USA > Michigan > Bay County > History of Bay County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 67
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J. R. HALL is a native of Maine, where he was born in 1830. He remained in the state until 1860, when he moved to Salem, Col- umbiana Co., Ohio. In the Fall of 1870, he came to Essexville and the following Spring built a shingle mill, which at the present time cuts 51,500,000 annually. In connection with his shingle mill, in 1875, he added machinery and facilities for manufacturing salt on a large scale, the product reaching 58,000 barrels in ten and one-half months, ending December 1, 1882. In 1876 he made Essexville his permanent home, and in 1879 built his present residence, in the de- sign of which he has shown extremely good taste.
FRED. E. HALL, son of J. R. Hall, of Essexville, was born in Maine, in 1853. In 1860 he went to Ohio where he remained until 1871. He then moved to Bay City, and engaged in lumbering and salt with his father until 1880, when he opened a general store in Essexville. The business has been successful. and he is now build- ing a fine brick store, which will be occupied by him in April. The building is situated on the corner of Main St., and Woodside Ave.
Mr. Hall married Miss Mary E. Webster, of Detroit. They have one daughter living and one dead.
ALEXANDER C. RORISON came to the Saginaw Valley in 1867, and in company with his father, built a saw mill on the Middle Ground, in South Bay City, then Portsmouth. In 1869 he enlarged the mill, and Abram Miller became a partner, the name of the firm being Rorison, Miller & Co. In 1871 A. C. Rorison sold his inter- est to H. Richards. The mill is owned at present by E. J. Har- grave. Mr. Rorison then built a saw mill at Deep River in Bay County, and sold that to A. Stevens & Co. In 1880, in company with George Lanford, he built a shingle mill at Essexville, town of Hampton, the firm being Rorison & Lanford. They still continue the business there.
GEORGE LANFORD was born in the state of Ohio, in 1844. In 1846 he came with his parents to Grand Rapids, Mich. In 1851 he went to Grand Haven, then to White Lake, in Muskegon County, and in 1869 came to Bay City, where he engaged in the lumber business in company with A. C. Rorison. The firm have a mill at Essexville, in the subur ,s of Bay City, with a capacity of 14.000,- 000 per annum. Mr. Lanford was married in 1865 to Mary E. Finch, of Muskegon.
ANTHONY WALRAVEN was born in Holland and came to the United States in 1855. Lived for some time in Cleveland, Ohio, coming to Bay City in 1858. In 1870 he built a hotel in Essexville, which he kept until 1881, and then sold it. He is now engaged in farming in the township of Hampton. He also keeps a restau- rant and saloon in the village of Essexville. Has been married twice and has a family of four children.
GEORGE M. HALL is a native of Brunswick, Maine. Came to Michigan in 1869. First located at Midland, where he was in the employ of J. R. Hall, shingle maker, for three years. He removed to Hampton in 1872, to become superintendent of Mr. Hall's shingle mill there, which is the largest in this part of Michigan. Was married in 1879, to Charlotte J. Pix, of Middlesex Co., Onta- rio. They have one child, a boy.
AMOS FELKER was born in Wentworth County, Ontario, in 1831. In 1860 came to Bay City and engaged in business as a mill-wright. Has assisted in building some of the mills on the Saginaw river. In Essexville he built a shingle mill which he run for three years in company with a Mr. Smith. In 1831 he sold out his interest, and has since been working at his trade. Is at present with C. E. Lewis. Mr. Felker still resides in Essexville.
JOHN W. CUPIT was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1850. Came to the United States in 1871. Was for three years chief clerk and assistant cashier in the Detroit offices of the Great Western Railway. In the Spring of 1875 he left the employ of the Railway Co., to take the position of clerk of the propeller "Benton," which used to ply between Bay City and Cleveland. He remained in that position for three seasons, and then became business man- ager and bookkeeper for J. R. Hall, the well known shingle and salt manufacturer of Essexville, in the township of Hampton. He was married in 1877, to Alice L. Hall, of Essexville. They have one child, a boy.
THOMAS ATWELL was born in Ireland, March 29, 1844. In 1848 moved with his parents to Merrickville, Canada, and was there nine years. While there, attended school. In 1857 moved to Bothwell, in the oil regions of Canada, and while there learned the blacksmith's trade. In 1868 moved to Bay City, and engaged in the blacksmith business, which he has followed ever since. In 1882 he engaged with J. R. Hall, of Essexville, to do his black- smith work for his mills and salt blocks. He has been successful since coming to the valley. He was married August 2, 1877, to Lorinda Rikerd, of Tuscola County, and has two children.
JOSEPH PAULIN DECOURVAL was born January 22, 1832, at Three Rivers, Quebec, Canada. Came to Bay City in 1866, where he remained three years, In 1869 he removed to Essexville in the township of Hampton. For a number of years he followed the lumber piling business, doing that job for Carrier & Co. Was afterward in the mercantile trade, and also run a shingle mill in 1875-76. Hehas held the office of township treasurer for two years, and was a justice of the peace for six years. Is married, and has a family of four children-one son and three daughters.
WILLIAM C. WEBSTER was born in Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio. Enlisted in August, 1861, in the 11th Ohio, and served for three years, the term of his enlistment. In 1876 came to Bay County, since which time he has been employed in J. R. Hall's
HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
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shingle mill as a saw filer. Married Mary E. Geer, of Kansas City, Mo., in 1865. They have a family of three children.
CALVIN H. WALRATH is a native of Jefferson County, N. Y. Came to Michigan in 1869. Lived in Kalamazoo till 1875. Returned east to Watertown, N. Y., and was in the live stock busi- ness for two years. From 1877 to 1878 was bookkeeper for the oar factory at South Bay City. 1878 to 1879 was engineer in Fray & Merrill's grist mill. In 1879 became bookkeeper at Carrier & Co.'s saw mill, in the township of Hampton. where he is at pres-
nix; school inspector, John H. Sharp; superintendent of schools, Ralph Pratt; justice, full term, Philo B. Root; highway commis- sioner, Wm. Maxson; constables, Dennis Brunett, H. Van Wort, N. Culler, James Wynne.
There is a large Holland settlement in the township, started twenty years ago, but the largest addition to its numbers was made about 1873.
There are four schoolhouses in the township, all of which are well filled with pupils.
Imported Cow, ROSA BONHEUR, and Calf.
Milk Record, in Two-year-old Form, 13,411 Ibs, 4 oz.
Property of WM. WESTOVER.
ent (1882). Was married to Miss Ada Truax, of Watertown, N. Y., in 1879. They have two children.
JOHN B. GARBER, engineer for J. R. Hall, a native of Pennsyl- vania, was born in 1838. In 1868 he came to Michigan, stopping a short time in Pine Run, and Midland. In 1872 he engaged with Mr. Hall. He has lately purchased a farm in Hampton township of fifty-one acres, most of which he has cleared himself. Married Mary M. Collar. They have six boys and one girl.
JAMES BEEBE was born in Genesee County, N. Y., in 1828. In 1838 he moved with his parents to Oakland County, Mich., their only conveyance being a horse. At night they would camp by the roadside. They remained in Oakland County until 1884, when they moved to Saginaw City, then to Thunder Bay. In 1851 he came to Bay City, engaged in the business of looking land for lum- bering, which he still continues. He was married in 1851 to Ange- line Foot, of Bridgeport, Mich.
TOWNSHIP OFFICERS FOR 1883.
Supervisor, N. Knight; clerk, Wm. Felker; treasurer, G. Ven-
Hampton is regarded as the banner township of the county. It contains many exceptionally fine farms, among which are those of Nathan Knight, Gerardus Vennix, Wm. Maxson, L. H. Fisk, John Jones, Amos Bailey, and Henry Rooiakers. The stock farm of William Westover, is in Hampton. He has a very fine herd of Holstein cattle, one of which is represented on this page of the his- tory. Gustin & Merrill, wholesale grocers in Bay City, have each excellent farms in the township.
TAXES FOR 1882.
Contingent fund $ 400 00
Highway and bridge fund. 2,000 00
Statute labor fund. 1,687 00
School district, No. 1 345 00
Fractional school district No. 2, of Portsmouth, their
proportion of . 400 00
School district No. 3
2,500 00
School district No. 4. 175 00
School district No. 5 485 00
Fractional school district No. 3, of Merritt and Hampton, their proportion of
270 00
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HISTORY
OF BAY COUNTY.
Fractional school district No. 5, of Portsmouth, their proportion of.
250 00
Amount to be spread ou township for highway and sani- tary purposes on George Young ditch. 482 40 Amount to be spread on township for highway and sani- tary purposes on Merrill ditch 165 75
BIOGRAPHICAL.
EDWIN R. PHILLIPS was born in Monroe County, Mich., April 3, 1835. In 1837 with his parents he moved to Oakland County, and was there until 1870. During that time was engaged in the produce business. He brought his produce to Bay City in a wagon, as there was no railroad at that time, and the roads were very bad in those days. In 1870 he moved to Bay City and engaged in the agricultural business, selling mowing and threshing machines. Was agent for B. F. Dow & Co., sixteen years, selling mowers and reapers. In 1873 he engaged in the dairy business, which he still follows with good success. Keeps fifty milch cows beside other stock. He has imported stock from The Hague, Holland. Since 1878 he has been engaged in the lumber business. He gets out on an average, three million of shingles yearly. Is living on the McGraw farm, one and one-half miles east of Bay City, in Hampton town- ship. Was married December 23, 1862 to Miss M. E. Draper, of Oakland County.
G. W. BUTTERFIELD is a native of Michigan. He was born at Utica, Macomb County, in 1843, where he remained until nineteen years of age. On the breaking out of the late civil war he enlisted in Company B, 22d Michigan Infantry, Col. Wisner's regiment, August 7, 1862. In November of the same year, was transferred to the signal corps, where he served in all the principal campaigns of the West under different Generals, among whom were Generals Rosecrans, Thomas, Grant and Sherman, including the campaign of Atlanta and the Carolinas; also Sherman's famous march to the sea. He was present at the surrender of Johnston in 1865, May. 23 took part in the Grand Review at Washington, and on July 10, 1865, at St. Louis received an honorable discharge. He then returned to Michigan and settled at Lapeer, where he remained until 1869; then wishing to try his luck elsewhere, went to Kansas, where he resided until 1874, when he returned to Michigan, and in the Spring of 1875 settled in Hampton, where he engaged in the dairy business, supplying milk for city use. Married in 1866 to Miss Amanda E. Hicks, of Lapeer, Mich. Has three children, J. H., Katie M., and Ira W.
TRUMAN RUNDEL was born in Penfield, Monroe Co., N. Y., and came to Michigan in 1860, locating in Tuscola County where he lived about three years. He enlisted in 1864, and was a member of Company H, Michigan, Twenty-third Infantry. Was wounded at the battle of Nashville, aud remained in hospital for nearly a year. On his return to Michigan he took up his residence at Bay City, where he lived until 1879, when he bought a farm in the township of Hampton, and now prides himself upon raising potatoes that "take a yard stick to measure them." He was married in 1851 to Clarissa J. Crippen, of Penfield, Monroe Co., N. Y. Their family of children consists of "two pair," which he says will beat any "three of their kind." During Mr. Rundel's earlier days he twice circumnavigated the globe, and was for seven years a gold digger in California. During his residence in Tuscola County he served a term as justice of the peace.
ANDREW J. WALTON was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, in 1829. He came to Michigan in 1873 and settled in Bay City. Previous to coming to Michigan he was the sheriff of Geauga County, Ohio, from 1866 to 1869. He was married in 1855 to Caroline Griswold, of Geauga County, Ohio. They have two chil- dren, boys; one of whom, Clifford S., is now in his second year as
cadet at West Point, where, in a class of 103, he stands No. 3. The other son, Frank G., is a member of the well known Knight Templar band, of Bay City. Mr. Walton in 1879 was appointed keeper of the Bay County poor farm, which is situated in Hampton Township, and the farm and poor house under his management, are very favorably spoken of.
J. J. RICHARDSON was born in Lunenburgh County, Va., Novem- ber 24, 1836, and at eleven years of age moved with his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained seven years, then moved to Detroit and was there and at Lansing till February, 1855, when he came to East Saginaw and two years later to Bay City, where he remained till 1870, when he purchased a farm in the township of Hampton, which he has since occupied and improved. He was married October 18, 1859 to Mary M. Duclos, a native of Green Bay, Wis. They have had two children, one of whom is dead.
GEORGE PARKER is a native of Ohio, where he was born, July 3, 1844. In 1862 he enlisted in the Seventh Cavalry, under Gen. Gerard, as a private, but served on the General's staff as an aid, ranking as second lieutenant. He served two years and ten months, and was wounded at Blue Springs, Tenn., and Crab Orchard, Ky. In April, 1868, he came to the Saginaw Valley, and since 1871 has been employed as engineer in Carrier & Co's mill, Essexville. He was married to Sarah J. Kenedy, and they have five children.
E. E. FISK was born in Cass County, Mich., November 26, 1855, and in 1866, with his parents, came to the township of Hamp- ton, Bay County, where his father purchased land and engaged in farming and raising small fruits, which he continued until 1880, when he sold out and with his family went to Kansas where he died the same year.
The subject of this sketch then returned to Bay County and settled on Section Fourteen in the township of Hampton, where he has since resided, and engaged in gardening and raising small fruits. He was married, July 4, 1876, to Miss Minnie A. Smith, of Hamp- ton, and has one child.
JAMES McGILL was born at Amherstburg, Ontario, September 18, 1825. Shortly afterward he removed to Cattaraugus County, N. Y. He came to Detroit, Mich., in 1849, and to Bay City in 1862. He engaged in the carpenter business and built the new Baptist Church, corner of Madison and Center Streets, in 1873. He then removed to his farm in Wisner Township, Tuscola County, re- turning to Bay City in 1881 to recommence business. He resides just out side of the city limits upon a small farm, upon which he has a comfortable residence.
CHARLES WINTEMEYER was born in Germany, January 8, 1830. In 1850 he came to Bay City and engaged in different saw mills until 1859, when he purchased a farm in the town of Hampton where he still resides. He was married in November, 1859, to Anna Blesloa, of Germany.
JOHN WAIT was born in Buffalo, N. Y., August 30, 1850. In 1860 he moved to Saginaw, Mich. In 1862 he came to Bay City, remaining here until 1881, when he took a trip to Saginaw in search of his child which was stolen from him. After finding her he re- turned to Bay City, remaining here ever since. Mr. Wait is at present engaged in boring and repairing salt wells. He resides with his little daughter at Essexville, in the town of Hampton.
JOHN B. DEMARS was born in St. Johns, New Montreal, Can - ada, June 25, 1844. In 1862 he moved to Hartford, Conn; then to Springfield; then to Chicopee, Mass. In 1864 he was employed by the Government in a harness shop and remained there six months, and then moved to Cohoes, N. Y. In 1865 he enlisted in the One hundred and forty-second Regiment, Company K, where he remained until the close of the war, when he received his dis-
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HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
charge and returned to Troy, N. Y. In 1867 he moved to Detroit, Mich., remained there until 1873, when he came to Bay City and engaged in the carpenter and joiner's trade which he still continues. He was married to Emily Lemprent, of Rouses Point, N. Y.
HORACE P. WARFIELD was born in Bradford County, Pa., April 14, 1843. In 1846 he moved with his parents to Wayne County, Pa., remained there until 1861 when he enlisted in Company C, Sixty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry as private, and was promoted to lieutenant, remained until the close of the war, then returned home and engaged in the lumber business. In 1866 he came to Bay City and engaged with H. W. Sage & Co., in the saw mill. In 1877 he engaged with J. R. Hall, of Essexville, as manager of the salt works, which position he still retains. He was married Janu- ary 2, 1872, to Olive M. Rounds, of West Bay City.
JOSEPH SHEIMER was born in Germany in 1826, and followed farming there until 1855 when he emigrated to America. After a year's residence in Marine City, Mich., he moved to Bay City where he obtained employment in one of the mills. Within two years he purchased land in Hampton Township. He married Elizabeth Riejl, also a native of Germany. They have one son.
GILBERT BOUTELL was born in Livingston County, Mich., in 18 4, and came to Bay City in 1869. He followed sailing until June, 1880, having raised himself to the position of master. He then bought a small farm in Hampton Township, where he now resides engaged in gardening. He married Susie A. Primo, a native of Canada. They have two daughters.
CORNELIUS HUSKENS was born in Holland in 1831, and came to America in June, 1855, stopping first in Lower Saginaw where he worked at odd jobs and at fishing, in partnership with his brothers, till the Fall of 1881, when he removed to the township of Hamp- ton and engaged in market gardening, having purchased land for the purpose, and has built thereon a neat, comfortable residence. He married Mary Van Wort in Bay City, who came from Holland in 1837. They have four children.
LEGRAND H. FISK was born at Girard, Erie Co., Penn. His father removed with his family to Michigan in 1837, where they settled in Calhoun County. Since then Mr. Fisk has lived in Jack- son and Gratiot Counties. In 1866 he bought a farm in the town- ship of Hampton, and has been engaged in farming up to the present. He was married first in 1858. After the death of his first wife he was married to Callista D. Kimmerley in 1878. Miss Kimmerley was a nati e of Grey County, Ontario.
WILLIAM MAXSON was born in Orleans, Jefferson Co., N. Y. His parents removed to Michigan in 1846, where they bought land and engaged in farming. Mr. Maxson is also a farmer, and lives in Hampton, Bay Co. He enlisted in the Tenth Michigan Cavalry in the early part of the war and served until the close. He has been a highway commissioner for twelve years, school commissioner, six years, and is now acting as one of the superintendents of poor for Bay County. He was married to Mary J. Woods, of Akron, Ohio, in 1859. They have had a family of seven children, five of whom are now living.
JOHN JONES is a native of West Virginia, where he was born, in 1830. In 1856 moved to Pittsburgh, Pa., and in 1857 removed to Michigan, and for two years following passed his time in Detroit and Chicago, and in 1859 came to Bay City, on the "Sam Ward," and worked for Judge Birney on a farm where now stands the High School building. He afterward .engaged in draying, and market gardening on Eighth Street, where he continued till 1869, when he came to the township of Hampton and engaged in farming and raising small fruits; married Miss Clifford Harris, of Royal Oak, Oakland County, Mich., in 1860. They have had four children, of whom two are dead. Mr. Jones can look back to the first years of
his residence in Bay County and note many changes which have taken place. Having cut the timber from the grounds now occu- pied by the High School, and having been the first to engage in market gardening in Bay County, he feels that he was in fact one of the pioneers
JESSE UNDERWOOD, a native of England, was born in 1823. Was married to Mary Collings in 1845. In 1857 they removed to Bay City, Mich., where they remained until 1861. Mr. Underwood at that time purchased some wild land in what is now the township of Hampton, and is now the possessor of a fine farm of nearly eighty acres. They have a family of eight children, five of whom are sons.
JOSEPH ZIERMEYER was born in Germany, in 1809, and came to Bay County in 1852. He was a resident of Bay City for sixteen years. He then purchased and cleared a farm, about three miles from the city. He died in 1872, leaving a wife and five children, Martin and Frank, who live on the farm with their mother and John N., clothier, and John B., brewer, in Bay City. One son, Joseph, has been a sailor on the lakes for twenty-four years, and lives in Buffalo.
PETER VANERP was born in Holland, September 11, 1837, remaining there sixteen years, during which time he learned the jewelry trade. He then moved to Detroit and engaged with Fred- erick Lingman, where he remained one year, and George Schuyler, where he remained until 1857, when he came to Bay City, and was engaged in different occupations. He purchased a farm in the town of Hampton, where he moved with his family, remaining there ever since.
MERTON A. SMITH was born in Geauga County, Ohio, in 1859, and moved to Bay County with his parents in 1871. Soon there- after his father, Cyrus A. Smith, purchased land near Essexville, where he resided up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1879. In addition to the homestead, Merton A. has bought some adjoining land, and has engaged in market gardening on quite an extensive scale, and will, without doubt, receive the reward his industry merits. He married Emma E. Brownson. They have one child.
FRANK VEREYCKEN was born in Belgium in 1839. Came to Michigan in 1859, and after spending a year in Detroit he settled in Bay City. In 1865 he purchased land near the city, and for twelve years was engaged in gardening. In 1877 he moved to his farm in the township of Hampton, where he now lives. Married Philo- mena Cup, also of Belgium. They have six children.
WILLIAMS TOWNSHIP.
The town of Williams was organized by the Midland Board in 1855, and comprised Towns Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, north, Range Three east, and all of Arenac County. Charles Bradford was the first Supervisor of the township. Upon the organization of Bay County, in 1857, Williams and Hampton were under full town- ship organization. These two are the pioneer and banner town . ships of the county. The first supervisor from Williams to the Bay County Board was Geo. W. Smock.
Williams has contributed of its territory to the formation of other townships, until now it is reduced to an area of six miles square, bounded on the north by Beaver, east by Monitor, south and west by county line.
The pioneer farmers in Bay County settled in Williams, laid the foundation of its prosperity as well as their own, and most of them are still living upon their original purchases, enjoying the fruits of their hardships and labors.
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240
HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
In the Fall of 1854, before the township of Williams was organ- ized, a party of gentlemen, consisting of Charles Bradford, John Gaffney, William Spofford, Charles Fitch, George W. Smock, and Lyman Brainard, visited this region on a tour of observation. They found an uninhabited wilderness, the nearest attempt at civilization being at Lower Saginaw, which was just beginning to show signs of life. The land evidently pleased them, as they proceeded to Flint, in October, and purchased the land upon which they shortly after- ward settled. Of these men, Messrs. Bradford and Gaffney remain upon their original purchases. The others are living in other local- ities, or dead.
In that same month, William W. Skelton, A. J. Willse, and Amos Culver also purchased land, Mr. Skelton locating in North Williams. Messrs. Culver and Willse are still living upon their farms. Mr. Skelton died in the Winter of 1883, as related further along.
In January, 1855, Frederick G. Shaw and Joseph Dell, now of Monitor, purchased land and settled upon it.
In 1855, Samuel Rowden, David Jones, Josiah Perry, and John Plant, came into North Williams. Messrs. Rowden, Perry, and Jones remain. John Plant died in 1866, and his family are still living at the homestead. John C. Rowden, a brother of Samuel Rowden, came into the township a boy, about this time, and after- ward purchased land. The Buck family also located here soon after the year above given.
There were several first settlers in Williams, but a precise cal- culation would place Mr. John Gaffney a little in advance of the others, as he was the first to stay upon his land and strike a blow, and awake the echo of civilization.
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