History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan, Part 65

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co.
Number of Pages: 818

USA > Michigan > St Clair County > History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan > Part 65

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Jacob Bartle Parker, son of Ebenezer and Rosetta (Plum) Parker, natives of Suffolk County, England, was born at Dundas, Wentworth County, Canada West, August 15, 1858. He re- ceived a common school education at Dundas. In 1869 or 1870, be left school and entered the office of the Dundas Banner, in October, 1870, under James Somerville, M. P. of Canada Par- liament. There he served until November, 1875, when he entered the composing room of the Hamilton Spectator (daily). In February, 1876, moved to Woodstock and engaged on the Sen- tinel, then edited by G. R. and A. Pattullo. In October, 1878, the Review and Sentinel amal- gamated, when Mr. Parker passed some months at his home in Dundas before leaving to take a position on the Lindsay Post, then published by Mr. Barr, of New York. In October, 1879, he moved to Albion, Mich., where he entered the office of the Republican, under Benjamin Baxter Bissell. In April, 1881, he received an offer from the Port Huron Times. Coming to Port Huron the same month, he entered upon his first journalistic labors as city editor of that daily journal, which position he now occupies. Mr. Parker was married, October 20, 1880, to Miss Ida Cowherd, daughter of Thomas and Ellen Cowherd, of Bradford, Brant County, Canada West, old and well known settlers of that district. Mrs. Parker was born December 7, 1858. at Brantford.

Albert H. Finn, formerly editor of the Fort Gratiot Sun, now of the Christian Advocate, took the position of assistant local editor on the Daily Times, in June, 1882.

PORT HURON JOURNAL.

The Port Huron Journal was inaugurated in 1873, under the title The Saturday Morn- ing Journal, by Messrs. Kilets and Morse. T. Lew Kilets purchased the office March 10, 1874. It assumed the name Port Huron Journal June 2, 1875.

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

Thomas L. Kilets, son of Caspar and Sarah (Degeer) Kilets, the former a native of Penn- sylvania, Holland descent, and the latter a native of York State, of French descent, was born at Hamilton, C. W., November 5, 1839. The family moved from Brampton, Ont., to Buffalo, in 1850; in 1851, moved to Madison Mills, Mich .; in 1852, the family removed to Lexington, and in 1854 again returned to Brampton, and Mr. Kilets, then being fifteen years of age, entered into an apprenticeship in the office of the Toronto Globe, and served two years. In 1856, the family again returned to Lexington, and Mr. Kilets worked on the Lexington Signal, Leader & Jeffersonian until 1868. In 1868, he entered the office of the Weekly Times, then edited by James H. Stone, and the following year took a position in the Commercial office un- der Talbot & Son. In March, 1871, he visited Chicago, where he worked in Culver, Page, Hoyne & Co.'s and Rand & McNally's printing offices. In July previous to the Chicago fire, he left for Alpena, where he entered the office of the Alpena Pioneer, under A. C. Teft. In the spring of 1872, he came to Port Huron, and took a position on the Old White Hat, a Gree- ley campaign sheet. This paper collapsed in November. 1872, when he entered the Commer- cial office. October 18, 1873, he inaugurated the Port Huron Journal, which he and Mr. Morse conducted until March, 1874. This journal Mr. Kilets conducted as an independent pa- per until 1876, when he espoused Greenbackism, which political faith the paper supported un- til sold to Milo E. Marsh, now of Lansing. Subsequently he conducted a job office at, Port Huron. This he sold to the Burkholders, of Fort Gratiot, June 18, 1880. In November, 1880, he re-assumed control of the office, re-establishing at Port Huron; May 21, 1881, he inaugurat- ed a small advertising sheet called the Port Huron Headlight. This was merged into the Weekly Mail, February 4, 1882. This journal is now published and edited by him; this is a thirty-two-column quarto, of which four pages are printed at Fort Wayne, Ind.

Mr. Kilets married Miss Carrie I. Saph, daughter of Arnold Saph, an old settler of St. Clair, May 18, 1874. They are the parents of Harry L., born June 11, 1876, and Lewfurges H., born February 12, 1878. Mr. K. is politically a Greenbacker, and religiously a Spiritualist.

THE TRIBUNE.

The Tribune was issued December 17, 1881, with James H. Shults as editor and proprie- tor. It is a forty-column quarto, made up specially for the office, without patent insides, good in mechanical and literary style, and gives promise of taking a front rank among the weekly journals of the State.

James Henry Shults, son of James L. and Betsy (Rounds) Shults, natives of Allegany County, N. Y., was born at Howell, Mich., March 18, 1852. The family moved to Gratiot County, where J. H. attended the common schools of St. Louis. He was engaged as school teacher for some time in that district. In 1874, he entered the St. Louis Herald, under J. B. Graham, remaining in that office until 1877. That year he entered the Mt. Pleasant Times of- fice as local editor, managed that journal for a few months, until leaving for Chicago in the fall of 1877. He remained at Chicago in the employ of Donnelly, Lloyd & Co., and on the staff of a Chicago weekly until December, 1880, when he moved to St. Louis, as publisher and owner of the Herald. Remaining there until March 1, 1881, he sold his interest in that jour- nal to Mr. Tucker, and subsequently published the Minden Post, which he suspended during the great fires of 1881. This journal resumed publication under Mr. Shults, its founder, June 15, 1882. In November, 1881, he came to Port Huron, and issued the Saturday Tribune, De- cember 17, 1881. Mr. Shults is editor and manager of both papers, and is fully satisfied with the progress of each.

THE ST. CLAIR BANNER.

The St. Clair Banner was cast to the breeze in 1842 by John N. Ingersoll, and continued its fiery political course until 1853. The well-known editor, John N. Ingersoll, born at North Castle, Westchester Co., N. Y., May 4, 1817, came to Michigan in 1837. That year he worked in the office of the Free Press; subsequently was foreman in the Advertiser; became editor of the Macomb Statesman in 1839; began the publication of the St. Clair Banner in 1842 at St. Clair Village, which he issued until 1846, when he published the Lake Superior News-the pio- neer journal of that country. In 1849, he was elected Representative for Lake Superior Terri-

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

tory, and the same year found him Speaker of the Legislature. In 1850, he was on the staff of the Detroit Bulletin, and also owner of the Hesperian Magazine. In 1852, he was manag- ing editor of the Detroit Daily Times. In 1856, he moved to Rochester, N. Y., where he be- came one of the editors and publishers of the Daily Tribune. In 1858, he purchased the Owosso American, conducting the paper until 1862, when he moved to Corunna. For over two decades he edited the Shiawassee American.

THE ST. CLAIR REPUBLICAN.

The St. Clair Observer succeeded the Banner in 1853, with A. M. Tenney, editor and pro- prietor. In 1855, the St. Clair Herald made its appearance, with J. J. Falkenbury editor. This journal was a boisterous political sheet, hated by many, loved by few. In fact, the St. Clair Village papers, up to 1855, could boast of an unenviable notoriety in this connection. From a notice, under date September, 1854, we learn the following: "Arthur M. Tenney, Esq., late editor of the St. Clair Observer, at the recent term of the Circuit Court for this county, re- covered a judgment of $500 against Falkenbury of the St. Clair Herald, for libel, in charging that he, Tenney, had as committeeman embezzled funds contributed by citizens of St. Clair for the purchase of a fire engine.

" In the case of Reamer vs. Falkenbury, also for libel, the plaintiff obtained a verdict of $1,000."

Matters improved in 1856 by the inauguration of the St. Clair Republican (as we know it now), which continues to fill a high position among the newspapers of the State. In 1865, this journal fell into possession of Hazzard P. Wands, who was its controlling spirit until the office was purchased by Mr. Moore. The Republican is now well managed by Mr. Moore, and ably edited by S. S. Hopkins.

The Chief and the Standard were projected in 1860-61. The former was a small cam- paign sheet, edited by J. K. Averill, which ceased to exist after the campaign of that year. The Standard was issued irregularly for some time, and then, like many other good things, passed into the past.

Capt. Hazzard P. Wands, editor of the St. Clair Republican, died August 15, 1877, at St. Clair. Mr. Wands was attacked with chills and fever about ten days previously, and later by diphtheria, but his condition was not considered dangerous until four days passed, when his phy- sicians became satisfied that the result of his sickness was uncertain, since his system was greatly weakened and impaired by previous sickness and feeble health. Mr. Wands had a very large cir- cle of acquaintances who were deeply pained to learn of his sudden demise. It is about seven- teen years since he came to St. Clair from Canada, where his early life was passed, though we cannot learn positively whether he was born in Canada or went there at an early age. He studied law in the office of T. C. Owen and was admitted to the bar in November, 1861. He had but fairly begun practice before he enlisted in the Twenty-second Infantry, organized in the summer of 1862, going out as First Lieutenant of Company E. Upon the death of Capt. Henry Carlton at Nashville, Lieut. Wands succeeded to the Captaincy of the company. He served with credit and was captured by the rebels at the battle of Chickamauga, where so many of bis comrades were taken prisoners. He remained in rebel prisons about a year and never fully re- gained his health, which was greatly impaired by the confinement.

About the close of the war, he purchased the St. Clair Republican and had editorial charge, being most of the time sole publisher as well. In 1866, he was elected County Clerk on the Republican ticket and re-elected in 1868-70, serving in all six years, and very capably discharging the duties of the place. He was appointed in 1875, by Gov. Bagley, County Agent for the care of dependent and neglected children, and had served as Alderman in the Common Council of St. Clair, besides filling various other municipal offices.

He was a well-informed man, and diligent in whatever work he was engaged. His age was forty-one years. He was an active member of the Methodist Church of St. Clair, and, if we mistake not, one of the officers of the society at the time of his death.

Charles R. Green was editor up to September, 1878, when he retired. He was succeeded by C. G. Conger.

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

Stephen Sibley Hopkins, printer, was born at Romeo June 4, 1847; his father, Cyrus Hopkins, descendant of the signer of the Declaration of Independence (Step Hopkins), was a long-time resident of Romeo; his mother, M. C. Parker, a native of New York, still lives at the village. At the age of fourteen years, Sibley became connected with the paper, Romeo Argus, and followed the fortunes of that paper through various names and administrations for about twenty years, a portion of the time being editor and publisher; in the fall of 1881, he removed to the city of St. Clair and became connected with the Republican, which position he still holds. He married, October 20, 1868, Gertrude, daughter of William Maynard, of Romeo; her parents were natives of Western New York, who removed to Michigan in 1844, and have been residents of Romeo for the past twenty years; they have had one child born to them, which died in infancy; they are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and he is Republican in olitics.

MARINE CITY REPORTER.

The Marine City Gazette was established in June, 1874, with Mr. Bissell, now of St. Ig- nace, Mackinac County, editor. After Mr. Bissell ceased to control the Gazette, the name of the paper was changed to that of the Marine City Reporter. This journal is now well con- ducted, newsy, and a particularly earnest exponent of local interests.

William Norton Miller, editor of the Marine City Reporter, was born at Mount Clemens July 15, 1859. His parents, Norton L. and Mrs. Frances E. (Lewis) Miller, are old residents of Macomb County. Mr. Miller, Jr., received his education at Mount Clemens under Prof. Wesley Sears. In 1876, he went into the office of his uncle, George F. Lewis, of Saginaw, where he finished his study of printing and newspaper work. In 1876, he returned to Mount Clemens, when he took a position in the Monitor office. In 1879, on the transfer of the Moni. tor to Nellis & Son, Mr. Miller entered the Republican office, and was virtually conductor of that journal until his removal to Marine City in December, 1881. He was married, March 18, 1879, to Miss Clara M. Spier, daughter of Samuel J. Spier, of Galesburg, Mich. They are the parents of one child-Jennie, now aged three years. Politically, Mr. Miller is a Republican; a trained newspaper man. industrious and popular.

THE FORT GRATIOT SUN.

The Fort Gratiot Enterprise was founded by Burkholder Brothers. The office was sold to Will Berry, under whom the paper promised to be a success. The office was in the old Phoenix Block, and was burned in the fire of 1881. In December, 1881, the Sun was published, with A. H. Finn editor.

Joseph Ephraim Soults, son of William and Susan (Bell) Soults, both natives of County Down, Ireland, was born in Royal Oak Township, Oakland Co., Mich., August 15, 1858. He was educated in the schools of Royal Oak, and at Birmingham High School. In 1879, he es- tablished a job office at Royal Oak Village, and there published the Midget in partnership with Albert H. Finn. This little journal contained good local columns, and received a fair support. In October, 1879, the office was removed to Capac, where he established the Capac Argus. This paper was published there until May 19, 1882, when the office was removed to Fort Gratiot, where the Argus was merged into the Sun, then published by Albert Finn at that village. June 24, 1882. Mr. Soults purchased the entire interest in the Sun, and is now editor and proprietor of that journal. The Sun was first issued at Fort Gratiot, December 3, 1881. The office is valued at $1,300; the type and presses are as good as new, and the support ten- dered very fair. The weekly issue is 624 copies.

Adolph Cohoe, now of St. Ignace, was musical editor of the Argus.

Albert Henry Finn, son of Rev. Silas Finn and Cynthia (Eaton) Finn, natives of Pennsyl- vania and New York respectively, was born at St. Clair City June 15, 1862. Commenced the newspaper business July, 1879, in company with Joe E. Soults, establishing the Royal Oak Midget, a three-column four-page paper. Continued it until September, when the office was moved to Capac, St. Clair County, where the Argus was established in October, 1879; contin- ued with the Argus until September, 1880, when he left to attend Kalamazoo College, but still holding half-interest. The latter part of October, 1881, returned from college to Fort Gratiot,

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

where he established the Sun in December, 1881, acting as editor and manager, until July 1882, when he sold out to J. E. Soults, and accepted a position on the Port Huron Times. In, the fall of 1882, he received an appointment on the Christian Advocate.

The Brockway Centre Expositor was issued May 18, 1882, with Del. T. Sutton proprietor, and J. A. Menzies, editor.

Del. T. Sutton, editor and publisher of the Richmond Review, was born October 1, 1858. The greater portion of his life was spent on a farm in what is known as the Kellogg neighbor- hood, in the township of Ray, in this county. He then removed to Richmond, where his father, William R. Sutton, engaged in the mercantile business. Residing at that place for some years, he then removed to New Haven. He lived at this place for several years, when he moved back to Richmond. In June, 1876, in company with George W. Kenfield, he started the Richmond Herald. After an existence of about two weeks, the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Sutton assuming the whole business, which he continued until November of the same year, when he sold out to David L. Cooper, in whose employ he remained for about eight months. He then assumed the position of local and assistant editor of the Port Huron Daily and Weekly Times, where he remained for several months. His next enterprise was the establishing of the Green- back Sentinel, a campaign journal. In October, 1878, he removed to Homer, Calhoun County, to edit and publish the Index. He was married to Miss Lillie B. Thompson, of Richmond, December 25, 1878. In August, 1880, he returned to Richmond and purchased the Richmond Review, of which journal he is now editor and publisher.

The Memphis Tribune was established in 1882, and the first number issued June 8 of that year. The editor and proprietor is A. H. Patterson, formerly of the Almont Herald. The Tribune is a twenty-eight-column folio, two pages of which are printed at Memphis and two pages at Detroit.

The Capac Bugle is the name of a paper established at Capac by Charles A. Bacon in No- vember, 1882. It has eight pages of five columns each, and presents a very creditable appear- ance. Its motto is, "Capac and St. Clair County first, and the world afterward."

The Daily Telegraph was published at Port Huron in the fall of 1882, with Mr. Thomas, editor. It is a small four-page journal.

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

RELIGIOUS HISTORY.

Throughout the history of the townships, villages and cities of the county, sketches of the various religious societies are given. Here a notice of organization or re-organization is placed before the reader.

The footsteps of the French Catholic missionary and of the children of his church were the first marks made by white men on the sands of the Atlantic shore, as well as upon the shores of our great lakes and rivers. They built a church at St. Augustine, Fla., over 300 years ago, and a little later raised the cross in the wilderness of the North. The first convent was es- tablished at New Orleans, in 1727; the first cargo of wheat sent down the Mississippi was raised at the Jesuit Mission; the first sugar-cane plantation in Louisiana was cultivated by them, and the last survivor of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was a son of their church.

On account of the aversion with which the Puritan element regarded the English Protestant Episcopal Church, that society was not established within the Union until 1784, when Samuel Seabury was chosen Bishop of Connecticut. In 1785, the Independent Protestant Episcopal Church of America was organized. The prayer book was altered to meet the political require- ments of the Republic, as set forth in 1790.

The Presbyterian Church was established in the United States toward the close of the seventeenth century by Francis MacKemie, an Irish Presbyterian. In 1716, a synod was held; in 1740, George Whitefield came, when the Old Side and New Side branches were formed. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the Cumberland Presbyterian organized. In 1838, the Old School and the New School Presbyterians formed societies, and again, after the war, the Southern Presbyterian Church was formed.

The Methodist Church, founded by John Wesley, took root in New York in 1766, when some of his adherents from Ireland organized a class with Phillip Embury and Capt. Webb as leaders. In 1771, Francis Asbury came as Superintendent, and two years later the first Meth- odist Conference was held, consisting of ten preachers of foreign birth. The actual organiza- tion of the Methodist Episcopal Church took place in 1784.

In this county the varied forms of Christianity have made great advances. Churches have multiplied until every village and town show their spires and cupolas, containing bells of har- mony, which have long since ceased to peal the hymn of debasing bigotry. The centennial of York- town witnessed peace throughout the land, religious dissensions and savage bigotry entombed, and the Republic happy in the possession of citizens, each one of whom essays to serve God after his own notion, without impertinent interference with his neighbor's faith. The people have evidently realized the fact that the evil example offered by members of every religious society does more to check Christianity than all the sophistry of the infidel, the arms of the united Musselmans, or the presence of 100,000 Mongolian mandarins and high priests. Abuses will continue so long as the world exists, but the number may be lessened if each section of the Christian Church will do its duty, by watching its interests closely-by minding its own busi- ness.

In the following pages, the organization of each church in the county, as shown in the records, is given. There are no public records to base data regarding the first Catholic congregation formed in this county; but it may be presumed that large numbers of the French Missionary Fathers visited the camping grounds of the Indians along the Huron, erected temporary altars and offered the sacrifice of the mass in presence of the wondering red men. After the French Canadians made settlements here, they were visited regularly by the priests of Detroit, until the establishment of permanent missions. Since the American pioneer period the following relig- ious societies were formed within this county :

The organization of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Port Huron was perfected Febru-

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

ary 3, 1840, by the election of Nicholas Ayrault and John Wells as Wardens; Bartlett A. Luce, Joseph B. Flanagan, Lorenzo M. Mason, Daniel B. Harrington and Joseph McCreary, Vestry- men.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Port Huron was organized February 15, 1840, when Rev. Elijah Pilcher, P. E., appointed Joseph Flannagan, William R. Goodwin, J. W. Cam- field, G. F. Boynton and Othiel Gould a board of trustees for the first society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of St. Clair was organized January 27, 1841, when Rev. Solomon Steele appointed Moore R. Barron, James Ogden, George Clark, Andrew H. Wesbrook and Archibald P. Phillips, Trustees.

The Congregational Society of Newport was organized within the Newport Schoolhouse April 5, 1842, with Zael Ward, Selden A. Jones and Davis Donihoo, Trustees. Elisha Jones and Zael Ward presided over the meeting.

The Congregational Society of St. Clair elected Reuben Moore, Elisha Smith, George Palmer, Everett Beardsley, Hamilton P. Cady and Samuel Geluter, Trustees, May 9, 1842.

The Congregational society of Port Huron was organized March 27, 1843. John Town- send, A. Bottsford, M. S. Gillett, D. Northrup, E. B. Clark and John Miller, Jr., were elected Trustees.

The Congregational society of Algonac was organized May 5, 1845, with Aura P. Stewart, M. W. Brooks, James Burt, Samuel Roberts, Laban Tucker and Horace Biers, Trustees.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Algonac elected Charles Phillips, Silas Miller, Henry Robertson, Daniel Daniels, Peter Tarble, James Miller and Charles L. Poole, Trustees, July 22, 1845.

The First Baptist Church and society of St. Clair was organized June 2, 1849, with H. H. Mather, Rufus Swift and Daniel Stewart, Trustees. M. H. Miles, Rufus Swift and Daniel Stewart introduced the Constitution and By-Laws.

The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Newport was organized by the appointment of Tubal C. Owen, Isaac Wilkin, Reuben Warner and Hezekiah Clark, Trustees, November 8, 1851. The appointments were made by William Glass, preacher in charge.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Algonac met at the House of D. D. Gillett, January 30, 1855, and filled the vacancies in Board of Trustees by appointment of George W. Owen, O. H. Reynolds, William Quibble, James Miller, F. C. Folkerts and Fredric Parker, Trustees; Daniel G. Gillett, preacher.

The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Memphis, Riley Township, was presided over in 1855, by Samuel P. Lee, who, in January 23, that year, appointed George Riggs, George N. Chilson, David Mansfield, John Wheeling and Amsey W. Sutton, Trustees.

The First Baptist Church of Ira was organized September 8, 1856, when E. G. Marks, S. D. Irons and Thomas Ward were elected trustees.

The First Baptist Church and Society of Columbus was organized March 19, 1858, with W. B. Wright, S. A. Fenton, R. S. Freeman, John Eastwood, Manson Farrar, Hiram Hunt, Michael Folts, Joseph Morgan, Harly Hills and Hosea Fuller, Trustees.

The German Methodist Episcopal Church of Newport and St. Clair was organized June 15, 1858, with Frederick Valker, John Reeder, August Heiliytag, A. Zimmerman and Carl Drews, Trustees.

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Lakeport was organized November 2, 1858, when Sol- omon S. Littlefield appointed Joseph Y. Pettys, James Bingham, A. P. Sexton, George Wade and Joseph Stephenson, Trustees.

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History of St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources, its war record, biographical sketches, the whole preceded by a history of Michigan, Part 65

Author: Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co. Number of Pages: 818

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, A.T. Andreas & Co.
Number of Pages: 818