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 61
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HENRY LEHMANN. One of the representative business men of Ceresco, Michigan, is Henry Lehmann, who is there engaged in a general mer- chandise business and is accounted one of the sterling men of that com- munity. Mr. Lehmann comes directly of German ancestry and through. his useful activities has helped to sustain the high opinion in which the German-American citizen is almost universally held in this country.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois, August 21, 1874, the eldest son of Joseph Lehmann and his wife, whose maiden name was Sophia Reincke.
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Both parents are natives of Mecklenburg-Schwern, Germany, where the father was born in 1847. They were married in the Fatherland in 1870 and that same year came to the United States, locating first in Chicago, where they remained until 1877, in which year they removed to Calhoun county, Michigan. Joseph Lehmann had followed various occupations during his residence in Chicago, but on coming to this county he pur- chased a farm of 120 acres in Newton township and has since given his at- tention to agricultural pursuits. He has subsequently bought other land but still remains a resident of Newton township. Both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. The seven children that have been the issue of this union are as follows: Henry, the subject of this review; Carl, now a resident of Battle Creek, Michigan; William, a farmer residing at East LeRoy, Calhoun county ; Frederick, who resides with his parents; Minnie, now Mrs. W. Hines, of Woodland, Michigan; Anna, who is the wife of B. W. Owens and resides at Battle Creek, Michigan; and Martha, now Mrs. Clyde Warsop, of Tekonsha township, Calhoun county.
Henry Lehmann was but a child when his parents removed to Calhoun county and he has therefore spent practically his whole life here, secur- ing his education in the common schools of Newton and Fredonia town- ships. Until 1906 his attention was given to agriculture, the vocation to which he had been reared, and for seven years he farmed on the shares in Newton and Marshall townships. He then removed to Ceresco and opened a hardware store, but after conducting this business two years he sold out and purchased from E. B. Phelps a general merchandise business at Ceresco, which he has since conducted.
In 1898 Mr. Lehmann married Miss Dora Bartehard, whose father William Bartehard died when she was an infant. Her mother remarried, becoming the wife of Henry Reincke, and now resides in Tekonsha town- ship of this county. Mrs. Lehmann was the seventh of eight children born to her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Lehmann have one son Arthur C. Lehmann, born September 10, 1901.
In political views Mr. Lehmann is a Republican, and he is the present township clerk of Marshall township, which office he has now filled two years. His religious creed is that of the Lutheran church, in which faith he was graciously reared by his parents, and fraternal ties are sus- tained as a member of the Ancient Order of Gleaners.
GARRETT D. BLAKE. The profession of farming, as now practiced by the intelligent and progressive agriculturist, is as different from the operations of several decades ago as could be imagined. The day of the work-hardened, horny-handed farmer is over. In these days scientific treatment of the soil has displaced the old hit-or-miss style and among our country's most prosperous citizens will be found agriculturists. Among this class may be mentioned Garrett D. Blake, of Marshall town- ship, Calhoun county, Michigan, the owner of a finely-improved tract of land and one of his community's best citizens. Mr. Blake was born December 3, 1843, in Albany county, New York, and is a son of James D. and Jane Ann (Donaldson) Blake.
James D. Blake was born in Albany county, New York, June 6, 1817, and died November 14, 1887, while his wife passed away March 5, 1898. They came to Michigan in 1861, settling on a farm in Marengo township which consisted of seventy-two acres, and two years later moved to the farm on which Garrett D. Blake is now living. During the remainder of his life he continued to be engaged in farming and hog breeding, be- came well known throughout the township, and so conducted his affairs as to win the universal respect and esteem of his fellow townsmen. He
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was a Republican in his political views, and he and his wife were con- sistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. She was a daughter of Peter Donaldson, a successful miller of New York, who had a family of eleven children. Mr. and Mrs. Blake had two sons: James H., who is deceased; and Garrett D.
Garrett D. Blake was educated in the district schools and reared to the occupation of an agriculturist, which he has followed all of his life. He remained at home and assisted his father until his marriage, when his father died he left him the old homestead, and there Mr. Blake now carries on operations. He is progressive in his methods and scientific ideas have always governed his operations, while the use of modern power farm machinery has greatly facilitated his work. During his long residence here he has formed a wide acquaintance, and he has numerous friends throughout the county. He is independent in his political ten- dencies, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
On April 19, 1870, Mr. Blake was married to Miss Helen C. Cross- man, and three children were born to this union: Howard, who resides at home and assists his father in the work of the farm; Harry, connected with the Western Union Telegraph Company, at Battle Creek; and Luther, who studied mechanical draughtsmanship and is now employed in a patent office in Kalamazoo.
Luther G. Crossman, father of Mrs. Blake, was born in Oneida county, New York, son of Nathaniel and Mercy (Pratt) Crossman, natives of. Taunton, Massachusetts, from where they removed to Deerfield prior to 1807. The grandfather was a carpenter by trade, but on locating in Deer- field took up the vocation of agriculturist. Luther G. Crossman was born February 10, 1808, and as a young man assisted his father on the farm and subsequently learned of him the carpenter's trade. At this he worked during the summer months, while in the winter terms he taught the district school, so continuing until coming to Calhoun county, Michi- gan, in February, 1832. Purchasing a farm in 1832, he spent the next five years in carpenter work, and then settled down to agricultural pur- suits in Marengo township. On April 19, 1837, Mr. Crossman was mar- ried to Miss Amanda M. Burlingame, daughter of Eseck and Lucy (White) Burlingame, natives of Rhode Island who moved to Massa- chusetts. Mrs. Crossman was born at Governeur, St. Lawrence county, New York, July 15, 1818, and with her parents removed to Herkimer county. When she was nine years old she was taken to West Bloomfield, Ontario county, New York, where she was married to Mr. Crossman. Her grandfather Burlingame was a Revolutionary soldier and was one of the party that surprised the British general Prescott at Newport. In 1832 Mr. Crossman aided in building the first frame barn and dwelling in Calhoun county, for Mr. Bertram, a farm dwelling 30x40 feet, there being a grand festival and jollification. Sidney Ketchum held one post, General Crary another, John D. Pierce a third, and old Lemuel Spencer acted in the role of general utility man. Mr. Crossman was first a Whig and later a Republican, and in 1884 he and his wife joined the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Crossman died April 7, 1879, and his wife April 12, 1899.
EDWARD F. HOUGH, who is established in the general merchandise business at Ceresco, Calhoun county, Michigan, was born on a farm in Emmet township of this county on November 4, 1855, and is a represen- tative of a family long residents of this locality, his father, John Hough, having settled in this township about 1837. The Hough family originated in this country with William Hough, son of Edward, of Westchester,
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Cheshire county, England, who came to America in 1645. John Hough was a native of New Hampshire, his birth having occurred at Lebanon, Grafton county of that state on the 25th of December, 1816. He grew to young manhood amid the hills of his native state, but when he had at- tained his majority he came to Michigan and located in Emmet town- ship, Calhoun county, where he purchased a farm and resided on it many years, his abode during later years, however, having been on a farm that he had purchased near Wheatfield. At the age of twenty-four he was married to Eliza Harper, of Calhoun county, Michigan, whose parents had settled here in 1831 and were among the early pioneers of the county. To this union were born five children, of whom David, Henry and Helen are deceased. The other two children are Charles Hough and Edward F. Hough of this review. Mrs. Hough died in 1891 at the age of fifty-eight and was survived by her husband until 1898 when he too passed away. John Hough was a Democrat in politics and was a well known and prominent man in this locality, having served for a time as a member of the Michigan state legislature.
Edward F. Hough spent his early life on the farm in Emmet township and obtained his education in the district schools of that locality and in the public schools at Battle Creek. After school days were over he took up the duties of the home farm, finally assumed its sole management and continued to conduct it until he sold his farm interests and took up the general merchandise business at Ceresco, which has since been his line of endeavor.
In 1887 he was united in marriage to Miss Isadora Hoffmann, the youngest child of Thomas and Elizabeth Hoffmann, farmer residents of Emmet township. Mr. and Mrs. Hough have three children, namely : John, a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, who is now with the General Electric of New York City; Edna, who has taken up the profession of teaching and is now employed in Newton township; and Mary, a high school student at this time.
Mr. Hough gives his political allegiance to the Democratic party. He is the present supervisor of Marshall township and has now filled the office for four years. Fraternal associations are sustained as a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of Gleaners. In the three-quarters of a century that this family has been established in Calhoun county its members have ever maintained a high standard of citizenship and their name is one which stands for true worth and attainment.
GILBERT B. WHITE. Born in the township of his present residence and on the farm which he now occupies and cultivates, and which his grandmother took up in a totally wild and unbroken condition from the government, Gilbert B. White of Convis township, Calhoun county, Michigan, bears an unusual relation to the soil in this locality and pre- sents in his history elements of unusual interest. He represents the third generation of his family in occupancy and tillage of the same tract, and the difference in its condition now from what it was when the place came into the possession of the family represents not only the achieve- ments of its successive occupants in cultivating and improving it, but also the general progress of this region since civilization was first planted in it.
Mr. White's life began on this farm on July 17, 1874. He is a son of William N. and Amanda (Gilbert) White, the former also born on this farm, the date of his birth being October 1, 1847, and the latter a native of Eckford township, this county. The paternal grandparents were Reuben and Chloe (Fish) White, who came to Michigan at an early
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date and were among the first pioneers of Convis township. Reuben White was born and reared in Connecticut and his wife in the state of New York. On their arrival in this county Mrs. White took up a home- stead of 120 acres of land, a portion of Gilbert White's present farm, as has been noted, and on this she and her husband passed the remainder of their lives.
Their son, William N. White, succeeded them in the possession of the farm, and on it he has ever since made his home. He is now traveling for a large establishment that manufactures and handles aluminum ware, but his wife still resides on the family homestead. They became the parents of seven children, five of whom are living, Gilbert being the oldest of them. In political relations and service the father is a Prohibi- tionist; in religious connection he is a Presbyterian, and in fraternal life a Freemason. While never an office seeker or desirous of political promi- nence, he has served as township clerk and treasurer with credit to him- self and decided benefit to the township and its residents, and is favor- ably remembered for the excellent record he made in these offices as well as highly esteemed for his progressiveness as a citizen and his genuine worth as a man.
Gilbert B. White obtained his education in the district schools. He began farming on the home place on his own account at an early age, and here he has followed the plow ever since with increasing prosperity and in the most advanced and enterprising manner. In addition to his general farming industry, he raises numbers of graded Durham cattle, and is widely and favorably known for his success and intelligence as a live stock breeder as well as for his skill and advanced methods as a farmer.
Mr. White was married on Nov. 27, 1891, to Miss Mattie Loumis, a daughter of Guy Loumis, one of the pioneer farmers of Convis township. Four children have been born of the union: Thera, Guy and Glenn (twins), and Esther. Thera is a student of Marshall and Guy, Glenn and Esther are in school near their home. The farm on which they live now comprises 140 acres, and is one of the best and most highly im- proved in the township. It shows in every phase of its appearance and condition the care and intelligence with which it is cultivated, and is considered a very valuable piece of property.
In politics Mr. White is a pronounced Democrat. He was elected township clerk in the spring of 1912, which makes second tenure of this office, he having been elected to it in 1904 and held it after that for four years in succession. He has also served several years as a member of the school board, and like his father, he has given the people of the township excellent service in every office he has held. Of the fraternal societies so numerous among men he has membership in but one, the Patrons of Husbandry, but in this he takes a warm, constant and prac- tical interest, doing everything in his power to make it as useful as pos- sible, and seeing in it a source of great benefit to the agricultural inter- ests of the country. This is in line with his general attitude toward everything which involves the welfare of his township and county. He is always enterprising and progressive in connection with the public weal, and withholds no effort possible on his part to aid in its promotion. The residents of Calhoun county hold him in the highest esteem as a man and as a citizen, and he is well worthy of the regard they bestow upon him.
CALVIN J. HOTCHKISS. Owning one of the finest farms and country residences in Marshall township, Calhoun county, and standing high in the regard and good will of all classes of the people, Calvin J. Hotchkiss
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might justly feel proud of his work as a self-made man and the success he has achieved in life, if his good sense and genuine modesty did not. forbid him to indulge in any self-laudation in word or thought. Like all men of genuine merit, he does not overrate either his abilities or his achievements, but is thankful for his opportunities for advancement in life and for the possession of the manhood and good judgment to make the most of them.
Mr. Hotchkiss was born in Ohio, on May 19, 1854, and is a son of Calvin and Sarah (Ives) Hotchkiss, natives of Connecticut, where the father was born in 1816 and the mother in 1810. The father journeyed from his native state to Ohio, when he moved to that great common- wealth, in a single wagon, and arrived at his destination with only $5 in money. He was resolute and self-reliant, however, and lost no time in getting a start in his new home. He bought eighty acres of land, which he cleared and improved. He afterward bought more land, and kept on buying and improving farms until he owned 300 acres, all of which was in his possession at the time of his death.
He and his wife were the parents of seven children, of whom Calvin J. came fifth in the order of birth. The mother was a devout member of the Methodist Protestant church, and the father belonged to the Re- publican party in his political relations. The grandparents on both sides of the house passed the whole of their lives in Connecticut, and their forefathers were residents of that state from an early period in its history.
Calvin J. Hotchkiss was educated in the public schools of his native state, preparing himself in the district schools and completing his course in the high school in Malta, which he attended one winter. He was reared as a farmer's son and began life for himself in the occupation to which he had been trained. He purchased eighty acres of land and cul- tivated that tract until 1906, when he came to this county and bought the farm of 140 acres which he now owns and lives on. He has made a very superior farm of it and has it improved with a fine dwelling house and other necessary buildings in keeping with this.
On March 23, 1884, he was married to Miss Emma Wood, a daughter of Thomas Wood, a carpenter and shingle maker who passed the whole of his life in Ohio, whither his parents moved from Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Hotchkiss have four children living. Aro G. is a school teacher ; Edgar resides on his father's farm; Harry is living at home with his parents, and Raymond is in school. They are all creditable representa- tives of the family and are held in cordial esteem by the people all around them.
Fraternally Mr. Hotchkiss is a member of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, or the Grange, as it is popularly called. In politics he is a Republican, and as such served four years as township assessor in Morgan county, Ohio, before leaving that state, where he was promi- nent in local public affairs. In Calhoun county he also stands well in the estimation of the people, and shows that he is entitled to the esteem they bestow upon him by his interest in their welfare, his enterprise with reference to the progress and development of the county and the ele- vated and useful character of his citizenship in all particulars. He has made his own way in the world without help from the outside, except, $1,200 which he got from his father's estate after he was well established in life.
GEORGE C. HAIGH. Standing high in the regard of his neighbors and associates as a farmer, and so firmly fixed in their confidence and esteem as a man and citizen that he has repeatedly been elected to public office
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by a constituency with a majority opposed to his political beliefs and alliances, George C. Haigh, one of the substantial and enterprising resi- dents of Convis township, Calhoun county, Michigan, occupies an en- viable position in the estimation of the people around him. And this is all the more creditable to him since he has attained it by his own ability and industry in his business and his unvarying uprightness and straight- forwardness in all the relations of life.
Mr. Haigh was born in the township of his present residence on July 21, 1864, and is a son of James and Azelia (Crothers) Haigh, the former a native of Yorkshire, England, born in 1812, and the latter of the state of New York, where her life began in 1822. The father came to the United States in 1833, and sometime afterward located at Battle Creek in this state. For a number of years he worked at his trade as a weaver in Battle Creek, then bought a farm of 100 acres in Eaton county, on which he lived for a time. Later, however, he returned to this county and bought a farm in Convis township, on which he passed the remainder of his life.
The mother's real name was Van Allen, but in her childhood she was adopted by a Mr. and Mrs. Crothers, her mother having married Mr. Crothers, and then she was given their family name. She was married to Mr. Haigh in 1847 in Battle Creek, and they became the parents of seven children, four of whom are living: Addie, who is the wife of Charles Walkinshaw ; Fred, who is in business in Battle Creek; Nellie, who is the wife of Charles Hall and lives in Detroit, and George C. The parents were members of the Baptist church, and in his political rela- tions he was a Democrat, loyal to his party and zealous in its service. He died on July 4, 1899, having survived by five months his wife, who passed away in February of the same year. He was a very successful man in his several occupations, having begun life with nothing in the way of capital and dying possessed of a comfortable estate. He was a son of James Haigh, who also was born in England and who passed the whole of his life in that country.
George C. Haigh was reared and educated in this county acquiring his academic training in the district schools. He began life for himself as a farm hand, and after a few years of steady industry in this line of work, went to Battle Creek in 1900, and there he remained eight years engaged in the feed trade. In 1909 he bought the farm on which he now lives and located on it at once. It comprises 120 acres of first- rate land, and he has brought it to an advanced state of cultivation and richly improved it from the condition it was in when he took possession of it. In farming this land in a general way he finds plenty to do and feels no temptation to seek any other occupation or line of effort.
Mr. Haigh was married on January 10, 1894, to Miss Florence White, a daughter of Joseph and Emma (White) White, the former born near Sandusky, Ohio, in 1847, and the latter in Milton, Pennsylvania. They now live in Lee township, this county, where the father owns a fine farm of eighty acres. Four children were born in the family, Mrs. Haigh being the first in the order of birth. She was educated in the district schools and the high schools at Olivet in Eaton county. She is a member of the Baptist church, and Mr. Haigh finds social enjoyment and good associations in the Order of Odd Fellows, of which he has long been a member, and in which he has for years taken an active and helpful interest.
In political faith and allegiance Mr. Haigh is warmly attached to the Democratic party. Yet notwithstanding this he was elected township supervisor in the spring of 1912 by a majority of thirty-two votes al- though the township is normally a Republican one in its political com-
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plexion. This is a strong proof of his enterprise, public spirit and in- telligent and serviceable interest in the welfare of his township and county. He also served as township clerk five or six years, and made an excellent record in that office, as he is making in the one he now holds at the time of this writing, the summer of 1912.
Having been the architect of his own fortune, and having built it well and substantially, Mr. Haigh is entitled to all the credit due to a self-made man in the best sense of the term. But while he has been closely attentive to his own affairs, and made them profitable to him, he has never slighted the interests of his township or those of Calhoun county in general, but has always done his full share toward promoting them and the enduring welfare of the residents of this part of the state. They all esteem him highly as one of their most substantial and useful citizens.
JOHN C. COOPER. Born on a farm and reared as a farmer's son, and afterward working several years in the farming industry, but now one of the leading merchants of Marengo township, Calhoun county, and also successful and enterpriseing as a fire insurance agent, John C. Cooper of the village of Marengo illustrates in his career the great uncertainty of foretelling any man's destiny or occupation in this land of great diversity of employments and almost boundless opportunity. His case is but one of millions of instances in which men enter upon the stage of action in one pursuit and are found before many years have passed in an entirely different one. And it is a proof of the ver- satility of American manhood that a very large number of them suc- ceed in everything they undertake, as is true of Mr. Cooper
Mr. Cooper was born in Monroe county, New York, on August 31, 1854, and is a son of John and Mary (Buckley) Cooper, who were born, reared and married in Ireland. The father's life began in 1829 and the mother's in 1825. They came to the United States in 1847 and located in the state of New York, where they remained, industriously engaged in farming, until 1856, when they moved to Michigan. Here the father bought a farm of 120 acres in Marengo township, and on this farm the parents died, the mother in 1893 and the father in 1910. The father was a Democrat in his political faith and allegiance.
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