USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests Volume II > Part 4
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Mr. Maetrott is a member of the Democratic party. He attends services at the Baptist church.
AUGUSTUS A. LULL. Orphaned in infancy by the death of his father, and thus left to the sole care of his mother for provision for his needs, his rearing and education, Augustus A. Lull, of Pontiac. began his boyhood under difficulties and some clouds of adversity, and these did not all disappear with his boyhood. On the contrary, they rather increased and intensified when he took up the battle of life for himself, and for a time he stubbornly contested his right of way to ad- vancement in the world. But the difficulties and adversities which beset his pathway did not deter him or dampen his ardor. They seemed only to call out the native strength of his spirit, and quicken all the elements of his nature into greater force and activity. His mother accepted the task of rearing him to an age at which he could begin to take care of himself with Spartan courage and performed her duty, as far as she was able, with the fidelity of the most exalted and resolute womanhood, but the task, as she wished to perform it, was beyond her resources, and at an early age the son himself became the helper and caretaker of the household, and made for his parent the provision she felt eager to make for him in the way of a livelihood.
Mr. Lull was born in Sacramento, California, on May 1, 1862, and is a son of George W. and Ann (Watkins) Lull, the former a native of Hortford, Vermont, and the latter of Michigan. The subject of this brief review was their only child. The father was engaged in merchandising in California, being owner of the largest clothing store in Sacramento, and, as has been indicated, died during the infancy of his son. The latter grew to the age of thirteen in Sacramento, and at that age moved with his mother to San Francisco, in the same state. There mother and son lived together eighteen years, the mother dying at the end of that period, and thus leaving the son alone in the world. From 1882 he clerked for Wagenheim, Sternheim & Company, of San Francisco for about five years, and in 1888, began working for M. C. Halbley & Company, a hardware firm, of San Francisco, and clerked there for five years.
On May 21, 1894, he became a resident of Pontiac, this state, where he entered the dry goods store of an uncle as a clerk and salesman. After remaining with his uncle three years he went to Detroit, where he was variously employed during the next three. He then returned
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to Pontiac, and accepted employment with the Pontiac Wheel Company, with which he remained three years.
On November 30, 1898, Mr. Lull was united in marriage with Miss Frances Whitesell, a daughter of John and Orcelia (Bowlby) Whitesell, the father a native of New Jersey and the mother of Michigan. They have three children: Georgia, who resides in Pontiac; Charles B., whose home is also in Pontiac, and Mrs. Lull. Mr. and Mrs. Lull have seven children: Evelyn Gertrude, born on August 15, 1900; Frances Wilma, born on September 22, 1901; Milton Halsey, born on July 24, 1905; Alva Orcelia, born on September 25, 1906; Anna Claudia, born on January 7, 1908; John Augustus, born on August 1, 1909; and Marion Elizabeth, born on November 12, 1910.
Mr. Lull is a Republican in his political faith and allegiance, but, although at all times warmly interested in the welfare of his party, he has never been an active partisan, and never sought or desired a public office, either by election or appointment. Fraternally he is a Freemason, a Knight of the Maccabees and a Woodmen of the World. He also belongs to the American Insurance Union. His church con- nection is with the Presbyterians.
As a good citizen he takes an active interest in the welfare of the city and county of his home and does his part to aid in providing for it. The nature of his business, too, besides his local patriotism and devotion to his locality, makes him zealous for public improvements, and he always lends a willing hand to undertakings involving them. There is no interest in his community, moral, mental, social or material, that goes without his earnest and helpful support, and the residents of Pontiac and Oakland county freely accord him a place among their best and most representative citizens and their most enterprising and useful men.
CLINTON W. WILBER, the able cashier of the Farmington Exchange Bank, is a native of Farmington, which has long been the home of his father, George L. Wilber. The latter was but two years of age when he was brought by his parents to Livonia township, Wayne county. At that time-the year 1834-the region referred to was a mere wilder- ness, and George K. Wilber, with Jane Lapham Wilber, his wife were important pioneers of the period. Their son, George L., was reared there and from the primitive school of the period, held in the log school- house characteristic of the newly settled country, he secured what edu- cation he could. He later became a student at the state normal school at Ypsilanti, Michigan, being one of the first to enroll in the courses of this now great institution. For a time George L. Wilber followed teaching, at one time having charge of the Farmington schools. He was later attracted to farming, which he made his vocation during the greater part of his life. He married Sarah Emma Warner, a daughter of Seth A. L. Warner. Both are still living. Mrs. Wilber is an active member of the Baptist church. Her husband is now eighty years of age, but still retains a lively interest in local and national affairs. He has all his life been allied with the Republican party.
Clinton W. Wilber, son of George and Sarah Wilber, was born on the sixteenth day of December, 1870. He grew up in Farmington and was educated in the public schools of the village. When a youth he first interested himself in the tinner's trade, in connection with which work he spent several years in the hardware and general merchandise
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store of Fred M. Warner. He subsequently entered into the partner- ship known as Wilber, Cook and Company. This firm continued until 1896, at which time Mr. Wilber disposed of his interests. Two years later he joined others in the organization of the Farmer's Exchange Bank, of which he was made cashier. The first board of directors of this bank consisted of the following: P. D. Warner, Caleb J. Sprague, Samuel D. Holcomb, George W. Whipple and Fred M. Warner, with the following, who were also partners, Oscar M. Whipple, M. B. Pierce and Mr. Wilber, the subject of this sketch. The senior partner or president was P. D. Warner.
The growth and progress of this bank have been most commend- able. The capital paid in at the time of organization was $6,000. On October 1, 1910, the institution was re-organized as a state bank, with the following executive officers: Fred M. Warner, president; S. D. Holcomb, vice-president ; and Clinton M. Wilber, cashier. That the bank has prospered from the first is evident from the comparison of its original capital with that of October, 1910, at which time it had a paid-up capital of $20,000, all of that sum being the result of the accumulation of profits under the old management. It does a general banking busi- ness and is one of the most substantial banks in Oakland county. In 1898 the present fine brick building occupied by this business was erected and equipped with every convenience for good work. Much of the success of the banking affairs has been due to the untiring efforts of Mr. Wilber, who is, however, extremely modest in taking credit to himself.
In addition to Clinton Wilber's important connection with the Farm- ington Exchange Bank, he is also a stock partner in the Redford Bank at Redford, Michigan. As an evidence of public confidence in his character and ability he has been elected to the office of township treas- urer, the duties of which he discharged with faithfulness and effi- ciency. He is, however, by no means an office-seeker. His political indorsements are of those principles for which the Republican party has always stood.
Mrs. Clinton Wilber was formerly Miss Zayda B. Sprague, of Farm- ington township. She is a daughter of Lorenzo Sprague, an old set- tler of Farmington. Her marriage to Mr. Wilber occurred on Decem- ber 27, 1894.
EMANUEL N. GERMAN. Having as a boy and youth gained valuable experience in the art of agriculture, Emanuel N. German has continued in the occupation to which he was reared, and as a general farmer has found both pleasure and profit, his home farm being located in section 36, West Bloomfield township, Oakland county. A son of John Ger- man, Jr., he was born January 24. 1857, in the village of Franklin, Michigan, of English ancestry. His paternal grandfather, John Ger- man, Sr., spent the earlier part of his life in England. Coming with his family to Michigan, he located in West Bloomfield township, on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Emanuel N. German, and on the farm which he redeemed from the forest spent the remainder of his life.
Born and reared in Devonshire, England, John German, Jr., was twenty-one years old when he came with the family to America. He helped his father in the pioneer task of clearing and improving a home- stead, remaining beneath the parental roof until his marriage. Settling
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then with his bride in the village of Franklin, he operated a grist mill there for thirty years, from 1837 until 1867, carrying on a substantial business as a miller. Returning to the home farm in the latter year, he was there employed in tilling the soil until his death, in 1884. He married Jane Ann White, who was born in Southfield township, Oak- land county, Michigan, and died on the home farm in West Bloom- field township, in 1900. Nine children were born of their union, four of whom are now living, as follows: Clarissa, wife of Thomas Furse, of Bloomfield township; John D., of Birmingham; Frank, of Bloom- field township ; and Emanuel N.
Reared to farm labor and educated in the district schools, Emanuel N. German became familiar with the various branches of agriculture while young, and after his marriage was for three years engaged in farm- ing in Oakland township. Soon after the death of his father, in 1884, he moved back to the old homestead, on which he has since resided, managing it with characteristic success. Mr. German has been exceed- ingly fortunate in his agricultural undertakings, and is now the owner of three hundred and thirteen acres of choice land, located in Farming- ton, Bloomfield and West Bloomfield townships. By dint of persever- ing industry he has placed his land under an excellent state of cultiva- tion and has made improvements of a substantial nature.
Mr. German married, February 24, 1881, Olive A. Nott, a daughter of William and Electa Nott, of Pontiac township, and into their pleas- ant home four children have been born, namely: Mark, who lived but twenty-one months ; Stephen, who died at the age of fourteen months ; Harvey J., living in Bloomfield township, a graduate of the Pontiac Business College, married Ida Bristol, October 5, 1910; and Mae, a graduate of the Pontiac High School, resides with her parents. In his political affiliations Mr. German is a straightforward Republican, and though not desirous of public office has served as school director.
JAMES L. HOGLE. The present supervisor of Farmington township, ex-county treasurer, and a representative of a prominent pioneer fam- ily, James L. Hogle is a native son of Oakland county and has been closely identified with its business and public life for more than thirty years.
Born in Novi township, November 30, 1857, he was reared on the old home farm, but was educated chiefly in the public schools of Pontiac and also in the State Normal at Ypsilanti. He began his practical career as a teacher, but after one term became a clerk in the drug store of Dr. Eli Wardman at Farmington. During his service there he studied phar- macy, and after four years engaged in the drug business at Farmington on his own account, and for fifteen years held a very extensive trade in that vicinity.
Mr. Hogle has been one of the local Republican leaders for many years, and has held many offices of honor and trust. School inspector for Farmington township was his first office, which was followed by his election as township clerk, and through these offices and his business career he gained a wide acquaintance throughout the county. In the fall of 1898, on the Republican ticket, he was chosen county treasurer, and his management of the fiscal resources of the county gained him a re-election, so that he was treasurer four years. At the close of his second term in 1902, having bought a farm, he returned to Farmington township, and was engaged in grain and dairy farming until 1912. His farm was the former C. J. Sprague place.
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For several years Mr. Hogle has been secretary of the Michigan Mutual Home Insurance Company, and the increasing responsibilities of that office have so absorbed his time that he felt obliged to sell his country home and henceforth devote all his time to insurance. He is now a resident of Farmington, where he is building a fine home.
On October 15, 1884, he was married to Miss Minnie B. Gordon, of Farmington, a daughter of Linus B. Gordon. Both her parents are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Hogle have two sons and one daughter. Ralph G., a graduate of the Farmington high school, is a conductor on the Detroit United Railway system. Carl G., who graduated from the Northville high school, is now connected with the U. S. fish hatch- ery at Northville. He married Miss Ustina Paladin, of Missoula, Montana, and they are the parents of one son, James C., born August 25, 191I. E. Norine, the daughter, is a graduate of the Northville high school and is now a teacher in the Farmington high school.
Mr. Hogle is affiliated with Farmington Lodge, No. 151, A. F. & A. M., and Union Chapter, No. 55, R. A. M., at Northville; and also with the Knights of Maccabees. Mrs Hogle is past matron of the Farmington Chapter, No. 239, of the Eastern Star.
Mr. Hogle belongs to one of the old families of Oakland county. His parents were William S. and Eunice (Gage) Hogle, both of whom were born in the state of New York. The father was six and the mother was three years old when their respective families became pioneer set- tlers of Novi township. They were married there and spent all their lives in this county. Of their five children four are yet living, namely : James L .; George, of Pontiac; Burton, of Detroit; and Mrs. Gertrude Nicholson, of Detroit. William S. Hogle, the father, died in Farming- ton, February 10, 1912, at the age of seventy-eight, while the mother passed away in 1884.
GEORGE C. COLLINS. A century witnesses the passing of all but few of the families who at its beginning composed the population of any community, and it is for this reason that the living representatives of the real pioneer families in any locality are numerically so small. In this brief sketch will be found a few facts concerning the members of a family in Farmington township that deserves a conspicuous place on the roll of Oakland county pioneers.
George W. and Cynthia (Newton) Collins, the former a native of New York state and the latter of Connecticut, and both of English descent, were married in New York, and about the year 1822 journeyed westward and found habitation and settlement in what is now Farming- ton township. They entered a large tract of wild land, developing a home from the wilderness. Their first neighbors were nearly all In- dians, and the only market for their products was at Detroit. They lived to see civilized customs and industry transform the wilderness, and spent their remaining years in this vicinity. They were the parents of the following children who grew to maturity: John W., Huldah, Mary Elizabeth, Thurza and George C.
John W. Collins, now a venerable resident of Farmington village, has the unique distinction of having been the first white child born in Farmington township. Born in 1824, twelve years before Michigan became a state, and before the progress of settlement had spread more than fifty miles in a radius from Detroit, he is at this writing eighty- eight years of age, and in the span of a single life links an almost for- gotten past with the modern age of electricity and twentieth century im- provement.
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George C. Collins, a younger brother of this octogenarian, and him- self one of the oldest living natives of Farmington township, was born April 26, 1834, on the same lot where he still resides. All the members of the family were reared and trained in farm life, and farming has been the lifelong occupation of George C. His estate adjoins the vil- lage of Farmington on the south, and he still looks after it, though he has long since retired from the active labors. His brother John was for many years one of the leading merchants in Farmington, but he, too, is retired. John also served several times as treasurer of this town- ship.
Both brothers were allied with the Republican party at its very be- ginning, and the father and John were Whig voters before the new party came into existence. In 1860 George C. was married to Miss Elizabeth Conroy. She passed away in 1900, after forty years of wedded companionship. Their only son and child, Gale G., is now a resident of Mt. Clemens, and is the father of one son, Stanley, a boy of ten years. Amid the scenes with which he has been associated since infancy, though changed and modernized by the march of many years, Mr. Collins will await the final summons. His has been an honest and upright career, and he looks to the future without fear.
CARL H. PELTON. In no profession is there a career more open to talent than is that of the law, and in no field of endeavor is there de- manded a more careful preparation, a more thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life or of the underlying principles which form the basis of all human rights and privileges. Unflagging application and intuitive wisdom and determination fully to utilize the means at hand are the concomitants which insure personal success and prestige in this great profession, which stands as the stern conservator of justice ; and it is one into which none should enter without a recognition of the obstacles to be encountered and overcome and the battles to be won, for success does not perch on the banner of every person who en- ters the competitive fray, but comes only as the legitimate result of capability. One of Pontiac's young lawyers, but one who possesses the requisite qualities of the able lawyer, is Carl H. Pelton. He is also a leading Democrat and is the first of his political faith to hold the office of county prosecuting attorney of Oakland county-of which he is the present incumbent-in thirty years.
Mr. Pelton is a native son of this particular locality, his birth hav- ing occurred at Oakwood, Oakland county, on July 23, 1879. He is the son of Homer J. and Frances C. (Bunnell) Pelton, the father a native of Michigan and the mother of Canada. The parents still reside in Oakwood, where the father is a prominent citizen and successfully engaged in mercantile pursuits. To their union have been born two sons, the elder, Roy J., being a physician at Anaconda, Michigan.
Mr. Pelton received his preliminary education in the public schools of his birthplace and ultimately entered the Pontiac high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1896. He then entered the literary department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, fin- ishing there in 1900, and subsequently entering the law department, where his training for the profession to which he is so great an orna- ment was completed in 1902. Thoroughly reinforced in a theoretical way, he at once began his practice in Pontiac, becoming associated in partnership with James H. Lynce, with whom he continued for the
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space of a twelvemonth. He then entered into partnership with Clin- ton McGee, under the firm name of Pelton & McGee, a satisfactory com- bination of legal talent which exists at the present time. Mr. Pelton's election as prosecuting attorney of Oakland county occurred in the year 1910, and he has given splendid service in this office.
On the 15th day of June, 1910, Mr. Pelton laid the foundation of an independent household by his union with Ethel Allshouse, daughter of John C. and Sarah M. (Collins) Allshouse, the former of whom is a native son of the Empire state and the latter of Canada. Their resi- dence in Pontiac dates from the year 1870 and for twenty-one years Mr. Allshouse has been connected with the Pontiac postoffice. Mrs. Pelton is one of three children and the eldest of the number. Chester, a resident of this city, is state agent of the Hanover Fire Insurance Company ; and Hazel is still a member of the parental household. Mr. and Mrs. Pelton share their household with a small daughter, Carol Hope, born November 23, 1911. They are valued members of the Congregational church and are popular and highly esteemed members of society.
WILLIAM W. GRAHAM. After many busy years of travel on the road as a commercial salesman, William W. Graham, of Rochester, has settled down on the old home place which has been in the family for ninety-six years, and is engaged in general farming and stock raising. He finds both pleasure and profit in this line of occupation and is con- tinually adding improvements to the place and bringing it up to the highest standard known to modern methods of agriculture. His farm is located on rural route No. I out of Rochester and is one of the show places of the neighborhood.
Mr. Graham was born in Avon township on August 8, 1867, his parents being William and Lydia Jane (Summers) Graham. His father a native of Oakland county, and his grandfather, Benjamin Graham, a native of Canada, came here in 1816 and bought this farm from the government in 1818, it comprising about 300 acres at that time. The wife of Benjamin Graham was named Postel, before her marriage . The senior William Graham is now living at Rochester, but his wife died on November 4, 1896. Their family consisted of six children, of whom William W., the subject of this sketch, was the eldest. The others are: Edward S., of Durango, Colorado; Ella, wife of Ward A. Davis, of Amye; Georgiana, wife of Howard V. Johnson, of Rochester ; Benjamin A., of Portland, Oregon; and John M., of Detroit, Michigan.
Following his attendance at the district schools William W. Gra- ham was a student at the Union School in Rochester, and afterwards spent two and one-half years at the Lansing, Michigan, Agricultural College. He then traveled out of Detroit for fifteen years with a full line of implements and hardware, going into business for himself in the implement line at Pontiac in 1902. In 1909 he was compelled to give up this business on account of ill-health. He has put in a number of power plants around the lakes in this county.
In 1910 he came to the home place now consisting of 180 acres and is conducting it along the lines of general farming and stock raising. Mr. Graham is independent as to his politics, choosing to vote for the man rather than the party. He is now school director for his district. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Woodmen and Royal Neigh- bors.
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Julia A. Sheridan became the wife of Mr. Graham on July 25, 1896. She is a daughter of Owen and Bridget ( McCarthy ) Sheridan, both of whom are natives of Ireland, and who came to America when quite young, locating in Jersey City. Her father, who was a first cousin of General Phil Sheridan, died in Toledo, Ohio, in 1875, while her mother survived until 1903. Six children were born to their union, as fol- lows: John William, deceased; Margaret L., wife of William J. Byrne, of Bremerton, Washington, a government employe; Mary E., of Toledo, Ohio; Katharine L., deceased; Julia A., wife of William W. Graham and Edward J., of Englewood, New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Graham have two children, Lydia Gertrude, born November 30, 1898, and William Cletus, born October 8, 1900.
ROY SPENCER VAN ATTA. Conducting a first-class livery business in Pontiac, and taking a well justified pride in his line of endeavor ; studying the requirements of his trade with close and intelligent atten- tion, and laying all his resources under tribute to meet them; believ- ing it to be his duty, as it is his pleasure, to provide for his customers the best accommodation attainable in his line and with his facilities, and using all his powers to fully perform this duty ; and, in consequence, providing for a very large and exacting patronage in a satisfactory manner, Roy S. Van Atta, of Pontiac, is one of the most progressive and useful citizens of the community.
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