself whole-heartedly in the work of bettering them. Later he was appointed and served with credit as a member of the board of assessors of the city. Mr. More is a Mason, belonging to Valley City Lodge No. 86, F. & A. M., and has other connections of a social, business and professional nature. With his family, he belongs to Saint Mark's Episcopal church. Mr. More was married, June 1, 1881, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel H. Stevens, of Delaware county, New York. She died, Aug. 31, 1896, having been the mother of three children, as follows: John C., who is a resident of Los Angeles, Cal .; Stoddard S., of New York City ; and Edward E., who lives with his father.
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Samuel A. Morman .- Trained faculties and an enlightened under- standing gained through long association with a certain line of en- deavor, in these modern days, contribute materially not only to individual success, but toward the development and growth of gigantic enterprises. Of the men who have long been identified with the handling of building material, one who has administered carefully and well the affairs of concerns whose operations have affected many, and whose name is synonymous with dignified capability and sound integrity, is Samuel A. Morman, of S. A. Morman & Company, and an officer and director in numerous other business concerns of Grand Rapids. Mr. Morman was born in Kent county, Michigan, in 1858, son of William and Elizabeth (Jeffords) Morman. His father was born at Minehead, on Bridgewater Bay, County Somerset, England, May 9, 1815, and was a lad when brought to the United States, his first settlement being in Detroit. At the age of twenty-one years he left home, in company with Anthony Bowden, and walked the Indian trails to Grand Rapids, taking up a farm just north of the city, and on this 160-acre property commenced farming. Subsequently he recognized the profit to be gained from lime-burning, and accordingly built a lime-kiln and commenced the manufacture of that article, which was almost universally used in building in this part of the country during the early days. This business, started in a small and inconspicuous manner, gradually grew and developed, and in 1874, when Mr. Morman was joined by his son, the enterprise was extended to handle other kinds of building material, including cement, etc. In 1880 the business became William Morman & Son, the latter then having reached his majority, and six years later the elder man retired from active affairs and sold his interest to his son. William Morman continued to take an interest in the business which he had founded, however, right up to the time of his death, in 1905, when he had reached the notable age of ninety years. He was a man of sturdy and sterling honesty, one who could always pick out sincere friends in any gathering of big business men, and whose citizenship was, like his life, beyond shadow of reproach. He was a Democrat in his political views, but his was not a nature to seek the doubtful honors of political position. Mr. Morman was first married to Miss Elizabeth Jeffords, of Grand Rapids, and they became the parents of the following children: Noble, deceased ; Minerva E., widow of A. J. Elliott, of Grand Rapids ; Mortimer, who met a soldier's death in the Civil war, while serving as a member of the Tenth Michigan cavalry ; Martha C., the wife of Basil Gognon, of Grand Rapids; Samuel A .; and Eva L., wife of Charles E. Meech, of this city. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Morman married Mrs. Mary Jane Potter, of Grand Rapids, and they had one daughter, Jennie E., now the wife of Edward Block, of this city. Samuel A. Morman's education was limited to the advantages presented by the public schools of Grand Rapids, which he attended only until he was sixteen years of age. At that time he began his business training under the wise director- ship of his father, and when he was twenty-one years old, as before noted, was admitted to the firm of William Morman & Son. Six years later he became sole owner of the business by buying his father's interests, and as the city grew and developed so did the affairs of S. A. Morman & Company, which firm took up the handling
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of coal. On Jan. 1, 1918, Mr. Morman admitted to partnership M. P. Loumerse and William B. Steele, and the company is now hand- ling all kinds of building material except lumber, including metal lath, sewer pipe, lime, cement, fire brick and all kinds of fuel. In addition, Mr. Morman is vice-president of the Wilmarth-Morman Company, manufacturers of grinding machines; vice-president of the American Boxboard Company, president of the Manufacturers' Realty Com- pany, treasurer of the Swiss-American Knitting Mills, and a director of the Grand Rapids National City Bank and of the Wilmarth Show Case Company. He is a member of the Association of Commerce, of which he was formerly vice-president and treasurer on different occasions. Politically he votes the Republican ticket. With his family he attends the Park Congregational church and contributes liberally to its movements and enterprises, and his social connections include membership in the Peninsular, O-wash-ta-nong, Kent Country and Grand Rapids Curling clubs. Mr. Morman was married, May 18, 1886, to Miss Ada B. Wilmarth, daughter of Oscar B. Wilmarth, of Grand Rapids, and of this union have been born two children: Helen A., wife of Horace Philip Dix, of Grand Rapids, and the mother of a son-Samuel M .; and Florena A., wife of William B. Steele, of Grand Rapids.
Luther V. Moulton .- The senior member of the law firm of Moulton & Liverance, Luther V. Moulton has been engaged in prac- tice at Grand Rapids since 1890. Prior to taking up law as a pro- fession, his activities had carried him into numerous other fields of experience. A soldier of the Union, master of a sailing vessel on the Great Lakes, photographer and member of the state legislature, these were some of the vocations which filled his busy early life. It was not until he was a man mature in years that he adopted the law, but this did not seem to keep him from almost immediately gaining high standing therein; on the contrary, it is probable that his former experiences, giving him an insight into life and human nature, assisted him in solving the problems and perplexities of one of the most difficult of the learned professions. At any rate, Mr. Moulton is today accounted one of the most able, as he is one of the oldest, members of the Grand Rapids legal profession. Luther V. Moulton was born on a farm in Howard township, Cass county, Michigan, Sept. 27, 1843, a son of Bridgeman C. and Abigail J. (Goodenough) Moulton. His father, a native of Massachusetts, was superintendent of a factory in New England until he cast his fortunes among the hardy pioneers of Cass county, settling on a farm in Howard township, where he rounded out an industrious life in the pursuits of agriculture. Luther V. Moulton spent his boyhood much the same as other farmers' sons of his day and locality, giving his services to the homestead during the long summer season and securing his education in the primitive rural schools of the community. When the Civil war came on, he, with other youths of his township, enlisted in the Union army, be- coming a member of the Twelfth Michigan infantry. The rigors and hardships of army life soon broke down Mr. Moulton's health and he was compelled to leave his command, but during the remainder of the war served faithfully as a member of the Michigan Home Guard. At the close of the war he sought new adventure as a sailor on the Great Lakes, where he soon rose to be master of a schooner and
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continued to follow a seafaring life for some years. His experience next was in the field of photography, and after several years at Muskegon and Beaver Dam, Wis., came to Grand Rapids, in 1875, and became proprietor of a studio. While thus engaged, he also took an active interest in public affairs, and, coming favorably before the people, was elected to the Michigan legislature, on the Greenback ticket, in 1879. It was while he was a member of this body that Mr. Moulton decided to enter the law as a profession. He began the study of his subject in 1882, in the office of Dennis L. Rogers, of Grand Rapids, but as it was necessary that he make his living during this time he was not able to give his entire time to his studies, and it was not until 1890 that he was ready to take the examinations for the bar. Duly admitted, he began practice, specializing in the field of patent law, and for nearly a quarter of a century remained alone, building up a large and profitable clientage and steadily advancing himself to a high place in the ranks of his calling. In 1914 Mr. Moulton formed a partnership with Frank E. Liverance, and the firm of Moulton & Liverance, with offices in the Houseman building, is considered one of the strong combinations of the city. Mr. Moulton in politics votes independent of either of the old parties. He is a Mason, having been "raised" in Lovell Moore lodge at Muskegon more than forty years ago, and belongs to the various organizations of his calling. Mr. Moulton was married, Aug. 7, 1866, to Sarah A., daughter of Sullivan Armstrong, of Ashland, Newaygo county, Mich- igan, and they have had three children, namely: Emma, who died at the age of seven months ; May, who is also deceased; and Lois, who is the widow of Palmer A. Jones, of Grand Rapids.
John Mowat .- In the death of John Mowat, which occurred May 17, 1917, Grand Rapids lost one of its oldest furniture men in point of service. For more than thirty-five years he had been associated with the Grand Rapids Chair Company, one of the city's oldest and largest industries, of which he was vice-president and superintendent at the time of his demise, and in numerous other ways was identified with prominent business organizations and with the varied life of the community. He had rounded out an honorable and useful career of seventy-six years and left behind him a splendid record for personal achievement without outside aid, for business success won in straight- forward manner, and for probity and integrity in the various activi- ties in which he had engaged. Mr. Mowat was born at Wick, County Caithness, Scotland, July 10, 1840, a son of George and Ann (McKaye) Mowat. He was still an infant when brought to America, in 1841, his parents settling at Toronto, Canada, where he received his educa- tion in the public schools. When still a lad he was apprenticed to a firm of wood workers, Jakes & Hayes, of Toronto, where he learned the trade of wood carver, and not long thereafter went to New York, where he followed his vocation. Later he went to Cambridge, Mass., and while he was living in that state the Civil war came on and he enlisted in a Massachusetts volunteer cavalry regiment, with which he served for some time. On receiving his honorable discharge he returned to Cambridge, but in 1864 left for the West, finally locating at Detroit, Mich., where he secured employment in the shops of the Pullman Company, railroad coach manufacturers. In 1867 he first came to Grand Rapids, where he entered the service of the Berkey &
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Gay Company, but after some years in their employ left for Cincin- nati, Ohio, where for two years he worked with the Mitchell Furniture Company. On his return to Grand Rapids he was made superin- tendent of the Grand Rapids Chair Company, a position which he re- tained to the time of his death. In 1911 he was elected vice-president of the company. Few men were better known or more highly esteemed in trade circles. He had the confidence of his associates, who relied upon his judgment and acumen in matters of business importance and his counsel was rarely found to be at fault. He had numerous other business connections, and was president of the Grand Rapids Piano Case Company, president of the Mutual Home and Savings Association, and a director of the Grand Rapids National City Bank and of the Imperial Furniture Company. Mr. Mowat was always interested in movements making for business progress and civic betterment, and was one of the active members of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. Politically a Republican, he took only a good citizen's and loyal voter's part in political affairs, while his religious connection was with the Fountain Street Baptist church, of which he was a trustee. He belonged to Valley City Lodge and De Molai Commandery of Masonry and was also a Shriner. Mr. Mowat was married, June 23, 1864, to Margaret, daughter of John De Quedville, who was at that time visiting her brother at Boston, Mass. She was born in the city of Quebec, Canada, where she was educated, and for a time resided at Toronto, where she first became acquainted with her future husband. She died, Aug. 26, 1913, leav- ing three children: Elizabeth A., who resides at the old home; Fred- erick C., who has succeeded his father as superintendent of the Grand Rapids Chair Company ; and Anna E., wife of A. Blake Gibson, of Grand Rapids, and who has one child, Margaret E. Mr. Mowat was again married, April 8, 1915, to Daisy, daughter of the late Henry J. and Eleanor Jane (Ingalls) Wheeler, of Hillsdale, Mich. She sur- vives him and lives in the family home at No. 336 Cherry Street, S. E.
Benjamin J. Mumah .- Since the beginning of civilized govern- ment the possession of land has given prestige, and in this country there are still countless numbers pressing forward eagerly toward the setting sun, with the hope of securing land upon which to make the foundations for the building of a home and the gaining of finan- cial independence. Among those who need feel no such desire in Kent county is Benjamin J. Mumah, for he is already the possessor of a handsome and valuable farm, located in the northern part of the county, not far from the village of Sand Lake, at the west end of the village. Mr. Mumah has been one of the developers of this part of the county, as with his own hands he has cleared off the greater part of his property from its original timbered condition, and as a citizen he has also shared in his community's advancement, as he has served in several capacities of official importance. He is a native of Clark county, Ohio, where his father owned a farm, upon which he was born Aug. 29, 1857. Elias Mumah was born in 1832, in Ashland county, Ohio, and, coming of an agricultural family, turned his earliest activities to the vocation of farming. As a young man he moved to Clark county, where he became possessed of a property, and while engaged in the cultivation of this land the Civil war broke
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out and he left his home and family, dropping the constructive im- plements of peace to take up the destructive tools of war. For three years he served in the Union army, establishing an excellent record for brave and faithful service, and then returned to his home and again became a farmer. He was industrious and enterprising, won a modest competence, and had the esteem and confidence of the people of his community. Mr. Mumah married Miss Barbara Kaufman, also a native of Ohio, and they became the parents of three children : Amos, Benjamin J. and John, all of whom are engaged in farming. Benjamin J. Mumah was educated in the public schools of his native county, where he was reared, and his first work was in the fields of his father's farm. He was given a good training in the work con- nected with the vocation of agriculture, which he adopted as his life occupation when entering upon his independent career. When he left the parental roof he came to Kent county, where he secured seventy-two acres of wooded land, and, settling permanently, began its clearing. All of this land, with the exception of five acres, is now under a high state of cultivation and boasts of many modern improve- ments, up-to-date equipment and substantial, commodious and attrac- tive buildings. The farm as it stands today is a reflection of the enterprise, perseverance and good management of its owner, who has made his own way without outside assistance. Mr. Mumah's reputa- tion in the community is firmly established as that of a man of in- tegrity and a good citizen. He has held several minor offices and for a number of years has been a member of the village council of Sand Lake, near which place his farm is located. Politically, he is a stanch Republican, and fraternally he is affiliated with the Knights of the Maccabees, having joined this order a quarter of a century ago. On Feb. 10, 1881, Mr. Mumah married Flora, daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Wagaman) Chenoweth, and of this union have been born three children: Myrtle May, deceased, who had reached the age of seventeen years; Sadie Jane, a resident of Detroit and connected with the Segal department store; and Benjamin F., a farmer of Kent county, who married Hazel Perrin and has two children-Harold and Glenn. Mr. and Mrs. Mumah are members of the M. E. church at Sand Lake.
David Munro .- Progressive methods, clear insight into com- mercial conditions, a comprehensive and far-reaching appreciation of the needs of the trade, are characteristics that develop a man into a successful factor in the business life of any community and result in the establishment and growth of substantial enterprises which add to the locality's commercial prestige. These are qualities which have been contributing concomitants in the business success of David Munro, who, since 1870, has been identified with the proprietorship and operation of a number of mills, and who has also been connected with agricultural activities for over a score of years. Mr. Munro was born in Canada in 1844, son of James and Effie (Gordon) Munro, natives of Scotland, who migrated to Canada in 1844, a short time before the birth of their son, David. The father was a miller, but died in 1856, while the mother survived until 1887. David is the fifth of a family of eight children, of whom the others were: Daniel, whose death occurred in 1875; Wilhelmina, deceased; Isa- belle, wife of W. A. D. Rose, of Benton Harbor, Mich .; Jennie May, II-18
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deceased; Anna, deceased; Charles, of Canada; and Robert, of Berkeley, Cal. The primary education of David Munro was obtained in the public schools of Canada, and in 1865 he came to Michigan and pursued a commercial course in a business college at Albion. Following this he spent a short time at Galesburg, Mich., and a like time at St. Louis, Mo., and then went to Grand Rapids and later to Lowell, where he was engaged in milling. For three and one-half years, also, he was engaged in mercantile pursuits at Big Rapids, but in May, 1870, came to the vicinity of Edgerton, where he estab- lished a shingle and saw-mill and engaged in business on an exten- sive scale. Later he built his present flour mill, then a shingle and saw-mill, and for a long period was a heavy operator throughout this part of the country, although his trade, heavy as it is, has of re- cent years been more or less restricted to local circles. He has suc- ceeded excellently in a business way, having shown marked capacity in each of his undertakings, and at the same time he has retained the confidence and esteem of his associates through straightforward dealing and high business ethics. In addition to his mill he is owner of a store building at Edgerton, as well as 122 acres of fine and fertile farming land in Algoma township, and engages to some extent in agricultural pursuits, although more as the superintendent of opera- tions than as an active personal participant. Mr. Munro is a Republi- can in his political views, and in 1875 was elected justice of the peace, but did not qualify for that office. At various times during his career he has rendered other public service, however, having been a member of the school board on a number of occasions and a member of the county board of supervisors for four years. In 1874 Mr. Munro was married to Miss Minerva Bradley, and to this union were born two children : James O. (deceased), who married Emma Rounds and was the father of two children-Agnes and Winnifred, the latter also de- ceased ; and Grace, wife of Glen Chaffee, of Grand Rapids, Mich., who has three children-Marie, Arabella and Dorothy. Mr. Munro has been a member of the Maccabees since 1885. He donated land for the M. E. church and helped build the structure at Edgerton. For several years he was also in the mercantile business at Edgerton and served as post- master nine years.
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