USA > Michigan > Kent County > Grand Rapids > Grand Rapids and Kent County, Michigan: History and Account of Their Progress from First. Vol. II > Part 55
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at the present time is practicing alone and has offices in the House- man building. He is a Republican in politics and was state senator in 1889-90 and railway commissioner from 1897 until 1899. Mr. Wes- selius belongs to the various organizations of his profession and is well and favorably known in club life at Grand Rapids. On Sept. 30, 1885, he married Miss Effa Loella Bangs, of Hudson, Mich., and they have two children: Marie H., now Mrs. Ward Small, of Evans- ton, Ill., and Dorothy Belle. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks, K. of P., and Odd Fellows. Mr. Wesselius has made a specialty of law for the promotion of education and was the author and cham- pion of the bill and constitutional amendment under which the rail- roads of the state paid an additional tax to the primary school fund of $400,000 annually, which has advanced Michigan schools to so high a place in the public school system of the country. He was also the author and champion of the law establishing day schools for deaf children, where they are taught by the real method, and have spread the work to other states, so collaborating with Alex Graham Bell in the national work.
Henry Wester .- Of the sons of Denmark who have come to the United States to assist in swelling the population of Kent county and of contributing to its progress and advancement, one who has well and honorably earned his position as a well-to-do agriculturist is Henry Wester, whose fine farm is located in Bowne township. Mr. Wester has resided in this country only a little over fourteen years, but in this period he has worked so industriously and has governed his operations so intelligently that he has succeeded in winning pros- perity in a much shorter time than is necessary for most men. Mr. Wester was born in Denmark, July 10, 1888, and therefore belongs to the younger agricultural element. His parents were Anton and Signa Wester, the former a blacksmith, who followed his trade throughout his life and never came to the United States. After her husband's death, Mrs. Wester came to this country and now makes her home with her sons, who came here in 1904 and located on farms in Bowne township. There were ten sons and one daughter in the family, and of these five came to the New World to make their homes and fortunes. Henry Wester was educated in the public schools of his native land and was a youth of sixteen years when he accompanied his brothers to America. All had decided upon farming careers, and Kent county, Michigan, was chosen as the scene of their operations. For some time, while learning the customs, language and methods of this country, Henry Wester worked out as a hand, and in the mean- time carefully conserved his means and thriftily saved his earnings. In this way he was able to accumulate sufficient capital to invest in an eighty-acre farm in Bowne township, and after he had put consider- able improvements upon it and raised the quality of its soil and the capacity of its productiveness was able to dispose of it at a consider- able advance. He next invested in his present property, a tract of 160 acres lying on section 18, Bowne township, and this he has de- veloped into a profitable and attractive property, noted for its fer- tility and conspicuous because of its modern improvements and sub- stantial buildings. Mr. Wester is a general farmer who is thoroughly familiar with every branch of his vocation, and to whom agriculture is a subject that merits constant study. He keeps fully abreast of the II-26
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latest things being done and is always ready to experiment with new methods and implements, provided that they seem practicable. In line with his general spirit of progressiveness he supports movements which promise to advance the interests of his township and his coun- ty. Mr. Wester was married in December, 1905, to Miss Ingeborg Gerginson, also a native of Denmark, who came to the United States in 1905, one year later than her future husband. Her parents still make their home in the old country, where Mrs. Wester has a brother in the army. Mr. and Mrs. Wester have been the parents of seven children, all of whom survive and all living at home: Sigma, Ella, Marie, Julius, Henry Jr., Harold and Rose. The family is affiliated with the Lutheran church, and in politics Mr. Wester is a Republican.
Richard A. Westrate .- Of Richard A. Westrate, yet in the early twenties, however guardedly one must speak on the score of youth, it may be stated unhesitatingly and beyond fear of question that few young business men of Grand Rapids today give nobler promise of future worthy achievement. He has been a resident of this city for only six years, and yet during that short period of time has attained to a position of prominence formerly held only by men a number of years his senior, and he is now handling capably the duties devolving upon the position of manager of the Michigan Exchange Branch of the Grand Rapids Savings Bank. Mr. Westrate is a product of the farming community of North Holland township, Ottawa county, Michigan, where he was born on his father's farm Sept. 2, 1893, son of Marinus J. and Christina (Nykamp) Westrate. His father, a native of the Netherlands, was brought to the United States when a lad of about ten years and was educated in the public schools near Holland, where he embarked upon his career as a farmer. Later he secured the ownership of a valuable property in North Holland town- ship and cultivated this land for some years, but finally disposed of his interests in the country to turn his attention to commercial pur- suits. He is one of the substantial men of his community, held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens and holding the confidence and respect of his associates. He and Mrs. Westrate, who was born near Zeeland, Mich., are members of the Reformed church. They are the parents of six children: Dena, wife of John Wabeke, of Hol- land; Henrietta, unmarried and resides with her parents; James, of Allegan, Mich .; Nellie, wife of Anthony Van Duine, of Holland; Richard A .; and Maurice, deceased. Richard A. Westrate was edu- cated in the public schools of Holland and was well prepared for a business career, attending both the Holland Business College and McLachlan's Business College of Grand Rapids. His first business experience was gained with a private banking institution, the Michi- gan Exchange Private Bank, which he entered May 15, 1912, as book- keeper and stenographer, and of which he was made assistant man- ager in 1915. When the bank was purchased by the Grand Rapids Savings Bank, in January, 1917, Mr. Westrate was made manager of the branch, which position he retains today, and in which, as has been noted, he is making a splendid record for efficiency and busi- ness progress. He is a Republican in politics, but has found no time to enter political affairs any deeper than to cast his vote for what he has felt have been good measures, but as a public-spirited citizen of his community he takes a keen interest in the welfare of his neighbor-
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hood. He belongs to the Young Men's Christian Association, attends Grace Reformed church, and at the present time is serving as treas- urer of the Sunday school. Mr. Westrate was married June 29, 1916, to Nella J., daughter of John and Henrietta Berg, of Grand Rapids. Arthur S. White is a native of the state of Michigan, born at Ann Arbor, July 9, 1844. His father, Arthur G. White, was a banker in Detroit, and his mother was a daughter of John Munro, one of the builders of the Michigan Central railroad. Mr. White's youth was spent upon a farm and in attendance upon the public schools. At the age of thirteen he entered a printing establishment at Ann Arbor and later spent several years in printing houses in Chicago, St. Louis and Omaha. In the year 1868 he commenced employment as a newspaper reporter and editor, which continued twelve years, and in 1880 he established the Michigan Artisan, a trade newspaper, and conducted it successfully thirty-three years. In the year 1890 he was elected to represent Grand Rapids in the lower house of the state legislature and was re-elected in 1892. Mr. White is the president of the White Printing Company and the Michigan Engraving Company. His only son, Harry C. White, is a member of the Michigan state senate.
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Rev. Francis S. White .- A man of high intellectual attainments, scholarship and religious zeal, Rev. Francis S. White is possessed also of much ability of a practical nature and has risen thereby to a position of leadership in the Protestant Episcopal church at Grand Rapids. The twelfth rector in line of succession of St. Mark's Ca- thedral, prior to coming to Grand Rapids he had for seven years been rector of Trinity Episcopal church, at Atchison, Kan., and brought with him a firmly established reputation for pastoral fervor and executive capacity. This reputation he has further strengthened since taking up his work among his present parishioners. Reverend Mr. White was born in the City of New York and as a child was taken to Buffalo, where his early education was acquired in the public schools. He subsequently attended Hobart College, Geneva, N. Y., in which institution he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and three years later the Master's degree was conferred upon him by the same college. In 1896 he was graduated in the General Theological Seminary, New York City, with the degree of Bachelor of Divinity, and following that was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Coxe, of Buffalo. He was advanced to the priesthood in 1897, and began his work as curate in St. John's church, Detroit, under Dr. William Prall, but subsequently went to Omaha, Neb., to work in the associated mission founded by the Reverend Paul, now Bishop Matthews, under the late Bishop Worthington. He continued his active labors there with satisfying results until called to Trinity Epis- copal church, Atchison, Kan., where, as noted, he remained seven years. This period of faithful endeavor was followed by the call to Grand Rapids to become rector of St. Mark's Cathedral, with the title "Dean." This is one of the largest and most important congregations in the state, with 342 families in the parish and over 1,000 baptized persons. The church edifice is a handsome and imposing one, valued at $65,000, while the parish house is a structure valued at $20,000, and other property owned is valued at $25,000, making an aggregate of $110,000. The rector's annual salary is $3,000. Dean White is an energetic and tireless worker in the affairs of his parish and acts not
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only as the spiritual leader of his people, but frequently as their guide in business and financial matters. He has won in large degree the friendship and esteem of leading men of various creeds and has been called upon to act in several capacities necessitating a knowledge of civic affairs and of the needs of his community. Dean White was married in 1907 to Miss Caroline Mize, of Atchison, Kan., and they are the parents of two sons and a daughter. In October, 1917, Dean White resigned the rectorship of St. Mark's to continue in Army Y. M. C. A. work which he began with the Michigan troops in July at Grayling, subsequently following the troops to Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas, and at this writing is still working there as camp chap- lain for the war commission of the Episcopal church.
John Whitfield .- There was a period when the calling of the agriculturist was but indifferently considered by those who had suc- cessfully centered their activities in urban vocations. His hard work was .not adequately appreciated, and because of the lack of proper transportation facilities and connecting factors, in many cases he could not market the products of his toil, nor could he command a fair price for them. At the present time, however, it is the man who tills the soil who provides not only for the prosperity of the country, but for the sustenance of the world. Vergennes township has many progressive men whose labors are now receiving due recognition, and among these is John Whitfield, whose fine farm of eighty acres is lo- cated in section 31. Mr. Whitfield was born at Grand Rapids, March 10, 1876, son of Docke and Gertie (Whitfield) Whitfield. His par- ents, natives of Holland, came to the United States not long after their marriage and settled first at Grand Rapids, where the father worked for several years, but in 1876 located in Vergennes township and purchased forty acres of land. To this he later added a like acreage and continued to follow farming until the time of his retire- ment. He was an industrious man of good business ability and was successful in the accumulation of a modest competence. In politics he was a Republican, although his only interest in public affairs was that of a good citizen and voter, and he and Mrs. Whitfield were members of the Christian Reformed church. They had six children : Mary, wife of Roger Vereseput, of Grand Rapids; Herman, a resi- dent of Chicago; Jacob, deceased; Nell, wife of Bursel Huggins; Hattie, wife of Henry Meyer, of Vergennes; Jacob (2), a resident of Chicago; and John. John Whitfield received his education in the public schools and remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-four years of age, taking a great deal of interest in farm du- ties and learning the vocation in all its details. When he left the homestead he rented land for two years, at the end of which time he was able to purchase his present farm, a tract of eighty acres lying in section 31. His principal interest has been centered in general farming, his judgment in this line bringing substantial results, but farm dairy work and stock raising have also received a part of his attention and he is accounted as being skilled in the various branches of agriculture. A member of the local Grange, he keeps fully abreast of the advancements constantly being made and of the improvements which are coming to the aid of the farmers in their work, and his equipment includes the latest models of farming machinery and ap- purtenances. His buildings are substantial in their construction and
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attractive in design, and, all in all, his farm is one that does credit to the thriving community in which it is located and to the progress- iveness and able management of its owner. Mr. Whitfield is a Re- publican, but politics have had but a small place in his career, al- though his good citizenship has never been questioned, nor has his integrity in business matters. He was married Oct. 9, 1901, to Miss Florence May Frazier, and they have three children: Pauline Maria, George Allen and Dorothy May, all at home.
Fred Whittenbach .- The farming interests of Kent county in- clude a number of representatives of Swiss birth, and this element has been found to be steadily reliable and markedly progressive, forming a very desirable branch of citizenship. In this connection mention is made of Fred Whittenbach, who came to this country as a poor lad of twenty years, and who through hard work and perse- verance has become one of the prosperous and leading farmers of Grattan township, where he owns 320 acres in section 2. Mr. Whit- tenbach was born in Switzerland, May 8, 1869, son of Christ and Maggie (Rode) Whittenbach. His father, who was a farmer in Switzerland, of moderate means, spent his entire life in his native land and never left its boundaries, but his mother came in 1890, and both are now deceased. Their children were as follows: Christ, a resident of Lowell, Mich .; Frederick, of this notice; John; Rudolph ; Maggie, wife of John Rode; Mary, who still resides in Switzerland ; Anna, wife of Ford Wingire, and Eliza, wife of Alfred Blasser. The education of Fred Whittenbach was secured in the public schools of his native country and much of his boyhood was spent in hard work, as his services were needed to assist in the support of the family. Finally he decided that he was not making satisfactory progress, and, with a desire to better himself, gathered together what small capital he could command and emigrated to the United States in 1889. He was at that time twenty years of age and an ambitious, energetic and determined youth, and while his capital was small his energy and willingness were great, and at Lowell, where he first settled, he had little trouble in securing employment. As a farm hand, working by the month, he soon gained a knowledge of American customs, meth- ods and the language, and after he had carefully conserved his earn- ings for several years became a renter of land. In this capacity he was successful, and eventually, wishing to become independent, he purchased land of his own, a tract of 240 acres lying in Grattan town- ship. When he had cleared this property of its timber and brush, as well as its indebtedness, he bought eighty acres additional, and this land now forms his present farm, one that is a credit to himself and to the community. He carries on general farming, in which he has reaped prosperity by reason of his untiring and well-directed labors. A number of handsome improvements add to the value of his land, including his new home with its modern conveniences, built in 1915, while his barn has recently been remodeled. Mr. Whittenbach is a member of the local lodge of the Gleaners and is considered one of this section's well-informed agriculturists and a student of his voca- tion. He is a Republican politically, but not a seeker for public of- fice, but a good citizen, withal, lending his support and encourage- ment to beneficial movements. With his family, he attends the Meth- odist Episcopal church at Lowell. In 1892 Mr. Whittenbach was
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united in marriage with Miss Eliza Occh, of Alton, Mich., and of their union have been born eight children, all at home: Alfred, Ernest, Martha, Anna, Alice, Fannie, Leo and Walter.
Ralph H. Widdicomb .- It should be a matter of considerable local pride that so many of the substantial business men of Grand Rapids are native sons, stable men of commercial, social and civic importance, who have spent their entire lives here, and with the whole world outside offering various inducements, remain loyal and devoted to home interests. In this connection attention is called to Ralph H. Widdicomb, who is vice-president of the John Widdicomb Co. He was born Jan. 26, 1873. His parents were Harry and E. Maria (Hewitt) Widdicomb. The family name is still to be found in Exe- ter, England, from which place came the father of Ralph to the United States, in company with his father, George Widdicomb, in 1845. The mother of Mr. Widdicomb was born in the State of New York and was married there, and she and Mr. Widdicomb came to Grand Rapids about 1870. They had three children: Elsie, deceased ; Ralph H., and Watts. After completing his public school course, Ralph H. Widdicomb went to work in the factory of the Widdicomb Furniture Company in 1892, to learn designing, for which he had native talent. The cultivation of this talent proved well worth while, for he demonstrated that he not only possessed fertility of ideas and a conception of what is appropriate and beautiful, but also the facility with his pencil that enabled him to bring his ideas to life. When the John Widdicomb Co. was organized he became chief designer and since John Widdicomb's death has filled the office of vice-president of the company, which is an important concern, its capitalization be- ing $500,000. In his political affiliation Mr. Widdicomb is a Repub- lican.
William Widdicomb .- In the retirement of William Widdicomb, in 1916, the furniture industry lost another of that generation of business men upon whose enterprise, industry and foresight so much of the material greatness of Grand Rapids was builded. He, with other men of his day, passed through the early and later period of the city's growth and helped to raise the metropolis of Kent county to its present position. Courage, faith and will belonged to the men of that generation and William Widdicomb shared those manly vir- tues fully. His reward came in success in a measure any man might hope for, and the respect of his fellow-men which all men covet. However, he has been much more than an able business man, for he has been likewise a public-spirited citizen and has deserved in the highest degree the great credit given him in the good opinion of the people of this part of the state. William Widdicomb was born at Exeter, County Devonshire, England, July 12, 1839, and was three years of age when brought to the United States by his parents, George and Elizabeth (Moore) Widdicomb. In December, 1842, the family located at Syracuse, N. Y., where the father worked at his trade of cabinet maker for several years, later moving to Elbridge, N. Y., where he owned a small factory. In 1856 he brought his fam- ily to Grand Rapids and eventually embarked upon the manufacture of furniture, a business in which he achieved marked success among the early men connected with that industry in this city. In 1881 he retired from active participation in business affairs, and his death oc-
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curred in 1892. To successfully carry on a business of large propor- tions in the face of the stern competition of the early days demanded tireless industry, keen judgment, great foresight and much natural ability, and all these were possessed by Mr. Widdicomb, who was also a representative of the city's best citizenship in other ways, ever interested in the community's progress, and generous in his gifts to benevolent causes. Mrs. Widdicomb, a woman of many sterling qualities of mind and heart, is also deceased. William Widdicomb se- cured his education in the public schools of Syracuse and Elbridge, N. Y., and as a youth of seventeen years came to Grand Rapids, where he first secured employment with E. W. & S. A. Winchester, by whom he was retained for two years. In 1858 he entered his fa- ther's furniture factory, as a workman, and commenced to learn the business from the ground up, but his advancement in this direction was temporarily halted by the outbreak of the Civil war, when, in answer to the President's call for volunteers, he enlisted, July 12, 1861, as a private in Company B, First Michigan infantry. With this organization he went to the front and within fourteen months had at- tained the rank of adjutant of his regiment, being the first member thereof to be commissioned from the ranks. Continuing to serve bravely and faithfully, he established an admirable record as a sol- dier, but after about two years of service was incapacitated by illness and forced to resign, being honorably discharged because of dis- ability. Returning to Grand Rapids, Mr. Widdicomb, as soon as he had partly recovered from his illness, embarked, in 1864, upon a business venture of his own, founding a small furniture factory which proved the nucleus for his great later operations in this manufactur- ing field. His plant grew and prospered and necessitated from time to time the enlargement of quarters and equipment, until in 1886 the large structures known as the Widdicomb Furniture Company were erected. In 1916, having acquired advanced years and a modest es- tate, Mr. Widdicomb retired from business affairs. On July 13, 1872, he married Miss Sarah Esther Hewitt, of Oswego county, New York, and the children born of this union were Elizabeth, George, William, Margaret and Abbott. Of these, William is the only survivor. Mr. Widdicomb knows the hardships and struggles of his early days and what he had to overcome, and so appreciates what he has received more as a triumph over obstacles and difficulties than as the actual accumulation of wealth. Although many avoided the hard military service, he did not, and he has always felt glad that he answered his country's call in its time of need. While he has not sought prefer- ment in public life, he has been of service to the city in various capac- ities where his business and executive ability and his keen insight into human nature have made that service of importance. He has always retained his interest in his old army comrades, and is a member of Custer Post of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Loyal Legion of Michigan. Mr. Widdicomb's has been a busy life and it is to his high credit that he has looked to his city for no particular political honors, preferring to live in the hearts of his associates sim- ply as one of their own, a private citizen, architect of his own for- tunes. As an authority on the furniture industry Mr. Widdicomb has acted as advisory editor on the subject as included in this work.
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Gustav William Wilbert .- During a period of nearly a quarter of a century, the late Gustav William Wilbert was identified with the business interests of Grand Rapids, and in that time he established a reputation for sterling honesty that made his name an honored one in business circles. He contributed to the upbuilding of the city of his adoption by the erection of several structures of a business and resi- dential nature and at all times evidenced his faith in the future of the Furniture City in a practical and helpful manner. Mr. Wilbert was born in Germany, Feb. 3, 1861, son of William Wilbert. His father, who came to the United States with his family in 1868, lo- cated on a farm in Wisconsin and subsequently removed to a farm near Grand Haven, Michigan, where he lived for a number of years and then moved to the city of Grand Haven; and after a brief period in that city, he passed away. Gustav W. Wilbert was educated in the Lutheran parochial school at Grand Haven and as a youth learned the trade of millwright, which he followed until 1887, in that year coming to Grand Rapids to accept a position in a carriage factory. About the year 1892 he embarked in business for himself and con- tinued successfully engaged therein until 1911, when he disposed of his interests and retired from active labor, continuing to live quietly until his death, June 15, 1915. Early in his career Mr. Wilbert was impressed by the opportunities presented by Grand Rapids real es- tate, and as he accumulated means invested them in various proper- ties, showing rare judgment and foresight in his selection of locations and his knowledge of values. He built the business buildings on the corner of Straight and Butterworth streets, which proved a profit- able investment, as well as the apartment at No. 202 Straight ave- nue, S. W., where his widow now resides. A man of attractive per- sonality, Mr. Wilbert made many friends, and to these friendships he always remained faithful. He was of a social nature and enjoyed mingling with his fellows, and for many years was one of the most popular members of the local Arbeiter Society. He was first mar- ried, Aug. 25, 1887, to Miss Minnie Smith, of Grand Haven, Mich., and they had three children: Ernest, of Cadillac, Mich., and Viola and Vera, of Grand Rapids. Mrs. Wilbert died in November, 1906, and March 3, 1908, Mr. Wilbert married Mrs. Emma Scanlon, of Grand Rapids, who survives him.
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