USA > Michigan > Mason County > History of Mason County, Michigan > Part 60
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C. B. LEWIS, senior member of the firm of C. B. Lewis & Son, shingle manufacturers, came to Manistee from Kenosha, Wis., in 1870. He was a resident of that place for twenty years. Since coming to Manistee he has been engaged in the lumber business. In January, 1881, the firm of C. B. Lewis & Son bought the shingle mill built by W. W. Chapin & Co. The mill cuts about 40,000,000 shingles a season. Mr. Lewis is president of the school board at the present time, and has been a member of the board for eight years.
AZRO B. LEONARD is another of the men who has worked his way along to a comfortable competency. He was born in Stock- bridge, Vt., in the year 1823. In the Fall of 1850 he came to Wis- consin, and settled in Eureka, Winnebago Co. There he was en- gaged in lumbering and other business. When he first came to Wisconsin he worked by the month, and afterwards became inter- ested in a sawmill at Eureka. Becoming interested in a Manistee sawmill, he came here, in 1866, to attend to that business, and
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until 1879 was a member of the firm of Gifford, Ruddock & Co. In 1879 he sold his interest in the business of that firm, and since that time has been engaged in logging and dealing in pine lands. He is also a member of the hardware firm of Kroegan & Leonard, in which he is represented by his son, for whom he purchased the interest. Mr. Leonard has a wife and four children, and lives in a handsome residence situated upon the high ground. This residence property he purchased in 1878. A very fine lithographic view of it is given upon another page. Mr. Leonard has been successful in his business operations. He is an excellent type of the New Eng- land gentleman. A fine steel portrait of Mr. Leonard is given in this work.
WILLIAM WENTE, secretary and treasurer of the Manistee Lum- ber Company, is a native of Germany, and came to this country in 1848, with his parents. In 1865 he came to Manistee from Milwau- kee, and has always been engaged at office work in connection with the mills. About 1876 he became connected with the lumber firm of Dempsey, Cartier & Co., and at the organization of the present company became one of its officers, as above stated. Mr. Wente is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and one of the oldest members of the Manistee Lodge. He is a careful and correct busi- ness man.
ADOLPHUS MAGNAN, judge of probate of Manistee County, is one of the early settlers in the county. He is a native of Canada, and came to Manistee in 1855. He settled in Stronach town and has been engaged in lumbering and bookkeeping. He held the office of supervisor of Stronach for fifteen years, and was the first postmas- ter of that town. In 1880 he was elected probate judge for the term of four years. He is one of the reliable men of the county, and is thoroughly posted in the affairs of the county.
CHRISTIAN HAUSER is one of the pioneers of Manistee County. He is a native of Germany, and came to this country in 1846. He first came to Racine, Wis., where he remained until 1853, when he came to Manistee, and cast his lot in the wilderness with the little handful of people who were here at that time. He has wit- nessed the growth of the place thus far and has always been active in public matters. He has held several public offices, and in all of them has rendered faithful and efficient service. He held the office of supervisor for several years, was alderman in 1872-'78, and is now serving his second term as county treasurer. He is A prominent member of several benevolent societies, and is a gentle- man who has the respect and confidence of the public.
EVAN T. DAVIES belongs to the younger class of Manistee lum- bermen, who are following in the footsteps of their successful prede- cessors. He is a native of Wales and came to this country in 1867, and that same year came to Manistee. He was a poor young man, but what he lacked in purse he made up in energy and clear grit. He went to work as mill-wright and followed that trade for eight years. In 1878 the firm of Davies, Blacker & Co. was organized and had their mill built under the direction of Mr. Davies. In 1880 the shingle mill was added. Mr. Davies is the inventor of a valu- able machine known as the Davies lumber sorter, which is in use in their mill. He is of that class of men who are bound to succeed at whatever they undertake. This firm has one of the finest mills in Manistee.
S. BABCOCK is one of the substantial business men of Manistee, and senior member of the lumber firm of S. Babcock & Co. Men- tion of their mill is made in another part of this work.
Mr. Babcock is a native of New York State, but came to Wis- consin while & young man. For several years he was a contractor and builder in Milwaukee. In 1878 he first became interested in the lumber business at Manistee, but did not remove here with his family until 1877. He has invented a machine for the manufac-
ture of rift-sawed siding, which is in use at their mill, and is a val- uable patent. He has recently completed one of the handsomest residences in the city, which is both a private luxury and a public ornament. It is built of red brick, and elegantly furnished.
HORACE TABER is the founder and head of the well-known firm of Horace Taber & Sons., lumber manufacturers, whose mill inter- ests are described in another place in this work.
Mr. Taber was born in Madison County, Vt., in the year 1827. In the Summer of 1867 he came to Manistee and purchased a mill site and erected a sawmill. At that time there were only a few acres cleared back from where their mills now stand. As soon as the mill was completed he began the manufacture of lumber. In the course of time he took his two sons, Hershell H., and Sumner S. Taber, into partnership, and the firm has since been as at present. Mr. Taber was a practical lumberman, and has been a successful manufacturer. Many improvements have been made in the mill property, and they have built dwelling houses until quite a village has sprung up around their mills. Mr. Taber is the inventor of Taber's rift-sawing siding machine, which is an invention of great value in the manufacture of siding. Mr. Taber is a stock- holder and director in the Manistee National Bank. Of late his fail- ing health has compelled him to surrender much of the care of the business to his sons, who are capable and enterprising business men. A fine lithographic view of their mills appears in this work.
L. W. NUTTALL is a native of England, and came to this coun- try in 1832. He first settled at Hudson, N. Y. From there he went to Wisconsin and settled in Eureka, Winnebago Co. While there he was engaged in lumbering and building barges. In 1867 he came here, having purchased an interest in the mill business of Gifford, Ruddock & Co. Since then there have been changes in the firm, but Mr. Nuttall has retained an interest in the business, and in December, 1881, the firm was changed to Ruddock, Nuttall & Co. Mr. Nuttall is the only resident member of the firm, and with the assistance of his three sons manages the large business connected with their mill and store. Mention is made of this lumber interest elsewhere. Mr. Nuttall is a thorough business man, and trains his sons to follow in his footsteps. The three sons each have their par- ticular departments, and attend to them closely. He is a gentleman of thorough integrity and honesty, and a most estimable citizen. His family consists of his wife and five children, three sons and two daughters.
J. F. NUTTALL is a son of L. W. Nuttall, of the well-known lumber firm of Ruddock, Nuttall & Co. He is a native of Wisconsin and came to Manistee in 1868. He has charge of the company books, and assists in the management of the interests of the firm of which his father is a member. He interests himself in public mat- ters, and has been especially active and efficient in the organization and maintenance of the Congregational Church and Sunday-school at Maxwelltown, a suburb of the city.
CHARLES RIETZ, president of the Chas. Rietz & Bros. Lumber Co., has for many years been well known in connection with the lumber interests of Manistee. He was born in Germany, in 1827, and came to this country in 1847. In 1867 he came to Manistee and purchased a sawmill, and laid the foundation of the immense busi- ness now carried on by the company. Mr. Rietz's brothers, who are interested with him, reside in Chicago. In 1870 a new mill was built, as mentioned elsewhere. The salt interests of the company are also described in another place. Mr. Rietz occupies an elegant residence near the mills.
In the management of the business here he is assisted by his son, Mr. Frank Rietz, who is a practical mill man, and gives his personal attention to superintending the operation of the mills.
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Mr. Frank Rietz was born in Chicago, and came to Manistee in 1878.
A. O. WARD is one of the rising young men of the county. He is a native of the state of New York. In 1874 he came to Manistee, and for some time was engaged in the insurance and real estate business, the firm being Ward & Ramsdell. In 1880 he was elected clerk and register of the county, and has recently been re- nominated by the Republicans of the county for the same office. Mr. Ward is also a member of the insurance firm of Kies & Ward, which does an extensive business. He is a popular public officer.
PROF. WEBSTER COOK, superintendent of schools, is a native of Ann Arbor, Mich. He graduated at the University of Michigan, in 1878, and since that time has been engaged in teaching and edu- cational work. He taught at Union City, Mich., three years, and came from that place to Manistee, in the Fall of 1881, to accept the position of superintendent of schools in this city. His work thus far has been highly satisfactory.
M. S. Cook, city surveyor, came to Manistee from Arcadia Township, in the Fall of 1879. He came to this county from Jack- son, Mich., in 1877, and was county surveyor from 1878 to 1880, and since then has been city surveyor. He has followed surveying for about twenty-five years.
A. O. WHEELER was born in New Marlborough, Mass., in 1845. When ten years of age, his parents removed to Chicago. In 1866 he came to Manistee on a visit, and while here made arrangements to go into the store of Canfield & Secor for a time. He remained there a few months, and then received an appointment to superin- tend the harbor improvements. In 1866 the Canfield Tug Line was started, and Mr. Wheeler became its manager. After a time he became part owner, and at the present time is principal owner of the line. He is also a member of the firm of Wheeler, John- son & Co., proprietors of the machine shops. Mr. Wheeler has been a very successful business man, and has become one of the strong capitalists of the city. His family residence, built in 1879, is one of the finest in the city. His family consists of a wife and three children. He has recently received the nomination of the Republican party of the county for state representative.
HENRY S. HILTON, proprietor of the Manistee Times, is one of the oldest newspaper publishers in the state. He was born in Fre- donia, N. Y., in the year 1832. When about thirteen years of age he commenced work at the case, in a newspaper office in Randolph, N. Y. His first experience as a newspaper publisher was at Sheboy- gan, Wis., as publisher of the Sheboygan Lake Journal. He came to Michigan in the Spring of 1856, and started what is now the Clinton Republican, which he published for about twenty-five years. He was clerk of the lower house of the Michigan Legislature for two years, and register of deeds for Clinton County from 1874. to 1880. Last June he purchased the Manistee Times of Mr. App. M. Smith, and settled with his family in this city. Mr. Hilton is a thorough newspaper man, and from his long experience is perfectly familiar with all parts of the business. He has always been a zeal- ous and active Republican, and is a man of culture and ripe expe- rience in public affairs.
FLETCHER W. DUNLAP was born in St. Clair County, Mich., in the year 1840. At the age of ten years, he went from home to begin life for himself. His first thought was to secure an education, and he industriously set himself about the attainment of that purpose. He acquired a good common school education, and at eighteen years of age went to Iowa, and for three years published the Mitchell Gazette. He then attended the Michigan State Normal School, and finished the course in 1867. From there he entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where, in 1870, he graduated as Bachelor of Law. He was admitted to the bar, and opened a law office at
Holland, Ottawa County. In connection with his practice he published a paper until the fire of 1871, when he was burned out. He then removed to Muskegon, and from there to Manistee, where he opened a law office and continued in practice for two years. At the end of that time he determined to abandon the law and seek a more direct road to fortune. Accordingly, he started & small grocery, and subsequently went at work by the day. At days' labor he paid for sufficient lumber for a small building, which he erected, doing all the work himself, and when it was completed he put in a stock of groceries and started in trade. At first he delivered goods to his customers on a wheelbarrow, and thus by industry and prudence worked his way along until at the present time he owns four business lots, three residence lots and three buildings. He has recently completed a substantial two-story brick store building on River Street, and intends soon to erect another in the place of the frame building, which he occupies with his store. Mr. Dunlap's success in life shows what can be accomplished by persistent industry and prudence.
FRIEND, JOYS & Co., dealers in dry goods, groceries, clothing etc. This firm is composed of Albert Friend, C. E. Joys, and was established March 1, 1882, and succeeded A. Friend & Co. The business was at first conducted in the old building of Mr. M. Engel- mann, but upon the completion of Mr. Engelmann's new block, the firm moved to their present elegant and spacious quarters. They occupy three large store-rooms, one of which is filled with dry goods, another with clothing and hats and caps, and the third with groceries. In addition to these are a large cloak department, one for fine shoes, and an immense basement room for carpets, crockery and boots and shoes. The interior of the building is sumptuously furnished with the most elegant appointments, and altogether, the house is one of the most extensive and elegant in the Northwest.
C. E. Joys is a native of Norway, and came to this country in the year 1867. In 1868 he came to Manistee and was engaged as book-keeper for Maxwell, Pundt & Co., and also with R. G. Peters & Co. In 1876 he went to Hokah, Minn., and engaged in general merchandising, which he still continues. In March last he returned to Manistee and became a member of the firm of Friend, Joys & Co., as already stated.
A. FRIEND, the senior member of the above named firm, has long been prominent in the mercantile interests of Manistee. He first came to Manistee in 1867 and engaged in business with M. Engelmann, and has been interested in business here since that time. From 1870 to 1881 he resided in Milwaukee, but in 1881 returned here, and the following Spring the present firm of Friend, Joys & Co. was established. Mr. Friend belongs to a family of merchants all of whom are successful business men. The firm of which he is the senior member is one of the strongest in this part of the state.
ALLEN Mc KEE, engineer and machinist at the mill of the Manistee Lumber Company, is a native of Jefferson County, N. Y. He enlisted in the army in 1862, at Manistee, as a member of the Third Michigan, and served until the battle of the Wilderness in 1864, when he was taken prisoner, and was at Andersonville for five months. He was mustered out in June, 1865, and returned to Manistee. He has been in his present place for eight years. Before that he was sailing on the lakes for several years. He made an excellent record as a soldier, and is probably the only survivor of Andersonville now in Manistee County. He is a prominent member of the Masonic Lodge, and bears a good reputation as a citizen.
C. V. BEEBE, M. D., is a native of Genesee County, Mich., and in early life received a common school education. In 1870 he grad- uated at Ann Arbor, and began the practice of medicine in his na-
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tive county. After continuing there a short time, he removed to Ovid, where he remained for eight years, doing a very extensive and successful practice. In the Spring of 1881 he removed to Manis- tee. This city seemed to offer him a field of labor deserving of his attention, and his success here has shown that he made no mistake in coming. His practice is already very large and his reputation in this region well established.
LOUIS E. MORRIS is a native of Scotland, and first came to this country with his parents in 1852. After receiving a common school education, he returned to Europe to pursue his studies. After re- maining abroad about three years, he returned to this country, and entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he graduated in 1874. Shortly after graduation he was admit- ted to the bar, and began the practice of law at Lud- ington. In 1875 he removed to Manistee, and settled himself per- manently here in the practice of his profession. In the Fall of 1876 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the county, and was re-elected in the Fall of 1878. He was city attorney for four years, and last Spring was elected a justice of the peace. Mr. Morris is a promi- nent member of the Democratic party, and takes a leading part in the politics of the county. He is connected with several of the societies represented in the city.
S. S. CONOVER is a native of the state of New York. In 1837, at the age of nineteen years, he went to Milwaukee, and was a resident of that city for thirty years. He was sheriff of Milwaukee County, during the years 1856 and 1857. In 1867 he came to Manistee and engaged in the manufacture of harness, saddles, etc. He manufac- tured the first harness and saddles made here. He continued in that business until the fire of 1871, when he was burned out, and did not afterwards resume business. Mr. Conover was elected jus- tice of the peace in 1868, and with the exception of two years has held the office ever since. Since 1872 he has been engaged chiefly in real estate and insurance business. During his residence in Mil- waukee, Mr. Conover figured prominently in an event that is mem- orable in Wisconsin history. In 1854 he was under-sheriff of Milwaukee County, and in charge of the jail at the time the fugitive slave Glover was lodged there, and shortly afterwards taken by a crowd who attacked the jail, and got possession of the slave.
WILSON H. GRAY is a member of the Manistee County bar, and is a native of Ireland. In 1852 he came to this country with his parents, and lived at Grand Rapids for fifteen years. In September, 1862, he went into the service with the One Hundred and Sixteenth New York Volunteers. He was promoted to lieutenant and after- wards to captain. He served until August, 1864, when he received his discharge. After leaving the service he entered upon the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1867. He practiced law at Grand Rapids until the Summer of 1880, when he came to Manis- tee. He has earned the reputation of being a good lawyer, and is successful in his practice.
GEORGE LAMONTAGNE, M. D., is a native of Quebec, and received a classical and medical education at the Laval University at Quebec, graduating in the year in 1862. After practicing in Quebec for two years, he came to the States, and located in Milwaukee, where he remained about eighteen months, and then removed to Muskegon, where he practiced nine years. He then went to Chicago, where he was in the drug business, and also engaged in practice. In 1877 he came to Manistee and engaged in practice. Three years ago he opened a drug store on River Street, which he runs in connection with his practice. Dr. LaMontagne is a highly educated gentleman, and has an extensive practice.
JOHN MEE was born in London, Canada, in 1839. In his ear- lier years he worked mostly at farming, but becoming ambitious for a more active field than was to be found in Canada, he resolved to
seek a new country. In 1867 he came to the States, and located in Manistee. In 1870 he went into the hardware business, the firm being G. I. Russell & Co., and continued in that business until 1872, when he went out of trade and engaged in lumbering. In 1875 he went back to the hardware business, and in 1877 bought out his partner, and was alone until 1881, when he sold out to the firm of Parry & Legg. In 1881 he bought out Mr. Legg, and the firm became Parry & Mee. Their store, at the present time, is one of the leading mercantile establishments of the city. Mr. Mee is one of the men who has helped to give Manistee the commercial importance it has attained. He has made his own way in the world, and has succeeded. He is engaged in lumbering with Mr. A. B. Leonard; is a director of the First National Bank, and also of the Water Works Company, and always takes an active part in the public enterprises that tend to build up the city. His family consists of a wife and one child.
HON. HARRISON H. WHEELER was born in the township of Hadley in the county of Lapeer, and state of Michigan, on the 22nd day of March, 1839. He received a common school education, and after he was eighteen years of age taught school Winters and worked on a farm Summers, until the breaking out of the war of the rebellion, when, on the 11th day of November, 1861, he enlisted as a private of Com- pany C, Tenth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry. In February, 1862, was promoted to first sergeant of Company C, and in June, 1862, was promoted to second lieutenant of the same company, and in April, 1863, was promoted to first lieutenant of Company E, same regiment, and in February, 1864, was promoted to captain of Company F, same regiment.
Mr. Wheeler was wounded three times during the war, the last one being in the left arm, at Jonesborough, Ga., September 1, 1864. This wound was quite severe, rendering the left arm and hand nearly useless.
On his return from the army he located at Bay City, Mich., and was elected county clerk of Bay County, in the Fall of 1866, and was duly admitted to practice as an attorney at law, in March, 1868, by Judge J. G. Sutherland.
In the Fall of 1870, Mr. Wheeler was elected state senator for the county of Bay, and adjoining counties, and was re-elected in 1872.
After the adjournment of the legislature in 1873, he moved to Ludington, Mich., and formed a co-partnership in the law practice with M. D. Ewell, Esq. This co-partnership continued until May, 1874, when Mr. Wheeler was appointed circuit judge of the Nineteenth Circuit, by Gov. Bagley, vice Hon. S. F. White, resigned. In the Fall of 1874, he was elected circuit judge, having been nominated by both political parties.
In the Spring of 1878, Judge Wheeler resigned, and was appointed postmaster at Ludington, and continued to hold that office until the expiration of his term, May 22, 1882. In January, 1879, he formed a co-partnership in the practice of the law with R. P. Bishop, which partnership continued until last Summer, when he came to Manistee, having professional interests here requiring his attention. Judge Wheeler is an excellent lawyer, and has made a fine record, both as a legislator and upon the bench.
A. V. MCALVAY is a prominent member of the Manistee County bar. He was born in Ann Arbor, July 19, 1847. He graduated in the literary department of the University of Michigan in 1868, and from the law department in 1869. He was admitted to the bar, and taught school one year. In November, 1871, he came to Man- istee, and entered upon the practice of law. His natural abilities as a lawyer very soon manifested themselves, and in 1878 he was appointed circuit judge, to fill the unexpired term of Judge H. H. Wheeler, who resigned. His record while upon the bench is a good
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one, and very complimentary to his ability as a jurist. Upon retir- ing from the bench at the expiration of his term, he resumed his practice. He has held various local offices, such as supervisor, cir- cuit court commissioner, etc., and has been deputy collector of cus- toms at this port since February, 1881.
DAVID S. HARLEY is one of the pioneers of this northern coun- try, and is well known in this part of the state. He was born in Franconiaville, Montgomery Co., Pa., March 10, 1834. He received a common school education, and when twenty years of age went to the State Normal School, and afterwards taught school for several terms. For a time he was in charge of the schools at Marietta, Pa. After giving up teaching, he came to Michigan, and was engaged at surveying and publishing county maps for a time. He then read law, and finally entered the law department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he graduated in 1867. He was ad- mitted to the bar by the supreme court, and settled at Lincoln, in Mason County. The county was then new, and Lincoln the county seat. Mr. Harley at once took an active part in county affairs, and was prominently identified with all public interests. He held various county offices, beginning with prosecuting attorney, to which office he was appointed by the governor of the state soon after settling in Lincoln. In 1878 he came to Manistee, and asso- ciated himself in the practice of law with S. W. Fowler. In 1878 the firm was dissolved, and Mr. Harley opened an office by himself. Since coming to Manistee he has continued to take a prominent part in local politics, and has held various offices. He has been su- pervisor from the Second Ward for four years, and is at present chairman of the board. He has also been circuit court commis- sioner for six years. He was married, in March, 1861, at Detroit, to Miss Jennie Phelps. Two children have been born to them, both of whom are now living. Mr. Harley has the reputation of being a good lawyer, and enjoys the esteem and confidence of the people of the county.
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