USA > Michigan > Montcalm County > History of Montcalm County, Michigan its people, industries and institutions...with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families Volume II > Part 46
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SEYMOUR J. CASE.
Seymour J. Case, successful farmer and one of the best-known citizens of Crystal township, Montcalm county, Michigan, was born in Crystal town- ship, this county, on April 27, 1860, a son of Chauncy and Mary (Tissue) Case, natives of Washtenaw county, Michigan, and Auglaize county, Ohio, respectively.
Chauncy Case was born in 1832 and was a son of George and Emeline (Doty) Case, who came from New York state to Washtenaw county, Mich- igan, about 1838, settling among the earliest people of this locality. Later, George Case lived on the site of the present state prison and while on his
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way to Thorn Apple to secure material for a hotel building at Ionia, which at that time was a pioneer settlement, the elder Case was drowned while fording the Grand river. Emeline, the widow of George Case, afterward was married to John L. Smith, they living on a part of four hundred acres of land which Mrs. Emeline Smith secured in Crystal township, this county, land which, with the exception of one hundred and sixty acres, was some time later apportioned among the three children of Mrs. Smith, by her first marriage, and forty acres each to the two children by her second marriage.
Chauncy Case, after the completion of his education, worked on the home farm for some years, and then, having on January 1, 1857, been mar- ried to Mary C. Tissue, a daughter of James and Maria (Neff) Tissue, Chauncy Case proceeded to cultivate and to prepare for further cultivation, his eighty acres of land which he had received from his mother. For many years Mr. Case was active in the efforts to make more habitable the land in the region of his farm, acting as a guide to new settlers and spending a great part of his time in the making of roads and in the improvement of the settled land.
Chauncy Case served as treasurer of Crystal township for some time and for some years was a member of the board of supervisors who were active in the building up and the improving of pioneer conditions in this township. Mr. Case was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, and together with his wife was active in the work and worship of the Congrega- tional church. Chauncy Case died in May, 1911, and his wife died in 1907. Chauncy and Mary Case were the parents of five children: Emma M., the wife of E. W. Johnson, of Seymour; Marian, the deceased wife of Bird Sigsby; Estella, wife of William Bogert; Minnie, who died at the age of seventeen years, and Seymour J.
Seymour J. Case was reared on the home farm, received his education in the common schools of his locality and then remained as a farmer on the home place until after his marriage, when he moved to a farm of ninety acres, located near the old homestead in Crystal township, Montcalm county, where he has since been engaged in general farming, his success in his efforts being well known in the community.
During the year 1886, Seymour J. Case was married to Nettie J. Morgan, who died in 1888. Following the death of his wife, Mr. Case, on November 22, 1891, was married, secondly, to Eleanor A. Lewis, who was born in Ionia county, a daughter of William and Salome (Omans) Lewis, natives of Pennsylvania and of Ohio, respectively, who after their marriage, in the early sixties, moved to Ionia county, Michigan. In early life William
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Lewis had been a sailor on the Great Lakes, later becoming a farmer and a butcher, his trade as a butcher serving him in good stead in his new locality, he furnishing meat to the pioneers of the community, and later to the state prison, at Ionia. The elder Lewis lived near Orleans, in Ionia county, until about 1888, when he moved to Ferris township, Montcalm county, and farmed for a time. William Lewis spent his last days among his children, dying on February 22, 1900, survived by his wife, Salome, who died in 1911. To the marriage of Seymour J. and Eleanor Case have been born four chil- dren : Versel C., Alvin James, who married Chloe Green, they being the parents of one son, James ; Clinton R. and Lila.
Mr. Case is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, includ- ing the encampment, at Stanton, and is a man who is found in the front ranks of all movements for continuing the work of progress which was so able conducted by the father and grandfather of this citizen whose efforts in behalf of the community, as a private citizen and as township treasurer for two years, has given him such a worthy place among the respected and esteemed people of Crystal township and Montcalm county.
AMMON E. THOMPSON YOUNG.
Ammon E. Thompson Young, one of the best known citizens of Crystal, Montcalm county, Michigan, where he now is engaged in the man- agement of the opera house of that town, was born in the state of Pennsyl- vania, on September 20, 1857, a son of the Rev. John George and Lydia Ann (Artz) Young, natives of Pennsylvania.
The Rev. John George Young, who was a well-known minister of the German Lutheran church, was born in Fryburg, Pennsylvania, on February 17, 1808, and after the completion of his education became a minister of the German Lutheran church, serving this denomination as a circuit rider for twenty-eight years. In May, 1866, the Reverend Young moved to Salt River, now Shepherd, in Isabella county, Michigan, and became the owner of a combined saw and flour-mill, together with the conducting of a mer- cantile business, for the remainder of his active life. He died on July 27, 1881 ; his wife, Lydia, died at Salt River, on October 1, 1882. John George and Lydia Young were the parents of ten children, of whom Ammon E. Thompson Young was the youngest.
Ammon E. Thompson Young received his education in the schools of
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his native county, and in the schools of Salt River, Isabella county, Mich- igan, to which locality the family moved when he was about nine years of age. After his school days, Mr. Young and his brother assisted in the opera- tion of his father's mills, after which Ammon E. entered the hardware busi- ness, in which he continued until about 1883. At this time, because of fail- ing health, he went to the state of California, remaining there for one year, after which he returned to Salt River, Michigan, and from the year 1884 to 1888 was assistant postmaster, serving with his brother, A. L. Young, who was postmaster of that town. In 1888 Mr. Young again went to the state of California, where he lived until 1893, and then returned to Michigan, and spent a part of the winter with his brother, A. L., who at that time was register of deeds at Mt. Pleasant, Isabella county. Early in the year 1894, Ammon E. Thompson Young went to Leonardsville, New York, where he lived for two and one-half years and then he moved to Rising Sun, Wood county, Ohio, where he took charge of a large livery barn, for a nephew, J. A. Stahlman. This was during the time of the oil boom, and the barn had the care of twenty-eight livery horses, thirty boarding horses and found work for about five employees. After some time, Mr. Young returned to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, and for one and one-half years served as deputy sheriff and turnkey, under Sheriff Mugg. In 1899 Mr. Young moved to Crystal, Montcalm county, where he became advance agent for the Roberts & Smith Tent Show Company, which was showing Uncle Tom's Cabin, with a troupe of thirty people. Following the show season, Mr. Young returned to Crystal and lived for a time with his brother, Dr. Philip Young. Some time later, Mr. Young took charge of the local hotel on Lake Crystal, which he managed until about 1908, at which time he sold the property to Bert Selvers, the showman, who now occupies the place as a residence. On July 22, 1915, Mr. Young purchased the opera house at Crystal, which he now conducts, together with caring for his extensive real-estate holdings in Crystal.
On May 19, 1900, Ammon E. Thompson Young was married to Mrs. Laura (Woodruff) Case, widow of the late James Case. She was born in Farmerton, Oakland county, Michigan, a daughter of David and Mary (Sage) Woodruff. the former born in Farmerton, Oakland county, Mich- igan, a son of John Woodruff and wife; the latter born in New York state, a daughter of Joseph Sage and wife.
David Woodruff grew to maturity in Oakland county, as did his wife, who came to this county with her parents at an early date. Late in the year
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1840, David Woodruff moved to Tonia county, Michigan, and settled in the as yet unsettled territory, where they lived the life of pioneers, being com- pelled to accept its privations and sacrifices for many years, and in the mean- time taking no small part in the development of the community. In 1860, David Woodruff moved to Montcalm county, and settled on what now is the Kirkland farm in section 29, Crystal township, living there for about five years and then moved to a place about six miles south of Ionia, where they spent their last days.
Mrs. Young was an infant when her parents moved to Ionia county, in which the daughter lived until 1860, when she was married to James Case, who was born where the state prison now stands, in Ionia county, a son of George and Emeline (Doty) Case, natives of New York state, who came to Washtenaw county, Michigan, later to Ionia county, where the elder Case was drowned while fording the Grand river, on his way to Thorn Apple, to secure material with which to erect a hotel building at Ionia, then a pioneer settlement. After the death of George Case, the widow was married to John Smith. They moved to Montcalm county, and with the proceeds from the sale of their land in Ionia county, purchased considerable land in this county, the greater part of which was later apportioned among the five chil- dren of Mrs. Smith.
In 1860, James Case and his wife, Laura (who is now Mrs. Young, wife of the subject of this sketch), moved to Montcalm county, and located on what is now known as the Lester farm, in section 29, Crystal township. At this place Mr. and Mrs. Case lived until 1868, when they moved to the town of Crystal, making their home at that place. Mr. Case engaged in the business of a contractor, and erected a large hotel, which was destroyed by fire, after which he rebuilt and it was conducted by Mr. Case until his death on February 24, 1898, at the time of his death being fifty-two years of age. James and Laura Case were the parents of four children: Eva, who was the wife of Cornelius De Young; she died on October 20, 1907, survived by her husband and two children, Ernest and Lillian, the latter of whom now is the wife of Harry Rogers, they being the parents of one child, Adeline. and three children, all of whom died in infancy.
Ammon E. Thompson Young is one of the leading citizens of Crystal, and while he has taken no especial part in the political life of this commu- nity, his interest in public matters and his varied experiences and training in a number of lines of endeavor, have demonstrated his worth and value as a citizen to the locality.
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Fraternally, Mr. Young has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since the early eighties. Genial, kind and hospitable, accom- plished as a reader and entertainer, and well ji. formed on all matters of import, Mr. Young has made a host of friends in this community and takes a prominent place in the affairs of the town and county.
BENSON L. GAFFIELD.
Benson L. Gaffield, successful farmer, able business man and formerly prominent in the official life of Montcalm county, now engaged in general agricultural pursuits on "The Maples," a farm of one hundred and sixty acres located near Howard City, in Winfield township, Montcalm county, Michigan, was born in Canada, on September 21, 1854, a son of John and Mary ( Moore) Gaffield, natives of New York state. John and Mary Gaf- field were the parents of two children: John W., a former sheriff of Montcalm county, now living at Six Lakes, and Benson L.
Benson L. Gaffield was reared in Canada, receiving his education in the schools of that country, after which, in 1874, he came to Montcalm county, Michigan, with his parents, and worked on the home farm until he was twenty- five years of age. About the year 1880 Mr. Gaffield took charge of the home farm, in Winfield township, and lived there as a general farmer until 1899, when he went to Stanton and became treasurer of Montcalm county.
During the year 1879 Benson L. Gaffield was married to Alice L. Sage, a daughter of Emery and Martha (Holten) Sage, and who after the com- pletion of her education at Battle Creek College, became a school teacher. Benson L. and Alice L. Gaffield became the parents of two sons, George B., who after graduating from the Stanton high school became a student at the Michigan Agricultural College, of Lansing, Michigan, and John L., who died at the age of nineteen years. Mrs. Gaffield is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, at Howard City, being active in the work of this congregation.
Benson L. Gaffield is perhaps best known in Montcalm county for his part in the official life of the county, for six years having been an able and efficient treasurer of this county, as was evidenced by his re-election to this office on two occasions. In addition to his service as a county official, Mr. Gaffield, for six years, was a supervisor of Winfield township. Mr. Gaf- field is a Republican.
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BENSON L. GAFFIELD AND RESIDENCE.
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As a business man, Benson L. Gaffield has taken an important place, having been a member of the firm of Stebbins & Gaffield, of Stanton, fur- niture and hardware dealers, for about one year. Mr. Gaffield now is a director and vice-president of the Stanton Bank, and he is a stockholder of the Union Telephone Company. The part taken by Benson L. Gaffield in the affairs of Montcalm county has done no little to make the community a better place in which to live.
RAYMOND A. PINTLER.
Raymond A. Pintler, one of the best known merchants and citizens of Entrican, Montcalm county, Michigan, a man who has done much for the advancement of the general welfare of this community and a citizen who is held in high esteem by all, was born in Greenville, .this county, on June II, 1875, a son of Jerome and Martha' (Godfrey) Pintler, the former born in Bainbridge, Chenango county, New York, on September 28, 1845, a son of Jacob and Dorothy (Swezey) Pintler; the latter born in Kent county, Michigan, a daughter of Smith D. Godfrey and wife.
Jacob Pintler was a native of Pennsylvania, living in that state until he reached maturity, when he went to Orange county, New York, there being married to Dorothy Swezey. About 1852 Jacob Pintler and his family moved to the state of Michigan and located in Kent county, later, about 1862, moving to Eureka township, near Greenville, where the elder Pintler lived until 1870 and then went to Coral, Maple Valley township, this county, where he lived as a farmer for the remainder of his days, Jacob Pintler dying in 1895; his wife, Dorothy, in 1893.
Jerome Pintler grew to manhood in Kent county, Michigan, living in that community until October 4, 1863, when he enlisted in Company E, Tenth Michigan Cacalry, with which command he served in the Civil War, as a part of the Eastern Army, until November, 1865, when he was mustered out of service at Cairo, Illinois. Following his military days, Mr. Pintler returned to Montcalm county, Michigan, and was engaged in general farming on the home place until 1869 when, having married, he went to Greenville and for about four years was employed in the saw-mills and in the lumber industry of that locality. He then moved to Douglas township, this county, near Entrican, where he secured a farm of eighty acres, located
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in section 22, and on this place engaged in general farming together with dealing in lumber, as a jobber. After clearing his land and improving it Jerome Pintler lived on it for about thirty-eight years, and then selling his land Mr. Pintler, in April, 1915, came to Stanton, this county, where he now lives a retired life.
During the year 1869 Jerome Pintler was married to Matilda Godfrey, and to this marriage were born two children: Raymond A., and Maude, who is the wife of Lewis Park, of Day township, they being the parents of three children, Clarence, Emma and Mattie.
As a citizen and as a former office holder, Jerome Pintler takes an important place in Montcalm county, having served on the Douglass town- ship board of review for some time, and has been delegated to various state and county political conventions as a representative of the Democratic party, in the organization of which Mr. Pintler is a well-known worker.
Fraternally, Jerome Pintler is a member of the Montcalm County Grange, an organization of which he has been a member for thirty-five years, and he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Entrican. Mr. Pintler also is an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 37, at Stanton.
Raymond A. Pintler, when two years of age, came with his parents from Greenville to Douglass township. On a farm in this township, he was reared and in the schools of this locality he received his early education. Mr. Pintler lived on the home farm until about 1897, when, having married, he went to Edmore, this county, and for one year was employed at the Edmore creamery. He then became a traveling salesman for the Cyclone Wire Fence Company, of Holland, Michigan, for three years, after which he returned to agricultural life, buying eighty acres of land in Douglass township, adjoining the town of Entrican. This land Raymond A. Pintler improved, and, as a farmer, prospered, later adding to his original farm forty acres of land, all of which he cultivated as a general farmer for about seven years. Mr. Pintler then engaged in the operation of a lumber-mill for two years, after which, in 1908, he purchased his present store in Entrican, erecting a building for his business where he since has been a successful general merchant together with the conducting of an ice factory, which industry he opened in 1914, and the product of which he sells at various markets throughout the county and vicinity. In addition to his other enterprise, Mr. Pintler is the agent for the sale of the "Independent" silos.
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On December 10, 1896, Raymond A. Pintler was married to Grace Starkweather, who was born in Greenville, Montcalm county, and to this marriage has been born one child, Lyle, born on November 20, 1898, and now associated with his father.
Grace Starkweather is a daughter of Ross and Josephine (Green) Starkweather, the former born on April 9, 1842, a son of Alfred Stark- weather and wife; the latter born in Greenville, Montcalm county, on June 15, 1845, a daughter of John and Deborah (Clark) Green, early pioneers of Montcalm county, it being for John Green that the town of Greenville was named.
John Green was born on February 4, 1804, at Broadalbin, Fulton county, New York, and his wife, Deborah (Clark) Green, was born on September 10, 1806, at the same town, the latter being the daughter of Asa and Deborah Clark, born on February 3 and October 30, 1765, re- spectively.
When children, John Green and Deborah Clark were childhood play- mates, the farms of their fathers being in the same neighborhood, near Broadalbin, New York. On January 17, 1827, John Green was married to Deborah Clark, after which they settled on a farm in their native community, where they lived until 1834. Then, disposing of their farm near Broadalbin, New York, they moved to Prattsburg, Steuben county, New York, living there for six years, after which they returned to their native county, where they made their home until 1844. At that time, with their four children, Mr. and Mrs. Green started for the state of Michigan, going to Buffalo, New York, by canal-boat, from there on a Great Western steamer to Detroit, Michigan, then to Jackson by rail, thence on a flat-boat, which also contained the first carding machine imported into this county, they came down the Grand river to Portland, Michigan, and from there to what is now the site of Belding, Ionia county, by team.
At Belding, John Green gave over his family to the care of an uncle, Samuel Demorest, and started out to find a suitable place for permanent set- tlement. After some time Mr. Green came to the site where Greenville now stands, buying a mill-site here, on which he erected a mill, from the sur- rounding timber, together with the building of a primitive house and then sent for his wife, she being the first white woman to enter what is now the town of Greenville. With the aid of two cousins, John Green operated his mills, at the same time clearing the land nearby and platting out town lots, which later he sold to settlers whom he induced to locate in this community.
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Soon Mr. Green established a little store and in partnership with Able French conducted this trading post, John Green being the second merchant to con- duct a store in this place.
During the year 1845, one year after settling in this locality, Josephine, the youngest daughter of John Green, was born, she being the first white child born in Greenville, and the same year Deborah, the eldest daughter, was married on January 24, to Abe Roosa, the first blacksmith of Greenville, this marriage being the first to be performed in the village, and to this union were born three children, Della, John (deceased) and Valois. Since this time, the other children of John and Deborah Green have married as follow: Susan Green was married to Alfred Roosa, January 24, 1856, they being the parents of two children, Delos and Ernest. John Green, on December 8, 1857, was married to Lauretta Fuller, three children having been born to them, Mina, who married Albert Carpenter, of Greenville; Flora, the wife of Ed Pixley, of Greenville, Michigan, and Chauncy, who married Edna Goble, they now living at Durand, Michigan. Josephine Green was married, on January 1, 1864, to Derosney Starkweather. Washington Green was mar- ried on March 11, 1868, to Olive Curtis, there having been two children born to this marriage, May and William.
John, Susan, Washington, John, Jr. and Deborah Green are deceased. they having died on October 13, 1856; September 29, 1873; October 27, 1884; July 3, 1897, and April 26, 1881, respectively.
Josephine (Green) Starkweather, who is the mother of Mrs. Pintler, the wife of Raymond A. Pintler, was the first white child born in Green- ville, Montcalm county, at which place she lived until after her marriage to Derosney Starkweather, when they moved to Stanton, Montcalm county, living there for some time and then the family returned to Greenville. Mr. Starkweather died at Hemingway Lake, after an active life as a machinist and as a man prominent in the affairs of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Greenville, as well as having been a well-known member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of the same city. Following the death of her husband, Mrs. Josephine Starkweather lived at Greenville for some time and then moved to Entrican, where she now makes her home.
Ross and Josephine Starkweather were the parents of three children : Alfred, born on November 9, 1864, and who died when six years of age; M. L., born on February 16, 1869, now a traveling salesman for a saddlery and harness company of Kansas City, Missouri, he being married and the father of one son, Harvard and one daughter, Grace, the wife of Raymond A. Pintler.
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Raymond A. Pintler, the subject of this sketch, is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, at Entrican, having served as treasurer of this lodge since its organization. He is a prominent member of the Knights of the Maccabees, at Entrican, and is active in the affairs of the Montcalm County Grange.
Politically, Mr. Pintler is a Democrat, and while he has taken no especial part in the political or official life of his community, he is known to be a citizen who has the interest of the community at heart and as a man who is willing at all times to lend of his aid and assistance in the promotion of the general welfare of Montcalm county and of the town of Entrican, where he is one of the esteemed and honored citizens.
MELVIN C. HUBBARD, M. D.,
Melvin C. Hubbard of Vestaburg, Montcalm county, Michigan, was born on March 15, 1880, in Wright township, Hillsdale county, Michigan, and is the son of Byron A. and Martha (Allen) Hubbard. Byron A. Hub- bard was born in April, 1858, in Wright township, Hillsdale county, Michi- gan, and was reared as a farmer, which occupation he still follows. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of well improved land, all of which he rents out. His residence is in the town of Waldron, Wright township, Hillsdale county, Michigan, where he is serving in the office of justice of the peace. He was elected to this office in April, 1915. Martha (Allen) Hubbard was born in February, 1859, in Amboy township, Hillsdale county, Michigan, receiving her education in the schools of that locality. On March 14, 1878, Byron A. Hubbard and Martha Allen were united in marriage and five children were born to their union: Melvin C., Lily, wife of Ray Greek, of Ransom township, Hillsdale county, Michigan; Glenn resides in Wright township, Hillsdale county; Nina, who teaches school in Ransom township, Hillsdale county, and a child who died in infancy. The parents of these children are members of the Church of Christ, of Wal- dron, Michigan.
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