History of Mason County, Michigan, Part 34

Author: H. R. Page & Co.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 373

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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).

T. S. GURNEY was born in Geauga County, Ohio, December 12, 1836; received an academic course at Willoughby University, Ohio. Subsequently, in 1861, he graduated in the Ohio State and Union Law College, at Cleveland, after which he was principal of the Chardon Union School, Geauga County, which position he retained till 1865. In 1866 he made Hart, Oceana Co., Mich., his home, and commenced the practice of law, which, with the abstract busi- ness and loaning money, he still follows. He has been county clerk, register of deeds, township clerk, etc. Married, March 27, 1862, to Helen A. Bradley, who was born in Lake County, Ohio, June, 1841; has two children,-Anna H. and John A.

D. CALKINS, blacksmith, was born in Charleston, Orleans Co., Vt., June 26, 1844, and when two years of age removed to Quebec, and at eleven again removed to Watertown, Wis. On July 12, 1861, at the first call, he enlisted in Company I, Seventh Wis- consin Infantry, serving bravely through the war, but chiefly in Company C, Sixteenth Wisconsin Infantry; was with Sherman to the sea, and discharged September 3, 1865. He came to Hart, Sep- tember 1, 1877, and has been there ever since, with the exception of an engagement with Sands & Maxwell, of Pentwater, for about a year, and which will terminate next Spring, when he intends to

again become a resident of Hart. He married, December 5, 1872, Nettie L. Anderson, of Ohio. Mr. Calkins is an excellent work- man, thoroughly master of all its details.

SETH EDSON, of the Oceana Journal, was born in 1827, in Chardon, Geanga Co., Ohio, and received his education at the Char- don and the Western Reserve Seminaries. He has been a teacher for many years, being six years engaged in a select school in Hamp- den, Ohio, and one year in Chardon Union School. In his native county he was county school inspector for several years, and six years county surveyor. He came to Hart in April, 1871, assuming charge of the school, which he taught seven terms; was then elected county superintendent of schools for two years, after which he restuned the charge of Hart school for three terms. In 1878 he was elected county surveyor, serving two years. On February 18, 1878, in company with Mr. Palmiter, he assumed charge of the Oceana Journal. In February, 1880, the latter sold his interest to H. A. Garver, who, in turn sold, in August, 1882, to Mr. Matthews, of the Fremont Indicator. Prof. Edson was elected county school examiner for one year in 1881, and re-elected for three years in 1882. He was married in July, 1857, to Mary Ann Hungerford, who died November 11, 1861. On June 27, 1863, he was married to Carlie Bradley.

D. L. GARVER, farmer, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, on the 28th day of October, 1828. He worked on his father's farm until he was seventeen years old; then worked five years at the cabinet business. In 1849 he was married to Miss N. A. Smith, of Ashland County, Ohio. In 1851 moved to Medina County, Ohio, and during three years was engaged in mercantile business, and again worked at farming until 1863. He then moved from Medina County, Ohio, to this county, and settled on Section 20, in the Township of Hart. During the last fourteen years he has been engaged most of the time in inventing new machines and getting them patented. Among others is the two first Spring Harrow Patents, known as the Reed Kalamazoo spring tooth harrow, and the Lansing coil spring harrow. These harrows are a great success, and have gained a national reputation. He has also another valuable patent, the Gar- ver bevel cut hay knife, which is meeting with a large sale. He has four children, Benjamin S., residing on the adjoining farm; Allen J., late of the Oceana Journal, Lydia J., (Mrs. E. Palmiter, of Grand Rapids), and Lizzie M., (Mrs. Arthur C. White, of Grant.)

HORACE J. HOLMES, contractor and builder, was born in Erie County, Pa., December 19, 1824, and received his education and a thorough training in the trade of cabinet making, in his native place, where he resided until he was in his nineteenth year, when he went to Buffalo, N. Y., for a year, working at his trade. He then spent a year in Tompkins County, N. Y., and in December, 1845, he went to Wisconsin, where he resided until he came to Hart, with the exception of some years in the army and a year in 1874 spent in Kansas in securing a homestead, after which he returned to Oskosh, Wis., and in April, 1878, came to Hart, where he has ever since resided, and has been quite successful in business, having drawn plans and erected the best buildings in the village and vicinity. He enlisted in August, 1861, in the Tenth Wisconsin Infantry, serv- ing three years as musician, when he was promoted to a sec- ond lieutenantey in Hancock's veteran corps, still in the Army of the Cumberland. Although escaping without serious wounds, Mr. Holmes suffered from the long marches, and received a pension on account of physical disability caused thereby. He married, April 15, 1848, Diana Cahill, who died in February, 1850, and re-married June 15, 1851, Catherine Cahill. He has one surviving child, Kate, born February 14, 1875. Mr. H. is a prominent Freemason and Odd Fellow.

L. A. MCINTYRE, proprietor of the Hart Argus, was born at Pres-

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HISTORY OF OCEANA COUNTY.

cott, Ontario, February 6, 1830, and when ten days old was taken by his parents to New York State, where he remained until he was twenty-seven years old, when he went to Ontario, in which country he resided until 1870, with the exception of a year spent in Ohio, in 1865. He then came to Michigan, spending four years in the practice of medicine in Casnovia and three years in Hesperia. He entered on the publication of the Argus in 1877, and has conducted the paper ever since. He married, January 1, 1857, Hannah, eldest daughter of Jeremiah Ames, a prominent and wealthy citizen of Morristown, N. Y., and their family consists of two sons and two daughters, Lucy A., George A., A. Gilbert and Laura A.

BENJAMIN MOORE, lumberman, came to Hart October 21, 1866, and has resided there ever since. He immediately commenced the erection of his hotel, which was opened June 16, 1867, being the first hotel in the village. In 1873 he leased it to Tyler Carmner, eighteen months, but has for the last few years rented it to Mr. Bailey. In the Spring of 1872 he erected a sawmill at Mears, which he has run ever since. Mr. Moore is of an inventive turn of mind, and patented, in 1870, a valuable invention for clamping window sash, and has also made a valuable improvement on mill dogs. He has by industry and steady application to business acquired a com- petency.

JUDSON PALMITER, publisher of Shelby Independent, is a resident of Hart village, and was born in Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, June 10, 1827. When twenty-seven years of age, he removed to Noble County, Ind., and in 1869 came to Hart, having been since 1858 almost continuously engaged in newspaper work. Mr. Palmiter commenced April 30, 1869, the publication of the Oceana. County Journal, at Hart, and in the Fall of the same year bought out the Oceana Times, of Pentwater, in which he gave a small interest to Amos Dresser. He subsequently sold the Times to Platt & Matthews, who removed it to Fremont Centre. In 1874 he sold the Journal to B. F. Saun- ders, removing to Newaygo, where he started the Tribune. After two years, leaving the Tribune with his eldest son, he returned to Hart, and re-purchased the Journal, taking in Prof. S. Edson as a partner. In two years he parted with his interest in the Journal to Mr. Garver, and having two other printing offices on his hands, he took one - the Times, of Pentwater-and removed it to Shelby, com- mencing the issue of the Independent April 10, 1880. Mr. Palmiter married, in 1851, at Braceville, Ohio, Miss Harriet S. Stow, and they have three surviving children, Easton E. S., born June 20, 1854; Minnie, born June 8, 1859, and Henry, born April 15, 1870.

JAMES EDWIN REED was born in Sharon, Conn., on April 28, A. D., 1816, where he lived until he was eighteen years of age, when he went to Ohio, and remained there until he was twenty-one years old. Then he returned to Connecticut, and remained until 1840. On June 1 of that year he married Phoebe A. Sardam, of Salisbury, Conn., and in the following October they went to Ohio, and com- menced farming, in which he was generally successful. In 1866 he sold his farm in Ohio and moved to Jackson, Mich., where he en- gaged in the drug business, and had a good business, but for some reason not accounted for, was not successful. From Jackson he went to Oceana County, in 1867, and bought a piece of wild land, where he now resides. Having cleared his land of the forest, he has continued the farming business to this date.

EDGAR D. RICHMOND, county clerk and register, was born in Euclid, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, May 5, 1837, and was brought up on his paternal farm until 1849, when he went to Shaw Academy, in East Cleveland, for two years. He then clerked in a dry goods store until the Spring of 1857, when he came to Pentwater, to work for Charles Mears. He took propeller from Chicago to Lincoln, and there met Dr. D. G. Weare, who had arrived the Fall previous. They traveled on foot, together, from Lincoln to Pentwater. Mr. Richmond took

charge of Mear's store until 1862, when he went into business for himself, taking in Woodruff Chapin as a partner. After two and one-half years, they took in John Bean, Jr., and together they bought out Hart, Maxwell & Co. In 1862-'63 Chapin, Richmond & Bean had built a shingle mill, the first that sawed shingles on this shore. They sold out to Phillips & Browne, (afterwards Pentwater Lumber Co.) From 1860 to 1866 Mr. Richmond has been elected and served three terms as county clerk and register, and had been postmaster of Pentwater from 1861 to 1865, which office he resumed from 1873 to 1877, after which he removed to Hart. Previous to leaving Pentwater, he started a store and had a sawmill in Golden, but in August, 1875, the mill was burned, proving a heavy loss. He continued the postoffice at Pentwater until January 1, 1877, and went into the insurance business. Since his residence in Hart, Mr. Richmond has been steadily elected county clerk and register, in which office he gives unbounded satisfaction, being thoroughly com- petent, and having a minute knowledge of the affairs of the county. He also does a large business in insurance, real estate and money loaning. He married, August 3, 1859, at Ionia, Josephine M. Rounds, by whom he has one son, Eddie, born January 1, 1863. Mrs. Rich- mond died July 6, 1866. In November, 1869, he married Lydia L. Dunwell, of Allegan County, Mich., by whom he has two children: Ollie B., and Jerome D.

L. GIDEON RUTHERFORD, prosecuting attorney, was born of Irish parentage, at Bath, N. Y., January 2, 1842. He remained at home until fourteen years of age, when he ran away and worked all Sum- mer in a logging fallow. Afterward, returning home, he attended school three Winters, when he entered a law office in Bath, remain- ing until December, 1861, when he enlisted in the Seventy-eighth Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until December, 1863, when he was discharged for disability. His health having gradually improved, in July, 1864, he returned with the One Hundred and Eighty-ninth New York Volunteers, being Second Lieutenant, taking part in every battle of the Potomac from Septem- ber, 1864, to Appomattox Court House, in 1865. He was promoted to a captaincy in the One Hundred and Eighty-ninth. He then returned home, entering upon mercantile life until 1867, when he came to Hart. With Mr. Benham, he built a sash, blind and door factory, and sold it the same Fall, and commenced speculating in real estate. Meeting with some financial reverses, he went to work for Wigton, in the sawmill, for a year. In 1970 he was admitted to the practice of law, in which he has ever since been engaged. In the Fall of 1880 he was elected prosecuting attorney, running over 1,000 ahead of his ticket, which was a fusion of Greenbackers and Democrats. Since he has held the office there have been but two men acquitted of the charges brought against them. He is judge advocate of the Grand Army of the Republic for Michigan, and one of the national council of administration for the same institution. He was married, December 30, 1865, to Miss Charlotte Beaty, of Tyrone, Schuyler Co., N. Y., and they have two children, Mac and Maggie, aged respectively five and one years.

SETH DARLING Was born in Herkimer County, N. Y., July 18, 1819. Settled in Kent County, Mich., in 1848, and in Hart, Oceana County, in 1866, on Section 33, where he now lives, and is engaged in farming and fruit culture. Married, March 16, 1847, to Hannah E. Hutt, who was born in Cherry Valley, N. Y., January 3, 1827. Two children-Franklin P., and Willie S.

BYRON M. ELLIS was born in Morgan County, Ohio, February 2, 1852. Settled in Kent County, Mich., in 1864, and in Hart, Oceana County, in 1877, on Section 34. Married, April 17, 1877, to Emma J. Peckham, who was born in Muskegon County, Mich., March 7, 1859.

Among the prominent and honored pioneers of Oceana, was

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HISTORY OF OCEANA COUNTY.

Josiah Russell, father of the present circuit judge, who was born in Maine, in 1802, and died at his son's residence, in 1875. He settled at an early day in Montcalm county, where, as County judge, he opened the first court of record. In 1856 he was induced, by the report of a rich lead mine, to come to this county, and finding what was of more value than a lead mine-a rich agricultural country- he located on the west half of the section on which Hart village now stands, but on account of the death and sickness of his son, George, it reverted to the Government. Judge Josiah Russell located much of the land for actual settlers, and, being a man of energy and capacity, he was elected to many offices of public trust, such as supervisor, county surveyor, judge of probate, and state senator. His family moved to the county in March, 1858, although the judge himself was here some years previously. He was a warm advocate of Hart for county seat, and his influence was a powerful factor in deciding the question.

TOWNSHIP OF SHELBY.

The first meeting of the town, which was at first Stony Creek, was at Wheeler's mills, on the first Monday in April; Harvey Tower, chairman. This being the first election of the township, the electors went into caucus, and proceeded to nominate officers, after which they adjourned one hour. They then proceeded to poll the votes, polls closing at "half-past 3 o'clock." $75 was voted to defray town expenses. There were sixteen votes cast, in all, and the elec- tions were practically unanimous. The following was the list of officers: supervisor, Warren Wilder, (now of Whitehall); clerk, Malcolm Campbell; treasurer, James McNutt; justices of the peace, E. Rich, A. R. Wheeler, Jasper Thompson and H. Harris; com- missioner of highways, James McNutt, Harvey Tower and W. Wilder; school inspectors, Warren Wilder, Harvey Tower; con- stables, John Strong, John Stearns.

The following is the list of supervisors, clerks and treasurers, to the present time:

SUPERVISORS .- Warren Wilder, 1855; Wm. Gardner, 1856; L. D. Eaton, 1857- 58; S. E. Knowles, 1859; H. Hoffman, 1860-'61; Bird Norton, 1862; Wm. Weston, 1863; Silas C. Powers, 1864; War- ren Vradenburg, 1865; Walter H. Churchill, 1866; Parley R. Cady, 1867-'68-9; Andrew Maples, 1870-'71-2; George W. Woodward, 1879-'74-5-6-7-9-'80-2; A. H. Bearss, 1878; W. H. Barry, 1881.

CLERKS .- Malcolm Campbell, 1855-'56; Henry Hoffman, 1857; D. M. Merrifield, 1858; George Semback, 1859; Wm. Weston, 1860- '61-2; E. W. Elliott, 1863; A. C. Randall, 1864; Orrin Deming, 1865-'66-7-8; W. H. Churchill, 1869-'70-1-2-3-4-7-'81; H. O. Bick- ford, 1875-'76; Alpheus Neff, 1878-'79-'80; Manly C. White, 1882. TREASURERS .- James McNutt, 1855-'56; John Stearns, 1857; L. M. Curtis, 1858; Wm. Gardner, 1859; James McNutt, 1860- '61-2; James A. Hall, 1863; Alva Babcock, 1864; R. Vradenburg, 1865; Calvin S. Reed, 1866; O. G. Marvin, 1867; James S. Run- ner, 1868; A. H. Bearss, 1869-'72; David Stringhan, 1870-'71; Alex. Pettinger, 1873-'74-5-6-7-8; Parley R. Cady, 1879-'80; A. Z. Moore, 1881-'82.

In 1862 the town of Shelby, (called then Benona) was set off by itself, and there were but eight voters, and all voted for Bird Norton as supervisor. 1863 and 1864 seem to have been years of confusion, as the officers were always resigning. In the latter year there were eleven voters. In April, 1870, a vote was taken to give aid, to the amount of $7,195.20, to the G. R. & L. S. R. R., which was carried, but owing to some legal flaw, never paid. The people of Shelby built the depot, at a cost of $1,200. In 1875 G. W. Wood- ward, Greenbacker, gained the election for supervisor by thirteen

majority, over A. H. Bearss, Republican. In 1877 Mr. Woodward on an independent ticket defeated A. H. Lewis, Greenbacker, by thirty-six votes; again, in 1879, he defeated W. H. Dunn, Repub- lican, by fourteen votes, and in 1880 had twenty-two majority over Mr. Dunn. In 1881 W. H. Barry, Greenbacker, defeated P. R. Cady, Republican, by twenty-four votes, and in 1882 G. W. Wood- ward, Greenbacker, defeated A. H. Bearss by ninety-five votes.

The first settlers in the town were: Silas C. Powers, on Section 1; William Weston, on Section 20; A. C. Randall, on Section 8; Orrin Demming, on the same section; Joseph Adams and Truman Jacobs, on Section 14; Wm. Hand, on Section 9; J. G. Weixler, on Section 13, (who still runs a small tannery); W. H. Churchill, Feb- ruary, 1864; James Runner, March, 1864, and Jesse and Abraham H. Bearss, in 1863.

Before the railway came, in 1872, there was a nucleus of a set- tlement at Churchill's Corners, on Section 18, where, besides Churchill, was A. Neff, with a blacksmith shop, and James Wil- liams, with a general store, who afterward moved to .Shelby. In 1872 Mr. Churchill built the depot, and a store, in which, with A. Neff, he carried on the hardware business until 1876. Mr. Churchill is postmaster, and besides having held for many years several muni- cipal offices, has been justice of the peace fourteen years, and has been elected for four years more.

As showing the rapid growth of the township, we give the names of all the voters in 1864, when Silas C. Powers was elected super- visor. These were: S. C. Powers, A. C. Randall, W. Weston, Jo- seph Adams, Orrin Demming, M. Forbear, G. Weixler, James Hall, W. Hand, Truman Jacobs and A. Babcock-eleven in all.

In 1864, for three months, Mr. Runner was hired to carry the mail to Benona and back, eleven miles each way, for one dollar a trip. Truly, those were the days when men could go a long way- twenty-two miles-for a dollar, and that through trails and pathless woods. Shelby is now quite a mail distributing-center, receives two mails on the railway daily, also by stage thrice a week, to Ferry, and to Marshville, and once a week to Oceana.

The first hotel may be said to have been at Churchill's corners, near the present village, where W. H. Churchill, that vigorous pio- neer, entertained travelers, from December 15, 1866, until 1872, when the railway arrived. The house was built of logs, in 1864, on the northwest corner of Section 16, when there was not a road in the township. In the Fall of 1865 the state road was opened from Whitehall to Hart, and in the Spring of 1866, the first mail route was established, with postoffice at the "Shelby House," (Churchill's), and James Roddy, of Pentwater, first stage-driver.

In the Fall of 1872 the first hotel in the village was built, by A. M. Savage, and called Shelby House. M. L. Page built, in 1876, the Elliott House, kept by Elliott, now of Pentwater, then by Mr. Collins, who has just been succeeded by George Schuyler, of Mears. The first birth in Shelby was that of a son of A. C. Randall.

The first death that of a man named Fowler, killed in 1858, by a falling tree.

The first cemetery was on John Randall's farm.

The first hotel in the village was built by A. M. Savage. The first postoffice at Churchill's, in 1866. The first hardware store by Churchill & Neff. First schoolhouse in 1862, on Section 18. First church, the Congregational, in 1875.

Shelby can boast of a commodious school building, built last year at a cost of $4,000. The teachers this year are Ambrose Hughes and Misses Luke and Billings. This is the fourth school building, each of which corresponded to the progress of the place. The first was built in 1862, on Section 18, and was a very humble and primitive affair, being built of logs, with elm bark for the floor, and the same material for the roof. This was about half a mile

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of the village. The next was on the southwest corner of Section 10, of logs, with board floor, but still with a bark roof, and was built in 1864. The next was a frame building, near the site of the pres- ent school, built in 1873.

The churches in Shelby are two,-the Congregational, built in 1875, and the Methodist, in 1880.

THE VILLAGE IN 1873.

An extract from the Pentwater News of 1878, when the vil- lage was but one year old, will contrast with another from the same paper in 1881, which we append below:

"The village of Barnett, in Shelby Township, started last year, seems to be building, just now, quite rapidly. W. H. Churchill, the postmaster of Shelby, has removed the postoffice to Barnett Station,-where it presents a very neat and imposing appearance- and, in company with Mr. Neff, Mr. Churchill is keeping a hardware and variety store. Mr. E. J. Shirts, lately of Lansing is keeping a small dry goods store, and is now arranging to build quite a capacious one. Mr. William Branch, in company with another gentleman, has just opened a boot and shoe and general variety store, and all seem to be in prospect of doing a good business. Dr. C. F. Sweet is build- ing a new drug store, and G. W. Woodward, Esq., the newly- elected supervisor, is about erecting a grain warehouse, for the pur- pose of buying and storing farmers' produce. This will be quite an important feature of the town, as the opening of a cash market for produce is a very great help to any village. Messrs. Malcolm & Williams have a very fine mill in operation here, and thousands of dollars have been paid by different parties for logs, this Winter, to be sawed up into lumber by this mill. Messrs. Williams & Son are about putting up a new store, and will, as soon as it is finished, remove their stock of goods into it from their present location at Shelby Corners. Stumps are very thick in the village of Barnett, but time and labor will soon efface them, and Barnett may ere long . be a very pleasant village."

SHELBY OF THE PRESENT.

The following is from a recent issue of the News, and shows the village as it is:

" In 1872, when the first iron horse rumbled over Section 17, of Shelby Township, a few rude buildings, not exceeding half a dozen in number, might be seen in the vicinity of what is known as Churchill's Corners, in which were grouped all the business interests of the place. A total inventory of all stock in trade of the business houses at this time might have amounted to $2,000, but would scarcely exceed that amount. Farms, with small clearings upon them, owned by Churchill, Randall, the Elliotts, Jason Carpenter, and others, were noticed, but did not appear to offer very encourag- ing inducements to a stranger, and travelers generally gave a sigh of relief as they passed, thankful that they were not located in this out-of-the-way spot, among the immense forests which surrounded these hardy pioneers. But the railroad came, a portable mill was built on the site now occupied by C. A. Hawley's extensive mill operations, and a few enterprising persons, noting the wealth of the soil, the magnificent forests of fine timber growing, its favorable location as a trading center, went to work and platted a village, using the old farm of E. W. Elliott, Pentwater's present landlord, for the site. Buildings began to spring up as if by magic, stores to be built, stocks of choice goods to arrive, the great and abundant yield of the soil encouraged farmers, and farm improvements kept pace with the work in the embryo village, and just when the people needed some money, the pigeons came in countless millions, and the wealth they brought gave a new stimulus to business. Other bus- iness enterprises began to start up; Williams Bros' mill, Halstead's wagon works, the stave factory, Rankin's coal kilns, whose business

headquarters are in Shelby, all of which poured into the business contribution box of Shelby, thousands of dollars monthly. Mer- chants, commencing poor, accumulated and spent their surplus in improving and building up the place. Two beautiful places of worship and one of the finest school buildings in the county were erected, and to-day Shelby is a village of nearly one thousand inhabitants, representing nearly every trade and occupation, with two hotels, five dry goods and grocery stores, three groceries, two hardware, two harness shops, one millinery and dressmakers' estab- lishment, two drug stores, one photograph gallery, one furniture store, one barber shop, two jewelry establishments, one meat mar- ket, four blacksmith shops, two sawmills, one planing mill, two extensive wagon and carriage shops, five church organizations, established lodge of Odd Fellows and Masons. Sidewalks extend both sides of Main Street, through the entire business portion of the village. The people point with pride to their business houses, and say that to-day an inventory taken of capital employed in business would carry the amount into the hundreds of thousands, and yet not a failure to record against us. Shelby is located in the midst of one of the most fertile farming counties to be found, her ship- ments making her especially noted as a potato and wheat producing section, while her fruit, hay and corn products are now bringing her into prominent notice. As a trade center, she draws from the southern tier of towns to within a short distance of Montague; the western and eastern towns she divides with Hart. She is very favorably located upon the railroad, and has the advantage of two trains a day, each way. Taken, all in all, Shelby is a big ten-year- . old, and is justified in being proud of her own growth.

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History of Mason County, Michigan, Part 34

Author: H. R. Page & Co. Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Number of Pages: 373

Author: H. R. Page & Co.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 373