USA > Michigan > St Joseph County > History of St. Joseph County, Michigan; Volume II > Part 31
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Frederick J. Kruger attained to mature years on his parents' farm in section 15, Sherman township, and from an early age he assisted in its work, attending the district schools during the win- ter months, and after his father's death he continued on the farm with his mother until his twentieth year. At the time of his mar- riage he bought land, which placed him in debt, and with the pass- ing years he has not only cleared his place of its indebtedness but has also added to its acreage until it now ocntains two hundred acres of rich and well cultivated land in section 18, Sherman town- ship. Its complete set of new and substantial buildings have been placed there by its present owner.
On the 23d of March, 1886, Mr. Kruger was married to Anna Hecht, who was reared in Fawn River township, St. Joseph county. Her parents came from Germany. A daughter, Myrtie, was born to them on the 8th of March, 1893, and a son, Clarence, was born on the 16th of June, 1897. The daughter is now a student in the Cen- terville High School. The family are members of the German Lutheran church. Mr. Kruger in politics is a Democrat. He served Sherman township two years as its treasurer, and is its present supervisor, in which position he is now serving his ninth year.
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ALEXANDER SHARP .- Although Alexander Sharp, the old-time farmer and honored citizen of Sherman township is in his seventy- first year, he is far from retired, but still takes a lively interest and an active part in the progress of the agricultural, public and relig- ious affairs of St, Joseph county, of which he has been a resident for the past thirty-five years. For a quarter of a century of that period he has occupied the fine country place formerly known as the Silas Cady farm of two hundred and twelve acres. Mr. Sharp has not only been active in farmers' institutes and served as presi- dent of the County Agricultural Association for four years, but was elected county treasurer in 1894, serving one term, and was re- nominated but was carried away by the wave of Bryanism which swept the county. There is no more ardent or stanch Republican than Mr. Sharp, and for twenty years he has represented his town- ship as a member of the county committees. As a typical Scotch- man he has also evinced his sturdy patriotism in the cause of the Union of his adopted country.
Mr. Sharp was born near the old town of Ayr, Scotland, on the 1st of August, 1839, his father, George Sharp, dying during that year. The result was that the widow brought her two children to live near her relatives in the town of Coalsnaughton, near the Frith of Forth. At the age of sixteen, with his mother, he emi- grated to the United States, going directly to Bellevue, Ohio, where he arrived May 4, 1856. After completing his education the youth worked steadily on a farm for some time, and in 1862 went to Sagi- naw, Michigan, as an employe of the salt works. While thus en- gaged he enlisted (November, 1862) in Company H, First Michi- gan Engineers' and Mechanics' Regiment, and remained in the service until the close of the war.
Mr. Sharp was with his regiment throughout the Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta campaigns, and (being on detached duty at the time) witnessed the historic act of Major Anderson, April 14, 1865, in the raising of the same flag and hanging of the same mail bag at Fort Sumter, which he was compelled to take down just four years before. Upon that occasion Henry Ward Beecher de- livered an eloquent oration on the Reconstruction of the States, which is still fresh in the mind of the Michigan veteran. Mr. Sharp also marched with Sherman's army to Washington, and partici- pated in the grand review before President Johnson and Generals Grant and Sherman, on the 22d of May, 1865. His regiment was mustered out of the service in October of that year, and Mr. Sharp returned to Bellevue, where his mother and brother still resided.
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On the 26th of October, 1869, Alexander Sharp was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Aigler, of Bellevue, and in March, 1874, the family moved to Michigan, locating on a farm in section 20, Nottawa township, which he had previously purchased. In March, 1884, just ten years thereafter, he located on his present homestead, and here he has reared a large family, lived a happy domestic life and earned honor for himself and his descendants. Besides becoming prominent as a progressive agriculturist and citi- zen of public affairs, he has served for a decade as president and treasurer of the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company of St. Joseph county. He was long an active member of the Reformed church of Centerville. About two years ago that body went over to the Presbyterian church of which Mr. Sharp is now an elder. He is also president of the St. Joseph County Pioneer Society and has been for six years.
Mr. and Mrs. Sharp have raised to maturity and usefulness six sons and three daughters. The eldest, Clarence, is at present mak- ing the tour of Palestine with his wife; Chester D. and Elmer E. are Kansas City attorneys; Roy H. and Alexander T. are in Chi- cago, the latter having just completed a course in law; and Carmi G. is assisting in the farm work and management. One of the daughters, Oly, is married to William H. Arney, of Sherman town- ship; Blanche is the wife of Dr. L. H. Power, of Battle Creek, Michigan, and Lulu is Mrs. William Price of Fairfax. Colon town- ship.
WILLIAM F. WAHL is well known throughout Sherman town- ship and this vicinity because of his effective, earnest labors in be- half of the Republican party, being one of the few Republicans of Sherman township, and he is at the present time the chairman of the Republican Central Committee of the township. He is also well known as an agriculturist and stock raiser, owning a well im- proved estate of one hundred and five acres.
Mr. Wahl was born in Germany December 1, 1864, and is a splendid example of the enterprise and progressiveness of the Ger- man-American citizen. His parents, Carl and Hattie (Bower) Wahl, came from the Fatherland with their respective parents in 1874 and located in Lockport township of St. Joseph county, Mich- igan, from whence they came to Sherman township in 1884. As soon as old enough the son, William, began working on the home farm, which he alternated with his attendance at the district schools until his twentieth year, and he continued on the home-
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stead until his marriage at the age of twenty-five to Emma Senf, who was born in Lockport township, of St. Joseph county. Her splendid educational training included attendance at the common and high schools and the Three Rivers Business College, and she was one of St. Joseph county's teachers before her marriage. Af- ter their marriage in 1893 Mr. and Mrs. Wahl located on their present homestead in Sherman township. They have six children, namely : Willis, a graduate of the high school, John and Hazel, who are both high school students, and Melva, Carl and Blanche. Mr. and Mrs. Wahl are members of the Presbyterian church in Center- ville, and he is also affiliated with the Maccabees and with the M. W. A. Camp 840, of which he is also a charter member.
WILLIAM MEYER .- One of the prominent and respected citi- zens of Sherman township is William Meyer, who through strug- gles and hardships has worked his own way to high esteem and a place of prominence in his community. It was 1870 that he came to St. Joseph county and to the farm where he now lives in Sher- man township, and building a log house for himself and his young wife and a place for his team, he, in the midst of the forest, set to work to hew out a farm. He accomplished the arduous work in time and finally completed the many improvements which now adorn the homestead, including the erection of a splendid residence in 1883 and his substantial and commodious barn in 1877. This is now one of the best farms in Sherman township and includes one hundred and one acres, all well improved and fertile.
Mr. Meyer was born in Ferken, City of Demmen, Province of Stettin, Prussia, Germany, September 1, 1843, a son of Christ and Marie (Brandt) Meyer. He was reared in his native land and educated in his native tongue, attending school until his fifteenth year, and he was then confirmed in the Lutheran church and turned his attention to farming. At the age of twenty-three he came from his native Fatherland to the United States, and making his way to Chicago, Illinois, he arrived in that city with four dol- lars as his entire capital. He worked for a farmer and also on the railroad, and in time was able to purchase a team of horses and work independently. In 1870 he came to St. Joseph county, Mich- igan, and in the following year of 1871 was married to Caroline Schacko, who was also born in Prussia, and she came to the United States in 1867. They had known each other in their native land, and were also in Chicago at the same time. Their union has been blessed by the birth of seven children : John C., born in 1873, and
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now a farmer in Burr Oak township; August, born in 1876, of Sherman township; Ida, born March 24, 1878, the widow of Ed- ward Meyer; Adam, born in 1880, living in Sturgis; Louise, born in 1882, the wife of Edward Menelson; Fred, born October 26, 1885; and Henry, born May 9, 1888. The family are members of the Lutheran church at Sturgis, and in politics Mr. Meyer is allied with the Democratic party.
JOHN KASDORF is one of Sherman township's oldest and most highly esteemed residents and has been for many years one of its leading agriculturists. He was born in Glendoln, province of Stet- tin, Prussia, Germany, July 1, 1838, a son of Michael and Mary (Kasdorf) Kasdorf, who were of the same name but not related by the ties of blood. The son John at the age of seventeen years left his native Fatherland for the United States, where he arrived in the spring of 1856, a stranger in a strange land, unable even to speak the English language. His first employment in this country was on a farm in the state of New York, moving from there to La Porte county, Indiana, in August of 1856, where he secured em- ployment on the Lake Shore Railroad, and from there he went to Chicago, Illinois, and spent a year in that city. It was in the year of 1858 that he arrived in Sherman township, St. Joseph county, Michigan, and this place has continued his home since those early days. He had only about sixty dollars in money when he arrived here, and he worked first at farm labor and at threshing, thus ac- cumulating a small capital, and he was also identified for some time with the carpenter's trade.
On the 6th of January, 1864, Mr. Kasdorf was united in mar- riage with Caroline Peters, who was born in Prussia, Germany, September 3, 1842, and she came to the United States in the fall of 1856 and to St. Joseph county, Michigan. Their eight children are: Adam, a Burr Oak township agriculturist; Adeline, wife of Fred Hecht; Louise, wife of Fred Sauer; Minnie, the wife of Fred Michael; Ida, wife of Charles Wagnor; Helen, wife of Charles Remer; August, whose home is in Sherman township; Emma, wife of Frank Michel. The family are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church at Sturgis. Mr. Kasdorf is a Democratic voter, and he has held many of the offices of his township, including those of justice of the peace, treasurer and the supervisor from 1882 un- til 1900, his incumbency in the latter office covering eighteen years. He and wife own a valuable estate of two hundred and twenty- five acres in Sherman township, and although advanced in years
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he superintends the work of his large farm and is active in the public life of his community. Mr. and Mrs. Kasdorf are numbered among the old and honored settlers of Sherman township, esteemed for their true worth of character.
ALBERT NALLINGER is numbered among the substantial and successful farmers and stock raisers of Sherman township, St. Joseph county. He was born in Germany on the 13th of November, 1854, and his parents, Francis and Rose Nallinger, were born, reared and spent their lives in that country. After leaving school at the age of fourteen Albert Nallinger farmed for three years, and then for two years attended an agricultural college, after which he was employed as an overseer of a number of farms for nine years. In 1882 he emigrated to the United States, and locating in Noble township, Branch county, Michigan, he was employed at farm la- bor there for three and a half years. He was married at this time, and the young couple located in Sturgis, where Mr. Nallinger was employed as a section man on the Grand Rapids and Illinois Rail- road until moving to Sturgis township, where for nine years he farmed as a renter. At the close of that period, in 1899, he came to Sherman township and bought his present farm of one hundred and ninety-two acres, where he is extensively engaged in farming and stock raising.
Mary Kalberer became the wife of Mr. Nallinger. She was born in Germany on the 7th of July, 1862, and was twenty years of age when she came to the United States and to Sturgis, Michigan. The five children which have been born of their marriage are: Emil, born March 25, 1888, is a teacher in the Elkhart, Indiana, Busi- ness College; Carl, born May 15, 1891; Dora, born May 25, 1893; Gustav V., born December 27, 1897 and Esther, born November 13, 1904. The family are members of the German Lutheran church at Sturgis, and in politics Mr. Nallinger upholds the principles of the Republican party, but he is an independent voter and not bound by party ties.
BENJAMIN F. SHELDON, an extensive grain dealer, living at Burr Oak, Michigan, was born in La Grange county, Indiana, June 29, 1841, son of Dr. William and Chloe (Goodsall) Sheldon. Dr. Sheldon was born in the state of New York, and after moving to In- diana practiced medicine; he had graduated from a fine medical institution and stood high in his profession. He was a public- spirited citizen and liberal in his views. He worked considerable
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among the poor, from whom he did not try to collect his fees, and did a great deal for the betterment of the community in which he lived. Dr. Sheldon died in 1852, but his wife survived him many years, passing away in Burr Oak, Michigan, in 1903. They were parents of but one child, Benjamin F.
The early days of Benjamin F. Sheldon were spent on a farm, and he attended school in his native county until twelve years of age; he then removed with his parents to Orleans, Indiana, where he attended school until he was seventeen years old. He worked on a farm in the summer time and attended the district school win- ters, and then attended the academy at La Grange, Indiana.
In February, 1861, Mr. Sheldon married Sarah Richards, a native of Branch county, Michigan, and they moved to a farm in that county, in Noble township, where he purchased 160 acres of land, eighty acres of which was partially cleared, and the rest in the woods. After living on this farm three years he sold it at a nice profit; later he purchased another eighty acres, which he sold at a profit, and in 1865 removed to Burr Oak township, St. Joseph county, where he purchased 160 acres of land one mile south of the town of Burr Oak. He lived on this place two years, after which he sold it at a good price, and invested in another farm, which he soon sold, also at a profit. He then located in Burr Oak, where he began buying grain, and has since dealt etxensively in this commod- ity. While at times he has lost some money, yet in the main Mr. Sheldon has done very well financially, and has proven himself a business man of ability, good judgment and enterprise.
Politically Mr. Sheldon is a Republican, and he served at one time as Supervisor of Burr Oak; he is a public-spirited citizen, and accounted one of the representative men of the county. Mr. Shel- don has money invested outside of his grain business, and is a stock- holder in the National Bank, of Burr Oak.
Mr. Sheldon and his wife became parents of two sons,-Frank, who died at the age of twelve years, and F. W., a grain buyer at Angola, Indiana. Mrs. Sheldon died in the fall of 1901 and Mr. Sheldon married (second) Miss Jessie Maude Lyons.
DR. F. W. CLEMENTS, a prominent physician and surgeon of Burr Oak, St. Joseph county, Michigan, graduate of Detroit Medi- cal College, was born at Laingsburg, Michigan, December 5, 1876. He is a son of George W. Clements, and was reared on a farm, receiving his primary education in the common schools and Laings-
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burg High School. He entered Detroit Medical College in 1901, and was graduated May 4, 1905.
Dr. Clements has been engaged in the practice of his profes- sion at Burr Oak since 1906, locating in that town in May, of that year, taking an office over the State Bank. He is a member of the Phi Rho Sigma, of his college, was secretary of his class in his sen- ior year, and is now president of St. Joseph Medical Society. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, being con- nected with Eagle Lodge, No. 124; Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Coldwater Lodge No. 1023; Modern Woodmen of America, Camp No. 5698, and Royal Neighbors, No. 4654.
In 1902 Dr. Clements married Genevieve M. Pratt, a native of Grand Rapids, Wisconsin ; she was a graduate of high school, had passed the necessary government examination, and had taught two years among the Indians at Hyword, Wisconsin. Dr. Clements and his wife have one son, Floyd Wayne. Dr. Clements is actively interested in all measures for progress and improvement, is a pub- lic-spirited citizen, well known and highly esteemed in the com- munity. He stands high in his profession, and his high character and professional ability have won him many friends. Politically he is a Republican, and he is a prominent member of the State Med- ical Society, and of the American Medical Association.
ROBERT AKEY, who has lived in St. Joseph county, Michigan, most of his life, owns a large farm, where he carries on general farming and stock-raising. He was born in Defiance county, Ohio, September 8, 1864, son of J. B. and Mary E. (Yates) Akey. J. B. Akey and his wife were both natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in Fredericksburg, and both were brought as children, by their parents, to Ohio, where they grew to maturity and married. In the fall of 1864 they removed to St. Joseph county, Michigan, settling on a farm near Burr Oak. He became a prosperous farmer and owned 180 acres; later he purchased fifty acres more. Mr. Akey made a specialty of stock-raising, and became a very prosper- ous man. He was quiet and unassuming, and a strong Republican. He was a member and elder of the Presbyterian church. J. B. Akey had four children, of whom three survive, namely: William B., of California; J. B., also of California, and Robert.
When his parents removed to Michigan, Robert Akey was a babe, and he has spent his entire life since in St. Joseph county ; he was reared on a farm and attended school in Burr Oak. When he reached his majority he engaged in farming and stock-raising,
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and has been very successful, being now the owner of 450 acres of land in Burr Oak township; he has earned a large part of his property himself, raising sheep, cattle and horses, and he also buys cattle for feeding, in carload lots, and afterwards ships them to market. Mr. Akey is an enterprising, wide-awake farmer, and has acquired his present success by industry, thrift and economy. He is a public-spirited citizen, and takes a keen interest in public affairs. Mr. Akey is a good business man and has money invested in various enterprises, he is a stockholder in the two banks of Burr Oak.
Fraternally Mr. Akey is a member of the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, Coldwater Lodge, and of Eagle Lodge, An- cient Free and Accepted Masons, Sturgis Chapter and Columbus Commandery, Knights Templars. He has travelled some, is well known in the community where he lives, and is highly esteemed.
GEORGE W. BAUMEISTER .- Farming has attracted many men who have begun their active business life engaged in other occupa- tions, but have recognized the fact that very good profits could be obtained from agricultural pursuits. George Baumeister, of Burr Oak township, was well educated in music, and in early life gave private lessons in instrumental music, but later on gave it up in order to give his best efforts and attention to the care of his farm. He was born in the township where he now lives, January 19, 1861, a son of John and Sophia (Stull) Baumeister. John Baumeister was born in Germany, and married November 20, 1859; he had only one son, George W.
In his native township George W. Baumeister was reared and he attended the Burr Oak schools. He married, January 25, 1888, Ella Trost, who was born September 12, 1864, and was reared on a farm in Colon township; she attended the common schools. They became parents of children as follows: Maude, born June 15, 1889, now a student of Bush Temple Conservatory, of Chicago, Illinois ; Clara, born January 21, 1892; Lena, born August 28, 1893, and John, February 7, 1899. They are all members of the Lutheran church, of Burr Oak, Mr. Baumeister being one of the trustees. Politically Mr. Baumeister is a Democrat, and takes a commenda- ble interest in public affairs. He is an intelligent, progressive farmer, who well deserves the success he has achieved. He has two hundred and sixty acres of land in sections 2 and 11, where he carries on general farming and stock-raising. He is well known in the community, and has a host of friends.
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F. C. KINSEY, M. D .- St. Josph county is favored in the per- sonnel of its representatives of the medical profession, and num- bered among those who stand unmistakably as able and popular dis- ciples of Aesculapius within the county is Dr. Kinsey, who is es- tablished in the successful practice of his profession in the city of Three Rivers and who is known as a man of fine intellectual and professional attainments. Dr. Kinsey reverts to the fine old Hoosier state as the place of his nativity, as he was born in the city of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, on the 10th of February, 1877. He is the son of J. J. and Letitia (Palmer) Kinsey, both of whom were likewise born in Indiana, the father having been a native of Switz- erland and Mrs. Kinsey being of stanch Scottish lineage. Of the two children the subject of the sketch is the younger, and Edward A., is now a resident of New York City. J. J. Kinsey has been identified with manufacturing enterprises during the greater part of his active business career and he and his wife are now residents of Saginaw, Michigan.
When Dr. Kinsey was young his parents removed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in whose public schools he gained his early edu- cational training. After his graduation in the high school he was matriculated in the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, in which he was graduated in 1901 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1903 he received the degree of Master of Arts from the Northwestern University, at Evanston, Illinois. While a student in the literary department of the University of Michigan he at- tended lectures in the medical department of the institution for two years and for three years was a regular student in that depart- ment. He completed his medical course, however, in the medical department of the Northwestern University, from which he re- ceived his degree of Doctor of Medicine. After his graduation Dr. Kinsey returned to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served for some time as interne and general assistant in Butterworth Hos- pital. In this connection he gained most valuable clinical experi- ence. While incumbent of this position he was tendered the post of assistant surgeon in the Michigan Soldiers Home, at Grand Rap- ids, but he deemed it expedient to establish himself in the private practice of his profession and accordingly came to Three Rivers, in 1904. Here he has met with unqualified success in the work of his profession, having gained precedence as an earnest and skill- ful physician and surgeon and as one who keeps constantly in touch with advances made in both departments of his chosen vocation.
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The doctor is a valued member of the St. Joseph County Medi- cal Society, of which he is secretary and treasurer at the time of this writing, in 1910. He also holds membership in the Michigan State Medical Society, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Medicine. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias. Dr. Kinsey has social char- acteristics of the most attractive type and this fact has contributed materially to his personal popularity in the city in which he has elected to establish his home.
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