USA > Michigan > Isabella County > Portrait and biographical album of Isabella county, Mich., containing portraits and biographical sketches > Part 30
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rrin Moody, farmer on section 24 Rolland is a son of Israel and Abigail (Tubbs) Moody, natives of New Hampshire and South Carolina. The father was first a resi- dent of New Hampshire, but moved to Cayuga Co., N. Y., where he died in 1819. His wife died in the same county.
The subject of this biography was born July 22, 1814, in the State of New Hampshire, and lived at home until 18 years old. Coming to Michigan, he lived in Washtenaw County three years, then in Livingston County three years, and then settled in Eaton County, where he resided 40 years. He came to this county in 1880, locating on 80 acres on sec- tion 24, Rolland, where he has now 24 acres in a good state of cultivation.
He was married in 1835, to Desire Carr, who was born June 25, 1816, the daughter of Nathaniel and Esther (Conger) Carr, natives of New York, where the father died Nov. 21, 1865, and the mother in
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1846. Mr. and Mrs. Moody have had nine children, whose record is as follows: William H., born May 13, 1838; Sylvester, born Aug. 7, 1840; Edward W., born July 14, 1842, and died Dec. 2, 1883; Esther A., born Jan. 27, 1845 ; Israel W., born March 14, 1848; Augustus E. and Augusta, born Nov. 21, 1850; George L., born Jan. 30, 1856 ; Ellen J., born May 27, 1858, and died Nov. 21, 1858.
Mr. Moody is politically a life-long Democrat.
eter J. Marthey, merchant at Leaton, Den- ver Township, is a son of Peter E. and Margaret (Jennette) Marthey, natives of France. The parents emigrated to America in an early day, married and settled in Holmes Co., Ohio, where she died, July 3, 1872. He sur- vives.
The subject of this sketch was born in Holmes Co., Ohio, Sept. 30, 1851, and lived in his native county until the spring of 1882, engaged in farming. He then came to Isabella County and bought 77 acres of wild land in Denver Township, where he now resides. He has 48 acres improved. In June, 1883, he bought out the stock of goods at Leaton, then owned by W. A. Chatterton; and he now car- ries on that business.
He was married in Holmes Co., Ohio, Nov. 22, 1877, to Josephine C., daughter of Joseph and Mary Trahan, natives of France. She was born in St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 6, 1854, and is the mother of three children-Edward E., Angela M. and Francis C.
Mr. Marthey is politically a Democrat. He and wife are members of the Roman Catholic Church.
David W. Brooks, farmer, section 34, Cold- water Township, was born Aug. 20, 1834, in Sumpter Township, Wayne Co., Mich. His parents, David and Susannah W. (Allen) Brooks, were natives respectively of Vermont and New Jersey, and died in Wayne Co., Mich. Their family comprised nine children.
Mr. Brooks is the youngest child of his parents and remained with them until their deaths, caring for them in every filial manner and securing to them the
ease and freedom from responsibility which was the just reward of their laborious and well-directed lives. In return for this devotion Mr. Brooks received from his parents the deed of the home farm. In 1865, soon after the decease of his father, Mr. Brooks sold the homestead and bought a farm in Van Buren Town- ship, Wayne County, where he resided until 1873, when he bought the place which is at present his homestead, consisting then of 80 acres of land in a wholly unimproved state. The place now includes 45 acres of improved and cultivated land. Mr. Brooks is a Republican in political sentiment, and has held the office of Justice of the Peace one term and has acted one year as Supervisor.
He was married May 4, 1856, in Van Buren Town- ship, Wayne County, to Miss Elsie M. Carpenter. She was born May 4, 1837, and is the daughter of John and Lucy (Bennett) Carpenter. Her father died in November, 1874, and her mother is still liv- ing, in Belleville, Wayne Co., Mich. The record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Brooks is as follows : J. Elmer, born Dec. 7, 1858; Leone W., Feb. 1, 1862 ; Florence, Oct. 8, 1863 (died Oct. 27, 1867); Freder- ick C., April 6, 1869; Eva, March 2, 1874.
eorge W. Stine, farmer on section 26, Ver- non Township, is a son of David and Di-
K ana (Cordrey) Stine, of German descent, and natives of Pennsylvania. The father was in early life a weaver, and then a farmer, and died in 1842, in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio. The mother lives in the same county, at the extreme age of 96.
Their son George was the third child and first son in a family of eight,-four sons and four daugh- ters. He was born in Harrison Co., Ohio, May 30, 1830, and was taken to Tuscarawas County, same State, by his parents when two years old. At the age of 16 he commenced work as a common laborer, letting his pay go toward the support of his widowed mother and her dependent family. Being given his liberty at the age of 21, he worked on the Ohio River, and in the mines until the call for volunteer soldiers made by President Lincoln flashed over the wires and quickened the ardor of all patriots.
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He enlisted Aug 17, 1861, in Co. I, 20th Ohio Vol. Inf., and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. He fought at the second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, South Mountain, Antietam, Vicksburg, Mission Ridge and all the battles involving the 15th Corps, and also in numerous skirmishes. He escaped unhurt except by a bruise from a piece of bursted shell, which dis- abled him for a few days, and he was honorably dis- charged June 5, 1865, being in the service nearly four years.
He came direct from the army to this county, and secured 80 acres of land, of which 55 are now improv- ed. He was married March 11, 1850, in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, to Miss Mary Render, who was born in England, July 15, 1825. Her father, Francis Render, died in Ohio in 1875. Her mother, Elizabeth (Sut- tle) Render, died in the same State, in 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Stine have six children, -- Ann, Francis, Diana, Thomas, Rose and George. One, William, is deceased. The parents are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. Mr. S. is a member of Clare Lodge, No. 333, I.O. O. F. He is politically a supporter of the Republican party ; has been High- way Commissioner three years and is now School Assessor.
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rank D. Pierce, farmer on section 6, Rol- land Township, is a son of Leroy and Cynthia (Husted) Pierce. The father was born in Brookfield, Madison Co., N. Y., in 1827, and has been a carpenter and farmer. The mother was born in Oxford, N. Y., in 1828. They moved to Pennsylvania, then to Illinois, where they lived two and a half years; then to New York State; and finally seven years later to Tioga Co., l'a., where they now live.
Their son Frank was born Dec. 9, 1856, in Tioga Co., Pa., and lived with his parents until 19 years old, when he came to this State and county and lo- cated on 220 acres on section 6, Rolland Township. He has now 170 acres well improved and good farm buildings.
He was married Dec. 26, 1880, to Miss Jennie Seely, who was born in 1855, in Tioga Co., Pa., the daughter of Lewis and Mary (Burr) Seely. Mr. Seely was born in New York in 1829, and has fol-
lowed farming in Tioga Co., Pa., up to the present time. Mrs. Seely was born in Pennyslvania in 1843. They had eight children, six of whom are now liv- ing.
In political sentiment, Mr. P. is a Republican.
ared H. Doughty, of the firm of Doughty Bros., hardware merchants at Mt. Pleasant, was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., Nov. 25, 1839. His parents, George W. and Emeline (Storm) Doughty, removed to Van Buren Co., Mich., in 1842, where his father bought a farm, including 200 acres of land.
Mr. Doughty passed the years of his minority at home, working as his father's assistant on the farm during the warmer portion of the year, and attending school winters. On attaining the period of his legal freedom, he went to Lane, Ogle Co., Ill., and there engaged in acquiring a preliminary knowledge of the tinner's trade. He remained thus occupied one year, when he returned to Michigan and finished the acquisition of his trade with Parsons & Wood, of Kalamazoo. He remained with them over three years and then, associated with his brother George, opened a hardware establishment at Paw Paw. The relation was brought to a close by his brother's being drafted in 1865, when Mr. Doughty sold out. He remained in Paw Paw two years longer, and went thence to South Haven.
His stay at that place was brief, and in the fall of 1869 he came to Mt. Pleasant with his brother, Wilkinson Doughty, driving to this place from Big Rapids with a horse and carriage. The trip oc- cupied two days. They found a small village with no tin shop or hardware establishment of any kind. They at once founded a general hardware business, and continued its management until Sept. 1, 1877. In 1876 they erected a brick block on the corner of Main Street and Broadway, two stories in height and 48 x 77 feet in dimensions. At the date named, the brothers dissolved partnership, each establishing him- self in business in one-half of the new building. Mr. Doughty, subject of this sketch, associated his brother Frank with him in a general hardware business, in the corner store, where they operated until January, 1884. In the summer of 1883 they erected a fine
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brick block 32 x 77 feet and three stories in height above the basement; of which they took possession at the date mentioned They rent their former quar- ters. Their stock is estimated at a value of $8,ovo, and includes stoves, agricultural implements, saslı, doors, etc., and they manufacture tin and sheet iron. Their business is thriving and requires the aid of four assistants. Their rooms for the manufacture of all kinds of tinware are above their general sales- room, and a shop for reparing. is connected there- with. Mr. Doughty is the owner of his residence and grounds. He has been a member of the Town Council one year.
He was married Sept. 29, 1869, in Mattawan, Van Buren Co., Mich., to Julia Sutton, daughter of Alden and Isabel Sutton. Nettie B. and Glenn H. are the names of the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Doughty. They were born June 5, 1874, and Oct. 21, 1883, re- spectively. The parents are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church.
ylvester C. Hammond, farmer, section 26, Coldwater Township, was born in Essex, Clinton Co., Mich., Dec. 7, 1854. He is a son of Carmi and Mary A. (Willett) Ham- mond, both of whom are deceased. His father was born May 3, 1807, in Vermont, and died July 9, 1883, at the residence of his son in Coldwater. His mother died Feb. 20, 1876.
Mr. Hammond grew up under the care and guid- ance of his father until he was of age. A short time previous to obtaining his majority he began to learn the carpenter's trade in Clinton County, which he completed after he was 21 years old. He is a natural mechanic, with an aptitude for tools and little taste for farm labor. He owns 80 acres of land and has 25 acres cleared and improved. He first came to Isabella County in the fall of 1866, returning in a few weeks to his home. He decided on establishing a permanent residence in the county, and in the fall of 1875 he bought his farm in the township of Cold- water.
He was married March 5, 1876, to Jennie F., daughter of Martin M. and Harriet Isabella (Van- tine) Ryerson. (See sketch of M. M. Ryerson.) She was born Oct. 11, 1859, in Huron Co., Ohio.
Following is the record of the five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hammond : Orton Claud, born Jan. 11, 1877 ; Orville .Sylvester, Aug. 4, 1878; Mary Belle, March 19, 1880; Evalena, May 5, 1881. 1 child, yet unnamed, was born Sept. 8, 1883.
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aniel Wallace, farmer, section 34, Isabella Township, was born in Perth Co., Ont., May 1, 1837. The parents of Daniel were Timothy and Maria (Parker) Wallace. His father was a native of Malone, N. Y., of Scotch extraction, and by occupation a farmer. He died in Washtenaw County, this State, June 9, 1877, aged 71 years. His mother was a native of Genesee Co., N. Y., and of Pennsylvania-Dutch ex- traction. She is the mother of 11 children, five sons and four daughters living, and one son and one daughter deceased, and is still living, in the vicinity of Ann Arbor, this State.
Daniel is the oldest of the 11 children, and re- mained under the parental roof-tree until he attained the age of 23 years. He assisted on the farm and in the maintenance of the family, receiving the advan- tages afforded by the common schools of the county, and developed into manhood.
July 5, 1857, Mr. Wallace was united in marriage with Miss Amy J. Brundage, daughter of Stephen and Sarah Ann (Arnold) Brundage. They were na- tives of Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, of New England parentage, and the father was a farmer by occupation. He died in Ontario, April 25, 1846, and the mother died in the same place. Amy J. was born in Ontario, Sept. 26, 1837. Her father died when she was nine years old, and she lived with her mother, assisting in the household duties and the maintenance of the family, and attending the com- mon schools, until her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Wallace are the parents of nine chil- dren, all living and born and named as follows: William M., Sept. 15, 1858; Daniel E., Nov. 28, 1860; Ann J., Oct. 3, 1862; Edward, Jan. 9, 1865; Charles T., Feb. 4, 1867 ; Nellie M., Sept. 2, 1869; Amy A., Feb. 14, 1872; Alice M., Jan. 17, 1875; Frank A., Dec. 15, 1877.
Three years after his marriage, Mr. Wallace moved to Iowa and there followed the occupation of farm-
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ing until 1861, when he came to Washtenaw County, this State, where he followed the same vocation, en- gaged a portion of the time in running a threshing- machine, for 18 years. He has threshed 67,000 bushels of wheat, besides oats and barley, in one season. His next move was to Livingston County, this State, where he remained, engaged in farming, for three years.
In March, 1876, he came to this county and bought 80 acres of land in Isabella Township. The township was at this time an " Indian reserve," and the Indians proved to be very friendly to the settlers. Mr. W., from the first, gained their confidence, and by fair and honest treatment always retained it.
To his original purchase Mr. W. has added 80 acres, and of his entire area of land he has 110 acres in a good state of cultivation. The improvement was mostly accomplished through his own energetic labors. He has erected a fine barn on his farm, the material costing him $600, the labor being performed exclusively by himself.
Religiously, the father and mother are strict moral- ists, and take considerable care in the cultivation of the minds of their children in that direction.
Politically, Mr. W. is a believer in and supporter of the principles and doctrines of the Republican party. He has held the minor offices of the town- ship, and has often been solicited to accept the high- est office in the gift of his townsmen. He is also a strong temperance man, and holds a position in the esteem and respect of the citizens of his township not undeserved, but as a reward of past acts of integrity and honest and fair dealing.
dward Dubois, general farmer and stock- raiser, section 12, Lincoln Township, was born in the Canton of Berne, Switzerland ; was only one year old when his mother died and three years old when his father died, and thereafter until he was six he lived with his grandparents, and then until 16 with an uncle.
He then worked at the butcher's trade four years, two years for his grand uncle, and then came to America, alone, locating as a farm laborer in Wayne Co., Ohio.
At Mt. Eaton, that county, March 22, 1855, he
married Miss Mary Burkhardt, who also was born in Berne, Switzerland, Nov. 2, 1832, educated there and emigrated to America in her 22d year, leaving par- ents and friends. The children of Mr. and Mrs. D. have been 12 in number, three of whom are deceased, namely : Edward, born Jan. 6, 1856 ; Fred, May 11, 1862 ; Emma, Feb. 29, 1864; Albert and Alice (twins), April 20, 1866; Celia, June 8, 1868; Mary, March 29, 1870 ; Ellen E., June 10, 1873; Carrie, June 8, 1875; the deceased are, Mary, born Aug. 6, 1857, died Sept. 7, 1861 ; Anna E., born Jan. 13, 1859, died Sept. 7, 1861 ; Lena, born Aug. 21, 1860, died Nov. 29, 1861.
After they were married, Mr. and Mrs. D. "worked out " until the next fall. In the spring of 1856, they bought 40 acres in Wayne Co., Ohio, resided upon it until 1864, and then came to this State and purchased a quarter of section 12, Lincoln Township, where he now resides. Only a small portion was then im- proved. Mr. Dubois has now 110 acres in a state of good cultivation, a good stock and grain barn, and a residence lately erected, at a cost of nearly $2,000. He has proven himself an industrious and judicious farmer and a worthy citizen. Is a member of the Farmers' Club of Coe Township, is a Democrat, and he and wife are both connected with the Dutch Re- formed Church.
tephen Hart, farmer on section 18, Denver Township, is a son of Stephen and Ann (Stephens) Hart, natives of England. The father died in that country about 1843, and the mother, emigrating to Canada, survived till about 1870.
The subject of this record was born in England, in December, 1837, and was five years and a half old when he crossed the waters with his mother to Can- ada. He lived with her until 1872, then came to Clare County, this State, where he was employed at teaming and in the woods until the spring of 1880. He then came to Isabella County and bought 40 acres of wild land on section 18, Denver Township. This has since been his home, and he has now about 30 acres in cultivation.
He was married in Canada, Oct. 30, 1859, to Mar- garet, daughter of Duncan and Mary (Mckinnon)
H. a. Brubaker
80 Brubaker
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McMullen, natives of Scotland. She was born in Canada in July, 1837. Of ten children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hart, the following seven survive : Stephen, Hugh, John, Allen, Annie, Samuel and Thomas. The three deceased were named Margaret, Mary and Maria.
Politically, Mr. Hart is a Republican.
eorge A. Ferris, farmer, section 36, Union Township, was born Nov. 18, 1835, in Broome Co., N. Y., and is a son of Albert G. and Betsey (Conkling) Ferris. He was reared on a farm, and in 1855 his family came to Saginaw. Not long after their arrival Mr. Ferris set out with A. M. Merrill, John M. Hursh and five Indians for a tract of land in Union Town- ship, including the whole of section 32, and owned by Mr. Merrill. The Indians were employed to carry provisions and every man in the procession had a load. The red men carried 125 pounds each, Mr. Hursh had a load of 120 pounds of pork and Mr. Ferris, then about 20 years old, had a burden of 75 pounds weight. Mr. Merrill carried a ponderous bundle of leather done up in a woolen blanket, un- der which he staggered and groaned to such an extent that his companions forgot their own burdens in sym- pathy for his sufferings. At their journey's end the bundle was investigated and weighed, and exhibited only 15 pounds avoirdupois! The party carried their loads from Midland, 25 miles through the woods, consuming two days in the trip, traversing a trackless route to Chippewa Township, and cutting their way. They camped there five weeks and then cut a road through to the claim of Mr. Merrill in Union Town- ship, driving an ox team. Mr. Ferris returned sev- eral times to his father's home in Saginaw County, two miles northwest of the city of Saginaw. He was employed by I. E. Arnold, of Isabella County, in the building of four Indian shed-houses. His father superintended their construction.
In October, 1862, Mr. Ferris "squatted " on 160 acres of land, where he has since resided; and when the property came into market he entered his claim according to the regulations of the Homestead Act. On taking possession, he cleared a small patch and erected a log house, which is now a part of his dwell -
ing. He was engaged in the labor of a carpenter during the first five years of his residence and spent several winters in lumbering, meanwhile improving his farm. He has 95 acres cleared and cultivated land, well supplied with orchards, etc. He is a Re- publican in political sentiment ; has been Drain Com- missioner four years and Road Commissioner 12 years.
Mr. Ferris was married March 8, 1862, in Union Township, to Susan, daughter of George and Sophia (Bidler) Miser. She was born March 4, 1835, in Wayne Co., Ohio. The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Ferris were born on the homestead as follows : Laura A., Feb. 13, 1863; Eli L., Aug. 29, 1864; George I., Oct. 15, 1865 ; Nettie, April 22, 1870. The parents of Mrs. Ferris came to Michigan from Ohio about 1858 and settled two miles northwest of the village of Salt River in Coe Township, where her father had previously purchased 160 acres of land. He lived on the homestead during the remainder of his life.
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A. Brubaker, farmer, section 30, Gilmore Township, was born July 8, 1834, in Wayne Co., Ohio, and is the son of George and Elizabeth (Bukett) Brubaker. The parents were both natives of Pennsylvania, and the father is deceased. The mother is living in Ohio. The year after he attained his majority, Mr. Brubaker went to California and remained there between three and four years employed as a miner.
He returned to Ohio, and from 1859 to 1866 was engaged in farming and operating a thrashing-ma- chine. In the year last named he came to Coldwater Township, Isabella County, when that section of Michigan contained within its limits not a vestige of cultivation nearer than Millbrook. Mr. Brubaker en- tered a homestead claim of 80 acres in the township of Coldwater, where he was the first white resident. He built a board shanty ; and the condition of the country may be estimated from the fact that one night, as he lay asleep on the floor of his abode, his dog sprung across his face, having been driven in by a wolf! When he raised his log house, he went 13 miles and hired 13 men to aid him, to whom he paid $1.50 per day for three days' work. His house was the shelter and home of many of the first settlers as
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they came into the township, and he extended all the aid, sympathy and encouragement in his power to them, while they were preparing shelter and making ready for citizenship. Sometimes three or four fami- lies were under his roof at the same time, and at one period 21 children inhabited his home for several days.
Mr. Colley (see sketch) was three miles distant, and Mr. Summerton resided about a mile away. These were the nearest neighbors. The next in proximity were located at a distance of 12 miles. The first boarding-house at Farwell, Clare County, was kept by Mr. and Mrs. Brubaker in 1870. The first meal was cooked over a log heap, and the table was set in a railroad shanty. The meal was eaten by the light of a torch held by Mr. Brubaker. The value of that gentleman as a pioneer settler of Isa- bella County can be ascertained from the sketches of several of the early settlers in Coldwater Township, each of whom pays grateful tribute to his sympathy and rare abilities, as he was for some time the facto- tum of the township in emergencies, when timely aid and advice were imperative. There was no physi- cian nearer than Mt. Pleasant, and Mr. Brubaker was supplied with medical books, a stock of medi- cines and a clear head and sound judgment, which obtained their full value in the straits in which his neighbors sometimes found themselves.
He resided on his place in Coldwater Township 12 years, when he sold out and purchased 280 acres in Gilmore. Of this tract about roo acres are under first-class improvements and in a state of progressive cultivation.
He was married May 1, 1859, at Indian Diggings, California, to Elizabeth E. Gilbert, daughter of J. W. and Abigail (Bradley) Gilbert. The parents are deceased ; they died at Plymouth, California, on the same day, their deaths occurring about six hours apart. Mrs. Brubaker was born May 7, 1844, in Shiawassee Co., Mich. Of nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Brubaker, six survive. The record is as follows: Orel G. was born April 8, 1860; William B., March 21, 1862 ; Abbie C., Feb. 24, 1864 ; Charles L., July 14, 1869; Harry, July 8, 1875; George O., May 28, 1879; Gary R. was born Dec. 13, 1881, and died Feb. 16, 1883 : Mary L. was born April 9, 1866, snd died Aug. 23, of the same year. Another child died in infancy.
As the subject of the foregoing record is one of the most prominent pioneers of Isabella County, we give in this volume a portrait both of himself and his estimable wife.
ichael McGihon, farmer on section 32, Nottawa Township, is a son of Robert and Margaret (Morgan) McGihon, natives of Ireland, both whom died in Canada. He was born in Wellington, Can., July 20, 1836, and made his home with his parents for some years after he was of age. He learned the carpenter's trade soon after attaining his majority, but he has worked more at farming than at carpentry. Leaving home, he came to Detroit and spent four years in the lumber woods. He bought his present farm of 160 acres in this county in 1869. He has since sold 40 acres, and of the remainder 65 acres are improved.
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