History of Kent County, Michigan, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 77

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Chapman, Charles C., & Co. (Chicago)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : C.C. Chapman & Co.
Number of Pages: 1434

USA > Michigan > Kent County > History of Kent County, Michigan, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 77

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779

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP.

Rapids. On this farm they built them a log house, and in a short time he built himself a frame barn, being the first frame barn built in township of Paris, or Kent county. Three years after their set- tlement on this farm they built. a frame house and occupied it as their dwelling, till they removed back to the city in 1855. This house was afterward sold and removed from the farm, and is now the barn of one Mr. Winchell, living about one mile east of the old homestead.

At the time of their marriage the law required them to have a marriage license before the ceremony could be solemnized. In this case, as the town was not yet organized, they had to wait some four weeks for the first town meeting to organize the town. At this meeting there were but nine voters in the town. They were mar- ried by Rev. Mr. Slater, who was a missionary among the Indians on the west side of the river, it being the first marriage in town. Nearly everybody in town was present.

In this year (1881) we find Mrs. Burton as well preserved an old lady as most women are at 45 and 50. Never had any children, but has brought up several to man and womanhood. She now re- sides in the family of William Laraway, in the township of Grand Rapids, a distant relative by marriage.

ORGANIZATION OF THE TOWN OF KENT.

At the first annual township meeting in the township of Kent, held at the house of Joel Guild, agreeably to an act of the Legis- lative Council of the Territory of Michigan, Rix Robinson was chosen Moderator, and Jonathan F. Chubb, Clerk pro tem. The following persons were elected: Rix Robinson, Supervisor; Eliphalet Turner, Town Clerk; Joel Guild, Barney Burton, J. H. Gordon, Assessors; Ira Jones, Collector; Luther Lincoln, Poor- master; Louis Campau, Barney Burton, Luther Lincoln, Commis- sioners of Highways; Myron Roice, Ira Jones, Constables; J. F. Chubb, Overseer of Highways.

Voted, that a fence five feet high (the distance between the rails for three feet high, six inches), shall be a lawful fence.

Voted, that Luther Lincoln, Jonathan F. Chubb, G. H. Gordon and Barney Burton, shall serve as fence-viewers.

An election was held at the house of Joel Guild April 4, 1835, for the purpose of choosing delegates to form a constitution for the State of Michigan, when Lucius Lyon received 41 votes; Lyman J. Daniels, 41 votes; Lovell Moore, 40 votes; Wm. H. Welch, 32 votes; Joseph Miller, 12 votes; Hezekiah G. Wells, 21 votes, and Isaac Barns, 2. This paper is signed Rix Robinson, Supervisor; Joel Guild, Assessor, and Eliphalet H. Turner, Clerk.

The last meeting of the township of Kent was held Dec. 31, 1841. The first meeting of township of Grand Rapids was held March 19, 1842. No record of particulars of change appears.

780

HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

SUPERVISORS.

Rix Robinson 1834-35

Ezekiel W. Davis. .1836-38

Wm. G. Henry .. 1839

Francis J. Higginson. 1840

George Young 1841

John Almy. . 1842-43

Josiah S. Wheeler 1844

Truman H. Lyon 1845

Daniel Ball .. 1846

Harry K. Rose 1847

James M. Nelson 1848

Aaron Dikeman. 1849

Henry F. McCormick. 1874-81

CLERKS.

Eliphalet H. Turner 1834

Darius Winsor .. 1835-36

Sylvester Granger. 1837

Charles Shepard. 1838

James L. Finney. 1839

Kendall Woodward. 1840-41

John W. Pierce. . 1842

Solomon H. Withey. : 1843-46

David E. English. 1847

Amos Hosford Smith 1848-50

Obed H. Foote. 1851

Osmond Reed. . 1852-53

Elkanah D. Mills 1854

Robert B. Cornell. 1855

Osmond Reed. 1856

John S. Davis 1855

Elkanah D. Mills. 1856

Lysander T. Beckwith 1857-59

John P. Fisk . . 1860-62

Ezekiel W. Davis. 1863-68

H. Brainerd Davis. 1869-71

Charles Barclay 1872-73

Albert E. Barr 1874-75

John Crahen. 1876-77

Earl A. Hoag. 1878-79

Johannes De Jonge.

.1880

Thomas E. Reed.

1881

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.

Luther Beebe, Lewis Reed, Darius

Winsor and Richard Godfroy. .. 1836

George Martin. 1837

Barney Burton. 1838

Luther Beebe. 1839

Jacob Barnes and Lewis Reed. .1840

George Coggeshall 1841

Lovell Moore. . 1842

Wm. G. Henry 1843

Sylvester Granger 1844

George Coggeshall 1845

Ezekiel W. Davis. 1846

William R. Henry and Charles C. Rood

1847

James Miller. 1848

Charles P. Calkins 1849

Richard Sterling. 1850

Erastus W. Knapp 1851

Henry B. Childs 1852

Peter Beckwith 1853

Price H. Prescott. 1854

Daniel S. Haviland. .1855

Francis D. Boardman. 1856

Peter Beckwith 1857

Abram Randall. 1858

Otis Smith. 1859

James Thompson

1860

Ezekiel W. Davis

1861

TREASURERS.

Ira Jones. 1834

J. S. Potter

1835

Aaron Russell 1836-38

Antoine Campau (first named

Treasurer) .. 1839

Harvey K. Rose 1840-42

Harry Eaton. 1843-45

Wilder D. Foster 1846

Alfred H. Cary 1847-48

Erastus Hall .. 1849-50

Jeremiah Boynton 1851-52

Ezra Reed . 1853-54

Daniel S. Haviland. 1857

Thomas J. Gale. 1858

George Young .. 1859-64

Edward L. Briggs. 1865-66

John Steketee .. 1867

Lyman J. McCrath. .1868

Charles J. Manktelow 1869-70

Cornelius V. Devendorf. 1871

Wm. E. Calkins. 1872

Horace D. Carpenter 1873

Henry H. Havens. 1874-76

Leman L. Dickinson. 1877

Wm. H. Andrews

1878-79

Edwin A. Ford.

1880-81

Henry R. Williams 1850

Foster Tucker 1851-52

Abram Shear. 1853

Foster Tucker 1854

Lewis Reed. 1855

Foster Tucker. 1856

George W. Dickinson. 1857

Augustus Treat. 1858

Kendall Woodward 1859

Obed H. Foote. 1860

Foster Tucker 1861-73

781

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP.

Abram Randall.

1862

James H. Martin. 1873

Erastus U. Knapp

1864

James Ewing. 1875

Robert Thompson.

1865

Abraham J. Whitney and Horatio H. Randall .. .1876

James H. Martin.

1867

Erastus U. Knapp

Charles Barclay.

1878

Robert Thompson 1868

1869

L. F. Beckwith.

1879

Charles Barclay.

1870

Horatio Randall.

1880

Erastus U. Knapp.

1871

Daniel B. Neal.

1881

Robert Thompson.

1872

CHURCH.

The Third Reform church (Holland) is located in the township of Grand Rapids, on Fuller's addition, just east of the city. The church was built in 1875, at a cost of $5,000. The present and only pastor is Rev. Robert Krickard. Total membership is 225. There are over 500 regular attendants.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

Following are biographical sketches of some of the prominent citizens :

James B. Amsden was born at Charleston, N. Y., April 18, 1838; is son of Jacob and Mary (Bosworth) Amsden, born in New Hampshire, of Scotch parentage. At 19 years of age Mr. Amsden went to Milwaukee, where he engaged as an accountant in a whole- sale grocery, remaining seven years; went to New York and was employed in the same capacity in a similar establishment three years. He then became a partner in the concern, where he remained seven years under the firm style of Roswell, Skeels & Co. Owing to failing health, he disposed of his interest and withdrew from busi- ness entirely. He occupied himself in out-of-door matters, and en- tirely recovered. In 1877 he came to Grand Rapids and bought 27 acres on sec. 28, near the city, where he built an elegant brick house, located on the bank of Fisk lake. He was married Oct. 13, 1873, to Fanny J. Bailey, of Mansfield, Pa. She was a widow and a daughter of Benj. Bailey; by her first marriage she had a daughter, Kate, born Feb. 18, 1860. Mr. Amsden owns valuable property in the city of Grand Rapids.

Charles W. Anson was born Oct. 14, 1825, in Ontario Co., N. Y. ; is son of Jonathan and Sarah Anson. His father was born in Connecticut, his mother in New York. His paternal grandfather was a soldier of the Revolutionary war. Mr. Anson came to Mich- igan in the winter of 1872 and settled in the tp. of Grand Rapids. where he now resides, on sec. 20, one half-mile from the city limits. He was married in 1859 to Margaret Cummings, of Rochester, N. Y. She is daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth Cummings, born in Toronto, Canada, in 1840. They have seven children-Ola A., Nettie, Gertie, Charles, Herbert, Ada and Freddie. Mr. Anson is half-brother of James Rumsey, of the city of Grand Rapids, has

1863

Horace D. Carpenter

1874

Horatio W. Peck

1866

James H. Martin. 1877

Thomas Frawley.

782

HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

. four brothers at Belleview, one in the city of Jackson, and one in Nebraska. Mrs. Anson is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr_ Anson is a Republican.

Peter Beckwith was born Feb. 22, 1806, in Butnett, Otsego Co., N. Y. His parents, Daniel and Lucy Beckwith, were natives of Connecticut, of English descent. He was married Nov. 1, 1829, to Sylvina, daughter of William and Griswold, of Guild- ford, Chenango Co., N. Y., natives of Vermont. Mrs. Beckwith was born in Guilford, N. Y., in 1809. She has four children -Lysander T., born July 31, 1830; William G., Dec. 3, 1832; Cynthia S., Aug. 14, 1837, and Henry P., Jan. 26, 1842. The last was a volunteer in the old 3d Mich. Inf., and was killed at the sec-, ond battle of Bull Run. Mr. Beckwith reached the portion of Kent county where now is the city of Grand Rapids. He was a. carpenter and assisted in building the first bridge over Grand river. Thirty one years ago he purchased 80 acres of land on sec. 21, this tp., and afterward added 40 acres more. He has sold 80 acres to his sons, and retains 40 of his original purchase. He has been Justice of the Peace two terms and Poormaster 12 years. Politically he is a Repub- lican. Mr. and Mrs. Beckwith and daughter Cynthia belong to the Methodist Church. They have adopted a brother's daughter, Ad - elaide D. Beckwith, born Oct. 11, 1870.

Moses Bradford was born in Connecticut, March 10, 1803; is son of Arunah and Mary Bradford, the former born in Vermont, the latter a native of Connecticut. Mr. Bradford came to Michigan in the fall of 1825 and settled in Wayne county, where he bought 160- acres of Government land. The day he left Buffalo on his way westward he witnessed the ceremony of letting the water into the Erie canal by Governor Clinton, who lifted the gate. There were but seven families in Detroit, then a mere trading post inhabited by the French. Mr. Bradford farmed in Wayne county 27 years, sold his place and settled in Sparta, where he bought 160 acres of land. He was married March 10, 1824, to Elizabeth Arnold, of Farmington, Monroe Co., N. Y. They had five children-Jacob, Arunah, Mary E. (deceased), Edwin and Jason. Mrs. Bradford died Dec. 19, 1832, at Plymouth. He was married in June, 1835, to Nancy Belden, of Plymouth, born at Elizabethtown, N. Y .; they had three children-Ephraim, Archie (deceased) and Perry. Mr. Bradford gave each of his six sons a farm, and three of them are- farmers in Sparta. Arunah sold his and is engaged in a bakery and confectionery in Grand Rapids. Jacob sold out, went to Stan- ton, Montcalm Co., where he was Postmaster for many years, and now owns 30 acres within the corporation of Stanton. Edwin sold his land and is a merchant at Sparta Center (see sketch). Mr .. Bradford bought six acres of land on sec. 29, near this city in 1869, where he lives in comfortable retirement, aged 78 years. He is a Democrat.

John Brookman is a native of Rhine Province, Prussia, born June 25, 1839. His parents came to America when he was in his-

Alexander Mc Lean

785

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP.

childhood and lived in the city of New York a year, afterward going to Cincinnati, where his father died in 1867, and his mother in 1862. Mr. Brookman enlisted in the civil war the day the rebels fired on Fort Sumter. He served three years in the 9th Ohio Vol. Inf., and re-enlisted as a veteran in 4th Hancock Reg. for one year, and at its expiration was honorably discharged. He came to Grand Rapids (city) in 1869, and was married Dec. 5, 1867, to Mrs. Frances D. Johnson, of Grand Rapids tp., born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Feb. 6, 1839. She is daughter of Pliny and Hannah Pease, and had two children-Rosella A., born Nov. 23, 1857, died April 12, 1876, and Sarah Jane, Sept. 20, 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Brookman have one child-Carrie May, born Jan. 27, 1880. Mrs. B.'s parents were both natives of Connecticut. Her father died in Grattan in 1862; her mother in the same place in 1865. Mrs. Brookman's first marriage occurred in Grattan, March 14, 1855. Mr. Brookman is engaged in market gardening on sec. 8, where he has nine acres of land devoted to the culture of vegetables adapted to this climate, for which he finds ready demand in the city of Grand Rapids. He is identified with the Republican party. P. O., Grand Rapids.

Bester Brown, proprietor of a summer resort and boat landing at Reed's lake, was born in Hartford Co., Conn., June 23, 1819. His parents were natives of Connecticut, of English and Scotch descent. In 1847 he settled in Paris, Kent Co., where he remained until 1874, when he engaged in his present business. He was married in 1842 to Julia D. Lock, of Medina Co., O. They have two children -- Mary E., born May 4, 1845 (Mrs. H. B. Haynes, of Paris), and Francelia C., born Nov. 27, 1850 (widow of William D. Frary, of Grand Rapids). Mr. Brown possesses every facility for the enjoyment and comfort of his patrons; has 18 first-class boats, and in connection with the ferry a restaurant, where meals are served to suit customers. He was the first to make improvements for the accommodation of the public, and expended $3,500 on his purchase and improvements on the west side of the lake, and con- templates the addition of still greater conveniences. He is very popular and his business well patronized.

Francis Brown, son of John and Prudence Brown, was born in Albany Co., N. Y., Sept. 23, 1831. His father was a native of England and his mother was born in New York, both English by descent. He was married in August, 1869, to Ellen, daughter of Jeremiah and Ellen Douglass, of Troy, N. Y. Her father was a native of Scotland, her mother of England. They have one child living-Mary E. D. Brown, born Sept. 27, 1876. Mr. Brown in 1875 bought 15 acres of land in an advanced state of improvement in the tp. of Grand Rapids, sec. 8, situated one and a half miles from the city, where he is engaged in general farming and market gardening, and has a pleasant, desirable home. Mrs. Brown is a member of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Brown belongs to the Re- publican party.

786

HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

Flavel Chittenden was born Dec. 11, 1799, in New Durham, Green Co., N. Y. He is son of Jairus and Anna Chittenden. He settled on sec. 17, tp. of Grand Rapids, in 1848, buying 20 acres of land. He was married Jan. 23, 1823, to Maria Cosgrove, of Victory, Cayuga Co., N. Y. They had two children-Ann Maria, born June 6, 1824, died July 12, 1880, and James B., born Jan. 10, 1827. He resides in Grand Rapids. Mrs. Chittenden died in 1851. Mr. C. contracted marriage in July, 1852, to Susan Barnes, of Walker. She died in May, 1879, and Mr. C. was married a third time to Matilda Jane Bates, of Grand Rapids.

J. E. Cooper, proprietor of the Lake View House at Reed's lake, Grand Rapids. This hotel is beautifully situated on the edge of the lake and at the extremity of the line of street railroad from the city of Grand Rapids. The house is attractively con- structed and commodiously arranged for the comfort and conven- ience of guests. It is the only hotel at the lake, and is popular and well patronized.

John S. Davis was born Oct. 9, 1827, in Frankfort, Herkimer Co .; is son of Ezekiel W. and Amelia Davis. The former was born in New Jersey, the latter a native of Connecticut. Mr. Davis came to Michigan with his parents in the spring of 1834. His father bought 132 acres of land in Grand Rapids in sec. 34, where he lived 30 years, and moved into the city; he died in 1873. In 1849 Mr. Davis received by deed, from his father, 56 acres of the old homestead, and Dec. 25, of the same year, was married to Elizabeth A., daughter of Allen and Cornelia Hurd, born April 5, 1829. They had two sons-Charles L. and George B. Mrs. Davis died April 3, 1869, in Grand Rapids tp. Mr. Davis has been Town Treasurer and belongs to the Baptist Church. Politi- cally he is a Republican. His father held the position of side Judge three terms and was the first Collector of Taxes in Kent county. He came to the tp. the year after Mrs. Burton and the Guild family.

John W. Fisk was born in Southington, Hartford Co., Conn. ; is the son of Solomon and Mary Fisk, natives of Connecticut, and on the father's side descended from one of three brothers who came to America from England in the early days of the country. Mr. Fisk came to Plymouth, Wayne Co., Mich., in 1835, where he kept a hotel two years and engaged in the same business at Ada one year. He came to Grand Rapids and bought of Lucius Lyon a hotel property, near Fisk's lake, which he has managed 25 years. About 200 acres were attached to the hotel, and when Mr. Fisk sold he reserved 10 acres, and in 1871 built a substantial residence where he now resides. He was married Feb. 7, 1833, to Philinda Far- well, of Clarendon, Orleans Co. N. Y. Mrs. Fisk is the daughter of John and Sophia (Toule) Farwell, natives of one of the New England States. He was born Jan. 18, 1815. Mr. and Mrs. Fisk had seven children-Maria Josephine, born May 5, 1834 ; John Perry, Aug. 11, 1836 ; Eugene Chester, Sept. 26, 1838, died

787

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP.

Nov. 28, 1879 ; Harriet Amelia, Jan. 4, 1841 ; Gurdin N., Aug. 16, 1843 ; Whiting Eli, Sept. 12, 1846, died Oct. 8, 1876 ; Mary Isabella, Sept. 12, 1846. Mrs. Fisk and three daughters are mem- bers of St. Mark's Church, Grand Rapids. Whiting Eli was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, enrolled in the 10th Michigan Cavalry and discharged Nov. 11, 1865. Mr. Fisk is a Democrat.

John H. Ford, father of Edwin A. Ford, present Township Clerk of Grand Rapids, was born in Lexington, Greene Co., N. Y., Sept. 24, 1811. In 1832 he was a resident of Washtenaw Co., Mich., and was called out to serve his country in the Black Hawk war, but after marching a few miles was dismissed and ordered to stand as a minute man and never discharged. At the period of the Patriot war he was living in Niagara county, and was called to the frontier to prevent aggression from Canada. He was married in April, 1838, to Phebe J., daughter of Joseph Mc- Carger, of Shelby, Orleans Co., N. Y. His father, Abner Ford, was born in Canaan, Columbia Co, N. Y., in 1789; he was in cominand of a company at Plattsburg in the war of 1812, and died in Dundee, Monroe Co., Mich., at the age of 70. He was an invalid from rheumatism during the last 40 years of his life, contracted by ex- posure while in service. Jonathan Ford, father of Abner, was a native of Caanan and a soldier of the Revolution. Mr. J. H. Ford preserves a family genealogy, arranged chiefly by his brother, Prof. C. L. Ford, of the University of Michigan, a most satisfactory and exhaustive piece of work, which substantiates their descent from genuine Pilgrim stock, their ancestor, William Ford, having sailed from England in the ship " Fortune," the second emigrant ship to New England, landing at Plymouth, Mass., Nov. 11, 1821. Mr. Ford, of this sketch, has been many years a resident at Grand Rapids.

Samuel Hall was born at Yarpole, England, and reared in Dudley, Worcestershire Co. His birth occurred in 1819, the same year in which the Queen of England was born. He was bred to the occupation of a bricklayer in his native country, and when 51 years of age came to America, landing at New York, and coming to Syracuse, where he remained six years and proceeded to the city of Grand Rapids, and three months after to his present location, one-fourth of a mile from the city, where he purchased 10 acres of land and engaged in market gardening. His gardens are hand- somely laid out, and the entire situation with its surrounding is very fine. He was married in Dudley, England, to Sarah Thomas. They had 20 children, seven of whom are living -- Mary Jane, William Thomas, Sarah Ann, Mary Ellen, Hannah, Eli and Albert. Mrs. Hall died in July, 1880, and Mr. Hall was married in February, 1881, a second time, to Mrs. Maria Cushway, of Plain- field. Her first husband was Paul Cushway, and they had three children,-John, born Oct. 12, 1858; Willie, May 12, 1865, and Emma, May 27, 1867. Mr. Hall was naturalized while residing at Syracuse; politically he is a Republican. P. O., Grand Rapids.

788

HISTORY OF KENT COUNTY.

Perry Hills was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., April 17, 1815. His parents were natives of Connecticut, and of English descent; his father was a soldier of 1812. They came to Michigan in 1831, and after a stay of five months in Detroit bought a farm in Ham- tramck, Wayne Co. Four years later they went to Bloomfield, Oakland Co., and three years after located a section of land in Ada, where his father died in 1845; his mother died in Grand Rapids, in 1855. In 1839 Mr. Hills located 160 acres of land in sec. 23, where he remained about six years; he sold and bought 160 acres in another sec. and continued to reside on it until 1853, when he removed to Grand Rapids city; two years later he settled on 160 acres he had previously located in the tp. of Grand Rapids, on sec. 25, which is a first-class farm. He was married in 1842 to Charlotte L. Knight, of Plymouth, Wayne Co .; they have one child, born Jan. 6, 1846, now Mrs. George Headley, of this tp. She has two children-John Perry, born Nov. 8, 1871, and Cora, June 20, 1873. Mr. Hills is a Democrat, and has been Highway Com. 10 years; he is a member of the Masonic Order of Ada.

Almon Jipson was born Jan. 5, 1806, in Madison, N. Y .; is son of Webster and Betsey Jipson; the former was born in Massachu- setts, the latter a native of Connecticut. In the fall of 1837 he came to Michigan, and settled in Ada, where he bought 40 acres of land, which he sold four years later, and bought 80 acres on sec. 15, and two years after bought 40 acres additional on sec. 10. He has since sold the original purchase, all but 14 acres, where he now resides; has a new house and convenient, agreeable surround- ings. In 1841 Mr. Jipson married Minerva Foster, of Ada. They had two children-Maria A., born Feb. 14, 1842, and Ellen, born in May, 1845, died Aug. 25, 1856. Mrs. Jipson died in August, 1856, in Grand Rapids. Mr. Jipson was married again Feb. 18, 1858, to Mrs. Mira D., widow of William Boyd, of Grand Rapids; daughter of Washington and Eunice Rathbun. She was born June 15, 1823, in Howard, Steuben Co., N. Y., and by her first marriage had three children-John D., Bell M. and Emma C .;. the latter died at Buffalo, N. Y., Jan. 2, 1856. When Mr. Jipson settled at Ada it was a perfect wilderness and only about a dozen families in town. There was no grist-mill nearer than Gull Prai- rie, some 50 miles distant, and the "stump-mill " was used by most of the settlers, consisting of a stump hollowed out for a mor- tar into which their corn was pounded into meal. Mr. Jipson lived in the part of Ada called Egypt, named by him under the following circumstances. In 1842 a party of men were building a log house; dragging the logs over the ground, the soil was dis- covered to be very rich and well adapted to growing corn. One of the men called the attention of Mr. Jipson to the "corn soil." " Yes," he replied; "you will all yet come to Egypt to buy your corn." The man suggested that they take a drink to the name of the place, and from that day it has been and probably will always be Egypt. Mr. Jipson bought the first mowing-machine in the town.

789

GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSEIP.

D. C. Lamberton was born April 9, 1809, in Batavia, N. Y. In his early manhood he went to Dumfries, Canada, where he resided about 20 years. In 1850 he bought 120 acres of land in Grand Rapids, one and one-half miles from the city limits. His farm and surroundings indicate his character and method of doing business. The place is a model one in every respect, its systematic arrangement giving evidence of judicious management and un- tiring care. Mr. Lamberton was married Sept. 23, 1832, to Mary Keeney, of Canada. She was born at Hillsdale, Columbia Co., N. Y. Her father was born at Newport, R. I., Jan. 7, 1766, and died at Clarence, N. Y., in 1818. Her mother was a native of Coventry, Conn., born Aug. 21, 1776, and died Aug. 6, 1834, at Dum- fries, Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Keeney were married at Coventry, Conn., Nov. 24, 1791, and had a family of 16 children, of whom Mrs. Lamberton is the only one living. Mr. and Mrs. L. have had eight children-Warren, born Oct. 9, 1833, died July 15, 1869; Daniel C., Aug. 10, 1836; Albert, Oct. 11, 1838, died March 2, 1870; Austin, Sept. 11, 1841; Lydia M., Dec. 6, 1844; John F., May 7, 1847; Mary M., Dec 18, 1853, died Nov. 24, 1878. Warren and Austin fought for their country's flag during the last three years of the civil war. The former was one of Berdan's Sharpshooters.

George S. Linderman was born April 29, 1823, in Tompkins Co., N. Y .; is a son of Henry and Mary (Sebing) Linderman, natives of New York. He settled in Grand Rapids Dec. 31, 1869 and bought ten and one-half acres of choice land just beyond the city limits, where he now resides, and is extensively engaged in raising most kinds of garden vegetables; has one acre set with 500 Delaware grape-vines and grows small fruits of nearly all kinds; has a good peach orchard. The place is a most desirable one, located but one and one-half miles from the business center of Grand Rapids; the soil is mostly clay mixed with a sandy loam, of the sort best adapted to market-gardening. The stream form- ing the outlet of Reed's lake flows through the place and on the river banks are three never failing springs. The dwelling is a fine one, and the surroundings are tasty and in good condition. Mr. Linderman was married May 1, 1840, to Sarah Thorp, of Winne- bago Co., Ill. They have one child-Albert T., born July 3, 1847, married and living at Whitehall, Mich. He has three children -- Winifred, Gertrude and Arthur. Mr. Linderman is a Republican. P. O., Grand Rapids.

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History of Kent County, Michigan, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 77

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Chapman, Charles C., & Co. (Chicago) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : C.C. Chapman & Co. Number of Pages: 1434

Author: Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.); Chapman, Charles C., & Co. (Chicago)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : C.C. Chapman & Co.
Number of Pages: 1434