USA > Michigan > Barry County > History of Barry county, [Michigan] > Part 14
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HISTORY OF BARRY COUNTY
MILO THATCHER WHEELER
Milo Thatcher Wheeler was born in the township of Wheeler, Steuben County, New York, February 6th, 1821. He was the third in a family of nine sons and two daughters, children of Asa and Henrietta Wheeler, who were among the first settlers in the township of Woodland, having moved there in the year 1842. He was elected Supervisor of that township in 1849, which office he held for fifteen of the next twenty years.
In 1864 he was appointed postmaster at Woodland Center, which position he retained until December, 1870, when he moved to Hastings to assume the duties of County Treasurer. He was twice re-elected to this office, which he filled with credit to him- self and the satisfaction of all. He was a member of the Board of Education for nearly all of the time of his residence in the city.
During the thirty years over which his official record extends not a stain attached to his name. In all his business relations he was characterized by an unswerving honesty and fidelity which, together with his genial good humor and obliging disposition, won him many friends among those who knew him only in this capacity. As friend and neighbor he was universally loved and respected. He was an official member of the Methodist Episcopal church in Hastings at the time of his death, December 8th, 1878. He was married October 24th, 1847, to Amanda Haight, daughter of Reuben and Sally Ann Haight, who had brought their young family to the township of Odessa, in Ionia County, in 1840. Mrs. Wheeler was born in Steuben County, New York, December 4th, 1828. After their marriage they went to live on Mr. Wheeler's farm in Woodland township, where their four children were born. The only son, Theron P., died at the age of two years.
The three daughters who survived the father and mother are: Frances, wife of Judge Clement Smith of the Fifth Judicial Circuit; Rosella Belle, wife of Marshall L. Cook, editor of the Hastings Banner, and Stella A., wife of Colonel A. D. Kniskern, at this writing stationed at Manila, P. I.
Her home during the days of the Civil War was the gathering place of those who waited for the mail to come from Hastings on horseback, bearing tidings from the front and for the "war widows" who came to her husband, as supervisor, having the dis- bursement of the monthly allowance paid toward their support by
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MR. AND MRS. MILO T. WHEELER From a daguerreotype
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the township. Her's was the office of comforter to many a lonely wife and mother, and to many a stricken one when the news of a battle arrived.
Mrs. Wheeler was always interested in public affairs and patriotic, as only those can be who have sacrificed much for their country. She had three brothers in the war, two of whom fill unknown graves in the Southland. She was a leader in the Soldiers' Aid Societies in Woodland, and after coming to Hastings, a charter member of the Women's Relief Corps. She came of Revolutionary stock and was a member of the original society organized for the preservation of Mt. Vernon. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for over sixty years, at the time of her death, which occurred in Hastings, August 25th, 1909.
HENRY OSCAR YOUNG
The oldest resident of Hastings in point of continuous resi- dence is Oscar Young. He has lived in Hastings over 71 years. Born in Battle Creek July 1, 1840, he was brought to Hastings in October, 1841, when his father, Vespasian Young, moved to Hast- ings and engaged in business as a merchant, carrying on his busi- ness until his death in 1848 in a store building which he erected west of where the National Bank now stands.
The father was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, April 7, 1807, and came to Michigan in 1833, settling in Battle Creek. With him came his wife, Agnes Bishop Smith Young, who had been born in Peebles, Scotland, November 2, 1811, and had come in 1820 with her family to Pennsylvania, where she met Ves- pasian Young and married him. The trip which the young couple made to Michigan was a slow one. From Pennsylvania they came by wagon to Ithaca, New York. From Ithaca they went by canal to Buffalo and from that city they took a steam- boat to Detroit. The last part of the journey from Detroit to Battle Creek was by wagon.
Vespasian Young was a blacksmith by trade, but he also made gloves and mittens of buckskin. At times also he would buy up a sheep or a beef critter and kill the animal and sell the meat to his neighbors. This was before he began keeping store. Eventually he became a fur buyer, selling to the two great fur dealers, Godfrey and Campau. It is said that the Thornapple
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river was at times filled with canoes of Indians carrying furs. Vespasian Young also studied law and would have been admitted to the bar at the term of court immediately following his decease.
Oscar Young was only a little over a year old when the fam- ily came to Hastings, so he has been a resident of Hastings prac- tically all his life and his earliest recollections are of Hastings scenes. His first teacher was J. W. T. Orr and the school house was located on what is now the city market place, east of Mrs. Hannah Barlow's residence. This same building was later moved to where Emil Tyden's home now is. At the time Mr. Young attended school the total number of pupils hardly exceeded 30. Bedford and George McLellan were his schoolmates, as was also John Fuller. An interesting side light on early school affairs in Hastings is afforded by the fact that in 1845, when Vespasian Young was school Director, his report stated that there were 47 pupils enrolled in the district and that Hugh Jennings, Phoebe Hays and Mary J. West were the teachers, to whom for six months and a half of teaching an aggregate of $18 in wages had been paid.
In 1860 Oscar Young began to learn the carpentering trade with W. I. F. Hams, and worked at that until August, 1862, when he responded to the call to arms and enlisted in the cause of his country in Company C, First Michigan Engineers and Mechanics, for three years. He was mustered September 8, 1862, and on the first day of the following year was made a corporal. February 1, 1864, he was made a sergeant. He was discharged at Washing- ton June 6, 1865, having been in the battles of Perryville, Ky., Lavergne, Tenn., Brown's Ferry, Tenn., and Bentonville, N. C. Mr. Young was with Sherman on his march to the sea and en- dured with his company the hardships of that long and bloody march.
After the war Mr. Young returned to Hastings and went again to work at his trade, and in 1866 married Miss Annie Eliza- beth Hams, daughter of W. I. F. Hams, from whom he learned his trade.
To Mr. and Mrs. Young were born four children, Agnes, Clarence, William and Ralph, of whom William and Clarence are still living. Clarence is living at Allegan, and is now serving his third term as Mayor of that city. He is a dentist by profession
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H. O. YOUNG
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but is also interested in numerous business and manufacturing interests. William is the proprietor of a grocery store at Bellevue and has one daughter, Dagmar, who is now studying music in Paris. Mrs. William Young was Miss Belle Stanley of Hastings.
In 1867 Mr. Young built his present residence on West Green street, moving in in November. At that time there were no other houses near by but those of W. I. F. Hams and James Dun- ning. In 1869 D. R. Cook built what is now the Stem residence at the west end of Green street.
Mr. Young has always been a man who has merited and re- ceived the respect of his fellow citizens. He has been industrious, honest and honorable and has been ever ready to do his duty as he has seen it.
Mr. Young has one sister and two brothers still living. They are Mrs. Mary Geer of Hastings, Andrew Young of Claremont, South Dakota, and W. R. Young of Grand Rapids. These with Mr. Young are the survivors of a family of nine brothers and sisters. six of whom lived to maturity. The mother died in 1882.
In concluding this article we wish to call attention to the article by Chas. Weissert, Jr., which has been incorporated into the narrative portion of this volume. This article is entitled, "When the Circus Came to Yankee Springs", and was written from facts furnished by Mr. Young. This article will give much interesting information that a formal biography could not hope to tell.
THE HASTINGS NATIONAL BANK
The oldest banking institution in Barry County is the Hast- ings National Bank. It is also the only National Bank in the county and ranks first in point of deposits. The Hastings Na- tional Bank has never failed to meet every single demand upon it no matter what may have been the financial conditions in the country at large, and in consequence of this long record of abso- lute reliability it is universally recognized as a splendid example of what a substantial, conservative bank should be.
The present bank had its origin in 1856 when William H. Skinner, of Battle Creek, opened a private bank in Hastings in the Alvin W. Bailey building, where Herman Bessmer's meat market now is. Soon after, Mr. Skinner sold his bank to Henry
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A. Goodyear, who moved it with his dry goods business, to where the Grigsby shoe store is at present located. Mr. Goodyear util- ized the west window of his business place for the bank and employed John S. Van Brunt to help him in the banking business.
In the fall of 1859, J. S. Goodyear bought the dry goods business of Henry A. Goodyear, who then built a one-story wooden store building where Pearson's grocery store is now and started in the hardware business, also continuing in the banking business and installing the bank in a wing running west from his residence, which stood on the site of the present bank build- ing. This wing, which was about 23 feet long, was about 25 feet back from the street and opened by a door into the hardware store. George Goodyear acted as his father's cashier.
In 1867 the bank was purchased by A. J. Bowne and F. N. Galloway, who conducted it under the firm name of Bowne & Galloway. For some time previous to this purchase, Bowne and Galloway had conducted a bank in Hastings, their bank having been started by Mr. Galloway, who was soon after joined in the enterprise by Mr. Bowne. Mr. Galloway had started his bank in the building now occupied by the Bessmer jewelry store, and here Bowne & Galloway continued their banking business after buy- ing Mr. Goodyear's bank. In 1870, Bowne & Galloway erected the present splendid bank building on the northwest corner of Main and Jefferson streets.
It was in this same year that the Bowne & Galloway bank was organized as a National Bank. At the organization, Novem- ber 11, 1870, the first stockholders and organizers were A. J. Bowne, R. B. Wightman, George E. Goodyear, I. D. Gardner, Daniel B. Pratt, David R. Cook, Timothy P. Johnson, James A. Sweezey and Fred N. Galloway. The first officers were A. J. Bowne, President; L. D. Gardner, Vice-President; F. N. Gallo- way, Cashier; George E. Goodyear, Teller. The first Board of Directors was composed as follows: A. J. Bowne, D. R. Cook, James A. Sweezey, I). B. Pratt, R. B. Wightman, F. N. Galloway and I. D. Gardner. Not one of the above named gentlemen is now living.
A. J. Bowne served as President of the bank until his death June 7, 1896. Daniel Striker, who had been a Director since March 29, 1873, and Vice-President since January 8, 1878, then
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NATIONAL BANK
DER THST
HASTINGS NATIONAL BANK
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succeeded to the Presidency and continued in that position until his death, April 12, 1898. J. T. Lombard was then elected Presi- dent and served until January, 1911, when he was succeeded by Judge Clement Smith, the present incumbent.
There have been certain changes in other of the bank officials which should also be noted. J. F. Goodyear was elected a Direc- tor January 12, 1886, and Vice-President, April 20, 1898, both of which offices he still fills. George E. Goodyear was elected Cashier when F. N. Galloway resigned, November 10, 1871, and served until his death August 11, 1884, when W. D. Hayes was elected Director and Cashier to succeed him and has served con- tinuously since. Harry G. Hayes has been in the employ of the bank since 1886 and has been Assistant Cashier since January, 1899.
The first charter, which was issued for twenty years in No- vember, 1870, was renewed for twenty years in November, 1890, and again renewed for twenty years in November, 1910. The bank's capital is $50,000 and it has a surplus of the same amount, with undivided profits of $26,000. The institution has deposits of $565,000 and resources of $750,000.
The present directors are Clement Smith, John F. Goodyear, W. D. Hayes, J. T. Lombard, F. D. Pratt and W. H. Chase. The present officers are Clement Smith, President; John F. Goodyear, Vice-President; W. D. Hayes, Cashier, and Harry G. Hayes, Assistant Cashier.
Besides commercial and savings departments which are patronized widely by a public which gives its entire confidence to this solid institution, the Hastings National Bank is also the United States government depository for postal savings in this city.
The banking offices are handsome, modern and up-to-date in every respect and the bank is in a splendid position to take care of its large and growing business.
The Hastings National Bank is an institution of which not only its officers, directors and stockholders should be proud, but also the entire county should share in this same feeling. Its un- broken record of over 56 years in this community certainly war- rants and secures the most implicit confidence.
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THE UNION BLOCK AND LOPPENTHIEN'S
In 1866 a three-story brick building was erected in Hastings at the southwest corner of Main and Jefferson streets. It was the first brick business building in Hastings, if not in the entire county, and was called the Union Block because there was a union of effort to erect it, three different business interests uniting in building the block. The men who were behind the erection of the block were W. S. Goodyear and Nathan Barlow, of the firm
THE LOPPENTHIEN CO. DEPARTMENT STORE
THE UNION BLOCK
of Goodyear & Barlow; D. G. Robinson and R. B. Wightman, of the firm of Robinson & Wightman; and I. A. Holbrook, attorney. The building extended for three fronts along Main street, making three fine store buildings on the ground floor. Goodyear and Barlow owned the east third of the building and utilized the store on the ground floor for their stock of dry goods. The middle third fell to Robinson & Wightman, who used it for a hardware store, while the west portion of the block was Mr. Holbrook's share.
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The greater part of the second floor was used for offices, while the east two-thirds of the third floor was given up to what was known as Union Hall, and here for many years theatrical enter- tainments, social gatherings and dances were held. On the third floor in Mr. Holbrook's part of the building was located the Masonic lodge room. January 13, 1893, the scenery on the stage of Union Hall caught fire, and the result was that the building was badly damaged. It was soon rebuilt, but since then the west third has hardly been considered as a part of the Union Block.
Today the first story and the rear half of the second floor of the rebuilt Union Block is occupied by the Loppenthien Com- pany, of which Richard Loppenthien is president and general manager and James Harrison Race is secretary-treasurer. Mr. Loppenthien came to Hastings in 1910 when his company bought out Wright Brothers, who had previously conducted the same sort of a business at the same location. Mr. Race came to Hast- ings in February, 1912, associating himself with Mr. Loppenthien at that time.
The Loppenthien Company conduct a general department store, carrying the different lines generally displayed by an up-to- date store of this sort, including a splendid grocery department. Since taking possession of the store the Loppenthien Company have more than doubled their stock and it is no longer neecssary to go to larger centers to secure anything desired in the lines handled by this company. Consequently the business has grown steadily and there is every reason to believe that the company's ambition to occupy the entire building will eventually be realized.
The store as it is today is equipped in a most modern manner. Everything has been done to make it possible to give the very best of service to the company's steadily growing trade and the entire community should be proud to have such an enterprising firm in its midst.
GRAND RAPIDS BOOKCASE AND CHAIR COMPANY
Located in the City of Hastings are a number of manufactur- ing enterprises which contribute largely to the city's industrial reputation. Foremost among these is the Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company, which manufactures a very comprehensive
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line of furniture for the dining room, living room, library, den and bedroom.
This concern is a consolidation of the Grand Rapids Book- case Company and the Barber Bros.' Chair Company. The Grand Rapids Bookcase Company was organized in 1901 and the first officers were John Sehler of Grand Rapids, president; A. A. Barber of Grand Rapids, vice president; Kellar Stem of Hastings, secretary ; and F. E. Brown of Grand Rapids, treasurer. The Barber Bros.' Chair Company was organized in 1903, the factory being built just east of the Grand Rapids Bookcase Company's plant. The original officers of this concern were A. A. Barber of Grand Rapids, president and treasurer; John W. Shank of Grand Rapids, vice president; and J. C. Barber of Hastings, secretary.
The interests of these two concerns were very closely allied and in 1910 it was considered expedient to form a consolidation under the name of Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company. Mr. A. A. Barber of Grand Rapids became president of the new concern; the late Henry J. Heystek of Grand Rapids, vice president; and Kellar Stem of Hastings, secretary and treasurer.
Since its organization in 1901 the Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company has enjoyed a steady growth, increasing from a floor space of seventy-five thousand square feet and an output of seventy-five thousand dollars per year to a concern having a floor space of four acres and an output of one-half million. Their furniture is recognized all over the United States under the copy- righted trade-mark, "Lifetime Furniture", and the City of Hast- ings should be proud of the fact that there is no better nor more favorably known line in the country.
The factory is equipped with the most modern and up-to-date woodworking machinery and each machine is run by an individual electric motor. All power used is manufactured by the company's own power plant maintained on the premises, as is also the electric current for lighting. The company also pumps its own water and has installed for its immediate use an improved underwriter's fire pump capable of pumping 90,000 gallons of water per hour, or over 2,000,000 gallons per day.
The plant is equipped with the most improved system of fire protection, namely, a sprinkler system which consists of a net- work of pipes arranged at the ceiling of each floor in such a man-
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T
Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Co.
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ner that there is a head or valve every ten feet each way capable of throwing fifteen gallons of water per minute. In other words, every 100 square feet of floor space in the immediate vicinity of a fire would receive sixty gallons of water per minute.
The Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company does a wholesale business only and is under the active management of Kellar Stem. It is on a sound financial basis and credit is due to logical, clean, progressive methods and the co-operative policy of the management for its success.
THE HASTINGS TABLE COMPANY
The history of the Hastings Table Company as a successful institution is to a great extent involved with the personality of Emil Tyden, its vice-president and manager, although, of course, many others have contributed much toward putting the company in its present enviable position.
Before Mr. Tyden became interested in the manuafcture of extension tables an extension table was an extension table and nothing else. It had no distinctive character. The now very popular pedestal or single leg idea could not be applied, for when a table was extended the pedestal was divided and when the table was closed the pedestal sagged and left an unsightly gap. Mr. Tyden invented the Tyden Pedestal Lock and this difficulty was overcome. As a result of this invention the pedestal table became instantly popular.
Mr. Tyden then invented another locking device for locking in three leaves without opening the pedestal, although the feature of the pedestal lock was still retained and used when it was desired to extend the table to a greater width than the three leaves permitted.
Mr. Tyden also invented the steel dowel pin to take the place of the wooden pins which had heretofore been used in table leaves. Together with a sloping groove to guide the pin, the steel dowel pin obviated much difficulty in fitting leaves together.
A concealed nut and bolt construction, invented by Mr. Tyden, was the next step in perfecting the mechanical construc- tion of the extension table. But Mr. Tyden was not content with this and he has added two new features which should make the extension table almost perfect. These are the steel bearing table
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slide and the removable table top. By this latter device both halves of a table can be taken off and removed if it is desired, for the purpose of getting at rugs, etc., on the floor under the table.
All these inventions have made the extension table practically perfect mechanically and now the desire of the factory manage- ment is to perfect a selling force which will sell the perfected table "From the inside out", a desire which is being rapidly and suc- cessfully realized.
Besides the Table Company, Mr. Tyden is also interested in the following Hastings manufacturing institutions: The Hast- ings Cabinet Company, International Seal and Lock Company and the Consolidated Press and Tool Company.
When Mr. Tyden became identified with the Table Company, it employed about 50 hands. Now it employs about 125 hands and has also trebled as to size of plant in the same period.
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HASTINGS TABLE COMPANY
: onservator's Report
Bentley Historical Library
Title: History of Barry County - Potter
Received: Book bound in case-style binding. Cover was of cloth. Binding had been repaired previously. Cover was .. free. Headbands were loose. Book was Smythe sewn. Sewing was broken. Paper was in good condition. Boards were of solid binder's board. Repairs had been made with gummed holland tape.
Treatment: Picked book to pieces. Added new double-folded endsheets. Sewed all along over cloth tapes. Added new machine-woven headbands. Lined the spine. Rebound in new cover of full cloth.
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Date work completed: 1997
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