History of Genesee County, Michigan, Her People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I, Part 77

Author: Edwin Orin Wood
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Federal publishingcompany
Number of Pages: 861

USA > Michigan > Genesee County > History of Genesee County, Michigan, Her People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I > Part 77

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Capt. Thomas Colladay, Lieut. Ira Irving, Lieut. John Hynan ; sergeants, Clarence Booth, Gladstone Maclean, Moses Wright, Frank Sanborn; cor- porals, Harrison Wright, Harry J. Leonard, Lloyd Yorton, William F. Berndt, William Ward; musicians, R. L. Osborn, Earl G. Fenner, John Davidson; cook, Alfred Hayward; privates, Lee Austin, George E. Brabbs, Charles Berndt, Glen Boyer, Arthur Bailey, Fred Breish, Fred H. Dormire, William L. Goodall, Arthur Hardy, L. Hess, Joseph Hill, John R. Hursh, Frank A. Hursh, Emery Hawkes, Hoyt M. Hollenshed, Edwin P. Harris, A. J. Johnson, Henry W. Kruse, August Klein, Ray R. Kumlauf, Webster H. Knee, Gilbert Fl Looze, Leonard Lightall, Ernest Lewis, Stephen Michael, Thomas Mangan, William Marshall, James M. Marshall, Carl W. Mullenenhagen, J. S. Mills, Bruce Mills, Andrew Ostrander, Fred A. Potter, Elmer H. Remender, Charles Richmond, Bert Ryan, Ivan H. Smith, Leon W. Smith, George E. Sutherland, Walter P. Sibley, Ralph Schoultz, Vernon C. Swihart, Henry A. Stebbens, George Savory, Horace Truesdale, Charles Taylor, Wilford G. Vallarie, Paul R. Whitton, George Boike, Berthold Endress, Edward Dare, Charles Sifton, Otto E. McVannel, L. Vern Paul, Floyd Van Steenburg, Archie F. Lowley, John D. Badgley, Edward Nelson, Carl Marshall, Albert Bierschback.

The war prospect stimulated recruiting and the following men were mustered in as unassigned recruits: Earl Francis, Frank Hascall, Ray Henry, Frank Scott, Earl Parmalee, Henry Rody, Levi Ostrander, David C. Cusen, William R. Flitcher, Courtland Le Clair, Charles A. Keskey, George R. Graham, Clarence W. Smith, Edward Fitch, George T. Hughes, Julius A. Szeznkauski, Lloyd B. Pattey, Charles Moon, Oscar Vickstrom, Henry Chapman, Richard M. Cook, Bert Camplain, Clyde Grover, Andrew White, Burrell Scott, Charles F. Miller, Arthur J. Stout, Alfred George Bessnett,

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Russell Taylor, Harry Sullenberger, D. D. McCubbin, Herman Crites, For- est E. Williams, Horace Mayvilly, Ralph E. Elder, John Bartkowiak, Eldon Call, Albert E. Wetherell, Everett Scott, Edward C. Scheneman, Howard Esterbrook, Lester Dauglass, Daniel C. Hall, Harold E. Bradshaw, Alen D. Cripps, Bert Fredenberg, Henry C. Oliver and Dewey Jones.

The machine gun company of Flint had its origin in the preparedness sentiment that has recently swept over the country. Its captain, A. C. Cross- man, has had experience in the United States army. At the time the call for the troops came, the company had not been equipped with machine guns, and so received rifles and went out as infantry. Its response was as prompt as that of the other company. The machine gun roster is as follows: Capt. A. C. Crossman, Lieut. Fred J. Wright; sergeants, M. H. Spreen, W. S. Allen, H. Hodgson, D. W. Flemming, Raymond Peterson; corporals, R. H. Chase, C. B. Hutty, W. A. Johnson, W. L. Lautenschlager and B. W. Upthe- graff ; privates, J. E. Alexander, D. C. Allan, R. L. Allen, H. C. Bachelor, J. Batancek, W. M. Beveridge, A. H. C. Bradow, H. M. Bradow, G. F. Brown, A. W. Crago, R. W. Davis, H. C. Day, C. C. Erno, G. F. Gardner, P. H. Gatz, T. M. Gilliespie, M. F. Graham, C. L. Hobson, E. H. Hobson, J. D. Howard, E. R. Kennerd, C. A. Leach, J. McKay, G. A. McMillan, C. Nelson, C. E. Nickerson, J. O. Perrott, G. J. Sarchett, W. J. Shannon, L. H. Sherman, K. M. Sills, G. R. Semmens, D. J. Whitehead, H. B. Buys, L. Moore, E. G. Dressel, H. W. Scott, W. M. Brittain, Albert Simpson, W. Rackley, H. Wickes and M. J. Crites.

The two companies left Flint for Grayling, June 24, 1916, and an immense throng assembled to bid them God-speed. The Grand Army of the Republic and Spanish Veterans turned out and Mayor Johnson addressed them as follows :

Officers and members of Company A and Machine Gun Company, Thirty-third Regiment, Michigan National Guards: As chief executive of the city of Flint, I bid you a farewell in behalf of the entire citizenship of this city. Many of us have assem- bled here today to bid you God-speed in the conflict into which you may be called. We hope that the present difficulty between the United States and Mexico may be adjusted without resorting to force of arms. But, if it is not, we all feel that you boys, with other soldiers of this nation, will be able to settle it very satisfactorily. You are going to be our representatives on the battle line of the greatest nation in the world and we know that you will bring credit and honor upon your country, your flag and yourselves.

Be that as it may, you have expressed your readiness to serve your country in whatever manner circumstances may demand. While we regret that it has become neces- sary for you to go to the front, we also realize the many sacrifices you are making in the interests of your country. You are leaving your positions, your home, your families and your loved ones to fight, if necessary, the battles of your country.

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And this gathering here today of the citizens of Flint want you to know that we admire your patriotism, loyalty and courage. And we assure you we appreciate your unselfish devotion to the interests of the nation.

We also want to assure you that during your absence your families and dependents will be cared for, and the positions of trust, which you are leaving, will be open to you upon your return.

Some of you may not now realize the many hardships you will be called upon to endure in climate and country to which you are not accustomed. You must remember that your health is of great importance and we hope that you will neglect nothing that your officers might suggest for its preservation.

The history of past expeditions has shown that the failure to observe health regula- tions has been more of a menace than the bullets of the enemy. Therefore, boys, I repeat, look after your health as far as possible, that you may return to us robust and strong.

The citizens of Flint have been pleased to contribute a small fund in a short time -I wish it were more-to be used by the officers of your companies, to add, if possible, to your comforts and health, and when more is needed, we will gladly respond.

Now, boys, as you leave Flint, under the Stars and Stripes, the emblem of the greatest nation on earth, you will be followed with the prayers of all of our citizens, praying for your speedy and safe return; "God be with you 'till we meet again."

In reply to the mayor's farewell message, Major Guy M. Wilson assured the citizens that the responsibility resting on the company officers of the Flint companies was very close to their hearts.

"May we return to you with that trust which you have given us, abso- lutely unsullied," he said. "I have believed in preparedness for a great many years, but I want to ask you, Who is to blame for this war? I will answer. It is the great body politic of the American people who have not believed in preparedness. If you had trained your boys and your husbands, Mexico would never have dared to slap us on one cheek and then on the other. The last message I want to leave with you is, to prepare for the great task that must come, by providing military training in the schools.

"If the English language were adequate I would express our apprecia- tion for the gift you have presented us, but I can assure you that the money will be spent to provide the things the soldiers need, and as the wives and mothers would provide, if the men were at home. God bless you, and we thank you."

With Major Wilson, as members of his battalion staff, went Lieut. Frank A. Lawrence and Sergt .- Major Edgar M. Oaks. After remaining at Grayling for three months, the Michigan National Guard, including the Flint companies, were ordered to the Mexican border.

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SPANISH WAR VETERANS.

The local camp of Spanish War Veterans has a membership of about thirty-five. It has had the following commanders: James S. Parker, major of the Thirty-third Michigan Volunteer Infantry; Charles S. Martin, cap- tain Company A, Thirty-third Michigan Volunteer Infantry; George Lukes, of Thirty-third Michigan Infantry; Frank Heike, of the Thirty-second Mich- igan Infantry, and Fred Hanneman, sergeant, Troop Three, Fifteenth United States Regular Cavalry.

Of these veterans, most of them were of the local company (A, Thirty- third Michigan Volunteer Infantry), known as the Blues; but Fred Elliott, of the Thirty-fourth Michigan Infantry, George Lukes, of the Thirty-second Michigan Infantry and Fred Morrish, of the Thirty-first Michigan Infantry, are exceptions.

The present officers of the camp are: Fred S. Hanneman, commander ; Silas Dunham, senior vice-commander; John Wagner, junior vice-com- mander ; Frank Jax, officer of the day; O. A. Harris, officer of the guard; Fred Morrish, chaplain; Neil Dewar, adjutant, and George Lukes, quarter- master. The three trustees are Col. James S. Parker, Capt. Charles S. Martin and Ed Welsh.

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CHAPTER XXVI.

VILLAGES OF GENESEE COUNTY.

In speaking of the founders of a commonwealth, we are speaking of brave, unselfish people, who blazed their way through a wilderness fraught with hardships and privations and toil, to a glimpse of future civilization which could only be made possible through sacrifice and years of waiting. The men who settled in Genesee county were the same type of men who settled all new countries-men who loaded their families and their effects into ox-teams or covered wagons and, 'mid tears and farewells, started on the long, tedious journey to the West. Many men who sought new homes in the solitude of the forest and on the banks of virgin streams were men who brought with them the amenities and culture of good society and the wholesome remembrance of family ties.

Men of all nations are inclined to be clannish and many were led to follow the fortunes of supposedly lucky friends or neighbors, who had braved western wilds and sent back cogent messages of promised prosper- ity that fired the breasts of those left behind with a spirit of adventure and a resolve to follow.

When the pioneer has waited until cities and villages have sprung up; when civilization has expressed itself in great churches and schools and departments of commerce, he may not justly esteem himself entitled to the distinctive place among his neighbors that one accords to the sturdy citizen, whose purpose in life should have incited him to leave the home of his birth and found the early settlements in the Michigan forests.

FENTON.

The village of Fenton, in the township of the same name, is happily situated in the valley of the Shiawassee river, in a section of the county dotted with small lakes of great beauty.

Early in the year 1834, Clark Dibble was threading his way through a trackless wilderness from Shiawassee to Grand Blanc and by some mis- take he struck the White Lake trail. Pushing a little farther on, he crossed the undulating ridge to the south and was so struck with the beautiful loca-

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tion of the spot that he stopped for a day to examine the lay of the land. So pleased with his discovery was he that, after his arrival at Grand Blanc, called Grumlaw, he induced his friends, Dustin Cheney, Loren Riggs and John Galloway, to go with him and form a settlement at this place. Mr. Cheney and his family were the first to go, Mrs. Cheney being the first white woman who ever visited the spot. Mr. Dibble moved his household next, followed by John Galloway and Mr. Riggs, and thus the settlement of Dibbleville, afterwards Fentonville, was effected. These pioneers had first located in Grand Blanc, which they had reached by following the main trail from Detroit to Saginaw.

The vicinity of the many lakes surrounding Fenton was the favorite resort of the red tribes who occupied this region. The hills and forests afforded them hunting grounds for deer, wolves and bear, and the lakes furnished fish in abundance. In the edge of the township of Mundy dwelt a small tribe whose chief was named "King Fisher," who cultivated a few fields and grew Indian corn. "King Fisher" was later well known through- out this locality. On one occasion he journeyed to the settlement with some of his followers, to hear the music of which he had been told, Mrs. Benja- min Rockwell, a sister of William M. Fenton, having brought the first piano to Fenton. The Indian chief was graciously received by Mrs. Rockwell and Mrs. Fenton and, notwithstanding his kingly dignity, which never for- sook him, became transfixed at the sound of the piano, which he said "Mani- tou made." This piano, an exquisitely carved harpsichord, is now among the cherished possessions of the Hon. Fenton R. McCreery, of Flint, a grandson of Colonel Fenton.

Since 1840 the village has increased in growth until it is now the second center of population in the county. There are two weekly news- papers and two substantial banks, and it now boasts one of the most popular summer resorts in this section of the state, Long lake, which is several miles in length and lies directly to the north of the village, being fringed with several hundred handsome cottages.

Fenton, with an abundance of electric power, is well lighted, a mod- ern system of boulevard lights having recently been installed on the princi- pal business street. It has many attractive homes, its streets are wide and well shaded, and it lies at the foot of the Tyrone hills, from the top of which may be obtained a fine view of the surrounding country, the vision covering an area of many miles, in the distance being Holly, Davisburg and Long Lake.

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The town has five churches, handsomely constructed, the Methodist Episcopal, Rev. W. B. Collins, pastor; the Baptist, Rev. Robert Davies, pastor ; the Presbyterian, Rev. John McWilliams, pastor; St. Jude's Episco- pal, at present without a rector, and St. John's Catholic church, Rev. Fr. D. L. Dillon, priest. In addition to these houses of worship, the Christian Scientists hold regular services, although they are yet without a church edifice.

A woman's civic association was organized in 1910 and has a present membership of about two hundred. It has aided materially in promoting the civic interests of the community and has become an efficient force in the affairs of the municipality. The association has recently purchased a build- ing which is used for auditorium purposes and also as a civic center. The officers are: Mrs. T. C. McLeod, president; Mrs. R. B. Renwick, secretary ; Mrs. E. C. Forte, treasurer. Several literary clubs, among which is the Bay View Club and the Entre Nous Club, contribute their part in adding to the educational and social life of the town.

An industry of importance to the village is the cement works, located on the banks of Silver lake, the two plants employing several hundred men in the manufacture of a high grade of portland cement, the marl for the purpose being taken from the bed of the lake near by.

A factory has also recently been organized in Fenton for the manufac- ture of hydroplanes on a small scale, Long lake, nearby, proving a practical place for experimental operations.

The Masonic fraternities of the town include Fenton Lodge No. 109, N. H. Chestnut, master; Genesee Chapter No. 29, Royal Arch Masons, A. W. Cinnar, high priest, and Fenton Commandery No. 14, Knights Templar, E. C. Hyatt, eminent commander.

The village also has a first class hotel and is a station on the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee railroad. Its population is two thousand six hundred and thirty-three.

The officers for 1916 are: President, Edwin M. Cole; clerk, Ross McCurdy ; treasurer, Floyd L. McCullom; assessor, Arthur W. Crimmer.

FLUSHING.

Flushing, the center of a fine agricultural district and in point of popu- lation in the county exceeded only by Flint and Fenton, is located on the banks of the Flint river, the whole site being originally covered with a dense growth of heavy timber, of which a large part was pine.

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Flushing claims as its first white settler, Rufus Harrison, who took up his abode at that place in 1835. One of the most prominent among the early settlers of this locality was Thomas L. Brent, a Virginia gentleman of wealth, who had been United States charge d'affaires to Portugal. Abbott's history states that Mr. Brent represented his country in Spain. A great deal of interest attaches to the Brent family, which was of much importance during the early days, it appearing unusual that Mr. Brent, a man of cultivated tastes, and his wife, a woman who was connected with a noble family of Spain, together with their son, Henry, and their daughter Charlotte, both of whom had received expensive educations in Paris, should isolate themselves in a virgin forest away from the luxuries and refinements of the civilized European world to which they had so long been accus- tomed. Mr. Brent built a log house on the banks of the river below Flush- ing, and when he died his body was carried down a steep ladder from the loft and brought to Flint, where the funeral services were held from the home of Mr. Dewey. Mr. Brent expended his large fortune in buying gov- ernment lands, at one time paying taxes on seventy thousand acres of Michi- gan land. In 1836 he built a dam across the Flint river and in the same year erected a saw-mill, but a severe flood in the spring of 1837 washed away the dam and for a time threatened the mill. Nearly every man who located in this section of the country worked at one time or another for Mr. Brent and the hamlet of Brent Creek nearby is named for him. He had fond dreams of building a fine residence on this spot, but he died before his wishes were realized. He had constructed, however, a wine cellar in the face of the bluff near his cabin and in this his choicest brands were kept. After his death his widow carried out his plans for the home and a replica of the large colonial homes of Virginia stood at the head of a long lane on the Brent estate. This house is said to have contained at this time a small chapel, built after plans of Mrs. Brent, who was a Catholic by faith and had long been denied the privilege of worshipping according to the stately manner in which she had been accustomed in Spain. Mrs. Brent died, how- ever, soon after the house was completed and the property is now owned by Arthur G. Bishop, the president of the Genesee County Savings Bank in Flint.

Flushing has a flourishing business men's association, the Chamber of Commerce, with a membership of about forty, which contributes to the advancement of mercantile and industrial conditions. The officers are : President, Herbert A. Stewart; secretary, Leo Travis.

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It is the center of a wealthy farming community, which finds at Flush- ing a market for commodities. The village has two banks and a weekly newspaper. There are three churches, the Methodist Episcopal, with Rev. J. E. Lewin, as pastor ; the Presbyterian, with Rev. M. G. Pawley as pastor, and the Baptist church, whose pulpit is now vacant.

Flushing has two Masonic bodies, Flushing Lodge No. 223, Dr. Joseph Scheidler, master, and Flint Rapids Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Guy Turner, high priest. The Odd Fellows are represented, Rankin Lodge, whose noble grand is William G. Smith, being named for Francis H. Ran- kin, the former editor of the Wolverine Citizen, in Flint.

There are several clubs in Flushing, one of which, the Flushing Improve- ment Club, was organized by a number of women interested in the better- ment of civic conditions; and two others are the Tuesday Club, and the Philomathians.

The present officers of the village are: President, Frank P. Haskall; clerk, Harry L. Mann; treasurer, Edgar F. Boman; assessor, Willis C. Wil- cox; trustees, John S. Frawley, Perry Nichols, W. S. Davis, Thomas Mckenzie, M. J. Backofen, Wilfred J. Short.

Flushing is situated on the Saginaw division of the Grand Trunk rail- road, and has a population of one thousand and seventy-nine. Among its influential citizens are Ira T. and Franklin P. Sayre, H. H. Prosser, F. R. Ottaway and James Greenfield, each of whom has held offices of trust and served the county or state with signal ability and credit.

CLIO.

Clio, the fourth center of population in the county of Genesee, is on the main line of the Pere Marquette railroad and also on the line of the Saginaw, Bay City & Flint interurban railway. It is twelve miles distant from Flint and during the past ten years has received a steady growth, due somewhat to the fact that it is easily accessible from Flint and has become the home of many suburbanites desirous of avoiding the high prices of land in the city.

. It has three churches, the Methodist Episcopal, the Free Methodist and the Methodist Protestant; also a good graded school, a grange hall, a large elevator and a Masonic temple. It has a paved business district and electric power and lights.

A board of commerce is awake to the possibilities of civic advancement,

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under the presidency of M. C. Doyle, and there are both Masonic and Odd Fellow lodges. A branch of the Detroit creamery is at present located in Clio and manufacturing condensed milk.

The village officers are: President, Charles Matson; clerk, William G. Goodrich; treasurer, Charles H. Reed; assessor, Glenn Williams. Clio was incorporated as a village in 1873. Its population is nearly one thousand.

DAVISON.

The village of Davison, a station on the main line of the Grand Trunk railroad, ten miles east of Flint, was named for Judge Norman Davison, who came from Avon, New York, to this section of the county when it was a dense and almost unbroken wilderness. On the banks of Kearsley creek, beneath the shadows of a stately forest, was pitched the family abode, and on the spot where the village now stands a saw-mill was erected in 1833, followed by a grist-mill in 1836, and the early travelers in this region remem- bered well the long tramps over Indian trails and marked trees to Davison's mills. A postoffice was here established in 1836 and in 1837 Judge Davison was appointed postmaster. Prior to 1840 the south half of Davison town- ship was attached to Atlas and the north part to Richfield. During this time when Atlas formed a portion of Lapeer, Judge Davison was one of the judges of the latter county, and he was also a member of the conven- tion that met in Detroit in 1835 to frame the first state constitution.

The wilderness to which Judge Davison came over eighty years ago has now given away to cultivated fields, macadamized roads are substituted for the Indian trails and the hum of the locomotive has taken the place of the warning howls of the wolf.

In the year 1916 Davison furnishes a marketing center for a pros- perous rural community ; it has four churches, the Catholic, the Methodist Episcopal, the Free Methodist and the Baptist. It has a state bank and Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges. It has several clubs devoted to social and literary pursuits and has recently built a hall for auditorium purposes.

The population in 1916 is seven hundred. The village officers are : President, Anson W. Adams; clerk, Seth McBratney ; treasurer, Edmund C. Haynes ; assessor, Floyd Pettingill.

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GRAND BLANC.

Grand Blanc, or Grumlaw, as it was called in the early days, was an old Indian camping ground and was settled by the first white family that ever located in Genesee county, the Stevens, who came from the state of New York to Detroit in 1822, and removed to Grand Blanc in the spring of 1823.

In Volume 14 of the "Michigan Historical Collection" an epic of the Saginaw valley country by Judge Albert Miller refers to Jacob Stevens :

Captain Stevens was the first man Who there a settlement began. "Tis seven and sixty years or more Since he that region did explore. When first he settled there 'twas then Near twenty miles from more white men,

The name of the place was then "Graw Blaw,"

For as Frenchmen passed the place they saw A "Big White" man who there resided, And that circumstance a name provided.

The Frenchmen wrote the name "Grand Blanc," It was so pronounced by every Yank.

Grand Blanc was a site on the road from Detroit to Saginaw, and was a rough highway traversed by officers, Indians, traders and settlers of Sag- inaw. At the time that Mr. Stevens and his wife and seven children ar- rived, the only people residing in the settlement at Flint River were a few families of half-breeds, French and Indians. Mr. Stevens built a log house on the site now occupied by the Sawyer residence. He is said to have been a man of intelligence and of literary taste, and a typical gentleman of the old school, possessing great moral and physical courage.

In 1829 the road to Saginaw was laid out and staked. This highway, which followed the Indian trail, was a rambling road through woods, avoid- ing hills and swamps, the streams and low places having been bridged some time previously by the United States soldiers stationed in garrison at Sag- inaw.

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History of Genesee County, Michigan, Her People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I, Part 77

Author: Edwin Orin Wood Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Federal publishingcompany Number of Pages: 861

Author: Edwin Orin Wood
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Federal publishingcompany
Number of Pages: 861