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 56
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vigor and enterprise, he may confidently anticipate a career of increasing prosperity und usefulness.
JAMES T. HURST of Wyandotte was born in Onondaga County, New York July 28. 1843. His father, Samuel Hurst, was born in Ireland and his mother, Amanda (Lewis) Hurst, in Onondaga, New York where they were married In June, 1844. they removed to Wayne County, Michigan in which county they resided until their death The father died iu April. 1855 and the mother in September, 1875. They had a family of nine children four of whom are now living, namely, Sarah E., James T., Cath- erine and Hester. As a boy, James T., had but few educational advantages, and experience and contact with the world have been his chief edu- cators On April 25 1863, when but twenty years old, he enlisted as a private in Company M, Fourth Michigan Cavalry. His record as a soldier is an excellent one. Shortly before the close of the war, he returned to Michigan commissioned to raise a company. He succeeded in getting together one hundred men, and was about to enter upon active duty when the great struggle came to an end, and on May II, 1865, he was mustered out of service. Had his company gone into active service, Mr. Hurst would have been its Second Lieutenant. Be- fore the war he had been engaged in the lumber business, and became an expert in estimating stand- ing timber. In 1867, he settled at Wyandotte, and on October 16, of the same year he was appointed Inspector of Customs for the Eastern District of Michigan, under Collector N. G. Isbel. He re- signed in 1874, in order to give his attention to the lumber business, which he had established at Wyandotte in 1869, and which had now attained extensive proportions. In 1872, he built a large steam saw and planing mill, in which he produced dressed lumber, doors, sash and blinds. He sub- sequently sold the mill, in order to give his atten- tion to his large interests in pine land, of which he now owns some fifty thousand acres. He is also the owner of a stock farm of three hundred and twenty acres, situated a short distance outside of Wyandotte, and on which there are fine specimens of Percheron, Clydesdale and Hambletonian horses, and short horn Durham, Hereford and Jersey cattle. Under Col. N. S. Andrews he was commissioned, Deputy U. S. Marshal, without being required to give bonds, and reappointed under Joseph R. Bennett, his commission being sent to him without asking. His first vote was cast for Abraham Lin- coln, in 1864, and he has ever since voted the Re- publican ticket. He is not an active member of any church, but affiliates with the Presbyterian, and gives liberally to other societies. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 70, of Wyandotte.
RESIDENCE OF JAMES T. HURST. Wyandotte. Mich.
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Mr. Hurst is quick to take advantage of every opportunity, and has raised himself to the front rank among the active, energetic men of the State, and is an eminent example of our self-made men. On July 5, 1869, he married Mary A. Lacy. She was born in Canada, July 11, 1843. They have a family of four children, namely, Albert L., James A .. and twin daughters, Eva and Effie.
F. A. KIRBY is the eldest son of Captain Stephen R. and Martha Ann Kirby, and was born in Cleve- land, Ohio, December 30, 1847. His parents removed to East Saginaw, Michigan, in 1857, and he passed from youth to manhood in that city. He possessed a studious turn of mind, passing through the sev- eral grades of the public schools, obtaining a good groundwork for future study. Ambitious to begin for himself and make his mark in the world, at the age of eighteen he bade adieu to home and friends and started westward. Montana was his objective point. In the fall of 1865 he reached the mountain section of that territory, which was then an almost unbroken wilderness. Here he engaged in mining, and for a series of years worked and fought against obstacles that would have sooner discour- aged a less determined character. Success did not come to him in this region, and in 1870 he was forced to turn his steps homeward, and now located in Detroit, where his parents had removed during his absence. In August, 1871, he removed to Wyandotte, where he embarked in business with his brother, F. E. Kirby. The latter had completed a course of study in engineering in several of the best technological schools in the East. The evi- dent ability of the two brothers made such a strong impression upon Captain E. B. Ward, the then well-known shipbuilder, iron manufacturer, and leading spirit in all Wyandotte manufacturing industries, that he soon decided to employ them to carry to a successful issue an enterprise he had long had in contemplation, and offered to contract with them for the construction of a first-class plant for the building of steel ships "Buy the best, and build the best," were the specific instructions given. Under their thoughtful, capable and energetic su- pervision and effort, the appliances and material were gathered and put in order. The first work undertaken after the completion of the yard was the building of the mammoth tug "E. B. Ward, Jr.," of 550 tons burden. This was purchased by the Government and transferred to the seaboard, where to-day she is doing good service, a standing testimo- nial to the skill of her designer and builder. In quick succession were built the " Queen of the Lakes," the " Myrtle " steam yacht, seventy feet long by eight feet beam, with a running record of twenty miles an hour, the "Sport," and other craft. Then
came the panic of 1873, and the shutting down of mills and shipbuilding enterprises, followed by the death of Captain Ward, and the end for a time of all Wyandotte's industry. The facilities and opportuni- ties in their yards, and the abilities of the Messrs. Kirby, were, however, not destined to lie dormant. In 1877 the Detroit Dry Dock Company purchased the shipbuilding plant, continuing F. E. Kirby as en- gineer, and F. A. Kirby as superintendent. They soon laid down a sidewheel steamer for the Detroit and Cleveland Steam Navigation Company. The composite steamer " City of Detroit" was launched, and put in commission the following spring. During the intervening years to date, this company, in addition to a score of vessels built at their yard at Detroit, have turned out a fleet of iron and steel steamships and propellers that would do credit to the older and more extensive yards on the sea-coast. Notably among the number may be mentioned the palace steamer "City of Cleveland," the new "City of Detroit," "City of Alpena," "City of Mackinac," and propellers "Hudson," " Harlem," " Albany," " Syracuse," " Livingstone " and "Palmer." It is well understood among vessel men that the Wyandotte ship-yard, as managed by Superintendent Kirby, is a model establishment Everything to the remotest detail is thorough and systematic, and the work of six or seven hundred men is carried on without friction, and with the regularity of clockwork. " A place for everything, and everything in its place," is the ruling idea, and is noticeably evident even to casual visitors. Mr. Kirby has demonstrated that he is possessed of much inventive and executive ability, and he directs and controls the large force of employés with rare skill, judgment and courtesy.
In politics he is classed as a Republican, but, except as local honors, such as the Mayoralty of the city, and other positions are thrust upon him, he pre- fers the duties of ordinary citizenship. He possesses a cheerful, frank and friendly disposition, that easily procures him all the friends he can desire, and possibly because of this fact he abjures all societies, whether secret, political, literary or scientific, and finds in the family circle his chief attraction and pleasure That charity which is said to cover a multitude of sins, is, perhaps, one of the most prominent characteristics of his nature, as very many of his less fortunate fellow-men have had occasion to testify.
He was married on November 26, 1874, to Lizzie E Robinson, of Wyandotte, who died May 28, 1884, at Booth Bay, Maine. On June 9, 1886, he was married to Maria C. Elder, of Detroit. He has five children, namely, Myrtle D., Stephen R., Albert E., Lafayette O., and Frank C.
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WALTER C. LAMBERT was born at Am- herstburg, Essex County, Ontario, on October 22, 1863, and is the son of Walter and Elizabeth (Clement) Lambert. He received his early educa- tion in the primary schools of his native town, and graduated from Windsor High School in 1883. After leaving school he concluded to follow in the footsteps of his father, who was the leading phy- sician of Amherstburg. In accordance with this determination he at once began as a student in the Michigan College of Medicine. After three years of hard work he completed the prescribed course, and graduated in 1886. He was noted among his fellow-students as a thorough-going, earnest student, who was determined to fit himself to bear the grave responsibilities of his profession in a capable and proper manner, and, in fact, he inherited these ten- dencies from his father. After careful examination, Dr. Lambert came to the conclusion that the field offered by the land of his birth was rather limited, and he determined to become a citizen of the United States. Accordingly, in July, 1886, he established his office in the city of Wyandotte, where his merits were recognized, and he was not obliged to pass through the tedious and weary months of waiting, which usually attends a beginner in the professions, but rapidly acquired a large practice.
On June 27, 1888, he married Mary A. Duncan- son, of Amherstburg, and they have a son named Walter.
Although still a young man, Dr. Lambert has gained an enviable position in his profession, which is of the allopathic school. Though prevented by the demands of his profession from actively engag- ing in political affairs, he takes a deep interest in all public questions, and is an ardent believer in the doctrines of the Republican party. Kind and courteous in his ways, he quickly wins the esteem and good will of those he meets, and his position brings him into contact with many persons. Al- though a comparatively new resident of Wyandotte, he has secured the respect of its citizens, and is held in high regard. His friends feels no hesitation in saying that if his record in the past can be taken as an index of what the future has in store, his career will be crowned with continually increasing success.
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THEOPHILUS J. LANGLOIS is of French descent. His ancestors emigrated from Rouen, France, in 1720, to that place of historic renown, Acadia Nova Scotia, and in 1740 were obliged, by the British, to flee to the north of Montreal. On September 7, 1840, just one hundred years later, the subject of this sketch was born on the old Boucher farm, at Grosse Isle. He is the son of Theophilus and Jeannette (Renaud) Langlois. The family, when
he was but one year old, removed to the north of Montreal, where they resided until he completed his education He attended the preparatory schools until fourteen years of age, and then entered Joli- ette College, where he remained for seven years, acquiring an excellent classical education. In 1862 he came back to Amherstburg, Ontario, and there taught school for seven years. Whilst teaching, he also began, in 1865, the study of medicine under the instruction of Dr. Walter Lambert. In 1869 he entered the Detroit Medical College, receiving his diploma from that institution in 1871. After gradu- ating he immediately began practice in Wyandotte, and soon won the good-will of the citizens of his adopted city, and such was their confidence in him in 1874, when but three years a resident amongst them, he was elected Mayor of the city, and administered the office with much credit to himself and benefit to the people. In 1888 he was again elected to the Mayorality, and his advent into office marked the beginning of a period of great activity in the muni- cipal affairs of the town. He infused some of his own energy into the subordinate branches of the city government, bravely confronted the liquor ele- ment and endeavored to break its power. Through his efforts he aroused popular sentiment in favor of a city water works, and successfully carried the elec- tion on that issue, the happy outcome of that move- ment giving his term a prominence in local his- tory of which he may well be proud. Whilst Mayor of the city he was also made President of the
Board of Education. and for seven years he has also served as city physician. During 1889, he was appointed a member of the Water Board, for a per- iod of four years and elected its president. In po- litics he has always been a Democrat, and is a shrewd and efficient worker for the party. He is a veteran sportsman, a member of the famous Turtle Lake Sporting Club, and annually spends a month hunting and fishing in the northern woods. Of a social and fraternal nature, he is a prominent fig- ure in secret society circles, being a member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 170, of Wyandotte, the Penin- sular Chapter, No. 16 of Detroit, 32° member of the Michigan Sovereign Consistory, the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, the Odd Fel- lows, Knights of Honor. Royal Arcanum, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is also a member of the Michigan State Medical Society, and of the American Medical Association.
On May 5, 1863, he was married to Mary Ber- trand. They have had five children, three of whom died in early infancy. Of those living, Eu- genie, born March 7, 1864, is now the wife of D. W. Roberts, of Detroit, and Napoleon, born April 7, 1869, is attending the Detroit College of Medicine. Dr. Langlois's wife died on March 7, 1881, and on
The Lambert AND
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August 29 of the same year he married Elizabeth Shoemaker, by whom he has one child, Elfrida, born January 25, 1883.
Dr. Langlois is a man of broad and liberal views, tolerant of the opinion of others, and with large public spirit strives to the utmost of his power to advance the interests of his adopted city, and his unswerving and unquestioned integrity has secured for him a high place in the esteem of his fellow- citizens. He is highly cultured, possesses strong mental powers with undomitable will, great cour- age and exceptionable force of character, and has fairly won the honors which the people have be- stowed upon him.
HYACINTHE F. RIOPELLE, Ex-Represen- tative of the Second District of Wayne County. was born in Wayne County, Michigan, August 8, 1836. The Riopelles are closely identified with the early history of southeastern Michigan, and long before Wayne County was organized they were represen- tative citizens. The first of the name who settled in Detroit, Ambroise Riopelle, was born in Orleans, in the old Province of Orleannoise, near the Castle Chavagnac, the birth-place of General LaFayette. As that portion of France was the home of liberal principles, in the period when France was giving birth to the new political doctrines that culminated in the bloody revolutions of 1789, 1793, and 1804, it is not to be wondered at that LaFayette was en- thused with the grand principles of liberty and free- dom, and with the idea of lending his influence to assist the Americans, nor that he so readily se- cured followers in 1780.
Among those who came with LaFayette was Ambroise Riopelle, the great grandfather of the sub- ject of this sketch. After LaFayette's return Am- broise served in the Colonial Navy, and was known as a brave and courageous man. He became one of the early residents of Detroit and his name appears as a representative man in its earlier annals. He was a son of Pierre Riopelle, who was a farmer on the banks of the River Loire, and a large owner of vineyards. Ambroise built the first frame house in Detroit, on the Riopelle farm, now within the city limits, where the LaFountain Mills now stand. He married a Miss Campau and had a family of thir- teen children, among whom was Dominique, who became the first silversmith in Detroit.
In the War of 1812, his sons, Dominique Hyacin- the, John Baptist and Joseph were prominent and present at the ill-timed surrender of General Hull.
Hyacinthe, the grandfather of Hyacinthe F., married a Miss McCloud, of Scotch origin, by whom he had two children, Hyacinthe Jr., born in 1805, now dead, and Francis who died at the age
of twenty. The father died at the age of sixty-five years and was buried in the "Old Beaubien " cem- etery. Hyacinth, Jr., grew to manhood in his na- tive county, and followed farming and trading with the Indians for a business. He married Mary A. Vernette, youngest daughter of Antoine Vernette, who was a volunteer in the War of 1812, and was killed at the battle of Brownstown. The Vernettes were also among the earliest of Detroit's founders, and helped to build Fort Wayne. The children of Hyacinthe and Mary A. (Vernette) Riopelle were Hyacinthe F., Joseph C., Dominique J., Josiah L., James C., and Magdalene.
Hyacinthe F., the subject of our sketch, was born on the old Riopelle farm, in the Township of Ecorce, eight miles from Detroit on the south bank of the River Rouge.
He was brought up to farm life, and living near the City of Detroit, secured the advantages of its educational system, and graduated from the Capitol, or High School. He also received a thorough busi- ness education at Cochran's Business and Commer- cial Law Institute of this city, graduating in 1855. With this solid foundation to build from, he began commercial life as a book-keeper, but his zeal and ambition were greatly retarded by ill-health, brought on by too close confinement, and he was eventually compelled to leave the counting room, and, by medical advice and following earlier inclinations he went back to the pursuits incident to farm life, in which he has since been engaged. His business training and extended reading natur- ally sharpened an originally practical turn of mind, and have given him an advantage over the average farmer, and he has abundantly demonstrated the fact that education is necessary to success on a farm, as well as in commercial life.
The Democratic party in the Second District of Wayne County owes no inconsiderable amount of its success to the sagacious tactics of Mr. Riopelle. In a district largely Republican, they elected him as a representative by a majority of two hundred seventy-five votes. Mr. Riopelle has held the of- fice of Supervisor for twenty consecutive years, not in a scattering and sparsely settled region, but in a thriving and bustling centre of Wayne. County, his name being often placed on the tickets of his political opponents. For twenty-nine years he has filled the office of Justice of the Peace, and has also filled many minor offices. While in the Legislature he served as a member of the " Committee on the Eastern Asylum of the Insane;" on an important investigating committee, and upon the "Committee on the Reform School."
Mr. Riopelle was married January 24, 1860, to Miss Annie Jane, daughter of Charles and Mary (Rodobaugh) Roulo, a native of New York. Her
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father was of French descent and served as a soldier of the War of 1812. Her mother was a native of York, and of German descent. Her grand- father, Mr. Roulo, came from Quebec, and was one of the early explorers of Indiana. He afterwards settled in Detroit, on what is known as the old Roulo farm, now owned by Dr. Broman. He built the first water-power grist mill on Roulo Creek, and lived and died on the old homestead. He married Miss Chovin, by whom he had a large family of chil- dren, Charles being the eldest. Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Riopelle have had five children, viz .: Charles H., James F., Alexander J., Mary A., and Victoria.
Charles H. was married to Eliza Livernois, January 24, 1883. Their children are Frank J., born July 2d, 1884. Edward C, born March 22d, 1886, and Joseph C., born April 2d, 1888.
James F., was married to Eliza Brisboise, June 7, 1887. Their children are Mary G., born Sep- tember 9, 1888, and Claude C., born February 15, 1890.
ALEXIS M. SALLIOTTE was born in Ecorce township, in August, 1837, and is a descendant of one of the earliest of the French settlers of Michi- gan. His great grandfather emigrated from France and settled at Mackinaw at an early day. His grandfather was born at Mackinaw, but removed to Ecorce when quite young. His father, Moses Salliotte, who is still living, was born in Ecorce, where he has always resided. He married Char- lotte Cook, an English girl. Their son, Alexis M., was reared as a farmer, for which life he had quite a fancy. His father's means being limited, young Salliotte sought employment from the neighboring farmers, and when but sixteen did a man's work in the harvest field, receiving as compensation twenty -. five to fifty cents a day. He also worked for three seasons for George Clark, who then had the largest fisheries on the Detroit River. The only education that Mr. Salliotte received was obtained by attend- ing the district school for three months during the
winter, until he reached his twentieth year. When twenty-two years of age, he started a small grocery store, with a capital of one hundred and twenty dollars, sixty of which he had saved from his earn- ings ; the other sixty he borrowed from his father. By observing the strictest economy he was enabled to add to his stock until he had a good general variety store. He continued in this business for twenty-three years, and in 1883 sold the stock and store to his brother, in order to give all his atten- tion to the manufacture of lumber. in which busi- ness he had become largely interested. He is now engaged in the manufacture of lumber, patent hoops and staves, and also deals in real estate. He is interested in three factories, one at Ecorce, one at Ashley, and another at Alanson, Michigan, and is the senior partner of the firms of Salliotte & Raupp, of Ecorce, of Salliotte & Chittenden, at Ashley, and of Salliotte, Raupp & Ormsby, at Alanson.
Mr. Salliotte's faith is that of a Roman Catholic. and he is a prominent member of the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association. He also belonged to the Union League Club during the war, and now belongs to the Michigan Club, of Detroit. A Re- publican in politics, he was elected Township Treasurer in 1865, Township Clerk in 1879 and 1880, and was postmaster of Ecorce from 1861 to 1875. Of late years he has refused all political honors, though frequently pressed to be candidate for different offices. Personally Mr. Salliotte is of a genial disposition, and impresses all who come in contact with him as a man of sterling qualities and strict integrity. His correct business methods have won for him the confidence of all with whom he has business relations, and his kind acts have surrounded him with a large number of faithful friends.
He married Mary S. Rousson in May, 1867, and has a family of eight children, namely, Cora A., Eleanor J., Ada J , Frances C., Alma M., Ettie L, Simon M., and Eliza E.
GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP.
This township was created out of part of the Township of Springwells by law of May 31, 1832. The first meeting for the organizing of the town- ship was held at the house of Theodore G. Holden on the first Monday in April, 1833. The signifi- cance of the name is easily seen in the green fields that the township includes.
The officers of the township have been as fol- lows :
1833. Supervisor, Nahum P. Thayer; Township Clerk, Carpenter Chaffee ; Assessors, John Burbank, Rodman Stoddard, George W. Miller; Highway Commissioners, William C. Maples, James C. Blare, John Greenman; Collector, S. V. Bogert; Con- stables, Aaron Lyons, S. V. Bogert, John W. Loucks; School Commissioners, John L. Hyde, John Bur- bank, H. V. Bogert ; Director of the Poor, J. Bar- rows; Treasurer of the Poor, Luther Scovel.
OSanitle
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1834. Supervisor, John Burbank; Clerk, Car- penter Chaffee ; Assessors, L. Scovel, J. Barrows, M. Greenman; Highway Commissioners, J. Green- man, A. H. Otis, G. W. Miller; Collector, S. V. Bogert ; Constables, S. V. Bogert, J. Messmore, G. A. T. Wheeler, G. Bliss, J. Barnum ; School Inspec- tors, J. Barrows, J. L. Hyde, A. H. Otis, J. Bur- bank, I. Hitchcock.
1835. There are no records for 1835.
1836. Supervisor, Nahum P. Thayer; Clerk, John Strong; Justices of the Peace, for one year, Asa H. Otis, for two years, Martin Greenman, for three years, A. S. Schoolcraft, for four years, Jere- miah Chase; Assessors, J. H. Smith, G. Blass, H. Haggerty ; Highway Commissioners, L. Harwood, D. Fuller, J. Vanderwerker ; School Commissioners, J. Strong, J. Barager, J. Barrows ; Collector, O. B. Otis ; Poor Directors, J. E. Ellis, A. Woodruff ; Constables, J. H. Smith, L. Fuller, D. Goodsell ; Justices of the Peace, Luke Harwood, John Hos- kins ; School Inspectors, N. P. Thayer, L. Harwood, A. H. Otis, J. Strong.
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