USA > Michigan > Bay County > History of Bay County, Michigan, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 69
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SOLOMON S. RANDALL was born in Albany County, N. Y., in 1813; remained in that state until 1865, when he came to Bay City; lived there until 1880; carried on tobacco business part of the time, where he was known by the sobriquet of "Old Dad." He bought land on Section Four.
MARION A. RANDALL was born in Schoharie County, N. Y., in 1844. His father moved to Orange County in 1861, where Marion volunteered, at the age of seventeen, in Co. H, 24th N. Y. Volunteer Infantry; for two years served under McClellan and McDowell. In January, 1863, re-enlisted in the 9th N. Y. Heavy Artillery, and served to the close of the war, under Sherman and Grant, in the 6th Army Corps; was with Grant through the "Wilderness," to the time of Lee's surrender; honorably discharged October 10, 1865; was in various engagements, but received no wounds. He came to Bay City at the close of 1865, and remained until 1875, when he bought a farm in Section Fifteen; has now twenty-three acres improved, comfortable buildings, and young orchard. He married Miss Eliza Tyrrell, of Bay City; birthplace England; has five sons and three daughters, all living. Mr. Randall is comfort- ably situated, and will rank in future with the representative farm- ers of Nortl: Williams.
HENRY W. HOPLER was born in Independence, Oakland Co., Mich., in 1842, November 21. He lived there until seven years old, and in 1861 came with his father and bought land on Section Ten, where they now live. His mother died in 1864. His father, Mr. John Hopler, is still living with him at the age of seventy-nine, having been born in New Jersey in 1804. Mr. Hopler has forty acres of his farm under a good condition of cultivation, good barns, orchard, comfortable residence, etc. Mr. Hopler is unmarried, otherwise performing the duties of life commendably. Has served for years as a member of the School Board, and enjoys the respect and esteem of his neighbors. He is a great favorite with the young people and has a large influence among them, which he uses in the way of stimulating a desire for an education, and many of the young boys in the vicinity are indebted to him for advantages of school which otherwise they would not have had. He enlisted in the Union Army, under Capt. H. S. Raymond, Company F, Twenty-third Michigan Infantry, in August, 1862. at Bay City, and was engaged in several battles. He was present at the surrender of Johnston to Gen. Sherman, at Raleigh, N. C., and was at Wash- ington at the grand review.
AUGUSTUS HORN was born in Germany, in 1846, and lived at his native place until eight years old. He came to America, landed in New York, settled in Raymond, Ontario, remained there six years and came to St. Clair, Michigan. In 1862 he enlisted in the Union Army, Company E, Twenty-second Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and served to the close of war. At the battle of Chicka-
G
244
HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
mauga he received a gun shot wound, directly beneath the collar bone, chipping it slightly, passed through the upper part of the right lung and lodged beneath the shoulder blade, where it still re- mains. At the close of the war he came to Bay City and engaged in mill labor, and followed it mostly for ten years. In 1866 he bought land on Section Fifteen and made some improvements; sold it in 1872 and bought on Section Three, where he now resides. He has thirty acres improved, comfortable buildings, and a thrifty young orchard. He married in 1869, Miss Emma Gregory, of Bay City, by whom he has had six children, five of whom, three sons and two daughters, are now living.
DAVID JONES was born in South Wales, England, 1811. He remained in England until 1829, when he came to America. He landed in New York and settled in Rochester, N. Y. He remained in that county seventeen years, thence to the township of Williams, and purchased land on Section Three. Subsequently he bought land on Section Two where he now lives. He moved directly upon the land after purchasing and commenced improvements. He has 130 acres under cultivation, large frame house, good barns, etc. He married in England, in 1835, Miss Rachael Morgan. Has had ten children, five sons and five daughters, seven of whom, four sons and three daughters, are living. Mr. Jones was the fifth settler in the north part of the town, and shared the usual vicissi- tudes of pioneer life, but is now surrounded by all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. His son, Mr. Philip H. Jones, born in Riga, N. Y., 1846, now having charge of the homestead, was married in 1876, to Miss Maria Winfield, of West Bay City, by whom he has had two children, a son and a daughter; both living. Mrs. Philip Jones was elected township superintendent of schools in the Spring of 1880, one other lady in the county sharing a like honor. Mrs. Jones filled the office with satisfaction to the town- ship and credit to herself, refusing a re-nomination the ensuing year.
HIRAM B. BECKER was born in Painesville, Ohio, in 1840. He commenced sailing when twelve years of age with a brother, mak- ing regular trips with the sail vessel "Emory Fletcher," of Cleve- land, between Saginaw River and Cleveland, carrying lumber. He became mate under his brother in 1863; was master of the "J. C. Hill," running between the same ports, for two seasons, and the follow- ing two years sailed the "Colorado," loading with supplies up and lumber down. During the season of 1863 he brought the brick for the Thomas Watkins house, corner of Center and Washington Streets, Bay City, which was the first brick structure in Bay City, and in 1865, the stone for the Fraser House. During the same year he purchased a farm on Section Eleven and commenced im- provements, and erected the first frame dwelling in the north part of the township. Mr. Becker has been steadily improving his farm though engaged a part of the time in the lumber and timber business. He has forty acres of improvements, comfortable build- ings and excellent orchard. He married Miss Lucy Hardy, a native of Painesville, Ohio, then living in Bay City, in 1865. He has had three children-two sons and one daughter, only one son of whom is now living.
JAMES H. SOPER was born in Dutchess County, N. Y., in 1819. At the age of fourteen his father moved to Ulster County, having bought a farm there. He continued to work on the farm, having charge of it after his father's death, in 1846, until 1866, when he came to the town of Williams, and purchased a farm on Section Thirty-four, and commenced improving it at once. He has about forty acres under cultivation, good buildings and fine orchard, being now after years of hard work and close economy, very comfortably situated. He was married in 1847 to Miss Penelope Oakley. He has had ten children, of whom seven, four sons and three daughters are now living.
JAMES GALLAGHER Was born in Donegal, Ireland, in 1825. He remained in Ireland until the age of thirty-five, when he came to America, landed in Philadelphia, but soon came to Fort Gratiot, Mich., and for two years followed the business of boiler making; thence to Oakland County, rented land and farmed for two years, when he came to Bay County and purchased a farm on Section Thirty-five, in 1863. The next year he commenced improvements and settled thereon. He has now fifty acres of improvement, good dwelling, barn, etc., and thrifty orchard.
He married, at the age of thirty-seven, Miss Mary Toomay, of Irish birth, then a resident of Detroit. He has had four children, three of whom, one son and two daughters, are now living.
ALBERT H. BECKER was born in Painesville, Ohio, in 1845. He lived there until the age of twenty-six. Married Miss Jeanette McAdams, native of same place, in 1864. He came to Williams in 1869, bought land on Section Three, built a house and com- menced improvements. He sold it in 1871 and bought on Section Sixteen. In 1874 he sold it and bought eighty acres on Section Nine, with slight improvements, where he has since lived. He has forty acres under cultivation, good barns, out-buildings and orchards. He is about to commence the erection of a new dwell- ing. Besides working his farm he has followed lumbering in Winters. In early life he commenced sailing at the age of ten years, was second mate at seventeen; at twenty, captain of a vessel. He continued sailing some, after coming to Michigan. He has two sons, aged eighteen and sixteen; excellent boys, a credit to their parents, and fitted to become good citizens of their native town. Mrs. Becker is the true type of the pioneer woman and much credit is due to her for the self-sacrificing spirit and perse- verance under difficulties that she has always evinced. In her home, truly a Martha, devoted to its best interests.
WILLIAM DINGMAN was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., January 9, 1829. At the age of four years he went with his parents to Fairport, Ohio, where they remained four years. In 1837 they moved to Detroit, Mich. At the age of ten years he sailed as cook on the schooner "Blackhawk," commanded by Capt. William Hayes. At the age of eighteen he was captain of the schooner "Isaac B. Rust," sailing her two seasons. He was one season second mate under Capt. Barse. He sailed six years as mate of the brig "Matilda Taylor," under Capt. James Taylor. Then for two years he was employed at millwright work. He then went to Buffalo and bought a tug for E. L. Stod- dard, of Canada, and sailed her five years as master. He then sailed the steam barge "Illinois," as captain. Bringing her to Bay City he engaged in the millwright business, which he has followed for several years. He has been engineer in the chemical works ever since they were started. His life has been a successful one. He has a farm in the town of Williams, where his family, consist- ing of a wife and five children, resides.
ARENAC AND BANGOR.
Arenac was the first township organized after the organization of Bay County. It was erected by the Board of Supervisors in February, 1859, and in March following, Bangor and Portsmouth were erected. The affairs of Portsmouth being so intimately con- nected with those of Merritt, we give the history of those two townships together. Previous to the organization of Arenac, the county Board had but two members, one of whom was chairman, while the other member conducted the deliberations of the body comprised in himself.
The township of Arenac was erected in February, 1859, when
245
HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
the Board of Supervisors, at a meeting held February 5, 1859, adopted the following resolution:
It is resolved by the Board of Supervisors of the county of Bay, that all that portion of Bay County lying in townships, Town Seventeen north, of Range Three east, Town Eighteen north, of Range Three east, Town Nineteen north, of Range Three east, Town Twenty north, of Range Three east, also Town Seven- teen north, of Range Four east, Town Eighteen north, of Range Four east, Town Nineteen north, of Range Four east, Town Twenty North, of Range Four east, also fractional Township Eighteen north, of Range Five east, Town Nineteen north, of * Range Five east, Town Twenty north, of Range Five east, also Town Nineteen north, of Range Six east, Town Twenty north, of Range Six east, also fractional Town Nineteen north, of Range Seven east, and Town Twenty north, of Range Seven east, being territory heretofore attached by said Board of Supervisors to the township of Hampton, be, and the same is hereby set off from the residue of said township, in a separate township by the name of Arenac, and the first election for township officers in said town- ship shall be held at the house now occupied by Daniel Williams in said township, on the first Monday in April next, and Daniel Williams, N. W. Lillibridge and Daniel Shaw are hereby appointed to comprise the board of inspectors at said election.
Peter Marksman was elected the first supervisor but he re- signed, and M. D. Bourasso was appointed to fill the vacancy.
Arenac of the present time comprises Town Nineteen north, of Range Five east, and a portion of Town Nineteen north, of Range Six east. It is bounded north by Mason and Au Gres, east by Au Gres, south by Saginaw Bay and Standish, and west by Deep River. The Rifle River, an important lumbering stream, flows through the township from northwest to southeast. The Saginaw and Au Sable state road also passes through the township.
OMER VILLAGE.
We find a paragraph descriptive of Omer in December, 1873, as follows:
Omer, formerly known as Rifle River Mills, is situated on Rifle River, six and a half miles northeast from Standish, and is at present composed of one saw, grist and flouring mill, with wood turning and planing works attached, one store, general assortment, one hotel, one 30x40 schoolhouse, being erected, one saloon, two blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, and some ten residences. The town was platted one year ago, and being situated as it is, on the crossing of the Air Line Road and the Rifle River, in the heart of a fine lumber district, and the soil in the vicinity being good, gives promise of becoming a flourishing village.
The place started with a saw mill about 1866, at which time Mr. George Carscallen and George L. Gorie located at this point and built a saw mill, the Rifle River being an attractive lumbering region, and at the point selected by Mr. Carscallen was a magnifi- cent water power. The following sketches of Mr. Carscallen and Mr. Gorie are interesting in connection with the early history of the place : .
GEORGE L. GORIE, mill owner, was born in the Orkney Islands, in Scotland, August 31, 1836. He came to Canada in 1861 and to Detroit in 1862. He settled in Omer in 1866, and with Mr. George Carscallen opened the large lumbering and flouring enterprise in which they are still engaged.
He was married to Miss Margaret Muir, of Scotland, in 1870. She died in February, 1873. He was married, April 12, 1876, to
Miss Catharine Burt, of Canada. He has had five children, Mary, now deceased, Margaret, Irvine, Mary and George.
Mr. Gorie has been justice of the peace two years, and is serving his fourth term as highway commissioner, and takes pride in the improvement of the highways of his township.
GEORGE CARSCALLEN, farmer and mill owner, was born in Hastings, Ontario, November 29, 1828. He went to Oswego in 1850, end engaged mostly in the manufacture of sash and blinds. He returned to Canada in 1859 and came to Bay City January 22, 1863. Here he spent some three years in millwright work. He left there for Omer, August 17, 1866, and at once commenced the erection of his saw mill. It has a capacity for sawing some 25,- 000 feet of lumber per day. Next in order was the erection of the flouring mill. The building is 24x52 feet, two stories high, and has ground 117 bushels of wheat in a day. Its average work is about 290 bushels of wheat in twenty-four hours, and of feed, fifty bushels per hour. This enterprise is conducted by the firm of Gorie & Carscallen. There is at this point one of the finest water powers in our state, inviting the attention of other capitalists who may desire large returns from mechanical investments. Mr. C. was married to Miss Ann Gorie, of Scotland, February 7, 1877. They have three sons, George F., Thomas W., aad Charles Wesley. Mrs. C. resided three months in Omer, without seeing any woman whatever. The first one she saw was one who was going through to a shanty to serve as cook. It was nearly two years before any ladies came there to reside. One lady, hired by Mrs. C., was married to Mr. C.'s brother. She obtained another from Scotland and her brother married this one, and several others have married wives from their employment since then. Mr. C. has, beside the mill enterprises, 280 acres of farming land in Arenac, with about sixty cleared, stumped and under fine cultivation, and with an ex- cellent dwelling and other buildings. Mr. C. kept the first store in Omer, named the place, has served two terms as justice of the peace, is school director, and has been postmaster ever since the origin of the office.
The postoffice was established in 1872, and the first postmaster was George Carscallen. The present postmaster is J. H. Belknap, a prominent merchant of the place.
JOSEPH H. BELKNAP, merchant, was born in Macomb County, Mich., September 18, 1854. He resided there until eighteen years of age, then came to Standish, Bay Co., and engaged in teaching school for one year, afterward taught for a year at Omer, and then engaged in mercantile business with Mr. F. E. Carscallen, of Omer. After three years he purchased his partner's interest, and for the last three years has conducted the entire business with pleasing and increasing success, dealing in dry goods, groceries and general merchandise. He was married August 23, 1880, to Miss Mary Collins, of Omer. Mr. Belknap has served as township clerk ever since he settled in Omer.
There are the saw and grist mill of Gorie & Carscallen, two general stores by George Miller and J. H. Belknap, hardware store of W. L. Gorrie, drug store of W. R. Clouston, schoolhouse and the usual village shops.
There is no church building in the village but the Methodist Episcopal Society hold services in the schoolhouse. Rev. A. E. Kemp is pastor.
When the name of the place was changed from Rifle River Mills it was designed to call it "Homer," but there being another postoffice by that name in the state, and in order to comply with the requirements and still preserve as much as possible of a favorite title, the "H" was dropped and Omer retained.
The situation of Omer is particularly favorable. It commands
7
246
HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
a wide sweep of country, and as lumbering diminishes, agricultural interests are developed.
WILLIAM L. GORRIE, wheelwright and hardware merchant, was born in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, October 30, 1839. He began . sailing when sixteen years of age, and followed the sea seventeen years, sailing around the world several times. He was captain ten years. He came to the United States about fourteen years ago, and spent some six years in Detroit. Six or seven years since, he came to Omer and engaged in the mechanical and mercantile enterprises which he is still conducting. He was married to Miss Catharine Ann Clouston, also of the Orkneys, August 13, 1867. Their living children are Catharine A., Aggie, Maggie, Rosa, Minnie, Ransom W., Belle and Magnus Christopher. Mr. G. has beside the hardware store, wagon and blacksmith shop and other village property, forty acres of land in Section Sixteen, in Arenac. He has been school superintendent, and is now serving as justice of the peace.
WILLIAM R. CLOUSTON, merchant, was born in Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland, June 21, 1844. He came to America in 1873. He spent about a year in Boston, and in 1874 came to Vassar, Mich., and was for eighteen months engaged in jewelry business. Afterward he lived some four years in Port Hope, following the same employment. He then again visited his home in Scotland, and returning came to Omer in November, 1880, erected a store build- ing, and has since then conducted a store of general merchandise, drugs and medicines. He has also eighty acres of land in Section Fifteen, which he expects to prepare for agriculture, but at present he devotes his time closely to the business already in hand.
ARENAC VILLAGE.
Is situated south of the center of the township. The place was started about 1865, and the saw mills of Capt. J. P. Phillips and John Lentz are located near here, There are two stores and a schoolhouse, but no important interests.
ALEXANDER C. MUNRO, merchant, was born in Hamilton, Ontario, June 21, 1846. He has resided in Bay City eleven years, and seven years in Arenac. He was married to Miss Ruth B. Moore, of Kirtland, Ohio, February 28, 1874. They have one daughter, Ina Bay, born July 5, 1876. Mr. M. is engaged in con- ducting a store of dry goods, groceries, and general merchandise in Arenac, on the state road. He also has 240 acres of timbered land, valuable both for timber and for agriculture. When he first came to Bay City there was only one brick residence and one brick store, and there were just a few houses in West Bay City, and Arenac had a few settlers. He records with great satisfaction the rapid growth of the settlement and wealth in the entire Saginaw Valley.
PERSONAL SKETCHES.
HORACE DECKER was born in Oswego County, N. Y. He came to Michigan in 1866 and went into the farming business, in the township of Arenac. He is a justice of the peace now, (1882) having held the office for six years, and also school inspector. He served as supervisor from 1867 until 1875. In 1882 he was re- elected supervisor. He married Matilda B. Avery, of Chenango County, N. Y., in 1839. They have had two children, both grown up, married, and with families.
G. LANGDON was born in Flushing, Genesee Co., Mich., De- cember 2, 1850, and came to Bay City in 1865. After eleven years residence in the city he purchased a farm at Pine River, Arenac
Township, Bay County, and commenced farming. He also carries on the grocery business on his farm premises, and deals quite ex- tensively in lumber. He was married in 1875 to Mary A. Williams, of Oswego, N. Y., and has one child.
JOHN, BAIKIE, carpenter, was born in Stromness, Orkney Is- lands, Scotland, Sept. 21, 1836. He came to America in 1866. He lived in Detroit two years, and came to Arenac fourteen years ago. He was married to Miss Betsy Gorrie, also of Stromness, July 4, 1858, Their living children are John T., George W., James P., Eleanor and David C. They have over eighty acres of land with a pleasant dwelling and rising home improvements.
ANDREW KENT, lumberman, was born in Scotland, Sept. 22, 1849. He came to Arenac in March, 1868, and has been engaged chiefly in lumbering since that time, in the firm of Norn & Kent. Their mill, located in Sterling, has been running some seven or eight years, and can cut some thirty-five thousand feet of lumber per day. They purchased it in December, 1881. They have in this county over nine hundred acres of pine and farming lands, and-are at pres- ent conducting an extensive and increasing business in the lumber- ing enterprise.
LUMAN S. HARRIS, farmer, was born in Lapeer Co., Mich., Oct. 26, 1837. He left there when eighteen years old, and resided in Shiawassee County until Oct. 8, 1861, when he enlisted in the 10th Michigan Infantry, Company A. He served his country nntil Dec. 22, 1862, when he was honorably discharged because of dis- ability from injury received near Pittsburgh Landing. He was mar- ried to Miss Frances Brown, of Shiawassee County, Aug. 6, 1864. Their living children are Franklin A., Eva A., George A., Lillie E., Herbert H., and an infant daughter. They settled in Arenac on Section Nineteen in May, 1867. They have forty acres of fertile land, with thirty-two under cultivation. They have a comfortable dwelling and pleasant surroundings for themselves and family.
JAMES S. HAZEN, superintendent of Rifle Boom, was born in Norfolk Co., Ontario, Nov. 25, 1843. He came to Saginaw when eighteen years of age and spent one year. He then came to Bay County, where he has resided ever since. He has been in the em- ploy of the Boom Company for fourteen years. He has been fore- man four years and superintendent the last two years. He was married to Miss Mary McDonald, of Au Gres, March 29, 1881. In Summer they employ from eighty to one hundred men in work of the Boom company, with whom he is engaged.
The township of Arenac has superior advantages of soil and location, and offers desirable opportunities for farming.
The population of the township, according to the government census of 1880, was 578.
TAXES FOR 1882.
Contingent fund .
.$ 500 00
Highway and bridges, } of 1 per cent.
1881 432 75
Statute labor, do do
444 00
School District No. 1 ) Teachers' wages .. 200 00
do
do ( Contingent.
14 95
do School District No. 2 ) Teachers' wages. do Contingent.
94 00
do do
1 Contingent. 15 00
School District No. 4 )
Teachers' wages.
275 00
do do Contingent fund .
125 00
do
do Furniture ...
75 00
School District No. 5 ) Teachers' wages.
200 00
do
do S Contingent fund .
50 00
BANGOR.
At a meeting of the Board of Supervisors held at the office of S. S. Campbell, March 22, 1859, the following resolution in relation
225 00
School District No. 3 ) Teachers' wages. 100 00
C
HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY.
247
to the organization of the town of Bangor was adopted by said Board, to-wit:
WHEREAS, application having been made to the Board of Super- visors of the county of Bay, by petition of eighteen freeholders, living in that part of the township of Hampton which lies north and west of Saginaw River, and fifteen freeholders living in that part of the township of Hampton which lies east of the Saginaw River, to or- ganize said territory north and west of said Saginaw River, compris- ing Town Fourteen, north of Range Four east, all of Town Fourteen north of Range Five east, lying west of Saginaw River, and fractional Town Fifteen north of Range Four and Five east, and fractional Town Sixteen north of Range Four and Five east, into a new township, a notice in writing signed by not less than twelve freeholders having been posted according to the statute in such cases made and pro- vided; Therefore,
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