USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests Volume II > Part 41
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wilderness. His earnest efforts were rewarded, and he subsequently invested in other land, buying one hundred acres lying two miles south of his original purchase, and, having assumed possession of the new place, resided there until his death, in 1868. He was twice married. He married first Judith Maxfield, who died in 1845. He subsequently married for his second wife Cynthia Ormsby, of Hartland township, whose home was just across the road from the present home of his son George. By his two marriages he was the father of fourteen children, nine having been born of his first union, three boys and six girls, and of these two sons and one daughter are living, as follows: George W., the subject of this brief sketch; Wesley, who has been a resident of Minnesota for a half a century, is now living retired at Alexandria, and is drawing a pension on account of his services in the Civil war; and Laura, wife of Joseph Collins, a farmer living in Holt, Michigan, near Lansing.
Choosing the independent occupation to which he was reared, George W. Glines has met with well merited success as a general farmer, his . property now including two hundred and thirty acres of good land, a part of it being in Hartland township, Livingston county, and one hun- dred and eighty lying in Highland township, Oakland county. He has placed his land under cultivation the greater part of it being productive, yielding excellent crops each year.
Mr. Glines married, November 18, 1852, Jane Maxfield, who was born in Newburg, Ohio, in February, 1833, and died on the home farm in 1894. Three children were born into their household, namely : Charles, Emma and Ida, but the last named lived but three years. Charles Glines has always lived with his father, and has contributed his full share in the work of placing the home farm under tillage and in adding to its improvements and value. He has accumulated considerable prop- erty, owning a good farm of sixty-five acres north of the home place, having purchased forty acres in 1901. He married Anna Holloway, a daughter of Joseph and Harriet Holloway, old residents of Hartland township. Emma Glines, who married Nathaniel York, of Hartland township, died at the early age of twenty-five years. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. York, Ida L., who died at the age of three months, and Ida Jane, who married Willie Woods, a farmer in Livingston county, Michigan.
Mr. Glines and Mrs. Charles Glines are both members of the Methodist church, and the former has been a trustee for a great many years.
MILLS SEPTER BROWN. A prominent member of the agricultural community of Rose township, Mills Septer Brown, proprietor of "Kelley Lake Farm," is widely and favorably known throughout this section of Oakland county as a man of sterling worth and integrity, and as a worthy representative of those courageous pioneers who settled in the county in its infancy. A son of William E. Brown, he was born June 20, 1876, in Richfield township, Genesee county, Michigan, of Eng- lish ancestry, his grandfather Brown having been a native of county Kent, England.
Born near Rochester, New York, William E. Brown was just en- tering his 'teens when he was brought by his parents to Oakland county, Michigan, where he grew to manhood. After his marriage he moved to Genesee county, where he cleared a farm and engaged in tilling the
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soil for a few years. Returning to Oakland county in 1883, he con- tinued his agricultural labors in Avon township until 1906, clearing and improving a good farm. Giving up active business in that year, he subsequently lived retired in Pontiac, Michigan, until his death, in May, 1909, at the age of seventy-two years. He was a man of excellent ability, and filled various minor township offices. He married Emma Beardslee, who was born in Springfield township, Oakland county, Michi- gan, and died in July, 1906.
The youngest child in a family of ten children, Mills S. Brown was educated in the district schools, and well drilled in agricultural pur- suits on the home farm. Leaving the parental home at the age of twenty- one years, he worked as an attendant at the Pontiac State Hospital for a year or more, after which he had the management of the old home farm for two years. On March 23, 1901, Mr. Brown assumed possession of his present farm, which lies one half a mile north of Rose Center, in Rose township, one hundred and twenty acres of which was the old John Henry Wandel estate, it being one of the oldest farms in the town- ship. Since making his original purchase Mr. Brown bought the ad- joining Taggart farm of eighty acres, and is now devoting his two hundred acres of rich and fertile land to general farming. He is fol- lowing to a certain extent in the footsteps of his father, who raised stock, and was the first to introduce sheep feeding into the county, at the present time fitting up his farm for cattle feeding. Mr. Brown has put his buildings in thorough repair, has erected new barns and sheds, and has installed a water system which is operated with a gasoline en- gine, his estate being one of the most complete of any in the vicinity.
Politically Mr. Brown invariably supports the principles of the Demo- cratic party by voice and vote. Fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons, in which he has taken the master's degree; and of the Ancient Order of Gleaners. He also carries a substantial life insurance policy. For four years he served as justice of the peace.
Mr. Brown married, January 11, 1899, Hattie B. Hathaway, a native of Orion township. Her father, J. B. Hathaway, was born in Spring- field township, Michigan, and as a young man served as a soldier in the Civil war. He began his active career as a school teacher, but was afterwards engaged in farming in Oakland county until his retirement from active business, when he settled at his present home in Flint, Michi- gan. He married, in Oxford, Michigan, Marietta Jones, who was born in Lapeer county, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the parents of three children, namely : Klebert L., Tobias B. and Raymond O.
HARRY J. SERRELL. One of the most highly improved farms in Oak- land county, the deed to which was signed on March 7. 1825, by John Quincy Adams, president of the United States, is that of Harry J. Serrell, who operates one hundred and twenty acres in section 32 of Avon town- ship, which lies across the road from his residential farm of one hundred and forty-four acres in section 33. Mr. Serrell has added to his country place all the improvements that modern usage make desirable. The barns, cattle sheds, granaries, etc., all of the best class, show the enter- prise of their owner, who is in the dairy business and keeps on hand about thirty-six head of the best stock. Mr. Serrell thoughtfully sees that his family enjoys life. They have a delightful summer cottage
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at Cass Lake, and have two automobiles which make easy the oppor- tunities for tours through the pleasant region that surrounds their home.
Mr. Serrell was born on November 8, 1868, his parents being Samuel J. and Adie E. (Murline) Serrell, of whom more detailed mention is made in a sketch of Samuel J. Serrell, to be found in other pages of this work. Harry J. remained on the home farm until he was twenty-eight, then started up in business in Oxford. He had learned the florist busi- ness and operated a green house in Oxford for three years, at the ex- piration of which time he decided to return to the farm, and there turned his attention to dairying. He has followed this occupation with good success ever since.
The marriage of Mr. Serrell to Kate L. Davis, the daughter of Arthur and Letitia (Rodenbo) Davis, took place on the 3rd of April, 1905. The parents of Mrs. Serrell are living at Orion, Michigan. Mrs. Serrell was one of the five children of her parents, the others being : Estella, the wife of William Randall, of Orion; Roy, of Oakland; Emma, deceased ; and Lena, the widow of Charles Harmon.
Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Serrell; Grant J., Donald J. and Alice D. The family are Methodists, and Mr. Serrell is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
LEWIS C. BEACH. One of the oldest native-born citizens of Oakland county, Lewis C. Beach is an honored representative of the early pioneers of southeastern Michigan, and true type of the energetic, hardy and enterprising men who have actively assisted in the development of this fertile and productive agricultural region. He was born September 7, 1827, in Troy township, Oakland county, a son of Michael Beach, who had the distinction of being the first settler of that township.
The son of Michael Beach, Sr., Michael Beach was born in Monroe county, New York, in 1790, and until twenty-three years of age assisted his father on the parental farm. Ambitious to try the hazard of new fortunes, he then started, about 1813, for the western frontier, being accompanied by a friend, Peter Van Avery, and trudged on foot, with knapsacks on their backs, to Detroit. Finding the small hamlet popu- lated almost exclusively by Indians and French, Michael Beach was at first undecided as to his plans, but finally opened a small store there. He later started on an exploring expedition, coming to Oakland county, which he found to be a fine territory, with plenty of good land, and he concluded to locate in what is now the town of Troy. With Mr. Van Avery he continued his explorations, and Mr. Van Avery established himself at Franklin, Oakland county, where he established the first grist mill in this county.
Michael Beach took up one hundred and sixty acres of government land in Troy township, becoming the first settler of the place, and was soon joined by his brother, Castle Beach. A Mr. Davis from Connecticut soon became one of their near neighbors, coming to Oakland county from his New England home and bringing with him his family, which included two fair daughters, Lucy and Marietta, who subsequently mar- ried the Beach brothers, Marietta becoming the wife of Castle Beach. Castle Beach lived and died on his farm near Troy, and many of his descendants are still living there, being people of prominence.
In 1830 Michael Beach disposed of the farm on which he first set- tled and moved to Highland township, becoming the second settler of
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that locality, and having bought two hundred and forty acres of land, was there engaged in farming until his death, in 1855. He married Lucy Davis, as previously mentioned. She was born in Connecticut, and died on the home farm in Highland township, Oakland county, December 17, 1867. Fourteen children were born of their union, as follows: William, who enlisted during the Civil war in the Seventh Michigan Volunteer Infantry, was injured at the Seven-Days battle and died at the hospital in Washington; Rebecca, wife of James Everts, of Fenton, is deceased; Michael, Jr., who was seized with the gold fever, migrated to California, and there died; Horace, who accompanied Michael on his trip to California, died there four years later ; Lewis C., the special subject of this brief sketch; George, who owned the farm adjoining that of his brother Lewis, married Martha Tallman, of Farmington, and is deceased; Hiram, for thirty-five years engaged in business at Fenton, Michigan, is now a real estate dealer in San Francisco, Cali- fornia; Benjamin F., who married Elizabeth Gue, is a farmer at Hes- peria, Michigan; Davis, a retired farmer of Highland, married Jennie Thomas, a daughter of Thomas Thomas, and they have five children; Julia, wife of John O'Hare, now of Saginaw, died, in 1893, in Saginaw ; Sarah died on the home farm; Mary was accidentally killed at Merrill, Michigan, being struck by a train on the Grand Trunk Railroad; Reuben, who was a farmer in Oakland county until 1909, is now in business in California ; and Nelson, who died in infancy.
Leaving home soon after becoming of age, Lewis C. Beach then started in life for himself, buying one hundred and sixty acres of the land included in his present farm. Putting into practice the lessons which he had learned while working with his father, Mr. Beach suc- ceeded well in his operations, having his land in a high state of cultiva- tion, each year yielding abundant harvests. He has since bought other land, now owning a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Tuscola county, through his own industry and skill having accumulated a goodly share of this world's goods. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having formerly belonged to the lodge at Fenton, but now being a member of the lodge at Clyde. He is also a charter member of the first Grange organized in this county.
Mr. Beach married, in 1856, Elizabeth Barkman, a daughter of Frederick and Fannie Barkman, of Waterford, Michigan. Four chil- dren were born of their marriage, namely: Horace, who has the man- agement of his father's farm, married Margaret Duncan. November 23, 1904, and they have two children, Lewis W. and Evelyn Lucy ; Frances, wife of August Cook, a machinist at Holly; George died when but five years old; and Eugene, who lived with his parents until his death, at the age of thirty-two years. Mrs. Beach has passed to the life beyond, her death having occurred on the home farm January 13, 1904.
CHARLES A. MUNGER. Occupying a foremost position among the enterprising and progressive farmers of Rose township, Oakland county, Charles A. Munger was born February 15, 1862, on a farm lying about one-half mile north of his present home. Here he has spent the larger part of his pleasant life, and since attaining manhood has been actively identified with the best interests of town and county, using his influence to promote the public welfare.
His father, George Munger, Sr., was born and reared in Hampshire,
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England. In 1852 he came to Michigan, locating in Oakland county, where, two years later, he was joined by his brother William. George Munger, Sr., located in Rose township, on the farm where his son, Charles A. Munger, was born. A few years later he exchanged that property for a larger farm situated in the northeastern part of the town- ship, it being the farm now occupied by his youngest son, George Mun- ger, Jr. He cleared and partly improved both pieces of property, erect- ing buildings on both, and continued operations on the farm which he last bought until his death, in November, 1890, at the age of sixty-nine years. He was twice married. He married first Elizabeth Eads, who was also a native of Hampshire, England. She died at the age of forty- two years, in Rose township, leaving six children, as follows: James, who died at the age of twenty-one years; William, living in Highland township; John, of Bozeman, Montana; Charles A., the subject of this sketch ; Anna, who lived but fifteen years; and Ella, wife of Charles M. Sutton, of Holly. He subsequently married for his second wife Ann Rockwell, of Pontiac, Michigan, who died April 6, 1895, in the sixty- sixth year of her age. Two children were born to them, namely: George, living on the old homestead; and Hattie, wife of Albert Perrigo, of Rose township.
Soon after attaining his majority Charles A. Munger began his active career, until his marriage, teaching school winters and working on the farm during seed time and harvest. Engaging then in agricultural pur- suits, he assumed the management of the farm of his father-in-law, Daniel Bates, and after the death of Mr. Bates bought out the interest of the heirs to the estate, excepting that of his wife, and continued his residence there until 1905. In that year Mr. Munger bought the farm he now occupies, it being the George Falls property and located just south of the farm on which he was born. This farm contains one hun- dred and forty-five acres, while the old Bates homestead, which he still owns and manages, contains eighty acres. Mr. Munger carries on gen- eral farming with success, devoting a part of his time to the raising of stock.
On February 6, 1890, Mr. Munger was united in marriage with Flora Bates, who was born November 27, 1870, in Rose township, where her father, Daniel Bates, was an early settler. Mr. Bates was born and bred in New York. As a young man he migrated to Michigan, locating in Rose township in 1852, and subsequently living here until his death, March 5, 1907, having at that time lived on one farm for a longer period than any one member of the farming community. He learned the trade of a barn carpenter when young, and during the thirty years that he followed that trade erected nearly all of the barns built in Rose township. In the meantime he cleared and improved his farm, working nights and at odd times, whenever he found leisure. A man of strong convictions and decided opinions, he never hesitated to express his views regarding men or events. He possessed excellent business ability, and had considerable experience in settling estates, serving as executor or administrator of the estates of many of his relatives. Mr. Bates mar- ried for his second wife, in 1861, Harriet Allen, of Genesee county, Michigan. His first wife, Etta Mott, to whom he was married in New York, died in early life, leaving one son, Charles Bates, now a resident of Saginaw, Michigan. Mr. Munger is a stanch adherent of the Re- publican party, and both he and his wife attend the Baptist church.
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WILLIAM H. PEPPER. Engaged in the prosecution of one of the most independent callings to which a man can devote his energies, William H. Pepper is numbered among the thriving agriculturists of Oakland county, his well-kept and well-improved farm being situated seven miles southeast of Holly, in the midst of a rich agricultural region. He was born July 9, 1870, in Springfield township, Oakland county, Michigan, where his grandfather Pepper settled in pioneer days.
His father, the late Robert A. Pepper, was also born in Springfield township, his birth occurring on a farm lying about one and one-half miles from Davisburg. Soon after the breaking out of the Civil war he enlisted as a soldier in a Michigan regiment, and served continuously for three years. Receiving his honorable discharge from the army, he resumed farming in Springfield township, living there until 1878. Dis- posing then of his land, he purchased the farm now owned and occupied by his son, William H. Pepper, and continued his farming operations until his death, in 1881. He married Marietta Bigelow, a daughter of E. J. Bigelow, of Springfield township, a well-known farmer. She sur- vived him, and is now a resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Three chil- dren were born of their union, as follows: Margaret, a teacher in the Logan School in Detroit; Eleanor, who died at the age of nine years; and William H.
Completing his early education in the Holly high school, William H. Pepper subsequently worked for two years in Holly, and then journeyed to California, where he lived for two years, being variously employed. Returning from the Pacific coast to the home farm, he has here been extensively and profitably engaged in general farming ever since. The improvements which he has made on the place have been of an excellent character, including the erection of the present residence, the substan- tial barn having been built by his father many years ago.
Mr. Pepper married, December 12, 1894, Miss Helen Fritz, daughter of Abner S. Fritz, an old and highly respected resident of Michigan, formerly living at Pontiac but now residing in Maple City. Mr. and Mrs. Pepper have one child, Robert Blair Pepper, now a pupil in the Holly high school.
ARTHUR O. HADLEY. Among the native-born citizens of Oakland county who have practically spent their. entire lives within its boundaries, aiding in every possible way its growth and prosperity, is Arthur O. Hadley, a prosperous and progressive agriculturist, whose birth occurred on the farm which he now owns and occupies, January 22, 1860.
His father, the late Charles F, Hadley, a brother of Thomas L. Had- ley and uncle of D. D. Hadley, was born, in 1825, in Clyde, New York. In 1833 he came with his parents to Michigan, and from that time until attaining his majority assisted his father in the pioneer task of hewing a farm from the wilderness. He completed the course of study in the district schools, after which he attended Albion College, fitting himself for a professional career, after which he farmed summers and taught school winters for eleven years. His first purchase of land was a tim- bered tract of eighty acres, which he bought of the government for $1.25 an acre, it being located five miles southeast of Holly, and is included in the present farm of his son Arthur. He subsequently added to his farm by purchase, paying as high as $40 an acre for a part of his farm, which at the time of his death, in August, 1876, contained two hundred acres,
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one hundred and fifty of which was under culture. He carried on gen- eral farming, including cattle growing and sheep raising, having a fine flock of Merino sheep. He was a stanch Republican, and though not active in public affairs served for seven or eight years as township supervisor. He was a valued member of the Presbyterian church, and, reared his family in the same religious faith. He married Martha Owen, who was born at Grand Blanc, Genesee county, Michigan, and was edu- cated at Albion College. She passed to the higher life about three years before the death of her husband, dying in 1873. Four children brightened their union, as follows : Arthur O., the special subject of this brief biographical notice; Bertha M., wife of Dr. D. A. MacLachlan, of De- troit ; Edwin C., engaged in the insurance business in Detroit ; and Rupert, who died in childhood.
After his graduation from the Holly high school, Arthur O. Hadley attended a military school in London, Canada. He subsequently spent a year as clerk in a store, but was not pleased with that kind of work. On attaining his majority he bought the old home farm on which he was born and bred, and in its management has since met with well deserved success. He has generally been very fortunate in his labors, although an occasional misfortune has befallen him. In 1893 a cyclone demolished his large barn, which was one of the best in the vicinity, but he has replaced it by a substantial building, and in 1895 he erected his present commodious and conveniently arranged house. Mr. Hadley also bought the old John Hadley farm, which adjoins his own, John Hadley having been an elder brother of his father. Mr. Hadley is interested in stock breeding and raising, and carries on general farming with most satis- factory results. For eight years he has been a director in the Monitor Insurance Company of Oakland county, of which his father was one of the organizers, and one of the first secretaries. This company was founded in Holly in the sixties, and is one of the oldest fire insurance companies in the state.
Mr. Hadley married, November 2, 1881, Isabelle Hall, a teacher of Springfield township. Her father, Isaiah Hall, born in Ireland, came to the United States as a boy of fifteen years and was one of the pioneers of Genesee county, Michigan. He is still living in Springfield township. He married Martha Erwin, who was born in Canada and died on the home farm in Springfield township when sixty years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Hadley have four children, namely: Bertha M., who was edu- cated at the State Normal School, taught school for a time, and is now the wife of Lee M. Clark, of Detroit; Charles I., of Rose township, married Edith Foster, daughter of Charles Foster, of the same town- ship; J. Erwin, at home; and Arthur H., a pupil in the Ypsilanti Normal School. Charles and Erwin both spent three years in Idaho, being there engaged in farm work, but are now at home.
Politically Mr. Hadley supports the principles of the Republican party. Fraternally he is a member of the Free and Accepted Order of Masons, and both he and Mrs. Hadley belong to the Order of the Eastern Star.
JAMES GARNER. , Numbered among the prosperous agriculturists of Rose township is James Garner, a representative of one of the early pioneers of this part of Oakland county, being a descendant in the fourth generation from the immigrant ancestor, his lineage being as follows: Thomas, James, John C., and James.
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Thomas Garner was born, in 1756, in county Antrim, Ireland, where his father, a victim of religious persecution, settled on fleeing from Scot- land. He grew to manhood in his native county, and for many years thereafter was engaged in the manufacture of fine linen, carrying on a substantial business. He took part in the Irish rebellion, inciting the Irish to establish if possible an independent government. Subsequently, in 1801, he immigrated with his family to the United States. Settling first in Sussex county, New Jersey, he bought land, and was there for twenty-one years engaged in farming and in operating a flour mill. Removing to Steuben county, New York, in 1825, he lived there about eight years. In 1833, at the age of seventy-seven years, he came to Michigan, and having bought a farm in White Lake township, Oakland county, was here a resident until his death, September 2, 1838, at the advanced age of eighty-two years and six months. His wife, whose maiden name was Ann Crawford, was born in county Antrim, Ireland, in 1770, and died in Oakland county, Michigan, in 1861, aged ninety-one years. He was a man of very strict principles, and his strong antipathy to intemperance and its accompanying vices so impressed his children, that not one of his family of thirteen children, seven of whom were sons, ever used liquor in any form or tobacco, and never used profane lan- guage. He was a strong United Presbyterian in his religious faith, and assisted in the establishment of the first Presbyterian church at White Lake.
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