USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan, Volume I > Part 29
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ner's History and Biographical Record of Lenawee county, Michi- gan. Mr. Whitney and his brother, Abel, are, at the present time, the oldest male residents of the city of Adrian. They de- scended from Henry Whitney, who came from England to America about 1649, and settled at Southold, Long Island.
ON. HENRY HART, son of Herman V. Hart, was born in Albany, New York, January 28th, 1818, where he was educated for a civil engineer in the old Albany academy, conducted by Professor Henry, late of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. After receiving his education he commenced the practice of his profession on the preliminary survey of the Albany and Boston railroad. In August, 1837, he came west, seeking his fortune as civil engineer. Arriving at Monroe he presented his credentials to Levi S. Humphrey, Esq., the Commissioner on the part of the State for the Michigan Southern railroad, and at once was assigned a position with an engineering corps which was then operating in the neighborhood of Jonesville. He continued in the field until the final location of the road was established, and was then assigned charge of the final location and construction of that road, between Adrian and Monroe, which position he held until the completion of the road to Adrian, about the year 1840. In the fall of the same year he formed a co-partnership with Abel Whitney, and commenced the business of selling dry goods in Adrian, which co-partnership continued about two years, Mr. Whitney retiring at that time, and Mr. Hart continued in the business almost uninterruptedly from that time until the year 1866. During that time he was appointed special agent of the post-office department for the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Northern Illinois, which position he held for about six years. He was elected Mayor of Adrian in the year 1859, and held the office for one year. In the year 1866 he was elected Secretary of the Michigan State Insurance company, of which he was one of the organizers, in the year 1859, and from that time until his death, remained in the same position. At a called meeting of the citizens of the county, in 1865, for the purpose of organizing a soldiers' monument association, he was elected President, and remained in that position until the monument was completed in 1870 .. He devoted much time and energy in raising the necessary funds.
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
The monument was dedicated July 4th, 1870, Mr. Hart acting as President of the day on that occasion. He was also President of the day at the Centennial celebration at Adrian, July 4th, 1876, on which occasion each town in the county was represented by a vice-president. September 2d, 1849, at the first annual meeting of the Adrian Union School District he was elected Director, and held that position and that of Trustee for several years. Mr. Hart was married in Adrian, January 12th, 1842, to Jane S. Chittenden, by whom four children have been born. The oldest, Joseph C., resides in Detroit, and is correspondent for the Mutual Life Insurance company, of New York, at its northwestern general agency ; Henry C. resides in Detroit, and is superintendent of a foun- dry for the manufacture of car-trimmings ; Jennie C. resides in De- troit, the wife of James D. Standish; Herman V. C. Hart lives in Adrian, and is the cashier of the Lenawee County Savings bank. Mr. Hart received injuries at the fall of the grand stand on the fair grounds in this city, which took place at about three P. M., Thursday, October 2d, 1879, resulting in his death. He died at five o'clock the following morning, his death casting a gloom over the whole community. He was genial and courteous in his social relations ; generous, warm-hearted, and honorable, and will ever be remembered as one of the most public spirited, enterpris- ing citizens of Adrian.
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ARLISLE NORWOOD was born in the City of New York, February 12th, 1812. His father, Andrew S. Nor- wood, was born September 11th, 1770. He was the son of James Norwood, and both were born in the City of New York. Andrew S. Norwood was a merchant, and the firm of which he was the head, was one of the large contributors to the loan of twelve millions of dollars to the United States government by the merchants of New York, during the war of 1812, when the gov- ernment failed by advertising, to get proposals for more than two millions. The New York Commercial Advertiser, of November 15th, 1856, announces his death as follows :
"Andrew S. Norwood, an old and highly respected citizen and merchant of New York, died at his residence in Fourteenth street, on the 14th of November, 1856. Mr. Norwood, we believe, was, at the time of his death, the oldest native of New York engaged in business, being in the 87th year of his age. He was born in 1770, and up to the time of his last illness he retained a vivid recollection of the events attending the close of the Revolutionary war. His father served in the
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army of the patriots, and was an inmate of the sugar house here, as a prisoner, until released by an exchange, and we have heard Mr. Norwood relate that he had been frequently dispatched with relief for the remaining prisoners, by his fasher, after his liberation.
Mr. Norwood commenced business as a merchant 1791, not having attained the age of twenty-one, as one of the firm of Norwood & Austen, and afterwards car- ried it on on his sole account, until about 1830, when he closed his active mercan- tile career. He was one of the originators and owners of the second line of packet ships between New York and Havre, consisting of the Erie, France and other vessels, of which Messrs. Crassous & Boyd were the agents in New York, and Boisgerard & Co., in Havre. For many years past he has lived in compara- tive retirement, retaining his faculties in an eminent degree up to nearly the time of his death.
Mr. Norwood was a favorable specimen of the New York merchant of the old school; a man of untiring energy in his younger days, and of great enterprise, yet careful and judicious in his manner of doing business, amassing his property as the fruits of his industry and judgment, rather than by the modes of modern speculation, and preserving his reputation to the close of his long career as a man and merchant of the most uncompromising integrity."
Carlisle Norwood was married to Miss Louisa Josephine Will- cocks, April 30th, 1841, and in November of the same year came to Adrian, Michigan, where he was engaged for several years in the forwarding and commission business. January 18th, 1842, he was elected by the common council of Adrian the first chief engin- eer of the Adrian fire department, which position he held until he resigned, October 4th, 1847, which resignation was accepted by the council, and took effect October 13th, the same year, when he removed to the city of New York, where he has resided ever since. Mr. Norwood is the father of six children, one of whom died in infancy, and was buried in Adrian. The names of those living are as follows: Margaret Morris, Carlisle Jr., Louisa Josephine, Kate, and Lewis Morris. All reside in the City of New York, two of whom are married ; the two sons are practicing law. Mrs. Norwood was the daughter of Lewis Willcocks, son of Major William Willcocks, of Philadelphia. The former was born in that city in the year 1790. He engaged in mercantile business in the City of New York in the year 1814. He married Eleanor Morris, the daughter of Andrew Morris, of New York, whose partner he after- wards became. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew S. Norwood had eight children, three sons and five daughters, Carlisle being the only survivor. Carlisle Norwood's mother's maiden name was Rebecca Ogilvie. She was the daughter of Thomas Ogilvie, both born in New York City. Thomas Ogilvie's father was William Ogilvie, born in Edinburg, Scotland, and came to America in the year 1743. Thomas Ogilvie was a merchant of New York. Much of the time, since Mr. Norwood returned to New York, he has been acting as secretary of the Lorillard Insurance Company, and is now, and has been for several years its president. He has many warm
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
friends living in Adrian, and to him, more than any person living, Adrian is indebted for one of the best fire departments in the State of Michigan, of which he was once a member. Upon his resignation the council unanimously passed resolutions highly com- plimentary to Mr. Norwood as chief engineer of the fire department, and as a gentleman in all the relations of private life, which res- olutions were fully endorsed by every citizen of Adrian.
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USSELL WHITNEY was born in Ovid, Seneca county, New York, August 30th, 1810. [For family relation, see record of his father, Capt. James Whitney]. Russell Whitney is a brother of Abel and William A. Whitney, of Adrian. He first came to Michigan in the fall of 1827, with his father, who took up four hundred acres of land on the west side of the River Raisin, where a part of the city of Adrian now stands. He returned to the State of New York that fall. The next spring-1828-he again came to Michigan, arriving in Adrian in May, about two weeks before his father and his family. About the first thing he did, according to his father's instruction, was to plant some pota- toes. He went over into Raisin, and got a few potatoes of Robert Aylesworth, and planted them in the woods, just north of the West Branch school house, in the city of Adrian. These were the first potatoes planted west of the river, in Adrian. The tops grew to be about six feet high-all tops and no potatoes. He cut down the first tree, and commenced the first clearing in that part of the present city. He came in with Samuel Carpenter, Snow Carpenter his son, Moses Bugbee, John Bentley, and Ephraim Dunbar, and piloted the party from Detroit to Adrian, through the woods, on foot. Russell carried an ax and a knapsack. They stopped the first night in Adrian, with Noah Norton, their supper consisting of corn bread and cranberries. He assisted this party, in company with Noah Norton, in looking land for a few days. He finally got news that his father and the family were coming from Monroe, and started that way to meet them, in company with parties who were going to Monroe, to enter land. They got as far as Flood- wood creek, which was then swollen by recent rains, until the banks were full of water, and were meditating how they could cross, when he saw his father coming through the water on horse- back, leading the way for the wagon. When the wagon got into
37
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the middle of the stream, the forward wheels dropped off, and it ended up in about eight feet of water. This was a dilemma indeed, but his father was equal to any emergency, and finally dove into the water with a chain and fastened it to the " reach," and so pull- ed it out. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk war, and also in the Toledo war. In 1833 he went into Illinois, with his father, looking land, and passed through Chicago before it was even a village, there being a fort, a tavern, and another building or two. In that year he settled on one hundred acres of his father's purchase, it being the farm now known as the Gouldsberry, or Rowley farm. He lived there about three years, and sold to Robert Gouldsberry, and purchased a farm on section one, in Rome, where he lived about six months, and sold to David Smith. He then went to Nottawa, St. Joseph county, and purchased one hundred and sixty-seven acres. He resided there about six months, and sold out to Whitney and Tolbert, and returned to Adrian, and lived six months, when he purchased the s. w. 4 of section 1, in Rome, where he has resided ever since. This was a new farm, and he has cleared up one hundred acres, built a large brick house, with barns, sheds, etc. November 16th, 1831, he married Miss Angeline Rogers, daughter of Carey and Sally M. Rogers, of Adrian, by whom he has had thirteen children, as follows : Sally Ann, born in Adrian, February 24th, 1834, now the widow of Cornelius Silvernail, of Chicago; Helen M., born in Adrian, Jan- uary 23d, 1835, now the wife of John McConnell of Rome; Andrew J., born in Nottawa, St. Joseph county, Michigan, March 7th, 1836, now of Geneseo, Illinois ; Emeline, born in Rome, August 18th, 1837, died at Colfax, Iowa August 4th, 1876 ; Elea- nor P., born in Rome, March 19th, 1839, widow of David Farwell, of Morenci, now of Wadsworth, Illinois; Sampson, born in Rome, July 20th, 1840, a farmer of Rome ; Borello V. B., born in Rome, July 20th, 1842. He was a member of Co. B, 9th Michigan cavalry, in the war of the Rebellion, and died October 3d, 1864; Rome, born in Rome, April 18th, 1844, was a member of Co. H, 11th Michigan cavalry, and died July 17th, 1864; Charles, born in Rome, November 22d, 1845, a farmer, of Rome; Dallas, born in Rome, May 10th, 1847, a conductor on the Chicago and Rock Island railroad ; Augusta, born in Rome, May 1st, 1848, at home; Jerry born in Rome, March 26th, 1853, died March 2d, 1861; Josephine, born in Rome, September 2d, 1854, now the wife of J. H. Harris, of Rome. Mrs. Angeline Whitney was born in De Ruyter, Madison county, New York, January 27th, 1817. She came to Michigan in 1829, with her parents, who took up one hundred and sixty acres, north-west of the city of Adrian, and
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
now adjoins the city limits. It is now owned by N. S. Wheeler. Her parents were born in Rhode Island, and died in Adrian-her mother, September 13th, 1843, and her father, September 18th, 1852. For several years Mr. Whitney was elected constable and collector of Rome, and during the time he held said offices, he col- lected large amounts of money, and his business transactions were always satisfactory to those with whom he did business.
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R. HARRISON PETERS was born in Fayette, Seneca county, New York, April 6th, 1826. His father, Daniel Peters, was born near Harrisburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1792, but removed with his parents to Seneca county, New York, about 1810. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and served under General Harrison. He was taken prisoner at a battle in Canada, and was imprisoned for seven months. After the war he pur- chased a farm in Yates county, New York, where he resided for eight years, and emigrated to Michigan in 1835, and settled in Brownstown, Wayne county, where he took up two hundred and forty acres of land from the government. He improved this farm, and lived upon it until his death, in March, 1861. In 1818 he married Miss Nancy Hoover, of Fayette, Seneca county, New York, by whom he had nine children, four sons and five daugh- ters, Harrison being the second son and fourth child. Mrs. Nancy Peters was born near Harrisburgh, Pennsylvania, in December, 1798, and died in Brownstown, Wayne county, Michigan, June 25th, 1879. Dr. Harrison Peters lived with his father until he was twenty-one, and received a good common school education. He came to Michigan with his parents in 1835. In the spring of 1847 he became a student of Ypsilanti Seminary, then considered one of the very best educational instutions in Michigan. He remained there until the summer of 1850, preparatory to the study of medicine. During the same year he commenced reading medi- cine with Dr. Thompson of Flat Rock, Wayne county, Michigan, and after attending lectures at Ann Arbor, and Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated number one at the Geneva, New York, medical col- lege, in June, 1853. The doctor is entirely a self-made man, never receiving any help from his parents in his preparatory studies. He worked his own way through until he graduated, and commenced for himself. His parents had a large family, and were
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unable to give him any more than a common school education. On the 9th day of August, 1853, he commenced the practice of medicine in Palmyra, Lenawee county, Michigan, where he re- mained until the 5th of January, 1864, when he removed to Te- cumseh, where he now resides, a well-known and successful practi- tioner. About the first important "call" the doctor received after settling in Palmyra, was occasioned by a railroad accident that occurred just east of the village one evening. He had called to see Judge Tiffany at the time, and was summoned in a great hurry to attend the injured passengers of the train, three cars being thrown from the track and a number of people, more or less injured. The doctor was the only physician on the ground, and had a "lively time" until all the sufferers were attended to and relieved. The train was thrown off the track by an ox. October 1st, 1854, he married Miss Cordelia A. Clark, daughter of Lester P. and Han- nah Clark, of Palmyra, this county, by whom he has had three children, as follows: Ida C., born in Palmyra, August 20th, 1855, wife of Franklin Marks, a merchant of Cleveland, Ohio ; Ada C., born in Palmyra, April 17th, 1857, wife of W. B. Mumford, a book merchant of Adrian, Michigan; Wallace H., born in Palmy - ra, June 12th, 1863, a clerk in Franklin Marks' gent's furnishing goods store, Cleveland, Ohio. Mrs. Cordelia A. Peters was born in Monroe, Michigan, December 20th, 1829. [For her family connection see Lester P. Clark's record.] Dr. Peters and family at one time were all members of the Presbyterian church, and the doctor is now a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church of Te- cumseh.
ILLIAM WILLIAMS was born in New Haven township, Addison county, Vermont, July 29th, 1803. His father, Riley Williams, was a farmer of that township for many years. He was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, in Jaunary, 1766. In the spring of 1802, he married Miss Anna Lyman, daughter of Samuel Lyman, a blacksmith, of Westfield, Massachu- setts, by whom he had six children, four sons and two daughters, William, the subject of this sketch, being the oldest. William Williams lived with his father, on his farm, until after he was twenty-one, when he, in the spring of 1825, emigrated to St. Law- rence county, New York, and bought a new farm, which he lived
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
upon two years, when he disposed of it, and returned to Vermont, and lived there about three years. He then again emigrated, this time to Warren, Warren county, Pennsylvania, where he lived three years as a farmer and lumberman. September 4th, 1831, he married Miss Mary Jane Winter, daughter of Asa and Amelia Winter, of Warren county, Pennsylvania, where she was born, April 22d, 1813, by whom he has had seven children, (five daugh- ters and two sons,) four of whom are now living, as follows: Harriet N., born in Warren, Pennsylvania, February 20th, 1832, was the wife of Lamott Edmunds, of Adrian, and afterwards mar- ried Jerome Marshall, of Adrian. She died in Fairfield, February 8th, 1865 ; Amelia C., born October 7th, 1834, died in infancy ; Ella A., born in Adrian, July 8th, 1837, now the wife of Charles L. Dunham, of Kansas City, Missouri ; Asa Winter, born July 7th, 1840, conductor on the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern railroad, and resides in St. Louis ; Florian L. S., born October 5th, 1843, a carpenter, and resides in Adrian ; Henrietta I., born October 1st, 1845, was the wife of O. J. Chandler, and died Sep- tember 29th, 1877; Mary Florence, born May 30th, 1848, now the wife of Capt. Lester B. Wilson, of Logansport, Indiana. In September, 1834, Mr. Williams came to Adrian and leased a large farm, then owned by E. C. Winter, but afterwards known as the Coit farm, now entirely within the city limits, where he re- mained three years. In the years 1841-2 he worked eight months on the Presbyterian church, as a carpenter and joiner. During the entire eight months he only received "ten shillings " in money; the balance was " store pay." In 1838 he built himself a house, in the north part of the village, where it stood five or six years, when he purchased a lot on South Main street, south of the old cemetery, and by the aid of twelve yoke of oxen, and two span of horses, moved his house upon it. He lived on South Main street until 1860, when he traded for a farm in Blissfield township, where he lived two years. He then rented his farm for four years, when he sold it, subsequently going on a farm in Fairfield, where he lived for eight years, since which time he has lived in the city. In religion Mr. Williams is a Presbyterian, having joined that church in Warren, Pennsylvania, in 1830, and joined the church in this city, by certificate, December 5th, 1835, and has always been an earnest, consistent member. In politics he was originally a Whig, but since the organization of the Republican party, in 1854, he has been a staunch Republican. He has always been an industrious, honorable man, and has experienced all the trials and hardships of a pioneer life, in three States, and still survives, a comfort to him- self and family.
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R. HENRY WYMAN was born in Keene, Cheshire county, New Hampshire, April 2d, 1803. His father, Jonathan
Wyman, was born in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1774. His grandfather was killed at the first battle of the Revolutionary
war. In the spring of 1804, Jonathan Wyman emigrated to Jefferson county, New York, where he took up a new farm. In the early part of the year 1797 he married Miss Abigail Adams, daughter of John Adams, a lieutenant in the Revolutionary army, and a distant relative of John Quincy Adams. By this marriage there were seven children, two sons and five daughters, six of whom are still living, and four of them are over seventy years of age, Henry being the third child. Jonathan Wyman died at Rodman, Jefferson county, New York, August 29th, 1823. Mrs. Abigail Wyman was born in Nelson, Cheshire county, New Hamp- shire, in 1778, and died in Rodman in 1864. Dr. Henry Wyman left home when he was twenty years of age. He had then an academic education, and went to Geneva and taught school until his father died, when he returned home and settled his father's business. In 1825 he went to Lockport, New York, where he taught school and read medicine for three years. In 1831 he went to Springfield, Ohio, where he practiced medicine for a few months, when he went to Richmond, Indiana, and in the spring of 1832, located in Anderson, Indiana, as a physician. Here, for about eighteen months, he was the editor and publisher of the Western Telegraph, which was destroyed by fire. He represented the county in the Legislature for two years, and was a member of the Internal Improvement Committee. In 1841 he went south and settled in Ripley, Tipton county, Mississippi, where he remained until 1843, when he came north and located in Blissfield, on the 15th day of August. He immediately associated himself with Dr. James W. Holmes, in the practice of medicine and surgery. During the session of the Legislature of 1843-4, he was sent to Detroit by the citizens of Blissfield as a "lobby member" in behalf of the act to build a "turnpike" road from Blissfield to Sylvania, Ohio. The bill was finally passed and Drs. Wyman and Holmes took the con- tract to build the road through the cottonwood swamp, the material used being mostly charcoal and burnt clay. In 1844 he was elected to the State Legislature. He was the first man in the United States to introduce a bill establishing a law for the purpose of draining low lands, and spent much time and money in his efforts until it was made a law. The first law passed, only author- ized the ditching and draining of five townships in Lenawee coun- ty, Ogden, Riga, Blissfield, Palmyra and Ridgeway, but the gocd results from the system soon became apparent to all, and there is
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
now a state law. In 1845 he was appointed postmaster of Bliss- field. In 1847 he went back to Anderson, Indiana, engaging in the practice of medicine, and also becoming the editor and publish- er of the Anderson Gazette, which he sold in 1855; but when the Rebellion broke out in 1862, he commenced the publication of the Union, which he run for eighteen months. In May, 1864, he again returned to Blissfield, where he has resided ever since. De- cember 25th, 1835, he married Miss Prudence Berry, daughter of John Berry, founder of the City of Anderson, Indiana, by whom he had one son, Oliver C., born January 5th, 1837, now a whole- sale merchant of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mrs. Prudence Wyman was born in Clark county, Indiana, July 16th, 1816, and died at Anderson, November 12th, 1837. March 31st, 1844, he married Miss Zelinda Carpenter, daughter of Clement Carpenter, of Potts- dam, St. Lawrence county, New York, by whom he had eight children, four sons and five daughters, as follows: Abby C., born in Blissfield, Mich, April 12th, 1846, and died at Anderson, In- diana, July 28th, 1848 ; William W., born at Anderson, July 18th, 1848, living only six days; Elsa C., born at Anderson, December 19th, 1849, and died there July 26th, 1851; Hal C., born at Anderson, March 22d, 1852, now Professor of Physiology in the Detroit Medical College ; Carrie S., born at Anderson, July 12th, 1855, now at home with her father; Zelinda May, born at Frankton, Indiana, May 23d, 1857, and died there January 15th 1858; Prudie A. and Hugh S., (twins) born at Frankton, November 7th, 1858. Prudie died in Blissfield, March 12th, 1875 ; Hugh is a graduate in Pharmacy of the Michigan University, and is now reading medicine with his brother. Mrs. Zelinda Wyman was born in Pottsdam, New York, November 14th, 1822, and died in Blissfield, November 12th, 1877. Dr. Wyman was an active Democrat up to 1861, since which time he has acted with the Republican party.
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