USA > Michigan > Bay County > History of Bay County, Michigan, and representative citizens > Part 70
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ISS MARY BARBARY APPOLD, who resides with her brother Fred- erick in Frankenlust township and is the owner of valuable land bor- dering on the Saginaw River in that township, not far from Bay City, is a lady who enjoys the respect and esteem of a very wide circle of friends and acquaintances. She belongs to a fine old family of this section and was the only daughter in the family of seven children born to her parents. John C. and Barbara ( Arnold) Appold. Miss Appold was born on her parents'
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farm in section 5, Frankenlust township, Jan- uary 26, 1859.
The parents of Miss Appold were both born in Germany, crossed the ocean in the same ship and were married in 1853 at Bay City. They became prominent and wealthy people in Bay County, through their own industry, economy and good management. The father took a lead- ing position in the township and served hon- orably in many of the public offices of trust and responsibility, and when, in the fullness of time, on April 9, 1903, he passed away, his memory was perpetuated through the influences of a life of Christian uprightness. The mother brought her children up carefully and well and her six sons and one daughter, reflect credit upon their rearing. She died December I, 1890. Their children were: Michael, of Frankenlust township; John Jacob, of Moni- tor township; Mary Barbara, of this sketch; George, of Williams township; Christian, of Frankenlust township; Frederick, of Franken- lust township; and Leonard, of Huron County.
Miss Appold remained with her aged par- ents until the close of their lives, giving them tender, filial care; in fact, she has not only been the daughter and sister of the family, but also the willing and capable nurse. For the last five years of her father's life, she lived in a new home built by him opposite the old homestead. Since his death she has lived with her brother Frederick. She owns considerable valuable property, including 10 acres, with home, in section 8, on Stone Island. and two other tracts. She attends to the operating of her farms personally and very successfully.
Since she was a babe five days old, a niece of Miss Appold, Johanna Appold, has had a home with our subject. Johanna was born June 14, 1898, and is a daughter of George Appold, who is a school teacher in Monitor township. The mother died at her birth as also
did a twin brother, but she has found a mother in her aunt.
Miss Appold is very highly valued in the German Lutheran Church in which she has taken an active interest all her life, and she is noted for her kind neighborliness and her estimable Christian character.
ILLIAM M. KELLEY, who is now serving in his third term as justice of the Police Court of Bay City, Michigan, has been a resident of this city for the past 40 years, during which period he has been thoroughly identified with its closest interests. Justice Kelley was born in Kings County, Ireland, February 28, 1831, and came to America in his 19th year.
Prior to locating permanently at Bay City, William M. Kelley followed the life of a sailor on the Great Lakes for the most of the period 1849-64, his place of residence being Buffalo, New York. Beginning as a wheelman, he con- tinued until he became master, and finally owner as well, of many of the stanchest vessels afloat on these waters. He was captain of his own tug for five years previous to settling at Bay City. After selling his interest in this ves- sel he engaged for five years in a grocery busi- ness and also kept an interest in various vessels until the fall of 1876, when he was elected county clerk on the Republican ticket. He served three terms notwithstanding the fact that the county was then largely Democratic. At one time he had the distinction of being the only Republican county officer elected. His service as county clerk closed December 31, 1882, and shortly after he was appointed deputy oil inspector, a position he filled for 15 months. During the succeeding three or four years he was employed in one or other of the county
J. MADISON JOHNSTON
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offices until his election to his present office, in which he is efficiently serving his 10th year.
Justice Kelley was married at Buffalo, New York, to Sarah A. Waite of that city, and they have four children : Georgiana, a kindergarten teacher in West Bay City; William, a lumber inspector at Menominee, Michigan ; Arthur, at home; and Genevieve, a student at the State Normal School at Ypsilanti.
Justice Kelley is very prominent in Ma- sonry. He is a member of Bay Lodge, No. 129, F. & A. M .; Blanchard Chapter, No. 59, R. A. M .; Bay City Commandery, Knights Templar, No. 26, in which he was high priest for three terms and has filled nearly all the offices ; and the Detroit Consistory. For years he has taken a very active part in fraternal affairs and is well and favorably known in this connection all over the State. In his re- ligious views he is an Episcopalian.
MADISON JOHNSTON, who has filled at different times the offices of county surveyor and surveyor of Bay City, came here from Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1853. He was born at Green Bay, Wisconsin, February 18, 1833, his parents being George and Phyllis ( McPherson) John- ston. George Johnston's brother William was the father of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, the noted Confederate leader.
The paternal grandfather of our subject was one of the last of the clan Johnston in Scotland, from which country he emigrated to America in colonial days, settling in Virginia. He was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and became a prosperous planter and slave- owner in Rockingham County.
George Johnston was born and reared on
his father's plantation in Rockingham County, Virginia. While still a young man, and prior to the War of 1812, he removed to Detroit, where he was married and his two oldest chil- dren were born. He was a captain of dragoons in our second war with England, and in the reports of the battle of Brownstone is men- tioned with praise. At the surrender of De- troit he was taken prisoner and carried to Fort George, Canada. Later he was exchanged, joined the army of General Harrison and took part in the battle of the Thames. He was ap- pointed sutler at the close of the war, and in 1819 was stationed at Fort Howard (Green Bay), situated in what is now Wisconsin, but was then included in the Territory of Michi- gan. Early in 1827 the Winnebagoes became hostile, and the murders and depredations com- mitted by them led the Secretary of War to order out the troops to arrest the murderers. There were but few soldiers at Fort Howard, and the commanding officer called upon the citizens for assistance and appointed George Johnston captain of the company which was formed. In 1818, when Brown County, Mich- igan (now Wisconsin), was formed, he be- came its first sheriff, and held the office until 1829.
The first action toward the organization of a lodge of Free Masons in the Northwest was taken on the 27th of December, 1823, at the house of George Johnston, at which time a petition was drafted. A dispensation was granted by the Grand Lodge, and on September 2, 1824, Menominee Lodge was organized at Fort Howard. He was captain of a band of Menominee Indians against Black Hawk and his allies in the Black Hawk War in 1832, and after its conclusion returned to Fort Howard. After resigning he became an Indian trader, buying and selling furs, and continued in that
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business until his death in 1850 at the age of 72 years.
George Johnston was a man of powerful build, six feet two inches tall, and weighed 220 pounds. He was fearless and much ad- mired by the Indians, having many friends among the Menominees, Winnebagoes and Pottawatomies, whose languages he spoke. He left much real estate which grew in value and placed his family in comfortable circumstances. Politically, he was a Jacksonian Democrat. His religious ties were with the Protestant Episcopal Church.
George Johnston married Phyllis McPher- son, who was born in Montreal, Canada. Her father, John McPherson, was a native of Mas- sachusetts. He began to follow the sea early in life, later became a navigator on the Great Lakes and was the first man to draw a chart of the Upper Lakes. He was a man of powerful physique and splendid address. His wife, our subject's mother, was reared in De- troit, to which city the Captain retired when his sailing days were over, and where she died in 1856, at the age of 70 years. She was a life- long member of the Roman Catholic Church.
J. Madison Johnston, the subject of this sketch, was the youngest of a family of eight sons and one daughter. One of his brothers, Thomas J. Johnston, was a general in the Con- federate Army, and after the war became a Catholic priest. Before his death he was made canon of the Diocese of San Antonio, Texas.
Our subject was reared at Green Bay, his educational opportunities being limited to three months of each year in the little log school house. At the age of 16, he began trading with the Indians, having by that time acquired con- siderable fluency in the language of the Me- nominees. His business grew until he became an extensive dealer in furs for those days. He was a fine shot, and his undaunted courage won
him the admiration of the Indians. These qualities, together with the Indians' supersti- tion regarding his father, combined to protect him from the many dangers to which he was exposed. His summer seasons were spent in the woods in the employ of the Government Survey, and it was in this way that he acquired a practical knowledge of the profession which he was ultimately to follow.
In 1853, Mr. Johnston came to Lower Sag- inaw (now Bay City) on the ill-fated steamer "Huron," which foundered on a rock at the mouth of the Saginaw River. The Captain and our subject came up to the city in a small boat and that night they stopped at the hotel kept by John Barclay. At that time Bay City boasted only one board sidewalk, and of this the citizens were very proud.
At that time there was very little surveying to be done in this region, and Mr. Johnston clerked for one year in the general store of his cousin, James Watson, one of the earliest mer- chants in Lower Saginaw. With the savings he had accumulated he then purchased a ves- sel which he named the "King Fisher." and embarked in the business of fishing. This ven- ture proved profitable, and he was soon able to have a fleet of boats built to engage in fish- ing in Saginaw Bay and Thunder Bay. His fishing operations were carried on during the fall and spring seasons and, commencing in 1855, his summers were employed in surveying until the outbreak of the war. Since 1861 his entire time has been given to the practice of his profession. Mr. Johnston was elected county surveyor in 1864 and served in that office until 1868. By that time his personal practice had grown to such proportions that he felt it necessary to decline the office to which he had been reelected. In 1873. however, he was prevailed upon to accept the office of city surveyor of Bay City, the duties of which he
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discharged most efficiently until 1881, when he was succeeded by Capt. George Turner.
In 1883, Mr. Johnston made a trip to Hon- duras, Central America, to engage in prospect- ing and placer mining on the Polia River. He was thus engaged as president of the Bay City Mining Company. But although he found some gold, he had not the facilities for mining it, and returned to Bay City the following summer. Since that time he has devoted him- self exclusively to civil engineering, and is the oldest man in that profession here. Previous to 1853, our subject and his brother John located the first mail route between Escanaba and Marquette, Michigan. This route was marked by "blazed" trees and was used for many years.
In 1858, Mr. Johnston married Hannah Reid, a daughter of Wilbur Reid, of Paines- ville, Ohio. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church. She died in 1869, leav- ing five children, of whom two are now living : Carrie E., wife of A. G. Parker, of Minneapo- lis, Minnesota ; and Belle A., who resides with her sister.
On December 25, 1890, our subject mar- ried Martha Edgerton, who was born at Eagle, Clinton County, Michigan, and is a daughter of H. M. and Rebecca ( Kilbourn ) Stark, early settlers of that locality. Her mother was a native of New York State, but for many years was a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. Mrs. John- ston was one of a family of nine children, and received her early education in West Bay City. She taught the first school in the Pinconning school house, beginning with 30 Indian and four white pupils. At that time she was only 17 years old. This second union of our sub- ject has been blessed with two children: J. Madison. Jr. : and Edgerton Stark. Mrs. John- ston is an active member of the Universalist congregation. while in his religious views Mr.
Johnston is an Agnostic. While never a seeker for political preferment for himself, he is an active Democrat, and has done good service on ward and city committees. His portrait accom- panies this sketch.
e HARLES C. UNDERWOOD. After one has lived for 20 years on a farm which he has cleared up from a wilderness, it naturally possesses great value, and especially so when it is well- situated, well-improved and very productive. This is the case with the 40-acre farm owned by the subject of this sketch, which is located in section 36, Portsmouth township. Mr. Under- wood has always lived in Bay County and was born in Hampton township, January 13, 1859. He is a son of Jesse Underwood, who was born in England, January 9, 1823.
Jesse Underwood came to America with his wife in 1857. She was then the mother of five children. The family settled on 40 acres of land, located on the Center avenue road in Hampton township, which Mr. Underwood cleared and upon which he made many im- provements. There he died on November 7, 1903, and his wife on November 26, 1897, aged 77 years. The eight children of the fam- ily were: Clara (Mrs. Gracey), of Ports- mouth township; Henry, of Portsmouth town- ship; Jennett (Mrs. Miller), who died in California : Selena (Mrs. Cassedy), of Grand Rapids, Michigan: Abner, who was acciden- tally killed in Hampton township, at the age of. 27 years : Charles C., of this sketch ; Albert, of Portsmouth township : and Ira, who lives on the old homestead in Hampton township.
As noted above. our subject has done all the improving on his farm and has devoted it to general farming, market-gardening and fruit-
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growing. He is one of the practical agricul- turists of this section, thoroughly understands his business and has made a success of farming.
On November 1, 1882, Mr. Underwood was married to Mary Whalen, who was born in Bay City, on September 19, 1865, and is a daughter of Alva and Rosella (Young) Whalen, the former of whom was born in New York and the latter in Michigan. They have a family of four daughters who have been af- forded excellent educational opportunities : Alice M., wife of William E. Collins, of Bay City; and Mary Jennett, Maggie Ann and Agnes E., who reside at home. Mrs. Under- wood and her daughters are valued members of the Baptist Church.
Politically Mr. Underwood has always af- filiated with the Republican party. He is a member of two fraternal bodies, the Maccabees and the Gleaners.
L UCIEN S. COMAN, deceased, was for many years engaged in the wholesale and retail drug trade at Bay City and took rank among the foremost busi- ness men of the county. He was born at Mor- risville, New York, and was a son of Smith and Louise (Bickwell) Coman, his maternal grandfather being Major Bickwell.
Lucien S. Coman received his educational training in the public schools of Morrisville, New York, and from his boyhood days was identified with the drug business. At the age of 19 years, he came West to Bay City, Michi- gan, to manage a drug-store, and later, started in business for himself. He was a man of great energy and enterprise and made a suc- cess of his venture from the first. He gave en- couragement to all worthy young clerks he employed. Many of these young men, becom-
ing imbued with his principles and business methods, went forth into the world and now own stores of their own, some of them having stores in Bay City. Mr. Coman's success was such as to warrant him in extending the field of his energies and he established a wholesale and retail drug-store, which he conducted until his death in 1887. After his death, his widow continued the business for two and a half years, employing a manager. Mr. Coman was united in marriage with Mrs. Helen F. Clark, nee Barclay, and their home life approached the ideal.
Helen F. Barclay was born in Detroit, Michigan, and is a daughter of Hon. Jonathan Smith and Sarah Ann (Sweeney) Barclay, her father having been a prominent man of Bay City in its early days and for many years thereafter. She received a good education, and is a woman of culture and refinement. Her first marriage was with Harry J. Clark, who was the first cashier of the First National Bank of Bay City, and they had one daughter, Grace Barclay Clark, who now resides with her mother. After the death of Mr. Clark, Mrs. Clark was married to Mr. Coman. To this union two children were born, namely : Harri- son L., who is at home; and Marian Louise, wife of Harry B. Phelps, of Detroit. Mr. Coman was a Royal Arch Mason and Knight Templar. Mrs. Coman has been regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and was the first president and founder of the Bay City Woman's Club, which had its inception in her parlors. She moves in the best circles of the city and is identified with its literary clubs and societies, being a very able writer. Her memory of the happenings in the early days of Bay County is remarkably fresh and she has at times written articles for newspapers and the D. .. R. Mrs. Coman has been an extensive traveler
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at home and abroad, having visited all foreign lands. She is a fluent speaker of the German language, which has proved of great conveni- ence in her travels. She had the pleasure of seeing the palace of Frederick the Great, of Germany, and as there were royal functions at the time of her visit she saw the Empress with her body-guard and many of the royalty of Europe.
ILLIAM E. MAGILL, M. D., physi- cian and surgeon and also city treasurer of West Bay City, Michi- gan, was born at Port Stanley, Ontario, November 3, 1847, and is a son of Alexander and Sarah (McInnis) Magill.
The father of Dr. Magill was born at the village of Whitern, near Glasgow, Scotland, in 1788 and died in Canada in 1849, aged 61 years. He emigrated to Canada in 1834, be- ing among the early pioneers in Ontario, where he secured a large holding of land and followed agricultural operations all his remaining years. In Scotland he married Sarah McInnis, who was a daughter of Henry McInnis, and they had II children born to them, those who reached maturity being : Henry and John, now deceased : Alexander, a practicing physician at Midland, Michigan; Elizabeth, who married William Glover and lives on the old homestead at Port Stanley; Mary, who married Samuel Mason, of London, Ontario; Sarah, of Chi- cago; William E., of this sketch; and Bessie, of Chicago. For generations the family has belonged to the Presbyterian Church.
William McGill was primarily educated in the public schools and then read medicine and prepared for higher study under the preceptor- ship of Dr. James McLaughlin, of Fingall, On- tario, and subsequently entered the Western Reserve Medical College at Cleveland, Ohio,
where he was graduated in 1870. He located at West Bay City and has continued here ever since with the exception of the years 1876 and 1877, which he spent in post-graduate work at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City, receiving his medical degree from that great school in 1877.
Dr. Magill is a very intelligent, progressive citizen and has always taken an active interest in public affairs. Originally a Greenbacker, he was twice elected mayor on this ticket, serving in 1881 and 1882, and in the fall of the latter year was elected county treasurer on the same ticket and held the office for two years, and in 1886 was re-elected and held office until 1890. During Governor Winans' administration, Dr. Magill was appointed insurance commissioner for Michigan, an office he filled acceptably for two years. In April, 1903, he was elected treasurer of West Bay City. His public serv- ices have always been of such a character as to command the confidence of the public, irre- spective of party ties.
Dr. Magill married Adeline Keefer, who is a daughter of Abram Keefer, a prominent citi- zen of Lawrence, Kansas, and they have had four children, viz .: Arthur K., who died aged 14 years; Walter A., of West Bay City; Don- ald A. and Frances Sarah. The family belong to the Presbyterian Church.
Fraternally, Dr. Magill has been prominent in a number of the leading organizations. He is a member of Wenona Lodge, F. & A. M., Blanchard Chapter R. A. M., and Bay City Commandery K. T .; and the Sovereign Con- sistory, S. P. R. S., and Moslem Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., at Detroit; for 31 years he has been a member of Wenona Lodge, I. O. O. F., of which he is past grand; for 27 years has been a member of the Royal Arcanum and a charter member of Wenona Council, No. 38. He is also a member of the Knights of the
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Loyal Guard and of the Independent Order of Foresters. Dr. Magill is a very prominent citizen and is known professionally far beyond the confines of West Bay City.
ICHAEL J. ARNOLD, whose fine farm of 200 acres is situated in section 10, Monitor township, was born December 6, 1861, in Frank- enmuth township, Saginaw county, and is a son of John M. and Barbara (List) Arnold.
John M. Arnold, the father of our subject, was born October 20, 1820, in Hosstetten Kloster, Heilsbronn, Mittelfranken, Bavaria, Germany, while his wife was born in the neigh- boring town of Rosstall Cadolzburg, in Mittel- franken, Bavaria, Germany, April 1, 1825. Both left the fatherland on the 7th day of April, 1847, and on June 12th of that year arrived in Frankenmuth township, Saginaw County, Michigan. After, living there about 18 years, they sold the farm and left for Bay County, April 17, 1865, arriving at Stone Island the next day. Mr. Arnold erected a sawmill, which he continued to operate until he sold it June 27, 1867. He then purchased 180 acres of land in section 36, Monitor township, on which farm he died February 8, 1878. The subject of this sketch has one brother and four sisters in Michigan, namely : Adam J., who owns a farm in Monitor township; Mary, who is the widow of George Staudacher, of Kawkawlin town- ship; Rose, the wife of Fred Staudacher ; Bar- bara, who is the wife of Fred Lowessell; and Mary. The three last mentioned are residents of Salzburg, Bay County.
Michael J. Arnold attended the district school of the neighborhood and assisted on his father's farm until he started out for himself, about 1887. At that time he purchased his pres-
ent farm of 200 acres, only four acres of which had been cleared. At the present time, 120 acres are under cultivation, the remainder of the farm being in pasture and brush land. Mr. Arnold has made many substantial improve- ments on the property and has just completed a fine residence of 18 rooms, which contains all the comforts and conveniences of a city home. The polished oak trimmings, which give the interior such an artistic finish, came from timber that was cut on his estate.
Mr. Arnold was married first, in 1890, to Annie Swatz, who was a daughter of Christian Swatz. Mrs. Arnold at her death left one daughter, Emma R., born January 3, 1892, who resides at home. On January 27, 1895, Mr. Arnold was married to Mrs. Mary Kraenz- lein, the widow of Henry Kraenzlein, whose death was caused by fatal injuries received from being run over by a railroad train, his death occurring two weeks after the accident. Mrs. Arnold has two children by her first marriage,-John M. and Katie M. Kraenzlein. Our subject and his wife have one daughter, Laura B. Arnold, born June 3, 1896.
Mrs. Arnold was born December 16, 1865, in Mittelfranken, Bavaria, Germany, and is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Oeder. Mr. Oeder was a carpenter in Bavaria, Germany, before coming to this country, at which time Mrs. Arnold was three years of age, and there- fore does not recall many events of the long six weeks' voyage on the ocean. Mr. and Mrs. Oeder first lived in Bay City, afterward oper- ated a farm in Bangor township, which they later sold and moved to Standish, Michigan. where they live at the present time. There were seven children in their family as follows: Fred, of Bangor township : Michael, who resides with his father at Standish; Margaret B., wife of John P. Ittner, of Beaver township: Barbara. wife of George Gerhauser, of Frankenlust
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