USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests Volume II > Part 20
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At the age of fifteen years Finley O. Lawson, having secured a dis- trict school education, began to learn the trade of butcher at Holly, and after two years went to Pontiac and began to follow his trade. Being enterprising, industrious and economical, he eventually saved enough from his earnings to establish himself in a business of his own, and con- ducted various shops until 1890. In that year he took up the buying and shipping of all kinds of livestock, a business in which he has been engaged to the present time, having built up a large and lucrative trade, and having relations with the various large markets and with agriculturists and stockmen all over this and the surrounding townships. He now has a handsome residence at No. 408 Perry street, Pontiac, and in addi- tion is the owner of one hundred and twenty acres in the upper peninsula. In his political views he is a Republican, but his private interests have kept his time so well occupied that he has never found leisure to enter the public field. His wife is a member and consistent attendant of the Methodist church.
In 1878 Mr. Lawson was married to Miss Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of Henry Charles and Rebecca ( Alexander) Johnson, natives of Eng- land, who came to Pontiac in the early forties, Mr. Johnson being a painter by trade, a vocation which he followed at Holly until his death, which occurred at the age of seventy-eight years and six months, the same age at which his wife passed away. They had a family of ten children, of whom five grew to maturity: Mary A., wife of O. Mitchell. of Midland, Michigan; Henry C., living at Elgin, Illinois; Rebecca, wife of Arthur Wright, of Fenton, Michigan; Mrs. Lawson; and Rachel, the wife of Frank Sturt, of Pontiac. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson have had a family of seven children: Jennie G., the wife of Warren Decker, of Pon- tiac; Eugene F., also residing in Pontiac; Ada L., the wife of Albert Barton, of Detroit; Grace Lorena, widow of Ernest Campsall, of De- troit; William, who died in infancy; Frank O., living in Pontiac; and Bernice Leone, born April 9, 1900.
RALZEMOND ALLEN PARKER, practicing attorney of Detroit, Michi- gan since 1871, is the descendant of an old and honored family of Revolu- tionary stock, the advent of the family into this country dating back to 1639, in which year William Parker, the founder of the family in America, came from England and settled with Rev. Hooker's congregation in Hartford, Connecticut. His son removed to New Haven and his grand- sons occupied "Parker's Farms" in Wallingford, Connecticut, for years. Ezra Parker, the great-grandfather of the subject, born in Wallingford, and removed to North Adams, Massachusetts, in about 1771. He was a
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soldier, with the rank of orderly-sergeant, in the Revolutionary war, and was with Arnold on the expedition to Quebec in 1775. Later he was at Bennington and Saratoga (1777), still later, about 1798, he and the family removed to Oneida county, New York. His son, William M. Parker, settled with his family in Royal Oak, Michigan, in 1835, and his grandson, Asher B., the father of the subject, was then a member of William M. Parker's family.
Thus we have the family ancestry in a direct line from the first settle- ment of the Parkers in America down to the present day, a brief sum- mary of the descent being here given: William Parker, the founder of the family, located in Hartford; John, his son, of New Haven, Con- necticut ; Andrew, son of John, of Wallingford; Ezra, son of Andrew, of Wallingford and North Adams, Massachusetts; William, son of Ezra, of North Adams, Massachusetts, Sangersfield, Oneida county, New York, and Royal Oak, Michigan; Asher B., son of William, of Sangersfield, New York, and Royal Oak; Ralzemond Allen, son of Asher B. and sub- ject of this review, born in Genesee county, Michigan, in 1843; removed with his father to Royal Oak in 1844; and in 1872 located in Detroit, but has been a resident on the original farm in Royal Oak since 1909.
Asher B. Parker was the son of William M. and Lydia Gilbert ( Bull) Parker. The father was a farmer, and received an academic education in Waterville, New York. He was a member of the Universalist church, a Whig and later a Republican. He was justice of the peace of Royal Oak for eight years, highway commissioner for several terms and served as drain commissioner also. He married Harriet N. Castle, daughter of Heman and Nancy ( Wilmarth) Castle, both of New England ancestry and from Essex county, Vermont. The father, Heman Castle, was a gunner at Plattsburg in the War of 1812.
The education of Ralzemond A. Parker was received in the district schools of his early home, followed by an academic course in Birming- ham, a course in the normal at Ypsilanti and in the University of Michi- gan, from which he was graduated from the law department early in 1872. Since that date he has been engaged in the practice of his pro- fession. Mr. Parker served in the Civil war as a member of Company E (Normal county), Seventeenth Michigan Volunteer Infantry (Stone- wall Regiment), in 1862-3, in the First Brigade, First Division, Ninth Army Corps, under General Burnside. He was deputy county clerk of Oakland county from 1867 to 1869 and justice of the peace in Royal Oak from 1868 to 1874. He was senior member of the firm of Parker & Burton, of Detroit, from June, 1883, to October, 1911, Mr. Burton dying in October, 1911. Mr. Parker has received a national reputation as a patent lawyer, and as such has had many important cases. He has prac- ticed in all courts of the United States, and is a member of the State Supreme Court Bar and the United States Supreme Court Bar. He was a member of the Microscopic Club and its president in 1878. He was a member for many years and president of the Detroit Association of Charities for four years prior to 1907, and has taken an active part in the worthy labors of that organization. He is a member of Post No. 17, G. A. R., Detroit, Michigan, and a late member of the Council of Administration for the State of Michigan. He was a delegate to the National Encampment in 1884 and 1888, and at one time was chief mustering officer of the G. A. R. for the Department of Michigan, as well as judge advocate for the Department of Michigan. Mr. Parker
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is a Republican in his political affiliations and voted for Abraham Lin- coln for his first vote, 1864. He maintains no church membership.
In addition to being a comrade of the G. A. R., Mr. Parker is also a member of the Automobile Club of Detroit. For many years he has taken a great interest in that art and ran the first automobile between Pontiac and Flint in 1900, over the old Military highway. He is also a member of the Detroit Chamber of Commerce, and of the Engineers' Club of New York city.
In September 24, 1869, Mr. Parker was united in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Drake at Grand Blanc, Genesee county, Michigan. She is a daughter of Dr. Flemon and Clemma (Depue) Drake, early residents of Royal Oak. Her grandfather, Elijah Drake, was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and is buried in Royal Oak cemetery. Another ancestor was Colonel Sherbourne, a paymaster in the Revolutionary army, who was murdered near Peekskill, New York.
Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Parker, as follows : Marian Sara, born August 26, 1870, and died near Portland, Oregon, on January 16, 1909. She was a graduate of the civil engineering depart- ment of the University of Michigan in 1896. Mina L., was born on February 12, 1873; she married Edward Boshert, superintendent of manual training in the schools of Mt. Vernon, New York. Grace E., born November 17, 1876, librarian in the Detroit Public Library, lives at Royal Oak and is unmarried. Ralzemond Drake, born December 20, 1881, was graduated from the University of Michigan with the degree of M .S. and is now engaged as assistant professor of electrical engineer- ing in his Alma Mater.
CHARLES BRUDER. Among a number of fine farms in Oxford town- ship of this county that of Charles Bruder in section 17 draws the atten- tion of the passer-by by its improvements and appearance of neatness, sure indicators that the owner of the estate is a believer in advanced methods of agriculture and finds farming not only a business of profit but one of pleasure and real enjoyment as well.
Mr. Bruder is of staunch German descent. He was born in Presque Isle county, Michigan, April 24, 1872, the eldest son of John and Lottie Bruder. Both parents were born in Germany. They left the Father- land in 1863, immigrating to America and locating in Macomb county, Michigan, where the father followed farming for many years and where he still resides. The mother died in 1897. Besides Charles two other children were born to their union: Minnie, the eldest of the family and now the wife of Christopher Hent, of Mt. Clemens, Michigan, and Albert, deceased. By a previous marriage there was born to John Bruder a daughter, Lottie, now Mrs. Otto Gerrick, of Rogers City.
Mr. Bruder chose the vocation to which he had been reared, that of farming, and has followed it continuously to the present time. In 1905 he bought one hundred and thirty acres in section 17, Oxford township, and this forms the attractive homestead referred to in the opening of the sketch. While he gives no especial attention to any one line of agri- culture, all departments of his farm work receive thoughtful and able management and the result is a highly productive and profitable property, one that is a credit to his section and to the county.
On January 1, 1895, Mr. Bruder was married to Miss Cora Rose- crants, a daughter of Christopher (Right) and Samantha Rosecrants,
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both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Rosecrants were the parents of four children, namely: Minnie, the wife of Jefferson Davis, of Metamora, Michigan; Martha, now a resident of Orion, Michigan; Mrs. Bruder; and Jennie, now Mrs. H. Blackeeven, of Oakland county, Michigan.
In political affairs Mr. Bruder is affiliated with the Republican party. Fraternally he is identified with the Ancient Order of Gleaners and is past master of his lodge. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bruder are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and their integrity and worth as citizens have won for them a high position in the esteem of their community.
BYRON L. Cox. The Osler theory that a man is useless when he passes sixty has no weight with Byron L. Cox, who farms a large place in Oakland township and, although well past three score, feels no flagging energy. His regular life and steady employment have kept his muscles firm and his eye bright, and he possesses a vigor that would be envied by those ten or twenty years younger. Time has set its hand but lightly on his shoulder and he continues to work his farm with the same en- thusiasm as always.
Mr. Cox was born on a farm in section 34 of Oakland township, April 4, 1848, a son of Clark and Mary ( Wood) Cox. They both came from New York in 1840 and locating in Oakland county bought one hundred and sixty acres. He added to this from time to time so that when he died, in September, 1897, he owned over two hundred acres, practically all of which was well improved. His wife died February 14, 1908. Their three children were: Charlotte, who became the wife of Nelson M .Price, of Shelby, McComb county; Byron; and Susan Ann, who is deceased.
Until he was twenty-nine years old and married, Byron Cox remained with his father. When he launched out for himself he rented eighty acres for a year. His father retired then and went to live in Rochester, and Byron took charge of the home place. After his father's death he bought one hundred and forty-eight acres, which he still owns and operates. He married Tena Petty on March 20, 1877, and they have one child, Mary L., wife of George M. Thompson, of Rochester. Mrs. Cox's parents were William and Sarah (Smith) Petty, the former an old soldier. Both were natives of New Jersey and both are now deceased. Their family comprised eight children, of whom six are living. These latter are: Tena, wife of Byron Cox; Belle, Carrie, Eliza, Emma and Mary. The youngest children, Seth and Smith, have been claimed by death.
Mr. Cox is a Democrat politically. He belongs to the Masons and the A. O. F.
JOHN TIENKEN. Another of the agricultural citizens of Avon town- ship whose sterling character and industrious habits make his residence here a matter of congratulation to his neighbors is John Tienken, whose one hundred and twenty acres are located in sections 8 and 9. He comes of the worthy German stock which has contributed so much of brawn and brain to our young civilization. His parents, Henry and Meta Tien- ken, were both natives of Germany, who after coming across the seas and settling first in New York state had chosen a permanent home in
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Avon township. Henry Tienken was a thrifty farmer and his first prop- erty of one hundred acres was later increased to two hundred and forty. He has now retired from agricultural activities and occupies a pleasant home in Rochester. His sons and daughters included, besides the sub- ject of this review, the following: Anna, who is the wife of A. L. Ross; Etta, who is the wife of W. G. Lomson, of Denver, Colorado ; Henry, also of Avon township; and William, of Rochester. One son, George, is deceased.
John Tienken, the special subject of this biographical sketch, was born in the locality which is now his home, on January 29, 1864. His education was that of the common schools, supplemented by the practi- cal training of his home. Farming has been his vocation from his boy- hood and all of his life, with the exception of four years, has been spent upon the old homestead. His personal real estate consists of one hun- dred and twenty acres and he conducts a dairy business of considerable importance. His stock is of the best for this purpose and his methods of handling it and the products he turns out are of the most approved sort. For thirteen years Mr. Tienken has supplied milk to leading Detroit dealers. Inspection of his fine barns has long been a pleasure to all who are interested in cattle and dairies. He has within a com- paratively recent time erected his second large barn, at a cost of $3,000. All of his land is excellently fenced with cement posts and wire.
The marriage of Mr. Tienken occurred on March 16, 1898, his chosen companion being Anna Stall, daughter of John and Mary Stall. Mr. and Mrs. Tienken are the parents of five children, namely: Clarence Jacob, Etta May, Cora L. and Clara Belle. Florence, who was third in line, passed in her childhood to the other and invisible life.
The church allegiance of the Tienken family is given to the organiza- tion of the Congregational denomination of this locality. In political affairs John Tienken is a loyal Democrat. The family homestead is located on Rural Route Number Two.
OSCAR J. SNYDER. When it is stated that Oscar J. Snyder is a repre- sentative of the third generation of the Snyder family in Addison town- ship of this county and has himself passed the fifty-seventh milestone of life's journey, it will be readily understood that the name he bears is one which has been identified with the history of this section for many years. It is indeed a pioneer family, having been established here in 1833, when Dennes Snyder, the grandfather of Oscar J., removed to this state from New Jersey.
The original progenitor of this family in America was the father of Dennes Snyder, who was born in Germany and came to this country near the close of the colonial period, being but a lad at the time of his immigration from the Fatherland. On his arrival in New York, he was sold to a resident of New Jersey to pay his passage money, and remained with this party until he had earned enough to cancel his in- denture. After severing those connections he worked for himself, event- ually married, and became a permanent resident of New Jersey. He was one of fifteen thousand militiamen ordered out during Washing- ton's second administration to subdue the rioters in western Penn- sylvania who were refusing to pay the government tax on the manu- facture of whiskey, and while on this service he contracted a cold, from the effects of which he died. A wife and three children, Dennes, Jacob
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and a daughter, were left in destitute circumstances, in consequence of which the mother bound out her two sons, the conditions of their indenture being that upon attaining their majority each should be given a horse and saddle and one hundred dollars in money. Jacob disap- peared a short time before his freedom was due and was lost track of by his family.
Dennes Snyder was born in Warren county, New Jersey, February I, 1788, and was reared by Captain Abram Axford, to whom he had been bound and with whom he remained until twenty-one years of age, when Captain Axford fulfilled his part of his contract. He received but a limted education and his life was one of common toil from boy- hood until of age. He continued to be employed as a farm hand until his marriage, on February 14, 1813, to Miss Sally Gulick, when he settled on a farm in New Jersey and for twenty years continued to be engaged independently in agricultural pursuits. On May 30, 1829, after sixteen years of happy companionship, his wife died, leaving to his care seven children, the youngest of whom was but two years of age, while the eldest daughter had barely reached her eleventh birthday. These children were: Christopher, who was born December 20, 1813, and died March 27, 1831; Cornelius, born December 9, 1815; Mary Ann, who was born July 30, 1818, and became Mrs. Edward J. Boice; Jacob, the father of our subject, whose birth occurred September 18, 1820; Hannah, born November 11, 1822, who became the wife of Levi H. Bell; Abram A., born December 9, 1824; and Dennes, Jr., who was born March 13, 1827. The father cared for his children as best he could until August, 1830, when Miss Mary A. Gulick became his wife and helpmeet. She also preceded her husband in death, having passed away on March 30, 1861.
On May 20, 1833, Dennes Snyder and his family, accompanied by a sister of his second wife, left New Jersey for a new home in Michi- gan. Their journey from Buffalo to Detroit was by voyage on the schooner Commodore Perry, and after a twelve days' sail they landed at Detroit on June 20. Three days' travel by means of an ox team brought them to their destination, the home of John S. Axford, in what afterward became Addison township, Oakland county. Shortly after- ward he became established on his own land in section 33, his being the third family to settle in that neighborhood. The undeveloped con- dition of the country and the roads of that period placed him four miles distant from his nearest neighbor. He had been influenced in choosing his location by the excellent water afforded by numerous springs in that vicinity, near some of which he hastily constructed a log house, without doors or windows, and with a blanket as a protection at the opening. Their cooking was done out of doors and in the most primi- tive fashion. With the help of his three elder sons he cleared twelve acres of forest land and seeded it that fall. A more substantial log cabin was also completed by November of that year, about the time of the great meteoric shower, which phenomenon was interpreted by the superstitious as a sign of the dissolution of material things. However, a more practical view of the matter was taken by a workman on Mr. Snyder's house, who shouted, "Get up, get up! and see the stars shoot- ing. It will be as cold as Greenland tomorrow." The cold, stormy sea- son which followed causing much discomfort and suffering among the settlers, proved the truth of his prediction. Mr. Snyder entered promi- Vol. II-10
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nently into the life of the community, assisted in the organization of Addison township, held various township offices, and as road commis- sioner helped to locate all the roads of the township. The utmost hon- esty and integrity characterized his dealings with his fellow-men, and in times of need or distress he was ever ready to lend a helping hand to other early settlers who located in his neighborhood. It is said of him that he never accepted more than the legal rate for loans and was in- clined to be lenient rather than oppressive in matters of payment. He died September 8, 1872.
Jacob Snyder, the father of Oscar J., was born in Warren county, New Jersey, September 18, 1820, and was a lad of thirteen years at the time the family took up their abode in Michigan. The place and period permitted the acquirement of but a very limited education, but being of a serious and studious turn he largely overcame the deficiencies of his early training by self-study at home. The boy grew up familiar with the conditions of pioneer farming in Michigan and took up the same vocation as his life work, gradually acquiring valuable holdings, on which he placed good, substantial improvements. He was married on June 15, 1848, to Mary Elizabeth Dodder, who was born January 17, 1829, in Sussex county, New Jersey, and was a daughter of Peter Dodder, a pioneer settler of Addison township. Seven children were born to them: Henry H., who died at the age of seventeen, in the army; Margaret Ann, the wife of Jerome F. Arnold, of Addison town- ship; Oscar J., whose name introduces this review; Sarah E., deceased, who married Walter Van Wagoner; George E., a resident of Oakland township; Almira, who became the wife of George Dewey, of Oakland township; and Ella M., the wife of Elmer Price. Both parents are deceased, the father having passed away in May, 1912, and the mother in August, 1896.
Oscar J. Snyder was born February 10, 1855, and has spent his entire life in the township of his birth. Here he attended the district schools and continued a member of the parental household until twenty- five years of age. At that time he entered into independent ownership of land when he bought one hundred and sixty acres, and subsequently added to it by purchase until his holdings now aggregate two hundred and twenty acres, all in Addison township and located in sections 20 and 21. He does general farming and is extensively engaged in feed- ing and shipping cattle. On his place are to be seen a greater number of commodious and substantial buildings for the care of stock and the general conduct of his business than on any other farm in this town- ship.
His wife was Miss Frances Braid before her marriage, a daughter of John Braid and a sister of Edward Braid. To Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have been born three children, namely: Mabel, now Mrs. Frederick Berdsley, of Oakland county; Russell, deceased; and Florence, who is at home with her parents.
Mr. Snyder is a Republican and has taken a prominent part in the local political affairs of his party. He is the present supervisor of Addison township, which office he is filling for the third time, his first service having been for four years, the second period for one year, and he has now served two years of his third term. He has also served as highway commissioner. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in every respect are upholding the prestige of the family name for true worth and good citizenship.
So . Richardson
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PETER B. BROMLEY. It is said that the poet is born, not made, but the successful lawyer has to be both born and made-made by close application, earnest effort, by perseverance and resolute purpose. The abilities with which nature has endowed him must be strengthened and developed by use, and only by merit can the lawyer gain a permanent position. One of Pontiac's most gifted and well-known lawyers is Peter B. Bromley, who is the present city attorney. Mr. Bromley is a native son of Oakland county and of that type which the county is particularly glad to claim as its own. The date upon which his life record began was February 27, 1862, his parents being Andrew J. and Sarah P. (Brewster) Bromley, both natives of Michigan. The father' was a farmer throughout the course of his life and his demise occurred in the subject's early youth. The mother survived for a considerable num- ber of years, her demise coming in December, 1909. Mr. Bromley has one brother, Byron C., a retired agriculturist now living in Armada, Michigan.
Like the majority of his generation, Mr. Bromley took his first draughts at the "Pierian Spring" behind a desk in the public school room of Pontiac and in course of time finished its higher department. His first adventures in the role of wage-earner were in the capacity of schoolteacher, and he continued his pedagogical endeavors for some two or three years, meanwhile, however, devoting his spare moments to the reading of law. He first attacked his Blackstone in the office of D. L. Davis, receiving valuable instruction from Judge Taft, of Pontiac. He was admitted to the bar in 1884 and admitted to practice before the United States circuit court in January, 1888. He has ever since been engaged in practice in Pontiac and his appointment to the office of city attorney was in recognition of his standing at the bar, for he is emi- nently qualified by professional experience and success and integrity of character for the high place he holds and to which he has been ap- pointed on several occasions. He also held the office of circuit court commissioner for some six years.
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