USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan, Volume II > Part 46
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cess and prominence among the military companies of the West. His well-known ability and soldierly qualities were known and recognized by Governor Blair, and he was ordered to the Ann Arbor camp to drill and discipline men for the field. He was always ready and very active in all public demonstrations which took place in Adrian, and none were so capable of compre- hending and carrying out in detail all of the little minutice that made the whole undertaking a success. He was also a very prominent Mason, passing through most of the degrees, and was the captain-general of the Adrian Knights Templar from their in- cipiency, which office he filled at the time of his death. Under his guidance and discipline the Adrian Knights became a most excel- lently drilled body of men, and an honor to the city and State. He was also Master of Greenly Lodge, F. & A. M., of Adrian, and was honored and respected by every member. He was the leader of the choir in Christ church, in Adrian, for fully twenty- five years, and was always at his post, if well enough or not absent from the city. For twenty-five years his beautiful bass voice was heard, and his cheering presence felt through spring and summer, fall and winter, as regularly as the Sabbath came. Here he was missed more impressively than in any other position that he ever filled perhaps, for his peculiarly harmonious voice, his knowledge of the service, and his promptness and punctuality will ever be a constant and sad reminder of him. Frederick Hart died in Alle- gan, Mich., at the residence of his wife's father, while on a visit there, May 3, 1877. . May 2, 1871, Frederick Hart married Mary A. Rossman, daughter of Alba Rossman, of Allegan, Mich., who still survives him.
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EREMIAH WILSEY was born in Dutchess county, N. Y., February 15, 1801, and was the son of Henry and Sabrina Wilsey, who were farmers of Dutchess county. When Jere- miah was five years old his parents moved to Troy, Bradford county, Pa., where he resided until after he was thirty-one years old. In the fall of 1832 he emigrated to Sherman, Huron county, Ohio, where he purchased 160 acres of new land, and resided four years. In the fall of 1836 he sold his land, after having built a
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
log house and barn, and cleared about thirty acres, and in January, 1837, moved to Michigan and purchased forty acres of new land of Martin Cure, on section 22, in Woodstock, this county. He resided there until the spring of 1848, when he purchased 160 acres of new land ou section 26, in the same town. This farm is situated on the north shore of Devil's lake, and on the old Terri- torial road. Mr. Wilsey cleared up this farm entirely, built good buildings, and was a very industrious and useful man during the settlement of this county. His first house stood very near the shore of the lake, but when he erected his frame house he located it upon the north side of the road, and from its front door can be seen two-thirds of the lake. When Mr. Wilsey first moved to Woodstock, in January, 1837, he resided until spring upon the shore of the lake, on the farm he subsequently owned. At that time the water in the lake was between four and five feet higher than it now is. John Tolbert had erected a mill and put up a dam on the outlet, which raised the water to the hight above men- tioned. One season it was very sickly about the lake, and some of the settlers thought the high water was the cause, and finally com- pelled Mr. Tolbert to destroy his dam and let the water off. It was more sickly, however, after the water was drawn off than it was before. There are now many acres of good land around the lake that were covered with water before the dam was removed. Mr. Wilsey made a pleasant and comfortable home of his lake shore farm, and resided there until his death, which occurred April 9, 1876. March 4, 1830, Jeremiah Wilsey married Betsey Lucus, widow of George Lucas, and daughter of Loudwick and Mary Sanders, by whom he had seven children, as follows: Jane, born in Troy, Bradford county, Pa., January 20, 1831, now the wife of Ira Reynolds, of Brooklyn, Jackson county; Eliza, born in Sher- man, Huron county, Ohio, January 6, 1833, now the widow of James Parkhurst, of Woodstock; Betsev, born in same place, March 29, 1835, now the wife of Heury W. Kane, of Woodstock ; Ann, born in Woodstock, this county, February 20, 1837, was the wife of Lyman Griffith, and died in Fremont, Neb., September 11, 1873; Jeremiah, born same place, June 17, 1839, was a soldier in the great rebellion, and member of Company I, old Fourth Mich- igan Infantry, now a farmer of Woodstock; Henry, born Novem- ber 29, 1841, was also a soldier in the same regiment and company with his brother, was taken prisoner at Gettysburg, and died in a Rebel prison in 1864; William, born same place, April 20, 1844, a resident of Woodstock. Mrs. Betsey Wilsey was born in Mid- dlesmithfield, Pa., December 22, 1805. Her parents moved to Ovid, Seneca county, N. Y., where her mother died in September,
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1840, aged fifty-two years. Her father died in Woodstock, August 29, 1859, aged eighty-three years. December 9, 1827, Mrs. Betsey Wilsey was married to her first husband, George Lucus, by whom she had one child, Isaiah, who was born in Ovid, Seneca county, N. Y., September 24, 1828, now a farmer of Woodstock, this county. Mrs. Wilsey still survives her second husband, and resides at the old homestead in Woodstock, in remarkably good health, with her children settled around her. Jeremiah Wilsey was twice married, his first wife being Martha Baxter, of Troy, Pa., who died in 1829. She left two children. Martha, born in Troy, September 18, 1825, was the wife of John Gates, of Clinton, this county, and died September 26, 1865; Jeshuron, born same place, September 8, 1827, died in Woodstock, October 8, 1848.
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OSIAH CARPENTER was born in Adams, Berkshire county, Mass., November 17, 1801, where he resided until he was twenty-six years old. He was brought up a farmer until he was fourteen years old, when he went to Williamstown to learn the tanner and currier's trade, and remained there about four years, when he made up his mind that farming would suit him bet- ter than tanning. He then returned to Adams and worked at farming until 1828, when he went to Greenfield, Saratoga county, N. Y., where he purchased a farm and resided until the spring of 1836. That year he came to Michigan and located 200 acres of land on section 35, in Woodstock, where he now resides. He brought his family on that fall, coming the entire distance from Saratoga county in a lumber wagon drawn by horses, the family then consisting of his wife and three children. Mr. Carpenter cleared up his farm, built good buildings, and labored for the gen- eral improvement of the country. When he settled in Woodstock the township was being quite rapidly settled and improved, and it 'became the duty of all to assist in the general public im- provements, such as making roads, bridges, organizing schools, churches and society, building school-houses, etc. In those days men did not wait to be urged or appointed by some public gather- ing to do certain things, but all felt an incumbent duty to perform
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
their share of all there might be to do. Men and women turned out assist each other in erecting houses, or in sickness or trouble of any kind. The most cheerful sight to be seen was an immigrant wagon coming into the country, with a family looking for a home. Good neighbors were desirable, and all turned out to assist a new comer in locating and suiting himself. Mr. Carpenter feels that he did his whole duty regarding his first settlement in Woodstock. He intended to do his share in all things, and now looks back with pleasure and satisfaction to the first years of his experience. January 11, 1828, Josiah Carpenter married Nancy Harkness, daughter of Nathan and Ruth Harkness, of Greenfield, Saratoga county, N. Y., by whom he had five children, as follows: Hannah A., born in Greenfield, N. Y., September 29, 1828, died in infancy ; Manson, born same place, October 2, 1830, now a farmer of Woodstock; Nathan H., born same place, January 21, 1833, a farmer of Whiteford, Monroe county, Mich .; Hannah A., born same place, May 8, 1835, now the wife of Philip Kelley, of Dover, this county ; Uriah, born in Woodstock, April 14, 1838, a resident of Woodstock. Mrs. Nancy Carpenter was born in Greenfield, Saratoga county, N. Y., February 24, 1796, and died in Wood- stock, November 3, 1851. Her father, Nathan Harkness, was a native of one of the New England States, and was born February 24, 1769, and died in Greenfield, Saratoga county, March 13, 1817. His wife, Ruth (Kelley) Harkness, was born (probably in Massa- chusetts), April 19, 1768, and died March 14, 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Harkness were pioneers of Saratoga county. November 21, 1852, Josiah Carpenter married Clarissa A. Pratt, daughter of Charles and Betsey Pratt, of Adrian township, by whom he has had two children, as follows: Albert, born in Woodstock, August 16, 1853, a resident of Woodstock; Nancy A., born same place, February 4, 1857, now the wife of Marshall N. Beckey, of Salina, Kan. Mrs. Clarissa A. Carpenter was born in Farmington, Ontario county, N. Y., March 26, 1818, came to Michigan with her parents in 1833, and settled in Adrian township. [For her family history see Daniel Pratt's record on another page of this volume.] Josiah Carpenter's father, Uriah Carpenter, was born in Smithfield, R. I., in 1769, was always a farmer, and after he was twenty-one settled in Adams, Mass., where he resided until his death, which occurred in 1829. He married Content Slack, daughter of Baker and Polly Slack, of Rhode Island, by whom he had eight children, Josiah being the second child. One brother and one sister still reside in Massachusetts, and with Josiah are the only survivors of the family. Mrs. Content Carpenter was born in Swansea, N. H., in 1779, and died in Adams, Mass., in 1840.
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
ETER M. WHEATON was born in Aurelius, Cayuga county, N. Y., August 14, 1822, and was the son of Ichabod and Catharine Wheaton, farmers of Aurelius. When Peter M. was six years old, in the fall of 1828, his parents sold their farm and removed to Victor, Ontario county, where they resided until the fall of 1835, when they emigrated to Michigan and set- tled in Adrian township, this county. They resided there until their deaths, which occurred in August, 1840. The cause of their deaths was said to be chill fever, Mrs. Wheaton dying on Sunday, and her husband the following Friday. They were natives of the State of New York, their ancestors being English and German, and further than that very little is known. Peter M. Wheaton came to Michigan with his parents in 1835, has been a resident of Lenawee county since that time, and has always followed farming. He worked by the day and month until the fall of 1845, when he purchased a farm on section 21, in Woodstock. It was a new piece of land, without any improvement whatever. Mr. Wheaton cleared and improved about thirty acres, putting up a log house, and resided there for about two years, when he sold and purchased 120 acres on section 16. This was also new land, with no improvement, but after a residence of about eighteen months he again sold out and purchased an improved farm of eighty acres on section 15, where he lived about two years, selling again and pur- chasing 100 acres on section 27, which he owned about four years. In 1870 he purchased an improved farm on section 15, where he now resides. Mr. Wheaton has been a very active man since his residence in Woodstock. He has owned several farms, and has cleared a great many acres of land. He has been compelled to work out his own fortune. He made his first money by taking a job of chopping and clearing a piece of land for Levi Bennett, on Bean creek, in Rollin. He was engaged two winters on the job, and with the proceeds he was enabled to purchase his first land. He now owns a farm of over 242 acres, with first-class buildings and other improvements. June 25, 1845, Peter M. Wheaton mar- ried Loretta Sanford, daughter of Malachi and Balsora Sanford, of Woodstock, by whom he has had fourteen children, as follows : Malachi S., born April 30, 1846, a farmer of Monroe county, Mich .; Alfred A., born January 7, 1848, now a farmer of Woodstock; Erastus M., born September 15, 1849, died August 26, 1851; Horace G., born November 15, 1851, a farmer of Woodstock; Betsey B., born November 3, 1853, now the wife of Alva Bedell, of Woodstock; Catharine R., born November 29, 1855, died April 27, 1862; James O., born December 26, 1857, at home; George, born February 24, 1860, died March 1, 1860; Ehnar and
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Ellen (twins) born March 3, 1861, at home; Anna H. M., born April 2, 1863, at home; Ira I., born May 17, 1865, at home; Job C., born January 13, 1871, at home; two children died in infancy ; all were born in Woodstock. Mrs. Loretta Wheaton was born in Wales, Erie county, N. Y., September 9, 1826, came to Michigan with her parents in 1837, and settled in Woodstock, this county. Her father, Malachi Sanford, was born in Phelps, Ontario county, N. Y., December 31, 1799, and was the son of Ezekiel and Susannah (Badger) Sanford. Ezekiel was a native of New Lebanon, Conn., and lived among the "Shakers," to which society his parents belonged, until he was fourteen years old. Malachi Sanford died in Woodstock, March 3, 1870. He married Mrs. Balsora Scott, widow of Jared Scott, of Wales, Erie county, N. Y., and daughter of John M. and Mercy (Hoyt) Holmes, of Wales, by whom he had four children, Mrs. Wheaton being the oldest daughter and second child, who, with her brother E. M. Sanford, are the only survivors of the family. Mrs. Balsora San- ford was born at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., February 17, 1793, and died in Woodstock, April 2, 1866. The ancestors of the Sanford family were English and Irish.
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BER ADAMS was born at Richfield Springs, Otsego county, N. Y., March 17, 1807. He lived there with his parents until ten years of age, when they moved to the town of Sweden, near Rochester. Eber left home when he was seventeen, going to Rochester, where he resided until he was twenty-one. From Rochester he moved to Albion, where he carried on the liv- ery business for several years. January 1, 1832, he married Miss Myra Ann Hibbard, and moved in the spring of the same year to Cleveland, Ohio, where he engaged in the grocery business, and afterward kept the Mansion Hotel, at the same time carrying on the livery business. He subsequently returned to Rochester, and again engaged in the livery business, in which he continued until 1847, when he came to Adrian and purchased the Exchange Hotel, (located where the Lawrence Hotel now stands), and the Prairie Cottage farm, a short distance out from the city. He kept this hotel and property until 1859, and sold out to James Brackett,
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
of Rochester. In 1867 he went to Chicago, where he resided five years, when he came back to Michigan, and kept the White Pigeon Eating-house for three years. His health failing him, he again returned to Chicago, where he has since resided with his daughter, Mrs. J. H. Hinkley, most of the time, until her death, which occurred February 29, 1880. For the past five years Mr. Adams had been troubled with heart disease, but kept about most of the time up to his death, which occurred in Chicago, January 3, 1881. Mr. Adams was the father of two children, Maria, the oldest, married first the gallant Colonel Dwight A. Woodbury, who was killed at Malvern Hill, in the late war of the rebellion. She married the second time Mr. J. H. Hinkley, then and now the paymaster of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railway. John Q., his only son, is now a resident of the city of New York. Mr. Adams suffered much the day before, but at the time of his death passed away seemingly without a struggle. Mr. Adams' remains were brought from Chicago to Adrian, accompanied by his faithful wife and other relatives and friends, and were met at the depot by quite a large number of residents. The remains were taken to Oakwood cemetery and placed in the vault, where they remained until the weather permited their burial in the family lot. Mr. Adams was a kind husband and father, and was always surrounded by hosts of admiring friends, who were ever ready to enjoy his genial company and generous hospitality. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. W. H. Gallagher, of Christ church.
MITH. BRIGGS was born in Sempronius (now Moravia), Cayuga county, N. Y., December 22, 1825, where he resided until 1833, when his parents, John and Triphena Briggs, came to Michigan and settled in Hillsdale county, where a farm was located from the government. John Briggs was born in Eas- ton, Washington county, N. Y., in 1782, and in his early life he learned the hatter's trade, which he followed until after his mar- riage, when he removed to Sempronious (now Moravia), and pur- chased land and ever after followed farming. He married Tri- phena St. John, of Stillwater, N. Y., by whom he had eight chil-
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
dren, five sons and three daughters, Smith being the sixth ehild. Mrs. Triphena Briggs was born in Stillwater, and died in Wood- stock, this county. John Briggs first settled in Hillsdale county, and was about the first settler in his township. He assisted in the organization of the township, giving it the name of Scipio. He only resided there a few years, when he sold out and came to Woodstock, this county, and purchased a farm on section 11, and lived in Woodstoek until his death. Smith Briggs lived with his parents only until he was about eleven years old, when he went to Tecumseh and engaged with General J. W. Brown to drive stage. His first driving was between Tecumseh and Adrian, the stage being a two-horse conveyance, which he drove, carrying the mail for about six months. He was then given a four-horse coach, which he drove for a short time from Tecumseh to Springville. He afterward drove for nearly two years from Springville to Jesse Osborn's, in Woodstock, a distance of about ten miles. He drove for about four years in all, going as far west as Coldwater. After the completion of the LaPlaisance Bay turnpike stages left each day, both Detroit and Monroe, and came together at Tecumseh, where the passengers stayed over night at Jesse Button's hotel. The stages left Tecumseh every morning about three o'clock for Chieago. Mr. Briggs was in favor with General Brown, and dur- ing the Toledo war he accompanied the General through the entire campaign, being furnished with a good horse, and otherwise well provided for. In the early spring of 1839 Mr. Briggs abandoned stage driving and went to Auburn, N. Y., where he learned the iron molder's trade, afterward learning to forge scythes and hoes, which he followed for about three years. He then went to Seneca Falls, where he had charge of an iron foundry for about one year, when he formed a partnership with John W. Wheeler, and pur- ehased the foundry, the firin being Wheeler & Briggs. They went largely into the manufacture of pumps. In 1845 he sold his interest in the foundry, and went to Burlington, Vt., and in the spring of 1846 he became connected with the Champlain Trans- portation Company, then operating a line of steamers on Lake Champlain, froin White Hall to St. Johns, Canada. He remained there until the winter of 1852-3, when he went to Albany, N. Y., and was made general agent for the Hudson River Railroad Com - pany at that city, holding the position until 1866, when he became connected with the Swift-Sure Line of steamboats and barges between Albany and New York. This was one of the most important transportation lines on the river, the company consisting of Erastus Corning, Samuel Schuyler, and Smith Briggs. Mr. Briggs remained in the company until 1873, when he became con-
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
nected with the Albany Car Wheel Company, remaining with it until 1877, when he came to Michigan and settled in Jackson, where his family still resides. He was one of the original stock- holders of the Watervliet Turnpike and Railroad Company, run- ning between Albany and Troy, and was for several years presi- dent of the company, resigning in 1877, when he came west. Mr. Briggs still owns his original stock in the road, besides valuable property in Albany .. He also has property in Jackson, and owns a farm on sections 11 and 14, in Woodstock, this county, consist- ing of 320 acres. He carries on mixed farming, but makes a specialty of good horses. In April, 1842, Smith Briggs married Laura Jones, daughter of Thomas and Lucy Jones, of Seneca Falls, N. Y., by whom he has had four children, three of whom are living, as follows: Josephine, now the wife of Charles A. Hoyt, assayist of the gold and silver smelting-works at Omaha, Neb .; Fanny and Gracie, residents of Jackson. Mrs. Laura Briggs was born in Onondaga, N. Y., in 1828, and died in Jack- son, August 14, 1880. Mr. Briggs, during the past year, has passed most of his time on his farm in Woodstock, and is deter- mined to make it one of the most desirable. farm homes in Lena- wee county.
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B ENJAMIN L. CRANE was born in Macedon, Wayne county, N. Y., October 29, 1812, and was the second son of George and Charity Crane. George Crane was born in Nor- ton, Bristol county, Mass., March 30, 1783, and died in Palmyra, this county, April 17, 1856. Charity Crane was born in Taunton, also Bristol county, Mass., August 7, 1782, and died in Palmyra, this county, September 21, 1863. They were the parents of seven children, viz .: Phila P. Crane, born in Bristol county, Mass., December 6, 1804, and died in Wayne county, N. Y., Angust 31, 1807; Elizabeth W. Crane, born in Wayne county, N. Y. (as were all the remaining children), February 2, 1807, and died in Hud- son, this county, October 23, 1845; Rowena C. Crane, born Febru- ary 2, 1809, and died in Rollin, this county, December 20, 1850; George L. Crane, born November 20, 1810, and now resides in Madison, this county ; the subject of this biography, born as above
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OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
stated, and died in the city of Adrian, May 25, 1867; Calvin Crane, born December 25, 1816, and now resides in the city of Adrian ; Clarissa P, Crane, born February 22, 1824, and died in Palmyra, this county, March 1, 1857. Benjamin L. Crane resided with his parents on a farm in Macedon, Wayne county, N. Y., until May, 1833, where he received a fair common school education, when with them he came to Blissfield (now Pal- myra), Lenawee county, Mich., where they settled on what was then a new farm, and remained with them and assisted in clearing up, cultivating and improving the farm, putting up buildings, etc., until the summer of 1838. July 19, 1838, he married Ann Eliza Hoag, who was born December 29, 1818, the daughter of Nathaniel P. Hoag, who was born in Dutchess county, N. Y., in 1791. In the year 1818 Mr. Hoag married Isabella Morrison, born in Rochester, N. H., in 1789. They settled on a farm in Peru, Clinton county, N. Y., and resided there until the fall of 1832, when they, with their family of four children, removed to Michigan and settled on a new farm in Raisin, this county. In connection with his farm he carried on the nursery business. They were both professed followers of Christ, and consistent mem- bers of the Society of Friends. He died at his residence in Rai- sin, March 23, 1845. In 1857 his widow moved to Minnesota to reside with three of her children, who had removed there in 1855. She died there March 28, 1859. Soon after their marriage in 1838, Benjamin L. Crane and wife settled on a new farm in Madi- son, this county, and with commendable industry, economy and the exercise of good judgment and business taet, soon cleared up, and erected buildings on their farm, to make for themselves and family a comfortable support and home. After the death of his father, and in the spring of 1857, he removed to the home of his mother, in Palmyra, and took charge of and conducted the home stead farm, and cheerfully attended to all the wants and cares of his aged and beloved mother, to make her home pleasant and agree- able to her during her lonely days of widowhood. Six years prior to her own decease she followed to the grave the fourth and only remaining daughter. In 1864 Mr. Crane purchased a house and lot in the city of Adrian, where he removed the same year, and where he resided until his death, in 1867. His occupation through life was principally devoted to farming, and in which he was successful. His religions associations were with the Society of Friends during the greater part of his life. However the last few years of it were found with the Congregational church. His widow, Ann Eliza Crane, is a member of the Society of Friends, in which she has always felt a lively interest, and of late has occu-
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