USA > Michigan > Calhoun County > History of Calhoun County, Michigan, a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 15
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Mr. Retallick was born on a farm in Climax township, Kalamazoo county, Michigan, on the 3d of June, 1857, and is a son of John Truscott Retallick and Hilinda (Newton) Retallick, who were numbered among the early settlers in that township, where the father became a prosperous agriculturist and stock-grower. He continued to be identified with these great basic industries throughout his entire active career and was sixty- nine years of age at the time of his death, which occurred with but slight premonition, in March, 1904, in the court house at Marshall, the judicial center of Calhoun county, where he had accompanied his son Newton E., of this review, for the purpose of transacting certain business. Six children, three sons and three daughters were born of this union. The mother is living in Climax Village and her age is seventy-five years.
Newton E. Retallick was reared under the invigorating discipline of the home farm, where he early learned the lessons of practical industry, and in the meanwhile he duly availed himself of the advantages of the common schools of the locality and period. He was an appreciative stu- dent and made good use of his opportunities, as is shown by the fact that when nineteen years of age he proved himself eligible for pedagogic hon- ors. During five winter terms he was a successful teacher in the district schools, a portion of the time in Kalamazoo county and the re- mainder in Calhoun county. In the spring of 1881 he was elected town- ship superintendent of schools of Climax township, Kalamazoo county, and in that year he assisted in the election of the first county superintend- ent of schools for that county, under the new laws of the state, the in- cumbent for the first term having been chosen by the township superin- tendents and later elections having been of popular order. After serving as township superintendent for somewhat less than one year Mr. Retallick resigned his office, and assumed the position of brakeman on the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway. Under these conditions he removed his family to Battle Creek in September, 1881, and here he has since maintained his home. After serving as brakeman for eighteen months Mr. Retallick was promoted to the position of conductor of a freight train, and after holding this position nearly two years he abandoned railroad work and became agent for the underwriting of life and accident insurance. A year later he engaged in the grocery business on East Main street, Battle Creek, and though he soon adopted an exclusively cash policy, in the face of dire predictions on the part of his friends and other business men, he made the enterprise a profitable one under this system. He retired from the retail grocery trade after a period of three years and accepted a posi- tion with the Canada & St. Louis Railroad, whose line is now known as the Battle Creek division of the Michigan Central Railroad. At the expiration of ten months he again entered the service of the Grand Trunk Railroad and was soon given the position of conductor, in which
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he continued to serve for twelve years, his last trip having been made in April, 1902. He was in a number of railway wrecks during his long period of careful and effective service, and on two occasions he narrowly escaped death. In 1899 he was in a serious collision at South Bend, In- diana, the patent couplers on his train having pulled apart when the train was running at a speed of fifty miles an hour, and the rear end of the train having crashed into the front section. He was on the steps of a coach in the rear section and in the impact was rendered unconscious and reported killed. He did not regain consciousness for two and one- half hours and when his wife arrived on the scene the next day she did not expect to find him alive.
While still actively identified with railway work Mr. Retallick began making a special study of insurance business in all lines, and in April, 1902, he again turned his attention to this field of enterprise, in which his success has been unqualified and substantial. He is agent for the following named life-insurance companies: The Old Line Bankers' Life Insurance Company, of Lincoln, Nebraska; the Wisconsin National Life Insurance Company, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; the Aetna, of Hartford, Connecticut ; and the American Surety Company, of New York. He is the only agent in Battle Creek who does insurance underwriting on live stock, and in this line he represents the National Live Stock Insurance Company, of Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also local agent for the fol- lowing named fire and accident companies: Fireman's Underwriters, of Newark, New Jersey ; Northwestern National, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; Glens Falls, of New York; National Ben Franklin Lumber Insurance Company, of New York; and the Continental Casualty, of Chicago. It is probable that few if any other insurance agents in Michigan have con- tracts with a larger number of companies than has Mr. Retallick. He further is agent for the New Jersey Plate Glass Insurance Company and the Fidelity & Deposit Company of Maryland, each of which give insur- ance against burglary on banks, residences and other properties, and the former indemnity on general accidents to plate glass.
In September, 1905, Mr. Retallick expanded the scope of his enter- prise by engaging also in the real estate business, in which he formed a partnership with Michael H. Vernon, under the firm name of Vernon & Retallick. The alliance was dissolved on the 15th of February, 1909, and Mr. Retallick has since conducted an individual enterprise in this important department, his son being his effective assistant in the hand- ling of the large volume of business of which he is the executive head. He has never lacked in independence and self-reliance. Mr. E. P. Boggs is the sales manager for Mr. Retallick. He has the most complete general insurance office in the city and his real estate operations are of broad scope, including the handling of both urban and farm property, the renting of farms, residences, business places, and collection of rents. His son, Eldred A. has general supervision of outside work in the insurance department of the business, collection of rents, etc.
In politics Mr. Retallick gives his allegiance to the Republican party, and while he has never been ambitious for public office his civic loyalty has never been lacking, so that he proved a valuable member of the board of aldermen of Battle Creek, to which he was elected in 1903, as repre- sentative of the Fifth ward. He was made chairman of the water-works and sewer committee, and a member of the committees on bridges, public lighting, and building inspection and permits. He proved a progressive and valued member of this municipal body and served as alderman for two years. He and his family are zealous members of the First Meth- odist Episcopal church in their home city and he has been a trustee of the same for more than thirty years, besides which he served for some
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time as classleader. Mr. Retallick has long been identified with the Order of Railway Conductors, and he has filled nearly all of the offices in the local division of the same, being its legislative representative at the time of this writing, in 1912. He is also affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of the Modern Maccabees and the Inde- pendent Order of Foresters. Reverting to here to his connection with the Order of Railway Conductors, it may be noted that in November, 1903, he was elected chief conductor of Division No. 6, and, in company with his wife he attended the convention of the grand division, at Detroit; as did he later at Denver, Colorado, though he was not a delegate to the latter assembly. He is the owner of valuable realty in Battle Creek, including his handsome residence, at 251 Main street, east, and the substantial two-story brick business block at 247 Main street, east, the latter having been erected by him in 1888.
On the 17th of October, 1878, at Climax, Kalamazoo county, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Retallick to Miss Eunice Ann Eldred, who was born and reared in that county and who is a daughter of the late John A. and Polly J. (Peckham) Eldred. The former passed the closing years of his life at Charleston township, Kalamazoo county, having devoted his active career to farming. His widow resides in Battle Creek. Mr. and Mrs. Retallick have two children, both of whom were born and reared in Battle Creek. Edith Blanche, who was graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1903, is now the wife of Edward C. Galloway, of Battle Creek; and Eldred Austin is associated with his father in business, as has already been noted in this context.
Mr. Retallick is deeply appreciative of the manifold attractions of his native land and has indulged himself and his family in extensive travel in the various sections of the United States, believing it the proper policy to "see America first." In 1889, in company with his wife and daughter, he made an extended trip through the west, and they visited the principal points of interest in Colorado, including Canyon City, where the excursion party was tendered a fine banquet by the citizens. Passing through and visiting the leading cities and towns of Utah and Montana, as well as Washington and Oregon, Mr. Retallick and his wife and daughter arrived in Seattle three days prior to the great fire which swept that city. The journey included an interesting trip on Puget Sound, and from Portland the party proceeded by the Mount Shasta route to San Francisco and Sacramento. Returning to Portland, the trip was made up the beautiful Columbia river, and then the return journey came, with short visits in Nebraska and Iowa. Mr. Retallick and his family were absent from home two months and traveled a distance of eight thousand one hundred and fifty miles. Mr. Retallick visited the Centennial exposition, in Philadelphia, in 1876, and incidentally made a trip to Niagara Falls and to points of interest in Canada. In 1893, accompanied by his wife and daughter, he attended the World's Co- lumbian exposition, in Chicago, and about seven years later he and his family made a trip to Niagara Falls and into Canada. In 1905 Mr. Re- tallick made another extended and most interesting trip through the west and on this occasion he was accompanied by his wife, his mother and his sister. They traversed the entire Pacific coast of the United States and covered a distance of more than eight thousand miles, as had been done sixteen years previously. Incidentally the party attended the great exposition in the city of Portland, and the entire trip was one that proved most interesting and profitable. Mr. Retallick fully appreciates the broadening influence of travel, and has gained a wide knowledge of his native land, so that his admiration for and love of the same have been greatly intensified.
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WALTER THOMPSON BOBO, M. D. As a member of the medical profes- sion Dr. Bobo early appreciated the advantage of concentration of powers and efforts, and he has been consistently designated as a successful specialist in the treatment of goitre, a disorder that has been a matter of speculation, experimentation and study from the dawn of medical science and one that has baffled the leading physiologists, diagnosticians and medical surgical experts.
Dr. Walter Thompson Bobo is of southern stock, in both the paternal and maternal lines, and he himself claims the Lone Star state as the place of his nativity. He was born in Tarrant county, Texas, on a farm about ten miles east of the city of Fort Worth, on the 31st of January, 1876, and is a son of Joel and Anna (Bell) Bobo, the former of whom was born in Tennessee and the latter in Virginia, both families having been founded in the beautiful southland of our national domain in the pioneer days. Both the paternal and maternal grandparents of Dr. Bobo were numbered among the pioneers of Texas, and there the parents of the doctor were married, his mother having been summoned to the life eternal in 1889, when he was about thirteen years of age. His father, who has for many years been engaged in agriculture and stock-growing in the Lone Star state now resides at Fort Hancock, El Paso county, in which vicinity he has an extensive ranch. His father settled in Texas in the early pioneer days and was the founder of the town of Bedford, Tarrant county. Joel and Anna (Bell) Bobo became the parents of six . children, of whom only two attained to adult age,-Dr. Walter Thomp- son, of this review, and Nora, who is now the wife of William F. Fitch, of Bedford, Texas.
Dr. Bobo gained his earlier educational discipline in the village of Bedford, Texas, and supplemented this by a course in the high school in the city of Fort Worth, after which he pursued higher academic studies in Mineral Wells College, at Mineral Wells, Texas. In prepara- tion for the work of his chosen profession he entered that excellent in- stitution, the Marion-Sims College of Medicine, which is the medical department of the University of St. Louis, Missouri. In this college, as a diligent and appreciative student, he completed the prescribed course and was graduated as a member of the class of 1898, with the well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine. On the 19th of April of the fol- lowing year was accorded to him by his alma mater a special mark of recognition, the same being a certificate of honorable mention for the high degree of excellence in his examination for the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
Immediately after his graduation Dr. Bobo came to Battle Creek and became associated with the Dr. Peebles Institute of Health. In addition to his interest in the Dr. Peebles Institute of Health, Dr. Bobo is a stock- holder and director of the Hygienic Food Company, of Battle Creek, manufacturers of the celebrated "Mapl-Flakes" and other products. In politics he is a staunch Republican and he is a popular member of the Athelstan Club and the Country Club, of which latter he was one of the organizers.
On the 22d of June, 1906, Dr. Bobo was united in marriage to Miss Kathryn V. Hollinger, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who was born in the province of Ontario, Canada, and who completed her education at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where her father was a representative business man. Dr. and Mrs. Bobo have a pleasant home at 31 College avenue and are actively identified with the social life of their home city.
MOSES WIGHT WHEELOCK, who for more than twenty years was a resident at Battle Creek and vicinity, where his memory is still held in
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high respect and honor, was born in Greensboro, Vermont, December 2, 1808. Both he and his ancestors possessed those rugged qualities of physical and moral character which are familiarly associated with the colonial New England people, and it was the vigor and weight of his personality as much as his achievements that gave the late Mr. Wheelock such an influential place in this community.
His parents were Samuel and Betsey E. (Wight) Wheelock. His father, a farmer, moved with his family in 1814 to Athens township, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, being attracted by the glowing advertise- ments of an English speculator and owner of large tracts of lands in that state. The father was a practical man and taught his son Moses the habits of industry and frugality and of depending on his own efforts. His first hard work was in helping his father clear the land of their Pennsylvania home and fitting the soil for cultivation. The family in- cluded eleven children,, eight sons and three daughters, five sons, Ephraim, Elias, Moses, Samuel and Henry being born in Vermont, while the remaining six, Charles, Mary, Sarah, Harriet, Thomas and James, were born in Athens township, Pennsylvania. All these reached ma- turity except Charles Wight, who died in 1814.
Moses Wheelock's grandfather Wheelock was a colonel in the Revo- lutionary war, and his grandfather Wight was a man of marked literary attainments, inherited from his English ancestors, who came directly with their name from the Isle of Wight. A very complete and ex- haustive history of the Wight family has been compiled by William Ward Wight, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, funds for the publication having been furnished by Sarah Wight Wheelock, the maiden sister of the sub- ject of this sketch. Miss Wheelock was the constant companion and help- meet of her brother Moses, not only in their Pennsylvania home, where Moses, by his industry and strict frugality acquired quite a fortune, but also in their Michigan home until the time of her death.
After some years spent in clearing land and in farm work, Moses W. Wheelock became interested in manufacturing, his operations along that line including a grist mill, plaster mill, and later a woolen mill. These were located in a small hamet known as Milltown, the water power being furnished by a stream of water named Shepherd's creek from a family of early settlers, the place now being a part of the railroad town of Sayre, Pennsylvania.
Neither Moses nor Sarah Wheelock ever married. After accumulat- ing what in earlier days was considered a good fortune, much of which was made in the manufacture of woolen goods and army blankets during the Civil war, Moses with his sister Sarah moved to Battle Creek in 1872. Having invested several thousand dollars in mortgages and loans, while a resident of the state of Pennsylvania, where six per cent was the legal rate of interest, with a penalty attached to a charge of a higher rate, he yielded to the temptation to transfer his residence and loans to Michigan, where a rate of ten per cent was permitted and easily obtained. He was preceded one year by Simon Morley and family, a Pennsylvania friend, who did much to influence his removal to Michigan, advised him in his Michigan investments and loans, and, as noted hereinafter, was a pallbearer at the funeral of Moses Wheelock.
One of his first investments in Michigan was the purchase of a farm on the old Marshall road, across the Battle Creek river just east of Verona. To this by later purchases were added several adjoining tracts, including the Waldo farm on the north, and what were later known as the Chilson and Wade farms on the south, the whole tract comprising some three hundred and sixty acres. The old homestead, of two hun- dred and fifty acres, at the death of Moses Wheelock came into the posses-
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sion of his nephew, Charles H. Wheelock, who was appointed adminis- trator of the estates of both Moses and Sarah Wheelock. While the far- sighted, fortunate real estate investor anticipated the purchase and use of a portion of his farm by the Grand Trunk Railway Company for the location of their shops, he did not live to see the consummation of these anticipations. In 1904 something over one hundred and fifty acres off the south end of the farm was sold to the Grand Trunk Railway Com- pany, on which they have already located extensive railroad shops, one of the largest and most important industries of the city of Battle Creek. Later, in 1906, the north portion of the farm, on which are located the Flowing Wells, was sold to the city of Battle Creek for a source of water supply.
Moses Wight Wheelock was a man of firm religious convictions, and with his sister Sarah was a member for years, until the end of his life, of the Dutch Reformed church, later merged with the Presbyterian church. They both retained their membership in the home church at Athens, Pennsylvania, during their residence in Michigan. He was very devout in his regard for Bible teachings, especially concerning Sunday observ- ance and temperance, and was also severely exacting along these lines of those in his employ. Being possessed of more than ordinary physical strength and with an iron constitution, he was much inclined to tax his physical powers beyond a proper limit, even after he had passed the age of four-score years.
His last illness was the result of over-exertion in a hot August sun, and death came to him on the 13th day of September, 1893, when he was eighty-four years old. He had been a most worthy citizen, had contrib- uted to a number of charitable institutions, and during his residence in Michigan had acquired the esteem of the best people of this vicinity for his fine integrity. The funeral at Verona was largely attended, and the services were conducted by Messrs. Potter, Kulp, Barker and Chapman. The pallbearers were Dr. Rorabacher, Dr. Robertson, H. A. Preston, E. L. North, A. Bramble, and W. J. McMillen. The honorary pallbearers were M. H. Joy, Dr. Wattles, V. P. Collier, William Merritt, John Cooper and S. H. Morley. The remains were taken for burial to Athens, Penn- sylvania.
SARAH WIGHT WHEELOCK was born in Athens, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1819, and her life was spent in that town- ship until 1871, when she removed with her brother to Battle Creek, where they lived together until separated by death. She died a few months before her brother, on March 25, 1893. During her long residence in Pennsylvania she took an active and prominent interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community. She was generous to the needy, and was always among the first in kindness and benevolence. In early life she united with the Presbyterian church at Athens, and con- tinued a member of this church until her death. Her attachment to the home of her childhood and youth was strong, and she had always hoped to return and spend her last days there. Her interest in and love for her church were especially strong, and she rejoiced in its prosperity and contributed liberally to its support. In her personal life and character she was tender-hearted and ingenious, was simple in her tastes and un- ostentatious in her manner. She retained her natural cheerfulness and vivacity to the years of her age, and as a noble Christian woman was loved and respected by many friends both old and new. She now rests with other members of the family, and beside her beloved brother, in the family lot at Athens, Pennsylvania.
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CHARLES H. WHEELOCK. The character of a city as business and home center depends to a very large degree on the enterprise and public spirit of the few men who in every community constitute the leaders in civic affairs. One of these civic leaders in Battle Creek is Mr. Charles H. Wheelock, the up-to-date farmer, real estate man, roofing contractor, and energetic promoter of every movement for the social welfare and solid progress of this vicinity.
Mr. Wheelock was born in Athens township, Bradford county, Penn- sylvania, June 6, 1850, and is a nephew of the late Moses W. Wheelock, whose career for many years was closely identified with this city and vicinity, and whose sketch appears on preceding pages. Mr. Wheelock's parents were Henry Wight and Millicent Bradley (Bell) Wheelock. The latter's mother was an Allen and a direct descendant of that Revo- lutionary hero, Ethan Allen. For many years of his active life Henry W. Wheelock was associated with his brother Moses in the east in the woolen manufacture, and during the war times they had large contracts for the manufacture of army blankets, this being a large factor in the prosperity of their business. Both father and mother died in Pennsyl- vania, and one of their daughters has erected a memorial chapel in their name at Milltown, Pennsylvania. Two sons and two daughters consti- tuted the family, namely: Lucy Bell Reeves, now deceased; Harriett Newell Angell, wife of Henry Angell, of Waverly, New York; and Joseph Ephraim, of Sayre, Pennsylvania; and the subject of this sketch.
Charles H., who is the only member of the family residing in Battle Creek, was reared in western Pennsylvania, where he attended the public schools, and later graduated from the Waverly Institute, at Waverly, New York. He became identified with a manufacturing business at Wilkes-Barre, and that city was his home previous to his removal to Battle Creek about twenty years ago. His presence here was for the purpose of settling his uncle's estate, and since then this city has been his permanent home.
While much of his time has been directed to the care of the property in and about the city, he has also taken a very active share in matters affecting the general welfare of this community. For about three years he gave his services, entirely gratis, to what might be called a social wel- fare work at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, special features of which were the planning of entertainments for the guests and sight-seeing trips about the city and surrounding country. At the suburb of Elm Lawn he has erected a chapel, after the plan of the chapel erected by his sister in the east, as already mentioned. It is now known as the Elm Lawn Chapel, but will later be called Wheelock's Memorial Chapel.
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