USA > Michigan > Muskegon County > History of Muskegon County, Michigan: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 34
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A. T. LINDERMAN was born near Beloit, Wisconsin, July 3d, 1847. His parents, now living at Grand Rapids, Mich., were Geo. S. Linderman, of Tompkins Co., New York, who married Sarah C. Thorp, of London, England, in 1845. As illustrative of the hard- ships endured by the settlers of even that late date, it may be stated that when their boy was only three months old, owing to sickness at home, this couple started with a single horse and wagon, and made the journey from their home in Wisconsin to Tompkins Co., N. Y., in the Fall of the year and over terrible roads.
Mr. L. was married in June, 1867, to Miss Ella A Southwick, of Northeast, Pa. Her father died some years before and her mother still lives at the old homestead. Mr. L. settled at Grand Rapids in 1867, where he was engaged in the grain trade and nursery business. In 1870 he took an active interest in establishing a State society for the promotion of horticultural interests, which culminated on Feb- ruary 11th in the organization of the present State Horticultural Society, of which he was Secretary for two years. He prepared the first report of the society, 5,000 copies of which were printed by the State in 1871. It contained 532 pages of closely printed matter, and was a credit to the secretary, the society and the State at large.
In 1875 Mr. L. accepted a position as Superintendent and Sec- retary of the Michigan Lake Shore Nursery Association of South Haven, Mich., a large concern having $50,000 capital stock.
In 1876 the subject of our sketch removed to his present beau- tiful home on Mears' avenue, Whitehall, bought of Mr. D. P. Gla- zier, at the same time purchasing the fine store, stock of goods and real estate belonging to him, and has been carrying on the business with an annual increasing trade to the present time.
In 1880 he built at a cost of over $12,000 the large mill near the depot in Whitehall, afterwards disposing of an interest in it to other parties. He also owns and operates another shingle and lum- ber mill at "Linderman's Siding" on the Big Rapids branch of the C. & W. M. R. R., with which he has 640 acres of land which, like most of the pine lands in this section, is a light sandy soil. Mr. L., like many others, foresees the necessity of discovering some means, if possible, of utilizing the millions of acres of this kind of soil which stretches out in every direction, and has given the subject especial study for the last eight years, and is now engaged in prac- tically testing a system which, after this long investigation, he be- lieves to be the best, and is meeting with such success that we feel justified in giving place to his ideas in another portion of this work on the Management of Sandy Soils on page 27.
THE COVELL FAMILY.
This wealthy and popular family, consisting of five brothers and three married sisters, form an important element in Whitehall society. They all came from Bradford Co,, Pa., near the New York State line, where their paternal grandfather settled in 1817, when their father, Calvin Townsend Covell, was but seven years of age. The father never came West except on a visit, and lived and died on their ancestral estate. He was a man of sterling character, and set a good example to his family. His death, although it occurred at the ripe age of nearly three score and ten, was the occasion of
RESIDENCE OF JOHN C. LEWIS, WHITEHALL, MICH.
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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
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deep regret by all who knew him. The first son to come to White Lake was A. J., in 1856; L. T., in 1859; C. E. in January, 1863, and D. W. and M. B. in 1870. Emeline, wife of Jos. Hinch- man, came with her husband in January, 1862, along with Rebec- ca, now Mrs. H. E. Staples. Augusta M. in
ANDREW JACKSON COVELL, lumberman, Whitehall, is the eldest son of Calvin Townsend Covell, and has been a leading pioneer and prominent citizen of Whitehall for many years. His energy, integ- rity and ability have been rewarded by the gifts of fortune, while his generous nature and kindly heart have exempted him from the envy that usually emanates from the less fortunate towards those who have risen on fortune's ladder. Educated in the common school of his district and brought up on his father's farm, Mr. Covell as a young man, felt stirred to "go west" and carve out his own fortune. Ac- cordingly with the assistance of $65 from his neighbor, his brother- in-law, the respected Joseph Hinchman, who had a desire to follow if Mr. Covell's report was favorable, he went to White River in 1856; a step of great importance in the history of this region, as it was the means of bringing in the whole family of the Covell's, five sons and three daughters, with their husbands, who have been of great service in developing the country, and what is more important in aiding to give a good moral tone to the community. In coming to White Lake, Mr. Covell embarked at Chicago in the propeller Faust for Muskegon, put on his blue overalls and got three dollars for work on the vessel. Bound to do something, he engaged to drive a balky mule, but when on the ninth day the kicking brute took off his hat, le resigned and drew $9.00. He then engaged to a Frenchman up the river, who shot some hogs in the woods and di- rected Mr. Coveli to take a yoke of oxen and draw the hogs home. During the night he was convinced that the hogs were not wild ones as was claimed, but belonged to the neighbors and therefore he might be liable as accessory, so he left before the Frenchman was up and walked 16 miles on the Indian trail until he arrived to what is now Whitehall, and engaged in Brown's saw mill, near where the Wilcox mill is; and after a time brought out his brother Lyman, and they and two others, Seth Baldwin and W. Gonzales, went up the White River to get out shingle bolts, their united capital being so small, that one of the party was bought out by the others for a rifle, but this was the nucleus from which their fortune dates. He went into business with Mr C. C. Thompson and his own brothers, and has gone on until he is senior partner in the firm of A. J. and C, E. Covell, lumberers, whose name stands high, He married in 1867 Miss Eunice Parsons, of McHenry County. Ill., by whom he has had one son, Charles Thompson Covell, born 9th July, 1869. Mr. Covell's patriotic offer of service during the war was rejected on account of physical disability. Like the rest of his family he was an ardent friend of the Union, and the whole family are still Repub- licans. Mr. Covell was Superintendent of the Harbor improvement at the mouth of the lake, and did a work of which he has cause to . feel an honest pride. In religion he is quite liberal, the only thing he detests being anything approaching cant or hypocrisy.
CHARLES ELLERY COVELL, lumberman, Whitehall, was born in 1845 and worked on his father's farm until he came to Whitehall, in January, 1863, part of his schooling being completed here. He commenced working at Messrs. Thompson & Covell's mill, but as was common to new comers in river days was sorely troubled with that plague of lumbering districts-the ague. He afterward worked for Hinchman & Covell, but has worked up so that he is joint owner with his brother in the mill of A. J. & C. E. Covell, one of the best on the lake. He married in December, 27, 1876, Jesse, daugh- ter of Rufus M. Hedges, and has two children. Mr. Covell has been treasurer of the township for many years.
LYMAN T. COVELL, Whitehall, was born at Bently Creek, Brad-
ford County, Pa., on September 30, 1835, and brought up on a farm. His health being delicate, he came out to Whitehall in 1869, where his brother, A. J., already was, and entered with him in the shingle business in the summer and got out ties in winter, next summer he returned home for a few months and returned and lumbered in the winter. For the first four years his business was with his brother-in-law, J. Hinchman, and his brothers. But of late his chief business has been with H. E. Staples, his brother-in-law, in the saw-mill business. By careful and persistent industry and tact he lias accumulated a valuable property in pine lands, village lots, and lumber; he has also a fine 280 acre farm one mile north of Montague. He was married July 3, 1866, to Miss Eunice C., daughter of Peter Hobler, and his family consists of two sons, George E., born November 30, 1867, and Frank H., born October 15, 1869. Mr. Covell takes a lively interest in all that tends to improve the community, especially in education, and to that end has served sev- eral terms in the school board and in the council.
MARK B. COVELL, merchant and lumberman, Whitehall, is a gentlemen full of enterprises which have done much to bulid up Whitehall. He keeps the leading grocery establishment, has an in- terest in the shingle mill, in the steam barge, Brittain, also a good dock and ware house, has just completed one of the finest private res- idences in town, and contributes in every way to develope Whitehall. He is of that retiring disposition that he never ran after public of- fice, but has been entrusted with the care of the public funds for years. His history is like that of the rest of his family, whose history is identified with the people of the section so thoroughly that to omit them would be similar to playing Hamlet with the part of Hamlet left out. He was born in 1849 in Pennsylvania and came the last of his family here in 1870. Educated at the district scoool and brought up on a farm, Mr. Covell's great forte is as a thorough business man. He married in 1875, to Miss Mary Myhra.
DAVID W. COVELL, lumberman, and at present manager for B. F. Weston, was born in Pennsylvania, Oct. 21, 1851, came to White- hall in 1865, clerked for A. Mears for several years and attended school, has been foreman for several years for his brothers, A. J. & C. E .- also Deputy Sheriff for the last 7 years, has been Marshal of Whitehall, Constable, etc. Married Miss Emma E., daughter of Peter Hobler.
JOSEPH HINCHMAN, retired lumberman, Whitehall, was born in Hamburgh, N, J., in 1819, at seven moved to Chemung County, N. Y., settling on a farm north of Elmira. His early education was but such as the times then afforded in rural districts. The school was three miles off and difficult of access, and not of a high grade when reached. Being naturally of a lively adventurous disposition, after he was of age, he went boating on the Erie Canal with a scow he had purchased. In 1849 he married Emeline Covell, by whom he has two children, Melvina, (Mrs. C. A. Ocobock) and Ed- win H., both living in Whitehall. He had heard of the White River as a good lumbering region, and therefore induced his brother- in-law, A. J. Covell, in 1856, to spy on the land, and his report was so favorable that in 1862 he came out himself and entered into busi- ness with C. C. Thompson and the Covells' in the mill and store. Afterwards Thompson and Covell took the store and he sold the mill to Mr. Staples, confining his subsequent operations chiefly to lum- bering, but owing to ill health, he sold out all his interests in 1880, so that he has nothing in the way of business to trouble his mind. Mr. Hinchman has been of a diffident, retiring disposition, devoted to his own private affairs, and though often solicited to take public honors has steadily declined them. He has the universal esteem of his fellow citizens and it can emphatically be said of him that he is an honest man.
E. B. HINCHMAN, tallyman and scaler, was born in Bradford
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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
Co., Pa., May 27th, 1858, and when four years old came with his mother and sister to. Whitehall. He left school in 1874 and clerked in M. B. Covell & Co.'s grocery for about five years; commenced tallying in 1881. He married, April 5th, 1879, Grace M., daughter of Jesse Pullman, and has one son, George, born July 21st, 1880.
JOHN C. LEWIS, lumberman, Whitehall, one of the wealthiest and most prominent citizens, is one who may emphatically be termed a self-made man --- one who has by singleness of purpose and stead- iness of aim, united with industry and integrity, acquired wealth accompanied with the respect of his fellow citizens. He was born in Lower Canada, near Montreal, his youth being spent in Vau- dreuil county, where he experienced the hardships of a life of toil and endeavor, struggling on with the help of a little schooling in the winter in such schools as a poor district could afford. Mr. Lewis at length acquired sufficient knowledge to make him an ex- cellent man of business. His having spent several years in busi ness, traveling in different portions of this country helped to develop in him a knowledge of men and things, which has been invaluable to him in forming his judgments and opinions. In the Fall of 1860 he came to Whitehall, and spent the first winter in the woods, lumbering. In 1862 we hear of him as a sawyer. In 1864 he has risen to be a manufacturer of lumber, having purchased Weston's saw mill, which he sold out in the Fall. He then built the mill, now that of A. J. & C. E. Covell, and ran it for many years. He also, with great business sagacity, purchased extensively of pine lands, of which he sold a portion in 1881 for over $80,000. Mr. L. has never sought public office, but has been for years Supervisor of the township; is Republican in his political views. He married, in 1865, Miss Augusta Covell, and has two daughters, Lizzie M., born May 7th, 1869, and Nettie E., Jan. 17th, 1875. His residence is prettily situated on Mears Avenue, on the bluff overlooking the Lake.
HIRAM E: STAPLES, lumberman, Whitehall, is one of the leading citizens, having taken a prominent part in all public affairs relating to the village and township of Whitehall, as well as that of the former township of Oceana, and being elected year after year to the chief offices of these municipalities. In the fire company he has long been active, and whether in church matters or in the Masonic lodge, has always taken a leading and active part. His career is an incentive to the young men of the present, he having worked his own way up, through more than ordinary difficulties, but a sterling character and a steady, honest purpose will pull one through all difficulties. He was born in Pawling, Dutchess Co., N. Y., in 1836, and came to Michigan when but 16 years old, with his family, who located on a farm near Hillsdale, where he lived five years. Thence he removed to White River in 1857, and commenced lumbering in the first saw mill at the head of the lake, which has been removed and a new one built, known as Staples & Covell's, with a capacity of 60,000 feet a day. He married, in 1864, Miss Rebecca Covell, by whom he has two sons, Dudley E., born May 26th, 1865, and H. Earl, Oct. 19th, 1875. Mr. Staples is prominently identified with the Boom Company, of which he is a director.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
LORAINE ASHMAN, lawyer, Whitehall, was born in Huntingdon Co., Pa., in 1852. He was educated at the State Normal school at Millersville, and entered the University of Michigan in 1872, where he took a three years' course in civil engineering. In 1876 he en- tered the law department, in which he spent two years, and gradu- ated with the degree of LL.B. He came to Whitehall in 1880, having previously married, in 1878, Jennie, daughter of John O.
Banks, of Whitehall, of which union there are two sons, Fred. Loraine, born Jan. 24th, 1879, and John, born the 31st of March, 1881. Mr. Ashman also devotes attention to the insurance busi- ness. On the death of J. E. Jamison, Mr. Ashman was appointed to fill his term as Circuit Court Commissioner.
JOHN O. BANKS, express agent and grocer, was born in Che- nango Co., N. Y., in 1829, and was educated at the Elmira Sem- inary. When of age he taught for ten years in New York, Indiana, and Michigan, being six years principal of the Cassopolis schools, and superintendent of the schools of Bristol, Ind. He enlisted Aug. 13th, 1862, in the 88th Ind. Vol., and was at Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, &c., and resigned in November, 1863, on ac- count of the health of his wife. Then he went into mercantile life two years at Bristol, Ind., and was afterwards, for twelve years, special agent of the New York Mutual Life Association, with head- quarters at Detroit. He married, Oct. 13th, 1853, Sarah E. Ketchum, of Otsego, N. Y., and has two daughters and one son.
Jos. BARON was born in Wayne Co., Mich., in 1833, and came to Whitehall in 1879, having been married Jan. 19th, 1869, to Miss Margaret Merron, by whom he has had ten children, eight sons and two daughters.
W. H. BAKER, druggist, Whitehall, was born at White River in 1857. He commenced clerking in Montague for C. M. Palmer in 1869, and was there for three years; was, also, with Frank Baxter for two years, the same period with Dr. Malcolm, now of Colorado, and finally three years for Ripley. He started in business in Mon- tague in 1877, and two years after moved to Whitehall, buying out Dr. Mizner's, and then Dr. Wheeler's, business. He has a fine store and a $5,000 stock.
JOHN BELL, carriage maker (Bell & Moore), has just erected, near the tunnel, a new shop, where horse-shoeing and carriage making are specialties. Mr. Bell was born in Toronto, Canada, Aug. 16th, 1837, and learned his trade with Davis, of Woodstock. He came to Whitehall in 1872, and married, the same year, Sarah Foskett, of Albion, and has two children, Rena, born Feb. 8th, 1873, and Fred., born July 15th, 1878.
W. P. UTLEY, wheelwright, was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., in 1820, and came to this State in 1829. He married, in 1848, Ade- line Hinman, of Oswego, N. Y. He came to Whitehall in 1869, and built a wagon shop in the rear of Slocum's block, which was burned in the fire of 1881. He is a member of the village council and school board. He has one daughter, Florence A., now Mrs. H. W. Hill, of Clinton county.
JOSEPH BELLHOUSE, vessel owner, was born in Lancashire, Eng., in 1824, and in 1863 immigrated to Canada, and after various removes came to Whitehall May 2d, 1868, having a restaurant for eleven years near the depot. He married, March 14th, 1847, Grace Carter, and has adopted a niece, Annie Carter. His 11-year old nephew, Joseph, was unfortunately drowned on June 16th, 1881, among the logs at Covell's mill.
JOSEPH BELL, head sawyer at Covell's saw mill, Whitehall, was born in New York State in 1848, and when eight years old moved with his parents to Claybanks, Oceana county, but he has spent the last sixteen years of his life here, having been for many years at Heald's mill, and since 1877 at Covell's. Mr. B. has worked up through all the gradations from drayman to head sawyer. He mar- ried, Dec. 6, 1879, Jeannette McDonald, of Grand Haven, and has one child, Mabel, born April 30th, 1881. Mr. Bell is a skillful mechanic, and also an enthusiastic member of the Knights of Honor.
HANS M. BJORNSTAD was born in Norway in 1833, and left when fifteen years old for Chicago, where he stayed six years. After a six weeks' trial of Wisconsin he came to Whitehall Oct. 1,
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HISTORY OF MUSKEGON COUNTY.
1867, working in the tannery for three years. He has also been a grocer, and is at present a saloon keeper, and has acquired a com- petency. In June, 1881, he married Miss Bertha Larson. Mr. B. takes an interest in the Scandinavian Benevolent Society, of which he has been secretary.
JOHN H. CHAPMAN, in H. D. Johnston's office, was born in Alle- gan Co., Dec. 19th, 1847, and has been in the mercantile and jewelry business, coming first to Whitehall in 1875 as clerk to Sturtevant, having married, May 20th, 1874, Miss Frances A. Baker, of White- hall, by whom he has two daughters and one son. He has been with Mr. Johnston since April, 1880. His residence is on the corner of Colby and Division streets.
AUGUST CLUG, butcher, Whitehall, born in Prussia in 1834, but when three years of age came with his parents to Buffalo, N. Y., and in two years went to Milwaukee, and remained thirteen years in Wisconsin. He then came to White Lake, engaging in lumber- ing and in butchering, going into his present busines- with his cousin, Mr. Watkins. He married, in 1863, Miss Miller, of Wis- consin, who died in 1878, leaving two sons and a daughter, now Mrs. Van Zandt. He has a 200-acre farm in Dalton, on which he recently settled.
CHAS. COOK, clerk to W. A. Phelps, has resided in Whitehall since 1865. He was born in Concord, N. H., in 1827, and after residing in Dutchess county, N. Y., New York and Chicago, came to the Union Hotel, Whitehall, as clerk, then to A. Mears, and was also, for two years, agent for Wm. Weston; bought out P. Hobler's interest in the Union Hotel, and entered into a number of businesses, coming into his present position in 1879. He has been Justice of the Peace and Town Clerk of Oceana Township. He married, in 1865, Miss Ellen Graves, and has two daughters, Ina M. and Zoe.
ROBERT L. CUNNINGHAM, dental surgeon, was born in Stratford, On- tario, in 1858; studied with Dr. Maxon, of Bay City; after several years of practice came to Whitehall October 1, 1880; was burned out in the Foster Block in July, 1881; married in 1881 Miss Baker, of Oceana Co. Mr. C. is a skillful dentist and has his office now in rear of Covell's block.
ELMER S. CURTIS, of DeLong & Curtis, carpenters and builders, born in Livingston Co., New York, in 1880; learned his trade with his father, and they came to Whitehall in 1877, when Elmer was clerk for Morse & Co .; married in 1879, Edith, daughter of K. F. Morse, and has one son, Harold, born Sept. 18, 1880.
GEORGE H. DELONG, builder, born in Flint, Mich., 1842; enlisted in 15th Illinois volunteers, Col. Thomas J. Turner, in Army of Ten- nessee, August 15, 1861; was at Pittsburgh Landing, siege of Cor- inth, Vicksburglı, &c .; with Sherman to the sea; captured and sent to Andersonville, but after some suffering escaped and rejoined Sher- man at Raleigh. Learned the building trade at Flint; came to Whitehall in 1867; married Katie Lewis, of Batavia, New York, and has three children.
DANIEL H. EATON, boot and shoe dealer,in Covell's block, was born in Montgomery Co., New York, in 1840; shortly after moved to Can- ada, coming to Detroit when about 20 years of age, and to Whitehall in 1878; married Annie Thomas, of Hastings, Michigan, in 1874.
WILLIAM FLINN, blacksmith, Whitehall, is a native of Ottawa, Canada, removed to Minneapolis in 1868, thence to Chicago in the same year, where he remained six months, thence to Grand Rapids, where he made a short stay; after residing in Ionia county he came to Whitehall, working four years for Utley & Hedges, when he went into business for himself, and has built up quite a fine business. Mr. Flinn is a benedict and the happy father of three children. He is assistant engineer in the Fire Department, treasurer of the Knights of Honor, and for several years one of the trustees of the village.
WM. L. FORBES, butcher, on Mears avenue corner of Alice street, was born in Ingersoll, Ontario, 1850, and after various moves came to Whitehall in 1872, at first engaging in saw-milling, but since 1878 in his present business, in which he has been quite successful.
DEXTER P. GLAZIER, jeweler, of Ludington, is an old resident of Whitehall, where his son, F. D. Glazier, is still in the grocery business at his father's old stand. Mr. G. was born in Hampden Co. Mass., in 1823, and he has been in this State since 1838, at first en- gaged in shoemaking. On August 22, 1854, he married Sarah A. Swaim, and stayed in Grand Rapids one year, then eleven years in Newaygo county, then in Whitehall from 1866 to 1875, when he built Linderman's store, which was the first brick store in the village. Slocum's block was finished a little later the same year. Mr. G. was president of the village, school director, and ran for repre- sentative on the Greeley ticket. He has two sons and two daughters.
F. D. GLAZIER, grocer, was born May 25, 1856, in Grand Rap- ids, and came from Newaygo to Whitehall in 1870. In 1878 he en- tered into the grocery business, at which he has had fair success. Married on July 4, 1879, Artimesia Parks, of Blue Lake, who was born in 1854 in Walworth Co., Wis., moving with her family to Blue Lake in 1866, when it was nearly a primitive forest.
EUGENE HARWOOD, hotel-keeper, born near Detroit; came when 19 to Muskegon, with his parents, who kept " The National," the second hotel of the city, which before it was burned stood opposite " The Hofstra." He came to Whitehall in 1872, keeping the old Mears House, which he named the Harwood. Mr. Harwood and his fath- er have now a new hotel near the railway tunnel, and are noted for their genial and obliging manners.
FREDERICK A. HINMAN, engineer, born in Connecticut in 1844,and left home when 15, coming to Whitehall and entering into marine engineering on the old " Union," a side-wheeler, also on many other vessels of that day; has also had charge of the village engine since 1873, during which time it has never failed to work, and has not cost a dollar in repairs; in 1881 she worked at the great fire eleven hours consecutively. At the same fire he was burnt out in the fur- niture business, in which he had been with Mr. McElroy. He has also been marshal and a constable of the village. Married Miss Mary Stone, by whom he has three children.
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