USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > Illustrated history and biographical record of Lenawee County, Mich. > Part 33
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
THE MICHIGAN GRANITE COMPANY of Adrian, was or- ganized twenty years ago, by Messrs. King & Connely. Its career has been a successful one from the beginning, until it is now one of the largest and most complete plants of the kind in Michigan, and one of the prominent and important industries of Adrian and Lena- wee County. In riding over the county in doing our work, we have noticed most of the cemeteries are well kept and attended, showing due respect to the dead. Many of them contain beautiful marble and granite monuments to the memory of the pioneers, who have gone to their reward. This seemed so fitting, and at the same time so feeble a mark of love, honor and respect for the noble dead, who did so much, and died as they had lived, in the hope and faith of the great future and beneficent heritage they were leaving their loved ones in homes and productive soil. These pioneers came here, many of of them, from comfortable homes in the East, and braved the dangers of the forest, the pestilence of the swamps and the pitiless and in- hospitable solitude of the forest. They have left beautiful homes and farms, cities and villages with all the comforts and opportuni- ties of the best portion of the earth, as our heritage. The Great Infinite Power will fully reward them, we all believe, but it remains with us to mark their resting places with fitting tablets, wrought into beautiful shapes by the most skillful workmen. For this ser- vice to our beloved we can honestly recommend the Michigan Gran- 25
386
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
0
0734
THE MICHIGAN GRANITE CO. MONUMENTAL WORKS.
View of the Michigan Granite Company's Works, Nos. 7 and 9 Dennis Street, opposite City Hall, Adrian.
387
RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
ite Company. Mr. King is a native of Maine, and his familiarity with the rugged rocks of his native state fits him for his calling of working out beautiful and artistic designs from the imperishable granite. Mr. Connely is a native of Ireland, and his early life was passed among the bright green hills of the Emerald Isle, and his memory of the beautiful landscapes, the treacherous bogs and the Giant's Causeway, all wrought by Infinite hands, enables him to blend the ideal, the beautiful and material in such fashion that it makes it possible to suit the most exacting and fastidious taste. Both Mr. King and Mr. Connely are practical granite workers, hav- ing learned their business with the largest and most successful firm in the United States at that time, the C. H. Harwick Company, of Quincy, Mass. They work both in granite and marble, and no mon- ument is too large or imposing, or no slab too small for them to pro- duce with dispatch and satisfaction.
JOSEPH H. BELL was born in Glastonbury, Hartford County, Conn., November 18, 1818. His father, Josiah Bell, was a native of Glastonbury, Conn., being born there about 1783. He was a farmer
Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Bell, Rollin.
and lived there until 1836, when he came to Michigan with his family of eight children. He settled on Section 28, in Rollin, this county. He lived on this farm until his death. About the year 1804 he married Sabina Norcut, of Chatham, Conn., and they had
388
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
nine children, as follows: Norcut, Henry, Nelson, Josiah H., Frank- lin, Charlotte, Watson, James and Erastus. All came to Rollin except Norcut, who died when he was about fourteen years old. Joseph H. Bell, the subject of this sketch, lived with his parents until after he was twenty-one years old. In 1847 he settled on Section 28, in Rol- lin, where he now resides. His home is near the village of Rollin, and has been entirely cleared and improved by himself. June 6, 1847, Joseph H. Bell married Miss Ann Eliza Brownell, of Rollin, and they had five children, as follows: Nathan, born March 9, 1848; Alice E., born September 22, 1849 ; Cleora, born November 19, 1854; Irwin J., born September 27, 1862 Elmira R., born December 31, 1864. Mrs. Ann Eliza (Brownell) Bell was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., February 14, 1829, and died in Rollin, January 8, 1866. Since the death of his wife, Mr. Bell has resided at his home in Rol- lin, always having some of his children with him. His home farm contains 160 acres, the Cincinnati Northern Railroad passing through it. He has two other farms, one being in Rollin, and the other in Hudson township, besides a tract of land containing over 600 acres in Texas. During his long residence in Rollin, Mr. Bell has endeavored to do his full share for all public improvements and assist in the general welfare of the township.
HON. GEORGE B. HORTON was born in Lafayette, Medina County, Ohio, April 17, 1845. His father, Samuel Horton, was born in Lincolnshire, near Boston, England, December 9, 1818. Mr. Hor- ton lived in England until he was about seventeen years old, when with a schoolmate he emigrated to the United States. The voyage from London to New York was most distressing and unfortunate, seventeen passengers perishing from starvation and exposure, while all on board suffered nearly to the point of death from lack of neces- saries of life. The vessel was one hundred and four days at sea, finally landing at Castle Garden, N. Y., where Mr. Horton passed six weeks in recovering strength sufficient to leave the place. Dur- ing this confinement he was robbed of nearly all the money he had, but finally managed to get as far as Troy, N. Y., where he found em- ployment in the lumber woods of Herkimer County. He remained in Herkimer County for three years, where he prospered reasonably well, and found his future wife. In 1839 he went back to England and took possession of a little property his father had left him. He returned in 1840, was married in 1841, and that fall removed to Me- dina County, Ohio, purchased a farm in Lafayette township, and re- sided there six years. In the fall of 1847 he sold out and returned to the State of New York, residing for three years in Niagara County. A resolute, thrifty man, he was not satisfied; the oppor-
389
RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
tunity and the ideal home he was seeking were not to be found there, and in 1851 he emigrated to Michigan and purchased a farm on Section 6, in Fairfield, this county. In 1853 he commenced the manufacture of cheese, and with a dairy of ten cows, he was the first man in Michigan to manufacture that desirable edible for the gen- eral market. He met with special success at once, as his product was good, and it soon became sought after by mer- chants. He steadily increased his dairy, and in the spring of 1866, erected the first cheese factory in the State. He was an enterprising, honorable, unassuming man, and by his probity, honest dealing and the quality of his product soon became a leading farmer and dairyman in the West. More than a score of other cheese factories were afterwards operated in the county, and the business soon grew to large proportions. At the time of his death, April 25, 1872, he owned 469 acres of Samuel Horton. land and about fifty cows. It was February 14, 1841, that Samuel Horton and Miss Lu- cina A. Perkins, daughter of Joseph and Harriet Perkins, of Salisbury, Herkimer County, N. Y., were married. By this marriage there were three children, George B. being the only son. Mrs. Lucina A. Horton was really the first cheese maker in Michigan from a commercial point of view. She learned the busi- ness in Herkimer County, be- fore her marriage, and super- intended her husband's cheese making from the very com- mencement and for eight years thereafter. Mrs. Lucina A. Horton was born in Salisbury, Herkimer County, N. Y., Mrs. Lucina A. Horton.
390
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
April 14, 1822, and now resides in the village of Morenci, this county. George B. Horton always followed farming and remained at home with his parents. At the death of his father he assumed all the responsibilities of the farm and the cheese business, and has carried it on ever since. He purchased the interests of the heirs in the estate, and has added to it until he now owns seven hundred acres of cleared land and one hundred acres of virgin forest. His residence, built in 1888, is one of the finest and most complete farm
Hon. George B. Horton and wife, Mrs. Amanda Horton.
homes in Michigan, and Mr. Horton is one of the most prosperous and thorough-going farmers in Lenawee County. His cheese business has grown into something enormous. During the year 1901 his pro- duct amounted to 1,500,000 pounds, and the business is still growing. He is a great lover of rural life, and is prominently identified with all movements and societies pertaining to farming. He was a char- ter member of Weston Grange, now known as Fruit Ridge Grange, and served as master twenty years. The Fruit Ridge Grange hall, which stands on Mr. Horton's farm, is one of the most complete buildings of the kind in the United States. It is equipped with a large library, museum, stage and fixtures, together with every con- venience. He assisted in organizing the Lenawee County Grange, and was its master six years. He has always been active and prom-
391
RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
inent in State Grange work, was on the executive committee six years, was elected Master of the State Grange in 1892, and has occu- pied that position continuously up to the present time. Mr. Horton assisted in organizing the present Lenawee County Agricultural Society, and has served as its president during the past twenty-five years. He was president of the State Dairymens' Association, and has been for ten years the Michigan delegate to the National Grange. Always a Republican in politics, he was elected to the State Senate of 1890-1, and served sixty days, but was unseated on a charge of ineligibility, because of holding a commission as postmaster at Fruit Ridge, notwithstanding the fact that his resignation as post- master was sent in before the election. In March, 1902, the repre- sentative members and leading men in the Republican party of Lena- wee County met in Adrian, and after a thorough conference, resolved that Mr. Horton was the unanimous first choice for candidate for Governor, and pledged a solid county delegation to the State Conven- tion in his behalf. Later, in April, Mr. Horton, after giving the matter due deliberation, announced himself a candidate. He would
Farm Home of the Hon. George B. Horton, Fruit Ridge, in Fairfield.
392
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
make no fight for it, but abide the best judgment of the convention. The point in his life that he takes especial interest in, is the success that has followed his efforts in all special lines. His record as a farmer stands foremost in his county. He has found time beside looking after personal matters to do what good he could, as he saw the good, in benefiting his fellow man. When he was made Master of the State Grange there were 210 subordinate Granges; now there are 650, and the membership has more than trebled. He was made pres- ident of the Lenawee County fair when it was bankrupt. He at once reorganized the society, and under his careful management it has grown to be the largest permanently located fair in Michigan. January 3, 1878, George B. Horton married Miss M. Amanda Brad- ish, daughter of Norman F. and Caroline Bradish, of Madison, this county, four children resulting as follows : Alice L., born Septem- ber 27, 1878, married Sidney Spitzer, April 22, 1903, and resides in Toledo; Norman B., born July 18, 1881; Samuel W., born May 3, 1884; Carrie L., born April 17, 1887. All were born in Fairfield. Mrs. Horton was born in Madison, this county, June 18, 1854. [For her family annals see History and Biographical Record of Lenawee County, Vol. 1, page 455.]
JOHN W. SELL was born in Preston County, W. Va., Novem- ber 23, 1844. His father, Enos Sell, was born April 11, 1820. He was always a farmer, became a large land owner, and was one of the prosperous and prominent citizens of Preston County, W. Va. He was an active and earnest adherent of the Methodist Protestant church, was a class leader and devout member up to the time of his death, which occurred March 3, 1900. He was a pioneer in West Virginia, residing there for more than 60 years. Enos Sell married Miss Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Eli and Margaret Smith, of Preston County, W. Va. They were the parents of nine children, John W. being third child and second son. Mrs. Elizabeth (Smith) Sell was born in Preston County, Va., July 24, 1817, and died there in 1870. John W. Sell was raised a farmer, and was educated in the district schools of his neighborhood, which were poor indeed. His time was principally passed in work, as become the ideas of his sturdy Pennsylvania-Dutch Ancestors. He followed farming in West Virginia until 1872, when he came to Michigan and settled in Ogden, this county. In 1876 he purchased 40 acres of heavy tim- bered land on Section 23, cleared it up and ditched it. Since that time he has added to it until he now owns 126 acres of the very best of land, under cultivation, free from stumps and tile-drained. He has good farm buildings, and a very desirable home. He has served his township as Treasurer for two terms, and for many years has been
393
RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Overseer of Highways. He is a prominent Granger, and has filled the office of Overseer for three successive years, being now Master of Ogden Grange, 660. He has taken the 7th degree of the order, which is the highest degree in the Grange. He is a member of Fairfield Lodge, I. O. O. F., No. 260, and has passed the chairs. He has been twelve years a director of the Lenawee County Agricul- tural Society, from Ogden, and a member of the executive committee for three successive years. For many years he has taken an active interest in the Lenawee County Pioneer Society, and served as vice president in 1902. Mr. Sell has a taste and tact for stock raising, and is a successful breeder of Holstein cattle, Poland China hogs, Mammoth bronzed turkeys, and barred Plymouth Rock fowls. He has for many years taken great interest in breeding Holsteins, and believes he has as pure bred and desirable a herd as can be found in Southern Michigan, having taken many premiums at the various county fairs within his reach. He has been quite successful in his experiments in producing new varieties of seeds and grains. March 23, 1865, John W. Sell married Miss Margaret A. Roth, daughter of John and Maria Roth, of Allegany County, Md., and they are the parents of nine children, as follows: Henry E., born in Preston County, W. Va., December 18, 1865, married Miss Lena Sigert. They had four sons; Henry E., died July 19, 1896; Emma E., born same place, June 13, 1868, married John H. Heckert. They had two children; Luther H., born same place, August 24, 1870, died February 18, 1871; Walter A., born in the same place, Febru- ary 21, 1872, married Miss Bertha Brown, and they have had two children ; William D., born in Ogden, July 31, 1874, married Miss Florence Sebring. They have three children; Alpheus J., born in Ogden, September 22, 1877, married Miss Maggie Sebring, and they have one child; Meta L., born in Ogden, September 21, 1881; Hervey L., born in Ogden, April 15, 1884, both at home. Mrs. Mar- garet A. (Roth) Sell was born in Allegany County, Md., August 15, 1843. Her parents were natives of Hanover, Germany. They came to America and settled in Maryland when they were children. John Roth was born September 23, 1819, and died in Tucker County, W. Va., in 1896. His wife, Maria (Fredlock) Roth, was born May 10, 1821, and died in Maryland, in December, 1878.
EDWIN L. BAKER was born in Madison, this county, January 5, 1847, in a small log house on the s. w. 14 of Section 35, about one- half mile north of Fairfield village. He has no recollection of ever seeing the house of his nativity, but is very familiar with the local- ity. [For his father, Rufus Baker's history, see record in this vol- ume, page 142-3-4.] Edwin L. Baker has always resided in
394
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
Lenawee County, and was educated in the schools of his township until about the year 1859, when he attended one term at D. A. Dodge's select school at Canandaigua. He afterwards went one winter to Isaac O. Savage's select school at the Round School house in Fairfield township. In the years 1861-2 he attended four fall and winter terms at Raisin Valley Seminary, Daniel Satterth- waite, principal. In the win- ter of 1867-8 he entered East- man's Commercial College at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he graduated in the spring of 1868. In the winter of 1869 he attended a select school in Fairfield village taught by C. M. C. Cook. During vacations he was employed at his fath- er's farm and cheese factory, and considered himself a full hand. At the age of twenty- one he became a partner with his father, the firm being known as Rufus Baker & Son. The business consisted of the manufacture of cheese, gen- eral dairy farming and the .Edwin L. Baker. handling of live stock. In 1872 the firm opened a whole- sale cheese house in Adrian, and carried on a successful business under the personal management of E. L. Baker until 1878, when the firm was dissolved. The business was then consolidated with Clark, Shattuck & Ladd, and the new firm name was Clark, Baker & Co., the business being that of wholesale cheese factors and pork packers. In 1887 the firm built the Riverside Can- ning Works, and engaged in canning apples, tomatoes,
Mrs. Clara E. Baker.
pumpkin and squash. About 1890 Mr. J. R. Clark withdrew, when the firm became Baker & Shattuck. In 1893 the busi- ness was incorporated as
4
395
RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Baker, Shattuck & Co. In about two years Mr. Baker purchased Mr. Shattuck's interest, and in 1897 the business was incorporated as Riverside Company, Mr. C. N. Turner taking an active interest therein, becoming the manager, Mr. Baker retiring from active par- ticipation. Since that time Mr. Baker has been engaged in real estate and insurance business, besides conserving the interests of his cheese factory, farm property, etc. Mr. Baker is an active adherent of the First Baptist church of Adrian, being a member of its Board of Trustees for over twenty years, and since the death of Hon. W. S. Wilcox has been president of the board. He is also Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. He is a member of Adrian Lodge, No. 19, F. & A. M., a director in the Adrian Building and Loan Associa- tion, and a director in the Commercial Savings Bank and the Na- tional Voting Machine Company. In 1885 Mr. Baker purchased the interest of Thomas J. Tobey in the banking firm of T. J. Tobey & Co., the new firm consisting of Seymour Howell, E. L. Baker and W. B. Thompson, under the firm name of Howell, Baker & Co. In 1888 this bank was reorganized as the Commercial Savings Bank of Adrian, Howell, Baker & Co.'s interest being transferred for stock in the new organization. Mr. Baker is a stockholder in many of the important manufacturing industries of Adrian. March 23, 1871, Edwin L. Baker married Miss Clara E. Bates, daughter of Talcott and Elvira H. S. Bates, of Fairfield, this county, and they have had six children, as follows : Mabel Irene, born in Fairfield, January 24, 1872, married September 18, 1889, to Carlton N. Turner, has two children and resides in Adrian; Dora Estelle, born in Adrian, July
Residence of Edwin L. Baker, No. 30 Dennis Street, Adrian.
396
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
10, 1874, married October 19, 1898, Lucien N. Culver, and died April 14, 1899; Clara Marie, born March 1, 1876, married January 1, 1900, Elwyn C. Fisher, has two children and resides in Battle Creek, Mich .; Bertha Louise, born December 24, 1882, a student at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N. Y .; Edwin L., Jr., born March 2, 1886, at home; Kathryn Mar, born August 4, 1888, at home. Mrs. Clara E. (Bates) Baker was born in Norton, Summit County, Ohio, January, 6, 1855. Her father was a native of Summit County, was born De- cember 21, 1826, and came to Michigan in 1856 and settled on Sec- tion 1, in Fairfield, this county. He was elected Supervisor of Fair- field for one or two terms. He afterwards sold his farm in Fairfield, and removed to Fayette, Ohio. In 1859 he took the overland route to Pike's Peak, going from there to California, returning in 1866. He died at his home in Fayette, Ohio, December 23, 1901. Novem- ber 28, 1850, he married Miss Elvira H. Sparhawk, of Summit County, Ohio, and they had four children, Mrs. Baker being the second. The first child died in infancy. The other children are Arthur Bates, a farmer of Fayette, Ohio, and Miner L. Bates, now pastor of the Warren, Ohio, Christian church. January 1, 1904, he becomes the pastor of Christian church, at Orange, New Jersey. Her mother, Elvira H. Sparhawk, was born in Summit County, Ohio, April 16, 1827, of New England ancestry, and died in Fayette, Ohio, July 28, 1893.
LADD JOHN LEWIS was born in the township of Orangeville, Wyoming County, N. Y., December 22, 1845. He was third child of John Ladd and Lois (Squier) Lewis. The Lewis family was prom- inent in 'Rhode Island, and in the Revolutionary War, one of the members serving on General Washington's staff. The line dates back to 1661, when John Lewis, who came from Wales, settled in Westerly. The homstead, built by Jonathan Lewis of the fourth generation, in 1740, is still standing and occupied. The father of our subject, John Ladd Lewis, was born at Exeter, R. I., May 1, 1811, went to Orangeville, Wyoming County, N. Y., in 1818, and died in Johnsonburg, the same township, January 24, 1889. His wife, Lois (Squier) Lewis, the daughter of Gurdon and Dolly (Foster) Squier, was born near Fosterville, Cayuga County, N. Y., August 27, 1819. She died at Johnsonburg, November 5, 1900. Her grand- father, Jonathan Foster, fought at Bunker Hill, and her father was in the war of 1812. Ladd John Lewis, subject of this sketch, was brought up a farmer, and was educated in the district schools of his neighborhood. At the age of fifteen he commenced working by the month, and subsequently spent one winter at Genesee Seminary, in Alexander, N. Y. He taught school for three winter terms, and graduated from Eastman's Business College, at Poughkeepsie, in
397
RECORD OF LENAWEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
1865. In 1869 he removed to Grand Rapids, Mich., where he became interested in the manufacture of agricultural implements, the firm being Henry S. Smith & Co. During his residence in Grand Rapids he was quite active in public affairs, served six years on the school board, and was two years its president. He twice declined the nom- ination for Mayor on the Republican ticket and refused to become a legislative candidate. In 1884 Mr. Lewis sold his inter- est in Grand Rapids and re- moved to New Hartford, 1. Oneida County, N. Y. Here he purchased an interest in the Utica Tool Co. The Company was located at Washington Mills. He remained here some time, when he became associa- THE ADRIAN ted with his son in the owner- ship and management of a knit- KNITTING ting mill at Sauquoit. In 1900 COMPANY he came to Adrian with his brother, George H. Lewis, and purchased the property now so favorably known as the Adrian Knitting Mills. An incorpo- rated company was organized to be known as the Adrian The Adrian Knitting Works. Knitting Company, officered as follows: President and Manager, Ladd J. Lewis; Vice President, Benjamin F. Graves ; Secretary and Treasurer, George H. Lewis. The product of the mill consists entirely of one line of underwear, that of children's cotton, heavy weight. No wool garments are made, and the output is rapidly increasing. Within the three years this mill has been in operation, the business has grown to an annual aggregate of about $200,000. About one hundred people are employed, and the product is absorbed by jobbing houses in the larger cities between Boston and San Francisco, and St. Paul and New Orleans. The mill is equipped with the most im .. proved machinery, with every convenience and comfort for em- ployes, and is the only one of its kind in Michigan. The Messrs. Lewis, who give their entire attention to the management of the mill, are already well known in Adrian as solid, enterprising and honorable business men, of sagacity and integrity. The Adrian Knitting Mills compose one of the leading industries of Adrian. During the year 1903 Mr. Ladd J. Lewis purchased the fine residence property, No. 4 Division St., the former home of Rial Clay, a pic- ture of which can be seen on page 260 of this volume. The domes- tic relations of the gentlemen are as follows: September 22, 1870, Ladd John Lewis married Miss Alice M. Eldridge, daughter of Sam-
398
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL
uel S. and Samantha (Gill) Bailey Eldridge, of Warsaw, N. Y., and they have had six children, as follows: Ladd J., Jr., born July 5, 1871, married Miss Frances E. Campbell, 1898, has one son, Myron C., and resides at Sauquoit, N. Y .; Nellie Lois, born August 5, 1876, married Frank H. Williams in 1898, has three children and resides in Adrian ; Alice Louise, born December 15, 1878; Francis E., born June 22, 1893; Two children died in infancy. Mrs. Alice M. (El- dridge) Lewis was born in Gainsville, Wyoming County, N. Y., January 8, 1848.
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.