USA > Michigan > Isabella County > Portrait and biographical album of Isabella county, Mich., containing portraits and biographical sketches > Part 48
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63
The Mt. Pleasant Tribune said : " Chas. T. Rus- sell, as counsel for the defense in the case of People vs. Bucher, made one of the most eloquent argu- ments to which we have ever listened. He is a law- yer of rare promise, and we predict for him a brilliant future."
Saginaw Courier : " Mr. Charles Russell, one of the defendant's counsel, argued the law points to Judge Hart, in which he showed great familiarity with his subject. His brief was very exhaustive, exhibiting extensive research among voluminous legal matter. If the defendant is not acquitted, it will not be the fault of his counsel, who have not left a stone un- turned that would work to the defendant's benefit. Mr. Russell is a young man, and though not long in practice, is fast climbing to the top round of the lad- of the Bar of Isabella County."
Other notes : "They secured for their client a dis-
-
47 2
ISABELLA COUNTY.
agreement of the jury, and he was never convicted."
Mr. Russell's argument to the jury was a striking exhibit of his character as a man. His position was that of a defender of the general principle of human rights, and that every accused person is presumably innocent until conclusively proved guilty; and he argued with distinguished ability on the essentials to crime and the necessity of integrity in the evi- dence where so great a question as human liberty is involved.
In 1880, Mr. Russell was appointed Village Attor- ney, and in 1881 accepted the position of Village President. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney on the Democratic ticket by a majority of 267 votes, -a most flattering result, as the district is strongly Republican. The vote on the village ticket of Mt. Pleasant was Republican, and Mr. Russell was the only successful nominee on the Democratic ticket. He has been the incumbent of numerous minor official' positions. He is a member of the Order of Odd Fellows at Mt. Pleasant.
The marriage of Mr. Russell to Nettie M. White occurred March 22, 1882, at Burlington, Vt. She was born at Duxbury, Vt., March 8, 1853, and is a daughter of Walter H. and Lestina White. One child-Ruby-was born to Mr. and Mrs. Russell, Feb. 10, 1883. Mr. White was born in Vermont, March 8, 1823, and has been a prominent farmer and active politician of Chittenden County many years. He was a member of the Assembly of the Green Mountain State in the years 1878-9. His wife was born in Duxbury, Vt., March 31, 1833.
erritt Leonard (deceased), farmer on section 22, Coe Township, was born in Greene Co., Pa., Aug. 21, 181 8, and was the son of Lot and Elizabeth Leonard, na- tives of Pennsylvania. He practiced his pro- fession (medicine) in the Keystone State until December, 1869, when he came with his family to Isabella County and bought 120 acres in Coe Town- ship, on which he resided until his death, which oc- curred Jan. 18, 1871.
He was married in Washington Co., Pa., May 1, 1851, to Jane, daughter of William and Martha
(Clark) Dickerson, natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. L. was born in Washington, Pa., May 25, 1826. To this marriage six children were born, four of whom survive: William D., Orlando A., Leroy B. and Lizzie M. Lot L. and an infant are deceased.
A lbert A. Shaver, dealer in furniture, under- taker, and Treasurer of Clare County, re- sides at Clare, near the Isabella County line. He was born in Steuben Co., N. Y., Sept. 17, 1840, the son of Lewis and Sarah (Chapman) Shaver, natives of New England and of Eng- lish-German descent. The father died in Gratiot County, this State, in 1879 ; the mother resides with Mr. Shaver at Clare.
The subject of this sketch came with his parents to Emerson Township, Gratiot Co., Mich., in 1856, and lived there until Sept. 13, 1862. On that date he enlisted in Co. D, 26th Mich. Vol. Inf., and his command was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, under Gen. Hancock. On the last day's fight in the Wilderness he was wounded in the left hip by a minie-ball. He also fought at Petersburg and on the South-Side Railroad, of Virginia, where he was again wounded, a bullet passing through the liver and kidney. At the time he received this second wound he was color-bearer of his regiment. From these two injuries he was in hospital 13 months. He was discharged July 24, 1865, after an honorable service of about three years.
Returning to Gratiot County, he lived at home two years, during which time he was married to Ellen Muscott, a native of Gratiot County, where she was born April 9, 1849. After marriage, he resided on a farm in Gratiot County until 187 1, when he came to Clare. Here he worked at carpentry, which trade he had learned after leaving the army. He built the first house in Clare, camping out under a large elm tree while at work on the same. In August, 1879, he entered upon his present business with a stock of $1,200, which is now increased to $5,000. He does an annual business of $6,000.
Mr. S. is Trustee of the Congregational Church, of which he and wife are active members. He has
O
HA, Brown
475
ISABELLA COUNTY.
been School Assessor, and for six years Treasurer. In 1879 he was Supervisor, and the following year he was elected County Treasurer, which office he now holds. In politics, he is a staunch Republican.
illiam N. Brown, attorney, banker, and lumberman, residing at Mt. Pleasant, was born in the city of New York, June 24, 1849. His parents, James and Sarah (Wales) Brown, belong to the race known and com- prehended distinctively as Scotch-Irish. The father was connected with lumbering interests in the metropolis of the Empire State, and about the year 1852 removed his family and interests to Zilwaukee, Saginaw Co., Mich. Two years later they went to a farm in Richland Township, where the family now reside.
Mr. Brown's mother is one of that class of women whom no pen can adequately portray; to whom motherhood brings a sense of responsibility which can never be obliterated; whose duties can never be wholly discharged while life continues, and whose best praise is that "her children arise up and call her blessed." Reverses might hamper choice in the method of the training of her sons in such a mother, but her purpose to guide them in proper avenues could be affected by no circumstances, and she molded them from their earliest years by her quiet but inflexible personal influence. She felt that, in this country, the empire of mind must be the only object worthy of aspiration, and she sacrificed every- thing to obtain for her children the opportunities and advantages she herself was powerless to supply.
The son, who is the subject of this sketch, was, even in his early boyhood, a boy with a purpose. Although so young, he had developed an eager taste for knowledge which to the observant, vigilant moth- er seemed certain to lead him to the results she so earnestly desired for him; and when the family left Saginaw he became the protege of the Hon. Amasa Rust, of Saginaw, from whom and his family he re- ceived the kindest aid and encouragement. He paid his way by manual labor in the intervals of school, and made marked progress. He obtained odd jobs of employment and saved his earnings until he ac- quired a sufficient sum to defray his expenses while
attending the High School in the city of Saginaw, where he was a pupil one year, during which he mastered every branch of study taught in the school and passed a most creditable examination before he had attained the age of 12 years.
Young as he was, his active mind had been thor- oughly aroused by the events which preceded the ad- vent of civil war; and when matters culminated in the assault on Fort Sumter he sought with eagerness an avenue where he could exert his small strength and effort in behalf of the Republic. He became & drummer boy and continued to serve in that capacity throughout the entire course of the contest. He en- rolled Oct. 16, 1861, in Saginaw City, in Co. B, Mich. Vol. Inf., under Capt. Charles H. Richmond. He was under fire through most of the prominent en- gagements in which his regiment was involved.
Perhaps the most remarkable fact in the career of Mr. Brown was the indomitable purpose of his boy- hood, to which he adhered without change or shadow of turning. The incidents and events of camp life, filled with thrilling novelty and calculated to interest and absorb a keen, ambitious mind, never caused him to waver in the pursuit of knowledge, to which he devoted every leisure moment and which instiga- ted in him a frugality which resulted in the saving of every dollar of his earnings. At the termination of the war he had accumulated sufficient money to en- able him to obtain a university education, to which he had looked forward as the acme of his youthful ambitions and aspirations. He matriculated at an educational institution at Rochester and was gradu- ated there with all the honors for which he had so assiduously labored and so laudably craved with all the desire of a strong, young soul, full of the aspira- tions of a noble nature, guided by a judgment and firmness of character which would have graced men of maturity and experience. His constant and unre- mitting efforts resulted in the temporary loss of his sight, and he came back to Detroit in darkness, under the care of a personal friend. Rest and the best medical skill proved effective, and one of his first efforts after his recovery consisted in making an ex- tended tour through the northern portion of Mich- igan, in company with the friend and patron of his boyhood. The route included Isabella County, then in an unbroken state of nature, which he traversed and observed with interest without even an intuition
476
ISABELLA COUNTY.
A
3
that it would constitute the scene of the efforts of his later years.
On his return to Saginaw he entered the employ of the Hon. D. H. Jerome as book-keeper, a position which he filled with such marked ability and integrity as to secure the entire respect and confidence of the distinguished gentleman in whose interests he acted. He refused a liberal offer for further services in a position of advancement to attend the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He had lost a large pro- portion of the money he had saved for his education, through the misfortunes of a friend to whom he had made a temporary loan; but, instead of yielding to the weight of the disaster, he found in it only the in- centive to greater effort. He endured absolute pen- ury during his collegiate course, and through the closing days subsisted on the most meager fare. He was graduated with honor and soon after entered the office of the Attorney General of Michigan, the Hon. Dwight May, at Kalamazoo, being specially recom- mended by the University faculty for the position. The quality of his services may be readily estimated by the fact that he was soon entrusted with the most important business pertaining to the office, even to the preparation and argument of State cases in the Supreme Court, and that he received special official commendation from the Attorney General.
On the termination of his connection with the office of the Attorney General, Mr. Brown returned to Saginaw and began his career as an attorney, de- voting himself especially to a class of cases for which his character and peculiar abilities eminently fitted him, and of which the state of affairs in Isabella County were in extreme need. The interests of the non-resident land-holders were in the utmost peril from the manipulations of a variety of rascals, whom Federal institutions seem powerless to eradicate, and whose business is the direct outcrop of the mal- feasance in office which has left indelible stains upon the escutcheon of the Republic. To the honest efforts and clear-sightedness of Mr. Brown, is Isa- bella County indebted more than to any other one individual for the peerless condition of her municipal affairs.
In 1872 he established his legal practice at Mt. Pleasant. In 1873 he was compelled by the colossal proportions of his office business to divide its labors, and he associated with himself John C. Leaton, un-
der the style of Brown & Leaton, one of the most prominent legal relations of this section of Michigan and well-known from its connection with important local litigation.
Mr. Brown has achieved signal success as a busi- ness man, and has displayed the same acumen in his investments as in his other efforts through life. He is the owner of several thousand acres of land rated among the most valuable in Isabella County. He has made his purchases from some of the most prom- inent lumber firms in Northern Michigan and has ac- complished substantial results in lumbering opera- tions in his own behalf.
In the local interests of his township, village and county, Mr. Brown has been and is an invaluable factor. He operates on the basis of a truly wise man, who recognizes the fact that the furtherance of gen- eral interests pays largest to the promoter, while his unselfishness and disinterestedness are unmistakably set forth. He has invariably shown himself ready to aid substantially in every project that seemed to hold a promise for his own or future generations. He has never held his lands as a monopolist, but has made a practice of offering the most liberal terms to actual settlers and affording means of improvement. His moral attitude is unblemished, and in his religious connections he is most consistent and tolerant. He is a communicant of the Church of England, and one of the most substantial testimonials to his liberality and genuine Christian purpose is the elegant church of the denomination in which he was born and bred near his residence at Mt. Pleasant, in the erection and equipment of which he and his wife were chiefly instrumental. The inside of the beautiful building is designed after a model on the estate of the Duke of Devonshire, and is very elaborate without the least attempt at ostentation.
In 1878 the only daughter of Gen. Dwight May became the wife of Mr. Brown, and they celebrated their marriage by an extended continental tour. Mrs. Brown is in every sense the counterpart of her husband. Cultured, well-bred, possessed of graces and gifts of nature granted to few, she sheds the luster of a perfect womanhood over the elegancies of the circumstances which surround her. In her social relations she is gracious and genial; in her domestic life she shines as nowhere else; and as an earnest Christian lady solicitous for the well-being of those
477
ISABELLA COUNTY.
around her, she has no superior and few peers. Among other local matters with which her name and influence are inseparably associated is the public library at Mt. Pleasant, of which she was for a long time the chief official.
The home of Mr. Brown is that of a gentleman of cultured taste and unaffected intelligence. Art and literature have contributed to its adornment and value, and the mementoes of the foreign travels of Mr. Brown and his accomplished wife are everywhere visible. The collection of pictures is unique in this section, in rarity and notoriety ; the private library contains a large and choice selection from the best authors, and the law library of Mr. Brown is the most extensive in Northern Michigan.
The exact attitude of a man to his generation and his influence in the community to which he belongs can be justly estimated from the stand-point of no other man's prejudice or favor. Opinions differ as educa- tion molds mentality, and experience teaches the bio- grapher to portray character from the standard of motive and achievement. Opportunity may serve largely in what one accomplishes, but the underlying fact that a greater ability is necessary to the just com- prehension and value of opportunity is left out of consideration. If a man takes advantage of a chance that opens before him, he is comparatively insignifi- cant in view of the opportunity being afforded. Ob- jects and sound are vain without the complements of sight and hearing; but the comparative significance is quite apparent, and the scope of the one unlimited while the other is in a sense but the result of acci- dent. The responsibility lies with those who . fail to take advantage of the tide and move on to disaster, while they who accept the flow at the opportune mo- ment, win its advantages and seem but the children of prosperity. The fact that others fail, in no sense detracts from the merits of those who win. The re- lations of Mr. Brown to Isabella County are such as to render him prominent in his generation. His benefactions to the community of which he is a mem- ber are numberless, and in the majority of them he is simply wise and provident. Ile exercises the ut- most discrimination and guides his operations with the view of benefiting the greatest possible number. He prefers to act untrammeled, and persistently refuses office, although repeatedly solicited to lend his name for positions which in themselves reflect honor upon the incumbent.
Ile was nominated Sept. 7, 1882, to represent the 24th Senatorial District of Michigan, comprising the counties of Isabella, Midland, Clare and Gratiot, but declined. The election was secure, as the Republi- can majority in the district was very large. Jan. I, 1883, the bank of Brown, Harris & Co., was organ- ized, and the institution has since operated in the financial avenues common to similar establishments with satisfactory results. Mr. Brown was elected the Vice-President and one of the Directors of the Lansing, Alma, Mt. Pleasant & Northern Railroad, and is a member of its Executive Committee. He received election Feb. 5, subsequent to the incorpora- tion of the road. The portrait of Mr. Brown appears on page 474.
lijah Moore (deceased), late resident of Coe Township, was born in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., Jan. 27. 1817, and is a son of Elijah and Jane (Cazar) Moore, natives of Mas- sachusetts, and of Puritan ancestry. The par- ents were married in the Bay State, and journeyed on horseback ficm Massachusetts to Chautauqua Co., N. Y., where they lived until their death, -- he dying Nov. 10, 1840, and she May 26, 1862. They reared seven children out of nine born to them : Rebecca, John, Isaac, Catherine, Elsie, Walter, Elijah, Eben and Jane.
The subject of this record was the fourth son. He attended the common schools of his neighborhood until 11 years old, and afterwards attended the acad- emy at Mayville, in his native county, until 22 years old. With this efficient preparation, he taught school with gratifying success for eight years at Nor- walk, Ohio, three years at Amherst, Ohio, and also at other places, -- in all 52 terms. He was prominent in public affairs when he lived in New York and Ohio, and held many offices. He was engaged at various times in lecturing, and being possessed of a magnetic temperament, he always had complete con- trol of his audience. He was the owner of a fine farm of 250 acres in Chautauqua County, which he sold in February, 1864, and came to Isabella County. He first bought 80 acres in what is now Salt River. He selected this land with the sole idea of founding a village, in which he succeeded. He also owned
ISABELLA COUNTY.
478
160 acres in different parts of the township of Coe. He was of a genial, hospitable disposition, and, with a desire to form the acquaintance of all the new comers in the neighborhood, he opened a hotel in a log house at Salt River, of the commodious dimen- sions of 18 x 20 feet. This was often filled to over- flowing with travelers. He afterwards put up a good house on the corner where a hotel is now kept by W. H. Kinter, and had an extensive patronage. He kept a strictly temperance house.
He platted what is now Salt River in September, 1866.
He was married in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., Sept. 12, 1839, to Samantha, daughter of Robert and Betsy (Crane) Wilkins, natives of Maine. She was born in Stockton, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., June 4, 1819, and became the mother of three daughters: Wealthy M., Betsey and Alice. The first named is now the wife of J. J. Upton, and the other two are deceased.
Mr. Moore died at Salt River, Dec. 28, 1872, after a prosperous and useful life. His wife followed him from this world of care May 2, 1880. He was a member of the Baptist Church, but was liberal in his views. Politically, he was a Democrat.
-
imeon C. Brown, editor and proprietor of the Northwestern Tribune, published at Mt. Pleasant, was born in Clay Township, Knox Co., Ohio, May 1, 1825. He removed with his parents, when he was 12 years old, to Marion Co., Ohio, where he resided until 1845. During this time he was educated as a physician and began the practice of his profession at Locke, Knox Co., Ohio, in the year 1845. He removed in 1852 to Williams County in the Buckeye State, where he pursued his chosen vocation until 1864, when he en- listed as a soldier in the war for the Union. He was in the service but a short time and was mustered out Feb. 1, 1864, on account of disability.
In 1867, Mr. Brown was elected Journal Clerk of the Ohio House of Representatives. In the following year he removed to Gull Prairie, Isabella Co., Mich. While a resident there he was elected Justice of the Peace and continued to hold the incumbency of the position eleven successive years. lle has served two years as Circuit-Court Commissioner of Isabella
County, and in 1879 he was elected Clerk of the Joint Committee on Taxation of the Legislature of Michigan. During the same year he commenced the publication of the Northwestern Tribune at Salt River, and in March, 1881, he removed his interests to Mt. Pleasant, where he is now engaged in prose- cuting his journalistic enterprise.
rancis M. Hopkins, farmer, section 3, Deer- field Township, is a son of Allen and Deli- Jah (Hodges) Hopkins, natives of the State of New Jersey, who moved to this State and settled in Ionia County in 1832, where our sub- ject was born March 24, 1854.
Francis M. remained under the parental roof-tree, assisting his father on the farm and attending the common schools until he attained the age of man- hood. He then went to Montcalm County and remained 14 years, engaged in farming, and then returned to Ionia County. In the spring of 1880, Mr. H. came to this county and settled on his present farm of 50 acres, 35 of which are in a good state of cultivation. Mr. Hopkins was united in marriage, Aug. 21, 1870, with Barbara, daughter of George and Isabella (Dawalt) Myers. The father is deceased and the mother is still living, in Steuben Co., Ind. Mrs. Hopkins was born in Williams Co., Ohio, March 20, 1851.
Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins are the parents of six chil- dren, all of whom are living, and were born as follows : Wm. W., Oct. 24, 1871; Jennie, Nov. 1, 1873; Min- nie, Aug. 30, 1875 ; Elmer E., Feb. 20, 1878; Mary A., Jan. 19, 1881, and Frederick C., May 20, 1883.
Mr. H. is an esteemed and respected citizen of his township, and has held the offices of Township Col- lector and Path Master, and several school offices.
ebster T. Ross, farmer on section 23, Coe Township, is a son of Wilbur and Rachel (Thorn) Ross, natives of the State of New York, and was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Nov. 13, 1827. When he was nine years old, he removed with his parents to Lenawee County, this State. There he lived until 1846, when he returned and spent to years in Ontario Co., N. Y.,
Edmin Russell
Emily Russell
ISABELLA COUNTY. .
483
engaged in farming. In the fall of that year he came to Hillsdale County, this State, and in the fall of 1863 he came to this county and bought 40 acres on section 23, Coe, where he has since resided. He has about 24 acres under cultivation.
He was married in Ontario Co., N. Y., Nov. 10, 1850, to Eliza, daughter of James and Mary (Tower) Eddy, natives of the State of Vermont. She was born in Chili, Monroe Co., Mich., May 22, 1831. Four children have blessed their marriage: William W., Charles A., George E. and Mary E.
Mr. Ross has been Township Superintendent of Schools two years, Drain Commissioner two years, School Inspector one year, School Assessor one year, and School Director 12 years. He is an educational man, and has taught school in Isabella, Gratiot and Midland Counties 60 months. He is a Freemason, and is politically a Republican.
dwin Russell, farmer on section 19, Vernon Township, is a son of Richard and Mary Ann (Walker) Russell. The parents were natives of England, emigrated in 1855, and now reside in Simcoe Co., Can. The subject of this notice was born in Somersetshire, Eng., Jan. 15, 1841, and lived with his parents until 23 years old. He came with them to America in 1848, landing at New York. He went thence to Quebec, and then to Toronto. For four years he lived four miles from the latter city. He then moved about 100 miles north of Toronto, to a place called Medonta, where he lived 11 years. In 1864 he came to Sag- inaw, this State, where he remained 15 years, engag- ed in lumbering and milling. In 1879 he removed to Isabella County, where he had purchased his present farm of 573 acres about 1868. He has industriously cut off the pine and improved for cultivation about 250 acres. He built a fine house in 1 882, and a barn in 1881, at a cost of perhaps $7,000.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.