USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches > Part 32
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Mrs. Carruthers is the daughter of Seth Sheldon, who was born in Connecticut, in 1804. He was the son of Samuel Sheldon (born 1776) the son of Simeon (born 1726) the son of Thomas (born 1688). Her mother, Julia N. (Bancroft) Sheldon, born in Con- necticut in 1800, was a descendent of Gover- nor Ellsworth, the first chief executive of Connecticut. Mrs. Carruthers is one of three children; Anson is deceased, and Seth lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After the death of Mrs. Carruthers' father her mother mar- ried Mr. Post, by whom she had two chil- dren, Charles C., who resides in Florida, and Clara, who died at the age of twenty-three.
To Mr. and Mrs. Peter C. Carruthers six children were born, as follows: Alice, who is now Mrs. E. L. Devereaux, of Owosso; Mary, who lived to be only four years of age; John C., a sketch of whom follows; Ellen Julia, who died at five years of age ; Grace, who is now Mrs. T. J. Spangler, of South Dakota; and Fannie H., who is the wife of Senator A. B. Cook, of Bennington township.
Among the prized relics in the Carruthers home is a "grand-father's clock," that tolled off the hours in the home of John C. Car- ruthers' great-grandfather. The clock was brought from Scotland by the family. It stands nearly eight feet in height and is known to be considerably more than one hundred years old.
John C. Carruthers, who lives with his widowed mother, has always made his home with his parents. His wife, Ethel (Rip- pey) Carruthers, is a native of Shiawassee township, born July 22, 1879. She is the daughter of M. H. Rippey, born in Branch
county, Michigan, April 13, 1848, and of Marcia A. (Lemon) Rippey, born in Shia- awassee county, December 11, 1852. Thomas H. Lemon, her maternal grandfather, was one of the earliest settlers of Shiawassee county, locating in section 14, Shiawassee township, in 1843. Besides Mrs. Carruthers, Mr. and Mrs. Rippey were the parents of one child, Hulon, born February 8, 1883, now living at home. Mr. and Mrs. John C. Car- ruthers have one child, Cameron, born Sep- tember 25, 1902. As has been stated, Mr. Carruthers, with his wife and son, lives upon the family homestead, which he inherited at the death of his father. He carries on gen- eral farming and makes a success of it. He makes a specialty of feeding and shipping sheep and cattle. He is recognized as an in- telligent and progressive citizen-a worthy son of a worthy sire. Socially the family are among Shiawassee's "four hundred."
GEORGE T. CAMPBELL
George T. Campbell was born in Louis- ville, Kentucky, December 27, 1864. He is the son of Zachariah J. and Lucy E., Camp- bell, the former a Virginian by birth, the lat- ter a native of Indiana. They lived for many years after their marriage in Indiana, after- ward removing to Kentucky.
When the subject of this sketch was five years old his parents removed to Kansas, locating in the then prosperous little city of Chetopa, in the southwestern part of the state, and this was their home for more than a score of years. Mr. Zachariah J. Camp- bell was in the mercantile business the most of the time, but his health became impaired and three years were spent on a farm. George was the oldest son left at home and the bur- den of the work fell on him. Returning to Chetopa at the age of sixteen, he entered a newspaper office, The Chetopa Advance, as an apprentice, and remained seven years, reaching the position of foreman of the of-
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fice. He then entered secretarial work in the Young Men's Christian Association, serv- ing as assistant secretary at Wichita, Kan- sas, and as general secretary at Sterling and
ence Barton and George Wiley, have come to brighten their home.
February 25, 1895, Mr. Campbell pur- chased The Evening Argus newspaper
Very truly yours G. g. Campbell
Pittsburg, Kansas, coming to Owosso in a like capacity April 15, 1892.
On August 24, 1893, was solemnized the mar- riage of George T. Campbell and Miss Harriet I. Evens, and three sons, John Evens, Clar- 17
property, which had been established July 23, 1892. All previous efforts to establish a daily in Owosso had failed and at the time the plant was acquired by Mr. Campbell the business was still in an experimental stage.
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He has conducted it successfully and its in- fluence has steadily increased. The paper now occupies its own building and is equip- ped with all modern requirements, including Mergenthaler typesetting machines, fast presses, and also has in connection a first- class job office.
Mr. Campbell is an active Republican, be- ing a member of the city, county and sena- torial committee. He is identified with a number of fraternal societies, being a thirty- second degree Mason, and is an officer in the Michigan grand commandery of Knights Templar.
FRANCIS CHANNON
After years of usefulness and toil, what a pleasure it is to have been able to acquire sufficient of this world's goods to enable us to enjoy comfort and repose in our declining years. It is also gratifying to know that we have the respect and confidence of our fel- low-men and that our hands are filled with generous deeds,-the golden keys that will open wide the pearly gates of eternity.
Francis Channon, the subject of this sketch, was born in Devonshire county, Eng- land, October 8, 1823. He is a son of Thomas and Charlotte (Marry) Channon, both of whom lived and died in the mother country. In the family there were five chil- dren. Elizabeth died in England ; the second child is the subject of this sketch; Ann was married, in the United States, to Edward Wiles, both having been born in England and both being now deceased ; Charlotte mar- ried Joseph Salter, who conducts a meat mar- ket in Devonshire, England; Sarah married a coal and wood merchant of Devonshire, England, and still resides there.
The subject of this review was christened after his paternal grandfather, Francis Chan- non, who lived and died in Devonshire. The maternal grandfather was John Marry, also a native of Devonshire. Mr. Channon re- ceived his early education in the schools of
England and at the age of eighteen years commenced working in the coal mines of Wales. At this, the hardest of labor known to man, he worked for a period of five years. He then left the mines, and for one year was engaged in railroading and other occupations.
In the year 1848 he emigrated to Amer- ica, settling in Gasport, Niagara county, New York. Here he commenced his career as a farmer, working two years by the month. He then purchased a farm of his own, in Niagara county, securing forty acres of land, partly improved, and there residing four years. He then sold the land and purchased a farm containing one hundred acres of partly improved land, in Erie county, where he resided about five years, when he dis- posed of the property and for the next few years worked as a day laborer.
Thirty-five years ago, in 1870, he came to the state of Michigan and settled in Perry township, Shiawassee county, upon a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of wild land. Here he laid the foundation of a home by building a log house and stable. These he has replaced by fine frame buildings and his years of toil have changed the one hundred and sixty acres of woods into rich fields and orchards, producing quantities of food for man and animal. Who can say that he has not done a noble work? His farm is in sec- tion 20, and his postoffice address is Perry.
He was united in marriage to Sarah Harris, in England. Their home was blessed by the birth of five children, all of whom were born in the United States: Thomas, the oldest, who was born in Niagara county, New York; married Addie Miller, of An- trim township, and they now reside in California ; Charlotte was born in Niagara county, New York, and died at the age of twenty-five years; Sarah, born in Niagara county, became the wife of Orla Oransby, and died many years ago; Francis, Jr., born in Erie county, New York, married Eliza Newman, and died in California.
Mr. Channon's first wife died about forty
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years ago, on Easter day, and he later mar- ried a second time, being wedded to Eliza- beth Rothney. She was born in Canada, and is a. daughter of William Rothney and Eliza- beth (Smith) Rothney, the former a native of Scotland. Mrs. Channon was born in the year 1837, being the fifth in a family of six children. To Mr. Channon and his second wife have been born three children. Wil- liam and George were twins. William mar- ried Iva Kellog and resides at Gridley, Cal- ifornia. George resides with his parents at home. Benjamin T. conducts the old home- stead. All of these children were born in Perry township. Mr. Channon was reared in the faith of the Church of England.
GEORGE· CHAVEY
For nearly sixty years our subject, his wife, and their respective parents, have been identified with the history of Wayne, Oak- land and Shiawassee counties, George Chavey himself being especially prominent in the public affairs of Venice township. In tracing the lineage of the two families it is quite a remarkable coincidence to dis- cover that the parents of both Mr. and Mrs. Chavey were natives of France, and that each couple were born in the same county and married in their native place. Such facts. however, are not such unusual matters of record in the old world as in the new.
George Chavey was born in Bautal, France, March 21, 1841. his parents, Jaques and Margaret (Shavey) Chavey, be- ing also natives of that place, where they were respectively born January 3, 1803, and May 19, 1797. The father was a typical French farmer, which means that he was as industrious, economical and skillful as any in the world, obtaining from his small holding every cent which it could possibly yield. In the little village where they were both born and brought up together they were mar-
ried, on April 19, 1830, the wife being sev- eral years older than her husband.
When our subject was seven years of age his parents, with their family of four chil- dren, came to America. George was the fifth and last of the children, all of whom were born in France. and one of whom had already died in infancy. After landing in New York, in 1848, the family came directly to Detroit. The father purchased forty acres of wild land and a house in Redford town- ship, Wayne county, for which he paid four hundred dollars with a horse "thrown in." That same land is now worth at least one hundred dollars per acre. The original tract was brought under a thorough state of culti- vation, forty acres being subsequently added to it. At the time of his death, May 19, 1874, he owned the entire eighty acres, form- ing a compact and finely improved homestead. Mrs. Chavey preceded her husband to the life eternal by about two years, her death oc- curring April 17, 1872. Peter Chavey, a brother of our subject is still proprietor of forty acres of the old farm.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Chavey were as follows: (1) Catherine, born Deceni- ber 10, 1832, who married Charles E. Nar- din, lives in Detroit. They have two living children,-Eugene, superintendent of the Indian school at Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and Emily, a resident of Detroit. (?) James F., born November 9, 1834, married Cath- erine Peterquin and lives in Redford town- ship, Wayne county, Mich. They have eleven living children-Julia, Paul, Emil, Lewis, George. Jamies, Louise, Elizabeth, Henry, Annie and Edith. (3) Peter, mentioned as living on the old homestead in Wayne county, married Mary Geney, and they are the parents of four children,-David. Mary, Alice and Frederick. (4) The child who died in infancy. (3) Our subject.
At the age of twenty-one George Chavey established himself in Wayne county as an independent husbandman, being already the proprietor of twenty acres of land. which
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he worked for several years thereafter. When he was twenty-five years of age he sold the property and removed to Southfield, Oakland county, purchasing there forty acres of improved land. This piece he cultivated until 1874, when he sold it and purchased the eighty acres, in section 7, Venice town- ship, which is now the family homestead. He has himself cleared most of the land and he erected the frame residence in which he now lives.
George Chavey was married to Louise . Geney on the 12th of November, 1864, his wife being born in Brognard, France, August 27, 1846. Her father, George Geney, was also born in that place, in 1817, and her mother, Margaret (Goll) Geney was born there in 1824. In 1841 they were married at their birthplace, and in 1853 emigrated to the United States. With their family they spent the first eight months in Williams county, Ohio, removing in the spring of 1854 to Redford township, Wayne county, where for the succeeding seven years the father rented a farm. In 1861 he purchased one hundred and fifteen acres of improved land, in that township, which he owned at the time of his death, in 1862. The mother is still living, being a resident of Shiawassee county.
Mrs. Chavey is the fourth of seven chil- dren. (1) David, who married Mariette Lewless and is a resident of Detroit, has four children-Ella, Fred, Jessie and Raymond. (2) Mary, who died in Redford township, was the wife of Peter Chavey. (3) Catherine, who lives in Venice township and who mar- ried as her first husband, Peter Carlin, de- ceased, had ten children,-Henry (dead), Julius, Maggie, Clara, Mary, Louise (dead), George, Fred, David and Timothy. She had no children by her second marriage, to George Pardonette. (4) The wife of the subject of this sketch. (5) Margaret was married first to Henry Besaucon, by whom she had eight children,-Alice, George, Clara, Fred, Lydia, Aline, Bertha, and a child who died in infancy.
Her second marriage was to Peter Chavey. (6) George, who married Alveretta Grimes (deceased) had one child, Irene, by his first wife; his second marriage was to Martha Young, by whom he had three children, -- Flavia, Samuel and Iva. (7) Henry, who married Emma Palmer, became the father of five children,-Edna, Floyd, Ciaude, Carl and Ruth.
The following are the children born to Mr. and Mrs. George Chavey: (1) George H., born in Redford township, Wayne county, September 19, 1865, married Minnie M. Long. November 26, 1889, and they have an adopted daughter, Izola. George H. is foreman in a factory at Burlington, Vermont. (2) Em- elie A., born April 6, 1867, died eleven days thereafter. (3) Edwin F., born November 26, 1868, married Clara Besaucon, August 3, 1900 ; no children. (4) Samuel C., born Feb- ruary 3, 1878, married Adelia Burch, and they have had two children,-Harold (deceased) and Edith, born November 27, 1903.
Our subject was educated in the district schools of Wayne county, and as a young man, during the civil war, was in the service of the government, engaged in the construc- tion of the necessary buildings at Camp Nel- son, Kentucky. His wife's brother David was a sergeant in Company E, Seventh Michigan Cavalry. He enlisted at the age of eighteen. was confined in Libby prison for five months, and honoraby discharged at the conclusion of the war.
Until 1896 Mr. Chavey was a Republican in politics, since which year he has been en- rolled with the Democracy. His personal popularity and strength are shown in that he has served for five terms as Supervisor, being the only successful candidate on his ticket, which office he still holds. Prior to this service he held for three years the office of highway commissioner ; for four years was drainage commissioner ; school director for twelve years, and school assessor for thirteen years. He has long been an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is an
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able, moral, upright man, whom the people take particular delight in honoring.
JAMES H. CLARK
James H. Clark is a native of the Wolver- ine state, having been born in Genesee coun- ty, Michigan, September 1, 1859. He started in life for himself at the age of eighteen years, when he engaged in an educational pursuit, -- that of teaching.
Delightful task! to rear the tender thought, To teach the young idea how to shoot, To pour the fresh instruction o'er the mind, To breathe the enliv'ning spirit and to fix The generous purpose in the glowing breast.
He commenced teaching at Flushing and made that his work for twenty-one years, save one year, which was spent in a store. He taught sixteen years in Shiawassee coun- ty. He is postmaster at New Lothop, to which office he was appointed by President McKinley. He taught the school there for eight years after being appointed to that position.
Mr. Clark was first married in 1882, to Carrie Fuller, by whom he had one child. Inza, who was born April 22, 1886. She married C. C. Plant and they reside at Muske- gon, Michigan. November 13, 1892, Mr. Clark married Cora Dunham, of Montrose. Genesee county. After having been married about three years he adopted Hazel Hicks, an infant six weeks old, from the orphans home at St. Joseph, Michigan. Subsequently her name was changed by the court to Bernice Alice Clark. Mrs. Clark was born November 11, 1868, and is a daughter of George and Calista (Greeley) Dunham, both natives of New York state. Mr. Dunham was a farmer and came to Genesee county in an early day. Afterward he located in Montrose township HARRINGTON CLAY on forty acres of wild land, which he cleared. The log house which he bui't is still occupied. The subject of this sketch lives on section ?1. Antrim township, and is a native of Eng- He lived there until his death, in 1890. His widow now lives in Montrose village. Her | land, where he was born on the 6th of June.
grandfather was a brother to Horace Greeley, of the New York Tribune, and also, as will be remembered, a candidate for the presidency in opposition to General Grant, in 1882.
Mr. Clark's father, Jerome Clark, was born in New York state and died at the age of sixty-seven years, on his farm just in -the outskirts of Flushing, Michigan. His wife, Mary Ann (Mosher) Clark, was a native of Detroit, Michigan, and died in Montrose. Genesee county, in 1900. Jerome Clark was a miller, and moved to Flushing with his father. They both worked there for a long series of years, but the . father of the subject of this sketch spent a portion of the latter days of his life on a farm near Flushing, where he died. James H. Clark's father and grandfather built the first mill at Flushing. His grandfather was in the war of 1812 and was at one time elected county judge of Oak- land county.
Mr. Clark was the first of two children, the other being W. E. Clark, who was born at Flushing in January, 1863. He lives in Mont- rose township and married Isabella Reed, their three children being Winfield, Albert and Gladys.
Alice, sister of Mrs. James H. Clark, is the wife of Joseph Huber of Montrose town- ship, and they have one child,-Edton Stewart Greeley.
Mr. Clark was educated in the Flushing high school, in which he was graduated. He then entered the Michigan Agricultural Col- lege, but did not remain there after the junior year. He is a Master Mason and a member of the Methodist Protestant church. He has filled the office of township school in- spector, and is altogether a highly respected and honorable citizen, a gentleman whose "word is as good as his bond."
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1845. His father was George H. Clay, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, October 10, 1823, and who died on his farm, in An- trim township, January 28, 1901. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Caro- line Foreman and was born in the same place as her husband, March 26, 1824; she died in Antrim township July 6, 1903. This couple were married in England, when George H. Clay was just twenty-one years of age. He came to America in 1849 and lived in New York for three and one-half years, working on a farm by the month. In 1855 he removed to Michigan, buying eighty acres of timbered land in Antrim township, this county. He built a small log house and cleared up the farm. In 1862 he purchased another eighty acres wild land. In 1873 he built a large frame house, to take the place of the old log structure. He also erected a large barn and other outbuildings. He was a very success- ful and prosperous farmer and was so con- sidered in the county and township. At the time of his death, the result of heart trouble, he owned three hundred and twenty acres of land, all in a high state of cultivation. His wife's death was caused by paralysis. The property has since been divided. His son Wesley lives on the old homestead; while another son, Fred, has eighty acres adjoin- ing. Our subject is the first of seven chil- dren. Clara, who was born September 7, 1847, is the widow of Lewis Dicker, who lived in Barry county, and she keeps house for her bachelor brother, Wesley, on the old home- stead ; she has three children,-Alonzo, Glenn and Stella, the last mentioned being the wife of Edward Dippy, of Antrim; George Clay, born September 14, 1851, died at age of forty- seven years, having lived on farm in Antrim; Vina, born September 14, 1854, was a Mrs. Colburn, now dead; Wesley, born Oc- tober 12, 1854, is single and lives on the old farm; Fred, born January 1, 1866, lives on part of the old farm; and the seventh child died in infancy.
Our subject received his early education in
the district schools of New York. He lived with his parents until he was twenty-one years old, when he bought the forty acres of land which he still owns and occupies. About fifteen acres of this was partly im- proved when he bought it, the remainder being in a state of nature. There was a small orchard on the place, but no buildings. He erected a frame house and soon after his marriage, December 15, 1868, he enlarged and remodeled the same. His wife, whose : maiden name was Emma Elmeda Shurtleff, was a native of Michigan, having been born July 16, 1852, and she died March 17, 1897. She was a daughter of Selden and Lucy (Johnson) Shurtleff, both of whom have since died, the father in 1883 and the mother in 1884. Mrs. Clay was one of a family of four children by her father's second marriage, the first marriage having resulted in the birth of four children.
Mr. and Mrs. Clay had a family of nine children, six of whom are still living : Charles A., born September 15, 1871, is single and lives in Dakota; Myra A., wife of William Geyer, lives on a farm in Antrim township; Arthur, born October 30, 1875, is single and remains at home; Wells B., died at the age of sixteen years; Caroline is single and is at home: Bessie died at the age of nineteen months; John died at the age of ten years ; Harry is aged eighteen years and is at home ; Ste'la, aged fifteen years, is at home.
Mr. Clay has added forty acres to his farm until he now owns two hundred acres, all well improved. He has cleared about three-fourths of this himself. A few years ago he built a large barn and he now can boast of as fine a farm as can be seen in a day's ride. He con- ducts general farming and raises beans, pota- toes, wheat, corn, hogs, sheep, cattle and horses. He has always been a Republican but never been an office-holder. He is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church, is a splendid man and an industrious citizen, with a wholesome, pure family, and feels as inde- pendent as a John D. Rockefeller and a great
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deal happier, because he can eat and sleep, con- scious that he has gained his property hon- estly.
HEZEKIAH W. COBB, M. D.
The village of Perry has the distinction of having a citizen with the most illustrious ancestors of any man in the state of Michi- gan. The geneology of the subject of this sketch, on his father's side, places him as a descendant of the family line of Queen Vic- toria. Upon his mother's side he is a direct descendant of General Gates, of Revolutionary fame, and his great-grandfather was Gen- eral St. Clair, the noble man who bears the honor of having been the first governor of the Northwest Territory.
Dr. Hezekiah W: Cobb was born in Orleans county, New York, on the 19th of January, 1832. He is a son of Lucius Cobb who was born in Oneida county, New York, January 4, 1801, and of Electa (Whitney) Cobb, who was born in the state of Vermont, Novem- ber 23, 1808. To this worthy couple were born seven children. The eldest child, Isaac, was born May 13, 1830, and his home is in Akron, Erie county, New York ; the second child is the subject of this sketch; the third, Maria L., was born January 5, 1834, and is the wife of Dr. Absalom Billington, a practic- ing physician at Middleville, Michigan; the fourth, William, died in infancy; the fifth, Jane E., was born in the year 1838, and she married Charles Rogo, a farmer of Genesee county, Michigan ; the sixth, Margaret A., was born in the year 1842; and the seventh, Gertrude F., was born in 1846 and died in 1868.
During his boyhood Dr. Cobb attended the district schools in Erie county, New York, and at the age of twenty he entered the Cary Collegiate Seminary, where he pursued his studies for a period of two years. Upon leav- ing this institution he went to the state of Missouri, where for four years he taught school, in various parts of the state. During
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