Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches, Part 54

Author:
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Lansing, Mich. : Hist. Pub.
Number of Pages: 580

USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches > Part 54

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Mr. Parker is a Republican and a member of the First Baptist church, and is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of the Maccabees.

AMOS PARMENTER

The remark is not uncommon that such and such a man is "lucky." There is positively nothing in this. Good pluck is good luck !- and this is all there is of it. Few farmers have made such a plucky and persistent fight as the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, and the result has proved as satisfac- tory as heart could wish or ambition crave. Mr. Parmenter was born on the farm which he now owns, on section 2, Shiawassee town- ship, February 18, 1853. He is a son of Jo- seph Parmenter, who was born in the old Green Mountain state, July 5, 1810. He died May 13, 1892, having made the world better for his long and useful sojourn in it. His wife, Mary (Grant) Parmenter, was born in Sodus, New York, April 21, 1814. She died March 16, 1884,-seventy years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Parmenter were married in the Empire state and came to Michigan in 1835, settling in Vernon township, Shiawassee county, where Mr. Parmenter purchased sixty-three acres of wild land, clearing all but a small portion of the tract, erecting suitable buildings thereon and living upon the place about six years. Exchanging this for one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land at Ovid, Clinton county, he transferred his homestead to that locality and made it the family residence about five years. The Clin- ton county farm was in turn traded for one hundred and two and one-half acres in Shia- wassee township, where Amos was born and still resides. At the time the family took pos- session of this new home, only about ten acres of the land were cleared, and upon the clearing was a log house and barn. This was the

scene not only of our subject's birth, but also of the death of both his father and mother.

Joseph Parmenter was a strong character in more ways than one. He was not only an honest and industrious man, but also had a natural aptitude for the conduct of public affairs, and might have made his mark in pol- itics had his lot been cast in a more populous community. As it was, he was prominent as an Abolitionist in the early days, and as a Re- publican in the latter portion of his life, hold- ing a number of township offices, in which he served with energy and ability. In his re- ligious convictions and professions he was an uncompromising Baptist.

Amos, the son with whom we are chiefly concerned in this sketch, was one of eight children, his eldest brother having been the first boy 'born in Shiawassee county. In the order of their birth the children are mentioned as follows :

Austin is at present living in Grand Rapids. Mary and Sarah are twins. Mary is the wife of Levi Rogers, a resident of Petoskey, and Sarah is the wife of Lewis Bogue, of Ypsi- lanti. Jesse is a resident of Wabash, Indiana. Livonia is the wife of C. Birch of Silverton, Oregon. Samantha is the wife of C. J. Gale, who lives at Corunna. Our subject was the seventh child. Matilda is now Mrs. Bruce Marsh, and is a resident of the village of Vernon.

Mr. Parmenter received his early education in the district school of his localitv and also enjoyed one year's training at the Fenton Seminary. At the age of twenty-one he struck out as an independent farmer, assisting his father for a few years. After the death of his parents he purchased of the heirs the old homestead, and has since doubled the size of the farm; which now consists of two hun- dred and five acres.

September 21, 1875, Mr. Parmenter was married to Nettie G. Potter, a native of Jef- ferson county, New York, where she was born November 19, 1858. She is a daughter of William and Charlotte (Scott) Potter, both of her parents having been born in the Em-

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pire state. The date of her father's birth was' June 24, 1822, and that of his death, January 24, 1898. His mother was born March 21, 1827, and died in 1901. Mrs. Parmenter also is of yeoman stock, her father having been a farmer. Her parents became permanent resi- dents of Michigan thirty-five years ago, and for many years they lived on a farm in Cale- donia township. She was the youngest of their three children. The eldest, Charles, who lives in New York, married Delia Hall, and they are the parents of eight children. The second-born was Sarah, now the wife of Newton Allen, of New York, and the mother of one child.

Amos Parmenter devotes his energies to general farming, making the feeding of stock a specialty. He is an upright, progressive citizen and votes the Republican ticket, but his agricultural and domestic affairs occupy so much of his time that he has given no heed to "practical" politics, the extent of his public service having been in the capacity of drain commissioner. Mr. Parmenter is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in good standing, and is identified with the Baptist denomina- tion. His career illustrates what pluck and energy will accomplish for a man. Mr. Par- menter has just entered upon his tenth year of service as president of the Shiawassee Mu- tual Fire Insurance Company.

In conclusion is entered brief record con- cerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Parmen- ter: Grace C., who was born July 30, 1877, and who was graduated in the Vernon high school, was married, September 2, 1896, to Derward Devereaux, and they have one child, Donald, born January 30, 1898. Floyd A., born March 31, 1879, is associated with his father in the work and management of the home farm. Ruth E., who was born Octo- ber 31, 1886, also remains at the parental home.

JOHN PARSONS

John Parsons, the well known general farmer and manufacturer of cider and vine-

gar, is a native of Michigan and for forty- five years has been a resident of Caledonia township. He was born in Lyons township, Ionia county, on the 16th of October, 1843, and is the son of Benjamin Rich and Des- demona (Holdridge) Parsons. His father was born in Vermont, August 4, 1810, and died in the year 1871; his mother, a native of the Empire state, was born June 23, 1811, and died in 1891. Their marriage was sol- emnized in New York.

Benjamin R. Parsons, the father of our subject, was in many respects a remarkable character. He was not only unusually intelli- gent, but also was wonderfully versatile. In summer he successfully cultivated his farm, and for thirty-one winters in succession, both in Vermont and Michigan, he taught school, -and he was successful in both vocations. A devout member of the Methodist Episcopal church, he was a local preacher, and, although he never had a regular charge, he often of- ficiated at funerals, weddings and church services.

The head of the family became a resident of Michigan in 1836, locating at Spring Ar- bor, Jackson county, where he lived several years. He then decided to remove to Lyons township, Ionia county, where he had pur- chased forty acres of wild land. The family was loaded on a scow and by that conveyance came down Grand river, the father himself driving the team to the new home. A log house was promptly erected, but cold weather came on before a regular door could be hung, so a blanket was placed before the opening to keep out the cold. Wild animals frequented the surrounding wilderness, howling wolves prowling around the hut. One morning, while the blanket still hung before the door opening, tracks of six of the fierce brutes were found close beside it.

It was here that our subject was born, and when the boy was six years of age his father sold the farm and removed to Caledonia township. In that locality he purchased an- other forty acres of wild land, which he cleared and improved, erecting a frame house,

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which remained the family homestead for more than a dozen years. In 1861 he returned to Ionia county, remaining there three years. In 1864 he came to live with our subject, who, for several years, had been operating the land which subsequently became the homestead of his family, in section 34, Caledonia township.

The boy had been educated in the district schools of that township, and was trained to industrious and economical habits and in the knowledge of the science of husbandry, on the parental farm. He profited so well by both methods of training that at the age of nineteen he purchased eighty acres of wild land himself, and commenced to transform it into the valuable farm upon which he now resides. It must be a matter of just pride to the proprietor to realize that all the improve- ments, including the buildings, are the result of his own good judgment and labors.

March 21, 1868, John Parsons was married to Katherine Ormsby, a native of Jefferson county, New York, where she was born May 14, 1849. Mrs. Parsons is the daughter of Lauren and Lydia (Mandeville) Ormsby, who were married in New York, the father being a farmer by occupation. The parents were both natives of the Empire state, where the father was born October 6, 1820, and the mother, December 27, 1821. They removed to Michigan in 1863, locating near Saline, . Washtenaw county, upon a tract of forty acres. Mr. Ormsby was a soldier of the civil war, and died at Vicksburg, Mississippi, July 3, 1865, of disease contracted while in the military service.

Mrs. Parsons is a child by her mother's second marriage, the children by the first mar- riage being: Mary J. Bachelor, now Mrs. Stevens, who resides in California, and Frank- lin Bachelor, who served in the war of the Rebellion, and who died in Oregon in 1902.

Mrs. Parsons is the eldest child by the sec- ond marriage. Her brother William H., the second-born, lives in Oregon, and has two children, his wife being dead; Brayton Man- deville, the third, is a resident of Hazelton township; and Ellen T., the fourth child, is

Mrs. Andrew Pixley and lives in California, having one child,-a son.

The eight children who have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Parsons are all living. Martha J., born November 18, 1869, is the wife of An- drew Frederickson, of Detroit, and is the mother of one child, Earl. Bertha D., born April 22, 1872, is the wife of Arthur Sackett, of Caro, Michigan, and is the mother of two children, Evart and Mildred. Gilbert, born April 5, 1874, is a resident of Battle Creek, Michigan; married and has one child,-Gil- bert, Jr .; Esther, born August 3, 1876, is the wife of Ernest Whitaker, of Caledonia, and is the mother of Alice May. Flora Estelle, born April 27, 1878, is living at home. Edna, born October 11, 1880, is now Mrs. Elwood Oddy, of Belvidere, Illinois. Bessie, born August 12, 1885, is living at home. Bernice, born June 18, 1893, is attending school.

Mr. Parsons has always been a Republican. He has never sought public office and has held only such minor local positions as pastmaster and school director. Both he and his wife are identified with the Methodist Episcopal church. Our subject is recognized as a sub- stantial man, both in moral character and worldly goods. He is the proprietor of one hundred and thirty acres of finely improved land, and transacts a flourishing business in the manufacture and sale of cider, apple jelly and vinegar. His products, which are sold at wholesale, find a ready market in Chicago, Detroit, Bay City and other places, and have even been shipped as far west as California.

JOHN J. PATCHEL

Although the son of a New York farmer and himself a native of New Jersey, the pros- perous agriculturist and honored citizen whose name heads this article is, to all practical pur- poses, a son of the Wolverine state. When but a boy he was brought to Michigan and to Vernon township, Shiawassee county. Here he was educated in school and on farm, and as a boy and youth hunted through the woods

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for game, nuts and berries. He married a Shiawassee county girl, in Vernon township; all his children were born here; here he has attained to prosperity and to honors. If all these circumstances do not sufficiently identify him with the township and county to make him a son of Michigan, for all practical pur- poses, then all that can be said is that mere ancestry and place of birth weigh altogether too much.

John J. Patchel was born in the town of Bloomfield, Essex county, New Jersey, on the 17th of June, 1839. His father, Samuel, was a native of Schoharie county, New York the date of his birth being October 7, 1809. The early portion of his life was spent in his na- tive place, and he afterward removed to Essex county, New Jersey, where he was married. In 1848 he migrated with his wife and family to Michigan. Mrs. Patchel's maiden name was Bridget Garrity and she was a native of Ireland, whence she came when she was eigh- teen years of age.

Samuel Patchel first located in section 9. Vernon township, purchasing eighty acres of unimiproved land and erecting a little log house with one wing. Other necessary farm buildings followed, and in the course of years the rude pioneer home gave place to a resi- dence of modern appearance, so that at the time of his death, March 18, 1891, his home- stead was one of the most substantial and attractive in the county. He remained firm in the Democratic faith until the day of his death. His wife, the mother of our subject, lived to be eighty-six years of age, passing away in the year 1900.

John J. Patchel is one of five children. One died in infancy. The others are Peter, Mary E., now Mrs. A. 'B. Chalker, and William Patchel, of Springfield, Missouri. Our sub- ject came to Vernon township with his par- ents when he was nine years of age and fin- ished his school days here. He was perse- vering, and what he could not get at school he mastered at home, learning much of his algebra through his own unaided exertions and fitting himself for a teacher. He re-

mained with his father, assisting in the farm work, until he reached his twenty-second year, when he started his independent ca- reer-as a farmhand in the summer and a teacher in the winter. This course he pur- sued four years, purchasing in the meantime eighty acres of the one hundred and sixty acres which he still owns, in section 10.

Mr. Patchel bought the first forty acres in the spring of 1862, and the second forty in April, 1864. He was then in a position to undertake one of the important steps of his life-his marriage to Mary E. Chalker, daughter of Chandler B. and Phebe (Sickles) Chalker, Michigan pioneers, who, as their bridal tour, made the journey to Shiawassee county in 1837, leaving their New York home forever, to give their young strength to their adopted state. Mrs. Patchel was born in Vernon township, Shiawassee county, August 31, 1838, her father having settled in sections 3 and 4. His original purchase was one hun- dred acres, and to this tract he added forty acres, his property consisting of wild land, which he cleared and improved, erecting two good houses thereon, and otherwise bringing the farms up to a high grade of excellence. Mr. Chalker was a good Democrat, both in the political and moral sense of the word, and held many local offices-an evidence of the unswerving confidence which his neighbors and friends had in his ability and unvarying honesty. He was justice of the peace for more than twenty years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Chalker are deceased.

The marriage of our subject to Mary E. Chalker occurred on the 13th of December, 1866, and the young couple immediately com- menced housekeeping in a log house built by the "farmer school teacher." The dwelling was sixteen by twenty-five feet in dimensions. Eight acres of the farm were already cleared and he continued constantly to cut away the timber and add to the original acreage. In 1882 Mr. Patchel purchased another forty acres. In 1889 he erected a substantial residence, at a cost of about three thousand dollars, and by the addition of a fourth tract of forty

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acres, in 1892, became the proprietor of a quarter section of valuable land, of which he is still the holder. He devotes himself to gen- eral farming, although he has done much as a successful breeder of improved live stock.

Mr. and Mrs. Patchel are the parents of the following named children: A sketch of their eldest son, Samuel C. Patchel, who is now justice of the peace, will be found in following paragraphs. The second child, Ellen, was born January 13, 1871, and died November 6, 1873. The third, born May 15, 1872 died August 15th of the same year. Helen J. (Harris) was born March 24, 1874. Mary E., the widow of Caleb A. Curtis, who died February 26, 1905, was born June 13, 1875, and is the mother of one son, Harold J. Curtis. John R., born June 23, 1878, is a farmer. Bessie E. (McMichael). Ralph J. Patchel, born September 11, 1882, is a mer- chant of Lennon.

Unlike the other voters of the parental fam- ily, John Patchel has been a Republican during most of his life. He cast his first vote for Douglas, it is true, but after the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion he permanently changed his political views, and has since been a firm and earnest Republican. His fel- low-townsmen have frequently evinced their appreciation of his ability and sterling worth by calling him to various positions of local service. Among others, he has held the of- fices of school inspector and supervisor of the township, his service in the latter capacity ex- tending over a period of four years.

All the members of the family are stanch members of the Congregational church, Mr. Patchel himself having for many years been both a trustee and a deacon in that denomina- tion.

SAMUEL C. PATCHELL

Samuel C. Patchell, the eldest son of John J. Patchell, whose biography precedes this ar- ticle, is not only a rising lawyer and business man of Shiawassee county, but is also justice of the peace and a prominent Republican in

local politics. He was born in Vernon town- ship, October 9, 1867, passing his boyhood days on his father's farm and attending the district school, and finally the Vernon high school. He then took a correspondence course" in a Chicago institution, teaching school in the winter and working for his father and others, as a farm hand, in the summer and fall. By industry and intelligent economy he was enabled to purchase a farm near his father's homestead, operating it for some time him- self. In addition to his other solid accom- plishments, our subject also pursued a course of law in the office of E. S. Atherton.

Mr. Patchell's wife was known as Adel Kenyon, the daughter of an old settler of Livingston county. Her father is dead and her mother living. One child has been born to them, Rolland S. Patchel, a Durand stu- dent.

As stated, our subject is creditably filling the office of justice of the peace, for which his business and legal training peculiarly fits him. In connection with his court duties, he also carries on a growing real estate and in- surance business : consequently his time is fully and profitably occupied. He has al- ready served as school inspector and has been honored with the supervisorship by appoint- ment. He is a member of the blue lodge and chapter of the Masonic fraternity and of the Knights of the Maccabees. There are, in short, few men of his years in Shiawassee county whose standing is more assured or whose prospects are brighter.

PETER PATCHELL

The subject of this sketch is a substantial farmer, residing on section 9, Vernon town- ship. Not only this, but he is also a promi- nent figure in the educational matters of Shia- wassee county. The fact that he has taken a deep interest in this subject is evidence of a high order of intelligence and usefulness, be- cause it is education alone that can conduct us to enjoyment which is at once best in qual-

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ity and infinite in quantity. Mr. Patchell is also well known in fire insurance circles, hav- ing served for eight years as secretary of the Shiawassee County Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He was honored with the superin- tendency of schools for two terms, and served as township treasurer for two terms. It may also be stated that he is a member of the Knights of the Loyal Guards' Insurance.

Peter Patchell was born in Essex county, New Jersey, August 22, 1844. His father, Samuel Patchell, was a New York farmer, born in Schoharie county, October 7 1809. He spent the early part of his life in his na- tive place, removing afterward to Essex coun- ty, New Jersey, where he was married to Bridget Garrity. The wife and mother was born in Ireland, coming to America when eighteen years of age. Mr. Patchell's ancestry on the paternal side is also of Irish derivation, his grandfather, also Samuel by name, emi- grating from the Emerald Isle when a lad of twelve years and locating in New York, where he remained until his death. The father of our subject removed from New Jersey to Michigan in 1848, locating in the same sec- tion where his son now resides. At that time the land was wild, but he erected a log house and in after years so improved his farm that at his death, March 18, 1891, it was one of the most highly improved tracts in the coun- ty. Both father and mother are now deceased.

Our subject, who is the third of five chil- dren, laid the groundwork of his education in the district schools of Vernon township. He taught school for several years and then set- tled on the land which is still his homestead. It was then fresh from nature, and he sturdily set to work to clear off the forest. This ac- complished, he established himself as a gen- eral farmer. Within the passing years he set out an orchard, erected substantial farm buildings, including a pretty residence, and brought his homestead to its present high standard. He. is now the owner of eighty acres of valuable land, highly cultivated and very productive. In politics Mr. Patchell gives his support to the Democratic party.

February 19, 1868, Mr. Patchell was united in marriage to Ann E. Jones, her father being a pioneer of Venice township, where, in an early day, he acquired his homestead direct from the government. Mr. Jones is now de- ceased but his widow is still living, at the ad- vanced age of eighty-four years. Mrs. Patch- ell's natal day was July 25, 1849. Three chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Patchell : Frank E., born January 30, 1869, married Mina L. Potter March 17, 1897. Mrs. Frank Patchell was born August 1, 1872. Maud I., born April 19, 1871, married Burt O. Potter, February 27, 1900. They reside on a farm in Vernon township. They nave two children, Lucene E., born May 26, 1902, and Irene E., born August 21, 1904. The third child of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Patchell is Grace C., who was born March 16, 1892, and who is still at the parental home.

Mr. and Mrs. Patchell are both esteemed members of the Congregational church at Durand and contribute liberally of their means for its support.

HARVEY J. PATTERSON

This gentleman hails from the Empire state, being a native of Somerset, Niagara county, New York, where he was born January 20, 1848. His father also was born in New York state, in 1825, and died in 1859, on section 15, Hazelton township, the home of the subject of this sketch. The latter's mother, Prudence (Brown) Patterson, was born in Somerset, Niagara county, New York, in 1828. She, too, died at her son's house, in 1902. At the early age of eleven years Harvey J. Patterson started to struggle with destiny. Like the lit- tle hero that he was, he worked for farmers until he reached the age of eighteen years, religiously taking every penny of his wages home to his mother-a lasting monument to the memory of any man, and one which does him credit beyond the power of language to properly describe, so great is its contrast to the conduct of so many young men toward their parents in these latter days. At the age

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of eighteen years, as already stated, he com- menced saving for himself. He worked sum- iners for three dollars per month and saved enough out of that to buy a calf, which he gave to his mother. In 1868 he was twenty years old. He then bought forty acres of land. This is now the corner on which Hazel- ton postoffice was situated. It is better known, perhaps, as Ratville, a name which he gave it, and since that has been thus called by the residents of this locality. So well known is this title that letters addressed to "Ratville," although not a postoffice name, have reached their proper destination. His father removed to southern Michigan in the '40s, but remained here one year only, re- turning to Niagara county, New York. In 1852 he came to Hazelton township and traded a span of horses for forty acres. This is where his son Harvey now lives. At that time there was only one-half mile of road in the township, the remainder being solid woods. Two years later he bought forty acres more. He lived on the first purchase a year and then rented a farm near Flushing, Michigan, so that he might earn sufficient money to buy provisions, and thus be enabled to return to his farm, which he did in a year. At the time he located on his land there was a log shanty on it, with some four acres im- proved. He moved into the shanty. A per- son could scarcely step about in the woods at that time without seeing deer, so numerous were they. The old gentleman cleared about ten acres before his death. He helped to or- ganize the township. The residents were then so few that one person had to hold two of- fices. Things are far different now, when there are hundreds of men ready to take one office ! There were only five families in the township when Harvey J. Patterson came here with his parents, and he is now the only one of them left. He has still in his posses- sion a piece of a coffee mill in which he and his brother ground corn for one week when the mill dam at Flushing was washed out. This was the only way they had to make meal. His mother taught the first school in the town-

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Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches, Part 54

Author: Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Lansing, Mich. : Hist. Pub. Number of Pages: 580

Author:
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Lansing, Mich. : Hist. Pub.
Number of Pages: 580