USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests Volume II > Part 25
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JOSEPH REESE. If history teaches by example, the lessons inculcated by biography must be still more impressive. We see exhibited in the varieties of human character, under different circumstances, something to instruct us in our duty and to encourage our efforts under every emer- gency. And, perhaps, there is no concurrence of events which produce this effect more certainly than the steps by which distinction has been ac- quired through the unaided efforts of youthful enterprise, as illustrated in the career of Joseph Reese, for many years one of the leading agri- culturists of Independence township, but now living retired in Clarkston. Joseph Reese was the seventh child of John and Alice Reese, and was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, December 8, 1839. His father, John Reese, was a farmer in Wales, but believing there were greater oppor- tunities in America, in 1853 came to the United States, locating on a small farm near Cleveland. In a short time, learning of the fine land in Michigan, he came to Oakland county, and, selecting an ideal spot in Springfield township, purchased one hundred and sixty acres there, though part of this land lay in Independence township. He remained on this place a number of years, when he sold to his sons Joseph and David Reese, and returned to Bedford, Ohio, where he died at the home of a daughter. John Reese was the father of seven sons and three daughters: Rebecca, who remained in Ohio, being the wife of Simon Orchid; James, a farmer near Bedford; John, a former farmer of Michigan, who re- moved to Kansas a number of years ago and is now living retired in Topeka, while one of his sons is still a farmer in Springfield township, Oakland county ; William, who came to Oakland county, engaged in farming, and died forty-five years ago; Nathaniel, who is a ship car-
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penter ; Alice, who died near Cleveland, Ohio, soon after coming to America ; Joseph ; Elizabeth, who married Richard Orchid, of Bedford, Ohio, brother of her sister's husband, Simon Orchid; Martha, who be- came the wife of William Knox, a farmer in Springfield township; and David, who was in partnership with his brother Joseph until his death several years ago.
Joseph Reese earned his first wages driving a canal boat team in Ohio, but after two years of this labor decided to engage in farming, and joined his father in Oakland county. In company with his brother David he soon purchased the old home place, operating it for about six years when they sold out and purchased the old Howe farm, a tract of 220 acres in Independence township, to which they later added seventy-three acres. They continued this partnership until the long association was broken by the death of David Reese, while Joseph still retains the original farm, besides some village property in Clarkston, including his present splendid home.
Mr. Reese has been thrice married, his first wife being Miss Anna Daniel, whom he married in February, 1864, and who died in 1886. He married (second) Hettie Jefferson, of Tyron, Livingston county, who died in July, 1905. The present Mrs. Reese was Christina Allen, the widow of L. W. Allen, to whom she was married May 12, 1864. Mr. Allen formerly resided in Brandon and about 1876 bought the general store of Esidor Jossman, at Clarkston. He died September 22, 1888, having some time previously retired from business. Mrs. Reese was the daughter of James Bruce and Anna (Gairns) Bruce, of Scotland, the former of whom died about twenty-four years ago in Almont, Michigan. Mrs. Allen's only child, Luella, is the wife of Dr. Harry DeWar, and has one daughter, Christine. Dr. DeWar for upwards of twenty years has practiced in Grand Rapids. He is a member of a family of cele- brated physicians, having a brother practicing in Windsor, Canada, and another in Grand Rapids.
Mr. Reese took an active part in the work of the Maccabees for a long time, but owing to the loss of his eyesight. gave up all official con- nections some three years ago.
JOHN MAYBEE owns and operates a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres in Independence township, Oakland county, Michigan, the same being eligibly located two miles distant from the village of Clarks- ton. He was formerly engaged in the breeding of high-grade cattle but he now devotes the major portion of his time and attention to general farming, making a specialty of growing beans and potatoes. As a citi- zen he is deeply interested in all that affects the general welfare of the community in which he resides and his loyalty and public spirit have ever been of the most insistent order.
John Maybee was born on the farm he now owns, February 25, 1859, and he is a son of Jesse D. and Martha (Beardslee) Maybee, the former of whom was a son of John and Malinda (Beardslee) Maybee. John Maybee, grandfather of the subject of this review, was a farmer in New Jersey, where he married Malinda Beardslee and whence he came to Michigan in 1828. He located, with his family, on a farm of two hun- dred and forty acres in Independence township. He lived and died on that estate, his demise having occurred in 1898, at the patriarchal age of ninety-three years. He and his wife were the parents of two children, Vol. II-12
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namely,-Jesse and Robert, the latter of whom died in infancy. Jesse Maybee remained at home with his father until the latter's death, when he inherited the entire homestead of two hundred and forty acres. He died in 1898, aged sixty-nine years, and his wife, who survived him for a number of years, passed away in 1906, at seventy-two years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Maybee had five children, concerning whom the following brief data are here incorporated,-Sarah Alena married E. G. Robbins, a former business man of the village of Waterford, and she has two children, Homer, pursuing the Latin scientific course in the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and Mabel, who is the wife of Charles Sink, business manager and secretary of the Conservatory of Music at Ann Arbor ; Linda died at the age of eight years; John is the immediate subject of this review ; Belle married J. R. Jones, now a re- tired business man at Holly, Michigan; and Mary became the wife of Nolton Bigelow, of Davisburg, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow have two children, Fred and Jessie, the former of whom is a specialist in the diseases of the ear, nose and throat at Boston, Massachusetts, where he has charge of that department in one of the large hospitals. The old homestead was divided between John and Sarah, while another farm of Mr. Maybee's passed into the hands of Mary and Belle.
John Maybee was reared to maturity on the old homestead which he now owns. His educational training was obtained in the public schools of Independence township. As a young man he engaged in the mercan- tile business with his brother-in-law, J. R. Jones, at Holley, Michigan, continuing to be identified with that line of enterprise for a period of two years, at the expiration of which he returned to the farm and en- gaged in the breeding of Herfords. He was a breeder for about twelve years and was so successful that at one time he took first prize on a herd exhibited at the state fair in Pontiac. For some time he has been en- gaged in diversified agriculture, devoting considerable time to the rais- ing of beans and potatoes. In 1911 he bought his sister Sarah's share of the parental estate and now owns the entire farm, which is one of the finest in Oakland county.
On December 5, 1893, Mr. Maybee was united in marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Cramer, of Pontiac. She is a daughter of George and Lydia Cramer. Concerning the three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Maybee, William, engaged in the grocery business at Pontiac, graduated from the Detroit Business College and married Miss Beatrice Stewart, of Pontiac ; James R., is attending high school at Pontiac; and Fay is a popular and successful teacher in the public schools of Pontiac. She was graduated in the Ann Arbor high school and in the State Normal University at Ypsilanti, Michigan. In their religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Maybee are devout members of the Presbyterian church, in which he is elder and clerk, in 1912. Formerly he was treasurer of the church. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of the World and with the Grange. In politics he is a liberal Republican.
LAWRENCE C. CLARK. The name of Clark is a well known one throughout Oakland county, but is probably best known in Independence township, where it belongs to a pioneer family, the founders of which also established the town of Clarkston. Its members have been instru- mental in advancing the interests in the section, have been prominent in its industrial, agricultural and commercial life, and have been recognized
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for many years as being among its leading citizens. Prominent among the Clarks in Independence township is Lawrence C. Clark, a man who in his long lifetime spent in this county has lived to see it grow from a waste of prairie, timber and wilderness into a wonderfully fertile farm- ing community, dotted here and there with busy little villages and cities devoted to manufacture and commercial enterprise.
Nelson W. Clark, founder of Clarkston, and great-uncle of Lawrence C. Clark, came from New York state with his brother, Jeremiah, in 1837, and in the year 1839 erected the old mill at Clarkston that is still stand- ing and in operation, giving mute evidence to the thoroughness with which its builder did his work. The brothers were partners in the en- terprise, building the dam and developing the water power, and operated the structure as a sawmill, grist mill and later as a carding mill, in addi- tion to which they dealt extensively in produce. As time went on they accumulated much valuable land, and Nelson, the younger of the broth- ers, eventually engaged in a fish hatchery business at Northville, which he developed to large proportions, and in the conducting of which he continued until his death. He had formerly operated a hatchery on a smaller scale at Clarkston, which village he and his brother laid out, and also had a small hatchery at the depot, two and one-half miles from the village, but succeeded in inducing the government to take over the man- agement of these when he removed to Northville. Jeremiah Clark spent his last days in Clarkston, where he passed away as a comparatively young man in 1847 or 1848, having been the father of four sons and a daughter : Edwin G., the father of Lawrence C .; Washington, who died as a young man ; Milton, a well-known merchant of Clarkston, where he died; Newton, who also passed away in Clarkston ; and Phebe, who married Dr. Abbey, a physician in Clarkston for upwards of a half a century, whose son, Blanchard Abbey, is now a resident of Pontiac.
Edwin G. Clark was born in New York state, and as a boy assisted his father in conducting a bakery in Detroit. In about 1838 or 1839 he accompanied his parents to Clarkston, and subsequently located on a farm about three miles northwest of the village, where he developed an excellent property. In late life he returned to the vilage and retired from active pursuits, and here his death occurred in 1908, at the ad- vanced age of ninety-three years. He was married in Detroit to Miss Mary Lyon, a native of England, and she died in 1887, at the age of seventy-two years, having been the mother of the following children : Washington, who lived in Independence township, Oakland county, and died at the age of sixty-eight years ; Lawrence C .; Mary, who died single at an advanced age ; Lovinia, the widow of James Harris, and now living in Clarkston ; Fidelia, who died in young womanhood; and Helen, who passed away as a child.
Lawrence C. Clark was born in Southfield township, Oakland county, but was reared to manhood in Independence township, and remained at home until he was twenty-six years of age. At that time he was married to Miss Eliza Smith, March 1I, 1868, she having been born in Independ- ence township, August 22, 1847, daughter of Nicholas and Mary (Phillips) Smith, the latter a sister of Theodore S. Phillips, one of Inde- pendence township's leading citizens. Mrs. Clark's brother, the Hon. Samuel Smith, is the member of Congress from this district. Nicholas Smith was born in Chili, New York, and for many years was engaged in business in Clarkston.
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For the six years following his marriage Mr. Clark worked on the old homestead, and at that time purchased a property of his own, located two miles northwest of Clarkston, a tract of 160 acres which he cleared and developed, erecting buildings and making modern improvements, and cultivating it into one of the best properties in the township. On this land he resided until 1910, since which time he has lived in retire- ment. During his lifetime Mr. Clark has accumulated a considerable competence, the wild, uncultivated land that promised so little when he purchased it becoming enhanced in value as the years have passed, and various shrewd business ventures having turned out profitably. Al- though not a politician, he takes a decided interest in current events, is a man of great public spirit, greatly beloved by those who know him, and his long and busy life has been crowned by success. Hospitable and genial, there is always a place at his table and hearth for the stranger within his gates, and he has ever been ready to assist those who have been less forunate than he.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark's two daughters, Alice M. and Lizzie D., both died in infancy, but to take their place has come Glen, the little son of Bert Goodrich, who has been largely reared by the venerable couple, and whose little life has so entwined itself with theirs that they have come to regard the child almost as their own. Bert Goodrich was for a number of years a resident of the old Clark farm as a tenant, and when Mr. Clark purchased his present property he came to take charge of the operations. A reliable, enterprising and progressive young agriculturist, he is popular throughout this district, and has shown his ability as a busi- ness man and his public spirit as a citizen. He married Miss Grace Wiles, and they have three children: Glen, aged six years; and two daughters, Lucille and Agnes.
DAVID MILLER. For more than three-quarters of a century mem- bers of the Miller family have been inseparably connected with the agricultural interests of Oakland county, Michigan, where they have always been known as men of the highest integrity and principle, and one of the leading representatives of the name is found in David Miller, who until a few years ago was recognized as one of the foremost farm- ers of Independence township, and is now living somewhat retired after a long life of useful endeavor. Mr. Miller was born on a farm three miles east of his present property in Independence township, November 22, 1840, and is a son of George and Mary (Smith) Miller, natives of Chili, New York, where the former was born October 26, 1801, and the latter April 16, 1803.
In 1835 the parents of Mr. Miller, with their four children, came to Michigan and settled on the farm on which David was born, a tract in the timberland in sections 14 and 15. Here the father, assisted by his eldest son, settled down to make a home for his family, clearing and cultivating the land, erecting good substantial buildings from the timber which he cut down, and making improvements of various kinds that trans- formed the tract into as fine a farm as could be found in the township. Although no churchman, George Miller was known as an honest, up- right, industrious citizen, ready to help those less fortunate then he and contributing to movements for the benefit of his community. His whole life was spent in improving his land, and his death occurred on the farm May 9, 1881, when he was nearly eighty years old. his widow
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surviving him some years and attaining nearly ninety years of age, dying July 23, 1891. Of their six children, one daughter died at the age of seventeen years; Hannah, who married Erasmus Sherwood, died two years later; Ann, who married Edward McGonigle, died in this town- ship; George died at the age of four years; Samuel, who passed away February 3, 1909, at the age of eighty-three years, in Springfield town- ship, Oakland county, where he had extensive farming interests, married (first) Catherine Houser and (second), Elsie Measmeall; and David.
The early education of David Miller was secured in the primitive subscription schools of his native vicinity, and when he had reached his majority was given an eighty acre farm as a reward for his long years of faithful work with his father. He continued to reside on the home place, however, working with his father and also clearing his own tract, which he later exchanged for a farm of 220 acres. On March 9, 1864, he was married to Miss Francis Beardslee, and a year later purchased the farm of his wife's father, who had died the year before, paying $500 to each of nine heirs. This tract of 220 acres had been secured from the government by Mrs. Miller's uncle, John Beardslee, a bachelor, who made his home with her parents. David Miller added to this farm from time to time until it consisted of 576 acres, paying as high as fifty dollars per acre, and a great deal of this he cleared. During the early days he sold potatoes at twelve cents a bushel, and in one week during the Civil war hauled wheat to Pontiac and sold it from two dollars and a half to three dollars a bushel, thus gaining enough money to pay off a mortgage of $2,300, with interest at ten per cent, that was contracted while with his father and brother. Reared a poor boy, and taught the value of economy, he had also ingrained in him an appreciation of the benefits to be derived from system. He erected new and substantial buildings, and in his barn had a vegetable cellar large enough to allow a wagon to drive in. In addition to potato growing he devoted twenty or more acres to rutabagas, with which he also had considerable success, and eventually developed into a general farmer, raising great crops of grain and breeding fine livestock and draft horses. Three years ago, when he was compelled to give up active pursuits on account of failing health, he held the largest auction sale ever known in this part of Oak- land county, and when he had disposed of his interests moved to his present home one-half mile east of the village of Clarkston. Mr. Miller is a Republican in politics, but has never cared for public life, although he takes an interest in all matters pertaining to the welfare of his com- munity.
When he was twenty-four years of age Mr. Miller was married to Miss Frances Beardslee, the nineteen-year old daughter of Captain Wil- liam and Lavina (Munson) Beardslee, who lived two miles distant. Captain Beardslee was born March 2, 1797, and his wife, January 26, 1804, both in New Jersey, and were married in the historic old North Church, in Sussex county, New Jersey, which is still standing, and which was recently visited by Mr. Miller's daughter. The old Munson home- stead, at Franklin, New Jersey, is also still standing and is in an excel- lent state of preservation. Mr. and Mrs. Beardsley came to Michigan in 1830, and first settled in the woods, on the bank of Silver Lake, Mr. Beardslee packing provisions on his back to that point from Detroit, and the young couple experiencing all the hardships and privations of pioneer life. Subsequently, however, they moved to the farm which had been
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secured by Captain Beardslee's brother, John, from the government, and there William Beardslee died in April, 1865, while his widow survived him many years and made her home with her daughter and son-in-law. Of Mr. and Mrs. Miller's children, three were sons and three daughters, as follows : George W., who since his grandmother's death has been oper- ating the old home farm and is known as one of the leading agriculturists of Independence township; Edmund J., who carries on farming close to Clarkson; Anna, who married George Fleming, a farmer on the homestead of Mr. Miller ; Gertrude, who married Fred Stewart, a farmer in Waterford township; Mary, who died at the age of seventeen years; and Samuel, who died in 1905, in his twenty-third year, having spent his life on the farm of his father.
It is doubtful if there are many residents of Independence township who have spent so long a period of years within its limits, and certainly there are none more highly esteemed or who merit more the regard in which they are held. During his career Mr. Miller has seen many mar- velous changes take place. The rude, wild, unyielding land has given way to well-ordered, fertile fields, yielding a golden tribute for the labor expended upon them; the forests have been cleared away and in their place the towering spires of innumerable buildings rear their peaks to the skies. Change has followed change in such rapid order as to almost bewilder the onlooker, yet through it all Mr. Miller has borne his share of the development, of the advancement, of the general progress. His work, and that of other citizens who lived during the pioneer days, can never be fully appreciated by those of the younger generations, but they should be given the due respect and esteem for the earnest labors that have made modern conditions possible and without which the onward march of civilization could not have proceeded.
EDWIN V. ALLISON. Among Pontiac's successful business men is one who is following in the footsteps of his father in conducting the establishment that the latter founded. Edwin V. Allison purchased the jewelry store of his father and is now operating it. The father had bought out his brother sixty-three years ago, so that the jewelry house of Allison dates back to the early days and has no peers in regard to succession in the same relationship.
Edwin V. Allison is a native of the city which is his home. He was born in October, 1864. His father, Henry E. Allison, was born in On- ondaga county, New York, and after coming to Michigan met the lady who afterward became his wife, Miss Irene Rhoades, a native of the state. For nineteen years the senior Allison followed farming with profit, and at the end of that time he came to Pontiac and purchased the jewelry store of his brother. That was in 1849, and Mr. Allison remained its proprietor until 1887, when he retired on account of ill health, and his son purchased the establishment. The senior Allison died in 1901 and his wife followed in 1904. Their six children are all living : Henri D., the eldest, is a practicing lawyer at Seattle, Washing- ton; Edwin V. lives in Pontiac and is a jeweler; Bertha I. is the wife of Ben F. Stevens, of Los Angeles, California ; Mary L. is the wife of Fred C. Howland, of Pasadena, California; John R. is a jeweler at Prosser, Washington ; and Frank B. resides at Detroit and is a physician.
Edwin V. Allison made quite a record in his scholastic days, graduat- ing from the high school at the age of seventeen. In the same year he
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entered the store with his father and learned the jeweler's trade. Five years later, when the opportunity came to acquire the business, he was fully equipped and ready to accept it. He has conducted the store ever since and has made a success in every way. He owns the building in which it is located, also his residence, and in addition has a summer home at Cass Lake.
Before her marriage Mrs. E. V. Allison was Miss Georgia Bowlby. Her parents were Charles C. and Lucy A. (Clark) Bowlby. Her mar- riage to Mr. Allison was solemnized on May 25, 1887. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Allison were: Mary, widow of Lewis M. Morgan, of Pontiac township; Helen, deceased, who was the wife of John Buchner, of Oakland county; Orcelia, wife of John Whitesell, of Pontiac; and Frank, of Pontiac. Mr. and Mrs. Allison were the parents of two chil- dren. Tacy Irene was born September 29, 1889, and Edwinna on May 25, 1902.
Mr. Allison attends the Presbyterian church. His lodges are those of the Masons and the Knights of Pythias, and his political preference is for the tenets of the Republican party.
HENRY M. JACKSON. Probably no other couple in Pontiac have as large an immediate relationship as Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Jackson, for in Mr. Jackson's family there were eleven brothers and sisters, while that of his wife's parents comprised an even dozen children. They de- scended from residents of Great Britain, coming on Mr. Jackson's side from England and on that of his wife from Ireland.
John and Mary (Buff) Jackson were the parents of Henry M. The father was a native of Derbyshire and the mother of Lincolnshire, Eng- land. The senior Jackson was born in 1806 and came to America in 1827, when he had just attained his majority, locating in Butternut, New York. He learned the trade of wagon making in England, but in this country went into cattle raising, and bought and shipped for some years. Then he went to Albany and engaged in the butcher business. He removed to Akron, Ohio, and for some time operated a powder mill, giving this up to locate in Michigan in 1839. He chose Mt. Clemens in McComb county for his home, and buying a first-class farm operated it for a long time. He had retired prior to his death in 1893. Mrs. Jackson died in 1883. Their family consisted of the following: Thomas, who was killed in the army at the Culpepper skirmish; Elizabeth, widow of Horace Whitney, of Washington, Michigan; Daniel, who died in childhood; Henry M., of Pontiac; George, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Chickamauga during the Civil war, and who died in Andersonville prison; Hannah, deceased, wife of John H. Cary, of Flint, Michigan ; William A., of Muskegon; Frances, deceased; Helen, of Pontiac, widow of William Leland; and the two youngest children, who died in infancy.
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