USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches > Part 41
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ship of Cohoctah, then Tuscola, where the stepfather of our subject owned one hundred and twenty acres of land, part of which he had cleared.
Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fuller: Ransom Smith, who was born March 27, 1825, and who died in 1899, having lived at Owosso, married Emeline Fox, who bore to him six children, John, Emily, Vira, Crawford, Willard and Jay, and after her death he married Sara Clough, no children re- sulting from this union; Jane, born July 24, 1827, died when about eighteen years old; John Henry, born September 27, 1829, died when about fourteen years old; Ezra Dunton, who was born September 22, 1831, and who died at Owosso, in 1899, married Matilda Ap- pleton, and they had two children, Ida and Etta; Phoebe, who was born April 27, 1834, and who lives in Cohoctah township, Living- ston county, is married and has three children, Annie, Royal and Walter; Joseph Stoddard, who was born December 6, 1836, and who died April 29, 1905, at Webberville, Mich., married Ann Appleton, and they had three children, Jane, Daniel and Edward; and Har- rison W. is the subject of this sketch. The mother had two children by her second hus- band, Charlotte, born December 2, 1845; and Amelia Adelaide, born May 21, 1847; both died in infancy.
Our subject started for himself at the age of twelve years. The first winter he went to school and in the summers did odd jobs about the neighborhood. When thirteen he carried the mail from Owosso to Lyons, a distance of fifty-five miles, by way of Indian trail. This was a ride of two hundred and ten miles week- ly, on horseback. He was to receive only six dollars a month, and out of a part of this he was swindled by his employer, because an old horse died on the lad's hands. He worked by the month and went to school as he could un- til twenty-one years old, when he enlisted as already stated. In 1865 he bought forty acres of wild land, with not a stick of timber cut, on section 22 ; he built a log house and barn and
has improved it all. In 1890 he added forty acres more, partly improved, and most of this is now under cultivation.
December 31, 1864, Mr. Fuller married Amanda Hinman, widow of Mallery Hinman. She was born October 7, 1841, and died No- vember 5, 1900. Her father, John Pope, came to Michigan at an early day, when it was a territory, and settled in Owosso township. He bought and sold a great deal of land, and owned eighty acres in Caledonia township. Mrs. Fuller is the second of six children : Sara, deceased, married William Fox and had two children, Almira and Otis; Annie, who lives in Owosso, married James Byrley, and they have four children, May, Lina, Jennie and Arthur; William, who lives in Belding, first married Zella Horton, who died, having had three sons, Claude, Glenn and Vern, and he later married Mary Conant, their only child being Harold; Lucy is the wife of James Davi- son, of Colorado, and they have no children; Rachel married Chester Fox and had eleven children, four of whom are living, Willis, Ed- die, Barton and Goldie. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller had five children, all of whom are living: Flora, who was born October 10, 1865, mar- ried Henry Stanhope October 5, 1889, and they have one child, Hazel; Frank S., born July 6, 1867, married Julia Young, December 12, 1896, who died in September, 1899, leaving one daughter, Iva ; Herbert J., born Novem- ber 22, 1870, residing in Morrice, married Del- la Campbell, January 22, 1892, and they have two children, Lena and Ava; Ella, born Sep- tember 9, 1872, married Cassius Loynes, March 22, 1892, and they have four children, Nelah, Cassie, Cecil and Jessie, their home being in Saginaw county; Mable, born Octo- ber 30, 1878, married Matthew Buchele Octo- ber 12, 1898, and they have one child, Cieo.
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In August, 1902, Mr. Fuller was married a second time, his bride being Eunice, widow of Cassius Levalley. Her maiden name was Sa- bin, and she was born in Barry county, Michi- gan.
Mr. Fuller belongs to the Grand Army of
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the Republic, the Grange and the Patrons of Industry. In politics he is an ardent Republi- can, and is serving as justice of the peace and has been a school officer for twelve years.
OSCAR A. GARFIELD
The subject of this sketch, one of the most faithful and prominent Republicans of Shi- awassee county, is now holding the offices of both village and township clerk. He has been a resident of Durand and Vernon township since November, 1890. He is a native of the Wolverine state, and for the past twenty-six years has only missed two conventions organ- ized by the party of his choice.
Oscar A. Garfield was born in the township of Rose, Oakland county, in the year 1853 and is a son of Leonard M. Garfield. His parents also were natives of Oakland county, his fath- er having been born in Farmington and his mother in West Bloomfield. The father bought one hundred and twenty acres of wild land, half a mile southeast of the village of Fenton, cleared it, and made various improvements calculated to transform it into a comfortable family homestead. The parents are both now dead.
Our subject is one of four children, and af- ter receiving the common-school education which usually falls to the farmer's child, start- ed forth when but a lad to make a place for himself. When but fifteen years old he hired himself out as a farm hand, his wages being fifty cents a day. This life proving too mo- notonous for his active body and brain, he de- termined to get into the business world. His first venture was as an apprentice in a drug store. He followed that occupation for three years, and then was engaged as traveling salesman for the George P. Rose Manufac- turing Company. With this establishment he remained for two years, and after another ex- perience on the road, became the proprietor of a general store, which he conducted about a year and a half. Prior to his permanent loca-
tion in Durand he also followed the life of a farmer for two years.
As has been stated, Mr. Garfield became a resident of Durand in November, 1890, and he commenced his business career here as pro- prietor of a meat market. He continued to follow this line of enterprise about a year, when he again became a "knight of the road," being engaged in the sale of pianos, organs. and sewing machines. During all this period of business change and wide experience, how- ever, Mr. 'Garfield was forming an acquain- tanceship which was firmly implanting him in the confidence of his fellow townsmen, who subsequently selected him justice of the peace for a term of four years. At the conclusion of this term of service, which was eminently sat- isfactory, our subject established a real-estate and loan business, which he conducted for a number of years. He has now served three terms as township clerk and two terms as vil- lage clerk, and there is no citizen in Durand who has more fully earned the substantial con- fidence of the people than the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Garfield's marriage to Jennie Austin occurred at Hazelton, his wife's father being an old settler of that village. He was a pio- neer in every sense of the word; when he first located there, he was obliged to chop his way through the woods to get at his land. He as- sisted in building one of the first school houses in that part of the country, and did all which fell to the lot of the sturdy frontiersman of his day and which made possible the development of this section of the great west. He was first a Whig and later a Republican. Mrs. Gar- field died, childless, in 189 ?. Mr. Garfield has only one brother living.
BYRON W .. GATES
Byron W. Gates, of Fairfield township, was born in Wayne county, New York, February 8, 1835. He enlisted for two years in Com- pany G, Thirteenth New York Volunteer In-
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fantry, April 21, 1861, thinking, with Andrew Jackson, that our federal union must be pre- served. He was afterwards mustered into the United States government service for three months. At the expiration of this time Gover- nor Morgan of New York turned the troops over to the government for twenty-one months longer. In September, 1861, Mr. Gates was assigned to Company K. New York Cavalry, in which he served until mustered out October 3, 1864. He participated in the battles of Blackman's Ford, the first battle of Bull Run, Gun Swamp, Goldsborough, Wilmington Rail- road, Hexford Station, Stony Creek, Nottawa Bridge, Tarborough, Rocky Mount, Ports- mouth, Ream's Station and the siege of Rich- mond. Under the works of Richmond he was slightly wounded; he was then sent back to camp to take charge of the conscripts, and re- mained there until discharged. He was a ser- geant and second first lieutenant. His captain was taken prisoner at the battle of Ream's Station, after which he had command of the company for some time. After the close of the war he worked on a farm and in 1867 removed to Mahasta county, lowa, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres, sixty acres of which were improved and under cultivation. In 1872 he rented that property and returned to New York state, where he remained until 1872. In the course of a few years he sold the Iowa farm and came to Fairfield and bought eighty acres, thirty acres of which were improved and contained an old log house. He soon af- terward built his present fine house and barn. In 1865 Captain Gates married Helen M. Brown, daughter of George and Lucina (Harris) Brown, the former a native of Rhode Island and the latter of New York. The lat- ter's father was a farmer and lived in Wayne county, New York, where he owned one hun- dred and seventy-five acres of land. The fath- er of Captain Gates was Joseph W. Gates, a native of Chenango county, New York, where he was born February 3, 1801, and he died in Wayne county, New York, November 17, 1896; his wife, Lucy (Leavens) Gates was
born in Wayne county, New York, and died in 1894, at the good old age of eighty-seven years. Joseph W. Gates was a farmer, owning a good farm in Wayne county, New York, and residing on the same for sixty-five years. When he first settled there he owned only eighty acres, but at the time of his death he was the possessor of 350 acres, a considerable portion of which he had reclaimed from a state of nature.
Captain Gates was the third of five chil- dren : Melvin B. was born March 1, 1829, -was a farmer and died in Wayne county, New York in 1903 ; he married Rhoda Gould and had two children, Floyd and Lewis. Addison W. was born March 19, 1832, lives in Wayne county, New York, and is a lawyer ; he married Sara Biddlecome and they have two children,- Winthrop and Curtis; Francis L., born June 10, 1839, is single and lives in Ontario, Wayne county, New York; James W. was born Octo- ber 8, 1845, lives in Gratiot county, Michigan, and is a carpenter. He married Anna Barn- hard and has four children,-Helen, Arthur, Frank and Florence.
Mrs. Gates is the fifth of seven children, as follows: Otis is single and lives at Rocklin, California; Lucina, who lives in Wayne county, New York, married Isaiah Notting- ham, and they have four children,-Frankie. John, Katherine, Anna and Lizzie, the last named being deceased. Rowena, living in Monroe county, New York, is the widow of John Jarvis, and has no children. Sidney died in California, a bachelor. Mrs. Gates was born July 20, 1840.
Captain Gates and wife have four children : Harry S., born in Iowa, lives at home and is single ; Fred S., born August 28, 1872, in Wayne county, New York, is single and lives at home ; Joseph B., born in Wayne county, New York, June 27, 1877, is a farmer in Mid- dlebury township. He married Lillian Pervis, March 25, 1903 ; they have no children. Chas. G., born November 6, 1879, is single, lives at home and is a steam fitter by trade.
· Captain Gates was educated at Macedon
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Center Academy, New York. He was super- visor of Ontario township, Wayne county, New York, and was appointed by the board of supervisors to look after indigent soldiers in Shiawassee county, Michigan. He is also a director of his school district. He is a Re- publican in politics and a gentleman of the highest honor and integrity.
DANIEL J. GEROW
This gentleman was born in Prince Edward county, Ontario, Canada, March 24, 1862. He is a son of Thomas and Elmira (Eleavens) Gerow, likewise natives of Prince Edward county. Our subject received his early education in the public schools of Linden, Michigan, and at the age of sixteen years commenced working in a handle factory owned by his father. He continued at this for ten years, becoming skilled in the business. There is in a mechanical call- ing, to a man who has a gift for it, no matter what that calling may be, something quite as fascinating as the attraction offered by profes- sions or of merchandising. Very few men who have thus risen from the shop have failed to look back to the early days in their trade as the happiest ones of their lives. Elihu Burritt never lost his love for the anvil. He had a tendency to dig into languages, but as great a passion to hammer the metal into horse shoes. Brown, the shoemaker, was of the opinion that "a good mechanic was the most independent man in the world." The fact is, the force of merit makes its way in the shop as well as in any other calling. Pullman was an ordinary mechanic, but he accepted the invitation of his brain, and gave to the world the palace cars, which make traveling no longer a drudge. So McCormick worked with his farm machinery until he "fell" on the idea of the mower and the reaper. After working in the shop for ten years for his father, young Gerow went to the Black Hills in South Dakota, in 1888, and worked for the great Homestake Mining Com- pany, one of the largest and most successful
gold-mining companies in the world. He con- tinued with them four years, during which he saw many and many a bar of gold, "bright and yellow, hard and cold." How true it is that :
Gold begets in brethren hate; Gold in families makes debate; Gold does friendship separate ; Gold does civil war create.
After quitting the employ of the mining company our subject came to Owosso and formed a copartnership with H. J. Lavrock, in conducting a feed barn. This arrangement
DANIEL J. GEROW
continued for six years, when Mr. Gerow suc- ceeded to the interest of his partner, after which he managed the business alone for eighteen months, at the expiration of which he sold to Alfred Sutterby, in the spring of 1900. He then concluded to enter the arena of politics, and announced himself as a candi- date for sheriff, on the Democratic ticket. He was an easy winner in the nomination. In- deed, he was well equipped for the race and proved a popular candidate for this high office, as he was elected, after an exciting campaign, by a handsome majority of eight hundred
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votes. That he made a capable and popular officer was illustrated by his re-election in 1902, by a majority of one thousand, four hun- dred. This was, indeed, a flattering honor to Mr. Gerow, and an honor that he richly de- served. He afterward bought the furniture and undertaking business of Knapp & Smith, and after continuing in this for a short time only, effected a consolidation with Frederick W. Pearce, head of the Owosso Hardware company and the subject of an individual sketch elsewhere in this work. The new or- ganization is now known as the Pearce & Ger- ow Company, and the firm carries the largest stock of goods in their line in the state outside of Detroit. They have one thousand, eight hundred feet of floor space. They also use the basement under both floors, with the first, sec- ond and third floors. In addition, to these they occupy the, floors over the Davis dry- goods store. Everything in the line of hard- ware, furniture and undertaking is handled. Both gentlemen are extremely pleasant and popular, keen, bright and up-to-date in every respect, and at the same time are public-spir- ited and progressive. They employ twelve clerks and two delivery men.
In politics Mr. Gerow is a Democrat and is a leader in his party, although in no sense is he an "offensive partisan." He is a member of the Masonic order and is a noble of the Mystic Shrine. He is also affiliated with the lodge and uniform rank of the Knights of Pythias, and is an Odd Fellow, a member of the Modern Woodmen, and an Elk.
Mr. Gerow was married May 24, 1886, to Laura B. Saddler. Three children have blessed their home, as follows: Mabel A., born May 12, 1887; Helen J., born May 16, 1888 ; and Adah E., born May 21, 1891.
FRANCIS GLOVER
This gentleman was born in Canada, June 4, 1825, and died in August, 1896, at the ripe old age of seventy-one years. As the life of this useful man ebbed to a close, he could exclaim with the poet :
Life, we've been long together,
Through pleasant and cloudy weather.
'Tis hard to part when friends are dear : Perhaps 'twill cost a sigh, a tear ;
Then steal away, give a little warning, Choose thine own time.
Say not "good night," but in some brighter clime
Bid me "good morning."
The early education of the deceased was received in the common schools of his native town, while he lived with his parents on a farm. March 20, 1855, he was married to Eliza Whitaker, a native of Canada, where she was born May 1, 1836. She was a daughter of John and Charlotte (Disney) Whitaker, both of whom were natives of Ireland. The former was born in 1807 and died at the age of sixty-four years, while the latter dated her birth from May 20, 1815, and closed her eyes in death at the ripe age of seventy-six years. Mrs. Glover's parents were married in Ireland in 1832. They celebrated the event by coming to America the same year-a pleasant and lengthy honeymoon journey. They did not expect to return, however, as they located in Peterboro county, Canada. They were among the very first settlers in that region. Indeed, the deceased owned the second yoke of oxen in Peterboro county. Oxen were then indispen- sable to the pioneer, because oxen in a new, timbered country are far more useful than horses. Boswell in his life of Ben Johnson tells us that he "who drives fat oxen should himself be fat." We hardly know what Bos- well meant when he penned those words, but he certainly was not familiar with the pioneers of a new country, nor with the oxen which they all owned. The deceased secured one hundred and fifty acres of government land and set about the task of converting the same into a farm. This he did, however, and after living on the place for twelve long years, was forced to leave it,-the result of endorsing a note for a friend, in an unguarded moment. The family then removed to Buffalo, New York, where Mr. Whitaker secured a position as foreman in the Rathbun carriage factory.
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He remained there for six years. He was also foreman in the Eagle tannery at Water- loo, Canada, for some time. In 1849 he went to Hamilton, Ontario county, and thence re- moved to Halton county, where he farmed three years. Thence he moved to Oxford county, where he farmed ten years. From there he went to Bud Mines, near Sault Ste. Marie, where he was engaged in mercantile business. In 1869 he moved to Toronto. He lived there until his death, in 1873. After this sad event, Mrs. Whitaker came to Middlebury township and lived in the home of her son, A. H. Whitaker, where she died September 3, 1890.
Mrs. Glover was one of thirteen children: William, died at the age of sixty-nine years ; he lived in Michigan for fifteen years, during which time he was foreman for the Ovid Car- riage Company. After leaving that position, he returned to Canada and died near London. Susan married Mr. Mabbitt and lives in San Diego, California. Mrs. Glover is our sub- ject's widow ; Mrs. Richard Burn lives in Bay- onne, New Jersey. Mrs. Montague resides in Brant Center, Michigan. A sister lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Abigail is Mrs. But- tler, of San Diego, California. Adrian Harvey is a farmer in Middlebury. George died at the age of seven years in Halton county, Ontario. Rebecca died in infancy, and the two youngest were twins and died in infancy.
Mr. Glover and his wife lived on a farm in Canada for a few years after their marriage and in 1865 removed to Grand Rapids, Mich- igan, where they lived for one summer. From there they went to Edgewood, Illinois, where they remained five years. They next removed to Middlebury township, Shiawassee county, Michigan, and bought eighty acres of wild land. At first they built a frame house, which was afterward rebuilt into a large frame struc- ture, two stories in height. The first barn was a log one. This, however, has given place to a large frame one which still stands. The de- ceased cleared the land and converted it into one of the very best farms in the country. They afterward increased the acreage, making
it one hundred acres. This is still owned by the family.
To the deceased and wife was born one child, Charlotte Jane, who is now the wife of George Sinclair. They lived on a farm near Laingsburg for several years, later removing to Jackson, but she died suddenly April 4, 1903. They had one child, Gates M. Sinclair, who is now aged twenty-nine years and who is engaged as a brakeman on the railroad: he married Blanche Shears and they have one child, Clark, aged two years. This makes Mrs. Glover a great-grandmother.
The deceased was a Republican in politics, but a very quiet, modest man, never holding or wanting an office. He was a Mason and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Glover still lives in a part of the old home, the other part being occupied by a fam- ily who work the farm. She is in good health and does her own housework and looks sharp- ly after her business affairs.
VELORUS D. GRENNELL
An old soldier of the civil war and a well- to-do farmer of Sciota township, Velorus D. Grennell was born in Homer township, Cort- land county, New York, January 13, 1844. He is the son of James M. and Augusta (Pierce) Grennell, his father being born in Littleton, Massachusetts, April 30, 1819, and his mother in Cortland county, New York, February 21, 1820. His parents were married in Cortland county, in the year 1843.
James M. Grennell was a man of varied tal- ents, being a preacher, carpenter, jeweler, and farmer. In 1847 he removed with his family to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he engaged in farming, carpentry, and Gospel labors. For fifteen years he was a preacher of the Wesley- an Methodist church, and faithfully covered a circuit of twenty-five miles. He was a stanch Republican, as well as a good Methodist. Re- moving to Woodhull township, Shiawassee county, Michigan, in 1863, he purchased a farm of forty acres of improved land ; this he
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subsequently sold, and at the time of his death, in 1871, lived with his son, our subject. His wife had died the previous year.
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Velorus D. Grennell was the first of nine children. The second child, Edgar Eugene, born July 3, 1846, is a widower and the father of seven children, five of whom are living. D. R. Grennell, the third, was born May 22, 1848; he lives in Tuscola county, Michigan. has had three children, two of whom are liv- ing, his wife having died in the fall of 1904. Euphema, the first daughter, and the fourth child, was born June 27, 1850; she married Frank Reed, had eleven children, and died at Williamston, Michigan, August 21, 1891. Emelina, the fifth, born in 1852, died at the age of two years. Emelina (2d) was born May 4, 1854, is the wife of Henry Reed of Montcalm county, Michi- gan, and has had twelve children. The seventh of the children, Arcelia, born in September. 1856, married Wilson Smith, has ten living. children and lives at Bath. Melvin was born in December, 1858, and is a resident of Che- boygan county, Michigan, being a bachelor. Charles B. Grennell, the youngest of the nine, was born September 3, 1862, is a resident of Haslet Park, and has been twice married ; his first wife, formerly Miss Lizzie Perkins, by whom he had two children, is deceased.
Our subject gave himself to the service of his country when he was only seventeen years of age, enlisting May 18, 1861, in the Fif- teenth Ohio Light Artillery. He responded to the first call for three-year men, but only served one year, being discharged because of disability. Soon afterward, however, he re- enlisted, in the Ohio Heavy Artillery and was honorably discharged September 26, 1865. Among other engagements in which he partici- pated were the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Iu- ka, Memphis, Stone River, Missionary Ridge, Bulls Gap, and Cumberland Mountain, and the sieges of Corinth, Knoxville, and Cleveland, Tennessee. He was with Sherman during a portion of his march to the sea, but was sent back to Newbern with a force detailed to
guard the stores. During the last two years of the war he held the position of sergeant.
After being discharged from the service Mr. Grennell located in Woodhull township. where he purchased' twenty acres of land. which was improved, and he added five acres more in 1866. He lived there for five years, when he traded the tract for thirty-four acres in Williamston township, which he exchanged in 1871 for eighty acres of wild land in sec- tion 33, Sciota township. He improved half of this and it is still his homestead.
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