USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan, Volume II > Part 14
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
From 12 till 2 a large number of persons called at the family residence to view the remains. The casket had been placed in the pleasant south parlor, and there those who for so many years had known the familiar features of our townsman, gazed for the last time upon the pulseless mortality it contained. The casket was an elegant piece of workmanship, being made of black walnut, cov- ered with silk-fringed broadcloth and velvet, the trimmings being of enameled, burnished and frosted silver. The floral decorations were elegant but unobtrusive. In the north parlor, formed of pure white flowers upon a field of green, was the legend, "In the midst of life we are in death." The portrait of the deceased in the south parlor was surrounded with a delicate vine, and sprays of peren- nials were noticeable in every direction. At the head of the cas- ket, upon a marble table was placed a floral pillar"and crown, and a pillow of green, with the word "Father" in white immortelles. On the casket lay a sheaf of ripened wheat, and a floral sickle and anchor.
Promptly at the hour appointed for the obsequies, the Rev. W. H. Pearce, the officiating minister, read the impressive ritual of the Episcopal church, the dense crowd both inside and out stand- ing with bared heads as the solemn tone of the time-honored ser- vice fell upon their ears. The vocal portion of the service was sustained by a choir composed of Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Rice, Mr. A. I. Bliss, and Mrs. C. B. Johnson. When the closing supplication from the lips of the reverend speaker had ceased, the remains, now sealed forever from view, were borne to the hearse, the pall-bearers being Gov. Croswell, Anson Backus, Esq., Hon. W. H. Waldby, A. H. Wood, W. S. Wilcox, W. W. Luck, F. R. Stebbins, and Calvin Crane.
Promptly at 2 o'clock the members of Adrian lodge No. 8, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in whose .charge the pro- cession and the ceremonies at the grave were entrusted, marched from the lodge-room and took position on Main street, near Mau- mee. Next came the visiting members of the order from Tecum- seh, Blissfield, Deerfield, Jasper and Weston.
The procession, under charge of the Marshal, T. M. Hunter, assisted by Past Grand W. Stearns, proceeded to the residence and viewed the remains of the dead brother, after which a line was formed outside. Through the open line the body was borne, and the immediate relatives followed. After counter marching the pro- cession proceeded down Locust street, and took position in front of the carriages and hearse.
There were about one hundred and twenty Odd Fellows in line. No regalia was worn, but simply a mourning badge, with a rosette
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of scarlet in the center. Twenty-five members of the order came from Tecumseh, nearly as many from Blissfield, and goodly dele- gations from the other lodges named.
Arrived at the cemetery the Odd Fellows formed in a circle around the coffin, by which stood the family of the deceased and the bearers. The usual address was read by Past Grand T. M. Hunter, and was followed by the singing of the ode, "Solemn Strikes the Funeral Chime," by J. Everiss, chorister, M. B. Rice, A. L. Bliss, Walter Everiss, P. Turner, J. Wagener, and Master Everiss.
Prayer was offered by Chaplain Asa Aldrich. The Noble Grand T. N. Haworth deposited the sprig of evergreen upon the coffin, and was followed by the members of the order, each of whom laid upon the bier the sprig symbolizing that "while we bury the frailties with the body, the virtues shall dwell greenly in our memories." The benediction was then pronounced by Rev. W. H. Pearce.
In the last will and testament of Mr. Clark was found $10,000, willed to the Episcopal church of Adrian, and also $10,000 to the society of Odd Fellows of the same city, and $10,000 to his grand son, Cassius A. Clark, besides several minor sums to other rela- tives. The greater part of his large wealth was very properly willed to his wife and children, showing conclusively that, while Mr. Clark's intentions were to be liberal for the public good, he never lost sight of his first obligation-his wife and children.
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ILLIAM HENRY STONE was born in Pittsford, Mon- roe county, N. Y., August 14, 1827. His father, Pome- roy Stone, was born in Goshen, Mass., April 4, 1799, and came to Michigan, settling in Adrian in the fall of 1835. Will- iam H. was then only nine years old, and ever after made Adrian his home, In 1846 he commenced the pursuits of life by engaging as a clerk in the dry goods store of W. S. Wilcox, where he remained for two years. In 1848 he became a partner with his father and L. G. Berry, in the milling and grain business, when the firm purchased the old "white mill." This firm continued
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
uniil 1849, when L. G. Berry and W. H. Stone opened a banking house, and did a general banking business under the firm name of L. G. Berry & Co. From that time until his death Mr. Stone was constantly engaged in the banking business. Mr. Berry finally retired from the firm, and F. J. Remington became an active part- ner, when the firm name was changed to W. H. Stone & Co. Mr. Remington continued in the business until he went to California in 1876, when Mr. Stone assumed the entire business, but continued the firm name. He was also for several years engaged in milling, and did a large business in flour and feed until the old white mill burned January 23, 1874. He was one of the prominent business and public men of Adrian, and in fact Southern Michigan. He was for twenty-one years elected by large majorities treasurer of the city of Adrian, and was also treasurer of the Michigan State Insur- ance company. He was a public-spirited, enterprising, generous, active man, always awake to the interests and prosperity of Adrian, and enjoyed the acquaintance, confidence and friendship of the entire community. Mr. Stone's death caused a shock to Adrian that had scarcely ever been felt before, and it was almost impossible for the people to realize it when the sad fact was known on the morning of September 13, 1878. The day previous he had been at his place of business and about the city, apparently in his usual robust health and vigor, and on that evening had attended a social party at the residence of his brother-in-law, C. W. Kimball, and was unusually lively and entertaining. He went to his home shortly after midnight and retired, but at 3 o'clock A. M. he was dead. The physicians pronounced his malady apoplexy. So sudden and unexpected was the announcement that the community seemed dazed, and men talked in subdued tones about their friend and acquaintance. A public meeting was held and the most prominent citizens assembled, mingled their sorrow, and passed resolutions of respect, extoling his virtues, recording their tribute to his memory, and expressed their sympathy and sadness for his stricken family and friends. May 29, 1849, W. H. Stone was married in Adrian to Miss Ann M. Allen, daughter of the Rev. Marvin Allen, then a Baptist minister of Adrian, by whom he had one child, a daugh- ter, Lida Maria, born in Adrian, May 22, 1852, and died Novem- ber 10, 1855. Mrs. Ann M. Stone died in Detroit, August 7, 1855. September 1, 1858, he married, at Rochester, N. Y., Miss Frances Wood, daughter of Col. J. H. Wood, an old resident of Adrian. One of the most social, genial and honorable of men, W. H. Stone will ever be remembered by his thousands of friends and acquaintances with pleasure, and his death will be reverted to with sorrow and sadness.
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ANIEL H. CLARK was born in Argyle, Washington county, N. Y., April 27, 1809. He is the son of Dr. Thomas and Isabel (Campbell) Clark. Dr. Thomas Clark was born in Disert, Fifeshire, Scotland, May 10, 1764, where he re- sided until he was about seven years old, when his parents, Robert and Helen Clark, came to America and settled in Argyle, Wash- ington county, N. Y., where they were farmers. When Thomas Clark was yet quite a young man he commenced the study of med- icine, and became an eminent physician in that country. He re - sided in Argyle until the spring of 1818, when he moved to Cale- donia, Genesee (now Livingston) county. He resided there and successfully followed his profession until the fall of 1823, when he came to Michigan, arriving in Monroe September 13th. He had a large family, and raised six sons and six daughters to become men and women. He came to Michigan for the purpose of securing homes for his sons, but being infirm when he came, he died in Rai- sinville, Monroe county, August 26, 1824. June 30, 1791, Dr. Thomas Clark married Isabel Campbell, of Argyle, Washington county, N. Y., by whom he had fifteen children, Daniel H. being the tenth child. Mrs. Isabel Clark was born in Argyle, Washing- ton county, N. Y., August 18, 1775, and died in Blissfield, this county, September 19, 1846. Daniel H. Clark came to Michigan with. his parents in 1823, and lived in Monroe county until the spring of 1827, when the family moved to Blissfield, this county, and located land on section 14 in Blissfield (now Deerfield). The family then consisted of Daniel H., his mother, four sisters and a younger brother. Daniel H. carried on the farm and took care of the family. He cleared up the land, and when the State line road was built from Toledo to the Indiana line after the settlement of the Toledo war, he, with his brother William, took a contract for building seventeen half miles of road and bridges. They after- wards had a contract of three half miles on the La Plaisance Bay . turnpike. He afterwards had contracts, being associated with dif- ferent parties, on the Michigan Southern railroad, between Deer- field and Osseo. With the means that he received from his con- tracts he improved his farm, building barns, fences, etc. He resided on his farm about fifty years, selling to Conrad Haidle in the spring of 1877. He then moved to Petersburg, Monroe county, where he purchased a small home, and is now enjoying the declining years of his life. Mr. Clark was a soldier in the Black Hawk war, and served under General J. W. Brown as a musician. He was not a soldier in the Toledo war, but did what he could for Michigan, and was much interested in the controversy. During the first year of their settlement in Blissfield Mr. Clark's sister,
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Eliza, who went to Petersburg, to see about attending school, be- came lost in the woods while attempting to return to her home in Blissfield, a distance of about five miles, through the dense woods. It was about Christmas time and a little snow had fallen, and, as she did not start until about 5 o'clock, it soon became dark, and when she came to a small creek, about half of the distance on her journey, she found the water was high. In attempting to find a better crossing place, she lost the Indian trail which she was fol- lowing, and was obliged to remain in the woods through the night. The next morning she was bewildered and unable to find her course, and it was three nights and nearly three days before she found a house. During one of the nights while she was sitting with her back to a tree, with the dry portion of her underclothing wrapped about her feet to keep them from freezing, she heard a lit- tle noise close by, and throwing her shoe in the direction of the noise, she discovered in the morning that she had killed a mouse. She put the little creature in her pocket, with the intention that if she was compelled to, she would eat the mouse, and perhaps save her life. On the third day she came to a house on Swan creek, about five miles north of Maumee City, Ohio, where she was kindly cared for. Her mother and brothers and sisters -knew nothing of the circumstance until a letter came by the way of Monroe, informing them of her suffering. She finally came home all right, and afterwards married Seeley Finch, of Caledonia, Liv- ingston county, N. Y., but her health was seriously impaired by her exposure in the woods, and she died a few years after, leaving two children, one of whom, a daughter, now lives in Kalamazoo, this State, and is the wife of O. Tyrell, of that place. January 6, 1841, Daniel H. Clark married Mary Eleanor Ferguson, daughter of George and Eleanor Ferguson, of Blissfield (now Deerfield), by whom he has had thirteen children, as follows: Daniel, born July 25, 1842, now a resident of Galena, Cherokee county, Kan .- was a soldier in the rebellion, enlisted as a private in 1861 in the First Michigan Infantry, and participated in the first Bull Run battle, remaining three months; he afterwards enlisted as sergeant, and was promoted to lieutenant and captain; he was wounded at the battle of Shiloh, being shot through the left shoulder with a rifle ball; Edwin, born September 26, 1843, a resident of Long Prairie, Todd county, Minn .- was a soldier in the' war of rebell- ion, and member of the Fifteenth Michigan Infantry, and promoted to first sergeant; James died in infancy ; Angus F., born Septem- ber 13, 1846, died September 26, 1869, was a soldier in the war of the rebellion, and member of the Eighteenth Michigan Infantry ; Ellen, born June 16, 1848, now the wife of Charles Lewis, of
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Deerfield; Frank died in infancy ; Mary, born December 29, 1852, now the wife of Charles Gleason, of Deerfield; Jane, born Septem- ber 12, 1854, at home; John C., born August 12, 1856, at home; Katie B., born December 31, 1858, died July 13, 1879; Thomas R., born January 29, 1861, at home; William G., born July 29, 1863, at home. Mrs. Mary E. Clark was born in Salem, Wash- ington county, N. Y., October 21, 1819, and came to Michigan with her parents in 1834. [For her family relation see George Ferguson's record in the first volume of this work.]
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ILLIAM B. WHITNAH was born in Martinsburg, Berkley county, Va., February 8, 1789, where he resided until about the year 1819, when he moved to Groveland, Livingston county. N. Y., and purchased a farm. He resided in Groveland until 1832, where he was a thrifty, respected farmer. At that time Michigan was being talked of as a prospective great Staie, and, having four sons, he decided to emigrate, with the idea of purchasing the cheap lands that were then to be had. He came to Lenawee county and purchased 240 acres of land on section 23, in Tecumseh, where he ever after lived. He purchased the land of Pow- ell Champlin, who Jocated it from the government. Mr. Whitnah built a frame house and afterwards put up a brick one. He greaily improved the farm, and soon became one of the responsible, reliable and respected citizens of the township. He died August 4, 1861. He married Mary Ward, daughter of Thomas Ward, of Groveland, Livingston county, N. Y., by whom he had three children, as fol- lows: Thomas Ward was a soldier in the Mexican war, and died of sickness at Orazaba, Mexico, in 1846, aged twenty-five years; Henry, now a resident of New York city; Elizabeth, born in Groveland, N. Y., January 6, 1826, now owns her father's home- stead in Tecumseh, where she resides. Mr. Whitnah was married before he left Virginia, and had two sons, Andrew J. and Joseph, both of whom reside at Canton, Fulton county, Ill. Mrs. Marv (Ward) Whitnah was born in Harrisburgh, Pa., in 1788, and moved with her parents to Groveland, Livingston county, N. Y., where she was married. She died in Tecumseh, February 2, 1863. Her parents were well-to-do farmers in Livingston county, and raised quite a family, all of whom are now dead.
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ENJAMIN J. LAING was born in Raisin, Lenawee county, Mich., March 27, 1834. His father, Smith Laing, was born November 18, 1793, and was the son of Joseph and Anna (Smith) Laing, who were Quakers, of Scotch ancestry, and lived near Elizabethtown, N. J. About the year 1810 Joseph Laing moved to Western New York, and settled near Waterloo, Seneca county, and took up a new farm. Smith Laing was his oldest son, and assisted in clearing up this land. About the year 1816 Smith took up a farm in the town of Elba, in Genesee county, on the Holland purchase. He cleared up this farm and resided there until the summer of 1832, when he sold out and came to Michi- gan. In the spring of 1831 he came to Michigan and located 160 acres of land on section 20, in Raisin. During the fall of 1832 he erected a log house and moved his family on to his land, where he resided until within a few years of his death. He added to his first purchase until he at one time owned 250 acres of land. Dur- ing the summer of 1849 he erected a good, large brick house, and by bis energy, intelligence and constant attention to his own affairs, he soon became one of the most prominent and esteemed men in his township. He was a man of great moral courage and princi- ple, and by his unswerving integrity and universal Christian bear- ing, he merited and won the respect and confidence of the entire community. March 2, 1815, Smith Laing was married to Abbey Shoi well, daughter of Richard and Mary Shotwell, of Elba, Gene- see county, N. Y., by whom he had nine children, four sons and five daughters, Benjamin being the eighth child. Mrs. Abbey Laing was a native of New Jersey, born January 25, 1795, and went to Western New York, with her parents, in 1805. Her
parents were also Quakers, of English ancestry. She died in Adrian, Mav 4, 1878; Smith Laing died in Adrian, May 1, 1877. Benjamin I. Laing lived with his parents until he was twenty-one, and was brought up a farmer, and only received a limited educa- tion, his last schooling being had at the Raisin Valley seminary, being a student at the opening of that institution. He commenced to labor on the farm when he was eight years old, and since that time he has been almost a constant tiller of the soil. In 1856 he purchased a farm on section 3, in Rome, where he resided about two years, when he moved back to Raisin and soon after purchased his father's homestead, and he now resides upon and owns the farm upon which he was born. In 1872 he went to Adrian and remained about one year and a half, and was engaged in the grocery business, in company with Enos Willett. January 30. 1855, Benjamin I. Laing was married to Mary Jane Cone, daugh- ter of Obel and Sabrina Cone, of Raisin, this county, by whom he
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has had three children, as follows: Alice M., born in Rome, this county, August 6, 1857, now the wife of Charles A. Slayton, of Te- cumseh; Elmer E., born in Raisin, October 30, 1863, died January 6, 1867; Inez M., born in Raisin, May 18, 1868, at home. Although he was brought up a Quaker, in 1867 he was converted to the Methodist faith, and since that time he has been a con- sistent member of the Adrian M. E. church. For several years he was a class leader and trustee, and one of the most earnest and consistent workers in the church. He is also an active temper- ance worker, and has done much in that cause. He was one of the foremost in erecting the first Methodist church of Raisin, and drew the first load of brick upon the ground, and was very active until the building was completed, and was one of the first trustees and its leader. Mrs. Mary Jane Laing was born in Spafford, Onondaga county, N. Y., October 7, 1831, and came to Michigan in 1851 as a teacher, and taught school in Rome and Hudson until her marriage. Her parents came to Michigan in 1853, and settled in Raisin. Obel Cone was born in Massachusetts, February 12, 1792, and died in Raisin, March 28, 1867. In March, 1826, he married Miss Sabrina W. Whaley, daughter of Charles and Polly Whaley, of Herkimer, Herkimer county, N. Y. Her father was a pioneer of Onondaga county. Mrs. Sabrina Cone died in Adrian, July 8, 1875.
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APT. EBENEZER DAVIS was born in Old Concord, Middlesex county, Mass., June 28, 1800. He is the son of Nathaniel and Millicent Davis, who were pioneers of Old Concord. Nathaniel Davis was the son of John Davis, whose grandfather came from Wales in company with two other brothers and settled near Boston, Mass. Nathaniel Davis married Millicent Hubbard, daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah Hubbard, whose great-grandmother was an Indian woman. Nathaniel Davis was born in the vicinity of Boston, in 1760, was a soldier during the latter part of the Revolutionary war, and died in Woburn, Mass., in 1835. Ebenezer now has the gun carried at the battles of Lex- ington and Concord. His wife was born in Concord in 1760, and
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
died a few hours previous to her husband, and both were buried at the same time. Ebenezer Davis lived with his parents until he was 20 years old, and worked at farming. In the spring of 1820 he engaged in the grocery business, where he remained three years. He then, in 1823, went to Medford in the same business, where he remained until early in 1827, when he sold out and went to Rensselaer county, N. Y., and purchased a farm in Schodack town- ship. He lived there only two years, and in the spring of 1829 he went to the city of New York, and engaged in the grocery business. He continued in this business until the spring of 1831, when he sold out and came to Michigan, arriving in Detroit in May. He immediately, in company with Job Graves and David Wells, started on foot, on the Chicago turnpike, to look for land, and after traveling as far west as Jonesville, they turned about and finally located land on section 2, in the present town of Franklin, which they divided equally, and Mr. Davis is still living on this land. They, at the same time, took up 160 acres on sec- tion 10, which was afterwards disposed of, and Mr. Davis now owns 40 acres opposite his house on section 35, in Manchester, Washtenaw county. He has a very desirable farm, under good cultivation, with excellent buildings, fences, orchards, etc. In 1832 he was warned out to go as a soldier in the Black Hawk war and was a member of Capt. Hickson's company. In 1834 he was made captain in the Michigan militia, and in 1835 he commanded a company of 40 men in the Toledo war. In the spring of 1832 he commenced accommodating travelers, and kept a tavern until 1835. His house was a log one, 22x28, and on many occasions he accom- modated 40 people over night. April 7, 1824, Ebenezer Davis married Mary H. Skinner, daughter of Jacob and Mary Skinner, of Medford, Mass., by whom he had five children, as follows: Mary E., Ebenezer N., Nathaniel E., Sarah J., all of whom are dead; Charles, born in Franklin, this county, April 19, 1834, was a soldier in the great Rebellion, and member of Co. E., 18th Mich. Infantry, and now runs the home farm. Mrs. Mary H. Davis was born in Roxbury, Mass., February 8, 1807, and died in Franklin, this county, October 6th, 1839. October 13th, 1841, Ebenezer Davis married Eunice Hand, daughter of Jesse and Lucy Hand, of New Lebanon, Columbia county, N. Y., by whom he had two children, as follows: Mariette E., born in Franklin, August 20, 1842, was the wife of Henry Aldrich, and died June 11, 1868; Helen M., born in Franklin, July 21, 1849, died November 17th, 1866. Mrs. Eunice Davis was born in New Lebanon, Columbia county, N. Y., October 30, 1811, and went to Walworth county, Wis., in the spring of 1841, with her parents,
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and came to Michigan after she was married. Her father was a native of Connecticut, and died in Wisconsin in 1845, aged 62 years. Her mother was born in Massachusetts and died in Wis- consin in 1865, aged 82 years.
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M RS. POLLY DALTON was born in Washington, D. C., August 22, 1806. Her father, Richard Lewis, was born in England, and came to this country previous to the Revolu- tionary war, and was a soldier in the American army. He was a wagon and coach maker, and carried on the business in Washing- ton for several years. He died about the year 1808 He married Elizabeth Bell, daughter of Thomas Bell, a prominent man in Maryland. They had five children, Mrs. Dalton being the fourth child. When Mrs. Dalton was about two years old her father moved to Phelps, Ontario county, N. Y., and carried on his busi- ness. She lived with her mother for several years after the death of her father, but earned her own living after she became old enough, until 1834, when she came to Michigan with her mother, who died in Adrian, February 22. December 4, 1836, Miss Polly Lewis was married to James Dalton, of Adrian, by whom she had five children, all of whom live with their mother. James Dalton was born in Tipperary, Ireland, August 12, 1805. He came to this country with an older brother when he was about eight years old, and lived with his brother in the State of New York, and learned the shoemaker's trade. He came to Michigan in 1835, and settled in Adrian, and followed shoemaking for several years. He after- wards went to farming, which he followed until his death, which occurred December 17, 1875. Mrs. Dalton is a sister of the late Richard M. Lewis, who came to Michigan with Isaac Dean, in May, 1828. Mr. Lewis was a carpenter and joiner by trade, and built the old Michigan Exchange for Mr. Dean. This was the first hotel erected in Adrian, it being formally opened July 4, 1829. Mr. Lewis also worked on the old red mill, the first mill erected south of Tecumseh, and assisted in building all of the first frame buildings in Adrian, he being the first carpenter in Adrian. He afterwards made Adrian and Madison his home, and accumu- lated quite a large landed estate in Madison, owning over six
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