USA > Michigan > Bay County > History of Bay County, Michigan, and representative citizens > Part 49
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After his honorable discharge, he returned to his studies, entering the Ohio University, at Athens, where he took the full course and was graduated in the class of 1868, with the degree of B. S. For some time he had been reading medicine with the intention of adopt- ing it as a profession, and, after leaving the University, immediately entered Bellevue Hos- pital Medical College, New York City, where he was graduated in the class of 1870. In order to satisfactorily pursue his medical studies dur- ing this time, he filled the chair of geometry at Cooper Institute.
Dr. Erwin settled for practice at Athens, Ohio, where he continued for three years. In 1873 he came Westward, seeking a wider field and chose Bay City for his permanent location. Here Dr. Erwin met with great encouragement from the start and soon built up a lucrative practice. His life has been devoted to his pro- fession and the eminence to which he has at- tained is the just reward of faithful effort. He has taken advantage of special courses and has attended noted clinics, continually supplement- ing his previous knowledge with all that could be secured in the leading medical organizations of the country. He is a member of the Michi- gan State Medical Society, American Academy of Medicine, American Medical Association and an honorary member of the Ohio State Medical Society and is also affiliated with the medical bodies of Bay County and the Saginaw Valley. He has been zealous in his efforts to uphold the honor of the profession and raise the standard of its requirements.
Dr. Erwin was married on April 19, 1870, to Julia E. Carpenter, a daughter of Dr. E. G. Carpenter, of Athens, Ohio. Mrs. Erwin died
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January 10, 1902. Two daughters were born to them, namely: Mrs. Edwin C. Horn, of Washington, Pennsylvania ; and Roberta Julia, who lives with her father and presides over his home. The family residence is a beautiful modern one, situated on the corner of Sixth and Monroe streets; the Doctor still retains his office in the old place, on the corner of Fifth and Adams streets. He is a member and a trustee of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mrs. Erwin was a member in her life- time.
Dr. Erwin has never taken any very active part in politics, giving all his attention to medi- cal matters. He served as a member of the Board of Health for seven years-part of three terms. He still practices, but chiefly at his office. Personally, he is held in the highest esteem throughout Bay County. His portrait accompanies this sketch.
ALTER MERRITT, whose excel- lent farm of 80 acres is situated in section II, Portsmouth township, Bay County, Michigan, was born on this farm June 10, 1864, and is a son of Nelson and Sarah Jane (Crowe) Merritt.
The Merritt family for several generations were domiciled in the Dominion of Canada, where John and Sarah (Taylor) Merritt, our subject's grandparents, were born. Although Nelson was their only son, they also had six daughters. Nelson Merritt was born July 27, 1827, in Prince Edward District, Ontario, Can- ada, and grew up on his father's farm and worked in the sawmills in the lumber region until 30 years of age. Attracted by the stories of the Australian gold mines, he then shipped for that far-off land, sailing from New York, by way of Cape Horn, and safely reaching
Sydney. He remained three years in Austra- lia and then returned to Canada where he mar- ried. In 1858, shortly after his marriage, he came to Michigan. He bought 320 acres of heavily timbered land in Bay County, to which he later added 80 acres more, and remained on this farm, quiet and contented after his former life of adventure, until his death, which oc- curred on February 3, 1893. Mr. Merritt was a good manager and a very industrious man. His land was all cleared and placed under cul- tivation by his own work, and in the meantime he built a comfortable home and substantial buildings of all kinds necessary for the carry- ing on of extensive farming and stock-raising. He was a man of great intelligence and kept abreast of the times in his knowledge of cur- rent affairs and his sterling character made him the natural selection of his neighbors for vari- ous local offices. He served as justice of the peace, as township treasurer and as health offi- cer. Politically he was a Republican. In his later years he united with the Methodist Epis- copal Church. He was a man who exerted a wide influence for good in his locality and was one of the most active supporters of public improvements. The mother of our subject was born in Prince Edward District, Ontario, on October 19, 1841, and is a daughter of John and Hannah (Loose) Crowe, who were na- tives of England, but who died in Canada. Mrs. Merritt lives with her son Walter on the homestead. A family of six children were born to our subject's parents : William N., of Portsmouth township; Sarah E. (widow of Bert Walker), who resides with our subject on the homestead; James H., deceased at the age of two years ; Walter, of this sketch ; Alice, deceased at the age of four years; and Grace, who is the wife of Fred Whipple, of Ports- mouth township.
Walter Merritt was educated in the com-
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mon schools of his township, and has devoted his whole life to farming on the 80-acre tract of the homestead that he owns. He has made many improvements and has a very productive and valuable property.
In 1892, Mr. Merritt was married to Mary J. Potter, who was born October 3, 1865, in Tuscola County, Michigan, and is a daughter of Robert and Mary J. Potter. They have three children : Raymond N., Robert G. and Myrtle S. Mr. Merritt, like his father, has always been identified with the Republican party, but he has never consented to hold office, giving his whole attention to his farm and family. He is an attendant on the services of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which he gives liberal support.
ON. GRIFFITH H. FRANCIS, a a jurist of high standing in Bay City, Michigan, is judge of the Probate Court of Bay County. He was born September 25, 1844, in South Trenton, Oneida County, New York, and is a son of Rowland and Ruth (Jones) Francis, natives of Wales, who severally came to the United States when of mature age, and were united in marriage in New York State. Rowland Francis was a farmer by occupation.
The parents of the subject of this sketch had eight children, of whom he was the eldest. Of the seven sons and one daughter resulting from their union, all are living except one son, who died in infancy. Their ages range from 48 to 60 years.
Griffith H. Francis received his early men- tal training in the district school, which he at- tended three months each winter. Although he left home at the age of II years, and was engaged in various occupations, he was ambi-
tious to learn and never neglected an oppor- tunity to improve his mind. The first graded school which he attended was at Morrisonville, New York, after he was 19 years old. He at- tended Cazenovia Seminary about two years and in 1867 went to Ripon, Wisconsin, and entered Ripon College. After four years at Ripon, during which time he also engaged in teaching, being principal of one of the schools there, he returned to Cazenovia and took up the course where he had left off and graduated in 1872. Shortly after his graduation from Cazenovia, he came to Michigan and entered the law department of the University of Mich- igan at Ann Arbor, from which he graduated in 1874. Following his graduation, he spent some time in teaching graded schools. On relinquishing this work, he began the practice of the law at Saline, Michigan.
In 1876, Judge Francis came to Bay County, taking up his residence in West Bay City, where he still makes his home. A year after his arrival, he was elected justice of the peace. He also served on the School Board and held other offices of minor note. He was one of the attorneys who drafted the charter of West Bay City in 1877. For seven years he was city attorney of West Bay City. In 1882 he transferred his office to Bay City, where he continued in active practice. For one term he served as county commissioner of schools, and also completed an unexpired term as Circuit Court commissioner.
The subject of this sketch was elected judge of the Probate Court in 1900, and assumed the duties of that office in 1901. He was re-elected in the fall of 1904 by a very large majority,- showing the people's appreciation of the man- ner in which his office was conducted. He is a stanch Republican in politics, and has served as chairman and secretary of the Republican County Committee; for several years he
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presided over the city campaign organiza- tion.
Judge Francis was married in Brighton, Michigan, May 23, 1878, to Harriet A. Hyne, a daughter of Karl T. Hyne, a native of Ger- many. Four children were born to this union, namely : Luella, a graduate of the West Bay City High School, who is at home; Mabel, a graduate of the same institution; Helen, who graduated at the Bay City High School, and is now a student at Alma College; and Karl Row- land, who is named after both of his grand- fathers.
Judge Francis is a member of the Masonic order, and of the Foresters and Maccabees. In the Royal Arcanum he has served as grand regent, and is now past grand of the State organization.
OHN G. ARNOLD is a well-known baker of Bay City, Michigan, where he was born in 1862. He is a son of Fred and Louise (Miller) Arnold. His father was born in Bavaria, Germany, in November, 1832. His mother was also a na- tive of Germany, and was a schoolmate of her husband.
Fred Arnold crossed the ocean in 1854 in the vessel "Whitney," and came to Bay City in July of that year. For the first two years he worked in the old McEwan mill. In those early days no fresh meat was to be obtained. Pork and beans were the most common articles of food. Beer there was none. Whiskey was sold at a shilling per gallon. The first beer seen by Mr. Arnold was like thick milk. In 1856, in an old blacksmith shop on Water street, then the main street of the city, Mr. Arnold opened a bakery, on the site of the present Watson Block. It was known as the "Old Bakery." There he remained for two
years, dealing mostly with the Indians. In 1857 he purchased from James Fraser for $300 the site of the present Arnold bakery, then occupied by a frame structure. The build- ing was twice burned, and its owner has passed through three fires. In the present substantial brick block, on Fifth and Saginaw streets, he conducted a first-class bakery, which is now operated by his son John G.
Fred Arnold remembers making trips to Saginaw to buy flour. There he purchased for $8.00 per barrel the same grade of flour sold by Putnam, in Bay City, for $17.00. He turned his well-established bak- ery over to his sons, Godfrey and John G., about 1874, and retired from active busi- ness, to look after his property interests, being well-provided with this world's goods. During his long residence here, he has made several trips to his native land, for pleasure and recrea- tion. He crossed the Atlantic in 1857, 1882 and 1890, being accompanied on the last trip by his wife. In all, he has made eight voyages to Europe, besides visiting scenes of local in- terest.
Fred Arnold was married to Louise Miller in Bay City and their union resulted in eight children, as follows: Godfrey, who married Setchen Fichtel, and lives at Calumet, Hough- ton County, Michigan; Fred, Jr., a Lutheran minister, who married Carrie Peterman, and resides at Silver Creek, New York; John G .; Sophia, wife of H. Tresselt, who operates a flour mill at Fort Wayne, Indiana : Louise, wife of Al. Schiermer, who is in the jewelry busi- ness at Saginaw; Tillie, deceased, who was the wife of F. Burton; Clara, wife of Theo- dore Seymeyer, wholesale dealer in boots and shoes at Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Martha, wife of George Watrous, who is employed in the Commercial Bank in Bay City.
The father of this family helped to organize
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the old Lutheran Church and school at Lin- coln and Mckinley avenues, of which he was trustee for a number of years.
The subject of this sketch received his men- tal training in the Bay City public schools. At the age of 15 years he began to learn the bakery business with his father, and has been connected with it in various ways ever since. When his father retired about 1874, the firm became Arnold Brothers. They dissolved part- nership in 1880, from which period Mr. Ar- nold has conducted the concern alone. He is an energetic, up-to-date business man, and is thoroughly posted in his trade.
Mr. Arnold was married in 1901 to Minnie Hoffman, who was born in Bay City. Their union has resulted in two sons,-Frederick and Henry.
Mr. Arnold is a member of the Mutual Building & Loan Association and of the Royal Guards. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran Church.
L OUIS VANDERBILT, who for the past 24 years has resided on his farm of 120 acres, situated in section 36, township 14, range 5, in Portsmouth township, Bay County, Michigan, was born November 7, 1834, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, and is a son of Frank and Catherine (Moerdenoüd) Vanderbilt.
The parents of Mr. Vanderbilt spent their lives in Belgium, where they were most worthy farming people of the middle class. They reared a family of nine children. Three daugh- ters and two sons came to America. The only survivors of the family are our subject and his sister, Mrs. Marie Antoinette Johnson, who resides with him.
Mr. Vanderbilt has had a very interesting
life, filled with adventure and hard work, and through his own efforts has brought about the peace, plenty and comfort which he is able to enjoy as the evening of life draws on. He was reared on his good father's farm until he was chosen as trainer of the horses for the use of the royal family of Belgium, and he served in this position for two years, frequently meet- ing some of his royal patrons. He then entered the army, according to the law, and served five years in the artillery. This service brought him little capital and by the time it had closed, it was late to learn a trade. Conditions did not seem to offer him any inducement to remain in his native land, so that, as soon as he could make his arrangements, he sailed for America and landed finally at Detroit.
Mr. Vanderbilt found himself hampered by his want of knowledge of the English lan- guage. Belgian, German and French he could easily speak, but the English language, as he had never mingled with English-speaking peo- ple, was very difficult to learn. After seeking an opening at Detroit for several months, he came to Bay City where he had learned that work was plentiful. Here he found his good manners and excellent clothing were against him in applying for a laborer's position, but he finally secured work at ditching and thereby earned his first $40 in America. Some months later he went into a lumber camp in the woods and there he found plenty of work and good wages and attracted to him any number of good friends among the hard-working crews, many of whom, like himself, had come from other lands. Mr. Vanderbilt followed rafting on the river, and was paid well for his danger- ous work as a lumber jack, and thus obtained the capital which enabled him to retire from that business. He began work at $12 a month, and when he quit he was getting $150 a month from the firm of Dexter & Bellow.
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After 10 years of this hard work, Mr. Van- derbilt came to Bay City and built a hotel, the Vanderbilt House, which he operated three years and then built a second house which he conducted for eight years. This second hotel he traded for his present farm of 120 acres, only 30 of which had been cleared. All the subsequent clearing he did himself and made all the excellent improvements. He has con- ducted his farm mainly as a dairy farm and has met with excellent results.
In 1864, Mr. Vanderbilt was married to Theresa Schmidt, who was born in Belgium and died in 1877 at Bay City, survived by five children : Joseph, proprietor of the Center Road Hotel, of Hampton; Frank, also a hotel- keeper; Louis, who lives with his father; Charles, proprietor of the Savoy Hotel, of Bay City; and Felix, of Idaho. Mr. Vanderbilt married, as his second wife, Sophia Wentz, who was born in Belgium and died in 1881, leaving one child,-Felix.
Mr. Vanderbilt takes an interest in local politics but votes independently, supporting the man he thinks will best execute the laws and carry out the will of the people.
ULIUS SCHULZ, florist, with green- houses at No. 1919 Columbus avenue, Bay City, Michigan, is one of the suc- cessful business men of this city. He was born in Pommern, Germany, May 31, 1858, and is a son of Charles and Carolina Wilhelmina Schulz.
The father of our subject was a florist in Germany and later became a gamekeeper on a large estate. He immigrated to America some years after his son and joined him at Bay City. For five years he had charge of Eickemeyer's cemetery. His death took place January 4, 1904; his wife had died in 1893.
Julius Schulz learned the florist's trade in Germany, serving an apprenticeship of two years in Berlin. In 1881 he came to America and located at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he followed market gardening until 1883, when he came to Bay City. For a time he was in the employ of the John C. Irvine Greenhouse Company of Bay City, but in 1889 he opened up his own place of business on Columbus avenue. He began with two small green- houses 25 by 50 feet in dimensions, but these were accidentally burned in 1891 and the loss was total, as he had no insurance. Mr. Schulz was in no way discouraged by this calamity, although it absorbed all his capital. He went right to work and before the close of the year was again ready for business in more conven- iently constructed quarters. In 1892 he made many improvements and now has five modern built greenhouses, with steam heat and all ap- pliances for the growing and preserving of everything in his line, including a cold stor- age plant. Mr. Schulz has indeed made the desert blossom, for when he came to his present location nothing could be seen but the native woods. It is very wonderful to mark the changes brought about in so short a time and they tell, better than words, of the energy and enterprise of Mr. Schulz. He has many busi- ness and personal friends who rejoice to see his prosperity, knowing, as they do, the honest industry which has brought it about.
At Bay City, in 1886, Mr. Schulz was mar- ried to Augusta Kanath, who was born in West Prussia, Germany, and they have a family of five children, all of whom are at home, namely : Emil, who is his father's capable and intelli- gent assistant; Walter, Minnie, Arthur and Laura. The family belong to the German Evangelical Lutheran Immanuel Church on Lincoln avenue and Ioth street, with which Mr. Schulz united in 1883 and to which he
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has contributed liberally. He assisted in the building of the church edifice.
Mr. Schulz has never identified himself with any political party, seeking rather the elec- tion of men of good reputation, who can be trusted to enforce the laws. He has been in a marked degree public-spirited and assisted ma- terially in the construction of the street rail- . way and other improvements on Columbus avenue. Although he came to America a man grown, without any knowledge of the English language, he set himself the task of learning it and succeeded without having had a single les- son. This is but an example of the persevering patience and firm determination that have also been brought to bear in the building up of his business.
A. COLLINS, one of the prominent and representative men of Bay City, Michigan, a leading member of the Bay County bar and a pub- lic official now serving his second term as Cir- cuit Court commissioner, was born in Sagi- naw County, Michigan, February 19, 1879. He is a son of John J. and Mary (Scott) Collins, pioneers of Bay County.
Capt. John Collins, the paternal grand- father, who, with his wife, still resides in Bay City, was born in Liverpool, England. He came to Bay City in 1851 and spent the whole of his active life as a sailor, commanding ves- sels on the Great Lakes for many years. Our subject's father has also been a sailor for many years, having but lately retired from maritime life. He is well and favorably known all over Bay County and now resides at Chicago, aged about 50 years. The mother of our subject died in 1898, aged 42 years. She was of Dutch de- scent, her family coming originally from Hol- land, to which country the old aristocracy of
the State of New York refers with pardonable pride. The family consisted of four children, viz: W. A., Helen, John J., Jr., and Walter Scott. All were born in Bay City, Michigan, and all, with the exception of our subject, re- side in New York.
Our subject was four years of age when his parents settled at Bay City, and his education was obtained in the common and high schools of his native place. After graduating from the High School in 1896, he began to teach school, a profession he followed in various parts of the county for some six years, during this time studying law to such good purpose that in 1901 he was admitted to the bar and entered upon the practice of the profession. Although he has been eminently successful, he is better known to the people of Bay County as a politi- cal factor. A stanch Republican and fine ora- tor, he has taken a very active part in political campaigning for the past six years. In 1899 he was appointed a member of the Bay County Board of School Examiners for a term of two years and was reappointed in 1901. In 1902 he was elected Circuit Court commissioner and in 1904 was reelected and is serving in this position at present.
In 1898 Mr. Collins was united in marriage with Louise Abeare, who is a daughter of Julius Abeare, now of Bay County. Mrs. Col- lins was born at Marine City, St. Clair County, Michigan. They have two sons, bright, inter- esting children: Earl Chester, a manly little fellow of five years; and Virgil Leo, aged one year.
Mr. Collins is clerk and corporal of Com- pany B, 3rd Infantry, Michigan National Guard. He belongs to a number of fraternal and social organizations, including the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, In- dependent Order of Foresters, Union Life Guards, National League of Veterans and
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Sons, and Modern Archers of America. In his religious views Mr. Collins favors the Prot- estant Episcopal Church.
Mr. Collins has forged his own way to the front rank of an unusually gifted body of young professional men and political workers, and he has won for himself a position of envia- ble prominence and future promise.
ON. JAMES BIRNEY. This distin- guished son of a distinguished father became identified with the Saginaw Valley in 1856, coming as the succes- sor of his father, who had made large invest- ments here in Lower Saginaw (now Bay City).
A graduate of the Ohio University at Miami, in 1836, James Birney became a mem- ber of the faculty, teaching Greek and Latin, prior to attending the law lectures of Judge Storm and of Professor Hitchcock, of Yale College, at New Haven, Connecticut. While in New Haven he married Amanda Moulton, a stepdaughter of Nathaniel Bacon of that city. After his graduation he practiced law at Cin- cinnati until business interests led him to make a visit to Lower Saginaw as above mentioned. In the summer, of 1857 he removed his family to Bay County and from that time on became closely identified with the interests of this sec- tion of Michigan.
Judge Birney purchased his father's large interests in the town of Lower Saginaw and also made several independent purchases from the government. His first important public service here was to procure the passage of the bill changing the name of Lower, Saginaw to Bay City. In 1858 he was elected to the State Senate on the Republican ticket, being nomi- nated more as a compliment than otherwise. The district extended to the Straits of Mack-
inac and all that portion of Saginaw County embraced within the present limits of Bay County, had been regarded as strongly Demo- cratic. Judge Birney received in this strong- hold of Democracy every vote in the county except five, which were given the regular. Dem- ocratic nominee, and a few scattering. The volume of session laws for 1859 contains some 50 acts presented by Judge Birney for his dis- trict; what is remarkable, every one he pre- sented was adopted.
One of the above measures had an import- ant bearing upon the interests and develop- ment of the Saginaw Valley and the 10th Dis- trict. This was the act securing a bounty for the manufacture of salt. The bill proposed the payment of five cents a bushel, but Judge Bir- ney presented it in such a way that it was con- sidered in a more favorable light and a bounty of 10 cents was granted.
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