USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan, Volume I > Part 35
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
Roscommon, Ireland, by whom he had six children, as follows: Eliza, born in Ardglass, Ireland, December 20th, 1838, now the wife . of W. H. Terpening, of Addison, this county ; Catharine, born in Canton, Onondaga county, New York, in June, 1840, and died in Napoleon, Ohio, in 1842; William H., born in Florida, Henry county, Ohio, in March, 1842, now of the treasury department, Washington, D. C. He was a soldier in the war of the rebellion, and suffered the loss of his right leg above the knee. Jane, born in Adrian, September 30th, 1844, now the wife of David Elliott, of Gratiot county, Michigan ; Robert E., born in Adrian, in 1846, and died in infancy ; Thomas J., born in Adrian, December 1st, 1849, now runs the home farm. Mrs. Jane A. Bourns was born at Ardglass, county Roscommon, Ireland, October 28th, 1818, and came to this country with her husband, and died at Adrian, August 17th, 1850. September 11th, 1853, he married Mrs. Rosetta Allen, daughter of Enoch and Europa Shippy, of Fairfield, Lenawee county, Michigan, by whom he has had three children, as follows: Celia, born in Adrian, February 29th, 1855, at home; Ida R., born in Dover, this county, November 6th, 1856, at home; Henry C., born in Rome, this county, July 8th, 1863, at home. Mrs. Rosetta Bourns was born in Perinton, Monroe county, New York, July 26th, 1824, and came to Michigan with her parents in 1827, who settled in Washtenaw county. They afterwards came to Lenawee county and settled in Fairfield.
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ICHARD ILLENDEN, 2d, was born in Canterbury, Kent, England, July 8th, 1824. His father, Richard Illenden, 1st, was born in Woodchurch, Kent, England, in May, 1776, where he was educated, and always lived, until 1824, when he moved to the city of Canterbury, residing there un- til he came to America, in 1830. He owned about two hundred acres of land, known as Shirk-oak farm. The farm derived its name from a legend, which was often told and greatly enjoyed by the servants, and even the gentlefolk. It ran as follows: " At one time a man named Shirk committed suicide there, and as the law did not allow suicides to be buried in consecrated ground, Shirk was buried at the cross-roads, and an oak stake driven through his body. This stake afterwards grew into an oak tree, and the farm was therefore christened Shirk-oak. His father, John Illenden, came from the town of Illenden, in Northumberland, early in the
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
last century. He was a land owner and miller. . The town of Ill- enden had been the residence of the family from its remotest period, until John Illenden left there; he being the last male rep- resentative of the family, carried all its history with him when he went to Woodchurch. For one hundred and fifty years there have been but three male representatives of the family. The family is a very old, and formerly wealthy one, the coat-of-arms consisting of a half moon and sheaf of wheat, with sickle thrust in. All that is now known of the family, shows that they were members of the church of England-High Churchmen-until the advent of John Wesley, when Richard Illenden, Ist, became a convert to Methodism. September 19th, 1805, Richard Illenden, 1st, married Miss Sarah Grant, daughter of Vincent and Johanna Grant, of St. Nicholas, Isle of Thanet, Kent, England, by whom he had ten children, as follows : Ann, born October 12th, 1808, and died in London, October 28th, 1834; Sarah, born October 12th, 1811, now the widow of William H. Pillow, also of Canter- bury, England, who died in Woodside, New Jersey, March 17th, 1870 ; John, born May 6th, 1813, died January 27th, 1819 ; Jo- hanna Chapman, born August 11th, 1814, now the wife of John Henry, of Vevay, Indiana; Grace Waters, born May 7th, 1816, was the wife of Thomas E. Bonner, and died December 26th, 1860 ; Mary, born September 27th, 1817, and died in Buffalo, New York, December 16th, 1834; Elizabeth, born November 29th, 1818, was the wife of Stephen M. Hoyt; Mercy, born May 8th, 1821, now the wife of William Ward, of Junction City, Kansas ; Jane Parton, born December 21st, 1822, now the wife of Dr. W. Owen, of Adrian, Michigan; Richard. All the children except Richard, were born in Woodchurch. Mrs. Sarah Illenden was born at St. Nicholas, Isle of Thanet, Kent, England, Decem- ber 11th, 1782. Her father, Vincent Grant, was a manufacturer, of St. Nicholas, and did a large business. He was a gentleman, and came from an old and honorable family of note and distinc- tion, and is traced back to Inverness, in Scotland, in the twelfth century. When George the Fourth was Prince of Wales, Thomas Grant, a near relative of Mrs. Illenden, was his tutor and constant companion, traveling with him over the continent. The history and old records, which were in the possession of William Grant, who lived in Fleet street, London, were destroyed, during a confla- gration. Mrs. Roals, who was a Grant, was one of the most accomplished, refined, and highly educated ladies in London, and was often present at the King's levees and court-sittings, and for many years, was an inmate of Lord Carnarvon's house. The Grant coat-of-arms is a shield, with three crowns, guarded by
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
two nearly nude sentinels with battle-clubs. The crest is a burn- ing mountain. The motto, on the scroll beneath, is "Stand Fast." Gen. Grant claims, and has adopted the same coat-of-arms. Mrs. Sarah Illenden's mother was Miss Johanna Chapman, whose parents were gentlefolk, in good circumstances. They were High Church people, and drove Johanna away from home, because she listened to John Wesley, and became one of his converts. Mrs. Sarah Illenden was a convert of John Wesley, and when a little girl, often sat on his knee during his visits to her father's house, in St. Nicholas. She was an earnest christian, a profound reason- er, and zealous worker in the church, for over sixty years, and after she came to America, often astonished and delighted ministers and laymen, by her clear and logical reasoning, and pure christian de- meanor. She was a woman of noble attainments, possessing the rarest and sweetest virtues. Her friends admired 'her for her daily actions, and loved her for her pure, sympathetic nature, and con- stant watchfulness for the good and welfare of others. She was a woman whose friendship and acquaintance were always sought after, and whose presence was an assurance of genuine love and spiritual communion. In fact, she was a tower of strength in the church. July 8th, 1830, Richard and Sarah Illenden, with eight children, left London, and after a voyage of seven weeks and three days, landed in New York. They immediately went to Buffalo, shortly afterwards purchasing a farm of the Holland Land Company, in Pembroke, Genesee county, New York, where Mr. Illenden died, in February, 1837. Mrs. Sarah Illenden died in Three Rivers, Michigan, January 29th, 1866, and was buried in Oakwood ceme- tery, Adrian. Richard Illenden, 2d, was brought up a farmer, and lived on his father's farm, in Pembroke, until the fall of 1844, when he came to Michigan, and stayed in Ypsilanti during that winter. He followed different avocations until 1854, when he purchased the Amos Aldrich farm, on section thirty-six, in Adrian, which is now mostly embraced in Oakwood cemetery. He sold out in 1865, and purchased a large farm near Three Rivers, St. Joseph county, Michigan. He resided there until 1874, when he returned to Adrian, and purchased the old Webster farm, on sec- tion five, in Madison, where he now resides. Mr. Illenden, at the age of sixteen, became a member of the M. E. church, and served it with fidelity until the question of slavery agitated that body, which finally culminated in a division of the church. He was a member of the convention held at Chestnut Ridge, near Lockport, New York, in 1843, which resulted in the organization of the Wesleyan Methodist church. But as that denomination did not fill his ideas on the slavery and other questions, he finally espoused
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
the Garrisonian movement, and during the past thirty-five years, has entered into all the scientific, and moral reforms of the day, and is now what is known as a " Free Thinker," as defined by Webster's Dictionary. He was treasurer of the Michigan Anti- Slavery Society, during its existence, and William Lloyd Garrison, and all the noted Abolition champions visited his house, while in Adrian. September 28th, 1853, he married Miss Mary Ann Rulon, daughter of Ephraim and Sarah Rulon, of Raisin, this county, by whom he has had four children, as follows : Johanna, born May 23d, 1855, died December 26th, 1855; Jessie, born December 9th, 1856, and died April 15th, 1865; Albert E., born in Adrian, November 15th, 1861, at home; Ephraim R., born in Three Rivers, St. Joseph county, Michigan, January 2d, 1870, at home. Mrs. Mary Illenden was born in Richmond, Indiana, Oc- tober 2d, 1828, and came to Michigan with her parents, and settled in Raisin, this county, in 1833. Her father, Ephraim Rulon, was born in Fairfield, New Jersey, January 2d, 1804. His ancestors were French Huguenots, and the genealogy of the family shows that a man named Rulon came from France in a hogshead, being sent as merchandize, to escape death, and landed in New York previous to 1704. Ephraim Rulon is still living in Madi- son, this county. Her mother, Mrs. Sarah Rulon, was the daugh- ter of Caleb and Sarah Atkinson, of Burlington county, New Jersey. Mr. Atkinson was an elder in the society of Friends, and died at the age of ninety-nine years and seven months. His ances- tors were Friends for many generations back. Mrs. Sarah Rulon died in Three Rivers, St. Joseph county, Michigan, February 20th, 1871.
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ILLIAM ASH was born in Yorkshire, England, June 13th, 1810. His father, James Ash, was born in York- shire, and was a laborer and coal-miner. He married Miss Hannah James, daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth James, of Yorkshire, by whom he had five children, three sons and two daughters, William being the second child. James Ash died in Yorkshire about the year 1821. Mrs. Hannah Ash died in the same place about 1828. William Ash began laboring in the Yorkshire coal-mines when he was but eight years old. He had but very little schooling, simply learning the rudiments of reading
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
and writing. His first work at the mines was driving a horse to elevate the coal, and for about two years his pay was only sixpence per day. After a few years he became a miner, and labored there until the spring of 1831, when he came to America, and landed in New York, June 3d, of that year. He then went to Lockport, New York, where he worked on a farm until after harvest. Be- fore he left England he had met two men who had been in Michi- gan, and who told him it was going to be a fine country, advising him to go there. At Lockport he heard of Darius Comstock, and of his being in Michigan doing well. After harvest, as above stated, he started for Michigan, arriving in Detroit the latter part of September, 1831. He prospected through Wayne and Wash- tenaw counties, and finally arrived in Tecumseh in October, and afterwards went to the "Valley" and found Darius Comstock, and stayed with him a day or two. He got homesick at this time, and made up his mind not to try a new country then. He returned to Lockport where he lived until the spring of 1833, when everybody was talking about Michigan, and he returned and finally settled on the w. ¿ of the n. e. 4 of section 34, in Raisin, this county. He first worked four months for Charles Haviland, but during the winter he conimenced clearing his land. He has lived on his original purchase ever since that time, and has added to it until he now has two hundred acres. He has cleared it up from heavy timber, and has one hundred and thirty acres of improved land, with a good house, barns, sheds, &c. He tells many incidents of his pioneer life; of his being "treed" by a bear, lost in the woods, scared by rattle snakes, &c. In April, 1835, he married Miss Esther Westgate, daughter of Sylvanus Westgate, of Raisin, by whom he had five children, two sons and three daughters, as fol- lows: Aziah, born March 12th, 1836, a farmer of Raisin; Eliza- beth, born May 1st, 1837, died March 1st, 1846; Lovina, born January 28th, 1839, wife of William Chase, a farmer of Otsego, Allegan county, Mich .; Purlina, born October 15th, 1840, wife of William Crabb, a farmer of Ridgeway, this county; Sylvanus, born September 26th, 1842, died February 2d, 1845. Mrs. Esther Ash was born July 7th, 1818, in Royalton, Niagara county, New York, and died in Raisin, December 7th, 1844. March 24th, 1845, he married Miss Harriet Houghtby, daughter of John Houghtby, of Ogden, this county, by whom he had eight children, one son and seven daughters, as follows: Esther Jane, born January 29th, 1846, died August 25th, 1847; Adaline, born August 9th, 1847, wife of Albert Dawson, a farmer of Raisin ; Emeline, born Janu- ary 15th, 1850, wife of Abner Galloway, a farmer of Raisin; Clara A., born November 11th, 1851, wife of William Carter, a
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
farmer of Raisin; Harriet C., born July 21st, 1854, widow of the late Charles Eastwood, of Raisin; James W., born July 28th, 1857, at home; Chloe J., born August 1st, 1860, at home; Sophia E., born May 12th, 1865, at home. Mrs. Harriet Ash was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1824, and died in Raisin, October 26th, 1874. April 24th, 1876, he married Mrs. Sarah Freer, of the city of Adrian. She was born in Clifford, Pennsylvania, May 10th, 1826, and was married twice before her marriage to Mr. Ash. Her first husband was John Bump, by whom she had one daugh- ter, Emma, born in Havanna, Schuyler county, New York, Sep- tember 13th, 1851, wife of John Murfit, of Adrian. She also had three children by her second husband, Philip Freer, as fol- lows: Mary E., born November 6th, 1861, at home; Seymour, born November 8th, 1863, at home; Lewis, born January 29th, 1867, died August 23d, 1872.
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EACON OSMYN SALSBURY was born in Orleans coun- ty, New York, April 30th, 1804. His father, Levi Sals- bury, was born in Scotland, and was one of twelve brothers who came to this country during the last century, and settled in Orleans county, New York. Osmyn Salsbury married Miss Theo- docia Rooker, of Adrian, at the residence of Addison J. Comstock, in 1830. They had five children, as follows: Loverna A., born in Adrian township in 1834, now the wife of John B. Allen, of Ann Arbor, Michigan ; Lydia Ann, born in Dover, this county, in 1836, and died in 1851; Levi O., born in Dover, in 1840, now a resident of Adrian ; Lester H., born in Dover, June, 1842, now a practicing lawyer of Hudson, this county; Sarah C., born in February, 1849, now the wife of Lucius P. Baker, of Dover. Mrs. Theodocia Salsbury was born at Whitehall, New York, April 30th, 1809, and died in Rollin, this county, in April, 1872. Os- myn Salsbury came to Michigan in 1826, and settled in Adrian, finding employment with Darius and Addison J. Comstock for two or three years. He located eighty acres of land just west of the village of Adrian, the same that is now known as the Ray- mond or toll-gate farm. He resided on this farm until 1836, when he sold out and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land on sections fifteen and twenty-two, in Dover, where he lived until 1867, when he rented his farm, and afterwards lived with his daughter, Mrs. Allen, in Rollin, until Mr. Allen removed to Ann
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
Arbor, where Mr. Salsbury died June 5th, 1879. He was one of the very early settlers of Lenawee county, and assisted in drawing logs to build the first house in Logan (now Adrian.) He often related an incident in his latter years which he hugely enjoyed. He used to pride himself on being an ox-teamster, and went to Addison Comstock's one day to plow his garden. There was only a small gate by which to enter the garden, and driving his oxen to this gate, he was about unyoking them, when Mr. Com- stock came along and asked him what he was doing. "Why," says he, "I'm going to unyoke the cattle to get them through this gate." "Why," says Mr. Comstock, "can't you drive them through ?" "No," says he, "can you ?" "Why of course ; let me have your whip," and Mr. Comstock took the whip and backed the "off" ox through the gate and then "geed" them around, and brought the "nigh" ox through. The performance was so neatly and quietly done that Mr. Salsbury, with all his experience as a teamster, was completely "taken down," and never forgot it. During Mr. Salsbury's residence in Dover, he was quite a promi- nent man in the town, and was elected to several township offices. He was a useful and honorable citizen, a good neighbor and kind friend to all, with a character above reproach, and whose integ- rity was never questioned. He was a member of the Baptist church, at Clayton, for about forty years, and was a deacon at the time of his death. Mrs. Salsbury was also a member of the same church until her death. Both Mr. and Mrs. Salsbury died on the same day of the week, their funerals occurring on the same day of the week, at their church-home in Clayton, and both lie buried in the Dover Center cemetery, near their old home.
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ILLIAM E. KIMBALL was born in Londonderry (now Derry,) New Hampshire, July 1st, 1810. His father, Daniel Kimball, was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, April 5th, 1779, and was the son of Jonathan Kimball, of the same place. Daniel Kimball lived in Haverhill, with his parents until about 1800, when he moved to Hampstead and lived five years. He then moved to Londonderry, New Hampshire, where he resided until 1851, when he came to Michigan and settled in the city of Adrian, where he died in July, 1863. About 1803 he married Miss Deborah Emerson, of Hampstead, New Hampshire,
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Deborah Kimball was born in Hampstead, July 4th, 1784, and died in Adrian, in April, 1859. William E. Kimball lived with his parents until his fifteenth year, when he went to Haverhill, Massachusetts, and engaged as clerk in the mercantile business with Warner Whittier, and remained there about three years. He was then attacked with rheumatic fever, which confined him about one year. In 1830 he engaged as clerk in the store of Samuel Adams, of Derry, New Hampshire, and after remaining there about two years, he formed a co-partnership with Washington Choate, brother of the late Nathan Choate, of Adrian, and com- menced general merchandizing in Derry, and continued until 1836, when he went to Nashua and opened a similar store, in company with Charles Redfield, Jr., and remained there about two years, when they sold out and went to New York city and engaged in the wholesale grocery business. They remained in New York until 1843, when they sold out, Charles Redfield, Jr., going to Florida. In the fall of 1843 Mr. Kimball came to Adrian and engaged in general merchandizing, in company with Charles Red- field, Sr., which continued until the death of Mr. Redfield, July 7th, 1846. In August, 1851, he engaged in the furniture and crockery trade, and continued alone until 1863, when he took in his son, Charles W., as partner, and since that time the firm has been known as W. E. Kimball & Son. In 1852 he purchased the property now known as Kimball's furniture factory, on South Main street, Adrian, and has carried on, since that time, an exten- sive furniture manufactory. In 1845 W. E. Kimball and Charles Redfield, Sr., jointly built the large residence now occupied by Mr. Kimball and his son, on South Main street. In 1866 he built his present fine stone-front store, on Maumee street, Adrian. The store is one hundred and ten feet deep and three stories in height, with a good basement. During the past twenty years an important branch of his business has been the purchase of wool. The business has been successful, and he has bought as high as
six hundred thousand pounds in a season. He has always pur- chased for manufacturers. Mr. Kimball is one of the oldest busi- ness men in Adrian, having been engaged continuously for thirty- six years. September 28th, 1836, he married Miss Mary Ann Redfield, daughter of Charles and Betsey Redfield, of Derry, New Hampshire, by whom he had one son : Charles W., born in Nashua, New Hampshire, September 21st, 1837, now in business with his father in Adrian. Mrs. Mary Ann Kimball was born in Londonderry (now Derry,) New Hampshire, May 1st, 1815, and died in Nashua, New Hampshire, October 31st, 1838. November 22d, 1841, he married Miss Sarah E. Redfield, a sister
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
of his first wife, by whom he has had no issue. Mrs. Sarah E. Kimball was born in Londonderry (now Derry,) New Hampshire, January 2d, 1820. Her father, Charles Redfield, Sr., was born in Killingly, Connecticut, February 13th, 1785, and died in Adrian, July 7th, 1846. Her mother was the daughter of Deacon David Adams, who was a near relative of John Quincy Adams. She was born in Londonderry (now Derry,) December 12th, 1792, and died in Adrian, September 27th, 1877.
LPHEUS STOW was born in Niles, Cayuga county, New York, June 30th, 1832. His father, William T. Stow, was born in Croydon, New Hampshire, September 21st, 1794. His father, Asaph Stow, was a farmer, of New Hampshire, but moved to Cayuga county, New York, when William T. was yet a boy, and was a pioneer there. William T. Stow was brought up a farmer, but early developed a desire for book knowledge, and was a constant student, while at work on the farm. At the age of six- teen he taught a school in Cayuga county, and for nearly forty years afterwards he followed teaching, during the winter season, at least, and taught history, Algebra, surveying, etc. Ex-President Fillmore was a graduate of his school, in Cayuga county, and fin- ished his school days with him. In 1835 he emigrated to Huron county, Ohio, and settled in Milan (now Erie), where he taught school for eight years. In the spring of 1843 he came to Michi- gan, and arrived in Ogden, Lenawee county, May 27th, and pur- chased of Oramel A. Sackett, the e. } of the n. w. } of section 10, in Ogden, where he lived until his death, May 20th, 1875. He was always a strong temperance man, and was an enthusiast in that re- spect, and at all times, and under all circumstances he not only practiced it, but was a strong advocate. June 10th, 1819, he mar- ried Miss Martha St. John, daughter of Enos and Anna St. John, of Cayuga county, New York, by whom he had eight children, five sons and three daughters as follows : Oscar, born September 13th, 1819, a broom manufacturer, of Holland, Lucas county, Ohio ; Chloe Ann, born August 6th, 1821, wife of John Harrison, of Ogden, died October 18th, 1847 ; Amanda, born November 11th, 1824, of Ogden ; Enos, born September 13th, 1826, station agent on the L. S. & M. S. R. R., at Collins, Ohio ; Willian T., Jr., born November 23d, 1827, a carpenter, at present in the north- ern part of Michigan; Edwin H., born February 18th, 1830, a
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
farmer and school teacher, of Gratiot county, Michigan ; Alpheus ; all born in New York. Margaret, born in Huron county, Ohio, January 13th, 1837, of Ogden. Mrs. Martha Stow was born near Albany, New York, May 19th, 1796, and died in Ogden, this county, April 14th, 1872. Alpheus Stow was brought up a farm- er, and received a good common school education. He has always given his attention to farming, and now owns the old homestead, which he assisted his father so largely in subduing, and clearing from a swamp and wilderness. He has assisted in ditching and improving the township, and has five miles of tile upon his farm. He has erected a very large and elegant residence, one of the best in the township, besides barns, sheds, etc. He now has seventy- five acres of cleared land, with the stumps nearly all out. He has never been married, but two of his sisters, Amanda and Margaret, live with him and keep the house.
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TEPHEN WARNER was born at Cummington, Massa- chusetts, April 18th, 1779. He was married at the same place, March 10th, 1802, to Miss Clarissa Mitchell. By this mar- riage twelve children were born, as follows: Eliza, born April 27th, 1803; Mary Ann, January 31st, 1805; Clarissa M., born March 16th, 1807; Norton D., born September 2d, 1809; Cassius P., born January 10th, 1812; Stephen Jr., born April 2d, 1814; Laura M., born May 13th, 1816; Rosamond P., born September 2d, 1818; Lucius, born March 7th, 1820; Lewis, born October 24th, 1823; William M., born October 23d, 1826; George, born June 24th, 1830. All were born at Cummington, Massachusetts. Stephen Warner, with his wife and family of nine children, came from Cummington, Mass., to Palmyra, this county, in August, 1831, his oldest son, Norton, having preceded him the year before, in order to locate lands. The journey was made by the Erie canal from Albany to Buffalo, and across lake Erie on the schooner William Tell, there being but one or two steamboats on the lake at that time. Landing at Monroe, they proceeded by lumber wagons over a corduroy road and through deep mud, to the residence of an old friend and cousin, Calvin Bradish, in the west part of the town, where they remained for a few days, until their log house was ready for their reception. Through all the privations and sickness incident to a pioneer life, as well as in all the varied ex- periences of after years, Mr. and Mrs. Warner ever exercised an
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