USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > History of Detroit and Wayne County and early Michigan: A Chronological Cyclopedia of the Past and Present, Vol. II > Part 30
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GEORGE F. MOORE, wholesale dry goods merchant of Detroit, was born in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, December 10, 1832, and is one of the twelve children of John and Clara Moore, and of New England ancestry. His grandfather on the paternal side came from Holland, and was among the earliest settlers of Berkshire County, and his descendants have left an honorable impress upon the commercial and political life of New England. Mr. Moore's mother was of Scotch de- scent, but her ancestors came to America prior to the Revolutionary War. John Moore was a man of sturdy character, and infused into his chil- dren those sound principles which have given them honorable and useful positions in the world. He dealt largely in lands, and was also engaged in the coal and timber trade, owning large tracts of land in Berkshire County. He possessed natural business ability, good judgment, was animated by honest and conscientious motives, was highly respected and esteemed, and as a business man was quite successful. He removed with his family to Bata- via, New York, in 1847, and died there in 1858.
His son, George F. Moore, was educated in the public schools of Berkshire and Batavia, and at the age of eighteen began his commercial career as a clerk in the dry goods house of Wells & Seymour, of Batavia, with whom he remained three years. He then went to Buffalo, New York, and for a year was in the employ of Howard, Whitcomb & Co. His next engagement took him to New Orleans and Memphis, where he spent the winter of 1854. In 1855 he returned to Buffalo, and for three years was in the service of his former employer. His business career in Detroit dates from 1859. In that year he entered the dry goods store of Town & Shelden, by whom he was employed for six years, when he and James L. Edson, were admitted as partners. The firm name was Allan Shelden & Co., the late Senator Zachariah Chandler being a special partner .. In 1872 Mr. Moore and Mr. Edson retired from the firm and established the present wholesale dry goods house of Edson, Moore & Co. They began business in a building erected for them on the southwest corner of Jef- ferson avenue and Bates Street, where they re- mained until 1882, when the growth of their busi- ness demanding larger quarters, the building on the opposite side of Bates Street and on the corner of Jefferson Avenue was erected for their use. The growth of their business to its present commanding
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position among the wholesale houses of the North- west, has been rapid, at the present time their sales exceed those of any dry goods house in the State, and their establishment is one of the largest con- cerns in its line west of New York City. In view of these results, it is needless to say that Mr. Moore has had a remarkably busy life, or that he possesses excellent business capacity and judg- ment. An important factor in his career has been his practical experience since early manhood, with the line of business in which he is engaged. Start- ing in life without assistance, save what his own industry and worth had justly earned, he has gained a deserving place among the most success- ful merchants of Detroit. The life and labor of even the most successful business man, made up of daily rounds of duty, would seem to furnish little of note to the biographer, but it should be oftener kept in mind that the growth and good of the nation, and of each individual citizen, is secured through the development of commercial enterprise, rather than by the ready eloquence of mere politi- cal place hunters. The mercantile community increases the consumption of raw material by open- ing new avenues of trade, and by pushing the sale of various products, while the political representative often hinders legitimate commerce by crude legisla- tion and unbusiness-like schemes in the interest of his party.
The personal supervision of extensive interests has given Mr. Moore but limited opportunity to engage in other pursuits, but no citizen has shown, in more substantial ways, his deep interest in all enterprises pertaining to the good of Detroit. Pro- gressive and public-spirited, his aid is never refused to any deserving projects. He possesses far-seeing business judgment, the power to thoroughly grasp complicated details, is careful and methodical, and steadily and persistently follows a course he has decided upon, and is not easily turned from a pro- ject his judgment approves. His integrity is un- questioned, and upon his business honor there is no stain. Personally he is reserved in manner, but with those who possess his full confidence he is genial and companionable. He is warmly attached to his friends, his home and the domestic ties are especially dear to him, and his chief enjoyment is found in the family circle. For many years he has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church, and is generous in his donations to religious and charita- ble objects.
He was married in 1855 to Adela S. Mosher, daughter of Amasa A. and Susan Mosher. They have had five children, Edward H. (deceased). George F, Jr., Willis Howard, Harriet L., deceased wife of John Arthur Heames, and Adela S., wife of J. Ledlie Hees.
JOHN VALLÉE MORAN was born in Detroit, December 25, 1846. He is descended from French ancestors, who were among the early immigrants to the St. Lawrence Valley. Pierre Moran, the founder of the family in America, was born at Batiscan, in 1651, and married Madeline Grimard, in 1678. Their descendants were numerous in Canada, and many of them noted as clergymen, lawyers, and landed proprietors. The name was originally spelled Morand, and it so appears in some of the old records. One of the sons of Pierre Moran, Jean Baptiste, was married at Quebec, in 1707, to Elizabeth Dubois. Their son, Charles, settled at Detroit in the year 1734. In 1767 he married Marguerite Grimard Trembley, whose family possessed the seigneurie de Trembley as early as 1681. She died in 1771, leaving two sons, the younger of whom, Charles, was born in 1770, and married, in 1794, Catherine Vissier, dit Laferté, whose only child was the late Judge Charles Moran. The latter was born April 21, 1797, and was married in 1822 to Julie De Quindre, by whom he had five children, of whom only the youngest is living, Mary Josephine, wife of Robert E. Mix, of Cleveland, Ohio. Judge Moran married for his second wife Justine McCormack, of New York. They had five children-James, who died unmarried ; William B .; John Vallée; Catherine, wife of the late Henry D. Barnard; and Alfred T. Judge Moran died October 13, 1876, leaving to the above named children and his widow one of the most valuable estates in the city
John Vallée Moran, the third son, received his rudimentary education in Ste. Anne's Church School, then taught by the Christian brothers; he after- wards attended the old Barstow School, and the private school of P. M. Patterson ; completed a course in higher mathematics at the Detroit High School, and finished his commercial education by a course at Sprague and Farnsworth's Business Col- lege in Detroit. While thus acquiring a theoretical knowledge of business, he had some experience in its practice in connection with the affairs of his father's estate.
In 1867 he became a clerk in the grocery house of Moses W. Field & Company, at the foot of Griswold Street. In 1869 he assumed the position of assistant bookkeeper in the wholesale grocery house of John Stephens & Company, subsequently became shipping clerk in the wholesale grocery house of Beatty & Fitzsimons, which place he re- tained for two years, at the expiration of which time he purchased the interest of the late Simon Man- dlebaum, in that establishment, and became a partner, the style of the firm being Beatty, Fitz- simons & Company. The firm continued without change until Mr. Beatty died, in August, 1885; the
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business was then reorganized, and in March, 1887, the firm was changed to Moran, Fitzsimons & Company, and the house is recognized as one of the most prosperous in the city.
Mr. Moran has also been active in many other enterprises. For many years he was a director in the Merchants and Manufacturers' Exchange, which his firm took a leading part in organizing, and which has been of great benefit to the city. He was one of the organizers of the Gale Sulky Harrow Company, and one of its first directors. He aided in establishing Ward's line of Detroit and Lake Superior Transportation Steamers, and has been a Director and Secretary of the company since its organization. In 1887 he assisted in organiz- ing the American Banking and Savings Associa- tion, and the American Trust Company, the latter being the first institution of the kind in Michigan. He is a Director and Vice-President of both companies. He was also one of the organizers of the Detroit Club, and was its first Treasurer and one of its first Board of Directors. He is an enthusi- astic boatman, and has been prominently connected with the Detroit Boat and Yacht Clubs, and was a member of the Northwestern Amateur Rowing Association as a Director, and its President in 1886.
His political affiliations are with the Democratic party. By appointment of the Mayor, he served as a member of the Board of Inspectors of the House of Correction for two terms, from 1880 to 1886, and was President of the Board in 1880, and also in 1885.
He has been from infancy a member of SS. Peter and Paul's Church, is a member of the Parochial School Building Association of that church, and of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
He is methodical and careful in all his business transactions, uniformly courteous, and with an attractive manner that easily wins confidence, while his sterling worth enables him to retain as friends those with whom he comes in contact. He is a good organizer, easily comprehends the minute details of what he undertakes, and is remarkably successful in his business enterprises. His moral character is unblemished ; he possesses a high sense of honor, is both just and generous, and few among the younger business men of Detroit are more deserv- edly popular and influential.
He was married November 25, 1880, at Memphis, Tennessee, to Emma Etheridge, only daughter of Emerson Etheridge, of Tennessee. Their children are : Frances Valerie, Justine Semmes, Charles Emerson, Etheridge, John Bell Loyola, James Granville and Marie Stéphanie.
CYRENIUS ADELBERT NEWCOMB, son of Colonel Hezekiah Newcomb, was born November
10, 1837, in Cortland, New York. His grandfather, Hezekiah Newcomb, was a well known and influ- ential citizen in Northwestern Massachusetts, and represented Bernardstown and Leyden in the State Legislature or General Court of Massachusetts, for more than twenty years. His father, Colonel Hezekiah Newcomb, also served the State in the same capacity, and was a widely respected teacher, and later on was commissioned as Colonel of one of the regiments of the New York Militia. His mother's maiden name was Rounds. The ancestry of the Newcomb family is easily traced for hundreds of years. The Harlein manuscripts in the British Museum gives the names of the Newcombs of Devonshire from the year 1189. The early history of the Newcombs in this country is connected with various portions of New England and eastern Canada. In the family connection is the name of Abigail Mather, daughter of the noted Rev. Increase Mather. Her mother was the daughter of the cele- brated Rev. John Cotton. The earliest known American member of the family, Captain Andrew Newcomb, lived in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1663, and probably emigrated there from Wales or Devon- shire. The family, at an early day, were large land owners at Martha's Vineyard and in other parts of New England, and even in Arcadia, being drawn there by the King's proclamation of 1761. They occupied some of the lands from which the French were so remorselessly driven. The old town records of the far east disclose the fact that differ- ent members of the family, at various periods, held all the offices within the gift of the people.
The Newcombs were originally loyal church members of the old Puritan stock, but in later years some of them became prominent members of the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches. Several were college graduates at an early day, and the ministerial, editorial, and educational professions, as well as the guild of authors, are all represented in the connection, and some of the family have made large gifts to schools and colleges. Travelers and scientists of note are also in the genealogical list. During the Revolutionary War, some mem- bers of the family served on the Union side, and others under the British colors. Among the soldiers of the War of 1812, and also in the War with the South, they are also represented.
After receiving the usual education afforded by the schools of New England, Mr. C. A. Newcomb began his business career in Hannibal, New York, but when twenty years old he went to Taunton, Massachusetts, where for some nine years he served as clerk in the dry good stores of N. H. Skinner & Company, and, becoming a partner, continued two years longer. He then, in 1868, removed to Detroit, and with Mr. Charles Endicott
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purchased the dry goods establishment and good will of James W. Farrell, and under the firm name of Newcomb, Endicott & Company, the business remained in the Merrill Block, at the stand occupied by their predecessors, for one year. To the surprise of citizens generally, the following year the firm led the march of business up Woodward Avenue, by moving to and occupying the ground floor of the then new Opera House Building, facing the Campus Martius. Remaining here ten years, in 1879 they again led the van in the march northward, and moved to the large building erected for their occu- pancy by D. M. Ferry, on the east side of Woodward Avenue, just below State Street. Even here they do not find sufficient room for their ever increasing business. Various plans have been considered for enlarging the capacity of their establishment, which is already the largest of the kind in the city. As an indication of the extent of their business, it may be mentioned that of kid gloves alone, although they are not a distinct specialty, their sales have reached as high as forty thousand dollars in a single year.
In addition to his extensive interests in connection with this establishment, Mr. Newcomb is a large stockholder in, and President of, the Imperial Life Insurance Company, the Detroit Nut Lock Com- pany, and the Michigan Railway Supply Company.
Mr. Newcomb was one of the organizers of the Universalist Church, and contributed largely towards the erection of the elegant church occupied by that society. He can be counted upon as interested in whatever concerns the moral welfare of his fellow- citizens, and, in a practical way, to further every institution that promises to be an advantage to the city.
He is pronounced in his temperance sentiments, and in the campaign of 1887, in favor of an amend- ment to the constitution prohibiting the manufac- ture or sale of liquor, was an active and influential factor. As a business man, he is modest, sensible, and successful; and conscientiously endeavors to fulfill the duties belonging to good citizenship.
In 1867 he married Mary E. Haskell, daughter of William Reynolds Haskell, of Hartford, Connecticut .. Their children are named William Wilmon, Cyrenius Adelbert, Mary Queen, and Howard Rounds. Mrs. Newcomb died November 17, 1887.
HENRY A. NEWLAND, senior partner in the wholesale fur house of Henry A. Newland & Com- pany, of Detroit, is the son of Adolphus Thayer and Lucinda (Smith) Newland, and was born at Hammondsport, Steuben County, New York, March 17, 1835. When quite young, his parents removed to Palmyra, Wayne County, New York, where he attended the High School, continuing his studies
until he began his very successful mercantile career by becoming a clerk in the store of William H. Cuyler, where he remained seven years.
In February, 1854, he came to Detroit, and entered the house of F. Buhl & Company, whole- sale hatters and furriers. Within three years he had made himself so useful that in 1857 he was admitted as a partner in the establishment, and three years later the name of the firm was changed to F. Buhl, Newland & Company. As a member of this firm, he held a very responsible position, and attended largely to the purchasing of the goods, and was chief manager of the European branch of their large operations, traveling extensively and attending annually the large fur sales at London and Leipzig.
In 1880 he retired from the firm above named, and established the house of Henry A. Newland & Company, which at once took the leading position in their line, and is now the largest fur house west of New York, employing from one hundred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty persons. It exports raw furs extensively, and Mr. Newland con- tinues his annual trips to the leading fur markets of Europe.
In 1865 Mr. Newland was appointed by Governor Crapo a member of the State Military Board, and aid-de-camp to the Governor, with the rank of Colonel. He served in this capacity during Gover- nor Crapo's first term, and as chief of his staff during his second term.
Mr. Newland is recognized as one of the most enterprising and successful of the business men of Detroit. He is possessed of excellent business judgment, gives close attention to all the depart- ments of his establishment, and is one of the best buyers and judges of furs in the whole country. In addition to his regular business, Mr. Newland is interested in the Crystal City Glass Works, of Bowling Green, Ohio.
His abilities, and the position he has secured, have not made him unsocial, but on the contrary he is always affable, courteous, willing to accommodate, and, as a natural result, makes many friends, and is a member of the Detroit and Grosse Pointe Clubs.
He was married March 11, 1862, to Emily A. Burns, daughter of James Burns. She died June 18, 1871. Their only surviving child is Helen L. Newland. On March 7, 1877, Mr. Newland mar- ried Martha Alger Joy, daughter of James F. Joy. Mr. and Mrs. Newland have one living child, Mary Joy Newland.
THOMAS PALMER, one of the pioneer Amer- ican merchants of Detroit, was born in Ashford, Windham County, Connecticut, February 4, 1789. The Palmers were among the earliest of the Puri-
G. A. Newcomb.
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tan pioneers. William Palmer, the first of the name that arrived in this country, came in the ship Fortune, in 1821, and settled in what is now Dux- bury, Massachusetts. Walter Palmer followed in 1629, coming with John Endicott, who had in charge six ships, containing upwards of four hun- dred persons. Walter Palmer was one of the original founders of Charlestown, Massachusetts, but after various removals finally settled in Pawca- tuch, now Stonington, Connecticut, where he was appointed constable in 1658. He died there in 1661, aged seventy-six years, leaving twelve children, and from these children have sprung over sixty thousand Palmers, whose records are preserved, except in a few instances. The list of descendants contains the names of a large number of persons who occupy prominent places in history, among whom are General Grant, a descendant from Walter Palmer's eldest daughter Grace, General Joseph Palmer, of Boston Tea Ship notoriety, who served during the War of the Revolution, and who was an intimate friend of John Adams. Many other notable names are included in various branches of the family, numbers of the name being clergymen, judges, and civic officers.
Thomas Palmer's father married a Miss Barber, and they had six sons and three daughters. The grandfather, Thomas Barber, was engaged in the Indian trade, and came to Detroit as early as 1763, bringing goods from Hartford, hauling them from Hartford to Schenectady with oxen, freighting them by boats up the Mohawk, and thence via Wood Creek, Oneida Lake, and down the outlet to Oswego, and from there by Lakes Ontario and Erie, to Detroit. The goods were bartered with the Indians for furs, and then in turn the furs were transported over the same long and tedious route to Hartford.
The story of these adventures, told to his grand- sons, kindled in the minds of at least two of them, a desire to seek their fortunes in the West, and in the spring of 1812, Thomas and Friend Palmer brought a stock of goods from the East, and opened a store about twenty miles below De- troit, at Amherstburg, Ontario. On the declaration of war, which occurred soon after, they were both imprisoned as American citizens; but after five weeks' confinement, were liberated and put ashore upon the American side, near Monguagon. They then walked to Detroit, joined a company of volun- teers commanded by Shubael Conant, and were present at the surrender of Detroit to the British. After the surrender, being permitted to return to Malden and secure their goods, they went to Can- andaigua, New York, where they established a store, remaining about four years.
In 1816, Thomas Palmer returned to Detroit, and
opened a store, under the firm name of F. & T. Palmer, Friend Palmer remaining in charge of the store at Canandaigua. The two brothers also established a branch store at Ashtabula, Ohio, built flouring mills at Scio, New York, and for a number of years did a very large and profitable busi- ness. They became contractors for public works of various kinds, and constructed many of the roads leading out from Detroit. They also built and owned a number of vessels, among which were the "Tiger " and "Young Tiger," the former com- manded by the well-known Captain Blake.
In 1820 Thomas Palmer built the first brick store erected in Detroit, and in 1823 was one of the con- tractors for the building of the Court House or Capitol, which in recent years was occupied by the High School. For erecting the building they re- ceived the ten thousand acre tract and several hundred city lots. The crisis of 1824 brought ruin to Thomas Palmer's financial prospects, but he suc- ceeded in paying all his debts, and was soon engaged in new ventures. In 1828 he purchased the site of the present city of St. Clair, erected saw-mills and laid out a village, which was known as Palmer, and did a large lumbering business there for many · years. From 1845 to 1847, Mr. Palmer was inter- ested in various Lake Superior enterprises, but they did not prove profitable. During this period he coasted from Sault Ste. Marie to the head of Lake Superior, and back, in a six-oared boat.
For several years following 1849, he was engaged in a general land and insurance business.
During his earlier life in Detroit he was promi- nent in the discharge of the duties of a good citizen. He served as a trustee of the city in 1819, as an Alderman at large from 1826 to 1830, as asses- sor in 1831, and also at various times filled other minor offices. In social life he was notably genial and kind-hearted, and even in his business affairs humorous and almost playful. If he had been less easy and lenient with those who were his debtors, it would have doubtless been to his pecuniary advantage. He loved an active life, and enjoyed doing business because of the active life it gave him, rather than for the rewards that he obtained or desired. He was one of the corporators of the First Protestant Church of Detroit, and was always interested in the religious and benevolent welfare of the city. In every trial he acted the part of a true man, and throughout life his conduct was irre- proachable. In politics, Mr. Palmer was a Whig. but became a Republican upon the organization of that party, and ever took much interest in its success.
In 1821 he married Mary A. Witherell, daughter of Judge James Witherell. They had nine children, of whom only Thomas W. Palmer, of Detroit, is living. Of the other children, Julia E., who mar-
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ried H. W. Hubbard, and after his death became the wife of Hugh Moffat, died on November 20, 1880. Mary W., wife of Henry M. Roby, of Mon- roeville, Ohio, died in 1854; Sarah C., died unmar- ried, in 1859. Thomas Palmer died on August 3, 1868, and his wife on March 20, 1874.
Mrs. Palmer was for sixty years a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of De- troit, and in health, active in various Christian and benevolent enterprises.
Her memory is fitly preserved in the beautiful edifice known as the Mary W. Palmer Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, erected in 1884.
GEORGE PECK, the founder of one of the oldest and largest dry goods establishments in the State, is a lineal descendant of William Peck, who, on account of religious persecutions, emigrated from London in the year 1637, and became, in 1638, with Governor Eaton, Thomas Buckingham, Rev. John Davenport, and other sturdy New England characters, one of the founders of the colony of New Haven. Who that has the blood of the Puri- tans is not proud of their upright and courageous lives! The State of Michigan is especially to be congratulated that their descendants, in such large numbers, have here found a home.
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