USA > Michigan > Wexford County > History of Wexford County, Michigan, embracing a concise review of its early settlement, industrial development and present conditions > Part 40
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 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
uted more perhaps than any other man of his day to the wonderful prosperity which then began to manifest and which has since characterized the city's growth.
The family of which George .A. Mitchell was an honorable representative is traceable to an early period in the history of the col- onies and the name was quite prominent in various parts of New England long before the American struggle for independence. His paternal grandfather. a Revolutionary hero and an officer in the colonial army. was a man of prominence and great influence and so dreaded was he by the British that emis- saries were sent to effect his arrest with or- ders to take him "dead or alive." Charles Mitchell, the subject's father, was a farmer by occupation and is remembered as a man of sterling character and great industry, but by no means successful in the accumulation of worldly wealth. He married Lydia Brown. who was a lineal descendant of Robert Bar- clay, one of the old colonial governors of New Jersey and a man whose name is inti- mately associated with the early history of that commonwealth. To Charles and Lydia Mitchell were born twelve children, several of whom became prominent in various voca- tions, one of the number. Hon. William Mitchell, having represented an Indiana dis- trict in the congress of the United States in the early 'sixties and acquired a national reputation as a statesman. George .A., the youngest member of the family, was born January 8, 1824. in Root, Montgomery county. New York, and grew to maturity on his father's farm, remaining at home un- til 1843. when he went to Spraker's Basin. and began clerking in a store. Seven years later he accepted a similar position in a mer- cantile establishment at Canajoharie, and af-
319
WEXFORD COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ter spending some time in that town engaged in the tanning business at Black Lake. New York, with a partner by the name of Strong. Subsequently, in 1861, he disposed of his in- terest in this enterprise and removed to northern Indiana, settling at Kendallville, whither his older brother, William, had pre- ceded him, the latter having been the real founder of that now flourishing western city.
At the breaking out of the great Re- bellion Mr. Mitchell was appointed, in Aug- ust, 1861, to the responsible position of pay- master in the army, with headquarters at St. Louis, Missouri. In that exacting office his superior business ability found full scope for its exercise and so thorough and method- ical were his duties performed, so accurate were his accounts kept and so noticeable his power of organization that he was soon pro- moted to the brevet rank of lieutenant col- onel. In this connection the writer quotes from a recently published biographical sketch of Mr. Mitchell relative to his record while serving as paymaster: "During the remainder of the Civil war he had entire charge of the pay department at Little Rock, Arkansas, and a part of the time also at Memphis, Tennessee, with additional duties at Vicksburg. Frequently he had charge of from five to twenty subordinate paymasters, and millions of dollars were entrusted to him for disbursement. His accounts were promptly and accurately rendered to the government and settled satisfactorily. After the close of the war his connection with the army continued until June, 1867, when he was mustered out."
Returning to civil life, Mr. Mitchell was identified for some time with railroad con- struction, having assisted to build the Grand
i
Rapids & Indiana line, now one of the lead- ing roads of the northwest. In 1871 he pur- chased the present site of Cadillac in W'ex- ford county, Michigan, and the same year laid out the town of Clam Lake. With great faith in the future growth of the place, he at once threw his energies into its develop- ment and later, 1876, moved his family here with the intention of making the town his . permanent home. After locating here he en- gaged quite extensively in lumbering, erect- ing and operating on a large scale three saw- mills, and in due time he became one of the most successful lumbermen in the state. In addition to his private enterprises Mr. Mitch- ell, as already stated, became the leading factor in the material growth of Clam Lake, and did more towards its improvement and to insure its future prosperity than any other man of his time. "So commendable was his public spirit that he was justly entitled to a permanent place in the regard of the people and in the annals of the town." Either di- rectly or indirectly, he was connected with every enterprise conducive to the growth of Cadillac, among his contributions in a mater- ial way being a number of private and pub- lic buildings, the former including the splen- did modern dwelling now owned by W. W. Cummer, which is one of the finest specimens of architecture in the northern part of the state
In early life Mr. Mitchell was a member of the Dutch Reformed church, but after coming to Michigan he united with the Pres- bvterian congregation at Cadillac and be- came one of its most zealous workers and lib- eral supporters. Ilis mind was so broad and catholic that he recognized good in all churches and religious organizations and his [generous contributions were by no means
320
WEXFORD COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
confined to the society with which he wor- shipped. Among his benefactions were the sites for three church edifices of as many different denominations and the ground upon which the public school was erected, also some thirty acres donated for cemetery pur- poses. Politically Mr. Mitchell was an ard- ent Republican and he zealously upheld the principles of his party and contributed great- ly to its success both in local and state af- fairs and upon national issues. He was the first mayor of Cadillac and made a splendid record as an executive, and he also served for a number of terms on the board of edu- cation, in which capacity he was untiring in his efforts to make the school system of the town among the best in the state. He studied deeply the leading questions of the day, was profoundly versed in politics and statecraft and always kept in touch with current events and with the trend of modern thought. By reason of valuable services rendered his party, he was given a place on the Repub- lican state committee and was serving in that capacity at the time of his death.
In 1847 Mr. Mitchell married Miss Ma- rietta L. Wilkins, who was born in Greene county, New York, in the year 1827. She was five years old when his parents removed to Schoharie county, New York, and later she changed her abode to the town of Sprak- ers, where her marriage was solemnized. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell became the parents of four children, namely: Sophie, wife of D. E. Melntyre : Alvin W., of Cadillac : An- drew Lee, who resides in Wausau, Wiscon- sin, and Will C., whose home is in Cadillac.
Personally Mr. Mitchell was a gentle- man of pleasing presence, modest and un- assuming in manner, affectionate in disposi- tion, enterprising in his business affairs,
energetic and progressive in all of his under- takings and public spirited in all the term im- plies. He was a noted example of the suc- cessful self-made man and almost an ideal type of intelligent American citizenship. Ile departed this life at his home in Cadillac on the 8th day of August, 1878, and his death was not only a serious blow to the enterprises he had supported, but was also deeply felt by every citizen of the community which he founded and for the advancement and pros- perity of which he did so much. Referring again to the authority from which liberal quotations have already been made, we read the following: "AAt the time of his demise the press of Cadillac as well as the news- papers of other cities paid to the memory of Mr. Mitchell many deserved tributes. On the day of his funeral the business honses were closed and his remains were borne to their last resting place followed by a large concourse of sorrowing people. Resolutions of respect were adopted by the business men of the town, who alluded to him fittingly, as not only the founder of the city but the one who gave life to its enterprises and industries and assisted in its rapid growth and develop- ment : whose labors had ever been unselfish- ly directed to the public good, the advance- ment of material prosperity and the moral and social elevation of the people, whose kind heart has invariably responded to the appeals of the needy and afflicted and whose generous hand was ever open to aid every charitable mission and every movement for the welfare of the city which stands today a monument to his zeal and vigilant pro- tection."
One of the local papers in reviewing his life and summing up his character, did so in the following appropriate sentences : "As a
321
WEXFORD COUNTY, MICHIG.IN.
business man Mr. Mitchell was cautious, yet enterprising; forming his plans with great wisdom and carrying them out with energy and persistence. The prosperity of our town and our remarkable exemption from business failure are doubtless due largely to his pri- dent management of his own affairs and to his strong influence over other business men. He was a good judge of human nature, not easily imposed upon, yet so generous was he that he would often employ and help those whom he could not always entirely trust."
In closing this brief review suffice it to say that Mr. Mitchell was one of the notable men of his day and generation. In every walk of life he was easily the peer of any of his fellows in all that constituted true, noble manhood, and during his residence in Cadil- lac his name was synonymous with all that was moral, upright and inspiring. He adorned every station he filled and for years to come his name and fame will be cherished by a grateful people, whose hearts and affec- tions constitute his most enduring monu- ment.
FRANK J. COBBS.
The subject of this review is one of the able and representative young business men of the city of Cadillac, where he has passed the greater portion of his life, and here he has to do with affairs of broad scope and im- portance, being the representative of his fa- ther's estate in the well known lumbering concern of Cobbs & Mitchell ( incorporated ). one of the most important in this section of the state. while he is also president of the Cadillac State Bank, a popular and substan- tial financial institution of the county. On |
other pages of this publication appears a memoir of his father, the late Jonathan W. Cobbs, who was one of the pioneers of Cadil- lac, where he took up his residence at a time when the town still bore the name of Clam Lake, and as ready index reference can be made to said sketch it is not necessary to re- peat the family history at this point.
Frank J. Cobbs was born in Jackson county, Indiana, on the 5th of November. 1872, and came as a child to Cadillac, where he sccured his preliminary educational dis- cipline in the public schools, later entering the preparatory department of Notre Dame University, at South Bend, Indiana, where he continued his studies for a time and then became a cadet in the Orchard Lake Military Academy, near Pontiac, Michigan, and still later attended Olivet College, graduating there with the class of 1894. He then re- turned to the paternal home and for the en- suing year was employed as bookkeeper in the office of the firm of Cobbs & Mitchell, of which his father was the senior member. In November, 1895, he undertook to effect the organization of the Cadillac State Bank, and through his well-directed efforts this object was successfully accomplished, and upon the final organization and election of the execu- tive corps he was made president of the in- stitution, an incumbency which he has ever since retained, while under his management the bank has gained high prestige and popu- larity in the community and retains a repre- sentative support, transacting a general bank- ing business and affording the best of facil- ities, while the policy brought to bear is pro- gressive and yet duly conservative.
Shortly after assuming his executive du- ties as the head of this bank Mr. Cobbs found that there was placed upon his shoulders a
322
IL'EXFORD COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
still further burden of responsibility, which he assumed with characteristic determina- tion and self-reliance. His father's health became quite seriously impaired at this time and it became necessary for the subject to represent his interests in the firm of Cobbs & Mitchell. His father died in September, 1898, and a short time afterward a reorgani- zation of the firm of Cobbs & Mitchell was effected and the same was incorporated un- der the original title as a stock company, and the subject has since been actively iden- tified with the management of its affairs. holding the office of vice-president and secretary. He is a young man of broad views and marked public spirit and is ever ready to do all in his power to further the prosperity and progress of his home city and county, while his personality is such that he has esteem and respect of all who know him. In politics he gives his allegiance to the Re- publican party.
In the city of Charlotte. Eaton county. Michigan, on the 14th of April. 1898. was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Cobbs to Miss Maude Louise Belcher, a daughter of the late Frank S. Belcher, who was president of the First National Bank, of that city.
WILLIAM W. MITCHELL.
To the development of the great lumber- ing industry made possible by the mag- nificent timber preserves, the entire northern section of the lower peninsula of Michigan owes its original prestige and its consecu- tive advancement, and in the carrying for- ward of this industry has been enlisted the co-operation of many able and progressive
business men, while a large percentage of the number owe their pronounced success to the advantages thus afforded. Mr. Mitchell came into the pineries of Wexford county when a young man, and here he has been actively identified with the lumber- ing industry for a period of thirty years. within which he has had the enterprise and prescience to so utilize opportunity as to gain a place among the prominent lumber - men of the state, while he has contributed his quota to the substantial upbuilding and material prosperity of the attractive city of Cadillac. to whose interests he has ever been signally loyal, being one of the repre- sentative citizens and business men of the county.
William W. Mitchell is a scion of one of the old and honored families of the Wolverine state, having been born in the city of Hillsdale, Michigan, on the 3d of June, 1854. and being the third in order of birth of six children of Charles T. and Har- riet ( Wing) Mitchell. the former of whom was born in New York, and the latter in Wayne county. Michigan. The paternal grandfather of the subject likewise bore the name of Charles T. Mitchell, and he passed his entire life in the old Empire state, where he died at an advanced age. Charles T .. Jr .. was reared and educated in New York state, whence as a young man he came to Michigan and became identified, as a con- tractor, with the construction of the Michi- gan Southern Railroad, one of the first built in the west. Later he became a buyer and shipper of wheat and also established himself in the hardware business in Hills- dale, where for a quarter of a century he was president of the Second National Bank. being one of the honored and influential
323
WEXFORD COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
citizens of Hillsdale county and city, where he died ; his widow is still living at an ad- vanced age. Mr. Mitchell was for a number of years an active factor in the Republican party, and his was the distinction of having been a member of the electoral college which gave Abraham Lincoln the presidency for a second term.
William W. Mitchell received his pre- liminary educational discipline in the public schools of his native town, and this was sup- plemented by two years of study in Hills- dale College. In 1873 he came to the primi- tive village of Clam Lake, the predecessor of the present city of Cadillac, the village being at the time a mere hamlet in the midst of the pine forest, while his uncle, George .A. Mitchell, was at the time the principal lumber manufacturer in this locality. Will- iam W. forthwith identified himself in a practical way with the industry through which he was eventually to attain so dis- tinetive success. His first employment here was as talleyman for his uncle, and during the summer of [874 he held the position of foreman in a small lumber yard in Clam Lake, while in the autumn of that year he initiated his independent operations by associating himself with others in a contract to supply logs for a mill on Clam Lake, thus implying the work of getting out the timber and attending to the various details of bringing it to the mill. He was thus en- gaged for two years, after which he became foreman for his uncle, having charge of both the logs and the finished products of the mill. In 1877 he entered into partnership with the late Jonathan W. Cobbs, under the firm name of Cobbs & Mitchell, and they effected the purchase of two hundred and seventy-six acres of pine land, while in
October of the following year he also bought a half interest in a saw-mill owned by his partner. Afterward they purchased a mill at Round Lake and had sufficient ma- terial to operate it for a period of seven years. In 1802 they built and equipped a fine modern mill at Cadillac, the same hav- ing a capacity of eighty thousand feet daily. This mill is still in active operation. In these intervening years the well-directed efforts of the firm brought it into promi- nence as one of the leading concerns of the sort in this section of the state, and through his connection with the same Mr. Mitchell laid the foundation for his present pros- perity and independence. Mr. Cobbs' death occurred in the autumn of 1898, and shortly afterward Mr. Mitchell brought about a reorganization of the business under the same title, the enterprise being simultane- ously incorporated under the laws of the state. Ile was made president of the com- pany and has ever since continued in this office, while the business is still carried actively forward in the manufacturing of lumber, the plant of the company being of the highest standard. Mr. Mitchell was also associated with his brother, the late Austin W., under the firm name of Mitchell Brothers, and they conducted extensive operations ingthe manufacturing of lumber, having owned large tracts of pine land in various sections of northern Michigan. Mr. Mitchell is a careful and discriminating busi- ness man, having a capacity for affairs of wide scope and importance, while his suc- cess stands in evidence of consecutive ap- plication and properly directed energy. He has ever remained loyal to Cadillac, of whose development he has been a witness, while his influence has ever been lent in sup-
324
WEXFORD COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
port of all worthy projects and undertak- ings for the general good, and he is known as a thoroughly public-spirited citizen. He was one of those prominently concerned in the building of the beautiful seven-mile drive around Clam lake. the same having been constructed through the enterprise of the citizens of Cadillac. and adding materi- ally to the attractiveness of the city. In politics Mr. Mitchell exercises his franchise in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party. His residence is one of the many beautiful homes of Cadillac, being of modern architectural design and equipment and standing in evidence of his appreciation of the attractions of the city in which he has so long resided.
On the 7th of October. 1876, Mr. Mitch- ell was united in marriage to Miss Ella Yost. who was born in Waterloo. New York, be- ing a daughter of George Yost, who re- moved to Hillsdale, Michigan, when Mrs. Mitchell was a child, and in the latter place she was reared and educated. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have two children, Charles T. and Marie Elizabeth.
FRED . DIGGINS.
Osceola county, Michigan, and locating for a limited time at the town of Hersey. Leav- ing that place he entered. in 1880. the Grand Rapids Business College, where he pursued his studies two years, after which he accept- ed the position of bookkeeper with his brother, Delos F. Diggins, with whom he re- mained until the latter part of 1886. In the fall of that year he came to Cadillac and en- tered the employ of the private banking firm of Delos .\. Blodgett & Company, continu- ing with the said firm during the ensuing two years, at the expiration of which time he resigned his position for the purpose of en- gaging in the lumber business, becoming a member of the firm of F. . \. Diggins & Com- pany, which was organized at Sunny Side in 1888. The company did a thriving busi- ness for several years, but wound up its af- fairs in 1807. at which time the subject be- came associated with Joseph Murphy, under the style of Murphy & Diggins.
As joint manager of the large and far- reaching enterprise with which he is identi- fied. Mr. Diggins displays fine executive abil- ity and, being familiar with every detail of the great lumber industry, he prosecutes his business with the most encouraging finan- cial results. For a number of years Mr. Diggins has been an ardent Republican, hav- ing long been interested in district, state and national issues, and he has represented the people of Cadillac as a delegate to many dif- ferent nominating conventions. In 1892 he was chosen a delegate to the national Repub- lican convention at Minneapolis, which nom- inated Benjamin Harrison for the presiden- cy and in the spring of the same year was honored by being elected mayor of Cadillac, entering the office before attaining the age
Fred A. Diggins was born in July, 1862. near Harvard, MeHenry county, Illinois, and there spent the years of his childhood and early life, the meanwhile receiving his educational training in the public schools and becoming acquainted with the more practical phases of life under the wholesome disci- pline of the farm. Mr. Diggins remained in his native state until 1879. at which time he severed home ties and started out to make his own way in the world, going first to | of thirty. . As the city's chief executive Mr.
325
WEXFORD COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Diggins proved satisfactory to the people ir- respective of party and so ably and imparti- ally did he discharge his official duties that he was re-elected his own successor the fol- lowing year. At the expiration of his sec- ond term he retired from the office with the good will of the people, but after the lapse of two years he was again put for- ward, defeating his opponent and entering the office with a greatly increased majority. By successive re-elections he was retained as mayor during the ensuing four years, filling the position six years in all, his record dur- ing that time fully justifying the people in the wisdom of their choice. He retired from the mayoralty in 1900, since which (late he has devoted his attention exclusive- ly to his large and growing business. MIr. Diggins is one of the most pleasant and con- genial of men, the very embodiment of good fellowship, and is in every respect a repre- sentative business man and reputable citizen.
Mr. Diggins' domestic life dates from 1890, in which year he was united in mar- riage with Miss Carrie E. Cummer, whose father, Jacob Cummer, is one of the leading citizens of Cadillac. Mr. and Mrs. Diggins have a pleasant home, and are very fortu- nate in their social relations, moving in the best society circles of the city. They have been influential in promoting charitable en- terprises and being active in good works for the benefit of their kind, their lives have in- deed been a blessing to the country.
HON. CLYDE C. CHITTENDEN.
Occupying a prominent position among the leading members of the Cadillac bar, with an honorable record as a jurist, a creditable career as a politician and much more than
local repute as an official and business man. the subject of this sketch is entitled to specific mention as one of the notable men of the city and county. Judge Chittenden has long been an influential factor in the history of Cadillac and his activity in behalf of every enterprise making for the public good. his distinguished services in high official sta- tion, as well as his continued success, have won him a name which the people in this part of the state have not been slow to honor.
The history of the Chittenden family, of which the Judge is a worthy representa- tive, is traceble to his grandparents, Hiram and Emaline ( Payne) Chittenden, who were born in New York, settling in the county of Cattaraugus. Of their family of seven chil- dren, three sons and four daughters, Will- iam, the subject's father, was the oldest. He was born September 5. 1835. in Cattaraugus county, New York, grew to maturity on a farm and when a young man decided to de- vote his life to agriculture, which pursuit he followed in his native state until the year 1888. Meantime, on the 18th of Novem- ber, 1857, he married Miss Mary J. Wheeler, of Yorkshire, New York, who bore him two sons and one daughter, namely : Hiram MI., formerly a lieutenant in the United States army : Clyde C., of this review, and Ida L .. all living. In the month of June, 1862, Mr. Chittenden enlisted in Company D. One Hundred and Fifty-fourth New York Infan- try, with which he served until discharged on account of physical disability, having earned an honorable record as a soldier. Disposing of his interests in New York in 1888. he moved his family to Michigan, set- tling in Wexford county, where he has since resided, being now practically retired from active life.
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.