History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 76

Author: D.W. Ensign & Co. pub; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Johnson, Crisfield
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, D. W. Ensign & Co.
Number of Pages: 821

USA > Michigan > Van Buren County > History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 76
USA > Michigan > Berrien County > History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 76

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The theory generally accepted was that strong southeast and southwest currents crossed each other at the scene of disaster, and by their suddenly-combined force had leveled every obstacle with the ground.

So great was the power of the tornado that the bed upon which Mrs. Robinson's children had been sleeping was car- ried half a mile, and lodged in a swamp; a length of stove- pipe was carried from Mr. Robinson's house to a place three miles distant ; great trees were blown down, peach-trees were stripped of their bark, fences were scattered far and wide over the fields, twenty of Mr. Robinson's hens were killed (many of which had their feathers blown off as complete as if picked by hand, while some were actually disemboweled), and to cap the climax grains of wheat were blown from Robinson's house into an old stump, where they were found as deeply imbedded as if shot into it from a gun.

Altogether. this was a memorable incident in the lives of those who witnessed it, and to some of them at least the shock was so severe that to this day the recurrence of a wind-storm occasions extraordinary terror.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

ROBERT CASSIDAY.

We have had occasion to mention the subject of this sketch several times in connection with the early history of this township and Berrien County. Thinking that his many friends might be pleased with an account of his per- sonal career, we give a brief sketch of his life.

Robert Cassiday came to this State from Northern Ohio as early as the fall of 1829 ; spent that winter in St. Joseph County, where the village of Constantine now stands, and manufactured from a bowlder the first pair of millstones that ever ground wheat or corn in St. Joseph County. Subse- quently, in the year 1832, moved to Berrien County, and in the year 1834 he married Sabrina Park, of Geauga Co., Ohio, and settled in Niles, where he continued to reside until 1854, when he moved to his present farm, where he has since lived.

Mr. Cassiday is one of the few men who has seen a half century pass since first coming to the State of Michigan, and one of the very few living, of whom there will soon be none, who came into Western Michigan before 1830. The remembrance of a people prosperous and enjoying a high state of civilization is due to those who bore the burden and toil of its early settlement.

GEORGE C. HARTMAN.

This gentleman, the second in a family of four children, was born in Lyons, Wayne Co., N. Y., July 6, 1822. His father was a native of New York, and his mother of Con- necticut. At the age of twenty-two he left home and spent a number of years in traveling throughout the United States, remaining four winters in New Orleans, and finally stopping in Brooklyn, N. Y., where he met Miss Kate F. Farmer, who became his wife on the 23d of August, 1851. Her father was a native of New Jersey, and her mother of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Hartman became the parents of six children, of whom five are now living. In the fall of 1851, Mr. Hartman visited Michigan, and in 1854 located in the township of Pipestone. In 1860 he occupied his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which was then covered with heavy timber, and he has since cleared one hundred and seventy acres, being now the owner of a finely-improved farm and a pleasant home. In politics he is a Republican, but not in any sense an office-seeker. He was reared a Presbyterian, but neither he nor his wife belong to any religious body. Their four sons are living at home, and their daughter is married, and living in the town of Sodus. The work of clearing up a farm is always at- tended with extreme labor and many hardships, even though the adjoining region may be thickly settled, and Mr. and Mrs. Hartman are, in this sense at least, true pioneers.

MRS.R. CASSIDAY.

: ROBERT. CASSIDAY.

RESIDENCE OF ROBERT CASSIDAY, PIPESTONE TP., BERRIEN CO., MICH.

RES. OF MRS. SARAH WELLS.

N. C. PRESTON.

MRS.N.C. PRESTON.

AMASA . PRESTON.

RESIDENCE OF THE LATE NORMAN C. PRESTON, PRESENT RES. OF MILTON PRESTON, PIPESTONE TP. BERRIEN CO., MICH.,1 879.

301

TOWNSHIP OF PIPESTONE.

JOSIAH GANO.

This gentleman was the eldest in a family of six chil- dren, and was born May 22, 1827, in Paris, Ohio. His father, John Gano, removed at an early day from Virginia to Ohio, and in the latter State became acquainted with and married Jane Kelsey. Josiah Gano lived with his father

JOSIAH GANO.

tained one hundred and sixty acres, and was in the midst of the heavy timber, the nearest road being one mile dis- tant. Mr. Gano worked zealously to clear and improve his farm, and his labors were crowned with most gratifying success. He died April 15, 1875, and Mrs. Gano and her children have since managed the affairs of the farm. Mr. Gano was possessed of a good common-school education.

MRS. JOSIAH GANO.

until he was twenty-three years of age, when he was mar- ried to Miss Margaret Calvin, daughter of Robert and Mar- garet Calvin; their union being consummated July 3, 1850. Their children, six in number,-two sons and four daugh- ters,-are all living. After his marriage Mr. Gano worked his father's farm about four years, and in 1854 removed, with his family, to Michigan, settling in Pipestone town- ship, Berrien Co. The place on which he located con-

In politics he was a Republican, but always respectfully declined to accept office. His religious views were of a liberal nature. Mr. Gano at one time suffered the loss of his buildings by fire, and met various other losses, but at his death left his family in comfortable circumstances. His loss was sincerely and deeply mourned, and a loving wife awaits the summons of the death-angel, when she shall join him in a better land.

AMASA AND NORMAN C. PRESTON.

Amasa Preston, father of Norman C. Preston, was born in Connecticut, Dec. 2, 1788. When he was ten years of age he moved, with his parents, to the then western wilds of Ohio, settling in Portage County, and remained with his parents until his marriage, April 25, 1811, to Electa Johnson, a native of Massachusetts. He raised a family of six daughters and two sons,-Aliso and Norman C., the latter (the youngest son) being born in Portage County, Aug. 25, 1814. In 1838 the family removed to Van Wert Co., Ohio, where Norman entered one hundred and sixty acres of wild land, which he cleared and improved, and there he made his home for ten years.

Sept. 10, 1846, Norman Preston married Mrs. Sarah Cook, who was a native of Richland Co., Ohio, born Sept. 25, 1829, but at the time of her marriage a resident of Van Wert County.

In the fall of 1848, accompanied by his parents and two sisters, he removed to Berrien County, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in the township of Pipe- stone, upon which, with his father, he lived until his death, which occurred July 31, 1862. He was universally be-

loved and respected. His widow and three children (Zo- etta, Milton, and Artlissa) survive. In his will Mr. Pres- ton made provision for the care of his aged father and mother while they lived. His mother died April 26, 1863, and his father married Mrs. Sarah Allen, March 13, 1864. The latter, notwithstanding she was sixty-five years of age, was as active as a girl of twenty years; she celebrated her eightieth birthday in September, 1879, at the home of Mrs. Sarah Wells. Her husband, the father of Norman C., died April 2, 1873, at the advanced age of eighty-four years. 'He was a devoted Christian, and a member of the church for over sixty years.

Mrs. Norman C. Preston married, Sept. 13, 1863, Wash- ington P. Wells. They resided on the estate until her son attained his majority, when they moved on to a small place which they had purchased, and which was formerly a part of the homestead. The fruit of this union was two chil- dren, Asa W. and Sarah E. Wells. Mr. Wells' death oc- curred Aug. 31, 1876. Mrs. Wells is still living in her home, enjoying the society of her children, and of many kind and endeared friends.

Milton Wells is living upon the old homestead, which he

302

HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

is improving and beautifying. On the 29th of October, 1879, he was married to Miss Alice Trowbridge, an esti- mable young lady of the same township.

THOMAS EVANS

was born in Wales, March 5, 1828, and was the sixth in a family of twelve children. His father, John Evans, emi- grated, with his family, to the United States in 1838, and settled in Portage Co., Ohio, where he remained until his death, in March, 1849, his occupation having been that of a farmer. Thomas Evans remained at home with his mother, working on the farm, thrashing and at various other employments, until April, 1852, when he went to California. His stay in the new El Dorado was of short duration, however, and in October, 1853, he returned to Ohio. Jan. 25, 1854, he was married to Miss Margaret, daughter of David and Elizabeth Jones, who were also natives of Wales. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Evans are four in number : Allie E., born Nov. 29, 1856 ; Charles D., born Jan. 21, 1859; Henry J., born March 10, 1860, died Aug. 16, 1871; Frank F., born Oct. 16, 1863. In November, 1854, Mr. Evans and his wife came to Michi- gan, and after paying his bills at Berrien he had eighteen dollars left. The journey from Berrien to Sodus, eight miles, was performed on foot. In July, 1855, Mr. Evans purchased eighty acres of land, on which he now resides, and paid for it mostly by chopping cord-wood. He has since made an additional purchase of two hundred and twenty acres, and is now a successful and enterprising farmer. His early advantages for obtaining an education were limited, and after coming to this country he attended school but very little. Mr. Evans voted for two Demo- cratic Presidents, but has since been a staunch Republican, and during the great civil war maintained his position by volunteering and serving in Company I, 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. In 1867, Mr. and Mrs. Evans joined and have since been members of the United Brethren Church.

WILLIAM RIDENOUR.

This gentleman was born in the State of Ohio, May 18, 1830, and was the sixth of a family of seven children, the offspring of Jacob and Lettie (Brown) Ridenour. Jacob Ridenour was a native of Maryland, and at an early age re- moved to Ohio with his father, who was a German by birth. The wife of the latter was born in Virginia, in 1795, that being also the native State of her father. Her mother, who was a native of Kentucky, survived to the great age of one hundred and four years. The parents of William Ridenour are still living, at an advanced age. In the fall of 1832 they removed to Michigan, and located near the Crystal Springs in Cass County. When William had reached his sixteenth year he made his first purchase of land, including forty acres in Cass County, paying for the same at the rate of two dollars and fifty cents per acre, and laboring by the month in order to earn money to meet the payments. His life away from home was, therefore, begun as a farm-hand for wages usual at the time. By industry, perseverance, and economy he at length was in possession of a well-im-

proved though small farm. In 1854 he disposed of it, and purchased that on which he now resides, a view of which is inserted in this work. In this same year (1854) he was married to Miss Brown, who bore him two children. They, with their mother, were all buried by the stricken husband and father during the year 1861. In June, 1862, Mr. Ridenour was married to Mary, daughter of Henry and Lodema Shaul, who were natives of New York, but re- moved to Michigan when their daughter was but seven years of age. This union has been blessed with one child, a son, Henry, born May 27, 1863. The advantages for obtaining an education were limited in Mr. Ridenour's case, as the back woods schools were hardly up to the standard of those of the present day. His religious views are of a lib- eral nature, and in politics he is a Republican.

MRS. MARY (PATTISON) BURTON.

This estimable lady was born in Leicestershire, England, Jan. 3, 1815, and was the youngest in a family of three children. Her mother died about 1818, in England, and

MRS. MARY (PATTISON) BURTON.

her father emigrated with his children to America in the same year, settling at Philadelphia. For five or six years the daughter lived with a family in Washington. On the 23d of January, 1833, she was married to James Burton, who was also a native of England, and who had come to America in 1827, and settled in Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Burton became the parents of five sons and four daughters, and five of the number are now living. After living in different localities for several years, Mr. Burton settled, with his family, in the township of Pipestone, Ber- rien Co., Mich., on what is now the Burton homestead, where his death occurred, Sept. 13, 1854.

A farm of eighty acres was left to his widow and seven children. Mr. Burton was acknowledged to be an honest, industrious man, a good manager, a worthy citizen, and a

TOWNSHIP OF PIPESTONE.

303

generous and true friend. Mrs. Burton died in 1878, and her loss was mourned by a large circle of friends. Her presence at the bedside of the sick was a comfort; her benevolence was bounded only by her means. William and Edward Burton, sons of the above, cause this biogra- phy and the accompanying portrait to be inserted in this . volume. William served three years during the war as a sergeant in the 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. These gentlemen are both Republicans. Their father never took an active part in politics.

MILES DAVIS,

the seventh child in a family of nine,-five sons and four daughters,-was born Sept. 12, 1830, in Cambria Co., Pa. His parents were natives of Wales, and emigrated to America early in the present century. They were married in Penn- sylvania, Feb. 8, 1816, and removed to Ohio in 1844. In 1848 they settled in Pipestone township, Berrien Co., Mich., where Mrs. Davis died the same year, and where Mr. Davis died, March 20, 1879. Miles Davis remained at home until after the death of his mother, when he took up his abode with his brother, and continued to live with him until March 22, 1856, when he was married to Miss Phoebe Fisher, daughter of Ambrose and Mary Fisher. Their children are L. L. Davis, born May 10, 1857, died March 25, 1858; Effie A. Davis, born March 16, 1859; William B. Davis, born Jan. 24, 1862. In 1854, Mr. Davis purchased eighty acres of land, included in his pres- ent home on section 34, and has since become the owner of one hundred and sixty acres on section 35. His school days were not of long continuance. He attended district school about three months in the year, and assisted in his father's farm-work the balance of the time, until the death of his mother. He is an industrious and successful farmer, and can view with conscious pride the present happy home, the outcome of years of toil. Among his townsmen he is prominent and respected, and has been placed by them in numerous offices,-treasurer, town clerk, etc .- and is now serving his second term as supervisor. In politics he is Democratic. Both he and his wife have been members of the Christian or Disciples' Church since 1864.

The parents of Mrs. Davis were natives of Portage Co., Ohio, and were married Aug. 25, 1830. In 1845 they moved to Michigan. They were the parents of ten chil- dren,-five sons and five daughters. Mrs. Davis, the oldest daughter, was born May 5, 1838. Her father, who was born Nov. 13, 1813, died Sept. 12, 1853; her mother was born May 11, 1812, and is now making her home among her children, of whom six are living.

MORGAN ENOS, M.D.,

was the third in a family of seven children, and was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., April 23, 1804. His father was a native of Connecticut, and his mother of Massachusetts, and from this sturdy New England stock the doctor de- rived the attributes which enabled him to win an honorable position as a self-made man. His early days were spent in

school, until he became of sufficient age to assist his father on the farm, when he only attended school winters, working for his board. As soon as his education was sufficient to qualify him to teach, he entered the arena as an in- structor, at the same time continuing his studies. At the age of twenty he began the study of medicine with Dr. Crowley, and afterwards studied with Dr. C. C. Cady, and

LITTLE

MORGAN ENOS, M.D.

attended lectures at Geneva College. About 1828 he com- menced the practice of medicine in Wayne Co., N. Y., and was married in that county, at Huron, to Elizabeth Clark, daughter of William and Sophronia Clark, who were also natives of Connecticut. Four children were the fruit of this union, and all are now living. In 1837 the doctor and his wife removed to Michigan, remaining-in Benton town- ship until the fall, when they located in Pipestone town- ship, where the doctor followed farming and continued in the practice of his profession. His death occurred Sept. 24, 1868. Dr. Enos was a man universally respected and honored, and many friends mourned his loss. He was a Whig in his early days, and eventually became a Republi- can. He represented his district one term in the State Legislature, and also held numerous township offices. He was for some years supervisor of Pipestone township, and was its first clerk. Mrs. Enos outlived her husband ten years, and died Oct. 14, 1878. She was in every respect an estimable lady. The religious views of Dr. Enos and his wife were liberal. Two of their children are married. The oldest-now Mrs. Webster-resides on the old home- stead, and her sister Juliet makes her home with her. The latter causes the accompanying portrait of her father to be inserted in this work.

304

HISTORY OF BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.

CHAPTER XL.

ROYALTON TOWNSHIP .*

Early Settlements and Settlers-Township Organization and Civil List-Schools-Churches-Fruit Grange.

ROYALTON, numbered as town 5 south, in range 18 west, is but a fractional township, and contains about nineteen sections. On the north it is bounded by Sodus and St. Jo- seph, on the south by Oronoko and Lake, on the east by Sodus, and on the west by Lincoln. Its northern and eastern borders are defined by the St. Joseph River, which flows in a tortuous course, and marks the dividing line between Sodus and Royalton.

Royalton is a rich agricultural town, and an excellent fruit-growing region. Among the most extensive fruit- growers may be mentioned William H. Tryon, Dr. E. Hall, Abijah Birdsey, the Hollywood brothers, Mrs. Sarah Taylor, William Pike, H. H. Roe, Lewis Scofield, H. L. Scofield, and Henry Ashhoff. The nearest railway stations are at Stevensville, in Lincoln township, and at the village of St. Joseph.

SETTLEMENT AND SETTLERS.

William Pike, now living in Royalton township, assisted, with his father, John Pike, at the first white settlement in Royalton, and is to-day the " oldest inhabitant" of that region.

John Pike, originally from North Carolina, went from there to Ohio, thence to Vigo Co., Ind., and in 1829 to the river bottom near Berrien Springs. He remained there until 1832, when he removed to Royalton with his wife and six children, of whom the only one now living is Wil- liam Pike. He entered and settled upon 80 acres in the northwest corner of the present township, near the river, the place being now owned by Abijah Birdsey. At the same time he entered 80 acres on section 7, which he afterwards gave to his son William, and upon a portion of which the latter now resides. Three years afterwards he entered 80 acres adjoining the farm upon which he settled. There he resided until about 1842, when, his wife dying, he moved to Indiana, and eventually to Iowa in 1859, where he died in 1867, aged eighty-eight.

William Pike lived with his father on the Royalton farm from 1832 to 1834, when he removed to St. Joseph and there remained six years. In 1840 he returned to Royal- ton, and, with his axe, gun, dog, and eighteen pence in his pocket, took possession of the farm his father had given him, which was then an unbroken forest. Wolves and Indians became familiar to his sight, but he kept steadily at his task of clearing the land, and upon that place he has con- tinued to live and thrive to the present day.

The settler next following John Pike was Jehial Enos. He was a young bachelor who came to Michigan in 1829, and in that year was employed as cook and "packer" for the surveying party, which then, under Lucius Lyon (after- wards member of Congress), surveyed that portion of Ber- rien County lying between the St. Joseph River and Lake Michigan. Enos' business as a "packer" required him

to carry provisions and other supplies through the woods from supply-stations to the surveying-camp, and a very un- comfortable and troublesome time he had of it. William Pike was also a " chain-man" in the same surveying party.

In the summer of 1832, Mr. Enos entered 80 acres ad- joining John Pike, spent some time thereafter in St. Joseph, and then settled upon his farm, where, however, he remained but three years, when he moved to Millburg, in Benton town- ship, his present abode.

The next settler upon Enos' place was Josephus Gard, who acquired it in 1835 from a Mr. Porter, a non-resident. Gard lived on the farm until his death in 1838. Some of his descendants live in the county, but none now reside in the township.

Joseph and Edward Smith were sons of Timothy S. Smith, who laid out in 1834 a village called Royalton (then in Royalton township, but now in Lincoln), and located in 1833 upon land occupying the present northeast corner of the town, in the bend of the river. Mr. Smith had settled some five or six years before that time on the east bank of Hickory Creek, in what is now the township of Lincoln. Previous to that time the Smith boys had been boating on the river, but after buying farms settled down and were for a while industrious husbandmen. In a short time, however, they sold out their land. Edward soon entered a farm on section 8, where he remained about ten years, and then, selling to James Carlton, went to Cali- fornia, where he is still living. Joseph died in Royalton soon after selling his farm.

In the spring of 1834, David Shearer and Eli, his son, with Adam J. Briney, of Darke Co., Ohio, journeyed in company on horseback to Michigan for the purpose of locat- ing land. They visited William Lemon, of Berrien town- ship (whom they knew well), and upon asking his advice as to where they had better settle, were informed that he knew where there was land that would suit them. Thereupon he accompanied them to what is now section 19, Royalton town- ship, and the land proving acceptable they subsequently entered upon that section, David Shearer 160, Eli Shearer 80, and Briney 160 acres. Briney and the Shearers returned to Ohio, and in the fall of 1834 David Shearer started with his family for the Michigan farms. David Shearer, a widower with seven children, had married a widow with six children, so that when he started for Michigan he had a family of thirteen children to bear him company, besides Abner Shearer, a nephew, who remained in Michigan only about a year. David Shearer was originally from North Carolina, and removed thence to Kentucky, and from there to Ohio.

The journey from Ohio to Michigan was made with four two-horse wagons, and after cutting a road from the St. Joseph road to section 19, they landed safely upon their new lands in the almost trackless forest. While the sturdy mem- bers of the family engaged in the hurried construction of a log cabin, all hands were rudely sheltered by the side of a prostrate tree, where they had their abiding-place and " kept house" until the more convenient cabin was prepared for them. Eli and his wife lived with the old folks until Eli completed a cabin for himself, and then they turned their attention to clearing their land and preparing for crops.

In that portion of Royalton no settlers had preceded the

* By David Schwartz.

LY TLEI

Hamry Gshof

Among the citizens of Royalton township none have a more credit- able position in its society than has Henry Ashoff, who was born near Herford, Westphalia, Prussia, May 1, 1827. His early life was spent with his father on a farm. At the age of eight he entered school, at- tending until he was fourteen, being allowed only two weeks' vacation in twelve months. The educational system in Prussia is one of the best, and America may well take pattern. At the age of fourteen he left school, working on the farm in summer, and being taught in winter by a private teacher, reciting astronomy and natural history. At the age of twenty-one he was drafted into the Prussian army (1848), serving three years as grenadier in Berlin. He entered as private, and at the end of the first year was promoted and put on duty at headquarters, serving the last year as corporal and teacher. He was honorably discharged on the 21st of September, 1851. Returning home, he assisted his father on the farm for the next twenty months. In May, 1853, he sailed for America. The vessel upon which he embarked was a sail-vessel by the name of "Magdalane," one hundred and sixty- five passengers were aboard. He landed August 25th, at New York. He went from there to Philadelphia by boat. He had just nine dollars when he landed, a stranger in a strange land, unable to speak any- thing but the German language. After staying in Philadelphia one week, he passed over to New Jersey, hiring to work in a brick-yard at one dollar per day. He was taken sick immediately, and for three weeks was unable to work. He was obliged to sell his watch and a part of his clothes to pay his bills. Returning to Philadelphia, he entered a hospital, where he remained for nine weeks. As soon as he was able to leave the hospital he again tried farming, going twenty miles from Philadelphia, and hiring for the small sum of five dollars per month. Soon after he was employed as a hand on the railroad, working on a tunnel which was then being built in Bucks Co., Pa. Having a desire to push farther west, he started for Chicago; remain- ing there but a few days, he passed over to St. Joseph, landing there the 13th of September, 1854, working in a saw-mill in summer, and chopping cord-wood in winter.

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History of Berrien and Van Buren counties, Michigan. With biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 76

Author: D.W. Ensign & Co. pub; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Johnson, Crisfield Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Philadelphia, D. W. Ensign & Co. Number of Pages: 821

Author: D.W. Ensign & Co. pub; Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885; Johnson, Crisfield
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Philadelphia, D. W. Ensign & Co.
Number of Pages: 821