USA > Michigan > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Michigan : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests Volume II > Part 11
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section of the great German empire. He attended the excellent schools of his native land until he had attained to the age of fourteen years and then entered the service of Baron Von Berlespsch, who was one of the most prominent representatives of the nursery industry in Germany at that time. Under most favorable auspices, therefore, the subject of this memoir gained thorough discipline in the line of business in which he was destined to gain marked success and precedence in later years; for under the personal guidance of the Baron, he learned every detail of shrub and tree propagation as well as of landscape gardening and flori- culture, so that, with continuous study and experimentation as the years passed by, he became an authority in the business of which he was a most prominent exponent in America.
In 1852, when about twenty-three years of age, Mr. Greening severed the ties which bound him to home and fatherland and set forth to seek his fortunes in the United States. He soon came to Monroe county, and here he was employed by Norman Haskell, in the capacity of gardener, in the year 1853, which also marked an important event in his career, since he was married in that year to the gentle and worthy young woman who proved his devoted companion and helpmeet for more than half a century, the gracious relations being severed only by his death-the first break in the family circle within a period of fifty-five years. In 1856 Mr. Greening entered into partnership with the late Thomas Whelpley, and they began operations as pioneers in the nursery busi- ness in Monroe county. That their first efforts were of modest order may be well understood when it is stated that at the start their nursery utilized only one and one-half acres of ground. Mr. Whelpley retired from the business in 1863 and thereafter Mr. Greening conducted the enterprise in an individual way, with the assistance of his two elder sons, who were carefully trained in the service, and who in time became the successors of the honored father. Thrift, industry, fair and honor- able dealings and progressive methods caused the enterprise to expand from year to year, and to meet the demands of the increasing trade, Mr. Greening added to the area of his estate from time to time until the year 1876 found him the owner of a fine nursery tract of nearly two hun- dred acres, all under effective use. The two elder sons, George A. and Charles E., succeeded the founder in control of the practical details of the business in 1888, and thereafter Mr. Greening lived virtually retired until the close of his long and worthy career, finding the closing period of his life one compassed by smiling plenty and fair, prosperous days, the while he and his loved wife were surrounded by friends who were tried and true and received the devoted affection and kindly care of their children, all of whom have honored the family name. The extent of the industrial enterprise founded by Mr. Greening may be measurably under- stood when it is stated that the Greening Nursery Company of the present day utilizes in its various operations a landed estate of fifteen hundred acres and that millions of fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs and plants are grown by the company and placed on a market that constantly increases its demands upon the vital and progressive corporation which now conducts the business and the stock of which is virtually controlled
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by representatives of the Greening family. From an appreciative estimate published in a local paper at the time of the death of Mr. Greening, are taken the following pertinent extracts :
"Mr. Greening was one of the pioneer nurserymen of the state and the foundation which he laid over fifty years ago is to-day represented by one of the largest and most intensive business enterprises of Mon- roe county. It was by honest methods, honest dealings and hard work that the deceased gave to business at its inception and to the foundation which he laid so firm and solid that the immense business to-day rests securely upon the one and one-half acres of a half century ago."
Mr. Greening was a man of broad mental ken and strong individu- ality, and he ever had the courage of his convictions, even as he had the ability to carry his well-formed plans to successful issue. He was generous and kindly and ever ready to aid those in affliction and dis- tress, a work in which his noble wife earnestly supplemented his efforts. He was not self-centered, but with increasing prosperity, gave of his means and influence in furthering those objects which inure to the gen- eral welfare of the community. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party and he took a deep and intelligent interest in the questions and issues of the day. He was a devout and consistent com- municant of Trinity German Lutheran church in the city of Monroe, and with this religious body all of the members of his family have been similarly identified. He was a good man, a loyal citizen, a true friend, and it is fitting indeed, that this history of Monroe county should take this cognizance of his earnest and useful life and pay a tribute to his memory.
At Monroe, on the 26th of December, 1853, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Greening to Miss Marie Schuets, who was born and reared in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, and who had come to America in the preceding year. Side by side they passed down the pathway of life for fifty-five years, and the loving companionship was severed only when the husband and father was called from the scene of his mortal endeavors, the venerable couple having celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on the 26th of December, 1903, when a fine banquet was tendered in their honor at the Park hotel in Monroe, the occasion being one that called forth a large circle of their friends and one on which were assembled also all of their children and grand- children. Mrs. Greening, now aged 81, is still in good health and able to assist at household duties, her home being with her daughter, Mrs. Mary Reinhart, of La Salle, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Greening became the parents of five children, concerning whom the folowing brief data are entered : Kunigunda was the wife of the late William Herpst, of Maybee, Michigan, where she still resides; George A., who was long associated with his brother Charles E. in the conducting of the nursery business, is now at Monroe, retired from business, with an ample com- petence. Charles E., president of the Greening Nursery Company, is individually mentioned on other pages of this publication; Mary is the wife of Michael Reinhardt, and they reside at La Salle, Michigan; and William J. is at Oakland, California.
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FRED M. KRESSBACH. The present popular and efficient incumbent of the office of city clerk of Monroe, Michigan, is Fred M. Kressbach, who is well known in Monroe county, where he was born and reared and where he has resided during the greater part of his life time thus far. He is a business man of shrewd ability and keen foresight and as a result of his fair and honorable methods and sterling integrity of character he became a candidate for the office of city clerk, to which im- portant position he was elected for the first time in 1910.
Fred M. Kressbach was born at Monroe, Michigan, October 1, 1869, and he is a son of John and Judith (Baier) Kressbach, the former of whom was born at Wuertemburg, Germany, and the latter of whom claims the same place of her nativity. John Kressbach passed his boy- hood and early manhood in Germany, where he attended school until his fourteenth year, when he entered upon on apprenticeship to learn the wagon-maker's trade. After thoroughly familiarizing himself with the work of his trade he traveled as a journeyman, visiting a number of interesting European cities. In 1854 he emigrated to the United States, landing in New York city, whence he went directly to Monroe, Michigan. Here he entered the employ of Mr. Spalding, for whom he worked on a farm for the salary of eight dollars per month. Subsequently he was employed for several years by Jacob Kull as blacksmith, and in 1868 he assumed charge of the Detroit Wine Company, which prominent concern has its headquarters at Monroe. He had the care of the above wine com- pany from 1868 until 1888, and during that score of years he acquired the knowledge of an expert in the art of conducting vineyards and manu- facturing grapes into wine. His quality of wine became very popular and was highly recommended for its brilliant color, superior clarity and unusual richness of taste. As a wine-maker he held prestige as one of the best in the entire state. He was a man of fine intellect, upright and honest in all his intentions and ever commanded the unqualified confi- dence and respect of all with whom he had dealings. His death occurred in 1888 and his loss was mourned throughout the section in which he was so well known and beloved. He was a devout member of the Trinity Lutheran church, of which his wife and children are still members. Con- cerning Mr. and Mrs. Kressbach's children, Emma remains at home with her mother ; Fred M. is the immediate subject of this sketch ; Wilhelmina is the wife of August Stoll, of Detroit ; and Matilda is the wife of Charles Ott, of Detroit. Mrs. Kressbach survives her husband and although she is now in her eightieth year, she retains in much of their pristine vigor, the excellent mental and physical qualities of her prime. She resides on the old homestead on Second street in Monroe
As a boy Fred M. Kressbach attended the Lutheran parochial school at Monroe for seven years, at the expiration of which he was for one year a pupil in the public school. In 1883 he went to Chicago, Illinois, where he attended a select school for four years. Upon completing his educa- tion he entered the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail- road Company, working in the freight office of that concern, in this city, for a period of fifteen years. In 1900 he became a clerk in the offices of the Monroe Stone Company, with which company he remained until 1909. In 1910 he became candidate for, and was elected, city clerk of Vol. II-6
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Monroe, assuming charge of the duties connected with that office in April, 1910. He was re-elected city clerk in 1911 and is the efficient incumbent of the office at the present time, in 1912. He is a citizen of intrinsic loyalty and public spirit and one who is always interested in the good of his home community. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party.
In 1892 Mr. Kressbach was united in marriage to Miss Mary Weiss, of Monroe, a daughter of George and Philapena (Horner) Weiss. Four children have been born to this union, namely, William F., who is engaged at the Weiss Manufacturing Company, at Monroe; George J., a student in the public schools; and Fred C. and Carl C., both of whom are at home. The Kressbach residence is on Smith street.
THOMAS H. CARROLL. The Carroll family for more than half a century has been well represented in the business and industrial life of Monroe county, and has furnished upright citizens and worthy men and women to the social life of this vicinity.
Thomas H. Carroll was born in the city of Monroe, July 18, 1874, and was a son of the late John and Margaret (Rafter) Carroll. John Carroll, who was born in this county in 1840, was reared in the neigh- borhood of Stony Creek, and died in 1907, was a farmer during his early career and later for many years followed the occupation of miller. He was identified with old Waldorf mill, a pioneer institution, that stood on the site now occupied by the Record Commercial, in Mon- roe. Margaret Rafter Carroll, the mother, who is still living, was a daughter of James Rafter and her mother's name was Blue. Her father was a native of Ireland and became a pioneer settler of Monroe county, where he was a prosperous farmer and died at the advanced age of ninety-seven.
Thomas H. Carroll was educated in the city schools of Monroe, and afterward took a commercial course in the Detroit Business University. Throughout his active business career he has been connected with the American Express Company, beginning as a clerk, and in 1897 being advanced to the responsible place of local agent at Monroe, an office which he has held ever since.
Mr. Carroll, in 1906, married Miss Helen Crowley, a sister of Rev. Father Crowley, pastor of the St. John's Catholic church. Her father, James Crowley, was an old resident and prominent business man of Jackson, Michigan. To Mr. and Mrs. Carroll two children have been born, one of whom is deceased, and the other is named James Thomas. Mr. Carroll is a member of the Knights of Columbus.
CLINTON B. SOUTHWORTH. There is no one medium through which the status of any city is more clearly indicated than in the extent and character of its hotel facilities, and Monroe is signally favored in having as an exponent of this line of enterprise, the admirably conducted Park hotel, of which Mr. Southworth is owner and proprietor and which is uniformly recognized as the leading hotel of Monroe county, as well as one whose accommodations and service are of metropolitan order, such as lend definite prestige to the city and give to the proprietor an
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established place as one of the popular and representative hotel men of his native state.
Clinton Byron Southworth was born in Monroe, on the 9th of July, 1868, and is a son of that honored pioneer and loved physician, the late Dr. Charles T. Southworth, to whom a memoir is dedicated on other pages of this work, so that further review of his career and of the family history is not demanded in the present connection. The public schools of his native city afforded Clinton B. Southworth his early educational advantages, and he was graduated in the local high school as a member of the class of 1885. He then entered the Detroit Busi- ness University, one of the admirable educational institutions of the Michigan metropolis, and in the same he was graduated in 1886, after the completion of a thorough commercial course. During the six ensuing years he was actively identified with the great basic industries of agriculture and stock-growing, and had charge of the fine farm owned by his father, in Frenchtown township, Monroe county. Though it has been his to achieve noteworthy success in a radically different line of enterprise, Mr. Southworth has never regretted his experience as a farmer and reverts to the same with satisfaction.
On the 1st of January, 1893, Mr. Southworth purchased of Edwin H. Kendricks, the valuable Park hotel property, and in this transaction he assumed a heavy indebtedness. That he has applied himself closely and effectively is shown in the fact that he has not only paid in full for the property but also made many improvements upon the building, which has been extensively remodeled, the while its furnishings and all other appointments have been brought up to high standard. It is one of the model hotels of southern Michigan, and the large and apprecia- tive patronage accorded stands as the most effective voucher for the character of the service in all departments. The hotel has sixty guest rooms, with modern facilities; the spacious dining room is attractive in appointments and service; the lobby is homelike and provided with everything possible to add to the comfort of guests; and the absolute cleanliness that marks the entire house in every department of service has been a distinctive element in conserving its popularity with the travel- ing public and with citizens of Monroe and vicinity. Mr. Southworth has proved himself a most progressive and successful hotel man, and his efforts in his chosen field of enterprise have been creditable to him- self and a matter of gratification to the community in which he has given a place of entertainment for those appreciative of these in hotel service.
Mr. Southworth has not confined his progressive work to merely private enterprise but is known as a most liberal and public-spirited citizen-one always ready to aid in the furtherance of measures and undertakings projected for the general good of the commun- ity. He is a stalwart adherent of the Republican party and he is, at the present time, the zealous and valued incumbent of the im- portant office of president of the board of public works of his native city. In the time-honored Masonic fraternity he is affiliated with the following named organizations in his home city: Monroe Lodge, No. 27, Free and Accepted Masons ; River Raisin Chapter, No. 22, Royal Arch
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Masons; and Monroe Commandery, No. 19, Knights Templars. In the city of Detroit he is affiliated with the Moslem Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also holds mem- bership in Hotel Men's Mutual Benefit Association, in the affairs of which he takes a lively interest. He and his family are valued and popular factors in the representative social activities of Monroe, and of these activities the Park hotel is largely a center.
On the 2d of July, 1887, Mr. Southworth was united in marriage to Miss Phily E. Osgood, who was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Frederick Osgood, an old and honored citizen of the state of Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Southworth have four chil- dren, concerning whom the following brief record is entered: Fred O. is connected with the printing department of the Boehme & Rauch Company, one of the most important industrial concerns of Monroe county ; Maude A., who was graduated in the high school and who later attended the musical conservatory of St. Mary's College, in Monroe, is an accomplished musician and a leader in the social affairs of her home city ; Charles T. assists his father in the management of the hotel ; and James Granville likewise remains at the parental home.
PROF. AUSTIN W. GALE. For more than twenty years Professor Gale's School of Music has been an institution of recognized merit and a definite influence for culture and artistic efficiency in the city of Monroe. By a lifelong devotion to the art, Professor Gale has rendered a service not to be computed in the terms of business success but in the finer measures of esthetic values. Through his personal work and through the many individuals who have come under his instruction, musical tastes and standards have been elevated and the life of the community has been enriched.
Austin W. Gale, who was born in Raisinville township, Monroe county, May 21, 1858, represents one of the old families of this part of Michigan. The Gales settled here during the pioneer era, and the name has been associated with integrity and honor for many years. Professor Gale's father was the late William P. Gale, who was born in this county, was a prosperous farmer in Raisinville township, also conducted a store there and held the office of Raisinville postmaster, under various admin- istrations for a number of years. His wife was Miss Harriet Dusen- berry, who was born in New York, and after moving to Monroe county, she taught school until her marriage.
Austin W. Gale was educated primarily in the village school of Raisinville, and also in public school, in Monroe. Studied music in New York, Cincinnati and Detroit, having as his instructors Professor Dudley Buck, George D. Whiting, Otto Singer, and Professor Hahn. He also has several competent assistants connected with the school. In 1889 he opened his studio on Washington street in Monroe, and at this same location for more than twenty years has conducted a school of music which has a high name and prestige in Monroe and vicinity, its patronage always having come from the best families in this city and vicinity. As an instructor in piano and organ and in harmony, Professor Gale has been peculiarly successful, and besides his work as
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teacher he has also been the inspiration of much musical activity in this city. He is a member of the Baptist church and for many years filled the position of church organist in the First Presbyterian church. He is considered one of the best organists in the state. The church recently showed its appreciation of his devoted services by an increase in his annual salary. Professor Gale is unmarried and he and his sister reside at 162 South Monroe street.
GUSTAVE C. MERZ. For a period of over thirty years the name Merz has been prominently identified with the mercantile activities of Monroe, and none of the merchants in the business district have enjoyed better reputation and higher standing in the community than Gustav C. Merz.
Mr. Merz was born in Louisville, Kentucky, December, 1859, but has spent most of his life in Monroe county. His parents were Christian and Elizabeth (Trost) Merz. His father, a native of Germany, when a young man emigrated to America and after landing in New York City came direct to Monroe county. A cabinet maker by trade, he followed that vocation here some years and later at Adrian, where he was in the car shops employed in the construction of passenger cars for a period of fifteen years. He then returned to Monroe, where he was connected with Eisennan's planing mill until failing health compelled him to retire. His death occurred in 1881, and his wife passed away several years later.
Gustav C. Merz attended first the schools at Adrian and then the high school of Monroe, which he left to become a clerk in the grocery store of C. M. Stocking, where he gained his early business experience. In 1879, in partnership with Julius Weiss, under the firm name of Weiss & Merz, he engaged in the drug business, with which line of mer- chandising he has ever since been identified. After fifteen years he bought out the interest of his partner, and has since been sole owner of one of the best and most complete drug stores in the city.
In 1895 Mr. Merz was united in marriage with Miss Frances Kirsch- gessner, daughter of Frank Kirschgessner, of this city. Mrs. Merz died on February 4, 1911. In citizenship as in business Mr. Merz has been known for a steady loyalty to his home city and a character for integrity in every part he has taken. In Masonic circles he is one of the prominent men of the county. His affiliations are with the Monroe Lodge. No. 27, A. F. & A. M., Monroe Chapter, R. A. M., Monroe Commandery No. 19, K. T., and the Moslem Temple of the Mystic Shrine, in Detroit.
WILLIAM E. STURN. One of the leading mercantile concerns of Mon- roe is the firm of Sturn, Kull & Sturn, clothiers and dealers in men's furnishings. The membership is composed of three enterprising young business men, all of them natives of Monroe and by lifelong residence thoroughly acquainted and held in the highest esteem both for their practical ability and pleasing personal characters. Their store is cen- trally located on Front street, and the size of the building is 24 x 125 feet. The stock carried is such as to suit the demands of a high-class patronage.
William E. Sturn of the above firm was born in the city of Monroe
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in 1879, a son of Bernard and Matilda (Hoffman) Sturn, both of whom are respected old residents of this city. The father was born in Baden- Baden, Germany, where he spent his boyhood and received his education in the German schools, but was quite young when he emigrated to America, and from New York City came direct to Monroe, which has been his home for many years. After his marriage here he was engaged in the restaurant business for a time, and later was a confectioner, but is now living retired. His citizenship has been of high value to the city of his residence, and for a number of years he served as member of the board of public works. In politics he is a Democrat, and he and his wife are members of St. Michael's Catholic church.
After his general education in the parochial, and then in the Monroe high school, William E. Sturn completed a business course in the Detroit Business College. His first practical experience was as bookkeeper for five years with the Monroe Stone Company. On leaving Mr. Wagner he formed the partnership association with his brother Frank S. and with Fred W. Kull in the establishment of the clothing business above described.
Mr. Sturn was married in 1906 to Miss Julia La Voy, daughter of Antoine and Elizabeth (McCadden) La Voy. Their marriage has been blessed with one son, William E., Jr. The family home, a residence with attractive surroundings, is located at 217 Monroe street. Mr. Sturn is a member of the Knights of Columbus. For recreation from business he spends his vacations in northern Michigan, part of the time at Bay View, where he enjoys good fishing, gentle breezes and freedom from mosquitoes.
FRANK S. STURN. A sterling representative of the younger gen- eration of business men in the city of Monroe, Michigan, Frank S. Sturn is achieving unusual success as a member of the firm of Sturn, Kull & Sturn, dealers in clothing, hats, caps and gentlemen's furnishings. He represents one of the old families of the city of Monroe, where he was born September 12, 1883. He is a son of Bernard and Matilda (Hoffman) Sturn, the former of whom is mentioned elsewhere in this volume so that further information concerning the family history is not deemed necessary at this point.
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