USA > Michigan > Isabella County > Portrait and biographical album of Isabella county, Mich., containing portraits and biographical sketches > Part 23
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Politically, Mr. Priest is a Democrat, and socially he is an esteemed and respected citizen of his township.
A lexander Hall, boot and shoe dealer at Mt. Pleasant, was born Dec. 17, 1838, in Montgomery Co., N. Y., and is a son of Alex- ander and Hannah (Smith) Hall. His father was born in 1793, and died in 1864. His mother was born also in 1793, and died in 1868. The father was a manufacturer of boots and shoes, and the son learned his trade under his super- vision. He spent two seasons as a carpenter and joiner, but finally determined to pursue the avenue of business in which he has since engaged.
Mr. Hall remained in his native State during the life of his father and mother, and in 1874 came to Mt. Pleasant, where he opened a shop for the prosecu- tion of his business, in which he has since been con- tinuously engaged. His trade is thriving, requiring two assistants, and he carries a stock of goods esti-
mated at $3,500. In 1877 he purchased 40 acres of land in Union Township, on section 15, of which he has platted 20 acres. It is situated in the south- eastern portion of Mt. Pleasant, and is known as Hall's Addition. He also owns his shop and a busi- ness lot on Broadway.
Mr. Hall was married Dec. 26, 1864, in Minerville. Montgomery Co., N. Y., to Jane A. Jeffers ; she was born in Minerville, and is a daughter of William and Susan A. (Buchanan) Jeffers. Mr. Jeffers was born in 1802 and died in 1882 ; his wife was born in 1809 and died in 186t. Mrs. Hall was born Sept. 5, 1846. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hall, as follows: Francina, Sept. 28, 1865 ; Jeffers C., May 8, 1873: Robert C., Sept. 3, 1879; Gracie M., May 23, 1881.
illiam H. Saxton, liveryman and proprie- tor of the stage route between Loomis and and Gladwin, was born in Allegany Co., N. Y., July 22, 1839. He is a son of Silas and Amanda (Lee) Saxton, natives of Tompkins Co., N. Y. They removed to the State of Penn- sylvania, where the father died, April 9, 1880, and the mother in October, 1883.
Mr. Saxton was 12 years old when his parents be- came residents of the Keystone State. He remained at home, acquiring his education, until he was 16 years of age, when he came to St. Clair Co., Mich. He spent the first summer in fishing at Thunder Bay, and after that season he was engaged in lumber- ing until 1862. In the fall of that year he entered the military service of the United States. He enlist- ed in the 22d Mich. Vol. Inf., and served until July, 1865, when he was honorably discharged at Detroit. His command was attached to the Army of the West, and he participated in all the engagementy in which his regiment was an actor.
Immediately upon his discharge, he came to the county of Isabella and located at Mt. Pleasant, where he embarked in the grocery business. At the end of four years he sold out and passed the ensuing four years in lumbering. In 1872 he commenced Jeam- ing, and in 1875 he commenced operations in his present line. Ile obtained the mail contract between Mt. Pleasant and Clare, and ran a stage line in con-
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nection with it two years, when he sold out his stage interests, retaining his livery business. In the sum- mer of 1883 he removed his interests to Gladwin, where he now resides and is engaged in carrying the mail between Loomis and Gladwin. He is a Republican in political sentiment. In 1876 he be- came proprietor of 40 acres of land in Union Town- ship, and has about 20 acres under cultivation. He also owns property in the village of Mt. Pleasant.
Mr. Saxton was married Jan. 17, 1867, in Chippewa Township, Isabella Co., Mich., to Lepha F., daughter of John and Sylvia (Ferris) Fraser. She was born July 9, 1847, in Jefferson Co., N. Y., and her parents were also natives of the Empire State. They are now residents of Mt. Pleasant. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Saxton, seven of whom survive. Their names are Julia C., Nellie A., Emma M., Edwin F., Sylvia, Carrie E. and Eva. Two children died in infancy.
ilton L. Converse, farmer on section 12, Vernon Township, was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y., April 23, 1838, and is a son of Thomas D. and Elisheba (Kirkland) Con- verse, natives of New York and Connecticut and of New England parentage. The parents have followed farming as an occupation, and now re- side with their son in Vernon Township, this county. They are aged respectively 78 and 81 years, and enjoy good health. They are faithful members of the Congregational Church, and hope for a future life.
The subject of this sketch was reared on his fath- er's farm, and for four years attended the Belleville Academy in his native county. At the age of 23 he took charge of the home farm, which he cultivated five years. He then exchanged for village property in Pierpont Manor, same county, where he lived about two years. In 1871 he came to Isabella County, where his brother had previously located, and secured 80 acres on section 12, Vernon Town- ship, where he has since made his home. He has purchased 80 aces on section , same township, and has 40 acres of his home farm improved, with suit- able farm buildings.
He was married in the city of Oswego, N. Y, June 21, 1866, to Miss Jennie Moore, a native of Ireland,
and a daughter of William and Jane Moore. She came with her parents to New York when young, and there followed the occupation of a seamstress until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Converse have a son, Lucius M., born March 26, 1869, and a daughter, Lillian, born July 20, 187 1.
Mr. C. is a Republican, and has held various school offices in his township. He is a member and Deacon of the Congregational Church, and his wife and daughter are also members of the same Church.
ames H. McFall, farmer on section II, Vernon, was born in Middlesex Co., Ont., Aug. 26, 1858, and came to this county with his parents when 19 years old, having re- ceived his education in his native county.
Oct. 26, 1879, in Vernon Township, he was mar- ried to Miss Jane Baker, daughter of John and Julia A. C. (Sharp) Baker (see sketch of John Baker). She was born in Ontario, May 31, 1863, and came to this county with her parents when only a child. She received a good common-school education in this county. Mr. and Mrs. McF. have one child, Mary J., born Jan. 18, 1883.
They sc'tled after marriage on an So-acre farm on section 1 Vernon, given Mr. McFall by his father. Political y, he is a supporter of the Republican party.
B enjamin F. Kyes, dealer in musical merchandise, sewing-machines, etc., at Mt. Pleasant, was born Feb. 5, 1854, in Sheridan Township, Calhoun Co., Mich., and is the son of Ransom and Harriet (Living- ston) Kyes. In 1855 his parents came to Isabella County, Mich., and settled in Coe Township. The father bought 200 acres of unimproved land on section 6, and the family were among the pioneer settlers of the township. They resided on the farm until 1866, when they removed to the village of Mt. Pleasant, the father having been elected Sheriff of Isabella County ; and they continued their residence there until 1872, when they returned to the estate in Coe Township.
Mr. Kyes devoted his youthful years to the acqui-
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sition of a good education and availed himself of the advantages afforded by the schools of Mt. Pleasant while his father's family resided there. After that event he taught two terms of school, and in 1875 he commenced farming on 80 acres of land on sec- tion 5, of Coe Township, and remained in that occu- pation until the fall of 1883, when he formed a partnership with O. W. Stebbins and established the business in which he is now engaged at Mt. Pleasant. Mr. Stebbins retired in April, 1884. His stock comprises a judicious selection of small musical instruments and organs, including the Chicago Cottage Organ and that manufactured by Kimavall & Co., of Grand Rapids ; also the White, Davis and Domestic Sewing-machines.
Mr. Kyes was married June 27, 1875, at St. Louis, Mich., to Carrie A. Atkin, daughter of George and Sophia Atkin. She was born July 21, 1854, at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y.
on. Alonzo T. Frisbee, residing at Oak Grove, Livingston Co., Mich., State Senator from the 20th District, and owner of one of the largest farms in Isabella County, was born in Howell, Livingston Co., Mich., Oct. 12, 1840, and is the son of Ezra and Lucinda (Thomp- son) Frisbee, natives respectively of Montgomery and Herkimer Counties, N. Y. The parents are now residing in Livingston County, with Mr. Frisbee.
He received a good education through the facili- ties afforded by Michigan's admirable school system, and completed his education at the Howell High School with the highest honors of the institution. On arriving at the age of 21, his father told him he could work by the month on the farm, or pack his clothes and go out to make his own way in the world. He accepted a proposition made by his father and remained on the homestead until 28 years old. On settling up then with his father, he found there was coming to him the snug little sum of $2,000. It was during war time, with wages high.
Having heard much of the prairies of Iowa and Minnesota, he planned a visit to them in 1870, with a view to settle in one or the other of those States.
He therefore spent an entire summer in journeying over the prairies ; but after a thorough consideration of the circumstances, he determined to make his future home in his native Michigan. Returning to his father's, he remained until the 6th day of Novem- ber, 1871. In this year he came to Isabella County with the expectation of buying Indian lands, the Government having a short time previous given to the aborigines the title of their reservation in severalty. But in this plan he was disappointed. He was a stranger, the Indians were suspicious, and he found it difficult to deal with them.
Learning that the school section (16) in what is now Nottawa was good land, he took a surveyor from Mt. Pleasant by the name of Coburn, found and examined the land. After a week he returned to Lansing and purchased 400 acres on the section mentioned. Four years later, or on the 21st day of October, 1875, he returned to his purchase by way of Farwell, being piloted through the woods by a land-looker named Frye. He learned from this gentleman that a man named Dibble had moved in- to the neighborhood and was opening up a farm. about two miles east of his land.
Fixing the points of the compass well in his mind, he started for Mr. Dibble's. Finding the place, he told Mr. D. he had come to look over his land, with a view to improving it, and wished to stay over night. He made Mr. Dibble's his home until he had built some log shanties, roofed them with basswood troughs and covered them with moss. This was his primitive home. A few weeks later he built a store, after the pattern of his house with the exception of a shingled roof, knowing that the troughs might be easily remov- ed and thieves break in and steal.
As soon as possible he filled his store with goods, which he sold to the Indians and the few white settlers. In three years he had added to his original purchase 440 acres of land and cleared, by the help of the Indians, 160 acres. His first wheat crop yielded 23 bushels per acre ; and was put in without plowing,- simply sowed on the ground and dragged over three times. In the fall of 1878 his father desired him to return to the old homestead ; therefore, on the first day of April, 1879, he returned home to care for his parents in their declining years. Realizing that he owed to them a debt of gratitude he could never more than partially repay, he rented his farm and left for his old home, where he yet resides.
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Mr. Frisbee has never married. He is an agree- able gentleman, of polished manners, and makes friends of all whom he meets. He was for three years Supervisor of Nottawa Township, and has also been for several terms Supervisor of Cohoctah Town- ship, Livingston County, where he resides. He was elected Township Clerk of his native township when only 21 years of age; and this was followed by his being elected to the office of Supervisor the next several years in succession. Of the sixteen times his name has been before the people for their suf- frage, he has been successful thirteen times, although many times his party was in the minority.
Mr. Frisbee is one of the pioneer Greenbackers of his State. He believes that law makes money, and not the material of which it is made. He holds that gold and silver is too expensive and cumbersome for money ; that money is not value itself but a repre- sentative of value; that the greenback was a repre- sentation of the best blood in our country spilled in its struggle to continue its existence, together with the best resources of the people, and was a token to the people that they had done something for their Government, and was redeemable by each other and the last subject that held it-held the token of its worth in labor and material, to be redeemed in turn by his neighbor.
With all of Mr. Frisbee's successes in life, he has had his misfortunes, principal among which was that caused by the tornado that swept over his farm in Nottawa on the 19th day of September, 1878, which laid his farm in waste, destroyed his store by blowing it away in fragments, goods and all, and leaving no- thing but ruin and desolation behind.
rvine M. Armstrong, farmer on section 6, Vernon Township, was born Nov. 30, 1849, in Peel Co., Ont., and is the fourth of a family of 12 children. At the age of 15, he left his na- tive county and went to Erin, Wellington Coun- ty, to learn the trade of shoemaking, under the instruction of a man named Archibald Thompson.
Serving his three years, he returned home, and in the winter of 1869 came to Farwell, Clare County, his parents meanwhile locating in Isabella County. He started the first shoe-shop in Farwell, and had an
excellent trade, manufacturing with his own hands as much as $too worth of stock per month. Before he had driven the first nail he had orders for 40 pairs of boots, and his reputation as a workman was such that he frequently had orders from a distance of 40 to 60 miles.
Over-devotion to his business, together with night work, impaired his health to such a degree that in 1875 he was obliged to withdraw from further pur- suit of that trade. His father dying a year later, he assumed control of the home farm, which . he has since cultivated. He has now one of the best farms in Vernon Township. Politically, he is a Republican.
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illiam P. Towns, farmer and proprietor of of a boarding-house at Blanchard, is a son of Thomas and Anna (Parson) Towns. The mother was born in Hartford, Oxford Co., Me., March 12, 1795, and died in 1883, J at the advanced age of 88. The father was born in 1783 and died about 1849. He was a farmer, carpenter and shoemaker, and never moved from his native State.
The subject of this record was born Jan. 29, 1828, in Hartford, Oxford Co., Me., and at the early age of Io was bound out to a farmer named Samuel Pills- bury. He remained with him ten years, receiving very unkind treatment. He had no schooling, and all his needs were neglected. After leaving Mr. Pillsbury, he worked in the lumber woods and then on the river. He was variously occupied until 1876. In the fall of that year he came to Grand Rapids, and in December following he came to Isabella County. The three years ensuing he was foreman in the business of lumbering, in the employ of P. G. Blanchard, of Grand Rapids. He is the oldest set- tler of the village of Blanchard, having come before the first tree was cut towards starting a village.
Mr. Towns was married April 17, 1856, at the age of 28, to Octavia L. Doughty, daughter of Elias and Louisa (Pool) Doughty. She was born in 1838, in the State of Maine, and died Sept. 3, 1866, having been the mother of two children : Carrie E., born July 8, 1860, and Philip S., born April 9, 1864. Mr. Towns was subsequently married to Carrie M
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Flanders, who was born Feb. 17, 1842, in Kennebec Co., Me., the daughter of Samuel and Cynthia (McClure) Flanders, natives of the State of Maine. Mr. Flanders was a farmer, and worked in the woods in the winter seasons. In the late civil war he en- listed in the First Maine Heavy Artillery, and he died in the service at Washington, D. C. Mrs. Flanders died April 14, 1870, in the State of Maine. Mr. and Mrs. Towns have one son, Frank L., born May 12, 1870, in Maine.
Politically, Mr. T. is an earnest and influential Republican.
awrence J. Petz, M. D., physician and sur- geon, at Mt. Pleasant, was born May 12, 1854, in Bavaria. He is a son of Martin and Teresa (Gess) Petz. His father was a brewer by profession and died in the "Fader- land" Aug. 26, 1876. The mother is still liv- ing, in her native country.
Dr. Petz was early placed at school, in accordance with the custom of the class to which he belonged, and when he was nine years old began the study of Latin, to which he devoted five years. At 14 he be- gan a course of metaphysical study, which occu- pied two years, and he then entered upon his preparatory course of reading for his profession. He studied medicine five years at Munich, Bavaria, and was graduated Aug. 26, 1874. He practiced in Newberg and Straubing two years, and went to Rome, Italy, where he entered the Giovanni Maria Alfieri Hospital as physician and surgeon. After a stay there of 14 months he went to the Holy Land to study the symptoms of the febrile diseases incident to that location, and spent four months in that branch of medicine, and in the observation of small-pox. He went thence to France and practiced in the city of Paris until January, 1878. During the period he was in France the Franco-Prussian war was in progress, 1871-3. He then came to the United States and spent a year in the Philadelphia University and Hospital, and received the credentials of that institution Feb. 11: 1879, He then entered the hospital of the Cen- tral New York Eclectic Medical Society, and received a diploma May 17, 1882. He spent upwards of a year at Utica, N. Y., as a medical practitioner, going
thither in July, 1882. January 17, 1882, the U. S. National Institute of Eclectic Medicine at St. Louis, Mo., conferred a diploma upon Dr. Petz, and March 2, 1882, he received a similar distinction from the College of Ludovicieuse in the same city. May 19, 1 880, the New York Pharmaceutical Association con- ferred upon him the honors of that organization.
Dr. Petz came to Mt. Pleasant in the summer of 1883, and has succeeded in establishing a prosper- ous business, which is gradually extending. He was married July 24, 1881, at East Syracuse, N. Y., to Josephine G. Shandorf. Mrs. Petz was born May 15, 1858, at Manlius Station, Onondaga Co., N. Y. Josephine M., elder child of Dr. and Mrs. Petz, was born May 8, 1882, at Utica N. Y. Eleanora T. was born at Manlius Station Oct. 7, 1883.
saac N. Shepherd, farmer and lumberman, Salt River, is a son of Robert and Ann (Leach) Shepherd, natives of England, who emigrated to this country about 1834, settling first in New England, and in Coe Township in January, 1856, where they remained until their death. Their children numbered eight, five of whom grew to be adults.
The fifth son, the subject of this sketch, was born in Vermont, Dec. 31 1840; when 13 years old he came with his parents to Hillsdale Co., Mich., and a year and a halfafterward, that is, in January, 1856, they came to Isabella County, where has since resided. He remained at home till 22 years of age, contribut- ing to the support of his parents. About 1861, he bought So acres of land in Coe Township. Since then he has bought and sold many tracts of land, and at the present time he owns about 2,000 acres of land, having about 250 acres under cultivation. In the summer of 1873 he built the residence which he now occupies : it is one of the finest in the county. He also owns and operates a lumber, lath and shin- gle mill in Chippewa Township, which has a daily capacity of 30,000 feet of lumber, 40,000 shingles and 20,000 lath. He is also interested in the Lansing, Alma, Mt. Pleasant & Northern Railroad, being a director in the company and a member of the exec- utive committee.
Mr. Shepherd is a member of the Masonic Order,
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of the Baptist Church and of the Prohibition party.
He was married in Jackson Co., Mich., Jan. 3, 1864, to Catherine, daughter of John and Rachel (Sloat) Neely, who were natives of New York. Mrs. S., who is also a sister of Mrs. James Campbell, was born in Jackson County, Mich., July 8, 1838, and she has become the mother of five children, namely : John L., Jennie L., Franklin S. (who died June 4, 1883, aged 14), Annie R. and William I. N.
ndrew M. Mckay, farmer on section 1, Vernon, was born in County Derry, Ireland, March 17, 1843, and is a son of John and Sarah (Dowling) Mckay. His father was in Ireland a raiser and manufacturer of flax, etc., and in 1846 he came to Canada. There he purchased a large farm, on which he resided until his death, Feb. 26, 1884, at the extreme age of 95. He was one of the earliest settlers of Simcoe Co., Can. His wife is yet living, at the age of 93. Of their nine children seven grew to be adults. Andrew M. was next to the youngest of the family.
He was but three years old when the family came across the ocean, they being about six months on the water. He was educated in the common schools of Simcoe Co., Can., until 16 years old, when he served a three-years apprenticeship to a carpenter named William Lenox. Low prices being paid carpenters at that time, he returned to the farm for four years, during which time he was married. He then worked in saw-mills, most of the time as head sawyer. In the summer of 1879, he came to this State, and stopped at Clare until he could build a house on 80 acres he purchased on section 1, Vernon. He has now improved 45 acres. Some of his farm buildings were built by his unaided hands.
Sept. 7, 1863, was the date of his marriage to Miss Margaret McKee, daughter of James and Mary J. Murdock. They were natives of Ireland, where the daughter also was born July 27, 1842. The family came in 1848 to Ontario, where the parents are yet living, on a farm, aged|respectively 70 and 65. Mr. and Mrs. McKay are the parents of five chil- dren,-Mary J., born June 17, 1864; James A., Feb. 19, 1866; William O., April 18, 1867; Margaret E., March 25, 1869; and Edmund J., Aug. 18, 1870.
Mr. McKay is a member of Farwell Lodge, No. 355, F. & A. M., and is politically a Republican. He and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church.
saniel Doxsie, farmer on section 22, Rol- land, is a son of Samuel and Phebe (Young3) Doxsie. The father was born in the State of New York, July 6, 1815, and has followed farming all his life. He was mar- ried in Ontario, Can., in 1837. Coming to Michigan, he has lived for 30 years in Eaton County, where he reared three of his children. His wife was born in New Jersey. June 21, 1818, and died in March, 1881. They had in all eleven children, three of whom are dead. The oldest son died at Detroit, of wounds received in the army.
The subject of this sketch was born at Norwich, Ont., May 2, 1842, and lived at home until within two days of his majority. He then left home, send- ing his father $5 for the two days' time, and worked for two years at laying a stone wall in Calhoun Co., Mich. During the war he served in the Quarter- master's Department at Nashville, Tenn. He was not an enlisted soldier, but was paid by the Govern- ment. Returning to Michigan, he lived eight months in Eaton County and then, in 1865, came to Isabella and located on 160 acres of wild land on section 22, Rolland. He has now 80 acres, including 40 acres well improved.
He was married Sept. 3, 1868, to Angeline Peter- son, who was born May 24, 1850, in Tuscarawas, Co., Ohio, the daughter of William M. and Mary A. (Richardson) Peterson, natives of New Jersey and Ohio. Mr. Peterson was a carpenter and joiner until he came to Michigan, since when he has fol- lowed farming and lumbering. He now resides in Deerfield Township. Mr. and Mrs. Doxsie have two children of their own,-Ella M., born June 21, 1869, and Lillie E., born May 29, 1871; and an adopted son, Peter S., born Oct. 27, 1878.
Mr. D. has been Township Clerk two years, Town- ship Treasurer one year, Supervisor four years, suc- cessively, then School Superintendent two terms and Supervisor two years more, being the present incum- bent. He has also been a Justice of the Peace seven
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yours truly The To Sheldon
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years, and a Notary Public six years. He was com- missioned a Notary by Gov. Bagley in March, 1875, and by Gov. Jerome in July, 1881. He is a member of the Republican party. He has belonged to Lan- sing Lodge, No. 33, Grand Ledge Loge, No. 179, and Wabon Lodge, No. 305, F. & A. M.
ev. Robert P. Sheldon was one of the most prominent pioneers of Isabella County, and one of the few that will be longest re- membered by those whose interest is warm in early days. He was born in Canada Aug. 27, 1806, and his parents were also natives of the Dominion. At an early period in his life, however, the family removed to the State of New York. The father being in limited circumstances, was not able to afford Robert a liberal education, and the latter gathered up the crumbs of learning as well as he could, in the face of obstacles smiliar to those that have risen up in the path of many noble, self-made men. He had no trade, and he worked by the month as a farm laborer most of the years of his youth, at a time of life when similarly gifted young men of this generation are preparing for life in the high school or college.
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