USA > Michigan > Ottawa County > History of Ottawa County, Michigan with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 14
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J. W. HUTTY, druggist, born in Toronto, Ontario, 1840, left home for New York in 1866, learning the telegraphing and railway businesses, was on D., & M. R.R., and C. & W. M. R, R., about nine
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HISTORY OF OTTAWA COUNTY.
years; for the last six years has been in the drug and stationery bus- iness, and carries a stock of about $5,000. Mr. Hutty is of a social temperament, and is a prominent member of the I. O. O. F., being Past Grand of Ottawa Lodge, No. 46, is a member of the Royal Arca- num, A.O. U. W., Knights of Honor, Chosen Friends and Fraternal Protectors. He is a shrewd and successful business man, as well as a most genial and affable gentleman.
JOSEPH W. KIBLER is a native of Ohio, where he lived until the breaking out of the war. Iu 1861 he enlisted and went into the army with the 41st. Ohio Volunteers. At Gettysburg he was wound- ed in the right arm and was in a hospital six months. At the close of the war in 1865 he returned to Ohio. In 1870 he removed to Niles, Mich., where he remained until 1874, when he came to Grand Haven where he still resides.
PETER McCOURT came to Grand Haven from Appleton, Wis- consin, in 1879, and entered the employ of the Stearns Manufactu- ring Company. In the Spring of 1881 he was made foreman, which position he still holds. Mr. McCourt is a first-class machinist and is the inventor of a noiseless pulley, which is a very valuable improve- ment in machinery. He owns the patent in company with Mr. Geo. L. Stearns, of the Stearns Manufacturing Co.
T. A. MATTHEWS came from Maine, his native State, to Grand Haven in 1868. Since 1871 he has been at ship carpentering and millwright work, and for some time past has been engaged in the shipyard of Robinson & Co., at Grand Haven.
C. A. MERCER, foreman for Squier & White, was born in Vienna, Ontario, in 1832, has been a sailor for years, and is a ship joiner by trade. He married in 1856 Helen Campbell, of Hamilton, Ont., and has two sons, Walter F., born 1868; Angus R., 1870.
G. W. MILLER & Co., hardware, in Akeley's block; business es- tablished October, 1869; stock carried about $6,000. The "Co." is Mr. John Stark.
GEORGE W. MILLER was born at Eastmanville in 1844, and is son of Henry Miller, well known as a lake captain, who sailed the early lake schooners, the Caroline, the brig Enterprise, propeller Ottawa, and owned the schooner Ocean. He died at Spring Lake May 11, 1876. Mr G. W. Miller is one of the most energetic and enterpris- ing merchants in the city. He has risen from the ranks, a self made man, from clerk in stores and on vessels to be the leading partner of a fine business. He was for three years a partner of G. E. Hubbard. He and his father built the first brick store in the city. He married in Aug. 1871, Miss Nellie Morse, of Chippewa, Ontario.
CHRIST MINICK, retired farmer, was born in Prussia, 1820, came to Grand Haven in 1851, working at cooperage for three years, and then took a farm at Pigeon Creek for ten years, when he moved to 1st Street, near Franklin, owning ten acres in 4th Ward. He mar- ried in 1850 Miss Mary Wisch and has one daughter, Mary, wife of John Thornton; and one son, William, born 1870.
G. W. MOODY was born in Pennsylvania in 1835 and removed to Michigan with his parents in 1838. In 1855 he began as engin- eer in a mill at Spring Lake, For several years he was in northern Michigan, but in 1874 returned to Spring Lake, where he remained until 1879, when he entered the employ of Boyden & Akeley as en- gineer at their shingle mill at Grand Haven.
JOHN J. MORE is a native of New York State, and came to Mich- igan in 1849. In 1869 he came to Spring Lake where he has since been engaged in the mills as engineer. Since 1877 he has been chief engineer of the Cutler & Savidge Lumber Company. Mr. More has followed engineering for twenty-eight years.
THOMAS F. MURPHY was born in Ireland, and came to this coun- try when a small boy. At an early age he learned the trade of ship carpenter, which he has followed since 1854. For many years he
lived in Chicago, and in 1880 came to Grand Haven. Mr. Murphy has built several vessels, and has just finished a very fine one, whichi he will sail on the lakes unless it is otherwise disposed of.
C. NYSON, foreman of the carpenter department of Boyden & Akeley's mill, was born in Holland in 1835, but has been in Grand Haven since 1848, and with the present firm since 1875. In 1869 he married Miss Martha Myer.
JAMES O'CONNELL, dealer in brass and iron goods, wrought-iron pipe, pumps, rubber goods, etc, corner of First and Franklin streets, commenced his business May 1st, 1881, and has already a good trade. He was born in Ireland in 1841, came to America in 1848, is an engineer, and has the practical skill necessary to handle his line of goods. In 1869 he married Miss Kearnan, of North Michi- gan, and has two children. He enlisted at White River in Noah Ferry's regiment, serving to the close of the war.
JOSEPH W. O'BRIEN, of the firm of H. C. Akeley & Co., corner of Washington and Second Streets, was born in Chicago in 1860 where he resided until 1871, and has since been with Mr. Akeley. Their store is a very extensive one, being 25 feet front, with a depth of 150 feet; stock, $12,000 to $15,000.
W. H. PAINTER, lumber inspector and commission dealer in lumber, has resided in Ottawa since 1864, and now has his office in Grand Haven and residence in Spring Lake. He is a native of Illinois, and has long been connected with the lumber trade in Chi- cago, and does a large business, employing from fifteen to twenty men.
JOSEPH PALMER has been engaged in mill work as saw- filer for twenty-five years, twenty of which have been on Grand River. In 1861 he enlisted in the service and served in the war until the close of it in 1865. Although he saw plenty of active service, he was neither wounded nor in the hospital. In 1878 he took a position as saw-filer in the Emlaw mill in Grand Haven, where he is at pres- ent engaged.
G. B. PARKS, Cashier of the D., G. H. & M. Railroad, was born in Grand Haven in 1852, and is son of the late George Parks, whose biography will be found elsewhere. He was educated at the high school, entered the railway first as junior clerk in 1872, and has worked up to the cashiership. On October 15th, 1879, he married Frances Boyce, of Lowell, Mich.
JOHN T. PERCIVAL is a native of Scotland, and came to this country in 1865. In 1871 he came to Grand Haven from Holly, Mich., and was agent for the Detroit & Milwaukee Railway Com- pany until 1875, when he opened a flour and feed store, in which business he still continues. Mr. Percival is one of the substantial business men of Grand Haven, and is straightforward and upright in all his dealings.
EDWARD REENDERS is a native of Holland, and came to this country in 1863, coming direct to Ottawa County. In 1871 he came to Grand Haven and worked in the mills. He has been in his pres- ent place as engineer at the Bakker mill since 1874.
J. N. REYNOLDS, M. D., Grand Haven, was born in Porter County, Ind., August 24th, 1844, his father, Justus Reynolds, being a prominent farmer and stock-raiser. When about 8 years of age Mr. Reynolds removed with his parents to Ingersoll, Ontario, and there receiving a thorough classical education, he resolved to study medicine. At the age of 20 he entered the office of Dr. Springer, a prominent homeopathic physician of Ingersoll, with whom he re- mained one year. He then entered the Cleveland Homeopathic College, where he made rapid progress. After a six months' session he returned and spent another year with Dr. Springer. In Novem- ber, 1866, he removed to St. Louis, entering the Missouri Homeo- pathic College, and graduating in the spring of 1867. He practiced six months in Baltimore, Mich., removing then to St. Clair, where .
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HISTORY OF OTTAWA COUNTY.
he remained one year in partnership with Dr. G. Palmer. In No- vember, 1869, Dr. Reynolds removed to Grand Haven, where he has a lucrative practice, and ranks among the best physicians in the State. In September, 1869, he married Florence E., eldest daugh- ter of Captain S. C. Keeler, formerly of Detroit, and a prominent steamboat proprietor and inventor of the plan of building steam tugs with elevated cabins.
HENRY RYSDORP, JR., was born in Grand Haven in 1859. His father, Henry Rysdorp, is a member of the Grand Haven Lumber Company, and the son naturally follows in the business steps of his father. For the past three years he has been book-keeper at what. is known as the Fourth Ward Mill, of which his father is manager.
JOHN H. RYSDORP, son of Henry Rysdorp, was born in Grand Haven in 1856, and after leaving school, learned the trade of filing in the mills. He has been filing since 1874, and since 1877 has been filing at the Fourth Ward Mill, now operated by the Grand Haven Lumber Company.
JAMES SEEK came to Grand Haven from Wisconsin in 1871, and entered upon his present position as saw-filer and foreman of one of the departments at Boyden & Akeley's mill. Mr. Seek has been engaged at mill work for thirty years.
N. V. SLAYTON, who has an extensive grocery extablishment next to the Cutler House Block, was born in Stowe, Vt., in 1838. In January, 1862, he entered Hon. Dwight Cutler's store as clerk, and afterward, by honesty, energy and industry, he accumulated sufficient to open a dry goods store with Mr. Sheldon, which rose to great proportions. After several years, owing to ill health, he closed up business and took a holiday. In September, 1873, hav- ing somewhat recovered, he opened his present grocery store. In 1876 he was elected on the Republican ticket as City Treasurer over J. Pfaff and G. Bottje.
CAPT. W. A. SNYDER of Grand Haven, was born in Columbia County, Ohio, in 1839. Most of his life has been spent at steamboating, and since 1852 he has traversed most of the navigable waters of the continent. From 1861 to 1864 he was in the navy, and during most of that time in charge of trans- ports on the Mississippi River. He put up the first low-pressure, walking-beam engine in the Ohio Valley, and ran the first winter boat on the west shore of Lake Michigan. In 1874 he had charge of the steamer City of Duluth, and quit sailing altogether in 1875. Captain Snyder has had all the experience incident to a long career of steamboat life. During his life he has owned several boats, and during 1879-80 built the tug Lizzie Frank. In 1869 he came to Grand Haven and has spent most of his time here since 1875. Since the organization of the Grand Haven Tug Association he has been in charge as collector and superintendent, He is authority on all matters which relate to boating, and is an efficient officer of the Tug Association, of which he is a member.
WM. THIELEMANN, saloon keeper, next to Kirby House, was born in West Prussia in 1853. He came to Grand Haven in 1870, working at first in sawmills, and he has been in his present place since May, 1879. On July 15th, 1879, he married Bertha Wilbret, and has two children-Emma, born in 1880, and William in 1881.
ANDREW THOMSON, manager for Ferry Bros., was born in Sel- kirkshire, Scotland, and before coming to America was engaged chiefly in iron works in Glasgow, and came to Grand Haven in 1865, serving two years as freight agent. On February 1, 1868, he entered the service of Senator Ferry, as general manager of his lumbering opera- ions and real estate. Mr. Thomson is a very worthy gentleman, and highly respected in the community for his urbanity and up- rightness of life and conduct.
FRANK TORRANCE is a native of New York, and for the past ten years has been engaged in lumber mills as engineer. In 1862 he
enlisted in the army, and served until the close of the war in 1865. In 1867 he came to Grand Haven from Georgia, and was with the Cutler & Savidge Lumber Company until 1881, when he went into the employ of the Grand Haven Lumber Company as engineer at what is known as the Fourth Ward Mill.
JOHN R. VAN DAM, agent, was born in Overissel, Allegan County, Mich., January 30, 1857, and is son of Roelof Van Dam, who came in with the Holland Colony in 1847, and to Grand Haven in 1876. Mr. J. R. Van Dam married, in 1878, Maggie, daughter of Rev. K. Van den Bosch, and has two daughters-Martha, born January 26, 1879, and Mary, August 22, 1881. He was six months at the Chicago Business College, and about two years in that city, return- ing to Grand Haven in 1880, entering into dry goods business on the corner of Washington and Second Streets, sold out in April, 1881, and since then has been agent of New Home Sewing Machine, in which he has been quite successful.
REUBEN VANDERHOEF is a native of New York, and in 1859 re- moved to Berlin, Ottawa County, from Ohio. After remaining there a year, he came to Grand Haven. When he first came there he went into the jail as jailor, and remained in that position until 1864, when he was elected Sheriff of the county. In 1865 he ran the first steam ferry ever operated across the river, the railroad then running along the west shore of the river. Since that time he has been sailing, and his family resides at Grand Haven.
CORNELIUS DE VLIEGER, Sr., is a native of Holland, and when seven years of age came with his parents to this country. In 1864 he came to Grand Haven from Grand Rapids, Mich., and engaged in the dairy business, which he still continues.
FREDERICK D. Vos was born in the Netherlands in 1843, and came to this country in 1856 and located in Grand Haven, where he has since resided. In 1865 Mr. Vos began business for himself in the grocery trade. Cautious and honorable in his dealings, his busi- ness prospered, and he ranks among the leading business men of the county. Mr. Vos held the office of Alderman from 1872 to 1876.
J. D. Vos, of the lumber firm of Brouwer & Vos, is a native of Holland, and came to this country in 1855. He came direct to Grand Haven and worked at lumbering until 1863, when he went into partnership with Rysdorp, Busche & Sprik, which continued until 1877, when their mill was burned, and the firm dissolved. In 1879 the present firm of Brouwer & Vos was formed, and a new mill built on the site of the one burned in 1877.
GERRIT VYNE is a native of Holland, and came to this country in 1848 and settled in Zeeland Township, where he still resides. For several years he has been engaged in the lumber business, and in the spring of 1881 removed his mill from Good Harbor to Grand Haven and engaged in the manufacture of hard wood lumber. Mr. Vyne is a hard working business man, honorable in all his dealings, and noted for his integrity and stability.
JAMES WELCH is a native of England, and came to Canada in 1841. In 1869 he came to Grand Haven and for several years was engaged at work in the lumber mills. In 1879 he entered the em- ploy of the Stearns Manufacturing Company, where he still re- mains.
C. E. WYMAN is a prominent and successful lumberman of Grand Haven. He was born in Essex County, N. Y., February 10th, 1826. Being the son of a gentleman engaged in lumbering, he followed the same occupation, and at the age of 20 years he moved to Ohio, remaining six years. In 1864 he had built a mill, the " Ohio," in Blendon, laying down a six-mile tramway to the river. In 1865 he sold the mill, going into the oil business on Oil Creek, Penna. In 1866 he came to Grand Haven, going into part- nership with Mr. Henry W. Buswell, buying out the old Ferry mill, and after it was burned building their new mill farther up the river.
yours Truly Chad Bo Wyman
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HISTORY OF OTTAWA COUNTY.
In 1851 he married Miss Harriet Reynolds, of Cuyahoga, Ohio, by whom he has four children. His residence is on Franklin street. A fine steel engraving of Mr. Wyman appears in this work.
LOWTON B. STEARNS was born March 11, 1837, in New York, and first learned harness making. In 1855 he went to Wisconsin, and in 1862 enlisted in the service for the term of the war. In 1873 he came to Grand Haven, and joined his brother and Mr. Chaffe in business. He married, May 23, 1867, Frances C. Payne of Wis- consin. Mr. Stearns is a man of sound judgment and strict integrity, and respected by the whole community.
G. L. STEARNS came to Grand Haven in 1874, first as member of the firm of Chaffe & Stearns, but the former sold out his interest, and the firm became Stearns Bros. (G. L. and L. B.), as sash, door and blind manufacturers, which has now developed into the im- portant Stearns Manufacturing Co., referred to elsewhere. Mr. Stearns was born Jan. 22, 1832, in Montgomery County, N. Y., became in his youth a builder and contractor, removing in 1856 to Wisconsin. In 1858 he married Miss Mary E. Snyder. In 1862 he served for a time in the 67th Illinois Infantry. After various removals in Wisconsin, he came to Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he married a sister of his former wife, who had died in Wisconsin, leaving three sons. Mr. Stearns is a man of genial nature, and is a thorough, reliable business man.
D. E. ROSE came to Grand Haven in 1861, as ticket agent for the D. & M. Railway, then four years teller in Ferry & Son's .bank- ing house. He was Supervisor in 1872, and Alderman in 1875, Justice of the Peace in 1865-9. He is eminently social in his dis- position, and esteemed by all who know him.
G. W. McBRIDE has been prosecuting attorney for the Court since 1877. He came to Holland in 1871, and was City Attorney 1873-6, and in 1874 Deputy Collector of Customs. He was born in Ohio, Sept. 26, 1845.
MAJOR GLOVER, Postmaster, came to Grand Haven in 1870, entering into the lumber firm of White, Glover & Co., but July 4,
1877, a fire swept away the earnings of six years. Major Glover at once leased a neighboring mill, and within a week had it in opera- tion, furnishing his contracts. Major Glover was born in Ohio, Sept. 11, 1841.
In 1877 the Hon. Robert A. Haire was chosen President of the Village of Spring Lake. He has been elected to the Legislature in the sessions of 1872-3. He was born in Bombay, Franklin County, N. Y., July 20, 1836, and entered into lumbering in the eastern part of Ottawa County, in 1852. He enlisted in the 5th Michigan Cavalry in 1862, and was raised for meritorious services to a cap- taincy in December, 1864., He settled in Spring Lake after the war, engaging largely in lumbering.
REV. GEO. W. COOKE was a prominent Unitarian pastor of Grand Haven, who came in February, 1876. He was a hard worker, both with pen and tongue, for the propagation of his ideas.
HON. T. D. GILBERT came to Grand Haven in 1835, one of the earliest settlers,failed in mercantile business in the crash of 1837, but, in company with his brother Frank he succeeded in doing a large and successful business in lumber, shipping and commission, so that in 1856 he retired on a competency. After two years travel in Europe, he settled in Grand Rapids. He was Sheriff of Ottawa County in 1842, and in 1860 a Member of the Legislature.
JACOB DE BOE was born in Netherlands in 1837, and his family came to Zeeland in 1847. He served in the war three years, in the 8th Mich. Infty., Co. D. In 1867 he became the first City Treas- urer, and in 1877 he was elected County Register of Deeds.
W. N. ANGELL came to Talmadge in 1843. In 1848 he was elected County Register of Deeds. In 1851 he was Justice of the Peace, and also, in connection with J. & J. W. Barns, published the first newspaper in Ottawa County.
REV. E. C. OGGEL was a former pastor of First Reformed Church of Grand Haven for 1872-6. His congregation was the largest in the city-nearly 300 families.
6
GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP.
This township has a mean width of about four and one-half miles from east to west, and an extreme length of about nine miles, with the city of Grand Haven occupying the north end of the town.
SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION.
Nothing can be said of the settlement of this township as dis- tinct from that of the village of Grand Haven, which was the nucleus for at least all the northwestern part of the county. The pioneers of the city were the first settlers in what was known as Ottawa town- ship until the year 1363, when it was changed to Grand Haven. Ottawa township was co-extensive with the county (save two con- gressional towns organized as Talmadge), and was organized in April 1838. Wm. Hathaway was supervisor, and the election took place at the house of Nathan Troop. It may be regarded as the parent town from which, by successive pruning, all the other towns have been separated, until it finally gave up its name, and in fact when separated from the city in 1867, the town dwindled to quite a small affair. The city limits are pretty extensive, and the population of the town numbers but 642 according to the last United States census.
SUPERVISORS.
In 1867, the year the city was chartered, the town officers were: Supervisor-R. W. Duncan, the Grand Haven lawyer; Clerk-John Fuite; Treasurer-Jacob De Boe. J. Mastenbroek was supervisor in 1876-7-8-9, and Henry Saul in 1880-1.
STATISTICAL.
The town contains 18,319 acres of land. The valuation of real estate as equalized by the County Board of Supervisors has been of late years as follows: In 1877, $106,720; in 1878, $98,305; in 1879, $86,471; 1880, $80,672; 1881, $81,827.
SOIL, PRODUCTS, ETC.
The town contains over 16,000 acres of taxable land, and its gen- eral quality is seen in the fact that although adjoining a flourishing city, where "corner lots" command good prices, the lands of the town are rated at about $5.00 per acre on an average for purpose of tax- ation.
A considerable portion of the town consists of a series of sand hills, some of them about 200 feet in height, and since experiments have demonstrated that much of these are valuable for horticultural purposes, it is possible that a great change will soon take place. There is a considerable portion of marsh in the town, too little above the lake or river level for thorough drainage.
FRUIT.
Peach Plains settlement, to the south and east of the city limits is a tract of about 2,000 acres that is becoming famous as one of the choicest fruit regions, although it is less than fifteen years since it was first selected.
The pioneer in fruit growing, and still a leader in that line, was the Hon. Townsend E. Gidley who bought about one-third of the lands of the Robert Stuart estate, which had been out of the market
for about a score of years since the death of the owner, and amounted to about 2,000 acres. Mr. Gidley bought the lands near the river about two miles to the southeast of the city, paying about $15 an acre, for what now would be worth perhaps $30. He has now 70 acres of orchard with over 10,000 trees, chiefly peach, with apple, plum and cherry, and his heaviest crop has been 5,000 baskets.
Mr. Walter Phillips is next south of Mr. Gidley, and is quite extensively into fruit. He has also an elegant residence. He has been quite successful with small fruits, of which he has 20 acres. Mr. Smith is next south, next James Seek, who is on the river.
On the west side of the road past Mr. Gidley is E. T. Andrews, Mr. Bissell, John and Johannes Goudberg. Messrs. Norcross, father and son, are nearer Pottowatamie Bayou which extends west from Grand River nearly one and a half miles.
Mrs. Woolcot and son are energetic fruit growers, and have a small but well cultivated plot of 15 acres. The most successful in strawberries in 1881 was E. Branch, who has fifteeu acres next to Norcross,
The Hon. D. B. Conger, on Peach Plains, is an old resident, an extensive peach raiser, with more or less small fruit. He is a man of energy and of great will power. He was educated for the law, has been in Australia and in many other foreign lands, was senator in Wisconsin for two terms, and has been in Peach Plains about twelve years.
G. R. Harris is a successful grower of small fruits, having a fine location of 20 acres; and two Hollanders, Messrs. Gringhuis and Grubno, have 40 acres each of all kinds of fruit, and are earnest, successful men.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
GEO. W. AIKEN, of Section One, was born in Rumney town, N. H., in 1846, and spent his youth boating on the lakes until 1875, when he settled on his present place. In 1872 he married Emillia Doud, born in Wayne County, N. Y., in 1845. They have one child, Jesse M., born in 1874.
ANDREW M. COLE, of Section Thirty-Five, was born in Wilson, Niagara Co., N. Y., in 1824, and moved thence to Lockport, N. Y., where in 1861 he enlisted in Company M. Eighth N. Y. Artillery, under Capt. Catheren. He was present at some hot engagements, of which the principal were the battles of Winchester, Cedar Moun- tain, and Antietam. In 1863 he took his discharge. From Lock- port Mr. Cole then moved to Battle Creek, and there engaged in mercantile business. In 1876 he settled on his present place. In 1848 he married Miss Mary A. Culver, born in Royalton, N.Y., in 1826.
HON. T. E. GIDLEY, after having passed the first few years of his business life in mercantile pursuits, at Poughkeepsie N. Y., the place of his nativity, warned by his failing health, closed his business, and in the Spring of 1833 sought and found, or rather made a home in the then far away and almost untrodden wilds of central Michi-
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