Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches, Part 71

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 71

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Mr. Wood and wife have had six children, all of whom are living, as follows: 1. Charles, born July 25, 1871, is a cigarmaker and lives in Saginaw; he married Valeria Hartson, No- vember 9, 1892, and they have two children,- Ruby, born September 26, 1893, and Emerald, born April 7, 1901. 2. James, born October 19, 1881, still lives with his parents and is un- married. 3. George A., born April 27, 1884, married Nellie V. Sanburn, December 23, 1903, and they have one child, Dorothy L., born November 9, 1904. 4. Eliakim H., born May 18, 1887, still lives under the parental roof. 5. Cora L. was born June 4, 1890. 6. Archie R. was born December 8, 1892.

Mr. Wood was educated in the public schools of London township, Canada. Both he and his wife are members of the Wesleyan Methodist church. In politics Mr. Wood is in- dependent, voting for the best men as he

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judges them. He is also a member of the Grange and is altogether a most excellent cit- izen.

SCOTT WOODHULL

The Woodhull and Laing families are inti- mately related to the history of Shiawassee county, and as the families themselves are re- lated by marriage, this fact is all the more significant. They both originated in the Em- pire state, the Laings coming to Michigan in 1833. The family first settled in Washtenaw county, but later removed to Shiawassee coun- ty, locating on the present site of Laingsburg, to which village Peter Laing, the father, gave his name. In 1836 John Woodhull, the grand- father of our subject, started from his native county of Ontario, New York, with his family, consisting of a wife and three children, and with all his worldly possessions. Born in 1791, he had been the owner of a sixty acre farm in that county, but, being ambitious to improve his condition and to expand with the growing west, he set forth for the frontier territory of Michigan. Journeying through the forests of Canada with his ox team and horse team, he finally reached his destination, in what is now section 9, Woodhull township. He was also accompanied by his father, who was also an Ontario county farmer, the youngest brother, Josephus, making the journey by water, with his mother and sister. The log house which the two brothers at once erected was the first white man's residence in the township; and from these pioneers from New York the town- ship itself was subsequently named.

In 1845 Josephus Woodhull, the great uncle of our subject, married Phoebe, the daughter of Peter Laing, the founder of Laingsburg. Thus the connection of the two families with the pioneer history of Shiawassee county is traced in detail.

Joseph and Catry (Robison) Woodhull, the father and mother of John and Josephus Woodhull, as well as of seven other children,

were devout Baptists; they came to Michigan, as related, and both died in the Wolverine state, the father in 1841 and the mother in - 1859. The farm upon which John Woodhull established his family consisted of one hun- dred and sixty acres. At that time it took fully a week to reach any market, the nearest being Pontiac or Ann Arbor. He was friendly with the Indians, and it was to his decided interest to be so, since they returned the kindness by keeping the family supplied with venison. A portion of the farm was cleared and in time it assumed a homelike and comfortable appear- ance. John Woodhull was a deeply religious man, having been an earnest and active mem- ber of the Baptist church. In early life he was a Jacksonian Democrat, but later became iden- tified with the Free Soil party. His wife née Clarissa Swift, a native of Ontario county, . New York, was born in 1804. They were the parents of four children, the father dy- ing in 1852 and the mother in 1882. Of the children, Nancy (Mrs. Stone) was born in Ontario county, New York, June 26, 1825, and died at Hanson, Nebraska, November 30, 1904. Zetus S. was the second born, and was the father of our subject. Elizabeth, after- ward Mrs. Smith, died August 2, 1904, and Frances (Mrs. Kimball) is a resident of Hast- ings, Nebraska.

Zetus S. Woodhull, son of John and father of our subject, was born in Ontario county, New York, February 22, 1827. He was therefore in his ninth year when his parents made their journey to Michigan, the one over- land and the other by water. His only play- mates for a number of years were two Indian boys, and he quickly learned their language. Three years after coming to Michigan he at- tended his first school, and he was obliged to walk about two miles to reach it. It was a typical country school, carried on under the rate bill system. As he did not commence his education until late in boyhood he continued as a student until he had passed his majority, spending three winters at Corunna in the pur-

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suit of his studies. He continued to reside on the old homestead and soon after his father's death, in 1852, became an independent farmer.

On March 16, 1859, Zetus S. Woodhull was united in marriage to Miss Alice Colby, who was born in Canada, December 19, 1827, and whose father settled in Ypsilanti in 1834. In her religious views she was a Baptist. She died September 22, 1881, her husband surviv- ing her until February 12, 1894. At the time of his death he was in comfortable circum- stances, being the proprietor of two hundred and forty acres of land, mostly improved, on which he had carried on mixed farming, rais- ing stock and garden produce. He occupied a comfortable residence which he had erected in 1871; he had served his community as town- ship clerk and commissioner, and was an hon- ored as well as a substantial citizen.

To this couple were born five children, of whom our subject was the second. The first, L. J., was born November 28, 1860, in Wood- hull township, and died October 16, 1865. Scott Woodhull was born on the old home- stead October 4, 1862, and he now occupies eighty acres of the original tract. Genoa was born August 30, 1864, and died in infancy, October 27, 1865. The fourth child, Lelah A., was born August 2, 1870, and married Charles W. Holder, August 19, 1891. The family reside on part of the original one hun- dred and sixty acres on which John Woodhull, the grandfather of our subject, located when he came to Michigan in 1836. Mr. and Mrs. Holder are the parents of the following six children, all born in Woodhull township: Lena B., born June 4, 1894 ; Lelah C., born May 2, 1896 ; Leverne, born March 14, 1898; Bernice L., born April 17, 1900 ; Garnet A., born Janu- ary 24, 1902, and William Glenn, born March 9, 1904. The fifth child of Zetus S. and Alice (Colby) Woodhull was Lee, born December 12, 1871. He is now proprietor of the original homestead. He married Cora Kate Craw- ford.

Scott Woodhull received his early education

at the district school of Woodhull township, and from the time of his majority to the date of his marriage worked the farm on shares. He then purchased a portion of the old home- stead, the north half of the northeast quarter of section 9. His marriage to Miss Edith Jes- sie Lindsay occurred March 6, 1889. They have one son, Reahn, born August 21, 1902. Mr. Woodhull is recognized as one of the most progressive farmers in his locality, taking not only a close interest in his own fine farm and stock, but in everything which tends to the general improvement of agriculture. He is a sound Republican and is identified with the Masonic fraternity.

Mrs. Woodhull was born in Bath, Clinton county, Michigan, on the 12th of October, 1868. She is a daughter of Jacob and Lucy (Hayes) Lindsay. Her father was born Au- gust 28, 1832, came to Michigan with his par- ents in 1835, located in Bath in 1867, became a prosperous farmer, and resided in that place at the time of his death, October 23, 1886. Her mother is a native of Blackman township, Jackson county, Michigan, where she was born October 1, 1843, her marriage to Mr. Lindsay occurring July 3, 1866. They were the parents of three children. Arthur, who was born June 13, 1867, died on the 23d of the following August ; the wife of our subject was next in order of birth; and Lola M., born at Bath, Michigan, August 17, 1879, married Charles Hoffer, December 28, 1898. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffer are the parents of five children,- Scott L., born at Grand Ledge, Michigan ; .April 7, 1900; Lucy L., born December 26, 1901, at Manchester, Michigan; James J., born at the same place, February 20, 1903; Harold W., born at Bath, Michigan, August 24, 1904; and Carlton, born November 19, 1905.

Scott Woodhull's mother was Alice, daugh- ter of William and Ann (Upper) Colby. She was born in Canada and came with her parents to Michigan. They settled at Ypsilanti. She had two brothers, John and William, who later

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became residents of Woodhull township. An- other brother, Scott, lived on the old home- stead at Ypsilanti. She had three sisters, named respectively Eleanor, Maria and Ann, all deceased.

, Mr. Woodhull has in his possession two rel- ics greatly prized by him, -- the rifle used by his father in the early days of Shiawassee county for supplying the family with fresh meat, and a little shoe, well preserved, and once worn by his great-great-grandfather, known to be now about one hundred and fifty years old.

W. HENRY WOODWORTH

The gentleman whose name heads this sketch lives on section 33, Owosso township. He was born at Silver Creek, New York, April 19, 1853. His father, William Woodworth, was born in the Empire state, October 10, 1808, and died in his ninety-sixth year, May 25, 1905. His wife was Sylvia A. (Andrus) Wood- worth, who also was born at Silver Creek, New York, died March 8, 1889, aged about sixty years. They were married in New York state. The parents of William Wood- worth died when he was quite young, leaving five children. As was the custom in those days, these children, the boys at least, were "bound out" by the proper authorities until they should respectively reach a certain age. Their future history presents a chapter that

Is strange, but true; for truth is always strange,- Stranger than fiction.

In November, 1884, the following article ap- peared in one of the Owosso papers, under this heading: "Stranger than fiction. After more than sixty years separation a family of five children are brought together." From the Clinton (St. Johns) Independent: "Life is made up of stirring incidents, 'though very few reach the public print. Families are sep- arated for years, a careless feeling growing,

imperceptible at first, until all affection for each other is seemingly lost. The case recited below would come under that head. Three members of the family were in communication with each other. Two, for some reason, did not seek out the rest until sixty years after the separation. But one of the brothers 'came to himself' and determined to find out what had become of his brothers and sisters. We have prevailed upon John Woodworth, of Ovid, to give our readers a sketch, which we publish below in his own language :

OVID, MICH., November 24, 1884. "EDITOR INDEPENDENT : It is to keep my promise to you and not to merit any personal notoriety to myself or family, that I attempt to give you a brief outline of our history. More than sixty years ago there lived near Albany, New York, Robert and Elizabeth Woodworth, with five small children named and aged as follows: Catherine, about thirteen; William, now of Ovid, about eleven; Margaret, who died lately in California, about nine; John, now of Ovid, about seven, and Absalom, aged about four. About this time the parents died, leaving the children in the hands of strangers. The boys were bound out by the authorities. The two girls were cared for by friends, and at proper ages were apprenticed to dressmaking. Margaret soon got to the head of an estab- lishment on Broadway, New York, where she carried on the business successfully for many years. In 1845 she married James William . son, a young Scotchman, who was dealing in Scotch pig-iron and other metals. Both were successful. Mr. Williamson established the firm of James Williamson & Company, at No. 63 Wall street, New York, where it still remains, although he has been dead since 1872. Previous to his death they had traveled ex- tensively, having visited Europe twice. At the time of his death Mrs. Williamson came into possession of his fortune, which, added to her own, made her wealthy. During all of these years nothing was known of the boys, Will-

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iam and Absalom, having left their places or moved away. They were, of course, supposed to be dead. In the meantime the two girls and John, who had moved to near Richmond, Vir- ginia, kept up a correspondence and visited each other, often making efforts to find the missing ones, but finally settling down to the conviction that they were really dead, when in August, 1881, a stranger appeared in Rich- mond inquiring for John Woodworth. After some time he was found and accosted by the stranger like this : ‘Your name is John Wood- worth?' 'Yes.' 'Well, I am going home with you.' 'You are?' 'Yes, I know you, but you don't know me; I am your brother William.' After a few minutes' talk both parties were sat- isfied. He stayed with me two or three days and then left for home. He knew nothing of the other missing brother. Soon after, a re- porter of the Richmond Dispatch said to me: 'The Dispatch folks are looking for you. They want that item about your brother's visit.' I gave him a short account of our history and he remarked: 'If the other brother is alive this thing will find him.' The article was copied in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, as well as other papers all over the land. I soon received a letter from a man in St. Louis, saying his name was Absalom Woodworth; was born in or near Albany, New York, that he was about sixty years old, and he believed he was the other lost brother. He was so very young at the separation he could remember no circum- stances by which I could recognize him, but one, which afterward convinced me he was in- deed the man.

"As soon as sister Margaret, then living in California, could bring things about she ar- ranged for the three brothers to meet in Ovid, which meeting took place August 19, 1881. During the year, I sold my farm in Virginia and removed to Ovid. The same year the oldest sister, Catherine, came to Michigan to spend the remainder of her days with her brother. Absalom also came to Michigan the same year and bought a farm. In the latter

part of June, 1882, sister Margaret came on from California and we all met on the 4th of July at a reunion dinner, so that after a sep- aration of over sixty years, we were all per- mitted to see each other in the flesh.

"Our combined ages amounted to three hun- dred and fifty years. On the 4th of February following sister Catherine died. Sister Mar- garet left Michigan, August 1, to visit friends in the east before returning to California. On arriving at Troy, New York, she discovered a weakness in one of her feet, which increased in spite of doctors and medicine and soon proved to be a kind of paralysis, from which she never recovered. She hastened back to California, arriving there December 1, 1882. She lingered until the 25th day of September, 1883, when she died, in all the triumphs of a Christian faith. Thus in less than two years two sisters had died. The remains of sister Margaret were forwarded to New York and rest by the side of her dear husband, in Green- wood cemetery. She left a will by which she gave each of her brothers seven thousand dol- lars- and each of their children two thousand dollars, besides giving large sums to various charities and religious institutions, with liberal gifts to all of Mr. Williamson's friends in Scot- land, and finally the residue of about twenty thousand dollars to the Williamson Hospital in Shanghai, China, an institution she founded without the knowledge of her relatives. The executors of her will were Messrs. Samuel A. S. Wilkes and Robert Robertson, remaining partners of the old firm of James Williamson & Company. Mr. Wilkes came to Ovid on the 20th of the present month and paid off the adults, the minors not to receive theirs until twenty-one years of age."

William Woodworth, father of Henry Woodworth, the subject of this sketch, came ' to Owosso township in 1855 and bought eighty acres of wooded land on section 29, coming ahead of his family. He then returned for them. There was just land enough cleared to

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accommodate a log house and barn. Bears came along one night and killed his only hog, which was in the pen. Deer were also very numerous, but as wild as the region round about. He improved most of the eighty acres and later his mother's father bought forty acres adjoining. This he gave to Mr. Wood- worth's mother. Mr. Woodworth improved the property. The latter sold his first pur- chase and bought fifty-three acres for one thousand dollars, on section 23. He lived on this for one and one-half years and sold it for one thousand eight hundred dollars. He cleared about one-half of this purchase; after disposing of this place he bought eighty acres in Bennington township, one-half of which was improved. He cleared the balance, built a barn and about thirty-five years ago sold and removed to DuPlain township, Clinton county, and bought eighty acres, mostly improved. He lived there for about ten years and then he went to Ovid, Michigan, where he remained until his wife died. Since then he has lived with his children. Mr. Woodworth is the third of eight children, as follows : 1. Emma J., who was born November 1, 1849, lives in Clin- ton county. She married J. C. Flisher and they have three children,-Clara, Dora and Irene. 2. Clara, born May 29, 1851, lives in Middleburg township; she married David Thorpe and had four children,-Eva, Frank, Lena (dead), Edna (dead). 4. Lewis T., born June 20, 1856, lives in Owosso town- ship; he married Arabella Abbey and they have three children,-Myrtle B., Harry and Earl. 5. Melissa, born May 11, 1857, lives in DuPlain township, Clinton county ; she mar- ried George Bigford and had three children, -- Wilbur, Frank and Margaret (dead). 6. John D., born June 14, 1859, lives in Ovid town- ship, Clinton county ; he married Linnie Ty- ler and they have one child, Leon. 7. Olin H., born March 26, 1861, lives in Ovid, Mich- igan ; he married Viola Morgan and they have one son, Robert. 8. Cornelia, born September 16, 1863, lives in Fairfield township; she mar-

ried Frank Wait and they have two children,- Edith and Lloyd.

Mr. Henry Woodworth commenced working out on a farm at the age of sixteen years, and later worked land on shares. In 1885 he bought eighty acres, half improved, on sec- tion 33. He. cleared up the remainder and afterward he added forty acres, adjoining the first, making one hundred and twenty acres which he now owns. He has built most of the house he occupies and planted the orchard.

March 17, 1879, Mr. Woodworth married Lavina Parks, who was born in Peru, Indiana, February 8, 1856. She is a daughter of Joseph Parks, who was born in New York state and who died at Peru. Her mother was Martha Ann (Kismon) Parks, who was a native of Pennsylvania and she died at Peru, Indiana. Mrs. Woodworth's grandfather was Mr. Jacob Kismon, who was the first white settler in Peru, Indiana, and her grandmother Kismon made the journey from Pennsylvania to Indi- ana on horseback and carried Mrs. Wood- worth's mother with her. The grandfather of Mrs. Woodworth, Jacob Kismon, gave the mother of that lady eighty-eight acres of wild land and Joseph Parks, her husband, cleared it. They occupied the place until their death.

Mrs. Woodworth is the first of three chil- dren: 2. Celesta Jane, born in 1858, lives in Indiana ; she married Noah Sullivan and had three children. 3. Robert, born in 1860, lives in Chicago; he has been twice married, his first wife being dead.

Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Woodworth: Lulu, born April 30, 1887, died January 22, 1904; Lewis Grant was born May 5, 1889 ; Elmer J. was born October 28, . 1900, and Clifford Parks was born April 18, 1902.

The father of the subject of this sketch was a Republican, a member of the Methodist Epis- copal church and an Odd Fellow; while W. Henry Woodworth is also a Republican and is a Maccabee, besides being a school officer.

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SILAS A. YERKES

The late Silas A. Yerkes, of Bennington township, was well known throughout the state as a successful farmer, and was recog- nized as one of its leading breeders of fine horses. He was universally esteemed for his substantial and honorable qualities of head and heart and for his worth as a man and as a citizen. He lived in the Wolverine state from the time of his birth, which occurred in Novi, Oakland county, November 8, 1827. His par- ents were natives of the east, his father, Hon. William Yerkes, having been born at More- land, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, Sep- tember 11, 1794, and having died January 5, 1884; and his mother, Hester (Dennis) Yerkes, was born in New Jersey, March 21, 1799, and died at Novi, Michigan, September 11, 1881.

Mr. Yerkes' parents were married in New York, on November 5, 1817, his father being quite active in the military affairs of the state and in 1819 being commissioned ensign in the militia of the commonwealth. In 1825 the sturdy young couple migrated to Michigan, then in the far west, on the borderland of civ- ilization, and, settling in Oakland county, the husband soon came into prominence as a man of energetic, honorable and broad character. He was a member of the territorial legislature, and made so substantial a record that in 1838, the second year after Michigan became a state, he was returned to that body, serving his con- stituents again in 1857-8.

Our subject was sixth in a family of ten children. Joseph, born October 8, 1818, died in May, 1899. William Purdy was born Oc- tober 23, 1820, and died at Northville, Novem- ber 21, 1902. George died in early boyhood, July 18, 1829, being born July 13, 1822. Mary, who became Mrs. J. C. Emery, was born on July 26, 1823, and died on the 6th of March, 1851. John died when nearly twenty-six years of age, July 28, 1851, the date of his birth be- ing September 12, 1825. Silas A. was the sixth

child, and the seventh, Robert, was born Sep- tember 26, 1829. Charles was born April 19, 1833, Stephen, May 20, 1835, and Harrison, the tenth, April 4, 1841, the last-named dying on the 31st of July, 1899,-only a few months after Joseph, the first-born.

The subject. of this memoir lived at home until he had reached his majority, when, in the fall of 1848, supplied with a team and a little ready money, he located on section 5, Bennington township, his tract consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of wild land which his father had purchased from the government. To this he afterward added two forties, the combined two hundred and forty acres con- stituting the family homestead, with the ex- ception of a small portion which was platted into lots for Bennington village. He had the satisfaction of clearing more than two hun- dred acres himself, and at his death left one of the finest farms in Shiawassee county.

On August 18, 1849, at Owosso, the sub- ject of this memoir was united in marriage to Eleanor Ann McCarty, whose family had set- tled at that place two years previously, having migrated from the Buckeye state. Mrs. Yerkes herself was born in Medina county, Ohio, April 8, 1829, being the daughter of Abraham and Eliza (Andrews) McCarty. She traces her American ancestry to John and Mary An- drews, who, in 1640, settled at Farmington, Connecticut,-the line of succession to Mrs. Yerkes being through Joseph, Joseph, Jr., William, Miles, Jason and Eliza. Her Euro- pean genealogy embraces both English and French progenitors.

The American branch of the Yerkes tree sprung from two brothers, who emigrated from Holland and settled in Philadelphia in the early period of the nation's history, our subject being a near relative of the late Charles T. Yerkes, the great street-car magnate, of world-wide fame.

To Mr. and Mrs. Yerkes were born two children. The elder, William F., died in early boyhood, February 22, 1858, having been born

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on the 20th of April, 1851. Hettie Eliza, born March 22, 1854, was married to T. J. Perkins, the well-known dry-goods merchant, of North- ville, Michigan; her husband, a New York man, was born in Virgil, that state, January 29, 1847. Mrs. Perkins has been an enthusi- astic horsewoman and has made quite a repu- tation as a breeder of fine stock. She is, more- over, a most intelligent lady, of very striking presence. Mrs. Perkins and her mother, the widow of the deceased, were the nearest rela- tives of our subject when he was called away from the scene of his long, faithful, and suc- cessful labors, March 12, 1905. Mrs. Yerkes still lives on the old farm, which she operates with hired help.

During most of his active life Mr. Yerkes carried on general farming, giving more or less attention to stock-raising, especially in the line of blooded horses, of the Hambletonian strain. Although Mr. Yerkes had voted the Republican ticket since the organization of the party, had the complete confidence of a large circle of friends and acquaintances, and might have been honored with public prefer- ment, he was quite content with his record of a substantial husbandman, a devoted hus- band and father and a private citizen, pro- foundly respected by all who had come in con- tact with him. For most of his lifetime he was an active supporter of the Methodist Epis- copal church, and when the rheumatic afflic- tion, under which he suffered for a period of thirty years, became so acute as to render him almost helpless, he nevertheless still gave that organization his sympathy and financial assistance. Although not entirely unexpected, his death was a sad blow to the community, and, like the passing away of all strong char- acters, was an irreparable loss.

Mrs. Yerkes had two brothers who did valiant service for their country during the dark days of the Rebellion.

Lyman L. McCarty was one of the first to heed his country's call for defenders, enlist- ing in the Third Michigan Infantry, from

which he was discharged for disability. He later enlisted in the Fifth Infantry. It is told of him that lacking in stature to measure up to the government requirements, he visited the shoemaker, had the heels of his shoes raised, and was afterward accepted. His record is an honorable one.

Henry Clay McCarty first enlisted as a pri- vate soldier in Company D, Fifth Michigan Cavalry, from which he was honorably mus- tered out November 24, 1861. Later he joined the Tenth Cavalry and served till the close of the war, returning to the state with his regi- ment and receiving his final papers at Jack- son. It is recorded of him that upon an im- portant raid he was for twenty-two days in the saddle. Mrs. Yerkes is justly proud of the records made by her soldier brothers during the great civil war.

ALBERT YOUNG

Michigan is known among the sisterhood of states as having among her sons many citizens of noble character and high repute, whose public-spirited services and aggressive and far-seeing enterprise have raised her to her proud position as one of the most highly cultured and prosperous commonwealths in the northwest. To such sons the state owes a debt of gratitude, and all who love her, delight in reading the record of their lives. The man of whom we write in this sketch is a noble son of Michigan and has helped largely in the de- velopment of this part of the state. All the nearest and dearest associations of a lifetime are for him connected with the township of Caledonia, in which he lives, as it was here that he was born, February 13, 1843. He is a son of Thomas R. and Nancy (Hart) Young, who were early settlers of Caledonia.

The father was born in Connecticut, Sep- tember 26, 1815, and died November 3, 1899, and the mother, who was born in New York, August 17, 1823, died November 15, 1889.

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The parents were married February 21, 1841, and were always identified with agricultural pursuits. At the time of his death Thomas R. Young owned several hundred acres of land and was proud of the fact that his was one of the first families to locate in the township. Settling here in 1839, he bought three hundred and twenty acres of government land, and here he passed the remainder of his life.

Our subject was one of seven children. William was born December 20, 1841, and died April 21, 1843; our subject was the second child ; Lucinda, born-December 12, 1845, died sixteen years ago, having been the wife of Ed. Vail, of Lapeer county ; Melinda, born August 18, 1847, is the wife of Ira C. Angus, a Caledonia farmer; Sarah M., born August 20, 1849, died October 15, 1872 ; Mary I., born July 18, 1851, is the wife of James Parling, of North Star, Michigan; and Delia, born September 13, 1853, died March 19, 1866.

Albert Young attended the district schools of Caledonia and lived with his parents until he was twenty-three years of age, when he bought forty acres of land, where he now lives, afterward adding to the farm forty more acres, and now owning eighty acres of well improved farming land.

July 28, 1867, our subject was united in marriage with Phœbe Eldridge, who was born November 28, 1855. Mrs. Young is a daugh- ter of William and Pennelope (Robinson) Eldredge, natives of New York. Her father

died twenty-two years ago and her mother three years ago, at the age of eighty-five years. Mrs. Young was one of four children, of whom three are now living. Her two brothers, An- drew and Henry, are residents of Corunna.

To Albert Young and wife have been born four children: Delia, born June 22, 1869, is the wife of Ed Currier, a farmer in the town- ship of Caledonia; William, born February 28, 1871, married Mina Currier and lives on a part of his grandfather's old homestead farm; Bert, born December 20, 1879, married Edna Geney and lives on his father's farm, and Alonzo, born May 6, 1877, died at the age of twenty months.

Our subject has adopted the political views of the Democratic party and is active in pro- moting its success, but is in no sense a poli- tician. In his religious relations he. is allied with the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Young has been the architect of his own for- tunes, having had nothing save what he has made by his own efforts. He is engaged in mixed farming, in company with his son, and his excellent property has been gained through the industry and self-denial of himself and his good wife. They have spent their lives in usefulness and friendly kindness to all who have come in their way. Their farm bears the indisputable marks of the hand of a thrifty farmer. Mr. Young's mother's people were the first settlers in New Haven and his grand- father Hart helped to build the first road from there to Owosso.

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Past and present of Shiawassee County, Michigan, historically; with biographical sketches, Part 71

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