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 18
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On this farm Fred W. Barney was born on October 21, 1859, the only other child of the family being Herbert A., who died at the age of nineteen. Fred W. was educated in the public schools, completing his quest for knowledge of book-lore in the old Battle Creek College. After leaving the latter institution, he spent three years in contributing to the education of the youth of the rural districts in Barry county. His next experience of life was gained through a year's work as a traveling representative for a book firm, his territory being Michigan and Ohio. Following this experiment, he accepted a position as resident salesman in the hardware store of Bock and Peters of Battle Creek. After being thus engaged for seven years he bought out a coal and wood business, in which he has ever since been engaged. Three years ago he purchased the property on Jefferson Avenue, to which he moved his business, known by the firm name of Barney and Son, Dealers in Hard and Soft Coal, etc. Since the son of Mr. Barney has attained his majority and has become his father's partner, our subject has been able to devote his time and attention to other lines. For the last two years he has been acting as road salesman for The W. J. Hamilton Coal Company of Co- lumbus, Ohio.
Mrs. Barney was formerly Miss Elizabeth Kirkpatrick of Battle Creek township, and the daughter of William and Isabell (Moore) Kirk- patrick, an account of whom is given elsewhere in these volumes. The first child of Mr. and Mrs. Barney was named Oliver, in memory of his grandfather and others of the family lineage, and is the son referred to above. He is a hustling young business man and a favorite about the city. He resides at home and is a member of the Athelstan Club and of the Elks. He is a graduate of the Battle Creek high school and of Krug's Business College. He has been his father's partner since 1910. Of the daughters, Isabell May, who was a graduate of the Battle Creek high school class of 1904, is now Mrs. Frank W. Bryce of this city ; while Helen May, of the class of 1906, resides at home with her parents.
The Fred W. Barney family is one of those prominent in the support of the Baptist church, of which they are members. Mr. Barney is also a member of the Order of Elks and the Union of Commercial Travelers. His residence is at 194 West Main street and he is also the owner of the old homestead before mentioned. This property lies just beyond the Country Club and is the only farm between Battle Creek and Urbandale.
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Its one hundred and five acres will eventually be platted for city lots. All municipal interests claim the fair attention of Mr. Barney, who nevertheless has always been quite free from any political ambition. His party affiliation is Democratic, but in local matters he makes a personal discrimination in favor of the most worthy, regardless of party. He is known among his fellow-citizens as a man who is deservedly successful, as well as justly popular.
WILLIAM KIRKPATRICK was born in county Antrim, Ireland, on the 21st of October, 1828 and here he spent his boyhood days. In 1851 he came to New York City, and remained there for some time, later coming west to Michigan, where he hired out as a farm hand. In 1857, an event took place that was the culmination of a romance that had its beginnings back in his boyhood days in the little Irish village. This was in his eastern trip when he was married to Miss Isabella Moore, who was born in county Antrim on the 14th of May, 1828, and who had been the com- panion of his childhood. The marriage took place the 12th of March, 1857, at Newburgh, New York, and on the same day the young people started for the West. Their wedding journey, therefore, was to Battle Creek, Michigan, where they settled on a small piece of property in Battle Creek township. The only building here was a little log cabin, and in this humble abode the pair began their wedded life. For several years Mr. Kirkpatrick devoted all of his attention to the clearing of the land and to getting it under cultivation. When he set to work upon it, it was entirely unimproved, but he soon had the timber cut, the land plowed and the first crop sowed. He was successful from the first, and after the land was in good condition he turned his attention to the house. He replaced the cabin with a modern farm house, and as his financial resources grew larger, he bought more land. At the time of his death he owned three hundred and forty acres, and his farm was considered one of the finest properties in Battle Creek township. He had spared no expense to have everything on the place of the most up-to-date model, and the crops which he was enabled to raise were sufficient proof that he had worked in the right direction.
Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick were the parents of nine children, four of whom died in infancy. The others are Ella, Elizabeth, Louise, William J. and Marie M. All of these children had the privileges of a good education, and some of them have taken advantage of their opportunities to a very great extent. All of them were sent to the Battle Creek high school, of which school Ella and Louise are graduates. Louise R. spent two years in the University of Michigan, and later, after a period de- voted to educational work, she went to the University of Chicago, where she spent one summer. In June of 1899, Louise and Marie went abroad, visiting Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Eng- land and Ireland. They saw the most interesting of the places famed in history, and many of the world-famous paintings and pieces of archi- tecture, that America with all her natural beauties can not show. They visited the birth place of their mother in Ireland, spending several days with her only surviving sister, and meeting many of the girlhood and boyhood friends of both parents.
Louise R. is now a teacher in the high school at Battle Creek and Marie M. is with the Trades and Workers Association, which is located on the fifth floor of the Post building in Battle Creek. The two sisters live to- gether at 29 Guest street. The eldest daughter, Ella, after teaching school very successfully for several years, married Eugene B. Root, and is now living in Los Angeles, California. Elizabeth is now the wife of Fred W. Barney, of Battle Creek, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work, his family being pioneer settlers in this county.
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Mr. Kirkpatrick was a man who possessed many sterling traits of character, and was a devoted husband and father. He was a Democrat in politics, and though he never sought office was at one time elected justice of the peace, and discharged the duties of that office most effi- ciently. He belonged to the Presbyterian church and took an active part in the work of that church for many years. At the time of his death he was serving as elder. He died on the 7th of October, 1888, and his wife survived him nearly twenty years, living until the 19th of February, 1906. Both of them are buried in the Reese cemetery in Battle Creek township.
The children were all born in the old log cabin on the old farm in Battle Creek township, and this old house stood within a stonesthrow of the old Reese school house where all of the children first attended school.
ROBERT G. BOCK. One of the most profitable and satisfactory busi- ness connections is that which exists between father and son when they are associated together in ventures of an important nature. The expe- rience of the elder man and the enthusiasm of the younger are welded together into a strong chain that makes their efforts productive and of remarkable results. Such. a combination exists in the. well-known hard- ware and sporting goods house of Bock-Walker Company, of Battle Creek, the able and energetic secretary and treasurer of which, Robert G. Bock, has inherited the business ability of his father, Frank F. Bock, the president of the concern, and of his grandfather, Charles Bock, the founder of the business, both of whom are represented by biographies in other parts of this volume.
Robert G. Bock was born August 10, 1889, in Battle Creek, Michigan, and secured his education in the public and high schools, graduating from the latter in the class of 1907. He at once entered the business which had been founded by his grandfather many years before, and which was reorganized in April, 1909, at which time the president, Frank F. Bock, retired from active participation in the company's operations, although he still holds the presidency and an interest in the business. Arthur Walker became vice-president and general manager and Robert G. Bock, secretary and treasurer, and under this management the firm is doing a large and steadily increasing business. In addition to hardware and sporting goods of all kinds, the Bock-Walker Company deals in paints, oils, glass, varnishes, paper, cordage and grocers' specialties, and has a large, well-equipped establishment at No. 18 West Main street. Robert G. Bock has displayed an unusual amount of ability in handling the affairs entrusted to his capable hands, and his energy and enterprise are constantly being employed in introducing new and progressive fea- tures into the business. Modern methods have found in him a stanch adherent, and his years of experience and training have made him thoroughly conversant with every angle and branch of his business and given him prestige in the hardware trade. He has manifested his in- terest in the progress of Battle Creek, and is ever ready to contribute time and money towards the support of any measure which he believes will work for the ultimate good of all concerned. Following the example of his father and grandfather, he is a stanch supporter of Republican principles. Socially he is a general favorite, and a popular member of the Athelstan Club, of which his father was one of the organizers and a charter member. His religious connection is with the St. Thomas Episcopal church of Battle Creek.
On August 23, 1911, Mr. Bock was united in marriage with Miss Ada W. Hudler, daughter of Adrain W. Hudler, of Battle Creek. Mrs. Bock was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, and attended the Battle Creek high
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school, graduating in the class of 1907 with her husband. They reside in a comfortable modern residence at No. 73 Groveland street, and are well and favorably known in social circles of Battle Creek.
HARVEY E. LEWIS, one of the more prominent and well-to-do farmers of Calhoun county, has been a resident of this favored section of the state for more than half a century. He is a native of the Green Mountain state, born in Waterbury, Vermont, on November 22, 1855, the son of Samuel and Lucy (Montgomery) Lewis. The Lewis family is one which traces its American ancestry back to the early part of the seventeenth century, and their names have been prominent in early American history. Samuel Lewis was the son of Josiah Lewis and was the tenth child in a family of eleven, all of whom, on reaching years of maturity, left the old eastern home and moved westward, some of them locating in Michi- gan. Samuel was one of these. Harvey Lewis, a brother of Samuel, and the uncle of Harvey Lewis of this personal record, was among the first settlers to locate in Battle Creek. He entered a quarter section of land on a government tract, settling there near what is now the city of Battle Creek, and for many years he conducted a tavern at what is known as Du Bois Corners. Samuel Lewis, the father of this subject, was married on December 5, 1846, at his home town in Vermont, to Lucy Montgomery, previously mentioned. She was the daughter of Captain John Montgomery, who served in the War of 1812. They became the parents of one son, Harvey E. In 1859 Mr. Lewis came with his little family to Michigan and located on the farm now occupied by his son Harvey. The farm consists of one hundred and thirty-four acres pic- turesquely situated on the banks of Sonoma Lake, and here Mr. and Mrs. Lewis passed the remainder of their lives in the peace and quiet of a happy country home. Mr. Lewis was a type of the genuine Vermont Yankee. He was shrewd, clever and witty, and was possessed of a most pleasing, but strong and sturdy character. Although he never studied the subject in a business-like way, he was well versed in veterinary lore, and for miles around he was consulted by all in need of such advice as he could give, and which he always gave most generously, as well as any practical assistance he might render. "Uncle Sam" is the sobriquet by which he was known throughout the country, and there was not a more popular man in the township than he. Mr. Lewis was a Democrat, in his political convictions, but never took an active part in the political life of the community, beyond exercising his right of franchise when occasion offered. He died on September 26, 1892, some time before the death of his wife, who passed away on July 11, 1901.
Harvey E. Lewis was educated in the public schools of LeRoy town- ship, and as a young man was busily occupied with the multitude of du- ties incident to farm life on the home place. On November 24, 1880, when he was about twenty-five years old, Mr. Lewis married, and with his wife settled on a farm nearby that of his father, remaining there for some time. He moved back to the old home place a short time before the death of his father, and there he has continued to reside, carrying on the work of the farm and living well up to the standard set by his father. In conjunction with his farming interests, Mr. Lewis carries on a hunting and trapping business, which is one of his greatest pleasures, as well as a matter of financial moment to him. He is a hunter of some renown in his part of the country, as was his father before him, who also conducted a similar industry during his lifetime.
Mr. Lewis married Alice Owen, the daughter of Uriah and Catherine (Holmes) Owen, a prominent family in LeRoy township. The Owen household came from New York state in 1862, locating first in Battle
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Creek, and coming later to LeRoy. Uriah Owen was born in Cayuga county, New York, while Mrs. Owen was a native of Orleans county. They were the parents of ten children, of which number Mrs. Lewis was the sixth born. Both are now deceased, Mr. Owen's death occurring in 1885 and his wife passing away in 1906.
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis became the parents of three children. Derr A. is a teacher and musician located in Battle Creek. Glenn Owen, and Kent Weston are still in the parental home. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Lewis is a Democrat, as was his father, and has held some im- portant positions with relation to party interests. He has been justice of the peace in his township for a number of years, and is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
JOSHUA SIMON, M. D. Actively engaged in the practice of medicine at Tekonsha, Calhoun county, Joshua Simon, M. D., is a man of wide professional experience, and one who has given much time and thought to the study of the diseases to which human flesh is heir, and to the pro- cesses of alleviating suffering. A native of Indiana, he was born, June 4, 1848, in DeKalb county, and is of Swiss ancestry, his grandfather, George Simon, having emigrated from Switzerland to America in the very early part of the nineteenth century, settling in Ohio.
Samuel Simon, the Doctor's father, was born, in 1812, near Canton, Ohio. Moving to Indiana when young, he was there engaged in farming until his death in 1868. He married Margaret Peppel who was born in Ohio in 1812 and died in 1868. They reared five children all of whom, with the exception of the first born, are now living, in 1912, the Doctor being the youngest child of the parental household.
Brought up in Indiana Joshua completed his early studies in the Fort Wayne high school. Learning telegraphy when quite young he served as telegraph opereator for several railroad companies in his native state. He subsequently took up the study of medicine with his brother and before taking a full course began the practice of his chosen profession, locating at West Point, Huntington county, Indiana. Later entering one of the old and well-established colleges of that state in Marion he was there graduated with the degree of M. D., in 1887. Returning to De Kalb county, Dr. Simon located as a physician at Garrett, and practiced there, and in other places in Indiana, until 1911. Coming then to Cal- houn county, Michigan, the Doctor located at Tekonsha where he is rapidly building up a large and remunerative practice, being well patronized throughout the community. He uses largely the eclectic method of treating diseases, one not as well known in Michigan as in some of the states, but which has been shown in all of its merits by Dr. Simon.
Dr. Simon married in 1879, Miss Winona Stanlsy, who was born in Mankato, Minnesota, and to them two children have been born, namely : Thomas Lee Simon, engaged in railroad work at Paradise, Montana; and Mrs. Capitola Kelley, of Deming, New Mexico. Politically the Doc- tor is identified with the Republican party, and fraternally he is a mem- ber of the Yeomen of America.
WILLIAM J. SCHODER. Two closely related families who have been prominently identified with Battle Creek and vicinity for the past sixty years are the Schoders and Murphys, who are represented in Mr. and Mrs. William Schoder, of 475 East Main street in Battle Creek. The original settlers bearing these names were people of great industry and fine integrity, were successful in acquiring the fruits
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of material prosperity, and their descendants have been worthy and useful members of the community.
William Schoder was born on the old Schoder homestead in Bat- tle Creek township, August 16, 1863. His father, Henry Schoder, who was born in Hanover, Germany, and died at the home in this county aged sixty-five years, was educated in the old country for a teacher, and engaged in that vocation for about ten years before com- ing to the United States . He crossed the Atlantic ocean three times. He first came to this country and to this county about 1840, and for three years worked at the nursery business in the employ of Henry Willis and Isaac Mott. He then returned to his native land and married Miss Marie Lesh, whom he had known and courted before his first voyage, and for whom he had worked to prepare a home in the new world. She was a native of Brunswick, Germany, where she was educated and married. They then embarked on a vessel and were seven weeks on board before landing at Castle Garden. Coming to Michigan they settled on a little two-acre piece of land near Battle Creek which he had bought with his slender means. To this as his prosperity increased with the years, he added until he was eventually owner of a fine estate of one hundred and ninety-two acres, in two different farms. Dairy farming was his principal industry, and he was thoroughly esteemed in this community both as a citizen and business man. In Germany he had served the regular period of three years in the imperial army. He was for many years a school director in Battle Creek township, and the schoolhouse located within forty rods of one of his farms was named in his honor, and it was there that his children obtained their early education. In politics he was a Democrat. His farm became noted for its fruit culture as well as for its dairy. He retailed his milk by wagons in the city, and furnished a service that was well patronized for years. He and his wife were both members of the German Lutheran church in Battle Creek township. Mrs. Schoder, the wife and mother, died on the home farm in April, 1908, at the advanced age of eighty- four. Both now rest in the Oak Hill cemetery in this city. All the five children, three sons and two daughters, were born on the homestead and reached adult years, but William is now the only one living. The names of the children were Mrs. Abraham Holladay, Morris, Alvin, William and Nora.
On September 22, 1884, when William Schoder was twenty-one years of age, he married Miss Katharine Murphy, daughter of Robert Murphy, whose history is given in detail below. Their marriage oc- curred in St .. Phillip's Catholic church in this city. They are the parents of two sons, who are now among the progressive young busi- ness men of Battle Creek, being proprietors of the Schoder Brothers Grocery Shop at 19 South Jefferson avenue. Raymond W., the older, was born on the farm in Battle Creek township, August 14, 1887, while Harry J., was born at the same place March 18, 1889. They were edu- cated in the parochial and public schools, and Raymond attended the Michigan Business and Normal College of Battle Creek and also the Detroit College. Harry was a student in the local high school and also attended the Notre Dame University at South Bend.
For five years after his marriage Mr. Schoder continued in the dairy business which had been established by his father, and then moved into the city and started the grocery with which his name was associated for twenty years. He was a very successful and popular merchant, and when, in November, 1909, he retired he was able to turn over to the management by his sons a business of high class and profit- able proportions. The store has been located at 19 South Jefferson
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since 1906. He is the owner of considerable city property, and his principal work at the present time is in looking after its management. He is affiliated with the lodge of Elks in this city.
Mrs. Schoder was born in the old Murphy home on South avenue. The house was long since taken away and the site has been sold to the Grand Trunk railroad, but she finds pleasure in visiting the old spot and recalling the memories of her girlhood days. Mrs. Schoder is a graduate of the high school of the class of 1878, and takes an active part in the life of the city, being a member of the Amateur Musical Club and president of one of the departments in the Woman's League. She is also owner of some valuable real estate in the city. The family all resides in the attractive residence at 475 Main street East.
ROBERT MURPHY, in the death of Robert Murphy at his home on South avenue, November 19, 1889, Battle Creek lost one of its old and successful merchants and a citizen of fine integrity and wholesome influence in the community. He left a large family, and they are now active and useful members of society.
The late Mr. Murphy was born in Cork, Ireland, and when fourteen years old accompanied his parents to America, settling on Long Island. His parents being well to do gave him a good education in his native city. He was married in Jamaica, Long Island, to Miss Jane Whalen, who was born in Kildare, Ireland, and came to this country at the age of eight with her parents, who also settled on a farm on Long Island, where the subject was engaged in gardening.
In 1855 Mr. Murphy and wife moved west and settled in Battle Creek, where he became one of the early merchants and one of the first regular grocers of the town. He began business in the Upton block on Madison street, where the postoffice was afterward located, and later bought a corner at Jefferson avenue and Jackson street, where he continued in business until he retired, in 1886, about three years before his death which occurred in November, 1888. His wife died here on April 6, 1879.
He was a man of broad interests and public-spirited activities. He had accumulated and brought with him what was at the time con- sidered a large private library, and as he continued to be a reader of varied literature all his life he left a very good collection of books at his death. In politics he was a Democrat. He helped buy the ground and was one of the first members of the St. Phillip's Catholic church of this city, having assisted materially in the building of the church. Also on the advice of the priest at Marshall, he bought with his own money a tract of land on South avenue which for some years he used as private pasture but which at the proper time he sold to the church, and which is now the Mt. Olivet Catholic cemetery. His home, where all the children but two, John and Sarah, were born and reared and which was the scene of many happy associations in their early life, was on South avenue, and its site is now part of the property of the Grand Trunk Railway.
Mr. and Mrs. Murphy were the parents of twelve children, namely : Mrs. Katharine Schoder, of Battle Creek; Edward R., of this city; Mrs. J. P. Conway, of Los Angeles; Mrs. Spencer Pomeroy, of this city ; Mrs. Theresa Byrne, of this city; Francis J., of this city; and Sarah, John, Jane, Joseph, Robert and William who died in the order named, and who now rest in Mt. Olivet cemetery. William and Francis were educated in the local parochial schools and at Notre Dame Uni- versity. Mrs. Pomeroy is a graduate of St. Mary's Academy of Mon- roe, Michigan, and Mrs. Byrne and Mrs. Schoder are both graduates of the Battle Creek high school, the former in the class of 1889.
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