USA > Michigan > Muskegon County > History of Muskegon County, Michigan: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 38
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W. H. LOBDELL, lumber inspector, was born in N. Y. State in 1827, and moved to this state in 1836, coming to Grand Rapids in 1858, and three years after to Muskegon City, and has followed his profession twenty years in the woods in winter and scaling in sum- mer. He was postmaster at Kelloggville, and is now deputy sheriff at Montague. Married in 1855 Mary Hallett, of Marshall, and has one daughter, Mrs. H. L. Bourdon, of Muskegon, and one son, Harley J.
ROBERT MARTIN was born in Warwickshire, England, in 1836, and immigrated to Canada in 1857, being engaged in railroading in London, Hamilton, Toronto, and Goderich for four years. He then removed to Detroit, remaining about sixteen years in the same business, when he purchased land in section 20, Montague, where he has since resided. In 1861 he married Miss Mary Ann Charlton, of Brantford, Ontario, by whom he has two children living. Mr. Martin is engaged in fruit farming, for which his farm is well adapted.
BYRON B. MOORE was born August 26, 1859, in Pipestone, Ber- rien County, Michigan. When three years of age his parents re- moved to Kalamazoo County, and thence to Lawrence, Van Buren County, and after residing there four years they again removed to Benton Harbor. After a residence at Benton Harbor of two years and a half they went back to Lawrence. When 16 years of age Mr. Moore came to Muskegon County, and after a stay of six months went to Dubuque, Iowa, remained there six months, then went to Saugatuck. In 1880 he went to Allegan County, and returned next year to Saugatuck, and in 1882 he came to his present place of resi- dence, Montague. In May, 1880, he married Miss Arselia Daniels, of Saugatuck, and they have one child.
KENNETH F. MORSE, of Montague, was born in Norwichville, Wyoming Co., N. Y., in 1835, and removed with his parents in 1854 to the wilderness, one and a half miles northwest of Lansing, Mich., and experienced the hardships of pioneer life; came to White- hall in March, 1869, engaging in the hardware business and keeping also a fine stock of crockery. He was burnt out in the Foster Block in the great fire of Aug. 1, 1881, but in a few weeks, along with
Mr. J. Bell, bought out O. M. Hedges, of Montague, and is still continuing the hardware business. Mr. Morse has taken a deep in- terest in masonry, and has been Master of the Whitehall lodge sev- eral times. He married Miss Annie Booth, of this State and has four children.
JOHN MURRAY was born in County Waterford, Ireland, August, 1844, and came to America in 1869, landing in New York after a voyage of eleven and a half days, coming straight to Montague. Three days after he arrived at the mouth of White River he married Miss Hannah Sullivan, of his native county, who had come to America in 1866. They have four children. Mr. Murray follows the occupation of a fisherman, and has by careful industry accumu- lated a competency. He has been exposed to great hazards and dangers, but has escaped unhurt.
JOSEPH OHRENBERGER, saloon keeper, Montague, came to Sand Creek in this county in 1857, and seven years after removed to the mouth of White Lake, starting a saloon May 6, 1867. In a year he removed to the sight of Whitehall village. He has been twenty- three years engaged in saw milling and has experienced his share of pioneer hardships. He has been enabled to work up a fair capital by the sweat of his brow.
LOUIS M. PHELPS was the son of a farmer of Crawford County, Pa., who removed to Iowa in 1845. Louis was born in 1846, and in 1862, served three months in the war, and again on July 29, 1864, enlisted in Co. C, 105th Pennsylvania Infantry, serving ten months, after which he returned to Crawford County, remaining four years. He then removed to St. Charles, Mich., working on the railroad, coming in 1870 to Montague for several years working at whatever paid best, until he went into the employ of Albert Mears, with whom he has been ever since. In 1869 he married Miss L. Sammis, of Allegany County, N. Y., who was born in 1864, and whose parents, when she was two years old, removed to Macomb County, Michigan, where she resided until 1867, when she removed to Montague. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps have three surviving children.
SAMUEL RABY was born in Plymouth, Eng,, Oct. 7, 1828. In 1854 he came to New York. He had served his time at pattern- making in England, and worked for Leonard & Sons, of London, Ontario, in 1854-55. He then went to St. Mary's, Chatham, and St. Thomas, all in Ontario. In 1872 he came to Montague, and has ever since worked for Wilson & Hendrie. In his native city he married Elizabeth Brent, and has had seven children, of whom four survive.
L. G. RIPLEY, druggist. Montague, came to this place in 1874, and in 1878 erected at a cost of $10,000, a fine two story store of Zeeland brick opposite the Franklin House, 25x80 feet, and is now erecting an elegant new block adjoining, with 30 feet frontage on Ferry St., and 115 on Bird St. Mr. Ripley deserves credit for his zeal and enterprise in beautifying the village with substantial blocks of buildings. His stock consists of drugs, stationery, and periodi- cals, and is quite extensive.
HENRY G. SAMMIS was born in Goshen, Litchfield Co., Conn., in 1827, and in 1840 his parents removed to Warsaw, Wyoming Co., N. Y. In 1854 he went to Macomb Co., Mich., and removed thence in 1867 to Montague. In 1849 he married Miss Hannah Lincoln, of Warsaw, N. Y., by whom he has three children. In 1862 he enlisted and served three years, to the close of the war, and although in eighteen general engagements, escaped unhurt. Mr. Sammis farm is on section 20.
MRS. SARAH F. SARGENT was born in New Boston, N. H., in 1836, and came to Ottawa county, Mich., when but 13 years of age. In 1850 she married Mr. Fernando Sargent of her native place, living nine years in his father's house. They removed thence to section 8, Montague Township, where she still resides. In June
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1871 she was left a widow with nine children, all living, and she has now eleven grandchildren. Mrs. Sargent is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as was also her late husband.
GEORGE F. SIBLEY, superintendent of the Booming Co., was born in Edington, Maine, in 1853, and after attending school at home, he went, at the age of seventeen, to the Kalamazoo Business College for eight months. In 1870 he came to Whitehall, acting as scaler for three years to the White River Booming Company. He then went to New Hampshire for over three years, and engaged in running fogs. In 1877 he returned to Whitehall, acting as foreman for the Booming Company, and also scaling for three summers. In 1881 he became superintendent, and boomed 147,000,000 feet of logs. His duties are to see that the logs are coupled, scaled, and .properly run out. Mr. Sibley married, Dec. 7, 1878, Sadie M. Scott.
CHARLES SMITH was born in Germany in 1825, came to Milwau- kee in 1847, and afterwards went to Racine and Kenosha. Before he emigrated he learned blacksmithing, at which he still works, and also at saw milling, He came to Muskegon in 1851 and learned engineering, worked for Ryerson & Morr's thirteen years, and came to Montague in 1873, and has been working here, being engineer for F. H. White's mill. He has nine sons and one daughter, Ida, who is the youngest of the family.
LUCIUS D. SMITH, livery and sale stable keeper, Montague, is a native of Wayne Co., Penn., and removed to Montague in 1876, where he established his present business, which he has enlarged to be an extensive affair. On January 6, 1881, Mr. Smith met quite a loss by fire to the extent of several thousands of dollars, but has been able to overcome this misfortune.
SANDFORD H. WATSON, lumber inspector, was born in New York State in 1852, and came when a child with his father, S. J. B. Wat- son, to White River, and was brought up there. He married in 1873 Cornelia Hewett, of Portage, and has one daughter, Nellie M., born Nov. 26, 1874. He has been at his profession since 1875.
PARIS E. WELLS was born in Erie county, Pa., and at two years of age his parents removed to Calhoun county, Mich. At
eighteen years of age he left home, and remained first one year in Illinois, then three years in Winona county, Minn. In 1855 he married Miss Ann M. Fortune of Wisconsin, by whom he has four children. In 1857 he went to Wisconsin, remained two years, and then building a flatboat he went down the Mississippi as far as Hannibal City, where he sold out and went to Pike county, Mo. In 1861 he was driven out by bushwhackers, and came with team to Calhoun county, Mich. After two years he came to Montague tak- ing up his present homestead on section 28.
SANFORD WENTWORTH was born in Maine in 1828, came to Michigan in 1853. During the war he was in the 12th Mich. Inf., under Capt. John Welch, and was fourteen months in the service. He is by trade a carpenter and wagon maker, and has been twelve years in Montague. He married in 1855 Silvia J. Skinner, and has two children, Elva (Mrs. Ariel Born) and Rosa.
JAMES M. WEBSTER, the lessee of the Montague Flouring Mill, was born in Essex, England, in 1838, came to Canada in 1856, and returned to England in 1862 to manage the Woolwich steam mills. After several years he returned to America and came to Montague in 1875. He married, Feb. 22, 1858, Agnes, daughter of Capt. Howe, R. N., and has five sons and three daughters. Mr. Webster is very active and energetic, and is making a great success of the mill. A view of his fine residence will be found in this work.
JAMES M. YOUNG, wagon maker, Montague, was born in Rich mond Co., O., in 1829, and resided there until twenty-nine years of age, having learned the trades of blacksmithing and carpentering. He worked at Manchester for over five years, then at Ransom Centre, in Hillsdale Co., and worked there at the Gear Works four years, after which he came to Whitehall in 1864, lumbering for Morris & Stebbins. He then enlisted in the 10th Mich. Cavalry, under Capt. Monaghan. After the war he returned to Whitehall, working for Robson four years, after which he went to Montague and started a wagon shop in September, 1870. In 1853 he married Elizabeth Folever, of Richmond Co., O., and has nine children.
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