USA > Michigan > Bay County > History of Bay County, Michigan, and representative citizens > Part 52
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turity and were married. One son, William, and one daughter, Mrs. Ann McRitchie, still live in Canada.
Thomas Atwill, our immediate subject, was the fifth child born to his parents, and was four years old when he accompanied them from Ireland to Canada. He attended the public schools and lived on the farm of his father. In 1857, at the age of 13 years, he went with his parents to a farm near Bothwell, and while there learned the trade of a blacksmith, serv- ing a full apprenticeship. He then worked as a journeyman at his trade and being a skilled workman commanded good wages. He was married in 1877, and two years later came with his wife to Bay City, Michigan, where he worked as a journeyman for eight years. He established a shop of his own at Essexville, which he conducted a short time, then resumed journeyman's work. He later returned to Es- sexville and conducted his own shop until his death on January 4, 1899. His death was a sad loss to his wife and family, who also were called upon to mourn the death of Mrs. Atwill's mother just six days previous, a sad illustra- tion of the fact that "misfortunes never come singly." Mr. Atwill was an intelligent, well- informed man, and took an earnest and active interest in the progress and development of his community. He served one term as school inspector at Essexville.
Mr. Atwill was united in marriage, Au- gust 2, 1877, with Lomila Rikert, who was born in Tuscola County, Michigan, September I, 1859, and is a daughter of Philip and Amanda (O'Neil) Rikert, her father a native of Pennsylvania and her mother, of Canada. Philip Rikert was born in 1814 and at the age of 13 years removed with his parents to New York State. He was one of six children left orphans and being thrown upon his own re- sources left home to go to sea. He later be-
came a captain on the Great Lakes, and many were the exciting incidents of his career on the water. Later in life he worked at ship-build- ing, but at the time of his death in 1890 he was living a retired life. He was a well-informed man on the current events of his day, was pos- sessed of a pleasing personality and had many friends who never tired of hearing him recount the experiences of his travels. He was mar- ried in Marine City, Michigan, moved thence to Tuscola, and thence, in 1864, to Bay City, where his life ended. He and his wife were parents of nine children, seven of whom are now living. Religiously, they were members of the Methodist Church. Mrs. Atwill was four years old when she came with her parents to Bay City, and she well remembers the time when there were not more than six houses on the West Side around the bridge on Center street. Mr. and Mrs. Atwill became the par- ents of five children, as follows: Margaret, wife of F. B. Hammond, who is identified with the Michigan Chemical Company ; Mabel, cash- ier of Romer, Lovell & Company; Florence, deceased; Evelyn ; and one who died in infancy. Upon the death of her husband, Mrs. Atwill removed to Bay City and lives at No. 2002 Woodside avenue, the property having been purchased by her. Religiously, she is a member of the Methodist Church, and of the Ladies' Aid Society.
APT. CHARLES M. AVERELL. In recalling the well-known names and personalities of those whose lives were closely and honorably identified with Bay City, Michigan, from the time when a few scattered dwellings and indifferent busi- ness houses represented the present busy thor- oughfares and wide boulevards to the present day, that of the late Capt. Charles M. Averell
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naturally presents itself. Born in 1824, in Phil- adelphia, a son of a sea-faring man, the early life of the lad was spent on the water.
Captain Averell, father of our subject, com- manded ocean ships for some years and when only eight years old the child became as much at home on the water as on the land. When his father subsequently located at Buffalo, New York, and confined his voyages to the Great Lakes, Charles was afforded school advantages in that city. By the time he had reached man- hood he was the owner of a vessel, the "Aurora Borealis," in which he sailed the lakes for some time, as master. In 1852 he visited Lower Saginaw (now Bay City) but did not settle at the growing village until 1857. Even then there were no roads into the timber beyond the village confines, no bridges had been con- structed and all travel and transportation were necessarily done by water.
Our subject continued to sail the lakes for some years and for a long time his main in- terests were connected with the water. He operated a tug and was the agent for a number of large Chicago firms, in the chartering of vessels. He then became interested in a stone business, operated a lime kiln for some years and then, with business foresight, purchased a dock and engaged in the shipping of lumber and the various commodities, which the increas- ing business of the city produced. He invested largely in real estate and became one of the in- fluential men of this section. Captain Averell was generally recognized as a man of the highest integrity as well as business capacity and he was frequently prevailed upon to assist in the administration of estates and to act as assignee, notably in the case of the Pipe Works and the old Lake Huron & South Western Railway Company. He built the Averell Block, on Center street, in 1867, and another. block on Washington street a few years later,
the property still being in the possession of Mrs. Averell.
In 1854, Captain Averell was united in marriage with Agnes L. Humphrey, a daugh- ter of Judge T. J. Humphrey. She still sur- vives, and has a very vivid recollection of the conditions existing when she and her husband came first to Bay City. Her beautiful home at No. 800 Center street was erected by Captain Averell about 1869.
In addition to being one of the city's most useful and vigorous business men, Captain Averell was deeply interested in the city's edu- cational and religious advancement. He was a leading member of the First Baptist Church and a member of the board of trustees who were charged with the responsibility of erecting a new church structure. The corner-stone for this building was laid with imposing ceremo- nies in 1869 and the erection of this $75,000 building was under the immediate superintend- ence of our subject, its dedication taking place on February 9, 1873. In connection with the affairs of this house of worship, some incidents of local history, in which he bore a prominent part, are most interesting.
The history of almost every church will show that a few families are always more or less concerned in its final completion and equip- ment, and this was notably the case with the First Baptist Church of Bay City. The Averell and Fraser families were conspicuous in this congregation, and one member of the latter family, Mrs. William McMaster, formerly Mrs. James Fraser, at that time a resident of Toronto, Canada, paid a visit to her old home in Bay City. Noting the needs of the new church she decided to make it a valuable and unsuspected present, selecting as her assistant and almoner, her friend Captain Averell. Prior to her return to Toronto, in September, 1873, this good lady interviewed Captain Averell and
EDWARD A. EICKEMEYER
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made a compact, by the terms of which she agreed to donate a bell for the church, provided he would undertake the business of procuring the same and the placing of it on the church edifice in secrecy, her wish being that the first intimation the congregation should have of the gift should be when it should peal out in the tower to call them to worship. Although he realized the many difficulties in the way, Cap- tain Averell accepted the commission, although he was bound to entire secrecy, even Mrs. Averell being one to be surprised.
The bell, one of considerable size and fine tone, was ordered from Troy, New York, and was shipped to Saginaw in a sealed car, where it was retained until Captain Averell had com- pleted his plans for hoisting it. At the last moment he was obliged to take a few men into his confidence, and the car was sent on to Bay City. The night was dark, the Captain and his helpers almost felt like conspirators as they worked and hoisted the huge bell into its place in the tower. It was only successfully accomplished on account of the nautical knowl- edge of our subject, whose long experience on the water had taught him the practical princi- ples of hoisting. By six o'clock on the peaceful Sabbath morning the great bell hung in place, while a party of weary men compelled them- selves to look placid and ready to be surprised. At church time the sweet tones of the bell pealed out from the tower, to the gratified and pleased surprise of all.
When it became advisable to place steam heat in the church, it was Captain Averell who went to Detroit and arranged for the apparatus, his work in this line including the firing of the boilers until some competent man could be found to undertake the job. These interesting incidents serve to show how quickly he grasped situations as well as how far he ignored per- sonal comfort in order to insure the general
welfare. He was held in the highest esteem in church, business and social life, being a man of exceptional ability in every situation.
E DWARD A. EICKEMEYER, de- ceased, whose portrait accompanies this sketch, was one of the best known citizens of Bay City, Michi- gan, coming to it in its early days, casting in his fortunes with its pioneers, and devoting years of energy and activity to its growth and advancement. Mr. Eickemeyer was born Feb- ruary 26, 1826, at Westerhof, Hanover, Ger- many, and was a son of Frederick Eickemeyer.
The grandfather of our subject was a mill- owner in Germany, and both he and his wife passed their entire lives in that country. Fred- erick Eickemeyer, our subject's father, was a carpenter by trade and he and his wife both died in Germany. Edward A., the eldest of the family of three children, was the only mem- ber to come to America. A brother and a sis- ter are both deceased, the former, Karl Eicke- meyer, dying in the West Indies, and the latter in Germany.
The late Edward A. Eickemeyer came to America in 1854, a young man equipped with an excellent education and skilled in a trade which made him immediately independent. He selected the little hamlet of Bay City, Michi- gan, where a few pioneers had hardily built a few huts on the borders of the forest, recog- nizing the future possibilities of a village so wisely located as to natural advantages. One of the first contractors and builders here, he became one of the leaders, and the long lines of business buildings, the artistic homes and the stately structures for educational purposes and religious worship, which make this a notably beautiful modern city, attest his mechanical skill
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and stand as enduring monuments to his mem- ory. He erected all of the business blocks be- tween Adams street and Washington avenue; a number of the elegant mansions on Center avenue; a preponderating number of the school buildings ; Bethel German Lutheran Church on the corner of Mckinley and North Madison avenues ; the magnificent Pierce home and the residence of Hon. Theodore F. Shepard, in West Bay City ; his last piece of fine work being the beautiful mansion of George W. Ames, the prominent real estate and insurance man, of Bay City. Until 1886 Mr. Eickemeyer resided on the corner of Sixth street and Washington avenue, and then removed to the handsome modern residence at No. 519 Mclellan street, which has continued to be the family home.
Mr. Eickemeyer was married first, in 1854, to Frederika Keester, who died January 3, 1868, leaving four children, namely : Henry, a contractor of Bay City, who married Bertha Patenge and has four children; Sophia (Mrs. William Patenge), who is the mother of eight sons and one daughter; Lizzie, who resides at home; and Dorothy, who died aged 15 years. On June 26, 1868, Mr. Eickemeyer was mar- ried to Sabine Deneke, who was born June 12, 1842, in Hanover, Germany, and came to America to join her brother August in Frank- enlust township, Bay County, in 1867. Five children were born to this union, viz: Ernes- tine (Mrs. McRae), of Portland, Oregon, who has two sons : Johanna lives at home; Edward C., of Bay City, who married Carrie Wagar and has two children; Frederick, who married Grace Palmer and resides at Unionville, Mich- igan; and Herbert, who is a student in Colum- bia University, at Portland, Oregon. Mr. Eickemeyer died September 3, 1895. By the terms of his will he placed the management of his large interests in the hands of his widow,
who is a lady well qualified for such an im- portant trust.
Politically, Mr. Eickemeyer was a stanch Republican in national affairs, but in local mat- ters he reserved the right to exercise his own judgment. He was no office-seeker, but took a deep interest in securing good men for the administration of city affairs. He served on the School Board, but held no other official position. He was a charter member of Bethel German Lutheran Church, and through life one of its most liberal supporters.
HARLES W. HITCHCOCK, attor- ney-at-law, at Bay City, occupying convenient offices in Shearer Broth- ers' office building, was born in Perry County, Ohio, in 1866, and is a son of Dr. S. A. Hitchcock.
Dr. S. A. Hitchcock is a practicing physi- cian at Elida, Ohio. His wife died when our subject was a small boy. Besides Charles W., there were one son and two daughters in the family, namely: F. A., manager of an oil company at Muncie, Ohio; Mrs. A. C. Pfeifer, of West Bay City, Michigan; and Mrs. W. F. John, of Elida, Ohio.
Mr. Hitchcock was reared and secured his literary education in his native State. He took a law course at Valparaiso, Indiana, and was admitted to the bar of that State in 1895. In October, 1896, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Michigan, and then located in West Bay City, entering into a law partnership, under the firm name of Wal- ton & Hitchcock. The partnership continued for two years, or until Mr. Walton was elected city controller, when Mr. Hitchcock moved to Bay City and established himself in his present
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quarters. His business is a general law prac- tice, including private interests and chancery cases and on numerous occasions he has ap- peared before the Supreme Court. For six years he was county commissioner of schools, his term of office expiring July 1, 1902. As an educator he made many friends for himself when he first came to Bay City, in 1886. For some years prior to taking up the study of the law, he taught in the county and also in the city. He has never lost his deep interest in edu- cational matters and has been more or less offi- cially connected with the public school system for a number of years, until professional duties claimed his entire attention.
Mr. Hitchcock married Alice M. Foster, of Rollin, Michigan, and they have two inter- esting little children,-Wright A., aged seven years, and Alice Dale, aged three years. The pleasant family home is located at No. 303 North Catherine street, West Bay City.
In politics, Mr. Hitchcock is identified with the Democratic party. Fraternally, he belongs to Wenona Lodge, No. 296, F. & A. M .; Othello Lodge, No. 116, Knights of Pythias; the Sons of Veterans: the I. O. F., and the Royal Arcanum. Mr. Hitchcock was reared in the Methodist Episcopal Church and attends that church.
EE E. JOSLYN, of Bay City, Michi- gan, has been so closely identified with the city's progress and well-being for the past decade, and has so worthily won his way to civic prominence and public esteem, that he stands forth as one of her truly representative men. Mr. Joslyn was born July 23, 1864, at Darien, Genesee County, New York, and is one of a family of eight children born to his parents, Willis B. and Amy R. (Foster) Joslyn.
The Joslyn family is an old one in New York, and one not unknown on the roster of the State's eminent men. Its branches have scattered and many of the more vigorous ones have included pioneers among their members, who have wrought and built along civilization's border. Going back to our subject's grand- father, in the branch in which we are particu- larly interested, we find Benjamin Joslyn tak- ing an active part in the War of 1812 and. upon his return, settling down in his native village and becoming the genial host of the local inn. Subsequently he became one of the early settlers of Bay County, Michigan, and his life closed at West Bay City at the age of 85 years.
Willis B. Joslyn, father of our subject, was born and reared in Genesee County, New York, and there married into another old and notable family, one which has many representatives in public life in the present day. Mr. Joslyn fol- lowed the business of contracting and building. His son Lee, who was the fifth member of the little family, was seven years of age. when the father was called to another State to pursue his avocation. The family spent two years at Alton, Mckean County, Pennsylvania, and then settled in Dryden township, Lapeer County, Michigan, where Mr. Joslyn contin- ued contracting until 1888. He then sought the more advantageous field offered for his business in West Bay City.
Our subject received his literary education in the Union School, at Dryden, Michigan, where he was most creditably graduated in 1881. Although but 17 years of age, his men- tal alertness was already marked and he was willingly welcomed as a pupil in law by Judge William W. Stickney, of Lapeer, Michigan. His rapid progress under this distinguished jurist elicited flattering commendation from his preceptor. On account of the necessity of
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earning the means with which to continue his law education, Mr. Joslyn was not able to give his undivided attention to "Coke" and "Black- stone," and therefore at intervals taught school at various places. For two years he served acceptably as the principal of the Otisville School and one year as principal of the First Ward School of West Bay City. He continued for several years to teach through the winter seasons, mainly through Lapeer and Oakland counties, and to devote his energies assiduously to the study of the law during the summers. His instructors, among whom were Judge George H. Durand, of Flint, Michigan, and Thomas A. E. Weadock, then of Bay City, now of Detroit, were all men of the highest legal ability. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1886, and at once engaged in practice at West Bay City, where his family was located.
Mr. Joslyn has always been versatile and, during the early days of his practice, when comparatively unknown, he was able to add materially to the rather uncertain income of a young lawyer by newspaper work. This caused his friends to wonder if journalism would not have proved as clear an avenue to success as the profession he had chosen. In March, 1888, he removed to Bay City and occu- pied an office in connection with United States Commissioner McMath. In the succeeding fall election, he was elected Circuit Court Com- missioner on the Democratic ticket, carrying the election by a majority of 1,320 votes. In 1890 he was reelected Circuit Court Commis- sioner and two years later was elected prosecut- ing attorney. He served with ability and en- ergy as city attorney of West Bay City from April, 1897 to 1901.
In April, 1891, Mr. Joslyn opened an office of his own in Bay City and in 1898 located in his present quarters in the Shearer Brothers' Block. As an attorney his rise to prominence
has been rapid but deserved. He handles prob- ably as large a private practice as any attorney in the county, is local attorney for the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway Company, and on April II, 1904, was appointed referee in bank- ruptcy by United States District Judge Swan, of Detroit, for the whole of Northern Michi- gan. Mr. Joslyn was the attorney for the plain- tiff in the celebrated case of Oscar W. Baker against the Pere Marquette Railroad Company, to recover about $6,000 damages for the loss of a limb in 1887 at the 11th street crossing in Bay City. Soon after the accident occurred, James H. Baker, father of Oscar W., brought suit as next friend against the Flint & Pere Marquette. Railroad to recover damages. The jury ver- dict in the Circuit Court was appealed and judgment was affirmed in the Supreme Court. Later the case in which our subject was more particularly interested was brought against the Pere Marquette Railroad Company by Oscar W. Baker, who claimed that he never received any part of the money secured on the original verdict, one-half having gone to attorneys for plaintiff as the fee agreed upon in the case, and the other half having gone to the plaintiff's. father without legal authority, for the reason that the latter, had never been made a legal guardian of his son and therefore was not en- titled to funds paid into his hands. This latter suit was intended to recover one-half of the total amount. The suit was lately won in the Circuit Court, the verdict being for something over $5,000. This suit is said to be practically without parallel and its progress was watched keenly by members of the legal profession.
In recalling his years of study and self- denial, it must be gratifying to Mr. Joslyn, as to any other successful worker, to note the. rewards of his industry. The bar of his State. recognizes in him one of its leading advocates ..
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He is a man of well-disciplined intellect, clear conceptions, thorough knowledge and enthusi- asm for his profession, one whose standards are high, and one whose personal ambi- tions are recognized as thoroughly honorable. Faithful to the Democratic party and loyal to his friends, he has given whole-hearted service in the offices of trust to which he has been elected. The future opens up many possibili- ties to this clear-headed, able man of mental strength and personal integrity. He is chair- man of the Democratic County Committee.
While Mr. Joslyn has thus been pushing his way to the front in his profession, he has found time for outside interests. Social by nature, in 1887 he became identified with the fraternal order of Foresters and in this body he has been honored on many occasions. In 1892 at Bay City he was elected high counselor at the meeting of the High Court. In 1893 at the meeting of the same advanced body, which took place at Saginaw, he was elected vice chief ranger. In the succeeding fall, he was appointed high chief ranger to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Frank Millis, who had filled the office, and he served in this high and responsible position until 1897. At the meeting at Port Huron, in this year, Mr. Joslyn declined an election and succeeded to the honorary title of past high chief ranger. At the meeting at Detroit, in 1898, he was elected to the office of high secretary, a position he continued to fill until 1901, when he de- clined a reelection. When the Supreme Court of the organization had its notable meeting at Chicago, in 1893, he was the accredited Michigan delegate as he also was to the Su- preme Court meeting which took place in 1895, in London, England. He was a member also of the committee on laws for the organi- zation.
In other leading fraternities, Mr. Joslyn is
scarcely less prominent. Having passed all the lower degrees in Masonry, he is a member of the Michigan Sovereign Consistory of the Scottish Rite, at Detroit. For four years he was chancellor commander of the Bay City Lodge, No. 23, Knights of Pythias, of which he is still a member, and for four years was a member of the Grand Lodge of that order. His other associations are with the Odd Fel- lows, Modern Woodmen of America, Elks and the Knigths of the Maccabees.
Mr. Joslyn has a pleasant home in Bay City and a delightful domestic circle. In 1893 he was married to Alice L. Wilson, who is a daughter of F. L. Wilson, and they have two sons,-Lee E., Jr., and Allan W.,-both of whom are being reared to take honorable places in life as American citizens.
During the whole period of his residence in Bay County, Mr. Joslyn has been noted for his championship of every movement designed to promote the public welfare and all his efforts have been directed to aid in the advancement of all social, educational and moral interests. In 1886 he was elected a member of the Bay County Board of School Examiners, and in 1887 he became the secretary of the board, a position he resigned September 26, 1887, on account of the press of other matters.
Mr. Joslyn was reared by pious parents in the faith of the Universalist Church and his whole religious life has been in consonance with the teachings of this faith. He has always taken an active part in church work and has been particularly successful in reaching the young. He was one of the organizers of the Young People's Christian Union of the Uni- versalist Church, a strong and vital body and has served as its president. In 1889 he was a delegate from that initial body to the Lynn, Massachusetts, convention of the Young Peo- ple's Christian Union, and was then elected
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