USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. II > Part 40
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
MRS. JOHN E. PECK
Hosted by
Hosted by
289
BIOGRAPHICAL
old when she was graduated in a select Quaker school on Fourteenth street, New York City, carrying off the honors, although she was the youngest member of her class. For several years afterward she devoted herself to the study of music and foreign languages. When her father died she accompanied her mother in the family removal to Norwalk, Conn., and it was in that city that she was married, at the age of twenty-six years, to John Edward Peck. They were privi- leged to spend their entire after life together, with the exception of a few months of its close. Three children were born to them: Percy S .; Bessie, who died at the age of fourteen years; and Clara Louise. In the various philanthropic enterprises in which Mr. Peck was con- cerned, Mrs. Peck took a deep interest. Kindness of heart was the foundation of her nature. This kindness and sympathy were also continually evidenced by Mr. Peck, who combined it with practical effort in his endeavors to ameliorate the conditions of the laboring class. On many occasions he proved his honesty, courage and sin- cerity in their behalf and probably no man in this city was held by them in more esteem. As they believed in him he believed in them and their cause never had a more steadfast friend.
Lewis T. Peck .- In touching upon matters of importance rela- tive to the business growth and development of Grand Rapids, whose manufacturing fame has spread to far-distant corners of the world, it is fitting to dwell, however briefly, upon the services of those who have made possible existing conditions. These men have rendered inestimable assistance to their community, dealing direct with stout realities without offering vague theories, and as a result achieving remarkable progress in their business enterprises. Among the men of Grand Rapids whose careers have been connected directly with the city's advancement as a manufacturing center, one who has for thirty-seven years been identified with the city's busy life is Lewis T. Peck, secretary and treasurer of the William A. Berkey Furniture Company. Mr. Peck was born at Port Byron, N. Y., July 25, 1857, son of Ira and Marcia (Dixon) Peck, natives of the State of New York, where the father was a lumberman and both passed their lives. There were five children in the family: James E., deceased; Gaylord E., a resident of Los Angeles, Cal .; Clarence E., of Grand Rapids ; Clara B., wife of H. E. Traphagen, of this city ; and Lewis T., of this notice. Lewis T. Peck was given an ordinary educational training in the public schools of the place of his birth, and when still a lad displayed his ambition and industry by seeking and securing employ- ment. For a time he was engaged to keep books in a small bank at Port Byron, and with this experience went to Auburn, N. Y., where for a time he was bookkeeper in a dry goods establishment. This latter occupation, however, did not prove congenial and he returned to Port Byron, where he found more attractive work in the lumber business. Mr. Peck remained in his birthplace until 1881, at which time, believing that his fortune could be found in the West, he came to Michigan and at once located at Grand Rapids. Here opportunity awaited him in the form of a position as bookkeeper with the William A. Berkey Furniture Company, which was founded during that year by William A. Berkey, the original plant and offices being located at the corner of Louis and Campau streets. Mr. Peck was found to be industrious and faithful and also alert and capable, so that when II-19
Hosted by Google
-
290
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
the concern was incorporated for $85,000, as a stock company, in 1886, he was chosen as secretary and treasurer, offices which he has retained to the present time. In the meanwhile the offices and plant had been removed to its present location, at 39-55 Market avenue, N. W. At the death of William A. Berkey, in January, 1902, William H. Jones, former vice-president, became president, an office which he holds today, while E. B. Jones is now vice-president. There are now 150 skilled mechanics at work in the plant and five traveling repre- sentatives cover the United States and Canada in the interests of this concern, the product of which is the highest grades of mahogany dining room and library furniture, for which there is a constant and healthy demand. During his long connection with the business Mr. Peck has become widely known to the trade, his friendships in which are many. He is a prudent business man who makes sure of each 'step before it is taken and rarely allows outside matters to disturb him from the even routine of his way, but he has several other im- portant business connections as well as profitable investments. He is a Republican, but not a politician, preferring to let his citizenship take some other form of expression than that which is evidenced in office-seeking. He and the members of his family belong to the West- minster Presbyterian church and are liberal donators to its move- ments as well as to those of charitable enterprises. As a fraternalist Mr. Peck has reached the Thirty-second degree of Masonry. The marriage of Mr. Peck occurred Feb. 17, 1878, when he was united with Miss Stella A. Yates, of Port Byron, N. Y., daughter of Cornelius P. and Catherine (Clow) Yates, of that place. Three children have been born to them: Clarence and Eugene, twins, deceased; and Ber- nice E., wife of A. G. Green, of Grand Rapids.
H. Algernon Peckham .- To the man of average success the varied and substantial results achieved by the late H. Algernon Peck- ham seem out of all proportion to his comparatively brief tenure of life and in no wise remarkable advantages or opportunities. Richly endowed with the qualities of initiative and resource, concentration and enthusiasm, and with the village of Lowell as the setting of his ambitions, his varied responsibilities at the time of his death included his positions as secretary and treasurer of the Lowell Cutter Com- pany, vice-president and a director of the Lowell State Bank and secretary of the Lowell Board of Trade. Mr. Peckham was born at Virgil, N. Y., July 10, 1872, a son of A. H. Peckham, who now resides on Paris avenue, Grand Rapids. His education was secured in the public schools, but when he was thirteen years of age his ambition to become a figure in the business world caused him to leave home and go to Cortland, N. Y., where he entered the employ of a firm of manu- facturing confectioners. His first position was a humble one, but so well did he display his talents and so capable did he prove in the dis- charge of the duties devolving upon him, that within four years he had risen to the post of bookkeeper, and at that time accepted an advantageous offer from the First National Bank of Cortland, with which institution he remained two years. For the three years that followed he was identified with the G. H. Dunston Lithographing Company of Buffalo, as bookkeeper and manager, but he had been driving himself too hard and found that he needed a rest. Accordingly, at the suggestion of his father, he came for a year's vacation to
Hosted by Google
291
BIOGRAPHICAL
Lowell. So struck was he by the opportunities here presented, that when his rest was over he decided to remain in the community, and in 1898 he became a partner in the Lowell Cutter Company, a concern with which he continued to be connected until his death, March 12, 1911. In this concern he rose rapidly until he had attained the posi- tions of secretary and general manager, and it was under his able management that the company made such phenomenal progress that it became rated as one of the leading concerns in its line in the state. He subsequently became one of the active organizers of the Lowell State Bank and was its vice-president and one of its directing board, and for several years was secretary of the Lowell Building & Loan Association. Always active in matters that affected the business and financial welfare of his adopted place, he was for a long period one of the most energetic workers in the Board of Trade and the high esteem in which he was held by his associates was evidenced when they elected him to the difficult post of secretary of that body, an office which he retained until his demise. In public life he was €
energetic and progressive. He was a Republican and served several years as village trustee, always being an advocate of the things that promised civic betterment, while in religious matters he took a keen and helpful interest, being for some time secretary and treasurer of the Congregational church. He was also a prominent club and lodge man and his friends were legion throughout the village. Lowell has seldom been called upon to mourn the death of a man who had accom- plished so much in such a brief period of time, or who had been held in higher esteem or greater general confidence. Mr. Peckham was married, Sept. 4, 1895, to Hattie M., daughter of B. G. and Eunice (Sherman) Wilson. Mr. Wilson, a native of New York, was reared in New York City and as a young man came to Lowell, where he be- came prominent and influential in business life. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Peckham: Thelma, born June 8, 1900, and now attending college; Victor, born April 2, 1906; and Howard, born July 11, 1910. The last two named are attending the Lowell graded schools. Mrs. Peckham, a native of Lowell, has passed her entire life here and is widely known in social and religious work in the city.
George Peel .- An experienced and successful general farmer and a highly respected citizen of Kent county is George Peel, who owns a valuable farm of about 100 acres located on section 27, Cascade township. This is the farm on which he settled when first coming to the county and on which he has carried on operations during a period of forty years, in the meantime winning the same kind of prom- inence and reputation as a straightforward and public-spirited citizen as he enjoys as an agriculturist. Mr. Peel was born at Avon, Lorain county, Ohio, Sept. 4, 1843, son of William and Elizabeth (North) Peel, natives of England, where they were educated, reared and mar- ried .. The parents of Mr. Peel emigrated to the United States in 1842 and immediately settled in Ohio, where they purchased land in Lorain county and engaged in agricultural pursuits, in which they continued during the remainder of their lives. In their declining years they retired from active labor but did not leave the Ohio farm, and the only time they came to Michigan was when on a visit to the home of their son. They were honorable and worthy people, industrious and persevering, and faithful members of the Baptist church. Mr. Peel
· Hosted by Google
292
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
was a Republican, but took little or no part in politics, his life's activities being devoted to his farm and his home. Mr. and Mrs. Peel were the parents of the following children: John, deceased; Thomas, a resident of North Park, Mich .; Mary, who died when twenty-two years of age; Charles and Francis, deceased; George; Elizabeth and Joseph, deceased ; and Sarah Jane, a resident of Ohio. George Peel was given the usual opportunities for an education granted to farm- ers' sons in his day and locality, and when he had completed the rudiments of learning in the district school began to give his whole attention to assisting his father in making the home property a pay- ing one. In the meantime he also found time to learn the trade of carpenter, and when he reached his majority turned his attention to that vocation, which he followed in various Ohio communities for eight years. Eventually he returned to the occupation of his youth, buying a farm of forty acres in the vicinity of Plainfield, Kent county, Michigan, and this he cultivated until 1877. Mr. Peel then removed to Cascade township, Kent county, and here bought eighty acres of land, to which he added twenty acres later, although he subsequently sold off two and one-half acres. The Gem farm, as it is known, is one of the valuable and handsome properties of Cascade township, and it has all been of Mr. Peel's own making. He cleared much of the land, did all the fencing and other carpenter work, erected the stanch buildings and did all his other work himself, and can truly say that his success with his land has been made by his own unaided efforts. Naturally, his chief interests lie in the cultivation of this land, but he also has various other interests, of a business character, being a stockholder in the Alto Elevator and in the Bank of Alto. Politically a Republican, he has taken some interest in party affairs and has served his community on several occasions in the capacity of pathmaster. With his family he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Peel was married, Dec. 23, 1869, to Eliza, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Mawhby) Walker, natives of England who, on coming from that country, located on a new farm in Lorain county, Ohio, and later also owned another farm in the same state. There they passed their lives. Mr. Walker was a Republican, and he and his worthy wife were members of the Baptist church. They had the following children: Josiah, William, John, Thomas, Elizabeth, Jos- eph, Sarah, Ann, Alfred and Eliza, born June 30, 1846, of whom Joseph, Alfred and Eliza are the survivors. To Mr. and Mrs. Peel the following children have been born: Nettie E., born Oct. 22, 1870, married George Hutchinson, of Clarksville, Mich., and has seven children-Duane, Viola, Muriel, Charles, Melvin, Marion and Lillian, of whom Viola married Arthur Brown, of Caledonia township, and has two children-Charlotte and an infant son; William Arthur, born April 7, 1874, a farmer in Cascade township, Kent county, married Nettie Frost, and they have had five children-Blanche (deceased), Vera, Harold, Ethel (deceased), and Gordon G .; Cora May, born Sept. 12, 1877, married Isaac Miller, of Caledonia township, Kent county, and has seven children-Harry, Bertha, Maynard, Mildred, Russell, Ethel and Howard; and Jessie E., born June 30, 1886, married Carl Graham, residing on the home farm, and has two children- Forest and Thelma.
Hosted by Google
293
BIOGRAPHICAL
John Wesley Pennell .- In the death of John Wesley Pennell, Kent county lost another of that generation of agriculturists upon whose energy, industry and foresight so much of the material great- ness of the county was builded. He, with other men of his day, passed through an important period of the country's growth and assisted in the establishing of high agricultural standards and prin- ciples. Courage, faith and will belonged to the men of that day and John W. Pennell shared those manly virtues fully. His reward was success in a measure that any man might hope for and the respect of his fellow men which all men covet. He was born at Richmond, Ontario county, New York, April 21, 1832, son of John and Sallie (Green) Pennell, natives of Massachusetts and Vermont respectively, and farming people of New York who died at Richmond, to which place the paternal grandfather had removed from Colerain, Mass., many years before. John Wesley Pennell was reared and educated in the town of Richmond, N. Y. He followed farming about a year near Canandaigua, and in December, 1856, came to the West and located in Kent county, taking up his residence on a farm one mile south of the present city limits of Grand Rapids, in April, 1857, and on this farm he continued to be engaged in agricultural operations until his retirement in November, 1893. At that time he settled down to quietly enjoy the evening of his life in his comfortable home at Burton Heights, where his death occurred, Oct. 15, 1915. In spite of all that he accomplished as a successful agriculturist, Mr. Pennell was prouder of the fact that he had accomplished all this by himself than of his material success. He knew the struggles and hardships of his early days and what he had overcome, and so he appreciated what he had acquired more as a triumph over difficult circumstances than as a mere accumulation of means. He was a Republican, but did not seek public office, and his religious relations were with the Universalist church. Mr. Pennell was married March 29, 1855, to Celia D., daughter of Isaac D. and Susan (McCrossen) Hazen. She was born, reared and educated in the town of Richmond, N. Y., where her father was a merchant. Her parents came to Grand Rapids in 1855, both Mr. and Mrs. Hazen dying in this city after some years of retirement. She survives her husband and resides in an attractive home at No. 1839 Division avenue, South. Mr. and Mrs. Pennell became the parents of the following children: John W., a resident of Irvington, Ala., and the father of two children-Susan Hazen, deceased, and Mrs. La Myra P. Ayer, of San Francisco, Cal .; Harriet P., of Boulder, Colo., who is married and the mother of three children -Jessie H., Gerald Leroy Weatherwax, and George W., deceased; James H., deceased ; Jessie E., who is unmarried and makes her home with her mother at Grand Rapids ; Charles G., of Bay City, Mich., who has five children-John W., Hamilton Adams, Elizabeth, Janet and Charles G., Jr .; and Don Hazen, of Irvington, Ala., who has three children-J. Hazen, Roderick Pratt and Helen Adalaide.
Hon. Willis Barnes Perkins, judge of the Circuit Court of Grand Rapids, has earned a distinguished place at the bar and on the bench of Kent county. It is forcibly illustrative of his legal solidity and versatility that he should have made a high record as a private prac- titioner, a prosecuting attorney for the state, and a learned, impartial jurist. Being firmly grounded in the principles and precedents of the
Hosted by Google
294
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
law, his mind is left clear and positive to work along definite lines of thought, and thus it is that he has always had his case firmly in hand and could never be diverted to side issues, which has been the prime secret of his great legal strength and success. Judge Perkins was born at Linden, Genesee county, Michigan, Feb. 7, 1861, a son of Delos A. and Marilla A. Perkins. When he was eight years of age he removed with his parents to Fenton, Mich., and six years later came to Grand Rapids, where he has since remained, with the excep- tion of about five years, during which time he lived at Kalkaskia, Mich. Although he had the advantages to be gained by attendance at the public schools of Fenton and Grand Rapids, his early career was one in which he was compelled to meet and overcome discouraging ob- stacles, and frequently he was obliged to seek employment with dif- ferent firms at Grand Rapids. Assisted by the tireless and loving aid of his parents, and particularly of his mother, he was enabled at last to surmount his early difficulties, and in 1880 embarked upon the study of law in the office of Kennedy & Thompson. From early youth he had been possessed of a predilection for a legal career, and after one year spent in the law office entered the law department of the University of Michigan, in which institution he was graduated two years later with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. His ambitions seemed about to be gratified, but he was not as yet financially able to start upon an independent career, and for one year acted as assis- tant in the office of Stuart & Sweet, legists of Grand Rapids. In 1883 he removed to Kalkaskia, Mich., where he became associated in the practice of his profession with A. A. Bleazby, this connection con- tinuing for about one year. Several cases with which he had been identified brought Mr. Perkins favorably before the public as a lawyer of ability, and in November, 1884, he was elected prosecuting attorney, an office which he filled with ability and fidelity for one term. Upon the expiration of his term of office he formed a partnership with Ernest S. Ellis, which continued until January, 1888, when it was mut- ually dissolved, Mr. Perkins then practicing alone until March, 1889. At that time his office and library were destroyed by fire and he're- turned to Grand Rapids and went into partnership with Edwin F. Sweet, one of his former preceptors. In February, 1895, Hon. J. Byron Judkins joined the firm, the style of which became Sweet, Perkins & Judkins, and in July, 1897, Messrs. Judkins and Perkins formed the independent law firm of Judkins & Perkins. In 1899 Judge Perkins was elected judge of the Circuit Court of Kent county, and Jan. 1, 1900, entered upon his duties with characteristic vigor and de- termination. Upon his unimpeachable record as a lawyer, a man and a judge, his re-election was a foregone conclusion, and in April, 1905, he entered upon his second term. Since that time he has been regu- larly chosen to succeed himself, and few jurists stand higher in the confidence and esteem of their fellow-members of the bench, of the legal fraternity, or of the public at large. He is the author of Perkins' "Evidence of Survivor," and has written much that has been of great value to the profession, not only in Michigan but the country at large. On Sept. 1, 1886, he married Miss Mary E. Holden, daughter of the late E. G. D. Holden, of Grand Rapids. The children of this union are Charles Holden, who married Marjory Kedzie, of Lansing, and they have two children; Willis B. Perkins, Jr .; Mary, Margaret and
Hosted by Google
295
BIOGRAPHICAL
Ransom B. Perkins. Mary married Gordon R. West, of Cassa Grande, Ariz.
Deb Phelps .- Any list of the prominent and influential agricul- turists of the northern part of Kent county would be decidedly in- complete did it not contain the name of Deb Phelps, of Nelson town- ship. Mr. Phelps is a widely traveled man who has visited various parts of the country, and wherever he has gone has readily made friends and kept them. In his own community his popularity and the confidence in which he is held are shown by the fact that he has been called upon by his fellow-citizens to fill some of the most im- portant offices within the gift of the people. Mr. Phelps was born on his father's farm in Nelson township, Kent county, Michigan, Aug. 30, 1875, and belongs to a family which is highly respected in this part of the county, an old and prominent one, Mr. Phelps' father having been the incumbent of a number of official positions. The education of Mr. Phelps was secured in the public schools of Cedar Springs, the home farm being located not far from that thriving town, and while he was growing to manhood he spent much of his time there, while making business trips and others, and thus came into contact with not only the residents there but also the traveling public. During his active and diversified career Mr. Phelps has be- come well informed as to many lines of business, gaining an extensive fund of knowledge from his connection with several lines of endeavor. For some years he was not permanently located in any one place, but went from point to point, and thus covered a large part of the West. Out of this experience he secured not only a knowledge of men and conditions, but a general broad outlook on life that cannot be attained in the confining limits which bound an individual who has never traveled. When he decided to settle down permanently Mr. Phelps returned to Nelson township and located on his present farm, which is in the immediate vicinity of Cedar Springs. Here he has a well- cultivated and productive farm, upon which he grows the standard crops of the locality, and these in their size and excellence prove Mr. Phelps' agricultural prowess and knowledge. He has up-to-date equip- ment and good stock, substantial buildings and other improvements, and his farm is a valuable one. As a citizen he has been active and helpful and has frequently been before the people as a candidate and just as frequently elected. He has served in various offices, including that of treasurer of Nelson township, in which he acted capably and faithfully for two terms. Mr. Phelps married Miss Pearl Haynes, of Courtland township, Kent county, and they are the parents of two children : Gladys E., a graduate of the Cedar Springs High School and the Michigan State Normal School, who has been a school teacher since September, 1917, in the rural districts and is rapidly becoming popular; and Leland, who is attending the Cedar Springs high school. Mr. Phelps' interest at this time is principally wrapped up in his farming operations, but he finds the time for companionship among his fellows and is a regular attendant at the meetings of Cedar Springs Lodge, Knights of Pythias, in which order he is very popular with his fellow-members.
Wallace C. Philbrick .- One of the old and substantial business houses of Grand Rapids and one that through many years has main- tained a high reputation for business integrity, honorable principles
Hosted by Google
296
HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN
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.