USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests Volume II > Part 36
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56
Hiram C. Hadden, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Oakland county, December 5, 1837, and on December 28, 1859. married Elizabeth Cole, daughter of John and Sidna Cole, mentioned above. Mrs. Hadden was born July 11, 1840, in New Jersey, and was brought by her parents to Oakland county when she was nine years of age. They became the parents of six children, five of whom are still living. Besides Marshall T., the youngest, and the subject of this sketch, Edgar Ray lives near Rochester; Hiram E. is a resident of Ma- comb county : Lewis, of Pontiac, Michigan ; and John I., of Troy. Charles, the eldest, is deceased. Mr. Hadden, the subject's father, has farmed all his life, and is at present the owner of 160 acres in Oakland township, section 24. He attends the Methodist church, and politically is an independent.
Mr. M. T. Hadden, the subject of this sketch, married Minnie Odessa Davis January 24, 1907. Mrs. Hadden was born February 7, 1889, in Oakland county, and is the daughter of James H. and Jennie (Goodi- son) Davis. She is a graduate of the Rochester high school. Her fa- Vol. 11-17
752
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
ther was born in Canada, March 4, 1863, and moved to Michigan in 1882, now making his home in Rochester. He is a staunch Republican. Mrs. Davis is a native of Oakland county, and was born there July 23, 1868. Their marriage was consummated June 5, 1888, at Pontiac, Oak- land county, and from their union have been born two children, Glen- wood, born November 10, 1891, and Minnie Odessa, the wife of the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Hadden has an English strain in her blood from her paternal grandparents, John Davis, who was born at Bed- ford, Devonshire, England, November 12, 1832, and his wife, Elizabeth (Snow) Davis, who was born in England December 12, 1834. Mr. Davis was taken to Canada, however, while still a child, and in 1859 his marriage with Miss Snow took place there. They became the parents of eight children. A Republican and a Baptist, Mr. Davis spent most of his life on a farm. He later came to Waterford, Oakland county, where he died December 30, 1908.
Mrs. Hadden's maternal grandparents, James and Elizabeth (Lan- sing) Goodison, were natives of New Jersey, and are now residing at Goodison, Oakland county. Mr. Goodison was born December 25, 1839, and Mrs. Goodison, January 24, 1846. They were married in New Jersey December 24, 1863, and have had five children. Mr. Goodison carried on two occupations, operating both a mill and a farm for a great many years, but is now retired. He fought in the Civil war, enlist- ing as a soldier in the Thirty-first New Jersey Regiment. He is a Re- publican and a Methodist.
JONATHAN J. CLACK. Among the prominent farmers of Oakland county who through their unaided exertions and the exercise of per- severance and sound judgment, without any or with but limited capital to aid them in starting, have nevertheless attained positions of influ- ence and prosperity, mention is deserved by Jonathan J. Clack, who has so directed his efforts that today he ranks as probably the largest in- dividual landholder in Addison township and as one of the most sub- stantial farmers of the county.
He entered upon his independent career in 1862, at the age of seven- teen, when he rented a farm and began the activity that has subsequently made him a man of wealth. For a few years he remained a renter and by industry and frugality accumulated the capital for his first purchase of land, which was in 1887, the tract consisting of ninety-six acres. As the years have passed he has bought more land from time to time until today he is the owner of 1,120 acres, 271 acres of which lie in Lapeer county and the remainder in Oakland county. General farming and stockraising have been Mr. Clack's avenues of business, but his interests have received the most able management and careful supervision, and energy, push, and ability are the qualities of character that have formed the basis of his success.
Jonathan J. Clack was born in Addison township, Oakland county, Michigan, December 2, 1844, the only son of James and Mary Ann (Butler) Clack to reach maturity. Both parents were natives of Eng- land, but immigrated from their native isle to America in 1838, locat- ing in Addison township, Oakland county, Michigan, on land they took up from the government. Here both remained residents for over half a century, highly respected for their worth and personal character. The father died in November, 1884, and the mother in 1898. Seven chil-
753
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
dren came to their union, as follows: Sarah and Emma, deceased; Eliza- beth, the widow of John Brook and now a resident of Oxford, Michi- gan; Eliza, deceased; Jonathan J., of this review; Mary Jane, who re- sides in Lapeer county, Michigan, and is the widow of Joseph Lee; and James, who died in infancy.
Mr. Clack was reared and educated in this his native county. On January 1, 1872, he wedded Miss Ellen Lee, a daughter of Thomas and Martha (Remnant) Lee, both of her parents also having been born in England. The mother died on her native isle in 1848 and in 1861 the father came to America, locating, in 1865, in Oakland county, Michi- gan, where he resided until his death in 1879. Thomas and Martha Lee were the parents of eight children, namely: Thomas, Martha and George, deceased; Mary, a resident of England; Ruth, of Saginaw county, Michigan, who is the widow of Francis Law; Joseph, deceased; Mrs. Clack; and the youngest child, which died an infant. Ten children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Clack; Minnie, the wife of Frank Ellwell, of Addison township; Joseph A., at home; Jennie, now Mrs. Norman Cowan, of Lapeer county; James, a resident of Oak- land county ; Mary, residing with her parents; Ida Belle, who married Frederick Blow and resides in Genesee county, Michigan; Emma, the wife of Clare Murphy, of Lawton, Van Buren county, Michigan; Her- bert, of Detroit; George and Lee, both at the parental home.
Mr. Clack is a Republican in political views but has never taken an active part in party affairs or sought office. In early life he be- came a member of the Baptist church, while the religious sympathies of Mrs. Clack are with the established church of her native country, the Episcopal denomination. Oakland county numbers Mrs. Clack among those of its citizens who are ably upholding its prestige as an agricultural county.
MARK HAGERMAN is the owner of one of the fine farms of his native township of Addison and is recognized as one of the progressive agriculturists and successful stockgrowers of this section. He is also a scion of one of Oakland county's old and honored families, the pres- tige of whose name he is well upholding.
The making of history in that section of this county now known as Addison township was begun with the advent of settlers along in the early '30s of the nineteenth century. One among the first to locate there was William Hagerman, the grandfather of Mark, who received a patent from the government for 560 acres of land, which he located in section 4, Addison township, in 1833, being at that time and for many years thereafter the largest land owner in the township. This original homestead has remained in the family possession now nearly eighty years, the present owner and resident being our subject. Wil- liam Hagerman located in the midst of a timber tract and hastily erected on his land a building that would suffice for his immediate needs and protection. It did not, however, secure him from the annoyance of myriads of mosquitoes that harbored in the wooded recesses and in- vaded the cabins of the settlers during the warm summer months. They resorted to various means to repel the pests, one method being to smoke them out of the house by means of a smudge built in an iron kettle, which remedy, however, was about as severe as the affliction. To guard against them Mr. Hagerman slept in his covered wagon
754
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
bed, raised several feet from the ground, and with the covering drawn down tight. By the fall of 1833 he had accomplished the clearing and seeding to wheat of fifteen acres of his land, and by the following spring he had built a good log house. At that time there were still remain- ing in this section a number of Indians, a neighbor of Mr. Hager- man's being Chief-Tuck-a-toe, who with his tribe lived on the west side of the lake. Mr. Hagerman was on friendly terms with these In- dians and often employed them to assist him in the work of the farm. William Hagerman was born in Upper Mount Bethel township, North- ampton county, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1802, the second in a fam- ily of two sons and four daughters born to Francis and Anna Hager- man. In 1833, on his first trip to Michigan, he was accompanied by his father and together they acquired by patent and by purchase the whole of section 14 and the west half of the southwest quarter of section 13. By the purchase of his father's interests the following summer William became the sole owner of this land, to which he brought his family, consisting of his wife and four children, their new home being two miles distant from any other white settler. With a keen judgment he foresaw the future of this section, and as rapidly as he could he availed himself of the opportunity then afforded him of acquiring valuable land for a comparatively small sum, adding to his holdings until he eventually became the largest land holder in Oak- land county, his possessions aggregating about one thousand three hun- dred acres. In the old Keystone commonwealth, on January 6, 1827, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Dewitt. Five sons were born to their union: Alfred; John D .; Frank; Cornelius, the father of our subject ; and William S. These sons commendably assisted their fa- ther in making productive farms out of the unbroken forest and in the acquirement of additional holdings, and their heritage consisted not only of the large estate left at the father's death but also the example of his own useful and well spent life and those lessons instilled into their youthful minds that developed strength of character and integrity of purpose. The family was one of high moral and religious princi- ples as well, and it was at the home of William Hagerman that the first religious services were held in Addison township. Politically he was a Democrat. His first wife died April 14, 1845, and his second marriage was to Mrs. Olive Rice, who passed away in June, 1859. In 1861 he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Berry, who was born May 24, 1808, in New Jersey. Mr. Hagerman passed away in 1883, when eighty-two years of age.
Cornelius Hagerman was born in Northampton county, Pennsyl- vania, in 1832 and was but an infant when the family removed to Michigan. His education was such as the ordinary country schools of that period afforded and to the knowledge thus acquired was added the development of a native shrewdness and common sense not taught in books. In the division of the estate he became owner of the old homestead and it was here that he and his wife, who was Miss Mary L. Dernberger, began life together. He was practical and energetic and followed farming in the successful manner of his father. To the union of Cornelius and Mary L. Hagerman were born three children : Fred and Decree, both of whom died when twenty-five years of age; and Mark, the subject of this review. The mother passed away in 1874 and the father died in 1883.
755
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
Mark Hagerman was born in Addison township, April 1, 1869, and on February 13, 1889, was married to Elizabeth Hixon. On March 22 following he located on one hundred and fourteen acres of land which forms a part of his present homestead of two hundred and twenty-four acres in section 14, and is engaged in general farming and stockraising. Mrs. Hagerman is a daughter of Jasper and Mar- garet (Vorhees) Hixon, both of whom were natives of New Jersey. To these parents were born: Nellie, the wife of John Beardsly, of Oakland county ; Mrs. Hagerman; Lucy, who died in childhood; and Sarah, now Mrs. H. Murphy, of Leonard, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Hagerman have one child, Vera, born September 12, 1890, who is at home. Mr. Hagerman is a Democrat in his political views, and he and his family are members of the Methodist Protestant church.
GEORGE LEWIS. Among the men of Addison township who are singled out for their success as agriculturists is George Lewis, who also has the distinction of being a native son of that township, where he was born September 12, 1863. His father was Joseph Lewis and his mother was Diana Fisher prior to her marriage, the former a na- tive of the state of New Jersey and the latter of Ohio. Upon their migration to Michigan they first located in Mt. Vernon, Oakland county, but in 1862 came to Addison township and bought eighty acres. To this original tract Joseph Lewis added by subsequent purchases until his holdings consisted of two hundred acres of good land, all in Addi- son township. This accomplishment indicates that he possessed an en- ergetic and industrious nature and was endowed with good business acumen. Joseph and Diana (Fisher) Lewis became the parents of four children, as follows: Mary M., now Mrs. James W. Arnold, of De- troit, Michigan; Emma, the wife of Smith Rogers, of Lennon, Michi- gan; and Judson and George, twins, the former of whom now resides at Oxford, Michigan. Both parents have passed to the life beyond, the father's death having occurred when sixty-five years of age and that of the mother when sixty-eight.
George Lewis grew up under the home roof and under wholesome influences, and his youthful experiences were such as naturally come to the farmer boy, the toilsome school of farm life instilling within him the habits of steady and methodical industry. His education was obtained in the district schools of his native township. He remained at the parental home until his father's death, at which time he and his brother Judson took charge of the home place and thereafter con- tinued to farm it together for fifteen years. At the end of that period our subject bought out his brother's interest and now owns the two hundred acres that formed the homestead of his father. Mr. Lewis has placed fine improvements on the property and it forms one of the most attractive farmsteads of the township. Besides the general lines of agricultural work, Mr. Lewis is also engaged successfully in stock- raising.
He was married to Miss Eva Braid, a daughter of John and a sis- ter of Edward Braid. Mr. Lewis is a Democrat in his political affilia- tions and while he takes a warm interest in the affairs of his party, especially those of a local nature, he has never manifested an ambi- tion for official preferment. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and both are accorded the highest re- spect and esteem by all who are admitted to their acquaintance.
756
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
ANDREW BIRD GLASPIE. Ever since he left school Andrew Bird Glaspie has taken a prominent part in the affairs of his community. He has excellent executive ability, good judgment and the ability to grasp things quickly. His neighbors' recognition of these qualities in him have led to his appointment to many important offices, which he has filled with honor. Governor Bliss appointed him state factory inspector, an office which he held under him for three years, and then he was re- appointed for another three years by Governor Wisner. He resigned in 1908 to become postmaster of Oxford, Oakland county, Michigan, his home, and was reappointed in 1912. Mr. Glaspie has also been president of the Wolverine Press Association, and has held all the of- fices at various times in the Knights of Pythias Lodge to which he belongs.
Mr. Glaspie's parents, Andrew P. and Amy (Bird) Glaspie, were both notives of Michigan, and are still living in Oxford. Although he has now retired, Mr. Glaspie, Sr., had been a merchant all his life. They had two other children besides Andrew: Hattie, the wife of Charles Martin, of Detroit, and Philo, now in the coal business with the Koshner Coal Company of Detroit.
Andrew B. Glaspie was born in Oxford, November 21, 1876. He received his preparatory education in the Oxford grammar and high schools, and after teaching school for a short time at Goodison and Orion went to the State Normal School. He graduated from this in- stitution in 1898, and immediately enlisted in the Thirty-first Michigan Infantry to fight in the Spanish-American war. After one year of service he returned to Oxford and bought an interest in a newspaper called the Oxford Leader, of which paper he is now editor. The firm name is Congdon and Glaspie. Besides his membership in the Wol- verine Press Association Mr. Glaspie also belongs to the Michigan Press Association, and is a Mason of the Blue Lodge.
In May, 1901, Mr. Glaspie was married to Clara Chamberlin, the daughter of Gad and Alma (Demberger) Chamberlin, of Addison town- ship. They have had four other children besides Clara: Milton, of Columbus, Ohio; Loie, the wife of Fred Glaspie, of Oxford; Claude, of Addison, Michigan; and Bess, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Glaspie be- came the parents of two children, David, who died in infancy, and Elizabeth, at home.
THEODORE DAHLMANN. In many capacities, federal, judicial and municipal, Theodore Dahlmann has served his fellow , citizens of Ro- chester, and always with their unqualified approval. The master of an ancient and delicate trade, the art of the jeweler, he possesses a breadth of knowledge that comprehends many other lines, and this extensive knowledge has frequently been drawn upon in the various situations to which he has been called. He was postmaster of the vil- lage, serving four years and three months, was village clerk for three years, assessor for two years, justice of the peace for one term, town clerk for twenty-five years, secretary of the Agricultural Society of Avon township for six years, and has long been a notary public. He is Republican in his political persuasion.
Mr. Dahlmann was born in the metropolis of this country-New York City-on February 29, 1852, a son of Frederick and Maria (Gie- vers) Dahlmann. Both were Germans, the father from Westphalia,
William W Hooker
757
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
the mother from Mecklenberg, and they came to America in 1848, lo- cating in Queens county, New York, for a few years, then going to Boston, Massachusetts. They decided to locate in Michigan in 1858 and chose Rochester for their home. He was a jeweler by trade, fol- lowing that calling until his death on June 9, 1889. Mrs. Dahlmann died in 1863. Their union was blessed with three children: Theodore; Lewis, who died in 1900; and Fred, who is living in Troy. For his second wife Mr. Dahlmann took Caroline Muller, who became the mother of two children: Frank, of Rochester, and Emelie, who died in 1904.
Theodore took up the jeweler's trade and followed it, being asso- ciated with his father until 1889, when he was appointed postmaster. After his term was concluded he went back to his trade and has since followed it without interruption. His tastes are quiet and although he is reticent rather than forward in manner he is nevertheless known and esteemed as a keen observer of things and one whose judgment is excellent.
WILLIAM W. HOOKER has always been a popular man in his com- munity and has been sought numberless times to fill various political positions. In most cases, however, he has refused these offers, prefer- ring to lead a quiet life. A few times, when he has felt that his qualifi- . cations suited preeminently the position and that no other man could be found at the time to take his place, he has accepted these offers. He served as a justice of the peace for one year, and has been president of the village of South Lyon for one year. He was also appointed su- pervisor of the town of Lyon in 1911 to fill the vacancy caused by death of Mr. Frank Vowles, and at the elections in 1912 was elected to continue his work in that office. For twelve or fourteen years he has been director of schools in his district, and was the treasurer of the school board of South Lyon when the addition was made to the school building.
Mr. Hooker was born in Onondaga county, New York, in 1841, and in 1844 was brought by his parents to Michigan, which was then al- most a wilderness, sparsely settled by a few hardy pioneers. They set- tled upon the farm lying across both sides of the line dividing Liv- ingston and Oakland counties, which is now owned by William W. Hooker. The house they built there then has been Mr. Hooker's resi- dence the greater part of his life. He received his education from the district schools, and when still a youth was married to Miss Betsey Beach, daughter of La Grand Beach, of Livingston county, whose an- cestry can be traced back to the early settlers of America. Mr. and Mrs. Hooker had three children, but only one is now living, Wilhemena Bessie, the wife of H. L. Gibbs, of Bellingham, Washington, a timber and lum- berman of that section. Mr. and Mrs. Hooker belong to the Baptist church, and Mr. Hooker is affiliated with the Republican party. Since 1880 they have rented their farm a great part of the time.
WILLOUGHBY A. Fox. For virtually two score years has Mr. Fox been actively identified with The Rochester Era, which was founded by his honored father, whom he succeeded in the proprietorship at the time of the latter's death, in 1893. He is known as one of the enter- prising and successful newspaper men of Oakland county and has made The Era a model village paper, even as it had been during the many
758
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
years in which he was associated with his father in the editing and publishing of the same. The village of Rochester and the surrounding districts find in The Era an effective exponent of local interests, and in letter-press and editorial policy it is maintained at an exceptionally high standard. Mr. Fox is one of the loyal and progressive citizens of the county that has long been his home and through his paper, as well as in a personal way, he has wielded much influence in public affairs.
Willoughby A. Fox finds a due measure of satisfaction in reverting to the fine old Wolverine state as the place of his nativity and the fam- ily name has long been identified with the annals of this favored com- monwealth, in which he is a scion of the third generation, his pater- nal grandfather having been one of the sterling pioneer physicians of Oakland county. Mr. Fox was born at Saginaw, Michigan, on the 2Ist of October, 1859, and is a son of Truman B. and Sarah M. (Bee- man) Fox, the former of whom was born in the state of Indiana, in 1828, and the latter of whom was born at Phelps, Ontario county, New York, in 1836. Truman B. Fox was a child at the time of the family removal from New York to Michigan, and his boyhood and youth were passed in Milford, Oakland county. He received good educational advantages, as gauged by the standard of the locality and period, and he became a man of broad information and admirably disciplined mental ยท powers. In 1856 he went to Saginaw, where he became associated with the first newspaper established in that now populous and thriving city,- the Saginaw Enterprise, which was published by Perry Joslin. Later he was identified with the Saginaw Courier.
In the year 1871 Truman B. Fox returned to Milford, Oakland county, where he established the Milford Era, and in 1873 he removed his plant to Rochester, where he initated the publication of The Roches- ter Era, with which he continued to be identified until his death and as publisher of which he was succeeded by his son Willoughby A., as has previously been noted. T. B. Fox was the first chief of police in the city of Saginaw and after his return to Oakland county he con- tinued a citizen of prominence and influence until his death, which occurred in 1893. His wife had been one of the pioneer teachers in the schools of Saginaw, and there their marriage was solemnized in the year 1857. She is of staunch English and Holland Dutch ances- try and is a woman of most gracious personality, loved by all who come within the sphere of her gentle influence. Truman G. Fox was an un- compromising advocate of the principle of the Republican party and as a newspaper publisher in Oakland county he did much to further the party cause in this section of the state.
Willoughby A. Fox gained his rudimentary education in the schools of Saginaw and later availed himself fully of those of Oakland county. It has been well said that the discipline of a newspaper office is equiva- lent to a liberal education. He has been concerned with the publica- tion and editorial work of the Rochester Era from his youth,-a period of nearly forty years,-and in his independent control of the paper and business he has well upheld its prestige, as well as that of the fam- ily name. The newspaper and job-printing facilities of The Era office are of modern order and the facilities of the plant are at all times ade- quate to meet the demands placed upon it. The paper is a six-column quarto and is issued on Friday of each week. Its circulation effectually
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.