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 49
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In 1862, Peter Klees was married to Mary A. Kneer, who came to
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America with her parents, Anthony and Magdalena Kneer, in 1851, and located in New York state, where her father, who was an architect and carpenter, followed his business for two years. After this time the family of Anthony Kneer moved to Cleveland, Ohio, then to Detroit, Michigan, later to Lansing, for a time lived at Charlotte, Michigan, and then came to Crystal township. Montcalm county, where a son had homesteaded a farm. Later, Mr. Kneer traded a yolk of oxen to Peter Klees for forty acres of land in Ferris township, where he and his wife spent their last days. Mrs. Klees, the widow of Peter Klees, now lives with her son, Peter A. She is a devout communicant of the Catholic church, as was her husband during the whole of his life.
John and Joseph Klees spent their early days on the home farm, receiv- ing their education in the local schools, afterwards taking up the duties of lumbermen in the woods of the community. Shortly after his marriage in 1889. Joseph Klees purchased a farm of forty acres in section 25. Ferris township, later forty acres in section 26, of the same township, where he engaged in general farming for a time. After the first purchase he and his brother John formed a partnership, in which the brothers acquired equal acreage in both farms. For about six years John and Joseph Klees con- tinued their partnership, afterwards dividing their land in such a way that they received equal parts, since which time they have each been successful farmers on their respective farms. The Klees brothers have well-improved. highly cultivated farms and which are recognized as being among the best in the community.
On November 18. 1895, John Klees was married to Blanche Ward, of Langston county, Michigan, a daughter of Edward and Mary (Hudson) Ward, natives of Canada, who came to Michigan, where Mary Ward, died after which the daughter, Blanche, made her home with the Bellows family, later living with her sister, Mrs. Mary Bellows, of Ferris township, Mont- calm county. To the marriage of John and Blanche Klees have been born two children: Hazel Mary. born in November, 1896; and John, born, November 18, 1905. John Klees and his family are members of the Catholic church.
Joseph Klees was married in 1889. to Emma Carney, who was born in Camden, New Jersey, and came to Michigan with her parents, Levi and Sarah Carney. Emma, the wife of Joseph Klees, died in 1910 and in 1912, Mr. Klees was married to Carrie M. Hunt, who was born in North Shade township, Gratiot county, Michigan. Joseph and Carrie Klees are the par-
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ents of one son, Joseph Reginald, who was born on May 27, 1914. Carrie, the wife of Joseph Klees is a daughter of Charles and Margaret ( Frasier ) Hunt, the former born in Pewamo, Ionia county, Michigan, a son of Nehe- miah Hunt and wife, the latter born in Scotland, a daughter of John Frasier and wife. Following their marriage at Pewamo, to which community Mar- garet Frasier had come with her parents in 1854, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt went to North Shade township, Montcalm county, Michigan, and in 1890 came to Ferris township, Montcalm county, where they now live in the town of Crystal. Charles Hunt is a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Company B, Eighth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and was a successful farmer in the community during his active days.
John and Joseph Klees are among the highly respected citizens of Mont- calm county, the latter having served for some years in various public offices of Ferris township, among which was his occupancy of the office of treasurer for some time and as a school director for fifteen years.
CLARENCE CARIS.
Clarence Caris, of Vestaburg, Montcalm county, Michigan, has become one of the civic leaders of this community. Although young in the business life of the town, he has made rapid strides toward success, the public being cognizant of his many sterling traits of character and his sincerity of pur- pose. He was born on January 22, 1892, in Ferris township, this county, and is the son of Michael J. and Alice M. (Hinkle) Caris. Richland town- ship, Montcalm county, Michigan, was the scene of his boyhood and student days, having received his education in the schools of Vestaburg.
Almost immediately following the completion of his schooling, Clarence Caris accepted a position in an automobile shop, in Lansing, Michigan, and continued there for a period of two years, after which he returned to his former home in Vestaburg, Michigan, and became the assistant cashier in the local bank. After discharging his duties in this institution with efficiency for five years, he felt the necessity of enlarging his business interests and with this idea in mind, he purchased the general merchandise store which was formerly owned by G. L. Crawford, and is now active in this line. Apart from his commercial interests, Mr. Caris has been very active in the local political life, being an enthusiastic supporter of the Republican party. He has, under this regime, served as township treasurer for two years and,
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needless to say, has won the hearty co-operation of the citizens in his every undertaking.
On August 26, 1915, Clarence Caris was united in marriage to Fay Throop, a native of Ferris township, Montcalm county. She is a daughter of Volney 1). and Laura (Perkins) Throop, both natives of Michigan. In the social life of the town, Clarence Caris and his wife are prominent factors, being earnest supporters of every good and worthy cause.
WILLIAM O. WARTS.
William O. Warts is one of the honorable citizens of this locality, a man of sterling worth and upright character. He was born on March 30, 1844, in Schuyler county, New York, and is the son of John P. and Margaret (Demon ) Warts. John P. Warts was a native of New York state who located in Dowagiac, Cass county, Michigan, about 1872, later removing to Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo county, Michigan, where he remained for many years. He was a life-long farmer and his last years were spent in the pursuit of that vocation in St. Joseph county, of this state, his death occurring in 1902, at the age of more than eighty years. He was twice married and was the father of three children by the first union, namely, Martha Jane, deceased; William O. and Catherine.
William O. Warts spent his boyhood days in New York state where his education was received, and located in Candleville, Montcalm county, Mich- igan, in 1865. For nearly four years following, he was employed in the lumber camps of this section and then moved to Coral, this county, where he followed farming and lumbering for a period of four years. He then moved to Woods Corners, Ionia county, Michigan, where he remained for two years, thence removing to Vestaburg, Montcalm county, Michigan, where he has since remained. In 1882, Mr. Warts engaged in the milling business, working as foreman for the Schultz and Northern Stave Manufac- turing Company for a period of fifteen years. His services were also em- ployed in their stave-mill in St. Louis, Michigan. On January 1, 1864, he enlisted in the Fiftieth New York Volunteer Engineer Corps and served with General Grant until the close of the Civil War, but took no active part in any of the battles.
William O. Warts has been twice married, his first wife being Eliza Jane Ferguson, whom he married on June 27, 1868. She was born on April
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28, 1847, in Canada, and was the daughter of Jacob Ferguson and wife. To this union were born three children: Freddie, deceased; John, who married Eva B. Gorsuch and lives in Niagara Falls, New York, where he is employed with a chemical concern, and Mandy, who died in 1896. Eliza Jane (Fergu- son ) Warts died in 1883. On May 17, 1885, William O. Warts was united in marriage to Mrs. Anna E. (Cummings) Ogden, daughter of William and Lydia (Woodmansee) Cummings, and one child has blessed their union, namely, Eva I .. , wife of Jesse S. Beach, of Vestaburg, Montcalm county, Michigan. They have two children, William J. and Leona May. Anna E. (Cummings-Ogden ) Warts had three children by her first marriage: Fred F., who is assistant manager of the Hooker Chemical Works, at Niagara Falls; Charles, deceased, and Calvin A., who married Alice Carahan and is living in Montesand, Washington. They have five children, Ada L., Beatrice, Ralph, Virginia and Margie. Fred F. Ogden married Mary Coombs and they are the parents of two children, Iva C. and Charles F. Anna E. (Cum- mings-Ogden) Warts was born on May 4, 1852, and is one of seven children born to the union of her parents. Her father died in 1884 and her mother in 1905, both dying in Vestaburg, Michigan.
William O. Warts served his community for some time as constable under the Democratic regime, in which party he has always been very active. He is now employed by the government as mail carrier from the trains to the postoffice, but is retired from other business interests.
FRANK F. CUMMINGS.
Frank F. Cummings, business man and citizen of Vestaburg, Mont- calm county, Michigan, is one of the pioneers of Richland township, where he is well known. He was born on January 6, 1858, in Cattaraugus county, New York, and is the son of William and Lydia (Woodmansee) Cummings, both natives of New York state. They were the parents of seven children, four of whom are now living: Amanda, wife of E. Fisher, Beaverton, Gladwin county, Michigan; Anna, wife of William Wartz, Vestaburg, Michigan; Frank F., and Jennie, widow of Governor Greer. She now lives in Vestaburg, Michigan. The parents of this family located in St. Louis,. Michigan, in the winter of 1869. For two years William Cummings engaged in teaming, in and around the town of St. Louis, and then followed agri- cultural pursuits for the next eighteen years at which time he removed to
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Vestaburg. He became interested in the hotel business, and operated an hostelry in Vestaburg, Michigan, for about two years. This property was destroyed by fire and he then engaged in the draying business, which he followed until his death in 1884. His birth occurred in 1822. In politics, he was a stanch Democrat and voted that ticket on all issues. His wife was reared in her native state and married there, her death occurring in Vesta- burg, Michigan, in 1905.
Frank F. Cummings located in St. Louis, Gratiot county, Michigan, with his parents and was reared and educated in that locality. In 1878, he moved to the town of Vestaburg, Michigan, where he engaged in lumbering in the woods of this section until the timber was cleared. He then became interested in the produce business which he entered in 1897, and which he still follows.
On September 15, 1883, Frank F. Cummings was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary ( Hays) Murphy, daughter of John and Dorothy Hays. Mary ( Hays-Murphy ) Cummings was the mother of one child by her first union, namely. Frank Murphy, principal of the Vestaburg schools. He has taught school since he was eighteen years of age. Frank F. Cummings is a Democrat in his political faith, and finds his fraternal brotherhood in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being past grand of that order. He is also a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, having held all chairs and is now past commander of same.
WALTER G. HERRICK.
Walter G. Herrick was born in Bushnell township, this county, on April 4, 1879, and is the son of Nathan and Mary (Daily) Herrick, natives of Washtenaw county, Michigan, who were also well known in Ingham county, where Mr. Herrick passed away in 1901 at the age of sixty-six years. When the subject of this sketch was five years old the Herrick family moved to Bushnell township, Montcalm county, and three years later Mrs. Herrick died. To Nathan and Mary (Daily) Herrick were born seven children : Charles. Adelbert, Rose, James, Dewey, deceased, passed away when eight years of age; Anna and Walter G. Nathan Herrick died in 1901 and his wife in 1887.
After the death of his mother. Walter Herrick was taken into the
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home of Charles Waggoner, on the west edge of Bloomer township, where he lived until he was twenty years old. During that time he received the best educational advantages offered by the community in which he lived. After attending the grade schools he entered the Palo high school and later attended school at Carson City. For the two years after he left school he followed the occupation of farming and during that time became interested in the Herrick Casket Company of Lyons, for whom he worked six years. At the end of that time he bought forty acres of land near Butternut, where he followed farming for a year. After spending three years on the farm owned by his brother in Bushnell township, he bought a farm located two. and one-half miles southwest of Carson City, and containing two hundred and forty acres of well-improved land. Since taking up his residence on this place in 1910, Mr. Herrick has used every effort to make the farm repre- sent modern ideas of improvement.
On September 2, 1903, Walter Herrick was united in marriage to Lany R. Croel, the daughter of William and Emeline (Way) Croel, and a native of Ionia township, Ionia county, Michigan. William Croel, who was. born near Akron, New York, came to Fenton, Michigan, with his parents, Silas and Ruth (Saxon) Croel, when a small boy. He remained on the farm with his parents until the outbreak of the Civil War, when he left to. enlist in the Fifth Michigan Cavalry. During his three years of service in the war his parents moved to Ionia county, Michigan, where they bought a farm, and William Croel bought a farm in Ionia while in the army.
After returning home Mr. Croel followed the occupation of a farmer, and is still living near Lyons. He always has held a place of high esteem in the community in which he lived and became widely known through his services to the county as highway commissioner. To William Croel and wife were born five children, Claude, William, Lany, Winifred and Law- rence. Mrs. Herrick's parents are still living. Mrs. Herrick lived with her parents until her marriage to Mr. Herrick. After completing the course in the high school at Lyons, she attended the normal school at Mount Pleas- ant, where she qualified for the profession of teaching, which she followed for two years.
Mr. and Mrs. Herrick are the parents of two children, Mary Emeline, born on August 15, 1908, and Mildred Winifred, born on March 2, 1913. The members of the family attend the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Herrick takes an interest in the affairs of the Maccabees Lodge, with which he is prominently affiliated.
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CYRENIUS C. SAYLES, M. D.
Cyrenius C. Sayles, physician, citizen and Civil War veteran, of Langs- ton, Montcalm county, Michigan, stands high in the respect and esteem of the community in which he resides as well as in his chosen profession. His birth occurred on October 25, 1839, in Ontario, Canada, and he is the son of Cyrenius and Eliza (Gardner) Sayles, natives of New York and Canada, respectively.
Cyrenius Sales. Sr., went to Canada with his father when a very small child, removing to lonia county, Michigan, on April 30, 1844. They camped on the site of the present court house. Ahab Sayles, father of Cyrenius Sayles, Sr., was a native of New York state, having been born in Cayuga county. The Sayles family originally came from the Isle of Man. Eliza (Gardner ) Sayles was of Mohawk-Dutch descent.
Cyrenius C. Sayles remained in Ionia county, Michigan, until 1869, and attended school until his eighteenth year. On August 7, 1861, he went from his home in the town of Kaane, Ionia county, Michigan, to Ionia, for the purpose of enlisting in the Union army. He was mustered into Company B, Sixteenth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry, under Col. T. B. W. Stockton, serving until December 23, 1863, at which time he re-enlisted in the same company and regiment and saw service until his discharge on July 8, 1865, at Jeffersonville, Indiana. On June 18, 1864, at Spottsylvania Court House, he was wounded in the head by a glancing rifle ball, but it proved to be nothing serious and he was soon back in service. He fought in fifty-four battles, not counting the skirmishes. After returning from the war, he again took up his studies in Miss Jennings' school, in Lowell, Michigan, and in the high school there. In 1869, he removed to Detroit, Michigan, where he studied in the O'Brien-Stockton Commercial School after which he accepted a position in Hunt & Hunter's Drug Store, and while there conceived the idea of becoming a physician. In 1876 he matriculated at Ann Arbor Uni- versity, where he studied for two terms and then removed to Langston, Mich- igan, to practice. This was in March, 1879, and he continued here until 1885, when he went to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he took a course in the Indiana Eclectic Medical College, graduating with the class of 1887. He then returned to Langston, Michigan, where he has continued to practice ever since. He has always been very active in the affairs of the community, and is a member of the local Grange and of the Ancient Order of Gleaners.
On May 2, 1879, Cyrenius C. Sayles was united in marriage to Maggie
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DR. AND MRS. CYRENIU'S C. SAYLES.
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J. Moye, daughter of Samuel and Mary A. (Myers) Moye, and two children were born of their union: Lee R. and Mabel I. Lee R. married Emma Peterson, who was born in Langston, Michigan, and they are the parents of four children, Cyril C., Anna M., Edna M. and Rex. Mabel I. became the wife of William Force and they have one child, Mary M. Maggie J. (Moye) Sayles was born on October 1, 1847, in Kent county, Michigan, and died on December 9, 1889. On June 16, 1902, Dr. Cyrenius C. Sayles was married to Mrs. Ella (Hinkley) Brown, widow of C. H. Brown, who had one child by her first husband, George Patten. This child was by name Letha H. Pat- ten, who grew to maturity and married Robert A. Bannen, but is now de- ceased.
JOHN F. THURLBY.
John F. Thurlby is one of the early pioneers of this section, his eldest child having been the first white child born in Vestaburg, Montcalm county, Michigan. A large stump in the yard of his home marks the spot from which he felled a tree in 1872. His birth occurred on May 13, 1847, in Lincoln- shire, England, and is the son of William and Mary Ann (Milburn) Thurlby. William Thurlby was born and reared in England, receiving his education in Lincolnshire. He was a brick mason by trade, but discon- tinued that to engage in the liquor business, following his immigration to America. William and Mary Ann (Milburn) Thurlby were married prior to their removal to the United States, their son, John F., being eight years of age at the time. They located in Stark county, Ohio, but later moved to Saginaw county, Michigan, where they located on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, eight miles from the town of Saginaw. It was here that the death of William Thurlby occurred, in 1861, at the age of forty-seven years, his birth having occurred in 1814. During his life in America he had been an active Republican and a sincere worker in the Methodist Epis- copal church, himself and wife both having been members of this denomina- tion. Mary Ann (Milburn) Thurlby was a schoolmate of the man who became her husband, their marriage being the culmination of a childhood romance. She was born in 1814 and her death occurred in 1893. They were the parents of ten children, four of whom are now living: John F., Agnes, wife of James McGlone, of Saginaw, Michigan; Parthena, wife of Samuel Dopp, of Detroit, Michigan, and William, of Bad Ax, Michigan, where he is engaged in the operation of a hotel.
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John F. Thurlby was reared on his father's farm in Saginaw county, Michigan, and received his education in the nearby schools. He remained on the home farm until the death of his father, at which time he moved with his mother and her family to Midland township, Midland county, Michigan. For three years he was employed in the local saw-mill, but discontinued this to engage in farming, which he followed for four years after his marriage.
On December 8, 1868, John F. Thurlby and Sarah Sharp, daughter of Andrew G. and Levina Sharp, were united in marriage and to them were born five children, all of whom are deceased. The names of these children are as follows: William, Fanny, Charles, Mary and Edwin. Sarah (Sharp) Thurlby was born on December 5, 1852, in Allen county, Ohio. In 1872, John F. Thurlby and his family moved to the town of Vestaburg, Montcalm county, Michigan, where they still reside, and for seventeen years following he was employed in the lumber woods of this immediate section. Following his four years of service as postmaster of the town he engaged in the grocery and general merchandise, in which business he is still active. On January 30, 1907, the local and long-distance Bell telephone system was installed in the town and the switchboard placed in Mr. Thurlby's store. Politically. he is an active Democrat and held the office of township clerk for one year. In his fraternal relations he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which order he has held all offices, and also a member of the Knights of the Maccabees.
MARSHALL A. ST. CLAIR.
The late Marshall A. St. Clair was born on the farm now occupied by Jay Miner, in Bloomer township, Montcalm county, on September 28, 1855. He was the son of William Wallace and Elvira D. (Miner) St. Clair, the former of whom was born on June 29, 1833, in the state of New York. The father of the subject of this sketch came to Michigan in childhood, with his parents, who settled in Jackson county. William Wallace St. Clair came to Montcalm county during the fifties, and experienced the hardships of a pioneer farmer. Before his death he bought a farm in the north side of section 28, located in Bloomer township, where he resided. Mr. St. Clair was a veteran of the Civil War, having served the Union for three years. He was in fourteen battles during the war and at one time was taken pris- oner. After the war he returned to Montcalm county, where he was united
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in marriage to Elvira Miner, the daughter of Anderson Miner, one of the first settlers in Bloomer township. Mrs. St. Clair taught the first school in Bloomer township. She became the mother of the following children : Marshall, Boyd, Eva and Roy. After her death, which occurred in 1884, Mr. St. Clair was married to Mrs. Jane (Davis) Miner, the widow of Adams Miner, and a native of Montreal, Canada, who died in 1914. Mr. St. Clair passed away in the same year.
The subject of this sketch, who had followed the occupation of a farmer, was employed for thirteen years at Belding. In 1879 he was united in mar- riage to Sarah Cliffe, the daughter of Thomas J. Cliffe, of whom an account is given elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. St. Clair, who was reared near Bloomer Center, attended school at Carson City and at the age of fourteen began teaching school, an occupation she followed for eight years. Since the death of her husband, who passed away on August 27, 1913, she has made her home with her parents, whom she cares for owing to their advanced age.
Marshall St. Clair was prominent in fraternal affairs, having been a member of the Odd Fellows and the Grange. He attended the Methodist church for many years.
JOSEPH C. HILLIS.
Of those farmers who have been especially successful in their agricul- tural pursuits and who, as citizens, have taken an important place in the official life of Douglass township, Montcalm county, Michigan, one of the best known is Joseph C. Hillis, who was born in Simcoe county, Ontario, Canada, a son of Hugh C. and Margaret (Boyd) Hillis, a review of whose lives appears in this volume under the name of George Thomas Hillis. 11
Joseph C. Hillis, after spending the first seventeen years of his life in his native county, came with his parents, in October, 1887, to Montcalm county, Michigan, living at Westville for a time, then moving to a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, which he rented for about one year. He then located on a farm of eighty acres which he secured from his father. which land Mr. Hillis has greatly improved and on which he lives now as a successful farmer and raiser of Durham cattle and Poland-China hogs, all high grade stock.
Joseph C. Hillis was married to Alice Porter on December 31, 1895, and to this marriage has been born one son, Laverne, who was born on
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April 19, 1897, he now living at home after completing his course of study at the Stanton high school from which he was graduated in 1914.
Mrs. Hillis is a daughter of Edwin and Adelia (Reynolds) Porter, the former born on June 27, 1845, in Summit county, Ohio, a son of Orange and Mary (Daniels) Porter, natives of Vermont and New Hampshire, respectively, the latter born in Branch county, Michigan, a daughter of Chauncey and Tryphena (Tuttle) Reynolds. Edwin Porter moved, when two years of age, with his parents to Hillsdale county, Michigan, where he was educated and where he lived until October, 1862. At that time Mr. Porter enlisted in Battery F, First Michigan Artillery, serving in the Civil War until July, 1865, during which time he had a part in the campaign in Kentucky, in 1863, was with General Sherman as far as Atlanta, Georgia, and after his release from captivity as a prisoner of war became a part of the army of General Thomas, at Nashville, after which Mr. Porter again was assigned to the army of General Sherman, at Goldsboro, North Caro- lina, for the remainder of his term of service.
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