USA > Michigan > Huron County > Portrait and biographical album of Huron county Michigan, Containing biographical sketches of citizens also a complete history of the county, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 13
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Soon after locating at Saginaw he was nominated for Alderman against Stewart B. Williams, a rising young man, of strong Democratic principles. The ward was largely Democratic, but Mr. Jerome was elected by a handsome majority. When the Repub- iican party was born at Jackson, Mich., David H. Jerome was, though not a delegate to the convention, one of its "charter members." In 1862, he was com- missioned by Gov. Austin Blair to raise one of the
six regiments apportioned to the State of Michigan. Mr. Jerome immediately went to work and held meetings at various points. The zeal and enthusiasm displayed by this advocate of the Union awakened a feeling of patriotic interest in the breasts of many brave men, and in a short space of time the 23d Regiment of Michigan Volunteer Infantry was placed in the field, and subsequently gained for itself a bril- liant record.
In the fall of 1862, Mr. Jerome was nominated by the Republican party for State Senator from the 26th district, Appleton Stevens, of Bay City, being his op- ponent. The contest was very exciting, and resulted in the triumphant election of Mr. Jerome. He was twice renominated and elected both times by in- creased majorities, defeating George Lord, of Bay City, and Dr. Cheseman, of Gratiot County. On tak- ing his seat in the Senate, he was appointed Chair- man of the Committee on State Affairs, and was ac- tive in raising means and troops to carry on the war. He held the same position during his three terms of service, and introduced the bill creating the Soldiers' Home at Harper Hospital, Detroit.
He was selected by Gov. Crapo as a military aid, and in 1865 was appointed a member of the State Military Board, and served as its President for eight consecutive years. In 1873, he was appointed by Gov. Bagley a member of the convention to prepare a new State Constitution, and was Chairman of the Committee on Finance.
In 1875, Mr. Jerome was appointed a member of the Board of Indian Commissioners. In 1876 he was Chairman of a commission to visit Chief Joseph, the Nez Perce Indian, to arrange an amicable settlement of all existing difficulties. The commission went to Portland, Oregon, thence to the Blue Hills, in Idaho, a distance of 600 miles up the Columbia River.
At the Republican State Convention, convened at Jackson in August, 1880, Mr. Jerome was placed in the field for nomination, and on the 5th day of the month received the highest honor the convention could confer on any one. His opponent was Freder- ick M. Holloway, of Hillsdale County, who was sup- ported by the Democratic and Greenback parties. The State was thoroughly canvassed by both parties, and when the polls were closed on the evening of election day, it was found that David H. Jerome had been selected by the voters of the Wolverine State to occupy the highest position within their gift.
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Josiah W Begole.
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GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN
JOSIAH W. BEGOLE.
OSIAH W. BEGOLE, the present (1883), Governor of Michigan was born in Living- ston, County, N. Y., Jan. 20, 1815. His ancestors were of French descent, and settled at an early period in the State of Maryland. His grandfather, Capt. Bolles, of that State, was an offi- cer in the American army during the war of the Revolution. About the beginning of the present cent- ury both his grandparents, having become dissatisfied with the insti- tution of slavery, although slave- holders themselves, emigrated to Livingston County, N. Y., then a new country, taking with them a number of their former slaves, who volunteered to accompany them. His father was an officer in the American army, and served during the war of 1812.
Mr. B. received his early education in a log school- house, and subsequently attended the Temple Hill Academy, at Geneseo, N. Y. Being the eldest of a family of ten children, whose parents were in moder- ate though comfortable circumstances, he was early taught habits of industry, and when 21 years of age, being ambitious to better his condition in life, he re- solved to seek his fortune in the far West, as it was
then called. In August, 1836, he left the parental roof to seek a home in the Territory of Michigan, then an almost unbroken wilderness. He settled in Genesee County, and aided with his own hands in building some of the early residences in what is now known as the city of Flint. There were but four or five houses where this flourishing city now stands when he selected it as his home.
In the spring of 1839 he married Miss Harriet A. Miles. The marriage proved a most fortunate one, and to the faithful wife of his youth, who lives to en- joy with him the comforts of an honestly earned com- petence, Mr. Begole ascribes largely his success in life. Immediately after his marriage he commenced work on an unimproved farm, where, by his perse- verance and energy, he soon established a good home, and at the end of eighteen years was the owner of a well improved farm of five hundred acres.
Mr. Begole being an anti-slavery man, became a member of the Republican party at its organization. He served his townsmen in various offices, and was, in 1856, elected County Treasurer, which office he held for eight years.
. At the breaking out of the Rebellion he did not carry a musket to the front, but his many friends will bear witness that he took an active part in recruiting and furnishing supplies for the army, and in looking after the interests of soldiers' families at home. The death of his eldest son near Atlanta, Ga., by a Confed- rate bullet, in 1864, was the greatest sorrow of his life. When a few years later he was a member in Congress
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JOSIAH W. BEGOLE.
Gov. Begole voted and worked for the soldiers' bounty equalization bill, an act doing justice to the soldier who bore the burden and heat of the day, and who should fare equally with him who came in at the eleventh hour. That bill was defeated in the House on account of the large appropriation that would be required to pay the same.
In 1870, Gov. Begole was nominated by acclama- tion for the office of State Senator, and elected by a large majority. In that body he served on the Com- mittees of Finance and Railroads, and was Chairman of the Committee on the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and Blind. He took a liberal and public- spirited view of the importance of a new capitol building worthy of the State, and was an active mem- ber of the Committee that drafted the bill for the same. He was a delegate to the National Republi- can Convention held at Philadelphia in 1872, and was the chosen member of that delegation to go to Washington and inform Gen. Grant and Senator Wilson of their nominations. It was while at that convention that, by the express wish of his many friends, he was induced to offer himself a can- didate for the nomination of member to the 43d Con- gress, in which he was successful, after competing for the nomination with several of the most worthy, able and experienced men in the Sixth Congressional Dis- trict, and was elected by a very large majority. In Congress, he was a member of the Committee on Agricultural and Public Expenditures. Being one of the 17 farmers in that Congress, he took an active part in the Committee of Agriculture, and was ap- pointed by that committee to draft the most impor- tant report made by that committee, and upon the only subject recommended by the President in his message, which he did and the report was printed in records of Congress; he took an efficient though an unobtrusive part in all its proceedings.
He voted for the currency bill, remonetization of silver, and other financial measures, many of which, though defeated then, have since become the settled policy of the country. Owing to the position which Mr. Begole occupied on these questions, he became a "Greenbacker."
In the Gubernatorial election of 1882, Mr. Begole was the candidate of both the Greenback and Dem- ocratic parties, and was elected by a vote of 154,269, the Republican candidate, Hon. David H. Jerome,
receiving 149,697 votes. Mr. Begole, in entering upon his duties as Governor, has manifested a spirit that has already won him many friends, and bids fair to make his administration both successful and pop- ular.
The very best indications of what a man is, is what his own townsmen think of him. We give the fol- lowing extract from the Flint Globe, the leading Re- publican paper in Gov. Begole's own county, and it, too, written during the heat of a political campaign, which certainly is a flattering testimonial of his ster- ling worth :
" So far, however, as Mr. Begole, the head of the ticket, is concerned, there is nothing detrimental to his character that can be alleged against him. He has sometimes changed his mind in politics, but for sincerity of his beliefs and the earnestness of his pur- pose nobody who knows him entertains a doubt. He is incapable of bearing malice, even against his bit- terest political enemies. He has a warm, generous nature, and a larger, kinder heart does not beat in the bosom of any man in Michigan. He is not much given to making speeches, but deeds are more signif- icant of a man's character than words. There are many scores of men in all parts of the State where Mr. Begole is acquainted, who have had practical demonstrations of these facts, and who are liable to step outside of party lines to show that they do not forget his kindness, and who, no doubt, wish that he was a leader in what would not necessarily prove a forlorn hope. But the Republican party in Michigan is too strong to be beaten by a combination of Demo- crats and Greenbackers, even if it is marshaled by so good a man as Mr. Begole."
This sketch would be imperfect without referring to the action of Mr. B. at the time of the great calamity that in 1881 overtook the people of Northeastern Michigan, in a few hours desolating whole counties by fire and destroying the results and accumulations of such hard work as only falls to the lot of pioneers. While the Port Huron and Detroit committees were quarreling over the distribution of funds, Mr. Begole wrote to an agent in the "(burnt district" a letter, from which we make an extract of but a single sentence : "Until the differences between the two committees are adjusted and you receive your regular supplies from them, draw on me. Let no man suffer while I have money." This displays his true character.
FUROn CounTY,
MICHIGAN.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
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HURON COUNTY.
INTRODUCTORY.
HE value of history lies, in a geat degree, in the biogra- phy of the personages con- cerned therein. The annals of the settlers delineate the pioneer period, while those of the later residents exhibit the progress of the country and the status of the present generation. Huron County gives a vivid illus- tration of these statements; but its wonderful pioneer era laps upon its present period in a manner so gradual that there is really no dis- tinctive line of demarcation. Many of those whose efforts gave the country its earliest impetus may still be seen upon its thoroughfares ; many of the characters in the day of its first things are still on the stage, and watch with keen-eyed alertness the manipulations, successes and reverses of the present day, still jealous for the reputation of the county and eagerly solicitous for her substantial and permanent progress.
The compilers of these records strive to establish their claim for biographical integrity, preparing the matter from the stand-point of no man's prejudice. The full scope of the personal record here is to
demonstrate the exact relation of every individual represented to the generations of the past and of the .present.
Succeeding ages sweep away the debris of human errors and perpetuate the real greatness of a com- munity. Character stands out statuesque, and events cluster about individuals, forming the grandest and truest historical structure of which any age is capa- ble. Only biography can fitly represent the founda- tion, progress and ultimatum of local history, and portray with perfect justice the precise attitude and relation of men to events and conditions.
Huron County is justly proud of her pioneer record, and, so far as possible, the publishers have endeav- ored to honor the representatives of that period as well as those of to-day. Labor and suffering, under- gone in the light of hope and the earnestness of honest effort and toil, established this county in per- manent prosperity, and is rounding up a period of glorious completeness. Her villages are creditable, her agricultural community is composed of the best class, and her professional men are of marked in- tegrity.
In collecting the following sketches the purpose has been to collect the main points of personal record, through which the enterprise of decades to follow may complete a perfect and continuous his- torical outline from the earliest settlement of the county to the present time.
Jeremiah penks
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HURON COUNTY.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
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EREMIAH JENKS is one of the pioneer settlers on the Huron coast lying along the eastern side of the " Thumb of the Mitten," and his name is synonymous with all the business resources of the portion of Michi- gan where he has been a resident since 1854. He is, in the fullest sense, one of the most prominent [ among the several individuals who have been interested in the develop- ments of the resources of Sanilac and Huron Counties, and is the founder of several of the most ex- tensive business interests of this part of the Peninsular State. He is a man who recognizes an opportunity, and possesses the requisite acumen and shrewdness, both in degree and quality, to mold it to either general or individual advantage. He is a leader in the business history of Michigan, and his name is insepara- bly connected with the development of the lumber, salt, milling commercial and agricul- tural interests of this section of the State, and he is also a prominent actor in the transportation service of the lakes.
The present business connection of Mr. Jenks is
styled "J. Jenks & Co.," of which he is the senior member. The firm is distinctively engaged in the manufacture of salt and flour at Sand Beach, and in general mercantile operations.
Mr. Jenks was born Dec. 13, 1810, at Newport, Sullivan Co., N. H. His parents, Jeremiah W. and Hester (Lane) Jenks, were also natives of the "Old Granite State," and were born in the same town- Newport-where they reached mature life, married, and where their children were born. They belonged to the sturdy, substantial stock of New England, and descended from ancestors prominent in thrift, energy and integrity, which traits have made possible the splendid development of the West.
The father of Mr. Jenks was born June 11, 1780; the mother, Jan. 2, 1784. The issue of their mar- riage was 11 children, of whom seven are deceased. The family removed in 1814 to Bridport, Addison Co., Vt., a town on the east shore of Lake Cham- plain, whence, after a short residence, they went to Crown Point, Essex Co., N. Y., a point almost directly opposite across the lake. The father died there Aug. 12, 1852; the demise of the mother occurred at the same place Oct. 24, 1850.
Mr. Jenks is the eldest of the four surviving chil- dren, and is the fifth in order of birth. Two brothers and a sister reside in St. Clair Co., Mich. Lucy A. (Jenks) is the widow of Simon Beckwith; Bela W. (see sketch of B. W. Jenks) and Robert H. are farmers and lumbermen.
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HURON COUNTY.
In 1854, two years subsequent to the death of his father, Mr. Jenks came to St. Clair, Mich., where he remained eight months, removing thence to Lexing- ton, Sanilac County. He assumed the proprietor- ship and management of the hotel then known as the " Lexington Exchange," which he conducted five years. Subsequently he was interested in the construction of the "Cadillac House," of which he was the manager five years. During that period he invested heavily in lumbering, in which he fore- saw large developments. He purchased a saw-mill and 500 acres of timber land, five miles north of Lexington, and entered vigorously into the manu- facture of lumber products.
In 1864, associated with J. L. Woods and George W. Pack, under the style of Pack, Jenks & Co., he purchased a saw-mill located at Allen's Creek, two and a half miles south of the present village of Sand Beach. The structure was built on the site of the first saw-mill that was erected on the east shore of "the thumb" on Lake Huron. It was operated by water. Its successor was of en- larged size and was run by steam power. The new management gave the mill a thorough remodel- ing and refitting, putting in all modern appliances and improvements. The firm became the owners of 15,000 acres of valuable pine lands, adjacent to the mill in Huron County, from which, during the II years that followed, they produced 50,000,000 feet of pine lumber. They owned also a steam barge and scow, which they operated to their full capacity in the transportation of their lumber to Cleveland, Ohio. Their business required also the employment of other vessels on the lakes, their own facilities be- ing inadequate.
The firm was dissolved Jan. 1, 1876. Mr. Jenks continued to press his own local business interests, and became the proprietor by purchase of a third interest in the lands owned by Carrington, Pack & Co, of Sand Beach, and within the same year -1876 -- became the owner of the entire interest. It included 18,000 acres of land and the Dow House (then the Sand Beach House) at Sand Beach, besides an old store building, erected by the former proprietors in 1864. The hotel property has been greatly improved and is now under the management of Samuel East.
On the dissolution of the firm with which he was
originally connected, Jan. 1, 1876, Mr. Jenks di- vided his estate and business equally with his son, George W. Jenks, and formed a new company, which included two nephews-James M. and Bela W. Jenks (see sketches)-and put in active opera- tion an extensive business at Sand Beach. They built a large flouring mill, initiated extensive salt works, and established mercantile relations on a large scale. In 1880 the flouring mill was destroyed by fire with a loss of $7,000 above insurance. The establishment was rebuilt without delay, and is one of the finest mills in the State, having also a large elevator. The producing capacity of the mill is 230 barrels of flour daily. It contains eleven sets of rollers, and is equipped with patent purifiers of the best manufacture, smutters and other modern im- provements of the most approved character. The brands of flour manufactured by Messrs. Jenks & Co. are well and widely known and deservedly popular, including the "Lilly," "Silver Sheaf," "Jenks' Fancy Patent," "Hungarian Process," and others.
Their salt works were originally constructed with immense pans, in which the work of evaporation was carried on by means of fire; but in 1883 the entire salt block was reconstructed and extensive improve- ments made. The evaporating is now done by steam, and the rate of production averages 150 bar- rels of salt each day.
In the winter of 1883-4 the firm erected a large building for the purpose of manufacturing the finer grades of dairy salt, which they prepare for market in packages of all sizes to meet the demands of the trade,-in sacks containing two, three, five, ten, twenty-eight, fifty-six and two hundred and forty pounds.
The general mercantile operations of Messrs. Jenks & Co. were transacted in the building where originally established until 1882, in which year they erected a large brick block, 50 x 102 feet in dimen- sions, two stories in height, with a fine basement. The first story is divided into two departments, in order to carry on the business with system, one division being devoted to tha sale of dry goods, clothing, boots, shoes, notions, etc., and the second department stocked with fancy and staple groceries, crockery, and other lines of merchandise suited to the local trade and common to such establishments.
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The old store building is used as a hardware store, where an assortment of hardware is constantly on hand, including iron, steel, shelf-ware, stoves, build- ing materials and farming implements, besides com- prising all the merchandise indispensable to a regular ship-chandler's business.
The pier of Jenks & Co. in the "Harbor of Refuge" at Sand Beach, is one of the finest docks on the lake, and was begun in 1873. At the outset of its construction, the Government contractor sup- plied some assistance, and the owners have added to it yearly until it is in its present very complete con- dition.
The real-estate operations of the firm include the sale of 13,000 acres to actual settlers, and in the transaction of this branch of their business they have conducted it with reference to the permanent im- provement of the county, and have divested them- selves wholly of the odium of the speculative fraternity, that has materially retarded the progress of this portion of Michigan. They still own several thousand acres of land, and are the proprietors of one of the finest sample farms in Michigan. It is located south of the village of Sand Beach on Allen's Creek, and contains 400 acres. The agricultural operations, as carried on, demonstrate the adaptation of the soil and climate to the profitable prosecution of farming as a business pursuit. The live-stock operations of the owners are of a stamp which promise great future advantages to that interest in Huron County." Short-horned cattle are a specialty, the herds con- taining about 15 registered thoroughbreds and a large number of fine grades. About 100 head of cattle are kept in stock.
The gentlemen composing the firm of J. Jenks & Co. are men of persistent energy, and are thoroughly alive to the fact that only in the principle of "living and letting live" can any business enterprise have a permanent basis, and they have won a general feeling of confidence by their public spirit and disinterested furtherance of the general interests of the community of which they are members. Their investments have been of immense advantage to the citizens of Huron County in developing its resources in every direction, and in affording avenues of employment to large numbers of the class whose efforts are the bulwarks of all national and sectional prosperity.
Mr. Jenks, of this sketch, has been married twice.
HURON COUNTY. 1 The first marriage occurred in 1837, at Crown Point, N. Y., when Miss Relief Huestis became his wife. She was born Sept. 4, 181 1, in Coventry, Vermont, and was the daughter of Daniel Huestis. She died Jan. 18, 1873, at Sand Beach, and left a son and daugh- ter, both of whom still survive her. George W., in business with his father, was born May 9, 1838, at Crown Point, N. Y. Mary E., wife of Charles S. Nims, was born at Crown Point, Sept. 25, 1846. Mr. Nims is also interested in the business of the firm.
The marriage of Mr. Jenks to Mrs. Amanda Jenks, widow of his brother, Benjamin L. Jenks, occurred at St. Clair, in 1874. The issue of the first marriage of Mrs. Jenks comprised five children, born as follows : James M., July 14, 1850; Robert H., July 26, 1854 ; Jeremiah W., Sept. 2, 1856: Hester P., Dec. 12, 1858; and Martin L., July 15, 1861. The eldest was born at Crown Point, is a resident of Sand Beach, and is a member of the firm of J. Jenks & Co. Robert H. was born at Crown Point, N. Y., and is in the lumber business at Cleveland, Ohio. Jeremiah W. and Hester P. were born in St. Clair, Mich., and are both at present in Germany completing their educa- tion. The youngest, Martin L., is in the employment of the firm as shipping clerk, at Sand Beach.
The residence of Mr. Jenks is situated on the northwest corner of Huron and State Streets, and is a fine brick structure, erected on an acre of ground purchased by the proprietor in 1877, and which has been converted into an imposing lawn.
Mr. Jenks has been active in the social, political and religious affairs of the place where he resides since the commencement of his career as a business man and citizen of the county. He became an ad- herent of the principles of Christianity in early life and connected himself with the Baptist Church at Crown Point, N. Y. He established similar relations with that denomination at Sand Beach, and has been active in its interests.
In the fall of 1874 he was nominated by the Re- publicans of the 22d District at the Senatorial Con- vention, and elected Senator by a large majority. He served his constituency in a manner that reflected the utmost credit upon his character and proved the wisdom of their choice. He was Chairman of the Committee on the State Public School, and was a member of the Committee on Banks. In 1876 he was alternate Presidential Elector.
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HURON COUNTY.
It is with pleasure we present the portrait of Mr. Jenks in this work. In his likeness many will recog- nize one of the pioneers of the county, and one whose interest has been in common with her citizens. They will also recognize in his genial, open and frank countenance the personification of pluck and deter- mination, and of a man whose accomplishments have been the outcome of honest, straight-forward, ener- getic action.
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