USA > Michigan > Oakland County > History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests Volume II > Part 49
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
Mr. Taylor was married December 29, 1875, to Miss Maria Buck- bee, daughter of Tobias and Naomi (Adams) Buckbee, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Pennsylvania. On first coming to Michigan, in 1849, at which time Mrs. Taylor was a child of four years, the family settled in a little log house in Pontiac township, a structure that they made their home for five years, when a more commodious home was built. Mr. Buckbee had been previously married to Roxana Adams, sister of his second wife, and by her had a son, Josiah, who died July 5, 1896. By his second marriage he had five children, of whom three grew to maturity: Margaret, who died January 17, 1888; James, who died September 11, 1870; and Mrs. Taylor. The father of these children passed away October 17, 1872, and the mother October 29, 1875. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have had no children.
M. LAFAYETTE HARP. Left with heavy responsibilities at an early age by the death of his father in the great Civil war, the early life of M. Lafayette Harp was filled with hard, persistent labor, but the neces- sity for making his own way in the world no doubt served to make the youth industrious and self-reliant and has probably assisted him greatly in achieving his present success. Today he is known as one of the rep- resentative and substantial agriculturists of Pontiac township, where he is the owner of a well-cultivated tract of eighty acres in section 3. Mr. Harp was born in Huron county, Michigan, February 22, 1857, and is a son of John and Mary (Watson) Harp, natives of Canada. On first coming to Michigan Mr. Harp's parents located in Huron county, where the father was engaged in farming and stock raising until his enlistment in the Union army during the Civil war, and after a short service his death occurred during battle. His widow survived him many years and died in 1907, having been the mother of five children, as follows: One who died in infancy; Jay J., residing at Leonard; M. Lafayette ; John, who is deceased; and Mary Jane.
ยท
847
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
The educational advantages of M. Lafayette Harp were somewhat limited, as he was obliged to contribute to the support of the family at an early age, although his mother did all in her power to assist her chil- dren. At the age of thirteen years he went to Macomb county, where he started work as a farm hand, and being industrious and economical saved his wages. In 1897 he came to Pontiac township, Oakland county, here renting land for three years, and by 1900 had accumulated enough capital to invest in a tract of eighty acres in section 3, on which he has since carried on general farming and stock raising. He has made nu- merous substantial and permanent improvements, including the erection of a handsome two-story residence, and the equipment of his farm com- pares favorably with any in the township. Mr. Harp is a Republican in his political views, and his standing in his community is testified to by the fact that he has been school treasurer for the nine years past. His influence on the public thought and enterprise of the community has been healthy and productive of much good, and he is, as he deserves to be, a highly esteemed citizen.
Mr. Harp was married September 28, 1896, to Miss Fannie Portus, daughter of John and Mary (Hickman) Portus, natives of England who came to the United States in May, 1852, locating in Pontiac. Engaging in agricultural pursuits, Mr. Portus accumulated two hundred and four- teen acres of land, on which he continued to reside until his death, Jan- uary 13, 1900, while his widow survived him until September 3, 1907. They had a family of four children: John, living in Oakland county ; Frank, who resides on the old homestead; Fannie, who married Mr. Harp; and Emma, wife of Richard Willis, of Pontiac township. Mr. and Mrs. Harp have three children : Mary, born October 10, 1898; Fred P., born August 3, 1901 ; and Hazel, born August 26, 1902. Mr. Harp has been very busily devoted to his agricultural labors, but has not denied himself the pleasures of companionship with his fellows.
ARTHUR W. FISHER is an enterprising farmer of the younger gen- eration and a native of Michigan, as were his parents, Luther W. and Lizzie (Decker) Fisher. Luther Fisher had at the time of his marriage bought one hundred acres in section 7, Avon township. The children of the family were three in number. Mary, the eldest is deceased; Florence, the youngest, is Mrs. William Barnett, of Pontiac; the only son was Arthur Fisher, the subject of this sketch, who was born on March 15, 1877.
Mr. Fisher in his boyhood lived the free rural life common to farm- ers' sons and received the advantages of the public schools of his dis- trict. As he grew to manhood's estate he early assumed its responsibil- ities, having not yet reached the years of his majority when he married and took charge of the agricultural operations on the home farm. After three years in that location he moved to a farm three and one half miles northeast, where he rented one hundred and seventy-nine acres. This land he cultivated for eight years, after which he returned to the farm on which he had been reared. This he has ever since occupied, his father and mother having retired to a comfortable home in Pontiac. The Fisher property is admirably adapted for the various lines of general farming pursued by Mr. Fisher. He is especially successful in the rais- ing of fine stock of various kinds.
Mrs. Arthur Fisher was formerly Miss Alberta Dutton, a daughter Vol. II-23
848
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
of Albert and Cynthia (Clark) Dutton; her parents were natives of New York, whence they had come in 1846 to Avon township, which was their home during the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Fisher's father died in 1890 and her mother in 1904. The children of the family were eight in number, Alberta Dutton Fisher being the youngest. Her brothers and sisters are the following: Lucy A. Dutton, who now re- sides in the Fisher home; William H., who is deceased ; Frank A. Dut- ton, of Oakland county ; Charles B., of Orion township; Nina A., de- ceased; May M., the widow of James Austin, of Romeo; and Cynthia M., who is deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Fisher one child has been born, a daughter named Gertrude H.
The church allegiance of Mrs. Fisher is given to the Baptist denomi- nation. The political preferences of Mr. Fisher have always been Re- publican, his participation in party affairs having been of a thoughtful but inconspicuous sort. The residence of the Fisher family is on Rural Route One, of the Pontiac postal system.
GEORGE JONES is another of the estimable rural citizens of Avon township. Although a son of another state, he has lived in this com- munity since the age of four. His parents were Elijah Jones, a native of New Jersey, and Elizabeth Ross Jones, of Pennsylvania. They were the parents of three daughters and one son. The eldest, Jane R., now lives in Detroit; the second daughter, Mary, died in childhood; Martha, the youngest, is also deceased. The son, George Jones, was second in line, his birth occurring in Warren county, New Jersey, on February 8, 1843.
Although the father of George Jones was a mason by trade, he pur- chased a property of eighty acres in Avon township at the time of his migration to Michigan in 1847. Here George Jones grew up among the usual surroundings of rustic life. Until he attained the years of his majority he assisted his father in the pursuits of the farm, having in the meantime secured such educational advantages as were possible in his environment. In 1873 he purchased forty acres of land, which after three years of cultivation he sold. He then bought his present property of eighty acres in sections 4 and 9. This farm he has brought to its present admirable state of improvement and to a very profitable status. Mr. Jones carries on a well systematized combination of the different lines of general farming. Stockraising is one of his strong specialties.
The family life of Mr. Jones began in 1876, when he was united in marriage to Miss Laura Englesby, who died three years later. In 1880 he remarried, his second wife being Elizabeth Springsted, a daughter of Daniel and Amanda (Cole) Springsted, natives of New York, who be- came residents of Saginaw county. Elizabeth Springsted Jones was the fourth in line of her generation of the family. Her sister Clara and her two brothers Levi and Henry have all passed to "that bourne whence no traveler returns" as have also her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Springsted. Although the serene life of George Jones and his wife has not been further blessed by the birth of children, they have fulfilled the duties of parents toward a niece of Mr. Jones, named Martha, whom they reared as their own child. She is now Mrs. Charles Vaughan, a resident of Chicago.
The church affiliations of Mr. Jones and his wife is that of the Meth- odist Episcopal denomination, in the local congregation of which they
849
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
are faithful and important members. The political party which claims the fealty of George Jones is the Democratic. He is in all public matters sincere and thoughtful in his support, but has no craving for notoriety and has never been an office-seeker of any sort. His comfort- able and attractive home is on rural route two of the Rochester postal system.
JOHN JALOWSKI. Oakland county not only possesses some of the best farms in the state of Michigan, but also some of the most progressive farmers, men who are taking advantage of every opportunity offered by improved machinery and scientific methods, and to whom years of ex- perience have given deep knowledge and unsurpassed skill in their chosen vocations. Among some of the most successful of these are natives of the Fatherland. There are very few Germans in this country who have not succeeded in life, for there is something in the German character that makes for success. The German knows how to work, save and invest, and in a short time have generally accumulated a comfortable compe- tency, often succeeding where a native-born American would have failed. This is true in many kinds of work, but especially is it so in farming, for the German understands agriculture and develops his land until it yields him large returns through constant arduous work, oftentimes in the midst of discouragement that would defeat those less persevering. John Jalowski, of Pontiac township, is an excellent example of the pro- gressive German-American agriculturist, now owning a handsome tract in section 4, aggregating one hundred and twenty acres. He was born in the German Fatherland, January 24, 1854, and is a son of Charlie and Annie (Deming) Jalowski, who spent the last years of their lives in Detroit. They had a family of seven children, as follows: John; Paul- ine, the wife of Philip Glass, of Detroit; Charlie, of that city ; Lillie, the wife of Frank Brown, also of Detroit; Joseph, who resides in Califor- nia ; Louis, who is deceased; and Jacob.
John Jalowski received a good education in the schools of his native country, where he was also reared to agricultural pursuits, and at the age of nineteen years, feeling that the United States offered better op- portunities for making a fortune, embarked for this country. He first located at Detnoit, where he was engaged in farming until 1887, and in that year purchased forty acres of land near Royal Oak, on which he carried on operations for six years. In 1894 he came to Pontiac town- ship, here purchasing one hundred and twenty acres in section 4, and this he has developed into one of the best farms in the township, making permanent improvements and erecting handsome, substantial buildings. He has displayed practical qualities and inherent abilities that have brought him unqualified success in his operations, keeps an excellent grade of stock, and cultivates the grains which are best suited to his land. Mr. Jalowski is independent in his political views, preferring to exercise his right to vote for the candidate he deems best fitted for the office rather than because of any particular party connection. Fra- ternally he is connected with the C. M. B. A., and the religious belief of both himself and wife is that of the Catholic church.
Mr. Jalowski was married November 24, 1877, to Miss Louise An- son, born May 10, 1852, in Detroit, a daughter of Albert Anson, and the only child of her mother, died when she was a baby. Mr. and Mrs. Jalowski have seven children: Annie, the wife of Charles Grobar, of
.
850
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
Detroit; John, living in that city; Lillie, the wife of Mike Redan, of Pontiac; Mike, residing in Detroit; Frank, who lives at home; Cather- ine, at the Pontiac high school; and Lena, wife of William Reck, of De- troit.
RUFUS SCHERMERHORN. During a long and honorable career Rufus Schermerhorn, a representative agriculturist of Pontiac township, has been engaged in various lines of industry, and it is doubtful if there is another man in Oakland county whose activities have taken him to so many points in this and other countries. He has always played for high stakes in his various ventures and his successes have been often accom- panied by disappointments, but in all his operations he has maintained a reputation for the strictest integrity, and his record as a business man and a citizen is without stain or blemish. Mr. Schermerhorn was born in Channahon, Will county, Illinois, June 26, 1840, and is a son of Jacob and Eliza (Davis) Schermerhorn, natives of New York. His father, born November 2, 1810, removed to Illinois in 1831, there taking up land from the Government, on which he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring March 23, 1863. His wife has also passed away, having been the mother of six children, as follows : Louisa and Bennett, who are deceased; Cornelia, the widow of P. C. Royce, of Hartford, Connecticut ; Albert and Orville, who have passed away; and Rufus.
Rufus Schermerhorn started to attend the schools of Channahon, Illinois, but when nine years of age went to Chicago and entered a tar roofing plant, with which he was connected for three years, his next employment being in a flour and feed business located on South Water street in that city. For seven or eight years he operated on the Chicago Board of Trade, and he then went to Joliet, Illinois, where he was in the insurance business until 1864. In that year he returned to the home farm, his father having passed away, and rented the homestead one year. In 1866 he went to Rosemond, Christian county, Illinois, and there was engaged in the mercantile business. On February 22, 1871, he was mar- ried (first) to Miss Susan B. Dyer, who died February 20, 1872. In the meantime Mr. Schermerhorn had moved to Coffeyville, Kansas, at which place he built the first store and had the first stock of general merchandise. On December 23rd of the following year his establish- ment and stock were destroyed by fire, Mr. Schermerhorn sustaining a loss of about $28,000, and he was compelled to make a new start. Re- turning to Chicago, during the next five years he was in the employ of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company, but at the end of that period his health failed and he went to Pueblo, Colorado, where until January, 1884, he was connected with railroad operating, at the time of his retire- ment being general traveling passenger agent of the Union Pacific Rail- road. He next came to the upper peninsula of Michigan, where for four years he had charge of a sawmill, and after selling this industry for $56,000 operated another mill for one year and then went to Me- nominee. There he was married February 28, 1889, to Mrs. Emille Gir- ardin. In 1891 Mr. Schermerhorn went to California, and after spending several months in the Golden state journeyed to Vancouver. Subsequently he went to Sydney, Australia, came back to San Francisco, and then located in Detroit, and purchased one hundred and ten acres of land located at Mt. Clemens, on which he resided for three years. On selling that tract he purchased three hundred and twenty acres at Roch-
851
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
ester, and for five years was engaged in raising trotting horses, but dis- posed of his interests there to buy one hundred and sixty-three acres of land at Birmingham, where he remained three years. On selling the lat- ter land Mr. Schermerhorn went to Cuba, and during the next six years carried several large ventures to a successful conclusion. Purchasing six hundred and sixty-six and two-thirds acres of land, he put thereon four hundred head of yearling stock, fenced his plantation into five sec- tions, and carried on extensive operations, eventually purchasing the in- terest of his partner. While in Cuba, with a Mr. Yost, he went to Colum- bia and Venezuela, South America, there loaded one thousand two hun- dred and fifty head of cattle, and brought them back to Havana, where they were fattened for the market. Eventually he sold his Cuban plan- tation, although he still owns some cattle there, and in April, 1907, came back to Detroit, Michigan. In 1909 he purchased eighty-six acres of land in Pontiac township, section 21, where he is carrying on general farming and stock raising. Mr. Schermerhorn has been an extensive traveler, and in addition to the places heretofore mentioned, has visited the wintry regions of the Yukon and the sunny clime of Virginia. It has not mattered how distant the point, if he could discern an opportun- ity for a satisfactory business transaction he was always ready to make the trip, and his ventures, as a rule, have been uniformly successful. A shrewd, capable business man, possessed of a boundless energy, he has been at all times ready to take his chance in any legitimate enterprise, and the success that has crowned his efforts has been but the well-mer- ited reward for a life spent in earnest endeavor. In politics he is a Re- publican, but his business has satisfied his ambitions, and the public arena has never offered inducements which he has cared to accept. He is a valued member of the Masons, and his religious connection is with the Catholic church.
The maiden name of Mrs. Schermerhorn was Emille Dubois, and at the time of her marriage she was the widow of Joseph T. Girardin, by whom she had eleven children, eight living, namely: Ernest J., of De- troit ; Louis J., of Grosse Pointe, Mich .; Marie Louise, wife of R. Z. Rousseau, of Detroit ; Elise Julia, with her mother ; Lillian J., wife of William Vhay, of Detroit; Edith Grace, wife of William F. Lomansey, of Detroit ; William J., of Detroit; and Elizabeth J., residing with her mother and a teacher in the Detroit schools. The other three children have passed away and their father died when forty-eight years of age.
Mrs. Girardin was married to Mr. Schermerhorn February 28, 1889. Her father, James A. Dubois, was born in Detroit, February 3, 1807, and lived there all his life. At the time of his marriage to Sophie Cam- peau, which occurred in 1839, the Campeau estate was divided, his wife receiving her share of the old Campeau homestead. They owned a farm on the river, back for three and one-half miles, called the Dubois farm and known as Private Claim No. 91. Dubois street, in Detroit, was named in honor of her father. On her mother's side Mrs. Schermer- horn traces her ancestry back to James Campeau, who was born in 1702, probably in Montreal. The first Campeau who came from France to Canada was Etienne (Stephen) Campeau, who settled in Montreal. His son, Jacques (James), was born in Montreal, in 1677, and there married Cecelia Catin in 1696. This family removed to Detroit in 1708, seven years after the post was founded by Cadillac. James took up a grant of land in what is now the city of Detroit but was then known as Private
.
.
852
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
Claim No. 18, the Meldrum farm, which extends along the Detroit river between Mount Elliott and Beaufait avenue. Belle Isle, now one of the most beautiful islands in the world, was owned by the Campeaus from 1817 until 1879, at which date it was purchased from the family by the city of Detroit, the consideration being $200,000. Since that time more than $2,000,000 have been spent in beautifying and improving it.
Jean Louis Campeau, great-great-grandfather of Mrs. Schermer- horn, was united in marriage in 1735 to Mary Louise Robert. Three children were born to this union; Jacques, Simon and Jean Baptiste. Jacques Campeau, great-grandfather, was born in 1735, and on August 17, 1761, was married to Catherine Menard. Their son, Jacques, grand- father of Mrs. Schermerhorn, was born February 7, 1766, on the old Campeau homestead, and married Susan Cuillerier de Beaubien, by whom he had three children : Jacques, Sophie, the mother of Mrs. Scher- merhorn, and Thomas, who died young. As previously stated, Sophie Campeau became the wife of James A. Dubois in 1839, and to their union there were born six children, as follows: James, who is deceased; Emille, wife of Mr. Schermerhorn; James F., deceased; Louis W., of Monroe, Michigan ; Marie Elizabeth, now the wife of Jules G. Hoffman, of Detroit; and Frederick, who is deceased. The Campeaus because of their nationality, were free from Indian invasion and attack, for the Indians regarded the French as their friends. Mrs. Schermerhorn's mother died June 14, 1882, having survived her husband about three years, his death occurring July 26, 1879.
WILLIAM ANDERSON. The progressive, wide-awake and thrifty farmers and stock raisers located in various parts of Oakland county are justly regarded wherever they are known as among the most sub- stantial, productive and useful citizens of the state. Among them no one is more justly esteemed either in business or social relations than William Anderson, who owns and conducts a farm of one hundred and thirty- four acres of excellent land located in section 15, Pontiac town- ship. The whole tract is fenced and in a good state of cultivation and yields profitable returns in general farming in addition to the raising of stock. Mr. Anderson was born in Oakland township, Oakland county, Michigan, August 13, 1857, and is a son of Richard DeMott and Re- becca A. (Flumerfelt) Anderson, natives of the Empire state.
Richard DeMott Anderson came to Michigan as a young man, his wife having come to this state as a baby, and after their marriage they located on a farm in Oakland township, where Mr. Anderson continued to live for a great many years, when he retired and moved to Orion, where his death occurred there at the age of eighty-two years. His wife resided in Oakland township until she was fifty years of age, at which time she moved to Orion and after her husband's death she went to live with a daughter in Rochester, where her death occurred when sev- enty-six years of age. She and her husband had seven children, as follows: Frances L., wife of W. T. Denison, of Oxford; William ; George F., residing at Gothensburg, Nebraska; F. May, wife of H. J. Taylor, of Rochester ; John M., living in Detroit; C. L., a resident of Orion ; and Jessie M., wife of Dr. P. M. Martin, of Emily City.
The early education of William Anderson was secured in the district schools of Oakland township, and three years in the high schools of Orion and Romeo, and until he was twenty-four years of age he re-
853
HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY
mained on the old homestead and assisted his father. At that time he purchased a tract of two hundred and thirteen acres of land in Oakland township, a tract which he cultivated for sixteen years, then selling out. Becoming the owner of a horse racing stable, with several fast animals from Lexington, Kentucky, Mr. Anderson spent the next year in racing his horses at the Detroit track, but in March, 1897, disposed of his stock and came to Pontiac, where he purchased a farm of one hundred and thirty-four acres. He was engaged in cultivating this property, located in section 15, for six years, then rented the land and went to Chicago. After spending one year as foreman of a stock farm near the Illinois metropolis, Mr. Anderson returned to his farm, where he has since car- ried on general operations and stock raising, and is also financially in- terested in the building of state roads. He has been signally prosperous in his operations and is recognized as one of the leading farmers of his part of the county, where he is held in high esteem. In politics he ad- vocates the principles of the Democratic party, but outside of acting as highway commissioner during the past five years, has never sought the honors of public office. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons and the Knights of Pythias, while his religious faith is that of the Presby- terian church.
On February 15, 1894, Mr. Anderson was married to Miss Ida M. Lessiter, daughter of John and Nancy Lessiter, the father a native of England came to Michigan when about twenty years old and the mother came to Oakland county, Michigan at an early day, and they spent their lives in agricultural pursuits. They had a family of six children: Eliza- beth, the wife of Albert A. Hammond, of Clarkston; Edna A., wife of Charles L. Walton, of Pontiac; Ida M., who married Mr. Anderson; Frank H. and F. J., of Orion; and one child that died in childhood. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have had one daughter, Grace L., wife of Henry Merz, of Pontiac.
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.