USA > Michigan > Wexford County > History of Wexford County, Michigan, embracing a concise review of its early settlement, industrial development and present conditions > Part 61
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common schools, a grammar school and pri- vate instruction under Robert Miller, a class- ical scholar. He remained with his mother until in February, 1872, when, desiring to start out on his own account, he came to Cadillac (then known as Clam Lake) and took up a homestead. During the first five or six years he passed his winters teaching, and in the lumber woods, but at length was enabled to give his attention to his farm. He set about to improve the tract and had forty acres improved and in good cultivable condi- tion. when, in 1903. he traded his homestead for an eighty-acre tract in section 25, the same township. He has given careful at- tention to the cultivation of his land and raises all the crops that the climate and soil are at all capable of producing, and also pays some attention to the raising of such stock as is needed in the the conduct of the farm. His farm is well improved with a modern dwelling and his outbuiklings are all of sub- stantial construction and conveniently ar- ranged, as well as sufficiently commodious for all practical purposes. The entire place shows the careful superintendence of a skill- ful manager, and there are very few farms of its size in the county with which it will not favorably compare.
Mr. Vance has twice been married, the first time, on the 11th day of May. 1875. to Miss Alma J. Barker, a native of Hillsdale county, Michigan. ller death occurred July 9. 1876, and on the 5th of November, 1882, Mr. Vance was married to Miss Dor- cas C. Dunbar, a native of the state of New York and the daugliter of Robert and Mary (Lake) Dunbar. When she was yet in young girlhood her parents removed from New York to Hancock county, Ohio, where she was reared and educated and lived until
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early in the seventies, when she came to Wexford county, Michigan. To her union with Mr. Vance was born one child. Asaph J .. who died when ten months old.
The political entiments of the subject are in harmony with the platform and principles of the Republican party and he has been ac- tive in the interests of his party. He stands high in the confidence of his fellow citizens and for several years filled the office of clerk of his township and also several years as township supervisor, performing the duties of both positions in a manner highly credit- able to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. In religion he subscribes to the creed of the Methodist Episcopal church. He aims to be progressive in what he does, is always in sympathy with enter- prises having for their object the common good, and his influence is ever exerted on the right side of every moral issue. Like all men of positive character and independence of mind, he is outspoken in the defence of what he considers to be right, and his con- victions are such that his neighbors and fel- low citizens know well his positions on all questions of a political, moral and religious nature. His private life has been exemplary and his amiable traits of character and many virtues have made him widely popular throughout the township in which he re- sides.
CHARLES H. DRURY.
The popular citizen and enterprising busi- ness man whose name furnishes the caption of this article needs no formal introduction to the people of Cadillac and Wexford coun- ty. For a number of years identified with the commercial interests and always tak-
ing an active part in promoting the welfare of the public, he has risen to a high place in business circles, besides earning the reputa- tion of one of the county's broad minded. progressive men of affairs. Charles H. Drury, president of the Kelley & Drury Hardware Company of Cadillac, is a native of Michigan, born July 18. 1848. in the city of Detroit. His father, Nathaniel Drury, was an artist and for many years followed scenic painting in various parts of the United States, visiting many of the largest cities in the course of a singularly brilliant and suc- cessful professional career. He was a man of fine attainments and high social standing and excelled in the calling to which his life and energies were mainly devoted. He died some years ago in the city of New Orleans, whither he had been called in the line of his work. The maiden name of the subject's mother was Sarah A. Kress. She was born in Penn Yan. New York, bore her husband two children, and departed this life in Ad- rian, Michigan, which place she was making her home at the time of her death.
Charles H. Drury spent his early years in the city of Adrian and after receiving a good practical education in the public schools be- , gan life for himself as a clerk in a hardware house, a line of business for which he dis- played unusual aptitude and in which his abilities as a salesman soon became manifest. From 1862 until 1879 he followed clerking. principally in the city of Adrian, but in AVu- gust of the latter year came to Cadillac and accepted a position in the hardware house of Cloud & Mitchell, where he remained a few months, resigning his place in the spring of 1880 for the purpose of engaging in the same line of trade for himself in partnership with Frank C. Sampson.
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Messrs. Sampson & Drury soon became the leading hardware dealers in Cadillac and the firm as originally constituted lasted about ten years, at the expiration of which time A. W. Newark purchased Mr. Samp- son's interest and became the subject's busi- ness associate under the style of Newark & Drury. Under this joint management the business continued during the ensuing five years, when Mr. Newark sold out to F. B. Kelley, thus forming the Drury & Kelley IIardware Company, and as such it has since existed. It is not only the largest and most successful hardware firm in Cadillac, but one of the most enterprising partnerships of the kind in the northern part of the state. The company commands an extensive local and general trade and is widely known in commercial circles, enjoying exceptional standing with the leading business agencies of the country, and the remarkable advance- ment made since its organization may be taken as an earnest of a still larger and more prosperous career in the future.
Mr. Drury is easily one of the leading men of Cadillac and as such occupies a con- spicuous place in the estimation of his fel- low citizens. He takes a lively interest in whatever tends to advance the material growth of the city, supports with a liberal hand all worthy enterprises having for their object the social and moral welfare of the community and his influence has ever been exerted on the right side of all local issues. His career has been one of continued activity. attended in the main by remarkable busi- ness advancements and financial prosperity. He is essentially progressive in all lie under- takes and, endowed with the ability and tact to mould circumstances to suit his purposes. his success in rising superior to adverse con-
ditions and mounting to his present high and honorable position in the world of affairs indicates a power such as few possess.
The domestic chapter in the history of Mr. Drury has been one of almost ideal char- acter, but it is not for the writer to lift the veil from the sacred precincts where much of his inspiration, courage and confidence have been born and in which the grace and dignity of noble womanhood, the devotion of motherhood and the charm of childhood shine with such peculiar luster. Suffice to say, however, that on the 24th day of Jan- uary, 1871. he was united in marriage with Miss Alice C. Webster. the accomplished daughter of Orange Webster, of Cadillac, a union resulting in the birth of three children, the oldest of whom. Margaret, is now the wife of Charles Gibson, the other two, Ed- win C. and Franklin, still being mem- bers of the pleasant home circle. Mrs. Drury is a lady of refinement and gracious presence, taking an active interest in the social, church and benevolent life of her home town and holding the appreciative re- gard of all who come within her kindly and helpful influence.
In addition to his large and constantly growing business affairs, Mr. Drury has long been a factor in the public concerns of Cadillac, having served acceptably as treasurer of the city, besides doing much in other than official capacities to promote its material progress. He is also connected with the People's Saving Bank, of which he is now vice-president, and he is now presi- dent of the Cadillac Can Manufacturing Company, a large business enterprise with which he is identified and for the success of which he has put forth such strenuous and faithful efforts. Fraternally he is a
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member of the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. and religiously belongs with his wife to the Methodist Episcopal church.
The foregoing review of the life of one of Cadillac's enterprising business men and prominent citizens is necessarily general in character and scope. To enter fully into all the interesting details of his career, touching the struggles of his youth and young man- hood and the success of later days, woukl require an article far in excess of the limits of this review. Enough has been submitted. however, to prove that he is entitled to a first place in the ranks of the determined. ener- getic, self-made men of Michigan, whose enterprise and unswerving honor have wrought from the wilderness a state second to none in the grand constellation compris- ing our proud national union, and to show that he fully merits the high esteem in which he is held by the people among whom his lot has been cast.
1
MRS. CYNTHIA (WHITMORE) DAYHUFF.
Thirty-five years ago what is now the county of Wexford was a wilderness. There were a few settlements, where people, will- ing to undergo the privations of pioneer life in the hope of a brighter future, came and availed themselves of the privileges of the homestead laws. settled on land and awaited the advance of civilization. At that time the population of the county con- sisted wholly of hard-working people. Con- ditions were then entirely too primitive for the event of professional men. Occasion-
ally a minister of the gospel might be en- countered, but he was one of those pious laborers who employed six days out of each week doing manual labor on the farm, in the woods or in a saw-mill and spent Sunday preaching salvation to those who cared to come to listen to him. As to lawyers, there were no questions for litigation and gener- ally when the services of a doctor were re- quired, through sickness or accident, he had to be called in from another county. These were the conditions prevailing in this lo- cality when Mrs. Cynthia ( Whitmore ) Day- huff. with her family, located in what is now Colfax township. At that time she was a woman forty-seven years of age. the mother of six children and with an abundance of experience in ministering to the sick and afflicted. She possessed a fair education. had read much, particularly standard medi- cal authorities, and being blessed by nature with excellent judgment and a fund of rare common sense, the people in the vicinity of her home soon found her services far more valuable to the sick and suffering of the lo- cality than the doctors whom they could in- duce to come in and prescribe for them. In this way she began the practice of medicine and devoted much of her time for many years to the profession, often being called from a distance of fifteen miles or more to attend a patient and almost invariably, when the call was not urgent or the distance great. making the journey on foot. In this way "Grandma Dayhuff." as she is popularly known, has been an angel of mercy to many a poor sufferer.
Cynthia ( Whitmore ) Dayhuff is a native of the state of New York, born at Shelby. Genesee county. December 15, 1821, and is consequently now ( 1903) in the eighty-
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second year of her age. Her parents were Obediah and Betsey (Van Riper ) Whitmore. also natives of the Empire state. In 1827. when the subject was six years old, the fam- ily moved to Chautauqua county. New York, where they lived for four years and then migrated to Ohio, locating in Sandus- ky county, where Mrs. Dayhuff grew to womanhood. She attended school in her native state and in Ohio and, being intellec- tual and naturally studions, readily learned all the lessons that were set before her. Mentally and educationally she was, on reaching maturity, more advanced than the average girls of the times and the places wherever she lived. In St. Joseph county. Indiana, she was united in marriage to Enos C. Dayhuff and in that county they settled and there made their home for a number of years. Six children were born to them, viz : Amos, Nathan, James, Mary E., Jennie and Milton. Jennie is now the wife of Elijah Smith, at whose home the subject resides. In another part of this volume will be found a brief biography of Mr. Smith.
In 1864 the family moved to Michigan, locating in Grand Rapids, where they re- mained for three years. In November, 1867, Mr. Dayhuff and family came to what is now Wexford county ; satisfied himself as to the possibilities of the place and bought and located upon a tract of land which is now a part of Colfax township. Here a modest home was erected, the land cleared and a productive farm took place of the forest. From here the six children went out into the world in quest of their own for- tunes and there the parents continued to re- side until the autumn of 1890, when, yearn- ing for a less rigorous climate than northern Michigan, they moved to Tennessee. Their
enjoyment of the balmy breezes of the sunny south, however, was of short duration. September 26, 1901, Enos C. Dayhuff breathed his last, at the venerable age of eighty years. Ilis aged and disconsolate widow soon thereafter returned to her old home in Michigan, where she was heartily welcomed by her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Elijah Smith.
Always religiously inclined. from the time that she was fifteen years of age. Mrs. Dayhuff has been a member of the Metho- (list Episcopal church. In her younger and more active years she was zealous in every species of church work, particularly in that part of it which is included in deeds of charity. When engaged in ministering to the sick, the suffering and the dying she was actuated more by a love for humanity than by any hope of material reward. Few lives have been simpler, purer or better than hers has been, and now, standing on the outer verge of time and with a confidence not born of earth, awaiting the glorious dawn of eternity, she has no reason whatever to doubt that the greeting of the Master will be other than "Well done, good and faithful ser- vant, possess the kingdom prepared for you."
TAYLOR W. GRAY.
Those men who have devoted their lives to the development and extension of the agricultural interests of northern Michigan are deserving more than praise at the hands of the present generation and an indebted- ness still heavier is due them from coming generations. It is their labors that have light- ened the burdens of the present rural resi-
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dent and made a garden spot instead of a wilderness for posterity. The subject of this review. Taylor W. Gray, is one of those whose good work as a woodman and agri- culturist accomplished so much for the sec- tion of Michigan in which he resides and where he has resided for many years. He is a resident of Liberty township, his farm being a part of section 28.
Taylor W. Gray was born on his father's farm in Morgan county, Indiana. January 6. 1839. His parents were David W. and Elizabeth (McCampbell) Gray, both now lead. She died at the family residence at the age of fifty years, while her husband died many years later, at the age of seventy- four years. They were the parents of thir- teen children, of whom the subject of this review was the third. He was reared in Indiana and engaged in agricultural pur- suits until AAngust, 1861, when he became a soldier in the United States army, enlisting in Company .\, Thirty-third Indiana Vol- unteer Infantry, and served to the close of the war. His regiment was a part of the Army of the Cumberland and he participated in a number of the hottest battles of the war. among them that of Kenesaw Mountain. Georgia. June 19 to 25. 1864. and Peach Tree Creek, Georgia, July 19 and 20, 1864. At Springfield, Tennessee. November 26th and 30th, with his regiment, he was captured by the Confederates and incarcerated in Libby prison, where they languished for about two months, or until they were ex- changed. The regiment was in the thick of the fight in most of the engagements from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and was with Sherman on that memorable march through Georgia to the sea. Mr. Gray was mus- tered out at the close of the war. in 1865, and
returning to Morgan county, Indiana, he again engaged in farming, which has been his business since. In the fall of 1870 he came to Michigan and after taking a look over some portions of Wexford county, de- cided to locate there. He took up a home- stead of one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 28, Liberty township. Re- turning to Indiana he spent the winter there and in the spring of 1871 moved to the homestead he had entered.
Mr. Gray was twice married. On the Toth day of April. 1854. in Owen county. Indiana, he was united in marriage to Miss Emerilla Nichols, a native of that county, born about 1848. They were the parents of three children, only one of whom. Savannah, is now living. She is the wife of Frank Moore. Emery grew to manhood and still resided at home, when he was stricken with illness and died at the age of twenty-one years. Mary was the wife of Sheridan G. Long, and they had not been long married when she died, at the early age of twenty years. Mrs. Gray had pre- ceded her children into eternity several years, expiring at the family home in Lil- erty township in April. 1873. In March. 1874. after being a widower for one year, Mr. Gray was again married. his bride on this occasion being Mrs. Jane Yeo- mans, widow of William Yeomans. She is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Bassett. of Allegan county, Michigan, and is a native of New York, where she was born in i845. To this union six children were born, viz: Robert J .. David W .. Estella, Alice. Nettie and Henry M. Alice is the wife of James Robinett.
Of the original one hundred and sixty acres upon which the subject located, he
ELWOOD PECK.
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still retains ninety-one acres, fifty-eight of which are cleared, well cultivated and splendidly improved. The kind of farming that is best adapted to the conditions which prevail in northern Michigan makes it im- possible for a farmer without large capital or much help to cultivate large tracts. . \ well cultivated small farm there is much more profitable than a large one which can- not receive proper care. It was this fact that influenced Mr. Gray in disposing of sixty-nine of the broad acres of his original homestead.
The subject has been honored by the peo- ple of his township with various local po- sitions, such as supervisor, treasurer and member of the school board. Ever since his residence in the county he has been very much interested in every local public enter- prise and in everything that pertains to the township's welfare. While a Republican, he has no ambition to become a politician and has no desire for political preferment. He is interested in religion and church work. both he and his wife being members of the Christian church, the members of which are known as the Disciples of Christ. His life has been a very busy and useful one and be- cause of his genial disposition, courtous man- ner and genuine worth he has won for him- self a host of warm personal friends.
ELWOOD PECK.
On the roster of Wexford county's able lawyers is found the name of the late Elwood Peck, who, though a young man at the time of his lamented death, had already reached a commanding place at the Cadillac bar, be-
sides gaining distinctive prestige in legal circles throughout the northern part of the state. Called away at the zenith of his use- fulness and in the ripeness of his mental and professional powers, he so impressed his individuality upon the city of his adoption as to become not only an influential factor in its legal affairs, where his genius shone pre- eminent, but in all measures and enterprises making for the community's material, social and moral advancement his position was that of a leader whose wisdom and ability paved the way for others to follow.
The third child and second son of Alvah and Julia (Cronk ) Peck, Elwood Peck was born July 2, 1865, in Cohocton, Steuben county, New York, and there spent the first seventeen years of his life, receiving mean- while a fair mental discipline in the public schools. In the spring of 1882 he moved with his parents to Wexford county, Michi- gan, and during the ensuing three or four years assisted his father in developing the farm, bearing his full share of the labor at- tending such experiences and with strong and willing hands contributing to the support of the family.
Possessing a studious nature and feeling the need of a more thorough training than the common schools could impart, he soon entered the West Michigan College at Grand Rapids, where he prosecuted his stud- ies until completing the prescribed course. being graduated from that institution in the year 1891. AActuated by a laudable ambi- tion to fit himself for a career of usefulness, and selecting law as the profession best suit- ed to his tastes and inclinations, young Peck. in the spring of 1884. came to Cadillac and entered the office of E. E. Haskins, under whose direction he pursued his legal studies
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until his a lmission to the bar. the year fol- lowing. Meantime. at the age of twenty- three, he had been elected justice of the peace for Hanover township, which office he held two years, being chosen after moving to the county seat. He was made town treasurer by the votes of the people, a position he filled with credit to himself and to the satis- faction of the public for a few years. Mr. Peck soon forged to the front as an able and judicious lawyer and won a lucrative practice in addition to his official duties, his name appearing in connection with much im- portant litigation from the date of his ad- mission to the bar until his death. Some conception of his popularity with the public and of the confidence the people reposed in him may be inferred from the fact of his al- most continuous retention in important ofi- cial positions during the period of his resi- dence in Cadillac. In 1894 he was appointed deputy county treasurer, which position he held by successive reappointments until 1896, when he was elected circuit court com- missioner. He discharged the duties of the latter office until 1900, having been re-elected in 1898, and in addition thereto also served as deputy register of deeds, proving under all circumstances a most capable and judi- cious public servant. In conducting the du- ties of the several posts with which the peo- ple honored him he made himself very pop- ular by his reliability and gentlemanly de- meanor to all having dealings of an official character, and it is universally conceded that his different administrations were among the ablest, most straightforward and busi- ness-like in the history of the city and county.
Mr. Peck was a Mason of high degree and a leading spirit of Sherman Lodge at
Cadillac, which he served in the highest of- ficial capacities within the power of the mem- bers to bestow. Ile was also an active worker in the Royal Arch degree. the Royal and Se- lect Masters and the Order of the Eastern Star, besides being prominently identified with the Knights of the Maccabees and other organizations of a fraternal and benevolent character, in all of which his influence was potent and his efforts effective. Socially his relations with the people of Cadillac were most pleasant and agreeable and every en- terprise making for the city's good, materi- ally or along other lines, enlisted his earnest endeavors and hearty co-operation. Mr. Peck had profound convictions in the matter of religion, his early training and subse- quent study and investigation leading him to accept Christianity as the one faith most con- ducive to man's happiness here and in the world to come. Subscribing to the Con- gregational creed, he early became an active worker in the church and in the spring of 1895 he was elected clerk of the congrega- tion at Cadillac, a position he worthly held until called from the church militant to the church triumphant.
Mr. Peck, as indicated, possessed natural abilities of a high order, which, strengthened and disciplined by continuous study, made him an influential factor in the business and social world. He had a strong legal mind. easily comprehended the most complex and obstruse principles of the law and, possess- ing the ability to apply the same in practice. would no doubt have risen to high honor and distinction in his profession had not death so untimely terminated his bright and prom- ising career. Among his friends he was the personification of good fellowship and in whatever circle he moved his easy dignity.
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