USA > Michigan > Wexford County > History of Wexford County, Michigan, embracing a concise review of its early settlement, industrial development and present conditions > Part 60
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business man of Cadillac who was born in Sweden on the 27th day of May, 1857. His father was an agriculturist and it was un- der the wholesome discipline of the farm that young Nels's childhood and youth were spent, obtaining the meanwhile a common school education and later receiving instruc- tion at home from private tutors. When a young man he took up cabinet-making. of which he served a four-years apprenticeship and immediately after completing his term of service came to the United States, where he was led to believe a more attractive field and larger opportunities were to be found than his own country offered. Mr. Nord- strom landed in Boston in the summer of 188t and from that city came direct to Clam Lake. Michigan, reaching this place on the 4th day of the following August. For some months after his arrival he worked at dit- ferent vocations, turning his hand to any kind of honest employment he could find. but later he succeeded in obtaining a clerk- ship in the hardware store of J. W. Commer. in which capacity he continued until 1803. In that year Mr. Nordstrom engaged in the hardware trade upon his own responsibility and he has since carried on a large and hui- crative business, his success being commen- surate with the energy and enterprise dis- played in the undertaking.
Mr. Nordstrom has a well equipped store. carries a full line of all kinds of hardware demanded by the trade, and owns the build- ing in which his business is conducted. His progress since becoming an independent fac- tor in the commercial world has been credit- able in every respect and he stands today among the leading hardware dealers in Cadillac, as well as among the city's most enterprising men of affairs. Honor and in-
tegrity have characterized his career, his re- lations with his patrons and with the public generally have been most agreeable and he is held in high esteem by all with whom he has dealings or with whom he comes in contact in business or social capacities.
Mr. Nordstrom is a public spirited man and ever since coming to Cadillac has as- sisted by every means at his command all enterprises for the material advancement of the city. His interest in the social and moral welfare of the community has not been sec- ondary to his efforts along other lines, being a friend and earnest advocate of measures for the general good of his kind, such as churches, schools, charitable and benevolent institutions, in all of which his influence has been heartily enlisted. In religion he subscribes to the Presbyterian creed, being one of the leading members of that church in Cadillac, and in politics he gives his support to the Republican party.
Mr. Nordstrom is a man of excellent mental acquirements, having supplemented his scholastic training by a wide range of reading, so that he is now well informed on many subjects, his acquaintance with the world's best literature being both general and profound. He keeps in touch with the trend of modern thought in matters of state and national legislation, and has strong con- victions and decided opinions relative to the leading questions and issues of the day. In closing this simple sketch of a well-rounded character and successful business career it may be profitable to pause a moment to learn the lesson such a life tends to teach. It is needless to add that Mr. Nordstrom is a self- made man, as all noble characters with God's help are thus developed. Follow him from his home in the far-away Northland across the
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sea to a new country whose conditions were so different from those of his own; contem- plate his experiences and struggles for years in subordinate capacities, ofttimes obliged to encounter obstacles calculated to discourage, but gradually overcoming everything in the way of success until rising to his present position of affluence and influence, and the reader will have an object lesson as plain as it is practical. It is not luck, influence or in- herited wealth that makes such men, but work, persistence, pluck, and a laudable am- bition to rise superior to environment. Mr. Nordstrom has lived well and made most of his opportunities and what he has already accomplished may be taken as a prophecy of still greater achievements and a wider field of usefulness.in years to come.
ELIAS MORKEN.
Well authenticated history now concedes that the Norsemen or Northmen were the first Europeans to visit the western hemis- phere. Their leaders termed themselves sea- kings and the recital of their undertakings and adventures, both on sea and land, mark them as kings indeed. The new country visited by them in the year 1002, and named by them Vineland. is believed by some his- torians to be the coast of Labrador, by others to be the New England shore, but, wherever their Vineland may have been located, it is now generally conceded that they anticipated the discovery of Columbus by five hundred years. That they made no use of their dis- covery, other than to make a record of it in their annals, is the reason why 1492 is as- signed as the date of the actual discovery of
America. One of the worthy descendants of these hardy seamen is the subject of this review, Elias Morken, of Cherry Grove township.
Elias Morken is a native of Norway, born December 26, 1840. He received a fair education in his native land and resided there the first twenty-two years of his life. Fishing and sailing was the the chief occu- pation of the greater number of those years. Desiring to come to America and having the requisite amount to defray neces- sary expenses and leave him enough for a start in the new and strange land, he ad- justed his affairs and in 1880 set sail for the United States. The voyage was a pleasant one, and in .August, 1880, he set foot on American soil for the first time. Wexford county, Michigan, was his destination and he lost no time in reaching it. During the next years he engaged in various kinds of labor and then invested his means in forty acres of land, a part of section 17, Cherry Grove township. Before leaving his native land he wisely took the precatition to provide himself with a wife, as the Ist day of No- vember. 1865. at her home in Norway, he was united in marriage to Miss Paulina Hanson, a native of Norway, born June 30. 1845. On first locating in Cherry Grove township. they established their home on section 20, where they resided eight years, while they were preparing their own little tarm in section 17 for occupancy and cul- tivation. They have since established their home on their own land and have the greater part of it cleared and improved and are gratifyingly prosperous. They are the parents of six children, viz. : Ellen, Peter. Hans. Axin, Gertrude and Hannah. Ellen is the wife of Loe Nelson, Gertrude is mar-
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ried to Roy Loveland and Hannah has been Mrs. A. Carlson for some time. The son Axin is postmaster at Axin postoffice, being appointed in 1899 under Mckinley's admin- istration. He is an expert in fancy embroid- ery. in silk and crewels and his handiwork is much admired. Since 1880 the family has resided on the farm in section 17. and have devoted themselves almost exclusively to agricultural pursuits.
From his first location in Cherry Grove township Elias Morken has been much inter- ested in all public affairs which concern it. He has advocated good roads, economy and retrenchment in the disbursement of finances and in the just and equitable levy and col- lection of taxes to defray expenses. He served seven years as highway commissioner, four terms as treasurer of the township and a number of times as member of the county board of review. The members of the fam- ily belong to the Lutheran faith, in which they were brought up. and are devout and sincere in the practices of that religion. The father is an enterprising, thrifty, progressive man, who is regarded by all as one of the most worthy citizens of this locality.
N. JACOB SMITIL.
There are few foreign nations that have contributed to the complex composition of our American social fabric an element of more sterling worth or of greater value in fostering and supporting the national insti- tutions than have the natives of the Scandi- navian peninsula, who have come to and be- come citizens of the United States. The men of Scandinavia who have located in
America are with very few exceptions per- sons of sturdy integrity, indomitable perse- verance, high intelligence and possessed of much business sagacity. Through them there have been incorporated in our cosmopol- itan population many elements of enduring strength. The subject of this review. N. Jacob Smith, is a native of Sweden, and there his childhood. youth and early man- hood were spent. He is proud of the race whence he sprang and the dominating char- acteristics of that people, as disclosed in him, have won him the confidence and regard of his fellow citizens in the land of his adoption.
\. Jacob Smith, of Cherry Grove town- ship, was born in Sweden, January 21, 1842. His parents were agriculturists and the first fifteen years of his life were spent on a farm. In 1857 he crossed over into Denmark and resided there, following farming, until 1870, when he made a visit to the United States. Ile was so well pleased with all that he saw that he determined to make the great Ameri- can republic his future home. Accordingly he returned to Sweden and in the fall of 1871 he was united in marriage to Miss Johanna Sophia Johnson, a native of Sweden, born in September, 1844, and soon thereafter they came to the United States, coming direct to Livingston county, and thence to Wexford county, Michigan, where he invested in forty acres of woodland, which he bought of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad Company. It is a part of section 23. Cherry Grove town- ship, and cost him three hundred and sixty dollars, or nine dollars per acre. He im- mediately erected good. substantial build- ings and began clearing the land. Whenever he found an adjacent tract of land for sale at a reasonable figure he lost no time in purchasing it and in this way kept constantly
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adding to his real estate possessions, until at this time lie is the owner of, two hundred and eighty acres, eighty of which are cleared and under cultivation. Eleven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, six of them died in childhood. Those living are Edmund J., Frank O., Emma S. J., Charles N. and Nels A.
In all public affairs, local, state and na- tional, like every well educated, patriotic citizen, Mr. Smith takes much interest. In educational work he is particularly active. for he knows that enlightenment is a pre- requisite to good citizenship. He has served in nearly every capacity on the school board. as director, moderator and inspector. Good roads is another favorite local topic with him and he served for a number of years as high- way commissioner, during which time the good work accomplished by him was quite perceptible to every person making use of the public highways of the township. The finances of the township also always re- ceive a good deal of consideration from him. He was treasurer of the township a number of terms and guarded the public funds in a manner to secure the approval of every tax- payer. The family belongs to the Swedish Mission church and are devout and zealous workers in the cause of religion and charity. Ife is an enterprising, public-spirited man who has done his full share toward the growth and development of the township and county of his residence.
CHARLES C. DUNHAM.
One of the leading figures in the history of Wexford county is Charles C. Dunham, who for nearly thirty years has been a
worthy resident of Cadillac, during which period he has achieved honorable distinction as a citizen, besides serving the public in an important official position, to say noth- ing of his connection with various enterprises for the general welfare of the community. In a war which tested the stability of the American government he bravely and loy- ally defended the nation's honor and in var- ious avenues of civil life he has been charac- terized by fidelity of purpose and adherence to principle which bespeaks the trustworthy man and public-spirited citizen.
Charles C. Dunham is a native of Ohio and was born November 17, 1845, in the town of Hinckley, Medina county, being the son of William and Jane Ann ( Conant ) Dunham, both natives of Pennsylvania. Until about eight years of age the subject lived at the place of his birth, his experience during the interim being pretty much like that of the majority of children born and reared in a country town. About 1853 his father brought the family to Michigan and located near Grand Rapids, in which city the elder Dunham worked for some years as a carpenter and joiner, which trade he learned before moving west. Being an ef- ficient mechanic, his services were in great demand and in addition to many other edi- fices he built a number of hotels between the cities of Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, sev- eral of which became noted places of enter- tainment during the early days when people traveled largely by stage or private convey- ance. Later William Dunham abandoned mechanical work and turned his attention to business, accepting the position of cashier in a bank at Manistee, in which institution he was also interested as stockholler. Subse- quently he was mide president of the bank
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and as such gained an honorable reputation in financial circles, his connection with the banking business at Manistee covering a period of twenty years, during which time he became one of the leading men of that town. For a time he served as president of the Fifth National Bank of Grand Rapids. which city he still makes his home and with the material growth and prosperity of which he has long been identified, being at this time one of its best known and most praiseworthy citizens. By energy and successful manage- ment he accumulated a large fortune, but owing to financial difficulties much of his wealth was lost, although he succeeded in saving sufficient to spend the remainder of his days in comfort. In politics he has been a zealous Republican ever since the organi- zation of the party, and while living at Man- istec he was elected to several county offices. in all of which he discharged his duties in a manner which met with the approval of the public irrespective of party ties. Mr. Dunham has long been an enthusiastic Mason and of recent years has been one of the most prominent members of the order in this state, having risen to the thirty-third (legree, which, as all know, depends entirely upon merit and is only reached by a few. At the present time he is living a life of re- tirement, honored and respected by the peo- ple of Grand Rapids and well known in fin- ancial and Masonic circles throughout the state, his name everywhere being synony- mous with all that is upright in manhood and commendable in citizenship. The family of William and Jane Ann Dunham includes five children, whose names are as follows: Henry, Jennic, Phoebe, Julia and the subject of this review, who is second in order of birth.
As already stated, Charles C. Dunham was a lad of about eight years when his parents moved to Michigan and from that time until eighteen his life was devoid of interesting experiences or eventful episode. He attended the public schools of the various localities in which the family lived, made the most of his opportunities and grew up vigorous in body, strong and alert in mind and well qualified to assume the grave re- sponsibilities of life when they should pre- sent themselves. In 1863 he responded to the country's call for volunteers by enlisting in Company L. Tenth Michigan Cavalry. with which he shared the fortunes and vicis- situdes of war until the close of the rebel- lion, serving in the Army of the Cumberland and participating in many noted battles and campaigns as a brave and gallant soklier. In an engagement near Henry Court House, Virginia, he fell into the hands of the enemy, but after being held a prisoner one day was released and rejoined his command, from which time until the end of his period of ser- vice he met with no other mishap or misfor- tune. Returning to Michigan at the close of the war, Mr. Dunham yielded to a desire of long standing by beginning the study of law. but after prosecuting the same for a short time circumstances led him to engage in an undertaking which promised him a more speedy means of obtaining a liveli- hood; accordingly he left Wayland, where he had located after the war, and engaged as superintendent of a shingle mill at Winne- conne. Wisconsin, where he remained until his return to Michigan, in 1870. In that year he embarked in the lumber business at Manistee and there continued with fair suc- cess until 1876, when he came to Cadillac where he carried on the manufacture of lum-
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ber during the ensuing two years, devoting a part of his time to clerking in a grocery house.
Mr. Dunham early became interested in politics and shortly after his removal to Cadillac began taking an active part in local affairs, his ability as an organizer and party leader soon bringing him prominently be- fore the public. In 1878 he was nominated on the Republican ticket for sheriff and his election to the office by a large majority demonstrated not only his fitness for the position but also his personal popularity with the people, men of all parties giving him a liberal support. His administration of the office was in every respect satisfactory and so ably and faithfully did he discharge his duties that he has been retained several terms, his course throughout fully justifying the wisdom of the people in keeping him continuously in office. In 1882 Mr. Dun- ham was admitted to the bar, but his official functions have required his time and atten- tion to the extent of practically preventing him from engaging in the practice, his legal services being of an advisory nature and confined largely to maters outside of the courts. He is well grounded in the princi- ples of jurisprudence, has a wide acquain- tance with the law in all its bearings and possesses the ability and tact to apply his knowledge to practice. Should the people ever release their hold upon his services he will doubtless yet achieve a creditable record at the bar, his integrity and sound judg- ment being qualifications largely in his favor when he sees fit to assume his proper place among his professional brethren.
Mr. Dunham, in the year 1869, was united in marriage to Miss Emma D. Butts.
of Lawrence, Michigan, daughter of H. W. Butts, the union being blessed with a daugh- ter by the name of Eva. In social and fra- ternal circles Mr. Dunham has long been active and prominent, standing especially high as a Mason, in which order he has taken a number of degrees besides serving in var- ious honorable capacities. Ile has held of- ficial station in the commandery, and served as high priest of the chapter of Royal Arch Masons, discharging his duties in these im- portant relations with the same ability and fidelity that characterize his career in the civil office with which the people of Wex- ford county have honored him. He is also identified with the Knights of Pythias, be- longing to the Uniform Rank, and for a number of years his name has adorned the records of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Union Veterans' Union, which or- ganizations tend to keep in memory the thrilling scenes and experiences of his mili- tary days and endeavor and heighten the patriotic sentiment which should animate every true soldier who tendered his services and his life to the country during the period of treason and disunion.
Mr. Dunham's career in civil as in mili- tary life has been most creditable and right faithfully has he earned and nobly does he merit the confidence in which he is held and the honors that have been conferred upon him. By all who know him he is considered a faithful and efficient officer and an up- right, courteous gentleman and in the various relations of life, whether as citizen, friend, neighbor, public servant, husband or father, he is respected by a wide circle of acquaintances, who regard him as an honor- able man, true to his convictions and ever
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ready by every power at his command to do the right as he sees and understands the right.
FRANK L. GOODYEAR.
The science of agriculture, for it is a science as well as an art, finds an able demon- strator as well as a successful practitioner in the person of Frank L. Goodyear, the sub- ject of this review. A skilled engineer, both locomotive and stationary, he abandoned that remunerative calling to engage in the more peaceful, less hazardous and more agreeable pursuit of agriculture.
Frank L. Goodyear, who owns and re- sides upon a part of section 24. Selma township, is a native of New York, born in Camden. Oneida county. December 17. 1847. In 1853 the family moved to Oswego county, New York, where, in January. 1864. the subject of this review enlisted in Com- pany H, Ninth Regiment New York Heavy .Artillery, and served until after the close of the war. He was mustered out of the ser- vice September 29, 1865. and returned to his home in Oswego. He served his com- try faithfully and received a wound in the left arm. while in the line of duty, at Monoc- acy, Maryland, which for a length of time caused hint considerable trouble. In the spring of 1866 he decided to try his fortune in the west and accordingly he left Oswego county and took up his abode in Clinton. lowa. There he secured employment on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, became a skillful engineer and ran on that line in that capacity for a number of years. He was also for a time. while he lived in Clinton, engineer on a steamboat plying up and down
the Mississippi river. Hle was not at all dissatisfied with his calling, but the dangers to which he was constantly exposed was a constant source of fear and anxiety to the family and eventually he was prevailed upon to give it up and enter a calling not so be- set with danger. In the fall of 1884 he pur- chased a team and wagon, installed his wife and two children in the canopy-topped vehicle. put in a few necessary articles and headed his horses for Wexford county, Mich- igan. In due season he arrived. purchased eighty acres of land in section 24. Selma township, and immediately proceeded to es- tablish a home thereon, having since con- tinned to reside there. About half of the tract of land he has cleared and it is well cul- tivated and quite productive. He has erected commodious and substantial buildings there- on and the place and its surroundings present a most enticing, home-like appearance.
On the 17th day of January, 1876, in Oneida county, New York, Frank L. Good- year was united in marriage to Miss Helena Davis, a native of New York, born in Oneida county. September 17, 1857. To this union three children were born, two of whom. Cora J. and Bessie C., are living. The other daughter, Leva, died early in life. Cora at- tended the normal college at Cadillac and for seven years was a successful teacher in this county. December 25, 1902. she be- came the wife of Clarence Parker.
Ever since his location in Selma town- ship Mr. Goodyear has been quite active in public affairs. He served as supervisor of Selma township from 1890 10 1901, a period of eleven years. He has been highway com- missioner and was deputy sheriff of Wexford county for a number of years. In his labors on the farm he has been most successful, and
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has never for a moment regretted that he changed either his location or his calling. He is a man of firm convictions, yet amiable and kind, and in his home is all that could be de- sired in a husband and father.
ASAPH T. VANCE.
There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are always lessons which might well be followed. The man who gains pros- perity is he who can see and utilize the op- portunity that comes in his path. The es- sential conditions of human life arc ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differ but slightly, and when one man passes an- other on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. Today among the prominent citizens and successful agriculturists of Clam Lake township, Wex- ford county, Michigan, stands Asaph T. Vance. The qualities of keen discrimination, sound judgment and a keen sense of honor enter very largely into his make-up and have been contributing elements to the material success which has come to him.
Asaph T. Vance is a native of Canada. having been born in the county of Norfolk. province of Ontario, on the sith of May. 1846, the son of Alexander and Nancy ( Teal) Vance, natives also of Canada. The subject was reared upon his father's farm and was early initiated into the mysteries of suc- cessful agriculture, in the meantime being given the benefit of a good education in the
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